of
instruments then known. This attracted the attention of the heads of
the Dominicans at Bern. Envious at the greater concourse of people,
that crowded to the Franciscans, these monks sought to raise against
the fallen reputation of their monastery. To secure for themselves
talent, so promising as that of Zwingli, was a thing much to be
desired; but happily for himself and for his father-land, the young man
rejected their offers. A short time after, four of these cursed
hypocrites had to atone by death at the stake for a diversion, just as
cruel as it was horrible, the performing of bloody miracles for the
deception of pious simplicity.

Zwingli had now lived three years in Bern, and was already fully ripe
for the university. With loving remembrances he bade farewell to his
faithful teacher, who was yet to become his pupil and in old age
dedicate a few sad verses to the hero, who fell at Cappel.

At that time the young Swiss chiefly resorted to the universities of
Basel, Paris, Vienna, Cracow and Pavia. That of Vienna was selected for
Zwingli, which he entered in the same year (1490), that saw his country
triumph over the dangers of the Swabian war. He there united himself in
close intimacy with two other gifted fellow-countrymen, Joachim of Waat
(Vadianus) from St. Gall, and Henry Loriti (Glareanus) from Glarus.
Meanwhile he appears to have devoted more attention to general culture
than to such branches of knowledge as might aid him in the exercise of
a particular calling. Above all, philosophy had to be studied; a truly
noble science, if by it be understood the acquisition of truth, as far
as it can be reached by the deductions of human reason. But such was
not the character of philosophy then in vogue. Under the tyranny of a
degenerate church, the powers of the mind, not permitted to unfold in
an element of freedom, were wasted amid trifling and often silly
examinations and questions, conducted with a ludicrous show of
importance. A certain kind of sagacity often displayed itself in their
ingenious replies, and he who could produce the most singular was
regarded by many as the most learned.

It does fall within the scope of this description to hold up to
ridicule opinions, which others esteem holy. Examples, familiar to
those versed in books, are therefore omitted. The dangerous side of
this so-called philosophy did not lie so much in isolated expressions
as in its whole tendency to cripple the spirit and harden