Baireuth. Such was poor Wilhelmina's sad figure of "religion."
In the old days, their largest bequest that I recollect was to the
TEUTSCHE RITTER, Order of Teutonic Knights, very celebrated in
those days. Junior branches from Hohenzollern, as from other
families, sought a career in that chivalrous devout Brotherhood
now and then; one pious Burggraf had three sons at once in it;
he, a very bequeathing Herr otherwise, settled one of his
mansions, Virnsperg, with rents and incomings, on the Order.
Which accordingly had thenceforth a COMTHUREI (Commandery) in that
country; Comthurei of Virnsperg the name of it: the date of
donation is A.D. 1294; and two of the old Herr's three RITTER
sons, we can remark, were successively COMTHURS (Commanders,
steward-prefects) of Virnsperg, the first two it had. [Rentsch,
p.288.]

This was in 1294; the palmy period, or culmination time of the
TEUTSCHES RITTERTHUM. Concerning which, on wider accounts, we must
now say a word.



Chapter VI.

THE TEUTSCH RITTERS OR TEUTONIC ORDER.

Barbarossa's Army of Crusaders did not come home again, any more
than Barbarossa. They were stronger than Turk or Saracen, but not
than Hunger and Disease; Leaders did not know then, as our little
Friend at Berlin came to know, that "an Army, like a serpent, goes
upon its belly." After fine fighting and considerable victories,