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Title: In The Fire Of The Forge, Complete

Author: Georg Ebers

Last Updated: March 10, 2009
Release Date: October 17, 2006 [EBook #5551]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE FIRE OF THE FORGE, COMPLETE ***

Produced by David Widger

IN THE FIRE OF THE FORGE, Complete

A ROMANCE OF OLD NUREMBERG

By Georg Ebers

Translated from the German by Mary J. Safford

IN THE FIRE OF THE FORGE--PART I.

CHAPTER I.

On the eve of St. Medard's Day in the year 1281, the moon, which
had just risen, was shining brightly upon the imperial free city of
Nuremberg; its rays found their way into the street leading from the
strong Marienthurm to the Frauenthor, but entrance to the Ortlieb
mansion was barred by a house, a watchtower, and--most successfully
of all--by a tall linden tree. Yet there was something to be seen here
which even now, when Nuremberg sheltered the Emperor Rudolph and so many
secular and ecclesiastical princes, counts, and knights, awakened Luna's
curiosity. True, this something had naught in common with the brilliant
spectacles of which there was no lack during this month of June; on the
contrary, it was very quiet here. An imperial command prohibited the
soldiery from moving about the city at night, and the Frauenthor,
through which during the day plenty of people and cattle passed in and
out had been closed long before. Very few of the worthy burghers--who
went to bed betimes and rose so early that they rarely had leisure to
enjoy the moonlight long--passed here at this hour. The last one, an
honest master weaver, had moved with a very crooked gait. As he saw the
moon double--like everything else around and above him--he had wondered
whether the man up there had a wife. He expected no very pleasant
reception from his own at home. The watchman, who--the moon did not
exactly know why--lingered a short time in front of the Ortlieb mansion,
followed the burgher. Then came a priest who, with the sacristan and
several lantern bearers, was carrying the sacrament to a dying man in
St. Clarengasse.