The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-02-18
THE sAcRAMENTAL cHALIcEs.


Before Schloss Wildenstein fell to the
Counts of Rieneck, it had belonged to the
Munzbergers. Those lords might perhaps
have had their name from the popular say.
ing, that they possessed mint, (Mnnze) Of
their own on the mountain above lEschau
which is now Munzplatte,- they were
very rich. If, however, any one had ven
tured to ask them how they came by the
money they were said to coin, the answer
would probably not have been agreeable.
Many travelling merchant might have
solved the question, many little town OF
village, that had unwittingly provoked
their wrath,-and poor dependents too,
who might look for no mercy from them.
1t may be that some Of those lords were
not such very evil men; but the last who
dwelt in the castle before the Rieneckers
came into possession oft, was a true Num-
berger, vindictive, stubborn, avaricious
and plundering. And, because his race
had at last filled up the measure of their
iniquity, the long delayed judgment fell
on his head,-how, it is our purpose to
relate. ..r
In his younger days, this lord had burn
ed and plllaged town, and afterwards
divided the spoil with his followers. AS
each OF his retainers was commanded to
bring all he had taken, and lay it on a
heap before his lord, the sacramental cups
which had been robbed from the church,
were brought among the rest These he
kept for himself, for they were made of
fine gold, and exquisitely wrought. The
pastor came to him with solemn warning
not to lay hands upon them, for they would
bring no blessing either on him or on his
children. He would not listen, he bias
phemously replied that he would wait and
see,-and if the chalices should bring mis-
fortune upon his hand he would send them
back but if not, they should be well
taken care of, and he should know that
Heaven had designed them for his proper
ty. On his return from the war, no one
was allowed to mention them to him; but
he hid them under a pile of stones in his
cellar; and when, from time to time, he
went down to look at them, he was never
accompanied except by his large black
hunting dog, which never left his side
so that no one ever learned exactly where
the sacred vessels lay.
From year to year, through robbery, vi
olence, extortion and oppression, the lord
of the castle increased his wealth, and
when his three sons were grown-the elder
two being like their father, and the young
est inheriting his mothers goodness
was able to build castle for each of
them.
For the eldest, he built one on the Kun
igenberg Wildensee, and filled the house
with gold and silver-for this was his ia
vorite son; and besides this, he had a
large stag made of pure gold, and placed
1t over the castle gate, where it could be
seen glittering and shining, from far and
from near. For the second son, he built a
castle in Hesse, not far from the town of
Heckbach; and for the third, upon the
meadow above Unteraulenbach. 1t seemed
as though the Count and his children were
beyond the reach of misfortune, and he
felt as safe and courageous as he could.
But one evening, as he was sitting in his
room, looking out Of his window, a raven
flew toward him and pecked with its beak
against the windowp pane; the black dog
sprang up and began to howl piteously,
and as he tried to quiet him, there was
such shock that the whole castle shook,
and the Count had to hold by his chair to
keep from falling. On the next day came
the news that the castle at Kunigenberg,
had that evening been swallowed mp, with
all its inhabitants; only the chimney peep
ed above the ground, and the castle spring
came flowing out of that, as through a
pipe,
Count Munzberg was sorely perplexed
for while, thinking Of the sacred chalices
and the pastors Warming; he was silent
and thoughtful, and not as stern and harsh
as usual towards his people. But after
some months his wife, whose influence had
kept him from many evil deeds, died, and
he took housekeeper-Elsie by name,
who was as hard-hearted and avaricious
as himself His conscience was soon 81
Fenced, and he returned to his former
ways.
Now arose a great war in the land.
The enemy came and spread fire and sword
through the country, till it was in pitia-
BILE condition. Just at the time of the
enemy's approach, the lord of the castle OF
Wildenstein had a fearful dream 1t ap-
peared to him that the castle he had built
in Hesse was about to sink, and that when
the first story was beneath the ground, his
son came to the window and cried,
FEATHER! it is all your doing! you built
the house upon the sand, and set no cross
upon it-and you have the communion
cups still hidden under the stone pile r'
When he awoke, he Immediately sent a
messenger to Keckbach to see how his son
was prospecting; and as he stood looking
after the messenger, great smoke arose
from behind the mountain in the direction
OF that town. His heart grew heavy at the
sight. But at last the messenger returned
and said that the enemy had indeed been
there and burned the town, and gone on
further-but that the castle was still stand
ing, and his son was well, and sent him
greeting. So the Count became easy, and
thought no more of his dream.
But, in the evening, as he sat in his
room, again the dog howled, just as before,
and when he looked out of the window,
the raven came again slowly as falcon,
but straight as an arrow-and struck with
its beak against the window, which shook
and cracked, as though there had been an
earthquake. And at that moment the cas-
tie in Hesse had sunk down, and on the
next day, no trace of it was visible on the
spot where it had stood-only great va
cant place, near the walls of the burned
town-just as may still be seen, at the
present day.
This was too much for the lord of the
castle. The PASTORS words haunted him
continually, SO he told the story of the
sacramentu vessels to Elsie, without, how
ever, letting her know the spot in which
they were hidden Rut she WILLING tn hu