us.-The same caution was observable in the resolution of the council, to defer till the next year any further proceeding respecting the mass, on the ground that one decisive step of this kind was sufficient to be taken at a time. A. D. 1524. Zwingle this year set the example of himself zwingle's using that liberty for which he contended on be- marriage. half of his brethren, by marrying Anna Reinhart, widow of John Meyer, lord of Weiningen, in the county of Baden. He had by her several children, only two of whom survived him-Ulric, who trod in his father's steps, and was a canon and archdeacon of Zuric; and Regula, married to Rudolph Gualter, a divine of eminence, to whom we are indebted for the Latin translation of many of Zwingle's writings, found in his collected works. As the former husband of the lady whom Zwingle married was rich, as well as of noble rank, the enemies of the reformer did not fail to charge him with having been influenced in his choice by motives of avarice and ambition. This led him to give such an exposition of his His emolucircumstances, as furnishes another instance of ments. the sort of worldly portion, with which these noble-minded leaders of the reformation not only contented themselves, but contrived also to exercise both hospitality and charity, "without grudging." People talk," he says, "of the rich benefices, of the pastors of Zuric, but I can declare that mine this year would not have produced me sixty pieces of gold,2 unless the heads 1 Maclaine's Mosheim, § 12. of second chapter on the Reformation.-I do not find it in the original. I. ii. 8. 2 I know not the value of the aureus here mentioned. The gould or gulden, now used in many parts of Switzerland, is only about two shillings and sixpence. How it is that Zwingle's canonry should not have been more productive, I cannot explain. XVI. CHAP. of our college (the chapter?) had allowed me some advantages. My adversaries swell the amount from sixty to three hundred !-I do not make this statement as complaining of poverty. God is my witness, that, if ever I feel uneasiness upon that subject, it is only because I cannot, to the extent of my wishes, relieve the number of poor people who need assistance. And indeed, if I consulted my own ease, I should gladly resign every sixpence of my stipend, to extricate myself from the hazardous services in which I am engaged. But neither the state of the times, nor the improvement of the talent committed to me, will allow me to retire.-As for my wife, apart from her clothes and her ornaments, she does not possess more than four hundred pieces of gold in the world: and, for her ornaments, she so little esteems them, that she has never made any use of them since her marriage with me. The children indeed of her former marriage are rich; (may God give them grace to use their wealth aright!) and from them she receives thirty pieces of gold per annum: I have forborne to claim any further dowry, though I might have done it." Brief of In the month of April, of this year, Clement VII, who had succeeded Adrian VI. in the papal chair in the preceding September, addressed a brief to the Helvetic republic generally, and, in particular, to all such members of it as had exerted themselves in support of the catholic faith, commending their zeal as more glorious to them than all the victories and military achievements of their countrymen," and exhorting them "to persevere in 66 1 Zuing. Op. ii. 47 (b). Ru. i. 217, 495. (505.) Gerd. i. 305-307. A. D. 1524. violent measures. their laudable course, and to extirpate all impugners of the ancient faith."-Animated by this address, as well as roused by the decisive Their proceedings at Zuric, the other ten cantons, assembled at Zug in the month of June, sent ambassadors to Zuric, Schaffhausen, and Appenzel, to upbraid the first of those states with its apostacy, and adoption of principles subver- June. sive of the Christian faith; and to warn the other two against following so fatal an example : at the same time giving notice to them all, that the cantons were resolved to tolerate no "Lutheran errors" in their own territories, or in the governments which they administered in common with others; but to inflict upon all followers of the Lutheran sect condign punishment, both in their persons and their goods.The six cantons of Lucerne, Uri, Schweitz, Underwalden, Zug, and Friburg went still further they declared to the citizens of Zuric, that they would neither in future call them to the diet of the cantons, nor sit with them there, till they renounced the novel dogmas they had embraced. Neither their exhortations nor their menaces, however, produced any effect on the reformed; who simply answered, "That they believed they had done nothing unbecoming sincere Christians, since in all their measures they had endeavoured to make the word of God their only rule."1 An occasion soon afterwards presented itself to the Roman-catholic cantons of shewing that they meant not to content themselves with idle threats, especially in the common bailliages, 1 Ru. i. 253-255. Gerd. i. 308. Though Schaffhausen appeared to return a less firm answer, yet it still went on with its reformation. Gerd. ii. 265-6. CHAP. where the opinions of Zwingle were now gaining ground. The town of Stamheim, situated on the frontiers of Thurgau, was dependent upon Zuric, except for its criminal jurisdiction, which was vested in the bailiff of Thurgau-appointed by the eight ancient cantons in rotation. The present bailiff was Joseph Amberg, of Schweitz: a man who had once favoured Zwingle's principles, but who, in order to secure his election to his present office, had promised to use his endeavours to suppress the new doctrines in The Wirths. Thurgau. Stamheim was governed by a vicebailiff, of the name of John Wirth, a zealous patron of the reformation, and, as such, very obnoxious to Amberg. Wirth's sons, John and Adrian, both clergymen, had also been stationed at Stamheim by the council of Zuric, for the instruction of the people. These persons, having received the edict of the council on the subject, had promptly removed all the images placed in public situations at Stamheim: an act for which Amberg would have seized and imprisoned them, had he not been prevented by the interposition of the people, who ran to arms Seizure of in their defence. A short time after, however, he succeeded in carrying off, in the dead of night, John Echslin, of Einsidlin, the learned and pious minister of the neighbouring town of Burg. This he did in contempt of the privileges of Stein, on which town Burg was dependent. An alarm was raised, and a number of people of all ranks, from Stein, Stamheim, and other places, pursued the soldiers who carried off Echslin. Echslin however was not rescued: but many of the people on their return, or during a parley between the parties, procured refresh Echslin. A tumult. A. D. 1524. ment at the convent of Ittingen; and some of the most disorderly, perhaps intermingled with others who were prompted by a fanatical zeal, being disappointed of their object, and having drunk to excess, proceeded to pillage the convent and set it on fire. The Wirths were present, and used their utmost endeavours to restrain the people, but unhappily without success: and, most iniquitously, the whole penalty of the outrage was made to fall upon them and their friend Burchard Ruteman, vice-bailiff of Nushbaumen, a man of the same principles with themselves. These parties were publicly accused by the The Wirths Roman-catholic cantons as the authors or ring- accused. leaders of the tumult. The council of Zuric, whose subjects they were, in consequence ordered them to be apprehended, and detained them in custody for three weeks; when, after full examination, they pronounced them entirely innocent. But this did not satisfy the cantons, now assembled at Baden; who threatened that, if the accused were not delivered up to them, they would march their troops to Zuric, and carry them off by force of arms. The dread of a civil war, together with the confidence that the parties would be able clearly to establish their innocence, prevailed over the firmness of the council, and they delivered them up; but upon the express stipulation that they should be examined only with respect to the late affair, and in the presence of the deputies of Zuric; and that their religion should not be pleaded against them. This decision of the council was much blamed by many of the citizens; at the head of whom was Zwingle. "To yield to threats," said he, "and to renounce your just rights, when the life of a subject is at stake, is a criminal weak |