The Summa of the matters moued by the Nuntio of Pope Pius the forth, at y e meating of the Lords & Princes of Germany at Naū burge in Turinge the fyfth day of Februarij, in the yeare of oure Lorde. 1561.
The Popes Legate sayd.
‘
AS sone as the Popes holynes was called to the gouenmēt of holy churche he by and by, according to his Pastorall office & Popedome, sett all his thought and care howe to reforme, the euel and corrupt manners of lyfe, now vsed, that the fredome of the church, might once agayne be restored, & all people reduced to the vnity of one faith. And
[Page]forasmuch as, to the reducing of good, & putting away of euil ther can be found none other medicyne nor helpe, but by the kepinge of a generall Councell: he hath with y
e mature and wel adussed councell of his Cardinalls, by his full powre & auctoritie geuen him of god, determined to hold an holy Councel, at Ester, in the citie of Trient. And to thende that this may be knowen to al princes, that they also may take the like care, and in like manner do theyr diligence in councelling that y
e Duch nation may haue peace & quietnes, & ioyning in care with y
e Popes holynes, they may together sett to theyr helpinge hande, he hath of very loue &
[Page]good wil which he hath euer borne vnto y
e Duch nation, & for y
e great desire to seke their vnity, sēt furth vs his legats y
t we in his name shuld proue & moue euery Lord seuerally, pray, admonish, & most ernestly aduertise, & require them, y
e thei wil visit this general coū cel, & permit y
t this his blessed care & purpose may procead & take effect. Forasmuch as all matters therin shalbe quietly mildly & peaceably handled, & howsoeuer the matter falleth out, yt shalbe with lyke mildnes herd & determined. For y
e popes holynes in this, seketh none other thinge, but how y
e church may again be brought to peace and tranquilitye.’
‘And to this ende the pope is [Page]is ready to giue vnto y e Princes a free and suer saulfe Conducte, in all the best and in as āple & large maner as euer yet hath bene' geuen, or els may be inuēted to be geuen. Wherfor y e popes holines besecheth and admonisheth, that y e Princes will, all & euery one sende their Ambassadours with ful aucthority thether, that throwe theyr diligence, after the Schisme (wherein are as many sondry kindes of religiō as good Imaginations, & so many sōdry gospels as teachers) be pacified, the church may again be restored to her former bewtie, one faith may be holden in al countreyes, and one God of all men in all places worshipped.’
[Page] ‘VVhat more is in oure Ambassage (sayd the Legate) it shall be declared by my felowe Cōmissioner.’
Then spake the same as here after foloweth.
‘
RIght Noble Princes, forasmuch as the pops holynes hath geuē vs both one commaundement, I thinck it not neadful to repete those things that my felowe Commissioner hath propounded concerning the miserable estate of the church. For euery man may openly see, to what mysery the mater wil growe, & what wil be the ende therof. For one misery springeth after another, and it shall at last giue an open way to the
[Page]enemy of christendome, to destroi y
e commō welth It were very nedeful therfor to preuēt this mischief, this imminent peril requireth speady redres this councelleth y
e good oportunitie of tyme & goodnes of Pope Pius, whose full endeuour good meaning & diligēce also is to be regarded. There was neuer a better oportunity, to making of peace, nor neuer can ther be a better thē is at this present, when al Christen realmes are in quiet, & one pope is geuē of God, who bereth his singuler good will & fauour toward y
e Potentats, & seketh the saluaciō of theyr souls, and holly endeuoureth hiself to bring y
e church again to vnity peace and quietnes.’
The answer of the lords & Princes of Germany geuen to the Popes Nūtio, in the Diet of Naūburg in Thuring, in Febr. An 1561.
THe right high excellēt and noble Lords and Princes of y e holy Romayn Empire here present, & also Thambassadours & councellers of those that be absent hath cōmaunded to geue this answere, vnto your wurds & message, done & presented befor theyr most honorable lord ships and Princelye graces. Namelye, that theyr Noble Lordships and Princely graces doubt nothing at all, that many men wel learned, wyse & fearing God, at all tymes & [Page]among al people of the whole worlde & that of longe tyme haue wished, that the Christē churche might be brought to some better estate and staye, & euen now at this tyme make thei deuout and harty prayer with sighing vnto God that once at the last the pure doctrine may be restored and sett vp, and the horible misuses, which haue bene brought into the Church, may thorow a Christian reformacion cease & be put away. Whiche desire of reformation, & prayer to God for the same doubteles ought as well to be in the Romishe Popes who so longe & many yeres haue taken vpon them with so great pōpe the name [Page]& title of the Churche. But to what purpose? Nameli, with lust to reigne ouer other, to set kigdown & realmes at debat, & to bring in by heapes, into the church manifest & knowē Idolatry, to maintaine euery Pope for his time their gloriouse estate rather thē to helpe & refourme the abuses of the churche, which thinge is manifest to all honest & goodherted Christians, whiche thing also many wise & sage men, y t other wise haue ioyned & confederat them selues to the pope, dothe themselfes acknowledg and confesse.
But the forsaid noble lords & princes here present & y e Ambassadours of the lords absēt [Page]wōder much of what prowd custome or presūptuouse hope pope Pius y e iiij. presumeth by this his message to summone thē to a coūcel, or to apoit thē to come to Triēt. Seing. it is not vnkno wē both to y t pope & to you what religiō y e estates of y e auspurg confessiō holdeth & vpon what occasions they haue bene dryuē & cōpelled to purg & reforme their churches according to y e trewe doctrine of y e gospel, & to seperate thē selfs from y t multitude y t with thoppression of y t trueth & godly doctrine, seeke muche more their own gaine, then Christs glory. For the lords & Princes pleasur is, y t the pope & al that take his parte shall perfectlye know & be assured, y t they acknowledg [Page]not y e power or auctority of y e romish sea. And y t thei know it for an vndouted trueth by y e testimony both of Gods law & mans, y t it belongeth not of right to y e Romish pope to apoint a general coū cel. For y t y t self & same ꝑson, of whō all diuisiō & ichnine in y t church hath come, which also horribl [...] [...]ugneth y e opē & manifest trueth, shuld take vpon hī y e dignity & office of a iudg, to determine y e matters in controuersy, y t cōmō wit of mā be it neuer so simple, & y e testimony of Gods law, doth vs to vnderstāde that it is vnright.
Furthermore theyr honorable estats & lordships ernestly say, y t theyr graciouse honors ar vnfrēdly vsed, w t this your talke [Page]& massage done vnto them: as who saith to men y t know not what their faith is: but y t ther are, as many Gospels as teachers, & as many religions, as mens good meaninges. For their high honors, haue not only made a pure & cleare Cō fession of their faith, whiche thei deliuered to Charles the v. at Auspurg in the yeare of our Lord. 1530. but also they haue since y t time sett furthe & declared y e same trueth of godly doctrine, & is welset furth by mani other writigs which are euery where to be sene.
But in what errours y e Romish Churche is at this tyme drowned, & with what abhominable misuses & Idolatrish [Page]inuentiōs of men, the doctrine of y e gospel is there oppressed, yea so farre: y t it is more lyke an Heythnesse then a Christiā Religiō, is sufficiētly witnessed by the manifolde cōplaint of all the worlde. And forasmuche as the noble Lords & Princes of Duchland, no [...] as men fallē in errour, not of froward & contēnouse minde, nor nor new fangelled lightnes, but by the ernest and straight cōmaundement of God, be cō pelled to departe frō the Romish churche, they are purposed vpon the same grounde & commaundemēt so to cōtinue & can not suffer that the pope shal make or appoint any law for them. For they acknowledg [Page]none other power or magistrate, then their Emperour Ferdinando, whose Ambassadours are here and haue declared vnto vs, what theyr hop [...] & purpose is as concerning a general councell.
¶ Lastly as concerning your own Persons, theyr hye honours and graces, wolde ye shield be thus perswaded, that yf ye had not brought this message frō y e Romish Pope, they wolde haue welcomed you, as suche as come of the honorable Venetyan howse, & haue shewed to yow all louing and gentil inter saynment, ther by to declare in sompart theyr frendly good will to that honorable regiment of Venice, and also to doo you vnderstande, that they iudge you worthy bothe prayse & theyr fauour for your honorable behaueour, high prudēce, and wysdome.