This  was  in  April,  1454.1

Notwithstanding  this,  there  were  men,  envious,
no  doubt,  of  Capistran's  prestige  with  the  king,  and
influential  enough  to  circulate  a  widespread  report
that  it  was  he  who  had  urged  on  the  war  at  this
most  inopportune  moment.  So  persistent  was  this
rumour  that  he  found  it  necessary  even  to  write  to
the  Pope  to  clear  himself  of  the  calumny.  In  this
letter  he  declared  that  the  truth  was  quite  contrary
to  these  statements,  for  in  the  presence  of  the
Cardinal  of  Cracow,  two  Archbishops,  two  Bishops,
and  other  counsellors  of  the  king,  he  had  advised
the  latter  to  leave  the  whole  question  to  the  judg-
ment of  His  Holiness,  and  the  king  had  promised
to  do  so.'2

Details  were  added  to  this  story,  so  fantastic  and
improbable  that  we  should  scarcely  credit  their
utterance  but  for  a  letter  that  Capistran  wrote  at
this  time  to  the  Archbishop  of  Maintz.  He  said
that  the  rumour  had  gone  abroad,  and  had  been
heeded  by  several  princes,  that  he  had  been  sus-
pended and  imprisoned  by  the  Archbishop  for  in-
citing Casimir  to  this  war.  He  added  that  he  had
been  easily  able  to  dispose  of  this  slander  in  his
own  neighbourhood,  but  asked  the  Archbishop  also
to  contradict  it  whenever  it  came  to  his  notice.
About  this  time  Cardinal  Nicholas  Cusa,  the
Papal  Legate,  wrote  to  Capistran.  It  is  evident
from  the  letter  that  he  was  fully  cognizant  of  the

1  Letter  ap.  Wadd.  XII,  196.  »  Ibid.  197.
DEFENCE  OF  CHRISTENDOM.  69

facts  and  of  the  false  charges ;  yet  he  begs  him  to
come  to  Ratisbon  and  aid  in  counselling  peace,  and
addresses  him  in  terms  of  such  esteem  and  confi-
dence as  entirely  to  disprove  the  accusations  made
against  him.
