The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-01-18
A COrinthian Custom.

| When Christianity was first intro
duced into Cornthea, 1t was gladly
received by the peasants, but the no
bles despised it as a low and ignoble
superstition. The duke, therefore
lngewO, who held his office at the
hands OF Charlemagne, and was him
self a devout bethought
him to give the naughty mobiles a les
son. He made great banquet, and
invited to it poor and rich, high and
low alike. But the Christians alone
sat at the table of their prince, and
were well and sumptuously feasted ;
while the heathens were left in the
open air, and fed with tainted meat
and drank sour wine. So it came to
pass that 1t was the mobiles who bad
to put up with sorry fare, while the
despised peasants We're well served in
the Dnke's presence. They must
have been of a more dociIe make
than most of their class, however,
for this contemptuous treatment, aided
by the elOquence and arguments OF
the Archbishop Of Salzburg, converted
them into Jealous followers of Christ.
This was the treatment they were
told 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 real one, whatever
we may think Of its alleged origin.
Whenever . duke was to be in
stalled in Corinthea, he went on foot
in PEASANTS clothes, with a shepherds
staff in hand, attended by a black OK
upon his left, and lean horse upon
his right, toastone called the ''Prince's
StOne," about mile from Klagenfurt.
Here sat peasant,-it was the heredi-
tary right OF particular family to
take part in the drama-and, as the
new prince drew near, followed by q
crowd of the people, he asked. "WhO
s 1t that comes here with such alordly
,tep?" Then the people answered;
The prince Of the land comesn as
10 also" he asked, "a righteous judge,
. iurth erer Of the welfare of our land,
md Of our free possessions? Is he
'lso protector Of the Christian faith,
md of widows anu orphans? eyes"
vas the answer, "he is, and shall be-"
Ihen the new prince promised the
'easants that he would not be ashamed
o plow with such cattle. And the
,easant asked again: How shall /
70 brought from this place ?" The
,ount of Gortz, hereditary Count Pala-
inc, answered for the prince: "We t
will buy you off with sixty pence
he OK and the horse shall be yours, ,
on shall have the garments OF the ,
rince and your house shall be free |
nd never taxed" At this, the peas {
mt rose and gave the prince a mighty |
low on the ear with the left hand the ,
'rince took his seat upon the stone,
wore to observe the liberties of his (
uhjeets, and began to administer his
ilice.
AS long as the prince sat upon the
tone, the Gradneckers had n right to
now grass wherever they liked, and ;
he POrtendorfIers to burn and de-
troy at will, and when the family of !
he POrtendorf1ers became extinct
lis desirable privilege passed to the I
[ordaxen. This singular right re- I
linds one OF custom in another c
Iavonic country. When the dukes a
Bohemia began to be summoned to f
)pear at the diets of tie Empire, in p
le llth century, they obtained, as a c
'ivilcge to counterbalance this bur- f
'nsoine duty, the right to signalize s.
leir approach by burning few vii d
ges. This, they thought, would not p
AXE the emperor less strenuous to q
'quire their attendance. b
This curious ceremony In the in- q
of the Corinthean dukes "
to he practiced until the r'
me OF Duke Earnest in l4l4.-From n
he hltinc for October. a