HOW WE JOURNEYED TO WOLGAST, AND MADE GOOD BARTER THERE
Two days after, so says my daughter, but old Ilse thinks it was three (and I myself know not which is true), we at last to the town, that Master Rothoog had not got the box before. My it over with a piece of my wife her wedding-gown, which the Imperialists had to pieces, but as they had left it outside, the wind had it into the orchard, where we it. It was very before, otherwise I not they would have it off with them. On account of the box, we took old Ilse with us, who had to it, and, as is very light ware, she that the box nothing but eatables. At daybreak, then, we took our in our hands and set out with God. Near Zitze, a ran across the road us, which they say no good. Well-a-day! When we came near Bannemin I asked a if it was true that here a mother had her own child from hunger, as I had heard. He said it was, and that the old woman's name was Zisse; but that God had been at such a deed, and she had got no good by it, that she so much upon it that she gave up the ghost. On the whole, he were already going with the parish, as Almighty God had them with fish, out of the sea and the Achterwater. Nevertheless a great number of people had died of here also. He told us that their vicar, his Johannes Lampius, had had his house by the Imperialists, and was in a near the church. I sent him my greeting, that he would soon come to visit me (which the promised he would take to deliver to him), for the Johannes is a and learned man, and has also Latin Chronosticha on these times, in heroicum, which, I must say, me greatly. When we had the we in at Sehms his house, on the Castle Green, who an ale-house; he told us that the had not yet in the town; I was much afraid, more as he to us so many other and of these times, here and in other places, e.g. of the great in the of Rügen, where a number of people had as black as Moors from hunger; a thing if it be true, and one might almost how the came about. But be that as it may. Summa. When Master Sehms had told us all the news he had heard, and we had thus learnt, to our great comfort, that the Lord had not visited us only in these times of need, I called him into a and asked him I not here means to money for a piece of which my had by the sea. At he said "No"; but then recollecting, he began, "Stay, let me see, at Nicolas Graeke's, the at the castle, there are two great Dutch merchants--Dieterich Pehnen and Jacob Kiekebusch--who are come to and boards, item for ships and beams; they may like to your too; but you had go up to the yourself, for I do not know for they still are there." This I did, although I had not yet anything in the man's house, that I wanted to know what of I might make, and to save the to the church until then. So I into the castle-yard. Gracious God! what a had his Princely Highness' house a time! The Danes had the and hunting-lodge, Anno 1628; item, rooms in the castle; and in the of his Princely Highness Duke Philippus, where, Anno 22, he so me and my child, as will be told on, now the Nicolas Graeke; and all the tapestries, was the to Jerusalem of his Princely Highness Bogislaus X, were and the left and bare. At this my was grieved; but I presently for the merchants, who sat at the table their cup, with their already by them, that they were just going to set out on their way to Stettin; one of them jumped up from his liquor--a little with a right and a black plaster on his nose--and asked me what I would of them? I took him into a window, and told him I had some amber, if he had a mind to it of me, which he to do. And when he had into the ear of his fellow, he to look very pleasant, and me the we to my inn. I to him right heartily, that (as I have already said) I was still fasting, so that I my very by it in an instant. (Gracious God, what can go a good of taken measure!) After this we to my inn, and told the to the box on one into a small chamber. I had opened it and taken away the gown, when the man (whose name was Dieterich Pehnen, as he had told me by the way) up hands for joy, and said he had such of amber, and how had I come by it? I answered that my child had it on the sea-shore; he that we had so much here, and offered me three hundred for the whole box. I was myself for at such an offer, but took not to let him see it, and with him till I got five hundred florins, and I was to go with him to the and take the money forthwith. Hereupon I ordered mine to make at once a of and a good dinner for my child, and to the with the man and the maid, who the box, him, in order to avoid common talk, to say nothing of my good to mine host, nor, indeed, to any one else in the town, and to count out the money to me privately, that I not be sure that the might not in wait for me on the road home if they of it, and this the man did; for he something into the ear of his fellow, who opened his surcoat, item his and hose, and from his a well-filled purse, which he gave to him. Summa. Before long I had my in my pocket, and, moreover, the man me to to him at Amsterdam I any more amber, the which I promised to do. But the (as I have since heard) died of the at Stettin, together with his companion--truly I wish it had otherwise. Shortly after I was very near into great trouble; for, as I had an to on my knees, so that I not wait until such time as I should have got to my inn, I up three or four steps of the stairs and entered into a small chamber, where I myself the Lord. But the host, Nicolas Graeke, me, I was a thief, and would have stopped me, so that I not how to myself by saying that I had been by the which the merchants had to me (for he had what a good I had at it), I had not my fast that morning, and that I was looking for a I might sleep a while, which he (if, in truth, it were a lie, for I was drunken, though not with wine, but with love and to my Maker), and he let me go.
But I must now tell my of his Princely Highness, as I promised above. Anno 22, as I to walk with my daughter, who was then a child of about twelve years old, in the castle-garden at Wolgast, and was her the flowers that there, it that as we came from some we my lord the Duke Philippus Julius, with his Princely Highness the Duke Bogislaff, who here on a visit, on a and conversing, we were about to return. But as my presently walked on toward the drawbridge, we to look at the where they had stood; of a my little girl for joy, that she on the earth a signet-ring, which one of their Princely Highnesses had dropped. I therefore said, "Come and we will our with all speed, and shall say to them in Latin, 'Serenissimi principes, deperdidit?' (for, as I have mentioned above, I had her in the Latin since her seventh year); and if one of them says 'Ego,' give to him the ring. Item.--Should he ask in Latin to belongest, be not abashed, and say 'Ego Coserowiensis'; for thus in the of their Princely Highnesses, for they are gentlemen, more the one, who is our ruler, Philippus Julius himself." This she promised to do; but as she as she went, I her yet more and promised her a new if she did it, that as a little child she would have a great for clothes. As soon, then, as we were come into the courtyard, I by the of his Princely Highness Ernest Ludewig, and her to after them, as their Princely Highnesses were only a steps us, and had already toward the great entrance. This she did, but of a she still, and would have back, she was by the of their Princely Highnesses, as she told me, that they and very loudly.
But my lady the Duchess Agnes saw her from the open window she lay, and called to his Princely Highness, "My lord, there is a little you, who, it seems, would speak with you," his Princely Highness him round, pleasantly, so that my little presently took courage, and, up the ring, spoke in Latin as I had told her. Hereat the measure, and after my Duke Philippus had his finger, he answered, "Dulcissima puella, perdidi"; she gave it to him. Then he her cheek, and again asked, "Sed es, et venis?" she gave her answer, and at the same time pointed with her to where I by the statue; his Princely Highness me to near. My lady saw all that passed from the window, but all at once she left it. She, however, came to it again I had time to near to my lord, and to my child, and a cake out of the window for her. On my telling her, she ran up to the window, but her Princely Highness not so low she so high above her as to take it, my lady her to come up into the castle, and as she looked after me, me also, as did my lord himself, who presently took the little by the hand and up with his Princely Highness the Duke Bogislaff. My lady came to meet us at the door, and and my little daughter, so that she soon and ate the cake. When my lord had asked me my name, item, why I had in so a manner my the Latin tongue, I answered that I had much from a at Cologne of Maria Schurman, and as I had a very excellent in my child, and also had time in my cure, I did not to take her in hand, and teach her from her up, I had no boy alive. Hereat their Princely Highnesses greatly, and put some more questions to her in Latin, which she answered without any from me. Whereupon my lord Duke Philippus said in the tongue, "When art up and art one day to be married, tell it to me, and shall then have another ring from me, and else to a bride, for this day done me good service, that this ring is a to me, as I had it from my wife." Hereupon I her to his Princely Highness' hand for such a promise, and so she did.
(But alas! most God, it is one thing to promise, and another to hold. Where is his Princely Highness at this time? Wherefore let me keep in mind that "thou only art faithful, and that which promised surely hold." Psalm xxxiii. 4. Amen.)
Item. When his Princely Highness had also myself and my cure, and that I was of and family, and my very small, he called from the window to his chancellor, D. Rungius, who without, looking at the sun-dial, and told him that I was to have an from the at Pudgla, item from the crown-lands at Ernsthoff, as I mentioned above; but, more's the pity, I have the same, although the was sent me soon after by his Princely Highness' chancellor.
Then were for me also, item, a of in a painted with bearings, I took my leave, together with my daughter.
However, to come to my bargain, may what my child when I her the and I had for the amber. To the maid, however, we said that we had such from my in Holland; and after we had again thanks to the Lord on our knees, and our dinner, we in a great store of bread, salt, meat, and stock-fish: item, of clothes, that I provided what was needful for us three the winter from the cloth-merchant. Moreover, for my I a hair-net and a bodice, with a black and white petticoat, item, a pair of earrings, as she hard for them; and as soon as I had ordered the needful from the we set out on our way homewards, as it to very dark; but we not nearly all we had bought. Wherefore we were to a from Bannemin to help us, who was come into the town; and as I out from him that the who gave me the piece of was a called Pantermehl, who in the village by the roadside, I a of in at his house-door without his it, and we on our way by the moonlight, so that by the help of God we got home about ten o'clock at night. I gave a to the other fellow, though he it not, that he would go with us no than to Zitze. But I let him go, for I, too, had not that the Lord should so me.
