Sickness of Calvin--preparation for departure to the Diet at
Worms--letter to the Queen of Navarre on behalf of the faithful
persecuted in France.
STRASBOURG, _October 1540_.
When your letter was first brought to me I could scarcely lift a
finger, on account of bodily weakness, and therefore reply to yours
somewhat later than I ought. Since that time to the present such
has been my state of doubt and hesitation, that it was impossible
for me to write any thing for certain; it seemed, indeed, as if it
had been so ordered on purpose that our wedlock[221] might not be
over joyous, that we might not exceed all bounds, that the Lord thus
thwarted our joy by moderating it. On the 3d of September I was
seized with stuffing of the head, a malady so frequent with me that
it gave me no great concern. Next day, being the Lord's-day, when
I had got a little warm in the delivery of the forenoon sermon, I
felt those humours which had gathered in the head begin to loosen
and dissolve. Before I could leave the place the cough attacked me,
and I was very much troubled with the continual defluxion until
the Tuesday. On that day, when I was preaching, as usual, and
found great difficulty in speaking, owing to the nostrils being
blocked up with mucus and the fauces choked with hoarseness, all of
a sudden I underwent a strange sensation; the cough, to be sure,
ceased, but rather unseasonably, while the head continued to be
crammed with evil humours. On the Monday a circumstance occurred
which had provoked my anger; for when the housekeeper, as oft she
does, spoke more freely than became her, and had addressed some
rude expression to my brother, he could not brook her impertinence;
not, however, that he made any stir about it, but he silently left
the house, and vowed solemnly that he would not return so long as
she remained with me. Therefore, when she saw me so sad on account
of my brother's departure, she also went elsewhere. Her son, in
the meanwhile, continued to live with me. I am wont, however, when
heated by anger, or stirred up by some greater anxiety than usual,
to eat to excess, and to devour my meat more eagerly than I ought,
which so happened to me at that time. Whenever the stomach is
oppressed overnight with too much, or with unsuitable food, I am
tormented in the morning with severe indigestion. To correct that
by fasting was a ready cure, and that was my usual practice; but
in order that the son of our housekeeper might not interpret this
abstinence to be an indirect way of getting rid of him, I rather
chose, at the expense of health, not to incur that offence. On
Tuesday thereafter, when the cough, as I have already mentioned,
had ceased, about nine o'clock, after supper, I was seized with
a fainting fit. I went to bed; then followed severe paroxysm,
intense burning heat, a strange swimming of the head. When I got
up on Wednesday, I felt so feeble in every limb and member, that
I was at length forced to acknowledge that I was labouring under
severe illness. I dined sparely. After dinner I had two fits,
with frequent paroxysms afterwards, but at irregular intervals,
so that it could not be ascertained what particular form of fever
it was. There was such a degree of perspiration that nearly the
whole mattress was moistened by it. While I was under this sort of
treatment your letter arrived. So utterly unable was I to do what
you required, that it was with difficulty that I could make out
the length of three paces. At length, whatever may have been the
original nature of the disease, it turned into a tertian fever,
which at first came on with acute shooting pains, but intermittent
at every third paroxysm. There came on, to be sure, afterwards, an
access of fever, more or less, but that was not so severe. When I
began to recover, the time had already gone by, and my strength was
not equal to the journey. This, however, by no means prevented me
from deliberating with Capito and Bucer, as though I had been quite
stout and well; and when the fit time arrived, and in the midst of
my sickness, I never desisted from beseeching Bucer rather even to
set out by himself, that we might not disappoint the hope which we
had given you reason to entertain.[222] Although he was himself very
much inclined to accomplish the task he had undertaken, he rather
preferred that I should accompany him, nor had the letter of Grynée
at all prevailed with him, in which he dissuaded him, whatever might
happen, from joining himself to us, if we should continue to differ
in opinion. While I was still suffering under the weakness of which
I have spoken, my wife took a fever, from which she is now beginning
to get well, and that with a different kind of complaint; for since
the last eight days she has been so exhausted by frequent vomitings
and otherwise, that she can with difficulty sit up in bed. Albeit,
to confess the truth, none of these things had stood in the way of
my journey if there had not been a yet greater hindrance. About
a fortnight ago a report was spread, which even now continues to
prevail, that the Emperor was on the way to Worms, for the purpose
of holding the Diet of the Empire which they had appointed to meet
at Haguenau. He has not, indeed, hitherto put forth an edict to fix
the day, but our friends are somewhat apprehensive of his wishing
to make use of the same crafty devices which he put in practice in
calling the conference at Haguenau. For he reduced them to such
straits, that they had no opportunity of meeting together even for
a previous private conference. It is on this account therefore,
that at present they fear lest he come upon them before they are
prepared to deal with him. This state of matters detains Bucer here,
so that he cannot move a step. He therefore particularly requests
of you, that since you perceive it has happened by no fault on his
part, that he cannot fulfil his promise, you would consider him
excused. This I can freely affirm to you for his exculpation, that
never have I seen a man more ready to enter upon any enterprise
than he was to undertake this journey, if he had not been bound up
by this concurrence of circumstances. It will perhaps be evident,
in a short time, that this anxiety was superfluous; but what could
our friends do in the meantime, when they hear that lodgings had
already been bespoke at Worms, that the Emperor was approaching,
except that they should be very intensely on the lookout? During the
interval, you must also know, that the Emperor in person, with the
most unheard-of rapacity, has pillaged Flanders, Holland, Brabant,
Luxembourg; it may even rather be said, that he has completely
gutted these territories. But if nothing occurs to prevent, call us
whensoever it shall seem good. Bucer promises solemnly that without
shrinking, he will come immediately on receiving the summons. As
regards myself, there is no great occasion for a laboured excuse,
for it was not possible to contend with God, who confined me to my
bed at the very time when the journey was to be undertaken. For
the willingness, I do not think you can entertain a doubt. Most
certainly, those who were present at the time are aware that this
was my continual complaint, "Now Farel will be disappointed in his
expectation." But notwithstanding, we ought each of us patiently to
submit, because the Lord has either removed the hope we entertained,
or delayed the fulfilment until a more convenient season. We may
well believe that he foresaw more clearly what would be best than
we could possibly forecast, either by consultation or by our most
reasonable conclusions in regard to this business. We have nothing
new here, unless that the King and the Emperor, while contending in
cruel persecution of the godly, both endeavour to gain the favour of
the Roman idol. There was a certain personage here lately, a native
of Gascony, one of the magnates as appeared; he had an escort of
five horsemen along with him; by whom I have written to the Queen
of Navarre,[223] and have earnestly besought her that she would
not desert us in a time of so great affliction. Publicly we can do
nothing, matters continue in such a doubtful state. The Emperor,
as you have heard, hastens his journey to Worms, but not at great
speed. He has, however, shewn that he wishes to have a convention
of the princes. Afterward to hold a Diet of the whole Empire at
Ratisbon, where deliberation may be had, and those points finally
settled which had been discussed in the former Diet, both concerning
religion and the state of the Empire. That city, however, is very
inconveniently situated, in regard that all those princes who are
more desirous of peace, on account of the length and difficulty of
the journey do not come thither; and our friends have the impression
that the road is not very safe, because it is in the middle circle
of Bavaria, where the princes are hostile to them, and combined
with the Emperor in that wicked league. At Tübingen, sixty-seven
houses have been burnt down. They say that the fire has been kindled
by incendiaries, but no one knows who they are or by whom set
on....[224]
[_Lat. orig. autogr._--_Library of Geneva._ Vol. 106.]
[221] Calvin, in the month of August 1540, had married Idelette de
Bure, the widow of an Anabaptist of Liege, John Störder, whom he had
brought back to the Reformed faith. He lived nine years with her in
the most entire union, and remained a widower in the month of April
1549.
[222] Bucer was on the eve of setting out for the Conference of
Worms, which he was to have attended, accompanied by Calvin.
[223] Marguerite, sister of Francis I. The letter to which Calvin
here refers is unfortunately lost.
[224] The end is wanting.