Charles rendered to the Reformation, and the best thing, in a moral point of view, he ever did.^384
Unfortunately, he diminished his merit by his subsequent regret at Yuste.^385 He had no other chance
to crush the heretic. When he came to Wittenberg in 1547, Luther was in his grave, and the
Reformation too deeply rooted to be overthrown by a short-lived victory over a few Protestant
princes.
It is interesting to learn Aleander’s speculations about Luther’s intentions immediately after
his departure. He reported to Rome, April 29, 1521, that the heretic would seek refuge with the
Hussites in Bohemia, and do four "beastly things" (cose bestiali): 1, write lying Acta Wormaciensia,
to incite the people to insurrection; 2, abolish the confessional; 3, deny the real presence in the
sacrament; 4, deny the divinity of Christ.^386
Luther did none of these things except the second, and this only in part. To prevent his
entering Bohemia, Rome made provision to have him seized on the way.
§ 58. The Ban of the Empire. May 8 (26), 1521.
After Luther’s departure (April 26), his enemies had full possession of the ground. Frederick
of Saxony wrote, May 4: "Martin’s cause is in a bad state: he will be persecuted; not only Annas
and Caiaphas, but also Pilate and Herod, are against him." Aleander reported to Rome, May 5, that
Luther had by his bad habits, his obstinacy, and his "beastly" speeches against Councils, alienated
the people, but that still many adhered to him from love of disobedience to the Pope, and desire to
seize the church property.
The Emperor commissioned Aleander to draw up a Latin edict against Luther.^387 It was
completed and dated May 8 (but not signed till May 26). On the same day the Emperor concluded
an alliance with the Pope against France. They pledged themselves "to have the same friends and
the same enemies," and to aid each other in attack and defense.
The edict was kept back till the Elector Frederick and the Elector of the Palatinate with a
large number of other members of the Diet had gone home. It was not regularly submitted to, nor
discussed and voted on, by the Diet, nor signed by the Chancellor, but secured by a sort of surprise.^388
On Trinity Sunday, May 26, Aleander went with the Latin and German copy to church, and induced
the Emperor to sign both after high mass, "with his pious hand." The Emperor said in French, "Now
you will be satisfied."—"Yes," replied the legate in the same language, "but much more satisfied
"Now ye burn a goose (anser; Hus in Bohemian means goose); but out of my ashes shall rise a swan (cygnus, Luther), which you shall
not be able to burn," is not authentic, and originated in Luther’s time as a vaticinium post eventum.(^384) Ranke says (vol. V. 308): "Es ist die universalhistorisch grösste Handlung Karls V., dass er damals das gegebene Wort höher stellte
als die kirchliche Satzung."
(^385) See above, p. 283.
(^386) Brieger, I. 169 sqq. Aleander says in support of the fourth item, that the Lutheran "wretch," Martin Butzer (he calls him Putzer), had
already fallen into the diabolical Arian heresy, as he had been told by the Emperor’s confessor, Glapio, who had a conference with Butzer
and Sickingen.
(^387) Aleander reports, May 5: "Poi me fù commesso per Cesar et el Consilio (the imperial council),che io stesso facesse el decreto, con
quelle più justificationi si potesse, acciochè il popolo se contentasse."
(^388) "Das Edict," says Ranke (i. 342), "ward den Ständen nicht in ihrer Versammlung vorgelegt; keiner neuen Deliberation ward es
unterworfen; unerwartet, in der kaiserlichen Behausung bekamen sie Kunde davon, nachdem man nichts versäumt, um sie guenstig zu
stimmen; die Billigung desselben, die nicht einmal formell genannt werden kann, ward ihnen durch eine Art von Ueberraschung
abgewonnen."