“But we knew, besides, that our despair had reached its height, and that we longed for the protection and presence of our own Sovereign, as weak, delicate children long for the sight of a strong, tender parent.  Therefore have the united corporations of the cities of Berlin and Cologne determined to send a memorial in writing to your Electoral Highness, to conjure our liege lord not to deal with us as step-children, since we are children of one and the same father, and inferior to the Prussians neither in love nor obedience, but only more visited by misfortune and the calamities of war.  But on this account we implored our hereditary Sovereign most graciously to turn his eye upon us, and to come to our aid, since we stood in such great need of his help and his protecting arm.  This, Electoral Highness and most gracious lord, this is our sole crime.  We longed after the presence of our Sovereign, in his own most sacred person, and told him so.”

“But in what way have you presumed to speak?” cried the Elector with vehemence.  “Not as in reverence and duty bound, but as if you would reproach us!  What a rude expression is this when you say, in your petition, that you hope we shall no longer leave the Markgraviates as sheep without shepherd, just as if we would hand you over without protection to the free will and power of the enemy?  Most probably those honorable citizens, the tailors and shoemakers, drew up this famous writing, but they would have done better to take into their counsel their priest, or at least a schoolmaster, because he could have enlightened them as to the proper style of address for obedient, submissive citizens to assume in writing to their Sovereign.  I have always been an indulgent ruler, who continually cared for your best interests.  If matters do not go so well with you, it is your own fault, because you would never carry out my intentions, which I made you acquainted with and urged upon you long years ago.  For have we not perpetually, ever since God exalted us to the Electoral dignity and invested us with the reins of government, caused to be represented to you and to all the states in the land how highly necessary it was to establish another form of government?  Who has it been but yourselves who hindered, obstructed, and opposed it?  Now, however, when things go not so smoothly, you lament over it, and demand from me assistance, when in former times your pride always consisted in being wholly independent of us, through your free-city constitutions!  Now, then, see what is the result, when a city will be wholly independent of its liege lord and persists in its obstinacy.”

“Your Electoral Highness, it has never entered the minds of our citizens to oppose themselves obstinately to the most gracious of sovereigns,” protested the spokesman of the burger deputation, “On the contrary, we have always been found ready to obey the behests of your Electoral grace.”