Emperor. He said not these things as if the great personages who heard
him stood in any need of his admonitions, but because it was a duty that
he owed to his native Germany, and he could not neglect to discharge it.

Luther, like Eck, spoke in Latin, and then, by desire, repeated his
speech with equal firmness in German. Schurf, who was standing by his
side, declared afterward with pride, "how Martin had made this answer
with such bravery and modest candor, with eyes upraised to heaven, that
he and everyone were astonished."

The princes held a short consultation after this harangue. Then Eck,
commissioned by the Emperor, sharply reproved him for having spoken
impertinently and not really answered the question put to him. He
rejected his demand that evidence from Scripture might be brought
against him by declaring that his heresies had already been condemned by
the Church, and in particular by the Council of Constance, and such
judgments must suffice if anything were to be held settled in
Christianity. He promised him, however, if he would retract the
offensive articles, that his other writings should be fairly dealt with,
and finally demanded a plain answer "without horns" to the question
whether he intended to adhere to all he had written or would retract any
part of it?

To this Luther replied he would give an answer "with neither horns nor
teeth." Unless he were refuted by proofs from Scripture, or by evident
reason, his conscience bound him to adhere to the Word of God which he
had quoted in his defence. Popes and councils, as was clear, had often
erred and contradicted themselves. He could not, therefore, and he would
not, retreat anything, for it was neither safe nor honest to act against
one's conscience.

Eck exchanged only a few more words with him in reply to his assertion
that councils had erred. "You cannot prove that," said Eck. "I will
pledge myself to do it," was Luther's answer. Pressed and threatened by
his enemy, he concluded with the famous words: "Here I stand, I can do
no otherwise. God help me. Amen."

The Emperor reluctantly broke up the diet at about eight o'clock in the
evening. Darkness had meanwhile come on; the hall was lighted with
torches, and the audience were in a state of general excitement and
agitation. Luther was led out; whereupon an uproar arose among the
Germans, who thought that he had been taken prisoner. As he stood among
the heated crowd, Duke Erich of Brunswick sent hi