that the council was in no small danger, for he had
observed that almost every woman had a large bunch of keys hanging at
her side.[39] Upon this their courage utterly and entirely evaporated;
they hung their heads and were at their wits' end; one wished himself
here, another out there. Dr. Melchior took heart and said to the
priest: '_Potz-Sacrament!_ Most reverend sir, if I had now but two
hundred musketeers, I would soon mow down the whole pa-pa-pack, even
those who would fell down on their knees.'

"At last his honour the town-clerk bethought himself of a device.
'Gentlemen, I know a way by which we can descend and escape from the
women. If the gentlemen will close both doors of the council-house, we
will silently make off with ourselves by the under council-room,
through the doors of the tower; thus they will not be aware what has
become of us. But I do not know where the keys of the tower are to be
found.' This good counsel pleased them all well, and the keys were
sought for carefully, but meanwhile the town-clerk was called in, and
commanded to signify to the women, that they should have a little
patience. And the town-clerk was to see how one could slip round to the
front, and the other to the back door, that they might suddenly run out
and close the doors behind them.

"This plan succeeded with the good-wives, of whom two hundred and
sixty-three were thus imprisoned. The town-clerk speedily opened the
tower gates, which had not been done for several years, and running
back exclaimed: 'Away, gentlemen, away, the coast is clear; but
silence, for God's sake silence, that the women may not become aware of
it, otherwise there will be the devil to pay.'

"Thereupon they ran away as fast as they could, part of them without
hats or gloves; some ran home, others to a neighbour's, each, where
in his hurry he thought he should be secure. All could confess to a
state of frightful terror. The priest ran at full trot up the church
lane, looking more behind than before him, to see whether the women
were following and would shake their keys at him during mass; he
closed the parsonage-house behind him, as the town-clerk had done the
council-house. He was so exhausted that he could neither eat nor drink;
both his ladies had enough to do to cool him.

"Now when the imprisoned women, most of whom sat by the window, heard
the rumour which was noised about the town, that the honourable
gentlemen had so cunningly gotten off, the