He creates

tilty) compaffed to be King, he first depoHe depofeth the fed the Twelve Governors, and after the man12 Governors. ner of other Kings, did chufe and create fundry to be great Lords about him: He also Lords, and caufed two Crowns of pure Gold to be made Robes of Maje- for himself, and a Royal Robe, Coller and fy, and afcends Scepter, with other Complements of Maje

wears the

a Tkrone.

fty. He affigned alfo certain days, wherein he would give Audience to all Complainants and Suters. Whenfoever he came abroad, he was attended with his Officers and Gentlemen of his Court, and with two young Henchmen on horseback, the one on his right-hand carrying the Bible, and the other on his left, carrying a drawn Sword. He had also a magnifical Throne prepared and fet on high for him, with a golden Cloth of Eftate. At a certain time, when Knipperdo- the King was thus fet in his Majefty, and ling pretends the people thronged clofe together about to breathe the him, Knipperdoling, one of the Prophets, got upon the peoples heads, and fo creeping along on his hands and feet, he breathed upon them in their mouths one after another, faying thus: The Father bath fanctified thee, receive the Holy Ghost. Certain Weeks after, the new Prophet ( afore mention'd ) caufed (by found of a Trumpet) to be proclaimed, That all fhould retire themselves in Arms unto the Church-yard of the chief Church, for that the Enemy must be reFive thousand pelled from the Town. Coming thither, of them enter they found a great Supper ready prepared. tained at a Then there fate down to Supper (as they

Holy Ghoft on the People.

The New Pro phet fummons the People to

Arms.

Supper.

were

at Table.

were commanded) four thousand: and after these had fupped, one thousand more (that had waited) fate down. The King The King and alfo, and the chief Queen, together with Queen Jerve their Courtiers did ferve at table. The fupper being towards an end, the King gave bread unto every one of them, faying, Take, eat, and fhew forth the Lord's death. Then the Queen prefented them with they give them They prophanecup, faying, Drink, and fhew forth the Lord's the Communideath. This being done, the faid Prophet on. got him up into a pulpit, and asked them if they would obey the word of the Lord? which when they had yielded unto that they would, he said it was the Father's com- 28 Teachers mandment, that eight and twenty Doctors fent forth. or Teachers fhould be fent forth into all the corners of the world, to teach the doctrine that was taught and received in that City. Then he named them all, and the particular place whither each of them fhould go. So after all was done, they let the faid eight and twenty Preachers out of the town by night very closely, for fear of those without, who befieged them giving to every one (above that which fhould defray his charges) one piece of gold, and commanding them to leave it at fuch places where their doctrine fhould not be received, for a teftimony of fuch peoples damnation, and everlasting perdition, for refufing such meffage and wholesome doctrine. When thofe Preachers were come to the places affigned unto them, they cried in the streets

pentance, Com

of Leyden.

of the Towns where they came, Repent, reThey preach Re- pent, or else you shall all quickly perish. Then wunity of Goods they fpread their garments on the ground and the univer- before the Magiftrates, and upon them they fal Reign of laid the pieces of Gold which were afore deRighteousness, livered unto them, affuring them, and probrought to pass by King John tefting that they were fent from the heavenly Father, to bring them peace and mercy and if they would receive it, then they muft give up all their Goods to be used in common: but if they refufed it, then that fign and token fhould be a witness against them of ingratitude and rebellion against God. For (faid they) now is the time come that was fpoken of afore by the Prophets, in which Righteoufnefs fhall reign in the Earth univerfally; and when the King (meaning John of Leyden) hath brought to pafs, that Righteoufnefs fhall rule in every place, then Chrift fhall give up his Kingdom to his Father. But thefe Preachers being The Preachers hereupon apprehended, they refolutely ftood apprehended, in it, and defended, that they only held the they defend their wicked true doctrine, which they would maintain Practices with upon peril of their lives. Being asked, with Scripture falfy what juftice they could enter upon, and pofapplied.

fefs other men's Wives, Children and Goods as they did they faid, The time was come forefpoken of by Chrift, that the meek should poffefs the earth, and that God gave these unto them, as he did give the Goods of the Egyptians unto the Ifraelites. They affirmed allo, that King David and John of Leyden were two righteous Prophets: but the Pope

and

death.

and Luther were both falfe Prophets; whereof Luther was the worse. Thus ftill perfifting obftinate in their erroneous Opinions, (notwithstanding the Tortures which they endured) they were all beheaded, faving one of them one of them that escaped away by flight. efcaped, all the Whileft these things were thus in doing Reft put to within and abroad, the City of Munster was every day more and more ftraitly befieged, and preffed with extreme famine; fo that for fear left many the chief Burgers fhould capitulate with the Enemy, and yield the King up unto the Bishop; their King therefore did chufe Twelve, whom he held moft faithful unto him, and appointed them to be Captains of War over fo many several Parts of the Town, into which he did quarter it; entertaining the faid Twelve perfons with Mountains of large Promises, and telling them over what great Provinces and Dominions under him he would after place them. Thus the Famine ftill more creafeth in the and more encreasing in the City (fo that City. fundry died thereof, albeit the King had abundance for himself and his special Favourites, not only for fupply of neceffity, but also to riot and banquet) it happened, that one of his Queens, in commiferation of the diftreffed, faid unto the reft, That she could not believe it was the Will of God, that men fhould in that fort be fuffered to die for want of food. Hereupon being accufed, she was brought into the Market-place; and being commanded to kneel down, the X 4 King

A Famine in

The King promifeth them Deliverance before Eafter.

It not coming,

he fains him

felf fick, and puts a Cheat

upon them.

The City is furprized. The King,

King ftruck off her Head; all the rest of his Queens finging, dancing, and giving thanks therefore to the beavenly Father. But whenas the common fort had like to have mutined, by reafon of the extremity of Famine, their King promised them affured deliverance from God before Eafter. When Eafter was come, no fign or token of their deliverance appeared. Then the King feigned himself to be fick for fix days: afterward (affembling the people into the Market fteed) he told them, that all that while he had ridden upon a blind Afs, and that the Father had laid upon him the fins of the whole Multitude, so that now they were cleanfed and freed from all Vice; which was the Deliverance which he promifed unto them, and therewith they were to hold themselves contented. When the BiShop's Strength, by common Supplies from the Princes of the Empire were much reenforced, matters (in the Town) grew to that Extremity, that by means of two Perfons (who conveyed themselves fecretly forth of the Town) it was at laft furprized by the Affailants, though with much ado and Bloodfhed, even after they were entred. Their King, with Knipperdoling and Crecliting, their two falfe Prophets, were taken alive: But Rotman their Reformed Preacher (seeing no hope to escape) defperately ran in amongst the thickeft of the Armed Companies, and by them he was cut in pieces. The three Perfons aforenamed were carried about the Countrey, as a Spectacle to fundry

Knipperdo- Bloodshed ling, and Crecliting taken alive. Rotman is flam.

the