n over our ears at his own caprice?' Only
two remedies for this evil were available in monarchical countries;
either wisdom and moderation on the part of the princes themselves--a
paternal government, according to the demands and in the spirit of the
Gospel--or, where the rulers, as was yet frequently the case, were not
qualified or able to achieve this, a revival of the doctrine of passive
obedience--subjection in worldly things, as Luther maintained it. It is
clear, that to uphold this doctrine in a republic was a more difficult
task, and we have already shown, that Zwingli could not be numbered
among its advocates. On the political arena the difference between his
reformation and that of Luther began to grow more and more visible, and
so hateful did the former become, that the _Landgrave_ of Hesse even
was obliged to come back again toward Luther, and exhort Zwingli to
greater prudence and caution, especially after a saying of Erasmus had
found its way to the ears of the nobles, that the design was to bring
in democracy under the cloak of the Gospel.

Meanwhile the Emperor Charles had arrived in Germany and opened the
Imperial Diet at Augsburg in person, in the summer of 1530. Here they,
who were supposed to favor Zwingli's views, were in very ill repute.
"On all sides," Jacob Sturm wrote to him, "we are suspected, as though
we were hatching with foreign nations some marvellously dangerous plot
for the overthrow of the Emperor and the Empire; yea, we are regarded
as open rebels. Thou knowest how thoroughly false this is; yet there
are some who, therefore, wish also to hear nothing about our articles
of faith, because, they say, the report goes;[7] that some of us have
boasted, that we have provisions, arms and soldiers enough, not only to
repel force with force, but also to invade the territory of our
neighbors. There are those who affirm that we have already portioned
out among ourselves the ecclesiastical principalities, before the
victory, and I know not what other follies. In short, the Papists, and
even those who otherwise have declared themselves for the Gospel, act
against us here, openly and secretly, so that our destruction would be
decided on, if it only depended on them. If the Lord himself does not
pity us, does not stand by innocence and truth, then will our mighty
and raging foes yet devour us alive. No one defends us more than the
_Landgrave_, and even he does not venture to do it publicly, but only
to