sed
upon him how necessary it was to make a terrible example, seeing that
the outrages of Nagelschmidt still continued, and with unparalleled
audacity had advanced even to the borders of Brandenburg; and requested
him, if he would pay no regard to these reasons, to address himself to
his imperial majesty, since, if an edict was to be pronounced in favour
of Kohlhaas, it could come from that quarter alone.

The elector, extremely grieved and vexed at all these futile attempts,
fell into a new illness, and when one morning the chamberlain visited
him, he showed him the letters which he had addressed to the courts of
Vienna and Berlin, for the purpose of obtaining a reprieve for
Kohlhaas, and thus at least of gaining time to possess himself of the
slip which he had with him.

The chamberlain threw himself on his knees before him, and requested
him by all that was dear and sacred to tell him what this slip
contained.

The elector said, that he might bolt the room and sit down upon the
bed, and after he had taken his hand, and pressed it to his heart with
a sigh, he began as follows: "Your wife, as I understand, has already
told you that the Elector of Brandenburg and I, on the third day of the
meeting, which we had in Jueterboch, met a gipsy. When the elector, who
is of sportive disposition, resolved by a jest to demolish in the sight
of the people the fame of this extraordinary woman, whose art had been
the subject of unseemly conversation at table, and asked her, on
account of the prophecy which she was about to utter, to give him a
sign that might be tested that very day, alleging that he could not
otherwise believe what she said, were she the Roman sybil herself. The
woman, taking a cursory view of us from head to foot, said that the
sign would be this: that the great roebuck, which the gardener's son
reared in the park, would meet us in the market where we stood before
we left it. You must know that this roebuck, being intended for the
Dresden kitchen, was kept under lock and bolt, in a partition fenced
round with high laths, and shaded by the oaks of the park. As on
account of other smaller game and birds the park and the garden besides
were kept carefully closed, it was not easy to see how the animal, in
accordance with the strange prediction, would come to the place where
we stood. Nevertheless the elector, fearing some trick, and resolved
to put to shame all that the woman might say, for the sake of the jes