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

ADVICE OF DELFINO. 2O9
and that Germany threatened to take up arms against it.^
Deltino allowed it to be plainly seen that, because of these
weighty reasons, he approved of the Emperor's point of view,
and would recommend it in Rome. In a later letter, ^ he even
made proposals in this sense. He said that it would perhaps
be well to publish no conciliar bull , but rather four briefs
relating to the Council. The first, addressed to the legates
of the Council, would contain their appointment and admonish
them to listen patiently to everyone, and to treat them in a
friendly manner. The prelates would be summoned and in-
vited by a second brief to the Council, which was to be assem-
bled at Trent ; in this brief no mention would be made, either
of the summoning of a new Council, or of the continuation of
the former one ;
a remark could at the same time be made to
the effect that, although the Pope had appointed legates, he
would appear in person in so far as his health would allow him
to do so. The third brief, to the Emperor Ferdinand and the
other Catholic kings and princes, would beg them to support
the Council, and prevail upon the German piinces to agree to
it. Finally, the fourth brief would be addressed to the secular
Electors, and " the other princes of the noble German nation
who had fallen away from the Catholic faith ; " the Pope
might say to them that, because of their noble forefathers,
who had always been shining lights in Christendom, he could
not believe that they would obstinately resist reunion ;
they
should therefore be invited to the Council, with the promise
that they should receive safe-conduct, be listened to with
great patience, and be treated with every consideration.
However, by the time these two letters from Delfino ariived
in Rome, the decisive step had already been taken.
It had certainly not been without influence in bringing
this about that the French court, in consequence of a letter
written to the king by Ferdinand, at the instigation of Delfino,
had suddenly,^ on October 14th, given way on the question
^ See Steinherz, loc. cit.
* Preserved as a supplement to Delfino's letter to Morone of
November 18, 1560, in Steinherz, I., 162 seq.
8 See Ehses, VIII., 87 seq.
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