ple of Strassburg even reproached those of Basel with celebrating a
Christless supper. Up to the year 1826 the Confession (sometimes also known
as the Confession of Muehlhausen from its adoption by that town) was
publicly read from the pulpits of Basel on the Wednesday of Passion week in
each year. In 1872 a resolution of the great council of the city
practically annulled it.

BASEL, COUNCIL OF. A decree of the council of Constance (9th of October
1417) sanctioned by Martin V. had obliged the papacy periodically to summon
general councils. At the expiry of the first term fixed by this decree,
Martin V. did, in fact, call together at Pavia a council, which it was
necessary to transfer almost at once to Siena, owing to an epidemic, and
which had to be dissolved owing to circumstances still imperfectly known,
just as it was beginning to discuss the subject of reform (1424). The next
council was due to assemble at the expiry of seven years, _i.e._ in 1431;
with his usual punctuality, Martin V. duly convoked it for this date to the
town of Basel, and selected to preside over it the cardinal Julian
Cesarini, a man of the greatest worth, both intellectually and morally.
Martin himself, however, died before the opening of the synod.

From Italy, France and Germany the fathers were slow in appearing at Basel.
Cesarini devoted all his energies to the war against the Hussites, until
the disaster of Taus forced him hastily to evacuate Bohemia. The progress
of heresy, the reported troubles in Germany, the war which had lately
broken out between the dukes of Austria and Burgundy, and finally, the
small number of fathers who had responded to the summons of Martin V.,
caused that pontiff's successor, Eugenius IV., to think that the synod of
Basel was doomed to certain failure. This opinion, added to the desire
which he had of himself presiding over the council, induced him to recall
the fathers from Germany, whither his health, impaired of late, probably
owing to a cerebral congestion, rendered it all the more difficult for him
to go. He commanded the fathers to disperse, and appointed Bologna as their
meeting-place in eighteen months' time, his intention being to make the
session of the council coincide with some conferences with representatives
of the Greek church, which were to be held there with a view to union (18th
December 1431).

This order led to an outcry among the fathers of Basel and incurred the
deep disapproval of the le