ing for
with all my might. What more was it my duty to do?

Next came Charles Miltitz, also a nuncio from your Blessedness. He,
though he went up and down with much and varied exertion, and omitted
nothing which could tend to restore the position of the cause thrown
into confusion by the rashness and pride of Cajetan, had difficulty,
even with the help of that very illustrious prince the Elector
Frederick, in at last bringing about more than one familiar conference
with me. In these I again yielded to your great name, and was prepared
to keep silence, and to accept as my judge either the Archbishop of
Treves, or the Bishop of Naumburg; and thus it was done and concluded.
While this was being done with good hope of success, lo! that other and
greater enemy of yours, Eccius, rushed in with his Leipsic disputation,
which he had undertaken against Carlstadt, and, having taken up a
new question concerning the primacy of the Pope, turned his arms
unexpectedly against me, and completely overthrew the plan for peace.
Meanwhile Charles Miltitz was waiting, disputations were held, judges
were being chosen, but no decision was arrived at. And no wonder! for
by the falsehoods, pretences, and arts of Eccius the whole business was
brought into such thorough disorder, confusion, and festering soreness,
that, whichever way the sentence might lean, a greater conflagration was
sure to arise; for he was seeking, not after truth, but after his own
credit. In this case too I omitted nothing which it was right that I
should do.

I confess that on this occasion no small part of the corruptions of Rome
came to light; but, if there was any offence in this, it was the fault
of Eccius, who, in taking on him a burden beyond his strength, and in
furiously aiming at credit for himself, unveiled to the whole world the
disgrace of Rome.

Here is that enemy of yours, Leo, or rather of your Court; by his
example alone we may learn that an enemy is not more baneful than a
flatterer. For what did he bring about by his flattery, except evils
which no king could have brought about? At this day the name of the
Court of Rome stinks in the nostrils of the world, the papal authority
is growing weak, and its notorious ignorance is evil spoken of. We
should hear none of these things, if Eccius had not disturbed the plans
of Miltitz and myself for peace. He feels this clearly enough himself in
the indignation he shows, too late and in vain, against the publicat