"
"Ah, child, that was before those times! It was the gift of good
Kaisar Max at his godson's christening, when he filled your sweet
mother with pretty spite by persuading her that it was a little
golden bear-skin."
"Tell her how you had gained it, my son."
"By vapouring, child; and by the dull pride of my neighbours.
Heard'st thou never of the siege of Padua, when we had Bayard, the
best knight in Europe, and 500 Frenchmen for our allies? Our
artillery had made a breach, and the Kaisar requested the French
knights to lead the storm, whereto they answered, Well and good, but
our German nobles must share the assault, and not leave them to fight
with no better backers than the hired lanzknechts. All in reason,
quoth I, and more shame for us not to have been foremost in our
Kaisar's own cause; but what said the rest of our misproud chivalry?
They would never condescend to climb a wall on foot in company with
lanzknechts! On horseback must their worships fight, or not at all;
and when to shame them I called myself a mountaineer, more used to
climb than to ride, and vowed that I should esteem it an honour to
follow such a knight as Bayard, were it on all fours, then cast they
my burgher blood in my teeth.
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