tal idea of the Gospel, and between Christianity as represented
by it and priestdom (by no means to be confounded with churchdom) the
antagonism is irreconcilable. Hence all priestdom is in absolute need
of supplements to the Gospel; it must have tradition; it cannot give it
up without self-destruction. This is not the place to pursue this
observation further; but it could not be wholly overlooked, because
thus only are we able to account for the sudden change of feeling in a
man liberal in other respects. As late as May 1521, he had ridiculed
Doctor Eck, Luther's opponent, and accused him of traveling to Rome to
offer his services to the Pope against Luther, and yet at the end of
the very same year, he himself took the very same road. The extensive
circulation of Luther's writings had stirred him up, because by this
means religious questions were dragged down to the circle of the
people, skillful and unskillful speakers arose among them, individual
princes and governments sought to extricate themselves from the fetters
of the spiritual power, and against all ordinances of the church, which
were not clearly warranted by the Holy Scriptures, a growing
indifference prevailed. He himself also wrote from Rome against Luther.
"You cunningly strive"--he says in his book--"to subject the spiritual
to the worldly, but the Lord will not suffer his anointed (Christos
suos) to go to the ground." He came back to Constance completely
transformed, and his influence was very soon observable here.

In the abduction of the pastor of Fislispach he had a hand, and the
pastoral letter of the Bishop, to which we have alluded, as well as the
address to the Zurich chapter of canons had, according to the universal
opinion, proceeded from him. We saw that Zwingli put off answering the
letter. He took some time for it. But then an ample vindication
appeared. "May your Highness, illustrious Chief Shepherd"---he thus
begins--"pardon, if I trouble you with this paper in your manifold
labors. The Lord procure it a hearing! For six years I have preached
the Gospel, and am now represented to thee not as a dutiful guardian,
but as a robber and destroyer in the sheep-fold. By their continual,
unwearied outcries they have prevailed on you to send an admonition, as
illiterate as it is unbecoming, to the chapter of our convent. Thou
wouldst have done nothing of the kind of thine accord; thou couldst not
have written, of thyself, anything so vain and boastin