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in Silesia, Austria. By his own testimony he was
born of "worthy poor and lowly parents," and was first
reared to the trade of a weaver, occasionally working
as a day laborer in the summer. He early embraced
the religious principles of Caspar Schwenkfeld. He
was tall in stature, lean in person, and "after his
fiftieth year wore an entire white head." From his
earliest youth he seems to have been very industrious
and desirous of acquiring truth. By assiduous labor
he soon gained a knowledge of Latin, Greek, and
Hebrew, and by help of good books set himself to
study the Sacred Scriptures, for which his knowledge
of the 'languages gave him great facilities. He was
very diligent in acquainting himself with Christian
teachings around him, and especially of those promulgated
by Caspar Schwenkfeld.
In 1719 the Reformation had made great progress in
Silesia, and the Catholic Church in 1721 sent a mission
to convert the people back to the old faith, at
first laboring with them mildly, but soon after committing
great acts of violence. The persecuted people
in 1721, therefore, resolved to send an embassy to the
Emperor, to implore toleration. Of this body Balthasar
was one. During this effort, which lasted five
years, Hoffman delivered no less than seventeen memorials
to the royal ruler. At last, however, in 1726,
the mission turned the heart of the sovereign still
more against the reformed people, so that Balthasar
dared not show himself by day, but had to return by
night, taking with him to Ober Lausitz his wife and
two daughters. Even there he was not safe, but fled
again with his gray-haired father from Vienna by way
of Prague to Lausitz, and obtained the protection of
Count Zinzendorf. Here he resided eight years,