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Sidonia The Sorceress V1

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So the artful hypocrite began to weep, and said--. "Yes, my
gracious Prince, I have come to you, although your priest struck
me on the fingers, and your mother and old Ulrich called me a
harlot, before all the court, and lastly, turned me out of the
castle by night, as if I had been a swine-herd; but I have not the
heart to let your Highness surfer, if my poor prayers and help can
abate your sickness; therefore let them strike me, and call me a
harlot again, if they wish."

This so melted the heart of my gracious Prince Ernest, that he
cried out, "O Sidonia, angel of goodness, give me one kiss, but
one little kiss upon my mouth, Sidonia! bend down to me--but one,
one kiss!" Her Grace was dreadfully scandalised at such a speech,
and said he ought to be ashamed of such words. Did he not remember
what he had sworn by the corpse of his father at St. Peter's? But
old Duke Barnim cried out, laughing--"Give him a kiss, Sidonia;
that is the best plaster for his wounds; 'a kiss in honour brings
no dishonour,' says the proverb."

However, Sidonia still hesitated, and bending down to the young
man, said, "Wait, gracious Prince, until we are alone."

If the Duchess had been angry before, what was it to her rage
now--"Alone! she would take good care they were never to be
alone!"

Otto took no notice of this speech, probably because he saw that
matters were progressing much to his liking between the Prince and
his daughter; but Duke Barnim exclaimed, "How now, dearest cousin,
are you going to spoil all by your prudery? You brought the girl
here to cure him, and what other answer could she give? Bend thee
down, Sidonia, and give him one little kiss upon the lips--I, the
Prince, command thee; and see, thou needst not be ashamed, for I
will set thee an example with his mother. Come, dear cousin, put
off that sour face, and give me a good, hearty kiss; your son will
get well the sooner for it:" but as he attempted to seize hold of
her Grace, she cried out, and lifted up her hands to Heaven,
lamenting in a loud voice--"Oh, evil and wicked world! may God
release me from this wicked world, and lay me down this day beside
my Philip in the grave!" Then weeping and wringing her hands, she
left the chamber, while the old knight, and--God forgive
him!--even Duke Barnim, looked after her, laughing.

"Come, Otto," said his Grace, "let us go too, and leave this pair
alone; I must try and pacify my dear cousin." So they left the
room, and on the way Otto opened his mind to the Duke about this
love matter, and asked his Grace, would he consent to the union,
if Prince Ernest, on his recovery, made honourable proposals for
his daughter Sidonia.

But his Grace was right crafty, and merely answered--"Time enough
to settle that, Otto, when he is recovered; but methinks you will
have some trouble with his mother unless you are more civil to
her; so if you desire her favour, bear yourself more humbly, I
advise you, as befits a subject."

This the knight promised, and the conversation ceased, as they
came up with the Duchess just then, who was waiting for them in
the grand corridor. No sooner did she perceive that Sidonia was
not with them than she cried out, "So my son is alone with the
maiden!" and instantly despatched three pages to watch them both.

Otto had now changed his tone, and instead of retorting, thanked
her Grace for the praiseworthy and Christian care she took of his
daughter. He did not believe this at first, but now he saw it with
his own eyes. Alas, it was too true, the world was daily growing
worse and worse, and the devil haunted us with his temptations,
like our own flesh and blood. Then he sighed and kissed her hand,
and prayed her Grace to pardon him his former bold language--but,
in truth, he had felt displeased at first to see her Grace so
harsh to Sidonia, when every one else at the castle received her
with rapture; but he saw now that she only meant kindly and
motherly by the girl.

Then the Duke asked, her pardon for his little jest about the
kissing. She knew well that he meant no harm; and also that it was
not in his nature to endure any melancholy or lamentable faces
around him.

So her Grace was reconciled to both, and when the Duke announced
that he and the knight proposed visiting Barth [Footnote: Barth, a
little town; and Eldena was at that time a richly endowed convent
near Greifswald.] and Eldena, from whence they would return in a
few days, to take their leave of her, she said that if her dearest
son Ernest grew any better, she would have a grand _battue_
in honour of his Highness Duke Barnim, upon their return.

Accordingly, after having amused themselves for a little fishing
with the tame sea-gull, the Duke and Otto rode away, and her Grace
went to the chamber of the young Prince, to keep watch there
during the night. She would willingly have dismissed Sidonia, but
he forbade her; and Sidonia herself declared that she would watch
day and night by the bedside of the young lord. So she sat the
whole night by his bed, holding his hand in hers, and told him
about her journey, and how shamefully she had been smuggled away
out of the castle by old Ulrich, because she would not learn the
catechism; and of her anguish when the messengers arrived, and
told of their young lord's illness. She was quite certain Ulrich
must have given him something to cause it, as a punishment for
having released her from prison, for if he could strike a maiden,
it was not surprising that he would injure even his future
reigning Prince to gratify his malice. It was well the old
malignant creature was away now, as she was told, and if his Grace
did right he would play him a trick in return, and set fire to his
castle at Spantekow as soon as he was able to move.

Her Grace endured all this in silence, for her dear son's sake,
though in truth her anger was terrible. The young lord, however,
grew better rapidly, and the following day was even able to creep
out of bed for a couple of hours, to touch the lute. And he taught
Sidonia all, and placed her little fingers himself on the strings,
that she might learn the better. Then, for the first time, he
called for something to eat, and after that fell into a profound
sleep which lasted forty-eight hours. During this time he lay like
one dead, and her Grace would have tried to awaken him, but the
physician prevented her. At length, when he awoke, he cried out
loudly, first for Sidonia, and then for some food.

At last, to the great joy of her Grace, he was able, on the fourth
day, to walk in the castle garden, and arranged to attend the hunt
with his dear uncle upon his return to Wolgast. The Duke, on his
arrival, rejoiced greatly to find the young lord so well, and said
with his usual gay manner, "Come here, Sidonia; I have been rather
unwell on the journey: come here and give me a kiss too, to make
me better!" and Sidonia complied. Whereupon her Grace looked
unusually sour, but said nothing, for fear of disturbing the
general joy. Indeed, the whole castle was in a state of jubilee,
and her Grace promised that she and her ladies would attend the
hunt on the following day.

About this time the castle was troubled by a strange
apparition--no other than the spectre of the serpent knight, who
had been drowned some time previously. It was reported that every
night the ghost entered the castle by the little water-gate,
though it was kept barred and bolted, traversed the whole length
of the corridor, and sunk down into the earth, just over the place
where the ducal coaches and sleighs were kept.

Every one fled in terror before the ghost, and scarcely a
lansquenet could be found to keep the night watch. What this
spectre betokened shall be related further on in this little
history, but at present I must give an account of the grand
_battue_ which took place according to her Grace's orders,
and of what befell there.




CHAPTER XV.

_Of the grand battue, and what the young Duke and Sidonia
resolved on there._


The preparations for the hunt commenced early in the morning, and
the knights and nobles assembled in the hall of fishes (so called
because the walls were painted with representations of all the
fishes that are indigenous to Pomerania). Here a superb breakfast
was served, and pages presented water in finger-basins of silver
to each of the princely personages. Then costly wines were handed
round, and Duke Barnim, having filled to the brim a cup bearing
the Pomeranian arms, rose up and said, "Give notice to the warder
at St. Peter's." And immediately, as the great bell of the town
rang out, and resounded through the castle and all over the town,
his Grace gave the health of Prince Ernest, who pledged him in
return. Afterwards they all descended to the courtyard, and his
Grace entered the ducal mews himself, to select a horse for the
day. Now these mews were of such wonderful beauty, that I must
needs append a description of them here.

First there was a grand portico, and within a corridor with ranges
of pillars on each side, round which were hung antlers and horns
of all the animals of the chase. This led to the pond with the
island in the centre, where the bear was kept, as I have already
described. When Duke Barnim and the old knight emerged from the
portico to enter the stable, they were met by Johann Appelmann,
the chief equerry, who spread before the feet of his Highness a
scarlet horse-cloth, embroidered with the ducal arms, whereon he
laid a brush and a riding-whip; and then demanded his
_Trinkgeld_.

On entering, they observed numerous stalls filled with Pomeranian,
Hungarian, Frisian, Danish, and Turkish horses--each race by
itself, and each horse standing ready saddled and bridled since
the morning. _Item_, all along the walls were ranged enormous
brazen lions' heads, which conveyed water throughout the building,
and cleansed the stables completely every day.

Otto wondered much at all this magnificence, and asked his Grace
what could her Highness want with all these horses.

"They eat their oats in idleness, for the most part," replied the
Duke. "No one uses them but the pages and knights of the
household, who may select any for riding that pleases them; but
her Highness would never diminish any of the state maintained by
her deceased lord, Duke Philip. So there has been always, since
that time, particular attention paid to the ducal stables at
Wolgast."

Now the train began to move towards the hunt, in all about a
hundred persons, and in front rode her Grace upon an ambling
palfrey, dressed in a riding-habit of green velvet, and wearing a
yellow hat with plumes. Her little Casimir rode by her side on a
Swedish pony; then followed her ladies-in-waiting, amongst whom
rode Sidonia, all likewise dressed in green velvet
hunting-dresses, fastened with golden clasps; but in place of
yellow, they wore scarlet hats, with gilded herons' plumes. Duke
Barnim and Prince Ernest rode along with her Grace; and though
none but those of princely blood were allowed to join this group,
yet Otto strove to keep near them, as if he really belonged to the
party, just as the sacristan strives to make the people think he
is as good as the priest by keeping as close as he can to him
while the procession moves along the streets.

After these came the marshal, the castellan, and then the
treasurer, with the office-bearers, knights, and esquires of the
household. Then the chief equerry, with the master of the hounds
and the principal huntsmen. But the beaters, pages, lacqueys,
drummers, coursers, and runners had already gone on before a good
way; and never had the Wolgastians beheld such a stately hunt as
this since the death of good Duke Philip. So the whole town ran
together, and followed the procession for a good space, up to the
spot where blue tents were erected for her Grace and her ladies.
The ground all round was strewed with flowers and evergreens, and
before the tents palisades were erected, on which lay loaded
rifles, ready to discharge at any of the game that came that way;
and for two miles round the master of the hunt had laid down nets,
which were all connected together at a point close to the princely
tent.

When the beaters and their dogs had started the animals, he left
the tent to reconnoitre, and if the sport promised to be
plentiful, he ordered the drums to beat, in order to give her
Highness notice. Then she took a rifle herself, and brought down
several head, which was easily accomplished, when they passed upon
each other as thick as sheep. Sidonia, who had often attended the
hunts at Stramehl, was a most expert shot, and brought down ten
roes and stags, whereon she had much jesting with the young lords,
who had not been half so successful. And let no one imagine that
there was danger to her Highness and her ladies in thus firing at
the wild droves from her tent, for it was erected upon a
scaffolding raised five feet from the ground, and surrounded by
palisades, so that it was impossible the animals could ever reach
it.

On that day, there were killed altogether one hundred and fifty
stags, one hundred roes, five hundred hares, three hundred foxes,
one hundred wild boars, seven wolves, five wild-cats, and one
bear, which was entangled in the net and then shot. And at last
the right hearty pleasure of the day began.

For it was the custom at the ducal court for each huntsman, from
the master of the hunt down, to receive a portion of the game; and
her Grace took much pleasure now in seeing the mode in which the
distribution was made. It was done in this wise: each man received
the head of the animal, and as much of the neck as he could cover
with the ears, by dragging them down with all his might.

So the huntsmen stood now toiling and sweating, each with one foot
firmly planted against a stone and the other on the belly of the
beast, dragging down the ears with all his force to the very
furthest point they could go, when another huntsman, standing by,
cut off the head at that point with his hunting-knife.

Then each man let his dog bite at the entrails of a stag, while
they repeated old charms and verses over them, such as:--

"Diana, no better e'er track'd a wood;
There's many a huntsman not half so good."

Or, in Low German:--

"Wasser, if ever the devil you see,
Bite his leg for him, or he will bite me."

These old rhymes pleased the young Casimir mightily: if his lady
mother would only lend him a ribbon, he would lead up little
Blaffert his dog to them, and have a rhyme said over him. So her
Grace consented, and broke off her sandal-tie to fasten in the
little dog's collar, because in her hurry she could find no other
string, and left the tent herself with the child to conduct him to
the huntsmen.

Now the moment her Grace had taken her eyes off Sidonia, and that
all the other ladies had left the tent to follow her and the
little boy, who was laughing and playing with his dog, the young
maiden, looking round to see that no one was observing her,
slipped out and ran in amongst the bushes, and my lord, Prince
Ernest, slipped after her. No one observed them, for all eyes were
turned upon the princely child, who sprang to a huntsman and
begged of him to say a rhyme or two over his little dog Blaffert.
The carl rubbed his forehead, and at last gave out his psalm, as
follows, in Low German:--

"Blaffert, Blaffert, thou art fat!
If my lord would only feed
All his people like to that
'Twould be well for Pommern's need."

[Footnote: Pomerania.]

All the bystanders laughed heartily, and then the hounds were
given their dinner according to the usage, which was this:--A
number of oak and birch trees were felled, and over every two and
two there was spread a tablecloth--that is, the warm skin of a
deer or wild-boar; into this, as into a wooden trencher, was
poured the warm blood of the wild animals, which the hounds lapped
up, while forty huntsmen played a march with drums and trumpets,
which was re-echoed from the neighbouring wood, to the great
delight of all the listeners. When the hounds had lapped up all
the blood, they began to eat up the tablecloths likewise; but as
these belonged to the huntsmen, a great fight took place between
them and the dogs for the skins, which was right merry to behold,
and greatly rejoiced the ducal party and all the people.

In the meantime, as I said, Sidonia had slipped into the wood, and
the young lord after her. He soon found her resting under the
shadow of a large nut-tree, and the following conversation took
place between them, as he afterwards many times related:--

"Alas, gracious Prince, why do you follow me? if your lady mother
knew of this we should both suffer. My head ached after all that
firing, and therefore I came hither to enjoy a little rest and
quietness. Leave me, leave me, my gracious lord."

"No, no, he would not leave her until she told him whether she
still loved him; for his lady mother watched him day and night,
like the dragon that guarded the Pomeranian arms, and until this
moment he had never seen her alone."

"But what could he now desire to say? Had he not sworn by the
corpse of his father never to wed her?"

"Yes; in a moment of anguish he had sworn it, because he would
have died if she had not been brought back to the castle."

"But still he must hold by his word to his lady mother, would he
not?"

"Impossible! all impossible! He would sooner renounce land and
people for ever than his beautiful Sidonia. How he felt, for the
first time, the truth of the holy words, 'Love is strong as
death.'" [Footnote: Song of Solomon viii. 6.] Then he throws his
arms round her and kissed her, and asked, would she be his?

Here Sidonia covered her face with both hands, and sinking down
upon the grass, murmured, "Yours alone, either you or death."

The Prince threw himself down beside her, and besought her not to
weep. "He could not bear to see her tears; besides, there was good
hope for them yet, for he had spoken to old Zitsewitz, who wished
them both well, and who had given him some good advice."

_Sidonia_ (quickly removing her hands).--"What was it?"

"To have a private marriage. Then the devil himself could not
separate them, much less the old bigot Ulrich. There was a priest
in the neighbourhood, of the name of Neigialink. He lived in
Crummyn, [Footnote: A town near Wolgast.] with a nun whom he had
carried off from her convent and married; therefore he would be
able to sympathise with lovers, and would help them."

"But his Highness should remember his kingly state, and not bring
misery on them both for ever."

"He had considered all that, they should therefore keep this
marriage private for a year; she could live at Stramehl during
that period, and receive his visits without his mother knowing of
the matter. At the end of that year he would be of age, and his
own master."

_Sidonia_ (embracing him).--"Ah, if he really loved her so,
then the sooner the better to the church. But let him take care
that evil-minded people would not separate them for ever, and
bring her to an early grave. Had the priest been informed that he
would be required to wed them?"

"Not yet; but if he continued as strong as he felt to-day, he
would ride over to Crummyn himself (for it was quite near to
Wolgast) the moment Duke Barnim and her father quitted the
castle."

"But how would she know the result of his visit? his mother
watched her day and night. Could he send a page or a serving-maid
to her?--though indeed there were none now he could trust, for
Ulrich had dismissed all her good friends. And if he came himself
to her room, evil might be spoken of it."

"He had arranged all that already. There was the bear, as she
remembered, chained upon the little island in the horse-pond, just
under her window. Now when he returned from Crummyn, he would go
out by seven in the morning, before his lady mother began her
spinning, and commence shooting arrows at the bear, by way of
sport; then, as if by chance, he would let fly an arrow at her
window and shiver the glass, but the arrow would contain a little
note, detailing his visit to the priest at Crummyn, and the
arrangement he had made for carrying her away secretly from the
castle. She must take care, however, to move away her seat from
the window, and place it in a corner, lest the arrow might strike
herself."

But then a loud "Sidonia! Sidonia!" resounded through the wood,
and immediately after, "Ernest! Ernest!"

So she sprang up, and cried, "Run, dearest Prince, run as fast as
you are able, to the other side, where the huntsmen are gathering,
and mix with them, so that her Grace may not perceive you." This
he did, and began to talk to the huntsmen about their dogs and the
sweep of the chase, and as her Grace continued calling "Ernest!
Ernest!" he stepped slowly towards her out of the crowd, and asked
what was her pleasure? So she suspected nothing, and grew quite
calm again.

Duke Barnim now began to complain of hunger, and asked her Grace
where she meant to serve them a collation, for he could never hold
out until they reached Wolgast, and his friend Otto also was
growing as ravenous as a wolf.

Her Grace answered, the collation was laid in the Cisan tower,
close beside them, and as the weather was good, his Grace could
amuse himself with the _tubum opticum_, which a Pomeranian
noble had bought in Middelburg from one Johann Lippersein,
[Footnote: An optician, and the probable inventor of the
telescope, which was first employed about the end of the sixteenth
and the beginning of the seventeenth century.] and presented to
her. By the aid of this telescope he would see as far as his own
town of Stettin. Neither the Duke nor Otto Bork believed it
possible to see Stettin, at the distance of thirteen or fourteen
miles, with any instrument. But her Grace, who had heard of Otto's
godless infidelity, rebuked him gravely, saying, "You will soon be
convinced, sir knight; so we often hold that to be impossible in
spiritual matters, which becomes not only possible, but certain,
when we look through the telescope which the Holy Spirit presents
to us, weak and short-sighted mortals. God give to every infidel
such a _tubum opticum_!" The Duke, fearing now that her Grace
would continue her sermon indefinitely, interrupted her in his
jesting way--"Listen, dear cousin! I will lay a wager with you. If
I cannot see Stettin, as you promise, you shall give me a kiss;
but if I see it and recognise it clearly, then I shall give you a
kiss."

Her Grace was truly scandalised, as one may imagine, and replied
angrily--"Good uncle! if you attempt to offer such indignities to
me, the princely widow, I must pray your Grace to leave my court
with all speed, and never to return!" This rebuke made every one
grave until they reached the Cisan tower. This building lay only
half a mile from the hunting-ground, and was situated on the
summit of the Cisanberg, from whence its name. It was built of
wood, and contained four stories, besides excellent stabling for
horses. The apartments were light, airy, and elegant, so that her
Grace frequently passed a portion of the summer time there. The
upper story commanded a view of the whole adjacent country. At the
foot of the hill ran the little river Cisa into the Peen, and many
light, beautiful bridges were thrown over it at different points.
The hill itself was finely wooded with pines and other trees, and
the tower was made more light and airy than that which Duke Johann
Frederick afterwards erected at Friedrichswald, and commanded a
far finer prospect, seeing that the Cisanberg is the highest hill
in Pomerania.

While the party proceeded to the tower, Sidonia rode along by her
father, and to judge from her animation and gestures, she was, no
doubt, communicating to him all that the young lord had promised,
and her hopes, in consequence, that a very short period would
elapse before he might salute her as Duchess of Pomerania.

When they reached the tower, all admired the view even from the
lower window, for they could see the Peen, the Achterwasser, and
eight or nine towns, besides the sea in the distance. I say
nothing of Wolgast, which seemed to lie just beneath their feet,
with its princely castle and cathedral perfectly distinct, and all
its seats laid out like a map, where they could even distinguish
the people walking. Then her Grace bade them ascend to the upper
story, and look out for Stettin, but they sought for it in vain
with their unassisted eyes; then her Grace placed the _tubum
opticum_ before the Duke, and no sooner had he looked through
it than he cried out, "As I live, Otto, there is my strong tower
of St. James's, and my ducal castle to the left, lying far behind
the Finkenwald mountain." But the unbelieving Thomas laughed, and
only answered, "My gracious Prince! do not let yourself be so
easily imposed upon."

Hereupon the Duke made him look through the telescope himself; and
no sooner had he applied his eye to the glass than he jumped back,
rubbed his eyes, looked through a second time, and then
exclaimed--

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