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bis own generosity, and to be apprehensive of conse- BOOK quences, which either he did not foresee, or had diregard ed, while the sense of his obligations to the family of 155. Farnese was recent. The emperor still retained Placentia in his hands, and had not relinquished his pretensions to Parma as a fief of the empire. Gonzaga, the governor of Milan, having, by the part which he took in the murder of the late duke Peter Ludovico, offered an insult to the family of Farnese, which he knew could never be forgiven, had, for that reason, vowed its destruction, and employed all the influence which his great abilities, as well as long services, gave him with the emperor, in persuading him to seize Parma by force of arms. Charles, in compliance with his solicitations, and that he might gratify his own desire of annexing Parma to the Milanese, listened to the proposal; and Gonzaga, ready to take encouragement from the slightest appearance of approbation, began to assemble troops, and to make other preparations for the execution of his scheme.

Farnese

of France.

Octavio, who saw the impending danger, found it ne- Octavio cessary, for his own safety, to increase the garrison of his cures the capital, and to levy soldiers for defending the rest of the stance country. But as the expense of such an effort far exceeded his scanty revenues, he represented his situation to the pope, and implored that protection and assistance which was due to him as a vassal of the church. The imperial minister, however, had already pre-occupied the pope's ear; and by discoursing continually concerning the danger of giving offence to the emperor, as well as the imprudence of supporting Octavio in an usurpation so detrimental to the holy see, had totally alienated him from the family of Farnese. Octavio's remonstrance and petition met, of consequence, with a cold reception; and he, despairing of any assistance from Julius, began to look round for protection from some other quarter. Henry II. of France was the only prince powerful enough to afford him this protection, and fortunately he was now in a situation which allowed him to grant it. He had brought

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BOOK his transactions with the two British kingdoms, which had hitherto diverted his attention from the affairs of the continent, to such an issue as he desired. This he had effected partly by the vigour of his arms, partly by his dexte rity in taking advantage of the political factions which raged in both kingdoms to such a degree, as rendered the councils of the Scots violent and precipitate, and the operations of the English feeble and unsteady. He had procured from the English favourable conditions of peace for his allies the Scots; he had prevailed on the nobles of Scotland not only to affiance their young queen to his son the dauphin, but even to send her into France, that she might be educated under his eye; and had recovered Bologne, together with its dependencies, which had been conquered by Henry VIII.

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His league The French king having gained points of so much conwith Henry sequence to his crown, and disengaged himself with such honour from the burden of supporting the Scots, and maintaining a war against England, was now at full leisure to pursue the measures which his hereditary jealousy of the emperor's power naturally suggested. He listened, accordingly, to the first overtures which Octavio Farnese made him; and embracing eagerly an opportunity of reeovering footing in Italy, he instantly concluded a treaty, in which he bound himself to espouse his cause, and to furnish him all the assistance which he desired. This transaction could not long be kept secret from the pope, who, foreseeing the calamities which must follow if war were rekindled so near the ecclesiastical state, immediately issued monitory letters, requiring Octavio to relinquish his new alliance. Upon his refusal to comply with the requisition, he soon after pronounced his fief to be forfeited, and declared war against him as a disobedient and rebellious vassal. But as, with his own forces alone, he could not hope to subdue Octavio while supported by such a powerful ally as the king of France, he had recourse to the emperor; who being extremely solicitous to prevent the establishment of the French in Parma, ordered Gonzaga to

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of hostili

second Julius with all his troops. Thus the French took BOOK
the field as the allies of Ocavio, the imperialists as the
protectors of the holy see; and hostilities commenced Occasions
between them, while Charles and Henry themselves still the renewal
affected to give out that they would adhere inviolably to ties be-
the peace of Crespy. The war of Parma was not distin-tween
guished by any memorable event. Many small rencounters and Henry.
happened with alternate success; the French ravaged
part of the ecclesiastical territories; the imperialists laid
waste the Parmesan; and the latter, after having begun
to besiege Parma in form, were obliged to abandon the
enterprise with disgrace.

Charles

ing of the

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But the motions and alarm which this war, or the pre-Retards parations for it, occasioned in Italy, prevented most of the the meet Italian prelates from repairing to Trent on the first of May, council. the day appointed for re-assembling the council; and though the papal legate and nuncios resorted thither, they were obliged to adjourn the council to the first of September, hoping such a number of prelates might then assemble, that they might with decency begin their deliberations. At that time about sixty prelates, mostly from the ecclesiastical state or from Spain, together with a few Germans, convened P. The session was opened with the accustomed Tenry proformalities, and the fathers were about to proceed to busi- against the ness, when the abbot of Bellozane appeared, and present-council. ing letters of credence, as ambassador from the king of France, demanded audience. Having obtained it, he protested, in Henry's name, against an assembly called at such an improper juncture, when a war, wantonly kindled by the pope, made it impossible for the deputies from the Gallican church to resort to Trent in safety, or to deliberate concerning articles of faith and discipline with the requisite tranquillity; he declared, that his master did not acknowledge this to be a general or oecumenic council, but must consider, and would treat it as a particular

• Adriani Istor. lib. viii, 505, 514, 524. Sieid. 513. Paruta, p. 220 Lettere del Caro scritte al nome del Card Farnese, tom. ii, p. 1, PF. Paul, 268.

Rr 2

UIL

FREEÍ ISRA'Y

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BOOK and partial convention. The legate affected to desp sẽ this protest; and the prelates proceeded, notwithstanding, to examine and decide the great points in controversy concerning the sacrament of the Lord's supper, penance, and extreme unction. This measure of the French monarch, however, gave a deep wound to the credit of the council, at the very commencement of its deliberations. The Germans could not pay much regard to an assembly, the authority of which the second prince in Christendom had formally disclaimed, or feel any great reverence for the decisions of a few men who arrogated to themselves all the rights belonging to the representatives of the church universal, a title to which they had such poor pretensions.

Violence of

The emperor, nevertheless, was straining his authority the empe to the utmost, in order to establish the reputation and juror' p.oceedings risdiction of the council. He had prevailed on the three against the ecclesiastical electors, the prelates of greatest power and

Protest

ants.

dignity in the church next to the pope, to repair thither in person. He had obliged several German bishops of inferior rank to go to Trent themselves, or to send their proxies. He granted an imperial safe-conduct to the ambassadors nominated by the elector of Brandenburg, the duke of Wurtemberg, and other Protestants, to attend the council; and exhorted them to send their divines thither, in order to propound, explain, and defend their doctrine. At the same time his zeal anticipated the decrees of the council; and, as if the opinions of the Protestants had already been condemned, he took large steps towards exterminating them. With this intention he called together the ministers of Augsburg; and, after interrogating them concerning several controverted points, enjoined them to teach nothing with respect to these, contrary to the tenets of the Romish church. Upon their declining to comply with a requisition so contrary to the dictates of their consciences, he commanded them to leave the town in three days, without revealing to any person the cause of their banishment; he prohibited them to preach for the future

4 Sleid. 518. Thuan. 282. F. Paul, 301,

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in any province of the empire; and obliged them to take BOOK an oath that they would punctually obey these injunctions. They were not the only victims to his zeal. The Protestant clergy in most of the cities in the circle of Suabía were ejected with the same violence; and in many places, such magistrates as had distinguished themselves by their attachment to the new opinions, were dismissed with the most abrupt irregularity, and their offices filled, in consequence of the emperor's arbitrary appointment, with the most bigoted of their adversaries. The reformed worship was almost entirely suppressed throughout that extensive province; the ancient and fundamental privileges of the free cities were violated; the people were compelled to at tend the ministration of priests whom they regarded with horror as idolaters, and to submit to the jurisdiction of magistrates whom they detested as usurpers".

His endca

support

The emperor, after this discovery, which was more explicit than any that he had hitherto made, of his inten- vours to tion to subvert the German constitution, as well as to ex- the countirpate the Protestant religion, set out for Inspruck in the cil. Tyrol. He fixed his residence in that city, as, by its situa- November. tion in the neighbourhood of Trent, and on the confines of Italy, it appeared a commodious station, whence he might inspect the operations of the council, and observe the progress of the war in the Parmesan, without losing sight of such occurrences as might happen in Germany.

During these transactions the siege of Magdeburg was The siege carried on with various success. At the time when Charles of Magdeburg. proscribed the citizens of Magdeburg, and put them under the ban of the empire, he had exhorted, and even enjoined, all the neighbouring states to take arms against them, as rebels and common enemies. Encouraged by his exhortations as well as promises, George of Mecklenburg, a younger brother of the reigning duke, an active and ambitious prince, collected a considerable number of those soldiers of fortune who had accompanied Henry of Brunswick in all his wild enterprises; and, though a zealous

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