Alfaleith.org

"Thou knowest well how to subdue them," he exclaimed to the minstrel. "Come near, Volkmar, thou crafty-tongued man; sit near me, that I may confide to thee my opinion. I was ill-tempered today; I did not intend ill, but thy news lay heavy upon my soul. However, as concerns the golden cup that the Queen has bestowed upon thee, what my old boy said to thee was not wrong. Gold is a royal metal, and is not fitting for the traveling-bag of an inferior man; thou thyself singest that it is productive of evil to human beings. Thou wouldst act wisely if thou shouldst quietly and with a willing heart give me back this booty, to place in the treasure-house."

Willingly would the minstrel have kept the beautiful cup; and he answered, "What the eye of the master covets will do no good to the servant; yet bethink thee, Prince, the piece which has occasioned sorrow and envy to the man who has lost it will bring a curse into the King's treasury."

"Have no anxiety about that," replied the King; "to me it is nothing."

"But when the Queen learns that I have so little valued her gift, she will justly be angry with me."

"She will scarcely know it, Volkmar, believe me," continued the King, persuasively. "It is all alike to her whether it is gold or copper. When in autumn the forest people send their horses to my court, thou mayest pick out for thyself a good one with round hoofs, and my chamberlain shall give thee a beautiful dress out of the chest, which will give thee more dignity among the people than the round bit of plate. For I mean well by thee, Volkmar; I fear for thee the envy of my attendants."

"I have heard disorderly words at the hearth of the King," replied the minstrel, vexed.

"Do not take it amiss, Volkmar," exclaimed the King, soothingly; "it is true their speech is sometimes wild, and I have difficulty in restraining their violence, but the art of a King is to use every one in his own line. For gold and a warm seat at my bench they do quickly, as King's messengers, all that I choose, asking no questions, whether the deed is bloody or not. How can a King govern a people without such servants? For the minds of men are proud; every one will do only what pleases him, every one stands on his own rights, and seeks his own revenge, and no one yields to the will of others. Every one desires fighting and wounds for his reputation, and is in haste to go up to the gods. I mean some time also, at last, to ask for a seat in the hall of the gods. But I would rather, while on this earth, rule over pliant men; and if I must remove men from the light because they are dangerous to me, it is but a few; but to preserve the others in their inheritance is for my advantage and my glory: think thereon, Volkmar, because thou art a sensible man. The people are insolent, and their minds puffed up, but the King's care is to think of everything that is good for the country. Therefore do not blame my faithful ones. It is better that they should sometimes commit a crime in self-defense than that all the rest should meditate evil against one another, and that the people of Thuringia should have to yield bondsmen's service to a foreign race."

The minstrel remained silent. The King continued, warily, "The wine has opened my heart, and I will speak to thee as to a friend. Tell me, as one would to a brother, what kind of man is the stranger? I would gladly trust him, but he is of that unyielding race who boast that once a god lay in the marriage-bed of their grandmother. The race is of little use on this earth; their blood has become dark, like old mead in pitchy jugs; they make a great blustering among the people, they bear themselves as if they were the cousins of the god of war, and regard the lot of all others like the chaff which they blow before them. Is the stranger such a fellow?"

"It appears to me that his spirit is cheerful and his nature careless, only a heavy late attends him," replied Volkmar.

"How does he behave himself with the wine-cup?" asked the King. "I like a red-cheeked lad who opens his throat for his drink."

<< Previous Page | Back | Next Page >>