Herr Jacobus Paumgartner and along with him Master Johannes Holzschuer
came in quite unexpectedly. He saw at once that they were going to talk
about Frederick; and in fact Herr Paumgartner very soon turned the
conversation upon him, and Master Holzschuer at once began to say all
he could in praise of the young fellow. It was his opinion that
Frederick with his industry and his gifts would certainly not only make
an excellent goldsmith, but also a most admirable art-caster, and would
tread in Peter Fischer's footsteps. And now Herr Paumgartner began to
reproach Master Martin in no gentle terms for his unkind treatment of
his poor journeyman Frederick, and they both urged him to give Rose to
the young fellow to wife when he was become a skilful goldsmith and
caster,--that is, of course, in case she looked with favour upon
him,--for his affection for her tingled in every vein he had. Master
Martin let them have their say out, then he doffed his cap and said,
smiling, "That's right, my good sirs, I'm glad you stand up so bravely
for the journeyman who so shamefully deceived me. That, however, I will
forgive him; but don't ask that I should alter my fixed resolve for his
sake; Rose can never be anything to him." At this moment Rose entered
the room, pale and with eyes red with weeping, and she silently placed
wine and glasses on the table. "Well then," began Herr Holzschuer, "I
must let poor Frederick have his own way; he wants to leave home for
ever. He has done a beautiful piece of work at my shop, which, if you,
my good master, will allow, he will present to Rose as a keepsake; look
at it." Whereupon Master Holzschuer produced a small
artistically-chased silver cup, and handed it to Master Martin, who, a
great lover of costly vessels and such like, took it and examined it on
all sides with much satisfaction. And indeed a more splendid piece of
silver work than this little cup could hardly be seen. Delicate chains
of vine-leaves and roses were intertwined round about it, and pretty
angels peeped up out of the roses and the bursting buds, whilst within,
on the gilded bottom of the cup, were engraved angels lovingly
caressing each other. And when the clear bright wine was poured into
the cup, the little angels seemed to dance up and down as if playing
prettily together. "It is indeed an elegant piece of work," said Master
Martin, "and I will keep it if Frederick will take the double of what
it is worth in good gold pieces." Thus speaking, he filled the cup and
raised it to his lips. At this moment the door was softly opened, and
Frederick stepped in, his countenance pale and stamped with the bitter,
bitter pain of separating for ever from her he held dearest on earth.
As soon as Rose saw him she uttered a loud piercing cry, "O my dearest
Frederick!" and fell almost fainting on his breast. Master Martin set
down the cup, and on seeing Rose in Frederick's arms opened his eyes
wide as if he saw a ghost. Then he again took up the cup without
speaking a word, and looked into it; but all at once he leapt from his
seat and cried in a loud voice, "Rose, Rose, do you love Frederick?"
"Oh!" whispered Rose, "I cannot any longer conceal it, I love him as I
love my own life; my heart nearly broke when you sent him away." "Then
embrace your betrothed, Frederick; yes, yes, your betrothed,
Frederick," cried Master Martin. Paumgartner and Holzschuer looked at
each other utterly bewildered with astonishment, but Master Martin,
holding the cup in his hand, went on, "By the good God, has it not all
come to pass as the old lady prophesied?--
'A vessel fair to see he'll bring,
In which the spicy liquid foams,
And bright, bright angels gaily sing.
... The vessel fair with golden grace,
Lo! him who brings it in the house,
Thou wilt reward with sweet embrace,
And, an thy lover be but true,
Thou need'st not wait thy father's kiss.'
O Stupid fool I have been! Here is the vessel fair to see, the angels--
the lover--Ay! ay! gentlemen; it's all right now, all right now; my
son-in-law is found."
Whoever has had his mind ever confused by a bad dream, so that he
thought he was lying in the deep cold blackness of the grave, and
suddenly he awakens in the midst of the bright spring-tide full of
fragrance and sunshine and song, and she whom he holds dearest on earth
has come to him and has cast her arms about him, and he can look up
into the heaven of her lovely face,--whoever has at any time
experienced this will understand Frederick's feelings, will comprehend
his exceeding great happiness. Unable to speak a word, he held Rose
tightly clasped in his arms as though he would never let her leave him,
until she at length gently disengaged herself and led him to her
father. Then he found his voice, "O my dear master, is it all really
true? You will give me Rose to wife, and I may go back to my art?"
"Yes, yes," said Master Martin, "you may in truth believe it; can I do
any other since you have fulfilled my old grandmother's prophecy? You
need not now of course go on with your masterpiece." Then Frederick,
perfectly radiant with delight, smiled and said, "No, my dear master,
if it be pleasing to you I will now gladly and in good spirits finish
my big cask--my last piece of work in cooperage--and then I will go
back to the melting-furnace." "Yes, my good brave son," replied Master
Martin, his eyes sparkling with joy, "yes, finish your masterpiece, and
then we'll have the wedding."
Frederick kept his word faithfully, and finished the two-tun cask; and
all the masters declared that it would be no easy task to do a finer
piece of work, whereat Master Martin was delighted down to the ground,
and was moreover of opinion that Providence could not have found for
him a more excellent son-in-law.
At length the wedding day was come, Frederick's masterpiece stood in
the entrance hall filled with rich wine, and crowned with garlands. The
masters of the trade, with the syndic Jacobus Paumgartner at their
head, put in an appearance along with their housewives, followed by the
master goldsmiths. All was ready for the procession to begin its march
to St. Sebald's Church, where the pair were to be married, when a sound
of trumpets was heard in the street, and a neighing and stamping of
horses before Martin's house. Master Martin hastened to the bay-window.
It was Herr Heinrich von Spangenberg, in gay holiday attire, who had
pulled up in front of the house; a few paces behind him, on a high-
spirited horse, sat a young and splendid knight, his glittering sword
at his side, and high-coloured feathers in his baretta, which was also
adorned with flashing jewels. Beside the knight, Herr Martin perceived
a wondrously beautiful lady, likewise splendidly dressed, seated on a
jennet the colour of fresh-fallen snow. Pages and attendants in
brilliant coats formed a circle round about them. The trumpet ceased,
and old Herr von Spangenberg shouted up to him, "Aha! aha! Master
Martin, I have not come either for your wine cellar or for your gold
pieces, but only because it is Rose's wedding day. Will you let me in,
good master?" Master Martin remembered his own words very well, and was
a little ashamed of himself; but he hurried down to receive the Junker.
The old gentleman dismounted, and after greeting him, entered the
house. Some of the pages sprang forward, and upon their arms the lady
slipped down from her palfrey; the knight gave her his hand and
followed the old gentleman. But when Master Martin looked at the young
knight he recoiled three paces, struck his hands together, and cried,
"Good God! Conrad!" "Yes, Master Martin," said the knight, smiling, "I
am indeed your journeyman Conrad. Forgive me for the wound I inflicted
on you. But you see, my good master, that I ought properly to have
killed you; but things have now all turned out different." Greatly
confused, Master Martin replied, that it was after all better that he
had not been killed; of the little bit of a cut with the adze he had
made no account. Now when Master Martin with his new guests entered the
room where the bridal pair and the rest were assembled, they were all
agreeably surprised at the beautiful lady, who was so exactly like the
bride, even down to the minutest feature, that they might have been
taken for twin-sisters. The knight approached the bride with courtly
grace and said, "Grant, lovely Rose, that Conrad be present here on
this auspicious day. You are not now angry with the wild thoughtless
journeyman who was nigh bringing a great trouble upon you, are you?"
But as the bridegroom and the bride and Master Martin were looking at
each other in great wonder and embarrassment, old Herr von Spangenberg
said, "Well, well, I see I must help you out of your dream. This is my
son Conrad, and here is his good, true wife, named Rose, like the
lovely bride. Call our conversation to mind, Master Martin. I had a
very special reason for asking you whether you would refuse your Rose
to my son. The young puppy was madly in love with her, and he induced
me to lay aside all other considerations and make up my mind to come
and woo her on his behalf. But when I told him in what an uncourteous
way I had been dismissed, he in the most nonsensical way stole into
your house in the guise of a cooper, intending to win her favour and
then actually to run away with her. But--you cured him with that good
sound blow across his back; my best thanks for it. And now he has found
a lady of rank who most likely is, after all, _the_ Rose who was
properly in his heart from the beginning."
Meanwhile the lady had with graceful kindness greeted the bride, and
hung a valuable pearl necklace round her neck as a wedding present.
"See here, dear Rose," she then said, taking a very withered bunch of
flowers out from amongst the fresh blooming ones which she wore at her
bosom--"see here, dear Rose, these are the flowers that you once gave
my Conrad as the prize of victory; he kept them faithfully until he saw
me, then he was unfaithful to you and gave them to me; don't be angry
with me for it." Rose, her cheeks crimson, cast down her eyes in shy
confusion, saying, "Oh! noble lady, how can you say so? Could the
Junker then ever really love a poor maiden like me? You alone were his
love, and it was only because I am called Rose, and, as they say here,
something like you, that he wooed me, all the while thinking it was
you."
A second time the procession was about to set out, when a young man
entered the room, dressed in the Italian style, all in black slashed
velvet, with an elegant lace collar and rich golden chains of honour
hanging from his neck. "O Reinhold, my Reinhold!" cried Frederick,
throwing himself upon the young man's breast. The bride and Master
Martin also cried out excitedly, "Reinhold, our brave Reinhold is
come!" "Did I not tell you," said Reinhold, returning Frederick's
embrace with warmth,--"did I not tell you, my dear, dear friend, that
things might turn out gloriously for you? Let me celebrate your wedding
day with you; I have come a long way on purpose to do so; and as a
lasting memento hang up in your house the picture which I have painted
for you and brought with me." And then he called down to his two
servants, who brought in a large picture in a magnificent gold frame.
It represented Master Martin in his workshop along with his journeymen
Reinhold, Frederick, and Conrad working at the great cask, and lovely
Rose was just entering the shop. Everybody was astonished at the truth
and magnificent colouring of the piece as a work of art. "Ay," said
Frederick, smiling, "that is, I suppose, your masterpiece as cooper;
mine is below yonder in the entrance-hall; but I shall soon make
another." "I know all," replied Reinhold, "and rate you lucky. Only
stick fast to your art; it can put up with more domesticity and such-
like than mine."
At the marriage feast Frederick sat between the two Roses, and opposite
him Master Martin between Conrad and Reinhold. Then Herr Paumgartner
filled Frederick's cup up to the brim with rich wine, and drank to the
weal of Master Martin and his brave journeymen. The cup went round; and
first it was drained by the noble Junker Heinrich von Spangenberg, and
after him by all the worthy masters who sat at the table--to the weal
of Master Martin and his brave journeymen.
FOOTNOTES TO "MASTER MARTIN, THE COOPER":
Footnote 1 Written for the Leipsic _Taschenbuch zum geselligen
Vergnügen_ for 1819.]
Footnote 2 The "Beautiful Fountain," as it is called, is about 64 ft.
in height, and consists of three stone Gothic pyramids and many statues
(electors and heroes and prophets). It was built by Schonhover in
1355-61, and restored in 1820.]
Footnote 3 St. Sebald's shrine in St. Sebald's Church consists of a
bronze sarcophagus and canopy of rich Gothic style. It stands about
16-1/2 ft. high, and bears admirable statues of the Twelve Apostles,
certain church-fathers and prophets, and other representations of a
semi-mythological character, together with reliefs illustrative of
episodes in the saint's life. It is regarded by many as one of the gems
of German artistic work, and is the result of thirteen years' labour
(1506-1519) by Peter Vischer and his sons.]
Footnote 4 This ciborium or receptacle for the host is the work of Adam
Krafft, stands about 68 feet in height, and represents Christ's
Passion. The style is florid Gothic, and the material stone.]
Footnote 5 Albrecht Dürer, born at Nuremberg in 1471, and died in 1528,
contemporary with Titian and Raphael, the most truly representative
German painter as well as, perhaps, the greatest.]
Footnote 6 Hans Rosenblüth, _Meistersinger_ and _ Wappendichter_
(Mastersinger and Herald-poet), called the _Schnepperer_ (babbler), was
a native of Nuremberg. Between 1431 and 1460 is the period of his
literary activity, when he wrote _Fastnachtspiele_ (developments of the
comic elements in Mysteries), "Odes" on Wine, Farces, &c. He marks the
transition from the poetry of chivalric life and manners to that of
burgher life and manners.]
Footnote 7 Wine was frequently stored at this period on the cooper's
premises in huge casks, and afterwards drawn off in smaller casks and
bottled.]
Footnote 8 In many Mediæval German towns the rulers (Burgomaster and
Councillors) were mostly self-elected, power being in the hands of a
few patrician families. A Councillor generally attended a full meeting
of a guild as a sort of "patron" or "visitor." Compare the position
which Sir Patrick Charteris occupied with respect to the good citizens
of Perth. (See Sir Walter Scott's _Fair Maid of Perth_, chap. vii., _et
passim_.)]
Footnote 9 The well-known Great Cask of Heidelberg, built for the
Elector Palatine Ernest Theodore in 1751, is calculated to hold 49,000
gallons, and is 32 feet long and 26 feet in diameter. This is not the
only gigantic wine cask that has been made in Germany. Other monsters
are now in the cellars at Tübingen (made in 1546), Groningen (1678),
Königstein (1725), &c.]
Footnote 10 Hoffmann calls him Tobias also lower down, and then Thomas
again.]
Footnote 11 Hochheimer is the name of a Rhine wine that has been
celebrated since the beginning of the ninth century, and is grown in
the neighbourhood of Hochheim, a town in the district of Wiesbaden.]
Footnote 12 Johannisberger is also grown near Wiesbaden. The celebrated
vineyard is said to cover only 39-1/2 acres.]
Footnote 13 Nuremberg is noted for its interesting old houses with high
narrow gables turned next the street: amongst the most famous are those
belonging to the families of Nassau, Tucher, Peller, Petersen (formerly
Toppler), and those of Albrecht Dürer and of Hans Sachs, the
cobbler-poet of the 16th century.]
Footnote 14 Peter von Cornelius (1783-1867), founder of a great German
school of historical painting. Going to Rome in 1811, he painted a set
of seven scenes illustrative of Goethe's _Faust_, having previously
finished a set at Frankfort (on Main). Amongst his many famous works
are the Last Judgment in the Ludwig Church at Munich and frescoes in
the Glyptothek there.]
Footnote 15 Gretchen's real words were "Bin weder Fräulein weder
schön." See the scene which follows the "Hexenküche" scene in the first
part of _Faust_.]
Footnote 16 A meadow or common on the outskirts of the town, which
served as a general place of recreation and amusement. Nearly every
German town has such; as the Theresa Meadow at Munich, the Canstatt
Meadow near Stuttgart, the Communal Meadow on the right bank of the
Main not far from Frankfort (see Goethe, _Wahrheit und Dichtung_, near
the beginning), &c.]
Footnote 17 This word is generally used to designate an untitled
country nobleman, a member of an old-established noble "county" family.
In Prussia the name came to be applied to a political party. A most
interesting description of the old Prussian Junker is given in Wilibald
Alexis' (W. H. Häring's) charming novel _Die Hosen des Herrn v. Bredow_
(1846-48), in Sir Walter Scott's style.]
Footnote 18 A string of pearls worn on the wedding-day was a
prerogative of a patrician bride.]
Footnote 19 In the Middle Ages, in Nuremberg, and in most other
industrial towns also, the artisans and others who formed _guilds_
(each respective trade or calling having generally its guild) were
divided into three grades, masters, journeymen, and apprentices.
Admission from one of these grades into the one next above it was
subject to various more or less restrictive conditions. A man could
only become a "master" and regularly set up in business for himself
after having gone through the various stages of training in conformity
with the rules or prescriptions of his guild, after having constructed
his masterpiece to the satisfaction of a specially appointed
commission, and after fulfilling certain requirements as to age,
citizenship, and in some cases possession of a certain amount of
property. It was usual for journeymen to spend a certain time in
travelling going from one centre of their trade to another.]
Footnote 20 From another passage (_Der Feind_, chap. i) it appears that
the reference is to a series of regulations dealing with the wine
industry, of date August 24, 1498, in the reign of Maximilian I.]
Footnote 21 Sulphur is burnt inside the cask (care being taken that it
does not touch it) in order to keep it sweet and pure, as well as to
impart both flavour and colour to the wine.]
Footnote 22 See note 2, p. 15. The German _Meistersinger_ always sang
without any accompaniment of musical instruments.]
Footnote 23 This is one of the principal round towers, erected
1558-1568, in the town walls; it is situated on the south-east.]
Footnote 24 Peter Vischer (_c._ 1455-1529), a native of Nuremberg, one
of the most distinguished of German sculptors, was chiefly engaged in
making monuments for deceased princes in various parts of Germany and
central Europe. The shrine in St. Sebald's, mentioned above, is
generally considered his masterpiece.]
Footnote 25 Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1569) of Florence, goldsmith and
worker in metals. Mr. W. M. Rossetti rightly says that his biography,
written by himself, forms one of the most "fascinating" of books. It
has been translated into English by Thomas Roscoe, and by Goethe into
German.]
Footnote 26 Holzschuher was the name of an old and important family in
Nuremberg. Fifty-four years before the date of the present story, that
is in 1526, a member of the family was burgomaster of his native town,
and was painted by Dürer.]
Footnote 27 The family of Fugger, which rose from the position of poor
weavers to be the richest merchant princes in Augsburg, decorated their
house with frescoes externally, like so many other old German
families.]
Footnote 28 During the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries
there existed in many German towns (Nuremberg, Frankfort, Strasburg,
Ulm, Mayence, &c.) associations or guild-like corporations of burghers,
the object of which was the cultivation of song in the same systematic
way that the mechanical arts were practised. They framed strict and
well-defined codes of rules (_Tablatures_) by means of which they
tested a singer's capabilities. As the chief aims which they set before
themselves were the invention of new tunes or melodies, and also songs
(words), it resulted that they fell into the inevitable vice of cold
formalism, and banished the true spirit of poetry by their many
arbitrary rules about rhyme, measure, and melody, and the dry business-
like manner in which they worked. The guild or company generally
consisted of five distinct grades, the ultimate one being that of
master, entrance into which was only permitted to the man who had
invented a new melody or tune, and had sung it in public without
offending against any of the laws of the _Tablature_. The subjects,
which, as the singers were honest burghers, could not be taken from
topics in which chivalric life took any interest, were mostly
restricted to fables, legendary lore, and consisted very largely of
Biblical narratives and passages.]
Footnote 29 These words are the names of various "tunes," and signified
in each case a particular metre, rhyme, melody, &c, so that each was a
brief definition of a number of individual items, so to speak. These
_Meistersinger_ technical terms (or slang?) are therefore not
translatable, nor could they be made intelligible by paraphrase, even
if the requisite information for each instance were at hand.]
Footnote 30 A glass divided by means of marks placed at intervals from
top to bottom. It was usual for one who was invited to drink to drink
out of the challenger's glass down to the mark next below the top of
the liquid.]
Footnote 31 These would consist of the certificate of his admission
into the ranks of the journeymen of the guild, of the certificates of
proper dismissal signed by the various masters for whom he had worked
whilst on travel, together with testimonials of good conduct from the
same masters.]
Footnote 32 On these great singing days, generally on Sundays in the
churches, and on special occasions in the town-house, the
"performances" consisted of three parts. 1. First came a "Voluntary
Solo-Singing," in which anybody, even a stranger, might participate, no
contest being entered into, and no rewards given. 2. This was followed
by a song by all the masters in chorus, 3. Then came the "Principal
Singing," the chief "event" of the day--the actual singing contest.
Four judges were appointed to examine those who successively presented
themselves, being guided by the strict laws and regulations of the _
Tablatures_. Those who violated these laws, that is, who made mistakes,
had to leave the singing-desk; the successful ones were, however,
crowned with wreaths, and had earned the right to act themselves as
judges on future occasions.]
Footnote 33 Heinrich von Meissen, called Frauenlob (died 1318), after
having lived at various courts in both the north and the south of
Germany, settled at Mayence and gathered together (1311) a school or
society of burgher singers.]
Footnote 34 The word "prince" is expressed in German by two distinct
words; one, like the English word, designates a member of a royal or
reigning house; the other is used as a simple title, often official,
ranking above duke. The Bishop of Bamberg was in this latter sense a
prince of the empire.]
Footnote 35 At this time Francesco I. (of the illustrious house of
Medici) was _Grand Duke of Tuscany_, his father Cosimo I. having
exchanged the title of Duke of Florence for that of Grand Duke of
Tuscany in 1569. Francesco did much for the encouragement of art and
science. He founded the well-known Uffizi Gallery, and it was in his
reign that the Accademia Della Crusca was instituted.]
Footnote 36 Lucas Cranach occupies along with his contemporary Albrecht
Dürer the first place in the ranks of German painters. Born in Upper
Franconia in 1472 (died 1553), he secured the favour of the Elector of
Saxony, and manifested extraordinary activity in several branches of
painting.]
_MADEMOISELLE DE SCUDÉRI._
_A TALE OF THE TIMES OF LOUIS XIV._
The little house in which lived Madeleine de Scudéri,1 well known for
her pleasing verses, and the favour of Louis XIV. and the Marchioness
de Maintenon, was situated in the Rue St. Honorée.
One night almost at midnight--it would be about the autumn, of the year
1680--there came such a loud and violent knocking at the door of her
house that it made the whole entrance-passage ring again. Baptiste, who
in the lady's small household discharged at one and the same time the
offices of cook, footman, and porter, had with his mistress's
permission gone into the country to attend his sister's wedding; and
thus it happened that La Martinière, Mademoiselle's lady-maid was
alone, and the only person awake in the house. The knockings were
repeated. She suddenly remembered that Baptiste had gone for his
holiday, and that she and her mistress were left in the house without
any further protection. All the outrages burglaries, thefts, and
murders--which were then so common in Paris, crowded upon her mind; she
was sure it was a band of cut-throats who were making all this
disturbance outside; they must be well aware how lonely the house
stood, and if let in would perpetrate some wicked deed against her
mistress; and so she remained in her room, trembling and quaking with
fear, and cursing Baptiste and his sister's wedding as well.