268 HISTORY OF 



and that with such modulations and inflections 

 that no man could have taken to come from such 

 creatures. When I asked the host if they had 

 been taught, or whether he observed their talk- 

 ing in the night, he answered no : the same said 

 the whole family. But I, who could not sleep 

 for nights together, was perfectly sensible of their 

 discourse. One of their stories was concerning 

 the tapster and his wife, who refused to follow 

 him to the wars as he desired her ; for the hus- 

 band endeavoured to persuade his wife, as far as 

 I understood by the birds, that he would leave 

 his service in that inn, and go to the wars in 

 hopes of plunder. But she refused to follow 

 him, resolving to stay either at Ratisbon, or go 

 to Nuremberg. There was a long and earnest 

 contention between them; and all this dialogue 

 the birds repeated. They even repeated the un- 

 seemly words which were cast out between them, 

 and which ought rather to have been suppressed 

 and kept a secret. But the birds, not knowing 

 the difference between modest, immodest, honest, 

 and filthy words, did out with them. The other 

 story was concerning the war which the Emperor 

 was then threatening against the Protestants ; 

 which the birds probably heard from some of the 

 generals that had conferences in the house. These 

 things did they repeat in the night after twelve 

 o'clock, when there was a deep silence. But in 

 the day-time, for the most part, they were silent, 

 and seemed to do nothing but meditate and re- 

 volve with themselves upon what the guests con- 

 ferred together as they sat at table, or in their 



