therans passionately desire their Mohammed to come, and preach from all the house-tops that he will come and work miracles. Honored Patron, if agreeable to the Pope's in- structions, and if it brings danger to no one but myself, by God I wish nothing so much as to measure myself with this Satan. If for that purpose I do not see him face to face, I hope immediately after discharge of my present mission to write against him, without appeal to the works which he rejects. So much occasion have I found to refute him in his last work* on which he and his followers spent all their diligence. However, as already said, it is not permissi- ble to discuss the primacy of the Pope and submit it to the judgment of the laity, of whom many are already tainted with heresy. Moreover, what judges could one have if the supreme authority of the Pope be set aside? In his Protesta- tion' Luther rejects as judges all theologians, philosophers and doctors of both laws as insignificant, contemptible men.
��359. ALEANDER TO CARDINAL DE' MEDICI AT ROME Kalkoff : Aleander, p. 37. Worms (Middle of December), isaa
In my last letter I sketched the state of affairs ; in this one I will say something about the persons involved.
The Emperor is a man of the best disposition, such as has hardly appeared for a thousand years ; were it not for him our business would be very much complicated by private passions.
The confessor* has been taught by the favors shown him by the Pope to think much more favorably of Rome than he previously did, and he gives us good service ; thus we see how kindnesses bear fruit.
Chievres is certainly well intentioned and influential, al- though he declares that as a layman he must in this affair
^The Babylonian Captivity.
Ablatio sive Protestatio, cf. Smith, gji.
- John Clapton, born in the Province of Maine, France, became a Franctseaa
at Bruges. At the time of the election of Charles as Emperor he Ttttted that monarch in Catalonia, and in 1519 or 1520 was recommended to the position of his confessor by P. de Croy, Marquis of Arscot. (Letters and Papers cf Henry or 32, IS22. Nouvelle Biographie Ginirale. Cf. Smith, 110-2.
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