child had sent for her to dress her, seeing that the court was already
come from Usedom, and that in about two hours she was to set out on her
last journey. Moreover, she had sent her word that she was to take her
some blue and yellow flowers for a garland; wherefore she asked me what
flowers she should take; and seeing that a jar filled with fire lilies and
forget-me-nots stood in my window, which she had placed there yesterday, I
said, "Thou canst gather no better flowers for her than these, wherefore
do thou carry them to her, and tell her that I will follow thee in about
half an hour, in order to receive the sacrament with her." Hereupon the
faithful old creature prayed me to suffer her to go to the sacrament with
us, the which I promised her. And scarce had I dressed myself and put on
my surplice when _Pastor Benzensis_ came in at the door and fell upon my
neck, weeping, and as mute as a fish. As soon as he came to his speech
again he told me of the great _miraculum_ (_daemonis_ I mean) which had
befallen at the burial of old Lizzie. For that, just as the bearers were
about to lower the coffin into the grave, a noise was heard therein, as
though of a carpenter boring through a deal board; wherefore they thought
the old hag must be come to life again, and opened the coffin. But there
she lay as before, all black and blue in the face, and as cold as ice; but
her eyes had started wide open, so that all were horror-stricken, and
expected some devilish apparition; and, indeed, a live rat presently
jumped out of the coffin and ran into a skull which lay beside the grave.
Thereupon they all ran away, seeing that old Lizzie had ever been in evil
repute as a witch. Howbeit at last he himself went near the grave again,
whereupon the rat disappeared, and all the others took courage and
followed him. This the man told me, and any one may guess that this was in
fact Satan, who had flown down the hag her throat as an insect, whereas
his proper shape was that of a rat: albeit I wonder what he could so long
have been about in the carrion; unless indeed it were that the evil
spirits are as fond of all that is loathsome as the angels of God are of