The Diet was well-nigh over, yet had we not been able to gain aught in
Herdegen's favor. One day my Forest Aunt, who had marked all our doings
with wise counsel and hearty good-will, sent word that he on whose mighty
word hung Herdegen's weal or woe, the Elector Frederich himself, had
promised to visit at the Lodge next day to the end that he might hunt,
and that we should ride thither forthwith.
By the time we alighted there his Highness had already come and gone
forth to hunt the deer; wherefor we privily followed after him, and at a
sign from Uncle Christian we came out of the brushwood and stood before
him. Albeit he strove to escape from us with much diligence and no small
craftiness, we would not let him go, and kept up with him, pressing him
so closely that he afterwards declared that we had brought him to bay
like a hunted beast. Of a truth no bear nor badger ever found it harder
to escape the hounds than he, at that moment, to shut his eyes and ears
against bright eyes and women's tongues made eloquent by Dame Love
herself. Moreover my mourning array, worn as it was for a youth who had
stood above most others in his love, would have checked any hard words on
his lips; thus was he once more made to know that Eve's power was not yet
wholly departed. Yet were we far from believing in any such power in
ourselves, as we appeared before that great and potent sovereign, whose
manly, calm, and withal fatherly dignity made him, to my mind, more
majestic than the tall but unresting Emperor.
I can see him as he stood with his booted foot on the hart's neck, and
turned his noble head, with its long, smooth grey hair, gazing at us with
his great blue eyes, kindly at first, but presently with vexation and
well-nigh in wrath.
We held our hands tight on our hearts, striving to call to mind some few
of the words we had meditated with intent to speak them in defence of
Herdegen. And our love, and our steadfast purpose that we would win
grace and mercy for him came to our aid; and whereas my lord's first
enquiry was to know whether I were that Mistress Margery Schopper who
had been betrothed to his dear Hans Haller, too soon departed, my eyes
filled with tears, but the memory of the dead gave me courage, so that
I dared to meet the great man's eye, and was right glad to find that the
words which in my dread I had forgot, now came freely to my mind.
Likewise meseemed that, in overriding my own fears, I had conquered
Ann's; whereas she had been pale and speechless, clinging to the folds of
my dress, she now stood forth boldly by my side.
Then, when I had presented her to his Highness as Herdegen's promised
bride, to whom he had been plighted in love from their childhood, I made
known to his lordship that it was not my brother's desire, but that of
my grand-uncle, that Ursula should be his wife. Likewise I strove to
release my brother from the charge of making gold, by diligently showing
that the old Knight had ever showered ducats on him to beguile him to his
will. Then I spoke at length of Herdegen's skill with the sword, and
hereupon Ann made bold to say that it would be well to bid her lover
return in safe-keeping to Nuremberg, and there let him give proof of his
skill with a weapon specially blessed by my lord Cardinal Julianus
Caesarinus, the Pope's legate, which could have no taint of devilish
arts.
Thus did we give utterance to everything we had meditated beforehand; and
albeit the Elector at first made wrathful answer, and even made as though
he would turn his back on us, each time we made shift to hold him fast.
Nay, or ever we had ceased he had taken his foot from the stag's neck,
and at length we walked with him back to the forest lodge, half amused,
yet half grieved, with the mocking words he tormented us with. Then he
bid us quit him, promising that he would once more examine into the
matter of that young criminal.
Within doors supper was now ready, but we, as beseemed us, kept out of
the way. My brother's case was now in safe hands, inasmuch as my Uncle
Conrad and Christian sat at table with my lord. Likewise we were much
comforted, whereas my aunt told us that the elder Knight, Junker Henning
von Beust's father, who was here in the Elector's following, had, of his
own free will, said to her that he now rued his deed in so violently
accusing Herdegen, by reason that his son, who was now past all danger,
had earnestly besought him to save this man, whose skill was truly a
marvel, and had likewise said that he whom Hans Haller had honored with
his friendship could not have practised black arts. Also he held me dear
as the widowed maid to whom his friend was to have been wed, and he could
never forgive himself if fresh woe came upon me through him or his kith
and kin.
All this was glad tidings indeed, not alone for Herdegen's sake, but also
by reason that there are few greater joys than that of finding good cause
to approve one whom we respect, and yet whom we have begun to doubt.
Ann and I went to our chamber greatly comforted, and in such good heart
as at that time I could be, and when from thence I heard Uncle
Christian's great voice, as full of jollity as ever, I was certain that
matters were all for the best for Herdegen. Our last fears and doubts
were ere long cleared away; while the gentlemen beneath were still over
their cups a heavy foot tramped up the stairs, a hard finger knocked at
our chamber door, and Uncle Christian's deep voice cried: "Are you asleep
betimes or still awake, maidens?"
Whereupon Ann, foreboding good, answered in the gladness of her heart
that we were long since sleeping sweetly, and my uncle laughed.
"Well and good," quoth he, "then sleep on, and let me tell you what
meseems your very next dream will be: You will be standing with all of us
out in a green mead, and a little bird will sing: 'Herdegen is freed from
his ban.' At this you will greatly rejoice; but in the midst of your joy
a raven shall croak from a dry branch: 'Can it be! The law must be
upheld, and I will not suffer the rascal to go unpunished.' Whereupon
the little bird will twitter again: 'Well and good; 't will serve him
right. Only be not too hard on him.' And we shall all say the same, and
thereupon you will awake."
And he tramped down the stair again, and albeit we cried after him, and
besought him to tell us more of the matter, he heard us not at all.
When we were at home again, lo, the Elector had done much to help us.
I found a letter waiting for me, sealed with the Emperor's signet,
wherein it was said that, by his Majesty's grace and mercy, my brother
Herdegen was purged of his outlawry, but was condemned in a fine of a
thousand Hungarian ducats as pain and penalty.
Thus the little bird and the raven had both been right. Howbeit, when I
presently betook me to the castle to speak my thanks to the Empress, I
was turned away; and indeed it had already been told to me that at Court
this morning that sorrowful Margery, with her many petitions, was looked
upon with other eyes than that other mirthful Margery, who had come with
flowers and songs whensoever she was bidden. None but Porro the jester
seemed to be of the same mind as ever; when he met me in the castle yard
he greeted me right kindly and, when I had told him of the tidings in the
Emperor's letter, he whispered as he bid me good day: "If I had a fox for
a brother, fair child, I would counsel him to lurk in his cover till the
hounds were safe at home again. In Hungary once I met a certain fellow
who had been kicked by a highway thief after he had emptied his pockets.
I tell you what. A man may well pawn his last doublet, if he may thereby
gain a larger. He need never redeem the first, and it is given some
folks to coin gold ducats out of humbler folks' sins. Ah! If I had a
fox for a brother!"
He sang the last words to himself as it were, and vanished, seeing
certain persons of the Court.
Now I took this well-meant warning as it was intended; and albeit Ann and
I were heartsick with longing to see Herdegen and to release him from his
hiding, we nevertheless took patience. The legal guardians of our
estate, having my uncle's consent, took my Cousin Maud's suretyship,
and expressed themselves willing to pay the fine out of the moneys left
by our parents, into the Imperial treasury. And that which followed
thereafter showed us how wise the Fool's admonition had been.
The knight, Sir Apitz von Rochow, who had served as Junker Henning's
second in the fight, tarried yet in Nuremberg, and this rude, arrogant
youth had devoted himself with such true loving-kindness to the care of
his young cousin, at first in the priest's house at Altenpero and
afterwards in the Deutsch-haus in the town, that he had taken no rest,
day nor night, until the Junker's father came, and then he fell into a
violent fever. It was but of late that the leech had granted him to go
out of doors, and his first walk was to our house to show me his sorrow
for my grief, and to thank my cousin for many pleasant trifles which she
had sent to him and the Junker during their sickness, to refresh them.
At the same time he broke forth in loud and unstinted wrath against Sir
Franz von Welemisl, and gave us to wit that with his whole heart he
grudged him the fair Ursula, whose favor he himself had so diligently
sued for since the first days of the Diet. From our house he went to the
Tetzels', and then he and the Bohemian forthwith came to high words and
defiant glances.
Shortly after this, and a few hours only after my brother's penalty had
been paid into the Treasury, the two young gentlemen met in the nobles'
wine-room by the Frohnwage, and von Rochow, heated by wine and heeding
neither moderation nor manners, began to taunt Ursula's betrothed. After
putting it to him that he had left the task to Herdegen of picking up the
glove, "which peradventure he had thought was of too heavy leather," to
which the other made seemly reply, he enquired, inasmuch as they were
discoursing of marriage, whether the Church, which forbids the joining of
those who are near of kin, hath not likewise the power to hinder a young
and blooming maid from binding herself for life to a sickly husband.
Such discourse was ill-pleasing by reason of the Bohemian's presence
there: and the Junker went yet further, till to some speech made by old
Master Grolaud, he made answer by asking what then might be a priest's
duty, if the sick bridegroom failed to say "yes" at the altar by reason
of his coughing? And as he spoke he cast a challenging look at Welemisl.
The hot blood of the Bohemian flew to his brain; or ever any one could
hinder him, his knife was buried to the hilt in the other's shoulder.
All hastened to help the Brandenburger, and when presently some turned to
seize the criminal he was no more to be seen.
This dreadful deed caused just dismay, and most of all at Court, inasmuch
as the chamberlain and the maid of honor in close attendance on their
Majesties' persons were near kin to the Bohemian, whose mother was of
the noble Hungarian house of Pereny.
As to the Emperor, he flew into great fury and threatened to cancel the
murderer's coat of arms and punish him with death. Never within the
peace of his realm, nay and under his very eyes, had so much noble blood
been shed in base brawling as here in our sober city, and he would
forthwith make an example of the guilty men. He would make young
Schopper pay some penalty yet more than a mere fine, to that he pledged
his royal word, and as for young Welemisl, he was minded to devise some
punishment that should hinder many an over-bold knight from drawing his
sword! And he commanded that not only his own constables and men-at-
arms, but likewise the town bailiffs, should forthwith seek and take both
those young men.
Only two days later Sir Franz was brought in by the city watch; he had
dressed himself in the garments of a waggoner, but had betrayed himself
in a tavern at Schwabach by his coughing. Howbeit his Majesty had by
this time come to another mind; nay, Queen Barbara left him less peace
than even the court-folks, for indeed her father, Count Cilly, was near
of kin to the Perenys, and through them to the Welemisl.
The Emperor Sigismund was a noble-minded and easy-living prince, who
once, when forty thousand ducats had been poured into his ever-empty
treasure chest, divided it forthwith among his friends, saying: "Now
shall I sleep well, for that which broke my rest you bear away with you."
And this light-hearted man, who was ever tossed hither and thither
against his will, now saw that his peace was in evil plight by reason of
Sir Franz. This was ill to bear; and whereas his royal wife called to
mind in a happy hour that Welemisl had been provoked out of all measure
by Rochow's scorn, and had done the deed out of no malice aforethought
but, being heated with wine, in a sudden rage, and that he was in so far
more worthy of mercy than young Schopper, who had shed noble blood with
a guilty intent, counting on his skill as a swordsman, the Emperor
surrendered at discretion. In this he was confirmed by his privy
secretary, Caspar Slick, whom the Queen had beguiled; and this man,
learned in the law, was ready with a decision which the Imperial
magistrate gladly agreed to forthwith, as mild yet sufficient. Matters
in short were as follows: About ten years ago the Knight Sir Endres von
Steinbach had slain a citizen of Nuremberg in a fray with the town, and
had made his peace afterwards with the council under the counsel of the
Abbot of Waldsassen: by taking on himself, as an act of penance, to make
a pilgrimage to Vach and to Rome, to set up stone crosses in four
convents, and henceforth to do service to the town in every quarrel, in
his own person, with a fellowship of ten lances for the space of two
years. All this he had duly done, and it came about that the Emperor now
condemned the Bohemian and my brother both alike to make a pilgrimage,
not only to Rome--inasmuch as their guilt was greater than Steinbach's--
but likewise to Jerusalem, to the Holy Sepulchre and other sacred places.
Welemisl was to pay the same penalty in money as Herdegen had paid, and
in consideration of their having thus made atonement for the blood they
had shed, and as their victims had escaped death, they were released from
the doom of outlawry. On returning from their pilgrimage they were to be
restored to their rank and estates, and to all their rights, lordships,
and privileges.
Not long after this sentence was passed the Court removed from Nuremberg
through Ratisbon, where the Emperor strove to make up his quarrel with
the Duke Bavaria and then to Vienna; but ere his departing he gave strait
orders to the chief magistrate to see that the two criminals should fare
forth on their pilgrimage not longer than twenty-four hours after the
declaration of their doom.
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