he newly levied tax. Early in 1525 Gustavus had written
him to surrender all the tithes accruing in his diocese for the year
last past; and following close upon this order, the royal stewards had
deprived him of a right of fishery which he possessed. The hapless
bishop murmured, but did not rebel. In writing to a fellow bishop, he
declared: "The king has recently demanded of us all our tithes, and the
chief prelates of Upland have yielded their consent. This policy appears
to me unwise. I dread an outburst from the people, and scarce have
courage to make the announcement to them." A few days later he said: "I
have written Gustavus about the tithes, but do not dare to discuss the
matter seriously with the people.... Only a year ago the officers seized
our tithes without consulting us. You can imagine, therefore, what the
people will say to this new levy. However, if his Majesty will not
countermand the order, we shall do our duty by writing and speaking to
the people. The feeding of the army, which he wishes by consent of his
advisers to impose upon the monasteries, we asserted at Vadstena was a
foreign practice that ought never to be introduced." Despite these
protests, Brask appears to have obeyed the monarch's orders. He wrote to
the clergy of his diocese urging them to send their quota, and to send
it quickly. "Bis dat qui cito dat," translated for the ignorant among
his clergy, "He gives nothing who delays." The result was precisely what
the bishop feared. The people fought against the imposition, and Brask,
as a reward for his efforts, was accused by Gustavus of being a party to
the revolt. The charge was utterly groundless and unfair. From beginning
to end the bishop's object had been to avoid friction, and finally he
had sacrificed his own interests in order to prevent friction with the
king. When in January, 1526, it was once more voted that the tithes be
given to the crown, he wrote to all his clergy urging them immediately
to obey. Gustavus, however, would not be appeased; and a parishioner
claiming that the bishop had withheld some jewels that belonged to her,
Gustavus, without examining the matter, wrote to Brask: "The law, as we
interpret it, gives you no power to take high-handed measures of this
sort." A few days later Brask asserted: "The royal officers are
beginning to enter upon the possessions of the Church, much to the
displeasure of the people." What he alluded to particularly was the acts
of Arvid Ve