The first glimpse that I have been able to obtain of this sect is given by an old German author, whose works were published at Antwerp, in 1667. In speaking of the religious parties and factions which agitated the country, he says: "As to the people called by their enemies the Semi-Judaisers, it is certain that they originated from a colony of the persecuted Waldenses, who fled from Lombardy into Bohemia about 1450, and thence removed into Transylvania, which subsequently became their headdquarters. They say that the law of Moses is binding upon Christians, and, accordingly, solemnize divine service upon Saturday, or the old Sabbath." As to the outward circumstances of this people, they were generally among the industrious poor,—mechanics and husbandmen. They were never in squalid wretchedness or beggarly destitution, when left to enjoy the fruits of their industry. Many of them, both male and female, became inmates of the households of the great, in the capacity of nurses and servants, and were greatly esteemed on account of their sobriety, intelligence, and faithfulness. Others settled on the outskirts of the neglected domains of the nobility, where they soon converted the barren wastes into productive fields, and reared new and flourishing settlements, to the great satisfaction of the landlords. From the very brief and imperfect accounts that I have been able to obtain concerning them, there does not appear to have been anything strange or singular in their manner of worship. They took the Scriptures for their guide, rejected all Popish ceremonies, inventions, and institutions, administered baptism by immersion, and contended that the church of Christ should be inaccessible to unholy and unregenerate persons. Their ministers were allowed no salaries, and were not distinguished from the lay brethren by any superior authority or attainments. All who felt disposed to do so were permitted to teach, "or prophesy," and in this particular they seem to have strongly resembled the Quakers. That they possessed a decided missionary spirit is evident from the fact that their doctrines were secretly and silently, but very effectually, disseminated throughout many parts of Europe, where they took deep and lasting root.