is made against one of the district kings of the Alemanni."

"Ebarbold! Traitor! Rebel! Destroyer of the army! Oath-breaker!" So
threatening voices rose from the throng.

"Peace! Silence in the assembly!" the judge commanded. "Where is the
accuser?"

The King's weapon-bearer stepped forward, drew his sword, and said:

"I, Ebarvin, son of Erlafrid. For, like all the men of our league of
peoples, I have sworn a terrible oath by all the gods and by the
terrors of Hel to resist, denounce, and avenge rebellion and treachery
against the league and the Duke of the Alemanni, wherever, however, and
whenever I can. Well! For twenty winters I bore the shield of King
Ebarbold's father, and for as many more the shield of this Ebarbold
himself. Every word I utter against him falls heavily upon my heart;
but still more heavily weighs the oath I swore to the Duke for
the league of the Alemanni. Well then, I accuse King Ebarbold of
oath-breaking, rebellion, and treason. Thrice have I warned him, thrice
have I openly threatened to reveal his conduct to the Duke and to the
whole people. He laughed at the threat; he would not believe it. He
said: 'The skin lies nearer to your heart than the cloak; the Ebergau
is dearer to you than the nation; your own lord is more to you than the
Duke.' He was mistaken. So it was in former days, so it was for a long,
long time; but this wrought woe to us all.

"We have learned the lesson at last: the Romans taught us with iron
rods. We have learned it in bloody straits: the people, the league of
the people, is the highest thing, for it alone protects all: the hand
is more precious than the finger. But he wanted to persuade me and all
his followers, nay, all the fighting men in our district; and when we
refused, he tried to command us by virtue of his authority as King. He
said that, if the popular assembly decided to wage war and the Duke set
out on the march, we must not obey, but withdraw from the Holy
Mountain, force our way if necessary, and induce the Romans to spare
our district by giving hostages and submission."

A terrible roar rose from the ranks; weapons clashed; the wrath of the
people burst forth furiously; several young men, brandishing their
swords threateningly, sprang toward the accused, who stood, silent but
defiant, directly before the judge's seat.

"Hold," cried the Duke, "down with your arms! Whoever wields them again
in the place of the assembly, the place of the army, shall