Forerunner of the Necessary Defense of Noble Evangelical Persons

A 3

...only piece by piece / and moreover peppered with false, fabricated, defamatory, and sophisticated interpretations original: "glossis" / which distort the true intentions and opinions that were shared confidentially and in good faith. What was conceived in a foreign language is wrongly translated / what individual persons perhaps discussed for themselves / or only mentioned as a proposal / is immediately and quite odiously original: "odiosè" imputed to a whole body and union, as if they were common decrees and conclusions original: "communia decreta vnd conclusa". All sensible, impartial people can easily judge this. And what kind of practice is this / when perhaps the best part / which would explain the rest / is either completely left out / or crossed out with an "etc."?

I will now say nothing of the many countless gross errors / and mistakes / falsehoods / lies and slanders original: "mendacia vnd calumnias", which partly refute themselves / and partly will be discovered in time / so that oppressed innocence / with God and honor / shall be rescued. For whoever considers the foundation / as mentioned above / will find nothing in those accused other than a righteous zeal / to preserve the Empire of the German Nation / in its constitution / its ancient proper form / and fundamental laws. Especially, however, to maintain the harmony sanctioned through sworn agreements capitulationes These were "Election Capitulations," legal contracts that restricted the Emperor's power, which he swore to uphold upon his election. and pacts original: "pacta" between the Head The Emperor and the Members The Princes and Estates of the Empire. Furthermore, to maintain that liberty and freedom so dearly won with the life and property of their praiseworthy ancestors / German-born Electors and Princes / and besides this, to prevent the Papal power and the Spanish yoke from [ruling] over the free German Na[tion]—