168 REMINISCENCES OF GERMAN CHILDHOOD.

the oldest of them. In these things he took the more
pleasure because he was himself an author, and had
published a work on heraldry, in which he used to
show me the painted coats of arms, with many strange
pictures of lions rampant, griffins, and the like. But
most of all, he loved to show me the pictures of the
reformers and the martyrs. ‘There, grandson,’ he
would say, ‘thou seest (in Germany it is always thee
and thow to children) Dr. Martin Luther at the Diet of
Worms, and there thou seest him on his deathbed.
Print it on thy soul, child; rather die a thousand deaths
than give up the faith of thy fathers. Presently I shall
be gone, and who knows what changes may happen!
Thy poor father, the judge, has no knack at keeping
the gold pieces together. Perhaps thou mayest wan-
der over sea. Well, God will guide, but mind this, go
‘where thou mayest, contend for the faith once de-
livered to the saints! I never look on the volume or
the portrait of Luther without calling the scene and
the words to my memory.”

“TI hope,” said Mr. Mill, “ that they will bring forth
fruit in you as long ag you live, JI daresay you could
sing us one of the fine old hymns of Germany.”

“With pleasure,” said Carl. “But our hymns are
not heard to advantage when sung by a single voice.
The slow and stately ancient tunes require the full
organ and the great congregation. But I will do my
best with a hymn of Paul Gerhardt’s.” : |