Tetzel

In Spain when a landed gentleman rides abroad, he rides on a mule while all his servants, often thirty or forty, have to run on foot as long as their master rides, at times twelve or fourteen miles a day. Some servants run before him. If he wants to eat or stay for the night, they cook and prepare his meal. What is left over has to satisfy the servants. At times one finds among them a servant who has run for days, until he can hardly walk. The Spaniards are a people who can endure hunger and work. When we arrived after many days, journey, we had trouble with them. Often we had to defend our persons and our lives, for we knew well that they were after us and that they would gladly have murdered us for our goods. So we rode through a dreadful wilderness and desert and came to a count who was at odds with the old King, but had allied himself to his younger brother. At that time the two brothers were at enmity, each brother wanting to be king of Spain. Parts of the country were for the elder, other parts for the younger, and there was great disturbance and war. ¹ So we rode to the Count who was with the young King. He was very angry that my lord had entered his country without leave. He took my lord to a knight who held to the old King. This knight conducted my lord to a village a mile from the town called Gabryn where the King of Spain then was. My lord stayed for five days in the village and sent lord Jan, Frodner, Petipeski, Muffel and myself to the King to report upon my lord’s travels and to inform him that 90he wished to visit his country and to ask for safe-conduct. ² The King soon sent for us. He was sitting on the floor on carpets in the heathen manner. He gave each one of us his hand and listened to our report and was glad at my lord’s coming. He said that my lord must stay patiently in the village, as he could not receive him in the town which was full. But out of regard for my lord he would move to another town four miles from Gabryn where he would receive my lord and give him audience gladly. He sent a knight to my lord to conduct him to this town. As the King was not there, the knight conducted my lord into the King’s apartment which is splendidly built where the King had caused a stately meal to be prepared. We were there two days. A mighty bishop in the town, almost as powerful as the King, invited my lord to his house and showed him great honour. Outside the town are two very fine churches, with sculpture and costly altars. There are two monasteries of the Franciscan Order and of St Jerome. Then the knight conducted my lord to a little town called Gebirro where we found the King. We were lodged in a wretched inn with only two rooms on the naked earth, and we had to leave our horses outside the town. The inhabitants are for most part heathens. The old King has many at his court and has driven out many Christians and given their land to the heathen. Also he eats and drinks and is clothed and worships in the heathen manner and is an enemy of Christians. He has committed a great crime and follows unchristian ways. ³ He admitted my lord to his presence on the third 92day. He and the Queen sat side by side on the ground. They gave their hands to my lord and his attendants and the King agreed to all that my lord asked. The King gave my lord and his honourable attendants the token of his fellowship and gave additional ones to my lord and his attendants and to me so that we could bestow them on others. ⁴ The Queen marvelled at our hair. ⁵ She is a brown and handsome woman, but the King is at enmity with her and does not lie with her. She is therefore his enemy, for it is said that he will have nothing to do with her. Apart from this he commits great iniquities. For these reasons, and on account of his evil practices and because he has driven out the Christians and given their lands, castles and cities to the heathen, therefore the country has elected his brother as King. The greater part sides with the young King who is a Christian, and it is thought that the young King will drive the other out. While we were with the King and at his court we had much trouble with the heathen, so that we had to defend our lives and goods. ⁶ Once they tried to enter my lord’s chamber by force, but we threw them out. Then there arose a great uproar and more than four hundred attacked my lord’s inn, but we had our crossbows ready and held the house by force of arms. They wounded certain of our men, but we wounded them as well. But they were much more ready with their shields than we were. When they will they force themselves into the King’s presence and he cannot prevent them from approaching him. They have the King in their power and he has no authority over them. At the King’s court lord Jan wrestled with one of the King’s servants. It was said that there was no stronger man in all Spain and each threw the other. But lord Jan would not wrestle with him again, for he was much too strong for him. He was a short thick-set man. ⁷