ine to the hospital, if he would be
allowed to destroy the images and votive paintings in the Water Church;
and that he intended to give a banquet in honor of Zwingli at
Lindenhof, amid a large assembly of country-people. He had often
rebuked the possessor of the crucifix for not casting away the object
of idolatry; he had even done it in presence of members of the Council,
so that the man at last declared he was tired of the business, and
though he would never do such a thing himself, Hottinger had the
privilege of doing it, as soon as he had made over to him his right to
the image. This was effected, and on a clear day Hottinger came with
his companions. They threw down the crucifix, and even digged out the
pedestal. The wood, they declared should go to the poor.

Although the actors in this scene appealed to the express command of
God; although many approved of the deed, and even a portion of the
preachers spoke in their favor from the pulpit, it was still in the
eyes of others, perhaps of the majority, especially beyond the canton,
an act as rebellious as horrible, yea worthy of death; and they
threatened, in case the perpetrators were not dealt with in this way,
according to their will and confused ideas, such dangerous
consequences, that the government was obliged to cast the so-called
"Idol Stormers" into prison for a while. The result of an
investigation, conducted in common with the three people's priests,
convinced the Council, that the quieting of the people, and the
introduction of rules of law for the abrogation of customs, which were
no longer tenable, could only be looked for, in the way of a
conference, as public and thorough as possible, on the doctrine of
Scripture concerning images and the mass also, as connected with this
subject.

Hence the collective clergy and laity of the canton were invited, in
case they were ready to throw any light on the subject, to appear at
the council-house on the 26th of October. Similar invitations were sent
to the bishops of Constance, Chur and Basel, as well as to the
University at the latter place, to the twelve Cantons of the
Confederacy, and to the city and abbot of St. Gall.

The call of Zurich for the first religious conference, nine months
before, had scarcely been heeded by her sisters of the Confederacy. But
now this actual invitation was received in a different manner. With the
exception of Schaffhausen, no canton, it is true, ventured to comply
with it fo