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POLITICAL CONSEQUENCESFIRST PART.DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLITICAL INFLUENCE OF THE REFORMATION UPON THE INTERNAL RELATIONS OF THE DIFFERENTSTATES OF EUROPE.GERMANY.IT was natural that the state in which the Reformation commenced should be the first to feel its consequences ;butbesides this, the internal condition of Germany was such asto make these consequences more violent here than elsewhere. The adherence of several of its princes to the Reformed doctrines facilitated the organization of a powerfulparty, which watched over their infancy, and preventedthem from being crushed or set aside, in a manner whichwould have been impossible in any country less dividedwithin itself. It is well known that the elector, Fredericthe Wise, of Saxony, the ruler of the state in which Luthercame forward, was the first who did the Reformation thisservice, although he was soon followed by others. It wasthus at once made an affair of state and ; by being soonafter formally and openly treated as such, and brought, in1521, before the diet of Worms for decision, it became sohighly important in a politicalpoint of view, that its verycondemnation could only serve to make it still more so.At^tke time of Luther's appearance, Germany, as a state,was little mare than a clplierin the political system of Euppe.Ftfl of strength within, it was yet unable to applyits power, Its eonstitEtioii, formed upon prescription, wasscarccijr tetter than a chaos. Even though the Golden Bull(1356) had sufficiently determined the relations between theof the empire and the chief of its princes, who couldmy what the mutual rights of the emperor and the remainingtruly were ? The degree of authority which he shouldpossess was thus commonly dependent upon the characterand personal power of the emperor. Under the long reignof Frederic IlL, who slumbered away above half a centuryupon the throne, (14401492,) this authority was nearlyand under that of Maximilian L, notwith-