Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-09-26
CnrInilinn Cnslon,.

When Christianity was first introduced into
Carinthia, it was gladly received by the peas
ants, hut the mobiles despised it as low and
ignoble superstition. The duke, therefore
Ingewo, who held his Office at the hands of
Charlemaene and was himself devout Chris
tian-bethought him to give the naughty no.
bles a lesson. He made great banquet, and
invited TO it poor aud rich, high and low alike.
But the Christians alone sat at the table of
their prince, and were well and Sumptuously
ieasted; while the heather were left in the open
air, and fed with tainted meat and drank sour
wine. So it came to pass that ii was the mobiles
that had to put up with this sorry fare, while
the despised peasants were well served in the
dukes presence. They must have been of
more docile make than most of their class, how
ever, for this contemptuouS treatment,
aided by the eloquence and arguments
of the Archbishop of Salzburg, con-
verified them into jealous followers of
Christ. This was the treatment, they wereftold,
which awaited them ON the day of judgment;
while believers, however lowly, would sit with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, at the marriage
feast 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
established. The custom was a real one, what
ever we may think of its alleged origin:
Whenever a duke was to be installed in Ca
rinthia he went on foot, in peasants clothes,
with shepherds staff in hand, attended by a
DidCh OK upon HIS ltll, ana II leul morse upon
his right to a stone called the princes Stone"
about a mile from Klagenfurt. Here sat a
peasant--it was the hereditary right of par
ticular family 10 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 a lOrdly stepP Then
the people answered: "The prince of the
land comes" as he also" he asked,
"a righteous judge, a furtherer of the welfare
of our land, and of our free possessions? Is he
also a protector Of the Christian faith and of
widows and orphans2" 'Yes,' was the answer,
promised the peasants that he would not be
ashamed to ploughs with such cattle. And the
peasant asked again: Glow shall / be brought
from this placer The count of Gortz, heredi-
tary Count Palatine, answered for the prince:
Eve 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 mighty blow on the
ear with the left hand; the prince took his seat
upon the stone, swore to observe the liberties of
his subjects, and began to administer his office
As long as the prince sat upon the stone, the
Gradueckers had a right to NOW grass wherever
they liked, and the Portendorifers to burn and
destroy at will; and when the family of the
PortendoItfers became extinct, this desirable
privilege passed TO the MordaXen. This singu-
lar right reminds one of custom in another
SlavOnic country. When the dukes OF b.
hemia began to be summoned to appear at the
diets of the empire. in the eleventh century,
they obtained, as privilege TO concordance
this burdensome duty, the right to signalize
their approach by burning few villages. This
they thought, would not make the emperor less
strenuous TO require their attendance.
This curious ceremony in the installation of
the Carinthian dukes, continued TO be practiced
until the time of Duke Ernest in 1414.-Fr0m
the Aldine for October.