The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-28
THE SUN. SUNDAY. OCTOBER %. 1894

washed his hands Of Luther before the Diet OF
Worms and advised his suppression, he would
have done no more than any ordinary party
leader would have done in the same position.
His real action was absolutely different The
Papal Nuncio had brought the bull condemninR
Luther TO the Elector OF saxony, and had called
on the Elector, in the Pope's name, TO order
Juther's works 10 be burnt 20 seize Luther
himself, and either execute the Pope's SEN
tence or send his h%ereticsl subject A. q pris-
oner TO Rome. The Elector turned TO Erasmus
for advice, and went 10 Cologne 10 sec him per-
sonally and consult with him as TO what should
be done. Erasmus told the Elector that Luther
had committed two objectionable crimes-he
had touched the Pope on the crown and the
monks In the belly; but, however that might be,
a German subject ought not to be given up to
destruction Till his faults had been proved
against him. Luther had always professed him
self willing to argue the question Of indulgences
and to submit IL they were shown to be legiti-
mate. He had been so far . quiet, peaceful
man, with an unblemished reputation, which
was moro than could be said Of many
of his accusers. The Pope's bull had offended
every reasonable man, and, In fact, Eras-
mus advised the Elector TO refuse to obey 1t
till the cause had been publicly heard. The adj
vice is pronounced the more creditable TO Eras-
mus because he knew that, II II came TO q
struggle, he would be himself In danger. He
was not inclined to be q martyr, and, in ex-
tremity. meant to initiate 81. Peter. So, Mt least,
he had said. On this point Froudo expresses q
doubt whether a readiness to be a martyr Is q
very sublime quality, or whether those who
needlessly rush on their own destruction show
any particular wisdom. IL is conceded that
such supreme sacrifice NAV at times become a
duty, but only when a man has no better use for
his life. II Is not n duty of which he need go
in search. Touching the severity of the
judgments sometimes expressed by posterity,
Froude is tempted, he tells us. TO make a gen.
eral observation. Princes, statesmen, thinkers,
who have played q great part in the direction Of
human affairs, have been men Of superior char
acter. men In whose presence ordinary persons
are conscious of inferiority. On the other hand,
their biogrnphers, the writers of history gen.
orally, are OF coinmoner metal. They resent,
perhaps unconsclously the sense that they stand
on a lower level. and revenge their humiliation,
when they come to describe great men, by
attributing to them the motives which
influence themselves. Unable to conceive or
unwilling to admit that men Of lofty char
actcr may have had other objects than are
familiar to their personal experience, they de-
light to show that the great were not great after
all, but were very poor creatures, inferior. when
the truth is known about them. to the relator Of
shN eNNh''SH ha'NNNs VI '' l"s
that Erasmus may be pardoned for not wishing
TO be burnt at the stake in a cause with which
he had imperfect sympathy. The Papacy was
the only visible centre of spiritual authority.
Revolution meant anarchy and consequences
which none could foresee. As long as there
was II hope that the Pope might take a
reasonable course, n sensible person might still
wish to make the best Of It, and the author OF
these lectures declines to say that mankind
would have been the worse IL the Holy Father
had been able to follow Erasmus's advice. Iii Is
also obvious that Froude sympathizes with
Erasmus in what the latter most disliked and
feared from Luther, to wit, the construction of
a new dogmatic theology Of which the denial of
the freedom Of tho human will should be the
corner stone. AS a matter OF fact. that was just
what Luther did construct, and 1t was this
which Erasmus eventually attacked in his book,
De Lfbero ArbitriO, TO which Luther replied
with an equally contemptuous De Serro Arbitrto.
In which he advised the veteran scholar to re-
main a spectator in a game for which he lacked
courage to play a manly part. NJ. w. IL.