commimes,   seventy,   proceeding   from


248  LUTHER'S  NINETY-FIVE  THESES  chap.
sought  to  bring  to  bear  upon  the  recusant  the  authority  of  the
Church,  as  summed  up  in  the  ipse  dizit  of  the  Pope ;  Luther
replied  with  the  one  saving  clause,  BalvA  Scri]pturd.  And  thus
the  dispute  went  on,  tiU  Luther  at  last,  seeing  that  it  could
lead  to  no  good  result,  asked  to  be  allowed  to  present  on
the  morrow  a  written  document;  and  so  went  back  to  his
lodgings.^

The  next  day,  Wednesday,  he  returned,  accompanied  this
time  by  three  Imperial  Councillors,  one  of  whom  was  Conrad
Peutinger,  another  Philip  von  Feilitsch,  as  representative  of  the
Elector  Frederick.  He  also  brought  with  him  Staupitz,  and
a  notary  to  serve  as  an  official  witness  of  the  interview.  His
object  was  to  present  to  the  Cardinal  the  written  statement  of
what  he  conceived  to  be  his  position  in  regard  to  the  Church.
