ere they were mixed up with felons
condemned to the same labors, and designated, like them, by numbers. It
was all in vain. Nothing could shake their constancy. At Berlin was
erected a sort of ecclesiastical tribunal, which arrogated to itself the
power of deposing from sees, and which actually pretended to depose the
Archbishop of Posen, the Bishop of Paderborn, the Prince-Bishop of
Breslau, and several other prelates. The fortresses of Germany were filled
with priests, whose only crime was that they _obeyed God rather than men_.
The public ways were crowded with priests who had been deprived,
afterwards _interned_, and finally banished. Numerous religious people,
both men and women, were in the like sad position, thronging the road of
exile. The people, in tears, escorted these victims of heathenish rage.
They chanted, as they went, the psalm, "_Miserere_," and the canticle,
"_Wir sind ini waren Christenthum_" ("we are in true Christianity"), until
they reached the railway depots. The Prussian gensd'armes, who were often
no more than two or three in number, were astonished to find that they
could so easily conduct their prisoners, whom thousands and tens of
thousands of other men, the greater number of whom were veteran soldiers,
accompanied, as they passed, expressing their regrets and good wishes.

Persecution is impolitic no less than it is cruel and immoral. The German
people, to say the least, were shocked by the tyranny of their government.
Nothing could prevent them from showing what they felt and thought, on
occasion of the release of the prisoners at the end of their two years'
term of imprisonment. They took every possible means of expressing their
satisfaction. Thus, at Munster, when Bishop Warendorf returned, the
inhabitants paid no attention to the prohibition of the burgomaster, who,
by order of the government, intimated that he would repress, by force,
every external and public demonstration. The whole city rushed to the
gate, St. Mauritius, by which the released prisoner was to enter. Count
Droste-Erhdroste proceeded to receive him in a magnificent carriage, drawn
by four horses, which was followed by four more carriages in charge of his
servants, who were in complete gala dress. An immense crowd strewed
flowers along the route as the bishop advanced, and ceased not to hail him
with joyous acclamations until he reached his residence, where the first
families of the country were in attendance to receive h