the boldest.

Olof. Not the strongest?

Lars. The strong will come after you: and the strongest of all is by
your side; it is He who summons you to battle.

Olof. Help me, O Lord! I go.

Lars. Amen!

Olof. And will you come with me?

Lars. You must go alone--with God!

Olof. Why do you turn back?

Lars. I was not born to be a warrior: your armorer is all that I can
be. Your weapon is the pure Word of God, and with that you must arm
the people. For the doors to the popish armory have been broken open at
last, and hereafter every one calling himself a man must fight for the
freedom of his own spirit.

Olof. But where is the enemy? I am burning for battle, yet see no one to
fight against.

Lars. No need to summon them; they will come! Farewell! You may begin
whenever you are ready, and may God be with you!

Olof. Don't go. I have much more to talk with you about.

Lars. Here comes the vanguard now--to arms!

[Exit Lars.]

(A crowd of townsmen with their women and children pass across the stage
to the church door at the right. They stop in front of it, bare their
heads, and make the sign of the cross.)

Gert the Printer (disguised as a townsman). It's Whitsun Eve, and nobody
has rung the vesper bell--that's very strange.

A Townsman. The church door is closed. Maybe the priest is sick.

Gert. Or not yet out of bed.

Townsman. What do you mean?

Gert. Only that he might be sick abed.

Townsman. But there are a lot of acolytes, and one of them might be
saying a mass for us in his place.

Gert. They are probably too busy.

Townsman. With what?

Gert. That's hard to tell.

Townsman. Take care, my good man! You seem to have a leaning towards
Lutherism. Bishop Hans of Linkoeping is here, and so's the King.

Gert. Is Brask in town?

Townsman. Indeed he is. But I suppose we had better try the church door
to see if it be really closed.

Gert (runs up the steps and beats the church door with his fist).The
house of God is closed this Whitsun Eve. The reverend clergy will grant
no audience with the Lord to-day, and so the worshipful commonalty will
have to go home and go to bed without any mass. Look here, good folk!
Here you have a door--mere wood, of course, but that matters little, as
it is lined with copper. Just take a look at this door! If I say that
the Lord is living within--this being His house; and if I say that the
bishop's diaconus, or secretarius, or canonicus, or some other fellow
en