LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, %p iDP|n#fo : Shelf -i:)3D-J ^ ^ -T-HH3 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. i r^ Ik r\ MMiil TALES OF Early German History. BY / CHARLOTTE MOSCHELES n AUG 12 1886^-/ Or WASHlt^^ NEW YORK: The Franco-Amekican Book Company, 9 West 27th St. 1886. '\ Copyright 1886. BY H. R. EOCKWELL. DEDICATED TO BESSIE p. ROCKWELL, .ie: BY HER OLDEST FRIEND IN EUROPE C. M. CONTENTS, CHAPTER. PAGE. 1. What sort of people the Germans were, - I 2. How the old Germans lived and made war, 5 3. Boniface, 9 4. Pepin the Less, 12 5. Charlemagne, - 16 6. More a]:)Out Charlemagne, - - - - 21 7. Latter years of Charlemagne, - - - - 25 8. The Successors, 30 9. Lewis, the first German King, - - - - 34 10. The Last of the Carlovingians, ... 38 11. King Conrad I., 41 12. King Henry, - - 44 13. Villages and Towns, - - - - - 47 14. King Otto L, ...--.. 51 15. King Otto IL, - - - - - - - 55 , 16. King Otto HI., - - - - - - 58 17. King Henry II. , ...... 62 18. How the Germans lived eight hundred years ago, - - 65 19. Emperor Conrad II , - - - - - 70 20. Henry III., The Black, 72 21. Emperor Henry IV., 74- 22. Henry IV. (concluded) and Henry V., - - 78 23. How the Germans lived six or seven hundred years ago, 81 24. First Crusade, 87 25. Knights in the Olden Time, _ . . . 96 26. Empercr Conrad III., 100 27. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, - - - 105 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER. PAGE. 28. Barbarossa and the Crusaders, - - - III 29. Life in the Castles, - - - - - - I1I6 30. About the other Emperors of the Hohenstaufen race, 121 31. Emperor Frederick II., - - - - - 125 32. Orders of Knighthood, 133 33. Conradin, the Last of the Hohenstaufens, - 140 34. The Hanseatic League, . . . ,. 146 35. Emperor Rudolf of Hapsburg, . . . 150 36. Emperor Rudolf (concluded), - - - 155 37. Emperor Albrecht and the Swiss, - - - 162 38. How one King at a time was not enough for the German people, 171 39. Emperor Charles IV., 178 40. King Wenceslaus and Emperor Sigismund, - 185 41. The Vehmgericht^ 192 42. Pastimes in the Middle Ages, - - - 196 43. Emperors Albrecht II. and Frederick III., - 205 44. The Poor Scholars, 210 45. Emperor Maximilian, 214 46. About the Guilds, Corporations and Companies, 220 47. Various Trades and Professions in the Middle Ages, - 226 48. Quack Medicines and the Invention of Printing, 232 49. The Peasants' War — Life in Towns, - - 236 50. Martin Behaim and Christopher Columbus. — Close of the Middle Ages, .... 244 TALES OF EARLY GERMAN HISTORY, CHAPTER I. WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE THE GERMANS WERE. HERE are a few of you, my young English friends, who know some Ger- mans, and have mastered more or less of their language ; and some of you have, per- haps, traveled up *' Father Rhine,'' as we call the river, and seen several of the principal towns and splendid hotels in Germany. But there are not many of you, I fancy, who have been told anything about the German people in ages long ago (the Teutons as they were then called), or their mode of worship and warfare, their customs, habits or dress, and that is what I want you to know, and to show you how the old barbarians 2 ^ Early German History. became by degrees a great nation, equally distin- guished in science and art. In so doing I do not mean to burden your memory with many dates, nor do I intend you to read these tales about Germany as a lesson- book. They are derived from sources which I believe to be true, and the kings and their reigns are given in due order. If much of graver matter is omitted, at least no other fables, ex- cept the old legends which belong to ^'folk-lore/' are introduced in these pages. Should I suc- ceed in making you laugh at some of my anec- dotes, I shall be pleased, as I like young people to enjoy themselves ; and if you also find out that you are much happier than the old heathen Germans, since you have received the blessings of Christianity and have better modes of life and means of education, I shall be still more pleased. The feelings of happiness and gratitude for your privileges will brighten all your future lives. There is a saying that you may know what people are like by their dwellings. Well, these Germans of old, with their scanty clothing, formed of a bearskin thrown over one shoulder, were a match for their wretched habitations of low mud hovels, light and air coming in at the door while the smoke went out of it as best it might, for there were neither chimneys nor win- Early German People, 3 dows. A large wood-fire in the centre of the hut served to bake the flat cakes of bread and to roast what flesh the father and his sons might bring home. Hunting or warfare amongst the different tribes were the sole occupations not considered beneath the dig^nity of the men, while the poor women had to do all the menial work, their lords and masters often lying lazily stretched out on a buffalo-skin and never giving the least assistance. The dense forests harbored all sorts of wild beasts, but there were spaces cleared for wor- ship, surrounded by mighty oak trees, where their priests, the Druids, worshiped their hea- then gods. These priests were always chosen from amongst the elders of the tribe. They wore white robes, and their silver beards gave them a venerable aspect in the moonlight in which they usually held their services. When there was a question of peace or war with a neighboring tribe, the priests would mostly de- cide for war, when a chorus of men, young and old, was sure to support them, making their weapons clash with a frightful noise. You see they were brave and hardy, and had a great love of liberty, and besides this — though you would hardly believe it — they could sing beau- tifully when stimulated by hero-worship. A hero, in their eyes, was a man who had killed a 4 Early German History, great many enemies and delivered his tribe from danger, and he was exaUed above every one. Harpers, called bards, went about the country reciting their exploits ; the harps were but rude instruments and the songs mere ''recitative" without melody. They stirred the hearts of the youths and made them long for victory and for the honor of being sung of in turn, and for the reward of following those dead heroes to the Walhalla, their heaven, where they would live for ever in glory. CHAPTER II. HOW THE GERMANS OF OLD LIVED AND MADE WAR. PON the whole, I do not think you find * anything very loveable in these rough Germans, and yet they certainly had their good qualities. They were, as I said, hardy and brave, ready to die rather than be subdued by an enemy. This latter quality was soon put to the test ; for the Romans were a warlike nation, had conquered many countries, and broke into Germany, fancying it would be an easy matter to overcome that country also and carry off the people as slaves. This, however, was not so easily managed ; for the Germans resisted fiercely, and it was not until overwhelming numbers of soldiers had been sent into Germany that the Romans be- came masters of the country. Years of cruelty and bloodshed followed ; for the Germans (ever ready to retaliate) tried to invade Rome — foolish as it may seem that a handful of barbarians should attack the well-disciplined Roman legions. 5 6 Early German History, I should have only horrors to tell of this war- fare, had not all the ills which befel the Ger- mans turned to their good, which so often hap- pens in this world of ours. It is true, they were carried off as slaves and had much to endure, but they learnt a great deal from the civilized Romans : such as living in well-built houses, having their children taught in schools, and seeing justice done where there had been cruelty and injustice, and, in fact, how to submit in all things to wise laws. The Romans, on the other hand, tried to obtain the stalwart Germans for their armies ; and their emperor chose Ger- mans for his body-guard, dressed them splen- didly and allowed them every luxury. Thus, if we meet our German friends ten or twenty years later, we shall find them improved in everything ; some of them respectable farmers tilling the soil, others cultivating all kinds of fruit and vege- tables, while their villages are ruled by a count {Ga7igra/), whose jurisdiction is re- spected. In time of war they willingly followed their leader, whom they named Duke {Herzog). There were moonlight meetings, as heretofore, in which the leaders determined whether there was to be war or peace ; but I verily believe that their warlike propensities were still such as to make them always vote for war. While father and sons left their homes, mothers and daugh- Mode of Life. 7 ters pursued their more peaceful occupations. They minded the house and farmyard dihgently, spun the flax which they cultivated, then wove it into fine white linen and made it into long, loose garments which they wore girded with a wide belt. While spinning, they told their young boys all about the exploits of their fathers now at war with their enemies and sure to conquer them. Then when these returned laden with spoil, oh ! what feasting there was ! what draining of huge cans of beer ! what devouring of oxen and wild boar, fish and honey ! what singing of bards all the time of the blessings of peace obtained by these conquering heroes, wishing them a long life and the honors of Walhalla after their death. I wish I had not to tell you any more about wars and bloodshed, but, alas ! it was not enough for the Germans to have conquered the legions of the celebrated Roman general Varus, by the help of the hero Herrmann, for other enemies arose. A people called the Goths broke into Germany — Teutonia as it was then called — and having done all the mischief they could to the poor Teutons, turned to Rome with fire and sword. And yet their young king, Alaric, must have valued the art treasures of that celebrated city; for he not only tried to carry some of them off, but was going to settle in Italy and reign over it when death overtook him. And how do 8 Early Gennan History. you think his people buried him ? They drained the river Busento into a canal which they dug for the purpose, and in its dry bed set up the corpse of their king on his favorite charger, completely armed, then allowed the river to flow back into its bed and so hide for ever the grave of their valiant young king. Although I cannot explain to you the why and wherefore of this secrecy, yet I should not mind it had they not ensured it by barbarously murdering all the slaves employed in this work. After the Goths came the Huns, under their fierce and inhuman king Attila, a very scourge to his enemies and a bloodthirsty and, to all appearances, unconquerable foe ; but the united strength of the Germans, Romans and Franks (called French later on) managed to get the better of him. When he was killed there was no grief, but great rejoicing. E?P'r''r^ : 'r^ PP'-p* r* r* H r' r> r* HT^Pr^ \m ^^^^f^^^i ^^^^^ CHAPTER III. BONIFACE. WISE king of the Goths, Theodoric, much esteemed by the Romans and Germans, now began to rule over them. He embraced Christianity, civilized his people and had them taught to read and write. He was the first German king who got one of his bishops to translate a Bible into the Gothic language — a book which is now carefully pre- served and considered one of the greatest treas- ures of antiquity. Fancy the trouble of writing out the whole of the Bible after having trans- lated it, printing not being invented in those days. There were also pious men who, like the missionaries of our time, traveled about such countries as were still heathen, taught the people and tried to convert them. One of the best of these was Boniface, who came from England to preach the Gospel and teach many useful things. For more than fifty years he traveled about, doing all the good in 9 lo Early Ger^nan History. his power. Once, on coming to a large oak- tree under which a tribe of Germans used to pray to the god of the heathen, he said: ''The axe should be laid to this tree," and, suiting the action to the word, he felled it there and then. The benighted worshipers stood all amazed, expecting their god to send his thunder and lightning on the impious head of Boniface, But no ! the sun shone on the deed ; then they consulted together, and coming to the conclu- sion that the God of the Christians must be more powerful than their own god, they were all baptized Later on, the site of this heathen oak became the foundation of a Christian church. How sorry you will be to hear that this wor- thy apostle of Christ met with a mxOst cruel death in the land of the Friesis — a rude and cruel peo- ple. They slew him, as a blasphemer of their gods, in the most barbarous manner ; and not until many years after did the Hessian town of Fulda (where he had built a school) erect a monument in his honor. The greatest honor, however, to this day is, that he is said to have fully deserved the name of Boniface, or the Benefactor. Ever}' one of my readers knows some of our neighbors the French, or may have been in their beautiful country, which, in those times, Boniface. ii had the name of Gaul. Their kings were heathenish and all their ways barbarous. At length one of their kings went to fight a mighty, overbearing tribe which threatened destruction to the Franks, or Gauls ; and he vowed that if the God of the Christians, reputed to be all- powerful, should give him the victory, he would adore Him, and Him only, for the remainder of his life and try to convert his people also. Well, he did obtain the victory, and what is more, the king kept his word. So he himself and thous- ands of his subjects w^ere baptized about Christ- mas time, somewhat in the way of the Baptists, not merely being sprinkled with water, but thoroughly immersed, and that no less than three times. They were robed in white, and were so animated with religious fervor that they could bear up against this cold bath without shuddering. Christian priests soon came into the country, teaching the people and preventing the kings from carrying out their barbarous customs ; prisoners were treated more leniently and jus- tice done more frequently than heretofore. •^-^5*^^°^^^^^S°'^^*S^^ CHAPTER IV. PEPIN THE LESS. T this time the post of Major-domo (in German, Hausmeister) was created, an office of much power and responsi- bility; the Major-domo being- next the king and endowed with the power to invest the nobiHty with certain lands, which they might hold as their own in times of peace provided they would take an oath to fight for the king in times of war. The lands thus granted were called fiefs, and the oath of fealty taken by the nobles made them vassals of the king, the people being faithful followers of the nobles. Our present institutions are widely different. Our nobles inherit or purchase their lands ; we pay our judges, officers and workmen, and livings are distributed to the learned divines. At that time there was not much money, but a good deal of uncultivated land to be had, so how could they do otherwise than pay services by a grant of lands } 12 Pepin the Less. 13 You cannot think what a splendid sight it was when the nobles took the Oath of Fealty. The king sat on his throne, adorned with crown and sceptre ; and he alone had a right to wear his hair as long as it would grow without being touched by scissors. The Major-domo was at his side, and there were thousands of nobles in glittering armor, and thousands of people anxious to see the king and the nobles, who, on bended knees, vowed to assist the king in the destruction of the country's enemies. Another grand ceremony was the March meeting, when the king again sat upon his throne in the open air for three whole days to receive presents amid loud cheers. At the end of the ceremony he ascended a golden car, drawn by four oxen, and drove back to his palace. I am sure you picture the Major-domos to yourselves as powerful and mighty men. And so they were, until one Pepin, very small and un- dersized, but very clever, was chosen to fill the post. Many laughed at him and said all sorts of ill-natured things about his incapacity to lead the army. ''I will bide my time," thought Pepin, and his time came soon enough. There was a grand fight of wild beasts ; the king with his nobles and their splendidly attired dames watching it from a gallery — a savage 14 Early Ger^nan History, pleasure not unlike the bull-fights in Spain. A lion and a buffalo had just entered the lists, when the king called out, **Who of you gentle- men would Hke to step down and kill the lion V Of course, all remained silent, only a few voices ventured to say, "Better do it yourself. Sir King !" Pepin, however, took a sudden leap across the barrier, dashed into the arena, and in a trice had killed the lion. You may depend upon it he was never molested again with ill-natured remarks. But this small man did not only aim at being brave, his ambition rose much higher ; he wanted the throne. It is true, the king was very dull and stupid — quite unfit to reign. So Pepin sent a letter to the Pope, who was then, as now, the first of all bishops, only that he had much more power than Popes are allowed at present Pepin put it to him very cleverly that he had all the work to do — that all the cares rested upon him, the king taking his ease in perfect idleness. ''Did the Pope think that just.'*' If he had all the trouble, why not also have the title — why not be king himself.^ " Why not, indeed ?'' said the Pope, " whoever does the work should earn the benefit," and he forthwith proclaimed him king. Pepin's reign was a most prosperous one, as he raised the country to high honors and power. Pepin the Less. 15 When he died, he left two sons in every way worthy of their father. One of them was snatched away by an early death, but the other became the mighty King Charlemagne, or Caro- lus Magnus. CHAPTER V CHARLEMAGNE 768-8 1 4. OU see I have added the date of his reign, and shall do so with all the kings that followed him, that you may know when they lived Charlemagne was as tall and stately as his father had been small; he excelled in all manly exercises, and when seated on his war-horse in full armor he struck such terror into the hearts of his enemies that they would often acknowledge themselves vanquished rather than encounter him and his brave warriors in a pitched battle. His reign lasted no less than forty -six years, and every year he increased his dominion until at last he became master of a wide and mighty realm. Do not, however, think that this king delighted in warfare only ; on the contrary, he never ceased to use every means for the welfare and improvement of his people ; while for him- self he continued studying Latin and became the eager pupil of many wise and clever men 16 Charlemagne. ly who found a hearty welcome at his court. To make the most of time, he had followers who read to him while dressing or taking his meals. He built many schools that children might be better taught than they had hitherto been. He often visited these schools and had the best pupils pointed out to him and encouraged them by many kind words and the promise of pro- viding for them when grown up to be clever men. When the poor children found he was as kind to them as to the sons of the nobles, they knew that he was a king such as there had never been before ; and you may imagine how they loved him. Pray, let me not forget to tell you how fond he was of music, for indeed he did love it. He sent for clever organ players and singers to come from Italy and perform before him. As to justice, it used to be done in a most arbi- trary way by judges who, although noble by birth, were not wise in counsel ; and that, too, this great king altered for the better. Whenever he met divines who tried to do good and ad- monished the people to do so likewise, he showed them much honor, went to listen to their sermons and gave them the money to build new churches, the finest of which is the cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle. I must tell you an old legend I heard about i8 Early German History, this cathedral. The architect who built it was a long, long time erecting it, and the king getting impatient to see it completed made the poor architect promise either to have it done by a cer- tain day or to forfeit his head. Such a violent measure would certainly not be permitted in our days, but this was a thousand years ago, and many things which were then done would now be considered a crime. This building went on and on, but ala,ck-a-day ! it was not finished when it ought to have been ; so fancy the dis- tracted state the architect must have been in on the very last night at the thought of having but a few more hours to live! He was half crazed, indeed, and that accounts for his having prayed not to God (which, as a good Christian, he ought to have done), but to the devil ! " Oh, Sir Devil, come and help me ; so that when I wake up to-morrow, there the cathedral may stand, all finished, and my life be saved ! In re- turn, Sir Devil, thou shalt have for thine own the soul of him who is the first to pass through the cathedral. That's a bargain. '' After this wicked prayer he ran about wildly, madly, till he dropped on his bed quite exhausted and fell asleep. When he awoke it was bright day, and oh, mir- acle ! the cathedral stood there completely fin- ished. Well, he did rejoice, but only for a few moments, for who was to fall into the clutches Charlemagne. 19 of the devil ? and was it not worse to have lost an immortal soul than his own life, so lately bought at the cost of another ? At these maddening stings of conscience he fell on his knees, and this time fervently prayed to God to ward off the mischief he had done, and God heard him. Scarcely had the massive doors of the cathedral been flung open to prepare for the reception of the king and court, than a wolf rushed in. Has a wolf a soul ? The architect, of course, said it had and that Mr. Devil was well paid ; but he, in his turn, vowed he would not be balked, and would prove it, too, by destroying the whole city in revenge. So he went to Holland and tore up one of its largest dunes, with the amiable intention of carrying it to Aix-la-Chapelle and suddenly dropping it and burying the devoted town beneath it — souls and all. He accordingly shouldered his burden and walked, walked, walked. * * * ]g^t ^^g road seemed interminable and he got very hot and tired with that heavy load upon his shoulder. *'If I only knew how much farther I have to go," said he to himself, but the road was solitary and no one near to ask about the distance. At length he met a poor old woman and accosted her with, "Pray, my good woman, how far might it be from here to the town ? " She must have 20 Early German History, been shrewd enough, for after having a good look at him she thought to herself, *' You don't look pleasant, and maybe you have some un- pleasant intention, too/' So she said, "Oh, sir, its very, very far off. Look at my shoes ; they were new when I left my home and now they are tattered and torn with walking." Upon hearing this the devil, in a fit of passion, threw down his load, that large dune that he had carried all the way from Holland, and that here formed quite a mound. Little did he know that he was only a mule or two distant from the town and that the mound thus created should afterwards become a place of amusement for the good people of Aix-la-Chapelle ; for in process of time they built a pretty house on the little eminence, which they named Luisberg. You may see them sitting there any fine afternoon, sipping coffee and eating cake, and in winter time enjoying many indoor amusements. In- deed, the Luisberg Hotel is now quite a famous place^ and you cannot help rejoicing at the good turn which wickedness and superstition here took, wishing that all your own troubles may end as pleasantly, by the help of a kind Provi- dence. CHAPTER VI. MORE ABOUT CHARLEMAGNE. ND now that I have come to the end of the legend, I must tell you that the great King Charles also founded many houses for studious and clever men and women who did not care to live in the gay, bust- ling world, but preferred devoting all their time and learning to teaching young people. All those amongst them who had talent were brought up to become teachers in their turn, and thus to spread science in their own and other countries. Others were taught the tilling of fields and the management of farm-yards, which greatly increased the produce of the land. All had to pray with their teachers, to tend the sick and speak comforting words to the dying ; also to keep their garden and house in what we should call apple-pie order. These useful houses were called convents ; there were some convents for men and others for women, the former called monks and the latter 21 22 Early German History. nuns. They taught the people, and there still exist many relics of their industry, such as prayer books illustrated by paintings, and the most elaborate work in lace and embroidery, which you will have an opportunity of admiring, as they are carefully preserved in museums such as the South Kensington and others. Well, all these institutions and their labors, so useful at the time I am speaking of, are no longer needed, and have, for the greater part, been aboHshed. There are now many ways of get- ting information, many schools for even the poor- est to get a good education at and perfect any talent they may be endowed with. Science is not confined to the learned few, but spread abroad for the many in journals on new dis- coveries and scientific matters. As for agricul- ture and horticulture, they, too, have their widely circulated papers and books to teach the ignorant. We have also become aware that we may serve God and our fellow-men better than by shutting ourselves up and saying a great many prayers. We have to work to the utmost of our abilities in the world and for the world ; the statesmen in governing, the scientific men in finding out new and beneficial means for throw- ing light on dark questions, those who have to earn their living in working hard and raising Charlemagne. 23 their several professions, and the workmen in applying diligently the many new inventions made in machinery. Then we must one and all pray to God to help us in our endeavors and to improve us in Christian love and charity, that we may put aside small bickerings and bloody strife, thus enabling us to devote more leisure to the production or enjoyment of the fine arts. We are not content in our days to produce an illuminated prayer book or an elaborate piece of needlework. Artists, both male and female, paint large pictures, made known to thousands in public exhibitions. Music is taught even in village schools, that the children, when grown up, may have acquired a taste for the works of the greatest composers, which are made ac- cessible to them by small entrance fees to grand concerts. There still remain a few houses where pious men and women tend the sick and teach the ignorant; but they are not subject to the narrow ideas of the olden times, so that they also are a blessing according to our modern ideas. We cannot help admiring the kindness of those who cheerfully undertake so serious a task, provided they have no nearer domestic ties, such as aged parents or near relations requiring their assist- ance. I told you that Charlemagne conquered many 24 Early German History. tribes, thus extending his kingdom ; but there was one people that would not submit, and these were the warlike and heathenish Saxons. Every time they had apparently yielded and adopted the Christian religion they broke forth again, nor did they shrink from their barbarous custom of making their prisoners the victims of human sacrifice. It took Charles full thirty years to subdue them and their leader Whitekind, and to get them settled in new-built towns with churches and schools, where they became gra- dually civihzed. There was one superstition they clung to above all others, and this was the witches' dance, which they fancied was held in the night of the ist of May. Large fires were kindled on the highest peak of the Hartz moun- tains, called the Blocksberg, and above it, in mid- air, the witches were supposed to dance with the devil on broomsticks, rams and black cats. But that wild fancy has died out by degrees. CHAPTER VII. LATTER YEARS OF CHARLEMAGNE. HARLES was so celebrated for his prowess that the Pope called for his assistance against the Longobards who were threatening to invade Rome. The brave king and his Franks crossed the Alps and soon put the Longobards to flight. Charles did not much care about the Pope and all his subjects conferring praise and honors upon him. What he Hked was the sight of splen- did, ancient Rome and the intercourse with the clever men he met there; and he tried, through their aid, to improve himself in science and the fine arts, and made many of them follow him back to his own country to teach his sons. His daughters, although princesses, had to learn spinning and weaving, and were made to be saving and industrious according to the an- cient German custom ; for he loved the Ger- mans and generally resided with them in prefer- ence to living in the French provinces of his 25 26 Early German History. kingdom. He did not, however, approve of their carousings and the waste of time in sleeping off their excesses. He hated idleness, was very mode- rate in eating and drinking, and did not waste many hours in sleep ; indeed, he was known to carry on business through many hours of the night. So does likewise the present Emperor William of Germany, an octogenarian, ever ac- tively employed for the welfare of his people ; but he has the great advantage over the early kings of whom we are speaking of being able to telegraph his orders to all parts of his large do- minions, and hearing in a few minutes, or at most hours, that they have been received and executed. His armies, too, are easily conveyed to distant countries by means of railways or steamships, no matter how large their number or how heavy their ammunition. King Charles, who mostly resided at Aix-la- Chapelle, had to lose quite a month before he could give orders to quell an insurrection which might have broken out in some distant province. The quickest way of sending messages was by horsemen, but they were often stopped by the enemy or delayed by bad roads, bad weather and inundations. The moving of an army seemed all but impossible, what with mires and ditches, mountains and forests which had to be passed. An active king like Charles would, of Charlemagne. 2*J course, often set out to command his troops, and so you may fancy what a restless, laborious life he led. In the intervals of peace he was all zeal in farming, being quite aware how many eggs were laid, how much milk produced, and whe- ther the fields were tilled so as to bring forth a plentiful harvest. I am sure you call him a model king, and so did all the people and Pope Leo, his friend and Admirer. This powerful prelate wished to bestow some great honor upon the great King Charles ; so one day he crowned him in St. John Lateran's, at Rome, the people calling out: *' May blessings descend upon the wearer of this golden crown — this greatest prince of all Christendom!'* Germany, France and Italy now belonged to him ; but even strange kings wished to show him their regard and esteem by sending him valuable presents. Thus he received the first clock ever known to strike the hours, and the first elephant ever seen in Europe. This latter great wonder, when parading the streets led by its keeper, performed the most astounding feats with its trunk. The latter years of the great king's life were embittered by illness and grief. He became too weak to mount his horse and take the com- mand on the battlefield, nor could he bear the 28 Early German History, weight of the heavy armor then worn. His three sons had to lead the armies in his stead, which they did vaHantly ; but, alas ! the two elder died, one after the other, and only the third, a most delicate young prince, was left to him. You may fancy his grief at these be- reavements and how so much sorrow increased the bodily ailments of his old age. When about to die, he sent to Aix-la-Chapelle for his only son, Louis, prayed with him, and, placing the crown upon his head, exhorted him to reign as a pious, wise and just monarch. He died in the year 814; and, instead of being buried hke other people, his corpse, clad in full armor, was placed in a stone arm-chair in the spacious vault of the cathedral at Aix-la- Chapelle, his prayer-books on a stone table be- side him. Thus he sat for many, many years ; and you will hear by-and-bye of a king who caused this vault to be opened Many statues were erected in different towns in honor of Charlemagne, and the minstrels went about singing his praise in rather high-flown strains. He was the sun, said they, shedding light all around him ; his high and mighty sta- ture towered above everybody and commanded respect ; wisdom shone from his bright eyes and manly brow ; and, as old age overtook him, the severity of his countenance and the silver locks Charlemagne, 29 which encircled it commanded love and venera- tion. Terrible in war, merciful in peace, he was respected even by his enemies ; and to the poor and needy — whom he was ever ready to assist — he proved a blessing. He was a king who had the fear of the Lord before him, and, by it, was guided in all his actions. -^ ^ ^.^.r CHAPTER VIII. THE SUCCESSORS. OUIS was very pious, too, but very- weak withal and unable to rule his people without much assistance. He used to ask everybody's advice, always waver- ing between different opinions, and when he did feel what was right he was too feeble to act up to the promptings of his conscience. In fact, he loved his books better than his people and preferred solitary studies to an active life. About that time there were many priests am- bitious to rule and better able to reign than the king ; and what did they do but actually make him believe that a life of prayer, and of prayer only, was the most praiseworthy, and allow them to rule that he might pray. He knew very well that his father had desired him to act after his own example in fulfilling his numerous duties as a king, not neglecting either prayers or study, but not devoting himself to these exclusively. 30 The Successors. 3 1 If you look at the map you will find that France, Germany and Italy belonged to his kingdom ; to him this was overwhelming, and he thought that by dividing his lands between his sons he should lighten his own burden. But on the contrary, the sons were dissatisfied with their respective shares, complained of in- justice in the division of the lands, made war upon each other, and, impossible to forgive, ended by making war upon their aged father. Shattered in mind and body, he wanted to re- tire into a convent. To this the priests objected, fearing that another king would not allow them quite as much power but would prefer ruling the kingdom in his own way. They called Louis the best and wisest of kings, henceforth to be named Louis the Pious ; but poor Louis the Pious was vanquished on the battle-field of Colmar, in Alsatia, by his own sons — saw them triumphing over him and then surrendered. They wickedly had him im- prisoned, but the best among them, bearing his father's name, managed to set him free. Then the bishops who, seeing all his power gone, had made peace with the sons and forsaken the king's cause, declared he could only be forgiven his sinful ways ))y confessing in church before his people that he had deserved punishment and al- lowing himself to be publicly scourged and then 32 Early German History. sent into a convent. To all this the poor old benighted king submitted ; but his son Louis again delivered him and set him upon his throne. Well, this happiness was of short duration, for new dissensions arose between father and sons ; and just as they were going to meet each other in the field, death overtook the king in an island near Mayence. Not many mourned his loss, his weakness having injured almost all his subjects, who now hoped for renewed pros- perity under a new king. But no such good thing was in store for them, since the three brothers, Lothair, Louis and Charles quarreled as to who should be emperor. Lothair, the eldest and most hard-hearted, pre- tended the realm was his, but Louis and Charles united against their brother; for they, too, wanted to reign, and said: ''Let us divide our father's possessions and each have a share.'' Who was right ? Nobody knew. The bishops maintained there ought to be no division and no three kings. Others said the realm was too large for one man to reign over ; Charlemagne could do it, but now that he was dead there was no one hke him, and Lothair least of all. Let the three brothers come to an amicable understanding and each have a part. Louis and Charles agreed, but Lothair would not ; so there was civil war again, which ended The Successors. 33 in the terrible battle of Fontenay, Charles and Louis being victorious and Lothair put to flight. His brothers did not pursue him when they saw the number of corpses lying on this desolate battlefield, where so much innocent blood had been shed because three brothers could not agree ! . Lothair wandered about in strange countries and tried to enlist new followers for a new war- fare against his brothers ; but now the bishops interfered, declaring that the brothers must agree. After cavilling quite a twelvemonth about the conditions of peace, they met at Ver- dun, in France, and settled that Louis was to reign over the German part of the empire as the first German king, under the title of Louis the German. The other brothers had France and Italy, but as this is a German history we need not trouble ourselves further about them. CHAPTER IX. LOUIS, THE FIRST GERMAN KING 843. ONLY want you to remember that at the treaty of Verdun, in the year 843, Germany became a separate king- dom, ruled by Louis, the son of Louis the Pious, and grandson of Charlemagne. He was a good, peace-loving king who would willingly have ruled his people in equity and forbearance, giving them good institutions and avoiding wars. However, as his barbarous, heathenish enemies, the Slavs, would annoy him by breaking into his kingdom and committing many ravages, what could he do but fight them till they were conquered and driven away ? Then his brothers tried to rob him of some of his lands, so that there again was discontent and strife, much against his wishes. But as if troubles by land were not enough, there were others, and the worst of all, by sea. A strong race, the Normans, came in swift-sailing ships from Norway, that cold and barbarous country. 34 Louis ^ the First German King, 35 They approached the coasts by night on their sea-horses, as they called their ships, and landed to pillage the houses, to carry off the flocks and to burn the property. Men and women were dragged off as captive slaves, and before the day dawned — before the glare of their fires had been noticed by the sleeping neighbors — the white sails of the pirates were far out at sea. They would often appear in mighty, well-manned fleets, and overrun towns and large tracts of land ; light boats carried them up a river, and where a tract of dry lan4 intervened they would carry these boats on their shoulders from one town to another. Hamburg, Bremen, Cologne, Aix-la-Chapelle, Treves and other tpwns were devastated by them. The burning of those places was easy work, all the houses being built of wood. You can imagine that the men en- listing in such a cause were a set of dishonorable ruffians. They soon made friends with all the refuse of the population, who guided the lawless invaders where they might have lost their way, and together with them attacked the property of the good and affluent citizens. In France they did even more mischief than in Germany, and the king not being able to conquer them tried to conciliate them by gifts. At last the three brothers agreed to expel them by joint forces from the coasts of France, Italy 36 Early German History. and Germany, and they might have done so had not the two quarrelsome brothers disagreed again with Louis, who was unable to satisfy either their claims or those of some of his near relations. They were bent upon strife and they had plenty of it, for the Normans finding no opposition grew bolder than ever. Then the nobles built strong castles with high and mighty towers along the coast, armed all their followers and placed watchmen in their towers. As soon as these perceived a pirate ship in the distance they gave notice in the castle and out rushed the armed men and received the robbers with such a volley of arrows that you may be sure they were glad to retreat and take to sea again. These strong castles were a great security to the country, but they had their evil consequences, too; for the nobles, feeling unconquerable in their strongholds, got proud and overbearing, and would sometimes disobey even their king. The country people who had no fortified castles used to fly before the pirates, carrying with them their families, their flocks and all their moveable property into some dense forest, defended by thickly planted thorns. Sometimes their hiding place was not discovered, but. at any rate they suffered much loss by their houses being de- stroyed. The troublous reign of this peace-loving king Louisy the First German King. 37 ended after thirty-six years of strife. He died in the year 876 at Frankfort, where you may see in the senate-house (called the R'dmer) the sup- posed likenesses of the German kings in mural paintings (called in art language al fresco, meaning that they were painted direct on the walls by some particular process). Do not fail to have a look at them if ever you go to Frank- fort. CHAPTER X THE LAST OF THE CARLOVINGIANS. SHOULD like to tell you more about paintings, but I am obliged to turn to another bad king, Charles the Fat, son of Louis the German. He had inherited France and Italy from his brothers who died before him, so that all the lands held by Charle- magne came into his possession again ; but what of that ? He was cowardly, and neither good nor brave, and instead of sending his large armies against the Xorman pirates, tried to buy them off by grants of money and lands which, of course, incensed his nobles. When at last he was visited by an incurable disease, they voted him altogether incompetent to reign, made him abdicate in favor of his nephew, Arnulf, and shut him up in the convent of Reichenau, where he soon died. If ever there was a good and powerful king it was this Arnulf. ''Conciliate the Normans, in- deed ? " said he, ' better drive them far away and 38 The Last of the Carlovingians. 39 persecute them, so that they shall never return to our coasts. Fear them ? Not we ! they must learn to fear us ! " And so it happened. He did drive them away and they did fear him, and for a long time did not venture to return to the coast. It really seemed as if the good times of Charle- magne had come back, when, after a reign of only twelve years, Arnulf died, leaving his little son, seven years old, to become king by proxy, and to be crowned in due form under the title of Louis the Child. His was a sorry reign again, for there were three councillors, consequently three different opinions and three men who were more intent upon their own benefit than upon that of either king or state. So what was the consequence? Desperate warfare, not by the seafaring Normans this time, but by a savage people, the Huns, that came from Hungary, invading Germany by thousands and tens of thousands. You see they had chosen the right moment for their depredations, and their king, called Attila, who was a very monster of daring and cruelty, swiftly overran Germany while the councillors of the child-king were de- bating how to oppose him. He burnt down ever so many villages and towns, devastated whole tracts of land, destroyed convents, carried away everything that was valuable, and finally 40 Early German History, routed the German troops in a fierce battle. That was a wretched state of things, and wretchedly matters went on after the death of the poor little king, who only lived to be eighteen years old. ^ayjTj-^;-!'; ^ CHAPTER XL KING CONRAD I 9 1 1, HERE being no direct heir to the crown, the dukes went on quarreling as to who should be chosen to wear it, and, after a troublous time, fixed upon Duke Conrad. He was crowned in 911 under the name of King Conrad I. The country was in anything but a prosperous state, but the new sovereign was brave and soon became dreaded by foreign foes. He was also kind, and tried to win the hearts of his subjects by his affable manners. He used sometimes to visit the convents and one day came to St. Gal- len just as the monks were sitting down to din- ner. '*You must share with me whetn^r you like it or not," said the king, and sat down. "We have but poor fare to-day," said the superior ; ''to-morrow it will be different, for to-morrow there will be new bread and beans." As though /haf were a treat ! I can hear you say ; but you see they were not accustomed to indulge in as 41 42 Early German History, good meals asjj/c>« get. The king made some of the pupils of the convent school read to him during the meal, which they did so well that he got them to come up close to him and put a gold coin into the mouth of each. One of the boys who could not make out why^ began to cry and spit out the piece of money. *' Quite right, my boy/' laughed the king, "thou art cut out for a good monk, who ought to despise money as well as other wordly goods." After dinner the whole school had to defile before the king in the garden, and what did he do but have a quantity of fine, red-cheeked apples strewn on the ground. '* Let us see whether they will be tempted to take them,'' said the King. But no ! not one of them tried to pick up an apple. Then the king, greatly pleased with their excellent training, told their abbot they must have three extra holidays in the year, which, as you may fancy, the boys were not a little pleased at. I told you the nobles had got rather proud and overbearing ; indeed, they seemed to have quite forgotten there was a king, and that on his accession they had bound themselves, by the oath of fealty to be his good and faithful sub- jects. They now wanted to carry on their own petty warfare against each other, which did much harm to the country, and brought no end of trouble on the poor king during his seven years' reign. King Conrad L 43 '-When he felt death approaching, he said to the heir presumptive, his brother Eberhard: *^Take the royal insignia and carry them to Henry of Saxony ; he is the mightiest of all the dukes and will know how to rule the country. I did not manage to protect it, and no more will you ; but Henry is powerful and success attends him. Seek his alliance and friendship and you will prosper/' Eberhard and the nobles felt the truth of these words and acted accordingly. CHAPTER XII. KING HEXRY 9 I 9. HEN Duke Eberhard and his knights, carrying the crown, the royal mantle, M the sword and the crown jewels, ar- rived in Saxony, they were told that Duke Henry had gone to his castle in the Hartz Mountains, not far from the town of Brunswick, his favorite residence. There they went and found him doing — zt'ha/ do you think? You will never guess, so I must tell you. He was listening to the nightingales, thrushes and other birds, and trying to imitate their notes, which attracted them towards him, then he caught them in nets and trained them, which made him known as King Henry the Bird-catcher. Poor birds, you will say, and so do I. Henry loved the chase, too; and the Hartz ]\Iountains, then abounding in wolves, bears and buffaloes, gave him ample means of following his bent You must not, for all that, believe that he was 44 King Henry. 45 always roaming amid mountains and forests ; for he had built many towns and firmly repelled the enemies who wanted to rob him of them. Now that the crown was offered him he gladly accepted it, feeling that he should wear it with due honor and soon restore peace amongst the rebellious barons. In this he succeeded. Partly by leniency, partly by firmness, he turned them from being his bitterest foes into the most faithful followers. Then reigning would have been an easy task had not the wild Hungarians again broken into Germany, burning, pillaging and carrying off thousands of prisoners. They had quite the ad- vantage over the German foot-soldiers, being mounted upon fleet horses which bore them along like the whirlwind. I scarcely know what might have become of the poor Saxons had they not somehow succeeded in catching one of the chief leaders of the Hungarians and kept him a close prisoner. *'We must deliver him," said his countrymen. *' We will not give him up," said King Henry. At last, after much parley, it was settled that his ransom should be a nine- years' armistice between the two nations, on con- dition of the Saxons paying a yearly tribute to the Hungarians. *' If they leave me nine years in peace," thought Henry, ''I shall so com- pletely strengthen my army and give it such 46 Early German History. splendid horsemen that I may surely resist them." And so it happened. For at the end of the ninth year, when the enemy demanded his usual tribute, he was sent off with threats, and ulti- mately beaten in the famous battle of Merseburg. Those of the Hungarians who were not killed perished with frost and hunger, or were made prisoners. So thoroughly were these wild hordes beaten that they did not for many years venture to re-enter the German boundaries. CHAPTER XIIL VILLAGES AND TOWNS. TOLD you that King Henry built many towns, but, pray, do not fancy they were such as we inhabit. There were no row^s of houses, no well paved and lighted streets, only some wooden one-storied huts scat- tered here and there ; and if thai was a great im- provement, think how matters must have been before. It seemed more difficult in those days to build a town than to erect splendid churches, for I have told you about the cathedral of Aix-la- Chapelle, and we know that Mayence and Bam- berg had equally fine ones in very remote times. King Henry had much trouble in persuading his people that they could live more securely in towns than in a lonely hut, but, by degrees, he succeeded in that also. The next improvement was their building chimneys and having glass windows ; yet their towns did not resemble ours. They were built more like fortresses; mighty walls encircled them ; all their bridges were .47 48 Early German History. draw-bridges, and moats kept off the hordes of enemies by being filled with water, while watch-towers erected on the walls enabled the townsfolk to prepare for their approach. . As to trades, there were none in those early- days. Every owner of land had a number of people under him, some of whom tilled the soil while others attended to the cattle, and that, you will say, is the case with us, too. But they also had their own peo- ple to make them a pair of shoes, a new saddle, a tool or piece of armor when wanted ; they shoed their own horses * their meat could not be cooked until they had shot it ; their fish not dressed until . caught in their pond, and as to vegetables and fruit, I think they were badly off for those. The culture of flowers was not known, but then, as now, there must have been the lovely wild flowers — those sweet children of the soil, that grow without nursing, and are often disregarded, but ought not to be. In process of time, however, men took to trades, and chose to settle in a way which is now rather avoided. The shoemakers, tanners, smiths, tailors and other tradesmen would Hve in the same row of houses ; and that is why in Germany many streets retain the names of Smith Street, Shoemaker Street, Tailor Street, Tanner Street. Villages and Towns, 49 The oldest German towns were built close to rivers, as Hamburg on the Elbe, Vienna '* '' Danube, Frankfort ' " Main, Cologne ' *' Rhine, Lubeck ' '' Trave. Most of these rivers flow into the great Nor- thern Sea, or the Baltic, so that the situation of these towns soon helped on trade with foreign nations. I do not think the Germans of those times had any other ornaments than curiously wrought weapons ; and if one of our ancient friends were to wake up by miracle seated in one of our luxuriant arm-chairs, a soft carpet under his feet, and surrounded by a profusion of costly glass, china and nick-nacks of all countries and styles, what would he say ? And again, if the ancient lady in the loose linen garment could behold our belles squeezed into their costly brocades, what could not fail to be her astonishment? But a truce to my t/s. The dead do not rise, they slumber peacefully while the world travels on. It is true, in small matters, not everything is an improvement ; but Germany has been and is making gigantic strides towards perfection ; and I would have you keep your eyes open to the difference of her state now and heretofore. 50 Early German History. Let us return to the '' heretofore." There was one serious evil. The masters of the land pos- sessed not only house, fields and farm, but their men also were their property. They had not only to work for the master, but they and their families were not allowed to leave him unless he permitted it. Poor things I they had no more Hberty than a caged bird, and that we pity, too ; and although men were not exactly in cages, they, being creatures endowed with reason and feeling, must have suffered more intensely ; and, indeed, are they not entitled to liberty of action provided they have not forfeited it by crime? You know that in England as well as in America and other enlightened countries slavery is not permitted, and benevolent men are trying their utmost to abolish it in the few benighted countries where wicked slave-traders desire to keep it up. I hope you have heard of the great African traveler, David Livingstone, who sacrificed his own life in order to suppress the slave-trade. \ -°^>o^«i ^^^j^rj,^^.,^,^^^ j'^^^j^;j ^^^>| CHAPTER XIV. KING OTTO I. 936. HEN he felt himself dying, King Henry- sent for his nobles and made them vow fidelity to Otto, his eldest son, who was entitled to the crown by birthright. Nevertheless, his younger brother Henry would fight for it, and not being able to obtain it, attempted the life of his brother Otto. In this wicked design he failed ; still we can scarcely blame the king for having him imprisoned. He managed to escape ; and, at Christmas time, as Otto was hearing mass in the cathedral of Frank- furt, a man suddenly dropped down on his knees before him. Who should that be but brother Henry, imploring him to forgive and forget. Otto at first turned from him in disgust, but the good abbot of Fulda stepped forward, and, Gospel in hand, read aloud St. Peter's words: " Lord, how often shall I forgive my brother who has sinned against me? seven times?'' * * No, " answers the Lord, ' * seventy times seven. " 51 52 Early German History. Upon hearing which, Otto clasped his contrite brother in his arms and forgave him. Henry was so overcome by his generosity that he became the king's most faithful ally, and helped him to repel his enemies, the Slavs and Danes. When these northern enemies were conquered, the king had suddenly to turn to Italy to assist the lovely queen Adelaide, whose husband had been cruelly murdered. Not un- like king Richard III. of England, the assassin dared to ask her to become his wife. Of course she loathed him. So a kind friend, a priest, got her safely placed in the strong castle of Canossa, and then hurried off to Germany to solicit the aid of King Otto. ''I am coming well armed and with a strong force,'' said he, "this Queen Adelaide is not a stranger to me ; her praises have long been ringing in my ears. She has lost her husband — I am a widower — perhaps I can win her and at the same time place the crown of Italy on my head. At any rate I will send her a letter and a ring in token of my allegiance. " So he dispatched a messenger to the castle of Canossa. But what was to be done to obtain admission '^, The draw- bridges were up, the moats were full of water and the strong walls well guarded to protect the young Queen. Who could tell but that this messenger was an enemy.?* Better not let him King Otto L 53 in. He, however, managed to deliver his mes- sage, and in what manner, do you think? He tied the letter enclosing the ring to an arrow, and, being a clever marksman, he shot it into the castle. The Queen read it with delight ; and Otto was as good as his word. He came and delivered her from her persecutor who had usurped the crown of Italy. Then he married her and thus became himself king of that country. I am grieved to say that all his happiness was marred by the rebelHon of his undutiful son, Ludolf, who attempted to reign in Germany while the King was in his Italian dominions. Otto soon returned ; got the better of the rebels, and forgave his son as he had forgiven his brother. But the matter did not rest there. The wild Hungarians, finding the king engaged in civil war, thought this might be again a favor- able opportunity for their wicked designs upon Germany, and they rushed in great force along the shores of the Danube and Rhine and com- mitted the most frightful depredations. They had, however, counted without their host, for Otto soon overtook them and so thoroughly routed them in the famous battle of the Lechfeld, near Augsburg, that they fled and never troubled Germany again. Otto, like Charlemagne, was honored by 54 Early German History, foreign princes and received costly gifts from them. Never had our ancient Germans seen such precious silver tankards or such splendid carpets, or, above all, such curious creatures as ostriches, camels and lions. The king' had the animals kept in fine cages and shown as the curiosities of his court The Pope himself placed the imperial crown up- on his head, which made him the greatest monarch in Christendom ; the greatest, yes, but not the happiest, for the Italians did not approve of being ruled by a German king. They rebelled against him as soon as he tried to enjoy him- self in peace with his old mother and his wife and family in his beloved Germany ; so that he had constantly to travel backwards and forwards between Germany and Italy. The two countries being so far apart he felt that to be an irksome task. He died in the church of Memleben, in Thu- ringia, while attending divine service. It was a noble death and worthy of such a noble life. CHAPTER XV. KING OTTO II. 972. HE young- King, Otto H., son of Otto I., was only eighteen years old when he ascended his father's throne — just the age of Queen Victoria when she began to reign ; but she had wise counsellors who guided all her actions, and he, poor young fellow, was to be counted answerable for all his doings. He was slightly made, yet clever at manly exercises ; he had a cultivated mind and many gifts which endeared him to his subjects. He, in return, loved them ; so that people began to expect great things from their clever, cheerful, lively young King. But it was not likely that he would achieve them at that early age, and he lacked the firmness which had distinguished some of his ancestors. Before long all his subjects became discon- tented. First one of his cousins rebelled, and would have usurped his throne had he had his wish ; then there were years of cavilling and 55 56 Early German History. fighting about the province of Lorraine. The French wanted it and the Germans would not give it up, and as it is the borderland between the two countries it was pulled hither and thither until at last the Germans became victorious and it was left in their possession. Then came the old evil — the revolts in Italy, while Otto II. had to carry on war in Germany ; so no sooner had he done with the Franks than he carried a large army across the Alps to settle his Italians. Of course they got frightened, for they had fancied him far too busily engaged in that distant land, Germany, to interfere with them. They were not sufficiently strong to oppose Otto's powerful army, still they might have been if the Arabs had come and helped them, and to the Arabs they turned in their distress. On being summoned, these renowned horsemen rushed in hordes into Italy on their fleet coursers, and soon routed Otto's army most completely. It was at Basantello, on the shores of the Mediter- ranean, and there you might have seen him wandering in disguise from place to place, ex- pecting every moment to fall in with his power- ful enemies. At last he spied a Greek vessel, and in it hoped to escape without being known; then think of his terror when he heard the crew whisper, "That is our enemy of enemies, the Emperor Otto ! " King Otto IL 57 and they surrounded him, threatening to make him their prisoner. Whatever he may have felt, his presence of mind never forsook him, and turning to some of them in the most unconcerned way told them he was just going to Constanti- nople to the Greek Emperor. ''Then we have been mistaken/' he heard t'hem whisper; ''if this were Otto he surely would not go to his bitterest enemy, the Emperor of Greece.'' They molested him no further, but he little trusted them, and when the boat stopped at a place where he knew his empress and her friends to have taken refuge, he asked leave to send a boat ashore to buy the presents which he meant to take to the emperor at Constantinople. As soon as the messenger got out of the boat he told the em- press of Otto's danger, and some of her friends, disguised as skippers, rowed out to the Greek vessel and got as close to her as possible. Then Otto leapt into the sea and was hauled into the boat by his friends, and before the Greeks had recovered from their surprise he was safely landed amongst his followers. You see it was his presence of mind that saved him. No sooner did the sad news of the emperor's defeat reach Germany than the princes one and all stood up to save fair Italy, but poor Otto IL died before the enemy could be attacked. He was only twenty-eight years old. CHAPTER XVI. KING OTTO III. 9 S3. |TTO II. left but one baby son, whom at three years of age they crowned King of Italy. But do you think they left him and his young mother, Theophania (a Greek princess), in peace ? Not they. The Duke of Bavaria wanted to be king ; the French again wanted the border province of Lorraine. They took the dear little baby king away from, his poor mother and made her thoroughly unhappy. Then the German princes one and all re- claimed the boy and made her regent during his minority. She did her best, but an early death snatched her away, leaving her boy an orphan eleven vears old. Now it was his o^rand- mother, Queen Adelaide, and the faithful and pious Archbishop of Mayence who reigned in his stead. The famous Girbert, a very wonder of science and learning, became the lad's tutor. When scarcely sixteen he was crowned at Rome as Otto III., and he enjoyed the pomp 58 King Otto IIL 59 and grandeur of that splendid city so much that he meant to make it the capital of his realm. Then feeling that the vanities of this world were but passing joys and that a pious life would be more conducive to his happiness, he left Rome in the midst of her festivities, threw off his regal attire, and, accompanied by a bishop, he spent a fortnight in a cavern praying and fasting. You would scarcely believe that the Italians, so ready to celebrate their king when at Rome, would turn upon him as soon as he was gone. Born under a hot sun, they are rather a hot- headed people ; they like excitement, whether of pleasure or pain. They can have festivities at one time and a rebellion to follow — and re- bellious they became as soon as Otto had re- turned to Germany. Had the Germans been as fickle as the Italians there would have been an end of poor Otto. But no ; they clung faithfully to their emperor and helped him to quiet the Italians, who promised anew to live as his loyal subjects, when the king readily forgave them. In the year looo after the birth of Christ, people were terrified by the appearance of a comet. ''Terrified.?" I hear you say, ''why terrified.?* Why not be full of admiration for that splendid star, with its long tail of myriads 6o Early German History. of smaller stars lighting up the heavens ? One of the grandest apparitions of the night ! " You are right, and well you might be, for you live in an age famous for science and learning. You know that astronomers calculate the exact time when a comet will become visible to our world ; you are not brought up by parents and teachers who believe in all sorts of foolish things now called superstitions. The Germans, in the year A.D. I GOG, did think that the comet was sent as a warning of the earth's destruction, and they got sadly frightened. There happened to be some earthquakes at the same time, and they got more frightened still. ''What can we do to keep off the impend- ing evil," said they. "Suppose we make a pil- grimage to some holy place," answered the king ; 'Met us go to the sepulchre of that holy man, Adalbert, who preached Christianity in the far- off land of the Poles, and was slain and buried there. If we pray to the soul of that pious Christian, perhaps he can save us." So off they set, the king and many of his subjects, and the foundation stone of the church to be built there was laid by them. On Otto's return to Aix-la-Chapelle, he caused the tomb of Charlemagne to be opened. He had been buried two hundred years before, and there he sat on his throne in full armor, just as they King Otto II L 6i had buried him. Otto took the cross of gold suspended from his neck in the firm belief that while he wore it no harm could befall him. That was another bit of superstition ; for how could a gold ornament protect the king from evil.? But, pray, let us forgive Otto III. this and many another little weakness of mind, for he was only twenty-two years old when he died. They buried him at Aix-la-Chapelle. CHAPTER XVII. KING HENRY II. I002. E have a Henry again after the three Ottos — Henry 11. — rather an unfor- tunate king, as his nobles did not care for him, and often showed him disrespect, al- though they had elected him. He had the bad habit of making practical jokes. Let me tell you how far he carried them. There was a bishop called Meinwerk, whom he thought it excellent fun to frighten by writing on slips of paper '' Meinwerk, prepare for death, for in five days thou must die." Such slips of paper the poor man found wherever he went, and he indulged in the belief that they came straiofht from heaven. What could he do but pray and fast and hourly expect his death. But the five days passed and there he still was, hale and hearty. The emperor on meeting him pre- tended to be much surprised at seeing him still in the flesh, or, had he died since they met and risen again from the dead.? On hearing these 62 King Henry IL 63 words Meinwerk knew who it was that alarmed him, but did not show how deeply offended he was. When, however, a short time after, there was some grand celebration in church, the emperor, clad in his royal robes with the crown on his head, Meinwerk suddenly rose before the as- sembly and, in a solemn voice, said : '*I declare that the emperor has insulted me, who am a servant of Holy Mother Church. The joke which he practiced upon me was meant in derision oiher dignity. Such a deed merits punishment, and I herewith pronounce the sentence of excommu- nication upon his refractory head." Do you know what that meant? It was awful! No church might be entered ; no holy rites of either baptism, communion, marriage or death-bed prayer performed for the man so sentenced ; he was an outcast from his fellows, to be shunned and despised. Such was the power of the clergy. It was great before Henry's accession ; it became in- tolerable during his reign, and he now felt too weak to oppose it. So what could he do but strip himself of his regal attire, put on the garb of a penitent, and stand at the church door im- ploring the bishops to forgive his sins towards Mother Church and once more receive him in her bosom. When they thought him sufficiently 64 Early German History, humbled, and themselves exalted, they again ad- mitted him. We cannot, I think, feel much compassion for an emperor who lacked dignity, first by prac- ticing a schoolboy's trick and then by putting up with an ignominious punishment. Let us learn from that weakness, and if ever we should go to Bamberg, let us admire the splendid cathedral which he built there, giving all his treasure towards its erection. CHAPTER XVIII. HOW THE GERMANS LIVED EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS AGO. REAT changes in the mode of Hfe took place about this time. The tradesmen had got more clever about their v^ork, as each kept to one kind only. The leather workers would no longer make both shoes and saddles ; the carpenters were divided, some taking the coarser work, some the liner, and others began to carve ornaments in wood for churches. As the peasants had not much money when they went into town to make purchases, they used to bring sacks of corn in exchange for shoes, cloth or other necessaries. As to the miller, he would grind corn for the baker and take his bread for the trouble. If the weaver wanted a pair of boots he was ready to provide the shoe- maker with a piece of linen for his shirt. This was trade by barter, and it was a troublesome kind of trade as well as a most arbitrary one ; for who could decide the value of the objects to 65 66 Early German History. be thus exchanged? People soon began to bar- ter between the inhabitants of one country and another at fixed times. Then the French or other foreigners would flock to Germany, bring- ing their own wares in exchange for German ones. Thus the different nations, their produce and their works, became known to each other in an interchange which created friendly feelings and lessened the desire for ever-recurring wars. It was lucky that about this time copper, lead and silver were discovered in the Hartz Mountains. Those who would be at the trouble of digging far into the bowels of the earth could soon enrich themselves, for coins were now struck from the copper and silver. Money began to circulate and barter ceased. So much for trade. Now as to art, I must tell you that the Italians came from their '' land of song," as we call it, and oh ! they sang sweetly ! Their melodies were much softer than the recitatives of the old German bards, and the guitar upon which they played to accompany themselves was a great improvement upon the ancient harp. The king used to love his Italian minstrels, and, indeed, so did all his subjects. The country could not boast of roads ; travel- ers had to find their way through dense forests and battle with herds of wild boars, which also How the Germans Lived. 6y came at night to trample over the fields and de- stroy the work of long, weary days. Wild cats, bears and wolves there were in plenty, and they would devour sheep and cows and devastate farmyards ; many a sweet child venturing from home fell a prey to these hungry beasts, and as you read this you will, I am sure, think of dear little Red Ridinghood carrying strawberries to her old granny. The country people scarcely knew how to sub- due the beasts of prey ; they had few weapons and did not much understand how to wield them ; but the lords and dukes were trained from their earliest youth to battle with all sorts of enemies, the tribes of rapacious men as well as animals. They could fence, throw the spear, and run a race on foot as well as on horseback, and so did not dread to meet the bear or wolf in single combat. If vanquished, it is true, they would fall a certain prey to the teeth of the wolf or the hug of the bear. But why should they.? Would not their axe deal them the deadly blow, or their spear wound the prey .? They were as sure of success as a schoolboy well up in Greek or Latin must be at an examination, while of the classics our old Germans were profoundly igno- rant. ''Let the monks study," they thought, "and let us hunt." So out they were in fair weather or foul, and when a bear had been 68 Early German History. killed there was great rejoicing. Its skin made a warm garment or coverlet, and its flesh was much prized at the feasts and carousings held after the hunt. No wonder if they reHshed meat and drink after their exertions, and if many a bold knight who sat proudly erect at the beginning of the meal was found prostrate at the end of it. Bad habits are more readily imitated than good ones ; so the lower orders would also drink and feast in the same way ; and what was worse they would chase men instead of animals. Hordes of wicked people assembled for wicked purposes. The most daring man among them was chosen as leader of the band. They lay in ambush all day and darted forth in the dark to assail the traveler and rob and otherwise ill-treat him. These lawless bands seldom met with the punishment they so amply deserved. Justice was done in a most inefficient way, and this led to more evils than one. The country people, feeling how much they needed the protection of mightier men than themselves, chose to place their property as well as their families and themselves under some bishop or noble. In so doing they gave up all liberty of action, for they became followers of their protector both in war and peace, and had to hold the lands as fiefs that were formerly their own. That was a sad change, and sadder How the Germans Lived, 69 still it was for such as had no property, for what could they offer their protectors but themselves ? So they became their bondsmen or slaves. If a nobleman had thus acquired a great deal of property and a great many slaves, he thought himself equal to the king and did not mind rising up against him. And a fearful state of things that was ! Then there were horrid superstitions. That one about the comet which appeared in the year 1000, of which I have told you, still prevailed ; and there was another which entirely prevented justice being done as it ought. The judges, in- stead of trying to find out whether the accused were innocent or guilty, left the decision to the most absurd and wicked trials. The two enemies were either to fight till one succumbed, when the victor was always declared innocent, or the ap- parent culprit had to immerse his arm in boiling water, or to walk over red-hot ploughshares, and if he was neither scalded nor scorched it was declared that he had been proved to be in- nocent by the judgment of God. Of course the victims must have been burnt or injured had they not practiced all sorts of tricks to preserve their flesh from the pernicious influence of fire and water, and thus frustrated the dispensation of justice; but the people were for the most part ignorant, and so could easily be made fools of. CHAPTER XIX. EMPEROR CONRAD II. IO24. N the year 1024 Conrad was chosen by the assembled counts and dukes to be king, and a very good choice it was. He tried to be just and pleasant even to his lowest subjects; and as to the nobles, he made a law which put them in full possession of the lands which they had hitherto only held as fiefs. Of course they were delighted at this change, they knew that they and their children would now be left in undisturbed possession of the property. If they made any improvements so much the better for them and theirs ; so hence- forth they did make improvements, and became much more industrious than they had ever been. The king had the finest grape-vines brought from France. They were planted on the banks of the Rhine and yield to this day the celebrated wine of Johannisberg and Riidesheim. This good and wise king was most anxious to put an end to the wars so common at that time, 70 Emperor Conrad I L 71 and of which I am sure you disHke hearing more. So I am glad to tell you that Conrad and the bishops decreed there should be no fighting from Wednesday evenings to Monday mornings. Do you think that this law put a stop to the eternal rivalry between the Germans and Italians } No, it did not. There were revolts in whichever of the two countries the king happened not to be, and he had to rush back to call the revolted sub- jects to order. Other peoples, too, often declared war against him ; but he overcame all his enemies, and died much honored and beloved by his subjects. His grave is still shown in the beautiful cathedral of Spires, where he was interred with great pomp and deep mourning. iTtnTtTiniT iiiii i rrrrr rT-i I iiiii i ii itt r Trri » i i tti iii m iii i-tt- CHAPTER XX. HENRY III., THE BLACK IO56. IS successor was Henry, surnamed '' The Black," from his black eyes and hair. He was taller than any of his subjects, imposing and handsome. He was pious, too, saying : ''If God has made me the ruler of a great people, I ought to work incessantly for its welfare. " That was the right view to take and act up to ; the wrong side of his conduct was that he thought to please God by suffering the ignominious punishment of scourging whenever he fancied he had exulted in his greatness or worn his golden crown with too much pride. The monks and nuns were in those times set- ting the example of humility, which, however praiseworthy it may be, was carried too far when they fancied that fasting, praying, wear- ing prickly garments next to their skin, and patiently suffering the most painful punishments, would find favor with God or serve as an atone- ment for sin. God is always merciful, and King 72 Henry IIL, the Black, 73 Henry ought to have known that ; but he was only twenty-one years old when he ascended the throne and very anxious to fulfill his sacred duties. These duties were not easy ones. Bohemia and Hungary would again try to make war, and the nobles would rise in rebellion. Italy, instead of being content with its Pope, quarreled with him ; and when all the Italians divided into three parties, each chose its own Pope. Fine doings these were, each of the three Popes wish- ing to lay down the law and be obeyed ! The wisest thing King Henry could do was to depose them one and all and create a German bishop Head of the Church, or Pope. Those who loved peace were now satisfied, whilst the unruly part of the Italian nation re- belled, and in the midst of all this hubbub King Henry III. died, only forty years old. „^;^, „.„,„ i.!,<.'.!.!,'.l.!iMiV'.MM,'.'.!.! , 'l.!.U fnik^i'i' i 'i'it iaaa CHAPTER XXI. EMPEROR HENRY IV. IO56. HIS dear little boy, Henry IV., was only six years old, so his mother, Agnes (a French princess), reigned in his stead as best she might. But there was no one who obeyed or respected her — the clergy did not, nor would the nobles — so poor Queen Agnes suffered intensely. Her dear boy was her only treasure ; for his sake she would try to conciliate the nobles, and allow the clergy to educate him in their own way. " Perhaps," thought she, ''when he be- comes older they will bend to his rule ; perhaps he will understand how to make them obey, which I cannot do." So she continued to bear up patiently for his sake. But then fancy her distress when a certain bishop, Hanno, formed the plan of decoying the boy, then twelve years old, away from his mother, that the clergy might get him entirely into their power ! The wicked plan actually succeeded. 74 Emperor Henry IV. 75 Henry and his tnother lived at Kaiserswerth, ' an island on the Rhine. Hanno and his accom- plices landed close to their palace, and tempted the boy to come and see their boat, which they described as a beautiful one ; and when once they had him on board they rowed and steered away with might and main. The plucky young king, who loved his mother and felt that he was being taken away from her, jumped into the Rhine to swim back again, but he was soon caught up by one of the boatmen and taken to be immured in the fortified town of Cologne, where Hanno kept watch over him. The queen w^ell-nigh broke her heart, and what could she do but retire into a convent, having neither friends nor money to fight against the all-power- ful clergy. I am sure you feel sorry for her, and so did many good men and women of her time, but they were too weak to help her. They, as well as the queen, could only hope the clergy would be- stow every care upon the boy's education ; but even there they were mistaken. His young mind was corrupted in every way — his talents crushed; yet at the early age of fifteen they had him proclaimed king of the realm. By that time he had learnt not to care for his country— not to trouble himself about wise laws or the improvement of his subjects. As long as ^6 Early German History, he had plenty of money and could follow all his inclinations, whether good or bad, he was con- tent to let Bishop Adelbert reign in his stead and enrich himself and his friends in the most greedy and improper way. Later on he had to rue this when a clever priest, Hildebrand, became Pope, under the name of Gregory VII. The new Pope made a series of new laws. He forbid the clergy of his own and all future times to marry ; the Church was to be their only bride and they were to live solely for her honor and glory. The Popes were to rule alone — the Emperor of Germany was to be driven away from Italy. The Popes alone were to appoint the clergy, and no benefices were to be had for money. Henry IV. was also ordered to come to Italy to atone for his bad conduct. At this Henry IV. only laughed, but his laugh- ter soon ceased when he found himself an out- law by command of Pope Gregory VII., when the Church would no longer protect him, and when almost all the subjects of his wide realm refused to obey him. A few German barons re- mained faithful to the unfortunate young king ; they said: " It is true he has oppressed us and brought much trouble upon the land, but he is our king and he must have our support, even if the Pope quarrels with him/' Emperor Henry IV. yy His wife also, Queen Bertha, would not leave him in his distress ; and yet while he was a mighty king he had spurned her from him. You will agree that she was good and generous and advised him for the best when I tell you that she persuaded him to give way to the Pope's com- mand and go to Italy and make peace with him. She would accompany him, she said, and she did so — sustaining him through all the troubles of passing the Alps in the depth of winter, and through all his wavering thoughts of submission or revolt. It was a fearful journey — all up and down hill. Sometimes when they had climbed a mountain top they did not know how to descend again on the slippery ice. Then they would spread bulls' hides over the ice and allow the queen and her ladies to slide down, seated on them. As to the horses they had to be dragged down with ropes. You may fancy how the poor travelers rejoiced on reaching the sunny land of Italy. They never doubted that the Pope would be touched'by the king's obedience and would hasten to reinstate him in all his rights. But he did not do so all at once. -^|c^:<£<- CHAPTER XXII. HENRY IV. (concluded) AND HENRY V. T is true the emperor's arrival in Italy somev^hat frightened the Pope. He knew^ there was a strong party that hated him because of his severe law^s ; others called him a plotter and were anxious to depose him, and he feared these might have joined the emperor agamst him. There might also be a German army following Henry IV.; so why not be on the safe side by retiring into the stronghold of Canossa ? This the Pope accordingly did, and got its owner, the Margravine Matilda, to have all the entrances to the castle locked and guarded to protect him against invasion. No sooner had he arrived there than the emperor presented himself as a lowly, unprotected penitent. The Pope con- descended to have the outer gates opened to him, but finding he had no followers, took ad- vantage of his misery by keeping him three days out barefoot in the snow and ice of the in- 78 Henry IV, — Henry V. 79 ner court, all the while soliciting mercy. When at last he was admitted into the inner gate it was on condition that a council of all the nobles and prelates should decide whether or not the em- peror should be reinstated in all his rights ; be- sides which he was to promise never to act without first asking the Pope's leave and obtain- ing his and the nobles' approval. The Pope stipu- lated for all these ignominious conditions, which he never believed the emperor would subscribe to, because he preferred his enmity to his friend- ship. The emperor, however, was willing to bring about a reconciliation at any price, and for- got himself and his dignity in giving promises which he could not perform. The German princes were disgusted by the Pope's cruelty; they resented it for their king and the nation at large, and stirred him up to a war with Italy. The Pope simply deposed Henry and substituted Rodolph as a rival king. Then two parties arose in arms, one for Henry and one for Rodolph. They were victorious by turns, until the battle of Merseburg, near Leipsic, put an end to the warfare by Rodolph first losing his hand and then his life. Merseburg has a splendid cathedral, and if any of my readers should ever go to see it they will be shown a shrivelled hand, supposed to be that of the rival king. 8o Early German History. Poor Henry IV. had no end of enemies, his own sins and iniquities not being among the least of them ; but it was cruel that even his two sons should rebel against him, and when the elder died and Conrad followed him to the grave it was thought a happy release. His bitterest enemy. Pope Gregory VIL, had died before him, and it was now too late to amend all the ills they had done to one another. The reign of Henry V. began in 1106, and lasted nineteen years. Much good might have been done during that time which I should be glad to tell you of, but alas ! there is only the old contention between Pope and Emperor to relate. Each wanted to wrest the power from the other, and not being able to secure it in a friendly way, went to war. Indeed it was not till the year before the death of Henry V. that they did what they ought to have done at first — they agreed to divide the power. The Pope was to elect the bishops and rule over all the clergy, and the emperor was to distribute the fiefs to the nobles and exercise sovereign power over them. The people rejoiced at this treaty, which was concluded in 1122, in the town of Worms. Henry V. died in 1125, and with him ended the Franconian race of kings, which had reigned for a hundred and one years. CHAPTER XXIIL HOW THE GERMANS LIVED SIX OR SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS AGO. m Y young readers have traveled with me so many times backw^ards and forwards between Germany and Italy, that I think it but fair they should know a little about the difference in the worship, aspect and mode of life of these two countries. Rome, the capital of Italy, had many splendid buildings, such as the Lateran Church, in which the Pope and bishops officiated, dressed in sump- tuous robes. There were splendid chants sung by well-trained choristers with young and sono- rous voices, whilst other boys, as luxuriously robed, used to swing vessels of incense about the church and altar which spread a sweet- scented and almost intoxicating vapor around while the congregation were devoutly kneeling and listening to mass or prayers. Rome was a sunny place, and Italy the cradle of art and poetry at a time when other countries were scarcely emancipated from rude and barbarous 8i 82 Early German History. customs. The houses of Rome were all built with fiat roofs on which the inmates sat in the warm evenings for fresh air. Parents and chil- dren ahke flocked round the narrator of stories or the guitar player, who would accompany him- self in some lovely song while his mellow voice resounded in the sweet accents of the Italian tongue. There was many an idle lounger among the hsteners,many a one who had never cared to work, who lazily dragged on his existence in that hot and fertile country that yielded ample means for moderate wants without exertion or labor. The German ways were quite different. The country is cold, the winds are piercing and there are many months of snow and ice. There was no lounging on flat roofs in Germany ; indeed, the roofs had pointed gables and sloping sides, that the snow might not lodge on them and that the rain might run off them down into the wintry streets. The schoolboys used to revel, I suppose, in the puddles formed by want of drainage, which in our days would be a rare occurrence ; but then, as now, there would be snow balls thrown, and the pelting to and fro would make merry the boys of those ancient times. In Germany the cold is so lasting that the snow bears moulding into a human figure, two bits of coal are stuck into the cavity of the How the Germans Lived, 83 eyes, and oh ! who can describe the boys' de- light at such a weli-shaped snow man, stick in hand as though he were placed on guard ? In Westphalia, we still find farmhouses sup- posed to be built like those of the olden times. You see a single large building with a mighty roof, and an entrance wide enough for a wagon loaded with corn to drive in. The floor is made of solid-beaten earth, the animals oc- cupy roomy stalls near the entrance, while the fowls roost above. They have a comfortable out- let, and so have the cats, of which there is no lack. The rooms for the spinning and weaving maids and other domestic servants are below those of the family, who, on opening small wooden casements, can watch, even from their beds, over the well-doing of the cattle and the industry and good conduct of the household, and above all the punctuality in preparing the meals. The peasants assembled in winter round the large fire-place in the middle of the entrance-hall, and, in either summer or winter took their meals there. They burnt wood, of which there was plenty for felling, and they used to hang up hams and flitches ofbacon, and sausages, to be smoked in the chimneys. Later on, as commerce in- creased, the heavily-laden wagons entering the house carried merchandise instead of corn. All this gives a picture of peace and comfort ; 84 Early German History. but the truth will out, and so I must acknowl- edge that these early towns also had their bloody strife. ''-J^ territory," and ''your ground," were often fought about, so that it was but wise to keep the enemy at arm's length, which could be done in no better way than by turning the roofs of dwelling-houses into some sort of strong- holds. Small towers were built, fenced in by walls, and small openings above were made through which molten lead and boiling pitch could be poured down on the heads of the assail- ants, whilst the men inside the tower were safe behind their sheltering walls. These holes were called ''pitch-noses'' {Puchnasen)^ and we, of course, must look upon such a mode of warfare as execrable. In the time of Charlemagne even palaces were built of wood, the roof being thatched. Later on, the basement story at least was made of stone, the wooden first floor overhanging it, which created a sort of gallery called '' Laube.'* Neighbors could have many a chat in these arcades and yet be sheltered from the intemper- ance of the cHmate. They soon found out that wood was an excellent material for warming the only room of the house provided with a fireplace in which the family congregated, but that it often proved dangerous for building walls ; stone and brick and slate roofs affording a better security How the Germans Lived, 85 against conflagrations, was used instead. The principal house formed one side of a square, the accessory buildings the other three sides, and the space in the middle was the courtyard. A gallery ran round the top rooms and served as a communication between them. Candles of any kind there were none, and when they found the firelight all too dreary they lit a piece of pinewood and stuck it into a hole in the wall. When oil lamps, tallow and wax- lights were invented, they could only be used as luxuries by the rich. If visitors were expected, they would clear out the straw which covered the clay floor and renew it ; and the grandees tried to hide their whitewashed walls by hang- ing embroidered cloths over them. As to paper- hanging, that was not invented, but then, as now, there would be a shelf running round the wall to hold and show off the treasures in metal tankards, dishes, etc. The cuirass, helmet and shield of the lord and master hung upon the wall, and were considered the chief ornament. The gallery for the musicians at feasts was not forgotten, but their chief attention on such occa- sions was devoted to their dress. Men were not content, as they are now, with a plain, black suit; they wanted to outdo each other in fanciful cloth- ing. There were coats embroidered and scal- loped ; the sleeves were sometimes very wide, 86 Early German History. axid at other times slashed and trimmed in vari- ous colors. The trousers were as wide as those of our clowns, and the shoes were so peaked that they seemed to have robbed the birds of their long beaks. So much for the men. As for the women, they would deck themselves with colored embroideries and impossible head- dresses, and the grander they wished to appear the longer was their train, carried by one or two handmaidens or pages. Both men and women wore belts ; the former carried a dagger in theirs, the latter carried the more peaceable bunch of keys. The hair of the women was plaited and allowed to hang down in its full length ; while the men wore the hair curtailed, but not short, for long hair was considered a mark of dignity. I CHAPTER XXIV. FIRST CRUSADE. COULD go on telling you more about the Germans of fully seven hundred years ago, but we have come to a point in history so new and so noteworthy that I would rather turn to that I want to take you into a new country, among a new set of people, in- stead of asking you to trace and re-trace your steps betw^een Germany and Italy, which I have been obliged to do so many times. You must now fancy yourselves in the beauti- ful old town of Clermont, in France. There is a glorious sight to be seen — an assembly of princes and nobles, on a wide common just outside the gates. They are clad in shining armor, and the plumes of their bright helmets are waving in the sunshine. Their horses, too, are decked with plumes and costly saddle-cloths, but the riders, although mounted, do not move on ; their sole purpose seems to be to sit still and let the glar- ing sun play upon their steel armor and lend it 87 88 Early German History, new splendor. Behind them you see hundreds and thousands of men and women ; the rich burghers of Clermont and many other French towns, with their wives and daughters and sons, and also artisans and laborers, and the poor and sick are not wanting. The lame and the blind mix in the crowd; the aged folk are supported by their younger relations, and children are held up in the arms of their mothers to catch sight of an old man in a plain brown garment, and a cross upon his breast, who is standing alone in a cleared space of the crowded avenue. He speaks, and every one listens attentively ; and after a while nobles and burghers and arti- sans, and even the sick and the cripples, call out in chorus, ^'No! that shall never be ! One and all must go forth to the Holy Land and deliver it from the infidel." The man who has thus stirred up this large concourse of people is Peter of Amiens, or Peter the Hermit. He had lived many a year in a lonely hut, fasting and praying, and feeding upon herbs only. Then he thought he would like to see the Holy Land, where his Saviour had lived and been crucified ; so he and many followers set off for Palestine. When they reached it, after a toilsome journey, they hoped to find out where the Saviours manger had stood, and where his short life had shed its blessings, and where the crime of his crucifixion First Crusade, 89 had been perpetrated. But the Turks were pos- sessors of the land and threw every obstacle in their way. They not only laughed them to scorn, but when, after much entreaty, the poor pilgrims were permitted to enter the holy sites, it was in exchange for the few clothes and little money they possessed. No wonder, then, that many of them died of hunger and sickness. The few who returned to their native country with Peter the Hermit were full of complaints, but he himself did not speak about his grievances, but resolved instead to do away with them. He wrote to the Pope, stirring him up to wage war against the barbarous Turks. Urban II. fully entered into his views. Peter next invited all those assembled at Clermont to come and deHver the Holy Sepul- chre. ''All those who follow me," said the en- thusiastic preacher, ''will go straight to Heaven ; their sins will be forgiven ; they will enjoy ever- lasting bliss should they succeed in wresting the Holy Sepulchre from the infidels. Never will they have achieved a greater aim ! Come forth, everyone, young or old, all who can bear weapons, come !" Thus preached not only Peter, but, at his instigation. Pope Urban, too, and when they ceased, a general cry broke out in the large assembly on Clermont plain — " We will do as you bid us ; we will go to Jerusalem and 90 Early German History. expel the Turks. Give us the cross, we will wear it with you, and with you we will fight. God wills it. " And with this war-cry hundreds and thousands left their homes and families. They came not only from France, but from Eng- land, Italy and Germany ; some to fight, others to make atonement for their sins, in the Holy Land. I am sorry to say that not all who joined this Crusade were worthy men, for such as were too lazy to work, and hved by shift and plunder, thought they might carry on their wicked ways more easily in a barbarous country, and wanted to join the Crusaders. Peter the Hermit knew them well, and only admitted them upon a prom- ise that they would be ruled by him in all things. They consented readily enough, but did not act up to their promise, for as soon as they reached Hun- gary, through which the army had to pass, they began stealing and plundering. The king of the country attacked and routed them thoroughly, and but few reached the Holy Land. The vali- ant Duke of Lorraine, Godfrey of Bouillon, how- ever, had no sooner become leader of the army than he passed a strict law against all stealing and plundering ; and having assured the kings and princes through whose countries the army had to pass that under him no ravages what- ever would be committed, they allowed the Crusaders a free passage. First Crusade. 91 Godfrey of Bouillon was the very man to lead a crusade. He was of imposing height and looked a hero when mounted on his war-horse and clad in bright armor. No hardship could rob him of his courage or endurance, yet there was many a hardship before him — bad roads, badly- built vessels, excessive heat and parching drought, and, but too often, want of provisions. But neither fatigue nor hunger could quell the ardor of this army. Their leader bore every privation cheer- fully, and why should not they also ? So with him they repeated their war-cry, ''God wills it!" and marched on bravely until they reached the Holy Land. Duke Baldwin of Flanders, brother to Godfrey of Bouillon, was the first among the host of dukes and princes to lay siege to a Turkish town, Edessa, and having conquered it he converted it into a German principality, the first in the Holy Land. Antioch fell next, in spite of its four hun- dred and fifty mural towers, a gate having been opened in the night to the besiegers by a Chris- tian residing in the town. Of course Jerusalem was still their chief goal, and when at last they saw it in the distance many fell down on their knees, offering fervent thanksgivings and shedding tears of joy. Little did they at that moment think of the difficulties they would have to encounter, first in forcing 92 Early German History, admittance into a town guarded by such high walls, and then in fighting the enemy inside it. But they were brave and determined to attain their object. All the methods they tried have become use- less since the invention of gunpowder, but I think you will like to hear about them for curiosity's sake. The easiest way was to bore holes in the walls so big that armed men could creep through, but that was a slow process, and the Turks frustrated it by their vigilance. After many fruitless trials they used battering rams, so called because a ram's head, made of iron and fastened to a long pole, was driven with might and main against the wall and sure to hatter part of it to pieces. They also had towers as high as the walls, carrying soldiers inside, and when these were pushed up close the soldiers tried to get into the besieged towns by means of ladders. But they sustained great loss from the scimitars of the Turks, who, as you may imagine, gave them anything but a friendly welcome. This siege of Jerusalem has been described at full length by many celebrated authors, but by none more amply and beautifully than by the Italian poet, Torquato Tasso, whose famous poem, **La Gerusalemme Liberata," you will no doubt read some years hence. I can only hint at the valor displayed by the Crusaders, and First Crusade. 93 tell you that after great losses and much blood- shed they succeeded at last in kneeling at the Holy Sepulchre. They had reason, indeed, to offer thanksgivings for having overcome storms, heat, hunger, thirst and deadly weapons. It is delightful to think of them praying in safety in that holy place, and we could wish them to rest there awhile ; but their leaders felt they were in nowise safe; for they knew the Turks had sought assistance from the Egyptians, who might, per- haps, at any moment arrive to expel the Cru- saders. They consulted as to the best means to prevent this, and agreed to choose a king who should watch over their interests, and whose faithful followers they promised to become. Their mode of choosing that king was a curious one. They assembled the retainers of all their dukes, nobles and princes, and questioned them about their lords. Were they wise, just and clever.? Would they reign impartially ? The men who served under them ought to know, and, indeed, they all spoke their mind, and it was found that God- frey of Bouillon was more beloved and respected than any other leader. So he was elected king, and they were going to proclaim their choice in Jerusalem when Godfrey stopped them. *' How could I wear a golden crown," said he, ''in a place where my Saviour had to wear one of 94 Early German History, thorns ? How be honored by the title of king where He, as a menial, had to carry His cross ? Let me be protector instead/' And a protector he became to the Christians of Jerusalern, reign- ing with firmness, justice and wisdom until, after one year only, he was snatched away by death. His brother Baldwin, and after him a cousin of the same name, succeeded. But they could none of them keep off the Turks, who constantly tried to get rid of the hated Christians. Not the townsmen only, but all the country, rose up against them ; and when they traveled forth, armed Turks started from behind some lofty mountain to attack and rob or murder them. The holy pilgrims, who would brave any priva- tion to kneel at the blessed shrine, the sinners who hoped to atone for their guilt by toiling all the way to Jerusalem, were often killed when in sight of their goal. This induced some pious Christians to devote their life to the welfare of poor pilgrims. They chose a knight for their leader, and called themselves the Knights of St. John, after John the Baptist. Like the monks, they promised to remain single, and to do all the good in their power. Their badge was a white cross on a black mantle. They lived together in a large house, came forth to protect Christian travelers, nursed the sick, and ministered to the dying. Soon the order of First Crusade. 95 the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem became known all over Europe, and numbers of pious men joined so benevolent an institution. Money and gifts of all kinds were sent them from differ- ent countries, furnishing them with ample means to carry out their Christian purposes. There was another order, called the Knights Templars, because their house stood on the site of Solomon's temple. They were poor in the outset, and not able to keep more than one horse for two knights, but they rose to be rich and mighty. They wore white mantles with a red cross. They, too, used to protect pilgrims. Both the Templars and Knights of St. John assisted King Baldwin in times of peace and war, so that he became even more powerful than Godfrey had been. '«TYttt>Tii i iiiMiiiii>iitiuiiiiiiijajuLiJLLiJtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil i iKJ xxx3 CHAPTER XXV KNIGHTS IN THE OLDEN TIMES. UT let US return to Europe. There, to6, we shall meet with many knights. They did not belong to either of the two orders, but had come to an understanding amounting to a law to use their arms for the protection of the weak and poor against tyranny or depredation. I told you there were highwaymen in those disorderly times, who waylaid travelers, robbed and ill-treated them, carried off the weak and aged, and kidnapped young, helpless girls ; and when their prisoners were once immured in their strongholds, they were only restored to their friends upon payment of exhorbitant sums of money called ransom. The knights made it their business to wage war against such wicked- ness, and they often succeeded in liberating the poor captives, or protecting widows and children threatened by robbers and persecutors. When the sons of knights were about twelve 96 Knights in the Olden Times. 97 years old, they were dressed in silks and satins, with waving plumes in their bonnets, and were sent to some king or queen, who made them their pages. The page had to bear the train of his lady-queen ; sing sweet songs to her, accom- panied on his lute ; stand behind her chair at meals, always ready to execute her commands ; and follow her in the hunt, bearing a tame falcon on his hand. It was the custom to have these birds of prey trained by men named falconers, so that each bird, instead of feasting upon his natural enemy, the heron, would pursue him to a dazzling height, then bring him down uninjured and de- liver him up to the falconer, who in his turn presented him to a knight. As each knight had a lady-love whom he protected at all times and as a matter of course followed in the chase, it was at her feet the prey was ultimately laid, whilst she bent down to reward him by gracious looks. It must have been a grand sight, now only to be seen on the stage, when ladies went out hunting mounted on splendidly caparisoned palfreys, each having her own knight at her side, who wore the scarf she had embroidered for him, and both of them adorned in the color she had chosen, pages and retainers following. It must have been an exciting moment, too, when the falcon, brought with a blinding hood 98 Early German History. over his head, was restored to sight by the falconer's removing it, and, on being given his hberty, was seen to dart upwards, anxiously watched by the hunters till out of sight. . But I own I am not an admirer of such sports, and much prefer thinking of the pages and their sweet songs, and in so doing I am reminded of Mendelssohn's lovely song, *'Wenn die Sonne lieblich schiene/' It is about a page who wan- ders about, lute in hand, sighing for ''the sun- shine of dear Italy. " If your mother, sister or friend would sing it for you, then think of the great composer who created your enjoyment. There were also splendid tournaments in those days, carried on in a spacious arena by these knights, who fought against each other in single combat until one of them had been unhorsed. Then only were the closed visors lifted which had concealed their faces ; and then also the victor ascended to the gallery above the arena, where the court and fair ladies sat, to receive the laurel wreath from the hands of his lady-love— a tri- umph which often cost his adversary's life. Sometimes wild beasts would be allowed to fight each other in the arena, and this is the subject of a beautiful poem by Schiller. In the poem, a lady, as exacting as cruel, incites her knight to go and fetch her glove, which she throws from the gallery right into the arena Knights in the Olden Times. 99 between the raging beasts, telling him it will be a proof of his love, which he has ardently- professed for her, and that if he succeeds she will return his affection. He bows assent, ven- tures to step in between the fierce combatants, and secures the glove, which he presents to the lady, and then turns from her in disgust as she is going to thank him and reward him by granting his suit to her, saying, '' No thanks from you, lady ! " and leaves her forever. Let us rejoice in our more humane tastes, and hope that the last vestiges of barbarous customs, such as the bull-fights in Spain and the cock- fights in England, may soon cease to be tolerated in our nineteenth century. i i iiiiiii i i i ^iiiii iLJUXXi^ i l iTTT^ CHAPTER XXVI. EMPEROR CONRAD III. TOLD you that at Henry V/s death the race of Franconian kings had become extinct, but although there were no direct heirs, he left two nephews, who both of them tried to obtain the crown. The bishops, however, managed to set them aside, and it was they who elected Lothair because he was ready to obey them and the Pope. Of course the emperor's nephews resented this, and made war upon Lothair. He was not strong enough to resist them alone, and so he managed to get the Guelph prince, Henry the Proud, of Bavaria, to become his ally. This great prince, finding himself at Lothair's death in possession of half the German terri- tories, seemed to be the natural heir to the crown ; but he never got it, for Conrad of Hohen- staufen, his mightiest enemy, was chosen in his stead. Of course there was more war, and I think I might pass it over in silence had I not 100 Emperor Conrad III, loi to tell you of a curious thing which happened in the course of it. King Conrad besieged the town of Weinsberg, in Bavaria, until the garrison was dying of famine. In this extremity they offered to sur- render provided they might pass out unmolested. ''Not so/' said the King; ''they have been too long opposing me. I shall teach the men a hard lesson, but the women may pass out, and I will even allow each of them to bring away her most valued ornament." This said, the gates were opened, and all the women passed out, carrying — what do you think.? oh ! you will never guess — their husbands ! They vowed, one and all, that these were their most valued ornaments ; so they took them, by the King's permission, carrying them on their backs. Had the men remained behind, they would certainly have been slaughtered. As it was, the King could not help laughing at the clever idea of the women, and admiring the devotion they showed for their husbands. For their sakes he forgave the others, and reinstated the town in its former rights. Since then the proverb calls all devoted wives "the women of Weinsberg," and its castle, ' ' Woman's faith. " After this there was a certain Henry the Lion, and another valiant prince named Albrecht, who contended for the crown. Albrecht was crowned. 102 Early Ger7na7i History. and became possessed of Brandenburg and the country beyond the Oder, which his brave suc- cessors colonized with Germans, and, from a barbarous, Sclavonic country, turned it into a civilized, German one, speaking the German language. You remember that I told you all about the bravery of the Crusaders, and you may fancy them by this time in the quiet possession of the holy sites ; but, alas ! this was not the case. Europe resounded again with the fatal news that the Mahometans were trying to re-conquer Jeru- salem, and that the Christians were hard pressed by them. Who would come and relieve them } Then King Conrad, reigning in Germany, has- tened to obey their summons, and so did the King of France. Although in the depth of win- ter, they set out with their armies to try and de- liver their Christian brethren from the Moslem yoke. They did not stop to think of their priva- tions in quitting their homes and families at Christmas time, nor did they mind the hardships they encountered in Greece. They reached it in the rainy season, and had to contend with the floods occasioned by it. The Greeks hated the poor Crusaders, but pretended to furnish them with shelter and clothing and food, while, in reality, they rejoiced to see them starving and devoid of all necessaries. They were on Emperor Conrad III. 103 the side of the Turks, and did not want them ever to reach Jerusalem. ^^Let them perish on the road," was their one thought, and, to bring this about, they sent them bad provisions, and gave them false money, for which nobody would sell them good bread. The climate, too, was very injurious to them, the more so as they were often obliged to camp out, and when they thought of moving on to seek shelter elsewhere, they were shown the wrong road. Not even the Christians residing in Greece would assist the poor Crusaders, because they considered the occupation of the country by such large numbers of foreigners raised the prices of provisions, which they resented. When, added to all this, an eclipse of the sun happened to take place at that very time, the soldiers were seized with a panic, and entreated their leaders to let them return home. You remember how superstitious people had been about the comet from sheer ignorance. They knew quite as little about the earth in its rotation, and the natural occurrence of the moon coming between it and the sun, thus depriving the earth for a short time of the sun's rays. They would have it that the darkness in mid-day was a sure sign of evil, and became more and more clamorous for their return. But their leaders would not hear of it, and they had to go on again. 104 Early German History, When they had got to Damascus and Ascalon, in Syria, the greatest of all misfortunes befell them. Their leaders began to quarrel with each other, and strife became the cause of their return. Strife, that bitterest enemy of mankind, brought about what neither privations nor superstition could do, and the armies turned back without having delivered the Christians of Jerusalem. Soon after, in the year 1152, the Emperor Conrad died. CHAPTER XXVII. EMPEROR FREDERICK BARBAROSSA 1 1 52, T is now my pleasant task to tell you about the next king, Frederick of Sua- bia, a nephew of King Conrad, and the second prince of the Hohenstaufen line. He was a fine man, tall and stately, and quite a German, with his fair hair and blue eyes, and his beard with a tinge of red in it, which gave him the title of Frederick the Redbeard, or, in Italian, Barbarossa. But never mind about his looks or his name. He was good and just, and loved better to act with leniency than to show himself severe ; and he had plenty of firmness when opposed to the priests, whom he honored as they deserved, but did not allow to interfere with state matters. He wished, above all, to have no more fight- ing among the German barons ; so the first thing he did was to reinstate into his duchies of Sax- ony and Bavaria, Henry the Lion, the Guelph, whose friend, Albrechtthe Bear, thus became his 105 io6 Early Ger7nan History, strongest ally, and assisted him in subjugating and civilizing the Slavs in Mecklenburg and Pomerania. The Italian subjects of Barbarossa were far more troublesome. Milan had become a rich and flourishing town, and wanted to assert its independence instead of being ruled by the Ger- man emperor ; so it got all the Italian towns to form a league against him, declaring that they would rule themselves. But little did this suit the intrepid Barbarossa, against whom the almost impregnable walls of the cities were kept closed. He was repelled five times from Milan, but the sixth time he entered it in triumph. ''You shall rue your rebellion," said he; ''I will see you stripped of your fine velvet garments ; and in- stead of the gold chains you are wont to wear, you shall have a cord round your necks, and thus humbled you shall kneel barefoot before me." When matters had come to such a pass they appeared before him, contrite and entreating pardon. He readily granted it upon their promise of receiving him in future in all their towns Hke good and loving subjects, and placing the iron crown upon his head. This crown was so called from having an iron band riveted in it, said to be made from a nail taken from the cross of Jesus Christ ; it was always kept in Milan, and the kings of Lombardy were crowned with it. The meeting Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. 107 with the Milanese burghers ended by the em- peror's embracing some of them, who wept bit- terly and showed every sign of repentance. On returning to Germany, Frederick and his army had to pass some narrow mountain gorges, where a stronghold of the wild Alberich of Ve- rona impeded their progress. He not only had them pelted with stones, but demanded a heavy tribute from horses, knights and the king him- self. Frederick, in his wrath at such shameful conduct, deputed the brave Count Otto Von V/ittelsbach to avenge the insult. Nothing loth, the count took two hundred picked men and clambered up a rock commanding the strong castle, thus taking the enemy by surprise. He killed most of the inmates of the castle, including Count Alberich of Verona himself. Would you believe that the Milanese revolted again as soon as they knew that Frederick was safely lodged in h'S German dominions ? Little did they think that he would be so prompt in punishmg them as he did. He hastened back to Milan with a powerful army and destroyed that splendid city, leveling its walls to the earth. As soon as he had done this he went on his way back to Germany. On passing through the town of Susa, the citizens, who hated their German king, made a plot against him. The house in which he meant to sleep was to be guarded on lo8 Early Germafi History. all sides and the king murdered in his bed. When the landlord heard of this, his conscience moved him to reveal the plot to some of the Ger- man knights, one of whom prevailed upon the king, after many fruitless entreaties, to flee in disguise and leave him in his stead ; for this knight, Hartmann of Liebeneichen, somewhat resembled the king in size and figure. At dawn of day, when a murderous band penetrated into the king's bedroom, the knight started up ready to defend his life. The assassins, finding out their mistake, were much moved by the conduct of the faithful Hartmann, and they allowed him to pass unhurt and rejoin his sovereign, which, as you may fancy, he was not slow in doing. In the year 1183 there was a grand peace- making at Constance with the Italian towns, the Pope and some of the German barons. Those troublesome bandits, too, of whom I told you, lived to see many of their castles pulled down, and when they had lost those convenient places of concealment they did not know where to hide their illegal gains or escape the vigilance of their persecutors ; so they had to give up, at least in some degree, the shameful trade of rapine and plunder. Many of the barons wished to take a pattern from the great emperor, Barbarossa, and rule their own subjects as wisely as he did, but they had Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, 109 to learn many a lesson ere they succeeded. One of them, Ludwig, Margrave of Thuringia, al- though brought up at the imperial court, had even to stoop before his own blacksmith to be taught right and wrong. The Margrave had lost his way and all his retinue, while hunting, and was but too glad to turn into a smithy some distance from his castle, where he slept soundly all night, thankful that he was not obliged to camp out. Next morning, while still in bed, he heard the smith hammering away and at the same time singing out, " Lu ! grow hard ! Lu ! grow hard!" ''What do you mean.?" called out Ludwig, who could not help recognizing his own name in the abbreviation. ''I mean," said the smith, ''that you should harden yourself against your nobles, instead of going about hunting and amusing yourseli while they ill-treat your people. Do you not allow them to harness men to their plows instead of beasts 1 and to make the peas- ants work for them like slaves, without paying them for their labor t Harden yourself against these and many other shameful practices, and your people will love you." The margrave could not help feeling the truth of what the smith ventured to say, and, being a just man, he cast off his habitual indolence, and set about punishing his wicked nobles. This gave Kim no Early German History, henceforth the surname of the '' Iron" Ludwig, beloved and praised by his people. You may see this story, as well as many others related about Thuringia, illustrated in mural paintings by a famous German artist, Schwind, in that celebrated old castle called the Wartburg. It is not only celebrated for its paintings, but also for being the place where Martin Luther lived while translating the Bible. It is said that the devil came to disturb him while writing, but that he was not frightened at the apparition, and threw^ his inkstand at him. This left a black mark on the wall, shown ever after to the visitors to the ancient building. I told you it would be most interesting to view the old senate-house at Frankfurt, with its mural paintings representing the German emperors, but I think the Wartburg castle would please and interest you still more. It lies on a hill close to the town of Eisenach, and I can fancy your ascending it in half an hour, as I have done many a time. It is a lovely road, with splendid views, and when you have reached the top, you overlook a beautiful country on every side. The Wartburg castle is partly ancient and partly modern, but the Grand Duke of Weimar, to whom it belongs, and who has added new wings to it, has aimed at their being built in the old style, and has partly succeeded. CHAPTER XXyilL BARBAROSSA AND THE CRUSADERS. UT do not at present stop in Thuringia, admiring the Wartburg. You must follow me to Mayence, where King Barbarossa and his queen, Beatrix, were giving an entertainment of unexampled splendor, to their nobles as well as to their people. It was in the year 1184, at Whitsuntide, when all Gods creation, resplendent with sunshine, stood decked in its gayest colors, when there were green fields, running brooks, birds singing, and flowers in full bloom. "Let us vie with them," said the emperor to his queen ; " let us, too, array ourselves in the gay- est colors, and let tents be erected for guests from all parts of the world. " Accordingly, a whole city of tents sprung up outside the walls, and ere long they were filled with the imperial relatives, and with archbishops and bishops from foreign parts. Hundreds and thousands of knights and ladies arrived ; choice III 112 Early German History. wines flowed from row^s of casks, and tables were spread with the most costly viands. The people danced and made merry in the streets or the green fields, and the wine freely . offered them enhanced their pleasure. The emperor was revered by everyone, and the empress al- most worshiped for her kindness and amiability; but their five sons carried everything before them when they vied with their father (then in his sixty-fourth year) in leading the games praised by knighthood, or showing off their skill in horsemanship on their powerful and spirited steeds. It was a noble sight and a noble feast, but it passed, like all human things, and what followed was far from pleasant. The Christians of Jerusalem were neglecting all their duties, and seemed to forget theirs was a sacred charge, living, as they did, in a holy city, and being entrusted with the guarding of the most Holy Sepulchre. Sultan Saladin, a wise, just and learned man, was ruling over the Moslems, and, seeing the ill-conduct of the Christians, he thought the right moment for re- conquering his country had arrived. He expelled the Christians without much trouble, and was again in possession of the holy sites, when Frederick Barbarossa left his eldest son to rule in Germany, and, although seventy years old, arrived in the Holy Land to teach Saladin Barbarossa and the Crusaders, 113 better. Little did he mind the fatigues of another Crusade, accompanied by his son Henry and the kings of France and England. Old Barbarossa soon fought the Saracens with undaunted courage, and, instead of paying three hundred weight of gold to the enemy to liberate the Christians, he became so dreaded that Sala- din offered to make peace. Yet one object had not been attained ; he had not reached Jerusa- lem, and he thought that, if he could succeed in re-conquering the Holy Sepulchre, he would add the most glorious crown of all to those he pos- sessed already. So off he set with his army for that purpose. There had been floods, and the river Saleph, which they had to pass, was so swollen that they could not ford it. There was but one small bridge ; and the king's patience failing him when he calculated the time it would take for his large army to pass over it, he spurred his horse into the flood, in order to swim across, but, alas ! met his death in it. Perhaps his strength failed him in his advanced years ; certain it is that the great king perished miserably in the river Saleph in the year 1 1 90. His reign had lasted thirty-eight years, and it will ever be famous for his being the most glorious hero, and the best and most beloved of German sovereigns. No wonder that the 114 Early German History. deepest grief was felt at his death, and that many German leaders declared the Crusade to be ended forthwith, and returned to their own country with their men. Others, less , down- hearted, remained, led on by Duke Frederick, the son of Barbarossa, and they, together with the kings of France and England, declared war against the Mahometans. Of course they ought one and all to have pushed forward to Jerusalem, to re-conquer the holy sites, but their own petty quarrels as to who should have the precedence marred their success. It was at the town of Acre that the quarreling became most violent, for Richard I., the brave king of England, surnamed Coeur de Lion, so far forgot himself as to pull down the flag which had been hoisted there by his enemy, Duke Leopold of Austria, in order to prove that it was he who had taken possession of the town. Leopold vowed never to forget this insult and most certainly to be revenged upon Richard, and he soon found his opportunity. The Cru- saders, having suffered intensely from sickness and want, without ever reaching Jerusalem, were returning to Europe, disbanded and in sad plight. Richard feared that Leopold, through whose territories he had to pass, might now fulfill his threat, and accordingly chose to pass through Austria in disguise ; nor could he have Barbarossa and the Crusaders, 1 1 5 been recognized had he not forgotten to take off his valuable ring. By it he was known to be the king. A sad fate awaited him, for he was thrown into prison and kept there without mercy. Leopold took care to keep his lion-hearted enemy so well caged that the English could never find out what had become of him, or they would have ransomed him at once. But no ; he was to be kept amongst damp and dreary prison walls — that was a better revenge. CHAPTER XXIX. LIFE IN THE CASTLES. O give you an idea of the hopeless con- dition in which prisoners were de- tained in these old castles, you must remember how inaccessible they were. Once the drawbridge up and the entrance closed, who could enter in ? or who could scale those high walls built on the edge of a precipice, frightful to look at? In fact, they were inaccessible even without the protection of the moat which surrounded the castle, and which could at any time be filled with water. Who, more- over, could resist the enemy's missiles, hurled upon them by powerful machines constructed for the purpose, whilst every protection was afforded to the garrison ? There were towers in the walls to conceal the men, and holes were pierced for them to look down upon the enemy, who, from below, could not even get a glimpse of them. Three-fold gates, guarded by triple towers, had to be passed be- ii6 Life in the Castles. 117 fore you reached the first court and then the second court, after which you came into a gar- den filled with all manner of herbs and medicinal simples. Then if you fancied yourself inside the castle you were again deceived; for a portcullis, most inhospitably closed against you, could only be opened by order of the lord and master, who allowed his innumerable retainers and pages to open it for your admission. Then, and then only, could you penetrate in- to the storerooms, kitchens and other places for domestic purposes, filled with the huge quanti- ties of meats and drinks required by so large an establishment. The narrow staircase would lead to the banqueting hall, with its ornamental tables and benches of carved oak, where Italian minstrels, with their songs, heightened the plea- sures of the banquet. The lady of the manor, with her daughters, handmaidens and pages, kept aloof from these carousings. Spinning, weaving and embroidery, as well as the study of medicinal herbs, took up their time, and they never forgot to minister to their lords and masters and their noble guests by the art of cookery. The monotony of their lives was often interrupted by the peddler, tempt- ing the noble ladies with foreign wares, or the wandering merchant who brought spices and scents, as well as news, from the far East ; and 1 1 8 Early German History. above all by the bard, and his lovely youthful companion, v^ho sang sweet songs to the harp or tuneful mandolin. When the men had feasted to their hearts' con- tent, they began to display their knightly prowess in all sorts of games. Croquet and lawn-tennis would not have done for them, you may well believe. They tried their long swords and mighty lances and arquebuses in mock fights, and their noble steeds in every kind of equestrian cunning, and then they started off to the neighboring forest to make war upon the bear, the wolf and the buffalo. As to reading and writing, the chaplain was an adept in that, and why trouble the noble youths to learn them } Let the sons of knights fight bravely against a troublesome neighbor, scale the walls of his castle, and show them- selves stronger and mightier than their enemies! that was better than pouring over books. Let them try to put down the many wicked robbers still hiding idly in their strong castles, who used to issue at night to waylay cargoes of merchandise and seize them and their owners, and then throw their prisoners into dungeons that were infested with rats and other loathsome vermin, from which death alone could relieve them. Let them try to put down that horrible law, according to which might was right; for, no matter whether an ad- Life in the Castles. 119 versary suffered innocently or not, the victor was strong-, and, being- the victor, must be right, and would only ask why the enemy did not try to get the better of him? Oh ! how the country suffered by this lawless state of things 1 which even Barbarossa had not succeeded in putting down altogether. How one faithful youth grieved, above all others, when he found his beloved, lion-hearted King Richard I., of England, must have vanished into some such prison, nobody knew how! This was Blon- del, the faithful Blondel, the constant follower of the king, his favorite, who used to sing to him, and invent sweet words and sweeter melodies, and who now wandered about strange countries poor and lonely, but determined to find his be- loved master. Poor young creature ! He had to sing at castle gates in order to obtain a meal, and, in answer to his anxious inquiries about his king, he was told over and again that he had not been heard of But Blondel was as faithful as he was poor, and on he went until he reached the Aus- trian dominions, and came to the castle of Diir- renstein, looking down from a dazzling height while the river Danube flowed at its foot. Here he sat down, utterly exhausted, and overcome by melancholy thoughts. But being young and naturally of a cheerful disposition, he did not I20 Early German History. allow himself to despond altogether, and he tuned his beloved lute, that had so often solaced him on his lonely pilgrimage, and began to play and sing. It was a song that the king loved in particular, and that Blondel, for love of his king, used to delight in singing more than any other. But what was his surprise when the first verse was ended, and he heard a distant voice sing the second verse, melody, words, and all.? " That must be the king, my king ! " said Blon- del, as he started up in an ecstacy of delight. He lost no time in returning to England, and proclaiming to the country where he had found Richard. '*Let us ransom him and set him free,'' he urged; but this was not so easily accomplished. Leopold was exacting, and the money not so easily collected, so that not only days and weeks, but many months elapsed, ere Richard could return to his country. He had endured great hardships, and had been transferred from one strong castle to another, and was made but too sensible of the troubles of imprisonment. It was thfen he felt his own hard-hearted treatment of friends and relatives. Perhaps adversity might have taught him to be more lenient in the future, had he not shortly after been shot by an arrow in a war with the King of France. f;i II I iiiiii ii 1 1 1 .iii ii iiii 111 iiilii ill wuuiii 411411111*1111 111 till Willi uijiiiii II iiiiiitiiiiii't !,!.','.T.V, '.'.!,!,' !.'.'. tiiiiiitiiiiitTXjiiiiiiiiiitiiititiJiiiiiii^ CHAPTER XXX. ABOUT THE OTHER EMPERORS OF THE HOHEN- STAUFEN RACE. ET US turn from England back again to Germany, where there was deep mourn- ing for the old hero-king, Barbarossa, so unexpectedly snatched away from his loving people. "Can he be dead? Is he really dead.? Shall we never see him again ? He was so strong and hearty when he set out, his death is but a fable," said they, *' and presently we shall see him return to us." And, when he did not return, the superstition came about that the beloved king was stopping away in the heart of a mountain. Superstition was then easily believed among those benighted people. The name, even, of the mountain varied in the tale. In the north of Germany, they said it was the Kyffhauser, near Frankenhausen ; in the south, the Untersberg, near Salzburg. There he sits erect, the legend says, his head resting upon his hand, waiting till the bad and unruly times have passed over Germany, and then he 121 122 Early Ger7nan History, means to return once more to govern and rule his people. This is sure to be told him by his friends, the dwarfs, for when the ravens no longer flutter about the mountain, their absence will be a sign for him to return. Meanwhile he is waiting, waiting ; he seems turned to stone, and his beard is growing so long that it has already passed through the stone table standing before him, and yet the ravens still flutter about the mountain, and the dwarfs still keep away, instead of calling upon him to return ! It would have been well for the country had all this not been a mere legend. Barbarossa s son, King Henry VI., was now reigning in Ger- many and Italy, and, though he was like his father in bravery and ambition, he lacked the justice and generosity which had distinguished him. Henry's queen, Constance, brought the kingdom of Naples and Sicily with her as her dowry ; but it required not only firmness, but even cruelty to retain it, as the Italian subjects would not, on any account, be ruled by a Ger- man king. The Pope, too, full of envy, became the bitterest enemy of Henry, calling himself the father of all Christians, chosen to watch over them, and to bestow the crown upon the em- peror. *'The Holy Father," said the Pope, "is like the sun, shedding light, warmth and pros- perity over the whole world; the emperor, like Other Hohenstaufen Emperors. 123 the moon, receiving its pale light from that glorious sun. " Little did the Pope rehsh the power which Henry s conquest of Naples and Sicily gave him, and which he succeeded in destroying, as you will see later on. Henry enjoyed his happiness but a short time ; he died when only thirty-two years old, and left a baby son three years of age. Who was to reign now ? The child's mother, or the younger son of Barbarossa, Duke Phihp, of Suabia? They decided for the latter. But the Pope was ever ready to put down the race of Hohenstaufen and raise that of the Guelphs, and he lost no time in getting Otto of Bruns- wick elected as a rival king. Of course these two kings — Philip, a Hohen- staufen (or, as the Italians call him, one of the Ghibellini), and Otto, a Guelph — were certain to fight ; and, whilst they did so, the Pope could wield the sceptre, which state of affairs just suited him. It also suited foreign nations, such as the French, Greeks, Normans and Arabs, to profit by the internal dissensions and acquire lands in fertile Italy, which could not be wrested from them for many years to come. Philip of Hohenstaufen had just succeeded in getting the better of his rival king, when he fell by the hand of an assassin in the year 1208. 124 Early German History. Otto IV., having been chosen by the Pope, might now have reigned in peace had he not tried to curb his benefactor's power, which the Holy Father resented by getting many of the dukes and nobles to wage war against the king. Others adhered to him, and, for the next ten years, this strife never ceased. It was only in 12 18 that Otto's death put an end to it Poor baby Frederick, three years old at his father's death, soon lost his mother also, and was educated by Pope Innocent III. This Pope was a great lovef of art and science, and he filled his pupil's mind with the same inclina- tions ; but he was ambitious, too, and did not mind what means he employed to attain the de- sired end. CHAPTER XXXL EMPEROR FREDERICK II. REDERICK was a noble-looking youth of eighteen when he became king. He had the fair locks and the blue eyes of the GhibelHnes, together with the vivacity and fiery temper of his Italian mother-queen, Con- stance. He truly desired to reign as a wise king, and insure the happiness of his people. He accord- ingly made wise laws to benefit trade and re- compense labor. He built harbors for the safety of ships. He encouraged scientific men and poets. But there was one evil at the root of all this — his immeasurable love for Italy, which he inherited from his mother, and his want of re- gard for his German subjects. Oh ! how much pleasanter to live in Italy, the land of song and poetry ; to be constantly surrounded by Arabian and Italian men of science ; to enjoy the courtly manners of his Italian followers, and breathe the light air under the blue sky of Naples and 125 126 Early German History, Sicily. As to music, the king might have en- joyed plenty of that either in Germany or France, for there were many minstrels in either country, as well as in Italy. There, of course, they had the charm of their melodious language, and were daily admitted at court to sing the most inspiring verses about noble knights and their lady-loves, their prowess and their gene- rosity, accompanying themselves on the man- doHn. The king also attracted artists, sculptors and architects to his table, for he was less of a hero than old Barbarossa, but, on the contrary, loved all that was sweet and pleasant to the senses, and he kept a splendid court. The Pope was incensed at his adrriitting Mahometans as well as Christians, as long as they were clever men ; and he would not crown Frederick unless he promised to show himself a good Christian by making a Crusade, which he would never have done of his own free will. The king, as well as many other good and clever people, began to think that they could do more good in their own country than in the Holy Land For no sooner was it conquered than it was wrested again from the Europeans by the Turks, so that it would have required a standing army to secure its acquisition, which they could not afford to leave in Palestine. Emperor Frederick II. 127 The king, however, resolved to go to Pales- tine, but, before he could set off, a shocking thing happened. A shepherd boy pretended to have received a letter from our Lord Jesus Christ, commanding them to enlist many chil- dren, and with them repair to the Holy Land to regain the Holy Sepulchre, A miracle would be worked for their safety. Only think that thirty thousand children actually set off, their parents being convinced it would lead to their happiness here and hereafter ! But, poor things, they never reached the Holy Land; no miracle prevented their dying of want or being sold as slaves, and not one of them returned to his home. The emperor set off in due time, and arrived safely, but part of his army had succumbed to all sorts of trials and privations. Frederick himself, and the remainder of the Crusaders, won their way through all sorts of difficulties. When in Italy he had acquired a knowledge of many of the Eastern languages from the learned Arabs, and, when he addressed the people in their own tongue and in his own winning way, they could not help yield- ing to his entreaties for food and shelter. He also succeeded in bringing about a peace with the Mussulmans, according to which Christians were permitted to pray unmolested at the Holy Sepulchre, whilst pilgrims might land without op- position at some of the coast towns of Syria. 128 Early German History, The Pope ought to have been glad indeed at so much having been attained in a peaceable way, but he was far from satisfied. ' ' Frederick ought to have had all such Mussulmans killed as would not embrace the Christian religion/' said Gregory IX., who had succeeded Innocent IIL, *'and as to a peace with these infidels, that was a tissue of lies and falsehoods." He con- demned more than ever the emperor's conferring with learned Arabs, and trying, with their aid, to master the Eastern languages. Better get Christian divines to improve him in Christian knowledge; that, and that only, was true wis- dom. Frederick answered that he left all such studies to divines, and never would be prevented from frequenting his Arab teachers. He could prove to the Pope that he was leading a good and pious life, and as to music and poetry, he could not possibly do without that, let the Pope dislike it ever so much. In spite of this, Gregory passed the sentence of excommunication on Frederick whilst at Jeru- salem; so he and his Crusaders had to enter the Church of the Nativity, and offer their thanks- giving for having been vouchsafed the mercy of getting there without the attendance of a priest to conduct the service. It seemed a long time to the people of Ger- many since their emperor had left for the East. Emperor Frederick I L 129 It is true his son Henry reigned in his stead, -but they felt offended at Frederick's seeming neglect of his German dominions, and at last deposed him in favor of Henry. The father, on his return, cast the son into prison, grieving bitterly, and the son had ample time to repent his misconduct ere he died in prison. Let us turn from this sad picture to a brighter one — to the splendid feast given by the Emperor Frederick in celebration of his third marriage. He received his bride with due honors on the Rhine, and they were married at Worms. Four kings, many bishops and nobles were present, and all sorts of amusements were devised for the noble guests. Amongst others, there were carriages shaped like boats, and, as soon as they were set in motion, they played sweet music. The costly trinkets, the silver plate, the dresses, and even the kitchen utensils, which the English bride brought with her, were greatly admired by the Germans, who had never seen the like. This gay time was of short duration, since a new rebellion had broken out in the Italian towns, backed up by the Pope. Ezzelino, a very tiger of a man, although related to Fred- erick, attacked him in the fiercest manner; and it was not till an army of a hundred thousand men could be opposed to him that the Milanese and their armies were conquered; conquered for 130 Early German History, the time, but not subdued, for they rose again and again, and years of warfare followed. Frederick exacted entire submission, and might have succeeded in his demands had not the Pope interfered in favor of the towns. It was a hard time the king went through in rebellious Italy. Worst of all, whilst thus engaged, the fierce tribe of the Mongolians broke into Germany, destroy- ing man and beast by fire and sword. You will hear, further on, how they were at last beaten by the united armies of Germany on the shores of the Danube, leaving a hundred thousand bar- barians dead on the battlefield. Alas ! they also left the heart-rending spectacle of burning towns and villages, and mutilated corpses, and misery of all kinds. Conrad, the son of Frederick, reigned in his father's stead in Germany, while he and his son Enzio carried on the Italian wars. Conrad and his father were both worried by the Pope, who chose first the Landgrave of Thuringia, then William of Holland, as rival kings. Had not the Ger- man towns risen in favor of Barbarossa's grand- son, there would have been an end of his race, but they were faithful, so that William, the rival king, had to retire. You have followed me through many a sad account, dear readers, but none, I think, as sad as that of poor Enzio, the younger son of King i Emperor Frederick 11. 131 Frederick, who, when only sixteen, fought like a lion at his father's side, and gained many a vic- tory. Just as father and son were in hopes of having vanquished their enemies, Enzio was defeated at the battle of Fossalta, and taken prisoner by the Bolognese. It proved an ever- lasting pang to his father's heart. Enzio, you must know, was a lovely youth, with blue eyes and golden locks, and, the Italians being mostly black-haired, he became quite renowned for his beauty, people asking each other whether they had seen those beautiful curls. Those very curls helped to bring about his misfortune. You shall hear in what way. Enzio had many friends, who grieved at his imprisonment and tried to liberate him. So they cunningly man- aged to get him into an empty cask, and have him rolled out of prison, as if it were a cask of wine. So far, so good ; but, as he was being bowled along the market place, a sentinel dis- covered a golden lock of hair sticking out of the barrel. ''What lock is that.?" cried the man ; *'it is for all the world like Enzio's. A curious barrel of wine, that ! Let us examine it more closely." And, when they did examine it, they found poor Enzio, and carried him back to his dark turret, where he was kept for twenty-two long years ! Can you fancy anything more miserable.? Can you picture to yourself the 132 Early German History. length of twenty-two years, spent without light and air, without friends or occupation to while away the long hours ? spent thus by a lively- youth, his father's favorite, accustomed to all princely honors, and skilled in manly exercises. Oh ! you who read this are blessed, indeed; for you enjoy liberty, that golden sunshine which gladdens the heart Frederick was filled with grief ; it preyed upon his health, and he died in the year 1250. The inexorable Pope refused to become reconciled to him on his death-bed, or to make peace with his only surviving son, Conrad, who soon fol- lowed his father to the grave. Barbarossa's race was now all but extinct, little Conradin, the son of Conrad, being the last left ; and you will presently have to go with me through the law- less times which followed, there being no em- peror to quell rebellion and uphold justice. •*~^t^»°^^§^B feg>^ ^B^^^c*^5^^ CHAPTER XXXII, ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD. UT now pray turn back with me to the time when the Order of the Knights Templars (of whom I told you) was first instituted by a son of Barbarossa about the year 1200. You remember that was at Jerusalem, but, by degrees, these benevolent knights came to think that they could do more good in Prussia, and I shall tell you in what manner. Look at the map, and you will find, on the coast of the Baltic, in Eastern Prussia, the three towns of Stettin, Dan- zig and Konigsberg ; that is the same Danzig in which the emperors of Germany and Russia had a pleasant meeting in September, 1881, but oh ! how different it was when the Knights Templars established themselves in its neighborhood! They had a large castle called the Marienburg. Eastern Prussia then contained large tracts of uncultivated land, dense forests, swamps and morasses, in which the fierce buffalo, the wild 133 134 Early German History, boar and the blood-thirsty wolf were on the watch for prey ; whilst the inhabitants of the country clung to their heathen gods and to the most barbarous customs, and would not be con- verted. It was a grand task, indeed, to civilize these barbarians and make their country habit- able, but it was a difficult one, too, and much praise is due to the Master of the Order, Her- mann von Salza. Nothing daunted by adverse circumstances, he first subdued and converted some of the wild Prussians, and then succeeded in procuring the aid of the Pope and king, thus raising the Order in the estimation of all good and wise men. It was during his time that the above-men- tioned wild Mongolians broke into Germany, and I have told you of the panic which befell the country when they saw what ravages these little men committed. They seemed men of iron, flying along on their small horses, their arrows unfailing, men and beasts never tired, the terror of their enemies. The Knights Templars mustered strong on the day of that awful battle of the Wahlstatt, near Liegnitz, on the Danube, which I mentioned to you. All the monks turned out of their convents, and put on many a piece of armor, rusty for want of use. The peaceful burghers of the towns joined them, and the war-cry resounded on all sides — that Orders of Knighthood. 135 war-cry which inspired knights and nobles, monks, princes and burghers — '^Up, brave men; God will not forsake us; God is with us." Many a man sank with these words on his lips, pierced by the arrows of the MongoHans, for the slaughter was terrible; but every man's life was dearly bought, for, as I told you, a hundred thousand barbarians were slain. That was too much for our wild enemy. He buried his dead and re- tired, never again to be seen in Europe. Would you believe that it took full fifty years before the heathen Prussians were quite con- verted to Christianity } The Knights had to carry on war with their neighbors of Lithuania and Po- land ; a pestilence of five years' duration afflicted Prussia ; yet, in spite of all this, the successors of Hermann von Salza managed to benefit the country in every possible way. They built towns and filled them with clever German workmen : they got German peasants to teach the people of Prussia how to till the soil so as to produce a rich harvest, and how to introduce many useful plants, the vine, among others, and to cultivate it so successfully that the wine of the Knights Templars became most celebrated. Their castle of Marienburg was so wonderfully enlarged and improved that it remains to this day the finest piece of Ancient German archi- tecture. The hall, supported by graceful 136 Early German History. pillars, was the meeting'-place of the digni- taries of the Order ; the Knights used to dine in it together with the priests, and there they would also converse or play chess and draughts. Many a tale that splendid hall and those pillars and walls might tell ! They had seen Winrich von Kniprode, the much-dreaded Grand Master of the Order, surrounded by his knights, receiving the ambassadors of foreign courts ; they had heard many a conference for settling new laws and ordinances, and they had beheld the grandest of all banquets given to friends and neighbors, when wine-cups were filled and re-filled, and the minstrel sang so divinely that a golden cup became his reward, handed to him by the Grand Master. How could any one dare to stand up as the rival of one so skilled in song ? And yet there was an old Prussian bard who tried to wrest the palm of victory from him by singing a heathenish song in the harsh language now become almost obsolete ; but he failed utterly, and earned deri- sion where he had expected praise. He fled, dismayed, shattered his harp against the castle wall, and uttering a frightful curse, he called down destruction upon the Knights and their castle. Fortunately, he cursed in vain, for there is the splendid building still erect after many centuries, the pride of Prussia, and one of her bulwarks. ^ Orders of Knighthood, 137 The new towns quickly rose and prospered, and churches and other public buildings soon showed that good taste prevailed. The rivers carried valuable cargoes from the towns across the sea, and thus a new exchange of produce was established between Germanized Prussia and foreign countries. Best of all innovations, schools for the education of youth were estab- lished by the Knights. Learned men and artists were invited into this part of Germany, which was so flourishing under the Grand Master, Winrich of Kniprode, while other parts were at that time abandoned to wretched lawlessness and strife. But before I tell you of this, let me take you to the celebration of Christmas Day in an ancient burgher family of the time. I know you will enjoy that. It was not as merry as in our time ; no soaped pole to climb up for a sausage ; no bar- rel filled with bran out of which to pick the sweets that were strewn in it, and, above all, no peals of laughter at our neighbor's slightly scorched finger and thumb whilst picking raisins out of burning spirits of wine. The ancient Germans welcomed the birth of their Saviour in a more religious spirit. The whole family — father,mother, children and servants — were gathered together to see a representation of the infant Jesus lying in a manger surrounded by fir-trees. Young 138 Early Ger^nan History. , priests, dressed as shepherds, appeared and in- quired where they could find the Blessed Infant ; while other priests, or youths, robed in white and adorned with wing-s, represented angels and conducted them to it, all joining in hymns of praise while kneeling before it. The people were allowed to take part in this celebration. Young and old kept running from house to house and from church to church to find out which was the finest manger or the prettiest arrangement of fir-trees, for at that time churches and houses were decked alike on Christmas Eve. As a contrast, you must learn how the heathens kept Christmas. Of course they did not celebrate the birth of Our Lord, but they rejoiced in having passed the shortest day, and sat together feast- ing and carousing. There was much singing to glorify their heroes; much discussion about new means of warfare and depredation, and finally they got so intoxicated that it brought about no end of disgusting brawls. After the death of the Grand Master, Winrich of Kniprode, the Order of the Knights Templars had seen its best days and began to decline. The Knights, who had formerly worked to bring about the conversion of the Prussians, now that these had become Christians, were only idlers, leading a life of luxury and ease. This the towns Orders of Knighthood. 139 resented, saying: '^We have redeemed the land and made it fertile ; we ought to enjoy the fruits of our labors and not have to feed these idle foreigners on its produce." They knew how to give weight to these words by drawing into their interest the kings of Po- land and Lithuania who, after having joined them in a war against the knights, managed to exter- minate the greater part of them. Later on, the Order was raised into a duchy under the Margrave of Brandenburg, who had been elected Grand Master, and in 1701 the duchy became a kingdom, and its princes hence- forth called Kings of Prussia. 1 c>^t5cXr<;c>T<;c>T<3:!>'5^::Xr<3iF3TDaF5^Dci>T^c^;r^ CHAPTER XXXm. CONRADIN, THE LAST OF THE HOHENSTAUFENS. SCARCELY know how to describe the wretched state of poor Germany after the death of King Frederick II. and his son, Conrad. Four years after this event, the princes and nobles, wanting to be independent, combined to oppose the young Count Wilham of Holland, who had been elected Emperor of Germany, and his successors, the English prince, Richard of Cornwall, and the King of Spain, Alfonso of Castile. For twenty long years there was neither peace nor order in Germany, and this sad time is called the Interregnum. Nor shall we find Italy in better condition if we turn to that, for the king there could not get the Pope to befriend him, although he was reign- ing cleverly and wisely. He was Manfred, a son of Frederick, and endowed with all the best qualities of his father. A rival king was again set up, and Manfred, who was a lover of peace and art and science, had to make war ; and after 140 Conradin. 141 fighting heroically, he was killed at the battle of Benevento. During all these sad events, young Conradin, the baby son of Conrad IV., had grown into a fine young man under the care of his mother, who watched over him in her retirement. He was her only treasure in her bereavement, and amply returned her love and affection. They had vowed never to be separated, and they meant to keep their vow. But alas ! when am- bassadors were sent from Italy to entreat him to come and reign over them, Conradin wavered in his resolution. They said they would replace him on the throne of his grandfather, Frederick, and through him due honors should again be restored to the Ghibellines. The offer was too tempting to be refused. His poor mother in vain reminded him of his promise. In vain she said: *'Do not go into Italy — into the land of your enemies, the land in which your father and so many dear to him were betrayed and met with an untimely death. Do not deliver your- self into the hands of the Pope — that bitterest enemy of your race — who alone sways the sceptre in Italy ; do not go into his country ; go anywhere else, but not to Italy ! " In vain ! Her words were lost upon him, and he set out, accompanied by his bosom friend, Frederick of Baden, to regain a crown and re-establish the 142 Early German History, glory of his race ; the wretched mother being left alone with her sad forebodings. At first the two young men had every reason to exult in their success and rejoice in not hav- ing listened to the advice of an anxious mother; but, by degrees, matters changed for the worse, and ere long Conradin found himself entangled in a war, defeated in battle and obliged to look for safety in flight. And there they were, rush- ing about, he and his friend, Frederick, along untrodden paths, up and down steep hills, alarmed by the rushing waters lest they should engulf them, though that would be better than being discovered by their enemies ; on and on, till at last they reached Rome, where, happily, the descendant of Barbarossa was received with due honors. No sooner, however, did the Romans hear of his defeat and flight than they turned from him. The two young friends, with but a few followers, had to escape in the dark of night, and again wade through mires and marshes until they reached a small coast town, whence they hoped to sail from Italy. The chief magistrate, however, got suspicious on seeing so many foreigners embarking, for they had some valuable trinkets about them, which, as young men, they had not had the foresight to hide. This bad and ungrateful magistrate, who had received great benefits from Conradin. 143 Conradin's grandfather, had the bark pursued which took them out to sea, and they were dis- covered and deHvered up to that implacable enemy, Charles of Anjou, King- of Naples and Sicily. Carried back to Naples in chains, imprisoned and taken before a tribunal, Conradin was accused of having sinned against the people and rebelled against King Charles. A noble Milanese, who had hitherto been an enemy of the Ghibellines, was so shocked at this injustice that he tried to prove it was such by asserting Conradin's right to the throne. But in vain, for King Charles himself now arose, pleading his own cause against Conradin. There was but one voice against Conradin amongst the Milanese judges; all the rest declared him innocent of rape, mur- der and rebellion. But the one dissenting voice was accepted and all the others were rejected by the king, and his youthful enemy was condemned to death. You may fancy what Conradin must have felt when he was interrupted in a game of chess by the bearer of the sad news. But he bore up bravely; he neither complained nor sued for grace, but only prayed to God to support him in his trial. Not many days after, a set of workmen were erecting a high scaffold, with an extensive view over sea and land ; and, on Oc- 144 Early German History. tober 29th, in the year 1268, a man, barefooted and with sleeves tucked up, stood on this scaf- fold, with a large sword in his hand, waiting for the last of the Ghibellines. The king, with a sinister mien, watched the sad proceedings from a bay window. When Conradin arrived he looked pale, but, although he was only sixteen , years old, he mounted the steps as firmly as a man, and firmly spoke these words: ''I ask all the former subjects of my ancestors, I ask all the monarchs of this world, whether he who tries to defend his own and his people's rights is guilty of treason ? Also, whether those ought to be de- clared guilty who have been my friends? I throw down my glove, and request it may be carried to my friend and relative, Peter of Ara- gon, who will become my heir." The glove was picked up by a knight, who faithfully car- ried it to its destination. Conradin took an affectionate leave of all his friends, who, like him, were to meet death, and at last tore himself from the loving embrace of his dear friend, Frederick of Baden, calling out, with folded hands and devoutly kneeling, " Lord Jesus, into Thy hands do I commit my soul." Then, suddenly thinking of his mother, he said; *'0h, my poor mother I what grief do I inflict upon thee I " after which he quietly received the Conradin. 145 fatal blow. Frederick of Baden followed ; but two victims were not enough, and many others of the Ghibelline race were executed. In fact, torrents of blood were shed under that tyrant, Charles of Anjou, who enriched himself and his accompHces with the property of the murdered victims. This went on for seventeen long years, and then the day of retaliation came. It was on Easter Monday, 1282, that the town of Palermo rose as one man against the cruelty of the French soldiery. Other Italians joined them, and a frightful butchery of the French en- sued, called in history the ''Sicilian Vespers." Let us draw a dark curtain over these awful scenes, and rejoice in the success of Peter of Aragon, after the defeat and miserable end of that pitiless tyrant, Charles of Anjou, forsaken by his party, and utterly broken down in body and mind. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE HANSEATIC LEAGUE. HAVE told you a good deal about the depredations of the roving knights of Germany, who were nothing short of highwaymen, and, I am sorry to say, they were more fearless than ever, plun- dering merchants of their rich cargoes, find- ing out all sorts of wicked ways to escape punishment, and laughing, after all, at the hon- est burghers when they had made fools of them. Just listen to the tale of Eppelein von Gailin- gen, the most daring thief of his time, steahng and escaping by turns. At last he was caught by some wily citizens of Nuremberg, who were not slow in passing sentence of death upon him — death by hanging, too. '^Hanging.? Yes," thought Eppelein, "hang me when you have caught me?" But they had caught him, you will say, and so they had, but he was not on the gallows yet. When the morning of his execution came, the sun was shining brightly, and he, 146 The Hanseatic League. 147 looking his saddest, asked, in the most doleful tone, if they would do him only one favor before he quitted this world forever. Might he once more have the pleasure of bestriding his own horse? Might he ride to the place of execution ? The good Nurembergers, unsuspicious as they were, granted this request '^Poor man," said they ; " there is the hangman waiting, the bell tolling, the last bell he will ever hear. Let him ride on horseback, instead of being conveyed in the condemned cart ; what difference can it make 1 " But, indeed, it did make a difference for Eppe- lein. As soon as he felt his own horse under him, he spurred it into a mad gallop, and leaped over the town wall, then cleared the moat, and left the gaping burghers, and the hangman, and the gallows, far behind him. This was one incident of many. Then the burgher-merchants brought their complaints be- fore the emperor, and he gave them letters for- bidding all thieves to waylay their owners, or death would be the punishment But these letters, although paid for with their weight in gold, were not respected. What was the em- peror's safe-conduct to these wild fellows ? They knew a thousand ways of escaping punishment, and the citizens had no chance in a fight with them. So all the rich towns— Hamburg, Lubeck, 148 Early German History, Rostock, Stralsund, Danzig, Konigsberg, Stettin, Cologne, Miinster, Bremen, Brunswick, Dort- mund, Luneburg, Magdeburg, Riga and Dorpat — wanted to unite in a league for safety. '' Let us pay soldiers," said they, ''to protect us, instead of paying for the emperor's useless safe-conducts. Our united strength must be sufficiently power- ful to keep off the common enemy. " And they acted accordingly. The three towns — Hamburg, Lubeck and Bremen — were the mightiest, and the first to form a league, which they called ''Hansa." This was an ancient German word, which meant an association of men having but one common interest. Seventy-seven other towns joined the Hansa, and most efficiently did they withstand the robbers, who found they could no longer oppose so powerful a league. The three first Hansa towns were all of them sea- ports, and were often visited by the Eastern pil- grims, who taught them many useful things, learnt in their distant travels, and the German workmen soon adapted these to their own country. Then the celebrated Italian mer- chants came from Florence, Pisa, Venice and Genoa, to trade w^ith the Germans in a large way; not in ready money, but by written drafts, payable at stated times. There were money-changers carrying on these transactions The Hanseatic League, 149 for the great merchants from town to town, the people of Lombardy, as well as the Jewish money-changers, rendering trade more flourish- ing by a brisk interchange of business. Of course, many differences between parties had to be settled, and many a controversy to be set at rest, and, for this purpose, there was a *' Hansa day" appointed, when complaints were heard and attended to, and new treaties concluded. Delegates from the different towns attended, and even Flanders and Russia joined the mighty *^Hansa-bund," or Hanseatic League, which flourished for upwards of a hundred years. Their ships were respected everywhere; their fleet laid down the law to its bitterest enemy, the King of Denmark ; and not that only, but the Hansa made canals to facilitate the intercourse between the different places, and erected fine buildings to ornament the towns. In process of time, pride, conceit and jealousy took possesion of the Hanseatic leaders; dis- tant countries had, in their turn, learnt how to become powerful ; and a new quarter of the world having been discovered, a thorough change of roads, by land and water, became indispensable. The powerful Hansa was first shattered, and gradually broken down ; not, however, until its joint efforts had achieved many great and good things. t!t;:ttli^^^,jnr:i7^ CHAPTER XXXV. EMPEROR RUDOLF, OF HAPSBURG. TOLD you of the sad state of Germany during the twenty years called the Interregnum, when foreign princes were chosen to reign over Germany and Italy, and did it in the most careless and cruel manner. All this time a poor count, Rudolf von Haps- burg, was distinguishing himself by his bravery, as well as by the clever way in which he as- sisted, first, his godfather. King Frederick 11. , in his wars against Italy, and then the Swiss people, who were treated with the utmost cruelty by their nobles. Rudolf espoused their cause, and helped them to cast off their yoke. You will, I know, like to hear of the cunning devices he sometimes made use of to get the better of his enemies, when he found that weapons alone would not do it. Once, for instance, when he wanted to take the fortified town of Colmar, and did not know how to get within the gates, he took 150 Emperor Rudolfs of Hapsburg, 151 a number of empty wine-casks and filled them — not with wine, but with soldiers. The be- sieged, being glad to see a fresh supply of wine to fill their cellars, readily admitted the casks ; but scarcely were they inside the town than out jumped the soldiers, and posted themselves at the gates, which they so well succeeded in keep- ing open that Rudolfs whole force were able to enter and take Colmar. Another time it was a fortified castle he wanted to take. The river Limmer lay at its foot, and on it a boat arrived close to the castle, pretend- ing it had sprung a leak and wanted assistance. Every man in the castle turned out to see what was the matter, but they got poor thanks for their sympathy, for armed men, hidden in the boat, dashed forward, and, climbing up the steep hill, darted into the deserted castle and took possession of it. Then, again, Rudolf practiced a trick upon the lord of a strong castle, who would keep his gates closed against him. He ascertained that the lord and all his followers rode out sometimes on white horses. What did Rudolf do? He watched them till they were far off, then mounted a white horse, and got a band of trusty followers to do likewise, all of them disguised like the retainers of the castle. This disguise must have been perfect, indeed, for the castle-warden readily admitted them ; and 152 Early German History, what must have been the surprise of the lord and his followers on being received by a band of armed men in possession of the castle ! On another occasion, the count went unarmed and alone to the Abbot of St. Gallen, who was sitting at dinner with his knights and nobles, all talking about Rudolf, and considering how they might manage to drive this bitterest of their enemies out of the country. Rudolf quietly walked up to the abbot and said, ''I have come to make peace with you, reverend sir. You are surrounded by armed knights, I am alone and defenceless, so it will be an easy matter to rftake me a prisoner ; but I feel and believe that you will not abuse my confidence by so unlawful an act, and fearlessly do I stand before you.'' The abbot was touched by being so trusted, and readily agreed to the terms of peace proposed by Rudolf, and at once concluded it. This story shows you that he did not only conquer by stealth, but by his firm belief in the goodness of his fellow-men, and by the exercise of many other loveable qualities. He was also a very religious man, and this has been illustrated by the poet Schiller in the following story : Rudolf, in hunting, had come to a running brook, and was just going to pass it on horseback, when he perceived a priest bear- ing a cross, and in the act of taking off his shoes Emperor Rudolf ^ of Hapsburg, 153 and stockings. ''What are you doing, reverend sir ? '' said the count. ''I must ford this brook," rejoined the priest, ''for on the other side there Hes a man in the agony of death, and, as the gale has torn away the bridge, I must make my way through the water to bring the last com- forting words to the poor soul ere it depart this life." "Heaven forbid," said the count, "that I should be mounted on horseback riding through this brook, unmolested, whilst a pious servant of the Church, who is carrying the cross of my Saviour, has to struggle barefoot through the water. Mount ye my horse, holy father, with your cross, whilst I humble myself by bestriding my groom's mare." So saying, he dismounted, helped the priest on to his horse, and when, a few days later, the holy father wanted to return it, he made him accept it as a gift. Many years later, when Rudolf was no longer count, but had been elected emperor, he was feasting his nobles at his own courtly table and called for music to heighten their enjoyment. A bard was accordingly introduced, and the lay he sang to his harp was about a good count who had dis- mounted in honor of a priest going to ford a brook that he might solace the last moments of a dying Christian. Of course the emperor knew the story as his own, but what was his surprise when he recognized his abbot in the bard! 154 Early German History, Both rejoiced at this unexpected meeting, which led to the abbot s high preferment in the church. Having become a foe to the Swiss, and, as usual, busy in some warlike enterprise, Rudolf was laying siege to the town of Basle on the very day he was elected emperor. The towns- people received the news with great rejoicing, and forthwith opened their gates to him. But if they were pleased, some of the nobles were not; for they each placed their own claims to the crown far above those of '' that poor Count Rudolf of Hapsburg," and they were pleased at an incident which occurred after the coronation at Aix-la- Chapelle, hoping it might put him to confusion. He had to take up the sceptre and lay it lightly on the shoulder of each baron as a token that the grant of lands made to him by the late emperor , would be upheld by him also. For a moment — but for a moment only — he looked about for the missing sceptre; then with his usual pres- ence of mind he seized the crucifix on the altar, and facing the barons said : ' ' This has once been a sign of deliverance to the Christian world; it may well serve us to-day as a sceptre," and, suiting the action to the word, he performed the cere- mony without the slightest embarrassment. It was the turn of the barons, then, to feel confused. They got laughed at, while the emperor's ready wit was universally praised and acknowledged. CHAPTER XXXVL EMPEROR RUDOLF (CONCLUDED). UDOLF found powerful allies in the hus- bands of his handsome daughters, and SO became a mighty sovereign, dreaded by his enemies. The mightiest and most valiant prince amongst these was Ottokar, King of Bo- hemia, and he was the richest also, but had to hold his lands as a grant from the German em- peror. Little did he relish bending his knee before him and taking the oath of fealty, and scarcely had two years elapsed when he rebelled against ''the poor count that was," and made war upon him. The battle of the Marchfeld, near Vienna, where the two armies met, was one of wholesale slaughter, and Rudolfs Hfe was saved as by a miracle just as his wounded horse dropped under him, leaving him to the mercy of his enemies. A powerful horseman raised his axe to deal him the final blow, when some of his men interposed and saved him with undaunted courage. But 155 156 Early German History. oh! the misery of that awful battle ! Thousands perished, and no less, than fourteen members of the noble family of Tmntmansdorf shed their blood for their beloved emperor. At last King Ottokar, who had fought as bravely as Rudolf, was severely wounded and made prisoner, and that ended the battle. As soon as Rudolf heard his mighty enemy was in his power, he hastened to the spot to see him treated kindly and with due honors. But he arrived too late. Fierce soldiers had put out the last spark of life which remained in him and stripped him of his rich clothing. So there he lay, once so powerful, now a corpse weltering in his blood ! Rudolf turned away wiih horror ; and pray, let us do the same, and follow our king, of whom I have more pleasant things to tell you. First and foremost, he knew how to conciliate the Pope, Gregory K, which, you will allow, was a blessing to Germany, considering what quarrel- ing there had been between former kings and Popes. There is a nice story told about the em- peror and a certain Jacob Miiller, a citizen of Zurich, whom he had offended while he was yet a count, and who retaliated upon him whenever he could. This, of course, vexed Count Rudolf, and one day when they met in a field he said : ''There now, I have got you at last, Jacob Miil- ler ; I am armed and you are not, so I will chas- Emperor Rudolf. 1 57 tise you." But scarcely were the words spoken before he thought of the injustice of chastising a defenceless man, and he allowed him to pass un- harmed. See how his conscientiousness was re- warded! Both Miiller and the count were light- ing against the Swiss, when the enemy be- gan to surround a rider who had just been unhorsed. This was Rudolf himself. At the critical moment Miiller sprang forward and covered him entirely with his ponderous shield and thus prevented his being recognized. Had the Swiss known who he was, he must have fallen a prey to their fury. No sooner had Rudolf been elected king and emperor than he thought of Jacob Miiller, who had once saved his life, and sent for him to Mayence, where he was holding his court. There he made him sit at the head of the table. The knights and nobles did not believe their eyes when they saw a simple burgher occupying the seat of honor ; and the king, seeing their surprise, said: *' This man has saved the life of the Count Rudolf; the Emperor Rudolf ought never to forget him.'' That was grateful, and I am sure you love him for his gratitude. And now you are going to laugh, for it is an anecdote about the king's long nose I am going to tell you. While he was driving one day with a suite of knights and retainers, they met a 158 Early German History. peasant with a wagon-load of wood in a narrow street. ''Give room," called out the equerry, *'it is our lord, the emperor himself, who wants to pass." The peasant, little thinking the nose he railed at could belong to the emperor, called out, ''Yes, I will make room as soon as that long nose gets out of my way, for it is //j^/ which obstructs the passage." "Well and good ! " cried the king, " it shall get out of the way ! " and he turned aside. The knights burst out laughing, and the peasant must have felt horrified indeed on learning who was the owner of the long nose. There is another joke of the same kind about King Rudolf. Being always ready to outstrip court etiquette, he used to take soHtary walks at an hour when his courtiers were still asleep. Thus he set out one raw, cold morning, and turned into a baker's shop, attracted by the genial warmth of the oven and the smell of the baking rolls. "I am an old soldier," said he to the baker's wife, "and very cold; let me have a good warm at your nice oven." " I hate sol- diers," was the answer, "they and their emperor do us a deal of harm, and we are sick of war." And then she went on pouring a stream of abuse upon the heads of these detested enemies. The emperor listened patiently, but at last ventured to interpose with, "You do not understand these matters, my good woman," and was going to Emperor Rudolf . 159 explain, when she cut short his speech by pour- ing a large can of water into the hissing oven, and the cloud of vapor and smoke nearly blinded the emperor, driving him away as fast as his legs would carry him. At dinner he greatly amused his courtiers by relating his adventure, each new term of abuse being received with shouts of laughter. '' Well have some more fun yet," said the emperor. '' I will send this baker's wife a boar's head and a flask of wine, and let her know they come from the table of the old soldier, who wishes her a good appetite." The woman turned ashy pale when the royal messen- ger told his errand. What could she do to make the emperor forget her insulting language and her hard-hearted behaviour when he was cold and she refused him a seat near her warm oven t She would go to court and fall at his feet to sue for mercy. She was shaking like an aspen when she did so, but he, kind as ever, said : '' I will show mercy, but a punishment is due to you, and you must bear it." Of course a vision of money forfeited, of prison or of corporal punish- ment floated before the eyes of the frightened woman ; but none of these had he thought of. " Then what else ?" I hear my young readers say. Well, she had to stand up before him and repeat every term of abuse — every wicked word she had made use of in the morning, while fits of i6o Early German History. laughter made the tears course down the em- peror's cheeks. At last he dismissed her graciously ; and she, I suppose, would never slander anyone after this lesson, least of all the king. A good thing, too ; for if there is one thing m.ore uncharitable than another it is that abuse of our ''brethren" which Our Lord so strictly forbids. There were not many, indeed, who would speak to the king in the way this baker's wife did, for he was generally beloved — a very father to his people. Anybody who wished might speak to him ; he dressed, ate and drank no bet- ter than any citizen, and led a pious and orderly life. On being asked, shortly after his corona- tion, where his treasure was to be kept, he an- swered in his own modest way: *'I possess but these five shillings here in my hand, but please God they will increase.'' And so they did. He succeeded in all his enterprises, and became lord over a wide and prosperous realm. Instead of spending as much time in Italy as the former emperors had done, he traveled about in Germany, trying to remedy the ills his people were complaining of. He wanted, above all, to secure the happiness and well-doing of his subjects, and the best means for so doing was to bestow honors on the peaceful citizens, and utterly to annihilate the castles of the robber Emperor Rudolf. i6i knights who were trying to hide their ill-gotten plunder from him. As to the nobles, they were obliged to treat their subjects with due justice and even kindness, for Rudolph held, with the pious maxim, that he who has received much should also give freely ; so that the nobles being rich and mighty should set an example of gener- osity, justice and other good qualities to all those placed under them. When he fell ill, and knew his death was ap- proaching, he said: ''Take me to Spires, where my great ancestors lie buried ; there will I also die." So they set off with him, but he died on the road, at a small place called Germersheim, on July 1 2th, in 1291, and his corpse was carried to Spires, and interred in the cathedral. r§Mai3wM^«^ ai^§ giPig^^ CHAPTER XXXVII. EMPEROR ALBRECHT AND THE SWISS. N emperor so greatly beloved as Rudolf could only be mourned and regretted, and so he was — the just, clever, brave and kind-hearted emperor, Rudolf von Haps- burg. He was happy in the happiness of his subjects, but, alas ! he was not blessed in his sons. Hermann, the eldest, met with an un- timely death while on a boating excursion. He was his father's favorite, and well might he love htm in preference to his younger son. Albrecht was a morose youth, who used to tyrannize over his followers, and cast his one eye (having lost the other) greedily upon the possessions of other princes, which he coveted, and thought he would use all his shrewdness to secure them as soon as he was elected empe- ror. But he reckoned too soon upon what did not belong to him. The archbishops of Co- logne, Treves and Mayence feared he would tyrannize over them, too, and they managed to 162 Albrecht and the Swiss, 163 get Count Adolf, of Nassau, elected in his stead. This young man had to promise, in return, a strict adherence to the Church and entire sub- mission to the archbishops. But he was poor and powerless, and, after some years, Albrecht, furious at being set aside for this rival, brought a large army into the field and defeated his enemy, and, with his own hands, thrust a lance through his head. Then Albrecht was king, and the first use he made of his dignity was to get Adolf buried in an obscure convent ; not with the other German emperors, in the cathedral of Spires, as that was too great an honor for the usurper, according to his notions. After the coronation of the new emperor and empress, in 1298, there was a grand banquet, at which the nobles had to tender them wine in golden cups, kneeHng, to show how deeply their majesties were to be reverenced. Well might the courtiers and princes, in their humbled position, think of their good and friendly em- peror, Rudolf, who had wished for love, and never exacted servility from his subjects. During the banquet a young woman, in deepest mourn- ing, penetrated into the festive hall. She knelt down before the emperor, and, with floods of tears, entreated him to restore to liberty her son who was now his prisoner. Only a mother could havQ overcome the feelings of disgust and 164 Early German History, hatred when suing for grace at the feet of her husband's murderer, but she did so with all her energy, and every endeavor to conciliate him. Yet he spurned her from him with cold, insult- ing words, and then turned to his guests. I know your hearts will mourn for the poor widow and her son, yet I have to tell you a sadder tale still when you follow me to Switzer- land. That grand and beautiful country, in which so many of your friends enjoy their summer holidays, was then the scene of much cruelty. Its sturdy inhabitants, who desired to be free as their mountain air, were oppressed and enslaved by Albrecht's officials, and every atrocity was resorted to in order to crush their spirit. They wanted to be good and loyal subjects to their emperor, but neither to crouch nor cringe before him or his governors ; and whenever they re- fused to abase themselves by gross flattery, they were branded with the name of traitors. Then the three bravest amongst them met on the Riith mountain one moonlight night, and took a solemn oath to incite their countrymen to re- sistance, and throw off their shameful yoke. And well they might, too, for they had seen every injustice done to them. If one of the governors chose, he would take away the wife of a Swiss peasant from her husband and family, declaring she was much too good for them, Albrecht and the Swiss. 165 and would do better for him ; or, if another governor (Jandvogi) wanted to drive the best team of oxen away from the owner's farm into his stables (that is, to steal them), and the son should oppose such an unlawful measure, his poor father was punished by having both his eyes put out. Each Swiss canton had a landvogt, affid the very worst of them was Gessler, who vowed to humble the inhabitants of the cantons Schwytz and Uri, over which he presided. I suppose he had that wicked king, Nebuchad- nezzar, in his mind, although he did not set up a golden image, or have '' cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery and dulcimer, and all sorts of music," but merely put up a hat of his own on a long pole, and placed it in the highway, with a strict injunction that all passers-by should do homage to it as to himself, or else expect severe punishment. *'See if I do not humble that stubborn people, and make it show me rever- ence," said Gessler ; and, in truth, many did obeisance to the hat, although with gnashing of teeth. To William Tell this seemed impossible, as he was one day walking past it with his little boy. He was as brave as he was honest, and, more- over, one of the best marksmen in the country. The sentinel placed to see that due honor 1 66 Early German History. was done to the hat, seized him, and Gessler received him with revengeful looks, saying : *'They tell me thou art an unerring shot, and thou shalt prove it this day. We will .tie thy boy to a neighboring tree, and place an apple on his head. Point thy arrow well at it, for, if thou dost not hit this apple, thy boy's Hfe is for- feited, and he dies. " I wish you could read that beautiful drama by Schiller, called ''Wilhelm Tell,'' or see Tell represented by the famous actor, Barnory, and you would feel the whole awful scene more in- tensely than any words could express. The re- fusal of the agonized father, with his heart- rending cry of, ' ' How can I become the murderer of my boy } How aim at his beloved head, and maybe pierce it instead of the apple } How, by missing my shot, deliver him up to become your victim .? Oh ! mercy ! mercy ! " whilst Gessler frowns vengeance in answer to this appeal. Then the little fellow says, pluckily : " I am not afraid of your arrow, father ; I shall not wince. You never miss your shot, father ; only do not let them tie me to the tree. Not a bit will I move, not I, father. Take courage and shoot. " The strong man trembled, and still resisted; but, finding that Gessler was inexorable, he prayed to God to show him that mercy which cruel man refused Then Tell steadied himself, Albrecht and the Swiss. 167 and took two arrows, and, having examined them well, he put one on his crossbow and the other in his bosom. Then he shot and hit the apple, which fell to the ground, while the boy- rushed unhurt into his father's arms. There was a tearful joy in that embrace — there was Teirs fervent thanksgiving ; but there was also Gessler's unrelenting hatred, and, in the midst of Tell's joy, he heard the question thundered at him : ' * Thou hadst two arrows ; thou hast one still remaining. What didst thou intend doing with that P Speak openly; I insure thy life." '^That second arrow would have killed thee, landvogt, had I missed my shot. Thou wouldst have followed my innocent boy.'' ''Oho ! " said Gessler, 'Ms that it? Well, my promise secures thy life ; but I will have thee cast into utter darkness, where neither sun nor moon shall ever gladden thy sight Bind him hand and foot, ye slaves, and into the boat with him ! " Upon which rough hands seized him and soon poor Tell w^as lying prostrate in the boat and securely fettered ; and he could only see and not reach his crossbow to use it. Gess- ler himself entered the boat, and directed the men to steer across the lake of the four cantons to the castle of Klitznacht. If ever there was a hopeless condition, it was Tell's, in the hands of his unrelenting, powerful enemy ; but there 1 68 Early German History, was a hand more powerful watching over him from above. The sky became covered with clouds as dark as the Kiitznacht dungeon ; the waves of the wide lake reflected their .sinister color, and rose in tumultuous foam ; the small craft was thrown hither and thither ; thunder rolled, lightning flashed ; and, at last, the helms- man declared the boat to be in imminent danger if the heavy gale did not abate. *' Could we but have Tell at the helm,'' he called out, amidst the roaring elements, '*he alone might avert the danger. His arm is most powerful, and he might bring the boat safely to shore. We cannot." Gessler, whose cowardice equaled his tyr- anny, began to fear for his life, and said : *'Tell, thinkest thou that, if thine arms were freed, thou could bring us safely across the lake .?*" ''By the help of God, I might," was the ready answer. No sooner was he unbound than his powerful arm steered the boat cleverly through the foaming waves, avoiding all the treacherous parts of the lake, which he had known all his life. But Tell thought less of the gale than of his chance to regain liberty ; and see how he managed it, by the help of God. He suddenly steered the boat close up to a projecting rock, to this day called Tellsplatte, boldly jumped on to it, having previously seized A Ibrecht and the Swiss. 1 69 his crossbow, and, as swift as lightning, he got on shore. He then hid behind a rock which he knew Gessler must pass on his way to the castle, and there he heard him dilate to his followers on the torments he would inflict on Tell as soon as he caught him, which he could not fail to do. But, hark ! ere he had finished his speech, there came a hissing sound. What was it.-^ An ar- row flew through the air ; it was Tells arrow, and it smote the tyrant to the heart, and he lay prostrate at the feet of his own men. Oh ! how they and all the people rejoiced at being delivered from their cruel tyrant ! The three men who had taken an oath on the Riith to strive for the liberty of their enslaved country gladly set to work to attain it by forming the Swiss Federation, which exists to this day, and is respected by the whole world. The Swiss wars, I am sorry to say, extended over many years, and many deeds of bravery were done ere they ceased. Let me tell you about Arnold von Winkelried. He was one of a band of Swiss that were entirely hemmed in be- tween a powerful division of Austrian knights and a narrow valley. The lances of the moun- taineers splintered like glass against the steel cuirasses of the knights. About sixty of the brave Swiss had fallen, when Arnold von Wink- elried darted forth, crying : ' ^ Follow me, Swiss I/O Early German History, brethren ; my body shall open a passage for you ! Take care of my wife and child ! So saying, he seized a handful of lances from the astonished Austrians, pierced his own breast with them, and sank to the ground. A gap had been formed in the surprise of the moment, and the Swiss rushed through it, committing great havoc upon their enemies, and finally putting them to flight. You must know that not only the tyrant Gess- ler, but also the emperor, whom the people called '^ heart of adamant,'' met with an un- timely death. One of his nephews, John of Suabia, and some of his friends, had been robbed by Albrecht of their lands, so that they found themselves w^andering about as friendless exiles when they committed the murderous deed in 1308. There was much consultation as to what could be done after that, and, at last, a great meeting was called at a place called Rense, near Coblentz. The election of a new king took place there, in the open air, under the shade of some venerable old trees. CHAPTER XXXVIII. HOW ONE KING AT A TIME WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE GERMAN PEOPLE. HE mightiest bishops were all for setting aside the house of Austria. Albrecht had sprung from it, and his dreadful tyranny, as well as his insatiable avarice, were not so soon to be forgotten ; so they chose Count Henry, of Luxembourg, in 1309, who be- came King Henry VII. He won golden opinions at the beginning of his reign by removing the body of Adolf of Nassau from the convent, where he had been interred by order of Albrecht, and taking it to the cathedral of Spires. That was the royal burial place, and, having died a king, he was entitled to it. He and his fierce enemy, Albrecht, now lay side by side. Henry VII. had but a short and troublous reign. First, he tried to make peace in Italy ; and then he met with that scourge of mankind, the plague, in his Italian States, which all but annihilated his powerful army. His end was a sad one, for he was poisoned at Siena in August, 171 1/2 Early German History. ^l^l^ after having fought bravely and ruled wisely for three years. There now ensued a complete state of an- archy. The quarrelsome Germans first debated for a whole twelvemonth as to who should be king, and then, not being able to agree, they did the very worst thing possible — they chose two different princes. Of course there arose two parties, the one obeying Ludwig, Duke of Bavaria, the other, Frederick of Austria. Every- thing went topsy-turvey. The knights rose against each other, the towns fell into endless wars, and the citizens as well as the farmers suf- fered in all manners of ways. Again one of the kings, Duke Frederick, of Austria, and his proud and tyrannous brother, Leopold, said they would show those wretched peasants (as they called the Swiss) what it was to vow allegiance to their enemy the rival king, Duke Ludwig, of Bavaria. They set forth with a splen- did array of knights and armed men, as though it would be an easy matter to conquer these simple shepherds and peasants. But it did not prove so in the end ; for the Swiss knew every creek and cranny in their mountain paths, and could cHmb them as lightly as the chamois, whilst the armor of the knights proved too heavy to allow them to pursue them. Then, when they had to pass through a valley, showers of stones and One king not enough, 173 pieces of rock were hurled upon them from above, and killed them wholesale; and, at the famous battle of Mosgarten which ensued, the Austrians were completely routed by the vic- torious Swiss. As to the two kings, they kept up a cruel war- fare against each other for seven long years, and, at last, found themselves facing each other close to a place called Miihldorf, each of them being convinced of success, for both their armies were equal in power and number. Frederick was a fine man, and splendidly attired in gilt armor. He was impatient to attack Ludwig, although urged by his knights to await the ar- rival of some reinforcements that were hourly expected. " Delay is cowardice," said he ; and he fell upon the enemy. Ludwig thought it wise to appear in a common suit of mail, thus to avoid the enemy taking special aim at him ; and he fought bravely in the ranks, whilst an old and experienced leader, called Schweppermann, commanded the arm^y. Frederick and his knights were violently repulsed, and, when the Burgrave, Frederick of Hohenzollern, attacked them from behind, they lost the day. The king was conducted as a prisoner to the stronghold of Transnitz. Ludwig of Bavaria was not a little pleased with his clever old general, Schweppermann, 174 Early German History. and made him sit down at his right hand when he and all his courtiers were resting from their fatigues, hoping to recruit their strength by a good and quiet meal. There was, how- ever, an entire dearth of provisions, and abso- lutely nothing but a dish of eggs could be set before the king. He began to count them. ''Only one ^^^ apiece,'' said he, ''and one over. No, none over, for it is Schweppermann's, to all intents and purposes ; for, as he has done the most work, he must have the double share." Frederick being a prisoner, surely Ludwig might have enjoyed his kingship unmolested. But no ; for there was the Pope, John XXII. , and he would not let him. The Pope appointed the King of France to reign over Germany, which, of course, the people prevented. Then the Pope used his usual weapon — excommunication — against Ludwig, but he was nothing daunted by it, and declared the Pope had no right to make or unmake kings, and as to his sentence of ex- communication, who cared for that ? Wishing, however, to oppose him with might and main, he resolved to make peace with the valiant Frederick ; then the two kings might reign amicably together, and teach the Pope better. So he set off for Transnitz, and said to the poor prisoner, " I have come to set thee free ! " Fred- erick was moved by this generosity, and vowed One king not enough, 175 that, in future, he would be his friend and ally. His brother, Leopold, however, would not hear of it, declaring that he would carry on the war until his brother had ascended the throne, whilst the Pope unbound him of the promise of allegi- ance given to Ludwig. But this did not suit Frederick. ''Let me re- turn to prison," said he to the king, ''for neither will I break my vow of assisting thee against thine enemies, nor will I wage war against my brother, and yet must I otherwise adopt one or the other of these courses." This speech moved Ludwig to tears ; he pressed Frederick to his heart, saying, "Come and let us share one crown, as, when lads, we used to share one table and one bed." It was really wicked to frustrate such good intentions, but the Pope did, for he wanted those two to be enemies, and not friends. But he could not prevent their settling that Frederick should reign in Germany and Ludwig in Italy. The Italians, who were to crown Ludwig, showed him neither sympathy nor respect, and his thirty-three years' reign proved, by no means, a prosperous one. Frederick had died long be- fore him ; the Pope had died, too, and Benedict XII. had succeeded. But the quarreling did not cease with these changes. The new Pope would not, on any account, acknowledge any king 176 Early German History, chosen by the laity, and the people contended against the choice of the priests ; and, at last, they assembled at Rense, near Coblentz, and passed a law taking all elective power from the Pope, and conferring it on the nobles alone. King Ludwig met with his death while hunt- ing bears, and was not much regretted. He was too feeble to subdue the overbearing Popes, nor could he re-establish order in the convents. The monks and nuns, instead of leading a pious life within their walls, tending the sick and teaching the children, left their re- spective convents, and took to imitating the nobles in their luxurious and dissipated life, forgetting the times when pious men had built their houses for pious purposes, and also built many grand cathedrals. All nations differ in the outward form of their churches. The Chinese place dragons' heads at the corners of theirs ; the Arabs shape their entrances and windows like horseshoes ; the Turks put the crescent on the topmost part of their temples, and place small, delicate-looking turrets at the four cor- ners ; and the Russians, again, shape their domes and cupolas like an onion. The Ger- mans had their own made. They imitated the mighty forest, with high gates to enter in, high windows, slender pillars, lofty arches and roofs, and the tower flanking them much higher still, One king not enough. 177 resembling a giant pine-tree, with no end of festoons and points to resemble the branches. There would be ornaments of flowers beauti- fully chiselled in stone, but the cross was always at the very top, pointing upwards, and the bells sounded aloft like angels' voices. They generally built cruciform churches ; that is, the ground-plan was shaped in the form of a cross, and they invariably placed the altar at the east end — at the side looking towards the land of their Saviour's birth. Of course the churches needed powerful supports on the out- side, called buttresses, and the taste of the times led to these being ornamented in the most fantastic manner. Dragons' heads and distorted faces would peep out at corners — asses' heads, with long ears, too; and many specimens of the brute creation, some of them frightful to behold, were here portrayed. " Did they not also belong to the works of God, and might not they keep watch outside } " was the architect's argument ; ''and might not whatever was repulsive on the outside tend to heighten the effect of the beauty of the inner part on entering the building?" And on the interior every care was bestowed, and the most elaborate ornamentation introduced, and much appreciated by the pious Germans of the fourteenth century. CHAPTER XXXIX. EMPEROR CHARLES IV. 1 $4 7* HAVE now to tell you of a king who came from Bohemia — a country which your map will show you lies in the centre of Germany, and yet is not German. The race, the language, and all the habits and cus- toms of this people are widely different from those of the Germans. The gypsies chiefly be- long to the Bohemians at the present day ; and, indeed, if you wished to denote a person who leads a roving life, you would say *' he is a very Bohemian,'' which would not confer much honor upon him. Then why choose a king of that race.? Well, only one small party did, while the rest swore allegiance to the rival king, and it was only at his death, after one years con- tested royalty, that our Bohemian king, Charles IV., could be solemnly crowned in 1347, in the cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle. Whatever might be his race, he had many good qualities, besides springing from a German 178 Emperor Charles IV. 1 79 father, whilst his mother only was a Bohemian princess. He loved her country more than that of his father and did not care much about Italy; so when once he had got himself crowned there, he made peace with the Pope and did not trouble the country with the warlike pro- pensities of former German emperors. He was essentially a man of letters ; and he founded the University of Prague, which soon became most celebrated through its learned professors and the distinguished men who had been students there. The king's endeavors did not stop there, for he wanted all classes of Bohemians to improve, and he sent for clever architects, farmers and workmen of all sorts from Germany and had his people taught by them. Being himself well versed in the intricacies of the law, he wrote a new code by which malefactors were to be judged, and he himself sat in the market-place to enforce it against traitors. Of course, his own people loved and respected their wise king, whilst the Germans were moved by jealousy and began to hate him and fear that Bohemia would become mightier than Germany. It seemed as if every sort of misfortune was to be showered upon that poor country. First on a fine summer's day the sky became clouded — not by thunder-clouds, but by a legion of locusts that spread utter darkness upon the land i8o Early German History. and settled upon fields and gardens, and in the course of a few hours completely destroyed the ripening corn as well as the fruit of the orchards. This, of course, was the cause of much dearth, and as incessant rains greatly injured the next year's harvest, a famine followed and increased the evil. As if this was not enough, earthquakes occurred in Switzerland and Austria. Houses and churches were thrown down and many citizens buried beneath their ruins ; whilst the survivors were injured by the stones and mortar which fell upon them from the crumbling houses, and, crippled and wounded, they also be- came houseless beggars, having lost their all. '' Enough misery, indeed ! " I hear you say, ''poor creatures, nothing can be worse ! " And yet worse was in store for them. For now the plague broke out, that frightful sickness which in a few hours carries off the rich and poor, the old and young, parents and children, masters and servants, and in one day mercilessly sweeps away all the tenants of a house, turning a happy home into a desolate waste. Thousands and hundreds of thousands died in Germany, and the survivors took it into their distracted heads that the only way to escape further scourges was by self-punishment. So they formed the order of the Flagellants ; going about from town to town, and patiently Emperor Charles IV. i8i offering their naked backs to each other to be scourged till the rods became covered with the blood flowing from their lacerated bodies. Then in their benighted ideas they thought to please God by forcibly expelling the Jews from Ger- many. They were clever doctors, learned men or traders, doing no harm, but, in fact, benefit- ing the country by their skill and knowledge. Yet they were driven from their homes, after having suffered every possible cruelty, and thousands of them were put to death. The em- peror felt how entirely these fanatics were act- ing against the will of God and the tenets of the Christian religion, and he tried to put a stop to all this ; but many had suffered ere he could re- lieve them, and the dead were not to be recalled to life. When order had at last been restored, Charles IV. went to Metz (then a German town, French since, and regained by Germany in 1 871), to settle by law the way in which a new emperor was to be chosen. It was stipulated that seven electoral princes of the realm were the only ones entitled to consult about the choice, and having agreed about it were to see the chosen king crowned at Aix-la-Chapelle. When this law had been written down, the emperor and the seven electoral princes affixed their signatures to it, the large imperial seal was pressed in wax on paper, 1 82 Early German History, and to preserve it from injury it was placed in a golden capsule, henceforth named the Golden Bull. ''Business first and then pleasure" seemed to be the king's motto, for scarcely had this matter been settled than he gave a splendid entertain- ment for the people. He and the empress, fol- lowed by nobles and courtiers, proceeded to the market-place, where a dais had been erected for them, rivaling in splendor their own rich attire. Seated on their throne, they had the Golden Bull read aloud to the assembled people, and then sat down to a banquet open to the whole crowd of spectators. Three of the elect- oral princes were churchmen, the bishops of Treves, Cologne and Mayence. The four others, lay princes, had for the first time to serve their majesties according to the stipulations of the Golden Bull. One of them had to tender the wine in golden goblets, a second one had to carry in and present the savory viands in four silver dishes, a third one had to offer a golden basin to the imperial pair for the washing of hands, and the fourth one had to bring them a silver measure filled with oats. All this looked grand ; but it proved too grand to be last- ing ; for it created envy, and envy once more ended in civil war, that bane of nations on which I hate to dwell. Emperor Charles IV, 183 So, let me tell you of some inventions of this period instead. Powder was invented about this time by a monk named Berthold Schwarz. It soon did away with lances, bows and arrows, axes and heavy iron or steel armor, for gun- powder could soon shatter them to pieces, so it was no use to be encumbered with their weight. Another and more peaceful invention was that of making paper from old rags ; seemingly use- less articles are reduced by boiling to a stiff pap; and if you have never seen the process and all the rest of the proceedings of our much-im- proved paper mills, I hope you will soon have an opportunity of doing so. You would never think that the Emperor Charles IV., with all his learning and splendor, could be a wag also, but as such I am now go- ing to introduce him to you. He had a Major- domo at one of his castles, whom he valued greatly as a faithful and trustworthy retainer, yet he could not resist playing him a trick. One day, knowing that this Dietrich Kagelwit did not expect him, and consequently would have an empty larder and no messenger to despatch for provisions, he sent him word that he meant to dine at the castle with a famishing hunting train, and that he must be well prepared for their appetites. And so he was, to the em- peror's infinite surprise. The truth is that Kag- 1 84 Early German History. elwit had all his pigs' ears cut off on the spot, and under his superintendence the most savory and diversified dishes had been prepared from them ! The king was charmed with his repast, and indulged in a hearty laugh when he was let into the secret. '^ Thou art too clever," said he, ''to be entrusted with only one castle; hence- forward thou shalt take care of a bishop's see," and there and then elected him Bishop of Min- den. ?t I IIIIIIUX^LI XnJL^UJXXXJLXJm K K . 1 i i 1 i . i 1 ■ . ,A ^ -. ■ . . ui4 V: W > ' f. . . i . . 1 . 1 .^ ^i^S^-^I^S^^i k ir» i-T T r i » i t^rfr t-rrdi 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 irm t t i r iSfri i * t ir t t TT^TTrrrTT iTii i k i» ! it iU CHAPTER XL. KING WENCESLAUS AND EMPEROR SIGISMUND I378-I4IO. HE king made the princes promise to set his son Wenceslaus upon the throne, and this youth became king when he was eighteen years old, at his father s death in 1378. He was clever and had been well ^Drought up by Charles IV. , but his temper was fiery and cruel, and he lacked sobriety; and when his potations had been too deep, his passions took complete possession of him. He is said to have had the hangman for his boon companion, and to have kept a pack of fierce hounds about him ready to tear his enemies to pieces at a sign, so that even his queen was not always safe. You know the town of Prague is the capital of Bohemia. Well, if you should ever travel that way, your Murray will draw your attention to the old bridge over the river Moldau, a fine piece of antiquity, with an ancient statue of St. Nepomuk standing on it. There hangs a tale by that 185 1 86 Early German History. statue, relating to King Wenceslaus. *' He wanted," says an old chronicler, "to extort the queen's secrets from her confessor, Nepomuk, but that concientious priest strenuously refused to betray anything confided to him at the con- fessional ; whereupon the king had him thrown from the bridge into the river, whence he was carried on angels' wings into heaven." The whole story has been much doubted, but the cruel Wenceslaus was capable of the horrible deed ; and the angelic intervention is quite in the spirit of the times, the people being pleased to make a saint of their much-injured Nepomuk. Certain it is that they hated Wenceslaus more and more, and at last deposed him in favor of Ruprecht. 'Then finding that matters did not mend, but that petty warfare between the nobles and the towns went on worse than ever, they elected Sigismund in 14 lo for their king. He was the younger brother of Wenceslaus. Sigismund was a handsome, clever young man, and he did his very best to keep the throne to himself, in which he dexterously succeeded. He also repelled the Turks, who threatened to invade Germany. But it took him a long time to get the better of the three Popes then fighting in the most barbarous manner as to which should remain the head of the Church, and be ac- knowledged as such, yet all of them leading most Wenceslaus and Sigismund. 1 87 ungodly lives which commanded no respect. At last there came a change. Pious men arose to mend matters, first of all in England. Then John Huss came among the eight thousand students of the University of Prague, and he was so clever in church matters, and so anxious to re- store the true faith that he was named teacher of religion at the University. John Huss preached fearlessly against the abuses in the Church, and exhorted the people to return to the divine precepts of their Saviour. He entreated them to scorn the idle, dissipated life in which the Pope and clergy indulged, and turn their thoughts to holy writ. The people flocked to his sermons, and even the Queen listened to them with due attention; but the clergy called him an apostate, and wanted him to go to Rome and speak in his own defence. This he refused to do, but he proposed to speak his mind before an assembly of all the church dignitaries in the German realm. Then the Emperor Sigismund resolved to con- voke such an assembly at Constance, which the Pope, John XXIIL, as well as the cardinals, bishops and priests were invited to attend. They came in great splendor, proud of their learning and state, which they paraded proudly, and the knights and nobles, and even the simple burghers, also attended. And who is that man 1 88 Early German History. sitting in the dark attire in the midst of these gaily-decked cardinals and these knights in shining armor ? His mien is firm but modest, and but for a few trusty friends who have accom- panied him to Constance, he stands isolated in this vast assembly. It is John Huss. He knows himself to be surrounded by enemies, and little does he trust them, but the king has sent him a safe conduct. That was a letter which guaran- teed Huss's life and personal safety, and the king had signed it and the great imperial seal was affixed to it. This made him feel quite safe. The assembly at Constance began by deposing the three Popes, and John XXIII. — the only one present — sought his safety in flight, and expected his friend, Duke Frederick of Austria, to reinstate him in his rights. This, however, was impossible, since the sovereigns of Europe declared they would make war upon the duke if he did not deliver up the Pope into their hands. Of course he had to do so, and John became their prisoner. The conclave was not long in turning to Huss and desiring him to defend his tenets. **I\Iy tenets are those of my Saviour," began Huss. " I preach but that which stands in Holy Writ." But scarcely had he uttered these words when the cardinals and bishops made a great outcry against him. '' He was a blasphemer, a rene- gade ; let him recant! Let him promise never Wenceslaus and Sigismund, 189 again to preach or they would burn him alive." Huss could not and would not promise — could not and would not recant — but said he would sacrifice his life to the truth of his convictions. ''Then away with him to the scaffold," roared the incensed priests. And in spite of the safe- conduct, with the imperial seal appended to it, he was dragged off to prison, and died a martyr in the flames, in 1414. In order that not a vestige of him might remain, his enemies had the ashes of his poor calcined body thrown into the Rhine. The emperor who had quietly permitted this deed of horror, as quietly allowed the new Pope, Martin V., to dissolve the church conclave with- out any amendment in church matters, or any reform in the lives of the clergy. Huss was dead, but the truths he had preached were not ; they survived in his pupils and ad- herents. Ere long these had found two enthusi- astic leaders named Ziska and Prokop. They vowed to sacrifice their property as well as their lives for the new faith of their martyred teacher ; but fire and sword were their only weapons, and poor Bohemia soon stood in awe of these wild fanatics, who thus began that most terrible of wars called the Hussite war. "Believe in what Huss taught or we shall give you no quar- ter" — that was their password while scouring the country, burning towns and villages and 190 Early German History. killing thousands of innocent people. Once, as they came before the town of Nuremberg, on the river Saale, they declared it doomed to utter destruction, and vain were the entreaties of some of the chief citizens to desist and show mercy. Then the inhabitants bethought them- selves that perhaps the tyrant, Prokop, might relent before innocent children. They accord- ingly sent all their young ones, barefoot and robed in white, to the tormentor, and behold ! when they fearlessly sued for a reprieve he could not resist and spared the town. But alas ! that was only one instance of leniency among thous- ands of cruelty. The Hussites had a peculiar mode of warfare, too, which rendered it impos- sible for the Emperor Sigismund and his army to get the better of them. But at last the awful tyrant, Prokop, died, and the valiant Ziska lost both his eyes. But even when blind he used to go to the battle-field and arouse the courage of his army to desperate fight. When about to die he said: ''Take my skin, cover a drum with it, and when you hear its sound know that I am still leading you on to victory." The Hussites, being deprived of their leaders, at last became tired of war, and a tardy peace was concluded between them and the emperor. I have spoken to you of the good qualities of Wenceslaus and Sigismund. 191 Sigismund, but I must own to his having had bad ones too. He was vain, and loved to spend enormous sums upon his own pleasure. And he had basely betrayed the noble Huss, and thus brought endless misery upon Bohemia as well as Germany. His vanity kept its hold upon him, even in his last hours. He had himself arrayed in his most costly garments, decked himself with the insignia of royalty, and thus sat in a chair awaiting death. He had ordered, too, that his corpse should be exhibited thus for two or three days that it might be admired even after death. Little did he remember his impotence in dealing with the fanatics of Bohemia, and the dreadful war he had caused by sacrificing Huss. He was the last of the line of Luxembourg princes, and the puzzling question as to who should now become king once more arose. CHAPTER XLI. THE ''VEHMGERICHT/' OU have become aware, I am sure, that the people in the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were rather an unruly set; that justice was done in a most inefficient manner ; and that the good emperor, Rudolf von Hapsburg, tried to remedy this evil, but that weaker monarchs, like Ludwig of Bavaria, and others, undid all the good which had been laid down by law. Then the people tried to put a stop to crime and violence by establishing new tribunals, in- exorable in their dealings, and not responsible to any authority. The criminal, wherever he might hide, was forcibly dragged to light, and mercilessly condemned. These tribunals were called the *'Vehme," and at first did some good by filling traitors with awe, knowing, as they did, that their crime would be detected. But soon the judges abused their uncontrolled power by the secrecy in which they wrapped their 192 The Vehmgericht, 193 doings. Their meetings were held at night, in a room hung with black, and but dimly lighted, or in some dark cavern or ruin, and the judges wore masks and were robed in black. Fancy an accused man (too often innocent), dragged from his bed, his eyes bandaged, that he might not know whither he was taken, his mouth gagged, that he might not call out for assistance; then, at the end of his journey, being allowed to recover his sight and speech, only to find him- self terror-stricken at the aspect of judges whom he knew to be as unjust as inexorable. He might feel his innocence, and be well aware that petty jealousy or revenge had caused his accusation before the tribunal of the Vehme, yet would the words of defence die on his lips as he found his vindication more and more use- less, and his loneliness, bereft of friends and re- lations ready and able to speak in his favor, more and more heart-rending. The Vehme had its tribunals in almost every German town, and it often happened that an intimate conversation at a festive board, where the wine had loosened men's tongues, was betrayed to the Vehme by some ill-natured guest, and led to martyrdom and death. A man, the father of a family, might to- day enjoy happiness, and even honors ; to- morrow he was gone, nobody knew whither. 194 Early German History. He had been secretly carried off in the night, never to return. Another evil, equal to the Vehme in power, was the wretched superstition of the people, who believed in witchcraft, and suspected witches in the most innocent people. The moment a doubt was raised, the so-called witches or sorcerers were dragged before the Vehme, and, after being tortured to make them confess their malpractices, and unable to assert their innocence, they were declared the most hard-hearted sinners, and then burnt alive. The inhabitants of a community and the village neighbors, instead of assisting each other in times of illness or misfortune, mis- trusted one another, and declared their child had fallen ill, or their harvest turned out a bad one, from the witchcraft of that ugly old woman, their neighbor. If she squinted, the peasant said she had cast an evil eye on his cow, that ceased at once to give milk on being bewitched. If she happened to limp, she was said to have a cloven foot, and, if she was bent with age, she was declared to be humpbacked as a mark of her wickedness ; and, if the poor old thing had just bought a new broom, and was carrying it home, they were sure she was going to ride on it to Blocksberg to meet her hateful confederates, for witches always rode through the air on broomsticks. Then a cry would be raised The Vehmgericht. 195 through the village to catch her before she could fly off and escape her just punishment, and she was dragged to the Vehme to meet her miserable fate. Would you believe that it is only a hun- dred years ago that the last witch was burnt at Wurzburg ? Let us be thankful that the Vehme, as well as the behef in witchcraft and demon- ology, have vanished from the face of the earth. 1^^ ^.^.^^ ^,^, ^ ^p,,^ ^p,p-^^,p,p,,j^p,^,p,.,^,^p, p^p„^,^,^T^ CHAPTER XLIL PASTIMES IN THE MIDDLE AGES. ET US turn from cruelty and injustice to pastimes and sports, such as the Ger- mans loved about four hundred years ago. I have told you of the merry life which princes, knights and nobles used to lead in splendid castles ; of tournaments, where they showed their prowess in mock fights, and, if victorious, received the laurel from lovely ladies casting sweet looks on them ; of long and gaudy trains, in which knights and ladies combined to hunt with the falcon or pursue the swift stag ; you have seen them lazily extended on green meadows, listening to tuneful music, or to the poetic effusion of some knight. They would in- dulge, too, in a game at ball, or, if they wanted to have a dance on the lawn, they would get a prince or noble to lead off the pairs by song or violin. You are aware, I know, that the so- called grand people had plenty of diversion, but 196 Pastimes in the Middle Ages. 197 now I want you to enter with me into the amusements of the burghers and country people at fairs and rehgious fetes, of which there was no lack, for they recurred periodically. At all fetes the churches were gaily decked, music resounded, and an earnest observer might have doubted whether heavenly thoughts filled the minds of that crowd, who were seemingly intent upon pleasure only. As to fairs, they were the means of bringing foreign folks and the produce of their countries together. There was then no communication by coach or rail, no ships flying in the teeth of adverse winds by the help of that powerful giant, steam ; and as to roads, they were so bad as to baffle description. Men did, however, brave these traveling diffi- culties in order to visit the fairs at stated times, bringing their wares in the hope of gain and mutual exchange ; to say nothing of the pleasure of meeting old friends and making new acquaint- ances, and spending days of festivity and diver- sion with them. Of course it was not the winter season which they chose for their travels, for wolves might have waylaid them, and heavy rains made the ruts in the roads impassable. In winter even the nobles shut themselves up, and a sad life was theirs when they could not follow the chase. The lady of the manor or her confessor might perhaps be in possession of one book, a single 198 Early German History, one, which they had read no end of times, while the lord of the manor had never attained to the accompHshment of deciphering it. But when the month of May came ,into the land with its green meadows, its budding flowers and running brooks, there was great rejoicing among high and low. The warbling of the birds often mingled with the clank of arms being polished and divested of their winter rust ; the baronial halls were decked with gaily-colored carpets or strewn with fresh grass and scented flowers ; the festive garments were released from their winter's confinement and all things pre- pared for the reception of guests; while traveling minstrels, pedlers and merry-andrews were not long in reappearing in town and country. Well might the month of May be hailed with delight at that time, for it was the messenger of joy to those who could not charm away the dullness of winter by such balls, concerts and friendly meet- ings as we are able to have in our days of good roads and easy traveling. But then you should have seen the people as they broke loose on ist May, singing and play- ing and dancing and crowning each other with the young leaves of the forest, and, on their return laden with the spoil of trees and flowers to deck their homes. These festive rejoicings in the forest had their origin in an ancient heathen Pastimes in the Middle Ages. 199 custom,^ and were not unlike the English Guy Fawkes' doings. A large straw doll or figure, used then to be burned or drowned ; it repre- sented Winter and must be thoroughly destroyed, whilst lovely Spring was represented by charm- ing girls and boys enveloped in flowers and led in procession from village to forest. Many a staid burgher would be seen on ist May riding to the forest, preceded by two lovely boys adorned with flowers and wreaths. The evening was one of great hilarity. A ''May-Count," chosen by the throng, presided over the meal, which often outstripped the bounds of what we should call good-breeding, but the authorities did not put a stop to these outbreaks. Let every- one enjoy the new-born Spring ! it was a present to old and young, to rich and poor, and why should their enjoyment be checked.? But the merriest time of all was the Carnival. Maybe you have seen somethingof it at Cologne or at Rome, but at any rate you must have heard and read about it. There were then, as now, men, women and children in fanciful dresses playing all sorts of tricks ; running about the streets, entering houses, yelling and dancing to the sound of pipes, drums and fiddles. At night they made torch-light processions, and their carousals generally ended in drunkenness. The quieter burghers as well as the magistrates would 200 Early German History. oppose them in this, but to little purpose, for every public or private festivity was the signal for unbounded revelry, and even burials were no longer exempt from becoming the occasion of splendid repasts at which sorrow was drowned in deep potations. At Easter, Whitsuntide and Midsummer enor- mous bonfires were kindled in market-places ; and Augsburg once saw the king's son lead the dance round the flaming pile with a noble lady. Rather a hot diversion, I should think ! As to King Sigismund, he was not always the grave personage you saw him at the conclave of Constance ; he used to enter into the pleasures of a merry day, and show every attention to the ladies. So one day, at Augsburg, a procession of them penetrated into the king's apartments, and did not leave until they had got him to dance with them through the town in his dressing- gown and red slippers. That was a sight, in- deed! As to the love of wine, it was paramount, and the vine-growers used to foster it. Whoever had made wine was allowed to sell it on his premises, and if the people passed a house with a green wreath or a bundle of straw hung out- side they would turn in, — nobles, burghers, ar- tisans — for they knew that a new barrel had just been tapped and that they could buy and Iw Pastimes in the Middle Ages, 201 drink freely. Sometimes criers were employed to attract the passers-by, calling out the price of the much coveted beverage ; at others, the bar- rels would be placed in the very street, men, women and children squatting- round it and in- viting their friends to carouse with them. At Ulm three days of the year were set apart by the magistrates for this noble custom, but when it brought about brawls and riots, the fathers of the town wisely tried to put a stop to it, with small success, however. They had to contend with senators, knights and princes, bishops and abbots, who, in the love of drink, became the most enthusiastic leaders of the people. It was not considered derogatory to anyone's dignity to have committed an excess at a feast, but on the contrary, the grandees ordered ser- vants with litters to attend and see therrt safely back, as they were convinced beforehand that walking would be out of the question. You must not however, accuse the ancient Germans of being habitual drunkards, although there might be exceptions, like the famous Count Gorz. He is said to have indulged in potations not only from morning till night, but also be- tween naps in the hours allotted for sleep; and he declared his sons would never become a credit to their nobility, since they were able to sleep all night without drinking. 202 Early German History, As to the citizens, they were much too orderly and industrious to waste their time and strength and money in the carousings of the squires; they were working hard, and they only indulged themselves on high days and holidays. In those times there was neither tea nor coffee, and it was natural they should resort to wine and beer. Princes and nobles would now and then hold a tournament, or celebrate a wedding in a town, and thus bring about grand sights for the bur- ghers, who, in their turn received the guests in the most pleasant way. They took care of their safety and quartered them in the best possible manner, either in town, or for want of room, in tents erected outside it expressly for the occa- sion. Each noble guest was presented with a gift as well as an excellent glass of wine; and to avoid disturbance from a disorderly mob the city gates were doubly guarded and protected. No wonder the nobles would in return honor the burghers and grant them privileges, for they had power, although no money. They loved to shine in the splendor of their retinue, and would bring as many as a thousand horse, and be decked with gold and pearls and diamonds, whilst they knew that nothing could redeem their fallen fortunes, and that they were a prey to usurers. They knew that while min- strels, won over by presents, were singing Pastimes in the Middle Ages. 203 their praises, Jews and Lombards were waiting for them and calculating upon the downfall of their victims. Nevertheless, these same nobles allowed beer and wine to flow day and night in the market place from ever-flowing springs ; oxen were roasted whole ; small coins were dropped in the streets, and the people fought as to who should get most beer, wine, meat or money, and found no rest either day or night. As to the princely meals, they were served on silver dishes, flanked by silver tankards. Pea- cocks served whole with outspread tails graced the table, and cunning confectioners would make their cakes appear in the shape of castles or brigs ornamented with flags. There were musicians and merry-andrews to while away the hours. It was about this time that the citizens began to vie with the nobles in meetings, which later on became archery meetings, and which we like to this day. But now listen, for I am going to tell you about another ancient custom, which fortunately did not survive to our time. A household en- tirely ruled by the wife, while the husband quietly submitted to her scolding, screaming and beating, was, according to the ancient Germans, to be publicly exposed. The suitable punish- ment, as soon as the vixe7i and the noodle had 204 Early German History. been found out, was to put her on a donkey arid make himViwi^ promenade her through the town, the people pelting the devoted pair so lustily that the donkey would resent a treatment which was equally inconvenient to himself, and would kick and plunge and imperil the safety of man and wife. The people loved to expose culprits to the fury of the multitude, which we now con- sider a barbarous proceeding. Thieves and malefactors were condemned to be hooted at in the pillory, or ducked in ponds in a net or bas- ket. Although we know better than that, yet there is room for the improvements still, which wise legislators are endeavoring to bring about. *-r^ ^C W^0^<^4 ^^^H l^iv* ;« ..^^jB^-' 'JTi iW^'tP ^^^^H TTrTiii««'>ei«iit»#T«»i¥tyfirTi'iiii»iiHi«i'»iiiii»?i I II I HUKP dD CHAPTER XLin. EMPERORS ALBRECHT II. AND FREDERICK III. E have left the Germans at the death of King Sigismund uneasy about the new choice they had to make, and at last they came to the conclusion that Sigis- mund s son-in-law, an Austrian Prince, deserved to be elected; so on him was bestowed the title of Albrecht 11. ; and a good thing it would have been for Germany if this good and wise king had not been snatched away by death after reigning two years. Then Frederick HI. became king and reigned no less than fifty-three years, but being of an indolent nature he did no good to the nation. Where another man would have acted, he gave himself up to considering in a most dilatory manner on the subject. They nicknamed him ''the royal nightcap," and well did he deserve the name, for during the first twenty-seven years of his long reign he had not even shown sufficient energy to visit all his realm; but keep- 205 2o6 Early German History. ing in the one province, he sent delegates to the distant countries, who, seeing the ''father of the people " totally unconcerned about their wel- fare, did not strive to make amendments where they were needed. No wonder that the Turks again thought the time propitious for their warlike propensities. They had conquered Constantinople without op- position, and were now besieging Belgrade, but although this town was on the confines of Hun- gary (the stepping-stone to Germany), Frederick did not stir. He had promised to relieve Belgrade, but his troops never arrived, and but for the Hun- garian governor, Hunyadi, who knows what the fierce Turks might not have achieved.'^ This brave patriot got the whole of Hungary to rise as one man, and heading the army himself he contrived to ward off the danger until the listless king sent troops. Then at last the Turks were routed and forced to fly back to their own coun- try. The German parhament (Reichstag) soon lost caste under the bad government of King Fred- erick HI. The princes as well as the clergy had the upper hand, and when a grand assembly was convoked at Basle to reform the heinous abuses of the Church, the king allowed it to con- sult and plan for fourteen long years without coming to any conclusion. Albrecht II. and Frederick II L 207 Frederick also displeased his German subjects by calling in the aid of the French to wage war against the brave Swiss. He did it to little pur- pose, for he and his allies were thoroughly defeated at the battle of St. Jacob, while the Swiss carried the day. Then there arose a mighty enemy in the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, to whom the whole of what is now the Kingdom of Belgium belonged, together with the Duchy of Burgundy and many other rich provinces of France. Being ambitious to obtain some possessions in Germany as well, he soon headed a large army and began to molest the rich towns. But he had reckoned without his host, for they opposed him with great energy, and by their joint efforts made him desist, hum- bled and defeated, plainly showing him that he had men to deal with and not only the '^night- cap king/' Then Charles, thirsting for conquest, turned against the Swiss, but was also beaten by them near a place called Granson, where, when he fled he left treasure in silver and gold and precious stones, his golden chair and even his hat with the ducal crown. This was an insult he could not brook. Where were his much-renowned valor and the dreaded army under his own com- mand, and the unerring dexterity of his marks- men ? He must teach this miserable peasantry 2o8 Early German History. to dread him, he said, but the miserable peas- antry defeated him again and again; until at last he was killed at the battle of Nancy, and there was an end of his vaunted bravery. Bold as he had been, he could no longer look down with overbearing pride on the brave men staking their Hves for the Hberty of their own country. His vast possessions were left to his only daughter, ]Maria of Burgundy, and King Fred- erick succeeded in bringing about a marriage between this rich heiress and his son Max. Frederick now indulged more than ever in his silly pursuit of making gold, in which he was assisted by common swindlers and adventurers who encouraged him to fill and refill his pans and crucibles in the hope of finding the desired gold in their mixtures. But of course the gold never appeared, and the time as well as the money so much needed for nobler pursuits had been simply disgracefully wasted. Then the king became an astrologer, another idle and irreligious study; for how can man prophesy the fate of individuals or nations from certain constellations, while God alone in his mighty power rules the destinies of mankind } Frederick had a great love of riches, and would sometimes visit his affluent towns for the sake of the gifts which it was the custom to bestow upon the monarch on such occasions. Albrecht IL and Frederick III, 209 The townspeople, however, knowing what he came for, would often withhold the present and would even refuse to allow -horses for his car- riage and only permit oxen to drive the king when he had refused to pay his own and his followers' expenses. His end was also hastened by a habit which he had had all his life. He would never shut a door but by pushing it with his foot, and once he hurt his foot severely by doing so. It had to be cut off, and, being seventy-nine years old, he died in consequence of the operation. Does any one you know indulge in the habit of banging doors 1 If so, do warn them. Not that everybody must lose a limb and die in con- sequence, but, at any rate, it is a bad habit, and unnecessarily startling to the other inmates of the house. ^^^,^,^-^.^-^.^,^,^^j^,^^^,;^.^^,-,^-^ CHAPTER XLIV. THE POOR SCHOLARS. HAVE told you about the ignorance of the hunting,drinking and fighting squires in the Middle Ages, yet you must not sup- pose that a// men were hunting, drinking and fight- ing, like these squires. On the contrary, the stu- dents of the universities founded by Charles IV. of Bohemia had been spreading much knowledge amongst the people, and many a herd-boy, mind- ing his geese or goats, and many a village schoolmaster's son, had heard of men having risen to honors and riches by their learning, and why should not they do likewise? Learning could be acquired at schools in towns like Wittenberg, Halle, Leipsic or Prague, and they became ambitious to go in quest of it. To be sure, they had not a farthing wherewith to clothe or feed themselves, much less to buy the necessary books — but what of that ? They would beg from door to door, and having sung at church, they earned many a coin or dinner, or 2IO I The Poor Scholars, 211 an old coat, at the doors of rich people who de- lighted in the clear, sonorous voices of the poor lads. But only think ! soon the elder members of this fraternity* began to tyrannize over the younger ones. '*Beg for us/' said they, '* while we rest ; you may be hungry, but so are we ; you must feed us first, and do not attempt to eat behind our backs ; woe betide you if you do ! If charitable folk should happen to bestow shoes or a coat upon you, because your singing pleases them, you must run barefoot and give these things to us. Give up to us the beds they offer, andjyou can go and find some corner of the street to sleep in, or a churchyard wall to shelter you." Or if a herd of geese happened to pass, they cried: *' Quick, boys! run and steal one! We want it to roast in the wood when you have gathered sticks for the fire ; we will feast upon it and perhaps leave you a bone to pick." If they came in sight of a farm-yard, the elder lads said: "Creep through the railings, boys, and steal some eggs for us, but look sharp! for if the farmer finds you out, he will give you a lick- ing, and no mistake!" Of course many of these poor boys fell into evil ways in consequence, and after stealing for others took to steaHng for themselves ; but by far the greater number learned to despise injus- tice and dishonesty, and came triumphantly out 212 Early German History. of their troubles. Never were any more thrifty than they whilst pursuing their studies ; they were happy to get even one change of linen, or a mess of porridge to feed on, or some clean straw in a garret to sleep upon. And thus some of them became great and wise men, who never forgot the charitable men and women who had clothed, fed and sheltered them in their distress. Before the invention of printing, which took place sixty years after the death of Charles IV., studying was most troublesome and expensive. Even when there were printed books to be bought, there were so few of them that a poor student could not afford to get them. Their pro- fessors possessed them and they were allowed to copy their contents. But only look at the heaps of books you require for getting a knowl- edge of ancient and modern history, of foreign lands and their produce, or of their flora and fauna. The Bible, that most sacred of books, could only be read by churchmen ; and oral tradition (which is so often perverted) was all that reached the multitude. But, as I said be- fore, many of the students were indefatigable, and in spite of want and misery, and in spite of the hard task of copying out books, they became learned men, and spread their learning over the whole of Germany. It soon became renowned for its celebrated men, who were very different The Poor Scholars. 213 from the ancient Germans with whom these tales began. The history of the Middle Ages has been hitherto of the knights and their prowess ; the kings and popes and their everlasting feuds ; the nobles and burghers, and the large towns threatened by the fierce plunderers in the high- ways and by-ways. ' ■'r^rJr^ rJrJrJrJrJr^ l ^yr^r-frJ^r^_r^r^r^r^rJr^rJr^r±rJr^rJrJr^rJ CHAPTER XLV. EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN 1493 TO I519. low we have come to the last king of that period, the brave King Maximihan, the son of Frederick III. He was quite a hero, generous and affable, and neither indolent nor proud like his father. But he did not know the value of money, and spent immense sums to gratify the people, in whose towns he happened to stay, in splendid feasts and sights — little thinking that he was con- stantly emptying his purse and never re-filling it. He was a very Nimrod in his love of the chase, and a Hercules in the pursuit of wild beasts. Thus he is said to have killed three bears at a stroke, and to have scared away two lions with only a shovel (this being the only weapon at hand), in the town of Utrecht, and to have even dared to pull out the tongue of another lion. One day as he was hunting in the Tyrolian Alps, he lost his way and found himself all alone on the peak of the Martinswand. It was so high 214 Emperor Maxmilian. 215 and steep a mountain, that he felt it impossible to descend its straight and rugged sides, sur- rounded by frightful abysses. He sounded his horn, but in vain — its notes did not reach the mountaineers below him. Then he thought he was a doomed man and he piously prayed for resignation in thus meeting with an untimely death. But the people of the valley of the river Inn had missed their beloved Max and looked for him everywhere, and on 'the third day they discovered his form on that dazzling height. They ran into the churches to pray for him, priests gave him their blessing from below ; but his faithful follower (the first marksman) hastened to scramble up to him and safely brought him down a circuitous path known only to himself. In the eyes of the people a miracle had been performed by an angel being sent to deliver him where human assistance had appeared to be of no avail. You will love this Emperor Maximilian quite as much as did his people, when I tell you that he tried to secure their rights against the over- bearing nobles, who thought they might do as they pleased. According to the new law made by the emperor, a duke or a shoemaker was to be judged with the same impartiahty and by the same tribunal. As to the feuds between towns and princes, they were to be 2i6 Early German History. decided by a supreme court of law and the par- ties bound over to keep the peace according to the statute forbidding private feuds. All these laws were excellent in principle, but, in the somewhat lawless times of the Middle Ages there were now and then immense difficulties in carrying them out. But whatever remained to amend, was accomplished now by powder and shot, and the emperor lived to see many a proud castle on a lofty eminence leveled to the ground, and thus an end put to the cruelty and injustice of its lord by depriving him of his hiding-place. German towns became most prosperous in this reign. They manufactured the best linen and the finest silk ; and the most artistic trinkets in amber were only carved by Germans. The emperor was not slow in drawing his sword against whosoever insulted the German name, and he did so most successfully against a proud French knight, Claude de Barre, but after having conquered him, he generously raised him from the ground and reinstated him in those rights of knighthood which, by the rules of the combat, he had forfeited by his defeat Maximilian loved to live at Augsburg and Nuremberg, and no wonder ! For these ancient towns were truly artistic to behold, with their quaint houses, bay-windows, small turrets and Emperor Maximilian. 217 stone-masonry of the most elaborate kind. The turrets were so constructed as to give the finest view far into the country, and the bay-windows were decked with flowers and always full of lovely maidens ready to smile on the gracious emperor as he passed by. Nuremberg produced the most costly armor in gold and steel and iron, and the most beautiful goblets and platters, and costly materials for dress and furniture. The churches were, and are still, celebrated for their rich carvings in marble and wood, and paintings can still be seen there by Michael Wohlgemuth, the father of oil painting. He became the master of that wonderful genius, Albert Diirer, whose works are the pride of Ger- many to this day, and especially of Nuremberg. His dear little modest house is shown to visitors, and a descendant of the well known family of the exhibits to those who wish to see it the portrait of his ancestor, in which his own features may be traced. The much admired well in the market-place, with its one iron ring inserted in its railings, has originated the follow- ing legend, which I will give you, although a modern production : Diirer was not well matched in the partner of his life; she was jealous of his art, which often absorbed his thoughts and deprived her of his attentions, for which alone she fancied he ought 2i8 Early Geryfian History. to live. But v.'hen, like Hayden s wife, who used to call out, ' ' What, again at your spinet !'' Diirers wife would chide him for being again at his painting, he never g^ew impatient, but bore the matrimonial chain with resignation. After some years she fell ill, and he nursed her lovingly through weaiy^ days and nights until he beheld her Hfeless form, which he had not, with all his care and trouble, been able to snatch from the iron grasp of death. He would sit up with her alone, by the flickering Ught of a lamp, absorbed in the sad thought that he had failed to make her happy; large tear-drops slowly coursed down his cheeks until his long beard and dark velvet doublet became moistened by them. But exhausted nature at last claimed her right ; his head fell on his breast, and sleep rendered him insensible to his grief The women who were waiting in an adjacent room to dress the corpse, declared they saw an angel passing in to Diirer and having speech with him ; cer- tain it is that he had the following dream : A ministering angel came to console him, and taking the wedding ring from the finger of the deceased, held it up before him, saying: **This has not been a pledge of love and affection to thee, poor Diirer, and I have come to remove it from thee. I will turn it to iron, as an emblem of the chain thou hadst to wear, and it shall be Emperor Maximilian. 219 inserted in the most beautiful fountain of this town as a memorial of thy life and works, an imperishable honor to its citizens/' So saying, the angel vanished, carrying off the ring. When Diirer awoke it was broad daylight. He looked for the ring, but in vain, and soon the news of a miracle spread through the town. An iron ring was found to have been inserted in the railings of the beautiful fountain (called the "Schoner Brun- nen"), in the market place, nobody knew when or by whom. All the craft of clever iron-workers could not detect the opening in the ring which must needs have admitted it; then what else could it be' but a miracle ? and as a miracle it was set down. c*^^.^^~|. CHAPTER XLVL ABOUT GUILDS, CORPORATIONS AND COMPANIES. OETS, as well as painters, were loved and honored by Maximilian, and it is said that an ancient book of verse called the ''Thenerdank," was written at his dic- tation by his private secretary. It contains an account of his wedding trip, his knightly ad- ventures and feats, the games and customs of his time, and the mode in which knights and ladies and their pages and followers used to adorn themselves on festive occasions. Well, all this, although amusing to read, is not incred- ible ; but what would you say if I were to tell you of a shoemaker who was a poet? — his handi- craft not more sought after than his rhymes ? And yet, there existed such a man, called Hans Sachs, and if ever you should go to Nuremberg, you will see a pair of boots of his making, and read a series of poems also made by him, which are kept side by side at the museum. It seemed that his talent soon inspired other men in the 220 Guilds^ Corporations^ etc. 22 1 guild of tradesmen, for they founded a society in which they called themselves " Meistersinger, " and laid down many rules to be observed in writing verses. If they sinned against them, they were sure to be found out by the -'merkers," who did not look for beauty of thought or lan- guage, but for strict adherence to the rules, and rejected such poems as were written more freely, calling them pedantic! The great composer, Richard Wagner, has illustrated all this ' ' red tape, " as we call it in our days, in his opera " Die Meistersinger von Niirnberg,'' in which a gifted and noble youth narrowly escapes losing his lady-love, who was to be the prize of the best poet, and nearly sees her pass into the arms of an old, benighted writer, because he of the red nose has studied the Meistersinger rules whilst the youth was taking the poetic flights of genius. It is Hans Sachs who saves the loving couple, and Hans Sachs, too, has written his best when setting rules at nought and giving free scope to his genius and wit. The Meistersinger were not altogether useless to art, as they helped to raise the middle classes by improving their manners and education. The most glorious invention of those times was, doubtless, the art of printing. It began by slow degrees ; the forming and setting of type, and 222 Early German History, the making of paper, as well as the printing and binding, had all to be learnt, and had to go through many stages of improvement, until print- ing at last attained the ease and swiftness of our time, when manual labor is replaced' by steam power. Gradually, too, the thought began to dawn upon men that knowledge was the step- ping-stone to civilization, and that they might encourage efforts that way by publishing books which should be accessible to all classes both by their contents and their prices. This idea has since passed through many stages of im- provement while being carried out, until it seems to have been thoroughly perfected in our own times, a state of things that our Germans of the sixteenth century could not even have dreamt of. About this time the town of Nuremberg be- came famous for the invention of watches. It was a comfort, indeed, to carry such a time- keeper in one s pocket, and little did the wearers mind the cumbersome size of these egg-shaped watches, known by the name of ''Nuremberg eggs." They are now only preserved in mu- seums, as forming a striking contrast to the ele- gant productions of our time. But what were watches in comparison to the first post-office? It was established by Maxi- miHan. Until then, everybody's letters had to Guilds^ Corporations^ etc, 223 be sent by special messengers engaged for the purpose. Think of the expense and danger in- curred by this method, the messengers often being sent to a great distance, mounted on horseback, and often delayed by gales and floods, besides want of punctuality. This clever emperor was the first who got letters forwarded almost as easily as they are now — an arrange- ment for which we cannot be too thankful. Of course, since the sixteenth century, postal im- provements have been made in all countries from year to year. The English first started the penny postage, under Sir Rowland HiU's sug- gestion and direction, and the present postmaster- general is constantly finding new means to facilitate the communication between England and foreign countries, both for letters and parcels. You will be sorry to hear of a dreadful acci- dent which befell the Empress Maria while out hunting with her husband. Her horse shied and threw her, and dragged her along with him in a mad gallop, so that she died, frightfully in- jured. The emperor tried in vain to save her, and, afterwards, he mourned so deeply that his fair locks turned grey. All his subjects grieved for him and for the loss of the empress. In 1 5 1 8, Maximilian assembled all the princes and nobles of his realm at Augsburg, and ex- 224 Early German History, horted them to arm and unite in opposing the Turks, who were again threatening Germany ''Let all Christian people expel these enemies of Christendom ; it is their bounden duty/' said he. But his hearers thought otherwise, saying that such a war would involve immense expenses, and the loss of many brave men who might serve their country in a better way. So they refused his first request. The second demand — that they would at his death elect his grandson, Charles — likewise met with a refusal, upon which the old emperor left the town, bitterly disappointed. His health, which had declined for some time, now utterly failed him, and he died at the small Austrian town of Wels, in the year 15 19. In his younger days, he had stipu- lated that he should be buried in the church of Neustadt, next to his beloved mother-queen, Eleonora, and there he rests accordingly from all his labors. With Maximilian, the Middle Ages and their customs came to an end. Falcons were no longer trained; tournaments, with knights and lovely ladies in gay apparel, went out of fashion ; nobles could no longer waylay travel- ers and rob them, and then retire to their strong- holds to hide their booty ; and the ancient laws, made in favor of the nobility only, were no longer able to prevail, for new laws had been Guilds^ Corporations^ etc, 225 made, and justice was done to all classes of men. Kings were no longer ruled or excom- municated by popes, for a thorough change had come over the world. And then there arose a man who defied the Pope, and called for church reform. That was Dr. Martin Luther. He was neither a crowned king nor a duke, and yet he proved mightier than either, for he lived in the hearts of the multitude, and became the teacher of thousands, exhorting them to lead a Christian life. " Let them listen to the principles of honor, " he said ; 'let them hearken to the voice of con- science, and everlasting bliss will reward them in a better world." CHAPTER XLVIL VARIOUS TRADES AND PROFESSIONS IN THE MIDDLE AGES. UT let us leave this great man for the present, and, dear young readers, fol- low me, for I want to point out to you the improvements the Germans had made since they lived in huts and were clothed in bear-skins, and since I first began to tell you about them. They were now living in towns, with paved streets and commodious houses; and the well-to-do people, chiefly merchants, had formed a guild, as they called it. All such as belonged to it stood up as one man against the pride and injustice of the priests and nobles, to defend their own rights and privileges. Ere long the v\^orkmen imitated this successful insti- tution, and held meetings to consult about their rights and privileges, and agreed to help each other in upholding them. The housewives of that time thought it rather an honor to assist their maids and men-servants in menial work. They used to sow fennel, cher- 226 Trades and Professions. 227 vil, and all sorts of useful and aromatic herbs in their kitchen-gardens, not forgetting to make onions thrive, too; and they stood in much need of such condiments, as it was before the days when merchants brought pepper and cin- namon, nutmegs and cloves, from the far East. Every land-owner brewed his own beer ; it was sickly-sweet, there being no hops to add a bitter taste to the sweet malt, j^\ it was gene- rally taken at breakfast by those who disliked milk or porridge ; for there was no tea or coffee or chocolate for them, poor things, at that time. The servants had to put up with a second edi- tion of the home-brewed, something like our teapot leaves when refilled with hot water from the kettle. As to wine, that was a luxury that came from abroad, for the produce of the country resembled weak vinegar. The housewife had to bake her own bread and cakes, and she would join her daughters and handmaidens in spinning both wool and flax, which, after being woven into stuffs, would often be dyed. Later on, regular tradesmen established themselves in towns, and provided the citizens, as they do in our time, with bread, meat, shoes, drapery, and so on. There were clever masons, builders and stone- cutters, and the masters had formed a company 228 Early German History, all over Europe to assist each other with their experience in the construction of large edifices. Indeed their works have never been surpassed either in solidity or ornamentation. It was then that the Gothic style was first introduced, and you know how much it is prized in our own days. I need only name Erwin of Steinbach the architect of the Strasburg '' Mlinster/' as one of the great men of the Middle Ages. There were clever v/ood-turners, too, who achieved wonderful work with most inefficient tools, the dexterity of their hands supplying the want of good machinery. You must have seen some of the ancient paintings on church windows, as well as the beautiful trinkets, goblets and arms, so much valued by all collectors of curiosities in the nineteenth century. Italy is full of the treasures of antiquity, and many a tankard can be admired made by the famous Benvenuto Cellini — that is, if you can get your guide to unlock certain cabinets in the vestry of one of the beautiful churches where they are hid- den, jealously guarded from a gazing multi- tude. But then, on the other hand, the curtain before any ancient picture is willingly drawn back for the sake of the customary fee from visitors. In the churches of Nuremberg you will find the masterpieces of Adam Kraft, as well as the monument of St. Sebaldus, by Peter Fischer, Trades and Professions, 229 and you will do well to remember these two celebrated Germans. Some restrictions were still imposed upon rising workmen by the masters of the craft, which prevented the due development of their faculties. For instance, if they showed them- selves more clever than their elders, they were cried down by them as bad and incapable workers, and had their tools taken away. Then, again, if the masters of a craft had done good service to the government, they were rewarded by certain privileges, useful to themselves, but very bad for the younger workmen. These monopolies were glaringly unjust. For example, it was ordered that beer must be bought of a certain brewer only, whilst others who had per- haps better beer were thus deprived of their customers ; or the masters of a trade were alone invested with the privilege of selling their work, whilst others, for a mile round, were not allowed to do so. Of course all this was bad for trade and commerce. Some few enriched themselves, whilst others, who were equally clever, remained poor ; so by degrees people began to feel the necessity of a change, and to understand the benefit of free trade. At first this made but slow progress, but it is now acknowledged by liberal men to be the best means of securing the pros- perity of the country. So much for trade. 230 Early German History, Now, as to learning ; that was scarcely to be attained in the rough and ready mode of life led by the people of the Middle Ages in town or coun- try. Science could not flourish when outbreaks of robbers, devastations of villages, feuds 5f nobles and burghers, and quarrels between tradesmen were no strange occurrences. Monasteries were the only places for rest and quiet, and to monasteries all the studiously-inclined would retire. Situated as they were in some lonely tract of land, the turmoil of cities did not reach them. They were enriched by the gifts of pious people, their larders and cellars were constantly refilled, and the monks, not having to toil for their daily bread, sat each in his cell, entirely devoted to learning and knowledge. They studied Latin, that they might understand and copy valuable books lent to them by the Greek and Italian convents ; they began to translate the Bible from Latin into German, and they were the first to compile dictionaries of these languages. Some of the monks would write hymns to be sung in church, others composed and wrote down legends, others gave an account of the life and work of our Saviour, or wrote the chronicles of such saints as were buried in their church, and told the most curious things of them indeed — such as, that whoever touched their coffins or knelt before their image would be Trades and Professions, 31 saved from illness, and even, if dead, brought back to life again. The disciples of Christ had achieved such miracles, why not the saints also ? Peasants and burghers used to fly to the monks in case of illness. fw rr FFF wwrwwwwwrwrrwww ^0^<»i^SiViiT3^\S^^3^Kii!iK&i::^XS>**c -^^T Z'^}^^ -^P^-r S^Hr « -r2^^ ^ 4Hr=" rS^^r ^^^*' -^^3^-?^- ^ I ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^p-prp^^ CHAPTER XLIX THE peasants' WAR LIFE IX TOWNS. AM sorry to say that a wretched war, called the Peasants' War, could not be prevented. The nobles were unjust and exacting ; the country people implored liberty, and not being able to obtain it, fell on their oppressors and committed the most das- tardly acts of cruelty whenever they obtained a victory, while the leaders of the enemy revenged their outrages a hundred fold. Poor Germany ! She lost a hundred and fifty thousand men in this two years' wretched struggle, and from the Hartz to the Danube the country was one scene of slaughter and devasta- tion. The peasants tried to win over to their cause the bravest knight of his time, who was called Gotz von Berlichingen. He had lost his right hand in battle, but had had it replaced by an iron one, and went on skillfully wielding his sword '' I will consent to be your leader," said he, ''as long as you will show implicit 236 The Peasants War. 237 obedience to my commands. No more pillaging- and burning, but honest warfare ! '' To secure Gotz s services they promised all that he de- manded ; but they did not keep their word, and got poor Gotz into a world of trouble by their cruelty to prisoners. Do read that wonderfully fine drama by Goethe, called " Gotz with the Iron Hand," and you will learn more about him. The peasants were at last overpowered by the nobles, and thus ended this disastrous war. Let us return to one of the peaceful towns of the Middle Ages, and see the kind of life led there. But pray, do not mind trifles, for the pavement was anything but even; there was a hole here and a hole there, and you might stumble over every kind of refuse thrown out into the street, and scarcely ever removed. The houses were by no means regular, and their window-panes were of horn instead of glass. At an early morning hour a bell wds tolled, the gates of the town opened, and the cattle driven out to grass. Then the venders of merchandise would assemble in the so-called Lauben, unlike our elegant arcades it is true, yet affording shelter from the inclemency of the weather. There money-changers sat at their tables to pro- vide travelers with the coin of the country in exchange for their foreign money. While watch- ing their proceedings you might be startled by 238 Early German History. screams and shouts. What can it be? Why, the screams are found to proceed from a dishon- est baker who had attempted to cheat honest burghers in the weight of his bread, and the shouts of the crowd are triumphant because the culprit is being carried off to the next pond to get a thorough ducking in spite of his struggles. So much for his dishonesty. A bell is heard to tinkle incessantly; but why.? Listen and you will hear a man calling out, '*Come and bathe, one and all; the water is hot; bathing will do you good; be quick, or the water will cool. Come ! come !" One man calls out that his wine is the best, and why not buy it.'^ An- other man praises his unrivaled patties, — and every one of them is accompanied by the sound of a bell. Oh, what a noise! But worse than all, there, is a loud outcry about ** things going to be boiled without a pot." What nonsense! What can it mean ? W^ell, neither more nor less than that a grocer has been selling adulterated goods; that they have been turned out of his shop and are now lying piled up in the street, and are just going to be burnt on his very door-step. That is in derision called "boiling things with- out a pot." The turmoil is increased by whole- sale bales of goods just arrived from abroad be- ing weighed in the street and then hauled up to the store-houses, accompanied by the sing-song Life in Towns. 239 of the workmen. Then there are itinerant preachers, monks collecting pennies for the bishops, beggars, sometimes needy, sometimes insolently screaming for relief, boys singing at the doors of benevolent patrons, monkeys drilled to perform all sorts of tricks, and children shriek- ing with delight at seeing them. But there is also the pleasant sight of a family distributing meat and bread to their indigent neighbors, and hearing in return their *'May God bless you." And look! the pigeons gather round the benevo- lent lady, picking up the crumbs that fall from her apron. It is a lovely picture to behold, and you would like to stop a little longer in admira- tion of it, but a call of ''Give room, all of you," makes you turn towards a troop of actors com- ing up the street. ''Give room, all ye that are pious, and behold your Saviour crucified be- tween the two thieves ; that is the spectacle we are going to give you !" Accordingly, men, women and children gather round these actors, who give, what they call, a "miracle play" in the midst of this crowded and noisy street. There was a sad prejudice against the Jews in the Middle Ages, and as unjust as it proved to be wicked. They had one and all to live in a few narrow streets allotted to them in each town (called the Jews' quarter), and badly housed as they were they had to pay a heavy 240 Early German History. tax to the emperor for the privilege. They were commanded to wear yellow stripes on their gaberdines to single them out as Jews if ever seen in the streets belonging to the Christians; and silly boys might pull their long beards, and insult them at their pleasure, as belonging to an abject race. We of the nineteenth century were rejoicing in our superior wisdom and charity, and the liberal views that all men, being alike before God, whatever their creed, should be treated alike ; and civil rights and ofhces had been conferred not only upon Catholics, who had long been excluded from them, but also upon Jews, and men like Sir Moses IMontifiore were held up to the admiring world as the pattern of philanthropy ; when lo ! and behold ! there came an unexpected change. A court chaplain in Germany began to attack the Jews, and, not being checked by the highest authority, became the leader of an anti-Semitic party, as he called it, and found the worst of adherents. I am happy to say that England turned in disgust from these uncharitable views, and illumined by its light all the dark proceedings so unworthy of our century. You will laugh, my dear girls, when I tell you that the length of trains, and the height of coifs or head-dresses, were appointed by law Life in Towns. 241 — yes, by law — and that any infringement of it led to trial and punishment. There were very cumbersome carriages to travel in, whilst ladies and gentlemen used to ride through the streets, causing many a stoppage by their long trains of armed followers. Men wore colored, tight-fitting clothes and long, peaked shoes, which was harmless enough, but, being armed as well as their servants, many a brawl occurred, followed by fierce combat and deadly strokes. Bridal processions moved slowly on through the streets ; and even corpses, followed by chanting priests and choristers, had to reach their abode of everlasting peace through the incessant turmoil above mentioned. As to the entry of a high dignitary, or the king himself, into a town, that did pass all description ; for bells tolled, drums beat, trumpets sounded, chil- dren in festive costumes sang, and the chosen few amongst them, representing angels, crowned the prince, and presented him with v/ine in a golden goblet. Sheep and oxen w^ere roasted whole in the streets for the benefit of the people, w^ho might also indulge their insatiable thirst at fountains flowing with wine instead of water. There were grand representations in theatres, and men, swinging torches, performed mad dances. Do some of you say you would like to have seen this.? Yes, just as you see the won- 242 Early German History, ders of a pantomime from your quiet box ; but if you had, day by day, to encounter noise, bustle, and even danger, when you wanted to do a bit of shopping or visit a friend, you would soon get tired of it. But, above all,' at night, the mediaeval arrangements would not meet your approbation. There were no lanterns to light up the streets, so that wicked and unruly men might do a good deal of mischief without being found out. To remedy this evil, watchmen with lanterns paraded the streets, and pitch, burning in small pans at the corners of the highways, gave a faint, flickering light ; besides which, honest burghers were desired never to go about at night with- out hand-lanterns, and to hurry home as soon as the evening bell began to toll. That was the reminder for all those having a chat at street doors, or a game with their children in the play- ground, or for the young men, who vied with each other in manly exercises, or even for those who preferred carousing to a quiet supper at their own homes, to go in at eight o'clock. The watchman used to sing as he went by — •' Quench the fire, put out the light, Harmless spend the coming night." Those who did not heed the summons had the worst of it, for the watchmen collared them without more ado, and they spent the night in Life in Towns. 243 prison. It was only at Advent that hymns were sung in the streets at night, to prepare men's minds, as with angels' voices, for the approach of Christmas, that festival of love and peace. CHAPTER L. 3L\RTIN BEHAni -\XD CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS — CLOSE OF THE MIDDLE AGES. E have seen that Nuremberof was one of t> the most celebrated towns of the i Middle Ages, the birthplace of great artists and sculptors. There was also a famous mathematician, Johannes ^Killer. His pupil, ^lartin Behaim, made the first globe, and having thoroughly studied the shape of the earth, he loved to travel by land and sea to improve his knowledge. He thus came to Genoa, where he fell in with the famous Christopher Columbus, then a young man without name or fame. The two consulted together about the proba- bility of reaching the East Indies by the Atlantic Ocean, keeping steadily to a western course. The King of Portugal was even induced by Behaim to send out some ships in that direction; but the crews, having lost courage, returned without having accomplished their desired aim. Then Columbus, the Genoese, who had been growing more and more convinced that there 244 Martin Behaiin and Columbus, 245 must be a new world in the far West, com- municated his ideas to the royal couple, Fer- dinand and Isabella, of Castille. After many fruitless attempts, he succeeded in being made commander of three ships, which he assured the king and queen would cause countless treasures to be showered down upon their country from the land beyond the sea. I need scarcely remind you of the hardships of that toilsome voyage, and of the ill-feeling and im- patience of the crew, who were convinced that Columbus was an idle dreamer, nor of his un- swerving faith and patience, and of that glorious moment when land was at last discovered, and the leaders of discontent fell contrite at his feet. You have read an account of the discovery of America, and I do not wish to '^ use vain repe- titions. " As to the story of the ^gg, I am not so sure that you know it. Excuse me if I am mistaken. When Columbus returned to Genoa, many of the courtiers wanted to lessen his merit by contending that any one might have dis- covered that large continent of America, since it was sufficiently broad and long to be found out. Columbus, instead of refuting their assertions, quietly took an ^g^ and said: ^'Pray, gentle- men, can any of you make this ^g'g stand on end Y' They all tried, but in vain. Then Columbus took it, slightly broke the shell flat at one end, 246 Early German History, and there it stood before them. ''Ah!" said they, '' any one might have done that !" ''Cer- tainly," rejoined he; "the only difference is this — you might have done it, but I did it ; in the same way you might have discovered America, and I did so." Though this silenced them, it did not prevent their ill-will persecuting him, until, as you know, they got him accused and imprisoned. You have, I am sure, rejoiced at his release and grieved at his death, broken down by human ingratitude. I have told you a good deal about Germany, from the earliest times up to the sixteenth cen- tury, when the period of the Middle Ages closes with the death of the Emperor Maximilian ; and should you not be tired of my tales, you will find me ready to continue them. The Reformation is the first great event of modern history, and, if I am not mistaken, I have a good deal in store which may interest and instruct you. So let me say good-by until we meet again. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS illlllllllllJlllllll* 029 894 515