1068 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
sad©, but not finding willing listeners 1 . Old Helmbrecht him¬ 
self paid the church his exact tithes, and nothing more; he 
would not even give a priest a night’s lodging 2 . The robbers, 
as has been mentioned, did not spare the priests 3 . This does 
not mean, however, that the people were not religious. When 
the peasants killed young Helmbrecht, they gave him time for 
confession 4 . The poet attributes FTeidhart’s poetic skill to 
God 5 . God performs miraclesi 6 , and is the avenger of wrongs 7 . 
When the young man leaves home to seek his fortune as robber, 
he blesses the family 8 ; likewise, when he leaves his companions 
in the castle, he commends them to the care of God 9 . Greets 
ings and leavetakings are often made the occasion for a bless- 
ing 10 . 
On account of the purpose of the poem, the commandment, 
“Honor thy father and thy mother,” is emphasized 11 . Father’s 
advice' is best of all 12 . The peasant takes pride in the fact that 
he has been honest and has done his duty 13 . That man is to b© 
honored who does his work 14 , and the best work is that to which 
one has been born 15 ; young Helmbrecht need not be ashamed 
of his position, for the honest farmer is the rock on which the 
wealth of the country is based 16 . The honest man is respected 
everywhere 17 , and, even if he is bom of lowly parents, he is 
better than a dishonest man of high birth 18 . There must, how¬ 
ever, have been much immorality in the lives of the people. 
Farmer Helmbrecht and his wife were a respected pair. Still, 
1 Li. 561 ff. 
2 LI. 255,780 ff. ( 
3 Lr. 1070. 
4 L. 1902. 
B L. 218. 
6 L. 1639. 
7 L, 1650. 
8 L. 641. 
9 L. 695. 
10 LI. 715, 1453 ff. 
11 LI. 757, 1692. 
12 L. 333. 
13 LI. 250 ff. 
14 L. 487. 
15 L. 289. 
16 LI. 543 ft. 
17 LI. 528 ff. 
18 LI. 487 ff. 
