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

246 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
^
the refined and sober minded scholar, summoned him to
Rome, and on February 26th, 1561, admitted him into the
Sacred Cohege.
2
Stanislaus Hosius, Bishop of Ermland, a scholar like
Seripando, was of quite a different nature. He had already
rendered distinguished service to the Catholic restoration as
the leader of the bishops of his native land, Poland, against
the encroachments of Protestantism at various diets, as well
as by his effective book " Confession of the Catholic Faith,"
when Pius IV. appointed him as nuncio to Ferdinand I.
His energetic, if at times harsh nature, as well as his somewhat
clumsy person, rendered him, however, little suited for diplo-
matic negotiations. Pius IV. nevertheless honoured his
services and his learning when, at the great creation of Feb-
ruar}^ 1561, he summoned him to the supreme senate of
the Church.
The bull of appointment for the five legates of the Council
is dated March loth, 1561.^ The special position which
Ercole Gonzaga was to occupy as president of the legatine
college, is not mentioned in this ; it was, however, sufficiently
expressed by the consistent preference shown him by the
Holy See.
In the appointment of the officials of the Council, which
took place as early as January, Pius IV., to a great extent,
reappointed those persons who had worked so successfully
in a similar capacity under Paul III. and Julius III. Gian
Tommaso Sanfelice, Bishop of La Cava, was appointed com-
missary ; he left Rome on January 26th, 1561, and reached
^In Raynaldus, 1561, n. 2 ; Le Plat, IV., 697 seq. ; Ehses,
VIII., 176. Cf. Massarelli in Merkle, II., 353
666; SiCKEL, Konzil, 184.
; Theiner, I.,
^ See SusTA, I., 4. Here also concerning Gonzaga's private
secretariate, which developed into the real presidential office for
the whole legation. Puteo was originally intended for first
president ; it was only after his serious illness that Gonzaga took
the first place. In the acts the presidents are always named
exactly in the order of their bulls of appointment, Gonzaga first,
Seripando second, Hosius third, and Simonetta fourth.