Haertel—Social Conditions in Southern Bavaria. 1069’ 
their children knew that the mother had intercourse with noble¬ 
men, and gloried ini the fact that the old man was probably 
not their father 1 . The gorgeous cap was made by a nun, who 
had fled from the (convent on account of her beauty 2 . This hap¬ 
pened frequently 3 . Nowhere does the poet warn the young 
people against immorality. 
Possibly this immorality was due to the system by which 
the fathers were permitted to arrange all marriages. Love is 
never mentioned, and apparently the only motive for marrying 
was to better one’s condition 4 . But the people were not en¬ 
tirely without finer feelings, for it was natural that young 
Helmbrecht should grow homesick 5 , and when he approached 
the house, his sister ran out and embraced him 6 . The wife 
honored the body of her dead husband by burning incense at 
his grave for a year 7 . The father’s heart was broken when he 
turned his crippled son from his door 8 , and the mother secretly 
gave him some bread 9 . 
Education was not thought of. Young Helmbrecht was 
proud of his ability in naming four oxen, and says that it is 
due to his great, cleverness 10 . The only schoolmasters men¬ 
tioned are Hellsack and Shake-the-Box, who taught him to 
steal 11 . From the minstrels the peasants had picked up a 
knowledge of classical history 12 , and other subjects treated in 
the songs 13 14 . After Helmbrecht had associated with court peo¬ 
ple, he was able to use phrases from Latin, Italian, and Flem- 
J 1 u 
is n . 
Ain uneducated person is superstitious. The old peasant was 
1 Ll. 1374, 1386. 
2 L. 10*9. 
3 L. 112^ 
4 Ll. 1282 ff. 
B L. 690. 
8 L. 719. 
7 L. 1306. 
8 L. 1776. 
8 L. 1812. 
10 L. 828jj, 
11 L. 1190. 
12 Ll. 45 et al. 
13 Ll. 62, 76. 
14 Ll. 722 ff. 
