Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/63

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 51 Another catechetical handbook which was also a manual of devotion is the ' Seelen-trost,' which' was published in the same years (from 1474-1491), in different dialects and different places — at Augsburg, Cologne, Utrecht, Haarlem, Zwolle, and elsewhere — and is the most beautiful prose work of the century. ' I intend,' says this unknown author, ' to write a book in the German language, out of the Holy Scriptures, for the honour of God and the benefit of my fellow-Chris- tians ; it will contain flowers culled by many hands, and it shall be called " Seelen-trost" (" Consolation for the Soul "). Therein I shall write about the Ten Command- ments, the Holy Sacraments, the eight Beatitudes, the six works of Misericord, of the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, of the seven deadly sins, of the seven cardinal virtues, and of all besides with which God shall inspire me. What does not seem like truth, that will. I set aside, and will choose that which is altogether best, and which is profitable and comforting, as a physician seeks out useful plants for his medicines, and as a dove picks out the best grain to eat. I beg those who read this book to pray for me, that, together, we may all arrive where we shall find eternal salvation. May the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost help us to gain it ! ' The explanations of the different commandments are supple- mented and illustrated by anecdotes of all sorts, told with rare pathos and beauty. As the utmost importance was attached to worthy preparation for receiving the sacraments of Penance and Eucharist, most of the catechetical writings appeared in the form of manuals of confession and treatises on Among the many writers on the subject, Trithemius and Jacob von Juter- bogk (1466) are the clearest and most vigorous. E 2