IN a certayne village named Schlat, in the countrey of Brisgois, there was a vigilant Minister, MarginaliaA descriptiō of a good minister or curate.a mā very well learned in the scriptures, of a good name, for that he liued a godly & a blameles lyfe, hauyng longe tyme faythfully done his office and duety: being also courtious and gētle, and well beloued of all men, but specially of the Byshop of Constance, with whom he was in great authroitie: peasable & quiet, with all mē that he had to do withall. He quieted discordes and contentions with a maruelous prudencie, exhortyng all men to mutuall charity and loue. In all assembles wheresoeuer he came, he greatly commended honest lyfe and amendement of maners. When the purity of the Gospell began to shine abroad, hee began to read with great affection the holy Scriptures, whiche long tyme before he had read, but without any vnderstandyng. When he had recouered a litle iudgement, & came to more vnderstandyng by continuall reading, being also further growne in age, he began to consider w^t him self, in howe greate darknes and errours, the whole order of priestes had bene a long time drowned. O good God (said he) who would haue thought it, that so many learned and holy men haue wandred out of the right way, and could haue so longe tyme, bene wrapped in so greate errours, or that the holy Scripture could haue bene so deformed with such horrible abuses: for he neuer well vnderstoode before (he sayd) that the Gospell was the veritie of God, in that order wherin it is written, MarginaliaThe crosse discerneth betwene true Christians, and coūterfeit.seing it contained so muche touchyng the crosse, persecution, and ignominious death, and yet the Priestes lyued in great prosperitie, and no man durste maintaine any quarell agaynst them, without great daunger? He also saw that the houre was come, that the Gospell should be displayed, that persecution was at hand, that the enemyes of the truth beganne nowe to rage, that the wicked and proud lifted vp their heades on hygh, and feared not to enterprise and take in hand all kinde of mischiefe & wickednes agaynst the faythfull: MarginaliaHe that seketh to liue godlye in Christ, shal suffer persecution.
Tim. 4.that the Byshops which ought by their vertue & power to defend the worde, were more barbarous and cruell then any tyrauntes had bene tofore. He thus consideryng the present estate of the worlde, put all doubt from his hart, and saw presently before his eyes, that Iesus Christ had taught the truth, seing so many bodies of the faythfull were daily so tormented, beaten, exiled, and banished, drowned and burned. For who can reporte the greate tormentes whiche the innocent haue endured these yeares passed, euen by those which call them selues Christians, and for no other cause, but onely for the true confession of Iesus Christ? This good pastor considering with hym selfe the lawes and doctrine of the Church of Rome to swarue from the truth of Christ, especiallye in restrayning mariage: to the end that hee would not defile him selfe with fornication, he maryed a mayde of his, such a one as feared God, by whom afterward hee had many faire children.

MarginaliaA commotion of the Boures.About thys tyme the people of the countrey had raised a great cōmotion, who in their rage went vnto Monasteryes & priestes houses, as if they had taken in hand some pilgrimage, and spared nothyng that they coulde finde to eate. That which they could not eate, they eyther caste vnder feete, or caryed it away with them. One companye of thys rusticall sorte, lodged them selues in the house of thys good priest, for they made no difference betwene the good and the badde. These roysters tooke frō hym all that they coulde finde, leauyng nothyng behynde them, in somuch as they tooke awaye the very hose from hys legges, for all that he could doe: albeit that he gently intreated them, shewing that it was theft and a hanging matter that they did, yet they continued still in their madnes lyke beastes.

As they were departyng out of the house, the good priest could not refrayne hym self from weepyng, saying vnto thē: I tell you before, these your vnordinate doings will redounde to some great mischief to your selfe. For what madnes is thys, what meaneth thys rage and tumulte, wherin you keepe no order nor equitie, neyther haue any respecte betwene frend and foe? Who thus styrreth you vp? What counsaile doe you followe, or to what end do you thys? Lyke theeues you spoyle what soeuer you can lay handes vpon. And thinke ye not, but these things which you now robbe, rauen, and steale, you shall be cōpelled hereafter to restore agayne to your great detriment? MarginaliaCrueltie & sedition neuer cōmeth to good ende.What sedition dyd euer come to good end? You pretend the Gospell, and haue no peece of the Gospell, either in your mouthes, or in your hartes. These excesses (said he) ye neuer learned of me, which euer haue taught you the true worde of God. Thys your Gospell (sayth he) is rather the Gospell of the deuill, then of God, which vexeth all the world with violence and wronge, spoyling and robbing without regard. MarginaliaThe Gospell teacheth no rebellion.The true Gospell of Iesus Christ, teacheth you to do good vnto all men, to auoyde dissensions and periurie. Thys I say vnto you, that in these your doinges you offend God, and prouoke hys iuste vengeaunce to plage you, which will neuer suffer these euills to escape vnpunished. You finde writtē in þ^e Gospel: That which thou wouldest not should be done to thee, doe not to other. You offend also all the Nobilitie, and your lawfull Magistrates, whom you are sworne and bounde vnto. It is no small matter, I tell you, to raise vp sedition, to styrre vp other, and to disturbe the state of the cōmon wealth: and when thys tumult shall be ceased, what then shall your noble men doe? shall they not rifle you as faste, and of your goods make them selues riche? and then shall one of you betraye an other. These with such other wordes he stoode preachyng vnto them, almost naked, but all thys would not preuaile with those men, who after all these gentle admonitions and fayre wordes, departed out of hys house, geuing hym foule language, & callyng hym olde dotarde. Amongest all other, one more wicked then the residue, sayd vnto hym in thys manner: o maister curate, we haue bene long deceaued by your sellyng of Masses, by fearyng vs with Purgatorye, by your Diriges and Trentalls, and so haue we been spoyled: wherfore we do nothyng now, but requyre agayne the money, which you robbed vs of: and so mockyng and scornyng hym, they departed.

After that this sedition of the Pesantes was partly appeased (theyr armour beyng layd awaye) and they taken vnto grace: after that also diuers of the principalls of that conspiracie were taken here and there in the Villages, and executed: MarginaliaReligion the cause onely why good men be troubled of the wicked.thys good pastour fearyng no such thyng, for the true and sincere preachyng of the Gospell, whereat many tooke great indignation: was taken in the nyght by certayne souldiours, whiche bound hym hande and foote, with a great rope, before hys wife and children, and so set hym vpon a horse, and ledde hym away to Friburge. What greuous sighes, teares, sorowe, and lamentation was there? It would haue moued any harte (were it as harde as a flynte) to a doulfull compassion, especiallye to see the barbarous and despytefull rebukes, tauntes, and extreme crueltie, shewed by those proude popishe souldiours agaynst the innocent priest. Such beastlye tyrantes the worlde is neuer without. Such godly Ministers we haue had but a fewe.

The people hearyng thys pitifull noyse and lamentation in the nyght, came runnyng out, not the men, but onely the women, whom the souldiours willed to goe home agayne, and that their men should come forth and keepe the towne: but the men durste not appeare. Then from Friburge, shortlye after they conueyed hym to Eusissheim.

After they had long kept thys man in pryson, and that he had endured most terrible tormentes, as well by the priuye members, as in other partes, they iudged hym to death. If you will know the cause what they had to laye to hys charge, it was onely thys, that he had maried a wife secretly in hys owne house, with a fewe witnesses. Other crymes they had none to obiecte agaynst hym,