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BOOK VII HERE, with the help ofthe Lord, I will begin my seventh book, which will be partly of sorrow and partly ofjoy, as is the way of the world. May it be granted that no further sorrows befall my dear children and that in myoId age I may only hear and see joy and their prosperity. & I have already related, I had taken an everlasting farewell ofmy son Reb Zanvil. God have mercy, that such a young man should have to chew the black earth! I had not been in Metz two years when the tragic news of his death reached me. The deep sorrow and heartache this was to me, only God knows. To lose so beloved a son, of such tender years. Can there be greater grief? Not long after his death his wife gave birth to a daughter, who, God be praised, is a beautiful, healthy child. May we live to see joy of her on every side. She is now about thirteen years ofagel and is said to be an excellent child. She is with her grandfather, Reb Moses Bamberg. Zanvil's wife married again, but she did not have her second husband long, for he, too, died. So the good, young woman lived miserably from her youth till now. But' Who shall say: What doest Thou?' I cannot relate more of this, for it grieves my heart too much. I expected to live here in comfort, as indeed the first year promised. If my husband had been able to stand another two years his business would have been saved, for two years after he had given everything to his creditors, business was so good in France that the whole Community became wealthy. My husband was a very clever man and a great businessman, well liked byJew and gentile. But God would not have it so, and his creditors pressed him sorely so that he, peace unto him, had to go out of business and leave everything to them. Although they did not get back half of what he owed them, yet they dealt kindly with him, for they could have had him imprisoned. Although according to my marriage settlement a sum was due to me, I saw that there was nothing to be had. He had my daughter Miriam's money in hand, but this I got back from him in bills on other sons of Israel. God knows how distasteful I This last book was therefore begun in the year 1715 approximately. 16g N 170 FAILURE-AND BAILIFFS IN POSSESSION and burdensome this was to me! He also owed a few thousand reichstaler to my son Nathan. I also saw that this amount, too, was recovered. Therefore I could not think ofmy own marriage settlement and so resigned myself to all that the Lord had sent and done, like the eagle who took his children on his wing, saying, 'It is better that I and not my children should be shot.' How great were my troubles! My husband went into hiding. When the creditors heard of this they sent three bailiffs to the house: they made an inventory of everything and wrote down even the nail on the wall. Everything was sealed so that I was not left with enough for one meal even. I and my maid lived in one room. The three bailiffs remained and were the masters; no one could go in or out. On one occasion when I wished to go out during the day they searched me to see if I had anything hidden on me. In this miserable state we lived three weeks. At length my husband made a setdement with his creditors. They made a list of everything we had and left all with him so that he could put the lot up for public sale. There was not even a tin spoon in the house that was not noted down, so he could not hide anything. He himself did not want to hide anything , for he thanked God that he had come out ofit with his life. When his creditors saw that he had given them everything he.had, though this came to less than half he owed, they had pityon him. They remained onfriendly tenns and did not press him too much, though they could have had him imprisoned. He was a worthy man and in prosperity had been loved and respected by all. For thirty years he had been pamass and sktadlan1 in Metz...

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