8 EART.Y I.ITEUATTrr.E OF THE GERMANS. 



''Thou shall become a mighty king :" tt) the second he said : "Thou shalt 

 become a prince ;" to the third : "Thou a count ; '* to the fourth : "Thou 

 a knight-," to the fifth : "Thou a nobleman ;" to the sixth: "Thou a 

 burgher; " to the seventh : " Be thou a merchant ;" to the eighth : "Do 

 ihou become a learned doctor!" Thus he gave to all of them a copi- 

 ous blessing. But when Eve saw this, and considered the gracious kind- 

 ness of the Lord, she thought within herself: "I will fetch also my ugly 

 children, that God may have compassion on them ;" she hastened, there- 

 fore, and dragged them forth from under the hay, from the manger and 

 the oven, and brought them into the presence of God, an unseemly, un- 

 combed, scabby, sooty, rude and awkward rabble. Tlien the Lord 

 smiled, looked at them all, and said : "I will bless them also ;" laying 

 his hands on the first ; he spake : "Thou shalt become a farmer ;" to the 

 second he said : " Thou shalt become a fisherman ; " to the third : "Be a 

 smith ;" to the fourth : "Be a tanner;" to the fifth : " a weaver ;" to the 

 sixth : "a shoemaker ; " to the seventh : "a tailor ; " to the eighth : " a 

 potter;" to the ninth : "a teamster;" to the tenth : "a seaman ;" to the 

 eleventh: a news-carrier;" to the twelfth: "thou shalt remain a scul- 

 lion as long as thou livest." When Eve heard all this, she said : "Lord 

 how unequally dost thou distribute thy blessings ! Surely these are all 

 alike my ciiildren, and thy favor should be extended, in like manner, to 

 all.*" Then the Lord replied : " Eve, this is a matter which thou dost 

 not understand. It is my concern, and a most important one, to take 

 care of the interests of all the world through thy children; if thfey 

 should all be princes and gentlemen, who would cultivate grain, and 

 thresh, and grind, and bake; who would work in iron, or at the loom; 

 who would wield the axe, and build houses; who would dig; who 

 would cut, and sew ^ Each one shall follow his own appropriate occu- 

 pation, that each may contribute to the support of the other, and all 

 be maintained, like the members of one body." Then answered dame 

 Eve : "O Lord, forgive ! I M-as too hasty in obtruding my advice upon 

 tliee : may thy divine will be done, as regards my children !" 



ITow exquisite is the naivcU' with which this peoplc's-poet thus sets 

 forth the origin of distinctions in human society. In the moral drama, 

 as well as in the comedy, both mentioned before, there is, of course, a 

 great deal more of minute detail, and various delectable passages occur, 

 which want of room forbids me to transfer to these pages. 



1 have before spoken of this " History " as Hans Sachs' Version of 

 an ancient myth. He is fond of authenticating such narratives, by re- 

 ferring to some distinguished authority. In the introduction to Ihc 

 "Comedy," the herald is made to say of it : 



