And whereas we made some difficulty in yielding in this matter, we meanwhile received letters from our legates at Vicenza, to the effect that, although the day for opening the council had arrived, nay, had long since passed by, barely one or two prelates from any of the foreign nations had betaken themselves to Vicenza. Upon receiving this information, derceiving that the council could not, under any circumstances, be held at that time, we granted to the aforesaid princes, that the time for holding the council should be deferred till the next holy Easter, the feast-day of the Resurrection of the Lord. Of which our ordinance and prorogation, the decretal letters were given and published at Genoa, in the year of the Incarnation of our Lord 1538, on the fourth of the calends of July.[1] And this delay we granted the more readily, because each of the princes promised us to send an ambassador to us at Rome; in order that those matters which were necessary for the complete establishment of peace,—all of which could not, on account of the shortness of the time, be completed at Nice,—might be treated of and arranged more conveniently at Rome in our presence. And for this reason also, they both begged of us, that this negotiation of peace might precede the celebration of the council; since, peace once established, the council itself would then be much more useful and salutary to the Christian commonwealth. For it was this hope of peace, thus held out to us, that ever moved us to assent to the wishes of the princes; a hope which was greatly increased by the kindly and friendly interview between those two princes after our departure from Nice; the news of which being received with very great joy, confirmed us in our good hope, that we believed that our prayers had at length been heard by God, and our earnest prayers for peace received. As, then, we both desired and urged the conclusion of this peace, and as it seemed good not only to the two princes aforenamed, but also to our most dear son in Christ, Ferdinand, king of the Romans, that the business of the council ought not to be undertaken until peace had been established; whilst all the parties urged upon us, by letters and their ambassadors, again to appoint a further prorogation of
- ↑ June 28th.
