Another citizen of the market town of Sárvár, István Chiszar, Deputy Mayor, says that he has not seen anything but has heard from others that she tortured and martyred the girls, and that they themselves had suffered death, but he only heard from others and never saw anything.
Emericus Zabó, Judge, says the same as the previous witness.
The noble Michael Zabo confessed under oath that he had heard from a German woman that she had forced her to dress up and act like a girl; thereupon she apologized that she was not a girl, because she already had a child; but when she came back from Upper Hungary, (the woman) died from the many tortures.
Georgius Csizmadia auditu audivit eadem, quam praecedens testis. (Georgius Csizmadia has heard the same as the previous witness.)
Lucas Vargha (Varga) nihil scit, neque audivit. (Lucas Vargha knows nothing and has heard nothing.
Peter Kowach was sworn and said that he had heard that girls from the court had been buried, but he does not know for certain, nor has he heard with certainty, how and if this happened.
Janós Szücs knows nothing and has heard nothing.
Andreas Lakatjáró, teacher, was sworn in and said that he had heard that the girls were tortured through a woman named Anna, who was also called Darvolia, and also the younger sister of Máté Fekete was killed through her and several others.
The noble Ferenc Bornemissze was sworn and interrogated, and said that one day, at the end of his sermon to the congregation, the preacher, István Magyari, asked her to wait a moment because he had something else to say: “It is said about us as preacher that we know other people complain, but that Your Grace is not reproached. Therefore, I cannot conceal it, it must be even moreseo announced that, regarding the girl, Your Grace should not have so acted, because it offends the Lord, and we will be punished if we do not complain to and criticize Your Grace. And in order to confirm that my speech is true, we need only exhume the body, and you will find that the marks identify the way in which death occurred.” Says the mistress: “You will soon see, Preacher István, that I will make you pay for this; my husband and I have relatives who will not tolerate it, that you bring such shame on me and denounce me so; and I will also write to my husband.” The Preacher replied: “If Your Grace has relatives, then I also have a relative: the Lord God. But for better proof of what I say, let us dig up the bodies, and then we will see what you have done.” And after she got back to the castle, the Lady wrote her husband, because the Lord was in Vienna at the time. He did not see anything further, since he was frequently employed by the Lord, except that once, as he arrived into the house of the Lady, he witnessed the girls with their hands bound, wrapped with rein straps and hanging from the iron lattice at the window by their hair. From a scholar named János, his clerk, he probably had their names and numbers (i.e., how many victims there were) but, since then, he has forgotten them. And this servant is still with him.
The highly literate Paul Beöd, Vice Warden of said Sárvár Castle, was sworn in, interrogated, and said that he had often seen how the scholars carried the girls from the Lady’s house with singing and procession to the funeral. But as to how they died, of course he cannot know from his own knowledge, because he did not enter into the inner chambers of the mistress. Also, he had heard from others that it was said the deaths happened due to the cruelty of the mistress, but he himself has never seen anything like this. At another time, the blessed János Mogyoróssy and Gergely Jánossy who, at the time, were senior professors at Sárvár and had criticized the mistress quite heavily, were also with the preacher, István Magyary, and they were talking amongst themselves: “It is feared that the Lord God will punish us, along with you; let us rather go away from here, or you, good Mr. István, since you are a man of the church, and would be guilty, you must warn her, and if she does not stop, then you must announce her deeds down from the pulpit, because it offends the Lord God, and he will not tolerate it.” And so he then talked to her after the sermon; the preacher laid the burden upon the poor Lord Count, who was then still alive and had returned very quickly from Vienna, but it was not very long before the preacher and the Lord reconciled.
Super qua quidem attestatione, Pressburg in profesto Beatorum Simonis et Judae apostolorum anno Domini millesimo sexcentesimo decimo (October 27, 1610).
ZRÍNYI’S LETTER TO THURZÓ
DECEMBER 12, 1610
The gracious God should abundantly bless Your Grace’s desires. At your command, I sent my main men and servants to Csejthe so that Mrs. Nádasdy can remain there in peace, as we have agreed with you. Also so that no harm will come to the property and that the Royal Treasury cannot assess anything against it, and above all, so that no further injustice will be added to the family. For all this time off, we feel as you do, Your Grace, regarding your advice on Csejthe, in this sense, the problem should resolve. However, I would like to remind you that we have not yet agreed concerning the allocation of property – indeed, it may not even happen quickly, and I would object to that. I do not know in which way Your Grace will decide; in any case, I am convinced that I am to receive an equal share along with the other relatives, and I also want the same part of the property on this side as well as the other side of the Danube. I am aware of Your Grace’s benevolence certainly, and in my heart, I hope that you are pleased with my advantage.
God grant that I can serve Your Grace my entire life; this is also my desire. God should let you live long with all of your property. Monyoròkerék, 12 December anno 1610
Count Nicolaus de Zrínyi (manu propria/written by his own hand)
PONIKENUSZ’S LETTER TO ÉLIAS LANYÍ
JANUARY 1, 1611
(Lanyí is a famous theologian at Bitca, also the religious superintendent of the counties of Trencén, Arva and Liptov)
To us is born and sent Emmanuel (Jesus Christ), the Redeemer, favorable to our salvation and my office. I greet your venerable and worthy glory with all my soul.
Long live, long live the radiant Lord, the Lord Viceroy, our protector, to God the best and most desirable. From him, namely, the Palatine, there is truth, and justice shines from the sky, peace and mercy kiss; all this should not only be present in Hungary at this time, but forever! Let us pray. God’s will be done. Amen.
The devil has exercised in the sons and daughters his mighty works of unbelief, but he is overcome by one more powerful, our Savior. But what am I talking about, noble man? The pious are never lacking in war and fighting.
And when man struggles, you always sense his devotion. On the first Sunday of Advent, as I read the Scripture in the Vesper, Andreas Priderovith revealed to me - me? No, by the Holy Ghost! - a tool of Satan; during which he declared with a clear voice: "Is this pastor preaching the truth? I do not understand it!" I showed him the New Testament and said: ‘See, here is the text’; but when I wanted to say something about the text, A.P. says: “It only annoys me!” and leaves the church amidst numerous insults. On the next day, a nobleman greets me at a wedding without reason: "You whore’s son of a pastor, I will see you out of this parish, grabbed by the hair and dragged out like a dog." (May chaste ears be spared), whereupon I left. I referred the matter to the domestic magistrate at the Synod of Tolna, who promised me full assistance.
But, good God, what a change beyond expectation! Signs and miracles have happened: Our Jezebel (I mean, Erzsébet Báthory) receives the punishment according to her crimes. She will be led into the keep (tower) and into eternal prison, walled in, locked up. What more? After I had considered my occupation, I called on one of the brothers so that we could comfort her with prayers and support so that she does not fall into temptation. No sooner are we in the Godless one’s presence, she welcomes us and says that her situation is our fault; specifically: "You two priests are the cause of my captivity." The venerable Mr. Zacharias, pastor of Leszetice, apologized in Hungarian. His apology calmed her down, and she says: "If you're not (at fault), then the pastor of Csejthe.” And she was excited by her words about me. Mr. Zacharias
replied: "Your Grace should not believe this.” She said: "I can prove with witnesses that it is so." I reply, "I have preached God's word, and if it caused Your Grace to examine your conscience once, I have nothing to do with it, because I never named you." The prisoner replied:" You, you will die first, then Mr. Megyeri. You two have brought all this trouble upon me and are the cause of my arrest. What," she said," don’t you believe me that because of this situation a revolt will soon take place? The Hajduk (Transylvanian farmer soldiers), who have already gathered beyond the Theiss, have written to me yesterday that even the Prince of Transylvania will avenge my wrong." I remained silent as this was spoken; my interpreter did not tell me everything that she spoke in Hungarian. However, when she wished to send off letters and called for a knight, she said nothing, and she was also not questioned about it. I think it was someone from her entourage, whom she called. After she was imprisoned, however, much more came to light. First, however, the following should not be missed: On the 29th of December, 1610, before she was taken, she was given a magic spell, issued by the Mistress from Miava. While this happened, a scribe was summoned so that he could immediately take down the words heard from her mouth. Both women, engaged in the magic arts, would not immediately speak, but as expected, after the last half of the night had passed, they considered the stars and watched the clouds, then took the floor and called the writer to write:
Help, oh help, you clouds! Help, clouds, give health, give Erzsébet Báthory health! Send, oh, send forth, you clouds, 90 cats! I command you, Leader of the Cats, that you hear my command and assemble them together, from wherever they may be, whether they are on the other side of the mountain, beyond the water, beyond the sea—that these 90 cats come to you and, from you, should go straight into the heart of King Mátyás and also the heart of the Palatine! In the same way should they chew to pieces the heart of the Red Megyeri and the heart of Mózes Cziráky, so that Erzsébet Báthory shall not suffer any grief. Holy Trinity, so it is done!
Similarly, I have also heard from the report that our Provisional Master has more in written form. You see, Your Grace, how the devil hides his presence, and how and what he seduces. Before the same scribe came and reported the magic words (and he was ordered under penalty of death to faithfully write out everything that was said), she had already been caught and brought into the keep. Another wicked woman named Torkoss, who resides miles beyond Sárvár, gave the following advice: "Find a black cat, kill it with a white stick, keep the blood, and smear it on your enemies. And if not their body, then at least the clothes - and not so stained with blood that your enemy can hurt you more."
You see, Noble Sir, that this wicked heroine is accused of many crimes. Nevertheless, she is still confident in her case and named the priests as the cause of her imprisonment, even as the heathens accused the messengers of faith to be the reason for severe weather and unrest. Yesterday, we spoke of many things with her in the dungeon. Among other things, said the venerable Mr. Zacharias: "Do you believe that Christ was born for you, died and rose for the forgiveness of sins?" She replied: "I also know Peter Faber (Catholic priest, co-found of the Jesuit order, who worked to bring Protestants back to the Church)." Immediately Mr. Zacharias gave her the Holy Bible and asked her to read it in prison, but she answered: "I need it not." Then I said: "I want to know who has caused Your Grace to have so much contempt for me, by claiming that I am the cause of your detention." She replied: "I will not tell you. Now you have angered me and soon both of you will have angered me." I said that I did not wish to anger her, but rather, to clear myself of the accusation of having been the reason for her detention. She replied: "I have been a mistress and mother to all my staff. I have never been treated right, neither in the small nor the large. By either of you." I insist that she think well of me, because I prayed to God for forgiveness of her sins. She replied: "To ask God for the salvation of someone else – especially in a special case—is a good work." So many words were exchanged. But it would be better to speak rather than write them.
But coming to the end, I write that only those three old women as well as the young Ficzkó were taken away and thoroughly interrogated: they confessed that this despicable woman felt delight in such killings, and that they had nurtured a monster. Specifically, we have heard from the virgins who were still alive by then, that they were forced to eat their own flesh, roasted in the fire. Other girls had virgin flesh placed before them, served with mushrooms, chopped into pieces and boiled. Without knowing this, they ate it. O what a Thyestian banquet! (From Thyestes of Greek mythology) What outrageous cruelty! No butcher under heaven was, in my opinion, more cruel. Here I could go on, except for the pain it causes my senses. Soon I will have many enemies, so I commend your venerable jurisdiction immediately and ask that His Highness deign to support me, unworthy as I am, including the Lord Homonnay as well as the mighty son or daughters, and not to refuse the protection of his power. Preferably, the truth is, that for the past ten years or longer now, Erzsébet Báthory has been a witch, or better, that she acted as a murderess. Even my predecessor in Christ, Andreas Barosius, who was 90 years of age, was in the church at night secretly burying virgins, as our fellow citizens probably know. Also, the venerable Mr. István Magyari, a priest in Christ some eight years after the death of Lord Ferenc Nádasdy, frequently accused Erzsébet Báthory publicly (in the church) of sins and murder, witnessed by the existing domestic servants.
The situation will take its course. But I commend my God, because the good always wins. I eagerly greet Mr. Samuel Hammelius and Mr. Balthasar Grelnercius and the servant of your Gracious Highness. Live well and happy in the Lord. Csejthe, 1 January, 1611.
Always willing to serve your venerable Highness. Janós Ponikenusz, priest of the church at Csejthe and citizen.
P.S. Paper cannot capture what I wish to communicate verbally with your Venerable Grace. Whether it is honor or burden, I add this confidential note: After I came from the dungeon on the last day of December and the two brothers, the pastors of Leszetice and Verbo, were sent home, I formed my opinion: Soon I will be feasting in another fire; that when the family had prepared to pray, from there I returned from my study to hot prayers to God to judge. Soon, my wife was following me and telling me about the signs and wonders which happened in this situation. Still, I do not know if signs from the highest vault will guide me. Perhaps I can express myself better by being simple: I know that the voice of malice is not natural. From everything I have experienced, nothing is invented: I say what I, along with my family, have heard, and write:
"This was no ordinary cat voice." I go look, but find nothing. I call my servant, whom I had taken with me, and tell him: "Jano, if you see cats running in the yard, beat them dead! Fear nothing!" But we have found nothing. My servant says: "My Lord, in this chamber, many mice are whistling." I run out, but find nothing there. I cry: "There is nothing in here either!" And as I went down the staircase from the house, just two steps from me, suddenly six cats - on my honor – started biting my right foot, and I cried then: "Go to hell, you devil!" And I beat them with a wooden stick next to my foot. As they all pushed from the lowest level in the crowded courtyard, my servant, who came up from behind, was unable to see or find anything.
You see, Your Highness, Satan’s works. But they will be undone.
On Christmas Eve, the House Mistress of Miawa had the Countess bathe in various herbs, and then she desired, as I have heard, to bake bread with this bathwater so that her opponents and enemies should eat it, but in this endeavor, she was betrayed. So Satan fell into his own trap.
Above all else may Your Grace, along with God and myself, expect that they are going to want to harm us; or, should they want to convert, that they are converted, let us pray. The Lord be with us, Amen.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned House Mistress, as I have heard, is already completely shriveled up.
TRANSCRIPT OF THE WITNESS INTERROGATIONS REGARDING THE CRUEL DEEDS WITH ERZSÉBET BÁTHORY, WIFE OF COUNT FERENC N
ÁDASDY, IS ACCUSED. 1611.
(Published in 1817; originally written in Hungarian and Latin. In some places, natural context and logical order are missing, and written in the curial (abbreviated) style of the time.)
Confessions given below in order by specific persons against Erzsébet Báthory, married name of Nádasdy.
In the year 1611 on January 2nd in the market town of Bitcá, an assembly was held.
First. Janós Ujváry, otherwise called Ficzkó, was interviewed on the following points by his own admission:
First. How long has he been in the service of that Lady, and how did he come to her court?
Answer: Sixteen years, if not longer, he lived with the Lady, having been brought there to Csejthe by the wife of the teacher, Martin Deak, taken there by force.
Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory Page 22
