{ "meta": { "schema_version": "1.1", "endpoint": "/api/sources/rhineland-mystics/suso/vol-1-26-chapter-xxvll.json" }, "work": { "slug": "suso", "name": "Heinrich Suso" }, "parents": [ { "slug": "rhineland-mystics", "name": "Rhineland Mystics", "url": "/sources/rhineland-mystics/" } ], "chapter": { "num": 27, "slug": "vol-1-26-chapter-xxvll", "title": "Chapter XXVLL", "of": 51, "words": 1654, "text": "## Chapter XXVLL\n\nOf a grievous suffering which befell him through a com- \npanion. \n\nOnce upon a time, when he was about to \nset forth upon a journey, there was assigned to \nhim for his companion a lay-brother who was not \nquite right in his head. He received this bro- \nther very reluctantly, for he had continually \nbefore his mind the sufferings which he had \non former occasions undergone through the ill- \nbehaviour of his companions. Nevertheless, he \nsubmitted himself, and took the brother with \nhim. \n\nNow, it so happened that they arrived before \nbreakfast at a village in which an annual fair \nwas being held on that day, and a very great \nnumber of people of all sorts were collected \ntogether. The Servitor's companion, having \nbeen wet with the rain, went into a house to a \nfire, and declared that he would not go about \nwith him any where, adding that the brother \nmust do whatever he had to do without him, \n\n\nCHARGE OF POISONING. 119 \n\nand that lie would wait for him there. The \nbrother had scarcely left the house when his \ncompanion rose up, and seated himself at table \nwith a set of rough fellows and dealers who had \ntravelled to the fair. When these men per- \nceived that the wine had got well into his head, \nand he had left the table, and was standing \nunder the yard-door gaping about him, they \nset upon him, saying that he had stolen a \ncheese from them. Now at that very moment, \nwhen these wicked people were treating him in \nthis cruel manner, there came up four or five \ngood-for-nothing soldiers, who also fell upon \nhim, exclaiming that the scoundrel monk was \na poisoner ; for it was just then that there was \nthe outcry about poisoning. Upon this, they \nlaid hold of him, and made a great uproar, so \nthat there was a general rush to the place. \n\nWhen the lay -brother saw what course \nthings had taken, and that he was a prisoner, \nhe wished very much to get free, and, turning \nround, he said to them: — Stop a moment. \nOnly stand still and let me speak, and I will \nconfess it all to you, and tell you how things are. \nThey stood still, and every body listened ; upon \nwhich, he began thus : — Look at me now ; you \ncannot help seeing that I am a fool and a wit* \n\n\n120 LIFE OF BLESSED HENRY SUSO. \n\nless man, and no one makes any account of me ; \nbut my companion is a man of consummate \nwisdom, and the Order has intrusted him with \nlittle bags of poison to throw into the wells \nbetween this place and Alsace, whither he is \nnow journeying ; and his intention is to defile \nevery place to which he comes with vile poison. \nBut see that you make haste and seize him, or \nhe will have done a murderous deed which can \nnever be healed ; for he has just now taken out \na little bag of poison and cast it into the village \nwell, that all those who have come here to the \nfair and shall drink of the well may die without \nfail. This is why I stayed behind, and would \nnot go out with him, for it is a great grief to \nme. And as a voucher that I speak the truth, \nyou must know that he has a great bag for \nbooks, full of little bags of poison and a quantity \nof florins, which he and the Order have received \nfrom the Jews for carrying out this murderous \ndesign. \n\nWhen the wild crew, and all those who had \nforced their way into the house, heard these \nwords, they became mad with rage, and with \nloud yells they shouted out: — Quick after the \nmurderer, that he escape us not! And one \nseized a pike, and another a battle-axe, each \n\n\nCHARGE OF POISONING. 121 \n\none taking what he could, and they rushed \nabout in a state of frenzy, forcing open the \nhouses and the closets, where they fancied they \nmight find him, and stabbing with their naked \nswords through the beds and the straw, until \nthe whole fair ran together, on account of the \nuproar. \n\nAmong the crowd there were strangers \nfrom other districts, honourable men, who knew \nthe Servitor well, when they heard his name. \nThese persons came forward and told the others \nthat they were wronging him, for that he was a \nvery pious man, who would be very sorry to \ncommit such a crime. At length, as they could \nnot find him, they gave over the search, and \ncarried his companion as a prisoner to the \nvillage magistrate, who ordered him to be shut \nup in a cell. \n\nThe Servitor knew nothing of all this \ntrouble; but when he thought the time for \nbreakfast had come, and that his companion \nhad quite dried himself at the fire, he set out \nfor the inn, intending to breakfast there. When \nhe reached the inn, they began to tell him the \nsad news, and related to him all that had hap- \npened. Upon which, he ran straightway in \nterror to the house where the magistrate and \n\n\n122 LIFE OF BLESSED HENRY SUSO. \n\nhis companion were, and besought the magis- \ntrate to release him. The magistrate replied \nthat this could not be, for that he intended to \nconfine him in a tower as a punishment for his \noffence. This seemed hard and unbearable to \nthe Servitor, and he ran hither and thither \nseeking help ; but he could find no one to aid \nhim in this matter. After he had busied him- \nself in this way for a long time, he at length, \nwith much shame and bitterness, obtained his \ncompanion's release, though at great cost to \nhimself. \n\nHe now fancied that his sufferings were at \nan end; but they were only just beginning. \nFor he had no sooner got free from the authori- \nties with trouble and loss, than his life was ex- \nposed to imminent danger. When he left the \nmagistrate, about vesper-time, a cry was raised \namong the common people and the mob that a \npoisoner was there ; and they yelled at him as \nat a murderer, so that he dared not pass along \nin front of the village. They pointed at him, \nsaying: — That is the poisoner. He shall not \nescape us. He must be killed. We will not \nlet him off for money, like the magistrate. \nWhen he tried to escape by slipping away into \nthe village, they yelled still more fiercely after \n\n\nCHARGE OF POISONING. 123 \n\nhim. Some of them said: — We ought to \ndrown him in the Ehine; which ran past the \nvillage. The others answered: — No; the filthy \nmurderer will defile all the water: we should \nburn him. A huge peasant, in a sooty jerkin, \nsnatched up a pike, and, forcing his way \nthrough to the front, cried out: — Hear me, \nmy masters, all of you. There is no more \nshameful death to which we can put this heretic \nthan if I run him through with this long pike, \njust as we spit a poisonous toad. Even so in \nlike manner let me spit this poisoner naked \non this pike, and then lift him up backwards, \nand drive him so firmly into this stout fence \nthat he will not be able to fall off. There let \nhis foul carcass be dried by the winds, that all \nwho go by may have a view of the murderer, \nand curse him after his vile death ; that so his \nmisery may be the greater in this world and \nthe next, for richly has this utter miscreant \ndeserved this fate. \n\nThe Servitor heard these words with such \nterror that he groaned deeply, and the great \ntears rolled down his face from anguish. \n\nAll those who stood round the ring and saw \nhim wept bitterly ; and some beat their breasts \nthrough pity, and struck their hands together \n\n\n124 LIFE OF BLESSED HENRY SUSO. \n\nabove their heads ; but no one dared to say any- \nthing in presence of the infuriated people, for \nthey were afraid of being attacked themselves. \n\nWhen night began to fall, he went up and \ndown with weeping eyes entreating that some \none, for God's sake, would pity him and give \nhim shelter; but they repulsed him cruelly. \nSome kind-hearted women would have gladly \ntaken him in, but they dared riot. At length, \nwhen the wretched sufferer was thus in the \nstraits of death, and all help from man had \nfailed him, and they were only waiting for the \nmoment to fall upon him and kill him, he \nsunk down beside a fence through anguish and \nfear of death, and, lifting up his miserable and \nswollen eyes to the heavenly Father, exclaimed: \n— O Father of all pity, when wilt Thou bring \nme help to-day in my great need? O kind \nheart, how hast Thou forgotten Thy great \nkindness towards me ? \" O Father, O time, \nkind Father, help me, poor wretch, in these \ngreat straits ! I cannot resolve in my heart, \nwhich is already dead, whether it be more toler- \nable for me to be drowned, or to be burned, or \nto die upon a pike, for one of these deaths must \nnow be mine. I commend my wretched spirit \nto Thee to-day, and I pray Thee to show me \n\n\nA MURDERER. 125 \n\npity in my miserable death, for they are nigh \nunto me who are resolved to kill me. \n\nThis sorrowful plaint was overheard by a \npriest, who, running thither, snatched him by \nforce out of their hands, and brought him home \ninto his house ; and, after keeping him during \nthe night, that nothing might happen to him, \nset him on his way next morning early, safe out \nof all his troubles.", "project_translation": false, "text_trust": "verbatim", "quote_safe": true, "license": null, "methodology_url": null } }