resence of Melanchthon and the other professors, John Curio had
spoken of Flacius as "the rascal and knave (_Schalk und Bube_)," and
even referred to the Lower Saxon delegates in unfriendly terms. Also a
filthy and insulting pasquil, perhaps composed by Paul Crell, in which
Flacius and the Saxon delegates were reviled, was circulated in
Wittenberg and even sent to Coswig. (Preger 2, 49.) The first lines of
the pasquil ran thus; "_Qui huc venistis legati Illyrici permerdati, Ab
illo concacati, Polypragmones inflati, Illius natibus nati, Quae
communio veritati, Mendacio et vanitati?_" (_C. R._ 9, 50. 235.)

Having read the sealed letters and convinced themselves that Melanchthon
could never be induced to accede to the demands of the Magdeburgers, the
delegation (with the exception of Chemnitz) immediately returned to
Coswig, January 25. Here they declared: They had not delivered the list
of errors to Melanchthon; if they had done so, deliberations would have
been broken off immediately; only the charges with respect to
justification had been transmitted; they therefore requested the
Magdeburgers to declare their agreement with the articles already
submitted to Melanchthon. Seeing no other course, the Magdeburgers
finally yielded, though reluctantly, and not without protests and some
changes in the articles. Flacius, too, consented, but "only with a
wounded conscience," as he declared. Having returned to Wittenberg, the
delegates transmitted the modified articles together with the additions
of the Magdeburgers to Melanchthon.

In his answer of January 27 to the Lower Saxon pastors, Melanchthon said
in part: "You know that in the last thirty years a great confusion of
opinions obtained in which it was difficult not to stumble somewhere.
And many hypocrites have been, and still are, hostile in particular to
me. I was also drawn into the insidious deliberations of the princes.
If, therefore, I have either stumbled anywhere or been too lukewarm in
any matter, I ask God and the churches to forgive me and shall submit to
the verdict of the Church.... As to the Flacian quarrels, however,
concerning which you are now treating with me so eagerly, and into which
Flacius has injected many foreign matters, you yourselves know that this
affair pertains also to many others, and that, without offending them, I
cannot decide and settle anything (_me aliquid statuere posse_).... This
now I desire to be my last answer (_hanc volo nunc meam