If he burned heretics in the Netherlands, he employed them in his armies.
Lutheran soldiers had played their part in the sack of Rome.

Lutheranism had spread from North Germany along the Rhine, it was now pushing fast into the hereditary possessions of the Austrian House, it had all but mastered the Low Countries.

France itself was mined with heresy; and were Charles once to give way, the whole continent would be lost to Rome.
[Sidenote: The Trial of the Divorce] Amidst difficulties such as these the Papal court saw no course open save one of delay.

But the long delay told fatally for Wolsey's fortunes.

Even Clement blamed him for having hindered Henry from judging the matter in his own realm and marrying on the sentence of his own courts, and the Boleyns naturally looked upon his policy as dictated by hatred to Anne.
Norfolk and the great peers took courage from the bitter tone of the girl; and Henry himself charged the Cardinal with a failure in fulfilling the promises he had made him.