be a profitable occupation. 'The office of the
elders,' say Calvin's ordinances, 'consists in watching the life of
others.' The quarters of the town will be divided among the elders, who
will have to inspect the different houses and verify whether the
fathers and the mothers have thoroughly studied the new Catechism,
whether the family lives in peace, whether the husband gets drunk, or
the wife rails at her neighbors, whether every one goes to Church and
Communion, whether dice or cards are in the house, and whether the
daughters dance round dances. The Parsons themselves will see to the
reform of those denounced. In a word the observance of public order
passes from the hands of the officials to those of the clerics."

"That will cause some trouble, as the sparrow said, when called upon to
lay a goose's egg," called out a shrill but somewhat husky voice.

The Chancellor wrinkled his brow. "Aha, our Klaus falls again into his
_role_ of fool," said the Inspector apologetically.

"He is not so wrong. Children and fools speak the truth," now spake out
Erast, rubbing with his yellow wash-leather glove the lame arm which
was paining him. "The clergy will not be strong enough to keep public
order. The authorities will be there, but still under the orders of the
Theologians. If the Magistrate Hartmann Hartmanni can preserve order by
Olevianus' directions, I cannot see why he should not have been able to
do so before. For one thing is certain, that the riotous living now
carried on in Heidelberg can no longer be tolerated, the noise in the
streets till late at night, that everlasting firing, music, and
rioting. This the Magistrate could put a stop to without the clergy,
were he not himself a gallivanter, and in every respect a boon
companion, not to mention also, that he considers himself to be quite a
humanist, and makes verses instead of sitting in the Court house."

"Verily a little discipline is necessary in Heidelberg," said Probus
confirmingly, "and now punishment follows after its neglect."

The clerical gentlemen returned no answer but looked rather confused.
An angel, or even two angels had time to pass through the room, before
that the Philosopher Pithopoeus helped these gentlemen to give
expression to their thoughts, by jokingly remarking. "Then shall we not
see our spiritual friends any more in the Hirsch, for if the
Theologians must break the members of their flocks of the habit of
sitting in taverns, they thems