While the elector, in the interest of the university, protected Luther, Rome avoided coming to the last ex- tremity. As early as Feb., 1518, the pope had instructed the general of the Augustinian Order, Gabriel Venetus, to turn Luther from the path he \vas following. As this measure failed of success, Luther had been called forward for trial to Rome. By the intercession of the elector, in place of appearing at Rome to answer the citation, the ap- pointment was made that cardinal Cajetan should give him a hearing at Augsburg. Urban, the orator of the marquis of Montferrat, tried his arts of persuasioia pre- vious to Luther's meeting Cajetan. To him Luther said, " If I can be convinced that I have said anything in con- flict with the understanding of the holy Roman Church, I will at once condemn it, and retract it." Urban said, " Do you think the elector is going to hazard his land for you?" Luther replied, " I would in no wise have it so." " Where, then, will you abide?" Luther answer- ed, '• Under the cope of heaven." The Italian replied, " Had you the pope and the cardinals in your power, what would you do ?" " I would," said Luther, " give them all due honor and reverence." At this the mes- senger, after the Italian manner, biting his thumbs, went away (Fuller, Abel Redivivus [Nichols], 1867, i, 44).
The cardinal himself attempted, Oct. 1518, to bring " little brother IMartin" to submission, but without suc- cess. "I don't wish to talk more with this beast; he has a deep eye, and marvellous speculations in his head." The good offices of Staupitz, the head of the Augustin- ians, and a firm friend of Luther, were also called in to move Luther, but the service was not one after his heart. When Luther asked Staupitz for some other interpreta- tion of the Scripture than that on which his faith rest- ed, Staupitz acknowledged that he could not give it, and showed where his heart was when he said to Luther, "Remember, dear brother, that thou hast begun in the name of Jesus." In order that Luther might not be hampered, Staujiitz had absolved him from the vow of obedience to the order. Luther finally appealed from "our most holy master Leo X, illy informed, to Leo X, to be better informed." Having reason to fear violence, he made his escape in the night of Oct. 20. Staupitz furnished him with a horse and an old guide. Luther, disguised in a long mantle, barefooted, and unarmed,
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rode until the evening of the day following, and when dismounted, could not stand, but lay helpless on the straw. At Griifenthal he was overtaken by count Al- bert of Mansfeld, who laughed heartily at Luther's style of horsemanship, and insisted on having him as his guest. *Two days after Luther's departure the appeal was fastened to the door of the cathedral at Augsburg.
The papal bidl of the month following condemned the attacks upon indulgences, and claimed for the pope the power of delivering sinners from all punishments due to every sort of transgression. Luther, now despairing of any reasonable accommodation with the pontiff, find- ing that nothing short of the six letters '-r e v o c o" would answer, appealed on Nov. 25, 1518, from the pope to a general council. Leo, however, by this time aware of the greatness of the schism likely to occur in the German Chiurch, seeing around Luther fast gathering the great, and the strong, and the learned, hastily dis- patched Miltitz, the papal chamberlain and legate, whose moderation and skiU adapted him for the mission of con- ciliation. Though he utterly failed to procure any re- cantation, he yet succeeded in obtahiing from Luther (1519) an expression of submissiveness, and induced him to ^Tite to the pops a letter full of courtesy and humil- ity, promising silence if it were also imposed on his ad- versaries. See Leo X.
IV. Leipsic Bisjmtation, — But the vanity and eager- ness of his opponents were too great to allow the stipu- lation any practical force. They saw spurs to be won, and would not lift their lances Irom rest. Eck in the previous year (1518) had challenged Carlstadt to a dis- putation, but his whole course proved that Lvither was to be the main object of his attack, and Luther hesita- ted not to appear in defence. The disputation took place at Leipsic, in the Pleissenberg Castle, from June 26 to July 16, 1519. Carlstadt was no match for Eck, who was incomparably the best debater on the side of Rome in the century. The discussion was so tedious at times that the hall was emptied. The debate itself, and the part Luther himself took during its progress, have already been spoken of in the article Eck, in vol. iii, especially at p. 47 sq.
The breach with Rome was decided at these disputa- tions by Luther's declaration that among the articles of Hnss there were also some condemned by the Council of Constance completely Christian and evangelical, thus clearly denying, de/ncto, the authority of the Church to decide in matters of faith. In August, 1520, appeared the reformatory writing, " To the Christian Nobles of the German Nation, of the bettering of the Christian State." In this work Luther unsparingly exposed what the pope had done to convert the Germans, a noble, loj'al race, into treacherous perjurers, and showed with what forbearance Germany had liorne these indignities. The German knighthood had oftered to draw sword in Luther's defence, but he declined the aid of all earthly power, as out of keeping with the holy interests of the kingdom. This great book showed to the knights that Lutlier's arms were mightier than theirs. In his book, '• Of the Babylonish Captivity of the Church," Oct. 6, 1520, Luther presented the doctrinal aspects of the Ref- ormation, as in his book to the nobles he had looked at it in hs jwlitical relations. He demanded the total ab- rogation of indulgences as "devilish institutions," the restoration of the cup to the laity, the limitation of the number of the sacraments: " If we wish to speak rigid- ly, there are in the Church tiro sacraments only." He declared transubstantiation to be no article of faith, and set forth the view that " true bread and true wine," not their mere accidents, remain in the Supper. He urges the cessation of external ecclesiastical satisfactions.' Through the whole he argues the sufhcicncy of the faith by which alone man-is justified. , It might liave seemed fixed that reconciliation with the Church of Rome was no longer possible; yet, as the result of a second conference with INIiltitz at Liehtenberg, Oct. 12, 1520, Luther expressed himself willing once more to