# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 10 10_S27
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

27

In the market the king had had a splendid throne with four steps erected. This he mounted three times every week, in order to hear those who had some complaint to make. The complaints, however, were mostly matrimonial complaints. The husband accused his wife, the wife her husband, and so all manner of things came to light which a person of good morals would be ashamed to say. Married couples were divorced here who had been together for 20 and 30 years.

Once, when the people were gathered in the market and stood pressed hard together, Knipperdolling came, sprang up and ran over the people's heads on hands and feet and said: The Father has sanctified thee, receive the Holy Ghost. So, it was said, he made the people holy with his blowing. Another time he began to dance before the king, and said: God has commanded me to dance in the sight of the king. When he carried on this juggling far too long, the king became weary of it, and withdrew from the market. Then the fool seated himself on the king's throne, which was hung with gold, and also gave himself out for a king. When the king learned of it, he came back, thrust the man down from the throne, and put him three days in prison.

Such things happened in Münster during the time that the city was besieged by the bishop. About this time they also made a book, called it the Restitution, and declared therein that all the ungodly must everywhere be rooted out, after which the kingdom of Christ should break forth and the elect should rule. Luther and the pope were false prophets, Luther still worse than the pope. Luther wrote against the Anabaptists; it was in vain. With such people one had to deal differently, but first one had to get them into one's power, and that was still to take a little while.

J. Tausentschuer had made enough gold-work for the king, was now idle, and, since he otherwise had nothing to do, became a prophet again, ran about St. Bartholomew's through all the streets of the city, blew a trumpet, that everybody should appear well armed on the cathedral square. When about four thousand, men and women, had come together, they found a splendid meal prepared, and had to sit down at table. These the king and the queen served and waited upon, and after they had eaten and drunk well, they both rose, king and queen, he going round on one side, she on the other, bearing unleavened cakes, broke them, and gave each one a piece with these words: Take and eat, and show forth the Lord's death. (Johann of Leyden was so hostile to the words: This is my body, that he never pronounced them.) The queen, however, took a glass of wine, gave it to them to drink and said: Drink, and show forth the Lord's death. When this was finished, the prophet mounted high again and asked them all whether they would also be obedient to God. When everyone had answered: Yes, he said further that it was the command of the Father in heaven that some teachers of the Word should be sent out, namely 28, who should go into four quarters of the world, and proclaim the doctrine which was preached among them in Münster. Then he named these 28 preachers all by name, and the places whither they were to go. Now king and queen sat down at table with the 28 apostles, and held the meal. During this eating the king rose and said he had something necessary to attend to, which the Father had commanded him. Now there was there a captive horseman, whom they had brought with them to the meal and had let drink with them also. This man the king beheaded with his own hand, saying: he was a traitor and another Judas, then came back to his guests and told them this story as a pleasant jest.

Straightway the apostles, since it had already become night, were let out secretly from the city through four gates. Rottmann exhorted them beforehand to enter upon the way undismayed and joyful, like the spies whom Joshua once sent into the Promised Land. To each one had been given a gold piece, worth about eight gulden, on which was the king's image and the inscription: Gades kracht is min macht. This piece they were to leave behind in every place where they should not be well received, as a sign of future wrath and eternal damnation. The 28 apostles went thus hither and thither into cities and places, cried aloud to the inhabitants to repent, also took off their garments before the magistrates, spread them out before them on the way, threw the golden pieces upon them, and said they were sent of God to bring them peace. If they would now accept it, they should make their goods common; it was the time when God would have righteousness planted in the whole world, etc., etc. When they now carried on such foolish business, they were everywhere taken into custody and questioned about the Münster affairs and their doctrine. They answered that they alone had the right doctrine and a righteous king and prophet; soon the king would go out of the city with the whole holy host, slay all kings, because they had not upheld righteousness, and subdue the whole world, etc.— When they now stubbornly persisted in their opinion and would acknowledge no king and no magistracy except their king, they were almost all executed with the sword from life to death.

The bishop with his soldiery meanwhile shut the city in, so that no one could any more come in or out, and the provisions in the city gradually began to diminish. Then people began to have all manner of thoughts and to feel anxiety about the outcome of things. Some citizens even intended to seize the king and deliver him to the bishop, but did not do it. Now it seemed advisable to the king also to make arrangements for greater security; he appointed dukes (formerly shopkeepers, sword-cutlers, tailors and the like), gave them soldiery, and commanded each to take heed that no uproar should arise. To the common people, however, he promised that before Easter they would be rescued from siege and famine. To the dukes he promised great things, lands, cities and castles, when he should have subdued the world; thus selling the bearskin before the bear was caught.

The bishop now, in order to carry out the work and get the city into his power, needed help in money and in men. When the Landgrave of Hesse learned this, he prevailed upon many princes and cities of the Rhenish Circle to hold a diet on the 13th of December at Coblenz, and he brought it about that it was granted by the estates of the said Circle to maintain for six months 300 horse and 3000 foot-soldiers. By this help the bishop received great comfort. These estates also sent to those in Münster and had them faithfully admonished and warned to desist from their godless proceedings, else a power would march against them out of the whole Holy Roman Empire. To this they answered nothing very serviceable. To the Landgrave of Hesse they wrote in particular, but did not give him his usual title, and set instead as superscription: Lieve Lippes. They also sent him a printed book (the Restitution), in which a fuller explanation of their doctrine was contained. The Landgrave briefly told them his opinion and refuted for them the book of the Restitution. Afterwards they sent the Landgrave once more a book, on the Mysteries of Scripture, which the Landgrave had refuted by his theologians.—

This happened at the beginning of the year 1535. About February the hunger in the city so increased that many died for want of bread. A woman who had borne twins is said, in the distress of hunger, to have devoured her own children. This went to the heart of Else Tuchscherer, one of the king's wives, and she said she could not believe that it was God's will that the poor people should be left so to die of hunger. When this came before the king, who had his cellar full of wine and beer and also other provision, not merely for himself and his household, but to unseemly superfluity, he had his said wife led out into the market, and with her all his wives, bade Else, who had said this, kneel down, and himself struck off her head, and, after she was dead, reviled her besides, as if she had been a wh—; thereupon the others began to sing and to praise the heavenly Father. The king, however, began a dance, exhorted the others standing around to do likewise; and now people who had nothing at all to eat except a little bread and salt had to dance and be merry.— (Conclusion follows.)