Thus spoke the primate of the German Church, and even the choice of his messenger was significant: Dr. Ruhel was Luther's brother-in-law. John begged him to thank his master.
As this envoy retired, there arrived one of the gentlemen of Duke Henry of Brunswick, a zealous Romanist. He was at first refused admittance on account of the departure, but returned hastily, just as Brück's carriage was leaving the court-yard of the hotel. Approaching the carriage-door, he said: "The Duke informs the Elector that he will endeavour to put things in a better train, and will come this winter to kill a wild boar with him."[826] Shortly after, the terrible Ferdinand himself declared that he would seek every means of preventing an outbreak.[827] All these manifestations of the affrighted Roman-catholics showed on which side was the real strength.
At three o'clock in the afternoon the Elector of Saxony, accompanied by the Dukes of Luneburg and the Princes of Anhalt, quitted the walls of Augsburg. "God be praised," said Luther, "that our dear prince is at last out of hell."[828]
RESTORATION OF POPERY.
As he saw these intrepid princes thus escaping from his hands, Charles the Fifth gave way to a violence that was not usual with him.[829] "They want to teach me a new faith," cried he: "but it is not with the doctrine that we shall finish this matter: we must draw the sword, and we shall then see who is the strongest."[830] There was a concert of indignation around him. They were astonished at the audacity of Brück, who had dared call the Romanists—heretics![831] But nothing irritated them so much as the spirit of proselytism which in those glorious days characterized Evangelical Germany; and the anger of the Papists was particularly directed against the Chancellor of Luneburg, "who," said they, "had sent more than a hundred ministers into different places to preach the new doctrine, and who had even publicly boasted of it."[832]—"Our adversaries thirst for our blood," wrote, as they heard these complaints, the deputies of Nuremberg, who remained almost alone at Augsburg.
On the 4th October, Charles the Fifth wrote to the Pope; for it was from Rome that the new crusade was to set out. "The negotiations are broken off; our adversaries are more obstinate than ever; and I am resolved to employ my strength and my person in combating them. For this reason I beg your holiness will demand the support of all christian princes."
TUMULT IN THE CHURCH.
The enterprise began in Augsburg itself. The day on which he wrote to the Pope, Charles, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast it was, re-established the Cordeliers in that city, and a monk ascending the pulpit said: "All those who preach that Jesus Christ alone has made satisfaction for our sins, and that God saves us without regard to our works, are thorough scoundrels. There are, on the contrary, two roads to salvation: the common road, namely, the observance of the commandments; and the perfect road, namely, the ecclesiastical state." Scarcely was the sermon finished ere they began to remove the benches placed in the church for the Evangelical preaching, breaking them violently (for they were fixed with chains), and throwing them one upon another. Within these consecrated walls two monks, in particular, armed with hammers and pincers, tossed their arms, and shouted like men possessed. "From this frightful uproar," exclaimed some, "one would say they were pulling down a house."[833] It was in truth the house of God that they wished to begin destroying.
After the tumult was appeased, they sang Mass; then a Spaniard desiring to recommence breaking the benches, and being prevented by one of the citizens, they began to hurl chairs at each other; one of the monks, leaving the choir, ran up to them and was soon dragged into the fray; at length the captain of police arrived with his men, who distributed their well-directed blows on every side. Thus recommenced in Germany the restoration of Roman-catholicism: popular violence has often been one of its most powerful allies.
On the 13th October the recess was read to all the Romish states, and on the same day they concluded a Roman league.[834]