aptists of St. Gall, which were then
carried to the maddest extreme, might really have contributed to the
severity of this sentence. Grebel, during an earlier sojourn there, had
sown the seed, of which these were the ripened fruits. They burnt the
Bible, because it said: "The letter kills." They sported with puppets;
led about dancing apes tied to a string; wept childishly, and were
comforted with apples, and cast off all their clothes, because they
must become like little children, of whom alone was the kingdom of
heaven. Yea, in the end, one of them, Leonard Schucker, desired the
death of his brother, because God had commanded it. He drew his sword
and struck off his head in the presence of his father and all his
sisters.

Thus, at last, the fruits showed, in a more lively manner than all the
learned conferences, what was to be thought of the dogmas of this sect;
and yet the prisoners in Zurich still had secret friends. An
opportunity was given them to escape by night, which they used, and
once more spread through the canton, pretending that the Angel of the
Lord had delivered them from prison, as he formerly had Paul and Silas.
But now the pious jugglery came to a close. A law was passed, that
whoever, belonging to the canton, would hereafter rebaptise an adult,
he should be drowned without mercy. Nevertheless it was done by
Blaurock and Manz, as well as by Filk and Raimann, two natives of the
department of Grueningen They were all apprehended. Blaurock, because a
foreigner, was whipped with rods and banished from the canton; the
other three were drowned in the Limath on the 5th of January, 1525.
They persevered to the last in their stubbornness, or constancy, to
maintain which Manz was even encouraged by his aged mother. Their
behavior left no impression on the people, who were sick of these foul
doings.

The great length of the sentence delivered shows how anxious the
government was to be justified in its acts, and in deed the public weal
seemed, after what had gone before, to demand such an issue. Of
Grebel's end no report has reached us. But to later times has been left
the problem of the thorough instruction of the people, toleration in
matters of faith, contempt where morals, and punishment, sore
punishment, where the sanctity of the law has been invaded.

NOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH

Footnote 1: In substance, they had reference to the relation of the
people to the government, the tithes, the rate of inter