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Page 50
When the tempter had thus spoken, methought his words were sweeter than
honey, and I answered, "Alas, my lord, I am ashamed to appear before her
face with such a proposal." Whereupon he straightway said, "Then do you
write it to her; come, here is pen, ink, and paper."
And now, like Eve, I took the fruit and ate, and gave it to my child that
she might eat also; that is to say, that I recapitulated on paper all that
Satan had prompted, but in the Latin tongue, for I was ashamed to write it
in mine own; and lastly I conjured her not to take away her own life and
mine, but to submit to the wondrous will of God. Neither were mine eyes
opened when I had eaten (that is, written), nor did I perceive that the
ink was gall instead of honey, and I translated my letter to the Sheriff
(seeing that he understood no Latin), smiling like a drunken man the
while; whereupon he clapped me on the shoulder, and after I had made fast
the letter with his signet, he called his huntsman, and gave it to him to
carry to my daughter; _item_, he sent her pen, ink, and paper, together
with his signet, in order that she might answer it forthwith.
Meanwhile he talked with me right graciously, praising my child and me,
and made me drink to him many times from his great pitcher, wherein was
most goodly wine; moreover, he went to a cupboard and brought out cakes
for me to eat, saying that I should now have such every day. But when the
huntsman came back in about half an hour with her answer, and I had read
the same, then, first, were mine eyes opened, and I knew good and evil;
had I had a fig-leaf, I should have covered them therewith for shame; but
as it was, I held my hand over them and wept so bitterly that the Sheriff
waxed very wroth, and cursing bade me tell him what she had written.
Thereupon I interpreted the letter to him, the which I likewise place
here, in order that all may see my folly, and the wisdom of my child. It
was as follows:--
"IESVS!
"Pater infelix!
"Ego cras non magis pallebo rogum aspectura, et rogus non magis erubescet,
me suscipiens, quam pallui et iterum erubescui, literas tuas legens. Quid?
et te, pium patrem, pium servum Domini, ita Satanas sollicitavit, ut
communionem facias cum inimicis meis, et non intelligas: in tali vit� esse
mortem, et in tali morte vitam? Scilicet si clementissimus Deus Mariae
Magdalenae aliisque ignovit, ignovit, quia resipiscerent ob carnis
debilitatem, et non iterum peccarent. Et ego peccarem cum quavis
detestatione carnis, et non semel, sed iterum atque iterum sine reversione
usque ad mortem? Quomodo clementissimus Deus haec sceleratissima ignoscere
posset? infelix pater! recordare quid mihi dixisti de sanctis martyribus
et virginibus Domini, qua omnes mallent vitam quam pudicitiam perdere. His
et ego sequar, et sponsus meus, Jesus Christus, et mihi miserae, ut spero,
coronam aeternam dabit, quamvis eum non minus offendi ob debilitatem
carnis ut Maria, et me sontem declaravi, cum insons sum. Fac igitur, ut
valeas et ora pro me apud Deum et non apud Satanam, ut et ego mox coram
Deo pro te orare possim.
"MARIA S., captiva."
When the Sheriff heard this, he flung the pitcher which he held in his
hand to the ground, so that it flew in pieces, and cried, "The cursed
devil's whore! the constable shall make her squeak for this a good hour
longer"; with many more such things beside, which he said in his malice,
and which I have now forgotten; but he soon became quite gracious again,
and said, "She is foolish; do you go to her and see whether you cannot
persuade her to her own good as well as yours; the huntsman shall let you
in, and should the fellow listen, give him a good box on the ears in my
name; do you hear, reverend Abraham? Go now forthwith and bring me back an
answer as quickly as possible!" I therefore followed the huntsman, who led
me into a vault where was no light save what fell through a hole no bigger
than a crown-piece; and here my daughter sat upon her bed and wept. Any
one may guess that I straightway began to weep too, and was no better able
to speak than she. We thus lay mute in each other's arms for a long time,
until I at last begged her to forgive me for my letter, but of the Sheriff
his message I said nought, although I had purposed so to do. But before
long we heard the Sheriff himself call down into the vault from above,
"What (and here he gave me a heavy curse) are you doing there so long?
Come up this moment, reverend Johannes!" Thus I had scarce time to
give her one kiss before the huntsman came back with the keys and forced
us to part; albeit we had as yet scarcely spoken, save that I had told her
in a few words what had happened with old Lizzie. It would be hard to
believe into what grievous anger the Sheriff fell when I told him that my
daughter remained firm and would not hearken unto him; he struck me on the
breast, and said, "Go to the devil then, thou infamous parson!" and when I
turned myself away and would have gone, he pulled me back, and said, "If
thou breathest but one word of all that has passed, I will have thee burnt
too, thou grey-headed old father of a witch; so look to it!" Hereupon I
plucked up a heart, and answered that that would be the greatest joy to
me, especially if I could be burnt to-morrow with my child. Hereunto he
made no answer, but clapped to the door behind me. Well, clap the door as
thou wilt, I greatly fear that the just God will one day clap the doors of
heaven in thy face!
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