the future one pure and true religion may be embraced and
maintained by us, that as we all are under one Christ and do
battle under Him, so we may be able also to live in unity and
concord in the one Christian Church.

And inasmuch as we, the undersigned Elector and Princes, with
others joined with us, have been called to the aforesaid Diet the
same as the other Electors, Princes, and Estates, in obedient
compliance with the Imperial mandate, we have promptly come to
Augsburg, and -- what we do not mean to say as boasting -- we
were among the first to be here.

Accordingly, since even here at Augsburg at the very beginning
of the Diet, Your Imperial Majesty caused to be proposed to the
Electors, Princes, and other Estates of the Empire, amongst other
things, that the several Estates of the Empire, on the strength
of the Imperial edict, should set forth and submit their opinions
and judgments in the German and the Latin language, and since on
the ensuing Wednesday, answer was given to Your Imperial Majesty,
after due deliberation, that we would submit the Articles of our
Confession for our side on next Wednesday, therefore, in
obedience to Your Imperial Majesty's wishes, we offer, in this
matter of religion, the Confession of our preachers and of
ourselves, showing what manner of doctrine from the Holy
Scriptures and the pure Word of God has been up to this time set
forth in our lands, dukedoms, dominions, and cities, and taught
in our churches.

And if the other Electors, Princes, and Estates. of the Empire
will, according to the said Imperial proposition, present similar