his
ministerial associates, and secret dislike, yea, even burning hatred
from another, might be inferred from the nature of the human passions
and the circumstances of the case.

In this way, his position had already become suspicious to the higher,
and much more to the lower clergy, on account of their general dislike.
The reputation, which had preceded him, made the race of monks tremble,
for by their degeneracy, they had fallen into deserved contempt with
the mass of the people. Still, distinguished patrons, and adherents in
public and private remained true to him. Zwingli could not at least
expect skillful opponents from this quarter. Their gross ignorance left
them at his mercy. But just in the very consciousness of his
superiority lay a temptation, so much the stronger to rash and
premature action, and by this the Reformer was threatened with the
greatest danger. Thus affairs stood in Zurich, when Zwingli began to
teach. He arrived there on the 27 December, 1518, and immediately
presented himself to the convent of the canons. Here he was made
acquainted with the duties of his office. Of the fourteen articles of
direction, the two shortest were those relating to the pulpit. Twice in
a year he had to read aloud longer passages from the Gospels, to preach
on Sundays, to announce the festivals, and to notify the chapter of the
so-called anniversaries, or to see that it was done by one of his two
assistants. The other articles treated of his presence in the choir,
obedience, style of dress, the reading of the mass, baptism, simony
(the selling of benefices or obtaining them by fraud), but especially
the care of the revenues of the chapter. All his duties were detailed
therein with the greatest precision and minuteness. An article was
afterwards added, which made it the duty of the people's priest not to
leave the city during seasons of pestilence.

At this meeting Zwingli declared that he regarded preaching as his
chief business. First of all, the people must be taught to understand
the Holy Scriptures. So it had been in ancient times. But now nothing
was heard, except solitary extracts, and even these in a foreign
language. He did not pass by the remark, that the church thus orders
it, but appealed on the contrary to its oldest statutes, and proved
clearly the modern origin and ruinous consequences of the change.

What he had told the canons, he made known to the congregation on the
first of January, 1519, and on S