Fathers; the development of the internal spirit of religion as
distinct from mere external formalism was to be encouraged, and many
of the existing practices might be discarded as superstitious. Such
views tended naturally to excite the opposition of the Theologians and
to unsettle the religious convictions of educated men who watched the
struggle with indifference.

In this way the ground was prepared for a complete religious revolt.
Luther's movement was regarded by many as merely the logical sequence
of Humanism, but that the Humanists themselves were not willing to
accept this view is clear from the fact that once the early
misunderstandings had been removed, and once the real issues were
apparent, most of the Humanists in Germany and France remained true to
the Church. Instead of regarding Luther as a friend they looked upon
him as the worst enemy of their cause, and on the Reformation as the
death-knell of the Renaissance.
----------

[1] Sandys, /History of Classical Scholarship/, 2nd edition, 1906.
Rogers, /L'Enseignement des lettres classiques d'Ausone a Alcuin/,
1905. Gougaud, /Les Chretientes Celtiques/, 1911, chap. viii. (An
excellent bibliography.) Esposito, /Greek in Ireland during the
Middle Ages/ (/Studies/, i., 4, 665-683).

[2] Monnier, /La Renaissance de Dante a Luther/, 1884.

[3] Guirard, /L'Eglise et la Renaissance/, chap. iii.

[4] Nolhac, /Petrarque et l'Humanisme/, 1892.