lored the bishops even with threats, to send
hither learned men, able to cope with the heretics. No one came; no one
sent. At last appeared a certain Augustinian brother. They call him
Provincial Conrad Freger. He brought with him skill in talking, but of
true eloquence and science I could not discover a trace. When proof
from the Scripture was demanded, he traveled off. I found nothing in
him but a barefaced monk, although others looked for a prodigy. Still
more boisterously did a certain Dominicaster beat about him with
passages of Scripture for several days, but in the end showed that he
understood no Greek. The best among them was the schoolmaster of
Zofingen. They call him The Letter. What he quoted from the writings of
the Fathers, in defence of the church, was worth hearing. He knew more
than all the others put together; yet sufficient power was lacking in
him also. Thus must we mourn over our want of skill and contempt of
science. Oh, if Erasmus had only been present! But I should tell you
something about the heretics. My bile was stirred up--hence, only a
little. They did not appear to me so sure of their cause, that we could
not have frightened them, if we did not gain a victory, by able
speakers, versed in the Scriptures, which, however, we must confess,
are not with us in everything. I often saw them not agreed as to the
answer to be given; one often putting anxious questions to the other,
often whispering to him. Several were only encouraged and roused up by
the pertinacious vehemence of Zwingli. This beast is in fact more
learned even than I had thought. The saucy [OE]colampadius may
understand the Prophets and the Hebrew language better, and perhaps
equal him in Greek, but falls far behind him in fertility of mind,
power, and clearness of representation. How Capito should be rated I
could not discover. Bucer spoke more. And, if he had the same learning
and knowledge of the languages as [OE]colampadius and Zwingli, he would
be far more dangerous, so graceful is his gesture and manner, and so
pleasant his speech. Thus we stood, wretchedly equipped against the
most skillful heretics. Here roared a little mass-priest one moment,
and there again another. Alas! they were taught choral singing and
nothing else. Honor to that schoolmaster Letter! and yet he himself has
not gone beyond the letter. And what was now the issue? Our decided
overthrow. How easy it could have been prevented, had our bishops only
turned t