"'The morning after the sacrificial feast at the Deep Moor, Landolf with
the Billing and the free men travelled on to the May diet, which was to
be held at the seven stone-houses, and before noon came to the place.
There were an enormous crowd of free men assembled, priests, nobles, and
commons. The place lies in the middle of a vast, level heath, on the
soft declivity of a rising ground, which on the other side falls away
sharply down to a boggy dell. I have already described the stone-houses.
There are seven of them, a number which must have been held sacred among
the Saxons. At least in our country the so-called "Huhnen" graves, in
which our forefathers lie buried, are always found either alone, or
constantly by sevens together in a wide circle. The spot on which the
stone-houses stand must have been sacred to Woden, for in the chronicle
it is called "Wuotanswohrt," and _wohrt_ in Saxon always means a
secluded, enclosed, sacred place, especially devoted to the
administration of justice; for courts of justice were held under the
open sky and always by day, as though to denote that justice is of
heavenly origin, courts the light of sunshine and shuns the darkness.
The word _wohrt_ is connected with _wehren_' (which means, to keep off,
Maggie), 'because everything unholy must be kept off from it, on which
account also such places were hedged in. Of the transactions at this May
diet, it is only told that a great sacrifice was offered, this time
consisting of fourteen men, two of whom were slaughtered upon each of
the stone-houses in the manner already described; that then cases of law
were decided according to the ancient usage; then the state of things
between the Saxons and the Franks was considered; and at this
opportunity Landolf, who as guest of the Billing had been present at all
the discussions, begged to be permitted to speak, and asked for leave to
preach Christianity in the country. Scarcely had he preferred his
request, when threatening and distrustful looks were directed upon him
from almost all present, and many a hand grasped to the war-axe; for at
the word _Christianity_, men's thoughts at once flew to the Franks,
those hitherto enemies of the Saxons, by whom after three and thirty
years of fighting they had at last been subdued. The Billing immediately
observed the excitement, and before any of it could get open expression
he himself was upon his feet. He related that Landolf was no Frank, but
an Eastphalian, and so of their own people and race; that when a boy he
had been taken prisoner by the Franks in the war and carried to the
Franks' country, where he had been converted to Christianity, and had
been a pupil of the good Liudgar, who himself was a Saxon and known by
report to all Saxons. That afterwards he had lived with this Liudgar in
the country of their brethren the Westphalians, and half a year before
this time had come to him quite alone and become his guest; and as his
guest he would protect the man, since he had done nothing contrary to
the customs and usages of the Saxon people. In his own home he had
permitted him to preach Christianity; and now here, in the assembly of
the people, according to ancient law and usage, Landolf desired to ask
whether he might be allowed to proclaim openly in the country the Gospel
of the God of the Christians. This must now be regularly debated in the
assembly of the people; and he gave permission to Landolf that free and
unmolested he might say out his wishes and tell exactly what the
Christian belief was. Then every one might give his opinion.
"'Now Landolf rose up. His tall figure, his noble presence, and the
fearless, frank, spirited glance of his eye round the circle, made a
deep impression; and in noiseless silence the assembly listened to his
speech, the first preaching that ever was held in our country. This
short, simple discourse has so grown into my heart and I like it so
much, that I shall give it here.' Flora, are you listening?"
"Of course."
"I didn't know but you were too busy counting your stitches. I want you
to hear this speech of Landolf's. It is very fine.
"'"In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the only
true God. Amen. Men and brethren, hear my words. One hundred years ago"
(A.D. 960, according to the chronicle), "came two pious Christian
priests to you, to make known to your fathers the Gospel of Christ, the
true God; they were the dark and the fair Ewald. They were your own
relations, they came from England; they were your friends, they had left
England and come over the sea for the love of you; they were your
guests, they had been sheltered in your houses. They wanted to let you
know that God has become your Brother, that He might deliver you from
your sins. You would not let them preach in your land--you were free not
to do that; but you murdered them; here on these stones you slew them in
honour of Woden; your brothers, your friends, your guests, you murdered,
who had done you no evil. Since that time the true God, the God of the
Christians, has been angry with you. You number as many as the Franks
do; you are just as brave as they. Yet Charlemagne, the Frank, has
conquered and subdued you. How is that? God fought with Charlemagne; He
loved him--he is a Christian. God fought against you, for you have
killed his priests; you are murderers. You can kill me too. Do it; I am
not afraid of death; I am the servant of God; if you kill me, God will
take me up to heaven. God's anger will not depart from you, unless you
become Christians. Why will you not become Christians? Your gods are
good for nothing; they cannot help you; they have not been able to stand
before the Christian's God. Where is your _Irmensul_? Charlemagne has
broken it to pieces." (Irmensul was an idol image that stood at
Hildesheim). "Where is your _Wodensaak_? Charlemagne has cut it down."
(This Woden's oak stood at Verden on the Aller.) "Where is your
_Helawohrt_? Charlemagne has destroyed it." (The sacred place of the
goddess Hela was on the Aller, in what is now the suburb Heelen at
Celle.) "Where are your brave leaders, Wittekind and Albion? They have
become Charlemagne's friends and vassals; they are Christians. Do you
think it was Charlemagne that subdued them? No, a greater One, the God
of the Christians has subdued them. Charlemagne indeed often overthrew
them; but the Christian's God has conquered them. Do you know how that
came about? I have heard in Muenster, and I will tell you.
"'"After the last battle they lost--you know about that, your young men
bled there too--before peace was concluded, the brave Wittekind said to
his brother in arms, Albion, 'Come, let us go! we will pay a visit to
Charlemagne in his fortress, and take a look at his power; for he is the
greatest in the land.' So the bold heroes set forth; hiding their strong
frames under the dress of beggars; for they wished to remain unknown,
and to see and prove for themselves. Fear was not in their brave hearts.
They travelled and travelled for days and days; and wherever they came,
Christians gave them food. Then they questioned with one another--'Is
_this_ what Christians are?' They were many nights on their journeyings,
and wherever they came the Christians took them in, although they were
beggars. Then they asked one another, 'Is this what Christians are?'
Many a time they lost their way, in cities, villages, and fields; the
Christians set them right, and they said to each other in astonishment,
'Is _this_ what the Christians are?' At last they came to Ingelheim."
(The chronicle names Ingelheim, and not Aix-la-Chapelle.) "They went
through the city, admiring the handsome houses and magnificent streets,
till they came to a large house, the largest of all they had hitherto
seen. 'This must be Charlemagne's dwelling,' said they; 'for certainly
he is the greatest man among his people!' They went in--they heard
singing, that sounded as if it came down from heaven. They went further
in; there stood up in the chancel a man in a white dress (it was a
priest in white church robes) who was speaking: 'Hear, you who believe
the glad message; the great God in heaven loves you. He loves you so
much that He sent His dear Son Jesus Christ to you. Jesus Christ came
down from heaven; God's Son became your brother, so little and poor that
He lay in a manger in the stall for cattle. When He was grown up, He
preached everywhere and said, Sinners, turn, and I will save you. He
made the lame to go and the blind to see, and healed the sick, and
raised up the dead that lay in their graves. He shed His blood for
sinners; sinners put Him to death. He was still kind to them in His
death, and prayed for His murderers, Father, forgive them! for they know
not what they do. They buried Him. But can God stay in the grave? Lo!
after three days the earth quaked and the rocks rent; Jesus rose up out
of the grave, Jesus went up to heaven, and sits now again upon the
throne of His Father, God. He reigns; He commands: Repent, and I will
save you, you shall come into my heaven and reign with me.
"'"So preached the priest. There stood the two heroes in astonishment,
but they were to be yet more astonished. Lo! a tall man steps forward
through the church up to the altar, where the priest was standing; and a
crown was upon his head. It was the King Charlemagne. The two heroes
knew him, and yet they did not know him. Was this the mighty hero, whose
flashing sword in battle struck and slew? Was this the man whose eyes
blazed with the fire of battle? He wears no sword here; his eyes sparkle
peacefully; as he stands before the altar, he humbly takes his crown off
and sets it on the ground; then he bows his knee upon the steps of the
altar and prays to Jesus Christ, the God of the Christians, and all the
people fall upon their knees, and the heavenly music of them who are
singing praises swells out again--'Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good-will to men.' Then Charlemagne rises and sits down in
a chair, and the man in white clothing preaches of Jesus, who came to
save sinners, and Charlemagne bows his high head so often as the name
of Jesus is named. Then the priest blesses the congregation--the service
is over.
"'"It was not Charlemagne's house in which they were; it was God's
house, in which Charlemagne had been praying. God is greater than
Charlemagne, and so must God's house be the biggest in the city. The
brothers in arms went forth of the church. Before the church door there
was a great crowd of beggars, in garments like their own. Gentle and
kind, Charlemagne goes to the poor people, giving each one a piece of
money and saying, 'God bless it to you, my children; pray for me too.'
'Is that King Charlemagne?' the heroes asked each other by their
astonished looks. Then the king steps up to them, looks at them
graciously, and says--'You have never been here before, my friends; come
into my house, and I will give you your portion.' He goes on and they
follow him. They come into his house, which was smaller than God's
house. They go into his apartment; there he dismisses the attendants,
goes up to Wittekind and Albion, offers them his hand like a brother and
says: 'Welcome to my citadel, you brave Saxon heroes! God has heard my
prayer; my foes are becoming my friends. Put off your rags. I will dress
you as princes should be dressed!' And he had princely robes put upon
them, and said further--'Now you are my guests; and soon, I hope, the
guests of the Lord my God also.' The two heroes had not expected this,
that Charlemagne should know them in their disguise; much less that he
would treat them so nobly and brotherly. Fourteen days later, the priest
in white garments baptized them in the name of God the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost; and they swore allegiance to the Saviour, Jesus
Christ.
"'"You men, this is the way that your heroes have led the way for you.
Saxons, will you forsake your dukes? The curse of sin has been cleared
away from them. Now I have come to you; I too am a priest of Jesus
Christ; I would gladly teach you and clear the curse of sin away from
you, that you may be saved and come to heaven. Say, shall I preach among
you? or will you kill me too, as you killed the two Ewalds? Here I am;
but in the midst of you I am also in God's hand."
"'Landolf ceased. The whole assembly had heard him in silence; even the
heathen priests had listened. Then the Billing lifted up his voice and
spoke: "Landolf, my guest and friend, thou hast spoken well, and thou
hast been a good man in my house; I will hear thee further. Brothers,
let us decide that Landolf shall be free to go about in our country and
preach. It is no dishonour to bow the knee before that God who is
Charlemagne's God and the God of the Christians; it is no shame to pray
to that God who has conquered our brave heroes. Decide!"
"'Then stepped forth an old man with white hair, who was the oldest man
in the assembly, and spoke: "Cast the lot!"
"'The young men made ready seven little sticks, square-cornered, of oak
wood, marked on the upper side with sacred signs. One of the heathen
priests, the chronicle calls him Walo, shook them in his hands and then
threw them up in the air. During this time, Landolf was upon his knees,
crying, "Lord, Lord, give the victory, that this noble people may come
to know Thee!" Then the sticks fall to earth, and behold! six of them
lie with the signs up, and only one with the signs down. This is
announced, and then the whole assembly cries out--"The Christian's God
has won!" and the Billing shakes Landolf by the hand and says, "Now go
in and out through the whole land; nobody will hinder you from preaching
the name of your God. But do not pass my house by; come back with me; I
will become a Christian." And now the assembly broke up; everybody went
home to his house, Landolf accompanying the Billing. When they were
again passing the stone of sacrifice at the Deep Moor, Landolf
said--"Billing, that is your altar-stone; is it not?" "It belongs to me
and my house." "There my first church shall stand," said Landolf, glad
and strong in faith. "May I build it?" "Build it my brother," answered
the Billing; "and when it is ready I will be the first to be baptized in
it. But the stone of sacrifice we will throw into the moor, that the
remembrance of it may be lost."
"'Now did Landolf go to work joyfully; by day he wrought, and at night
he preached, and taught in the Billing's house, and in all the country
round. No longer than three months after, the little wooden church was
done--the first in this whole region; and the same day that Landolf
consecrated it, Harm the Billing with five sons and three daughters, and
the greater part of the friends of his family and of his farm servants,
received holy baptism, the water for which was fetched out of the
neighbouring Oerze. Now, of course, that church is no longer standing;
it was burnt down afterwards by the heathen Wends, and in its place the
large stone church in Hermannsburg was built. But to this day the field
where that first church stood belongs to the Hermannsburg parsonage, and
is still called _the cold church_.
"'This was the foundation of the Christian Church in our valley of the
Oerze; and as Landolf had come from Minden, the whole Oerze valley was
attached to the see of Minden, while the rest of the Lueneburg country
came to belong to the see of Verden.
"'Now the faithful Landolf laboured on indefatigably. He sent one of his
new converts to Minden and Muenster, to get more helpers from thence for
his work. Twelve came, who were put under Landolf; and now for the first
time the work could be taken hold of vigorously. Landolf must have lived
and laboured until 830 or 840, and so blessed was his agency that the
whole country of the Horzsahzen was converted to Christianity. It is
brought forward as a proof of this, that at the great May diets held at
the stone-houses the following laws were unanimously enacted: no more
horse's flesh to be eaten; no more human sacrifices to be brought; no
more dead to be burned; and all Woden's oaks to be hewn down. And in
truth these laws do show the dominance of Christianity, for precisely
these things named were the peculiar marks of heathenism. Of the
interior condition of Christianity, little is told; only it is remarked
that the entire change in the country was so great and manifest, that
the bishops Willerich of Bremen and Helingud of Verden sent priests to
convince themselves with their own eyes whether what they had heard with
their ears was true; and these messengers had found not a single heathen
left in the whole region. As a good general, Landolf moreover understood
how everywhere to seize the right points where with the most effect
heathenism might be grappled with and overthrown. He always went
straight to the heart of the old religion. We have already seen how his
first church was built by the Billing's sacrifice stone. Westward from
Hermannsburg is what is called the Winkelberg, upon which was the
burying-place of the heathen priests, for the most part cultivated land
now, but the twice seven so-called Huehnen graves are still to be seen
there. At the foot of this hill he established what was called the
_Pfarrwohrt_, where the spiritual courts should be holden; and close by
this place he laid the foundation-stone of the Quaenenburg, a house
surrounded with a moat, in which the young girls of the country might be
taught and educated (Quaene or Kwaene meant a young girl). Both places,
Pfarrwohrt and Quaenenburg, are arable fields now, still belonging to the
parsonage.
"'An hour above Hermannsburg the two rivers Oerze and Wieze flow into
each other. At that place, in an oak wood, the idol Thor was worshipped.
There Landolf was equally prompt to build a chapel, that the idol
worship might be banished. As he had consecrated the church in
Hermannsburg to Peter and Paul, so he consecrated this chapel to
Lawrence. Around this chapel the village Mueden sprang up, so called
because the two rivers there flow into one another, or Muenden. Then he
went further up the Oerze and erected a cloister and a chapel at a place
which was sacred to the goddess Freija. At that time a cloister was
called a munster. The village of Munster grew up around this cloister.
In the same way he went further up the Weize, where there was a wood
sacred to Hertha. In its neighbourhood he built a chapel which was
consecrated to Bartholomew. Around this chapel Wiezendorf arose. About
an hour and a half distant from Hermannsburg, there was a very large,
magnificent wood of oaks and beeches; such a forest was then called a
wohld. In this forest the heathen priests, the so-called Druids, were
specially at home; there, too, they kept the white horses which were
used in soothsaying. The wood extended for hours in length and breadth.
He could not give that the go-by; and that he might dash right into the
midst of it, he built at the spot where it was narrowest a chapel on the
one side to Mary _in valle_, and on the other side a chapel to Mary _in
monte_. The first means Mary in the valley, the second, Mary on the
hill. The villages Wohlde and Bergen have thence arisen. So he grappled
with heathenism just there where its strongest points were, and always,
by God's grace, got the victory; for the Lord indeed says: "My glory
will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." And as
once the Philistine's idol Dagon fell speechless upon the ground before
the ark of the covenant of God, so in our Oerze valley everywhere fell
the altars of the idols before the sign of the Cross.
"'Besides all this, Landolf and his companions were skilled husbandmen,
who themselves shunned no manual labour nor painstaking, and who knew
right well how to eat their bread in the sweat of their brow. So they
introduced agriculture universally, of which our forefathers at that
time knew little or nothing; and thus they were not only the spiritual
but also the material benefactors of the whole district. How much a
single man can do, who is wholly given to the Lord, and who is moved by
burning love to the Lord and to his fellows! God give all preachers and
teachers, and especially all messengers to the heathen, such a mind,
such a brave heart, such a single eye, such will to work! that some good
may be done.
"'About the next hundred years I have found nothing said in the
chronicle. Probably things went on in such a quiet way that there was
nothing particular to say concerning them. But then comes the relation
of a noteworthy occurrence.'"
Meredith shut up his book.
"Well, aren't you going on?" said Maggie.
"Presently. I want a run down to the shore and see how the water looks."
"Why, it always looks just the same way," said Esther.
"Does it? I am afraid something must be the matter with your eyes."
"Oh, of course sometimes it blows, and sometimes it is smooth; but what
is that?"
"Just according to your eyes."
"Aren't all eyes alike?"
"Not exactly. Some see."
"What do you see in the water?"
"There is one peculiarity of eyes," said Meredith. "You cannot see
through another person's. Come, Maggie, let us stretch ourselves a bit."
Taking hold of hands, the two ran and scrambled down the steep, rocky
pitch of the hill, to the edge of the river. The wind was not blowing
to-day; soft and still the water lay, with a mild gleam under the
October sun, sending up not even a ripple to the shore. There was a
warm, spicy smell in the woods; there was a golden glow here and there
from a hickory; the hills were variegated and rich-hued in the distance
and near by. Meredith sat down on a stone by the water and looked out on
the view. But he was graver than Maggie liked.
"Ditto," she said after a while, "you are thinking of something."
"Of a good many things, Maggie. How good the world is! and men are not!"
"What then, Ditto?"
"One ought to do something to make them better."
"What can you do?"
"What could Landolf the Saxon? I do not know, Maggie; but one ought to
be as ready as Landolf was to do anything. And I think I am."
"Then God will show you what to do, Ditto."
Meredith bent down and kissed the earnest little face, "You are the only
friend I have got, Maggie, that thinks and feels as I do."
"O Ditto! Uncle Eden?"
"Well, I suppose Mr. Murray would do me the honour to let me call him my
friend," said Meredith.
"And papa?"
"Mr. Candlish is very good to me; but you see, I do not know him so
well, Maggie."
"Well, he thinks just as you do. And papa goes and preaches in the
streets when he is in New York; in those dreadful places where the
people live that never go to church."
"_That's_ like Landolf," said Meredith. "I almost envy men like that old
monk."
"Why?"
"All his strength laid out for something worth while--all his life. And
think how much he did! And I fret to be doing nothing, and yet I don't
know what to do."
"You can ask Uncle Eden when he comes."
"I hope he'll come! Now don't think any more about it, Maggie. This is
the prettiest place I ever saw in my life. I want to get out on that
water."
"Now?"
"Not now. Some time."
"Oh, we'll all go," said Maggie joyfully. "We might go in the boat
somewhere and take our book and our dinner, and have a grand time,
Ditto!"
Meredith laughed and said it was all "grand times;" and then he got up
and strolled along by the water, picking up flat stones and making ducks
and drakes on the smooth, river surface. This was a new pastime to
Maggie, and so pleasant to both that they forgot the book and the girls
left on the height, and delighted their eye with the dimpling water and
ricochetting stones time after time, and could not have enough. At last
flat stones began to grow scarce, and Maggie and Meredith remounted to
the rest of the party.
"Well!" said Flora, "you've come in good time. We are going home."
"Home!" echoed Maggie.
"To be sure. Don't you think we want dinner some time?" said Esther;
"and we are tired sitting here. And it is growing late besides. Just
look where the sun is."
There was nothing to be said to the sun; and the books and work being
stowed again in the cart, Meredith took his place as porter, and the
little company returned to the house.