The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

350
HISTORY OF THE POPES.
were tending in the direction of trying to find further reasons
for putting off the decision to the Greek Kalends. For a
long time it had been no secret that the Pope's decision would
not be in accordance with that of the Spanish Inquisition,
and this gave rise to great excitement in Madrid as well
as at the Spanish embassy in Rome. If the ApostoHc See
should decide against the Inquisition, and Carranza had
to return to Toledo, and resume his former position as first
bishop of the kingdom a terrible blow would, in the opinion
of Philip, have been struck at the Inquisition, and this its
Thus the con-
royal protector wished at all costs to avoid. ^
troversy as to Carranza's guilt or innocence had developed
into a struggle between the cesaropapaHsm of Madrid and the
interference of Rome, and also into a struggle between the
Roman and Spanish schools of theology. If in the Eternal
City an unfavourable judgment were passed upon the captious
pedantry of the Spanish view of Carranza, then the Roman
theologians would find themselves overwhelmed with re-
proaches, with the object of showing that the self-opinionated
Spaniards knew better than Rome itself what was Catholic
and what was not. The letters of the Spanish ambassador,
ZuSiga, in 1569, are filled with complaints of the Roman
judges. According to these letters the Pope was prejudiced
in favour of the archbishop, and let himself be influenced by
his friends. The officials who had charge of the trial were all
suspected by Zuniga ;
they had allowed themselves to break
through the proper procedure, and had not the necessary
learning to enable them to pronounce on theological questions.
Things would have gone very differently if a greater number
of theologians had been sent from Spain to act as assessors,
and the Romans would not have been able to forget the respect
due to the Spanish Inquisition. Let new opinions on
Carranza's writings be prepared in his own country, so that
men might be able to form a truer judgment as to the meanmg
and consequences of bis propositions.^
^
Cf. supra p. 344, n. 2. '
2 Corresp. dipl. II., ix.