_How Satan sifted me like wheat, whereas my daughter withstood
him right bravely._
On Monday I left my bed betimes, and as I felt in passable good
case, I went up to the castle to see whether I might peradventure
get to my daughter. But I could not find either constable, albeit
I had brought a few groats with me to give them as beer-money;
neither would the folks that I met tell me where they were;
_item_, the impudent constable his wife, who was in the
kitchen making brimstone matches. And when I asked her when her
husband would come back, she said not before to-morrow morning
early; _item_, that the other constable would not be here any
sooner. Hereupon I begged her to lead me to my daughter herself,
at the same time showing her the two groats; but she answered that
she had not the keys, and knew not how to get at them: moreover,
she said she did not know where my child was now shut up, seeing
that I would have spoken to her through the door; _item_, the
cook, the huntsman, and whomsoever else I met in my sorrow, said
they knew not in what hole the witch might lie.
Hereupon I went all round about the castle, and laid my ear
against every little window that looked as though it might be her
window, and cried, "Mary, my child, where art thou?" _Item_,
at every grating I found I kneeled down, bowed my head, and called
in like manner into the vault below. But all in vain; I got no
answer anywhere. The sheriff at length saw what I was about, and
came down out of the castle to me with a very gracious air, and
taking me by the hand, he asked me what I sought? But when I
answered him that I had not seen my only child since last
Thursday, and prayed him to show pity upon me, and let me be led
to her, he said that could not be, but that I was to come up into
his chamber, and talk further of the matter. By the way he said,
"Well, so the old witch told you fine things about me, but you see
how Almighty God has sent His righteous judgment upon her. She has
long been ripe for the fire; but my great long-suffering, wherein
a good magistrate should ever strive to be like unto the Lord, has
made me overlook it till _datum_, and in return for my
goodness she raises this outcry against me." And when I replied,
"How does your lordship know that the witch raised such an outcry
against you?" he first began to stammer, and then said, "Why, you
yourself charged me thereon before the judge. But I bear you no
anger therefor, and God knows that I pity you, who are a poor weak
old man, and would gladly help you if I were able." Meanwhile he
led me up four or five flights of stairs, so that I, old man that
I am, could follow him no further, and stood still gasping for
breath. But he took me by the hand and said, "Come, I must first
show you how matters really stand, or I fear you will not accept
my help, but will plunge yourself into destruction." Hereupon we
stepped out upon a terrace at the top of the castle, which looked
toward the water; and the villain went on to say, "Reverend
Abraham, can you see well afar off?" and when I answered that I
once could see very well, but that the many tears I had shed had
now peradventure dimmed my eyes, he pointed to the Streckelberg,
and said, "Do you then see nothing there?" _Ego_. "Naught
save a black speck, which I cannot make out." _Ille_. "Know
then that that is the pile whereon your daughter is to burn at ten
o'clock to-morrow morning, and which the constables are now
raising." When this hell-hound had thus spoken, I gave a loud cry
and swounded. O blessed Lord! I know not how I lived through such
distress; Thou alone didst strengthen me beyond nature, in order,
"after so much weeping and wailing, to heap joys and blessings
upon me;" without Thee I never could have lived through such
misery: "therefore to Thy name ever be all honour and glory, O
Thou God of Israel!" [Footnote: Tobit iii. 22, 23, Luther's
Version.]
When I came again to myself I lay on a bed in a fine room, and
perceived a taste in my mouth like wine. But as I saw none near me
save the sheriff, who held a pitcher in his hand, I shuddered and
closed mine eyes, considering what I should say or do. This he
presently observed, and said, "Do not shudder thus; I mean well by
you, and only wish to put a question to you, which you must answer
me on your conscience as a priest. Say, reverend Abraham, which is
the greater sin, to commit whoredom, or to take the lives of two
persons?" and when I answered him, "To take the lives of two
persons," he went on, "Well, then, is not that what your stubborn
child is about to do? Rather than give herself up to me, who have
ever desired to save her, and who can even yet save her, albeit
her pile is now being raised, she will take away her own life and
that of her wretched father, for I scarcely think that you, poor
man, will outlive this sorrow. Wherefore do you, for God His sake,
persuade her to think better of it while I am yet able to save
her. For know that about ten miles from hence I have a small house
in the midst of the forest, where no human being ever goes;
thither will I send her this very night, and you may dwell there
with her all the days of your life, if so it please you. You shall
live as well as you can possibly desire, and to-morrow morning I
will spread a report betimes that the witch and her father have
run away together during the night, and that nobody knows whither
they are gone." Thus spake the serpent to me, as whilom to our
mother Eve; and, wretched sinner that I am, the tree of death
which he showed me seemed to me also to be a tree of life, so
pleasant was it to the eye. Nevertheless I answered, "My child
will never save her miserable life by doing aught to peril the
salvation of her soul." But now too the serpent was more cunning
than all the beasts of the field (especially such an old fool as
I), and spake thus: "Why, who would have her peril the salvation
of her soul? Reverend Abraham, must I teach you Scripture? Did not
our Lord Christ pardon Mary Magdalene, who lived in open whoredom?
and did He not speak forgiveness to the poor adulteress who had
committed a still greater _crimen_? nay more, doth not St.
Paul expressly say that the harlot Rahab was saved, Hebrews xi.?
_item_, St. James ii. says the same. But where have ye read
that any one was saved who had wantonly taken her own life and
that of her father? Wherefore, for the love of God, persuade your
child not to give herself up, body and soul, to the devil, by her
stubbornness, but to suffer herself to be saved while it is yet
time. You can abide with her, and pray away all the sins she may
commit, and likewise aid me with your prayers, who freely own that
I am a miserable sinner, and have done you much evil, though not
so much evil by far, reverend Abraham, as David did to Uriah, and
he was saved, notwithstanding he put the man to a shameful death,
and afterwards lay with his wife. Wherefore I, poor man, likewise
hope to be saved, seeing that my desire for your daughter is still
greater than that which this David felt for Bathsheba; and I will
gladly make it all up to you twofold as soon as we are in my
cottage."
When the tempter had thus spoken, methought his words were sweeter
than honey, and I answered, "Alas, my lord, I am ashamed to appear
before her face with such a proposal." Whereupon he straightway
said, "Then do you write it to her; come, here is pen, ink, and
paper."
And now, like Eve, I took the fruit and ate, and gave it to my
child that she might eat also; that is to say, that I
recapitulated on paper all that Satan had prompted, but in the
Latin tongue, for I was ashamed to write it in mine own; and
lastly, I conjured her not to take away her own life and mine, but
to submit to the wondrous will of God. Neither were mine eyes
opened when I had eaten (that is, written), nor did I perceive
that the ink was gall instead of honey, and I translated my letter
to the sheriff (seeing that he understood no Latin), smiling like
a drunken man the while; whereupon he clapped me on the shoulder,
and after I had made fast the letter with his signet, he called
his huntsman, and gave it to him to carry to my daughter;
_item_, he sent her pen, ink, and paper, together with his
signet, in order that she might answer it forthwith.
Meanwhile he talked with me right graciously, praising my child
and me, and made me drink to him many times from his great
pitcher, wherein was most goodly wine; moreover, he went to a
cupboard and brought out cakes for me to eat, saying that I should
now have such every day. But when the huntsman came back in about
half-an-hour, with her answer, and I had read the same, then,
first, were mine eyes opened, and I knew good and evil; had I had
a fig-leaf, I should have covered them therewith for shame; but as
it was, I held my hand over them, and wept so bitterly that the
sheriff waxed very wroth, and cursing bade me tell him what she
had written. Thereupon I interpreted the letter to him, the which
I likewise place here, in order that all may see my folly, and the
wisdom of my child. It was as follows:--
IESVS!
Pater infelix!
Ego eras non magis pallebo rogum aspectura, et rogus non magis
erubescet, me suspiciens, quam pallui et iterum erubescui, literas
tuas legens. Quid? et te, pium patrem, pium servum Domini, ita
Satanas sollicitavit, ut communionem facias cum inimicis meis, et
non intelligas: in tali vita esse mortem, et in tali morte vitam?
Scilicet si clementissimus Deus Marias Magdalens aliisque ignovit,
ignovit, quia resipiscerent ob carnis debilitatem, et non iterum
peccarent. Et ego peccarem cum quavis detestatione carnis, et non
semel, sed iterum atque iterum sine reversione usque ad mortem?
Quomodo clementissimus Deus hoc sceleratissima ignoscere posset?
infelix pater! recordare quid mihi dixisti de sanctis martyribus
et virginibus Domini, quas omnes mallent vitam quam pudicitiam
perdere. His et ego sequar, et sponsus meus, Jesus Christus, et
mihi miserse, ut spero, coronam asternam dabit, quamvis eum non
minus offendi ob debilitatem carnis ut Maria, et me sontem
declaravi, cum insons sum. Fac igitur, ut valeas et ora pro me
apud Deum et non apud Satanam, ut et ego mox coram Deo pro te
orare possim.
MARIA S., captiva.
[Footnote: It is evidently written by a female hand, and probably
the original letter; there are, however, no traces of sealing-wax
or wax upon it, whence I infer that it was sent open, which, from
its being written in a foreign language, would have been perfectly
safe. I have purposely left the few grammatical errors it
contains, as the smallest alteration of this gem would appear to
me in the light of a treason against the character of this
incomparable woman.
Translation.
JESUS!
Unhappy Father!
I shall not to-morrow grow more pale at sight of the pile, nor
will the pile grow more red on receiving me, than I grew pale and
then red while reading thy letter. How? and hath Satan so tempted
thee, pious father, pious servant of the Lord, that thou hast made
common cause with mine enemies, and that thou understandest not
that in such life is death, and in such death is life? For if the
all-merciful God forgave Mary Magdalene and other sinners, He
forgave them because they repented of the weakness of their flesh,
and sinned not again. And shall I sin with so great abhorrence of
the flesh, and that not once but again and again without return
even until death? How could the all-merciful God forgive this to
the vilest of women? Unhappy father! remember what thou hast told
me of the holy martyrs, and of the virgins of the Lord, who all
lost their lives rather than lose their chastity. These will I
follow, hoping that my spouse Jesus Christ will also give to
wretched me a crown of eternal glory, although, indeed, I have not
less offended through the weakness of the flesh than Mary,
declaring myself to be guilty, whereas I am innocent. Be strong,
therefore, and pray for me unto God, and not unto the devil, so
that I may soon pray for thee before the face of God.
MARY S., a Prisoner.]
When the sheriff heard this he flung the pitcher which he held in
his hand to the ground, so that it flew in pieces, and cried, "The
cursed devil's whore! the constable shall make her squeak for this
a good hour longer;" with many more such things beside, which he
said in his malice, and which I have now forgotten; but he soon
became quite gracious again, and said, "She is foolish; do you go
to her and see whether you cannot persuade her to her own good as
well as yours; the huntsman shall let you in, and should the
fellow listen, give him a good box on the ears in my name; do you
hear, reverend Abraham? Go now forthwith and bring me back an
answer as quickly as possible!" I therefore followed the huntsman,
who led me into a vault where was no light save what fell through
a hole no bigger than a crown-piece; and here my daughter sat upon
her bed and wept. Any one may guess that I straightway began to
weep too, and was no better able to speak than she. We thus lay
mute in each other's arms for a long time, until I at last begged
her to forgive me for my letter, but of the sheriff his message I
said naught, although I had purposed so to do. But before long we
heard the sheriff himself call down into the vault from above,
"What (and here he gave me a heavy curse) are you doing there so
long? Come up this moment, reverend Johannes!" Thus I had scarce
time to give her one kiss before the huntsman came back with the
keys and forced us to part; albeit we had as yet scarcely spoken,
save that I had told her in a few words what had happened with old
Lizzie. It would be hard to believe into what grievous anger the
sheriff fell when I told him that my daughter remained firm and
would not hearken unto him; he struck me on the breast, and said,
"Go to the devil then, thou infamous parson!" and when I turned
myself away and would have gone, he pulled me back, and said, "If
thou breathest but one word of all that has passed, I will have
thee burnt too, thou grey-headed old father of a witch; so look to
it!" Hereupon I plucked up a heart, and answered that that would
be the greatest joy to me, especially if I could be burnt
to-morrow with my child. Hereunto he made no answer, but clapped
to the door behind me. Well, clap the door as thou wilt, I greatly
fear that the just God will one day clap the doors of heaven in
thy face!