violence in the hope that it might conduce to their advantage; and the
lower classes ground down for centuries were beginning to realise
their own strength, partly owing to the spread of secret societies,
and were willing to lend a ready ear to a leader who had given
expression to views that were coursing already through their minds.

From all parts of Germany letters of congratulation poured in upon
Luther. Many of these came from men who had no desire for a religious
change, but who thought that Luther's campaign was directed only
against abuses in the Church. From the Humanists, from several of the
professors and students of Wittenberg, and even from the superiors of
his order he received unstinted praise and encouragement. At least one
of the bishops, Lorenz von Bibra of Wurzburg, hastened to intercede
for him with Frederick the Elector of Saxony, while none of the others
took up an attitude of unflinching opposition. Tetzel, who had been
forced to abandon his work of preaching, defended publicly at
Frankfurt on the Maine a number of counter theses formulated by Conrad
Wimpina. To this attack Luther replied in a sermon on indulgences in
which he aimed at expressing in a popular style the kernel of the
doctrine contained in his theses. Sylvester Prierias, the master of
the Sacred Palace in Rome, to whom Luther's theses had been forwarded
for examination, published a sharp attack upon them,[12] and was
answered in Luther's most abusive style. The most distinguished,
however, of the men who took the field against him was John Eck,[13]
Professor of Theology and Vice-Chancellor of the University of
Ingolstadt. He was a man well versed in the Scriptures and in the
writings of the Fathers, a ready speaker and an incisive writer, in
every way qualified to meet such a versatile opponent. While on a
visit with the Bishop of Eichstatt he was consulted about Luther's
theses, and gave his opinion in the /Obelisks/ on the dangerous