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Sidonia The Sorceress V2

W >> William Mienhold >> Sidonia The Sorceress V2




_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.




CHAPTER XIX.

_How Satan, by the permission of the most righteous God, sought
altogether to ruin us, and how we lost all hope._


The same day, at about three in the afternoon, when I was gone to
Conrad Seep his ale-house to eat something, seeing that it was now
nearly two days since I had tasted aught save my tears, and he had
placed before me some bread and sausage, together with a mug of
beer, the constable came into the room and greeted me from the
sheriff, without, however, so much as touching his cap, asking
whether I would not dine with his lordship; that his lordship had
not remembered till now that I belike was still fasting, seeing
the trial had lasted so long. Hereupon I made answer to the
constable that I already had my dinner before me, as he saw
himself, and desired that his lordship would hold me excused.
Hereat the fellow wondered greatly, and answered, Did I not see
that his lordship wished me well, albeit I had preached at him as
though he were a Jew? I should think on my daughter, and be
somewhat more ready to do his lordship's will, whereby
peradventure all would yet end well. For his lordship was not such
a rough ass as _Dom. Consul_, and meant well by my child and
me, as beseemed a righteous magistrate.

After I had with some trouble rid myself of this impudent fox, I
tried to eat a bit, but nothing would go down save the beer. I
therefore soon sat and thought again whether I would not lodge
with Conrad Seep, so as to be always near my child; _item_,
whether I should not hand over my poor misguided flock to M.
Vigelius, the pastor of Benz, for such time as the Lord still
should prove me. In about an hour I saw through the window how
that an empty coach drove to the castle, and the sheriff and
_Dom. Consul_ straightway stepped thereinto with my child;
_item_, the constable climbed up behind. Hereupon I left
everything on the table and ran to the coach, asking humbly
whither they were about to take my poor child; and when I heard
they were going to the Streckelberg to look after the amber, I
begged them to take me also, and to suffer me to sit by my child,
for who could tell how much longer I might yet sit by her! This
was granted to me, and on the way the sheriff offered me to take
up my abode in the castle and to dine at his table as often as I
pleased, and that he would, moreover, send my child her meat from
his own table. For that he had a Christian heart, and well knew
that we were to forgive our enemies. But I refused his kindness
with humble thanks, as my child did also, seeing we were not yet
so poor that we could not maintain ourselves. As we passed by the
water-mill the ungodly varlet there again thrust his head out of a
hole and pulled wry faces at my child; but, dear reader, he got
something to remember it by; for the sheriff beckoned to the
constable to fetch the fellow out, and after he had reproached him
with the tricks he had twice played my child, the constable had to
take the coachman his new whip and to give him fifty lashes,
which, God knows, were not laid on with a feather. He bellowed
like a bull, which, however, no one heard for the noise of the
mill-wheels, and when at last he did as though he could not stir,
we left him lying on the ground and went on our way.

As we drove through Uekeritze a number of people flocked together,
but were quiet enough, save one fellow who, _salvâ veniâ_,
mocked at us with unseemly gestures in the midst of the road when
he saw us coming. The constable had to jump down again, but could
not catch him, and the others would not give him up, but pretended
that they had only looked at our coach and had not marked him. May
be this was true! and I am therefore inclined to think that it was
Satan himself who did it to mock at us; for mark, for God's sake,
what happened to us on the Streckelberg! Alas! through the
delusions of the foul fiend, we could not find the spot where we
had dug for the amber. For when we came to where we thought it
must be, a huge hill of sand had been heaped up as by a whirlwind,
and the fir-twigs which my child had covered over it were gone.
She was near falling in a swound when she saw this, and wrung her
hands and cried out with her Saviour, "My God, my God, why hast
Thou forsaken me!"

Howbeit, the constable and the coachman were ordered to dig, but
not one bit of amber was to be found, even so big as a grain of
corn, whereupon _Dom. Consul_ shook his head and violently
upbraided my child; and when I answered that Satan himself, as it
seemed, had filled up the hollow in order to bring us altogether
into his power, the constable was ordered to fetch a long stake
out of the coppice which we might thrust still deeper into the
sand. But no hard _objectum_ was anywhere to be felt,
notwithstanding the sheriff, _Dom. Consul_, and myself in my
anguish did try everywhere with the stake.

Hereupon my child besought her judges to go with her to Coserow,
where she still had much amber in her coffer which she had found
here, and that if it were the gift of the devil it would all be
changed, since it was well known that all the presents the devil
makes to witches straightway turn to mud and ashes.

But, God be merciful to us, God be merciful to us! when we
returned to Coserow, amid the wonderment of all the village, and
my daughter went to her coffer, the things therein were all tossed
about, and the amber gone. Hereupon she shrieked so loud that it
would have softened a stone, and cried out, "The wicked constable
hath done this! when he fetched the salve out of my coffer, he
stole the amber from me, unhappy maid." But the constable, who
stood by, would have torn her hair, and cried out, "Thou witch,
thou damned witch, is it not enough that thou hast belied my lord,
but thou must now belie me too?" But _Dom. Consul_ forbade
him, so that he did not dare lay hands upon her. _Item_, all
the money was gone which she had hoarded up from the amber she had
privately sold, and which she thought already came to about ten
florins.

But the gown which she had worn at the arrival of the most
illustrious king Gustavus Adolphus, as well as the golden chain
with his effigy which he had given her, I had locked up as though
it were a relic in the chest in the vestry, among the altar and
pulpit cloths, and there we found them still; and when I excused
myself therefor, saying that I had thought to have saved them up
for her there against her bridal day, she gazed with fixed and
glazed eyes into the box, and cried out, "Yes, against the day
when I shall be burnt! O Jesu, Jesu, Jesu!" Hereat _Dom.
Consul_ shuddered and said, "See how thou still dost smite
thyself with thine own words. For the sake of God and thy
salvation, confess, for if thou knowest thyself to be innocent,
how, then, canst thou think that thou wilt be burnt?" But she
still looked him fixedly in the face, and cried aloud in Latin,
"_Innocentia, quid est innocentia! Ubi libido dominatur,
innocentia leve præsidium est._" [Footnote: These words are
from Cicero, if I do not mistake.]

Hereupon _Dom. Consul_ again shuddered, so that his beard
wagged, and said, "What, dost thou indeed know Latin? Where didst
thou learn the Latin?" And when I answered this question as well
as I was able for sobbing, he shook his head, and said, "I never
in my life heard of a woman that knew Latin." Upon this he knelt
down before her coffer, and turned over everything therein, drew
it away from the wall, and when he found nothing he bade us show
him her bed, and did the same with that. This, at length, vexed
the sheriff, who asked him whither they should not drive back
again, seeing that night was coming on? But he answered, "Nay, I
must first have the written paction which Satan has given her;"
and he went on with his search until it was almost dark.
[Footnote: At this time it was believed that as a man bound
himself to the devil by writing, so did the devil in like manner
to the man.] But they found nothing at all, although _Dom.
Consul_, together with the constable, passed over no hole or
corner, even in the kitchen and cellar. Hereupon he got up again
into the coach, muttering to himself, and bade my daughter sit so
that she should not look upon him.

And now we once more had the same _spectaculum_ with the
accursed old witch Lizzie Kolken, seeing that she again sat at her
door as we drove by, and began to sing at the top of her voice,
"We praise thee, O Lord." But she screeched like a stuck pig, so
that _Dom. Consul_ was amazed thereat, and when he had heard
who she was, he asked the sheriff whether he would not that she
should be seized by the constable and be tied behind the coach, to
run after it, as we had no room for her elsewhere; for that he had
often been told that all old women who had red squinting eyes and
sharp voices were witches, not to mention the suspicious things
which _Rea_ had declared against her. But he answered that he
could not do this, seeing that old Lizzie was a woman in good
repute, and fearing God, as _Dom. Consul_ might learn for
himself; but that, nevertheless, he had had her summoned for the
morrow, together with the other witnesses.

Yea, in truth, an excellently devout and worthy woman!--for
scarcely were we out of the village, when so fearful a storm of
thunder, lightning, wind, and hail burst over our heads, that the
corn all around us was beaten down as with a flail, and the horses
before the coach were quite maddened; however, it did not last
long. But my poor child had to bear all the blame again,
[Footnote: Such sudden storms were attributed to witches.]
inasmuch as _Dom. Consul_ thought that it was not old Lizzie,
which, nevertheless, was as clear as the sun at noon-day, but my
poor daughter who brewed the storm;--for, beloved reader, what
could it have profited her, even if she had known the black art?
This, however, did not strike _Dom. Consul_, and Satan, by
the permission of the all-righteous God, was presently to use us
still worse; for just as we got to the Master's Dam, [Footnote: It
is also called to the present day, and is distant a mile from
Coserow.] he came flying over us in the shape of a stork, and
dropped a frog so exactly over us that it fell into my daughter
her lap: she gave a shrill scream, but I whispered her to sit
still, and that I would secretly throw the frog away by one leg.

But the constable had seen it, and cried out, "Hey, sirs! hey,
look at the cursed witch! what has the devil just thrown into her
lap?" Whereupon the sheriff and _Dom. Consul_ looked round
and saw the frog, which crawled in her lap, and the constable,
after he had blown upon it three times, took it up and showed it
to their lordships. Hereat _Dom. Consul_ began to spew, and
when he had done, he ordered the coachman to stop, got down from
the coach, and said we might drive home, that he felt qualmish,
and would go a-foot and see if he got better. But first he
privately whispered to the constable, which, howbeit, we heard
right well, that when he got home he should lay my poor child in
chains, but not so as to hurt her much; to which neither she nor I
could answer save by tears and sobs. But the sheriff had heard it
too, and when his worship was out of sight he began to stroke my
child her cheeks from behind her back, telling her to be easy, as
he also had a word to say in the matter, and that the constable
should not lay her in chains. But that she must leave off being so
hard to him as she had been hitherto, and come and sit on the seat
beside him, that he might privately give her some good advice as
to what was to be done. To this she answered, with many tears,
that she wished to sit only by her father, as she knew not how
much longer she might sit by him at all; and she begged for
nothing more save that his lordship would leave her in peace. But
this he would not do, but pinched her back and sides with his
knees; and as she bore with this, seeing that there was no help
for it, he waxed bolder, taking it for a good sign. Meanwhile
_Dom. Consul_ called out close behind us (for being
frightened he ran just after the coach), "Constable, constable,
come here quick; here lies a hedgehog in the midst of the road!"
whereupon the constable jumped down from the coach.

This made the sheriff still bolder; and at last my child rose up
and said, "Father, let us also go a-foot; I can no longer guard
myself from him here behind!" But he pulled her down again by her
clothes, and cried out angrily, "Wait, thou wicked witch, I will
help thee to go a-foot if thou art so wilful; thou shalt be
chained to the block this very night." Whereupon she answered, "Do
you do that which you cannot help doing: the righteous God, it is
to be hoped, will one day do unto you what He cannot help doing."

Meanwhile we had reached the castle, and scarcely were we got out
of the coach, when _Dom. Consul_, who had run till he was all
of a sweat, came up, together with the constable, and straightway
gave over my child into his charge, so that I had scarce time to
bid her farewell. I was left standing on the floor below, wringing
my hands in the dark, and hearkened whither they were leading her,
inasmuch as I had not the heart to follow; when _Dom.
Consul_, who had stepped into a room with the sheriff, looked
out at the door again, and called after the constable to bring
_Rea_ once more before them. And when he had done so, and I
went into the room with them, _Dom. Consul_ held a letter in
his hand, and, after spitting thrice, he began thus, "Wilt thou
still deny, thou stubborn witch? Hear what the old knight, Hans
von Nienkerken, writes to the court!" Whereupon he read out to us,
that his son was so disturbed by the tale the accursed witch had
told of him, that he had fallen sick from that very hour, and that
he, the father, was not much better. That his son, Rüdiger, had
indeed at times, when he went that way, been to see Pastor
Schweidler, whom he had first known upon a journey; but that he
swore that he wished he might turn black if he had ever used any
folly or jesting with the cursed devil's whore his daughter; much
less ever been with her by night on the Streckelberg, or embraced
her there.

At this dreadful news we both (I mean my child and I) fell down in
a swound together, seeing that we had rested our last hopes on the
young lord; and I know not what further happened. For when I came
to myself, my host, Conrad Seep, was standing over me, holding a
funnel between my teeth, through which he ladled some warm beer
down my throat, and I never felt more wretched in all my life;
insomuch that Master Seep had to undress me like a little child,
and to help me into bed.




CHAPTER XX.

_Of the malice of the Governor and of old Lizzie--item, of the
examination of witnesses._


The next morning my hairs, which till _datum_ had been
mingled with grey, were white as snow, albeit the Lord otherwise
blessed me wondrously. For near daybreak a nightingale flew into
the elder-bush beneath my window, and sang so sweetly that
straightway I thought it must be a good angel. For after I had
hearkened awhile to it, I was all at once able again to pray,
which since last Sunday I could not do; and the spirit of our Lord
Jesus Christ began to speak within me, "Abba, Father;" [Footnote:
Gal. iv. 6.] and straightway I was of good cheer, trusting that
God would once more be gracious unto me His wretched child; and
when I had given Him thanks for such great mercy, I fell into a
refreshing slumber, and slept so long that the blessed sun stood
high in the heavens when I awoke.

And seeing that my heart was still of good cheer, I sat up in my
bed, and sang with a loud voice, "Be not dismayed, thou little
flock:" whereupon Master Seep came into the room, thinking I had
called him. But he stood reverently waiting till I had done; and
after marvelling at my snow-white hair, he told me it was already
seven; _item_, that half my congregation, among others, my
ploughman, Claus Neels, were already assembled in his house to
bear witness that day. When I heard this, I bade mine host
forthwith send Claus to the castle, to ask when the court would
open, and he brought word back that no one knew, seeing that
_Dom. Consul_ was already gone that morning to Mellenthin to
see old Nienkerken, and was not yet come back. This message gave
me good courage, and I asked the fellow whether he also had come
to bear witness against my poor child? To which he answered, "Nay,
I know naught save good of her, and I would give the fellows their
due, only----"

These words surprised me, and I vehemently urged him to open his
heart to me. But he began to weep, and at last said that he knew
nothing. Alas! he knew but too much, and could then have saved my
poor child if he had willed. But from fear of the torture he held
his peace, as he since owned; and I will here relate what had
befallen him that very morning.

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