No wonder the poor girls fell in love with these irresistible swains!

REGENBOGEN (BARTHEL), a blacksmith by profession, and at first a great admirer of Frauenlob, but rather disdained by the latter. Regenbogen seems to have taken much interest in the conversion of the Jews; and appears also in many of his poems in the character of a prophet. There will be a time of discord,' he says, 'when the two heads of Christendom will fight against one another, and misery will prevail throughout the land. At that time, Emperor Frederick will appear, hang up his shield on a dead oak, cross the sea, and obtain possession of the Holy Land, without striking a blow. Then the oak will bloom again, the Emperor's power increase, all heathen will bow before him, the Jews be converted, and the pride of priests be humbled. He will destroy the convents, but spare the nuns, and get them handsome husbands'.What a cheering prospect for the nuns!

REINMAR DER ALTE, the contemporary of Walter von der Vogelweide. His 'Botenlieder,' Songs of the Messenger, are as distinguished as his love-songs. The messengers of those lines occupied a very eminent position, entrusted as they were with the conveying of delicate missions from the knights to their noble dames. A lady addressing the messenger:

Lady-Sage daz ich dir's iemer lone

hâs tû den vil lieben man gesehen.
Ist es wâr unt lebt er schône,

als sie sagent unt ich dich hoere jehen.

Messenger.-Vrouwe, ich sah in, er ist vro

sîn herze stât, ob ihr's gebietet iemer hô.

and then the dialogue proceeds, and is considerably prolonged by the inquiring lady, whose verbal postcripts, sorely try the patience of the poor messenger.

RUMELAND (MEISTER), also RUMSLAND, a Saxon by birth, and known both in the north and south of Germany. The condition of Germany being then very low, he, in his poems, alludes to the prevailing demoralisation.

SAX (BRUDER EBERHART VON) descended from the Hohensax family, who had their estates in the canton of Appenzell. The only 'Minnelied' we possess of him, of a sacred character, is very beautiful.

SINGENBERG (ULRICH VON), by birth a Swiss, contemporary and friend of Walter von der Vogelweide. His Minnelieder are melancholy, yet, at times, cheerful, and betray great depth of sentiment.

Ardently attached to Walter, Ulrich gives vent to his grief for the loss of his friend, in 'DIE KLAGE um Walter v. d. Vogelweide.' SONNENBURG (MEISTER FRIEDRICH VON) lived at the end of the 13th century, and led a wandering life. His poems bear a religious and contemplative character.

SPERVOGEL (Spearbird,—12th century); his poems are descriptive of domestic life, and convey moral lessons.

Wurze des waldes

und erze des goldes und allin abgründe

din sint dir, hêrre, künde:

Din stênt in diner hende

allez himelschez her daz enmöhte dich niht volloben an ein ende.

STEINMAR (13th century).

HYMN.

The herbs of the forest
and the ore of the gold
and all the abysses

are known to Thee, O Lord!
They are in thy hands
all the heavenly legions
could not sufficiently
praise Thee up to their end.

Probably the descendant of the

noble house of Steinmar of Thurgovy. He led an adventurous life, and fought in several campaigns; his poems, descriptive of his adventures, are rather loose in language.

With the graceful corn upspringing,
With the birds around me singing,
With the leaf-crowned forest waving,
Sweet May-dews the herbage laving,
With the flowers that round me bloom,
To my lady dear I come:

All things beautiful and bright,
Sweet in sound and fair to sight;
Nothing, nothing is too rare,
For my beauteous lady fair;
Every thing I'll do and be
So my lady solace me.

She is one in whom I find
All things fair and bright combined;
When her beauteous form I see
Kings themselves might envy me,
Joy with joy is gilded o'er,
Till the heart can hold no more.

She is bright as morning-sun,
She my fairest, loveliest one;
For the honour of the fair
I will sing her beauty rare;
Every thing I'll do and be
So my lady solace me.

Solace me, then, sweetest!-be
Such in heart as I to thee;
Ope thy beauteous lips of love,
Call me thine, and then above
Merrily, merrily, I will sail
With the light clouds on the gale.
Dear me, deign my heart to bless,
Steer me on to happiness,
Thou in whom my soul confideth?
Thou whose love my spirit guideth?
Every thing I'll do and be,
So my lady solace me!

STOLLE (MEISTER), from the upper part of Germany, wrote sacred poems, and composed the first German sonnet.

STRICKER (DER,-pseudoname) must have lived about the middle of the 13th century. Foremost among his poems stands 'Die Klage,' in which he complains of the degeneracy of his contemporaries. He also wrote parables, fables, and allegories.

TANHÄUSER (DER), supposed to be descended from the Bavarian race of the Tannhausen, lived at first at the court of Duke Frederick II. of Austria; afterwards in Bavaria during the reign of Otto II. (1231-1253). His name is also connected with the

old legend of Venusberg, where he revelled in pleasure. His ultimate repentance, however, is expressly alluded to in our popular songs. Without creative genius, he possessed a great talent in imitating others, and is like Nifen and Nithart, fond of describing rural scenes; the frequent use of fresh words in his poems, however, is highly objectionable. The reader may judge for himself in reading the following specimen, in which the writer describes one of his numerous love-adventures:

Ein revière ich da gesach,

durch den fores gieng ein bach

ze tal über ein planiure,

ich sleich ir nâch, unz ich si vant,

die schoenen creatiure, etc., etc.

TRIMBERG (HUGO VON), 1260-1309, was rector of a school at Bamberg, wrote a collection of poems, entitled Der Sammler' and 'Der Renner,' bearing some analogy to Thomasin's 'Welsche Gast,' but far more popular. Von Trimberg, with his wonderful knowledge of men, inculcates his moral lessons in a pleasing and popular manner.

TRIMBERG (SÜSSKIND VON). It is remarkable, that, at a time when the Jews were so much oppressed in Germany, one of their creed (for Trimberg was a Jew minstrel) should, notwithstanding, have possessed the spirit and enthusiasm necessary for poetry.

It is stated, however, that, when his endeavours were frustrated, he led his Pegasus to the stable, caused his beard to grow, and died of disappointment and grief.

Unverzagte (Der), the Bold, so called on account of the fearlessness with which he, in his poems, exposed injustice and avarice. From his language, we infer that he came from the north of Germany.

VELDECK, HEINRICH VON, (Veldekin-12th century.) His Minnelieder bear great resemblance to those of Hausen, but must have been written when the author had passed the meridian of life. In one of them he reproaches ladies for preferring youth to old age, a sentiment expressed in the following lines.

'Ich hazze an wîben kranken sin,

daz si niûwez zin

Nement vûr altez golt

si jehent, si sîn den jungen holt

durh ungedolt.

VOGELWEIDE (WALTER VON DER).-We infer, from his poems, that Walter was an Austrian; it is also evident, that he resided for a

considerable time at Vienna, but left it after the death of his patron, Duke Frederick the Catholic (who died 1198). About the same time, Philip of Hohenstaufen, having been named Emperor by some of the German princes, in opposition to Otto, son of Henry the Lion, who had been supported by the Guelphic party, Walter embraced the cause of the Emperor. Ill rewarded for his attachment, however, he went to Thuringia, then ruled over by Landgrave Herrmann, a great patron of literature. After the death of Philip, Otto of Wittelsbach ascended the throne (1208), who, not inclined to submit to papal authority, was with his followers excommunicated. Among the latter was Walter, whose attachment for his princely master appears not to have been reciprocated, for, in 1214, we find him at the court of Herrmann of Thuringia. Doubts have been expressed about Walter's taking part in the crusades; but it is evident that he accompanied the Emperor Frederick, in 1228, to Palestine, and his graphic description of eastern life convincingly supports this inference. Walter von der Vogelweide lies buried at Würzburg, in the Lorenz-Garden of the Münster, under a tree, from which the nightingale pours out her plaintive strains over the poet's tomb. By his will, he left a legacy to the winged songsters of spring, always his great favourites, who so often had saluted him in Germany's 'grünen und heiligen Wäldern.' He directed holes to be made in the tombstone, and to be constantly filled with crumbs to feed his friends. For many years, his wish was attended to; but the hungry monks of the 15th century preferred eating the bread themselves, instead of giving it to the poor little birds. The stone remained thus in its loneliness for many years, up to a recent time, when its last remains crumbled into nothingness.

Walter's tomb bears the following epitaph :

'Der du im Leben O Walter der Vögel Weide gewesen,

Du, die Blume der Kunst, der Weisheit Mund bist gestorben,'

'O Walter, thou, who in life little birds didst feed,

Sweet bloom of art, preacher of wisdom, thou art no more.

One of his most beautiful poems, written in praise of women, begins thus:

'Durchsüsset und geblümet sind die reinen Frauen: es gab niemals so Wonnigliches anzuschauen in Lüften noch auf Erden noch in allen grünen Auen; Lilien und der Rosen Blumen, wo die leuchten im Maienthaue durch das Gras, und kleiner Vögel Sang, sind gegen diese Wonne ohne Farb und Klang. So man sieht schöne Frauen, das kann den trüben Mut erquicken und löschet alles Trauern an derselben Stund, wenn lieblich, lacht in Lieb ihr süsser roter Mund und Pfeil' aus spiel'nden Augen schiessen in's Mannes Herzens Grund.'

D

SPRING.

When from the sod the flowerets spring,
And smile to meet the sun's bright ray,
When birds their sweetest carols sing

In all the morning pride of May.
What lovelier than the prospect there?
Can earth boast anything more fair?
To me it seems an almost heaven,

So beauteous to my eyes that vision bright is given.

But when a lady chaste and fair,

Noble and clad in rich attire,

Then, where are all thy boastings, May?
What hast thou beautiful and gay
Compared with that supreme delight?
We leave thy loveliest flowers, and watch
that lady bright.

Wouldst thou believe me,-come and place
Before thee all this pride of May;
Then look but on my lady's face,

And what is best and brightest say:
For me, how soon (if choice were mine)
This would I take and that resign,

Walks through the throng with gracious air, And say, "Though sweet thy beauties, May, I'd rather forfeit all than lose my lady gay.' EDGAR TAYLOR.

A sun that bids the stars retire,

SUMMER.

'Twas summer; through the opening grass And kingdoms seemed to wait on me,

The joyous flowers upsprang,
The birds in all their different tribes
Loud in the woodlands sang.
Thus forth I went and wandered far
The wide green meadow o'er;

Where cool and clear the fountain played,
There strayed in that hour.

Roaming on, the nightingale
Sang sweetly in my ear;

And by the greenwood's shady side
A dream came to me there;

Fast by the fountain, where bright flowers
Of sparkling hue we see,

Close sheltered from the summer heat
That vision came to me.

All care was banished, and repose
Came o'er my wearied breast,

For I was with the blest.

Yet, while it seemed as if away

My spirit soared on high.
And in the boundless joys of heaven
Was wrapt in ecstasy,—
E'en then, my body revelled still
In earth's festivity,

And surely never was a dream

So sweet as this to me.

Thus I dreamed on, and might have dwelt
Still on that rapturous dream,
When, hark! a raven's luckless note
(Sooth, 't was a direful scream!)
Broke up the vision of delight-

Instant my joy was past;
O had a stone but met my hand
That hour had been his last.

WERNHER BRUDER (WIRNER) a travelling singer, (fahrender Sänger) lived between 1208-1260; he was an imitator of Walter, and went to the holy places. His poems describe the manners of his time, and are full of acerbity. So great, in fact, was his tendency for scolding, that he, in one of his poems, takes a vow to that effect. Wirner was indiscriminate in this respect; old and young, high and low, having to suffer from his attacks.

BLAME UNTIL DEATH-(Tadel bis zum Tode).

Sô tuon ich mit gesange schîn,

ob ich ein schelten prüeven kan den alten und den jungen,

ich meine die alten, die mit schanden haben gelebet von kindes jugent, dar zuo mein ich die jungen, die dâ wahsen âne tugent.

WINSBECKE (DER). Philologists are not quite certain whether this was the name of the author, or of the poem. The latter is, in itself, quite a gem of the didactic poetry of those days, and contains