MUSCULUS. 
274 
predominant inclination for learning, was defirous of 
gratifying his withes; but, being in humble circum- 
llances, he could afford very little towards his fon’s main¬ 
tenance at fchool, and left him, therefore, to provide his 
own fubfiftence by tinging from door to door, according 
to the cuftom of poor fcholars in thofe times. With the 
aid of what he obtained by this practice he was enabled 
to fupport himfelf at different fchools till he was fifteen 
years of age. He then let out towards his native place, 
with the defign of vifiting his parents; but, happening 
one evening to enter a convent of Benedibtines in the 
country of Lutzelflein at the time of vefpers, he parti¬ 
cularly ffruck the fuperior by the excellence of his ling- 
■jng, and the conieiinefs of his perfon. After fervice, 
therefore, he fent for our young fcholar; and, being 
equally plcafed with his behaviour, he made him an offer 
of an admiffion into the convent, free from all expenle, 
which was an unprecedented favour; and promifed, alfo, 
that he would furnifh him from his own purfe with 
clothes and all other neceffaries. This offer, with the 
confent of'his parents, Mufculus gratefully accepted ; 
and, after he had taken the monaftic habit, fpent thirty- 
three years of his life diligently employed in ftudy, and 
a fhining example to the community of regularity, tem¬ 
perance, and obedience to the prescribed duties of the 
cloifter. Claffical learning, poetry, and mulic, were fa¬ 
vourite fubjedls of his application ; and he had made con- 
fiderable progrefs in them before he arrived at the age of 
twenty. He then devoted himfelf affiduoufly to the ftudy 
of divinity, facred criticifm, and particularly the Scrip¬ 
tures themfelves. When well furnifhed with erudition 
and biblical knowledge, he was called to the fervice of 
the pulpit; and, as he excelled in eloquence, became an 
admirable and very popular preacher. For fome time his 
fervices were confined to three or four churches in the 
vicinity and under the jui’ifdidlion of the convent; but 
afterwards they were extended to feveral diftant churches. 
About the year 1518, being furnifhed by a friend with 
Luther’s Thefes, which were juft publifhed, and attracted 
univerfal attention in Germany, he read them with the 
greateft avidity, and, after mature enquiry, became an 
entire convert to the doctrines which they contained. 
From this time, he zealoufly defended that reformer and 
his opinions, not only in difputations within the walls 
of the convent, but in the different churches in which 
he officiated as preacher. Hence he became commonly 
known by the name of the Lutheran monk. The freedom 
and ability with which Mufculus maintained the fenti- 
ments of Luther, created fuch an impreffion on the minds 
of his brother-monks, that afterwards the greater part of 
the Benedidtines of this convent quitted the habit, and 
entered into the world. In the mean time the conduit 
of Mufculus excited againft him the enmity of fome^of 
the older monks, who did him all the ill-offices in their 
power; and it would have drawn down on his head the 
vengeance of the bifhops of Metz and Strafburg, had he 
not been protected againft their rage by Reinhard a Rot- 
tenburg, governor of the caftle of Lutzelflein, and patron 
of the convent, who was a perfon of great weight and 
authority in the palatinate. 
In the year 1527, Mufculus, finding that he was ex- 
pofed to no little danger from plots that were laid againft 
his life, came to a refolution of withdrawing frohi the 
convent to fome place where he might profefs and propa¬ 
gate his religious principles with fafety. Before, how¬ 
ever, he could carry this defign into execution, the prior 
of the convent died, and Mufculus was elefted his fuc- 
cefi'or, by the fuffrages of a great majority of the monks. 
But this dignity he fteadily rejected, recommending a 
friend who was chofen in his room. Towards the end of 
the year, having fixed upon the time of bidding adieu 
to the cloifter, he left the convent at midnight, that he 
might avoid the notice of his enemies, and efcaped to 
Strafburg; where he foon afterwards publicly married 
.Margaret Barth, a relation of his friend the prior, to. 
whom he had been contracted while at the monaftery. 
The little property which they had being foon exhaufted, 
he found it neceflary to learn fome manual art in order 
to procure fubliftence; and, having placed his wife as a 
fervant in a minift'er’s family, made an agreement with a 
weaver, who was an anabaptill, to be taught his bufmefs; 
but in about two months his mafter difmifled him, on 
account of his frequently engaging in deputation with 
an anabaptill minifter who lodged at the weaver’s lioufe. 
He had now no other profpedl of gaining his livelihood 
than by joining the labourers who were employed in re¬ 
pairing the fortifications of Strafburg, and was promifed 
to be received into their number by the fuperintendent 
of the works; but, on the evening before he was to com¬ 
mence this drudgery, he received a meffage to meet Mar¬ 
tin Bucer, who, after fome converfation with him, inti¬ 
mated that the magiftrates of the city defigned that he 
ihould preach every Sunday at the village of Dorlifheim. 
With this appointment he was well pleafed, and (dis¬ 
charged its duties with great diligence and fuccefs, re¬ 
pairing to the village every Saturday, and returning to 
Stralburg on the following Monday. At this time he had 
an apartment in Bucer’s houfe, who gave him his board 
in return for the fervice which he had rendered him by 
tra'nfcribing his manuferipts for the prefs: for Bucer’s 
hand-writing was fo bad, that the printers could not read 
it, and he was often puzzled to make it out himfelf. 
Some months afterwards it was judged expedient that lie 
Ihould refide at Dorlilheim; to which place he accord¬ 
ingly removed with his wife, who was far advanced in 
pregnancy. Here he continued during twelve months, 
zealoully employed in the duties of his minifterial func¬ 
tion, and fuftaining the rigours of extreme poverty with 
admirable conftancy. He had no houfehold furniture 
but a little bed brought by him from his convent, which 
was occupied by his wife during her lying-in, while he. 
contented himfelf with a little ltraw on the bare ground, 
and a few necefiary utenlils which the humanity of his 
parilhioners fuppiied him with. He was alfo reduced to 
great diftrefs, owing to the oppreffion of the abbot of 
Hohenforft, who colledled the tythes and revenues of 
his church, but W'ould not pay his penfion ; and he muff: 
have periftied through want, had not the magiftrates of 
Strafburg ordered him a fum of money out of their public 
treaf ury. At the end of the year, they recalled him from 
this fituation, to become deacon-miniiler of the princi¬ 
pal church in Stralburg; where he officiated for about 
two years, with the molt commendable diligence and in- 
creafmg reputation. 
In 1531, Mufculus removed to Augfburg, where he at 
firlt officiated as minifter in the church of the Holy Crofs, 
and afterw'ards in that of the Holy Virgin. He was for 
fome years involved in continual difputes either with the 
papifts or anabaptifts; but he conllantly and fuccefsfully 
refilled the cruel defign of putting the latter to death; 
and was the inftrument of reclaiming, by the forcible 
weapons of reafon and argument, feveral of the deluded 
followers of Muncer. He retained his fituation at Augf¬ 
burg till the year 154.7 ; and during this period he made 
himfelf mafter of the Greek and Hebrew languages, to 
which he had been before a ftranger. He gave evidence 
of his Ikill in thele languages by the publication of 
various well-executed tranflations, particularly of the 
Commentaries of Chryfoftom on the Epillles of St. Paul; 
fome of the works of Bafil, Athanalius, St. Cyril, Eu- 
febius, Socrates, Tlieodoret, and others. In the years 
1540 and 154.1, he .was deputed by the fenate to attend 
the conferences held between the proteftant and catholic 
divines during the diets of Worms and Ratifoon; and in 
the conference during the latterdiet, between Melandthon 
and Eckius, he w'as appointed one of the fecretaries, and 
drew up the adds of it. 
When Charles V. came to Augfburg, in 154.7, to 
hold a diet, after the defeat of the league ofSmalkaldq, 
Mufculus was deprived of liis church; but he Hill 
continued 
