so completely
extinguished; the present inhabitants of Brandenburg being of as pure
a German origin, as those of any other part of Germany.

The descendants of only two Vendish tribes have preserved their
language; and even these, from powerful nations spread over the
surface of at least 4800 geographical square miles, have shrunk into
the comparatively small number of scarcely two hundred thousand
individuals, now inhabitants of Upper and Lower Lusatia. Nearly all of
them are peasants; for the higher classes, even if Slavic blood
perhaps runs in their veins, are completely Germanized. These tribes
are the Sorabians, Lat. _Sorabae_, Germ. _Sorben_, in Lusatia, divided
into two different branches. They call themselves to this very day
_Servians_, or rather (as also their brethren on the Danube) _Serbs_;
their language, the _Serbish_ language. Although in fact two distinct
tribes, and speaking different dialects, yet their early history
cannot well be separated. After the dissolution of the great kingdom
of Thuringia by the Francs and Saxons in the year 1528, the Sorabians,
or Sorbae, took possession of the countries left by the Hermunduri,
viz. the territory between the Harz mountains, the Saale, and the
Erzgebirge, and extended their dominion in a northern direction to the
seats of their brethren, the Ukrians, and towards the east as far as
to the region in which their near relations, the Lekhes. about the
same time had settled. They made slaves of the few German inhabitants
whom they found scattered through this country; and according to their
industrious habits, began immediately after their arrival to cultivate
the soil, to build cities, and to trade in the productions of the
country. Although not strictly a warlike people, they were able for
several centuries to defend their frontiers against the frequent
attacks of their German neighbours on the other side of the Saale, and
to give them trouble in return. But they yielded before the arms of
Charlemagne; and after a short interval of renewed independence, they
were completely subjugated and made tributary by Henry I. Their
country, according to the German custom, was divided into _marches_,
and populated with German settlers. These latter more especially
occupied the towns, and built villages among the woods and mountains;
whilst the Vendes, chiefly addicted to agriculture, continued to
occupy the plains. But even on the plains, there soon arose the
castles of Germ