The angry recriminations, the rash charges, and the turbulent movements of this council came to the ears of the reformers, and the report gave them much pain. The next day therefore, November 26, when the Council of the Two Hundred assembled, Farel and Calvin appeared before them. The former said, ‘Sérais accuses me of having said that rather than drink with him, I would drink a glass of _his_ blood. Now what really passed was this. One of them having said to me, You wish us no good, I answered, I wish you so much harm that I would willingly _shed my blood for you_.’ Then coming to the essential point; ‘I have heard,’ continued Farel, ‘that they call those _perjurers_ who have sworn the confession. If you examine carefully its contents, you will find that it is made in conformity with God’s Word, and is adapted to unite the people. You have not sworn to anything else than to hold fast faith in God, and to believe in his commandments.’ One of the members said, ‘It is not we, it is the deputies from Berne who spoke of perjury.’--‘We should very much like to know when they did so,’ replied Farel, astonished. ‘They spoke of it at table, in the presence of people,’ said the syndics Curtet and Lullin. ‘We offer to maintain this confession at the cost of our lives,’ replied the reformers. The syndics, beginning to fear lest the murmurs of the people should be excited, entreated the preachers to be careful that this business might end well. The discovery that the lords of Berne blamed them in the affair of the confession was a very heavy blow to the reformers. If that powerful city should unite with the party of the opposition, the Reformation would be in great danger. They were not long in finding that their fears were not unfounded. The Bernese, who intended to act as if they had the superintendence of the Church of Geneva, wrote to Farel and Calvin--‘It has come to our knowledge that you, Calvin, have written to certain Frenchmen at Basel that your confession has been approved by our congregation, and that our preachers have ratified it, which will not be proven (_ne constera pas_). On the contrary, it is you and Farel who have been consenting parties to sign our confession made at Basel, and to hold to it. We are amazed that you should attempt to contravene it. We pray you to desist from the attempt, otherwise we shall be compelled to have resource to other remedies.’[549]