vengeance. On
one occasion they killed a bishop in the presence of the king; at
various other times they burned monasteries over the heads of the
inmates; and frequently they sheltered criminals, or demolished entire
dwellings in order to obtain kindling wood speedily and conveniently.

Only by means of concord among themselves and strict exclusiveness
could the Hanses for centuries maintain their position upon that
inhospitable and thinly peopled shore. The novice, who usually entered
the service of the Hansa at the age of twelve, was compelled to serve
an apprenticeship of seven years, during which his duties consisted
also in cooking, cleaning, and washing for and in waiting upon the
older clerks. Thereafter he advanced to the position of journeyman,
his inauguration being attended by festive, highly suggestive, and, to
the beholder, amusing ceremonies. These ceremonies began with a great
drinking bout arranged at the youth's expense. The next feature of the
programme was entitled _Das Staupenspiel im Paradies_ ("the Walloping
in Paradise"), a procedure to which every apprentice was exposed
annually and to which on this occasion he bade a final farewell. This
part of the ceremony consisted in setting apart a space enclosed
within birch boughs, on entering which the blindfolded and scantily
attired youth who was to be initiated into the order of journeymen was
thoroughly trounced by "angels of paradise" in the form of lusty
companions who were usually unsparing of the rod. A festive procession
through the streets followed. It was led by two fantastically attired
youngsters who impersonated a Norwegian peasant and his wife, and
whose duty it was to play tricks upon the sightseers and to amuse
them. After a baptism in the sea the unfortunate youth who figured as
the hero of this festival was subjected to a procedure akin to that of
roasting a herring in the flue; and it is singular enough that the
records show only one case of death by suffocation consequent upon
this ordeal. Good days, however, now followed upon evil ones, and the
youthful novitiate was feted and entertained by his companions and
made to forget the sufferings and hardships of his initiation. Many
other pastimes were indulged in by the members of the bureaus, which,
however, cannot be touched upon here. Suffice it to say that they were
characterized by the humor and roughness of the age. Despite repeated
attempts of the Hansa and of the several cities