owering giant, who, vomiting flames, struggled alone amid the
roar of thunder, for the salvation of the empire against the ferocious
valor of these furious hordes. Two hours after midnight the peasants
withdrew, having failed in all their efforts.

They now tried to enter into negotiations, either with the garrison or
with Truchsess, who was advancing at the head of his army. But this was
going out of their path; violence and victory alone could save them.
After some little hesitation they resolved to march against the imperial
forces, but the cavalry and artillery made terrible havoc in their
ranks. At Koenigshofen, and afterward at Engelstadt, those unfortunate
creatures were totally defeated. The princes, the nobles, and bishops,
abusing their victory, indulged in the most unprecedented cruelties. The
prisoners were hanged on the trees by the wayside. The Bishop of
Wuerzburg, who had run away, now returned, traversed his diocese
accompanied by executioners, and watered it alike with the blood of the
rebels and of the peaceful friends of the Word of God. Goetz von
Berlichingen was sentenced to imprisonment for life. The margrave
Casimir of Anspach put out the eyes of eighty-five insurgents who had
sworn that their eyes should never look upon that Prince again; and he
cast this troop of blinded individuals upon the world, to wander up and
down, holding each other by the hand, groping along, tottering, and
begging their bread. The wretched boy who had played the dead-march on
his fife at the murder of Helfenstein, was chained to a post, a fire was
kindled around him, and the knights looked on, laughing at his horrible
contortions.

Public worship was now everywhere restored in its ancient forms. The
most flourishing and populous districts of the empire exhibited to those
who travelled through them nothing but heaps of dead bodies and smoking
ruins. Fifty thousand men had perished, and the people lost nearly
everywhere the little liberty they had hitherto enjoyed. Such was the
horrible termination of this revolt in the south of Germany.

But the evil was not confined to the south and west of Germany. Munzer,
after having traversed a part of Switzerland, Alsace, and Swabia, had
again directed his steps toward Saxony. A few citizens of Muelhausen, in
Thuringia, had invited him to their city and elected him their pastor.
The town council having resisted, Munzer deposed it and nominated
another, consisting of his friends,