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Hereat the Duke was still more horrified, and exclaimed, "Curse upon thy proebenda, but thou shalt get something else, I warrant thee! Thou art a vile witch, and hast in thy mind to destroy our whole noble race with thy detestable sorceries." Illa. "Alas! no one had called her a witch before; how could she bewitch them? It was a strange story to tell of her." The Duke.
Alas! that his Grace should have desired to halt, for scarcely had his sleigh stopped, when a little old woman, meanly clad, with fisher's boots, and a net filled with bley-fish in her hand, stepped up to it and said "My good Lord, I am Sidonia von Bork; wherefore have you not replied to my demand for the proebenda of Barbara von Kleist in Marienfliess?" "How could he answer her?
The proebenda of my sister Barbara shall thou never have!" However, the hag stirred not from the spot, answered no word, but spat out again; and as the illustrious party drove off she still stood there, and spat out after them.
So his Grace wonders much over the daring of the harlot; for he had given her no proebenda, though she was writing to him constantly requesting one. Nor would he ever think of giving her one; for why should he send such a hell-besom to sweep the pious convent of Marienfliess? The good abbess might rise up, for as long as he lived Sidonia should never enter the convent.
"Franz," he said, "thou art a fool, and God forbid that ever thou shouldst reign in the land; for know that the word of a Prince is sacred. Yes, Sidonia shall have the proebenda; but I will not entrap my enemy through deceit to death, but will try to win her over by gentleness.
Upon this, the states and privy council declared that they would follow him to Oderkrug to learn the result, but meanwhile begged of his Grace not to delay setting off, lest Duke Casimir might have left Oderkrug before he reached it. Duke Bogislaff XIII. accepts the government of the duchy, and gives Sidonia at last the long-desired proebenda Item, of her arrival at the convent of Marienfliess.
And the two young Princes George and Ulrich prayed him in like manner; but young Philip Secundus spake "I think, brothers, it were better if our dear father gave this long-talked-of proebenda to the witch at once; then, whether she bewitches or not, we are safe at all events."
So he stopped the carriage, and alighted to see if the twenty or thirty balls he had shot into it were still there. His Highness, however, recoiled horror-struck, and asked who she was. She was Sidonia von Bork, and prayed his Grace yet once more for the proebenda in Marienfliess.
She prayed his Grace, therefore, out of old good friendship, to take up her cause, and use his influence with the Lord Duke of Stettin to obtain the proebenda for her, also to send a good scolding to her brother at Stramehl under his own hand." Now my gracious Prince was so anxious to get rid of her, that he promised everything she asked.
Sidonia can no man crush! She wrote immediately to his Grace, soliciting the proebenda, and even presented herself at the ducal house of Stettin; but his Grace positively refused to lay eyes on her, knowing how fatal a meeting with her had proved to each of his brothers, who no sooner met her evil glance than they sickened and died. Therefore his Highness held all old women in abhorrence.
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