Doctor Bucer responded that Bock should shut her foul mouth; he would near no more of her insults. At St. Mark’s and St. Catherine’s, he said, the prioress and all the nuns showed him the greatest honor and friendliness. They all said they were prepared to accept what he said, taught, and pressed upon them. “They listen to my sermons with great zeal and devotion.”
[7r] “Ah, but not all,” the prioress replied, “for I know that some of them are thereby greatly displeased. Why are so many of the old nuns dying, so that every week some have to be buried? It bears reflection that the good little mothers of the convent are dying of pain and sorrow. Happiness is truly to live in these days in the true faith, apart from the perverted world, so that one must no longer witness the miserable shame of the calamities and damages to which the houses of God are now subject.”
Doctor Bucer then said, “Take note, uncouth Bock, what you say; I have achieved something in the convents. Among my confessants are a number of members of St. Mark’s and St. Catherine’s. Speaking such evil words against me causes them great scruples. I instruct them to the contrary in spiritual matters, so that often a nun requires a whole hour to confess.”
The prioress replied to him, “Your example and your behavior assure that none of those nuns should feel such scruples, either on account of your sermons or your admonitions. In my opinion, where they should have a scruple, they raise none; and where they should not have one, they create one (22). One must consider that one cannot achieve holiness through such things, and my good friend, the prioress of St. Mark’s, ought to reflect especially on this point. I greatly worry and fear that later on a belated scruple – a regret – will arise. May God forbid! [7v] Why do you do this, Doctor Bucer? Have I done you any injustice? You are placed over a convent in which the old nuns reject you, so you favor the young ones, whom you lead away from God’s worship, and so at the times appointed for services, you take your recreation with them. How long can this go on? To witness this brings the old nuns to their graves, while the young nuns plunge, soul and body, into misery and eternal damnation.”
The prioress’s speech made Bucer rage with anger, and he wanted to hit her with his fist. The sisters, however, hurriedly joined the prioress and took her out the door. Half-dead from shock, she went quickly to the priory office. Some sisters stayed and consoled her. The others left and locked the door, so Doctor Bucer could not enter, for the office was only three steps away from the refectory.
Just a little later, there arrived the prelate of St. John’s (23) and Sir Johann Fuchs, pastor at Old St. Peter’s and an old benefactor of the convent. He had ordered the glass windows in the chapter house, which the sisters had for years covered only with shutters and grills. As they entered the cloister, Sir Doctor Bucer, his face furious with anger, came up to them to say that he would like to kill the wicked, spiteful Bock. In the recent exchange of words she said things to him that no person would tolerate (24). [8r] He wanted to repay her maliciousness in kind. The lords, however, spoke to him in a friendly manner, “Insults from women should be ignored, and a so learned man should not stoop to fight with them.” They asked him to take a brief walk with them in order to cool his anger. Finally, he was persuaded, and as they were walking, Doctor Bucer said, “We must remove these bad nuns from their convent. May the Evil One snatch them away.”
These events troubled the nuns greatly, and they worried much about their prioress. They did not want her to move around the convent alone, so a pair of brave nuns always accompanied her. They feared that Dr. Bucer might secretly return and throw her into the water, for at that time a large, deep stream of water flowed through the convent. Most of the sisters were afraid of him, for he was a large, powerful man. He had often assured them in sharp words that he would repay their evil words by dunking them, so that they would remember him all their lives.
After a couple of days the gracious lord of St. John’s and Sir Fuchs came again. They consoled the prioress and her nuns, encouraged them to stand fast, for they would continue to suffer a great deal of animosity. They must not give in but put their trust entirely in God and in St. Margaret, [8v] their dear patron.
(22) Added in the bottom margin and keyed to the text – trans.
(23) The commander of the Knights of St. John at Strasbourg might be meant here – trans.
(24) This sentence was added at the foot of the page – trans.
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