Foiled and disappointed in his designs, and astounded and impatient
that a poor monk should thus set at naught all the prayers and powers
of the sovereign of Christendom, the cardinal bade him see his face
no more until he had repented of his stubbornness.
At this the friends of the Reformer, fearing for his safety,
clandestinely hurried him out of Augsburg, literally grappling him up
from his bed only half dressed, and brought him away to his
university. He had answered the pope's summons, and yet was free!
Cajetan was mortified at the result, and was upbraided for his
failure. In his chagrin he wrote angrily to the Elector not to soil
his name and lineage by sheltering a heretic, but to surrender Luther
at once, on pain of an interdict. The Elector was troubled. Luther had
not been proven a heretic, neither did he believe him to be one; but
he feared collision with the pope.
Luther said if he were in the Elector's place he would answer the
cardinal as he deserved for thus insulting an honest man; but, not to
be an embarrassment to his prince, he agreed to leave the Elector's
dominions if he said so. But Frederick would not surrender his
distinguished subject to the legate, neither would he send him out of
the country. It is hard to say which was here the nobler man, Luther
or his illustrious protector.