Whilst Eva, completely absorbed in herself, was forming this resolution,
Els, panting for breath, stood at the open window under the ceiling
of the Council chamber, gazing down and listening to the sounds from
beneath.
Directly opposite to her was the inscription
“Feldt Urtel auf erden, als ir dort woldt geurtheilt werden,” in the
German and Latin languages, and below this motto, urging the magistrates
to justice, was a large fresco representing the unjust judge Sisamnes
being flayed by an executioner in the costume of the Nuremberg
Leben--[Executioner’s assistant. Really “Lowen.”]--before the eyes
of King Cambyses, in order to cover the judgment seat with his skin.
Another picture represented this lofty throne, on which sat the ruler
of Persia dispensing justice. The subject of a third was the Roman army
interrupted in its march by the order of the Emperor Trajan, that he
might have time to hear a widow’s accusation of the murderer of her son
and to punish the criminal.
Els did not bestow a single glance upon these familiar pictures, but
gazed down at the thirteen elderly and the same number of much younger
men, who in their high-backed chairs were holding council together at
her left hand far below her. These were the burgomasters of the city,
of whom an elder and a younger one directed for the space of a month, as
“Questioner,” the government of the public affairs of the city and the
business of the “Honourable Council.”
At this time the office was filled by Albert Ebner and Jorg Stromer,
whilst in the secret council formed by seven of the older gentlemen,
as the highest executive authority, Hans Schtirstab as the second and
Berthold Vorchtel as first Losunger filled the chief offices.
So this year the deeply offended father held the highest place in the
Council, and in the whole community of Nuremberg he, more than any one
else, would decide the fate of the Eysvogels.
Els knew this, and with an anxious heart saw him gaze earnestly and
sadly at the papers which Martin Schedel, the city clerk, had just
brought to him from a special desk. At his side, in the centre of the
table covered with green cloth, sat the listener’s uncle, the magistrate
Berthold Pfinzing, who in the Emperor’s name presided over the court of
justice.
He also appeared in his character of protector of the Jews, and
Samuel Pfefferkorn, a Hebrew usurer, had just left the hall after an
examination.
Casper Eysvogel was gazing after him with a face white as death. His
handsome head shook as the imperial magistrate, turning to Berthold
Vorchtel, the chief Losunger, said in a tone loud enough to be heard by
all present, “So this is also settled. Herr Casper contracted the great
debt to the Jew without the knowledge of his son and partner, and this
explains to a florin the difference between the accounts of the father
and son. The young man was intentionally kept in the dark about the
greatest danger which threatened the business. To him the situation of
the house must have appeared critical, but by no means hopeless. But
for the Siebenburgs and the other bandits, who transformed the last
important and promising venture of the firm into a great loss, and with
the sale of the landed property, it might perhaps have speedily risen,
and under prudent and skilful management regained its former prosperity.
The enormous sum to which the debt to Samuel Pfefferkorn increased gives
the position of affairs a different aspect. Since, as protector of
the Jew, I must insist upon the payment of this capital with the
usual interest, the old Eysvogel firm will be unable to meet its
obligations--nay, its creditors can be but partially paid. Therefore
nothing remains for us to do save to consider how to protect as far
as possible our city and the citizens who are interested. Yet, in my
opinion, the entire firm does not deserve punishment--only the father,
who concealed from his upright son his own accounts and those of
Samuel Pfefferkorn, and--it is hard for me to say this in Herr Casper’s
presence;--also, when the peril became urgent, illegally deprived his
business partner of the possibility of obtaining a correct view of the
real situation of affairs. So, in the Emperor’s name, let justice take
its course.”
These words pronounced the doom of the ancient, great, and wealthy
Eysvogel firm; yet the heart of Els throbbed high with joy when, after
a brief interchange of opinions between the assembled members of the
Council, the imperial magistrate, turning to Herr Vorchtel, again began:
“As Chief Losunger, it would be your place, Herr Berthold, to raise your
voice on the part of the Honourable Council in defence of the accused;
but since we are all aware of the great grief inflicted upon you by the
son of the man in whose favour you would be obliged to speak, we should,
I think, spare you this duty, and transfer it to Herr Hans Schtirstab,
the second Losunger, or to Herr Albert Ebner, the oldest of the
governing burgomasters, who, though equally concerned in this sad case,
are less closely connected with the Eysvogels themselves.”
Els uttered a sigh of relief, for both the men named were friendly to
Wolff; but Herr Vorchtel had already risen and began to speak, turning
his wise old head slowly to and fro, and drawing his soft grey beard
through his hand.
He commenced his address as quietly as if he were talking with friends
at his own table, and the tones of his deep voice, as well as the
expression of his finely moulded aged features, exerted a soothing
influence upon his listeners.
Els, with a throbbing heart, felt that nothing which this man advocated
could be wrong, and that whatever he recommended would be sure of
acceptance; for he stood amongst his young and elderly fellow directors
of the Nuremberg republic like an immovably steadfast guardian of duty
and law, who had grown grey in the atmosphere of honesty and honour.
Thus she had imagined the faithful Eckart, thus her own Wolff might look
some day when age had bleached his hair and labour and anxiety had lined
his lofty brow with wrinkles; Berthold Vorchtel, and other “Honourables”
who resembled him; grey-haired Conrad Gross; tall, broad-shouldered
Friedrich Holzschuher, whose long, snow-white hair fell in thick waves
to his shoulders; Ulrich Haller, in whose locks threads of silver
were just appearing, princely in form and bearing; stately Hermann
Waldstromer, who had the keen eyes of a huntsman; the noble Ebner
brothers, who would have attracted attention even in an assembly of
knights and counts--nay, the Emperor Rudolph was probably thinking of
the men below when he said that the Nuremberg Council reminded him of
a German oak wood, where firm reliance could be placed on every noble
trunk.
Herr Berthold Vorchtel was just such a noble, reliable tree. Els told
herself so, and though she knew how deeply he was wounded when Wolff
preferred her to his daughter Ursula, and how sorely he mourned his son
Ulrich’s death, she was nevertheless convinced that this man would bear
the Eysvogels no grudge for the grief suffered through them, for no word
which was not just and estimable would cross his aged lips.
She was not mistaken; for after Herr Berthold had insisted upon his
right to raise his voice, not in behalf of Herr Casper but for his
business firm and its preservation, he remarked, by way of introduction,
that for the sake of Nuremberg he would advise that the Eysvogel house
should not be abandoned without ceremony to the storm which its chief
had aroused against the ancient, solid structure.
Then he turned to the papers and parchments, to which the city clerk had
just added several books and rolls. His address, frequently interrupted
by references to the documents before him, sounded clear and positive.
The amount of the sums owed by the Eysvogel firm, as well as the names
of its creditors in Nuremberg, Augsburg, Ulm, and Regensburg, Venice,
Milan, Bruges, and other German and foreign cities, formed the most
important portion of his speech. During its progress he frequently
seized a bit of chalk and blackboard, writing rapidly on the green table
whole rows of figures, and the young burgomasters especially exchanged
admiring smiles as the experienced old merchant added and subtracted
in an instant sums for which they themselves would have needed twice as
much time.
The figures and names buzzed in the ears of the listener at the window
like the humming of a swarm of gnats. To understand and remember them
was impossible, and she gazed in astonishment at the old man who so
clearly comprehended the confused tangle and drew from it so readily
just what he needed for his purpose.
When he closed, and with a loud “Therefore” began to communicate the
result, she summoned all the mental power she possessed in order to
understand it. She succeeded, but her knees fairly trembled when she
heard the sum which the house was obliged to repay to others.
Yet, when Herr Berthold lastly gave the estimate of the Eysvogel
property in merchandise, buildings, and estates, she was again
surprised. She had not supposed that Wolff’s proud family was so
wealthy; but the close of this report brought fresh disappointment,
for including the sum which Herr Casper had borrowed from the Jew
Pfefferkorn, the debts of the firm exceeded its possessions far more
than Els had expected from the amount of its riches.
She was wholly ignorant of the condition of her own father’s property;
but she thought she knew that it was far from being enough to suffice
here. And this appeared to be the case, for when Berthold Vorchtel
resumed his speech he alluded to Ernst Ortlieb. In words full of
sympathy he lamented the unprecedented insult which had led him
to commit the deed of violence that prevented his sharing in this
consultation. But before his removal he had given him an important
commission. Upon certain conditions--but only upon them--he would place
a considerable portion of his fortune at his disposal for the settlement
of this affair. Still, large as was the promised sum, it would by no
means be sufficient to save the Eysvogel business from ruin. Yet he,
Berthold Vorchtel, was of the opinion that its fall must be prevented at
any cost. The sincerity of this conviction he intended to prove by the
best means at a merchant’s command-the pledge of his own large capital.
These words deeply moved the whole assembly, and Els saw her uncle
glance at the old gentleman with a look which expressed the warm
appreciation of a man of the same mind.
Casper Eysvogel, who, lost in thought, had permitted the statements of
the Losunger, which were mingled with many a bitter censure of his own
conduct, to pass without contradiction--nay, apparently in a state
of apathy in which he was no longer capable of following
details--straightened his bowed figure and gazed enquiringly into Herr
Berthold’s face as if he did not venture to trust his own ears; but
the other looked past him, as he added that what he was doing for
the Eysvogel business was due to no consideration for the man who had
hitherto directed it, or his family, but solely on account of the good
city whose business affairs the confidence of the Council had summoned
him to direct, and her commerce, whose prosperity was equally dear to
most of the Honourables around him.
Cries and gestures of assent accompanied the last sentence; but Berthold
Vorchtel recognised the demonstration by remarking that it showed him
that the Council, in the name of the city, would be disposed to do its
share in raising the amount still lacking.
This statement elicited opposition, expressed in several quarters in low
tones, and from one seat loudly, and Herr Berthold heard it. Turning to
Peter Ammon, one of the Eysvogels’ principal creditors, who was making
the most animated resistance, he remarked that no one could be more
unwilling than himself to use the means of the community to protect from
the consequences of his conduct a citizen whose own errors had placed
him in a perilous position, but, on the other hand, he would always--and
in this case with special zeal--be ready to aid such a person in spite
of the faults committed, if he believed that he could thus protect the
community from serious injury.
Then he asked permission to make a digression, and being greeted with
cries of “Go on!” from all sides, began in brief, clear sentences to
show how the commerce of Nuremberg from small beginnings had reached its
present prosperity. Instead of the timid, irregular exchange of goods
as far as the Rhine, the Main, and the Danube, regular intercourse with
Venice, Milan, Genoa, Bohemia, and Hungary, Flanders, Brabant, and the
coast of the Baltic had commenced. Trade with the Italian cities,
and through them, even with the Levant, had made its first successful
opening under the Hohenstaufen rule; but during the evil days when the
foreign monarchs had neglected Germany and her welfare, it sustained the
most serious losses. By the election of Rudolph of Hapsburg who, with
vigour, good-will, and intelligence, had devoted his attention to the
security of commerce in the countries over which he reigned, better days
for the merchant had returned, and it was very evident what his
work required, what injured and robbed it of its well-earned reward.
Confidence at home and abroad was the foundation of prosperity, not
alone of the Nuremberg merchant but of trade in general. Under the
Hohenstaufen rule their upright ancestors had so strengthened this
confidence that wherever he went the Nuremberg merchant received respect
and confidence above many--perhaps all others. The insecurity of the
roads and of justice in the lawless times before the election of the
Hapsburgs might have impaired this great blessing; but since Rudolph
had wielded the sceptre with virile energy, made commerce secure, and
administered justice, confidence had also returned, and to maintain
it no sacrifice should be too great. As for him, Berthold Vorchtel, he
would not spare himself, and if he expected the city to imitate him he
would know how to answer for it.
Here he was interrupted by loud shouts of applause; but, without heeding
them, he quietly went on: “And it is necessary to secure confidence in
the Nuremberg merchant in two directions: his honesty and the capital
at his command. Our business friends, far and near, must be permitted
to continue to rely upon our trustworthiness as firmly as upon rock and
iron. If we brought the arrogant Italian to say of us that, amongst the
German cities who were blind, Nuremberg was the one-eyed, we ought now
to force them to number us amongst those who see with both eyes, the
honest, trust-inspiring blue eyes of the German. But to attain this
goal we need the imperial protection, the watchful power of a great and
friendly ruler. The progress which our trade owed to the Hohenstaufen
proves this; the years without an Emperor, on the contrary, showed
what threatens our commerce as soon as we lack this aid. Rights and
privileges from sovereigns smoothed the paths in which we have surpassed
others. To obtain new and more important ones must be our object. From
the first Reichstag which the Emperor Rudolph held here, he has shown
that he esteems us and believes us worthy of his confidence. Many
valuable privileges have revealed this. To maintain this confidence,
which is and will remain the source of the most important favours to
Nuremberg, is enjoined upon us merchants by prudence, upon us directors
of the city by regard for its prosperity. But, my honourable friends,
reluctantly as I do so, I must nevertheless remind you that this
confidence, here and there, has already received a shock through
the errors of individuals. Who could have forgotten the tale of the
beautiful cap of the unhappy Meister Mertein, who has preceded us into
the other world? Doubtless it concerned but one scabby sheep, yet it
served to bring the whole flock into disrepute. Perhaps the fact that it
occurred so soon after Rudolph’s election to the sovereignty, during the
early days of his residence in our goodly city, imprinted it so deeply
upon our imperial master’s memory. A few hours ago he asked for some
information concerning the sad affair which now occupies our attention,
and when I represented that the public spirit and honesty of my
countrymen, fellow-citizens, and associate members of the Council would
prevent it from injuring our trade at home or abroad, he alluded to that
story, by no means in the jesting way with which he formerly mentioned
the vexatious incident that redounded to the honour of no one more than
that of his own shrewdness, which at that time--seven years ago--was so
often blended with mirth.”
When the speaker began to allude to this much-discussed incident a smile
had flitted over the features of his listeners, for they remembered
it perfectly, and the story of Emperor Rudolph and the cap was still
related to the honour of the presence of mind of the wise Hapsburg
judge.
During the period of the assembly of the princes a Nuremberg citizen
had taken charge of a bag containing two hundred florins for a foreign
merchant who had lodged with him, but when he was asked for the property
entrusted to him denied that he had received it.
This disgraceful occurrence was reported to the Emperor, but he
apparently paid no heed to it, and received Master Mertein, amongst
other citizens who wished to be presented to him. The dishonest man
appeared in a rich gala dress and as, embarrassed by the Emperor’s
piercing gaze, he awkwardly twirled his cap--a magnificent article
bordered with costly fur; the sovereign took it from his hand, examined
it admiringly and, with the remark that it would suit even a king,
placed it on his own royal head. Then he approached one after another to
exchange a few words and, as if forgetting that he wore the head-gear,
left the apartment to order a messenger to take the cap at once to its
owner’s wife, show it to her as a guarantee of trustworthiness, and ask
her to bring the bag which the foreign merchant had given him to the
castle. The woman did so and the cheat was unmasked.
Everyone present, like Els, was familiar with this story, which wrongly
cast so evil a light upon the uprightness of the citizens of Nuremberg.
Who could fail to be painfully affected by the thought that Rudolph,
during his present stay amongst them, must witness the injury of others
by a Nuremberg merchant? Who could have now opposed Herr Berthold, when
he asked, still more earnestly than before, that the community would
do its share to maintain confidence in the reliability of the Nuremberg
citizens, and especially of the Honourable Council and everyone of its
members?
But when he mentioned the large sum which he himself, and the other
which Ernst Ortlieb intended on certain conditions to devote to the
settlement of this affair, Peter Ammon also withdrew his opposition.
The First Losunger’s proposal was unanimously accepted, and also the
condition made by his associate, Ernst Ortlieb. Casper Eysvogel, on whom
the resolution bore most heavily, submitted in silence, shrugging his
shoulders.
How high Els’s heart throbbed, how she longed to rush down into the
Council chamber and clasp the hand of the noble old man at the
green table, when he said that in consequence of Ernst Ortlieb’s
condition--which he also made--the charge of the newly established
Eysvogel business must be transferred from Herr Casper’s hands to those
of his son, Herr Wolff, as soon as the imperial pardon permitted him to
leave his hiding-place. He, Berthold Vorchtel, would make no complaint
against him, for he knew that Wolff had been forced to cross swords with
his Ulrich. He had formed this resolution after a severe struggle with
himself; but as a Christian and a fair-minded man he had renounced the
human desire for revenge, and as God had wished to give him a token of
his approval, he had sent to his house a substitute for his dead son.
Fresh cries of approval interrupted this communication, whose meaning
Els did not understand.
Not a word of remonstrance was uttered when the imperial magistrate at
last proposed that Casper Eysvogel and the women of his family should
leave the city and atone for his great offence by ten years in exile.
One of his estates, which he advised the city to buy, could be assigned
him as a residence. Herr Casper’s daughter, Frau Isabella Siebenburg,
had already, with her twin sons, found shelter at the Knight Heideck’s
castle. Her husband, who had joined his guilty brothers, would speedily
fall into the hands of justice and reap what he had sowed. For the final
settlement of this affair he begged the Honourable Council to appoint
commissioners, whom he would willingly join.
Then Herr Vorchtel again rose and requested his honourable friends to
treat the new head of the house with entire confidence; for from
the books of the firm and the statements which he had made in his
hiding-place and sent to the Council, both he and the city clerk had
become convinced that he was one of the most cautious and upright
young merchants in Nuremberg. Their opinion was also shared by the most
prominent business acquaintances of the house.
This pleased the listener. But whilst the speaker sat down amidst the
eager assent of his associates in office, and Herr Casper Eysvogel,
leaning on the arm of his cousin, Conrad Teufel, left the hall with
tottering steps, utterly crushed, she saw the city clerk Schedel, after
a hasty glance upwards, approach the side door, through which he could
reach the staircase leading to his rooms.
He evidently intended to tell the result of the discussion. But the
old gentleman would need considerable time to reach her, so she again
listened to what was passing below.
She heard her uncle, the magistrate, speak of her father’s unfortunate
deed, and tell the Council how the name of Herr Ernst’s daughters, who
were held in such honour, had become innocently, through evil gossip,
the talk of the people. Just at that moment the old man’s shuffling step
sounded close by the door.
Els stopped listening to hasten towards the messenger of good tidings,
and the old gentleman could scarcely believe his own eyes when he saw
the happiness beaming in the girl’s beautiful fresh face, whose anxiety
and pallor had just roused his deep sympathy.
It was scarcely possible that anyone could have anticipated him with
the glad news, and spite of his seventy-two years the city clerk had
retained the keen eyes of youth. When he entered the anteroom with Els
and saw the open window and beside it the white Riese which she had
removed in order to hear better, he released himself from the arm she
had passed around his shoulders, shook his finger threateningly at
her, and cried: “It’s fortunate that I find only the Riese, and not the
listener, otherwise I should be compelled to deliver her to the jailer,
or even the torturer, for unwarranted intrusion into the secrets of the
honourable Council. I can hardly institute proceedings against a bit of
linen!”