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Gibbon, as advocatus diaboli, of course gives the doubt against Dietrich, by his usual enthymeme All men are likely to be rogues, ergo, Dietrich was one. Rather hard measure, when one remembers that the very men who tell the story are Dietrich's own enemies.
The letter was addressed to a woman of the same name as that of the miller's widow. The name of the street was illegible, but the words "To be called for," were plainly written. Veronica was convinced that the letter she was in search of lay before her. So Jost had written as she had expected he would do, the day before. He had undoubtedly seen that Dietrich's letter had been opened.
There was an old cowherd, one Klas Starkwolt who used frequently to join the boys, and then they would sit down together and tell stories. Klas abounded in these, and he became John Dietrich's dearest friend.
Both men and women must evermore bewail him." When they heard he was dead in sooth, all the warriors wept, as was meet. Down beard and chin ran the tears of Dietrich's men. Right heavy were they and doleful. A duke of Bern that hight Siegstab, cried, "Now is ended all the loving kindness wherewith Rudeger cheered our sad days. Ye have slain, in Rudeger, the friend of all homeless knights."
Dietrich's men, as beseemed good warriors, hurled the whizzing shafts high above the shields, with undaunted hand. Bucklers enow were pierced before the German guests. Mickle din was there of splintered lances. All the knights of the land were gathered together, and the king's guests also, among the which were many noble men. Then the great king went with the queen into a stately pavilion.
Kings now, it is true, can afford to smile at such outbursts; they could not afford to do so in Dietrich's days. Such words meant murder, pillage, civil war, dethronement, general anarchy; and so Dietrich threw Pope John into prison. He had been in bad health before he sailed to Constantinople, and in a few months he died, and was worshipped as a saint.
"Herrat", the daughter of King "Nentwin" is frequently mentioned in the "Thidreksaga" as Dietrich's betrothed. She is spoken of as the exiled maid. "Nentwin" is not found in any other saga, and nothing else is known of him. See W. Grimm, "Heldensage", 103. ADVENTURE XXIII. How Kriemhild Thought To Avenge Her Wrongs. With great worship of a truth they lived together until the seventh year.
This day doth forever end my joys. Alas, that none may die for very grief!" "Master Hildebrand", see Adventure XXVIII, note 1. "Siegstab" is Dietrich's nephew. He also appears in the "Thidreksaga", but in a different role. "Wolfwin" is mentioned in the "Klage", 1541, as Dietrich's nephew. "Wolfbrand" and "Helmnot" appear only here. ADVENTURE XXXIX. How Gunther And Hagen And Kriemhild Were Slain.
Then Dietrich's men rushed in from all sides. They smote till the links of their foemen's mail whistled asunder, and their broken sword-points flew on high. They struck hot-flowing streams from the helmets. When Hagen of Trony saw Folker dead, he grieved more bitterly than he had done yet, all the hightide, for kinsman or vassal. Alack! how grimly he began to avenge him!
And then began that dreadful East Goth war, which you may read for yourselves in the pages of an eye-witness, Procopius; a war which destroyed utterly the civilization of Dietrich's long and prosperous reign, left Italy a desert, and exterminated the Roman people. That was the last woe: but of it I must tell you in my next Lecture.
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