_How my daughter was at length saved by the help of the
all-merciful, yea, of the all-merciful God._
Meanwhile, by reason of my unbelief, wherewith Satan again tempted
me, I had become so weak that I was forced to lean my back against
the constable his knees, and expected not to live even till we
should come to the mountain; for the last hope I had cherished was
now gone, and I saw that my innocent lamb was in the same plight.
Moreover, the reverend Martinus began to upbraid her, saying that
he, too, now saw that all her oaths were lies, and that she really
could brew storms. Hereupon she answered, with a smile, although,
indeed, she was as white as a sheet, "Alas, reverend godfather, do
you then really believe that the weather and the storms no longer
obey our Lord God? Are storms, then, so rare at this season of the
year, that none save the foul fiend can cause them? Nay, I have
never broken the baptismal vow you once made in my name, nor will
I ever break it, as I hope that God will be merciful to me in my
last hour, which is now at hand." But the reverend Martinus shook
his head doubtingly, and said, "The evil one must have promised
thee much, seeing thou remainest so stubborn even unto thy life's
end, and blasphemest the Lord thy God; but wait, and thou wilt
soon learn with horror that the devil 'is a liar, and the father
of it'" (St. John viii.). Whilst he yet spake this, and more of a
like kind, we came to Uekeritze, where all the people, both great
and small, rushed out of their doors, also Jacob Schwarten his
wife, who, as we afterwards heard, had only been brought to bed
the night before, and her goodman came running after her to fetch
her back, in vain. She told him he was a fool, and had been one
for many a weary day, and that if she had to crawl up the mountain
on her bare knees, she would go to see the parson's witch burnt;
that she had reckoned upon it for so long, and if he did not let
her go, she would give him a thump on the chaps, &c.
Thus did the coarse and foul-mouthed people riot around the cart
wherein we sat, and as they knew not what had befallen, they ran
so near us that the wheel went over the foot of a boy.
Nevertheless they all crowded up again, more especially the
lasses, and felt my daughter her clothes, and would even see her
shoes and stockings, and asked her how she felt. _Item_, one
fellow asked whether she would drink somewhat, with many more
fooleries besides, till at last, when several came and asked her
for her garland and her golden chain, she turned towards me and
smiled, saying, "Father, I must begin to speak some Latin again,
otherwise the folks will leave me no peace." But it was not wanted
this time; for our guards, with the pitchforks, had now reached
the hindmost, and, doubtless, told them what had happened, as we
presently heard a great shouting behind us, for the love of God to
turn back before the witch did them a mischief; and as Jacob
Schwarten his wife heeded it not, but still plagued my child to
give her her apron to make a christening coat for her baby, for
that it was pity to let it be burnt, her goodman gave her such a
thump on her back with a knotted stick which he had pulled out of
the hedge, that she fell down with loud shrieks; and when he went
to help her up she pulled him down by his hair, and, as reverend
Martinus said, now executed what she had threatened; inasmuch as
she struck him on the nose with her fist with might and main,
until the other people came running up to them, and held her back.
Meanwhile, however, the storm had almost passed over, and sank
down toward the sea.
And when we had gone through the little wood, we suddenly saw the
Streckelberg before us, covered with people, and the pile and
stake upon the top, upon the which the tall constable jumped up
when he saw us coming, and beckoned with his cap with all his
might. Thereat my senses left me, and my sweet lamb was not much
better; for she bent to and fro like a reed, and stretching her
bound hands toward heaven, she once more cried out--
"Rex tremendæ majestatis!
Qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Salva me, fons pietatis!" [Footnote: Vide p. 395.]
And, behold, scarce had she spoken these words, when the sun came
out and formed a rainbow right over the mountain most pleasant to
behold; and it is clear that this was a sign from the merciful
God, such as He often gives us, but which we blind and unbelieving
men do not rightly mark. Neither did my child heed it; for albeit
she thought upon that first rainbow which shadowed forth our
troubles, yet it seemed to her impossible that she could now be
saved, wherefore she grew so faint, that she no longer heeded the
blessed sign of mercy, and her head fell forwards (for she could
no longer lean it upon me, seeing that I lay my length at the
bottom of the cart), till her garland almost touched my worthy
gossip his knees. Thereupon, he bade the driver stop for a moment
and pulled out a small flask filled with wine, which he always
carries in his pocket when witches are to be burnt, [Footnote:
Which so often happened at that time, that in many parishes of
Pomerania six or seven of these unhappy women were brought to the
stake every year.] in order to comfort them therewith in their
terror. (Henceforth, I myself will ever do the like, for this
fashion of my dear gossip pleases me well.) He first poured some
of this wine down my throat, and afterwards down my child's; and
we had scarce come to ourselves again, when a fearful noise and
tumult arose among the people behind us, and they not only cried
out in deadly fear, "The sheriff is come back! the sheriff is come
again!" but as they could neither run away forwards nor backwards
(being afraid of the ghost behind and of my child before them),
they ran on either side, some rushing into the coppice, and others
wading into the Achterwater up to their necks. _Item_, as
soon as _Dom. Camerarius_ saw the ghost come out of the
coppice with a grey hat and a grey feather, such as the sheriff
wore, riding on the grey charger, he crept under a bundle of straw
in the cart: and _Dom. Consul_ cursed my child again, and
bade the coachmen drive on as madly as they could, even should all
the horses die of it, when the impudent constable behind us called
to him, "It is not the sheriff, but the young lord of Nienkerken,
who will surely seek to save the witch: shall I, then, cut her
throat with my sword?" At these fearful words my child and I came
to ourselves again, and the fellow had already lift up his naked
sword to smite her, seeing _Dom. Consul_ had made him a sign
with his hand, when my dear gossip, who saw it, pulled my child
with all his strength back into his lap. (May God reward him on
the day of judgment, for I never can.) The villain would have
stabbed her as she lay in his lap; but the young lord was already
there, and seeing what he was about to do, thrust the boar-spear,
which he held in his hand, in between the constable's shoulders,
so that he fell headlong on the earth, and his own sword, by the
guidance of the most righteous God, went into his ribs on one
side, and out again at the other. He lay there and bellowed, but
the young lord heeded him not, but said to my child, "Sweet maid,
God be praised that you are safe!" When, however, he saw her bound
hands, he gnashed his teeth, and, cursing her judges, he jumped
off his horse, and cut the rope with his sword, which he held in
his right hand, took her hand in his, and said, "Alas, sweet maid,
how have I sorrowed for you! but I could not save you, as I myself
also lay in chains, which you may see from my looks."
But my child could answer him never a word, and fell into a swound
again for joy; howbeit, she soon came to herself again, seeing my
dear gossip still had a little wine by him. Meanwhile the dear
young lord did me some injustice, which, however, I freely forgive
him; for he railed at me and called me an old woman, who could do
naught save weep and wail. Why had I not journeyed after the
Swedish king, or why had I not gone to Mellenthin myself to fetch
his testimony, as I knew right well what he thought about
witchcraft? (But, blessed God, how could I do otherwise than
believe the judge, who had been there? Others besides old women
would have done the same; and I never once thought of the Swedish
king; and say, dear reader, how could I have journeyed after him,
and left my own child? But young folks do not think of these
things, seeing they know not what a father feels.)
Meanwhile, however, _Dom. Camerarius_, having heard that it
was the young lord, had again crept out from beneath the straw;
_Item, Dom. Consul_ had jumped down from the coach and ran
towards us, railing at him loudly, and asking him by what power
and authority he acted thus, seeing that he himself had heretofore
denounced the ungodly witch? But the young lord pointed with his
sword to his people, who now came riding out of the coppice, about
eighteen strong, armed with sabres, pikes, and muskets, and said,
"There is my authority, and I would let you feel it on your back
if I did not know that you were but a stupid ass. When did you
hear any testimony from me against this virtuous maiden? You lie
in your throat if you say you did." And as _Dom. Consul_
stood and straightway forswore himself, the young lord, to the
astonishment of all, related as follows:--That as soon as he heard
of the misfortune which had befallen me and my child, he ordered
his horse to be saddled forthwith, in order to ride to Pudgla to
bear witness to our innocence: this, however, his old father would
nowise suffer, thinking that his nobility would receive a stain if
it came to be known that his son had conversed with a reputed
witch by night on the Streckelberg. He had caused him therefore,
as prayers and threats were of no avail, to be bound hand and
foot, and confined in the donjon-keep, where till _datum_ an
old servant had watched him, who refused to let him escape,
notwithstanding he offered him any sum of money; whereupon he fell
into the greatest anguish and despair at the thought that innocent
blood would be shed on his account; but that the all-righteous God
had graciously spared him this sorrow; for his father had fallen
sick from vexation, and lay a-bed all this time, and it so
happened that this very morning about prayer time, the huntsman,
in shooting at a wild duck in the moat, had by chance sorely
wounded his father's favourite dog, called Packan, which had crept
howling to his father's bedside, and had died there; whereupon the
old man, who was weak, was so angered that he was presently seized
with a fit and gave up the ghost too. Hereupon his people released
him, and after he had closed his father's eyes and prayed an "Our
Father" over him, he straightway set out with all the people he
could find in the castle, in order to save the innocent maiden.
For he testified here himself before all, on the word and honour
of a knight, nay, more, by his hopes of salvation, that he himself
was that devil which had appeared to the maiden on the mountain in
the shape of a hairy giant; for having heard by common report that
she ofttimes went thither, he greatly desired to know what she did
there, and that from fear of his hard father he disguised himself
in a wolf's skin, so that none might know him, and he had already
spent two nights there, when on the third the maiden came, and he
then saw her dig for amber on the mountain, and that she did not
call upon Satan, but recited a Latin _carmen_ aloud to
herself. This he would have testified at Pudgla, but, from the
cause aforesaid, he had not been able: moreover, his father had
laid his cousin, Glaus von Nienkerken, who was there on a visit,
in his bed and made him bear false witness; for as _Dom.
Consul_ had not seen him (I mean the young lord) for many a
long year, seeing he had studied in foreign parts, his father
thought that he might easily be deceived, which accordingly
happened.
When the worthy young lord had stated this before _Dom.
Consul_ and all the people, which flocked together on hearing
that the young lord was no ghost, I felt as though a millstone had
been taken off my heart; and seeing that the people (who had
already pulled the constable from under the cart, and crowded
round him, like a swarm of bees) cried to me that he was dying,
but desired first to confess somewhat to me, I jumped from the
cart as lightly as a young bachelor, and called to _Dom.
Consul_ and the young lord to go with me, seeing that I could
easily guess what he had on his mind. He sat upon a stone, and the
blood gushed from his side like a fountain (now that they had
drawn out the sword); he whimpered on seeing me, and said that he
had in truth hearkened behind the door to all that old Lizzie had
confessed to me, namely, that she herself, together with the
sheriff, had worked all the witchcraft on man and beast, to
frighten my poor child, and force her to play the wanton. That he
had hidden this, seeing that the sheriff had promised him a great
reward for so doing; but that he would now confess it freely,
since God had brought my child her innocence to light. Wherefore
he besought my child and myself to forgive him. And when _Dom.
Consul_ shook his head, and asked whether he would live and die
on the truth of this confession, he answered, "Yes!" and
straightway fell on his side to the earth and gave up the ghost.
Meanwhile time hung heavy with the people on the mountain, who had
come from Coserow, from Zitze, from Gnitze, &c., to see my child
burnt, and they all came running down the hill in long rows like
geese, one after the other, to see what had happened. And among
them was my ploughman, Claus Neels. When the worthy fellow saw and
heard what had befallen us, he began to weep aloud for joy; and
straightway he too told what he had heard the sheriff say to old
Lizzie in the garden, and how he had promised her a pig in the
room of her own little pig, which she had herself bewitched to
death in order to bring my child into evil repute. _Summa_:
All that I have noted above, and which till _datum_ he had
kept to himself for fear of the question. Hereat all the people
marvelled, and greatly bewailed her misfortunes: and many came,
among them old Paasch, and would have kissed my daughter her hands
and feet, as also mine own, and praised us now as much as they had
before reviled us. But thus it ever is with the people. Wherefore
my departed father used to say,
"The people's hate is death,
Their love, a passing breath!"
My dear gossip ceased not from fondling my child, holding her in
his lap, and weeping over her like a father (for I could not have
wept more myself than he wept). Howbeit she herself wept not, but
begged the young lord to send one of his horsemen to her faithful
old maid-servant at Pudgla, to tell her what had befallen us,
which he straightway did to please her. But the worshipful court
(for _Dom. Camerarius_ and the _scriba_ had now plucked
up a heart, and had come down from the coach) was not yet
satisfied, and _Dom. Consul_ began to tell the young lord
about the bewitched bridge, which none other save my daughter
could have bewitched. Hereto the young lord gave answer that this
was indeed a strange thing, inasmuch as his own horse had also
broken a leg thereon, whereupon he had taken the sheriff his
horse, which he saw tied up at the mill; but he did not think that
this could be laid to the charge of the maiden, but that it came
about by natural means, as he had half discovered already,
although he had not had time to search the matter thoroughly.
Wherefore he besought the worshipful court and all the people,
together with my child herself, to return back thither, where,
with God's help, he would clear her from this suspicion also, and
prove her perfect innocence before them all.
Thereunto the worshipful court agreed; and the young lord, having
given the sheriff his grey charger to my ploughman to carry the
corpse, which had been laid across the horse's neck, to Coserow,
the young lord got into the cart by us, but did not seat himself
beside my child, but backward by my dear gossip: moreover, he bade
one of his own people drive us instead of the old coachman, and
thus we turned back in God His name. _Custos Benzensis_, who,
with the children, had run in among the vetches by the wayside (my
defunct _Custos_ would not have done so, he had more
courage), went on before again with the young folks, and by
command of his reverence the pastor led the Ambrosian _Te
Deum_, which deeply moved us all, more especially my child,
insomuch that her book was wetted with her tears, and she at
length laid it down and said, at the same time giving her hand to
the young lord, "How can I thank God and you for that which you
have done for me this day?" Whereupon the young lord answered,
saying, "I have greater cause to thank God than yourself, sweet
maid, seeing that you have suffered in your dungeon unjustly, but
I justly, inasmuch as by my thoughtlessness I brought this misery
upon you. Believe me that this morning when, in my donjon keep, I
first heard the sound of the dead-bell, I thought to have died;
and when it tolled for the third time, I should have gone
distraught in my grief, had not the Almighty God at that moment
taken the life of my strange father, so that your innocent life
should be saved by me. Wherefore I have vowed a new tower, and
whatsoe'er beside may be needful, to the blessed house of God; for
naught more bitter could have befallen me on earth than your
death, sweet maid, and naught more sweet than your life!"
But at these words my child only wept and sighed; and when he
looked on her, she cast down her eyes and trembled, so that I
straightway perceived that my sorrows were not yet come to an end,
but that another barrel of tears was just tapped for me, and so
indeed it was. Moreover, the ass of a _Custos_, having
finished the _Te Deum_ before we were come to the bridge,
straightway struck up the next following hymn, which was a funeral
one, beginning, "The body let us now inter." (God be praised that
no harm has come of it till _datum_.) My beloved gossip rated
him not a little, and threatened him that for his stupidity he
should not get the money for the shoes which he had promised him
out of the church dues. But my child comforted him, and promised
him a pair of shoes at her own charges, seeing that peradventure a
funeral hymn was better for her than a song of gladness.
And when this vexed the young lord, and he said, "How now, sweet
maid, you know not how enough to thank God and me for your rescue,
and yet you speak thus?" she answered, smiling sadly, that she had
only spoken thus to comfort the poor _Custos_. But I
straightway saw that she was in earnest, for that she felt that
although she had escaped one fire, she already burned in another.
Meanwhile we were come to the bridge again, and all the folks
stood still, and gazed open-mouthed, when the young lord jumped
down from the cart, and after stabbing his horse, which still lay
kicking on the bridge, went on his knees, and felt here and there
with his hand. At length he called to the worshipful court to draw
near, for that he had found out the witchcraft. But none save
_Dom. Consul_ and a few fellows out of the crowd, among whom
was old Paasch, would follow him; _item_, my dear gossip and
myself. And the young lord showed us a lump of tallow about the
size of a large walnut which lay on the ground, and wherewith the
whole bridge had been smeared, so that it looked quite white, but
which all the folks in their fright had taken for flour out of the
mill; _item_, with some other _materia_, which stunk
like fitchock's dung, but what it was we could not find out. Soon
after a fellow found another bit of tallow, and showed it to the
people; whereupon I cried, "Aha! none hath done this but that
ungodly miller's man, in revenge for the stripes which the sheriff
gave him for reviling my child." Whereupon I told what he had
done, and _Dom. Consul_, who also had heard thereof,
straightway sent for the miller.
He, however, did as though he knew naught of the matter, and only
said that his man had left his service about an hour ago. But a
young lass, the miller's maid-servant, said that that very
morning, before daybreak, when she had got up to let out the
cattle, she had seen the man scouring the bridge. But that she had
given it no further heed, and had gone to sleep for another hour:
and she pretended to know no more than the miller whither the
rascal was gone. When the young lord had heard this news, he got
up into the cart, and began to address the people, seeking to
persuade them no longer to believe in witchcraft, now that they
had seen what it really was. When I heard this, I was
horror-stricken (as was but right) in my conscience, as a priest,
and I got upon the cart-wheel, and whispered into his ear, for God
His sake, to leave this _materia_, seeing that if the people
no longer feared the devil, neither would they fear our Lord God.
[Footnote: Maybe a profound truth.]
The dear young lord forthwith did as I would have him, and only
asked the people whether they now held my child to be perfectly
innocent? And when they had answered, Yes! he begged them to go
quietly home, and to thank God that he had saved innocent blood.
That he, too, would now return home, and that he hoped that none
would molest me and my child if he let us return to Coserow alone.
Hereupon he turned hastily towards her, took her hand, and said,
"Farewell, sweet maid; I trust that I shall soon clear your honour
before the world, but do you thank God therefore, not me." He then
did the like to me and to my dear gossip, whereupon he jumped down
from the cart, and went and sat beside _Dom. Consul_ in his
coach. The latter also spake a few words to the people, and
likewise begged my child and me to forgive him (and I must say it
to his honour, that the tears ran down his cheeks the while), but
he was so hurried by the young lord that he brake short his
discourse, and they drove off over the little bridge, without so
much as looking back. Only _Dom. Consul_ looked round once,
and called out to me, that in his hurry he had forgotten to tell
the executioner that no one was to be burned to-day: I was
therefore to send the churchwarden of Uekeritze up the mountain,
to say so in his name; the which I did. And the bloodhound was
still on the mountain, albeit he had long since heard what had
befallen; and when the bailiff gave him the orders of the
worshipful court, he began to curse so fearfully that it might
have awakened the dead; moreover, he plucked off his cap and
trampled it under foot, so that any one might have guessed what he
felt.
But to return to ourselves: my child sat as still and as white as
a pillar of salt, after the young lord had left her so suddenly
and so unawares, but she was somewhat comforted when the old
maid-servant came running with her coats tucked up to her knees,
and carrying her shoes and stockings in her hand. We heard her
afar off, as the mill had stopped, blubbering for joy, and she
fell at least three times on the bridge, but at last she got over
safe, and kissed now mine and now my child her hands and feet;
begging us only not to turn her away, but to keep her until her
life's end; the which we promised to do. She had to climb up
behind where the impudent constable had sat, seeing that my dear
gossip would not leave me until I should be back in mine own
manse. And as the young lord his servant had got up behind the
coach, old Paasch drove us home, and all the folks who had waited
till _datum_ ran beside the cart, praising and pitying as
much as they had before scorned and reviled us. Scarce, however,
had we passed through Uekeritze, when we again heard cries of
"Here comes the young lord, here comes the young lord!" so that my
child started up for joy, and became as red as a rose, but some of
the folks ran into the buckwheat by the road, again thinking it
was another ghost. It was, however, in truth the young lord, who
galloped up on a black horse, calling out as he drew near us,
"Notwithstanding the haste I am in, sweet maid, I must return and
give you safe conduct home, seeing that I have just heard that the
filthy people reviled you by the way, and I know not whether you
are yet safe." Hereupon he urged old Paasch to mend his pace, and
as his kicking and trampling did not even make the horses trot,
the young lord struck the saddle horse from time to time with the
flat of his sword, so that we soon reached the village and the
manse. Howbeit, when I prayed him to dismount awhile, he would
not, but excused himself, saying that he must still ride through
Uzedom to Anclam, but charged old Paasch, who was our bailiff, to
watch over my child as the apple of his eye, and should anything
unusual happen, he was straightway to inform the town clerk at
Pudgla or _Dom. Consul_ at Uzedom thereof, and when Paasch
had promised to do this, he waved his hand to us, and galloped off
as fast as he could.
But before he got round the corner by Pagel his house, he turned
back for the third time: and when we wondered thereat he said we
must forgive him, seeing his thoughts wandered to-day.
That I had formerly told him that I still had my patent of
nobility, the which he begged me to lend him for a time. Hereupon
I answered that I must first seek for it, and that he had best
dismount the while. But he would not, and again excused himself,
saying he had no time. He therefore stayed without the door, until
I brought him the patent, whereupon he thanked me and said, "Do
not wonder hereat, you will soon see what my purpose is."
Whereupon he struck his spurs into his horse's sides, and did not
come back again.