Current mood:	amused
Entry tags:	book review, research

Funny quote for the day
For my birthday last month I was given an Amazon gift certificate, and I used it to buy several interesting research books, one of them came today.

Manifestations of Discontent in Germany on the Eve of the Reformation,by Gerald Strauss

Its a collection of writings from the period of 1430-1530, and includes sermons, poems and proclamations about a variety of topics. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Early Modern Germany, it contains some real gems.

But now for the fun quote from the book,
From the Chronicles of Sebastian Franck, 1531, p 215-218
Concerning the Arrival of Two Plagues in Germany in the Time of Emperor Maximilian. To Wit: The Terribile Affliction Called "The French Disease" And the Destructive Landsknechte

"The same emperor's reign also witnessed the arrival of that useless breed of men called Landsknecht, a plague upon our land which invades us uncalled for and uninvited, seeking and causing war and visiting misfortune upon us all. Landsknecht are not citizens who respond to their lord's call to war. Such citizens are proper soldiers and loyal militiamen. They do what they are obliged to do out of a sense of duty and obedience, not gain. For Landsknecht, on the other hand, I find no excuse or justification, seeing that they are an unchristian, cursed tribe whose trade consists of gouging, stabbing, pillaging, burning, murdering, gambling, drinking, whoring, blaspheming, willfully killing husbands and fathers, persecuting peasents in war and peace, stripping fields and demanding tributes. They are harmful not only to others, but also to themselves. In truth, they are a plague and pestilence on the whole world. "