Eaertel—Social Conditions in Southern Bavaria. 1065 
raised to a considerable extent—cattle 1 , sheep 2 , swine 2 , and 
goats 3 . Horses are raised 4 , but they are scarce, for the father 
promises to get one for his son, if he can find one for sale 5 , 
and eventually pays an enormous price for one—four good 
cows, two oxen, three steers, four measures of grain, sixty feet 
of homespun 6 . The author however laments the fact that the 
peasant was cheated in the transaction; the value of all this 
was ten pounds, while the animal was worth scarcely three. 
6. Implements. 
Farmers’ implements are mentioned: flail 7 , plow 8 , which 
requires the service of two men, one to drive and one to hold 
the shares, a wagon 9 , a scythe 10 and whetstone 11 , an axe 12 , and 
a hoe 13 . 
II. The Knight. 
1. Degeneracy of the class into robbers. 
The poem shows clearly that the nobility of the thirteenth 
century was greatly degenerated. The old peasant complains 
that a knight who was the very poorest in former times would 
easily have been the best today 14 . There were large numbers 
of knights 15 , and his son would learn vicious habits if he were 
to associate with them 16 . They were poor, for at court on© 
finds only hunger 1 and hard beds 17 . The knights with whom 
Helmbrecht came into contacts were robbers 18 who were anxious 
1 Ll. 395, 670. 
2 Ll. 282, 1137. 
3 L. 674. 
4 Ll. 670, 1210. 
6 LL 235 ff. 
6 Ll. 390 ff. 
7 L. 317. 
8 LL 308, 545. 
9 L. 266. 
10 L. 1060. 
11 L. 1057. 
12 L. 1063. 
13 L. 1066. 
14 L. 964. 
15 L. 292. 
16 L. 294. 
17 L. 284. 
18 LL 653 ff. 
