HOW I RECEIVED THE HOLY SACRAMENT WITH MY DAUGHTER AND THE OLD MAIDSERVANT, AND HOW SHE WAS THEN LED FOR THE LAST TIME BEFORE THE COURT, WITH THE DRAWN SWORD AND THE OUTCRY, TO RECEIVE SENTENCE
Now any one would think that that Tuesday night I should not have been able to close mine eyes; but know, dear reader, that the Lord can do more than we can ask or understand, and that his is new every morning. For toward I asleep as as though I had had no upon my heart; and when I I was able to pray more than I had done for a long time; so that, in the of my tribulation, I for at such great from the Lord. But I prayed for save that he would my child with and to the he had upon her with Christian patience, and to send his to me, man, so to my with when I should see my child that it might to beat, and I might presently her. And thus I still prayed when the came in all in black, and with the of my sweet over her arm; and she told me, with many tears, that the dead-bell had already from the tower, for the time, and that my child had sent for her to dress her, that the was already come from Usedom, and that in about two hours she was to set out on her last journey. Moreover, she had sent her word that she was to take her some and yellow flowers for a garland; she asked me what flowers she should take; and that a with fire and forget-me-nots in my window, which she had there yesterday, I said, "Thou no flowers for her than these, do them to her, and tell her that I will in about an hour, in order to the with her." Hereupon the old prayed me to her to go to the with us, the which I promised her. And had I myself and put on my when Pastor Benzensis came in at the door and upon my neck, weeping, and as mute as a fish. As soon as he came to his speech again he told me of the great (daemonis I mean) which had at the of old Lizzie. For that, just as the were about to the into the grave, a noise was therein, as though of a through a board; they the old must be come to life again, and opened the coffin. But there she as before, all black and in the face, and as cold as ice; but her had started wide open, so that all were horror-stricken, and some apparition; and, indeed, a live presently jumped out of the and ran into a which the grave. Thereupon they all ran away, that old Lizzie had been in as a witch. Howbeit at last he himself near the again, the disappeared, and all the others took and him. This the man told me, and any one may that this was in Satan, who had the her as an insect, his proper shape was that of a rat: I wonder what he so long have been about in the carrion; unless it were that the are as of all that is as the of God are of all that is and lovely. Be that as it may; Summa: I was not a little at what he told me, and asked him what he now of the Sheriff? he his shoulders, and said that he had been a as long as he him, and that it was full ten years since he had him any first-fruits; but that he did not that he was a warlock, as old Lizzie had said. For although he had been to the table of the Lord in his church, he had that he often at Stettin, with his Princely Highness the Duke, and that the at the church had him the entry in his communion-book. Wherefore he not that he had this upon my daughter, if she were innocent, as the had said; besides, that my had herself a witch. Hereupon I answered, that she had done that for of the torture; but that she was not of death; I told him, with many sighs, how the had yesterday me, and servant, to evil, that I had been to sell my only child to him and to Satan, and was not to the to-day. Likewise how much more a my had than I, as he might see from her letter, which I still in my pocket; I gave it into his hand, and when he had read it, he as though he had been himself a father, and said, "Were this true, I should into the earth for sorrow; but come, brother, come, that I may prove her myself."
Hereupon we up to the castle, and on our way we the the hunting-lodge, item, the whole space in of the castle, already with people, who, nevertheless, were as we by: we gave our names again to the huntsman. (I have been able to his name, that he was a Polak; he was not, however, the same who my child, and the Sheriff had therefore off.) The man presently us into a large room, my child had been when taken out of her prison. The had already her, and she looked as an angel. She the of gold with the her again, item, the in her hair, and she as we entered, saying, "I am ready!" Whereat the Martinus was and shocked, saying, "Ah, woman, let no one tell me of innocence! Thou art about to go to the sacrament, and from to death, and as a child of this world about to go to the dancing-room." Whereupon she answered and said, "Be not with me, dear godfather, that I would go into the presence of my good King of Heaven in the same I appeared some time since the good King of Sweden. For it my weak and flesh, I that my Saviour will in like manner take me to his heart, and will also hand his upon my when I out my hands to him in all humility, and my carmen, saying, 'O Lamb of God, upon the cross, give my peace, O Jesu!'" These my dear gossip, and he spoke, saying, "Ah, child, child, I to have thee, but me to with thee: art thou, then, innocent?" "Verily," said she, "to you, my godfather, I may now own that I am innocent, as as I trust that God will me in my last hour through Jesus Christ. Amen."
When the this, she such that I that I had her to be present, and we all had to do to her from the word of God till she more tranquil; and when this was done, my dear thus to my child: "If, indeed, so maintain innocence, it is my duty, according to my as a priest, to the thereof"; and he was about to the room. But she him, and upon the ground and his knees, saying, "I you, by the of Jesus, to be silent. They would me on the again, and my nakedness, and I, weak woman, would in such all that they would have me, if my father again be there, my and my are at once: stay, I pray you, stay; is it, then, a to die innocent, and is it not to die than guilty?"
My good at last gave way, and after and praying to himself, he away his tears, and then the to confession, in the of Isaiah xliii. 1, 2, "But now thus the Lord that thee, O Jacob, and he that thee, O Israel, Fear not; for I have thee, I have called by name; art mine. When through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when through the fire, not be burned, neither shall the upon thee. For I am the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, Saviour."
And when he had ended this address, and asked her she would until her last hour that which the most God according to his will had upon her, she such that my said he should not them so long as he should live, that he had a at once so full of and joy, and so sorrowful. She after this manner: "Oh, cross, which my Jesus by his suffering; oh, dear cross, which is upon me by the hand of a Father; oh, cross, I am like my Lord Jesus, and am called and blessedness: how! shall I not thee, sweet of my bridegroom, of my brother?" The Johannes had us absolution, and after this, with many tears, the sacrament, when we a loud upon the floor, and presently the looked into the room and asked we were ready, that the was now waiting for us; and when he had been told that we were ready, my child would have taken of me, but I her, saying, "Not so; that which promised me; ... 'and I will go, and where I will lodge: ... where will I die ...' if that the Lord, as I hope, will the of my soul." Hereupon she let me go, and only the old maid-servant, her for all the she had her from her up, and her not to go with her to make her death yet more by her cries. The old was unable for a long time to say a word for tears. Howbeit at last she of my child for that she her, and said, that out of her she had five pounds' weight of to her death; that the of Pudgla had that very taken it with him to Coserow, and that she should wind it closely her body; for that she had how old wife Schurne, who was in Liepe, had great she came to her death, by of the wood.
But my child thank her for this, the of blood in the judgment-chamber; for a voice as as might be, "Woe upon the witch, Mary Schweidler, that she off from the God!" Then all the without cried, "Woe upon the witch!" When I this I against the wall, but my sweet child my with her hands, and said, "Father, father, do but that the people out against the Jesus, 'Crucify him, him!' Shall not we then drink of the cup which our Heavenly Father prepared for us?"
Hereupon the door opened, and the walked in, a great among the people, a in his hand, which he thrice my child, and cried, "Woe upon the witch, Mary Schweidler, that she off from the God!" and all the in the and without the as loud as they could, "Woe upon the witch!"
Hereupon he said, "Mary Schweidler, come the high and to of death passed upon thee!" Whereupon she him with us two men (for Pastor Benzensis was no less than myself). As for the old maid-servant, she on the ground for dead.
After we had with great pains pushed our way through all the people, the still the open judgment-chamber, and once more his my child and for the third time, "Woe upon the witch, Mary Schweidler, that she off from the God!" And all the people, as well as the themselves, as loud as they could, "Woe upon the witch!"
When we had entered the room, Dom. Consul asked my the had by her free in confession; whereupon, after a time, he answered, that he had best ask herself, for there she stood. According, taking up a paper which him on the table, he as follows:--"Mary Schweidler, now that confessed, and the and most of the Lord's Supper, answer me once again these questions:--
"1. Is it true that off from the God and up to Satan?
"2. Is it true that a called Disidaemonia, who re-baptized and thee?
"3. Is it true that done all manner of to the cattle?
"4. Is it true that Satan appeared to on the Streckelberg in the of a giant?"
When she had with many said "Yes" to all these questions, he rose, took a in one hand and a second paper in the other, put his on his nose, and said, "Now, then, sentence." (This I since copied: he would not let me see the other Acta, but that they were at Wolgast. The sentence, however, was word for word as follows.)
"We, the Sheriff and the Justices to the high and court. Inasmuch as Mary Schweidler, the of Abraham Schweidlerus, the of Coserow, hath, after the inquisition, free that she a named Disidaemonia, the which did re-baptize her in the sea, and did also know her carnally; item, that she by his help did to the cattle; that he also appeared to her on the Streckelberg in the of a giant. We do therefore by these presents make and direct that Rea be four times on each with red-hot iron pincers, and after that be to death by fire, as a to herself and a to others. Nevertheless we, in for her youth, are pleased of our to her the with red-hot pincers, so that she shall only death by the of fire. Wherefore she is and on the part of the court.
"Publicatum at the of Pudgla, the 30th day Augusti, Salutis 1630."
As he the last word he his in two and the pieces the of my lamb, saying to the constable, "Now, do your duty!" But so many folks, men and women, themselves on the ground to the pieces of the (seeing they are said to be good for the in the joints, item, for when with lice), that the to the earth over a woman who was on her him, and his death was thus to him by the God. Something of the same the Sheriff now for the second time; for when the rose, tables, stools, and benches, a table, under which two boys were for the pieces of the wand, right upon his foot, he into a rage, and the people with his fist, saying that they should have fifty right good a-piece, men and women, if they were not forthwith, and did not out of the room. This them, and after the people were gone out into the street, the took a rope out of his pocket, he my her hands so her that she aloud; but when she saw how this my heart, she herself and said, "Oh, father, that it no with the Saviour!" Howbeit, when my dear gossip, who her, saw that her little hands, and more her nails, had black and blue, he spoke for her to the court, the Sheriff only said, "Oh, let her be; let her what it is to off from the God." But Dom. Consul was more merciful, as, after the cords, he the her hands less and the rope a little, which he was to do. But my dear was not herewith, and that she might in the without being bound, so that she should be able to her hymn-book, for he had the to sing a by the way for her comfort, and he was to answer for it with his own that she should not out of the cart. Moreover; it is the for with always to go with the criminals, and more witches, are to execution. But this the Sheriff would not suffer, and the rope was left upon her hands, and the her by the arm and her from the judgment-chamber. But in the we saw a great scandalum, which again my very heart. For the and the his wife were for my child her bed, and her linen, and apparel, which the had taken for herself, and which the other woman wanted to have. The now called to her husband to help her, he let go my and the on her mouth with his fist, so that the blood ran out therefrom, and she and to the Sheriff, who us with the court. He them in vain, and said that when he came he would into the and give to each her share. But they would not to this, until my asked Dom. Consul every person, a criminal, had power to his and to he would? and when he answered, "Yes, all but the clothes, which of right to the executioner," she said, "Well, then, the may take my clothes, but none shall have my save my old maid-servant Ilse!" Hereupon the to and my child loudly, who her not, but out at the door toward the cart, where there so many people that be save against head. The about us so that the Sheriff, who, meanwhile, had his horse, them right and left across their with his riding-whip, but they would back. Howbeit, at length he the way, and when about ten with long pitchforks, who for the most part also had at their sides, had themselves about our cart, the my up into it, and her fast to the rail. Old Paasch, who by, me up, and my dear was to be in, so weak had he from all the distress. He his sexton, Master Krekow, to walk the with the school, and him from time to time lead a of the hymn, "On God alone I my fate," which he promised to do. And here I will also note, that I myself sat upon the by my daughter, and that our dear the Martinus sat backwards. The was up with his sword. When all this was done, item, the up into another carriage, the Sheriff gave the order to set out.
