Page:The Journal of English and Germanic Philology Volume 18.djvu/514

 510 Landau cal words belonging either to the calendar or the liturgy, re- markably free from any admixture of Hebrew words or expres- sions, 20 and the style is that of the Middle High German anecdotical epic of the Spielleute. The references to his source (22, 1354), the frequent asseveration of the truthfulness of his reports (532, 542), even when he reports biblical events (359, 518, 560, 1270, 1462) the calling for attention by the expression of wolt ir horen (615) all these are characteristics of the Spiel- mann. B, however, shows remarkable differences both in language and style, as the following excerpt, taken at random, will prove: Denn David hat binebua (in vision) gesehn, das nun Simei wert kummen Mordechai un' Esther uri durch in ein gross nes (miracle) wert geschehn, drum liess in David, we'll er kinder hat, bleiben leben, un' do er nu auf hort kinder zu haben, liess im (!) Salomo urn brengen, denn sein vater David hat im es zewua (last will) getan gar eben. Drum stet im pasuk (Bible Esth. ii. 5) l ish yehudi,' das meint Mordechai is vun shevet (tribe) Juda her, un' stet och 'ishjemini,' das meint vun shevet Benjamin is er, aber man tut den tiruz (reply) aso geben : das shevet (tribe) Judakrigt sich mit shevet Benjamin gar eben etc. Here the language is mixed with Hebrew words and expres- sions, the author caring very little about the language or meter, all he wants is to supply a religious- ethical book, not, as P, material for entertainment but for edification. That is why his composition is written in the style of the preacher and not in that of the minstrel or singer. It is true we find in B also very frequently the expression es is war, but this expression is not intended to emphasize the truthfulness of the statements made or of incidents told, but it invariably serves as an expletive expression to make the rime. My heartfelt thanks are due to the authorities of the Bod- leian Library for the special facilities they have so kindly granted me whilst working there. L. LANDAU. London, March, 1919. 20 Even the Hebrew word for 'unleavened bread' mazzah, which we would ezpect in writings of that kind, is not used here, but is rendered by the MHG. derpkuoche (519).