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

314 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
peror ;
on November 14th, 1562, as Borromeo had written to
Delfino, the Pope expected such a proposal from Ferdinand I.
Pius IV. did not wish to take the initiative himself, and at
the end of November he declined Delfino's plan of writing to
Philip II. to close the Council. On December 20th Borromeo
wrote to Delfino that if a proposal for suspension were not
made by the Imperial Court, the Council would continue its
sessions, for the Pope would not come forward with such a
proposal himself.^ As time went on however, Pius IV.
became more and more convinced of the grave objections
which stood in the way of a suspension or a premature closing
of the Council. On the other hand it became equally clear to
him that the useful progress and the successful issue to the
work of the Council depended upon an understanding with
the secular princes, and especially with the Emperor. He
called upon the latter, in a brief of March 6th, 1563, to under-
take the defence of the Apostolic See against all attacks in
the Council, and to instruct his envoys to act in union with
the legates. The brief, at the same time, laid stress on the
sincere wish and the zealous endeavours of the Pope to do
away with all abuses, and to introduce a strict reform.
On March i8th two briefs were drawn up in answer to the
Imperial letters of March 3rd. In the first, the Pope praised
the Emperor's zeal, and regretted with him the slow progress
of the Council, and the want of unity there ;
in answer to the
rumours of suspension or dissolution, he declared his fixed
intention of continuing the Council, and of bringing it to a
happy conclusion. He then spoke of what he had already
done in the way of reform, and finally explained his reasons
for not going in person to Trent. ^ A confidential letter was
also drawn up in answer to the confidential letter of
Ferdinand I. In this the Pope said that the Emperor was
perfectly right in maintaining that it was of the utmost im-
^Steinherz, III., 144, 151, 163.
^ Raynaldus, 1563, n. 67 ; Le Plat, V., 709 seq. ; Steinherz,
III., 237 seq. The reply of Ferdinand I. on March 23, in Sickel,
Konzil, 468 seq.
^ See Raynaldus, 1563, n. 35 ;
Le Plat, V., 761-5.
^