Friedrich was very patient with them; hoped to prevail by gentle
methods. He "invited them to dinner;" "had them often at dinner
for a year or more:" but could make no progress in that way.
"Who is this we have got for a Governor?" said the noble lords
privately to each other: "A NURNBERGER TAND (Nurnberg Plaything,--
wooden image, such as they make at Nurnberg)," said they,
grinning, in a thick-skinned way: "If it rained Burggraves all the
year round, none of them would come to luck in this Country;"--and
continued their feuds, toll-levyings, plunderings and other
contumacies. Seeing matters come to this pass after waiting above
a year, Burggraf Friedrich gathered his Frankish men-at-arms;
quietly made league with the neighboring Potentates, Thuringen and
others; got some munitions, some artillery together--especially
one huge gun, the biggest ever seen, "a twenty-four pounder" no
less; to which the peasants, dragging her with difficulty through
the clayey roads, gave the name of FAULE GRETE (Lazy, or Heavy
Peg); a remarkable piece of ordnance. Lazy Peg he had got from the
Landgraf of Thuringen, on loan merely; but he turned her to
excellent account of his own. I have often inquired after Lazy
Peg's fate in subsequent times; but could never learn anything
distinct:--the German Dryasdust is a dull dog, and seldom carries
anything human in those big wallets of his!--

Equipped in this way, Burggraf Friedrich (he was not yet Kurfurst,
only coming to be) marches for the Havel Country (early days of
1414); [Michaelis, i. 287; Stenzel, i. 168 (where, contrary to
wont, is an insignificant error or two). Pauli (ii. 58) is, as
usual, lost in water.] makes his appearance before Quitzow's
strong-house of Friesack, walls fourteen feet thick: "You Dietrich