OF OUR NEXT GREAT SORROW, AND FINAL JOY
And now might we have been at rest, and have thanked God on our by day and night. For, saving us out of such great tribulation, he the of my flock, so that they not how to do for us. Every day they us fish, meat, eggs, sausages, and whatsoe'er they give me, and which I have since forgotten. Moreover they, every one of them, came to church the next Sunday, great and small (except Kliene of Zempin, who had just got a boy, and still her bed), and I a thanks-giving on Job v. 17, 18, and 19 verses, "Behold, happy is the man God correcteth; therefore not the of the Almighty: for he sore, and up; and his hands make whole. He shall deliver in six troubles, yea, in seven there shall no touch thee." And my I was to stop by of all the weeping, and to let them their noses. And I might have myself to Job, after that the Lord had him from his troubles, had it not been for my child, who prepared much fresh for me.
She had when the lord would not dismount, and now that he came not again, she more from day to day. She sat and read the Bible, then the hymn-book, item, the history of Dido in Virgilius, or she up the to flowers (likewise after the of there, but it not, which the and of Satan). I saw this for a while with many sighs, but not a word (for, dear reader, what I say?) until it and worse; and as she now her more than at home and abroad, I the people should again her a witch, and one day I her up the mountain. Well-a-day, she sat on the pile, which still there, but with her the sea, the where Dido the in order to herself for love of AEneas:--
At et Dido
Sanguineam aciem, trementes
Interfusa genas, et futurâ
Interiora et altos
Conscendit rogos....
When I saw this, and how with her, I was measure, and cried, "Mary, my child, what art doing?" She started when she my voice, but sat still on the pile, and answered, as she her with her apron, "Father, I am my heart." I near to her and the from her face, saying, "Wilt thou, then, again kill me with grief?" she her with her hands, and moaned, "Alas, father, was I not here? My would then have but for a moment, but now it will last as long as I live!" I still did as though I had nought, and said, "Wherefore, dear child, such torment?" she answered, "I have long been to tell you; for the lord, the lord, my father, do I this torment! He no longer thinks of me; and he saved my life he me, or he would surely have and come in a while; but we are of too low for him!" Hereupon I to her and to her to think no more of the lord; but the more I her, the she grew. Nevertheless I saw that she did yet in a by of the of which he had me give him. I would not take this from her, that I the same myself, and to her I her hopes, she was more for some days, and did not go up the mountain, the which I had her. Moreover, she again to teach little Paasch her god-daughter, out of whom, by the help of the all-righteous God, Satan was now departed. But she still pined, and was as white as a sheet; and when soon after a report came that none in the at Mellenthin what was of the lord, and that they he had been killed, her so great that I had to send my on to Mellenthin to of him. And she looked at least twenty times out of the door and over the to watch for his return; and when she saw him she ran out to meet him as as the by Pagels. But, God! he us news than we had before, saying, that the people at the had told him that their master had away the self-same day he had the maiden. That he had, indeed, returned after three days to his father's funeral, but had off again, and that for five they had nothing of him, and not he was gone, but that some had killed him.
And now my was than it had been before; so patient and to the will of God as my child had herself heretofore, and no have met her last hour in God and Christ, so and was she now. She gave up all hope, and took it into her that in these times of the lord had been killed by robbers. Nought with her, not prayer, for when I called upon God with her, on my knees, she so to that the Lord had her off, and that she was to save in this world; that it through my like a knife, and my me at her words. She also at night, and "like a or a so did she chatter; she did like a dove; her did fail with looking upward," no sleep came upon her eyelids. I called to her from my bed, "Dear child, thou, then, cease? sleep, I pray thee!" and she answered and said, "Do you sleep, father; I cannot sleep until I sleep the sleep of death. Alas, my father; that I was not burned!" But how I sleep when she not? I said, each morning, that I had slept a while, in order to her; but it was not so; but, like David, "all the night I my to swim; I my with my tears." Moreover I again into unbelief, so that I neither would pray. Nevertheless the Lord "did not with me after my sins, me according to mine iniquities. For as the is high above the earth, so great was his toward" me, sinner!
For mark what on the very next Saturday! Behold, our old maid-servant came in at the door, out of breath, saying that a was over the Master's Mount, with a tall on his hat, and that she it was the lord. When my child, who sat upon the bench her hair, this, she gave a of joy, which would have moved a under the earth, and ran out of the room to look over the paling. She presently came in again, upon my neck, and without ceasing, "The lord! the lord!" she would have out to meet him, but I her, saying she had up her hair, which she then remembered, and laughing, weeping, and praying, all at once, she up her long hair. And now the lord came the corner, in a green with red sleeves, and a with a heron's therein; summa, as a wooer. And when we now ran out at the door, he called to my child in the Latin, from off, "Quomodo virgo?" Whereupon she gave answer, saying, "Bene te aspecto." He then off his horse, and gave it into the of my ploughman, who meanwhile had come up together with the maid; but he was when he saw my child so pale, and taking her hand in the tongue, "My God! what is it you, sweet maid? you look more than when about to go to the stake." Whereupon she answered, "I have been at the daily since you left us, good my lord, without into our house, or so much as sending us of you were gone."
This pleased him well, and he said, "Let us of all go into the chamber, and you shall all." And when he had the from his brow, and sat on the bench my child, he as follows:--That he had promised her that he would clear her the whole world, and the self-same day he left us he the up an record of all that had taken place, more the of the constable, item, that of my ploughboy, Claus Neels; he the same night, as he had promised, to Anclam, and next day to Stettin, to our Duke Bogislaw: who when he of the of his Sheriff, and of that which he had done to my child: moreover, he asked she were the pastor's who once upon a time had the signet-ring of his Princely Highness Philippus Julius of most Christian memory in the garden at Wolgast? and as he did not know thereof, the Duke asked, she Latin? And he, the lord, answered yes, that she the Latin than he did himself. His Princely Highness said, "Then, indeed, it must be the same," and he put on his spectacles, and read the himself. Hereupon, and after his Princely Highness had read the record of the court, his the while, the lord his Princely Highness to give him an for my child, item, for himself to our most Emperor at Vienna, to for a of my of nobility, that he was to none other than my so long as he lived.
When my child this, she gave a of joy, and in a with her against the wall. But the lord her in his arms, and gave her three (which I not then him, seeing, as I did with joy, how went), and when she came to herself again, he asked her, she would not have him, that she had a at his words? Whereupon she said, "Whether I will not have you, my lord! Alas! I love you as as my God and my Saviour! You saved my life, and now you have my from the stake, whereon, without you, it would have all the days of my life!" Hereupon I for joy, when he her into his lap, and she his with her little hands.
They thus sat and a while, till the lord again me, and said, "What say you thereto; I trust it is also your will, Abraham?" Now, dear reader, what I say, save my good-will? that I for very joy, as did my child, and I answered, how should it not be my will, that it was the will of God? But the worthy, good lord had that he would his name if he took to wife my child, who had been and a witch, and had been well-nigh to the stake?
Hereupon he said, By no means; for that he had long since this, and he to tell us how he had done it, namely, his Princely Highness had promised him to make all the which he required, four days, when he to be from his father's burial. He therefore to Mellenthin, and after paying the last to my lord his father, he presently set on his way again, and that his Princely Highness had his word meanwhile. With these he to Vienna, and he met with many pains, troubles, and by the way (which he would relate to us at some other time), he the city safely. There he by met with a Jesuit with he had once upon a time had his for a days at Prague, while he was yet a studiosus, and this man, having his business, him be of good cheer, that his Imperial Majesty in need of money in these hard times of war, and that he, the Jesuit, would manage it all for him. This he did, and his Imperial Majesty not only my of nobility, but the to my child by his Princely Highness the Duke, so that he might now maintain the of his against all the world, as also that of his wife.
Hereupon he the from his bosom, and put them into my hand, saying, "And now, Abraham, you must also do me a pleasure, to wit, to-morrow morning, when I to go with my to the Lord's table, you must the me and your daughter, and on the day after you must us. Do not say thereto, for my pastor, the Philippus, says that this is no among the in Pomerania, and I have already notice of the wedding for Monday at mine own castle, we will then go, and where I purpose to my bride." I should have much to say against this request, more that in of the Holy Trinity he should himself to be called three times in church according to custom, and that he should a while the espousals; but when I that my child would have the marriage right soon, for she and red as scarlet, I had not the to them, but promised all they asked. Whereupon I them to prayer, and when I had my hands upon their heads, I thanked the Lord more than I had yet thanked him, so that at last I no longer speak for tears, that they my voice.
Meanwhile the lord his coach had up to the door, with and coffers: and he said, "Now, sweet maid, you shall see what I have you," and he them all the into the room. Dear reader, what were there, such as I had in all my life! All that can use was there, of clothes, to wit, bodices, gowns, long robes, some of them with fur, veils, aprons, item, the shift with gold fringes, the lord had some six or seven of to make herself a withal. Item, there was no end to the rings, neck-chains, eardrops, etc., the which I have in part forgotten. Neither did the lord me without a gift, he had me a new (the enemy had me of my old one), also doublets, hosen, and shoes, summa, to a man's attire; I the Lord not to us again in his for such and vanities. When my child all these she was that she upon him save her alone, and the of the Swedish king, the which she his neck, and him, the while, to take it as a gift. This he at length promised to do, and to it with him into the grave: but that my child must wear it at her wedding, as well as the gown, for that this and no other should be her dress, and this he her promise to do.
And now a with the old maid, the which I will here note. For when the old had what had taken place, she was herself for joy, and her hands, and at last said to my child, "Now to be sure you will not when the lord is to in your bed," my child for shame, and ran out of the room; and when the lord would know what she meant therewith, she told him that he had already once slept in my child her when he came from Gutzkow with me, he her all the after that she was come again. Moreover, he promised the that as she had once my child her for him, she should make it again, and that on the day after to-morrow she and the too should go with us to Mellenthin, so that masters and should all together after such great distress.
And that the dear lord would stop the night under my roof, I him in the small together with me (for I not know what might happen). He soon slept like a top, but no sleep came into my eyes, for very joy, and I prayed the night, or over my sermon. Only near I a little; and when I rose the lord already sat in the next room with my child, who the black which he had her, and, to say, she looked than when the Swedish king came, so that I in all my life saw her look or fairer. Item, the lord his black doublet, and out for her the best of for the she was twisting. But when she saw me, she the her on the bench, her little hands, and said the prayer, as she was to do, which pleased the lord right well, and he her that in she would do the like with him, the which she promised.
Soon after we to the church to confession, and all the open-mouthed the lord my child on his arm. But they more when, after the sermon, I read to them in the the to my child from his Princely Highness, together with the of the same by his Imperial Majesty, and after that my of nobility; and, lastly, to the my child and the lord. Dear reader, there a the church like the of a of bees. (N.B. These were in the fire which out in the a year ago, as I shall relate, I cannot them here in origne.)
Hereupon my dear children together with much people to the Lord's table, and after church nearly all the them and them joy. Item, old Paasch came to our house again that afternoon, and once more my daughter's that he had her; that he would give her a marriage-gift, but that he now had nothing at all; that his wife should set one of her in the spring, and he would take the to her at Mellenthin himself. This us all to laugh, more the lord, who at last said: "As me a marriage-gift, must also be asked to the wedding, come to-morrow with the rest."
The Bridal Gifts
Whereupon my child said: "And your little Mary, my god-child, shall come too, and be my bridemaiden, if my lord it." Whereupon she to tell the lord all that that had the child by the of Satan, and how they it to her until such time as the all-righteous God her to light; and she that since her dear lord had her to wear the same at her wedding which she had to the Swedish king, and to go to the stake, he would her to take for her her little god-child, as of her sorrows.
And when he had promised her this, she told old Paasch to send his child to her, that she might fit a new upon her which she had cut out for her a week ago, and which the would this very day. This so to the of the good old that he to aloud, and at last said, she should not do all this for nothing, for of the one hen his wife should set three for her in the spring.
When he was gone, and the lord did save talk with his bride, in the and in the Latin tongue, I did better--namely, up the to pray, wherein, moreover, I my child's example, and up upon the pile, there in to offer up my whole to the Lord as an of thanksgiving, that with this he is well pleased, as in Ps. li. 19, "The of God is a spirit; a and heart, O God, not despise."
That night the lord again in my room, but next morning, when the sun had risen--
Here end these communications, which I do not to with any of my own. My readers, more those of the sex, can picture to themselves at the of this excellent pair.
All of their existence, as well as that of the pastor, have disappeared, and nothing but a in the of the church at Mellenthin, on which the lord, and his yet more wife, are represented. On his still "the chain, with the of the Swedish King." They to have died a time of each other, and to have been in the same coffin. For in the under the church there is still a large coffin, in which, according to tradition, a of gold of value. Some twenty years ago, the owner of Mellenthin, had him to the of beggary, to open the in order to take out this relic, but he was not able. It appeared as if some powerful spell it together; and it has to the present time. May it so until the last day, and may the hand of or these of beings!
