The memorial filled twenty-four folios and the secretary 

 thus condensed its contents with rapidity. Rudolph listened 

 attentively and smiled in a satirical manner at the ingenious 

 way in which Blotius tried by impersonal statements to get 

 himself ennobled; his Majesty, however, ordered that one 

 thousand gold gulden be paid annually out of the imperial 

 treasury for the increase and embellishment of the library at 

 Vienna. 



This item having been disposed of, Dr. Maier took the 

 opportunity of making a personal appeal for clemency to- 

 wards a prisoner in Daliborka Tower, a certain George Popel 

 von Lobkowitz, who had been immured for several years, on 

 suspicion of being the author of a scurrilous pamphlet vio- 

 lently attacking the Emperor.^ No sooner had Rudolph heard 

 the cognomen Lobkowitz, than his face showed anger and 

 he sternly forbade the physician to again mention the name 

 of his enemy. 



Foiled in this well meant effort to secure justice, Dr. Maier 

 next presented the case of the band of gipsies, long time con- 

 fined in barracks under the charge of Colonel von Podebrad, 

 master of the royal mews. He reminded the Emperor that 

 Wenzel Kubrik and sixteen other gipsies had been arrested 

 on suspicion of poisoning certain imperial horses, and that 

 the real criminal had long ago met his deserts, yet the gipsies 

 were still restricted of their liberty and an expense to the 

 state. Anticipating the wish of his Majesty to be fully in- 

 formed of the character of the prisoners, he had obtained a 

 memorandum from the distinguished Oriental traveller Chris- 

 topher Harant von Polzitz, which threw much light on the 

 question; furthermore he had caused the band to be exam- 

 ined and would, if desired, submit a report of the situation. 



Having signified his willingness to consider this case 

 Rudolph listened to the memorandum of Harant ; this stated 



185 



