From the Diet of Worms to the Augsburg Confession - James Aitken Wylie

taken place in Germany; that he was resolved to
maintain the edict of the last Diet of Spires–that,
namely, which abolished the toleration inaugurated
in 1526, and which laid the train for the extinction
of the religious movement–and that he had written
to the Duke of Saxony and his associates
commanding him to obey the decree of the Diet,
upon the allegiance which he owed to him and to
the Empire; and that should he disobey, he would
be necessitated for the maintenance of his
authority, and for example's sake, to punish him.
Guessing too truly what the emperor's answer
would be, the ambassadors had prepared an appeal
from it beforehand. This document they now
presented to the secretary Schweiss in presence of
witnesses. They had some difficulty in persuading
the official to carry it to his master, but at length he
consented to do so. We can imagine how the
emperor's brow darkened as he read it. He ordered
Schweiss to go and arrest the ambassadors. Till the
imperial pleasure should be further made known to
them, they were not to stir out of doors, nor write
to their friends in Germany, nor permit any of their
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