APPENDIX.

I.

GREGORY PONTANUs.

(Page 82.)

IT may be gratifying to the reader to be put in possession of a few additional particulars concerning this excellent person.

His father was a man of fortune, and the chief magistrate of a town in the neighbourhood of Wittemberg. He removed to the latter place for the sake of constantly attending the ministry of Luther; in which he took great delight. He had three sons, whom he destined severally to the three learned professions. Gregory had a great taste for literature, and made considerable proficiency in general learning, while he early distinguished himself in his own profession of the law. He studied under Henningus and Jerome Schurff, men of great eminence in their line, the latter of whom has been noticed as Luther's advocate at Worms. He soon began to be consulted by the princes and states, and, when about thirty years of age, was made chancellor by Frederic the Wise. In the year 1520, he accompanied the elector to Cologne, and was present at the conversation between him and Erasmus concerning Luther, which has been related by Dr. Milner. At the same time he had to reply, by the elector's

'Milner, iv. 485. (468.)

orders, to Aleander the pope's legate, who urged the commitment of Luther to safe custody. Thus he was introduced to the great question of the reformation at a critical period, and he ever afterwards continued a fast friend to the cause. At the diet of Worms he held frequent communications with Mercurinus Gattinara, the emperor's chief minister; which, it may be concluded, would confirm the latter in the moderate and tolerant counsels which he suggested. Of his conduct at the diet of Augsburg, nothing more need here be stated, except that, as much was then attributed to the eieíkeim, the mildness, of Melancthon, so much also was ascribed to the xphoyia, the happy eloquence, of Pontanus. He was ever favourable to pacific measures; and, when the Smalkaldic war was likely to break out, he declared that he would always share the fortune of the protestant

Above, pp. 18, 19. Beausobre, (Hist. de la Ref. iv. 281-239,) gives us from Celestine a speech addressed by Gattinara, in the emperor's name, to the pope in council, at Bologna, which does him high honour, for its manly exposure of the evils under which the church groaned, of the necessity of pacific measures, and of a reformation, according to the holy scriptures, in doctrine, as well as in manners and discipline. The pope replied in such an evasive manner, and with such assertions of his own supreme authority, as might be expected from one in his station. When Gattinara would have spoken further, the pope refused to hear hun: on which the emperor took up the subject in person, in such a style as it might have been well for himself and the world had he subsequently adhered to. Beausobre, ib. 239-251-Archdeacon Coxe (House of Austria, i. 485, 4to,) in a summary manner pronounces these speeches to be fabrications. They are to be found, however, in Melancthon's posthumous Orations, v. 87 &o. and in his Consilia, ii. 346 &c; whence they have been adopted by Celestine, Chytræus, Seckendorf; (ii. 143;) and the substance of them is thought to be authentic by Hane, Hist. Ref. ii. 204-206, and by Gerdes, i. 37. -Gattinara was made a cardinal in his latter days; the pope hoping by that means to gain the emperor.

princes, but would never instigate them to fight. He enjoyed the uninterrupted favour of those princes, as well as the friendship of most of the learned men of his time. His latter days were much employed in devotion, in which he daily commended the church and his own family to the divine grace and blessing. He died in peace at Jena, February 20, 1557, having attained the age of seventy years. He was well versed in the holy scriptures, and in the history and the controversies of the church: he studied religion, however, mainly for practical purposes. His eloquence is much celebrated, and it was aided by a fine and powerful voice, a comely presence, and a dignified deportment. He firmly advocated what he thought right, even though it might not be agreeable to his superiors; yet he knew how to yield a ready concurrence, when advice was suggested which approved itself to his judgment, though his previous impressions might have been different. He was greatly superior to the love of money; nor did he use his influence in the courts of princes to subserve the purposes of private ambition. He had obtained a noble command over his passions, particularly anger, to which he was naturally prone. The elector Frederic, he said, had been his first preceptor in this art: but he had frequently in his mouth the words of the Saviour, "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart ;" and he observed, that he deprecated being hindered in prayer, and other necessary duties, by the influence of angry or resentful feelings.

I subjoin the substance of his reply to the His speech elector of Brandenburg, referred to in the at Augs. history.

"The sentiments of the elector of Saxony

burg.

towards our most gracious emperor have been before this sufficiently manifested; and it appears that no one of the protestant princes has been wanting to his duty, whether in resisting the Turks, in suppressing the insurgents in Germany, or in any other service. They declare themselves to be ever mindful of the rule, Render to Cesar the things which are Cesar's, and to God the things which are God's. It is not from private interest, from idle caprice, from delusion, or any blind impulse of passion, that these princes have embraced the doctrine now explained in their Confession: but having, after long consideration, and careful examination of the sacred scriptures, and of the testimonies of antiquity, been convinced of its truth, they could not reject it, lest they should incur the awful sentence denounced on those who sin against the Holy Ghost. For the divine glory, therefore, for the salvation of their own souls, and for the sake of others well affected towards religion, (whose number is not small,) they will, by the help of God still confess this doctrine, and cause it to be taught in their churches. And since, on account of the manifest audacity of the papal advocates, who deny that any errors and corruptions can be proved against them, all pious persons throughout Europe demand, even with sighs and ears, that a reformation should be made by a lawful council, these princes demand the same; and assure themselves that our most gracious emperor, who is sensible that reformation is necessary, will not, after the hopes that he has held out, take up arms in order to gratify the impiety and cruelty of other people, to establish the errors and corruptions of the papacy, and to suppress the truth which sets forth the glory