JOHN ftOCKIIOLDT, OR BOCCOLD. 307 
a defensive war. He was, however, still more of an enthusiast than 
his predecessor, as he soon proved by extraordinary proceedings. He 
inarched naked through the streets, proclaiming that the kingdom of 
God. was at hand, when whatever was highest on earth should be 
brought low, and whatever was lowest should be exalted. In con- 
sequence, he commanded the churches, as well as the highest buildings 
in the city, to be levelled with the ground ; and he deprived Cuiper- 
tloling, the most considerable proselyte, of the consulship to which 
he had been raised, and even made him perform the office of common 
executioner. 
Following the abrogated obligation of the Jewish legislature, he 
appointed twelve judges, in analogy to the twelve tribes of Israel, 
reserving to himself the divine authority of the Moses of this new 
legislature. Not content, however, with this degree of supremacy, he 
produced, a prophet, to declare it to be the will of God that John 
Boccold should be the king of Sion, and sit on the throne of David ; 
and he was installed in this new dignity with the- greatest pomp and 
solemnity. As he was amply furnished with the warmth of constitu- 
tion ordinarily accompanying fanaticism, his next step was to direct 
the teachers of the sect to preach up a plurality of wives, as one of the 
privileges of the saints; and he soon brought it to practice by marry- 
ing three w ives at once, one of them the beautiful widow of Matthias, 
whom alone he permitted to share with him the honours of royalty. 
As his passions became more ardent by indulgence, he increased the 
number of his w'ivesto fourteen; and the example of his licentiousness 
being readily adopted, the most unbounded profligacy in this respect 
immediately, took place, so that every female who could by any latitude 
be deemed marriageable in Munster, w'as obliged to submit to a fugi- 
tive union. 
The siege, in the mean time, was drawn closer about the town, 
no succours arrived, and scarcity began to be sensibly felt. Yet such 
was the ascendency Boccold had acquired over the mind of his follow'- 
ers, by his confident promises and predictions, that the multitude 
retained their expectations of deliverance, and never admitted the 
idea of surrender. Indeed, any token of an inclination of this kind 
was punished with instant death ; and no one used the sword of au- 
thority with more rigour than the king of Munster. One of his wives 
having presumed to utter some doubts concerning his-divine mission, 
he assembled the whole flock of them, and, causing the heretic to 
kneel down in the midst, he struck oif her head with his own hands, 
while the rest danced in frantic joy round the bleeding corpse of their 
companion. At length, all the horrors of famine pressed on the 
unfortunate people of Munster, who still refused to capitulate. But 
a deserter having pointed out a weak place in the walls, they were 
scaled by a party, and the rest of the army was admitted. The Ana- 
baptists defended themselves in the market-place with desperate 
valour till most of them were killed. Boccold w'as taken alive; and 
it was thought proper treatment to carry him loaded with irons from 
town to town, by way of spectacle, exposing him to all the insults of 
the populace. He bore those indignities with an unbroken spirit, 
and still adhered to all the tenets of bis sect. He was brought back 
