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

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THE NUNCIOS AT NAUMBURG. 225<br />

ancient fa<strong>the</strong>rs had always turned to <strong>the</strong> Church <strong>of</strong> Rome<br />

as <strong>the</strong>ir teacher and rule <strong>of</strong> truth ;<br />

<strong>the</strong> Germans <strong>the</strong>mselves,<br />

as <strong>the</strong>y must acknowledge, had received Christianity <strong>from</strong><br />

her. <strong>The</strong>y should remember <strong>the</strong> words <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gospel : " How<br />

<strong>of</strong>ten would I have ga<strong>the</strong>red toge<strong>the</strong>r thy children, as <strong>the</strong><br />

hen doth ga<strong>the</strong>r<br />

"^<br />

her chickens under her wings, and thou<br />

wouldest not !<br />

Although <strong>the</strong> answer <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> princes contained no reply to<br />

<strong>the</strong> invitation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> nuncios, <strong>the</strong>re could yet be no doubt<br />

that <strong>the</strong>y rejected <strong>the</strong> Council. Even Delfino, who com-<br />

forted himself in his sanguine way, recognized how hostile<br />

those assembled at Naumburg were to <strong>the</strong> Pope, and feared<br />

that <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r Protestant princes and states would follow<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir example. ^ On February nth he and Commendone<br />

visited Bishop Julius Pflug, who lived at Zeitz, and who<br />

promised to come to Trent. <strong>The</strong> nuncios separated on<br />

February 13th ; in spite <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir different characters <strong>the</strong>y<br />

had got on well toge<strong>the</strong>r as Venetians. Delfino, in accord-<br />

ance with his instructions, went to south Germany, while<br />

Commendone commenced his journey to <strong>the</strong> north.<br />

^ See Reimann, Commendone, 247 seq., 273 seq.<br />

^ Cf. Delfino's letter to Ferdinand I. <strong>of</strong> February 10, 1561,<br />

in BucHOLTz, IX., 673 seq. ; Reimann, loc. cit., 248.<br />

3 <strong>The</strong> principal sources for Commendone's mission are his<br />

letters, which are now to be found in a good edition, thanks to <strong>the</strong><br />

care <strong>of</strong> Ehses (c/. supra p. 219 n. 4). <strong>The</strong>re is also a detailed<br />

description <strong>of</strong> his whole journey <strong>from</strong> Venice until his return<br />

<strong>the</strong>re. This *Viaggio d' Alemagna fatto dal cardinale [sic]<br />

Commendone 1' anno 1560 [until 1561] scritto da S^ Fulgenzio<br />

Ruggieri Bolognese et copiato da Giov. Franc. Scardova Bolognese<br />

r anno, 1596, is preserved in Cod. M— I— 2, p.p 1-68 in <strong>the</strong> Chigi<br />

Library, Rome. Heidenheimer has published some notes <strong>from</strong><br />

this in <strong>the</strong> Korrespondenzblatt der Westdeutschen Zeitschrift<br />

fiir Geschichte und Kunst, XXL, 117 seq. Treves, 1902, under<br />

<strong>the</strong> title <strong>of</strong> " Ein Italiener des 16. Jahrhunderts iiber Rheinlandisches<br />

und Wcstphalisches," but <strong>the</strong>y do not by any means<br />

exhaust this source, which is so full <strong>of</strong> interest for <strong>the</strong> <strong>history</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> Church and <strong>of</strong> civilization {cf. Pastor, Eine ungedruckte<br />

Beschreibung der Reichsstadt Aachen aus dem Jahre 1561,<br />

VOL. XV. 15<br />

^

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