supper togethers: & as they were talkyng of ye Interim, the Marches soddenly brast out into a fury saying: what deuill? will ye Emperour neuer leaue striuyng with God in defacyng true Religio and tossyng the world in debarryng all mēs liberties? addyng, that he was a Prince vnkynd to euery man, and kept touch with no mã, that could forget all mens merites, & would deceiue whom soeuer he promised. The Duke liked not this hoate talke in hys house and at his table, but sayd: Cosin you speake but merely, and not as you thincke, adding much the prayse of the Emperours gentlenes shewed to many, and of his promise kept withall. Well (quoth the Marches) if he had bene either kynde where men haue deserued or would haue performed that hee promised: neither should I at this tyme accuse hym, nor you haue sit here in this place to defende hym, for he promised to geue me this house with all the landes that thereto belongeth: but ye be affrayd Cosin (quoth ye Marches) lest this talke be to loud, and so heard to farre of: when in deede if the Commissarie here, be so honest a man as I take him, and so true to his master as he should be, he will not fayle to say what he hath heard, and on the same cōdition Commissary I bryng thee good lucke, and drancke of vnto hym a great glasse of wine. Lazarus Swendyes talke then sounded getly and quietly, for he was sore affrayed of the Marches. But he was no soner at home with the Emperour, but word was sent straight to Duke Maurice that the Marches who was as the come to Madenburg if he would needes serue there, should serue without wages. Ye may be sure the Marches was chafed a new with this newes who already had lost a great sort of hys men and now must leese hys whole labour thether, and all his wages there, besides the losse of hys honour in takyng such shame of hys enemies, & receiuyng such vnkyndnes of the Emperour. The Marches was not so greeued but Duke Maurice was as well contented with this commaundement: for euen then was Duke Maurice Secretary practisyng by Baron Hadeckes aduise with the French kyng for the sturre which dyd follow and therfore was glad when he saw the Marches might be made hys so easely whiche came very soone to passe: so that the Marches for the same purpose in the ende of the same yeare went into Fraunce secretly, and was there with Shertly as a commō Launce Knight, and named hymselfe Captaine Paul, lest the Emperour spials should get out hys doynges: where by the aduise of Shertly hee practised with the French kyng for the warres which followed after. This matter was told vnto me by Iohn Mecardus one of the chief Preachers in Augusta, who beyng banished the Empiere, when and how ye shall heare after was fayne to flye, and was with Shertly the same yeare in Fraunce. The Marches came out of Fraunce in the begynnyng of the yeare .1552. and out of hand gathered vp men, but his purpose was not knowne, yet the Emperour mistrusted the matter, beyng at Insburg, sent Doct. Hasius one of hys counsell, to know what cause he had to make such sturre. This Doct. Hasius was once an earnest protestāt, and wrote a booke on that side, & was one of the Palsgraues priuy counsell: But for hope to clime higher, he was very ready to be entised by ye Emperour to forsake first his master & then God: By who the Emperour knew much of all ye Princes Protestants purposes, for he was commonly one whom they had vsed in all their Dietes and priuate practises: which thing caused the Emperour to seek to haue hym: that by his head he might the easelyer ouerthrow the Protestantes, & with them God and hys word in all Germany. This man is very lyke M. Parrie her graces cofferer in head, face, legges and bellye. What auswere Hasius had I can not tell, but sure I am the Marches then both wrote his booke of complayntes agaynst the Emperour, and set it out in Printe. And also came forward with banner displayed, and tooke Dillyng upon Danuby the Cardinall of Augustus towne, which Cardinall with a few Priestes fled in post to the Emperour at Inspurg, where he found so cold cheare, and so litle comfort, that forthwith in all hast, he posted to Rome. Horsemen and footemen in great companies still gathered to the Marches: and in the ende of March he marched forward to Augusta, where he, Duke Maurice, the young Lansgraue, the duke of Mechelburg, George, and Albert, with William Duke of Brunswycke, and other Princes confederate met together and besieged that Citie, Where I will leaue the Marches till I haue brought Duke Maurice and hys doinges to the same time, and to the same place. ¶ Duke Maurice. Not many years agoe whole Saxony was chiefly vnder two Princes the one duke Iohn Fredericke borne Elector, who yet liueth, defender of Luther, a noble setter out, and as true a follower of Christ and his Gospell: The other hys kynsman Duke George who is dead, Knight of the order of the Golden Fleece, a great ma of the Emperour, a mayntainer of Cocleus, and a notable piller of Papistry. Iohn Fre- Duke Iohn Fredericke is now 50. yeares of age, so byg of personage as a very strong horse is scarse able to beare hym & yet is he a great deale bygger in all kynde of vertues, in wisedome, iustice, liberalitie, stoutnes, temperancy in hym self, and humanitie towardes others, in all affaires, and either fortunes vsing a singular trouth and stedfastnes: so that Luice de Auila, and the Secretary of Ferrare who wrote the story of the first warres in Germany, and professe to be his ernest enemies both for matters of state and also of Religion, were so compelled by his worthynes to say the truth as though theyr onely purpose had bene to write his prayse. He was fiue yeares prisoner in this Court, where he wan such loue of all men, as the Spanyardes now say they would as gladly fight to set hym vp agayne as euer they dyd to pull hym downe: For they see that he is wise in all his doynges, iust in all hys dealynges, lowly to the meanest, princely with the biggest, and excellyng gentle to all, whom no aduersitie could euer moue, nor pollicy at any tyme entice to shrincke from God and his word. And here I must needes commend the Secretary of Ferrare, who beyng a Papist, and writyng the history of the late warres in Germany, doth not kepe backe a goodly testimony of Duke Frederickes constancy toward God and hys Religion. When the Emperour had taken the Duke prisoner he came shortly after before the Citie of Witemberg: and beyng aduised by some bloudy cousellours that Duke Frederickes death should, by the terrour of it turne all the Protestantes from theyr Religion, caused a write to be made for the Duke to be executed the next mornyng vppon a solemne scaffold in the sight of his wife, children, and the whole Citie of Wittemberg. This write signed with the Emperours own hand was sent ouer night to the Duke, who whe the write came vnto hym was in hys tent playing at Chesse with his Cosin and fellow prisoner the Lansgraue of Lithenberg, and readyng it aduisedly ouer layd it downe quietly beside and made no countenance at all at ye matter, but sayd Cosin take good heede to your game, and returnyng to his play as quietly as though he had receiued some priuate letter of no great importance dyd geue the Lansgraue a trim mate. The Emperour (I doubt not) chiefly moued by God: secondly of his great wisedome and naturall clemency, when he vnderstode his merueilous constancie chaunged his purpose and reuoked the write, and euer after gaue him more honour, and shewed him more humanitie then any Prince that euer I haue read of haue hetherto done to his prisoner. He is also such a louer of learnyng as his Librarie furnished with bookes of all tounges and scieces, passeth all other Libraries which are yet gathered in Christendome: For my frend Ieronimus Wolfius who translated Demosthenes out of Greeke into Latine, who had sene the Frech kings Library at Augusta, hath told me that though in six monethes he was not able onely to write out the titles of the bookes in the Fuggers Library, yet was it not so byg as Duke Frederickes was which he saw in Saxony. I thinke he vnderstandeth no straunge toung saue somewhat the Latin and a litle the French: And yet it is merueilous that my frend Iohannes Sturmius doth report by writyng, what he heard Phillip Melanthon at a tyme say of this noble Duke that he thought the Duke did priuately read & write more euery day the did both he and D. Aurifaber which two were counted in all mens iudgementes to be the greatest readers and writers in all the Vniuersitie of Wittemberg. And as hee doth thus read with such diligence, euen so he can report with such a memory what soeuer he doth read, and namely histories, as at his table on euery new occasion he is accustomed to recite some new story which hee doth with such pleasure and vtterance as men be content to leaue their meat to heare him talke: and yet hee hym selfe is not disdaynfull to heare the meanest nor will ouerwhart any mans reason. He talketh without tauntyng, and is mery without scoffyng, deludyng no man for sport, nor nippyng no man for spight. Two kindes of men as his Preachers did tell me at Vilacho he will neuer lōg suffer to be in his house: the one a commo mocker, who for his pride thincketh so wel of his owne wit as his most delight is to make other me fooles, and where God of his prouidence hath geuen small wit he for his sport wil make it none, and rather then he should leese his pleasure, he would an other should leese his wit: as I heare say was once done in England, and that by the sufferaunce of such as I am sorry for the good wil I beare them to heare such a report: the other a priuy whisperer a pickthäcke a tale teller medling so with other mēs matters, as he findeth no leysure to looke to his owne : one such in a great house is able to turne and tosse the quietnes of all. Such two kinde of men sayth the Duke besides the present troubling of others neuer or seldome come to good end them selues. He loueth not also bold and thicke skinned faces, wherein the meanyng of the hart doth neuer appeare. such hid talke as lyeth in wayte for other mens wittes. would, yt wordes should be so framed with the toung, as they be alwayes ment in the hart. Nor But A noble nature. And therfore the Duke him selfe thincketh nothyng which he dare not speake, nor speaketh nothyng whiche hee will not do. Yet hauyng thoughts grounded vppon wisedome, his talke is alwayes so accompanied with discression and his deedes so attende vppon true dealyng, as he neither biteth with wordes, nor wringeth with deedes, except impudency follow the fault, which Xenophon wittely calleth the farthest point in al doyng, and then he vseth to speake home as he did to a Spanyard this last yeare at Villacho, who beyng of the Dukes garde, when he was prisoner, and now preasyng to sit at his table when he was at libertie, Because many nobles of ye Court came that day to dine with the duke, The gentleman Husher gently desired the Spanyard to spare his rowme for that day for a great personage: But hee countenancyng a braue Spanish bragge, sayd, Seignor ye know me well enough, and so sat him downe. The Duke heard him, and preuentyng hys mans aunswere sayd: In deede you be to well knowen, by the same toke the last tyme you were here you tooke a gobblet away with you, & therfore when you haue dyned you may go without farewell, and haue leaue to come agayne when ye be sent for. In the meane while an honest man may occupy your place. But in |