Before men of rank and influence, who even in Glarus, though compelled
for the moment to remain quiet, soon gave themselves up again, at first
cautiously but afterwards without shame, to the seductions of renewed
bribery, sticking to that conqueror, who before had rewarded them so
gloriously, and began to further the interests of France, instead of
those of their own country, he unveiled, without fear or restraint, the
ruinous consequences of this scandalous trade, laid bare its secret
hiding places and tricks, and encouraged the better spirit of the
people to a wholesome resistance. But notwithstanding, the cunning
seducers knew how to restrain themselves, and in spite of all, they
gained firmer footing, and although the Perpetual Peace, lately
concluded with France, did not give them all they sought for, they
still received by it a more secure position for further intrigues.
But at length their hatred broke out into open flame against the bold,
troublesome speaker--the preacher, who dabbled in politics--the
fanner's son of a remote district, who had the presumption to attack
the great ones of the land, the old patrician families, and who, though
himself not pure, nevertheless cast blame on others. Full of avarice,
envy and hypocrisy, the proud, the fault-finders and the spiritual
dwarfs met together. They whispered, fanned their rage, shook their
heads, reviled, threatened; in a short time they had no rest, till he
wished himself away; and hence, at a later period, he thus wrote to
Vadianus, "Nothing else could have induced me to change my situation
but the intrigues of the French. I am now at Einsiedeln. I would tell
you what injury the French faction has done me, if I did not think that
you knew it already. I had to take part in affairs, and have suffered
and learned to suffer much evil."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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