He is protected by the noble knights Who live up in yon castle; none of us May enter it; the Jew is welcome there. For he doth do whate'er the knights desire.
'Tis very hard to know who serves the Lord And who the devil. Thankful should we be To our good lords who give us food and work. What should we be if it were not for them?
The Jew shall have my praise; his remedies Have cured me of the evil sickness that I had. Besides, he was so good and kind to me. And many more can tell the selfsame tale.
Yet did a monk let slip the truth to me,-- The devil's remedies the Jew employs. Beware his drugs; transformed within the blood They grant an entrance to all kinds of sin.
The men who wait upon the knights oppose Our ancient customs, saying that the Jew Hath stores of knowledge both to heal and bless Which will in days to come be rightly prized.
New times and better are in store; I see Their coming in my spirit, when my soul Pictures to me what eyes cannot behold. The knights intend to bring all this about.
We owe the Church obedience, for she guards Our souls from devil-visions, and from death, And from hell-fire. The monks bid us beware The knights, and their vile sorcerer, the Jew.
Only a short time longer need we bear In patience the oppression of the knights. Soon will their citadel in ruins lie. Thus hath it been foretold me in a dream.
I fear such tales betoken mortal sin-- That noble knights do plot to bring us harm-- Nought do I see but good come from their hands; I needs must count them Christians, as ourselves.
What men shall think of them in days to come 'Twere best to leave to be adjudged by those Who shall live after us. Mere tools are we, Used by the knights in their satanic arts To war against true Christianity. If they be driven out we shall be freed From their pernicious sway, and live our lives As we shall choose, in this our native land. Now let us go to vespers, there to find That which our souls require, and that which is In harmony with our ancestral ways. These novel teachings suit us not at all.
Where'er I go, I find awaiting me The ancient hatred and the bitter taunts. And yet I suffer not a whit the less Each time I find myself exposed to them. There seems to be no reasonable cause Why people should behave toward me thus. And yet one thought pursues me evermore Which makes the truth apparent to my soul, That nothing can befall us without cause. So too a reason there must be for this, That suffering is the lot of all my tribe. So with the lords of yonder citadel, I find their lot is near akin to mine. They have but chosen of their own free will That which by nature is imposed on me. They set themselves apart from all mankind, And strive in isolation to acquire The powers through which they may attain their goal. Thus can I feel the debt I owe to fate And find her blessing in my loneliness. Forced to rely on my own soul alone I took the realms of science for my field. And recognized from what I learned therein That ripe for new attainments was our time. The laws of nature, hitherto unknown, Must now reveal themselves unto mankind And make him master of the world of sense Whence he will be allowed to liberate Powers he can put to use for his own ends. So have I tried, as far as in me lay, To make fresh progress in the healing art. This toil endeared me to the brotherhood. Its members made me free of their estates To seek to find the forces that reside In plants and 'neath the surface of the ground, That they may yield for us new benefits. My actions therefore march with their designs, And I confess that I have plucked with joy Much goodly fruit whilst going on my way.