Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/310

 298 HISTORY OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE Lotlier and Mailer (1514), which belonged to the Car- lovingian traditions. The story of Tristan and Isolde reappeared in the year 1498, and the compiler says of it in his preface that the reading proves that ' un- lawful love brings only sorrow and want, and leads even the noblest characters to an evil and unhappy end.' Among the popular books of the fifteenth century may be mentioned a novel published in 1471. The heroine, Griselda, a peasant ennobled through her marriage, remains faithful and true to her husband, the margrave, notwithstanding his cruelty to her. We would also mention the ' Teachings of the Seven Sages,' a fifteen-volume work, which has attained to many editions since 1473, and, finally, the 'Marvels of Fortunatus, with his Wishing Cap and Purse ' (1509). The satirical and comic books which were so popular in Germany in the fifteenth century, and which were filled with humour of every degree, from pleasant raillery to downright coarseness and buf- foonery, help us to understand much of the spirit of the age. We may apply to them the words of Eulenspiegel to the hostess of Nugenstadten, ' That is my business.' By this ' business ' the writers tried to justify the rude style which they used against the over-culture and pedantry as well as the other abuses of the age. One of the most popular books of this class was ' The Questions and Answers of King Solomon and Marcolph,' which was first published in 1487. Plain common-sense is here contrasted with vain learning, and natural understanding claims the victory over blatant pedagogism. All the proverbs of Solomon are parodied extemporaneously by Marcolph ; for instance,