Stay at Pforzheim--Margrave Ernest--My extreme Penury at Worms,
followed by great Plenty at a Receiver's of the Order of St. John--I do
not lengthen this Summary, seeing that but for my Respect for the
Truth, I would willingly pass over many Episodes in Silence
My brother accompanied me as far as Rheinhausen. From thence I got to
Bruchsall, the residence of the Bishop of Spires, then to Heidelsheim,
Brettheim, and at last to _patria Philippi_, Pforzheim. I entered upon
my duties at the Chancellerie on June 24, 1544. My brother Johannes
went with his master to the baths of Zell, where he met with an
honourable, young, and good-looking girl from Esslingen. The young
girl's guardian and her kinsfolk (licentiates, the syndic of Esslingen,
and other notables) allowed the couple to plight their troth, subject
to the consent of our parents. It was agreed that my brother should
proceed to Italy to get his doctor's degree, that he should get married
on his return, and take his wife with him to Pomerania. Johannes asked
me to go to Esslingen to see the young girl and her family; her birth,
character and dowry left nothing to desire. We wrote home each on his
side; my parents opposed a categorical refusal. After that I never saw
my brother really in good spirits. The young girl married a wealthy
goldsmith of Strasburg. When my mother informed us that she and her
husband gave their consent, it was, alas, too late. Poor Johannes,
undermined by regret, was visibly wasting away.
Pforzheim is not a large place, and it has only one church. The
town lies in a hollow amidst smiling plains, watered by a clear,
health-giving stream, swarming with delicate fish. It is a charming
place in the summer. The neighbouring lofty mountains are covered with
dense, almost impenetrable forests full of game. Though lying in a
valley, the castle commands the town. There are among the population a
great many learned, modest, pleasant and well brought-up men. All the
necessities of life, both in good and bad health, are at hand:
apothecaries, barbers, innkeepers, artisans, etc.; in addition to these
there are the canticles and sermons of the Evangelical religion. The
life at court was conducted on economical principles, but on a very
decent footing, however, and without the slightest attempt at parsimony
unworthy of a prince. Yet the difference between their usages and those
of Pomerania was great. The meals consisted of meat, fish, vegetables,
dried figs, oatmeal porridge, cabbages and a fair ration of bread, and
in a pewter goblet some ordinary wine, unfortunately in insufficient
quantity, especially in summer. The counsellors were, however, served a
second time. There was always plenty of work; there was a secretary of
seventy, and a chancellor not much his junior, and the most morose of
all doctors of law.
In 1545 Margrave Ernest concluded a pact of succession with his
nephews; the negotiations were only waiting for an exchange of deeds. I
was entrusted with the engrossing of one copy. The text was so long
that it would scarcely hold on one skin of parchment; it was,
therefore, necessary to write very close and small. I was rather
frightened, for the chancellor was difficult to please; one might
scrape and scratch till the erasure was invisible; he would light a
candle in plain daylight, hold the deed before the flame, find out the
flaw, and tear up the document while giving a strong reprimand.
I had been working at that copy for forty-eight hours, when all of a
sudden an omission of at least a line struck me all at once. I had
never been in such an awkward position in my life. I might count on
several days' imprisonment; the only thing that could save me was a
stratagem. The castle was on the heights, the chancellerie at the foot
of them in the town itself. When the bugle sounded for dinner I stopped
behind till everybody was gone; then in the twinkling of an eye I got
hold of a cat, dipped its tail into the ink, and let it loose on the
skin of parchment; the deed was all smeared over, the marks of the
animals feet as distinct as possible. I shut it up and went to my meal.
When it was over I let my colleagues go first; as they opened the door
the cat flew at them, and on the table they caught sight of its latest
masterpiece. At that moment I entered, and they showed me the disaster,
explaining at the same time how the cat "went" for them. Naturally I
played at being in despair, equally naturally they all tried to comfort
me, and thus I came with flying colours out of what threatened to be an
ugly scrape.
Whenever a condemned man was led to execution, Margrave Ernest made him
come to him in order to reconcile himself with him. After having asked
pardon of him for his compulsory sternness, he recommended him to show
himself firm and bold, the blood of Jesus Christ having been shed not
in order to save the righteous, but the unjust. Then he shook hands
with him, and the wretched man was led away.
The Margrave had his apartments right over the principal entrance of
the castle, so as to see everybody that came in or went out. One day he
caught sight of the head cook taking away such a magnificent carp that
its tail showed from under his cloak. "Just listen," exclaimed His
Highness; "the next time you rob me, either take a carp less big or a
longer cloak." While they were putting wine in his Highness's cellar,
two cooks who were going into the town passed by; one had a couple of
capons stuffed away in his belt. The Margrave called them to lend a
hand, and wishing to be quick they flung off their cloaks. The scamp
was not thinking about the birds, which began to peck at his arms while
he was pulling the rope; thereupon they called all the serving wenches
out to enjoy the spectacle. There is no need to add that they were the
laughingstock of them all.
As there was to be a diet at Worms, I was anxious to have an interview
with my brother. In order to save time I hired a trotter, which carried
me in a day to Spires, and back the next morning to Pforzheim. The
return journey, though, nearly cost me my life. I was leaving the hotel
of Brettheim when I was hailed by a horseman coming out of another inn.
"Whither are you going?" he asked. "To Pforzheim." "That's capital;
that's my road; we'll ride together." A mile farther on a side path of
which I knew enabled us to cut across the country, but at its other end
they had put down four poles. Instead of turning back I urged my horse,
which at first puts a forepaw betwixt the poles; it does not free
itself in time, gets its hind leg in the wrong place, and finally falls
on its left side. My companion shouts to me to catch hold of the
animal's head to prevent its moving; then he jumps down himself,
unbridles and unharnesses my mount, and after having told me to leave
go its head, starts it with a smart stroke of his riding whip, while I
am on the ground seated in my saddle, and with one spur caught in the
belly-band. Had I been alone and without Divine help, I should have
been dragged along and dashed to pieces. When all danger was over,
the horseman told me that our roads parted on that spot. In vain
did I remind him of his intention to go to Pforzheim; he wished me
good-night, recommending me to the care of God and all His angels. I
was anxious to offer him a finger's breadth of wine at the next inn; he
declined my offer, on the pretext that its acceptance would cause too
great a delay. I shall never cease to believe that my saviour was a
holy angel.
Johannes approved of my intention to leave Pforzheim for Worms, where
the diet would most probably proceed with the reconstitution of the
Imperial Chamber. Then would be the right moment to return to Spires.
The Margrave when I left, sent me half a golden florin, besides a court
dress.
All at once there grew under my right nostril a pustule as big as a
grain of barley; I punctured it frequently, and there came more blood
from it than one could have imagined, but the kind of tumour did not
disappear, not even when the surgeon whom I consulted cut it. It kept
growing again, so, in order to destroy its root, as he said, he rubbed
it with what I suppose was _aqua fortis_, for it caused me a horrible
pain. I suffered most when going to Spires, owing to the cold and the
wind; my nose swelled enormously.
On April 17 my brother accompanied me to Huetten, a mile and a half
distant from Spires. There we parted, weeping bitterly; we had a
presentiment that we should never see each other again, or even write.
Next morning Johannes started for Italy.
His Imperial Majesty being detained in the Netherlands with gout, the
king of the Romans opened the diet of Worms on March 24, 1545. Only a
small number of princes came, so the emperor, when he arrived,
prorogued the diet until the next year.
The spiteful, impious and fiendish wife of Procurator Engelhardt had
made my life at Spires a misery, but at Worms I suffered hunger and
thirst and all the wretchedness of downright distress. I wish this to
be remembered not only by my children, but by all those who happen to
read me. I carried the whole of my belongings upon me, namely: the
court dress given to me at Pforzheim, two shirts, a sword with a silver
tip to its sheath, and the six florins the Margrave had sent me, the
whole constituting but a scant provision. The absence of the Emperor
interfered with my livelihood; there was little work to do for
copyists, and under those unfavourable conditions I stayed for twelve
weeks. A canon, brother to Johannes' employer, gave me shelter during
the first fortnight, after which he left for Mayence. The envoy of the
dukes of Pomerania, Maurice Domitz, captain of Ukermuende, who knew my
family very well, put, it is true, his purse at my disposal, knowing as
he did that he would be reimbursed at Stralsund; the syndic of Lubeck
was also at Worms with Franz von Sitten, my Rostock chum; neither the
one nor the other would have refused to do me a service; borrowing
meant, however, imposing new sacrifices upon my parents, so I preferred
to suffer privation.
My nose caused me severe pain for a long while; when it gave me some
respite, my mornings and afternoons were spent in walks, either with my
countrymen from Mecklenburg, Pomerania or Lubeck, or with the friends I
had made in Worms. Nobody had any idea of my being as poor as I was. At
the dinner hour, when everybody repaired to the inn, I bought a
pfenning's worth of bread, and the public fountain supplied the drink
gratis; it was very rare that I took a little soup with a piece of meat
as big as an egg in it, at the eating house. The owner of the
establishment allowed me, in consideration of a kreutzer, to spend the
night on a wooden seat; a bed would have cost half a batz (a batz was
equal to about a penny of those days), and the wooden seat seemed
preferable, inasmuch as I had sufficient "live stock" of my own,
without picking up that of others. I sold the silver tip of my sword
sheath, an iron tip as it seemed to me, to meet all my requirements. I
subsequently disposed of one of my two shirts for what it would fetch;
the six florins had melted away, and I wanted the wherewithal to buy
dry bread. When my remaining shirt was dirty I went to wash it in the
Rhine, and waited in the sun while it was drying; all this was so much
money saved, no cost of laundry, soap, ironing or pleating.
My small clothes fell on my heels; I myself could no longer repair
them. The "snip" at Worms would have asked not less than a batz; at
Spires, on the other hand, it would have been done for half the price.
So I made up my mind to go to Spires. I only reached the outer
fortifications after the closing of the gates. Dying with hunger,
thirst and fatigue, I lay down in the moat where I almost perished with
cold. Next morning, at the tailor's, after having undressed, I sat
huddled up all the while he was mending my clothes. I went back to
Worms at a "double quick," having done twelve miles to save half a
batz.
The constant want of nourishment had made me weak, and with my blood in
a bad state, incapable of holding a pen if I had found any copying to
do. My distress was at its worst when one of my kindest acquaintances
the secretary of the Bishop of Strasburg, informed me that being in
need of a writer, he was going to recommend me to his master, but the
prelate said no because Pomeranians professed the Evangelical religion.
Finally, through the good offices of the secretary of the Order of St.
John, the chancellor succeeded in getting me a place at the receiver's
of the said order. Great indeed, was the deliverance, and joy reigned
in my heart instead of despondency. It was only later on that my eyes
were opened to the dangers of my new condition.
On July 9, 1545, then, Christopher von Loewenstein, receiver of the
Order of St. John for Lower and Upper Germany (he had been present at
the taking of Rhodes by the Turks), engaged my services as a scribe. He
promised me a complete dress and boots, such as his other servants
received, but he did not stipulate the amount of my salary; he gave me
to understand, though, that I should have no reason to grumble.
The function of receiver consisted in collecting the revenues of the
various commanderies on account of the knights of Rhodes actually at
Malta. At the demise of a commander, the receiver takes possession of
the property of the defunct, and despatches it with the ordinary
interest by means of bills of exchange to the Grand Master of the
Order, who at that time was a Frankish gentleman, Don Jean de Homedes.
The Grand Master confers for life the vacant benefice upon this or that
knight who has distinguished himself before the enemy. The right of
installing the new commander belongs to the receiver, who derives
enormous profits from his office.
My master had, moreover, seven commanderies of his own; he was,
therefore, perfectly justified in having eight horses in his stable
like a great noble. He gave me the money to take the coach to
Oppenheim, whence I was to proceed by water to Mayence, where he
himself was to make a stay of several days. Mayence, Frankfurt and
Niederweisel were the three commanderies which most often required his
personal attention.
Niederweisel is an imperial town of the Wetterau, between Butzbach and
Fribourg. Herr von Loewenstein spent the greater part of the year in a
magnificent dwelling, replete with every imaginable comfort; spacious
dwellings kept in excellent condition had been erected around a vast
court; granges, stables, riding school, brewery and bakery, kitchens,
atop of which were the refectory and the servants' quarters; at one
end of the court the master himself occupied a handsome room and
dressing-room, affording an uninterrupted view of the whole. A deep
moat crossed by a drawbridge ran round the structure. And I, after
having wanted the strictly necessary at Worms, found myself suddenly
wading in plenty. The effect of the abrupt change of fortune may easily
be imagined.
Though short in height, my master had won his benefices by his bravery
at the siege of Rhodes. In his riper age he remained the soldier he had
been in his youth. Daily feasting, succulent cheer, washed down by
copious libations--a numerous company always around him--his revenues
enabled him to lead that kind of expensive existence. The commandery
being on the high road, landsknecht and horseman, sure of liberal
entertainment, regularly made a halt there; the neighbours themselves
were not more sparing with their visits; in short, gaming, feasting and
drinking took up all the time.
The commander had practically a concubine under his own roof. He chose
her with an eye to beauty, dressed and adorned her according to his
means; when he wished a little more freedom, he married her to one of
his equerries, gave her a home at Butzbach, and provided her against
want. Butzbach being within a stone's throw of Niederweisel, he
reserved to himself the option of seeing her when he liked. In my time,
he lived with Marie Koenigstein, the daughter of the defunct town clerk
of Mayence; she was, moreover, his god-daughter, and by her father's
will his ward. Beauty, education, excellent manners, kindliness: all
these and many other qualities were hers. Why had she not met with a
more staid and sober guardian? She was about eighteen, when one fine
day the commander came to Mayence in a closed carriage, sent for the
young girl, told her to get in for a few moments and drove her as fast
as the horses would carry them to Neiderweisel. So effectually did he
hide her that for seven or eight weeks her brothers and relations did
not know what had become of her. Finally, by dint of gifts, the
commander succeeded in mollifying the brother, whom he sent to the
Grand Master of the Order. As for Marie, she had everything she could
wish for in the matter of silken gowns, gold-embroidered cuffs and
sable furs.
I was lucky enough to find favour with the commander. Every
peasant-tenant of the seven commanderies held his homestead on a lease;
and I had a crown for each renewal. I wore a dress like that of the
equerries. Madame Marie looked to my shirts, handkerchiefs and
night-caps and kept them in good condition. A nice well furnished room,
close to the drawbridge did duty both as a bedchamber and study. I had
my meals at the commander's board with his guests, Marie, the chaplain
and the three equerries. Well fitting clothes, a sword with a silver
sheath-tip, and a golden ring on my little finger contributed greatly
to transform me into a young gallant; my pitiful figure of Worms was
completely transformed; I improved physically and found favour in the
eyes of the fair.
As for my duties, they were not very heavy; the only commanderies that
gave us trouble now and again were those of the Landgrave of Hesse;
they grudgingly settled their dues in consequence of the antipathy of
the landgrave, for my master, who did not worry himself much about
religious matters, was neither a papist nor a Lutheran, only Knight of
the Order. The intrigues of the court compelled Herr von Loewenstein,
therefore, to summon the Hessian commanderies before the tribunals; and
the results, as far as I was concerned, were frequent journeys to
Cassel and to the chancellerie of Marburg.
The commander had a rich collection of bits, bridles, saddles and
saddle-cloths; he kept three equerries, though only one bore that
title; the stable held seven or eight young stallions from Friesland
that had been bought at the Frankfort fair. When the commander went out
on horseback, a frequent occurrence, I accompanied him with the
equerries; he made us change our mounts each time and entrusted us with
horses costing between sixty and seventy, while he himself only rode an
indifferent cob not worth half-a-score of florins. His horses were all
of the same colour; when he grew tired of that colour he sold the
cattle at half-price or gave them away, just to get rid of them. On one
occasion he fancied a good ambling animal; he had happened to meet with
a dappled grey, strong, clean-limbed and a capital pacer. It was valued
at a hundred crowns; he, however, soon afterwards offered it to the
Elector of Mayence who was very anxious for it and reserved it for his
personal use.
The commander kept a fool of about eighteen, but who had been downright
mad from the day of his birth. On one occasion the fellow entered his
master's room and told him that he had been embracing the cowherd's
daughter in the shed. He spoke out plainly without the least disguise.
"After dinner, we mean to begin again in the same spot," he added.
"Beware of St. Valentine's evil," said the commander. "Yes, sir, at the
stroke of twelve, at the grange; your Grace will be able to bear
witness to it." The commander hurried up and arrived _opere operato_.
He sent to Friburg for the operator and signified his sentence to the
fool who kicked against it. The commander, however, promised him a pair
of crimson boots. "True, will your Grace give me your hand on the
promise?" said the idiot. The commander gave him his hand; thereupon
the fool exclaimed: "Come, Master Johannes, make haste." The operator
stretched him on a bench, where the other servants kept him motionless,
for at the first cut of the razor he began to resist. Master Johannes
proceeded quickly and surely.[31] ... The patient remained for nine
days on his back on a narrow couch, bound hand and foot so that he
could not move an inch. The commander had given instructions to treat
him with every care.
Master Johannes very soon deemed the fool sufficiently recovered to get
rid of him, but at the commander's wish he kept him for some time
longer in his room to the great annoyance of Master Johannes' young and
good-looking wife; the latter had a strong objection to the fool's
telling all sorts of tales about herself and her husband, on whose
doings he spied night and day. He became a great nuisance, for in spite
of his operation he grew fat and saucy, and at the death of the
Commander, Landgrave Philippe sent for him to come to Cassel.
The chaplain was a fine specimen of the young debauchee. Instead of
preaching the pure doctrine of Luther he performed mass twice a week in
the chapel of the commandery. To get to the chapel he had to go through
the servants' refectory just at breakfast time. He simply sat down, got
hold of a spoon and dipped it into the soup. "Master Johannes," said
we, "you know it is forbidden to eat before the mass?" "Nonsense," he
replied; "the Saviour gets through bolts and locks; the soup won't stop
him."
Herr von Loewenstein owned an old ape, a strong customer, who could get
into formidable passions. The animal, which was kept on a chain, would
only allow its master, the baker and myself, to come near it. Most
dangerous was it when showing its teeth, as if laughing. When I sat
down within its reach, I dared not get up without its leave; perched on
my shoulder, it amused itself by scratching my head, and I had to wait
till it got tired; then I shook hands with it and I was allowed to go.
One day a landsknecht, a handsome, well built fellow, tempted by the
prospect of a good meal, came into the commandery. He carried a
javelin, and the ape, who unfortunately was free of his chain, jumped
at him, and after having wrenched the weapon from him, bit him in
several places that it was most pitiful to see; after which it crossed
the moat, climbed to its master's window, opened it, and made its way
into the room. With one glance the commander perceived that the animal
was in a rage; he endeavoured to soothe it with kindly words. It so
happened that a silver dagger was lying near the window sill; our ape
ties it round its waist; thereupon the commander gently draws the
weapon from its sheath, plunges it into the animal, and notwithstanding
its bites, holds it pinned down until the breath is out of it. There is
no denying that an ape is a terrible creature when it gets on in years
and grows big.
After the harvest our master wished to go partridge-hawking, for
his hawks were well trained. As his dapple-grey was being brought
round--the one that ambled so capitally--the unexpected visit of
several strange horsemen interrupted the party; the commander gave me
his hawk, telling me to go without him. Just as I am getting my right
leg over the saddle the bird beat its wings, the horse frightened, gets
out of hand of the groom, and I am caught in the stirrup; more
concerned for the hawk than for my safety, I drop backward, the horse
continues to plunge, drags me along, kicking me all the while, the
commander and his frightened guests looking powerlessly on. Luckily my
shoe and my left hose give way and stick to the stirrup, while I am
left on the ground, with nothing more serious, though, than a couple of
swollen limbs. Nevertheless, on that day I had a very narrow escape
from death.
The Elector of Saxony and the Landgrave of Hesse constantly raising
levies against the Duke of Brunswick, the commandery swarmed with
colonels and captains.[32] They offered me the post of secretary; the
arrangement was, in fact, concluded, but I did not wish to go except
with the consent of the commander. He granted me my leave, though
giving me to understand that I should not expect to return to his
service after the war. And inasmuch as the war was to be a short one,
the warning gave me food for reflection. The winter was coming on; I
certainly had no wish for a repetition of my privations at Worms. I
remained, for the following lines recurred to my memory:
_Si qua sede sedes, et erat tibi commoda sedes
Illa sede sede, nec ab illa sede recede_.
Several companies of landsknechten were reviewed; and nothing could
have been more diverting than to watch the inspector examine the
weapons and the shape of the men, their dress and their gait. He made
them march past him rather twice than once. How each man tried to hide
his shortcomings, and how those who were "passed" as fit blew
themselves, and swaggered and talked loud and boastfully like the
hirelings they were. The war came to an end on October 21, with the
capture of Duke Henry of Brunswick and his son, Charles Victor; his
second son, Philippe, hastened to Rome to ask for help of the pope.
At the autumn fair Herr von Loewenstein took up his quarters at
Frankfurt with the whole of his household for six weeks. My old chum,
Franz von Stiten, coming across me once more, I told him everything
about my position, and when I had given him the address of the House of
the Knights of St. John, he arranged to come and pay me a visit one
morning before the commander was stirring. And, in fact, he came, and
had a long conversation with Marie, to whom he gave particulars about
my parents, birth, and family circumstances. The information still
further disposed the damsel in my favour; in short, I am bound to
confess that I lost all claim to the meritorious reputation of Joseph
the chaste. Since then I have acknowledged my sin to the Almighty, and
I have sufficiently expiated it during my journey to Rome to count upon
my pardon; besides, amidst the privations, dangers and trials which I
am about to relate, however just the punishment may have been, the
Divine mercy has never failed me, sending me protection and deliverance
as it did in its admirable ways.
While my master drank and gamed with his guests (he was rarely alone,
and in Frankfurt less than elsewhere) I read, in the quietude of my own
room, the _Institutes_, which I nearly always carried about with me. In
vain did Herr von Loewenstein tell me again and again not to expect to
become a doctor of law while I was with him. I did not fear any
opposition from that quarter.
In February 1546 my master having been summoned to Spires, the habitual
residence of the superior of the Order for Germany, only left Marie and
myself behind at Mayence. A letter from my parents, telling me of the
death of my brother in Rome, made me decide upon my journey to Rome.
There was not the slightest trace left of the sufferings I had
undergone at Worms; my health was excellent, I had a well-stocked
wardrobe, and my purse was fairly lined. On the other hand, the loose
morals of the Knights of St. John were calculated to take me to hell
rather than to heaven; the money earned in such a service could not
bring luck; it was better to spend it on the high roads, and to cut
myself adrift from such a reprehensible mode of life. Undoubtedly the
time had come. Besides, it was absolutely necessary to ascertain the
circumstances of my brother's death; I knew the sum of money he had
with him, and the idea of his having spent it in so short a time was
inadmissible. I told my reasons, though not all, to Marie; we parted on
the most amicable footing. In the letter she gave me for the commander,
she informed him of the sum she had given me at my departure, leaving
it to him to increase it. Herr von Loewenstein wished me happiness and
luck, and advised me, if I valued my life, to abstain in Italy, but
above all in Rome, from all theological controversy; finally, he added
a double ducat to Marie's gift. From Spires I went a little out of my
way to see my friends at Pforzheim; after having said goodbye to them I
began my long journey, alone and on foot, under the holy safeguard of
the Almighty.