Chapter XXV: Book XVI: Switzerland--Catastrophe. 1528-1531 (5)

Meanwhile Zwingle lay extended under the tree, near the road by which the mass of the people was passing. The shouts of the victors, the groans of the dying, those flickering torches borne from corpse to corpse, Zurich humbled, the cause of Reform lost,--all cried aloud to him that God punishes his servants when they have recourse to the arm of man. If the German Reformer had been able to approach Zwingle at this solemn moment, and pronounce these oft-repeated words: "Christians fight not with sword and arquebus, but with sufferings and the cross,"[1229] Zwingle would have stretched out his dying hand, and said, "Amen!"

[1229] Christen sind nicht die für sich selbst mit dem Schwerdt oder
Büchsen streiten, sondern mit dem Kreuz und Leyden. (Luth. Opp.)

[Sidenote: DAY AFTER THE BATTLE.]

Two of the soldiers who were prowling over the field of battle, having come near the reformer without recognising him, "Do you wish for a priest to confess yourself?" asked they. Zwingle, without speaking (for he had not strength), made signs in the negative. "If you cannot speak," replied the soldiers, "at least think in thy heart of the Mother of God, and call upon the saints!" Zwingle again shook his head, and kept his eyes still fixed on heaven.[1230] Upon this the irritated soldiers began to curse him. "No doubt," said they, "you are one of the heretics of the city!" One of them, being curious to know who it was, stooped down and turned Zwingle's head in the direction of a fire that had been lighted near the spot.[1231] The soldier immediately let him fall to the ground. "I think," said he, surprised and amazed, "I think it is Zwingle!" At this moment Captain Fockinger of Unterwalden, a veteran and a pensioner, drew near: he had heard the last words of the soldier. "Zwingle!" exclaimed he; "that vile heretic Zwingle! that rascal, that traitor!" Then raising his sword, so long sold to the stranger, he struck the dying Christian on the throat, exclaiming in a violent passion, "Die, obstinate heretic!" Yielding under this last blow, the reformer gave up the ghost: he was doomed to perish by the sword of a mercenary. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." The soldiers ran to other victims. All did not show the same barbarity. The night was cold; a thick hoar-frost covered the fields and the bodies of the dying. The Protestant historian, Bullinger, informs us that some Waldstettes gently raised the wounded in their arms, bound up their wounds, and carried them to the fires lighted on the field of battle. "Ah!" cried they, "why have the Swiss thus slaughtered one another!"

[1230] Und sach uber sich in Hymel. (Bull. iii. p. 136.)

[1231] Veyn Fuwr besach. (Tschudi, Helv. ii. p. 194.)

The main body of the army had remained on the field of battle near the standards. The soldiers conversed around the fires, interrupted from time to time by the cries of the dying. During this time the chiefs assembled in the convent sent messengers to carry the news of their signal victory to the confederate cantons, and to the Roman-catholic powers of Germany.

[Sidenote: BARBAROUS OUTRAGE.]

At length the day appeared. The Waldstettes spread over the field of battle, running here and there, stopping, contemplating, struck with surprise at the sight of their most formidable enemies stretched lifeless on the plain; but sometimes also shedding tears as they gazed on corpses which reminded them of old and sacred ties of friendship. At length they reached the pear-tree under which Zwingle lay dead, and an immense crowd collected around it. His countenance still beamed with expression and with life. "He has the look," said Bartholomew Stocker of Zug, who had loved him, "he has the look of a living rather than of a dead man.[1232] Such he was when he kindled the people by the fire of his eloquence." All eyes were fixed upon the corpse. John Schönbrunner, formerly canon of Zurich, who had retired to Zug at the epoch of the Reformation, could not restrain his tears; "Whatever may have been thy creed," said he, "I know, Zwingle, that thou hast been a loyal confederate! May thy soul rest with God!"

[1232] Nicht einem Todten sondern einem Lebenden gleich. (Zwingli fur
dass Volk von J. J. Hottinger.)

But the pensioners of the foreigner, on whom Zwingle had never ceased to make war, required that the body of the heretic should be dismembered, and a portion sent to each of the Five Cantons. "Peace be to the dead! and God alone be their Judge!" exclaimed the avoyer Golder and the landamman Thoss of Zug. Cries of fury answered their appeal, and compelled them to retire. Immediately the drums beat to muster; the dead body was tried, and it was decreed that it should be quartered for treason against the Confederation, and then burnt for heresy. The executioner of Lucerne carried out the sentence. Flames consumed Zwingle's disjointed members; the ashes of swine were mingled with his: and a lawless multitude rushing upon his remains, flung them to the four winds of heaven.[1233]

[1233] Tschudi Helvet. ii. p. 195. "Cadaver Zwinglii......in quatuor
partes secatur, in ignem conjicitur, in cinerem resolvitur." (Myc. de
Vit. Zw.)

[Sidenote: CONSTERNATION OF ZURICH.]

Zwingle was dead. A great light had been extinguished in the Church of God. Mighty by the Word as were the other reformers, he had been more so than they in action; but this very power had been his weakness, and he had fallen under the weight of his own strength. Zwingle was not forty-eight years old when he died. If the might of God always accompanied the might of man, what would he not have done for the Reformation in Switzerland, and even in the Empire! But he had wielded an arm that God had forbidden; the helmet had covered his head, and he had grasped the halberd. His more devoted friends were themselves astonished, and exclaimed: "we know not what to say!......a bishop in arms!"[1234] The bolt had furrowed the cloud, the blow had reached the reformer, and his body was no more than a handful of dust in the palm of a soldier.

[1234] Ego nihil certe apud me possum statuere, maxime de Episcopo in
armis. (Zuickius Ecolampadio, 8th November 1531, Zurich MS.)

[Sidenote: VIOLENCE OF THE POPULACE.]

IX. Frightful darkness hung over Zurich during the night that followed the afflicting day of Cappel. It was seven in the evening when the first news of the disaster arrived......Vague but alarming reports spread at first with the rapidity of lightning. It was known that a terrible blow had been inflicted, but not of what kind; but soon a few wounded men, who arrived from the field of battle, cleared up the frightful mystery. "Then," said Bullinger, whom we shall allow to speak, "there arose suddenly a loud and horrible cry of lamentation and tears, bewailing and groaning." The consternation was so much the greater that no one had expected this disaster. "There is not enough for a breakfast," had said some haughty worldly men; "With one blow we shall be masters of the _Five Chalets_," had said another; and an old soldier added with disdainful sneer, "We shall soon have scattered these five dunghills." The christian portion, convinced that Zurich was fighting in a good cause, had not doubted that victory would be on the side of truth......Thus their first stupefaction was succeeded by a violent outburst of rage. With blind fury the mob accused all their chiefs, and loaded with insults even those who had defended their country at the price of their blood. An immense crowd--agitated, pale, and bewildered, filled all the streets of the city. They meet, they question and reply; they question again, and the answer cannot be heard, for the shouts of the people interrupted or drowned the voice of the speakers. The councillors who had remained in Zurich, repaired in haste to the town-hall. The people, who had already assembled there in crowds, looked on with threatening eyes. Accusations of treason burst from every mouth, and the patricians were pointed out to the general indignation. They must have victims. "Before going to fight against the enemy on the frontiers," said the mob, "we should defend ourselves against those who are within our walls." Sorrow and fear excited the minds of all. That savage instinct of the populace, which in great calamities leads them, like a wild beast, to thirst for blood, was violently aroused.

A hand from the midst of the crowd points out the council-hall, and a harsh and piercing voice exclaims: "Let us chop off the heads of some of the men who sit in these halls, and let their blood ascend to heaven, to beg for mercy in behalf of those whom they have slain."

But this fury is nothing in comparison with that which breaks out against the ministers, against Zwingle, and all those Christians who were the cause (say they) of the ruin of the country. Fortunately the sword of the Waldstettes had withdrawn them from the rage of their fellow-citizens; nevertheless, there still remained some who could pay for the others. Leo Juda, whom Zwingle's death was about to raise to the head of religious affairs, had scarcely recovered from a serious illness; it is on him they rush. They threaten, they pursue him; a few worthy citizens carry him off and hide him in their houses. The rage of these madmen is not appeased: they continue shouting that atonement must be made for the slaughter at Cappel, by a still more frightful slaughter within the very walls of the city. But God placed a curb in the mouths of these infuriate beasts of prey, and subdued them.

On a sudden, grief succeeded to rage, and sobs choked the utterance of the most furious. All those whose relatives had marched to Cappel, imagine that they are among the number of the victims. Old men, women, and children, go forth in the darkness by the glimmering light of torches, with haggard eyes and hurried steps; and as soon as some wounded man arrives, they question him with trembling voice about those whom they are seeking. To some they reply: "I saw him fall close by my side.--He was surrounded by so many enemies," they say to others, "that there was no chance of safety for him."[1235] At these words the distracted family drop their torches, and fill the air with shrieks and groans.

[1235] Dermassen umbgäben mit Tygenden, dass kein Hoffnung der rettung
uberig. (Bull. iv. p. 163).

[Sidenote: ZWINGLE IS DEAD.]

Anna Zwingle had heard from her house the repeated discharges of artillery. As wife and mother, she had passed in expectation many long hours of anguish, offering fervent prayers to heaven. At length the most terrible accounts, one after another, burst upon her.

In the midst of those whose cries of despair re-echoed along the road to Cappel, was Oswald Myconius, who inquired with anxiety what had become of his friend. Soon he hears one of the unfortunates who had escaped from the massacre, relating to those around him that Zwingle had fallen![1236].....Zwingle is no more! Zwingle is dead! The cry is repeated: it runs through Zurich with the rapidity of lightning, and at length reaches the unhappy widow. Anna falls on her knees. But the loss of her husband is not enough: God has inflicted other blows. Messengers following each other at short intervals announce to her the death of her son Gerold of Knonau, of her brother the bailiff of Reinhardt, of her son-in-law Antony Wirz, of John Lustchi the husband of her dear sister, as well as of all her most intimate friends. This woman remains alone--alone with her God; alone with her young children, who, as they see her tears, weep also, and throw themselves disconsolate into their mother's arms.

[1236] Ut igitur mane videram exeuntem, ita sub noctem audio nuntium,
pugnatum quidem acriter, tamen infeliciter, et Zwinglium nobis
periisse. (Myc. Vit. Zw.)

[Sidenote: FUNERAL ORATION.]

On a sudden the alarm-bell rings. The council, distracted by the most contrary opinions, has at last resolved to summon all the citizens towards the Albis. But the sound of the tocsin re-echoing through the darkness, the lamentable stories of the wounded, and the distressful groans of bereaved families, still further increased the tumult. A numerous and disorderly troop of citizens rushed along the road to Cappel. Among them is the Valaisan, Thomas Plater. Here he meets with a man that has but one hand,[1237]--there with others who supported their wounded and bleeding heads with both hands;--further still is a soldier whose bowels protrude from his body. In front of these unhappy creatures peasants are walking with lighted torches, for the night is very dark. Plater wishes to return; but he cannot, for sentinels placed on the bridge over the Sihl allow persons to quit Zurich, but permit no one to reenter.

[1237] Ettlich kamen, hatten nur eine hand. (Libensbeschreibung
Plateri, p. 297.)

On the morrow the news of the disgraceful treatment of Zwingle's corpse aroused all the anger of Zurich; and his friends, uplifting their tear-bedimmed eyes, exclaimed, "These men may fall upon his body; they may kindle their piles, and brand his innocent life......but he lives--this invincible hero lives in eternity, and leaves behind him an immortal monument of glory that no flames can destroy.[1238] God, for whose honour he has labored, even at the price of his blood, will make his memory eternal." "And I," adds Leo Juda, "I, upon whom he has heaped so many blessings, will endeavour, after so many others, to defend his renown and to extol his virtues." Thus Zurich consecrated to Zwingle a funeral oration of tears and sighs, of gratitude and cries of anguish. Never was there a funeral speech more eloquent!

[1238] Vivit adhunc, et æternum vivit fortissimus heros. (Leonis Judæ
exhort. ad Chr. Sect. Enchiridio Psalm. Zwinglii præmissa.)

[Sidenote: ARMY OF ZURICH.]

Zurich rallied her forces. John Steiner had collected on the Albis some scattered fragments of the army for the defence of the pass: they bivouacked around their fires on the summit of the mountain, and all were in disorder. Plater, benumbed with cold (it is himself who gives us the account), had drawn off his boots to warm his feet at the watch-fire. On a sudden an alarm is given, the troop is hastily drawn up, and, while Plater is getting ready, a trumpeter, who had escaped from the battle, seizes his halberd. Plater takes it back, and stations himself in the ranks; before him stands the trumpeter, without hat or shoes, and armed with a long pole. Such is the army of Zurich.

The chief captain Lavater rejoined the army at daybreak. Gradually the allies came up; 1200 Grisons, under the orders of the captain-general Frey of Zurich, 1500 Thurgovians, 600 Tockenburgers, and other auxiliaries besides, soon formed an army of 12,000 men. All, even children, ran to arms. The council gave orders that these young folks[1239] should be sent back to share in the domestic duties with the women.

[1239] Jungen fasels, young brood. (Bull. Chr. iii. p. 176.)

Another reverse erelong augmented the desolation of the Reformed party. While the troops of Berne, Zurich, Basle, and Bienne, amounting to 24,000 men, were assembling at Bremgarten, the Five Cantons intrenched themselves at Baar, near Zug. But Zwingle was wanting to the Reformed army, and he would have been the only man capable of inspiring them with courage. A gust of wind having thrown down a few fir-trees in the forest where the Zurichers were encamped, and caused the death of some of their soldiers, they failed not to see in this the signal for fresh reverses.

[Sidenote: INACTIVITY OF THE BERNESE.]

Nevertheless, Frey called loudly for battle; but the Bernese commandant Diesbach refused. Upon this the Zurich captain set off in the night of the 23d October at the head of 4000 men of Zurich, Schaffhausen, Basle, and St. Gall; and, while the Bernese were sleeping quietly, he turned the Waldstettes, drove their outposts beyond the Sihl, and took his station on the heights that overlook the Goubel. His imprudent soldiers, believing victory to be certain, proudly waved their banners, and then sunk into a heavy sleep. The Waldstettes had observed all. On the 24th October, at two in the morning, by a bright moonlight, they quitted their camp in profound silence, leaving their fires burning, and wearing their white shirts over their dresses that they might recognise one another in the obscurity. Their watch-word was "Mary, the mother of God." They glided stealthily into a pine forest, near which the Reformed troops were encamped. The men stationed at the advanced guard of the Zurichers having perceived the enemy, ran up to the fires to arouse their friends, but they had scarcely reached the third fire before the Waldstettes appeared, uttering a frightful shout.[1240] "Har......Har......Har......Har!......Where are these impious heretics?......Har......Har......Har......Har?" The army of the cities at first made a vigorous resistance, and many of the white-shirts fell covered with blood; but this did not continue long. The bravest, with the valiant Frey at their head, having bitten the dust, the rout became general, and 800 men were left on the field of battle.

[1240] Mit einem grossen grusamen geschrey. (Bull. iii. p. 201.)

In the midst of these afflictions the Bernese remained stubborn and motionless. Francis Kolb, who, notwithstanding his advanced age, had accompanied the Bernese contingent as chaplain, reproached in a sermon the negligence and cowardice of his party. "Your ancestors," said he, "would have swam across the Rhine, and you--this little stream stops you! They went to battle for a word, and you even the Gospel cannot move. For us it only remains to commit our cause to God." Many voices were raised against the imprudent old man, but others took up his defence; and the captain, Jacques May, being as indignant as the aged chaplain at the delays of his fellow-citizens, drew his sword, and thrusting it into the folds of the Bernese banner, pricked the bear that was represented on it, and cried out in the presence of the whole army, "You knave, will you not show your claws?"[1241] But the bear remained motionless.

[1241] Bëtz, Bëtz, willt dan nicht kretzen! (Bull. iii. p. 215.)

[Sidenote: JOY OF THE ROMANISTS.]

The whole of the Reformation was compromised. Scarcely had Ferdinand received intelligence of the death of the arch-heretic Zwingle, and of the defeat at Cappel, than with an exclamation of joy, he forwarded these good news to his brother the Emperor Charles the Fifth. "This is the first of the victories destined to restore the faith," he had written. After the defeat at the Goubel, he wrote again, saying that if the Emperor were not so near at hand, he would not hesitate, however weak he might be, to rush forward in person, sword in hand, to terminate so righteous an enterprise. "Remember," said he, "that you are the first prince in Christendom, and that you will never have a better opportunity of covering yourself with glory. Assist the cantons with your troops; the German sects will perish, when they are no longer supported by heretical Switzerland."[1242]--"The more I reflect," replied Charles, "the more I am pleased with your advice. The imperial dignity with which I am invested, the protection that I owe to Christendom and to public order, in a word, the safety of the house of Austria,--everything appeals to me!"

[1242] Quo se perdo deslar i camino para remediar las quiebras de
nuestra fé y ser Va. Md. Senor de Allemana. (Ferdinand to Charles V.
11th November 1531.)

Already about two thousand Italian soldiers, sent by the Pope and commanded by the Genoese De l'Isola, had unfolded their seven standards, and united near Zug with the army of the Five Cantons. Auxiliary troops, diplomatic negotiations, and even missionaries to convert the heretics, were not spared. The Bishop of Veroli arrived in Switzerland in order to bring back the Lutherans to the Roman faith by means of his friends and of his money.[1243] The Roman politicians hailed the victory at Cappel as the signal of the restoration of the Papal authority, not only in Switzerland, but throughout the whole of Christendom.[1244] At last this presumptuous Reformation was about to be repressed. Instead of the great deliverance of which Zwingle had dreamt, the imperial eagle let loose by the Papacy was about to pounce on all Europe, and strangle it in its talons. The cause of liberty had perished on the Albis.

[1243] Con proposita di rimóver Lutheriani dalla loro mala opinione,
con mezzo di alcuni suoi amici e con denari. (Report of Basadonna,
Archbishop of Venice.)

[1244] Ranke, Deutshe Geschichte, iii. p. 867.

[Sidenote: END OF THE WAR.]

But the hopes of the Papists were vain: the cause of the Gospel, although humbled at this moment, was destined finally to gain a glorious victory. A cloud may hide the sun for a time: but the cloud passes and the sun reappears. Jesus Christ is always the same, and the gates of hell, which triumphed on the field of Cappel, cannot prevail against his Church.

Nevertheless everything seemed advancing towards a grand catastrophe. The Tockenburgers made peace and retired. The Thurgovians followed them; and next the people of Gaster. The evangelical army was thus gradually disbanded. The severity of the season was joined to these dissensions. Continual storms of wind and rain drove the soldiers to their homes.

Upon this the Five Cantons with the undisciplined bands of the Italian general Isola threw themselves on the left bank of the lake of Zurich. The alarm bell was rung on every side; the peasants retired in crowds into the city, with their weeping wives, their frightened children, and their cattle that filled the air with sullen lowings. A report too was circulated that the enemy intended laying siege to Zurich. The country-people in alarm declared that if the city refused to treat, they would treat on their own account.

[Sidenote: RESTORATION OF POPERY.]

The peace party prevailed in the council; deputies were elected to negotiate. "Above all things, preserve the Gospel, and then our honour, as far as may be possible!" Such were their instructions. On the 16th November, the deputies from Zurich arrived in a meadow situated near the frontier, on the banks of the Sihl, in which the representatives of the Five Cantons awaited them. They proceeded to the deliberations. "In the name of the most honourable, holy, and divine Trinity," began the treaty, "Firstly, we the people of Zurich bind ourselves and agree to leave our trusty and well-beloved confederates of the Five Cantons, their well-beloved co-burghers of the Valais, and all their adherents lay and ecclesiastic, in their true and indubitable Christian faith,[1245] renouncing all evil intention, tricks, and stratagems. And, on our side, we of the Five Cantons agree to leave our confederates of Zurich and their allies in possession of their faith."[1246] At the same time, Rapperswyl, Gaster, Wesen, Bremgarten, Mellingen, and the common bailiwicks, were abandoned to the Five Cantons.

[1245] By ihren wahren ungez wyfflten christenlichen glauben.
(Tschudi, p. 247.)

[1246] By ihren Glauben. (Tschudi, p. 247.)

Zurich had preserved its faith; and that was all. The treaty having been read and approved of, the plenipotentiaries got off their horses, fell upon their knees, and called upon the name of God.[1247] Then the new captain-general of the Zurichers, Escher, a hasty and eloquent old man, rising up, said as he turned towards the Waldstettes: "God be praised that I can again call you my well-beloved confederates!" and approaching them, he shook hands successively with Golder, Hug, Troger, Rychmut, Marquart, Zellger, and Toss, the terrible victors at Cappel. All eyes were filled with tears.[1248] Each took with trembling hand the bottle suspended at his side, and offered a draught to one of the chiefs of the opposite party. Shortly after a similar treaty was concluded with Berne.

[1247] Knuwet mencklich wider und bättet. (Bull. iii, p. 253.)

[1248] Und luffend ihnen allen die Angen über. (Tschudi, p. 245.)

X. The restoration of Popery immediately commenced in Switzerland, and Rome showed herself everywhere proud, exacting, and ambitious.

After the battle of Cappel, the Romish minority at Glaris had resumed the upperhand. It marched with Schwytz against Wesen and the district of the Gaster. On the eve of the invasion, at midnight, twelve deputies came and threw themselves at the feet of the Schwytzer chiefs, who were satisfied with confiscating the national banners of these two districts, with suppressing their tribunals, annulling their ancient liberties, and condemning some to banishment, and others to pay a heavy fine. Next the mass, the altars, and images were everywhere re-established, and exist until the present day.[1249] Such was the pardon of Schwytz!

[1249] Es würdent mäss, altär und götren vieder uff gericht. (Bull.
iii.)

It was especially on Bremgarten, Mellingen, and the free bailiwicks that the Cantons proposed to inflict a terrible vengeance. Berne having recalled its army, Mutschli, the avoyer of Bremgarten, followed Diesbach as far as Arau. In vain did the former remind the Bernese that it was only according to the orders of Berne and Zurich that Bremgarten had blockaded the Five Cantons. "Bend to circumstances," replied the general. On this the wretched Mutschli, turning away from the pitiless Bernese, exclaimed, "The prophet Jeremiah has well said,--_Cursed be he that trusteth in man!_" The Swiss and Italian bands entered furiously into these flourishing districts, brandishing their weapons, inflicting heavy fines on all the inhabitants, compelling the Gospel ministers to flee, and restoring everywhere at the point of the sword, mass, idols, and altars.

On the other side of the lake the misfortune was still greater. On the 18th November, while the Reformed of Repperschwyl were sleeping peacefully in reliance on the treaties, an army from Schwytz silently passed the wooden bridge nearly 2000 feet long which crosses the lake, and was admitted into the city by the Romish party. On a sudden the Reformed awoke at the loud pealing of the bells, and the tumultuous voices of the Catholics: the greater part quitted the city. One of them, however, by name Michael Wohlgemuth, barricaded his house, placed arquebuses at every window, and repelled the attack. The exasperated enemy brought up some heavy pieces of artillery, besieged this extemporaneous citadel in regular form, and Wohlgemuth was soon taken and put to death in the midst of horrible tortures.

[Sidenote: ŒCOLAMPADIUS.]

Nowhere had the struggle been more violent than at Soleure: the two parties were drawn up in battle-array on each side of the Aar, and the Romanists had already discharged one ball against the opposite bank, another was about to follow, when the avoyer Wenge, throwing himself on the mouth of the cannon, cried out earnestly: "Fellow-citizens, let there be no bloodshed, or else let me be your first victim!" The astonished multitude dropped their arms; but seventy Evangelical families were obliged to emigrate, and Soleure returned under the Papal yoke.

The deserted cells of St. Gall, Muri, Einsideln, Wettingen, Rheinau, St. Catherine, Hermetshwyll and Guadenthall witnessed the triumphant return of Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, and all the Romish militia; priests and monks, intoxicated with their victory, overran country and town, and prepared for new conquests.

The wind of adversity was blowing with fury: the Evangelical Churches fell one after another, like the pines in the forest whose fall before the battle of the Goubel had raised such gloomy presentiments. The Five Cantons, full of gratitude to the Virgin, made a solemn pilgrimage to her temple at Einsideln. The chaplains celebrated anew their mysteries in this desolated sanctuary; the abbot, who had no monks, sent a number of youths into Swabia to be trained up in the rules of the order, and this famous chapel, which Zwingle's voice had converted into a sanctuary for the Word, became for Switzerland, what it has remained until this day, the centre of the power and of the intrigues of the Papacy.

But this was not enough. At the very time that these flourishing churches were falling to the ground, the Reform witnessed the extinction of its brightest lights. A blow from a stone had slain the energetic Zwingle on the field of battle, and the rebound reached the pacific Œcolampadius at Basle, in the midst of a life that was wholly evangelical. The death of his friend, the severe judgments with which they pursued his memory, the terror that had suddenly taken the place of the hopes he had entertained of the future--all these sorrows rent the heart of Œcolampadius, and soon his head and his life inclined sadly to the tomb. "Alas!" cried he, "that Zwingle, whom I have so long regarded as my right arm, has fallen under the blows of cruel enemies!"[1250] He recovered, however, sufficient energy to defend the memory of his brother. "It was not," said he, "on the heads of the most guilty that the wrath of Pilate and the tower of Siloam fell. The judgment began in the house of God; our presumption has been punished; let our trust be placed now on the Lord alone, and this will be an inestimable gain." Œcolampadius declined the call of Zurich to take the place of Zwingle. "My post is here," said he, as he looked at Basle.

[1250] Zwinglium nostrum, quem pro manu altera nunc multo tempore
habui. (Zurich MS.)

He was not destined to hold it long. Illness fell upon him in addition to so many afflictions; the plague was in the city; a violent inflammation attacked him,[1251] and erelong a tranquil scene succeeded the tumult of Cappel. A peaceful death calmed the agitated hearts of the faithful, and replaced by sweet, tranquil, and heavenly emotions, the terror and distress with which a terrible disaster had filled them.

[1251] Ater carbunculus quovis carbunculo in domo Dei splendidiorem
perdidit. (J. J. Hottinger, iii. p. 634.)

On hearing of the danger of Œcolampadius, all the city was plunged into mourning; a crowd of men of every age and of every rank rushed to his house. "Rejoice," said the reformer with a meek look, "I am going to a place of everlasting joy." He then commemorated the death of our Lord with his wife, his relations, and domestics, who shed floods of tears. "This supper," said the dying man, "is a sign of my real faith in Jesus Christ my Redeemer."

On the morrow he sent for his colleagues: "My brethren," said he, "the Lord is there; he calls me away. Oh! my brethren, what a black cloud is appearing on the horizon--what a tempest is approaching! Be steadfast: the Lord will preserve his own." He then held out his hand, and all these faithful ministers, clasped it with veneration.

[Sidenote: DEATH OF ŒCOLAMPADIUS.]

On the 23d November, he called his children around him, the eldest of whom was barely three years old. "Eusebius, Irene, Alethea," said he to them, as he took their little hands, "love God who is your Father." Their mother having promised for them, the children retired with the blessing of the dying servant of God. The night that followed this scene was his last. All the pastors were around his bed: "What is the news?" asked Œcolampadius of a friend who came in. "Nothing," was the reply. "Well," said the faithful disciple of Jesus, "I will tell you something new." His friends awaited in astonishment. "In a short time I shall be with the Lord Jesus." One of his friends now asking him if he was incommoded by the light, he replied, putting his hand on his heart: "There is light enough here." The day began to break; he repeated in a feeble voice the 51st Psalm: _Have mercy upon me, O Lord, according to thy loving kindness_. Then remaining silent, as if he wished to recover strength, he said, "Lord Jesus, help me!" The ten pastors fell on their knees around his bed with uplifted hands; at this moment the sun rose, and darted his earliest rays on a scene of sorrow so great and so afflicting with which the Church of God was again stricken.[1252]

[1252] De Joannis Œcolampadis obitu, per Simonem Gryneum. (Epp. Œcol.
et Zwinglii, libri iv.)

The death of this servant of the Lord was like his life, full of light and peace. Œcolampadius was in an especial degree the Christian spiritualist and biblical divine. The importance he attached to the study of the books of the Old Testament imprinted one of its most essential characters on the reformed theology.[1253] Considered as a man of action, his moderation and meekness placed him in the second rank. Had he been able to exert more of this peaceful spirit over Zwingle, great misfortunes perhaps might have been avoided. But like all men of meek disposition, his peaceful character yielded too much to the energetic will of the minister of Zurich; and he thus renounced, in part at least, the legitimate influence that he might have exercised over the reformer of Switzerland and of the Church.

[1253] See his Commentaries on Isaiah (1525), 1st chapter; on Ezekiel
(1527); Haggai, Zachariah, Malachi (1527); Daniel (1530); and the
commentaries published after his death, with interpretations on
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, and the 1st and
2d chapters of Micah.

[Sidenote: HENRY BULLINGER.]

Zwingle and Œcolampadius had fallen. There was a great void and great sorrow in the Church of Christ. Dissensions disappeared before these two tombs, and nothing could be seen but tears. Luther himself was moved. On receiving the news of these two deaths, he called to mind the days he had passed with Zwingle and Œcolampadius at Marburg; and the blow inflicted on him by their sudden decease was such, that many years after he said to Bullinger: "Their death filled me with such intense sorrow, that I was near dying myself."[1254]

[1254] De cujus morte dolorem concepi......ita ut eorum casus me pene
exanimaverit. (L. Epp. v. p. 112.)

The youthful Henry Bullinger, threatened with the scaffold, had been compelled to flee from Bremgarten, his native town, with his aged father, his colleagues, and sixty of the principal inhabitants, who abandoned their houses to the pillage of the Waldstettes.[1255] Three days after this, he was preaching in the cathedral of Zurich: "No! Zwingle is not dead!" exclaimed Myconius; "or, like the phœnix, he has risen again from his ashes." Bullinger was unanimously chosen to succeed the great reformer. He adopted Zwingle's orphan children, Wilhelm, Regula, and Ulric, and endeavoured to supply the place of their father. This young man, scarcely twenty-eight years of age, and who presided forty years with wisdom and blessing over this church, was everywhere greeted as the apostle of Switzerland.[1256]

[1255] Ne a quinque pagis aut obtruncarer aut comburerem. (Bull. ad
Myc. November 1531.)

[1256] Haller ad Bulling. 1536.

[Sidenote: CONTRITION OF ZURICH.]

Yet as the sea roars long after the violent tempest has subsided, so the people of Zurich were still in commotion. Many were agitated from on high. They came to themselves; they acknowledged their error; the weapons of their warfare had been carnal; they were now of a contrite and humble spirit; they arose and went to their Father and confessed their sin. In those days there was a great mourning in Zurich. Some, however, stood up with pride, protested by the mouth of their ministers against the work of the diplomatists, and boldly stigmatized the shameful compact. "If the shepherds sleep, the dogs must bark," exclaimed Leo Juda in the cathedral of Zurich. "My duty is to give warning of the evil they are about to do to my Master's house."[1257]

[1257] Ich mus bellen. (Bull. iii. p. 321.)

Nothing could equal the sorrow of this city, except the exultation of the Waldstettes. The noise of drums and fifes, the firing of guns, the ringing of bells, had long resounded on the banks of their lakes, and even to their highest valleys. Now the noise was less, but the effect greater. The Five Cantons, in close alliance with Friburg and Soleure, formed a perpetual league for the defence of the ancient christian faith with the Bishop of Sion and the tithings of the Valais; and henceforward carried their measures in the federal affairs with boldness. But a deep conviction was formed at that period in the hearts of the Swiss Reformed. "Faith comes from God," said they; "its fortune does not depend on the life or death of a man. Let our adversaries boast of our ruin, we will boast only in the Cross."[1258] "God reigns," wrote Berne to Zurich, "and he will not permit the bark to founder." This conviction was of more avail than the victory of Cappel.

[1258] Gloriantibus adversariis ruinam, nos in cruce gloriemur. (Ad
Œcolamp. 29th November 1531. Zurich MS.)

[Sidenote: CONCLUSION.]

Thus the Reformation, that had deviated from the right path, was driven back by the very violence of the blow into its primitive course, having no other power than the Word of God. An inconceivable infatuation had taken possession of the friends of the Bible. They had forgotten that our warfare is not carnal; and they had appealed to arms and to battle. But God reigns: he punishes the churches and the people who turn aside from his ways. We have thus taken a few stones, and piled them as a monument on the battle-field of Cappel, in order to remind the Church of the great lesson which this terrible catastrophe teaches. As we bid farewell to this sad scene, we inscribe on these monumental stones, on the one side, these words from God's Book: "_Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen and stand upright._" And on the other, this declaration of the Head of the Church: "_My kingdom is not of this world._" If, from the ashes of the martyrs at Cappel, a voice could be heard, it would be these very words of the Bible that these noble confessors would address, after three centuries, to the Christians of our days. That the Church has no other king than Jesus Christ; that she ought not to meddle with the policy of the world, derive from it her inspiration, and call for its swords, its prisons, its treasures; that she will conquer by the spiritual powers which God has deposited in her bosom, and, above all, by the reign of her adorable Head; that she must not expect upon earth thrones and mortal triumphs; but that her march is like that of her King, from the manger to the cross, and from the cross to the crown:--such is the lesson to be read on the blood-stained page that has crept into our simple and evangelical narrative.[1259]

[1259] Zwingle's _Pear Tree_ having perished, a large rock has been
placed over the spot where this illustrious reformer died; and on it
are engraved suitable inscriptions, different, however, from those in
the text.

But if God teaches his people great lessons, he also gives them great deliverances. The bolt had fallen from heaven. The Reformation seemed to be no more than a lifeless body cumbering the ground, and whose dissevered limbs were about to be reduced to ashes. But God raises up the dead. New and more glorious destinies were awaiting the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the foot of the Alps. At the south-western extremity of Switzerland, in a great valley which the white giant of the mountains points out from afar; on the banks of the Leman lake, at the spot where the Rhone, clear and blue as the sky above it, rolls its majestic waters; on a small hill that the foot of Cæsar had once trod, and on which the steps of another conqueror, of a Gaul, of a Picardine[1260] were destined ere long to leave their ineffaceable and glorious traces, stood an ancient city, as yet covered with the dense shadows of Popery; but which God was about to raise to be a beacon to the Church, and a bulwark to Christendom.

[1260] John Calvin of Noyon.

END OF THE FOURTH VOLUME.

VALUABLE BOOKS
PUBLISHED BY
R. CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET, N.Y.,
AND
56 MARKET STREET, PITTSBURG.

HORNE'S INTRODUCTION.

An Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. By Thomas Hartwell Horne, B.D. New Edition, corrected and enlarged. Illustrated with numerous Maps and Fac-similes of Biblical Manuscripts. 2 vols. imperial 8vo. Price only $3 50.

"Mr. Carter has issued an edition of Horne's Introduction,
which he offers at the astonishingly low price of $3 50--for
the two volumes! Truly the scholar's millenium has well nigh
come. Those who have paid twenty dollars for it, in four
volumes, will hardly understand by what process such a
massive work can be so cheaply furnished. It is a reprint
from the last London edition, with Dr. Horne's latest
additions and corrections, containing all the maps and
illustrative engravings.

"To commend Horne's Introduction to the clergy or other
students of the sacred oracles, would be 'carrying coals to
Newcastle.' It has long been regarded as an indispensable
work for a theological library, and has acquired among
Biblical scholars--at least English scholars--a deservedly
high repute. It is a work of gigantic labour. The results of
the research and erudition of Biblical scholars of all
countries, and in all time, are faithfully garnered, and, on
the whole, well digested."--_N.Y. Evangelist._

D'AUBIGNE'S REFORMATION.

Authorized edition.

THE ISRAEL OF GOD.

A Series of Practical Sermons. By Stephen H. Tyng, D.D., Rector of St. George's Church, New-York. 1 vol. 8vo. Price $1 00.

"The fair sheet on which they are printed, with its wide
margin and handsome type, attracts and pleases the eye;
while the Scripture truth and holy sentiment which glow
through their transparent style, delight and improve the
heart. The subjects are all of an eminently spiritual
character, relating to the new birth, and the sanctification
of the soul. They are treated with no effort for the display
of talent, but with a manifest and most earnest desire to do
good. The diction is polished and slightly embellished,
ranging between the neat and elegant; the method is always
clear, and the argument cogent."--_Recorder._

ANCIENT HISTORY.

Containing the History of Egyptians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Medes, Lydians, Carthagenians, Persians, Macedonians, the Selucidæ in Syria, and Parthians, from Rollin and other authentic sources, both ancient and modern. Republished from the work of the London Religious Tract Society. 4 vols. 12mo. Price only $2 00.

"This history is not a servile copy from any other, but has
a delightful freshness about it, the borrowed parts being
re-written, and cast into a new form, on such principles of
selection and arrangement, as favour perspicuity, and assist
the memory. Instead of being lost in a chaos of materials,
the reader is carried along in a plain path through well
assorted and happily adjusted facts, cheered by a vivacity
which keeps him interested. God is not excluded from the
world which he created, nor is his interposition in the
affairs of men overlooked. For common use we think it
deserves to supersede all that have gone before
it."--_Portland Christ. Mirror._

CHALMERS' ROMANS.

Lectures on the Epistle of Paul to the Romans. By Thomas Chalmers, D.D. and LL.D. 1 vol. 8vo. Fourth Thousand. Price $1 50.

"Of the Theological writers, who have written in our
language, and belong to this generation, Dr. Chalmers is
unquestionably the strongest. It will gratify many that so
able a writer, and so just a Theologian, has given the world
an analysis of this Epistle. It is written in the terse and
manly style of the author, but with no inflation of words or
fancy. It is written also with great candour, and with no
display of controversial argument."--_Daily Chronicle._

CHALMERS' SERMONS.--COMPLETE.

The entire Sermons and Discourses of Thomas Chalmers, D.D., &c. in 2 vols. 8vo.--uniform with his "Lectures on the Romans." Nearly one-half of this work has never before been published in this country. Price $2 50.

CHALMERS' NATURAL THEOLOGY.

2 vols. 12mo. Price only $1 00.

☞This Work has been introduced as a Text Book into the University of New-York, and several other institutions of a similar kind.

"The reputation of Dr. Chalmers stands high--too high to be
affected by the opinions of ordinary men. As a literary man
and a man of science--as a Christian and a Theologian--as a
profound thinker and powerful writer--as an expositor of
fundamental truth in Divinity and philosophy, and a
practical man in the various departments of Christian
labour--he has no superior."--_Boston Recorder._

CHALMERS' EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

The miraculous and internal evidences of the Christian Revelation, and the authority of its records. By Thomas Chalmers, D.D. and LL.D. 2 vols. 12mo. Price $1 00.

HORNE'S COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

With an Introductory Essay by the Rev. Edward Irving. Price $1 50.

DAVIES' SERMONS.

Sermons on Important Subjects. By the Rev. Samuel Davies, A.M., President of the College of New Jersey. With an Essay on the Life and Times of the Author. By Albert Barnes. Stereotype edition, containing all the Author's Sermons ever published. 3 vols. Price $1 50.

BROWN'S LARGE CATECHISM.

An Easy, plain, practical and extensive explication of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism. By John Brown, late Minister of the Gospel at Haddington. 1 vol. 12mo. Price 63 cents.

THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

From the earliest date down to the present time, containing a full and graphic description of the Disruption in 1843. By the Rev. W. M. Hetherington, author of "The Minister's Family," "History of the Westminster Assembly of Divines," &c. 1 vol. 8vo. Price $1 50.

OWEN ON SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS.

The Grace and Duty of being Spiritually Minded. By John Owen, D.D. 1 vol. 12mo. Price only 38 cents.

WORKS OF THE REV. JOHN NEWTON.

Containing an Authentic Narrative, &c.; Letters on Religious Subjects, Cardiphonia, Discourses intended for the Pulpit, Sermons preached in the Parish of Olney, A Review of Ecclesiastical History, Olney Hymns, Poems, Messiah, Occasional Sermons, and Tracts. To which are prefixed Memoirs of his Life, by the Rev. Richard Cecil, A.M. 2 vols. 8vo. Price $2 50.

WORKS OF THE REV. RICHARD CECIL.

3 vols. 12mo. Price $2 00 Contents: Vol. I. Sermons--Vol. II. Miscellanies--Vol. III. Remains.

"It is not easy to say whether these works discover the
finer mind or heart; but certain it is that they unite both
in a very uncommon degree. Cecil was one of the most gifted
and heavenly-minded men of which the Church of England, or
any other church, can boast; and though his mind was
peculiarly constituted, the highest and the lowest are alike
sensible of the charm that belongs to his productions, and
of the power that dwells in them. His writings possess the
attribute of being remarkably suggestive--a single half page
will often supply materials for long-continued
meditation."--_Citizen._

CHRISTIAN RETIREMENT;

On the Spiritual Exercises of the Heart. By the author of "Christian Experience." 12mo.

THE LIFE AND POWER OF TRUE GODLINESS.

By the Rev. Alexander McLeod, D.D. With an Introductory Essay by his son, John Neil McLeod, D.D. 12mo. 75 cts.

THE LORD OUR SHEPHERD:

An Exposition of the Twenty-Second Psalm. By the Rev. John Stevenson, author of "Christ on the Cross." 12mo. 75 cts.

THE POOR MAN'S MORNING PORTION.

Being a selection of a Verse of Scripture, with Short Observations, for every Day in the Year. By Robert Hawkes, D.D. 12mo. 75 cts.

SCRIPTURE NARRATIVES.

Illustrated and Improved. By the Rev. Joseph Belcher, D.D. 1 vol. 12mo. Price 37 ½ cts.

ESSAYS ON EPISCOPACY,

And the Apology for Apostolic Order Reviewed. By the late John M. Mason, D.D. Edited by the Rev. Ebenezer Mason. 1 vol. 12mo. Price 50 cts.

ESSAYS ON THE CHURCH OF GOD.

By the late John M. Mason, D.D. Edited by the Rev. Ebenezer Mason. 1 vol. 12 mo. Price 50 cts.

LUTHER ON GALATIANS.

A Commentary on the Galatians. By Martin Luther. A New Edition, On fine paper and beautiful large type. 1 vol. 8vo. Price only $1 50.

THE CHRISTIAN YOUTH'S BOOK,

A Manual for Young Communicants. By Rev. Dr. Brownlee. 1 vol. 12mo. Price 50 cts.

MOFFATT'S SOUTHERN AFRICA.

Missionary Labours and Scenes in Southern Africa. By Robert Moffatt; twenty-three years an Agent of the London Missionary Society in that continent. 1 vol. 12mo. Price 50 cents.

"We have read the whole of this large volume with
undiminished interest, and have found it replete with
missionary information, given in an unpretending, but strong
and clear style. The narrative is enriched with descriptions
of African scenery; with the employments, habits, and
pursuits of the native tribes; their dangers from lions and
other beasts of prey, and the wars and massacres of the
roving bands of marauders, in their desolating excursions,
from place to place."--_For. Miss._

ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF MISSIONS.

A Record of the Voyages, Travels, Labours, and Successes of the various Missionaries, who have been sent forth by Protestant Societies to Evangelize the Heathen; compiled from authentic Documents, forming a _Complete Missionary Repository_. Illustrated by _twenty-five Engravings_ on steel. By the Rev. J. O. Choules and the Rev. Thomas Smith. Seventh Edition. 2 vols. 4to., beautifully bound in full cloth. Price only $4 50.

"A new edition of this great work has just been issued by
Mr. Carter, in two quarto volumes, in handsome style, with a
large number of very fine engravings, illustrating scenes,
manners and customs, in the heathen world; and we desire to
call the attention of those interested in missions to this
publication. It is the most extensive and complete history
of missions which has been prepared, and contains a mass of
important and interesting information, which would not be
readily found elsewhere. For a family book, one to which the
children will resort to find striking facts and interesting
narratives, and for the clergyman, who wishes to have a
store-house, to which he may always refer for valuable
materials, these volumes will be found most happily
adapted."--_Advocate._

THE BRITISH PULPIT.

Consisting of Discourses by the most eminent living divines, in England, Scotland, and Ireland; accompanied with Pulpit Sketches. By the Rev. W. Suddards, rector of Grace Church, Philadelphia. 2 vols. 8vo. Price $2 50.

"The sermons may be regarded as among the very best
specimens of the modern British pulpit; and indeed the work
includes almost every distinguished name to be found in any
of the Evangelical denominations in Great Britain. It is of
course, pervaded by a great variety of taste and talent, and
is for this very reason the better adapted to gain extensive
circulation and to be eminently useful."--_Argus._

CONNECTION OF SACRED AND PROFANE HISTORY.

Being a Review of the principal Events in the World, as they bear upon the state of Religion, from the close of the Old Testament History, till the establishment of Christianity. By D. Davidson. 3 vols. 12mo. Price $1 50.

"This work is well executed, and is, we think, calculated to
become popular. The historical plan is clear and unique, and
the style is singularly attractive, on account of its purity
and strength. It is constructed upon a Christian basis,
recognizing the fact, that although the superintending power
of God over the progress of nations, may be as untraceable
as his paths in the ocean, yet the effects are everywhere
visible, and manifest the progressive fulfilment of the
prophetic denunciations and promises set forth in the Holy
Oracles."--_Protestant Churchman._

MEMOIR OF REV. HENRY MARTIN,

Late Chaplain to the East India Company. By the Rev. John Sargent, M.A. Fifth American, from the tenth London Edition. 12mo. Price 50 cents.

CHRISTIAN CABINET LIBRARY.

These volumes are printed on white paper and good type, and are neatly bound in cloth, gilt backs, 18mo.

OLD HUMPHREY'S ADDRESSES.

Fourth Edition.

OLD HUMPHREY'S OBSERVATIONS.

Fifth Edition.

THOUGHTS FOR THE THOUGHTFUL.

By Old Humphrey. Fourth Edition.

"Here good sense and good humour are most wonderfully and
most happily blended. The lessons, too, are eminently
experimental and practical."--_Christ. Reflector._

WALKS IN LONDON,

And its Neighbourhood. By Old Humphrey. Third Edition.

HOMELY HINTS

To Sabbath School Teachers. By Old Humphrey. Second Edition.

MY GRANDPARENTS:

My Grandmother Gilbert, and my Grandfather Gregory. By Old Humphrey.

STROLLS IN THE COUNTRY.

By Old Humphrey.

THE OLD SEA CAPTAIN.

By Old Humphrey.

MEDITATIONS AND ADDRESSES

On the Subject of Prayer. By the Rev. Hugh White, A.M. Fourth American, from the tenth Dublin Edition.

THE BELIEVER:

A Series of Discourses. By the Rev. Hugh White, A.M. Second American, from the seventh Dublin Edition.

LUCILLA;

Or, the Reading of the Bible. By Adolphe Monod. Second Edition.

TALES OF THE SCOTTISH COVENANTERS.

By Robert Pollok, A.M., author of the "Course of Time."

A BOOK FOR THE SABBATH.

In Three Parts.--I. The Origin, Design, and Obligation of the Sabbath. II. Practical Improvement of the Sabbath. III. Devotional Exercises for the Sabbath. By the Rev. J. B. Waterbury, author of the "Advice to a Young Christian," &c.

THE FAMILY OF BETHANY.

By L. Bonnet. With an Introductory Essay, by Rev. Hugh White. Fourth American, from the eighth London Edition.

"This book leads us, as with an angel's hand, through some
of the most interesting scenes in the life of the Saviour of
the world. It is full of evangelical truth, of glowing
imagery, of living, breathing devotion. We recommend it for
its intellectual as well as its moral and spiritual
qualities."--_Albany Argus._

THE RETROSPECT;

Or, Review of Providencial Mercies. With Anecdotes of Various Characters. By Aliquis, formerly a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and now a Minister of the English Church. Third American from the eighteenth London edition.