and thus bring misfortune to our
Pfalz. For the happiness of this country consisted in that the Princes
knew their limits. That is the cause of my hating the building, and
were I a conscientious man I would myself quietly set fire to it some
night, and let the chiselled casket burn to the very ground."

Pigavetta listened to the outspoken statements made by the German
Prince with a sarcastic smile, and then asked with a tinge of irony:
"Then the business of this young man will be to pull down the new
building?"

"No," replied the Kurfuerst, with a severe glance from under his bushy
eyebrows at the impudent Italian. "As we have kept our thumbs on our
purse-strings, we have come to such a pass as enables us to finish the
building, for _connoisseurs_ tell me that something must be done, or
the beauteous work will suffer. For this reason has Master Alexander
Colins recommended you to me; for he himself has promised our most
gracious Sovereign the Emperor, not to undertake any work till he has
erected the monument to the Emperor Max at Innsbruck. You have worked
under his orders, and will therefore best carry out his designs."

"It will be a high honour for me," modestly answered the young man, "to
work at a building, whose facade the immortal Michel Angelo helped to
trace, as I am told, and whose sculptures were chiselled by my master,
Colins."

"Yes, yes! these sculptures," puffed out the Prince, throwing himself
back in an arm-chair. "Yesterday I had a discussion about them with my
Council. A beginning must be made with them. The gentlemen tell me
plainly that I am placing heathen Deities on my roof, and that the
planetary Gods watch me through my windows, and as the severe Olevianus
has heard through you, Herr Pigavetta, that the work is to be begun
again, they insist on these idols being removed."

"An impudent set," murmured Pigavetta.

"Not so," answered the Kurfuerst, "we will have in the Palatinate no
watch-dogs around God's house who cannot bark. Even our predecessor
caused his monument to be removed from the Holy Ghost, because Deacon
Klebitz told him, he could not permit naked figures, together with the
wise Virgins of the Gospels cut in marble, in his church. I will not be
more obstinate than my noble cousin. The affair was thus," continued he
turning towards the architect: "The Theologians in Jena are now very
eagerly exposing the errors of Master Philip Melanchthon, and justly
complain, that this pious