Still, as he enlarged his reading, in order to support these
tenets, he discovered some new abuse or error in the church of Rome;
and finding his opinions greedily hearkened to, he promulgated them by
writing, discourse, sermon, conference; and daily increased the number
of his disciples. All Saxony, all Germany, all Europe, were in a very
little time filled with the voice of this daring innovator; and men,
roused from that lethargy in which they had so long slept, began to call
in question the most ancient and most received opinions. The elector of
Saxony, favorable to Luther's doctrine, protected him from the violence
of the papal jurisdiction: the republic of Zurich even reformed their
church according to the new model: many sovereigns of the empire, and
the imperial diet itself, showed a favorable disposition towards it: and
Luther, a man naturally inflexible, vehement, opinionative, was become
incapable, either from promises of advancement or terrors of severity,
to relinquish a sect of which he was himself the founder, and which
brought him a glory superior to all others--the glory of dictating the
religious faith and principles of multitudes.

* See note D, at the end of the volume.

** Father Paul, lib. i.

*** Father Paul. Sleidan

The rumor of these innovations soon reached England and as there
still subsisted in that kingdom great remains of the Lollards, whose
principles resembled those of Luther, the new doctrines secretly gained
many partisans among the laity of all ranks and denominations. But Henry
had been educated in a strict attachment to the church of Rome; and he
bore a particular prejudice against Luther, who, in his writings, spoke
with contempt of Thomas Aquinas, the king's favorite author: he opposed
himself, therefore, to the progress of the Lutheran tenets, by all the
influence which his extensive and almost absolute authority conferred
upon him: he even under took to combat them with weapons not usually
employed by monarchs, especially those in the flower of their age and
force of their passions. He wrote a book in Latin against the principles
of Luther; a performance which, if allowance be made for the subject and
the age, does no discredit to his capacity. He sent a copy of it to Leo,
who received so magnificent a present with great testimony of
regard; and conferred on him the title of "defender of the faith;" an
appellation still retained by the kings of England. Luther,