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In Germany from the Leipsic Disputation to the Diet at Worms - James Aitken Wylie

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and additions, with <strong>the</strong> view of rendering its scope<br />

more comprehensive and its excommunic<strong>at</strong>ions<br />

more frightful. It has been called "<strong>the</strong> pick of<br />

excommunic<strong>at</strong>ions." It was wont <strong>to</strong> be promulg<strong>at</strong>ed<br />

annually <strong>at</strong> Rome on <strong>the</strong> Thursday before Easter<br />

Sunday, hence its name <strong>the</strong> "Bull of <strong>the</strong> Lord's<br />

Supper." The bells were <strong>to</strong>lled, <strong>the</strong> cannon of St.<br />

Angelo were fired, and <strong>the</strong> crowd of priests th<strong>at</strong><br />

thronged <strong>the</strong> balcony around <strong>the</strong> Pope waved <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

tapers wildly, <strong>the</strong>n suddenly extinguished <strong>the</strong>m; in<br />

short, no solemnity was omitted th<strong>at</strong> could add<br />

terror <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> public<strong>at</strong>ion of <strong>the</strong> bull–superfluous<br />

task surely, when we think th<strong>at</strong> a more frightful<br />

peal of cursing never rang out <strong>from</strong> th<strong>at</strong> balcony,<br />

<strong>from</strong> which so many terrible excommunic<strong>at</strong>ions<br />

have been thundered. All ranks and conditions of<br />

men, all n<strong>at</strong>ionalities not obedient <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Papal See,<br />

are most comprehensively and energetically cursed<br />

in <strong>the</strong> bull <strong>In</strong> Coena Domini. More especially are<br />

heretics of every name cursed. "We curse," said <strong>the</strong><br />

Pope, "all heretics C<strong>at</strong>hari, P<strong>at</strong>arins, Poor Men of<br />

Lyons, Arnoldists, Speronists, Wickliffites,<br />

Hussites, Fr<strong>at</strong>ricelli;"–" because," said Lu<strong>the</strong>r,<br />

speaking aside, "<strong>the</strong>y desired <strong>to</strong> possess <strong>the</strong> Holy<br />

94

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