o resign his office without reference to his superiors.
Though in so doing he did not free himself, yet it was one lie the
less.

"Magister Laurenzano requests to be relieved from his spiritual
functions," said at a sitting of the Church council held in the
Auditorium of the former monastery of the bare-footed monks, the
President Zuleger, a young Bohemian. "This is to be regretted on
account of his oratorical talent, but as spiritual duties are not
obligatory with his professorial chair at the College, the request must
be granted." The others agreed. "_Conclusum_," said the President to
the Secretary, "the request is granted, with the hope nevertheless,
that Magister Laurenzano will of his own accord from time to time
preach the Gospel to the parishioners. _Fiat decretum_, but let it be
written out in a friendly manner," added the President. The Secretary
also did his best. But we, who know Magister Laurenzano's mental
disposition, can hardly condemn him, for not giving way to the wishes
of the honorable Collegium. Whilst Paolo thus apparently separated
himself from the work of God, divine Grace had begun a work in his
heart, which through repentance and sorrow refined him into a new man.
The Magister did not speak with his spiritual tyrants about his fresh
plans. He waited to see, what orders would be given to him. But
Pigavetta appeared not to notice Paul's disappearance from the pulpit,
in fact he acted as if Paul did not exist.

CHAPTER IV.

The sitting of the Imperial Diet being at an end the court of the
Kurfuerst returned amidst the thunder of cannon fired from the
Trutzkaiser to the Castle at Heidelberg, which during the meeting had
been only opened for the accommodation of noble guests. The remaining
groups of those returning home passed at the same time through the
town; they were Polish, Transylvanian and Hungarian Magnates, who had
ordered servants and horses to be sent from their homes to meet them in
Heidelberg. A contagious disease broke out in the hostelry where the
servants had slept, laying all the inhabitants of the house on the sick
bed. Erastus was called in, examined the patients, who besides having a
violent fever, had their faces, breasts and arm-pits covered with blue,
violet and evil looking pustules. The swarthy complexion of the
physician turned ashy-pale when he noticed these symptoms, but without
saying a word he ordered a spunge dipped in vinegar t