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Page 52
When the maid heard this, she made such outcries that I repented that I
had suffered her to be present, and we all had enough to do to comfort her
from the word of God till she became somewhat more tranquil; and when this
was done, my dear gossip thus spake to my child: "If, indeed, thou dost so
steadfastly maintain thine innocence, it is my duty, according to my
conscience as a priest, to inform the worshipful court thereof"; and he
was about to leave the room. But she withheld him, and fell upon the
ground and clasped his knees, saying, "I beseech you, by the wounds of
Jesus, to be silent. They would stretch me on the rack again, and uncover
my nakedness, and I, wretched weak woman, would in such torture confess
all that they would have me, especially if my father again be there,
whereby both my soul and my body are tortured at once: wherefore stay, I
pray you, stay; is it, then, a misfortune to die innocent, and is it not
better to die innocent than guilty?"
My good gossip at last gave way, and after standing awhile and praying to
himself, he wiped away his tears, and then spake the exhortation to
confession, in the words of Isaiah xliii. 1, 2, "But now thus saith the
Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear
not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art
mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest
through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy
Saviour."
And when he had ended this comfortable address, and asked her whether she
would willingly bear until her last hour that cross which the most
merciful God according to his unsearchable will had laid upon her, she
spake such beautiful words that my gossip afterwards said he should not
forget them so long as he should live, seeing that he had never witnessed
a bearing at once so full of faith and joy, and withal so deeply
sorrowful. She spake after this manner: "Oh, holy cross, which my Jesus
hath sanctified by his innocent suffering; oh, dear cross, which is laid
upon me by the hand of a merciful Father; oh, blessed cross, whereby I am
made like unto my Lord Jesus, and am called unto eternal glory and
blessedness: how! shall I not willingly bear thee, thou sweet cross of my
bridegroom, of my brother?" The reverend Johannes had scarce given us
absolution, and after this, with many tears, the holy sacrament, when we
heard a loud trampling upon the floor, and presently the impudent
constable looked into the room and asked whether we were ready, seeing
that the worshipful court was now waiting for us; and when he had been
told that we were ready, my child would have first taken leave of me, but
I forbade her, saying, "Not so; thou knowest that which thou hast promised
me; ... 'and whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will
lodge: ... where thou diest will I die ...' if that the Lord, as I hope,
will hear the ardent sighs of my poor soul." Hereupon she let me go, and
embraced only the old maid-servant, thanking her for all the kindness she
had shown her from her youth up, and begging her not to go with her to
make her death yet more bitter by her cries. The faithful old creature was
unable for a long time to say a word for tears. Howbeit at last she begged
forgiveness of my child for that she unwittingly accused her, and said,
that out of her wages she had bought five pounds' weight of flax to hasten
her death; that the shepherd of Pudgla had that very morning taken it with
him to Coserow, and that she should wind it closely round her body; for
that she had seen how old wife Schurne, who was burnt in Liepe, had
suffered great torments before she came to her death, by reason of the
damp wood.
But ere my child could thank her for this, the dreadful outcry of blood
began in the judgment-chamber; for a voice cried as loudly as might be,
"Woe upon the accursed witch, Mary Schweidler, because that she hath
fallen off from the living God!" Then all the folk without cried, "Woe
upon the accursed witch!" When I heard this I fell back against the wall,
but my sweet child stroked my cheeks with her darling hands, and said,
"Father, father, do but remember that the people likewise cried out
against the innocent Jesus, 'Crucify him, crucify him!' Shall not we then
drink of the cup which our Heavenly Father hath prepared for us?"
Hereupon the door opened, and the constable walked in, amid a great tumult
among the people, holding a drawn sword in his hand, which he bowed thrice
before my child, and cried, "Woe upon the accursed witch, Mary Schweidler,
because that she hath fallen off from the living God!" and all the folks
in the hall and without the castle cried as loud as they could, "Woe upon
the accursed witch!"
Hereupon he said, "Mary Schweidler, come before the high and worshipful
court to hear sentence of death passed upon thee!" Whereupon she followed
him with us two miserable men (for _Pastor Benzensis_ was no less cast
down than myself). As for the old maid-servant, she lay on the ground for
dead.
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