e of the Anabaptists.

Through him Waldshut became for a short time the chief seat of this
disorder, from which, in church and state, such hazardous consequences
were to be feared. First led by Muenzer, and after he had gone to the
Hartz Mountains, by Simon R[oe]ubli, who had been expelled from the
territory of Zurich, Huebmeier set himself up as the apostle of
Anabaptism, and, according to his own confession, rebaptized the
greater part of the inhabitants of Waldshut. The warnings of the
Austrian government, at first mild and then earnest, had no effect upon
them, and the demand for the dismission of the obnoxious preachers was
also in vain. On the contrary, similar fanatics and adventurers of
every sort streamed thither from all sides, and when Austria armed
herself for severe measures, formal resistance was determined on.
Volunteers for this purpose were obtained chiefly from the territories
of Zurich. At the first news of the outbreak the government sent a
courier to demand their return; but after hearing an address from
Rudolph Collin, who, formerly a canon at the Minster, was obliged to
leave the territory of Luzern on account of his adherence to the
Reformation, and had now joined them with upright feelings and an
honest purpose, they declared they would rather die than return home.
And their answer won for them immediately a party in the Council. "We
are attracted"--so they wrote--"to the Christian brethren at Waldshut,
who sigh under oppressive tyranny, not by money, nor for our own
private ends--only for the defence of God's Word and from a regard to
the honor of Zurich. The Spirit of the Lord has called them to arms;
there is no seditious person among them; their captain is Jesus
Christ."

Meanwhile, affairs in Waldshut took a turn, which might have been
foreseen by the prudent. The noise of war drowned the devotions of
piety. It was a matter of indifference, whether psalms or frivolous
songs were sung in the camp. Nay, it fared worse with the former.
Huebmeier himself, at his trial, tells of a supper in the house of a
merchant, where he sat at the side of the captain amid music and
hurrahs. And what the further aims of these pious warriors were is
shown by a letter still extant, written by one of them to the "dear
brother and image in God, Heiny Aberly in Zurich," which contains the
following: "See, that you send us yet forty or fifty well-armed,
Christian fellows; for if there were more of us here, we wou