as ever tossed hither and thither
against his will, now saw that his peace was in evil plight by reason of
Sir Franz. This was ill to bear; and whereas his royal wife called to
mind in a happy hour that Welemisl had been provoked out of all measure
by Rochow's scorn, and had done the deed out of no malice aforethought
but, being heated with wine, in a sudden rage, and that he was in so far
more worthy of mercy than young Schopper, who had shed noble blood with a
guilty intent, counting on his skill as a swordsman, the Emperor
surrendered at discretion. In this he was confirmed by his privy
secretary, Caspar Slick, whom the Queen had beguiled; and this man,
learned in the law, was ready with a decision which the Imperial
magistrate gladly agreed to forthwith, as mild yet sufficient. Matters in
short were as follows: About ten years ago the Knight Sir Endres von
Steinbach had slain a citizen of Nuremberg in a fray with the town, and
had made his peace afterwards with the council under the counsel of the
Abbot of Waldsassen: by taking on himself, as an act of penance, to make
a pilgrimage to Vach and to Rome, to set up stone crosses in four
convents, and henceforth to do service to the town in every quarrel, in
his own person, with a fellowship of ten lances for the space of two
years. All this he had duly done, and it came about that the Emperor now
condemned the Bohemian and my brother both alike to make a pilgrimage,
not only to Rome--inasmuch as their guilt was greater than
Steinbach's--but likewise to Jerusalem, to the Holy Sepulchre and other
sacred places. Welemisl was to pay the same penalty in money as Herdegen
had paid, and in consideration of their having thus made atonement for
the blood they had shed, and as their victims had escaped death, they
were released from the doom of outlawry. On returning from their
pilgrimage they were to be restored to their rank and estates, and to all
their rights, lordships, and privileges.
Not long after this sentence was passed the Court removed from Nuremberg
through Ratisbon, where the Emperor strove to make up his quarrel with
the Duke Bavaria and then to Vienna; but ere his departing he gave strait
orders to the chief magistrate to see that the two criminals should fare
forth on their pilgrimage not longer than twenty-four hours after the
declaration of their doom.
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