Solomon Maimon: An Autobiography.

ther's Hou

f the vessels that come from K?nigsberg, in Prussia. All this, along with a bridge behind the village, and on the other side a drawbridge on the river Niemen, belonged to the farm, which was then worth about a thousand gulden, and formed my grandfather's Chasakah.[8] This farm, on account of the warehouse and the great traffic, was very lu

hese not only lived continually with my grandfather under the pretence of assisting him in his ma

attention to the improvement of his estates. His stewards had for their principal object the improvement rather of their own condition than of their landlord's property. They oppressed the farmers with all sorts of exactions, they neglected the orders given for the improvement of the farms, and the moneys intended for this purpose they applied to their own use. My grandfather indeed made re

t these broke down just when a Polish nobleman with his rich train was passing, and horse and rider were plunged into the swamp. The po

sing, and an accident of this sort should happen, the sentinel might bring word to the house as quickly as possible, and the whole family might thus have time to take refuge in the neighbouring w

d behind alone. When the angry lord came into the house with his suite, and found nobody on whom he could wreak his vengeance, he ordered every corner of the house to be searched, when my father was found at the back of the stove. The nobleman asked him if he would drink brandy, and, on the boy refusing, shout

and in her extreme haste let me fall from her arms. There I lay whimpering on the skirt of the wood, till fortunately a peasant passing by lifted me up and took me home with him. It was only after everything had become quiet again, and the family had

s added the plundering of the house when deprived of its inhabitants. Beer, brandy, and mead were drunk at pleasure; the spi

, and built the bridge in question at his own expense, he would have been able to avoid all these evils.

lands, pasture-lands, and kitchen-gardens, belonging to the farm, was sufficient, not only for the wants of his own family, but also for brewing and distil

the produce of the garden, seldom of flesh-meat. The clothing was made of poor linen and coarse stuff. Only the wom

, they were frequently passing through it, and of course they had always to stop at my grandfather's inn. Every Jewish traveller was met at the door with a glass of sp

s effect in impairing my grandfather's circumstances, if at the same time he had intr

n wax or tallow candles; their place had to be supplied with thin strips of resinous pine, one end of which was stuck into the chinks of the wall, while the other was

ors and carriers who put up at the inn to climb into the apartment, and make themselves drunk gratuitously with spirits and mead. What was still worse, these carousing heroes, from fear of being caught in the act, often took to fli

stance from the dwelling-house, could take from them at pleasure, and even carry off whole waggonloads of grain. The sheepfold ha

on which prevailed there, it was said in such cases, that the milk had been taken from t

ve, and had all her pockets full of money, without knowing how much. Of this the housemaid took advantage, and emptied the pocket

hand, if my father, who was a scholar, and educated partly in town, ordered for himself a rabbinical suit, for which a finer stuff was required than that in common use, my grandfather did not fail to give him a long and severe lecture on the vanity of the world. "Our forefathers," he used to say, "knew nothing of these

r you live somewhat better or worse, and that even my grandfather's misfortunes arose, not from extravagant consumption in housekeeping, but rather from the fact that he allowed hims

nities; and on this account he was envied and hated by all, even by his own family, he was abandoned by his landlord, he was oppressed in every po

ad scarcely learned to read and write. He spent most of his time at the inn, where he drank spirits with his boorish parishioners, and let his liquor always be put down to his account, without ever a thoug

these animals with my grandfather; and this had to be done secretly, for the beaver is game preserved, and all that are taken must be delivered at the manor. The trapper came once about midnight, knocked and asked for my grandfather. He showed him a bag which was pretty heavy to lift, and said to him with a mysterious air, "I have brought you a good big fellow here." My grandfather was going to strike a light, to examine the beaver,

ather already trembled for the issue, because he believed nothing else than that he had been betrayed at the manor on account of his secret trade in

cks, he was thrown into a waggon, and brought to the town of Mir, where he was give

be examined too. He, however, was nowhere to be found, was already over the hills and far away. He was sought everywhere. But the blood-thirsty judge of the criminal

o the parsonage for burial. The parson however had said to him, "There is plenty of time for the burial. You know that the Jews are a hardened race, and are therefore damned to all eternity. They crucified our Lord Jesus Christ, and even yet they seek Christian blood, if only they can get hold of

ped out of the place, and my grandfath

the whole event was narrated, and the goodness of God was sung. It was also made a law, that the day of his deliverance should be ce