ns deal with the servants of the word. I have escaped
with less injury than some of my brethren. Me they only misused and
smote with their side arms, because I preached the truth to them with
the sharp fire of the spirit which had come upon me. I heed it not, and
even consider myself honored by the blows I received; one of which came
near making me a martyr. My worthy associate, Bartsch, was much more
shamefully treated, and my blood boils and foams when I think of it.
That they hustled, abused and plundered him, might be passed over; but
the hellish crew, adding to these outrages the most shameful scorn and
mockery, compelled that man of God to dance before them; himself, his
wife, and children to dance, like the infatuated Israelites before the
golden calf. For which the reprobates will one day be compelled to
dance to the howlings of damned spirits in the everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels!'

'How goes it with the poor citizens?' asked Dorn, for the purpose of
diverting the attention of the zealot from the occurrences which had so
excited his anger.

'As might be supposed, very badly,' answered the parson. 'The counter
reformation may be said to have dated its commencement from the arrival
of the terrible Dohna. The soldiers are quartered only upon the
protestants, to whom they say, 'the moment you go and confess to the
Dominican or Franciscan priests, and bring a certificate of the fact,
that moment we will leave you and go elsewhere.' When the poor people
have been thus oppressed until they can bear it no longer, they become
frantic and repair to the priests for the certificate of confession.
The tormenting fiends then leave them and are distributed among such of
their neighbors as yet hold to the true faith, and treat them in the
same manner, until they, overcome by the weight of the burthen, also
go, like Peter, and deny their lord and master in the churches of their
adversaries. In this way we clergymen have each sixty men quartered
upon us, and the aldermen the same number. Burgomaster Yunge has
already over a hundred men to provide for, and if the apostacy extends
much further, the last true believing christian of Schweidnitz will
have the whole seven squadrons of converters collected in his own
house.'

'Why do not the wretched people flee and abandon house and home,
property and sustenance?' asked the excited Dorn.

'So they would have done, by thousands,' answered the parson; 'but th