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

276 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
the legates of this on April 25th, and three days later Pius
IV. wrote to them that he had given the Portuguese ambassa-
dor, Lorenzo Perez, who was returning home, a commission to
Philip II. to vindicate the Papal policy with regard to the
Council.^ The legates, on their part, drew up for Philip II.
on May 7th, a detailed memorandum of vindication concerning
the questions contested by Spain. ^ They also informed Car-
dinal Borromeo on May 7th that they had intended to declare
the continuation explicitly at the next Session, but that as
the Imperial envoys had urgently protested against this only
the day before, they were still undecided what course to
pursue. 2 The representatives of Ferdinand I. again protested
on May 8th against the words in the draft of the decree of
prorogation fixed for the next Session, which they thought
might be understood as a declaration of continuation. A
corresponding alteration was accordingly made."* On May
loth the Spanish envoy, the Marquis of Pescara, had returned
to Trent ;
he brought fresh instructions from PhiHp II. which
urgently demanded an explicit declaration of continuation.
The Imperial envoys were equally insistent on the other side.
On May 12th it was agreed that in the Session immediately
following (May 14th), they would merely publish a decree
postponing the next Session from May 21st to June 4th ;
they
must abstain from any declaration of continuation, but the
legates must give the Spanish envoy hopes of this being made
in the Session in June. By this postponement of the Session
the Imperial envoys gained time to seek further instructions
from Ferdinand I.^
In Rome, on May 12th, the French ambassador, in con-
junction with Abbot Niquet of St. Gildas, who had arrived
from France, presented to the Pope from their government a
fresh request for the postponement of the proceedings of the
1 See SusTA, II., 93 seq., 98 seq.
"Colleccion de docum. ined., IX., 161 seq. Cf. also Susta, II.,
102 seq.
^ Susta, II., loi seq.
* Susta, I., 104 seq.
5 See Susta, II., 123 seq. ; Eder, I., 147.