the  Emperor,  borne  injuries,  been  saturated  with  blas-
phemies, returned  good  for  evil ;  in  fine,  God's  saintly  work
you  have  handled  as  becometh  saints.  I  will  canonize  you
as  faithful  members  of  Christ :  what  glory  can  you  want
greater  than  that  ? "  But  after  this  letter  the  final  ne-
gotiation with  Wehe  and  Truchsess  was  reported  to  Luther
by  Link  and  others,  with  severe  reproaches  on  Melancthon's
pusillanimity.  Luther  forwarded  these  letters — "  thunders
and  lightnings,"  as  he  called  them — at  once  to  Melancthon,
and  stated  in  what  way  he  had  replied  to  them.  But  to
Jonas  he  wrote  without  any  restraint :  "  I  will  brook  no
concessions,  although  an  angel  from  heaven  should  com-
mand them.  Our  adversaries  have  no  idea  of  yielding  them-
selves :  We  are  to  }  ield  the  canon,  the  mass,  one  kind,  celi-
bacy, and  a  jurisdiction  unheard  of  before,  and  to  confess
that  they  did  right  in  murdering  us.  To  surrender  a  single
point  is  to  deny  the  whole  Gospel.  It  is  well  to  keep  peace
in  view,  but  the  Author  and  Arbiter  of  peace  and  war  is
more  than  peace.  I  pray  you  leave  off  negotiating,  and
return.'^

Some  daj^s  before  this  letter  reached  Augsburg,  the
Elector's  resolution  to  return  home  had  been  formed ;  but  he
had  been  prevented  from  doing  so  on  the  17th  September,
by  Henry  of  Brunswick  entering  his  apartment  in  the  night,
and  requesting  him  to  wait  upon  the  Emperor  in  the  morn-
ing, between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  ;  when  Charles  implored
him  to  remain  two,  four,  or  six  days  longer.  But  four  days
later,  every  arrangement  had  been  made  again  for  the  jour-
ney home,  and  the  baggage  and  cooks  had  been  sent  on
before,  when  an  express  message  from  Charles  requested  a  few
days'  further  postponement.  On  the  22nd,  late  in  the  evening,
after  candles  had  been  lighted,  the  Emperor  convened  the


246  THE    LIFE    OF    MARTIN    LUTHER.
