nce,--as also Your Imperial Majesty
and, next, the other Electors and Estates of the Empire, and all who
are moved by sincere love and zeal for religion, and who will give an
impartial hearing to this matter, will graciously deign to take
notice and to understand this from this Confession of ours and of our
associates.

Your Imperial Majesty also, not only once but often, graciously
signified to the Electors Princes, and Estates of the Empire, and at the
Diet of Spires held A. D. 1526, according to the form of Your Imperial
instruction and commission given and prescribed, caused it to be stated
and publicly proclaimed that Your Majesty, in dealing with this matter
of religion, for certain reasons which were alleged in Your Majesty's
name, was not willing to decide and could not determine anything, but
that Your Majesty would diligently use Your Majesty's office with the
Roman Pontiff for the convening of a General Council. The same matter
was thus publicly set forth at greater length a year ago at the last
Diet which met at Spires. There Your Imperial Majesty, through His
Highness Ferdinand, King of Bohemia and Hungary, our friend and clement
Lord, as well as through the Orator and Imperial Commissioners caused
this, among other things, to be submitted: that Your Imperial Majesty
had taken notice of; and pondered, the resolution of Your Majesty's
Representative in the Empire, and of the President and Imperial
Counselors, and the Legates from other Estates convened at Ratisbon,
concerning the calling of a Council, and that your Imperial Majesty also
judged it to be expedient to convene a Council; and that Your Imperial
Majesty did not doubt the Roman Pontiff could be induced to hold
a General Council, because the matters to be adjusted between Your
Imperial Majesty and the Roman Pontiff were nearing agreement and
Christian reconciliation; therefore Your Imperial Majesty himself
signified that he would endeavor to secure the said Chief Pontiff's
consent for convening, together with your Imperial Majesty such General
Council, to be published as soon as possible by letters that were to be
sent out.

If the outcome, therefore, should be such that the differences between
us and the other parties in the matter of religion should not be
amicably and in charity settled, then here, before Your Imperial Majesty
we make the offer in all obedience, in addition to what we have already
done, that we will all appear and defend our ca