of this convent was considerable; the nuns,
whose number was rather large, belonged, for the most part, to
distinguished families. It was no easy undertaking, in a time of such
excitement, to keep peace among them, especially because the fiercest
enemies of reform, the Dominican monks, who were devoted to the same
rule of order, had abundant access to them as preachers, as confessors,
and under all possible pretences. The Council, sorry to find this
influence, and tracing it in the quarrels, which already began to arise
in many families, through the instigation of the spiritual sisters,
invited Zwingli to preach in the convent. This had never yet been done
by a so-called secular priest. A part of the nuns refused to hear the
unwelcome speaker. Zwingli therefore printed the discourse, which he
delivered, and sent it to them. Requests were now sent to the
government by one for release from her vows; prayers by another for the
return of their former confessors and preachers. Strife arose in the
convent. Here parents saw with displeasure the resolution of their
daughters to go back into secular life, whilst others were
dissatisfied, because theirs refused to do this. For some time the
Council tried to help matters by rendering access to the convent
difficult, and by obliging Leo Judae to preach there regularly; but when
the discord was not allayed thereby, permission to leave was granted to
all those who desired to go, with the privilege of taking whatever they
had brought, besides their clothing and furniture. The rest were
allowed to remain in the convent, but were obliged to lay aside the
habit of the order and listen to Leo Judge's preaching. For the
management of the revenues and general control a court of magistrates
was instituted. The number of those, who went back to secular life,
still increased; the aged gradually died off in the convent. Similar
ordinances were passed in relation to the other nunneries in the
territory of Zurich.

It is enough to show, that in these arrangements, the government was
prompted neither by a blind zeal for tearing down, nor a base desire
for the property of the convents. He who looks over the writings of
Zwingli,[6] will soon find, that the Council followed closely the path
marked out by him, and indeed throughout, in the consciousness that
they acted in full harmony with the Holy Scriptures. As another proof
of the bold thinking and fearless language of the Reformer, we will
here q