The Amber Witch

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_Q_. Whether she did likewise deny that it was through her malice that the
woman Witthan had given birth to a devil's imp, which straight-way started
up and flew out at the window, so that when the midwife sought for it it
had disappeared?

_R_. Truly she did; and indeed she had all the days of her life done good
to the people instead of harm, for during the terrible famine she had
often taken the bread out of her own mouth to share it among the others,
especially the little children. To this the whole parish must needs bear
witness, if they were asked; whereas witches and warlocks always did evil
and no good to men, as our Lord Jesus taught (Matt. xii.), when the
Pharisees blasphemed him, saying that he cast out devils by Beelzebub the
prince of the devils; hence his worship might see whether she could in
truth be a witch.

_Q_. He would soon teach her to talk of blasphemies; he saw that her
tongue was well hung; but she must answer the questions he asked her, and
say nothing more. The question was not _what_ good she had done to the
poor, but _wherewithal_ she had done it; she must now show how she and her
father had of a sudden grown so rich that she could go pranking about in
silken raiment, whereas she used to be so very poor?

Hereupon she looked towards me, and said, "Father, shall I tell?"
Whereupon I answered, "Yes, my child, now thou must openly tell all, even
though we thereby become beggars." She accordingly told how, when our need
was sorest, she had found the amber, and how much we had gotten for it
from the Dutch merchants.

_Q_. What were the names of these merchants?

_R_. Dieterich von Pehnen and Jakob Kiekebusch; but, as we have heard from
a schipper, they since died of the plague at Stettin.

_Q_. Why had we said nothing of such a godsend?

_R_. Out of fear of our enemy the Sheriff, who, as it seemed, had
condemned us to die of hunger, inasmuch as he forbade the parishioners,
under pain of heavy displeasure, to supply us with anything, saying, that
he would send them a better parson.

Hereupon _Dom. Consul_ again looked the Sheriff sharply in the face, who
answered that it was true he had said this, seeing that the parson had
preached at him in the most scandalous manner from the pulpit; but that he
knew very well, at the time, that they were far enough from dying of
hunger.

_Q_. How came so much amber on the Streckelberg? She had best confess at
once that the devil had brought it to her.

_R_. She knew nothing about that. But there was a great vein of amber
there, as she could show to them all that very day; and she had broken out
the amber, and covered the hole well over with fir-twigs, so that none
should find it.

_Q_. When had she gone up the Streckelberg; by day or by night?

_R_. Hereupon she blushed, and for a moment held her peace; but presently
made answer, "Sometimes by day, and sometimes by night."

_Q_. Why did she hesitate? She had better make a full confession of all,
so that her punishment might be less heavy. Had she not there given over
old Seden to Satan, who had carried him off through the air, and left only
a part of his hair and brains sticking to the top of an oak?

_R_. She did not know whether that was his hair and brains at all, nor how
it came there. She went to the tree one morning because she heard a
woodpecker cry so dolefully. _Item_, old Paasch, who also had heard the
cries, came up with his axe in his hand.

_Q_. Whether the woodpecker was not the devil himself, who had carried off
old Seden?

_R_. She did not know: but he must have been dead some time, seeing that
the blood and brains which the lad fetched down out of the tree were quite
dried up.

_Q_. How and when, then, had he come by his death?

_R_. That Almighty God only knew. But Zuter his little girl had said, that
one day, while she gathered nettles for the cows under Seden his hedge,
she heard the goodman threaten his squint-eyed wife that he would tell the
parson that he now knew of a certainty that she had a familiar spirit;
whereupon the goodman had presently disappeared. But that this was a
child's tale, and she would fyle no one on the strength of it.

Hereupon _Dom. Consul_ again looked the Sheriff steadily in the face, and
said, "Old Lizzie Kolken must be brought before us this very day": whereto
the Sheriff made no answer; and he went on to ask,

_Q_. Whether, then, she still maintained that she knew nothing of the
devil?

_R_. She maintained it now, and would maintain it until her life's end.

_Q_. And nevertheless, as had been seen by witnesses, she had been
re-baptized by him in the sea in broad daylight.--Here again she blushed,
and for a moment was silent.

_Q_. Why did she blush again? She should for God his sake think on her
salvation, and confess the truth.

_R_. She had bathed herself in the sea, seeing that the day was very hot;
that was the whole truth.

_Q_. What chaste maiden would ever bathe in the sea? Thou liest; or wilt
thou even yet deny that thou didst bewitch old Paasch his little girl with
a white roll?

_R_. Alas! alas! she loved the child as though it were her own little
sister; not only had she taught her as well as all the other children
without reward, but during the heavy famine she had often taken the bit
from her own mouth to put it into the little child's. How, then, could she
have wished to do her such grievous harm?

_Q_. Wilt thou even yet deny?--Reverend Abraham, how stubborn is your
child! See here, is this no witches' salve, which the constable fetched
out of thy coffer last night? Is this no witches' salve, eh?

_R_. It was a salve for the skin, which would make it soft and white, as
the apothecary at Wolgast had told her, of whom she bought it.

_Q_. Hereupon he shook his head, and went on: How! wilt thou then lastly
deny that on this last Saturday the both July, at twelve o'clock at night,
thou didst on the Streckelberg call upon thy paramour the devil in
dreadful words, whereupon he appeared to thee in the shape of a great
hairy giant, and clipped thee and toyed with thee?

At these words she grew more pale than a corpse, and tottered so that she
was forced to hold by a chair: and I, wretched man, who would readily have
sworn away my life for her, when I saw and heard this, my senses forsook
me, so that I fell down from the bench, and _Dom. Consul_ had to call in
the constable to help me up.

When I had come to myself a little, and the impudent varlet saw our common
consternation, he cried out, grinning at the court the while, 'Is it all
out? is it all out? has she confessed?' Whereupon _Dom. Consul_ again
showed him the door with a sharp rebuke, as might have been expected; and
it is said that this knave played the pimp for the Sheriff, and indeed I
think he would not otherwise have been so bold.

_Summa_: I should well-nigh have perished in my distress, but for the
little rose, which by the help of God's mercy kept me up bravely; and now
the whole court rose and exhorted my poor fainting child, by the living
God, and as she would save her soul, to deny no longer, but in pity to
herself and her father to confess the truth.

[Illustration: The Apparition on the Streckelberg]

Hereupon she heaved a deep sigh, and grew as red as she had been pale
before, insomuch that even her hand upon the chair was like scarlet, and
she did not raise her eyes from the ground.

_R_. She would now then confess the simple truth, as she saw right well
that wicked people had stolen after and watched her at nights. That she
had been to seek for amber on the mountain, and that to drive away fear
she had, as she was wont to do at her work, recited the Latin _carmen_
which her father had made on the illustrious King Gustavus Adolphus: when
young Ruediger of Nienkerken, who had ofttimes been at her father's house
and talked of love to her, came out of the coppice, and when she cried out
for fear, spoke to her in Latin, and clasped her in his arms. That he wore
a great wolf's-skin coat, so that folks should not know him if they met
him, and tell the lord his father that he had been on the mountain by
night.

At this her confession I fell into sheer despair, and cried in great
wrath, "O thou ungodly and undutiful child, after all, then, thou hast a
paramour! Did not I forbid thee to go up the mountain by night? What didst
thou want on the mountain by night?" and I began to moan and weep and
wring my hands, so that _Dom. Consul_ even had pity on me, and drew near
to comfort me. Meanwhile she herself came towards me, and began to defend
herself, saying, with many tears, that she had gone up the mountain by
night, against my commands, to get so much amber that she might secretly
buy for me, against my birthday, the _Opera Sancti Augustim_, which the
Cantor at Wolgast wanted to sell. That it was not her fault that the young
lord lay in wait for her one night; and that she would swear to me, by the
living God, that nought that was unseemly had happened between them there,
and that she was still a maid.

And herewith the first hearing was at end, for after _Dom. Consul_ had
whispered somewhat into the ear of the Sheriff, he called in the constable
again, and bade him keep good watch over _Rea_; _item_, not to leave her
at large in her dungeon any longer, but to put her in chains. These words
pierced my very heart, and I besought his worship to consider my sacred
office, and my ancient noble birth, and not to do me such dishonour as to
put my daughter in chains. That I would answer for her to the worshipful
court with my own head that she would not escape. Whereupon _Dom. Consul_,
after he had gone to look at the dungeon himself, granted me my request,
and commanded the constable to leave her as she had been hitherto.

_The Nineteenth Chapter_

HOW SATAN, BY THE PERMISSION OF THE MOST RIGHTEOUS GOD, SOUGHT ALTOGETHER
TO RUIN US, AND HOW WE LOST ALL HOPE

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

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

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

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

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

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

But the gown which she had worn at the arrival of the most illustrious
King Gustavus Adolphus, as well as the golden chain with his effigy which
he had given her, I had locked up, as though it were a relic, in the chest
in the vestry, among the altar and pulpit cloths, and there we found them
still; and when I excused myself therefore, saying that I had thought to
have saved them up for her there against her bridal day, she gazed with
fixed and glazed eyes into the box, and cried out, "Yes, against the day
when I shall be burnt; O Jesu, Jesu, Jesu!" Hereat _Dom. Consul_ shuddered
and said, "See how thou still dost smite thyself with thine own words! For
the sake of God and thy salvation, confess, for if thou knowest thyself to
be innocent, how, then, canst thou think that thou wilt be burnt?" But she
still looked him fixedly in the face, and cried aloud in Latin,
"_Innocentia, quid est innocentia? Ubi libido dominatur, innocentia leve
praesidium est_."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_The Twentieth Chapter_

OF THE MALICE OF THE GOVERNOR AND OF OLD LIZZIE:
_ITEM_, OF THE EXAMINATION OF WITNESSES

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

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

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