ned, their particular dress,
the regular life, to which they were so accustomed, their beloved
pictures, and moreover the great consolation of their solitary
lives--their songs. To sing and attend mass, had been up to that time
their sole occupation, and thus in peaceful retirement had they been
happy. Evenly proportioned between _Ave Maria_ and _Salve Regina_,
their days had peacefully succeeded one another. But now a turbulent
throng raged around their gates, and the haughty spiritual advisers of
the Kurfuerst forced themselves contrary to all regulations within their
walls, to explain to them, that this existence was opposed to the
Gospel and to destroy their peace by forcing them to hear theological
arguments. Terrified out of their quiet life, the helpless dames burst
into the bitterest complaints against the tyranny which forbade them
the use of consecrated salt, wax-candles, and all things pertaining to
the glorification of God, and also refused to suffer them to sing
"_Regina c[oe]li_," or "_Maria mater gratiae_." Moreover these proud new
fangled Theologians with their wide white neck-bands permitted the
youngest novice to confute their Domina out of the Scriptures, the
servants were urged to break the commands of the church, and when the
child of the convent miller, whom the old ladies had loved and petted,
died, no one dared to administer the last unction to him, he was
allowed to die "like a beast" and was buried without incense or holy
water. That Satan himself had incited the wicked Luther and the hellish
Calvin to such misdeeds was a moral certainty to the good nuns, who
never wearied praying for help from any native or foreign protectors.
Should then another Church Counsellor appear from Heidelberg and order
the Domina and her flock to set forth their complaints, the new
negotiations produced about as much result as had the old. Either the
gentleman was received in solemn unbroken silence or the old ladies all
shrieked at him at one and the same time, so that he could only report
in Heidelberg that they wished for a renewal of the former status and
met with truly diabolical opposition the word of God. Otto Heinrich now
appointed a special Preacher to convert them, but they protested
against this breach of conventual propriety. The Preacher occupied the
pulpit during the principal church service, but only preached to empty
benches, and scarcely had he left the church than the nuns trooped in
with holy water