Germany, was a great mistake of the Pope, as Roman historians admit, and it helped the cause of
the Reformation.^251
The bull was published and carried out without much difficulty in Mayence, Cologne, and
Louvain; and Luther’s books were committed to the flames, with the sanction of the new Emperor.
But in Northern Germany, which was the proper seat of the conflict, it met with determined
resistance, and was defeated. Eck printed and placarded the bull at Ingolstadt, at Meissen (Sept.
21), at Merseburg (Sept. 25), and at Brandenburg (Sept. 29). But in Leipzig where a year before
he had achieved his boasted victory over Luther in public debate, he was insulted by the students
(one hundred and fifty had come over from Wittenberg), and took flight in a convent; the bull was
bespattered, and torn to pieces.^252 He fared still worse in Erfurt, where he had been ridiculed and
held up to scorn as a second Hochstraten in the satire Eccius dedolatus (printed at Erfurt in March,
1520): the theological faculty refused to publish the bull; and the students threw the printed copies
into the water, saying, "It is only a water-bubble (bulla), let it float on the water."^253
Eck sent the bull to the rector of the University of Wittenberg, Oct. 3, 1520, with the request
to prohibit the teaching of any of the condemned propositions of Luther, and threatening that, in
case of disobedience, the Pope would recall all the liberties and privileges of the university. The
professors and counselors of the Elector declined the promulgation for various reasons.
The Elector Frederick was on the way to Aachen to assist at the coronation of Charles V.,
but was detained at Cologne by the gout. There he received the bull from Aleander after the mass,
Nov. 4, and was urged with eloquent words to execute it, and to punish Luther or to send him to
Rome; but he cautiously deferred an answer, and sought the advice of Erasmus in the presence of
Spalatin. The famous scholar gave it as his judgment, that Luther’s crime consisted in having
touched the triple crown of the Pope and the stomachs of the monks;^254 he also wrote to Spalatin,
after the interview, that the Pope’s bull offended all upright men by its ferocity and was unworthy
of a meek vicar of Christ.^255 The Elector was thus confirmed in his favorable view of Luther. He
sent Spalatin to Wittenberg, where some students had left in consequence of the bull; but Spalatin
was encouraged, and found that Melanchthon had about six hundred, Luther four hundred hearers,
(^251) Pallavicini and Muratori censure Leo for commissioning Eck. Janssen says (II. 109):"Es war ein trauriger Missgriff, dass mit der
Verkündigung und Vollstreckung der Bulle in mehreren deutschen Dioecesen Luther’s Gegner Johann Eck beauftragt wurde." The same
view was previously expressed by Kampschulte (Die Universität Erfurt in ihrem Verh. zu dem Humanismus und der Reformation, Trier,
1858-60, Th. II., p. 36), although he fully justified the papal bull as a necessity for the Roman Church, and characterized its tone as
comparatively mild in view of Luther’s radicale Umsturzgedanken and his violence of language. Audin and Archbishop Spalding defend
the Pope.
(^252) Letter of Miltitz to Fabian von Feilitzsch, Oct. 2, 1520. In Walch, XV. 1872. Luther wrote to Spalatin, Oct. 3, 1520 (De Wette, I.
492), that he had just heard of the bad reception and danger of Eck at Leipzig, and hoped that he might escape with his life, but that his
devices might come to naught.
(^253) "Bulla est, in aqua natet." So Luther reports in a letter to Greffendorf, Oct. 20 (De Wette, I. 520), and in a letter to Spalatin, Nov. 4
(I. 522 sq.). Kampschulte (l.c. II. 37 sqq.) gives a full account of Eck’s troubles at Erfurt, from a rare printed placard,Intimatio Erphurdiana
pro Martino Luthero (preserved by Riederer, and quoted also by Gieseler, III. I. 81, Germ. ed., or IV. 53, Anglo-Am. ed.), to the effect
that the whole theological faculty stirred up all the students, calling upon them to resist "with hand and foot" the furious Pharisees and
slanderers of Luther, who wished to cast him out of the Church and into hell. Luther makes no mention of such a strange action of the
faculty, which is scarcely credible as it included strict Catholics.
(^254) "Lutherus peccavit in duobus, nempe quod tetigit coronam Pontificis et ventres monachorum." Spalatin, Annal. 28 sq.
(^255) "Bullae saevitia probos omnes offendit, ut indigna mitissimo Christi vicario." Erasmus soon afterwards called back his Axiomata
pro causa Lutheri, which he had sent to Spalatin. They were, however, published (Erl. ed. of Luther’s Op. Lat., vol. V. 238-242). About
the same time he advised the Emperor to submit the case of Luther to impartial judges of different nations, or to a general council. See
Gieseler, IV. 53 sq., Am. ed.