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Rh Samuel Neander, in the latter's study, to give an account of his faith. The passage follows:

"Gemekleter Neander hat gedachten Caspar Weiss, in seiner Studier-Stube ganzer sechs Stunden vor sich stehen gehabt, ohne ihn niedersitzen zu lassen, ihn um seinen Glauben zu examinieren; welches Stehen dem alten Mann fast nicht auszuhalten gewesen, so willig und bereit er sonst zum Bekenntniss war. Von Seiten des Pastoris, mag ein Verständiger seine eigenen Gedanken hievon haben, was es fur ein Gemüth anzeige."

Translation:

"For six full hours, the afore-mentioned Neander kept said Caspar Weiss standing before him in his study without permitting him to sit down, in order to question him concerning his faith. This standing the aged man was scarcely able to endure, though he was quite willing and prepared to make his confession. A rational person will draw his own inference of the disposition indicated hereby on the part of the said Pastor."

For the information we possess concerning the origin of the hymn-collection of Caspar Weiss, we are indebted to the pen of Rev. Balthaser Hoffmann. The latter also recorded, in a historical manuscript still extant, an account of the sources of the collection, as well as a statement of the method pursued by Weiss in arranging and editing the individual hymns. We quote Hoffmann in full, inasmuch as he both was an intimate of the Weiss family and, as we have already noted, figured prominently in the activity which this monograph purposes to set forth:

"Und da ist denn zu wissen, dass Caspar Weiss, sein Vater, den Anfang dazu gemachet; und ist er dazu verursachet worden, durch einen alten einfältigen Schwenkfelder seiner Zeit, mit Nahmen Mertin Mentzel (war des alten Melchior Mentzels Vater). Der hat einmahl zum Caspar Weiss gesagt: Du kontest wohl das Ge-