Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/140

128 HISTORY OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE who had the good fortune to enjoy familiar intercourse with him.' Amongst his friends was canon Thomas Wolf, at whose house Picus of Mirandula met ' a symposium of sages': the cathedral dean, Frederick von Hohenzollern ; the rector, Johannes Eot ; and the canon, Peter Schott the younger, son of the alderman Peter Schott, through whose influence Geiler had obtained his post at the cathedral. The younger Peter Schott was, as his writings show, an enthusiastic disciple of the older Christian school of Humanists, a thoroughly well- educated canon, and a pious priest zealous for the salvation of souls. It was also the influence of Geiler which helped to form the learned theologian, Otmar Nachtigall, who, after travelling over nearly the whole of Europe and part of Asia, was for a long time pro- fessor of Greek in his native city of Strasburg. In the preface to his ' Evangelical History ' he says : ' In my boyhood I got a great deal of wholesome instruction from Doctor Geiler von Kaisersberg, both by the sermons he preached at Strasburg, and also later in his own house. I owe it to this that men call me un- worldly. God grant this opinion may be true.' Geiler's interest in and active labours for historical and Humanistic studies assumed their true importance after he had succeeded in inducing Brant and Wim- pheling to settle at Strasburg. At his suggestion the former was called from Basle in the year 1500 to fill the post of solicitor of the council, and shortly after he was further appointed city clerk. TJie latter (Jacob Wimpheling), at Geiler's request, consented to remain, and became Geiler's collaborator in editing the works of Johann Gerson.