PLATTDEUTSCH. 106 PLATTSBUBG. old German ballads, as it is writtcu partly in this dialect. Tlic most noted prose document of the Middle Low Saxon is the Unchscnspirf/cl,^ a compilation of .Saxon coninion law, made by Eyke von Kcpe- cliowe between 1224 and 1230, and which became the model for law books in other parts of Ger- many. From 1350 through the fifteenth century there is an extensive Low German literature, which is mainly religious in character, consisting largely of legends of tlic Church and coHections of hyinns. Among seeuhir poems may be men- tioned liciiicke do- Vo.i ( Liibeek, 1498) and Flore uml lilniih-fUir. About the middle of the seven- teentli century Low Saxon ceased to be a literary language, the' last Low Saxon Bible appearing at Goslar in 1021. In modern times what little literature has appeared has been of a decidedly dialectical character. Especially prominent are Fritz Renter (q.v.), best known for liis humor- ous novel Ct mine Slromlid and the poem llanne Xiite; and Klaus Grotli (q.v.), a writer of lyric poems, as the Quichhoni. Consult: Heyne. KIcine altsUchsische nnd aU- mederfriinkisclte (Jrammatih (Paderborn, 1873) ; Gallec, Altsijchsisehe (Jraiiimatik (Halle. 1801) ; Schliiter, Untersuchungen ziir Gcsehiehic dcr altsiichsischen Sprachc (Gijttingen, 1802) : Holt- hausen. Allsuchsisches Elemeiitarbuch (Heidel- berg. 1800) ; Schnicllcr, Olosnarium SnxDiiicum (^Munich. 1S40) : Kilgcl and Brukner, "(Jescbiehte der althoch- und altniedcrdeutsehcn Litteratur," in Paul, Grundriss der gcrmanischen Philolor/ie, vol. i. (2d ed., Strassburg, 1897 et seq.) : Liib- bcn, il it telniederdeutschedrammatik mit Chresto- mathie und Glossar (Leipzig, 1882): Schiller and Liibben. MittrlniederdetiischesWorterhiich (G vols., Bremen, 1871-81) ; Liibben and Walther, Mittclniedcrdeutsches 1] and imrt crhuch ( Xordcn, 188.")-S8) ; .Jcllingk, "•Mittelniederdeutsche Lit- teratur," in Paul. vol. ii. (see above) ; Kriiger, Uebersicht dcr hrutigcn phtttdeutschcn t<prachc (Enden, 1843) ; Jlarahrcns, Grammatik dfr platldeulsclwn Sprachc (Altona, 18.58) ; Wiggers, Grammatik der plait deutschen Sprachc (2d ed., Hamburg, 1858) ; Eschenhagen, Ziir phttt- deutschcn Sprachc (Berlin, 1800) ; Gilow, Lcit- faden ztir plattdcutschcn Sprachc (Anklam, 1868) ; Daunehl, Ucber die nicdcrdciitsehe Sprachc und Litteratur (Berlin, 1875) : Zelling- haus. Zur Einteilung dir niederdcutschen Mund- arten (Kiel, 1884) : Giidertz. Das niederdeutsche Schauspiel (Hamburg, 1894) ; ilentz, liiblio- graphie der deutschen Mundartenforschung (ib., 1892) ; Jahrbuch des Vereins fiir niederdeutsche Sprnchforschung (Leipzig, 1875 et seq.). PLATTE, or Nebraska. The principal river in Nebraska, and one of the largest tributaries of the Missouri. It is formed by the North and South Platte Rivers, which rise in the Rocky Mountains, and unite in Lincoln County. Neb. (Map: Nebraska, O 2). The North Platte has its source in northern Colorado, flows north into Wyoming, and then southeast into Nebraska. The South Platte rises in central Colorado, and flows northeastward to the junction. From there the main river flows eastward in two large curves through a broad and fertile alluvial bottom, en- tering the Missouri at Plattsmoutb. 17 miles south of Omaha. Its total length, including the North Platte, is about 900 miles, but, althouah the main river is more than half a mile wide it is quite too shallow to be suited for navigation. The .South Platte is extensively used for irrigat- ing purposes. PLATTENSEE, plat'tcn-za. The largest lake of liunguiy. See Balaton, Lake. PLATTEE, plat'ter, Thomas (1490-1582). A .Swiss jirinter. scholar, and educator, boni at Griichcn, near N'isp, He was a goat lienler in his boyhood: then, getting a little learning frcmi a priest, saw Germany as a traveling scholar; and, returning to Switzerland, studied under My- conius at Zurich, His devotion to Zwingli spurred him to the study of Greek and Hebrew. At Basel he learned the rope-maker's trade, and worked at it at the same lime that he was pro- fessor of Hebrew, His greatest claim to fanii' rests on his autobiography, written at his son's request in fourteen days, when the father was seventy-three. It gives a remarkable picture of the times, which is su]iplemented by that <if his .son, Felix Platteb ( 153ti-l(J14), a doctor of medicine and instructor at Basel. The two biographies are edited by Heman (Gutersloh, 1882), Consult Boos, Thomas und Felix I'lullvr (Leipzig, 1878). PLATTE'VILLE. A city in Grant County, Wis.. 135 miles west li.v south of Milwaukee: on the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul and the Chicago and Northwestern railroads (Jlap: Wis- consin, CO). It is the seat of a State normal school with a library of 5700 volumes. The sur- rounding country is largely agricultural, but possesses important lead-mining interests. In the city are manufactories of wagons, creamery products, beer, cigars, etc. The water-works aie owned bv the municipalitv. Platteville was set- tled in 1827. Population.'in 1890. 2740; in 1000. 3340, PLATTS'BXJRG. A village and the county- seat of Clinton County, N. Y„ 167 miles north by east of Albany; on Lake Charaplain, at the mouth of the Saranae River, and on the Dela- ware and Hudson and the Chateaugay railroads (Map: New York, G 1). It is picturesquely situ- ated on Cumberland Bay. which afl'ords a fine harbor, and is an attractive resort, as well as the centre of a large territory popular in summer. Plattsburg is the seat of a State Normal and Training School, and has a public library and four other libraries. The Plattsburg Barracks (q.v.) are among the largest in the LTnited States. There are also to be mentioned the Federal Gov- ernment building, the court-house and jail, and homes for aged women and the friendless. The Catholic Summer School of America (q.v.) con- venes at Cliff Haven, two miles south of the vil- lage. Plattsburg is a port of entry for the Champlain customs district, the trade of which in 1901 comprised exjiorts valued at $7,714,000 and imports to the amount of .$3,7fi3,000. It controls extensive lumlier interests, and among its industrial establishments are lumber mills, wood ]iulp mills, foundries and machine shops, flouring and woolen mills, a manufactory of sewing machines, etc. The various industries, in the census year of 1900, represented a total capital of .$2,210,000, and had products valued at $1,455,000, The water-works are owned and operate<l bv the municipalitv. Population, in 1890, 7010:" in 1900, 8434, Plattsburg was settled in 1784 by a company from Poughkeepsie and Long Island headed by Zejihaniah Piatt and was incorporated in the fol-
