Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 June 1879 — A CURIOUS BOX OF BOOKS. [ARTICLE]

A CURIOUS BOX OF BOOKS.

In this little sketch, I want to tell my boy and girl readers in what a remarkable way a certain distinguished man, who lived more than two hundred years ago, was helped by his books. He was a Hollander and his name was Hugo do Groot; but he was generally called Grotius, after the fashion of those times, which was to give names as much of a Latin form as possible. On the sth of June, 1619, this man was taken to Prison, in the Castle of Loevenstein, under a sentence which condemned him to imprisonment for life, lie was not an old man—only thirtysix—but he was one of the most learned men in Europe. His wife and his five children were allowed to come with him to this gloomy place, which was almost surrounded by the deep rivers Waal and Meuse, and, on the side which joined the land, had two immense walls and a double ditch. The poor prisoners passed over this ditch by a draw-bridge, and went through thirteen different doors, all with heavy bolts, until they reached the rooms where Grotius expected to be locked up for the rest of his life. This would seem enough to take away a man’s spirits forever. But Grotius was one of those happy people who do not stop to wish for things around them to be different, but just go straight on, making the best of matters as they are. His jailer was a hard and cruel man, who would not let him evbn walk in the court-yard for a littlo fresh air, so he could not stir out of his two small rooms. But Grotius sent for a giant top, and used to spin it for hours every day, to give himself exercise. Meantime his wife (who seems to have been as cheerful as he was), with her maid Klsje, took care of the children, cooked the food for all the family, and went backward and forward to the little town to buy what she wanted. Gorcum and Worcum are the two little cities opposite to the castle on different sides. These are real names, though they sound like make-believe, and it was to Gorcum that Madame Grotius used to go, to get food and clothing as they were noeded. There sometimes oame also to Grotius, from Gorcum, the things he most cared for, next to his wife and children. A friend of his, a scholar nhmed Erponius, would send him every now and then a great chest full of books. Think what a joy for the poor prisoner when he could open it, and spread out before him the books that delighted and taught him, that turned his thoughts from his troubles, and soothed him in the way that true knowledge always .can soothe and comfort! But this chest of books did more than merely comfort him in his prison; you shall hear how it helped him to escape from it altogether. Nearly two years had passed, when some men were sent by the Government to search the castle through, for ropes which it was said Grotius’ wife had been seen buying in Gorcum. They thought she was trying to contrive an escape for her husband. No ropes could be found, and they wont away satisfied that it would be just as easy for him to fly out of the castle like a bird as to escape with ropes, oven if he had any. This may have put tho idea into Mmo. Grotius’ head, for not long afterward she was in Gorcum one day at the house of a merchant named Dtetselair, who had been vory kind to them, and who always sent and received the chest of books. She asked Mme. Dtutselicr if she would be frightened to see Grotius mako his appearanbo there. “Oh no,”'she said, laughing; “only send him, and we will take good care of him.”' ■ Again, some time afterward, she was at Mote, Dictselicr’s, and asked her if it were not true that all exfthp and outlaws might come to the town the next day but one, the day of the yearly fair. “Yes, that is quite, said her friflml. “ Then my husband might comb too?” “ Yes, we shall be glad to have him,” said Mme. Dnitsoluer. “What « good woman you are,” said the visitor,, as she rose to go. “ But you know that nothing but a bird could fly out of the castle?” Next day was the 20th of March; and there was a fearful equinoctial storm. All at once one of the children, littlo Cornelia, said: “No matter how it blows to-morroW[ papa must be off to Gpreum.” Grotius and- h\s wife felt if the child wiere an angel sneaking from heaven, fot\ while Mme. Dretselser had though t,he< friepd waa ipkinst. aha had really been making a plan for him to get off Every limAthat she looked at

tho big ohest in,,her husband’s room, she thought that he might possibly get into it, and so be carried out of tne castle. It was scarcely four feet long, and not very broad nor deep; but he had tried it soveral times, me was a , tall man, but he found he could curl himself up in it, and lie still two hours by the hour-glass, with his wife sitting on tho lid. They now mado up their mind to risk the trial the next day, because it fortunately happened that the Commandant was away for a short time. They told Elsie—who was very quick, and bright, and devoted to them—all about it, and asked her if. she would take the ohest, with her master in it, to Gorcum. She asked if 'she would be punished in case it was found out; but though her master said it was probable that she would be, still she agroed to go. The Commandant’s wife consented to the chest’s being sent cut, in her husband’s absence, and now everything was arranged for the attempt. The next morning, Grotius rose early and prayed for an nour. Then he got into the chest, dressed in linen nnderclothes, and without shoes, so as to take as little room as possible. Under his bead was Erpenius’ big Testament, with some bunches of thread on it, for a pillow. His wife said good-by, turned the key in the lock, kissed it, and gave it to Elsje. Then she put his clothes and slippers in front of the bed, jumped in herself, drew the ourtaius, and rang the bell for the servant. He? brought the soldiers, who were to carry the chest to the boat, and one of them,” as he moved it, said: “The Arminian”—as they called Grotius —“ must be in it himself, it is so heavy.” Three or four times, as they dragged and lifted it through all the thirteen doors, they said the same thing; but Elsje passed off' all the questions with a joke and a laugh, and so they came safely to the boat. The plank for sliding tho box on board was weak* and she made them take another and thicker one; then the wind blew the sail-boat over so much that she was sure the chest would fall overboard, and persuaded the Captain to have it securely lashed. Finally, an officer sat down on it, and began kicking and drumming upon it, until she told him he might break some china inside, and begged him to sit somewhere else, and then she sat down on it herself.

The wind was favorable, and soon blew them over to Gorclim. Elsje paid some money to tho skipper and his son to carry tho chest up to the Daitselmrs’. On the way, the boy said he was sure there was something alive in the box. “Yes, yes,” said Elsje, “Arminian books are always lively and full of spirit.” They reached the house and put down the chest in a back room; Elsje paid them, and then flew into the shop to Mme. Uietselmr, whimpering in her car: “ I have got my master here in your back parlor.” The good dame turned pale, arid looked as if she would faint; but she recovered in a moment, and went into the other room with Elsje. “Master! master!” cried ElsjaAut no one answered. “Oh, God!’’THr.l the poor girl, “ my master is deadly* Just then there came a hard thump on the inside of the lid, and Grotius called out: “Open the chest! I am hot dead, but I did not know your voice at first.” The box was unlocked, and he came out in his white clothes, like a dead man out of his coffin. The dame took them through a trapdoor into an upper room, and brought him some wine to drink, for he was very weak. She next ran to her brother-in-law, named Van der Ween, and found him in his shop, talking to onoof the officers from the castle. She whispered to him to follow her, which he did at once. When he saw Grotius, ho said: “Sir, you are the man of whom all the country is talking.” “I put myself in your hands,” answered Grotius. Van der Ween said there was not a moment to lose, and hurried off to find a mason, whom he knew he could trust. He asked him to get the dress of a journeyman, and this they put on Grotius, smearing his face and hands with plaster, and slouching his hat over his face, and so they passed safely: through the crowd, many of whom knew nim, and would have given him up. Two days from that time he reached Antwerp safely, after some dangers and difficulties on the road; but they were nothing compared to what he had already gone through. At Antwerp the Chief Magistrate, who had the strange title of Bed Rod, welcomed him kindly, and from that time he was safe. When the Commandant returned to the castle, Mme. Grotius met him with a smile. “Here is the cage,” she said, “ but your bird is flown.” The Commandant was in a terrible fiassion, but it was of no use; his bad anguage could not bring back the prisoner, and after a time Grotius’ wife was set at liberty, and allowed to join him. As he was not allowed to work for his own country, he spent the rest of his life in the service of France and Sweden, and became more famous than ever, as an embassador, a poet and a historian. Elsje, the brave girl who had done 'so much for her master, married Grotius’ servant, who had learned Latin and many other things from his master, during the two years he had been serving him in prison, and who afterward became a good lawyer in Holland. This is tho story of the escape of Grotius. He lived to be quite an old man, but I think that there were certain books he never could sec without going back in his thoughts to tho Loevenstein castle, and feeling heartily thankful that he had loved to read.— SI. Nicholas for June.