The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

l82 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
first, by no means the first place. It could not escape a
keen observer that Philip II., whose policy was above all
directed to procuring and preserving peace, feared fresh
complications from a general council. He was afraid that
the peace, which had only recently been concluded at Cateau-
Cambresis, might be endangered, and Ehzabeth of England
so embittered against him that he might lose the position of
arbiter between England and France in the Scottish question.
The bringing forward, therefore, of the mattei, did not appear
opportune to the Spanish court, though, as the king was
dependent on the good-will of the Pope in several other
matters, he was exceedingly careful, at all events not to
thwart him in the matter of the Council ;
at the same time,
however, he showed no zeal for that important question,
but, on the contrary, his efforts were directed to delaying
any decision with regard to it, as long as possible.^
This attitude of reserve on the part of the most important
power in Europe must have warned the Pope to move very
cautiously. The Bishop of Terracina, Ottaviano Raverta,
when he was sent as nuncio to Spain on March nth, 1560,
was simply commissioned to invite the king to support the
Pope in once again convoking the Council.^ Hosius, who
was sent to Vienna as nuncio at the end of March, ^ was in-
structed to preserve an attitude of reserve in the matter of
the Council. The Pope wished indeed to hold a General
Council, but he could do nothing in the matter until the
French and Spanish ambassadors had expressed themselves
with regard to it.^ Vargas informed Philip II. on April 8th
^ C/. the exposition by Voss, 24 seqq., and especially that of
Dembinski, Ryzm, I., 151. See also Ehses, Berufung des
Konzils, 3.
* See *Varia polit., 116, p. 380a, Papal Secret Archives. Cf.
HiNOjosA, 112 seq. ; Ehses, loc. cit., and Concil., VIII., 10 s'eq.
^ Concerning the powers conferred on Hosius see the account
of Mergentheim, I., 244-7.
* Hosius had accordingly not spoken with the Emperor about
the Council until the beginning of May [cf. Voss, 30, 34). He
did not do so until May 10 [cf. his report of May 13, in Steinherz,