Skip to main content

Full text of "Sidonia the sorceress / by William Meinhold ; translated by Francesca Speranza, lady Wilde"

See other formats 


~~?s 



; * 




I 




aii 




H 






Vt 



T 






i 



i 




9 LY&Uftc 



/y.0btLi, -y -/<£?? 



SIDONIA THE SORCERESS j® BY WILLIAM 
MEINHOLD TRANSLATED BY FRANCESCA 
SPERANZA LADY WILDE. 






5- 






pr 






1450 






srs 






W3 






S>li0 








PREFACE. 

I M O N GST all the trials for witchcraft 
with which we are acquainted, few have 
I attained so great a celebrity as that of the 
Lady Canoness of Pomerania, Sidonia 
| von Bork. She was accused of having by 
her sorceries caused sterility in manyfami' 
lies, particularly in that of the ancient 
reigning house of Pomerania, and also of 
havingdestroyed the noblest scions of that 

_ house by an early and premature death. 

Notwithstanding the intercessions and entreaties of the prince of 
Brandenburg and Saxony, and of the resident Pomeranian nobility, 
she was publicly executed for these crimes on the 19th of August, 
1620, on the public scaffold, at Stettin ; the only favour granted being, 
that she was allowed to be beheaded first and then burned^This 
terrible example caused such a panic of horror, that contemporary 
authors scarcely dare to mention her name, and even then merely 
by giving the initials. This forbearance arose partly from respect 
towards the ancient family of the Von Borks, who then as now 
were amongst the most illustrious and wealthy inthe land, and also 
fromthefearof offendingthe reigning ducal family,as theSorceress, 
in her youth, had stood in a very near and tender relation to the 
young Duke Ernest Louis von Pommern/Wolgastj2?These rea^ 
sons will be sufficiently comprehensible to all who are familiarwith 
the disgust and aversion in which the paramours of the evil one were 
held in that age, so that even upon the rack these subjects were 
scarcely touched upon.The first public judicial,yet disconnected ac^ 
count of Sidonia's trial, we find in the Pomeranian library of Dah' 
nert, 4th volume, article 7, July number of the year \755JZ? Dahnert 
here acknowledges, page 241, that the numbers from 302 to 1080, 
containing the depositions of the witnesses, were not forthcoming 
up to his time, but that a Priest in Pansin, near Stargard, by name 
Justus Sagebaum, pretended to have them in his hands, and ac* 
cordingly,in the 5th volume of the above-named journal (article 4, 
of April, 1756), some very important extracts appeared from them. 
The records, however, again disappeared for nearly a century, until 
Barthold announced, some short time since, .".that hehadat length 
discovered them in the Berlin library; but he does not say which, 



History of Rugen and Pomerania, vol. iv. page 486. 



in 



for, according to Schwalenberg,who quotes Dahnert, there existed 
twoor three different copies, namely, the" Protocollumjodoci Neu' 
marks," the so-called "Acta Lothmanni," and that of "Adami 
Moesters," contradicting each other in the most important matters. 
Whether I have drawn the history of my Sidonia from one or other 
of the above-'named sources, or from some entirely new, or, finally, 
from that alone which is longest known, I shall leave undecided J%j? 
Every onewhohasheardoftheanimadversionswhich"The Amber 
W^itch" excited, many asserting thatitwas only dressed^up history, 
though I repeatedly assured them it was simple fiction, will pardon 
me if I do not here distinctly declare whether Sidonia be history or 
fictionj^The truth of the material, as well as of the formal contents, 
can be tested by any one by referring to the authorities I have named ; 
and in connexion with these, I must just remark that, in order to 
spare the reader any difficulties which might present themselves to 
eye and ear, in consequence of the old-fashioned mode of writing, I 
have modernised the orthography, and amended the grammar and 
structure of the phrases. And, lastly, I trust that all just thinkers of 
every party will pardon me for havinghereand there introduced my 
supernatural views of Christianity. A man's principles, as put for' 
ward in his philosophical writings, are in general only read by his 
own party, and not by that of his adversaries. A Rationalist willfly 
from a book by a Supernaturalist as rapidly as this latter from one 
by a Friend or Light. But by introducing my views in the manner I 
have adopted, in place of publishing them in a distinct volume, I 
trust that all parties will be induced to peruse them, and that many 
will find, not only what is worthy their particular attention, but 
matter for deep and serious reflection. I must now give an account 
of those portraits of Sidonia which are extant. As far as I know, 
three of these (besides innumerable sketches) exist, one in Stettin, 
the other in the lower Pomeranian town, Plathe,and a third at Star' 
gard, near Regenwalde, in the castle of the Count von Bork. I am 
acquainted only with the last named picture, and agree with many 
in thinkingthat it is the only original. Sidonia is here represented in 
the prime of mature beauty, a gold net is drawn over her almost 
golden yellow hair, and her neck, arms, and hands are profusely 
covered with jewels. Her bodice of bright purple is trimmed with 
costly fur, and the robe is of azure velvet. In her hand she carries a 
sort of pompadour of brown leather, of the most elegant form and 
finish. Her eyes and mouth are not pleasing, notwithstanding their 
greatbeauty ; in the mouth, particularly, one can discover an expres/ 
sion of cold malignity. The painting is beautifully executed, and is 
evidently of the school of Louis Kranach. Immediately behind this 
iv 



form, there is another looking over the shoulder of Sidonia, like a 
terrible spectre, a highly poetical idea, for this spectre is Sidonia 
herself painted as a Sorceress. It must have been added, after a lapse 
of many years, to the youthful portrait which belongs as I have said 
to the school of Kranach, whereas the second figure portrays mv 
mistakably the school of Rubens J0 It is a fearfully characteristic 
painting, and no imagination could conceive a contrast more shud' 
deringly awful. The Sorceress is arrayed in her death garments, 
white with black stripes; and round her thin white locks is bound a 
narrow band of black velvet, spotted with gold. In her hand is a kind 
of a work-basket, but of the simplest workmanship and form. Of 
the other portraits I cannot speak from myown personal inspection; 
but to judge by the drawings taken from them to which I have had 
access, they appear to differ completely, not only in costume but in 
the character of the countenance from the one I have described, 
which there is no doubt must be the original, not only because it 
bears all the characteristics of that school of painting which ap^ 
proached nearest to the age in which Sidonia lived, namely, from 
1540 to 1620, but also by the fact, that a sheet of paper bearing an 
inscription was found behindthe painting, betraying evident marks 
of age in its blackened colour, the form of the letters, and the express 
sions employed.The inscription is as following >.Jgt" This Sidonia 
von Bork was in her youth the most beautiful andthe richest of the 
maidens of Pomerania.She inherited many estates from her parents, 
and thus was in her own right a possessor almost of a county. So her 
pride increased and many noble gentlemen who sought her in mar^ 
riage were rejected with disdain, as she considered that a count or 
prince alone could be worthy of her hand ; for these reasons she at' 
tended the Duke's court frequently, in the hopes of winning over 
one of the seven young princes to her love. At length she was sue 
cessful, Duke Ernest Louis vonWolgast, aged about twenty, and 
the handsomest youth in Pomerania, became her lover, and even 
promised her his hand in marriage. This promise he would faith' 
fully have kept if the Stettin Princes, who were displeased at the 
prospect of this unequal alliance, had not induced him to aban • 
don Sidonia by means of the portrait of the Princess Hedwig of 
Brunswick, the most beautiful princess in all Germany. Sidonia 
thereupon fell into such despair, that she resolved to renounce mar^ 
riage for ever, and bury the remainder of her life in the convent of 
Marienfliess, and thus she did. But the wrong done to her by the 
Stettin Princes lay heavy upon her heart, and the desire for revenge 



increased with years, besides in place of readingthe Bible, herprivate 
hours were passed studyingthe ' Amadis/ wherein she found many 
examples of how forsaken maidens have avenged themselves upon 
their false lovers by means of magic. So she at last yielded to the 
temptations of Satan, and after some years learned the secrets of 
witchcraft from an old woman. By means of this unholy knowledge, 
along with several evil deeds, she so bewitched the whole princely 
race that the six young princes, who were each wedded to a young 
wife, remained cnildless; but no public notice was taken until Duke 
Francis succeeded to the Duchy in 1618. He was a ruthless enemy 
to witches ; all in the land were sought out with great diligence ana 
burned, and as they unanimously named the Abbess of Marien^ 
fliess . . upon the rack, she was brought to Stettin by command of 
the Duke, where she freely confessed all the evil wrought by her 
sorceries upon the princely race^^The Duke promised her life and 
pardon if she would free the other princes from the bann ; but her 
answer was that she had enclosed the spell in a padlock, and flung 
it into the sea, and having asked the devil if he could restore the pad' 
lock again to her, he replied: " No; that was forbidden to him ; by 
which every one can perceive that the destiny of God was in the 
matterjg§?And so it was that, notwithstanding the intercession of 
all the neighbouring courts, Sidonia was brought to the scaffold at 
Stettin, there beheaded, and afterwards burned J& Before her death 
the prince ordered her portrait to be painted, in her old age & prison 
garb, behind that which represented her in theprimeof youth. After 
his death, Bogislaff XI v., the last duke, gave this picture to my 
grandmother, whose husband had also been killed by the Sorceress. 
My father received it from her, and I from him,alongwith the story 
which is here written down. 

" HENRY GUSTAVUSSCHWALENBERG." 

Note. The style of this "Inscription" proves itto have been written 
in the beginning of the preceding century, but it is first noticed by 
Dahnert. I havehadthis version compared with the original in Star' 
gard, through the kindness of a friend, who assures me that the 
transcription is perfectly correct, and yet can he be mistaken ; for 
Horst (Magic Library, vol iu page 246), gives the conclusion thus : 
" From whom my father received it, and I from him, along with the 

.*. Sidonia never attained this dignity, though Micraelius & others 
gave her the title, 
vi 



story precisely as given here by H. S. Schwalenberg." By thisread> 
ing, which must have escaped my friend, a different sense is given to 
the passage; by the last reading it would appear that the " I " was a 
Bork, who had taken the tale from Schwalenberg's history of the 
Pomeranian Dukes, a work which exists only in manuscript, and to 
which I have had no access; but if we admit the first reading, then 
the writer must be a Schwalenberg. Even the "grandmother" will 
not clear up the matter, for Sidonia, when put to the torture, con/ 
fessed at the seventh question, that she had caused the death of 
Doctor Schwalenberg (he was counsellor in Stettin then) , and at the 
eleventh question, that her brother's son, Otto Bork, had died also 
by her means : who then is this " I " ? Even Sidonia's picture, we see, 
utters mysteries J& In my opinion the writer was Schwalenberg, and 
Horst seems to have taken his version from Paulis's General His/ 
tory of Pomerania, vol. iv. page 396, and not from the original of 
Dahnertj^For the picture at that early period was not in the pos/ 
session of a Bork, but belonged to the Count von Mellin in Schil/ 
lersdorf, as passages from many authors can testify. This is con/ 
firmed by another paper found alongwith that containing thetradi/ 
tion, but of much more modern appearance, which states that the 
picture was removed by successive inheritors, firstfrom Schillersdorf 
to Stargard,from thence to Heinrichsberg (there are three towns in 
Pomerania of this name), and finally from Heinrichsberg, in the 
year 1834, was a second time removed to Stargard by the last in/ 
heritor. This Schillersdorf lies between Gartz and Stettin on the 
Oder. 

WILLIAM MEINHOLD. 



vu 




LETTEROFDR. THEODORE PLONNIES TO BOG/ 
ISLAFF THE FOURTEENTH, THE LAST DUKE 
OF POMERANIA. 

OST Eminent Prince and Gracious Lord: 
Serene Prince, Your Highness gave me a 
commission in pastyears to travel through 
all Pomerania, and if I met with any per/ 
sons who could give me certain "informa/ 
tion" respecting the notorious & accursed 
witch Sidonia von Bork,to set down care/ 
fully all they stated, and bringitafterwards 
into connexum for your Highness. It is 
well'known that Duke Francis, of blessed 
memory, never would permit the accursed deeds of this woman to 
be made public, or her confession upon the rack, fearing to bring 
scandal upon the princely house. But your Serene Highness viewed 
the subject differently, and said that it was good for every one, but 
especially princes, to look into the clear mirror of history, & behold 
there the faults and follies of their race. For this reason may no truth 
be omitted herejgS?To such princely commands I have proved my/ 
self obedient, collecting all information, whether good or evil, and 
concealingnothing. Butthegreater numberwhorelatedthesetnings 
to me could scarcely speak for tears,forwherever I travelled through/ 
out Pomerania, as the faithful servant ofyour Highness, nothing was 
heard but lamentations from old and young, rich and poor, that this 
execrable Sorceress, out of satanic wickedness, had destroyed this 
illustrious race, who had held their lands from no emperor, in feudal 
tenure like other German princes, but in their own right, as absolute 
lords, since five hundred years, and though for twenty years it seemed 
to rest upon five goodly princes, yet by permission of theincompre' 
hensible God, it has now melted away until your Highness (God 
have mercy upon us !) will be utterly extinguished, and for ever. 
"Wo to us, how have we sinned!" Lament, v. 16 J& I pray, there/ 
fore, the all/merciful God, that hewill remove me before your High/ 
ness from this vale of tears, that I may not behold the last hour of 
your Highness, or of my poor fatherland. Ratherthan witness these 
things, I would a thousand times sooner lie quiet in my grave. 

.\ Marginal note of Duke BogislafI the 14th. In tuas manus com/ 
mendo spiritum meum, quia tu me redemisti fide deus. 
viii 



A LIST OF THE CHAPTERS OF THIS BOOK. 

I. Of the education of Sidonia page i 

II. Of the bear /hunt at Stramehl, and the strange 

things that befel there 6 

III. How Otto Von Bork received the homage of his 

son/in/law, Vidante von Meseritz, & how the 
bride and bridegroom proceeded afterwards to 
the chapel. Item : What strange things hap/ 
pened at the wedding/feast 12 

IV. How Sidonia came to the Court at Wolgast, and 

of what further happened to her there 24 

V. Sidonia knows nothing of God's word, but seeks 

to learn it from the young Prince of Wolgast 29 

VI. How the young Prince prepared a petition to 
his mother the Duchess in favour of Sidonia. 
Item: Of the strange doings of the Laplander 
with his magic drum 35 

VII. How Ulrich von Schwerin buries his spouse, and 
Doctor Gerschovius comforts him out of God's 
word 39 

VIII. How Sidonia rides upon the pet stag, and what 

evil consequences result therefrom 45 

IX. How Sidonia makes the young Prince break his 
word. Item: How Clara von Dewitz in vain 
tries to turn her from her evil ways 50 

X. How Sidonia wished to learn the mystery of love 
potions, but is hindered by Clara & the young 
Prince 56 

XI. How Sidonia repeated the catechism of Dr. Ger/ 
schovius,& how she whipped the young Casi/ 
imir, outof pureevilmindedness 62 

XII. Of Appelmann's knavery. Item : How the birth/ 
day of her Highness was celebrated, & Sidonia 
managed to get to the dance, with the uproar 
caused thereby 66 

XIII. How Sidonia is sent away to Stettin. Item: Of 

the young lord's dangerous illness, and what 
happened in consequence 76 

XIV. How Duke Barnim of Stettin and Otto Bork ac/ 

company Sidonia back to Wolgast 86 

XV. Of the Grand Battue, and what the young Duke 

and Sidonia resolved on there 92 

ix 



XVI. How the ghost continued to haunt the castle, and 

of its daring behaviour. Item, how the young 

lord regained his strength, and was able to visit 

Crummyn, with what happened to him there 100 

XVII. Of Ulrich's counsels. Item, how Clara Von De/ 

witz came upon the track of the Ghost ioq 

XVIII. How the horrible wickedness of Sidonia was 
made apparent; and how in consequence there/ 
of she was banished with ignominy from the 
Ducal Court of Wblgast 115 

BOOK II. 

I. Of the quarrel between Otto Bork and the Star/ 
gardians,which caused him to demand the dues 
upon the Jena 125 

II. How Otto von Bork demands the Jena dues from 
the Stargardians, and how the Burgomaster 
Jacob Appelmann takes him prisoner & locks 
him up in the Red Sea 132 

III. Of Otto Bork's dreadful suicide. Item: How Si/ 

donia and Johann Appelmann were brought 
before the Burgomaster 141 

IV. How Sidonia meets Claude Uckermann again, 

and solicits him to wed her. Item : What he 
answered, and how my gracious Lord of Stet/ 
tin received her 147 

V. How they went on meantime at "Wblgast. Item: 

Of the diet at Wollin and what happened there 151 
VI. How Sidonia is again discovered with the groom, 

Johann Appelmann 158 

VII. Of the distress in Pomeranian Land. Item: How 
Sidonia and Johann Appelmann determine to 
join the robbers in the vicinity of Stargard 163 

VIII. How Johann and Sidonia meet an adventure at 
Altendamn. Item : Of their reception by the 
Robber Band. 167 

IX. How His Highness, Duke Barnim, the elder, 
went a/hawking at Marienfliess.Item: Of the 
shameful robbery at Zachan, and how Burgo/ 
master Appelmann remonstrates with his a/ 
bandoned son t ja 



X. How the robbers attack Prince Ernest and his 
bride in the Uckermann Forest, and Marcus 
Bork and Dinnies Kleist come to their rescue 179 
XI. Of the Ambassadors in the tavern of Mutzek 
burg. Item: How the miller, Konnemann, is 
discovered, and made by Dinnies Kleist to act 
as guide to the robber cave, where they find all 
the womenfolk lying apparently dead,through 
some devil's magic of the gipsy mother 186 

XII. How the peasants in Marienfliess want to burn a 
witch, but are hindered by Johann Appelmann 
and Sidonia, who discover an old acquaintance 
in the witch, the girl Wolde Albrechts 189 

XIII. Of the adventure with the boundary lads & how 

one of them promises to admit Johann Appek 
mann into the castle of Daber that same night. 
Item : Of what befell amongst the guests at the 
castle 196 

XIV. How the knave Appelmann seizes His Serene 

E minence, Duke Johann, by the throat, & how 
His Grace and the whole castle are saved by 
Marcus Bork and his young bride Clara; also 
how Sidonia at last is taken prisoner 203 

XV. How Sidonia demeans herself at the castle of 
Saatzig, and how Clara forgets the injunctions 
of her beloved husband, when he leaves her to 
attend the diet at Wollin, on the subject of the 
courts. Item: How the Serene Prince, Duke 
Johann Frederick, beheads his court fool with 
a sausage 211 

XVI. How Sidonia makes poor Clara appear quite 
dead, & of the great mourning at Saatzig over 
her burial, while Sidonia dances on her coffin 
and sings the cix. Psalm. Item : Of the sermon 
and the anathema pronounced upon a wicked 
sinner from the altar of the church 2x8 

XVII. How Sidonia is chased by the wolves to Rehe^ 
winkel, and finds Johann Appelmann again in 
the inn, with whom she goes away a second 
time by night 225 

XVIII. How a new leaf is turned over at Bruchhausen in 
a very fearful manner. Old Appelmann takes 

xi 



his worthless son prisoner & admonishes him 
to repentance. Of Johann's wonderful convert 
sion, & execution next morning in the church/- 
yard, Sidonia being present thereby 231 

XIX. Of Sidonia' s disappearance for thirty years. Item : 
How the young Princess Elizabeth Magdelene 
was possessed by a devil, and of the sudden 
death of her father, Ernest Ludovicus of Pom/ 
erania 240 

XX. How Sidonia demeans herself at the convent of 
Marienfliess. Item : How their Princely and 
Electoral Graces of Pomerania, Brandenburg, 
and Mecklenburg, went on sleighs to Wolgast, 
and of the divers pastimes of the journey 247 

XXI. How Sidonia meets their Graces upon the ice. 
Item: How Dinnies Kleist beheads himself, 
and my gracious Lord of Wolgast perishes 
miserably 252 

XXII. How Barnim the Tenth succeeds to the Govern.* 
ment, and how Sidonia meets him as she is 
gathering bilberries. Item: Of the unnatural 
witch /■storm at His Grace's funeral, and how 
Duke Casimir refuses, in consequence, to sue 
ceed him 257 

XXIII. Duke Bogislaff XIII. accepts the government of 
the Duchy, and gives Sidonia at last the long 
desired Praebenda. Item: Of her arrival at the 
convent of Marienfliess 262 

BOOK III. 
I. How the sub^prioress Dorothea Stettin visits Si" 
donia and extols her virtue. Item : Of Sidonia' s 
Quarrel with the dairy * woman, and how she 
beats the sherifFhimself, Eggert Sparling, with 
a broonvstick 268 

II. How Sidonia visits the abbess, Magdalena von 
Petersdorf, and explains her wishes, but is di^ 
verted to other objects by a sight of David Lu/- 
deck, the chaplain to the convent 275 

III. Sidonia tries another way to catch the priest, but 
fails through a mistake. Item : Of her horrible 
spell whereby she bewitched the whole prince 
xii 



ly race of Pomerania, so that to the grievous 
sorrow of their fatherland, they remain barren 
even unto this day 282 

IV. How Dorothea Stettin is talked out of the sub' 
prioret by Sidonia, and the priest is prohibited 
from visiting the convent 290 

V. How Sidonia wounds Ambrosia von Gunters^ 
berg with an axe, because she purposed to 
marry, & prays the convent porter, Matthias 
Winterfeld, to death. For these, and other 
causes, the reverend chaplain refuses to shrive 
the sorceress, and denounces her publicly from 
the altar 207 

VI. Dorothea Stettin falls sick, and how the doctor 
manages to bleed her. Item: How Sidonia 
chases the princely commissioners into the 
oak'forest ~ Q y 

VII. How the assembled Pomeranian Princes hold a 
council over Sidonia and at length cite her to 
appear at the ducal court 3l3 

VIII. Of Sidonia's defence. Item: How she has a quar^ 
rel with Joachim Wedel, and bewitches him to 
death 

IX. How a strange woman (who must assuredly have 
been Sidonia) incites the lieges of His Grace 
to great uproar and tumult in Stettin, by reason 
of the new tax upon beer 
X. Of the fearful events that took place at Marien/ 
fliess. Item: How Dorothea Stettin becomes 
possessed by the devil aa 6 

XL Of the arrival of Diliana and the death of the con^ 
vent priest. Item: How the unfortunate corpse 
is torn by a wolf 343 

XII. How Jobst Bork has himself carried to Maries 
fliess in his bed, to reclaim his fair young daugh-' 
ter Diliana. Item: How George Putkammer 
threatens Sidonia with a drawn sword 351 

XIII. How my gracious lord bishop Franciscus and the 
reverend Dr. Joel go to the Jews' school at old 
Stettin, in order to steal the Schem Hamphor/ 
asch, and how the enterprise finishes with a 
sound cudgelling 3 6o 



321 



327 



XIH 



XIV. How the Duke Francis seeks a virgin at Marien/ 
fliess to cite the angel Och for him j of Sidonia' s 
evil plot thereupon, and the terrible uproar 
caused thereby in the convent 372 

XV. Of the death of the abbess, Magdalena von Pe/ 
tersdorfin. Item: How Duke Francis makes 
Jobst Bork and his daughter, Diliana, come to 
Damyn, and what happens there 380 

XVI. Jobst Bork takes away his daughter by force from 
the Duke and Dr. Joel ; also, is strengthened in 
his unbelief by Dr. Cramer. Item: How my 
gracious Prince arrives at Marienfliess, and 
there vehemently menaces Sidonia 387 

XVII. Of the fearful death of His Highness, Duke 
Philip II. of Pomerania, and of his melancholy 
but sumptuous burial 394 

XVIII. How Jobst Bork and his little daughter are forced 
at last into the ". Opus Magicum." Item: How 
His Highness, Duke Francis, appoints Christ 
tian Ludecke,his attorney/general, to be witch' 
commissioner of Pomerania 390 

XIX. How Christian Ludecke begins the witch burn./ 
ings in Marienfliess, and lets the poor dairy/ 
mother die horribly on the rack 404 

XX. What Sidonia said to these doings. Item : What 
our Lord God said; and lastly, of the magical 
experiment performed upon George Putkam/ 
mer and Diliana, in Old Stettin 411 

XXI. Of the awful & majestic appearance of the Sun/ 

Angel, Och 420 

XXII. How old Wolde is seized, confronted with Si/ 

donia, and finally burned before her window 428 

XXIII. How Diliana Bork and George Putkammer are 

at length betrothed. Item : How Sidonia is 
degraded from her conventual dignities & car/ 
ried to the Witches' Tower of Saatzig in chains 436 

XXIV. Of the execution of Sidonia and the wedding of 

Diliana 443 

Conclusion. Mournful destiny of the last princely 
Pomeranian remains. My visit to the Ducal 
Pomeranian Vault in Wblgast, on the 6th 
May, 1840 452 



xiv 



f 





SIDONIA THE SORCERESS. BOOK !.'#■"# #'&/? 
FROM THE RECEPTION OF SIDONIA AT THE 
DUCAL COURT OF WOLGAST UNTIL HER BAN, 
ISHMENT THERE FROM. ^/£^,*£ /£,*$* /3M* ,#,*£! 

CHAPTER I. OF THE EDUCATION OF SIDONIA. 

|HE illustrious and high'born prince and 
lord, Bogislaff, 14th Duke of Pomerania, 
Prince or Cassuben, Wenden, and Rugen, < 
Count of Guzkow, Lord of the lands of 
Lauenburg and Butow, and my gracious ' 
feudal seigneur, having commanded me, 1 
Dr. Theodore Plonnies,formerly bailiff at 
the ducal court, to make search through' 
out all the land for information respecting 
the'!; world 'famed sorceress Sidonia von 









Bork and write down the same in a book, I set out for Stargard, 
accompanied by a servant, early one Friday after the Visitationis ' 
Mariae, 1629 ; for in my opinion, in order to form a just judgment re^ , 
specting the character of any one, it is necessary to make one's self 
acquainted with the circumstances of their early life; the future man 
lies enshrined in the child, and the peculiar development of each in/- 1 
dividual nature is the result entirely of education. Sidonia's history 
is a remarkable proof of this J& I visited first, therefore, the scenes 
of her early years; but almost all who had known herwere long since 
in their graves, seeing that ninety years had passed since the time of 
her birth. However, the old innkeeper at Stargard, Zabel Wiese, 
himself very far advanced in years (whom I can recommend to all* 
travellers; he lives in the Pelzerstrasse),told me that the old baches 
lor, Claude Uckermann of Dalow, an aged man of ninety 'two years 
old, was the only person who could give me the information I desired, 
as in his youth he had been one of the many followers of Sidonia. 
His memory was certainly well nigh gone from age, still all that had 
happened in the early period of his life lay as fresh as the Lord s 
Prayer upon his tongue,^ Mine host also related some important 
circumstances to me myself, which shall appear in theirproper place 
J& I accordingly proceeded to Dalow, a little town half a mile from 
Stargard, and visited Claude Uckermann. I found him seated by 
the chimney corner, his hair as white as snow." What did I wantr ( 
He was too old to receive strangers; I must go on to his son Wedig's 





.*. Probably 
the sect afters 
wards named 
Socinians;for 
we find that 
Laelius Soci^ 
nus taught in 
Poland, even 
before Me^ 
lancthon's 
death (1560). 




house, & leave him in quiet," &c. &c. But when I said that I brought 
him a greeting from his Highness, his manner changed, & hepushed 
the seat over for me beside the fire, and began to chat first about the 
fine pine-trees, from which he cut his fire^wood, they were so full of 
resin; and how his son, a year before, had found an iron pot in the 
turf moor under atree, full of bracelets and ear-rings, which his little 
granddaughter now wore. 

when hehad tired himself out, I communicated what his Highness 
had so nobly commanded to be done, and prayed him to relate all 
he knew and could remember of this detestable sorceress, Sidonia 
von Bork. He sighed deeply, and then went on talking for about 
two hours, giving me all his recollections just as they started to his 
memory. I have arranged what he then related, in proper order. It 
was to the following effect : 

I HENEVERhis father, Philip Uckermann, attend 
ded the fair at Stramehl, a town belonging to the 
Bork family, he was in thehabit of visiting Otto von 
Bork at his castle, who, being very rich, gave free 
quarters to all the youngnoblemen of the vicinity, so 
that from thirty to forty of them were generally as' 
sembled at his castle while the fair lasted; but after some time his 
father discontinued these visits, his conscience not permitting him 
further intercourse J& The reason was this. Otto von Bork, during 
his residence in Poland, had joined the sect of the Enthusiasts,'- and 
had lost his faith there, and as a young maiden might her honour. 
He made no secret of his new opinions, but openly at Martinmas 
fair, 1560, told the young nobles at dinner that Christ was butaman 
like other people, and ignorance alone had elevated him to a God; 
which notion had been encouraged by the greed and avarice of the 
clergy.Theyshould,therefore,not credit what the hypocritical priests 
chattered to them every Sunday, but believe only what reason and 
their five senses told them was truth, and that, in fine, if he had his 
will, he would send every priest to the devilj^ All the youngnobles 
remained silent but Claude Zastrow, a feudal retainerof theBorks, 
who rose up(itwas an evil momentto him) & made answer:" Most 
powerful feudal lord, were the holy apostles then filled with greed 
&covetousness, who were thefirst to proclaim that Christ was God, 
and who left all for his sake ? Or the early Christians who, with one 
accord, sold their possessions, and gave the price to the poor?" J£f 
Claude had before this displeased the knight, who now grew red 
with anger at the insolence of his vassal in thus answeringhim, and 
replied:" Iftheywerenotpreachers for gain, they were at least stupid 



.'.This axiom is certainly opposed to mock 
ern ontology, which denies all ideas to the 
brute creation,& explains each proof of their 
intellectual activity by the unintelligible 
word" instinct." The ancients held very dif- 
ferent opinions, 



not comprehend these new-fashioned dis^ 
tinctions ; for it seems to me absurd to split 
into the two portions of reason and under- 
standing one and the same spiritual power, 
according as the object on which it acts is 

higher or lower, 
we a* 



xcrcnt opinio™, f e n ows » H ereuponagreatmurmuraroseinthehall, T n V r 
particularly the ^ ^ a£m ^ jgJJ^ h ^ ^^ d ; Just as if 

n r e oth n r' swered^Itissurprising,then,thatthetwelvestupid *£««£ 



4 
treats largely of 

the intellect and 

language of ani' 

mals. Since Car-- 

tesius, however, 

who denied not 

only understand" 

ing, but even fee<- 

ling, to animals, 

and represented 

them as mere an^ 

imated machines 

(De Passionib. 

Pars i. Artie, iv. 

et de Methodo, 

No. 5, page 29, 

&c); these views 

uponthepsycho' 

logy of animals 

produced the 

most mischiev-' 

ous results; for 

they were carried 



names for the 
same hand that 
digs up the earth 
& directs the tel* 



/ d^i,,^ t a- apostles performed more than twelve times twelve 
WP' llbe ( Greek or Roman philosophers. The knight might 
rageuntilhe was black in the face, & strike the table. 
But he had better hold his tongue and use his under^ 
standing;though,afterall,theintellectofamanwho esco P et ? heave n» 
believecf nothing but what he received through his 
five senses was not worth much; for the brute beasts 
were his equals, inasmuch as they received no evi^ 
dence either but from the senses. 

HEN Otto sprang up raging, &ask^ 
ed him what he meant, to which the 
otheranswered:"Nothingmorethan understand ing 
toexpresshisopinionthatmandiffer. for ™ an&beasts > 
ed fromthebrute,notthroughhisun, aS but on * com ' 
derstanding, but by his faith, for that "™ substance t 
animals had evidently understanding, but no trace ? r the iL ma1 
of faith had ever yet been discovered in them." 




that the latter 
was quite a differ 

rent hand from 
the former. No. 
There is but one 



emore 




TTO'^ «i» . 1 t* j perfect the form, 

1 1 \J o rage now knew no bounds, * ,1 

and he drew his dagger, roarin gJ 0F somuchthempre 

"What! thou insofent knave, dost ?"*? £, thc m ' 

thou dare to comparethy feudallord tellect;&human 

toabrute?" And before the other had i^™™^* , 

time to draw his poiVnard to defend "ti^j^r ^' 

himselt, or the guests could in any way interfere to namicalI X dlffe £ 

preventhim,Otto stabbed him to the heart, as hesat Cntm ht ? m * n K 

^untiir^ therebythetable.(ItwasabIesseddeath,Ithink,to ^ttnif, 

among animals of the more perfect form, 
understanding has been discovered, yet in 
man alone has been found the innate feel' 
ing of connection with the supernatural, or 
Faith. If this, as the generic sign of differ^ 
ence, be called Reason, I have nothing to 
object, except that the word generally coiv 
veys a different meaning. But Faith is, in 
fact, the pure Reason, & is found in all men, 
existing alike in the lowest superstitions as 
well as in the highest natures.^/JMV^ 



feeling, at least intellect, was denied to all an^ 
imals more or less ; & modern philosophy at 
length arrived at denying intelligence even 
to God,in whom and by whom, as formerly, 
man no longer attains to consciousness, but 
it is by man and through man that God ar^ 
rives to a conscious intelligent existence^ 
borne philosophers of our time, indeed, are 
condescending enough to ascribe understand 
dingto animals and reason to man as the ge- 
neric difference between the two. But I can^ 




die for his Lord Christ.) And so he fell down upon the floor with con^ 
torted features, and hands and feet quivering with agony; every one 
was struck dumb with horror at such a death, butthe knight laughed 
loudly & cried: " Ha! thou base-born serf, I shall teach thee how to 
liken thy feudal lord to a brute," & striding over his quivering limbs, 
he spat upon his face J& Then the murmuring and whispering in' 
creased in the hall, & those nearest the door rushed out and sprang 
upon their horses; and finally all the guests, even old Uckermann, 
fled away, no one venturing to take up the quarrel with Otto Bork. 
After that, he fell into disrepute with the old nobility, for which he 
cared little, seeing that his riches and magnificence always secured 
him companions enough, who were willingto listen to his wisdom, 
and were consoled by his wine. 

ND when I, Dr. Theodore Plonnies, inquired from 
the old bachelor, if his Serene Highness had not 
punished the noble for his shameful crime, he replied 
thathis wealth andpowerfulinfluenceprotected him. 
Atleastitwas whispered that justice hadbeen blinded 
with gold ; & the matter was probably related to the 
prince in quite a different manner from the truth; for I have heard 
thata few years after, his Highness even visited this godless knight 
at his castle in Stramehl. 

5 to Otto, no one observed any sign of repentance in 
him . On the contrary, he seemed to glory in his crime, 

6 the neighbouring nobles related that he frequent' 
ly brought in his little daughter Sidonia, whom he 
adored For her beauty, to the assembled guests, mag^ 
nificently attired; and when she was bowing to the 

company, he would say : " Who art thou, my little daughter ? " then 
she would cease the salutations which she had learned from her 
mother, and drawing herself up, proudly exclaim: "I am a noble 
maiden, dowered with towns and castles !" Then he would ask, if 
the conversation turned upon his enemies (and half the nobles were 
so) :" Sidonia, how does thy father treat his enemies?" Upon which 
the child would straighten her finger, & running ather father, strike 
it into his heart, saying: "Thus he treats them." At which Otto 
would laugh loudly, & tell her to show him how the knave looked 
when he was dying. Then Sidonia would fall down, twist her face, 
and writhe her little hands and feet in horrible contortions. Upon 
which Otto would lift her up, and kiss her upon the mouth ; but it 
will be seen how the just God punished him for all this, & how the 





words of the Scriptures were fulfilled : " Err not, God is not mocked; 
for what a man soweth, that shall he also reap." 

HE parson of Stramehl, David Dilavius, related also 
to old Uckermann another fact, which, though it 
hardly seems credible, the bachelor reported thus to 
mejgJFThis Dilavius was a learned man whom Otto 
had selected as instructor to his young daughter, " but 
only teach her," he said, " to read and write, & the first 
article of the ten commandments. The other Christian doctrines I 
can teach her myself; besides, I do not wish the child to learn so many 
dogmas" t ^Dilavius,who wasaworthy, matterof fact, goodsimple 
character, did as he was ordered, and gave himself no further trouble 
until he came to ask the child to recite the first article of the creed out 
of the catechism for him. There was nothing wrong in that, but 
when he cameto the second article, he crossed himself, notbecause it 
concerned the Lord Christ, but her own father, Otto von Bork, and 
ran somewhat thus : jg?" And I believe in my earthly father, Otto 
von Bork, a distinguished son of God, born of Anna von Kleist, who 
sitteth in his castle at Stramehl, from whence he will come to help 
his children and friends, but to slay his enemies and tread them in 
the dust.",jfi?The third article was much in the same style, but he 
had partly forgotten it, neither could he remember if Dilavius had 
calledthefathertoanyaccountforhisprofanity,ortaughtthedauglv 
ter somebetter Christian doctrine. In fine, this was all the old bache^ 
lor could tell me of Sidonia's education. Yes : he remembered one 
anecdote more. Her father had asked her one day, when she was 
about ten or twelveyears old: "What kind of a husband she would 
like?" and she replied: "One of equal birth." Ille:"Whois here 
qual in the whole of Pomerania ?" Ilia:*' Only the Duke of Pome^ 
rania, or the Count von Ebersburg." Ilic: "Right! therefore, she 
must never marry any other but one of these." 

T happened soon after, old Philip Uckermann, his 
father, riding one day through the fields near Stra' 
mehl, saw a country -'girl seated by the roadside, 
weeping bitterly, "why do you weep?" he asked. 
"Has any one injured you?" "Sidonia has injured 
I me," she replied." What could she have done? Come, 
dry your tears,and tell me." Whereupon the little girl related that Si' 
doniaywho was then about fourteen,had besought her to tell her what 
marriage was, because her father was always talking to her aboutit. 
The girl had told her to the best of her ability, but the young lady 
b 3 5 




beat her, & said it was not so, that long Dorothy had told her quite 
differently about marriage, and there she went on tormenting her 
for several days, but upon this evening Sidonia, with long Dorothy, 
and some of the milkmaids of the neighbourhood, had taken away 
one of the fine geese which the peasants had given her in payment 
of herlabour.They picked it alive, all exceptthe head and neck, then 
built up a large fire in a circle, and put the goose and a vessel of water 
in the centre. So the fat dripped down from the poor creature alive, 
and was fried inapan as it fell, just as the girls eatitonthe bread for 
supper. And the goose, having no means of escape, still went on 
drinking the water as the fat dripped down, whilst they kept cool/ 
ing its head and heart with a sponge dipped in cold water, fastened 
to a stick, until atlastthe goose fell down when quite roasted, though 
it still screamed, and then Sidonia and her companions cut it up for 
their amusement, living as it was,andeat it fortheir supper, in proof 
of which, the girl showed him the bones and the remains of the fire, 
and the drops of fat still lying on the grass. 

HEN she wept afresh, for Sidonia had promised to 
take away a goose every day, and destroy itas she had 
done the first. So my father consoled her by giving 
her a piece of gold, and said: "If she does so again, run 
by night and cloud, and come to Dalow by Stargard, 
wherel will make thee keeper of my geese." But she 
never came to him, and he never heard more of the maiden and her 
geese jg?So far old Uckermann related to me the first evening, pro' 
mising to tell me of many more strange doings upon the following 
morning, which he would try to think over during the night. 

CHAPTER II. OF THE BEAR.HUNT AT STRA, 
MEHL, AND THE STRANGE THINGS THAT BE. 
FELTHERE. 

HE following morning, by seven o'clock, 
the old man summoned me to him, & on 
entering I found him seated at breakfast 
by the fire. He invited me to join him, and 
pushed a seat over for me with his crutch, 
for walking was now difficult to him. He 
was very friendly, & the eyes of the old man 
burned as clear as those or a white dove. He 
had slept little during the night, for Side 
nia's form kept floatingbefore his eyes, just 
as she had looked in the days when he paid court to her. Alas ! he 
6 






had once loved her deeply, like all the other young nobles who ap, 
proached her, from the time she was of an age to marry. In her youth 
she had been beautiful; and old and young declared that for figure, 
eyes, bosom, walk, and enchantingsmile, there never had been seen 
her equal in all PomeraniajgF" Nothing shall be concealed from 
you," he said, "of all that concerns my foolish infatuation, that you 
and your children may learn how the aUWise God deals best with 
his servants, when he uses the rod and denies that for which they 
clamour as silly children for a glittering knife." Here he folded his 
withered hands, murmured a short prayer, and proceeded with his 

story. 

OU must know that I was once a proud and stately 
youth, upon whom a maiden's glance in no wise 
rested indifferently, trained in all knightly exercise, 
and only two years older than Sidonia. It happened 
in the September of X566, that I was invited by Caspar 
Ss^fi&fcS^S Roden to see his eeknets, as my father intended lay, 
ingdownsome alsoatKrampehl,and along the coastjgFWhen we 
returned home weary enough in the evening, a letter arrived from 
Otto von Bork, inviting him the following day to a headhunt; as 
he intended, in honour of the nuptials of his eldest daughter Clara, 
to lay bears' heads and bears' paws before his guests, which even in 
Pomerania would have been a rarity, and desiring him to bring as 
many huntsmen with him as he pleased. So I accompanied Caspar 
Roden, who told me on the way that Count Otto hadatfirst looked 
very high for his daughter Clara, and scorned many a good suitor, 
but that she was now getting rather old, and ready, like a ripe burr, 
to hang on the first that came by. Her bridegroom was Vidante von 
Mesentz, a feudal vassal of her father's, upon whom, ten years be, 
fore,shewould not have looked at from a window. Notthat she was 
as proud as her young sister Sidonia ; however, their mother was to 
blameformuch of this, but she was dead now, poor lady,let herrest 
in peace. 

O in good time we reached the castle of Stramehl, 
where thirty huntsmen were already assembled, all 
noblemen, and we joined them in the grand state 
hall, wherethe morning meal was laid outjjfiFCount 
Otto sat at the head of the table, like a prince of Po, 

|merania,uponathronewhereonhisfamilyarmswere 

both carved and embroidered. He wore a doublet of elk,skin,and a 

cap with a heron's plume upon his head. He did not rise as we en, 

b 4 7 




— «* 




tered but called to us to be seated and join the feast, as the party must 
move offsoon. Costly wines were sent round; & I observed that on 
each of the glasses the family arms were cut. They were also painted 
upon the window of the great hall, and along the walls, under the 
horns of all the different wild animals killed by Otto in the chase: 
bucks, deers, harts, roes, stags, and elks: which were arranged in fan*- 
tastical groups . 

FTER a little while his two daughters, Clara and 

Sidonia, entered. They wore green hunting^dresses, 

trimmed with beaver skin, and each had a gold net 

thrown overher hair. They bowed, &bid the knights 

welcome.Butweallremainedbreathlessgazingupon 

Sidonia, as she lifted her beautiful eyes first on one, 

and then on another, inviting us to eat and drink ; and she even filled 

a small wineglass herself, and prayed us to pledge her. As for me, 

unfortunateyouth, from the moment I beheld her I breathed no more 

through my lungs but through my eyes alone, and springingup, gave 

her health publicly. A storm of loud, animated, passionate voices 

soon responded to my words with loud vivas. The guests then rose, 

for the ladies were impatient for the hunt, and found the time hang 

heavilyj^So we set off with all our implements and our dogs, and 

a hundred beaterswent before us. It happened that my host, Caspar 

Roden,and I found an excellent sheltered position for a shot near a 

quarry,andwe had not longbeen there (the beaters had not even yet 

begun their work) when I spied a large bear coming down to drink 

at a small stream not twenty paces from me. I fired, but she retired 

quickly behind an oak, and growling fiercely, disappeared amongst 

the bushes. Not long after, I heard the cries of women close to us ; 

& running as fast as possible in the direction from whence they came, 

I perceived an old bear tryingto climb up to the platform where Clara 

and Sidonia stood. There was a ruined chapel here which, in the 

time of papacy, had contained a holy image, and a scaffolding had 

been erected round it, adorned with wreaths of evergreen & flowers, 

from which the ladies could obtain an excellent view of the hunt, as 

it commanded a prospect of almost the entire wood, and even part 

of the sea. Attached to this scaffoldingwasaladder,up which Bruin 

was anxiously trying to ascend, in order to visit the young ladies, 

who were now assailed by two dangers, the bear from below, and a 

swarm of bees above; for myriads of these insects were tormenting 

them, trying to settle upon their golden hanvnets; and the young 

ladies, screaming as if the last day had come, were vainly trying to 

o 




beat them off with their girdles, ortrample them under their feet. A 
huntsman who stood near fired, indeed, at Bruin, but without effect, 
and the bees assailing his hands and face at the same time, he took 
to flight and hi d himself, groaning in the quarry. 

_____ ^ the meantime I had reached the chapel, & Sidonia 
stretched forth her beautiful little hands, crying,along 
with her sister: " Help ! help ! He will eat us. Will 
you not kill him ?" But the bear, as if already aware 
of my intention, began now to descend the ladder. 
However, I stepped before him, & as he descended, 
I ascended. Luckily for me, the interval between each step was very 
small, to accommodate the ladies' little feet, so that when Bruin tried 
to thrust his snout between them, to get at me, he found it rather 
difficult work to make it pass. I had my dagger ready; and though 
the bees which he had brought with him in his fur flew on myhands, 
I heeded them not, but watching my opportunity, plunged it deep 
into his side, so that he tumbled right down off the ladder; & though 
he raised himself up once and growled horribly, yet, in a few seconds, 
he lay deadbefore our eyesj_3FHowthe ladies now tripped down the 
ladder, not two or three, but four or five steps at a time ! and what 
thanks poured forth from their lips ! I rushed first to Sidonia, who 
laid her little head upon my breast, while I endeavoured to remove 
the bees which had got entangled in her hair-net. The other lady 
went to call the huntsman, who was hiding in the quarry, and we 
were left alone ! Heavens ! how my heart burned, more than my in' 
flamed hands all stung with the bees, as she asked, how could she 
repay my service ? I prayed her for one kiss, which she granted. She 
had escaped with but one sting fromthebees, who could not manage 
to get through her long, thick, beautiful hair, and she advanced joy 
fully to meet her father and the hunting^train, who had heard the 
cries of the ladies J& When Count Otto had heard what had hap' 
pened, and saw the dead bear, he thanked me heartily, praying me 
to attend his daughter Clara's wedding, which was to be celebrated 
next week, at the castle; and to remain as his guest until then. There 
was nothing in the world I could have desired beyond this, and I 
gratefully accepted his offer. Alas ! I suffered for it after, as the cat 
from poisoned dainties. 




(UT to return to our hunt. No other bear was killed 
that day, but plenty of other game, as harts, stags, roes, 
boars, more than enough. And now we discovered 
what an old hunter had conjectured, that the dead bear 
was the father, who had been alarmed by the growls 
of his partner, at whom I had fired whilst he was en^ 
deavouringto carry off the honey from a nest of wild bees in a neigh' 
bouring tree. For looking aroundus, we saw, atthe distance of about 
twenty paces, a tall oak-tree, about which clouds of bees were still 
flying, in which he had been following his occupation. No one dared 
to approach it, to bring away the honeycombs which still lay beneath, 
by reason of the bees, and moreover swarms of ants, by which they 
were covered. At length Otto Bork ordered the huntsman to sound 
the return; and after supper I obtained another little kiss from Su 
donia, which burned so like fire through my veins that I could not 
sleep the whole night. I resolved to ask her hand in marriage from 
her father. 

TU PI D youth as I was, I thenbelieved that shelooked 
upon me with equal love; and although I knew all 
about the mode in which she had been brought up, & 
many other things beside, which have now slipped 
from my memory, yet I looked on them but as idle 
£■ stories, & was fully persuaded that Sidonia was sister 
to the angels in beauty, goodness, & perfection. In a few days, how 
ever, I had reas on to change my opinion. 

^jEXT day the two youngladies were in the kitchen, 
overseeing the cooking of the bear's head, and as I 
passed by and looked in, they began to titter, which 
I took for a good omen, and asked, might I not be 
allowed to enter ? They said: "Yes, I might come in, 
I and help them to cleave the head." So I entered, and 
they both began to give me instructions, with much laughter and 
merry jesting. First, the bear's head had to be burned with hotirons, 
& when I said to Sidonia, that thus she burned my heart, she nearly 
died of laughter.Then I cut some flesh off the mouth, broke the nose, 
& handed it all over to the maidens, who set it on the fire with water, 
wine, and vinegar. As I now plaved the part of kitchen^boy, they 
sent me to the castle garden for thyme, sage, and rosemary, which 
I brought, and begged then for a taste of the head; but they said it 
was not fit to eat yet, must be cooled in brine first, so in place of it I 
asked one little kiss from each of the maidens, which Sidonia granted, 
to 






but her sister refused. However, I was not fn the least displeased at 
her refusal, see ing it was only the little sister I cared for. 

UT (judge of my rage and jealousy!) that same day a 
cousin arrived at the castle, & I observed that Sidonia 
allowed him to kiss her every moment. She never 
even appeared to offer any resistance, but looked over 
at me languishing^ every time to see what I would 
say. What could I say ? I became pale with jealousy, 
but said nothing. At last I rushed from the hall, mute with despair,' 
when I observed him finally draw her on his knee. I only heard the 
peal of laughter that followedmy exit, & I was just near Ieavingthe 
whole wedding'feast and Stramehl for ever, when Sidonia called 
after me from the castle gates to return. This so melted my heart 
that the tears came into my eyes, thinking that now indeed I had a 
proof of her love. Then she took my hand, and said; " I ought not to 
be so unkind. That was her manner with all the young nobles. 
Whyshould she refuse a kisswhen shewas asked? Her littlemouth 
would grow neither larger nor smaller for it." But I stood still and 
wept, and looked on the ground. "Why should I weep?" she asked. 
Her cousin, Clas, had a bride of his own already, and only took a 
little pastime with her, and so she must cure me now with another 
little kiss. 

WAS now again a happy man, thinking she loved 
me, & the heavens seemed so propitious, that I deters 
mined toask her hand. But I had not sufficient cour. 
age as yet, and resolved to wait until after her sister's 
marriage, which was to take place next day. What 
_ .„.,_„ preparations were made for this event it would be im- 
possible adequately to describe. All the country round the castle 
seemed like a royal camp. Six hundred horses were led into the 

stablesnextdaytobefed,fortheDukehimselfarrivedwithaprincely 
retinue. Then came all the feudal vassals to offer homage for their 
fiefs to Lord Otto. But as the description is well worth hearing, I 
shall defer it for another chapter. 




11 



.*. This was the 
feudal term for 
the next rela. 
tionofadeceas. 
ed vassal, upon 
whom it devoid 
ved to do horn-' 
ageforthelands 
to the feudal 
lord. 




CHAPTERIIL HOW OTTO VON BORK RECEIVED 
THE HOMAGE OF HIS SON.IN.LAW, VIDANTE 
VON MESERITZ, & HOW THE BRIDE & BRIDE, 
GROOM PROCEEDED AFTERWARDS TO THE 
CHAPEL. ITEM: WHAT STRANGE THINGS HAP. 
PENED AT THE WEDDING.FE AST. 

EXT morning the stir began in the castle 
before break of day, and by ten o'clock all 
the nobles, with their wives and daughters, 
had assembled in the great hall. Then the 
bride entered, wearing her myrtle wreath, 
and Sidonia followed, glittering with dia. 
\ monds and other costly jewels. She wore a 
robe of crimson silk with a cape of ermine, 
falling from her shoulders, and looked so 
beautiful that I could have died for love, as 
she passed & greeted me with her graceful laughjgjSFButOtto Bork, 
the lord of the castle, was sore displeased because his Serene High, 
ness the Princewas late coming, and the companyhad been waiting 
an hour for his presence. A platform had been erected at the upper 
end of the hall covered with bearskin; on this was placed a throne, 
beneath a canopy of yellow velvet, and here Otto was seated dressed 
in a crimson doublet, & wearing a hat half red and half black, from 
which depended plumes of red and black feathers that hung down 
nearlyto his beard, which was asvenerableas a Jew's. Everyinstant 
he despatched messengers to the tower to see if the prince were at 
hand, and as thetime hungheavy, he began to discourse his guests : 
"See how this turner's apprentice must have stopped on the road 
to carve a puppet. God keep us from such dukes!" For the prince 
passed all his leisure hours in turning & carving, particularly while 
travelling, and when the carriage came to bad ground, where the 
horses had to move slowly, he was delighted, and went on merrily 
with his work, but when the horses galloped, he grew ill-tempered 
and threw dow n his tools. 

'^T^ r . : fr:i* 4a -3HT length the warder announced from the tower that 
the duke's six carriages were in sight, and the knight 
spoke from his throne: " I shall remain here, as befits 
me, but Clara and Sidonia, go ye forth and receive 
his highness; &when he has entered, the kinsman.-, 
in full armour shall ride into the hall upon his war, 
horse, bearing the banner of his house in his hand, and all my re. 

12 





tamers shall follow on horses, each bearing hi's banner also, & shall 
range themselves by the great window of the hall; and let the win.* 
dows be open, that the wind may play through the banners & make 
the spectacle y et grander." 

H E N all rushed out to meet the Duke, & I too went, 
for truly the courtyard presented a gorgeous sight, 
all decorated as it was, & the pride and magnificence 
of Lord Otto were here fully displayed; for from the 
upper story of the castle floated the banner of the 
J Emperor, and just beneath it that of Lord Otto (two 
crowned wolves with golden collars on a field or for the shield) and 
the crest a crowned red'deer springing. Beneath this banner, but 
much inferior to it in size and execution, waved that of the Dukes 
of Pomerania; and lowest of all, hung the banner of Otto's feudal 
vassals, but they themselves were not visible. Neither did the kins^ 
man appear to receive and greet his Highness. Otto knew well, it 
seems, that he could defy the Duke (however, I think if my gracious 
LordofWblgasthad been there, he would not have suffered such 
insults, but would havetakenOtto'sbanner& flung itinthe mud)-'- 
jg?Be this as it may, Duke Barnim never appeared to notice any 
thing except Otto's two daughters. He was a little man with a long 
gray beard, and as he stepped slowly out of the carriage held a little 
puppet by the arm, which he had been carving to represent Adam. 
It was intended for apresent to the convent at Kobatz. His super/- 
intendens generalis, FabianusTimaeus (a dignified^lookingperson-' 
age) accompanied him in the carriage, for his Highness was going 
on the same day to attend the diet at Treptow, and only meant to 
pay a passing visit here. But Lord Otto concealed this fact, as it 
hurt his pride. The other carriages contained the equerries & pages 
of his Highness, & then followed the heavy wagons with the cooks, 
valets, & stewards,^ When the Prince entered the state hall, Lord 
Otto rose from his throne, and said: "Your Highness is welcome, 
and I trust will pardon me for not having gone forthwith my greet' 
ings; but those of a couple of young damsels were probably more 
agreeable than the compliments of an old knight like myself, who, 
besides, as your Grace perceives, is engaged here in the exercise of 
his duty. And now, I pray your Highness, to take this seat at my 
right hand." Whereupon he pointed to a plain chair, not in the least 
raised from the ground, and altogether as common a seat as there 
was to be found in the hall; but his Highness sat down quietly (at 
which every one wondered in silence) and took the little puppet in 

13 



.'.Marginal 
note of Duke 
Bogislaff: " And 
so would I." 




his lap, only exclaiming in low German: "What the devil, Otto ! 
you make more of yourself, man, than I do" ; to which the knight 
replied : " Not more than is necessary." 

ND now," continued the old man, "the ceremony 
of offering homage commenced, which is as fresh in 
my memory as if all had happened but yesterday, 
and so I shall describe it that you may know what 
were the usages of our fathers, for the customs of 
...-- J chivalry are, alas! fast passing away from amongst 
us"jSPWhen Otto Bork gave the sign with his hand, six trumpets 
sounded without, whereupon thedoorsof the hall were thrown wide 
open as far as they could go, & the kinsman, Vidante von Meseritz, 
entered on a black charger, and dressed in complete armour, but 
without his sword. He carried the banner of his house (a pale gules 
with two foxes running) and riding straight up to Lord Otto, low 
ered it before him. Otto then demanded : "who art thou, & what 
is thy request?" To which he answered : " Mighty feudal Lord, I am 
kinsman of Dinniesvon Meseritz,and pray you forthe fief." "And 
who are these on horseback who follow thee?" " They are the feudal 
vassals of my Lord, even as my father was." And Otto said: " Ride 
up, my men, and do as your fathers have done." Then Frederick 
U beske rode up, lowered his banner (charged with a sun and pea^ 
cock's tail) before the knight, then passed on up to the great win' 
dows of the hall, where he took his place and drew his sword, while 
the wind played through the folds of his standard jgF Next came 
Walter von Locksted, lowered his banner (bearing a springing uni^ 
corn), rode up to the window, & drew his sword. After him, Claud 
Drosedow, waving his black eagle upon a white and red shield, rode 
up to the window and drew his sword; then Jacob Pretz, on his 
white charger, bearing two spears transverse through a fallen tree, 
on his flag; and Dieterich Mallin, whose banner fell in folds over 
his hand, so that the device was not visible; and Lorenz Prechel, 
carrying a leopard gules upon a silver shield; & Jacob Knut, with 
a golden becker upon an azure field, and three plumes on the crest; 
and Tesmarvon Kettler, whose spurs caughtinthe robe of a young 
maiden as he passed, & merry laughter resounded through the hall, 
many saying it was a good omen, which indeed was the truth, for 
that evening they were betrothed ; & finally came Johann Zastrow, 
bearing two buffaloes' horns on his banner, and a green five^leaved 
bush, rode up to the window after the others, and drew his sword. 

»4 




HERE stood the nine,likethe muses atthe nuptials 
of Peleus, & the wind played through their banners. 
Then Lord Otto spoke J&" True, these are my leal 
vassals. And now, kinsman of Meseritz, dismount 
& pay homage, as did thy father, ere thou canst ride 
_ up and join them." So the young man dismounted, 
threw the reins of his horse to a squire, and ascended the platform. 
Then Otto, holding up a sword, spoke again J& " Behold, kinsman, 
this is the sword of thy father; touch it with me, and pronounce the 
feudal oath." Here all the vassals rode up from the window, & held 
their swords crosswise over the kinsman's head, while he spake 
thus: "I, Vidante von Meseritz declare, vow, and swearto the most 
powerful, noble, and brave Otto von Bork, lord of the lands and 
castles of Labes, Pansin, Stramehl, Regenwalde, and others, and 
my most powerful feudal lord, and to his lawful heirs, a right loyal 
fealty, to serve him with all duty and obedience, to warn him of all 
evil, and defend him from all injury, to the best of my ability and 
power." J$p Then he kissed the knight's hand, who girded his fa/ 
ther's sword on him, and said: "Thus I acknowledge thee for my 
vassal, as my father did thy father." Then turningtohis attendants 
he cried: "Bring hither the camp furniture." Hereupon the circle of 
spectators parted in two, & the pages led up, first, V idante's horse, 
upon which he sprung; then others followed, bearing rich garments, 
and his father's signet, and laid them down before him, saying: 
" Kinsman, the garments and the seal of thy father." A third and a 
fourth bore a large couch with a white coverlet, set it down before 
him, & said: "Kinsman, a couch for thee and thy wife." Then came 
a great crowd, bearing plates, and dishes, and napkins, and table' 
covers, besides eleven tin/cans, a fish-kettle, and a pair of iron pot/ 
hooks; in short, a complete camp furniture; all ofwhich they set 
down before th e young man, and then disappeared. 
C 7 rr^ ^URING this entire time no one noticed his High/ 
ness the Duke, though he was indeed the feudal head 
of all. Even when thetrumpets sounded again,&the 
vassals passed out in procession, they lowered their 
standards only before Otto, as if no princely person/ 
J ages were present. But I think this proud Lord Otto 
must have commandedthemsotodo,for such an omission or breach 
of respect was never before seen in Pomerania. Even his Highness 
seemed, at last, to feel displeasure, for he drew forth his knife, and 
hegan to cut away at the little wooden Adam, without taking fur/ 

15 




ther notice of the ceremony J& At length when the vassals had de* 
parted, and many of the guests also, who wished to follow them, 
had left the hall, the Duke looked up with his little glittering eyes, 
scratched the back of his head with the knife, & asked his Chancels 
lor, Jacob Kleist, who had evidently been long raging with anger: 
"Jacob, what dostthou think of this spectaculoF" who replied:" Gra^ 
cious lord, I esteem ita silly thing for an inferior to play the part of a 
princeor for a prince to be compelled to playthe part of an inferior." 
Such a speech offended Otto mightily, who drew himself up and 
retorted scornfully : " Particularly a poor inferior who, as you see, is 
obliged to draw the plough by turns with his serfs." Hereupon the 
Chancellor would have flung back the scorn, buthis Highness mc 
tioned with the hand that he should keep silence, saying:" Remenv 
ber, good Jacob, that we are here as guests; however, order the car' 
riages, for I think it is time that we proceed on our journey." W^hen 
Otto heard this, he was confounded, & descending from his throne, 
uttered so many flattering things, that his Highness at length was 
prevailed upon to remain (I would not have consented, to save my 
soul, had I been the prince, no, not even if I had to pass the night 
with the bears and wolves in the forest before I could reach Trep* 
tow) ; so the good old prince followed him into another hall, where 
breakfast was prepared, and all the lords and ladies stood there in 
glittering groups round the table, particularly admiring the bear's 
head, which seemed to please his H ighness mightily also. Then each 
one drained a large goblet of wine, and even the ladies sipped from 
their little wineglasses, to drink themselves into good spirits for the 
dance. 

ITTO now related all about the hunt, & presented me 
to his Grace, who gave me his hand to kiss, saying: 
'Well done, young man, I like this bravery, were it 
j not for you, in place of a wedding, and a bear's head 
I in the dish, Lord Otto might have had a funeral and 
J two human heads in a coffin." His Grace'then pledged 
me in a silver becker of wine; and afterwards the bride and bride* 
groom, who had sat till then kissing and making love in a corner; 
but they now came forward, and kissed the hand of the Duke with 
much respect. The bridegroom had on a crimson doublet, which be* 
came him well; buthis father's jack^boots, which hewore according 
to custom, were much too wide, and shook about his legs. The bride 
was arrayed in a scarlet velvet robe, and bodice furred with ermine. 
Sidonia carried a little balsam flask, depending from a gold chain 
16 





which she wore round her neck. (She soon needed the balsam,for that 
day she suffered a foretaste of the fate which was to be the punish/ 
ment for her after evil deeds). And now, as we set forward to the 
church, a group of noble maidens distributed wreaths to the guests; 
but the bride presented one to the Duke, & Sidonia (that her hand 
might have been withered !) handed one to me, poor love,stricken 
youth. 

T was the custom then, as now, in Pomerania,forall 
the bridcmaidens, crowned with beautiful wreaths, 
to precede the bride and bridegroom to church. The 
crowd of lords and ladies and young knights pouring 
out of the castle gates, in order to see them, separated 
Sidonia from this group, & she was left alone weep, 
ing. Now the whole population of the little town were running from 
every street leading to the church; and it happened that a courser.-, 
of Otto Bork's came right against Sidonia with such violence, that, 
with a blow of his head, he knocked her down into the puddle (she 
was to lie there really in after-life). Her little balsanvflask was of no 

use to her here. She had to go back, dripping, to the castle, & appeared 
no more at her sister's nuptials, but consoled herself, however, by 
listening to the bellowing of the huntsman, whom they were beat/ 
ing black and blue by her orders beneath her window. J& I would 
willingly have returned with her, but was ashamed so to do, and 
therefore followed the others to church. All the common people that 
crowded the streets were allowed to enter. Then the bridegroom and 
his party, of whom the Duke was chief, advanced up to the right of 
the altar,and the bride and her party, of which Fabianus Timaeus 
was the most distinguished, arraved themselves on theleftj^I had 
now an opportunity of hearing Aeleamed & excellent parson Dila, 
vius myself ; for he represented his patron (who was not present at 
the feast,but apologized for his absence by alleging that he must re, 
main at the castle to look after the preparations) almost as an angel, 
and the young ladies, especially the bride, came in for even a larger 
share of his flattery; but he was so modest before these illustrious 
personages, that I observed, whenever he looked up from the book, 
he had one eye upon the Duke and another on Fabianus. 

HEN we returned to the castle, Sidonia met the 
bride/maidens again with joyous smiles. She now 
wore a white silk robe, laced with gold, and dancing, 
slippers with white silk hose. The diamonds still re, 
mained on her head, neck, and arms. She looked 
beautiful thus; and I could not withdraw my eyes 

»7 




.'. A man who 
courses grey, 
hounds 



.\It will inter-' 
estmyfairread' 
ers to know that 
this was, word 
forword,thees' 
tablished form 
employed in 
those days for 
an invitation to 
dance. 



from her. We all now entered the bride/chamber, as the custom is, 
& there stood an immense bridal couch, with coverlet and draperies 
as white as snow; and all the bridesmaids & the guests threw their 
wreaths upon it. Then the Prince, taking the bridegroom by the 
hand, led him up to it, & repeated an old German rhyme concerning 
the duties of the holy state upon which he had enteredjjg? When 
his Highness ceased, Fabianus took the bride by the hand, who 
blushed as red as a rose, and led her up in the same manner to the 
nuptial couch, where he uttered a long admonition on her duties to 
her husband, at which all wept, but particularly the bride^maidens. 
After this, we proceeded to the state hall, where Otto was seated on 
his throne waiting to receive them, & when his children had kissed 
his hand the dancing commenced. Otto invited the Princeto sitnear 
him, and all the young knights and maidens who intended to dance 
ranged themselves on costly carpets, that were laid upon the floor 
all round by the walls.The trumpets & violins now struck up, and a 
band was stationed at each end of the hall, so that while the dancers 
were at the top one played, and when at the lower end the other. 

HASTENED to Sidonia,asshe reclined upon the 
carpet, and bending low before her, said : " Beautiful 
maiden! will you not dance?".'. Upon which she 
smilingly gave me her little hand, & I raised her up, 
& led her away J0 1 have said that I was a proficient 
in all knightly exercises, so that every one approached 
to see us dance. When Sidonia was tired I led her back, and threw 
myself beside her on the carpet. But in a little while three other 
young nobles came and seated themselves around her, and began to 
jest, and toy, & pay court to her. One played with her left hand and 
her rings, another with the gold netof her hair, while I held herright 
hand and pressed it. She coquettishly repelled them all, sometimes 
with her feet, sometimes with her hands. And when Hans von 
Damitz extolled her hair, she gave him such a blow on the nose with 
her head, that it began to bleed, and he was obliged to withdraw. 
Still one could see that all these blows, right & left, were not meant 
in earnest. This continued for some time until an Italian dance be^ 
gan, which she declined to join, & as I was left alone with her upon 
the carpet: "Now," thought I,"there can be no better time to decide 
my fate;" for she had pressed my hand frequently, both in the dance 
and since I had lain reclining beside her. 




18 




jEAUTIFULSidonia!"Isaid,"youknownothow 
jyou have wounded my heart. I can neither eat nor 
sleep since I beheld you, and those five little kisses 
which you gave me burn through my frame like ar* 
rows" j^To which she answered, laughing:" It was 
*Syour pastime, youth. It was your own wish to take 
those little kisses." "Ah! yes," I said, "jtwas my will, but give me 
more now and make me well." " What ! she exclaimed, " you de^ 
sire more kisses ? then will your pain become greater if, as you say, 
with every kiss an arrowenters your heart, so at lastthey would cause 
your death. "J&" Ah, yes!" I answered, "unless you take pity on 
me, and promise to become my wife, they will indeed cause my 
death." As I said this, she sprang up, tore her hand away from me, 
and cried with mocking laughter: "What does the knave mean? 
Ha! ha! the poor miserable varlet!"jg?I remained some moments 
stupefied with rage, then sprang to my feet without another word, 
left the hall, took my steed from the stable, and turned my back on 
the castle for ever. You may imagine how her ingratitude added to 
the bitterness of my feelings, when I considered that it was to me 
she owed her life. She afterwards offered herself tome for a wife, but 
she was then dishonoured, and I spat out at her in disgust. I never 
beheld her agai n till she was carried past my door to the scaffold. 

~ ~SlL this the old man related with many sighs; but 
his after meeting with her shall be related more in 
extenso in its proper place. I shall now set down what 
further he communicated about the wedding feast 
j£F"You may imagine," he said," that I was curious 
I to know all that happened after I left the castle, and 
my friend, BogislafFvon Suckowof Pegelow,told me as follows J9 
After my departure, the young lords grew still more free and daring 
in their manner to Sidonia, so that when not dancing she had suffi/ 
cient exercise in keeping them off with her hands and feet, until my 
friend Bogislaff attracted herwhole attention, by telling her that he 
had just returned from Wolgast, where the ducal widow was much 
comforted by the presence of her son, Prince Ernest Ludovick, 
whom she had not seen since he went to the university. He was the 
handsomest youth in all Pomerania, and played the luteso divinely 
that at court he was compared to the god Apollo jfiFSidoma -upon 
this fell into deep thought. In the meanwhile it was evident that his 
Highness old Duke Barnim, was greatly struck by her beauty, and 
wished togetnearheruponthecarpet; forhis Grace was well known 

C2 10 





to be a great follower of the sex, and many stones are whispered 
about a harem of young girls he keptatSt. Mary's; but thesethings 
are allowable in persons of his rankj^ However, Fabianus Timaeus, 
who sat by him, wished to prevent him approaching Sidonia, and 
made signs, and nudged him with his elbow; and finally they put 
their heads tog ether and had a long argument. 

T last the Prince started up, and stepping to Otto, 
asked him, would he not dance? "Yes," he replied, 
"if your Grace will dance likewise." "Good," said 
the prince, "that can be soon arranged," and there/- 
with he solicited Sidonia' s hand. At this Fabianus 
was so scandalised, that he left the hall, and appeared 
no more until supper. After the dance, his Highness advanced to 
Otto, who was reseated on his throne, and said: "Why Otto, you 
have a beautiful daughter in Sidonia. She must come to my court, 
and when she appears amongst the other ladies, I swear she will 
make a better fortune than by staying shut up here in your old 
castle"jg?On which Otto replied, sarcastically smiling: "Ay, my 
gracious Prince, she would be a dainty morsel for your Highness, 
no doubt; but there is no lack of noble visitors at my castle, I am 
proud to say"j^JacobKleist,the Chancellor, was nowso humbled 
at the Duke's behaviour, that he, too, left the hall and followed Fax 
bianus. Even the Duke changed colour, but before he had time to 
speak, Sidonia sprang forward, and having heard the whole convert 
sation, entreated her father to accept the Duke's offer, and allow her 
either to visit the court at Wolgast, or at Old Stettin. What was she 
to do here ? Wlien the wedding' feast was over, no one would come 
to the castle but huntsmen and such like J& So Otto at lastcon^ 
sented that she might visit Wolgast, but on no account the court at 
Stettin jJ^Then the young Sidonia began to coax and caress the old 
Duke, stroking his long beard, which reached to his girdle, with her 
little white hands, and prayed that he would place her with the 
princely Lady of Wolgast, for she longed to go there. People said 
that it was such a beautiful place, and the sea was not far off, which 
she had never been at in all her life. And so the Duke was pleased 
with her caresses, & promised that he would request his dear cousin, 
the ducal widow of wolgast, to receive her as one of her maids of 
honour. Sidonia then further entreated that there might be no delay, 
and he answered that he would send a note to his cousin from the 
Diet, at Treptow, by the Grand Chamberlain of Wolgast, Ulrich 
von Schwerin, and that she would not have to wait Ion?. But she 
20 * 




must go by Old Stettin, and stop at his palace for a while, and then 
he would bring her on himself to Wolgast, if he had time to spare. 
iHILE Sidonia clapped her hands and danced about 
Jfor joy, Otto looked grave, and said: " But, gracious 
Lord, the nearest way to Wolgast is by Cammin. 
Sidonia must make a circuit, if she goes by Old Stet- 
I tin "jfi? The conversation was now interrupted by 
Jthe lacqueys who came to announce that dinner was 
served^ Otto requested the Duke to take a place beside him at 
table, and treated him with somewhat more distinction than he had 
done in the morning; but a hot dispute soon arose, and this was the 
cause. As Otto drank deep in the wine-cup, he grew more reckless 
and daring, and began to display his heretical doctrines as openly as 
he had hitherto exhibited his pomp and magnificence, so that every 
one might learn that pride and ungodliness are twin brothers. May 
God keep us from both \j@ And one of the guests having said, in 
confirmation of some fact, "The Lord Jesus knows I speak the 
truth I" the godless knight laughed scornfully, exclaiming: "The 
Lord Jesus knows as little about the matter as my old grandfather, 
lying there in his vault, of our wedding-feast to-day "j^There was 
a dead silence instantly, and the Prince, who had just lifted up some 
of the bear's pawtohislips, with mustard sauceand pastry all round 
it, dropped it again upon his plate, and opened his eyes as wide as 
they could go; then, hastily wiping his mouth with the salvet, ex- 
claimed in low German: "What the devil, Otto! art thou a free/ 
thinker?" who replied: M A true nobleman may, in all things, be a 
freethinker, and neither do all that a prince commands nor believe 
all that a pope teaches." To which the Duke answered: "What 
concerns me I pardon, for I do not believe that you will ever forget 
yourduty to yourprince.The times are goneby when a noblewould 
openly offer violence to his sovereign, but for what concerns the 
honour of our Lord Christ, I must leave you in the hands of Fabi- 
anus to receive proper chastisement." 

Ow Fabianus, seeing that all eyes were fixed on 
him, grew red and cleared his throat, and set himself 
in a position to argue the point with Lord Otto, be- 
ginning: "So you believe that Christ the Lord re- 
mained in the grave, and is not living and reigning 

__ for all eternity?" 

{lie: "Yes; that is my opinion." . , - 

Hie : "What do you believe then ? or do you believe in anything? 
C3 21 




for all human mindsj^ Reason, whether 

fromanindwellinginstinct,orfromanin' 

nate causality 'law, may assertthatsome, 

thingsupermundaneexists,butcanknow 

nothing more and nothing further. J3t 

z^o wc sec trie 
Ille: "Yes j I believe firmly in an all-powerful and 

omniscient God." 

Hie : " How do you know he exists ?" 

Ille : u Because my reason tells me so/' 

Hie : "Your reason does not tell you so, good sir. It 

merely tells you that something supermundane ex, 

ists, but cannot tell you whether it be one God or 

two Gods, or a hundred Gods, or of what nature are 

these Gods : whether spirits, or stars, or trees, or ani, mal ^^ 

of Christian, ma l s ' or / in fine ' f % oh £ c * y°. u can na ™' for J?\' tial. The for, 
ity declined, S amsm h f s JjMgmed £ Deity in everything, which maI advanc£ 
theoa te proves what 1 assert. You only believe in one God, 

denc/Tgain' ^smilk''^^ " *" ^^^ ^ y ° Ur ™' P^tmft «3L 
became visi, ^ „ Hq ^ ^ ^ . ^ ^ Abraham „, roads, & such 

rivedattheknowledge of the one God, and called on ^ m whlch 
the name of the Lord? 



.\ The history of all philosophy shows 
thatthis is psychologically trueji^Even 
Lucian satirizes the philosophers of his 
age who see God, or Gods in numbers, 
dogs, geese, trees, and other things. But 
monotheistic 
Christianity 
has preserved 
us for nearly 
2,000 years 
from these a, 
berrations of 
philosophy. 
However, as 



absurdity of 
chattering, in 
ourjournals& 
periodicals, of 
theprogressof 
reason. The 
advance has 



length, in the 

Hegelian 
school,wehave 

fallen back 
helplessly in, 
to the same 

pantheism 
which we left 
2,000 years a* 
go. In short, 



direction we 



Hie : " Do you compare yourself with Abraham ? 
Have you ever studied Hebrew?" 
Ille : u A little. In my youth I read through the book 
of Genesis." 

Hie: "Good! then you know the Hebrew word for 

nameisShem?" 

Ille: "Yes; I know that." 

Hie: "Then you know that, from the time of Enos, 

what Kant asserts is perfectly true: that 
the existence of God cannot be proved 
from reason. For the highest objects of all 
cognition: God, Freedom, and Immor/ 
tality, can as little be evolved from the 
new philosophy, as beauty from the dis, 
gusting process of decomposition. And 
yet more impossible is it to imagine that 
this feeble Hegelian pantheism should 
ever becomethe crown and summitof all 
human thought, and final resting-place 

22 



may easily 
suppose pro, 
gression will 
yet further 
continue. But 
there has been 
no essential 
advancewhat' 
ever, jffi We 
know as little now of our own being, of 
the being of God, or even of that or the 
smallest Infusoria, as inthedaysofTha, 
les and Anaximander.In short, when life 
begins, begins also our feebleness, jjj? 
"Therefore," says Paul, "we walk by 
faith, not by sight." Yet these would,be 
philosophers of our day will only walk by 
sight, not by faith, although they cannot 
see into anything, not even into them, 
selves^ &&&&&&&&&& 



■■ iu> "IJ * ■ ■ 



-J- . .. TTj _ £- 



ber thatthename 
here is taken in 
the sense of the 
Greek Xoyo?, and 
is considered as 
referring especi/ 
ally to Christ. 



thename waspreached (Genesis iv. 26), showingthatthepuredoC' /. In ordertoun/ 

trine was knownfromthebeginning.Thisdoctrinewasdarkened& derstand the ar/ 

obscured by wise people like you, so that it was almost lost at the gument, the read' 

time of Abraham, who again preached the name of the Lord to un/ er must remem/ 

believers." 

I lie: "What did this primitive doctrine contain?" 

Hie : **■ Undoubtedly not only a testimony of the one living God of 

heaven and earth, but also clearly of Christ the Messiah, as he who 

was promised to our fallen parents in paradise (Genesis iiu 15) ." 

I lie: "Can you prove that Abraham had the witness of Christ?" 

Hie: "Yes; from Christ's own words (J ohnyiii. 56): 'Abraham your 

father, rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad.' Item: 

Moses and all the prophets have witnessed of Him, of whom you 

say that he lies dead in the grave." 

I lie : ** Oh, that is just what the priests say." 

Hie . "And Christ himself, Luke xxvi. 25 and 27. Do you not see, 

young man, that you mock the Prince of Life whom God, that can/ 

not lie, promised before the world began (Titus i.2.) ? ay, even more 

than you mocked your temporalprince,this day? Poor sinner, what 

does it help you to believe in one God?" 

J& " Even the devils believe and tremble," added Jacob Kleist, the 

Chancellor. "No, there is no other name given under heaven by 

which you can be saved ; and will you be more wise than Abraham 

& the Prophets, and the Apostles, and all holy Christian churches 

up to this day? Shame on you, and remember what St. Paul says : 

• Thinking themselves wise they became fools.' And in tst Cor. xv. 

17, " If Christ be not risen, then is your faith vain, and our preach/ 

ing also vain. Ye are yet in your sins, and they who sleep in Christ 



are lost. 




•.'.This proof of 
Christ's divinity 
from the Old 
Testament was 
considered of the 
highest import/ 
anceinthetimeof 



IO Otto was silenced and coughed, for he had nothing 
to answer, and all the guests laughed; but fortuna/ 
tely, just then the offering/plate was handed round, 
and the Duke laid down two ducats, at which Otto 
smiled scornfully, and flung in seven rix/dollars, but 
laughed outright when Fabianus put down only four ^Je a'poTri ™s™but 

Schleiermacher, in his strange system, which may be called a mystic Rationalism, 
endeavours to shake the authority of the Old Testament in a most unpardonable and 
incomprehensible manner. This appearstomeasifamanweretotear down a building 
from the sure foundation on which it had rested for a thousand years, and imagine it 
could rest in true stability only on the mere breath of his words. 



c 4 



23 




groschenjgFThis seemedto affront his Highness, for he -whispered 
to his Chancellor to order the carriages, and rose up from table with 
his attendants. Then, offering his hand to Otto, said: "Take care, 
Otto, or the devil will have you one day in hell, like the rich man in 
Scripture." TowhichOtto replied, bowinglow: "Gracious Lord, I 
hope at least to meet good company there. Farewell, and pardon me 
for not attending you to the castle gates, but I may not leave my 
guests." J& Then all the nobles rose up, and the young knights ac 
companied his Highness, as did also Sidonia, who now further en-* 
treated his Graceto remove her from her father's castle, since he saw 
himself how lightly God's word was held there. Fabianus was in-* 
finitely pleased to hear her speak in this manner, and promised to 
use all his influence towards having her removed from this Egypt. 
IE RE ended all that old Uckermann could relate of 
Sidonia's youth ; so I determined to ride on to Stra^ 
rnehl, and learn there further particulars if possible 
j$F Accordingly, next day I took leave of the good old 
man, praying God to give him a peaceful death, and 
] arrived at Stramehl with my servant. Here, how' 
ever, I could obtain no information; for even the Bork family preten^ 
ded to know nothing, just as if they never had heard of Sidonia (they 
were ashamed, I think, to acknowledge her), and the townspeople 
who had known her were all dead. The girl, indeed, was still living 
whose goose Sidonia had killed, but she was now an old woman in 
second childhood, and fancied that I was myself Sidonia, who had 
come to take away another goose from her. So I rode on to Freien^ 
wald, where I heard much that shall appear in its proper place; then 
to Old Stettin; and, after waiting three days for a fair wind, set sail 
for Wolgast, expecting to obtain much information there. 
CHAPTER IV. HOW SIDONIA CAME TO THE 
COURT AT WOLGAST, & OF WHAT FURTHER 
HAPPENED TO HER THERE. 

IN Wolgast I metwith many persons whose 

fathers had known Sidonia, & what they re^ 

lated to me concerning her I have summed 

up into connexion for your H ighness as fol^ 

llows: When Duke Barnim reached the Diet 

1 at Treptow, he immediately made known 

Sidonia's request to the Grand Chamber.' 

lain of Wolgast, Ulrich von Schwerin, who 

jwas also guardian to the five youngprinces. 

I But he grumbled, and said: "The Ducal 




Widow had maids of honour enough to dam up the river with if she 
chose; and he wished for no more pet doves to be brought to court, 
particularly not Sidonia; for he knew her father was ambitious and 
longed to be called 'your Grace/ ",^ Even Fabianus couldnotprc 
vail in Sidonia's favour. So the Duke & he returned home to Stettin ; 
but scarcely had they arrived there, when a letter came from the 
ducal widow of Wolgast, saying, that on no account would she re-* 
ceive Sidonia at her court. TheDukemightthereforekeepherat his 
own if he chose jgFSo the Duke took no further trouble, but Sidonia 
was not so easily satisfied; and taking the matterin her own hands, 
she left her father's castle without waiting hispermission, and set 
off for StettinjJ^On arriving, she prayed the Duke to bring her to 
Wolgast without delay, as she knew there was an honourable, noble 
lady that would watch over her, as indeed she felt would be neces^ 
sary at a court. And Fabianus supported her petition; for he was 
much edified with her expressed desire to crucify the flesh, with the 
affections and lusts J& Ah ! could he have known her I 

~\0 the kind-hearted Duke embarked with her im^ 
1 mediately, without telling any one; and having a fair 
wind sailed up directly to the little water-gate, and 
anchored close beneath the Castle of Wolgast J& 
Here they landed; the Duke having Sidonia under 
_ _ ^ _ . ... _J one arm, and a little wooden puppet under the other. 
It was an Eve, for whom Sidonia had served as the model; & truly 
she was an Eve in sin, and brought as much evil upon the land of 
Pomerania as our first mother upon the whole world. Sidonia was 
enveloped in a black mantle, and wore a hood lined with fur covers 
ing her face. The Duke also had on a large wrapping cloak, and a 
cap of yellow leather upon his headj^So they entered the private 
gate and on through the first and second courts of the castle, witlv 
out her Grace hearing a word of their arrival. And they proceeded 
on through the gallery, until they reached the private apartments of 
the princess, from whence resounded a psalm which her Grace was 
singing with her ladies while they spun, & which psalm was played 
by a little musical box placed within the Duchesse's own spinnings 
wheel. Duke Barnim had made ithimself for her grace, & it was right 
pleasant to hear jg? After listening some time, the Duke knocked, 
&amaid of honour opened the door. When they entered, her Grace 
was so confounded that she dropped her thread & exclaimed : " Dear 
uncle ! is this maiden, then, Sidonia?" examining her from head to 
foot while she spoke. The Duke excused himself by saying that he 

25 




had promised her father to bring her here; but her Grace cut short 
his apologies with: " Dear uncle, Dr. Martin Luther told me, on my 
wedding-day, that he never allowed himself to be interrupted at his 
prayers, because it betokened the presence of something evil. And 
you have now broken in on our devotions; therefore sit down with 
the maiden and join our psalm, if you know it." Then her Grace 
took up the reel again, and having set the clock-work going with 
her foot, struck up the psalm once more, in a clear loud voice, joined 
by all her ladies. But Sidonia sat still, and kept her eyes upon the 
ground. When they had ended, her Grace, having first crossed her^ 
self, advanced to Sidonia and said : " Since you arrived at my court, 
you may remain ; but take care that you never lift your eyes upon 
the young men. Such wantons are hateful to my sight; for as the 
Scripture says, * A fair woman without discretion is like a circlet of 
gold upon a swine's head.'"j^Sidonia changed colour at this, but 
the Duke, who held quite a difFent opinion about such women, en^ 
treated her Grace not to be always so gloomy and melancholy : that 
it was time now for her to forget her late spouse, and think of gayer 
subjects. To which she answered: " Dear uncle, I cannot forget my 
Philip, particularly as my fate was foreshadowed at my bridal by a 
most ominous occurrence." jj^Nowthe Duke had heard this story 
of the bridal a hundred times; yettoplease her he asked:" And what 
wasit, dear cousin ?"jgF" Listen," shereplied. "When Dr. Martin 
Luther exchanged our rings, mine fell from his hand to the ground ; 
at which he was evidently troubled, and taking it up, he blew on it ; 
then turning round, exclaimed, *. Away with thee, Satan ! away with 
thee, Satan! Meddle not in this matter!' And so my dear lord was 
taken frommeinhisforty/fifthyear,&I was left a desolate widow." 
Here she sobbed & put her kerchief to her eyesjfiF"But, cousin," 
said the Duke, "remember you have a great blessing from God in 
your five fine sons. And that reminds me : where are they all now?" 
j^This restored her Grace, and she began to discourse of her chil- 
dren, telling how handsome was the young Prince Ernest, and that 
he and the little Casimir were only with her now. Here Sidonia, as 
the other ladies remarked, moved restlessly on her chair, & her eyes 
flashed like torches, so that it was evident some plan had struck her, 
for she was strengthening day by day in wickedness J^"Ay,cousin," 
cried the Duke, "it is no wonder a handsome mother should have 
handsome sons. And now what think you of giving us a jolly wed/- 
ding? It is time for you to think of a second husband, methinks 
after having wept ten years for your Philip. The best doctor they 
26 ' 7 



say, for a young widow, is a handsome lover. What think you of 
myself, for instance ?" And he pulled ofFhis leather cap, and put his 
white head and beard up close to her Grace jgF Now though her 
Grace could not help laughing at his position & words, yet she grew 
as sour as vinegar again immediately; for all the ladies tittered, and, 
astoSidonia, she laughed outright jg^" Fie! uncle," said her Grace, 
" a truce to such folly; do you not know what St. Paul says: ' Let 
the widows abide even as I ?'" "Ay, true, dear cousin; but, then, 
does he not say, too : * I will that the younger widows marry' ?"jgF 
"Ah, but dear uncle, I am no longer young." "Why, you are as 
young and active as a girl; and I engage, cousin, if any stranger came 
in here to look for the widow, he would find it difficult to make her 
out amongst the young maidens; don't you think so, Sidonia ?"jgF 
" Ah, yes, she replied ; " I never imagined her Grace was so young. 
She is as blooming as a rose." This appeared to please the Princess, 
for she smiled slightly and then sighed; but gave his Grace a smart 
slap when he attempted to seize her hand & kiss it, saying: " Now, 
uncle, I told you to leave off this foolery." 

ST this moment the band outside struck up Duke 
BogislafFs march, the same that was played before 
him in Jerusalem when he ascended the Via Dolorosa 
up to Golgotha; for it was the custom here to play 
this march half an hour before dinner, in order to 
gather all the household, knights, squires, pages, and 
even grooms and peasants, to the castle, where they all received en^ 
tertainment. And ten rooms were laid with dinner, and all stood 
open, so that anyone might enter under the permission of the Court 
Marshal. All this I must notice here, because Sidonia afterwards 
caused much scandal by these means. The music now rejoiced her 
greatly, and she began to move her little feet, not in a pilgrim, but 
in awaltzmeasure,&tobeattimewith them, as one could easily per/ 
ceive by the motion underneath her mantle jgFThe Grand Chanv 
berlain, Ulrich von Schwerin, now entered, and having looked at 
Sidonia with much surprise, advanced to kiss the hand of the Duke 
and bid him welcome to Wolgast. Then, turning to her Grace, he 
inquired if the twelve pages should wait at table to do honour to the 
Duke of Stettin. But the Duke forbade them, saying he wished to 
dine in private for this day with the Duchess and her two sons ; the 
Grand Chamberlain, too, he hoped would be present, and Sidonia 
might have a seat at the ducal table, as she was of noble blood ; be^ 
sides, he had taken her likeness as Eve, & the first of women ought 

27 




to sit at the first table. Hereupon, the Duke drew forth the puppet, 
and called to Ulrich : " Here L you have seen my Adam in Treptow, 
what think you now of Eve ? Look, dear cousin, is she not the image 
of Sidonia ?"j^At this speech both looked very grave. Ulrich said 
nothing, but her Grace replied: "You will make the girl vain, dear 
uncle." And Ulrich added: "Yes, and the image has suchanexpres- 
sion, that, if the real Eve looked so, I think she would have left her 
husband in the lurch, and run with the devil himself to the devil" 
jg? While the lastverseof the march was playing "To Zion comes 
Pomerania's Prince," they proceeded to dinner; the Duke and the 
Princes leading, while from every door along the corridor, the young 
knights and pages peeped out to get a sight of Sidonia, who having 
thrown off her mantle, swept by them in a robe of crimson velvet 
laced with goldj^When they entered the dining/hall, Prince Er- 
nest was leaning against one of the pillars wearing a black Spanish 
mantle, fastened with chains of gold. He stepped forward to greet 
the Duke, & inquire after his healthj^FThe Duke was well pleased 
to see him, & tapped him on the cheek, exclaiming: u . Bymy faith, 
cousin, I have not heard too much of you. What a fine youth you 
have grown up since you left the university." 
C^P^-j-O^CQUT how Sidonia' s eyes sparkled when (for his mis- 
fortune) she found herself seated next him at table. 
The Duchess now called upon Sidonia to say the 
"gratias," but she blundered and stammered, which 
many imputed to modesty, so that Prince Ernest had 
to repeat it in her stead ]0 This seemed to give him 
courage; for when the others began to talk around the table, he ven- 
tured to bid her welcome to his mother's courtjfiF When they rose 
from table, Sidonia was again commanded to say grace, but being 
unable, the Princecame to her relief and repeated thewords for her. 
And now the evil spirit without doubt put it into the Duke's head, 
who had drunk rather freely, to say to her Grace: " Dear Cousin, I 
have introduced the Italian fashion at my court, which is, that every 
knight kisses the lady next him on rising from dinner . . let us do 
the same here. "And herewith he first kissed her Grace & then Si- 
donia. Ulrich von Schwerin looked grave at this and shook his head, 
particularly when the Duke encouraged Prince Ernest to follow his 
example; but the poor youth looked quite ashamed, and cast down 
his eyes. However, when he raised them again Sidonia's were fixed 
on him, and she murmured: "Will you not learn?" with such a 
glance accompanying the words, that he could no longer resist to 
28 



touch her lips. Sotherewas great laughing in thehall; & the Duke, 
then taking his puppet under one arm and Sidonia under the other, 
descended with her to the Castle Gardens, complainingthathe never 
gotagood laugh in this gloomy house, let him do what hewouldj^ 
And the next day he departed, though the Prince sent his equerry 
to know would his Grace desire to hunt that day, or if he preferred 
fishing there were some excellent carp within the domain. But the 
Duke replied, that he would neither ride nor fish, but sail away at 
ten of the clock, if the wind were favourable. So many feared that 
his Grace was annoyed, and therefore the Duchess and Prince Er/ 
nest, along with the Grand Chamberlain, attended him to the gate; 
and even to please him, Sidonia was allowed to accompany them. 
The Pomeranian standard also was hoisted to do him honour, and 
finally he bade the illustrious widow farewell, recommending Su 
donia to her care. But the fair maiden herself he took in his arms, 
she weeping and sobbing, and admonished her to be careful and dis^ 
creet. And so, with a fair wind, set sail from Wolgast,& never once 
looked back. 

CHAPTER V. SIDONIA KNOWS NOTHING OF 
GOD'S WORD, BUT SEEKS TO LEARN IT FROM 
THE YOUNG PRINCE OF WOLGAST. 

IE XT day,Sunday,her Grace was unable to 
J attend divine service in the church, having 
caughtcoldbyneglectingtoputonherman' 
tie, when she accompanied the Duke down 
to the water/gatej^However, though her 
Grace could not leave her chamber, yet she 
heard the sermon of the preacher all the 
I same; for an ear^tube descended from her 
J apartment down on the top of the pulpit by 
ifiSag *r*fMiMate J which means every word reached her, and 
a maid of honour always remained in attendance to find out the 
lessons of the day, and the other portions of the divine service for 
her Grace, who thus could follow the clergyman word for word. 
Sidonia was the one selected for the office on this dayjff But, gra^ 
cious Heavens ! when the Duchess said: " Find me out the prophet 
I saiah," Sidonia looked in the New Testament ; and when she said, 
"OpenthegospelofStJohn/'SidonialookedintheOldTestament. 
At first her Grace did not perceive her blunders, but when she be^ 
came aware of them, she started up, and tearing the Bible out of her 
hands, exclaimed: "What! areyouaheathen? Yesterday you could 

29 




not repeat a simple grace that every child knows by heart, and to' 

day youdo not knowthe difference between the01d& NewTesta' 

ments. For shame. Alas ! what an ill weed I have introduced into 

my house/' So the cunning wench began to weep, and said, her 

father had never allowedhertolearn Christianity, though she wished 

to do so ardently, but always made a mock of it, and for this reason 

she had sought a refuge with her Grace, where she hoped to become 

a truly pious and believing Christian. The Duchess was quite sort' 

ened by her tears, and promised that Dr. Dionysius Gerschovius 

should examine her in the catechism, and see what she knew. He 

was a learned man from Daber,and her Grace's chaplain. The very 

idea of the doctor frightened Sidonia so much, that her teeth chat' 

tered, and she entreated her Grace, while she kissed her hand, to a,V 

low her at least a fortnight for preparation and study before the doc 

tor came J& The Duchess promised this, and said, that Clara von 

Dewitz, another of her maidens, would be an excellent person to 

assist her in her studies, as she came from Daber also, and was fa*- 

miliar with the views and doctrines held by Dr. Gerschovius. This 

Clara we shall hear moreof in our history. She was a year older than 

Sidonia, intelligent, courageous, and faithful, with a quiet, amiable 

disposition, and of most pious and Christian demeanour. Shewore 

a high stiff ruff, out of which peeped forth her head scarcely visible, 

and a long robe, like a stole, sweeping behind her. She was privately 

betrothed to her Grace's Master of the Horse, Marcus Bork by 

name, a cousin of Sidonia's; for, as her Grace discouraged all kinds 

of gallantry or love-making at her court, they were obliged to keep 

the matter secret; so that no one, not even her Grace, suspected any 

thing of the engagementj^This was the person appointed to nv 

struct Sidonia in Christianity; and every day the fair pupil visited 

Clara in her room for an hour; but, alas ! theology was sadly inters 

rupted by Sidonia's folly and levity, for she chattered away on all 

subjects: first about Prince Ernest: was he affianced to any one? 

was he in love? had Clara herself a lover? and if that old proser, 

meaning the Duchess, looked always as sour ? Did she never allow 

a feast or a dance ? and then she would toss the catechism under the 

bed, or tear it and trample on it, muttering, with much ill'temper, 

that she was too old to be learning catechisms like a child J& Poor 

Clara tried to reason with her mildly, and said: "Her Grace was 

very particular on these points. The maids of honour were obliged 

to assemble weekly once in the church and once in her Grace's own 

room, to be examined by Dr. Gerschovius, not only in the Lutheran 

30 




catechism, which they all knew well, but also in that written by his 
brother, Dr. Timothy Gerschovius of Old Stettin ; so Sidonia had 
better first learn the Catechismum Lutheri, & afterwards the Cate^ 
chismum Gerschovii." At last Sidonia grew so weary of catechisms, 
that she determ ined to run away from court. 

5^5?5R3UT Satan had more for her to do; so he put a little 
] syrup into the wormwood draught, and thus it was. 
OnedaypassingalongthecorridorfromClara'sroom, 
it so happened that Prince Ernest opened his door, 
just as she came up to it, to let out the smoke, and 
then began to walk up and down, playing softly on 
his lute. Sidonia stood still for a few minutes with her eyes thrown 
up in extasy, & then passed on; but the Prince stepped to the door, 
and asked her, did she play ? J& " Alas ! no," she answered. "Her 
father had forbidden her to learn the lute, though music was her 
passion, and her heart seemed almost breaking with joy when she 
listened to it. If his Highness would but play one little air over again 
for her?",J^"Yes,if you will enter, but not while you are standing 
there at my door",^" Ah, do not ask me to enter, that would not 
be seemly; but I will sit down here on this beer/barrel in the corri^ 
dor and listen; besides, music is improved by distance." And she 
looked so tenderly at the young Prince that his heart burned within 
him, and he stepped out into the corridor to play; but the sound 
reaching the ears of her Grace, she looked out, and Sidonia jumped 
u p from the be er/'barrel, and fled away to her own room. 

^HEN Sunday came again, all the maids of honour 
[ were assembled, as usual, in her Grace's apartment, 
■ to be examined in the catechism; and probably the 
Duchess had lamented much to the doctor over Si' 
donia's levity and ignorance, for he kept a narrow 
watch on her the whole day. At four of the clock, Dr. 
Gerschovius entered in his gown and bands, looking very solemn ; 
for itwas a sayingof his, "that the devil invented laughter; and that 
it were better for a man to be a weeping Heraclitus than a laughing 
Democritus." After hehad kissed thehandof her Grace, hesaid they 
had better now begin with the Commandments ; and, turning to 
Sidonia, asked her: "What is forbidden by the seventh command/ 
ment?"^Now Sidonia, who had only learned the Lutheran cate^ 
chism, did not understand the question in this form out of the Gers^ 
chovian catechism, and remained silent. "What!" said the Doctor, 
"not know my brother's catechism! You must get one directly from 

3i 




the court bookseller, the catechism of Doctor Timothy Gerschovius, 
and have it learned by next Sunday." Then, turning to Clara, he 
repeated the question, and she having answered, received great 
praise jg? Now it happened that just at this time the ducal horses 
were led up to the horse/pond to water, and all the young pages and 
knights were gathered in a group under the window of her Grace's 
apartment, laughing and jesting merrily. So Sidonia looked out at 
them, which the doctor no sooner perceived than he slapped her on 
the hand with the catechism, exclaiming: "What! have you not 
heard just now that all sinful desires are forbidden by the seventh 
commandment, and yet you look forth upon the young men from 
the window? Tell me what are sinful desires 1" J3t But the proud 
girl grew red with indignation, and cried : " Do you dare to strike 
me ? Then turning to her Grace, she said: " Madam, that sour old 
priest has struck me on the fingers. I will not suffer this. My father 
shall hear of it" J& Hereupon her Grace, and even the doctor, tried 
to appease her, but in vain, and she ran crying from the apartment. 
In the corridor she met the old Treasurer, Jacob Zitsewitz, who 
hated the doctor and all his rigid doctrines. So she complained of the 
treatment which she had received, and pressed his hand and stroked 
his beard, saying, would he permit a castle & land/dowered maiden 
to be scoldeo and insulted by an old parson, because she looked out 
at a window? That was worse than in the days of popery. Now 
Zitsewitz, who had a little wine in his head, on hearing this, ran in 
great wrath to the apartment of her Grace, where soon a great up/ 
roar was heardj^For the treasurer, in the heat of his remonstrance 
with the priest, struck a little table violently which stood near him, 
and overthrew it. On this had lain the superb escritoirof her High/ 
ness, made of Venetian glass, in which the ducal arms were painted; 
and also the magnificent album of her deceased lord, Duke Philip ; 
the escritoirwas broken, the ink poured forth upon the album, from 
thence ran down to the costly Persian carpet, a present from her 
brother the Prince of Saxony, and finally stained the velvet robe of 
her Highness herself, who started up screaming; so that the old 
chamberlain rushed in to know what had happened, and then he 
fell into a rage both with the priest and the treasurer. At length her 
Grace was comforted by hearing that a chymist in Grypswald could 
restore the book, and mend the glass again as good as new; still she 
wept, and exclaimed: " Alas! whocouldhavethoughtit? all thiswas 
foreshadowed to her by Dr. Martinus dropping her ring" t j0FHere 
the treasurer, to conciliate her Grace, pretended that he never had 
3^ 




heard the story of the betrothal, & asked: "What does your Grace 
mean?" Whereupon drying her eyes she answered: "Oh, Master 
Jacob, you will hear a strange story," and here she went over each 
particular, though every child in the street had it by heart. So this 
took away her grief, and every one got to rights again, for that day. 
But worse was soon to befal. 

HAVE said that half anhourbeforedinnertheband 
played to summon all within the castle and the re" 
tainers to their respective messes, as the custom then 
was; so that the long corridor was soon filled with 
a crowd of all conditions, pages, knights, squires, 
grooms, maids, and huntsmen, all hurrying to the 
apartments where their several tables were laid. Sidonia, being 
aware of this, upon the first toll of the drum skipped out into the 
corridor, dancing up & down the whole length of it to the music, so 
that the players declared they had never seen so beautiful a dancer, at 
whichher heart beatwith joy;&as the crowd came up, they stopped 
to admire her grace and beauty. Then she would pause and say a 
fewpleasingwords to each, to a huntsman, if he were passing: "Ah, 
I think no deer in the world could escape you, my fine young peas/ 
ant;" or if a knight, shewould praise the colourot his doublet & the 
tie of his garter; or if a laundress shewould commend the whiteness 
of her linenwhich shehad never seen equalled, and as to the old cook 
and butler, she enchanted them by asking had his Grace of Stettin 
ever seen them ; for assuredly if he had, he would have taken their 
fine heads as models for Abraham and Noah. Then she flung lar/ 
gess amongst them to drink the health of the Duchess ; only when 
a young noble passed, she grew timid and durst not venture to ad/ 
dress him, but said, loud enough for him to hear: " Oh, how hand/ 
some ! Do you know his name ? " Or : " It is easy to see that he is a 
born nobleman," & such like hypocritical flatteries jg?The princess 
never knew a word of all this, for, according to etiquette, she was the 
last to seat herself at table. So Sidonia' s doings were not discovered 
until too late, for by that time she had won over the whole court, 
great& small, to her interests^ Amongst the cavaliers who passed 
one day, were two fine young men, Wedig von Schwetzkow, and 
JohannAppelmann, son of the burgomaster at Stargard. They were 
both handsome, but Johann was a dissolute wild profligate, and 
Wedig was not troubled with too much sense. Still he had not fallen 
into the evil courses which made the other so notorious. "Who is 
that handsome youth ?" asked Sidonia, as Johann passed, & when 
di 33 



they told her, "Ah, a gentleman!" she exclaimed; "who is of far 
higher value in my eyes than a nobleman "jgFSumma; they both 
fell in love with her on the instant; but all the young squires were 
the same more or less, except her cousin Marcus Bork, seeing that 
he was already betrothed. Likewise after dinner, in place of going 
direct to the ladies' apartments, she would take a circuitous rout, so 
as to go by the quarter where the men dined, and as she passed their 
doors, which they left open on purpose, what rejoicing there was, 
and such running and squeezing just to get a glimpse of her, the 
little putting their heads under the arms of the tall, and there they 
began to laugh & chat; but neither the Duchess nor the old Cham/ 
berlain knew anything of this, for they were in a different wing of 
the castle, and besides always took a sleep after dinnerj^ However, 
old Zitsewitz,when heheardtheclamour,knewwellitwasSidonia, 
and would jump up from the marshal's table, though the old mar/ 
shal shook his head, and run to the gallery to have a chat with her 
himself, and she laughed and coquetted with him, so that the old 
knight would run after her & take her in his arms, asking her where 
she would wish to go. Then she sometimes said: to the castle garden 
to feed the pet stag, for she had never seen so pretty athing in all her 
life, and she would fetch crumbs of bread with her to feed it. So he 
must needs go with her, and Sidonia ran down the steps with him 
that led from the young men's quarter to the castle court, while 
they all rose up to look after her, and laugh at the old fool of a trea/ 
surer. But in a short time they followed too, running up and down 
the steps in crowds, to see Sidonia feeding the stag and caressing it, 
and sometimes trying to ride on it, while old Zitsewitz held the 
horns jS? Prince Ernest beheld all this from a window, & was ready 
to die with jealousy and mortification, for he felt that Sidonia was 
gay and friendly with every one but him. Indeed, since the day of 
the lute playing, he fancied she shunned him & treated him coldly. 
But as Sidonia had observed particularly, that whenever the young 
prince passed her in the gallery, he cast down his eyes and sighed, 
she took another way of managing him. 



34 




CHAPTER VI HOW THE YOUNG PRINCE PRE, 
PARED A PETITION TO HIS MOTHER THE 
DUCHESS IN FAVOUR OF SIDONIA: ITEM,OF 
THE STRANGE DOINGS OF THE LAPLANDER 
WITH HIS MAGIC DRUM. 

IHE day preceding that on which Sidonia 
lwas to repeat the Catechism of Doctor 
JGerschovius (of which, by the way, she had 
1 not learned one word), the young Duke 
J suddenly entered his mother's apartment, 
J where she and her maidens were spinning, 
land asked her if she remembered anything 
I about a Laplander with a drum, who had 
J foretold some event to her and his father 

. .^,..,^ I whilst they were at Penemunde, some 

years before; for he had been arrested at Eldena, and was now in 
Wolgast j(2iF"Alas," said her Grace," I perfectly remember the hor, 
rible sorcerer. One spring I was at the hunt with your father, near 
Penemunde, when this wretch suddenly appeared driving two cows 
before him, on alarge ice/field. He pretended that while he was tel, 
ling fortunes to the girls who milked the cows, a great storm arose, 
and drove him out into the wide sea, which wasaterrible misfortune 
to him. But your father told him, in Swedish, which language the 
knave knew, that it had been better to prophesv his own destiny .To 
which he replied, aman could as little foretell his own fate as see the 
back of his own head, which every one can see but himself. How, 
ever, if the Duke wished, he would tell him his fortune, and if it did 
notcome out true, let all the world hold him as aliar for his lifelong. 
Alas! yourfatherconsented.Whereupon the knave began to dance 
and play upon his drum like one frenzied; so that it was evident to 
see the spirit was working within him. Then he fell down like one 
dead, and cried, 'Woe to thee when thy house is burning! Woe to 
theewhen thy house is burning!'^" Therefore be warned, my son; 
havenothingto do with this fellow, for itsohappened even ashe said. 

On the nth December, '57, our castle was burned, and your poor 
father had a rib broken in consequence. Would that I had been the 
rib, broken for him, so thathe might still reign over the land; & this 
was the true cause of his untimely death. Therefore, dismiss this 
sorcerer,foritisSatanhimselfspeaksinhim''j^HereSidoniagrew 

quite pale, & dropped the thread, as if taken suddenly ill. Then she 

prayed the Duchesstoexcuseher,andpermit her to retire to her own 

roomJ^Themomentthe Duchess gave permission, Sidonia glided 

dz 35 



out; but, in place of goingtoher chamber, she threw herself in alan^ 
guid attitude upon a seat in the corridor, just where she knew Prince 
Ernest must pass, &leaned her head upon her hand. He soon came 
out of his mother'sroom, & seeing Sidonia, took her hand tenderly, 
asking, with visible emotion; "Dear lady, whathas happened? "jS? 
" Ah," she answered, " I am so weak that I cannot go on to my little 
apartment. I know not what ails me; butlamso afraid "J&" Afraid 
ofwhat,dearest lady 1"J&" Of that souroldpriest.Heistoexamine 
me to^morrowinthe Catechism of Gerschovius, and I cannot learn 
a word of it, do what I will. I know Luther's Catechism quite well" 
(this was a falsehood, we know), "but that does not satisfy him, & 
if I cannot repeat it he will slap my hands or box my ears, and my 
ladythe Duchess will be more angry than ever; butlam too oldnow 
to learn catechisms",j^Then she trembled like an aspen^leaf, and 
fixed her eyes on him with such tenderness that he trembled like-' 
wise, and drawingherarm within his, supported her to her chamber. 
On theway she pressed his hand repeatedly, but with each pressure, 
as he afterwards confessed, a pang shot through his heart, which 
might have excited compassion from his worst enemy. 

jHEN they reached her chamber, she would not let 
| him enter, out modestly put him back, saying," Leave 
me : ah ! leave me, gracious Prince. I must creep to my 
bed; and in the meantime, let me entreat you to per' 
1 suade the priest not to torment me to-morrow morn/ 
I ing." The Prince now left her, & forgetting all about 
the Lapland wizard whom he had left waiting in the courtyard, he 
rushed over the drawbridge, up the main street behind St. Peter's, 
and into the house of Dr. GerschoviusjjS?The doctor was indignant 
at his petition. " My young Prince," he said, " if ever a human being 
stood in need of God's word, it is that young maiden." At last, how 
ever, upon the entreaties of Prince Ernest, he consented to defer her 
examinationforfourweeks,duringwhichtimeshecouldfullyperfect 
herself in the catechism of his learned brother. He then praved the 
Prince notto allow his eyes to be dazzled by this fair, sinful beauty, 
who would delude him as she had done all the other men in the castle, 
not excepting even that old sinner Zitsewitz. 

j^lHEN the Prince returned to the castle, he found a 
great crowd assembled round the Lapland wizard,all 
eagerly asking to have their fortunes told,& Sidonia 
was amongst them, as merry andlivelyas if nothing 
had ailed her. When the Prince expressed his sur/- 
prise, she said, that finding herself much relieved by 





lying down, she had ventured into the fresh air, to recreate herself, 
and have her fortune told. Would not the Prince likewise wish to 
hear his ? J& So, forgetting all his mother's wise injunctions, he 
advanced with Sidonia to the wizard. The Lapland drum, which 
lay upon his knees, was a strange instrument; & by it we can see 
what arts Satan employs to strengthen his kingdom, in all places 
and by all means. For the Laplanders are Christians, though they in 
some sort worship the devil, and therefore he imparts to them much 
of his own power J£t This drum which they use is made out of a 
piece of hollow wood, which must be either fir, pine, or birch, and 
which grows in such a particular place, that it follows the course of 
the sun; that is, the Pectines, Fibrae,and Lineae,inthe annual rings 
of the wood, must wind from righttoleft. Havinghollowed out such 
a tree, they spread a skin over it, fastened down with little pegs; and 
on the centre of the skin is painted the sun, surrounded by figures of 
men, beasts, birds, & fishes, along with Christ and theholy apostles. 
All this is done with the rind of the elder^tree, chewed first beneath 
theirteeth. Upon the top of the drum there is an index in the shape 
of a triangle, from which hang a number of little rings and chains. 
When the wizard wishes to propitiate Satan & receive his power, 
he strikes the drum with a hammer made of the rein/deer's horn, 
not so much to procure a sound as to set the index in motion with 
all its little chains, that it may move over the figures, & point to what' 
ever gives the required answer. At the same time the magician mur/ 
murs conjurations, springs sometimes up from the ground, screams, 
laughs, dances, reels, becomes black in the face, foams, twists his eyes, 
& falls to the ground at last in an ecstasy, dragging the drum down 
upon his face^Any one may then put questions to him, and ail 

willcometopassthatheanswers.Allthiswasdonebythewizard,but 
he desired strictly that when he fell upon the ground, no one should 
touch him with the foot, and, secondly, that all flies & insects should 
be kept carefully from him. So after he had danced, & screamed, and 
twisted his face so horribly that half the women fainted, and foamed 
and raged until the demon seemed to have taken full possession of 
him, he fell down, & then every one put questionstohim,to which 
he responded ;butthe answers sometimes produced weeping, some/ 
times laughing, accordingas some gentle maiden heard that her lover 
was safe, or that he had been struck by the mast on shipboard and 
t " mb _led into the sea. And all came out true, as was afterwards proved 
J& Sidonia now invited the prince to try his fortune, & so, forgetting 
the admonitions of the Duchess, he said, " What dost thou prophesy 
to me ? "J&" Beware of a woman, if you would live long & happily," 
was the answer J& "But of what woman ? " jff " I will not name her, 
<*3 37 



for she is present." Then the Prince turned pale & looked at Sidonia, 
who grewpale also, but made no answer, only laughed & advancing 
asked: " What dostthou prophesy to me ?",^But immediately the 
wizard shrieked : "Away ! away ! I burn, I burn ! thou makest me yet 
hotter than I am!" jffi Many thought these exclamations referred 
to Sidonia's beauty, particularly the young lords, who murmured : 
** Now every one must acknowledge her beauty, when even this son 
of Satan feels his heart burning when she approaches." And Sidonia 
laughed merrily at their gallantries jg?Just then the Grand Chanr 
berlain came by, and having heard what had happened, he angrily 
dismissed the crowd, and sending for the executioner, ordered the 
cheating impostor to be whipped and branded, & then sent over the 
frontier,^ The wizard, who had been lying quite stiff, now cried 
out (though he had never seen the Chamberlain before): " Listen, 
Ulrich ! I will prophesy something to thee : if it comes not to pass, 
then punish me; but ir it does, then give me aboat and seven loaves, 
that I may sail away to«-morrow to my own country" J& Ulrich re' 
fused to hear his prophecy, but the wizard cried out: " Ulrich, this 
day thy wife Hedwig will die at Spantekow "J& Ulrich grew pale, 
butonlyanswered:"Thouliest!howcanthatbe?"Hereplied:"Thy 
cousin Clas will visit her; she will descend to the cellarto fetch him 
some of the Italian wine for which you wrote, & which arrived yes^ 
terday. A step of the stairs will break as she is ascending. She will 
fall forward upon the flask, which will cut her throat through, and 
so she will die "J& When he ceased, the alarmed Ulrich called loudly 
to the chief equerry, Appelmann, who just then came by: "Quick! 
saddle the best racer in the stables, & ride for life to Spantekow, for 
it may be as he has prophesied, and let us outwit the devil. Haste, 
haste, for the love of God, and I will never forget it to thee "jff So 
the equerry rode without stop or stay to Spantekow, & he found the 
cousin Clas in the house, but when he asked for the Lady Hedwig, 
they said, "Sheis in thecellar/'Sonomisfortunehadhappenedthen; 
but as they waited and she appeared not, they descended to look for 
her, and lo ! just as the wizard had prophesied, she had fallen upon 
the stairs while ascending, & there lay dc&dJ&Thc mournful news 
was brought by sunset to Wolgast, and Ulrich, in his despair and 
grief,wishedtoburnthe Laplander,but Prince Ernest hindered him, 
saying: " It is more knightly, Ulrich, to keep your word than to cool 
your vengeance." So the old man stood silent a long space, and then 
said: "Well, young man, if you abandon Sidonia, I will release the 
Laplander " jff The Prince coloured, and the Lord Chamberlain 
thought that he had discovered a secret; but as the prophecy of the 
38 



wizard came again into Prince Ernest's mind, he said : J& " Well, 
Ulrich, I will give up the maiden Sidonia. Hereismyhand" L j^"Ac 
cordingly,nextmorningthewizard was released from prison&given 
a boat, with seven loaves and a pitcher of water, that he might sail 
back to his own country. The wind, however, was due north, but the 
people who crossed the bridge to witness his departure were filled 
with fear, when they saw him change the wind at his pleasure to suit 
himself; forhepulled out a string full of knots and having swung it 
about, murmuring incantations, all the vanes on the towers creaked 
and whirled right about, all the windmills in the town stopped, all 
the vessels and boats that were going up the stream became quite 
still, and their sails flapped on the masts, for the wind had changed 
in a moment from north to south, and the north waves & the south 
waves clashed together J$f As every one stood wondering at this, 
the sailors & fishermen in particular, the wizard sprang into his boat 
and set forth with a fair wind, singing loudly, Jooike Duara ! Jooike 
Duara !" . . and soon disappeared from sight, nor was he ever again 
seen in that country. 

CHAPTER VII. HOW ULRICH VON SCHWERIN 
BURIES HIS SPOUSE, & DOCTOR GERSCHOVIUS 
COMFO RTS HIM O UT OF GOD'S WORD. 

^C J^v^dHIS affair with the Lapland wizard much 
^" ^ ' v troubled the grand chamberlain, and his 
faith suffered sore temptations. So he re- 
ferred to Dr. Gerschovius, and asked him 
how the prophets of God differed from 
those of the devil. Whereupon the doctor 
recommended him to meditate on God's 
word, wherein he would find a source of 
consolation and a solution of all doubts jff 
So the mourning Ulrich departed for his 
castle of Spantekow, trusting in the assistance of God. And her 
Grace, with all her court, resolved to attend the funeral also, to do 
him honour. They proceeded forth, therefore, dressed in black robes; 
their horses also caparisoned with black hangings; and the Duchess 
ordered a hundred wax lights for the ceremony. Sidonia alone de- 
clined attending, and gave out that she was sick in bed. The truth, 
however, was, that as Duke Ernest was obliged to remain at home 
to take the command of the castle, & affix his signature to all papers, 
she wished to remain alsoj^The mourning cortege, therefore, had 
scarcely left the court, when Sidonia rose and seated herself at the 
window, which she knew the young Prince must pass along with 
d 4 39 




.'. This is the 
beginning of a 
magic rhyme, 
chanted even by 
the distant Cal- 
mucks,namely, 
Dschiejoeiejog 



his attendants, on their way to the office of the castle. Then taking 
up a lute, which she had purchased privately, & practised night and 
morning in place of learning the catechism, she played a low soft air, 
to attract their attention. So all the young knights looked up ; and 
when Prince Ernest arrived he looked up also, and seeing Sidonia 
exclaimed, with surprise, "Beautiful Sidonia, how have you learned 
the lute ?" At which she blushed & answered modestly, " Gracious 
Prince, I am only self-taught. No one here understands the luteex/ 
cept your Highness"j2?"Does this employment, then, give you 
much pleasure ?"J&" Ah, yes ! If I could only play it well, I would 
give half my life to learn it properly. There is no such sweet enjoy 
ment upon earth, I think, as this " j£?" But you have been sick, 
lady, and the cold airwill do you an injury" J&" Yes,itistrue I have 
been ill, but the air rather refreshes me; & besides I feel the melan/- 
choly of my solitude less here"jfi?" Nowfarewell, dear lady ; I must 
attend to the business of the castle "j^This little word, "dear lady," 
gave Sidonia such confidence, that by the time she expected Prince 
Ernest to pass again on his return, she was seated at the window 
awaiting him with her lute, to which she now sang in a clear, sweet 
voice. But the Prince passed on as if he heard nothing, never even 
once looked up, to Sidonia' s great mortification. However, the mo/ 
ment he reached his own apartment, he commenced playing a me/ 
lancholyair upon his lute, as if in response to hers. The artful young 
maiden no sooner heard this than she opened the door. The Prince 
at the same instant opened his to let out the smoke, and their eyes 
met, when Sidonia uttered a feeble cry and fell fainting upon the 
floor. The Prince seeing this, flewto her, raised her up, &, trembling 
with emotion, carried her back to her room and laid her down upon 
the bed. Nowindeed itwas well for him that he had given that pro' 
mise to Ulrich. When Sidonia after some time slowly opened her 
eyes, the Prince asked tenderly what ailed her; & she said : " I must 
have taken cold at the window, for I felt very ill, & went to the door 
to call an attendant; but I must have fainted then, for I remember 
nothing more." Alas ! the poor Prince, he believed all this, and con* 
jured her to lie down until he called a maid, & sent for the physician 
if she desired it; but, no, she refused, and said it would pass offsoon. 
(Ah ! thou cunning maiden ! it may well pass off when it never was 
on) jgF However, she remained in bed until the next day, when the 
Princess and her train returned home from the funeral. Her Grace 
had assisted at the obsequies with all princely state, and even laid a 
crown of rosemary with her own hand upon the head of the corpse, 
and a little prayer-book beside it, open at that fine hymn " Pauli 
40 



.'. Perhaps some readers will hold the ra/ 
tionalist doctrine that no prophecy is pos/ 
sible or credible, & that no mortal can un/ 
der any circumstances see into futurity ; but 
how then can 



Mesmer himself to fly for protection to 
Frankfort; this very academy, I say, on 
the 12th February, 1826, rescinded all their 
condemnatory verdicts, & proclaimed that 

the wonderful 
enomena of 



they accountfor &?«**" (which also was sung over the grave)^ h 

the wonderful Th f \ the husb * nd l f * ? £ '"" '« °Vu ' c^ animalmagnet/ 
phenomena of WItnt ^ emscrl P tIonfrom t J oI > n " I ' 8: ~ ne Sonof j sm had been so 

well authentic/ 

ated that doubt 

longer 




God wasmanifestedthathemightdestroythe works 
of the devil." After which the coffin was lowered into 
the grave with many tears, 

O ME days after this, being Sunday, 
Doctor Gerschovius and the Grand 
Chamberlain werepresentatthedu/ 
cal table. Ulrich indeed ate little, for 
he was filled with grief, only sipped a 

little broth, into which he had crum/ 

^T^rM kkcl some reindeer cheese, notto appear ungracious; 
but when dinner was over, he raised his head, and 
asked Doctor Gerschovius to inform him now in 
whatlay the difference between the prophets of God selected ;, 

and those of the devil. 1 he Duchess was charmed at pose) f rom p ny , 
the prospect of such a profitable discourse, and or/ F s i c ians who 
dered a cushion and footstool to be placed for herself were totally ad/ 
thatshemightremaintohearit.Thenshesentforthe „—-.*« «.k/,4 nr . 
whole household, maidens, squires, and pages, that trines of Mes , 
theytoomightbeedihed,and learn thetrue natureof mer Yherc arc 
the devil's gifts. The hall was soon as full, therefore, ^ut ^ modes 
as ifa sermon wereabout to bepreached;&the doc/ I think of ex/ 
tor, seeing this, stroked his beard, and he begun as p l a i n W these 
foIIows: -'- extraordinary 



animal magne 
tism, which are 
so well authen/ 
ticated?Dothey 
deny all the facts 
which have been 
elicited by the 

great advance 
made recently 
in natural and 

physiological 
philosophy? I 
need not here 

bring forward 
proofs from the 
ancients, show/ 
ingtheiruniver/ 
salbelief in the 

possibility of 
seeingintofutu/ 
rity, nor a cloud 

of witnesses 
from our mod/ 

ern philosophers, attesting the truth of the 
phenomena of somnambulism, but only 
observe that this very Academy of Paris, 
which in 1784 anathematized Mesmer as 
a quack, a cheat, a charlatan or fool, and 
which in conjunction with all the academ/ 
lesof Europe (that of Berlin alone except/ 
ed), reviled his doctrines, and insulted all 
who upheld them, as witches had been re/ 
viled in preceding centuries, & compelled 



was no 
possible J£t 
This confession 
of faith was the 
more remarka/ 
ble, because the 
members of the 
commission of 

inquiry had 
been carefully 



phenomena, either by supposing them ef/ 
fected by supernatural agency, as all seers 
and diviners from antiquity, through the 
middle ages down to our somnambulists, 
have pretended that they really stood in 
communication with spirit; or, by suppos/ 
ing that there is an innate latent divining 
element in our own natures, which only 
becomes evident and active under certain 
circumstances, and which is capable of re/ 

4» 



vealing the future with more or less exact* 

itude just as the mind can recall the past. 

For past and future are but different forms 

of our own subjective intuition of time, and 

because this in' _« — b.... . . « 

AM rejoiced to treat of this subject, nowcon' 

sidering how lately that demon Lapp be' 

fooled ye all. And I shall give you many signs, 

whereby in future a prophet of God may be 

distinguished from a prophet of the devilj^ 



ternal intuition 
represents no fi' 
gure we seek to 
supply the de' 
feet by an ana' 
logy. For time 
exists within us 
not without us; 
it is not some/ 

thing which 
subsists of itself, 
but it is the form 
only of our inter' 
nal sense. These 
two modes of 
explaining the 

phenomena 
present,Iknow, 
great difficulties; 
the latter espe' 
ciallyj^HoW' 
ever, the pan' 
theistical solu' 
tion of the He' 




of all creation is man, therefore while we 
investigate so acutely all other creatures, 
let us not shrink back from the strange & 
unknown depths of our own nature, which 

magnetism has 
opened to us. 
.*. It is doubt' 
ful of what this 
drink was coni' 
posed. Hieroii' 
ymus & Aben 
Ezra imagine 
thatitwasofthe 
nature of strong 
beerjSFProba' 
blyitresembled 
the potion with 



First,Satan'sprophetsarenotconsciousofwhatthey 
utter, but God's prophets are always perfectly con' 
scious, both of the inspiration they receive and the 
revelations they make known. For as the Laplander 
grew frenzied, & foamed atthe mouth, soithas been 
with all false prophets from thebeginning. Even the 
blind heathen called prophesyin g mania, or, the wis' 
dom of madness. The secret of producing this mad' 
ness was known to them; sometimes it was by the w IC 
use of roots or aromatic herbs, or by exhalations, as r ^ ' "^ 
in the case ofthe Pythoness, whose incoherent utter' n 2 S - , e 
ances were written by the priests of Apollo; for when ges ° tthe P res 
the fit was over, all remembrance of what she had '"tday produce 

this divining 

frenzy, jfi? We 
find such in use 

throughout 

Tartary, Sibeiv 

ia, America, & 

Africa, as if the 

usage had des' 

cended to them 

from one common tradition. Watches, it 

is well known, made frequent use of pc 

tions, and as all somnambulists assert that 

the seat of the soul's greatest activity is in 

the stomach, it is not incredible what Van 

Helmont relates, that having once tasted 

the root napellus his intellect all at once, 

accompanied by an unusual feeling of ec 

stacy, seemed to remove from his brain to 

his stomach &/$&&&& &&,&,,$: 



prophesied vanished too. IntheBible we findall false 
prophets described as frenzied. In Isaiah, xliv. 25 : 
" God maketh the diviners mad." In Ezekiel xiii, 3 : 
"Wo to the foolish prophets." Hoseaix. 7: "The 
prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad." And 
Isaiah xxviii. 7, explains fully how this madness 
was produced; namely, by wine and the strong drink 
Sekar ; . . further examples of this madness are given 

ser, Kluge, Wirth, Hoffman, pleases me 
still less. I even prefer that of Jung'Stilling 
and Kerner ; but at all events one thing is 
certain, the facts are there^Only ignore 
ance, stupidity, and obstinacy can deny 
them, the cause is still a subject of specu' 
lation, doubt, and difficulty. It is only by a 
vast induction of facts, as in natural philo' 
sophy, that we can ever hope to arrive at 
theknowledge of a general law.The crown 
42 



in the Bible, as Saul when under the influence of the evil spirit, flung 
his spear at the innocent David. And the four hundred & fifty pro- 
phets of Baal, who leaped upon the altar, and screamed, & cut them- 
selves with knives & lancets until the blood flowed. And the maiden 
with the spirit of divination, that met Paul in the streets of Philippi, 
with many otherSiJ^But all this is an abomination in the sight of 
God. For as the Lord came not to his prophet Elijah, in the strong 
wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the still small 
voice, so does he evidence himself in all his prophets; and we find no 
record in Scripture, either of their madness, or of their having for' 
gotten the oracles they uttered, like the Pythoness & others inspired 
by Satan . . Further, you may observe that the false prophets can al- 
ways prophesy when they choose, Satan is everwillingto come when 
they exorcise him; but the true prophets of God are but instruments 
in the hand of the Lord, and can only speak when he chooses the 
spirit to enter into them. So we find them saying invariably: "This 
is the word which came unto me," or "This is the word which the 
Lord spake unto me." For the Lord is too high and holy to come at 
the bidding of a creature, or obey the summons of hiswill. St. Peter 
confirms this, 2 Pet. i. 21, that no prophecy ever came at the will of 
manjgFAgain the false prophets were persons of known infamous 
character, and in this differed from the prophets of God, who were 
always righteous men in word and deed. Diodorus informs us of the 
conduct of the Pythoness and the priests of Apollo, and also that all 
oracles were boughtwith gold, &the answer dependedontheweight 
of the sack. As Ezekiel notices, xiii. 19; and Micah iii. 8. Further, 
the holy prophets suffered all manner of persecution for the sake of 
God, as Daniel, Elias, Micah, yet remained faithful, with but one 
exception, and were severely punished if they fell into crime, & the 
gik of prophesy taken from them; for God cannot dwell in a defiled 
temple, but Satan can dwell in no other^Also Satan's prophets 
speak only of temporal things, but God's people of spiritual things. 
The heathen oracles, for instance, never foretold any events butthose 
concerning peace or war, or what men desire in riches, health, or 
advancement; in short, temporal matters alone. Whereas, God's 
people, in addition to temporal concerns, preached repentance and 
holiness to the Jewish people, and the coming of Christ's kingdom, 
in whom all nations should be blessed. For as the soul is superior to 
the body, so are God's prophets superior to those of the Prince of 
this world jg? And in conclusion, observe that Satan's seers abounded 
with lies, as all heathen history testifies, or their oracles were capable 

43 



/.Itiswell known 
that somnambul- 
ists never remem- 
ber, upon their re- 
covery, what they 
have uttered dur- 
ing the crisis j££? 
Therefore pheno- 
mena of this class 
appear to belong, 
in some things, to 
that of the divin- 
ing frenzy,though 
in others to quite 
a different catego- 
ry of the divining 
life. 






of such different interpretations, that theybecamea subject of mock' 

ery and contempt to the wise amongst the ancient philosophers. But 

be not surprised if they sometimes spoke truth, as the Lapland 

wizard has done, for the devil's power is superior to man's, and he 

can see events which, though close at hand, are yet hidden from us, 

.•.Thesomnam' as a father can foretell an approaching storm, though his little son 

bulists also can cannot do so, and therefore looks upon his father's wisdom as super' 

prophesy of those natural '• But the devil has not the power to see into futurity, nor 

events which are even the angels of God, only God himselfjgjFThe prophets of God, 

near at hand, but on the contrary, are given power by Him to look through all time 

never of the dis' at a glance, as if it were but a moment, for a thousand years to him 

tant. are but as a watch of the night, and therefore, they all from the be' 

ginning testified of the Saviour thatwas to come, and rejoiced in his 

day as if they really beheld Him, and all stood together as brothers 

in one place, and at the same time in his blessed presence; but what 

unanimity and feeling has ever been observed by the seers of Satan, 

when the contradictions amongst their oracles were notorious to 

every one ? And as the eyes of all the holy prophets centred upon 

Christ, so the eyes of the greatest of all prophets penetrated the far' 

♦ • T ddV t tnest depths of futurity. Not only his own life, sufferings, death, & 

V r ■ j- resurrection, were foretold by him, but the end of the Jewish king' 

dom, the dispersion of their race, the rise of his church from the grain 

th° 1 1^ ' C & th of mustard'seed to the wide world'spreading tree; and all has been 

e sa anic fulfilled. Be assured, therefore, that this eternal glory, which hepro' 

Pf ," i r i mised to those who trust in him, will he fulfilled likewise, when he 

comes to judge all nations. So, my worthy Lord Ulrich, cease to 
lowing: that al' r t_ i • 4 r t_i 

tt *t. j • • weep tor your spouse who sleeps in I esus, tor a greater prophet than 
most all the divin' . \ t j • j t. -a «t t i * i-e 

„ „ _ . -i „ the Lapland wizard has said: "I am the resurrection and the life, 

ers amongst the , r < *. « . . „ ,. 

heathen were wo- whosoever beheveth in me shall never die . . 

men. For instance Cassandra, the Pythia in Delphi, Triton and Peristhaea in Dodona, 
the Sybils, the Velleda of Tacitus, the Mandragoras, and Druidesses, the witches of the 
reformation age; & in fine, the modern somnambules are all women too. But through' 
out the whole Bible we find that the prophetic power was exclusively conferred upon 
men, with two exceptions; namely, Deborah, Judges iv. 4, and Hilda, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 
22; for there is no evidence that Miriam had a seer spirit, she was probablv only God' 
inspired, though classed under the general term, prophet. "We find, indeed, that woe was 
proclaimed against the divining women who prophesy out of their own head, Ezekiel 
xiiu 17'23; so amongst the people of God the revelation of the future was confined to 
men, amongst the heathen to women, or if men are mentioned in these pagan rites, it 
is only as assistants and inferior agents, like animals, metals, roots, stones, and suchlike. 
See Cicero, De Divinatione i. 18. 

44 



sssz»=gHEr> 




CHAPTER VIII.HOW SIDONIA RIDES UPON THE 
PET STAG, AND WHAT EVIL CONSEQUENCES 
RESULTTHEREFROM. 

HEN the discourse had ended, her Grace 
:dto herapartment and Ulrich to his, 
was their custom, as I have said, to 
sleep after dinner.DoctorGerschoviusre^ 
turned home,& the young Prince descend' 
P ed to the gardens with his lute. Now was 
J a fine time for the young knights, for they 
had been sadly disturbed in their carouse 
by that godly prophesyng of the doctor's, 
&they now returned to their own quarter 
to finish it, headed by the old Treasurer Zitsewitz.Then a merry up^ 
roar of laughing, singing, and jesting commenced, & as the door lay 
wide open as usual, Sidonia heard all fromher chamber ; so stepping 
out gently with a piece of bread in her hand, she tripped along the 
corridor past their door. No sooner was she perceived than a loud 
storm of cheers greeted her, which she returned with smiles&bows, 
and then danced down the steps to the courtyard. Several rose up to 
pursue her, amongst whom Wedig and Appelmann were the most 
eagerj2?But they were too late and saw nothing but the tail of her 
dress, as she flew round the corner into the second court. Just then an 
old laundress, bringing linen to the castle for her Highness, passed 
by, and told the young men that the young lady had been feedin g the 
tame stagwith bread, and then jumpedonits backwhile she held the 
horns, &thattheanimalhad immediately galloped offlike lightning 
into the second court; so that the young knights and squires rushed 
instantly after her, fearing that some accident might happen, and pre^ 
sently they heard her scream twice. Appelmann was the first to reach 
the outer court, and there beheld poor Sidonia in a sad condition, for 
the stag had flung her off. Fortunately it was on a heap of soft clay, 
and there she lay in a dead faintj^ H ad the stag thrown her but a few 
steps further, against the manger for the knights' horses, she must 
have been killed. But Satan had not yet done with her, and, there^ 
fore, no doubt prepared this soft pillow for her head jfiF When Appeb 
mann saw that she was quite insensible, he kneeled down and kissed 
first her little feet, then her white hands, and at last hacAhs t while 
she lay at thetime as still as death, poor thing. Justthen Wedigcame 
up in a great passion; for the castellan's son, who was playing ball, 
had flungthe ball rightbetween his legs, out of tricks, as he was run' 

45 



ningby,& nearly threwhim down, whereupon Wedig seizedholdof 
the urchin by his thickhair to punish him, for all the young knights 
werelaughingathisdiscomfiture,buttheboybithiminthehip,and 
then sprang into his father's house, and shut the door. How little do 
we know what will happen ! It was this bite which caused Wedig* s 
lamentable death a little afterj^But if he was angry before, what 
was his rage now, when he beheld the equerry, Appelmann, kissing 
the insensible maiden \J&" How now, peasant," he cried, "what 
means this boldness? How dare this tailor's son treat a castle^ and 
land'dowered maiden in such away ? Are noble ladies made for his 
kisses ?" And he draws his poignard to rush upon Appelmann, who 
draws forth his in return, and now assuredly there would have been 
murder done, if Sidonia had not just then opened her eyes, & start' 
ing up in amazement prayed them for her sake to keep quiet. She had 
been quite insensible, & knewnothing at all of what had happened. 
The old treasurer, with the other young knights, came up now, and 
strove to make peace between the two rivals, holding them apart by 
force; but nothing could calm thejealous Wedig, who still cried, " Let 
me avenge Sidonia! let me avenge Sidonia!" So that Prince Ernest, 
hearing the tumultin the garden, ran with his lute in his hand to see 
what hadhappened. When theytoldhim,he grewaspaleasacorpse 
that such an indignity shold have been offered to Sidonia, and re 
primanded his equerry severely, butprayed that all would keepquiet 
now, as otherwise the Duchess and the Lord Chamberlain would 
certainly be awakened out of their after-dinner sleep, and then what 
an afternoon they would all have. This calmed everyone, exceptthe 
jealous Wedig, who, having drunk deeply, cried out still louder than 
before, " Let me go. I will give my life for the beautiful Sidonia. I 
will avenge the insolence of this peasant knave ! " 

HEN Sidonia observed all this, she felt quite certain 
that a terrible storm was brewing for all ofthem, and 
so she ran to shelter herself through the first open door 
thatcamein herway,and up into the second corridor; 
but further adventures awaited her here, for not being 
acquainted with this part of the castle, she ran direct 
into an old lumber-room, where she found, to her great surprise, a 
young man dressed in rustyarmour, & wearing a helmet with a ser^ 
pent crest upon his head. This was Hans von Marintzky, whose 
brain Sidonia had turned by reading the Amadis with him in the 
castle^gardens, and as she had often sighed, and said that she, too, 
could have loved the serpent knight, the poor love^stricken Hans' 
46 




taking this for a favourable sign, determined to disguise himself as 
described in the romance, and thus secure her love jgSFSo when her 
beautiful face appeared at the door, Hans screamed for joy like a 
young calf, and falling on one knee, exclaimed: "Adored princess, 
your serpent knight is here to claim your love, and tender his hand 
to you in betrothal, for no other wife do I desire but thee, and if the 
Princess Rosaliana herself was here to offer me her love, I would 
strike her on the face."^ Sidonia was rather thunderstruck, as one 
may suppose, and retreated a few steps, saying, "Stand up, dear 
youth; what ails you ?" J& "So I am dear to you/' he cried, still 
kneeling; "lam then really dear to you, adored princess ? Ah ! I hope 
to be yet dearer when I make you my spouse" ^Sidonia had not 
foreseen this termination to their romance reading, but she suppress^ 
ed her laughter, remembering how she had lost her lover Ucker^ 
mann by showing scorn; so she drew herself up with dignity, and 
said, with as grave a face as a chief mourner: "If you will not rise, 
sir knight, I must complain to her Highness; for I cannot be your 
spouse, seeing that I have resolved never to marry." (Ah ! how wiL 
lingly,how willingly you would have taken any husband half a year 
after.) " But if you will do me a service, brave knight, run instantly 
to the court, where Wedig and Appelmann are going to murder each 
other, and separate them, or my gracious lady and old Ulrich will a^ 
wake, and then we shall all be punished." J^The poor fool jumped 
up instantly, and exclaiming: "Death for my adored princess! he 
sprung down the steps, though rather awkwardly, not being accuse 
tomed to the greaves; and rushing into the middle of the crowd, with 
his vizor down, and the drawn sword in his hand, he began making 
passes at every one that came in his way, crying, " Death for my a/ 
dored princess ! Long live the beautiful Sidonia ! Knaves, have done 
with your brawling, or I shall lay you all dead atmyfeet"^ At first 
every one stuck up closeby the wall when they saw the madman to 
get out of reach of his sword, which he kept whirling about his head; 
but as soon as he was recognised by his voice, Wedig called out to 
him : " Help, brother, help ! Will you suffer that this peasant boor 
Appelmann should kiss the noble Sidonia, as shelay there faint and 
insensible? Yet I saw him do this. So help me, relieve me, that I may 
brand this lowborn knave for his daring" J&" What? My adored 
princess!" exclaimed the serpent knight. "This valet, this groom, 
dared to kiss her ? and I would think myself blessed but to touch her 
shoe-tie!" and he fell furiously upon Appelmann. 

47 




HEuproarwasnowsogreatthatitmighthavearoused 
theDuchess and Ulrich even from their last sleep, had 
they been in the castle. But, fortunately, some time 
before the riot began, both had gone out by the little 
private gate, to attend afternoon service at St. Peter's 
Church in thetown. For the archdeacon was sick, and 
Doctor Gerschovius was obliged to take his place there. No one, 
therefore, was left in the castle to give orders or hold command ; even 
the castellan had gone to hear service, and no one minded Prince 
Ernest, he was so young, besides being under tutelage, and as to old 
Zitsewitz, he was as bad as the worst of them himself J& The 
Prince threatened to have the castle bells rung if they werenotquiet; 
and theuproarhad indeed partially subsided, justat the momentthe 
serpent knight fell upon Appelmann. The Prince then ordered his 
equerry to leave the place instantly, under pain of his severe displea^ 
sure, for he sawthat both had drunk rather deeply jS?So Appelmann 
turned to depart as the Prince commanded,but wedig, who hadbeen 
relieved by Hans the serpent, sprung after him with his dagger, limp^ 
ing though, for the bite in his hip made him stiff. Appelmann darted 
through the little water-gate and over the bridge, the other pursued 
him;and Appelmann, seeingthathe was foamingwith rage, jumped 
over the rails into aboat. Wedig attempted to do the same, but being 
stiff from the bite, missed the boat, and came down plump into the 
waterj^As he could not swim, the current carried him rapidly down 
the stream, before the others had time to come up; but he was still 
conscious, and called to Hans : " Comrade, save me ! " So Hans, for/ 
getting his heavy cuirass, plunged in directly, and soon reached the 
drowning man. Wedig, however, in his death/struggles, seized hold 
of him with such force that they both instantly disappeared. Then 
every one sprang to the boats to try and save them; but being Sunday 
the boats were all moored, so that by the time they were unfastened 
it was too late, and the two unfortunate young men had sunk for 
everjggPWhat calamities may be caused by the levity and self-will of 
a beautiful woman ! From the time of Helen of Troy up to the pre^ 
sent moment, the world has known this well; but, alas! this was but 
the beginning of that tragedy which Sidonia played in Pomerania, 
as that other wanton did in Phrygia. 



48 




ET us hear the conclusion, however. Prince Ernest 
now being truly alarmed, despatched a messenger to 
the church for her Highness; but as Doctor Gerschc 
vius had not yet ended his exordium, her Grace would 
by no means be disturbed, and desired the messenger 
r 3 to go to Ulrich, who no sooner heard the tidings than 
le rushed down to the water-gate. There he found a great crowd as, 
sembled, all eagerly trying with poles and hooks to fish out the 
bodies of the two young men; and one fellow even had tied a piece 
of barley bread to a rope, and flung itinto the water;as the supersti, 
tion goes that it will follow a corpse in the stream, and pointto where 
it lies. And the women and children wore weepingand lamentingon 
the bridge -but the oldknightpushed them allasidewith his elbows, 
and cried:" Thousand devils ! what are ye all at here V J9 Every one 
was silent,forthe young menhad agreed not tobetray Sidonia; then 
Ulrich askedthe Prince, whorephed, that Marintzky, having puton 
some old armour to frighten the others, as he believed, they pursued 
him in funoverthe bridge, andhe& another fell over into the water. 
This was all he knew of the matter, for he was playing on the lute 
in the garden when the tumult began J&" Thousand devils I ' cries 
Ulrich • " I cannot turn my back a moment but there must be a riot 
amongst the young fellows. Listen! young lord, when it comes to 
your turn to rule land and people, I counsel you send all the young 
fellowstothedevil.Awaywiththemltheyareavain&dissolutecrew. 
Get up the bodies, if you can; but, for my part, I would care little if 
a few more were baptized in the same way. Speak! someof you:who 
commenced this tavern broil? Speak! I must have an answer"^ 
This adjuration had its effect, for a man answered: " Sidonia made 
the youngmenmad,and so it allhappened." It was her own cousin, 
Marcus Bork,who spoke, for which reason Sidonia never could en' 
dure him afterwards, and finally destroyed him, as shall be related in 
due timej^P When Ulrich found that Sidonia was the cause of all,he 
raged with fury, & commanded them to tell him all. When Marcus 
had related the whole affair, he swore by the seven thousand devils 
that he wouldmake her remember it, and that hewould instantly go 
up to her chamber. But Prince Ernest stepped before him, saying: 
''Lord Ulrich, I have made you a promise; you must now make one 
to me : it is to leave this maiden in peace ; she is not to blame tor what 
hashappened/'But Ulrich wouldnotlisten to him^" Then 1 with, 
draw my promise," said the Prince. " Now act asyouthmk proper. 
j&" Thousand devils ! she had better give up that game, exclaimed 
el 49 




Ulrich. However, he consented to leave her undisturbed, and dc 
parted with vehement imprecations onherhead, justasthe Duchess 
returned from church, and was seen advancing towards the crowd. 

CHAPTER IX. HOWSIDONIA MAKES THE 
YOUNG PRINCE BREAK HIS WORD : ITEM HOW 
CLARA VON DEWITZ IN VAIN TRIES TO TURN 
HER FROM HER EVIL WAYS. 

JRjT may be easily conjectured whata passion 
her Grace fell into, when the whole story 
was made known to her, & how she storms 
ed against Sidonia. At last she entered the 
castle, but Prince Ernest, rightly suspects 
ing her object, slipped up to the corridor, & 
met her just as she had reached Sidonia' s 
chamber. Here he took her hand, kissed it, 
and prayed her not to disgrace the young 
maiden, forthat she was innocent of all the 
evil that had happened J£t But she pushed him away, exclaiming: 
"Thou disobedient son, have I notheardof thy gallantries with this 
girl, whom Satan himself has sent into my royal house? Shame on 
thee ! One of thy noble station to take the part of a murderess !"j£? 
" But you have judged harshly, my mother. I never made love to 
the maiden. Leave her in peace, and do not make matters worse, or 
all the young nobles will fight to the death for her." j£?" Ay, &thou, 
witless boy, the first of all. Oh ! that my beloved spouse, Philippus 
Primus, could rise from his grave: what would he say to his lost son, 
who, like the prodigal in Scripture, loves strange women and keeps 
company with brawlers!" (Weeping.) J&" Who has said that I am 
a lost son 1" J&" Doctor Gerschovius and Ulrich both say it."j^ 
"Then I shall run the priestthrough the body,& challenge the knight 
to mortal combat, unless they both retract their words"j$F"No! 
stay, my son," said the Duchess ; " I must have mistaken whatthey 
said. Stay, I command you ! "J&" Never ! Unless Sidonia be left in 
peace, such deeds will be done to-day that all Pomerania will ring 
with them for years"^In short,theend of the controversy was,that 
the Duchess at last promised to leave Sidonia unmolested; and then 
retired to her chamber much disturbed, where she was soon heard 
singing the 109th psalm, with a loud voice, accompanied by the little 
spindle clock. 



50 




IDONIA, who was hiding in her room, soon heard 
of all that had happened through the Duchess' maid, 
whom she kept in pay; indeed all the servants were 
her sworn friends, in consequence of the liberal largess 
she gave them, and even the young lords and knights 
Sa^|i§l were more distractedly in love with her than ever after 
the occurrences of the day, for hercunningturnedeverythingtoprofit 
jS^So next morning, having heard that Prince Ernest was going to 
Eldena to receive the dues, she watched for him, probably through 
the keyhole, knowing he must pass her door. Accordingly, just as 
he went by, she opened it, and presented herself to his eyes dressed 
with unusual elegance and coquetry, and wearingashortrobe which 
showed her pretty little sandals. The prince, when he saw the short 
robe, & that she looked so beautiful, blushed and passed on quickly, 
turning away his head, for he remembered the promise he had given 
to Ulrich, and was afraid to trust himself near herj^But Sidonia 
stepped before him, and flinging herself at his feet, began to weep, 
murmuring: "Gracious Prince and Lord, accept my gratitude, for 
you alone have saved me, a poor young maiden, from destruction" 
jg?" Stand up, dear lady, stand up"^" Never until my tears fall 
upon your feet." And then she kissed his yellow silk hose ardently, 
continuing: "What would have become of me, a helpless forlorn 
orphan, without your protection \"J!& Here the young prince could 
no longer restrain his emotions; if he had pledged his word to the 
whole world, even to the great God himself, he must have broken it. 
So he raised her up and kissed her, which she did not resist; only 
sighed: " Ah ! if any one saw us now, we should both be lost." But 
this did not restrain him, & he kissed her again and again, & pressed 
her to his heart, while she trembled, & murmured scarcely audibly: 
"Oh! why do I love you so! Leave me, my Lord, leave me; I am 
miserable enough"^" Do you then love me, Sidonia ? Oh ! let me 
hear you say it once more. You love me, enchanting Sidonia VjE? 
"Alas!" she whispered, while her whole frame trembled, "what 
have I foolishly said? Oh! I am so unhappy"^" Sidonia! tell me 
once again you love me. I cannot credit my happiness, for you are 
even more gracious with the young nobles than with me, and often 
have you martyred my heart with jealousy "jg?" Yes; I am couiv 
teous to them all, for so my father taught me, and said it was safer 
for a maiden so to be: but. .." " But what ? Speak on"^" Alas, and 
here she covered her face with her hands ; but Prince Ernest pressed 
her to his heart, and kissed her, asking her again if she really loved 
C2 5* 



him ? And she murmured a faint "yes;" then as if the shame of such 
a confession had killed her, she tore herself from his arms, & sprang 
into her chamber. So the young Prince pursued his way to Eldena, 
but took so little heed about the dues, that Ulrich shook his head 
over the receipts for half a year after j£? When mid'day came, and 
the band struck up for dinner, Sidonia was prepared for a similar 
scene with the young knights, and, as she passed along the corridor, 
she gave them her white hand to kiss, glittering with diamonds, 
thanking them all for not having betrayed her, and prayingthem to 
keep her still in their favour, whereat they were all wild with ecstasy; 
but old Zitsewitz, not content with her hand, entreated for a kiss on 
her sweet ruby lips, which she granted, to the rage and jealousy of 
all the others, while he exclaimed: "Oh, Sidonia, thou canst turn 
even an old man into a fool \"J& And his words came true; for, in 
the evening, a dispute arose as to which of them Sidonia liked best, 
seeing that she uttered the same sweet things to all; and to settle it, 
five of them, along with the old fool, Zitsewitz, went to Sidonia' s 
room, and each in turn asked her hand in marriage; but she gave 
them all the same answer, that she had no idea then of marriage, she 
was but a young silly creature, and would not know her own mind 
for ten years to come. 

1NE good resulted from Sidonia's ride upon the stag; 
I her promenades were forbidden, & she was restricted 
henceforth entirely to the women's quarter of the 
castle. Her Grace and she had frequent altercations, 
but with Clara she kept upon good terms, as the 
I maiden was of so excellent & mild a disposition jg? 
This peace, however, was destined soon to be broken; for, though 
her Grace was silent in the presence of Sidonia, yet she never ceased 
complaining in private to the maids of honour, of this artful wench, 
who had dared to throw her eyes upon Prince Ernest. So at length 
they asked why her Highness did not dismiss the girl from her ser^ 
vice^"That must be done," she replied, "and without delay. For 
that purpose, indeed, I have written to Duke Barnim, and also to 
the father of the girl, at Stramehl, acquainting them with my nv 
tention." Clara now gently remonstrated, saying that a little Christ 
tian instruction might yet do much for the poor young sinner, and 
that if she did not become good and virtuous under the care of her 
Grace, where else could she hope to have her changed ? jg?" I have 
tried all Christian means," said her Grace, "but in vain. The ears 
of the wicked are closed to the word of God"j^" But let her Grace re* 
5 2 




collect that thispoorsinnerwas endowed with extraordinary beauty, 
and therefore it was no fault of hers if the young men all grew de^ 
ranged for love of her"jg?Here a violent tumult, & much scornful 
laughing arose amongst the other maids of honour; and one Anna 
Lepels exclaimed: "I cannot imagine in what Sidonia's wonderful 
beauty consists. When she flatters the young men, and makes free 
with them as they are passing to dinner, what marvel if they all run 
after her ? Any girl might have as many lovers, if she chose to adopt 
such manners "^Clara made no reply, but, turning to her Grace, 
said with her permission she would leave her spinning for a while, 
to visit Sidonia in her room, who perhaps would hearken to her ad' 
vice, as she meant kindly to her. "You may go," said her Grace; 
"but what do you mean to do ? I tell you advice is thrown away on 
her." "Then I will threaten her with the catechism of Doctor Gers' 
chovius, which she must repeat on Sunday, for I know that she is 
greatly afraid of that and the clergyman." " And you think vou will 
frighten her into giving up running after the young men?" "Oh, 
yes, if I tell her that she will be publicly reprimanded unless she can 
say it perfectly "J&So her Grace allowed her to depart, but with 
something of a weak faith. 

~ LTHOUGH Sidoniahad absented herself from the 
spinning, on the pretext of learning the catechism 
quietly in her own room, yet, when Clara entered, no 
onewas there exceptthe maid, who satupon the floor 
atherwork. Sheknewnothingaboutthe younglady, 
but as she heard a great deal of laughter & merriment 
a the court beneath, it was likely Sidonia was not far off. On step/ 
ping to the window, Clara indeed beheld SidoniajgFln the middle 
of the court was a large horse^pond built round with stones, to which 
the water was conducted by metal pipes communicating with the 
river Peene. In the middle of the pond was a small island, upon which 
a bear was kept chained. A plank was now thrown across the pond 
to the island; upon this Sidonia was standing feeding thebearwith 
bread, which Appelmann, who stood beside her, first dipped into a 
can of syrup,& several of the young squires stood roundthem laugh' 
ing & jesting. The idle youngpages were wontto take great delight 
in shooting at the bear with blunt arrows, and when it growled and 
snarled, then they would calm it again by throwing over bits of bread 
steeped in honey or syrup. So Sidonia, waitingto see the fun, had got 
upon the plank ready to givethebread, justasthebear had got to the 
highestpitch of irritation, when he would suddenly change his growl' 
e3 53 




ing into another sort of speech after his fashion. All this amused Si" 
donia mightily, & she laughed and clapped her hands with delight. 
When the modest Clara beheld all this, & how Sidonia danced up 
and down on the plank, while the water splashed over her robe, she 
called to her : " Dear Lady Sidonia, come hither : I have somewhat to 
tell thee." But she answered tartly : " Dear Lady Clara, keep itthen ; 
I am too young to be told everything." And she danced up and down 
on the plank as before J& After many vain entreaties, Clara had at 
length to descend & seize the wild bird by the wing : I mean thereby 
the arm: and carry her off to the castle. The young men would have 
followed, but they were engaged to attend his Highness on a fishing 
excursion that afternoon, and were obliged to go & see after their nets 
and tackle. So the two maidens could walk up and down the corridor 
undisturbed; and Clara asked if she had yet learned the catechism. 
Ilia: "No; I have no wish to learn it." 

Haec: "But if the priest has to reprimand you publicly from the 
pulpit?" 

Ilia : " I counsel him not to do it." 
Haec : "Why, what would you do to him ?" 
Ilia: " He will find that out." 

Haec : " Dear Sidonia, I wish you well; and therefore, let me tell you 
that not only the priest, but our gracious Lady, and all the noble 
maidens of the court, are sad and displeased that you should make 
so free with the young men, and entice them to follow you, as I have 
seen but too often myself. Do it not, dear Sidonia! I mean well by 
you; do it not. It will injure your reputation." 
Ilia: "Ha! you are jealous now, you little pious house^sparrow, that 
the young men do not run after you too. How can I help it?" 
Haec : " Every maiden can help it; were she as beautiful as could be 
seen, she can help it.Leave ofF,Sidonia,or evil will comeof it, parties 
ularly as her Grace hasheardthatyouareseekingto entice our young 
lord the Prince. See, I tell you the pure truth, that it may turn you 
from your light courses. Tell me, what can you mean by it ? for when 
noble youths demand your hand in marriage, you reject them, and 
say you never mean to marry. Can you think that our gracious Prince, 
a sonof Pomerania, will make thee his duchess? Thou who art only 
a common nobleman's daughter." 

Ilia : "A common nobleman's daughter! thatisgood from the pea" 
sant girl. You are common enough and low enough, I warrant; but 
my blood is as old as that of the Dukes of Pomerania, and besides, 
I am a castle^ and land'dowered maiden. But who are you ? who are 
54 



you ? Your forefathers were hunted out of Mecklenburg, and only 
got footing here in Pomerania out of charity." 
Haec : " Do not be angry, dear lady, you say true; yet I must add that 
my forebears were once Counts in Mecklenburg, and, from their 
loyalty to the Dukes of Pomerania, were given possessions here in 
Daber, where they have been lords of castles & lands for two hun^ 
dred and fifty years. Yet I will confess that your race is nobler than 
mine ; but, dear child, I make no boast of my ancestry, nor is it fitting 
for either of ustodosoj^The right royal Prince, who is given as an 
example and model to us all : who is lord, not over castle and land, 
but ot the heavens and the earth : the Saviour Jesus Christ: he took 
no account of his arms or his ancestry, though the whole starry uni^ 
verse was his banner. He was as humble to the little child as to the 
learned doctors in the temple: to the chiefs among the people, as to 
the trembling sinner and the blind beggar Bartimaeus. Let us take, 
then, this Prince for our example, &mindour life long what he says: 
'Come unto me, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart.' 
Will you not learn of him, dear lady? I will, if God give me grace" 
J& And she extended her hand to Sidonia, who dashed it away, 
crying: "Stuff! nonsense! you have learned all this twaddle from 
the priest, who I know is nephew to the shoemaker in Daber, and 
therefore hates anyone who is above him in rank." Clara was about 
to reply mildly, but they happened now to be standing close to the 
public flight of steps, and a peasant girl ran up when she saw them, 
and flung herself at Clara's feet, entreating the young lady to save 
her, for she had run away from Daber, wherethey were goingto burn 
her as a witch. The pious Clara recoiled in horror, and, desiring her 
to rise, said : " Art thou Anne Wolde, sometime keeper of the swine 
to my father? How fares it with my dearest father and my mother?" 
j^They were well when she ran away, but she had been wandering 
now for fourteen days on the road, living upon roots & wild berries, 
or what the herds gave her out of their knapsacks for charity. 
Haec : "What crime wast thou suspected of, girl, to be condemned 
to so terrible a death V 

Ilia : "She hadalover named Albert, who followed her everywhere, 
but as she would not listen to him he hated her, and pretended that 
she had given him a love/drink," Here Sidonia laughed aloud, and 
asked if she knew how to brew the love^drink? 
Ilia : "Yes; she learned from her elder sister howtomakeit,buthad 
never tried it with any one, and was perfectly innocent of all they 
charged me with",j^ Here Clara shookherhead,&wishedtogetrid 
e 4 55 



of the witch'girl ; for she thought, truly if Sidonia learns the brewing 
secret she will poison and destroy the whole castleful, and we shall 
havethedevil bodily with us in earnest. So she pushed away the girl, 
who still clung to her, weeping and lamenting. Hereupon Sidonia 
grew quite grave & pious all or a sudden, and said: " See the hype 
crite she is ! She first sets before me the example of Christ, and then 
treats this poor sinnerwith nothingbutcrossthorns! Has not Christ 
said: 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy'? but 
only see how this bigot can have Christ on her tongue, but not in 
her heart !"j(S? The pious Clara grew quite ashamed at such talk, 
and raising up the wretch, who had again fallen on her knees, said: 
"Well, thou mayest remain; so get thee to my maid, & she will give 
thee food. I shall also write to my father for thy pardon, and mean/ 
while ask leave from her Grace to allow thee to remain here until it 
arrives; but if thou art guilty, I cannot promise thee my protection 
any longer, and thou wilt be burned here, in place of at Daber." So 
the witch^girl was content, and importuned them no further. 

CHAPTERX.HOWSIDONIA WISHED TO LEARN 
THE MYSTERY OF LOVE POTIONS, BUT IS HIN- 
DERED BY CLARA AND THE YOUNG PRINCE. 

|HEN Prince Ernest returned home after 
anabsenceofsomedays,Sidoniahadchang' 
ed her tactics, for now she never lifted up her 
eyes when they met, but passed on blush-' 
ing and confused, and in place of speaking 
as formerly only sighed. This turned his 
headcompletely,&senttheblood so quickly 
through his veins, that he found it a hard 
matter to conceal his feelings any longer. 
For this reason he determined to visit Si/ 
donia in her own room, as soon as he could hit upon a favourable op- 
portunity; and bring her then a beautiful lute, inlaid with gold and 
silver, which he had purchased for her at Grypswald. 

~|OW it happened soon after, that her Grace & Clara 
went away one day into the town, to purchase a jer- 
kin for the little Prince Casimir,who accompanied 
I them. Sidonia was immediately informed of their 
absence, and sought outClara'smaidwithoutdelay, 
put a piece of gold into her hand, and said: "Send 





the strange girl from Daber to my room for a few minutes ; 
perhaps give me sometidings of my dearfather and family, fo 
56 



she can 
for Daber 




is only a little way from Stramehl. But mind," she added, "keep 
this visit a secret, as well from her Grace, as from your mistress 
Clara; otherwise we shall all be scolded "^So the maid very vriV 
lingly complied, & brought the witch/girl directly to Sidonia's little 
apartment, and then ran to Clara's room to watch for the return of 
her Grace in time to give notice. 

~^ ~l~: *HE witch'girl was quite confounded (as she after^ 
wards confessed upon the rack) when Sidonia began : 
"Thou knowest, Anne, that my entreaties alone ob^ 
tained thee a shelter here, for I pitied thee from the 
first, and from what I hear, it is certain that her Grace 

_, means to deal no better with thee than thy judges at 

Daber, therefore my advice is, escape if thou canst." 
Ilia, weeping: "Wherecan I go?I shall dieof hunger, or they wi'Ilar- 
rest me again as an evil-minded witch, and carry me back to Daber." 
"Butdonottellthem,stupidgoose,thatthouhastcomefrom Daber." 
Ilia: "But what could she say? besides, she had no money and so 
must be lost and ruined for ever." 

"Well, I shall give thee gold enough to get thee through all dangers. 
Igiveit,mind,outofpureChristiancharity,butnowtellmehonestly, 
canst thou really make a love^drink ?" 
Ilia : "Yes; her sister had taught her." 
"Is the drink of equal power for men and women?" 
Ilia : "Yes; without doubt, it would make either mad with love." 
" Has it ever an injurious effect upon them ? does it take away their 
strength?" 

Ilia : "Yes; they fall down like flies. Somelose their memory, others 
become blind or lame." 

" Had she ever tried its effect upon any one herself?" 
Ilia : " But will the lady betray me ?" 

"Out, fool! When I have promised thee gold enough to insure thy 
escape! I betray thee!" 

Ilia: "Then she will tell the lady the whole truth. She did give a 
love/drink to Albert, because he grew cross, and spent the nights a<- 
way from her, and complained if she idled a little, so that her master 
beat her. Therefore she determined to punish him, and a rash came 
out over his whole body, so that he could neither sit nor lie for six 
weeks, and at night hehadto be tied to apostwith a hand'towel, but 
all this time his love for her grew so burning that although he had 
previously hated and beaten her, yet now if she only brought him a 
drink of cold water, for which he was always screaming, he would 

57 




kiss her hands and feet even though she spat in his face, & he would 

certainly have died if his relations had not found out an old woman 

who unbewitched him, whereupon his love came to an end, and he 

informed against her " J& That must be a wonderful drink. Would 

the girl teach h er how to brew it? 

UTjustthen our Lord God sent yet another warning 

to Sidonia, through his angel, to turn her from her 

villainy, for as the girl was going to answer, a knock 

was heard at the chambers-door. They both grew as 

white as chalk, but Sidonia bethought herself of a 

hiding/place, and bid the other creep under the bed 

while she wentto the door to see who knocked; and as she opened it, 

so there stood Prince Ernest bodily before her eyes, with the lute in 

his handj^" Ah, gracious Prince, what brings you here ! I pray your 

Highness, for the sake of God, to leave me. vv hat would be said if 

any one saw you here ! "j(&" But who is to see us, my beautiful 

maiden ? My gracious mother has gone out to drive ; and now, just 

look at this lute that I have purchased for you in Grypswald. W^ll 

it please thee, sweet one ?" 

Ilia: "Alas, gracious Prince, of what use will it be to me, when I 

have no one to teach me how to play ?" 

" I will teach thee, oh how willingly, but thou knowest what I would 

tt 
say. 

Ilia : '* No, no, I dare not learn from your Highness. Now go, and 

do not make me more miserable." 

"What makes thee miserable, enchanting Sidonia ?" 

1 11a:" Ah, if your Highness could know how this heart burns within 

me like a fire. What will become of me ? Would that I were dead: oh, 

I am amiserable maiden ! If your Highness were but a simple noble, 

then I might hope, but now! Woe is me! I must go! Yes, I must go!" 

"Why must thou go, my own sweet darling? and why dost thou 

wish me to be only a simple noble? Canst thou not love a Duke bet' 

ter than a noble?' 

Ilia: "Gracious Prince, what is a poor Count's daughter to your 

Princely Highness? and would her Grace ever consent? ah no, I 

must go, I must go "jfi? Here she sobbed so violently, and covered 

her eyes with her hands, that the young Duke could no longer re/- 

strain his feelings. He seized her passionately in his arms, and was 

kissing away the crocodiletears, when lo, another knock came to the 

door, and Sidonia grew paler even than the first time, for there was 

no place to hide the Prince in, as the witch wench was already under 

58 X 



the bed, and not even quitehidden, for some of her red petticoat was 
visible round the post, and one could easily see by the way it moved 
that some living body was in it, for the girl was trembling with the 
most horrible fear and fright. But the Prince was too absorbed in 
love, either to notice all this or to mind the knock at the door^Si*- 
donia, however, knew well that it was over with them now, and she 
pushed away the young Prince, just as the door opened and Clara 
entered, who grew quite pale, and clasped her hands together when 
she saw the Duke and Sidonia together; then the tears fell fast from 
her eyes, and she could utter nothingbut: " Ah, my gracious Prince, 
my poor innocent Prince, what has brought you here ?" but neither 
ofthemspokeaword/'Youarelost/'exclaimedClara, "the Duchess 
is coming up the corridor, and has just stopped to look at her pet cat 
and the kittens there bythepage's room. Hasten,young Prince, has/ 
ten to meet her before she comesastepfarther"j{SFSotheyounglord 
darted out of the chamber, and found his gracious mother still ex/ 
amining her kittens, whereupon he prayed her then to descend with 
him to the court/yard, and look also at his fine hounds, to which she 
consented. 

|HE moment Prince Ernest disappeared, Clara com/ 
menced upbraiding Sidonia for her evil ways, which 
could not be any longer denied, for had she not seen 
all with her own eyes ? and she now conjured her by 
the living God to turn away from the young Duke, 
and select some noble of herownrankasherhusband. 
This could easily be done when so many loved her, but as to the 
Prince, as longas her Grace & Ulrich lived, or even one single branch 
of the princely house of Pomerania, this marriage would never be 
permitted, let the young lord do or say what he chosej^" Ah, thou 
pious old priest in petticoats," exclaimed Sidonia, "who told thee I 
wanted to marry the Prince ? How can I help if he chooses to come 
in here and, though I weep and resist, takes me in his arms& kisses 
me ? so leave off thy preaching, and tell me rather what brings thee 
spying to my room ?",j^Then Clara remembered what had really 
been her errand, although the love/scene had put everything else out 
of her head until now, and replied: "I was seeking the witch/girl 
from Daber, for when I went out with her Grace, I left her in charge 
of my maid, but as we returned home by the little garden gate, I 
slipped up to my room by the private stairs without any one seeing 
me, and found my maid looking out of the window, but no girl was 
to be seen; when Iaskedwhathad become of her,themaid answered 

59 




she knew not, the girl must have slipped away while her back was 
turned, so I came here to ask if you had seen the impudent hussey, 
for I fear if her wings are not clipped she will do harm to some one." 
jg?Here Sidonia grew quite indignant : what could she know of a 
\ilc witch wench ? besides, she had not been ten minutes there in the 
room jfi?" But perchance the bird has found herself a nest some/ 
where?" said Clara,lookingtowards thebed ; " methinks indeed,I see 
some of the feathers, for surely a red gown never trembled that way 
under a bed, unless there was something living inside of it." WTien 
the witclvgirl heard this herfright increased,sothattomakematters 
worse, she pulled her gown in under the bed, upon which Clara 
kneeled down, lifted the coverlet, and found the owl in its nest. Now 
she had to creep out weeping and howling, and promised to tell 
everythingj^But Sidonia gave her a look which she understood 
well, and therefore when she stood up straight by the bed, begged 
piteously thatthe Lady Clara would not scold her for havingtried to 
escape, because she herself had threatened her with being burned 
there as well as at Daber, so not knowing where to hide, and seeing 
the Lady Sidonia's door open, she crept in there and got under the 
bed, intending to wait till night came and then ask her aid in effect' 
ing her flight, for the Lady Sidonia was the only one in the castle 
who had shown her Christian compassionjgFHereat Sidonia rose 
up as if in great rage, and said: " Ha! thou impudent wench, how 
darest thou reckon on my protection ?" and seizing her by the hand, 
in which, however, she pressed a piece of gold, pushed her violently 
out of the door.^Now Clara, thinking that this was the whole 
truth, fell weeping upon Sidonia's neck, and asked forgiveness for her 
suspicions. "There, that will do," said Sidonia; "that will do, old 
preacher, only be more cautious in future. What ! am I to poke under 
my bed to see if any one is hiding there? You may go, for I suppose 
you have often hidden a lover there, your eyes turn to it so naturally." 
As Clara grew red with shame, Sidonia drew the witclvgirl again 
into the room, and giving her a box on the ear that made her teeth 
chatter: "Now, confess, said she, "what I said to the young lord 
without knowing that you were listening." So the poor girl an^ 
swered weeping: " Nothing but what was good did you say to him, 
namely, that he should go away; & then you pushed him so violently, 
when he attempted to kiss you, that he stumbled over against the 
bed",^" See, now, my pious preacher," said Sidonia, "this girl con^ 
firms exactly what I told you; so now go alongwithyou,you hussey, 
ormayhap you will come offno better than she has done"jgFHere' 




upon, Clara wentaway humbly with the witch-' girl to her own room, 
and never uttered another word. Nevertheless, the affair did not seem 
}uite satisfact ory to her yet. 

^O she conferred with her betrothed, Marcus Bork, on 
1 the subject. For when he carried books for her High.* 
ness from the ducal library, it was his custom to scrape 
) with his feet in a peculiar manner as he passed Clara's 
door; then she knew who it was and opened it. And 
as her maid was present, they conversed together in 
the Italian tongue; for they were both learned, not only in God's 
word, but in all other knowledge, so thatpeople talk about them yet 
in Pomeranian land for these things^Clara therefore told him the 
wholeaffairin Italian, before her maid and the witch.girl, of the visit 
of the young Prince, and how the girl was lying hid under the bed, 
and asked him was it not likely that Sidonia had brought her there, 
to teach her how to brew the love^drink, with which she would 
then have bewitched the Prince and all the men^folk in the castle, 
and ought she not to warn her Grace of the danger ?jg?But Marcus 
answered, that if the witch/girl had been at the castle weeks before, 
he might have supposed that Sidonia had received the secret of the 
love^potion from her, since every man, old and young, was mad for 
love of her, but now he must needs confess that Sidonia's eyes and 
deceiving mouth were magic sufficient ; and that it was not likely she 
would bring a vile damsel to her room to teach her that which she 
knewalreadysoperfectly.SohethoughtitbetternottotellherHigh^ 
ness anything on the subject. Besides, if the wench were examined, 
who knows what she might tell of Sidonia and the young lord, that 
would bring shame on the princely house of Wolgast, since she had 
been hid under the bed all the time, and perhaps only kept silence 
through fear. It were well, therefore, on every account, not to let the 
matter get wind, & to shut up the wench safely in the witches' tower 
until the answer came from Daber. If she were pronounced really 
guilty, it would then be time enough to question her on the rack a. 
bout the love^drink, and the conversation between the young lord 
and Sidonia^So this course was agreed on. It is, however, much 
to be regretted that Clara did not follow the promptings of her good 
angel, and tell all to her Grace and old Ulrich. For then much mis. 
fortune & scandal would have been spared to the whole Pomeranian 
land. But she followed her bridegroom's advice, and kept all secret. 
The witch«girl, however, was locked up that very day in the witches 
tower to guard against future evil. 

61 




CHAPTER XL HOW SIDONIA REPEATED THE 
CATECHISM OF DR. GERSCHOVIUS, AND HOW 
SHE WHIPPED THE YOUNG CASIMIR, OUT OF 
PURE EVILMINDEDNESS. 

IHE Sunday came at last when Sidonia was 
I to be examined publicly in the catechism of 
Dr. Gerschovius . H er Grace was filled with 
anxiety to see how all would terminate, for 
every one suspected (as indeed was the case) 
that not one word of it would she be able to 

I repeat. So the church was crowded, and all 
theyoungmenattendedwithoutexception, 
knowing what was to go forward, & fearing 
for Sidonia, because this Dr. Gerschovius 
was astern,harsh man; but she herself seemed to care little about the 
matter, for she entered her Grace's closet as usual (which was right 
oppositethepulpit)&threwherself carelessly into a corner. However, 
when the doctor entered the pulpit she became more grave, & finally 
when his discourse was drawing near to the close, she rose up quietly 
and glided out of the closet, intendingto descend tothegardens. Her 
Grace did notperceive her movement, in consequence or the hat with 
the heron's plume which she wore, for the feathers drooped down at 
the side next Sidonia, and the other ladies were too much alarmed 
to venture to draw her attention to the circumstance. But the priest 
from the pulpit saw her well, and called out: "Maiden! maiden! 
Whither go you ? remember ye have to repeat your catechism ! " J& 
Then Sidonia grew quite pale, for her Grace and all the congrega^ 
tion fixed their eyes on her. So when she felt quite conscious that she 
waslookingpale,she said:" You see from my face that I am not well; 
but if I get better, doubt not but that I shall return immediately." 
Here all the maids of honour put up their kerchiefs to hide their 
laughter, and the young nobles did the samejg?So she went away, 
but they might wait long enough, I think, for her to come back. In 
vain her Grace watched until the priest left the pulpit, and then sent 
two of her ladies to look for the hypocrite, butthey returned declaring 
that she was nowhere to be seenj^Summa: The whole service was 
ended, and her Grace looked as angry as the doctor; and when the 
organ had ceased, and the people were beginningto depart, she called 
out from her closet J& " Let every one come this way, and acconv 
pany me to Sidonia's apartment. There I shall make her repeat the 
catechism before ye all. Messengers shall be dispatched in all direc 
62 



tfonsuntil they find outherhiding'place",j^This pleased the doctor 
and Ulrich well. So they all proceeded to Sidonia's little room; for 
there she was, to their great surprise, seated upon a chair with a 
smelling-'bottle in her hand. Whereupon her Grace demanded what 
ailed her, and why she had not stayed to repeat the catechism. 
Ilia : "Ah ! she was so weak, she would certainly have fainted, if she 
had not descended to the garden for a little fresh air. She was so dis^ 
tressed that her Grace had been troubled sending for her, of which 
she was not aware until now"jSF" Are you better now?" asked her 
Grace. 

Ilia: "Rather better. The fresh air had done her good "j^" Then," 
quoth her Grace,"you shall recitethe catechism here for the doctor; 
for, in truth, Christianity is as necessary to you as water to a fish" 
jgyThe doctor now cleared his throat to begin, but she stopped him 
pertly,saying:"Idonotchoosetosaymycatechismhereinmyroom, 
like a little child.Grown/-up maidens are always heard in the church." 
Howbeit, her Grace motioned to him not to heed her. So to his first 
question she replied rather snappishly: "You have your answer al^ 
ready "^No wonder the priest grew black with rage; but seeing a 
book lying open on a little table beside her bed, and thinking it was 
the catechism of Dr. Gerschovius which she had been studying, he 
stepped over to look. But judge his horror, when he found that itwas 
a volume of the Amadis de Gaul, and was lying open at the eighth 
chapter,whereheread,"Howthe Prince Amadis de Gaul loved the 
Princess Rosaliana, and was beloved in return, and how they both 
attained to the accomplishment of their desires "JE? He dashed the 
book to the ground furiously, stamped upon it, and cried: "So, thou 
wanton, this is thy Bible & thy catechism! Here thoulearnesthowto 
make youngmen mad! Who gave theethis infamous book? Speak! 
Who gave it to thee?"j^So Sidonia looked up timidly, and said, 
weeping: " It was his Highness, Duke Barnim, who gave it to her, 
and told her it was a merry book, and good against low spirits "J& 
Here the Duchess, who had lifted up her hand to give her a box on 
the ear, let it fall again with a deep sigh, when she heard of the old 
Prince having given her such an infamous book, & lamented loudly, 
crying: "Who will free me from this shameless wanton, who makes 
all the court mad? Truly says Scripture, 'A beautiful woman with' 
out discretion is like a circlet of gold upon a swine's head.' Ah ! I know 
that now. But I trust my messengers will soon return, whom I have 
despatched to Stettin and Stramehl,and then I shall get rid of thee, 
thou wanton, for which God be thanked for evermore 'J&Thcn she 

6 3 



.'.Note by Duke 
BogislaffXIV. 
This is true, and 
therefore I con- 
sent to let it re- 
main ; & I remem- 
ber that Prince 
Casimir told me 




turned to leave the room with old Ulrich, who only shook his head, 
but remained as mute as a fish. Doctor Gerschovius, however, stayed 
behind with Sidonia, in order to exhort her to virtue, but as she only 
wept and did not seem to hear him, he grew tired, and finally went 
his way, also with many sighs and uplifting of his hands. 

LITTLE after, as Sidonia was howling just out of 
pure ill temper, for, in my opinion, nothing ailed her, 
the little Prince Casimir ran in to look for his mam- 
ma ; she had gone to hear Sidonia her catechism, they 
told himjg?" What did he want with his lady mam- 
ma?" "His new jerkin hurt him, he wanted herto tie 
it another way for him ,* but is it really true, Sidonia, that you do not 
know your catechism? I can say it quite well. Just come now, and 
hear me say it"j$Flt is probable that her Grace and the doctor had 
devised this plan in order to shame Sidonia, by showing her how 
even a little child could repeat it; but she took it angrily, and calling 
him over, said: "Yes; come, I will hear you your catechism." And 
as the little boy came up close beside her, she slung him across her 
knee, pulled down his nose, and (oh, shame!) whipped his Serene 
Highness upon his princely podex, that it would have melted the 
heart of a stone. How this shows her cruel and evil disposition, to 
revenge on the child what she had to bear from the mother ! Fie on 
the maiden Ij^And here my gracious Prince will say: " Oh, Theo- 
dore, this matter surely mighthavebeen passed over, since itbrings 
a disrespect upon my princely house",^ I answer : '* Gracious Lord 
and Prince, my most humble services are due to your Grace, but 
truth must still be truth, however it may displease your Highness. 
Besides, by no other act could I have so well proved the infernal evil 
in this woman's nature; for if she could dare to lay her godless hand 
upon one of your illustrious race, then all her future acts are perfectly 
comprehensible.". ' . When the malicious wretch let the boy go, he 
darted out of the room and ran down the whole corridor, screaming 
out that he would tell his mamma about Sidonia; but Zitsewitz 
met him, and having heard the story, the amorous old fool took him 
up in his arms, and promised him heaps of beautiful things if he 
would hold his tongue, and not say a word more to any one, & that 
he would give Sidonia a good whipping himself, in return for what 
she had done to him. So, in short, her Grace never heard of the in- 



long afterwards 

that the scene remained indelibly impressed on his memory. " For," he said, "the wild 
eyes and the terrible voice of the witch frightened me more even than her cruel hand ; 
as if even there I detected the devil in her, though I was but a little boy at the time." 

64 



J 




suit until after Sidonia's departure from court jgF Had her Higlv 
ness been in her apartment, she must have heard the child scream, 
but it so happened that just then she was walking up and down the 
ducal gardens, whither she had gone to cool her anger. 

O O N after a stately ship was seen sailing down the river 
from Penemunde, which attracted all eyes in the castle, 
for on the deck stood a noble youth, with a heron's 
plume waving from his cap,& he held a tame sea-gull 
upon his hand, which from time to time flew off and 

dived into the water, bringing up all sorts offish, great 

and small, in its beak, with which it immediately flew back to the 
handsome youth J&" Ah! "exclaimed Clara, "there must be the 
sons of our gracious Princess ! for tomorrow is her birthday; & here 
comes the noble bishop, Johann Frederick of Camyn, & his brother 
Duke BogislafFXIILtopaytheirrespects to their gracious mother" 
Her Grace, however, would scarcely credit that the handsome 
youth who was fishing after so elegant a manner, was indeed her own 
beloved son ; but Clara clapped her hands now, crying : "Look! 
your Grace, look! There is the flag hoisted!" And indeed there 
fluttered from the mast now the bishop's own arms; so the warder 
blew his horn, which was answered by the warder of St. Peter's in 
the town, and the bells in all the towers rang out, and the castellan 
ordered the cannon in the courtyard to be fired offj^Her Grace 
was now thoroughly convinced; and, weeping for joy, ran down to 
the little water-gate, where old Ulnch already stood waiting to re/ 
ceive the princes J& As the vessel approached, however, they dis^ 
covered that the handsome youth was not the bishop, but Duke 
Bogislaff, who had been staying on a visit at his brother's court at 
Camyn, along with several high prelates jg? The bishop, Johann 
Frederick, did not accompany him, for he was obliged to remain at 
home, in order to receive a visit from the Prince of Brandenburg^ 
When the Duke stepped on shore he embraced his weeping mother 
joyfully, & said he came to offer her his congratulations on her birth' 
day, and that she must not weep but laugh, for there should be a 
dance in honour of it, and a right merrv feast at the castle pn the 
morrow^Then he tumbled outon thebridgeall the fish which the 
bird had caught, and her Grace wondered greatly, and stroked it as 
it sat on the shoulder of the prince. So he asked if the bird pleased 
her Grace, and when she answered " Yes," he said : "Then, dearest 
mother, let it be my birthdaygifttoyou. I have trained it myself, 
and tried it here as youseeupontheriver.Soanyafternoonthatyou 
fi 65 



/.NotebyDuke 
BogislaffXIV. 
Etquidmihi,mi' 
serofilio?Domi<- 
neinmanustuas 
commendo spirit 
turn meum, quia 
tu me redemisti 
fide Deus! (And 
what remains to 

me, wretched 
son? Lord, into 
thyhandslcom/- 
mend my spirit, 
for thou hast re^ 
deemed me,thou 

God of truth.) 
jg? When one 
thinks that it was 
the general belief 
in that age that 
the whole ducal 
race had been de^ 
stroyed & blast' 
ed by Sidonia' s 
sorceries, it is im^ 
possible not to be 
affected by these 
melancholy, yet 
resigned &Chrisx 
tian words of the 
last orphaned & 

childless repre^ 
sentative of the 
ancient and illus^ 
trious house of 
Wolgast. 




and your ladies choose to amuse yourselves with a sail, this bird will 
fish for you as long as you please, while you row down the river" 
jg?Ah, what a good son was this handsome young Duke ! & when 
I think that Sidonia murdered them all ; all, even this noble prince, 
my heart seem s to break and the pen falls from my fingers. .*. 

UT to continue. The Duchess embraced the fine 
youngprince, who still continued talking of the dance 
they must have next day. It was time now for his 
gracious mother to give up mourning for her deceased 
lord, he said J%? But her Grace would not hear of a 
dance; and replied that she would continue to mourn 
for her dear lord all the restof her life, to whom she had been wedded 
by Doctor Martinus. However, the Duke repeated his entreaties, 
and all the young nobles added theirs, and finally Prince Ernest 
besought her Grace not to deny them permission to have a festival 
on the morrow, as it was to honour her birthday J& So she at last 
consented; but old Ulrich shook his head, and took her Grace aside 
to warn her of the scandal which would assuredly arise, when the 
young nobles had drunk and grew excited by Sidonia. Hereupon, 
her Grace made answer that she would take care Sidonia should 
cause no scandal: "As she has refused to learn her catechism, she 
must not appear at the feast. It will be a fitting punishmenttokeep 
her a prisoner for the whole day, and therefore I shall lock her up 
myself in her own room, and put the key in my pocket" JffSo Uh 
rich was well pleased, and all separated for the night with much 
contentment, and hopes of enjoyment on the morrow. 

CHAPTER XII. OF APPELMANN'S KNAVERY. 
ITEM, HOW THE BIRTHDAY OF HER HIGHx 
NESSWASCELEBRATED,&SIDONIA MANAGED 
TO GET TO THE DANCE, WITH THE UPROAR 
CAUSED THEREBY. 

|E FORE I proceed further, it will be neces' 
sary to state what happened a few days 
before concerning Prince Ernest's chief 
equerry Johann Appelmann, otherwise 
many might doubt the facts I shall have 
to relate, though God knows I speak the 
pure truth J& One came to his lordship, 
the grand chamberlain, he was a shoe-' 
maker of the town, and complained to him 
of Appelmann who had been courting his 




daughter for a long while, and running after her until finally he had 
disgraced her in the eyes of the whole town, and brought shame and 
scandal into his house. So he prayed Lord Ulrich to make the shames 
less profligate take his daughter to wife, as he had fairly promised 
hermarriagelongagoj^FNow Ulrich had long suspected the knave 
of bad doings, for many pearls and jewels had lately been missing 
from her Grace's shabrack and horse-'trappings, and the groom who 
always laid them on her Grace's white palfrey knew nothing about 
them, though he was even put to the torture; but as Appelmann 
had all these things in his sole keeping, it was natural to think that 
he was not quite innocent. Besides, three hundred sacks of oats were 
missing on the new year, & no one knew what had become of them 
^Therefore, Ulrich sent for the cheating rogue, & upbraided him 
for his profligate courses, also telling him that he must wed the shoe^ 
maker's daughter immediately. Butthecunningknave knew better, 
and swore by all the saints that he was innocent, and finally pre^ 
vailed upon Prince Ernest to intercede for him, so that Ulrich pro^ 
mised to give him a little longer grace, but then assuredly he would 
bring him to a strict accountjjgFAnd Appelmann drove the Prince 
that same day to Grypswald, to find out more musicians for the castle 
band, as the march of Duke Bogislaff the Great was to be played by 
eighty drums and forty trumpets in the grand ducal hall, to honour 
the birthday of her Highness. 

"jNEcanimaginewhatSidoniafeltwhentheDuchess 
announced that, as she had refused to learn the catc 
chism & was neither obedienttoGodnorher Grace, 
! she should remain a strict prisoner in her own room 
I during the festival, as a signal punishment for her un< 
J godly behaviour. But her maid might bringher food 
of all that she chose from thefeastj^Sidoniafirstprayed herGrace 
to forgive her for the love of God, and she would learn the whole 
catechism by heart J& But as this had no effect, then she wept and 
lamented loudly, and at length fell down upon her knees before her 
Grace, who would, however, be neither moved nor persuaded, and 
when Sidoniathreatenedat lasttoleaveherroom,the Duchess went 
out, locked the door, and put the key in her pocket. The prisoner 
howled enough then, I warrant J& But what did she do now, the 
cunning minx ? She gave her maid a piece of gold, and told her to go 
up and down the corridor, crying and wringing her hands, & when 
any one asked what was the matter, to say: "That her beautiful 
young lady was dying of grief, because the Duchess had locked her 
12 67 




up, like a little school/girl, in her own room, and all for not know/ 
ing the catechism of Dr. Gerschovius, which indeed was not taught 
in her part of the country, but another which she had learned quite 
well in her childhood. And so for this her poor young lady was not 
allowed to dance at the festival" J& The maid was to say all this in 
particular to Prince E rnest, or if he did not pass through tne corridor, 
she was to stop weeping and groaning at his chamber door, until he 
came out to ask whatwas the matter J& The maid followed the in/ 
structions right well, and in less than an hour every soul in the castle, 
down to the cooks and washerwomen, knew what had happened, 
and everywhere the Duchess wentshe was assailedbyoldand young, 
greatand small, with petitions of pardon for Sidoniajg? Her Grace, 
however, bid them all be silent, and threatened if they made such 
shameless requests to forbid the festival altogether J& But when 
Prince Ernest likewise petitioned in her favour, she was angry, and 
said : '* He ought to be ashamed of himself." It was now plain what 
a fool the girl had made of him. Her maternal heart would break, 
she knew it would, and this day would be one of sorrow in place of 
joy to her; all on account of this girl JE? So the young prince had to 
hold his peace for this time; but he sent a message, nevertheless, to 
Sidonia, telling her not to fret, for that he would take her out of her 
room and bring her to the dance, let what would happen. 

iXT morning, by break of day, the whole castle and 

town were alive with preparations for the festival. It 

was nowseven years (thatis, since the death of Duke 

Philip) since any one had danced in the castle except 

I the rats and mice, and even yet the splendour of this 

festivalis talked of in Wolgast; and many of the old 

people yet living there remember it well, & gave me many curious 

particulars thereof, which I shall set downhere, that itmaybeknown 

how such affairs were conducted in old time at our ducal courts. 

N themorning, by ten ofthe clock, theyoung princes, 
nobles, clergy, and the honourable counsellors ofthe 
town, assembled in the grand ducal hall, built by 
Duke Philip after the great fire, and which extended 
up all through the three stories of the castle. At the 
upper end ofthe hall was the grand painted window, 
sixty feet high, on which was delineated the pilgrimage of Duke 
and the most celc BogislafFthe Great to J erusalem, all painted by Gerard Horner;.-, 
brated painter on and round on the walls hung banners, and shields, and helmets, & 
glass of his time, cuirasses, while all along each side, four feet from the ground, there 

68 





lese ex/ 



were painted on the walls figures of all the animals found in Pome' 

rania: bears, wolves, elks, stags, deer, otters, &c. all exquisitely imi, 

tated.^When all the lords had assembled, the drums beat and 

trumpets sounded, whereupon the Pomeranian marshal flung open 

the great doors of the hall, which were wreathed with flowers from 

the outside, and the princely widow entered with great pomp, lead' 

ing the little Casimir by the hand. She was arrayed in the Pomera, 

nian costume; namely, a white silk under,robe, & over it a surcoat 

of azure velvet, brocaded with silver, & open in front. A longtrain of 

white velvet, embroidered in golden laurel wreaths, was supported 

by twelve pages dressed in black velvet cassocks with Spanish ruffs. 

Upon her head the Duchess wore a coif of scarlet velvet with small 

plumes, from which a white veil, spangled with silver stars, hung 

3owntoherfeet.Roundherneckshehadascarletvelvetband twisted . Qver ^ 

with a gold chain, and from it depended a balsam flask, in the form kal di ^ 

ofagreyhound, which rested on her bosom jgF As her Serene High, t £ ns of a fo 4 rmer 

ness entered with fresh and blushing ^cheeks, all bowed low & kissed W£ smik> and 

her hand, glittering with diamonds. Then each offered his congratu, with reason but 

lations as best he couldj^Amongst them came Johann Neander, we pedantic Geiv 

Archdeacon of St. Peter's, who was seeking preferment, consider, mam have carHed 

ingthathis present living was but a poor one ; and so he presented ourmo dernexege, 

her Grace with a printed tractatum dedicated to her Highness, m tica i mamato suc h 

which the question was discussed whether theten virgins mentioned absurd i engt h s , 

Matt. xxv. were of noble or citizen rank. But Doctor Gerschovius that we are likely 

made a mock of him for this afterwards, before the whole table/. t0 become as much 

Now when all the congratulations were over, the Duchess asked a l aug hing,stock 

Prince Ernest if the waterworks in the courtyard had been com, tQ our contem po, 

pleted, •'• and when he answered/' Yes," "Then," quoth her Grace, rar { e s,aswell as to 

posterity, as this Johannes Neander jffln fact, our exegetistsare mostly pitiful school, 

masters, word,anatomists, and one could as little learn the true spirit of an old classic 

poet from our pedantic philologists, as the true sense of holy Scripture from our scho, 

lastic theologians^ What with their grammar twistmgs, their various readings, their 

dubious punctuations, their mythical, and who knows what other meanings, their hair, 

splittings, and prosy vocable tiltings, we find at last that they are willing to teach us 

everything but that which really concerns us, and, like the Danaides, they let the water 

of life run through the sieve of their learningj^We may apply to them truly that con, 

demnation of ourLord's (Matt, xxiii. 24) : "Ye blind guides; ye strain ata gnat, and 

swallow a camel." . < , -r t < 1 j 

.v The Prince took much interest in hydraulics, & builta beautiful and costly aqueduct 

for the town of Wolgast. 

f 3 69 



"they shall run with Rostockbeerto-day, if it took fifty tuns; for all 
my people, great and small, shall keep festival to-day ; and I have 
ordered my court baker to give a loaf of bread, and a good drink, to 
every one that cometh and asketh. And now, as it is fitting, let us 
present ourselves in the church" t /^So the bells rung, and the whole 
procession swept through the corridor and down the great stairs, 
with drums and trumpets going before. Then followed the marshal 
with his staff, & the grand chamberlain Ulrich von Schwerin, wear^ 
ing his beautiful hat (apresent from her Highness) looped up with 
a diamond aigrette, & spangled with little golden stars. Then came 
the Duchess, supported on each side by the voungprinces, her sons ; 
and the nobles, knights, pages, and others brought up the rear, ac 
cording to their rank & dignity J&As they passed Sidonia's room, 
she began to beat the door and cry like a little spoiled child; but no 
one minded her, and the procession moved on to the courtyard, 
where the soldatesca fired a salute, notonly from their muskets, but 
also from the great cannon called "the Old Aunt," which gave forth 
a deep joysigh. From all the castle windows hung banners & flags 
bearing the arms of Pomerania and Saxony,and the pavement was 
strewn with flowers. 

5 theypassed Sidonia'swindowsheopenedit,andap^ 
peared magnificently attired, & glittering with pearls 

6 diamonds, but also weeping bitterly. At this sight 
old Ulrich gnashed his teeth for rage, but all the young 
men, & Prince Ernest in particular, felt their hearts 

1 die in them for sorrow. So theypassed on through the 
great north gate out on the castle wall, from whence the whole town 
and harbour were visible. Here the flags fluttered from the masts, 
and waved from the towers, and the people clapped their hands and 
cried " Huzza!" (for in truth they had heard about the beer, to my 
thinking, before the Princess came out upon the walls). Summa: 
There was never seen such joy; and, after having service in church, 
they all returned to the castle in the same order, and set themselves 
down to the banquet. 

GOTalist of the courses atthe table of the Duchess 
from old Kussow, and I shall here set it down, that 
people may see how our fathers banqueted eighty 
years ago in Pomerania; but, God help us! in these 
imperial days there is little left for us to grind our 
teeth upon. So smell thereat, and you will still get a 
delicious savour from these good old times. 
70 





First Course: h A soup; 2. An egg/soup, with saffron, peppercorns, 
& honey thereon; 3. Stewed mutton, with onions strewed thereon ; 
4. A roasted capon, with stewed plums. 
Second Course: 1. Ling, with oil and raisins; 2. Beef, baked in oil; 

3. Eels, with pepper; 4. Dried fish with Leipsic mustard. 

Third Course: 1. A salad with eggs; 2. Jellies strewed with almond 
and onion seed; 3. Omelettes with honey and grapes; 4. Pastry, and 
many other things besides. 

Fourth Course: 1. A roast goose with red beetroot, olives, capers, 
& cucumbers; 2. Little birds fried in lard, with radishes ,'3. Venison; 

4. Wild boar, with the marrow served on toasted rolls. I n conclusion, 
all manner of pastry, with fritters, cakes, and fancy confectionery of 
all kinds^So her Grace selected something from each dish herself, 
& despatched it to Sidonia by her maid, but the maiden would none 
of them, and sent all back with a message that she had no heart to 
gormandize and feast; but her Grace might send her some bread & 
water, which was alone fitting for a poor prisonerto receive jg? The 
young men could bear this no longer, their patience was quite ex<- 
hausted,and their courage rose as the winecupswere emptied. Soat 
length Prince Ernest whispered to his brother Bogislaus to put in a 
a good word for Sidonia. He refused, however, and Prince Ernest- 
was ashamed to name her himself; but some of the young pages, 
who waited on her Grace, were bold enough to petition for her par/ 
don, whereupon her Grace gave them a very sharp reproof^ After 
dinner the Duchess and Prince Bogislaus went up the stream in a 
pleasure-boat to try the tame sea-gull, & her Grace requested Lord 
Ulrich to accompany them, butheansweredthathewas more neces^ 
sary to the castle that evening than a night-watch in a time of war, 
particularly if the young Prince was to have Rostock beer play from 
the fountains, in place of waterj^ And soon his words came true, 
for when the Duchess had sailed away the youngmenbegan to drink 
in earnest, so that the wine ran over the threshold down the great 
steps, and the peasants and boors who were going back and forward 
with dried wood to the ducal kitchen, lay down flat on their faces, 
and licked up the wine from the steps (but the Almighty punished 
them for this, I think, for their children now are glad enough to sup 
up waterwiththegeese) 1 ^Meanwhile,many of the youths sprang 
up, swearing that they would free Sidonia; others fell down quite 
drunk, and knew nothingmore of what happened. Then old Ulrich 
flew to the corridor, & marched up and down with his drawn dagger 
in his hand, and swore he would arrest them all if they did not keep 

f4 7 l 



.'. Almost all 
writers of that 
age speak of the 

excesses to 
which intoxica^ 
tion was carried 
in all the ducal 
courts, but part- 
icularly that of 
Pomerania. 




quiet; that as to those who were lying dead drunk like beasts, he must 
treatthem like other beasts, whereupon he sends to the castle fount* 
ain for buckets of cold water, and pours it over them. Ha! how they 
sprang up, and raged when they felt it, but he only laughed & said 
if they would not hold their peace he would treat them still worse; 
they ought to be ashamed of their filthiness and debauchery. , : . 

UT now to the uproar within was added one from 
without; for when the fountains began to play with 
Rostock beer, all the town ran thither, & drank like 
leeches, while they begged the serving^wenches to 
bring them loaves to eat with it. How the old shoe-' 
I maker threw up his cap in the air, & shouted:" Long 
live her Grace!" No better Princess was in the whole world; they 
hoped her Grace might live for many years & celebrate every birthday 
like this; then they would pray for her right heartily, & the women 
chattered and cackled, and the children screamed so that no one could 
hear a word that was saying, and Sidonia tried for a long time in 
vain to make them hear her J& At last she waved a white kerchief 
from the window, when the noise ceased for a little, and she then 
began the old song, namely: "Would they release her?" J£t- Now 
there were some brave fellows among them to whom she had given 
drink^money, orpurchased goods from, and they now ran to fetch a 
ladder & set it up against the wall, but old Ulrich got wind of this 
proceeding, & dispersed the mob forthwith, menacing Sidonia, bex 
fore their faces, that if she but wagged a finger, & did not instantly 
retire from the window, & bear her well^merited punishment pa^ 
tiently, he would have her carried straightway through the guard' 
room, and locked up in the bastion towerjg?This threat succeeded, 
and she drew in her head. Meantime the Duchess returned from 
fishing, but when she beheldthe crowd she entered through thelittle 
water/gate, and went up a winding stair to her own apartment, to 
attire herself for the dance. The musicians now arrived from Gryps^ 
wald, and all the knights and nobles were assembled except Zitse^ 
witz, who lay sick, whether from love or jealousy I leave undecided; 
so the great affair at length began, and in the state hall the band 
struck up Duke Bogislaus' march, played, in fact, by eighty drums 
and fortythree trumpets, so that it was as mighty and powerful in 
sound as if the great trumpet itself had played it, and the plaster 
dropped off from the ceiling, & the picture of his Highness the Duke, 
in the north window, was so disturbed bythe vibration, that itshook 
and clattered as if it were going to descend from the frame, & dance 
72 



with the guests in the hall; and not only the folk outside danced to 

the music, but down in the town, in the great market-place, and 

beyond that even in the horse^market, the giant march was heard, 

and every one danced to itwhetherinoroutofthehouse,andcheered 

and huzzaed. Now the Prince could no longer repress his feelings, 

for, besides that he had taken a good Pomeranian draught that day, 

and somewhat rebelled against his lady mother, he now flung the 

fourth commandment to thewinds (never had hedone this before), 

and taking three companions with him, by name Dieterich von 

Krassow, Joachim von Budde, and Achim von Weyer, he pro^ 

ceeded with them to the chamber of Sidonia, and with greatviolence 

burst open the door. There she lay on the bed weeping, in a green 

velvet robe, laced with gold, and embroidered with other golden 

ornaments, and her head was crowned with pearls and diamonds, 

so that the young Prince exclaimed : " Dearest Sidonia, you look 

like a king's bride; see, I keep my word; come now, and we shall 

dance together in the hall"jgFHere he would willingly have kissed 

her, but was ashamed because the others were by, so he said : " Go 

ye now to the hall, and see if the dance is still going on J& I will 

follow with the maiden." Thereat the young men laughed, because 

they saw wellthatthe Prince didnot just then desire their company, 

and they all went away, except Joachim von Budde, the rogue, who 

crept behind the door, and peeped through the crevicej^Now the 

young lord was no sooner left alone with Sidonia, than he pressed 

her to his heart: "Did she love him ? She must say 'yes 'once again." 

Whereupon, she clasped his neck with her little hands, & with every 

kiss that he gave her, she murmured: "Yes, yes, yes!" "Would she 

be his own dear wife ?" "Ah, if she dared. She would have no other 

spouse; no, not even if the emperor came himself with all the seven 

electors. But hemust not make her more miserablethan she was &V 

ready. What could they do ? he never would be allowed to marry her." 

" He would manage that." Then he pressed her again to his heart, 

with such ardour that the knave behind the door grew jealous, and 

springingup, called out:" If hisHighnesswishesforadance, hemust 

HEN they bothenteredthehall,herGracewas treadl- 
ing a measure with old Ulrich,but he caught sightof 
them directly, and without making a single remark, 
resigned the hand of her Grace to Prince Bogislaus, 
& excused himself, sayingthatthe noise of the music 
had made his head giddy, and that he must leave the 

73 



come now." 




. • .The learned have 
puzzled thefrheads 
a great deal over the 
etymology of this 
enigmatical word, 
which is identical in 
meaning with the 
terrible "Zetter^ 
geschrei" of the re*- 
formation era. It is 



hall foralittle.Heran then along the corridor down to the court /-yard, 
from thence to the guard, and commanded the officer with his troop, 
along with the executioner and six assistants, to be ready to rush into 
the hall with lighted matches, the moment hewavedhis hatwiththe 
white plumes from the window j^When he returns, the dance is 
over, and my gracious Lady,suspecting nothingas yet, sits in a corner, 
and fans herself. Then Ulrich takes Sidonia in one hand and Prince 
Ernest in the other, brings them up straight before her Highness, 
and asks if she had herself given permission for the Prince and Su 
donia to dance together in the hall. Her Highness started from her 
chair when she beheld them, her cheeks glowing with anger, and 
exclaimed: "What does this mean? Have you dared to release 
Sidonia?" 

Ille : "Yes; for this noble maiden has been treated worse than a pea-' 
sant girl by myladymother"j2? 

Ilia: "Oh, wo is me'.this is myjustpunishmentforhavingforgotten 
my Philip so soon, and even consenting to tread a measure in the 
hall." So she wept, and threw herself again upon the seat, covering 
her face with both hands^^Nowold Ulrich began: " So, my young 
Prince, this is the way you keep the admonitions that your father, of 
blessed memory, gave you on his death^bed ! Fye, shame on you ! 
Did you not give your promise also to me, the old man before you ? 
Sidonia shall return to her chamber, if my word has yet some power in 
Pomerania. Speak, gracious Lady, give the order, and Sidonia shall 
be carried back to her room" J& when Sidonia heard this, she laid 
her white hand, all covered with jewels, upon the old man's arm, and 
looked up at him with beseeching glances, and stroked his beard after 
her manner, crying with tears of anguish : " Spare a poor young 
maiden ! I will learn anything you tell me; I will repeat it all on Sun^ 
day. Only do not deal so hardly with me." But the little hands for 
once had no effect, nor the tears, nor the caresses ; for Ulrich, thrown 
ing her off, gave her such a slap in the face that she uttered a loud cry 
and fell to the ground. 

IF a firebrand had fallen into a barrel of gunpowder, it 

1 could not have caused a greater explosion in the hall 

than that cry; for after a short pause, in which every 

I one stood silent as if thunderstruck, there arose from 

all the nobles, young and old, the terrible war-cry, 

"Jodute! Jodute! 'To arms, to arms!" and the cry 




found in the Swedish, Gothic, and Low German dialects, & in the Italian Goduta. One 
of the best essays on the subject, which, however, leads us to no result, the lover of anti' 
quarian researches will find in Hakeus's Pomeranian Provincial Papers, vol. v. p. 207. 

74 



was re-echoed till the whole hall rung with ft. Whoever had a dagger 
or a sword drew it, and they who had none ran to fetch one. But the 
Prince would at once have struck old Ulrich to the heart, if his brother 
Bogislaus had not sprungon him from behind & pinioned his arms. 
ThenJoachimvonBuddemadeapassattheoldknight,andwounded 
him in the hand. So Ulrich changed his hat from the right hand to 
the left, and still kept retreating till he could gain the window, and 
give the promised sign to theguard,cryingashefoughthiswayback^ 
ward, step by step s " Come on now! Come on, Ernest! Murder the 
old grey-headed man whom thy father called friend; murder him, as 
thou wiltmurder thy mother this night!" Then reaching the window, 
he waved his hat until the sign was answered; then sprang forward 
again, seized Sidoniaby the hand, crying: " Out, harlot ! " Hereupon 
young Lord Ernest screamed still louder: "Jodute! Jodute! Down 
with the greyheaded villain ! What ! will not the nobles of Pome 
rania stand by their Prince ? Down with the insolent greybeard, 
who has dared to call my princely bride a harlot!" And so he tore 
himself from his brother's grasp, and sprang upon the old man ; but 
her Grace no sooner perceived his intention then she rushed between 
them, crying: "Hold! hold! hold! for the sake of God, hold! He is 
thy second father." And as the young Prince recoiled in horror, she 
seized Sidonia rapidly, and pushing her before Ulrich towards the 
door, cried: "Out with the accursed harlot!" But Joachim Budde, 
who had already wounded the grand chamberlain, now seizing a stick 
from one of the drummers, hit her Grace such a blow on the arm 
therewith, that she had to let go her hold of Sidonia. When old UV 
rich beheld this, he screamed : " Treason ! treason ! " and rushed upon 
Budde. But all the young nobles, who were now fully armed, sur^ 
rounded the old man, crying: " Down with him ! down with him ! " 
In vain he tried to reach a bench from whence he could defend him^ 
self against his assailants; in a few moments he was overpowered 
by numbers and fell upon the floor. Now, indeed, it was all over with 
him, if the soldatesca had not atthat instant rushed into thehallwith 
fierce shouts, and Master Hansen the executioner in his long red 
cloak, with six assistants accompanying thcmjffi" Help ! help ! " 
cried her Grace; "Help for the Lord Chamberlain ! "J&So they 
sprang to the centre of the hall where he was lying, dashed aside his 
assailants, and lifted up the old man from the floor with his hand all 
bleedingjgS? But Joachim Budde, who was seated on the very same 
bench which Ulrichhad in vain tried to reach, began to mocktheold 
knight. Whereupon Ulrich asked if it were he who had struck her 

75 



Grace with the drumstick. "Ay," quoth he, laughing, "and would 
that she had got more of it, for treatingthat darling, sweet, beautiful 
Sidonianobetterthanakitchenwench/Whereisthe old hag now? I 
will teach her the catechism with my drumstick, I warrant you"j& 
And he was going to rise, when Ulrich made a sign to the execu' 
tioner, who instantly dropped his red cloak, under which he had 
hitherto concealed his long sword, and, just as Joachim looked up to 
see what was going on, he whirled the sword round like a flash of 
lightning, and cut Budde'shead clean off from the shoulders, so that 
not even a quill of his Spanish ruff was disturbed, and the blood 
spouted up like three horse/tails to the ceiling (for he drank so much 
that all the blood was in his head), and down tumbled his gay cap, 
with the heron's plume, to the ground, and his head along with it 
jffiln an instant all was quietness; for though some of the ladies 
fainted, amongst whom was her Grace, and others rushed out of the 
hall, still there was such a silence, that when the corpse fell down at 
lengthheavily upon the ground, the clap of the hands and feet upon 
the floor was quite audible jg?When Ulrich observed that his vie' 
tory was complete, he waved his hat in the air, exclaiming: "The 
princely house of Pomerania is saved! and, as long as flive, its 
honour shall never be tarnished for the sake of a harlot! Remove 
Prince Ernest and Sidonia to separate prisons. Let the rest go their 
ways; this devil's festival is at an end, and, with my consent, there 
shall never be another in Wblgast." 

CHAPTER XIII. HOW SIDONIA IS SENT AWAY 
TO STETTIN; ITEM, OF THE YOUNG LORD'S 
DANGEROUS ILLNESS, AND WHAT HAPPENED 
INCONSEQUENCE. 

lOWthe Grand Chamberlain was wellaware 

that no good would result from having Si' 

donia brought to a public trial, because the 

whole court was on her side jfiFTherefore he 

called Marcus Bork, her cousin, to him in the 

night, and bad him take her and her luggage 

I away next morning before break of day, and 

j never stop or stay until they reached Duke 

Barnim's court at Stettin. The wind was 

I half-way round now, & before nightfall they 

might reach Oderkruge. He would first just write a few lines to his 

Highness ; and, when Marcus had made all needful preparation, let 

him come here to his private apartment and receive the letter. He 

76 . 




had selected him for the business because he was Sfdonfa's cousin, 

and also because he was the only young man at the castle whom the 

wanton had not ensnared in her toils^But that night Ulrich had 

reason to know that Sidonia and her lovers were dangerous enemies; 

for just as he had returned to his little room, and seated himself down 

at the table, to write to his Grace of Stettin the whole business con/ 

cerning Sidonia, the window was smashed, and a large stone came 

plump down upon the ink/bottle close beside him, and stained all 

the paper. As Ulrich went out to call the guard, Appelmann, the 

equerry, came running up to him, complaining that his lordship's 

beautiful horse was lying there in the stable groaning like a human 

creature, for that some wretches had cut its tail clean off. 

I lie : "Were any of the grooms in the stable lately? or had he seen 

any one go by the window?" 

Hie : " No; it was impossible to see any one, on account of the dark/ 

ness, but he thought he had heard some one creeping along by the 

wall/' 

Ille: "Lethim come then, fetch alantern,&summonallthegrooms; 

he would give it to the knaves. Hadhe heard anything of her High/ 

ness recently?" 

Hie: "A maid told him that her Grace was better, and had retired 



to rest." 



Ille : "Thank God. Now they might go" j£?But as they proceeded 
alongthe corridor, which was now almost quite dark, the old knight 
suddenly received such a blow upon his hat that the beautiful aigrette 
was broken, and he himself thrown against the wall with such vio/ 
lence, that he lay a quarter of an hour insensible; then he shook his 
grey head. What could that mean? Had Appelmann seen anyone? 
Hie: "Ah !no;but he thought heheardsteps,asifofsome one run/ 
ningaway"^So they went on to theducal stables, butnothingwas 
to be seenorheard.The grooms knewnothing about the matter; the 
guard knewnothing. Then the old knight lamented over his beauti/ 
ful horse, and told Appelmann to ride next morning, with Marcus 
Bork and Sidonia, to the Duke's castle at Stettin, and purchase the 
piebald mare for him, from his Grace, about which they had been 
bargaining some time back; but he must keep all this secret, for the 
young nobles were to know nothing of the journey,j2?Ah, whatfine 
tun this is for the cunning rogue! " If his Lordship would only give 
him the purse, he would bring him back a far finer horse than that 
which some knaves had injured." Whereupon the old knight went 
down to reckon out the rose/nobles; but, lo ! a stone came whizzing 

77 




past him close to his head, so that, if it had touched him, methinks 
the old man would never have spoken a wordmore. In short, wheiv 
ever he goes, or stops, or stands, stones and buffets are rained down 
upon him, so that he has to call the guard to accompany him back 
to his chamber; but he lays the saddle on the right horse at last, as 
you shall hear in another place. 

ggggg ^^jFTERsome hours everything became quiet in the 
{ castle, for the knaves were glad enough to sleep off 
V their drunkenness. And so, early in the morning be^ 
fore dawn, while they were all snoring in their beds, 
Sidonia was carried off, scream as she would, along 
' the corridor, & even before the young knight's cham^ 
ser j notasoulheard her. For she had not been broughttotheprison 
tower, as at first commanded, but to her own little chamber, like*- 
wise the young lord to his; for the grand chamberlain thought afters 
wards this proceeding would not cause such scandal.Butthere truly 
was great grief in the castle when they all rose, & the cry was heard 
that Sidonia was gone; and some of the murderous lords threatened 
to make the old man pay with his blood for it. Item ; no sooner was 
it day than Dr. Gerschovius ran in, crying that some of the young 
profligates had broken all his windows the night before, and turned 
a goat into the Rectory, with the catechism of his dear and learned 
brother tied round his neck J& Then old Ulrich's anger increased 
mightily, as mightbe imagined, and he brought the priest with him 
to the Duchess, who had got but little rest that night, & was busily 
turning her wheel with the little clock/work, and singing to it, in a 
loud clear voice, thatbeautiful psalm (120th) :" In deep distress I oft 
have cried." She paused when they entered, & began to weep: " Was 
it not all prophesied? Why had she been persuadedto throw off her 
mourning, & slight the memory of her loved Philip ? It was forthis 
the wrath of God had come upon her house; for assuredly the Lord 
would avenge the innocent blood that had been shed."Then Ulrich 
answered that, as her Grace knew, he had earnestly opposed this fes^ 
tival; butasto whatregardedthetraitorwhose head he had chopped 
off, he was ready to answer for that blood, not only to man but be^ 
fore God. For had not the coward struck his own sovereign lady the 
Princess with the drumstick? Item; was he not in the act of rising 
to repeat the blow, as the whole nobility are aware, only he lost his 
head by the way; and if this had not been done all order & govern^ 
ment must have ceased throughout the land, and the mice and the 
rats rule the cats, which was against the order of nature & contrary to 




God's will. But his gracious Lady might take consolation, for Si" 
donia had been carried from the castle that morning by four of the 
clock, and, by God's grace, never should set foot initagain. Butthere 
was another gravamen, and that concerned the young nobles, who 
no doubt would becomemore daringafter the events of last evening. 
Then he related what had happened to the priest. " Item j what did 
my gracious Lady mean to do with those drunken libertines? If her 
Grace had kept up the huntings and the fishings, as in the days of 
good Duke Philip, mayhap the young men would have been less 
given to debauchery; but her grace kept an idle house, and they had 
nothing to do but drink and brew mischief. If her Grace had no fh> 
ting employment for these young fellows, then he would pack them 
all off to the devil, the very next morning, for they brought nothing 
but disrespect upon the princely house of Wolgast." 

O her Grace rejoiced over Sidonia's departure, but 
could not consent to send away the young knights. 
Her beloved husband and lord, Philippus Primus, 
fj always kept a retinue of such young nobles, and all 
jn the princely courts did the samej^ What would her 
Jj^V/dfl cousin of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg say, when 
they heard that she had no longer knights or pages ather court? She 
feared her princely name would be mentioned with disrespectjj^So 
Ulrich replied, that at all events, this setof youngboisterersmustbe 
sent off, as they had grown too wild & licentious to be endured any 
longer; and that he would select a new retinue for her Grace, from 
the discreetest and most sober-minded young knights of the court. 
Marcus Bork, however, might remain; he was true, loyal, & brave: 
not a wine^bibber and profligate like the others J@F So her Grace at 
last consented, seeing that no good would come of these young men 
now ; on the contrary, they would be more daring and riotous than 
ever from rage, when they found that Sidonia had been sent away; 
andthatbusiness of the window^smashing and the goat demanded 
severe punishment. So let Ulrich look out for a new household ; these 
gay libertines would be sent away J& While she was speaking, the 
door opened, & Prince Ernest entered the chamber, looking so pale 
and haggard, that her Grace clasped her hands together, and asked 
him, with terror, what had happened^ 

I lie : ** Did she ask what had happened, when all Pomerania rung 
with it? when nobles were beheaded before her face, as if they were 
nothingmore than beggars' brats: when the delicate and higlvborn 
Lady Sidonia, who had been entrusted to her care by DukeBarnim 

79 



himself, was turned out of the castle in the middle of the night, as if 
she were a street'girl, because, forsooth, she would not learn her catc 
chism ? The world would scarcely credit such scandalous acts, & yet 
they were all true. Butto^morrow (if this weakness which had come 
over him allowed of it) he would set off for Stettin, also to Berlin & 
Schwerin, and tell the princes there, his cousins, what government 
they held in "Wblgast. He would soon be twenty, and would then 
take matters into his own hands ; and he would pray his guardian 
and dear uncle, Duke Barnim, to pronounce him at once of age; 
then the devil might take Ulrich and his government, but he would 
rule the castle his own way." Her grace : " Butwhatdid he complain 
of? What ailed him? She must know this first, for he was looking 
as pale as a corpse." 

Ille: "Did she not know, then, what ailed him? Well, since he must 
tell her, it was anger: anger that made him so pale and weak." 
Her Grace i "Anger, was it? Anger, because the false wanton, Si' 
donia, had been removed by her orders from her princely castle? Ah! 
she knew now what the wanton had come there for; but would he 
kill his mother? She nearly sank upon the ground last night, when 
he called the impudent wench his bride. But she forgave him; it must 
have been the wine he drank made him so forget himself; or was it 
possible that he spoke in earnest?" 

Ille (sighing) :"Thefuture will tell that" J&" Oh ! woe is me! what 
must I live to hear? If thy father could look up from his grave, and 
see thee disgracing thy princely blood by a marriage with a bower/ 
maiden! thou traitorous, disobedient son, do not lie to me. I know 
from thy sighs whatthy purpose is ; for this thou art goingto Stettin 
and Berlin' J^The prince is silent, & looks down upon the ground. 
Her Grace : " Oh, shame on thee ! shame on thee for the sake of thy 
mother ! shame on thee for the sake of this servant of God, thy second 
father, this old man here! What! a vile knave strike thy mother, 
before the face of all the court, and thoucondemnest him because he 
avenged her; truly thou art a fine brave son, to let thy mother be 
struck before thy face, for the sake of a harlot. Canst thou deny it ? 
I conjure thee by the living God, tellme, is itthy true purpose to take 
this harlot to thy wife ?" 

Ille : " He could give but one answer : the future would decide." 
Her Grace (weeping): "Oh, she was reserved for all misfortunes ! 
Why did Doctor Martinus let her ring fall? All, all has followed 
from that! If he had chosen a good, humble, honest girl, she would 
say nothing; but this wanton, this light maiden, that ran after every 
80 



carl and let them court her l"ji§? Here the young prince was seized 
with such violent convulsions that he fell upon the floor, and her 
Grace raised him up with loud lamentations. He was carried in a 
dead faint to his chamber, and the court physician, Dr. Pomius, in- 
stantly summoned. Doctor Pomius was a pompous little man (for 
my father knew him well), dry and smart in his words, and with a 
face like a pair of nutcrackers, for his front teeth were gone, so that 
his lips seem dried on his gums, like the skin of a mummy. He was 
withal too self-conceited, and boastful, and malicious, full of gossip 
and ilknature, and running down every one that did not believe that 
he (Doctor Pomius) was the only learned physician in the world. 
Followingthe celebrated rules laid down by Theophrastus Paracel- 
sus, he cured everything with trash, and asses' dung was his infallible 
panacea for all complaints. This pharmacopceia was certainly ex- 
tremely simple, easily obtained, and universal in his application. If 
the dung succeeded, the doctor drew himself up, tossed his head, and 
exclaimed: "What Doctor Pomius orders always succeeds." But if 
the wretched patient slipped out of his hands into the other world, he 
shook his head and said : " There is an hour for every man to die ; of 
course his had come; physicians can not work miracles"^ Pomius 
hated every other doctor in the town, and abused them so for their 
ignorance and stupidity, that finally her Grace believed that no one 
in the world knew anything but Dr. Pomius, and that a vast amount 
of profound knowledge was expressed if heonly put hisfingertothe 
end of his nose, as was hishabitj(2?So,asIhave said, she summoned 
him to attend the young lord; and, after feeling his pulse and asking 
somequestionsrespectinghisgeneralhealth,thedoctorlaidhisfinger, 
as usual, to his nose, and pronounced solemnly :" The young prince 
must immediately take a dose of asses' dung stewed in wine, with a 
little of the laudanum paracelsi poured in afterwards ; this will restore 
him certainly"^ But it was all in vain; for the young prince still 
continued day andnight calling for Sidonia,& neither the Duchess 
nor Doctor Gerschovius could in any wise comfort him. This af- 
flicted her Grace almost to the death; and, by Ulrich's advice, she de- 
spatched her second son, Duke Barnim the younger, and Dagobert 
von Schwerin to the court of Brunswick, to solicit in her name the 
hand of the young Princess Sophia Hedwig, for her son Ernest 
Ludovicus. Now, in the whole kingdom, there was no more beauti- 
ful princess than Sophia of Brunswick ; and her Grace was filled with 
hope that, by her means, the influence of the detestable Sidonia over 
the heart of the young lord would be destroyed for ever. 

gi 8t 




iN due time the ambassadors returned, with the most 
1 favourable answer. Father, mother, and daughter all 
gave consent; and the Duke of Brunswick also for*- 
warded, by their hands, an exquisite miniature of his 
beautiful daughter for Prince ErnestjSPThis minia^ 
I ture her Grace now hung up beside his bed. Would he 
not look at the beautiful bride she had selected for him ? could there 
be a more lovelyface in all theGerman empire? What was Sidonia, 
beside her, but a rude country girl ! would he not give her up at last, 
this light wench ? While, on the contrary, this illustrious princess 
was as virtuous as she was beautiful, and this the whole court of 
Brunswick could testify j^But the young lord would give, no heed 
to her Grace, and spat out at the picture, and cried to take away the 
daub; into the fire with it, anywhere out of his sight. Unless his dear, 
his beautiful Sidonia came to tend him, he would die ; he felt that he 
was dying J^So her Grace took counsel with old Ulrich, and Doctor 
Pomius, and the priest, what could be done now. The doctor men/ 
tionedthathe must havebeenwitch'Struck. Then more doctors were 
sent for from Grypswald,but all was in vain; no one knew what 
ailed him; and from day to day he grew worse^j^Clara von Dewitz 
now bitterly reproached herself, for having concealed her suspicions 
about the love^drink from her Grace; though indeed she did so by 
desire of her betrothed, Marcus Bork; but now seeingthatthe young 
Prince lay absolutely at the point of death, she could no longer hold 
her peace, but, throwing herself on her knees before her Grace, told 
her the whole story of the witclvgirl, whom she had sheltered in the 
castle, and of her fears that Sidonia had learned from her how to brew 
a love philtre, which she had afterwards given to the PrincejfiFHer 
Grace was sore displeased with Claraforhavingkept all thisasecret; 
and said that she would have expected more wisdom and discretion 
from her, seeing that she had always counted her the most worthy 
amongst her maidens ; then she summoned Ulrich, and laid the evil 
matter before him. He shook his head; believed that they had hit on 
the true cause now. Such a sickness had nothing natural about it; 
there must be magic & witchwork in it; but he would have the whole 
land searched for the girl, and make her give the young lord some 
potion that would take off the spell^Nowthe witclvgirl had been 
pardoned a few days before that, & sent back to Usdom, near Daber ; 
taut bailiffs were now sentin all directions to arrest her, and bringher 
again to W>lgast without delay jg?So the wretched creature wasdis^ 
covered, before long, in Kruge, near Mahlzow, where she had hired 
82 






herself as a spinner forthewinter,andbroughtbefore Ulrich and her 
Grace. She was there admonished to tell the whole truth, but per/ 
sisted in asseverating that Sidonia had never learned from her how 
to make a love/drink. Her statement, however, was not believed; 
and Master Hansen was summoned,to try and make her speak more. 
The affair, indeed, appeared so serious to Ulrich, that he himself 
stood by while she was undergoing the torture, and carried on the 
protocollum, calling out to Master Hansen occasionally not to spare 
his squeezes. But though the blood burst from her finger-ends, and 
her hip was put out of joint, so that she limped ever after, she con^ 
fessed nothing more, nor did she alter the statement which she had 
first made^ltem : Her Grace, and the priest, & all the bystanders, 
exhorted her in vain to confess the truth (for her Grace was present 
at the torture). At last she cried out: "Yes, I know something that 
will cure him! Mercy ! mercy! and I will tell it" j^So they unbound 
her, and she was going straightway to make her witclvpotion, but 
old Ulrich changed his mind. Who could know whether this devil's 
fiend was telling them the truth ? May be she would kill the young 
lord, in place of curing him. So they gave her another stretch upon 
the rack. But as she still held by all her assertions, they spared her 
any further torturej^But,inmyopinion,theyounglord must have 
obtained somethingfrom her, otherwisehe could nothave recovered 
all at once, the moment that Sidonia was brought back, as I shall 
afterwards relate. 

Sum total : The young Prince screamed day and night for Sidonia, 
and told her Grace that he now felt he was dying, and requested, as 
his last prayer upon this earth, to be allowed to see her once more. 
The maiden was an angel of goodness; and if she could but close 
his dying eyes, he would die happy J@F It can be easily imagined with 
what humour her Grace listened to such a request, for she hated Si*- 
donia like Satan himself; but as nothing else could satisfy him, she 
promisedto send for her, if Prince Ernestwould solemnly swear, by 
the corpseof hisfather,thathewouldnever wed her, but select some 
princess for hisbride,as befittedhis exalted rank, the Princess Hed^ 
wig, or some other, as soon as he had recovered sufficiently to be able 
to quit his bed. So he quickly stretched forth his thin, white hand 
from the bed, and promised his dearly beloved mother to do all she 
had asked, if she would only send horsemen instantly to Stettin, for 
the journey by water was insecure, and might be tedious if the wind 
were not favourable. 

g* 83 




IE RE UPON a great rumour arose in the castle; and 
young Duke Bogislaus fell into such a rage that he 
took his way back again to Camyn, and his younger 
brother, Barnim, accompanied him. But the anger 
of the grand chamberlain no words can express. He 
J told her Grace, in good round terms, that she would 
3e the mock of the whole land. The messengers had only just re^ 
turned, who had carried away Sidonia from the castle under the 
greatest disgrace; and now, forsooth, they must ride back again to 
bring her back with all honour,^" Oh, it was all true, quite true ; 
but then if her dearest son Ernest were to die." 
Ille : " Let him die. Better lose his life than his honour." 
Haec: "He would notperilhis honour, for hehad sworn by the corpse 
of his father never to wed Sidonia." 

Ille : "Ay, he was quick enough in promising, but performing was 
a different thing. Did her Grace think that the passion of a man could 
be controlled by promises, as atame horseby a bridle ? Never, never. 
Passion was a wild horse, that no bit, or bridle, or curb, could guide, 
and would assuredly carry his rider to the devil." 
Her Grace: "Still she could not give up her son to death; besides, 
he would repent and see his folly. Did not God's word tell us how 
the prodigal son returned to his father, and would not her son return 
likewise? ' 

Ille : "Ay, when he has kept swine. After that he may return, but 
not till then. The youngster was as great a fool about women as he 
had ever come across in his life." 

Her Grace (weeping) : " He was too harsh on the young man. Had 
she notsentaway thegirlathis command? and nowhewould lether 
own child die before her eyes, without hope or consolation." 
Ille : " But if her child is indeed dying, would she send for the devil 
to attend him in his last moments ? Her Grace should be more con^ 
sistent. If the young lord is dying, let him die; her Grace has other 
children, and God will know how to comfort her. Had he not been 
afflicted himself? and let her ask Dr. Gerschovius if the Lord had not 
spoken peace unto him." 

Her Grace : "Ah, true; but then neither of them are mothers. Her 
sonisaskingeverymomentifthemessengershave departed, & what 
shall she answer him ? She cannot lie, but must tell the whole bitter 
truth." 

Ille :" He saw the time had comeat last for him to followthe young 
princes. Hewasof no usehereany longer. Her Grace must give him 
84 




permission to take his leave, for he would sail off that very day for his 
castle atSpanticow,andthen she might do as she pleased respecting 
the young lord." 

]0 her Grace besought him not to leave her in her 
sore trouble and perplexity. Her two sons had sailed 
away, and there was no one left to advise and comfort 
her J^ But Ulrich was inflexible. "She must either 
allow her son quietly to leave this miserable life, or 
_ allow him to leave this miserable court service" j£F 
' Then let him go to Spanticow. Her son should be saved. She would 
answer before the throne of the Almighty for what she did. But 
wouldhenot promise to return, if she stood inany greatneed ordan^ 
ger ?for she felt that both were before her; still she must peril every.- 
thing to save her child." 

Ille: "Yes, he would be ready on her slightest summons; and he 
doubted not but thatSidonia would soon give her trouble & sorrow 
enough. Buthecouldnotremainnow,withoutbreakinghisknightly 
oath to Duke Philip,his deceased feudal seigneur of blessed memory, 
and standing before the court and the world as a fool",j^So after 
many tears her Grace gave him his dismissal, and he rode that same 
day to Spanticow, promising to return if she were in need, and also 
to send her a new retinue and household immediatelyj^This last 
arrangement displeased Marcus Bork mightily, for he had many 
friends amongst the knights who were now to be dismissed, and so 
he too prayed her Grace for leave to resign his office and retire from 
court.Hehad longlooked upon Clara von DewitzwithaholyChrisx 
tian love, and if her Grace permitted he would now takeherhomeas 
hisdear lovingwifej^Her Grace replied that she had long suspected 
this betrothal, particularly from the time that Clara told her of his 

advice respectingthe concealment of the witchxgirl's visit to Sidonia; 
and as he had acted wrongly in that business, he must now make 
amends by not deserting her in her greatest need. Her sons and old 
Ulrich had already left her, some one must remain in whom she could 
place confidence. It would be time enough afterwards to bring home 
his beloved wife Clara, and she would wish them God's blessing on 
their union. 

I lie: "True, he had been wrong in concealing that business with the 
witclvgirl, but her Grace must pardon him. He never thought it 
would bring the young lord to his dying bed. Whatever her Grace 
now commanded he would yield obedience to " J0f" Then," said her 
Grace, "do you and Appelmann mount your horses instantly, ride 
g3 85 



to Stettin, and bring back Sidonia. For her dearlyvbeloved son had 
sworn that he could not die easy unless he beheld Sidonia once more, 
and that she attended him in his last moments " J& It may be easily 
imagined how the good knight endeavoured to dissuade her High • 
ness from this course, and even spoke to the young Prince himself, 
but in vain. That same day he and Appelmann were obliged to set 
off for Stettin, and on their arrival presented the following letter to 
old Duke Barnim: 

'* Maria, by the Grace of God, born Duchess of Saxony, &c. 
" Illustrious Prince and my Dear Uncle, , . It has not been concealed 
from your Highness how our dear son, Ernest Ludovicus, since the 
departure of Sidonia, has fallen, by the permission of God, into such 
a state of bodily weakness that his life even stands in jeopardy. He 
has declared that nothing will restore him but to see Sidonia once 
more. We, therefore, entreat your Highness, after admonishing the 
aforesaid maiden severely upon her former light and unseemly be 
haviour, to dismiss her with our messengers, that they may return 
and give peace and health to our dearly beloved son. If your High' 
ness would enjoy a hunt or a fishing with a tame sea-gull, it would 
give us inexpressible pleasure. We commend you lovingly to God's 
holy keeping. 
"Given from our Castle of Wolgast, this Friday, April 15, 1569. 

"Maria." 
CHAPTER XIV. HOW DUKE BARNIM OF STET. 
TIN AND OTTO BORK ACCOMPANY SIDONIA 
BACK TO WOLGAST. 

:1B ]HEN his Highness of Stettin had fin^ 
ished the perusal of her Grace's letter, he 
laughed loudly, and exclaimed: "This 
a comes of all their piety and preachings. I 
\ knew well whatthis extravagant holiness 
* would make of my dear cousin and old 
J Ulrich." If people would persist in being 
so wonderfully religious,they would soon 
become as sour as an old cabbage-head. 
And Sidonia declared, that, for her part, 
a hundred horses should not drag her back to Wolgast, where she 
had been lectured and insulted, and all because she would not learn 
her catechism, like a little school'girljgFNor would Otto Borkhear 
of her returning. (He was waiting at Stettin to conduct her back to 
Stramehl.) At last, however, he promised to consent, on condition 
86 





thathis Highness would grant him theduesontheJenaj^Nowthe 

Duke knew right well that Otto wantedto revenge himself upon the 

people of Stargard,with whom he was at enmity; but he pretended 

not to observe the cunning knight's motives, and merely replied : 

"They must talk of the matter at Wolgast, for nothing couldbe de^ 

cided upon without having the opinion of his cousin the Duchess." 

Othe knight taking this as a half-promise, & Sidonia 

having at last consented, they all set off on Friday with 

a good south wind in their favour, and by that same 

\l evening were landed by the little water-gate at Wol- 

rast. His Highness was received with distinguished 

lonours; the ten knights of her Grace's new houses 

lold being in waiting to receive him, as he stepped on shorejjgSFSo 

they proceeded to the castle, the Duke having Sidonia upon one arm, 

and a Cain under the other, which he had been carving during the 

passage, fortheEvehadlongsincebeen finished. Otto followed, and 

all thepeoplewhen they beheld Sidonia, uttered loud cries of joy that 

the dear young lady had come back to themj^This increased her 

arrogance, so that when her Grace received her, and began a godly 

admonishment upon her past levities, and conjured her to lead a 

modest devout life for the future, Sidonia replied indiscreetly: " She 

knew not whather Grace and herparson meant by a modest devout 

life, except it were learning the catechism of Doctor Gerschovius; 

from such modesty and devoutness she begged to be excused, she 

was no little school/girl now. . she thought her Grace had got rid of 

all her whims and caprices, by sending for her, after having turned 

her out of the castle without any cause whatever. . but it was all the 

old thing over again" jgFHer Grace coloured up with anger at this 

bitter speech, but held her peace ; then Otto addressedher, & begged 

leave to askher Grace what kind of order was held ather court, where 

a priest was allowed to slap the fingers of a noble young maiden, 

and a chamberlain to smite her on the face? Had he known that such 

were the usages at her court of Wolgast, the Lady Sidonia (such he 

delighted to callher,as though she were of princely race) never should 

have entered it, & he would nowinstantly take herbacktoStramehl, 

if her Grace would not consent to give him up the dues on the Jena 

J& N ow her Grace knew nothing about the dues, and therefore said, 

turning to the Duke : " Dear Uncle, what does this arrogant knave 

mean? I do not comprehend his insolent speech." Hereupon Otto 

chafed with rage, that her Grace had named him with such con-' 

tempt, and cried: "Then was your husband a knave, too! for my 

g2 87 



blood is as noble and nobler than your own, and I am lord of castles 
and lands. Come, my daughter ; let us leave the robbers' den, or may' 
hap thy father willbe struck even as thou wert" J^Now her Grace 
knew not what to do, and she lamented loudly, more particularly, 
because atthis moment a message arrived from Prince Ernest, pray 
ing her for God's sake to bring Sidonia to him, as he understood that 
she had been in the castle now a full quarter of an hour. Then old 
Otto laughed loudly, took his daughter bythe hand, and cried again: 
"Come, let us leave this robber hole. Come, Sidonia !"j£^ This 
plunged her Grace into despair, & she exclaimed in anguish : ""Will 
you not have pity on my dying child?" but Otto continued, "Come, 
Sidonia ! come, Sidonia ! " & he drew her by the hand jg§F Here Duke 
Barnim rose up and said: "Sir Knight, be not so obstinate. Remem/ 
beritis a sorrowing mother who entreats you. Is it not true, Sidonia, 
you will remain here ? "j^Then the cunninghypocrite lifted her ker^ 
chief to her eyes, and replied, "If I did not know the catechism of 
Doctor Gerschovius, yet I know God's word, and how the Saviour 
said/I wassick and ye visited me,' andjames also says: 'The prayer 
of faith shall save thesick.'No,Iwillnotletthispooryounglord die, 
if my visit and my prayer can help him "jg??" No, no," exclaimed 
Otto, "thou shalt not remain, unless the dues of the Jena be given 
up tome." And as at this moment another page arrived from Prince 
Ernest, with a similar urgent request for Sidonia to cometohim,her 
Grace replied quickly," I promise all that you desire," without know 
ing what she was granting; so the knight said he was content, and 
let go his daughter's handj^Nowthegoodtown of Stargard would 
have been ruined for ever by this revengeful man, if his treacherous 
designs had not been defeated (as we shall see presently) by his own 
terrible death. He had long felt a bitter hatred to the people of Star^ 
gard, because at one time they had leagued with the Greifenbergers 
&theDuke of Pomeraniato ravage his town of Stramehl,inorderto 
avenge an insulthe had offered to the old burgomaster Jacob AppeL 
mann, father of the chief equerry, Johann Appelmann. In return for 
this outrage, Otto determined, if possible, to get the control of the 
dues of the Jena into his own hands, and when the Stargardians 
brought their goods and provisions up the Jena, and from thence 
prepared to enter the river HafF, he would force them to pay such 
exorbitant duty upon everything, that the merchants and the people, 
in shortthewholetown, would be ruined, fortheir whole subsistence 
and merchandise came by these two rivers, and all this was merely 
to gratify his revenge; but the just God graciously turned away the 
88 



- 




evil from the good town, and let it fall upon Otto's own head, as we 
s hall relate in i ts proper place. 

JO, when the old knight had let go his daughter's 

hand, her Grace seized it, and went instantly with 
Sidonia to the chamber of the young lord . . all the 
others following, and here a moving scene was wit' 
,, nessed, for as they entered, Prince Ernest extended 
__a Vii'g thin pale hands towards Sidonia, exclaiming: 
"Sidonia, ah, dearest Sidonia, have you come at last to nursetend 
me ?" then he took her little hand, kissed it, and bedewed it with his 
tears, still repeating: "Sidonia, dearest Sidonia, have you come to 
nursetend me?",j^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 suffer, if my poor prayers and help can abate your 
sickness, therefore let them strike me, and call me a harlot again, if 
they wish"j^This so melted the heart of my gracious Prince Er^ 
nest, that he cried out: " Oh, Sidonia, angel of goodness, give me one 
kiss, but one little kiss upon my mouth, Sidonia! bend down to me; 
but one one kiss I " Her Grace was dreadfully scandalized at such a 
speech, and said, he ought to be ashamed of such words. Did he not 
rememberwhathehadswornbythecorpseofhisfatheratSt.Peter's? 
But old Duke Barnim cried out, laughing: "Give him a kiss, Si^ 
donia;thatisthebestplasterforhiswounds, 'a kiss in honour brings 
no dishonour/ says the proverb" J§ However, Sidonia still hesi^ 
tated, and bending down to the young man said: "Wait, gracious 
Prince, until we are alone" 1 ^If the Duchesshadbeen angry before, 
what was it to her rage now. " Alone 1 she would take good care they 
were never to be alone !"jg§POtto took no notice of this speech, pro' 
bably because he saw that matters were progressing much to hislik' 
ing between the Prince and his daughter, but Duke Barnim ex<- 
claimed: "How now, dearest cousin, are you going to spoil all by 
your prudery ? You broughtthe girl here to cure him, and what other 
answer could she give? Bend thee down, Sidonia, and give him one 
little kiss upon thelips . . I, the Prince, command thee; and see thou 
need'st not be ashamed, for I will set thee an example with his 
mother. Come, dear cousin, put off that sour face and giveme a good 
hearty kiss ; your son will get well the sooner for it" : but as he attempt' 
edto seize hold of her Grace, she cried out, and lifted up her hands to 

89 



Heaven, lamenting in aloud 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, laughingj^ 
"Come,Otto,"said his Grace/'letus go too,& 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 E rnest, 
on his recovery, made honourable proposals for his daughter Su 
doniaJ^FButhis Grace was right crafty, & merely answered : " Time 
enough to settle that, Otto, when he is recovered, but methinksyou 
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",J^This the knightpromised and the con^ 
versation ceased, as they came up with the Duchess just then, who 
was waiting for them in the grand corridor. No sooner did she per' 
ceive that Sidonia was not with them, then she cried out: "So my 
son is alone with the maiden! "and instantly despatched three pages 
to watch them bothjgSFOttohad 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 tempt* 
ations,like our own flesh and blood. Then he sighed and kissed her 
hand, andprayed 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 rap*- 
ture, but he saw now that she only meant kindly and motherly by 
the girl,J^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. 

IO her Grace was reconciled to both, and when the 

lDuke announced that he and the knight proposed 

visiting Barth and Eldena,from whence they would 

I return inafewdays,to taketheir leave of her,shesaid 

that if her dearest son Ernest grew any better, she 

I would have a grand battue in honour of his Highness 

Duke Barnim, upon their return J& Accordingly, after having a^ 

mused themselves for a little, fishing with the tame sea-gull, the 

90 




Duke and Otto rode away, and her Grace went to the chamber of 
the young Prince, to keep watch during the night. She would vriL 
lingly have dismissed Sidonia, but he forbade her; andSidoniaher^ 
self 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 themes^ 
sengers 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 havingreleased 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 himatrick in return, & set fire to his castle atSpanti^ 
kow as soon as he was able to move. 

J E R Grace endured all this in silence, for her dear soul'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 J& 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 J& 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 J& 
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.lt was reported that every nightthe ghost en^ 

9» 




tered the castle by the little water-gate, though it was kept barred 
and bolted, traversed the whole length of the corridor, & sank down 
into the earth, just over the place where the ducal coaches andsleighs 
were keptJ@FEvery 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 farther 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 what befell there. 
CHAPTER XV. OF THE GRAND BATTUE, AND 
WHAT THE YOUNG DUKE AND SIDONIA RE. 
SOLVED ON THERE. 

IHE 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 thatare in. 
digenous to Pomerania). Here a superb 
breakfast was served, and pages presented 
water in finger.basins of silver, to each of 
theprincely 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." Andimme. 
diately,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 court>yard, 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 
therewas a grand portico, andwithin a corridorwith 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 horsecloth, 
embroidered with the ducal arms, whereon he laid a brush and a 
riding.whip, and then demanded his Trinkgeld J& 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 : 
92 





all along the walls were ranged enormous brazen lions' heads, which 
conveyed water throughout the building, and cleansed the stables 
completely every day J& Otto wondered much at all this magni^ 
ficence, and asked his Grace what could her Highness want with 
all these horses J& "They eat their oats in idleness, for the most 
part," replied the Duke. "No one uses them butthe pages & 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, part icular attention paid to the ducal stables at Wolgast." 
O Wthe train began to movetowards 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, andwearing a yellow hatwith 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 huntings 
dresses, fastened with golden clasps; but in place of yellow, they 
wore scarlet hats, with gilded heron's plumes. Duke Barnim and 
PrinceErnest rode alongwith 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 tomake the people thinkhe is as good as the priest, 
by keeping as close as he can to him while the procession moves along 
the streetsj^ 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 a master of the hounds and 
the principal huntsmen. Butthe 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 Phillip. 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 j#F When the beaters 
and their dogs 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 shetooka rifle her' 

93 



self, 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 
nooneimagine thatthere was danger toher Highness and her ladies, 
in thus firing atthewild droves from hertent, 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 
J& 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 lastthe right hearty 
pleasure of the day began J& For it was the custom at the ducal 
court for each huntsman, from the master of the hunt down, to re^ 
ceive a portion of the game ; and her Grace took much pleasure now 
in seeing the mode in which the distribution was made. Itwas 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 t j^Sothehuntsmenstooanowtoilingandsweat' 
ing, each with one foot firmly planted against a stone and the other 
on the belly of the beast, dragging down the ears with allhis forceto 
the very furthest point they could go, when another huntsman, 
standing by, cut off the head at that point with his hunting^knife 
j£? 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 con^ 
sented,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 outand 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 dogBlaffert.The carl rubbed his forehead, and atlast 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." 

All the bystanders laughed heartily,andthen the houndswere 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 deerorwikUboar; 
into this, as into a wooden trencher, was poured the warm blood of 
the wild animals, which the hounds lapped up, while forty hunts^ 
men played a march with drums and trumpets, which was re-echoed 
from the neighbouringwood,tothe great delightof all the listeners. 
When the hounds had lapped up all the blood, they began to eatup 
the tablecloths likewise; but as these belonged to the huntsmen, a 
great fighttookplacebetween them and the dogs forthe skins, which 
was right merry to behold, and greatly rejoiced the ducal party and 
all the people. 

|N the mean time, as I said, Sidonia had slipped into 

| the wood, & 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 J£?" Alas! gra* 

cious 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 & quiet- 
ness. Leave me, leave me, my gracious Lord "J&" No, no, he would 
not leave her until she told him whether she still loved him ; for his 
lady mother watched him day & night, like the dragon that guarded 
the Pomeranian arms, and until this moment he had never seen her 
alone" J*?" But what could he now desire to say ? Had he not sworn 
by the corpse of his father never to wed her V'J&" 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"j2?" But still he must hold by 
his word to his lady mother, would he not? "^"Impossible! all 
impossible ! He would sooner renounce land & people for everthan 
his beautiful Sidonia. Now he felt, for the first time, the truth of the 

95 




holy words: ' Love is strong as death/" Then he throws his arms 
round her and kissed her, and asked, would she be his?jg?Here Si' 
donia 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 Zitzewitz, who wished them both well, 
and who had given him some good advice "j^FSidonia, quickly re' 
moving her hands : "WTiat 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, with a nun whom he had 
carried off from her convent and married, therefore he would beable 
to sympathize with lovers, and would help them" " But his High' 
ness should remember his kingly state, & not bringmisery on them 
both for cvcr"J&" Hehad considered all that, they should therefore 
keep this marriage private for a year; she could liveatStramehldur' 
ingthat period, and receive his visits without his mother knowing 
of the matter. At the end of that year he would beof age, andhisown 
master "j(S?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 ?"j2?" Not yet, but if he continued as strong 
as he felttO'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 ofhis visit? 
his mother watched her day & night. Could he send a page oraser' 
ving'maid to her ? though indeed there were none now he could trust, 
for Ulrich had dismissed all her good friends. And if he came him' 
self to her room, evil might be spoken of k"j@" He had arranged 
all that already. There was the bear, as she remembered, chained 
upon the little islandin the horscpondjustunder 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 hadmadefor carryingheraway 
secretly from the castle. She must take care, however, to move away 
her seat from the window, & place it in a corner, lestthe arrow mipht 
96 * 



strike herself" J& But then aloud "Sidonia! Sidonia!" resounded 
through the wood, and immediately after," Ernest! Ernest V'J&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 whatwas 
her pleasure? So she suspected nothing, and grew quite calm again 
j^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 wolfjg?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, . . and presented to her. By the aid of this teles.* 
cope 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 dis- 
tance 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; soweoften 
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" 
J&Her Grace was truly scandalized, as one may imagine, and re 
plied angrily : " Gooduncle ! 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 !"jS?This rebuke made everyone 
grave until they reached the Cisan tower. This building lay only 
half a mile from the hunting ground, and was situated on the sum/ 
mit 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, & elegant, so that her Grace frequently 
passed a portion of the summer-time there. The upper story com* 
manded a view of the whole adjacent country. Atthe foot of the hill 
hi 97 



.'. An optician, & 
the probable in- 
ventor of the te- 
lescope, which 
was first employ- 
ed about the end 
of the sixteenth& 
the beginning of 
the seventeenth 
century. 







ran the little river Cisa into the Peen, and many light beautiful 
bridges were thrown over it at different points. Trie 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 after" 
wards erected at Friedrichswald, and commanded a far finer pros' 
sect, seeing that the Cisanberg is the highest hill in Pomerania. 

~7|HILEthepartyproceededtothetower,Sidoniarode 
along by her father, and to judge from her animation 
& gestures, she was no doubt communicating to him 
all thattheyounglord had promised, and her hopes, 
in consequence, that a very shortperiod wouldelapse 
before he might salute her as Duchess of Pomerania 
J^FWhen they reached the town, 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 noth^ 
ing of wblgast, 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 walk" 
ing. 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 leftjlying far behind the Finkenwald mountain." But theun- 
believingThomas laughed, & only answered: " My gracious Prince ! 
do not let yourself be so easily imposed upon "J^ 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: "Well, as 
trueasmyname is Otto Bork, I never could have believed this"jg? 
"Now, sir knight," said her Grace, "so it is with you as concerns 
spiritual things. How if you should one day find that to be true, 
which your infidelity now presumptuously asserts to be false ? Will 
notyourrepentancethenbebitter? If you have found my words true; 
the words of a poor, weak, sinful woman, will you not much more 
find those of the holy Son of God? Yes, to your horror and dismay, 
you will find his words to be truth, of whom even his enemies testis 
fiedthat he never lied,Matt. xxiu i6.Tremble, sir knight, & bethink 
you that what often seems impossible to man is possible to God" 
j^The bold knight was now completely silenced, and the good' 
natured Duke, seeing that he had not a word to say in reply, ad' 
98 



vanced to his rescue, & changed the conversation by saying: " Sec, 
Otto, the wind seems so favourable just now, that I think we had 
better say 'Vale' to our gracious hostess in the morning, and return 
to Stettin "j^Not a word did his Grace venture to say more about 
the wager of the kisses, for his dear cousin's demeanour restrained 
even his hilarity. Otto had nothing to object to the arrangement; 
and her Grace said, if they were not willing longer to abide at her 
widowedcourt, she would bid them both God speed upon their jour^ 
ney: " And you, sir knight, may take back your daughter Sidonia, for 
our dear son, as you may perceive, is now quite restored, and no 
longer needs her nursing. Forthe good deed she has wrought in ouv 
ing him, I shall recompense her as befits me. But at my court the 
maiden can no longer abide "jgFThe knight was at first so thunders 
struck by these words that he could not speak, but at last drawing 
himself up proudly, he said: "Good; I shall take the Lady Sidonia 
back with me to my castle, but as touching the recompense, keep it 
for those who need it." Sidonia, however, remained quite silent, as 
did also the young lordj^But hear what happened. The festival 
lasted until late in the night, and then suddenly such a faintness and 
bodily weakness came over the young Prince Ernest, that all the 
physicians had to be sent for; and they with one accord entreated 
her Grace, if she valued his life, not to send away Sidoniajg?One 
can imagine what her Grace felt at this news. Nothing would per- 
suade her to believe but that Sidonia, had given him some witch^ 
drink, such as the girl out of Daber had taught her to makej^ No 
one could believe that his Highness affected this sickness, in order 
to force his mother to keep Sidonia at the court; indeed he after^ 
wards strongly asseverated, and this at a time when he would have 
killed Sidonia with alook, if it had been possible, that this weakness 
came upon him suddenly like an ague. And that it could not have 
been caused by anythingshehadgivenhim,forhehadeatennothing, 
except at the banquet at the Cisantower.In short, the young Prince 
became asbadas ever ; but Sidonianeverheeded him, only busiedher^ 
self packing up her things, as if she really intended going away with 
Otto,& finally as eight o' clock struckthenextmorning, she wrapped 
herself in her mantle and hood, &went with her father and the Duke 
Barnim to take leave of her Grace. She looked as bitter and sour as 
a vinegar^cruet ; nothing would tempt her to remain even for one day 
longer. What was her Grace to do ? the young lord was dying, and 
had already dispatched two pages to her entreating for one sight of 
Sidonia! she must give the artful hypocrite good words; but they 
h2 o 9 



were of no avail, Sidonia insisted on leaving the castle that instant 
with her father; then turning to Duke Barnim she exclaimed with 
bittertears : " Now, gracious Prince, you see yourself how I am treat' 
ed here" J& Neither would the cunning Otto permit his daughter 
to remain on any account, unless, indeed, her grace gave him a written 
authority to receive the dues on the Jena. Such shameless knavery 
at last enraged the old Duke Barnim to such a degree that he cried 
out: "Listen, Otto, my illustrious cousin here has no more to do 
with the dues on the Jena than you have; they belong to me alone, 
and I can give no promise until I lay the question before my council 
and the diet of the Stettin dukedom : be content, therefore, to wait 
until then." One may easily guess what was the termination of the 
little drama got up by Otto and his fair daughter, namely, that Otto 
sailed away with the Duke, and that Sidonia remained at the court 
ofWolgast. 

CHAPTER XVI. HOW THE GHOST CONTINUED 
TO HAUNT THE CASTLE, AND OF ITS DARING 
BEHAVIOUR. ITEM, HOW THE YOUNG LORD 
REGAINED HIS STRENGTH, AND WAS ABLE TO 
VISIT CRUMMYN, WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO 
HIM THERE. 

Sidonia was again seated by the couch of 
theyoungPrince,withherhandinhishand, 
but her Grace,as may well be imagined, was 
neververyfarofffromthem;&thisannoyed 
Sidonia so much, that she did not scruple 
to treat the mourning mother and princely 

f< widow with the utmost contempt ; at last 

1 disdaining even to answer the questions 

addressed to her by her Grace. All this the 

1 Duchess bore patiently, for the sake of her 
dear son. But even Prince Ernest felt at length ashamed of such 
insolentscornbeingdisplayedtowardshismother,andsaid : "What, 
Sidonia, will you not even answer my gracious mother V'J&W ere<- 
upon the hypocrite sighed, and answered : " Ah, my gracious Prince ! 
I esteem it better to pray in silence beside your bed, than to hold a 
loud chattering in your ears. Besides, when I am speaking to God I 
cannot at the same time answer your lady mother "j@ This pleased 
the young man, and he pressed her little hand and kissed it. And 
very shortly after, his strength returned to him wonderfully, so that 
her Grace and Sidonia only watched by him one night. The next 

too 




4 




day he fell into a profound sleep, and awoke from it perfectly re/ 
covered. 

IN the mean time, the ghost became so daring and 
troublesome, that all the house stood in fear of it. 
Oftentimes it would be seen even in the clear morn/ 
ing light; and a maid who had forgotten to make 
the bed of one of the grooms, and ran to the stables 
___ at night to finish her work, encountered the ghost 
there, and nearly died of fright. Item x Clara von Dewitz, one beau/ 
tiful moonlight night, having gone out to take a turn up and down 
the corridor, because she could not sleep fromthetoothache, saw the 
apparition just as day dawned, sinking down into the earth, not far 
from the chamber of Sidonia,toher great horror and astonishment. 
Item: Her Grace, that very same night, having heard a noise in the 
corridor, opened her door, and there stood the ghost before her, lean/ 
ing against a pillar. She was horror/struck, and clapped to her door 
hastily, but said nothing to the young Prince for fear of alarming 
him. He had recovered, as I have said, in amost wonderful manner, 
andthough stilllooking pale andhaggard, yethis love forthe maiden 
would not permit him to defer his visit to Crummyn any longer; 
particularly as it lay only half a mile from the castle, but on the opp o/ 
site bank of the river, near the Island of Usdomjg? Thereupon, on 
the fourth night, he descended to the little water/gate, having pre/ 
viously arranged with his chief equerry, Appelmann, to have a boat 
there in readiness for him, and also a good horse, to take across the 
ferry with them to the other side. So at twelve o'clock, he and Appel/ 
mann embarked privately, with Johann Bruwer,the ferryman, and 
were safely landed at Mahlzow. Here he mounted his horse, and 
told the two others to await his return, and conceal themselves in the 
wood if any one approached. Appelmann begged permission to ac/ 
company his Highness, which, however, was denied ; the young 
Prince charging them strictly to hold themselves concealed till his 
return, and never reveal to human being where they had conducted 
him this evening, on pain of his severe anger and loss of favour for 
ever; but if they held their secret close, he would recompense them 
at no distant time, in a manner even far beyond their hopes J& So 
his Highness rode off to Crummyn, where all was darkness, except, 
indeed, one small ray of light that glanced from the lower windows 
of the cloister, for it was standing at the time. He dismounted, tied 
his horse to a tree, & knocked at the window, through which he had 
a glimpse of an old woman, in nun's garments, who held a crucifix 
n 3 101 



between her hands and prayed jSfr" Who are you ?" she demanded. 
"What can you want here at such an hour ?"j^" I am from Wol" 
gast," he answered, "and must see the priest of Crummyn" JS? 
"There is no priesthere now"^" But I have been told that a priest 
of the name of Neigialink lived here/' 

Ilia : " He was aLutheran swaddler& no priest, otherwise he would 
not live in open sin with a nun "J&" It is all the same to me; only 
come and show me the way." 

Ilia: "Was he a heathen or a true Christian?" J& His Highness 
could not make out what the old mother meant, but when he an" 
swered : " I am a Christian," she opened the door, and let him enter 
her cell. As she lifted up the lamp, however, she started back in ter^ 
ror at his young, pale, haggard face. Then, looking at his rich gar" 
ments, she cried : " This must be a son of good Duke Philip's, for 
never were two faces more alike " j$PThe Prince never imagined that 
the old mother could betray him, and therefore answered: "Yes, & 
nowlead me to the priest" j^So the old mother began to lament over 
the downfall of the pure Christian doctrine, which his father, Duke 
Philip, had upheld so bravely. And if the young lord held the true 
faith (as she hoped by his sayinghe was a Christian), if so, then she 
would die happy, and the sooner the better, even if it were this night, 
for she was the last of all the sisterhood, all the other nuns having 
died of grief; and so she went on chattering jgF Prince Ernest re" 
grettedthat he had nottimeto discourse with her upon the true faith, 
but would she tell him where the priest was to be found. 
Ilia : " She would take him to the parson, but he must first do her a 
service." "Whatever she desired, so that it would not detain him." 
Ilia : " It was on this night the vigil of the holy St. Bernard, their 
patron saint, was held; now, there was no one to light the altar can" 
dies for her, for her maid, who had grown old along with her, lay 
a"dying,and she was too old and weak herself to stretch up so high. 
And the idle Lutheran heretics of the town would mock, if they 
knew she worshipped God after the manner of her fathers. The old 
Lutheran swaddler, too, would not suffer it, if he knew she prayed 
in church by nights. But she did not care for his anger, for she had a 
private key that let her in at all hours ; and his Highness, the Prince, 
at her earnest prayers, had given her permission to pray in th e church, 
at any time she pleased, from then till her death "j&So the old 
motherweptso bitterly, and kissed his Highness'shand, entreating 
him with such sad lamentations to remain with her until she said a 
prayer, that he consented. And she said, if the heretic parson came 
102 



there to scold her, which of a surety he would, knowing that she 
never omitted a vigil, he could talk to him in the church, without 
going to disturbhim&hisharlotnunattheirownresidence.Besides, 
the church was the safest place to discourse in, for no one would 
notice them, and he would be able to protect her from the parson's 
anger besidesjfiFHere the old mother tookup the church keysanda 
horn lantern, and led the young Prince through a narrow corridor up 
to the church door. Hardly, however, had she putthe key in the lock, 
when the loud bark of a dog was heard inside, and they soon heard 
it scratching, and smelling, and growling at them close to the door 
J&" What can that dog be here for?" said his Highness in alarm T . , . 

j^'Alas!" answeredthe nun/'sincethepureold religion was des^ ''{T I s an *} n dem ' 
troyed,profanityandcovetousnesshavegottheupperhand;soevery . ,! that the 

church where even a single pious relic of the wealth of the good old ,mmora . ht y °| the 
times remains, must be guarded, asyou see, by dogs. -And she had P co P lctc ^^Y m ^ 
herself locked up her pretty dog Storteback . . here, that no one Creased ,.* n 
mightrob the altarof the golden candlesticks and the little jewels,at P ro S res . s of the Re. 
least as long as she lived' 7 J& So she desired Storteback to lie still, tormatIon through, 
& then entered the church with the Prince, who lit the altar candles a 1 * uru*™! 
for her, and then looked round with wonder on the silver lamps, the Al * old ^ hromcl «, 
golden pix and cups, and other vessels adorned with jewels, used by *? * Protestant, 
the papists in their ceremonies J& The old mother, in the mean^ I a S * es y mes '»542 • 
while, took off her white garment and black scapulary, and being . • m^V 
thus naked almost to the waist, descended into a coffin, which was time^tneKetorma. 
lying in a corner beside the altar. Here she groped till she brought ?° n) a S reatchan g e 
up a crucifix, and a scourge of knotted cords J& Then she kneeled h , aS COn } e °Y er "i 
down within the coffin, lashing herself with one hand till the blood thmgS * l \ place ° f 

flowed from her shoulders, and with the other holding up the cru- P iet /' we have Pr<> 

D r ranity; in place of 

reverence, sacrilege and the plundering of God's churches; in place of almsdeeds, stingi. 
ness and selfishness ; inplace of feasts, greed and gluttony; in place of festivals, labour; 
in place of obedience and humility of children, obstinacy & selkopinion; in place of ho. 
nour and veneration for the priesthood, contempt for the priest & the church ministers. 
So that one might justly assert that the preaching of the evangelism had made the people 
worse in place of better "JS? Another Protestant preacher, John Borkman, asserts, 1560 : 
"As for sin, it overflows all places and all stations. It is growing stronger in all offices, in 
all trades, in all employments, in every station of life : what shall I say more ? in every 
individual," and so on. I would, therefore, recommend the blind eulogists of the good 
old times to examine history for themselves, and not to place implicit belief either in the 
pragmatical representatives of the old and new Lutherans. 
.*.' The name of a notorious northern pirate. 



M 



103 



cifix, which she kissed from timeto time, whilst she recited the hymn 
of the holy St. Bernard : 
" Salve caput cruentatum, 
Totum spinis coronatum, 
Conquassatum, vulneratum, 
Arundine verberatum 
Facie sputis illita." 

WTien she had thus prayed, and scourged herself a while, she ex^ 
tended the crucifix with her bleeding arm to the Prince, and prayed 
him, for the sake of God, to have compassion on her, and so would 
the bleeding Saviour and all the saints have compassion upon him 
at the last day. And when his Highness asked her what he could do 
for her, she oesought him to bring her a priest from Grypswald, 
who could break the Lord's body once more for her, and give her 
the last sacrament of Extreme Unction here in her coffin.J^Then 
would she never wish to leave it, but die of joy if this only was granted 
to her J& So the Prince promised to fulfil her wishes ; whereupon 
she crouched down again in the coffin, & recommenced the scourging, 
while she repeated with loud sobs and groans the two last verses of 
the hymn. Scarcely had she ended when a small side door opened, 
and the dog Storteback began to bark vociferously J& "What!" 
exclaimed a voice, "is that old damned Catholic witch athermum^ 
meries, and burning my good wax candles all for nothing ? " J& And, 
silencing the dog, a man stepped forward hastily, but seeing the 
Prince, paused in astonishment. Whereupon the old mother raised 
herself up out of the coffin, and said : " Did I not tell your Grace that 
you would see the hard-hearted heretic here ? That is the man you 
seek." So the Prince brought him into the choir, and told him that 
he was Prince Ernest Ludovicus, and came here to request that he 
would privately wed him on the following night, without knowledge 
of any human being, to his beloved andaffianced bride, Sidoniavon 
Bork. jg?The priest, however, did not care to mix himself up with 
such a business, seeing that he feared Ulrich mightily; but his Grace 
promised him a better living at the end of the year, if he would un/ 
dertake to serve him no wJ&To which the priest answered: "Who 
knows if your Highness will be alive by the end of the year, foryou 
look as pale as a corpse ?" J& " He never felt better in his life. He 
had been ill lately, but now was as sound as a fish. Would he not 
marry him?" 

Hie : "Certainly not; unless he received a handsome consideration. 
He had a wife and dear children ; what would become of them if he 
104 



incurred the displeasure of that stern Lord Chamberlain and of the 

princely widow t" J& But could he not bring his family to Stettin; 

for he and his youngbride intended to fly there, and put themselves 

under the protection of his dear uncle, Duke Barnim ?" 

Hie : " It was a dangerous business; still, if his Highness gave him 

a thousand gulden down, and a written promise, signed and sealed, 

that he would provide him with a better living before the year ex^ 

pired, why, out of love for the young lord, he would consent to peril 

himself and his family;but his Highnessmustnotthink evilof him 

for demanding the thousand gulden paid down immediately, for 

howwere his dearwife and children to be supported through the long 

year otherwise?" J& His Highness, however, considered the sum 

too large, and said that his gracious mother had scarcely morea year 

for herself than a thousand guldens, she that was the Duchess of 

Pomerania j^ However, they finally agreed upon four hundred 

gulden; for his Highness showed him that Doctor Luther himself 

had only four hundred gulden a year, and surely he would not tc* 

quire more than the great reformatorecclesiaejgFSo everything was 

arranged at last, the priest promising to perform the ceremony on 

the third night from that J& " For some time," he said, "would be 

necessary to collect people to assist them in their flight, and money 

must be distributed; but his Highness would, of course, repay all 

that he expended in his behalf, and further promise to give, him and 

his family free quarters when they reached Stettin" J& After the 

ceremony, they could reach the boat through the convent garden, . 

and sail away to Warte. .-. Then hewould have four or five peasants T 'j ^ town near 

in waiting, with carriages ready, to escort them toEastClune,from Usdom - 

whencethey could takeanother boatandcrossthe HafF into Stettin; 

for, as they could not reckon on a fair wind with any certainty, it was 

better to perform the journey half by land and half by water; besides, 

the fishermen whom he intended to employ, were not accustomed 

tosailupthePeenthewholewayintotheHaff,fortheirlittlefishing-' 

smacks were too slight to stand a strong current J& Hereupon the 

Prince answered, that, since it was necessary, he would wait until 

the third night, when the priest should have everything in readiness, 

but meanwhile should confide the secret to no one. So he turned 

away, and comforted the old mother again with his promises as he 

passed out. 



105 






. 




HE next morning, having written all down for Side 
nia,and concealed the note in an arrow, he went forth 
as he had arranged, and began to tease the bear by 
shooting arrows at him, till the beast roared & shook 
his chain.Then,perceivingthatSidoniahad observed 
him from the window, he watched a favourable op^ 
portunity, and shot the arrow up right through her window, so that 
the pane of glass rattled down upon the floor. In the billet therein 
concealed he explained the whole plan of escape ; and asked her to 
inform him, in return, how she could manage to come to him on the 
third night. "Would his dearest Sidonia put on the dress of a page ? 
He could bring it to her little chamber himself the next night. She 
must write a little note in answer, and conceal it in the arrow as he 
had done, then throw it out of the window, and he would be on the 
watch to pick it up j$PSo Sidonia replied to him that she was con^ 
tent; but, as regarded the page's dress, he must leave it about ten 
o'clock the next night upon the beer'barrel in the corridor, but not 
attempt to bring it himself to her chamber. Concerning the manner 
in which she was to meet him on the third night, had he forgotten 
that the old castellan barred and bolted all that wing of the castle 
by eleven o'clock, so that she could never leave the corridor by the 
usual way; but there was a trap^door near her little chamber which 
led down into the ducal stables, and this door no one ever thought 
of or minded, it was never bolted night or day, and was quite large 
enough for a man to creep through. Her dear Prince might wait for 
her by that trap door at eleven o clock on the appointed night. He 
could not mistake it, for the large basket lay close behind, in which 
her Grace kept her darling little kittens ; from thence they could 
easily get into the outer courtvyard, which was never locked, & after 
that go where they pleased. If he approved of this arrangement, let 
him shoot another arrowintoher room; but above all things,hewas 
to keep at a distance from her during the day, that her Grace might 
not suspect anythingjfi? Having thrown the arrow out of the winx 
dow, & received another in answer from the Prince, which the artful 
hypocrite flung out as if in great anger, she ran to Clara's room, and 
complained bitterly how the young lord had broken her window, 
because, forsooth he must be shooting arrows at the bear; & so she 
had come into her room out of the cold air, until the glazier came to 
put in the glass. When Clara asked her how she could be so angry 
with the young Prince, did she not love him any longer ? Sidonia 
replied, that truly she had grown very tired of him, for he did nothing 
106 



but sigh and groan whenever he came near her, like an asthmatic 
old woman, and had grown asthin and dry as a baked plum. There 
was nothing very loveable about him now. Would to heaven that 
he were quite well, and shewouldsoon bid farewell to the castle and 
every one in it; but the moment she spoke of going,his sickness re^ 
turned, so that she was obliged to remain, which was much against 
her inclination; and this she might tell Clara in confidence, because 
she had always been her truest friend J& Then she pretended to 
weep, and cursed her beauty, which had brought her nothing but 
unhappiness ; thereupon the tender/hearted Clara began to comfort 
her,and kissed her; and the moment Sidonia left her to gettheglass 
mended, Clara ran to her Grace to tell her the joyful tidings; but 
alas ! that very day the wickedness of the artful maiden was brought 
to light. For what happened in the afternoon ? J& See, the nun of 
Crummyn steps out of a boat at the little water-gate, & places her.' 
self in a corner of the courtyard, wherethe people soon gather round 
in a crowd, to laugh at her white garments & black scapulary ; and 
the boys begin to pelt the poor old mother with stones, and abuse 
her,callinghertheoldpapistwitch;but,bygoodfortunethecastellan 
comes by, and commands the crowd to leave off tormentingher, and 
then asks her business. 

Ilia : " She must speak instantlyto her Grace, the Princely Widow" 
J& So the old man brings her to her Grace, with whom Clara was 
still conversing, & the old nun, after she had kneeled to the Duchess 
and kissed her hand, began to relate how her young Lord, Prince 
Ernest, had been with her the night before, while she was keeping 
the vigilia of Holy St. Bernard to the best of her ability, and had 
urgently demanded to see the Lutheran priest named Neigialink, 
and that when this same priest came into the church to scold her, as 
was his wont, he and the Prince had retired into the choir, & there 
held a long conversation which she did not comprehend. But the 
priest's mistress had told her the whole business this morning, under 
a promise of secrecy; namely that the priest, her leman, had pro^ 
mised to wed Prince Ernest privately on the third night from that, 
to a certain young damsel, named Sidonia von Bork. Thatthe Prince 
had given him a thousand gulden for his services, and a promise of 
a rich living when he succeeded to the government, so that in future 
she could live as grand as an abbess, and have what beautiful horses 
she chose from the ducal stables J^" And this," said the nun," was 
told me by the priest's mistress ; but as I have a true Pomeranian 
heart, although, indeed, the Prince has left the good old religion, I 

107 



could not rest in peace until I stepped into a boat, weak and old as 
I am, and sailed off here direct to inform your Grace of the plot/' 
J%j? She only asked one favour in return for her service. It was that 
her Grace would permit her to end the rest of her days peaceably in 
the cloister, and protect her from the harshness of the Lutheran 
priests and the fury of the mob, who fell on her like mad dogs here 
in the castle court, and would have torn her to pieces if the castellan 
had not come by and rescued her; but above all, she requested and 
prayed her Grace to permit a true priest to come to her from Gryps^ 
wald, who could give her the holy Eucharist, and prepare her for 
death. But her Grace was struck dumb by astonishment and alarm, 
and Clara could not speak either, only wrung her hands in anguish. 
And her Grace continued to walk up and down the room weeping 
bitterly, until at last she sat down before her desk to indite a note to 
old Ulrich, praying for his presence without delay, and straightway 
despatched the chief equerry, Appelmann, with it to Spantikow 
jg?The old nun still continued crying, would not her Grace send 
her a priest? But her Grace refused; for in fact, she was a stern up- 
holder of the pure doctrine. Anything else the old mother demanded 
she might have, but with abominations of popery her Grace would 
have nothing to do. Still the old nun prayed and writhed at her feet, 
crying and groaning : " For the love of God, a priest ! For the love of 
God, a priest!" But her Grace drew herself up stiff and stern, and 
let the old woman writhe there unheeded, until at length she mo/ 
tioned to Clara to have her removed to the court/yard, where the 
poor creature leaned up againt the pump in bitter agony, and drew 
forth a crucifix from her bosom, kissed it, & looking up to heaven, 
cried : " Jesu ! Jesu ! art thou come at last ? " and then dropped down 
dead upon the pavement, which the crowd no sooner observed than 
they gathered round the corpse, screaming out: " The devil has car- 
ried her off! See, the devil has carried off the old papist witch !" H ear- 
ing the uproar, her Grace descended, as did also the young lord and 
Sidonia,who both appeared as if they knew nothing at all aboutthe 
old nun. And her Grace commanded that the executioner should 
byno means dragawaythebody, as the people demanded, who were 
now rushing to the spot from all quarters of the town, but that it 
should be decently lifted into the boat and conveyed back to Crunv 
myn, there to be interred with the other members of the sisterhood 
at the cloister J& No word did she speak, eitherto her undutiful son 
or to Sidonia, about what she had heard, only when the latter asked 

her what the nun came there for, she answered coldly: "For a popish 
108 




priest." Hereupon the young Prince was filled with joy, concluding 
that nothing had been betrayed as yet. And it was natural the old 
nun should come with this request, seeing that she had made the 
same to him. Her Grace also strictly charged Clara to observe a 
profound silence upon all they had heard, until the old chamberlain 
arrived, and this she promised. 

CHAPTER XVII. OF ULRICH'S COUNSELS. ITEM, 
HOW CLARA VON DEWITZ CAME UPON THE 
TRACK OF THE GHOST. 

ST eleven o'clock that same night, the good 

1 and loyal Lord Ulrich arrived at the castle 

with Appelmann, from Spantikow, and 

just waited to change his travelling dress 

Ibeforeheproceededtotheapartmentofher 
Grace. He found her seated with Clara & 
another maiden weeping bitterly. Dr. Ger^ 
schovius was alsopresent. When the old 
man entered, her Grace's lamentations be^ 
came yetlouder j alas how she was afflicted ! 
Who could have believed that all this had come upon her because 
the devil, out of malice, had made Dr. Luther drop her wedding-ring 
at the bridal ! And when the knight asked in alarm what had hap' 
pened, she replied that tears prevented her speaking, but Dr. Ger^ 
schovius would tell himallj^Sothe doctorrelated the whole affair, 
from the declaration of the old nun to the hypocritical conduct of Si^ 
donia towards Clara von Dewitz; upon which the old knight shook 
his head, and said: " Did I not counsel your Grace to let the young 
lord die, in God's name, for better it is to lose life than honour. Had 
he died, then so would the Almighty have raised him pure & perfect 
at the last day, but now he is growing daily in wickedness, as a young 
wolf in ferocity"^Then her Grace made answer, the past could 
not now be recalled; and that she was ready to answer before God 
for whatshe had done, throughmotherlyloveandtenderness. They 
must now advise her how to save her infatuated son from the snares 
of this wanton. Dr. Gerschovius, thereupon, gave it as his opinion 
that they should each be placed in strict confinement for the next 
fourteen days, duringwhichtimehewouldvisitand admonish them 
twice a day, by which means he hoped soon to turn their hearts to 
God jg? Here old Ulrich laughed outright, and asked the Doctor, was 
he still bent upon teaching Sidonia her catechism ? As to the young 
lord, no admonition would do him good now; he was thoroughly 

109 



bewitched by the girl, and though he made a hundred promises to 
give her up, would never hold one of them. Alas ! alas ! that the son 
of good Duke Philip shouldbesodegeneratej^Buther Gracewept 
bitterly, and said, that never was there a more obedient, docile, and 
amiable child than her dear Ernest; skilled in all the fine arts, and 
gifted by nature with all that couldinsure a mother'slove. " Buthow 
does all this help him now?" cried Ulrich. " It is with a good heart 
as with a good ship: unless you guide it, it will run aground; stand 
by the helm, or the best ship will be lost. What had the country to 
expect from a prince who would die, forsooth, unless his mistress 
sat by his bedside ? Ah ! if he could only have followed the funeral 
of theyoung lord! hewouldhave given ahundred florins to the poor 
that very day"j2?"It was not her son's fault; that base hypocrite 
had caused it all by some hell magic." 

Ilk : "That was quite impossible; however, he would believe it to 
please her Grace "J&" Then let him speak his opinion, if the counsel 
of Dr. Gerschovius did not please him." 

I lie : " His advice, then, was to keep quiet until the third night, then 
secretly place a guard round the castle and at the wing, and when 
the bridal party met, take them out prisoners, send my young Lord 
to the tower, but disgrace Sidonia publicly, and send her off where 
she pleased; to the fiend, if she liked "jjg?" Then they would have 
the same old scene over again; her son would fall sick, and Sidonia 
could not be brought back to cure him, if once she had been pub" 
licly disgraced before all the people. Sothatmatters would be worse 
than ever"J& Hereupon old Ulrich fell into such a rage that he 
cursed and swore that her Grace treated him no better than a fool, 
to bring him hither from Spantikow, and then refuse to take his ad' 
vice. As to Sidonia, her Grace had already brought disgrace upon 
her princely house, by first turning her out and then praying her to 
come back, before three days had elapsed. All Pomerania talked of 
it, and old Otto Bork did not scruple to brag and boast everywhere, 
thather Grace had no peace or rest fromherconscience,untilshehad 
asked forgiveness from the Lady Sidonia (as the vain old knave 
called her) and entreated her to return. Now if she took the advice 
of Doctor Gerschovius,and first imprisoned & then turned away Si' 
donia, no one wouldbelieve in her story of the intended marriage, but 
look on her conduct as only a confirmation of all the hard treatment 
which her Grace was reported to have employed towards the girl, 
whereas if she only waited till the whole bridal party were ready to 
start, and then arrested Sidonia, her Grace was justified before the 
no 



■H 



whole world, for what greater fault could be committed than thus 
to entrap the young Prince intoasecretmarriage,andrun away with 
him by night from the castle ? Let her Grace then send for the ex^ 
ecutioner, and let him give Sidonia a public whipping before all the 
people. No one would think the punishment too hard for seducing 
a Prince of Pomerania into a marriage with her jg? So the princely 
widow of Duke Philip will be justified before all the world, & when 
the young lord sees his bride so disgraced, he will assuredly be right 
willing to give her up; even if he fall sick, it is impossible that he 
could send for a maiden to sit by his bed, who had been publicly 
whipped by the executioner. Those were stern measures, perhaps, 
but a branch of the old Pomeranian tree was decayed; it must be 
lopped, or the whole tree itself would soon fallj^ when the grand 
chamberlain ceased speaking, her Grace considered the matter well 
and finally pronounced that she would follow his advice, whereupon 
as the night waxed late she dismissed the party to their beds, retain^ 
in g only Clara with her for a little longer. 

UTastrangethinghappenedasshetoofinallyquitted 
her Grace, & proceeded along the corridor to her own 
little apartment; and here let every one consider how 
the hand of God is in everything, and what great 
events he can bring forth from the slightest causes 
as a great oak springs up from alittle acornjg?For as 
the maiden walked along, her sandal became unfastened, & tripped 
her, so that she nearly fell upon her face, whereupon she paused, and 
placing her foot upon a beer^barrel that stood against the wall not 
far from Sidonia's chamber, began to fasten it, but lo ! just at that 

momenttheheadoftheghostappearedrisingthroughthetrap^door, 
and looked round, then as if aware of her presence, drew back, and 
she heard a noise as if it had jumped down on the earth beneath. She 
was horribly frightened, and crept tremblingto her bed, but then on 
reflectingover this apparition of the serpent knight, it cameinto her 
head that it could not be a ghost, since it came down on the ground 
with such a heavy jump; she prayed to God, therefore, to help her 
in discoveringthis matter, and as she could not sleep, rose before the 
first glimmer of daylight to examine this hole which lay so close to 
Sidonia's chamber, and there truly she discovered the trap^door, and 
havingopenedit, found thatitlay right over a large coach in the ducal 
stables; thereupon she concluded that the ghost was no other than 
the Prince himself who thus visited Sidonia J^ Then she remem/ 
bered that the ghost had been particularly active, while the young 

111 




Prince lay sick on his bed watched by his mother; so to make the 
matter clearer she went the next eveninginto the stables, & observe 
ing the coach, which lay just beneath the hole, sprinkled fine ash-' 
dust all round it. Then returning to her room, she waited until it 
grew quite dark, and as ten o'clock struck and all the doors of the 
corridor leading to the women's apartments were barred and bolted, 
she wrapped herself in a black mantle and stole out with a palpitate 
ing heart into the gallery. Remembering the large beer^barrel near 
Sidonia's room, she crouched down behind it, and from thence had 
a distinctviewofthetrap'door, and also of Sidonia's chamber.There 
she waited for about an hour, when she perceived the young Prince 
coming, but not through the trap-'door. He knocked lightly at Su 
donia's door, who opened it instantly, and theyheldalongwhisper^ 
ing conversation together. Hehad brought her the page's dress, and 
there was nothing to be feared now, for he had examined the trap 
and found they could easily get out through it on the top of the coach, 
and from thence into thestables. Afterthattheway was clear. Surely 
some good angel had put the idea into her head. Then he kissed her 
tenderly. 

Ilia: "what did the old nun come for? Could she have betrayed 
them?" 

Hie : "Impossible. She did not know a syllable of their affairs, and 
had come to ask his lady mother to send her a popish priest, as she 
had asked himself." Then he kissed her again, but she tore herself 
from his arms, threw the little bundle into the room, and shut the 
door in his face.Whereupon the young Prince went his way,sighing 
as if his heart would break. 

|0\^ Clara concluded, with reason, that the young 
Lord was not the ghost, inasmuch as he did not creep 
through the trap^door, nor did he wear helmet or 
cuirass, or any sort of disguise. But when she heard 
Sidonia talk with such knowledge of the trap-'door, 
she guessed there was some knavery in the matter, 
and though she sat the night there she was determined to watch. 
And, behold ! at twelve o'clock therewas a great clattering heard be^ 
low, and presently a helmet appeared rising through the hole, and 
then the entire figure of the ghost clambered up through it, and 
after cautiously looking round it, approached Sidonia's door, and 
knocked lightly. Immediately she opened it herself, admitted the 
ghost, and Clara heard her drawing the bolts of the door within J& 
The pious and chaste maiden felt ready to faint with shame • for it 

U2. 




was now evident that Sidonia deceived the poor young Prince as 
well as everyone else, and that this ghost whom she admitted must 
be a favoured lover. She resolved to watch until he came out. But it 
was about the dawn of morning before he again appeared, and took 
his hellish path down through the trap'door,in the same way as he 
had risen. But to make all certain she took a brush, and before it was 
quite day, descended to the stables, where indeed she observed large 
heavy footprints in the ashes all round the coach, quite unlikethose 
which the delicate little feet of his Highness would have made. So 
she swept them all clean away to avoid exciting any suspicion, and 
crept back, noiselessly, to her little room. Then waiting till the monv 
ing was somewhat advanced, she despatched her maid on some 
errand into the town, in order to get rid of her, and then watched 
anxiously for her bridegroom, Marcus Bork, who had always passed 
her door going to his office; and hearinghis step she openedherdoor 
softly, and drew him in. Then she related fully all she had heard and 

seen on thepastnightj^Theupright&virtuousyoungman clasped 
his hands together in horror & disgust, but could not resolve whether 
it were fitter to declare the whole matter to her Highness instantly 
or not. Clara, however, was of opinion that her Grace would derive 
great comfort from the information, because when the Prince found 
how Sidonia had betrayed him, he would give up the creature of his 
own accord. To which Marcus answered, that probably the Prince 
wouldnotbelieveawordof thestory,and then matterswould be in a 
worse way than ever. 

Ilia : " "Was he afraid to disgrace Sidonia, because she was his kins* 
woman ?Was it the honourof his namehe wished to shield by spar^ 
ing her from infamy?" 

Hie : " No ; she wronged him. If she were his sister, he would still do 
his duty towards her Grace. The honour of the whole Pomeranian 
house was perilled here, and he would save it at any cost. But did his 
darling bride know who the ghost was ?" 

Ilia : "No; she had been thinking the whole night about him till her 
head ached, but in vain " J& At this moment the grand chamberlain 
passed the room on his way to the Duchess, and they both went to 
the door, and entreated him to come in and give them his advice. 
How the old knight laughed for joy when he heard all; it was almost 
as good news to him as the death of the young lord would have been. 
But,no;thevmustnot breathe a syllable of itto her Highness. Wait 
for this night, and if the dear ghost appeared again he would give 
him and his paramour something to think of to the end of their lives. 
il 113 



Then he walked up and down Clara's little room, thinking over what 
should be done; and finally resolved to open the matter to the young 
Prince that night between ten & eleven o'clock, and show him what 
a creature he was going to make Duchess of Pomerania. After which 
they should all, Marcus included, go armed to the stables . . for the 
Prince, no doubt, would be slow of belief . ♦ and there conceal them- 
selves in the coach until the ghost arrived. If he came, as was almost 
certain, they would follow him toSidonia's room, break it open,and 
discoverthem together. In order that witnesses might not be want' 
ing,he would desire all the pages and household to be collected in his 
roomatthathourj&themomenttheywerecertainofhavingtrapped 
the ghost, Marcus should slip out of the coach, and run to gather 
them all together in the grand corridor. To ensure all this being done, 
he would take the keys from the castellan himself that night, and 
keep them in his own possession. But, above all things, they were 
to keep still and quiet during the day; and nowhe would proceed to 
her GracejfiFBut Marcus Bork begged to ask him, if the ghost did 
not come that night, what was to be done ? For the next was to be 
that of the marriage, and unless the Prince was convinced by his 
own eyes, nothing would make him credit the wickedness of his in- 
tended bride. Sidonia would swear by heaven and earth that the 
story was a malicious invention, and a plot to effect her utter de- 
structionj^This view of the case puzzled the old knight not a little, 
and he rubbed his forehead and paced up and down the room, till 
suddenly an idea struck him, and he exclaimed jffi" I have it, Mar-* 
cus ! You are a brave youth, dear Marcus, and a loyal subject and 
servant to her Grace. Your conduct will bring as much honour upon 
the noble name of Bork as Sidonia's has brought disgrace. There' 
fore, I will trust you. Listen, Marcus. If the ghost does not appear 
to-night, then you must ride the morrow morn to Crummyn. Bribe 
the priest with gold. Tell him that he must write instantly to the 
young Prince, saying that the marriage must be delayed for eight 
days; for there was no boat to be had safe enough to carry him &nis 
bride up the Haff, seeing that all the boats and their crews were en« 
gaged at the fisheries, and would not be back to Crummyn until the 
following Saturday. The young lord, therefore must have patience. 
Should the priesthesitate, then Marcus must threaten him with the 
loss of his living, as the whole princely house should be made ac- 
quainted with his villainy. He will then consent. I know him well! 
jJS^If thatis once arranged, then we shall seat ourselves every night 
in the coach until the ghost comes ; and, methinks, he will not long 
114 




delay, since hitherto he has managed his work with such security 
and success "j$FThe discreet and virtuous Marcus promised to obey 
Ulrich in all things, and the grand chamberlain then went his way. 

CHAPTERXVIII.HOWTHEHORRIBLE WICKED, 
NESSOFSIDONIA WAS MADE APPARENT: AND 
HOW IN CONSEQUENCE THEREOF SHE WAS 
BANISHED WITH IGNOMINY FROM THE DU. 
CAL COURT OFWOLGAST. 

HE Night came at last. And the grand 
chamberlain collected, as he had said, all 
the officials & pages of the household to ge, 

therinhisofficeatthetreasury,&badthem 
wait there until he summoned them. No 
one was to leave the apartmentunderpain 
ofhis severe displeasure.Item,hehadpray^ 
edher Grace not to retire to rest that night 
before twelve of the clock; and when she 
asked wherefore, he replied that she would 
have to take leave of a very remarkable visitor that night ; upon which 
she desired to know more, but he said that his word was passed not 
to reveal more. So her Grace thought he meant himself, & promised 
to remain up. 

S ten o'clock struck the castellan locked up, as was his 
wont, all that portion of the castle leading to the 
women's apartments. Whereupon, Ulrich asked him 
for the keys, saving that he would keep them in his 
own charge. Then he prayed his Serene Highness 
Prince Ernest, to accompany him to the lumber, 
roomj^His Highness consented, and they both ascended in the 
dark. On entering, Ulrich drew forth a dark lantern from beneath 
his cloak, and made the light fall upon an old suit of armour. Then 
turningto the Prince :"Doyouknowthis armour ?"hesaidj£^" Ah, 
yes; it was the armour of his dearly beloved father, Duke Philip.'' 
Ille: "Right. Did he then remember the admonitions which the 
wearer of this armour had uttered, upon his deatlvbed, to him and 
his brothers ?" "Oh, yes; well he remembered them, but what did 
this long sermon denote ?" jS? 

Ille : "This he would soon know. Had he not given his right hand 
tothe wearer of that armour, and pledged himself ever to setagood 
example before the people committed to his rule?"jg? 
Hie : " He did not know what all this meant. Had he ever set a bad 
example to his subjects?"jjS? 

» 2 115 




Me : "He was on the high road to do it, when he had resolved to wed 
himself secretly to a maiden beneath his rank." (Here the young 
Prince became as pale as a corpse.) " Let him deny, if he could, that 
he had sworn by his father's corpse, with his hand upon the coffin, 
to abandon Sidonia. He would not upbraid him with his broken 
promises to him, but would he bring his loving mothertoher grave 
through shame & a broken heart? Would he make himselfonalevel 
with the lowest of the people, by wedding Sidonia the next night in 
the church at Crummyn ?" J£r 

Hie : " Had that accursed catholic nun then betrayed him ? Ah, he 
was surrounded by spies & traitors, but if he could not obtain Sidonia 
now, he would wed her the moment he was of age and succeeded to 
the government. If he could in no way have Sidonia, thenhewould 
never wed another woman, but remain single and a dead branch for 
his whole life long. Her blood was as noble as his own, and no devil 
should dare to part them^jS? 

Me : But if he could prove, this very night, to the young lord, that 
Sidonia was not an honourable maiden, but a dishonoured creature!" 
Here the young Prince drew his dagger & rushed upon the old man, 
with lips foaming with rage; but Ulrich sprang behind the armour 
of Duke Philip, and said calmly: "Ernest, if thou wouldst murder 
me who have been so leal and faithful a servant to thee and thine, 
then strike me dead here through the links of thy father's cuirass" 
J& And as the young man drew back with a deep groan, he con^ 
tinued : " Hear me, before thou dost a deed which eternity will not 
be long enough to repent. I cannot be angry with thee, for I have 
been young myself, and would have stricken any one to the earth 
who had called my own noble bride dishonoured. Listen to me, then, 
and strike me afterwards, if thou wilt." Hereupon the old knight 
stepped out from behind the armour, which was fixed upon a wood' 
en frameinthemiddleof the apartment, with the helmet surmount' 
ingit, and leaning against the shoulder piece, he proceeded to relate 
all that Clara had seen and heard jgFTne young Prince turned first 
as red as scarlet, then pale as a corpse, and sank down upon a pile of 
old armour, unableto utter anythingbut sighs & groans.Ulrich then 
asked if he remembered the silly youth who had been drowned lately, 
in consequence of Sidonia' s folly; for it was his apparition in the ar^ 
mour he then wore, which it was reported haunted the castle. And did 
he remember also howthat armour (in which thepooryoung man's 
father also had been killed fightingagainstthe Bohemians) had been 
taken off the corpse and hung up again in that lumber-room PjgSF 
u6 



Hie: "Of course he remembered all that; it had happened too lately 
for him to forget the circumstance"^ 

I lie : "Well, then, let him take the lantern himself, and see if the 
armour hung still upon the wall." So the young lord took the lantern 
with tremblinghands,& advanced to the place; but no, there was no 
armour there now. Then he looked all round the room, but the ar^ 
mour with the serpentcrestwasnowheretobeseen. Hedroppedthe 
lantern with a bitter execration . H ereupon the old knight continued : 
"You see,my gracious Prince,thattheghostmusthave flesh &blood 
like you or me.Thecastellantellsmethatwhentheghostfirst began 
his pranks, the helmetand cuirass were still found every morning in 
their usual place here. But for eight days they have not been forth*' 
coming; for the ghost, you see, is growing hardy and forgetting his 
usual precautions. However, the castellan had determined to watch 
him, & seize hold of him, for as he rightly conjectured, a spirit could 
not carry awayaheavy iron suit of armour on him; but his wife had 
dissuaded him from those measures up to the present time. Come 
now to the stables with me," continued Ulrich, "and let us conceal 
ourselves in the coach which I mentioned to you; Marcus Bork shall 
accompany us, and let us wait there until the ghost appears, & creeps 
through the trap^door. After some time we shall follow him • and 
then this wicked cheat will be detected. But before we move swear 
to me that you will await the issue peaceably & calmly in the coach • 
you must neither sigh nor groan, nor scarcely breathe. No matter 
what you hear or see, if you cannot control your fierce jealous rage 
all will be lost." Then the Prince gave him his hand, and promised 
to keep silence, though it should cost him his life, for no one could 
bemore anxious to discover the truth or falsehoodof this matterthan 
he himself. So they both descended now to the courtvyard, Ulrich 
concealingthe lantern under his mantle; and they crouched a'longby 
the wall till they reached the horse^pond, where Marcus Bork stood 
awaiting them; then they glided on, one by one, into the stables, & 
concealed themselves within the coach. 

: i :i~L^;m' T was well they did so withoutlonger delay, for scarce^ 
lv had they been seated when the ghost appeared. 
No doubt he had heard of the intended marriage, & 
wished to take advantageof his last opportunity. As 
the sound of his feet became audible approachingthe 
coach, the Prince almost groaned audibly, but the 
stout old knight threw one arm powerfully round his body, & placed 
the hand of the other firmly over his mouth. The ghost now beg 




ran 



"3 „ 7 



to ascend the coach, & they heard him clambering up the hind wheel; 
he slipped down, however (a bad omen), & muttered a half curse; 
then, to help himself up better,he seizedhold of the sash of the win" 
dow, and with it took a grip of Ulrich' s beard, as he was leaning 
close to the side of the coach to watch the proceedings. Not a stir 
did the brave old knight make, but sat as still as marble, and even 
held his breath, lest the ghost might feel it warm upon his hand, & 
so discover their ambuscade J& At last he was up ; and they heard 
him clattering overtheirheads, then creepingthroughthetrap^door 
into the corridor, and a little after, the sound of a door gently open' 
ingjg? All efforts were in vain to keep the Prince quiet. He must 
followhim. Hewould rush through the trap^doorafter him, though 
it cost him his life! But old Ulrich whispered in his ear: "Now I 
know that Prince Ernest has neither honour nor discretion, and 
Pomeraniahas little to hope from such aruler." All in vain; he springs 
out of the coach, but the knight after him, who hastily gave Marcus 
Bork the keys of the castle, and bade him go fetch the household, 
down to the menials, here to the gallery. Marcus took them & left 
the stables instantly. Then Ulrich seized the hand of Prince Ernest, 
who was already on the top of the coach, and asked him was it thus 
he would leave an old man without anyone to assist him. Let him 
in first through the trap^door, while the Prince held the lantern. To 
this he consented, & helped the old knight up, who, having reached 
the trapdoor, put his head throughout alas! the portly stomach of 
the stout old knight would not follow. He stretched out his head, 
however, on every side, as far as it could go, & heard distinctly low 
whispering voices from Sidonia's little room; then a sound as of the 
tramp of many feet became audible in the courtyard, by which he 
knew that Marcus and the household were advancing rapidly J& 
But the young lord, who was waiting at the top of the coach, grew 
impatient, and pulled him back, endeavouring to creep through the 
hole himself. Praised be to Heaven, however, this he failed to do 
from weakness; so he was obliged to follow the grand chamberlain, 
who whispered to him to come down, and they could reach the cor^ 
ridorthrough theusual entrance. Hereupon they both leftthe stables, 
and met Marcus in the courtyard with his company J& Then all 
ascended noiselessly to the gallery, and ranged themselves round 
Sidonia's door. Ulrich now told eight of the strongest carls present 
to step forward, and lean their shoulders against the door, but make 
nostiruntilhegaveasign;then,whenhe cried "Now!" they should 
burst it open with all their force J& As to the young Prince, he was 
118 




trembling like as aspen leaf, and his weakness was so great that two 
young men had to support him. In short, as all present gradually 
stole closer & closer up to the door of Sidonia's room, the old knight 
drew forth his lantern, and signed to the men, who stood with their 
shoulders pressed against it ; then, when all was ready, he cried : 
" Now ! " and the door burst open with a loud crash. Every lock, & 
bar, and bolt shivered to atoms, and in rushed the whole party 
Ulrich at their head, with his lantern lifted high up above them all! 
"JIDONIAand her visitor were standing in the middle 
| of the room. Ulrich first flashed the light upon the 
face of the man. Who would have believed it? No 
other than Johann Appelmann ! The knight hit him 
J a heavy blow across the face, exclaiming : "What! 

^g<V>g9 thou common horse^'ockey, thou lowborn varlet is 

it thus thou bringest disgrace uponamaidenof the noblest house in 

Pomerania? HaTthou shalt be paid forthis. Wait! Master Hansen 

shall give thee some of his gentle love^touches this night ! " J& But 

meanwhile, the young Prince had entered, and beheld Sidonia as' 

she stood there trembling from shame, and endeavouring to cover 

her face with her long beautiful golden hair that fell almost to her 

knees. "Sidonia!" he exclaimed, with a cry as bitter as if a dagger 

had passed through his heart, "Sidonia!" and fell insensible before 

herjggFNowa great clamour arose amongst the crowd, for beside the 

couch lay the helmet and cuirass of the ghost; so every one knew 

now who it was that had played this trick on them for so long, and 

kept the castle in a state of terror j^Then they gathered round the 

poor young Prince, who lay there as stiff as a corpse, and lamented 

over him with loud lamentations, and some of them lifted him up 

to carry him out of the chamber; butthe grand chamberlain sternly 

commanded them to lay him down again before his bride, whom he 

had arranged to wed privately at Crummyn onthe following night. 

Then seizing Sidonia by the hand, and dashing back her long hair,' 

he led her forward before all the people, and said with a loud voice: 

" See here the illustrious and high/born Lady Sidonia, of the holy 

Roman Empire, Duchess of Pomerania, Cassuben, and Wenden 

Princess of Kugen, Countess of Gutzkow, and our Serene & most 

Gracious Lady, how she honours the princely house of Pomerania 

by sharing her love with this stable groom, this tailor's son, this dc 

bauched profligate! Oh! I could growmadwhen I think of thisdis^ 

grace. Thou shameless one ! have I not long ago given thee thy 

right name ? But wait, the name shall be branded on thee this night, 

*4 no 



so that all the world may read it" J& Just then her Grace entered 
with Clara, followed by all the other maids of honour; for hearing 
the noise and tumult, they had hastened thither as they were, some 
half'undressed, others with only a loose night-robe flung round 
them. And her Grace, seeing the young lord lying pale and insen^ 
sible on the ground, wrung her hands and cried out : "Who has 
killed my son? "Who has murdered my darling child?" J& Here 
stepped forward Ulrich, and said: "The young lord was not dead ; 
but, if it so pleased God, was in a fair way now to regain both life 
and reason." Then he related all which had led to this discovery; & 
howthey had that night been themselves the witnesses of Sidonia's 
wickedness with the false ghost. Now her Grace knew his secret, 
which he had not told until certain of success J£t As he related all 
these things, her Grace turned upon Sidonia and spat on her; and 
the young lord having recovered somewhat, in consequence of the 
water they had thrown on him, cried out: "Sidonia! is it possible? 
No, Sidonia, it is not possible!" The shameless hypocrite had now 
recovered her sehvpossession,and would have denied all knowledge 
of Appelmann, saying that he forced himself in when she chanced 
to open the door; but he, interrupting her, cried: "Does the girl dare 
to lay all the blame on me ? Did you not press my hand there when 
you were lying, after you fell from the stag? Did you not meet me 
afterwards in the lumber-'room, that day of the hunt when Duke 
Barnim was here last?"jfi?"No, no, no," shrieked Sidonia. "It's 
a lie ; an infamous lie ! " But he answered : " Scream as you will, you 
cannot deny that this disguise of the ghost was your own invention 
to favour my visits to you. Did you not drop notes for me down on 
the coach, tnrough the trap^door, fixing the nights when I might 
come ? And bethink you of last night, when you sent me a note by 
your maid, wrapped up in a little horse-cloth which I had lent you 
for your cat, with the prayer that I would not fail to be with you 
that night nor thenext." Oh, just Heaven ! to think that it was upon 
that very night that Clara should break her shoestring, by which 
means the Almighty turned away ruin & disgrace from the ancient, 
illustrious, and princely house of Pomerania, all by a broken shoe^ 
string! For if the ghost had remained away but that one night, or 
Clara had not broken her shoe-string, Sidonia would have been 
Duchess of Pomerania, but what doth the scripture say: "Man's 
goings are of the Lord. What man understandeth his own way?" 
(Prov. xx. 24.)^When Sidonia heard him tell all this, and how 
she had written notes of entreaty to him, she screamed aloud, and 

120 



spring^gathimlikeawild'Cat,buriedherten nails in his hairshriekv 
ing:" Thou liest, traitor! It is false! It is false!" Now Ulrich rushed 
forward, and seized her by her long hair to part them, but at that 
moment Master Hansen, the executioner, entered in his red cloak 
with six assistants (for Ulrich had privately sent for him) and the* 
grand chamberlain instantly let go his hold of Sidonia, saying : " You 
come in good time, Master Hansen; take away this wretched pair, 
lock them up in the bastion tower, and on the morn bring them to 
the horse-rnarket by ten of the clock, and there scourge and brand 
them, then carry them both to the frontier out of our good State of 
Wolgast,and let them both go their ways from that, whither it may 
please them "jjg? When Sidonia heard this, she let go her paramour 
and fell fainting upon the bed, but recovering herself in a little time 
she exclaimed: "What is this you talk of? A noble maiden who is 
as innocent as the child in its cradle, to be scourged by the common 
executioner? Oh, is there no Christian heart here to take pity on a 
poor helpless girl ! Gracious young Prince, even if all the world hold 
me guilty, you cannot, no, you cannot ...it is impossible!" Here^ 
upon the young lord began to tremble like an aspen leaf, and said 
in a broken voice: " Alas, Sidonia, you betrayed yourself : if you had 
not mentioned thattrap'door to me, I might still have believed you 
innocent (I, who thought some good angel had guided you to it!) • 
now it is impossible, yet be comforted, the executioner shall never 
scourge you nor brand you; you are branded enough already." Then 
turning to the grand chamberlain he said, that with his consent a 
hangman shouldnever lay his hands upon this nobtyvborn maiden 
whom he had once destined to be Duchess of Pomerania, but Ap^ 
pelmann, this base-born vassal who had eaten of his bread, & then 
betrayed him like a Judas, let him be flogged and branded as much 
astheypleased;nowordof his should save the accursed seducerfrom 
punishment. 

jOTWITHSTANDINGthis,old Ulrich was de, 
I termined on having Sidonia scourged, & my gracious 
J Lady the Duchess must have her scourged too. " Let 
I her dear son only think that if the all^merciful God 
j had not interposed, he would have been utterly ruined 

^. .____. oJ&his princely house disgraced, by means of this girl; 
nothing but evil had she brought with her since first she set foot in 
the castle; she had caused his sickness ; item, the death of twoyoung 
knights by drowning ; item, the terrible execution of Joachim Budde, 
who was beheaded atthe festival, & had shenot, in addition, whipped 




121 



her dear little Casimir, which unseemly act had only lately come to 
her knowledge ? and had she not also made every man in the castle 
that approached her, mad for love of her, all by her diabolical con- 
duct? No, away with the wretch: she merits her chastisement a 
thousand and a thousandfold!" and old Ulrich exclaimed likewise: 
"Away with the wretch & her paramour!",^ Here the younglord 
made an effort to spring forward to save her, but fell fainting on the 
ground, and while the attendants were busy running for water to 
throw over him, Clara von Dewitz, turning away the excutioner 
with her hand from Sidonia, fell down on her knees oefore her Grace, 
and besought her to spare at least the person of the poor unfortunate 
maiden ; did her Grace think that any punishment could exceed what 
she had already suffered? Let her own compassionate heart plead 
along with her words, and did not the Scripture say : "Vengeance is 
mine,saith the Lord"?jg?Hereupon her Grace looked at old Ulrich 
without speaking, but he understood her glance, and made answer: 
" No, the hangman must do his duty towards the wretch !" when 
her Grace saidmildly: "But for the sake of this dear good young 
maiden, I think we might let her go, for, remember if she had not 
opened out this villainy to us, the creature would have been my 
dau ghter^in 'law , and my princely house disgraced for evermore/ 1 ' 
JOW Marcus Bork stepped forward, and added his 
I prayers that the noble name he bore might not be 
disgraced in Sidonia: " He had ever been a faithful 
feudal vassal to her princely house, and had not even 
scrupled to bringthe secret wicked deeds of his cousin 
I before the light of day, though it was like a martyr • 
dom of his own flesh & blood for conscience sake "jfiF Here old UV 
rich burst forth in great haste: "Seven thousand devils! Let the 
wench be off, then. Not another night should she rest in the castle. 
Let her speak: where would she go to ? where should they bring her 
to ? "J&And when Sidonia answered, sobbing: " To Stettin, to her 
gracious Lord, Duke Barnim, who would take pity on her because 
of her innocence/' Ulrich laughed outright in scorn. " I shall give the 
driver a letter to him, and another to thy father. Perhaps his Grace 
will showthee true pity,&drivetheewith his horsewhip to Stramehl. 
But thou shalt journey in the same coach whereon thy lemandanv 
bered up to the trap'door, and Master Hansen shall sit on the coach-' 
box and drive thee himself. As to thy darling stable^groom here, the 
master must set his mark on him before he goes, but that can be 
done when the hangman returns from Stettin "jfi?When Appel' 

122 




mann heard this, he fell at the feet of the Lord Chamberlain inv 
ploring him to let him off too. " Had he not ridden to Spantikow 
without stop or stay, at the peril of his life, to oblige Lord Ulrich 
that time the Lapland Wizard made the evil prophecy? and though 
his illustrious lady died, yet that was from no fault of his, and his 

Lordship had then promised not to forget him if he were but in need. 
So now he demanded, on the strength of his knightly word, that a 
horse should be given him from the ducal stables, and that he be 
permitted to go forth, free and scatheless, to ride wherever it might 
please him. His sins were truly heavy upon him, and he would try 
and do better, with the help of God"J& w hen the old knight heard 
him express himself in this godly sort (for the knave knew his man 
well) he was melted to compassion, and said: "Then go thy way 
& God give thee grace to repent of thymanifold sins "J& Her Grace 
had nothing to object; only toput a fixed barrier between the Prince 
and Sidonia,she added: " but send first for Dr. Gerschovius,thathe 
may unite this shameless pair in marriage before they leave the castle 
and then they can travel away together "^Hereupon Johann Ap^ 
pelmann exclaimed: "No, never! How could he hope for God's 
grace to amend him, living with a thing likethat,tied to him for life 
which God and man alike hold in abhorrence?" At this speech Sil 
donia screamed aloud: " Thou lying & accursed stable groom, darest 
thou speak so of a castle/and land'dowered maiden ?" and she flew 
at him, and would have torn his hair, but Marcus Bork seized hold 
of her round the waist, and dragged her with great effort into Clara's 
room jS? Now the tears poured from the eyes of her Grace at such 
a disgraceful scene, and she turned to her son, who was slowly re^ 
covering: "Hast thou heard, Ernest? this groom, this servant of 
thine, refuses to take thegirl to wife, whomthou wast going to make 
Duchess of Pomerania. Woe! woe! what words for thy poor mother 
to hear; but it w as all foreshadowed when Dr. Luther . ." &c. &c 
"|N short, the end of the infamous story was, that Si' 
donia was carried off that very night in the'identical 
coach we know of, and Master Hansen was sentwith 
her, bearing letters to the Duke and Otto from the 
Grand Chamberlain, & one also to the Burgomaster 
Appelmann in Stargard. And the executioner had 
strict orders to drive her himself the whole way to Stettin. As for 
Appelmann, he sprung upon a Friesland clipper, as the old Cham-' 
berlain had permitted, & rode away that same night. But the young 
lord was so ill from grief and shame, that he was lifted to his bed, 

»23 




and all the medici of Grypswald and Wolgast were summoned to 
attend him J& And such was the end of Sidonia von Bork at the 
ducal court of Wolgast. But old Kussow told me that for a long 
while she was the whole talk of the court and town, many wondering, 
though they knewwell her light behaviour,that she should give her' 
self up to perdition at last for a common groom, no better than a 
menial compared to her. But I find the old proverb is true for her as 
well as for another : " The apple falls close to the tree ; as is the sheep, 
so is the lamb"; for had her father brought her up in the fear of God, 
in place of encouraging her in revenge, pride, and haughtiness, Si" 
donia might have been a good and honoured wife for her life long. 
But the libertine example of her father so destroyed all natural in^ 
stincts of modesty and maidenly reserve within her, that she fell an 
easy prey to the first temptation J^f In short, my gracious Prince 
Bogislaus XIV. as well as all those who love and honour the illus' 
trious house ofWolgast, will devoutly thank God forhavingturned 
away this disgrace in a mannersotruly wonderful^j^I have already 
spoken of the broken shoe-tie, but in addition, I must point out that 
if Sidoniahad counselled her paramour to take the armour of Duke 
Philip, which hung in the same lumber-room, in place of that be^ 
longing to the serpent knight, that wickedness would never have 
come to light. For assuredly, all in the castle would have believed 
that it was truly the ghost of the dead duke, who came to reproach 
his son for not holding the oath which he had sworn on his coffin, to 
abandon Sidonia. And consequently, respect and terror would have 
alike prevented any human soul in the castle from daring to follow 
it, and investigate its object. Therefore, let us praise the name of the 
Lord who turned all things to good, and fulfilled, in Sidonia and her 
lover, the Scripture which saith, "Thinking themselves wise they 
became fools.' . . Rom. i. 21. 



124 




BOOK ILFROM THE BANISHMENTOFSIDONIA 
FROM THE DUCAL COURT OF WOLGAST UP TO 
HER RECEPTION IN THE CONVENT OF MA, 
RIENFLIESS^^^^^^^^^^^^^*^* 
CHAPTER I. OF THE QUARREL BETWEEN 

OTTO BORKANDTHESTARGARDIANS, WHICH 
CAUSED HIM TO DEMAND THE DUES UPON 

OST Eminent and Illustrious Prince! 
Your Grace must be informed, that much 
of what I have here set down, in this second 
book, was communicated to me by that 
same old Uckermann of Dalow, of whom 
I have spoken already in my first volume 
£^ J9 Other important facts I have gleaned 
^ from the Diaf y of Magdalena von Peters- 

dorfin,PriorissaoftheConventofMarien- 
_afliess.She was an old and worthy matron, 
whom Sidonia however used to mock and insult, calling her the old 
'cat, and such like names. But she revenged herself on the shameless 
^wanton in no other way, than by writing down what facts she could 
collect of her disgraceful life and courses, for the admonition and 
warning of the Holy Sisterhood. This little book the pious nun left; 
to her sister Sophia, who is still living in the Convent at Marien- 
fliess; andshe,atmyearnestentreaties,permittedmeto peruse itjgf 
Before, however, I continue the relation of Sidonia's adventures I 
'must state to your Grace, what were the circumstances which induced 
fOtto von Bork to demand so urgently the dues upon the Jena from 
their Highnesses of Stettin and Wolgast. In my opinion, it was for 
nothing else than to revenge himself upon the burgomaster of Star- 
gard, Jacob Appelmann, father of the equerry. The quarrel hap- 
pened years before, but Otto never forgot it, & only waited a fitting 
opportunity to take vengeance on him and the people of Stargard 
J&This Jacob Appelmann was entitled to receive a great portion 
of the Jena dues, which were principally paid to him in kind, parti- 
| cularly in foreign spices,which he afterwards sold to the Polishjews, 
at the annual fair held in Stramehl J& It happened, upon one of 
these occasions, as Jacob, with two of his porters, appeared as usual 
carrving bags of spices,to sell to the Polish Jews, that Otto met him 
in the market-place, and invited him to come up to his castle, for 
that many nobles were assembled there who would, no doubt, give 



himbetter prices for his goods than the Polish Jews,& added that 
the worthy burgomaster must drink his health with him that day. 
Now, Jacob Appelmann was no despiser of good cheer or of broad 
gold pieces; so,unfortunatelyforhimself,heacceptedtheinvitation. 
But the knight had only lured him up to the castle to insult & mock 
him. For when he entered the hall, a loud roar of laughter greeted his 
appearance, and the half-drunk guests, who were swilling the wine 
as if they had tuns to fill & not stomachs, swore thathemust pledge 
each of them separately in a lusty draught. So they handed him an 
enormous becker, cut with Otto's arms, bidding him drain it; but 
as the Herr Jacob hesitated, his host asked him, laughing, was he a 
Jesu disciple, that he refused to drink? J£r Hereupon the other an^ 
swered, he was too old for a disciple, but he was not ashamed to call 
himself a servant of Jesus J& Then all roared with laughter, and 
Otto spoke : " My good lords and dear friends, ye know how that the 
Stargard knaves joined with the Pomerian Duke to ravage my good 
town of Stramehl, so that it can be only called a village now. And 
it is also not unknown to you, that my disgrace then passed into a 
proverb, so that people will still say: ' He fell upon me as the Star.* 
gardians upon Stramehl/ Let us, then, revenge ourselves to-day. If 
this Jesu's servant will not drink, then tear open his mouth, put a 
tun/dish therein, and pour down a good draught till the knave cries 
' enough ! ' As to his spices, let us scatter them before the Polish Jews, 
as pease before swine, and it will be merry pastime to see how the 
beasts will lick them up. Thus will Stramehl retort upon Stargard, 
and the whole land will shout with laughter. For wherefore does 
this Stargard pedlar come here to my fairs ? Mayhap I shall visit his." 
Peals of laughter & applause greeted Otto's speech ; but Jacob, when 
he heard it, determined, if possible, to effect his escape; and, watch-' 
ing his opportunity, for he was the only one there not drunk, sprang 
out of the hall, and down the flight of steps, and being young then, 
never drew breath till he reached the marketplace or Stramehl, & 
jumped into his own wagon. In vainOtto screamed outto "Stop him, 
stop him ! " all his servants were at the fair, where indeed the people 
of the whole country round were gathered. Then the host and the 
guests sprang up themselves, to run after Jacob Appelmann, but 
many could not stand, & others tumbled down by the way. How 
ever, with a chorus of cries, curses, & threats, Otto and some others 
at last reached the wagon, & laid hold of it. Then they dragged out 
the bags of spices, & emptied them all down upon the street, crying: 
J&" Come hither, ye Jews ; which of you wants pepper? Who wants 
126 



cloves?" So all the Jews in the place ran together, and down they 

wentonall/fourspickingupthespices,whiletheirIongbeards swept 
the pavement quite clean. Hey! how they pushed and screamed & 
dealt blows about among themselves, till their noses bled, and the 
place looked as if gamecocks had been fighting there, whereat Otto 
and his roistering guests roared with laughter. One of the bags they 
pulled out of the wagon contained cinnamon; but a huntsman of 
Otto Bork's not knowing what it was, poured it down likewise into 
the street. Cinnamon was then so rare, that it sold for its weight in 
gold. So an old Jew, spying the precious morsel, cried out: " Praise 
be to God! Praise be to God!" and ran through Otto Bork's legs to 
get hold of a stick of it. This made the knight look down, & seeing 
the cinnamon, he straightway bid the huntsman gather it all up 
again quick, & carry it safely home to the castle jggFBut the old Jew 
would by no means let go his hold of the booty, and kept the sticks 
in one hand high above his head, while with the other he dealt heavy 
buffets upon the huntsman. An apprentice of Jacob Appelmann's 
beheld all this from the wagon, and knowing what a costly thine 
this cinnamon was, he made a long arm out of the wagon and 
snapped away the sticks from the Jew. Upon this the huntsman 
sprang at the apprentice, but the latter, seizing a pair of pot-hooks 
which his master had that day bought in the fair, dealt such a blow 
with them upon the head of the huntsman, thathe fell down at once 
upon the ground quite dead. Now every one cried out "Murder! 
murder ! Jodute ! Jodute ! Jodute ! " and they tore the bags right and 
left from the wagon, Jews aswell as Christians, but Otto command/ 
ed them to seize the apprentice also. So they dragged him out too. 
He was a fine young man of twenty /three, Louis Griepentroch by 
name. There was such an uproar, that the men who held the horses' 
heads were forced away. Whereupon the burgomaster resolved to 
seize this opportunity for escape; andwithoutheedingthelamenta/ 
tions of the other apprentice, Zabel Griepentroch, who prayed him 
earnestly to stop and save his poor brother, desired the driver to lash 
the horses into a gallop, and never stop nor stay until the unlucky 
town was left far behind them J& Otto von Bork ordered instant 
pursuit, but in vain. The burgomaster could not be overtaken, and 
reached Wangerin in safety. There he put up at the inn, to give the 

pantinghorsesbreathing/time;&nowtheaforesaidZabelbesought 
him, with many tears, to write to Otto Bork on behalf of his poor 
brother, to which the burgomaster at last consented; for he loved 
these two youths, who were orphans and twins, and he had brought 

127 



them up from their childhood, and treated them in all things like a 
true and loving godfather. So he wrote to Otto: "That if aught of ill 
happened to the young Louis Griepentroch, he (the burgomaster) 
would complain to his Grace of Stettin, for the youth had only done 
his duty in trying to save the property of his master from the hands 
of robbers." The good Jacob, however, admonished Zabel to make 
up his mind for the worst, for the knight wasnotaman whose heart 
could be melted, as he himself had experienced buttoo well that day. 
But the sorrowing youth little heeded the admonitions, only seized 
the letter,and ran withitthatsameeveningbackto Stramehl. Here, 
however,noone would listen to him,noone heeded him; andwhen 
at last he got up to Otto and gave him the letter, the knight swore 
he would flay him alive if he did not instantly quit the town. Now 
the poor youth gnashed his teeth in rage & despair, and determined 
to be revenged on the knight. 

^nUST then came by a great crowd leading his brother 
£jV Louistothe gallows; andonhisheadtheyhadstucka 
PJ high paper cap with the Stargard arms painted there^ 
y, on, namely, a tower with two griffins (Sidonia,indeed, 
h had painted it, and she was by, & clapping her hands 
iJ with delight) ; and for the greater scandal to Stargard, 
they had tied two hares' tails to the back of thecap, with the inscrip/- 
tion written in large letters above them : " So came the Stargardians 
to Stramehl \"J& And Otto & his guests gathered round the gallows, 
andallthemarket/'folk,withgreatuproar&laughter.Summa:when 
the poor carl saw all this, & that there was no hope for his heart's dear 
brother, neither could he even get near him just to say a last" good-' 
night," he ran like mad to the castle, which was almost empty now, 
as every one had gone to the market-place; and there, on the hill, he 
turned round and saw how the hangman had shoved his dear Louis 
from the ladder, and the body was swinging lamentably to and fro 
between heaven and earth. So he seized a brand and set fire to the 
brewhouse, from which athick smoke & light flames soon rose high 
into the air J& Now all the people rushed towards the castle, for 
they suspected well who had done the deed, particularly as they had 
observeda young fellow running, as if for life or death, in the oppo^ 
site direction towards the open country. So they pursued him with 
wild shouts from every direction; right and left they hemmed him 
in, and cut offhis escape to the wood. And Otto Bork sprang upon 
afresh horse, and galloped along with them, roaring out: "Seize 
the rascal ! seize the vile incendiary ! He who takes him shall have a 
128 




— 



tun of my best beer !" But others he despatched to the castle to extiiv 
guish the flames jjgFNow the poor Zabel knew not what to do for 
on every side his pursuers were gaining fast upon him, and he heard 
Otto's voice close behind crying: "There he runs! there he runs! seize 
the gallows-bird, that he may swing with his brother this night. A 
tun ofmybestbeerto theman who takes him JSeizethe incendiary!" 
So the poor wretch, in his anguish, threw off his smock upon the 

grass&sprangintothelake,hopingtobeabletoswimtotheotherside 
and reach the wood jg?" In after him!" roared Otto; and a fellow 
jumped in instantly, and seizing hold of Zabel by the hose, dragged 
him along with him ; but they were soon both carried into deep water. 
Zabel, however, was the uppermost, & held the other down tightto 
stifle him. Another seeingthis, plunged in to rescue his companion 
and from the bank dived down underneath Zabel, intending to 
seize him round the body; but it so happened that the fishermen of 
Stramehl had laid their nets close to the place, and he plunged direct 
into the middle of the largest, & stuck there miserably; which when 
Zabel observed, he let the other go, who was now quite dead and 
struck out boldly for the opposite bank.The fishermen sprang into 
their boats to pursue him, and the crowd ran round, hoping to cut 
offthe pass before he could gain the bank; but he was a brave youth 
and distanced them all, jumped on land before one of them could 
reach him, & plunged into the thick wood. Hereitwas vain to follow 
him, for night was coming on fast; so he pursued his path in safety 
and returned to his master at Stramehl. 

ITTO VON BORK, however, would not let the 
I matter rest here, for he hadsustained greatlossbythe 
burning of his brewhouse (the other buildings were 
saved) ; therefore he wrote to thehonourable council 
at Stargard : "Thatby the shameful and scandalous 
Ibummg of his brew.house he had lost two fine 
hounds named btargard & btramehl, which he had brought himself 
from Silesia; item, two old servants & a woman; item, in the lake 
two other servants had been drowned; and all by the revenge of an 
apprentice, because he had justly caused his brother to be executed. 
Therefore this apprentice must be given up to him, that he might 
have him broken on the wheel, otherwise their vassals on the Jena 
should suffer in such a sort, that the Stargardians would long have 
reason to remember Otto Borkj^Now, some of the honourable 
councillors were of opinionthattheyshouldbyno means giveupthe 
apprentice; first, because Otto had insulted the Stargard arms, and, 
kl 129 




secondly, lest it might appear as if they feared he would fulfil his 
threats respecting the Jenaj^But Jacob Appelmann, the burgc 
master, who lay sick in his bed from the treatment he had received 
at Stramehl, entirely disapproved of this resolution ; and when they 
came to him for his advice, proposed to give for answer to the knight 
that he should first indemnify him for the loss of his costly spices, 
which he valued at one thousand florins, and, when this sum was 
paid down, they mighttreat of the matter concerning the apprentice 
j$FThe knight, however, mocked them for making such an absurd 
demand as compensation, & reiterated his threats, that if the young 
man were not delivered up to him, he would punish Stargard with 
a great punishmentj^The council, however, were still determined 
not to yield; & as the burgomaster lay sick in his bed, they released 
the apprentice from prison; and replied to Otto: "That if he broke 
the public peace of his imperial majesty, let the consequences fall on 
his own head; there was still justice for them to behad in Pomerania." 
IHEN the burgomaster heard of this, he had himself 
carried in a litter, sick as he was to the honourable 
council, and asked them: "Was this justice to release 
an incendiary from prison ? If they sought justicefor 
themselves, let them deal it out to others. No one 
had lost more by the transaction than he: his income 
for the next two years was clean gone; & the care & anxiety he had 
undergone besides, had reduced him to this state of bodily weak-' 
ness which they observed. It was a heart/grief to him to give up the 
young man, for he had reared him from the baptism water, and he 
had been a faithful servant unto him up to this day. Could he save 
him, he would gladly give up his house and all he was worth, and go 
and takealodgingupon the wall; for this young man had once saved 
his life,byslayingamad dog which had seized him by the tail of his 
coat; but it was not to be done. They must set an honourable ex>- 
ample, as just and upright citizens and fearless magistrates, who 
hold that old saying in honour: 'Fiat justitia et pereat mundus'; 
which means : ' Let justice be done, though life and fortune perish.' 
But the punishment of the wheel was, he confessed, altogether too 
severe for the poor youth ; and therefore he counselled that they 
should hang him, as Otto had hung his brother j^This course the 
honourable society consented at last to adopt; but the knight had 
disgraced their arms, and they ought in return to disgrace his. They 
could get the court painter from Stettin, at the public expense, and 
let him paint Otto Bork's arms on the back of the young man's 
13° 




hoseJ^Here the burgomaster again interfered: "Why should the 
honourable council attempt a stupid insult, because the knight had 
done so ?" But he talked in vain; they were determined on this rex 
taliation. At last (but after a great deal of trouble) he obtained a 
promise that they would have the arms painted before, upon his 
smock, and not behind upon the hose, for that would be a sore dis^ 
grace to Otto, and bring his vengeance upon them. "Why should 
they do more to him than he had done unto them ? The scripture 
said : *■* eye for eve, tooth for tooth, and not two eyes for an eye, two 
teeth for a tooth.'" Hereupon the honourable council pronounced 
sentence on the young man, and fixed the third day from that for his 
execution. But first the executioner must bring him up before the bed 
of the burgomaster, who thus spoke: "Ah, Zabel, wherefore didst 
thou not behave as I admonished thee in Wangerin?" And as the 
young man began to weep, he gave him his hand, and admonished 
him to be steadfast in the deatlvnour,asked his forgiveness for having 
condemned him, but it was his duty as a magistrate so to do, thanked 
himfor having saved his life by slayingthemad'dog;finallybadhim 
"good^night, and then buried his face inthepillowj^So thehang' 
man carried back the weeping youth to the council^hall, where the 
honourable councillors had the Bork arms fastened upon his smock, 
& out of further malice against Otto (fortheyknew the burgomaster 
being sick in his bed, could not hinder them) they placed over them 
a large piece of pasteboard, on which was written : " So did the Star-* 
gardians with Stramehl." Item, they fastened to the two corners a 
pair of wolf's ears, because Bork, in the Wendig tongue, signifies 
wolf. This was to revenge themselves for the hares' tails J0 Then 
the poor apprentice was carried to the gallows, amid loud laughter 
from the common people. And even the honourable councillors 
waxed merry atthe sight, and as the hangman pushedhimfrom the 
ladder they cried out, " So will the Stargardians do to Stramehl!" 
iJKjOW Otto heard tidings of all these doings, but he 
ij feared to complain to his Highness the Duke, because 
^jhe himself had begun the quarrel, and they had only 
retorted as was fair. Item, he did not dare to stop the 
boatsupontheJena;forheknewthatalthoughDuke 
Barnim was usually of a soft and placable temper, yet 



m 



when he was roused, there was no more dangerous enemy J& 
And if the Stargardians leagued with him, they might fall upon 
his town of Stramehl, as they had done once before J& Therefore 
he waited patiently for an opportunity of revenge, and held his peace 
kz i 3 t 



.'.A watch 'tower, 
built in the Moor' 
ish style, upon the 
town wall of Star' 
gard, from which 
the adjacent streets 
take their name. 



until Sidonia acquainted him with the love of the young Prince 
Ernest. Then he resolved to demand the dues upon the Jena to be 
given up to him; and if his wicked desire had been gratified, I think 
the good citizens of Stargard might have taken to the beggar's staff 
for the rest of their days, for like all the old Hanseatic towns, their 
entire substance came to them by water,andall their wares and mer' 
chandise were carried up the Jena in boats to the town. These the 
knight would have rated so highly, if he had been made owner of 
the dues, that the town and people would have been utterly ruined 
jS&It has been already stated, that the Duke Barnim gave an am/ 
biguous answer to Otto upon the subject; but the knight, after his 
visit to Wolgast, was so certain of seeinghis daughter in a short time 
Duchess of Pomerania, that he already looked upon the Jena dues 
as his own, & proceeded to act as shall be related in the next chapter. 

CHAPTER II. HOW OTTO VON BORK DEMANDS 
THE JENA DUES FROM THE STARGARDIANS, & 
HOWTHE BURGOMASTERJACOB APPELMANN 
TAKES HIM PRISONER, AND LOCKS HIM UP IN 
THE RED SEA.-. 

iStheaforesaidknightandmygraciouslord, 
Duke Barnim, journeyed home from Wol' 
gast, the former discoursed much on this 
matter of the Jena dues, but his Grace lis-' 
tened in silence after his manner, & nicked 
away at his doll. (I think, however, that 
his Grace did not quite understand the 
matter of the Jena dues himself.) Summa : 
While Otto was at Stettin, he received in' 
formation that three vessels, laden with 
wine and spices, and all manner of merchandise, were on their way 
to Stargard, so he took this for a good sign, and went straight to the 
town and up to the burgomaster, Jacob Appelmann; would not sit 
down, however, but made himselfas stiff as if his back would break, 
and asked whether he (Appelmann) was aware thatthe lands of the 
Bork family bordered close upon the Jena. 
I He: "Yes, he knew it well." 

Hie : "Then he could not wonder if he now demanded dues from 
every vessel that went up to Stargard." 

We:" On the contrary, he would wonder greatly; since by an act 
passed in the reign of Duke Barnim the First, A.D. 1243, tne f fee ' 
dom of the Jena had been secured to them, and they had enjoyed it 
up to the present date." 




Hie: "Stuff! what was the use of bringing up these old acts? His 
Grace of Stettin, as well as the Duchess of Wblgast, had now given 
them over to him." 

Ille: "Then let his Lordship produce his charter; if he had got one, 
why not show it?" 

Hie : " No, he had not got the written order yet, but he would soon 
have it." 

Ille: "Well, until then they would abide by the old law." 
Hie: "By no means. This very day he would insist on being paid 
the dues." r 

Ille : "That meant that he purposed to break the peace of our lord 
the Emperor. Let him think well of it. It might cost him dear." 
Hie: "That was his care. The Stargardians should not a second 
time hang his arms on the gallows." 

Ille: " It was a simple act of retaliation: had he not read: 'An eye for 
an eye, a tooth for a tooth ?'" 

Hie: "Nonsense! was that retaliation; when a set of low burgher 
carls took upon themselves to disgrace the lord of castles and lands ? 
as well might one of his serfs when he struck him, strike him in re^ 
turn, that would be retaliation too. Ha! ha! ha!" 
Ille : "What did his lordship mean ? He was no village justice nor 
were the burghers of this good town serfs or boors." 
Hie : " If he knew notnow what he meant, he would soon learn • ay 
and take off his hat so low to the Bork arms that it would touch the 
ground. Then, too, he might himself get a lesson in retaliation",^ 
And herewith the knight strode firmly out of the room, without 
even saluting the burgomaster, but Jacob knew well how to deal 
with him, so he sent instantly for the keeper of the forest, who lived 
in the thick wood on the banks of the Jena, and told him to watch 
by night and day, and if he observed anything unusual going on to 
springupon a horse, and bring him the intelligence without delay. 
&S^TT^r^2!' gIltsummoneda11 his feudal 
' vassals around him at Stramehl, and told them how 
his Grace hadbestowedthejena duesupon him;but 
the sturdy burghers of Stargard had dared to impugn 
his rights ; therefore let each of them select two trusty 
~_ followers, andmeetall together on themorrowmorn 
at Putzerlin, close to the Jena ferry. Then, if there came by any ves^ 
sels laden with choice wines, let them be sure and drink a health to 
Stargard. So they all believed him, and came to the appointed place 
with twenty horsemen, & the knight himself broughttwenty more. 
k 3 »33 



There they unsaddled and turned into the meadow, then set to work 
to throw a bridge over the river. As soon as the forest ranger spied 
them, he saddled his wild clipper, which he himself had caught in 
the Uckermand country, and flew like wind to the town (for the 
wild horses are much stouter and fleeter than the tame, but there 
are none to be found now in all Pomerania)jg?When theburgc 
master heard this tale, he told him to go back the way he came, and 
keep perfectly still until he saw a rocket rise from St. Mary's tower, 
then let him loose all his hounds upon the horses in the meadow, 
and he and the burghers would follow soon, and made a quick end 
of the robber knights and freebooters, but he would wait for three 
hours, before giving the promised sign from St. Mary's tower, that 
he might have time to get back to the wood. Still the knight and his 
followers continued working at the bridge right merrily. They took 
the ferryman's planks and poles, and cut down large oak-trees, and 
every one that went across the ferry must stop and help them ; but 
theirwork was not quite completed, when three vessels appeared in 
sight, laden with all sorts of merchandise, & making direct for Star.- 
gard. As soon as Otto perceived them, he took half-a-dozen fellows 
with him, and jumped into a ferryboat, crying: "Hold! until the 
dues are paid, you can go no farther. The river and the land alike be^ 
long to me now, and I must have my dues, as his Grace of Stettin 
has commanded" l jJ^The crew, however, strictly objected, saying 
that in the memory of man, they had never paid dues upon their 
goods, and they would not paythem now: but Otto and his knights 
jumped on deck, followed by their squires, and havingasked for the 
bill of lading, decimated all the goods, as a priest collecting his tithe 
of the sheaves. Then he took the best cask of wine, had it rolled on 
land, & called outto the crew, who were crying like children : u . Now, 
good people,you may go your ways"j$FBut the poor devils were in 
despair, and followed him on land, praying and beseechinghim not 
to ruin them, but to restore their property, at which Otto laughed 
loudly, and bid the strongest of his followers chase the miserable var< 
lets back to their vessel. 

|EANWHILE,thecaskofwinehadbeenrolledup 

] against a tree, and the knight and his followers set 

themselves round it upon the grass, & because they 

had no glasses, they drank out of kettles, and pots, 

& bowls, and dishes, or whatever the ferryman could 

give them. Yea, some of them drew off their boots 

and filled them with the wine, others drank it out of their caps, and 

*34 





so there they lay on the grass swilling the wine, and the different 
wares they had seized lay all scattered round them, and they laughed 
& drank, and roared : " Thus we drink a health to Stargard ! " Here-' 
upon the crew, seeing that nothing could be got from the robbers 
went their way with curses and imprecations, to which the knight 
and his party r esponded only with peals of laughter. 

UT the vessel had scarcely set sail, when a woman's 
voice was heard crying out loudly from the deck : 
"Father! father! I am here. Listen, Otto von Bork, 
your daughter Sidonia is here ! " J& When the knight 
heard this, he felt as if stunned by a blow, but inv 
mediately comforted himself by thinking that no 
doubt Prince Ernest was with her, particularly as he could observe 
in the twilight the figure of a man seated beside her on a bundle of 
goods. "This surely must be the Prince," he said to himself, and so 
called out with a joyful voice, "Ah, my dearest daughter, Sidonia! 
howcomest thou in the merchant vessel ?"j$FThen he screamed to 
the sailors to stop and cast anchor, but they heeded neither his cries 
nor commands, and in place of stopping, began to crowd all sail. 
Otto now tried entreaties, and promised to restore all their goods, 
and even pay for the wine drunk, if they would only stop the vessel. 
This made them listen to him, but they demanded, beside, a conv 
pensation money of one hundred florins, for all the anxiety and de^ 
lay they had suffered. This he promised also, only let them stop 
instantly. However, they would nottrust his word, and not until he 
had pledged his knightly faith would they consent to stop. Some, 
indeed, were not even content with this, and required thathe should 
stand bare-headed on the bank, and take a solemn oath, with his 
hand extended to heaven, that he would deal with them as he had 
promised^To this also theknightconsented,sincethey wouldnot 
believe he held his knightly word higher than any oath ; though in 
my opinion hewould have done anythingthey demanded, such was 
his anxiety to behold the Prince and Princess of Pomerania for he 
could imagine nothing else, but that his daughter and her husband 
had been turned out of Wolgast by the harsh Duchess and the old 
grand chamberlain, and were now on their way to the castle at 
Stramehl. 



k 4 135 




J ERE my gracious Prince will no doubt say, "But, 
I Theodore, why did she not call on her father sooner, 
when, as you told me, he was on board this very vessel 
plunderingthe wares?" J0\ answer: "Serene Prince ! 
your Grace must know that she and her paramour 
were atthattime crouching in the cabin, through fear 
of Otto, for the sailors did not know her, or who she was. They had 
taken her and Appelmann in at Damm, & believed this story : that 
he was secretary to the Duke at Stettin, and Sidonia was his wife ; 
they were on their way to Stargard, but preferred journeying by 
water on account of the robbers who infested the high roads, and 
who they heard had murdered three travellers only a few days be' 
fore^J^But when Sidonia had found what her father had done, 
and heard the crew cursingand vowing vengeance on him, she feared 
it would be worse for her even to fall into the hands of the Star' 
gardians than into her father's, and therefore rushed up on deck and 
called out to him, though her paramour conjured her by heaven and 
earth to keep quiet, and not bring him under her father's sword. 
Summa: As the vessel once more stood still, theknightsprangquick 
as thought into the ferryboat along with some of his followers, and 
rowedofFto the vessel, where his daughter sat uponabundleof meri- 
dian dise and wept, but Appelmann crept down again into the cabin. 
When the knight stepped on board, he kissed and embraced her : but 
where was the young Prince whom he had seen standing beside her? 
1 11a ."Alas! it was not the Prince; the young lord had shamefully 
deceived her!" (weeping.) 

Hie : " He would make him suffer for it then; let her tell him the 
whole business. If he had trifled with her, she should be revenged. 
Was he not as powerful as any duke in Pomerania?" 
Ilia : " He must send away all the bystanders first; did he not see 
how they all stood round, with their mouths open from wonder?" 
Hereupon the knight roared out," Away, go all, all of ye, or I'll stick 
ye deadascalves.The devil take any of you who dare to listen \" J& 
His whole frame trembled meanwhile as an aspen leaf, and he 
could scarcely wait till the carls clambered overthe bundles of goods. 
"What had happened ? in the name of all the devils, let her speak, 
now that they were alone"j6FBut herethe cunning wanton began 
toweepsopiteously,that not a word could she utter; however, as old 
Otto grew impatient, and began to curse and swear, and shake her 
by the arm, sheatlast commenced while Appelmann was listening 
from the cabin : " Her dearest father knew how the young lord had 
136 



bribed apriest in Crummyn to wed them privately, but this was all 
a trick which his wicked mother had suggested to him, in order to 
bring herto utter ruin; for on the very wedding night, while she was 
waiting for the Prince in her little room, according to promise, to 
flee with him to Crummyn, the perfidious Duchess, who was aware 
of the whole arrangement, sent a groom to her chamber at the ap^ 
pointed hour, and she beingin the dark, embraced him, thinking he 
was the Prince. Inthe selfsame instant the door was burst open, & 
the old revengeful hag, with Ulrichvon Schwerin, rushed in, along 
with the young Prince and Marcus Bork her cousin, amid a great 
crowd of people with lanterns. And no one would listen to her or heed 

her,soshewasthrustthatsamenightoutofthecastle,likeacommon 
swine^maid, though the young lord, when he saw the full extent of 
his wicked mother s treachery, fell down in a dead faint at her feet." 
And here she wept and groaned, as if her heart would break. "Who 
then was the gay youth who sat beside her there on the bundle?" 
screamed Otto. 

Ilia •" That was the very groom that she had embraced, for they had 
sent him away with her, to make their wicked story seem true." 
Hie : " But what was his name? May thedevil take her, to have gone 
off with a base-born groom ! What was his name ? " 
Ilia (weeping): "What did he think of her, that she should love a 
common groom ? truly, he had the title of equerry, but then he was 
nothing better than a common burgher carl. What could she do, 
when they turned her by night and cloud out of the castle? She 
must thank God for having had even this groom to protect her, but 
that he was her lover, fie ! no; that was indeed to think little of her." 
Hie : " He would strike her dead if she did not answer. Who was 
the knave ? Where did he come from ?" 

Ilia : " He was called Johann Appelmann, and was son to the burx 
romaster of Stargard." 

\E RE the knight rayed and chafed like a wild beast, & 
drew his sword to kill Sidonia, but she fled away down 
to her paramour in the cabin. However, he had heard 
thewholeconversation,&flewathertobeather,crying: 
"Am I then a base-born groom ? Ha ! thou proud wan-' 
! ton, didst thou not run after me like a common street' 
girl ? I will teach thee to call me a groom !" And as the knight lis^ 
tened to all this, the sword dropped from his hands and fell into the 
hold,sothathecouldnotgetitup again. Thenhe was beside himself 
for rage, and seized a stone of the ballast, to rush down with it to 
the cabin. 

»37 





|UT, behold! a rocket shotupfrom St. Mary's Tower, 
& poured its clear light upon the deepening twilight, 
like a starry meteor, and, at the same instant, the deep 
bay often or twelve blood^hounds resounded fearfully 
across the meadow where the horses were grazing, & 
the dogs flew on them, and tore some of them to the 
ground and bit others, so that they dashed nearly to their masters, 
who were lying round the wine^cask, and others fled into the wood 
bleedingandgroaningwith pain & agony, as iftheyhadbeen human 
creaturesj^Then all the fellows jumped up from their wine^casks, 
and screamed as if the last day had come, and Otto let the stone fall 
from his hand with horror; but still called out boldly to his men to 
know whathad happened. "Was the devil himself amongthem that 
accursed evening ?"j§F Then they shouted in return, that he must 
hasten to land, for the Stargardians were upon them, and had killed 
all their horses jfi? " Strike them dead, then; kill all, & himself the 
last, but he would go over and help them." 

O he jumped into the boat with his companions, but 
had not time to set foot on shore, when the Stargar/> 
dians horse and foot, with the burgomaster at their 
J\ head, dashed forth from the wood, shouting, " So fall 
the Stargardians upon Stramehl!",^ At this sight 
| the knight could no longer restrain his impatience, but 
jumped out of the boat; & although the water reached up under his 
arms, strode forward, crying '.J&" Courage, my brave fellows ; down 
with the churls. Kill, slay, give no quarter. He who brings me the 
head of the burgomaster shallbemyheir! His vile son hath brought 
my daughter to shame. Kill all, all ! I will never outlive this day. Ye 
shall all be my heritors, only kill ! kill ! kill ! " Then he jumps on land 
and goes to draw his sword, but he has none, only the scabbard is 
hanging there; and as the Stargard men are already pressing thick 
upon them, he shouts JE?" A sword, a sword ! give me a sword ! My 
good castle of Stramehl for a sword, that I may slay this base-born 
churl of aburgomasterl^j^Butabloodhound jumpedathisthroat, 
and tore him to the ground, and as he felt the horrible muzzle closer 
to his face, he screamed out: "Save me! save me! Oh, woe is me!" 
And, at the same moment, Sidonia's voice was heard from the vessel, 
shrieking: "Father, father, save me; this groom is beating me to 
death, he is killingme"; while a loud roar of laughter from the crew 
accompanied her cries. No one, however, came to save the knight; 
forthe Stargardians were slaying right and left, and Otto's followers 
138 





were utterly discomfited^So the knight tried to draw his dagger & 
having got hold of it,plunged it with great forceinto the heart of the 
ferocious animal, who fell back dead, & Otto sprang to his feet. Just 
then however a tanner recognised him, and, seizing hold of him by 
the arms, carri ed him off to the other prisoners. 

r -" HOW, indeed, might he call on the mountains to fall 

on him, and the hills to cover him (Hosea x) ; and 

now he might feel, too, what a terrible thing it' is to 

I fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews x) • 

I for the Jesu wounds, I'm thinking, burned then like 

I hell fire in his heart. 

Summa: As the wretched man was broughtbefore the burgomaster 
who sat down upon a bank and wiped his sword in the grass the 
latter cried out: "Well, sir knight, you would notheed me; youhave 
worked your will. Now, do you understand what retaliation means- 
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth }"J& And as the other stood 

fuite silent, he continued: "Where is yourcharterforthe Jenadues? 
'erchance it is contained in this letter, which I have received to-day 
from her Grace of Wolgast, addressed to you. Hand a lantern here 
that the Knight may read it! If the charter is not therein, then he 
shall be flung into prison this night with his followers, untilmy lord 
Duke Barnim, pronounces judgment upon him "jg?The ferryman 
advanced and held a light, but Otto had scarcely looked over the 
letter when he began to tremble as if he would fall to the ground & 
then sighed forth, like the rich man in hell: " Have mercy on me 

andgivemeadrinkofwater!"j^Theyhavebroughthimthewater' 
and then he added: "Jacob, hast thou, too, had any tidings of our 
children ? "j&" Alas ! " the other answered j " Ulrich has written all 
to me" J&" Then have mercy on me. Listenhow your godless son 
there in the vessel is beating my daughter to death, and how she is 
shrieking forhelp. J^As the burgomaster heard these unexpected 
tidings, he sent messengers tothe vessel, with orders to bring the 
pair immediately before himj^Meanwhile the other prisoners bo 
sought the burgomaster to let them go, for they were feudal vassals 
of Otto Bork, and must do as he commanded them. Besides, he 
told them that Duke Barnim had given him the dues, & therefore, 
they held it their duty to assist him in collecting them. And as 
Otto confirmed their words, saying that he had indeed deceived 
them, the burgomaster turned to his party, & cried : " How say you 
then, worthy burghers and dear friends, shall we let the vassals run 
and keep the lord? For, if the master lies, are the servants to be puns 

139 



.•. Plautusin 
Bacchid. 




ished if they believe him ? Speak worthy friends" J&- Then all the 
burghers cried: " Let them go, let them go; but keep the knight a 
prisoner" J& Upon which all the retainers took to their heels, not 
forgetting, though, to hoist the cask of wine upon their shoulders, 
and so they fled away into the wood. 

OW comes a great crowd from all the vessels, accom^ 

panying the infamous pair, mocking, and gibing, 

and laughing atthem,so that no one can hear a word 

for the tumult. But the burgomaster bids them hold 

their peace, and let the guilty pair be placed before 

himj$FHe remained a long while silent, gazing at 

them both, then signing deeply, addressed his son : " Oh, thou lost 

son, hast thou not yet given up thy dissolute courses ? WTiat is this 

I hearoftheeinWblgast?Nowthou must needs humblethis noble 

maiden, and bring dishonour on her house, flinging all thy father's 

admonitions to the wind" J& Here the son interrupted: "True; 

but this noble maiden had thrown herself in his way, likeacommon 

girl, and he was only flesh and blood like other men.Why did she 

followhim so ?" "Whereupon the father replied: "Oh, thou shames 

less child, who, like the prodigal in Scripture, hath destroyed thy 

substance with harlots and riotous living, in place of humbleness 

and repentance, dost thou impudently tell of this poor young 

maiden's shame before all the world? Oh, son! oh, son! even the 

blind heathen said : ' Ergo ilium periisse puto, cui quidem periit 

pudor : . ' . which means, ' I esteem him dead in whom shame is dead.' 

Therefore is thy sin doubled beinga Christian, for thou hast boasted 

of thy shame before the people here, & held up the young maiden 

to their contempt, besides having beaten her so on board the vessel 

that many heard her screams, as if she were only a common wench, 

and not a castle^-and land'dowered maiden" jj$ To which Appel' 

mann answered, that she had called him a common groom and a 

base-born burgher churl. Buthis father commanded him to be silent, 

and bid his men first bind the knight's hands behind his back, and 

then those of his son ; and so carry them both to prison, but to let 

the maiden go free J& When the knight heard that he was to be 

bound, his pride revolted, and he offered any ransom, or to give any 

compensation that could be demanded for the injury he had done 

them. Every one knew his wealth, andthathehadpowerto keep his 

word to the uttermost. But the burgomaster made answer: " Eye for 

eye, and tooth for tooth; how say you, sir knight: speak the truth, 

if you had taken me prisoner, as I have taken you, would you have 

140 



bound my hands or not?" To which the knight replied : "Well, 
Jacob, I will not speak a falsehood, for I feel that my end is near; I 
would have bound your hands "j& Hereupon, the brave burgomas^ 
ter answered : " I know it well; however, as you have answered me 
honestly, I will spare you. Burghers, do not bind his hands, neither 
those of my son. Ye have enough to suffer yet before ye, and God 
give ye both grace to repent. And now to the town ! The crew shall 
declare to^mon-ow morn, before the honourable council, what they 
have lost by the knight's means; and he shall make it all good again 
to them" J& So all the people returned with great uproar and re^ 
joicing back to the town, and the bell from St. Mary's & St. John's 
rung forth merry peals, and all the people of the town ran forth to 
meet them; but when they saw the knight a prisoner, & his empty 
scabbard hanging by his side, they clapped their hands & huzzaed, 
shouting: "So fell the Stargardians upon Stramehl." Thus with 
merry laughter, and jests, and mockings, they carried him up the 
street to the tower called the Red Sea, and there locked him up, well 
guarded j£? Here again he prayed the burgomaster to accept a ran/* 
som, but in vain. Whereupon he at last solicited pen, paper, and 
ink, and a light, that he might indite a letter to his Grace, Duke 
Barnim; and this was granted to him J& As for his unworthy son, 
the burgomaster had him carried to his own house, & there placed 
him in a room, with three stout burghers as a guard over him. And 
Sidonia was placed by herself in another little chamber. 
CHAPTER III. OF OTTO BORK'S DREADFUL 
SUICIDE; ITEM: HOWSIDONIA AND JOHANN 
APPELMANNBROUGHTWERE BEFORE THE 
BURGOMASTER. 

jURING that night there was a strong 
suspicion upon every one's mind that 
something terrible was going to happen ; 
for a great storm arose at midnight, and 
raged fearfully round the Red Sea tower, 
so that it seemed to rock, and when the 
night-watch went round to examine it, 
behold three toads crept out, & set thenv 
selves upright upon the parapet like little 
manikins, as the hares sometimes make 
themselves into manikins. 



141 





HAT all this denoted was discovered nextmorning, 
s for when the jailor entered Otto's cell in the tower, 
he saw him lying on thefloor inapool of blood, with 
his own dagger sticking in his heart. On the table 
. stood the lamp which he had asked for, still burning 
j feebly, and near it a great many written papers J& 
The man instantly ran for the burgomaster, who followed him with 
all speed to the tower. They felt the corpse, but it was already quite 
cold. So then a messenger was dispatched forthechirurgeon,tohold 
avisumrepertum over him j^Meantimetheyexaminedthepapers, 
and found first my gracious Lady of Wolgast's letter to the unfor*- 
tunate father, the same which had made him tremble so the day be/- 
fore, and therein was related all the shameful circumstances con^ 
cerning Sidonia, just as Ulrich had stated them in the letter to the 
burgomaster. Then they came upon his last will and testament, but 
where the seal ought to have been there lay a large drop of blood, 
with this memorandum beneath it: "This is my heart's first blood 
which I have affixed here in place of a seal, and may he who slights 
it be accursed for evermore, even as mydaughterSidonia"j^Inthis 
testament he had completely disinherited his daughter Sidonia, and 
made his son Otto sole inheritor of all his property, castles, & lands 
(for his daughter Clara was already dead, and had left no children). 
.*. A small town Nothing should his daughter Sidoniahave but two farm-houses in 
near Stramehl, & Zachow, .\ just to keep her from beggary, and to save the ancient 

illustrious name of their house from falling into further contempt. 
Yet should his son think proper to give her further alimentum, he 
was at liberty to do so. Lastly for the second & third time, he cursed 
his daughter, to whom he owed all his misery, from the affair with 
the apprentice to that concerning the Jena dues, up to this most 
miserable and wretched death. Item : the burgomaster picked up 
another letter, which was addressed to himself, and wherein the 
knight prayed first, that his body might not be drawn by theexecu^ 
tioner to burial, as was the custom with suicides, but conveyed 
honourably to Stramehl, and there deposited in the vault of his 
family; secondly, thathisdaughterSidoniamightbesenttoZachow, 
there to learn how to live humbly as a peasant maid, for that she 
might look to being a Duchess of Pomerania only when she could 
keep her evil desires still for even a couple of days J^Then he cursed 
her so, that it was pitiable to read ; and proved that, if he had been a 
more God-fearing father, she might have been a different daughter; 
for as St. Paul says (Galatians vi.) : "What a man soweth, that also 
142 



from Regenwalde ' 



shall he reap." The letter further said, that, for the good deed done 
to his corpse, the burgomaster should take all the gold found upon 
his person, consisting of eighty good rose^-nobles, and indemnify 
himself therewith for the loss of his spicesthat day in Stramehl,when 
they were scattered before the Jews. He lastly desired his last will 
and testament to be conveyed to his son,along with his corpse; and, 
further, his son was to send compensation to the crew for the cask 
of wine, and whatever other losses they had sustained, according to 
his knightly word which he had pledged to them. 
Summa: When the chirurgeon arrived & the body was examined, 
there was found upon the unfortunate knight a purse, embroidered 
with pearl's and diamonds, containing eighty rose^nobles, which the 
burgomaster in no wise disdained to receive, & then laid the whole 
matter before the honourable council, with the petition of Otto 
concerning the corpse. The honourable council fully justified the 
burgomaster for all he had done, and gave their opinion that, as the 
good town had no jurisdiction over the knight, so they could have 
none over his body, and therefore let it be removed with all honour 
to Stramehl, particularly as he had, in all things, made amends for 
the wrong he had done them. As regarded Sidonia, two porters 
should be sent to convey her to Zachow. 

n|EANTIME,Sidoniahadheardofherfather'shor^ 

rible death, and lay on the ground nearly insensible 

from grief. Just then the burgomaster returned from 

the council/hall, and commanded that she and his 

{profligate son should be brought before him. When 

Jthey arrived, he asked how it happened that they 

were both found in the vessel, for Ulrich, the grand Chamberlain, 
had written to inform him that Sidonia had been sent away in a 
coach to Stettin, with the executioner on the box jg? Here Sidonia 
sobbed so violently that no word could she utter; therefore the son 
replied: "That such had been done, but that he had been given a 
horse from the ducal stables, and had followed the coach; and when 
they stopped atUckermundforthenight,hehad secretly got speech 
with Sidonia, and advised her to try & remove the planks from the 
bottom of the carriage and escape to him, for that he would be quite 
close at hand. And he did what he could that night to loosen the 
boards himself. So in the morning, Sidonia got them up easily, & 
first dropped her baggage out through thehole, which hepicked up; 
and then, as they came to a soft sandy tract where the coach had to 
go very slowly, she let herself also down through it, and sinking in 





the deep sand, let the coach go over her without any hurt. Then he 
came to her, & they fled to the next town, where he bought a wagon 
from some peasants, for her and her luggage to proceed into Star^ 
gard, for she was ashamed to appear before Duke Barnim, and 
wished to get on from Stargardto Stramehl; but when they reached 
Damm, they heard such wild tales of the robbers & partisans who 
infested the roads, that Sidonia grew alarmed, and made him go by 
water for safety.So he left the horse and wagon at the inn, and took 
ship with the merchants who were going to Stargard : these were 
their adventures. The rest his father knew as well as himself " J& 
The burgomaster then asked Sidonia, had he spoken truth? So she 
dried h er eyes, and nodded her head for "Yes." 

|HEN he admonished her gravely, for that she, a 
noble maiden, could have dishonoured herself with 
a mereburgher's son, like his Johann, in whom, even 
he, his own father, must say there was nothing to 
tempt any girl. And now she knew the truth of those 
words of St. James : ** Lust, when it hath conceived, 
bringeth forth sin;& sin,whenit is finished, bringeth forth death." 
Her sin had, indeed, brought forth her father's death; would that 
he could say only his temporal death. This her father had himself 
asserted in his testament, which he held now in his hands, and for 
this cause he had left all his goods, lands, and castles to her brother 
Otto, only giving her two farm-houses in Zachowto save her from 
the beggar's staff, & their noble name from falling into yet greater 
contempt, and, in addition, he had cursed her with terrible curses; 
but these yet might be turned away, if she would incline her heart 
to God, and lead a pious, honest life for the rest of her days. And 
much more the worthy man preached to her; but she interrupted 
him, having found her tongue at last, and exclaimed in wrath : 
"What! has the good-for-nothing old churl written this? Let me 
see it; it cannot be true." 

jO the burgomaster reached her the paper, and, as she 

[read, her colour changed, and at last she shrieked 

aloudandfell down betorethe burgomaster, clasping 

his knees, and praying by the Jesu cross not to send 

such a testament to her brother, for that he was still 

I harder than her father, because he was by nature 

avaricious, and would grudgeher even salt with her bread. Let him 

remember that his son had promised her marriage, and would he 

destroy his own children 1J& Then Jacob Appelmann turned to his 

144 





profligate son, and asked: "Does she speak the truth? Have you 
promised her marriage ?" L j^But the shameless knave answered: 
"True, I so promised her, when we were at Uckermund; but now 
that she has no money, I wash my hands of her "j^FSuch villainy 
made the old man flame with indignation. "He would make him 
know that he must stand by his word, he would force him to it, if 
he could only think it would be for the advantage of this wretched 
girl. But he would admonish her to give him up ; did she not see 
that he was shameless, cruel, and selfish ? and how could she ever 
hope to turn to God & lead a new life, with such an infamous partner ? 
Item : His son should be made to work, and to feel poverty, so that 
his evil desires might be stifled; and as for her, let her go in God's 
name to Zachow, and there in solitude repent her sins, and strive 
to win the favour of God." 

JUT that was no water for her mill; so she continued 
to lament, & weep, and pray the burgomaster notto 
send the will to her harsh brother; upon which he 
answered mildly : "Wert thou to lie at my feet till 
morning, it would not help thee: the testament goes 
this day to Stramehl; but I will do this forthee. Thy 
father left me some rose-nobles, in a purse which he carried about 
with him, as a compensation for my spices, which he strewed before 
the Jews in Stramehl, of which deed thou too wert also guilty, as I 
know ; therefore I was not ashamed to take the money, but of the 
purse thy father said nought; so I had it in my mind to keep it, for, 
in truth, it is of more worth than the nobles it contained. If I mistake 
not, these are true pearls and diamonds with which it is broidered. 
Look, here it is. W hat sayest thou V J& Here she sobbed and an- 
swered : " She knew it well ; she had broidered the purse herself. 
They were her mother's pearls and diamonds, & part of her bridal 
gear; truly they were worth three thousand florins" J& "Then," 
said the brave old man, " I will give theethis purse, since it was not 
named either for me or for thy brother at Stramehl. Take it to Za- 
chow; thouwilt makea good penny of it. Be pious, & God-fearing, 
and industrious, remembering what the holy scripture says (Prov. 
xxxi.) : 'A virtuous woman takes wool & flax, & labours diligently 
with her hands. She stretches out her hands to the wheel, and her 
fingers grasp the spindle.' Hadst thou learned this, in place of thy 
costly broidery, methinks it would have been better with thee this 
day' jfi? As he thus spoke, he put the purse in her hands, and she 
instantly hid it in her pocket. But the profligate Johann now sud- 
I» »45 



denly became repentant, for hethought, if I can obtain nothing good 
from my father, I may at least get the purse. So he began to weep 
and lament, and fell downtooathis father's feet, saying, if he would 
only pardon him this once, he would indeed take this poor maiden 
to wife, as he had promised her, for he alone was guilty of her sin ; 
only would his heart's dearest father forgive him ? And so the hypo-' 
crite went on with his lies J& Whereupon his father made answer 
honourably and mildly: "Such promises thou hast often made, but 
never kept. However, I will try thee yet again. If thou wilt spend 
each day diligently writing in the council office, & return each night 
to sleep in my chamber, and continue this good conduct for a few 
years, to testify thy repentance, as a brave and upright son, and 
Sidonia meanwhile continues to lead a godly and humble life at 
Zachow, then, in God's name, ye shall both marry, & make amends 
for your sin; but notbefore that"jg5?Ashe said this, and bid his son 
stand up, the hypocrite answered: "Yes, he would do the will of his 
dear father; but then he must keep back this testament; so would 
his children be happy. Otherwise, wherefore should they marry ? 
"What could they live on? A couple of cabins in Zachow would not 
be enough",^" Truly," replied the old man, "if I were as great a 
knave as thou art, I would do as thou hast said; yet, though the loss 
of the spices, which her father wickedly destroyed, did me such in^ 
jurythatlhad to sell myhouse,togetthe means of living & keeping 
thee at the University of Grypswald, I will keep my hands pure 
from the property of another; even if this property belonged to my 
greatest enemy, and the enemy of this good town alsoj^Summa : 
This day thou shalt go to the council/office, the testament to Stra^ 
mehl, and Sidonia to Zachow." 

jO the knave was silent ; but Sidonia still resisted ; 
jshe would not go to Zachow, never; but if he would 
jsend her to Stettin, she was certain the good Duke 
IBarnim wouldbe kind to an unfortunate maiden, who 
I had done nothing more than what thousands do in 
I secret. And whatever the gracious Prince resolved 
concerning her shewouldabidebyj^Whentheburgomasterheard 
this speecn,he sawthatnoamendmentwasto beexpected fromher; 
and as he had no authority to compel her to go to Zachow, he pro' 
mised, at last, to send her to Stettin on the following day, for there 
were two market wagons going, and she could travel in one, and 
thereby be more secure against all danger. And so it was done. 

146 





CHAPTER IV. HOW SIDONIA MEETS CLAUDE 
UCKERMANN AGAIN, AND SOLICITS HIM TO 
WED HER. ITEM: WHAT HE ANSWERED, AND 
HOW MY GRACIOUS LORD OF STETTIN RE. 
CEIVEDHER, 

IIDONIA, next morning, got a good soft 
1 seat in the wagon, upon the sack of a cloth 
merchant; he was cousin to the burgomas. 
ter and promised to take her with him, out 
I of friendship for him. All the men in the 
I wagon were armed with spears & muskets, 
for fear of the robbers, who were growing 
more daring every dayjgPSo they proceed, 
ed; but had not got far from the town when 
I a horseman galloped furiously after them, 
and called out that he would accompany them ; and this was Claude 
Uckermann, of whom I have spoken so much in my former book. 
He too was going to Stettin. Now when Sidonia saw him, her eyes 
glistened like a cat's when she sees a mouse, and she rejoiced at the 
prospect of such good company, for since the wedding of her sister, 
never had this handsome youth come across her, though she was 
constantly looking out for him. So as he rode up by the wagon, she 
greeted him, and prayed him to alight and come and sit by her upon 
the sack, that they might talk together of dear old times J& She 
imagined, no doubt, that he knew nothing of all thathad happened; 
but her disgrace was as public at Stargard as if it had been pealed 
from the great bell of St. Mary's. He therefore knew her whole 

story, andanswered,thatsittingbyherwasdisagreeabletohim now; 
and he rode on. This was plain enough, one would think; but Si' 
donia still held by her delusion; for as they reached the first inn and 
stopped to feed the horses, she saw him stepping aside to avoid her, 
and seating himself at some distance on a bank, so she put on her 
flattering race, and advanced to him, saying, "Would not the dear 
youngknight make up with her? . . what ailed him ? . .it was impose 
sible he could resent her silly fun at her sister's wedding. Oh ! if he 
had come again and asked her, seriously, to be his wife, in place of 
there in the middle of the dancing, as if hehad been only jesting, she 
would never have had another husband, for from thattill now, never 
had so handsome a knight met her eyes; but she was still free J& 
Hereupon the young man (as he told me himself) made answer: 
"Yes, she had rightly judged, he was only jesting, & taking his pas. 
U 147 




time with her, as they sat there upon the carpet, for he held in un/ 
speakable aversion & disgust a cup from which every one sipped." 
Still Sidonia would not comprehend him, and began to talk about 
Wolgast. But he looked down straight before him in the grass, and 
never spake a word, but turned on his heel and entered the inn, to 
see after his horse. So he got rid of her at last. 

|SthewagonsetofFagain,she began to sing somerrily 
] and loudly, that all the wood rang with it. And the 
young knight was not so stupid but that he truly dis^ 
cerned her meaning, which was to show him that she 
I cared little for his words, since she could go away in 
I such high spirits. 
Summa: When they reached the inn at Stettin, Sidonia got all her 
baggage carried in from the wagon, and there dressed herself with 
all her finery: silken robes, golden hair-net, & golden chains, rings, 
and jewels, that all the people salutedher when she came forth, and 
went to the castle to ask for his Highness the Duke. He was in his 
workshop, &hadjustfinishedturningaspinning'wheel; he laughed 
aloud when she entered, ran to her, embraced her, and cried: " What ! 
my treasure ! where hast thou been solong, my sugar«-morsel ? How 
I laughed when Master Hansen, whom my old, silly, sour cousin 
of Wolgast sent with thee, came in lately into my workshop, and 
told me he had brought thee hither in a ducal coach ! I ran directly 
to the court> yard; but when the knave opened the door, my little 
thrush had flown. Where hastthou been so long, my sugar^morsel ?" 
jS?As his Grace put all these questions, he continued kissing her, 
so that his long white beard got tangled in her golden chains; and as 
she pushed him away, a bunch of hair remained sticking to her 
brooch, so that he screamed for pain, and put his hand to his chin. 
At this, in rushed the court marshal and the treasurer (who were 
writing in the next chamber) as white as corpses, and asked, "Who 
is murdering his Grace?" but his Grace held up his hand over his 
bleedingmouth,and winked to them to go away. So when they saw 
that it was only a maiden combat, they went their way laughingj^ 
Hereupon speaks his Grace: "See now, treasure, what thou hast 
done ! Thou canst be so kind to a groom, yetthy own gracious prince 
wilt treat so harshly !" jgF But Sidonia began to weep bitterly. 
"What did he think of her ? The whole story was an invention by 
his old sour cousin of Wolgast to ruin her because she would not 
learn her catechism (and then she told the same tale as to her father) ; 
but would nothis Grace take pity on a poor forsaken maiden, seeing 
148 



that Prince Ernest could not deny he had promised to make her 
his bride, and wedherprivately atCrummyn, on the verynextnight 
to that on which her Grace had so shamefully outraged her?"j^ 
" My sweet treasure ! "answered the Duke, "the young Prince was 
only making a fool of you; therefore be content that things are no 
worse. For even if he had wedded you privately, it would have been 
allin vain, seeingthatneither the Princely Widownor the Electorof 
Brandenburg,his godfather,norany oftheprinces oftheholy Roman 
Empire, nor lastly, the Pomeranian States, would ever have permits 
tedsounequalamarriage.Therefore,whatthepriestjoinedinCrum' 
myn would have been put asunder next day by the tribunals. My 
poornephewisasillyenthusiastnottohave perceived this all along, 
before he put such absurdities in your head. Thathetalked gallantry 
to you was very natural, and I wished him all success, but that he 
should ever have talked of marriage shows him to be even sillier 
than I expected from his years "J$? H ere Sidonia's tears burst forth 
anew. "Who would care for her now that her father was dead, and 
had left her penniless ? All because he believed that old hypocrite of 
Wolgast more than his own daughter. Alas ! alas I she was a poor 
orphan now! and all her possessions would be torn from her by her 
hard-hearted avaricious brother. Yet surely his Grace might at least 
take pity on her innocence." 

3lS Grace wondered much when he heard of Otto's 
}j death, for the letters brought by the market wagon 
from the honourable council, acquainting him with 
the matter, had not yet arrived, and he scratched be^ 
hind his ear and said: " It was an evil deed of that 
proud devil her father, to claim the Jena dues. Hehad 
got his answer at Wolgast, and ought to have left the dues alone. 
What right had he to break the peace of the land, to gratify his lust 
and greed ? It was well that he was dead; but as concerning his testae 
ment, that must not be interfered with, he had no power over the 
property of individuals. Each one might leave his goods as best 
pleased him, yet he would make his treasurer write a letter in her 
favour to her brother Otto: that was all that he could do" l /2^This 
threw Sidonia into despair; she fell at his feet, and told him, that 
letwhatwouldbecome of her, she would never go a steptoZachow, 
and her harsh brother would never give her one groschen, unless he 
were forced to it. His Grace ought to remember that it was by his 
advice she had gone to Wolgast, where all her misery had com/ 
menced; for by the traitorous conduct of the widow, there she had 

13 »49 




been robbed, not only of her good name, but also of her fortune. So 
his Grace comforted her, and said that as long as he lived she should 
want for nothing. He had a pretty house behind St. Mary's, and 
six young maidens lived there, who had nothing to do but spin and 
embroider, or comb out the beautiful herons' feathers as the birds 
moulted; for he had a large stock of herons close to the house, and 
there was a darlinglittle chamber there, which she could have imme/ 
diately for herself. As to clothes, they might all get the handsomest 
they pleased, and their meals were supplied from the ducal kitchen 
j2? As his Grace ended, and lifted up Sidonia and kissed her, she 
wept and sighed more than ever. " Could he think this of her ? No ; 
shewouldneverenterthehousewhichwasthetalkofallPomerania. 
If she consented, then indeed would the world believe all the false/- 
hoods that were told of her; of her, who was as innocent as a child!" 
Hereupon his Grace answered stiff and stern (yet this was not his 
wont, for he was a right tender master), " Then go your ways : Into 
thathouse or nowhere else." (Alas ! let every maiden take warning, 
by this example, to guard against the first false step. Amen, chaste 
Jesus! amen.) 

HATevening,Sidoniatookupherabodeinthehouse. 
But that same evening there was a great scandalum, 
and tearing of each other's hair among the girls. For 
one of them, named Trina Wehlers, was a baker's 
daughter from Stramehl, and on the occasion of 
Clara's wedding she had headed a procession of 
young peasants to join the bridal party, but Sidonia had haughtily 
pushed her back, and forbid them to approach. This Trina was a 
fine rosy wench, and my Lord Duke took a fancy to her then, so that 
she looked with great jealousy on any one that threatened to rob her 
of his favour. Now when Sidonia entered the house and saw the 
baker s daughter, she commenced again to play the part of the great 
lady,butthe other only laughed, and mockingly asked her," where 
was the princely spouse, Duke Ernest of Wolgast? would hisHiglv 
ness come to meet her there ?"jj2?Then Sidonia raged from shame 
and despair, that this peasant girl should dare to insult her; and she 
ran weeping to her chamber, but when supper was served, the scan' 
dalum broke out in earnest. For Sidonia had now grown a little com' 
forted,and as there were many dainty dishes from the Duke's table 
sent to them, she began to enjoy herself somewhat, when all of a 
sudden the baker's daughter gave her a smart blow over the fingers 
with a fork. Sidonia instantly seized her by the hair, and now there 
150 




was such an uproarof blows, screams, and tongues, that my gracious 
Lord, the Duke, was sent for. Whereupon he scolded the baker's 
daughter right seriously for her insolence, and told her that as Su 
donia was the only noble maiden amongst them, she was to bear 
rule. And if the others did not obey her humbly, as befitted herrank, 
they should all be whipped. His Grace wore a patch of black plaister 
on his chin, and attempted to kiss Sidonia again, but she pushed 
him away, sayingthat he must have told all that happened at Wol^ 
gast to these girls, otherwise how could the baker's daughter have 
mocked her about it ? Whereupon my gracious Lord consoled her, 
and said that if she were quiet and well behaved, he would take her 
with him to the Diet at wbllin, for all the young dukes of Pomer^ 
ania were to attend it, & Prince Ernest amongst the number, seeing 
that he had summoned them all there, in order to give up the govern^ 
ment of the land into their hands, as he was now too old now him^ 
self to be tormented with state affairs J& When Sidonia heard this, 
hope sprang up within her heart, and she resolved to bear her de^ 
stiny calmly. 

CHAPTERV.HOWTHEYWENTON MEANTIME 
AT WOLGAST. ITEM : OF THE DIET AT WOLLIN 
AND WHAT HAPPENED THERE. 

IITH regard to their Serene Highnesses 
of Wolgast, I have already related, libro 
primo,that theyounglord, Ernest Ludo^ 
vicus, was carried out of Sidonia' s chanv 
ber like one dead, when he beheld her abo^ 
minable wickedness with his own eyes. 
And all can easily believe that he lay for 
a long while sick unto death. In vain Dr. 
Pomius offered his celebrated specific, he 
I would take nothing, did nothing day or 
nightbut sigh and groan : J&" Ah, Sidonia ; ah, my beloved heart's-' 
bride Sidonia, can it be possible ? Adored Sidonia, my heart is breaks 
ing. Sidonia, Sidonia, can it be possible?" 

T: r^r :~^- ITlastthe idea struck Dr. Pomius that there mustbe 
1 magic and devil's work in it. So he searched through 
all his learned books, and finally came upon a recipe 
which was infallible in such cases. This was to burn 
the tooth of a dead man to powder, & let the sick he, 
i-- -■.„■, .- .--^-aJ witchedpersonsmoketheashes.Such was solemnly 
recommended by Petrus Hispanus Ulyxbonensis, who, under the 
1 4 151 






nameof John XXII. ascended thepapal throne. See his Thesaurus 
Pauperum, cap. ult. 

lUTthePrince would neither take anything nor smoke 
1 anything, & the delirium amatorium grew more vio^ 
lent and alarming day by day, so that the whole ducal 
house was plunged into the deepest grief and despair 
j^Now there was a prisoner in the bastion tower at 
wblgast, a carl from Katzow, who had been arrested 
and condemned for practisinghorrible sorceries and magic ; namely, 
having changed the calves of his neighbours into young hares, which 
instinctively started off to the woods and were never seen more, as 
the whole town testified; and other devil's doings he had practised, 
which I now forget, but they were fully proved against him, and so 
he was sentenced to be burned j^This man now senta message to 
the authorities, that if they pardoned him and allowed him freepas' 
sage from thetown,hewouldtellofsomethingto cure theyounglord. 
This was agreed to; andwhenhewas broughttothe chamber of the 
Prince he laid his ear down upon his breast, to listen if it were witch' 
craft that ailed him J& Then he spake : " Yes ; the heart beats quite 
unnaturally, the sound was like the whimpering of a fly caughtina 
spider's web; their lordships might listen for themselves." Where^ 
upon allpresent, one after the other, laid their ear upon the breast of 
the young Prince, and heard really as he had described J& The carl 
now said that he would give his Highness a potion which would 
make him, from thathour, hate the woman who had bewitched him 
as much as he had adored her. Item :The young lord must sleep for 
three days, and when he woke, his strength would have returnedto 
him; to procure this sleep he must anoint his temples with goat's 
milk, which they must instantly bring him, & during his sleep the 
Lady Duchess must, every two hours, lay fresh ox'flesh upon his 
stomach jg? When her Grace heard this, she rejoiced that her dear 
son would so soon hold the harlot in abhorrence who had bewitched 
him. And the carl gave him a red syrup, which he had no sooner 
swallowed than all care for Sidonia seemed to have vanished from 
his mind. Even before the goat's milk came, he exclaimed: " Now 
that I think over it, what a great blessing that we have got rid of 
Sidonia",^ And no sooner were his temples bathed with the milk 
than he fell into a deep sleep, which lasted for three days, and when 
he opened his eyes, his first words were: "Where is that Sidonia? 
Isthewanton still here? Bring herbeforeme, that I may tellherhow 
Ihateher. Oh, fool that I wastoperilmyprincely honour foraharlot, 
Where is she ? I must have my revenge upon the light wanton." 
»52- 




JER Grace could hardly speak for joy when she heard 
1 these words; and she gave the carl, who had watched 
all thetimebythebedsideoftheyoung Prince, somuch 
ham & sausages from the ducal kitchen, thathe finally 
could not walk, but was obliged to be drawn out of the 
I town in a car. Then she asked Dr. Pomiushow such a 
miracle could have been effected. At which he laid his finger on his 
nose, after his manner, and replied, such was accomplished through 
the introduction of the natural Life Balsam, which the learned called 
confermentationem Mumiae, and so the fool went on prating, and 
her Grace devouring his words as if they were gospelj^Summa: 
After a few days the young lord wasabletoleavehisbed,and as they 
kept fresh ox-flesh continually applied to his stomach, he soon re- 
gained his strength, so that, in a couple of weeks, he could ride, fish, 
and hunt, and his cheeks were as fresh and rosy as ever. One day he 
mentioned "the groom's mistress/'as he called her, and wished he 
could give her a lesson in lute^playing, it would be one to make her 
tremble. But when the letter arrived from Duke Barnim, declaring 
that, from his great age, he proposed resigning the government of 
Pomerania into the hands of her Grace's sons, there was no end to 
the rejoicings at Wolgast, and her Grace declared that she would 
herself accompany them to the Dietat Wollin. jgFWe shall now see 
whatatreatwaswaitingherattheoldcastlethere.Itwasbuiltwholly 
of wood and has long since fallen, but at the time I write of, it was 
standin g in all its j*lory. 

^TrT*iONDAY,the 15th May, 1569, at eleven in the fore- 
lnoon, his Grace of Stettin came with seven coaches 
and two hundred & fourteen horsemen into the court' 
yard. And there, on the steps of the castle, stood my 
rracious Lady of Wolgast, holding thelittle Casimir 
>y the hand, in waitingto receive his Highness, and 
all her other sons stood round her; namely, the illustrious Bishop of 
Camyn, Johann Frederick, in his bishop s robes, with the stafFand 
mitre. Item : Duke Bogislaus, who had presented her Grace with a 
tame sea-' gull. Item: Ernest Ludovicus, in a Spanish mantle ofblack 
embossed in gold, & upon his head a black velvet Spanish hat looped 
up with diamonds, from which longwhite plumes descended to his 
shoulder. Item. Barnim the younger, who wore a dress similar to his 
brother's. Item. The grand chamberlain, UlrichvonSchwerin,and 
with him a great crowd of the counsellors & state officers ofWolgast, 
besides all the nobles, prelates, knights, chief burghers of theduchy. 

»53 





Amongthe nobles stood Otto von Bork, brother to Sidonia, and the 
burgomaster, Jacob Appelmann, held his place amongthe citizens 
J& As Duke Barnim drove up to the castle, the guards fired a salute, 
and the bells rang, and the cannon roared & all the vessels in the har^ 
bour hoisted their flags, whilethe streets, houses, and the courtyards 
were decorated with flowers, & all the people of the little town trotted 
round the carriage, shouting *■*• VivatI vivat I vivat ! " so that like was 
never seen before in Wollin. 

OW, when the coach stopped, her Grace the Duclv 
ess advanced to meet his Highness; and as old Duke 
Barnim's head appeared at the window, with his long 
white beard & yellow leather cap, her Grace stepped 
forward, & said : '* Welcome, dearest Un . . ." But she 
could get no farther, & stood as stiffas Lot's wife when 
she was turned into a pillar of salt, for there was Sidonia seated in 
the carriage beside the Duke! Old Ulrich,who followed, soon spied 
the cause of her Grace's dismay, and exclaimed: "Three thousand 
devils! what does your Highness mean by bringing the accused har^ 
lot a third time amongst us?" l j^But his Highness only laughed, 
and drew forth his last puppet, it was a Satan as he tempted Eve, 
saying: " Hold this for me, good Ulrich, till I am out of the coach, 
and then I shall hear all about it." To which the other answered : " If 
you let me catch hold of this other Satan, whom ye bring with you, 
I think it were wiser done ! " 

RINCE Ernest now sprang down the steps, his eye 
flamingwith rage, & drawinghis sword, cried :"Hold 
me, or I will stab the serpent to the heart, who so dis' 
graced me and my family honour. I will murder her 
there in the coach before your eyes " L /^^ Y /herupon 
old Ulrichflungthelittle wooden Satan to the ground, 
and seized the young man by the arm, while Sidonia screamed vie 
lently. But the old Duke stepped deliberately out of the coach. See' 
ing, however, his wooden Satan lying broken on the ground, he be 
came very wroth, & called loudly for aturner with his gfue^pot. Then 
he ascended the steps, and when all had greeted him deferentially, 
he began: 

EAR niece, worthy cousins, and friends, ye have no 
doubt heard of the misfortune which hath befallen 
Sidonia von Bork, who sits there in the carriage. Her 
father has died ; and, further, she has been disinherit 
ted. Thereupon she fled to seek a refuge. Now, ye all 
lknow well the Von Borks are an ancient, honoura^ 
154 





ble, and illustrious race: none more so; therefore I had compassion 
upon the orphan, and brought her hither to effect a reconciliation 
between her and Otto Bork, her brother. Step forward, Otto Bork, 
where are you hiding? Step forth, and hand your sister from the car^ 
riage; I saw you amongst the nobles here to-day. Step forth \" J& 
But Otto had disappeared; and as the Duke found he would not 
answer to his summons, he bid Sidonia come forth herself. Where' 
upon the young Prince swore fiercely that, if she but put afoot upon 
the step he would murder her." What the devil ! young man/' said 
the Duke laughing; " first you must needs wed her, & now you will 
slay her dead at our feet ! This is somewhat inconsistent. Come forth, 
Sidonia; he will not be so cruel" J& But she sat in the coach, and 
wept like a child who haslostitsnurse.Somy gracious Ladystepped 
forward, and commanded the coachman to drive instantly with the 
maiden to the townz-inn ; and so it was done. 

fjOOW the old Duke never ceased for the whole fore' 
noon soliciting Otto Bork to take the poor orphan 
home with him, and there to treat her as a faithful 
and kind brother, in compensation for her father's 
harsh and unnatural will; but it was all in vain, as 

3 she indeed had prophesied. ** Not the weight of a 

feather more should she get than the two farm-houses in Zachow; 
and never let her call him brother, for ancient as his race was, never 
had one of them borne the brand of infamy till now." 

IN the afternoon, all the prelates, nobles, & burghers 
assembled in the grand hall; then entered the ducal 
family, Barnim the elder at their head. He was 
dressed in a long black robe, such as the priests 
wear now, with white ruffles and Spanish frill, and 
was bareheaded. He took his seat at the top of the 
table, and thus spake : " Illustrious Princes, dear cousins, nobles, & 
faithful burghers, ye all know that I have ruled this Pomeranian 
land for fifty years, upholding the pure doctrine of Doctor Martin 
Luther, and casting down papacy in all places and at all times. But 
as I am now old, & find it hard sometimes to keep my unruly vassals 
in order, whereof we have had a proof lately, it is my will&purpose 
to resign the government into the hands of my dear cousins, the 
illustrious Princes von PommenvWolgas^and retire to Oderburg 
in Old Stettin, there to rest in peace for the remainder of my days; 
but there are four princes (for the fifth Casimir to-morrow or next 
day shall get a church endowment) &but two duchies. For ye know 

155 






that, by the act passed in 1541, the Duchy of Pomerania can only 
be divided into two portions, the other princes of the family being 
entitled but to life annuities. Therefore, I have resolved to let it be 
decided by lot amongst the four Pomeranian princes (according to 
the example set us by the holy apostles), which of them shall sue 
ceed me in Stettin, which is to rule in Wblgast in the room of my 
loved brother, Philip us Primus of blessed memory; and, finally, 
which is to be content only with the life annuity. And this shall now 
be ascertained in your presence." 

JAvING ended, he commanded the grand marshal 
Von Fleming to bring the golden lottery 'box with 
the tickets, and beckoned the young princes to the 
table. Then, while they drew the lots, he commanded 
all the nobles, knights, and burghers present to lift 
up their hands and repeat the Lord's prayer aloud. 
So every hand was elevated, even the Duke and my gracious Lady 
uplifting theirs, and the three young princes drew the lots but not 
the fourth, and this was Bogislaff. So Duke Barnim wondered, and 
asked the reason. Wliereupon he answered: "That he would not 
tempt God in aught. To govern a land was a serious thing; and he 
who had little to rule had littleto be responsible for before God. He 
would, therefore, freely withdraw his claims, and be content with 
the annuity; then he could remain with his dear mother, & console 
her in her widowhood. He did not fear that he would ever repent 
his choice, for he had more pleasure in study than in the pomp of the 
world; and, if he took the government, then musthis beloved library 
be given up for food to the moths and spiders" J& All arguments 
were vain to turn him from his resolve : so the lots were drawn, and 
it was found that Johann Frederick had come by the Dukedom of 
Stettin, and E rnest Ludovicus by that of Wblgast. 

~]UTas Barnim the younger wentawayempty,he was 
filled with envy &mortification,showingquite a dif> 
ferent spirit from his meek,humblexminded brother, 
Bogislaff. He swore, and cursed his ill-luck. "Why 
didnot that fool of a bookworm give over his chance 
to him, if he would not profit by it himself? Why 
the devil should he descend to play the commoner, when he was 
born to play the prince? "and such likeunamiable and ill/tempered 
speeches. However, he was now silenced by the drums & trumpets, 
which struck up the Te Deum, in which all present joined. Then 
Doctor Dannenbaum offered up a prayer, so that grand ceremony 
156 




concluded. But the feasting and drinking was carried on with such 
spirit all through the evening, and far into the night, that all the 
young lords, except Bogislaff, had well-nigh drowned their senses 
in the wine^cup ; and Ernest started up about midnight, declaring 
that he would go to the inn and murder Sidonia. Barnim was busy 
quarrelling with Johann Frederick about his annuity. So Ernest 
would certainly have gone to Sidonia, if one of the nobles, by name 
Dinnies Kleist, a man of huge strength, had not detained him in a 
singular manner. For he laid a wager that, just with his little finger 
in the girdle of the young Prince, he would hold him fast; and if he 
(the Prince) moved but one inch from the spot where he stood, he 
was content to lose his wager J& And, in truth, Prince Ernestfound 
that he could not stir one step from the spot where Dinnies Kleist 
held him; so he called a noble to assist him, who seized his hand, 
and tried to draw him away, but in vain ; then he called a second, a 
a third, a fourth, up to a dozen, and they all held each other by the 
hand, and pulled and pulled away till their heads nearly touched the 
floor, but in vain; not one inch could they make the Prince to move. 
So Dinnies Kleist won his wager; and the Duke, Johann Frederick, 
was so delighted with this proof of his giant strength, that he took 
him into his service from that hour. So the whole night Dinnies 
amused the guests by performing equally wonderful feats even until 
day dawned. 

JO W, there was an enormous golden becker which 

1 Duke Ratibor I. had taken away from the rich town 

of Konghalla in Norway land, when he fell upon it 

& plundered it.This becker stood on the table filled 

with wine, & as the Duke handed it to him to pledge 

jhim, Dinnies said: " Shall I crush this in my hand, 

like fresh bread for your Grace?" "You may try," said the Duke, 
laughing; and instantly he crushed it together with such force, that 
the wine dashed down all over the table-cover. Item:the Dukethrew 
down some gold and silver medals: "Could he break them V'J& 
"Ay, truly, if they were given to him; not else "JE?" Take, then, as 
many as you can break," said the Duke. So he broke them all as 
easily as altar wafers, and thrust them, laughing, into his pocket. 
Item : there had been large quantities of preserved cherries at sup' 
per; and the lacqueys had piled up the stones on a dish like a high 
mountain. From this mountain Dinnies took up handful after hand' 
ful,and squeezed them together, so that not a single stone remained 
whole in his hand. We shall hear a great deal more of this Dinnies 

l 57 





Kief st, and his strength, as we proceed; therefore shall let him rest 
at present. 

CHAPTER VI. HOW SIDONIA IS AGAIN DIS. 
COVEREDWITH THE GROOM, JOHANN APPEL, 
MANN. 

''^^■ ; r :: y ^■HjgggWT was a good day for Johann Appelmann 

when his father went to the Dietat Wbllin. 
For as the old burgomaster held strictly by 
his word, & sent him each day to the writing 
office, and locked him up each night in his 
little room, the poor young man had found 
life growing very dull. Now, he was his 
mother's pet, and all his sins and wicked' 
ness were owingto her as much as Sidonia's 
to her father. She had petted and spoiled 
him from his youth up, and stiffened his back against his rather. 
For whenever worthy Jacob laid the stick upon the boy's shoulders, 
she cried and roared, & called him nothing but an old tyrant. Then 
how she was always stuffing him up with tit'bits & dainties, when/- 
ever his father's back was turned; and if there were a glass of wine 
left in the bottle, the boy must have it. Then she let him and his 
brother beat and abuse all the street boysand send them away bleeds 
ing like dogs ; and some were afraid to complain of them, as they 
were sons of the burgomaster; and if others came to the house to do 
so, she took good care to send them away with a stout blow or bloody 
nosejgFAnd as the lads grew up, how she praised their beauty, and 
curled their hair and beards herself, telling them they were not to 
think of citizen wives, but to look after the richest & highest, for the 
proudest in the land might be glad to get them as husbands. So she 
prated away during her husband's absence, for he was in his office 
all day and most part of the evening. And God knows, badfruitshe 
brought forth with such rearing, not alone in Johann, but also in his 
brother Wrttich, who, as I afterwards heard, got on no better in 
Pudgla, where he held the office of magistrate. So true it is whatthe 
Scripture says : " A wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish 
plucketh it down with her hands" (Prov.xiv.). Then another Scrips 
ture, "As moths from a garment, so from a woman wickedness" 
(Sirachxlii.). 



158 





OR what did this fool do now? As soon as her up.* 
right and worthy husband had left the house, for" 
getting and despising all his admonitions respecting 
this son Johann, she called together all her acquaints 
ance, and kept up a gormandizing and drinking day 
LJ after dav, all to comfort her heart s dear pet Johann, 
who had been used so harshly by his cross father. Think of her fine 
handsome son being stuck down all day to a clerk's desk. Ah ! was 
there ever such a tyrant as her husband to any one, but especially 
to his own born children 1J& And so she went on, complaining how 
she had thrown herself away upon such a hard-hearted monster, & 
had refused so many fine young carls, all to wed Satan himself at 
last. She could not make out why God had sent such a curse upon 
her. 

HEN the brave Johann heard all this, he begged 
money from his mother, that he might seek another 
situation. Now that there was anew Duke in Stettin, 
he would assuredly get employment there, but then 
he must treat all the young fellows and pages about 
the court, otherwise they would not put in a good 
word for him. Therefore he would give them a great carouse at the 
White Horse in the Monk's Close, and then assuredly he would be 
appointed chief equerry. So she believed every word he uttered; but 
as old Jacob had carried away all the money that was in the house 
with him, she sold the spices that had just come in, for a miserable 
sum, also her own pearl earrings & fur mantle, that her dear heart's 
son might have a gay carouse, to console him for all his father's hard 
treatment. Summa: When the rogue had got all he could from her, 
he took his father's best mare from the stable, & rode up to Stettin, 
wherehe put up at the White Horse Inn, & soon scraped acquaint' 
ancewith all the idle young fellows about the court.So they drank & 
caroused until Johann's last penny was spent, but he had got no 
situation except in good promises. Truly, the youngpages had men/ 
tioned him to the Duke, & asked the place of equerry for their jovial 
companion, but his Highness, Duke Johann, had heard too much 
of his doings at Wolgast,and would by no means countenance him. 
HEN Johann bethought himself of Sidonia, for he 
had heard from his boon companions that she was 
J in the Duke's house behind St. Mary's. And he re 
membered that purse embroidered with pearls and 
diamonds which his father had given her, so he went 
many days spying about the house, hoping to get a 

l 59 




glimpse of Sidonia; but as she never appeared, he resolved to gain 
admission by playing the tailor. WTierefore, he tied on an apron, 
took a tailor's measure and shears, and went straight up to the house, 
askingboldly,if a young maiden named Sidonia did not live there? 
forhehadgotorderstomakeheragarment.Nowthebaker'sdaugh' 
ter, Trina Wehlers, suspected all was not right, for she had seen my 
gay youth spying about the house before, and staring up at all the 
windows. However, she showed the tailor Sidonia's room, & then 
set herself down to watch. Butthe wonders of Providence are great. 
Although she could not hear a word they said, yet all that passed in 
Sidonia's room was made evident; it was in this wise. Just before 
the houseroseup the church of St. Mary'swith all its stately pillars, 
and as if God's house wished in wrath to expose the wickedness of 
the pair, everythingthat passed in the room was shadowed on these 
pillars ; so when Trina observed this, she ran for the other girls, cry- 
ing, " Come here, come here, and see how the two shadows are kis^ 
sing each other. They can be no other than Sidonia and her tailor. 
This would be fine news for our gracious Lord!" They would tell 
him the whole story when his Highness came that evening, and so 
get rid of this proud haughty dragon who played the great lady 
amongst them, and ruled everything her own way. Therefore, they 
allsetthemselvestowatchforthe tailorwhen he left Sidonia's room; 
but the whole day passed and he had not done with his measure- 
ment. "Whereupon they concluded she must have secreted him in 
her chamber jg?Now the Duke had a private key of the house, and 
was in the habit of walking over from Oderburg after dusk almost 
every evening, and as there was no sign of him now, they despatched 
a messenger, bidding him come quick to his house, and his Grace 
would hear and see marvels. How the young girls gathered round 
him when he entered, all telling him together about Sidonia. And 
when at last he made out the story, his Grace fell into an unwonted 
rage (for he was generally mild and good-tempered) that a poacher 
should get into his preserves. So he runs to Sidonia's door and tries 
to open it, but the bolts are drawn. Then he threatened to send for 
Master Hansen if she did not instantly admit him, at which all the 
girls laughed and clapped theirhands with joy. Whereupon Sidonia 
at last came to the door with looks of great astonishment, and de- 
manded what his Grace could want, it was bed-time, and so of 
course she had locked her door to lie down in safety,^ 
I lie : "Where is that tailor churl who had come to her in the morn- 
ing?" 
160 



Ilia : " She knew nothing about him, except that he had gone away- 
long ago." 

So the girls all screamed " N o, no, that is not true. She and the tailor 
had been kissing each other, as they sawbythe shadows on thewall, 
and makinglove"j^Here Sidonia appeared truly horrified at such 
an accusation, for she was a cunning hypocrite; and taking up the 
coif/block with an air of offended dignity, said, turning to his 
Grace, " It was this coikblock, methinks, I had at the window with 
me, and may those be accursed who blackened me to your face." 
So the Duke half believed her, and stood silent at the window ; but 
Trina Wehler cried out, "It is false! it is false! a coikblock could 
not give kisses !" Whereupon Sidonia in great wrath snatched up a 
robe that lay near her on a couch, to hit the baker's daughter with it 
across the face. But woe! woe! under the robe lay the tailor's cap, 
upon which all the girls screamed out: "There is the cap! there is 
the cap ! now we'll soon find the tailor," pushing Sidonia aside, and 
beginning to search in every nook and cornerof the room. Heyday, 
what an uproar there was now, when they caught sight of the tailor 
himself in the chimney and dragged him down, but he dashed them 
aside with his hands, right and left, so that many got bleedingnoses, 
hit his Grace, too, a blow as he tried to seize him, and rushed out of 
thehouse^Stillthe Dukehad timeto recognise the knave of Wol^ 
gast, and was so angry at his having escaped him, that he almost 
beat Sidonia. "She was at her old villainy. No good would ever 
come of her. He saw that now with his own eyes. Therefore, this 
very night she and her baggage should pack off, to the devil if she 
chose, but he had done with her forever." When Sidonia found that 
the affair was taking a bad turn, she tried soft words, but in vain. 
His Highness ordered up her two serving wenches to remove her 
and her luggage. And so, to the great joy of the other girls, who 
laughedand screamed, and clapped their hands, she was turned out, 
and having nowhere to go to, put up once more at the White Horse 
Inn. 

jOWJohannknewnothingofthisuntilnextmorning, 

I when,as he was toying with one ofthe maids,he heard 
a voice from the window: "J ohann!Johann! I will give 

thee the diamond." And lookingup, there was Sido^ 
nia.So the knave ran to her,& swore he was only jest, 

Jtng with the maid in the court, for that he would 

marry no one but her, as he had promised yesterday,only he must 

firstwaittillhewas madeequerry,then he would obtain letters of nc 

mj »6i 




bility,which could easily be done,ashe was thesonof a Patricius;but 
gold, gold was wanting for all this, and to keep up with his friends 
at the court. Perhaps this very day he might get the place, if he had 
only some good claret to entertain them with,therefore she had better 
give him a couple of diamonds from the purse. And so he went on 
with his lies and humbug, until at last he got what he wanted J&S'u 
donia now felt so ashamed of her degradation, that she resolved to 
leave the White Horse, & take a little lodging in the Monk's Close 
until Johann obtained the post of equerry. But in vain she hoped 
and waited. Every day the rogue came, he begged for another pearl 
or diamond, and if she hesitated, then he swore it would be the last, 
for this very day he was certain of the situation. At last but two dia-« 
monds wereleft, &begashe might, these he should not have. Then 
he beat her, and ran off to the w hite Horse, but came back again, 
in less than an hour. Would she forgive him ? Now they would be 
happy atlast;hehad received his appointmentas chief equerry. His 
friends had behaved nobly, and kept their word, therefore he must 
give them a right merry carouse out of gratitude; she might as well 
hand him those two little diamonds. Now they would want for 
nothing at last, but live like princes at the table or his Highness the 
Duke. Would she not be ready to marry him immediately? 

HEREUPON the unfortunate Sidonia handed 
over her two last jewels, but never laid eyes on the 
knave for two days after, when he came to tell her it 
was all up with him now, the traitors had deceived 
him, he had got no situation, and unless she gave him 
more money or jewels he never could marry her. She 
had still golden armlets & a gold chain, let her go for them, he must 
see them, and try what he could getforthem. But he begged in vain, 
then he stormed, swore, threatened, beat her, and finally rushed out 
of the house, declaring that she might go to the devil, for as to him 
he would never give himself any further trouble about her. 




162. 




CHAPTER VILOFTHE DISTRESS IN POMERAN. 
IAN LAND. ITEM: HOWSIDONIA AND JOHANN 
APPELMANN DETERMINE TO JOIN THE ROB. 
BERS INTHE VICINITY OF STARGARD. 

HEN my gracious Lord, Duke Johann 
Frederick, succeeded to the government, 
he had no idea of hoarding up his money 
in old pots, but lavished it freely upon all 
, kinds of buildings, hounds, horses; in 
A short, upon everything that could make 
j his court and castle luxurious and magni. 
- ficent^Indeedhe was often as prodigal, 
just to gratify a whim, as when he flung 
the gold coins to Dinnies Kleist merely to 
see if he could break them. For instance, he was not content with 
the old ducal residence at Stettin, but must pull it down and build 
another in the forest, not far from Stargard, with churches, towers, 
stables, and all kinds of buildings; and this new residence he called 
after his own name, Friedrichswaldj^Item: My gracious Lordhad 
manyprincely visitors, whowould come with a train of six hundred 
horses or more; and his princely spouse, the Duchess Erdmuth, was 
a lady of munificent spirit, and flung away gold byhandfuls; so that 
in a short time his Highness had run through all his forefathers' 
savings, and his incoming revenue was greatly diminished by the 
large annuity which he had to pay to old Duke Barnim^There. 
fore he summoned the states, and requested them to assist him with 
more money ; butthey gave answer that his Highness wanted pru. 
dence; he ought to tie his purse tighter. "Why did he build that new 
castle of Friedrichswald ? Was it ever heard in Pomerania that a 
prince needed two state residences ? Buthis Highness never entered 
the treasury to look after the expenditure of the duchy ; he did nothin g 
but banquet, hunt, fish, and build. Thestates, therefore, had no gold 
for such extravagances. 

[HEN his Highness had received this same answer 

1 two or three times from the states, he waxed wroth, 

and threatened to pronounce the interdictum scecu. 

lare over his poor land, and finally close the royal 

treasury and all the courts of justice, until the states 

I would give him moneyjgFNow the old Treasurer, 

Jacob Zitsewitz, who had quitted Wolgast to enter the service of 

his Grace, was so shocked at these proceedings, that he killed hinv 

m2 163 




.'.A suburb of 
Stettin. 



self out of pure grief and shame. He was an upright excellent man, 
this old Zitsewitz, though perchance, like old Duke Barnim, he 
loved the maidens and a lusty Pomeranian draught rather too well. 
And he foretold all the evil that would result from this same inter/ 
diet, but his Highness resisted his entreaties ; and when the old man 
found his warnings unheeded and despised, he stabbed himself, as 
I have said, there in the treasury before his master's eyes, out of grief 
and shamej^The misery which he prophesied soon fell upon the 
land; for it was just at that time that the great house of Loitz failed 
in Stettin, leaving debts to the amount oftwentytonsof gold, itwas 
said; by reason or which many thousand men, widows, & orphans, 
were utterly beggared, and great distress brought upon all ranks of 
the people. Such universal grief and lamentation never had been 
known in all Pomeranfa, as I have heard my father tell, of blessed 
memory : &as the princely treasury was closed, as also all the courts 
of justice, and no redress could be obtained, many misguided and 
ruined men resolved to revenge themselves; and this was now awel/ 
come hearing t o Johann Appelmann. 

jOR having given up all hope of the post of equerry, 
j he made acquaintance with these disaffected persons, 
amongst whom was a miller,one Philip Konneman 
by name, a notorious knave. With this Konneman 
he sits down one eveningin the inn to drink Rostock 
I beer, begins to curse and abuse the reigning family, 
who had ruined and beggared the people even more than Hans 
Loitz. They ought to combine together and right themselves. 
Wherewas the crime? Their cause was good;and where there were 
no judges in the land, complaints would do little good. He would 
be their captain. Let him speak to the others aboutit,and see would 
thev consent. He knew of many churches where there were jewels 
and other valuables still remaining. Also in Stargard, where his dear 
fatherplayedtheburgomaster, there was much goldjg§FSo they fixed 
a night when they should all meet at Lastadie, 'near the ducal fish/ 
house ;& Johann then goes toSidoniato wheedle her out of the gold 
chain, for handsel for the robbersjS?" Now," he said, "the good old 
times were come back in Pomerania, where every one trusted to his 
own good sword, and were not led like sheep at the beck of another. 
For the treasury and all the courts of justice were closed. So the 
glorious times of knight/errantry must come again, such as their 
forefathers had seen." His companions had promised to elect him 
captain, but then he must give them handsel for that; and the gold 
164 




chain would just sell forthe sum he wanted. What usewas it to her? 
Ifshe gave it,thenhewouldtakeherwith him,andthefirst rich prize 
they got he would marry her certainly, and settle down in Poland 
afterwards, or wherever else she wished. That would be a glorious 
life, and she would never regret the young duke. And had not all the 
nobles in old time led the same life, and so gained their castles and 
lands ?" jgF But Sidonia began to weep. " Let him do what he would, 
she would never give the chain; and if he beat her, she would scream 
for help through the streets, and betray all his plans to the author^ 
ties. Nowshesaw plainlyhow she had been deceived. Hehad talked 
her out of all her gold, and now wanted to bring her to the gallows 
at last. No, never should he get the chain; it was all she had left, and 
she had determined at last to go & live quietly at her farm in Zachow, 
as soon as she could obtain a vehicle from Regenswald to Labes." 
jj^When Johannheardthishe was terribly alarmed, and kissed her 
little hands, and coaxed and flattered her: "Why did she weep? 
There were plenty of herons' feathers now in the garden behind St. 
Mary's, for the birds were moulting. She could easily get some of 
them, and they were worth three times as much as the gold chain. 
Did she think it a crime to take a few feathers from that old sinner, 
Duke Barnim, or his girls? And if she really wished to leave him, 
she could sell the feathers even better in Dresden than here"j^It 
was all in vain. Sidonia continued weeping: "Let him talk as he 
liked, she would never give the chain. He was a knave through and 
through. Woe to her that she had ever listened to him ! He was the 
cause of all her misery;" and so she went on. 

jUT the cunning fox would not give up his prey so 
I easily. He now tried the same trick which he had 
played so successfully at Wolgast upon old Ulrich, 
and at Stargard upon his father; in short, he played 
the penitent, andbegan to weep and lament over his 
I errors, and all the misery he had caused her. " It was, 
indeed, true that he was to blame for all ; but if she would only for^ 
give him, and say she pardoned him, he would devote his life to her 
& revenge her upon all her enemies. The moment for doing so was 
nigh at hand ; for the young lord, Prince Ernest, who had so shames 
fully abandoned her, was coming here to Stettin with his young 
bride, the Princess Hedwig of Brunswick, to spend the honeymoon, 
and would he not take good care to waylay them on their journey- 
to Wolgast, & give them something to think of for the rest of their 
lives?" 

m3 165 





|HEN Sidonia heard these tidings, her eyes flashed 
like a cat's in the darkjg?" Who told him that ? She 
would not believe it, unless some one else confirmed 
the story." So he answered :" That anyone could con' 
firm it, For the whole castle was filled with workmen 
making preparations for their reception; the bridal 
chamber had been hung with new tapestry, and painters & carvers 
were busy all day long painting and carving the united arms of Po/ 
merania and Brunswick upon all the furniture and glass." 
Ilia : "Well, shewould go into the town to inquire, & if histale were 
true, and that he swore to marry her, he should have the chain." 
I lie •*' There was a carver going by with his basket and tools: let her 
call him in, and hear whathe said on the matter" j^So my cunning 
fellow called outtothe workman, who stepped in presently with his 
basket, &assuredthe lady politely, thatin fourteen days, the young 
Duke of Wblgast and his princely bride were to arrive at the castle, 
forthe court marshal had told him this himself; & given him orders 
to have a large number of glasses cut with their united arms ready 
with all diligence. WTien Sidonia heard this, and saw the glasses in 
his basket, shehanded the golden chain toJohann,& the carrier went 
his way.Then the aforesaid rogue fell down on his knees, swearing to 
marry her, and never to leave her more, for she had now given him 
all; and if this, too, were lost, she must beg her way to Zachowjg? 
So the gallows/bird went off with the chain, turned it into money, 
drank and caroused, and with the remainder set off for Lastadie,to 
meet the ringleaders, near the ducal fislvhouse, as agreed upon jgF 
But Master Konneman had only been able to gather ten fellows 
together; the others held back, though they had talked so boldly at 
first, thinking, no doubt, that when the courts of justice were re^ 
opened, they wouldallbebroughtto the gallows. Sojohann thought 
the number too small for his purposes, & agreed with the others to 
send an envoy to the robber^band of theStargard Wood, proposing 
a league between them, & offering himself (Johann Appelmann, a 
knight of excellent family & endowments,) as their captain. Should 
they consent, the said Johann would give them right good handsel; 
and, on the appointed day, meet them in the forest, with his illustri' 
ous and noble bride; and as a sign whereby they should know him, 
he would whistle three times loudly when he approached the wood. 



166 







ONNEMAN undertook to be the bearer of the 
message, and returned in a few days, declaring that 
the robbers had received the proposal with joy. He 
found them encamped under a large nut-tree in the 
forest, roastingasheepuponaspear,atalarge fire. So 
they made him sit down and eat with them, and told 
him it was a right jolly life, with no ruler but the great God above 
them. Better to live under the free heaven than die in their squalid 
cabins. The band was strong, besides many who had joined lately, 
since the bankruptcy of Hans Loitz, and there were some Gipsies 
too, amongst whom was an old hag who told fortunes, and lately 
prophesied to the band thatagreat prize was in store forthem; they 
had just returned with some booty from the little town of Damm, 
where they had committed a robbery. One of their party, however, 
had been taken therej^When Johann heard the good result of his 
message, he summoned all his followers to another meeting at the 
ducal fish'house, gave them each money, & swore them to fidelity ; 
then bid them disperse, and slip singly to the band, to avoid obser- 
vation, and he would himself meet them in the forest next day. 

CHAPTERVIII.HOWJOHANNANDSIDONIA 

MEET AN ADVENTURE AT ALTENDAMM. 

ITEM: OF THEIR RECEPTION BY THE ROBBER. 

BAND. 

OW Johann Appelmann had a grudge 
against the newly^appointed equerry to 
his Highness, for the man had swilled his 
claret, and been foremost in his promises, 

~ r f fti rf *2.7l 1W & 7 et n0W k a< * ste PP ec * * nt0 tne place him. 

Km F^Si/jAI JfM seIf ' &Ieft J ohanninthcIurcIl -Theknavc, 

Y f5Jv f/n /^f^j therefore, determined on revenge; so nv 

S I IlLT^M ^/lUf v *• vented a story, how thathis father, old Ap' 

pelmann, had sent for him to give him half 
of all he was worth, and as he must journey 
to Stargard directly, he prayed his friend the equerry to lend him a 
couple of horses and a wagon out of the ducal stables, with harness 
& all that would be necessary, swearing that when he brought them 
back, he would give him and his other friends such a carouse at the 
inn as they had never yet had in their lives jg?And when the other 
asked, would not one horse be sufficient, Johann replied no, that he 
required the wagon for his luggage, and two horses would be neces. 
sary to draw it. Summa.The fool gives him two beautiful Andalu. 
m4 167 





sian stallions, with harness and saddles; item, a wagon, whereon my 
knave mounted next morning early, with Sidonia and her luggage, 
and took the miller Konneman with him as driver J&But as they 
passed through AltenDamm, a strange adventure happened, where' 
by the all-merciful God, no doubt, wished to turn them from their 
evil way, but they flung his warnings to the wind. 

JOR the carl Was goingto be executed, who belonged 
to the robber-band, that had committed a burglary 
there, in the town, some days previously. However, 
the gallows having been blown down by a storm, the 
d, linen-weavers, according to old usage, came to erect 
another. This angered the millers, who also began 
to erect one of their own, declaring that the weavers had only aright 
tosupplythe ladder, but they were to erect the gallows. A greatfight 
now arose between weavers & millers, while the poor thief stood by 
with his hands tied behind his back, and arrayed in his winding' 
sheet; but the sheriffs, and whatever other honourable citizens were 
by, having in vain endeavoured to appease the quarrel, returned to 
the inn, to take the advice of the honourable council jgS?Just at this 
moment, Johann and Sidonia drove into the middle of the crowd, 
andtheformerleapedoff&laughedheartily,foramiller had thrown 
down a poor lean weaver close behind the criminal, and was bela- 
bouring him stoutly with his floured fists, whilst the poor wretch 
screamed loudly for succour or assistance to the criminal who answer- 
ed in his Piatt Deutsch : " I cannot help thee, friend, for see, my hands 
are bound." Upon this, Johann draws his knife from his girdle, and 
slippingbehindthe felon, cuts the cord.He straightway findinghim/ 
self free, jumped upon the miller, and turned the flour all red upon 
his face with his heavy blows. Then he ran towards the wagon, but 
the hangman caughtholdof him by the shoulder, so thepoorwretch 
left the winding-sheet in his hand, and jumping, naked as he was, 
on the back of one of the horses, set off, full speed, to the forest, with 
Sidonia screaming and roaring along with him. Millers and wea- 
vers now left off their wrangling, & joined together in pursuit, but 
in vain; the fellow soon distanced them all and was lost to sight in 
the wood. 

H E N he had driven the wagon a good space, and still 
heard the roaringofthe people in pursuit, he stopped 
the horses, & jumped off, to take to his heels amongst 
the bushes. Whereupon Konnemann threw him a 
horse-cloth from the wagon, biddinghim cover him- 
self with it; so the fellow snapped it up, and rolled it 





about his body with all speed J& Now this horse-cloth was em-' 
broidered with the Pomeranian arms, and the poor Adam looked 
so absurd running away in such a garment, that Sidonia, notwith^ 
standing all her fright, could not help bursting into a loud fit of 
laughter,j2?Hereupon the crowd came up, cursing, swearing, and 
raging, that the thief had escaped them; Johan Appelmann, too, 
was amongst them, & was justintheact of stepping into the wagon, 
when Prince Johann Frederick and a party of carbineers galloped 
up, along with the chief equerry and a large retinue, all on their way 
to Friedrichswald. 

HE Duke stooped to hear the cause of the tumult, 
& when they told him, he laughingly said, he would 
soon settle with the gallowsz-knaves ; then, turningto 
Appelmann, asked who he was, and what brought 
him there ?^When Johanngave his name, & said 
a> _ „ _ „ .„ he was going to Stargard, his Grace exclaimed, with 
surprise: "So thou art the knave of whom I have heard so much, 
& this woman here, I suppose, is Sidonia ? Pity of her. She is ahand^ 
some wench, I see." Then, as Sidonia blushed and looked down, he 
continued: "And where did the fellow get these fine horses ? "Would 
he sell them ?"Now Appelmann hadagreat mind to tell the truth, 
& say he got them from the equerry, who was already turning white 
with pure fear; butrecollectingthathemightcomeinfor some of the 
punishment himself, besides hoping to play asecond trick uponhis 
Highness, heanswered, that his father at Stargard had made them 
a present to him ^ The Duke, now turningto his equerry, asked 
him : "Would not thesehorses match his Andalusian stallionsper^ 
fectly ?" And as the other tremblingly answered, "Yes, perfectly," 
his (jrace demanded if the knave would sell them. 
Ille : " Oh, yes; to gratify his serene Highness the Duke, he would 
sell the horses for three thousand florins." " Let it be so," said the 
Duke ; " but I must owe thee the money, fellow." 

Ille: "Thenhecouldnotmakethebargain,forhewanted the money 
directly to take him to Stargard."So the Duke frowned that he would 
not trust his own Prince; and as Appelmann attempted to move off 
with the wagon, his Highness took his plumed cap from his head, & 
cutting off the diamond agrafe with his dagger, flung it to him ex/- 
claiming: " Stay! take these jewels, they are worth 1300 florins, but 
leave me the horses." 



169 




OWthe chief equerry nearly fell from his horse with 
shame as the knave picked up the agrafe, & shoved 
it into his pocket, then humbly addressing his High/- 
ness, prayed for permission just to leave the maiden 
&her luggage in Stargard, andthenhe would return 
~ ,, __^ — instantly with both horses, & bring them himself to 
n's gracious Highness at Friedrichswald,^The Duke having con/- 
sented, the knave sprang up upon the wagon, & turning off to ano.* 
ther road, drove away as hard as he could from the scene of this peril' 
ous adventure. J&t After some time he whistled, but receiving no 
response, kept drivingthrough the forestuntil evening, when a loud 
shrill whistle at last replied to his, and on reaching a cross-road, he 
found the whole band dancing with great merriment round a large 
sign^board which had been stuck up there by the authorities, and on 
which was painted a gipsy lying under the gallows, while the execu^ 
tioner stood over him in the act of applying the torture, and beneath 
ran the inscription: 
"Gipsy! from Pomerania flee, 
Or thus it shall be done to thee." 

These words the robber crew had set to some sort of rude melody, 
and now sang it and danced to it round the sign, the fellow with the 
horse-cloth in the midst of them, the merriest of them alljggFThe 
momentthey got a glimpse of their captain, men, women, and chil^ 
dren ran offlike mad to the wagon, clapping their hands and shout' 
ing, " Huzzah ! huzzah ! whata noble captain ! Had hebroughtthem 
anythingto drink ? " And when he said "Yes," and handed out three 
barrels of wine, there was no end to the jubilee of cheering. Thenhe 
must give them handsel, and after that they would make a large fire 
and swear fealty to him round it, as was the manner of the gipsies, 
for the band was mostly composed of gipsies, and numbered about 
fifty men altogether J^Summa: A great fire was kindled, round 
which they all took the oath of obedience to their captain and he 
swore fidelity to them in return. Then acouple of deerwere roasted, 
and after they had eaten and drunk, the singing and dancing round 
the great sign^boardwas resumed, until the broad daylight glanced 
thro ugh the tr ees. 

JEOPLE may see from this to what a pitch of law 

I lessness and disorder the land came under the reign 

of Duke Johann. For, methinks, these robbers would 

never have dared to make such a mock of the author^ 

ties, only that my Lord Duke had shut up all the 

| courts of justice in the kingdomj^During their jol/ 




lity, our knave Appelmann cast his eyes upon a gipsy maiden called 
the handsome Sioli ; a tall, darlceyed wench, but with scarcely a rag 
to cover her. Therefore he badeSidonia run to her luggage, and take 
out one of her own best robes for the girl; but Sidonia turned away 
in great wrath, exclaiming: "This was the way he kept his promise 
to her. She had given him all, and followed him even hither, & yet 
he cared more for a ragged gipsy girl than for her. But she would go 
away that very night, anywhere her steps might lead her, if only 
away from her present misery. Let him give her the Duke's dia,' 
monds,and she would leave him all the herons' feathers, and never 
come near him any more"jjS?But my knave only laughed, and bid 
her come take the diamonds if she wanted them, they were in his 
bosom. Then the gipsy girl and her mother, old Ussel, began to 
mock the fine lady. So Sidonia sat there weepingand wringing her 
hands, while Johann laughed, danced, drank, and kissed the gipsy 
wench, and finally threatened to go and take a robe himself out of 
the luggage, if Sidonia did not run for one instantly,^ H owever, she 
would not stir ; so Konnemann, the miller, took pity on her, & would 
have remonstrated, but Johann cut him short, saying: "What the 
devil did he mean ? Was he not the captain ? and why should Konne^ 
mann dare to interfere with him ?"jjg?Then he strode over to the 
wagon to plunder Sidonia's baggage, which, when she observed her 
heart seemed to break, and she kneeled down, lifted up her hands 
and prayed thus: " Merciful Creator, I know thee not, for my hard 
and unnatural father never broughtmeto thee; therefore onhishead 
be my sins. But if thou hastpity on the young ravens, who likewise 
know thee not, have pity upon me, and help me to leave this robber 
den with thy gracious help"j^Here such a shout of laughter re 
sounded from all sides, that she sprangup, & seizing the bestbundl 
in the wagon, plunged into the wood, with loud cries and lament 
tion; whilst Appelmann only said: " Never heed her, let her do 
shepleases ; sh e will be back again soon enough, I warrant " 
BSHS^CCORDINGfLY, scarcely an hour had elapsed, 
when the unhappy maiden appeared again, to the 
great amusement of the whole band, who mocked 
her yet more than before. She came back crying and 
lamenting : " She could go no further, for the wolves 
_ followed her, and howled round her on all sides. Ah ! 
that she were a stone, and buried fathoms deep in the earth ! That 
shameless knave, Appelmann, might indeed have pitied her, if he 
hoped for pity from God; but had he not taken her robe to put it on 

m 



re* 



a.* 
as 



the gipsy beggar? She nearly died of shame at the sight. But she 
would never forgive the beggar's brat to the day of judgment for it. 
All sh e wanted no wwas some good Christian to guide her out of the 
wild forest. Would no one come with her?that was all that she asked." 
And so she went on crying, and lamenting in the deepest griefj(£? 
Summa : WTien the knave heard all this his heart seemed to relent ; 
perhaps he dreaded the anger of her relations if she were treated too 
badly, or, mayhap, it was compassion, I cannot say, but he sprang 
up, kissed her, caressed her, and consoled herjgSF" W hy should she 
leave them? He would remain faithful and constant to her, as he 
had sworn. Why should the gown for the beggarxgirl anger her? 
Wlien they get the herons' feathers on the morrow, he would buy 
her ten new gowns for the one he had taken." And so he continued 
in his old deceiving way, till she at last believed him, and was conv 
forted. 

JERE the roll of a carriage was heard, and as many 
of the band as were not quite drunk seized their mus/ 
kets and pikes, and rushed in the direction of the 
sound. But behold, the wagon and horses, with all 
Sidonia's luggage, was off. For,in truth, the equerry, 
seeingjohann'streachery, had secretly followed him, 
liding himself in the bushes till it grew dark, but near enough to 
observe all that was going on ; then, watching his opportunity, and 
knowingthe robbers were all more or less drunk, he sprang upon the 
wagon, and galloped away as hard as he could. Johann gave chase 
for a little, but the equerry had got too good a start to be overtaken ; 
and so Johann returned, cursingand raging, to the band. Then they 
all gathered round the fire again, and drank and caroused till monv 
ing dawned, when each sought out a good sleeping/place amongst 
the bushwood; there they lay till morn, when Johann summoned 
them toprepare for their excursion to the Duke's gardens at Zachan. 




t 7 2 




CHAPTER IX. HOW HIS HIGHNESS, DUKE 
BARNIM,THE ELDER, WENT A'HAWKING AT 
MARIENFLIESS. ITEM: OFTHE SHAMEFUL 
ROBBERY AT ZACHAN,& HOWBURGOMASTER 
APPELMANN REMONSTRATES WITH HIS 
ABANDONED SON. 

FTE R Duke Barnim the elder had resign' 
ed the government, he betookhimself more 
than ever to field-sports ; & amongst others 
35 hawking became one of his most favourite 
™ pursuits. By this sport, he stocked his gar-* 
dens at Zachan with an enormous number 
of herons, and made a considerable sum 
annually by the sale of the feathers.These 
gardens at Zachan covered an immense 
I space, & were walled round. Within were 
many thousand herons' nests ; and all the birds taken by the falcons 
were brought here and their wings clipped. Then the keepers fed 
them with fish, frogs, and lizards, so that they became quite tame, 
and, when their wings grew again, never attempted to leave the gar' 
dens, but diligently built their nests and reared their young. Now, 
though itcost a great sum to keep these gardensin order, & support 
all the people necessary to look after the birds, yetthe Duke thought 
little of the expense, considering the vast sum which the feathers 
brought him at the moulting season. < 

ACCORDINGLY, during the moulting time, he 

generally took uphis abode at a castle adjoining the 
gardens, called "The Stone Rampart," to inspect the 
gathering in of the feathers himself; and he was just 
on his journey thither with his falconers, hunters, and 
j other retainers, when the robber band caught sight 
of him from the wood. His Highness was seated in an open carri' 
age, with Trina Wehlers,the baker's daughter, by his side; and Si' 
donia, who recognised her enemy, instantly entreated J ohann to re' 
venge her on the girl if possible; but as he hesitated, the old gipsy 
mother stepped forward and whispered Sidonia, "that she would 
help her to a revenge, if she but gave herthat little golden smelling' 
bottle, which she wore suspended by a gold chain on her neck." Si' 
donia agreed, and the revenge soon followed; for the Duke left the 
carriage, and mounted a horse to follow the chase, the falconer having 
unloosed a couple of hawks and let them fly at a heron. Trina re' 

173 





mained in the coach; but the coachman, wishing to see the sport, 
tied his horses to a tree, and ran off too after the others into the wood. 
Thehawk soared high above the heron, watching its opportunity to 
pounce upon thequarry; but the heron, justas it swooped down upon 
it, drove its sharp bill through the body of the hawk, and down they 
both came together covered with blood, right between the two car" 
riage horses. 

O doubt this was all done through the magic of the 
gipsy mother; for the horses took fright instantly, 
plunged and reared, & dashed off with the carriage, 
which was overturned some yards from the spot, 
and the baker's daughter had her leg broken. Hear-* 
ing her screams, the Duke and the whole party ran 
to the spot; and his Highness first scolded the coachman for leaving 
his horses, then the falconer for having let fly his best falcon, which 
now lay there quite dead; the heron, however, was alive, and his 
Grace ordered it to bebound and carried ofFto Zachan. The baker's 
daughter prayed, but in vain, that the coachman might be hung upon 
the next tree; then they all set offhomeward,butTrina screamed so 
loudly, that his Grace stopped, and ordered a couple of stout hunts.* 
men to carry her to the neighbouring convent of Marienfliess, where, 
as I am credibly informed, in a short time she gave up the ghost. 

SOW, the robber band were watching all these pro/ 
] ceedings from the wood, but kept as still as mice. Not 
Juntil his Grace had driven offa good space, and the 
baker's daughter had been carried away, did they ven/ 
ture to speak or move ; then Sidonia jumped up, clap/ 
I ping her hands in ecstasy, and mimicking the groans 
and contortions of the poor girl, to the great amusement of theband, 
wholaughed loudly; but Johann recalled them to business, andpro/ 
posedthatthey should secretly follow his Highness, and hidethenv 
selves atElsbruck,near the water/mill of Zachan, until theevening 
closed in. In order, also, to be quite certain of the place where his 
Grace had laid up all the herons' feathers of that season, J ohann pro/ 
posed thatthe miller Konnemann should visithis Grace at Zachan, 
giving outthat he was a feather merchant from Berlin. Accordingly, 
when they reached Elsbruck, the miller put on my knave's best 
doublet (for he was almost naked before), and proceeded to the 
Stone Rampart, Sidonia bidding him, over and over again, to in/ 
quire at the castle when the voung Lord of Wblgast and his bride 
were expected at Stettin. Trie Duke received Konnemann very 
»74 




graciously, when he found he was a wealthy feather merchant from 
Berlin, who, having heard of the number and extent of his Grace's 
gardens at Zachan, had cometo purchaseallthelastyear'sgathering 
of feathers. Would his Highness allow him to see the feathers ?jgF 
Summa: He had his wish; for his Grace brought him into a little 
room on the ground'floor, where lay two sacks full of the most per' 
feet and beautiful feathers; and when the Duke demanded a thou' 
sand florins for them, the knave replied, " That he would willingly 
have the feathers, but must take the night to think over the price." 
Then he took good note of the room, and the garden, and all the 
passages of the castle, and so came back in the twilight to the band 
with great joy, assuring them that nothing would be easier than to 
rob the old turner's apprentice of his feathersjgpSuch, indeed, was 
the truth ; for at midnight my knave Johann, with Konnemann, & 
a few chosen accomplices, carried away those two sacks of feathers ; 
and no one knew a word of the robbery until the next morning, when 
the band were far off in the forest, no one knew where jg?But a 
quarrel had arisen between my knave and Sidonia over the feathers : 
she wanted them for herself, that she might turn them into money, 
and so be enabled to get backtoher own people; but Johann had no 
idea of employing his booty in this way. "What was she thinking 
of? If those fine stallions, indeed, had not been stolen from him, he 
might have given her the feathers ; but now there was nothing else 
left wherewith to pay the band; she must wait for another good 
prize. Meantime, they must settle accounts with the young Lord 
of Wolgast, who as Konnemann had found out, was expected at 
Stettin in seven days." 

JO W, the daring robbery at Zachan was the talk of 
I the whole country, and as the old burgomaster, Ap' 
pelmann, had heard at Friedrichswald about the 
horses and wagon, and his son's shameful knavery, 
hecouldthinkofnothingelsebutthatthesamerascal 
jg had stolen the Duke's feathers at Zachan. So he took 
some faithful burghers with him, and set off for the forest, to try and 
find his lost son. At last, after many wanderings, apeasant, who was . •. Two miles and 
cutting wood, told them thathe had seen therobber bandencamped a fta jf f rom Star' 
in a thick wood near Rehewinkel ; *• and when the miserable father gard, and the pre' 
and his burghers arrived at the place, there indeed was the robber sent dwelling' 
band stretched upon the long grass, and Sidonia seated upon the place of the editor, 
stump of a tree, for she must play the lute, while Johann, his godless 
son, was plaiting the long black hair of the handsome Sioli. 

175 





ETHINKS the knave must have felt somewhat 
startled, when his father sprang from behind an oak, 
a dagger in his hand, exclaiming loudly: "Johann, 
Johann, thou lost, abandoned son! is it thus I find 
jthee?"j^The knave turned as white as a corpse 

upon the gallows, & his hands seemed to freeze upon 

the fair Sioli's hair; but the band jumped up and seized their arms, 

shouting: "Seize him! seize him!" The old man, however, cared 

little for their shouts ; and still gazing on his son, cried out : " Dost 

thou not answer me, thou God'forgetting knave ? Thou hast de^ 

ceived and robbed thy own prince. Answer me : who amongst all 

these is fitter for the gallows than thou art ?",j^So myknaveat last 

came to his senses, & answered sullenly : "What did he want here ? 

He had done nothing for him. He must earn his own bread." 

Ille : " God forgive thee thy sins ; did I not take thee back as my son, 

and tried to correct thee as a true and loving father ? Why didst thou 

run away from my house and the writings-office?" 

Hie: "Hewasbornforsomethingelsethantoleadthelifeofadog." 

Ille : " He had never made him live any such life; & even if he had, 

better live like a dog than as a robber wolf." 

Hie: "Hewas no robber! WTio had belied him so? He &his friends 

were on their way to Poland to join the army." 

Ille: "Wherefore, then, had he tricked his Highness of Stettin out 

of the horses?" 

Hie : "That was only a revenge upon the equerry, to pay him back 

in his own coin, for he was his enemy, & had broken faith with him." 

Ille : " But he had robbed his Grace Duke Barnim, likewise, of the 

herons' feathers. No one else had done it." 

Hie : " WTio dared to say so ? He was insulted and belied by every 

one." Then he cursed and swore that he knew nothing whatever of 

these herons' fe athers, which he was making such a fuss about. 

IEANWHILE the band stood round with cocked 
muskets, and as the burghers now pressed forward, 
to savetheir leader, if any violence were offered, Kon^ 
nemann called out : " Give the word, master : shall I 
shoot down the churl?" Here Johann's conscience 
_ | was moved alittle, and he shouted, "Back! back! he 

is myfather!" Buttheoldgipsymothersprangforwardwithaknife, 
crying: "Thy father, fool? what care we for thy father? Let me at 
him, and I'll soon settle thy father with my knife." When the un/ 
fortunate son heard and saw this, he seized a heavy stick that lay 
I 7 6 




near him, and gave the gipsy such a blow on the crown, that she 
rolled, screaming, on the ground J& Whereupon the whole band 
raised a wild yell, and rushed upon the burgomaster. Then Johann 
cried, almost with anguish, "Back! back! he is my father! Do ye not 
remember your oaths to me? Spare my father! wait, at least; he has 
something of importance to tell me/' And at last, though with dim^ 
culty, he succeeded in calmingthese children of Belial.Then drawing 
his father aside, under the shade of a great oak, he began: " Dearest 
father mine, it was fear of you, and despair of the future, that drove 
metothiswork; but if you will nowgive me three hundred florins, I 
will go forth into the wide world, and take honourable service, wher^ 
ever it is to be had, during the wars/ 

Ille : " Hadhe yet married that unfortunate Sidonia, who he obserw 
ed, to his surprise, was still with him?" 

Hie: "No; he could never marry the harlot now, for she had run 
away from old Duke Barnim, and followed him here to the forest/' 
Ille : "What would become of her then,whenhejoinedthearmy ?" 
Hie : " That was her look-out. Let her go to her farm at Zachow." 
IE RE UPON the old man held his peace, and rested 
lhis arm against the oak, and his grey head upon his 
arm, and looked down long upon the grass without 
uttering a word; then he sighed deeply, and looking 
up thus addressed Johann:" My son, I will trust thee 

_ J yet again ; but it shall be the last time ; therefore take 

heed to what I say. Between Stargard and Pegelow there stands an 
old thorn upon the highway; there, to/morrow evening, by seven of 
the clock, my servant Caspar, whom thou knowest, shall bring thee 
three hundred florins; but on this one condition, that thou dost now 
swear solemnly to abandon this villainous robber band, and seek an 
honourable living far away, in some other country, where thoumust 
pray daily to God the Lord to turn thee from thy evil ways, and help 
theeby His grace." Sothe knave kneltdown before his father, wept, 
andprayed for his father's forgiveness ; then swore solemnly to aban^ 
don his sinful life, and with God's help to perform all that his father 
had enjoined. "And would he not give his last farewell to his dear, 
darling mother ? " "Thy mother! ah, thy mother!" sighed the old 
man; "but rise, now, and let me and mine homewards. God grant 
thatmyeyeshavebeheldtheeforthelasttime. Come, I willtakethis 
Sidonia back with me." 



m V7 






they forthwith joined the robber crew again, who 
were still making a great uproar, which, however, 
Johann appeased, and after some time obtained a free 
passage for his father and the burghers; but Sidonia 
wouldnotaccompanythem.Theupright old burgoo 
master admonished first, then he promised to drive 

her with his own horses to herfarmatZachow; but his words were 
all in vain, for the knave privately gave her a look, and whispered 
something in her ear, but no one knew what it was. 

HOR did the old man omit to admonish the whole 

1 band likewise, telling them that if they did not now 

look up to the high God, they would one day look 

down from the high gallows, for all thieves &robbers 

came to dance in the wind at last; ten hung in Star-' 

1 gard, and he had seen twenty at Stettin, & not even 
the smallest town had its gallows empty. Hereat Konnemann cried 
out, ** Ho ! ho ! who will hang us now ? We know well the courts of 
justice are closed in all places." And as the old man sighed, and pre^ 
pared to answer him, the whole band setup such a shout of laughter 
that he stood silent a space; then turning round, trod slowly out of 
the thick wood with all his burghers, and was soon lost to view. 

HE next evening Johann received the three hun^ 
dred florins at the thorn bush, along with a letter 
from his father, admonishing him yet again, & con^ 
juring him to fulfil his promise speedily of abandon^ 
ing his wicked life. J& Upon which, my knave gave 
some of the money to a peasant that he met on the 
highway, and bad him go into the town, purchase some wine and 
all sorts of eatables, & fetch them to the band in the wood, thatthey 
might have a merry carouse that same night J£t This very peasant 
had been one oftheir accomplices, and greatwas his joy when he be' 
held them all again, and in particular the gipsy mother. He told 
herthatallherprophecy had come outtrue, for his daughter had been 
deserted, and her lover had taken Stina Krugers to wife; could she 
not, therefore, give her something that would make Stina childless, 
and cause her husband to hate her ?J^"Ay; if he crossed her hand 
with silver." This the peasant did. Whereupon she gave him a pad' 
lock, and whispered some words in his ear. 




178 




1HEN Sidonia heard thatthe man could be brought 
to hate his wife by some means, her eyes flashed wild' 
ly, & she called the horrible old gipsy mother aside, 



| and asked her to tell her the charm. 
Ilia: Yes; but what would she give her? She had two 
pretty golden rings on her finger; let her give them, 
she should have the secret/' 

Haec : " She would give one ring now, and the other if the charm 
succeeded. The peasant had only given her a few groschen." 
Ilia : " Yes ; but she had only given him half the charm." 
Haec : "Was it anything to eat or drink ?" 

Ilia : " No ; there was no eating or drinking : the charm did it all." 
Haec : "Then let her teach it to her, and if it succeeded by the young 
Lord of Wolgast, she would have both rings; if not, but one." 
Ilia: "Itwould succeed withoutdoubt; if his young wife had no pre 
mise of offspring as yet, she would remain childless for ever." 
Summa: The old gipsy taught her the charm, the same with which 
she afterward bewitched the whole princely Pomeranian race,so that 
they perished childless from offthe face ofthe earth; .. and this charm 
Sidonia confessed upon the rack afterwards, in the Great Hall of 
Oderburg, July 28th, A.D. 1620. 

CHAPTER X. HOW THE ROBBERS ATTACK 
PRINCE ERNEST & HIS BRIDE IN THE UCKER, 
MANN FOREST, AND MARCUS BORK AND 
DINNIES KLEIST COME TO THEIR RESCUE. 

IH E young Lord of Wolgast and his young 
bride the Princess Sophia Hedwig arrived 
in due time atthe court of Stettin, on a visit 
to their illustrious brother, Duke Johann 
Frederick. During the ten days of their 
stay, there was no end to the banquetings 
huntings,fishings,&revellingofallkindsto 
do honour to their presence jjgFThe young 
lord has quite recovered from his long and 
strange illness. But the young bride conv 
plains a little. Whereupon my Lord of Stettin jests with her, and 
the courtiers make merry, so that the young bride blushes and en^ 
treats her husband to take her away from this impudent court of 
Stettin, & take her home to his illustrious mother at Wolgast. Prince 
Ernest consents, but as the wind is contrary, he arranges to make 
the journey withacoupleof carriages through the Uckermann forest, 
n2 »79 




.*. Marginal note 
of Duke Bogislaff 
XIV."Oterqua. 
terque detestable 
lem ! Et ego testis 
adfui tametsi in 
actis de industria 
haudnotatus. (Oh, 
thrice accursed! 
And I toowaspre^ 
sent atthis confess 
sion, although I 
am not mentioned 
in the protocol.)" 







not waiting for the grand escort of cavaliers and citizens which his 
lady mother had promised to send to Stettin, to convey the bride 
with all becoming honour to her own future residence at Wolgast. 
IS brother reminded him of the great danger from 
the robber band in the wood, now that the courts of 
justice were closed, & that Sidonia andjohann were 
hovering in the vicinity, ready for any iniquity. In^ 
deed, he trusted the States would soon be brought to 
reason by the dreadful condition of the country, and 
give him the gold he wanted. These robbers would do more for him 
than he could do for himself. And this was not the only band that 
was to be feared; for, since the fatal bankruptcy of the Loitz family, 
robbers, and partisans, & freebooters had sprung up in every corner 
of the land. Then he related the trick concerninghis two Andalusian 
stallions. And Duke BarnimtheeldertoldhimofhislossatZachan, 
&thatnooneelsebuttheknave Appelmann had been at the bottom 
of it. So, at last, Prince Ernest had resolved to await the escort from 
Wolgast. However, the old Duke continued jesting with the bride, 
after hismanner,sothattheyoung Princess was blushingwith shame 
every moment, and finally entreated her husband to set off at once 
jSFWhen his Grace of Stettin found he could prevail nothing, he 
bade them a kind farewell, promising in eight days to visit them at 
Wolgast, for the wedding festivities ; 8C he sent stout Dinnies Kleist, 
with six companions, to escort them through the most dangerous 
part of the forest, which was a tract extending forabout seven miles. 
^C/jJO W, when they were halfway through the forest, 
a terrible storm came on of hail, rain, thunder, and 
lightning; and though the Prince and his bride were 
safe enough in the carriage, yet their escort were 
I drenched to the skin, and dripped like rivulets. The 
J princely pair, therefore, entreated them to return to 
Falkenwald, and dry their clothes, for there was no danger to be ap^ 
prehended now, since they were more than half through the wood, 
and close to the village of MutzelburgjgFSo Dinnies and his com' 
panions took their leave, and rode off. Shortly after the galloping of 
a horse was heard, and this was Marcus Bork ; for he was on his way 
to purchase the lands of Crienke,previous to his marriage with Clara 
von Dewitz, and had a heavy sack of gold upon his shoulder, and 
a servant along with him. Having heard at Stettin that the Prince 
and his young bride were on the road, he had followed them, as fast 
as he could, to keep them company. 
180 






|Ythis time they had reached Barnim's Cross, and the 
I Prince halted to point it out to his bride, and tell her 
the legend concerning it; for the sun now shone forth 
from the clouds, and the storm was over. But he first 
addressed his faithful Marcus, & asked, had he heard 
tidings lately of his cousin Sidonia ? But he had heard 
nothing. Hewouldhear soon enough, I'm thinkingjg?Then seeing 
that this good vassal Marcus was thoroughly wet, his Grace advised 
him to put on dry clothes, but he had none with him. Whereupon 
his Grace handed him his own portmanteau out of the coach win/ 
dow, and bad him take what he wantedj^Marcus then lifted the 
moneybag from his shoulder, which his Grace drew into the coach 
through the window; and sprang into the wood with the portman/ 
teau, to change his clothes. While the Prince tarried for him, he re/ 
lated the story of Barnim's Cross to his young wife, thus : 

IOU must know, dearest, that my ancestor, Barnim, 
the second of the name, was murdered, out of re/ 
venge,in this very spot, by one of his vassals, named 
Vidante von Muckerwitze. For this aforesaid an/ 
cestor had sent him into Poland under some pre/ 
tence, in order the better to accomplish his designs 
upon the beautiful Mirostava of Warborg, Vidante's young wife. 
But the warder of Vogelsang, a village about two miles from here, 
pleasantly situated on the river Haff, and close to which lay the said 
Vidante's castle, discovered the amour, & informed the knighthow 
he was dishonoured. His wrath was terrible when the news was 
brought to him, but he spoke no word of the matter until St. John's 
day, in the year . . ."j^FBut here his Grace paused in his story, for 
he had forgotten the year; so he drove on the carriage close up 
to the cross, where he could read the date: "St. John's day, A.D. 
MCCXCII/'andthere stopped, with the blessed crossof our Lord 
covering and filling up the whole of the coach window J£t Ah, well 
it is said . . Prov. xx. 24 . . " Each man's going is of the Lord, what 
man is therewhounderstandethhis way ?' Jj^Nowwhen the Prin/ 
cess had read the date for herself, she asked, what had happened to the 
Duke his ancestor? To which the Prince replied: "Here, in these 
very bushes, the jealous knight lay concealed, while the Duke was 
hunting. And here, in this spot, the Duke threw himself down upon 
the grass to rest, for he was weary. And he whistled for his retinue, 
who had been separated fromhim, whentheknight sprangfromhis 
hiding/place and murdered him where he lay. His false wife he re/ 
n3 181 




served for a still more cruel death j£?For he brought a coppersmith 
from Stettin, and had him make a copper coffin for the wretched 
woman, who was obliged to help him in the work. Then he bade 
her put on her bridal dress, & forced her to enter the coffin, where he 
had her soldered up alive and buried. And the story goes, that when 
any one walks over the spot, the coffin clangs in the earthlike a mass^ 
bell, to this ver y day." 

lEANWHILEMarcushadretreatedbehindalarge 
loak, to dress himself in the young Duke's clothes, 
but the wicked robber crew were watching him all 
the time from the wood, and just as he drew the dry 
shirt over his head, before he had time to put on a 
I single other garment, they sprang upon him with 
loud shouts, Sidonia, the foremost of all, screaming, " Seize the 
knave! seize the base spy! he is my greatest enemy!" So Marcus 
rushed back to the coach, just as he was, and placing the cross as a 
shield between him & the robbers, cried out loudly to his Highness 
for a swordj£?The Prince would have alighted to assist him, but 
his young bride wound her arms so fast around him, shrieking till 
the whole wood re-echoed, that he was forced to remain inside. Up 
came the robber band now, & attacked the coach furiously; musket 
after musket was fired at it and the horses, but luckily the rain had 
spoiled the powder, so they threw away theirmuskets, while Sidonia 
screamed, "Seizethe false/hearted liar,whobroke his marriagepro' 
mise to me! seize his screaming harlot! drag her from the coach! 
Where is she ? let me see her ! we will cram her into the old oak/tree ; 
there she can hold her marriage festival with the wild cats. Give her 
to me ! give her to me ! I will teach her what marriage is ! " And she 
sprang wildly forward, while the others flungtheir spears at Marcus. 
But theblessed cross protected him, and thespears stuck in thewood 
or in the body of the carriage, while he hewed away right and left, 
strikingdown all thatapproachedhim,tillhe stood in apool of blood, 
and the white shirt on him was turned to redj^As Sidonia rushed 
to the coach he wounded her in the hand, upon which, with loud 
curses and imprecations, she ran round to the other coach window, 
calling out, "Come hither, come hither, Johann! here is the booty, 
here is the false cat! Come hither, anddragherout of the coach win^ 
dow for me!" And now Marcus Bork was in despair, for thecoaclv 
man had run away from fear, and though his sword did good service, 
yet their enemies were gathering thick round them. So he bade the 
Princess, in a low voice, to tear open his bag of money, for the love 
182 




of heaven, with all speed, and scatter the gold out of the windows 
with both hands; for help was near, he heard the galloping of a 
horse; could they gain but a few moments they were saved. There.' 
upon the Princess rained the gold pieces from the window, and the 
stupid mob instantly left all else to flingthemselves on the ground 
for the bright coins, fightingwith each other as to who should have 
them. In vain Johann roared, " Leave the gold, fools, and seize the 
birds here in this cage; ye can have the gold after/' But they never 
heeded him, though he cursed and swore, and struck them right and 
left with his sword j^But Marcus, meanwhile, had nearly come to 
a sad end; for the old gipsy hag swore she would stab him with her 
knife, and while the poor Marcus was defending himself from a 
robber who had rushed at him with a dagger, she crept along upon 
the ground, and lifted her great knife to plunge into his side. 
~5^^J5^53?3UST then, like a messenger from God, comes the 
" stout Dinnies Kleist, galloping up to the rescue; for 
i after he had ridden a good piece upon the homeward 
road,he stopped his horse to emptythewater out of 
his large jack'boots, for there it was plumping up 

J and down, and he was still far from Falkenwald. 

Whileoneof hismen emptied theboots, another wandered through 
the wood picking the wild strawberries, that blushed there as red as 
scarlet along the groundj^Whilehewas so bent down close to the 
earth, the shrieks of my gracious Lady reached his ear, upon which 
he ran to tell his master, who listened likewise; and finding they 
proceeded from the very direction where he had left the bridal pair, 
he suspected that some evil had befallen them. So springing into his 
saddle, he bade his fellows mount with all speed, and dashed back 
to the spotwhere they had left the carriage j^Marcus was just now 
fainting from loss of blood, and his weary hand could scarcely hold 
the sword, while his frame swayed back and forward, as if he were 
falling to the ground. The gipsy 'hag was close beside him, with her 
arm extended, ready to plun ge the knife into his side, when the heavy 
stroke of a sword came down on it, and arm and knife fell together 
to the ground, and Dinnies, shouting, "Jodute! Jodute!" swung 
round his sword a second time, and the head of the robber carl fell 
upon the arm of the hag. Then he dashed round on his good horse 
to the other side of the carriage, hewed right&left among the stupid 
fools who were scraping up the gold, while his fellows chased them 
into the wood, so that the alarmed band left all this booty, and ran 
in every direction to hide themselves in the forest. In vain Johann 
n4 183 





roared, and shouted, and swore, and opposed himself single-handed 
to the knight's followers. He received a blow that sent him flying 
too after his band, and Sidonia along with him, so that none but the 
dead remained around the carriage. 

H US didthe brave Dinnies Kleist and Marcus Bork 
savethe Prince andhis bride, like true knights as they 
I were; but Marcus is faint, and leans for support a^ 
1 gainst the carriage, while before him lie three robber 
carls whom he had slain with his own hand, although 
I he fought there only in his shirt; but the blessed cross 
had been his shield. And there, too, lay the gipsy's arm with the 
knife still clutched in the hand, but the hag herself had fled away ; and 
round the brave Dinnies was a circle of dead men, seven in number, 
whom he and his followers had killed; and the earth all round looked 
like a ripe strawberry field, it was so red with blood. 
P^r=^^mrs^^j[g can imagine what joy filled the hearts of the 
" princely pair, when they found that all their peril 
was past. They alighted from the coach, and when 
the Princess saw Marcus lyingthere in a dead faint, 
with his garmentall covered with blood, she laments 
1 ed loudly, and tore off her own veil to bind up his 
wounds, and brought wine from the carriage, which she poured her^ 
self through his lips, like a merciful Samaritan; and when he at last 
opened his eyes, and kissed the little hands of the Princess out of 
gratitude, she rejoiced greatly. And the Prince himself ran to the 
wood for the portmanteau, which they found behind the oak, and 
helped to dress the poor knight, who was so weak that he could not 
raise a finger J@F Then they lifted him into the coach, while the 
Prince comforted him, saying,he trusted that he would soonbe well 
again, for he would pray daily to the Lord Jesus for him, whose 
blessed cross had been their protection, and that he should have all 
his gold again, and the lands of Crienke in addition. So faithful a 
vassal must never be parted from his prince, for inasmuch as he 
hated Sidonia, so he loved and praised him. They were like the two 
Judases in Scripture, of whom someone had said: "What one gave 
to the devil, the other brought back to God." 

ND now he saw the wonderful hand of God in all 'for 
if it had not rained, the powder of the robber band 
j 1 would have been dry, & then they were all lost. Item : 
theknightwouldnothavestopped to empty hisboots, 
and they never would have heard the screams of his 
dear wife. Item; if he had himself not forgotten the 




date, he would never have driven up close to the cross; which cross 
had saved them all, but in particular saved their dear Marcus, after 
a miraculous manner. " Look how the blessed wood is everywhere 
pierced with spears, and yet we are all living! Therefore, let us hope 
in the Lord, for he is our helper and defender ! "jgFThen the Duke 
turned to the stout Dinnies, and prayed him to enter his service, but 
in vain, for he was sworn vassal to his Highness of Stettin. So his 
Grace took ofFhis golden collar, & put it on his neck, and the Princess 
drew offher diamond ringto give him, whereupon her spouse laugh/ 
ed heartily, and asked, did she think the good knight had a finger 
for her little ring? To which she replied, but the brave knight may 
have a dear wife who could wear it for her sake, for he must not go 
without some token of her gratitude J& However, the knight put 
back the ringhimself, saying, that he had no spouse, and would never 
have one; therefore the ring was useless. So the Princess wonders, 
& asks why he will have no spouse, to which he replied that he feared 
the fateof Samson, for had not love robbed him of his strength? He, 
too, might meet a Delilah, who would cut ofFhis long hair: then 
riding up close to the carriage, he removed his plumed hat from his 
head, and down fell his long black hair, that was gathered up under 
it, over his shoulders like a veil, even till it swept the flanks of his 
horse. Would not her Grace think it a grief and sorrow, if a woman 
sheared those locks ? In such pleasant discourse they reached Mutv 
zelburg, where, as the good Marcus was so weak, they resolved to 
put up for the night, and send for a chirurgeon instantly to Ucker/ 
mund. And so it was done. 



185 




CHAPTER XL OF THE AMBASSADORS IN THE 
TAVERN OF MUTZELBURG: ITEM, HOW THE 
MILLER, KONNEMANN, IS DISCOVERED, AND 
MADE BY DINNIES KLEIST TO ACT AS GUIDE 
TO THE ROBBERCAVE,WHERE THEY FIND ALL 
THE WOMEN. FOLK LYING APPARENTLY 
DE AD,THROUGH SOME DEVIL'S MAGIC OF THE 
GIPSY MOTHER. 

I H E N their Highnesses entered the inn at 
Mutzelburg, they found it filled with bur. 
|ghers&peasantsoutofUckermund,Pase. 
walk,& other adjacentplaces, on their way 
to Stettin, to petition his Grace the Duke 
j to open the courts of justice,forthieves and 
(I robbers had so multiplied throughout the 
• land that no road was safe; and all kinds of 
witchcraft, and imposture, & devil's work 
were so rife, that the poor people were pla. 
gued out of their lives, and no redress was to be had, seeinghis Grace 
had closed all the courts of justice. Forty burghers had been selected 
to present the petition, and great was the joy to meet now with his 
Grace Prince Ernest, for assuredlyhe would give them alettertohis 
illustrious brother, and strengthen the prayer of their petition. The 
Prince readily promised to do this, particularly as his own life and 
that of his bride had just been in such sore peril, all owing to theob. 
stinacy of his Grace of Stettin in not opening the courts,j^Mean. 
while, the leech had visited good Marcus Bork, who was much easier 
after his wounds were dressed, and promised to do well, to the great 
joy oftheir Graces;and Dinnies Kleist went to the stable to see after 
his horse, there being so many there, in consequence of this gather, 
ing of envoys, that he feared they might fight. Now as he passed 
through the kitchen, the knight observed a man bargaining with the 
innkeeper; and he hadakettle before him, into which he was cram, 
ming sausages, bread, ham, and all sorts of eatables. But he would 
have taken no further heed, only that the carl had but one tail to his 
coat, which made the knight at once recognise him as the very fel. 
low whose coat.tail he had hewed offin the forest. He sprang on him, 
therefore; and as the man drew his knife, Dinnies seized hold of him 
and plumped him down, head foremost, into a hogshead of water, 
holding him straight up by the feet till he had drunk his fill. So the 
poor wretch began to quiver at last in his death agonies; whereupon 
186 



the knight called out: "Wilt thou confess? or hast thou not drunk 
enough yet ?" " He would confess, if the knight promised him life. 
His name was Konnemann; he had lost his mill & all he was worth 
by the Loitz bankruptcy,therefore had joined the robber4>and, who 
held their meeting in an old cave in the forest, where also they kept 
their booty." On further question, he said it was an old ruined place, 
with the walls all tumbling down. A man named Muckerwitze had 
lived there once, who buried his wife alive in this cave, therefore it 
had been deserted eversince.Then the knightaskedtheinnkeeperif 
he knew of such a place in the forest; who said, " Yes." Then he asked 
if he knew this fellow, Konnemann; but the host denied all know 

ledge ofhim (though he knewhim well enough, I think) . Upon which 
Konnemann said: "That he merely came to buy provisions for the 
band, who were hungry, & had despatched him to see what he could 
get, while they remained hiding in the cave.The knight having laid 
these facts before their Graces & the envoys, it was agreed thatthey 
should steal a march upon the robbers next morning, and, mean^ 
while, keep Konnemann safe under lock and key. 

IEXT morning they set off by break of day, taking 
Konnemann as guide, and surrounded the old ruin, 
which lay upon a hill buried in oak/trees ; but not a 

sound washeardinside.Theyapproachednearer,lis^ 
tened at the cave, nothing was to be heard. This an-* 

J gered Dinnies Kleist, for he thought the miller had 

played a trick on them, who, however, swore he was innocent; & as 
the knight threatened to give him something fresh to drink in the cas^ 
tie well,he offered to light a pine torch&descend into the cave. H ardly 
was he down, however, when they heard him screaming : "The rob' 
bers have murdered the women; they are all lying here stone dead 
but not a man is to be seen." The knight then went down with his 
good sword drawn. True enough, there lay the old hag, her dauglv 
ter, and Sidonia, all stained with blood, and stiff and cold upon the 
damp ground. And when the knight asked, "Which is Sidonia?" 
the fellow put the pine torch close to her face, which was blue & cold. 
Then the knight took up her little hand, and dropped it again, and 
shook his head, for the said little hand was stiff and cold as that of 
a corpse J& Summa: As there was nothing further to be done here, 
the knight left the corpses to moulder away in the old cellar, and re 
turned with the burghers to Mutzelburg, when his Highness won' 
dered much over the strange event ; but Marcus rejoiced that his 
wicked cousin was now dead, and could bring no further disgrace 
upon his ancient name. 

»8 7 





1UT was the wicked cousin dead? Shehadheard every 
| word that had been said in the cave; for they had all 
Idrunk some broth made by the gipsy mother, which 
can make men seem dead, though they hear and see 
everything around them. Such devil's work is used 
I by robbers sometimes in extremity, as some toads 
havethepowerorseemingdead,whenpeopleattempt to seizethem. 
It will soon be seen what a horrible use Sidonia made of this devil's 
potion J& Wherefore she tried its effect upon herself now, I know 
not : I have my own thoughts upon the subject! butitis certain that 
the innkeeper, who was a secret friend of the robbers (as most inn- 
keepers were in those evil times), had sent a messenger by night to 
warn them of their danger. So, whilethe band saved themselves by 
hiding in the forest, perhaps the old hag recommended this plan 
for the women, as they had got enough of cold steel the day before; 
or, perhaps the robbers wished to have a proof of the power of this 
draught, in case they might want to save themselves, some time or 
other, by appearing dead. Still I cannot, with any certainty, assert 
why they should all three choose to simulate death. 

JURTHER, just to show the daring of these robber 
I bands, now thathis Highness had closed the courts, 
I shall end this chapter by relating what happened at 
Monkbude, a town through which their Highnesses 
passed that same day, & which, although close to the 
Stettin border, belongs to Wolgast. It was Sunday, 
and after the priest had said amen from the pulpit, the sexton rung 
the kale^bell. This bell was a sign throughout all Pomerania land 
to the women^folk who were left at home in the houses, to prepare 
dinner; for then, in all the churches, the closinghymn began, " Give 
us, Lord, our daily bread." So the maid, at the first stroke of the bell, 
lifted off the kale-pot from the fire, and had the kale dished with the 
sausages, and whatever else was wanting, by the time that the hymn 
was over, & father and mother had come out of church. Then, what- 
ever poor wretch had fasted all the week, and never tasted a morsel 
of blessed bread, if he passed on a Sunday through the town, might 
get his fill; for when the hymn is sung, "Give us, Lord, our daily 
bread/' the doors lie open, and no stranger or wayfarer is turned away 
empty jg?Just before their Highnesses had entered the town, this 
kalcbell had been run g, and each maid in the houses had laid the kale 
andmeatupon the table, ready for the family, when, behold ! in rush 
a troop of robbers from the forest, Appelmann at their head, seize 
188 




every dish with the kale and meat that had been laid on the tables, 
stick the loaves into their pockets, and gallop away as hard as they 
can across into the Stettin border jJ^How the maids screamed and 
lamented I leave unsaid; but if anyone of them followed and seized 
a robber by the hair, he drew his knife, so she was glad enough to 
run back again, while the impudent troop laughed and jeered.Thus 
was itthen in dear Pomerania land! It seemedas if God had forsaken 
them; for the nobles began their feuds, as of old, and the Jews were 
tormented even to the death,yea, even the pastors were chased away, 
as if indeed they had all learned of Otto Bork, these nobles saying: 
''What need of these idle prating swaddlers ! with their prosy ser^ 
mons& whining psalms, teaching, forsooth, that all men are equal, 
and that God makes no difference between lord and peasant? Away 
with them ! If the people learn such doctrine, no wonder if they grow 
proud and disobedient; better no priests in the land; " and suchlike 
ungodly talk was heard everywhere. 

CHAPTER XII. HOWTHE PEASANTS IN MARL 
ENFLIESS WANT TO BURN A WITCH, BUT ARE 
HINDERED BY JOHANN APPELMANN AND 
SIDONIA, WHO DISCOVER AN OLD ACQUAIN. 
TANCE IN THE WITCH, THE GIRL WOLDE AL, 
BRECHTS. 

jT this time, David Grosskopf was pastor 
I of Marienfliess. He was a learned & pious 
man, & like other pious priests, was in the 
habitofgatheringallthewomen'folkofthe 
I parish in his study of a winter's evening, 
particularly the voung maidens, with their 
spinnings wheels J& And there they all sat 
spinning round the comfortable fire, while 
he read out to them from God's Word, & 
| questioned them on it, and exhorted them 
to their duties. Thus was it done every evening during the winter, 
the maidens spinning diligently till midnight without even grow 
ingweary; orif one ofthem nodded, she was given a cup of cold water 
to drink, to make her fresh again. So there was plenty of fine linen 
by each newyear's^day, and their masters were well pleased. No 
peasant kept his daughter at home, but sent her to the priest, where 
she learned her duties, & was kept safe from the young men. Even 
oldmotherswentthere,amongwhomTrinaBergen always gavethe 
best answers, & was much commended by the priest in consequence. 

189 




This pleased her mightily, so that she boasted everywhere of it, but 
with all she was an excellent old woman, only the neighbours looked 
rather jealously on hcrJ&'This same priest, with all his goodness & 
learning, was yet a bad logician; for by his careless speaking in one 
of his sermons, much commotion was raised in the village. In this 
sermon he asserted that anything out of the usual course of nature 
must be devil's work, and ought to be held in abhorrence by all good 
Christians; he suffered for this afterwards, as we shall seejg?On the 
Monday after this discourse, he journeyed into Poland, to visit a 
brother who dwelt in some town there, I know not which. Then 
aroseagreat talkingamongstthevillagersconcerningthesaid Trina 
Bergen; for the cocks began to sit upon the eggs in place of the hens 
in herpoultry/yard,& all thepeoplecametogetherto see the miracle; 
and as it was against the course of nature, it must be devil's work, 
and Trina Bergen was a witch J&In vain the old mother protested 
sheknewnothingofit,thenrunstothepriest'shouse,butheisaway; 
from that to the mayor of the village, but he is going out to shoot, 
and bid her and the villagers pack off with their silly stories. So the 
poor old mother gets no help, and meanwhile the peasants storm her 
house, and search and ransack every corner for proofs of her witch-' 
craft, but nothing can be found. Stay! there in the cellar sits a woman, 
who will not tell her namej^They drag herout,bringheruptothe 
parlour, while the old mother sits wringingher hands: who was this 
woman ? and how did she come into the cellar? 
Ilia: "She had hired her to spin, because her daughter was out at ser^ 
vice till autumn, and she could not do all the work herself." "Why 
then did she sit in the cellar, as if she shunned the light?" 
Ilia : "The girl had prayed for leavetosit there, because the scream/- 
ing of the young geese in the yard disturbed her, besides she had been 
only two days with her "J£?" But where in the devil's name was the 
girl? It was easy to see she had bewitched the hens, for everything 
against the course of nature must be devil's work." 
Ilia : " Ah, yes ! this mustbethetruth. Letthem chasethe devil away. 
Now she saw why the girl would not sit in the light, and had refused 
to enter the blessed church with her the daybefore" j£?" Whatwas 
her name ! They should both be sent to the devil, if she did not tell 
the girl's name." 

Ilia: "Alas! she had forgotten it, but ask herself. Her story was, 
that she had been married to a peasant in Usdom, who died lately, 
and his relations then turned her out, that she was now going to 
Daber, where she had a brother, a fisher in the service of theDewitz 
190 




family, and wanted to earn a travelling penny by spinning, to con^ 
vey her there." 

lOWas the rumour of witchcraft spread through the 
village, all the people ran together, from every part 
to Trina's house. And a pale youngman pressed for • 
ward from amongst the crowd, to look at the sup-< 
posed witch. When he stood before her, the girl cast 

. | down her eyes gloomily, and he cried out : " It is she ! 

it is the very accursed witch who robbed me of my strength by her 
sorceries, & barely escaped from the fagot . . seize her . . that is Anna 
Wolde. Now he knew what the elder sticks meant, which he found 
setup as a gallows before his doorthis morning; the witch wanted to 
steal away his manhood from him again ; burn her ! burn her ! Come 
& see the elder sticks, if they did not believe him \"J$fSo thewhole 
village ran to his cottage, where he had just broughthome a widow, 
whom he was going to marry, and there indeed stood the elder sticks 
right before his door in the form of a gallows, upon which the sheriff 
was wroth, and commanded the girl to be brought before him with 
her hands bounds But as she denied everything, Zabel Bucher, 
the sheriff, ordered the hangman to be sent for, to see what the rack 
might do in eliciting the truth. Further, he bade the people make a 
fire in the street, and burn the elder sticks therein. 

IO the fire is lit, but no one will touch the sticks. Then 
I the sheriff called hishound and bade him fetch them, 
but Fixlein, who was acute enough at other times, 
J pretended not to know what his master wanted. In 
:>^lMflvam the sheriff bent down on the ground, pointing 
l^adlfilwith his finger, and crying, "Here, Fixlein! fetch, 
Fixlein ! " No, Fixlein runs roundand round the elder sticks till the 
dust rises up in a cloud, and yelps, and barks, and jumps, and stares 
at his master, but never touches the sticks, only at last seizes a stone 
in his mouth and runs with it to the sheriffjg? Now indeed therewas 
a commotion amongst the people. Not even the dog would touch 
the accursed thing. So at last the sheriff called for a pair of tongs, to 
seizethe sticks himself and fling them into the fire, w hereupon his 
wife screamed to prevent him, but the brave sheriff, strengthening 
his heart, advanced and touched them, whereupon Fixlein, as if he 
had never known until now what his master wanted, made a grab 
at them, but the sheriff gave him a blow on the nose with the tongs 
which sent him away howling, and then with desperate courageand 
a stout heart, seizing the elder twigs in the tongs, flung them boldly 
into the fire. 

l 9 l 





|E ANWHILE Peter Bollerjahn the hangman has 

1 arrived, and when he hears of the devilry he shakes 

his head, but thinks he could make the girl speak, if 

they only let him try his way a little. But they must 

first get authority from the mayor. Now the mayor 

|had not gone to the hunt, for some friends arrived to 

visit him, whom he was obliged to stay at home and entertain, so 
that the whole crowd, with the sheriff Zabel Bucher at the head, set 
off to the mayoralty, bringing the witch with them, and prayed his 
lordship to make a terrible example of her, for that witchcraft was 
spreading fearfully in the land, and they would have no peace elsej^ 
Whereupon, he came out with his guests to look at the miserable 
criminal, who, conscious of her guilt, stood there silent & glowering; 
buthe could do nothing for them, did they not know that his High.* 
ness had closed all the courts of justice, therefore he could not help 
them, nor be troubled about their affairs ? Upon which the sheriff 
cried out, "Then we shall help ourselves; let us burn the witch 
who bewitches our hens, and sticks up elder sticks before people's 
doors. Come, let us right ourselves I" So the mayor said they might 
do as they pleased, he had no power to hinder them, only let them 
remember that when the courts reopened, they would be called to 
a strict account for all this. Andhewentintohishouse,butthepeople 
shouted and dragged away the witch, with loud yells, to the hang^ 
man, bidding him stretch her on the rack before all their eyes J$F 
When the girl saw and heard all this, and remembered how the 
old lord chamberlain at "Wblgast had stretched her till her hip 
was broken, she cried out: " I will confess all, only spare me the tor* 
ture, for I dread it more than death "J& Upon this, the sheriff said, 
"He would ask her three questions, and pronounce judgment ac 
cordingly." (Oh ! what evil times for dear Pomerania land, when 
the people could thus take the law into their own hands, and pre 
nounce judgment, though no judges were there. Had the bailiff 
given her a little twist of the rack, just to get at the truth, it would at 
least have been more in accordance with the usages, although I say 
not he would have been justified in so doing; but without using the 
rack at all to believe what this devil's wretch uttered, and judge her 
thereupon, was grossly improper & absurd.) j^Summa: Here are 
the three questions: " First, whether she had bewitched the hens; 
andforwhat?"^Respond:"Simplytoamuseherself;forthetime 
hungheavy in the cellar, and she could see them through the chinks 
in the wall." (Let her wait; Master Peter will soon give her some/ 
192 



thing to amuse her.) jjg?" Second, why and wherefore had she stuck 
up the elder^twigs ? "j^ Respond : " Because she had been told that 
Albert was going to marry a widow; for he had promised her mar/ 
riage, as all the world knew, & even called her by his name, Wolde 
Albrechts, & therefore she had put a spell upon him of elder^twigs, 
that he might turn away the widow and marry her/' (Let herwait; 
Master Peter will soon stick up elder/twigs for her.) jg?" Third, 
whether she had a devil; and how was he named ¥'J& Here she re^ 
mained silent, and began to deny it, but was reminded of the rack, 
and Master Peter got ready his instruments as if for instant use; so 
she sighed heavily, and answered, "Yes; she had a familiar called 
Jurge, and he appeared always in the form of a man "Jg? Upon this 
confession the sheriff roared: " Burn the witch I" and all the people 
shouted after him, " Burn the witch ! the accursed witch ! " and she 
was delivered over to Master Peterj^ But he made answer that he 
had never burned a witch; he would, however, go over to Massow 
in the morning, to his brother^in/law, who had burned many, and 
learn the mode from him. Meanwhile the peasants might collect 
ten or twelve clumps of wood upon the Koppenberg, and so would 
they frighten all women from practising this devil's magic. Would 
they notburnTrina Bergen, likewise, the old hag who had the witch 
inher cellar Fitwouldbe a right pleasant spectacle to the whole town 
jS?This, however, the peasants did not wish. Upon which the carl 
asked what he was to be paid for his trouble ? Formerly the state 
paid for the criminal, but the courts now would have nothing to do 
with the business. What was he to get? So the peasants consulted 
together, and at last offered him a sack of oats at Michaelmas, just 
that they mighthave peace in the village. Whereupon heconsented 
to burn her; only in addition they must give him a free journey to 
Massow on the morrow J& Summa : when the third morning 
dawned, all the village came together to accompany the witch up the 
Koppenberg: the schoolmaster, with all his school going before, 
singing, "Now pray we to the Holy Ghost"; then came Master 
Peter with the witch, he bearing a pan of lighted coal in his hand. 
But, lo ! when they reached the pile on the Koppenberg, behold it 
was wet wood which the stupid peasants had gathered J^Now the 
hangman fell into a great rage. Who the devil could burn a witch 
with wet wood? She must have bewitched it. This was as bad as 
the hen business^Some of the people then offered to run for some 
dry wood and hay ; but my knave saw that he might turn the matter 
to profit, so he proposed to sack the witch in place of burning her; 
01 193 



" For," said he, " it will be a far more edifying spectacle and example 
to your children, this sacking in place of burning. There was a lake 
quite close to the town, and, indeed, he had forgotten yesterday to 
propose it to them. The plan was this. They were to tie her up in a 
leathern sack, with a dog, a cock, and a cat. (Ah, what a pity he had 
killed the wild cat, which he had caught some weeks before in the 
fox'trap.)Then they would throw all into the lake, where the cat & 
dog, and cock & witch would scream & fight, & bite and scratch until 
they sank; but after a little while up would come the sack again, and 
the screaming, biting, and fighting would be renewed until they all 
sank down again and for ever. Sometimes, indeed, they would tear a 
hole in the sack, which filled with water, & so they were all drowned. 
In any case it was a fine improving lesson to their children; let them 
ask the schoolmaster if the sacking was not a far better spectacle for 
the dear children than the burning" J£t" Ay, 'tis true," cried the 
schoolmaster; "sacking is better" J& Upon which all the people 
shouted after him: "Ay, sack her! sack her !"jS? When the knave 
heard this, he continued : "Now, they heard what the schoolmaster 
said,buthe couldnot do all this for a sack of oats, for, indeed, leather 
sacks were very dear just now; but if each one added a sack of meal 
andagooseatMichaelmas,why,hewould try and manage the sack.* 
ing. The lake was broad and deep, and it lay right beneath them, so 
that all the dear children could see thesight from the hnT'j^How 
ever, the peasants would by no means agree to the sack of meal, 
whereupon a great dispute arose around the pile, and a bargaining 
about the price with great tumult and uproar. 

O Wthe robber band were in the vicinity, & Sidonia 
hearingthe noise, peeped out through the bushes and 
recognised Anna Wblde;then,guessingfromthepile, 
what they were going to do to her, she begged of 
Johann to save the poor girl, if possible; for Sidonia 
J and the knave were now on the best of terms, since 
le had chasedaway the gipsy hag and her daughter for robbinghim. 
j^So Johann gives the word, and the band which now numbered 
one hundred strong, burst forth from the wood with wild shoutsand 
cries. Ho! howthe people fled on all sides, like chaffbefore the wind! 
The executioner is the first off, throws away his pan of coals, and 
takes to his heels. Item : the schoolmaster with all his school take to 
their heels; the sheriff, the women, peasants, spectators . . all, with 
one accord, take to their heels, screaming and roaringj^The witch 
alone remains, for she is lame and cannot run; but she screams, too, 
194 





and rings her hands, crying: "Take me with you; oh, take me with 
you; for the love of God take me with you; I am lame and cannot 
runP'jjJSFSumma: One can easily imagine how it all ended. The 
witch/girl was saved, and, as she now owed her lifea second time to 
Sidonia, she swore eternal fidelity and gratitude to the lady, promise 
ing to give her something in recompense for all the benefits she had 
conferred on her. Alas, that I should have to say to Christian men 
what this was !.'. 

~ ~^ND when Sidonia asked how things went on in 
: Daber, great was her joy to hear that the whole castle 
• and town were full of company, for the nuptials of 
Clara von Dewitzand Marcus Bork were celebrating 
there. And the old Duchess from Wolgast had ar/ 
I rived, along with Duke Johann Frederick, and the 
Dukes Barnim, Casimir, and Bogislaff. Item : A grand cavalcade of 
nobles had ridden to the wedding upon four hundred horses, and 
lords and ladies from all the country roundthronged the castle. Now 
Johann Appelmann would not credit the witch/girl, for he had seen 
none of all this company upon the roads; but she said her brother 
the fisherman told her, that their Graces travelled by water as far as 
Wollin, for fear of the robbers, and from thence by land to Daber. 
HEN Sidonia heard this, she fell upon Johann's 
| neck, exclaiming: "Revenge me now, Johann! re 
venge me ! Now is the time; they are all there. Re/ 
venge me in their blood V'J&This seemed rather a 
difficult matter to Johann, but he promised to call 
together the whole band, and see what could be done. 
Sohewenthis way to theband, and then the evil-minded witch/girl 
began again and told Sidonia, that if she chose to burn the castle at 
Daber, and make an end of all her enemies at once, there was some 
one hard by in the bush who would help her, for he was stronger 
than all the band put together. 

Ilia : " Who was her friend ? Let her go and bring him ?" 
Haec : " She must first cross her hand with gold, and give her a piece 
of money for him ;.'.' then he would come and revenge her "j@ Su 
donia's eyes now sparkled wildly, and she put some money in the 
woman's hand, who murmured, " For the evil one"; then stepped 
behind a tree, and returned in a short time with a black cat wrapped 
up in her apron."This," she said, "was the strong spiritGhim.//, 
Let her give him plenty to eat, and show him to no one. When she 
wanted his assistance, strike him three times on the head, and he 
02 195 



.'. Namely, the 
evil spirit Chim. 
SeeSidonia's con/ 
fession upon the 
rack, vol. 4 ; Dah/ 
nert's Pomeranian 
Library, p 244. 




.'.•According to the 
witches, every evil 
spirit must be pur/ 
chased, no matter 
howsmalltheprice, 
but something 
must be given, 
a ball of worsted, 
a kerchief, &c. 

.'/.Joachim. 



.'. Dahnert: This 
belief in the power 
of evil spirits, to 
assume the form 
of animals, comes 
to us from remc 
test antiquity: ex' 
ample,the serpent 
in paradise,^ In 
all religions, and 
amongst all na' 
tions, this belief 
seems firmly root' 
ed; but even if we 
do not see a visible 
devil, do we not, 
alas ! know & feel 
that there is one 
ever with us, ever 
present, ever sug' 
gestin g all wicked' 
ness, to us, as this 
devil to Sidonia? 
even our own evil 
nature. For what 
else is the Chris' 
tianlife,butawar' 
fare between the 
divine within us 
and this ever'pre' 
sent Satan ? and 
through God's 
grace alone can we 
resist this devil. 




would assume the form of a man. Strike him six times to restore 
him again to this form." 

lOW Sidonia would scarcely credit this; so, looking 
round to see if they were quite alone, she struck the 
animal three times on the head, who instantly started 
up in the form of a gay young man, with red stock' 
ings, a black doublet, and cap with stately heron's 
'ft plumes^ "Yes, yes," he exclaimed, "I know thy 
enemies, and will revenge thee, beautiful child. I will burn the castle 
of Daber for thee, if thou wilt only do my bidding; but now, quick ! 
strike me again on the head, that I may reassume my original form, 
for some one may see us; and put me in a basket, so can I travel with 
theewheresoeverthougoest"j$FAnd thus did Sidonia with the evil 
spirit Chim, as she afterwards confessed upon the rack, when she 
was a horribleold hagof eighty 'four years of age. And he went with 
her everywhere, and suggested all the evil to her which she did, 
whereof we shall hear more in another place. »\ 

CHAPTERXIII.OFTHE ADVENTURE WITH THE 
BOUNDARY LADS, AND HOW ONE OF THEM 
PROMISES TO ADMIT JOHANN APPELMANN 
INTO THE CASTLE OF DABER THAT SAME 
NIGHT. ITEM: OF WHAT BEFELL AMONGST 
THE GUESTS AT THE CASTLE. ' 

| H E N Johann and Sidonia proposed to the 
band that they should pillage the castle of 
Daber, they all shouted with delight, and 
swore that life and limb might be perilled 
but the castle should be theirs that night. 
Nevertheless my knave Johann thought it 
a dangerous undertaking, for they knewno 
one inside the walls, and Anna Wblde, the 
witch, could not come with them, seeing 
I that she was lame. So at last he thought of 
sending Konnemann disguised as a beggar to examine the court' 
yard and all the out'offices; perchance he might spy out some un' 
guarded door by which they could effect an entrance J& Then Si' 
donia said she would go too, and although Johann tried hard to per' 
suade her, yet she begged so earnestly for leave that finally he con' 
sented. Yes, she must see the verv spot where the viper was hatched 
which had stung her to death. Ah ! she would brew something for 
her in return; pity only that the wedding was over, otherwise the 
196 




little bride should never have touched a wedding-ring, if she could 
help it; but it was too late now" J& So the three Satan's children 
slipped out upon the highway from the wood, and travelled on so 
near to the castle that the noise, and talking, and laughing, &bark/ 
ing of dogs, and neighing of horses, were all quite audible to their 
ears. Now the castle of Daber is built upon a hill which is entirely- 
surrounded by water, so that the castle can be approached only by 
two bridges, one southwards, leading from the town; the other east/ 
wards, leadingdirectthrough the castle gardens. The castle itself was 
a noble, lofty pile, with strong towers and spires, almost as stately a 
building as my gracious Lord's castle at Saatzig ^When Johann 
observed all this, his heart failed him, and as he and his two com/ 
panions peeped outatit from behind athorn/bush, they agreed that 
it would be hard work to take such a castle, garrisoned, as it was 
now, by four hundred men or more, with their mere handful of par/ 
tisans. 

jUT Satan knowshowto help hisown, for whathap/ 
J pened while they were crouching there and arguing ? 
J Behold,the old Dewitz, as an offering to the church at 
Daber upon his daughter's marriage, had promised 
twenty good acres of land to be added to the glebe. 
J And he comes now up the hill, with a great crowd of 
men to dig the boundary. So the Satan's children behind the thorn/ 
bush feared they would be discovered, but it was not so,& the crowd 
passed on unheedingthemj2?01d Dewitz now called the witnesses, 
&bade them take note of the position of the boundary. There where 
the hill, the wild apple/tree, and the town tower were all in one line 
was the limit, let them keep this well in their minds. Then calling 
over six lads, he bade them take note likewise of the boundary, that 
when the old people were dead they might stand up as witnesses ; but 
as such things were easily forgotten, he, the priest, and the church/ 
warden would write it down for them, so thatitnever, by any chance, 
could escape their memory jgFUpon which the good knight, being 
lord and patron, took a stout stick the first, and cudgelled the young 
lads well, asking them between terms: "Where is the boundary?" 
jSFTo which they answered, screaming and roaring: "Where the 
hill,the apple/tree, and the town tower are all in one line" jgSFThen 
the knight, laughing, handed over the stick to the priest, saying; " It 
was possible they might forget; they had better, therefore, have an/ 
other little memorandum from his Reverence." "No! no!' screamed 
the boys,"wewilIrememberittoeternity."However,his Reverence 

03 *97 






just gave them a little touch of the stick in fun, till they roared out 
the boundary marks a second time. 

~~ JUT now stepped forth the churchwarden, to take his 
jturnwiththestickonthe boys' backs. This man had 
[been a forester of the old Baron Dewitz, and had often 
jtaken note of one of the young fellows present, how 
|hehadpoached& stolen thebuck^wheat,sohe gladly 
[seized this opportunityto punish him for all his mis^ 
deeds, and laying the cudgel on his shoulders thrashed &belaboured 
him so unmercifully, that the lad ran shrieking, cursing, howling, 
and roaring, far away in amongst the bushes to hide himself, while 
the churchwarden cried out: "Well! if all the other lads forget the 
boundary, I think myfinefellowherewill bear the memorandum to 
the day of judgment." And so they went away laughing from the 
place, and retu rned to the castle. 

UT the devil drew his profit from all this, for where 
should the lad run to, but close to the very spot where 
the robbers were hiding, and there he threw himself 
down upon the grass, writhingand howling, & swear^ 
ing he would be revenged upon the churchwarden. 
This is a fine hearing for my knave in the bush, so he 
steps forward, and asks: "What vile Josel had dared to ill-treat so 
braveayouth? He wouldhelp him to a revenge upon the base knave, 
for injustice was athing he never could suffer. The tears really were 
in his eyes to think that such wickedness should be in the world," 
& here he pretended to wipe his eyesj^So the lad, being quite over^ 
come by such compassionate sympathy, howled and cried ten times 
more:"ItwastheforesterKell,theshamelesshound;hewouldplay 
him a trick for it." 

Ille : ** Right. He owed the fellow a drubbing already himself, and 
now he would have a double one, if he could only get hold of him." 
Hie : " He would run and tell himthatagreat lord wanted to speak 
to him here in the forest." 

Ille : "No, no; that would scarcely answer; butwheredid the fellow 
live?" 

Hie : " In the castle, where his father lived likewise." 
Ille: "Who was his father?" 
Hie : " His father was the steward." 
Ille : " Ah, then, he kept the keys of the castle ?" 
Hie: "Oh, yes, & the key of the back entrance also which led through 
the gardens. His father kept one key and the gardener the other." 
198 




I lie: "Well, he would tell him a secret. This very Kell had deceived 
him once, like a knave as he was, and he was watching to punish him, 
but he daren't go up to the castle in the broad daylight, particularly 
now while the wedding was going on. How long would it last?" 
Hie: "For three days more; it had lasted three days already, and 
the castle was full or company, and great lords from all the country 
round, a great deal grander even than old Dewitz, were there." 
Ille : "Well, then, it would be quite impossible to go up to the castle 
and flog the churchwarden before all the company, he could see that 
himself. But supposing he let him in at night through the garden 
door, couldn't they get the knave out on some pretence, & then drub 
him to their hearts' content ? " 

O the lad was delighted with the plan, particularly on 
hearing that he was to help in the drubbing; but then 
if the forester recognised him, what was to be done ? 
he would be ruined J& To which Johann answered : 
"Just put on an old cloak, and speak no word; then, 
neither by dress nor voice will he know thee ; besides, 
the night will be quite dark, so fear nothing. We'll teach him, I en/ 
gage,how to beatafine young fellow again, or to rob me of my gold, 
as he did, the base, unworthy knave." Here the lad laughed outright 
with joy. "Yes, yes, that would justdo;& he could putonhis father's 
old mantle, and bring a stout crab-stick along with him." 
Ille : "All right, young friend; buthowwas hetogetinto the castle- 
garden ? Was there not a drawbridge, which was lifted every night?" 
Hie : " Oh, yes; but his father very often sent him to draw it up, & 
he could leave it down for to-night; then he would get the forester, 
by some means, into the shrubbery, where it was dark as pitch, and 
they could thrash the dog there without any one knowing a word 
about it." 

Ille : "Good ! Then when the tower-clock struck nine, lethim come 
himself and admit him into the garden, time enough after to run for 
theforester,whilehewashidinghimselfinthe shrubbery, for no one 
must know a word about his being there." Then he gave the lad a 
knife, and told him if all turned out well he should have a piece of 
gold in addition. "Ah ! they would give him a warm greeting, this 
dog of a forester! But after he had called him out, the lad must pre- 
tend as if he had nothing to do with the matter, and go back to the 
house, or slip down some by-path."So the lad jumped with joy when 
he got hold of the knife, and skipped off to the castle, promising to 
be at the drawbridge when nine o'clock struck from the tower, to 
admit his good friend into the garden. 

04 199 



-^ ..- 





|EANWHILE,my gracious Lady of Wolgastwas 

I making preparations for her departure on the mor^ 

' row from the castle, for she had been attending the 

I wedding festivities with her four sons, and Ulrich 

the grand chamberlain ; but previous to taking leave 

I of her dear son Duke Johann Frederick, she wished 

to make one more attempt to induce him to take off the interdict 

from the country, and allowthe courts of justice to be reopened, for 

thus would the land be freed from these wild hordes who haunted 

every road, and filled all hearts with fear J& For this purpose she 

went up to his own private chamber in the castle, bringing old UL» 

rich along with her ; and when they entered, old Ulrich having closed 

the door, began : " Now, gracious Lady, speak to your son as befits 

a mother and your princely Grace to do"j^Upon which he took his 

seat at the table, looking around him as sour as a vinegar^cruet. 

^O the Duchess lifted up her voice with many tears, 
] and prayed his Highness of Stettin to stem all this 
violence that raged in the land, as a loving Prince and 
father towards his subjects. He had resisted all her 
entreaties until now, with those of his dear brothers 
and old Ulrich ; and had not even his host and the 
whole nobility tried to soften his heart towards his people, who were 
suffering by his hard resolve?butsurelyhewouldnotrefusehernow, 
for she had come to take her leave of him, and had brought his old 
guardian and his brothers to plead along with her; besides, who knew 
what might happen next? For she heard, to her astonishment, that 
Sidonia was not dead at all, as they supposed, but roaming through 
the country with her accursed paramour. Hadsheknown this,never 
would she have permitted this long journey, dear even as the bride 
was to her heart, but would have stayed at Wblgast to watch over 
her heart'sdear son, Ernest,& his young spouse, who rightly feared 
to put themselves in danger again, after the sore peril they had en/ 
countered in the Stettin forest; and who knew what might happen 
to her on the journey homeward? for if she encountered Sidonia, 
what could she expect from her but the bitterest death (weeping) ? 
Ah, this all cameupon them becausethe young Duke had despised 
the admonitions of his blessed father upon his deatlvbed,& thought 
notof that scripture which saith : 'Thefather's blessing buildeth the 
.'. Sirach iii. u. children's houses,but the curse of the motherpulleth them down.".'. 
She had never cursed him yet, but that day might come" j^Then 
Duke Johann answered, " He was sad to see his darling mother 
200 




chafe and fret about these same courts of justice, but his princely- 
honour was pledged, and he could not retract one word until the 
states came backto their duty, and gave him the gold he demanded. 
For how could he stand before the world as a fool? He had begun 
this castle of Friedrichswald, and had ordered all kinds of statues, 
paintings, &c. from Italy, for which gold must be paid. How, then, 
if he had none V J&" But those were idle follies," his mother an- 
swered, and showed how true were the words of Solomon : 'When 
a prince wanteth understanding, there is great oppression/",-. J&- •'• Proverbs 
Here the Duke grew angry. " It was false; he did not want under- x xviii. i6. 
standing. Well it was that no one had dared to say this to him but 
his mother." 

lUTmy gracious Lady could not hear him plainly; 
for his Serene Highness, Barnim the younger, who 
had drunk rather freely at dinner, began to snore so 
I loudly, that he snored away a paper which lay before 
I old Ulrich, upon which he had been sketching a list 
! of propositions, for the reconciliation of the Duke & 
the estates of the kingdom^^Hereuponthe old chamberlain cursed 
and swore : " May the seven thousand devils take them ! One snarls 
at his mother, and the other snores away his paper! Did the Prince 
think that Pomerania was like Saxony, when he began these fine 
buildings at Friedrichswald ? His Grace had a house at Stettin ; what 
did he want with a second? Was his Grace better than his fore- 
fathers ? And would not his Grace have Oderburg when old Duke 
Barnim died? and castles and towns all round the land ?"jg§FBut the 
Duke answered proudly, "That old Ulrich should remember his 
guardianship had ended. He knew himself what to do and what to 
leave undone",^ Herewith the young Lord Bogislaff broke in: 
" Yet, dearestbrother, be advised by us. Bethink you how I resigned 
my chance of the duchy at the Diet of Wollin, and now I am ready 
to give you up the annuity which I then received, if it will help your 
necessities, and that you promisethereupon to release the land from 
the interdict, that all this fearful villainy and lawlessness, which is 
devastating the country, may have an end." 

Ille : " Matters were not so bad as he thought; besides, why cannot 
the people defend themselves, and take care of their own skin?" 
Hie: '** So they do ;butthis only increased injustice and lawlessness." 
Then he related many examples of how thedespairingpeople of the 
different towns had executed justice, after their own manner, upon 
the robbers who fell into their hands. In Stolpschen, for instance, 

201 



three fellows had been caughtplundering the corn, and the peasants 
nailed them up to a tree, and whipped them till they dropped down 
dead. WellmightSatanlaugh overthesin & wickednessthatreigned 
now in poor Pomerania.Item : He related how the peasants in Ma^ 
rienfliessweregoingtoburn a witch, without trial or sentence. Item: 
How many peasants and villagers had hung up their own bailiffs 
or strangledtnem. Item : How thepriests had been chased away from 
many places, sothatthey nowhad to beg their bread upon the high' 
way; and in such towns God's service was no more heard, but each 
one lived as it pleased him, and the peasants did as they chose. And 
now he would ask his heart's dear brother, which would be more 
upright and honourable in the sight of the great God, to build up 
this castle of Friedrichswald, or to let it fall, and build up the virtue 
and happiness of his people? He could not build the castle without 
money, and he had none; but he could restore his land to peace and 
happinessbyaword. Let him, then, open these long^closed courts of 
justice, for this was his duty as a Prince; and let him remember that 
every prince was ordained of God, and must answer to him for his 
government jS?Hereupon the Stettin Duke made answer: "Pity, 
good Bogislaff, thou wert not a village priest ! Hast thou finished 
thy sermon ? Trulythouwert nevermeantfor a Prince, as we heard 
from thy own lips, the day of the Diet at Wbllin. Thou hastno sense 
of princely honour, I see, but I stand by mine; and now, by my 
princely honour, I pledge my princely word, that, until the states 
giveme the money, the land shall remain in all things as it is." 

HERE old Ulrichsprangto his feet (while my gracious 
Lady sobbed aloud), clapped the table, and roared: 
" Seven thousand devils, my Lord ! are we to be rob' 
bed and murdered by those vile cutthroats that in^ 
fest the land, and your Grace will fold your hands 
_ and do nothing, till they drive your Grace yourself 
out of the land, or run a spear through your body, as they would have 
done to your princely brother of Wolgast, only he had faithful vas^ 
sals to defend him? If it is so to be, then must the nobles make their 
petition to the Emperor, and we shall see if his Imperial Majesty 
cannot bring your Grace to reason, though your mother and we all 
have failed to move you." 

^\V\JjERE the little Casimir, who was playing with the 
^-Oi paper which his brother had snored away, ran up to 
his mother, &pullingher by the gown, said: "Graci^ 
ous Lady mamma, what ails my brother, the Stettin 
Duke ?Ishedrunk, too ?"^Atwhich they alllaugir 
ed, except Duke Johann, who gave a kick to hislittle 





2.02 




brother, and then strode out of the room, exclaiming, "Sooner my 
life than my honour; I shall stay here no longer to be tutored and 
lectured, but will take my journey homewards this very night." And 
so he departed, but by a small side/door, for old Ulrich had locked 
the chief door o n entering. 
_ J O W indeed her Grace wept bitterly : ah ! she thought 

the evil had left her house, which the fatal business 
at her wedding had wrought on it, when Dr. Marti/ 
I nus dropped the ring, but alas lit was only beginning 
now; and yet she could not curse him, for he washer 
J son, and she had borne him in pain and sorrowj^SF 
Summa: If many were displeased at these proceedings of his Grace 

so also was the Lord God, as was seen clearly by many strange signs* 

for on that same night Duke Barnim the elder died at Oderburg and 

all the crosses, knobs, and spires throughout the whole town turned 

quite black, though they had only been newly gilded a year before, •-The Duke died 

and no rain, lightning, or thunder had been observed..-, J&But this 2 9th September, 

was all clearly to show the anger of God over the sins of the young l 575^gcdyz years. 

Duke, and bv these signs he would admonish him to repentance, as Micraelius 369. 

a father might gently threaten a refractory child. As to what further 

happened to his Grace when he went out by the little door & the 

danger that befell him there, we shall hear more in another chapter. 

CHAPTER XIV. HOW THE KNAVE APPELMANN 

SEIZES HIS SERENE EMINENCE, DUKE JO. 

HANN,BYTHE THROAT,AND HOWHIS GRACE 

ANDTHE WHOLE CASTLE ARE SAVED BY MAR. 

CUS BORK & HIS YOUNG BRIDE CLARA- ALSO 

HOWSIDONIAAT LAST IS TAKEN PRISONER. 

~]HE castle was now almost quite still, for 
as the festival had already lasted three days, 
the guests were pretty well tired of dancing 
and drinking, and most of them, like young 
Prince Barnim, had lain down to snore. 
Yet still there were many drinking in the 
great hall, or dancing in the saloon, for the 
fiddles fiddled away merrily until far in the 
night jg? And it was a beautiful night this 
one; not too dark, but starry, bright, and 
soft and still, so that Marcus and his young bride glided away from 
the dancing & drinking, to wander in the cool fresh air of the shrub/ 
bery, before they retired to their chamber. So they passed down the 

203 





broad path that led from the garden to the drawbridge by the waters 
mill, and seating themselves on a bank under the shade of the trees, 
began to kiss & caress, as may well become a voungbridal pair to do. 
~JOON they heard nine o'clock strike from the town, 
| & immediately after, stealthy footsteps comingalong 
j the shrubbery towards them. They held their breath, 
and remained quite still, thinking it was some half' 
J drunken guest from the castle wandering this way; 
JJJSrW^a but then the drawbridge was lowered, and three per" 
sons advanced to a youth, as they could see plainly J& One said : 
"Now?" to which another answered, "No, when I whistle!" He 
who had so asked, then went back again, but Sidonia and my knave 
came on with the boundary lad over the bridge (for of course, every 
one will have guessed them) and entered the shubbery where the 
young bridal pairwere seated, but perfectly hidden, by reason of the 
darkness. The boundary lad would now have drawn up the bridge, 
but the knave hindered him : " Let him leave it down, how would 
he escape else, if the carl roared, and all came running out of the 
castle to see what was the matter ? " Then Sidonia asked the boy, if 
he thought the castle folk would hear him ? To which he answered, 
no. They could thrash the hound securely, and he had brought a 
short cudgel with him forthepurpose. Upon which my knave rmnv 
mured to him, " Lead on, then; I must get out of this dark place to 
see what I am about. And when we get to the end of it, do you run 
and bring him out here. Then we shall both pay him offbravely." 
So they crept on in the darkness towards the castle, but the young 
wedded pair had plenty of time to recognise both Sidonia and Ap^ 
pelmann by their voices. Therefore Marcus argued truly that the 
knave and his paramour could be about no good, for the whole land 
rang with their wickedness. And no doubt the band was in the vici' 
nity, because Appelman had answered, " No, when I whistle !" So 
the good Marcus grew wroth overthe villainy of thisshameless pair, 
who had evidently resolved on nothing less than the destruction of 
the whole princely race, and even this castle of Daber was not to be 
spared, which belonged to his dear bride's father, so that their wicked 
purposes might befulfilled. Then he whispered: " Didhis dear wife 
know of any by^wavthat led to the castle, as shewasbornhere,per^ 
haps some such little path mightbeknowntoher,sothatshewould 
escape meetingthe villain?" And as she whispered in return, "Yes, 
there was suchapath," he bidherrunalongitquickas thought, have 
all the bells rung when she reached the castle, and even the cannon 
204 




fired, which was ready loaded for the farewell salute to the Lady of 
Wblgast on the morrow; and to gather as many people together, of 
all stations and ages, as could be summoned on the instant, and let 
them shout "Murder! murder!" Meanwhile he would run &draw 
up the bridge, then track the fellow along the shrubbery, and seize 
him if pos sible. 

IOW Clara trembled and hesitated, as a young girl 
I might, but soon collecting herself, she said,although 
with much agitation, " I will trust in God : the Lord 
' is my strength, of whom then should I be afraid?" 
and plunged alone into the darkest part of the shrubs 
_ bery. Marcus instantly ran down to the garden door, 
& began to draw up the bridge with as little noise as possible. " What 
are you doing? "called out a voice to him from the other side. "Ihear 
steps," he answered, "andperchanceitisthecastellanon his rounds; 
he would discover all." So he draws up the bridge, and then glided 
along the shrubbery after my knave. 

"IE ANWHILE Appelmann and Sidonia, with the 
boundary lad, had reached the door of the castle, 
through which he was determined to make good his 
entrance after the lad by any means.Butatthatvery 
instant it opened, & my gracious Lord Dukejohann 
Frederick stoodbeforethem. Forithas been already 
mentioned, that he left the chamberin which thefamily council was 
held by a small private door which led down to this portion of the 
castle; here he was looking about for his court^jester, Clas Hinze, 
to bid him order the carriages to convey him and his suite that very 
night to Freienwald, and by chance opened this very door which led 
out to the shrubbery. Seeing no one from the darkness, the Duke 
called out, "Is Clas there?" to which Appelmann answered "Yes, 
my Lord" (for he had recognised the Duke by his voice), and at the 
same time he retreated a few steps into the shubbery, hoping the 
Duke would follow himjS? But the Duke called out again, "Where 
art thou, Clas?" "Here!" responded Appelmann, retreating still 
further.Whereupontheboundaryladwhispered,"Thisisnothim!" 
His Grace, however, heard the whisper, & called out angrily, while 
he advanced from thedoor: " Whatmeanestthou,knave7 Itis I who 
call! Art thou drunk, fool! if so, thou must have a bucket of water 
on thy head, for we ride away this night." So speaking, his Highness 
went on still further into the shrubbery,upon which my knave makes 
a spring at his throat and hurls him to the ground, while he gives a 

205 




loud shrill whistle through the fingers of his other hand. Now the 
boundary lad screamed in earnest, but Sidonia threatened him, and 
bade him hold his tongue, & run for the other fellows and not mind 
them. But she screamed yet louder herself, when a powerful arm 
seized her round the waist, and she found herself in the grasp of Mar • 
cus Bork. Appelmann, who had stuffed his kerchief into the Duke's 
mouth to stifle his cries,&placed one knee upon his breast,now sprang 
up in terror at her scream, while at the same instant the bells rang, 
the cannon was fired, and all the court was filled with people shout' 
ing," Murder ! murder ! " So he let go his hold of the Duke, and with' 
out waitingto release Sidonia, darted down the shrubbery, reached 
the bridge, and finding it raised, plunged into the water, & swam to 
the other side. And here we see the hand of thealL-merciful God; for 
had the bridge been down the band would have rushed over at their 
captain's whistle, and then methinks there would have been a sad 
endtothewholeprincelyrace,forasIhave said, half the guests were 
drunk and half were snoring, so that but for Marcus this evil and 
accursed woman would have destroyed them all, as she had sworn. 
True, they were destroyed by her at last, but not until God gave them 
over to destruction, in consequence of their sins, no doubt, and of the 
wickedness of the land. Summa:WTien my gracious Lordfelthim-' 
self free, he sprang up, crying, " Help help !" and ran as quick as he 
could back into the castle. Marcus Bork followed with Sidonia, who 
drew a knife to stab him, but he saw the glitter of the blade by the 
light of the lanterns (for one can easily imagine that the bells &the 
cannon had brought all the snorers to their legs), and giving her a 
blow upon the arm that made her drop the knife, draggedher through 
the little door, after the Duke, as fast as he was able. So the whole 
princely party stood there, and great and small shouted when the 
upright Marcus appeared,holdingSidoniafirmlybythe backwhile 
she writhed and twisted, and kicked him with her heels till the sweat 
>oured down his face. 

UT when old Ulrich beheld her, he exclaimed : " Se^ 

ven thousand devils ! do my eyes deceive me, or is 

this Sidonia again?" Her Grace, too, turned pale, & 

all were horrified at seeing the evil one, for they knew 

r her wickedness.Then Marcus must relate the whole 

story, and howhecameto bring to nought the coun^ 

sel of the devil jg? And when Duke Johann heard the whole extent 

of the danger from which he had been saved, he fell upon the neck of 

the loyal Marcus, and, pressing him to his heart, exclaimed : " Well* 

206 




beloved Marcus, and dear friend, thou hast saved my brother of 
Wolgast in the Stettin Forest, so hast thou saved me this night, 
therefore accept knighthood from my hands ; and I make thee gov 
ernorofmy fortress of Saatzig." To which theother answered: "He 
thanked his Grace heartily for the honours ,'buthehad already pro^ 
mised to remain in the service of his princely brother of Wolgast; 
and for that object had made purchase of the lands of Crienke" 1 j^ 
But his Highness would hear of no refusal. Only let him look at 
Saatzig; it was the finest fortress in the land. W^hat would he do in 
a miserable fishing village ? The castle was almost grander than his 
own ducal house at Stettin; and the knights' hall, with its stone pik 
lars and carved capitals, was the most stately work of architecture 
in the kingdom, where would he find suchadwelling in his village 
nest ? Old Kleist, the governor, had just died, and to whom could he 
give the castle sooner than to his right worthy and loyal Marcus !" 
jg^When old Dewitz heard this (he was a little, dry old man, with 
long grey hair), he pressed forward to his son^in^law, and bade him 
by no means refuse a prince's offer; besides, Saatzig was but two 
miles off, and they could see each other every Sunday. Also, if they 
had a hunt, a standard erected on the tower of one castle could be 
seen plainly from the tower of the other, and so they could lead a .*. The great ma/ 
right pleasant, neighbourly life, almost as if they all lived together" rana weighs from 
j^Still Marcus will not consent. Upon which his mother-in-law ten to twelve 
can no longer suppress her feelings, and comes forward to entreat pounds, and is a 
him. (She was a good, pious matron, and as fat as her husband was species of salmon^ 
thin.) So she stroked his cheeks : " And where in the land, as far as trout. The mura^ 
Usdom, could he find such fine muranes and maranes,/. this fish he na is of the same 
loved so much ? and where was such fine flax to be had for his young race, but not lar^ 
wife to spin ? no flax in the land equalled that of Saatzig ! since ever ger than the her^ 
she was a little girl, people talked of the fine Saatzig flax. Let her ring J& It must 
dear daughter Clara come over, and see if she could prevail aught not be confounded 
with her stern husband. Why, they could send pudding hot to each with the murana 
other, the castles were so near." of which the Ro^ 

jND now the mild young bride approachedher hus^ mansweresofond, 
band, and taking his hand gently, looked up into his which was a spe- 
eyes withsoftbeseechingglances,butspakenoword; cies of eel. 
so that the princely widow of Wolgast was moved, 
and said : " Good Marcus, if you only fear to offend 

_.. J my son of Wolgast by taking service at Saatzig, be 

composed on that head, for I myself will make your peace. Great, 
indeed, would be my joytohaveyou and your young spouse settled 

207 




at Crfenke, which you know is but half a mile from Pudgla, my 
doweivcastle, where I mean to reside; yet these beseeching glances 
of my little Clara fill my heart with compassion, for do I not read 
in her clear eyes that she would love to stay near her dear parents, 
as indeed is natural ? Therefore, in God's name accept the offer of 
your prince. I myself command you." Hereupon Marcus inclined 
himself gracefully to the Duchess and Duke Johann, and pressed 
his little wife to his heart. *.*■ But what need, gracious Prince, of a 
governor at Saatzig, when all the courts are closed, and no justice 
can be done? I shall eat my bread in idleness, like a worn-out hound. 
But, marry, if your Grace consents to open the courts, I will accept 
your offer with thanks, and do my duty as governor with all justice 
and fidelity ",J^Then his Grace answered: "What! good Marcus, 
dost thou begin again on that old theme which roused my wrath so 
lately, and made me fall into that peril ? But I bethink me of thy 
bravery, and will say no bitter word; only thou mayest hold thy 
peace, for I have sworn by my princely honour, and fromthatthere 
is no retreating. However, thou hast leavetohold jurisdiction in thy 
own government, and execute justice according to thy own upright 
judgment"j$FSo Marcus was silent; butthe Duchess and the other 
princes took up the subject, and assailed his Highness with earnest 
petitions : " Had he not himself felt and seen the danger of permits 
ting these freebooters to get such a head in the land? Had not the 
finger of God warned him this very night, in hopes of turning him 
back to the rightpath ? Let him reflect, for the peace of his land was 
at stake." But all in vain. Even though old Ulrich tumbled into the 
argument with his seven thousand devils, yet could they obtain no 
other answer from his Highness but: " If the states give me gold, I 
shall open the courts ; if they give no gold, the courts shall remain 
closed for ever. Were he to be brought before the emperor, or Pon^ 
tius Pilate himself, it was all alike; they might tear him in pieces, 
butnotonenail'sbreadth of his princely word would he retreatfrom, 
or break it like a woman, for their prayers." 

HEN he rose, and calling his fool Clas to him, bade 

him run to the old priest, and tell him he would sleep 

at his quarters that night, for he must have peace; 

but the merry Clas, as he was running out, got be-* 

hind his Highness, and stuck his fool's cap upon the 

head of his Grace, crying out: " Here, keep my cap 

for me"jg?However,his Highness did not relish the joke, forevery 

one laughed; and he ran after the fool, tryingto catch him, & threat/ 

208 





ening to have his head cut off"; but Clas got behind the others, and 
clapping his hands, cried out: " You can't, for the courts are closed. 
Huzza! the courts are closed!" Whereupon he runs outatthe door, 
and my gracious Lord after him, with the fool's cap upon his head. 
Nor did he return again to the hall, but wentto sleep at the priest's 
quarters, as he had said; and next morning, bythefirstdawn of day, 
set off on his jo urney homeward. 

^JSLL this whileno one had troubled himself about Su 
donia J0 My gracious Lady wept, the young lords 
laughed, old Ulrich swore, whilst the good Marcus 
murmured softly to his young wife: "Be happy, 
Clara; for thy sake I shall consent to go to Saatzig. 

.. - 1 1 have decided "JPThis filled her with such joy that 

she danced, and smiled, and flung herself into her mother's arms; 
nothingwas wantingnowto her happiness !Justthenher eyes rested 
upon Sidonia, who was leaning against the wall, as pale as a corpse. 
Clara grew quite calm in a moment, and asked, compassionately: 
" What aileth thee, poor Sidonia? " "I am hungry !" was the answer. 
At this the gentle bride was so shocked, that the tears filled her eyes, 
and she exclaimed," Wait, thou shaltpartake of my wedding^feast," 
and away wen t she. 

~~ SjHE attention of the others was, by this time, also 
directed to Sidonia. And old Ulrich said: " Compose 
yourself, gracious Lady; I trust your son, the prince, 
will not be so hard and stern as he promises; now that 
the water has touched his own neck, methinks he will 

_ soon come to reason ; but what shall we do now with 

Sidonia ? " Upon which my Lady of Wolgast turned to her, & asked 
if she were yet wedded to her gallows-bird ? " Not yet,"was the an-* 
swer; "but she would soon be." Then my gracious Lady spat out at 
her ; and,addressing Ulrich, asked what he would advise. So the stout 
old knight said: " If the matter were left to him, he would just send 
for the executioner, and have her ears and nose slit, as a warning & 
example, for no good could ever come of her now, andthen pack her 
offnext day toherfarmatZachow; foriftheylether loose, she would 
run to her paramour again, and come at last to gallows and wheel; 
but if they just slit her nose, then he would hold her in abhorrence, 
as well as all other menfolk." 




P l 



209 




URING this, Clara had entered, and set fish, and 
!§ wild'boar, and meat, and bread, before the girl; and 
as she heard Ulrich' s last words, she bent down and 
/ whispered: " Fear nothing, Sidonia,I hope to be able 
j to protect thee, as I did once before; onlyeat,Sidonia! 
3 Ah ! hadst thou followed my advice ! I always meant 
well by thee, and even now, if I thoughtthou wouldst repent truly, 
poor Sidonia, I would take thee with me to the castle of Saatzig, and 
never lettheewant for aught through life"jg?When Sidoniaheard 
this, she wept and promised amendment. Only let Clara try her, for 
she could never gotoZachow & play the peasant girl. Upon which 
Clara turned to her Highness, and prayed her Grace to give Sidonia 
up to her. See how she was weeping; misfortune truly had softened 
her, and she would soon be brought back to God. Only let her take 
her to Saatzig, and treat her as a sister. At this, however, old Ulrich 
shook his head : " Clara, Clara," he exclaimed," knowest thou not 
that the Moor cannot change his skin, nor the leopard his spots ? I 
cannot, then, letthe serpent go. Think on our mother, girl; itisabad 
work playing with serpents." Her Grace, too, became thoughtful, 
and said, at last : " Could we not send her to the convent at Marien^ 
fliess, or somewhere else VJ&" What the devil would she do in a 
convent?" exclaimed the old knight. "To infect the youngmaidens 
with her vices, or plague them with her pride ? Now, there was no/ 
thingelseforherbuttobepackedofftoZachow/'NowClaralooked 
up once again at her husband with her soft, tearful eyes, for he had 
said no word all this time, but remained quite mute; and he drew 
herto him, and said : " I understand thy wish, dear Clara, but the old 
knight is right. It is a dangerous business, dear Clara! Let Sidonia 
go." 

T this Sidonia crawled forth like a serpent from her 
corner, and howled: "Clara had pity on her, but he 
would turn her out to starve; he, who bore her own 




m wouia turn ner out to starve; ne, wno oore ner own 
m name, & was ofher own blood." Alas ! the good kni ght 
r] wasashamed to refuseany longer, &finally promised 
=9 the evil one that she should go with them to Saatzig. 
So her Grace at last consented, but old Ulrich shook his gray head 
ten times more. "He had lived many years in the world, but never 
had it come to his knowledge that a godless man was tamed by love. 
Fear was the only teacher for them. All their love would be thrown 
awayonthis harlot; for even if the stout Marcus kepthertight with 
bit and rein, and tried to bring her back by fear, yet the moment his 



2tO 



back was turned,Clara would spoil all again by love and kindness" 
j^Howeve^nobodyminded the good knight, though it all came to 
pass just as he had prophesied. 

CHAPTER XV. HOW SIDONIA DEMEANS HER, 
SELF AT THE CASTLE OF SAATZIG, AND HOW 
CLARA FORGETS THE INJUNCTIONS OF HER 
BELOVED HUSBAND, WHEN HE LEAVES HER 
TO ATTEND THE DIET AT WOLLIN, ON THE 
SUBJECTOFTHECOURTS.ITEM:HOWTHESE, 
RENE PRINCE, DUKE JOHANN FREDERICK, 
BEHEADS HIS COURT FOOL WITH A SAUSAGE. 

|UMMA; Sidonia went to the castle of 
Saatzig,& her worthy cousin Marcus gave 
her a little chamber to herself, in the third 
B story, close to the tower. It was the same 
^ room in which she afterwards sat as a witch, 
for some days ere she was taken to Oder, 
burg. There was a right cheerful view from 
the windows down upon the lake, which 
was close to the castle, and over the little 

iatown of Jacobshagen, as far even as the 

meadows beyond. Here, too, was left a Bible for her, and the opera 
Lutheri in addition, with plenty of materials for spinning and em, 
broidery, for she had refused to weave. Item: a serving,wench was 
appointed to attend on her, and she had permission to walk where 
she pleased within the castle walls ; but if ever seen beyond the do, 
main, the keepers had orders to bring her back by force, if she would 
not return willinglyjgFln fine, the carefulknight took every precau, 
tion possible to render her presence as little baneful as could be, for, 
truth to say, he had no faith whatever in her tears and seeming re, 
pentance,^ First, he strictly forbade all his secretaries to interchange 
a word with her, or even look ather. They need not know his reason, 
butany one who transgressed his slightest command in this particu, 
lar, should be chasedaway instantly from the castle jffi Secondly, he 
prayed his dear wife to let Sidonia eat her meals alone, in her own 
little room, &neverto see her but in thepresenceof a thirdperson^ 
Also, never to accept the slightestgift from her hand, fruit, flower, 
or any kind of food whatsoever. These injunctions were the more 
necessary, as the young bride had already given hopes of a heir. 
Sidonia's rage and jealousy at this prospect of complete happiness 
for Clara maybe divined from herwordstohermaid, Lene Penkun, 
p2 =M1 





a shorttime after she reached the castle: " Haltheyare talking of the 
baptism already forsooth ; but it might have been otherwise if I had 
come across her a little sooner I" 

IH IS same maid also she sent to Daber for the spirit 
■ Chim, which had been left behind at the lastresting/- 
place of the robbers, never telling her it was a spirit, 
however, only atame cat, that was a great pet of hers. 
" It must be halfVdead with hunger now, for it was 
four days since she had left it in the hollow of an old 
oak in the forest, the poor creature! So let the maid take a flask of 
sweetmilk and a little saucer to feed it. She could not miss her way, 
for, when she stepped out of the high-road at Daber into the forest, 
there was a thonvbush to her left hand, & just beyond italarge oak 
wheretheravenshadtheirnests;in a hollow of this oak, to the north 
side, lay her dear little cat. But she must not tell any one about the 
matter,or they wouldlaughat her forsending her maidtwo miles& 
more tolookforacat. Men had no compassion ortender^heartedness 
nowadays to each other, much lesstoapoor dumb animal . N o ; just 
let her say that she wentto fetch a robewhichhermistress hadleftin 
the oak. Here was an old gown, take this with her, and it would do 
to wrap up the poor little pussy in after she had fed it and warmed 
it, sothatnoonemightseeit,forwhat a mock wouldall thesepitiless 
menmakeofher,iftheyheardtheobjectofhermessage;butshewas 
not cruel like them." 

OW, after some time, it happened that the states of 
the Duchy assembled at Wbllin,to come to some ar/ 
rangement with his Highness respectingthe opening 
of the courts of justice; and Marcus Bork, along with 
all the other nobles, was summoned to attend the 
Diet. So, with great grief he had to leave his dear 
wife, but promised, if possible, to return before she was taken with 
herillness.Thenhebade her be of good courage, &, above all things, 
to guard herself against Sidonia, and mind strictly all his injunctions 
concerning her jff Alas ! she too soon flung them all to tKe winds ! 
For, behold, scarcely had the good knight arrived at Wollin, when 
Clara was deliveredof a little son, at which great joyfilledthe whole 
castle. And one messenger was dispatched to Marcus, and another 
to old Dewitz and his wife with the tidings; but woe, alas ! the good 
old mother was goingto stand sponsor for a nobleman's child in the 
neighbourhood, and could not hasten then to save her dear daughter 
from a terrible and cruel death. She cooked some broth, however, 
212 





for the youngmother, & pouring it into a silver flask, bade themes^ 
senger ride back with all speed to Saatzig, that it might not be too 
cold. She herself would be over in the morning early with her hus^ 
band, and let her dear little daughter keep herself warm and quiet 
" "1EANWHILE Sidoniahad heardof the birth, and 
[sent her maidto wish theyoung mother joy, andask 
Iher permission just to give one little kiss to her new 
I cousin, for they toldher hewas a beautiful infantj^ 
I Alas, alas ! that Clara's joy should make her forget 
-- ^ . — -J the judicious cautions of her husband! Permission 
was given to the murderess, & down she comes directly to offer her 
congratulations; even affecting to weep for joy as she kissed the in-> 
fant, and praying to be allowed to act as nurse until her mother came 
from Daberjg?" Why, she had no one about her but common serv 
ing'women ! How could she leave her dearest friend to the care of 
these old hags, when she was in the castle, who owed everything to 
her dear Clara V'J& And so she went on till poor Clara, even if she 
did not quite believe her, felt ashamed to doubt so much apparent 
affection and tenderness. Summa: She permitted her to remain, & 
we shall soon see what murderous deeds Sidonia was planning a,' 
gainst the pooryoungmother. Butfirst I mustrelatewhat happened 
at the Diet of W bllin, to which Marcus Bork had been summoned. 
" "IIS Highness Duke Johann had become somewhat 
] more gracious to the states sincethey had cometothe 
Diet at their own cost, which was out of the usage; 
and further, because, as old Ulrich prophesied, he 
himself had felt the inconveniences resulting from 

I the present lawless state of the country. Still he was 

ill-tempered enough, particularly as he had a fever on him; & when 
the statespromised atlast that they would let him have the money- 
he said/' So far good; but, till he saw the gold, the courts should not 
be opened. Not that he misdoubted them, but then he knew that 
they were sometimes as tedious in handing out money as a peasant 
in payinghis rent. The courts, therefore, should not be opened until 
he had the gold in his pot, so it would be to their own profit to use 
as much diligence as possible." At this same Diet his Grace related 
how he first metClas,his fool, which story I shall set down here for 
the reader's pastime. 



P3 213 





HIS same fool had been nothing but a poor goose/ 
herd;andonedayashewas on theroadto Friedrichs/ 
wald with his flock, my gracious Lord rode up, and 
growing impatient at the geese running hither and 
thither in his path,bade the boy collect them together, 
or he would strike them all deadj^Upon which the 
snave took up goose after goose by the throat, and stuck them by 
their long necks into his girdle, till a circle of geese hung entirely 
round his body, all dangling by the head from his waist jg§F This 
merry device pleased my Lord so much, that he made the lad court/ 
jester from that day, and many a droll trick he had played from that 
to this, particularly when his Highness was gloomy, so as to make 
him laugh again.Once, for instance, when the Duke was sore pressed 
for money, by reason of the opposition of the states, he became very 
sad, and all the doctors were consulted, but could do nothing. For 
unless his Grace could be brought to laugh (they said to the Lady 
Erdmuth), it was all over with him. Then my gracious Lady had 
the fool whipped for a stupid jester, who could not drive his trade; 
for if he did not make the Duke laugh, why should he stay at all in 
the castle ? u ^W^hat did my fool? He collected all the princely solda/ 
teska, and got leave from their Graces to review them ; and surely 
neverwereseen such strange evolutions as he put them through, for 
they must do everything he bade them. And when his Highness 
came forth to look, he laughed so loud as never had fool made him 
laugh before; and calling the Duchess, bid him repeat his experi/ 
mentum many times for her. In fine, the fool got the good town of 
Butterdorf for his fee, which changed its name in honour of him, 
and is called Hinzendorf to this day (for his name was Hinze) jg? 
But Clas H inze had not been able to cure my Lord Duke of his fever, 
which attacked him at the Diet at Wollin, nor all the doctors from 
Stettin, nor even Doctor Pomius, who had been sent from Wblgast 
by the old Duchess, to attend her dear son; and as the doctor (as I 
have said) was a formal, priggish little man, he and the fool were 
always bickerin g and snarling. 

"~|OW oneday at Wollin, the weather beingbeautiful, 

I his Grace, with several of the chief prelates, & many 

' of the nobility, went forth to walk bythe river's side 

and the fool ran along with them: item, Doctor 

Pomius, who, if he could not run, at least tried to 

_J walk majestically; and he munched a piece of sugar 

all the time, for he never could keep his mouth still a moment. See/ 
214 




. 



ing his Grace now about to cross the bridge, the doctor started for-' 
ward with as much haste as was consistent with his dignity, and 
seizing his Highness by the tail of the coat, drew him back, declare 
ing,"Thathemustnotpassthe water; all water would give strength 
to the fever^devil." But his Highness, who was talking Latin to the 
Deacon of Colberg, turned on the doctor with: " Apage te asine!" 
and strode forward, whilst one of the nobles gave a free translation 
aloud for the benefit of the others, saying, "And that means: be^ 
gone, thou ass \" J& When the fool heard this he clapped the little 
man on the back, shouting, "Well done, ass ! and there is thy fee for 
curing our gracious Prince of his fever "jgj?This so nettled the doctor 
that he spat out the lump of sugar for rage, and tried to seize the 
fool; but the crowd laughed still louder when Clas jumped on the 
back of an old woman, giving her the spur with his yellow boots in 
the side, and shaking his head with the cap and bells at the little 
doctorin mockery, who could not get near him for thecrowd. So the 
woman screamed and roared, and the people laughed, till at last the 
Duke stopped in the middle of the bridgeto see what was the matter. 
When the fool observed this he sprang off the old woman's back, 
and calling out to the doctor: "See how I cure our gracious Lord's 
fever," ran upon the bridge like wind, and, seizing the Duke with 
all his force, jumped with him into the water J& Now the people 
screamed from horror, as much as before from mirth, and thirty or 
forty burghers, along with Marcus Bork, plunged in to rescue his 
Highness, whilst others tried to seize the fool, threatening to tear 
him in piecesjJ^This was a joyful hearing to Doctor Pomius. He 
drew forth his knife: "Would they not finish the knave at once? 
Here was a knife just ready" J& But the fool, who was strong and 
supple, swunghimself uptothe bridge, and crouched in between the 
arches, catchinghold of the beams, so that noonedared totouchhim 
there, and his Highness was soon carried to land. Hewas in a flam/ 
ing rage, as he shook offthewater,^" Where is that accursed fool? 
He had only threatened to cut off his head at Daber, but now it 
should be done in earnest" J0 So the fool shouted from under the 
bridge : " Ho ! ho ! the courts are all closed ! the courts are all closed ! " 
At which the crowd laughed so heartily, that my Lord Duke grew 
still moreangry,and commanded themtobringthe fool to him dead 
or alivej^Hearingthis,the fool crept forward of himself, & whim^ 
pered in his Low Dutch : " My good Lord Duke, praise be to God 
that we've made the doctor fly. I'll give him a little piece of drinks 
money for his journey, and then I'll be your doctor myself. For if 
p 4 215 




the fright has not cured you, marry, let the deacon be your fool, and 
I will be your deacon as long as I live." 

OWEVER, my gracious Lord was in no humour 
for fun, but bid them carry off the fool to prison, and 
lock him up there; for though, indeed, the fever had 
V really quite gone, as his Highness perceived to his 
joy, yet he was resolved to give the fool a right good 
fright in return. Therefore, on the third day from 
that, he commanded him to be brought out and beheaded on the 
scaffold at Wbllin. He wore a white shroud, bordered with black 
gau2e, over his motley jacket, and a priest and melancholy music 
accompanied him all the way; but Master Hansen had directions 
that, when the fool was seated in the chair with his eyes bound, he 
should strike the said fool on the neck with a sausage in place of the 
swordj@?However, no one suspected this, and a great crowd fol' 
lowed the poor fool up to the scaffold; even Doctor Pomius was 
there, and kept close up to the condemned. As the fool passed the 
ducal house, there was my lord seated at a window looking out, and 
the fool looked up, saying : " My gracious master, is this a fool's jest 
you are playing me, or is it earnest V'J&To which the Duke an/ 
swered: "You see it is earnest." Then answered the fool: "Well, if 
I must, I must; yet I crave one boon ! "jS? When the promise was 
granted, the knave, who could not give up his jesting even on the 
deattwoad, said: "Then make Doctor Pomius herewith to be fool 
in my place, for lookhowhe is learning all my tricks from me; stickl- 
ing himself close up to my side "^^Hereat a great shout of laughter 
pealed from the crowd, and the Duke motioned with the hand to 
proceed to the scaffold jj£? Still the poor fool kept looking round 
every moment, thinking his Grace would send a message after 
them to stop the execution, but no one appeared. Then his teeth 
chattered, and he trembled like an aspen leaf; for Master Hansen 
seized hold of himnow,andput him down upon the chair, & bound 
his eyes. Still he asked, with his eyes bound, " Master, is any one 
coming V'J&" No!" replied the executioner; and, throwing back 
his red cloak, drew forth a large sausage in place of a sword, to the 
great amusement of the people. With this he strikes my fool on the 
neck, who thereupon tumbles down from the stool, as stone dead 
from the mere fright as if his head and body had parted company, 
yea, more dead, for never a finger or a muscle did the poor fool move 
more^This sad ending moved his Grace even to tears; and he fell 
into a yet greater melancholy than before, crying: " Woe! alas ! He 
216 




gave me my life through fright, & through fright I have taken away 
his poor life ! Ah, never shall I meet with so good and merry a fool 
again !"j$FThen he gave command to all the physicians to try and 
restore him, and he himself stood by while they bled him & felt his 
pulse, but all was in vain; even Doctor Pomius tried his skill, but 
nothing would help, so that my Lord cried out angrily: " Marry, the 
fool was right. The fools should be doctors, for the doctors are all 
fools. Away w ith ye all, and your gibberish, to the devil!" 

FTERthishehadthe said fool placed inahandsome 
black coffin, and conveyed to his own town of Hnv 
zendorf, there to be buried; and over his grave my 
Lord erected a stately monument, on which was rex 
presented the poor fool, as large as life, with his cap 
and bells, and staff in his hand; and round his waist 
was a girdle, from which many geese dangled, all cut like life, while 
at his side lay his shepherd's bag, and at his feet a beer/can. The 
figure is five feettwo inches long, & bears a Latin inscription above it 
which I forget; but the initials, G.H. are carved upon each cheek.. 1 . 
HORTLY after the death of the fool a messenger 
arrived from Saatzigto Marcus Bork, bringing him 
the joyful tidings that the Lord God had granted him 
the blessing of a little son. So he is away to my Lord 
Duke, to solicit permission to leave the Diet and re^ 
turn to his castle. This the Duke readily granted, see^ 
ing that he himself was goingaway to attend the funeral of the poor 
fool at Hinzendorf. Then he wished Marcus joy with all his heart, 
which so emboldened theknightthathe ventured to make one more 
effort about the opening of the courts, praying his Grace to put faith 
in the word of his faithful states, and open the courts &the treasury 
without further delayj^ But his Grace is wroth : "What should he 
be troubled for ? The states could give the money when they chose 
and then all would be right. Let the nobles do their duty. He never 
saw a penny come out of their pockets for their Prince ",*§F" But his 
Highnessknew the poorpeasants were all beggared; & where could 
the nobles get the money?" \0" Let them go to their saving'pots, 
then, where the money was turning green from age ; better for them 
if they had less avarice. Why did not he himself bringhim some gold, 
in place of dressing up his wife in silks and jewels, finer than the 
Princess Erdmuth herself, his own princely spouse? Then, indeed, 
the courts might be soon opened," &c. So the sorrowingknighttook 
his leave, and each went his different way. 

2J 7 




.'. His original 
name was Gurgen 
Hinze, not Clas. 
The Latin inscrip^ 
tion is nearlyeffacx 
ed, but the begins 
ning is still visible, 
and runs thusi^S? 
"Caput ecce ma' 
nus gestus que;" 
from which Oel^ 
richs concludes 
that the whole was 
written in hexame^ 
ters. ( See his estinv 
able work, "Me/ 
moirs ofthe Pome^ 
ranian Dukes," 
p. 41.) 




^CHAPTER XVI. HOWSIDONIA MAKES POOR 
CLARA APPEAR QUITE DEAD, & OF THE GREAT 
MOURNING AT SAATZIG OVER HER BURIAL, 
WHILE SIDONIADANCESONHERCOFFIN AND 
SINGSTHECIX.PSALM.ITEM:OF THE SERMON 
AND THE ANATHEMA PRONOUNCED UPON A 
WICKED SINNER FROM THE ALTAR OF THE 
CHURCH. 

MUST first state that this horrible wick" 
edness of Sidonia, which no eye had seen 
nor ear heard, neither had it entered into the 
heart of man to conceive (for only in hell 
could such have been imagined) never would 
have come to light but that she herself made 
confession thereoftoDr.Cramero,thy well' 
beloved god'father, in her last trial. And he, 
to show how far Satan can lead a poor 
h-3 human creature who has once fallen from 
God, related the same to my worthy father/in-'law, Master David 
Reutzio, some time superintendent at the criminal court, from 
whose own lip s I received the story. 

3jND this was her confession : That when the mes^ 
senger returned from Daber with the broth, he had 
ridden so fast that it was still, in truth, quite hot, but 
she (the horrible Sidonia) who was standing at the 
& bedoftheyoungmother,alongwiththeotherwomen, 
Eaag j pretended that it was too cold for a woman in her 
state, and must just get one little heating on the fire. The poor Clara, 
indeed, showed unwillingness to permit this, but she ran down with 
it, & secretly, without being seen by any of the other women, poured 
in a philtrum that had been given her by the gipsy "hag, and then 
went back again for a moment. This philtrum was the one which 
produced all the appearance of death. It had no taste, except, per^ 
haps, that it was a little saltish. Therefore, Clara perceived nothing 
wrong, only when she tasted it, said, " My heart's dearest mother, 
in her joy, has put a little too much salt into her broth ; still, what a 
heart's dearest mother sends, must always taste good." However, 
in one hour after that, Clara lay as stiff and cold as a corpse, only her 
breath came a little ; but even this ceased in a short time, and then a 
218 





great cry and lamentation resounded through the whole castle. No 
one suspected Sidonia, for many said that young women died so 
often; but even the old mother, who arrived a few hours after, and 
hearing the cries from the castle while she was yet far off, began to 
weep likewise; for her mother's heart revealed the cause to her ere 
she had yet des cended from the carriage. 

UT it was a sadder sight next evening, when the 
husband arrived at the castle from Wollin.He could 
not take his eyes from the corpse. One while he kissed 
the infant, then fixed his eyes again upon his dead 
wife, and sighed and groaned as if he lay upon the 
rack. He alone suspected Sidonia, but when she cried 
more than they all, & wrung her hands, exclaiming, "Who would 
have pity on her now, for her best friend lay there dead ! " and flune 
herself upon the seeming corpse, kissing it and bedewing it with her 
tears, and praying to have leave to watch all night beside it, for how 
couldshesleep in her sore grief and sorrow? the knight was ashamed 
of his suspicions, & even tried to comfort her himselfj^Thencame 
the physicians out of Stargard and other places, who had beensunv 
moned in all haste, and they gabbled away, saying: "It could not 
have been the broth, but puerperal fever/ This at least was Dr. 
Hamster's opinion, who knew all along it would be a bad case. In^ 
deed the last time he was at the castle visiting the mower's wife he 
was frightened at the lookof thepoorlady. Still,if they hadonly sent 
for him in time, this great evil could not have happened, for his pulvis 
antispasmodicus was never known to fail; and so he went on chat* 
tering, by which one can see that doctors have always been the same 
from that time even till now. 

UMMA:OnthethirddaythepoorClarawaslaidin 
her coffin, & earned to her grave, with such weeping 
and amentation of the mourners & bearers as never 
had been heard till then.Andall the nobles of the v'u 
cinage,with the knights &gentlemen,came to attend 
her funeral at Saatzig Cathedral,shewas to be buried 




in this new church just finished by his Grace Duke Johann, & but 
one corpse had been laid in the vaults before her. ..jEfBut what 
does the devil's sorceress do now? She knew that the poor Clara 
would awake the next day (which was Sunday) about noon, and 
if any should hear her cries, her plans would be detected. There.' 
fore, about ten of the clock, she ran to Marcus, with her hair all 

219 



.-.The beautifully 
painted escutcheon 
of Duke Johann & 
his wife Erdmuth 
of Brandenburg, is 
still to be seen on 
the chancel win^ 
dows of this stately 
building. 



flowing down her shoulders, saying, that he must let her away that 
very day to Zachow, for what would the world say if she, a young 
unmarried thing, should remain here all alone with him in his castle ? 
No; sooner would she swallowthe bittercup her father had left her 
than peril her name. But first, would he allow her to go and pray 
alone in the church ? Surely he would not deny her this^Therex 
upon the simple knight gave her instant leave : " Let her go & pray, 
in God's name. He himself would soon be there to hear the Revere 
end Dr. Wudargensis preach the funeral sermon over his heart's dear 
wife. And after service he would desire a carriage to be in readiness 
to convey hertoZachow"j$FThenhe called to the warder from the 
window, bidding him let Sidonia pass. So she went forth in deep 
mourning garments, glided through the castle gardens, and conceal/- 
ing herself by the trees, slipped into the church without any one 
havingperceivedher; for the sexton had left the door open to admit 
freshair,on account of the corpse. Then she stepped over to thelittle 
grated door near the altar, which led down into the vault, and softly 
liftingit, stepped down, drawing the door down again close over her 
head. Clara's coffin was lying beneath, and first she laid her ear on 
it and listened, but all was quite still within. Then removing the 
pall, she sat herself down upon the lid. Time passed, and still no 
sound. The sexton began to ring the bell, and the people were as/- 
sembling in the church above. Soon the hymn commenced, " Now 
in peace the loved one sleepeth," and ere the first verse had ended, a 
knocking was heard in the coffin, then a cry: " Where am I ? What 
brought me here? Let me out, for God's sake let me out! I am not 
dead. Where is my child ? Where is my good Marcus ? Ah ! there is 
some one near me. WTio is it ? Let me out ! let me out ! " Then (oh ! 
horror of horrors !) the devil's harlot on her coffin, answered : " It is 
I, Sidonia I this pays thee for acting the spy at Wblgast. Lie there, 
and writhe till thou art stifled in thy blood!" Now the voice came 
again from the coffin, praying and beseeching, so that many times 
it went through her stony heart like a sword. 

ND just then the first verse of the hymn ended, and 
the voice of the priest was heard asking the lord 
governor whether they should go and sing the re-» 
mainder over the vault of his dear spouse, for it was 
indeed sung in her honour, seeing she had been ever 
.Theseinterrup. feS^sl^UW amother to the orphan, and a holy, pious, and Chris- 
tions were by no tian wife; or, since the people all knew her worth, and mourned for 
means unusual at her with bitter mourning, should they sing it here in the nave, that 
that period. the whole congregation might join in chorus? . J&To this the 

220 




.'•Superstition has 
found many sinful 
usages for this 



governor, in a loud yet mournful voice, gave answer: "Alas, good 

friends, do what you will in this sad case; I am content." But Si' 

donia, this devil's witch, was in a horrible frightlestthepriestwould 

come up to the altar to sing the hymn, and so hear the knocking 

within the coffin. However the devil protects his own, for, at that 

instant, many voices called out : " Let the hymn be sunghere, that we 

may all join to the honour of the blessed soul of the good lady/'jg? 

And mournfully the second verse was heard pealing through the 

church, from the lips of the whole congregation, so that poor Clara's 

groans were quite smothered. For, when the voice of her dear hus^ 

band reached her ear, she had knocked and cried out with all her 

strength: "Marcus! Marcus! Alas, dear Lord, will you not come 

to me ?" Then again : *,* Sidonia, by the Jesu cross, I pray thee have 

pity on me ! Save me, save me, I am stifling. Oh, run for some one, 

if thou canst not lift the lid thyself! "J&Rut the devil made answer 

to the poor living corpse: "Dost thou take me for a silly fool like 

thyself, that I should now undo all I have done?" j£? And as the 

voice went on from the coffin, but feebler and fainter: "Think on P saIm ' * **e J ew s> 

my husband ; on my child, Sidonia ! " j^She answered : " Didst thou sample, took a 

think of that when, but for thee, I might have been a Duchess of neW VesseI ' ? 0ured 

Pomerania, and the proud mother of a prince, in place of being as * "V J turc of ™ us ' 

r s tard& water there* 

HEN all became still within the coffin,and Sidonia ! n ' an d aft « rc P eat ' 
spranguponit&danced,chantingtheioothpsalm:.-. m g th [ s P salmover 
& as she came to the words: " Let none shew mercy ,tfor three consecu. 
to him; let none have pity on his orphans; let his T^u^l^T'jZll 
posterity be cut off&his name be blotted out," there 

I was a loud knocking again within the coffin, and a 

aint, stifled cry: "I am dying!" then followed a gurgling sound, & 

all became still. At that moment the congregation above raised the 

last verse of the hymn : 

" In the grave, with bitter weeping, 

Loving hands have laid her down; 

There she resteth, calmly sleeping, 

Till an angel lifts the stone," 



now am 




out before the door 
of their enemy, as 
a certain means to 
ensure his destruc 
tion. In the middle 
ages monks & nuns 
were frequently o/ 
bliged to repeat it 
in superstitious ce* 
remonies, at the 

command of some powerful revengeful man jffi And that its efficacy was considered as 
something miraculously powerful, even by the evangelical church, is proved by this ex/ 
ample of Sidonia, who made frequent use of this terrible psalm in her sorceries, as any 
one may see by referring to the records of the trial in Dahnert. And other interesting ex* 
amples are found in the treatise of Toh. Andreas Schmidii, Abusus Psalmi 109 impreca^ 
torii; vulgo, The Death Prayer. Helmstadt, 1708. 

221 




1UT the sermon which now followed she remembered 
her life long. It was on the tears, the soft tears of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And, as her spirit be<- 
came oppressedbythe silence in the vault, now that 
all was still within the coffin, she lifted the lid after 
I the exordium, to see if Clara were indeed quite dead 
j£f It was an easy matter to remove the cover, for the screws were 
not fastened ; but, oh, God ! what has she beheld ? A sight that will 
never more leave her brain ! The poor corpse lay all torn and dis^ 
figured from the writhings in the coffin, and a blood-vessel must 
have burst at last to relieve her from her agony, for the blood lay yet 
warm on the hands as she lifted the cover. But more horrible than 
all were the fixed glassy eyes of the corpse, staring immovably upon 
her, from which clear tears were yet flowing, and blending with the 
blood upon the cheek; and, as if the priest above had known what 
was passing beneath, he exclaimed : " Oh, let us moisten our couch 
with tears ; let tears be our meat, day & night. They are noble tears 
that do not fall to earth, but ascend up to God's throne. Yea, the 
Lord gathers them in his vials, like costly wine. They are noble 
tears, for if they fill the eyes of God's chosen in this life, yet, in that 
other world, the Lord Jesus will wipe away tears from off all faces, 
as the dew is dried by the morning sun. Oh, wondrous beauty of 
those eyes which are dried by the Lord Jesus! Oh, blessed eyes! 
Oh, sun^-clear eyes. Oh! joyful and ever^smiling eyes!"j$FShe 
heard no more, but felt the eyes of the corpse were upon her, and 
fell down like one dead beside the coffin; and Clara's eyes and the 
sermon never left her brain from that day, and often have they risen 
before her in dreams. 

jUT the Holy Spirit had yet a greater torment in 
] store for her, if that were possible. For, after the ser^ 
I mon, a consistorium was held in the church upon a 
grievous sinner named Trina "Wblken, who, it ap' 
peared, had many times done penance for her un/ 
I chaste life, but had in no wise amended. And she 
heard the priest asking: "Who accuseth this woman?" To which, 
after a short silence, a deep small voice responded: "I accuse her; 
for I detected her in sin, and though I besought her with Christian 
words to turn from her evil ways, and that I would save her from 
public shame if she would so turn, yet she gave herself up wholly 
to the devil, and out of revenge bewitched my best sheep, so that it 
died the very day after it had brought forth a lamb. Alas ! what will 

222 




become of the poor lamb ! And ft was such a beautiful little lamb ! " 
jS^When Marcus Bork heard this he began to sob aloud; and each 
word seemed to run like a sharp dagger through Sidonia's heart, so 
that she bitterly repented her evil deeds. And all the congregation 
broke out into loud weeping, and even the priest continued, in a 
broken voice, to ask the sinner what she had to say to this terrible 
accusationjgPUpon which a woman's voice was heard swearing 
that all was a malignant lie, for her accuser was a shameless liar and 
open sinner, who wished to ruin her because she had refused his 
son J^Then the priest commanded the witnesses to be called, not 
only to prove the unchastity but also the witchcraft. And after this, 
she was asked if she could make good the loss of the sheep? No; 
she had no money. And the people testified also that the harlot had 
nothing but her shamejfiSFThereupon the priest rose up, and said : 
"That she had long been notorious in the Christian communion 
for her wicked life, and that all her penance and repentance having 
proved but falsehood and deceit, he was commissioned by the hon^ 
ourable consistorium, to pronounce upon her the solemn curse and 
sentence of excommunication. For she had this day been convicted 
of strange and terrible crimes, on the testimony or competent wit" 
nesses. Therefore he called upon the whole Christian congregation 
to stand up and listen to the words of the anathema, by which he 
gave over Trina Wolken to the devil, in the name of the Almighty 
God "J& And as he spoke the curse, it fell word by word upon the 
head of Sidonia, as if he were indeed pronouncing it over herself: 

EAR Christian friends: Because Trina Wolken 
hath broken her baptismal vows, and given herself 
over to the devil, to work all uncleannesswith greeds 
ness; & though divers times admonished to repent' 
ance by the church, yet hath stiffened her neck in cor' 
I ruption,and hardened her heart in unrighteousness, 
therefore we herewith place the said Trina Wolken under the bann 
of the excommunication. Henceforth she is a thing accursed, cast 
off from the communion of the church,and participation in theholy 
sacraments. Henceforth she is given up to Satan for this life & the 
next, unless the blessed Saviour reach forth his hand to her as he 
did to the sinking Peter, for all things are possible with God. And 
this we do by the power of the keys granted by Christ to his church, 
to bind and loose on earth as in heaven, in the name of the Father, 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen'^And now Sidonia 
heard distinctly the screams of the wretched sinner, as she was 

223 





hunted out of the church, and all the congregation followed soon 
after, and then all was still above. 

OW indeed, terror took such hold of her that she 
trembled like an aspen leaf, and the lid fell many 
times from her hand with great clatter on the ground, 
as she tried to replace it on the coffin. For she had 
closed her eyes, for fear of meeting the ghastly stare 
ififof the corpse again. At last she got it up, & the corpse 
was covered; but she would not stay to replace the screws, only has^ 
tenedoutof the vault, closing the little grated door after her,reached 
the church door, which had no lock, but only a latch, and plunged 
into the castle gardens to hide herself amongst the trees. Here she 
remained crouched for some hours, trying to recover her self-pos-- 
session ; and when she found that she could weep as well as ever 
when it pleased her, she set off for the castle, and met her cousin 
Marcus with loud weeping and lamentations, entreating him to let 
her go that instant to 2Sachow. Eat and drink could she not from 
grief, though she had eaten nothing the whole morning. So the 
mournful knight, who had himself risen from the table without 
eating, to hasten to his little motherless lamb, asked her where she 
had passed the morning, for he had not seen her in the church. To 
which she answered, that she had sunk down almost dead on the 
altar^steps ; and, as he seemed to doubt her, she repeated partof the 
sermon, and spoke of the curse pronounced upon the girl, and told 
how she had remained behind in the church, to weep & pray alone. 
Upon which he exclaimed joyfully: " Now, I thank God, that my 
blessed spouse counselled me to take thee home with us. Ah ! I see 
that thou hast indeed repented of thy sins. Go thy ways, then; and, 
with God's help, thou shalt never want a true and faithful friend 
while I live"j@FHe bid her also take all his blessed wife's wardrobe 
with her, amongst which was a brocaded damask with citron flow 
ers, which she had only got a year before; item, her shoes and ker^ 
chiefs : summa, all that she had worn, he wished never to see them 
again. And so she went away in haste from the castle, after having 
given a farewell kiss to the little motherless lamb. For though the 
evil spirit Chim, which she carried under her mantle, whispered to 
her to give the little bastard a squeeze that would make him follow 
his mother, or to let him do so, she would not consent, but pinched 
him for his advice till he squalled, though Marcus certainly could 
not have heard him, for he was attending Sidonia to the coach; but 
then the good knight was so absorbed in grief that he had neither 
ears nor eyes for anything. 
224 




CHAPTER XVII. HOW SIDONIA IS CHASED BY 
THE WOLVES TO REHEWINKEL, AND FINDS 
JOHANN APPELMANN AGAIN IN THE INN, 
WITH WHOM SHE GOES AWAY A SECOND 
TIME BY NIGHT. 

HEN Sidonia left Saatzig, the day was 

far advanced, so that the good knight re*- 

commended her to stop at Daber that 

night with his blessed wife's mourning 

parents, and, for this purpose, sent a letter 

by her to them J& Also he gave a fine 

one^year old foal in charge to the coach-' 

I man, who tied it to the side of the carriage ; 

I & Marcus bid him deliver it up safely to 

I thepastorof Rehewinkel, his good friend, 

for he had only been keeping the voung thing at grass for him, and 

the pastor now wished it back; they must, therefore, go by Rene" 

winkel. So they drove away, but many strange things happened by 

reason of this same foal; for it was so restiveand impatientat being 

tied, that many times they had to stop and quiet it, lest the poor 

beast might get hurt by the wheeljgFThis so delayed their journey, 

that evening came on before they were out of the forest; and as the 

sun went down, the wolves began to appear in every direction. FiV 

nally, a pack often or twelve pursued the carriage; and though the 

coachman whipped his horses with mightand main, still the wolves 

gained on them, and stared up in their faces, licking their jaws with 

their red tongues. Some even were daring enough to spring up be^ 

hind the carriage, but finding nothing but trunks, had to tumble 

down again J& This so terrified Sidonia that she screamed and 

shrieked, and, drawing forth a knife, cut the cords that bound the 

foal, which instantly galloped away, and the wolves after it. How 

the carl drove now, thinking to get help in time to save the poor 

foal! but not so Jgf The poor beast, in its terror, galloped into the 

town of Rehewinkel; and as the paddock is closed, it springs into the 

churchyard, the wolves after it, and runs into the belfrytower, the 

door ot which is lying open, the wolves rush in too, and there they 

tear the poor animal to pieces, before the pastor could collect pea^ 

sants enough to try and save it. 



q» 



22 5 




IEANWH I LE,Sidoniahas reached thetownliko 

jwise; and as there is a great uproar, some of thepea/ 

Isants crowding into the churchyard, others 'setting 

off full chase after the wolves, which had taken the 

road to Freienwald, Sidonia did not choose to move 

|on (for she must have travelled that very road), but 

desired the coachman to drive up to the inn; and as she entered, lo ! 
there sat my knave, with two companions, at a table drinking. Up 
he jumps, and seizes Sidonia to kiss her, but she pushed him away. 
" Lethim not attemptto come near her. She had done with such low 
fellows." So the knave feigned great sorrow: " Alas! had she quite 
forgotten him, and he treasured her memory so in his heart I Where 
had she come from ? He saw a great many trunks and bags on the 
carriage. What had she in them?" 

Ilia: "Ah! he would, no doubt, like to get hold of them; but she 
would take care and inform the people what sort of robber carls they 
had now in the house. She came from Saatzig and was going to 
Daber;foras old Dewitz had lost his daughter, he intended to adopt 
her in the place of one. Therefore let him not attempt to approach 
her, for she was now, more than ever, a castle and land'dowered 
maiden, and from such a low burgher carl as he was, would cross and 
bless herself." But my knave knew herwell;so heanswered: " Woe 
is me, Sidonia! do not grieve me by such words; for know that I 
have given up my old free courses or which you talk; and my father 
is so pleased with my present mode of life, that he has promised to 

five me my heritage, and even this very night I am to receive it at 
Jruchhausen, and am on my way there, as you see. Truly I meant 
to purchase some land in Poland with the money, and then search 
throughout all places for you, that we might be wedded like pious 
Christians. Alas! I thought to have sold your poor cabins at Zac 
how, and brought you home to my castle in Poland; but for all my 
Joveyouonly give me this proud answer!" 

(^SsSSsSmOW Sidonia scarcely believed the knave; so she 
called one of his comrades aside, and asked him was 
it true, and where they came from. Upon which he 
confirmed all that Johann had said: "The devil had 
dispersed the whole band, so that only two were left 

__ | with the captain, himself and Konnemann; & they 

came from Norenburg, where the master had been striking a bar*- 
gain with Elias von Wedel, for a town in Poland. The town was 
called Lembrowo, and there was a stately castle there, as grand a,V 
226 




most as the castle of old Dewitz at Daber. They were going this 
very night to Bruchhausen, to get gold from the old stifrVneck of 
Stargard, that so the bargain might be concluded next dayjg^This 
was a pleasant hearing for Sidonia. She became more friendly, and 
said, " Hecould not blame herfor doubting him,as he had deceived 
her so often j still it was wonderful how her heart clung to him 
through all. Where had he been so long? and what had happened 
since they parted?" J& Hereupon he answered : ** That he could 
not speak while the people were all going to and fro in the inn; but 
if she came out with him (as the night was fine), they could walk 
down to the riverside, and he would tell her all." Summa : She 
went with him, and they sat down upon the green grass to dis" 
course, never knowing that the pastor of Rehewinkel was hid be 
hind the next tree : for he had gone forth to lament over the loss 
of his poor foal, and sat there weeping bitterly jg? He had got it 
home to sell, that he might buy a warm coat for the winter, which 
now he cannot do; therefore the old man had gone forth mournfully 
into the clear night, thrown himself down, and wept jg? By this 
chanceheheard the whole story from my knave, and related it afters 
wards to the old burgomaster in Stargard. It was as follows : Some 
time after his flight from Daber, a friend from Stettin told him that 
Dinnies von Kleist (the same who had spoiled their work in the 
Uckermund forest) had got a great sum of gold in his knapsack, and 
was offto his castle at Dame, .".while the rest were feasting at Daber. 
This sum hehad won by a wager from the Princes of Saxony, Bran-' 
denburg,and Mecklenburg. For he had bet, at table, that he would 
carry five casks of Italian wine at once, and without help, up from 
the cellartothedining'hall,inthe castle of oldStettin. Dukejohann 
refused the bet, knowing his man well, but the others took it up • 
upon which, after grace, the whole noble company stood up and ac^ 
companied him to the cellar. Here Dinnies took up a cask under each 
arm, another in each hand by the plugs, and a fifth between his teeth 
by the plug also ; thus laden, he carried the five casks up every step 
from the cellar to the dining'hall. So the money was paid to him, as 
the lacqueys witnessed, and havingput the same in his knapsack, he 
set off for his castle at Dame, to give it to his father. And the knave 
went on : "After I heard this news from my good friend, I resolved 
to set off for Dame and revenge myself on this strong ox, burn his 
castle, and take his gold.The band agreed; but woe, alas ! there was 
one traitor amongst them. The fellow was called Kaff, and I might 
well have suspected him; for latterly I observed that when we were 
qa 227 



J& '.*. A town near 
Polzin, in Lower 
Pomerania, and an 
ancient feudal hold 
of the Kleists. 



about any business, particularly church robbing, he tried to be off, 
and asked to be left to keep the watch. Divers nights, too, as I passed 
him, there was the carl praying; so I ought to have dismissed the 
coward knave at once, or he would have had half the band praying 
likewise before long J& In short, this arrantvillain slips off atnight 
from his post, just as we hadall set ourselves down before the castle, 
waiting for the darkest hour of midnight to attack the foxes in their 
den, and betrays the whole business to Kleist himself, telling him 
the strength or the band, and how and when we were to attackhim, 
with all other particulars. Whereupon a great lamentation was 
heard in the castle, and old Kleist, a little white-headed man, wrung 
his hands, and seemed ready to go mad with fear; for half the re* 
tainers were at the annual fair, others far away at the coal-mines, 
and, finally, they could scarcely muster in all ten fighting men. Be^ 
sides this, the castle fosse was filled with rubbish, though the old 
man had been bidding his sons, for the last year, to get it cleared, 
but they never minded him, the idle knaves. All this troubled stout 
Dinnies mightily, and as he walked up and down the hall, his eyes 
often rested on a painting which represented the devil cutting off 
theheadof a gambler, and flying with it out ofthewindowjgFAgain 
and again he looked at the picture, then called out for a hound, stuck 
him underhisarm,andcut offhishead,as if it had been only a dove; 
then he called for a calf from the stall, put it under his arm likewise, 
and cut off the head. Then he asked for the mask which represented 
the devil, and which he had got from Stettin to frighten his dis^ 
solute brothers, when they caroused too late over their cups. The 
young Johann, indeed, had sometimes dropped the wine^nask by 
reason of it, but Detloff still ran after the young maidens as much 
as ever, though even he had got such a fright that there was hope for 
his poor soul yet. So the mask was brought, and all the proper dis^ 
guise to play the devil, namely, a yellow jerkin slashed with black, 
a red mantle, and a large wooden horse's foot J& When Dinnies 
beheld all this, and the man who played the devil instructed him 
how to put them on, he rejoiced greatly, and declared that now he 
alone could save the castle. I knew nothing of all this at the time," 
said Johann, "nor of the treason, neither did the band. We were all 
seated under a shed in the wood, that had been built for the young 
deer in the winter time, and had stuck a lantern against the wall 
while we gamed and drank, and our provider poured us out large 
mugs of the best beer, when, just at midnight, we heard a reportlike 
a clap of thunder outside, so that the earth shook under us (it was no 
228 



^^^^»*II 11 — •- — 



thunderclap, however, but an explosion of powder, which the traitor 
had laid down all round the shed, for we found the trace of it next 
day) jg? Andas we all sprangup,in strode the devil himself bodily, 
with his horse's foot and cock's feathers,and along calf's tail,making 
the most horrible grimaces, and shaking his long hair at us. Fire 
came out of his mouth and nostrils, and roaring like a wild boar, he 
seized the little dwarf (whom you may remember, Sidonia), tucked 
him under his arm like a cock, and just as he was uttering a curse 
over his good game being interrupted, and cut his head clean off; 
then, throwing the head at me, growled forth : 
' Every day one, 
Only Sundays none;' 

and disappeared through the door like a flash of lightning, carrying 
the headless trunk along with him J& When my comrades heard 
that the devil was to carry off one of them every day but Sunday, 
they all set up a screaming, like so many rooks when a shot is fired 
in amongst them, & rushed out in the night, seizing hold of horses 
or wagons, or whateverthey couldlay their hands on, and rodeaway 
east and west, and west ana east, or north and south, as it may be. 
Summa: When I came to my senses (for I had sunk down insen^ 
sible from horror, when the head of the dwarf was thrown at me) I 
found that the said head had bit me by the arm, so that I had to drag 
it away by force; then I looked about me, and every knave had fled, 
even my wagon had been carried off, and not a soul was left in the 
place of all these fine fellows, who had sworn to be true to me till 
death. 

HIS base desertion nearly broke my heart, and I re^ 
solved to change my course of life & go to somepious 
priest for confession, telling him how the devil had 
I first tempted me to sin, and then punished me in this 
I terrible manner (as indeed, I well deserved) J& So 
I next morning I took my way to the town, after ob^ 
serving, to my great annoyance, that the castle could have been as 
easily taken as a bird's nest; & seeing a beer/glass painted on a sign/- 
board, I guessed that here was the inn. Truth to say, my heart 
wanted strengthening sorely, and I entered. There was a pretty 
wench washing crabs in the kitchen, and as I made up to her, after 
my manner, to havealittle pastime, she drew back and said, laughs 
ing, " May the devil take you, as he took the others last night in the 
barn! 'upon which shelaughed again so loud& long, that I thought 
she would have fallen down, and could not utter a word more for 
q3 22 9 





laughing J& This seemed a strange thing to me, for I had never 
heard a Christian man, much less a woman, laugh when the talk 
was of the bodily Satan himself. So I asked what there was so plea/ 
sant in the thought ? whereupon she related what the young knight 
Dinnies Kleist had done to save his castle from the robbers. I would 
not believe her, but while I sat myself down on a bench to drink, the 
host comes in and confirmed her story. Summa : I let the conversion 
lie over for a time yet, and set about looking for my comrades, but 
not finding one, I fell into despair, and resolved to get into Poland, 
and take service in the army there, especially as all my money had 
vanished." 

[ERE the old parson said that Sidonia cried out, " How 
1 now, Sir Knave, you are going to buy castle and lands 
forsooth, and have no money ? Truly the base villain is 
deceiving me yet again" jg? But my knave answered, 
! "Alas ! woe thatthoushouldest think so hardly of me ! 
Have I nottold theethat my father is going to giveme 
my heritage? So listen further what I tell thee : In Poland I met with 
Konnemann and Stephen Pruski, who had oneof my wagons with 
them, in which all my gold was hid, and when I threatened to com/ 
plain to the authorities, the cowards let me have my own property 
again on condition that I would take them into my service, when I 
went to live at my own castle. This I promised; therefore they are 
here with me, as you see. And Konnemann went lately to my father 
at my request, and brought me back the joyful intelligence that he 
would assign me over my portion of his goods and property." 

~IO far the Pastor Rehewinkelensis heard, what fol/ 
lows concerning the wicked knave was related by his 
own sorrowing father to my worthy father/in/law, 
along with other pious priests, and from him I had 
the story when I visited him at MarienfliessjgFFor 
I what was my knave's next act ? W^hen he returned 
to the town, and heard from his comrades that the coachman of 
Saatzig was snoring away there in the stable with open mouth, he 
stuffed in some hay to prevent him screaming, and tied him hands 
and feet, then drew his horses out of the stall, yoked them to the 
carriage, and drove it himself a littlepiece out of thetown down into 
the hollow, then went back for Sidonia, telling her that her stupid 
coachman had made some mistake and driven off without her, but 
he had put all her baggage on his own carriage, which was now quite 
ready, if she would walk with him a little way justoutside the town. 
230 




Hereupon shepaid the reckoning, minehost troubling himself little 
about the affair of the wagon, & they set offon foot jg?When they 
reached the carriage, Sidonia asked if all her baggage were really 
there, for she could not see in the darkness. And when she felt, and 
reckoned all her bundles and trunks, and found all right, my knave 
said : " Now, she saw herself that he meant truly by her. Here was 
even a nice place made in the straw sack for her, where he had sat 
down first himself, that she might have an easy seat. Item, she now 
saw his own carriage which he had fished up in Poland and kept 
till now, that he might travel in it to Bruchhausen to receive his 
heritage, and he was going there this very night." She saw that he 
had lied in nothing. Whereupon Sidonia got into the carriage with 
him, never discovering his knavery on account of the darkness, and 
about midnight they reached the inn at Bruchhausen. 

CHAPTER XVIII. HOW A NEW LEAF IS TURNED 
OVER AT BRUCHHAUSEN IN A VERY FEAR. 
FUL MANNER. OLD APPELMANN TAKES HIS 
WORTHLESS SON PRISONER & ADMONISHES 
HIM TO REPENTANCE. OF JOHANN'S WON- 
DERFUL CONVERSION, & EXECUTION NEXT 
MORNING IN THE CHURCHWARD, SIDONIA 
BEING PRESENTTHEREBY. 

[TTSSY knave halted a little way before they 
1q£, reached the inn, for he had his suspicions 
that all was not quite right, and sent on the 
forenamed Pruski to ascertain whether the 
money was really come for him. For there 
1 was a bright light in the tap-room, and the 
sound of many voices, which was strange, 
seeing that it was late enough for every one 
to be in bed. Pruski was back again soon ; 
yes, it was all right. There were men in 
there from Stargard, who said they had brought gold for the young 
burgomaster J& Marry ! how my knave jumped down from the 
carriage, and brought Sidonia along with him, bidding Pruski to 
stay and watch the things. But, behold, as my knave entered, six 
men seized him, bound him firmly, and bid him sit down quietly 
on a bench by the table, till his father arrived. So he cursed & swore, 
but this was no help to him, and when Sidonia saw that she had 
been deceived again, she tried to slip out and get to the carriage, but 
the men stopped her, saying unless she wished a pair of handcuffs 
q4 231 





on, she had better sit down quietly on another bench opposite Jo* 
hann. And she asked in vain what all this meant. Item, my knave 
asked in vain, but no one answered them. 

3BHEY had not long been waiting, when a carriage 
stopped before the door, more voices were heard, and 
alas f who should enter but the old burgomaster him/- 
self, with Mag. Vito, Diaconus of St. Johns? And 
after them came the executioner, with six assistants 
bearing a black coffin jg? My knave now turned 
as white as a corpse, and trembled like an aspen leaf; no word 
could he utter, but fell with his back against the wall J& Then a 
dead silence reigned throughout the chamber, and Sidonia looked 
as white as her paramour J& When the assistants had placed the 
coffin on the ground, the old father advanced to the table, & spake 
thus: "Oh, thou fallen and godless child! thou thrice lost son! 
how often have I sought to turn thee from evil, and trusted in thy 
promises ? but in place of better, thou hast grown worse, and wick' 
edness has increased in thee day by day, as poison in the young 
viper. On thy infamous hands lie so many robberies, murders, and 
seductions, that they cannot be reckoned. I speak not of past years, 
for then truly the night would not be long enough to count them ; I 
speak only of thy last deeds in Poland, as old Elias von "Wedel re^ 
lated them to me yesterday in Stargard. Deny, if thou darest, here 
in the face of thy death and thy coffin, howtnou didst join thyself 
to the Lansquenets in Poland, and then along with two vile fellows 
got entrance into Lembrowo, telling the old castellan, Elias von 
Wedel, that thou wast a labourer, upon which he took thee into his 
service. But at night, thou (oh, wicked son !) didst rise up and beat 
the old Elias almost unto death, demanding all his money, which, 
when he refused, thou and thy robber villains seized his cattle and 
his horses, and drove them away with thee. Item, canst thou deny 
that on meeting the same old Elias at Norenberg by the hunt in 
the forest, thou didst mock him, and ask would he sell his castle of 
Lembrowo in Poland, for thou wouldst buy it of him, seeing thy 
father had promised thee plenty of gold ?jjg?Item, canst thou deny 
having written me a threatening letter, declaring that if by this very 
night a hundred dollars were not sent to thee here at Bruchhausen, 
a red beacon should rise up from my sheepfolds and barns, which 
meant nothing else than that thou wouldst burn the whole good 
town of Stargard, for thou knowest well that all the sheepfolds and 
barns of the burghers adjoin one to the other? Canst thou deny this, 
oh, thou lost son ? if so, deny it now." 
2 3* 




IE RE Johann began again with his old knavery. He 
wept, and threw himself on the ground, crawling 
! under the table to get to his father's feet, then howled 
forth, that he repented of his sins, and would lead a 
'. better life truly for the future, if his hard stern father 
I would only forgive him nowj^ButSidonia scream^ 
ed aloud, and as the burgomaster in his sorrow had not observed her 
before, he turned his eyes now on her, and exclaimed : "Woe, alas ! 
thou godless son, hast thou this noble maiden with thee yet? I 
thought she was at Saatzig, or perchance thou hast made her thy 
wife?" 7 

Ille: "Alas, no; but he would marry her soon, to make amends for 
the wrong he had done her." 

Hie: "This thou hast ten times promised, but in vain, and thy sins 
have increased a hundredfold; because, like all profligates, thou hast 
shunned the holy estate of matrimony, and preferred to wallow in 
the mire of unchastity, with any onewho fell in theway of thyadul^ 
terous and licentious eyes." 

Ille: "Alas! his heart's dearest fatherwas right, buthewould amend 
his evil life; and, in proof of it, let the reverend deacon, M. Vitus 
here present, wed him now instantly to Sidonia." 
Hie : "It is too late. I counsel thee rather to wed thy poor soul to 
the holy Saviour, like the repentant thief on the cross. See here is a 
priest, and there is a coffin. 

,^VJjERE the executioner broke in upon the old, deeply,* 
"^"OJ afflicted father, telling him the coffin was too short 
1 1 as, indeed, his worship had told him, but he would 
not believe the young man was so tall. Where could 
he put the head? It must be stuck between his feet, 
| or under his arm, cried out another. So some proposed' 
one thingand some another, till a great uproar arosej^ Upon which 
the old mourning father cried out: "Do you want to break my 
heart? Is there nottime enough to talk of this after? "Then he turned 
again to his profligate son, and asked him : "Would he not repent, 
and take the holy body and blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, as a passport with him on this long journey? If so, let him 
go into the little room and pray with the priest, & repent of his sins; 
there was yet time." 

Hie: "Alas, he had repented already. What had he ever done so 
wicked, that his own bodily father should thirst after his blood ? 
The courts were all closed, and law or justice could no man have in 

*33 




all Pomerania. What wonder then if club-law and the right of the 
strongest should obtain in all places, as in the olden time?" 
Hie: "That law and justice had ceased in the land was, alas! but 
too true. However, he was not to answer for this, but his princely 
Grace of Stettin. And because they had ceased in the land, was he, 
as an upright magistrate, called uponto dohis duty yet more sternly, 
even though the criminal were his own born son. For the Lord, the 
just Judge, the Almighty and jealous God, called to him daily, from 
his holy word, 'Ye shall not respect persons in judgment, nor be 
afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's.' Woe to the 
land's prince who had not considered this, but compelled him, the 
miserable judge, to steep his father's hands in the blood of his own 
son. But righteous Abraham conquered through faith, because he 
was obedient unto God, and bound his own innocent son upon the 
altar, and drew forth his knife to slay him. Therefore he too would 
conquer through faith if he bound his guilty son, and drew out the 
sword against him, obedient to the words of the Lord. Therefore, 
let him prepare himself for death, and follow the priest into the ad' 
joining little chamber "j^ When Johann found thathis father could 
in no wise be softened, he began horribly to curse him and the hour 
of his birth, so that the hair of all who heard him stood on end. And 
he called the devil to help him, and adjured him to come and carry 
away this fierce and unnatural father, who was more blood-thirsty 
than the wild beasts of the forest, for who had ever heard that they 
murdered their own blood ? 

OME, devil," he screamed; "come, devil, and tear 
this bloodthirsty monster of a father to pieces before 
my eyes, so will I give, myself to thee, body and soul ! 
Hearest thou, Satan ! Come and destroy my father, 
j and all who have here come out to murder me, only 
I leave me a little while longer in this life to do thy ser^ 
vice, and then I am thine for eternity \"J& Now all eyes were turned 
in fear and horror to the door, but no Satan entered, for the just God 
would not permit it, else, methinks, he would have run to catch such 
amorsel for his supper. However,the old man trembled,and seemed 
dwindling away into nothing before the eyes of the bystanders, as 
his son uttered the curse. Buthe soon recovered, &layinghis quiver.* 
ing hands upon the head of the imprecator, broke forth into loud 
weeping, while he prayed thus : 1 0h, thou just and Almighty God, 
who bringest the devices of the wicked to nought, close thine ears 
against this horrible curse of my false son; remember thine own 
*34 




word, ' Into an evil soul wisdom cannot enter, nor dwell in a body 
subject unto sin/ Thou alone canst make the sinful soul wise & the 
body of sin a temple of the Holy Ghost. Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, hast 
thou no drop of living water, no crumb of strengthening manna for 
this sinful and foolish soul ? Hast thou no glance of thy holy eyes for 
this denying Peter, that he may go forth and weep bitterly/ Hast 
thou no word to strike the heart of this dying thief, of this lost son, 
who, here bound for death, has cursed his own father, & given hinv 
self up, body and soul, to the enemy of mankind? Oh, blessed spirit, 
who comestand goest as the wind, enter the heavenly temple, which 
is yet the work of thy hands, and make it, by thy presence, a temple 
of the Most High ! Oh, Lord God, dwell there but one moment, that 
so in his death^anguish he may feel the sweetness of thy presence, 
&the heaven^high comfort of thypromise ! Oh, thou Holy Trinity, 
who hast kept my steps from falling, through so much care and 
trouble, through so much shame and disgrace, through so much 
watching and tears, and even now through these terrible curses of 
my son, come and say Amen to this mylast blessing, which I, poor 
father, give him for his curse. Yes, Johann, the Lord bless thee and 
keep thee in the death hour. The Lord shed his grace on thee, and 
give thee peace in thy last agonies! Yes, Johann; the Lord bless 
thee and keep thee, and give thee peace upon earth, and peace above 
the earth! Amen, amen, amen!" 

HEN the trembling old man had so prayed, many 
wept aloud, and his son trembled likewise, and foL> 
lowed the priest, silently & humbly, into the neigh' 
bouring chamber. Then the old man turned to Si' 
donia, & asked, why she had left her worthy cousin 
Marcus of Saatzigr J@F Upon which she told him, 
weeping, howhis son had deceived her, in order to get her once more 
into his power, in order that he might rob her ,& all she wanted now 
was, to be let go her way in peace to her farm-houses inZachowjg? 
But this the old man refused. ** No; this must not be yet. She was 
as evil-minded as his own son, and needed an example to warn her 
from sin.Notastep should she move till his head was ofF'j£?And, 
for this purpose, he bid two burghers seizeholdof her bythe hands, 
and carry her to the scaffold when the execution was going to take 
place. The grave must be nearly ready now, which he bade them dig 
in a corner of the church/yard close by, and he had ordered a car-load 
of sand likewise, tobe laid down there, forthe execution should take 
place in the churchward. 

235 





IE ANWHILE the poor criminal has come out of 
Ithe inner chamber with M. Vitus, and going up to 
Ithe bench, where the poor father had sunk down ex^ 
Ihausted by emotion, he flings himself at his feet, 
exclaiming, with the prodigal son in the parable: 
I " Father, I have sinned before heaven & in thy sight, 
and am no more worthy to be called thy son ! " Then he kissed his 
feet, and bedewed them with his tears j^ Now the father thought 
this was all pretence as formerly, so he gave no answer. Upon which 
the poor sinner rose up, and reached his hand to each one in the 
chamber, praying their forgiveness for all the evil he had done, but 
which he was now going to expiate in his blood. Item : he advanced 
to Sidonia, sighing: "Would not she too forgive him, for the love of 
God ? Woe, alas ! She had more to forgive than any one ; but would 
not she give him her pardon, for some comfort on this last journey; 
and so would he bear her remembrance before the throne of God r" 
But Sidonia pushed away his hand. " He should be ashamed of such 
old-womanish weakness. Did he not see that his father was only 
trying to frighten him ? For were he in earnest, then were he more 
cruel even than her own unnatural father, who, though he had only 
left her two cabins inZachow,out of all his great riches, yet had left 
her, at least, her poor life" J& Hereupon the poor sinner made an^ 
swer: " Not so; I know my father; he is not cruel, what he does is 
right; therefore I willingly die, trusting in my blessed Saviour, whose 
body will sanctify my body in the grave. For, had I committed no 
other sin,yetthecurse I uttered justnow is alone sufficientto make me 
worthy of death, as it is written : ' He that curseth father or mother 
shall surely be put to death.'" When the old man heard such like 
words, he resolved to put his son's sincerity to the test, for truly it 
seemed to him impossible that the Almighty God should so sud' 
denlymake the crooked straight, and the dead to live, and a child of 
heaven out of a child of hell. So hespake: "Thy repentance seemeth 
good unto me, my son, what sayest thou ? will it last, think you, if I 
now bestow thy life on thee?" J& Hereat Sidonia laughed aloud, 
exclaiming: " Said I not right ? It was all a jest of thy dear father's " 
J^Butthepoor sinner would not turn again to hiswallowing in the 
mire. He sat down upon a bench, covering his face with his hands, 
and sobbed aloud. At last he answered: "Alas, father, life is sweet 
and death is bitter; but since the Holy Spirit hath entered into me, 
with the body of our Lord, I say, death is sweet and life is bitter. No ; 
off with my head ! ' I find a law in my members warring against the 
236 




law of my spirit, and makingme a prisoner underthe lawof sin;' for 
if I see my neighbour rich and I am poor, then the demon of covet' 
ousness rises in me, and my fingers itch to seize my share. Or, if the 
foaming flask is before me, how can I resist to drain it, for the spirit 
of gluttony is within me? Or, if I see a maiden, the blood throbs in 
my veins, and the demon of lust has taken possession of me. ' Oh, 
wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this 
death ?' You will, dearest father. You will release me from this life, 
as you once gave it to me, for it is now a life in death. Ah ! shew 
mer cy ! Come quickly, and release me from the body of this death ! " 
HEN he ceased, the old man sprung up like a youth, 
and pressing his lost son to his heart, sobbed forth 
like him of the gospel: "Oh, friends, see! 'This, my 
son, was dead, but is alive again; he was lost, and is 
found/ Yea, yea, see all that nothing is impossible 
with God. Oh, thou Holy Trinity, Father, Son, & 
Holy Spirit, now I have nothing more to ask, but that I too may 
soon be released from the body of this death, & go forth to meet my 
newfound son amidst the bright circle of the Holy Angels"^Then 
the son answered: " Let me go now, father. See, the morning dawn 
shines already through the window, so hath the loving mercy of my 
God come to me, who sat in darkness and the shadow of death. 
Farewell, father; let me go now. Away with this head in the clear 
early morning light, so that mv feet be fixed for evermore upon the 
path to peace J& And so speaking,he seized M.Vitus by the hand, 
who was sobbingloudly, as well as most of the burghers, and the ex^ 
ecutionerwith his assistants bearingthe coffin were going to follow, 
when the old man, who had sunk down upon a bench, called back 
his son, though he had already gone out at the door, and prayedthe 
executioner to let him stay one little while longer. For he rcmem/ 
bered that his son had a welt upon his neck, & he must see whether 
it would interfere with the sword. Woe, woe ! if he should have to 
strike twice or thrice before the head fell ! J& So the executioner re^ 
moved the neckcloth from the poor sinner (who, by the greatmercy 
of God, was stronger than any of them), and having felt the welt, 
said : " No ; the welt was close up to thehead, but he would takethe 
neck in the middle, as indeed was his usual custom. His Worship 
may make his mind quite easy; he would stake his life on it, that 
the head would fall with the first blow. This was his one hundred 
and fiftieth, and he never yet had failed" jg? Then the unhappy 
criminal tied his cravat on again, took M. Vitus by the hand, and 

2 37 




said: " Farewell, my father; once more forgive me for all that I have 
done 1 ". After which he went out quickly, without waiting to hear a 
word more from his father, and the executioner followed him. 

IEANWHILE, the afflicted father was soretrou^ 
bled in mind.Three times he repeated the text: "Ye 
shall not respect persons in judgment, nor be afraid 
ofthe face of man, for the judgment is God's." Then 
I he called upon God to forgive the prince, who, by 
Itaking away law & justice from the land, had obliged 
him to be the judge and condemner of his son. How the Lord dealt 
with the prince we shall hear further onj^FOne while he sent mine 
host to look over the edge, &tell him if the head were off yet. Then 
he would begin topray that he might soon follow thispoor son, who 
had never given him one moment of joy but through his death, and 
pass quickly after him through the vale of tears J& The son, how 
ever, is steadfast unto the end. For when they reached the church^ 
yard, he stood still a while gazing on the heap of sand. Then he de^ 
sired to be led to the spot where his grave was dug; and near this 
same grave there being a tombstone, on which was figured a man 
kneeling before a crucifix, he asked: ** Wlio was to share his graven 
bed here?" WhereuponM. Vitus replied: "Hewas a rector scholae 
out of Stargard, a very learned man, who had retired from active 
life, and settled down here at Bruchhausen, where he died not long 
since" J&t Whereat the poor sinner stood still a while, and then re^ 
peated this beautiful distich, no doubt by the inspiration ofthe Holy 
Ghost, to warn all learned sinners against that demon of pride and 
vain^glory, which too often takes possession of them. 
" Quid juvat innumeros scire atque evolvere casus 
Si facienda fugis et fugienda facis?"-'« 

Then he looked calmly at his grave, & only prayed the executioner 
not to put his head between his feet; after which he returned to the 
sand/heap, and exclaimed : " Nowto God ! " Upon which M. Vitus 
blessed him yet again, and spake : "Oh, God, Father, who hast 
brought back this lost son, and filled this foolish soul with wisdom; 
ah, Jesus, Saviour, who, in truth, hast turned thy holy eyes on him 
as on the denying Peter, and on the dying thief; oh, Holy Spirit, 
who has not scorned to make this poor vessel a temple for thyself 
to dwell in, that in the death^anguish this sinner may find the sweets 

.\ "What is the use of knowledge, and all our infinite learning, 
If we fly what is right, and do what we ought to fly ?" . 

238 



ness of thy presence, and the heaven high comfort of thy promises ! 
Oh, thou Holy Trinity, to thee, to thee, to thee, to thy grace, thy 
power, thy protection, we resign this dyingmortal in his last agonies. 
Help him, Lord God! Kyrie Eleison! Give thy Holy Angels com/ 
mand to bear this poor soul into Abraham's bosom. Oh, come, Lord 
Jesus; help him, oh, Lord our God. Kyrie Eleison! Amen "J& And 
hereupon he pronounced a last blessing over him. And when the 
executioner took off his upper garment, & bound the kerchief over 
his eyes, M. Vitus again spake: " Think on the holy martyrs, of 
whom Basilius Magnus testifies that they exclaimed, when un/ '*'" f v* 5 ^ 01 ? 
dressing for their death, Nonvestesexuimus,sedveteremhominem our clothes but the 
deponimus" .-, JSt Upon which he answered from under the ker^ °"* man -" Basil 
chief something in Latin, but the executioner had laid the cloth so ^ e Great, arch' 
thickly even over his mouth and chin, that no one could catch the bishop of Cesa^ 
words. Then he kneeled down, and while the executioner drew his rea > A.D. 379. 
sword, M. Vitus chaunted: 
" When my lips no more can speak, 
May thy spirit in me cry, 
When my eyes are faint and weak, 
May my soul see heaven nigh ! 
"When my heart is sore dismayed, 
This dying frame has lost its strength, 
May my spirit, with thy aid, 
Cry: Jesu take me home at length." 

And all who stood round saw, as it were, a wonderful sign from 
God ; for, as the executioner let the sword fall, head & sun appeared 
at the same moment, the head upon the earth, the sun above the 
earth ; and there was a deep silence. Sidonia alone laughed out loud, 
and cried : "So ends the conversion!" And while the psalm was 
singing, " Now, pray we to the Holy Ghost," the executioner act" 
ing as clerk, she disappeared, and for thirty years, as we shall hear 
presently, no one could ascertainwhereshewenttoorhowshelived; 
though sometimes, like a horrible ghost, she was seen occasionally 
here and there j@FSumma: The miserable criminal was laid in his 
coffin, and as, in truth, it was too short for the corpse, and the poor 
sinner had requested that his head might not be placed between his 
feet, so it was laid upon his chest, with his hands folded over it, and 
thus he was buried J& The old father rejoiced greatly that his son 
remained steadfast in the truth until the last, and thanked God for 
itj^Then he returned to Stargard; and I may just mention, to con" 
elude, concerning him, that the merciful God heard the prayer of 

2 39 



.*. For further par- 
ticulars concerning 
this truly worthy 
man, who may well 
be called the Pome' 
ranian Manlius, 
see Friedeborn, 
Description of Old 
Stettin, vol. ii. p. 
113; and Barthold, 
Pomeranian His- 
tory, pp. 46, 419. 




this his faithful servant, for he scarcely survived his son a year, but 
after a short illness, fell asleep in Jesus.. • . 

CHAPTER XIX. OF SIDONIA'S DISAPPEARANCE 
FOR THIRTY YEARS. ITEM: HOW THE YOUNG 
PRINCESS ELIZABETH MAGDELENE WAS POS- 
SESSED BY A DEVIL, & OF THE SUDDEN DEATH 
OF HER FATHER, ERNEST LUDOVICUSOF POM. 
ERANIA. 

HAVE said that Sidonia disappeared af- 
ter the execution at Bruchhausen, & that 
for thirty years no one knew where she 
lived or now she lived. At her farm-house 
at Zachow she never appeared ; but the 
Acta Criminalia set forth that during that 
period she wandered about the towns of 
rreienwald, Regenwald, Stargard, and 
other places, in company with Peter Kon- 
neman and divers other knaves. However, 
the ducal prosecutor, although he instituted the strictest inquiries 
at the period of her trial, could ascertain nothing beyond this, ex- 
cept that in consequence of her evil habits and licentious tongue, 
she was held everywhere in fear and abhorrence, and was chased 
away from every place she entered after about six or eight o'clock. 
Further, that some misfortune always fell upon everyone who had 
dealings with her, particularly young married people. To the said 
Konnemann, she betrothed herself after the death of her first para- 
mour, but afterwards gave him fifty florins to get rid of the con- 
tract, as she confessed at the seventeenth question upon the rack, 
according to the Actis Lothmanni J& Meantime her brothers and 
cousins were so completely turned against her, that her brother 
even took those two farm-houses to himself; and though Sidonia 
wrote to him, begging that an annuity might be settled on her, yet 
she never received a line in answer, and this was the manner in 
which the who le cousinhood treated her in her despair & poverty. 
~ MYSELF made many inquiries as to her mode 
of life during those thirty years, but in vain. Some 
said that she went into Poland & there kept a little 
tavern for twenty years, some had seen her living at 
Rugen at the old wall, where in heathen times the 

_____ goddess Hertha was honoured. Some said she went 

to Ruden, a little uninhabited island between Rugen and Usdom, 
240 




where the wild geese and other birds flock in the moulting season 
and drop their feathers. Thence, they said, she gathered the eggs, 
and killed the birds with clubs. At least, this was the story of the 
Usdom fishermen, but whether it were Sidonia or some other out' 
cast woman, I cannot in strict verity declare. Only in Freienwald 
did I hear for certain that she lived there twelve years with some 
carlwhomshe called her shield'knightjbutonedaytheyquarrelled, 
and beat each other till the blood flowed, after which they both ran 
out of the town, and went different ways. 

Summa: On the ist of May, 1592, when the witches gather in the 
bracken to hold their Walpurgis night, and the princely castle of 
Wolgast was well guarded from the evil one by white and black 
crosses placed on every door, an old wrinkled hag was seen about 
eight o'clock of the morning (just the time she had returned from 
the Blocksburg, according to my thinking), walking slowly up and 
down the great corridor of the princely castle. And the providence 
of the great God so willed it, that at that moment the young and 
beautiful Princess Elizabeth Magdalena (who had been betrothed 
to the Duke Frederick of Courland), opened her chamber-door, & 
slipped forth to pay her morning greetings to her illustrious father, 
Duke Ernest and his spouse, the Lady Sophia Hedwig of Bruns^ 
wick, who sat together drinking their warm beer, • • and had sent 
for her. 

lO the hag advanced with much friendliness, and cried 
out, ** Hey, what a beautiful young damsel! But her 
lord papa was called 'the handsome' in his time, & 
wasn't she as like him as one egg to another? Might 
she take her ladyship's little hand, and kiss it?" j/jg- 
Now as the hag was bold in her bearing, and the 
young Princess was a timid thing, she feared to refuse ; so she reach/- 
ed forth her hand, alas ! to the witch, who first three times blew on 
it, murmuring some words before she kissed it, then as the young 
Princess asked her who she was and what she wanted, the evil hag 
answered:"I would speak with your gracious father,for I have known 
him well. Ask his Princely Grace to come to me, for I have some/ 
what to say to him." Now the Princess, in her simplicity, omitted 
to ask the hag's name, whereby much evil came to pass, for had she 
told her gracious father that SIDONIA wished to speak to him, 
assuredly he never would have come forth, and that fatal and 
malignant glance of the witch would not have fallen upon him J& 
However, his Serene Grace, having a mild Christian nature, step- 
ri 241 




.'. Before the intro/- 
duction of coffee or 
chocolate, warm 
beer was in general 
use at breakfast. 



ped out into the corridor at the request of his dear daugher, & asked 
the hag who she was, and what she wanted. Upon this, she fixed 
her eyes on him in silence for a long while, so that he shuddered, 
& his blood seemed to turn to ice in his veins. At last she spake : 
" It is a strange thing, truly, that your Grace should no longer re^ 
member the maiden to whom you once promised marriage." At 
this his Grace recoiled in horror, and exclaimed: " Ha, Sidonia ! 
but how you are changed!" "Ah !" she answered with a scornful 
laugh, "you may well triumph, now that my cheek is hollow, and 
my beauty gone, and that I have come to you for justice against my 
own brother in Stramehl, who denies me even the means of sub' 
sistence, you, who brought me to this pass" J& Upon which his 
Grace answered, that her brother was a subject of the Duke of 
Stettin. Let her go then to Stettin, and demand justice there J& 
Ilia: "She had been there, but the Duke refused to see her, and to 
her request for a praebendainthecourtof Marienfliess had returned 
no answer. She prayed his Grace, therefore, out of old good friend" 
ship, to take up her cause, and usehis influence with the Lord Duke 
of Stettin, to obtain the praebenda for her, also to send a good scold' 
ingtoher brother at Stramehl under his own hand" t j^Now my 
gracious Prince was so anxious to get rid of her, that he promised 
everything she asked. Whereupon she would kiss his hand, but he 
drewit back shuddering, upon which shewent down the great castle 
steps again, murmuring to herself. 

Sq^^^SJ^SUT her wickedness soon came to light; for mark: 
| scarcely a few days had passed over, when the beauti/ 
ful young Princess waspossessed by Satan; she rolls 
Iherself upon the ground, twists & writhes her hands 
|&feet,speaks withagreat coarsevoicelikeacommon 
Icarl, blasphemes God & her parents; and what was 
more wonderful than all, her throat swelled, & when they laid their 
hand on it, something living seemed creeping up and down in it. 
Then it went up to her mouth, and her tongue swelled so, that her 
eyes seemed starting from their sockets, & the gracious young lady 
became fearful to look at. Item : Then she began to speak Latin, 
though she had never learned this tongue, whereupon many, and in 
particular Mag. Michael Aspius, the court chaplain (for Dr. Gerx 
schovius was long since dead) pronounced that Satan himself verily 

.'.Thisbeliefin the witchcraft of a glance, was very general duringthe 
witch period. And even the ancients notice it (Pliny, Hist. Nat. viu 
2), also Aul. Gell. Noct. Attic, ix. 4; and Virgil nclog. iii. logjg? 
The glance of a woman with double pupils was particularly feared. 
242 




gue, which ft can 
be proved he nev/ 
er learned. Now, 
the somnambul/ 
istsof our day ful/ 
fil the second and 
third conditions 
without dispute; 
and some account 
for the divining 
power, by saying, 
it is the effect of 
the increased ac/ 
tivity of the soul. 
j2?They also as/ 
sert that the pa' 
tient speaks in a 
strange tongue 
only when the 
magnetiser with 
whom he is en rap/ 
port, understands 
the tongue him' 
self, & the patient 
speaks it because 
all the thoughts, 



ed man. He acted 

?[uite differently 
rom our modern 
magnetisers, for 
he never soughtto 
place himself in 
sympathetic rela/ 
tion with her by 



/.The ancients namethree distinguishing barous tongue no one had ever heard be/ 

marksofdemoniacalpossession:ist/When fore. At last some of the women about her 

the patient blasphemes God, & cannot re/ brought an Armenian magician to see her, 

peattheleadingarticlesofhisChristianbe/ who instantly foundthatshespoke Arme/ 

lief. 2d,Whenhe foretells events which af/ nian,thoughshehadneverinherlifebeheld 

terwards come to pass. 3d,When he speaks one of that nation . Psellus describes him as 

mustbeinthe maiden... This was fully proved 

on the following Sunday; for during divine ser/ 

vice in the church of Saint Peter,the youngPrin/ 

cess was carried in on a litter & laid down before 

the altar, whereupon she commenced uttering 

horrible blasphemies,&mockingtheholypray/ 

er in a coarse bass voice, while she foamed and 

raged so violently, that eight men could scarcely 

hold her in her bed. Whereat the whole Chris/ 

tian congregation were admonished to pray to P asses or touches; 

theLordforthispoormaiden,thatshemightbe ° n thecontrary,he 

freed from the devil within her; andduring the <T ew V IS 1 swor( J' 

week,all priests throughout the land werecom/ « placing himself 

mandedto offer up prayers day and night forher be sidethebed,be/ 

princely Grace. But on Sundays, all the people 2 an Y tter , In S the 

were to unite in one common supplication to the 

throne of grace, for the like object, jg? And it 

seemed, after some weeks, as if God had heard 

their prayers, & commanded Satan to leave the 

body of theyoungmaiden, for she hadnowrest 

for fourteen davs, & was able to pray again J& ^^J ™ Z°£l 

Also her rosy cheeks began to bloom once more, 

so that her parents were filled with joy, and re/ 

solved to hold a thank festival throughout the 

land, & receive the holy sacrament in St. Peter's 

church with their beloved daughter. 



mostharsh&cruel 
words he could 
think of in the Ar/ 
menian tongue 
(acriter conviciat/ 



an retorted in the 
Armenian tongue 
likewise, & tried 
to get out of bed to 
fight with him J^ 
Then the barbae 



feelings, words, &c. of the operator become ian grew as if mad, and endeavoured to stab 

his ; in short, their souls become one. This her, upon which she shrank back terrified 

explanation, however, is very improbable, and trembling,& soon fell into a deep sleep, 

and has not been confirmed by facts; for Psellus seems to have witnessed this, for he 

the phenomenon of speaking in a strange says the woman was wife to his eldest bro/ 

tongue often appears before a perfect rap/ ther.As further regards demoniacal posses/ 

port has been obtained between the patient sion, the New Testament is full of exam/ 

and the operator. Indeed, Psellus gives an pies thereof; & though in the last century, 

mstance to show that it is not even at all the reality ofthe fact was assailed,yetFranz 

necessary.(Pselluslivedabouttheeleventh Meyer has again defended it with argu/ 

century, & wrote De Operatione Daemo/ ments that cannot be overthrown J& Re/ 

num, also De Mysteriis/Egyptiorum;his markable examples of possession in mod/ 

Works are very remarkable and well worth ern times we find in the Didiskalia, No. 8i, 

a perusal.) He states that a sick woman all of the year 1833; and in Berner's History 

at once began to speak in a strange & bar/ of Satanic possession, page 10&&&& 




It 



is over 



UT what happened ? For as the godly discoursehad 
ended, and their Graces stepped to the altar to make 
a rich offering on the plate which lay upon thelitttle 
desk, free of approach from all sides,my knave Satan 
has again begun his work. Truly, he waited with 
cunning till her Grace had swallowed the sacrament, 
that his blasphemies might seem more horrible. And this was the 
way he manifested himself j$F After the court^marshal and the cas^ 
tellanhad laid down a black velvet carpet, embroidered in gold with 
the Pomeranian and Brandenburg arms, for their Graces to kneel 
upon, they took another black velvet cloth, on which the holy supper 
was represented embroidered in silver, to hold before their Graces 
like a serviette, while they received the blessed elements. Then ad' 
vanced the priest with the sacrament, but scarcely had the gracious 
young Princess swallowed the same, when she uttered a loud cry 
andfell backward withher head upon the ground, while Satan raged 
so in her that it might have melted the heart of a stonej^So M. 
Aspius bade the organ cease, and then placed the young lady upon 
a seat, after which he called upon their Graces, and the whole con^ 
gregation,to join him in offering up a prayer. Then he solemnly ad' 
jured the evil spirit to come out of her: it, however, had grown so 
daring, that it only laughed at the priest; and when asked where it 
had been for so long, and in particular where it had lain while the 
Jesu bride was wedded to her Holy Saviour in the blessed sacra^ 
ment, it impatiently answered, that it had lain under her tongue; 
many knaves might lie under a bridge while an honourable seigneur 
passed overhead, and why should not it do the like ? And here, to 
the unspeakable horror of the whole congregation, it seemed to 
move up and down in the chest and throat of the young Princess, 
like some animaljS?But the long-suffering of God was now at an 
end, for while the Reverend Dr. Aspius was talking himself weary 
with adjurations, and gaining no good by it, for the evil spirit only 
mocked and jeered him, crying, " Look at the fat parson how he 
sweats, maybe it will help as much as his chattering over the wine," 
and who should enter the church (sent no doubt by the all'merciful 
God), but the Reverend Dr. Joel, Professor at Grypswald, for he 
had heard howthis lusty Satan had taken possession of the princely 
maiden. When the devil saw him, he began to tremble through all 
the limbs of the young Princess, and exclaimed in Latin \" Consume 
matum est." . . For this Dr. Joel was a powerful man, and learned 
in all the cunning shifts of the arch-enemy, having many times dis^ 
244 



puted de Magi's. '.j^Now when he advanced to the young Prnv .'. Of Witchcraft, 
cess, and saw how the evil spirit ran up and down her poor form, see Barthold iv.2, 
like a mouse in a net, he was filled with horror, and removing his 412. 
hat, exclaimed, without taking much heed of his Latin : " Deus 
misereatur peccatoris." Upon which the devil, in a deep bass voice, 
corrected him, crying, " Die peccatricis, die peccatricis ". ' . ' J0- H ow . • . • Peccatoris is 
ever, Satan himself felt that his hour had come; for when Doctor masculine, Pecca^ 
Joel laid his hand upon the maiden, and repeated a powerful adjura^ tricis feminine, 
tion from the Clavicula Salomonis, Satan immediately promised 
to obey, if he were allowed to take away the oblation^cloth which 
lav upon the desk. 

life : "What did he want with the oblation^cloth ?" 
Satanas : "There was a coin in it which vexed him." 
Ille : "What coin could it be ? and wherefore did it vex him ?" 
Satanas : t* He would not say." 
Ille : (Adjures him again.) 

Satanas : " Let him have it, or he would tear the young maiden to 
pieces." And here he began to foam and rage so horribly, that her 
eyes turned in her head, and she gnashed with her teeth, so that 
father and mother had to cover their eyes notto see her great agony. 
Whereupon Doctor Joel bent down and wrote with his finger upon 
her breast the Tetragrammaton,.'."- crying out: "Away, thou un/ .v.The four let' 
clean spirit, and give place to the Holy Ghost!" Upon which the ters which com' 
young maiden sank down as quiet as a corpse, and the oblation^ pose the nameje.- 
cloth, which lay upon the desk, whirled roundof itself in the middle hovah (ri\rp)J& It 
of the church with great noise and clatter, as if seized by a storm^ W as employed by 
wind, and the money therein was all scattered about the church, so the Theurgists in 
that the old wives who sat upon the benches fell down upon the alltheirmostpow^ 
floor, right and left, to try and catch it. Great horror and amazement erful conjurations, 
now filled the whole congregation; yet as some had expressed an 
opinion that the young Princess was only afflicted by a sickness, & 
not possessed at all, Doctor Joel thought it needful to admonish 
them in the following words : "Those wise persons who, forsooth, 
would not credit such a thing as Satanic possession, might see now 
of a truth, by the oblations-cloth, that Satan bodily had been amongst 
them. He knew there were many such wise knaves in the church; 
therefore let them hold their tongue for evermore, and remember 
that such signs had been permitted before of God, to testify of the 
real bodily presence of the devil. Example (Matt, viii.) : where, on 
the command of Christ, a legion of devilswent into the swineof the 
Gergasenes; so that these animals, contrary to their nature, ran 
r 3 2 45 



down into the sea and were drowned. But the wise people of this 
day little heed these divine signs; so he will add two from historical 
records which he happened to rememberj^ First, the Jew, Josephus, 
relates, that in presence of the world-renowned Roman captain, 
Vespasian, of his son Titus, also of all the officers and troops of the 
army, an acquaintance of his, by name Eleazer, adjured the devil 
out of one possessed, by means of the ring of Solomon, repeating 
at the same time the powerful spell which, no doubt, the great king 
himself employed to control the demons, and which, probably, was 
the very one he had just now exorcised the devil with, out of the 
Clavicula Salomonis. And to show the bystanders that it was in- 
deed a devil which he had exorcised out of the nose of the patient, 
the said Eleazer bid him, as he was passing, to overturn a vessel of 
water that lay there, which indeed was done, to the great wonder- 
ment of all present. Thus even the blind heathen were convinced, 
though the would-be-wise of the present day ignorantly doubted 
jg^But people might say this happened in old times, and was only 
told by a stupid Jew; therefore he would give a modern examplej^ 
There was a woman named Kronisha (she was still well remem/ 
bered by the old people of Stralsund), who was sorely given to 
pomp and vanity, wherefore a devil was sent into her to punish her; 
and after the preacher at St. Nicholas had exorcised himtothebest 
of his power, the wicked spirit said, mockingly, that he would go if 
they gave him a pane of glass out of the window over the tower/* 
door; and this being granted, one of the panes was instantly scat/ 
tered with a loud clang, and the devil flew away through the open- 
. .SeeSastrowen, ing.'.So the Christian congregation might now see what silly 
his family, birth, fools these wise people were who presumed to doubt," &c. Then 

Doctor Joel admonished the Prince himself to keep a diligent eye 
over this Satan, who, day by day, was growing more impudent in 
the land, no doubt because the pure doctrine of Dr. Lutner vexed 
him sorely J$? And indeed his Highness, to show his gratitude for 
the recovery of his dear daughter, did not cease in his endeavours to 
banish witches from the land, knowing that Sidonia had brought 
all the evil upon the young Princess. Fifteen were seized & burned 
at this time, to the great joy of the country; but, alas! these truly 
princely and Christian measures little helped among the godless 
race, for evil seemed still to strengthen in the land, and many won- 
derful signs appeared, one of which I would not set down here, as 
it was only seen by the court-fool, but that events confirmed it. I 
mean that strange thing, along with a three-legged hare, which ap- 
046 



Edited by Moh 
nike, parti. 73. 



peared eighty years before, at the death of Duke Bogislausthe Great, 
andsince,at the deathof each Dukeof his house. Byastrangewhim 
of Satan's, this apparition was only visible to fools; until indeed (as 
we shall hear anon) it appeared to the nuns at Marienfliess, who 
bore witness of it. Summa: On the very day wherein the devil's 
brides were burned at Wblgast, the fool was walking at evening 
time up and down the great corridor, when a little manikin, hardly 
three hands high, started out from behind a beer-barrel, riding on a 
three-legged hare. Hewas dressedall in black,except little red boots 
which he had on, and he rides up and down the corridor, hop ! hop ! 
hop ! stares at my fool & makes a face at him; then rides offagain, 
hop ! hop ! hop ! till he vanished behind the barrel^ No one would 
believe the fool's story; but woe, alas! itsoonbecame clearwhat the 
little manikin Puck denoted J& For my gracious Prince, who had 
grown quite weak ever since this horrible witch-work, which had 
been raging for some weeks, so that Pomerania never had seen the 
like, became daily worse, & not even the fine Falernian wine from 
Italy, which used to cure him, helped himnowj^Sohediedonthe 
I7thjuly, 1591, aged forty-six years, seven months, andfifteen days, 
leaving his only son, Philippus Julius a child of eight years old, to 
reign in his place J£t Whereupon the deeply afflicted widow placed 
the boy under the tutelage & guardianship of his uncle, the princely 
Lord of Stettin ; but, woe ! woe ! the guardian must soon follow his 
dear brother ! and all through the evil wickedness of Sidonia, as we 
shall hear in the following chapters. 

CHAPTER XX. HOW SIDONIA DEMEANS HER. 
SELF AT THE CONVENT OF MARIENFLIESS. 
ITEM : HOW THEIR PRINCELY & ELECTORAL 
GRACES OF POMERANIA, BRANDENBURG, AND 
MECKLENBURG, WENT ON SLEIGHS TO WOL 
GAST, AND OF THE DIVERS PASTIMES OF THE 
JOURNEY. 

IFTERthis, Sidonia disappeared again for 
a couple of years, & no man knew whither 
she had flown, or what she did, until one 
morning she appeared at the convent of 
Marienfliess, driving a little one-horse 
I wagon herself, and dressed no better than 
a fish-wife. On driving into the court, she 
desired to speak with the abbess, Magda- 
lena von Petersdorf; and when she came, 
Sidonia ordered the cell of the deceased nun 

2 47 




Barbara Kleist, to be got ready for her reception, as bis Highness of 
Stettin had presented her to a praebenda here J& So the pious old 
abbess believed the story, and forthwith conducted her to the cell, 
No u ; but Sidonia spat out at it, said it was a pig^sty, and began to 
run clatteringthroughall the cells till shereached the refectory, alarge 
chamber where the nuns assembled for evening prayer. This, she 
said, was the only spot fit for her to put her nose in, and she would 
keep it for herself. Meanwhile, the whole sisterhood ran together to 
the refectory to see Sidonia; and as most of them were girls under 
twenty, they tittered and laughed, as young women-folk will do 
when they behold a hag. This angered her. " Hal" she exclaimed, 
"the flesh and the devil have not been destroyed in them yet, but I 
will soon give them something else to think of than their lovers "J& 
And here, as one of them laughed louder than the rest, Sidonia gave 
her a blow on the mouth: f* Let that teach the peasant girl more re-* 
spect for a castle/- and land'dowered maiden "jj^FWTien the good 
abbess saw and heard all this, she nearly fainted with shame, & had 
to hold by a stool, or she would have fallen to the ground. However 
she gained fresh courage when, upon askingfor Sidonia's documents, 
she found that there were none to show. Without more ado, there^ 
fore, she bade her leave the convent; and, amidst the jeers & laughter 
of all the sisterhood, Sidonia was obliged to mount her one-horse 
cart again, or the convent porter had orders to force her out. 



KQ^^^p^aY this, all may perceive that, in place of repenting, 

# Sidonia had fallen still further in the mire, wherein 

( she wallowed yetfor many years,as if it were, indeed, 

her true and natural element,likethatbeetle of which 

Albertus Magnus speaks, that died if one covered it 

with rose-leaves, but came to life again when laid in 



dun gj& Hardly has she left the convent'gate when the old abbess 
bade a carl get ready a carriage, and flew in it to Stettin herself, to lay 
the whole case before my gracious Prince, and entreat him, even on 
her knees, not to send such a notorious creature amongst them; for 
what blessing could the convent hope to obtain if they harboured 
such an infamous sinner ? So his Grace wonders much over the daring 
of the harlot; for he had given her no praebenda, though she was 
writing to him constantly requesting one. Nor would he ever think 
of givingher one ; for why should he send such a hehVbesom to sweep 
the pious convent of Marienfliess? The good abbess might rise up, 
for as long as he lived, Sidonia should never enter the convent. And 
his Grace held by his word, though it cost him his life, as I shall just 
now relate with bitter sighs. 
248 



. 




jThappened that A.D. i6oo,therewas a terribly hard 
1 winter, sothatthe fresh Haff. ' . was quite frozen over 
and able to bear heavy beams. Now, as the ice was 
smooth, and beautiful as a mirror, my lord of Stettin 
proposed to his guestsjoachim Friedrich, elector of 
_ Brandenburg, his brother-in-law, and old Duke Ul- 
rich of Mecklenburg, his uncle, to go over the HafF in sleighs, and 
pay a visit to the princely widow and her little son j^Their Graces 
were well pleased at the idea. Whereupon his Highness of Stettin 
gave orders to have such a procession formed as never had been seen 
in Pomerania before for magnificence and beauty, and therefore I 
shall note down some particulars here J& There were a hundred 
sleighs, some drawn by reindeer caparisoned like horses, and all de- 
corated gaily. The three ducal sleighs in particular were entirely- 
girded and lined with sable skin ; each was drawn by four Andalu- 
sian horses; and my Lady Erdmuth, who was a great lover of show 
and pomp, had hers hung with little tinkling bells & chains of gold 
so that no one to look at them could imagine how very little of the 
dear gold her gracious lord and husband had in his purse, by reason 
of thehardnessof the times jg§?The adornments of the other sleighs 
were less costly. Upon them came the ministers, the officials, and 
others pertainingto the retinue of the three princes : item, the ladies-* 
in-waiting, and divers of the reverend clergy; last of all came the 
Duke's henchman, with a pack of wolf-dogs in leash: item, several 
live hares and foxes; a live bear, which they purposed to let slip, for 
the pleasure and pastime of their Graces. But the young men out of 
the town, fifty head strong, and many of the knights, ran along on 
skates, headed by Dinnies Kleist, that mighty man, who bore in one 
hand the blood-banner of Pomerania,. v and in the other that of 
Brandenburg. BartholdvonRamin ran by his side, with the Meck- 
lenburg standard. He was a strong knight, too. But ah! my God! 
how my Ramin, with his ox-head, was distanced by the wild men 
of Pomerania, as they ran upon the ice over the Haff! Two reserve 
sleighs, drawn by six Frisian horses, finished the procession; they 
were laden with axes, planks, ropes, and dry garments, both formen 
and women. 

HEN their Graces mounted the sleighs amidst the 
ringing of bells & roaring of cannon, great was their 
astonishment to see their own initials stamped into 
thehardiceby Dinnies Kleist,as thus: F.U.J.E.J.F., 
which, however, afterwards caused much dismay to 
the honest burghers, for one of them, M. Faber, a 

249 



The river Haff 




.'.'The blood-Stan^ 
dard was granted 
by the Emperor 
Maximilian II. 
to Dukejohann 
Friedrich of Pome- 
rania, because he 
carried the imperial 
banner during the 
Turkish war of 
1566 J&It only dif- 
fered from the old 
banner by havinga 
red ground, from 
thence its name J§ 
Both Pomerania & 
Brandenburg had 
wild men in their 
escutcheon, while 
Mecklenburg bore 
an ox's head. 



praeceptor, mistakingthe J , for a G. read plainly upon the ice : " Fuge, 
J.F.," that is/' Fly, Johann Frederick!" Ah! truly has the gracious 
Prince flown from thence; but it is to a bitter death jJJFDuring the 
journey, Duke Johann, had much jesting with his brother-in-law, 
the elector, who was filled with wonder at the strength of Dinnies 
Kleist, for he kept a^head even of the Andalusian stallions, & waved 
aloft the two banners of Pomerania and Brandenburg, whilehis long 
hairfloatedbehindhim;&sometimeshestopped,kissedthebanners, 
and then inclined them to their Serene Princely Graces. Whereupon 
Duke Johann exclaimed: "Ay, brother, you might well give me a 
thousand of your widcmouthed Berliners for this carl ; though, mc 
thinks, if he had his will, he would make their wide mouths still 
wider." At this, his Electoral Grace looked rather vexed, and began 
to uphold the men of Cologne. Upon which his Highness cut him 
short, saying, "Marry, brother, you know the old proverb: 
'The men of Cologne 
Have no hues of their own, 
But the men of Stettin 
Are the true evergreen/ 

For where truly could your fellows find the true green in their sandy 
dust/box? Marry, cousin, one Pomerania is worth ten Margravates; 
and I will show your Grace just now thatmy land in winter is more 
productive than yours even in autumn "j^His Grace here alluded 
to the fisheries; for along the way, for twelve or fourteen miles, the 
fishermen had been ordered to set their nets by torchlight the night 
before, in holes dug through the ice, so that on the arrival of the 
princely party the nets might be drawn up, and the draught ex^ 
hibited to their Graces. 

|OW^ when they entered the fresh Haff, which lay 
Ibeforethemlike a large mirror, six miles Ion g& four 
broad,his Grace of Pomerania called out: "See here, 
brother, this is my first store-room; let us try what it 
I will give us to eat. Upon which he signed to Dinnies 
1 Kleist to steer over to the first heap of nets,whichlay 
like a black wood in the distance. These belonged to the Ziegenort 
fishermen, as the old schoolmaster Peter Leisticow himself told me ; 
and as they had taken a great draught the day before, many people 
from the towns of Warp, Stepenitz, & Uckermund were assembled 
theretobuyupthefish, &then retail it, as was their custom, through^ 
out the country. They had made a fire upon a large sheet of iron laid 
upon the ice, while their horses were feeding close by upon hay, 

2-5° 




which they shook out before them. And, having taken a merry 

carouse together, they all set to dancing upon the ice with the women 

to the bagpipe, so that the encampment looked right jovial as their 

Graces arrivedjgtFNowwhen the grand train cameup,the peasants 

roared out: "Donnerwetter, . . lookattheplotZ'eaters! Seethecursed 

plotZ'eaters ! Donnerwetter, what plotZ'eaters! " . . And now they 

observed, during their shouting, that the water had risen up to their 

knees ; and when the ducal procession rushed up, the abyss re-echoed 

with a noise like thunder, so that the foreign princes were alarmed, 

but soon grew accustomed thereto.Then the pressure of such acrowd 

upon the ice caused the water to spout out of the holes, to the height 

of a man. So that by the time they were two bow^shots from the 

nets, all the folk, the women and children especially, were running, 

screaming, in every direction, trying to save themselves on the firm 

ice, to the great amusement of their Graces, while a peasant criedout 

to the sleigh'drivers : "Stop, stop! or ye'll go into the cellar l"j& 

Hereupon his Grace of Pomerania beckoned over the Ziegenort 

schoolmaster, and asked him what they had taken, to which he an«> 

swered: " Gracious Prince, we have taken bley ; the nets are all loaded, 

we've taken seventy schumers . . . & your Grace ought to take one 

with you for supper 'j^NowhisHighnesstheElectorwishedtosee 

the nets emptied, so they rested a space while the peasants shovelled 

out the fish, and pitched them into the aforesaid schumers. But, ah ! 

woe to the fish/thieves who had come over from Warp and other 

places; for the water having risen up and become all muddy with fish 

slime, they never saw the great holes, and tumbled in, to the great 

amusementof the peasants & pastime of their GracesJ^Howtheir 

Highnesses laughed when the poor carls in the water tried to get 

hold of a net or a rope, or a firm piece of ice, while they floundered 

about in the water, and the peasants fished them up with their long 

hooks, at the same time giving many of them a sharp prod on the 

shoulder, crying out: " Ha ! will ye steal again ? Take that for your 

pains, you robbers ! " Now when their Graces were tired laughing, 

and looking at the fish hauled, they prepared to depart, but the 

schoolmaster prayed his Highness of Stettin yet again to take a 

schumer of fish for their supper, as their Graces were going to stop 

for the night in UckermundjgF" But what could I do with all the 

fish?" quoth the Duke. To which the carl answered in his jargon: 

"Eh! gracious master, give them to the plotz^eaters ; that will be 

something new for them; never fear but they'll eat them all up!" 

Hereupon his Highness the Elector grew nettled, and cried out: 

251 



• '.A common 
oath. 

•'.* PlotZ' eaters 
wasanick^name 
given by the Pc 
meranianstopeo' 
pie of the Mar/- 
gravates.Forthe 
plotz (Cyprinus 
Exythrophthal/' 
mus) is a very 
poor tasteless fish, 
while the rivers 
ofPomeraniaare 
stocked with the 
very finest of all 
kinds. j$F In re- 
turn, the men of 
the Marks called 
the Pomeranians 
"Feather-heads," 
from the quantity 
of moor-'palms 
(Eriophorumva- 
ginatum) which 
grow in their nu/ 
merous rich mea- 
dows. 

.'.'. A schumer 
was a measure 
which contained 
twelve bushels. 



.*. A large bay 
formed by the 
Pene. 




"Ho! thou damned peasant, thinkest that we have no bley V J& 
"Well, we've none here," replied the man cunningly. 

IO their Graces laughed, &ordereda couple of bushels 
I of the largest to be placed upon the safety sleigh J& 
Now when they had gone a little farther and found 
the ice as smooth as glass, the henchman let loose the 
bear and the wolf-dogs after it. My stout Bruin first 
I growls and paws the ice, then sets himself in earnest 
for the race, and on account of his sharp claws, ran on straight for 
Uckermund without ever slipping, while the hounds fell down on 
all sides, or tumbled on their backs, howling with rage and disap^ 
pointment|j^Yet more pleasant was the hare^hunt, for hounds and 
hares both tumbled down together, and the hares squeaked and the 
hounds yelped ; some hares indeed were killed, but only after infi^ 
nite trouble, while others ran away after the bear jg? After the hunt 
they came to another fishery, & so on till they reached Uckermund, 
passing six fisheries in succession, whereof each draft was as large 
as the first, so that his Grace the Elector marvelled much at the 
abundance, and seeing the nets full of zannats, at the last halting' 

flace, cried out : ** Marry, brother, your store-room is welkfurnished. 
might grow dainty here myself. Let us takeabushel of these along 
with us for supper, for zannat is the fish for me!" J& This greatly 
rejoiced his Grace of Stettin, who ordered the fish to be laid on the 
sumpter sleigh, and in good time they reached the ducal house at 
Uckermund, Dinnies Kleist still keeping foremost, & waving his 
two banners over his head, while Barthold Barnim and the other 
skaters hung weary and tired upon the backs of the sleighs. 

CHAPTER XXI. HOWSIDONIA MEETS THEIR 
GRACES UPON THE ICE. ITEM : HOW DINNIES 
KLEIST BEHEADS HIMSELF, & MY GRACIOUS 
D OF WOLGAST PERISHES MISERABLY. 

HE next morning early the whole train set 
off from Uckermund in the highest spirits, 
passingnetafter net, till the Dukeof Meck^ 
lenburg, as well as the Elector, lifted their 
hands in astonishment J$F From the Haff 
they entered the Pene, and from that the 
Achterwasser. . . Here a great crowd of 
people stood upon the ice, for the town of 
Quilitz lay quite near; besides, more fish 
had been taken herethanhad yet been seen 
252 





upon the journey, so that people from Wolgast, Usdom, Lassahn, 
and all the neighbouring towns had run together to bid for it. But 
what happened ? 

J LAS, that his Grace should have desired to halt, for 
scarcely had his sleigh stopped, when alittle oldwo' 
man, meanly clad, with fisher's boots, & a net filled 
£ with bley fish in her hand, stepped up to it and said: 
i, "My good Lord, I am Sidonia von Bork; wherefore 
aihave you not replied to my demand for the praebenda 
of Barbara von Kleist in Marienfliess ?" J&" How could he answer 
her? He knew nothing at all of her mode of living, or where she 
dwelt/' 

Ilia "She had bid him lay the answer upon the altar of St. Jacob's 
in Stettin. Why had he not done so ?" 

"That was no place for such letters, only for the words of the Holy 
Spirit and the blessed sacrament of his Saviour, therefore, let her 
say now where she dwelt." 

Ilia: "The richest maiden in Pomerania could ill say where the 
poorest now dwelt," weeping J$? "The richest maiden had only 
herself to blame if she were now the poorest; better had she wept 
before. The praebenda she could never have, let her cease to think 
of it; but here was an alms, and she might now go her ways." 
Ilia (refuses to take it, and murmurs) : "Your Grace will soon have 
bitter sorrow for this" J& As she so menaced and spat out three 
times, the thing angered Dinnies Kleist, who held her in abhorrence 
ever since the adventure in the Uckermund forest, & as he had lost 
none of his early strength, he hit her ablow with the blood standard 
over the shoulder, exclaiming: " Pack off to the devil, thou shame^ 

less hag! Whatdoes the witch mean by her spittings PThepraebenda 
of my sister Barbara shalt thou never have I "jgF However, the hap 
stirred not from the spot, answered no word, but spat out again; & 
as the illustrious party drove off, she still stood there, and spat out 
after them. 

|H AT this devil's sorcery denoted we shall soon see; 
for as they approached Ziemitze,& the ducal house 
of Wolgast appeared in sight, Dinnies Kleist started 
on before the safety sleigh; and as soon as the high 
towers of the castle rose above the trees, he waved 
the two banners above his head, and brought them 
together till they kissed; havingheld them for a space, he set forward 
again with giant strides, in order to be the first to arrive, although, 

253 




.'. A wind wake is 
a hole formed by 
the wind in the 
thawing season, 
and which after-' 
wards becomes 
covered witha thin 
coating of ice by a 
subsequent frost. 



,V Marginal note 
of Duke Bogislaff 
XIV. This is not 
true; for I had a 
fever at the time, 
and remained at 
home. 



indeed, the town was aware of the advance of the princely train, for 
the bells were ringing, & the blood-standard waved from St. Peter's 
and the three other towersJ^But woe, alas! Dinnies, in his impa- 
tience, never observed a windwake direct in his path, and down he 
sank, while the sharp ice cut his head clean off, as if an executioner 
had done it; and the head, with the longhair, rolled hither & thither, 
while the body remained fast in the hole, only one arm stuck up 
above the ice: it was that which held the Brandenburg standard, but 
the blood-banner of Pomerania had sunk for ever in the abyss.. 
j^FWhen his Grace of Stettin beheld this, he was filled with more 
sorrow than even at the death of his fool ; and weeping bitterly, 
commanded seven sleighs to return and seize the evil hag; then with 
all speed, and for a terrible example, to burn her upon the Quilitz 
mountainJ^But when many present assured his Grace that such 
like accidents were very common, and many skaters had perished 
thus, whereof even Duke Ulrich named several instances, so that 
his Grace of Stettin need not impute such natural accidents to witch- 
craft or the powerof thehag,hewas somewhat calmed. Stillhecom- 
manded the seven sleighs to return and bring the witch bound to 
Wblgast, that he might question her as to wherefore she had spat 
out J&So the sleighs returned, but the vile sorceress was no longer 
on the ice, neither did any one know whither she had gone; where- 
upon the sleigh s hastened back again after the others. 

[OW it was the Friday before Shrove Tuesday, 
I about mid-day, when the princely party arrived at 
Wblgast; and Prince Bogislaff or Barth was there 
to receive them with his five sons, namely, Philip, 
Franz, George, Ulrich, and Bogislaff. And there 
_ was a great uproar in the castle, some of the young 
lords playing ball in the castle court with the young Prince, Philip 
Julius, others preparing for the carnival mummeries, which were to 
commence next evening by a great banquet and dance in the hall. 
Indeed, that same evening, their Graces had a brave carouse, to try 
and make Duke Johann forget his grief about his well-beloved 
Dinnies Kleist: and his Grace thus began to discourse concerning 
him: "Truly, brothers, who knows what the devil may have in 
store for us i For it was a strange thing how my blood-standard 
sunk in the abyss, while that of my brother of Brandenburg floated 
above it. Think you that our male line will become extinct, and the 
heritage of fair Pomerania descend to Brandenburg? For, in truth, 
it is strange that, out of five brothers, two of us only have heirs, 
*54 





Bogislaff, and Ernest Ludovicus, who has left indeed but one only 
son" J& Then Duke Bogislaff (whom our Lord God has surely 
blessed for his humility in resigning the government, and also be' 
cause of his dutiful conduct ever towards his mother, even in his 
youth having brought her a tame sea-gull) made answer, laugh- 
ingly: "I think Herr Bacchus has done more to turn Frau Venus 
against our race than Sidonia or any of her spells, therefore ye need 
not wonder if ye have no heirs; however, if my five young Princes 
listen to my warnings, and shun the wine-cup, trust me,the blood- 
standard will be lifted up again, and our ancient name never want a 
fitti ng represen tative." 

— ~ng ANWHILE as they so discoursed, and the gra- 
Icious ladies looked down for shame upon the ground, 
JyoungLord Philip began a Latin argument with the 
Rev. Dr. Glambecken, court chaplain at Wolgast, 
jde monetis; and pulled out of his pocket a large bag 
I of old coins, which had been presented to him by Dr. 
Chytraeus, professor of theology at Rostock, with whom his Grace 
interchanged Latin epistles. J$F This gave the conversation a 
new turn, and the ladies particularly were much pleased examining 
the coins; but the devil himself surely must have anagramatised 
one of them, for over the letters, Pomerania, figures were scratched 

thus: 4 5 4i 2 7°9 giving the terrible meaning, rape omnia (rob 
Pomerania ° ° r v 

all) ; and many said that this must have been the very coin which 
the devil took that time he rent the oblation/table, at the exorcism 
oftheyoungPrincessj^Thisdiscoveryfilledthe Pomeranian Duke 
with strong apprehensions, and young Prince Franz handed over 
the coin to the Elector of Brandenburg, saying bitterly: "Yes, rob 
all! Dr. Joel of Grypswald has long since told me that it would all 
end this way, even as Satan himself has scratched down here, but 
my Lord father will not credit him, he is so proud of his five sons. 
Doctor Joel, however, is a right learned man, and no one knows the 
mysteries of the black art better; besides, who reads the stars more 
diligently each night than he V J&t And behold, while he is speak- 
ing, the fool runs into the hall, pale, and trembling in every limb 
J& "Alas ! Lord Franz," he exclaimed, " I have seen the manikin 
again on his three-legged hare, which appeared at the death of Duke 
Ernest Ludovicus" J& But the young lord boxed him, crying : 
"Away, thou knave! Must thy chatter helpto make us more melan- 
choly ?"^However, Duke Bogislaff bid the fool stay, & tell them 

2 55 



.*. See the Lat- 
in letters of the 
talented young 
Prince, in Oel- 
rich's "Contri- 
butions to the 
Literary Hi sto- 
ry of the Pome- 
ranian Dukes," 
vol. i. p. 67. He 
fell a victim to 
intemperance, 

though his 
death was im- 
puted likewise 
to Sidonia, and 
formed the sub- 
ject of the sixth 
torture examin- 
ation. 



woe ! woe ! 




'jkOL^V^TV? 


fl! 


m fi?3/4 


1 


% Mffll 




al IviXvJ D 






>M 



when and where he had seen the imp j£g? My fool wiped his eyes, 
and began:" The young Lord Franz had bid him put on his best 
jacket, that which had been given him as a Christmas-box, for the 
carnival mummings on Shrove Tuesday; so thathe went up to the 
garret to get it himself out of the trunk, but before he had quite 
reached the trunk, the black dwarf, with his little red boots, rode out 
from behind it on his three-legged hare, hop ! hop ! hop ! made a 
frightful face at him, and after a little while rode back again, hop ! 
hop! hop! behind his old boots,which stood in a corner,& disappear/ 
ed !" J& What the malicious Puck denoted we shall soon see. Oh, 

IE XT day all sorts of amusements were set on foot, 
to chase away gloomy thoughts out of the hearts of 
the illustrious guests, such as tilting with lances, 
dancing upon stilts, wrestling, rope/dancing; item, 
pickleherring, and harlequins. Amongst these last 
the fool showed off to great advantage, for who could 
twist his face into more laughable grimaces ? Item, in the evening 
there was a mask of mummers, in which one fellowplayed theangel, 
and another dressed as Satan, with a large horse's foot and cock's 
plume, spat red fire from his mouth, and roared horribly when the 
angel overcamehim (but withal, I thinkthe gloomy thoughts stayed 
there yet) J& And mark what in truth soon happened ! When the 
drums & trumpets struck up the last mask dance in the great Ritter 
Hall, which every one joins in, old and young, his Grace, Duke 
Johann, went to the room of his dear cousin Hedwig, the princely 
widow, and prayed her to tread the dance with him; but she refuses, 
and sits by the fire and weep sj&" Let not mydear cousin fret," said 
the Duke, "about the chatter of the fool"jg?To which she replied: 
"Alas! wherefore not? For surely it betokens death to my darling 
little son, Philip Julius "J&" No," exclaimed the Duke, quickly, 
"it betokens mine!" and he fell flat upon the ground j^One can 
easily imagine how the gracious Lady screamed, so that all ran in 
from the Knights' Hall in their masks and mumming/dresses, to 
see indeed the mumming of the true bodily Satan; and Doctor Pc 
mius, who was at the mask likewise, ran in with a smelling/bottle, 
but all was in vain. His Grace lingered for three days, &then having 
received the holy sacrament from Doctor Glambecken, died in the 
same chamber in which he wasborn, having lived fifty/seven years, 
five months, twelve days, and fourteen hours. 

256 




O W can I describe the lamentations of the princely 
company, yea, indeed, of the whole town ? for every 
one saw now plainly that the anger of God rested 
upon this ancient and illustrious Pomeranian race, 
and that he had given it over helplessly to the power 
of the evil one. Summa: On the 9th February, the 
princely corse was laid in the very sleigh which had brought it a 
living body, and followed by a grand train of princes, nobles, an d 
knights, along with a strong guard of the ducal soldateska, was con. 
veyed back to Stettin; & there, with all due & befitting ceremonies, 
was buried on Palm Sunday, in the vault of the castle church. 
CHAPTER XXII. HOW BARNIM THE TENTH 
SUCCEEDS TO THE GOVERNMENT, AND HOW 
SIDONIA MEETS HIM AS SHE IS GATHERING 
BILBERRIES. ITEM, OF THE UNNATURAL 
WITCH.STORM AT HIS GRACE'S FUNERAL 
AND HOW DUKE CASIMIR REFUSES, IN CON. 
SEQUENCE, TO SUCCEED HIM. 

OW Barnim the Tenth succeeded to that 
very duchy, about which he had been so 
wroth the day of the Diet at Wollin, but it 
brought him little good. He was, however, 
a pious prince, and much beloved at his 
dower of Rugenwald, where he spent his 
time in making a little library of all the 
Lutheran hymn-books which he could col. 
lect, and these he carried with him in his 
I carriage wherever he went; so that his sub. 
jects of Rugenwald shed many tears at losing so pious a ruler jgj? 
Item, the moment his Grace succeeded to the government, he caused 
all the courts to be re.opened, along with the Treasury and the 
Chancery, which his deceased Grace had kept closed to the last; & 
for this goodness towards his people, the states of the kingdom pro. 
mised to pay all his debts, which was done; & thus lawlessness and 
robbery were crushed in the landj^But woe, alas! Sidoniacan no 
man crush ! She wrote immediately to his Grace, soliciting the prae. 
benda, and even presented herself at the ducal house of Stettin; but 
his Grace positively refused to lay eyes on her, knowing how fatal a 
meeting with her had proved to each of his brothers, who no sooner 
met her evil glance than they sickened and diedj^Therefore his 
Highness held all old women in abhorrence. Indeed, such was his 
st 257 





fear of them, that not one was allowed to approach the castle; and 
when he rode or drove out, lacqueys and squires went before with 
greathorsewhips, to chase awayall the old women out of his Grace's 
path, for truly Sidonia might be amongst them. From this, it came 
to pass that as soon as it was rumoured in the town, " His Grace is 
coming," all the old mothers seized up their pattens and scampered 
off, helter-skelt er, to get out of reach of the horsewhips. 

JUT who can provide against all the arts of the devil ? 
for though it is true that Sidonia destroyed his two 
I brothers, also his Grace himself, along with Philip 
II., by her breath and glance, yet she caused a great 
number of other unfortunate persons to perish, with- 
I out using these means, as we shall hear further on; 
whereby many imagined that her familiar Chim could not have 
been so weak a spirit as she represented him, on the rack, in order to 
save her life, but a strong and terrible demon. These things, how- 
ever, will come in their proper place J@FSumma: After Duke Bar- 
nim had reigned several years, with great blessing to his people, it 
happened that word came from Rugenwald how that his brother, 
Duke Casimir, was sick. This was the prince whom we may re- 
member Sidonia had whipped with her irreverent hands upon his 
princely podex, when he was a little boyj^Now Duke Barnim 
had quarrelled with the Estates because they refused funds for the 
Turkish war; however, he became somewhat merrier that evening 
with the Count Stephen of Naugard, when the evil tidings came 
to him of his beloved brother (yet more bitter sorrow is before him, 
I think). So the next morning the Duke set off with a train of six 
carriages to visit his sick brother, and by the third evening they 
reached the wood which lies close beside Rugenwald. Here there 
was a large oak, the stem of which had often served his Grace for a 
target, when he amused himself by practising firing. So he stopped 
the carriage and alighted to see if the twenty or thirty balls he had 
shot into it were still there. 

^ UTalas ! as he reached the oak, that devil's spectre (I 

mean Sidonia) stepped from behind it; she had an 

old pot in her hand filled with bilberries, and asked 

his Grace, would he not take some to refresh himself 

after his journey? His Highness, however, recoiled 

J horror-struck, and asked who she was J& She was 

Sidonia von Bork, and prayed his Grace yet once more for the pra:- 

benda in Marienfliessj^Hereat the Duke was still more horrified, 

258 





& exclaimed : " Curse upon thy praebenda, but thou shalt get some, 
thing else, I warrant thee ! Thou art a vile witch, and hast in thy 
mind to destroy our whole noble race with thy detestable sorceries." 
Ilia: "Alas! no one had called her a witch before; how could she 
bewitch them ? It was a strange story to tell of her." 

The Duke: " How did it happen, then, that he had no children by *'• Anna Maria, 
his beloved Amrick ? ... s « on t d daughter 

Ilia (laughing) : " He had better ask his beloved Amrick herself^ ° U ° hn r^ rgC ' 
How could she know?" Elector of Bran, 

JUT here she began to contort her face horribly, and denbur S 
I to spit out, whereupon the Duke called out to his re, 
tinue : " Come here, and hang me this hag upon the 
oak-tree; she is at her devil's sorceries again! And 
woe ! woe ! already I feel strange pains all through 
I mybody !"jg?Upon this, divers persons sprang for, 
ward to seize her, but the nimble night,bird darted behind a clump 
of fir'trees, and disappeared. Unluckily they had no bloodhounds 
along with them, otherwise I think the devil would have been easily 
seized, and hung up like an acorn on the oak,tree. But God did not 
so will it, for though they sent a pack of hounds from Rugenwald, 
themomentthey arrived there, yet no trace of thehag could be found 
in the forest. 

ND now mark the result; the Duke became worse 
hour by hour, andas Duke Casimir had grown much 
better by the time he arrived, and was in a fair way 
of recovery, his Grace resolved to take leave of him 
& return with all speed to his own house at Stettin; 
but on the second day, while they were still a mile 
from Stettin, Duke Barnim grew so much worse, that they had to 
stop at AIt,Damm for the night. And scarcely had he laid himself 
down in bed when he expired. This was on the ist of September, 
1603, when he was fifty,four years, six months, sixteen days, and 
sixteen hours old^Butthe old unclean night,bird would notlethis 
blessed Highness go to his grave in peace (probably because he had 
calledher an accursed witch). Forthe eighteenth of the same month, 
when all the nobles and estates were assembled to witness the cere, 
monial of interment, along with several members of the ducal house, 
and other illustrious personages, such a storm of hail, rain, & wind, 
came on just at a quarter to three, as they had reached the middle of 
the service, that thepriest dropped the bookfrom his hands and the 
church became so suddenly dark, that the sexton had to light the 
s 2. 259 




candles to enable the preacher to read his text. Never, too, was heard 
such thunder, so that many thought St. Jacob's tower had fallen in, 
and the princes and nobles rushed out of the church to shelter them/' 
selves in the houses, while the most terrific lightning flashed round 
them at every stepj^Yettrulyitmusthavebeenallwitch^work,for 
when the funeral was over, the weather became as serene & beauti" 
ful as possible^^And a great gloom fell upon every one in conse^ 
quence,forthat it was no natural storm, a child could have seen. In' 
deed, Dr. Joel, who was wise in these matters, declared to his High' 
ness Duke BogislafF XII I. that without doubt it was a witch' 
storm, for the doctor was present at the funeral, as representative 
of the University of Grypswald. And respecting the clouds, he ob' 
served particularly that they were formed like dogs' tails, that is 
when a dog carries his tail in the air so that it forms an arc of a circle. 
And this indeed was the truthjj^Summa : As by the death of Duke 
Barnim the government devolved upon Duke Casimir of Rugen- 
wald, the Estates proceeded thither to offer him their homage, but 
the Prince hesitated, said he was sickly, and who could tell whether 
itwouldnotgoasillwithhimas with his brothers? But the Estates, 
both temporal and spiritual, prayed him so earnestly to accept the 
rule, that he promised to meet them on the next morning by ten of 
the clock, in the great RittersaaUknights' hall), and make them ac^ 
quainted with his decision J& The faithful states considered this a 
favourableanswer,&wereinwaitingnextmorning,attheappointed 
hour,in the Rittersaal.ButwhathappenedPBeholdas the great door 
was thrown open, in walked the Duke, not with any of the insignia 
of his princely station, but in the dress of a fisherman. He wore a 
linen jacket, a blue smock, a large hat, and great high fisher's boots, 
reaching nearly to his waist. Item, on his back the Duke carried a 
fisherman's basket; six fishermen similarly dressed accompanied 
him, & others in alike garb followed jgF All present wondered much 
at this, and a great murmur arose in the hall, but the Duke threw 
his basket down by his side, and he leaned his elbow on it, while he 
thus went on to speak: "Ye see here, my good friends, what govern-' 
ment I intend to hold in future with these honest fishers, who ac/ 
companied me up to my dear brother's funeral. I shall return this 
day to Rugenwald. The devil may rule inPomerania,but I will not; 
if you kill an ox there is an end of it, but here there is no end. Satan 
treats us worse than the poor ox. Choose a Duke wheresoever you 
will, but as for me, I think fishing & ruling the rudder is pleasanter 
work than to rule your land ." And when the unambitious Prince had 
260 




so spoken,hedrewforthalittleflaskcontainingbranntwein . . (anew .*. Whiskey 

drinkwhich some esteemed more excellent than wine, which, how 

ever, I leave in its old pre-eminence; I tasted the other indeed but 

once, but it seemed to me to set my mouth on fire, such is not formy 

drinking) , & drank to the fishers, crying, " What say you, children, 

shall we not go and flounder again upon the Rugenwald strand?" 

Upon which they all shouted" Aye! aye! "jfiFHisGracethen drank 

to the states for a farewell, and leaving the hall, proceeded with his 

followers to the vessel, which he ascended, singing gaily, and sailed 

home directly to his new fishing-lodge at Neuhausen J& Such 

humility, however, availed his Grace nothing in preserving him 

from the claws of Satan; for scarcely a year and a half had elapsed 

when he was seized suddenly, even as his brothers, and died on the 

loth May, 1605, at the early age of forty^eight years, one month, 

twentyone days, and seventeen hours. 

jUT to return to the states. They were dumb with 

fjrief and despair when his Grace left the hall. The 
and marshal stood with the stafF,and the court mar/< 
shal with the sword, and the chancellor with the seals, 
jlike stone statues there, till a noble at the window 
Icalledout: " Let us hasten quickly to Prince Bogislaff, 
before he journeys off too with his fivesons,and weareleft without 
any ruler. See, there are the horses just putting to his carriage ! " jfiF 
Upon this, they all ran out to the coach, and the chancelloraskedina 
lamentable voice, ** I f his Grace were indeed going to leave them, like 
that other gracious Prince who owned the dukedom by right? The 
states would promise everything he desired, they would pay all his 
debts, only his Gracemust not leave them and their poor fatherland 
in their sore need"j£?Hereat his Grace laughed, & told them: " He 
was not going to his castle of Franzburg, only as far as Oderkrug, 
with his dear sons, to look at the great sheep/pens there, and drink 
a bowl of ewe's milk with the shepherds under the apple-tree. He 
hoped to arrive there before his brother Casimir in his boat, & then 
they might discuss the casus together; indeed, when he showed him 
the sheep^pens, it was not probable that he would refuse a duchy 
which had a fold of twenty thousand sheep, for his brother Casimir 
was a great lover of sheep as well as of fish." jfiSFUpon this, the states 
and privy council declared that they would follow him to Oderkrug 
before he reached it. 



S3 261 




CHAPTER XXIII. DUKE BOGISLAFF XIII. AG 
CEPTS THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DUCHY, & 
GIVES SIDONIA AT LAST THE LONG DESIRED 
PIUEBENDA. ITEM, OF HER ARRIVAL AT THE 
CONVENT OF MARIENFLIESS. 

JO Wmy gracious Lord Bogfslaffhad scarcer 
1 1y alighted at Oderkrug from his carriage, 
and drunk a bowl of milk under the applet 
tree, when he spied the yellow sails of his 
brother's boat above the high reeds ; upon 
which he ran down to the shore, and called 
out himself: "Will you not land, brother, 
J and drink a bowl of ewe's milk with us, or 
take a glance at the great sheep/pen ? It is a 
I rare wonder, and my Lord brother was al/ 
ways a great lover of sheep P'j^But Prince Casimir went on, and 
never slackened sail. Whereupon his Highness called out again: 
"The states and privy councillors are coming, brother, and want to 
have a few words with you"j(SFHereat Prince Casimir laughed in 
the boat, & returned for answer: " He knew well enough whatthey 
wanted; but, no, he had no desire to be bewitched to death. Just 
give him the lands of Lauenburgh and Butow,as an addition to his 
dower, & then his dear Bogislaffmight take all Pomerania tohim^ 
self if he pleased "J& After which,domng his hat for addio,he steered 
bravely throug h the Pappenwasser. 

_ |j_|£p^ y 0Un g Prince Franz heard this, he laughed 
| loud, & said : ** Truly our uncle is the wisest, he will 
[ not be bewitched to death, as he says ; but what will 
my Lord father do now, for see, here come the states 
I already in their carriages over the hill I " J^F Duke 
Bogislaff answered : " what else remains for me to 
do but to accept the government?" 

Ille : "Yes, and be struck dead by witchcraft, like my three uncles ! 
Ah, my gracious Lord father, before ever you accept the rule of the 
duchy, let the witch be seized and burned. Doctor Joel hath told me 
much about these witches; and believe me, there is no wiser man 
in all Pomerania than this Magister. He can do something more 
than eat bread" J& Then he fell upon his father's neck, & caressed 
him: "Ah, dear father, do not jump at once into the government; 
burn the witch first: we cannot spare our dear lord father!" J& 
And the two young Princes, George and Ulrich, prayed him in like 
262 




manner; but young Philip Secundus spake: "I think, brothers, it 
were better if our dear father gave this long talked^of prsebenda to 
the witch at once; then, whether she bewitches or not, we are safe 
at all events" ^Hereupon his Highness answered: "My Philip 
is right; for in truth no one can say whether your uncles died by 
Sidonia's sorceries or by those of the evil man Bacchus. Therefore 
I warn you, dear children, flee from this worst of all sorcerers; not 
starting at appearances, as a horse at a shadow, for appearance is 
the shadow of truth. Be admonished, therefore, by St. Peter, and 
'gird up the loins of your spirit: be sober, and watch unto prayer.' 
Then ye may laugh all witches to scorn; for God will turn the de^ 
vices of your enemy to folly ",j^Meanwhile the states have arrived* 
and having alighted from their coaches at the great sheep^pen, they 
advanced respectfully to the Duke, who was seated under the applet 
tree, the land marshal first, with the staff, then the court marshal 
with the sword, and lastly the chancellor with the seals J0 They 
had seen from the hill how Duke Casimir sailed away without 
waiting to hear them, and prayed and hoped that his Highness 
would accept the insignia which they here respectfully tendered & 
not abandon his poor fatherland in such dire need. The devil and 
wicked men could do much, but God could do more, as none knew 
better than his Highness J& Herewith his Grace sighed deeply, & 
taking the insignia, laid staff and sword beside him; then, taking 
up the sword hastily again, he held it in his hand while he thus 
spake : u My faithful, true, & honourable states, ye know how that 
I resigned trie government, out of free will, at the Diet at Wbllin •'• The apprehend 
because I thought, and still think, that nothing weighs heavier than s * on was J ust i ne d 
this sword which I hold in my hand. Therefore I went to my dower ky the event ; for 
at Barth, and have founded the beautiful little town of Franzburg on tne departure 
to keep the Stralsund knaves in submission, and also to teach our ofDukeBogislaff, 
nobles that there is some nobler work for a man to do in life than Franzburgfell rep- 
eating, drinking, and hunting. Item, I have encouraged commerce, pidlytoamerevik 
and especially given my protection to the woollen trade; but all my ! a S e ' J° the great 
labours will now fall to the ground, and the Stralsund knaves be i ov of tne Strain 
overjoyed ; . ' . however, I must obey God's will, & not kick against sunder s # wholoofc» 
the pricks. Therefore I take the sword of my father, hoping that it ec * witn much en-* 
will not prove too heavy for me, an old man ; . \ ' and that He who vv on a new town 
puts it into my hand (even the strong God) will help me to bear it. springing up in 
So let his holy will be done. Amen." Then his Highness delivered tne *r vicinity, 
back the insignia to the states, who reverently kissed his hand, and .V The Duke was 
blessed God for having given so good & pious a prince to reign over then sixty, 
s 4 263 




them J£t Then they approached the five young lords, and kissed 
their hands likewise, wishing at the same time that many fair olive 
branches might yet stand around their table. This made the old 
Duke laugh heartily, and he prayed the states to remain a little and 
drink ewe's milk with them for a pleasant pastime; the shepherds 
would set out the bowls. 

UKE Philip alone went away into the town to ex/ 
amine the library, & all the vases, pictures, statues, 
and other costly works of art, which his deceased 
uncle, Duke Johann Frederick, had collected; and 
these he delivered over to the marshal's care, with 
strict injunctions as to their preservation,^ But a 
strange thing happened next day ; for as the Duke and his sons were 
sitting at breakfast, and the wine • can had just been locked up, 
because each young Lord had drunk his allotted portion, namely, 
seven glasses (the Duke himself only drank six), a lackey entered 
with a note from Sidonia, in which she again demanded the prae^ 
benda, and hoped that his Highness would be more merciful than 
his dead brothers, now that he had succeeded to the duchy. Let 
him, therefore, send an order for her admission to the cloister of 
Marienfliess. The answer was to be laid upon St. Mary's altar J£} 
Here young Lord Francis grew quite pale, and dropped the fork 
from his hands, then spake : " Now, truly, we see this hag learns 
of the devil, for how else could she have known that our gracious 
father had accepted the government, unless Satan had visited her 
in her den ? But let his dearest father be careful. In his opinion, the 
Duke should promise her the praebenda;but as soon as the accursed 
hag showed herself at the cloister (for the devil now kept her con' 
cealed), let her be seized and burned publicly, for a terrible warning 
& example "J& This advice did not please the old Duke. " Franz," 
he said, "thou art a fool, and God forbid that ever thou shouldst 
reign in the land; for know that the word of a prince is sacred. Yes, 
Sidonia shall have the praebenda; but I will not entrap my enemy 
through deceit to death, but will try to win her over by gentleness. 
The chancellor shall answer her instantly, and write another letter 
to the abbess of Petersdorf ; and Sidonia's shall be laid upon the 
altar of St. Mary's this night, as she requested, by one of my lac 
queys" J& Then Duke Philip kissed his pious father's hand, and 
the tears fell from the good youth's eyes as he exclaimed: "Alas, if 
she should murder you too!" J& And here are the two letters, ac^ 
cording to the copies which are yet to be seen in the princely chan^ 
eery. Sub. litt. Marienfliess K, No. 683. 
264 



"We, BogislafF,by the Grace of God, Duke of Stettin, Pomerania, 
Cassuben, and Wenden; Prince of Rugen; Count of Cutzkow, of 
the lands of Lauenburg and Butow; Lord, etc. 
" In consequence of your repeated entreaties for a praebenda in the 
cloister of Marienfliess, We, of our great goodness, hereby grant 
the same unto you; hoping that, in future, you will lead an humble, 
quiet life, as beseems a cloistered maiden, and, in especial, that you 
will always show yourself an obedient and faithful servant of our 
Princely House. So we commit you to God's keeping! 
"Signatum, Old Stettin, the 20th October, 1603. "BogislafT." 
The other letter, to the abbess of Petersdorf, was sent by a salmon 
lad to the convent, as we shall hear further on, and ran thus : 
"We,Bogislan°,etc. 

"Worthy Abbess, trusty and well'beloved friend ! 
" Hereby We send to you a noble damsel, named Sidonia von 
Bork, and desire a cell for her in your cloisters, even as the other 
nuns. We trust that misery may have softened her heart towards 
God, but if she do not demean herself with Christian sobriety, you 
have our commands to send her, along with the fish peasants and 
others, to our court for judgment. God keep you; pray for us ! 
"Signatum, et c. "Bogislaff." 

1HE letter to Sidonia was, in truth, laid that same 
night upon the altar of St. Mary's, by a lacquey, who 
was further desired to hide himself in the church, & 
see whatbecame of it. Now, the fellow had ahorrible 
dread of staying alone in the church by night, so he 
I took the cook, Jeremias Bild, along with him; and 
after they had laid the letter down upon the altar, they crept both 
of them into a high pew close by, belonging to the Aulick Coun^ 
sellor, Dieterick Stempeljg?Now markwhat happened. They had 
been there about an hour, and the moon was pouring down as clear 
as daylight from the high altar window; when all at once, the letter 
uponthe altar began tomoveaboutof itself, as if it were alive, then it 
hopped down upon the floor, from that danced down the altar steps, 
andso on all alongthe nave, though nohumanbeinglaid handsonit 
the while, and not a breath or stir was heard in the church. .. t/^Our 
two carls nearly died of fright, and solemnly attested by oath to his 
Highness the truth of their relation. Thereby young Lord Franz 
was more strengthened in this belief concerning Sidonia s witch' 
craft, and had many arguments with his father in consequence^ 
" His Lord father might easily know that a letter could not move 

265 




jff .*. Something 
similar is related 
in the Seherin of 
Prevorst, where a 

glass of water 
moved of its own 
accord to another 
place 



of itself, without devil's magic. Nowthis letter had moved of itself ; 
ergo/' &c. jg? Whereupon his Highness answered : " When had he 
ever doubted the power of Satan ? Ah, never ; but in this instance 
who could tell what the carls in their fright had seen or not seen ? 
For, perhaps, Sidonia, when she observed them hiding in the pew, 
had stuck a fish-hook into the letter, and so drawn it over to herself. 
He remembered in his youth a trick that had been played on the 
patron, for this patron always went to sleep during the sermon. So 
the sexton let down a fish/hook through the ceiling of the church, 
which, catching hold of the patron's wig, drew it up in the sight of 
the whole congregation, who afterwards swore that they had seen 
the said wig of their patron carried up to the roof of the church by 
witchcraft, and disappear through a hole in the ceiling, as if it had 
been a bird. Some time after, however, the sexton confessed his 
knavery, and the patron's flying wig had been a standing joke in the 
country ever since" jg^But the young lord still shookhishead: "Ah, 
they would yet see who was right. Hewas still of the sameopinion." 
~|UT I shall leave these arguments at once, for the 
] result will fully show which party was in the right. 
Summa: Sidonia, next day, drove in her one-horse 
I cart again to the convent gate of Marienfliess,accom^ 
Ipanied by another old hag as her servant. Now the 
'peasants had just arrived with the salmon,which the 
Duke despatched every fortnight as a present to the convent, and 
the letter of his Grace had arrived also. So many of the nuns were 
assembled on the great steps looking at the fish, and waiting for the 
abbess to divide it amongst them, as was her custom. Others were 
gathered round the abbess, weeping as she told them of the Duke's 
letter, and the good mother herself nearly fainted when she read it 
jfSPSo Sidonia drove straight into the court, as the gates were lying 
open, and shouted:" What the devil! Is this a nun's cloister, where 
all the gates lie open, and the carls come in and out as if it were a 
dove-cot? Shameon ye, for light wantons! Wait; Sidonia will bring 
you into orderj^Ha ! ye turned me out, but now ye must have me, 
whether ye will or no!" J& At such blasphemies the nuns were 
struck dumb. However, the abbess seemed as though she heard 
them not, but advancing, bid Sidonia welcome, and said: "It was 
not possible to receive her into the cloister, until she had command 
from his Grace so to do, which command she now held in her hand" 
J& This softened Sidonia somewhat, and she asked: "What are 
the nuns doing there with the fish?" jg? "Dividing the salmon," 
266 




was the answer j|§FWhereupon she jumped out of the cart, and de^ 
clared that she must get her portion also, for salmon was a right 
good thing for supper J& Whereupon, the sub^prioress, Dorothea 
von Stettin, cuther offa fine large head^piece, which Sidonia, how^ 
ever, pushed away scornfully, crying: " Fie ! what did she mean by 
that? The devil might eat the head^piece, but give her the tail. She 
had never in her life eaten anything but the tailpiece; the tail was 
fatter" J& So the abbess signed to them to give her the tail-end; 
after which, she asked to see her cell, and on being shown it, cried 
out again : " Fie on them ! Was that a cell for a lady of her degree ? 
Why, it was a pig^stye. Let the abbess put her younglitter of nuns 
there ; they would be better in it than running up and down the 
convent court with the fislvcarls. She must and will have the rex 
fectory",^ And when the abbess answered : '• That was the prayer* 
room, where the sisters met nightand morning for vespers and ma*- 
tins;" she heeded not, but said i" Let them pray in the chapel, the 
chapel is large enough " j£$f And so saying, she commanded her maid 
who was no other than Wolde Albrechts, though not a soul in the 
convent knew her, to carryall her luggage straight into the refectory 
J9 What could the poor abbess do? She had to submit, and not 
only give her up the refectory, but findingthat she had no bed, order 
one in for her. Item : Seeing that Sidonia was in rags, she desired 
black serge for a robe to be brought, and a white veil, such as the 
sisterhood wore, and bid the nuns stitch them up for her, thinking 
thus to win her over by kindness jg? Also she desired tables, stools, 
&c, to be arranged in the refectory, since she so ardently desired to 
possess this room. But what fruit all this kindness brought forth we 
shall see in liber tertius. 



267 



SIDONIATHESORCERESS.BOOKIII.FROMTHE 
RECEPTION OF SIDONIA INTO THE CONVENT 
OF MARIENFLIESS UP TILL HER EXECUTION, 
AUGUST 19th 1620,*!* & & &&&&&&&&&&& 

CHAPTER I. HOW THE SUB.PRIORESS DORO. 
THEA STETTIN VISITS SIDONIA AND EXTOLS 
HER VIRTUE. ITEM: OF SIDONIA'S QUARREL 
WITH THE DAIRY. WOMAN, AND HOW SHE 
BEATS THE SHERIFF HIMSELF, EGGERT 
SPARLING, WITH A BROOM-STICK. 

O ST eminent and illustrious Prince! your 
Serene Highness will surely pardon me if 
I pass over, in libro tertio, many of the 
quarrels, bickerings, strifes, and evil deeds, 
with which Sidonia disturbed the peace of 
the convent, and brought many a goodly 
^J-\ jL^^I^ K*9 person therein to a cruel end {first, because 
these things are already much known and 
talked of; and secondly, because such dire 
and Satanic wickedness must not be so 



much as named to gentle ears by me J& I shall, therefore, only set 
down a few of the principal events of her convent life, by which your 
Grace and others may easily conjecture much of what still remains 
unsaid; for truly wickedness advanced and strengthened in her day 
by day, as deca y in a rotting tree. 

HE morning after her arrival in the convent, while 
it was yet quite early, and Wblde Albrechts her lame 
maid was sweepingouttherefectory,thesub'prioress, 
Dorothea Stettin, came to pay her a visit. She had a 
piece of salmon, and a fine haddock's liver on a plate 
to present to the lady, and was full of joy& gratitude 
that so pious and chaste amaiden snouldhave entered this convent. 
"Ah, yes! it was indeed terrible to see how the convent gates lay 
open, and the men folk walked in and out, as the lady herself had 
seen yesterday. And would sister Sidonia believe it, sometimes the 
carls came in barelegged ? Not alone old Matthias Winterfeld, the 
convent porter, but others, yea, even in their shirtsleeves some. 
I times, oh, it was shocking even to think of! She had talked about 
it long enough, though no one heeded her, though truly, she was 



sutvprioress, & ought to have authority. However, if sister Sidonia 

would make common cause with her from this time forth, modesty & 

sobriety mightyetbebrought backto their blessedcloister." Sidonia 

desired nothing better than to make common cause with the good 

simple Dorothea, but for her own purposes J0- Therefore she an^ 

swered: "Ay, truly; this matter of the open gates was a grievous sin 

and shame, what else were these giddy wantons thinking of but 

lovers and matrimony? She really blushed to see them yesterday." 

Ilia : "True, true; that was just it. All about love and marriage was 

the talk for ever amongst them. It made her heart die within her to 

think what the young maidens were nowa'days." 

Haec: "Had she any instances to bring forward? what had they 

done?" 

Ilia: "Alas! instances enough. Why, not long since, a nun had mar/ 

ried with a clerk, & this last chaplain, David Grosskopf, had taken 

another nun to wife himself." 

Haec : "Oh, she was ready to faint with horror." 

Ilia (sobbing, weeping.and falling upon Sidonia's neck) : "God be 

praised that she had found one righteous soul in this Sodom and 

Gomorrah. Now she would swear friendship to her for life & death ! 

And had she a little drop of wine, just to pour on the haddock's 

liver? it tasted so much better stewed in wine; but she would go for 

some of her own. The liver must just get one turn on the fire, and 

then the butter and spices have to be added. She would teach her 

how to do it if she did not know, only let the old maid make up the 

fire." 

Haec : "What was she talking about? Cooking was child's play to 

her; she had other things to cook than haddocks' livers." 

Ilia (weeping) : "Ah! let not her chaste sister be angry; she had 

meant it all in kindness." 

Haec: "No doubt, but why did she call the convent a Sodom and 

Gomorrah ? Did the nuns ever admit a lover into their cells ?" 

Ilia (screaming with horror) : "No, no; fie! how could the chaste 

sister bring her lips to utter such words ?" 

Haec : ""What did she mean, then, by the Sodom and Gomorrah ?" 

Ilia: "Alas! the whole world was a Sodom and Gomorrah, why 

then not the convent, since it lay in the world ? for though we do not 

sin in words or works, yet we may sin in thought, and this was cvy 

dently the case with some of these young things, for if the talk, in 

their hearing, was of marriage, they laughed and tittered, so that it 

was a scandal and abomination ! " 

Haec "But had she anything else to tell her; what had she come 

for?" 

269 



Ilia : " Ah ! she had forgotten. The abbess sent to say, that she must 
begin to knit the gloves directly for the canons of Camyn. Here was 
the thread." 

Haec : " Thousand devils ! what did she mean ?" 
Ilia (crossing herself) : "Ah! the pious sister might let the devils 
alone, though (God be good to us !) the world was indeed full of 
them!" 

Hxc:" What did she mean then by this knitting, to talk to her so, 
the lady of castles and lands ?" 

Ilia: " WTiy, the matter was thus. The revered canons of Camyn, 
who were twelve in number, purchased their beer always from the 
convent, for such had been the usage from the old Catholic times, 
and sent a wagon regularly every half year to fetch it home. In re^ 
turn for this goodness, the nuns knit a pair of thread gloves for each 
canon in spring, and a pair of woollen ones in winter." 
Haec : "Then the devil may knit them if he chooses, but she never 
will. W^hat ! a lady of her rank to knit gloves for these old fat 
paunches ! No, no; the abbess must come to her! Send a message 
to bid her come" j£j? And truly, in a little time, the abbess, Magda/ 
lena von Petersdorf, came as she was bid; for she had resolved to 
try and conquer Sidonia' s pride and insolence by softness and hu^ 
milityj^But what a storm of words fell upon the worthy matron ! 
"Was this treatment, forsooth, for a noble lady? To be told to knit 
gloves for a set of lazy canons. Marry, she had better send the men 
at once to her room to have them tried on. No wonder that levity 
and wantonness should reign throughout the convent !"j@FHere 
the good mother interposed : " But could not sister Sidonia moder/ 
ate her language a little? Such violence ill'became a spiritual maiden. 
If she would not hold by the old usage, let her say so quietly, & then 
she herself, the abbess, would undertake to knit the gloves,since the 
work so displeased her"j^Then she turned to leavethe room, but, 
on opening the door, tumbled right against sister Anna Apenborg, 
who was stuck up close to it, with her ear against the crevice, listens 
ing to what was passing inside. Anna screamed at first, for the good 
mother's head had given her a stout blow, but recovering quickly, 
as the two prioresses passed out, curtsied to Sidonia: "Her name 
was Anna Apenborg. Her father, Elias, dwelt in Nadrensee, near 
Old Stettin, and her great^greatx grandfather Caspar had been with 
Bogislaff X. in the Holy Land. She had come to pay her respects 
to the new sister, for she was cooking in the kitchen yesterday when 
the lady arrived, and never got a sight of her, but she heard that this 
270 



dear newsister was a great lady, with castles and lands. Her father's 
cabin was only a poor thing thatched with straw/' &c. jSPAll this 
pleased the proud Sidonia mightily, so she beckoned her into the 
room, where the aforesaid Anna immediately began to stare about 
her, and devour everything with her eyes; but seeing such scanty 
furniture, remarked inquiringly: "The dear sister's goods are, of 
course, on the road?",j^This spoiledall Sidonia's good humour in 
a moment, and she snappishly asked, "What brought her there ?" 
jgFHereupon the other excused herself: "The maid had told her 
that the dear sister was going to eat her salmon for her lunch, with 
bread and butter, but it was much better with kale, and if she had 
none, her maid might come down now and cut some in the garden. 
This was what she had to say.She heard indeed thatthesub^prioress 
& Agnes Kleist ate their salmon stewed in butter, but that was too 
rich ; for one should be very particular about salmon, it was so apt 
to disagree. However, if sister Sidonia would just mind her, she 
would teach her all the differentways of dressing it, and no onewas 
ever the worse for eating salmon, if they followed her plan"j^But 
before Sidonia had time to answer, the chatterbox had run to the 
doorand lifted the latch : "Therewas a strange woman inthecourt' 
yard, with something under her apron. She must go and see what 
it was, but would be back again instantly with the news"jjg?In a 
short time she returned, bringing along with her Sheriff Sparling's 
dairy^woman, who carried a large bundle of flax under her apron. 
This she set down before Sidonia: "And his Worship bid her say 
that she must spin all this for him without delay, for he wanted a 
new set of shirts, & the thread must be with the weaver by Christ^ 
mas"iJ^When Sidoniaheard this,she fell into a rightrage in earn' 
est: "May the devil ring his ears, the peasant carl! To send such 
a message toaladyof her degree ! "jg?Then she pitched the flax out 
of the door, and wanted to shove the dairy /woman out after it but 
she stopped, and said: " His Worship gave all the nuns a bushel of 
seed for their trouble, and sowed it for them; so she had better do as 
the others did" J& Sidonia, however, was not to be appeased: 
" May the devil take her and her flax, if she did not trot out of that 
instantly "j^So she pushed thepoorwomanout,and then panting 
and blowing with rage, asked Anna Apenborg to tell her what this 
boor of a sheriff was like ?" 

Ilia: " He was a strange man. Ate fish every day, and always cooked 
the one way, namely, in beer. How this was possible she could not 
understand. To-day she heard he was to have pike for his dinner." 

271 



Haec: "Was she asking the fool what he ate? What did she care 
abouthis dinners? But what sortof man was he,and did all thenuns 
in truth spin for him ? " 

Ilia: "Ay, truly, except Barbara Schetzkow; she was deadnow. But 
once when he went storming to her cell, she just turned him out, and 
so she had peace ever after. For he roared like a bear, but, in truth, 
was a cowardly rabbit this same sheriff. And she heard, that one 
time, when he was challenged by a noble, he shrank away, & never 
stoodup to his quarrel "^^ But just then, in walked the sheriff hinv 
self, with a ho'rse/'whipinhishand. He was a thickset, gray^headed 
fellow, and roared at Sidonia: "What? thou old, lean hag, so thou 
wilt spin no flax ? May the devil take thee, but thou shalt obey my 
commands ! "J& While he thus scolded, Sidonia quietly caught hold 
of the broom, and grasping it with both hands, gave such a blow with 
the handle on the gray pateof the sheriff that he tumbled against the 
door, while she screamed out: "Ha! thou peasant boor, take that for 
calling me a hag, the lady of castles and lands Vj^Then she struck 
him again and again, till the sheriff at last got the door open and 
bolted out, running down the stairs as hard as he could, and into the 
courtyard, where, when he was safely landed, he shook the horses- 
whip up at Sidonia's windows, crying out :j£f" I will make you pay 
dear for this. Anna Apenborgwas witness of the assault. I will swear 
information this very day before his Highness, how the hag as^ 
saulted me, the sheriff, and superintendent of the convent, in the 
performance of my duty; and pray him to deliver an honourable 
cloister from the presence of such a vagabond ",j^Then he went to 
the abbess, and begged her and the nuns to sustain him in his acx 
cusation. Such wickedness and arrogance had never yet been seen 
under the sun. Let the good abbess only feel his head; there was a 
lump as big as an egg on it. Truly, he had had a mind to horsewhip 
her black and blue; but that would have been illegal; so he thanked 
God that he had restrained himself"j$?Then he made the abbess 
feel his head again; also, Anna Apenborg, who happened to come 
in at that moment. 

UT the worthy mother knew not what to do. She 

told the sheriff of Sidonia's behaviour as she drove 

into the convent; also, how she had possessed herself 

of the refectory by force, refused to knit or spin, and 

had sent for her, the abbess, bidding her come to her, 

las if she were no better than a serving/wench^At 

last, the sheriff desired all the nuns to be sent for, and in their pre/ 

272 




sence drew up a petition to his Highness, praying that the honour^ 
able convent might be delivered from the presence of this dragon, 
for that no peace could be expected within the walls until this vaga^ 
bond and evil-minded old hag were turned out on the road again, or 
wherever else his Highness pleased. Every one present signed this, 
with the exception of Anna Apenborg& the sub^prioress Dorothea 
Stettin. And many think that in consideration of this gentleness, 
Sidonia afterwards spared their lives, and did not bring them to a 
premature grave, like as she did the worthy abbess and othersjgs? 
For, the next timethatshe caught Annaat heroldhabit of listening, 
Sidonia said, while boxing her: "You should get something worse 
than a boxontheear,onlyforyour refusal to sign thatlying petition 
to his Highness "j^Summa: After a few days, an answer arrived 
from his Grace the Duke of Stettin, and the abbess, with the sheriff, 
proceeded with it to Sidonia' s apartmentjjJ5?They found her brew 
ing beer, an art in which she excelled; and the letter which they 
handed to her ran thus, according to the copy received likewise by 
the convent: 

"We, Bogislaff, by the grace of God, Duke of Stettin, etc. 
" Havingheard from our sheriffand thepious sisterhood ofMarien^ 
fliess, of thy unseemly behaviour, in causing uproars and tumults 
in the convent; further, of thy having struck our worthy sheriff on 
the head with a broom-stick, We hereby declare, desire, and com/ 
mand, that, unless thou givest due obedience to the authorities, lay 
and spiritual, doing this well, with humility and meekness, even as 
the other sisters, the said authorities shall have full power to turn 
thee out of the convent, by means of their bailiffs or otherwise, as 
they please, givingthee back again to that perdition from which thou 
wast rescued. Further, thou art herewith to deliver up the refectory 
to the abbess, of which We hear thou hast shamefully possessed 
thyself. 

" Old Stettin, loth November, 1603. " Bogislaff." 

j^Sidonia scarcely looked at the letter, but thrust it under the pot 
on the fire, where it soon blazed away to help the brewing, and ex>- 
claimed: "They had forged itbetween them; the prince neverwrote 
a line of it. Nor would he have sent it to her by the hands of her 
enemies. Letit burn there. Littletrouble would shetake to read their 
villainy. But never fear, they should have something in return for 
their pains" J& Hereupon she blew on them both, and they had 
scarcely reached the court, after leaving her apartment, when both 
were seized with excruciating pains in their limbs; both the sheriff 

ti 273 



• \ "So claw and so 

scratch 

My dogs and my 

cats. 



n 



/."So claw and so 
scratch 



Our dogs and our 
cats/ 



tt 



andtheabbesswereaffected in precisely the same way, aviolentpain 
first in the little finger, then on through the hand, up the arm; finally 
throughoutthe whole frame, as if the members weretearing asunder, 
till they both screamed aloud for very agony. Doctor Schwalenberg 
is sent for from Stargard, but his salve does no good; they grow 
worse rather, andtheir cries are dreadful to listen to, for the pain has 
become intolerablej^So my brave sheriff turns from a roaring ox 
into a poor cowardly hare, and sends off the dairy /woman with a 
fine haunch of venison and a sweetbread to Sidonia : " His Wbr^ 
ship's compliments to the illustrious lady with these, and begged to 
know if she could send him anything good for the rheumatism, 
which had attacked him quite suddenly. The Stargard doctor was 
not worth the air he breathed, and his salve had only made him 
worse in place of better. He would send the illustrious lady also some 
pounds of wax'lights; she might like them through the winter, but 
they were not made yet" j£j? w hen Sidonia heard this, she laughed 
loudly, danced about, and repeated the verse which was then heard 
for the first time from her lips; but afterwards she made use of it, 
when about any evil deed : 
"Also kleien und also kratzen, 
Meine Hunde und meine Katzen." 

j!^The dairy^woman stood by in silent wonder, first looking at Su 
donia, then at Wolde, who began to dance likewise, and chanted : 
" Also kleien und also kratzen, 
Unsre Hunde und unsre Katzen." ,v 

J^At last Sidonia answered: "This time I will help him ; but if he 
ever bring the roaring ox out of the stall again, assuredly he will rex 
pentit , ' L ^Hereonthedairy^motherturned to depart, but suddenly 
stood quite still, staring at Anne Wolde; at length said: " Did I not 
see thee years ago spinning flax in my mother's cellar, when the folk 
wanted to bring thee to an ill end? \0 But the hag denied it all: 
"The devil may have been in her mother's cellar, but she had never 
seen Marienfliess in her life before, till she came hither with this iV 
lustrious lady "j^So the other seemed to believe her, and went out, 
and by the time she reached her master's door, his pains had all 
vanished, so that he rode that same day at noon to the hunt. 
^> ■^^^jHE poor abbess heard of all this through Anna Apen^ 

borg, and thereupon bethoughtherself of a little em^ 
bassy likewisejgFSo she bid Anna take all sorts of 
good pastry, & a new kettle, and greet Lady Sidonia 
from her : " Could the dear sister give her anything 
for the rheumatism ? She heard the sheriff was quite 



274 



cured, and all the doctor's salves and plasters were only making her 
worse. She sent the dear sister a few dainties, item, a new kettle, as 
her own kettle had not yet arrived. Item, she begged her acceptance 
of all the furniture, &c. which she had lent her for her apartment. 
At this second message the horrible witch laughed and danced as 
before, repeating the same couplet; and the old hag, Wolde, danced 
behind her like her shadow J& N ow Anna Apenborg's curiosity was 
excited in the highest degree at all this, and her feet began to beat up 
and down on the floor as if she were dying to dance likewise; at last 
she exclaimed : " Ah, dear lady ! what is the meaning of that ? Could 
you not teach it to me, if it cures the rheumatism ? that is, if there 
be no devil's work in it (from which God keep us). I have twelve 
pounds of wool lying by me; will you take it, dear Lady, for teach- 
ing me the secret?"^ But Sidonia answered, "Keep your wool, 
good Anna, and I will keep my secret, seeing that it is impossible 
for me to teach it to you ; for know, that a woman can only learn it 
of a man, and a man of a woman; and this we call the doctrine of 
sympathies. However, go your ways now, and tell the abbess that, 
if she does my will, I will visit her and see what I can do to help her ; 
but, remember, my will she mustdo"j^Hereupon sister Anna was 
all eagerness to know what her will was, but Sidonia bade her hold 
hertongue,andthenlocked up the viands in the press, while Wolde 
went into the kitchen with the kettle, where Anna Apenborg fol- 
lowed her slowly, to try and pick something out of the old hag, but 
without any success, as one may easily imagine. 

CHAPTERII.HOWSIDONIAVISITSTHE ABBESS, 
MAGDALENA VON PETERSDORF, & EXPLAINS 
HER WISHES, BUT IS DIVERTED TO OTHER 
OBJECTS BY A SIGHT OF DAVID LUDECK, THE 
CHAPLAIN TO THE CONVENT. 

HEN Sidonia went to visit the abbess, 
as she had promised, she found her lying 
in bed and moaning, so that it might nave 
melted the heart of a stone; but the old 
witch seemed quite surprised : " What 
could be the matter with the dear good mo- 
ther ? But by God's help she would try and 
cure her. Only, concerning this little mat- 
ter of the refectory, itmightas well be settled 
_ first, for Anna Apenborg told her the 
room was to be taken from her, but would not the good mother 
t2 275 




permit her to keep it?" And when the tortured matron answered : 
"Oh, yes ; keep it, keep it," Sidonia went on : "There was just 
another little favour she expected for curing her dear mother (for, 
by God's help, she expected to cure her). This was, to make her 
sulvprioress in the place of Dorothea Stettin; for, in the first place, 
the situation was due to her rank, she being the most illustrious 
lady in the convent, dowered with castles and lands; secondly, be/ 
cause her illustrious forefathers had helped to found this convent; 
and thirdly, it was due to her age, for she was the natural mother of 
all these young doves, and much more fitted to keep them in order 
and strict behaviour than Dorothea Stettin" jg? Here the abbess 
answered: H How could she make her sub^prioress while the other 
lived? This was not to be done? Truly sister Dorothea was some/ 
what prudish and whining, this she could not deny, for she had 
suffered many crosses in her path ; but, withal, she was an upright, 
honest creature, with the best and simplest heart in the world ; and 
so little selfishness, that verily she would lay down her life for the 
sisterhood, if it were necessary." 

Ilia: " A good heart was all very well, but what could it do without 
respect? And how could a poor fool be respected who fell into fits if 
she saw a bride, particularly here, where the young sisters thought 
of nothing but marriage, from morning till night/ 
Haec: "Yet she was held in great respect & honour by all the sister/ 
hood, as she herself could testify." 

Ilia : " Stuff! she must be sub^prioress, and there was an end of it, 
or the abbess might lie groaning there till she was as stiff as a pole. 
"Alas, Sidonia," answered the abbess, "I would rather lie here as 
stiff as a pole, or, in other words, lie here a corpse, for I understand 
thy meaning, than do aught that was unjust." 
Ilia: "What was unjust? The old goose need not be turned out of 
her office by force, but persuaded out of it; that would be an easy 
matter, if she were so humble and excellent a creature." 

ixc : " But then deceit must be practised, and that she could never 
bring herself to." 

Ilia : "Yet you could all practise deceit against me, and send off that 
complaint to his Highness the Prince." 

Haec: "There was no falsehood there nor deceit, buttheopenly ex/ 
pressed wish of the whole convent, and of hisWorship the sheriff." 
Ilia: " Then letthe whole convent and his Worship the sheriff make 
her well again; she would not trouble herself about the matter." 
Whereupon she rose to depart, but the suffering abbess stretched 
27 6 



out her hands, and begged for the sake of Jesus, that she would re/ 

lease her from this torture J& "Take everything, everything thou 

wishest, Sidonia, only leave me my good conscience. Thy dying 

hour must one day come, too ; oh, think on that." 

Ilia : "The dying hour is a long way off yet," and she moved to the 

door. 

Hxc (murmuring]: 

"Why should health from God estrange thee? . 

Morning cometh and may change thee; 

Life, to/day, its hues may borrow 

WTiere the grave/worm feeds to/morrow. 

Ilia : '*■ Lookto yourself then. Speak ! Make me sub/prioress, and be 

cured on the instant." 

Haec (turning herself back upon the pillow) s "No, no, temptress; 

begone : 

" ' Softest pillow for the dying, 

Is a conscience void of dread.' 

Go, leave me; my life is in the hand of God. ' For if we live, we live 

unto the Lord; and if we die, we die unto the Lord. Living, there/ 

fore, or dying, we are the Lord's'" J& So saying, the pious mother 

turned her face to the wall, and Sidonia went out of the chamber. 

N a little while, however, she returned: "Would the 
good mother promise, at least, to offer no opposition, 
if Dorothea Stettin proposed, of her own free will, 
to resign the office of sub/prioress ? If so,lether reach 
forth her hand, she would soon find the pains leave 
her" J& The poor abbess assented to this, and, oh, 
wonder 1 as it came, so it went; first out of the little finger, and then 
by degrees out of the whole body, so that the old mother wept for 
joy, and thanked her murderess J& Just then the door opened, and 
David Ludeck,the chaplain whom the abbess had sent for, entered 
in his surplice. He was a fine tall man, of about thirty/five years, 
with bright red lips and jet/black beard jg? He wondered much on 
hearing how the abbess had been cured by what Sidonia called 
"sympathies," and smelled devil's work in it, but said nothing, for 
he was afraid; spoke kindly to the witch/hag even, and extolled her 
learning and the nobility of her race; declaring that he knew well 
thatthe Von Borkshad helped mainly to found this cloister^This 
mightily pleased the sorceress, and she grew quite friendly, asking 
him at last: "What news he had of his wife and children? And 
when he answered : " He had no wife nor children, her eyes lit up 
t 3 *77 




again like old cinders, and she began to jest with him about his going 
about so freely in a cloister, as she observed he did. But when she 
saw that the priest looked grave at the jestings, she changed her 
tone, and demurely asked him "if he would be ready after sermon 
on Sunday to assist at her assuming the nun's dress; for though 
many had given up this old usage, yet she would hold by it, for 
love of Jesu." This pleased the priest, and he promised to be pre/ 
pared. Then Sidonia took her leave; but scarcely had she reached 
her own apartment when she sent for Anna Apenborg. "What 
sort of man was this chaplain ? she saw that he went about the con/ 
vent at his pleasure. This was strange when he was unmarried." 
Ilia: "He was a right friendly and well /behaved gentleman. No/ 
thing unseemly in word or deed had ever been heard of him." 
Haec : "Then he must have some private love/affair." 
Ilia: "Some said he was paying court to Bamberg's sister there in 
Jacobshagen." 

Haec : " Ha ! very probable. But was it true ? for otherwise he should 
not go about amongst the nuns the way he did. It was quite abom/ 
inable: an unmarried man; Dorothea Stettin was right. But how 
could they ascertain the fact ?" 

Ilia: "Thatwas easily done.She was goingnext morningto Jacobs/ 
hagen, and would make out the whole story for her. Indeed, she 
herself, too, was curious about it." 

Haec : "All right. This must be done for the honour of the cloister. 
For according to the rules of 1569, the court chaplain was to be an 
old man, who should teach the sisters to read and write. Whereas, 
here was a fine carl with red lips and a black beard; unmarried too. 
Did he perchance ever teach any of them to read or write ? " 
Ilia : " No ; for they all knew how already." 

Haec : « Still there was something wrong in it. No, no, in such mat/ 
ters youth has no truth ; Dorothea Stettin was quite right. Ah, what 
a wonderful creature, that excellent Dorothea! Such modesty and 
purity she had never met with before. Would that all young maid/ 
ens were like her, and then this wicked world would be something 
better." 

Ilia (sighing) : "Ah, yes; but then sister Dorothea went rather far 
in her notions. 

Haec : " How so ? In these matters one could never go too far." 
Ilia : "Why, when a couple were called in church, or a woman was 
churched, Dorothea nearly fainted. Then, there was a niche in the 
chancel for which old Duke Barnim had given them an Adam and 
278 







Eve, which he turned and carved himself. But Dorothea was quite 
shocked at the Adam, and made a little apron to hang before him, 
though the abbess & the whole convent said that it was not neces^ 
sary. But she told them, that unless Adam wore his apron, never 
would she set foot in the chapel. Now truly this was going rather 
far. Item, she had been heard to wonder how the Lord God could 
send all the animals naked into the world; as cats, dogs, horses, and 
the like. Indeed she one day disputed sharply on the matter with 
the chaplain; but he only laughed at her, whereupon Dorothea 
went away in a sulk." 

2ERE Sidonia laughed outright too; but soon said 
with grave decorum : " Quite right. The excellent 
Dorothea was a treasure above all treasures for the 
convent. Ah, such chastity and virtue were rarely to 
be met with in this wicked world" J& Now Anna 
J Apenborg had hardly turned her back, to go and 
chatter all this back again to the sub/-prioress, when Sidonia pre 
ceeded to tap some of her beer, and called the convent porter to her, 
Matthias Winterfeld, bidding him carry it with her greetings to 
the chaplain, David Ludeck. (For her own maid Wolde was lame, 
ever since the racking she got at Wolgast. So Sidonia was in the 
habit of sending the porter on all her messages, much to his annoy 
ance.) When he came now he was in his shirt sleeves, at which Si' 
donia was wroth : "What did he mean by going about the convent 
in shirt sleeves ? Never let him appear before her eyes in such mv 
seemly trim. And was this a time even for shirt sleeves, when they 
were in the month of November? but winter or summer he must 
never appear so "^Hereupon the fellow excused himself. He was 
killing geese for some of the nuns, and had just put off his coat, not 
to have it spoiled by the down; but she is nothing mollified; scolds 
him still, so the fellow makes off without another word, fearing he 
might get a touch of the rheumatism, like the abbess and his wor^ 
ship the sheriff, and carries the beer^can to the reverend chaplain, 
from whom he soon brings back "his grateful acknowledgments to 
the Lady Sidonia." 

WO days now passed over, but on the third monv 
ing Anna Apenborg trotted in to the refectory full 
of news. She was quite tired from her journevyes^ 
terday; for the snow was deep on the roads, but to 
pleasure sister Sidonia (and besides, as it was a mat' 
I ter that concerned the honour of the convent) she 
t 4 2 79 




had set off to Jacobshagen, though indeed the snowlay ankle^deep. 

However, she was well repaid, and had heard all she wanted; oh, 

there was great news I" 

Ilia: "Quick! what? how? why? Remember it is for the honour 

and reputation of the entire convent." 

Haec : " She had first gone to one person, who pretended not to 

know anything at all of the matter, but then another person had 

told her the whole story; under the seal of the strictest secrecy, 

however." 

Ilia: "What is it? what is it? How she went on chattering of no^ 

thing." 

Haec : '* But will the dear sister promise not to breathe it to mortal ? 

She would be ruined with her best friend otherwise." 

Ilia: "Nonsense, girl; who could I repeat it to? Come, out with 

it I " J& So Anna began, in a very long-winded manner, to explain 

how the burgomaster's wife in Jacobshagen said that her maid 

said that Provost Bamberg's maid said, that while she was sweeps 

ing his study the other morning, she heard the provost's sister say 

to her brother in the adjoining room, that she could not bear the 

chaplain David Ludeck, for he had been visiting there off and on 

for ever so long, and yet never had asked her the question. He was 

a faint-hearted coward evidently, and she hated faint-hearted men. 

jg? Sidonia grew as red as a fire^beacon when she heard this, and 

walked up and down the apartment as if much perturbed, so that 

Anna asked if the dear sister were ill ? " No," was the answer. "She 

was only thinking how best to get rid of this priest, & prevent him 

running in and out of the convent whenever he pleased. She must 

try & have an order issued, that he was only to visit the nuns when 

they were sick. This very day she would see about it. Could the 

food Anna tell her what the sheriff had for lunch to-day?" 
Ha: "Ay, truly, could she; for the milk'girl who had brought her 
some fresh milk, told her that he had got plenty of wild fowl, which 
the keeper had snared in the net; and there was to be a sweet'bread 
besides. But what was the dear sister herself to eat?" 
Haec: "No matter, but did she not hear a great ringing of bells? 
What could the ringing be for ?" 

Ilia : "That was a strange thing, truly. And there was no one dead, 
nor any child to be christened, that she had heard of. She would 
just run out and see, and bring the dear sister word." 
Ilia: "Well then, wait till evening, for it is near noon now, and I 
expect a guest to lunch." 
280 




Haec : " E h ? a guest ! and who could ft be ?" 

Ilia: "Why the chaplain himself. I want to arrange about his dis' 

missal." 

JO, hardly had she got rid of the chatterbox, when 
I Sidonia called the porter Matthias, and bid him greet 
the reverend chaplain from her, and say, that as she 
had somewhat to ask him concerning the investiture 
J on Sunday, would he beher guest that dayat dinner? 
I She hoped to have some game, with a sweetbread, 
and excellent beer to set before himjg? when the porter returned 
with the answer from his Reverence, accepting the invitation, she 
sent him straight to the sheriff with a couple of covered dishes, and 
a message, begging his Worship to send her half-a-dozen brace or 
so of game, for she heard that a great many had been taken in his 
nets; and a sweetbread, if he had it, for she had a guest to-day at 
dinner J& So the dishes came back full, everything just ready to be 
served; for the cunning hag knew well that he dare not refuse her 
and immediately afterwards the priest arrived to dinner. He was 
very friendly, but Sidonia caught him looking very suspiciously at 
a couple of brooms, which she had laid crosswise under the table. 
So she observed : " I lay these brooms there, to preserve our dear 
mother & the sheriff from falling again into this sickness. It is part 
of the doctrine of sympathies, and llearned it out of my Herbal as 
I can show you." Upon which she went to her trunk & got the book 
for the priest, whose fears diminished when he saw that it was 
printed, but he could not prevail on her to lend ittohimjjgPSumma: 
The priest grew still more friendly over the good eating and drinks 
ing; and she, the old hypocrite, discoursed him the while about her 
heavenly bridegroom, & threw up her eyes and sighed, at the same 
time pressing his hand fervently. Butthe priest never minded it, for 
she was old enough to be his mother, and besides, he remembered 
the Scripture: "No man can call Jesus lord, except through the 
Holy Ghost." So as her every third word was "Jesus," he looked 
upon her as a most discreet and pious Christian, and went away 
much satisfied by her and the good dinner. 



281 



mi 




CHAPTER III. SIDONIA TRIES ANOTHER WAY 
TO CATCH THE PRIEST, BUT FAILS THROUGH 
A MISTAKE. ITEM; OF HER HORRIBLE SPELL, 
WHEREBYSHE BEWITCHED THE WHOLE 
PRINCELY RACE OF POMERANIA, SO THAT TO 

• Mr*, «f n„V, THE GRIEVOUS SORROW OF THEIR FATHER. 

r^; Vyiv LAND,THEYREMAIN BARREN EVEN UNTO 

nogisian .^1 v . THIS DAY* 

"Ay, and will to raCTg ^ Va^hA S soon as the pious abbess was able to 
the last day, vceh ^E^^^^ ^ leave her bed, she sent for the priest, for 

B^^^a^^^rtl i r1« S * 1C ^ a ^ stran g c suspicions about Sidonia, 

and asked the reverend clerk, if indeed her 

cure could have been effected by sympa. 

thy? and were it not rather some work of 

the bodily Satan himself? But my priest 

assured her concerning Sidonia's Chris. 

tian faith; item, told, to the great wonder. 

ment of the abbess, that she no longer 

cared for the sub.prioret (we know why, she would sooner have the 

priest than the prioret), but was content to let Dorothea Stettin 

keep it or resign it, just as she pleased J& After this, the investiture 

of Sidonia took place, and the priest blessed her at the altar, and 

admonished her to take as her model the wise virgins mentioned 

Matt. xxv. (but God knows, she had followed the foolish virgins 

up to that period, and never ceased doing so to the end of her days) 

jS?Even on that very night, we shall see her conduct; for she bid 

her maid Wolde run and call up the convent porter, and dispatch 

him instantly for the priest, saying that she was very ill, and he 

must come and pray with her. This excited no suspicion, since she 

herself had forbade the priest entering the convent, unless any of 

the sisters were sick. But Anna Apenborg slipped out of bed when 

she heard the noise, and watched from the windows for the porter's 

return. Then she tossed up the window, though the snow blew in 

all over her bed, and called out: "Well, what says he? will he come? 

will he come V'J& And when the fellow grunted in answer, "Yes, 

he's coming," she wrapped a garment round her, and set herself to 

watch, though her teeth were chattering from cold all the time. In 

due time the priest came, whereupon the curious virgin crept out of 

her garret, &down the stairs to a little window in the passage which 

looked in upon the refectory, and through which, in former times, 

provisions were sometimes handed in. There she could hear every. 

282 



thing that passedj£?When the priest entered, Sidonfa stretched 

out her meagre arms towards him, and thanked him for coming; 

wouldhe sitdownhere on the bed,forthere was no other seat in the 

room? she had much to tell him that was truly wonderful. But the 

priest remained standing: let her speak on. 

Ilia: "Ah! it concerned himself. She had dreamt a strange dream 

(God be thanked that it was not a reality), but it left her no peace. 

Three times she awoke, and three fell asleep and dreamt it again. 

At last she sent for him, for there might be danger in store for him, 

and she would turn it away if possible." 

Hie : " It was strange, truly. What then had she dreamed ?" 

Ilia: "It seemed to her that murderers had got up into his room 

through the window, and just as they were on the point of strangle 

ing him, she had appeared and put them to flight, whereupon" .... 

here she paused and sighed. 

Hie (in great agitation): "Go on, for God's sake go on, what 

further?" 

Ilia : "Whereupon, ah ! she must tell him now, since he forced her 

to do it. Whereupon, out of gratitude, he took her to be his wife 

and they were married" (signing, and holding both hands before 

her eyes) . 

Hie (clasping his hands): "Merciful Heaven! how strange! I 

dreamt all that precisely myself . J^Upon which Sidonia cried 

out: " How can it be possible ? Oh, it is the will of God, David; it is 

the will of God ! " and she seized him by both hands j%? But the 

priest remained as cold as the snow outside, drewback his head and be rtus Magnus 

said : " Ah ! no doubt these absurdities about marriage came into my {"£| atcs ( de ^ Irabl ' 

head, because I had been thinking so much over our young Lord " s ^unai 205; 

Philip of Wolgast, who was wedded to-day at Berlin ^j^Sidonia , horrible 

started up at this, and screamed in rage and anger: "What 1 Duke ° rca " 1 scanbeprO'' 

Philip married Way in Berlin ?The accursed prioress told me the duCed , Y £ ng 

wedding was not to be for eight days after the next new moon"j^ dcrX pillow^ 

He also gives a receipt for making women tell their secrets in sleep (butthis I shall keep 

tomyself); such phenomena are neither physiologically nor psychologically impossible, 

but our modern physiologists are content to take the mere poor form of nature, dissect 

it, anatomize it, and then bury it beneath the sand of their hypothesis. Thus, indeed, 

"the dead bury their dead," while all the strange, mysterious, inner powers of nature 

which the philosophers of the middle ages, as Psellus, Albertus Magnus, Trithemius, 

Cardanus, Theophrastus, &c, did so much to elucidate, are at once flippantly and 

ignorantly placed in the category of" Superstitions," " Absurdities," & " Artful Decep^ 



V The power of 
producing parties 
ular dreams by vo' 
Iition, was recog^ 
nised by the an' 
cients & philosO' 
phers of the mid' 
die ages. Ex. Al' 



tions. 



283 




The priestnowwas more astonished at her manner than even at the 
coincidence of the dreams, & he started back from the bed. "Where-* 
upon,perceivingthe mistake she had made, the horrible witch threw 
herself down again, and letting her head fall upon the pillow, mur/ 
mured: "Oh! my head! my head! She must have locked up the 
moon in the cellar. How will the poor people see now by night? why 
did the prioress lock up the moon ? Oh ! my head ! my head ! " Then 
she thanked the priest for coming, it was so good of him; but she 
was worse, much worse. "Ah! her head! her head! Better go now, 
butlethimcomeagaininthemorningto seeher/'Sothe good priest 
believed in truth that the detestable hag was very ill, and evidently 
suffering from fever; so he went his way pitying her much, & with' 
out the least su spicion of her wicked purposes. 

|CARCELY,however,hadheclosedthedoor,when 
1 Sidonia sprang like a cat from her bed, & called out, 
" Wolde, Wolde!" And as the old witch hobbled in 
with her lame leg, Sidonia raged and stamped, cry 
ing out:"The accursed abbess has lied tome. Ernest 
J Ludovicus' brat was married to-day at Berlin. Oh ! 
if I am too late now, as on his father's marriage, I shall hang myself 
in the laundry. "Where is Chim, the good-for-nothing spirit ? he 
should have seen to this." And she dragged him out and beat him, 
while he quaked like a hare J& "Whereupon "Wolde called out: 
" Bring the padlock from the trunk." The other answered : ** What 
use now?the bridal pair are long since wedded & asleep ."To which 
the old witch replied: " No; it is twelve o'clock here, but in Berlin 
it wants a quarter to it yet. There is time. The Berlin brides never 
retire to their apartment till the clock strikes twelve. There is time 
still" j/tj?" Then," exclaimed Sidonia, "since the devil cannot tell 
me on what day they hold bridal, I will make an end now of the 
whole accursed griffin brood in all its relationships, branch and root, 
now and for evermore, in "Wolgast as in Stettin; be they destroyed 
& rooted out for ever and for ever." Then she took the padlock, and 
murmured some words over it, of which Anna Apenborg couldonly 
catch the names, Philip, Francis, George, Ulrich, Bogislaff, who 
were all sons to Duke BogislafF XIII., and in truth died each one 
without leaving an heir. And, during the incantation, the light 
trembled and burned dim upon the table, and the thing which she 
had beaten seemed to speak with a human voice, and the bells on 
the turret swung in the wind with a low sound, so that Anna fell on 
her knees from horror, and scarcely dared to breathe jffi Then the 
284 



. 



accursed sorceress gave the padlock and key to Wolde, bidding her 
go forth by night and fling it into the sea, repeating the words : 
"Hid deep in the sea 
Let my dark spell be, 
For ever, for ever! 
To rise up never I " 

Then Wolde asked: "Had she forgottenDukeCasimir?" Wherex 
at Sidonia laughed and said: "The spell had long been on him." 
And immediately after, Anna Apenborg beheld three shadows, in 
place oftwo, thrown uponthewhitewall opposite the little window. 
So she strengthened her heart to look in, & truly there was another 
form present now J& And the three danced together, and chanted 
strange rhymes, while the shadows on the wall danced up & down 
likewise. Then a deep bass voice called out: "Ha! there is Christ^ 
ian flesh here! Ha! there is Christian flesh!" Whereupon Anna, 
though nearly dead with fright, crept up to her garret on her knees, 
while loud laughter resounded behind her; and it seemed as if old 
pots were flung up the stairs after her. .'. For the rest of that night, 
she could not close her eyes. 

~JEXT morning, one can easily imagine with what 
eagerness she hurried to the abbess, to relate thepast 
night's horrible tale. Sidonia likewise is astir early, 
for by daybreak she despatched her old lame Wolde 
to the chaplain (the porter was not up yet) with a can 
of beer for his great trouble the night before, and 
trusted it would strengthen his heart. In this beer she had poured 
her detestable love^philtrum, to awaken a passion for herself in the 
breast of the Reverend David, but it turned out quite otherwise, & 
ended after the most ludicrous fashion, no doubt all owing to the 

.♦. Note of Duke BogislaffXIV. Incredibile sane, et tamen verum. 

Cur, mi Deus ? (It is impossible, and yet how true. Wherefore, my 

God?) 

The spell by knotting the girdle is noticed by Virgil, 8th eclogue i 

" Necte tribus nodis ternos Amarylli colores; 

Necte Amarylli modo, et Veneris die vincula necto." 

(In three knots Amaryllis weaves three different colours; 

Amaryllis knots and says: I knot the girdle of Venus.) 

The use of the padlockis notmentioned until the middle ages, when 

it seems to have been somuch employed thatsevere ordinances were 

directed against its use. 

285 




malice of the spirit Chim, in revenge for the blows she had given 
him the night previous; for, behold, as soon as the priest had swal<» 
lowed a right good draught of beer, he began to stare at the old hag 
and murmur; then he passed his hand over his eyes, and motioned 
her to remain. Again he looked at her, twice, thrice, put some silver 
into her hand, and at last spake: "Ah! Wolde, what a beautiful 
creature you are! Where have my eyes been, that I never discovered 
this before ?"j$FThe cunning hag saw now plainly what the drink 
had done, and which way the wind blew. So she sat herself down 
simpering, by the stove, and my priest crept up close beside her; he 
took her hand: "Ah! how fat and plump it was, such a beautiful 
hand" J& But the old hag drew it back, saying : " Let me go, Mr. 
David!" To which he answered: "Yes, go, my treasure. I love to 
see you walk. What an exquisite limp. How stupid are men now/ 
a/days not to see all the beauty of a limp. Ah ! Venus knew it well, 
and therefore chose Vulcan, for he too limped like my Wblde. Give 
me a kiss then, loveliest of women. Ah ! what enchanting, snow 
white hair, like the purest silver, has my treasure on her head." 

JJJOwondertheoldlamehagwastickledwiththecom^ 
jmendations, for, in all the sixty years of her life, she 
[never had heard the like before. But she played the 
prude, and pushed away the priest with her hand, 
just as, by good fortune,amessengerfromtheabbess 
I knocked atthe door, with arequestthatthe chaplain 
would cometo the good mother without delay. Sothe old hag went 
away with the maid of the abbess, and the priest stopped to dress 
himself more decently j2? But in some time the abbess, who was on 
the watch, saw him striding past her door; so she opened her win" 
dow and called out to know," Where was he going? Had he for« 
gotten that she lived there?" To which he answered: "He must 
First visit Sidonia." At this the worthy matron stared at him in hor^ 
ror ; but my priest went on ; and as he cared more for the maid than 
the mistress now, ran at once into the kitchen, without waiting to 
see Sidonia in the refectory ; and seizing hold of Wolde, whispered : 
"That she must give him the kiss now, she need not be such a 
prude, for he had no wife. And what beautiful hair! Never in his 
life had he ever seen such beautiful white hair!" But the old hag 
still resisted; and in the struggle a stool, on which lay a pot, was 
thrown down J& Sidonia rushed in at the noise; and behold, there 
was my priest holding Wolde by the hand. She nearly fainted at 
the sight. What was he doing with her maid ? Then seizing aheavy 
286 




log of wood, she began to lay it on Wolde's shoulders, who screamed 
and roared, while my priest slunk away ashamed, without a word ; 
and as he ran down the steps, heard the blows and the screams still 
resounding from the kitchen. As he passed the door of the abbess's 
room, again she called him in; but as he entered she exclaimed in 
terror: "My God, what ails your Reverence ? You look as black & 
red in the face as if you had had a fit, and had grown ten years older 
in one night VJ&" Nothing ails me," he answered; then sighed, & 
walked up and down the room, murmuring: "What is the world 
to me ? Why should I care what the world thinks ?" Then falls flat 
on the groundas if he were dead, while the good abbess screamsand 
calls for help. In runs Anna Apenborg; item, several other sisters 
with their maids, and they stretch the priest out upon a bench near 
the stove, where he soon begins to foam at the mouth, and throw 
up all the beer, with the love philtrum therein, which he had drunk 
(Sidonia's power effected this, no doubt, since she sawhow matters 
stood) ,j^Then he heaved a deep sigh, opened his eyes, and asked : 
"Where am I V Whereupon finding that his reason and clear un/ 
derstanding had been restored to him, he requested the sisterhood 
to depart (for they had all rushed in to hear what was going on) and 
leave him alone with the abbess, as he had matter of grave import 
to discuss with her. Whereupon they all went out, except Anna 
Apenborg, who said that she too had matter of grave import to re 
late. So finding she would not stir, the priest took her by the hand, 
and put her ou t at the door along with the others. 

5JT20W when they were both left alone, we can easily 
f» imagine the subject of their conversation. The poor 
d priest made his confession, concealing nothing, only 
lamenting bitterly how he had disgraced his holy 
calling; but he had felt like one in a dream, or under 
[ some influence which he could not shake off. In re^ 
turn the abbess told him of the horrible scene witnessed by Anna 
Apenborg the night before; upon which they both agreed that no 
more accursed witch and sorceress was in the world than their poor 
cloister held at that moment. Finally, putting all the circumstances 
together, the reverend David began to perceive what designs Side 
nia had upon him, particularly when he heard of Anna Apenborg* s 
visit to Jacobshagen, & the news which she had brought back from 
thencejgFSoto destroy all hope at once in the accursed sorceress, 
and save himself from further importunity and persecution on her 
part, he resolved to offer his hand the very next day to Barbara 

287 



P5 





Bamberg, for in truth he had long had an eye of Christian love upon 
the maiden, who waspious & discreet, & just suited to be apastor's 
wife J& Then they agreed to send for the sheriff, and impart the 
whole matter to him, he being cloister superintendent; but his an^ 
swer was : " Let them go to him, if they wanted to speak to him ; for, 
as to him, he would never enter the convent again, his poor body 
had suffered too much there the last time." Whereupon they went 
to him, but he could give no counsel, only to leave the matter in the 
hands of God the Lord: for if they appealed to the Prince, the sor^ 
ceress would surely bewitch them again, and they would be scream^ 
ing day and night, or maybe die at once, and then what help for 
them," &c. 

IDONIA, meanwhile, was not idle; for she sent 
messages throughout the convent that she lay in her 
bed sick unto death, and they must needs come and 
pray with her, along with the priest, before they as' 
sembled in the chapel for service. At this open bias-' 
phemy and hypocrisy, a great fear and horror fell 
upon the abbess, likewise upon the priest, since the witch had spe^ 
cially named him, and desired that he would come before service to 
pray with her. For a long while he hesitated, at last promised to 
visit her after service; but again bethought himself that it would be 
more advisable to visit her before, for he might possibly succeed in 
unveiling her iniquities, or if not, he could pray afterwards in the 
church, "that if indeed Sidoniawere really sick, and a child of God, 
the just and merciful Father would raise her up and strengthen her 
in her weakness; but if she were practising deceit, and were no child 
of God, but an accursed limb of Satan, then he would give her up 
into the hands of God for punishment, for had he not said : ' Ven^ 
geance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord'?" (Romans xii. ia.)j£F 
This pleased the abbess, and forthwith the reverend David pro/ 
ceeded to the refectory, 

ICyWSidoniahadnot expected him so early, and she 

J was up and dressed, busily brewing another hellish 

drink to have ready for him by the time he arrived; but 

when his step sounded in the passage, she whipped 

into bed and covered herself up with the clothes, not 

J so entirely, however, but that a long tail of her black 

robe fell outside from under the white sheet ; this, unluckily for her^ 
self, she knew nothing of. The priest, however, saw it plainly, and 
had moreoverheard the jump she gave into bed just asheopenedthe 
288 




door j but he made no remark, only greeted her as usual, and asked 
what she wanted with him. 

Ilia : "Ah ! she was sick, sick unto death, would he notpray for her? 
for the night before she was too ill to pray, and no doubt the Lord 
was angry with her, by reason of the omission. This morning, iiv 
deed, she had crept out of bed, just to scold her awkward maid for 
breaking all the pots and pans, as he himself saw, but had to go to 
bed again, and was growing weaker and weaker every quarter of an 
hour. But the good priestmust taste her beer; let him drink a can of 
it first to strengthen his heart. It was the bestbeershehad made yet, 
and her maid had just tapped a fresh barrelj^Here the reverend 
David madeanswer: " He thanked her forherbeer,butwoulddrink 
none. He could not believe, either, that she was as ill as she said, 
and had been lying in bed all the morning "jg? But she persisted so 
vehemently in her falsehoods that the very boards under her must 
have felt ashamed, if they had possessed any consciousness.Where^ 
upon the priest shuddered in horror and disgust, bent down silently 
and lifted up the piece of her robe which lay outsidejg^" What did 
this mean ; did she wear her nun's dress in bed ? or was she not rather 
making a mock of him, and the whole convent, by her pretended 
sickness V 1 J&t Here Sidonia grew red with shame and wrath; but 
ere she could utter a word, the priest continued with a holy and 
righteous anger: "Woe to thee, Sidonia! for thou art a by^word 
amongst the people. Woe to thee, Sidonia! for thou hast passed thy 
youth in wantonness and thy old age in sin. Woe to thee, Sidonia! 
for thy hellish arts brought thy mother the abbess, and thy father 
the superintendent, nearly to their graves. Woe to thee, Sidonia! for 
this past night thou hast taken a horrible revenge upon the whole 
princely race, and cursed them by the power which the devil gives 
thee. Woe to thee, Sidonia! for by thy hellish drink thou didst seek 
to destroy me, the servant of the living God, to thy horrible maid 
still more horribly attracting me. Woe to thee, Sidonia! accursed 
witch and sorceress, blasphemer of God and man ! Behold thy God 
liveth and thy Prince liveth, and they will rain fire and brimstone 
upon thy infamous head. Woe to thee! woe to thee! woe to thee! 
thou false serpent, thou accursed above all the generations of vipers, 
how wilt thou escape eternal damnation V J& When the righteous 
priest of God had ended his fearful malediction, he started at him^ 
self, for he knew not how the words had come into his mouth ; then 
turned from the bedand went out, while a peal of laughter followed 
him from the room. But no evil happened to him at that time, as he 
ui 289 



^ 




had fully expected, from Sidonia (probably she feared to exasperate 
the convent and the Prince against her too much) ; but she treasured 
up her vengeanceto another opportunity, as we shall hear further on. 
CHAPTER IV. HOW DOROTHEA STETTIN IS 
TALKED OUT OF THE SUB.PRIORET BY SIDO. 
NIA, &THE PRIEST IS PROHIBITED FROM VISIT. 
ING THE CONVENT. 

5QF Sidonia could not be the pastor's wife, she 
was determined at least to be sub.prioress, 
and commenced her preparations for this 
object by knitting a little pair of red hose for 
her cat. Then she sent for Dorothea Stettin, 
sayingthatshewas weak and ill, and noone 
took pity on herj$? When the good Doro. 
thea came as she was asked, there lay my 
serpent on the bed in her nun's robes, groan, 
ing&moaningasifherlast hour had come; 
and scarcely had the sub.prioress taken a seat near her, when my cat 
crept forth from under the bed, in his little red hose, mewing and 
rubbing himself up against the robe of the sub.prioress, as if pray, 
ing her to remove this unwonted constraint from him, of the little 
red hosejS? After Dorothea had inquired about her sickness, she 
looked at the cat, and asked wonderingly, what was the meaning of 
such a strange dress. 

Ilia:" Ah, dear friend, it was dreadful to my feelings to see the little 
animal going about naked, therefore I knit little hose for him, as you 
see; indeed, I am often tempted to wonder how the Lord God could 
permit the poor animals to appear naked before us." 
Haec : (extending her arms for joy, so that she almost tumbled back 
off the stool) : " Oh, Godbe praised and thanked, at last I have found 
one chaste soul in this wicked world!" (sobs, throws up her eyes, 
falls uponSidonia's neck, kisses her,and weeps over her). "Ah, yes, 
one chaste soul at last, like herself!" 

Ilia: "True, Dorothea, there is no virtue so rare in this evil world 
as chastity. Ah, why has the Lord God placed such things before 
our eyes ? I never can comprehend it, and never will. WTiat a sight 
for a chaste virgin, these naked animals ! What did the dear sister 
think on the matter?" 
Hxc : " Ah, she knew not what to think; had asked the priest about 

And what did he say ?" 



tt 



it. 
Ilia: 



290 



Haec : "He laughed at her/' 

Ilia : "Just like him, the lewd hypocritical pharisee." 

Haec : ** Eh ?she was too hard on the good priest. Hewas a pureand 

upright servant of God." 

Ilia: " Ay, as Judas was. Had not sister Dorothea heard?" 

Haec: "No, for God's sake what? the dear sister frightened her a,V 

ready." 

Ilia : " First, you confess that the priest laughed when you talked 

about chastity?" 

Haec : "Yes, true; ah, indeed true." 

Ilia: "Then you remember that he preached a sermon lately upon 

adul ... upon adul . . No, she never could utter the word, the horrible 

word jSfXJpon the seventh commandment, to the great scandal of 

the entire convent?" 

Haec : "Ah yes, ah yes, she was there, and had to stop one ear with 

her finger, the other with her kerchief, not to hear all the strange and 

dreadful things he was saying." 

Ilia : " And yet this was the man that ran in and out of the cloister 

daily at his pleasure, sent for or not. A young unmarried man 

though the conventrulers especially declared an old man; ah, if she 

were subz-prioress this scandal should never be permitted." 

Haec: "what could be done? it was a blessed thing to live in peace. 

Besides, the priest was such a pious man." 

Ilia: "Pious? Heaven defend us from such piety ! Why, had she not 

heard ? the whole convent talked about it.' 

Haec: "No, no; for God's sake, what had happened ? tell her; she 

had been making sausages all the morning, and had heard nothing." 

Ilia: "Then know (ah God, how it pained her to talk of it) she had 

heard a great noise in the kitchen in the morning, as if all the pots 

and panswere tumbled about, and when she ran in to see, there was 

the priest (oh, her chaste eyes never had seen such a sight), the pious 

priest making love to her old maid Wolde." 

Haec : " Impossible, impossible! to her old maid Wolde?" 

Ilia: "Yea, and he was praving her for kisses, and praising her fat 

hand, and extolling her white hair. But as to what more she had 



seen..." 



Haec : " For God's sake, sister, what more ?" 

Ilia (sighing, and covering her face with both hands) : "No, no, 
that she could never bring her chaste lips to utter. Oh, that such 
wickedness should be in the world (weeping bitterly). But she would 
never enter the chapel again, and that priest there; nor receive the 
U2 291 



rites from him. But this was not all, the dear sister must hear how 
he revenged himself upon her, because she interrupted his toying 
with the old hag. It was truth, all truth ! she (Sidonia) grew so ill 
with fright and horror that she was unable to disrobe, and threw 
herself on the bed just as she was, but growing weaker and weaker 
hour by hour sent for the priest at last, to pray with her, and after" 
wards to offer up general supplication for her restoration, in the 
chapel with all the sisterhood; but only think, the shameless hypo^ 
crite refused to pray with her, because he spied an end of her black 
robe out of the bed, declaring she was not ill at all, that she was a 
base liar, all because she had lain down in her convent dress, and 
finally went his way cursingand swearing, without even saying one 
prayer, or uttering one word of comfort, as was his duty. And now, 
alas! she must die without priest or sacrament! To what a Sodom 
and Gomorrah she had come ! But if an old hag like her maid was 
not safe from the shameless parson, how could she or any of them 
be safe ? WTiatwas to be done unless the dear sister, as sub^prioress, 
took the matter in her own hands, & brought him to task about it?" 
iT this proposal the other trembled like an aspen leaf, 
and seemed more dead than alive. She wept, wrung 
her hands : for God's sake what could she do ? how 
could she talk on such a matter ? Let the abbess see to 
it, if she chose. 

Ilia: " Stuff, the old pussy, the less said of her the 
better. Why, she was worse than the old maid Wolde herself." 
Haec : " The abbess ? why, the whole convent, and the whole world 
too, talked of her piety and virtue." 

Ilia: "Very virtuous, truly, to have the priest locked up with her, 
and when some of the sisters wished to remain, suspecting that all 
was not right, the priest pushed them out at the door with his own 
hands, and bolted it after them, as many could testify to her had 
been done this very day. Oh, what a Sodom & Gomorrah she had 
been betrayed into ! (weeping, sobbing, & falling upon Dorothea's 
neck) I pray you, sister, for the sake of our heavenly bridegroom, 
bring this evil to an end, otherwise fire and brimstone will assuredly 
and justly be rained down upon our poor cloister" jgSFStill the other 
maintained that the dear sister must err as regarded the abbess. It 
might be her chaste zeal that blinded her. True enough, probably, 
what she said of the priest; but the worthy abbess : no, never could 
she believe that." 

Ilia : " Let her have proof then. It was not her custom to weaken 
292 







innocence; call her maid Wolde." Then as Wolde entered, Sidonia 
made a sign, and bid her tell the sutvprioress all that the shameless 
priest had done. 

Ancilla : u He had asked her for little kisses, praised her hands and 
hair, and her beautiful limp, & had sat up close to her on the bench, 
then run after her into the kitchen, gave her money (shows the 
money), asked again for kisses, then..." Sidonia screams: "Hold 




crying : " Mow is it possible f vJh, heaven, now is it possil 
Ilia: "There is something more quite possible also; the hag shall 
tell you what she saw at the room door of the abbess/' 
Ancilla : "When the scandalous priest left her, he went straight to 
the abbess, and there was taken with cramps, as she heard, upon 
which all the convent ran thither, & she with the rest. And he was 
lying stretched out on a bench, like one dead, no doubt from shame • 
but the shame soon went off, and then he got up, and bade them all 
leave the room. However, good Anna Apenborg did not choose to 
go, for she suspected evil. Whereupon he seized her by the hand 
and put her out along with the others. She saw all this herself for 
she was standing in the passage, waiting to speak to sister Anna. 
When, behold, she was pushed out to her great surprise in this way 
by the priest, and they heard the door bolted inside immediately 
after "jg? At this Dorothea Stettin fell upon Sidonia's bed, weep^ 
ing, sobbing, and ready to die with grief; but Sidonia bade her not 
take on so ; for perhaps, after all, the old hag had not told the truth, 
at least concerningthe dear worthy abbess; but two witnesses would 
be sufficient testimony. WTiereuponshe bid Wblde watch for Anna 
Apenborg from the window, and beckon to her to come in if she 
saw her going by^And scarcely had Wolde stepped to thewnv 
dow, when she laughed and said: "Truly, there stands Anna chat' 
ting with Agnes Kleist's maid at the well. Shall I run and call her?" 
"Yes," said Sidoniaj^In a little while Wolde returned with sister 
Anna. The girl looked wildly round at first, stared at the brooms 
sticks which lay crosswise under the table, and then asked, with a 
trembling voice, what the good sister wanted with her, while she 
tookaseat on a trunk near thebed,^" My oldmaid," said Sidonia, 
"tells me that the reverend chaplain took you by the hand, and put 
you out of the abbess's room, after which he bolted the door. Is this 
true or not? Speak the whole truth "jg? So Anna related the whole 
story as Wolde had done; but, while talking, the curious damsel 
u 3 293 



lifted up a corner of the quilt to peep under the bed, upon which 
my cat in his little red hose crept forth again, mewing and rubbing 
himself against Anna, at which she gave a shriek of horror and 
sprang out of the room, down the steps &into the courtyard, with' 
out ever once venturing to look behind her. And many think that 
this cat was Sidonia's evil spirit Chim. But Anna Apenborg saw 
afterwards a pair of terrible fiery eyes glaring at her from Sidonia's 
window; so others said, that must have been Chim. But we shall 
hear more of this same cat presently jgj? Summa: Sidonia knew 
well enough what made the girl scream, but she turned to Dorothea 
and said : " Ah, see how this wickedness has shocked the poor young 
nun ! Therefore, dear sister, you must,as sub'prioress,make an end 
of the scandal, and prohibit this false priest from visiting the con-- 
vent; for, indeed, they who permitted him such freedom amongst 
the nuns were more to blame for his sins than he himself" J& Poor 
Dorothea groaned forth in answer : " Alas, alas ! why did I ever ac 
cept the sub-'prioret? For the couple of sacks of flour, and the bit of 
corn which she got more than the others, it was not worth while 
to be plagued to death. It was all true about the priest. He must be 
dismissed. But then she loved peace. How could she right such 
matters? Oh, that some one would relieve her of this sub^prioret!" 
Ilia : "That can be easily done if you will. Suppose you ask Anna 
Appenborg to take it ? " 

Haec : " No, no ; Anna had not sense enough for that ; but if the dear 
sister herself would take it, how happy she would feel." 
Ilia: "She was too sick, probably going to die; who could tell?" 
Haec: "No, no; she would pray for her. The dear sister could not 
be spared yet. Let her say yes (falling on her neck and weeping), 
only let her say yes." 

Ilia : "Well, out of love to her she would say yes; and if the Lord 
raised her up from this sick bed, order and decorum should reign 
again in the convent." 

Haec (again embracing her with gratitude) : " No doubt they would. 
She knew well that no such pure-minded nun was in the convent 
as her dear sister Sidonia." 

Ilia: "But, good Dorothea, in order to get rid of the priest as soon 
as possible, we had better send the porter immediately to summon 
the abbess and the entire sisterhood here, for you to tender your re 
signation in their presence." 

Haec: "But sister Sidonia must promise not to complain of the 
priest or the abbess to the Prince.' 
294 




Ilia : " No, no; I can settle the matter quietly without laying a com/ 

plaint before the prince." 

Haec : " All rig ht, then. Everything, if possible, in peace." 

HEREUPON Sidonia despatched the porter to 
J the abbess, with a request that she and the whole 
convent would assemble in half an hourattherefec/ 
tory, as she had somewhat to communicate. Mean/ 
while she instructed Dorothea in what she was to say, 
J so as notto disgrace the poor abbess before the whole 
convent Jfr At the end of the half hour, the abbess and the entire 
sisterhood appeared, but all with anger and mistrust depicted on 
their countenances. Sidonia then spake: "Since ye and your priest 
refused to pray for me, I have prayed for myself, and the Lord hath 
heard me in my weakness, and made me strong enough to listen to 
the request of this good sister, Dorothea, and promise to fulfil it. 
Speak, sister Dorothea: what was your prayer?" J& So Dorothea 
advanced, weeping and wringing her hands: "Ah, God! she could 
no longer be sub/prioress. Sheloved peacetoomuch. Butthere were 
bad doings in the convent; she would say no more, only they must 
end. Therefore she had earnestly prayed her dear sister Sidonia to 
relieve her from the duties of office, and become sub/prioress in her 
stead"j^Here she loosed the veil, which differed from the others 
by having a key embroidered in gold thereon (the abbess had two 
keys on her veil), & bound it on Sidonia, who had by this time risen 
from bed, taking Sidonia's veil for herself. Then leading the fatal 
sorceress forward, she said: "Good mother and dear sisters, behold 
your sub/prioress! "Thereupon the abbess and the whole convent 
remained quite mute, so great was their horror J& Then Sidonia 
asked : " Have they aught to say against it ? If so, let them speak." 
jjg? But they all remained silent and tremblin g, till at last the abbess 
murmured : " Is this done with your, own free/will, Dorothea V'J& 
"Ah, yes, yes, truly," she answered. "I told you before with what 
earnest prayers I besought the dear sister to release me. God be 
thanked she has consented at last. Who can keep order & decorum 
so well throughout the convent ?"j2?Then the abbess spoke again : 
" Sister Sidonia, I have no opposition to make, as you know full 
well. So, if the Prince, and the sheriff, our worthy superintendent, 
consent, you shall be sub/prioress. Yet first you must render an ac/ 
count of your strange doings this past night, for things were seen & 
heard in your chamber, which could not have been accomplished 
without the help of the great enemy himself" J& Hereat Sidonia 
u 4 295 



laughed as if she would die. She would tell them the whole trick. 
They all knew what a trouble to the convent was this Anna Apen^ 
borg from her curiosity, not once or twice, but ten times a day run-* 
ning in and out with her chat and gossip. She had tried all means 
to prevent her but in vain. Even in the middle of her prayers, the 
said Anna would come in to tell her what one sister was cooking, 
and another getting, or some follies even quite unfit for chaste ears. 
And thatlastnightbeingverysick,shesentforthepriest, upon which 
she heard Anna calling out from the window to the porter: "Will 
he come ? Will he come?" Item : she had then crept down to listen 
at the door. So after the priest went, notwithstanding all her weak' 
ness, she (Sidonia) determined to give her a good fright, and thus 
prevent her from spying and listening any more. Then she called 
Wblde, and bid her dance, while she muttered some words out of 
the cookery 'book." But here Anna called out: " It is not true ; there 
were three danced. Where is the carl with the deep bass voice? Who 
could this be at that midnight hour, but the devil bodily himself?" 
jfi? At this Sidonia laughed louder than before. It was her cat, her 
own cat, who was springing about the room, because for divers rea^ 
sons she had put little red nose on him. On this she stoops under 
the bed, seizes my cat by the leg, who howls (that was the deep bass 
voice) and flings him into themiddleoftheroom, where all thenuns, 
when they beheld his strange jumps and springs in the little hose 
burst out into loud laughter, in which the abbess herself could not 
refrain from joining. So as there was no evidence against Sidonia, 
and Anna Apenborg was truly held of all as a most troublesome 
chatterbox and spy, the inquiry ended. And with somewhat more 
friendliness, putting the best face on a bad matter, they accepted 
Sidonia for their sub'prioress. 



296 




CHAPTER V. HOW SIDONIA WOUNDS AMBRO, 
SIA VON GUNTERSBERG WITH AN AXE, BEx 
CAUSE SHE PURPOSED TO MARRY, AND PRAYS 
THE CONVENT PORTER, MATTHIAS WINTER. 
FELD, TQ DEATH. FOR THESE, AND OTHER 
CAUSES, THE REVEREND CHAPLAIN REFUSES 
TOSHRIVETHE SORCERESS,AND DENOUNCES 
HER PUBLICLY FROM THE ALTAR. 

1 1 DO N I A* S first act, as may easily be 
imagined, was to dismiss the priest; and 
for this purpose she wrote him a letter, 
saying that he must never more presume 
1 to set foot within the cloister, for if old 
ice.grey mothers were not safe from him, 
I how could she & the other maidens hope 
| to escape ? If he disobeyed her orders she 
would summon him before the princely 
consistorium,where strange things might 
be told of him J^So the Reverend David consented rightwillingly, 
& never saw the nuns except on Sundays in the chapel, but Sidonia 
herself never appeared in the nuns' choir. She gave Dorothea many 
excellent and convincing reasons for her absence. (But in my opuv 
ion, it was caused by hate and abhorrence of the sacrament, & the 
holy word of God; for such are a torment and a torture to the chiV 
dren of the devil, even as the works of the devil are an abomination 
to the children of God.) 

HEN, however, the report came, that the Reverend 
David was indeed betrothed to Barabara Bamberg, 
Sidonia presented herself once in the choir, kneeled 
down, & was heard to murmur: "Wed if thou wilt, 
that I cannot hinder; but a child thou shalt never 
hold at the font!" And truly was the evil curse ful' 
filled,^ Meanwhile the fear and the dread of her increased daily in 
the convent, for besides old Wolde, two other horrible hags were 
observed frequently going in and out of her apartments, true chih 
dren of Satan, as one might see by their red glowing eyes J& With 
these she practised many horrible sorceries, sometimes quarrelled 
with them, however, and beat them out with the broom-stick, but 
they always came back again, and were as well received as ever. 




297 




[HEN she had strifes and disputes with every one 
who approached her, and was notorious through all 
the courts of justice for her wrangling & fighting, in 
particular with her brother's son, Otto of otramehl, 
for she sued him for an alimentum pension, and also 
demanded that the rents of her two farm-houses in 
Zachow should be paid for, according to the sum to which they 
must have accumulated during the last fiftyyears.Butheanswered, 
she should have no money, why did she not live at her farm-houses ? 
He knew nothing of the rents, the whole matter was past and forx 
gotten, and she had no claim now on him, and so every month she 
wrangled in the courts about this business. Item : she fought with 
Preslar of Buslar, because being a feudal vassal of the Borks, she 
required him to kiss her hand, which he refused ; then her dog hav/- 
ingstrayed into his house, she accused himof having stolenit. Item: 
she fought with the maid who acted as cook in the convent kitchen, 
and said she never got a morsel fit to eat. And the said maid (I for' 
get her name now) having salted the fish too much one day, she 
ran after her with a broom-stick, once, indeed, beat her so severely 
that she was lame her life long after J& But worse than the fish' 
salting, was the white kerchief which the maid wore. For people, 
she said, might take her at a distance to be one of the honourable 
convent ladies, therefore she must wear a coloured one. This the 
maid would not do, so she was soon brought to an untimely end 
also, along with all others who displeased herj^FThese things, and 
many more, came out upon her trial, but for divers reasons I must 
pass them over. All her notes, messages, and letters she intrusted 
to the porter Matthias Wmterfeld, who was often sent, maybe 
five times a week, by her to Stargard. But he dared not remonstrate 
or she would have struck him with the broonvstick. 

JOW^E VER, all this is nothing in comparison with 
the way she treated the unfortunate nuns J& The 
younger and prettier they were, so much the more 
she boxed, beat, and martyred them, even striking 
them with the broom-stick. And if they ever smiled 
or seemed happy talking to one another, she abused 
and reviled them, calling them idle wantons, who thought of no^ 
thing but matrimony. None were permitted outside the convent 
gates, not even to visit their parents : they should not be flying back 
with their crumbs of gossip about brides & weddings forsooth, and 
such like improper thoughts. Neither should they go to the annual 
298 





fair. She would go herself & buy everything for them she thought 
needful, only let them give her the gold J& And out of deadly fear 
the poor maidens bore this tyranny a long while silently; even the 
abbess feared to complain, so that Sidonia soon usurped the entire 
government of the convent. 

I U T the powder-mill broke out at last into vivid 
flames, as I shall narrate here. It was on this wise : 
J£? Amongst the novices was one beautiful young 
maiden, Ambrosia von Guntersberg by name. She 
was fifth daughterof old Ambrosius of Falkenwald, 
I a little town near JacobshagenjS? One day a young 
nobleman called Ewald von Mellinthin beheld her in her cloister 
habit. Think you he forgot her ? No, he can never forget the maiden ! 
One, two weeks pass over, but she has sunk deeper and deeper 
into his heart; at last he rose up and went to Falkenwald to her 
father, Ambrosius, asking her hand in honourable marriage J§ 
Now the old man was well pleased, for he was poor, and had five 
daughters ; so he bid the young noble write a letter to his daughter 
Ambrosia, which he would inclose in one from himself to her. But 
no answer arrived from the maiden (we may guess why, for Sidonia 
opened and read all the letters that came to the convent, before they 
were handed to their owners.Those that displeased her she burned; 
no doubt, therefore, the love letter was the First in the flames.) But 
the young noble grew impatient for an answer, and resolved to ride 
to Marienfliess. So he ties his good horse to a cross in the church' 
yard, walks straight up to the convent, and rings the bell. Immc/ 
diately the old porter, Matthias, opened to him, with his hands 
covered with blood (for he was killing a fat ox for the nuns, close 
by) ; whereupon the noble lord prayed to speak a few words to the 
young novice, Ambrosia von Guntersberg, at the grating; and in a 
little time the beautiful maiden appeared, tripping along the con^ 
vent court (but Sidonia is before her) . Ambrosia advanced modest' 
ly to the grating; and asked the handsome knight, "What was his 
pleasure ?" who answered, " Since I beheld you in Guntersberg, 
dearest lady, my heart has been wholly yours; & when I saw how 
diligently and cheerfully you ruled your father's house during his 
sickness, I resolved to take you for my wife, if such were possible; 
for I need a good and prudent spouse at my castle of Lienke, and 
methinks no better or more beautiful could be found than yourself. 
Therefore I obtained your father's permission to open the matter 
to you in writing, and he enclosed my letter in one of his own, but 

299 



you have neither answered one nor the other* Whereupon, in my 
impatience I saddled my good horse, and rode over here to have an 
answer at once from your own beautiful lips" J&t When Sidonia 
heard this, she grew black in the face with rage: "What ! in her 
presence, before her very face, to dare to hold such language to a 
young maiden, a mere child, who knew nothing at all of what mar/ 
riage meant? He must pack off this instant, or the devil himself 
should turn him out of the cloister." Meanwhile the young maiden 
took heart (for the handsome knight pleased her) and said : J& 
" Gracious Lady Prioress" (Sidoniamadethem all call her Gracious 
Lady,asifshewereaborn princess,) " I am no more a child, as you 
say, and I know very well what marriage means " j^FThis boldness 
made the other so wroth that she screamed, "Wait! I will teach 
you what marriage is"; and she sprang on her to box her. But Am/ 
brosia rushed through the side door out into the court, Sidonia fol/ 
lowing; however, not being able to reach her, she seized up the axe 
with which the porter had been killing the ox, and flung it after her, 
wounding the poor maiden so in the foot that the red blood poured 
down over her white stockings, while the young lover, who could 
not break the grating, screamed and stamped for rage and despair. 
By the good mercy of God the wound was only slight, still the fair 
novice fell to the ground; but seeing Sidonia rushing at her again 
with the large butcher's knife, which the porter had been using, she 
sprang up & ran to the grating, crying out to the noble, " Save me ! 
save me ! " J& And at her screams all the nuns threw up their win/ 
dows, right and left, over the court /yard; but finding the young 
knight could not help her, she ran to the old porter, still screaming, 
" Save me ! save me ! she is going to murder me." 

~IO W the fellow was glad enough to be revenged on 

I Sidonia, for she had sent him running to Stargard for 
herlatethe nightbefore,andthe moment the ox was 

Jto be quartered he was to be off there again at her 
command;sohe rushed atthevilewitch,andseizing 

I her up like a bundle of old rags, pitched her against 
the wall with all his force, adding a right hearty curse ; and there she 
lay quakinglike an old cat, while the handsome young noble laughed 
loud from the gratingJ^FBut she was up again soon, shook her dry 
withered fist at the porter, and cried: "Ha! thou insolent churl, I 
will pray thee to death for this ! " 



300 





JH ERE UPON she went offto her room, & locked 
| herself up there, while the fair Ambrosia ran to the 
grating, and stretching out her little hands through 
the bars, exclaimed, l* I am yours, dear knight; oh, 
take me away from this horrible hell \" J& This re/ 
joiced my young noble heartily, and he kissed the 
little hands and lamented over her foot: "And was it much hurt? 
She must lift it up, and show him if the wound was deep." So she 
raised up the dainty foot a littlebit,and then sawthat her whole shoe 
was full of blood; but the old porter, who came by just then, com-' 
forted the handsome youth, and told him he would stop the blood 
directly, for the wound was but a trifle. Whereupon he laid a couple 
of straws over it, murmured some words, & behold, in a moment, the 
blood is staunched ! Then the fair novice thanked him courteously, 
and prayed him to unlock the wicket, for she would go and stay a 
couple of hours with the miller's wife, while this young noble, to 
whom she had plighted love and troth, returned to her father's for 
a carriage to bring her home. After what had passed, now, never 
more would she enter the cloister. 

3UTwhathappened? Scarcely had the good old porter 
I unfastened the grating, and the young knight taken 
the fair girl in his arms, kissing her and pressing her 
to his heart (wellSidonia did not see him), when 
Matthias screamed out, " My God, what ails me?" 
I and fell flat on the ground. At this the young knight 
left his bride, and flew to raise him up." What could ail him?" But 
the poor old man can hardly speak, his eyes are turned in his head, 
and he gasped, " It was as if a man were sitting inside his breast, and 
crushinghim to death. Oh,he could not breathe,his ribs were break/ 
ing"jg? The alarmed young noblethen helped the poor creature to 
reach his room, which lay close by the wicket; and having laid him 
on the bed in care of his wife, and recommended him to the mercy 
of God, he returned to his own fair bride, to carry her off from this 
murder/hole, and place her in safety with the miller's wife. I may as 
well mention here that he and the beautiful Ambrosia were wedded 
in duetime, & lived long in peaceand happiness, blessed with many 
lovely children, for all the evil which Sidonia tried to bring upon 
them, as we shall hear, came to nought, through the mercy of the 
great Godjg? But to return to the porter. On the third day he died ; 
and duringthat time, day and night, Sidonia prayed, and was never 
seen but once. This was at the dividing of the salmon, when she 

301 





threw up her window, and shaking her withered clenched hand at 
them, and her long white locks, threatened the nuns on their peril 
to touch the ta ilpiece, the tailpiece was hers. 

GENERAL horror pervaded the convent now, in 
truth, when the death of the porter was known. Anna 
Apenborg shut herself up, trembling, in her cell, and 
even good Dorothea began somewhat to doubt the 
virtues of the vile sorceress; for the corpse had a 
8 strange and unnatural appearance, so that it was 
horrible to look upon, by which signs it was easy to perceive that he 
had been prayed to death, as the fearful night-hag had threatened 
J&\ must notify these symptoms, for the corpses of many of Su 
donia's victims presented the same appearances as thecorpse of the 
Reverend David ; item, J oachim Wedeln of Cremzo w ; item, Doctor 
Schwalenberg of Stargard, & Duke Philip II., & lastly the abbess, 
Magdelena von Petersdorf. Whether her brother's son, Otto of 
Stramehl, whom she was suspected also of having prayed to death, 
presented the like, I cannot say with certainty. At this same time, 
also, his Princely Grace, Duke BogislaffXIII. expired, many say 
bewitchedto death; but of this I have no proof, as the body had quite 
anatural aspect after death. Still, he had just arranged to journey to 
Marienfliess himself, and turn out Sidonia, in consequence of the 
accusations of sheriff Sparling and the convent chaplain, so that his 
sudden death looks suspicious; however, as the medicus, Dr. Nico^ 
laus Schulz, pronounced: "Quod ex ramis venae portae Epatis et 
lienis exporrectis,iste adustus sanguis eo prosiliiset" (forhedied by 
throwing up a black matter like his brothers) ; and further, as the. 
manikin on the three-legged hare did not appear this time at the 
castle, I shall not lay the murder on Sidonia, to increase her terrible 
burden at the last day, though I have my own thoughts upon the 
matterj^Summa: My gracious Prince died suddenly. Alas, woe! 
exactly like all his brothers ; he was just sixty^one years old, seven 
months and fifteen days, and a more god-fearing prince never sat on 
a throne. But my grief over the fate of this great Pomeranian house 
has carried me away from the corpse of the old porter. The appear^ 
ances were these : i. The face brown, green, and yellow; particularly 
about the musculifrontalesettemporales. 2.Themusculipectorales 
so swelled, and thecartilagoensiformisso singularly raised, that the 
chestof thecorpse touched the mouth. 3. From the patella of theleft 
leg to the malleolus externus of the foot, all brown, green, & yellow, 
blended together J& And on examination of the said corpse, Dr. 
302 



Kukuck of Stargard affirmed and was ready to swear, that no one 
tittle of the signature of Satan was wanting thereuponj^Summa: 
The poor carl was buried with great mourningon the following FnV 
day; & the Reverend David preached a sermon thereupon, in which 
he plainly spoke of his strange and unnatural death, so that every 
one knew well whom he suspected. My hag heard of this instantly, 
and therefore determined to attend the sacrament on the following 
Sunday; forthis end she despatched Wolde to the priest, biddingher 
to tell him she had a great desire to attend the holy rite, and would 
go to confession that day after noon. At this horrid blasphemy a cold 
shudder fell upon the priest (and I trust every Christian man will 
feel the like as he reads this), for he now saw through her motive 
clearly, how she wanted to blind the eyesof the people as to the death 
of the porter, by the mockery of the holiest rites of religion. Besides, 
amongst the horrible abominations practised by witches, it is well 
known that having received the sacred bread, they privatelytake the 
same again from their mouth and feed their familiar therewith. And 
one day when the convent was quite still, Anna Apenborg having 
crept down to peep through the keyhole of the refectory door, saw 
enough to confirm this generalbeliefjgFNowonderthen if the good 
priest stood long silent from horror; then he spake: "Tell the 
prioress it is well"; but when "Wolde was gone he threw himself 
upon hisknees in hisclosetbeforeGod,and wrestled long inprayer, 
with tears and wringing of hands, that he would open to him what 
was his path o f duty . 

53BOUT noon he became more composed, through 
the great mercy of the Lord; & bid his wife Barbara 
come to him, with whom he had lived now a year & 
a half in perfect joy, though without children. To her 
he disclosed the proposition of the horrible sorceress, 
and afterwards spake thus : " And because, dear Bar* 
bara, after earnest prayer to God, I have come to the resolution ncu 
ther to shrive, nor to give the Lord's body to this daughter accursed 
of hell, do not be surprised if a like death awaits me as happened to 
the porter Matthias. When I die, therefore, dearwife, take thee an* 
other spouse and bear children. ' For the woman/ says the Scrirv 
ture, 'shall be blessed through child-bearing, so as she continues in 
faith, and love, and in holiness with sobriety/ (t Timothy ii). Thus 
thou wilt soon forget me." But the poor wife wept, and besought 
him to turn from his resolve, & not incur the vengeance of Sidonia. 
So he answered, "Weep not, or our parting will be more bitter; this 

303 




poor flesh and blood is weak enough, still never will I blaspheme 
the holy rite of our church, & cast pearls before swine/ (Matt, vii) . 
And wherefore weep ? At the last day they would meet again, to 
smile for ever in an eternity of joy. But could he hope for this if he 
werean unfaithful stewardof the mysteries of God? No; but itwas 
written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory; death, where is thy 
sting? Hell, where is thy victory? God be thanked who giveth us 
the victory through Christ our Lord/ (t Cor. xv) . In God therefore 
he trusted, and in his strength would go now to the confessional 
j(g?She must let him go; the sexton would soon ring the bell, & he 
wished to pray some time alone in the church. Her tears had again 
disturbed his spirit, and made him weak. But he would use the holy 
keys of his office, which his Saviour had entrusted to him, to his 
glory alone, even if this accursed sorceress were to bring him to the 
grave for it. If the Lord will, he could protect him, but he would still 
do his duty. Will she not let him go now, that he may pray ?"jg? 
And when she unwound her arms, he took her again in his, kissed 
her, sobbed, and wept; then tearing himself away, went out into the 
church by the garden entrance.Thenthepoorwife flung herself ona 
seat, weeping and praying, but in a little while in came Dorothea 
Stettin, saying : " That she was going to confession, & had no small 
silver for the offertory. Could she give her change of a dollar ?" Then 
she asked about the other's grief; & havingheard the cause, promised 
to go to the priest herself, and beseech him not to break the staff 
"Woe" over Sidonia. She went therefore instantly to the church, 
and found him on his knees praying behind the altar. Whereupon 
she entreated him, after her fashion, not to break the blessed peace: 
peace above all things. 

IE AN WHILE, the sexton rangthe bell, & Sidonia 
| entered, sweeping the nave of the church to the altar, 
followed by seven or eight nuns. But when she be' 
held Dorothea come out at one side, and the priest at 
the other, and that not another soul had been in the 
I church, she laughed aloud mockingly, and clapped 
her hands : " Ha ! the pious priest, would he tell them now what he 
and Dorothea were doing behind the altar? The sisters were all 
witnesses how this shameless parson conducted himself." Though 
she spoke this quite loud for every one to hear, yet not one of the 
nuns made answer, but stood trembling like doves who see the falcon 
ready to pounce upon them. Yea, even as Dorothea came down the 
altar steps to take her place in the choir, my hag laughed loud again 
304 




like Satan, & cried : " Ah ! the chaste virgin ! who meetest the priest 
behind the altar! Thou shameless wanton, the prioress shall teach 
thee fitter behaviour soon!" J$f Poor Dorothea turned quitepale with 
fright, and began: "Ah! dearsister,onlylisten!"j£^Butthe dragon 
snapped at her, with "Dear sister, forsooth ! What! was she to bear 
this insolence ? Let her know that the gracious Lady Prioress was 
not to be talked to as 'dear sister ! '"jg§FHere the organ struck up the 
confession hymn; and the whole congregation being assembled in 
the church, Sidonia and the seven nuns ascended the steps of the 
altar, bowed to the priest, and then took their seats, whereupon the 
organ ceased playingjjS^ After a brief silence,the poor minister sighed 
heavily, & then spake : " Sidonia, after all that has been stated con^ 
cerning you, particularly with regard to the death of the convent 
porter within these last few days, I cannot, as a faithful servant of 
God, give you either absolution or the holyriteof the Lord's supper, 
until you clear yourself fromsuchimputationsbeforeaprincelycon^ 
sistorium",j(SFAt this my hag laughed loud from the altar, crying, 
"Ah ! that was a strange story. What had she done to the convent 
porter?" 

I lie : " Prayed him to death, as every one believed, and his appears 
ance proved." 

Haec (still laughing) : "He must have lost his senses. Let him go 
home and bind asses' milk upon his temples; he would soon be 
better." 

Ille : "She should remember where she was and whatshe spokejfi? 
Had she not herself said she would pray the porter to death ?" 
Haec (laughing yet louder) : "Oh! in truth his little bit of mother 
wit was quite gone. When and where had it been ever heard that 
one person could pray another to death ? Then they might pray 
them to life again. Shall she try it with the porter?" 
Ille : « Why then had she threatened it ? " 

Haec (still laughing): "Ah! poor man! she sawnowhewas quite 
foolish. Why had she threatened? Why, in anger of course, because 
the vile churl had flung her against the wall. Had he never heard 
the poor people say to each other, { May the devil take you' ; but if 
one happened to die soon after, did people really think the devil had 
taken him? Why,hewas as superstitious as an old spinning'wife. 
Ille: "She had heard his resolve. This was no place to argue with 
her; therefore she might go her ways, for he would verily not give 
her absolution." 



x i 



305 




IO Sidonia rose up raging from the confessional,clenclv 
1 ed her hand, and screamed out in the still church, so 
that all thepeople shuddered with horror : "Ye are all 
my witnesses that this worthless priesthas denied me 
absolution, because, forsooth, he says I killed the con^ 
I vent porter. Ha! ha! ha! Where is it said in your 
Scriptures that one man can pray another to death ? But the licen^ 
tiousness of the vile priest has turned his brain, and he wallows in 
all most senseless superstitions. Did he not run after my old hag of 
a servant, as I myself saw? and this was not enough, but he must 
take Dorothea Stettin (the hypocritical wanton) behind the altar 
alone; and because I & these seven maidens discovered his iniquity, 
he refuses me the rites, and must have me before a princely consist 
torium to revenge himself. But wait, priest, I will drag the sheep's 
clothing from thee. Wait, thou shalt yet repent this bitterly ! "J& 
After the horrible sorceress had so blasphemed, she departed as 
quickly as possible from the church, muttering to herself. The con' 
gregation remained silent from fear and terror; and the poor priest, 
who seemed more dead than alive, prayed the sexton to fetch him 
a cup of water, which he drank; and then being in some degree re^ 
covered, he stepped forth, and addressed the congregation thus: 
" Dear brethren and friends, after what ye have just heard, ye will 
not wonder if I am unable to receive confessions this day, or to ad' 
minister the holy communion. Ye all know Dorothea Stettin, nei^ 
ther is my character unknown to you; therefore remember the words 
of St. Peter j 'The devil goethaboutasaroaring lion, seeking whom 
he may devour.' But we will resist him, steadfast in the faith. Meet 
me, then, to/morrow here at the altar, and ye shall hear my justifiv 
cation. After which, I will shrive those who desire to be partakers 
of the holy sacrament." And on the following morning, the holy 
minister of God preached from Matthew v. u : f* Blessed are ye 
when men shall revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of 
evil falsely against you, for my sake; be glad and comforted, for ye 
shall be well recompensed in heaven." And in this powerful sermon 
he drew a picture of Sidonia from her youth up; so that many trenv 
bled for him when they remembered her power, though they gloria 
fied God for the mighty zeal and courage that burned in his words. 
But when Sidonia heard of this sermon she became almost frantic 
from rage. 



306 







CHAPTER VI.DOROTHEASTETTINFALLSSICK, 
AND HOW THE DOCTOR MANAGES TO BLEED 
HER. ITEM: HOW SIDONIA CHASES THE 
PRINCELY COMMISSIONERS INTO THE OAK. 
FOREST. 

JUCH a public humiliation the good virgin 
1 Dorothea Stettin found it impossible to 
bear. She fell sick, & repented with bitter 
! tears of the trust and confidence she had re. 
posed in Sidonia; finally the abbess sent off 
a message to Stargard for the medicus Dr. 
Schwalenburg j£^ This doctor was an ex. 
cellent little man, rather past middle age, 
j though still unmarried, upright & honest, 
I but rough as bean.straw. when he stood 
by Dorothea's bed and had hearcf all particulars of her illness, he bid 
her put out her hand, that he might feel her pulse. " No, no" ; she 
answered, "that could she never do; never in her life had a male 
creature felt her pulse." At this my doctor laughed right merrily, 
and all the nuns who stood round, and Sidonia's old maid Wolde 
laughed likewise, but at last he persuaded Dorothea to stretch out 
her hand J& "I must bleed her," said the doctor. "This is febris 
putrida; therefore was her thirst so great: she must strip her arm 
till he bleed her." But no one can persuade her to this. Strip her arm ! 
no, never could she do it, she would die first: if the doctor could do 
nothing else, he could go his ways J& Now the doctor grew angry. 
Such a cursed fool of a woman he had never come across in his life; 
if she did not strip her arm instantly, he would do it by force. But 
Dorothea is inflexible; say what he would, she would strip her arm 
for no man ! Even the abbess and the sisterhood tried to persuade 
her: "Would she not do it for her health's sake; or at least for the 
sake of peace ?"j^They were all here standinground her, but all in 
vain. At last the doctor, half/laughing, halkcursing, said : " He 
would bleed her in the foot. Would that do ?" jg? "Yes, she would 
consent to that; but the doctor must leave the room while she was 
getting re ady." 

|0 my doctor went out, but on entering again found 

her sitting on the bed, dressed in her full convent robes, 

her head upon Anna Apenborg's shoulder, and her 

J foot upon a stool. As the foot, however, was covered 

jj with a stocking, the doctor began to scold: "What 

£3 was the stocking for? Let him take off the stocking. 

X2 307 




Was she making a fool of him ? He advised her not to try it" J& 
" No," Dorothea answered, "neverwould shestripher foot for him. 
Die she would if die she must, but that she could never do! If he 
could not bleed her through the stocking, he may go his ways"j$F 
Summa: As neither prayers nor threatening were of any avail, the 
doctor, in truth, had to bleed her through the stocking; and scarcely 
had he finished, when Sidonia sent, saying: "That she, too, was ill, 
and wished to be bled." And there lay my hag alone, in bed, as the 
doctor entered. She was right friendly J& "And was it indeed true 
that absurd fool, Dorothea, did not choose to be bled? Now he saw 
himself what a set of simpletons she had to deal with in the convent. 
No wonderthat they all blackened her and belied her. She was sick 
from very disgust at such malice and absurdity. Ah, she regretted 
now not having married, when she had the opportunity; it would 
have been better, & she had many offers. But she always feared she 
was too poor. However, her fortune was now excellent, for her sister 
had died without children, and left her everything, a very large in^ 
heritance, as she heard. But the dear doctor must taste her beer; she 
had tapped some of the best, and there was a fresh can of it on the 
table." But my doctor was too cunning notto see what she was driving 
at ; besides, he had heard of her beer^brewing, so he answered : " H e 
never drank beer; but what ailed her?" J£f "Ah, she didn't know 
herself, but she had a trembling in all her limbs. Would he not take 
a glass of mead, or even water? Her old servant should bring it to 
him" J& "No. Let her just put out her hand, for him to feel her 
pulse"j$Plnstantly she stretcned forth, not her hand alone, but her 
whole naked, dry, and yellow arm from the bed. Whereupon the 
doctor spoke : " Eh ? What should I bleed you for ? The pulse is all 
right. In fact,old people never should be bled without serious cause; 
for at seventy or so, mind ye, every drop is worth a groschen" J& 
"What!" exclaimed Sidonia, starting up; "what the devil! do ye 
think I am seventy ? Why, I am hardly fifty yet" J& "Seventy or 
fifty," answered the doctor, "it is all much the same with you wo/ 
men-'folk" t ^"Tothe devil with you, rude churl! "screamed Sido^ 
nia. " If you will not bleed me I'll find another who will. Seventy, 
indeed ! So rude a knave is not in the land ! " 

JUT my doctor goes away laughing; & as the Ducal 
j Commissioners had arrived to try Sidonia's case 
I with the convent chaplain, he went down to meet 
jthem at Sheriff Sparling's, and these were the com/ 
missioners: i. Christian Ludeck, state prosecutor; 
U brother of the priest's. 2. Johann Wedel of Crenv 




Zow. 3. Eggert Sparling, sheriff of Marienfliess. 4. Jobst Bork, 
governor of Saatzig^j^This Jobst was son to that upright Marcus, 
whose wife, Clara von Dewitz, Sidonia had so miserably destroyed. 
For his good father's sake, long since dead, their Graces of Stettin 
had continued him in the government of Stettin, for he walked in 
his father's steps, only he was slow of speech; but he had a lovely 
daughter, yet more praiseworthy than her grandmother, Clara of 
blessed memory, of whom we shall hear more anon J£? Summa : 
The doctor found all the commissioners assembled in the sheriff's 
parlour. Item : Anna Apenborg and the abbess as witnesses, who 
deposed to all the circumstances which I have heretofore related; 
also the abbess set forth the prayer of the sick Dorothea Stettin, 
that she might be restored to the subprioret out of which the false 
Sidonia had wickedly talked her, and now for thanks gave her in,- 
solent contempt and mocking sneers J& Anna Apenborg further 
deposed, that, looking through the keyhole of the refectory door 
one day, she spied the wicked witch boring a hole in the wall; in 
this she placed a tun^dish, and immediately after, a rich stream of 
cow's milk flowed down into a basin which Sidonia held beneath, 
and that same day, the best cow in the convent stopped giving 
milk, and had never given one drop since. And because the dairy 
maid, Trina Pantels, said openly this was witchcraft, and accused 
Sidonia and the old hag Wolde of being evil witches, (for she was ^ H 
not a girl to hold her tongue, not she), her knee swelled up to the i^^« However un* 
size of a man's head, and day and night she screamed for agony, probable such accu- 
until another old witch that visited Sidonia, Lena of Uchtenhagen, satIon s may seem, 
for six pounds of wool, gave her a plaster of honey and meal to put numbers or the 
on the knee, and what should be drawn out of the swelling, but »ke,some even still 
quantities of pins and needles, and how could this have been, but more extraordina^ 
by Sidonia's witchcraft ?" . ■ . Many witnesses could prove this fact, ^ P 1 ^ ., . f d 
for Tewes Barth, Dinnies Koch, and old Fritz were by, when the m c * he Wltc ? tnals 
plasterwastakenoffj^Then Sheriff Sparling deposed, that having ° f that a g e ' °Y an Y 
smothered his bees lately, he sent a pot of pure honey to each of onc who takes the 
the nuns, as was his custom ; but Sidonia scolded, and said her pot ^"^ 
was not large enough, and abused him in a cruel manner about his 
stinginess in not sending her more. So some days after, as he was 
quietly riding home to his house, across the convent court, suddenly 
the wnole ground before him became covered with the shadows of 
beehives, and little shadows like bees went in and out, and wheeled 
about just as real bees do. Whereupon he looked in every direction 
for the hives, for no shadows can be without a body, but not a hive 
X3 309 



to them. 




nor a bee was in the whole place round; but he heard a peal of 
mocking laughter, and, on looking up, there was the wicked witch 
looking out at him from a window, and she called out: "Ho! Sir 
Sheriff, when you smother bees again, send me more honey. A 
couple of pounds of the best, good weight ! " J& And this he did to 
have peace for the future. 

|OW the commissioners noted all this down dili' 
gently, but the state prosecutor shook his head, and 
asked the abbess : " wherefore she had not long ago 
brought this vile witch before the princely courtr" 
J§FTo which she answered, sighing: "What would 
that help ? She had already tasted the vengeance of 
the wicked sorceress, and feared to taste it again. Well, night & day 
she cried to God to free the convent from this she/devil, and often 
resolved to unfold the whole Satan's work to his Highness, though 
her own life would be perilled surely by so doing. But she was ready, 
as a faithful mother of the convent, to lay it down for her children, if 
indeed that could save them. But how would her death help these 
poor young virgins ? j£fr For, assuredly, the moment Sidonia had 
brought her to a cruel end, she would make herself abbess by force, 
and this was such a dread to the sorrowing virgins, that they thenv 
selves entreated her to keep silence and be patient, waiting for the 
mercy of God to help them. For truly the power of this accursed 
sorceress was as great as her wickedness." Here answered Dr. Sclv 
walenberg: "This power can soon be broken; he knew many re^ 
ceipts out of Albertus Magnus, Raimundus Lallus, Theophrastus 
Paracelsus, &c. against sorcery and evil witches "J&This was a glad 
hearing to the state prosecutor, and he answered with a joyful mien 
and voice : " Marry, doctor, if you know how to get hold of this evil 
hag, do it at once; we shall then bind her arms,so that she can make 
no signs to hurt us, and clap a pitclvplaster on her mouth, to stop 
the said mouth from calling the devil to her help; after which I can 
easuVbringher with me to Stettin,and answerfor all proceedings to 
his Grace. Probably she is abed still; go back, and pretend that, 
upon reflection, you think it will be better to bleed her. Then, when 
you have hold of her arm, call in the fellows, whom the sheriff will, 
I am sure, allow toaccompanyyou",^" Yes, yes," cried the sheriff, 
"take twenty of my men with you, my good doctor, if you will"^ 
"Well, then," resumed the state prosecutor, "let them rush in, bind 
the dragon, clap the pitch^plaster on her mouth, and she is ours in 
spiteof all the devils"^" Right, all right," cried the doctor; "never 
310 




fear but I'll pay her for her matrimonial designs upon me." And he 
began to prepare the plaster with some pitch he got from a cobbler, 
when, suddenly, the state prosecutor screamed out: " Merciful God ! 
see there ! Look at the shadow of a toad creeping over my paper, 
whereon I move my hand!" He springs up, wipes, wipes, wipes, 
but in vain; the unclean shadow is there still, and crawls over the 
aaper, though never a toad is to be seen. 

"TIHAT a commotion of horror this Satan's work 
j caused amongst the bystanders, can be easily inv 
| agined. All stood up and looked at the toadz-shadow, 
! when the abbess screamed out: "Merciful God! 
> look there ! look there ! The whole floor is covered 

2 with toad'shadows ! Hereupon, all the womenfolk 

ran screaming from the room, but screamed yet louder when they 
reached the door, and met there Sidonia and her cat face to face. 
Round they all wheeled again, rushed to the back-door, out into the 
yard, over the pond, and into the oak/ wood, without daring once to 
lookbehindthem . But the men remained, for the doctor said bravely : 
"Wait now, good friends; patience, she can do us noharm;"andhe 
murmured some words^But just as they all made the sign of the 
cross, and silently put up a prayer to God, and gathered up their legs 
on the benches, so that the unclean shadows might not crawl upon 
their boots, the horrible hag appeared at the window, and her cat in 
his little red hose clambered up on the sill, mewing and crying (and 
I think myself thatthis cat was her spirit Chim, whom she had sent 
first to the sheriff's house to hear what was going on ; for how could 
she have known it?) L 4@FSumma: She laid one hand upon the win^ 
dow,the better to look in, and clenching the other, shook it at them, 
cryingout:" Wait, ye accursed peasant boors, I too will judge ye for 
your sins ! " But seeingher cousin, Jobst Bork, present, she screamed 
yet louder: "Eh! thou thick ploughman, hath the devil brought 
theehere too ?Artthou not ashamed to accusethy own kinswoman? 
Wait, I will give thee something to make thee remember our re^ 
lationship ! "J&And as she began to murmur some words,and spat 
out before them all, the state prosecutor jumped up and rushed out 
after the women, and Sheriff Sparling rushed out after him, and 
they never stopped or stayed till both reached the oak^woodj^But 
Jobst said calmly, "Cousin, be reasonable; it is my duty!" My 
doctor, however, wanted to pay her off for the marriage business, so 
he seized a whip with which Sheriff Sparlinghad been thrashing a 
boor, and hurrying out, cried : " I will make her reasonable ! Thou old 
x 4 3U 



hag of hell! here is the fit marriage for thee V and so whack, whack, 
upon her thin withered shoulders. Truly the witch cried out now in 
earnest, but began to spit at the same time, so that the doctor had 
given but four strokes when the whip fell from his hand, and he 
tottered hither and thither, crying, " Oh, Lord ! oh, Lord ! " At this 
the sorceress laughed scornfully, and mocking his movements, cried 
out likewise, ** Oh, Lord ! oh, Lord ! " and when the poor doctor fell 
down flat upon the earth like the old porter and others, she began to 
dance, chanting her infernal psalm : 
"Also kleien und also kratzen 
Meine Hunde und meine Katzen." 

And the cat in his little red hose danced besideher. After which,she 
returned laughingto the conventtoprayhimtodeath,while thepoor 
fellow lay groaning and gasping upon the pavement. None were 
there to helphim,for the state prosecutor and Wedeln had made off 
to Stargard as quick as they could go, and Sheriff Sparling was still 
hiding inthebush. However, Jobst and theold dairy 'womanhelped 
him up as best they could, and asked what ailed him ? to which he 
groaned in answer, "There seemed to be some one sitting inside his 
breast : and breaking the cartilago ensiformis horribly asunder. Ah, 
God ! ah, God ! he was weak indeed ! his hour was come ; let them 
lay him in a coach, & carry him directly to Stargard." This was done 
as soon as the sheriff could be found, but my doctor's screams never 
ceased for three days, after which he gave up the ghost, and the 
corpse had the same appearance as that of the convent porter, which 
I have already noticed. Thus it happened with the wise ! 
jBj^jjJSjJji^UT Johann Wedeln fared little better, as we shall 
'isee ; for afterthe doctor's strange death, he said openly 
everywhere,hewouldneverresttilltheaccursed witch 
was burned. Anna Apenborg repeated this in the 
convent, & to Sidonia's maid, upon which the witch 
sent for Anna, and asked was the report true ? And 
when the other did not deny it, she exclaimed : " Now for this shall 
the knave be contracted all his life long, and twist his mouth thus." 
Whereupon she mimicked how his shoulders would be drawn up 
to his ears, and twisted her mouth in horrible contortions, so that it 
was a shame and sin to look at her. And truly, this misfortune fell 
upon him from that hour. And afterwards when he heard of her 
wickedness, from Anna Apenborg and others, and brought her to 
an account for her sorcery in Stettin, she made him bite the dustand 
lie in his coffin ere long, out of malice & terrible revenge, as we shall 
hear further on. 
312 





CHAPTER VII.HOWTHE ASSEMBLED POMERA^ 
NIAN PRINCES HOLD A COUNCIL OVER SIDO, 
NIA, .\ AND AT LENGTH CITE HER TO APPEAR 
A T THE DUCAL CPU RT. 

-SSaaEgggaBBSaBgqH E N the state prosecutor, Christian 

Ludeck, reached Stettin with his ap^ 
palling news, the Duke was seriously 
troubled in mind as to how he could 
best save the holy sisterhood, & indeed 
the whole land, from the terrible Sa^ 
tanic power and murderous malice of 
this cruel sorceress. So he summoned 
all the princes of his family to a convo/ 
cation on a certain day, at old Stettin ; 
but, when they arrived, his Grace was absent, for he had gone to 
Coblentzonsome business, & here was the matterjg§?His steward, 
Jeremias Schroter,was an unworthy agent, as his Grace heard; and 
when the time came for the poor people to get their oats or corn, he 
sent round and made them all give their receipts first, saying "they 
should have their corn after;" but when they went to bring it home 
he beat them, & asked what they meant : he had their receipts ; they 
were cheats, and should get no more corn from him. 

HOW a poor parson's widow came up all the way to 
Stettin, to complain of the steward to his Highness, 
who was shocked at such knavery, & determined to 
go down himself to Coblentz & make inquiries; for 
I the steward swore that the people were liars, & had 
I defamed him. The Duke, therefore, bid the chan^ 
cellor, Martin Chemnitz, entertain his princely brothers until his 
return, which would not be before evening, and to show them his 
painting and sculpture galleries, & whatever else in the castle might 
please them. And now to show the good heart of his Grace, I must 
mention that, seeing the poor widow was tired with her six miles' 
walk,he bid her get up beside the coachman on the box of his carriage, 

and he would drive her himself to her own place. 

IE AN WHILE the young princes arrived, and the 
court marshal, the chancellor, the aforesaid state pro* 
secutor, and other high officials, receivedthem on be 
half of his Highness. Doctor Cramer, vice^supenn^ 
tendens, my esteemed father-in-law, was also pre* 

|sent;item,DoctorConstantiusOeslerjg?Theywere 

3*3 



,\ Note by Bogislaff 
XIV.^"Iwasnot 
present atthiscoun^ 
cil, for I was holding 
my espousals at the 
time." (The Duke 
married the Prin^ 
cess Elizabeth von 
Schleswig'Holstein 
in 1615, but left no 
heirs.) 





first led into the picture gallery by the chancellor (although Duke 
George cared little about such matters), where there was a costly 
collection of paintings by Perugino, Raphael, Titian, Bellini, &c. 
Item, statues, vases, coins, and medals, all of which his Grace had 
brought lately from Italy. Here, also, there was a large book, covered 
with crimson velvet, lying open, in which his Grace the Duke had 
written down many extracts from the sermons of Doctor Cramer 
and Mag. Reutzio, with marginal Latin notes of his own; for the 
Duke hadatableinhis oratory or closet in St. Mary's church, that he 
mightwrite down whatpleased him, &aGreekand Latin Bible laid 
thereon. This book was, therefore, a right pleasing sight to Doctor 
Cramer, who stood and read his own sermons over again with great 
relish, while the others examined the paintings jg? When they grew 
weary, the chancellor conducted them to the library, which con- 
tained ten thousand books. But Duke Ulrich said, " Marry, dear 
brothers, what the devil is there to see here ? Let us rather go down 
to the stables, and examine my new Danish horses ; then come up 
to my quarters (for his grace lived with his brother, Duke Philip) 
and have a good Pomeranian carouse to pass away the time, for as 
to these fooleries, which have cost our good brother such a mint of 
money, I would not give a dollar for them aH"j(@FSo they ran down 
the steps leading to the stables; but first he brought them into the 
hunting hall, belonging to his quarter, which was decorated and 
covered all along the walls with hunting-horns, rifles, cross-bows, 
and hunting knives & pouches, with the horns of all sorts of animals 
killed in the chase. Whereupon Duke George said: " He was con- 
tent to remain here, the horses he could see on the morrow." So he 
sat down by the wine-flask which lay there already upon the table ; 
and while Duke Ulrich was trying to persuade him to come to the 
stables, saying he could have the wine-flask after, the door opened 
and his Highness Duke Philip unexpectedly entered the apartment 
J& He embraced all his dear brothers, and then, turning to Duke 
Francis, the bishop said: "Tell me, dear Fra," (so he always called 
him, for his Grace spoke Italian and Latin like German), "is there 
any hope of a christening at thy castle ? oh, say yes, and I will give 
thee a duchy for mv godchild" J& But Bishop Francis answered 
mournfully, " No ! ' Then Duke Philip turned to another: " How 
say you, brother, mayhap there is hope of an heir to Wolgast ? " 
J& " None, alas !" was the answer. " No, no!" exclaimed the Duke, 
"and there is no hope for me either, none!" J& Then he walked 
up and down the hall in great agitation ; at last stopped, and lifting 
314 







up his hands to heaven, cried : " Merciful God, a child, a child ! Is my 
whole ancient race to perish? Wilt thou slay us, as thou didst the 
first-born of E gypt ? Oh ! a child, a child ! " 

ERE Doctor Cramerus advanced humbly, and said : 
" Your Highness should have faith. Remember what 
St. Paul says (Rom. iv.) concerning the faith of 
Abraham and Sarah; and Abraham was a hundred 
years old, whereas your Highness is scarce forty, 
therefore why despair of the mercy of God ? Besides, 
many of his brothers were still unwed."j^ Hereat his Grace stood 
silent; and looked round at his dear brothers, but Duke George ex^ 
claimed : " You need not look at me, dear brother, for I mean never to 

marry" (which,indeed,wasthetruth,forhediedsomeshorttimeafter 
at Buckow, whether through Sidonia's witchcraft I knownot, at the 
age of thirty /-five years, and unmarried. One thing, however, is cer^ 
tain, that his death was as strange as the others; for in seven days he 
was well, sick, dead, buried.).-, j^Summa: His Highness first ex<« 
cused himself to his illustrious brothers for his absence, and related 
the cause, how his knave of a steward had been oppressing the poor, 
whereupon he determined to go himself and avenge their injuries ; 
for aprinceshouldbethe father of his people, & it was ablessed work, 
the scripture said, to visit the fatherless and widows in their afflict 
tion (Jamesi.27).Sohehid himself in a little closet, where he could 
hear everything in the widow's house, and then bid her send for the 
steward; and when he came, the widow asked for her corn, as usual, 
but he said, "She must give him the receipt first, and then she might 
have it"; upon which she gave him the receipt, and he went away 
J& Then the Duke bid the widow send a peasant and his cart for 
the corn ; however, the old answer came back," She was a cheat : what 
did she mean? He had her receipt in his hand",j^Upon this the 
Duke drove himself to the knave, & made him, in his presence, pay 
down all the arrears of corn to the widow; then he beat him blacK 
and blue, for a little parting remembrance, and dismissed him igno^ 
miniously from his service. After this he had thoughts of driving 
round to visit Prechln of Buslar, for the rumour was afloat that Si' 
donia had bewitched his little son Bartel, scarcely yet a year old, & 
made him grow a beard on his chin like an old carl's, that reached 
down to his little stomach. But as his dear brothers were waiting 
for him, his Grace had given up this journey, particularly as he 
wished to hear their opinions without delay, as to what could be 
done to free the land from this evil sorceress Sidonia. Hereupon he 

315 



.". There was for* 
merly a Cistercian 
monastery at Buc* 
kow, in the chapel 
of which still hangs 

a picture of this 
prince. Like most 
of his race, the face 
is in the highest dex 

gree unmeaning; 

indeed nothing 
more can be saidof 
him than that he 
was born and died. 




bade Christian Ludeck, the state prosecutor, to read the proceedings 
at Marienfliess from his notes. 

S he proceeded to read the Acta, the listeners crossed 
1 and blessed themselves ; at last Duke Francis thebis' 
»/ hop spake: "Did I not say well, when years ago in 
M Oderkrug, I prayed our father of blessed memory to 
burn this vile limb of Satan, for a terrible example ? 
l= -^ -^:- - J But my good brother Philip sided against me with 
my father, and he was deemed the wiser, who is the wiser now, I 
wonder, eh ?"j£?Then Duke Philip asked Dr. Cramer: "What he 
thought of the matter as theologus ?" who answered : "Your Grace 
must spare me; I will accuse no one, not even Sidonia, for though 
such things appear verily to be done by the help of the devil, yet had 
theynoproof,seeingthatnomedicus had hitherto dissected anyone 
of the cadavera which it was avowed Sidonia had bewitched to death" 
j^Hereupon Dr. Constantius spake that he had already, by legal 
permission, dissected the body of his colleague, Dr. Schwalenberg, 
and delivered over the visum repertum to his Grace's chancellor. 
Then he described the appearances, which were truly singular, par • 
ticularlythatofthecartilagoensiformis. Item, concerningthe valvule 
tricuspidales, through which theblood falls into the heart.They were 
so powerfully contracted that the blood was forced to take another 
course, for which reason, probably, the corpse seemed so dreadfully 
discoloured. Item;thevenapulmonalishad burst, from which cause 
the doctor had spit blood to the last. And lastly, the glandulze sub' 
lingules were so swollen that the tongue could not remain in the 
mouth. Such a death was not natural ; that he averred. But whether 
Sidonia' s sorcery had caused it, or it were sent as a peculiar punish/ 
ment by God, that he would not say; he agreed with the excellent 
Dr. Cramer, and thoughtit betterto accuse no onejg?" Now by the 
cross!" cried Duke Francis, "what else is it but devil's work? But 
the lords were very lukewarm, and resolved not to peril themselves, 
that he saw. However, if his brother, Duke Philip, permitted the 
whole princely race to be thus bewitched to death, he would have to 
answer for it at the day of judgment. He prayed him, therefore, for 
the love of God, to send for the hag instantly, and drag her to the 
scafFold",J^Hereat Duke Philip sankhishead upon his arm,&was 
silent a long space. But the state^prosecutor gave answer: " Marry ! 
will your Episcopal Highness then take the trouble to tell us, who 
is to seize the hag? I will do it not, and who else will? for methinks 
whoever touches her, must needs be sore tired of life" jg?" If no one 
3»6 




else will," returned the bishop, "my Camyn executioner, Master 
Radeck, will surely do it, for he never feared a witch; besides, he 
knows all their arcana." 

EANWHILE, as Duke Philip still sat in deep 
thought, and played with a quill, the door opened, 
and a lacquey entered with a message from the noble 
Prechln of Buslar, requesting an audienza of his 
Grace. Hehadan infant in his armswhich a wicked 
witch had prayed to death, and the child had a beard 
on it like an old man, so that all in the castle were terrified at the 
sightjj^His Grace, Duke Philip, instantly started up: "Merciful 
Godfis it true? "waved his hand to the lacquey, who withdrew, and 
then walked up and down, exclaiming still : " Merciful God ! what 
can be done ?"j$F" Torture! burn! kill!" cried Duke Francis, the 
bishop, "and to-morrow, if it be possible. I shall send this night for 
my executioner ! trust to him. Hewill soon screw the soul outof the 
vile hag; take my word for it"j^" Ay! torture, burn, kill," cried 
also the state^prosecutor, "& the sooner the better, gracious master. 
For God's sake, no mercy more ! " 

ERE the door opened, & Prechln of Buslar entered, 
pale as the infant corpse that layuponhisarms.This 
corpse was dressed in white with black ribbons, and 
a wreath of rosemary encircled the little head; but, 
what was strange and horrible, a long, black beard 
depended from the infant's chin, which the wind, as 
the door opened, blew backward & forward in the sorrowing father's 
face. After him camehis wife, wringing her hands wildly from grief, 
and an old servingz-maid jgFTruly the whole convocation shuddered 
at the sight, but Bishop Francis was the first to speak: "And this is 
is no devil's work!"he exclaimed. "Now, by myfaith, ye and your 
wise doctors are fools if ye deny this evidence. Come nearer, poor 
fellow; set the corpse of your child down, and tell us how it came to 
pass. We had heard of your strange affliction, and just spoke thereon 
as you entered. Ha! the sorceress cannot escape us now, methinks" 
J^Now, when themourning father began to tell the story,his wife 
set up such a weeping and lamentation, and the old nurse followed 
her example after such a lugubrious fashion, that their lordships 
could not hear a word. Whereupon his Grace, Duke Philip, was 
obliged earnestly to request that the women should keep silence, 
whilst Prechln of Buslar spoke. 




3^7 




HAVE already mentioned what grudge Sidonfa 
I had against him, because he refused to acknowledge 
I himself her feudal vassal, by kissing her hand; also, 

how she accused him afterward of stealing her dog. 

Thisthepoorknightrelatednow at length,and with 

many tears, and continued: " During the strife be,* 

tween them, she one day spat upon both his little sons, & the eldest, 
Dinnies, a fine fellow of seven years old, who was playing with a 
slipper at the time under the table, died first. But the accursed witch 
had stepped over to the cradle where his little Bartholomew lay 
sleeping, while this old nurse, Barbara Kadows, rocked him, and 
murmuring some words, spat upon him, and then went away, curs/ 
ing, from the house. So the spell was put upon both children that 
same day, and Dinnies took sick directly, and in three days was a 
corpse; tut on his little Memi first grew this great black beard, 
which their Lordships all saw, & then he likewise died, after crying 
three days and three nights in horrible torture " j£f The old nurse 
confirmed all this, & said: "That when the horrible hag knelt down 
by the cradle to blow upon the child, she turned up her eyes, so that 
nothing but the whites could be seen. Ah ! what a wicked old hag 
that could not spare a child like that, & could put such an old man's 
beard on its little face",j^Then Duke Philip asked the knight if he 
had accused Sidonia of the witchcraft, and what had she answered. 
" Ah, yes, he had done so, but by letter, for he fearedto go to Marien/ 
fliess, lest it might happen to him as to others who met her face to 
face, and his messenger brought back a letter in answer, by which 
their Lordships could see how her arrogance equalled her wicked/ 
ness," and he drew forth her letter from his bosom, and handed the 
same to his Highness J& Now Bishop Francis would have pre/ 
vented his brother touching the letter, but Duke Philip had a brave 
heart, and taking it boldly, read aloud as follows : 
"Sidonia, by the Grace of God, prioress of the noble convent of 
Marienfliess, ladv and heiress of the lands and castle of Stramehl, 
Labes, Regenwald, Wangerin, and others, greeting. 
"Good friend and vassal, 

"Touching your foul accusation respecting your two brats, and my 
bewitching them to death, I shall only savyou must be mad. I have 
longthought that pride would turn your brain : now I seeithas been 
done. If Bartel has got a beard, send for soap and shave him. As to 
yourself, I counsel you to come to Marienfliess to old Kathe, she 
knows how to turn the brain right again with a wooden bowl. Pour 
3^8 



hot water therein, three times boiled, set the bowl on your head, and 
over the bowl an inverted pot; then, as the water is drawn up into 
the empty pot, so will the madness be drawn up out of your brain 
into thewooden bowl, and all will beright again. It is a good receipt; 
I counsel you to try it. She only desires you to kiss her hand in rec- 
tum. Such is the advice of your feudal lady and seigneuress, 

"Sidonia Bork." 
His Highness had hardly finished reading the letter, when Bishop 
Francis cried out: "What the devil, brother, hast thou made the 
murderous dragon a prioress ¥ f J& But his Highness knew nothing 
of it, and wondered much likewise. Whereupon thestateprosecutor 
told them how it came about, and that poor Dorothea Stettin had 
been talked out of her situation by the dragon, as was all here to be 
seen set down in full in the indictment; but, as the case was not now 
under discussion he would pass it over, although great quarrels and 
scandal prevailed in the convent in consequence, and poor Dorothea 
lay sick, earnestly desiring to be restored to her prioret jg? Bishop 
Francis now grew yet more angry: "Give the witch a prioret in 
hell," he cried, "What would his dear brother do, now that the 
proofs were in his hands V J& To which Duke Philip answered 
mildly : " Dear Fra, think on my symbol, C. & R." (that is, Christo 
etReipublicae, for Christ and the State.) "Let us not be over/hasty. 
Suppose that Dr. Constantinus should first dissect this poor infant, 
and see what really caused its death "jgPThereat the doctor plunged 
his hand in his pocket, to drawforth his case of instruments, but the 
mother screamed out, and ran to tear the child from him : " No, no ; 
they should never cut up herlittleMemi!" Item, the maid screamed 
out: " No, no; she would lose her life first!" Item; the father stood 
still and trembled, but said never a word. What was to be done now ? 
His Grace repented of his hastiness, and at last said : "Well, then, 
friends, let the doctor examine the infant externally, look into its 
mouth, &c." 

ND when the parents consented to this, his Grace 
l| prayed them gently to withdraw with him into an' 
other apartment while the examination was made, 
as such a sight might give them pain. To this they 
also consented, and his Grace led the way to an^ 
... . ______ J other hall (giving a signprivately to the doctor to do 

his business properly), where a splendid collation was served. After 
which, just to detain them longer, his Grace brought them to visit 
the picture'galleryj_?Summa: When they returned, the dissection 

3»9 





had been accomplished, at which sight the parents and the maid 
screamed; but his Grace confuted them, saying: "That the ends of 
justice required it. He would nowtake the case into his own hands, 
and they might return quietly to their own castle and bury their in-* 
fant,whowould sleep as well dissectedasentire" t /^Having,atlast, 
calmed them somewhat, they kissed his hand and took their leave. 
|E ANWHILE, the two youngDukes, Ulrich and 
George, finding the time hang heavy, had slipped 
away from the council-board, and gone down to the 
ducal stables jS? When his Highness noticed their 
I absence, he sent a page bidding them return & give 
I their opinion in council, as to what should be done 
nextj^But they sent back an answer: " Let the lords do what they 
pleased; as forthem they wereofftothechase,seeingit was pleasanter 
to hunt a hare than a witch" jgFNow Bishop Francis stormed in 
earnest,^" Marry, some folk would not believe in witchcraft, till 
they stood with their heels turned toward heaven ; and here three 
idle younkers must needs ride off to the chase, when the life & death 
of our race hangs in the balance. I say again, brother, torture, burn, 
kill, and as soon as maybe" j(SF But Duke Philip still answered 
mildly : " Dear Fra, the medicus hath just pronounced thatthe corpse 
of the poor child presents no unnatural appearances; and as to the 
beard, this may just as well be a miraculum Dei as a miraculum 
daemonis, therefore I esteem it better to cite Sidonia to our court, 
and admonish her strenuously to all good." 

HIS course had little favour from Bishop Francis, 
but when the state prosecutor agreed with his High' 
ness, and Dr. Cramerus praised so Christian and 
merciful a resolve, he was at last content, particularly 
as some one said (I forget who, but I rather think it 
was the chancellor Martinus Chemnitz), that Mag. 
Joel of Grypswald gave it as his opinion that it would be a matter 
of trouble and danger to seize the witch, seeingthat her familiar, the 
spirit Chim, was a mighty and strong spirit, and capable of taking 
great revenge on any who laid hand upon her; but that he, Mag. 
Joel, would do for him easily if he came in his way J& This intelli/- 
gence gave the bishop great comfort, and he instantly despatched a 
letter to Mag. Joel, bidding him come forthwith to Stettin, whilst 
the chancellor prepared a Citationem realem sive personalem for 
Sidonia, which contained the following: 

320 




" We, Philip, by the grace of God, &c, 

"Command thee, Sidonia von Bork, conventual and not prioress 
of the noble convent of Marienfliess, to appear before us, at our 
court of Stettin, on the 15th day of July, at three of the clock to an^ 
swer for the evil deeds whereof thou art accused, under punishment 
of banishment, forfeiture, and great danger to thy body and life. 
Against such, therefore, take thou heed. 
"Signatum, Old Stettin, 10th July, 1616. 

" Philippus, manu sua." 

CHAPTER VIII. OF SIDONIA'S DEFENCE. ITEM, 
HOWSHE HAS AQUARRELWITH JOACHIM 
WEDEL, AND BEWITCHES HIM TO DEATH. 

JT three of the clock on the appointed day, 
the grand Rittersaal (knights' hall) of the 
stately castle of Old Stettin was crowded 
with ministers, councillors, and officials, 
i who had met there by command of their 
illustrious mightinesses, Duke Philip, 
Prince and Lord of Stettin, and Francis, 
Bishop of Camyn. Amongst the nobles 
assembled were Albert, Count of Eber^ 
stein, Lord of Neugarten and Massow; 
Eustache Flemming, hereditary grand/marshal; Christoph von 
Mildenitz, privy councillor and dean of the honourable chapter of 
Camyn; Caspar von Stogentin, captain at Friedrichswald; Christ 
toph von Plate, master of the ceremonies ; Martin Chemnitz, chan^ 
cellor of Pomerania; Dr. Cramer, my worthy lord father-in-law, 
vicexsuperintendens; Dr. Constantius Oesler, medicus; Christian 
Ludek,attorney>general; Mag. Joel of Grypswald,& many others. 
These all stood in long rows, waiting for their princely Graces. For 
it was rumoured that Sidonia had already arrived with the fish' 
sellers from Grabow, which, indeed, was the case; & she had more-' 
over, packed seven hogsheads of her best beer on the wagon along 
with her, purposing to sell it toprofit in the town, but the devil truly 
got his profit out or the said beer, for by it not only our good town 
of Stettin, but likewise the whole land, was nearly brought to rum 
and utter destruction, as we shall hear further on jSFSumma : When 
all the aforenamed were ranged in rank and order, the great doors 
of the hall were flung wide open, and Duke Philip entered first J& 
Every one knows that he was small, delicate, almost thin in person, 
pale of face, with a moustache on his upper lip, and his hair combed 




.•.Divided in the 
centre, and falling 
down straight at 
each side, as in the 
pictures of our 
Saviour. 



.V Note of Bo,- 
gislaffXIV.Yes; 
but not out of fear. 
I was celebrating 
my espousals, as 
I have said. 



a la Nazarena. He wore a yellow doublet with silver-coloured 
satin sleeves, scarlet hose trimmed with gold lace, white silk stock' 
ings, & white boots, with gold spurs; round his neckwas a Spanish 
ruff of white point lace, and by his side a jewel^hilted sword; his 
breast and girdle were also profusely decorated with diamonds. So 
his highness advanced upthehall,wearinghis grey beaver hat, from 
which drooped a stately plume of black herons' feathers, fastened 
with an aigrette of diamonds. This he did not remove, as was cus^ 
tomary, until all present had made their obeisance & deferentially 
kissed his hand. Duke Francis followed in his episcopal robes, with 
a mitre upon his head & a bishop's crook of ivory in his hand. The 
other young dukes, Ulrich, George, and Bogislaus remained cau*- 
tiously away. • . ' And the blood'Standard waved from the towers, 
and the princely Soldateska, with all the officers, lined the castle 
court, so that nothing was left undone that could impress this terrible 
sorceress with d ue fear and respect for their illustrious Graces. 

~~ jND when the order was given for Sidonia to be ad/ 
mitted, the two princes leaned proudly on a table at 
the upper end of the hall, while the assembled nobles 
H formed two long lines at each side. Three rolls of the 
< drum announced the approach of the prisoner. But 
U when she entered, accompanied by the Lord Pre 
vost, in her nun's robes & white veil, on which the key of her office 
was embroidered in gold, a visible shudder passed over her frame; 
collecting herself, however, quickly, she advanced to kiss their 
Graces' hands, but Bishop Frances, after he had drawn his symbo' 
lum with chalk before him on the table, namely, H. H. H. ; that is, 
"Help, helper, help," cried out: "Back, Satan! stir not from thy 
place; and knowthat if thou shouldst attempt any of thy diabolical 
sorceries upon my dear lord & brother here (as for me, this honour^ 
able, consecrated, and priestly robe saves me from thy power) thou 
shalt be torn limb from limb, and thy members flung to feed the 
dogs, while thou art yet living to behold it, accursed, thrice accursed 
witch !"jfi? And his Grace, in his great rage against her, struck the 
table with his ivory crook, so that he broke a bottle filled with red 
ink which stood thereon, & the said ink (alas ! what an evil omen !) 
poured down upon Duke Philip's white silk stockings, and stained 
them red like blood. 




322 




IE AN WHILE Sidonia exclaimed: "What! is 
] there no leech here, to feel the pulse of his Serene 
Highness? Surely the dog-days, that we are in the 
middle of, have turned his brain completely. Any 
little bit of mother/wit he might have had is clean 
gone. What! she had scarcely entered! Knew not 
yet of what she was accused, and she was 'Satan!' 'athrice accursed 
witch !' who was to be cut up into little bits to feed dogs ! Had any 
man ever heard the like? Would the nobles of Pomerania, whom 
she saw around her, suffer one of their own rank, a lady of castles 
and lands, to be thus handled ? She called upon them all as wit' 
nesses, and after the audienza a notary should be summoned to note 
all down, for she would assuredly appeal to the States of the king/ 
dom, and bring her cause before the emperor"^ Hereupon Duke 
Philip interposed: " Lady, our dear brother is of a hasty tempera/ 
ment; yet you can scarce wonder at his speech, or take it ill, when 
you consider the terrible evils which you have brought upon our 
ancient and illustrious race. However, as an upright & good prince 
must judge the cause of his subjects before his own, I shall first in/ 
quire what caused the sudden illness of the sheriff, E ggert Sparling, 
and of the abbess, Magdalena, that time they brought my father s 
letter to you : that letter which you said was a forgery, and flung 
into the fire." 

Ilia: "What caused it? How could she remember? It was a long 
time ago; but, so far as she recollected, they came in when she was 
brewing beer or cooking sausages, and she opened the window to 
admit fresh air; before this window they both sat and talked, to be 
out of the smell of the cooking; could they not have got rheumatism 
by such means ? Let his Grace ask the doctors, did it require witch/ 
craft to give a man the rheumatism, who sat in a draught of air ?" 
The Duke: "But both were cured again as quickly as they had 
taken it." 

Ilia: "Ah, yes! She would have done her best to cure even her 
greatest enemy, for the Holy Saviour had said: 'Bless them that 
curse you; do good to them that hate you; pray for them that perse/ 
cute you.' To such commands of her Lord shehad ever been a faith/ 
ful servant, and therefore searched out of her cookery/book for a 
sympatheticum,but for thanks, lonowwhatshe gets ! Such was the 
way of this wicked world. Perhaps my gracious Lord would like to 
know of thesympatheticum; she would say it for him, if he wished" 
J^" Keep it to yourself, woman," roared Duke Francis, "and tell 
us why you burned my father's letter ?" 

y2 323 



Ilia: "Because, in truth, she deemed it a forgery. How could she 
believe a knave who had already deceived his own gracious Prince ? 
For did not this base sheriff appropriate to his own use eleven 
mares, one hundred sheep, sixteen head of cattle, and forty -'two 
boars, all the property of his Highness, to the great detriment of 
the Princely revenue? Item: At the last cattle sale, he had put three 
hundred florins into his own bag, and many more evil deceits had 
this wicked cheat practised." " Keep to the question," cried Duke 
Philip, "& answer only what you are asked: What was the matter 
concerning the priest, which caused you to complain of him to our 
Princely consistorium ?" 

Ilia: "Ay! and no notice taken, though it was a scandal that cried 
to heaven, howthis licentious youngcarl was admitted into the con^ 
vent as chaplain, when the regulations especially declared that an 
honourable old man should hold the office. She prayed, therefore, 
that another priest might be appointed" jg? Hereat my worthy 
father-in-law, Dr. Cramer, said : " Good lady, be not so hasty ; from 
all we have heard, this priest is a right worthy and discreet young 



man." 



Ilia : " Right worthy and discreet truly ! as her old maid could testify ; 
or the abbess, with whom he locked himself up ; or Dorothea Stettin, 
with whom he was discovered behind the holy altar. Fie! The 
scandal that such a fellow should be convent chaplain ! and that a 
Christian government should suffer it!" (Spitting three times on 
the ground.) 

The Duke : "The inquiry concerning him was pending. For what 
cause had she forced herself into the sub^prioret?" 
1 11a : "She ! Forced herself! Forced herself into the sub'prioret ! What 
devil had invented this story ? Why, the abbess and the whole con' 
vent were witness thatshewas forced into it; for as Dorothea Stettin 
was ashamed, after that business behind the altar, when she was 
discovered with the priest, besides, was a weak silly thing at all times, 
she had consented to relieve her from the sub^prioret at her (Donv 
thea's) earnest supplication and prayer." 

The Duke : Wherefore had she treated the novices with such cruelty, 
and run at them with axes and knives, to do them grievous bodily 
harm?" 

Ilia : "They were a set of young wantons, always gossiping about 
marriage and loons, therefore she had held a strict hand over them, 
which she would not deny; particularly as if anyof the nuns fell into 
sin, the law decreed that she was to be beheaded. Was she therefore 
324 



wrong or right? Truly the abbess said nothing, for she was as bad as 
any of them, and had locked herself up with the priest." 
The Duke: " What caused the sudden death of the convent porter ? " 
Ilia: "What! was this, too, laid on her as a crime?" Why, at last, if 
any one died in Wolgast,or another in Marienfliess, duringher ab^ 
sence, she would have to answer for it." 

The Duke : " But Dr. Schwalenberghad died in the selfsame way, 
and as suddenly, tumbling down dead upon the pavement." 
Ilia: "The knave was so drunk, when he ran after her with ahorse^ 
whip to beat her, that he tumbled down on the stones ; and mayhap 
the shock killed him,asitdid that other knave who flungher against 
the wall; or that he got a fit; for such would have been a just judg' 
mentofGodonhim,asitiswritten(Malachiiii. 5), 'I will be a swift 
witness for the widow & the orphan.' Ah ! truly she was a poor or^ 
phan, and the just God had been her swift witness; for which all 
praise & glory be to his name for ever." (Weeping.) Here Christoph 
Mildenitz, canon of Camyn,exclaimed," Marry ,thou wicked viper, 
I have seen the corpse of this same Schwalenbergmyself, and every 
one, even the physicians, said that he had died no natural death." 
Ilia : " Must the fat canon put in his word now? Ha ! this was her 
thanks for the gloves she had knit him, and which he wore at this 
present moment, for she knew them, even at that distance, by the 
black seams round thethumbs. But so it was ever: she had no greater 
enemies than those whom she had done kindness to." 
The Duke :" Prechln von Buslaralso accused her of having brought 
his two sons to death, and making a long man's beard grow upon 
the little Bartel." 

Ilia (laughing) : "Ah ! it is easy to see by your Grace that we are in 
the dog-days. Your Highness mustpardon my mirth; but who could 
help it? Merciful GodTare thy wonders, sent to fright the world, & 
turn men from sin, to be called devil's sorceries! To what a pass is 
the world come! Has your Highness forgotten all history? Know 
you not that God gives many signs to his people, and speaks in 
wonders ? Yet, when did men, till now, say that these signs were of 
the devil alone, andpersecuteanddestroynelplesswomen by reason 
of them? Speak, gracious Duke, speak, ye noble lords, have ye not 
tortured and burned, and put to death, weak and innocent women 
without number for these things, and must ye needs now seek my 
life ? and when was it ever known, till now, that nobles sat in judg- 
mentupononeoftheir ownrank,alady of as high blood & proud dc 
scent as any of ye here, for old wives' tales like these, and children's 

ys 325 




jS?.\ It was a fact fooleries ? Speak! Whoso saith I lie, let him step forward and con^ 
that the persecu^ vict me."'- There was a dead silence in the hall when she had ended, 
tion of witches an <j even Duke Philip looked down ashamed, for he could not but 
had risen at this acknowledge that she spoke thetruth, however unwillingly he be 
penodalmost to a lieved aught the vile sorceress uttered. At last Bishop Francis spake : 
mania. « Why then didstthou blow upon the children of Prechln of Buslar, 

if it were not to bewitch them to death ?" 

[HEREUPON the witch answered scornfully: "If 

that could kill, then were we all dead long since, for 

J the wind blows onus every minute, & we blow upon 

jour hot broth to cool it, yet who dies thereof? How 

JcouldabishopbesosunkinsuperstitionFAsto Prechln 

1 of Buslar, no wonder if God had smitten him for his 

pride & arrogance, as it is said, ( Luke i. 51)/ He scatters such as are 

proud of heart/ for though her feudal vassal, he had refused to do her 

homage, therefore here was no witch^work but only God's work, 

testifying against sinful haughtiness andpridejgF" Morever,itwas 

false that she had blown upon the children; the silly fool Prechln 

had imagined it all, nothing was too absurd for stupidity like his to 

believe ; and what then ? Can't people die but by witchcraft ? Did St. 

Peter bewitch that covetous knave Ananias (Acts v) . when he fell 

down dead at his feet for having lied to the Holy Ghost? Let the 

honourable convocation answer her truly." Summa; the end of all 

was, (as we may imagine) that the cunning Satan was allowed to 

depart in peace, only receiving a wholesome admonition from his 

Highness, Duke Philip, & another from my worthy father/uvlaw, 

Dr. Cramer. 

UTwhathappened,asshe returned to her lodgment 

in the Rudenberg street? Behold Joachim Wedel of 

Cremzow, whom she had made contracted, sat at 

his window to enjoy the air, butthe evil hag no sooner 

looked up and saw nim than she began to mock him, 

'twisting her mouth awry, even as he twisted his 

mouth. When he observed her, his face grew red with anger, and he 

cried out of the window: " H a, thou accursed witch, I am not so help . . 

help.. help.. helpless as thou thinkest; so do not twi..twi..twi.. 

twist thy mouth at me that way." To which Sidonia only answered 

with the one word "Wait! "and passed on, but returned soon again 

with a notary and two witnesses (one was the landlord of the inn 

where she had left her beer), stepped up to the chamber where Joa^ 

chim sat, and bid them take down that he had called her an accursed 

326 





witch, while she was quietly going along the street to her lodgment 
j^Poor Wedel vainly tried to speak in his defence; the hag main- 
tained her assertion, and prayed that the just God who brought all 
liars to destruction would avenge her cause, if it were his gracious 
will, for the scripture said, (Psalm v. 7), " I will destroy them that 
speak leasing." Therefore, she left him and all her other enemies in 
the hand of God. He would take vengeance! 

IN D oh, horror! scarcely had she returned to her lodg- 
jment when the poor man began to scream; "There 
is some one sitting within my breast, and lifting up 
the breast'bone!" Thus he screamed and screamed 
I three days and three nights long; no physician, not 
J even Dr. Constantinus, could help him, and finally 
when he died his body presented the same appearances precisely 
as those of Dr. Schwalenberg and the convent porter, as the doc- 
tors who dissected him affirmed upon oath jg? Hewasaclever man, 
learned and well read, and left Annales behind him, a work which 
this cruel witch caused to remain unfinished,/^ And further, it was 
a strange thing whether of witchcraft (or of God I cannot say) that 
except my gracious Duke Philip, almost every one present at this 
remarkable colloquium died within the year ; for example, Count 
Albert, Eustache Flemming, Caspar von Stogentin, Christoph 
von Mildenitz, all lay in their graves before the year was out..*. 
CHAPTER IX. HOW A STRANGE WOMAN (WHO 
MUST ASSUREDLY HAVE BEEN SIDONIA) IN. 
CITESTHELIEGESOFHISGRACETOGREATUP- 
ROAR AND TUMULT IN STETTIN, BY REASON 
OF THE NEW TAX UPON BEER. 

Y gracious Prince will perhaps say : " But, 
Theodore, how comes it that this hag, who 
in her youth could not be brought to learn 
the catechism, quoted scripture in her old 
days like a priest V J& I answer: Serene 
Prince & Lord, that seems in my opinion 
because the evil witch found that Scrip-' 
ture, when not taught of God, can be made 
to serve the devil's purposes, for this rea- 

____ _ son she studiedtherein;notto make honey 

but to extract poison, as your Grace may have perceived in her 

strifes with individuals, and even with the constituted authorities. 

Further, methinks she must also have studied in history books, for 

74 3V 




.'.Someplacethe 
death of Joachim 
Wedel so early as 
1606. The whole 
matter is taken, 
almost word for 
word, from the 
criminal records 
in the Berlin Li- 
brary ;&, accord' 
ing to Dahnert, 
the first question 
on the book con- 
cerned the death 
of this man JS& 
His Annales in- 
elude the years 
from 1501 to 1606; 
they contain the 
whole history of 
that period, but 
the work has ne- 
verbeen printed. 
Dahnert, how 
ever, vol. ii. Po- 
meranian Libra- 
ry, gives some ex- 
tracts therefrom; 
also, in Franz 
Kock'sRecoIlec- 
tionsof Dr. John 

Bugenhagen, 
Stettin, 1817, we 
find this chroni- 
cle quoted. 




how else could she have discoursed upon political matters so as to 
raise the whole population of Stettin into open revolt, as we shall 
soon see? However, I leave these questions undecided, & shall only 
state facts, leav ing the rest for your Highness' s judgment. 

HE day following that on which Sidonia had been 
tried before the noble convocation (and she must 
have still been in the town, I think, for it was late in 
the previous evening when she bewitched Joachim 
Wedel),the priest of St. Nicholas read out after the 
sermon, before the whole congregation, the ducal 
order declaring that, from that date forward, the quart of beer, 
hitherto sold for a Stralsund shilling, should not be sold under six-* 
teen Pomeranian pence. This caused great murmurs and discontent 
among the people; and when they came out of church they rushed 
to the inn, where Sidonia had been staying, to discuss the matter 
freely, and screamed and roared, and gesticulated amongst them' 
selves, saying: "The council had no right to raise the price of beer; 
they werea setof rogues that ought to be hung," &c. and they struck 
fiercely on the table, so thatthe glasses rangjfi?Just then an old hag 
came to the door, but not in a cloister habit. She had a black plaster 
upon her nose, and complained how she had hurt herself by falling 
on the sharp stones, which had put her nose out of jointj^" People 
talked of this new decree, was it true that the poor folk were to pay 
sixteen Pomeranian pence for a quart of beer ? Oh, God ! what the 
cruelty and avarice of princes could do. But she scarcely believed the 
report, for she brewed beer herself betterthanany brewerin theland. 
and yet could sell the quart for eight'pence,and have profit besides. 
Oh, that princes and ministers could rob the poor man so ! ay, they 
would take the very shirt off his back to glut their own greed and 
covetousness. And what did they give their hard-earned gold for ? 
to build fine houses for the Prince, forsooth, and fill them with fine 
pictures from Italy, and statues, as if he were a bratof a schoolgirl, 
and must have his dolls to play with "j&" What sort is your beer, 
old dame?" asked a fellow; "marry, it must be strange trash, I 



warrant." 



1 11a : " No, no ; if they would not believe her word, let them taste the 
beer. She wanted nothing further but to prove how the wicked 
government oppressed the poor folk ; for she was a God-fearing 
woman, and her heart was filled with grief to see how the princes 
lately, in this poor Pomerania, squeezed the very life-blood out of 
the people," &c. Then she lifted up a barrel of beer upon the table 
328 




(I have already said that Sidonia had brought some with her to sell), 
and invited the discontented people to taste it, which they were notlv 
ing loth to do, and soon broached the said barrel. Then, having 
tasted, they extolled her beer to the skies : " No better had ever been 
brewed" J^Now other troops of the discontented came pouring in 
from Lastadie, Wiek, &c, cursing,& swearing, and shouting: "The 
beer must not be raised; they would force the government to take 
off the tax. Would not their comrades join ? " 

SBHISwas fine fun to the old hag, and she produced an/ 
other barrel of beer, which the mob emptied speedily, 
and then began talking, shouting, screaming, roaring 
like flocks of wild geese; and when the old hag saw 
that they had got enough under their caps to make 
them quite desperate, she began : "Was not her beer 
as good as any beer in the duchy?" "Ay, ay, better!" shouted the 
mob; "where dost thou live, mother? ' J0To this she gave no 
answer, but continued: "Yet this beer cost but eight/pence a quart, 
by which they could see how the wicked and cruel government op/ 
pressed them; oh; oh, it was a sin that cried to heaven, to see how 
princes and nobles scourged and skinned the poor folk. They swilled 
wine of the best, and plenty, in their own gorgeous castles, but 
grudgedpoorbitterpovertyits can of beer! Shame on such a govern/ 
ment!"j^"True, true!" shouted the mob; "she is right; we are 
scourged and skinned by these worthless nobles. Come, brothers, 
let us off to the council/hall, and if they will not take off the tax, 
we'll murder every soul of them." 

Ilia: "And be asses for their pains. Was that all they could do, pray 
the mighty council, forsooth, to lower the tax ? Oh, brave fellows ! 
What! had they not the power in their own hands, if they would 
only be united? Had they never heard how the people of Anklam 
had, in former times, killed their rulers and governors, and then did 
justice to themselves ? What right had prince, minister, or council 
to skin a people ? They had all stout arms and brave hearts here, as 
she saw; could they not right themselves ! must they needs crouch 
for their own to prince or minister ? Did she lie, or did she speak the 
truth?" 

ERE the mob cheered and shouted, "True! true!" 
and thev struck the table till the glasses broke, roar/ 
ing: " She is right, brothers. Are we not strong ? Can 
we not right ourselves ? Why should we go begging 
to a council? May the devil take all the covetous 
rich knaves, who drink the people's blood ! " 

329 . 




Ilia: "But maybe they wanted a prince, eh? The prince was the 

shepherd, the council only the dog who bit the sheep, as his master 

commanded. Eh, children Pis not a prince a fine thing to squeeze the 

sweat and life-'blood outof ye, and turn it into gold for himself? For 

what are his riches but your sweat and blood, if ye reflect on it; and 

. '. These Like'deal" * s ** a s * n to ta ^ e y° ur own ' Rethinks if all princes were killed or 

ers were the commu* banished, and their goods divided amongst the people, ye would all 

nists of the northern ^ave enou g n « Have ye not heard of that brotherhood, who set all 

middle apes &were princesandgovernmentsatdefiancefortwohundredyears,andlived 

foranumberofyears like brotners amongst themselves, dividing all goods alike, so that 

the plague of the *k*7 were ca ^ e< ^ Like^dealers ; and no beggar was found amongst 

them, for they had all things in common ? • wlierefore can ye not be 
Like^dealers also ? Are there not rich enough for ye to kill ? And if 
ye are united, who can withstand you ? Look at the dog and the cattle, 
how the poor stupid beasts let themselves be driven, and bit, and 
beaten, just because they are used to it; but, lo ! if the cattle should 
all turn their horns against the dogandtheshepherd,what becomes 
of my fine pair? So it is with the prince and his council. Oh, if ye 
were only united ! Fling off the parsons too, for they are prime 
movers or all your misery. Do they not teach you, & teach you from 
your youth up, that ye must have princes and priests ? Eh, brothers, 
where is that written in the scriptures ? J£t" Doth not St. Peter say 



plague 
northern seas; until 
at the beginning of 
the fifteenth century 
they were subdued, 
and many of them 

captured by the 
Dutch, who nailed 
them up in barrels, 
leaving an aperture 
for the head at top, 
& then decapitated 
them. J^ The best 
account of them is 
found Raumer's 
Historical Note^ 
book, vol. iu, p. 19 



(1st Epistle, chap, ii.),' Yeare a royal priesthood?' What, then, if ye 

foi 



are kings, princes, and priests yourselves, must ye needs pay tor 
other kings, princes, andpriests ? Can ye not govern yourselves ? can 
ye not pray for yourselves ? In my opinion, yes ! Doth not the same 
St. Peter likewise call ye ' a chosen people,' ' a people of inheritance ? ' 

And if any one wishes to see the result of communist teaching, they have only to study 
here the horrible excesses to which it leadsjj^The communism of the apostolic age might 
have been suited to a period in which it would be difficult to say whether faith or love pre' 
dominated most; but even then it by no means prevented the existence of extremepoverty, 
for we read frequently in the Acts and Epistles of the collections made for the Christian 
churches. But in our faithless, loveless, selfish, sin^drowned century, such an attempt at 
community of goods would not only annihilateallmoralitycompletely,butabsolutelyde^ 
grade us back from civilisation and modern Catholicism into the rudest and most meagre 
barbarism. The apostlesof such doctrines nowmust speak, though perhaps unconsciously, 
from the sole inspiration of Satan, like Sidonia^The progress of humanity is not to be 
furthered by such means jff Let our merchants no longer degrade human beings into 
machines for their factories, nor our princes degradethem into automatonpuppetsfortheir 
armies, but of men make living men. And the strong energy, the stern will, the vital spiritual 
power that will thus be awakened, will and must produce the regeneration of humanity. 

33o 



but, I pray you, where is your inheritance, poor beggars as ye are, to 
whom neither priest nor prince will give one can of beer ? Ha! go, I 
tell you, take back your kingship, your priesthood, your inheritance. 
Become Like^dealers, brothers, even as the early Christians, who 
had all things in common, before the greed of priest or prince had 
robbed them of all. Like^dealers ! Like/dealers ! run, run; kill, slay, 
strike all dead, and never rest until ye drown the last priest in the 
blood of the last prince V'J&As the hag thus spoke, through the 
horrible inspiration of Satan, the passions of the mob roseto frenzy, 
and they rushed out and joined the bands in the streets, and the 
crowds thatpoured from every door; and as they repeated her words 
from oneto the otherthe frenzy spread (forthey were like oil to fire). 
But the hagwith the black plaster onher nose, when she sawherself 
left alone in the chamber, looked out after them, and laughed, and 
danced, and cla pped her hands. 

jJ^r^-J^^y^OW the prince and count had withdrawn to Col- 
batz for safety, and a council was summoned in all 
haste and anxiety. Thewater^gatewas barred like-' 
wise, to prevent a junction with the people of Las' 
takie and Wiek, but the townspeople, who had 

gathered in immense crowds, broke it in, and join' 

ing with the others, proceeded to storm the council-'hall, where the 
honourable council were then sitting J& They shouted, roared, 
menaced, &seizingthe clerk, Claude Lorenz, in the chamber, mmv 
dered him before the very eyes of the burgomasters, and flung the 
body out of the window; then rushing down the steps again, pre 
ceeded along the corn-rnarket, & by the higlvstreet into the horses 
market, where they sacked three breweries from theroof to the cellar; 
and dragging out the barrels, staved in the bottoms, and drank out 
of their hats and caps, shouting, roaring, singing, and dancing while 
they swilled the good beer; so that the sight was a scandal to God 
and man. And the uproar waxed stronger and stronger through-' 
out that whole nightjg?Not a word of remonstrance or expostu' 
lation will the people listen to; they threaten to hang up the mes" 
sengers of the honourable council, and show no respect even to 
a mandate from his Highness, under his own seal and hand, which 
a horseman brings them. They laugh, mock, fling it into the gutter, 
sack more breweries, and by ten of the clock, just as the citizens are 
going to church, they number ten bands strong J& So my worthy 
fatherxirvlaw, Dr. Cramer, with the dean and archdeacon of St. 
Mary's, stood upon the steps at the churclvdoor as the bells rung, 

331 




& the mob rushed by to sackmore breweries. And he spoke friendly 
to the rioters:" They should stop and hear what the word of God 
said about the uproar at Ephesus," (Acts io)j$FAnd some would, 
and some would not. What did they want with parsons ? Strike all 
the parsons deadj^They could play the priest for themselves, and 
forgive their own sins; yet many went in, for it was the custom to 
attend the weekly preaching, & my worthy father-in-law, turning 
round, addressed them from the nave of the church: methinks they 
needed it! jgF One very beautiful comparison that he employed 
made a great impression, and brought many to reason. For he spoke 
of the bees, how, when they wander too far from the hive, they can 
be brought back by soft sweet melody, and so might this wild and 
wandering swarm be brought back to the true hive, by the soft and 
thrilling melody of God's holy word. Then for conclusion he read 
the Princely mandate from the altar; but at this the uproar recom^ 
menced, and they ran shouting and screaming out of the church, 
to their wild work again, staving in the barrels and drinking the 
beer; and they insulted a magistrate that spoke mildly to them, and 
said if they would be quiet, he would try and have the tax removed. 
So they raged like the bands of Korah and Abiram; wanted to kill 
every one, all the rich, and divide their goods; for their riches were 
their blood and sweat J& They would drag the four guilds to the 
council/'hall, and the chief burgomasters, and hang them all up, and 
afterwards the honourable council, & all the priests, &c. So passed 
the first and se cond day. 

|Nthethirdmorningbysixoftheclock,hisHighness, 
Duke Philip, with all his suite, drove in six coaches 
from Colbatz up to the Oderstrasse, galloping into 
the middle of the crowd of noisy, drunken rioters, 
who thronged the grass^market as thick as bees in a 
swarm. He wished to pass on quickly to the castle, 
but could not, so he had to see and hear for himself how the insure 
section raged; and the mob surrounded the coach of his Highness 
with loud cries, in which nothing could be heard distinctly, but on 
one side : ** Kill him I " and on the other : " Let him go ! " This made 
Bishop Francis wild with anger, and he wanted to jump out of the 
coach and beat back the people, but Duke Philip gently restrained 
him. "See you not," he said, "the people are sick? Hot words will 
increase their sickness." Then he motioned to Mag. Reutzio, the 
court chaplain, who sat in the coach, to admonish the crowd J& But 
the moment the Reverend M. Reutzio put his head out of the win^ 
332 




dow to address them, the people shouted : " Down with the parson ! 
What is he babbling for? Dr. Cramer told us all that yesterday. 
Wewantnoparsons.Killthem! Kill them! Down with the priests! 
Down with the princes!" And they sprang upon the horses to cut 
the traces, but the coachman and outriders slashed away right and 
left with their horsewhips, so that the mob recoiled; and then with 
loud shouts of "Make way! Make way!" the coachman lashed his 
horses forward into a gallop. But behold as they crossed the Shoe-' 
strasse, a coarse, thick'set woman knelt by the kennel with her 
daughter, a halkgrown girl, and they were drinking beer from a 
barrel like calves J& This same woman was knocked down by the 
foremost horse, so that she fell into the gutter. Hereat she roared 
and cursed his princely Grace, and flung the beer^can at him, but it 
fell upon the horse, who grew wild and dashed off in a mad gallop 
across the Shoe^strasse into the Pelzer^strasse, and up to the castle 
without pausing, where a large crowd had already collected. 

IF the sovereign people had been wild before, they 
' were ten times more wild now, and ran to try and 
get into the castle after his Highness; but the Duke 
ordered the gates to be closed. He finding that the 
courts SC corridors were already filled with the mem/ 
bers of the venerable council, and three hundred of 
the militia, bade the men stand to their arms, load the heavy artil-' 
lery, and erect the blood'Standard on the tower, while he and the 
Princes, with the honourable members, considered what could best 
be done in this grave and dangerous crisis. Whereupon he bade the 
council attend him in the state banqueting'hall J& N ow the honour^ 
ablecouncil declared they were ready to partlife& limb for their liege 
lord, and the illustrious house of Pomerania, according to the terms 
of their oath; but the burghers would not. For when Duke Phillip 
asked would not the burghers go forth,&help to disperse this armed 
and unruly mob, the militia made sundry objections, and set forth 
numerous difficulties. Whereupon Bishop Francis started up, and 
exclaimed : " Brother, I pray thee, do not stoop to conciliate the 
people ! If ye knownothow to die I can go forth and die for all, since 
it has come to this." And he rose to depart J& But his Highness 
seized him by the hand, and entreated patience yet for one hour 
more. Then he turned to the militia, and again admonished them 
of their duty, and bid them remember the oath, but they answered 
sharply : "Why the devil should we go forth and shoot our brothers, 
neighbours, & friends ? They are more to us than all." Item : They 

333 





recapitulated their objections and difficulties J& Hereupon his 
Highness exclaimed : " Alas ! how comes it that my good people of 
Stettin are so unruly ? If the Stralsunders, indeed had risen, I would 
say nothing, but my dear Stettiners, who have ever been so true and 
loyal, holding to their province through all adversities, and now: 
ah! that I should live to see this day!" J& Then Bishop Francis 
spake : " Truly our good Stettiners are to be known no longer. Were 
it possible to bewitch a whole people, I would say this witclvdevil 
of Marienfliess had done it, Forin all Pomeranian land was it ever 
heard thatthepeople refused obedienceto their Prince, as theburgher 
militia here ha ve dared to refuse this day?" 

|USTthen the evil tidings arrived, that the mobwere 
sacking the house of one of the chiefs of the council, 
whereupon his Highness, Duke Philip, called out 
again: " Will ye stand by me or not FHereis no time 
for hesitation, but action. Will yefollowme? Speak, 
lieges!" JSt Hereat a couple of hundred voices re^ 
sponded: "Yes, yes;" but the "yes" fell as dull and cold upon the 
ear as the clang of a leaden bell J& However, Bishop Francis in^ 
stantly exclaimed : " Good ! Go then, all of ye, to the armoury, and 
arm yourselves with speed. Meanwhile I shall see to the loading 
of the cannon in the castle'court. Then whosoever among you is 
for God and the Prince, followmeto victory or death"j^But Duke 
Philip interposed. "Not so, dear brother; not so, my good lieges; 
let us try first what reconciliation will do, for they are my erring 
children" L j^Andthough Duke Francis was sore displeased andim^ 
patient, yet my gracious Prince dispatched his chief equerry, An*- 
dreas Ehlers, as herald to the people, dressed in complete armour, 
and with a drawn sword in his hand, accompanied by three trunv 
g eters, to read a new princely proclamation to the people. 

O the herald rode first to the grass^market, and when 
the trumpet sounded, thepeople stood still & listened, 
whereupon he read the following proclamation, in a 
loud voice: "The Serene and Illustrious Prince and 
Lord, Lord Philip, Duke of Stettin, Pomerania, 

Cassuben, and Wenden, Prince of Rugen, Count of 

Gutzkow, and Lord of the lands of Lauenburgand Butow, our Gra^ 
cious Prince, Seigneur, and Lord, hereby commandeth all present, 
from Lastadie, Wiek, Dragern, and other places assembled, to lay 
down their arms, and retire each man to his home in peace and quiets 
ness, without offering further molestation to his loyal Lieges, Burghs 
334 




ers, and Citizens, on pain of severe punishment in person and life, 
and deprivation of all wonted privileges. Further, if they haveaught 
of complaint against the Honourable Council or Burghesses, let 
them bringthe same before his Highness himself. Meanwhile, the 
quart of beer, until further orders, shall be reduced to its original price, 
as agreed on yesterday in Council, and be sold henceforth for one 
Stralsund shilling. 
"Signatum, Old Stettin, the 18th July, 1616. 

"Philippus, manu sua." 
When the herald had finished reading, and shown the princelysig' 
nature and seal to the ringleaders, a great murmur arose among the 
crowd, of which, however, the herafd took no heed, but rode on to 
the horse^market, where he likewise read the proclamation, and so 
on through the principal thoroughfares. Then he returned to the 
grass'market, but lo ! not a soul was to be seen ; the crowds had all 
dispersed, and quietness reigned everywhere, whereupon the herald 
rode joyfully to the horse^market, to see if the like had happened 
there. And truly, peace had returned here too. And all along the 
principal streets where the proclamation had been read, the people 
were thoroughly subdued by this princely clemency and authority 
jg?So when the herald returned to the castle, and related the sue' 
cess of his mission, the tears filled the eyes of his Grace, Duke Philip, 
and taking his lord brother by the hand, he exclaimed : '■*■ See, dear 
Francis, how true are the words of Cicero: 'Nihil tarn populare 
quam bonitas/" . - . Then they both went forth and walked arnvin' 
arm throughout the town, and wherever his Grace saw any group 
still gathered round the beer^cans, he told them to be content, for 
the beer should be sold to them at the Stralsund shilling. And thus 
the riot was quelled, and the town returned to its accustomed quiet' 
ness and order J& Now truly, the same Cicero says: H In imperita 
multitudineest varietas etinconstantiaetcrebra tanquam tempesta^ 
turn, sic sententiarum commutatio," .V 



.'.^(Nothing so 
popular as kind' 
ness.) 

-'•'J& (The senses 
less multitude as 
changeful & incon^ 
stantas the weath' 
er, and their opin<- 
ions suffer as many 
mutations.) 



335 




CHAPTER X. OF THE FEARFUL EVENTS THAT 
TAKE PLACE AT MARIENFLIESS. ITEM; HOW 
DOROTHEASTETTIN BECOMES POSSESSEDBY 
THE DEVIL. 

IE AN WHILE Satan hath not been less 
busy at Marienfliess, in Sidonia's absence, 
than at Old Stettin in her presence. But 
he cunningly changed his mode of action, 
not to be recognised, and truly, Dorothea 
Stettin was the first he practised on. For 
I having recovered from her sickness, she 
one day presented herself at church in the 
nun's choir as usual; but while joining in 
| the closing hymn, she suddenly changed 
colour, began to sob and tremble in every limb, then continued the 
chant in astrange uncertain voice, sometimes treble, sometimes bass, 
like that of a lad whose beard is just beginning to grow. At this, the 
abbess and the sisterhood listened and stared in wonder, then asked 
if the dear sister had fallen ill again ? " No," she answered gruffly, 
"she only wanted to be married. She was tired of playingthe virgin. 
Did the abbess know, perchance, of any one who would suit her as 
bridegroom? For she must, and would be married ! "jgFThink now 
of the horror of the nuns. Still they thanked God that such a scan^ 
dalumhad happened during the singing, and not at the blessed ser«« 
mon. Then they seized her by the arms,& drew her away to her cell. 
But woe, alas ! scarcely had she reached it, when she threw herself 
upon her bed in strong convulsions. Her eyes turned so that only 
the whites were to be seen, and her face grew so drawn and strange 
that it was a grief to look upon it, and still she kept on screaming in 
the deep gruff man's voice : " For a bridegroom ! a bridegroom ! " 
she that was so modest, & had such a delicate gentle voice. Where^ 
upon all the sisters rushed in to hear her, the moment the sermon 
was over; item, the priest in his surplice. But the unfortunate maid^ 
en no sooner beheld him, than she cried out in the deep bass voice : 
" David, I must marry; wilt thou be my bridegroom ?" And when 
heanswered : "Alas, poor girl ! when was such speech ever heard from 
you before ? Satan himself must have possessed you ! " she cried out 
again, "Hold your chatter! Will you, or will you not?" "How can 
I take you ? " replied the priest; "you know well that I have a wife 
already." Whereupon the gruff bass voice answered, with mocking 
laughter : " Ha ! ha ! ha ! what matter for that ? Take more wives ! " 
336 




IE RE some of the young novices laughed, but others 
] who had never wept bis dato, now broke out in vio/ 
llent weeping, and the abbess exclaimed: " Oh, mer/ 
ciful God! who hath everheardthelike from this our 
chaste sister, whom we have known from her youth 
lup! Oh Ideliverherfromthis wicked devil, whoreigns 
in her soul & members ! "^But at the mention of the Holy name, 
the evil one raged more furiously than ever within her. He tore her, 
so that she foamed at the mouth, and, ah ! woe is me that I must 
speak it, uttered coarse & shameful words, such as the most shames 
less groomor jack/'boy wouldscarcepronouncejg^Thesesentall the 
novices flying & screamingaway,buttheabbess remained with some 
of the nuns, also the priest, who prepared now to exorcise the devil 
withthemostpowerfulconjurations;yeterehebeganastrangething 
happened; for the possessed maiden became suddenlyquite still, all 
her members relaxed, and her eyes closed heavily as if in sleep. But 
it was not so, for she then began, in her own soft natural voice, to 
chantahymnin Dutch, although they all knew she never had learns 
ed one word of that language. The words were these : 

"Oh, chaste Jesu! all whose being 
Was so lovely to our seeing, 
Thoughts and speech, and soul and senses, 
Filled with noblest evidences. 

" Oh ! the God that dwelt in thee, 

In his sinless purity! 

Oh, Christ Immanuel, 

Save me from the sinner's hell ! 

" Make my soul with power divine, 
Chaste and holy, e^n as Thine!" 

j^Then she added in her own tongue: "Ah, ye must pray much, 
before this devil is cast out of me. But still pray, pray diligently, & 
it will be done. 

" Guard, Lord Christ, our deepest slumber, 
Evil thoughts may come in dreams; 
And the senses list the murmur, 
Though the frail form sleeping seems. 

" Oh, if thy hand do not keep us 
Even in sleep, from passion s flame, 
Though our eyes close on temptation, 
We may fall to sin and shame ! Amen. 

2» 337 



"Yes, yes, oh, pray for me (be not weary, her judgment is pronoun- 
ced." What mean you ?" spake the abbess, "whose judgment hath 
been pronounced) ' 

Ilia : " Know you not, then ? Sidonia's." 

Haec : " How could she have bewitched you ? She is far from here." 
Ilia: "Spirits know no distance." 
Haec : " How then hath she done this ?" 

Ilia: "Her spirit Chim summoned another spirit last evening, who 
entered into me as I gasped for air, after that strife between you and 
your maid, for I was shocked to hear this faithful creature called a 
thief?" 

Haec: "And is she not a thief?" 

Ilia : " In no wise. She is as innocent as a new-born child." 
Haec : " But there was no one else in the chamber when I laid down 
my purse, and when she went away it was gone." 
Ilia: "Ah! your dog Watcher was there, and the purse was made 
of calf's/skin, greased with hands; for you had been rolling butter, 
so the dog swallowed it, having got no dinner. Kill the dog, there- 
fore, andyou will find your purse." 

Haec : "Forthelove of Heaven! how know you aught of my rolling 
butter?" 

Ilia: "A beautiful form like an angel sits at my head, and whispers 
all to me." 

Haec: "That must be the devil, who has gone out of thee, for fear 
of the priest." 

Ilia : " Oh, no ! he sits under my liver.See, there is the angel again ! 
Ha ! how terribly his eyes are flashing ! " 

Haec : "Canst thou see, then ? Thine eyes are close shut" (opening 
Dorothea's eyes by force, but the pupil is not to be seen, only the 
white.) 

Ilia : " I see, but notthrough the eyes, through the stomach." 
Haec : " What?Thou canst see tnrough the stomach ?" 
Ilia : " Ay, truly ! I can see everything : there is Anna Apenborgpeep- 
ing under the b ed ; now she lets the quilt drop in fright. I s it not so ? " 
HE abbess clasps her hands together, looks at the 

priestinastonishment,&cries:"FortheIoveofGod, 
tell me what does all this betoken?" To which the 
priest answers : " My reason is overwhelmed here, & 
I might almost believe what the ancients pretended, 
and Cornelius Agrippa also maintained, that two 
Daemones or spirits attend each man from infancy to the grave; & 
338 




•'. Cornelius Agrippa, of the noble race of from the attitudes discovered amongst 

Nettersheim, natural philosopher, jurist, some of the Egyptian hieroglyphics, that 

physician, soldier, necromancer, and pro^ the ancients were acquainted with the 

lessor of the black art . . in fine, learned in mode of producing the magnetic state by 

all natural & supernatural wisdom., closed manipulation orpasses, forjamblichus e^ 

his restless life at Grenoble, 1535 j£t His numerates all the modes known to the an^ 

principal work, from which the above is cientsofproducingthcdiviningcrisis,inhis 



quoted (cap. xx), 
is entitled UeOcx 
culta Philosophia 
j2P?That Socrax 
tes had an attend' 
a nt spirit or denv 




that each; 

mortal, 

himself/ 

ever, I esteem this apparition to be truly Satan, 

who has changed himself into an angel of light 



ratus vacat ab acti> 
one propria, p. 58, 
and never mentis 



**"«. aumt or ucm/ « ** •« • 1 • jT^l. r <uiu never niciui' 

ft «r t_- t to deceive more easily, as is his wont; therefore, t *.- 

°ntrom his youth w«»"»»' u,u "' /> ' . y ons manipulation 

im.«A'«..«™. . as this our poor sister hath also a prophesying , mnn(rc + ^ m nf 




the Theages of 
Plato. But of the 
pature ofthis gen^ 
lu s,spirit,or voice, 
^e have no cer^ 

tain indications 
h*om the ancients, 



hath 




oken t ruth respecting the dog. 

HO my dog was killed, and there in „f ° n jraP4'u * S 

JL jl c ur 1 verer J& T. he an^ 

truth was the purse or gold found • _. ^T 

... f . m & , cients,too,werea^ 
in his stomach, to the wonder^ 

f tt . j .« . r ware, as we are, 

ment of all, and the great loy of A « V 

t j i t_ c jt ' J that the magnetic 

thepoor damsel who had been ae jj- • • „+„+„ 

j r * 1: •-. t 1-1 and divining state 

cused of stealmgit. Immediately _ Ul> n Jj 1irpA 



be produced 



th n ,. v^t. t_- L after, the poor posessed one turned herself on t 

"Where am If for she knew nothing at all of 
whatshe had utteredduringhersleep, and only 
complained of a weakness through her entire 



v estigated in nu 
^erous writings, 



*?mono rTts frame * " V U^Afterthis,theevilspirit left her in 

of a t ■ j peace for two days, and every one hoped that 

S? Apulejus and f , , . ' c \ , ^ ' « t . *: , "*»«■ 

Pi,,*. Lt, he h ad gone out of her, but on the third day he 

began to rage within the unfortunate maiden 



(simpliciores)per' 
sonsjj^Porphyry 
confirms this in 
his remarkable let' 
ter to the Egypt' 
ian priest of Anu<- 
bis (to which I 



Plutarch J& The 
^Apulejus, De 

~ e o Socratis, makes the strange assertion, earnestly direct the attention of our phy 

that it was a common thing with the Py siologists) in which he asks, "Wherefore 

thagoreans to have such a spirit; so much it happens that onlysimple (airXovrepovs m! 

?°» that if any among them declared he ueom) and young persons were fitted for 

h . a d not one, it was deemed strange and divination V'J&Vf there were many even 

^gular.^c^c^^^c^^^^^f^Jf then, as we learn from Jamblich, and the 

•*•' That poor Dorothea was in the sonv later Psellus, who maintained the modern 

na mbulistic state (accordingto our phrase rationalistic view, that all these phenom^ 

JJJjJ&y) is evident J& A similar instance in ena were produced only by a certain con^ 

hich the demoniac passed over into the dition of our own spiritual and bodily na/ 

^gnetic state is given by Kerner, His*- ture; although all somnambulists affirm 

l °ry f Possession, p. 73. I must just re/- the contrary, and declare they are the re' 

^ark here that Kieser (System of TelW suit of external spiritual influences work' 

ISni ) is probably in error, when he asserts, ing upon them^f &&&&&&&& 



worse than ever, so that they had to send quickly for the priest to 
exorcise him J& But behold, as he entered in his surplice, and 
uttered the salutation, "The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be 
upon this maid," the evil spirit with the man's coarse voice, cried 
out of poor Dorothea's mouth : **■ Come here, parson, I'll soon settle 
foryou"jg?Then it cursed, swore, and blasphemed God, and raged 
within the poor maiden, so that the foam gathered on her pale lips. 
But the Reverend David is not to be frightened from his duty by 
the foul fiend. He kneeled down first, with all present, and prayed 
earnestly to God; then endeavoured to make the possessed maiden 
repeat tne Lord's Prayer &the Creed after him, but the devil would 
not let her. He raged, roared, laughed scornfully, and abused the 
priest with such unseemly words, that it was a grief and horror to 
hear themj&" Wait, parson," it screamed, "inthreedays thoushalt 
be as I am." (Namely, a spirit; though no one knew then what the 
devil meant)." I will make thee pay for this,because thou tormentest 
me "jS? But neither menaces nor blasphemies could deter the good 
priest. Helifted his eyes to heaven, and prayed that beautiful prayer 
from the Pomeranian liturgy, page 244, which he had by heart: 
"Oh, Lord Jesu Christ, thou Son of the living God, at whose name 
every knee must bend, in heaven, upon the earth, & under the earth : 
God and man; our Saviour, our brother, our Redeemer: who hast 
conquered sin, and death, and hell, trod on the devil's head and 
destroyed his works : thou hast promised, thou Holy Saviour, 'that 
whatever we ask the Father in thy name, thou wilt grant unto us.' 
Therefore, by thatholy promise, we pray thee, Lord Christ, to look 
with pity upon this our sister, who hath been baptised in thy Holy 
Name, redeemedby thy precious blood, washed from all sin, anoints 
ed by thy Holy Spirit, and made one with thee, a member of the 
living temple of thy body. Relieve her from the tyranny and power 
of the devil; graciously cast out this unclean spirit, that so thy holy 
na me may be p raised and glorified, for ever and ever. Amen. 

IEN he laid his hand upon the sick maiden's head, 

while the hellish fiend raged & roared more furiously 

than ever, so that all present were seized with tremble 

ing, and exclaimed: "In the name of the Lord Jesus 

Christ, and in the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ, 

J and in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bid, de^ 

sire, and command thee, thou unclean spirit, to come forth and give 

place to the Holy Spirit of God! Amen "^Whereupon the con*- 

vulsions ceased in the sick maiden's limbs, & she sank down gently 

34o 




on her bed, as a sail falls when the cords are loosed & the wind ceases ; 
and thus she lay for a long time quite still jgPAfter which, she said 
in her own natural voice : "Now! see him no more \"J&" Who is 
it that you see no more ?" asked the abbess. 

Ilia: "The evil spirit, my angel says. He has gone forth from me. 
"Woe, woe, alas!" 

Haec :" Why dost thou cry, alas, when he has in truth gone out from 
thee?" 

Ilia: "My angel says, he will first strangle the priest who has cast 
him forth, then will he return, as it is written in the Scripture, Mat/ 1 
thew xi. 24, 'After three days I will return to my house from which 
I had gone forth/ Ah, look ! the good priest is growing pale. But let 
him be comforted, for he shall have his reward in heaven, as the 
Lord saith, Matthew v." 

Haec : " But why does the greatGod permit suchpower to the devil, 
if what thou sayest be true ?" 
Ilia is silent, 

H aec : " Thou art silent ; what says thy angel ? " 
Ilia: " He is silent also: now he speaks again." 
• Haec : "What says he, then ?" 

Ilia: "The wisdom of God is silent" J§t The abbess repeats the 
words, while the priest falls back against the wall, as white as chalk, 
and exclaims : " Yourangel is right. I feel as if a mouse were running 
up and down through my body. Alas! nowthebones of my chest are 
breaking. Farewell, dear sisters ; in heaven we shall meet again. Fare^ 
well; pray for me. I go to lay my head upon my deatlvpillow",^ 
And he was scarcely gone out at the door, when a great cry and weep^ 
ingaroseamongstthe sisters present, and theabbess asked, weeping, 
likewise: "Is this, too, Sidonia's work?" 

Ilia: "Whose else? She hath never forgiven him because he rejected 
her love, and hath only delayed his death to a fitting opportunity." 
Haec : " Merciful God ! and will this murderous nun be brought to 
judgment?" 

Ilia : "Yes, when her hour comes, she will be burned and beheaded, 
not many years after this." 

Haec: "And what will become of you? Will you die, if Satan often 
takes up his dwelling-place in your heart ?" 

Ilia : " If you do not prevent him, I shall die; if he leave me I shall 
grow well." 

Haec : "What can we, miserable mortals, do to prevnt him . ?" 
Ilia: "Jobst Borkof Saatzig has three rings, which the spirits made 
23 34* 



and gave to his grandmother in Pansin. Item, he has also a beauti' 
ful daughter called Diliana, and as no second on earth bears her 
name,.', so is there no other who equals her in goodness, piety, 
humility, chastity, and courage. If this Diliana lays one of the rings 
on my stomach, in the name of God, the devil can no more enter in 
me,& I shall be healed. Butwhatdol see? there she comes herself." 
Haec: "Who comes?" 

Ilia: " Diliana. She has run away from her father, and will offer her^ 
self as servant to Sidonia, because old Wolde is sick." 
Haec : " She must be foolish then, if this be true." 
Ilia: "Ay, she is foolish, but it is from pure love, which indeed is a 
godlike roily; for Sidonia had bewitched her poor father, and he 
grows worse and worse, and her prayers to the sorceress are of no 
avail to help him, so she hath privately left her father's castle to offer 
herself as servant to Sidonia; for no wench, far or near, will be found 
who willtakeoldWblde's place, and she hopes in return for this that 
the sorceress will give her something from her herbal to cure her old 
father. Ha! what do I see? How her beautiful hair streams behind 
her upon the wind! How she runs like a deer over the heather, and 
looks back often, for her heartistremblinglestherfather might send 
after her. Now she enters the wood; see, she kneels down and prays 
for her father and for herself, that God will keep her steps. Let us 
pray also, dear sisters, for her, for the poor priest, and for the un/ 
fortunate maiden." 

HEREUPON they all fell upon their knees, and 
the possessed virgin offered up so beautiful a prayer 
that none had ever heard the like before, and every 
face was bedewed with tears. After which sheawoke, 
and, as the first time, remembered nothing whatever 
of what had passed, or of what she had uttered. 

.'.In fact, I have nowhere else met with thename" Diliana," whereas 
that of " Sidonia" is by no means uncommon. Virgil calls Dido 
"Sidonia" (JEn.i, v. 446), with somewhat of poetic license, for 
she was not born in Sidon but in Tyre. About the time of the re^ 
formation this name became very common in the regal houses. For 
example, King George of Bohemia, Duke H enry of Saxony, Duke 
Franz of Westphalia, and others, had daughters called "Sidonia." 
For this reason therefore, the proud knight of Stramehl probably 
gave the same name to his daughter. In the middle ages I find only 
one Sidonia or Sittavia, the spouse of Count Manfred of XingeL- 
heim, who built the town of Zittau, and died in the year 1021. 
342 





CHAPTER XL OF THE ARRIVAL OF DILIANA & 
THE DEATH OF THE CONVENT PRIEST; ITEM . 
HOW THE UNFORTUNATE CORPSE IS TORN 
BY A WOLF. 

CARCELY had the abbess returned to 
her apartment when Diliana sprang in, 
with flowing hair, & her beautiful blooms 
ing face looking like a rose sprinkled with 
morning dew J& So the worthy matron 
screamed first with wonder that all should 
f be true, then taking the lovely young maid/ 
} en in her arms, pressed her to her heart, and 
asked: "Wherefore comest thou here, my 
beloved Diliana?" 
Ilia : "I have run away from my father, good mother, and will serve 
my cousin, Sidonia von Bork, as her waiting/maid, hoping that, in 
return, shewill give himsomething outof herherbal tohealhispoor 
frame, which is distracted day&nightwith pain, even as she healed 
you and Sheriff Sparling; and she will do this, I am sure, because I 
hear that her maid Anna Wolde is sick, and no one in all the country 
round will take service with her, they say." 

Haec : " Poor child, thou knowest not what thou dost. She will slay 
thee, or ill/treat thee in her wickedness, ormay be bring some worse 
evil than either on thee." 

Ilia: "And I will do as the Lord commanded, if she strike me on 
one cheek I will turn to her the other also, whereby she will be 
softened, and consent to help my poor father." 
Hasc : " She will help him in nothing, and then how wilt thou bear 
the disgrace of servitude?" 

Ilia : " Disgrace ? If the soul suffer not disgrace, the body,methinks, 
can suffer it never." 

Hxc: "Buthowcanstthoudothedutiesof aserving/wench? Thou, 
brought up the lady of a castle !" 

Ilia : ** I have learned everything privately from Lisette; trust me, I 
can feed the pigs and sheep, milk the cow, and wash the dishes, &c." 
Haec: "But what put it into thy head, child, to serve her as a maid?" 
Ilia: "When I last entreated my cousin Sidonia to help my poor 
father, she said : * Get me a good maid who will domy business well, 
and then I shall see what can be done to help him/ Now, as no one 
will take service with her, what else can I do, but pla^the trencher/ 
woman myself, and thus save my poor father's life ? 

2 4 343 



Haec : "Thou hast saved it once before, as I have heard." 
Ilia is silent. 

Haec: "Howwas it?Tell me, that I may see if they told me the story 
truly." 

Ilia: "Ah, good mother, speak no more of it. It was as you have 
heard, no doubt." 

Haec:"Peoplesaythatahorsethrewyourfather,dragged him along, 
and attempted to kick him, upon which all the menfolk stood and 
gaped, you flew like the wind, seized the bridle of the animal, and 
held him fast till vour father was up again." 
Ilia: "Well, mother, there was nothing very wonderful in that." 
Haec : " Also, they tell that one day at the hunt, you came upon a 
part of the wood where two robbers were beating a noble almost to 
death, after having plundered him. You sprang forward, menaced 
them, and finally made them take to their heels, after which you 
helped the poor wounded man up on your own palfry, like a good 
Samaritan indeed, and without thought of the danger or fatigue, 
walked beside him, leading the horse by the bridle until clear out 
of the wood, and thus ..." 

Ilia: "Ah, good mother, do not make me more red than I am; for 
know, the poorwounded noble thought so much of what I had done, 
that he must needs ask me for his bride, though truly I would have 
done the like for a beggar." 

Haec: "Then it was George Putkammer, and thou wilt not have 
him?" 

Ilia : " I may say with Sara, Tobias Hi., 'Thou knowest, Lord, that 
I have desired no man, and have kept my soul pure from all evil 
lusts' ; but indeed to save my father's life is more tome than a brides 
groom. Abridegroom maybe offered manytimes in life to a young 
thing like me, but a father never comes again." 
Haec: "God grant that thou mayest save him, but never tell thy 
cousin Sidonia of George Putkammer's love, else, methinks,itwill 
all be over with thee." 
Ha : " But if she ask me, I cannot lie unto her." 

73 UST then the cry was heard : "The priest is dying;" 
SV whereupon the abbess, Diliana, indeed the whole 
P> convent, rushed out to visit him at the glebe^house. 
■*r The priest, however, was dead when they arrived, 
}/ and his corpse had the same signature of Satan as 
the others who died before him, save only that his 
right hand was uplifted, and had stiffened into the same position in 
344 





which he held it when he exorcised the evil spirit out of Dorothea 
J&So they all stoodaround pale and trembling, while they listened 
to his poor widow telling how his breastbone rose up higher and 
higher, until at length he died in horrible agonyjgFBut, behold, the 
door flies open, and Sidonia, who had just returned from her long 
journey, enters with her long black habit trailing after her through 
the chamber. Whereupon they all become dumb with horror and 
di sgust, and st and there like so many marble or enchanted figures. 
r - ^?^S > * i ^ H ! What is this I hear," exclaimed the accursed sor/ 
1 ceress, "just on my return home ? Is the worthy and 
J upright man really dead ? Woe ! alas, that I could have 
saved him from this ! How did it happen ! Thank 
God that I was not here at the time, or the wicked 

J world, which lays all manner of crimes upon me 

falsely, might have accused me of this likewise. Yes, I thank God a 
thousand times that I was absent! Speak! poor Barbara! How did 
it happen that your dear spouse fell so suddenly ill?" J& But the 
poor wife only trembled, and sank powerless against the bed where 
the corpse of her husband lay stretched; for when Sidonia advanced 
close to it, the red blood oozed from the mouth of the dead man, as 
if to accuse his murderess before God and man J^ And no one could 
speak a word, not even a sob was heard in answer to her questions ; 
whereupon the sorceress spake again : "Alas, what is all this which 
has happened in my absence ? Good Dorothea, they tell me, is pos/ 
sessed by a devil; but, at least, people can see now that I am as 
innocent as a newborn infant; though, assuredly, some terrible 
sinnermustbelurkingamongstus, though we knowit not,orall this 
judgment would not come upon the convent. I would not willingly 
condemn any Christian soul, but, if I err not, the old dairy/ woman 
is the person ! "J&This she said from revenge, because the woman 
had refused to give her seven cheeses for a florin, when she was on 
her way to Stettin.Of the misfortunes which grew out of these same 
cheeses for the poor dairy /woman, we shall hear more in due time 
J& At this horrible hypocrisy and falsehood the abbess could no 
longer hold her peace, and cried: "In my opinion, sister, you err 
much ; the old dairy/mother is a pious and honest woman, as all the 
convent can testify, and attended diligently on our dead pastor here 
to be catechised." 

Ilia: "Who,then, else? It was incomprehensible. A thousand times 
thank God that she had been away during it all. Now they must 
hold their tongues, they who had blackened her to the Prince; but 

345 



his Grace had done her justice, and dismissed her honourably from 
the trial at Stettin." 

Haec : " I have a different version of the story; for his Highness has 
commanded you to resign the sub^prioretto Dorothea Stettin fortlv 
with. Item: You are to be kept close within the convent walls, for 
which purpose I shall order the great padlock to be placed again 
upon the gates. Thus his Grace commands ; and as we have a chapter 
assembled here already, I may announce the resolve with all due 
form." 

Ilia : "What? You tell me this, in the presence of the priest's wife 
and your serving^wenches ? Do they belong to the chapter of noble 
virgins? I shall forward a protocollum to his Highness, settingforth 
all that has happened in my absence, and get all the sisterhood to 
sign it, that the Duke may know what kind of folk the abbess 
summons to her chapter; but as touching the sub^prioret, it is well 
known to you all how it was forced upon me by Dorothea, as I fully 
explained to the princes in council; however, speak, sisters, if yenv 
deed wish this light silly creature, this devikpossessed Dorothea 
Stettin, for your subz-prioress again, take her, and welcome, I will 
not prevent you. She can teach you all the shameful words which, 
as I hear, flow so liberally from her lips; eh, sisters, will you have 
this wanton or not?" 

5jN D when the nuns all cried : " No, no ! " the accursed 
witch went on: "^Xfell, then, I bid you all assemble 
instantly in my apartment, to testify the same to his 
Highness; also to bear witness of the evil deeds done 
J| in my absence, for that the poor priest has died no 
natural death, is evident; therefore his Grace, I trust, 
will probethe business to the uttermost, and find out who is the evil 
Satan amongst us, ay, and tear off the deceitful mask,thatmy good 
namethereby may be justified before the Prince & the wholeworld" 
j£f Diliana now stepped forward from amidst a crowd of serving' 
women, among whom she had concealed herself, and bowed low in 
salutation to Sidonia; but the witch laughed scornfully, and cried: 
" What! has your worthy father sent you to me ?" 
Ilia : " Ah, no; she came, out of her own free will, to serve her good 
cousin Sidonia, for she heard that no maid could be found to hire 
with her, therefore she would play the serving^wench herself, and 
ask no other wages but a cure from her receipt-book for her dear 
father, who was daily growing worse and worse." 
Haec : " She required much from her maid ; and on her way home 
346 




she had bought six little pigs. Item : She had a cow, cocks and hens, 

geese, and seven sheep. All these the maid must feed andlookafter, 

besides doing all the indoor work." 

Ilia: "She could do all that easily, for old Lisa had instructed her 

in everything." 

Haec: "Buthowwasitthatshewasnotashamedto play the serving/ 

wench: sheacastle' and land/dowered maiden,with that illustrious 

name she bore?" 

Ilia: "There was but one thing of which men need be ashamed, 

and that was sin ; but this was not sin." 

Haec : "She was very sharp with her answers. Why did she not talk 

to her father, who had made her brother's son, Otto of Stramehl, 

give up to him her two farm-houses in Zachow, with all the rents 

appertaining; but Otto had been justly punished by the good God, 

for she had just got tidings of his death. ' 

Ilia : " But rav father will restore you all, good cousin, as he wrote 

to you himself." .\ He died sud- 

Haec : "Ay, the old houses, maybe, he'll give back, but will he re^ denly just at this 

store the rents that have been gathering for fifty years ? No, no ; he time ; & Sidonia 

refuses the money, even as my nephew Otto refused it (but God confessed at the 

has struck him dead for it,as I said before. .). Oh, truly these proud eleventh torture 

knights of my own kin and name stood bravely for me against the question, that she 

world ! Ay, I owe them many thanks for turning me out, a poor had caused his 

youngmaiden, unfriended andalone, till I became a world's wonder, death. (Dahnert, 

and the scorn of every base and lying tongue; but persecution was P- 43°-) 

ever the lot of the children of God." 

Ilia : " Her poor father had not the gold; for five rix^dollars a^year 

would amount in fifty years to five hundred rix^dollars, and such a 

sum her father could not command." 

Haze : "Yet he had enough to spend on horses, falcons, hunting, & 

the like; only for her he had nought." 

Ilia (kissing her hand) : "Ah, good cousin, leave him in peace, and 

help him if you can; I will serve thee as well as I am able, my life 

long, if you ask it of me." 

Haec: "Away! thou silly, childish thing; how should the meek Su 

donia ever beartobe served byanoble lady, as thou art? If the world 

had not blackened me before, it might begin now in earnest, and 

justly." 

Ilia: "Ah, good, kind cousin, will you then heal my father for nc 

thing?" 

Haec : "Well, I shall see about it, if, perchance, it be God's will." 

347 




(Illakissingher hand again) :** Dear cousin, how good you are ! Now, 
see all of ye, what a kind cousin I have in Sidonia, who has promised 
to cure my loved father." (Dancing for joy like a child) . 
Haec:"Come, then, all present, to my apartment; thou, Diliana, 
mayest draw up the protocollum, and better, perhaps, than a bad 
notary. Come ! "J& So they all proceeded to the refectory, and the 
protocollum was drawn up and signed, and Sidonia compelled the 
new convent'porter to carry it off, that very night, to his Highness 
at Stettin. 

lEANW^HILE, the poor widow, along with some 
other women, including the old dairymother, prex 
pared the poor priest's corpse for burial, and they put 
on him his black Geneva gown; item, black plush 
breeches, which his brother-in-law in Jacobshagen 
I had made him a present of. I note the plush breeches 
especially, for what reason my readers will soon see; and because the 
parsonage swarmed with rats, they had the corpse carried before 
nightfall into the church, and set down close beside the altar; and 
by command of the sheriff, the windows were thrown open to ad' 
mit fresh air, o n account of the dead body lying there. 

IJ8N hour after, the poor widow went into the church, 
to see if the blood yet flowed from the mouth of her 
dear murdered husband.L^But what sees she? the 
corpse is lying on its face in the coffin in place of on 
its back, she calls the dairymother in, trembling with 
horror, and they turn him between them.Then they 
go forth, but return in a little while again, and see, the corpse is again 
turned upon its face. And no one is able to comprehend how the 
corpse can turn of itself, or be turned by any one, for the widow has 
one key of the church & the abbess has the other, therefore the poor 
wife, simple as she is, resolves to hide herself in the church for the 
night, & light the altar candles, that she might see howithappened 
that the corpse turned in the coffin. And the dairy ^mother agreed to 
watch with her; item, Anna Apenborg, who heard the story from 
them; item, Diliana, for as Sidonia had no bed to give her, the young 
maiden had gone to sleep with Anna, & there the priest's maid told 
them of the horrible way her poor master's corpse had turned in the 
coffin. So the weeping widow let them all watch with her gladly, 
for she feared to be alone, but warned them to speak no word, lest 
the evil-doer, whoever it might be, should perceive them, and keep, 
away. There was no man within call, either, to help them, for the 
348 





porter had gone away to Stettin; so they four, after commending 
themselves to God, went secretly into the church at ten of the clock, 
laid the corpse right upon its back, and lit candles round it, as the 
custom is. Item; they lit the candles on the altar, and then hidthem/- 
selves in the dark confession^box, which lay close by the altar, and 
from which the y could see the coffin perfectly. 
T? ~ xi 3 -■- ^jFTERwaitingforan hour or more, sighing&weep.' 

|ing,& when the hour/ glass which they had brought 
with them, showed it was the twelfth hour, hark! 
there was a noise in the coffin that made them all 
start to their feet, and at the same instant the private 

[door of the nuns' choir opened gently, & something 
came down the steps of the gallery, step by step, on to the coffin, and 
the blood now froze in their veins, for they perceived that it was a 
wolf; and he laid his paws upon the corpse, and began to tear itj& 
At this sight the poor widow screamed aloud, whereupon the wolf 
sprang back and attempted to make off, but Diliana bounded on its 
track, crying, " A wolf! a wolf! "and seeing upon the altar an old tin 
crucifix, which some of the workmen who had been opening the 
vault had brought up from below, she seized it & pursued the wolf 
out of the great gate into the church/yard, while the rest followed 
screaming. Andasthe wolf ran fast, and made for the graves, as ifto 
hide itself, the daring virgin not being able to get near enough to 
strike it, flung the crucifix at the unclean beast, when lo ! the wolf 
suddenly disappeared, and nothingwastobe seen butSidoniainthe 
clear moonlight, standing trembling beside a grave. "Good Cousin!" 
exclaimed Diliana in horror, "where has the wolf gone? we were 
pursuinga wolf." Upon which the horrible and accursed night^raven 
recovered herself quickly, & pointing with her finger to the crucifix 
which lay upon the ground, said with atone of mingled scorn and 
anger: "There, thou stupid fool! he sank beneath that cross \"J§F 
The poor innocent child believed her, and ran forward to pick up 
the crucifix, looking in every direction around for the wolf; but the 
others, who were wiser, saw full well that the wolf had been none 
other than Sidonia herself, for her lips were bloody, and round them 
like a beard, were sticking small black threads, which were indeed 
from the black silk hose of the poor corpse. And when they looked 
at her horrible mouth they trembled, but were silent from fear; all 
except the inquisitive Anna Apenborg, who asked; "Dear sister, 
what makes you here at midnight in the churchyard ? " jg? Here the 
horrible witch^demon mastered her anger, & answered inamelan^ 

349 




choly plaintive tone/ ' Ah, good sister Anna ! I had a miserable tooths 
ache, so that I could not sleep, & I just crept down here into the fresh 
air, thinking it might do me good. But what are you all doing here 
by nightin the churchyard V'J& No one replied ; indeed, she seemed 
not to care for an answer, but put up her kerchief to her horrible & 
traitorous mouth, and turned away whimpering.The others, how' 
ever, went back to the church, where the corpse truly lay upon its 
back as they had left it, but the hose were rent at the knee, and the 
flesh torn and bloody J& How can I tell now of the poor widow's 
screams and tears ? 

jUMMA : The corpse was buried the next day, and 
] as no man had been a witness of the night'scene, only 
I the weeping women, no one would believe their 
strange story, neither on the last trial would the 
judges even credit so wild a tale as that Sidonia could 
change herself into a wolf, and pronounced as their 
opinion, that fear must have made the women blind, or distracted 
their heads, and that no doubt a real wolf had attacked the corpse, 
which was by no means a strange or unusual occurrence. (But I have 
my own opinion on the subject, and many who read this will think 
differently from the judges, I warrant.) 

~|OR no more horrible vengeance could have been de-* 
] vised by Beelzebub himself, the chief of the devils, 
than this of the she^wolf Sidonia Bork (for Bork 
meanswolf in theGothic tongue), to revenge herself 
on the priest because he disdained her love. But why 
I and wherefore the unfortunate corpse was found so 
often turned upon its face, that I cannot explain, and it must ever 
remain a mystery, I think. However, I shall pass on now to other 
matters, for truly we have had enough ofthese disgustinghorrors..\ 

* . £5 °^ t ^ ie most inveterately rooted of our superstitions is this 
beliefinthe existenceofman^wolves. Ovid mentions it in his Lyca^ 
on, and even Heredotus. Many modern examples are given in Dr. 
Weggand's natural history, which book I recommend to all lovers 
of the marvellous, for they will find much in it which far surpasses 
what we have related above concerning Sidonia j&The belief in a 
vampire, which Lord Byron has clothed with his genius, belongs 
to the same order of superstitions. And Horst,in his magic library, 
furnishes some very curious remarks concerning itjgFEven Luther 
himself believed in the possibility of such existences. 

35o 





CHAPTERXII. HOW JOBST BORK HAS HIMSELF 
CARRIED TO MARIENFLIESS IN HIS BED, TO 
RECLAIM HIS FAIR YOUNG DAUGHTER 
DILIANA; ITEM, HOW GEORGE PUTKAMMER 
THREATENSSIDONIAWITHA DRAWN SWORD 

|OW Jobst Bork of Saatzig had but this 
I one daughter, the fair Diliana, whom he 
loved ten times more than his life; and no 
sooner had he heard of her flight than he 
guessed readily whither, & for what cause, 
she had flown; for, that day and night her 
thoughts were bent on how to help him, 
heknewwell;also,theteachingsof old Lisa 
were not unknown to him. So he resolved 
I to go and seek her, and sent for twelve pea^ 
sants to carry him, as he was, in his bed, to Marienfliess, for his limbs 
were so contracted from gout, that he could neither ride, walk, nor 
stand. 

CCORDINGLY, next morning early, the twelve 
peasants bearing the couch on which lay the poor 
knight, entered the great gate of the convent, and they 
set down the bed,by command of the knight,just be' 
neath Sidonia's window. Whereupon the miserable 
father stretched forth his right hand, and cried out, as 
loud as he was able, "Sidonia Bork, I conjure you by the Living God, 
give me my child again ! "jg?Three times he repeated this adjura^ 
tion. So we may imagine how the whole conventran together to see 
who was there. Anna Apenborg and Diliana were, however, not 
amongst them, for they had been up late watching by the corpse, 
and were still fast asleep; item, Sidonia, I think, was snoring like^ 
wise, for she never appeared, until at last she threw up the window, 
halkdressed, and screamed out: "What wants the cursed knave? 
Hath the devil possessed you, Jobst, in earnest? Good people, take 
the fellow to Dorothea's cell, they are fit company for one another !" 
j^But the knight again stretched forth his trembling arm from the 
bed, and repeated his adjuration solemnly, usingthe same words J& 
At this, Sidonia's face glowed with anger; and seizing her broonv 
stick, she rushed out of the room, down the steps, and into the courts 
yard, while her long, thin, white hair flew wildly about her face and 
shoulders, and her red eyes glared like two red coals in her head. (I 
have omitted to notice, that this horrible Satan's haghad long since 

351 




got his signature in her red eyes; for as the slaves of vice are known 
by their aslvpale colour, and the black circle round their eyes, so the 
slaves of Satan are known bythered circle.) Butwhenthe evil witch 
reached the spot where the sick knight lay on his bed, and saw the 
crowd standing round him, she changed her demeanour, & leaning 
on the broom-stick, exclaimed: " Methinks, Jobst, you are mad; and 
you and your daughter ought to be put at once into a mad'house; 
for, judge all of ye who stand here round us, how unjustly I am ac/ 
cused. Yesterday, this man's daughter comes to me, and says she 
will play my serving^wench, if I promise to cure her father; just as 
if I were the Lord God, and could heal sickness as I willed ; but I re^ 
fused to take her, as was meet; and the whole convent can testify 
this of me; when, see now, here comes this fool of a father, and, takx 
ing the Lord's name in vain, demands his daughter of me, though I 
never had her, nor detained her; & she can go this moment whither 
she likes, as ye allknow"j^Hereupon the abbess herself advanced 
to the bed, and spake: *f In truth you err, Sir Knight. Sidonia hath 
refused to accept your daughter's service ! But here comes the fair 
maiden herself, ask her if it is not so" J£r And Diliana, who had 
thrown on her clothes in haste, and ran with Anna out of her cell, 
sprang forward, and fell sobbing upon her father's bosom, who 
sobbed likewise, and cries, in an agitated voice: "God be thanked, I 
have thee again ; now I shall die happy ! Ah ! silly child, how couldst 
thou run away from me ! Dearest! my heart's dearest! my own joy/ 
giving Diliana ! ah, leave me not again before I die ; it will not be long, 
perhaps"j^Here the weeping ofthe peasants interrupted him, for 
they loved the good knight dearly, and the rude boors sobbed, and 
blew their noses, in great affliction, like so many children. But the 
knight was too proud to beg a cure from Sidonia; he would rather 
die, better death than humiliation. So he spake : " Children, lift me 
up again, in the name of God, and bear me home; and thou, my 
Diliana, walk thou by my side, sweet girl, that my eyes may not lose 
thee foran instant" J^So the peasants lifted upthebedagain on their 
shoulders; but Diliana exclaimed: "Wait, ah, my heart's dearest 
father, you do our good cousin Sidonia sore injustice. Only think, 
she has promised to cure you, without any recompense at all! Is it 
not true, dear cousin? Set the bed down again, good vassals! Is it 
not true, dear cousin V J& As she thus spoke, and kissed the claws 
ofthe horrible hell/- wolf with her beautiful bright lips, such an ex/ 
pression of rage and unutterable hatred passed over Sidonia's face, 
that all, even thepeasants, shuddered with horror, and nearly let the 
352 




bed fall from their trembling hands; but the fair young girl was un- 
aware of it, for she was bending down upon the hand of the evil 
sorceress. 

OWE VE R, my hag soon composed herself; and no 
doubt, fearingthe vengeance of Duke Francis, or hop' 
ing perhaps to cover her evil deeds by this one public 
act of charity, & so gain a good name before the world, 
and the fair opinion of their Highnesses, to whom she 
had written the day previous, she rested her arm once 
more upon the broom-stick, and turning to the crowd, thus spake : 
"Ye shall see now that Sidonia hath a truly Christian heart in her 
bosom; for, by the help of God, I will try and heap coals of fire upon 
mine enemy's head. Yes, he is mine enemy. None have persecuted 
me more than he and his race, though, God be good to me, it is my 
own race likewise. His false father was the first to malign me, and 
yet more guilty was his still falser mother; but God punished her 
hypocrisy with a just judgment, for she died in child-birth of him, 
so true is it what the Scripture says, 'The Lord abhors both the 
bloodthirsty and deceitful man.' Ah, she was deceitful beyond all I 
have met with upon earth ; also, this her son, the false Clara's son, 
hath made my nephew, Otto of Stramehl, in a traitorous and un/ 
knightly manner, give him up my two farm-houses at Zachow, and 
he now refuses to restore me either myfarms or the rents thereto be 
longing"^Here Jobst cried out, '"Tis false, Sidonia! I shall say 
nothing of thy statements respecting my parents, for all who knew 
them testify that they were righteous ana honourable their lifelong, 
therefore let them rest in their graves; but as touching thy farnv 
houses, thou shalt have them back, as I have already written to thee. 
The accumulated rents, however, thou canst not have, for it were a 
strange and unjust thing, truly, to demand fifty years' rent from me, 
who have only been in possession of the farms for half a year" JE? 
"What! thou unjust knave," screamed Sidonia, furiously; but then 
suddenly strangled the wrath in her throat with a convulsion, as if 
awolfwere gulping abone,& continued: "It may be a hard struggle 
to help one of thy name, but I remember the words of my heavenly 
bridegroom" (oh, thatthehorribleblasphemydidnotchokeher)," ' I 
say unto you, love your enemies; bless them that curse you, do good 
to them tnathate you ; ' and sojobst Bork, I will do good to thee out 
of my herbal, if the merciful God will assist my efforts, as I hope" 
J^Then she turned her hypocritical satanic eyes up to heaven, 
sighed, and steppingto thebed, murmured some words ; then asked, 
aai 353 



"How is it with thee now, Jobst? is there ease already V'J&" Oh, 
yes, good cousin," he answered/' I am better, much better, thanks, 
good cousin I Lift me up again, children, and bear me homeward, I 
thank thee cousin;" and with these words he was borne out of the 
convent gates, the fair young Diliana following him closely; and 
scarcely had they left the town & reached the moor, when the Knight 
called out from the bed, "Oh, it is true, my own dear daughter, praise 
be to God, I am indeed better; but I am so weary \"J& And he sank 
back almost immediately into a deep sleep, which continued till 
they reached the castle of Saatzig, and the bearers laid the bed down 
again in its old place in the knight's chamber; still he woke notjg? 
Then Diliana kneeled down beside him, and thanked the Lord with 
burning tears ; sprang up again quickly, and bade them saddle her 
palfrey, for she must ride away, but would return again before a 
couple of hours. If her father woke up in the meantime, let them say 
he must not be uneasy, for that she would return soon and tell him 
herself whither, and on what errand, she had been. 

BE RE U PO N she went to a large cabinet that stood in 
1 her father's chamber, took out a little casket containing 
three golden rings,mounted herpalfrey,androdeback 
with all speed on the road to Marienfliess. But I must 
here relate how these magic golden rings cameintopos/ 
I session of the family; the tradition runs as follows : j$? 
A longwhile ago the castle of Pansin, which had originally belonged 
to the Knights Templars, became a fief of the Bork family, and the 
count, who was then in possession, went to the wars in the Holy 
Land, leaving his fair young wife alone in her sorrow; and, lo ! one 
night, as she was weeping bitterly, a spirit appeared in her chamber, 
and motioned her to rise from bed and follow him to the castle gar/ 
den. Butshewas horror/ struck, and crept trembling underthe quilt. 
Next night the ghost again stood by her bed, made the same ges/ 
tures even menacingly, but she was frightened, and hid her head be/ 
neaththeclothesj^Thethirdnightbroughtthe ghost likewise;but 
this time the fair lady took courage, rose from bed, & followed him 
in silence down the steps into the castle garden, on to a small island, 
where the two streams, the Ihna&the rtrampehl, meet. Here there 
was a large fire, and around it many spirits were seated. Hereupon 
her ghost spake tJEf" Fear nothing, but fill thy apron with coals from 
the Fire, and return to the castle; but, I warn thee, do not look back" 
^The fair chatelain did as she was desired, filled her apron, and re/ 
turned to the castle; but all the way, close behind her, there was a 
354 




terrible uproar, and the rushing & roaring as of many people. How 

ever, she never looked back, only on reaching the castle gates she 

thoughtshemighttakeonepeep round just as shewas closingthem ; 

but, lo ! instantly her apron was rent, and the coals fell hither and 

thither on the ground, and out of all she could only save three pieces, 

with which she rushed on to her own apartment, never again looking 

behind her, though the uproar continued close to her very heels all 

the way up to her chamber door; & trembling with dread and conv 

mending herself to all the saints, she atlast threwherself on her bed 

once more in safety. But next morning, on looking for the coals, she 

found three golden rings in their stead bearing strange inscriptions, 

which no man hath been able to decipher until this day. As to those 

she had dropped at the castle gate, they were nowhere to be seen; 

and on the fourth night the ghost comes again, and scolds her for ga T . 

disobeying his orders, butadmonishes hertopreserve the threerings ^ ' ' 1S a *' 

safely, for if she lost one, a great misfortune would fall upon the viV *£ at no one U P to 

lage,and the castle be rent violently; item, but twoof her racewould I P rcsen * txme 

everbealiveat thesametime. If the second were lost,her race would 

be reduced to direct poverty; and if the third ring were lost, the race 

would disappe ar entirely from the earth. 

FTER this, when her knightly spouse returned from 
Jerusalem, & she told him the wonderful story of the 
three rings, he had a costly casket made for them, in 
which they were safely locked, with a rose of Jericho 
placed above them, which he had himself brought S £ mC , yC f S ag ?' 
from the Holy Land; and this wonderful treasure P red 2 er ? £ ad ' 
has beenpreservedbythecount'sdescendants, with jealous care,even 




decipher this 
very remarkable 
inscription, not 
even Silvertre de 
Sacy himself, to 
whom it was sent 



until this day. I have said thatnoman could read the inscriptions on 
the rings : they were all the same, the three as like as the leaves of a 
trefoil. They were all largeenough for the largest man's thumb, and 
made of the purest crown gold: the shield was of a circular form, 
bearing in the centre the figure of a Knight Templar in full armour 
with spurand shield, keeping watch beforethe templeat Jerusalem; 
but what the characters around the figure signified I leave unsaid, 
and many, I am thinking, will leave unsaid likewise. .♦. 



nert's PomeramV 
an Library, iv.,p. 
295,is manifestly 
wrong, Ordo Hi' 
erosolymitanus. 
But two of the 
rings are forth' 
coming now; &, 
fulfilment of 



in 

the tradition, a tremendous rent really followed the loss of the first in the old castle of 

Pansin, which may yet be seen in this fine ruin, whose like is not to be found in all 

Pomerania, nor, indeed, in the north of Germany. The two remaining rings, with the 

rose of Jericho, are still to be seen in the original casket, which is of curious and costly 

workmanship, and this casket is again enclosed in another of iron, with strong hoops 

and clasps. Should any of my readers desire to discover the meaning of the inscription, 

he will do me the highest favour by communicating the same to me. 
aa2 355 




N summa: W^hen Diliana arrived with these rings, 
the poor Dorothea lay again in the devil's fetters. She 
roared, and screamed, and raged horribly, and tore 
her bed-clothes, and foamed at the mouth, and even 
abused and reviled the beautiful young virgin, who 
took, however, no heed thereof, but with permission 
of the abbess laid the three rings upon the stomach of the sick nun, 
who immediately became quite still, and so lay for a little while, 
after which, with a loud roar, Satan went out of her, while the win^ 
dows clattered and the glasses rang upon the table. Then she fell 
into a deep sleep, and on awakening remembered nothing of what 
had happened, but seeing Diliana prepared to set out on her home' 
ward ride, asked with wonder, who is this strange young maiden, 
and what does she here ? After this, as I may as well briefly notice 
here, Dorothea became quite well, and, by the mercy of God, re^ 
mained for ever after untouched by the demon claws of the great 
enemy of mankind. 

|EANWHILE,the good Diliana felt it to be her 
] duty to descend to the refectory, and thank the hell.' 
dragon for the refreshing sleep which her father 
jjobst had obtained by her means. But, ah! how 
does she find my dragon? Her eyes shoot fire and 
flame, and in an instant she flew at poor Diliana, 
on the subject of marriage: "What! She wanted to marry too ! She 
was scarcely out of school, and yet already was thinkingabout mar^ 
riage ! " J& " Good cousin," answered the other, " I have indeed no 
thoughts of marriage,& no desire,for ithas never entered my heart." 
" Wnat ! " screamed my dragon ; f*. you lie to me, child ! Tne whole 
convent talks of it; and Anna Apenborg herself told me that you 
are betrothed to that beardless boy, George Putkammer. Fie ! A 
fellow without a beard" jfi? Hereupon she began to spit out. But 
George Putkammer that instant clattered up the steps ;forthenews 
had come to Pansin, of which castle Jobst Bork had made him cas^ 
tellan, seeingthathe set much store by the brave young knight, and 
would willingly have had him for his son^in^law, if his fair little 
daughter Diliana had not resisted his entreaties, bis dato; the news 
came, I say, how that Diliana had run away from her father, and 
gone to play the serving'wench to Sidonia. So the knight seized his 
good sword, and went forth, like another Perseus, to save his Andre 
meda, and deliver her from the dragon, even if his own life were to 
pay the cost. He knew not that the damning dragon despised the 
356 




service of the mild innocent girl, nor that Jobst Bork had gone to 
offer himself as a sacrifice in herplace^Soheclatteredupthesteps, 
dashed open the door, and finding Sidonia in the very act of spitting 
out, he drew his sword and roared : " Dare to touch even a finger of 
that angel beside thee, and thy black toad's blood shall rust upon 
this sword" jfi? And when Sidonia started back alarmed, he con" 
tinued: "Oh, Diliana,much loved and beautiful maiden, what does 
my queen here ? Where have youheard that the angels of Godseek 
help and shelter from the devil, as you have done here ? Return with 
me to Saatzig, and, by my faith, some other means shall make this 
vile wretch help your poor father." Sidonia now screamed with rage : 
"What wants this silly varlet here, this beardless young profligate ? 
Ha, youngster, thou shalt pay for thy bold, saucytongue!" 
I lie : " Hold thy accursed mouth, or I will give thee such a blow, 
that thou shalt never need it again, but to groan. Listen, cursed 
beast of hell, and mark my words. Since our gracious Lord of Stettin 
handles thee so gently, and lets thee heap evil upon evil at thine 
own vile will, I and another noble have sworn solemnly to rid the 
land from such a curse. Let it cost our lives or not, we shall avenge 
our country in thy blood, unless thou ceasest to work all thy dia^ 
bolical wickedness. Now, therefore, hear me. Delay one instant to 
heal the upright Jobst and to remove thyaccursed witclvspell from 
off him, and this sword shall take a bloody revenge; or if but a finger 
ache of this beautiful maiden here, thy death is certain. Think not 
to escape. Thou may'st lame me, like Jobst or Wedel,or murder me 
as others, it will not help thee; for my friend hath sworn, if such 
happen, that he will ride straight to Marienfliess, and run his sword 
through thy body without a word. Two horses stand, day and night, 
ready saddled in mystall,and in a quarter of anhourwe are here,he 
or I, it matters not, whichever is left alive, or both together, and we 
shall hew thee from head to foot, even as I hew this jar in two, that 
s tands upon th e table, so that human hand shall never lift it more." 
O saying he struck the jar with his sword, when it 
flew into a thousand pieces," and the beer dashed over 
the hag's clothes, so that she raised a cry of terror, for 
such speech no man had ever yet dared to hold to 
her. But the brave Diliana seized hold of theyoung 
knight's sword, crying : " For God's sake, Sir Knight, 
what mean you ? You do my cousin sore injustice, I have never seen 
ou thus before. Sidonia hath declined to take me for her maid, and 
as helped my poor father of her own free will, for he was here yes^ 
a a 3 357 




i 




terday, and now rests safe in Saatzig in a deep and healthful sleep ; 
for which cause I came hither to thank my good cousin for her kind' 
ness. WTiere is your justice, Sir Knight, your honour ? Bethink you 
how often you have extolled these noble virtues yourself to me!" 
J& As the knight listened, and heard that her father was already 
cured, he marvelled greatly; inquired all the particulars, but shook 
his head atthe end, saying: " 'A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good 
fruit, & figs are not to be gathered from thorns/ That she has helped 
your father, I take as no sign of her kindness, but of her fear; there^ 
fore my resolve stands good. Sidonia, thou accursed hag, touch but 
one finger of this maiden or her father, and I will hew thee in pieces, 
even as I cleft this jar. But you, fair lady, permit me to ride home 
with you to your father's castle, and see how it stands with the brave 
knight's health, and whether he has in truth been cured." 

SflSEANWHILE, Sidonia hath spat forth again,and 
I begins running like a wild cat in her rage round the 
a room,sothatthekerchief fallsofF,and hertwosharp, 
dry, aslvcoloured shoulders-bones stick up to sight, 
like pegs for hanging baskets on ; and she curses and 
blasphemes the young knight and his whole race, 
who, however, cares little for her wrath, but gently taking Diliana 
by the hand, said tenderly: " Come, dear lady, from this hellhole, 
and leave the old dragon to dance and rage at her pleasure, as much 
as she likes" jg? The lady, however, withdrew her hand, saying: 
" Ride back alone to Saatzig, Sir Knight ! It is not seemly for a young 
maiden to ride through thewoodwith a youngman alone. Besides, 
I must stay a little, and comfort my poor cousin for all your hard 
words; see how you have vexed her!"j^ But Sidonia paused, and 
laughedloudandlong,mockingtheyoungknight'sdisappointment; 
so after he had again prayed the maiden in vain to accompany him, 
he left the refectory in silence, sprang upon his barb, and rode on to 
thewood, reso lvin g to wait there till Diliana came up. 

ND in truth he had to wait long. At last, however, 
she appeared through the trees, and on seeing him 
K she was angry, and bade him ride his ways. So my 
knight entreats, for the love of God, that she will 
listen to him, for he can no longer live without her. 

_J3 Byday and bynightherimage floats before him,and 

wherefore should she be so hard and cruel'hearted towards him ? 

Better to have let him die at once under the hands of the murderers 

in the forest, than to let him die daily and hourly before her eyes of 

358 




the bitter Iove'death. Was he then, really, such an object of abhors 
rence to her, such a fire in her eyes ? Alas ! alas ! could she but know 
his torments l"J&" Sir Knight," she answered, "you are no fire in 
my eyes, unless it be the cold fire of the moon. Have patience, Sir 
Knight; why do you press me for a promise, when you have heard 
my resolve ? ' 

Ilia : " Patience ! How could he have patience longer ? Ah ! her father 
had long since consented, but she was but as the moon in the brook 
to the child who tries to lay hold of it, since she had talked of the 



moon." 



Hxc : "Sir Knight, you compel me to a confidence." 
Ilia (riding up close to her palfrey) : " Speak, dearest Diliana." 
Haec (drawing back) : " Come no nearer. What if any one saw us. 
Listen ! Yesterday six weeks my grandmother, Clara von Dewitz, 
who died, as you know, giving birth to my father, appeared to me 
in a dream. She was wrapped in abloody shroud, andher eyes were 
starting forth horribly from herhead, when I shuddered with terror, 
and the poor ghost spake : ' Diliana, I am Clara von Dewitz, and 
thou art the one selected to avenge me, provided thou dost keep thy 
virgin honourpurein thought, word, and deed!' With this she dis^ 
appeared, and now, Sir Knight, judge for yourself what is hence-' 
forth my duty." 

|OW the knight tried to laugh her out of her belief 
jin this ghost story,saiditwas all fancy, the same had 
I often happened to himself, not once, but a hundred 
times had he seen a ghost, as he thought, but found 
out afterwards that there was no ghost at all in the 
[business, &c. However, his words and smiles have 
no effect. She knew what she knew, and whether she was deceived 
or not about this apparition of her grandmother, time would show, 
and, bis dato, she would remain obedient to her commands, and 
preserve her virgin honour pure in thought, word, and deed, even 
if it were to be for her life long, until she saw clearly what purpose 
God destined her to accomplish jg? Now as my poor knight began 
his solicitations again yet more earnestly, the fair maiden drewher^ 
self up gravely, and said: "Adieu! Sir Knight, ride your own path, 
I go mine! At present I shall select no spouse, but if ever I give my 
hand to man, you shall be the selected one. Sir Knight, and no other. 
Now return to your own castle.. If you wish to see my father, come 
to-morrow to Saatzig, for I shall ride there alone now. Farewell!" 
J&And off she cantered on her palfrey, hop, hop, hop, as fast as an 
aa4 359 





arrow from a bow, and her red feathers gleamed through the green 
leaves of the forest trees, so that my knightstoodwatchingher, filled 
with as much joy as sorrow, for the maiden now seemed to him so 
beautiful, and he watched her as long as a glimpse of her feathers 
could be had through the trees, and then he listened as long as the 
tramp of her palfrey could be heard (for he told me this himself) , then 
he alighted, and kneeling down, prayed to God the Lord to bless this 
beautiful darling of his heart, whilst he sobbed like a child, for sorrow 
and the sweet anguish of love. Then he rose up, and obedientto her 
commands, took his way back to the stately castle of Pansin. 

IUT next morning early,he was at Saatzig, where the 
good Knight Jobst receives him joyfully at table, 
quite restoredto health. Nor has aught evil happened 
to the beautiful Diliana, as the knight feared from the 
spitting of Sidonia J£t However, he heard from the 
maiden, that after he left the refectory, Sidonia spat 
a second time, probably to remove the first witclvspell (forno doubt 
she feared the knightwould hold his word, and hew her in pieces if 
aught evil happened to the fair youngmaiden). And for the rest, the 
knight ceased to trouble Diliana with his solicitations, but he made 
father and daughter promise to give him instant notice if butafinger 
ached, and he would instantly find one sure way to bind the wild 
beast of Marienfliess for ever, namely, with his good sword. 
CHAPTER XIII. HOW MY GRACIOUS LORD 
BISHOP FRANCISCUS AND THE REVEREND 
DR. JOEL GO TO THE JEWS' SCHOOL AT OLD 
STETTIN, IN ORDER TO STEAL THE SCHEM 
HAMPHORASCH,AND HOW THE ENTERPRISE 
FINISHES WITH A SOUND CUDGELLING. 

E AN WHILE, my gracious Duke Fran- 
cis was puzzling his brain, day and night, 
how best to bind this malicious dragon, 
and hinder her from utterly destroyinghis 
whole race. He wanted to effect, by the 
agency of spirits, what George Putkanv 
merhadalreadyeffectedbyhis good sword, 
as we have related before. So his Highness 
must needs send for Dr. Joel, in all haste 

to Old Stettin, to askhimwhetheritwere 
not possible to break the powerof the evil witch by spiritual agency, 
for as to human, it was out of the question, since no one could be 
360 





found to lay hands on her.They would as soon touch the bodilySatan 
himself. 

HE RE UPON my magister answered, that he had 
[ already, to serve his Grace, consulted divers spirits 
\ as to what could be done in this sore strait, but none 
would undertake a contest with Sidonia's Spirit, 
I which was powerful and strong, and acting in concert 
& always with the spirit ofoldwolde, had the might in 
limself, as it were, of two demons. For this reason they must try 
two modes of casting out the evil thing. The first was to exorcise the 
sun/-spirit,accordingtothe form in the Clavicula Salomonis, for he 
was the most powerful of all the Astral spirits, & question him as to 
what should be done. But for this conjuration, a pure young virgin 
was necessary, not merely pure in act, but in thought, in soul. Even 
her very garments must be woven byavirgin's hands, otherwise the 
holy angels, who neither marry nor are given in marriage, would 
not appear. For they obey only the summons of one who is as pure 
as themselves, in body and in soul. Such a being he had once pos^ 
sessed in his only little daughter, a virgin of eighteen years. All her 
clothes had been spun and woven by virgin hands, and as she had 
abravespirit, shehadoften helped him to cite the Astral angel Och. 
But the last time she had assisted at the conjuration, the angel him-' 
self had strangledher with his own hands, twisting her neck so hor^ 
ribly that her tongue hung out of her mouth. And thus she died be^ 
fore hisveryface. The cause was, as he,poor father,had heard afters 
wards, that she had suffered a young student to kiss her, and so the 
pure virginity of her soul was lost. Now if the gracious Princeknew 
of any such pure virgin, who besides must be brave and courageous 
as an amazon, matters would proceed easily, they would make an 
end of the demon Sidonia without the least difficulty. He had the 
clothes ready, a ll spun by virgins ; item, all the necessary instruments . 
" 3BO my gracious Prince sits and thinks awhile, then 
B shakeshishead,andsays,laughing:"Methinkssuch 
1 a virgin were rarer than a white raven. It would be 
easy to find one pure in form, but a virgin pure in 
soul,and then as brave as Deborah and Judith. Mag. 
Joel, such a virgin, methinks, is not to be had, and you 
did evil to put your poor little daughter to such a test. For woman/ 
flesh is a weak flesh since the day of Eve, as we all know. But you 
talked of a second mode, what is it? Let me hear.",^ Hereupon 
the magister sighed for grief, wiped his eyes, and spake: "Ah, yes ! 

361 




you are right, my good Lord. Fool that I was, I might have had my 
little daughter still, for though she only allowed the student to kiss 
her, yet by that one kiss the pure mirror of her soul was dimmed, & 
before the angels of God she was henceforth unholy. However, as 
touchingthesecondmethod,itisthe Schem Hamphorasch through 
which all things are possible." 
The Duke: " What is the Schem Hamphorasch?" 
Ille: "The seventy names of the Most High & ever^blessed God, 
according to the seventy nations, and the seventy tongues, and the 
seventy elders of Moses, 8c the seventy disciples of Christ, and the 
seventy weeks of Daniel. To him who knows this name, the Holy 
God will appear again as he did aforetime in the days of the pa^ 
triarchs." 

The Duke : "You are raving, good Joel; yet. . . but how can this be 
possible?" 

Ille : "I am not raving, gracious Prince; for tell me, wherefore is it 
that the great God does not appear to men now, as he did in times 
long past? I answer, because we no longer know his namejgFThis 
name, or the Schem Hamphorasch, Adam knew in paradise, and 
therefore spake with God, as well as with all animals and plants. 
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elias, Elijah, &c, all knew this name, 
and performed their wonders byitalone. But when the beastly and 
idolatrous Jews gave themselves over to covetousness & all unclean-* 
ness, they forgot this holy name; so, asapunishment, they endured 
a year of slavery for each of the seventy names which they had for-* 
gotten; & wefindthem, therefore, serving seventy years in Babylo' 
nian bonds. After this they never learned it again, and all miracles 
and wonders ceased from amongstthem, until theever^blessed God 
sent his Son into the world, to teach them once more the revelation 
of the Schem Hamphorasch; and to all who believed on him, he 
freely imparted this name, by which, also, they worked wonders ; 
and that it might be fixed for ever in their hearts, he taught them 
the blessed Pater Noster, in which they were bid each day to repeat 
the words, ' Hallowed be thy name.' Yea, even in that last glorious 
higlvpriestly prayer of his, in face of the bitter anguish and death 
that was awaiting him, he says, ' Father, keep them in thy name ; ' 
or, as Luther translates it, ' Keep them above thy name/ For how 
easilythisnameislost,we learn from David, who says that he spelt 
itover in the night, so thatitmight not pass from his mind. (Psalm 
cxix. 55.) Item, after the resurrection, he gave command to go and 
baptise all nations, not in the name of the Father, of the Son, and 
362 



of the Holy Ghost, as Luther has falsely rendered the passage, but 
for, or by, the name, that such might always be kept before their 
eyes, and never more pass away from the knowledge of mankind. 
And the holy apostles faithfully kept it, & St. Paul made it known 
totheHeathen,aswe learn (Acts ix. 15). And all miracles that they 
performed were by this name. Now the knowledge remained also 
with the early Christians, and each person baptised by this name; 
&hewhoknewitbyheartcouldworkmiracles likewise, aswe know 
by Justin Martyr and others, who have written of the power and 
miraculous gifts of the early church. But when the pure doctrine be' 
came corrupted, and the Christian church (like the Jewish of former 
times) gave itself up to idolatry, masses, imagcworship, & the like, 
the knowledge of the mystic name was withdrawn, and all miracles 
have ceased in the church from that up to this day." 

HILE Magisterjoel so spake, his Highness Duke 
Francis fell into a deep fit of musing. At last he ex^ 
claimed : " Goodjoel, you are afanatic, an enthusiast, 
surely we know the name of God; or what hinders 
. us from knowing it?" 

J llle : "You err, my gracious Prince, for this name is 
theholyand mystic Tetragrammaton, 'Jehovah/ which is the chief 
andhighestnameof God,&which truly isfound written in theScrip/ 
tures; but of the true pronunciation of the name no man knoweth at £F ° 1/4 ' OUr 'r 
this day, for the letters J. H. V. H. are wanting in all the old manu, 7 j *' ° 




J& .'. For those 
who are unac- 
quainted with 
the Hebrew, I 
shall just ob« 
serve here,that, 
in fact, the pros- 
per pronuncia^ 
tionofthename 
"Jehovah" is a 
vexed question 
with the learned 



scripts.".' J& Magisterjoel continues: "But be comforted; there 
were some faithful souls on the earth, who did not entirely lose the 
remembrance of the SchemHamphorasch; and your Highness will 
wonder to hear, that even in this very town the secret exists, in the 



one 
thelatestautho" 
rities, and who 
has taken much 
trouble in invest 
tigatingthesub' 

ject, says, that there is the highest probability that the word should be pronounced 
"Jahve," signifying he who should come (6 epxojiivos), for which reason the Baptist's 
disciples asked Christ (Matt. xi. 13) s "Art thou he who should come?" namely, the 
Messias, Jahve, or as we call it, Jehovah. Compare Heb. x. 37; Hagg. iu 6, 7; Reve^ 
lations i. 8. 1 must observe, next, that all the Theophanisms (God manifestations) 
recorded in the Old Testament, to which the Theosophistic, cabalistic Dr. Joel refers, 
were considered by the early Christian fathers as manifestations to the senses, not of 
God (whom no man hath seen or can see) but of the a<™/>x° 9 Christ jg? Even the elder 
rabbins understand, in these Theophanisms, not God, but the Mediator between God 
and the world, the angel Metatron. For the rest, I need scarcely remark that the ex/ 
egesis of Dr. Joel is false throughout. The Bible has been so tortured to support each 
man's individual, strange, crude dogma, that it is no wonder even Protestants are 
falling back upon tradition as the best and surest interpreter of Scripture, and the clearest 
light to read it by. 



possession of an old man, who has it, really and truly, locked up in 
his trunk, though, I confess, he is as great a rogue himself as ever 
breathed" J& Hereupon his Grace jumped up, and embraced the 
magister. ft Let them not spare the gold; only bring him this treasure. 
How could it be done? How did the man get it? Let him tell the 
whole story." 

Ille : " It was a long story ; but he would just give it in brief: " A Jew 
out of Anklam, named Benjamin, went on a pilgrimage to Jerusa' 
lem; and having suffered great hardships and distress by the way, 
was taken in and sheltered by a hermit in the desert, who converted 
and baptised him. The Jew stayed with the old hermit till he died; 
&theoldman,as a costly legacy, left him theSchemHamphorasch, 
written on seventy palnvleaves. But as Benjamin could not read a 
word of Hebrew, he resolved to return home to Pomerania, where 
his mother's brother lived, the Rabbi Reuben Ben Joachai, of Stettin. 
However, when he presented himself, poor and naked as he was, 
at his uncle's door, the Rabbi pushed him away, and shut the door 
in his face, the moment he said he had a favour to ask of him. This 
treatment so affected Benjamin, that he took ill on his return to the 
inn ; but having nothing wherewith to pay the host, he sent a mes' 
sage to his uncle, the Rabbi, bidding him come to him, as he had 
a secret to impart J& When the Rabbi arrived, Benjamin asked 
* Wliat he would give for the Schem Hamphorasch, for the people 
told him that it was the greatest of all treasures? to him, however, 
it was useless, since he could not read Hebrew' J& Hereat the 
Rabbi's eyes sparkled; he took the palm'leaves in his hand, and 
seeing that all was correct, offered a ducat for the whole; this Ben' 
jamin refused. Whereupon, after many cunning efforts to possess 
himself of it, which were all in vain, the Rabbi had to depart with' 
outthetreasure. However, Benjamin suspecting thathe would come 
back for it in a little while, cut out two of the leaves from revenge, 
and when my knave of a Rabbi returned, he sold him the incom' 
?lete copies fo r five ducats at last. 

HISsame Benjamin I (the Magister) attended after' 
wards in hospital when he was dying, and, as the poor 
wretch had no money, he gave me himself, upon his 
death'bed, the two abstracted paliri'leaves out of 

gratitude, beingallhehad to offer. Thesetwo are now 

in mypossession,&if we could only obtain the other 

portion, your Highness would have the holy and mystic Shem 

Hamphorasch complete. But how to get it? Gold he had already 

364 




offered in vain to the Jew, Rabbi Reuben, who even denied having 
the Shem Hamphorasch at all; but his servant Meir, for a good 
bribe, told him in confidence that his master, the Rabbi, really and 
in truth had this treasure, though the knave denied the fact to him. 
It lay in a drawer in the Jewish school, beside the book of the law or 
the Thora, and my Magister thought they might manage to gain 
admittance some night into the Jews' school, by bribing the man 
Meir well. Then they could easily possess themselves of the Shem 
Hamphorasch (which, indeed, was of no use to the old knave of a 
Rabbi), for the drawer could be known at once by the tapestry which 
hung before it, in imitation of the veil of the temple. If they once 
had the treasure, the angel Metatron would appear to them, the 
mightiest of all angels, and his Highness could not only obtain his 
protection against the devil's magic of the sorceress of Marienfliess, 
but also induce him to look graciously upon his Grace's dear spouse, 
whom this evil dragon had bewitched, as all the world saw plainly, 
so that she remained childless, as well as all the other dukes and 
duchesses of dear Pomerania land, who were rendered barren and 
unfruitful likewise by some demon spell." 

HEREUPON his Grace cried out with joy: "True, 

I true ! I will make him do all that; and when I obtain 

the Schem Hamphorasch I will learn it myself by 

heart, and repeat it day and night like King David, 

so that it never shall go out of my head; item, all 

_ Jpriests in the land shall learn it by heart; and I will 

gather them together three times a year at Camyn, and hear them 
myself, man by man, repeat this said Schem Hamphorasch, so that 
never more canitpass from the memorvof our church, as it didfrom 
that of the filthy Jews, or the impure Christians of the papacy"^ 
Summa: The Rabbi's servant, Meir, is bribed, and he promises to 
admit them both next night into the Jews' school, for there was to 
be a meeting thereof the elders, andhis master, the said Rabbi Reu^ 
ben Ben Jochai, was to examine a moranu or teacher. They could 
conceal themselves in the women's gallery, where no one would dis^ 
cover them, and, after every one had gone, slip down and take what 
they pleased out of the drawer, then make off, for hewould leave the 
door open for them, that was all he could do, his master might 
come, &c. 



3% 





O all was done as agreed upon; the Prince and Mag. 
Joel crept up to the women's gallery, in which were 
little buH's'eyes, through which they could see clearly 
all that was going on; & scarcely were the candles lit 
when my knave of a Rabbi enters (he was a long, dry 

carl, with a white beard, and ragged coat bound round 

the waist with a girdle) ; item, the candidate, I think he was called 
David, a little man with curly red beard, and long red locks falling 
down at each side upon his breast: item, seven elders, and they place 
themselves in their greathats round atable. Then the Rabbi Reuben 
demands of the candidate to pay his dues first, for a knave had lately 
run away without paying them at all: the dues were ten ducats J& 
When the candidate had reckoned down the gold, Rabbi Reuben 
commenced to question him in Hebrew; whereupon the other ex^ 
cused himself, said he knew Hebrew, but could not answer in it; 
prayed, therefore, the master would conduct the examination in 
German. Hereupon my knave of a Rabbi looked grave, seemed to 
think that would be impossible, consulted with the elders, & finally 
asked them if the candidate David paid down each of them two 
ducats, and ten to himself, would they consent to have the examina* 
tion conducted in the language of the German sow ? Would they 
consentto this, out of great charity & mercy to the candidate David ? 
J&" Yea, yea, even so let it be," screamed the elders ; " God is merci/- 
ful likewise "J&So my David again unbuttoned his coat, & reckoned 
down the fine; whereupon the examination began in German, and 
I shall here note part of it down, that all men may know what hor^ 
rible blindness and folly has fallen upon the Jews, by permission of 
the Lord God, since they imprecated the blood of Christupon their 
ownheads. Not even amongstthe blindest of the heathen have such 
base, low, grovelling superstitions and dogmas been discovered as 
these accursed Jews have forged forthemselves since the dispersion, 
and collected in the Talmud. Well may the blessed Luther say, " If 
a Christian seeks instruction in the Scripture from a Jew, what else 
is it than seeking sight fromtheblind, reason from the mad, life from 
the de ad, grace and truth from the devil ?" 

ND this madness and blindness of the accursed race 
would never have been fully known, only that the 
examination was held in German (for in general it 
is conducted in Hebrew, to please the vain Jews), by 
which means the Prince and Doctor Joel heard every 
word, & wrote it all down on their return home; and 





when afterwards his Highness, Duke Francis, succeeded to the 
government, he banished this Rabbi and the elders, with their whole 
forge of blasphemy and lies, for ever from his capital. 

IE RE, therefore, are some of the most remarkable 
questions, but I must premise that K. means my 
Knave, namely the Rabbi, & C. the Candidatus.. . 
' K. :" Which isholier,theTalmudortheScriptures?" 
|C.:"I think theTalmud." 
K. : "Wherefore, wherefore?" 
C. : " Because Raf Aschi hath said, he who goes from the Halacha 
(the Talmudical teaching) to the Scripture will have no more luck; .. ' 
and good luck we all prize dearly above all things, eh, my master ? " 
K. : " Right, right; who is he like who reads onlv in the Scripture, 
and not intheTalmud? What sayour fathers of blessed memory?" 
C . : ** They say that he is like one who has no God." .♦.% 
K. : "Can theHolyand ever^blessed One sin? What is the greatest 
sin he has committed ?" 

C. : " First: he made the moon smaller than the sun." 
K. : "Our Rabbis of blessed memory are doubtful upon this point, 
as Jonathan,the son of Usiel, says, in theTargum of Moses ... But 
which is the greatest sin of all that the Holy and ever^blessed One 
committed?" 

C.: "Ithink it was when he forswore himself J& . v.\ For he first 
swore,saith Rabbi Eliaser,that the children of Israel,whowerewan/< 
dering in the desert, should have no part in eternal life; &then his 
oath lay heavy on him, so that he got the angel Mi to absolve him 
therefrom." 

K. : " It was, in truth, a great sin, but a greater, methinks, was that 
he created the accursed Nazarene, the Jesu, the idol of the children 
of Edom. I mean the Christ." 
C. : " Rabbi, that is not in the Talmud." 

K.: "Fool! It is the same. I have said it, therefore it is true. Knowest 
thou not, when a Rabbi says, 'This, thyright hand, is thy left; and 

.v Talmud, tract. Chagiga, fol. x. col. i. Raf. Aschi, the author of 

the Gemara, a portion of the Talmud. 

.V. Talmud, tract. Eruvin. 

. \V The ancient Chaldee paraphrase of the O. T. is called Tar^ 

gum by the Jews. It is split into the Jerusalemitan, and the Baby 

Ionian Targum. 

. W. Talmud, tract. Sanhedrin. 

367 



.•. Lest my reader 
might think that 
what follows is a 
malicious invent 
tion of my own 
to bring the Jews 
into disrepute, I 
shall add the pre-- 
cise page of the 

Talmud from 
which each ques^ 
tion istaken (from 

Eisenmenger's 
"JudaismUnveil* 
ed," Konigsberg, 
1711, &other sour^ 
ces). The Jews, I 
know, endeavour 
to deny that they 
hold these doc' 
trines; but it is, 
nevertheless quite 
true that all their 
learned men who 
have been convert 
ted to C hristianity 
since the time of 
the Reformation, 

confessed that 
thesedogmaswere 
intimately woven 
into their belief, & 
formed its ground' 
work. 



.*. Targan upon 
Dcut. xvii. it. 
. * . *Talmud,tract. 
Sanhedrin. 
//.Although the 
Jews deny that 
Christ is named 
in the Talmud, 
saying that an- 

other Jesus is 
meant, yet Ei- 
senmenger has 
fully proved the 
contrary, on the 
most convincing 
grounds. 
,\V Children of 
Edom, children 
ofharlots, swine, 
dogs, abomina^ 
tions, worship- 
persof thecruci^ 
fied,idolators,are 
titles of honour 
freely given to 
Christiansbythe 
Rabbis. (See Ei- 
senmenger.) 
.*.*.'. Tract. Ba- 
va Mezia. 
.v.v 2 Samuel 
xxii. 2.7; a specie 
men of how the 
Talmudists in- 
terpret the Bible 



this, thy left hand, is thy right/ thou must believe it, or thou wilt 
be damned?".*- 

Here all the elders cried out:" Yea, yea; the word of a Rabbi is more 
to be esteemed than the words of the law, and their words are more 
beautiful than the words of the prophets, for they are the words of 
the living God.".'.' 

K. : ** Now answer; what says the Talmud of that Adam Belial, 
that Jesu, that crucified, of whom the Christians say that he was 
God?" 

C. : "That he was the son of an evil woman, who learned sorcery 
in Egypt, and he hid the sorcery in his flesh, in a wound which he 
madetherein,andwiththemagic hedeceived the people, and turned 
them from God. He practised idolatry with a baked stone, and 
prostrated himself before his own idol; and finally, as a fit punish- 
ment, he was first stoned to death, upon the eve of the passover, 
and then hung up upon a cross made of a cabbage-stalk, after 
which, Onkelos, the fallen Titus sister's son, conjured him up out of 
hell." .v. 

K. : "Is it possible to find more detestable Gojim than these impure 
and dumb children of Talvus, these Christian swine?".'.*.' 
C. : " No ; that were impossible." 

K. : "It is permitted us to deceive them & spoil them of their goods." 
C : "Eh? Wherefore are we the selected people, if we could not 
spoil the children of Edom ? They are our slaves, for we have gold 
and they have none." 

K.: "Good, good; but where is it written that we may spoil the 
swine and take their goods ?" 

C. : "The Talmud say, it is permitted to deceive a Goi, and take 
his goods."./.*. 

K. :"Forgetnottheprincipalpassage,TractMegilla,fol.i3: < What, 
is itthen permitted to the just to deal deceitfully f And he answered: 
Yea, for it is written, with the pure, thou shalt be pure, & with the fro - 
ward thou shalt learn frowardness.V. v. Item: Itis written expressly 
in the Parascha Bereschith,*It is permitted to the just to deal deceit- 
fully, even as Jacob dealt ; ' and if our fathers of blessed memory acted 
thus, we were fools indeed not to skin the Christian dogs and flog 
them to the death. (Spitting out.) Curse on the unclean swine ! " 
C. : "I will be no such fool, Rabbi,and if they compel meto take an 
oath, I will do as Rabbi Akkiva of blessed memory." 
K. : " Right, my son, pity thou canst not speak Hebrew; methinks 
then thou wouldst have been a light in Israel. Speak. How hath 
the Rabbi Akkiva sworn ?" 
368 



C. : "The Talmud says: ' Hereupon the Rabbi Akkfva took the 

oath with his lips, but in his heart he abjured it/" . . 

K. : "The Rabbi Akkiva, of blessed memory, was but a sorry liver. 

Canst thou too defend the violation of the marriage vow?" 

C. : "With the wives of the unclean Christian dogs, wherefore not? 

For Moses saith (Lev. xx. 10) ' He who committeth adultery with 

his neighbour's wife shall be put to death;' so saith the Talmud; 

thewives of others are excepted; and Rabbi Solomon expressly says 

on this passage, that under the word 'others 'the wives of Gojim,or 

the Christian dogs, are meant." .v 

K. i "Yea, cursed be they and their whole race. Dost thou curse them 

daily, as is thy duty?" 

C. : " My duty is to curse them once; I curse them thrice." /.♦.. 

K.: "Then wilt thou be recompensed threefold when Messias 

comes, and the fine dishes and the fine clothes will grow out of the 

blessed earth of themselves,that it will be a pleasure to see them ?. • . • . • 

Speak. What saith the Talmud? How large will the grapes then 

be?" 

C. : "So large that a man will put a single grape in the corner of his 

house, and tap it as if it were a beer^barref. Is not that almost too 

large, master?" 

K. : " Look at my pert wisehead ! Knowest thou not, that he who 

mocks the words of the wise goes straight to hell, as happened to 

that disciple who laughed at the Rabbi Jochanan,when he said that 

precious stones should be set in the gates of Jerusalem, three ells 

long,& three ells broad? .... Item: Hast thou not read how Rabbi 

Jacob Ben Dosethai went one morning from Lud to Ono for three 

miles in pure honey, or how Rabbi Ben Levi saw grapes in the land 

of Canaan so large that he mistook them for fatted calves ? What, 

then, will itnot be when Messias comes r //// But who will not par/ 

take these blessings?" 

C . : " The accursed swine, the Christians." . v //. 

K.: "Wherefore not?" 

C. : "Because they eat swine's flesh, and believe on theTalvus, who 

deceived the people through his sorceries." 

K. : "All true; but when the Talmud says that the impure Naza^ 

rene brought all his sorceries out of Egypt, what say our Rabbis of 

blessed memory against that ? ". • . 

C. : "That he secretly stole the Schem Hamphorasch out of the 

temple, and stitched it into his flesh." 

K. : "What is the Schem Hamphorasch ?" 

b b i 369 



.'.Talmud, tract. 
Calla. 

.V Eisenmenger 
quotes a prayer^ 
book of the Jews 
on this subject, 
called The Great 
Tephilla. 
J& //.Talmud, 
tract. Sanhedrin. 
jg? ///Talmud, 
tract. Kethuvoth 

///. Talmud, 
tract. Bava Ba^ 
thra. 

//// In tractat 
Kethuvoth. 
j^/.v/.Eisen' 
menger ii. yyy t 
&c.Onthispoint 
he brings forward 
numerous quo' 
tations from the 
later rabbinical 
writings ; for it is 
certain that, on 
this subject, the 
Talmud judges 
more mildly. 
/////An extract 
fromthehorrible 
book of curses a*- 
gainst the Savi' 
our,theToledoth 
Jeschu, is given 
in Eisenmenger; 
theentireisprint/ 
edinDr.Wigen.' 
seil'sTela Ignea 
Satanae. 



.\ The jad, a 
gold or silver 
hand, with 
which a priest 
pointed out 
each line to 
the reader of 
the Tora. 



C. /'God's wonder, his greatest! The seventy names of the holy and 
ever^blessed God; and to him who knows them will the aged Mc/ 
tatron appear, as he appeared to our forefathers, and all stones can 
he turn to diamonds, and all loam to gold/' 

K. : "Dost thou know, my son, that I myself possess this Schem 
Hamphorasch ?" 

C. (clasping his hands) : "Wonder of God ! can it be? And have 
you all these riches ?" 

K. : "One of the accursed Christian dogs deceived me, and kept 
back two of the leaves (may God plague him in eternity for it), but 
still it effects much. I sell the holy Schem in little pieces, as a cure 
for all diseases ; yea, even bits no larger than a grain will bringthree 
ducats. Item: I sell bits of it to the dying to lay upon their stomachs, 
that so they may gain eternal blessedness. W^ilt thou buy a little 
grain too, eh ? Ask the elders here if ever better physic were found 
than the least grain of dust from the holy Schem Hamphorasch ?" 
O the elders swore as my knave bid them, and said 
that no better physic could be, & told of the various 
diseases which it had cured in their own persons jS? 
Item: That no Jew in the whole town was without 
a morsel, be it large or small, to lay on his stomach 
when dying; "but the greater the piece," said the 
Rabbi, "the greater the blessedness" J& Now as the red-haired 
disciple seemed much inclined to purchase a bit, the Rabbi went 
over to the drawer, withdrewthe tapestry, and, liftingup the golden 
jad, . pointed smilingly to the palnvleaves therein with it." This," 
he said to the disciple, "was the ever/blessed Schem Hamphorasch 
itself, if he had not already believed his words." 

IEANWHILE the aforesaid Meir, the Rabbi's 
servant, creptforth from underthe women's gallery, 
and spake: " Now may ye stick two Christian dogs 
dead, who are hiding hereto steal the blessed golden 
treasure from my master the Rabbi; the clock has 

I struck eleven, and the Christian swine are snoring 

in all quarters of the city. Up to the women's gallery ! Up to the 
women's gallery! There they sit! Their six ducats I have safe; kill 
the dumb uncircumcised dogs! Strike them dead! For a ducat I will 
fling them into the Oder. Come, come ! Here are knives ! Here are 
knives!" 





37o 





1HEN the Duke and Doctor Joel heard all this, and 

1 saw all through the little bull's-eyes, they jumped 
\ up and clattered down the stairs, the Duke drawing 
j his dagger, which by good luck he had brought with 
> him. But the Jews are already on them, and the 

2 Rabbi strikes the Duke on the face with the golden 
jad, screaming: 

"Accursed dog! There is one golden blow for thee, and a second 
golden blow for thee, andathird golden blow for thee jputthem out 
to interest, and thou wilt have enough to buy the Schem Hampho- 
rasch." And the others fell upon the doctor, beating him till their 
fists were bloody, and sticking him with their knives J0 So my 
magister roared : " Oh, gracious Lord ! tell your name, I beseech you, 
or in truth they will murder us, they will beat us to death ! " 

UTthe Duke had hit the Rabbi such a blow with 
his dagger across the hand, that the golden jad fell to 
the ground, and the Duke leaning his back against 
a pillar, hewed right and left and kept them all at 
bay JSt But this did not help, for the traitor knave, 
Meir, creeping along on his knees, got hold of the 
Duke's foot, and lifting it up suddenly in the air,made him losehis 
balance, and my gracious Prince stumbled forward, and the dagger 
fell far from his hand, upon which he cried out: " Listen, ye cursed 
Jewish brood! I am your Prince, the Duke of Pomerania! Mybro' 
ther shall make ye pay for this : your flesh shall be torn from the 
bones, and flung to dogs by tcmorrow, if you do not instantly give 
free passage to me and my attendant." Then taking his signet from 
his finger, he held it up and cried : " Look here, ye cursed brood, 
here are my arms, the ducal Pomeranian arms, behold! behold!" 
J& At this hearing the Rabbi turned as pale as death, and all the 
others started back from Dr. Joel, trembling with terror, while 
the Duke continued: "Wecamenothereto steal the Schem Ham/ 
phorasch, as your traitor knave has given out, but to hear your 
accursed Satan's crew with our own ears, which also we have done." 
J& "Oh, your Highness," cried the Rabbi, "it was a jest, all a 
mere innocent jest. The accursed knave is guilty of all. Come, gra/- 
cious Prince, I will unbar the door; it was a jest. May I perish if it 
was anything more than a merry jest, all this you have heard" J& 
And scarcely had the door been closed upon the Duke and Dr. Joel, 
when they heard the Jews inside falling upon the traitorous knave 
and beating him till he roared for pain, as if in truth they had stuck 
b b 2 371 



w 




him on a pike. But they cared little what became of him, & hastened 
back with all speed to the ducal residence. 
CHAPTER XIV. HOW THE DUKE FRANCIS 
SEEKS A VIRGIN AT MARIENFLIESS TO CITE 
THE ANGEL OCH FOR HIM; OF SIDONIA'S EVIL 
PLOT THEREUPON, AND THE TERRIBLE UP, 
ROAR CAUSED THEREBY IN THE CONVENT. 

flFTER his Highness found that to obtain 
the Schem Hamphorasch was an impose 
sible thing, he resolved to seek throughout 
all Pomerania forapurebrave^hearted vir, 
gin, by whose aid he could break Sidonia's 
demonspells,&preservehiswholeprincely 
race from fearful & certain destruction. He 
therefore addressed a circular to all the ah, 
besses, conjecturing that if such a virgin 
I were to be found, it could only be in a 
cloister; and this was the letter: 

" Franciscus, by the grace of God, Duke of Pomerania,Stettin, Cas, 
suben,and Wenden, Bishop of Camyn, Prince of Rugen, Count of 
Gutzkow, Lord of the lands of Lauenburg and Butow, etc. 
""Worthy Abbess, trusty and good friend: Be it known to you that 
we have immediate need of the services of a pure virgin, but in all 
honour, and are diligently seeking for such throughout our ducal and 
ecclesiastical states ; but understand, not alone a virgin in act, for they 
can be met with in every house, but a virgin in soul, pure in thought 
and word, forby her agency wemean to build up a holy and virtuous 
work; as Gregory Nyssensis says (De Virginitate, Opp. torn. ii. fol. 
593) : 'Virginity must be the fundamentum upon which all virtue 
is built up, then are the works of virtue noble & holy; but virginity 
which is only of the form, and exists not in the soul, is nothing but 
a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, or a pearl which is trodden under 
foot of swine 'j£^ Further, the said virgin must be of a brave, stead, 
fast, and manlike spirit, who fears nothing, and can defy death and 
the devil, if need be. If yehave suchavirgin, upon whom, with God's 
help, I can build up my great virtuous work, send her to our court 
without delay, and know that we shall watch over such virgin with 
all princely goodness and clemency; but know also, that if on trial 
such virgin is not found pure in thoughtand word, great danger is in 
store for her, perchance even death. 
"Signatum Camyn, 1st September, 1617. 

" Franciscus, manu sua." 
372 




" Postscriptum : Are the winter gloves ready? Forget not to send 
them with the beer^wagon; my canons esteem them highly." 

~T|HENthis letter reached the abbess of Marienfliess 
J by the beer^wagon ofthe honourable chapter of Ca^ 
myn, she was much troubled as to how she ought to 
proceed. Truly there were two young novices lately 
arrived, ofaboutfifteen or sixteen,named Anna HoL 
borne and Catharina Maria von Wedel. These the 
abbess thought would assuredly suit his Highness; item, they were 
of a wonderful brave spirit, & had gone down at night to the church 
to chase away the martens, though they bit them cruelly, because 
they prevented the people sleeping; and further, never feared any 
ghost'work or devil's work that might be in the church, but laughed 
over it. When these same virgins, however, heard what the abbess 
wanted, they excused themselves, and said they had not courage to 
peril their lives, though in truth they were pure virgins in thought 
& word. But they could not hold their tongue quiet, but mustneeds 
blab (alas, woe!) to Anna Apenborg, who runs ofFinstantly to the 
refectory to Sidonia, whom she hadappeasedby means of somesau' 
sages, and tells her the whole story, and of his Grace's wonderful 
letter. So my hag laughed, never suspecting that she was the cause 
of all, and said, ** She would soon make out if such a virgin were to 
be found in the convent; but would Anna promise secrecy?" And 
when the other asseverated that she would be as silent as a stone in 
the earth, my hag continued: " I have got a receipt from that learned 
man, Albertus Magnus, his book upon women, and we shall try it 
upon the nuns; but thou must hold thy tongue, Anna" J&" Oh, 
she would sooner have her tongue cut out than blab a word; but 
what was the receipt?" Here Sidonia answered, " She would soon 
see. She would give the sisterhood a little of her fine beer to drink, 
with some of it therein; and as she had got fresh sausages and other 
good things in plenty by her, she would pray the abbess & the whole 
convent to dine with her on the following Monday; then the dear 
sister should see wonders." 

ND in truth my hag was so shameless, thaton Sun^ 
day, after church, she prayed all the virgins, saying, 
"Would the dear sisters eat their mid'day meal with 
hernextday,toshowthattheyforgaveher,ifshehad 
Jj everbeen over hasty ?Ah, God! she loved peace above 
_ *=*3l everything; but they must each bring their own can, 
forshe hadnot cansenough foralljand her new beer was worth tast* 
ing, a better beer had she never brewed." 

b b 3 373 




Summa: All the sisterhood gladly accepted her invitation, think' 

ing from her Christian mildness of speech in the church that she 

indeed wished to be reconciled to them; item, the abbess promised 

to come, holding that compliance brings grace, but harshness dis- 

favour; but here the reverse was the case Jj^ Early on this same Mon/ 

day, the wagon returned laden with beer for the honourable chapter, 

& the abbess despatched an answer byitto his Highnessthebishop, 

as follows : 

"Most Reverend Bishop & Illustrious Prince, my friendly services 

to your Grace. 

" Gracious Lord, Concerning the matter of which your Highness 

writes, I think there is no lack here of such virgins as you describe, but 

none are of steadfast enough heart to brave the great danger with 

which your Highness says they are menaced; for we have a nature 

like all women, and are weak and faint-hearted. But methinks, there 

isonebrave enough, & in all things pure, who would be of the service 

your Grace demands, I mean Diliana Bork, daughter of Jobst Bork 

of Saatzig; I counsel your Grace, therefore, to try her. Now,as touch' 

ing the winter gloves, I shall send some along with this; but Sidonia 

will knit no gloves, and says, 'the fat canons are like enough to old 

women already, without putting gloves on them;' by which your 

Highness may judge of her impure mouth. Godbetter herlj^Your 

Princely Grace's and my reverend bishop's humble servant and 

subject, 

„n* • n- t <r r » " Magdelena V. Petersdorfin. 

" Marienfliess, 5th Sept. 1617. 

JO W when twelve o'clock struck, and mid/day shone 
on the blessed land, all the nuns proceeded in their 
long blackhabits and white veils toSidonia's apart' 
ment, each with her beer-can in her hand (woe is 
me ! how soon they rushed back again in storm and 
anger) .jg?Then they sat down to the sausages and 
other good morsels, while Anna Apenborg was on tip^toe of ex- 
pectation to see what would happen ; and old Wolde was there quite 
well again (for illweedsnever die;no winteris cold enough for that). 
And she filled each of their cans with the beer which Sidonia had 
brewed, after a new formula; but, lo! no sooner had they tasted it 
than first Dorothea Stettin starts up, and Sidonia asks what ails her. 
To which she answers: "She is not superstitious, but there was 
surely something wrong in the beer. She felt quite strange." And she 
left the room, then another, and another; in Fine, all who had tasted 
374 





the beer started up in like mannerand followed Dorothea. Only the 
abbess and some others who had not partaken of it remained. Anna 
Apenborg had disappeared among the first, and presently a terrific 
cry was heard from the courtyard, as if not alone the cloister but 
the whole world was in flames. Curses, cries, menaces, threats, 
screams, all mingled together, and shouts of "Run for a broomstick! 
the accursed witch ! the evil hag! let us punish her for this I" 

HEREUPON the abbess jumps up, flings open 
the window, & beholds Dorothea Stettin so changed 
in mien, voice, gestures, in fine, in her whole being, 
that she was hardly to be recognised. She looks black 
and blue in the face, has her fists clenched, stamps 
with her feet, and screams^" For God's sake, what 
ails you, Dorothea?" asked the alarmed abbess. But no answer can 
she hear; for all the virgins scream, roar, howl, and curse in one grand 
chorus, as if indeed the last day itself were come. So she runs down 
the steps as quick as she can, while Sidonia looks out at the window, 
and laughing, says: " Eh, dear sisters, this is a strange pastime you 
have got; better come up quickly, or the pudding will be cold"jg? 
At this the screeching and howling were redoubled, and Dorothea 
spat up at the window, and another flung up a broomstick, so that 
my hag got a bloody nose, and drew in her head screaming now 
likewise. 

|HEN they all wanted to rush up into the refectory, 
each armed with a broomstick to punish Sidonia, and 
I they wouldnotheedtheabbess, who still vainly asked 
I what had angered them, but the other sisters who 
I were descending met them halfway, and prevented 
! their ascent; whereupon the abbess raised her voice 
and called out loud: " Whoever does not return instantly at my 
command as abbess, shall be imprisoned forthwith, and condemned 
to bread and water for a whole day ! Item, whoever speaks until I ad<- 
dress her, shall be kept half/a/day on bread & water. Now Dorothea, 
speak, you alone, and let every one of you descend the steps and re, 
turn here to the court/yard." This menace availed at last, and with 
many sobs and groans, Dorothea at last told of Sidonia's horrible 
plot, as Anna Apenborg had explained to them. How she had in, 
vited them on purpose to disgrace them for ever in the eyes of the 
Prince and of the whole world, and the abbess could now judge her, 
self, if they had not a right to be angry. But she must have her sub, 
prioret back again, out of which the scandalous witch had tricked 
b b 4 375 





her, and the abbess must forthwith despatch a messenger to his 
Highness, praying him to chase this unclean beast out of the con' 
vent, and into the streets again, from which they had taken her; for 
neither God nor man had peace or rest from her. 

|IDONI Aoverhearingthis from the window, stretch- 
ed outher grey head again, wipedaway with her hand 
I the blood that was streaming from her nose, and then 
menacing the abbess with her bloody fist, screamed 
out, "Write if you dare! write if you dare!" So the 
I curses, howls, yells, screeches, all break loose again; 
some pitch their shoes up at the windows, others let fly the broom- 
sticks at the old hag, and Dorothea criedout: " Letallpureand hon- 
ourable virgins follow me!'' Yet still a great many of the sisters 
gathered round the abbess, weeping and wringing their hands, and 
praying for peace, declaring they would not leave her; but all the 
younger nuns, particularly they who had drunk of Sidonia's accursed 
beer, followed the sub-prioress, and as the discontented Roman 
people withdrew once to the Aventincmount, so the cloister mal- 
contents withdrew to the Muhlenberg, howling and sobbing, and 
casting themselves on the ground from despair. In vain the abbess 
ran after them, conjuring them not to expose themselves before God 
and man: it was all useless, my virgins screamed in chorus: "No, 
that they would never do ; but to the cloister they would not return 
till the princely answer arrived, expelling the dragon for ever. Let 
what would become of them, they would not return. The jewel of 
their honour was dearer to them than life." 

^jjOWSidoniawaswatchingall this from her window, 
andasshe justlyfeared that now in earnest thewrath 
& anger of the two Princes would fall on her, she goes 
straight to the abbess, who sits in her cell weeping 
and wringing her hands, menaces her again with her 
bloody fist, & says : " W^illyou write ? will you write ? 
ay, you may, but you will never live to hear the answer!" Upon 
which, murmuring to herself, she left the chamber. What can the 
poor abbess do ? And the cry now comes to her, that not only the 
miller and his men, but half the town likewise, are gathered round 
the virgins. Oh, what a scandal ! She wrings her hands in prayer to 
God, and at last resolves to lay down her poor life, so that she may 
fulfil her hard duty bravely as beseems her, goes then straight to the 
Muhlenberg and arranges the evil business thus: Let the virgins 
return instantly to the cloister, and she would herself write to the 
376 




Duke, and despatch the messenger this very night; and she begged 
for just two hours to herself, that she mightmake her will, and send 
for the sheriff's secretary to drawitup properly; also to search forher 
shroud which lay in her chest. For since hercruel children demanded 
her life, she would give it to them. The Duke's answer she would 
never live to hear. So Sidoniahad prophesied just nowj^Then she 
descended the hill, chanting that beautiful hymn of Dr. Nicolai's, 
while the virgins followed, and some lifted up their weeping voices 
in unison with hers : 

" Awake ! the watchers on the tower, 
Chant aloud the midnight hour; 
Awake, thou bride Jerusalem ! 
Through the city's gloomy porches 
See the flashing bridal torches; 
Awake, thou bride Jerusalem ! 
Come forth, come forth, ye virgin choir, 
Light your lamps with altar fire ! 
Hallelujah ! in his pride 
Comes the bridegroom to his bride; 
Awake, thou fair Jerusalem ! 

Zion heard the watchers singing, 
From her couch in beauty springing, 
She wakes, and hastens joyful out. 
Lo ! he comes in heavenly beauty, 
Strong in love, in grace, in duty; 
Now her heart is free from doubt. 
Light and glory flash before him, 
Heaven's star is shining o'er him, 
On his brow the kingly crown, 
For the bridegroom is the Son. 
Hallelujah ! follow all 
To the heavenly bridal-hall, 
There the Lamb holds festival ! " 

JUT behold, as they reached the convent gates, chant- 
ing their heavenly melody, there stood the demon- 
witch, dancing and singing her hellish melody: 
"Also kleien und also kratzen, 
Meine Hunde und meine Katzen." 
And oldWoldeand the cat, in his little red stockings, 
danced right and left beside her. 

377 





T this horrible sight the poor virgins scampered off 
hither and thither to their cells, like doves flying to 
m their nests, without uttering a word, only the abbess 
exclaimed: "But two hours, my children, in the 
church!" Whereupon she goes, makes her will, and 
prepares her shroud. Item : Sends for the dairy ' 
mother, gives her the shroud. Item : A sack of moss and hops to make 
apillow for her coffin, for such she would like her poor corpse to have. 
Then sends for the convent carpenter,and makes him take her mea^ 
sure for a coffin ; and, lastly, strengthened in God, goes to the church 
to write her own death-warrant, namely, the letter to his Highness. 
Yet many of the virgins, for fear of Sidonia, refused to affix their 
signatures thereto, amon g whom was Anna Apenborg, who, as soon 
assheleftthechurch,ranupto the refectoryto chatter over the whole 
business with Sidonia. Item: How the new convent^porter was to 
be sent that sa me midnight with the letter to his Highness. 

O Sidonia began now to scold, because Anna could 
not hold her tongue, and had betrayed her secret to 
the sisters. Butthe other said : " She thought it was all 
a pure jest, andhadtold them for fun, that they might 
% have a good laugh together; for how could she know 
■g^MSi that they would all grow raging mad like that\"J& 
So my hag forgave her, and bid her sit down and eat some sausage 
for her supper, in return for the news she had brought her. Mean' 
while, she would write a letter to his Highness likewise, and Anna 
should give itto the convent^porter, to take with him along with that 
of the abbess. This was the letter: 
"Serene Prince and Gracious Lord! 

" Now will your Highness perceive, by this writing, how faithful 
and true a servant I am to your princely house, though the godless 
world has raised up an evil cry against me in your Highness' ears. 
Gracious Prince, the Reverend Lord Bishop wrote to our worthy 
abbess of Marienfliess, bidding her seek out for him a virgin, pure 
in thought, word, and deed, by whose help he might perform some 
great virtue^work. Now, the abbess confided her perplexities on the 
mattertome, as sub'prioress. Whereupon, I said, 'that to serve your 
Highness, I would shew whether such a virgin were in the convent, 
but she must keep silence;' this she promised. Whereon, I brewed 
a drink, according to Albertus Magnus (it is at the 95th page), and 
bade them all to dinner, when I secretly put the drink into some of 
my best beer. Now Albertus states thatthe drink will have no effect 
378 




on a pure virgin, only on the reverse. Your Highness, therefore, may 
judge what sort of sisterhood we have, when no sooner had they 
drank, than almost all rose up raging mad, and rushed out of the 
convent into the court/yard, wheresuch ascandalum arose, screams, 
curses, yells, and shrieks, that your Grace may surely judge no hon^ 
ourable virgin was to be found amongst them. In fact, the worthy 
abbess, a few others, and I myself, were the only persons who re^ 
mained unaffected by the draught. Therefore, I counsel our graci^ 
ous Bishop to select one from amongst us, for his great virtue^work. 
I, indeed, havethe strongest heart or all, and the bravest couragejjg? 
But, assuredly, the worst of all these light wantons was Dorothea 
Stettin, from whom I received the sub^prioret, because, as your 
Grace heard, she held unchaste discourse during her illness, and 
therefore, is as much suited to be sub^prioress as a jewel of gold to a 
swine's snout. She, therefore, drew off all the other raging wantons 
to the Muhlenberg, dedaringthatthey would not return until I, who 
had done this great service to my Lord Bishop, was turned out into 
the streets. Then the lewd common^folk gathered round the sisters 
on the hill, who betrayed their own evil case, methinks, by their rage, 
and mocked and jeered them, till the abbess herself had to go forth 
and entreat them to return; but they despised her, & the sheriff must 
needs gallop up with his horsewhip, & whip them before him, but in 
vain; the evil is too strong in them. They still said, 'that I,' unfor^ 
tunate maiden, 'must be accused to your Highness of all this scan^ 
dal/ for the silly abbess had betrayed what I had done; 'and thattill 
I was turned out of the convent, they wouldnotcome back.' Nowthe 
poor abbess fell sick at such base contempt and insult to her author 
rity, and feeling her end near, she made her will, and took out the 
shroud from her trunk, and had the carpenter to measure her for her 
coffin, and at last consented to write to your Grace, because by no 
othermeans would these evil wantons be satisfied, or the great scan^ 
dal & disgrace to the convent be averted. But, I think, if your Grace 
would write her a private letter, she would chan ge her opinion," (Ah, 
yes, the hag means her to receive it !) " and make a far different resolve 
when your Grace sees how true and faithful I have acted as 

"Your Highness's most humble maiden, 
" Marienfliess, 6th Sept. 1617. " Sidonia Bork, 

" Otto Bork's only and unfortunate orphan. 
" P.S. If she dies, I pray your Grace to hold me in your remenv 
brance." 

379 




CHAPTER XV. OF THE DEATH OF THE ABBESS, 
MAGDALENA VON PETERSDORFIN. ITEM, 
HOW DUKE FRANCIS MAKES JOBST BORK AND 
HIS DAUGHTER, DILIANA, COME TO CAMYN, & 
WHAT HAPPENS THERE. 

»jOW the messenger had hardly departed, 
when Sidonia arranged her food for three 
days, laid two new brooms crosswise under 
the table. Item, had her bath carried up by 
old Wolde from the kitchen to the refect 
tory, and lastly locked herself up, giving 
out that she must and will pray to God to 
pardon her fallen sisters for all their sins, 
and thatup to Friday night, no one should 
disturb her. 

Summaj The unfortunate abbess ascertained, but too well, that 
same night, what such praying betokened. She screamed out, like all 
the others, that it seemed as if a miner was in her breast, & hammered 
there, striving to raise up the bones; and the good dairy/mother, a 
pious and tender-hearted creature, not very old either, never left her 
side during all her martyrdom. For three days and three nights she 
took no rest, but watched by the sick abbess ; lifting her from the 
bed to the cold floor, and from the cold floor to the bed, and refused 
apiece of gold the abbess offered for her trouble, begging it might be 
given to Lisa Behlken, a little gipsy maiden, whose thievish and 
heathenish parents had left her behind them in the town, but who 
had been taken in and sheltered by the poor widow, though she had 
enough to do to get her living alone. Summa: On the Friday night 
theworthy abbess expired in horrible tortures; and,in consequence, 
such a fear & horror fell upon the whole convent, thatthey trembled 
and shook like aspen leaves, and bitterly repented now or their folly 
with loud cries and weeping, in having with their own hands helped 
to cast down their only stay and support. 

O next morning, Sidonia summoned the whole chap^ 
ter to her apartment, drew herself up like a black acU 
der, as she was,menaced them with her dry fists, and 
spake: "See now, ye shameless wantons, what ye 
have done ! Ye have murdered the worthy abbess, 

. . _ „ though she told you herself, it would be her death if 

ye came not down from the Muhlenberg. Giving up your honour 
and the honour of our convent, ye vile crew, as a prey to the malicious 
380 





world. In vain have I cried to God three days and three nights for 
pardon foryourheavysins,andforsupportforourdearmother; your 
sins are an offence to the Lord, and He would not hearken to me. 
For this morning I hear, to my great terror, that the good abbess, 
just as I feared, has been done to death by your vile obduracy and 
disobedience." Astheblasphemousdevil thus wenton,allweresilent 
round her. Even Dorothea Stettin had not a word, for though her 
wrath was great, her fear was yet greater. Only Anna Apenborg, 
who had her eyes always about, cried out; "See there, dear sisters, 
there comes the porter back from Old Stettin. Ah, that he should 
find our goo d mother in her coffin, as she prophesied ! " 

O Sidonia despatches a sister for the princely letter, 
and bids the others remain; and when the letter is 
brought, Sidonia breaks the seal, runs over the con-' 
tents to herself, laughs, and then says, at last: "Listen 
to the message his Grace sends to our, alas, now dead 
mother,asakindandjustfather!" Reads: "Honomv 
able Mother, worthy Abbess: As our serene and gracious Prince 
is just setting off to hunt with the illustrious patrico, Philip Hein^ 
hofer of Augsburg, his Grace bids me say that he will visit thecon^ 
vent himself next month onhisway to New Stettin, to advise with 
you, & investigate, in person, this evil business with the sisterhood. 
As to Sidonia, he reserves a different treatment for her. 

"Your good son and friend, 

" Francisca Blodow, 
" Ducal Secretary. 
"Old Stettin, 8th Sept. 16x7." 

Hereupon she struck the letter in her pocket, clapped herhand over 
it, & continued: " This is what I call a just, good father; andif I had 
not interposed with Christian charity, who knows what heaps of 
vile, shameless wantons might not be cast forth upon the streets. 
But I remember the words of my heavenly bridegroom, f forgive & it 
shall be forgiven you!' And nowto end, good sisters, since our worthy 
motherhereis no more, wemusthavearuleroverthis uproarious con' 
vent. Therefore, let us proceed at once to elect her successor from ax 
mongst ourselves, that our gracious Prince may be able to confirm 
your choice on his arrival next month. Proceed,then, since ye are all 
assembled here, that the convent may know in whom it may place 
confidence. Speak, Anna Apenborg, whom dost thou name for an 
abbess,my muclvloved sister?" With Sidonia's sausage still in her 
stomach, what else could she do, but bow and say: " I think no one 

38l 



.'. Cramer &Mu 
krxlius make the 
same mistake. 



so worthy as our good sister Sidonia." Hereat laughed my hag, and 
wenton to askthe other virgins, & all those who had notbeen affected 
by the hellish drink, cried out, '* Sidonia ; " while those who had been, 
were afraid to dissent, and so cried out too for her. In fine, " Sidonia ! 
Sidonia!"washeardfromalllips,&sotheytook her fortheir abbess, 
whom but a few days before they would have flung out into the 
streets. Even Dorothea Stettin consented, on condition that she 
received back the sub^prioret. Wliereupon Sidonia loosed her veil 
with the one golden key, and restored itto Dorothea with the Judas 
kiss ; then bid her fetch the veil of the abbess with the two golden 
keys, for this was an heir/loom in the cloister. When it arrived, Su 
donia goes to her trunk, and takes outalarge regal cape that looked 
like ermine, but was only white cat's skin. She hung this upon her 
neck, and exclaimed: "Hitherto I was lady of castles and lands; 
now, as abbess, I am of princely rank, for many princesses were ab^ 
besses,inthetimeofthepapacy;therefore,itismeetthatIarraymy/ 
self as a princess, and I command ye all to treat me as a princess, and 
honour me as your abbess, and kiss my hand, which is the proper, 
due, and fitting reverence to be paid to my rank. The late worthy 
matron, indeed, suffered ye to treat her with little respect, and your 
late vile contempt of her on the Muhlenberg shows (God be good to 
us!) buttoo well whatfruither neglect ofthesethingsbroughtforth." 
RULY the pride of this hag was equal to her wicked*- 
ness; for mark, already for a^year^and-'a^day before 
this, she had made the convent'porter& others bring 
her white cats and black cats; these she killed and 
skinned, and sewed the black cats' tails on the white 
skins, to make a show withal, for ermine skin was 
above her price, I am thinking. Yet no one knew wherefore she 
killed the cats, and for what cause. Now it all came to lightj^No 
doubt these circumstances gaverise to that errorwhich runs through 
the Pomeranian contemporary authors, who assert all of them, that 
Sidonia was abbess of Marienfliess, though, in truth, she never was 
duly ele cted. . ■ 

UT let us return nowto his Highness, Bishop Fran^ 
cis.HesenttoJobstBork,biddinghimcomeinstantly 
to Camyn with his little daughter, Dilianajg?They 
knew nothing of his Grace's purpose, but were soon 
informed on entering the episcopal palace. For, after 
his Highness, with whom was Doctor Joel, desired 
them to be seated, the doctor placed Diliana upon a stool, close to the 
382 






window, beside which my magister had hung up a magic screen on 

Surpose; and as the blessed sun poured in through the window, 
>iliana's beautiful, delicate form was shadowed forth upon the pure 
white linen with which it was covered. Whereupon the magister 
bent down, stuck his hands on his fat sides, knit his brows, and con> 
templated the image steadily for some time; then, starting up, gave 
a loud huzzah, and cried out: " Gracious Prince, we have found it 
it, we have found it! Here isapure virgin. I know by the formation 
of the shadows along the virgin/linen that she is pure as the sun/ 
angel, as the ascending morning dew." 

HERE Jobst Bork shook his head, and the maiden 

blushed to herfingers^ends,& looked down ashamed 

in her lap. Then his Grace said laughing: "Do not 
[ wonder at our joy, for the destiny of our whole race, 

good Jobst, lies now in you & your daughter's hands. 

Through the witchcraft of Sidonia Bork, as ye know, 
and all the world testifies, our ancient race has been melted away till 
butafew drytwigs remain,&no youngeyes look uptouswhen our 
old eyes are failing. But what Sidonia Bork has destroyed, Diliana 
Bork, by God's help, can restore. For, mark! after all human help 
had been found of no avail, this man whom ye see here, a magister 
artium of Grypswald,Joel by name, inquired of the spirits how the 
great evil could be turned away from our race; but they declared that 
none knew except the sun^angel, because he saw all that passed upon 
the earth. This angel, however, being the greatest of all spirits, will 
not appear unless a brave and pure virgin, pure in thought, word, 
and work, stand within the magic circle; therefore, we have sent for 
your daughter, hearing that she was such an one, and the magister 
hath proved the truth of the report even now. It rests with you, there/ 
fore, muclvprized Diliana, sister to the angels in purity, and last & 
only hopeof my perishing race,to save thematmyearnestpetition." 
When he ended, Diliana remained quite silent, but Jobst wriggled 
on his chair, and at last spake ! I* Serene Prince, you know me for 
the most obedient of your subjects, but with the devil's work I will 
have nothing to do; besides I see not why you must trouble spirits 
about my evil cousin, the sorceress of Marienfliess. Send to my cas/ 
tellan of Pansin, George Putkammer, he will thrust her in a sack to/ 
night,and carry her to/morrowto Camyn ; that you may believe, my 
Lord Duke ! "j^Then he related what the brave knight had done, 
& how Sidonia had in truth left him in peace ever since, all through 
fear of the young knight's good sword. His Grace wondered much 

383 



at this. " Never could I have believed that so stout/hearted a man 
was to be found in all Pomerania, one that would dare to touch this 
notorious witch." 

ND he fell into deep musing, keeping his eyes upon 
Jobst' s jack/boots, in which he had stuck a great 
hunting/knife. At last he spake : " But if I seize her 




and burn her, will it be better with our race ? I trow 
not; for she can leave the evil spell on us, perhaps, 
J even if she were a hundred times burned. Her magic 
hath great power. Will burning her break the spell? No; we must 
act more cunningly with the dragon. Earth cannot help us in this. 
And here, you see, Jobst, why I demand your daughter's help to 
conjure the angels of God " J&" Then seek another virgin, my 
Prince," answered Jobst, "mine you shall never have. I have been 
once in the devil's claws, and I won't thrust my self into them again, 
much less my only darling child, whom I love a thousand times 
better than my life. No, no, her body and soul shall never be en/ 
dangered by my consent"j^" But where is the danger?" said the 
Duke. u It is with an angel, not a devil, your daughter is to speak; 
and surely no evil, then, could happen to our dear and chaste little 
sister?" 

Tlast Diliana exclaimed eagerly:" Ah! canitbepos/ 
sible to speak with the blessed angels, as the evil 
women speak with the devil ? In truth, I would like 
to see an angel" J£t At this the Duke looked sig/ 
nificantly at the magister, who immediately ad/ 

vanced, and began to explain the opus magicum et 

theurgicum to the maiden, as follows : "You know, fair young vir/ 
gin, that our Saviour saith of the innocent children : 'Tneir angels 
always see the face of my Father which is in Heaven' (Matt.xviii.) 
Item, St. Paul (Heb. i.): 'Are not the angels ministering spirits, 
sent forth for the service of those who are heirs of salvation ?' This 
is no new doctrine, but one as old as the world. For you know, fur/ 
ther, that Adam, Noah, the holy patriarchs, the prophets, &c, 
talked with angels, because their faith was great. Item: You know 
that, even in the New Testament, angels were stated to have ap/ 
peared and talked with men; but later still, during the papal times 
even, the angels of God appeared to divers persons, as was well 
known, and of their own free will. For they did not always appear 
of free will; and therefore, from the beginning, conjurations were 
employed to compel them, and fragments of these have come down 
384 




to us ex traditione, as we magistri say, from the time of Shem, the 
son of Noah, who revealed them to his son Misraim; and so, from 
son to son, they have reached to our day, and are still powerful",^ 
"But," spake Diliana, "is it then possible for man to compel an/ 
gels?" 

Tile: "Yes, by three different modes; first, through the word, or 
the intellectual vinculum; secondly, through the heavenly bodies, 
or the astral vinculum; lastly, through the earthly creatures, or the 
elementary vinculumjjg? Respecting first the word, you know that 
all things were made by it, and without it was nothing made that is 
made. With God the Lord, therefore, word and thing are one and 
the same; for when he speaks itisdone; he commands, and it stands 
there. Also, with our father, Adam, was the word all powerful; for 
he ruled over all beasts of the field, and birds, and creeping things 
by the name which he gave unto them, that is, by the word (Gen. 
ii.). This power, too, the word of Noah possessed, and by it he 
drew the beasts into the ark (Gen. wiu), for we do not read that he 
drave them, which would be necessary now, but they went into the 
ark after him, two and two, i.e., compelled by the power of hisword 
J& Next follows the astral vinculum, i.e., the sympathy between 
us and those heavenly bodies or stars wherein the angels dwell or 
rule. We must know their divers aspects, configurations, risings, 
settings, and the like, also the precise time, hour, and minute in 
which they exercise an influence over angel, man, and lower crea^ 
tures, according as the ancients, and particularly the Chaldeans 
have taught us; for spirit cannot influence spirit at every moment, 
but only at particular times and under particular circumstances J& 
Lastly comes the elementary vinculum, or the sympathy which 
binds all earthly creatures together: men, animals, plants, stones, 
vapours, and exhalations, &c, but above all this cementing synv 
pathy is strongest in pure virgins, as you, muclvpraised Diliana." 
ERE UPON she spake surprised: "How can all 
this be? Is it not folly to suppose that the blessed 
angels could be compelled by influences from plants 
fl and stones ?" jg? " It is no folly, dear maiden, but a 
great and profound truth, which I will demonstrate 
to you briefly. Everything throughout the universe 
is effected by two opposing forces, attraction or sympathy, repulsion 
or antipathy. All things in heaven as well as upon earth acton each 
other by means of these two forcesj^And as all within, above, be^ 
neath, in the heaven, and on the earth, are types insensibly repeated 
c c i 385 





of one grand archetype, so we find that the sun himself is a magnet, 
and by his different poles repels or attracts the planets,and amongst 
them our earth; in winter he repels her, and she moves darkly and 
mournfully along; in spring, he begins to draw her towards him, 
and she comes joyfully amidst songs of the holyangels out of night 
and darkness, like a bride into the arms of her beloved. And though 
no ear upon earth can mark this song, yet the sympathies of each 
creature are attracted & excited thereby, & man, beast, bird, fish, tree, 
flower, grass, stones, all exhale forth their subtlest, most spiritual, 
sweetest life to blend with the holy singers. 

" MAIDEN, maiden, this is no folly! Truly might 
we say that each thing feels, for each thing loves and 
hates. The animate as the inanimate, the earthly as 
the heavenly, the visible as the invisible. For what is 
j love but attraction, or sympathy towards some ob/ 
I ject, whereby we desire to blend with it? And what 
is hate but repulsion or antipathy, whereby we are forced to fly or 
recoil from itr J$FWe, silly men, tear and tatter to pieces the rude 
coarse materia of things, and thinkwe knowthenature of an object, 
because, like a child with a mirror, we break ittofind the image. But 
the life of the thing, the inner, hidden mystic life of sympathies, of 
this we know nothing, and yet we call ourselves wise fj^But what 
is the signification of this widespread law of love and hate which 
rules the universe as far as we know? Nothing else than the dark 
signature of faith impressed upon every creature. Forwhatthe thing 
loves, that is its God; and what the thing hates, that is its devil. So 
when the upright and perfect soul ascends to God, the source of all 
attraction, God descends to it in sympathy, and blends with it, as 
Christ says, 'Whoso loves me, and keeps my word, my Father will 
love him, and we will come and take up our abode with him/ But if 
the perverted soul descends to the source of all repulsion, which is 
the devil, God will turn away from him, and he will hate God and 
love the devil, as our blessed Saviour says (Matt, vi.) ' No man can 
serve two masters, ye will hate one and love the other; ye cannot 
serve God and the devil,' Such will be the law of the universe until 
the desire of all creatures is fulfilled, until the living word again de^ 
scends from heaven, and says, ' Let there be light ! ' and the new light 
will fall upon the soul. Then will the old serpent be cast out of the 
new heaven and the new earth. Hate and repulsion will exist no 
longer, but as Esaias saith, 'The wolf and the lamb, the leopardand 
the kid, will lie down together, & the child may play fearlessly upon 
386 



the den of the adder. Hallelujah ! Then will creation be free! then 
will it pass from the bondage of corruption into the lordly freedom 
of the children of God (Rom. viii.), and 

Sun, 

Moon, stars, 

Earth, angels, men, 

Beasts, plants, stones, 

The living as the dead, 

The great as the small, 

The visible as the invisible, 

Will find at last 

The source of all attraction 

WTiich they have ever ardently desired, 

Round which they will ever circle 

Day on day, night on night, 

Century on century, millennium on millennium, 

Lost in the infinite and eternal abyss 

Of all love, 

GOD!" 

CHAPTER XVI. JOBST BORK TAKES AWAY HIS 

DAUGHTER BY FORCE FROM THE DUKE & DR. 

JOEL; ALSO, IS STRENGTHENED IN HIS UNBE, 

LIEFBYDR.CRAMER.ITEM:HOWMYGRACIOUS ittolight^But 

PRINCE ARRIVES AT MARIENFLIESS, & THERE y et > m a most m, 

VEHEMENTLY MENACES SIDONIA. comprehensible 

^HEN Dr. Joel had ended his discourse, ^eXveAhose 
IV the fair young virgin s eyes overflowed „„_„ ^rc-^^c- ;„ 



.'. Almost with 
the last words of 
this sketch, the 
second part of 

Kosmos, by 
Alexander von 
H umboldt came 
tomyhand.Evi" 
dently the great 
author (who so 
well deserves im^ 
mortality for his 
contributions to 

science) views 
the world also as 
awhole;&wher^ 
ever in ancient or 
modern times, 
even a glimpse of 
this doctrine can 

be found, he 
quotesit&brings 




very systems in 
which, above all 
others, this idea 

finds ample 
room; namely the 



young virgin s eyes 
with tears; and clasping her hands, she 
sprangup,andseizingmymagisterbythe 
hand, exclaimed, " Oh ! sir, let us see the 
blessed angels! Let me talk with them." 
jgFBut her father, who was dry andbrief new pl a tonism 
in speech, tore her away, saying sourly, f t j ae anc ; ents 

l \ ^ a wfi? ne ' C , hiId \ r U mu !\ T } ot dare to (the Theurgic 
doit!"Thentheyallpfayedmm tocon, Philosophy) and 

the later Cabalistic, Alchymical, Mystic Philosophy (White Magic), from which 
system the deductions of Magister Joel are borrowed; but above all, we must name 
Plotinus, as the father of the new Plato nists, to whom nature is throughout but one 
vast unity, one divine totality, one power united with one life. In later times, we find 
that Albertus Magnus, Cornelius Agrippa, and Theophrastus Paracelsus, held the 
same view.The latter uses the above word ''attraction" in the sense of sympathy. And 
the systems of these philosophers, which are in many places full of profound truths, 
are based upon this idea. 



sent, the Duke, and the magister, and Diliana herself; and the 

magister said, that in a few days the sun would be in Libra, which 

would be the fitting and best time;if they delayed, then a wholeyear 

must pass over without obtaining any help, for he had already de^ 

monstratedthat each spirit had its particular time of influence. And 

so my magister went on. But all was in vain. So Diliana stroked 

her father's beard with her little hands, and said : " Think, dear papa, 

on grand-mamma, her poor ghost; and that I can avenge her if I 

keep my virgin honour pure in thought, word, and deed! Is it not 

strange that my gracious Prince should just now come and demand 

the proof of my purity ? Let me pass the trial, and then I can avenge 

the poor ghost, and calm the fears of his Highness all at once; for 

assuredly he has cause to fear Sidonia." So the Duke, and Magister 

Joel inquired eagerly what she meant by the ghost; and when they 

heard, they rejoiced, and said the finger of God was in it. " Would 

the Knight still strive against God 1"J&" No"; he answered, "but 

against the devil; for Luther says, 'such ghost^work must be of the 

devil, since the departed soul must either be in heaven or in hell; if 

in heaven, it would have rest,' therefore he feared the ghost of his 

poor mother had nothing good about it, and he would take care and 

keep his child from the claws of the devil" jgSFThus the argument 

and strife went on, till Jobst at last cried out sharply: "Diliana, 

dost thou esteem the fifth commandment? If so, come with me." 

Whereupon the pious virgin threw herself upon his neck, exclaim^ 

"Fath er, I come!" 

1UT my magister took her by the hand to draw her 
1 from her father, whereat Jobst seized the hunting/ 
knife that he had stuck in his jack^boots,&brandish^ 
I ing it, cried out: a Hands off, fellow, or I'll paint a 
red sign upon thee ! My Lord Duke, in the name of 
I thethreedevils,seekoutanothervirgin,butmy virgin 
your Highness shall never have." Then seizinghis little daughter by 
thewaist,herushedoutoftheroomwithher,growlinglikeabearwith 
his cub, & down the stairs, and through the streets, never stopping or 
stayingtill he reached the inn, nor even once looking behind him or 
heeding his Grace, who screamed out after him : " Good Jobst, only 
one word; only one word, dear Jobst \"J& And when my Jobst 
reached the inn, he roared for the coachman, bid him follow him 
with all speed to the road, paid down his reckoning to mine host, 
and was off, and already out of the town, just as the Duke and Dr. 
Joel reached the inn, to try and get him back again. So they return 
388 




raging and swearing, while Jobst crouches down behind a thorn 
bush with his little daughter, till the coach comes up. And they have 
scarcely mounted it, when Dr. Cramer, of Old Stettin, drives up ; 
for he was on his way to induct a rector (I know not whom) into his 
parish, as the ecclesiastical superintendent lay sick in his bed. This 
meeting rejoiced the Knight's heart mightily; & after he had peered 
out of the coach windows, to see if the Duke or the Doctor were on 
his track, and making sure that he was not pursued, he prayed Dr. 
Cramer to bide a while, & discourse him on a matterthat lay heavy 
on his conscience. The Doctor having consented, they all alighted, 
and seated themselves in a hollow, where the coachman could not 
overhear their discourse. Then Jobst related all that had happened, 
and asked had he acted rightly lj&" In all things you have done 
well, brave Knight," answered my excellent godfather," for though, 
doubtless, spirits can and do appear, yet is there always great danger 
to body and soul in practisingthese conjurations; and no one can say 
with security whether such apparition be angel or devil; because St. 
Paul says (2 Cor. xi. 14), that 'Satan often changes himself into an 
angel of light;' and respecting the ghost of your mother, in my 
opinion, it was a devil, sent to tempt your dear little daughter; for it 
is written, (Wisdom xxxi.) 'The just are in the hand of God, and 
no evil troubles them'" L j^Heisgoingonwithhisquotations,when 
Diliana calls out: "Godfather, here is a coach coming as fast as it 
can drive ; and surely two men are therein !" 

^f*/fl|DIE U ! adieu ! " cried the Knight, springing up, and 
dragging his daughter into the coach as quick as he 
could. Then he bid the coachman drive for life and 
death; and when they reached the wood, to take the 
first shortest cut to the leftjSg?Meanwhile,the Duke 
and Dr.Joelcomeupwithmy worthy godfather, stop 
him, and ask what the Knight, Jobst Bork, was saying to him ; for 
they had seen them both together, sitting in the hollow, along with 
Diliana^On this, the dry sheep's cough got into my worthy god-' 
father's throat from pure fright, for a lie had never passed his lips in 
all his life ; ther efore he told the whole story truly and honestly. 

~~*1E AN WHILE* the other coach drove on rapidly 
through the wood; and the coachman did as he was 
desired, and tookthe first path to the left, where they 
1 soon came on a fine, thick hazel grove. Here Jobst 
stopped to listen, and truly they could hear the other 
coach distinctly crushing the fallen leaves, and the 
c c 3 389 





voice of the Duke screaming : " Jobst, dost thou hear ! Jobst, may the 

devil take thee, wilt thou stop ! "jSfr" Ay, my Lord Duke," thought 

Jobst to himself, " I will stop as you wish, but I trust the devil will 

neither take me nor my daughter." Then he lifted the fair Diliana 

himself out of the coach, and laid her on the green grass, under the 

thick nut trees, saying, "Where shall we fly to, my daughter? What 

thinkestthou?" 

Ilia : " Why, to thy good castle of Saatzig, my father." 

Ille : ** Marry, I'll take good care I won't, to fly from one danger to a/ 

nother; forwillhenot huntusthere,ay,till his spurs are red,& shout' 

ing all the way after me till his lungs burst like an old wind<bag?" 

Ilk : "Whither, then, my father?" 

Ille : " To Stramehl, methinks, to my cousin Bastien, where we shall 

remain until the time is passed in which he can question the spirits ; 

for, if I remember rightly, the sun will enter Libra in a few days." 

Ilia : ** But, dearfather, is it not cruel thus to tormentthe good Prince ? 

Oh ! it must be so beautiful to talk to an angel !" 

Ille : " Donotangerme,myheart'sdaughter,donotangerme. Better 

be George Putkammer's good, loving wife ; turn thy thoughts that 

way, my daughter, & in a year there will be something better worth 

looking at in the cradle than a spirit." 

Ilia blushes and plucks the nuts over her head. 

Ille : '* Whatsayestthou ? Art thou for ever to put off these marriage 

thoughts?" 

Ilia : " Ah ! my heart's dearfather, what would my poor grandmother 

say in eternity ? It is impossible that, without God s will, the Duke & 

the poor ghost should have come upon the same thoughts about me." 

Ille : '* Anger me not, child ; thou art a silly,superstitious thing; with' 

out God's will, it may well be, but not without the devil's will. Thou 

hastheard what Luther says of ghosts, & we must believehim. Eh?" 

Ilia: "But my Lord Duke and Dr. Joel say quite differently. Ah, 

father, let me see the blessed angels ! Dr. Joel surely has seen them 

often, and yet no danger befel him." 

Ille : " Angermenot, daughter, I say, for the third time. It is written : 

' Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God ;' and is not this tempting 

him, setting heaven and hell in an uproar all about a wicked old hag 

of a witch? WTierefore is the Duke such a goose? But I will give him 

no child of mineto run a race with to hell. Now rise, child, and follow 

me to the coach!" 

Ilia: "But you must make me one promise" (weeping). 

Ille: "Whatthen?" 
39o 




Ilia : " Speak no more of marriage to me till I say : ' Father, now let 
the marriage be/" 
- Ille: "With the young Knight, George?" 
Ilia: " I have no objection to offer to him; but the young man is not 
to come before my eyes until then." 

Ille: "Ah, thou art as obstinate as the Rugen geese! Well, have it 
thy own way, child. And now to StramehlT" 

1TILL the Duke was hunting after them, through 

1 thick and thin, and roaring for the Knight at the top 

j of his voice, till thewood re-echoed; and though some 

squires, who came up through the forest, declared that 

no carriage had passed their way, yet he continued his 

| chase,feelingcertainthatno matterwhat by-path the 

knave had taken, yet he would assuredly come up with him at Saat* 
zigjfiFSo the next day he reached the castle, for it lay but ten miles 
from Camyn, but no Knight was there. The Duke waited for two 
days, still no sign of him, so he amused the time by fishing, and 
making inquiries amongst all the neighbouring people about Su 
donia, and so strange were the tales repeated by the simple, supers 
stitious folk, that his Highness resolved to make a detour home by 
Marienfliess, just to get a passing glimpse of this devil's residence. 
Here he met a shepherd, who told many strange things, and swore 
that he had seen her many times flying out of the chimney on her 
broomstick, and, as the convent lay right before them, his Grace 
asked which was Sidonia's chimney, and the carl pointed out the 
chimney with his hand: it was the fourth from the church there, 
where the smoke was rising. Whereupon, my Lord Duke shud^ 
dered, and went his way as quick as he could up the Vossberg. 

Eknewnotthatuponthatverydayhisbrother,Duke 
Philip,had arrived at Marienfliess from Old Stettin, 
on his way to the Diet at New Stettin. The herald 
had been despatched by his Highness, some days 
before, to inform Sheriff Eggert Sparling of his ap^ 
proach,and thathis Highness and suite would arrive 
about noon. H e was also told to say the same to the nuns, particularly 
to Sidonia Bork J& So at mid'day my sheriff set off to the cloister, 
with the steward and the secretaries, and waited there in the nuns' 
court/yard for the arrival of the Duke, and a boy was placed in the 
mill to wave his cap the moment his Highness came in sight. Yet 
my Eggert was suffering terrible anguish all the time in his mind, 
for he thought, that the Duke might bid him seize the devil's witch, 
c c 4 391 






IOON the cry rose that the Duke was coming, his six 
1 coacheshadjustcome in sight. Then the convent gate 
opened, and my hag appeared at theheadof the entire 
sisterhood, all in their black robes and white veils; she 
Jthesame,exceptthatshe wore theabbess veil, whereon 
two golden keys were embroidered. Item: Thewhite 
cat's'skin cape, which I have noticed before, was displayed upon her 
shoulders. Thus she came forth from the convent gate with all the 
sisters, two and two, and she threw up her eyes, and raised the hymn 
of St. Ambrose, just as the Duke and his six coaches drove into the 
courtyard, & the whole convent joining, they advanced thus singing 
to meet his Hi ghness. 

|OW, his Highness was a meek man and seldom 
angry, but his brow grew black with wrath, when 
Sidonia, stepping up to the coach, bowed low, 
and in her cat's tippet, herself a cat in cunning and 
deceit, threw up her eyes hypocritically to heaven J& 
"How now," cried his Grace; "who the devil hath 
suffered you, Sidonia, to play the abbess over these virgins ?"j§F 
To which my hag replied : " Gracious Prince, ask these virgins here 
if they have not selected me as their abbess of their own freewill, 
and they are now come to entreat your Highness to confirm the 
choice of their hearts." J&" Marry," quoth the Duke, "I have heard 
enough of your doings from the neighbouring nobles and others. I 
know well how you made the poor abbess Magdalena bite the dust. 
Item: How youforced thesepoorvirginstoelectvouabbessthrough 
mortal & deadly fear. Speak, dear sisters; fear nothing, I, your Prince, 
command you : have ye not elected this piece of sin and vanity to be 
your abbess simply through fear of your lives ?"jg?But the virgins 
looked down upon the ground, were silent and trembled, while my 
sheriff plunged his hand into his wide boots for the kerchief to wipe 
his face, for he saw well how it would end, and the sweat of anguish 
was dripping from his brow. A second time his Grace asked: "Was 
it from fear?" When, at last, one answered, named Agnes Kleist, 
notthestoutDennies' sister, but another :" In truth, gracious Prince, 
it was from pure bodily fear alone, that we elected Sidonia as our 
abbess"^ Her courage pleased the Duke so much that he inquired 
her name, and hearing it, said: "Aye, I thought you must be a 
Kleist; and now, for your truth and courage, I make you abbess of 
Marienfliess. Item: Dorothea Stettin, sub'prioress.Andmarkme, 
Sidonia Bork, it is for the last time: if you attempt to dispute my 
39 2 



will, or make the least disturbance in the convent in consequence of 
my decision, you shall be sent over the frontier. I have tried kind' 
ness long enough by you : now for justice ! Sparling, I command 
you by your duty to me as your Prince, if this evil and notorious hag 
should make the least disturbance or strife in the convent, seize 
her that instant, either yourself or by means of your bailiffs, and 
chase her over the frontiers. Item : You are not to permit her to leave 
the convent, to alarm or intimidate the neighbouring nobles, as she 
hath hitherto done. Therefore, I command the new abbess to re^ 
place the heavy padlock on the gate from this day forth. Do you 
hearthis, Sidonia ? Thesepoor maidens shall have peace at last. Too 
long they have been your sport and mockery, but it shall end"j2? 
So the new abbess answered: "Your Highness shall be obeyed" 
j^But my sherifFcould not utter a word from horror, and seemed 
stifling with a thick, husky cough in his throat. But when Sidonia 
crept up close to him, and menaced him privately with her dry, 
clenched hand, he forgot himself entirely, and made a spring that 
brought him clean over the churchward wall, while his sword clat' 
tered after him, and his plumed beaver dropt from his head to the 
ground. All the lacqueys laughed loud at the sight, even his Grace 
laughed. But my sheriff makes the best of it, and calls out: "Ah, 
see, my Lord Duke, howthe little boys have stolen the flowers that 
I myself planted on the grave of the blessed abbess. I'll make them 
pay for it, the thieving brats !"j{2?Hereat his Grace asked why the 
aboess wasnot buried within thechurch, but in the grave^yard.And 
they answered, she had so commanded. Whereupon he said mildly : 
"Thegood mother is worthy of a prayer ; I shall go and say a patera 
nosterupon her grave, and see if the youngsters have left me a flower 
to carry away for memory." 

O he alighted, made Eggert show him the grave, re^ 
moved his hat, and prayed, while all his suite in the 
six coaches uncovered their heads likewise. Lastly, 
he made the sign of the cross, and bent over the grave 
to pluck a flower. But just then a warm, heavy wind 
blew across the graves, and all the flowers drooped, 
faded, and turned yellow as it passed J& Yea., even a yellow stripe 
seemed to mark its passage straight across all the graves over the 
court, up to the spot where the thrice/accursed witch stood upon the 
convent wall, and people afterwards remarked, that all plants, grass, 
flowers, and shrubs within that stripe turned pale and faded; only 
some poison plants, as hemlock, nightshade, and the like, stood 

393 





up green and stiff along that livid line. When the Duke observed 
this, he shook his head, but made no remark, stepped hastily, how 
ever, into his carriage, after again earnestly admonishing Sidonia. 
Item, the sheriff to remember his commands. He ordered the pro* 
cession to start, and proceeded on his way to the Diet. 

may be easily believed that no one ventured to put 
the commands of his Grace into execution; there/- 
fore, Sidonia remained abbess as heretofore. Agnes 
Kleist, indeed, that same day, had the great padlock 
put upon the gate; but my hag no sooner sees itthan 

_ she calls forthe convent servant, saying she must go 

forth to drive, then takes her hatchet, and with it news away at the 
padlock, until it falls to the ground. Whereupon, laughing scorns 
fully, she went her way out into the road; andthe new abbess could 
not remonstrate, for on Sidonia's return home (I forgot to say that 
latterly shehadgonemuchaboutamongst theneighbouringnobles, 
even as his Highness observed, frightening them to death with her 
visits) she shut herself upagain; and Anna Apenborg soon brings 
the news from Wolde: "The Lady is praying;" and Anna, having 
privately slid under the window, found that it was even so. 

|0 the whole convent shuddered; but no one dared to 
say a word, though each sister judged for herself 
what the praying betokened, without venturing to 
speak her surmise. But this time she did not pray 
for three days and three nights, only once in the week, 
J when her bath/day came ;by which, people suspected 
that his Highness was destined to a slower death than the other 
victims of her demoniac malice. 

CHAPTER XVIL OF THE FEARFUL DEATH OF 
HIS HIGHNESS, DUKE PHILIP II. OF POMERA« 
NIA, AND OF HIS MELANCHOLY BUT SUMPTU, 
OUS BURIAL. 

FTER the before/mentioned festival of 
the jubilee, ithappenedthatoneday Anna 
Apenborg went to the brewhouse, which 
lay inside the convent walls (it was one of 
Sidonia's praying days) , and there she saw 
a strange apparition of a three-legged hare. 
She runs and calls the other sisters ; where.* 
upon they all scamper out of their cells, and 
down the steps, to see the miracle, and bes 
hold there sits the three/legged hare; but 
394 





when Agnes Klefst took off her slipper, and threw it at the devil's 
sprite, my hare is off, and never a trace of him could be found again 
in the whole brewhouse or in the whole convent court. Hereat the 
nuns shuddered, and each virgin has her opinion on the matter, but 
speaks itnot; for just then,too,comes Sidonia forth, with old Wolde 
and the cat, & the three begin their devil's dance, while the cat squalls 
and wails, and the old witclvhag screams her usual hell psalm : 
"Also kleien und also kratzen, 
Meine Hunde and meine Katzen." 

Next day, however, the poor virgins heard to their deep sorrow 
what the three-legged hare betokened, even as they had suspected ; 
for the cry came to the convent that his Grace,good Duke Philip,was 
dead, and the tidings ran like a signal/fire through the people, that 
this kind, wise, just Prince, had been bewitched to death. (Ah ! 
where in Pomerania land, yea, in all German fatherland, was such 
a wise, pious, and learned Prince to be found? No other fault had 
he but one, and that was not having, long before, burned this devil's 
witch, this accu rsed sorceress, with fire and faggot.) 

ND now I must tell how his Grace had scarcely left 
Marienfliess and reached Saatzig (they were but a 
mile from each other) when he felt suddenly weak. 
Hewonderedmuch to find thathis dear Lordbrother, 
Duke Francis, had only left the castle two hours be» 
fore. Item, that Jobst Bork had not arrived there, & 
no man knew whither the Knight had flown. Here the Duke grew 
so much worse, that his ministers earnestly entreated him to post/ 
pone the diet at N ew Stettin, & return home ; for how could it please 
the knights and burgesses to see their beloved Prince in this sad ex/ 
tremity of suffering lj& Hereupon his Highness replied, with the 
beautiful Latin words: "officio mihi officio." (And after his death, 
these words were stamped on the buriakmedals. Item, a rose, half' 
eaten by a worm, with the inscription, " Ut rosa rodimur omnes ; " 
wherebymanythink allusion is made to the livid breath that passed 
over the flowers at Marienfliess, but I leave these things undecided.) 
Summa: His Highness proceeded to New Stettin, and decided all 
theboundary disputes amongst the nobles, &c; returned then to his 
court at Old Stettin, to hold the evangelical jubilee; but, by that 
time, all the doctors from far and near could do noughttohelp him; 
and though he lingered some months, yet, from the first, he knew 
that death was on him; for nothing could appease the tortures he 
suffered in his breast, even as all the others whom Sidonia had mur^ 

395 





dered,and finally, on the 3rd day of February, t6i8,atten of the clock, 
he expired, his age being forty -"four years, six months, and six days. 
And the corpse presented the same signature of Satan, though his 
Grace's sickness had differed in some particulars from that of Si" 
donia's other victims. To this appearance of the princely corpse I 
myself can testify, for I beheld it, along with many others, when it' 
lay in state in the great hall. On the 19th of March following, the 
princely ceremony of interment took place. Let me see if my tears 
will permit me to describe it : 

jFTER the deputies from the three honourable es/- 
tates had assembled, the Stettin, the Wolgastian, 

I and the ecclesiastical, in the castle^church, with the 
princes of the blood, the nobles, knights, and mag,» 
nates of theland, three cannons were fired; &atnine 

I of the clock in the evening, the princely corpse was 
carried first into the count's chamber, then to the knight's chamber, 
from thence to the grand state^hall, by torchlight, by twentyfour 
nobles, and from that to the castle square, which was entirely covered 
with black cloth. Here it was laid down, and sixty students from the 
university of Grypswald, and forty boys from the town^school, sang 
the burial psalms from their books; while at intervals, the priests 
chanted the appointed portions ofthe liturgy; after which all thebells 
of the town began to toll, and the swan song was raised, " Now in 
joy I pass from earth." Whereupon the nobles lifted up the bier 
again, and the procession moved forwards. And could my gracious 
Prince have looked out through the little window above his head, 
hewould have seennot onlytheblessed cross, but also his deartown, 
from street to tower, covered with weeping human faces; for the pro' 
cession passed on through the main street, across the coakmarket, 
through castle^street, into the crane^court, all which streets were lined 
with the princely soldateska, who also, each man, carried a torch in 
his hand, besides the group of regular torclvbearers in the procession, 
& windows,roofs,towers,presented onelivingmass of human heads, 
all along the way. And the order was thus : 1. Thesong^master, cum 
choro ; item,the Rector,psedagogis,with his collegis ; 2. The honour^ 
able ministerium from all the three states ; 3. The Duke's trumpeters 
and drummers, with instruments reversed, and drums covered with 
crape ; 4. The rector magnificus, & the four deacons ofthe university 
of Grypswald, among whom came Dr. Joel; 5. The land^marshal 
with his black marshal's staff, alone; then thepages,threeand three, 
in mourning cloaks, and faces coveredwith black taffety up to their 
396 



noses; 6. The court/marshal, and the marshals of the three states; 

item, the ambassadors, & other high officials of foreign princes, &c; 

7*Twelve knights, in full armour, upon twelve horses; each knight 

bearinghis standard, & each horse covered entirely with black cloth, 

and having the arms of his rider embroidered ontheforehead.'piece, 

and on the two sides was led by a noble on foot.The supreme court/" 

marshal followed these, his drawn sword covered with crape, in his 

hand, the point to the ground. Next the chancellor, with the seals 

covered with crape, & laid upon a black velvet cushion. The princely 

corpse, borne by twenty four nobles, on a bier covered with black 

velvet, andbeneathabluislvvelvet canopy embroidered on all sides 

with the arms of his Grace's illustrious ancestors, with all their hel' 

mets, shields, devices, and quarterings, gorgeously represented in .♦, Note of Duke 

gold and silver. Item, on each side, twelve nobles, with lighted wax Bogislaff XIV. 

torches,fromwhichstreamersofblackcrapefloated,&twelvehalber^ The three acconv 

diers, with halberds reversed,j^The last poor faded trefoil of our panied him to the 

dear fatherland, namely, the serene and illustrious Princes, Dukes, grave ; but who 

and Lords, Francis, Ulrich, and Bogislaff, the princely brothers of will walkmourn« 

Pomerania, all in long velvet mantles, and their faces covered with erbesidemybier? 

black crape up to the eyes. His Princely Highness, Duke Philip Ah ! thatlongere 

Julius of Wblgast, the last of his name, and, like his cousin, wearing this I had lain 

crape over his face to the eyes^The honourable chapter of Camyn. calmly in my cof* 

The councillors, medici,& other officers. The chamberlain, knights, fin, and looked 

and pages of the princely widow's household. The Princely widow up from the little 

herself, with all her ladies, in long black silk mantles, their faces window to my 

covered with black taffety up to the eyes, and accompanied by their Lord, and rested 

Graces, the Elector of Brandenburg and the Duke of Mechlenburg in the God of my 

J&The princely widow, Hedwig, the bereaved spouse of Ernest salvation! Amen. 

Ludovic of blessed memory, who was doomed to follow her whole 

illustrious race to the grave, conducted by Duke William of Comv 

land, and Henry of Mangerson, ambassador from Brunswick. The 

Countess von Eberstein, and Baroness von Putbus, with the ladies 

in waiting to her Princely Highness. The noble ladies and maids of 

honour, amongst whom came Diliana Bork. Burgomasters, sheriffs, 

& council of the good town of Old Stettin. Trumpeters and drum' 

mers, as before, & another song master, cum choro, as at the begins 

ning; and so closed the procession jg? And how can I ever forget the 

lamentations that broke forth from all the people, as the princely bier 

approached; men, women, children, all sobbed & wept, as if indeed 

their own father laythere, and turned theirtorches down to viewthe 

blessedbodybetter,fromthewindowsandthetowers (formostly all 

397 



the people carried torches). Then arose such a lamentation and cry- 
as if no comfort more was left for them upon earth, only in heaven 
must they look for it; and as I stood in the coal'market, leaning my 
shoulder against a post, and heard this great cry of a whole people, 
& saw the flashing torches all bent upon this one point in the dark 
midnight, behold, the bright gold crucifix on the coffin glittered as 
if in the clear lightof thesun, & the blaze ofthe torches was reflected 
from the black concave of heaven, so that a glory seemed to rest a.' 
round and above the bier, and all shone and glittered in that radiant 
circle, so that it was a pleasure and a wonder to gaze upon. 

Thus through sin and sorrow loometh, 

Light of light from God that cometh, 

Shining o'er life's saddest night. 

For His glory ever stayeth, 

On the soul that weeps and prayeth ; 

May the words that J esu sayeth 

Guide us onward towards that light ! Amen ! 

The procession now returned again to the castle square, and from 
thence to the chapel. 

JO w when the coffin was laid down before the altar, 
&all the twelve knights with their standard gather^ 
ed round it, my esteemed godfather, Dr. Cramer, ad/ 
J vanced up the nave to the altar, chanting the Kyrie 
Eleison, and all the twelve knights lowered their 
! standards upon the coffin, andbeattheir breasts, cry^ 
ing out, "Kyrie Eleison!' which cry was caught up by the whole 
congregation, and they likewise, nobles, priests, people, prince, pea^ 
sant, men, women, children, all smote their breasts and cried out, 
"Kyrie Eleison!" so that my blessed godfather, his voice failed 
t h rou gh weepi ng, and three times in vain he tried to speak. 

"~J FT ER the sermon, the coffin was lifted up & lowered 
into the vault, and the signet^ring of his Highness 
broken by the Land^Marshal, and flung upon the 
coffin. Butthetwelve standards were set down by the 
altar, and the Marshal presented his staff" to Bishop 
Francis, now the serene & illustrious reigning Duke 
of Pomerania; and the Supreme Court/Marshal delivered up the 
sword, and the Chancellor the seals to his Serene Highness, and so 
this mournful ceremony terminated. 





398 



CHAPTERXVIILHOWJOBSTBORK&HISLITTLE 

DAUGHTER ARE FORCED AT LAST INTO THE 

"OPUS MAGICUM." ITEM: HOW HIS HIGHNESS, 

DUKE FRANCIS, APPOINTS CHRISTIAN 

LUDECKEHISATTORNEY,GENERAL,TOBE 

WITCH.COMMISS IONER OF POMERANIA. 

■£5OT333E3Sg7?^OW my Jobst, guessing well what was in 

^^^^^^^^^0^[' store for him if he remained at the ducal 

^S — '/ftrfiSS^ v3y J court ' or ^ ere( ^ h * s horses t° be ready har^ 

^\ /flL^KSI) VU messed by four of the clock, on the morning 

fi ll^^r^xJI )fi after the funeral, that he might get clear off 

Lr I^V V*ni M\ w ^ ^ s daughter before my Lord Duke 

y Y^lX //^J| y^^jknewanythingofthematter.ButhisHigh' 

C M ^V ^H/T^i ness knew better than that, for just as the 

W ^^T^ !^fw#JJ Knight & his daughter were stepping into 

jfr ^Mw^?3 3JZk>3'2\ thr coach, four of the Duke's equerries 

sprang forth and seized the horses' heads, while four pages rushed 

down the castle steps, and informed the Knight that he must ac^ 

company them with his daughter back to the castle, and up to the 

private apartment of his Grace, for that the Duke had a word to say 

to him before his departure. What could my Jobst do? He must 

take his Diliana out of thecoachagain,andfollowthepagesthrough 

the castle up to the Duke's quarters, which were filled with all beauti' 

ful things, statues and paintings, &c. from Italy ; & his private room 

was decorated with the finest pieces of sculpture. So here they find 

his Grace and Dr. Joel seated at a table, with the winccan before 

them, for they had sat up all night discoursing,^ And when my 

Jobst enters with his sour face, holding his daughter by the hand, 

the Duke calls out: "Marry, brave vassal, why so sour ? I might well 

Iooksour,sinceyou & your little daughter lately chose to play blind' 

man's/buffwith your lawful Prince, making a mock of him. But I 

pardon you, and hope you have come to your senses since. Come, 

sit down; drink my health in the wine cup. I trow this wine will 

please your palate "J& But Jobst excused himself: "He never drank 

so early." whereupon the Duke continued: "Well, as you please; 

but, good Jobst, you must be harder than a stone, if you refuse now 

to assistmeinbindingthis accursed witch of Marienfliess, when you 

see this last evil which she has done, and how all the weeping land 

mourns for its Prince. Will you and your little daughter, this virgin, 

not deliver me and my ancient race from so greatand terrible a foe ? 

What say ye, brave Jobst? Come, sit down beside your afflicted 

399 




Prince, you and your little daughter, and tell me whathelpand com/ 
fort ye mean to bring me in my sore grief and sorrow. Speak,Jobst; 
ah ! say, was ever Prince like unto this Prince, & yet childless, child/ 
less, as we are all! Have pity on my noble, ancient race, or, even as 
he lamented on his death/bed, ' Pomerania will pass in alittle while 
into stranger hands ! ' " 

]OW my Jobst, who had sat down with his daughter 
I on a couch near the table, got the dry sheep's/cough 
in his throat again, and, in his embarassment, snuffed 
out the candle;but,makingagreatefrbrt,at last said : 
" His Grace must be resigned, who could withstand 
! the will of God? Yet he must say, in all honesty, that 
le had talked to many persons about the matter, and some said it 
was folly and nonsense, and there could be no reason in it. Others, 
amongst whom was Dr. Cramer, said, if not folly, yet it was a dan/ 
gerous business to body and soul, and ought not to be attempted" 
,j^But my Jobst grows disturbed, and at last says, ""Well, then, I 
must speak out the truth. My child is not the pure virgin whom ye 
seek. I mean in her thoughts, for she has already been betrothed to 
a bridegroom" 

T this the Duke clapped his hand to his forehead and 
sighed: "Then my last hope has perished?" Item: 
the magister was quite thunderstruck. But Diliana, 
who blushed to her finger/ends while her father spoke, 
started from the couch, seized the hand of my gracious 
Lord, and exclaimed: " Be calm, my Lord Duke, my 
father hath said this but to free me, as he thinks, from this dungeon 
business. But even against him I must defend my honour, for in 
truth my soul has been ever pure from all vain or sinful lusts, even 
as it is written (Tobias iii.). And though my father has proposed a 
bridegroom to me, yet up to this day I have constantly rejected him, 
partly for the sake of my poor grandmother, whose ghostadmonished 
me, and partly that I might serve your gracious Highness as a pure 
honourable virgin." 

HIS hearing so rejoiced the Duke, that he kissed her 
hand; but the fair young virgin, when she saw her 
father rise up and walk hither and thither in great 
agitation, began to weep,and ran to throwherself on 
his neck, sobbing forth: "Comfort yourself, dear 

___ M father, it could notbe otherwise, for when you uttered 

such hard words of your daughter, what could I do but defend my 
400 





honour, even against my own earthly father? Ah, dear father, ft 
was the cruellest word your little daughter ever heard from you in 
her life, but one little kiss, and all will be right again ! "j^Thepoor 
Knight now fairly sobs like a child, & at last stammers out: "Well, 
then, you must let me be present; if the devil takes my child, let him 
take me too along with him. I would rather be with my little daugh- 
ter in hell, than without her in heaven" Jff "Good Knight," an- 
swered Joel, "that may not be, only three can be present, the Duke, 
your daughter, and myself. I handle the intellectual vinculum or 
the conjuration. Diliana takes the elementary vinculum, as dove's 
blood, the blood of the field-mouse, virgin wax, and the censer, in 
her pure hands, and the Duke holds the astral vinculum, and ques- 
tions the spirit "j^Still my Jobst answers : " It may not be, unless 
I am present." And the strife continued this wise for a good space, 
until it was at last agreed upon that the Knight should keep watch 
before the door with his drawn sword during the conjuration, and 
that in autumn, when the sun entered Libra, they would begin the 
great work. 

%y^&J£PlO B ST now rose to take his leave,but his little daugh- 
1 ter, Diliana, stood awhile silent, then blushed, look- 
led upon the ground and spoke at last: "My Lord 
I Duke, will yourGracemakemyfatherpromise upon 
I his knightly word, never to bring the young noble, 
I George Putkammer, whom he has destined for my 
husband, into my presence from this day forth until after I have 

?uestioned the spirit ? For I have a liking for the young knight, and 
am but a poor weak thing, like our mother Eve and all other 
women ; who knows what thoughts might rise in my heart, if I be- 
held his face or listened to his entreaties ? and then the whole good 
work would come to nought, or perchance I might repent it my life 
long. I would, therefore, now rather go to Stramehl, where I can 
pray and become strong in spirit, so that perchance I shall find fa- 
vour in the sight of the angel of God, as Hagar,the handmaid of 
Abraham, in the desert" J& Then the beautiful child folded her 
hands, and looked up to heaven with such trust and innocence, that 
all were moved, and the knight pledged his word to the Duke ; after 
which he pressed his little lamb to his heart, and then both of them 
left the chamber of his Highness. 



ddx 401 





.'.An equally 
notorious 
witch'finder 
wasoneHop' 
kins of Eng' 
land. See 
Sir Walter 
Scott's " Let- 
ters uponDe- 
monology& 
Witchcraft." 



OWthe Duke was at last joyful, for he had hope in 
the great work, and fell upon his knees with the 
magister to pray God for mercy upon himself, his 
race, and the young virgin. Item : Promised by his 
honourtoseekoutandburnall the witches in theland, 
_ that so the kingdom of God might be built up, and 
the kingdom of the prince of this world sink to ruin and utter des- 
truction. And on the following morning, he sent for Christian Lu- 
decke (brother to the priest who had been bewitched to death), ap- 
pointed him special witclvcommissioner of the kingdom, and Dade 
him search throughout the length and breadth of the land, and 
wherever he foundone of these evil and accursed sorceresses, to burn 
her for the honour and glory of God..'. J£t "Let him show no 
mercy towards this hell-brood of Satan, for the devil lately had be 
come so powerful everywhere, but especially in dear Pomeranian 
land, that, if not prevented, he wouldsoon pervert the wholepeople, 
andturn them away from the pure and blessed evangelical doctrine. 
Still, he must have them all tried fairly before the sheriff's court 
ere he tortured or burned. His brother of blessed memory had too 
long delayed the burning, therefore he must now be the more dili- 
gent; and, by next autumn, he trusted, with the help of God, to be 
able to burn Sidonia herself",J^ Hereupon, my Ludecke wondered 
much that his Grace should be so confident about burning Sidonia, 
but answeredbravely: "All should be done as his Highness wished; 
for since the cruel death of his poor brother, the priest, his motto was : 
'Torture! Burn! Kill!' But would to God that his Highness could 
bind Sidonia's Familiar first, for he was a powerful spirit, everyone 
said;andcouldnotthis learned magister exorcise himPTherumour 
went that he meant so to do." But his Grace rebuked such curiosity, 
and answered coldly: "He could not tell how the magister meant 
to proceed; but his (Ludecke's) duty lay clear before him; let him do 
it." 



ERE UPON, my Ludecke looked rather confused, 

and took his leave. And soon after the witch burnings 

began in such fearful wise through the land, that in 

many parishes six or seven poor women, young or 

jold, innocent or guilty, it was all the same, yea, even 

Jchildren of ten to twelve years, were yearly burned 

to powder; and by the wonderful providence of God, it happened 

that the burnings began first in Marienfliess, and truly with one of 

Sidonia's friends, the old pug-nosed hag of Uchtenhagen, whom I 

402 




have mentioned before, and that she visited Sidonia frequently; and 
this was the way of it: One day, Sidonia beat this same pug-nose 
most unmercifully with the broomstick, and chased her out into the 
convent square, still striking at her; which sight, however, the nuns 
little heeded, for this spectaculum was now so common that they 
only thanked their stars it was not their turn, and passed on. But 
Anna Apenborg met her by the well, and as the horrible old pug- 
nose was screeching and roaring at the top of her voice, and cursing 
Sidonia, she asked: "What now? What ailed her? What had she 
and the lady Sidonia been quarrelling about?" And some others 
came up, principally the wenches from the kitchen, to hear what all 
the roaring was for. Whereupon pug-nose told her story: "The 
cursed ladywitch had bid her lately go to the holy sacrament, and 
when she received the blessed wafer, to take the same out of her 
mouth privately, and bring it to her at Marienfliess, wherewith to 
feed her Familiar, whom she kept in the form of a toad. At this 
blasphemy she (pug-nose) remained silent, for she feared the hag 
and her anger;but,ontheSunday,sheswallowedthebread,asother 
Christian people; whereupon Sidonia sends forher, pretending she 
had spinning to give her, but no sooner had she entered the room, 
than the terrible she-devil asked for the wafer; so she confessed she 
had swallowed it. Howcould she commit such ahorrible sacrilege? 
At this the accursed witch ran at her with the broomstick, and beat 
her all the way down into the court"j(2?This story soon spread over 
the convent, and the priest's wife told it to the fish-seller, who came 
up there that day, bidding him run to her brother-in-law, Christian 
Ludecke, with the news of the last sorcery going on in the convent 
j^Thiswas a finehearingto the witch-commissioner, who resolved 
instantly to seize pug-nose, and begin the burnings in the parish of 
Marienfliess, to frighten Sidonia, & keep her in check until autumn. 
So he took the executioner, with all the torture instruments, and a 
scriba along with him in the carriage, and set off for Uchtenhagen, 
where the old hag dwelt. 



d d 2 403 



.Ambrosius 




CHAPTER XIX. HOW CHRISTIAN LUDECKE 
BEGINS THE WITCH BURNINGS IN MARIENx 
FLIESS, AND LETS THE POOR DAIRY.MOTHER 
DIE HORRIBLY ON THE RACK. 

|OW it happened about this time in Marien/ 
1 fliess that the dairy/mother (I have tried to 
remember her name, but in vain, she was 
daughter to Trina Bergen I know, as is no*- 
J ticed libro secundo) sold a kid to the bailiff, 
Brose.-. Bucher, grandson of that Jabel 
Bucher, who was going to burn old Wolde 
j years before, which kid soon grew sick and 
died. Item, the bailiff's wife had quarrelled 
with the dairy ^mother (ah, if I could remem/ 
ber her name) about the price, the said wife assured her husband the 
bailiff, that the dairymother had bewitched the kid to death out of 
spite, because she would not give her as much as she asked for it. 
This he easily credited, and talked of it to the country people, and 
now the old hag must be an evil witch, her mother indeed he knew 
had been in bad repute likewise, for how but by witchcraft could 
the poor little kid have died off all of a sudden ? So all the malicious 
women's tongues were set going with their spinning wheels, and 
this poor worthy dairymother, whose piety, charity, and kindness 
I have noticed already, was in a few days the common talk of the 

BOUT this time, Beatus Schact, the convent chap^ 
lain, was summoned to baptize a shepherd's dying 
child, and he had just packed up his book, when he 
observed through the window a wagon, drawn by 
four horses, coming down the Stargard^street, with 
y the sound of singing from the persons within. Fore 
most on the wagon sit three officiaMooking personages, in scarlet 
mantles, & one of them bears a red banner, with a black cross there- 
on, in his hand. Behind them are three women bound, &the psalm 
which they chant is the deatlvpsalm, " Now pray we to the Holy 
Ghost." As the priest looks upon this strange sight, bis dato, never 
seen in Pomerania^land, the wagon halts close by the church wall, 
& one of the men with the red mantles sounds a trumpet, so that 
all the people run to see what was going forward, andthepriest runs 
likewise. Item; all the nuns gather thickatthe convent gate,&peep 
over others' shoulders ; for people think it must be pickle herring, or 
404 





somesuchstrollingmummerscometoexhibittothe folk during the 

evening. 

" "IE AN WHILE, a peasant observes that his own 
] sister, Ussel, wife to a peasant at Pegelow, was one 
J of the three poor wretches who sat there with bound 
jhands. Whereupon he springs to the wagon, & asks 
Jwith wonder,"Ussel, what brings thee here?" But,for 
janswer she only pours forth tears and lamentations. 
However, Commissioner Ludecke (for you may well guess it was he 
with his witclvwagon) would notletthem discourse further; but bid 
the peasant stand back, unless he wished the executioner to seize him 
and tear his hide for him ; then speaks : " Know, good people, that 
our serene and gracious Prince and Lord, the illustrious and emi/ 
nent Duke Francis George of Stettin, Pomerania, havingheard that 
the devil is loose in our dear fatherland, and carries on his demon 
work, especially amongst the women/folk, tempting them into all 
horrible sorceries, filthiness, and ungodly deeds, has appointed me, 
Christian Ludecke (brother of your late pastor), to be witch'com' 
missioner for the whole kingdom,that so I may purge the land by fire, 
bringingthesedevil'shagstotheirjustpunishment,forthegreatglory 
of God,& terror of all godless sorceresses, witches, and others in this 
or any other place. Ye are also to name me the honourable attorney • 
general, which also I am."j^Here the peasant cried out: " But his 
sister Ussel, who sat there bound upon the cart, was no witch, and 
every one knew that. His worship might take pity on her tears and 
let her free. Shehadahusband,andfourinnocentlittlechildren like-* 
wise; who would take care of them now?"" No, no," shouted Lu^ 
decke; "true sign that she is a witch since she howls ! Had she a good 
conscience, wherefore should she do it? He came to know whether 
there was a witch, perchance, also in Marienfliess." Herethe bailiff's 
wife nudged her husband in the side with her elbow, and whispers, 
"The dairy ^mother," but the carl would not utter a word. So she 
screamedout herself: "Aye, there is the dairy /mother of theparish, •*• This idea runs 
ahorrible old witch, as all the town knows." And herelhave justbc through all the 
thoughtme of the name of the dairymother. Itwas Benigna Ficht, witch trials: "Woe 
she was widow of old Ficht, the peasantjg?At this several voices to the woman 
cried out, "No, no;" but she screamed out: "Yea, yea! it was true; whose mother had 
and her mother before her had been an evil witch and had let witches been accused of 
sit in her cellar, so that she must be a witch herself." • [ . This pleased witchcraft, she sel/ 
the blood/thirsty attorneygeneral, and he asked, if the bailiff were dom got off with 
present. And when my Brose stepped forward with a profound bow, her lite." 
dd3 405 



Ludeckewenton:" Was this the caseaboutthe dairy/mother? Was 
she, in truth, an evil witch ? " Whereupon his malicious wife nudged 
him again with her elbows in the side, till he answered : " Aye, the 
people say so." Ludecke continued s " Werethere more witches in the 
place beside the dairymother ?" The fellow was silent and seemed 
disturbed, until being menaced by the commissioner with all tern/ 
poral and eternal punishment if he spoke not the truth, my Brose 
stepped up upon the wheel, and whispered in his ear, while he cast 
a frightened glance at the convent gate: "Ay, there is another, one 
of the convent sisters called Sidonia Bork, she is the very devil itself." 
But Ludecke seemed as though he could not believe him : " It was im/ 
possible;he had always heard that this lady was a model of all good' 
ness, piety, and wisdom, who had healed the sherifFhimself of some 
greatsickness;"buthesquintedallthe time over atthe convent gate, 
where the black robes were crowding, and then whispered the bailiff: 
"Is Sidonia amongst them, think you?" My carl squinted likewise 
atthe gate, then whispered back again in his ear, **. No, Sidonia is 
notthere,asfarasIcan see/'j^Meanwhile the pastor loci, a simple 
timid little man, as I have said, got up all his courage,& feeling it to be 
his duty to defend his parishioner, the poor dairymother, advanced 
to the wagon, saying: "Wbuldhis worship the lord attorney general 
permit him a few words? He was the priest of the parish, had mar/ 
ried the widow of his late brother, as no doubt his worship had heard 
by letters from his dear spouse. His dutycompelled him to take the 
part of this poor dairywoman, whose character evil tongues had 
blackened to his worship, for she was the most pious person in all 
theparish,and every evening brought her spinning alongwith other 
pious women to his house, to hear the blessed word of God, and be 
examined in the catechism; anyonewhoknewher pious, honest life 
could not believe this of hct"J& " So much the more likely she is a 
witch," cried Ludecke; "they are all hypocrites. Look at that pious 
and honest trio in the cart, how they cast down their eyes and look 
so innocent, and yet they were three of the vilest witches ; for what 
made them look down, if it were not their evil conscience?" 

SOW it happened, that just then old Wolde came 

1 limping by, with a new broom which she had bought 

in the town for Sidonia, no doubt to lay under the ta^ 

ble,as shewaswont; so Brose whispered:" Yea, yea, 

there was one hobbling by with the broom, and she 

I was the worst of all, Sidonia's servant, old Wolde." 

Whereupon the commissioner thought within himself, how could 

406 





he terrify Sidonia more than by seizing her maid, and sending her 
to the rack and the stake. So he bid the executioner lay hold on that 
lame hag with the broom, and fling her into the cart alongwith the 
others, This was soon done; for, though old Wblde made some re* 
sistance, and screeched and roared, yet she was thrown down upon 
the ground, bou nd, and flung into the nest in spite of all. 

~~ jNNAApenborg saw all this from the convent gate, 

| and, to make friends with Sidonia, she ran to the re^ 
fectory with the news of Ludecke's doings. Where/ 

I upon Sidonia, who knew the coward knave well, 
seized her broomstick and ran down the steps, beat' 

I ing the nuns right and left about the ears, who were 
gathered thick & black around the gate, so that they all flew scream*- 
ing away, and then presented herself, glowing with fury, & brandish/ 
ing her broomstick, to the eyes of the terrified Ludecke, whereat all 
the four hags cried out from the wagon s " Help us, O Lady Prioress ! 
Help us, O Lady Prioress!",^ And Sidonia screamed in answer, 
"I come, I come!" swung her broomstick and called out, "Wait, 
thou accursed quill-driver, wait ! " jfiFBut my Ludecke no sooner saw 
her rushing at him, with her thin, white hair flying about her face, 
than he jumped from the cart, & took to his heels so fast that notlv 
ing could be seen of him through the dust he raised, but the bright 
nails of his shoes, as he scampered away to the furze bushes. Item; 
followed the scriba, and lastly the executioner, to the great amuse/ 
ment of the common folk, who stood round the wagon, and now 
laughed and gibed at the authorities. Then the aforementioned pea-* 
sant jumped upon the cart, and cut the cords that bound his sister, 
Ussel,and the others. Whereat they likewise took to their heels and 
went hither and thither, to hide themselves in the wood, while old 
Wblde returned calmly with Sidonia to the convent, and two of the 
hags got clear off, & were fed by their kinsfolk, I take it, for months 
in thepitsand hollow trees where they had sheltered themselves, for 
never a trace could Ludecke get of them more, though he searched 
day and night in every village, and house, and nook, and corner. But 
Pug-nose, who was half blind with fright, in place of runningaway 
ran straight up into the very mouth of the executioner, who was 
crouching with the clerk his master behind a thorn/bush^ E h, how 
she roared when Master Hansen stretched out his arm and caught 
hold of her by the coat ! Then he bound her again, and so she was 
carried to the sheriff's house, for Ludecke had set up his quarters 
with Sheriff Sparling, and that same day he resolved to open the 
d d 4 407 



criminal commission nomine serenissima with Pug-nose. Summa : 
The hag confessed upon the rack, to Sidonia being a witch, and 
named several other women besides. So my Ludecke has to write 
off for another executioner and seven bailiffs, fearinghis own would 
have more work on their hands than they could do. And every day 
messengers were despatched to Stargard with bundles of indict' 
ments and writs. And in the sheriff 's'court, day after day, there was 
nothing but trying witches and condemning them, and torturings, 
and burnings. And though many saved themselves by flight, and 
others got off with only a sharp reprimand, yet in four weeks no less 
than fourwretched women were burned close by Sidonia's window, 
so that she might see them smoking to powderjj^FAnd Pug-nose 
was the first whom the blood-thirsty knave ordered to be burned (I 
say nothing against that, for it is all right and according to law), but 
the bloodhound went ratherbeyond the law sometimes, thinking to 
terrify Sidonia, for it was the custom to build a sort of little chamber 
at top of the pile within which the wretched victims were bound, so 
that they could be stifled by the smoke before the flames reached 
them. But he would allow of no little chamber, and had a stake 
erected on the summit of the pile, round which an iron chain was 
fastened, andto the end of this chain themiserable criminal: & truly 
many hearts were moved with pity when Pug/nose was fastened to 
the stake, and the pile was lit, seeing how she ran right and left to 
escape the flames, with the chain clattering after her, in her white 
death'shift, stitched with black, which Sidonia gave out she made 
for her out of pure Christian charity, screaming horribly all the while, 
till finally the fire blazed up over her, and she fell down a blackened 
heap. 

H REE weeks after,three more women were burned 
upon three separate piles, on the same day, and at the 
same hour, straight in view of Sidonia's window; 
and they likewise each one were bound to the chain, 
and their screams were heard plainly as far as Star^ 
gard. And for four miles round, the smell of roast 
human flesh was plainly perceptible, which, as every one knows, 
has quite a different odour from any other burned flesh. Yet the 
death of the poor dairy --mother was still more horrible if possible, 
and though it may well make my tears to flow again, yet I will relate 
it. But tears here, tears there, what will it help ? 



408 





JO to begm: My worthy fatheivin/'law, M. Beutzius, 

lformerly court/chaplain, but who had lately been 

made general'superintendent, by Duke Francis, for 

the reason before/mentioned, went about this time 

to attend the synod, at the little town of Jacobshagen ; 

land on his way home, in the morning about eleven 

o'clock (for he had slept at Stargard) while passing the court-house 

at Marienfliess, had his attention attracted by two young peasant 

girls, who were standing before a window wringing their hands and 

screaming as piteously as if the world itself were going to be de^ 

stroyed.He stopped his coach instantly, listened, & then distinctly 

heard groans proceeding from the little room; but the sound was 

so hollow and unnatural, that two pigs that were rooting up the earth 

near him, lifted up their snouts. As soonas they heard it, they started 

off in fright, then stopped and stood listening and trembling in the 

distance. So my worthy father^in/law called out, while his hair stood 

on end with terror, " Children, for the love of God, what is the 

matter?" But the poor girls, for their sobbing and weeping, could 

utter nothing but" Our mother ! our poor mother !" Upon which he 

sprang from the coach, advanced closer, & asked : " What is it, poor 

girls? what has happened?" jg?" Oh, sir!" answered one at last, 

our poor innocent mother has been lying two whole hours on the 

rack within there, and the savage knaveswon't leave their breakfast 

to come and release her !",^Sothe good man looked shudderingly 

through the window, and there beheld the unfortunate dairy^mother 

lying bound halfc-naked upon a plank, so that her white hair swept 

the ground. And her hands were bound round her neck, and under 

each arm lay a coalman, from which a blue flame ascended as if 

sulphur were burning therein, so that her arms were burned quite 

black already J&" My God I where is the executioner?" screamed 

my father'in'law, and when the girl sobbing, pointed to the tavern, 

the man ran off as quick as he was able the whole way to the place, 

where the executioner and his fellows sat by the beer^jug, laughing 

and making merry. And when he arrived, the old man's breath was 

well nigh gone, and he could scarcely tell of the horrors he had seen 

and heard; but when he had ended, the executioner answered, he 

could not help it." His worship, the attorneygeneral, was at break' 

fast likewise at the court-house, and had the keys. When he was 

done he would send for them." The worthy priest then ran back 

again all the way from the tavern to the court-house, as quick as he 

could, but stopping his ears the while as he came nearer, not to hear 

409 



the groans of the poor dairy/mother, & the screams of her daughters, 
who were running hither and thither round the walls, as if indeed 
the wretched girls had quite lost their senses. And at last he reached 
the sheriffs quarter, where another kind of roaring saluted his ears, 
I mean the shouts and laughter of the drunken noisy crew within 
jg?For the ferocious bloods-hound, Christian Ludecke, had invited 
friends over from Old Stettin, and there they all sat, Sheriff Sparling 
too, amongst them, round the table like coupled hounds, for a fine 
metal wire had been passed through all their ears as they sat drink' 
ing, so that none could go away without having his ear torn by the 
wire. Or if one of the beastly drunken pigs swilled so much, that he 
fell under the table, and his ear tore in consequence, it was a source 
of great laughter and merriment to the other pigsj^When the old 
man beheld this, he thought that between grief, anger, and horror, 
he would have fallen to the ground. And for a long while he stood 
gazingatthe scene, unableto utter a word, whilst they roared to him 
to take his place, and shoved the wine/can over: " But he must have 
his ear pierced first like the others;" for the good old laws were in 
force here,andhe must drain the cup at a draught till his breath was 
gone, and his two cheeks remained full, this was the true Pomeranian 
draught. At this beastly proposition, the pious priest crossed him' 
self, and at last got out the words, " Mercy for the criminal; mercy 
for the poor dairy^mother ! "jffi At this, the attorney general, Chris' 
tian Ludecke, clapped his hand upon his forehead, exclaiming, 
"'Fore God, it is true, I have let that cursed haglieon the rack these 
two hours. I forgot all about her. Send to the executioner, and bid 
him release her. Let her rest forto/day"^" And you could forget a 
fello W'Creature thus ! " exclaimed the priest, with indignation. " Oh ! 
you are more savage than an heathen, or the very brute beasts there 
without, who trembled at the groans of the poor martyr! yea, hell 
itself could notbe more merciless ! "J&" What, thou cursed parson !" 
cried the commissioner, starting from his seat in fury. But just then, 
as he sprang up, the wire tore through his ear, and the red blood 
flowed down upon his fine white ruff, whereat the others burst out 
into a yell of laughter, which increased the villain's fury ten times 
moreJ&" Now the damned hag should stay on the rack till night. 
What did people mean coming with begging prayers for the devil's 
brood? As wellpraymercyforthe devil himself: the reverend parson 
was very tender abouthis friends the witches." At which he laughed 
so loud that the roof rang, and all the others roared in chorus. But 
the priest replied gravely: "I shall repeat every word you have 
410 



uttered to his Highness the Duke, with a statement of how I found 
ye all employed, unless this instant you give orders to release the 
dairy ^mother "jJS?" Never! never!" shouted the bloodhound, and 
struck the table till the glasses rang. "What is it to thee, damned 
priest? I am witclvcommissioner of Pomerania; and his Highness 
expressly charged me toshowno mercy to these cursed devil'shags, 
therefore, I am ready to answer to God, the Prince, and my con, 
science, for what I do." 

OWEVER, my worthy father-in-law had scarcely 
fi left the room, sighing deeply at his unsuccessful mis^ 
sion, when the coward despatched his scribawith the 
keys to release the dairymother ; but it was too late, 
the horrible agony had already killed her; and when 
the hands of the corpse were unbound, both arms fell 
of themselves to the ground, out of the sockets..*. 
CHAPTER XX. WHAT SIDONIA SAID TO THESE 
DOINGS, ITEM, WHAT OUR LORD GOD SAID; 
AND, LASTLY, OF THE MAGICAL EXPERIMENT er with the pro, 




.'.Such scenes & 
satanic cruelty of 
beastly debauch, 
mingled togeth' 



PERFORMED UPON GEORGE PUTKAMMER& 
DILIANA, IN OLD STETTIN. 

THINK my bloodhound gained his end 
at last respecting Sidonia; tor truly ater, 
rible anguish fell upon her, a foretaste of 
that helkanguish she would one day suffer, 
I take it; yet she only betrayed this terror 
bythedisquietudeofherbearing,&theun/- 
easiness which she exhibited day and night; 
item, through an increase of her horrible 
hypocrisy, which grew more flagrant than 
| ever; for now, standing or going, her eyes 
were turned up to heaven, and three or four times a day she conv 

humanity!" But, alas! our modern laws, with their womanish feebleness, and senti, 
mental whimperings, sin quite as much against a lofty and noble justice as those of 
earlier times, by their tyrannical and cannibal ferocity. And yet now, as then, conscience 
is appealed to as the excuse for all. Oh ! conscience, conscience ! how wilt thou answer 
for all that is laid upon thee ! To-day, for example, it is a triumphal denial of God and 
thy Saviour Jesus Christ: a crime at which a Ludecke would have shuddered, even as 
we shudder now at his ; and yet no sense of shame or disquietude seems to pass over 
thee, although by the Wordof God thy crime is a thousandfold greater than his. (Matt. 
xii. 31 ; John viii. 24; Ephes. v. 6.) 

4" 




ceedings of jus/ 
tice, were very 
frequent during 
the witch'trials. 
How would it re- 
joice me if, upon 
contemplating 
this present age, 
I could exclaim 
with my whole 
heart, "What 
progression,infi, 
nite progression, 
in manners and 




petted the nuns to attend prayers in the chapel. Yet when the news 
was brought her, that the coward knave, Christian Ludecke, had 
extolled her virtues himself to the bailiff, Brose, she concluded that 
he meant nothing serious with her. However, she continued send' 
ing Anna Apenborg diligently to the sheriff's house, to pick up all 
the gossip she could from the servants and others. And at length 
Anna brought word, that a maid at the court-house said, the scriba 
said, in confidence, that his Grace of Stettin said, Sidonia should 
be burned next autumn. 

HEN Sidonia heard this, she turned as pale as a 
corpse, and her breath seemed stifling, but, recover^ 
ing herself soon, attempted to smile, turned up her 
eyes to heaven, and, signing, said, "He thatwalketh 
innocently, walketh surely" (Prov. x. 9). And then 
rang for the nuns to go and pray in the chapel. Yet 
that same day, when she heard of the fearful death of the dairy 
mother, she turned her hypocritical mouth to another tune, raged, 
and stormed, & abused the blood-thirsty savage of a commissioner, 
who had letthemostpious person of the whole parish die so horribly 
on the rack : then bid the whole chapter assemble in her room, to state 
the matter to his Highness, for if these evil doings went on, not even 
the most innocent amongst them was safe from a like bitter death. 
Whereupon Anna Apenborg, who had grown the bravest of all, 
since she found that Sidonia could not do without her, said : " But, 
gracious Lady Prioress, you yourself accused the dairy /-mother of 
witchcraft, when you came back from Stettin, and found the poor 
priest in his coffin!" which impertinence, however, my hag so re^ 
sented, that she hit Anna a blow on the mouth, and exclaimed in 
great wrath, " Take that, for thy impudence, thou daring peasant 
wench T' But, calmingherselfin a moment, added, "Ah, good Anna, 
is it not human to err ? have you never been deceived yourself ?" jfiF 
Summa:The nuns must write and sign.Whereupon my Ludecke, 
out of fearof Sidonia'srevenge,withdrewtoSaatzig, after the death 
of the dairymother; from thence to Dolitz, Pyritz, and so on, still 
faithful to his motto : "Torture ! burn ! kill ! " for he found as many 
witches as he pleased in every place; so that the executioner, Curt 
Worger, who, when he first arrived at Marienfliess, wore nothing 
but a sorry grey mantle, now appeared decked out like a noble, in a 
bright scarlet cloak; item, a hat with a red feather, a buff jerkin, and 
j ack'boots with gilded spurs ; neither would he sit any longer on the 
cart with the witches, but rode by the side of the commissioner, on a 
4x2 




jet black horse, which carried a red flag between its ears; & his drawn 
sword rested upon his shoulder. Thus they proceeded through the 
land; and upon entering a town, the executioner always struck up a 
Psalm, in which not only the attorney^general and his secretaryfre^ 
quently joined, but also the wretched witches themselves who satin 
the cart. 

ND though the Duke received complaints daily, not 
only from the priest Beutzius, and the convent, but 
from every town where the special commission was 
held, of the horrible cruelties practised and permitted 
by his Grace's officials ; yet the Duke remained firm in 
his determination to root out witchcraft, by these 
or any means; for whatever the ferocious blood hound, Ludecke, 
prated to his Highness, the Duke believed, and therefore would say 
nothing against any of his acts. But our Lord God had a great deal 
to say against them; for observe all the signs and wonders that ap^ 
peared about this time through different parts of the land, which 
brought many a one to serious reflection. 

J I RST, some women, who were seeking meal & pease 
at Pyritz, found the mess changed into blood ; baked 
bread likewise the same. And a like miracle hap^ 
pened at Wriezen also, for the deacon, Caspar Roh^ 
ten, preached a sermon on the occasion, which has 
since been printed. Item : At Stralsund there was a 
red rain; yea, the whole sea had the appearance as if it were turned 
into blood; and some think this was a foreshadowing of the great 
and real blood^rain at Prague; and of all the evils which afterwards 
fell upon our whole German fatherland. N ext the news was brought 
to court, that, at the same hour, on the same night, strange and su^ 
pernatural voices were heard at the following places in Pomerania : 
x. Wedderwill, a house, as every one knows, close to Stramehl, 
and the birth-place of Sidonia. 

2. Egessen, a town near Uckermund, at the other end of Pome/ 
rania. 

3. Hohenmoeker, near Demmin. 

4. Pyritz, the town where the witclvburnings had raged the most 
cruelly. 

5. Oderkrug, close to his Grace in Stettin. 

6. M arienfliess, where Sidonia defied man, and blasphemed God, 
and organised all the evil that fell upon the land. 




413 



.'.Wehiscall' 
ed Woe, and 
Pomerania, 
Pommernin 
the original. 





O W when the Duke read this account he was filled 
with horror, that heaven itself should cry : ' Woe I " 
for when he placed the initial letters of each town 
together, he observed, to his dismay, that they 
read: " Weh Pom."/. Yet as the last syllable, mern, 

was wanting, the Duke comforted himself, and 

thought : '* Perhaps it is the other Pomerania, where my cousin, 
Philip Julius, rules, over which God has cried, \ Woe.' " So he wrote 
letters; but, alas! received for answer, that in the selfsame night 
the strange voices had been heard in the following places : 
Eixen, a town near Franzburg. 
Rappin, in Rugen. 

Netzelkow, on the island of Usdom J& Thus passing directly 
across the land. 

ETthe Duke had some little comfort remaining, for 
there was an m wanting,people always wrote Pom/ 
mern, not Pomern, therefore by this the All^merciful 
God showed that he meant to preserve one m, that 
is a man, of the noble Pomeranian house, whereby to 
a build it up & make it flourishing again. To this faith 
he clung inhis sore grief; & Dr. Joel further comforted him aboutthe 
angel, saying thathewouldassuredlytell him whatthesign denoted, 
and this min particular, which was kept back from thewordPome^ 
rania. But the magister knew right well, as many others, though 
they would not tell the Duke, that the Lord God had spelled the 
word correctly; for the name in the Wendisch and Polish tongues 
is Pomorswa, spelt with but one m, and means a land lying by the 
sea, and therefore many of the old people still wrote Pomern for 
Pommern jg?Had the Duke, however, as well as his princely brc 
thers, heard of the awful appearances which accompanied the voices 
in every place, methinks they would have despaired utterly. For 
the clouds gathered themselves into forms resembling each of the 
four princely Dukes in succession, as like as if a painter had drawn 
them upon the sky; thence they were, each lying on his black bier, 
fro m east to w est, in the clear moonlight of heaven. 

~~ 5ND his Highness, Duke Francis, was the first, lying 

on his bier, with his hair combed a la Nazarene, as 

was his custom, and his face turned to the moon, be^ 

I hind which he presently disappearedj^Next came 

Duke Adalricus, and his face was so distinct that it 

I seemed cut out of paper, lying there in his coffin; & 

4*4 




he, too, sank behind the moon, and was seen no more J&- Philip 
Julius of Wblgast was the third, and the blessed moon shone bright 
upon his black moustache in the coffin ; & lastly, woe, alas ! Where^ 
ight and darkness fell upon the sky. .-. 

3UT these fearful signs were as carefully concealed 
from their Highnesses as if the whole people had 
! conspired to keep the secret; besides, the figures were 
notobservedateveryplacewhere the voices sounded. 
However, Dr. Joel himself came to the conclusion, 
in his own mind, that, after these open declarations 
from heaven, it would be quite useless to consult the angel. Never' 
theless, to calm the mind of the Duke, he resolved to go through 
with the conjuration if possible; at least, he might bind the hell' 
dragon of Marienfliess, and save others from her evil spells, if even 
the Duke and his illustrious race were already doomed. 

OW, having cast Sidonia's nativity, he found that 
the time in which alone her powerful evil spirit or 
Familiar could be bound, coincided exactly with that 





ft in which the sun^angel might be made to appear, 
thus the helpless hag could be seized at Marienfliess 
without danger or difficulty, at this precise hour or 
moment. So he determined to commence his conjuration at once by 
the magical blood-letting, and for this purpose wrote the following 
letter to Diliana, with which his Highness instantly despatched a 
horseman to Stramehl : 

• • • 

. . • • ♦ • 

Jesus! 
" Nobleand Pure Virgin : Having found, ex navitate Sidoniae, that 
it is possible to bind her evil spirit just at the moment in which we 
three stand within the circle to question the smvangel, we must seek 
out a brave youth in Marienfliess whom you trust, & who by nature 
is so sympathetical with you, that he will experience the same sen' 
sations in his body while there, precisely at the same moment in 
which they are excited in you at Old Stettin. This can be accom^ 
plished only by the magic bleeding, performed upon you both ; 
therefore I pray you, in the name of his Highness, to communicate 
with such an one, if so be there is a youth in whom you place trust, 
and by the next new moon come with him to Old Stettin, where 
I shall perform the magic bleeding on you both, that no time may 
be lost in commencingthis mighty work, which, by God's help, will 
save the land. God keep you. Pray for me ! 

"Your servant to command, 
" Old Stettin, 19th June, 1618. " M. Joel." 

415 



.*. Latin note of 
Bogislaff XIV. 
"Tunc ego ipse, 
nonne?hocnobis 
infelicibus bene 
taciturnitatenos' 
trum cohibitum 
est;ElectorBranx 
denburgiae sane 
omnia rapiet ! " 
(Then I myself, 
is it not so? This 
was kept secret 
from us unfortU' 
nates. The E lee 
tor of Branded 
burg will rob all) 
Then inGerman 
he added : "Yet 
the Lord is my 
light, of whom 
then shall I be a^ 
fraid?j^Ah,that 
my poor soul, in 
truth, rested calm 
in heaven ! For I 
am ready to be of- 
fered up like St. 
Paul (meaning 
through Wallenx 
stein) : 'Would 
that the time of 
my departure 
were at hand! '2. 
Tim. iv. 6. Yea, 
come & take my 
heritage, George 
of Brandenburg, 
I am weary of 
this life." 




HIS letter grieved the young virgin, for she saw the 

magister would not cease his importunities. Never*- 

theless, to show her obedience to his Highness, and 

[ by the advice of her cousin Bastien, she consented to 

| undertake the journey, Bastien likewise offered wil' 

_ lingly to go through the magic bleeding along with 

her, but the maiden declined, and wrote privately to George Put' 
kammer at Pansin the following letter: 

" Be it known to you, Sir Knight, that his Highness of Stettin has 
solicited my aid in a mighty magicwork, and desired me to seek 
out a youth in whom I trust, that magister Joel of Grypswald may 
performamagicbleedinguponus.So I have selected you, and desire 
therefore to meet you on St. John the Baptist's day, bytenofthe clock 
in the forenoon, at the castle of Old Stettin. But my father of Saat' 
zig is to know nothing of the matter; and you must promise neither 
to lookupon me,norsigh,norpressmyhand,norspeakof marriage, 
whether we be alone or not. In this I trust to your knightly honour 
and noble nature. 

" Stramehl, 22nd July, 1618. " Diliana Bork." 

O on the appointed day Diliana arrived at the castle 
of Stettin, and his Highness was rejoiced to see her, 
and bade the magister, Joel himself, tobringall sorts 
of dainties for her refreshment, in order that the 
lacqueys might not be coming in and out, spying 
J3 at what was going on. And immediately after, the 
court>marshal flung open the door a second time, and my young 
knight appeared (marry, how handsome he looked!), dressed just 
like a bridegroom ! He wore a buff doublet, with sleeves of blue 
satin, bordered with scarlet velvet; scarlet hose broidered in gold. 
Item: Spanish boots with gold spurs, and round his throat a ruffof 
the finest lace; item, ruffles of the same. So with his long sword by 
his side he entered, carrying his plumed beaver in his hand ;& truly 
he blushed up to his very ears when he beheld Diliana seated there 
in her pomp and beauty, and he stammered and castdown his eyes 
upon his boots when the Duke addressed him, sothathis Highness 
grewprovoked, and exclaimed: "Whatthedevil,youngman! have 
you an evil conscience PCanyounotlookanyonestraightin the face?" 
J&At this the young knight lifted his eyes boldly, and fixing them 
upon his Grace, answering haughtily : " My Lord Duke, I can look 
the devil himself straight in the face, if need be; but what is this 
comedy which you are about to play with me & this youn g maiden ? " 
416 





jg?This speech offended his Highness. "It was no mumming work 
they had in hand, but a grave and serious matter, which, as he did 
not understan d, the magister would explain to him." 

HO my magister began, and demonstrated the whole 
1 opus theurgicum ;but the knight is as unbelieving as 
| Jobst, and says : " But what need of the angel ? Can 
we not do the business ourselves ? My Lord Duke, it 
is now eleven o'clock; give me permission, & by this 
hour to-morrow morning Sidonia shall be here in a 
pig'Sack. And longago I would have done this of myself, or stabbed 
her with my dagger for her late evil deeds, if your Grace had not for-' 
bade me so to do at the burial of our gracious Lord, Duke Philip II. 
The devil himself must laugh at our cowardice, that we cannot seize 
an old withered hag whom a cowboy of ten years old would knock 
down with his left hand "^ To which his Highness answered: 
"You are foolhardy, young man, to esteem so lightly the power of 
her evil spirit; for know that it is a mighty and terrible spirit, who 
could strangle you as easily as he has murdered others, for all your 
defiant speeches ! Therefore we must conquer him by other means ; 
and for this reason I look with hope to the appearance of the angel, 
who will teach us, perhaps, how to remove the spell from my illus/ 
trious race, which Sidonia's inhuman malice has laid on them, 
makingthem to perish childless off the face of the earth. If even you 
succeeded in seizing her, how would this help ? She would revenge 
herself by standing there deaf and mute as a corpse, & would sooner 
be burned at the stake than speak one word that would remove this 
great calamity from our house "jSFThen the knight said, " H e would 
never consent that Diliana should run the great danger of citing a 
spirit "J& Which, when the maiden heard, she grew as red as the 
youngknightwhen he first entered, and said with a grave & haughty 
mien : " Sir knight, who gave youany right over my words or works ? 
There may be other men in whom I place trust as well as you; and 
speak but another word of the like nature, and I will prove it to you 
by my acts "jg? Marry, that was a slap on the mouth to my young 
knight, who grew as red as scarlet, and cast down his eyes upon his 
boots, while M.Joel began to demonstrate the magic blood-letting 
to them as follows: 



ee i 



417 




E E here, young knight, and you, fair virgin, here are 
two little boxes of white ivory, of the same size and 
weight; and see, within each of them is suspended a 
little magnet, both cut from one loadstone, and round 
in a circle are all the letters of the alphabet. Now, let 
each ofyoutakealittle box, carrying it delicately, and 
by its help you can converse with each other though you were a 
hundred miles apart. This sympathy between you is established by 
meansof the magic blood-letting. I make an incision in each of your 
arms, placed together in the form of a cross, then touch the knight's 
wound with the blood of the virgin, and the virgin's with the blood 
of the knight, so will your blood be mingled; and then, if one of you 
press the wound on the arm, the other will feel the same pressure 
sympathetically on the arm at the same instant, though ye be ever 
so far removed from one another. N ow suppose thatyou, fair maiden, 
feel a pressure suddenly on the wound in your arm, you place the 
magnet box thereon, and the needle will point of itself, by sympathy, 
to the letters necessary to form a word, which word will be the same 
as that found by the magnet of the knight, who will likewise have 
the box on his arm at the same moment; thus ye can read each 
other'sthoughtsinstantaneously,&this results entirely from thelaws 
of sympathy, as describedby therenowned AbbotJohannesTrithe-- 
mius, and Hercules de Sunde" J&To all this my knight made no 
answer, but seemed much disturbed. H owever, the magister ordered 
him to retire into the next chamber and remove his doublet. Item, 
he bade the young maiden likewise to take off her robe, seeing that 
the sleeves were very tight. It was a blue silk bodice she had on, 
trimmed round the bosom with golden fringe, & a mantle of yellow 
silk embroidered in violets and gold. Now the maiden was angry at 
first with the magister for his request, but laughed afterwards, when 
she thoughtof Dorothea Stettin, and her absurdities with the doctor 
jggFSo she said : " Here, cut open my sleeve, it matters not. I have 
more dresses with me at my lodging." This mv magister does im/ 
mediately, and draws forth the beautiful arm white as a snow flake, 
throws the sleeve back upon the shoulder, and places Diliana with 
her face turned towards the window on a seat which his Highness 
the Duke laid for her himself, while he exclaimed earnestly: " Now, 
Diliana, guard thy soul well from any evil thought ! " J^Hereupon 
the poor young virgin began to weep, & said : " Ah ! my Lord Duke, 
I have indeed need to pray for support, but I will look up to the Lord 
my Saviour, whose strength is made perfect in my weakness. Now 
418 




the youngknight may come, but letme not see him"jgFOn this, the 
magister called in the young man andsat him on the sameseatwith .*. Having 
Diliana, but back to back. Then he stepped to one side, and looking hair on the 
at them, said: "Eh, my Lord Duke, see the beautiful James's head, teeth means 
That betokens good luck. Pity that theyonker has no beard! Young beingabrave, 
man, you havemorehair on your teeth than on your chin, I take it. .*. fearless per^ 
Why do you not scrape diligently; shall I give you a receipt?",^ son, one who 
But the knight made no answer, only grew red for shame. Where-' will stand up 
upon my magister left off jesting; and taking the young man's arm, boldly for his 
laid it upon the maiden's, in the form of a cross, then opened a vein own. 
in each, murmuring some words, while the bloodstream poured 
down into two silver cups which were held by his Highness the 
Duke. 

|UT, woe! my knight sinks down inadead faint offhis 
side of the coach to the ground. WTiich, when Diliana 
heard, she springs up with her arm still bleeding, and 
exclaims : "Theknightis dead ! Oh, savethe knight ! " 
Then the poor child wept. "Ah, what will become of 
me ? What is this you mean to do with us ?"jg?So the 
magister gave over the youngknightto the care of his Highness, who 
held a smelling^flask to his nose, while Dr. Joel took some of his 
blood and poured it into Diliana's arm, after which he bound it up. 
And then, when the young knight began to recover, she hastened, 
weeping, out of the apartment, saying: "Telltheknightnot to touch 
his arm. WTien there is necessity I shall press mine. Farewell, 
gracious Lord Duke, & help me day and night with the sixth peti' 
tion in the Lord's Prayer!" And she would not return, though the 
Duke called out after her: "A word, one word!" Item, M.Joel: 
" Bringa shift with you that belonged to your grandmother ! Noth^ 
ing can be done unless you bring this with you !" She hastens on to 
the inn, and when the knight recovered sufficiently to follow after 
her, behold there was her carriage already crossing the Oder^-bridge, 
which so afflicted him, that the tears poured from his eyes, and he 
cursed the whole world in his great love^agony, particularly his 
Grace, the magister, and the ghost of Clara. For to these three he 
imputed all the grievous vexations and misfortunes he endured with 
regard to the fair maiden^Yethe lived in hope that she would soon 
press her wounded arm, and thus establish a sympathy of thought 
between them. So he set spurs to his horse and rode back again to 
his good castle of Pansin. 



e e.2 



419 



.'. I have ob/- 
served before, 
this was the 
namejeho' 
vah, in the 
Hebrew. 




CHAPER XXL OF THE AWFUL AND MAJESTIC 
APPEARANCE OF THE SUN-ANGEL, OCH. 

T last the blessed autumn arrived, & found 
my Ludecke still torturing and burning, 
& Sidonia still practising her evil sorceries 
upon man and beast, of which, however, 
it would be tiresome here to notice all the 
particulars. And on the nth day of Sep/ 
tember, Jobst & his fair daughter arrived 
at Old Stettin, where the Knight again 
tried to remonstrate with his Highness a^ 
1 bout the conjuration, but without any suc- 
cess as we may easily suppose. Thereupon the Duke and the ma/ 
gister commenced a discipline of fastings. Item, every day they had 
magic baths, and this continued up to the midnight of the 22nd day, 
when they at last resolved to begin the great work, forthe sun entered 
Libra that year on the 23rd day of September, at twenty minutes 
after 2 o'clock a.m. 

O they all three put on garments of virgin^white linen, 
and Diliana drew over hers a shift which had belonged 
to her grandmother of blessed memory, Clara von 
Dewitz, for she had not omitted to bring one with 
her, having searched for it with great diligence. Then 
she said to the magister: "Much do I wish to ask the 
angel, wherefore it is that God gives such power to Satan upon the 
earth ? No man hath yet answered me on this point. May I dare to 
ask the angel?" jgFHereupon he answered," She might fearlessly do 
it, he was himself curious." So they conversed, and meantime placed 
caps on their heads, made likewise of virgin linen, with the Holy 
Tetragrammaton . ' . bound thereon jgFThen the magister taking a 
hazekwandinhisrighthand, placed the magic circle upon his breast 
with the left, which circle was made of parchment, and carved all 
over with magic characters, and taking up his book, bade the Duke 
bear the vinculum of the heavenly bodies, that is, the signet of the 
spirit; item, Diliana, thevinculumoftheearthly creature,asherown 
pure body, the blood of the white dove, of the field-mouse, incense, 
and swallow's feathers. Whereupon, he lastly made the sign of the 
cross, and led the way to the great knights' hall, which was already 
illuminated with magic lights of virgin wax, according to his direc 
tions. 




420 




|OW, as they all stepped outof thedoor in their white 
I robes and high caps, shapedlikethemitreofabishop, 
there stood my Jobst in the corridor, purple with an/ 
guish and bathed in sweat. He would go with them ; 
& when the magister put him back, saying, "impose 
I sible," the poor Knight began to sob, embraced his 
ittle daughter, "for who could tell whether he would ever see his 
only joyupon earth alive again ? Ah, into what straits had the Duke 
brought him &his dear little daughter V'J& However the magister 
bade him be of good heart for that no evil could happen to his fair 
daughter, seeing that she had again & again assured him of her pure 
virgin soul; but they must lose no time now, if the Knight chose to 
stand outside he might do so. To this Jobst consented, but when the 
three others had entered the knight's hall, my magister turned round 
to bolt the door, on which the alarmed father shook the door viox 
lently : "He would never consent to have it bolted; if it were,he would 
burst it in with a noise that would waken the whole castle. He was 
a father, & if any danger were in there, he could spring in and save 
hispoorlittleworm,ordiewithher,ifneedbe."Sothemagistercon^ 
sentedatlastnottoboltthedoor,butdappeditto, so that the Knight 
could notpeep through. He was not to be outwitted, however ; drew 
off his buff doublet,tookouta gimlet from his pocket, bored ahole in 
the door, laid his hat upon the doublet, took his naked sword between 

his legs,& resting both hands firmly on the hilt, bent down & placed 
his eye at the gimlet'hole, through which he could distinctly see all 
that passed in the room. And the three walked up to the centre of 
the hall, where the magic lights were burning, and the magister unx 
loosed the circle from his breast and spread it out upon the ground, 
as far asitwould reach, then he drew a figure with white chalk at each 
of the four corners, like interlaced triangles, and takingthe vinculum 
of the heayenlv creature, or the signet of the sun^angel, which was 
written with the blood of a coal-black raven upon virgin parchment, 
out of the hand of the Duke, hung it upon a new dagger, which no 
man had ever used, and fixed the same in circle towards the north : 
"For," said he, "the spirit will come from the north, only watch well 
forthelittlewhitedoudthat always precedeshim,& be notalarmed 
at anything, for I have too often practised this conjuration to antici^ 
pate danger now/' 



e e 3 421 




FTER all this was done, & the pan of perfume, with 
the vinculum of the earthly creature, had been placed 
in the centre, the magister spake: "In the name of 
God the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
f A Amen!" And stepped from the north side the first 
jj into the circle, within which he kneeled down & re 
peatedabeautiful prayer. And the two others responded "Amen." 
Whereupon the wise Theurgist, the brave priest of the grand pri^ 
mitive old faith, rose up, made the sign of the cross atthe north, and 
began the conjuration oftheangel with aloud voice.Theywereharsh 
and barbarous words that he uttered, which no one understood, and 
they lasted a good paternoster long; after which, the priest stopped 
and said : u Gracious Prince, lay the left hand upon the vinculum of 
the heavenly creature: virgin, step with thy left foot upon the signet 
of the spirit, in the north of the circle. After the third pausa he must 
appear." 




RITH these words he began the conjuration again; 

J but, behold, as it was ended, a form appeared, not at 

j the north but at the south, and glided on in a white, 
bloody shroud,until it reached the centre of the circle. 

I Atthissightthe magister was transfixed with horror, 
J and made the sign of the cross,then said in an agitated 
voice: "All good spirits praise God the Lord!",j^ Upon which the 
spirit answered , '* In eternity. Amen ! " Whilst Diliana exclaimed : 
"Grandmother! grandmother! art thou indeed her spirit?" So the 
spirit glided three times round the circle, with a plaintive wailing 
sound, then stopped before Diliana, & making the sign of the cross, 
said: "Daughter, take that shift of mine from off thee, it betokens 
misfortune. Itis No. 7, and see, I have No. 6 for my bloody shroud." 
Whereupon it pointed to the throat, where indeed, the red number 
6 was plainly discernible. Diliana spake: "Grandmother, how did 
these things come to pass ?" But the spirit laid the forefinger on its 
mouth in silence. Whereupon she asked again: " Grandmother, art 
thou happy? " The spirit answered: " I hope to become so, buttake 
off that shift, the angel must soon appear; it will be Sidonia's death 
shroud." As the spirit said these words it disappeared again towards 
the south, whereupon the Knight at the gimlet>hole, cried out: 
"There was some one here, was itthe angel?" "No, no," screamed 
Diliana, while she quickly stepped out of the circle, and drew off the 
shift. "No, it was my poor grandmother !"jg? "Silence," cried the 
magister; "forGod's sake,notalkingmore, we have already lost ten 
422 




seconds bythat ghost. Now quick with the vinculum of the earthly 
creature ! My Prince, strew the incense upon the burner; virgin, dip 
the swallow s feathers in the blood of the white dove, and streak my 
two lips with them. Now all be still if you value your life. Eternity 
is liste ning to us,& the whole apartment is full of invisible spirits." 
H E N he repeated the conjuration for the third time, 
and, behold, at the last word, a white cloud appeared 
at the north, that at every moment became brighter 
& brighter until a red pillar of light, about an arm's 
thickness, shot forth from the centre of it, and the 
most exquisite fragrance with soft tones ofmusic were 
diffused over the whole north end of the hall; then the cloud seemed 
to rain down radiant flowers of hues and beauty such as earth had 
never seen, after which a tremendous sound, as if a clap of thunder, 
shook not only the castle to its foundation, but seemed to shake 
heaven and earth itself, and the cloud, parting in twain, disclosed 
the sun^angel in the centre. Yet the Knight outside never heard this 
sound, nor did old Kruger, the Duke's boot^deaner, who sat in the 
very next room reading the Bible; he merely thought that the clock 
had run down in the corridor, and sent his wife out to see, and this 
seems to me a very strange thing, butthe Knight, through his gim^ 
let'hole, saw plainly, that a chair, which they had forgotten to take 
out of the way of the angel at the north side, was utterly consumed 
by his presence, and when he had passed, lay there a heap of ashes. 
And the angel in truth appeared in the form of a beautiful boy of 
twelve years old, and from head to foot shone with a dazzling light. 
A blue mantle, sown with silverstars, wasflungaroundhim,butso 
glitteringto the eye that it seemed a portion of the milky way hehad 
torn from heaven, as he passed along, & wrapped round his angelic 
form. On his feet, rosy as the first clouds of morning, were bound 
golden sandals, and on his yellow hair a crown; and thus surrounded 
by radiant flowers, odours, and the soft tones of heavenly music, he 
swept down in grace & glorious beauty to earth. When the Theur- 
gist beheldthis, he fell on his knees along with the others, & prayed : 
f^E praise thee, we bless thee, we adore thee, O lofty 
spirit of God (thou throne^angel of the Almighty !) 
that thou hast deigned by the word of our father 
Adae, by the word of our father Henoch, and by the 
word of our father Noah, to enter the darkness of 
this our second world, and appear before our eyes. 
Help us, blessed angel ! Help us !" 

e e 4 423 





ND the angel said; "What will ye?" J9 Here the 
Duke took heart, and gave for answer : " Lord, an 
evil witch, a devil's sorceress, wickeder than anythin g 



| yet known upon earth, Sidonia Bork by name" J& 
Jut the angel let him continue no further, and with 
a glance of terrible anger exclaimed: "Silence, thou 
drunken man of blood!" J&"Then, looking upon Diliana, mur^ 
mured softly : " Speak, thou pure and blessed maiden I " J£ At this 
the virgin took courage, & answered: " Our gracious Prince would 
know how the evil spirit of my cousin Sidonia can be overcome." 
J&" Seize Wolde first," replied the angel, "then the evil spirit of 
Sidonia will become powerless . What wouldst thou know further ?" 
j$?Hereupon the modest maiden blushed, stammered, and looked 
down; then from awe and terror, scarcely knowing what she said, 
made answer:" Behold, thyservantwouldknowwhereforethe All/ 
mighty and All^merciful God hath, since the beginning of time, 
allowed so much power to Satan over his creatures, the works of his 
own hands?" 

HEN the angel spake: "That is a grave and serious 
question, maiden, and the answer would be above thy 
comprehension; yetthis much will I explain to thee: 
if there were no devil and no evil, many attributes of 
the Almighty God our Lord would have remained 
Si for ever hid from you, children of humanity, as well 
from us, spirits of heaven. Therefore, from the beginning, hath God 
permitted such power to the devil as might show forth these his 
attributes to the wondering universe. First, after the fall, his justice 
was revealed, as you have seen displayed in the old covenant, and this 
attribute could never have been manifested unless evil and the devil 
had entered into the world. Now, thought the devil, when he be^ 
held the manifestation of this terrible attribute, the whole human 
race must fall for ever to perdition, and the Lord God must be the 
first to murder the work of his own hands. But lo! before heaven 
and earth, the great God manifested two new attributes ; namely, 
mercy and love, for he fulfilled his word given to Satan in Paradise. 
The serpent'treader entered into the world, and oh ! infinite wonder ! 
heaven and earth, which till then had seen God but in his goodness, 
now beheld his love bleed from the wounds of his Son on Golgotha, 
and the world reconciled to him for ever, through Christ. Yet Satan 
still thinks to regain his lost dominion over the world; therefore it 
shall come to pass that the Lord will suffer him to become a mock 
424 




and derision to all mankind, and for the first time since the world 
was made men will doubt his existence and disbelieve his power, 
and his name will be a scorn and idle word to the very children, and 
the old wives by their spinning-wheels. Then will be manifested 
some new attribute of divinity, of which as yet thou, nor I, nor any 
creature, may have an opportunity to contemplate. All this has lain 
in the purpose of God,inorder to increasethe happiness of his crea^ 
tures; for all the other attributes of the Almighty, such as Infinity, 
Omnipresence, Omnipotence, awaken only awe in the mind of the 
finite; but those attributes which he manifests in his triumph over 
sin and Satan, are what truly awaken love, and through love, above 
all, is the happiness of the creature advanced. When God has thus 
manifested all his attributes by means of sin and Satan, to the joy 
of his faithful servants, men and angels, for all eternity, who witlv 
out sin and Satan would never have known them, then the great 
day of the Lord will come, when the wine of his love^spirit will in^ 
spire every creature that believes on him in heaven, and on earth, 
and under the earth ! Further. ." 

UT behold, at this word of the angel, a blue ray, 
about the thickness of an arm, came up from the 
south into the middle of the circle,and blended itself, 
trembling and glittering, with the radiant cloud and 
flowers. When the angel beheld this, he said: " Lo ! 
^fll am summoned to the ruins of Nineveh. Let me 
depart",^ At this the Duke tookheart again to speak, and began: 
"Lord,howismyancientrace?"j$FButtheangel again interrupted 
him with : " Silence, thou drunken man of blood ! " J& And when 
the magister repeated the form which brokethe conjuration, the angel 
disappeared as he had come, with a terrible clap of thunder; and 
clouds, light, flowers, odours, and music, all passed away with him, 
and the hall be came dark and silent as the grave. 

UT in a couple of seconds, just as the magister had 
stepped out of the circle with the virgin, who tremx 
bled in every limb, even as he did himself, my Jobst 
comes rushinginatthedoorwith joyful mien,thanks 
God, sobs, embraces his little daughter twice, thrice, 
embraces her again, and at last asks: " What says 
the angel V J& And they told him all. Item : About the ghost of his 
poor mother, and what it desired. Then, for the first time, they ob^ 
served that the Duke stood still within the circle with folded arms, 
and eyes bent upon the ground J& " My Lord Duke, will you not 

425 





step out of the circle?" exclaimed the magister jSF Whereupon the 
Duke started, sprang from the circle to the spot where they stood, 
and, seizing the magister by the throat, roared : " Dog of a sorcerer ! 
This is some of thy black art. Jobst here was right; thou hast raised 
no angel but a devil ! "J&At this the terrified magister first tried to 
release himself from his Grace's hold, then began to explain, but 
the Duke would listen to nothing J0& " It was clear as the sun that 
this was no angel, but a devil, who, as St. Paul says, had trans-' 
formed himself into an angel of light; for,first,the hellish emissary 
had called him a bloodhound. Now, what blood had he ever shed, 
except the blood of accursed witches ? And this, as a just ruler, he 
had done upon the express command of God himself (Exodus 
xxii. 18), where it is written: 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' 
No one, therefore, from heaven or upon earth, could blame him for 
fulfillingthecommandsofGod,yetthespirithadblamedhina.Ergo, 
he was not an angel, but a devil. Next the knave twice called me a 
drunkard. Here clearly he showed himself no angel, but as the Lord 
Jesus namedhim, the* fatherof lies ;'fortellme, friends, was I drunk 
to-day ? If I do take a sleeping draught after the fatigues of the day, 
tell me, what does that matter to this impudent devil ? So I say with 
that Mecklenburgh nobleman in Dobberan: 
' Away, away, thou devil from me, 
I care not a single hair for thee ; 
In spite of the devil, a noble man 
Should drain to the last his drinking'can. 
I'll sup with the Lord and the saints the first, 
WTiile thou, poor devil, must ever thirst. 

.*. This in^ I'll drain the mead from the flowing bowl, 

scription is While the devil is sitting in hellish dole ; 

still to be seen Therefore, away, thou devil from me, 

upon a tomb" I care not a single hair for thee.' 

stone inDob' And doth not Martinus Lutherus say : 

beran. ' Who loves not wine, women, and song, 

Remains a fool his whole life long ? ' 

Marry, the grievous devil may wait long enough before he makes me 
a fool. I am too sharp for the stuff with which he humbugs you, my 
wise chattering magister ! " 



426 




UT the magister began to demonstrate how unlikely 
it was that Satan would give advice how to subdue 
himself; *■* For how then could his kingdom stand ? " 
as the Lord said, Luke xi. So the Duke listened and 
grew thoughtful, & at last exclaimed: "Well, come, 
we'll settle that over the winccup ; and to spite the 
knave, we'll keep up the carouse till morning; the night is already 
half spent, and I have some glorious Muscadel in the cellar" j^My 
Jobst, however, will not remain; and Dilianaasks: " Whathis Grace 
will do about Wolde ?"^This set his Grace again upon abusing the 
spirit: "Ay, truly, he must have been a devil, Master Beelzebub 
himself, and no good angel, for had he not bid himself twice to hold 
his tongue when he began to ask about his old illustrious race, and 
what should be done to preserve it from utter destruction ? The 
magister might go to the devil himself now, with all his magic; he 
sa w clearly thr ough the whole business/' 

O a great strife arose between them, which ended in 
the Duke permittingthe blessed maiden to press the 
wound inner arm, in order to communicate by means 
ofthemagneticalphabetwiththeknight,whoatthat 
moment was keeping watch with his good sword in 
the chapel of Marienfliess. Everything, however, 
must be performed before the eyes of the Duke, else he would not 
believe it; so the young maiden, blushing for shame, pressed the 
wound on her arm; and after a brief space, cried out with wonder, 
" In truth I feel the pressure now of itself." W^hereupon, at thecoma 
mandof themagister,shethrewup her wide sleeve (for she still wore 
the magic robe), and placed the little box with the magnet on her 
arm, directing the magnetic needle, with a fine stick, to the letters, 
thus: 

SEIZE WOLDE, 

She then retired to a chamber, to put on her on dress, and had 
scarcely finished when she feels the pressure on her arm again. 
Whereupon she calls to his Grace and the magister, who set the 
magnet immediately on her arm, when, to the great surprise of his 
Grace, the needle turns of itself to the letters : 

SHE IS SEIZED. 




427 




HIS sight gave my gracious Lord fresh courage: "And 
after all, perhaps that was an angel ; for surely Sidonia 
would have protected her maid, if her evil spirit had 
not become powerless, as the spirit had foretold. And 
now they would soon have the arch/sorceress herself. 
He would send a horseman instantly to Christian 
Ludecke, who was burning witches at Colbatz, to hasten without 
delay to Marienfliess" J& At last he permits Jobst, since he will not 
drink, to take his leave; "yet he and his fair daughter must first 
promise,by their honour,not tobreathea wordof the magicconjura/ 
tion, since the ignorant and stupid people would only make a mock 
of such matters; and why cast pearls before swine, or holy mysteries 
to dogs ?" And truly they kept the secret of his Grace, so that not a 
word was known thereof until Duke BogislafF the Fourteenth com/ 
municated the same to me, precisely as he had the facts from his 
brother, and gave me permission to publish them in my **. History 
of Sidonia." 

CHAPTER XXII. HOW OLD WOLDE IS SEIZED, 
CONFRONTED WITH SIDONIA, AND FINALLY 
BURNED BEFORE HER WINDOW. 

ANWHILE the young knight, George 
Putkammer, had ridden over to Marien/ 
fliess on the appointed day, to sheriff Eg/ 
gert Sparling's. He mentioned nothing of 
the greatmagic work, as the Duke had for/ 
bidden him to do so, but merely said that 
he had orders from the Prince to seize 
Sidonia that night J& At this, my sheriff 
shuddered : " The young knight should re/ 
fleet on what he was about; young people 
were often foolhardy and confident, to their utter ruin. What did he 
want from him ? If he got half the world for it, he would not touch 
even the clothes of the devil's hag. He had tried it once, and that 
would do him for his life"jg£But the knight answered: "He had 
pledged his word to the Duke, and must hold by it. His worship 
must just give him a couple of stout fellows to help him." 
Ille : " Did he really think that in the whole bailiwick a fellow could 
be got to go with him, when it was known he was going to seize the 
sorceress, the devil's night/bird? Ha! ha! ha!" 
Hie : "Then he would do it alone. His worship must just give him 
some cords, & show him a prison where he could put the vile witch." 
428 





Me: "Cords he should have, as many as he wished, but on no ao 
count must the hag be brought to the court-house. He knew her 
well, and would take care to have nothing to do with her." 
Hie: "At least, then, his worship must lend him a horse, and he 
would bind the dragon thereon with stout cords, and carry her away 
to his good castle of Pansin, where there was a deep dungeon, in 
which he could lay her, until he knew the Duke's pleasure." 
Me : "The horse he might have, and choose one himself from the 
stall, and if it pleased him, bind the witch on its back there in the 
churchward, underthelinden trees; but to the court-house the witch 
must not come, certainly not, or she would suspect him of having a 
hand in her capture. Yet let the knight think again, and give up this 
dangerous business, or surely they had beheld each other for the 
last time." 

JUTthe knight only waited until theclock pointed to 
Iten; then taking a lantern, he goes and chooses out a 
1 stout white mare (for such, they say, are antipathe^ 
tical to witches), ties her to a linden in the church-' 
yard, enters the church, lights the altar candles, and 
I sits there, reading in the large bible; until about the 
hour that the conjuration was taking place at Old Stettin, when a 
strange feeling of uneasiness came over him, and he rose up and 
walked to and fro in the church in great agitation. Suddenly he felt 
a pressure on his wounded arm, and turning up the sleeve of his 
doublet, pressed in return, after which, he laid the magnet upon it, 
and, to his surprise, read that he was to seize "Wblde, not Sidonia. 
Instantly he took up the lantern and the cords, put his good sword 
under his arm, and ascended the steps up to the nuns' gallery, and 
from that entered the convent corridor, as the door between always 
lay open; but stumbling, by chance, into Anna Apenborg's cell, she 
led him down a flight of stairs to the ground floor, and close to the 
refectory, where she pointed to a little chamber adjoining, whispers 
ing: "There is where the old cat snores;" then creeps behind a 
barrel, to watch, while the knight, holding the light before him, 
stepped at once into the cell, crying: "Stand up, old night-bird, and 
get on thy rags, thine hour hath come" t j^A scream of horror was 
the answer from the hag, and she clapped violently at the refectory 
wall, calling out: "Help me! help! help! a fellow has seized me, 
lady^prioress ! " But the knight was resolved to make quick work of 
it; and hearing a stir already in Sidonia's apartment, threw himself 
upon the hag, and bound her hands tight with the cords, while she 

429 



screamed, and struggled, and yelled piteously for the ladyprioress ; 
then dragging her up, he exclaimed: "Since thou didst not heed me, 
now thou shalt come ofFnaked as thou art; better the devil should 
not have a rag to catch hold of. Come !"j!$F But a fearful looking 
form just then rushed into the room, it was Sidonia, just as she had 
risen from bed, bearing a lamp in her hand, with her white hair 
flowing wildly about her face and shoulders, and her red glowing 
eyes fixedmenacinglyupontheknight. She had justbegun a terrific 
curse, when the young man, seeingthe cat in his red hose following, 
lifted his sword and with one blow cut him clean in two, but started 
back, for the first time, in terror, when he beheld one half, on its two 
legs, run quickly under Wblde's bed, and the other half, on the other 
two legs, make off for the refectory, through the door which had been 
left open. Even Sidonia recoiled at the sight ; but soon, with increased 
ferocity, sprang at the knight, screaming and clenching her hands. 
But he cried out : '• Hold ! or I will cleave thee in twain, even as thy 
cat." And in truth she stopped stone-still, but soon began to spit 
and murmur. Whereupon he cried out again : " Ay, spit & mumble ; 
but know that my good friend, of whom I told thee, stands with' 
out, & if but a finger of mine aches, now or in future, he hath sworn 
thy death "j^Then swinging Wblde's clothes, which lay on thebed, 
over her shoulder with the point of his sword, he exclaimed to Si' 
donia : " Away, away, or the like will be done to thee ! "j^W^herc 
upon, amidst the howling of the hag, and the horrible curses and 
maledictions of Sidonia, he re^crossed the gallery and the church, 
the lame she^devil still howling before him, till they entered the 
churchyard; after which my brave knight bound her fast upon the 
white mare, and rode away with her to his good castle of Pansin 
J&l had forgotten to notice before, that the pastor was not buried 
within the church, as his widow first intended, but was laid outside 
in the blessed earth, because she feared that the man^wolf might get 
at hi m again w ithin the churclwault and tear him. 

1UMMA: That same evening the witch'commis' 

jsioner, Christian Ludecke, arrived with his secretary 

at Marienfliess, according to the mandate of the 

Prince; and behind them come two wagons, on one 

of which sits the executioner with his assistants, the 

I red flag floating above him, and the second is laden 

with the instruments of torture & the rack ; for those belonging to the 

courthouse of Marienfliess were not considered powerful enough. 

And, as usual, they enter the town chanting a sacred hymn, at which 

43© 





sound every one shudders, but my sheriff is particularly horror^ 
struck ; and, rushing out to meet them at the court-house, cried out : 
" What the devil ! is the bloodhound back again ? Did he think that 
witches grew up in the town like cabbages ?"but held his peace in.* 
stantly,whenhe heard that all was doneby command of the Prince. 
~| O the lame hag was brought back again from Pansin 
that night, and the articuli indictionales were drawn 
up against her, in which it was not forgotten that 
yearsbefore shehadsat in the cellarof thepoor dairy • 
woman's mother, and there bewitched the cocks and 
hens, as many old people still living could testify; 
and the bailiffs wife is by no means slack either in helping her to 
the same death as the poor dairymother. While the whole town & 
adjacent country rang with these proceedings, Sidonia's disquietude 
became evident. Every day she sent Anna Apenborg up to the 
court-house, and there the said Anna and the serving^maid of the 
scriba were seen with their heads together in every corner converse 
ing, & each day brought less comfort to the terrible witch of Marien^ 
fliess. Therefore, aboutthis time, shechangedher demeanour to the 
nuns, and in place of her usual fierce and cruel bearing, she now be-' 
came quite mild, threw up her eyes, went regularly to church every 
Sunday, and sighed deeply during the sermon. Day and night she 
was singing spiritual songs, & sent to Stargard to purchase prayer^ 
books, all to makethe world think that she had grown truly religious. 
Item, she sent her new maid, Anna Dorings by name, to Stargard, 
to purchase mercury for her from the apothecary ; and when the maid 
handed the same to her, she heard her murmur as if to herself, while 
she locked up the poison in her press : " So now, at least, they can 
do nothing wo rse with me than behead me!" 

S5S H E N she went herself one day to Stargard, & visited 
a celebrated advocate, called Elias Paul: "The world 
was now so hard-hearted, and the devil so active, that 
she feared her turn might come next to be tried for a 
witch, just for the sympathy she snowed for the poor 
creatures. Alas! how Satan blinded the reason of 
men; for when were such cruelties ever heard of as were practised 
now on poor helpless women? (Weeping.) And would not my Elias 
defend her from this ferocious bloodhound, Christian Ludecke, 
who had come again to Marienfliess, and boasted loudly that, when 
he had made an end of her old maid, Wolde, he would seize her next ; 
and even swore that, to make a terrible example of her, her nose and 

431 




ears should be torn off with red-hot pincers ere she was tied to the 
stake.AndwhatwouldmyEliasdo for her ? She had a few dozen gold 
crowns which her sister Dorothea had left her by will, and willingly 
she would give them, if he turned the base malice of her enemies to 
shame. Ah, he might take pity on her; for she was a good and holy 
virgin, and as innocent of all they charged her with as the child in 
the cradle!" (Weeps and sobs again) J&So the cunning witch had 
struck the right nail on the head, for my Elias was a great lover of 
coins ; and though he had a few silver and and many copper, yet not 
a single gold one did he possess. Therefore he became thoughtful 
after her speech, and walked up and down the room for a quarter of 
an hour, after which he stood still, and answered : " Lady, you know 
as well as I do that your name is notorious throughout the whole 
land, and little hope can I give you if you are brought to trial. How/ 
ever, I will do what I can to delay thetime as much as possible; per-' 
chance from your great age, and the bitter heart/remorse you must, 
no doubt, suffer, that you may end your miserable life before they 
can lay violent hands on you. Pray to the Lord God, therefore, day 
by day, for your speedy death: I will, likewise, pray for you. Mean/ 
while, if any evil befal you, I will write petitions in your favour to 
all the neighbouring princes, to the resident nobles, and to the Duke 
himself in Stettin, for your race is one of the most illustrious in all 
Pomerania. And respecting the gold crowns which you promise, 
send them speedily; for remember, from the moment they arrest 
you, your inventorium is sealed "jfi?This my hag promised, and 
took her leave; but, woe! the first news she heard upon her return 
home was, that her maid, by a decree of the council at Stettin, had 
that day been put to the torture; and having on the rack confessed 
that she (Sidonia) was the true arch/sorceress,they were to be con/ 
fronted with each other on the morrow. This news Anna Apenborg 
told her before she had well descended from the coach, item, many 
of the other nuns confirmed the rumour; so that the unfortunate 
witch at last resolved, in despair, to put an end to herself. How/ 
ever, she had little inclination to taste the mercury, I think J& So 
in the twilight she creeps out behind the brew/house, which stood 
three or four feet from the convent wall, so that no one in the con/ 
vent could see what she was about, draws a ladder after her, sets it 
against the wall, and mounts intending to spring down into the river 
below and drown herself. 



432 




IOW it happened that in the oak-wood, at the op-- 
posite side of the stream, my Ludecke and the sheriff 
were walking up and down, and the sheriff's teeth 
were chattering in his head from pure fright; for a 
courier from Stettin had arrived that very evening 

I with an order from his Grace,commandinghim under 
pain of severe punishment and princely disfavour, to be present, 
along with Jobst Bork, on the following morning, when Sidonia 
and Wolde were confronted. Their eyes were suddenly attracted to 
a head rising above the opposite wall, then long white hair fluttered 
wildly in the evening breeze, and afterwards a thin, black form ap/ 
peared, until the entire figure stood upon the top of the wall, and 
extended it arms as a young stork its wings, when it essays to leave 
the nest, while the eyes were fixed on the water below. Instantly they 
both recognised Sidonia, & saw what her purpose wasj^" Lether 
let her," whispered the sheriff to the other; "if she is dead, if she is 
dead, we shall all rest in peace l"j& But the other seized a stone, and 
flungitwith all his mightatthewalhcryingout:" Wait, thoushame^ 
less witch; doth thy conscience move thee so 1"J& Whereupon the 
black figure dropped down again behind the wall as quickly as pos^ 
sible. And my Ludecke, being loath to lose the fat morsel he had 
ready for the flames, resolved to place four guards over her in the 
refectory; but though the whole town was searched, item, menaced 
that the executioner should scourge them man by man, yet no one 
will undertake the dangerous office. At last four fellows are found 
who promise for a tun of beer at the very least, to hold watch in the 
convent square, so that the witch cannot get away out of the build-* 
ing, with which my bloodhound is obliged to be content jgSF Next 
morning, at nine or the clock, Sidonia was cited to appear in court 
but as she did not come, and mocked the messenger who was sent 
for her, Ludecke commanded the executioner to go himself, and if 
she would not come by fair means, to drag her by force. The'fellow 
hesitated, however: " Itwas a dangerous business; butif his worship 
was very anxious, why, for a good horse from the ducal stables, he 
might dare it, since his own nag had fallen lame" l /^So this being 
promised,hedeparted,andinashorttime,theybeheld the carl in his 
red mantle dragging Sidonia up to the court-house; and, methinks, 
many within shuddered at the sight; for there were present sitting 
round the green table, Christian Ludecke, Eggert Sparling, Jobst 
Bork, and the scriba, Christopher KahnjjS? But when the execu^ 
tioner threw open the door, and bade the witch take off her shoes 

433 



ffi 



.-. Because 
the judges on 
witch'trials 
fearedtheevil 
influence of 
the glances of 
the accused. 




and enter backwards, she refused and scolded:" What? her bitterest 
enemies were to be her judges ! The thick ploughman from Saatzig, 
who had stolen her rents from the farmhouses at Zachow; item, 
the arch/cheat Sparling, who robbed his Prince every day, such 
rabble, burgher carls, secretary fellows, and the like?no; she would 
never enter. She was the lady of castles and lands; besides, her advo' 
catewas not here, and she had engaged one at Stargard;" finally she 
pushed the door to with her $oo\J&" Master," cried the bloodhound 
within: "Seize the witch in the name of the Prince!" "Whereupon 
the door was again thrown open, and my hag, sobbing loudly, was 
forced into the court in her socks, and backwards .\ J0' 4 And what 
did they want with her?" she asked, still sobbing. 

HEREUPONthecommissionermadeasigntothe 
executioner, who instantly admitted old Wblde A1-* 
brecht by the same door. She entered bare^foot, and 
in the black shift worn upon the rack, upon which the 
red blood lay in deep fresh stains. W^hen Sidonia be^ 
held this she shuddered. But Ludecke rose up and 
admonished "Wblde to speak the truth without fear, & to remember 
that, on the morrow morning, at that very hour, she would stand 
before the throne of God; there was yet time to save her poor soul 
J^Sothe old lame hag began to sob likewise, and lament, and says, 
at last: "O Lady Prioress, I must save my poor soul! I would not 
betray you else." 

HEN she spoke out, and told bravely all she knew 
about Sidonia, and her evil spirit Chim; and how 
Chim used to help her own Familiar, whose name 
was Jurgen, to get rid of Sidonia' s enemies ; item, that 
the devil Chim sometimes took the form of a man, 
j for she had seen him frequently in Sidonia's cham^ 
ber jg? Atthis Sidonia raged and scolded, and flew at Wolde to seize 
her by the hair, but Ludecke interposed & threatened if she were not 
quiet to give her up to Master Hansen for a fewturns or so for trial ; 
upon which she remained silent from terrors a pace, but soon began 
again to sob, and exclaimed :" Yes, yes ; she must think of her blessed 
Saviour, who likewise was betrayed and trodden under foot by one 
who had broken bread with him ! She had not only given bread to 
this wretch, buttwicehad given her life. Oh, woe, woe to the shames 
less creature, who could step before the throne of God with such a 
lie in her mouth ! "J&Kt which the other wept, and answered with 
loud sobs: "Ah, gracious Lady Prioress, if I had not my poor soul 
to save, I would betray you never!" 
434 





HEN, by desire of the court, she confirmed by oath 
her previous statements. Wliereupon Sidonia was 
led back to her cell in the convent by the executioner, 
and forbidden, upon pain of death, to leave itwithout 
permission. Whereupon her rage knew no bounds ; 
I she scolded, stamped, menaced, and finally cursed her 
cousin Jobst, as well as the commissioner, jailors and hangmen as 
they were jg?The third day the pile is erected again by the execu^ 
tioner, there where the others stood, that is,not far from the window 
of Sidonia, and as it was necessary for one of the criminal judges to 
be present at the burning of a witch, Jobst Bork proceeded thither 
with a great concourse of people, for my Egger thad excused him' 
self, saying he was sick, though, methinks, I know what sickness he 
had, namely, the hare's sickness; and Jobst admonished the witch, 
who hobbled along in her white shift and black cap, leaning on a 
crutch, not to accuse his poor cousin falsely, for let her think where 
she would stand in a few moments. There was the pile before her 
eyes, an image of the eternal hell'fire. But she held by her first con-- 
fession, and even after the executioner made her ascend the ladder, 
she turned round at the third step, and cried : " Give her shoulder as 
good a wrench as ye gave mine, and she will soon confess, I war^ 
rant" l j^Butbehold,when the executioner, by desire of the upright 
Jobst, had bound her fast with wet cords, in order soon to make an 
end of her, and lit the pile up round about, the flames were still 
blown away from the stake by the wind, and would not touch the 
hag, so that many saw in it a miracle of Satan, and wondered, till an 
old peasant stepped forth from the crowd, and cried, " Ha, ha, I will 
soon settle her!" Then seizing her crutch, which she had dropped at 
the foot of the pile, he stepped uptheladderandpitchedoffherblack 
cap, with his stick, whereupon a black raven flew out, with loud 
croakings, and disappeared towards the north, and instantly after 
the flames blazed up around her, covering her all over like a yellow 
mantle, with such rapidity that the people only heard her shriek once. 



ff* 435 




CHAPTERXXIII.HOWDILIANABORK&GEORGE 
PUTKAMMER ARE AT LENGTH BETROTHED. 
ITEM: HOW SIDONIA IS DEGRADED FROM HER 
CONVENTUAL DIGNITIES & CARRIED TO THE 
WITCHES'TOWER OF SAATZIG IN CHAINS. 

HEN Jobst returned home to Saatzig 
from the execution, he seemed much dis.* 
turbed in his mind, which was unusual 
to him, and sat by the stove plunged in 
deep thought. At length he calls his little 
daughter Diliana from the spinnings 
wheel where she satjg?" Ah, the Prince 
had set his life in great peril, but more 
than the Prince himself did she, his little 
daughter, plague him by showing her.' 
self so cold to the brave young knight. She ought to leave off this 
prudery, else he feared by the next time the sun was in a propitious 
position, that his Highness would send for her again to question 
the devil; there was nothing such a fanatic would not do; but if she 
would only press her arm now, and bid the young knight come. 
Where could she meet with abraver husband ?"j£^Atthistheyoung 
maiden blushed up to her very eyes, and asked earnestly: " rather, 
think you the good knight stays away because I have not summoned 
him? 

Ilia : "Of course, my child. Thou forbadest him to approach thee 
until summoned; and now where could a greater proof of his love 
be than in having obeyed thee ?" 

Hxc : "Ah, me, I have wondered so, father, why he never sought 
me. I never meant that, you surely misunderstood me. But, father, 
if you wish, shall I summon him by the magnetic sign ?" 
Ha nods his he ad, laughing. 

™7 HEREUPON Diliana, blushingyetmore,pressed 
her arm, and feeling a pressure in return almost im.' 
I mediately, pushed up her sleeve, set the magic box 
thereon, and with her golden breast-pin, directedthe 
» magnetic needle to the letters : 
_J COME, DEAREST. 
Whilst my Jobst looked over her shoulder, so that his long gray 
beard fell upon her neck, and when he read the letters he embraced 
and kissed her, telling her that a better kisser would soon come and 
save him the trouble, meaning the knight, and truly scarce half an 
436 




hour had passed, when the cloud of dust could be seen through the 
trees, which was raised as he rode along, and, panting and agitated 
sprang into the room, exclaiming to my Jobst : ** Where is Diliana ? " 
But she sits mute in the corner, red as a rose, and looks down upon 
the ground J& So my Jobst laughed, and pointed to the blushing 
rose in the corner, whereupon the young knight, George, in a mo/ 
ment, is by her side, and had her hand in his, and asks : " If his loved 
Rachel will not end his weary years of serving now, and be his for 
evermore?" "Yes," she murmured, through hert soft tears, "I will 
be yours now for evermore"; and she extended her two arms to-' 
wards him. 

Wp^S^r^Ta-A-RRY, how soon my youngknight took the trouble 
[Wk \VRQKJ Cm off the old father; so that Jobst danced for joy at the 
l^rVl^?2? fepi&kt, and clapped his hands, and swore that such a 
PK$&Q^3 |j wedding should be held at Saatzigthat people would 
w\V<g£Sj ttjjtalk about it for fifty yearsjg?But, alas, the wedding 
ifcSaSSaasamttst wait for a year and a day ! For, in two days the 
young knight is laid upon a sick bed, and brought so low that at one 
time his life was despaired of. However, he comforted himself by 
pressing his wounded arm three times a day, and thus corresponds 
ing with his betrothed by means of the magnet. So they told their 
grief and their love to each other daily in these few words . And many 

thinkthathissicknesswasadevirsworkofSidonia,orofoldWo!de's 
planning; but he himself rather judged it arose from the wild ride 

to his young bride on the morning she bade him come. This matter, 
therefore, I leave undecided,^ Yet no one can surely fathom all the 
cunning wiles of Satan; for though many said Sidonia' s power is 
now broken by Wolde's death, and indeed the poor sheriff was the 
only one who still played the hare, and kept the roaring ox safe up 
in the stall; still, so strange a thing happened at this time to the 
knight Ewald von Mellenthin, that the criminal court thought 
proper to take cognisance of the matter, and so we find it noted down 
in the records of the trial. For mark ! This same knight being sum/ 
moned to give evidence, deposed to Sidonia having in his presence 
flung a hatchet at his dear bride, Ambrosia von Guntersberg, who 
had been now a long while his welkbeloved spouse, which hatchet 
had wounded her in the foot. Then turningto the hag he exclaimed 
wrathfully: "Ha! thou devil's witch, hast thou found thy recom/- 
pense at last ?"jg? Whereupon Sidonia made a faceathimafterher 
fashion, and menaced him with the vengeance of her friends. 

ff 3 437 





FJEUTwhatfriend had she but Satan ? who avenged her 
' on this wise J& For, as some days after, the knight 
Ewald was driving with his cousin Detloff, between 
Schlotenitz and Schellin, such an awful roaring and 
j raging and storming was heard in the air over their 
I heads that the two foremost horses took fright, broke 
their traces, threw their coachman, who was nearly killed, & dashed 
offacross the field through thick and thin, and never stopped till they 
reached Stargard, trembling, panting, and exhausted, about evening 
time. 

JHE knight laid all this evidence before the criminal 
commission, and my hare grew so frightened there^ 
upon, thatnext day, while listeningto the depositions 
of more witnesses, seeing a shadow hop along his 
paper, he started up in horror, screaming: "There 
are the toad shadows again ! O God, keep me ! There 
are the toad shadows again!" But the special commissioner who 
had also observed the shadow, and got up to look out at the window, 
now called out, laughing heartily : " Marry, good Sparling, the sha-* 
dow belongs to one of your worship's brothers, apoor little sparrow, 
who is hoppingthere on the house-top. Go out and see, if youdon't 
believe me" J$f Wliereupon the whole court burst out into a fit of 
laughter, to the great annoyance of my hare. 

""1HILST Ludecke is drawing up his articulus inqui' 
| sitionalis, Sidonia's advocate, Dr. Elias Pauli, was 
not idle. At first he stirred up the whole race of the 
Borks in her favour, letting it come to the Duke's 
ears through his grand chamberlain, Matzke Bork, 
I that if Sidonia were treated with gentleness, and 
thereby brought to make confession, assuredly there was great 
hope that for this grace and indulgence she would untie the magic 
knots of the girdle wherewith she had bewitched the whole princely 
race, and laid the spell of barrenness upon them J& But if extreme 
measures were resorted to, never would she do this for his High' 
nessjgSFSo the Dukewas half moved to consent, and bade his supers 
intendent, Mag. Reutzius, come to him, and he should instantly 
repair to Marienfliess, visit the sorceress in her apartment, where 
she was bis dato guarded a close prisoner. Let him read out the 
seventyfour articles oftheindictmentto her himself, admonish her 
to confess, and in his (the Duke's name) offer her pardon if she 
would untie the knots of the girdle. Did she refuse, however, let her 
be brought the following Sunday to theconvem>chapel, there in the 
438 




presence of the whole congregation before the altar he was again to 
admonish her. If she still persisted in her lies & wickedness, then let 
him summon the executioner to strip her of her cloister habit before 
the eyes of all the people. When he had further pronounced her de^ 
gradation from all her conventual dignities, she was to be putinfet" 
ters & carried to the witches' tower at Saatzig u /^ My worthy fathers 
in-law offered many objections against the public degradation, but 
his Highness was resolved, andwould listen to no reasons, his wrath 
was so great against the hag. 

SOW it may be easily conjectured what crowds of 
(1 people gathered in the chapel when the blessed Sab^ 
M bath'bell rang, and the news ran from mouth to 
N mouth, that the witch was to be denounced and de^ 
(kiS«l fi^ti & rac * ec * that day before the altar. Never had somany 
^gS^gJaa folk been seen within the wallsjgFAnd when the 



church was so full that not a soul more could squeeze in at the doors 
the people broke in the windows, and setting ladders againstthem 
clambered through, and swung themselves right and left on the 
balustrades, and above and below, and on all sides, there was not a 
spot without a human face. Yea, four younkers crowded under the 
baldaquin of the pulpit, and another carl got on the altar behind the 
crucifix, and would have knocked it down, but my worthy father^ 
in-law, seeing it shake, caught hold of the carle bythe tail of his coat 
and dragged him forth. Item : The whole criminal commission is 
present. Item : All the nuns in their gallery, with the exception of 
the sub'prioress, Dorothea Stettin, who, along with two other WO' 
men, had devoted themselves to a fearful act of vengeance (which I 
would hardly h ave believedof them), but it will be related presently. 
^™— t ., ."ag to Sidonia, she had been brought in already, and 
placed on the penitential stool before the altar, after 
H which the organ struck up that terrible hymn : 
jl " Eternity, thou thunder word ! " 

Yet, as it happened, the congregation had not got 
I this hymn in their psalm-books, seeing that it was 
quite a new one (which circumstance had been overlooked in the 
general agitation) they were obliged to sing that other, beginning: 
" Now the awful hour has come. 

Then the reverend priest, M. Reutzius, advanced to the altar, having 
first chanted the litany, and there to obey the Duke's behests, as 
nearly as possible, opened his sermon with some verses from the 
aforementioned hymn, which I shall set down here for the sake of 
the curious reader: 

ff4 439 




Eternity, thou thunder word ! 
Piercing the soul like sharpest sword, 
Beginning without ending ! 
Eternity! Time without Time, 
I know not in my grief and crime 
Wliereto my soul is tending. 
The fainting heart recoils in fear 
To see thy shadow drawing near. 

In all the world there is no grief 

To which Time brings some relief, 

Though sorrow wildest rages ; 

But thou, Eternity, can bring 

No balm to lessen hell's fierce sting, 

Through never-ending ages. 

For even Christ himself hath said: 

"There's no repentance for the dead." 

So long as God in Heaven reigns, 
So long shall last the sinner's pains, 
In hell's fierce torture's lying. 
Eternal fires will plague the soul, 
Thirst, hunger, horror, fear, and dole, 
The soul itself undying. 
For hell's dark shades will never flee, 
Till God himself hath ceased to be ! 

After which he read out the words of his text to the criminal, telling 
her how his Serene Highness had selected the same himself out of 
paternal clemency and in all uprightness. Then he explained it, ad' 
monishing her yet once more to save her poor soul, and not plunge 
it into eternal perdition. After this he kneeled down along with the 
whole congregation, and prayed to the Holy Spirit for her convert 
sion, so that everyone in the church wept, & trembled, and sobbed. 
Then he rose up again and spake : " I ask you, for the last time, Si" 
donia von Bor k, do you confess yourself guilty or not?" 

ND while every one held their breath suspended, the 
terrible sorceress roseupand spake outwith boldde^ 
fiance : " I am innocent. Curse upon the blood-thirsty 
Prince who has brought me to this shame ; my blood 
be upon him and upon his race \"JZ?" No," cried the 

_ priest from the altar; "he hath saved his soul; thy 

blood be upon thyself, and thy perdition upon thine own head !" 
440 





SHE N he lifted his right hand as a signal to the exe^ 
cutioner, whereupon Master Worger stepped forx 
ward in his red mantle with six assistants. And first 
he draws forth a pair of scissors from beneath his 
cloak, and cut off her nun's veil (for by command of 
the criminal judge, she had only a simple veil on to^ 
day), and he and his assistants trampled it beneath their feet. Then 
he cuts a slit in herblackrobe, just beneath the chin, and tore it down 
from head to foot, as a draper tears linen, and at this sight, and the 
harsh sound in the silence of the church, many amongst the nuns 
fainted. When all this had been done, and Sidonia now stood there 
in her white undergarment, Master Worger, by command of the 
court, put fetters on her, and rivetted them tightly. So that at the ter^ 
rible sound of the hammering and clanking, and the thundering re^ 
verberation through the vaulted church, so great a horror and fear 
fell upon every one present, that all the nuns who had not fainted 
rushed out of the gallery. Item : A crowd of people from the nave 
and even the priest holding his hands before his eyes, hastened after 
them. She was soon lifted up by the executioner and his assistant, 
and thrown into the cart over which the red flag waved; then driven 
off without delay to Saatzig, a great crowd of people trotting along 
with her. And even in Saatzig the whole town ran together when 
the cart with the criminal was seen emerging from the wood, and 
the executioner blewhis trumpet to give notice to the warder on the 
tower of their approach, as had been agreed upon J& Amongst the 
crowd, however, my Jobst is not to be seen; yet when the cart stops 
the beautiful form of Diliana is seenpressingforward,sheis dressed 
in a deep morning mantle, and bears a golden beaker of wine in her 
hand, weeps, and says mildly: " Here, dear cousin, drink! You shall 
have everythingas good as I can make it for you,and eatwhatl and 
my father eat. Ah ! cousin, cousin, wherefore did you not make full 
confession?" J& Herewith she reached out the beaker to the cart, 
but the evil witch screamed out : " Confess ! What should I confess, 
you fool? Away with your stuff; I will not be fed by your charity!" 
jjg? Whereupon she dashed aside the beaker so fiercely that it fell 
to theground, and the wine splashed all over the young maiden's 
robe. Then, clenchingherwitheredhand,sheshookitatthewindow. 
"Ha! the thick ploughman. Where hath the devil hid him, the 
thief that stole my rents from Zachow ? This is my reward for having 
cured him ! But wait, I will make him repent it yet," &c. J& And 
she would have gone on much longer with her curses, but the exc 

441 



cutfoner gave her another blow with his fist which made her hold 
her tongue. Then he and his fellows lifted her from the cart, and as 
she was unable to walk from shame, and despair, and wrath, they 
carried her up the winding stairs to the witches' tower; and she 
glowered into the little chamber which she had occupied fifty years 
before, at the time she murdered poor Clara von Dewitz, for they 
had to pass by it to reach the witches' tower, which lay two flights 
of stairs higher up jg? And when Master Worger laid her down in 
the damp dark hole, and shook out some straw for her to lie on, the 
knave grinned and said: "WTiat would she do now for company? 
The devil would scarcely come; still a companion would be plea/- 
sant" l /^The witch, however, made no answer, only looked down 
upon the ground, muttering to herself J0- Whereupon the knave 
laughed again, and cried: "Eh, wait, I have got a companion for 
you ! "j2?And opening a sack he had brought with him, took out a 
blackened human head, & then two long, black, half'burned bones, 
placed the bones crosswise on the ground, and set the head a^top of 
them; then said: "So, now you have right merry company. That 
is Wblde's head, as you may perceive; and now ye may conjure the 
devil together as ye were wont." Then, grinning maliciously, he 
went out, locking the prison door upon the unfortunate wretch and 
the death's head. 

IE ANWHILE, my Jobst and his fair daughter are 
] plunged in great perplexity and despair at the Duke's 
cruel order to have Sidonia sent to their castle of 
Saatzig. Therefore, the indignant knight sat down 
land wrote an earnest remonstrance to his Highness 
(the Duke, and prayed his Grace,therefore, to remove 
this millstone from his neck, or he would resign the post of Governor 
of Saatzig, & withdraw to his own good castle of Pansin.This letter 
he despatched by a running courier to Old Stettin, and it produced 
a good effect upon the Duke; for, in three days, an order arrived for 
Sidonia's removal to Oderburg; and the crowds gathered round 
the cart, from all parts, to see her as she passed along, as thick as if 
it had been the time of the annual fair. 

JOD be thanked, I have now got her as far as the 

[Oderburg! For, as concerning her long imprison/- 

ment there, her frequent examinations, and, finally, 

the question by torture, what need for me to relate 

themhere,seeingthatyourHighnessandyourillus«' 
I trious brothers were present during all behind the 
442 





green screen ? I, too, Dr. Theodore Plonnies, assisted at the trial as 
high/sheriff, Anton Petersdorf was protonotarius to the criminal 
court, and Johann Caude, the notarius, conducted the protocollum. 
Besides, when I look back and think of her shrieks, and how the 
dry withered limbs writhed and cracked upon the wheel, till the 
black blood poured forth from her nails and teeth, my head swims 
and the sight leaves my eyes ; therefore, away with it ! This only will 
I notice, that her advocate, Dr. Elias Pauli, preserved her in truth 
for a year and a day from the rack and bitter death, by his keen and 
cunning devices, thinking that she would make away with herself 
some way or other, by mercury or else, to escape the stake. But no 
such thing; she was as afraid of death as a cat of hot broth; so at last 
he had to suffer justice to take its course. Whereupon this Satan's 
hag, on the 28th July, 1620, at four o'clock in the afternoon, pursuant 
to a decree of the electorakcourtof judges of Magdeburg in Saxony, 
was brought into the great hall at Oderburg, and there stretched 
upon the rack, as I have above mentioned, to force her to a confess 
sion upon seventeen articulos inquisitionales, many of which I have 
noticed here and there through the preceding chapters. 
CHAPTER XXIV. OF THE EXECUTION OF SIDO. 
NIA AND THE WEDDING OF DILIANA. 

FTE R the torture, the poor malicious old 
wretch became so weak that she thought 
herself liketo die,& therefore bade mywof 
thy godfather, Dr. Cramer, to be brought 
to her, that she might make full confession 
at last JE? And her repentance, in truth, 
seemed earnest and real now; for after the 
communion she bade them bring her her 
coffin, then sat up, and looking at it for a 
long while in silence, at last said : " I shall 
soon rest there in peace; meantime carry it out again till I am dead." 
UT such a hunger for the blessed sacrament was 
causedby her death fears,andnot by holy repentance; 
for as she didnotdie,butrather after some days grew 
strong again (probably because the Lord God chose 
to spare her yet longer, for a more fearful and terrible 





he 



rwal 



, ^ --y W „ iWi *£~- 7 — 

^..^B warning to all sinners), she returned, "like a sow to 
, Jlowinginthemire/'Andmoreparticularly did she spit forth 
her poisonous curses upon the whole princely race, when the court 
painter, Matthias Eller, arrived at the prison with an order from 

443 



his Highness, to paint her portrait, now in hideous old age, behind 
that which he had seen at Wblgast, representing her in the prime 
of youthful beauty. Long did she weep and groan when she looked 
on the portrait of what she had been sixty years before ; th en clenched 
her fists, and cursed to all eternity the princely race which had first 
brought her to public dishonour, she so young and innocent, and 
not content with that, now thirsted to see her noble blood flowfrom 
the gallows^" Ah, that was indeed the portrait of her youth ! For 
her princely bridegroom had got it painted secretly, because of his 
haughty arrogant mother, by a painter in Wblgast; but she had re^ 
venged herself on the proud old woman at last. The golden chain 
was her own, but the gold hair^band and the sable collar had been 
a present from her young bridegroom. And now, what was left of 
all her pomp and magnificence ? See what these accursed princes 
had broughtherto with their envy, arrogance, and savage vengeance, 
she thatwas the richest lady in the land was now the poorest beggar, 
and had not wh erewithal even to purchase a death'shift." 

|EANWHILE the report spread throughout all 
Pomerania'land that Sidonia was dead, & had been 

I privately buried. The cause was this : when the exe^ 

I cutioner and his fellows carried out her coffin after 
she had seen it, they told the eager and curious rab' 

I ble, who gathered round and had been roaring out 
for her death, that she was dead already and lay within, and so they 
would lose the fun of seeingher buried; and this they said in jest, to 
disappoint the filthy and savage mob. So the news spread through 
the land and reached Saatzig, where it was confirmed by an honoura^ 
ble knight from Old Stettin, who answered them on oath that he 
had seen her coffin carried out with his own eyes. So my Jobst and 
his fair daughter are glad, and thank God that one of their noble 
race had been spared the disgrace of falling by the hands of the 
hangman; the young Diliana, in especial, rejoices, and when her 
lover arrived from Pansin in the afternoon (for he was grown well 
and strong again), she threw herself on his bosom, rapturously ex/ 
claiming: " Dearest George, our poor cousin is dead; now may the 
wedding be, now may the banns be published ! "^However, the 
news soon came how the mistake had happened, and that Sidonia 
was still alive. But as the banns had been already-published and the 
wedding fixed for the 18th of July, Diliana at length consented to 
abide by the arrangement, particularly as they heard also that the 
execution would be delayed for some time, in consequence of the 
444 





Elector of Saxony having sent in his protest against it to the Ducal 
Court of Stettin. Indeed so many powerful princes protested against 
this public disgrace, by reason of Sidonia's high rank, that many 
thought she w ould be allowed to go away perfectly free. 

UMMA: Already, by the evening of the 17th, the 
noble guests had gathered at Saatzig, & of the Borks 
almost the whole illustrious race is present; among 
whom were particularly noticeable the Honourable 
Aulic Councillors, and Councillors of Administra^ 
tion, Just, Andreas, and Henning. Item, all the Put' 
kammers, among whom came the old burgomaster Wolff, with his 
sons, Benedictus, Asso, Gerson, Matthias Wolfgang, &c. So that 
by midnight the castle rang with merriment and revelry; and old 
Jobst Bork was so beside himself with joy, that he flung the empty 
flasks, as he drained them, up at the monks' heads which were carved 
round the capitals of the pillars in the greatknights' hall, crying out, 
" That is for thee, monk ! " J$t But the festive night hath a sad 
morning, withouttalking of all the drinkers who snored till mid^day. 
J& However, all were ready at last to go to the bridal, only waiting 
for Matzke Bork, the princely chamberlain, who had promised, if 
possible, to be present at the marriage, along with his Serene High' 
ness himself, Duke Francis. So they watched from the windows, 
and they watched from the towers, but never a one of them is to be 
seen ; and the guests impatiently pace up and down the great hall, 
which is all wreathed and decorated with flowers and banners. But 
theyoungbridegroom is themost impatient of all. He paced upand 
down the hall, arm'in'arm with his betrothed, when at last a car^ 
riage was heard approaching, and every eye was turned to the win^ 
dow, but Matzke Bork sits in it alone. He enters disturbed and 
mournful, and when the knight of Saatzig asks him where he has 
left his Highness the Duke, he answers: "The Duke will drink 
blood in place of wine to-day ! Listen, good cousins, to what the 
Duke hath resolved concerning our kinswoman Sidonia. Her sen.* 
tence hath been pronounced, and this very day will be carried into 
effect: first her nose and ears are to be torn up with red hot irons, at 
three different quarters of the town, bythepublic hangman, & afters 
wards she is to be burned alive at a slow fire "J& When he ended, 
all the Borks present screamed with horror, & gathered round him : 
"And was it not possible yet to change this sentence ?"j@F But 
Matzke answered : "He had tried all entreaties, but in vain; even 
three times he had cast himself on his knees before his Highness, 

445 




yet could obtain no mitigation; for his Grace was incensed against 
the witch because of her arrogant defiance, and her stubborn re^ 
fusal to remove the spell from the princely race, and sent orders to 
the executioner to build the pile by eight of the clock on the follow 
in g morning, a nd burn her alive tnereon." 

flHEN he ceased speaking, the uproar in the hall 
[ rose to the highest. Some of Sidonia's kin, amongst 
whom was Jobst, swore the devil's hag deserved it 
j all; and how could her death bring dishonour upon 
them ? But some thought evil of the insult offered to 
their race, & cursed his Highness, and would spring 
to their saddles and ride to Stettin on the instantJ^Matzke, how 
ever, lifted his voice, and bade them have reason. "They must en-* 
dure what could not be altered. Jobst was right; was the proud oak 
the worse because a rotten branch was lopped off? Were they to come 
before his Highness with such mien and gesture, why he would 
straight order them all to be clapped into prison, and then, indeed, 
would disgrace rest on their illustrious namej^No, no; for God's 
sake let them rest here jj^His Grace was too full of wrath now to 
listen even tohis preachers, the ministers of God. How, then, would 
he hear them ? Let them rather rest in peace, and forget the fate of 
their evil cousin in the festivities of the bridal "j@F" Ay, good cousins 
and guests," quoth the bridegroom, "let us to the bridal, and the 
word of God will calm us, and bringus upon other thoughts. But 
where is my beloved Diliana?"j^They sought her in the hall, in 
vain ! They ran all through the castle, in vain ! Diliana is away, and 
no one knows w hither she has gone. 

7\f UTthemaiden hatha brave spirit, and hath wrapped 
a black mantlebelonging to her mourning robes over 
her bridal dress, and drawn the hood over her myrtle 
wreath; then taking the shift of her grandmother, 
Clara, in her hand, which she had kept ready by her 
(for such a case, she descended to the stables, where 
there were only two grooms to be seen, all the others having joined 
the crowd round the church, to catch a sight of the bridal procession, 
had the bestpalfrey saddled, took one groom with her, pressed some 
money into the hand of the other, and bade him not tell, for three 
hours, that she had gone to Old Stettin. Then rode away, striking, 
however, into a bypath, to deceive the guests, in case they should 
attempt to follow her. And her journey ended all safely; for in four 
hours she was in Old Stettin, without having been pursued. And 
446 




reaching the ducal residence, she alighted, hastened up the stairs, 
bowed proudly to the princely official, without uttering a word, and 
proceeded straight to the apartment of the Duke. There threw off 
her travellinghoodand mantle, and knocked bravely at the doorjgF 
"Enter!" exclaimed the voice of his Highness. Upon which the 
beautiful maiden in her bridal robes, and the myrtle wreath on her 
hair, stepped in. At which sight, his Grace, who was reclining on a 
couch, started up, took her hand smiling, and asked: " For the love 
of heaven, whatbrought her hither upon her festaL-day ?"jS^So she 
began : "This was no festal^day, but a day of shame to her and her 
whole race, because of the horrible and incredible tidings brought to 
them by Matzke Bork, respecting their old kinswoman, Sidonia; 
therefore she had left bridegroom, bridal, and festival, and ridden 
away alone, to see if she could not turn away such a disgrace from 
her noble race, and such horrible torture from her poor old kinswo^ 
man. Had she not freely perilled her life for his Grace ? If they had 
not succeeded, at least it was no fault ofhers. Let him recall the terrible 
decree, and if her cousin deserved death, as she doubted not, com/ 
mand her to be beheaded, as had at first been agreed upon. This, at 
least, was a more honourable and less painful death. HisGracemust 
grant her prayer, for she would not move from the spot until he did 
so" jgFBut his Grace is inexorable, and recapitulates all the sins of 
the demon hag: "how she had defied him, and made a mock of the 
holy sacrament; and wherefore did he bear the sword from God, if 
it were not as a just Prince, to set her forth a terrible warning and 
example to all ? for witchcraft was increasing day by day in the land, 
and witches were almost as plenty as flies." 

IIS Grace then paced up and down a long while in 

silence, & at last spake : " Now, for thy sake the first 

decree shall hold good, although never was one so 

unworthy of my favour as this hag"j^Whereat the 

j young virgin was so moved with gratitude, that she 

I fell down on her knees before his Grace, & bedewed 

lis hand with her tears. 

J* USTthen some one knocked, and the jailor entered: 
^ '? The witch had taken another fit of conversion, and 
•j prayed for a priest. Item, for a fresh shift, for she had 
7, not changed her linen for four weeks, and no one 
'( would giveher a fresh shift "jg? When Dilianaheard 
this, she wondered much over the dark providence of 
God, and said: "Wait, I will give thee a shift for her;" stepped out 

447 





into the gallery and took Clara's, No. 7, which she had brought with 
her out of her travelling mantle, and, in truth, this was the very shift 
in which the murderess was carried to her deathj^Summa: The 
jailor had scarcely got the said shift under his arm, when the clatter 
of footsteps is heard upon the stairs, and then another knock at the 
Duke's apartment,and this was my knight George Putkammer, who 
rushed in, arrayed in his wedding finery, but all covered over with 
dust, since he had not given himself time to fling a cloak over his 
dress. He clasped his young bride to his heart, and half scolded her 
for leaving him privately before the bridal. But when he heard of 
her noble courage, and what she had accomplished, he was glad 
again, and kissed the hand of his Grace, and he must now grant 
them one favour more, and return with them to the wedding. The 
distance was only five miles, and he had the finest Malmsey that 
ever was drunk to present to his Highness "j0£? At this hearing, his 
Grace exclaimed : " Eh, George, where have you got the Malmsey ? 
Ha! younker, hast thou a cup of Malmsey? I will go with thee 
right heartily to SaatzigT't/^And his Grace wanted to order car' 
riages instantly to carry them all off, that so that they might arrive 
that same evening at the castle, but Diliana objected: "No, she 
would standby her word, and never hold bridal in Saatzig until her 
poor cousin lay at rest in her grave. This night she would remain in 
the town & not leave it until she had seen thelastof her poorcousin." 
~23 LONG strife now ensued, but Diliana remained 
firm to her resolve. So his Highness said, at last, that 
he would play the messenger himself, and journey 
off to the wedding the moment he had given orders 
to his chancellor respecting the change of Sidonia's 
sentence. Hewasbetter pleased not to be in theplace 
when she was executed. Diliana could stay the night in the castle 
with his dear spouse, the Duchess, and the knight might look after 
a place for himself. He would desire all the wedding guests to be 
ready to/morrow at mid^day for the bridal, and if Diliana and the 
knight disliked riding, let them order a carriage from the Marshal of 
his stables, with fresh Frisian horses, and in a couple of hours they 
would be at SaatzigjgFHowever, Diliana would not remain the 
nightin the castle, but went to her cousin, the Lady of Matzke Bork, 
because her house stood not far from the place of execution, although 
the place itself was not visible, and my younker went down sorrow^ 
fully to the inn to pass the night there, but betimes in the morning 
was up and off to his dear little bride. He finds her in the second 
448 




story, but no longer in her bridal magnificence; a black mourning 
garment covered her entire person; andwhenthe Knight started in 
dismay at her appearance, she said: "That no other robes beseemed 
a Boric when one of their race was going to her death ; and she heard 
that the procession to the scaffold was to come that way from the 
Otterburg, and would pass in half an hour, therefore she was pre^ 
pared to behold it. It was well that the scaffold itself was hidden 
from their sight; but would her dear George just go over & bid some 
onehoistaflagwhenthehead of her cousin fell?"Sothe Knight did 
her will, but when he returned, said: " Diliana, if thou givest me so 
many nuts to crack when we are married, methinks it will be an evil 
thing" J0To which she answered, mildly x*i No, dear George, after 
marriage it is the wife who cracks all the hard nuts, but to-day, 
dearest, it is thy office. I know not why, but I have a feeling over 
me tcday as if the soul of my poor grandmother would be at rest 
after this execution, and that Sidonia herself will be, in some sense, 
pardoned through the means of that death shift, No. 7; yetwhere^ 
fore I think this, I know not." 

IUST then a dull, hoarse, murmuring sound was 
heard in the distance, like the heaving of the waves 
when thunder is in the air, and the Lady Matzke's 
maid rushed in exclaiming: "She's coming! she's 
coming!" Then Diliana trembled and turned pale, 
I but still advanced to the balcony with her cousin and 
the young Knightj^" At length, the terrible sorceress herself appears 
in sight, accompanied by the school, chanting the deatlvpsalm. She 
wore a white robe, seamed with black, and Diliana recognizes, 
with a shudder, that this is indeed Clara's shift, for she had herself 
thus stitched the seams in order to know it; but besides, the No. 7 
was plainly discernible on the neck. She walked barefoot, & round 
her head was bound a black fillet flowered with gold, from beneath 
which her long white hair fluttered in the wind J& Diliana contemn 
plates all this awhile shudderingly, then covers her face with both 
hands, and sobs and weeps, so that the tears pour down through the 
delicate little fingers, and my yonker hath enough to do to comfort 
her. But when the procession disappears, she dries her eyes, re-enters 
the chamber, and folding her hands across her bosom, walks up and 
down, praying earnestly, until the red Danish flag shoots up. Then 
she sighed deeply, and drying her beautiful eyes, again said, softly: 
" May God have mercy upon her soul, now her tortures are over!" 

g g l 449 






C ARC ELY are the words uttered ere a dense cloud 
of smoke ascends above the fisher's house, rising 
higher and higher, like a lofty black tower in the air, 
so that they all conjectured, f Now she is burning on 
the pile," & shuddered, yet are content withal, that at 
2Sl last her fearful life has ended^Then they all knelt 
down, and repeated the Lord's prayer; then rising, addressed them/ 
selves in earnest for their homeward journey. 

ND here with the death of Sidonia, I might justly 
close my book, merely stating in addition, that her 
ashes were laid in the burial ground for the poor, and 
I that some time after the gentle Diliana caused a tomb/ 
stone to be erected over them, out of Christian charity 
I and forgiveness. But as some say his Highness the 
Duke got his death at the wedding of Diliana, I shall briefly narrate 
the facts here, to please the curious reader jg? For the said Duke was 
so much taken with the Malmsey wine, that he sat up drinking the 
whole night, and next morning his legs were swelled to that de/ 
gree that his boots had to be cut off with knives. So that when the 
bridal pair arrived, his Grace had to receive them in slippers, yet re/ 
joiced much at hearing that all was over; and then, scarcely giving 
Diliana time to recover herself, despatched the whole company off 
to the church. Not however, without giving serious admonitions, 
both to the priest and the knight George, not to let the ring drop. 
For if Dr. Luther, the thoughtless lubberhead, had not let the ring 
fallat theweddingof his grand/father in Forgau, it would havebeen 
better with him and his whole race, as his grand/mother of blessed 
memory had always said, and now indeed he saw she had spoken 
wisely (^Nowmyjobst in the confusion of voices, hearing only the 
word" monk," thoughthis Grace was speaking of the monks' heads 
on the capitals of the pillars in the hall. So seeing two empty flasks, 
shouted, "Ay, that is for thee, monk!" and pitched them crash! 
crash ! with such force up at the monks, that the pieces flew about the 
earsof the musicians who were toplay before the bridal pair going to 
church, and a loudpeal of laughter rangthrough the hall, after which 
theyallsetoffforthe wedding at last. And in truth this was ablessed 
marriage. 



450 




J3UT respecting the illustrious and princely race of 
Pomerania, they perished each & all without leaving 
behind one single inheritor of their name or posses^ 
sions. Not, methinks, because of the spell which the 
demoniacal sorceress laid on them, but because God 
5fl loved this race so well, that he withdrew them from 
this evil world before the dreadful strifes, wars, and calamities came 
upon them, which ourpoorfatherlandnow endures. For before these 
storms broke over our heads, he called them one by one from this 
vale of tears, and truly, the first was his Highness Duke Francis, for 
in a few months after Sidonia's execution, after abrief illness,onthe 
27th December, 1620, he fell asleep in God, aged 43 years, 8 months, 
and 3 days, without leaving children. The next was Bishop Udalri^ 
cus, who likewise became suddenly ill at Pribbernow, near Stepnitz, 
with swollen body and limbs, and had to lie there until his death, on 
the 31st October, 1622, when to the great grief and consternation of 
the whole land, his young life closed at the early age of 34 years, and 
he too left no children, though he had a young and beautiful spouse. 
The next who died, was Duke Philip Julius of Wolgast, the only 
son of Ernest Ludovicus & his spouse Hedwig. He was a wise ruler, 
but followed the others soon on the 16th February, 1625, aged only 
40 years, 1 mon th, & 28 days ; likewise, as all the rest, left no children. 
UT our Lord God hath not withdrawn so many and 
noble princes from the world, without sending forth 
strange and wonderful signs to forewarn the land; 
for without speaking of the great thunderclap which 
was heard all of a sudden in the middle of clear, fine 
weather the winter after Sidonia's death, and the 
numberless mock suns that appeared in different places, or of that 
strange rain, when a sulphureous matter, like starch in appearance, 
fell from the air (item, a snow-white pike was caught at Colzow in 
Wellin, seven quarters long, and half an ell broad, with red round 
eyes, and red fins), a stranger wonder than all was seen at Wolgast; 
for suddenly, during a review held there, one of the soldiers' mus/ 
kets went off without a finger being laid on it, & the ball went right 
through the princely Pomeranian standard with such precision, that 
the arms seemed to have been cut out all round with a sharp knife. 
At Stettin also, in the castle^chapel, one of the crowns suspended 
over the stalls fell down of itself, but still more awful was what hap^ 
pened respecting Bogislaus XIII. last father of all the Pomeranian 
princes. For all along by the pillars of the aisle, there are figures in 

ZZ 2 451 




armour representing the deceased dukes. And during the sermon 
one Sunday, the sword fell clanging to the ground from the hand of 
the armed figure representing Bogislaus XIII. though no human 
hand ever touched it. At this sight every one is troubled in spirit, but 
woe, alas! we now see what all these supernatural signs and wonders 
denoted! Yet still we have one noble prince remaining with the 
ancient blood of Pomerania in his veins. May the Lord God spare 
himlongtous, and bless him like Abraham with a soninhisold age. 
Such an Isaac would be a blessed sight to me; for when the last 
branch falls, I know that my poor heart will break also ! 

Dr. Theodorus Plonnies. 
CONCLUSION. MOURNFUL DESTINY OF THE 
LAST PRINCELY POMERANIAN REMAINS. MY 
VISIT TO THE DUCAL POMERANIAN VAULT IN 
WOLGAST, ON THE 6th MAY, 1840. 

JOGISLAFF the XIV. who as a truths 
loving, amicable, and pious glossator, has 
annotated so many places in our text, 
found this "last and happy hour," which 
hehadsolong desired, on the 10th March, 
1637. When he had attained the age of 
fifty'Seven years, his death occurred at a 
period of unexampled misery, the like of 
which before or since was never seen in our 
whole German fatherland. Yetthe destiny 
of the Zantalides which followed the princely Pomeranian house, 
seemed in no way propitiated even by their death. No; it raged, and 
rages still, against the last poor remains of their mouldering clay. 
Bogislaff, during the horrors of the thirty years' war, remained for 
seventeen years unburied, because none or the princes who fought 
for the possession of Pomerania, would consent to bear the expense 
of the burial, & the land was too poor to take the cost upon itself.Yet 
his corpse suffered no further indignities like those of his princely 
kinsfolk of Wblgast. For after ninetyvfour years, we find him still ly 
ing calmly in his coffin, looking upward to his Godthroughthelittle 
window which he so often signed after. We shall first take a look 
at him before we descend into the Wolgast vault to contemplate 
the disgusting sacrilege which has been perpetrated and permitted 
there. Every reader of sensibility will feel interested in the follows 
ing details which are taken from Oelrich's valuable work, " Memo/ 
rials of the Pomeranian Dukes," page 87: 
452 





IN the 19th of April, 1731, a royal commission opened 
I the vault in the castle/church of Stettin, wherein 
many of the noble princes of Pomerania lay buried, 
and the coffin of Duke Bogislaff was broken open 
by especial command. The body was found quite 
I perfect jg? Even the face was tolerably preserved, 
though the eyes had fallen in; for the skin had dried over the fea/ 
tures, and the beard was long and somewhat red; the coffin was 
lined throughout with violet velvet (some say black) bordered with 
stones which had the appearance of turquoise J& The corpse was 
dressed in a surplice, similar in form to that worn by priests at the 
present day, but fringed with silver, and likewise ornamented with 
turquoise. Upon the left hand was a diamond ring and another. 
The diamond was quite pale, and the right hand was lying close to 
the side as if going to seize the dagger,^ Farther, they found along 
and massive gold chain suspended round the neck, and upon the 
breast a silver plate, like the bottom of a silver beaker, upon which 
the Pomeranian arms were engraved J£t Beneath the coffin of this 
last Duke of Pomerania lay the ducal flag, but the pole was broken 
in two, either from design or in consequence of decay; and above 
the coffin were remains of crapeand mouldered fragments of velvet. 
Lave anima pial^j^But the princely remains of Wblgast had in/ 
deed a mournful destiny. True; they were not left unburied for a 
number of years, but they were plundered and outraged, in such a 
disgraceful and revolting manner, by church robbers, that it is im/ 
possible even to read the account of it in the Swedish protocol of 
2.1st June, 1688, from which Heller gives extracts in his 'Chronicle 
of the Town of Wblgast/ p. 346, without as much pain as emotion. 
J0- Yet the Swedish government seemed content to rest with the 
simple investigation, & took no trouble about, or showed the least 
respect for, the ashes of those to whom they were indebted for land 
and people. For the coffins lay there just as the robbers left them: 
broken open with axes and hatchets, or wrenched asunder with 
crowbars, and still lie in this state. However the vault was closed 
up, and no one was permitted to enter it unless in the presence of 
one of the reigning family; for this reason very few ever beheld 
these mournful remains. I myself would probably never have had 
an opportunity of so doing, only that the Prussian government re/ 
solved on building some additions to the Wblgast church; and, at 
the same time, desired the foundation to be evened, for it had sunk 
in various places, and afterwards to wall up the princely vault for 

453 



ever. In order to work at the foundation, it was necessary to remove 
the great stone which covered the entrance to the vault, and many 
along with myself availed themselves of this last opportunity to 
visit the interior. Therefore, on the day named above, I descended 
with deep emotion the steps that led to it. I found the vault was 
divided into two compartments, having vaulted roofs of aboutseven 
or eight feethigh. In the first partition no coffin whatever was to be 
seen, but I could distinguish already the glitter of the tin coffins in 
the second compartment, which was reached by a further descent 
of a few steps, and lit up by the torches and lanterns of numerous 
visitors who had preceded me. The coffins were nine in number, 
and mostly covered with tin; each lay on a tressel of mason^work, 
and bore the marks, more or less, of the violence that had been em/ 
ployed to wrench them open J& The strong Philip I. began the 
mournful range, A gentleman handed me his skull, in which scarcely 
a tooth was wanting. Then I searched in the adjoining coffin for that 
of his spouse Maria, 'my gracious Lady of Wolgast, of Dr. Theo^ 
dore's History. I found it, took it in the other hand, and cannot de^ 
scribe the strange feeling which came over me jg? W^hen I had in' 
dulged some time in strange and deep emotions, I laid down the 
honourable relics again in their coffins, & stepped to that of Ernest 
Ludovick, the unfortunate lover of the still more unfortunate Sido' 
nia. According to the protocol of 1688, which I held in my hand, 
there was to be seen there a violet velvet mantle, and a cap without 
anything inside. There they were, nothing more to find, all fallen 
in dust, the weak head as the weak heart! Close to him lay his mv 
fortunate wife, Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick, both the mostbeau^ 
tiful persons of their time J& But my interest was excited most by 
the contemplation of Philip Julius, the last Duke of Pommern-' 
Wolgast, who has only received a passing notice in this book, but 
who was one of the most gifted, and probably the most lamented 
Prince of his thousand-year^old race. His cofttn was of far costlier 
workmanship than the others, and decorated with a row of gilded 
angel's heads; near it stood the black wooden tressel, upon which 
it had originally been placed, and which looked as fresh as if it had 
been only just placed there, instead of having lain in the vault for 
two hundred and fifteen years. A strange sensation crept over me! 
We were both silent, till at last the gentleman began to search with 
his hand in the grey mouldering dust, and along with some rags of 
velvet, he brought up a damp discoloured scrap of paper, which he 
carelessly tore; but I instantly seized it, and joined the pieces to^ 
454 



gether again, for the signification of such little notes in the coffins 

of old times was not unknown to meJ$?And, in fact, I found what 

I sought; there was not only marked on it the date of the Duke's 

burial, the 6th of May, which had a mystic significance to me, since 

it was on the very 6th of May that I was now standing to contemn 

plate these mute, yet eloquent graves, but also there was noted down 

the text from which the funeral sermon had been preached (2 Tim. 

iv. 7), as well as the list of the psalms sung on the occasion, among 

which the closing psalm, 'When sorrow assails thee/ is still to be 

found in most hymn-books. But my poor old Pomeranian heart 

could bear no more: I placed the paper again in the coffin; & while 

thetears poured from my eyes as I ascended the steps, those beauti' 

ful old verses came into my head, and I could not help them reciting 

aloud : 

' So must human pomp and state 

In the grave lie desolate. 

He who wore the kingly crown, 

With the base worm lieth down : 

Ermined robe, and purple pall, 

Leaveth he at death's weird call. 

Fleeting, cheating human life, 

Souls are perilled in thy strife; 

Yet the pomps in which we trust, 

All must perish ! dust to dust. 

God alone will ever be; 

Who serves Him reigns eternally!'" 

The End. 



455 



Here ends the story of Sidonia the Sorceress, translated from the 
German of William Meinhold, by Francesca Speranza, Lady 
Wilde, and now reprinted by me, William Morris, at the Kelms' 
cott Press, Upper Mall, Hammersmith, in the County of Middle/ 
sex. Finished on the 15th day of September, 1893. 




Sold by William Morris, at the Kelmscott Press. 



( 
-< 

r- 




m 



i 









i