Now, however, when the messenger returned, and Duke Ernst had heard the verdict, the popular leader declared: “Now we are in God's hands, and we ask Him to grant us that we take our revenge on the faithless wretch whose fault it is that I have to endure all this pain and suffering. I have never posed any threat of damage to the state. I promise you that the count will pay for lies and slander that he has used to alienate me from my dearly loved emperor, whom I have always honored with complete loyalty, and his sorrows were always my sorrows, too.” The confident warrior went on: “I am forced now to think of attack. I shall be happy if I can redeem myself with honor. God knows the truth, that I did not throw away the favor of the emperor by some foolish action. He has now given free rein to his anger with me, but he should hear and be well aware, whether he likes it or not, that I propose to remain for the time being here in his empire with him, unless prevented by some complete disaster, sickness, poverty, or death—things like that can always happen. I have plenty of valiant fighters who will not let me be driven out while there is breath in their bodies, so that I can put up a resistance. There is also no question,” continued the brave warrior, “that he might take away the lands that have come down to me by right of birth. He has no feudal justification in that respect.”

The emperor was holding court at Speyer in the palatinate. When the duke was told of this, he thought: “I have to go there regardless of any danger to myself. I must cross the Rhine and get to my enemies, the ones who have done me so much harm.” And so he selected two of his vassals, men in whose bravery he was completely confident, and rode off with them. When they had crossed the Rhine, he explained to his two companions what he had in mind and wanted to do.