This, with numberless others, was written by Hans Sachs. Our simple ancestors, firm in their faith, and pure in their morals, were only amused by these pleasantries, as they seemed to them, and neither they nor the reformers feared their having any influence hostile to religion. When I was many years back in the north of Germany, there were several innocent superstitions in practice. Among others at Christmas, presents used to be given to the children by the parents, and they were delivered on Christmas day by a person who personated, and was supposed by the children to be, Christ: early on Christmas morning he called, knocking loudly at the door, and (having received his instructions) left presents for the good and a rod for the bad. Those who have since been in Germany have found this custom relinquished; it was considered profane and irrational. Yet they have not found the children better, nor the mothers more careful of their offspring; they have not found their devotion more fervent, their faith more strong, nor their morality more pure. [2] [Footnote 1: From Mr. William Hammond's note taken at the delivery. Ed.] [Footnote 2: See this custom of Knecht Rupert more minutely described in Mr. Coleridge's own letter from Germany, published in the 2nd vol. of the 'Friend', p. 320. Ed.; also in the 1st vol. of the 'Bibliographia Epistolaris', currently also available in .txt and .html form, free for download from Project Gutenberg http://promo.net/pg, (text Ed.)] LECTURE III. THE TROUBADOURS--BOCCACCIO--PETRARCH--PULC--CHAUCER--SPENSER.