A BOOK OF THE MOMENT

NEWS-LETTERS

DCOPYRIGHT IN THE 'UNITED STATES OF AmuncA BY THE . New York Times.]

The Fugger News-Letters. Being a Selection of Letters from the Correspondents of the House of Fugger (1568-1606). Edited by Victor Klarwill. Translated by Pauline de Chary. With an Introduction by H. Gordon Selfridge. (The Bodley Head. 16s. net.) WHEN in the later Middle Ages men and nations became self-conscious, they wanted to know what other people were doing, thinking, and intending. In a word men wanted to hear the news. Thus the journalist and the newspaper began. It is true that it took a primitive, or even a crude, form, yet it was one which I should be by no means surprised to see revived in our age. That form was the News-Letter the letters by which princes, statesmen, great ecclesiastics, and great business men obtained intelligence—that illumina- tion which Shakespeare and his colleagues always speak about with a touch of mystery and romance. The Intelli. gencer and the thing he dealt in, intelligence, always seem to carry about with them a certain sinister and uncanny touch. The first illustration that comes into my mind is the line in the sonnets which speaks of that " Affable, familiar ghost, That nightly gulls him with intelligence."

It was only natural that at first it was the great ones of the earth who needed and procured a news-sheet. The toiling millions were too ignorant and too poor to bother about the news. Besides they could not read. Their news, such as it was, was obtained from those walking gramophones, the glee- men, the balladmongers, and the bard harpers and strolling singers. The men who sang and recited " Chevy Chace " or " Child Roland to the Dark Tower Came " along the border were in a sense journalists.

Perhaps the best supplied of all the people who relied on intelligence in the last generation of the Middle Ages, or the first of the new learning and reformed religion, were the great business houses. Chief among these were the House of Fugger, the German prince bankers, who had branch houses and correspondents all the world over. They gave accommodation in goods and money to half the sovereigns of Europe. The House of Fugger were persistent users of news-letters, and by a happy chance a large collection of them is extant. Their historical and general importance was early recognized, and Count Philip Edward Fugger in the latter half of the seventeenth century prepared a magnificent volume out of the letters, which ultimately found its way into the Imperial Library at Vienna. From this collection an anthology has been formed, and the Bodley Head has given us a translation of the selected news-letters, with thirty strange and curious illustrations.

The volume is given a touch of appropriateness by a short introduction by Mr. Gordon Selfridge, a master business man, who thoroughly understands the value of intelligence in commerce, not merely as regards prices, crops, and produce, but as to the course of events. The trader, and perhaps most of all the retail trader, wants to watch the trend of human affairs, and also the way in which people's minds are moving. Indeed, we in. part owe this book to Mr. Gordon Selfridge. When he was writing his book, The Romance of Commerce, he dealt, -as was inevitable, with the House of Fugger. In doing so he became aware that Professor Victor von Klarwill had published in Vienna the selection of the Fugger News-Letters of which this work is a translation, He obtained a copy and was so much struck by it that he immediately applied for the rights of the book in the English language. He found, however, that the Bodley Head had already obtained t4tose rights.

It is only natural that an Englishman should turn in these News-Letters to things which specially concern his own country. He will find not a few references thereto, for the ,European world was always keen to know what was hap- pening in these strange islands moored in the North Sea— ,islands in which the princes, the people, and. above all, the seafarers, were moved by a spirit largely independent of European influences.

An admirable example of the political news-letter is the -vigorous account of the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. • It is in places uncannily like a good " story " supplied to . an English or American daily paper by a keen-eyed Special Correspondent. There is dignity as well as vividness and keen observation in the whole account. The Calvinist who, according to a note in the old handwriting attached to the letter, was the writer, though of the new religion, was evidently an open-minded man, and does not at all overdo " the Scarlet Woman " point of view.

Incidentally, he gives us a very good indirect defence of Elizabeth by showing us the position in which she was placed. She had, he tells us, not only to fear for her throne, . but also for her life. He also shows how the English Queen was urged by both the Parliament and the States to get rid of her intriguing sister monarch. In spite, however, of the charges brought against Mary, we are told that " Queen Elizabeth yet desired to spare her life, not wishing to be her judge, on account of her being such a near blood relation." Then follows a well-reasoned résumé of the position, which was exactly what an intelligent business man like nigger would want to know.

" But as the Scottish Queen now presumed to covet the Crown of England, the English Queen could not let her go free and scathless, because her life, her country and religion were imperilled. Also she did not wish to create any suspicion in the minds of the Scots. Although the Scottish Queen was kept in such lax and pleasurable confinement that she could even go hunting and enjoy all the pleasures of the chase, she, nevertheless, did not rest content with the pastimes that were allowed to her. She tried many and various devices to become free again, namely through encompassing the death of the Queen of England. To this end she enticed many persons of the nobility, among them the Duke of Norfolk, as well as other earls and gentlemen, so that the Queen of England was to have lost her life at her Court in the previous summer. On that account the above-named lords met a miserable end. Also England was to have been attacked by foreign troops, the Scottish Queen set upon the thrones of Scotland and England, and the Romish faith established in both kingdoms. All of this the Queen of England gathered from various informants, and the Queen of Scot- land was proved guilty in the presence of the nobility, the knight- hood and the officials. It was discussed in Parliament and by the States, how the person of the Queen and the religion of the country could be guarded in future against such dangers. As, however, the Scottish Queen was a close blood relation, her life was to be spared. Since also she was not in the free enjoyment of her liberty and rights, a sentence of death would make a rare and amazing depar- ture."

Nevertheless in the end the Parliament decided for her death.

So much for the politics of the event. The Fuggers, how- ever, were human and evidently expected good and pic- turesque copy from their correspondents. The account of the actual execution is set forth with great vigour and yet in good taste. Could there be a better beginning than the following ?

" On the 18th day of February, at 7 o'clock of the morning, the aforementioned earls, knights and noblemen foregathered in the castle of Fotheringhay. Two followers were allocated to each knight, but only one to the others present, so that about eighty to a hundred persons entered the castle, beside the guard, and the officials of the court. There, in the large hull, in front of the fire- . place, in which burnt a great fire, a dais had been set up, which was twelve feet wide and eight feet high. It was completely covered with black cloth, and thereon stood a chair with a cushion. As now all was ready, and the gentlemen had collected there between the hours of eight and nine, a message was sent to the imprisoned Queen that the gentlemen had come on the errand of which she had been forewarned in the afternoon of yesterday, and wished to know whether she were ready."

After a good deal of finesse, but apparently through no want of courage on the part of the Queen, Mary was brought face to face with the scaffold and her executioners. Even the costume part of the great event is not missed : " The gown in which the Queen was attired was of exquisite black velvet, which she had likewise worn when she appeared before the gentlemen. In her hand she held a small cross of wood or of ivory, with the picture of Christ thereon, and a book. On her neck hung a golden crucifix, and from her girdle a rosary. Near her stood a doctor of theology, Dean of Peterborough, who, at the command of the gentlemen, spoke. words of Christian comfort to her, exhorting her to die as a Christian with a repentant heart. She at once interrupted him and begged him to keep his peace, for she was fully prepared for death. rho Dean answered that he had been commanded to speak the truth to her. But she said for the second time : ' I will not listen to you, Mr. Dean. You have naught to do with me. You disturb me.' Thereupon he was bidden to be silent by the gentlemen."

it is to be noted here that, unless I am mistaken, the doctor

of theology who was dealt with so firmly by the Queen was Dr. Fletcher, afterwards Bishop of London, and the father of the dramatist. • •

After the Dean of Peterborough had . been silenced, the Earl of Kent entered into an argument with the Queen. He was apparently more kindly, though hardly less theological. He objected to the crucifix and told Mary that she must have Christ in her heart rather than in her hand, but added that he and the men of the reformed faith " would nevertheless plead for her with God Almighty, that He would forgive her sins and receive her into His Kingdom." To this the Queen made reply, " Pray—then will I also pray." At this remark the aforesaid Dean of Peterborough fell on his knees on the steps of the dais and began a prayer, which was taken up by all those standing round. " But as long as it lasted the Queen was praying in Latin and fairly audibly, holding the crucifix in her hand." Then came the end :- " Thereupon she stood up and prepared herself for death. She doffed her jewels and her gown, with the help of two women. When the executioner wished to assist her, she said to him that it was not her wont to be disrobed in the presence of such a crowd, nor with the help of such hand-maidens. She herself took off her robe and pushed it down as far as the waist. The bodice of the underskirt was cut low and tied together at the back. She hastened to undo this. Thereafter she kissed her ladies, commended them to God, and because one of them was weeping too loudly, she said to her : Have I not told you that you should not weep ? Be comforted.' To. her she gave her hand, and bade her leave the dais. When she was thus prepared, she turned to her servitors, who were kneeling not far off, blessed them and made them all witnesses that she died a Catholic, and begged them to pray for her. Afterwards she fell on her knees with great courage, did not change colour, and likewise gave no sign of fear. One of her tirewomen bound a kerchief before her eyes. As she knelt down she repeated the 70th Psalm : te, Domine, spcmei. . . .' When she had said this to the end, she, full cf courage, bent down with her body and laid her head on the block, exclaiming : mutants tuns, Domine, consmendo spiritum mum.' Then one of the executioners held down her hands, and the Other cut off her head with two strokes of the chopper. Thus ended her life. The executioner took the head and showed it to the people, who cried : ' God spare our Queen of-England ! ' When the execu- tioner held up the head, it fell in disarray so that it could be seen that her hair was quite grey and had been closely cropped. Her raiment and other belongings were by command taken from the executioner, but he was promised their equivalent in money. Every- thing that had been sprinkled with her blood, also the garments of the executioner and other objects, were promptly taken away and washed. The planks of the dais, !the black cloth and all else were thrown into the fire, at once, so that no superstitious practices could be carried on therewith."

Once more we must notice the good workmanship of the accomplished journalist who prepared the copy. Take, for example, the quiet, reticent, but very moving little sentence towards the end : " She was four-and-forty years of age, and was the most beautiful princess of her time." . But, like most men of my trade, he was something of a cynic, even if a kindly one. Notice the final sentence of the following paragraph :-

"After this execution had tithen place, the portaLi of the castle remained shut, until Henry Talbot. son of the Earl of Shrewsbury-, had been dispatched to the English Court. When, the other day, he brought the tidings to London, the citizens of this town lit bon- fires on all sides and rang the bells, because they were rid of the danger in which they had lived so long. It looks as if the populace believed that a new era had begun in which they hope that all will remain at peace."

Alas ! How often has the populace believed in the new era and that " all will remain at peace." And how often have they been deceived ! And yet I will not be denied the hope that some day—God grant it may be to-day—the hope will come to fruition and that in spite of so many false dawns there must at last be a true one.

I must end by quoting one of the shorter entries which show that the Fuggers permitted their correspondents occa- sionally to indulge in the miraculous

The 6th day of April 1601. " Above the river Bodrog, near Lica, there were seen and heard wondrous signs, to wit the sound of trumpets, whereupon two powerful hosts attacked each other and shot with heavy cannon. This caused large cannon balls to fall upon the earth, so that the people who were working in the vineyards could find no refugo but had to run from one place to another and hide. This is also imputed _ to the priests of Ungvar, and in confirmation thereof Bathory has examined forty persons from that neighbourhood who had - wit- nesSed and confirmed it."

Some of the headings that follow this are amazing, though at the same time not unlike our own " Captions." For example, A Lansquenet Bears a Child,"—" Persians are Baptized in Rome,"—" A Joust in Vienna,"—" Extraordinary Occurrence at the Imperial Court of Prague."

J. "St. LYE STRACHEY