as was the
young lady, well inclined to this arrangement. But the old people being
dead, and some offer of a king's daughter turning up for Sigismund,
Sigismund broke off; and took the king's daughter, King of
Hungary's--not without regret then and afterward, as is believed. At any
rate, the Hungarian charmer proved a wife of small merit, and a
Hungarian successor she had was a wife of light conduct even; Hungarian
charmers, and Hungarian affairs, were much other than a comfort to
Sigismund.

As for the disappointed princess, Burggraf Friedrich's daughter, she
said nothing that we hear; silently became a Nun, an Abbess: and through
a long life looked out, with her thoughts to herself, upon the loud
whirlwind of things, where Sigismund (oftenest an imponderous rag of
conspicuous color) was riding and tossing. Her two brothers also, joint
Burggraves after their father's death, seemed to have reconciled
themselves without difficulty. The elder of them was already Sigismund's
brother-in-law; married to Sigismund's and Wenzel's sister--by such
predestination as we saw. Burggraf Johann III was the name of this one;
a stout fighter and manager for many years; much liked, and looked to,
by Sigismund, as indeed were both the brothers, for that matter; always,
together or in succession, a kind of right hand to Sigismund. Frederick
(Friedrich), the younger Burggraf, and ultimately the survivor and
inheritor (Johann having left no sons), is the famed Burggraf Friedrich
VI the last and notablest of all the Burggraves--a man of distinguished
importance, extrinsic and intrinsic; chief or among the very chief of
German public men in his time; and memorable to Posterity, and to this
history, on still other grounds! But let us not anticipate.

Sigismund, if appanaged with Brandenburg alone, and wedded to his first
love, not a king's daughter, might have done tolerably well there;
better than Wenzel, with the empire and Bohemia, did. But delusive
Fortune threw her golden apple at Sigismund too; and he, in the wide
high world, had to play strange pranks. His father-in-law died in
Hungary, Sigismund's first wife his only child. Father-in-law bequeathed
Hungary to Sigismund, who plunged into a strange sea thereby; got
troubles without number, beatings not a few, and had even to take boat,
and sail for his life down to Constantinople, at one time. In which sad
adventure Burggraf Johann escorted him, and as it were tore him out by
the hair