cio, Straparola and Lafontaine.
Sometimes, however, the history of the origin is still remembered, as
for instance in the famous _Buch der Beispiele_, where the preface
begins thus: "Es ist von den alten wysen der geschlaecht der welt dis
buoch des ersten jn yndischer sprauch gedicht und darnach in die
buochstaben der Persen verwandelt,...."[21]

Poems whose subjects are of Eastern origin are not frequent in the
German literature of the middle ages. The most striking example of such
a poem is the "Barlaam und Josaphat" of Rudolph von Ems (about 1225),
the story of which, as has been conclusively proved, is nothing more or
less than the legend of Buddha in Christian garb.[22] The well known
"Herzmaere" of the same author has likewise been shown to be of Indic
origin.[23] Then there is a poem of the fourteenth or fifteenth century
on the same subject as Rueckert's parable of the man in the well, which
undoubtedly goes back to Buddhistic sources.[24] Besides these we
mention "Vrouwenzuht" (also called "von dem Zornbraten") by a poet
Sibote of the thirteenth century,[25] and Hans von Buehel's "Diocletianus
Leben" (about 1412), the well known story of the seven wise masters.[26]

* * * * *

The great interest which the East aroused in Europe, especially after
the period of the first crusades, is shown by the great number of poems
which have their scene of action in Oriental lands, especially in India
or Persia, or which introduce persons and things from those countries.
To indulge this fondness for Oriental scenery poets do not hesitate to
violate historical truth. Thus Charlemagne and his paladins are sent to
the Holy Land in the "Pelerinage de Charlesmagne"[27] and in the poem
called the "Karl Meinet," a German compilation of various legends about
the Frankish hero.[28] Purely Germanic legends like those of
Ortnit-Wolfdietrich and King Rother were orientalized in much the same
manner.[29] As might be expected, it is in the court-epic and
minstrel-poetry (_Spielmannsdichtung_) where this Oriental tendency
manifests itself most markedly. A typical poem of this kind is "Herzog
Ernst." The hero, a purely German character, is made to go through a
series of marvelous adventures in the East some of which bear a
striking resemblance to those of Sindbad.[30] The later strophic version
(14th century) and the prose-version of the _Volksbuch_ (probably 15th
century) localize some of these adventures de