The Peril of the Republic of the United States of America - Percy T. Magan

ground the night before. The magistrates ordered
the gates to be kept closed in the morning till long
after the usual hour. It was of no avail Bolts and
bars were but small impediments to enthusiasts
who had traveled so many miles on foot or
horseback to listen to a sermon. They climbed the
walls, swam the moat, and thronged to the place of
meeting long before the doors had been opened.
When these could no longer be kept closed without
a conflict, for which the magistrates were not
prepared, the whole population poured out of the
city with a single impulse. Tens of thousands were
assembled upon the field. The bulwarks were
erected as usual. The guards were posted. The
necessary precautions taken. But upon this
occasion, and in that region, there was but little
danger to be apprehended. The multitudes of
reformers made the edicts impossible, so long as no
foreign troops were there to enforce them. The
congregation was encamped and arranged in an
orderly manner. The women, of whom there were
many, were placed next the pulpit, which, upon this
occasion, was formed of a couple of spears thrust
into the earth, sustaining a cross-piece, against
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