ut our heads together to guess what this might mean. The
citizens, also, when they saw that the soldiers did not break up, and
prepare to march, laid their heads together likewise, and there was a
great amount of whispering among them. My host, himself a councillor,
came and asked me what was the meaning of our not marching further? I
could give him no information.

"Now the misery began; there was only food for him who had brought
bread. The citizens quarrelled with the soldiers, and asked why they
had not marched away yesterday or early to-day, and whither we had
intended to go? They told them the truth. It was such an uproar as is
impossible to describe. The poor citizens who possessed no goods or
houses, fled, and their dwellings were broken open by the soldiers, and
one excess was committed after another.

"Meanwhile, all the councillors and burgermasters were called to
Meiningen, where they were charged by their government, on pain of
punishment, to signify to the citizens that they were not to provide
anything for the Saxe Gotha soldiers. The bakers were not to bake, nor
the butchers to slaughter the beasts; the innkeepers were not to
prepare any food, nor the brewers to brew. This the councillors
actually proclaimed to the citizens. And truly I was not able to get
even three-pennyworth of cheese. The citizens who were prudent people,
begged of us not to take it amiss of them; as we must accept good words
instead of what they would have given us. If I wanted bread I had to
send to Smalkalden for it, and give more pay to the messenger than for
the bread.

"Thus we remained there, expecting the Meiningens, who never came.
Meanwhile we found provisions; we got most of them from Smalkalden; the
beer was bought in the Hessian village of Tambach, and the Jews brought
us meat. At last the Wasungers became disloyal, turned round on their
magistrates and said: 'We have all the troubles, and the other states
the enjoyment; this does not suit us; we have promised to obey our
government, but then they should protect us. If they cannot rid us of
these people, we will bake, brew, and cook.' And from that hour they
began to do all. For many years the citizens had not brewed nor sold so
much beer as after this; every week three and four brews; bakers began
to bake, who had long shut up shop; the butchers did the like. Then the
wise councillors went off again to Meiningen and reported everything;
whereupon the citizens were ag