ART. III. Herman of Unna: a Series of Adventures of the Fifteenth Century, in which the Proceedings of the Secret Tribunal, under the Emperors Winceflaus and Sigifmond, are delineated. Written in German by Profeffor Kramer. 12mo. 3 Vols. 9s. fewed. Robinfons. 1794. THE Germans have much excelled, of late, in very different branches of literary compofition, the fpirit and variety of their poets being no lefs remarkable than the erudit on of their Jearned writers; and, though they may fall fhort of the English and the French in works of hiftory and of fpeculative philofophy, they have perhaps borne away the palm in fome other claffes. The romance is not among the uncultivated fields of German literature; and, if we have hitherto been made acquainted only with the Agathon even of WIELAND, and have ftill to wifh for the Golden Mirror and the Peregrinus Proteus of that fafcinating writer; it we have only a teeble and defective tranflation of Goethe's Werter; if the Ghoft feer, the Wandering Jew, and others, are not even commonly known by name among us;-yet feveral of their lefs diftinguished novels have obtained a very extenfive circulation in this country; and they attract the reader by a peculiarity of fable which has here the full force of originality. * Herman of Unna, the work of Profeffor Kramer of Kiel, has all this attraction. It delineates the manners of the fifteenth century with confiderable fidelity; and although the fecret tribunal be painted in colours fomewhat to ftrong and gloomy for hiftoric truth, yet the effect produced by the defeription of its meetings is truly terrible, and the perpetual recurrence of its incomprehenfible interference has all the marvellousness, without the incredibility, of fupernatural agency. The fubject of this work is the Loves of Herman and Ida. Herman, a poor nobleman, the page of the Emperor Winceslaus, fees and loves Ida, the fuppofed daughter of Muniter, a ftatuary; who, confcious that he has no right to dilpofe of her * The Secret Tribunal was a tolerated inflitution formerly existing in Weftphalia, and particularly flourishing in the 15th century: the members of which were (worn, by horrible oaths, to the most inviolable fecrecy, took cognizance of all crimes, and foared neither friend, relation, nor foe, when condemned by the tribunal. The number of members was fo great, and they were fo difperfed and unknown, that no condemned criminal ever efcaped affaffination from their vengeance, and they at length became fo formidable that it was found neceffary to fupprefs them: but the fhadow of them fiill remains in fome parts of Germany. A farther account of this terrible inftitu tion is prefixed to these volumes, extracted from Baron Bock. hand, endeavours to prevent their interviews. They form, however, a reciprocal attachment. At length, Ida is introduced at court, pleases there, is found to be a daughter of the Duke of Wirtemberg, and the highest alliances await her acceptance. In the progrefs of the ftory, fhe is accused of forcery before the fecret tribunal, and is abfolved by means of her lover. He, too, is unjuftly accused of the murder of a powerful rival; and, being condemned to be affaffinated by the familiars of the hidden jurifdiction, is actually and almoft mortally wounded by the unwilling hand of his friend and kinfman, Ulrich.-Times of confufion arrive. Herman renders services to the king of Hungary, and to Albert duke of Auftria. Wirtemberg, the real father of Ida, is difappointed in his plans of ambition, and his confequence is depreffed, while that of Herman rifes. At length, the inequality of the union disappears, and the lovers are made happy. The incidents, although they are extraordinary, are quite in the fpirit of the age. The characters are fufficiently varied and natural. That of Herman, educated at a loofe and profligate court, gradually improves by experience and adverfity. That of Ida, reclufely brought up by a moft worthy man, loses, perhaps, that exquifitenefs of purity which might feem to have unfitted her for the world.-This, however, is conformable to the usual appearances of human nature; and thus the lovers are adapted to their walk of life at the time when they can begin it together. Of the epifodes, that of Ulrich and Alicia is the most interesting, but fomewhat ftrained. We fhall infert two fcenes before the Secret Tribunal. Munfter, firmly relying on the innocence of Ida, the veracity of Walter, and the juftice of the fecret tribunal, waited with tranquillity, and he waited not in vain: for, ere the inhabitants of the neighbouring houfes were awake, his daughter was in his arms. "Thou art reftored to me, then!" cried Munfter: "thou art reftored to me! thou art innocent!" It is "I am indeed innocent: I fwear it by that God, who is my fupreme judge; though no one will as yet declare me fo. . . . . Álas! your poor Ida is reftored to you but for a fhort time. The avenging fword, ftill fufpended over her head, hangs but by a thread. required that I should justify myfelf; and how fhall I be able to do this, fince there is every appearance against me? Oh! my fa ther!...." Her fobs prevented her faying more; and leaning on the arm of Munfter they filently walked towards their home. Arrived there, she -fat down breathless, and refting her head on her hand, wiped her tears as they flowed under her hood. "Tell me, my dear child, what has paffed; conceal nothing from me." "Alas! "Alas! I have not long to remain with you. As a particular favour I am permitted to take up my refidence with the Urfulines, for a fhort time, till my affair is finished and I am again fummoned before my judges. Do not grieve, my dear father, you may see me there, I have afked leave to receive your vifits." • Munfter preffed her hand with the earnestness of anxious affection, and again conjured her to relate her ftory. "How fhall I defcribe to you what I felt, when torn from your arms by my conductor? I thought I fhould have expired: yet a certain fomething, that I cannot defcribe, prefently inspired me with confidence. You must yourself have perceived, that the man in the mask treated me neither with cruelty or even harfhnefs; his voice was gentle: by the light of the moon I discovered a tear starting from his eye; and I perceived, a circumftance on which I could not avoid reflecting, that he had loft his left hand. Is it poffible that he could be your friend, the good, the honeft Walter ?" "It was, it was," exclaimed the old man: " it certainly was Walter, for I now recollect the found of his voice." Ida continued :-"That discovery calmed my agitation. I found myself not delivered entirely into unknown hands, and you have always fpoken to me fo highly of Walter, that with him I confidered myself as fafe. After having walked on for fome time, he suddenly threw over my head a thick veil, which fo completely covered my face, that it was impoffible for me to difcern the road we took. One while we paffed over what appeared to me uncultivated ground, and then again over ruins: we afcended, and defcended: fometimes I fancied myself breathing the air of the fields; at others the found of our footsteps appeared to be echoed back by furrounding vaults. At length we defcended thirty fteps, which I counted, I know not why; and my veil being taken off, I found my felf in a dark dreary place, where at first I could diftinguifh nothing. Finding myself extremely fatigued, my conductor permitted me to fit down on a stone. By degrees my eyes became familiarifed to the obfcurity of the place, and I found myself at the entrance of a large fquare. Whether I were in the country, or not, I cannot fay: but all around me, as far as my view could penetrate, I beheld lofty vaults; and over my head the ftarry sky. At a distance I obferved by the light of torches, which, though there were many, but feebly illumined the vast space, serving fcarcely more than to render darkness visible, human figures dreffed in black, fome of whom 'came towards us and joined my conductor. They were all masked like him, and converfed only by figns, intermingled with a few abrupt words. Every moment their number increafed; and apparently there were several hundred of them. The filence that prevailed in this affembly, interrupted only by my tears and fighs, appeared incomprehenfible to me. "On a fudden I heard the doleful found of a bell. Three times was it ftruck; and as often did my heart quake within me. The place was now more enlightened, and I perceived a circle compofed of feveral perfons in black, and masked, who, I was informed by my conductor, were my judges. You will immediately be called upon :' faid he to me in a whisper: if your confcience be clear, prepare to anfwer C 4 with your 24 "Scarcely had he done fpeaking, when a voice more appalling than the found of the bell, cried out in a tone of authority: "Ida Munfter! forceress! accused of murder, of high treafon, appear! We, the fecret avengers of the Invisible, cite thee before the juftice of God! appear! appear! Though thefe terrible expreffions were not new to me, I cannot exprefs the oppreffion I felt at my heart on their being pronounced. It continued indeed but for a moment; for the consciousness of my innocence infpired me with courage almoft fupernatural. With countenance erect 1 ftepped forward, and boldly looked round on the whole affembly, without teftifying the leaft fear. To fuch a citation I ought not to answer:' cried I, with a voice ftrengthened by indignation. My name is Ida Munster; but I am no criminal.’ "At this, he who appeared to be the chief of the tribunal, faid :— • Come near, and liften to the complaints that are adduced against you, and the witneffes who atteft the truth.' "I advanced, and, falling on my knees, I fwear,' cried I, by him who lives for ever, that I am not a forcerefs, that I have affalfinated no one, that I have never committed the crime of high treafon, and that all which the witneffes may have depofed against me is falfe.' "The examination began: but, O my father! how fhall I relate to you the fubftance of my accufation! Is it poffible, that the merest trifles can be conftrued into crimes, or regarded at least as a prefumption of crimes? "The first thing adduced against me, was the lock of the emAlas! I was obliged to give it up, and the braid of prefs's hair. gold net-work to which it was faftened, is now a useless ornament about my neck. That precious remembrance which I wore in my bofom, became one of the ftrongest proofs against me.-You remember, that yesterday in the dark, I fcratched my check, and spotted my veil with blood: my judges prefumed, that it was the fame veil with which I had wiped the blood from the neck of the empress on her wedding day, when the gave herfelf the flight wound you have heard me mention, and I was asked for what purpofe I carried fuch They afked, too, whether I had not faid to one of things about me. my friends, that the emprefs would be forced to love me, as long as that lock of her hair remained next my heart: and accufed me of having fo fafcinated her, that he could not be happy without me and my harp for a fingle day; as a proof of which they alledged, that lately, during her illness, she had confeffed it was impoffible for her to live, or even to die without me. Matchlefs woman! "Did the fay fo?' cried I, with rapture. why cannot I fee her once more? Why, if I muft die, cannot I die at her feet?'.... Silence was impofed on me, and the interrogations continued. "I was afked, whence came the riches of my father and mother, after they had loft by fire, all they poffeffed by what fupernatural means I had been warned that the conflagration would happen: why I had had not the humanity to acquaint the people of the city, and my parents with the circumftance, but had carried my wickedness so far, as to abandon them to their fate, and fave only myself: and what was become of the chevalier Herman of Unna, on whom I had caft a fpell, to make him in love with me, whom I had fo deprived of the ufe of his reafon, that he had wandered about the country for three days together, without knowing what he did, and whom in all probability I had afterwards caused to be affaffinated. "At the mention of Herman affaffinated, I fell fenfelefs on the ground. After they had brought me to myself, I began loudly to lament his death. Oh heavens! if it fhould be true, that he is dead!" • Tears now choaked the voice of Ida, and the ceafed not to weep, till Munster foothed her by the affurance, that he had lately received a letter from Herman, and that he was well. She then continued her narration. "The complaints exhibited against me, became every moment more afflicting. The Italian prince, who had abandoned the princefs of Ratibor, and whom of course I had also enchanted by fome fecret fpell, was not forgotten; but the laft and moft cruel reproach was, the unfortunate labour of the emprefs, which was in like manner imputed to me, as well as the dangerous ftate in which the yet continues. "God knows what anfwer I made to these different accufations. This only I remember, that I, who fancied myself so weak, to timid, felt myfelf animated with fupernatural strength, and was filent to none of the charges. I fpoke little, and with referve; but what I said muft have been of weight, for more than once, I put my accusers to filence. The fky now began to grow lefs obfcure, the distant crowing of the cocks announced the approach of dawn; when instantly all the affembly arofe. 8 "He who had prefided, then addreffed me in these words: Ida, the sword still hangs over your head: one and twenty days are granted you to produce inconteftible proofs of your innocence. Your readiness to appear at the first citation induces us for the prefent to permit you to depart in peace; but think not of taking flight, our eyes and arms are every where, like the prefence of the Eternal.' "I proftrated myself at the foot of the judgment feat, and folicited permiffion to retire to convent. My request was granted, and I was moreover promised, in confideration of my youth and fex, fome extraordinary favour; but what that favour was, I was not informed. "Again I was veiled, and then led away. On the road, I begged my conductor to use his interest for me to be placed in the convent of Urfulines, whither I had been accustomed to go, and to obtain permiffion to see you there. This he affured me he could grant on his own authority, fuch things being left entirely to him. I would have faid more to him, but he affumed the fame referve as when he conducted me to the tribunal. At the corner of the street he left me, probably that he might not be known by you, whom he pointed out waiting for me at the church of St. Bartholomew." Again, • Letter |