Weckherlin was frowning. But still taking notes.
Johnnie F. felt a little guilty for not mentioning Frau Else Kronacher in Bamberg, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure it was her press being used by the ram. Just ninety-nine percent sure. If Scott and Vince had Stew look into it, that would cause trouble for her, and she had problems enough with those two boys. Not to mention that she did a lot of work for Stew and the rest of the Hearts and Minds team in Bamberg and it would be a nuisance for Stew to have to find another printer. And . . .
He suspected he was just rationalizing his decision to keep quiet. But he figured if there did turn out to be a problem, he'd take care of it himself without bothering Steve and Scott.
Chapter 8: "But you think that we are going to hell"
Bamberg, February 1634
It was a very small flock. Johann Matthaeus Meyfarth looked out at the fruits of his efforts to organize a Lutheran congregation. He proceeded through the liturgy. General prayer for the church. Collect for peace. Prayer for those whom God had placed in authority over his flock. Sacrament of the altar.
In the afternoon, he wrote. Accompanied by more prayers. Propaganda pieces—many organizational in nature, but well salted with the theme of, "This isn't the time to settle your personal scores; hold that until after we have won. Then we can take our complaints through a fair judicial system in which we have a say."
Propaganda for people who were preparing to revolt against those whom God had placed in positions of authority. Propaganda that might, if they heard it, hold the flock back from worse sins than simply demanding justice.
Twelve Points. Twelve because of the echo of the Bundschuh that it raised. Shorter, much shorter, than the Twelve Articles of 1524. Some the same. Some different. Printed, circulated.
The ram had asked him to do this. The ram, he had found, was guarding his flock. And himself.
1. There shall be complete separation of church and state, with no imperial knight, free lord, or other ruler, be he count or duke or king or emperor, having the right to dictate the conscience of his subjects;
2. Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist parishes request the right to choose their ministers from a list of qualified men provided by the ecclesiastical authorities, which we know that the administration, because of the separation of church and state, cannot make the churches do, yet we ask it; we say that other religious groups tolerated by the civil governments may pick their own leaders by their own rules, however they set up their organization;
3. All lords and imperial knights whose lands are enclaves within Franconia must permit their subjects to vote in the upcoming elections, saying that they themselves should have such a right to vote also;
4. We demand the end of all vestiges of serfdom on private estates of imperial knights and lords as well as on those which escheated from the bishops and abbot to the administration of the New United States; specifically the ending of restrictions on movement, restrictions on the right to marry, death duties of the best beast and best garment, and compulsory labor services on the lord's own land, though we state that we are nonetheless willing to work the corvées when they are needed for the common good, as on the roads, fords and bridges, as is customary;
5. We demand that local custom be respected in regard to inheritance rights of leases on farms and other rural property, with no requirement for partible or impartible inheritance, etc. being imposed from above;
6. All towns in Franconia must open their citizenship to villagers, as long as they are of good repute and not criminals; citizens of Franconia and their families are to have freedom of movement and settlement anywhere within the territory administered by the State of Thuringia, whether city, market town, or village;
7. Guilds in the towns and cities of Franconia must open training in skilled work to rural applicants and not exclude them on the grounds that they are dishonorable because they carry the taint of serfdom, for all vestiges of serfdom are abolished; guilds must permit widows to continue to operate their husband's business until such time as they marry, pass them on to an heir, or sell them, and make free choice of a buyer;
8. Secondary education is to be open to all; Latin schools in the towns must provide recommended scholars from the village schools with Latin lessons and admit them as soon as they qualify to do the work required by a Latin school;
9. Village-born persons must have the right to enter the service of the state and counties and be promoted as their education qualifies them, with no jobs reserved for the nobility or town patriciates;
10. We demand a standardized coinage and currency, resulting in fair tax assessments, and we request the publication of a clear, easy to understand, tax code written in plain language, in order that we need not pay more than we owe because we are simple ignorant men. We also ask for the abolition of the tithes, being willing to pay fair compensation to those who have bought them and submit the adjudication of fair compensation to impartial arbitrators;