Pictures of German Life in the XVth XVIth and XVIIth Centuries Volume I Part 14

[Footnote 11: The famous royal castle of Vissegrad on a bend of the Danube four leagues north of Buda--Pesth.]

[Footnote 12: Ban Ladislaus von Gara was cousin to Queen Elizabeth.]

[Footnote 13: He was cousin to the queen and Ladislaus von Gara.]

[Footnote 14: The name is destroyed in the old ma.n.u.script.]

[Footnote 15: Maria Zell in Styria.]

[Footnote 16: The princess Elizabeth.]

[Footnote 17: Pfaff, a contemptuous name for a priest.]

[Footnote 18: A large stove used chiefly in Germany and Switzerland: it was built of brown-glazed tiles cemented together; the door of it was outside the room; it was heated by large logs of wood, and was sometimes large enough to have beds made on it.]

[Footnote 19: For this see the 'Theologia Teutsch,' the best work of the time previous to the Reformation, by an unknown writer of Tanler's school, which was in fact the main source from which Luther drew his opinions; an admirable work even for us.]

[Footnote 20: Exhortation to the ecclesiastics collected at the Diet at Augsburg.]

[Footnote 21: It is thus represented in the woodcut on the t.i.tle-page of a work ent.i.tled, 'Complaint of a Layman, called Hans Schwall, of the vile abuse of Christian Life,' 521, 4.]

[Footnote 22: The similarity of his Latinized name with that of Oswald Myconius, of Geisshauser, teacher of Thomas Platter, is not owing to any relations.h.i.+p.]

[Footnote 23: Luther writes in 1541:--"So I desire and beg of our dear G.o.d to allow me to be sick, and to lay aside this mortal coil in your stead; therefore I beg and admonish you in all earnestness to pray to G.o.d together with us, that He may preserve you in life for the service and improvement of his church, and to the confusion of the devil.

"_May the Lord never allow me to hear, as long as I live, that you are dead, but ordain that you shall outlive me. This I earnestly pray for, and being certified of it, will have it so, and my will shall come to pa.s.s. Amen._"]

[Footnote 24: See 'Dr. Martin Luther's Pa.s.sion,' written by Marcellus; the author is probably the marshal of Strasbourg.]

[Footnote 25: It was the evening of the 4th March, 1522.]

[Footnote 26: A spirit supposed to haunt certain parts of Germany in those days.]

[Footnote 27: Compare with this the beautiful pa.s.sage from the 'Table Talk:'--"If, when I first began to write, I had known what I do now, I should never have been so bold as to attack and anger the Pope, and almost all men. I thought they sinned only from ignorance and human frailty; but G.o.d led me on like a horse with its eyes blinded. Good works are seldom undertaken from wisdom or foresight; they are all brought about unconsciously." To this Philip Melancthon answered, that having carefully studied history, he had observed that no great or remarkable deeds had been done by old people, but at the age when Alexander the Great and St. Augustine did them; later, men became too wise and circ.u.mspect. Dr. Martinus said: "Young companions, if you had wisdom the devil could not deal with you; but because you have not, you need ours also, who are now old. Ah, if the old were but strong, and the young wise! Behold these factious spirits--vain young people, Icaruses, Phaetons, who flutter in the air; chamois hunters, everywhere and nowhere, who wish to knock down twelve ninepins when there are only nine standing."]

[Footnote 28: Ecclesiam Romanam _pure_ colant. The double meaning appears intentional, and seems a cunning device of Milt.i.tz.]

[Footnote 29: That this happened designedly is betrayed in Luther's letter to Melancthon, 13th July, 1521: "I conjure you to be beforehand with the court, and not to follow its counsels. I have done this. .h.i.therto; I should not have effected half that I have done had I made myself dependent on its wishes."]

[Footnote 30: 'Table Talk.']

[Footnote 31: Geek is the German for c.o.xcomb.]

[Footnote 32: German for tom-cat.]

[Footnote 33: Cat's head and claws.]

[Footnote 34: The buck.]

[Footnote 35: A little brat.]

[Footnote 36: With what satisfaction he thought of his death appears from many pa.s.sages in his writings--we give one--at the time of his residence at Wartburg, from the dedication of 'The Gospel of Ten Lepers,' the 17th September, 1521: "I, a poor brother, have again lighted up a new fire, and have bitten a great hole in the Pope's pocket, because I have attacked confession. Where can I now remain, and where will they find brimstone, pitch, fire, and wood enough to pulverize the poisonous heretic? They must a.s.suredly break open the church windows, for some holy fathers and ecclesiastical princes say that they must have air to proclaim the gospels, that is, to revile Luther, and to call out murder. What else can they preach to the poor people? every one must preach what he can. Only death, death, death to the heretic! they scream out--as ho would overturn all things, and overthrow the whole ecclesiastical order, upon which rests the foundation of Christendom. Now I hope, if I be accounted worthy, that they may kill me, and so fill up the measure of their forefather's sins; but it is not yet time, my hour is not yet come; I must first anger the serpent brood still more, and justly deserve death from them, that they may have cause to perform in me a great service to G.o.d."]

[Footnote 37: "I thank G.o.d, that I feel a.s.sured my doctrines are the word of G.o.d and that I have been enabled to overcome grievous thoughts and temptations, when my heart tempted by Satan has said, 'Art thou the only one who holdest the word of G.o.d in truth and purity, and are others altogether without it?' 'Then again, when the devil finds me idle, and I am not thinking of the word of G.o.d, he troubles my conscience by the thought that I have disturbed the governments, and have occasioned much scandal and uproar; but when I lay hold of the word of G.o.d I win the game.'" Pa.s.sages like this are to be found in many other places of the 'Table Talk.']

[Footnote 38: 'An Account of how G.o.d helped an Honourable Nun,' 1524, p. 4.]

[Footnote 39: We find a mild judgment of the Saxon court in his 'Table Talk,' 4: "I have again preached a sharp sermon at court against drinking, but it does no good. Taubenheim and Minkwitz say that it cannot be otherwise at court; for music and all knightly amus.e.m.e.nts have pa.s.sed away, and nothing is thought of now but drinking. And truly our most gracious sovereign and Elector, John Frederic, is a gentleman of much strength, who can well stand a good drink; what he can bear would make another drunk. But when I return to him I will only beg of him to command his subjects and courtiers, on pain of severe punishment, to get very drunk; perhaps when it is commanded, they may do the contrary."]

[Footnote 40: The pa.s.sage following the one just quoted is remarkable: "The n.o.bles wish to govern, but have not the power, and understand nothing about it; but the Pope not only understands how, but has the power to govern: the weakest pope has more power to govern than ten n.o.bles of the court."]

[Footnote 41: Luther's 'Table Talk.']

[Footnote 42: For instance, in the year 1527, Luther could not lend eight gulden to his old prior and friend Briesger. He writes to him sorrowfully: "Three silver cups, marriage presents, have been mortgaged for fifty gulden, the fourth has been sold, and the year has produced a hundred gulden of debts. Lucas Cranach will no longer accept my security, that I may not be quite ruined."

Luther often refused presents, even such as were offered to him by his sovereign; but it appears that consideration for wife or children gave him in later times somewhat more of a household feeling. What he left at his death amounted to about eight or nine thousand gulden; it consisted partly of a small landed property, a large garden and two houses, which undoubtedly he must chiefly have owed to Frau Kate.]

[Footnote 43: It is in Timothy v. 11, and has no reference to this question.]

[Footnote 44: Thus he speaks in many parts of the 'Table Talk.' His last conversation at the supper-table of Mansfelder, in Eisleben, a few hours before his death, was on the subject of meeting again with father, mother, and friends in the next life.]

[Footnote 45: This discourse was spoken in Latin, and immediately afterwards translated into German by Gasper Creutzinger.]

[Footnote 46: Christopher von Carlowitz, the confidant of the Elector Maurice of Saxony, whose counsels he secretly guided, was at that time, with good reason, the favourite of the Emperor, for it was he who directed the politics of his master.]

[Footnote 47: Peilketafel, a long narrow board with a rim all round, and two little gutters on the sides; on it they played with little ironstones smoothed at the bottom.]

[Footnote 48: Valentin Stoientin, who had been the intimate of Ulrich von Hutten in their youth, was then ducal councillor, and an influential promoter of the Reformation.]

[Footnote 49: On Palm-Sunday it was the custom of the Catholics to draw to the churchyard a large wooden a.s.s on wheels, with a figure of Christ as large as life upon it. After the consecration of palms the people streamed thither. The choir of scholars sang the words of the Evangelist, _c.u.m audisset populus, quia Jesus venit Hierosolymam, acceperunt ramos palmarum_, &c. Then eight of the scholars stepped forth, pointed to the a.s.s, and sang aloud, _Hic est, qui venturus est_ (the lesser _Hic est_); to this the choir responded, _In salutem populi_. Then eight other scholars pointed to the a.s.s and sang, _Hic est salus nostra et redemtio Israel_ (the great _Hic est_). Then eight other scholars knelt before the a.s.s, clasped their hands over their heads, and sang, _Quantus est iste ad throni et dominationes occurrunt?

Noli timere, filia Sion, ecce Rex tuus._ This already was a very grand performance for the scholars; but afterwards there came six other scholars who knelt down, their faces to the earth, clasped their hands of one accord over their heads, and sang the _Salve_; and when they had finished it they went forward three steps, knelt down again, and sang thrice, _Salve Rex, fabricator mundi_, &c. Then they drew the a.s.s forwards, and so on. Faithfully given from a description of the solemnity, in the archives of St. Gallen, printed in Kessler's 'Life of J. J. Bernet.']

[Footnote 50: The father Sastrow did not go to the communion from a conscientious feeling, because he would not fulfil the condition of forgiving his enemies.]

[Footnote 51: _Querela de ecclesia. Epicedion Martyrus Christi, D.

Roberti Barns, Angli. Auth.o.r.e Joanne Sastroviano._ Lubecae, 1542, 8; directed against Henry VIII. of England, who in tolerable distichs was compared to Busiris and similar ancient characters.]

[Footnote 52: The guests were counted by tables, twelve persons being generally reckoned to each table.]

[Footnote 53: The reward to the first bearer of good news. It was the universal custom in Germany, in the middle ages, to demand and give the "botenbrot."]

[Footnote 54: Thomas Platter, the father, married again later, and had six children by his second wife.]

[Footnote 55: 'Biography of Hans von Schweinichen,' v., Busching, 1 S.

157. The host is the same Marcus Fugger who wrote the best work on the training of horses in the sixteenth century. He himself had a large stud, first in Hungary, and then at the foot of the Allganer Alps.]

[Footnote 56: Compare with this the beautiful characteristic of Wilibald Pirkheimer in D Strauss Hutten, 1.]