The Adventurous Simplicissimus: being the description of the Life of a Strange vagabond named Melchior Sternfels von FuchshaimGrimmelshausen, Hans Jakob Christoph von
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The Adventurous Simplicissimus: being the description of the Life of a Strange vagabond named Melchior Sternfels von Fuchshaim
Grimmelshausen, Hans Jakob Christoph von
German fiction -- Translations into English; Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648 -- Fiction
At that time there was at the baths a rich Switzer of quality: from
whom was stolen not only his money, but his wife's jewellery, which was
of gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones. And since 'tis as
grievous to lose such things as 'tis hard to get them, therefore the
said Switzer would move heaven and earth to come by them again, and did
even send for the famous devil-driver of the Goatskin,[37] which
did so plague the thief by his charms that he must needs restore the
stolen goods to their proper place: for which the wizard earned ten
rix-dollars.
With this enchanter I had fain conversed: but, as I then conceived, it
could not be, without lessening of my dignity (for at that time I
thought no small beer of myself). So I did engage my servant to be
drunk with him that same night (having learned he was a toper of the
first quality) to see if by such means I could have his acquaintance:
for so many strange things were told to me of him that I could not
believe till I had heard them from himself. To that end did I disguise
myself as a strolling quack, and sat down by him at table to see if he
could guess or the devil could tell him who I was: yet could I mark no
such knowledge in him, but he would drink and drink, taking me for that
which my raiment proclaimed me, yea, and drank some few glasses to my
health, yet shewed more respect to my knave than to me. For to him he
told in all confidence that if he that had robbed the Switzer had
thrown but the smallest part thereof into running water and so shared
the booty with the devil, it had been impossible either to name the
thief or to get back the goods.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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