Of the Klenkners, or Cripples.
Of the Klenkners, or Cripples.
HE iiijth is about the Klenkners. These
are the beggars who sit at the church-doors,
and attend fairs and church gatherings
with sore and broken legs; one has no foot,
another no shank, a third no hand or arm. Item,
some have chains lying by them, saying they have
lain in captivity for innocence’ sake, and commonly
they have a St. Sebastianum or St. Lenhartum
with them, and they pray and cry with a loud
voice and noisy lamentations for the sake of the
Saints, and every third word one of them speaks
(BARL) is a lie (GEVOP), and the people who give
alms to him are cheated (BESEFELT),—inasmuch
as his thigh or his foot has rotted away in prison
or in the stocks for wicked deeds. Item, one’s
hand has been chopped off in the quarrels over
dice or for the sake of a harlot. Item, many a one
ties a leg up or besmears an arm with salves, orPg 14
walks on crutches, and all the while as little ails
him as other men. Item, at Utenheim there was a
priest by name Master Hans Ziegler (he holds
now the benefice of Rosheim), and he had his niece
with him. One upon crutches came before his
house. His niece carried him a piece of bread.
He said, “Wilt thou give me nought else?” She
said, “I have nought else.” He replied, “Thou
old priest’s harlot! wilt thou make thy parson
rich?” and swore many oaths as big as he could
utter them. She cried and came into the room and
told the priest. The priest went out and ran after
him. The beggar dropped his crutches and fled so
fast that the parson could not catch him. A short
time afterwards the parson’s house was burnt down;
he said the Klenkner did it. Item, another true
example: at Schletstat, one was sitting at the church-door.
This man had cut the leg of a thief from
the gallows. He put on the dead leg and tied his
own leg up. He had a quarrel with another beggar.
This latter one ran off and told the townPg 15serjeant.
When he saw the serjeant coming he fled
and left the sore leg behind him and ran out of the
town—a horse could hardly have overtaken him.
Soon afterwards he hung on the gallows at Achern,
and the dry leg beside him, and they called him
Peter of Kreuzenach. Item, they are the biggest
blasphemers thou canst find who do such things;
and they have also the finest harlots (GLIDEN), they
are the first-comers at fairs and church-celebrations,
and the last-goers therefrom.
Conclusio: Give them a kick on their hind parts if thou canst, for they are nought but cheats (BESEFLER) of the peasants (HANZEN) and all other men.
Example: One was called Uz of Lindau. He
was at Ulm, in the hospital there, for xiiij days,
and on St. Sebastian’s day he lay before a church,
his hands and thighs tied up, nevertheless he could
use both legs and hands. This was betrayed to the
constables. When he saw them coming he fled
from the town,—a horse could hardly have ran
faster.