Luther  had  not  yet  had  a  hearing  ;  a  door  remained  open  to  the  pope
for  restoring  him  to  the  bosom  of  the  church,  if  he  would  but  consent  to
retract  this  last  book,  which  was  full  of  the  most  untenable  assertions
and  not  comparable  to  his  other  writings.  But  by  maintaining  these
passages  he  laid  a  stumbling-block  in  his  own  path  ;  he  would  cause  that
the  precious  wares  which  he  might  otherwise  bring  safely  to  port  would
be  shipwrecked.1  At  first  he  proposed  to  the  Elector  of  Saxony  to  nomi-
nate two  or  three  councillors  with  whom  he  could  consult  as  to  the  means
of  arranging  the  affair.  The  elector  replied  that  he  had  not  learned
councillors  sufficient.  Glapio  hereupon  asked  whether  the  parties  would
submit  the  matter  to  chosen  arbitrators,  by  whose  decision  the  pope
himself  would  abide.  The  elector  did  not  believe  it  possible  to  induce
the  pope  to  consent  to  this,  especially  since  the  emperor  intended  so  soon
to  leave  Germany.  On  hearing  this,  Glapio  sighed.  The  silent,  reserved
prince,  who  repelled  all  attempts  at  intimacy  or  sympathy  from  others,
and  who  was  in  fact  the  only  human  being  that  had  any  influence  over
Luther,  was  absolutely  unapproachable  :  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  from
him  even  a  private  audience.  The  confessor,  therefore,  addressed  him-
self to  other  friends  of  Luther.  He  went  to  the  Ebernburg  to  visit  Sick-
ingen,  who  had  just  then  re-entered  the  emperor's  service  and  was
esteemed  one  of  Luther's  most  distinguished  patrons,  in  the  hope  of
obtaining  his  mediation.  Here,  too,  Glapio  expressed  himself  in  such  a
manner  on  some  points,  that  he  might  have  been  supposed  to  be  an
adherent  of  Luther.  I  am  not  of  opinion  that  this  was  a  stratagem,  as
so  many  have  assumed  ;  Aleander,  at  least,  was  very  uneasy  about  it,
and  neglected  no  means  of  interrupting  the  course  of  the  negotiations.
