assurance of being in the path of duty.

"Wise and gracious Lords,"--wrote he--"I believe indeed that complaints
against me are rife; but to show the justice of them is, as I hope in
God, in the power of no one. I will indeed confess, that I earnestly
rebuke the prevailing vices, in chief that of perfidious bribe-taking,
which is in vogue in nearly all courts and countries. But of my Lords,
the Confederates, I have never spoken improperly. I have named them
perhaps, though not rudely; for, from youth up, nothing has been more
foreign to my nature, except when my fatherland has been evil spoken
of. When obliged to rebuke severely and bear down against vices, then I
have mentioned neither Dalmatians nor Englishmen; and this is my
constant custom. Moreover, by no means do I agree with them, who say,
no body ought ever to be called by name from the pulpit. God has never
commanded this; perhaps the Pope has; but none the less am I of
opinion, that we should not make the Word of God hateful by our
rashness. When, during Lent in the past year, I preached about
eating flesh, I uttered these, among other words: Many a one reviles
flesh-eating as evil and thinks that a great sin, which God has never
forbidden; but to butcher and sell human flesh, he thinks no sin. But
in this I called neither Confederates, nor _landsknechts_, by name.
That I said nothing more, the Great Council of Zurich will bear me
witness. In general, for some time back I have had to endure incredible
lies against me; they have caused me little sorrow, for I thought: The
disciple is not above his master; they lied against Christ, hence it is
no wonder, they lie against thee also. Thus my enemies once said of me,
that I abused the mother of God our Lord, Jesus Christ. I answered them
with a suitable little book. Again they say, I have declared that
neither rents nor tithes should be paid. Item, that I have no regard
for Christ's holy body, and have preached an opinion about it so
scandalous, that I will not repeat it, lest the hearts of pious
Christians might be shocked. And much other stuff of the like sort,
they swear I have preached; but all these, saving your Honors'
presence, are pure lies. Then they tell of me that I have had four
children this year; that I wander about the streets at night; that I am
a gambler; that I am hired by pensions from princes and lords; yet
these also, saving your Honors' presence, are pure lies. Now I would
not again set right