The holy father, Julius ii., outwitted all his accomplices.  He secured from Venice very valuable accessions of territory, and then, recalling his ecclesiastical denunciations, united with Venice to drive the barbarians, as he affectionately called his French and German allies, out of Italy.  Maximilian returned to Austria as in a funeral march, ventured to summon another diet, told them how shamefully he had been treated by France, Venice and the pope, and again implored them to do something to help him.  Perseverance is surely the most efficient of virtues.  Incredible as it may seem, the emperor now obtained some little success.  The diet, indignant at the conduct of the pope, and alarmed at so formidable a union as that between the papal States and Venice, voted a succor of six thousand infantry and eighteen hundred horse.  This encouraged the emperor, and forgetting his quarrel with Louis XII. of France, in the stronger passion of personal aggrandizement which influenced him, he entered into another alliance with Louis against the pope and Venice, and then made a still stronger and a religious appeal to Germany for aid.  A certain class of politicians in all countries and in all ages, have occasionally expressed great solicitude for the reputation of religion.

“The power and government of the pope,” the emperor proclaimed, “which ought to be an example to the faithful, present, on the contrary, nothing but trouble and disorder.  The enormous sums daily extorted from Germany, are perverted to the purposes of luxury or worldly views, instead of being employed for the service of God, or against the infidels.  As Emperor of Germany, as advocate and protector of the Christian Church, it is my duty to examine into such irregularities, and exert all my efforts for the glory of God and the advantage of the empire; and as there is an evident necessity to reestablish due order and decency, both in the ecclesiastical and temporal state, I have resolved to call a general council, without which nothing permanent can be effected.”

It is said that Maximilian was now so confident of success, that he had decided to divide Italy between himself and France.  He was to take Venice and the States of the Church, and France was to have the rest.  Pope Julius was to be deposed, and to be succeeded by Pope Maximilian.  The following letter from Maximilian to his daughter, reveals his ambitious views at the time.  It is dated the 18th of September, 1511.

“To-morrow I shall send the Bishop of Guzk to the pope at Rome, to conclude an agreement with him that I may be appointed his coadjutor, and on his death succeed to the papacy, and become a priest, and afterwards a saint, that you may be bound to worship me, of which I shall be very proud.  I have written on this subject to the King of Arragon, intreating him to favor my undertaking, and he has promised me his assistance, provided I resign my imperial crown to my grandson Charles, which I am very ready to do.  The people and nobles of Rome have offered to support me against the French and Spanish party.  They can muster twenty thousand combatants, and have sent me word that they are inclined to favor my scheme of being pope, and will not consent to have either a Frenchman, a Spaniard or a Venetian.