2 22 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 54 



figure before the German public, the ecclesiastical revolution in 

 progress, and Jerome Bock a zealous and outspoken Protestant. 

 Prince Ludewig's successor, Friedrich II., was either still firmly a 

 Catholic, or else unwilling to declare himself a partisan of Luther; 

 I and Jerome Bock, botanist, lost his position and became penniless 

 j with a young family on his hands. 



j A plan inaugurated by some sympathizing friend for his relief 

 is one that ought to have been regarded as somewhat hazardous, 

 and indeed may have seemed so to them; but it was attempted. A 

 beautiful country place called Hombach was the site of a Catholic 

 church dedicated to Saint Fabian and, long before Tragus' time, 

 richly endowed by private munificence. The parish was vacant. 

 Luther's influence had been felt there and the membership was 

 divided between allegiance to Rome and sympathy with Luther. 

 It was hoped, so says Melchior Adam — himself strongly a Lutheran 

 partizan — that the "old superstition" had been banished to such a de- 

 gree that the new incumbent would be able to complete the " reforma- 

 tion " of St. Fabian's. The event proved otherwise, and the incumbent 

 was obliged to retire ; not, however, very promptly, nor until after he 

 had done much botanizing in the wild rich regions roundabout ; such 

 journeyings being made, as he informs us, disguised as a peasant. 

 On his enforced retirement from this anomalous and only quasi- 

 official incumbency he was again in the straits of poverty extreme; 

 until relief came in the form of a bidding to make his home in the 

 castle of Count Philip of Nassau, who remembered our botanist as 

 having once brought him safely through a dangerous illness. His 

 sojourn with this friend seems to have continued through several 

 years, though for precisely how long can not be ascertained. Dur- 

 ing this interval, however, the afEairs of St. Fabian's Church 

 at Hombach had undergone a change, probably that of the elimina- 

 tion of the Catholic element ; for a way was now open for Tragus' 

 return to the enjoyment of that benefice. He is said to have 

 received a hearty welcome back by those remaining, and that he 

 ended his days there not very long after his return is certain. He 

 died of consumption early in the year 1554, at the age of about 56 

 years. A half-century or so later when Melchior Adam was en- 

 gaged upon his biographies of German worthies, a search appears to 

 have been made for Tragus' tomb at Hombach. On the site of 

 St. Fabian's Church nothing remained but a mass of mins; but forth 

 from under the fallen rocks they were able to bring a memorial 

 tablet bearing this inscription: ^ 



' Melchior Adam, Vitce Germanorum Medicorum, p. 70. 



