he reached the town of Muhlhausen, the populace of which was
prepared to welcome him. But the Senate, alarmed at the tenor of his
discourses, forbade him to preach. Thereupon a great commotion rose
amongst the people; throngs pouring in from the neighbouring villages; and
the streets filled all night long with a restless and clamorous crowd.
Many of the patrician families left the city, the Common Council elected
Munzer for their chief pastor; a new Senate was chosen under the threats
and violence of the populace, in which Munzer and his friends were
included. Munzer for a time was supreme.

"This his solitary triumph, he gained on the 17th of March 1525, and
he immediately set about to reduce to practice, as far as possible,
the doctrines he had taught, and in which, however mistaken, he was
evidently sincere.... He had before taught that to please God, men
must return to their original condition of brotherly equality; and he
now urged that there should be community of goods, as it existed
among the primitive Christians. But it does not appear that he
attempted or wished to extend it farther. Many of his disciples
obeyed the injunction, and shared with their poor brethren at least
as much of their worldly possessions as was required to supply their
real wants. The rich fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and made
daily distributions of articles of real necessity, such as corn, and
common stuff for garments. Munzer's own dress was a simple cloak or
coat trimmed with fur, such as was then worn by citizens of the
middle class in many parts of Germany; but a beard of venerable
length and magnitude gave a sort of patriarchal air to his youthful
features; for we must recollect in extenuation of Munzer's errors,
that his age was still only about twenty-seven."

Melancthon has stated that Munzer lived at Muhlhausen in all manner of
luxury and profligacy, like a great lord, for more than a year. Mrs
Sinnett tells us that he passed there only eight weeks; and we are
disposed to conclude with her that the rest of the statement is as loosely
and carelessly made. Eye-witnesses describe Munzer as one who awed the
people by his presence, by the force of his character, and by a personal
influence which could have resulted only from "the great moral earnestness
which dwelt within him." His habits of life are declared to have been
simple and austere