The  monasteries  were  next  taken  in  hand.  Duke  Ulrich  made  no  secret
of  "his  intention  of  applying  their  property  to  the  payment  of  the  public
debt,  and  the  relief  of  the  people  from  intolerable  burdens."  As  he  had
been  so  long  out  of  the  country,  and  had  taken  upon  him  Ferdinand's
debts  to  the  Swabian  League,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  found
himself  in  pecuniary  difficulties,  for  which  this  was  the  only  remedy.4

He  did  not  suffer  himself  to  be  restrained  by  the  limitations  laid  down
in  the  peace  of  Cadan.     The  Austrian  government  had  led  the  way  ;  it

1  They  both  confessed,  Corpus  et  sanguinem  Christi  vere,  i.e.,  substantialiter
et  essentialiter,  non  autem  quantitative  aut  qualitative  vel  localiter,  praesentia
esse  et  exhiberi  in  coena  ;  a  formula,  the  scholastic  fashion  of  which  scandalized
many  of  the  evangelical  party.
