Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/74

 36 Readings in Europea?i History that there are an infinite multitude of counts, dukes, and mar- graves in Germany, the chief of whom have been mentioned above. Consequently the greater part of the temporal princes are always ready to descend into Italy in order to provide, some their sons, some their brothers or nephews, with prin- cipalities. The ecclesiastical princes, on the other hand, and the free towns would prefer to live in peace and not waste their substance. The princes all live in abundance, but give more attention to drinking than anything else. They are miserably dressed, nor do they affect much cere- mony in their courts. The knights. The knights are accustomed to live in some castle far from a town, or at the court of some prince, or among the mountains in solitary regions. They live and dress wretch- edly, hate the burghers, and are poor, but so proud that nothing in the world would induce them to engage in com- merce. They are devoted to fighting ; and when that is wanting they have nothing to do but to hunt or set to plun- dering on the highways. Were it not for severe repression, no one could travel safely in any part of Germany. Even as it is, in Franconia, where there are a great many of these gentlemen, the roads are very insecure ; for example, in the region of Nuremburg and in many other places. The burghers. The burghers of the free towns are all merchants. They live well but dress ill, although there are some very rich people among them. They maintain justice, desire peace, hate the knights heartily and fear the princes, and for this reason the cities form leagues among themselves. The towns are moreover at enmity each with its bishop on account of his desire to exercise the temporal as well as the spiritual authority over the town. This hostility is increased by the natural ill feeling between the burghers on the one hand and the knights and princes on the other, for the bishops are always chosen from among the knights and princes, since the canons, who have the right to elect the bishop, all belong by descent to the noble classes and not to the burghers. The common The lower classes, whether subject to the princes or the people. £ ree towns, are poor, wild by nature, do not fear to endanger