ajesty, who hated all baseness,
had heard tidings of Herdegen's bloody deeds at Padua and his wild ways
at Paris. Likewise it had come to his Majesty's ears that he had falsely
plighted his troth to two maidens. Nay, and my grand-uncle had made
known to King Sigismund that Ursula, who had been known to the Elector
from her childhood up, had been driven by despair at Herdegen's breach
of faith to give her hand to the sick Bohemian Knight, Sir Franz von
Welemisl.

Moreover the Knight Johann von Beust, father of Junker Henning, had
journeyed to Nuremberg to visit his wounded son; and whereas he learnt
many matters from his son's friends around his sick-bed, he earnestly
besought the Elector so to bring matters about that due punishment
should overtake the Junker's foeman.

My lord the Elector had many a time showed his teeth to the knighthood
of Brandenburg, appealing to law and justice when he had taken part with
the citizens and humbled the overbearing pride of the nobles. It was
now his part to show that he would not suffer noble blood to be spilt
unavenged, though it were by the devilish skill of a citizen; forasmuch
as that if indeed he should do so all men would know thereby that he was
the sworn foe of the nobles of Brandenburg and kept so tight a hand on
them, not for justice' sake, but for sheer hatred and ill-will.

When at a later day, I saw the old knight, with his ruddy steel-eaters'
face and great lip-beard, and was told that in his youth he had been a
doughty free booter and highway robber, who by his wealth and power had
made himself to be a mainstay of the Elector in Altmark, I could well
imagine how his threats had sounded, and that all men had been swift to
lend ear to his words. Yet that just King to whom he accused Herdegen
gave a hearing to von Rochow and the other witnesses; they could but
declare that all had been done by rule, and that Rochow had said from
the first that of a certainty the devil himself guided Herdegen's sword.
Muschwitz, indeed, was sure that he had seen his blade flash forth fire.
Hereupon the father was urgent on the King's Majesty that he should seek
to seize my brother, pronounce him a banished outlaw, and that whenever
his person should be taken he was to be punished with death.

All this I learnt not till some time after, inasmuch as folks would not
add new cause of grief to my present sorrow.

The way I was going could lead no-whither save to madness or the
cloister; I