Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/50

 38 HISTORY OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE of souls I have had in my power for thirty or forty years. As in Church manuals and books of religious instruction, so in the regulations of Christian house- holds the duty of attending preaching regularly on Sundays and holy days was strongly insisted on — even under penalty of dismissal from service. In the year 1497, for instance, the Graf von Ottingen declares: ' Whoever in my employment, be it man or maid, does not hear the sermon to the end on Sundays and feast days will be dismissed.' Both laymen and ecclesiastics made large endow- ments (Stiftimgen) in favour of preachers, in order to enable them to make preparatory studies. Amongst the most important of these were the endowment for the pulpit of the cathedral of Mentz in 1465, for that of Basle in 1469, of Strasburg in 1478, of Augsburg and Constance. That of Strasburg, which during the thirty years' tenure of Geiler von Kaisersberg grew to be one of the most influential in Germany, was founded by contributions from the Bishop and Chapter, and the liberal charity of the ' Ammeister ' Peter Schott. The deed of foundation stipulated that ' the office of preacher shall exist for ever in our foundation ; that for this post a man shall be selected, not only renowned for good morals and blameless conduct, but also for learning and scholarship. He shall preach on all holy days and festive occasions, on every Sunday afternoon, and daily during Lent.' By the conditions of the foundation endowed by the Bishop Frederick of ZDllern, in Augs- burg, in 1504, the cathedral preacher, in addition to the same duties as that of Strasburg, was obliged to preach three times a week in Advent and on occasions