This ballad is founded on an incident narrated in the description of the Palatinate by Merian (1645), where, speaking of the village Ketsch, he tells us that--'The Counte Palatine Otto Heinrich, afterwards Kurfürst, sailed in the yeere 1530 to the Holie Lande and to Jerusalem. Returning thence, hee came over the greate open sea where a shipp from Norwaie mett him, and from it there came this crye: "Flye, flye, for ye fatt Enderle von Ketsch cometh!" Now, the Counte Palatine and his Chancellor Mückenhäuser knew a godless wretche of this name who dwelte at Ketsch, and therefore whenn they returned home they inquired of ye fatt Enderle and of the tyme of his deathe, and observed that itt agreed withe the tyme whenn they did heare the crye upon ye sea, as Weyland, a Professor of Heidelberg; hath narrated in divers wrytings which hee left behinde.'
The translator has endeavoured to give this version of the extract from Merian in English corresponding to the style of the original old German.
Jetzt weicht, jetzt flieht! Jetzt weicht, jetzt flieht
Mit Zittern und Zähnegefletsch:
Jetzt weicht, jetzt flieht! Wir singen das Lied
Vom Enderle von Ketsch!
CHORUS.
'Away--along! Away--along!
With, trembling, your jaws on the stretch.
Away--along! We sing the song
Of Enderle von Ketsch!
SOLO.
Ott Heinrich the Pfalzgrave of Rhine--oh!