Tales from the German, Comprising specimens from the most celebrated authors
General
Tales from the German, Comprising specimens from the most celebrated authors
German fiction -- Translations into English; Short stories
The castellan began to answer: “Kohlhaas, the woman----” but he stopped
short in the middle of his speech; and Kohlhaas, being carried along by
the train, which proceeded at this moment, could not hear what the man,
who seemed to tremble in every limb, was saying to him. When he came
to the place of execution, he found the Elector of Brandenburg on
horseback there, with his train, among whom was the Chancellor Heinrich
von Geusau, in the midst of an immense concourse of people. To the
right of the elector stood the imperial advocate, Franz Müller, with a
copy of the sentence in his hand, while on his left, with the decree of
the Dresden Court chamber, was his own advocate, the jurist Anton
Zäuner. In the midst of the half-open circle formed by the people, was
a herald with a bundle of things and the two horses, now sleek and in
good condition, beating the ground with their hoofs. For the
Chancellor Henry had carried every point of the suit, which, in the
name of his master, he had commenced at Dresden against Squire Wenzel
von Tronka; and consequently the horses, after they had been restored
to honour by the ceremony of waving a flag over their heads, had been
taken out of the hands of the flayer, and, having been fattened by the
squire’s men, had been handed over to the advocate in the Dresden
market, in the presence of a commission appointed for the purpose.
Therefore, the elector, when Kohlhaas, attended by the guard, ascended
the court to him, said: “Now, Kohlhaas, this is the day on which you
have justice. Here I give you back all which you were forced to lose
at the Tronkenburg, your horses, handkerchief, money, linen, and the
expenses for medical attendance on your man, Herse, who fell at
Mühlberg. Are you content with me?”
Kohlhaas, while with open, sparkling eyes, he read over the decree
which was put into his hands, at a hint from the chancellor, put down
the two children whom he carried, and when he found in it an article,
by which Squire Wenzel was condemned to be imprisoned for two years,
quite overcome by his feelings, he threw himself down before the
elector, with his hands crossed on his breast. Joyfully assuring the
chancellor, as he arose, and laid his hand on his bosom, that his
highest wish on earth was fulfilled, he went up to the horses, examined
them, and patted their fat necks, cheerfully telling the chancellor, as
he returned to him, that he made a present of them to his two sons,
Henry and Leopold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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