the hour of one
`` The German and French students hear them with different ears . The old struggles of Alsace and Romaine come back to memory . They recall the fact that the city was once saved by a heroic watchman , who confused the enemy by causing the bells to strike the wrong hour . To continue the memory of this event , the great bell of Basel during the Middle Ages was made to strike the hour of one at noonday . `` The bells of Speyer have an interesting legend . Henry IV . was one of the most unfortunate men who ever sat upon a throne .