250 NORDIC BALLADS

in 1455 is cause for the half-allegorical ballad of Kuns von
Kaufungen (Erk-Bohme 239).

In the sixteenth century the German historical ballad reaches its
apogee. The century opened with the rivalry of the landsknechts
and pikemen, expressed in the scornful Brother Veit and Brother
Heini (Erk-Bohme 261), a propos of the battle of Marignano (1516).
Brother Veit is the landsknecht; Heini appears in another piece
beginning

How now, you knavish Switzers,

you Heinis, oh so bold!

Yet another sings

Hear how the Switzer yokels
landsknechts have vilified.

This rivalry reached its height in the battle of Pavia, where the
German landsknechts and Spanish infantry broke the once invin-
cible pikemen. A new 'tune of Milan' arose—apparently a variant
of the old Hildebrand melody—and was used for a five-line poem
on Pavia; hence it is frequently known as the Tavia tune'. There
was also an eight-line Pavia melody composed and first sung by
Hans von Wiirzburg. The battle developed in a zoological garden.
The artillery breached the wall, and the Swiss fled before Georg
von Frundsberg and his landsknechts. A lyrical piece ascribes the
whole victory to him:

Fmndsberg's Sir George,

Frundsberg's Sir George,
he has Pavia's battle won,
Pavia's battle won in a park,
in eight hours and a half won land and folk.

The King of France,

The King of France,
he has Pavia's battle lost,
Pavia's battle lost in a park,
in eight hours and a half lost land and folk.

(Arnold 32.)

Apart from their victories the landsknechts had to sing the varied
misfortunes of their way of life.These are historical by their circum-
stances, though they do not rise normally out of particular events.
The narrative is important chiefly as leading to the expression of
some emotion: delight in a swashbuckling career, freedom from