The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-10-07
A CoriDthian Custom.

When Christianity was first introduced
into Corinthia, it was gladly received by
the peasants, but the mobiles despised it as
low and ignoble superstition. The duke,
herefore-Ingewo, who held his Office at
the hands of Charlemagne, and was him
self devout Observation-Disclosures him to
give the naughty mobiles a lesson. He made
a great banquet, and invited to it poor and
rich, high and low alike, But the Chris
tians alone sat at the table of their prince,
and were well and sumptuously feasted;
while the heather were left in the open air,
and fed with tainted meat and drank sour
wine. So it came to pass that it was the
mobiles that had to put up with this sorry
fare, while the despised peasants were we'll
served in the dukes presents. They must
have been Of more docile make than most
of their class, however, for this contempt
uous treatment, aided by the eloquence
and arguments of the Archbishop of Salz-
burg, converted them into Jealous followers
of Christ. This was the treatment, they
were told, which awaited them on the Day
of Judgement; while believers, however low
ly, would sit with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, at the marriage-fe:,st of the Lamb.
In recognition, therefore, of the great good
which the example of the peasants had
wrought, in thus bringing their mobiles to
reason, the following custom was establish
ed. The custom was real one, whatever
we may think of its alleged origin:
Whenever duke was to be installed in
Corinthia, he went on foot, in peasants's
clothes, with shepherds staff in hand,
attended by black OK upon his left, and a
lean horse upon his right, to stone called
the Princes Stone," about a mile from
Klagenfurt. Here sa. a peasant-it was
the hereditary right of particular family
to take part in the drama-and, as the new
prince drew near, followed by crowd of
the people, he asked: "Who is it that
comes here with such lordly step?" Then
the people answered: "The prince of the
land comes.'' els he also," he asked, ga
righteous judge, a furtherer of the welfare
of our land, and of our free possessions
Is lie also protector of the Christian faith
and of widows and orphans?" Yes, +" was
the answer, she is, and shall be-" Then
the new prince promised the peasants that
he would not oe ashamed to plough with
such cattle. And the peasant asked again:
elbow shall be brouht from this place ?"
The Count Of Gortz, hereditary Count Pail
atine, answered for the prince: "We will
buy you off with sixty pence: the OK and
the horse shall be yours, you shall have the
garments Of the prince, and your house
shall be free and never taxed" At this,
the peasant rose and gave the prince a
mighty blow on the ear with the left hand,
the prince took his seat upon the stone;
| swore to observe the liberties of his sub
,jects, and began to administer his Office.
AS long as the prince sat upon the stone
the Gradneckers had right to NOV grass
wherever they liked, and the Portendorf-
fers to burn and destoy at will; and when
the family of the Portendorffers became
extinct, this desirable privilege passed to
the Mordaxen. This singular right reminds
one of custom in another Slavonic coun-
try: When the dukes of Bohemia began
to be summoned to appear at the diets Of
the empire, in the 18th century, they OBJ
tanned, as privilege to counterbalance this
burdensome duty, the right to signalize
their approach by burning a few villages.
! This, they thought, would not make the
emperor less strenuous to require their
attendance.
This curious ceremony in the installation
of the Corinthian dukes continued to be
practised until the time of Duke Ernest in
1414.-Ffom THE Aldine for October.