begynnyng of a welstede for (1) the spryngyng veynes, and afterward he dressyth water in to the well-stede, the whiche he maketh large and fayre and clene; after that he maketh a wall all-about the well, and in the myddes of the well a stone-pylar (and) fastned (2) in it pypes all aboute, 5 thorugh the whiche the water may passe out of (3) eche half more prophetably to the vse of men. This dyd I ghostely for thenne wente I to the hyll whan (4) I besyly herkened and lerned the lawe of moyses and all the x commandementes. Thenne fonde I the veyne of water whan I lerned in redyng, thynkyng and prayeng that the wellhede and begynnynge of 10 all good is for to loue god wyth all the herte and wyth all the strengthes. Pan (5) I can (dresse) water to be well-stede (6) whan I conceyued a styff desyre to loue all thinges that god loueth and hate all that he hateth. Than forsothe I kept shynyng water and clere whan I studyed to kepe þe desyre of myn herte and be affeccion of pe sensualyte vnhurted from 15 all fylth of synne. Than I reysed a wall aboue the well whan I besyed me to kepe in me al vertues vnhurted, and namely mekenes, pacyens and myldnes, wyth hope and charyte, to mi liues ende. Than I reised the peler and fastned in it pypes whan I gaue my-self in exsample to all mankynde, so pat none from now forth may be excused: ffor-why 20 who- (7)someuer wyll folowe me and be bousome to my wronges (8), he shall fynde grace and heeale thorugh my procuryng; and certaynly wyte thou, doughter, that he that loueth me not, may finde noo grace of my sone, and, as it foloweth therby, nother of the fader ne of (the) holi ghost. Thyse thynges, my dere doughter, I saye to the, that thou lerne 25 to aske grace of god in prayer wyth fayth and mekenesse, as thou knowest that I dyde by thynges afore-sayd: ffor wythouten prayer It is vnpossyble to gete the grace of god.

Neuerthelater vertues and grace ben not gyuen of god to all I-lyke, ffor-whi they can not aske theym alyke off god al in prayer, in mekenes 3) and fayth, ne kepe theym whan they haue theym. And therfore shold men excyte on an other in prayer, that echeon (9) come(ne) to other that god hath gyue to hym, and take off other that he hath not hym-self.

Wherfore, doughter, I wolde that thou praye besely, not only for thyn owne heale, but also of other. For ther-by shall grace bee en35 cresyd to the and to other, and thy prayers shall be fruytfull.“ It happened that Elysabeth was mornyng in a spyrytuall dysese duryng the yere, and that was for thought that she myght not haue her confessour as ofte as she wolde bee confessyd. Wherfore god hauyng compassyon of her desolacyon, he assygned saynt Johan the Euangelist to be her 40 confessour, commaundynge that soo ofte as she wolde be shryuen, he sholde besely here hir and assoyle her by his auctoryte. And it shop soo by goddis grace, that whan she shroue her to saynt Johan, she hadde full mynde of all her synnes; and whan she shroue her to ony other confessour, she hadde vnnethes mynde what she sholde saye; (and) she 45 was not glad and iocunde after her assoyling as whan she shroue her to Saynt Johan. It befyll on a daye that Elysabeth, goddes seruaunt, suffred a grete notable wronge of another wycked woman; wherfore, as to mennys syght, she was gretely dysplesyd. At the last whan she came agayn to her-self and thought that she hadde suffred wronge, thenne 50 sodenly she, lyghtned wyth a feruent spyryte off charyte, gaue her to prayer, and wyth passyng mornynge and flowynge of teres deuoutly prayenge she besought god (for) that forsayde woman and for all other of whiche she had taken ony wronge (and) brast out in thyse wordes:

(1) C. fro st. for. (2) 1. fastned. (3) 1. at. (4) C. where. (5) þat. (6) shewe. (7) whō. (8) 1. warnynges. (9) echosen.

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O swete and ayde-hastynge (1) god that gyldest goode for yll, I beseche the that thou yelde to her that bereth on me this wronge a notable gladnesse of holsom comforte, soo that she haue Ioye therof as I sholde Toye yf I were thy good doughter." And this sayde, a voice sodenly soned to her erys and sayde: Elysabeth, thou (2) neuer made prayer 5 that pleased me soo moche as this dooth; and therfore I make it knowen to the that all thy synnes be forgyven the." And whan she began to telle hym by one and one (3) all the trespaces that she hadde in freshe mynde, sayenge suche and suche haue I done", the voyce answeryd: „thyse and al other ar forgyue the." Thenne she sayde: who art pou, 10 quod she, pat spekest to me and foryeuest me alle my synnes?" And the voyce sayd to her: I am he to whos feet marye magdalene came and went awaye clensyd of all synnes." Ons also, whyles elysabeth bythought her in her prayer what thynge pat she myght do to be most plesaunce of god, she herde a voyce sayng to her: Spera in domino et 15 fac bonitatem &c., that is: hope in god and doo goodnesse and dwelle in erthe and thou shalt be fede in the ryches of it! Delyt the in our lord and he shall gyue the thyn asky(n)ges of thyn herte! Hope in hym and he shall werke and he shall lede out as lyght thy ryghtwysnes and thy dome as myddaye! Be thou suggette to our lord and praye hym!“ On a daye, whyles Elysabeth was lastyng in prayer and full bytterly wepte her synnes, our lorde Ihesu Cryste, that is confortatour of theym that ben soroufull, sayde, to her apperyng: „O my dere doughter, trouble the not ne be not sory for mynde off thy synnes: ffor-why all thy synnes ben forgyuen the." And whan she answeryd the contrary and sayde 25 that she was certayn that yf he wolde doo wyth her right-fully and not mercyfully, she was worthy to be dampned to the paynes of helle: thenne our lorde Ihesu Cryste answered and sayde: „Doughter, ryghtuosnesse is now done to god my fader ffor thy (4) synnes, and satysfaction is fully made to hym for theym all, after that ryghtuousnesse asketh. 30 For yf thou haue offendyd god wyth all the membrys of thy body, I was tormentyd in all the membris of my body for thyn and for all mankindes synnes. For yf thou (haue) trespased wyth honde and wyth fete, my handys and my feet were nayled to the crosse wyth harde nayles; yf thou haue trespased wyth thy eyen, myn eyes were blynfyld wyth a 35 clothe; yf thou haue trespased wyth thyn eerys, myn erys herde blasphemes and grete wronges; yf pou haue trespased wyth thyn herte, my herte was persed wyth a spere; and yf thou haue offendyd wyth all thy body, my body was shorged soo, that from the sole of the fote vnto the tope of my hede apperyd in me noo stede hole.

Therfore, doughter, thynke not but that dew satysfaccion for thy synnes is doo full ryght-wysly to god my fader. Sothely, I suffred the paynes of all synfull, and the wronges of theym I bare in my herte, that dyde not synne, ne gyle was founden in my mouth."

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On another tyme, whan Elysabeth, goddes seruaunt, was prayeng, 45 sodenly she sawe wyth her ghostely eyen a full fayre honde, that hadde longe fyngers and the palme large and brode, and in the myddes of the palme was a wounde all redde of blode. And as soone as she vnderstode that it was the honde of Cryste, she wondrede that it was soo small and soo longe. And alsone it was answerde to her that it was so 50 small, ffor, whil (5) cryst lyued in fleflhe, on nyghtes when he prayed he helde his hondes streyth forth, and on dayes he traueyled wyth (his) hondes and his fete and all his body by tounes and castellys prechynge the kyngdome of god. And after this she herde a voyce sayeng to her:

(1) I. ay-lastynge? (2) C. though. (3) by one. (4) they. (5) whiche.

Elysabeth, loo, this thyrde tyme I saye to the: thy synnes ben forgyuen and thou hast my grace." To the whiche voyce she answerde: „Lord, yf I bee halowed as thou sayste, wherof is it that I maye not wythholde me but that I offende thy mayeste eche daye in somme thynge?" And 5 the voyce sayde to her: For, yf thou noo tyme offended, thou sholde not be so moche mekyd, and by that it (1) folowed that thou woldest not loue me soo moche, and thus thou sholdest waxe worse thenne fendes that both trusteth and dredeth. Therfore I haue not soo haloweth þe but that thou maye synne; but it suffyseth to the that I haue gyue the soo 10 moche grace, that (thou) wolde suffre thy-self be slayne rather thenne thou sholdest offende dedely." And whan this was sayd, Crist apperyd to her all openlye, and her thought that thyke leopred blode largely flowed out of his syde; wherfore she began to wonder. To whom Cryste sayde: Doughter, wonder the not, ffor-why, whan I hanged on the crosse, alle 15 my membrys were disioynyd out of ioynt for vndone trespasse, and myn entreyllys were broken and my veynes opened, and therfore soo haboundaunt and thyke lopered blode folwed (2) out of my syde." All thyse thinges before-sayde Saynt Elysabeth aboute the endynge of her lyff, the whiche was in the yere of Our lorde a MCCxxxj, affermyd that she hadde seyn and 20 herde as it is aboue wryton; and she sayde that she hadde so grete certaynte off theym all, that fhe wolde rather suffre deth thenne to doubte ony lytyll part of theim that they were not trewe.

Here enden the reuelacions of saynt Elysabeth, the kynges doughter of hungarye.

(1) C. I st. it. (2) 1. floweth.

W. C.

Erinnerungen an Ludmilla Assing.

Im Jahre 1859 erschien das Buch der Frau Ludmilla Assing: „Sophie La Roche, die Freundin Wielands“, welches ich sehr hoch achte, da es mit grofsem Fleifs und umsichtiger Gründlichkeit abgefafst ist. Trotzdem sah ich mich veranlafst, in meinem Buche: Wielands Leben und Wirken in Schwaben und der Schweiz“ einige Erzählungen, welche sich in dem oben angezeigten Buche finden, zu bezweifeln, 1 und dachte damals. noch nicht daran, dafs man Frauen niemalen widersprechen darf. Frau L. Assing liefs eine Recension meines Buches drucken, welche in der Stuttgarter Neuen Zeitung Nr. 19 und 21, 1878, erschien und mit den Worten schlofs: „Die Schriftsteller sollten stets nach Kräften sich zu ergänzen suchen und, als eine litterarische Familie, sich zu gemeinsamem Wirken die Hand reichen." Ein Exemplar dieser Recension erhielt ich mit dem ersten Briefe.

Nr. 1.

Hochgeehrter Herr!

Florenz, 5. Mai 1878. Via Luigi Alamanni Nr. 27.

Sehr spät erst ist mir aus Deutschland der Abdruck eines Artikels von mir zugegangen, den ich über Ihr Leben Wielands" in der Stuttgarter „Neuen Zeitung" habe veröffentlichen lassen.

"

1 Diese Zweifel finden sich: Ofterdinger a. a. O. 200, Nr. 8; 228, Nr. 8; 229, Nr. 9. L. Assing hat dem Aufsatz im Morgenblatt, Jahrgang 1814: Beiträge zur Lebensgeschichte Wielands von J. W. Petersens" vollen Glauben geschenkt.

Archiv f. n. Sprachen. LXXVI.

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Da ich nicht weifs, ob er Ihnen zu Gesicht gekommen, so erlaube ich mir, Ihnen denselben zu übersenden. Ich wünsche, dafs Sie davon Kenntnis nehmen. Wir begegnen uns auf einem uns gemeinsamen Gebiete der Studien und Arbeiten; Sie haben sich Wieland, ich Sophie La Roche gewählt. Ich habe es für meine Pflicht gehalten, die gute Sophie, mit der ich mich so lange und intim beschäftigt habe, in einigen Punkten gegen Sie zu verteidigen, Sie werden das begreifen.

Sollte mich jemals mein Weg nach Ulm führen, so würde ich mir erlauben, Sie aufzusuchen, um Ihre persönliche Bekanntschaft zu machen und zugleich die interessanten Bilder zu sehen, die in Ihrem Besitz sind. Kommen Sie nach Florenz, so hoffe ich Sie bei mir zu sehen. Wie viel gäbe es noch zu erörtern über Wieland und Sophie La Roche!

Mit hochachtungsvollem Grufs

Ihre ergebene Ludmilla Assing.

Auf einen so liebenswürdigen Brief schickte ich an Frau L. Assing einige kleine Abhandlungen, von denen ich annehmen konnte, dafs ihr dieselben unbekannt waren, und schrieb ihr einen freundlichen Brief über Sophie von La Roche, Wieland und Julie von Bondeli. Dadurch entwickelte sich nachfolgende Korrespondenz.

Nr. 2.

Hochgeehrter Herr!

Florenz, 13. Mai 1878.

Ich wollte Ihnen gerade meinen Dank aussprechen für die übersandten Schriften, die ich mit grofsem Interesse gelesen habe, als nun noch Ihr gütiger Brief nachfolgte, der mich meinen Dank verdoppeln macht. Seien Sie überzeugt, dafs alles, was Sie mir sagen und mitteilen, bei mir die beste Stätte findet. Auch freut es mich, dafs Sie die Sophie von La Roche betreffenden Angelegenheiten noch einmal prüfen wollen, und zweifle ich nicht, dafs Sie dann mit mir übereinstimmen werden. Mir ist es lieb, dafs die für unsere Litteratur so wertvollen Bildnisse in den Besitz eines Mannes wie Sie gelangt sind, der sie zu schützen und zu bewahren weifs. Für mich würde es eine aufserordentliche Freude sein, diese Bilder zu betrachten und in Ihrer