Luther here alleges that the annates are not applied to their ostensible purpose, viz., the Crusade. This charge is repeated in the _Gravamina_ of the German Nation presented to the Diet of Worms (1521), with the additional allegation that the amount demanded in the way of annates has materially increased (A. Wrede, _Deutsche Reichstagsakten unter Kaiser Karl V._, II, pp. 675 f.). Similar complaints had been made at the Diet of Augsburg (1518), and were repeated at the Diet of Nürnberg (Wrede, _op. cit._, III, 660). Hutten calls the annates "a good at robbery" (_Ed._ Böcking, IV, 207). In England the annates were abolished by Act of Parliament (April 10, 1532) [53] On the crusading-indulgences, see Vol. I, p. 18. [54] i. e., As was done by the Council of Basel. See above, p. 84, note i. [55] The canons are the clergy attached to a cathedral church who constituted the "chapter" of that cathedral, and to whom the right to elect the bishop normally belonged. [56] This whole section deals with the abuse of the "right of reservation," i. e., the alleged right of the pope to appoint directly to vacant church positions. According to papal theory the right of appointment belonged absolutely to the pope, who graciously yielded the right to others under certain circumstances, reserving it to himself in other cases. The practice of reserving the appointments seems to date from the XII Century, and was originally an arbitrary exercise of papal authority. The rules which came to govern the reservation of appointments were regarded as limitations upon the authority of the pope, The rule of the "papal months," as it obtained in Germany in Luther's time, is found in the Concordat of Vienna of 1448 (Mirbt, _Quellen_, 2d ed., No. 261, pp. 167 f.). It provides that livings, with the exception of the higher dignities in the cathedrals and the chief posts in the monasteries, which all vacant in the months of February, April, June, August, October and December, shall be filled by the ordinary method--election, presentation, appointment by the bishop, etc.--but that vacancies occurring in the other months shall be filled by appointment of the pope. [57] i. e., Church offices which carried with them certain rights of jurisdiction and gave their possessors a certain honorary precedence over other officials of the Church. See Meyer in _Realencyk._, IV, 658. [58] Charles V, though elected emperor, was not crowned until October 22d. [59] i. e., A living which has not hitherto been filled by papal appointment. [60] This rule, like that of the "papal months," is found in the Concordat of Vienna. Luther's complaint is reiterated in the _Gravamina_ of 1521. (Wrede, _Deutsche Reichstagsakten_, etc., II, 673.)