"Yea," said I, "up till this time, yea and in Soest also, there was wanting for me nothing but such an angelic counsellor as I have found in your reverence. Were but the winter over, or at least the weather better, so that I could travel hence!" And thereafter I begged him to assist me with his advice as to which University I should attend. To that he answered, himself had studied in Leyden, but he would counsel to go to Geneva, for by my speech I must be from the High Germany. "Jesus Maria!" said I, "Geneva is farther from my home than Leyden." "Can I believe mine ears?" says he, "'tis plain your honour is a Papist! Great Heavens, how am I deceived!" "How so, Pastor?" said I, "must I be a Papist because I will not to Geneva?" "Nay," says he, "but ye do call upon the name of Mary!" "How," said I, "is't not well for a Christian to name the mother of his Redeemer?" "True," says he, "yet would I counsel your honour and beg of him as earnestly as I can to give honour to God only and further to tell me plainly to what religion he belongs, for I doubt much if he be Evangelical (though I have seen him every Sunday in my church), inasmuch as at this last Christmastide he came not to the table of the Lord neither here nor in the Lutheran church." "Nay," said I, "but your reverence knows well that I am a Christian: were I not, I had not been so oft at the preaching: but for the rest, I must confess that I follow neither Peter nor Paul, but do believe simply all that the twelve articles of the Christian faith do contain: nor will I bind myself to either party till one or the other shall bring me by sufficient proofs to believe that he, rather than the other, doth possess the one true religion of salvation." Thereupon, "Now," says he, "do I truly, and that for the first time, understand that ye have a true soldier's spirit, to risk your life here, there and everywhere, since ye can so live from day to day without religion or worship and can so risk your hope of eternal salvation! Great heaven," says he, "how can a mortal man, that must hereafter be damned or saved, so defy all? Your honour," says he, "was brought up in Hanau: hath he learned there no better Christianity than this? Tell me, why do ye not follow in the footsteps of your parents in the pure religion of Christ, or why will ye not betake yourself to this our belief, of which the foundations be so plain both in Holy Writ and nature that neither Papist nor Lutheran[27] can ever upset them."