New-York tribune., 1902-10-12

DIO
God. the propagation of the faith. the saIo:y.,d %
OF their souls. They have left behind tba Ion
holy Catholic rites that / should live ana S,e
therein. and 80 until now with Gods aid b uie
lived, as becomes a Christian Emperor we
my fOrefathers established at Constance nat nat
other Councils 1t is my privilege to Uphold aa
single monk led aStray by private iudoTnoaa
has set himself against the faith held bI NJ
Christians for a thousand years and more an a1
imprudently concludes that all Christians NJ
to now have erred i have therefore resol,gg
to stake upon this cause all my dOninions ~
friends. my body and my blood my life -
soul For myself and you, sprung from ~.
holy German nation. appointed by peculGa
privilege defenders OF the faith, it would h.
grievOus disgrace. an eternal stain upon mr.
selves and our posterity. If in this our day
not only heresy. but it's very suspicion ws,.
due To our neglect After Luther's stiff -nAclSas
reply in my presence yesterday, / now repenf
that have long delayed proceedings agains,
him and his false doctrines. have now re-
solved never again, under any circumstances
to hear him. Under protection of his safe-con'
duct he shall be escorted home. but fOrbidda,
TO preach and to seduce men with his evil doc
trines and incite them to rebellion. 1 warn Won
to give witness to your opinion good Chris
tians and in accordance with your vows.
A great man might have been the author q,
Just such a declaration this. Charles va.
not a great man. but neither he a medI
ocrity and the dignity of SOUL the strengthd
will shown in this reply to Luther accom-.
panied him henceforth through life He had a
fine sense of justice. and if there is one thing
more than another for which Mr.. Armstrong can
praise him it is for having. on the whole hon
orabIe intentions The story of his lifelong effort
to harmonize the conflicting elements in hs
empire is too long and too complex to be even
summarized here. We may glance only at
some OF the salient features of his policy. which
Is to say some Of the leading traits in his
character. Charles never showed any dislike
to a parliamentary system" says DR.. Arm
strong and it follows that the record Of hb
dealings with the people discloses more in
stances of sympathy with their aspirations than
OF kingly ruthlessness. He was prudent, and
though as his biographer notes. not exactly
generous. he was. we repeat. lust In the main.
he refrained from employing the InquistOn
for the political and financial advantage Of
the Crown. as il was used under Isabella CT
Philip H." Though he always in need OF
money for his military enterprises, he preferred
to raise it by legitimate expedients. ON the
point OF honor he leaves almost invariably
good impression. Indeed. in this respect ne
shines Respondent beside F oncis or Henry.
He lacked imagination. hence mistakes in his
transactions outside the line Of actual vision;
hence. likewise, his failure to draw from vic
tory the profit that il placed within his grasp.
The phrase that he had world ideas says Mr..
Armstrong. is only true so far as this. that
he was the actual ruler Of several states. and
thus his policy in respect to any one of them
was necessarily conditioned by the circum-
stances of the other" He handed over TO
Philip problems no less numerous and trying
than those which he had himself faced on as
cending TO power Yet, through his we'll mean
ing industry and personal reCtitude. he had
been enabled TO bear his part WeIl if not brill
iantly and the attentive reader Of his biography
ends Ly feeling a profound respect for this
soreIy tried ruler. At least, he had never spared
himself despite the Incidence in his blood
He became a candidate for the empire, he
said TO the Estates ON the day of his abdication.
mot from ambition 10 amass more lOrdships,
but for the service Of several of his dominioqs";
and he went on. "since then. in the interest OF
his people. he had jourueyed nine times to
Germany six 20 spain, seven TO Italy. ten to
the Netherlands four To France either in peace
or war. two 20 England. and Two TO Africa, in
al some forty journeys without counting num-
beress visits within his other kingdoms. cCun-
tries and islands, nor Yet laying stress on his
journey across France, to remedy the trouble
in the Netherlands. which was not The least
of his exrrtiCus. Eight times had he crossed
the. Mediterranean three times the ocean" The
gout that racked him after all this was due
more to his indulgence i'm the pleasures Of the
table than 10 anything else. but his hearers in
the solemn moment of his retirement from the
burden of empire remembered chiefly his in
dubitable Iabors. II can truly testify" he said.
o s-f fr,fl H.