I. i. 35, 142 sqq.): but they presently reported their powers insufficient (ibid. 36). On 22 March 1528 fresh [No. 96] Instructions to Visitors (ibid. 149 sqq.) appeared. (We print below extracts from the Latin translation in Seckendorf, Commentarius de Lutheranismo, II. xiii, § 36.) They were the work of Melanchthon, with a preface by Luther; and were administered by six different commissions in as many districts of the Electoral territory, 1528-9 (ibid. 41 sqq.). The state of things which called them forth is hinted in Luther's preface to [No. 97] The Short Catechism (Wace and Buchheim, Luther's Primary Works, I sqq.) of July 1529, which superseded his Greater Catechism of the previous spring (ibid. 24 sqq.), and practically completed the new ecclesiastical institutions of Saxony. To them 'the whole of Lower Germany adhered' with but slight variations' (Ranke, Ref. 473).

III. Other states and cities followed in the wake of Saxony. Thus (a) Brandenburg-Anspach was conservative. Its rulers, since 1515, were the two elder brothers of Albert Duke of Prussia, Margraves Casimir, +1527, a Catholic, and George, +1543, a Lutheran. At the Diet of Anspach, 4 Oct. 1526, advantage was taken of the Recess of Speier so far as to lay down that preachers should confine themselves to the pure Word of God, but the Mass was to continue and there was to be nothing preached against it 'as if in the holy Sacrament of the altar the body and blood of Christ were not present' (Richter, Kirchenordnungen, i. 52). At a second Diet, however, 1 March 1528, George established the new order of things; and in 1533 there appeared the Church Order of Brandenburg-Nürnberg (ibid. i. 176) which had some influence on the English Prayer Book (Dowden, The Workmanship of the Prayer-Book, pp. 30, 41) and became the parent of an important family of Church Orders (Herzog, Realencyclopädie, x. 460, 3 ed. 1901).

(b) Hesse was at first revolutionary; for the Synod of Homberg, 20 Oct. 1526, proposed in the [No. 98] Reformatio ecclesiarum Hassiae (Richter, Kirchenordnungen, i. 56 sqq.) a scheme of Church government which was elaborated by Francis Lambert, 1487-†1530, a convert of Zwingli and a pupil of Luther. It was based upon the independence of each Christian community, combined with the strictest discipline. This was to apply Luther's own earlier ideals; but he had already renounced them' (Ranke, Ref. 461). He now dissuaded the Landgrave, 7 Jan. 1527, from giving effect to the proposals of the Synod as impracticable and premature (de Wette, vi. 80); and the Saxon ordinances took their place (Ranke, Ref. 468; Richter, Kirchenordnungen, i. 163) from 1528.

(c) Brunswick-Lüneburg, under Duke Ernest, became Lutheran in 1527 (Richter, ibid. i. 70).

(d) Of the Cities, Brunswick accepted the new order of things in 1528, and [No. 99] The Brunswick Church Order (ibid. i. 106 sqq.), for which Bugenhagen drew upon the Saxon Instructions of 16 June 1527, became the model of a second and generally conservative group

of Ordinances (Herzog, x. 460; cf. Ranke, Ref. 668) in Hamburg 1529, Lübeck 1531, Pomerania 1535, and Schleswig-Holstein 1542. The 'Gotteskasten', as at Leisnig, were important features in these arrangements.

No. 91. Mandate of the Bishop of Samland, 28 Jan. 1524.

Georgius solius Dei gratia Episcopus Sambiensis Honorandis nobis in Christo dilectis plebanis in Fischhausen 1 ad S. Adalbertum ceterisque singulis quibus hoc mandatum est offerendum, salutem in Domino.

Haud quaquam vos ignorare arbitramur quam foede misereque a multis annis collapsa sit Christiana orthodoxaque religio, quandoquidem etiam ii qui Christiano nomine appellantur non plus nunc tenent Christianae intelligentiae quam ii qui a Christo sunt alienissimi, immo proh dolor multi reperiuntur sexagenarii atque decrepiti qui nesciunt quid in se contineat baptismi professio. Quam quidem ignorantiam magna. ex parte huic consuetudini imputandam existimamus, quod ignota vulgo lingua, id est latina tantum, hactenus apud nostros baptizatum sit. Siquidem nihil prosunt circumstantibus sancti baptismi et exorcismi verba, ignoto sermone prolata, quae etiam fortassis ne ipse quidem qui baptizat satis exacte intelligit. Quid enim utilitatis aut fructus accedat auditoribus, cum non intelligant quid sit quod sermone ipsis incognito profertur ? Nec solum inutile verum etiam molestum fuit circumstantibus audire presbyterum verba ipsis non intellecta sonantem. est non ignorare quid sit ad quod respondes. Quid igitur respondebunt circumstantes, si nesciant quid interroget aut dicat baptizans? Accedit ad hoc nec defuisse eos qui in re tam seria tam pia tam sancta divinaque ob sermonis imperitiam saepiuscule ad levitatem atque cachinnos concitati sunt.

Par

Proinde vos omnes hortamur in Christo, rebellibus denique si qui forent, quod absit, mandamus, secundum potestatem quam Dominus dedit nobis in aedificationem et non in destructionem, ut in concionibus vestris promissiones divinas et baptismi vim populo accurate explicetis et frequenter inculcetis, et facta populi instructione lingua deinceps vernacula baptizetis, maxime apud quas Teutonica lingua viget. Sic itaque bapti

2

1 The episcopal residence on the Frische Haff.

The non-Teutonic, i. e. original, inhabitants at this time were Masurians, Letts, Kures; for whom 'Interpreters' were to be provided according to the Church Order of 1526.

zantis et exorcizantis vox penetrabit animos audientium. Hoc proderit nedum infantulo, sed etiam circumstantibus, ut in dies reddantur firmiores ac se ipsis meliores. Sicut enim Deus per omnes omnium gentium linguas vult Evangelium et promissiones sanctas divulgari, ita quoque variis linguis ac diversis labiis sua cupit sacramenta conferri. Quid enim prodest sacramentum sine verbo et fide? Porro, quod ad reliquas forte linguas attinet, ut sunt Lithuanica, Prutenica atque Sarmatica, dabimus operam, Christo propitio, ne ipsis quoque desit Christiana institutio.

Ut vero Christum praedicaturi manuductionem quandam in divinas litteras habeatis, consulimus vobis ut lucubrationes aliquot praeclarissimi Doctoris Martini Lutheri diligenter et pio animo legatis, nempe veteris et novi Testamenti factam ab eo translationem, item de libertate Christiana, de bonis operibus, explicationes Evangeliorum et Epistolarum quas Postillas vulgo vocant, opusculum super cantico Virginis, Magnificat, cum reliquis operationibus eiusdem Lutheri in Psalmos, etc. Quod si feceritis, proculdubio fructum non mediocrem sentietis. Gratia Dei sit cum omnibus vobis. Amen.

In cuius rei testimonium praesens nostrum mandatum Officiolatus nostri sigillo iussimus communiri. Datum in ecclesia nostra Sambiensi, XXVIII Ianuarii anno MDXXIIII.

No. 92. Programme of reforms of the Bishop of Pomesania, 1 Jan. 1525.

Themata Episcopi Risenburgensis.'

1. Hitherto ye have held seven sacraments, but not rightly. Henceforward faith must be before all things the foundation of your salvation, and ye must have no more sacraments than Christ ordained, namely, Holy Communion and Holy Baptism.

2. Henceforward no ban shall hold good which burdens the conscience without ground in God's Word, and is of force only by human institution.

3. Henceforward no confession (auricularis scilicet confessio) shall be made to the priest, whereby a man is bound to make known all his sins.

4. Henceforward there shall be no pilgrimages nor wanderings to holy places, since they aid no man's salvation.

1 The bishop's residence was at Riesenburg in West Prussia.

5. Henceforward no processions shall be held, for they have no ground in God's Word.

6. Henceforward no ringing nor singing nor Masses nor Vigils for the dead are to be held for they are of no use, and of no avail.

7. Henceforward no water, salt, ashes, palms, tapers, greenery, and the like are to be hallowed for it is all nonsense and no good.

8. There are to be no obsequies and celebrations for the dead, and no prayers for them. For they are in God's hand and judgement.

9. There are to be no more Orders, neither monks nor nuns ; but only such Orders as war against unbelievers and heathen, like the Teutonic Order.1

10. Bishops shall continue and remain; not anointing-bishops nor ordaining-bishops, but such as preach and teach and expound the pure word of God and preside over the Church.

II. Henceforward there are to be no superstitious distinctions made of days and seasons, with all sorts of Feast Days, Fridays, Saturdays, Ember Days, Fast Days, and so on; but every day alike shall be the Lord's Day, for eating flesh or fish as every man likes or finds necessary, or according as the good God may bestow it.

12. Easter, Whitsuntide, and Christmas, together with Sundays, are to be kept in Christian fashion, as is conformable to God's Word and order. Other such Holy Days as are not grounded in God's Word and keep men from their daily work and calling are sheer nonsense and fables, and conduce to bad example.

13. Hymns and prayers in church are to be in German, so that every man may understand. Salve regina is not to be sung, for it conduces to God's dishonour. Holy Baptism is to be administered in German, without chrism and oil.

14. Tithes are not to be given to priests who do not serve their office, but those who minister at the altar are to be paid from the altar.

15. In no church shall the Consecrated Bread be reserved nor taken for God's Body except at the Communion, according to Christ's institution, nor carried about.

16. Pictures in houses and churches are not to be prayed to, nor to have any candles lit before them.

1

They were founded for this purpose, and conquered the territories afterwards ruled by them in 1230-83.

17. Allowing and forbidding of marriage on account of sponsorship is mere nonsense, and not grounded in God's Word.

18. Brotherhoods and guilds are to direct and lay out their endowments, not on the Mass, but on the maintenance of the poor and other pious uses.

19. The daily Mass is an abomination to God: so henceforward it is not to be observed in any church or anywhere.

20. When a man desires to go to Holy Communion, he must cause the priest, his confessor, to inform him out of God's Word, and must also inform himself, how he should receive and take the bread and wine according to Christ's institution in both kinds.

21. If any one thinks that he can make satisfaction for his sins himself or can save himself apart from the merits of Christ, anathema esto, let him be damned !

22. All priests and monks and nuns are at liberty to leave their orders and marry.

No. 93. Letter of Andrew, Bishop of Premysl.

Audio te mirari, mi Baro, Magistrum Ordinis quem vocant Sanctae Mariae Teutonicorum ducem in Prussia creatum, eamque metamorphosim non probari a te, hoc nomine, quod et a religione et a piis studiis Serenissimi Regis nostrị 1 quodammodo aliena videatur. Quare ut cognoscas nihil cum ab ipso religiosissimo principe tum a senatu nostro actum esse perperam et inconsulte, explicandas tibi duxi succincte causas et rationes quae nostros ad eam pacem conficiendam adduxerunt.

Primum, mi Baro, constat ferme universo orbi hanc controversiam Pruthenicam et tot proelia, tot lites, tot turbas quae etiam universam rempublicam Christianam concutiebant, non alia de causa obortas quam quod Reges Poloniae terras Prussiae utpote suas hereditarias asserebant, Magistri vero et Ordo ille Regibus Poloniae uti hereditariis dominis parere et subesse reluctabantur, donec, Superis iustitiam nostram adiuvantibus, res eo venisset ut Ordo ipse, cuius imperium adeo excreverat ut maximis quibusque regibus par censeretur, succumberet tandem et cum tota ditione sua in subiectionem Regibus et regno Poloniae solemni concordia et pace perpetua cederet.

Cum vero constitutum esset in conventu generali novissimo neque pacem neque indicias cum ipso Ordine ineundas, 1 1 Sigismund I, 1506-†48.