Forerunner of the Necessary Defense of Noble Evangelical Persons

only piecemeal / and moreover spiked with false, fabricated, defamatory, and sophisticated glosses interpretations original: "glossis" / through which the true intentions intentions original: "intentiones" and opinions of those who shared communicated original: "communicirt" them in good faith and confidence are distorted. What was composed drafted original: "concipirt" in a foreign language is incorrectly translated turned original: "vertirt"; what individual persons perhaps discussed talked over original: "discurrirt" for themselves, or only mentioned as a proposal / is immediately and most hatefully hatefully original: "odiosè" blamed imputed original: "imputirt" upon an entire body body original: "corpori" and Union The Protestant Union A coalition of Protestant German states formed in 1608 to defend their rights against the Catholic Emperor. as if they were common decrees common decrees original: "communia decreta" and resolutions conclusions original: "conclusa". All sensible and impartial people can easily judge this. For what kind of practice is this / when perhaps the best parts / by which the rest might be justified saved original: "salviren" / are either entirely left out / or crossed out with an "&c." [etcetera].

One will now remain silent about / the many innumerable gross errors / and mistakes / falsehoods / lies lies original: "mendacia" and slanders calumnies original: "calumnias", which partly disprove refute original: "refutirn" themselves, and partly shall yet 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 else among the accused but a righteous zeal / to maintain the Empire of the German Nation / in its constitution / ancient legal form / and fundamental laws. In particular, however, to maintain the harmony harmony original: "harmonia" sanctioned between the Head and the Members In the Holy Roman Empire, the "Head" refers to the Emperor and the "Members" to the Imperial Estates (Princes and Electors). through sworn election agreements capitulations original: "capitulationes"; these were written contracts the Emperor was forced to sign upon his election to guarantee the rights of the Princes. and pacts treaties original: "pacta". Furthermore, [they seek] to preserve that liberty liberty original: "libertet" and freedom so dearly acquired by the honorable ancestors / German-born Electors and Princes / with their property and blood / and also to prevent the Papal power and the Spanish yoke from [rising] over the free German Na-