er century, while it was
their fortune to last, alive and active there, is no miracle, on such
terms.

Their old big Castle of Plassenburg (now a Penitentiary, with treadmill
and the other furnishings) still stands on its Height, near Culmbach,
looking down over the pleasant meeting of the Red and White Mayn Rivers
and of their fruitful valleys; awakening many thoughts in the traveller.
Anspach Schloss, and still more Baireuth Schloss (Mansion, one day, of
our little Wilhelmina of Berlin, Fritzkin's sister, now prattling there
in so old a way; where notabilities have been, one and another;
which Jean Paul, too, saw daily in his walks, while alive and looking
skyward): these, and many other castles and things, belonging now wholly
to Bavaria, will continue memorable for Hohenzollern history.

The Family did its due share, sometimes an excessive one, in religious
beneficences and foundations; which was not quite left off in recent
times, though much altering its figure. Erlangen University, for
example, was of Wilhelmina's doing. Erlangen University;--and also an
Opera-House of excessive size in Baireuth. Such was poor Wilhelmina's
sad figure of "religion." In the old days, their largest bequest that
I recollect was to the TEUTSCHE RITTER, Order of Teutonic Knights, very
celebrated in those days. Junior branches from Hohenzollern, as from
other families, sought a career in that chivalrous devout Brotherhood
now and then; one pious Burggraf had three sons at once in it; he, a
very bequeathing Herr otherwise, settled one of his mansions,
Virnsperg, with rents and incomings, on the Order. Which accordingly
had thenceforth a COMTHUREI (Commandery) in that country; Comthurei of
Virnsperg the name of it: the date of donation is A.D. 1294; and two
of the old Herr's three RITTER sons, we can remark, were successively
COMTHURS (Commanders, steward-prefects) of Virnsperg, the first two it
had. [Rentsch, p.288.]

This was in 1294; the palmy period, or culmination time of the TEUTSCHES
RITTERTHUM. Concerning which, on wider accounts, we must now say a word.

Chapter VI. -- THE TEUTSCH RITTERS OR TEUTONIC ORDER.

Barbarossa's Army of Crusaders did not come home again, any more than
Barbarossa. They were stronger than Turk or Saracen, but not than Hunger
and Disease; Leaders did not know then, as our little Friend at Berlin
came to know, that "an Army, like a serpent, goes upon its belly." After
fine fighting and considerabl