_Of the first trial, and what came thereof._
Next morning, as I walked up and down in the court, seeing that I
had many times asked the constable in vain to lead me to my child
(he would not even tell me where she lay), and for very
disquietude I had at last begun to wander about there; about six
o'clock there came a coach from Uzdom, [Footnote: Or Usedom, a
small town which gives its name to the whole island.] wherein sat
his worship, Master Samuel Pieper, _consul dirigens_,
_item_, the _camerarius_ Gebhard Wenzel, and a
_scriba_, whose name, indeed, I heard, but have forgotten it
again; and my daughter forgot it too, albeit in other things she
has an excellent memory, and, indeed, told me most of what
follows, for my old head well-nigh burst, so that I myself could
remember but little. I straightway went up to the coach, and
begged that the worshipful court would suffer me to be present at
the trial, seeing that my daughter was yet in her nonage, but
which the sheriff, who meanwhile had stepped up to the coach from
the terrace, whence he had seen all, had denied me. But his
worship Master Samuel Pieper, who was a little round man, with a
fat paunch, and a beard mingled with grey hanging down to his
middle, reached me his hand, and condoled with me like a Christian
in my trouble: I might come into court in God's name; and he
wished with all his heart that all whereof my daughter was fyled
might prove to be foul lies. Nevertheless I had still to wait full
two hours before their worships came down the winding stair again.
At last towards nine o'clock I heard the constable moving about
the chairs and benches in the judgment chamber; and as I conceived
that the time was now come, I went in and sat myself down on a
bench. No one, however, was yet there, save the constable and his
young daughter, who was wiping the table, and held a rosebud
between her lips. I was fain to beg her to give it me, so that I
might have it to smell to; and I believe that I should have been
carried dead out of the room that day if I had not had it. God is
thus able to preserve our lives even by means of a poor flower, if
so He wills it!
At length their worships came in and sat round the table,
whereupon _Dom. Consul_ motioned the constable to fetch in my
child. Meanwhile he asked the sheriff whether he had put
_Rea_ in chains, and when he said No, he gave him such a
reprimand that it went through my very marrow. But the sheriff
excused himself, saying that he had not done so from regard to her
quality, but had locked her up in so fast a dungeon, that she
could not possibly escape therefrom. Whereupon _Dom. Consul_
answered that much is possible to the devil, and that they would
have to answer for it should _Rea_ escape. This angered the
sheriff, and he replied that if the devil could convey her through
walls seven feet thick, and through three doors, he could very
easily break her chains too. Whereupon _Dom. Consul_ said
that hereafter he would look at the prison himself; and I think
that the sheriff had been so kind only because he yet hoped (as,
indeed, will hereafter be shown) to talk over my daughter to let
him have his will of her.
And now the door opened, and my poor child came in with the
constable, but walking backwards, [Footnote: This ridiculous
proceeding always took place at the first examination of a witch,
as it was imagined that she would otherwise bewitch the judges
with her looks. On this occasion indeed such an event was not
unlikely.] and without her shoes, the which she was forced to
leave without. The fellow had seized her by her long hair, and
thus dragged her up to the table, when first she was to turn round
and look upon her judges. He had a vast deal to say in the matter,
and was in every way a bold and impudent rogue, as will soon be
shown. After _Dom. Consul_ had heaved a deep sigh, and gazed
at her from head to foot, he first asked her her name, and how old
she was; _item_, if she knew why she was summoned before
them? On the last point she answered that the sheriff had already
told her father the reason; that she wished not to wrong any one,
but thought that the sheriff himself had brought upon her the
repute of a witch, in order to gain her to his wicked will.
Hereupon she told all his ways with her, from the very first, and
how he would by all means have had her for his housekeeper; and
that when she would not (although he had many times come himself
to her father his house), one day, as he went out of the door, he
had muttered in his beard, "I will have her, despite of all!"
which their servant Claus Neels had heard, as he stood in the
stable; and he had also sought to gain his ends by means of an
ungodly woman, one Lizzie Kolken, who had formerly been in his
service; that this woman, belike, had contrived the spells which
they laid to her charge: she herself knew nothing of witchcraft;
_item_, she related what the sheriff had done to her the
evening before, when she had just come, and when he for the first
time spoke out plainly, thinking that she was then altogether in
his power: nay, more, that he had come to her that very night
again, in her dungeon, and had made her the same offers, saying
that he would set her free if she would let him have his will of
her; and that when she denied him, he had struggled with her,
whereupon she had screamed aloud, and had scratched him across the
nose, as might yet be seen, whereupon he had left her; wherefore
she would not acknowledge the sheriff as her judge, and trusted in
God to save her from the hand of her enemies, as of old He had
saved the chaste Susannah.
When she now held her peace amid loud sobs, _Dom. Consul_
started up after he had looked, as we all did, at the sheriff's
nose, and had in truth espied the scar upon it, and cried out in
amaze, "Speak, for God His sake, speak, what is this that I hear
of your lordship?" Whereupon the sheriff, without changing colour,
answered, that although, indeed, he was not called upon to say
anything to their worships, seeing that he was the head of the
court, and that _Rea_, as appeared from numberless
_indicia_, was a wicked witch, and therefore could not bear
witness against him or any one else; he, nevertheless, would
speak, so as to give no cause of scandal to the court; that all
the charges brought against him by this person were foul lies; it
was, indeed, true, that he would have hired her for a housekeeper,
whereof he stood greatly in need, seeing that his old Dorothy was
already growing infirm; it was also true that he had yesterday
questioned her in private, hoping to get her to confess by fair
means, whereby her sentence would be softened, inasmuch as he had
pity on her great youth; but that he had not said one naughty word
to her, nor had he been to her in the night; and that it was his
little lap-dog, called Below, which had scratched him, while he
played with it that very morning; that his old Dorothy could bear
witness to this, and that the cunning witch had only made use of
this wile to divide the court against itself, thereby, and with
the devil's help, to gain her own advantage, inasmuch as she was a
most cunning creature, as the court would soon find out.
Hereupon I plucked up a heart, and declared that all my daughter
had said was true, and that the evening before I myself had heard,
through the door, how his lordship had made offers to her, and
would have done wantonness with her; _item_, that he had
already sought to kiss her once at Coserow; _item_, the
troubles which his lordship had formerly brought upon me in the
matter of the first-fruits.
Howbeit the sheriff presently talked me down, saying, that if I
had slandered him, an innocent man, in church, from the pulpit, as
the whole congregation could bear witness, I should doubtless find
it easy to do as much here, before the court; not to mention that
a father could, in no case, be a witness for his own child.
But _Dom. Consul_ seemed quite confounded, and was silent,
and leaned his head on the table, as in deep thought. Meanwhile
the impudent constable began to finger his beard from under his
arm; and _Dom. Consul_, thinking it was a fly, struck at him
with his hand, without even looking up; but when he felt the
constable his hand, he jumped up and asked him what he wanted?
whereupon the fellow answered, "Oh, only a louse was creeping
there, and I would have caught it."
At such impudence his worship was so exceeding wroth that he
struck the constable on the mouth, and ordered him, on pain of
heavy punishment, to leave the room.
Hereupon he turned to the sheriff, and cried angrily, "Why, in the
name of all the ten devils, is it thus your lordship keeps the
constable in order? and truly, in this whole matter there is
something which passes my understanding." But the sheriff
answered, "Not so; should you not understand it all when you think
upon the eels?"
Hereat _Dom. Consul_ of a sudden turned ghastly pale, and
began to tremble, as it appeared to me, and called the sheriff
aside into another chamber. I have never been able to learn what
that about the eels could mean.
Meanwhile _Dominus Camerarius_ Gebhard Wenzel sat biting his
pen and looking furiously--now at me, and now at my child, but
said not a word; neither did he answer _Scriba_, who often
whispered somewhat into his ear, save by a growl. At length both
their worships came back into the chamber together, and _Dom.
Consul_, after he and the sheriff had seated themselves, began
to reproach my poor child violently, saying that she had sought to
make a disturbance in the worshipful court; that his lordship had
shown him the very dog which had scratched his nose, and that,
moreover, the fact had been sworn to by the old housekeeper.
(Truly _she_ was not likely to betray him, for the old harlot
had lived with him for years, and she had a good big boy by him,
as will be seen hereafter.)
_Item_, he said that so many _indicia_ of her guilt had
come to light, that it was impossible to believe anything she
might say; she was therefore to give glory to God, and openly to
confess everything, so as to soften her punishment; whereby she
might perchance, in pity for her youth, escape with life, &c.
Hereupon he put his spectacles on his nose, and began to
cross-question her, during near four hours, from a paper which he
held in his hand. These were the main articles, as far as we both
can remember:
_Quæstio_. Whether she could bewitch?--_Responsio_. No;
she knew nothing of witchcraft.
_Q_. Whether she could charm?--_R_. Of that she knew as
little.
_Q_. Whether she had ever been on the Blocksberg?--_R_.
That was too far off for her; she knew few hills save the
Streckelberg, where she had been very often.
_Q_. What had she done there?--_R_. She had looked out
over the sea, or gathered flowers; _item_, at times carried
home an apronful of dry brushwood.
_Q_. Whether she had ever called upon the devil
there?--_R_. That had never come into her mind.
_Q_. Whether, then, the devil had appeared to her there,
uncalled?--R. God defend her from such a thing.
_Q_. So she could not bewitch?--_R_. No.
_Q_. What, then, befell Kit Zuter his spotted cow, that it
suddenly died in her presence?--_R_. She did not know; and
that was a strange question.
_Q_.. Then it would be as strange a question, why Katie Berow
her little pig had died?--_R_. Assuredly; she wondered what
they would lay to her charge.
_Q_. Then she had not bewitched them?--_R_. No; God
forbid it.
_Q_. Why, then, if she were innocent, had she promised old
Katie another little pig, when her sow should litter?--_R_.
She did that out of kind-heartedness. (And hereupon she began to
weep bitterly, and said she plainly saw that she had to thank old
Lizzie Kolken for all this, inasmuch as she had often threatened
her when she would not fulfil all her greedy desires, for she
wanted everything that came in her way; moreover, that Lizzie had
gone all about the village when the cattle were bewitched,
persuading the people that if only a pure maid pulled a few hairs
out of the beasts' tails they would get better. That she pitied
them, and knowing herself to be a maid, went to help them; and
indeed, at first it cured them, but latterly not.)
_Q_. What cattle had she cured?--_R_. Zabel his red cow;
_item_, Witthan her pig, and old Lizzie's own cow.
_Q_. Why could she afterwards cure them no more?--_R_.
She did not know, but thought-albeit she had no wish to fyle any
one--that old Lizzie Kolken, who for many a long year had been in
common repute as a witch, had done it all, and bewitched the cows
in her name and then charmed them back again, as she pleased, only
to bring her to misfortune.
_Q_. Why, then, had old Lizzie bewitched her own cow,
_item_, suffered her own pig to die, if it was she that had
made all the disturbance in the village, and could really
charm?--_R_. She did not know; but belike there was some one
(and here she looked at the sheriff) who paid her double for it
all.
_Q_. It was in vain that she sought to shift the guilt from
off herself; had she not bewitched old Paasch his crop, nay, even
her own father's, and caused it to be trodden down by the devil,
_item_, conjured all the caterpillars into her father's
orchard?--_R_. The question was almost as monstrous as the
deed would have been. There sat her father, and his worship might
ask him whether she ever had shown herself an undutiful child to
him. (Hereupon I would have risen to speak, but _Dom. Consul_
suffered me not to open my mouth, but went on with his
examination; whereupon I remained silent and downcast.)
_Q_. Whether she did likewise deny that it was through her
malice that the woman Witthan had given birth to a devil's imp,
which straightway started up and flew out at the window, so that
when the midwife sought for it it had disappeared?--_R_.
Truly she did; and indeed she had all the days of her life done
good to the people instead of harm, for during the terrible famine
she had often taken the bread out of her own mouth to share it
among the others, especially the little children. To this the
whole parish must needs bear witness, if they were asked; whereas
witches and warlocks always did evil and no good to men, as our
Lord Jesus taught (Matt. xii.), when the Pharisees blasphemed Him,
saying that He cast out devils by Beelzebub the prince of the
devils; hence his worship might see whether she could in truth be
a witch.
_Q_. He would soon teach her to talk of blasphemies; he saw
that her tongue was well hung; but she must answer the questions
he asked her, and say nothing more. The question was not what good
she had done to the poor, but _wherewithal_ she had done it?
She must now show how she and her father had of a sudden grown so
rich that she could go pranking about in silken raiment, whereas
she used to be so very poor?
Hereupon she looked towards me, and said, "Father, shall I tell?"
Whereupon I answered, "Yes, my child, now thou must openly tell
all, even though we thereby become beggars." She accordingly told
how, when our need was sorest, she had found the amber, and how
much we had gotten for it from the Dutch merchants.
_Q_. What were the names of these merchants?--_R_.
Dieterich von Pehnen and Jakob Kiekebusch; but, as we have heard
from a schipper, they since died of the plague at Stettin.
_Q_. Why had we said nothing of such a godsend?--_R_.
Out of fear of our enemy the sheriff, who, as it seemed, had
condemned us to die of hunger, inasmuch as he forbade the
parishioners, under pain of heavy displeasure, to supply us with
anything, saying that he would soon send them a better parson.
Hereupon _Dom. Consul_ again looked the sheriff sharply in
the face, who answered that it was true he had said this, seeing
that the parson had preached at him in the most scandalous manner
from the pulpit; but that he knew very well, at the time, that
they were far enough from dying of hunger.
_Q_. How came so much amber on the Streckelberg? She had best
confess at once that the devil had brought it to her.--_R_.
She knew nothing about that. But there was a great vein of amber
there, as she could show to them all that very day; and she had
broken out the amber, and covered the hole well over with
fir-twigs, so that none should find it.
_Q_. When had she gone up the Streckelberg; by day or by
night?--_R_. Hereupon she blushed, and for a moment held her
peace; but presently made answer, "Sometimes by day, and sometimes
by night."
_Q_. Why did she hesitate? She had better make a full
confession of all, so that her punishment might be less heavy. Had
she not there given over old Seden to Satan, who had carried him
off through the air, and left only a part of his hair and brains
sticking to the top of an oak?--_R_. She did not know whether
that was his hair and brains at all, nor how it came there. She
went to the tree one morning because she heard a woodpecker cry so
dolefully. _Item_, old Paasch, who also had heard the cries,
came up with his axe in his hand.
_Q_. Whether the woodpecker was not the devil himself, who
had carried off old Seden?--_R_. She did not know: but he
must have been dead some time, seeing that the blood and brains
which the lad fetched down out of the tree were quite dried up.
_Q_. How and when, then, had he come by his death?--_R_.
That Almighty God only knew. But Zuter his little girl had said
that one day, while she gathered nettles for the cows under Seden
his hedge, she heard the goodman threaten his squint-eyed wife
that he would tell the parson that he now knew of a certainty that
she had a familiar spirit; whereupon the goodman had presently
disappeared. But that this was a child's tale, and she would fyle
no one on the strength of it.
Hereupon _Dom. Consul_ again looked the sheriff steadily in
the face, and said, "Old Lizzie Kolken must be brought before us
this very day:" whereto the sheriff made no answer; and he went on
to ask--
_Q_. Whether, then, she still maintained that she knew
nothing of the devil?--_R_. She maintained it now, and would
maintain it until her life's end.
_Q_. And nevertheless, as had been seen by witnesses, she had
been re-baptized by him in the sea in broad daylight.--Here again
she blushed, and for a moment was silent.
_Q_. Why did she blush again? She should for God His sake
think on her salvation, and confess the truth.--_R_. She had
bathed herself in the sea, seeing that the day was very hot; that
was the whole truth.
_Q_. What chaste maiden would ever bathe in the sea? Thou
liest; or wilt thou even yet deny that thou didst bewitch old
Paasch his little girl with a white roll?--_R_. Alas! alas!
she loved the child as though it were her own little sister; not
only had she taught her as well as all the other children without
reward, but during the heavy famine she had often taken the bit
from her own mouth to put it into the little child's. How then
could she have wished to do her such grievous harm?
_Q_. Wilt thou even yet deny? Reverend Abraham, how stubborn
is your child! See here, is this no witches' salve, [Footnote: It
was believed that the devil gave the witches a salve, by the use
of which they made themselves invisible, changed themselves into
animals, flew through the air, &c.] which the constable fetched
out of thy coffer last night? Is this no witches' salve,
eh?--_R_. It was a salve for the skin, which would make it
soft and white, as the apothecary at Wolgast had told her, of whom
she bought it.
_Q_. Hereupon he shook his head, and went on: How! wilt thou
then lastly deny that on this last Saturday the 10th July, at
twelve o'clock at night, thou didst on the Streckelberg call upon
thy paramour the devil in dreadful words, whereupon he appeared to
thee in the shape of a great hairy giant, and clipped thee and
toyed with thee?
At these words she grew more pale than a corpse, and tottered so
that she was forced to hold by a chair; and I, wretched man, who
would readily have sworn away my life for her, when I saw and
heard this, my senses forsook me, so that I fell down from the
bench, and _Dom. Consul_ had to call in the constable to help
me up.
When I had come to myself a little, and the impudent varlet saw
our common consternation, he cried out, grinning at the court the
while, "Is it all out? is it all out? has she confessed?"
Whereupon _Dom. Consul_ again showed him the door with a
sharp rebuke, as might have been expected; and it is said that
this knave played the pimp for the sheriff, and indeed I think he
would not otherwise have been so bold.
_Summa_: I should well-nigh have perished in my distress, but
for the little rose, which by the help of God's mercy kept me up
bravely; and now the whole court rose and exhorted my poor
fainting child, by the living God, and as she would save her soul,
to deny no longer, but in pity to herself and her father to
confess the truth.
Hereupon she heaved a deep sigh, and grew as red as she had been
pale before, insomuch that even her hand upon the chair was like
scarlet, and she did not raise her eyes from the ground.
_R_. She would now then confess the simple truth, as she saw
right well that wicked people had stolen after and watched her at
nights. That she had been to seek for amber on the mountain, and
that to drive away fear she had, as she was wont to do at her
work, recited the Latin _carmen_ which her father had made on
the illustrious king Gustavus Adolphus: when young Rüdiger of
Nienkerken, who had ofttimes been at her father's house and talked
of love to her, came out of the coppice, and when she cried out
for fear, spoke to her in Latin, and clasped her in his arms. That
he wore a great wolf's-skin coat, so that folks should not know
him if they met him, and tell the lord his father that he had been
on the mountain by night.
At this her confession I fell into sheer despair, and cried in
great wrath, "O thou ungodly and undutiful child, after all, then,
thou hast a paramour! Did not I forbid thee to go up the mountain
by night? What didst thou want on the mountain by night?" and I
began to moan and weep and wring my hands, so that _Dom.
Consul_ even had pity on me, and drew near to comfort me.
Meanwhile she herself came towards me, and began to defend
herself, saying, with many tears, that she had gone up the
mountain by night, against my commands, to get so much amber that
she might secretly buy for me, against my birthday, the _Opera
Sancti Augustini_, which the Cantor at Wolgast wanted to sell.
That it was not her fault that the young lord lay in wait for her
one night; and that she would swear to me, by the living God, that
naught that was unseemly had happened between them there, and that
she was still a maid.
And herewith the first hearing was at end, for after _Dom.
Consul_ had whispered somewhat into the ear of the sheriff, he
called in the constable again, and bade him keep good watch over
_Rea_; _item_, not to leave her at large in her dungeon
any longer, but to put her in chains. These words pierced my very
heart, and I besought his worship to consider my sacred office,
and my ancient noble birth, and not to do me such dishonour as to
put my daughter in chains. That I would answer for her to the
worshipful court with my own head that she would not escape.
Whereupon _Dom. Consul_, after he had gone to look at the
dungeon himself, granted me my request, and commanded the
constable to leave her as she had been hitherto.