Part 8 (1/2)
Since, then, such devilish rule is not only open robbery and deceit, and the tyranny of the gates of hell, but also ruins Christendoence in protecting Christendoht the Turks, let ushere, where they are at their worst If we justly hang thieves and behead robbers, why should we let Roreatest thief and robber that has come or can come into the world, and all in the holy Naer endure it or keep silence? Alotten by theft and robbery; that is the truth, and all history shows it The pope never got by purchase such great properties that from his _officia_[101] alone he can raise about a million ducats, not to mention the mines of treasure named above and the income of his lands Nor did it come to him by inheritance froave it to him; it has not become his by virtue of immemorial use and enjoyment Tell me, then, whence he can have it? Learn froates to collect ainst the Turks
III PROPOSALS FOR REFORM
Now, although I aht effect a refors, nevertheless Ito the end, and say, so far as I am able, what could and should be done by the teeneral council
[Sidenote: Abolition of Annates]
1 Every prince, nobleman and city should boldly forbid their subjects to pay the annates to Rome and should abolish them entirely[102]; for the pope has broken the compact, and made the annates a robbery, to the injury and shaives thee amounts of money, and uses theht to them, and deserves punishment
It is therefore the duty of the temporal authorities to protect the innocent and prevent injustice, as Paul teaches in Romans xiii [Rom
13:4], and St Peter in I Peter ii [1 Pet 2:14], Rom and even the canon law in Case 16, Question 7, _de filiis_[103] Thus it has co to the pope and his followers, _Tu ora_, ”Thou shalt pray”; to the euard”; to the common man, _Tu labora_, ”Thou shalt work”
Not, however, as though everyone were not to pray, guard and work; for theand working in all that he does, but everyone should have his own especial task
[Sidenote: Prohibition of Roman Appointments]
2 Since the pope with his Roman practices--his coratiae expectativae_[107], papal months[108], incorporations[109], unions[110], _pallia_[111], rules in chancery[112], and such like knavery--usurps all the Gerives and sells the in German lands to earn thehts, ainst his own canon law, against nature and against reason, until it has finally gone so far that out of sheer avarice the livings and benefices are sold to gross, ignorant asses and knaves at Rome, while pious and learned folk have no profit of their wisdom and o without good and learned prelates and thus go to ruin:
Therefore, the Christian nobility should set itself against the pope as against a common enemy and destroyer of Christendom, and should do this for the salvation of the poor souls who h his tyranny They should ordain, order, and decree, that henceforth no benefice shall be drawn into the hands of Rome, and that hereafter no appointment shall be obtained there in any ht out and kept out from under this tyrannical authority; and they should restore to the ordinaries the right and office of ordering these benefices in the German nation as best they may And if a ”courtesan” were to come from Rome, he should receive a strict command either to keep his distance, or else to jump into the Rhine or the nearest river, and take the Roman ban, with its seals and letters, to a cold bath They would then take note at Rome that the Germans are not always mad and drunken, but that they have really becoer the mockery and scorn of the holy name of Christ, under which all this knavery and destruction of souls goes on, but have lory than to the authority of hts]
3 An imperial law should be issued, that no bishop's cloak[114] and no confirnity[115] whatsoever shall henceforth be secured from Rome, but that the Church ordinance of the most holy and most famous Council of Nicaea[116] shall be restored, in which it is decreed that a bishop shall be confirmed by the two nearest bishops or by the archbishop If the pope will break the statutes of this and of all other councils, what is the use of holding councils; or who has given him the authority thus to despise and break the rules of councils?
If he has this power then we should depose all bishops, archbishops and primates[117] and make them mere parish-priests, so that the pope alone may be over them, as he now is He leaves to bishops, archbishops and pri for himself, and lets theone so far that by his ”exemptions”[118] the monasteries, the abbots and the prelates are withdrawn froular authority of the bishops, so that there is no longer any order in Christendom From this must follohat has followed--relaxation of discipline and license to do evil everywhere--so that I verily fear the pope can be called the ”man of sin” [2 Thess 2:3] There is in Christendom no discipline, no rule, no order; and who is to blame except the pope? This usurped authority of his he applies strictly to all the prelates, and takes away their rods; and he is generous to all subjects, giving the them their liberty
Nevertheless, for fear he may complain that he is robbed of his authority, it should be decreed that when the primates or archbishops are unable to settle a case, or when a controversy arises a themselves, such a case must be laid before the pope, but not every little matter[120] Thus it was done in olden times, and thus the famous Council of Nicaea decreed[121] If a case can be settled without the pope, then his Holiness should not be troubled with such ive himself to that prayer, meditation and care for all Christendom, of which he boasts This is what the Apostles did They said, ”It is not meet that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables, but ill keep to preaching and prayer and set others over the work” [Acts 6:2] But now Ro of the Gospel and of prayer, and for the serving of ”tables,” i e, of temporal affairs, and the rule of the Apostles and of the pope agree as Christ agrees with Lucifer, heaven with hell, night with day; yet he is called ”Vicar of Christ and Successor of the Apostles”
[Sidenote: Exclusion of Temporal Matters from the Papal Court]
4 It should be decreed that no temporal matter shall be taken to Rome[122], but that all such cases shall be left to the temporal authorities, as the Romans themselves decree in that canon law of theirs, which they do not keep For it should be the duty of the pope, as the man most learned in Papal the Scriptures and most Holy, not in name only, but in truth, to administer affairs which concern the faith and holy life of Christians, to hold the pris, and to help the for these matters So St Paul teaches in I Corinthians vi, and takes the Corinthians severely to task or their concern orldly things [1 Cor 6:7] For it works intolerable injury to all lands that such cases are tried at Roes do not know the manners, laws and customs of the various countries, so that they often do violence to the acts and base their decisions on their os and opinions, and thus injustice is inevitably done the contestants
[Sidenote: and froeous extortion practised by the _officiales_[123]
must be forbidden in all the dioceses, courts so that they ood s that concern money, property, life and honor The temporal authorities, therefore, should not perht life is not concerned
Spiritual authorities should have rule over spiritual goods, as reason teaches; but spiritual goods are notto the body, but they are faith and good works
[Sidenote: A Gerranted that cases which concern benefices or livings should be tried before bishops, archbishops and primates
Therefore, in order to decide contests and contentions, it eneral consistory, with auditors and chancellors, which should have control over the _signaturae gratiae_ and _signaturae justitiae_[124], that are now controlled at Rome, and which should be the final court of appeal for German cases The officers of this consistory must not, however, be paid, as at Roifts, and thereby acquire the habit of selling justice and injustice, which they now have to do at Roives them no remuneration, but allows them to fatten theht or not right, but only what is ht, however, be paid out of the annates, or soht easily be devised, by those who are ent and who have more experience in these matters than I All I wish to do is to arouse and set to thinking those who have the ability and the inclination to help the German nation become once more free and Christian, after the wretched, heathenish and unchristian rule of the pope
[Sidenote: Abolition of Reservations]
5 No more reservations should be valid, and no more benefices should be seized by Rome, even if the incumbent dies, or there is a contest, or the incumbent is a ”servant” of a cardinal or of the pope[125]; and it should be strictly forbidden and prevented that any ”courtesan”[126] should institute a contest over any benefice, so as to cite pious priests to Rome, harass them and drive them into lawsuits If, in consequence of this prohibition, there should come froarded, just as though a thief were to lay a man under the ban because he would not let him steal Indeed they should be severely punished because they so blasphemously misuse the ban and the name of God to support their robbery, and with falsely devised threats would drive us to endure and to praise such blasphemy of God's name and such abuse of Christian authority, and thus to becoht of God, partakers in their rascality; it is our duty before God to resist it, or St Paul, in Rouilty of death not only ”those who do such things,” but also those who consent to such things and allow the _reservatio pectoralis_[127], whereby Christendom is so scandalously and openly put to shame and scorn, because its head deals in open lies, and out of love for the accursed money, shamelessly deceives and fools everybody