[1] Le Comte d’Ulfeld, Grand Maistre de Danemarc. Nouvelle historique, i.-ii. Paris, 1678. 8vo. An English translation, with a supplement, appeared 1695: The Life of Count Ulfeldt, Great Master of Denmark, and of the Countess Eleonora his Wife. Done out of French. With a supplement. London. 1695. 8vo.

Another novel by the same author, called Casimir King of Poland, is perhaps better known in this country, through a translation by F. Spence in vol. ii. of Modern Novels, 1692.

[2] It is by a slip of memory that Mr. Birket Smith, in his first Danish edition of Leonora Christina’s memoir of her life in prison, describes this work under the name of De feminis eruditis.

[3] La Valette’s account of his participation in the Thirty Years’ War is entirely fictitious, as almost all that he tells of Ulfeldt’s travels, &c.

[4] See Caroli Ogerii Ephemerides sive, Iter Danicum, Svecicum, Polonicum, &c. Paris, 1656. 8vo. p. 36, 37, 40, by D’Avaux’s secretary, Ogier.

[5] La Valette’s account of a lawsuit instituted by the King against Kirstine Munk, in which she was defended by Ulfeldt—of Ulfeldt’s duel with Hannibal Sehested, afterwards his brother-in-law, &c.—is entirely fictitious. No such things took place.

[6] This autobiographical sketch is written in the form of a letter to Dr. Otto Sperling the younger, the son of Corfits Ulfeldt’s old friend, who was for some years Leonora’s fellow-prisoner in the Blue Tower.

[7] It is curious that Leonora seems for a long time to have been under a mistake as to the date of her birthday. The right date is July 18, new style.

[8] On the South Coast of Norway.

[9] Count Christian Pentz, to whom Sophia was married in 1634.

[10] Hannibal Sehestedt afterwards married Leonora’s younger sister Christiana; he became a powerful antagonist of Ulfeldt, and is mentioned often in the following Memoir.

[11] Frantz Albrecht, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, the same who in the Thirty Years’ War alternately served the Protestants and the Imperialists. In the battle of LÜtzen he was near Gustav Adolf when he fell, and he was regarded by many as the one who treacherously fired the fatal shot.

[12] That is, the King’s eldest son Christian, who was elected his successor, but died before him.

[13] In the margin the following addition is inserted: ‘She had at that time an unusual memory. She could at one and the same time recite one psalm by heart, write another, and attend to the conversation. She had tried this more than once, but I think that she has thereby spoilt her memory, which is not now so good.’

[14] Namely, Magdalena Sybilla of Saxony, then newly married (October 5, 1634) to Prince Christian, the eldest son and elected successor of Christian IV. M. Sophia’s wedding to Chr. Pentz was celebrated on the 10th of the same month.

[15] V.R. probably stands for Viceroy, by which term Leonora no doubt indicates the post of Governor of Copenhagen.

[16] The old friend is Dr. Otto Sperling, sen., a physician in extensive practice at Copenhagen, and intimate friend of Ulfeldt. Mr. Biel... signifies most probably a certain Christian Bielke, whose portrait still exists at Rosenborg Castle, in Copenhagen, with an inscription that he was killed in a duel by Bartram Rantzau on Easter eve 1642. If this date is true, Bielke cannot have accompanied Leonora’s brother Count Valdemar on his journey to Russia, as this journey only took place in 1643. Count Valdemar was to marry a Russian princess, but it was broken off on his refusing to join the Greek church.

[17] Dr. Otto Sperling, senior.

[18] Prince Ruprecht, Duke of Cumberland, nephew of Charles I.

[19] Namely, the process against Dina. See Introduction.

[20] Ulfeldt had not really the permission of the King to leave the country in the way he did. These words must therefore be understood to mean that the favourable termination of the trial concerning Dina’s accusations had liberated Ulfeldt from the special obligation to remain in Copenhagen, which his position in reference to that case imposed upon him.

[21] That is, Ebbe Ulfeldt,—a relative of Corfitz who left Denmark in 1651 and afterwards lived in Sweden.

[22] This date is erroneous; the journey took place in November and December 1656.

[23] U.C. GyldenlÖve, illegitimate son of Christian IV. and half-brother of Leonora.

[24] Probably Povl Tscherning, a well-known man of the time, who held the office of Auditor-General.

[25] In order to understand how she could wait for ten days at Apenrade, it must be borne in mind that the duchy of Slesvig was at that time divided into several parts, of which some belonged to the King, others to the Duke of Gottorp. Haderslev and Flensborg belonged to the King, but Apenrade to the Duke; in this town, therefore, she was safe from the pursuit of the Danish authorities.

[26] The governor of Flensborg at that time was Detlef v. Ahlefeld, the same who in 1663 was sent to KÖnigsberg to receive information from the court of Brandenburg on the last intrigues of Ulfeldt.

[27] The clerk Holst was shortly after, when the Swedes occupied Flensborg, put to a heavy ransom by Ulfeldt, in punishment of his conduct to Leonora. Documents which still exist show that he applied to the Danish Government for compensation, but apparently in vain.

[28] Count Jakob Casimir de la Gardie, a Swedish nobleman. Count Wrangel was the Swedish General.

[29] The funeral took place with great pomp in the church of St. Knud, at Odense, on June 23, 1658, together with that of Sophia Elizabeth, Leonora’s sister, who is mentioned in the beginning of the Autobiography.

[30] The young lady was Birgitte Rantzau, who was engaged to Korfits Trolle, a Danish nobleman, who had been very active in preparing the intended rising of the citizens of MalmÖe against the Swedes. Ulfeldt was accused of having favoured and assisted this design (see the Introduction), and he had brought Trolle’s bride over to Copenhagen, or accompanied them thither.

[31] Wolf and Kield were servants of Ulfeldt.

[32] The person alluded to is a BartholomÆus Mikkelsen, who was executed as ringleader of the conspiracy.

[33] Bornholm. (See the Introduction.)

[34] She refers no doubt to a servant who accompanied them of the name of PflÜgge.

[35] The original of this letter to the King exists still.

[36] It will be remembered from the Introduction that Fuchs was killed two years after by one of Leonora’s sons at Bruges.

[37] This account of what happened during their imprisonment at Hammershuus, written by Leonora herself, is also mentioned in her Record of her prison-life in the Blue Tower. But no copy of it has yet come to light. Uhlfeldt’s so-called apology contains much information on this subject.

[38] Fuchs’ own report on this subject still exists, and in it he estimates the iron employed at three tons.

[39] The precise date was June 15, 1661, but the order for their separation is dated already on the 4th of April.

[40] Leonora alludes to the wife of the then Duke of York, afterwards James II., who was the daughter of Lord Edward Clarendon.

[41] The apology of Uhlfeldt contains an account of this whole transaction. He states that when he asked his wife through the window whether they ought to sign and live rather than die in prison, which would otherwise be their lot, Leonora answered with the following Latin verse:

[42] Ellensborg was the ancient seat of the Ulfeldt family, which had been sold to Ellen Marsvin, Leonora’s grandmother, and Leonora inherited it from her mother. It is now called Holckenhavn, and the seat of Count Holck.

[43] Namely Casetta, a Spanish nobleman, who afterwards married their daughter Anna Katherine, but both he and their children died soon. (See the Introduction.)

[44] Charles the Second’s Grandmother, Anna, the Queen of James I. was sister of Leonora Christina’s father, Christian IV.

[45] Sir Henry Bennet, afterwards Lord Arlington.

[46] A certain Mr. Mowbray.

[47] Elsewhere she writes the name Broughton.

[48] Sir George Askew.

[49] Compare with this account the following extracts in the Calendar of State Papers, domestic series, 1663, 1664, pp. 196, 197, 200:—

1663—July 8.—Warrant to Captain Strode, governor of Dover Castle, to detain Elionora Christiana, Countess of Uhlfeldt, with her husband, if he be found with her, and their servants; to keep her close prisoner, and secure all her papers, according to instructions to be given by Thos. Parnell.

July 8.—Warrant to Thos. Parnell to observe the movements of the said Countess of Uhlfeldt; to seize her should she attempt to embark at Gravesend with her papers, and to detain her close prisoner.

(July).—Instructions (by Sec. Bennet) to Thos. Parnell, to go to Dover Castle to deliver instructions, and assist in their execution, relative to a certain lady (the Countess of Uhlfeldt), who is not to be permitted to depart, whether she have a pass or not; but to be invited, or if needful compelled, to lodge at the castle, where the best accommodation is to be provided for her. It is suspected that her husband lies concealed in the kingdom, and will also try to pass with his lady, but he also is to be detained, and her servants also.

July 11.—Thos. Parnell to Williamson. ‘Found the Countess (of Uhlfeldt) at Dover, and by the aid of the Lieut.-Governor sent the searcher to her inn, to demand her pass. She said she had none, not knowing it would be wanted. She submitted patiently to be taken to the castle, and lodged there till a message was sent to town. The Regent’s gentleman, the bearer will give an account of all things.’

[50] Several letters written by Leonora during her imprisonment at Dover to Charles II., Sir Henry Bennet, &c., are printed in a Danish periodical, Danske Samlinger, vol. vi.

[51] Reckoning the patacoon to 4s. 8d., this claim would be nearly 5,000l.

[52] Leonora did not know that the governor of the castle was in the plot.

[53] Additional light is thrown on the arrest of Leonora Christina at Dover by the following extracts in the Calendar of State Papers, p. 224, 225:—

August 1, Whitehall.—(Sec. Bennet) to Capt. Strode. The King is satisfied with his account of the lady’s escape and his own behaviour; continue the same mask, of publishing His Majesty’s displeasure against all who contributed to it, especially his lieutenant, and this more particularly in presence of M. Cassett, lest he may suspect connivance. Cassett is to continue prisoner some time. The Danish Resident is satisfied with the discretion used, but says his point would not have been secured had the lady gone to sea without interruption.

August 1?—Account (proposed to be sent to the Gazette?) relative to Count Uhlfeldt—recording his submission in 1661, the present sentence against him, his further relapse into crime after a solemn recantation, also signed by his wife who was his accomplice, though her blood saved her from sharing his sentence, but who has now betrayed herself into the hands of the King of Denmark. She was in England when the conspiracy against the King of Denmark’s life was detected. The King of England had her movements watched, when she suddenly went off without a pass, for want of which she was stayed by the Governor of Dover Castle, who accommodated her in the castle. The Resident of Denmark posted to Dover, and secured the master of a ship then in the road, with whom he expected her to tamper, which she did, escaped through the castle window, and entering a shallop to go on board, was seized and conveyed to Denmark. With note (by Lord Chancellor Clarendon) that he is not satisfied with this account, but will prepare a better for another week.

[54] In the margin is added: ‘As I now hope that what I write may come into your hands, my captivity during the last three years also having been much lightened.’

[55] A pen has afterwards been drawn through this paragraph, but the observations occur in the manuscript.

[56] The conclusion of the Preface, from the words ‘Meanwhile let the will of God,’ etc. has afterwards been erased, when the manuscript was continued beyond the date assigned in the Preface; and the following paragraphs, ‘I bear also in mind,’ etc. were intended to form a new conclusion, but do not seem to have been properly worked in.

[57] Afterwards altered to anno 1685, the 19th of May.

[58] In the margin is added: ‘I had a ring on with a table-diamond worth 200 rix-dollars. I bit this out, threw the gold in the sea, and kept the stone in my mouth. It could not be observed by my speech that there was anything in my mouth.’

[59] That is the Aulefeldt mentioned in the Preface under the name of Anfeldt.

[60] In the margin is added: ‘The sorrow manifested by many would far rather have depressed me; for several people, both men and women, shed tears, even those whom I did not know.’

[61] This paragraph was afterwards struck out, the contents being transferred to the Preface.

[62] This passage was afterwards altered thus: ‘God blinded their eyes so that they did not perceive my earrings, in each of which there is a large rose diamond, and from which I have now removed the stones. The gold, which is in form of a serpent, is still in my ears. They also did not perceive that something was fastened round my knee.’

[63] That is, give information.

[64] In the margin the following explanatory note is added: ‘When his Majesty (Christian IV.) was dead, there was no prince elected, so that the States were free to choose the king whom they desired, wherefore the Duke of Holstein, Duke Frederick, promised my deceased lord that if he would contrive that he should be elected king, the land of Fyen should belong to him and a double alliance between his children and ours should be concluded. But my lord rejected this proposal and would not assist in dispossessing the son of Christian IV. of the kingdom. The prince had obtained several votes, but my lord contested them.’

[65] It had happened as I thought. There were some in the council who refused to sign, some because they had not been present at the time of the procedure, and others because they had not seen on what the sentence was founded; but they were nevertheless compelled to sign with the others, on the peril of the king’s displeasure. [Marginal note.]

[66] In the margin is added, ‘and asked whether I was permitted to appeal against this sentence. All were silent.’

[67] In the margin: ‘The feather-bed had an old cover, and was fresh filled when I was lying in the roads; the needle, in the hurry, had therefore been left in.’

[68] In the margin: ‘I myself heard this conversation.’

[69] When I took my meals, the woman had opportunity of talking with the three men. The coachman helped the tower-warder Rasmus to bring up the food. [Marginal note.]

[70] I could not see when she spoke with any one, for she did so on the stairs. [Marginal note.]

[71] In the margin is added: ‘There was none.’

[72] Did not this accord well with the statement that my lord had offered the kingdom of Denmark to two potentates? [Marginal note.]

[73] In the margin is noted: ‘I had never seen La Rosche nor his companion till I did so at Dover.’

[74] In the margin is added: ‘The prison governor told the woman about the magnificence of the festivity and Peder also told her of it, so that it seemed to her that I could know somewhat from customs of former times.’

[75] The Queen wished that this wooden statue should be brought into my outer chamber, and so placed in front of the door that it would tumble into me when my inner door was opened; but the King would not permit it. [Addition in the margin.]

[76] In the margin is this note: ‘Once when I asked the prison governor for some scissors to cut my nails, he answered, and that loudly, “What! what! her nails shall grow like eagles’ claws, and her hair like eagles’ feathers!” I know well what I thought—if I had only claws and wings!’

[77] I removed my nails with the needle, scratching them till they came away. I let the nail of the little finger of my right hand grow, in order to see how long it would become; but I knocked it off unawares, and I still have it. [Marginal note.]

[78] The prison cell is outside that in which the doctor is immured. It is quite dark where he is. [Note in the margin.]

[79] In the margin is added: ‘When the prison governor was singing to himself on those first days, he said, “You must sing, my bird; where is your velvet robe?” laughing at the same time most heartily. I inferred from that song who it was.’

[80] In the margin is added: ‘In order to grieve the Doctor and to frighten him, the prison governor unlocked his cell early on the morning after sentence had been passed, and behaved as if the priest were coming to him.’

[81] That is, give information.

[82] In the margin is added: ‘Peder had some time before thrown into me eight ducats in a paper, saying, as he closed the door, “Your maid!” And as the woman knew it, I gave her one of them and Peder one. I know not whether my maid had given him more; she had many more concealed on her person.’

[83] In the margin is added: ‘As my linen was washed in the servants’ hall, it once happened that a maid there must unawares have forgotten a whole skein of thread in a clean chemise, at which I said to the woman: “You see how the ravens bring me thread!” She was angry and abused me; I laughed, and answered her jestingly.’

[84] In the margin is added: ‘I wrote different things from the Bible on the paper in which the sugar was given me. My ink-bottle was made of the piece of pewter lid which the woman had found, the ink was made from the smoke of the candle collected on a spoon, and the pen from a fowl’s feather cut by the piece of glass. I have this still in my possession.’

[85] In the margin is added: ‘The prison governor told me afterwards that the clay things were placed in the King’s art-cabinet, besides a rib of mutton, which I used as a knife, which he also gave to the King; hoping (he said) in this way to obtain a knife for me.’

[86] In the margin is added: ‘The day that the prison governor had taken away the clay things the woman was very angry with me, because I gave him a small jug which I had made; she said it was made in ridicule of her, the old slut with the jug! I ought to have given him the cat which I had also made. I said, “I can still do so.”’

[87] In the margin is added: ‘At first when the prison governor’s fear was so great, he did not venture to be alone in the outer room. Peder and the tower warder were not allowed both to leave him at the same time. I did not know the reason for this.’

[88] In the margin is added: ‘Some time after this dispute I had a quarrel with her about some beer, which she was in the habit of emptying on the floor, saying, “This shall go to the subterraneous folk.” I had forbidden her to do so, but she did it again, so I took her by the head and pushed it back with my hand. She was frightened, for this feels just as if one’s head was falling off. I said, “That is a foretaste.”’

[89] In the margin is added: ‘I made the snuffers serve as scissors. When Balcke came to me and brought me at my desire material for drawers, and requested to know the size, I said I could make them myself. He laughed, and said, “Who will cut them out?” I replied I could do it myself with the snuffers. He begged to see me do it, and looked on with no little astonishment.’

[90] In the margin is added: ‘While Balcke filled the place of prison governor, he drank my wine at every meal, which had formerly fallen to the tower warder, the coachman, or the prisoner Christian, when the old prison governor had not wished for it, so that this also contributed to Balcke’s dismissal.’

[91] In the margin: ‘It is indeed a bad flight of stairs to the place where the basin was emptied.’

[92] In the margin is added: ‘Gabel had said (I was afterwards informed) that I was frightened at the appearance of the man, and thought it was the executioner. I did not regard him as such, but as a poor cavalier, and I imagined he was to undertake the duties which Peder the coachman performed.’

[93] In the margin: ‘Balcke has waited upon me for twenty weeks, and he was accused of having told me what happened outside. In proof of this it was alleged that he had told me that Gabel had been made Statholder, to whom I afterwards gave this title in M. Buck’s hearing. Balcke one day could not restrain himself from laughing, for while he was standing and talking with me, the woman and the man were standing on the stairs outside, chuckling and laughing; and he said, “Outside there is the chatter market. Why does not Peder so arrange it that it is forbidden? You can get to know all that goes on in the world without me.”’

[94] In the margin is added: ‘While Balcke waited on me, a folding table was brought in for the bread and glasses, and also for the woman’s food, which she did not take till the doors had been locked. There was nothing there before but the night-stool to place the dishes on: that was the woman’s table.’

[95] In the margin is added: ‘At that time there was a large double window with iron grating, which was walled up when I was brought here; and Christian told me afterwards how the maids in the store-room had supplied him with many a can of beer, which he had drawn up by a cord.’

[96] In the margin is this note: ‘Christian had at that time given me some pieces of flint which are so sharp that I can cut fine linen with them by the thread. The pieces are still in my possession, and with this implement I executed various things.’

[97] In the margin is added: ‘Such is his character.’

[98] In the margin is added: ‘These rope-dancers did things that I had never seen before. One had a basket attached to each leg, and in each basket was a boy of five years of age, and a woman fell upon the rope and jumped up again. But during the time of the other woman, I saw a man suspended by his chin and springing back upon the rope.’

[99] In the margin is added: ‘This was the priest who attended to the prisoners, and as he confessed her in the anteroom, I heard every word said by him, but not her replies.’

[100] In the margin is added: ‘Her child.’

[101] In the margin is added: ‘She was in every respect a malicious woman, and grudged a little meat to any prisoner. A poor sacristan was my neighbour in the Dark Church, and I gave her a piece of meat for him. She would not take it to him, which she could easily have done without anyone seeing. When I saw the meat afterwards, I found fault with her. Then she said, “Why should I give it to him? He has never given me anything. I get nothing for it.” I said, “You give nothing of your own away.” This sacristan was imprisoned because he had taken back his own horse, the man to whom he had sold it not having paid him. He sang all day long, and on Sunday he went through the service like a clergyman, with the responses, &c.’

[102] In the margin is added: ‘She had begged Chresten, for more than half a year before she left, to tell the prison-governor that her life hung on a thread; that I had a ball of clay in my handkerchief, and that I had threatened to break her head to pieces with it (I had said one day that a person with a ball of that kind could kill another). She invented several similar lies, as I subsequently heard.’

[103] In the margin is added: ‘The pins I had obtained some time ago from the first woman. She had procured them with some needles, and, thinking to hide them from me, she carried them in her bosom in a paper and forgot them. In the evening when she dropped her petticoat to go to bed, the paper fell on the floor. I knew from the sound what it was. One Saturday, when she went upstairs with the night-stool, I took the pins out of her box, and she never ventured to ask for them; she saw me using them afterwards, and said nothing about them.’

[104] In the margin is noted: ‘I said one day to the woman, “Were it not for the Queen, who would make the King angry with me, I would retaliate upon the prison governor for having decoyed Doctor Sperling. I would take the keys when he was sleeping, and wait for Chresten to come with the cups, and then I would go up the King’s stairs and take the keys to the King, just as the lacquey did with the old prison-governor. But I should gain nothing from this King, and perhaps should be still more strictly confined.”’

[105] In the margin is noted: ‘At first, when this Karen did not know the prison governor, she did not venture so boldly to the prisoners in the Dark Church to give them anything, for she said, “The prison governor stares at me so.” I said, “It is with him as with little children; they look staring at a thing, and do not know what it is.” It is the case with him, he does not trouble himself about anything.’

[106] In the margin is added: ‘The hinges of my outer door are so far from the wall that they are open more than a hand’s breadth, so that I have got in large things between them; and above they are still more open, and when I put my arm through the peep-hole of the inner door and stretch it out, I can reach to the top of the outer one, though the woman cannot.’

[107] In the margin: ‘She has a curious manner of spelling. She cannot spell a word of three syllables; for when she has to add the two syllables to the third, she has forgotten the first. If I urge her, however, she can read the word correctly when she has spelt the first syllable. She spells words of two syllables and reads those of four.’

[108] In the margin: ‘Once she asked me whether she could not get a book in which there was neither q nor x, for she could not remember these letters. I answered, “Yes, if you will yourself have such a book printed.”’

[109] In the margin of the MS. is added: ‘When this Karen came to me she left me no peace till I allowed her to clean the floor; for I feared that which happened, namely that the smell would cause sickness. In one place there was an accumulation of dirt a couple of feet thick. When she had loosened it, it had to remain till the door was opened. I went to bed, threw the bed-clothes over my head, and held my nose.’[E38]

[110] In the margin is added: ‘On the stick there was a tin candlestick, which was occasionally placed at the side of my bed. I used it for fixing my knitting.’[E39]

[111] In the margin: ‘The girl was a prostitute to whom he had promised marriage, and the tower-warder—both the former one and Chresten—let her in to Christian, went out himself, and left them alone.’

[112] In the margin: ‘In the time of his good humour he had procured me, for money and candles, all that I desired, so that I had both knife and scissors, besides silk, thread, and various things to beguile the time. This vexed him afterwards.’

[113] In the margin: ‘Immediately after the girl had been in Skaane, he gave her a box full of pieces of wax, on which were the impressions of all the tower keys; and amongst them was written, “My girl will have these made in Skaane.” I had this from the woman, who was just then carrying up the night-stool, and on the following Saturday I gave the box back with many thanks, saying I did not care to escape from the tower in this way. This did not please him, as I well saw.’

[114] In the margin is added: ‘At this time there was a peasant imprisoned in the Dark Church for having answered the bailiff of the manor with bad language. I sent him food. He was a great rogue. I know not whether he were incited by others, but he told Karen that if I would write to my children, he would take care of the letter. I sent him word that I thanked him; I had nothing to say to them and nothing to write with. The rogue answered, “Ah so! Ah so!”’

[115] In the margin: ‘It was wonderful that the governor did not hear the noise which Christian made. He was telling me, I remember, at the time, how he had frightened one of the court servants with a mouse in a box.’

[116] In the margin is added: ‘He enticed the prison governor to throw a kitten that I had down from the top of the tower, and he laughed at me ironically as he told the woman of his manly act, and said, “The cat was mangy! the cat was mangy!” I would not let him see that it annoyed me.’

[117] In the margin is added: ‘1666. While Karen, Nils’ daughter, waited on me, a Nuremberger was my neighbour in the Dark Church; he was accused of having coined base money. She carried food to him every day. He sang and read day and night, and sang very well. He sang the psalm ‘Incline thine ear unto me, O Lord,’ slowly at my desire. I copied it, and afterwards translated it into Danish. And as he often prayed aloud at night and confessed his sins, praying God for forgiveness and exclaiming again and again, ‘Thou must help me, God! Yes, God, thou must help me, or thou art no God. Thou must be gracious;’ thus hindering me from sleep, I sent him word through Karen to pray more softly, which he did. He was taken to the Holm for some weeks, and was then set at liberty.

[118] In the MS. this date ‘1667’ is in the margin, not in the text.

[119] In the margin is added: ‘This very hymn was afterwards the cause of Christian’s being again well-behaved, as he subsequently himself told me, for he heard me one day singing it, and he said that his heart was touched, and that tears filled his eyes. I had at that time no other writing-materials than I have before mentioned.’

[120] What he meant by it I know not; perhaps he meant that I should die in misery, and that he should live in freedom. That anticipation has been just reversed, for his godless life in his liberty threw him subsequently into despair, so that he shot himself. Whether God will give me freedom in this world is known to Him alone.

[121] In the margin is added: ‘He could not prevent his boy Paaske from having a piece of meat placed for him in front of the door.’

[122] In the margin is added: ‘The bride had supplicated for me at NykjÖbing, but had not gained her object. This was thought to be dangerous both for the land and people.’

[123] In the margin is added: ‘It was a Sunday; this was the honour he showed to God. He went into the wine-house instead of into God’s house. He came out about twelve o’clock.’

[124] In the margin is added: ‘A few months after she had come to me, she had an attack of ague. She wept, and was afraid. I was well satisfied with her, and thought I would see what faith could do, so I wrote something on a slip of paper and hung it round her neck. The fever left her, and she protested that all her bodily pains passed all at once into her legs when I hung the paper round her neck. Her legs immediately became much swollen.’

[125] In the margin is added: ‘When the priest left me, he spoke with Walter in front of the grated hole, told him of my desire, and its probable result. Walter laughed ironically, and said, “My hair will not stand on end for fear of that matter being mooted again. The Queen knows that full well. Say that too!” While Walter was in the Witch Cell hole, he had written to the Queen, but the King received the paper.’

[126] In the margin is noted: ‘I looked through a hole in my outermost door at the time that Walter was brought up in the Dark Church. He wept aloud. I afterwards saw him once in front of the hole of the door of his cell. He was very dirty, and had a large beard full of dirt, very clotted.’

[127] In the margin is added: ‘From books which had been secretly lent me, and I did so with the pen and ink I have before mentioned, on any pieces of paper which I happened to procure.’

[128] In the margin is noted: ‘Chresten was not well satisfied with the woman, for in her time he never received a draught of wine, so that he once stole the wine from her can and substituted something impure in its place; at this she made a great noise, begged me for God’s sake to give her leave to strike Chresten with the can. She did not gain permission to do so; she told Chresten afterwards that she had not dared to do it, for my sake. She had a great scar on one cheek, which a soldier had once given her for a similar act.’

[129] In the margin is added: ‘At this time I had six prisoners for my neighbours. Three were peasants from Femeren, who were accused of having exported some sheep; the other three were Danish. They were divided in two parties, and as the Danes were next the door, I gave them some food; they had moreover been imprisoned some time before the others. When the Danes, according to their custom, sang the morning and evening psalms, the Germans growled forth with all their might another song in order to drown their voices; they generally sang the song of Dorothea.’ [E48]

[130] In the margin is added: ‘As I was to receive clothes, I asked for mourning clothes. Then the prison governor asked me for whom I wished to mourn, and this in a most ironical manner. I answered: “It is not for your aunt; it is not for me to mourn for her, although your aunt has been dead long. I think you have as good reason for wearing mourning as I.” He said he would report it. I did not receive them at once.’

[131] In the margin is added: ‘Chresten showed me once some bread, from which Walter had taken the crumb, and had filled it full of straw and dirt, in fact, of the very worst kind.’

[132] In the margin is added; ‘The prison governor also severely reprimanded the woman because she had told me that the King was dead; that it would not go as well with me as I thought. She gave him word for word.’

[133] In the margin is added: ‘Among his terrible curses was one that his tongue might be paralysed if he had not spoken for me. The following year God struck him with paralysis of the tongue; he had a stroke from anger, and lived eight days afterwards; he was in his senses, but he was not able to speak, and he died; but he lived to see the day when another clergyman administered the holy communion to me.’

[134] In the margin is added: ‘I saw now that this was the cause of Balcke’s dismissal.’

[135] In the margin is added: ‘Chresten, who was ill satisfied both with Karen and with me, gave us a different title one day, when he was saying something to one of the house-servants, upon which the latter asked him who had said it? Chresten answered, ‘She who is kept up there for her.’ When I was told of this, I laughed and said, ‘That is quite right, we are two “shes.”’

[136] In the margin is noted: ‘Some of my money I expended on books, and it is remarkable that I obtained from M. Buck’s books (which were sold by auction) among others the great Martilegium, in folio, which he would not lend me. I excerpted and translated various matters from Spanish, Italian, French, and German authors. I especially wrote out and translated into Danish the female personages of different rank and origin, who were mentioned with praise by the authors as valiant, true, chaste and sensible, patient, steadfast and scholarly.’ [E52]

[137] In the margin is added: ‘This dog was of an Icelandic breed, not pretty, but very faithful and sagacious. He slept every afternoon on the stool, and when she had fallen asleep, she let her hands hang down. Then the dog would get up and run softly and bite her finger till the blood came. If she threw down her slippers, he would take one and sit upon it. She never got it back again without a bloody finger.’

[138] In the margin is this note: ‘In the year 1672, on the 4th May, one of the house-servants was arrested for stealing. Adam Knudt, at that time gentleman of the chamber, himself saw him take several ducats early one morning from the King’s trousers, which were hanging against the walls. He was at first for some hours my neighbour in the Dark Church. He was then placed in the Witch Cell, and as he was to be tortured, he received secret warning of it (which was forbidden), so that when the executioner came he was found to have hung himself. That is to say, he was said to have hung himself, though to all appearance this was not possible; he was found with a cloth round his neck, which was a swaddling-cloth belonging to one of Chresten, the tower-warder’s, children. Chresten became my neighbour, and was ostensibly brought to justice, but he was acquitted and reinstated in his office.

[139] In the margin is added: ‘She was so proud of her knowledge of German that when she sang a morning hymn (which, however rarely happened) she interspersed it with German words. I once asked her if she knew what her mother’s cat was called in Danish, and I said something at which she was angry.

[140] In the margin is added: ‘There was no similar row on the other stocking. The prison governor never mentioned it.’

[141] In the margin is noted: ‘I must remember one thing about Karen, Nils’ daughter. When anything gave her satisfaction, she would take up her book directly and read. I asked her whether she understood what she read. “Yes, of course,” she answered, “as truly as God will bless you! When a word comes that I don’t understand, I pass it over.” I smiled a little in my own mind, but said nothing.’

[142] In the margin is noted: ‘At my desire the prison governor gave me a rat whose tail he had cut off; this I placed in a parrot’s cage, and gave it food, so that it grew very tame. The woman grudged me this amusement; and as the cage hung in the outer apartment, and had a wire grating underneath, so that the dirt might fall out, she burned the rat with a candle from below. It was easy to perceive it, but she denied it.’

[143] In the margin stood originally the following note, which has afterwards been struck out: ‘In this year, 1676, the prison governor married for the third time; he married a woman who herself had had two husbands. Anno 1677, Aug. 9, died my sister Elisabeth Augusta.’

[144] On a piece of paper which is fastened to the MS. by a pin is the following note referring to the same matter: ‘On March 4, in the same year 1678, a woman named Lucia, who had been in the service of Lady Rigitze Grubbe, became my neighbour. She was accused by Agneta Sophia Budde, as the person who at the instigation of her mistress had persuaded her to poison Countess F. Birrete Skeel, and that Lucia had brought her the poison. There was evidence as to the person from whom Lucia had bought the poison. This woman was a steady faithful servant. She received everything that was imposed upon her with the greatest patience, and held out courageously in the Dark Cell. She had two men as companions, both of whom cried, moaned and wept. From the Countess Skeel (who had to supply her with food) meat was sent her which was full of maggots and mouldy bread. I took pity on her (not for the sake of her mistress, for she had rendered me little good service, and had rewarded me evil for the benefits of former times, but out of sympathy). And I sent her meat and drink and money that she might soften Gert, who was too hard to her. She was tortured, but would not confess any thing of what she was accused, and always defended her mistress. She remained a long time in prison.[E58]

[145] In the margin is added: ‘Ole the tower-warder was cudgelled on his back by the prison governor when Margrete was gone, and he was charged with having said what Margrete had informed him respecting her size.’

[146] In the margin is added: ‘Other natural matter was evacuated, but the stone stuck fast in the duct, and seemed to be round, for I could not gain hold of it with an instrument I had procured for the purpose.’

[147] In the margin is added: ‘The prison governor told me afterwards that the King laughed when he had told his Majesty my answer about the clavicordium, and had said, “Yes, yes.”’

[148] In the margin is added: ‘The woman who attended on me received eight rix-dollars monthly.’

[149] In the margin: ‘She had him learn wood-carving.’