[Footnote 1: It was not till after the fifteenth century that glass became common in windows in towns; and about the same time they began to find out the comfort of separate rooms. And it is thought worthy of mention, that in 1546, Luther's bedroom at the palace of Eisleben was protected by windows that closed.] [Footnote 2: Little Hans of Sweinichen was deprived of his post as gooseherd because he had tried to keep the geese quiet by gagging them with small pieces of wood.] [Footnote 3: The Thirty years' war.] [Footnote 4: Georg von Podiebrad, King of Bohemia, died 1471.] [Footnote 5: A town of Silesia, near Riesenberge.] [Footnote 6: The word house, standing alone, denotes a fortified building in the cities of the mayoralty, in the territory of some nobleman; in such cases it was of stone, the walls very thick, but without foundations, and therefore easily undermined; the windows were provided with iron gratings, and a passage ran under the roof within the walls; sometimes there was a large empty hall between the upper floor and the roof, in the walls of which loop-holes of different kinds were made for arrows, or at a later period for fire-arms, and in the fifteenth century, for light guns. These houses, especially when situated in the country, were often surrounded by an outer wall, which also enclosed the farm buildings. They were often inhabited by many families of noble descent all crowded together, some were husbandmen, others freebooters, all however had a strong feeling of aristocratic privileges.] [Footnote 7: A linen covering, such as would be spread over the wooden hoops of a waggon.] [Footnote 8: Koenig's 'Graetz in Bohemia.'] [Footnote 9: This journal, as also the whole account of Marcus Kintsch von Zobten, is unfortunately in bad handwriting, and very much defaced; but no one could read the fragment without emotion. There cannot possibly be a more simple or striking description than the following:--"As we are unjustly denied the Holy Sacrament, we hereby testify before all, who hear, see, or read this writing, that we die in the holy Christian faith, innocent of all that has been publicly laid to our charge by our sovereign lord. And in making us suffer, he wrongs us: this we testify before our God, and desire that Duke Hans, our merciless master, may answer for it before the righteous tribunal of God. For every one will observe, that had he any just ground of complaint or accusation against us, he would not have condemned us so cruelly in a dark corner; had he brought us in the light of day before the people, his violence would have been apparent. As God Almighty, on account of our sins, has brought this upon us, we will accept it, and suffer patiently, and beg Him of his mercy to give us a happy end. Amen. Written in great distress and affliction." "Be it known, good people, that we died more from thirst than hunger."