Book Description

This is an annotated version of the book1.contains an updated biography of the author at the end of the book for a better understanding of the text.2.This book has been checked and corrected for spelling errorsIt was in 1590--winter. Austria was far away from the world, and asleep;it was still the Middle Ages in Austria, and promised to remain soforever. Some even set it away back centuries upon centuries and saidthat by the mental and spiritual clock it was still the Age of Beliefin Austria. But they meant it as a compliment, not a slur, and it was sotaken, and we were all proud of it. I remember it well, although I wasonly a boy; and I remember, too, the pleasure it gave me.Yes, Austria was far from the world, and asleep, and our village was inthe middle of that sleep, being in the middle of Austria. It drowsed inpeace in the deep privacy of a hilly and woodsy solitude where news fromthe world hardly ever came to disturb its dreams, and was infinitelycontent. At its front flowed the tranquil river, its surface paintedwith cloud-forms and the reflections of drifting arks and stone-boats;behind it rose the woody steeps to the base of the lofty precipice;from the top of the precipice frowned a vast castle, its long stretch oftowers and bastions mailed in vines; beyond the river, a league to theleft, was a tumbled expanse of forest-clothed hills cloven by windinggorges where the sun never penetrated; and to the right a precipiceoverlooked the river, and between it and the hills just spoken of lay afar-reaching plain dotted with little homesteads nested among orchardsand shade trees.The whole region for leagues around was the hereditary property of aprince, whose servants kept the castle always in perfect condition foroccupancy, but neither he nor his family came there oftener than oncein five years. When they came it was as if the lord of the world hadarrived, and had brought all the glories of its kingdoms along; and whenthey went they left a calm behind which was like the deep sleep whichfollows an orgy.Eseldorf was a paradise for us boys. We were not overmuch pestered withschooling. Mainly we were trained to be good Christians; to reverethe Virgin, the Church, and the saints above everything. Beyond thesematters we were not required to know much; and, in fact, not allowedto. Knowledge was not good for the common people, and could make themdiscontented with the lot which God had appointed for them, and Godwould not endure discontentment with His plans. We had two priests. Oneof them, Father Adolf, was a very zealous and strenuous priest, muchconsidered.There may have been better priests, in some ways, than Father Adolf, butthere was never one in our commune who was held in more solemn and awfulrespect. This was because he had absolutely no fear of the Devil. He wasthe only Christian I have ever known of whom that could be truly said.People stood in deep dread of him on that account; for they thought thatthere must be something supernatural about him, else he could not be sobold and so confident. All men speak in bitter disapproval of the Devil,but they do it reverently, not flippantly; but Father Adolf's way wasvery different; he called him by every name he could lay his tongue to,and it made everyone shudder that heard him; and often he wouldeven speak of him scornfully and scoffingly; then the people crossedthemselves and went quickly out of his presence, fearing that somethingfearful might happen.Father Adolf had actually met Satan face to face more than once, anddefied him. This was known to be so. Father Adolf said it himself. Henever made any secret of it, but spoke it right out. And that he wasspeaking true there was proof in at least one instance, for on thatoccasion he quarreled with the enemy, and intrepidly threw his bottle athim; and there, upon the wall of his study,