This ballad is founded on an incident narrated in the description of
the Palatinate by Merian (1645), where, speaking of the village Ketsch,
he tells us that--'The Counte Palatine Otto Heinrich, afterwards
Kurfuerst, sailed in the yeere 1530 to the Holie Lande and to Jerusalem.
Returning thence, hee came over the greate open sea where a shipp from
Norwaie mett him, and from it there came this crye: "Flye, flye, for ye
fatt Enderle von Ketsch cometh!" Now, the Counte Palatine and his
Chancellor Mueckenhaeuser knew a godless wretche of this name who dwelte
at Ketsch, and therefore whenn they returned home they inquired of ye
fatt Enderle and of the tyme of his deathe, and observed that itt
agreed withe the tyme whenn they did heare the crye upon ye sea, as
Weyland, a Professor of Heidelberg; hath narrated in divers wrytings
which hee left behinde.'
The translator has endeavoured to give this version of the extract from
Merian in English corresponding to the style of the original old
German.
Jetzt weicht, jetzt flieht! Jetzt weicht, jetzt flieht
Mit Zittern und Zaehnegefletsch:
Jetzt weicht, jetzt flieht! Wir singen das Lied
Vom Enderle von Ketsch!