the Reformer. Alveld's work,
justifying the divine right of the Apostolic Chair, to all
learned men, appeared early in May,[9] in the Latin language, in
a first edition full of errors, followed quickly by a second
edition.[10] Alveld attempted to cut Luther to pieces with
"seven swords," of which the first was _recta ratio_; the second,
_canonica scriptura_; the third, _vera scientia_ (gained through
the Church teachers and scholastics); the fourth, _pietas sacra_;
the fifth, _sanus intellectus_; the sixth, _simplex et pudica
sapientia_; the seventh, _pura et integra scientia_.

On Alved's miserable jumble, in which the Reformer is alluded to
as a "heretic," "lunatic," "wolf," Luther was not willing to
waste any time (despite a threatening letter from Alveld); but
jotted down some points for John Lonicer,[11] who on June 1st,
published a sharp expose[12] of the Leipzig Romanist's
weaknesses[13]. Although the monastic authorities at Leipzig,
fearing Luther, now attempted to suppress Alveld, that worthy at
once came out[14] with a new work[15] on the same theme and this
time in the German language[16]. It stirred Luther's blood. "If
the jackanapes had not issued his little book in German to poison
the defenceless laity," he said, "I would have looked on it as
too small a matter to take up." As it was, with great rapidity he
wrote his "The Papacy at Rome against the Celebrated Romanist at
Leipzig." Going to press in May, the book was completed on the
26th of June. The twelve known editions are all quartos and range
in size from twenty-two to thirty-two leaves. The first[17] two
editions were printed by Melchior Lotther in Wittenberg; one by
Peypus in Nuremberg; two by Silvan Otmar in Augsburg; one by
George Nadler in Augsburg; one by Adam Petri in Basel and one by
Andrew Exatander.[18]

_Incidentally_ Luther handles the "Alveld Ass" [19] and the Roman
cause without gloves, but _in substance_ he explains to the
layman what Christianity really is,[20] i. e., unfolds to them
the essence of the Christian Church.[21] In doing so he takes
advanced ground for civil and religious liberty. The traditional
mediaeval idea of universal monarchy is dealt a heavy blow.
Neither in Civil Government nor in the Church is the need of a
single monarchical head. "The Roman Empire governed itself for a
long time, and very well, without the one head, and many other
countries in the world did the same. How does the Swiss
Confederacy govern