read of Luther's books and doctrines, the cardinals
entreated the Pope to summon him to Rome. Printing had been invented,
and poor as well as rich could easily be roused to inquire into the
truth of the doctrines taught by Rome. Leo X had been disposed to
ignore the sermons of the obscure German monk, for he had many schemes
to further his own ambition. He yielded, at last, and sent the
necessary summons. Luther was loth to go to Rome, where he was sure of
condemnation. The Elector Frederick of Saxony came forward as his
champion, not from religious {56} motives, but because he was pleased
to see some prospect of the exactions of the court of Rome being
diminished.

Cajetan, the Papal Legate, came to preside over a Diet, summoned
specially to Augsburg. He urged the monk to retract his dangerous
doctrine that the authority of the Bible was above that of the Pope of
Rome. "Retract, my son, retract," he urged; "it is hard for thee to
kick against the pricks." But the conference ended where it had
begun--Luther fled back to Wittenberg.

He began to see now that the whole system of Romish government was
wrong, and that there were countless abuses to be swept away before the
Church could truly claim to point the way to Christianity. Conscience
or authority, the Scriptures or the Church, Germany or Rome? A choice
had to be made, each man ranging himself on one side or the other. The
independence of Germany was dear to Luther's heart. He wrote an
address to the nobles and summoned the Christian princes of Germany to
his aid. He declared that all Christians were priests, and that the
Church and nation ought to be freed from the interference of the
Papacy. He was becoming an avowed enemy of the Pope, losing his former
reluctance to attack authority. A Bull was, of course, issued against
him, but the students of Erfurt threw the paper on which it was written
into the river, saying contemptuously--"It is a bubble, let it swim!"

In December, 1520, Luther himself burnt the Bull on a fire kindled for
the purpose at the Elster Gate of Wittenberg. He said, as he committed
the document to the flames, "As thou hast vexed the saints of God, so
mayest thou be consumed in eternal fire." The act cut him off from the
Papacy for ever. He had defied the Pope in the presence of many
witnesses. {57} Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, was not in a
position to take up the cause of Luther against his powerful enemies.
He mainta