himself; much rather would we do, what becomes good Christians,
defend and protect her. And since you remind us of our sealed document,
although we are obliged to give neither you nor others an answer
concerning it, yet we freely admit that we swore on that day an oath,
on account of faith, not of the Confederacy, but in no wise pledged
ourselves to you or others to believe what you or they believe. That
your forefathers and ours entered into the Confederacy and took oaths
of friendship in the same faith we do not deny. But what they at the
same time held in their hearts is known to God alone. Had they become
so well acquainted with the treachery of Antichrist as you and we, they
would hardly have remained so long in error. Since then you invite us
to summon our bailiwicks, so that your envoys may appear before us and
them, know ye, that such a step is not in accordance with the Articles
of Confederation, and we therefore desire you to abstain from it. And
since you suppose there are rude people amongst us, who say they do not
wish to be lorded over by other cantons, nor ruled, nor compelled to
believe--there is truth in it. We are just as unwilling to go beyond
the Articles of Confederation, when asked by you, as you would be, if
asked by us; we will, by no means, suffer or permit this. Finally, we
understand that unfriendly missives against us have been printed in
Luzern, and it cannot be forgotten by you, what was formerly decreed at
the Diet on this account. We pray you, therefore, to put a stop to it,
else we shall be obliged to print replies. This is what we send you in
way of answer to the letter of your envoys, so that henceforth you may
know how to negotiate in the matter, and guard against such insolent,
disgraceful writing."

The Five Cantons responded to this provoking language by unfriendly
measures. They refused their subjects permission to go to Bern, and
denied a safe-conduct to travelers who passed through their boundaries.
The government of Luzern, excited to the highest pitch of hostility by
the passionate Doctor Murner, did not prevent him from attacking Bern
and her government in the most unmeasured style in various libelous
writings, issued by a printing-house of his own. All this increased the
hatred toward that state and the favorable inclination toward Zurich.

Here collected, in the meantime, all those persons from Eastern
Switzerland and the neighboring parts of Germany, who intended to be
pr