nand of ever-blessed memory,
whereby our lord and husband was summoned to the Imperial Diet at
Ratisbon, whereto we with our lord and husband betook ourselves at the
appointed time.

"We deem it unnecessary to relate what great contumely we there
suffered from our lord and husband, as your Imperial Majesty beheld it
for the most part with your own eyes. This caused us to tarry yet a
long time at Ratisbon after the departure of his Princely Highness. But
when, after the lapse of a few weeks, we returned again to Heidelberg,
we signified in a friendly way through one of the nobles to our lord
and husband, that we were minded to greet his Princely Highness. But
our lord and husband said with great displeasure to the said nobleman:
'Tell the bold Landgravine,' thus it pleased his Princely Highness to
call us, 'I will have nothing to do with any one so pernicious to the
country.'

"Now when this was notified to us we did not venture to accost his
Princely Highness, but straightway went through the adjoining saloon to
our chamber. But scarcely had we entered therein, when forty of the
Swiss guard had already established themselves in our antechamber, who
were commanded to keep guard over us, and not let us go out till they
received farther orders from his Princely Highness.

"Then did we learn with great anguish of heart that we, a freeborn
princess, had been made a prisoner. We knew not what to do, for we
could not write to our lord brother the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel,
because we had no confidential person left to us whom we could
despatch. We had thus no opportunity of effecting anything, for
whenever our servants came to or went from us, they were always
searched by the guard. On this account we resolved to write ourselves
to our lord and husband, and to entreat his Princely Highness to
release us from this most intolerable durance. We drew up therefore the
following petition to his Princely Highness, and sent the same by a
noble youth to his Princely Highness while at table.

"'Most Serene Highness, and dear Lord.

"'How great annoyance I have suffered during the time which it has
pleased your Princely Highness to place a prodigious garrison before my
chamber, is not to be described. It moves me to remind your Princely
Highness, that if you so behave to me, a poor princess, you will have
to answer for it before God and the whole world. It would be well
moreover to bethink you, whether it is praiseworthy to keep