Foss —Ancient Decree of the Council of Nuremberg. 349 
selves and amongst their subjects with this nuisance and pro¬ 
hibit it by very sever© penalties. And if those of the nobility 
will not obey th© law, His Majesty, the electoral princes and 
other princes, lay and ecclesiastical, and all other authorities, 
shall ostracise the evil doers and not allow them at their courts 
or in their service. 
And if someone should be discharged on that account, no 
other prince or authority shall harbor him or appoint him to 
an office. Upon those however of less noble position the auth¬ 
orities shall inflict severe bodily punishment. (This of course 
dates back to the time when the real man began with the noble¬ 
man and the others were looked upon as mishaps of the Lord of 
Creation.) 
And if any authority should be found lax in the enforcement 
and execution of this law, the Imperial Attorney General shall 
inflict severe punishment upon those persons that have been 
convicted of this lawlessness, and in places where the custom of 
treating has been in vogue for generations and become a public 
nuisance, the authorities shall do all in their power to put a stop 
to it.” 
The city ordinance, founded upon the foregoing law, reads 
as follows: 
Translated from the Original 
Although the Honorable Council of the city of Nuremberg 
has, from good and Christian motives, already given diligent 
warning to all clients, subjects and inhabitants in this city of 
Nuremberg, and in all her towns, castles, villages and territories, 
to desist from the wicked crimes of blasphemy, and carousing, 
and although the council lias furthermore made public and 
called attention within its jurisdiction to the prohibitive order 
concerning the same matter issued by the late most noble and 
most powerful prince, our most gracious lord, the Emperor 
Maximilian, of most praiseworthy memory, and although the 
Council has likewise been of the firm opinion that every person 
ought to heed and obey the word of God which in these days 
has been made dearer and become more precius to us than ever 
