“The severity of this sentence is owing to the injustice of the officials in raising new and unprecedented taxes, and bringing affliction upon the people, and in refusing to receive the petitions of the peasants, without consulting their lord, thus driving them to appeal to the Shogun in person.  In their avarice they looked not to the future, but laid too heavy a burden on the peasants, so that they made an appeal to a higher power, endangering the honour of their lord’s house.  For this bad government the various officials are to be punished as above.”

In this wise was justice carried out at the palace at Yedo and at the Court-house at home.  But in the history of the world, from the dark ages down to the present time, there are few instances of one man laying down his life for the many, as Sogoro did:  noble and peasant praise him alike.

As month after month passed away, towards the fourth year of the period Shoho, the wife of my lord Kotsuke no Suke, being with child, was seized with violent pains; and retainers were sent to all the different temples and shrines to pray by proxy, but all to no purpose:  she continued to suffer as before.  Towards the end of the seventh month of the year, there appeared, every night, a preternatural light above the lady’s chamber; this was accompanied by hideous sounds as of many people laughing fiendishly, and sometimes by piteous wailings, as though myriads of persons were lamenting.  The profound distress caused by this added to her sufferings; so her own privy councillor, an old man, took his place in the adjoining chamber, and kept watch.  All of a sudden, he heard a noise as if a number of people were walking on the boards of the roof of my lady’s room; then there was a sound of men and women weeping; and when, thunderstruck, the councillor was wondering what it could all be, there came a wild burst of laughter, and all was silent.  Early the following morning, the old women who had charge of my lady’s household presented themselves before my lord Kotsuke no Suke, and said—­

“Since the middle of last month, the waiting-women have been complaining to us of the ghostly noises by which my lady is nightly disturbed, and they say that they cannot continue to serve her.  We have tried to soothe them, by saying that the devils should be exorcised at once, and that there was nothing to be afraid of.  Still we feel that their fears are not without reason, and that they really cannot do their work; so we beg that your lordship will take the matter into your consideration.”

“This is a passing strange story of yours; however, I will go myself to-night to my lady’s apartments and keep watch.  You can come with me.”

Accordingly, that night my lord Kotsuke no Suke sat up in person.  At the hour of the rat (midnight) a fearful noise of voices was heard, and Sogoro and his wife, bound to the fatal crosses, suddenly appeared; and the ghosts, seizing the lady by the hand, said—­