there was no other way
of getting at, when he carried matters quite too high. "Droves of six
hundred swine,"--I have seen (by reading in those old Books) certain
noble Gentlemen, "of Putlitz," I think, driving them openly, captured
by the stronger hand; and have heard the short querulous squeak of the
bristly creatures: "What is the use of being a pig at all, if I am to be
stolen in this way, and surreptitiously made into ham?" Pigs do continue
to be bred in Brandenburg: but it is under such discouragements.
Agriculture, trade, well-being and well-doing of any kind, it is not
encouragement they are meeting here. Probably few countries, not even
Ireland, have a worse outlook, unless help come. [Pauli, i. 541-612.
Michaelis, i. 283-285.] Jobst came back in 1398, after eight years'
absence; but no help came with Jobst. The NEUMARK part of Brandenburg,
which was Brother Johann's portion, had fallen home to Sigismund,
Brother Johann having died: but Sigismund, far from redeeming old
pawn-tickets with the Newmark, pawned the Newmark too,--the second
Pawnage of Brandenburg. Pawned the Newmark to the Teutsch Ritters "for
63,000 Hungarian gold gulden" (I think, about 30,000 pounds): and
gave no part of it to Jobst; had not nearly enough for himself and his
Hungarian occasions.

Seeing which, and hearing such squeak of pigs surreptitiously driven,
with little but discordant sights and sounds everywhere, Jobst became
disgusted with the matter; and resolved to wash his hands of it, at
least to have his money out of it again. Having sold what of the Domains
he could to persons of quality, at an uncommonly easy rate, and
so pocketed what ready cash there was among them, he made over his
pawn-ticket, or properly he himself repawned Brandenburg to the Saxon
Potentate, a speculative moneyed man, Markgraf of Meissen, "Wilhelm the
Rich" so called. Pawned it to Wilhelm the Rich,--sum not named; and went
home to Moravia, there to wait events. This is the third Brandenburg
pawning: let us hope there may be a fourth and last.

BRANDENBURG IN THE HANDS OF THE PAWNBROKERS; RUPERT OF THE PFALZ IS
KAISER.

And so we have now reached that point in Brandenburg History when, if
some help do not come, Brandenburg will not long be a country, but will
either get dissipated in pieces and stuck to the edge of others where
some government is, or else go waste again and fall to the bisons and
wild bears.

Who now is Kurfurst of Brandenburg, mig