DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.74283#0048
3°
ORIGIN OF THE SCHEMBARTLAUF
cles. Sigmund Meisterlin, Nuremberg's official historian, devotes
the last part of his Histori (1488) to this event, recounting essen-
tially the same incidents; in several passages he refers to the
loyalty of the "flaischhacker" and the "special plays" they per-
form.17 The Deutsche Weltchronik (1493), Hartmann Schedel's
compilation, tells the story of the rebellion substantially as we
have read it in the verse chronicle and mentions the special privi-
leges obtained by the butchers.18 Characteristic of all the accounts
is the condemnation of the rebels and the praise of the patriots.
In his Scheinpart-spruch (1548) Hans Sachs tells of the origin
of the Schembartlauf in the revolt and draws the moral for his
generation: the danger of rebellion and the necessity for civic
order and discipline. The Spruch is the literary counterpart of the
verses in our MS and a work of such importance in our study
that it must be kept constantly in mind.19 It has been suggested
by Will,20 with whom Drescher agrees,21 that this poem may have
been the model for the Historic in our MS. However, when we con-
sider Hans Sachs' method of reproducing in his own way whatever
literary or historical material he came upon, and when we compare
the points he discusses in his Spruch with the text of the Schem-
bart book, it seems justifiable to conclude that the poet had seen a
Schembart MS and used it as a basis for his moralizing. Thus he
compares the "horrible masks" worn in the carnival to the paintings
of devils;22 he refers to silk and velvet used in both long hose and
doublet in 1539, a fact usually carefully noted in the MSS;23 he
17 Cf. Chroniken, III, i26ff. On the privilege cf. ibid., p. 153: "Es gab auch
Carolus auf die zeit etlich freiheit und besunder schonheit den frumen metzlern,
die sie noch haben und vor fasnacht in besundern spilen erzaigen, dardurch sie
gepreist werden als getrewe fridsame man gegen einem rate."
18 Cf. Chroniken, III, 275, 276: "aber das hantwerck der flaischacker von kunig
Karln dorumb, das sie nit abgetretten noch solchem furnemen nit anhengig waren,
mit sunderen freyheyten begabt und begnadt wurden, als das sie etlich tag vor und
nach vasnacht golt, sielber, perlin und anders, was sie wolten, ungefrevelt aller
gepott tragen, auch ir freude und kurtzweilmit rayen und tantzen an der vasnacht
durch die stat haben mochten, welchs von in noch jerlich auff denselben tag der
vasnacht von in geubt wirt."
19 Hans Sachs, Werke, IV, 2ooff. Significant lines from the poem will be quoted
throughout our study.
20 Will, p. 16.
21 Drescher, p. vi.
22 1. 33: "Wie man die teuffel malt."
^ll. 44-5: "Inn atlaB unnd samet,/ HoBn unnd wammas (versteht!)."
ORIGIN OF THE SCHEMBARTLAUF
cles. Sigmund Meisterlin, Nuremberg's official historian, devotes
the last part of his Histori (1488) to this event, recounting essen-
tially the same incidents; in several passages he refers to the
loyalty of the "flaischhacker" and the "special plays" they per-
form.17 The Deutsche Weltchronik (1493), Hartmann Schedel's
compilation, tells the story of the rebellion substantially as we
have read it in the verse chronicle and mentions the special privi-
leges obtained by the butchers.18 Characteristic of all the accounts
is the condemnation of the rebels and the praise of the patriots.
In his Scheinpart-spruch (1548) Hans Sachs tells of the origin
of the Schembartlauf in the revolt and draws the moral for his
generation: the danger of rebellion and the necessity for civic
order and discipline. The Spruch is the literary counterpart of the
verses in our MS and a work of such importance in our study
that it must be kept constantly in mind.19 It has been suggested
by Will,20 with whom Drescher agrees,21 that this poem may have
been the model for the Historic in our MS. However, when we con-
sider Hans Sachs' method of reproducing in his own way whatever
literary or historical material he came upon, and when we compare
the points he discusses in his Spruch with the text of the Schem-
bart book, it seems justifiable to conclude that the poet had seen a
Schembart MS and used it as a basis for his moralizing. Thus he
compares the "horrible masks" worn in the carnival to the paintings
of devils;22 he refers to silk and velvet used in both long hose and
doublet in 1539, a fact usually carefully noted in the MSS;23 he
17 Cf. Chroniken, III, i26ff. On the privilege cf. ibid., p. 153: "Es gab auch
Carolus auf die zeit etlich freiheit und besunder schonheit den frumen metzlern,
die sie noch haben und vor fasnacht in besundern spilen erzaigen, dardurch sie
gepreist werden als getrewe fridsame man gegen einem rate."
18 Cf. Chroniken, III, 275, 276: "aber das hantwerck der flaischacker von kunig
Karln dorumb, das sie nit abgetretten noch solchem furnemen nit anhengig waren,
mit sunderen freyheyten begabt und begnadt wurden, als das sie etlich tag vor und
nach vasnacht golt, sielber, perlin und anders, was sie wolten, ungefrevelt aller
gepott tragen, auch ir freude und kurtzweilmit rayen und tantzen an der vasnacht
durch die stat haben mochten, welchs von in noch jerlich auff denselben tag der
vasnacht von in geubt wirt."
19 Hans Sachs, Werke, IV, 2ooff. Significant lines from the poem will be quoted
throughout our study.
20 Will, p. 16.
21 Drescher, p. vi.
22 1. 33: "Wie man die teuffel malt."
^ll. 44-5: "Inn atlaB unnd samet,/ HoBn unnd wammas (versteht!)."