hail-stones, that the corn round about was levelled to the ground, as by a reaper, and the horses in our carriage became affrighted; albeit this was of short duration. Nevertheless my poor little daughter was again obliged to bear the blame thereof; forasmuch as Dn. Consul trowed that not old Lise, (though this was as clear as the sun), but my poor child had caused this storm. For pray tell me of what avail could this have been to her, even had she understood the craft? But this Dn. Consul did not see, and that abominable Satan was, by the righteous God, permitted to inflict upon us greater evils still. For no sooner had we come to the Herrendamm,† than he came riding over us like an Aderbar, and threw down from above a Pogge§ with so exact an aim that it fell into my little daughter's lap. She cried out aloud, but I whispered to her to sit still, and that I would privily throw it away with my foot.

But the beadle saw it and cried: "Lord, O Lord! look at that accursed witch; look what the devil has thrown into her lap !" Whereat the Amtshauptmann and Dn. Consul looked round and found a toad crawling in her lap, the which the beadle first blew at thrice before he took it up and shewed it unto his lords. On seeing this Dn. Consul was seized with vomiting, and commanding the coachman, after it was over, to halt, went out of the carriage and said: we should straightway ride home, and, as he felt sick, he would follow on foot,

* For the origin of the like sudden storms was also ascribed to witches.

+ So called to this very day, being distant about a quarter of a mile (German) from Coserow.

A stork. § Low German for frog or toad.

and see if thereby he would get the better of it. But before this he whispered privily into the beadle's ear (which we, however, clearly understood,) that as soon as he came home he should forthwith bind my poor child hand and foot, however sorely she might weep and sob.

But the Amtshauptmann also had heard what he said, and as we could not see him any longer, he began to stroke my little daughter's cheeks from behind: she might make herself easy, as he also had something to say in the matter, and the beadle should not bind her yet. But then she should cease to demean herself so coldly towards him, as she had done hitherto, and come and sit beside him, that he might give her secret counsel what was to be done. Hereupon she answered, with many tears; she would keep her seat by the side of her father, inasmuch as she did not know how long she might have to sit by him, and she entreated his Worship for this one thing only to let her remain in peace. But this he did not, but pressed her with his knees into her back and sides, and seeing that she patiently endured this, in that she could not do otherwise, he waxed bolder and took this for a good sign.

Meanwhile Dn. Consul cried out close behind us: (for being horribly afraid, he trotted close behind the carriage) "Beadle! beadle! come quickly hither; here lieth a hedge-hog in the midst of the way!" whereat the beadle sprang from the carriage.

But this made the Amtshauptmann more daring still, and at length my little daughter rose up and said: "Father, we also will go on foot, I can no longer keep myself safe from him behind!" But he pulled her down again by her garment, and cried wrathfully: 'wait, thou malicious witch! I'll help thee to go on

foot if thou wilt, for in troth shalt thou this very night be put to the rack!" whereat she answered: "do whatever thou canst not leave undone; the God, that judgeth righteously, will one day also do with thee,

what he cannot leave undone !'

In the meantime, however, we arrived at the castle, and hardly had we got out of the carriage, when Dn. Consul, who had run himself into a great sweat, also arrived with the beadle, and forthwith delivered over my child into his hands, so that I had hardly time to say farewell to her. Wherefore I remained wringing my hands and standing in the dark on the floor to hearken whither they went, for I had not the courage to follow them, when Dn. Consul, who had gone into a room with the Amtshauptmann, looked out of the door again, and called after the beadle to bring hither Rea once more. And when he had done so, and I went in with her into the room, Dn. Consul held a letter in his hand, and after he spat out three times, he began: "Wilt thou still deny, thou hardened witch? Only hearken, what the old knight, Hans von Nienkerken writes to the court!" And herewith he read aloud to us: "that his son is sore grieved touching the thing which the accursed witch had wrought on him, so that from that very hour he had fallen sick, and he, the father, was not a wit better. His son Rudiger, it is true, had at sundry times, when his way led him hitherward, turned in at Pastor Schweidler's, with whom he had become acquainted whiles on a journey, but wished he might become black, if ever he had sported or played any foolish tricks with that accursed devil, his daughter, much less been on the mount at nighttime, and there embraced her."

At such horrible tidings we both dropped down (understand, my daughter and I) fainting together, seeing that we had till then placed our last hope on the younker, and I wot not what further they did with me. For on coming to myself again, the innkeeper, Conrad Seep, stood over me and held a funnel between my teeth, into which he poured some bier-suppe ;* never in my life was I more wretched. Whereupon Master Seep had also to take off my clothes for me, like a little. child, and carry me to bed.

* A beverage made by boiling beer or ale with spice, sugar and sops of bread.

CHAPTER XX.

Of the maliciousness of the Amtshauptmann and old Lise ; item, of the hearing of the witnesses.

On the morrow my hair, that hitherto was mingled with grey, was as white as snow, albeit in many things the Lord blessed me marvellously. For at break of day there came a nightingale into the elder-bush under my window, and sang so sweetly, that I verily believed it to be a good angel. For after I had listened to it for a while, I found the spirit of prayer and of supplication as it were return to me all at once, as if poured out upon me from on high, for I could again pray, the which I could not since last Sunday. And as the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ began to cry in my heart: "Abba, father?" I took good courage thereby; that God would again graciously receive me, his wretched child; and after offering up my thanksgivings unto Him for so many mercies, I after a while enjoyed such a refreshing repose that the blessed sun stood already high in the firmament when I awoke.

While I yet felt this confidence in my heart I raised myself up in bed, and sang with a loud voice: "Fear not thou, O little flock!" etc., whereupon Master Seep entered into the chamber, trowing that I had called him. Howbeit he devoutly waited until I had finished, and after he had first declared his astonishment at my snow-white hair, he informed me that it was already

* Gal. iv, 6.