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

igS HISTORY OF THE POPES.
it in hand himself, but is also pleased that it shall be dealt
with in the Council ;
he will be willing to submit himself to
it, should anything which caUs for reform be found in his
own person. If these interior and religious reasons have no
effect, then the nuncio is to point out to the Emperor how very
much it is to his own advantage, even on political grounds, and
especially in order to secure the succession to the Imperial
dignity for his son Maximilian, that he should agree to the
holding of the Council at Trent. Should all these considera-
tions have no effect, then Delfino is to declare that, in view
of the dangers which threatened the Church at that time, not
only in Germany, but also in other lands, and especially in
France, the Pope must summon a Council. His Majesty
should, also, in the event of its being held elsewhere than in
Trent, at least send his ambassadors and the bishops to it.
In the extreme case of the Emperor obstinately refusing Trent
or any of the places in Italy, and maintaining his demand for
reforms and concessions, Delfino is instructed to propose
that an assembly of bishops and theologians should deliberate
on these questions in Rome.
Prospero Santa Croce, who was detained by illness at
Avignon, was not able to reach Toledo before August 26th ;
two days later he had an audience with Philip II., who was
pleased to receive the communication of the nuncio, and
declared that he was prepared to send Antonio de Toledo to
France, to exhort Francis II. to give up the idea of a national
council.^ Toledo left the Spanish court as early as September
4th, with instructions, dated on the 2nd, to the effect that he
was to make energetic representations at the French court
in favour of a General Council, and to oppose a national one,
as being injurious and prejudicial to the interests of Christi-
anity. Philip II. informed the Pope of this step in an auto-
graph letter of September 14th.
^ Santa Croce's report, dated Toledo, August 28, 1560, in the
Miscall, di storia Ital., V., 1034 seq. Cf. Laemmer, Melet., 180 seq.
See also Brown, VII., n. 194, and Ehses, VIII., 59.
^ Cf. Laemmer, 181 seq.; Miscell. di storia Ital., V., 1045;
Pallavicini, 14, 16, 8-10 ; Voss, 82 seq. ; Ehses, VIII. , 63 seqq.
^