nstructions to certain envoys sent to the intermediary, Sigismund,
are plain. In unequivocal terms, his daughter's hand is made
contingent on his own election as King of the Romans, that shadowy
royalty which veiled the approach to the imperial throne.

"_Item_--And in regard to the said marriage, the ambassadors shall
inform Monseigneur of Austria that, since his departure from
Hesdin, certain people have talked to Monseigneur about this
marriage and mentioned that, in return, the emperor would be
willing to grant to Monseigneur the crown and the government of
the Kingdom of the Romans, with the stipulation that Monseigneur,
_arrived at the empire by the good pleasure of the emperor_ or
by his death, would, in his turn, procure the said crown of the
Romans for his son-in-law. The result will be that the empire
will be continued in the person of the emperor's son and his
descendants.

"_Item_--They shall tell him about a meeting between the imperial
and ducal ambassadors, at which meeting there was some talk of
making a kingdom out of certain lands of Monseigneur and
joining these to an _imperial_ vicariate of all the lands and
principalities lying along the Rhine."

In the following paragraphs of this instruction,[7] Charles directs
his envoys to make it clear to Monseigneur of Austria (Sigismund)
that the duke's interest in the plan does not spring from avarice or
ambition. He is purely actuated by a yearning to employ his time and
his strength for God's service and for the defence of the Faith, while
still in his prime.

Should the emperor refuse to approve the duke's nomination as King of
the Romans, the ambassadors are instructed to say that they are not
empowered to proceed with the marriage negotiations without first
referring to their chief. They must ask leave to return with their
report. If Sigismund should take it on himself to sound the emperor
again about his sentiments, the envoys might await the result of his
investigations. He was to be assured that while Charles was resolved
to hold back until he was fully satisfied on this point, if it were
once ceded, he would interpose no further delay in the celebration of
the nuptials. He must know, however, just what power and revenue the
emperor would attach to the proposed title. He was not willing to
accept it without emoluments. His present financial burdens were
already heavy, etc. The concl