different realities and reactions soon meet there. Then Matthias took a razor and cut the throat of Heinrich. Matthias then took the crucifix, the books, and the razor and walked into the village where he proclaimed that he had helped his brother to go to heaven and would soon join him there. However, in gaol he regretted murdering his brother and his joy changed into sorrow, tears, and silence.512 The murder scene in the wood, as described by Matthias, has many similarities with the image of a successful execution. In Philippsburg in 1839 Georg Bühler wanted to die. He killed his three children and went to the town hall to inform about what he had done. Before he killed himself, if that was what he wanted, he was however deprived of his knife. The courts came to see him as not responsible because his crime was the result of being deeply depressed and therefore released him.513 From many German states we have heard from just a few, and one, Prussia, is given more than half of the space here. Probably much more could be found and discussed, but the Prussian situation is well worth studying. Especially some of its legislation is both significant and extreme. It seems also to contain the version of Enlightenment of Friedrich II. From a Prussia where Christianity and salvation were important also for the state the volte-face is clear. Pastoral care, if not denied outright, was to be invisible. The Württemberg view of the, compared to Prussia milder, legislation of Hamburg suggests that major difference existed in Germany, maybe partly in a north-south divide. 512 Chevalier 1837 p 288 sqq. 513 Lagus 1862 p 22 sqq. 146
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