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

194 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
reported to Philip II. to the same effect on July i6th, and
recommended his sovereign to adopt the same attitude.
He thought that Ferdinand I. and Francis II. would give
way later on, and represent to their subjects that the Pope
had acted in the matter without their agreement. Pius IV.,
however, was not to be prevailed upon to come to a final
decision without having an understanding with the two
princes in question. He intended, before he did anything,
to send Delfino as ambassador to the Emperor, to write to
France, and to confer on the whole matter with Spain.
This policy, upon which Pius IV. decided, affords another
proof of his shrewdness as a statesman. In view of the
critical position of the Church, he wished, above all things,
to avoid any conflict with the great Catholic powers, and
from this came his dread of cutting the Gordian knot. In
order to bring about the assembly of the Council, in spite of
all difficulties, he was most careful not to give offence to the
princes, upon whom, in the first instance, everything depended,
by an}^ definite decision, or by too great plainness of speech.
However firmly he was convinced of the necessity of a General
Council, he nevertheless let as little as possible be known
of the character of the new assembly, while he especially
endeavoured to evade the important question of the validity
of the decrees already issued. If he expressed himself on
this point in different terms to the French ambassador from
those he used to the representative of Spain, this did not
mean that his opinion on this essential matter was not firm
and clear, but that he desired to offend neither the one nor
the other by making a categorical pronouncement ; the
powers were intended to receive the impression that he was
ready to meet their wishes as far as possible. Even where
he could make no concessions, as a matter of principle, he
wished, at any rate in outward form, to accommodate himself
as far as he could, to the claims made upon him.^
1 Vargas' *letter on July i6 (Simancas Archives) used by
Voss, 67 seq.
2 See the excellent account in Dembinski, Ryzm, I., 31-3.
^