{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_55035/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_55035","id":"gutenberg_55035","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55035","summary":null,"tags":["Category: German Literature","Category: Humour","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Deception -- Juvenile fiction","Eulenspiegel (Satire) -- Juvenile fiction","Fools and jesters -- Juvenile fiction","Honesty -- Juvenile fiction","Practical jokes -- Juvenile fiction","Satire"],"text":"THE\n\n MARVELLOUS ADVENTURES\n\n AND RARE CONCEITS OF\n\n MASTER OWLGLASS.\n\n\n[Illustration: Folly Governeth the World]\n\n\n\n\n THE\n MARVELLOUS ADVENTURES\n AND\n RARE CONCEITS\n OF\n Master Tyll Owlglass.\n\n _Newly collected, chronicled and set forth, in our English tongue_,\n\n\n BY KENNETH R. H. MACKENZIE,\n\n FELLOW OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES.\n\n _And Adorned with many most Diverting and Cunning Devices_,\n\n BY ALFRED CROWQUILL.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n LONDON:\n TR\u00dcBNER & CO. 60, PATERNOSTER ROW.\n 1860.\n\n\n\n\n LONDON:\n PRINTED BY WERTHEIMER AND CO.\n CIRCUS PLACE, FINSBURY CIRCUS.\n\n\n\n\n AM GANZEN RHEINE AUF UND AB\n DER MENSCHEN GED\u00c4CHTNISS IST SEIN GRAB.\n\n\n WHERE\u2019ER THE WAVE OF RHINE DOTH LAVE.\n MAN\u2019S MEMORY IS STILL HIS GRAVE.\n\n _Fischart_, p. 179.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n PREFACE.\n\n\n \u201cWit, an\u2019t be thy will, put me into good fooling! Those wits\n that think they have thee do very oft prove fools; and I that\n am sure I lack thee, may pass for a wise man: For what says\n Quinapalus? Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.\u201d\n\n _Clown in \u201cTwelfth Night,\u201d_ Act I., Scene 5.\n\n\nAmong the folkbooks of the German nation, not one has obtained so\ngeneral a circulation as that now presented in an English form. It has\nbeen deemed worthy, as by the Appendix may be perceived, of being\ntranslated into French, Dutch, Danish, Polish, nay, even Hebrew, and\nhonoured by being reprinted on every kind of paper, good and bad. A\nfavourite among the young for its amusing and quaint adventures, and a\nstudy among those who strive, by the diligent comparison of different\neras of national literature, to arrive at a due appreciation of national\ncharacter, Eulenspiegel, or Owlglass the boor (peasant), possesses a\npeculiar value for the old. I well remember how, as a very little child,\nI first made the friendship of the lithe though clumsy hero; and to the\npresent time do not feel that I can say I have lost my interest in the\nhumourous quips and quiddities of the strolling vagabond. I little\nthought, when I then read the German book, that it would be my privilege\nto introduce him to other readers in my own language.\n\nThe Gil Blas of German medi\u00e6val story, there is deep instruction in the\npungent jests and literal ways of the man who held up his mirror for\nowls to look in, and each of whose tricks might form the groundwork of a\nmoral reflection. And for the early times in which it appeared, there\nwas not a little courage in the author of it. Strange to say, this\nperson appears to have been a Franciscan friar, Thomas Murner, who, in\nother matters, made not a little stir in his own day. He visited this\ncountry, and wrote a book in defence of our good King Hal the Bluff\nagainst that famous monk, Luther; and he received some assistance in a\nsubstantial gift from that monarch. An account of him will be found in\nthe Appendix; we have here only to deal with the significance of the\nbook itself.\n\nLike the deep searching work of Rabelais, the book is a satire, not upon\nhuman life only, but upon special and dangerous topics. Very early\neditions contain the story of how Eulenspiegel procured an old skull\nfrom a churchyard, and turned the passion for worshipping relics to\nprofitable account;[1] and the priests and would-be learned men of his\ntime continually appear in ludicrous, undignified, or humiliating\npositions. Rank was not respected, nor was vice in high places passed by\nwith (so-called) discreet silence. Yet with all the graver objects in\nthe book, the immediate aim of amusement was never forgotten; and,\nletting us into the secrets of peasant life in Germany at an era when\npeasants had little to rejoice over, we almost imagine that we can hear\nthe shouts of laughter with which the blunt outspoken jokes of this sly\nclown were received. But Mr. Hallam does justice to a higher\nappreciation of this kind of literature among the better classes of the\ntime.\n\n\u201cThey had a literary public, as we may call it,\u201d says this distinguished\nwriter,[2] \u201cnot merely in their courts and universities, but in their\nrespectable middle class, the burghers of the free cities, and perhaps\nin the artizans whom they employed. Their reading was almost always with\na serious end: but no people so successfully cultivated the art of moral\nand satirical fable. These in many instances spread with great favour\nthrough Cisalpine Europe. Among the works of this kind, in the fifteenth\ncentury, two deserve mention; the Eulenspiegel, popular afterwards in\nEngland by the name of Howleglass, and a superior and better known\nproduction,[3] the _Narrenschiff_, or Ship of Fools, by Sebastian Brandt\nof Strasburg.... It is a metrical satire on the follies of every class,\nand may possibly have suggested to Erasmus his _Encomium Mori\u00e6_. But the\nidea was not absolutely new; the theatrical company established at Paris\nunder the name of _Enfans de Sans Souci_, as well as the ancient office\nof jester or fool in our courts and castles, implied the same principle\nof satirising mankind with ridicule so general, that every man should\nfeel more pleasure from the humiliation of his neighbours than pain from\nhis own.... The influence such books of simple fiction and plain moral\nwould possess over a people, may be judged by the delight they once gave\nto children, before we had learnt to vitiate the healthy appetite of\nignorance by premature refinements and stimulating variety.\u201d[4]\n\nYet with all the repute which the book must have had among the boors and\ncountry louts of what people choose, with doubtful taste or insight, to\ncall the \u201cdark ages,\u201d Owlglass, if it had not contained within itself\ngreat vitality, might have lain in the obscurity which surrounds many a\ncontemporary work. Of the three great philosophers then extant, I have\nsomewhere read a kind of parallel, that Rabelais in his work satirised\nfantastically, and with peculiar reference to the more educated and\nscholarly readers of his time. Erasmus, on the other part, struck at the\nmonks with vigorous hand in other fashion; while both Brandt and Murner\ntook a more popular form in their compositions: yet, while Brandt is now\nscarce remembered, Eulenspiegel remains, a striking and applicable book,\nsetting forth, indeed, in a good light, the truth everywhere, that \u201cthe\nletter killeth but the spirit giveth life.\u201d In this may be found the\nreason of its wonderful popularity in Germany\u2014in this is the secret of\nits constant reproduction in so many languages.\n\nThe fool in idle hour claims our attentive ear, charms, instructs,\nenchains the mind, when the sonorous voice and weighty arguments of the\npreacher would have no greater effect than the production of a yawn, or,\nat most, a fugitive repentance. The fact of the subjection of the letter\nto the spirit must be borne in mind throughout. Mighty times were those\nwhen, by sturdy hands and wise pates, the world was ridding itself of\nthe rule of monks and literal interpreters of the universe and of the\nduties of society. Yet Murner, as has been mentioned, fought against\nLuther; nor, indeed, could Rabelais or Erasmus perceive, save somewhat\ndimly, whither their words tended. Perhaps, in secret, they saw, in\nfitful glimpses, the truth that history proceeds according to\nprogressive laws of development; and when the monks, who at one time had\ndone good service, were no longer useful to mankind, they decayed from\ninherent fitlessness, and so vanished, overcome by the light of such\nlamps as these.\n\nA remarkable feature in the adventures of Owlglass must not be passed\nover without notice, viz., the very few allusions anywhere made to the\noccult sciences, or to similar subjects. In the story of the invisible\npicture there is one slight reference to alchymy; and in that where he\nis led forth to the gallows, the multitude regard Owlglass as a\nmagician, who will rescue himself by the aid of demons. But so real is\nthe character everywhere, that not even by the many editors has any tale\nbeen introduced connecting the hero with such matters. Yet the absence\nof such a colouring displays a greater skill and a deeper purpose in the\nauthor; from the tendency of the age in which it was written, any\nmention of occult science would have been excusable, nay, almost\nnatural. If we remember that the era of its publication was rife with\nmagicians, astrologers, and alchymists; that Cornelius Agrippa very\nshortly afterwards found it necessary to protest against the abuse of\nsuch subjects in his treatise \u201cOf the Uncertainty and Vanity of the\nSciences and Arts,\u201d that Trithemius was then Abbot of the Benedictine\nMonastery of Spanheim: all these considerations would have caused no\nsurprise at the introduction of scenes of enchantment, or, at least, an\nemployment of them allusively or by implication. But no; true to its\nmission of a folk-book, filled with the manners and customs of its time,\nOwlglass is thoroughly worldly, and for us, therefore, possesses greater\ninterest and value.\n\nIt may be interesting for a moment to set side by side the jester\nexhibited in the pages of Shakspere and the good Master Owlglass.\nHistorical Owlglass there certainly was at some time of the fourteenth\ncentury, his tomb yet standing at M\u00f6llen, as will be seen; but the\npranks of many excellent jesters were all centred in the book telling of\nOwlglass; so that he has been overlaid with jokes, not in his own power\nto perform. Indeed, in the present edition, from a respect I have for\nchronology, I have been obliged to extrude two or three which would have\ninvolved anachronisms. However, they were somewhat dull, and therefore\nneed not be regretted.\n\nThe first English version of Owlglass (as to which see the Appendix, p.\n220) having been published early in the sixteenth century, in a \u201clittle\ndumpy quarto,\u201d by Master William Copland, its fame might, without much\ndifficulty, have infiltrated the country parts of England; and, if we\nregard the clowns of Shakspere, Touchstone, in \u201cAs You Like It,\u201d for\nexample, it might appear that Shakspere had seen this Black Letter of\nWilliam Copland: yet, while the humour of Owlglass consists in his\nstolid performance of the exact words commanded him, there is clearly a\nquite other appreciation of wit in the English writer. It is, in fact,\nthe polished foil beside the homely cudgel\u2014both effective weapons, but\none of them far more glittering, swift, and murderous. The cudgel may be\nwarded off by a less skilful hand, the glancing steel hath made a wound,\nand been withdrawn in the very flash of its own rapidity. Dogberry and\nVerges, Costard perhaps, nay, even Sir Toby Belch, have points of\ncharacter more resembling Owlglass than do the clowns of our great poet.\nThe Fool in King Lear, has some kin to him, but is infinitely wiser.\nIndeed, we might perhaps rather class Bardolph, Pistol, and Nym,\nhumourists in their way, with Master Owlglass than the subtle wits\nShakspere brings upon the stage. Yet has Owlglass an existence beyond\nand outside all question of contrast, all opinion of similarity.\nGervinus, in his comprehensive History of German Fiction[5] has well\ndefined Owlglass to be \u201cthe personified quip and crank\u201d (_der\npersonificirte Schwank_). In fact, he is a Gothic Diogenes set in a\nTeutonic frame, living, moving, and having his being in an atmosphere as\npeculiarly distinct in its grotesque and massive proportions, as was the\nearlier Hellenic age, in its union of elegance and power. No previous\ntime could have produced such an out-birth, and, with all our modern\ntendencies towards humour, fostered by the constant study of our\nquainter dramatists, another Owlglass would be a distortion, if not an\nimpossibility.\n\nThat, even in grave England, and with quaint Ben Jonson, Master Owlglass\nwas a favourite, we may see from two allusions which he makes to him;\none in the \u201cPoetaster,\u201d Act the Third, Scene the Fourth, where Tucca\nexclaims: \u201cWhat, do you laugh, Owlglass?\u201d And again in the \u201cMasque of\nthe Fortunate Isles,\u201d produced in 1626, Ben Jonson introduces\nHowleglass; and Johphiel says to Merefool:\u2014\n\n Or what do you think\n Of Howleglass instead of him?\n\n _Merefool._\u2014No him\n I have a mind to.\n\n _Johphiel._\u2014O, but Ulen-spiegle,\n Were such a name\u2014but you shall have your longing.\n\nAnd later on, the remark is made:\u2014\n\n Whether you would present him with an Hermes\n Or with an Howleglass?\n\n _Skelton._\u2014An Howleglass\n To come to pass\n On his father\u2019s ass;\n There never was,\n By day, nor night,\n A finer sight,\n With feathers upright\n In his horned cap,\n And crooked shape,\n Much like an ape,\n With owl on fist.\n And glass at his wrist.[6]\n\nA most unjustifiable libel, by the way, is committed here, for Owlglass\nwas always a \u201cproper\u201d gentleman, having no crook-back or ape-like\nappearance.[7]\n\nOne of the most thoughtful and philosophic writers of our day, Mr.\nCarlyle, has a few noteworthy sentences regarding this strange book,\nwhich we shall do well to transfer to these pages:\u2014\n\n\u201cLastly, in a third class, we find in full play that spirit of broad\ndrollery, of rough saturnine humour, which the Germans claim as a\nspecial characteristic; among these, we must not omit to mention the\n_Schiltb\u00fcrger_ correspondent to our own _Wise Men of Gotham_; still less\nthe far-famed _Tyll Eulenspiegel_ (Tyll Owlglass), whose rogueries and\nwaggeries belong in the fullest sense to this era.\n\n\u201cThis last is a true German work; for both the man, Tyll Eulenspiegel,\nand the book which is his history, were produced there. Nevertheless,\nTyll\u2019s fame has gone abroad into all lands; thus, the narrative of his\nexploits has been published in innumerable editions, even with all\nmanner of learned glosses, and translated into Latin, English, French,\nDutch, Polish; nay, in several languages, as in his own, an\n_Eulenspiegelerei_ and _Espi\u00e9glerie_, or dog\u2019s trick, so named after\nhim, still by consent of lexicographers, keeps his memory alive. We may\nsay, that to few mortals has it been granted to earn such a place in\nuniversal history as Tyll; for now, after five centuries, when Wallace\u2019s\nbirth-place is unknown even to the Scots; and the admirable Crichton\nstill more rapidly is grown a shadow; and Edward Longshanks sleeps\nunregarded save by a few antiquarian English, Tyll\u2019s native village is\npointed out with pride to the traveller, and his tombstone, with a\nsculptured pun on his name,\u2014namely, an Owl and a Glass,\u2014still stands, or\npretends to stand, at M\u00f6llen, near L\u00fcbeck, where, since 1350, his once\nnimble bones have been at rest. Tyll, in the calling he had chosen,\nnaturally led a wandering life, as place after place became too hot for\nhim; by which means he saw into many things with his own eyes; having\nbeen not only over all Westphalia and Saxony, but even in Poland, and as\nfar as Rome. That in his old days, like other great men, he became an\nautobiographer, and in trustful winter evenings, not on paper, but on\nair, and to the laughter-lovers of M\u00f6llen, composed this work himself,\nis purely a hypothesis; certain only that it came forth originally in\nthe dialect of this region, namely, the _Platt-Deutsch_; and was\ntherefrom translated, probably about a century afterwards, into its\npresent High German, as Lessing conjectures, by one Thomas Murner, who,\non other grounds, is not unknown to antiquaries. For the rest, write it\nwho might, the book is here, \u2018abounding,\u2019 as a wise critic remarks, \u2018in\ninventive humour, in rough merriment, and broad drollery, not without a\nkeen rugged shrewdness of insight; which properties must have made it\nirresistibly captivating to the popular sense; and with all its\nfantastic extravagancies, and roguish crotchets, in many points\ninstructive.\u2019\u201d[8]\n\nMr. Carlyle then cites one adventure, that of the Easter Play, which has\nnot been included in the present version; for although it illustrates\nwell enough the interior of a parson\u2019s household of the fourteenth\ncentury, there is a smack of profanity about it which it is well to\navoid. And, indeed, it is due to the reader of this volume, to inform\nhim, that our present chronicle differs in one material point from all\nformer editions. While it has been my object everywhere to tell the\nstory of Owlglass in a quaint and simple manner, modern good taste\nrequired a special duty at the chronicler\u2019s hands: viz., that of\npurification and modification, for it may readily be believed that a\nbook written _of_ the fourteenth century, _for_ the sixteenth century,\nwould abound with homely wit, not quite consonant with the ideas of the\nnineteenth. Therefore several stories of a somewhat indelicate, and\ngenerally pointless, character have been omitted, and their place\nsupplied with matter obtained by a collation of several editions in the\nGerman, French, and Flemish languages.\n\nAnd another aim which I have had in view has been, where good taste and\nopportunity admitted, to apply, in a veiled manner, the axioms and quips\nof our knight-errant of roguery, to subjects and follies not banished\nfrom our own more polite age. The reader will thus be able to judge in\nhow far this modern Owlglass differs from its predecessors. In no\ninstance, however, have I permitted myself to lose sight of the object\nin view, which was to give as good a picture of the original as might\nbe, and that in spirit rather than in letter. This spirit has been so\njustly estimated by M. Robin, a clever and dashing French critic, whose\nsad death may still be remembered by a few, that, at the risk of adding\ntoo much to this preface, I subjoin an epitome of his remarks:\u2014\n\n\u201cIt is quite true,\u201d says he, \u201cthat glory is nothing but vanity. I have\nseen in the sepulchral silence of libraries, names quite unknown, on the\nbacks of gigantic volumes, the librarians could tell me nothing of\nthese, except that they were the authors of these books. I have seen, on\nthe pavement of ancient churches, pompous epitaphs, and heraldic arms,\nand the nails of the peasant\u2019s shoe tread them under foot. Be then in\nlife a man of learning, knowing every language, be a noble of Spain, a\nKnight of the Golden Fleece, Viceroy of Mexico or Peru, say you have the\nright of keeping your hat on in the presence of the King, yet it will\nscarcely be known that you have lived, while a _vaurien_, a man who had\nneither hearth nor home, a practical joker, a drunkard, having the devil\nin his purse, living from hand to mouth, sleeping to-day in the streets,\nand to-morrow in the bed of his host, whom he never pays, and\nunderstanding too well the buffoonery of life ever to have thought of\nglory; as soon as this man is dead, and ignobly buried, he enters at\nonce into immortality, bequeathing to the people a name which they will\nnever forget, and, to the Attic language of the moderns, a word of which\nthey stood much in need. Who can boast of having invented a word? Very\nfew of the greatest writers can arrogate to themselves this most rare\nglory. But to leave one\u2019s name to the most grave and self-sufficient\nlanguage in Europe, to force it to say _espi\u00e8gle_, because one\u2019s name\nwas Ulenspiegel; and to pass fifty years in practical joking and\nlaughter; to be able to call oneself the father of the great family of\nMystificators, surely this is no common fate, and doubtless the\ncontemplator of it will cry out: \u2018Where doth Immortality dwell? Poor\nauthor, it was well worth thy pains to wear out thy brain in writing\nfolios! Unfortunate hidalgo, it was well worth the trouble of being\npuffed up with pride at a long name unpronounceable in a breath, that\nthis name should be forgotten, and that the name of a boorish jester\nshould be transmitted almost intact to the most distant posterity.\u201d\n\nThe best test of the worth of a book, whether it be several centuries\nold, or, as it were, a production of our own day, is the proportion of\ntimes that it has been reproduced or imitated. Singularly enough, while,\nin most continental languages, such translations and imitations have\nbeen frequent, in two instances only has this celebrated folk-book\nappeared in an English dress; first, as has been already stated, in\nBlack Letter, in 1528\u20131530, and again in a modified form in 1720. With a\ndescription of these two editions I will not trouble the reader here, as\nin the Appendix at the end an accurate account of them will be found;\nand I will merely add, in this place, that of the Black Letter\ntranslation only two copies are known to exist, both in the British\nMuseum; and that of the second, a copy of which is now in my own\npossession, I have only been able to find one other, which is in the\nDouce Collection in the Bodleian.\n\nIt was originally in contemplation to reprint the scarce Black Letter\nedition; but, on a careful examination, I found this an impossibility,\nas the contents, for reasons already hinted at, would have shocked good\ntaste; nor, in point of fact, would that edition have offered so great a\nvariety as in this volume has been presented; which may be understood\nwhen it is explained, that of all kinds of stories, good and bad, the\nBlack Letter gives but forty-eight; while in the present chronicle there\nare\u2014such questionable adventures being omitted\u2014no less than one hundred\nand eleven. Although the idea of such reprint was thus abandoned, there\nappeared no reason, however, why the old-fashioned form should not be\nadopted in the telling of the tale. For this and any other faults which\nthe reader may detect I hold myself responsible; and I may mention, that\nso careful have I been to imitate the style of the time in which it is\nsupposed to be written, that I have even followed the confusion between\nthe use of the \u201cthee\u201d and \u201cthou\u201d and \u201cyou\u201d and \u201cye\u201d common in early\nbooks, especially at the transition era of the Stuarts.\n\nThe edition which I have adopted as a guide or clue-line, is the Low\nGerman original of 1519 in the excellent and exhaustive work of Dr.\nLappenberg; and I need not here especially refer to any other, save that\nof M. Octave Delepierre, long time a zealous antiquary, who argues for a\nFlemish origin for our hero, an origin in which, giving every meed of\npraise to that gentleman for the singular ingenuity and complete\nlocalization which his book exhibits, I need scarcely say that I cannot\ncoincide. Nay, it may even be suspected that he himself is but in jest\nwith his argument.\n\nI have also to draw the notice of the reader to the Appendices at the\nend of this volume, which enter into the bibliographical and other\nhistory of the book, and to mention that I am greatly indebted to the\nRev. Dr. Bandinel, the venerable Librarian of the Bodleian Library at\nOxford, and also to my friends, the Rev. Alfred Hackman, M.A., Precentor\nof Christ Church, and the Rev. John S. Sidebotham, M.A., Chaplain of New\nCollege, and Preacher at St. Martin\u2019s, Carfax, Oxford, for much valuable\nassistance in searching for Eulenspiegel literature amidst the treasures\ncontained in that valuable library.\n\nThis is all, I think, which need here be said touching the task I have\nhere completed; for the reader need not be asked to appreciate the\nartistic skill of my friend and coadjutor, Mr. Alfred Crowquill. If the\nreader does but experience in the perusal of this singular\nbook\u2014practically the first English edition of it\u2014one tithe of the\npleasure I have had in preparing it, all that was to be accomplished\nwill have been duly fulfilled.\n\n KENNETH ROBERT HENDERSON MACKENZIE.\n\n 35, Bernard Street, Russell Square, W.C.\n _October 3, 1859._\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n See Adventure the 36th, p. 63.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n Introduction to the Literature of Europe, vol. i. p. 235 (Library\n ed.); vol. i. p. 240 (Cabinet ed.).\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n Matter of doubt to the present writer whether it be thus superior; in\n any case, it would be scarcely so interesting to people now-a-days.\n But see the Appendix.\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n Bouterwek, in his \u201cHistory of German Poetry and Eloquence\u201d\n (_Geschichte der deutschen Poesie und Beredsamkeit_), vol. ix. p. 336,\n confirms the observations of Hallam, and lends additional testimony to\n the popularity of the Eulenspiegel. Adolf Rosen von Kreutzheim, in the\n Preface to his poem, the _Esel-K\u00f6nig_ (Ass-King), alludes to the\n general dispersion of Eulenspiegel, Marcolphus, Katziporo, and other\n works, and abuses them in set terms as shameful, mischievous, and\n dangerous.\n\nFootnote 5:\n\n History of German Fiction, vol. ii. p. 298.\n\nFootnote 6:\n\n Jonson\u2019s Works, p. 650.\n\nFootnote 7:\n\n An Howleglass is mentioned as being in the library of a Captain Cox.\n On which, see the Appendix, p. 221.\n\nFootnote 8:\n\n Carlyle, Miscellaneous Essays, Edition 1857, Vol. II. pp. 287\u2013288.\n\n\n\n\n CONTENTS.\n\n\n PREFACE.\n\n PAGE\n\n THE INTRODUCTION TOUCHING MASTER TYLL OWLGLASS 1\n\n\n Adventures.\n\n I.\u2014How Tyll Owlglass was born, and was on one day three times\n christened 2\n\n II.\u2014How that Owlglass when that he was a child did give a\n marvellous answer to a man that asked the way 3\n\n III.\u2014How all the boors did cry out shame upon Owlglass for his\n knavery; and how he rode upon a horse behind his father 5\n\n IV.\u2014How Owlglass did learn to dance upon a rope, and did fall\n therefrom into the River Saale 6\n\n V.\u2014How Owlglass did move two hundred young people, that they did\n give unto him their shoes, with the which he made rare sport upon\n his rope 8\n\n VI.\u2014How that Owlglass his mother did move him that he should learn\n a handicraft 9\n\n VII.\u2014How Owlglass did deceive a baker at Strasfurt, and gat bread\n for his mother 10\n\n VIII.\u2014How Owlglass, with other children, was forced to eat fat\n soup, and gat blows likewise 11\n\n IX.\u2014How Owlglass brought it about that the stingy farmer\u2019s poultry\n drew for baits 12\n\n X.\u2014How Owlglass was again moved of his mother to depart to a\n foreign land, that he might learn a handicraft 13\n\n XI.\u2014How Owlglass crept into a bee-hive; how two thieves came by\n night to steal honey; what honey they did steal; and how Owlglass\n made it come to pass, that the thieves did fight one with the\n other, and did leave the bee-hive standing 14\n\n XII.\u2014How Owlglass for little money did have a singing bird for his\n dinner 16\n\n XIII.\u2014How Owlglass did eat the roasted chicken from off the spit 17\n\n XIV.\u2014How Owlglass did publish abroad that he would fly from off\n the roof of the town-house at Magdeburg 19\n\n XV.\u2014How Owlglass did cure the sick folks in the hospital at\n N\u00fcrnberg in one day, and what came thereafter 21\n\n XVI.\u2014How Owlglass bought bread according to the proverb, \u201cTo him\n that hath bread is bread given\u201d 23\n\n XVII.\u2014How Owlglass became a doctor, and did cure many folk 23\n\n XVIII.\u2014How that Owlglass became a drawer of teeth, and cured all\n by a wondrous pill 25\n\n XIX.\u2014How that Owlglass did at Brunswick hire him to a baker, and\n did there bake owls and monkeys 26\n\n XX.\u2014How Owlglass did again hire him unto a baker, and how he\n bolted meal in the moon\u2019s light 29\n\n XXI.\u2014Telleth of what manner of thinking was Owlglass, and how he\n formed his life according unto principles of virtue and goodness 32\n\n XXII.\u2014How that Owlglass did hire him to the Count of Anhalt to\n blow the horn on a tower; and when that enemies did approach, then\n blew he not, and when that they came not, then blew he 33\n\n XXIII.\u2014How that Owlglass did have golden shoes struck unto his\n horse\u2019s feet 37\n\n XXIV.\u2014How that Owlglass did have a great contention before the\n King of Poland with two other fools 38\n\n XXV.\u2014How that Owlglass did make confession to a priest, and took\n from him a silver box 39\n\n XXVI.\u2014How that Owlglass was forbidden the dukedom of Lunenburg,\n and how he did cut open his horse and stand therein 40\n\n XXVII.\u2014How that Owlglass did buy an inheritance in land from a\n boor, and how he sate therein in a cart 42\n\n XXVIII.\u2014How that Owlglass painted the forbears of the Landgrave of\n Hessen, and told him that an if he were ignobly born, he might not\n behold his painting 43\n\n XXIX.\u2014How that Owlglass was for little money well entertained of\n two innkeepers 49\n\n XXX.\u2014How that Owlglass did tell his master how he might \u2019scape\n giving pork unto his neighbours 51\n\n XXXI.\u2014How that Owlglass conferred with the rector and masters of\n the University of Prague in Bohemia, and how he did make answer\n unto their questions, and therein came off most wisely 52\n\n XXXII.\u2014How that Owlglass did on a time mix him up in a marriage\n strife, and did soon end it with great renown 54\n\n XXXIII.\u2014How that Owlglass did cause an ass to read certain words\n out of a book at the great university of Erfurt 55\n\n XXXIV.\u2014How that Owlglass did kill a hog, and answered for his evil\n doings unto the burghmaster 58\n\n XXXV.\u2014How that Owlglass at Nugenst\u00e4dten, in the land of Thuringia,\n did wash the women\u2019s furs 61\n\n XXXVI.\u2014Telleth how that Owlglass journeyed about the land with a\n saint\u2019s head, and did beguile many therewith 63\n\n XXXVII.\u2014How that Owlglass did make the town-watch of N\u00fcrnberg to\n fall into the water which is called the Pegnitz 65\n\n XXXVIII.\u2014How that Owlglass did at Bamberg eat for money 67\n\n XXXIX.\u2014How that Owlglass did make a wager with a Jew about a\n horse, and did deceive him 68\n\n XL.\u2014How that Owlglass did have much money for an old hat 70\n\n XLI.\u2014How that Owlglass journeyed unto Rome to see the Pope, and\n how his Holiness considered that Owlglass was a heretic 72\n\n XLII.\u2014How that Owlglass without money bought poultry at\n Quedlingburg, and for security gave unto the farmer\u2019s wife the\n cock 75\n\n XLIII.\u2014How that Owlglass, with a knavish confession, did beguile\n the priest of Riesenburg of his horse 76\n\n XLIV.\u2014How that Owlglass did hire him to a smith, and what he did\n while with him 80\n\n XLV.\u2014How that Owlglass did cause all the tools, hammers, and tongs\n of a smith to be as one mass of iron 83\n\n XLVI.\u2014How that Owlglass did speak a word of truth unto a smith,\n his wife, man, and maid, each one before the house 85\n\n XLVII.\u2014How that Owlglass, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, did with guile\n delude two Jews of rings 87\n\n XLVIII.\u2014How that Owlglass served a shoemaker, and how that he\n inquired of him what shapes he should cut; and the master answered\n him, and said: \u201cGreat and small, as the herdsman driveth forth to\n field.\u201d Therefore cut he oxen, cows, calves, sheep and pigs 88\n\n XLIX.\u2014How that Owlglass bought eggs and had them tightly packed 90\n\n L.\u2014How that Owlglass made a soup for a boor, and put therein\n shoemaker\u2019s oil; for that, in his nobility, he thought it good\n enow for the boor 91\n\n LI.\u2014This chapter is a special chapter, telling how that a\n bootmaker sought to beguile Owlglass by greasing his boots, and\n how that Owlglass looked through the window, and brake it 93\n\n LII.\u2014Telleth how that Owlglass at Einbeck became a brewer\u2019s man,\n and did seethe a dog which was called Hops 95\n\n LIII.\u2014How that Owlglass hired him to a tailor, and sewed so\n secretly that it was not seen of any one 97\n\n LIV.\u2014How that Owlglass caused three tailors to fall from their\n board, and then would have persuaded the people that the wind had\n blown them down 99\n\n LV.\u2014How that Owlglass assembled all the tailors throughout the\n whole land of Saxony, by proclaiming that he would teach them a\n mighty useful thing, that would get bread both for them and their\n children 101\n\n LVI.\u2014How that Owlglass beat wool upon a saint\u2019s day, and that very\n high 103\n\n LVII.\u2014How that Owlglass was hired by a furrier, and did sleep\n among the skins 105\n\n LVIII.\u2014How that Owlglass on a time at Berlin did make wolves 107\n\n LIX.\u2014How that Owlglass, being servant to a great lord, did fetch\n for him wine and beer together in a most delectable manner 109\n\n LX.\u2014How that Owlglass for a tanner prepared leather with stools\n and benches, at the good city of Brunswick on the Dam 111\n\n LXI.\u2014How that Owlglass was groom unto a noble lord, and what\n knavery he wrought unto his lord\u2019s horse Rosamond 112\n\n LXII.\u2014How that Owlglass beguiled the drawer at the town-house\n cellar of L\u00fcbeck, and did for a can of wine give him a can of\n water 114\n\n LXIII.\u2014How that Owlglass \u2019scaped hanging by his cunning, and would\n have hanged himself for a crown, yet did not 116\n\n LXIV.\u2014How that Owlglass, at Helmstadt, caused a great pocket to be\n made 119\n\n LXV.\u2014How that Owlglass, at Erfurt, beguiled a butcher 120\n\n LXVI.\u2014Telleth how that good Master Owlglass again beguiled the\n butcher at Erfurt, by pleasing him with a most grateful jingle 122\n\n LXVII.\u2014Touching the faults of the which our noble Master Owlglass\n had a few; for he was human, and in all human things is\n imperfection 123\n\n LXVIII.\u2014How that Owlglass, at Dresden, became a carpenter, and for\n his pains earned little thanks 125\n\n LXIX.\u2014How that Owlglass did hire himself unto the master of a\n saw-mill 127\n\n LXX.\u2014How that Owlglass became a maker of spectacles, and perceived\n that trade was very bad 129\n\n LXXI.\u2014How that Owlglass of a boor at the fair of Gerau took\n leather 132\n\n LXXII.\u2014How that at Hildesheim Owlglass did hire himself unto a\n merchant, to be his cook, and what tricks he played unto him 133\n\n LXXIII.\u2014How that at Greifswald good Master Owlglass came unto the\n Rector of the University, and proclaimed himself to be a master in\n all languages, save in one only, to wit, the Spanish tongue 140\n\n LXXIV.\u2014How that Owlglass did, at Wismar, become a horse-dealer,\n and beguiled a merchant 143\n\n LXXV.\u2014How that Owlglass wrought a great knavery upon a pipemaker,\n at L\u00fcneburg 145\n\n LXXVI.\u2014How that an old woman mocked the good Master Owlglass when\n that at Gerdau he lost his pocket 148\n\n LXXVII.\u2014How that Owlglass gained money by a horse 152\n\n LXXVIII.\u2014How that, at Oltzen, Owlglass did beguile a boor of a\n piece of green cloth, and caused him to confess that it was blue 153\n\n LXXIX.\u2014How that Owlglass most strangely gat a potful of money 157\n\n LXXX.\u2014How that Owlglass ran great peril of his neck for receiving\n the pot of money, yet gat fifteen shillings instead of a hanging 160\n\n LXXXI.\u2014How that Owlglass told many that he had lost his\n money-girdle, and thereby came with good luck unto a warm fire 162\n\n LXXXII.\u2014How that Owlglass did at Bremen of the market-women buy\n milk, and cause it to be poured altogether into one tun 163\n\n LXXXIII.\u2014How that Owlglass spake unto twelve blind men, and\n persuaded them that he had unto them given twelve shillings, and\n how that they spent the money and came evilly off thereafter 164\n\n LXXXIV.\u2014How that in a city of Saxony Owlglass sowed knaves 169\n\n LXXXV.\u2014How that in the good city of Hamburg, Owlglass hired him\n unto a barber, and went through the casement unto his service 173\n\n LXXXVI.\u2014How that Owlglass did cause the host of the inn at\n Eisleben to be beset with great terror, by showing unto him a\n wolf, of the which he professed no fear 175\n\n LXXXVII.\u2014How that Owlglass paid his host with the ring of his\n money 180\n\n LXXXVIII.\u2014How that Owlglass, at L\u00fcbeck, did escape from a house,\n when that the watch would have taken him for his debts 181\n\n LXXXIX.\u2014How that Owlglass, at Stassfurt, of a dog took the skin,\n the which he gave unto his hostess for her charges 182\n\n XC.\u2014How that our noble master gave assurance unto the same\n hostess, that Owlglass lay upon the wheel 184\n\n XCI.\u2014How that Owlglass caused a Hollander from a plate to take an\n apple, the which evilly ended for the eater 185\n\n XCII.\u2014How that Owlglass caused a woman to break in pieces the\n whole of her wares, in the market-place at Bremen 187\n\n XCIII.\u2014How that Owlglass sold a horse, the which would not go over\n trees 191\n\n XCIV.\u2014How that of a horse-dealer Owlglass bought a horse and only\n paid half of the money therefor 192\n\n XCV.\u2014How that in the land of Brunswick Owlglass turned shepherd 193\n\n XCVI.\u2014How that without money Owlglass bought a pair of shoes 195\n\n XCVII.\u2014How that Owlglass sold unto the furriers, at Leipzig, a\n live cat, the which was sewed into the skin of a hare; and how\n rare sport came thereof 196\n\n XCVIII.\u2014How that Owlglass hired himself unto a boor 197\n\n XCIX.\u2014How that Owlglass gat him to the High School at Paris 199\n\n C.\u2014How Owlglass would fain have been an innkeeper at Rouen, but\n was beguiled by a one-eyed man, and again, in turn, cozened him 199\n\n CI.\u2014How, in Berlin, Owlglass was an officer, and collected taxes\n of the boors 201\n\n CII.\u2014How that in his latter days Owlglass became a pious monk, and\n what came thereof 203\n\n CIII.\u2014How that when at M\u00f6llen Owlglass lay sick, his mother came\n unto him 206\n\n CIV.\u2014How that when Owlglass was sick unto death, he made\n confession of three things, the which it sorely troubled him he\n had not done 207\n\n CV.\u2014Saith, how that to a greedy priest Owlglass confessed his\n sins, and paid him handsomely for his pains 209\n\n CVI.\u2014How that Owlglass in three parts did divide all that belonged\n unto him; and the one part gave he freely unto his friends, and\n another thereof humbly to the town council of M\u00f6llen, and the\n third part unto the priest there 211\n\n CVII.\u2014How that at M\u00f6llen Owlglass died, and the swine did cast\n down the coffin when that the good priests sang the vigil 212\n\n CVIII.\u2014How that our for ever prized Master Owlglass was buried 213\n\n CIX.\u2014Telleth what stood upon his gravestone 214\n\n CX.\u2014How in after time our most excellent Owlglass was esteemed so\n worthy that he was made a holy Saint; and on the day of All Fools\n in April do the folk alway keep his memory, as also when they do a\n foolish thing, the which maketh him continually esteemed of great\n and small 215\n\n CXI.\u2014Reciteth a few grave reflections of this present chronicler 216\n\n\n APPENDICES.\n\n APPENDIX A.\n\n Bibliographical Notes for the Literary History of Eulenspiegel 219\n\n\n APPENDIX B.\n\n The Historical Eulenspiegel and his Gravestone 240\n\n\n APPENDIX C.\n\n Of Dr. Thomas Murner, the Author of Eulenspiegel 244\n\n\n APPENDIX D.\n\n The Verses inserted by William Copland in the English black-letter\n Howleglas of 1528 247\n\n\n APPENDIX E.\n\n The Bak\u00e2la Legend of the Valacqs analogous to Owlglass 249\n\n\n APPENDIX F.\n\n Works akin to the Eulenspiegel Literature 252\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n ILLUSTRATIONS.\n\n\n Cup and Ball (Frontispiece)\n\n Vignette Owlglass (Title)\n\n PAGE\n\n Tyll Owlglass 1\n\n Child Owlglass 4\n\n Beehive borne, _coloured_ 15\n\n Doctor Owlglass, _coloured_ 23\n\n Hot Water Cure 24\n\n Wisdom and Impudence 27\n\n Watchman Owlglass 34\n\n Painter Owlglass 46\n\n Respected Reader 56\n\n Furrier Owlglass 61\n\n Poulterer Owlglass, _coloured_ 75\n\n Blacksmith Owlglass 81\n\n Brewer Owlglass, _coloured_ 96\n\n Ware Wolf! 107\n\n Nimble Owlglass 116\n\n Provident Owlglass 121\n\n Sawyer Owlglass 127\n\n Optical Owlglass 129\n\n Nothing like Leather! 132\n\n A Pleasant Sight 137\n\n Horse-dealer Owlglass 144\n\n A Young Bride 151\n\n A Genial Fellow 175\n\n A Fat Friend 186\n\n Unhorsed 191\n\n Shepherd Owlglass 194\n\n Owlglass selleth Puss, _coloured_ 196\n\n Monk Owlglass 203\n\n Dip not too deep! _coloured_ 208\n\n The Device of the Owl and Glass 214\n\n Put out the Light! 217\n\n The Gravestone 240\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n THE\n\n MERRY ADVENTURES AND JESTS\n\n OF\n\n MASTER OWLGLASS.\n\n\n\n\n The Introduction touching Master Tyll Owlglass.\n\n\nWith what joy and inward content do I not greet ye, my masters, bringing\nwith me for your sweet delectation and delightful comfort the history,\nthe which I have most diligently written, and out of many learned and\nwise books gathered together, and which indeed telleth of the merry\njests, rare conceits, and subtile cony-catching of that renowned Master\nTyll Owlglass, who in the Brunswick land was born. And i\u2019 faith, ye do\nowe me not a little grace and thankfulness for that which I have now\nfinished,\u2014but an if my pains had been a thousandfold greater than they\nhave been, I would not have spared myself. This is mine answer unto ye.\nAnd my desire hath been, that ye shall most merrily sit ye round the\nfire and laugh until that your sides shall ache, and your inner man be\nshaken with the continual reverberation of your delighted spirit. For an\nill heart is such an one that doth never rejoice, but trembleth ever and\nanon at the wonders with the which we be encompassed, so do ye now,\nwithout any other speech from me, accept this little book, and therein\nread, and ponder well the deeds of this noble master, who from low\nestate and boorish condition rose to be the companion of princes and\ndukes, and, by his infinitude of rare parts, remaineth well known and\nbeloved of all men in divers countries and lands all over the fair\ndomain of Christendom. And now do I bid ye farewell, and leave ye with a\ncompanion less tedious than am I, and in the reading of his life will ye\nnot lose your labour, that know I well.\n\n\n\n\n The First Adventure.\n\n_How Tyll Owlglass was born and was in one day three times christened._\n\n\nAs verily all creatures must have a beginning of their lives, so that\nthey may come into this world to abide therein, so also must it be with\nthe famous Master Owlglass, who lived in Germany many years, and of whom\nmany notable adventures are told and noised about all over that country.\nIn the land of Brunswick, in the deep wood named Melme, lieth a village\nnamed Kneitlingen, and there was born the pious child Owlglass. And the\nname of his father was Nicolaus, commonly said Claus, Owlglass, and his\nmother\u2019s name was Anna Wertbeck. It fortuned, that when the child was\nborn that they made a great feast, and sent the child to be christened\nin the village of Amptlen; hard by the castle of Amptlen, which was\nafter destroyed by the people of Magdeburg. And when the child was\nbaptised, he was called Tyll Owlglass. Truly, however, after that the\nfeast had come to an end, the godfathers and godmothers of the child\nhaving eaten and drunken right lustily (for it was the custom of that\nplace most heartily to do these things), set forth on their way\nhomeward, and the sun being hot, they were tired and they minded not\ntheir steps to be careful of them, and so it came to pass, that one of\nthem carrying the child caught her foot upon a stone and fell into a\nditch, so child and all were quickly covered with mud. But as weeds\ncannot so easily come to harm, the child was not hurt, but only thus\nchristened in the mire.\n\nWhen they got home, the child was washed clean in hot water. Thus was\nOwlglass in one day three times christened, first in the church, then in\nthe mud of the ditch, and at last in warm water. So is it always shown\nwith great and famous persons, that, in their infancy, strange and most\nwonderful things do foreshow their future greatness.\n\n\n\n\n The Second Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass when that he was a child did give a marvellous answer\n to a man that asked the way._\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nUpon a time went the father and mother of Owlglass forth, and left\nOwlglass within the house. Then came a man riding by, and he rode his\nhorse half into the house in the doorway, and asked: \u201cIs there nobody\nwithin?\u201d Then answered the child: \u201cYea, there is a man and a half, and\nthe head of a horse.\u201d Then asked the man: \u201cWhere is thy father?\u201d and the\nchild made answer and said: \u201cMy father is of ill making worse; and my\nmother is gone for scathe or shame.\u201d And the man said to the child: \u201cHow\nunderstandest thou that?\u201d And then the child said: \u201cMy father is making\nof ill worse, for he plougheth the field and maketh great holes, that\nmen should fall therein when they ride. And my mother is gone to borrow\nbread, and when she giveth it again and giveth less it is a shame, and\nwhen she giveth it and giveth more it is scathe.\u201d Then said the man:\n\u201cWhich is the way to ride?\u201d And the child answered and said: \u201cThere\nwhere the geese go.\u201d And then rode the man his way to the geese, and\nwhen he came to the geese they flew into the water; then wist he not\nwhither to ride, but turned again to the child and said: \u201cThe geese be\nflown into the water, and thus wot I not what to do nor whither to\nride.\u201d Then answered the child: \u201cYe must ride where the geese go and not\nwhere they swim.\u201d Then departed the man and rode his way, and marvelled\nof the answer of the child. Thus from the mouths of babes cometh forth\nwisdom and ready conceit.\n\n\n\n\n The Third Adventure.\n\n_How all the boors did cry out shame upon Owlglass for his knavery; and\n how he rode upon a horse behind his father._\n\n\nNow when Owlglass had come to an age to run about, he began playing\ndivers tricks and knavish actions among the boys of his village; and he\nfought and tumbled about upon the grass, that he looked more like a\nmonkey than a boy. But when it came to pass that he was four years old,\nhis malice waxed greater and greater, so that his father was ever being\ndisputed with by the neighbours, who cried out shame upon Owlglass, as\nbeing so great a knave; and though it happened that his father did scold\nhim with many words, Owlglass did always excuse himself by knavish\nanswers. Thereat the father thought he would quickly learn the verity of\nthese sayings of the neighbours, and at a time when the boors were all\nwalking in the streets, he did set his son Owlglass behind him on his\nhorse. Then, also, he commanded Owlglass that he should be most quiet\nand silent. What, then, did the pious and good child? He did silently\nplay tricks and mocked the people, whereon they did most loudly cry out\nupon Owlglass: \u201cFie upon the little malicious knave!\u201d\n\nNow as Owlglass spake never a word in all this time, his father did not\nknow how it came to pass that the people did cry out so loudly; and\nOwlglass complained to him, and said: \u201cHearest thou, father! Here sit I\nsilently behind thee upon thy horse and say no word, and yet the people\ncry out against me for my knavery.\u201d Then the father sayeth but little,\nand taketh Owlglass and setteth him upon the horse in front of him. Then\ndid Owlglass open his mouth wide, and did stretch forth his tongue, in\nmockery of the people. And the people did run forth, crying: \u201cOut upon\nthe little knave!\u201d Yet did not the father see the knavery, but said:\n\u201cAlas for thee, that thou shouldst have been born in an unhappy hour!\u201d\nSo much did he love Owlglass, that he then departed out of the land of\nBrunswick, and he did abide in the land of Magdeburg, hard by the river\nSaale.\n\nIn a little time thereafter, so sorrowful was he, that he gave up the\nghost, and left his wife and child in great poverty. Thus it is that\ngreat men are often persecuted and smitten with many blows in their own\nland, nor do they find good comfort therein! Owlglass, although he knew\nnot any handicraft, did grow up and wax older in knavery; and when that\nhe was sixteen years old, did excel in tricks, quips, and quiddities.\n\n\n\n\n The Fourth Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass did learn to dance upon a rope, and did fall therefrom\n into the river Saale._\n\n\nIt hath been said of old time, by the wise and cunning: \u201cWhen that the\ncat is out of the house, then play the mice.\u201d Thus fared it with\nOwlglass after that his father was dead. His mother had become old and\nfull of years, and she could no longer have the mastery over Owlglass,\nand he did learn many greatly knavish conceits. And his mother was\nsorely troubled of Owlglass, and bore not with his knavery.\n\nNow it fortuned, that the house where Owlglass and his mother did live,\nlay hard by the river Saale, and Owlglass did go up into the garret of\nthe house, and there did learn to dance upon a rope, until that his\nmother did find him going to and fro upon the rope, and did so belabour\nhim with a cudgel, that he fled through the window of the garret on to\nthe roof, where she could not follow him. And this often came to pass,\nuntil he grew older, and she became weak and of no strength to have\npower over him. Then thought he, it was time that he should in open day\nrender it manifest unto all, how great was his perfection in the art of\ndancing upon the rope, and he did stretch the rope across the river\nSaale, from one house even unto a house which lay over against them on\nthe other side. And when that the people beheld such unwonted sport,\nthey did run together, old and young, in a great crowd, and did marvel\nmuch that Owlglass should go hither and thither in so sure a manner upon\nthe rope.\n\nHappiness is, however, but for the few, and seldom doth evil fortune\nfail to sow sorrowful seeds in the midst of joyous doings; and thus\nfortuned it, that the mother of Owlglass did hear the shouting of the\npeople at the feats of Owlglass, and that she might reprove with heavy\npunishment the knavery of her son, she hastened to the place where the\nrope was tied, and cut it through with a knife secretly. Then did good\nMaster Owlglass plump into the water with much mockery and despite; and\nall the people did laugh greatly thereat, and Owlglass was vexed, so\nthat he could speak no word; nor did he fear the bath and the peril of\ndrowning as much as the jests of the people, who ran after him, blessing\nthe bath with much outcry. Thus did Master Owlglass come evilly off in\nhis first undertaking.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifth Adventure.\n\n_How Owlglass did move two hundred young people, that they did give unto\n him their shoes, with the which he made rare sport upon his rope._\n\n\nIn no long space of time thereafter, Owlglass did desire to avenge him,\nconcerning the mockery which befel him after the bath, therefore did he\ntie the rope across unto another house, and once again told the people\nthat he would dance to and fro upon the rope. Soon did the people come\ntogether in great multitude, and there were in that place both old and\nyoung; then Owlglass spake unto the young people, and said that he would\nshow unto them a most rare device upon the rope with their shoes. Then\ndid they believe him, and with that put their shoes off their feet and\ngave them unto Owlglass, and he did put them all together upon a string\nand went up on to the rope; and all the people thought that he was going\nto make some wonderful stroke therewith. But the boys were sad, and\nwould fain have received their shoes again.\n\nWhen, therefore, Owlglass was sitting upon the rope and had ended his\ntrickery, he cried out with a loud voice and spake these words: \u201cBe ye\nnow every one in readiness, and let him seek his shoes again;\u201d and he\ncut the string and threw all the shoes upon the ground, in such wise\nthat one shoe fell upon another into a great heap, and none could be\ndistinguished. Then did the people, old and young, come in great crowds,\nand caught a shoe here and another there; and one spake and said this\nwas his shoe, whereat another did make answer that it was his; and then\nfell they to fisticuffs, and with great blows they pulled out the hairs\nfrom their heads: one lay on the ground, and the other belaboured him\nwith sturdy strokes; and one wept with a loud voice while another did\nlaugh, and a third screamed like a peacock. Thus went things forward,\nuntil the old men began also to give many stripes to the crowd.\n\nBut Owlglass, sitting upon his rope, laughed until his stomach shook\nagain, and cried out: \u201cRight merry may ye be! Seek ye your shoes again\nin that wise in which I sought my way forth from the bath.\u201d Then did he\ncome down from his rope, and left them in contention; nor did he again\ncome forth, for fear of the people, but abode at home with his mother.\nThereover did his mother greatly rejoice, and thought that now he was a\nwise and gentle person, and soon, therefore, would things go better with\nthem all. Yet knew she not of his knavery, and wherefore he dared not go\nout. But the wisdom of Owlglass was great; for it is better to abide in\ndarkness with a whole skin, than live in a palace of light and be beaten\nwith many stripes. Thus did, therefore, our great example of wit and\njudgment.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass his mother did move him that he should learn a\n handicraft._\n\n\nThe mother of Owlglass was right glad that her son was so still, and\nchid him only for that he would learn no handicraft. Yet answered he\nnever a word unto all her reproofs, the which she was never tired of\nbestowing upon him. At last he opened his mouth and spake unto her,\nsaying: \u201cDear mother, as it happeneth that one beginneth action, so also\nis the ending thereof.\u201d For he knew in his wisdom, that if he had begun\nwith knavish doings, and should turn therefrom and live honestly, yet in\nthe world would no one give heed unto him, but the rather regard him as\na greater knave than before, esteeming him to be a hypocrite as well as\na knave. \u201cThat believe I right truly,\u201d answered his mother; \u201cand thus\nhave I seen no bread in my house these four weeks gone by, nor have I\nhad thereof any.\u201d \u201cThat toucheth not my speech,\u201d said Owlglass. \u201cBut\nwith Saint Nicolaus must the poor man fast upon his even; and if\nperchance he should have bread, he may feast right merrily with Saint\nMartin on his day. Therefore will we also eat.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n The Seventh Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass did deceive a baker at Strasfurt, and gat bread for his\n mother._\n\n\nThen thought Owlglass: \u201cGod help us, how shall I compass it that my\nmother may be rendered quiet? Where shall I get me bread for her needs?\u201d\nThus went he forth from the village where they abode, and departed on\nthe way towards the town of Strasfurt, and there beheld he a baker\u2019s\nshop. Then went he in unto the baker, and asked him, saying: \u201cWould he\nfor a crown send bread unto his lord?\u201d Then named he the name of a lord\nwho abode in that town, and also the place where he lay, that the baker\nmight send with Owlglass a boy to carry the bread and receive the money\ntherefor.\n\nThereat answered the baker, that he would do everything that he\ncommanded, and Owlglass gave him a sack wherein to count the loaves; but\nthis sack had a secret hole, not to be seen. The baker sent with him a\nlad to receive the money.\n\nNow when Owlglass had gat him a bow-shot from the house of the baker, he\nprivily let a wheaten loaf fall down into the mire, and thereat set he\nthe bag down and said unto the baker\u2019s lad: \u201cAlas! the bread which is\nthus made dirty I can never bring in unto my lord. Run quickly home and\nget for it another loaf, and I will wait here till that thou dost come\nagain.\u201d Then hasted the good lad to his master\u2019s house, and did get\nanother loaf for him; but Owlglass secretly hid himself in a house\noutside the town until that a cart came by, which did receive him and\nhis bag; and he returned unto the house of his mother.\n\nWhen that the lad came back unto the place where Owlglass had let the\nloaf fall, he found that he was beguiled; and he went back and told his\nmaster, who speedily ran unto the inn where lay the worshipful lord of\nwhom Owlglass spake, and he asked the serving-men of that lord for\nOwlglass; but they knew him not. Then the baker perceived that he was\ncheated of his bread, and so returned home. But Owlglass gave the bread\nto his mother, and bade her to feast with Saint Martin. Thus can a great\nman ever overcome the besetting evils of life.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighth Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass with other children, was forced to eat fat soup, and gat\n blows likewise._\n\n\nThere was in the village where Owlglass lived with his mother, a custom\nthat when anyone killed a pig, the neighbour\u2019s children came to him in\nhis house to eat a soup or broth, which was called the butcher-broth.\nNow there lived in this village a farmer who was avaricious, and yet he\ndared not to refuse the children the soup; then thought he of a cunning\nway by which he might make them sick of the soup-eating; and he cut into\nit the sour crumb of the bread.\n\nWhen the boys and girls came, Owlglass also was among them, and he let\nthem come in, and closed the doors and poured out the soup, and the\nbroth was more than the children could eat; when one of them was full\nand was going away, the farmer had a rod with the which he struck him,\nso that each child was forced to eat more than it wished. The host knew\nwell of the knavery of Owlglass, and therefore when that he was beating\nanother child he always bestowed some hearty strokes upon him. And this\ndid he for so long, as that they had ended all the eating, and that they\nfelt like the dogs after grass-grazing. Thereafter would no one go unto\nthe stingy farmer\u2019s house to eat the butcher-broth.\n\n\n\n\n The Ninth Adventure.\n\n_How Owlglass brought it about that the stingy farmer\u2019s poultry drew for\n baits._\n\n\nThe next day, when he that had beaten the children went forth, Owlglass\nmet him, and he said unto Owlglass: \u201cDear Owlglass, when wilt thou come\nagain to eat the butcher-soup at my house?\u201d \u201cYea, that will I,\u201d answered\nOwlglass, \u201cwhen thy poultry draw for baits, and four and four together\nfight for a little bread.\u201d Then said the other: \u201cWilt thou be so long?\u201d\nBut Owlglass said: \u201cAn if I came ere the time of the fat soup hath\ncome?\u201d Then he went on his way and thought over it until the time that\nthe man\u2019s poultry ran about the streets; then had Owlglass some twenty\nstrings tied together at the midst, and at either end of the string was\na morsel of bread hanging. These took he and threw to the poultry. When\nthen the fowls here and there picked up and swallowed the bread, they\ncould not keep hold, for at the other end another fowl was pulling, so\nthat they were contending, and thus from the size of the bread they\ncould not get rid of it, and so stood more than thirty fowls one over\nagainst the other and in throttling ran a wager.\n\n\n\n\n The Tenth Adventure.\n\n_How Owlglass was again moved of his mother to depart to a foreign land,\n that he might learn a handicraft._\n\n\nAfter that Owlglass had played a bitter knavery somewhere, so that he\nmight not dare show himself, he sat at home with his mother; and she,\nwith many words, continually chid him, in that he would learn no craft\nto get money thereby. And she spake unto him saying, that he should\ndepart into a foreign land, that he might there profit somewhat. But his\nmother had just killed a pig and so long as our good master Owlglass\nknew that any of it remained he would not quit. The mother of Owlglass\nthereat scolded him, until that he agreed to set forth, and made a small\nbundle of clothes and food, and, at length, went his way. Soon our wise\nmaster felt hungry, and thereat took forth from his wallet the provision\nhe had, and did eat until there was none left. Thereafter did he not\ntarry long on thought, but when that it was dark, came again to the\nhouse of his mother. Then went he up to the garret and lay among the\nstraw, where he slept lustily until the day had broken, then wake he up\nby reason of a noise he did hear in the neighbour\u2019s court. And Owlglass\ndid look forth, and beheld a fox stealing the poultry from the roosting\nplace. Then could Owlglass no longer keep silent, but cried with a loud\nvoice: \u201cAlas! thou cunning thief, an if I were not in a far country from\nthis, it would go hard with thee but I would kill thee.\u201d Then heard the\nmother of Owlglass what he said, and came and marvelled not a little at\nbeholding him.\n\n\n\n\n The Eleventh Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass crept into a bee-hive, how two thieves came by night to\nsteal honey, what honey they did steal, and how Owlglass made it to come\n to pass, that the thieves did fight one with the other, and did leave\n the bee-hive standing._\n\n\nUpon a time went Owlglass with his mother to the dedication of the\nchurch.[9] And at the feast there he drank so much, did our good\nOwlglass, that he was tired, and he sought a place where he might lie\ndown to sleep in peace. Then found he a yard where stood many bee-hives,\nand some were empty, and into one of these crept he privily and thought\nto sleep awhile; behold he slept from midday till midnight, and his\nmother thought surely that he had departed homeward again, as she\nnowhere could see him. That same night came two thieves and they had it\nin mind to steal a hive of honey, and they conferred together, in that\nthey heard it said that the heaviest is also the best.\n\n[Illustration: HOW OWLGLASS CATCHETH THE THIEVES.]\n\nThen did they lift up one after the other to see the which might be the\nmost heavy, and at last came they to the one in which lay good master\nOwlglass; and it was the heaviest of all. Then spake the one to the\nother, saying: \u201cHere is the best among the bee-hives.\u201d So took they that\none and carried it away, but wist not what good burden they bare. Good\nMaster Owlglass, feeling the motion, thereupon awoke up, and heard what\nthey said about stealing honey; and he rejoiced in himself to think what\nhoney they had stolen. It was now so dark that ye could not see your\nhand before ye, an if ye even held it up to your eyes. Then put Owlglass\nhis hand from out of the bee-hive, and caught hold of the foremost thief\nby the hair and pulled it until he roared. And the thief was very angry\nat the one who was behind, and thought it was he who had plucked him by\nthe hair. Then spake the one who was behind him, saying: \u201cDost thou\ndream, or goest thou to sleep? How could I pluck thee by the hair?\nHardly, is it possible for me to hold the bee-hive with both my hands.\u201d\nThen laughed Owlglass within himself at what the thief said, and thought\nthat the game would go better in a while after, and waited till they had\ngot a fine distance further forward. Then put he out his hand again, and\nplucked the hindmost smartly by the hair; and the hindmost man became\nyet more angry and said: \u201cThou sayest I pluck thee by the hair and I\nbear the bee-hive till I break my neck, and now thou pluckest me by the\nhair thyself.\u201d Then answered the foremost: \u201cI pull thee by the hair?\nthou liest in thy throat. I cannot see my way before my face, and yet\nsayest thou: I pluck thine hair, quotha!\u201d Thus with many revilings did\nthey carry the hive along. And, as they were thus quarreling the one\nwith the other in great choler and wrath, Owlglass plucked the foremost\none by the hair again, and that so hard that he knocked his head against\nthe hive. Thereat grew he angry, and let down the hive, and took his\nfellow by the head. That did also the other, and did manfully resist the\nblows of his comrade. Then fought they until they fell down in the dark\nand neither of them could behold the other, for the darkness continued\nvery thick. Thus lost they their way and fled asunder with a great cry,\nand the bee-hive stood in the place where they had left it. Then\nOwlglass lay down again at ease to sleep until dawn; and when that it\nwas light he thanked his stars that by this adventure it was shown him\nthat he should see the world. And then gat he up from out of the\nbee-hive and did take a road, which lay before him, having a good heart\nthat by his wit, wisdom, and knavery, he would live a merry and happy\nlife in his time, and not die unhonoured of those that should come after\nhim.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 9:\n\n Feasts of the Dedication. These feasts, common in Germany, were also\n not uncommon, even to the present century, in parts of England. They\n were held in the churchyard on the anniversary of the day of the\n parish church being dedicated for divine service. See in _Tom Brown\u2019s\n School Days_ (p. 30), a recent eloquent country-book, for a mention of\n this as applying to Berkshire.\n\n\n\n\n The Twelfth Adventure.\n\n_How Owlglass for little money did have a singing bird for his dinner._\n\n\nIn no long time thereafter, came Owlglass to W\u00fcrzburg and there entered\nhe into a good inn. Now the host of the inn had a singing bird hanging\nup in the house by the which he set great price, for it could sing\ndivers merry ditties and songs of marvellous choiceness. Then said\nOwlglass unto him: \u201cWhat take ye for this bird!\u201d Then the host, who was\nof a miserly mind, answered him a great sum, the which Owlglass would\nnot give him, yet at last they agreed that Owlglass should have the bird\nfor four shillings. Then spake Owlglass: \u201cTake ye the bird and roast it\nfor my dinner, I would fain have a bit of him.\u201d Thereat marvelled the\nhost, and did much pity the bird; but his miserly love overcame him.\nThen was the bird killed, plucked, and made ready. When that it was\nroasted, the landlord brought it on a dish to Owlglass; then spake\nOwlglass, and commanded the host that he should cut him therefrom a\npiece for six pennies; for he had not said he would pay for a whole\nbird, but only for a part thereof which he was fain to eat. Thereat\nmarvelled the host still more, yet what could he say thereupon. He that\nis wise sayeth but little when the beguiler is nigh at hand, so the host\nheld his tongue and the knave Owlglass departed thence in haste.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirteenth Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass did eat the roasted chicken from off the spit._\n\n\nIn the land of Brunswick there lieth a village, within the government of\nMagdeburg, and the name of it is called Budenstadt; thither came\nOwlglass and did present himself unto the priest there, and the priest,\nthinking our wise and pious master Owlglass a good and proper fellow,\ndid then hire him for a servant in his house, but little did he know\nhim. And the priest spake unto him, saying that he should have a good\ntime of it and a good service. Also should he have meat and drink as\ngood as his maid-servant, and all that he did should be done with half\nlabour. Then did Master Owlglass agree with him, and said that he would\ndo according to his word. Then he saw that the cook had but one eye. On\nthat day took she two young chickens and she put them on the spit to\nroast over the fire. And she bade Owlglass turn, and so he did; and when\nthe chickens were roasted, he brake one away off from the spit, and did\neat it without any bread, for he remembered well what the priest had\ntold him as to faring as well as himself and the maid-servant, and he\nthought it might be that he would lose his part of the dinner. And when\nthat it was dinner-time, there came into the kitchen the one-eyed\ncook-maid to baste the chickens. Then beheld she but one chicken on the\nspit. Then spake she to Owlglass: \u201cBehold, there were two chickens on\nthe spit, and now there is but one, and tell me now where is the fellow\nthat was beside it.\u201d Then answered Owlglass: \u201cWoman, do but open your\nother eye, and you will behold the other chicken on the spit.\u201d Now when\nhe thus spake of the want of her eye, she waxed wroth, and ran unto the\npriest, and said unto him that he might look how his new serving-man was\ndoing. That she had put two chickens on the spit, and lo! there was but\none at this time. And she said: \u201cThen he mocked me, and said that I had\nbut one eye.\u201d Thereat went the priest into the kitchen, and spake unto\nOwlglass, saying: \u201cHearest thou, Owlglass! wherefore didst thou mock my\nserving-maid? I see well that only one chicken is now upon the spit, and\nyet know I truly that there were two. Where then is now the other?\u201d Then\nsaid Owlglass: \u201cIt is yet thereon; open both your eyes, and you will\nwell see that there be the twain upon the spit. So said I also to thy\nmaid, and thereat grew she quite angry and wroth.\u201d Then the priest\nlaughed, and said: \u201cThe serving-maid cannot open both her eyes, for in\ngood truth she hath but one.\u201d Owlglass made answer to the priest,\nsaying: \u201cThat sayest thou, not I.\u201d But then said the priest: \u201cYet it is\nso; but the one chicken is in any wise gone.\u201d Owlglass spake then and\nsaid: \u201cThat chicken have I eaten myself, according unto thy words. For\nye said unto me that I should fare as well as your maid-servant; and\nmuch grief would it have caused me had ye eaten the chickens without me,\nand made your words vain and a lie. Therefore for your honour\u2019s sake\nhave I eaten the chicken, that ye might not fall into evil reputation\nfor speaking that which is untruth.\u201d Then the priest was content and\nsaid: \u201cDear serving-man, I care not for the roasted chicken; but after\nthis time do ye always according to the will of my cook.\u201d And Owlglass\nsaid: \u201cYea, holy father and worshipful master, be it so done as you\nwill.\u201d Then whatsoever the cook-maid commanded Owlglass that he should\ndo, that did he but in the half. An if she did bid him to bring a pail\nof water from the well, he brought but the half thereof, and if he\nshould fetch two faggots from the wood pile then brought he but one. And\nso did he, and she saw well that it was all performed in that she might\nbe spited thereat. Then spake the priest once again unto him, and said:\n\u201cLo, my well beloved serving-man Owlglass, let me tell ye that my maid\ndoth complain right grievously of thee.\u201d Thereat said Owlglass: \u201cYea,\nmaster, yet have I never done except according unto thy words. For thou\ndidst say, that all I did should be done with but half labour. Well\nwould your serving maid desire to see with both eyes and yet hath she\nbut one\u2014which is but half-seeing, and therefore did I but half-labour.\u201d\nAnd thereat was the priest right merry, and laughed much; but his\nservant was full of wrath, and said: \u201cMaster, an if ye keep yon knavish\nrogue any longer then will I depart from ye.\u201d Thus came it that the\npriest was fain to send Owlglass away, yet forgat he him not; and it\nfortuned that the parish clerk died, so he made Owlglass clerk in his\nroom. Thus, by foolishness and little knaveries, do men come in this\nworld to dignities and honours.\n\n\n\n\n The Fourteenth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did publish abroad that he would fly from off the\n roof of the town-house at Magdeburg._\n\n\nAfter that Owlglass had some time been clerk of the parish at\nBudenstadt, came he into the great and famous town of Magdeburg, and\nthere did he fix upon the church doors letters of great import, so that\nthe name of Owlglass became well known and noised abroad through the\nstreets of that city of Magdeburg; and it was in the mouths of all the\ngossips, that the noble Master Owlglass did purpose the doing of some\nmarvellous strange feat. And so it came to pass, that when the people\nwere all full of great wonder, that Owlglass spake unto them, saying: \u201cI\nwill flee down through the air from the roof of the town-house.\u201d Thereat\nwas there a great outcry through the city; and both young and old did in\ngreat multitude crowd unto the market-place, that by them might this\nmost marvellous wonder be seen; for, in the memory of man, had not any\nperson ever done so strange a thing before, nor had without wings so\nfled down through the air from that high place.\n\nThen came Owlglass and stood upon the roof of the town-house, and did\nmake motion with his arms, waving them hither and thither, as if he\nwould flee down. And all the people gazed at his motion in great marvel,\nfor they thought he would flee down presently. Thereat laughed Owlglass\nright merrily, and said unto the people: \u201cTruly thought I, that nowhere\nin the world was there a fool so great as am I. Yet here in this city do\nI well see that ye are almost every one of ye fools; for when that ye\ndid say that I could flee down from where I stand, then believed I ye\nnot. I am not a goose, nor a bird, nor have I either feathers or wings\nto flee with, without the which can nobody flee. Therefore manifestly\nnow do ye well see, that it is a deceit and a lie.\u201d\n\nThen came he down away from the roof of the town-house in the same\nmanner that he had gone up, and left the people standing. And some of\nthem laughed, and others said: \u201cAlthough he is both knave and fool, yet\nhath he spoken the truth.\u201d Thus is it with many besides the people of\nMagdeburg, who rush eagerly to believe that the which they might see is\nmost plainly untrue; while what is possible and within their means to\nmake them good sport, and serve them with good service, that neglect\nthey with great scorn and contempt.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifteenth Adventure.\n\n_How Owlglass did cure the sick folks in the hospital at N\u00fcrnberg in one\n day, and what came thereafter._\n\n\nOn a time came Owlglass to N\u00fcrnberg, where he did again set upon the\nchurch doors letters of great import, in the which he did publish abroad\nthat he was a learned physician, more learned than in the world had yet\nbeen known; and that in all sicknesses, whosoever should turn to him\nshould have content and his health again.\n\nNow in the hospital at the town were there a multitude of people, who\nlay sick unto death, and of them did the master of that house crave in\ngreat truth to be relieved. Right verily would this benevolent man have\ngiven them their health and made them whole, and, if he could, have got\nridden of them in the house. Then went he unto Owlglass, the learned\nphysician, and spake with him, asking him whether he could, as in his\nletters he set forth, work such marvellous cures. And Owlglass answered\nand said: \u201cYea, if that the hospital-master would give unto him two\nhundred pieces.\u201d Then upon that conference did the master agree and\npromise him the money; and Owlglass said unto him, that he would not\nreceive from him one penny, if the people did not all, within a few\ndays, leave the hospital of their own desiring and action. Thereat was\nthe master of the hospital very content, and gave unto Owlglass twenty\npieces as a hansell.\n\nThereafter went Owlglass into the hospital, and took with him two\nservants; and he asked of each person that was sick, what it was that he\nlay sick of, and they answered. And at the last he said unto each, that\nhe should not betray the secret which he should then tell unto them, and\nthat swore they all. Then he spake unto each secretly, saying: \u201cIf that\nI should make ye whole, and give back unto all health and strength, then\nmust I needs burn one of ye into powder, the which to mingle with your\ndrink and give you to swallow, and with that will ye be made whole. Now\nI will take from among ye the one that is most sick, and him will I burn\nto powder. And I will stand at the door of the hospital, with the master\nof the hospital near at hand, and I will cry with a loud voice: \u2018He that\nis not sick, let him now go forth from the house quickly.\u2019 And that one\nwhich is last within the hospital door, him will I take. Forget ye not\nthat in your sleep.\u201d\n\nThus it came to pass, that all did remember his words; and when he stood\nwith the master at the door, the sick and lame, and halt and dying, all\ncame forth in haste, for none would be that one who should be burned in\nfire. So the hospital was quite empty, for many which had not for ten\nyears arisen from their beds, now found their legs and departed thence.\n\nThen did Owlglass demand from the master of the hospital that he should\nreceive his reward, and the master with gracious thanks did present it\nunto him; then rode he forth from that city, and returned not again. In\nthree days thereafter, came all the sick folk back again unto the\nhospital, and complained sorely of their sickness. Then said the master:\n\u201cWhat will ye? Have I not brought unto ye a physician of skill, who did\nmarvellously make you whole, that ye could all depart hence?\u201d Then the\nsick folk discovered to the master the knavery that Owlglass had done,\nin that he had threatened them, that the last that should depart should\nbe burned. So the master of the hospital perceived that he had been\nbeguiled of Owlglass, and the sick folk abode in the house: yet was the\nmoney lost. Owlglass still was a great physician, for he had for three\ndays cured them; and how many learned doctors are there who cure not in\nany wise?\n\n[Illustration: HOW OWLGLASS TURNETH DOCTOR.]\n\n\n\n\n The Sixteenth Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass bought bread according to the proverb: \u201cTo him that hath\n bread is bread given.\u201d_\n\n\nTrusty faith giveth bread. And now that Owlglass had deceived the\nhospital-master, came he unto Halberstadt, and went round about the\nmarket, and saw that it was cold and winter time. Thought he, cold and\nhard is the winter, thereto bloweth a strong wind, and thou hast often\nheard that to him that hath bread is bread given. Then for a few pence\nbuyeth Owlglass bread, borroweth also a table, and sitteth down in the\nfront of St. Stephen\u2019s Dome. There held he up his knavery so long until\na dog came by, the which caught me up a loaf from the table, and ran\ntoward the cathedral court. While Owlglass ran after the dog, there\npassed by a sow with ten young pigs; these overthrew the table, and\neach, seizing a loaf, departed.\n\nThen laughed Owlglass and said: \u201cNow do I see that the words are not\ntrue: \u2018To him that hath bread is bread given;\u2019 for mine is taken.\u201d\nThereat he departed from Halberstadt unto Brunswick.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventeenth Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass became a doctor, and did cure many folk._\n\n\nThe City of Frankfort is a great and handsome city, and in it do dwell\nmany worshipful burghers, whose riches are many, and they eat and drink\nmuch, as is the custom with citizens; thus it fortunes that they are\noften ill. No marvel therefore that in Frankfort abide many doctors, who\ngain much money. Owlglass when that he came there, by his ready wit soon\nperceived the better part to take, and hired himself to be a doctor\u2019s\nman, and soon it was meet that he should go with his master to visit the\npatients. The good Owlglass would much have desired to know something of\nthe names on the bottles which stood in the house of his master; but\nthat could he not do, and therefore of all that his master did he could\nlearn nothing but that when people were sick, they should drink warm\nwater and be blooded. It fortuned in no long time thereafter, that his\nmaster had on a sudden to take a journey, in such wise that he had no\ntime to tell the patients thereof. Then spake he unto Owlglass saying:\n\u201cGo thou about the city unto the sick, and say unto them that in no long\ntime shall I return unto them.\u201d\n\n[Illustration]\n\nYet the cunning Master Owlglass followed not his master\u2019s saying, but\nput on his head the wig of his master, and on his shoulders he bare his\nmantle. Then, with a grave and noble demeanour, he departed unto the\nhouses of the sick patients who sent for him. When that he arrived, he\nsat gravely down with a serious face, felt their pulses, and after much\nheavy thought, he ordered them always to be blooded and to drink warm\nwater. Thereafter he departed from them.\n\nThen, marvellous to tell, all his patients grew wondrously well in no\nlong time, and they paid him much money for his pains. When that his\nmaster returned, the knavery of Owlglass was soon discovered, and he was\nfain to depart. Yet such was the wisdom of good Master Owlglass, that it\nis related that his master thereafter followed no other art than had\nbeen thus invented by Owlglass; and after that time the doctor became\nfamous, and wrote a large book upon the virtue of warm water and\nblood-letting.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighteenth Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass became a drawer of teeth and cured all by a wondrous\n pill._\n\n\nAs Owlglass was going along the road, he met upon the highway, a man\nwhose face was overcome with misery. Owlglass thereat gazed upon him for\na season, and after some time spake unto him these words: \u201cWorthy\nfellow! thou dost seem so wrapped in melancholic humour, would\u2019st tell\nme what aileth thee?\u201d \u201cEverything in the wide world,\u201d the other made\nanswer: \u201cfor I have no money, which is the joy of all worldly business;\nfor it maketh learned, maketh noble, maketh lovely, and merry. Also,\nmaketh it an end of hunger and thirst which now sorely assail me.\u201d Then\nOwlglass bethought himself for a while, and presently took up from the\nnext field some clay, whereof he made little pills, which he then\nwrapped in pieces of paper, and said to his comrade: \u201cBe of good cheer,\nfriend! Soon will we have money. Lo, in yonder city, the towers of which\nwe can now see, are there fools in number great. Enter thou in before\nme, and there go forward till thou seest the best inn in the town, and\ntherein do thou stay. At dinner stay thou as long as thou canst and be\nmerry; yet after a while do thou cry out in great agony, as if thou\nhadst the tooth-ache. Then will I not be far from thee; and when I come\nin, be thou ready, and make answer to everything I say: \u2018Yea.\u2019 But do\nnot thou let it be perceived that thou knowest me.\u201d\n\nThen did the twain go forward into the town, and as Owlglass had\ncommanded, so all things came to pass. Owlglass told the people that he\nwas a dentist of great skill, and they called him to the man who was\nill. Then took he from his pocket the pills which he had made of the\nclay, and laid one in the man\u2019s mouth. \u201cArt not thou well now\u201d? said he\nunto him. \u201cYea, truly,\u201d answered the other, \u201call the pain is gone.\u201d Then\nall the people in the inn came round the doctor in great multitude, and\ndemanded that he should sell unto them his pills. And Owlglass sold what\nhe had for a great sum of money, and an he had had clay enough he could\nhave sold many more. Then shared he the gain with his comrade, and they\ndeparted hastily from that place.\n\n\n\n\n The Nineteenth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did at Brunswick hire him to a baker, and did there\n bake owls and monkeys._\n\n\nIt fortuned upon a time that Owlglass came into Brunswick city, and unto\nan inn where bakers met together; and hard by lived a baker, who called\nupon Owlglass to enter into his house, and made inquiry of him, as to\nthe business he might follow. Then answered Owlglass to the baker, and\nspake, for our noble and well beloved master of jests was wily, and,\nindeed, all things unto all men: \u201cI am a baker\u2019s man.\u201d Thereat said the\nbaker: \u201cEven now have I not any man in my house to serve me; wilt thou\ncome to me, for I have need of thee?\u201d Owlglass at that answered: \u201cYea.\u201d\nAnd when that he had been with him two days, the baker commanded him to\nbake at eventide, for that he could not help him until the morning. Then\nsaid Owlglass: \u201cBut what would ye have me to bake?\u201d Thereat waxed the\nbaker wroth, for he was a man soon hot i\u2019 the head, and he made answer\nin scorn, and said: \u201cArt a baker\u2019s man, and askest thou what ye should\nbake? What do ye bake? Owls and monkeys bake ye?\u201d And thereafter gat he\nhim to bed.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen departed Owlglass into the bake-room, and made the dough into\nnought but the shape of owls and monkeys, and these did he bake in the\noven. At morning time arose the master baker, and went into the\nbake-room to aid his man. Then cometh he, and findeth neither rolls nor\nloaves, but rather a goodly mass of owls and monkeys. And he opened his\nmouth in great rage and said unto Owlglass: \u201cWhat is it that thou hast\nbaken?\u201d And Owlglass did answer him and said: \u201cVerily have I done that\nwhich thou didst tell me to do.\u201d And the baker, in great wroth, said:\n\u201cWhat shall I do with this foolish knave? Such bread will no one have?\u201d\nAnd therewith took he him by the head, and said unto him: \u201cPay me for\nthe dough thou hast spoiled!\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cAnd if I pay ye for\nthe dough, will the goods be mine?\u201d And the master answered: \u201cWhat care\nI for such bread?\u201d So Owlglass paid the baker for his dough, and he took\nthe owls and monkeys in a basket, and he carried them away unto the inn,\nthe sign of which was the Wild Man. And Owlglass thought within himself:\n\u201cThou hast often heard it said, that to Brunswick canst thou bring\nnothing novel or strange, but therefrom mayst thou draw great profit for\nthy pains.\u201d And it was Saint Nicholas\u2019 even. Then stood Owlglass with\nhis store hard by the church gate; and he sold all his owls and monkeys\nat great price, and therefrom drew he a much greater profit than what he\nhad paid unto the baker for his dough. This was noised about, and soon\ncame it heard of the baker, who waxed very angry thereupon, and he ran\nunto Saint Nicolas\u2019 Church, and would have demanded either his share, or\nthe charges of baking. But Owlglass had already departed with the money,\nand the baker might look far and wide for him. This feat of our good\nexemplar showeth plainly, that there is nothing so vain or foolish in\nthis world, but that it hath profit contained within it for those who\nstudy to arrive thereat.\n\n\n\n\n The Twentieth Adventure.\n\n_How Owlglass did again hire him unto a baker, and how he bolted meal in\n the moon\u2019s light._\n\n\nThereafter departed Owlglass, and wandered hither and thither in the\nland; and at last came he toward Oltzen, and entered into the village\nthere. And when he was besought of the people to say what trade he\nexercised, he told them that he was a baker. Then did a master baker in\nthe village hire him; and when that Owlglass was with him present in his\nhouse, his master did make ready that he should bake, and he spake unto\nOwlglass, and did enjoin him that he should bolt the meal, so that it\nmight be prepared against the morning. Then Owlglass answered, and said:\n\u201cMaster, I would fain have a candle, that I may see with, and so\ndiligently do your bidding.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d answered the baker; \u201cbut that will I\nnot do. No candle shalt thou have, nor have I at any time given unto my\nserving-men any such candle. Always did they bolt the meal in the moon\u2019s\nlight, and verily must thou likewise do this. And this charge I thee to\ndo.\u201d And Owlglass made answer, saying: \u201cAn if your former servants did\nbolt the meal in the moon\u2019s light, truly then will I also do it.\u201d At\nthat was the master content, and he gat him to bed for a short while.\n\nThereafter taketh good Master Owlglass the bag, and he openeth the\nwindow and putteth forth the bag, until the moon\u2019s light doth shine\nthereupon, and then letteth he all the meal fall out on the ground where\nthat the moon shone. And in the morning cometh the master, who desireth\nto bake, and he findeth Owlglass still casting out the meal. And the\nbaker marvelled much when that he beheld Owlglass, for Owlglass was\nwhite with the meal. Then said the master, who was full of anger: \u201cWhat\ndo ye here, ye knave? Think ye that yon meal cost me nought, that ye\nthrow it in the dirt there?\u201d\n\nThen answered Owlglass: \u201cDid not ye command me that I should, without a\ncandle, bolt the meal in the moon\u2019s shine, and have not I fulfilled this\naccording to your words?\u201d Then said the baker: \u201cI said you should bolt\nthe meal by the moon\u2019s light.\u201d And Owlglass answered him: \u201cBe then of\ngood cheer, master; verily thy meal is bolted both in and by the moon\u2019s\nlight, and with much pains and weariness have I done this labouring. Nor\nis there much lost thereby; scarce a handful. Soon will I gather it up\nagain, and the meal will not be in any wise made the worse.\u201d Thereat\nsayeth the baker: \u201cIn that time that thou dost gather up the meal, will\nit grow too late to make the dough, and then fall to baking.\u201d Then said\nOwlglass: \u201cBehold, master, I know a piece of counsel, how we may bake as\nsoon as our neighbour yonder. His dough lieth ready in the trough, and I\nwill go thither and quickly fetch it, and carry our meal thither in\nplace thereof.\u201d Thereat grew the master of Owlglass right angry, and\nsaid unto him: \u201cMay the evil one have thee! Get thee to the\ngallows-tree, thou knave, and fetch thee thence the first thing that\nthou dost find; and let the neighbour\u2019s dough lie where it be.\u201d \u201cYea,\u201d\nanswered Owlglass.\n\nThen departed he out of the house and went unto the gallows-tree, and\nthere lay the skull of a thief, which had fallen down. This took\nOwlglass and bare it unto his master, and brought it into his house and\nsaid: \u201cHere bring I from the gallows-tree the first thing that I did\nfind. Wherefore would ye have this? Of a truth know I not what may be\nthe best thing it is fit for.\u201d And then the baker spake in anger, and\nsaid: \u201cLo! bringest thou me nothing more than this?\u201d Then Owlglass\nanswered and said: \u201cIf that any other thing had been there, I would also\nhave brought it for thee; but no other thing was lying there.\u201d Then\nwaxed the baker more wroth, and said unto Owlglass: \u201cBehold, thou hast\nrobbed the law and the gallows; that will I tell unto the burghmaster,\nand thou shalt answer it.\u201d\n\nAnd the baker departed from out of the house to the market-place, and\nOwlglass followed him. So hastily, howsoever, went the baker, that he\nlooked not round, and knew not that Owlglass was following him. Then\nstood the baker before the burghmaster, who was on the market-place, and\nhe began to make complaint against Owlglass. And Owlglass was lithe and\nnimble, and when that the baker began his words, he stood hard by and\nopened his eyes very wide. And when the baker beheld Owlglass, he clean\nforgat, in his anger, what it might be that he would make complaint of,\nand said to Owlglass, with great malice: \u201cWhat wilt thou have?\u201d Owlglass\nmade answer to him: \u201cI desire not to have anything, than that I should\nbehold what complaint you make against me to the burghmaster. And that I\nmight see your words, do I open mine eyes very wide, for words are most\ndifficult to see.\u201d Then said the baker: \u201cGet out of my sight, thou\nknavish beguiler, I desire nought else!\u201d Owlglass then said: \u201cIf that I\nshould get out of thy sight, then needs must I get my body into thine\neyes; and if ye shut your eyes, must I come through thy nostrils.\u201d Then\nwent the burghmaster on his way, for he perceived that it was but\nfoolishness; and he left them both standing. And when Owlglass saw that,\nhe followed the baker, and spake unto him, saying: \u201cMaster, when shall\nwe bake? It is time now, for the sun shineth no more.\u201d Then departed he,\nand left the baker standing in the market-place.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and First Adventure.\n\n_Telleth of what manner of thinking was Owlglass, and how he formed his\n life according unto principles of virtue and goodness._\n\n\nOf our most noble and beloved Master Owlglass, have I now told ye not a\nfew truthful and diverting histories and adventures; but, yet have I not\nsaid any word in respect of his ways of thinking, gathered by great\nexperience out of many lands, in his continual travel to and fro, up and\ndown in his country. Now he loved much to be always among friends and in\ncompany, and as long as he lived were there three things, which with\ngreat avoidance he did always run from and leave undone. The first thing\nwas, that he never did ride a horse which was gray, but at all times a\nbay horse, for the gray horse did mind him of an ass, the which animal\nheld he in great scorn. The second thing which he could not bear to be\nwith him was the company of little children, for that wheresoever he\nfound them, there was more care taken of them than of his own noble\nperson. The third thing was, that he would never lie in an inn where\nthat he found an old mild host; for a host that was old and mild held\nOwlglass in but little esteem, and was thereto also for the most part\nnought but a fool.\n\nEvery morn when that he rose up from his bed, he blessed himself against\nhealthy victual, great happiness, and strong drink, in which three\nblessings none can deny that he was a wise man. And when it fortuned\nthat he passed by an apothecary\u2019s house, did he bless himself against\nhealthy victual, for it mote truly be a healthy place whence victual\nmight issue; yet it was a sign of sickness before. Good fortune was it\nwhen a stone fell from the house top and struck him not down; for then\nmight he of a truth cry, with great praise: \u201cIf that I had myself been\nstanding on that place, so would it have fallen upon me and killed me;\u201d\nand such fortune would he most willingly not have. The strong drink\nagainst which he blessed himself, was water, for it be so strong as soon\nto drive round great mill-wheels, and to the good fellow that drinketh\nthereof cometh death. It was also told of Owlglass that he wept always\nwhen that he did go down a hill, and he laughed when he climbed one. For\ntruly wist he, in the descending, that soon would he come again unto a\nmountain, while in climbing knew he that soon would he come again to the\ntop, whence to pass down into the valley. In fine weather, or at a time\nwhen summer began, then did he also weep with many tears, and when that\nwinter approached, laughed he. And ye that read herein may, in your\nwisdom, answer the reason why he did this thing.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and Second Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass did hire him to the Count of Anhalt to blow the horn\n on a tower, and when that enemies did approach, then blew he not; and\n when that they came not, then blew he._\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNot long thereafter, came Owlglass unto the Count of Anhalt, and he did\nhire him unto the count as a tower watchman. And the count at that time\nhad enemies in great multitude, so that he had with him in number not\nsmall, both horsemen and foot folk, unto whom he must needs give meat\nand drink every day. And Owlglass sat up on the tower, and he was clean\nforgat of them that should give him provision. And on that day it came\nto pass, that the enemy did, in strong force, come unto the town and\ncastle of the count\u2019s grace, and they took therefrom all the cattle, and\ndrave them off. Owlglass then lay still upon the tower, and he looked\nthrough the window and made not any outcry, either in that he blew, or\nin that he did cry aloud. But it did come unto the ears of the count\nthat he heard the enemy, and with his folk he quickly gat him forth, and\npursued them and drave them before his face. Then saw some of the folk,\nthat Owlglass lay in the window of the tower, and laughed. Thereat did\nthe count cry out unto him: \u201cWherefore liest thou on the tower and art\nso still?\u201d And Owlglass made answer unto the count, saying: \u201cEre dinner\ntime do I not with grace and comfort ever delight in crying out.\u201d Then\ncried the count back unto him: \u201cWilt thou, when the enemy cometh, blow\nthy horn?\u201d Thereat said Owlglass: \u201cEnemies dare I not blow, or would the\nfield be full, and with the cows would they depart. And if I blew\nenemies a second time, in such multitude would they come, that they\nwould fight with thee, and overcome thee even in thine own gate.\u201d\nTherewith ended they their conference. Then departed the count in great\nhaste after his enemies, and contended with them with much strife; and\nOwlglass was again forgotten as he lay upon his tower.\n\nBut the count was greatly content with his prowess, and with him brought\nback from the field of battle a goodly heap of pork, the which did they\nthereafter cut up, and some roasted they and other did they boil. And\nOwlglass would most willingly have had thereof as he sat on his tower.\nThen did he begin to plan how that he might get thereof, and he did\nwatch when that it should be dinner time. And when that it had become\ndinner time, he began to blow his horn, and to cry with a loud voice:\n\u201cThe foe cometh! The foe cometh!\u201d Then the count gat him up with his\narms, and put on his harness, and took his weapons, and departed quickly\nforth from the castle into the field. Thereat rejoiced our noble Master\nOwlglass, and quickly did he get him down from the tower, and came unto\nthe count\u2019s table, and took therefrom boiled and roast, in the which\ndelighted he, and he returned back on his steps, and gat him to the\ntower. And, when that the horsemen and foot folk came again unto the\ncastle, and of enemies had found not a hair, then murmured they one to\nthe other, saying: \u201cThis hath the watchman done to mock us with great\nscorn and knavery.\u201d And the count cried aloud unto Owlglass, and said\nunto him: \u201cWherefore hast thou become foolish and mad?\u201d And Owlglass\nsaid: \u201cIf that hunger and thirst drive mad, then do I not marvel at my\nmadness.\u201d Thereat said the count: \u201cWhy didst thou blow on thy horn for\nenemies, and there were none?\u201d Then spake Owlglass, and made answer unto\nthe count, saying: \u201cWhereas it fortuned that no enemies were present, I\nthought in my mind that it would be well to blow on my horn, for that\nthey might come.\u201d Then said the count unto him: \u201cThou goest about to\ndeceive us with knavish beguiling. When that the enemy cometh, thou wilt\nnot blow; yet when no enemy is nigh at hand, then blowest thou. Of a\ntruth, it is a matter of treachery.\u201d Therewith relieved he Owlglass of\nlying in the tower, and appointed thereunto another watchman.\n\nThen came it to pass, that Owlglass should run with the foot folk to\nstrive in battle with the enemy. And thereat was good Master Owlglass\nmoved to anger, and cast about in his mind to discover how he might be\nrelieved, and obtain other service. And when the count\u2019s folk departed\nout from the castle to fight with the foe, then was Owlglass always the\nlast man; and when they returned back unto the castle, was he truly\nlikewise the first man to enter therein. Then spake the count unto him,\nsaying: \u201cHow shall I understand this thing? Wherefore art thou always\nlast to depart from the castle, and the first to return back again?\u201d And\nOwlglass answered and said: \u201cLet not thine anger fall upon me, noble\nlord; for when that thou and all thy people sat and ate and drank, with\ngreat feasting, then lay I upon the tower and fasted so that I fainted\nthereby, and lost much strength. If therefore ye should be minded, that\nI should be the first in the field to encounter the foe, I pray thee\nthat ye do let me eat now that with strength may I be filled, and then\nwill I do it, and ye shall perceive that I shall be the first against\nthe enemy and the last to depart from him.\u201d \u201cI mark well,\u201d spake the\ncount, \u201cthat thou wilt be a long time in doing this thing, and as long\nas thou didst sit on the tower.\u201d Thereat said Owlglass: \u201cThat which\nbelongeth of right unto a man do others take from him most willingly.\u201d\nAnd the count said: \u201cLong shalt thou not be my servant,\u201d and therewith\ngave him leave to depart. And thereat rejoiced Owlglass, for he cared\nnot every day to fight with the enemy.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and Third Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass did have golden shoes struck unto his horse\u2019s feet._\n\n\nOwlglass was one of those men that the fame of his holy doings came unto\nthe ears of many great lords. The princes, also, loved him much, and did\ngive unto him garments, horses, money, and provision. And he came unto\nthe King of Denmark, who said unto him, that he should do for him a\nwondrous strange thing, having his horse shod with the best shoes that\ncould be found. Then answered Owlglass to the king, and spake unto him\nand asked him: \u201cIf that he should believe him?\u201d And the king answered\nand said: \u201cYea, and if he did according unto his word, it should come to\npass as he had promised him.\u201d Then Owlglass did ride his horse unto the\ngoldsmith\u2019s house, and there had golden shoes, with nails of silver,\nstruck unto his horse\u2019s feet, and gat him home again unto the king\u2019s\npresence, and asked him if that he would pay for the shoeing of his\nhorse? The king said: \u201cYea, that would be right truly;\u201d and said unto\nhis treasurer, and commanded him, that he should pay for the shoeing of\nthe horse of Owlglass. The treasurer thought that it had been done by a\nblacksmith. And Owlglass led him unto the goldsmith\u2019s house, and the\ngoldsmith demanded of him one hundred golden marks therefor. The\ntreasurer would not pay this; but went and told the king thereof. Then\nsent the king for Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cOwlglass, how dear hast\nthou made this horse shoeing to be? If that all my horses were shod as\nthou hast had thine, soon should I have to sell my country and my\npeople!\u201d Then Owlglass answered and spake unto him: \u201cMy gracious lord\nand king, thou didst say I should have my horse to be shod with the best\nshoes, and have I not done according unto thy words, for would ye have\nbetter shoeing than silver and gold.\u201d Then said the king: \u201cThou art my\ndearest servant, thou dost that I tell thee to do.\u201d And the king laughed\nat the merry jest, and did pay the hundred marks. Then Owlglass brake\noff the golden shoes from his horse\u2019s feet, and had shoes of iron struck\non, and he abode with the king unto the day of his death.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and Fourth Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass did have a great contention before the King of Poland\n with two other fools._\n\n\nWhile that the noble Prince Casimir, King of Poland, yet lived, there\ncame unto him at his court, good Master Owlglass. And Casimir (blessed\nbe his memory!) did have two fools there, who, in knavery, could not be\novercome. And the king of Poland had heard much said of Owlglass, that,\nin truth, he was not in any way to be quipped or deceived. Nor did\nOwlglass agree with the fools of the king, and that beheld the king\nright soon. Then spake the king unto Owlglass and the two fools, saying:\n\u201cBehold! unto that one of ye the which can wish the greatest wish will I\ngive a coat and twenty gold pieces thereto, and this shall be within my\npresence.\u201d Then said the first fool: \u201cI would have that heaven were\nnothing but paper, and the sea nothing but ink, that therewith might I\nin figures write down how much money I would have, and that it came unto\nme.\u201d The second spake, saying: \u201cI would have as many towers and castles\nas there be stars in heaven, so that therein might I hold all the money\nthat my fellow here would have.\u201d Then was it time that Owlglass should\nspeak, and the king thought that in truth he could not wish anything\ngreater. But Owlglass opened his mouth and spake, saying: \u201cI, in truth,\nwould desire that after ye two have made me your heir, that the king\nwould yet on this day hang ye both.\u201d Thereat laughed the king right\nmerrily, and Owlglass won the coat and the twenty gold pieces, with the\nwhich he departed in joy.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass did make confession to a priest, and took from him a\n silver box._\n\n\nOn a time it happened that Owlglass thought to go to confession, for his\nsins were many, and therewith was his soul sore laden, so that he\nmeditated much on the badness of his ways. Then came he to the church,\nwhere sate the priest in the confessional, and before him stood a silver\nbox, by which he set great store. Then Owlglass began a long speech, in\nthe which he told the good priest his heavy sins, so great in number;\nand at last, the saying of Owlglass was so long, that the priest did\nlean back and slept, for he was weary of the knaveries of Owlglass. Then\nOwlglass took the box away, and did put it in pouch.\n\nWhen that the priest again awoke he did rub his eyes with his fingers,\nand spake unto Owlglass, saying: \u201cWhere stood we, my son?\u201d Then answered\nOwlglass, and said unto the priest: \u201cWe stood at the eighth commandment,\nfather.\u201d Then said the priest: \u201cSpeak on, my son; fear not, nor in any\nwise conceal what lieth upon thy conscience.\u201d Then continued Owlglass,\nsaying: \u201cAlas! holy father, on a time I did steal a silver box from a\nperson, and I will now give it unto thee.\u201d Then said the priest: \u201cNay,\nmy son, stolen goods will I not have; give the box unto him that owneth\nit.\u201d \u201cThat would I already do,\u201d answered Owlglass; \u201cbut he refused me,\nsaying that he would not receive it.\u201d Thereat spake the priest, and\nsaid: \u201cThen canst thou keep it with a good conscience; go in peace, thy\nsins are forgiven thee.\u201d\n\nThen Owlglass departed, and sold the box unto a Jew for several pieces\nof silver. But the priest slept not again in confession; and thus\nOwlglass gat for others more sins forgiven than before, which did great\ngood unto all men.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and Sixth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass was forbidden the dukedom of Lunenburg, and how he\n did cut open his horse and stand therein._\n\n\nIn the land of Lunenburg, near unto Zell, did Owlglass work some great\nknavery on a time. Therefore did the Duke of Lunenburg forbid him the\nland; and he gave commandment to his servants, if that Owlglass should\nbe found therein they should seize him, and, without any mercy or\nshrift, hang him up. Yet did not Owlglass in any manner forsake the\nland, or in his journeyings avoid it, so as to come round through any\nother country; but when that it came in his way to be convenient to pass\nthrough Lunenburg, did he nevertheless ride or walk through it when he\nwould.\n\nThus it came to pass on a time, that Owlglass had much reason to ride\nthrough Lunenburg, and it fortuned that as he was riding along, he saw\nthe duke with many folk riding the same way. Then thought he within\nhimself: \u201cLo! it is the duke; and if that thou dost hasten away to fly\nfrom before his face, then with their horses will they soon come up with\nthee, and they will take thee; then will the duke with great anger come\nand command them to hang thee up unto a tree.\u201d Then did he confer within\nhimself what thing it were best that he should do; and he gat him down\nfrom his horse, and took a knife, and quickly cut open the horse\u2019s\nbelly, casting forth the entrails, and then gat he in and stood within\nthe four legs in the midst. Then when the duke came riding by with his\nhorsemen, and gat to the place where sat Owlglass in his horse\u2019s belly,\nthen the servants of the duke spake unto him, saying: \u201cBehold, gracious\nlord, here sitteth Owlglass within his horse.\u201d Thereat did the duke ride\nup to Owlglass, and say unto him: \u201cArt thou there, Owlglass? What\nbringeth thee into my country when that I did warn thee with great\npunishment not to come thither? Did I not say, if ye came therein I\nwould have thee hanged on a tree?\u201d Then said Owlglass to the duke:\n\u201cNoble and gracious lord, I pray thee that thou wilt be pleased to spare\nmy life, for I have not done so evilly as to be punished with death.\u201d\nThen said the duke unto Owlglass: \u201cCome thee hither unto me, and do thou\nmake thy innocence plain unto me, or what meanest thou that thou dost so\nstand in the belly of thy horse?\u201d And Owlglass answered, and said: \u201cMost\nhigh and gracious lord! have I not heard it always said of all that from\nold time between his own four posts is a man safe? Now do I stand in\nsuch wise between my four posts, as ye can see; for I feared the\ndispleasure with the which I knew in my heart that ye would visit me,\u201d\nThen did the duke laugh right merrily, and said unto Owlglass: \u201cYea,\nthis time will I excuse thee. But wilt thou henceforward stay far away\nfrom my land, nor enter it at any time?\u201d And Owlglass answered and said:\n\u201cGracious lord, so mote it be as ye would have.\u201d Thereat rode the duke\naway from him, saying: \u201cStay as ye now be.\u201d But Owlglass leaped quickly\nforth from his horse\u2019s skin, and spake unto the dead horse: \u201cI thank\nthee, my good beast, for thou hast preserved my neck from great danger\nof the halter, and through thy death am I made alive. From a hunted\ndonzel hast thou changed me into a gentleman; therefore, lie thou there,\nfor it is better that the crows eat thee than that they should tear me.\u201d\nThen departed he out of the land on foot.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and Seventh Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did buy an inheritance in land from a boor, and how\n he sate therein in a cart._\n\n\nIn no long time thereafter came Owlglass again into the land of\nLunenburg, and he tarried in a village near unto Zell, until the time\ncame in the which the Duke should again ride that way. And it came to\npass that a boor did come by Owlglass as he went along to plough his\nland. And by that time had Owlglass gotten him another horse, and a cart\ntherewith, and he came unto the boor, and spake unto him, saying: \u201cWhose\nland is this that thou ploughest?\u201d Then answered the boor and said:\n\u201cTruly is it mine, and I did have it in inheritance from my forbears.\u201d\nThereat said Owlglass unto the boor: \u201cWhat money wilt thou have for as\nmuch earth as would fill my cart?\u201d Then said the boor: \u201cTruly will I\nhave a shilling therefor.\u201d And Owlglass gave unto him what he demanded,\nand filled his cart therewith, and crept into it, and drove his cart\ninto Zell unto the castle there, unto the Aller water. And when that it\ncame to pass that the duke rode by, did he behold Owlglass as he sate in\nthe cart with the earth up to his shoulders. Then spake the duke unto\nOwlglass, and said unto him: \u201cHow comest thou here again? Have I not\nforbidden thee to come into my land, and did not I say thou shouldst\nsuffer death? And now, after that I pardoned thee when thou didst stand\nin thy horse, thou dost again tempt my wrath with thee?\u201d Then spake\nOwlglass unto the duke in answer, saying: \u201cMy gracious lord, I am not in\nyour land but in mine own, wherein do I sit; and I bought it of a boor\nfor a shilling, and rightfully could he sell it, for from his forbears\nhath he inherited it. So is this truly my land.\u201d Then spake the duke,\nand laughed the while: \u201cDepart ye now straightway with thy land out of\nmy land, and come not again, or will I have thee hung up, with thy horse\nand thy cart beside.\u201d Then leaped Owlglass on to his horse from out of\nthe cart, and left the cart with his land standing before the castle.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and Eighth Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass painted the forbears of the Landgrave of Hessen, and\n told him that an if he were ignobly born, he might not behold his\n painting._\n\n\nMany marvellous things did Owlglass bring to pass in the land of Hessen.\nAfter that he had journeyed up and down in the country of Saxony, and\nhis fame had spread so abroad that no longer dare he work his knaveries\nand beguilings in that land, came our worshipful Master forth from\nSaxony, and did enter into the land of Hessen, and came therein unto\nMarburg, unto the Landgrave where that he kept his court. Then inquired\nthe landgrave of Owlglass, what manner of man he was and what he could\ndo. Then answered Owlglass, and said: \u201cLord, I know the arts, and that\nmanner of man am I, and your humble servant.\u201d Thereat rejoiced the\nlandgrave greatly, for he thought that Owlglass was an alchymist, and in\nalchymy had the landgrave much delight. Then spake he unto him, saying:\n\u201cArt thou an alchymist?\u201d And Owlglass answered: \u201cNay, that am I not, in\ngood sooth, for of dross make not I gold, but rather quite the other\nthing. Yet am I a painter, the equal unto whom can be nowhere found in\nany country, for my work is far better than the work of any other\npainter.\u201d Then said the landgrave: \u201cCome, let us now look upon some of\nthy work.\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cYea, my lord.\u201d And he had with him some\npaintings cunningly devised, the which he had brought out of Flanders.\nThese took he from his wallet, and displayed them before that prince.\nThese pleased the lord much, and he said unto Owlglass: \u201cWorshipful sir\npainter, what money will ye have if that ye would paint on the wall of\nour castle hall the story of the family of the landgraves of Hessen, and\nhow that through them I became friendly unto and with the King of\nHungary, and other lords and princes, and how long the land of Hessen\nhath been established? And that must ye tell me in the wise that will be\nmost costly and precious.\u201d Then answered Owlglass: \u201cBehold, most\ngracious prince, if that ye would have it so rarely done, it might truly\ncost not less than four hundred marks.\u201d Then answered the landgrave, and\nsaid unto Owlglass: \u201cMaster, an if you do but make it rarely, the money\nshall not fail, nor will we forget to reward thee as ye shall deserve.\u201d\nThen did Owlglass consent to become the painter of the picture; and\nthereat gave the landgrave unto Owlglass one hundred marks so that he\nmight buy colours therewith.\n\nBut when that Owlglass came with three servants he had found, to see\nwhat the work was which was to be done, he gat him unto the landgrave,\nand spake unto him, and entreated him, saying: \u201cBehold, noble prince, I\nwould crave a grace from ye, which I would ask that ye should grant unto\nme.\u201d Then spake the landgrave: \u201cYea, that I will grant thee. Speak on.\u201d\nAnd Owlglass answered, and said: \u201cThe grace I crave from thee is, that,\nwhile my work is going forward, no one shall enter without that they ask\nof me whether they may enter therein.\u201d And therewith the landgrave\ngranted Owlglass the grace he desired. Then conferred Owlglass with his\nmen, and said unto them, that they must take an oath unto him not to\nbetray him; and so did they. And he said unto them, that they need not\ndo any kind of labour, but they might play at tables and chess and other\nmerry pastimes. And thereat were the men content; nor was it greatly\nmarvellous that in such wise they should be, for Owlglass did promise to\npay them for serving him after this manner.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen it came to pass, after some three or four weeks had gone by, that\nthe landgrave craved much to see in what measure the painting of\nOwlglass was ready, and whether, of a truth, it did resemble the\nensamples which Owlglass had shewn unto him, which were so goodly and\nfair. Thereat gat he him to Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cAlas, most\nworshipful master, I would fain come into the hall and see in what\nmeasure my picture doth grow ready.\u201d Then Owlglass spake unto the\nlandgrave, and answered him, and said: \u201cYea, and that shall ye also do.\nBut I must tell unto thee a marvellous secret which doth touch all my\npainting, in that no one, if he be ignobly born, or not according unto\nthe ordinance of Holy Church, can behold my painting to see it.\u201d The\nlandgrave said thereafter: \u201cTruly that is a marvellous thing.\u201d Yet, my\nmasters, ye may perceive in that the landgrave was an alchymist, so had\nhe also more belief in such affairs than cometh unto the lot of all men.\nAnd then went he with Owlglass into the hall, and there had Owlglass\nhanged up a white cloth, that he should have painted. And with a white\nwand did he point to the wall when that he had with his hand put the\ncloth somewhat aside, and then spake he to the landgrave, and said unto\nhim: \u201cMost noble landgrave, look upon this painting, so marvellous well\ndone and with fair colours, and behold here in this corner he that was\nfirst lord of Hessen and earl of the land. And here perceive ye one that\nwas an earl of Rome thereunto, and he had a princess and a wife, who was\nduchess of Bavaria and a daughter of the mild and good Justinian, who\nafterwards became emperor. And look ye, noble lord; of them was born\nAdolphus. And of Adolphus came William the Swart; and this William had a\nson Ludwig, who was named the Pious; and so forward until that we come\ndown unto your lordship\u2019s grace. And I know well that there is no person\nliving that can reprove my work, so curiously have I made it, and with\nsuch fair and goodly colours.\u201d Yet saw the lord nought before his face\nbut the white wall, and he thought unto himself: \u201cThough I see nothing\nbut the wall, yet will I say nought unto the master, else will he know\nfull well that I am not nobly born, but basely and vilely.\u201d Therefore\nsaid the landgrave unto Owlglass: \u201cLearned and cunning master painter,\nyour work pleaseth me marvellously well, yet is my understanding very\nsmall therein.\u201d Therefore departed he out of the hall.\n\nAnd when that he did come unto the princess his wife, she spake unto\nhim, and asked him, saying: \u201cHow goeth it with the master painter? Ye\nhave seen his work and devices, and how are ye pleased therewith? Truly\nhave I but small belief in him; for he seemeth unto me a rare and most\ncunning knave and beguiler.\u201d And the landgrave answered her: \u201cI have\nshrewd trust in him; and therein is displayed great cunning and mastery:\nI like it well. Would it please thee also to look thereon?\u201d And she\nsaid: \u201cYea, that it would.\u201d And the landgrave said: \u201cThen, with the\nmaster\u2019s consent, shall ye do it.\u201d Then sent she for Owlglass, and said\nunto him, that she did desire to behold his painting. And that did\nOwlglass grant unto her; but he told her likewise the marvellous secret\nwhich did hang upon his painting. And they entered in, and with the\nprincess came eight maidens of her women and her woman-fool, which did\neverywhere be in her company. And Owlglass put back the cloth with his\nhand, and with his wand told them the same story which he had told unto\nthe landgrave. Yet perceived they nothing; but being ashamed, spake not\nany word, neither praising nor blaming the picture. But then did the\nwoman-fool open her mouth, and spake, and said unto Owlglass:\n\u201cWorshipful master, an if it be that I am basely born, yet see I nothing\nof thy device upon the wall.\u201d And Owlglass thought: \u201cNow goeth the\nmatter not so rarely on as before; for if the fools speak truth, then\ntruly must I depart hence:\u201d and laughed thereat within himself.\n\nThereafter departed the princess, and went unto her lord and husband,\nand he spake unto her, and asked her how that the work liked[10] her.\nAnd she answered and said: \u201cMost gracious lord, it liketh me as well as\nit did you, and truly is most rare. But my woman-fool it liketh not; and\nshe saith that she cannot see any painting there at all. And she and my\nmaidens think that there lieth hid some knavish practice therein.\u201d\nThereat began the landgrave to take counsel within himself, if it might\nbe that he was beguiled; but he sent word unto Owlglass that he should\nmake ready his work, for that all his court was coming to behold the\npicture, and that if any among them fortuned to be base-born, then\nshould their lands be escheated unto the landgrave. Thereat gat him\nOwlglass unto his fellows and discharged them, and gave them money, and\nthey departed. And then went he unto the treasurer, and of him gat he\nother hundred marks; and then went he forth from the castle, and so\ndeparted on his way.\n\nAnd it came to pass that on the morrow the landgrave demanded where that\nhis painter might be\u2014but he had departed. Thereat went he with all his\nlords into the hall where that the master had exercised his cunning\ndevice, but there saw they no painting; so they spake no words, but kept\ntheir mouths shut. Thereat said the landgrave, for he beheld the sign\nwhich Owlglass did always write where that he had worked any knavery,\nwhich was that he wrote up the device of an owl and a glass: \u201cNow do we\nknow that we are beguiled; and with Owlglass have we but little for to\nbe moved, but rather for the two hundred marks, but the loss thereof can\nwe likewise bear. But a great knave is he, and must henceforth remain\nfar from our lands.\u201d\n\nThus did our noble Master Owlglass everywhere teach wisdom unto the\nlieges; but from Marburg had he gat him forth, nor would he again have\nto do with the painter\u2019s mastery.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 10:\n\n _i.e._ Pleased.\n\n\n\n\n The Twenty and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass was for little money well entertained of two\n innkeepers._\n\n\nIt fortuned that in a village were there two innkeepers, who did with\ngreat hatred pursue each other, and they could not bear to live in\nfriendship, or as neighbours should. And if it came to pass, that the\none did have in his house more custom than the other, then was there\nmuch anger and envy therefrom, and they grew ever more enemies\nthereafter.\n\nOn a time it came to pass, that Owlglass came thither, although thereby\nhe ran great danger. And he entered into the house of one of these\ntwain, and he spake unto the host, and asked of him, whether for twelve\npennies he might have wine? \u201cYea,\u201d answered the host, \u201cthat he might in\ngood truth;\u201d and went and brought him speedily a measure of wine.\nThereafter asked Owlglass again, whether he might for twelve pennies\nhave beef and salad? \u201cYea,\u201d said the host; and brought beef and salad,\nthe which did Owlglass eat with rare enjoyment. And as he was eating,\nthe cook carried a fowl by on a plate, and Owlglass saw it, and he\ncalled for the host, and asked him, if for twelve pennies he might have\na part thereof? \u201cMost truly,\u201d said the host. And behold his measure of\nwine was empty, and Owlglass moreover called the host unto him, and\nsaid: \u201cCan I for twelve pennies again have wine?\u201d \u201cYea,\u201d answered the\nhost, and rejoiced in his good visitor, and brought him a fresh measure\nof wine. And Owlglass was full and fairly provisioned within, and he\nprepared to depart, and rose up, and he laid twelve pennies on the\ntable, and then he would have departed out of the door. Thereat the host\nheld him back, and said unto him, that the money was not enough, and\nthat he must pay four times as much. \u201cWhat mean ye?\u201d said Owlglass. \u201cDid\nnot I ask ye every time, if that I might have for twelve pennies that\nwhich I required? And now would ye have much more? How mean ye? There is\nmy debt, and is it to be laid unto my charges that ye have not\nunderstood me?\u201d Then saw the host that it was most plain he had been\nbeguiled; and he spake unto Owlglass, that he would forgive him the debt\nand add thereto the present of a piece of money, if that he would go\nunto his neighbour hard by and there work the same thing. Then Owlglass\nput the piece of money in his doublet, and laughed, and said unto the\nhost: \u201cVerily have I already done thus at your neighbour\u2019s house, and he\nit was that did give me a piece of money an if I would but come to you.\u201d\nAnd therewith departed our well beloved brother Owlglass, and the host\nmarvelled with great marvel.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirtieth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did tell his master how he might scape giving pork\n unto his neighbours._\n\n\nOn a time Owlglass was servant unto a boor, who was a man of great\navarice, and did never like to give unto others anything he might have.\nNow it fortuned that he killed a pig, and as he had received from others\npieces of bacon when that they killed, so now would they expect that he\nwould give unto them in return. Then he spake unto Owlglass, saying:\n\u201cTruly art thou of a quick wit and ready invention. Tell me how shall I\nescape giving unto my neighbours.\u201d Thereat said Owlglass: \u201cIn truth,\nnothing is more easy. Behold, when it is night-time hang thy pig without\nthy door upon a hook, and when that it cometh unto midnight take it\nsecretly away, and make great complaint that it hath been stolen.\u201d And\nthe boor did according unto the words of Owlglass, for he was content.\n\nWhen that he came in the night to take his pig secretly away, he found\nit not, and did cry out woundily that robbers had taken it. And truly\nour good Master Owlglass had conveyed the pig away himself. And when he\nheard the boor cry, he came up to him, and asked what might have\nhappened. And the boor answered Owlglass, and said: \u201cThe thieves have\ncome and taken away my pig.\u201d Then answered Owlglass: \u201cExcellently spake!\nSo tell thou unto all thy neighbours.\u201d But the other said: \u201cNay; but the\nmatter hath not ended as I desired. The pig hath truly been stolen.\u201d And\nOwlglass answered him: \u201cAn if ye speak thus well, all the town will\nbelieve you. Most excellent, by my halidom!\u201d And although the boor would\nhave persuaded Owlglass of the truth, did that great master only laugh.\nAnd thereafter did he tell unto the neighbours what he had advised; and\nno one would believe the boor.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and First Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass conferred with the rector and masters of the\n University of Prague in Bohemia, and how he did make answer unto their\n questions, and therein came off most wisely._\n\n\nAnd Owlglass departed and came unto the city of Prague in Bohemia, and\nthere he set letters upon the church-doors, and therein said unto all\nthat might read, that of a truth was he a most famous master, and one\nthat could make answer unto all questions. And the rector and masters of\nthe university heard that this learned man had come; and they were\ntroubled thereat, and they took counsel how that they might put such\nquestions unto him as he could not resolve, and thus might they cause\nhim to be cast forth from the town with much mockery and shame. And so\ndid they agree. And they sent the bedell of the university unto the inn\nwhere Owlglass lay, and charged the host that he should bring his guest\ninto the chamber of the rector and masters; and he promised to do this\nthing. And they charged Owlglass that the next day he should give\nanswers unto the questions which they had writ down, and if he could not\nanswer, then should he be declared unworthy. And Owlglass answered, and\nsaid: \u201cTell the most learned rector and masters that I will do it\nstraightway as they do require of me; and I trust to prove myself a\npious man as from old time have I done.\u201d\n\nAnd on the next day the rector and masters and students of the\nuniversity assembled together, and Owlglass came with his host and some\nfew of the citizens, so that all might proceed with good content. And\nwhen that he had entered into the assembly, they signified unto him that\nhe should stand upon the stool, and make reply unto the questions so\ndemanded of him. Then the rector opened his mouth, and spake unto\nOwlglass, and asked him, how many gallons of water there were in the\nsea; and he charged him to speak the truth and to conceal nothing from\nhim, for an if he could not answer, then would he punish him as an\nignorant beguiler, and cast him forth. And Owlglass thereupon answered\nhim and said: \u201cFour hundred and eighty million seven hundred and thirty\nthousand two hundred and sixty-four gallons and two-thirds of good\nmeasure. An ye will not believe what I say, cause ye the rivers and\nlakes and streams which run therein to stand still, and I will mete it,\nand if it prove not as I say, then will I confess that I am unwise.\u201d And\nthe rector could not do this thing, and therefore he was obliged to\nadmit the answer of Owlglass; and he next asked him this following\nquestion: \u201cTell me how many days have passed by from Adam\u2019s time until\nthis present hour?\u201d And Owlglass spake unto him, saying: \u201cMost\nworshipful master rector, the number is not great; only seven have so\npassed\u2014Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and\nSaturday; and when that they have passed, then begin other seven days,\nand so will it go forward until the end of the world.\u201d Then said the\nrector: \u201cNow answer me exactly, and say where is the middle of the\nworld?\u201d Then Owlglass answered: \u201cThat is here where we now stand; and if\nye believe me not, do ye take a cord and mete it, and if it be a hair\u2019s\nbreadth less, then will I stand ashamed.\u201d Then the rector waxed wroth,\nand asked Owlglass the fourth question: \u201cHow far is it from earth to\nheaven?\u201d And Owlglass made answer: \u201cWhen that one speaketh in heaven it\nis easy to hear it down here; therefore get ye one of ye up thither, and\nI will cry aloud, and if ye hear me not, then will I confess my wrong.\u201d\nAnd the rector waxed tired of questioning Owlglass, and asked him: \u201cHow\ngreat was heaven?\u201d And Owlglass said unto him: \u201cIt is a thousand fathoms\nwide, and a thousand cubits high; and if ye believe me not, take the sun\nand moon and stars from heaven, and mete it, and ye will find I am right\ntherein.\u201d\n\nAnd, my masters, I charge ye to tell me, what could the worthy folks\nanswer unto Owlglass? In all things was he too cunning for them; and by\nknavery had he beguiled them all. Then did he strip off his long coat,\nand departed from Prague.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and Second Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did on a time mix him up in a marriage strife, and\n did soon end it with great renown._\n\n\nIt came to pass on a time, that Owlglass entered into a town where much\nwine was made, and where the folk of the town did oftentimes drink\nthemselves drunken thereupon. And, my masters, well do you know that\nwhen on a time ye have peeped into the glass, so that ye have been not\nas it would like me an if ye always were; and after that ye come home,\nye do not find that your wives receive ye in so goodly and excellent a\nwise as at other times, so happened it that our noble and beloved Master\nOwlglass, as he was passing along the street to get him to the inn where\nhe lay, did hear a brawling within a house hard by, as of people\ndisputing the one with the other in great anger. So our good friend\ntherewith stood still, and he hearkened, and perceived that it was the\nwife of a cobbler who, unto her husband, the which had come back from\nthe winehouse well drunken, was reading the evening blessing, the which\ndoeth such great and excellent good unto all husbands. And with many\nwords contended they until that it was supper time; then the husband\ntook his wife by the head, and said unto her: \u201cWilt thou cook for me my\nsupper?\u201d And she said: \u201cNay, that would she not,\u201d and then went they to\nquarreling again with much contention. At last said the cobbler: \u201cI\nwould have that the devil should come and fly away with thee!\u201d And when\nthat Owlglass heard these words, he took up a large stone which lay in\nthe street, and threw it at the window, so that the frame and glass all\nfell together, and brake with a loud noise. And the twain who were\ncontending within, thought in truth that the devil had come thither, and\nwere stricken with great terror. But Owlglass gat him away, for that he\nmight not have the charges of the broken window demanded of him. Yet\nwent the story forth with great renown, and even unto this day do the\ntown folk believe that the devil appeared in shape like unto a great\nstone; and if that ye believe not my saying, get ye thither and ask it\nof them yourselves.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and Third Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass did cause an ass to read certain words out of a book\n at the great university of Erfurt._\n\n\nNow after that Owlglass had departed, and had gat him away, it came to\npass that he journeyed until he entered the city of Erfurt, at the which\nplace is a most learned university. And our well-beloved Master\nOwlglass, like unto some wise men of our days, could not hide his wisdom\nunder a bushel; but wheresoever it fortuned for him to sojourn, there\nmust he teach the people some cunning thing. And after that he had come\nunto Erfurt, he gat him unto a notary, and with fine writing had he\nletters marvellously done in goodly and fair manuscript, setting forth\ntherein his wondrous parts. And such letters of challenge he set upon\nthe church doors. And the great fame of Owlglass had come unto Erfurt,\nwhere the rector and learned doctors had heard not a little of his\nknavish beguilings and conceits; thereat conferred they together as to\nhow they might so enjoin him to do a thing the which he might not be\nable to perform, but have great shame thereby, and that they themselves\nmight not be deceived and mocked. And then they agreed that they would\ngive unto Owlglass an ass to be his scholar, the which he should teach\nthat he might in time become a reader and a wise beast, for of asses\nwere there great plenty in that university.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThereat went they unto Owlglass, and they spake unto him, saying:\n\u201cWorshipful master, well know we that you have set letters of art upon\nthe doors of the church, by the which ye say ye can teach unto any\nbeast, both that he shall learn to write and to read; now, therefore,\nhave the doctors of the university resolved, in that among us be no lack\nof asses, that ye shall receive one to be a scholar and student under\nthee, and that he shall learn to read. Will ye have him to be a scholar,\nand receive him and therewith, when that ye have taught him, a great\nreward?\u201d Then answered Owlglass and said: \u201cYea, that will I; but\nthereunto must I have time, for an ass is an animal not wise nor easy to\nbe taught.\u201d So they conferred together, and agreed that he was to be\nallowed twenty years in the which to teach him. Then thought Owlglass in\nhis own mind: \u201cSo there are three of us unto this bargain. If that the\nrector should die, then am I free. And if it should come to pass that I\nshould die, then can I break the contract. But if my scholar should not\nlive, then am I also quit.\u201d And he agreed with them, and of the money he\nreceived some in part. Then he gat him into the inn of the town, and the\nmaster of the house was a man of singular mind. And for his scholar did\nOwlglass hire him a stable, and he gat him a great old book, and laid it\ninto the manger before him, and between each leaf of the book he laid\noats, and the ass soon beheld that, and he turned over the leaves with\nhis tongue to eat the oats, and when that the oats were all gone, he\ncried out with a loud voice: \u201cE, A\u2014E, A!\u201d\n\nAnd when that Owlglass perceived this, he rose up and gat him unto the\nrector, and came into his presence, and said unto him: \u201cWorshipful\nmaster rector, when will it please ye to come unto me to see how my\ndisciple doth get forward with his book?\u201d Then said the rector: \u201cDoth he\nagree unto that which thou teachest him?\u201d And Owlglass answered him, and\nsaid: \u201cTruly he is a difficult disciple, and one that loveth not his\nbook; yet have I brought it about that by much labour he pronounceth two\nvowel sounds very well, that is to say, E and A. Will it not make ye\npleasure to come and hear him?\u201d And all this time had the good scholar\nfasted. And when that Owlglass came with the rector, and some of the\ndoctors of the university, he took a book and laid it in the manger\nbefore him, and when that the ass beheld it, he turned over the leaves\nbackward and forward, hither and thither, with his tongue to find the\noats, but, as he found nothing therein, he cried with a loud voice: \u201cE,\nA\u2014E, A!\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cBehold, most learned doctors, my disciple\ndoth now pronounce well, although yet somewhat broadly, the two vowels E\nand A, and that can he do. I have great hope of him that he will soon\nget farther.\u201d In no long time after died the rector; and then Owlglass\nabode no longer with his disciple, but with his money departed, thinking\nthat in truth it would demand great industry to make all the asses in\nErfurt wise. Therefore he did it not; and they be all asses in that city\nunto this day.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and Fourth Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass did kill a hog, and answered for his evil doing unto\n the burghmaster._\n\n\nNow it fortuned, that Owlglass once came unto a village, and did hire\nhim unto a boor to be his serving man. And this boor rejoiced greatly in\nall the wise sayings of Owlglass; and in no long time was Owlglass the\nbest man in the house. And it came to pass upon one even that the boor\nmade complaint unto Owlglass, and said unto him that he had an evil\nneighbour who endeavoured with all his might to afflict him in all ways\nthat he might, and who, as the old saw saith, would have given an eye\nthat the boor might be blind. Then Owlglass thought within him: \u201cThat\nwill I soon repay with marvellous heavy interest. And so that my master\ndoth thereat have joy and goodly satisfaction, then shall I be content.\u201d\nAnd when that he entered into the farm-yard on the next morning to\ndepart about his labour, Owlglass beheld that the neighbour\u2019s hog had\nbroken into that place, and was rolling on the dunghill in the yard; and\nhard upon the dunghill was there a pond of water, which stood still, and\nwas covered with green. Then took Owlglass a cudgel and did strike the\nhog therewith, until that the hog ran into the pool and was therein\ndrowned. But privily had the neighbour watched Owlglass, and beheld that\nwhich was done; and he cried aloud, and ran unto Owlglass, and demanded\nmoney for the hog which he had thus lost. And as Owlglass heeded him\nnot, he came unto his master and desired the same thing. But the master\nof Owlglass said: \u201cTruly, therewith have I nought to do. My servant man\ndid this thing; go ye therefore unto the burghmaster and speak thereof\nunto him, and let my man answer it.\u201d Thereat the owner of the hog gat\nhim unto the burghmaster, and complained unto him of what Owlglass had\ndone. Then the burghmaster sent for Owlglass, and spake unto him, and\ndemanded that he should answer it.\n\nAnd Owlglass did rise up early in the morning, and he saddled a horse,\nand gave him to eat, and then departed, and gat him unto the house of\nthe burghmaster. And the burghmaster, at that time, fortuned to be at\nhis breakfast, and had before him a porringer of barley broth. And the\nburghmaster questioned Owlglass how that it had come to pass that he had\nkilled the hog. Then Owlglass answered cunningly, and told him how that\nthe hog brake his way into the yard and wallowed upon the dunghill; and,\nmoreover, he told him how he had struck the hog, that he departed into\nthe pool, and was there drowned. But the burghmaster was a man of slow\nunderstanding,\u2014as is in truth not a thing marvellous strange amid people\nset in authority,\u2014and he demanded of Owlglass that he should tell him\nthe story more plainly. Whereat replied Owlglass and said: \u201cMost\nworshipful sir, I will set forth unto you this thing very plain and easy\nto be comprehended of you. Look you, suppose ye that ye were yourself\nthe hog, and your porringer of barley the pool, and suppose that I came\nafter this wise, and with my hand smote you thus\u201d\u2014and therewith fetched\nOwlglass the burghmaster a great blow over the head\u2014\u201cthou mightest fall\ntherein.\u201d Thereat cried the burghmaster aloud, and would have held\nOwlglass; but he ran forth and leapt upon his horse and departed thence\nwith great haste.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass at Nugenst\u00e4dten, in the land of Thuringia, did wash\n the women\u2019s furs._\n\n\nNow after that did Owlglass come into the land of Thuringia, into the\nvillage of Nugenst\u00e4dten, and there he entered and besought the inn-folk\nthat he should receive a night\u2019s lodging. Thereat came the hostess unto\nhim, and asked him, saying: \u201cWhat manner of trade followest thou?\u201d\n\nAnd Owlglass answered and said unto her: \u201cTruly am I of no trade, but do\nin all things accustom myself to speak the truth.\u201d Then said the\nhostess: \u201cSuch do I most gladly receive into my house, and\ntruth-speakers are welcome.\u201d And Owlglass looked round him, and he\nperceived that the hostess did squint; therefore he said: \u201cSquint-wife,\nsquint-wife, where doth it please ye that I shall sit, and where would\nye have me to lay my staff and wallet?\u201d Thereat waxed the hostess very\nwroth, and said unto him: \u201cMay nought good ever happen unto thee; in all\nmy life did no one ever say unto me that I squinted!\u201d But Owlglass\nanswered and said unto her: \u201cDear hostess, be not angry with me, for an\nif I do speak the truth, then must I do it at all times, and in all\nthings.\u201d And thereat was her wrath turned away, and she, being merry,\nlaughed and was content.\n\nNow after that Owlglass had abode that night in her inn, they conferred\ntogether, and he told her that he could wash old furs so that they\nbecame new again. Thereat rejoiced the hostess greatly, and begged that\nhe would do this, and she would tell all her neighbours that they should\nalso bring their furs to be washed. And Owlglass said: \u201cYea, verily,\nthat would he do.\u201d Then all the women in the village brought unto\nOwlglass their furs, that they might be washed. And Owlglass said unto\nthem: \u201cYe must have milk.\u201d And all the women desired greatly to have new\nfurs, and they each gat them home, and brought unto Owlglass all the\nmilk that they had there. And Owlglass set two cauldrons upon the fire,\nand he poured the milk into them, and then put the furs into the milk,\nand they were boiled therein.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that when he thought that they had boiled enough,\nhe said unto the women: \u201cNow must ye bring me young white elm twigs, and\npeel ye them, and when that ye come again unto me, I will take out the\nfurs, for then will they be boiled enough, and I will wring them; yet\nmust I have wood to do this.\u201d And the women departed right joyfully to\nfetch the wood, and the children ran with them, and sang and danced, and\nsaid: \u201cO beautiful new fur cloaks! O beautiful new fur cloaks!\u201d Then\nstood Owlglass and laughed, and said: \u201cWait ye yet a while, the furs be\nnot right yet.\u201d And while they were gone for the twigs, Owlglass piled\nmore wood on the fire, and left the furs boiling, and departed out of\nthe village. And yet hath he not returned to wash the furs. When that\nthe women folk came back, they began to quarrel, and strive one with the\nother, for each would have her fur first forth from the cauldron; but\nwhen that they looked how they were proceeding, lo! they were all boiled\nto rags and fell to pieces. And Owlglass rejoiced that he had so happily\ngone forth.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and Sixth Adventure.\n\n_Telleth how that Owlglass journeyed about the land with a saint\u2019s head,\n and did beguile many therewith._\n\n\nNow the malice of Owlglass had been so great that everywhere was he\nknown, and his knavery noised abroad, so that where he once came at any\ntime, to that place durst he not go again, unless it mote be that he\ndisguised himself in strange appearance that others might not know him.\nAnd although, with his idleness, he could never have much content, yet\nfrom his youth up had he always been one that loved good living, and by\nhis divers beguilings he always had by him good store of money. But by\nhis knavishness he had fallen into such evil repute, that nowhere might\nhe get money, and he began to see the bottom of his money-pouch oftener\nthan it pleased him to do. So he began to consider within himself, how\nthat he might without labour get more money, for he knew that often more\nmoney is gained by idle courses than by hard work. Then thought he that\nhe would become a pardoner, and journey to and fro with a holy relic,\ntherewith to persuade the people that they should give him money.\nTherefore he gat him the long gown of a priest\u2019s scholar, and went unto\nthe sexton, who gave unto him a skull; therewith he departed unto the\nsilversmith, who set it about fairly with brave workmanship in silver.\nThen came he into the land of Pomerania, where have I also been, my\nmasters. And there are the people right honest and good, brave men and\ntrue, believing that which ye say unto them; and their piety is as great\nas their faith. Yet in that land Owlglass found that the priests cared\nmore for drinking than preaching; and when that a church feast, a\nwedding, or any other assembly came to pass in a village, then did\nOwlglass go unto the priest, and entreat of him that he might preach,\nand shew unto the boors the holy relic which he bare with him; and\nOwlglass promised to give unto the priest half of whatever offerings the\nvillage folk made thereto. The unlearned priest was content enough if\nthat he might only receive money thereby.\n\nAnd when that there were many folk in the church, Owlglass gat him up\ninto the pulpit, and spake somewhat to them of the old covenant and of\nthe new covenant, of the ark and the golden vessels where lay the holy\nbread. Thereafter spake he of the head of the holy Saint Brandonus, he\nthat was a sanctified man, and that to his honour was it now resolved,\nthat a church should be builded, and that with money not got by knavery;\nnor would he receive aught from any that loved not their husbands. Then\ngave he the head unto the peasants to kiss, and it might have been the\nhead of a thief for what Owlglass knew; and after that he blessed them,\nand gat him down, and went to the altar, and there began he to sing, and\nring the bells. Then came all the women, good and bad, unto him with\ntheir offerings; and the bad came twice and thrice, and he received all,\nnor turned away any. And the women believed in his saying, and thought\nthat one that came not should be reproved. And any woman who had no\nmoney brought unto him a golden ring, and they strove together which\nshould offer more often than another, for therewith was their virtue\nconfirmed. And many offered so that all folks might behold it, for\ncharity covereth a multitude of sins. Thus did Owlglass get the fairest\noffering which in that land had been offered, and all the women of the\nland held Owlglass in great reverence for his piety. And Owlglass knew\nhow to practise malice with gain. Nor do the folks even unto this day\nomit with much openness to give unto charitable uses a trifle from their\nsubstance, and their names are written in great letters; and some that\nrespect charity have an awe for them, but a few there be that think ye\nshould work goodness in secret.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and Seventh Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass did make the town-watch of N\u00fcrnberg to fall into the\n water which is called the Pegnitz._\n\n\nOwlglass was most wise in knavery. And when that he had journeyed far\nand wide with the holy head of Saint Brandonus, and had beguiled the\npeople, so that he felt it in his pocket as a heavier weight than it lay\nupon his soul, he came unto N\u00fcrnberg, where he purposed to make good\ncheer with the money which the head gat for him. And after that he had\nlain there for a while, he could no longer live unless that he committed\nsome vile knavery; therefore he looked round as to what he might do.\nAnd, behold, it came to pass that the town watchmen slept in a great\nwatch-box, beneath the town-hall, in their armour, and this saw\nOwlglass. Now Owlglass had learned all the highways and byways at\nN\u00fcrnberg, and he craftily took heed of the small bridge which is called\nthe Hangman\u2019s Bridge, and which leads between the Pig-market and the\nLittle House, where of a night it is ill to pass; and many a one who\nhath gone thereby to fetch a measure of wine, hath had too great a drink\nof water. Thereafter waited Owlglass with his knavery, until the people\nhad begun to sleep\u2014and truly watchmen sleep always early; and when that\nit was quite still brake he craftily from the bridge three planks, and\ncast them into the Pegnitz, and then departed on his way to the\ntown-hall, and there \u2019gan he to swear, and with an old knife which he\nhad he struck the stones of the street, that fire flew far round. Now\nthe watch awoke thereat, and they heard him, and gat them up, and\nfollowed after him. So Owlglass fled before them, and ran in the way\nwhich led to the Pig-market, and when he came unto the bridge he helped\nhimself diligently across as best he might where that he brake away the\nplanks; and after that he had come thereover, he lifted up his voice,\nand cried unto them: \u201cHo! ho! ye shamefaced knaves! where be ye that ye\nfollow not?\u201d And thereat were the watchmen angry, and they pursued him\nyet faster, and each desired to be the first to catch the mocking\nbeguiler. Then fell they one after the other into the Pegnitz; and it\nfortuned that the hole was so narrow, that they dashed their teeth out\nas they fell against the other side. Then spake Owlglass unto them, and\nsaid: \u201cHo! ho! come ye not forward yet? To-morrow follow after me yet\nmore hastily.\u201d And one there was of them who brake his leg, and another\nhis arm, and the third knocked a hole in his skull; thus no one came off\nwithout some hurt. Now, after that Owlglass had thus accomplished his\nknavery, he abode no longer in the town of N\u00fcrnberg, but gat him forth,\nand departed; for he was sore afraid, that, if it should be discovered,\nthe lords of the city of N\u00fcrnberg might cause him to suffer therefor.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and Eighth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did at Bamberg eat for money._\n\n\nOn a time, did Owlglass receive money through his cunning, when that he\nhad departed from N\u00fcrnberg and came unto Bamberg, where that he found\nthat he was an hungered. And in that city of Bamberg entered he into an\ninn, and the hostess thereof was a good soul and a merry, and she bade\nhim welcome with gay words, for by his clothes perceived she that he was\na guest of rare quality. When that the time came in the morning that\nthey should eat, she spake unto Owlglass, and asked him, saying:\n\u201cWhether would he sit at table to eat, or have a portion for so much\nmoney?\u201d And Owlglass answered, and said unto her \u201cI am a poor man and a\nneedy.\u201d Then entreated he her, that she should, for God his sake, give\nunto him to eat. Thereat said the hostess: \u201cFriend, an if I gave unto\nthee to eat, I should lose thereby, for the flesher and the baker will\ndemand to have money of me for their wares. Therefore, for eating must I\nalso receive money.\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cAlas! my dear woman, to eat\nfor money doth also content me: tell me now how much shall I eat for?\u201d\nAnd the woman spake unto him, saying: \u201cAt the gentles\u2019 table, four and\ntwenty pence; and the next table thereunto, for eighteen pence; and with\nmy serving people, twelve pence.\u201d Then answered Owlglass unto her words,\nand said: \u201cHostess, the table for four and twenty pence is the most, and\nwill best convene unto me.\u201d Therefore sat he down to the gentles\u2019 table,\nand did eat as much as ever he could. And when that he had eaten and\ndrunken very heartily, he said unto the hostess, and besought her that\nshe would settle with him, for that by poverty it was necessary he\nshould depart. Then answered she unto Owlglass, saying: \u201cGentle guest,\nan if ye give unto me twenty-four pence, ye may, in God\u2019s name, depart\nwhither it please ye.\u201d But thereat said Owlglass: \u201cNay, but ye should\ngive unto me twenty-four pence, for ye said unto me, that for four and\ntwenty pence should I eat; and therefore apprehended I, that ye meant to\ncause that I should earn money, and most heavily did I earn it, for if\nlife and strength had touched the matter, then could I not have eaten\nmore. Therefore pray I ye, render unto me my hard earnings.\u201d Then said\nthe hostess: \u201cFriend, thou speakest truly, for thou hast eaten as much\nas any three could have done; but that I should give unto thee money\ncometh not within my thought. Yet, in so far as toucheth the dinner,\nthat will I excuse thee; go therewith in peace; but I give ye no money,\nbe ye assured. Nor will I demand it of ye; but come not hitherward\nagain, for if that I should with every guest have such, little would\ncome therefrom but loss to me.\u201d Then departed Owlglass, and little\nthanks gat he.\n\n\n\n\n The Thirty and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did make a wager with a Jew about a horse, and did\n deceive him._\n\n\nIn no long time thereafter came Owlglass into Mechlenburg, and there he\ngat him a horse of excellent goodness. And as he would have departed on\nhis way thence, and rode by an inn, the horse would no longer go\nforward, for it had an evil habit that at every inn would it stop.\nThereat said Owlglass: \u201cIn truth, thou canst also drink thee a measure\nof liquor, for it is hot;\u201d and therefore he gat down from the horse, and\ntied him up unto the gateway. Then entered he into the inn, and the\nguest-chamber thereof, and there sat several guests within, making\nmerry. At the table there sat a Jew, who was a dealer in horses; and the\nJew had perceived the horse of Owlglass as he came up unto the house.\nAnd he spake unto Owlglass, saying: \u201cWilt thou sell thy horse, and what\nwouldst thou have in money therefor?\u201d Then Owlglass answered, and said\nunto the Jew: \u201cThis horse canst thou not buy, Jew; it is a Mechlenburg\nhorse, and of a most rare breed, and three hundred nobles would scarce\npay for it.\u201d Then said the Jew: \u201cNay, but what think ye, gracious sir,\nfor twenty nobles would I buy thee such a horse. Wilt thou set a wager\nupon it?\u201d \u201cMost contemptible son of Moses,\u201d said Owlglass, \u201cthou couldst\nnot. He hath not one fault, and is as gentle as a tender lamb.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d\nanswered the Jew: \u201cwilt thou take twenty nobles therefor?\u201d Then Owlglass\nspake unto him, and said: \u201cLook you, Hebrew Jew, an if thou wilt take\nthree strokes from my riding-whip, then will I give thee the horse, and\nhe shall be fairly thine own.\u201d Thereat said the Jew: \u201cYe would fain jest\nwith me, noble sir; may I trust your word?\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cHast\nthou not heard it?\u201d Then cried the Jew: \u201cYea; and the gentlefolk yonder\nwill be witnesses thereunto.\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cGood: when wilt thou\nhave the three strokes? Wilt thou have it that I begin now at this place\nand time?\u201d Thereupon the Jew answered Owlglass, and said: \u201cAn if that I\nmust have them, it may as well now be as at any other time.\u201d Then\nOwlglass commanded that the Jew should be tied up, and said unto him:\n\u201cNow do thou remember. Thou hast to receive from me three strokes, and\nwhen thou hast received them, then shalt thou truly become possessor of\nmy horse.\u201d\n\nThen he took his whip, and lifted it, and came down with a great stroke\nupon the back of the Jew, so that he cried aloud with marvellous pain.\nThen said Owlglass: \u201cSon of Abraham, art thou content, or wilt thou\nstraightway receive the next stroke?\u201d And the Jew answered, and said:\n\u201cGracious sir, the other will I have now; but I entreat thee, for pity\u2019s\nsake, not to strike me so sore.\u201d And Owlglass spake unto him, and said:\n\u201cThen make thou thyself ready:\u201d and therewith gave he unto the Jew a yet\nsorer stroke. The poor Jew thereat bit his tongue woundily with the\npain, and cried to Owlglass that he should speedily give him the third\nstroke. Then said Owlglass: \u201cNay; but for the third stroke mayest thou\nstay a while, so long as thou receivest it not is the horse mine.\nBehold, here are the witnesses.\u201d Thereat, although the Jew scarce could\nstand with the pain, he entreated Owlglass that he should then give him\nthe third stroke; but Owlglass would not. Then lamented the Jew, and\nOwlglass gave unto him a measure of wine; but he ceased not to complain\nin that he had been beguiled of Owlglass. Yet was the Jew justly served,\nin that, with small pains and labour, he would have received the horse\nof Owlglass.\n\nO most worthy teacher of wisdom unto the ignorant and sinful, why camest\nthou not in the days in which I do here chronicle thy marvellous deeds?\n\n\n\n\n The Fortieth Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass did have much money for an old hat._\n\n\nMoney remaineth not always with any of us, my masters; and so truly did\nOwlglass find, when that he was in the town of Cologne. And he was so\npoor, that of all his money he possessed only four shillings; and on his\nhead he wore an old hat, with three corners, and thereat did all people\nlaugh. Then Owlglass thought that he would therewith have rare sport and\nprofit. And as he was going along the street of the town, he beheld two\nofficers of the soldiers; and he knew that they had pouches well lined\nwith gold pieces. And they laughed at his hat. Then spake Owlglass unto\nthem: \u201cBehold, ye do laugh at my hat. Verily will I shew unto ye that in\nno wise is it to be accounted nought, but hath great virtue; and to\ncontent you therein, I bid ye both dine with me on this day.\u201d And the\nsoldiers consented, and so gat them with Owlglass. When that they came\nunto the gate of the best inn, Owlglass said: \u201cWhat say ye? where shall\nwe dine?\u201d Then they answered and said: \u201cLet us enter herein and dine, if\nthat ye have a good pouch of money?\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cBe of good\ncheer, that maketh no matter, let us enter therein.\u201d Then entered they;\nand Owlglass secretly conferred with the hostess, and gave her the four\nshillings, therewith to satisfy her for the dinner.\n\nAnd when that the dinner was served, the officers waxed merry, for it\nwas a very excellent dinner, and they were content. Thereafter did\nOwlglass say unto the hostess: \u201cWhat money dost thou want to satisfy\nthee for thy dinner?\u201d And she answered and said: \u201cFour shillings.\u201d \u201cFour\nshillings, sayest thou?\u201d answered Owlglass, and therewith he took his\nlittle hat and he turned it four times about upon his finger, and asked\nher if that she were content. And she said: \u201cYea; and fair thanks unto\nye likewise.\u201d And therewith departed she. But the officers, when that\nthey beheld it, said: \u201cBut how marvellous is this thing!\u201d And they were\nmost astonished. \u201cAlas! my masters,\u201d said Owlglass unto them: \u201cdo not ye\nnow see how great is the value of the hat? With the money that more than\ntwenty times hath been offered me therefor, should I be rich.\u201d\n\nThen said one of his guests: \u201cIf that I offered unto thee a good sum,\nwould not ye sell it? For poor soldiers as be we, so great a marvel\nwould be accounted very useful unto us, for then should we never die of\nhunger.\u201d And Owlglass was persuaded, and he gave them the hat for four\nhundred marks. And the next day, he who bought it desired to make trial\nof it; and he went unto the inn and had a great banquet made ready, and\nhe assembled his friends together to eat thereof. Then when the time\ncame for paying the host, he sought to pay the charges by turning the\nhat about; but the host understood it not. And so the soldier had to pay\nmany marks therefor; and when he looked after Owlglass he found him not.\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and First Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass journeyed unto Rome to see the Pope, and how his\n Holiness considered that Owlglass was an heretic._\n\n\nIt hath been every where seen, that Owlglass was a most knavish wight.\nAnd when it had come to pass that he had worked these such deceiving\nactions, he thought of the old proverb which saith:\n\n \u201cIf that thou a knave wouldst see,\n At Rome eftsoon thou\u2019lt fitted be.\u201d\n\nAnd Owlglass was aweary of his own devices, and thereat wished that he\nmight find another like unto him. So departed he, and he journeyed\nforward, and at last came unto Rome. There entered he into an inn, which\na widow kept, and she saw that he was a goodly man to look upon, and she\nspake unto him, and asked him of what country was he. And Owlglass told\nher that he was of the land of Saxony, and that he had come unto Rome\nbecause that he craved to confer with the Pope touching a certain\nbusiness. Then answered the widow and said unto him: \u201cThe Pope canst\nthou see, but as to speaking with him that mayest thou not do. I have\nbeen bred and born in this place, and of gentle birth also, yet have I\nnever spoken with the Pope. How then, think ye, that ye will do this\nthing? Truly would I give a hundred ducats an if that I could have\nspeech of him.\u201d And Owlglass answered and said: \u201cMy good hostess an if I\ngat ye speech of him would ye give me the hundred ducats?\u201d The woman\nsaid: \u201cMarry that would I,\u201d and straightway promised them unto him. But\nshe thought that it could never be that Owlglass would do this thing;\nfor she knew that it was a heavy and long labour to bring it about. But\nOwlglass said unto her that if he did cause it to come to pass, then\nwould he demand the hundred ducats; and therewith were they both\ncontent.\n\nAnd Owlglass tarried until it fortuned that the Sunday came round, on\nwhich the Pope read the mass in the chapel called Jerusalem, in the\nchurch of the holy Saint John Lateran, the which he did once in every\nfour weeks. Then gat him Owlglass to the chapel, and thrust himself in\nas near as might be unto the Pope\u2019s person, and stood there; and when\nthat the host was lifted up, or a blessing given from the altar, then\ndid Owlglass turn his back thereunto, the which was a thing not fit to\nbe done. And thereafter was the Pope told of this, that a very proper\nhandsome man had stood at the mass and so acted. Then said his Holiness\nthat such a thing was an abomination, and that he feared the man who had\ndone so was in unbelief and an heretic. If that this were not punished,\nit would be a great scandal. Then sent the Pope for Owlglass, and the\nmessengers came unto him and carried him before the Pope. Then said the\nPope unto Owlglass: \u201cWhat manner of man art thou?\u201d And Owlglass answered\nand said: \u201cI am a good Christian.\u201d Then said the Pope: \u201cWhat belief hast\nthou?\u201d To which Owlglass made reply: \u201cThat he was of the same belief as\nhis hostess,\u201d and named her by name, and she was a woman well-known. And\nthe Pope commanded that she should be brought to him; and he asked her,\nsaying: \u201cWhat belief hast thou, woman?\u201d And she made answer unto the\nPope and said: \u201cI am a thorough Christian, and a believer in that which\nthe Holy Church ordaineth is to be believed, and no other belief have\nI.\u201d In the which the good woman did marvellously resemble divers other\nexcellent Christians, which take from the mouth of ignorance the\nconfirming grace of wisdom.\n\nThen stood Owlglass by, and with much humility, did seem to be very\npious, and said: \u201cMost gracious Father! this true faith hold I also, and\nthat most firmly, and am a good Christian man.\u201d Then said the Pope unto\nhim: \u201cWherefore dost thou turn thy back to the altar?\u201d And Owlglass\nanswered and said: \u201cThat did I, forasmuch as I am a grievous sinner, and\none not worthy to behold the altar, as I have not received absolution\nfor my crimes.\u201d Thereat was the Pope content, and giving him absolution,\nhe let Owlglass go; and he returned unto his inn, and demanded the\nhundred ducats, the which the widow gave unto him. Yet found not\nOwlglass the knave he sought, and himself was not a whit more honest\nthan before; so that his Roman journey did him no great good.\n\n[Illustration: HOW OWLGLASS MAKETH THE COCK THE SECURITY FOR THE HENS.]\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and Second Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass without money bought poultry at Quedlingburg, and for\n security gave unto the farmer\u2019s wife the cock._\n\n\nIn all things of old time were the people not so knavish as is now the\ncase, especially they that are of the boors. On a time came Owlglass\nunto Quedlingburg, while that it was the weekly market day therein. And\nOwlglass had little provision; for when that it happened that he had\nmoney, in like manner that he wan it, it departed from him again. So he\ntook counsel within himself, how that he might have good provision. And\nthere sate upon the market a woman, and before her had she a large\nbasket of live poultry, all hens; and among them was a cock. And\nOwlglass spake unto her saying: \u201cHow much wilt thou have for thy\npoultry?\u201d And the woman made answer unto him, and said: \u201cTruly mayest\nthou have them for a couple of St. Stephen\u2019s pennies.\u201d Then said\nOwlglass: \u201cWilt thou not give them cheaper?\u201d But the woman said unto\nhim: \u201cNay\u201d; and then took Owlglass the basket, and departed therewith\nunto the town gate. Thereat ran the woman after him, and said unto him:\n\u201cMerchant, how shall I understand thee? Wilt thou not pay me for the\npoultry?\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cYea, most cheerily. I am the secretary of\nmy lord\u2019s lady.\u201d \u201cThat ask I not,\u201d said the woman; \u201cit brooks not me\nwhat noble people thou mayest serve. If that thou wilt have the poultry,\nthen do thou pay me therefor, and with my lord or my lady have I nought\nto do. My father taught me that with noble folk should I nor buy nor\nsell, nor lend nor borrow. Therefore pay thou me that which I demand\nfrom thee. Dost hear me?\u201d And Owlglass said unto the woman: \u201cWoman, thou\nart of little faith; if that all folk were like unto thee, the rich\nneedy would not long have their needs answered. But so that ye may,\nindeed, have surety, give I ye the cock, the which will I fetch when\nthat I bring ye the money and the basket.\u201d Then took the good woman the\ncock, and bethought her that of a truth was she rarely secured to\nreceive her money. But in all vain hopes can there be no happiness; for\nOwlglass returned not again, nor had she satisfaction in any wise. And\nunto such as make themselves so greatly sure, is it given to be\ndisappointed, wherefore when that Owlglass approacheth unto ye, do ye\nstraightway deliver up unto him that which he demandeth, lest with wily\nways he doth beguile ye of much more. And Owlglass thereafter departed\nthence, and the good wife still kept her security.\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and Third Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass, with a knavish confession, did beguile the priest at\n Riesenburg of his horse._\n\n\nNever was Owlglass unready to commit a vile piece of knavery, when that\nthere was opportunity thereunto. Now there abode at Riesenburg the\npriest thereof, and he had a maid serving-woman, who was of a comely\ncountenance, and thereto also a horse of much beauty, of the which he\nwas greatly fond. And at that time was the Duke of Brunswick at\nRiesenburg, and had, by the agency of many persons, besought the priest\nthat he should let him have the horse, and for him would he pay many\nmore times than the value. But the priest at all times denied the prince\nthe favour, nor would in any wise grant him his desire, for he loved his\nhorse, and with violence might the horse not be taken.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that this thing was told unto Owlglass, and he\nunderstood it well; and he went unto the duke, and said unto him:\n\u201cGracious lord, what wilt thou give unto me if that I bring unto thee\nthe priest his horse?\u201d \u201cIf that thou canst do it,\u201d answered the duke,\n\u201cwill I give unto thee the coat which now I wear.\u201d And the coat was of\nred satin, set and broidered with pearls. And Owlglass accepted this,\nand gat him away, and departed from Wolfenb\u00fcttel unto the village of\nRiesenburg, and there entered into the priest\u2019s house; for they were\nwell known the twain each to each, for of old times had Owlglass abode\nwith him and been welcome. And after that he had been there some three\ndays, he did bear himself in such wise, that he seemed to be sick unto\nthe death; and he laid himself down, and prepared for his end. And the\npriest and his serving-maid were greatly vexed thereat, and grieved over\nhim. Thereafter grew Owlglass so ill, that the priest said unto him,\nthat, in truth, for his soul\u2019s comfort, it was meet and fit that he\nshould make confession. And Owlglass grew mightily inclined thereunto,\nbut he begged the priest that he should make inquiry of him most\nacutely. Then said the priest unto him, that he should discover his soul\nunto him, and confess, for that in his lifetime had he wrought much\nevil. And Owlglass made answer, that in his lifetime had he only done\none thing evil the which he regretted, and that would he not confess\nunto him; but if they brought unto him another priest, then would he\nconfess, for he was afraid that the priest might be wroth with him.\n\nNow when that the priest heard this thing, he thought that truly was\nthere somewhat hidden under the words of Owlglass, the which he craved\nmuch to know; for priests are greatly more inquisitive than other men.\nTherefore he opened his mouth, and said unto Owlglass: \u201cDear Owlglass,\nthe distance is great, and it would take me a long time to find another\npriest; and if that ye did give up the ghost while that I sought thee\nsuch an one, both thou and I would have a heavy sin to answer. Therefore\nbe not afraid, and confess unto me thy sin; and so heavy also it be,\nwill I absolve thee. An if I should grow angry thereover, what doth that\nmatter unto thee, for thy confession may I not tell unto another?\u201d Then\nanswered Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cVerily, then will I confess unto\nthee, for the sin is not so heavy that I may not tell it; but only I\nfeared thee, for it concerneth thyself.\u201d Thereat waxed the priest the\nmore anxious to hear what Owlglass said, and he opened his ears to hear\nhim, and said unto him, that if he had stolen aught from him, or wrought\nhim any evil, let him only confess, and he would give him content, nor\nvisit it upon him in any wise. Then said Owlglass unto him: \u201cAlas!\nreverend sir, well know I that ye will be an angered with me. Yet I feel\nthat soon shall I depart out of this world, and, therefore, must I\nrelieve my soul of this confession. And of that which I did, most\nreverend sir, must ye shrive me. For I have in thy church kissed thy\nservant woman, the which I know to be an offence of much gravity against\nthe Church, and against all dignity likewise.\u201d Thereat asked the priest\nof Owlglass, how often that it might have happened. And Owlglass\nanswered, and said: \u201cBut five times.\u201d Then did the priest give unto\nOwlglass absolution; and he took a stick and departed unto the serving\nwoman, and told her that which Owlglass said. But she answered that it\nwas not so. But the priest said unto her, that Owlglass had confessed it\nunto him. Thereat said she: \u201cNay,\u201d and he: \u201cYea\u201d; and with no more ado,\ntook her and gave unto her a sound beating, until that she was black and\nblue all over. The while lay Owlglass in bed, and laughed, and thought:\n\u201cBravely doth thy purpose go forward, and ere long will thy harvest\nseason approach.\u201d\n\nAnd he lay still all that night, and when that it was morning he arose,\nand said: \u201cNow am I whole, and well will it be if I depart unto another\ncountry. What have I to pay thee?\u201d And the priest was right glad to be\nridden of his guest, and he took his money, when that they reckoned. And\nthe woman-servant was glad also. Then said Owlglass unto the priest:\n\u201cWherefore hast thou revealed to another my confession? Truly will I now\ngo unto Halberstadt before my lord the Bishop, and lay a complaint\nagainst thee, for that thou hast been unfaithful in thy office.\u201d Then\ndid the priest tremble, and think how he might content Owlglass that he\nshould not complain; and he entreated him and asked what he should give\nhim to be silent thereupon, and would he have twenty pieces to say no\nword more? But Owlglass said: \u201cAn if ye gave unto me one hundred pieces,\nwould I not do this, and verily will I straightway depart thither.\u201d And\nthe priest humbly, and with tears, besought him to refrain, and that he\nwould give him whatever he would have. Thereat said Owlglass: \u201cGive then\nunto me thy horse, and I will say no more; but the horse will I have.\u201d\nBut the priest loved his beast, and desired not to give it away, and he\nwould rather have given unto Owlglass every penny that he had; but\nOwlglass demanded that he should have the horse, and would hear no word.\nSo the priest gave unto Owlglass the horse, and he departed therewith,\nand he came unto Wolfenb\u00fcttel, and there upon the bridge stood the duke,\nand beheld the coming of Owlglass. Then took the duke the coat from off\nhis back and gave it unto him, and received the horse. And the duke\nrejoiced greatly over Owlglass his cunning in beguiling the priest, and\nmade pleasant sport with the tale; and he gave unto our noble Master\nOwlglass another horse; and the priest was wroth at losing his horse,\nand he often did comfort himself by beating the maid sorely, until that\nshe departed from him. So lost the priest both horse and maid.\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and Fourth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did hire him to a smith, and what he did while with\n him._\n\n\nAnd it fortuned that on a time came Owlglass unto Rostock, in the land\nof Mechlenburg, and hired him unto a smith there. The smith had a\nfavourite saying, when that he would have the bellows blown: \u201cHa! ho!\nfollow ye with the bellows!\u201d Then stood Owlglass and blew, and the smith\nspake unto him, saying: \u201cHa! ho! follow ye with the bellows!\u201d And he gat\nhim into the court thereafter. Then came Owlglass behind him with the\nbellows on his back, and laid it down beside him, and said: \u201cMaster,\nbehold I have done thy bidding! Where would you have me to put it?\u201d Then\nthe master looked upon him and beheld what he had done, and said: \u201cMy\ngood man! so did I not mean it. Go thou in again and put it back where\nit stood.\u201d And Owlglass did as his master bade him, and placed it again\nwhere it had been before. But the master thought within himself how he\nmight pay him handsomely for this knavery; and he resolved that for five\ndays he would rise every night at midnight to begin labour in the forge.\nAnd he wakened all his men, and they began to labour. Then said Owlglass\nhis comrade unto him: \u201cWhat is this thing that now we labour at\nmidnight? Wherefore is it; of old did our master not this thing?\u201d And\nOwlglass said: \u201cWilt thou that I shall ask of him wherefore it is?\u201d And\nhis fellow said: \u201cYea;\u201d and then Owlglass asked him. And the smith made\nanswer unto him, and said: \u201cIt is my rule that at first my men shall\nnot, for eight days, lie on my bed more than half the night.\u201d And\nOwlglass held his peace, and his companion dared not to speak.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd it came to pass the next night that Owlglass and his fellow were\nagain awakened by the master; and the other man went down and fell to\nwork. Then took up Owlglass the bed, and, with cords, bound it upon his\nback, and when that the iron was hot, he cometh down unto the forge, and\ntaketh a hammer, and beginneth to smite the iron, so that the sparks\nflew into the bed and burned holes therein. Thereat said the smith:\n\u201cWhat is\u2019t thou dost? Why didst not thou leave the bed lying in that\nplace where that it should lie?\u201d Then answered Owlglass and spake unto\nthe smith, saying: \u201cMaster, be not angry; my rule is it that half the\nnight will I lie upon the bed, and the other half shall it lie upon me.\u201d\nThen the master waxed wroth, and said unto Owlglass: \u201cGo thou lay the\nbed where thou tookest it from;\u201d and furthermore said he: \u201cMarry, thou\nknave, get thee up out of my house, and may I never see thee more, for\nevil is the day in which I beheld thee.\u201d And Owlglass said \u201cYea,\u201d unto\nthe master\u2019s commands, and he went and laid back the bed upon its place.\nThen gat he a ladder, and climbed up into the garret, and he broke\nthrough the roof, and mounted up and drew the ladder after him, and so\ngat him up out of the house as his master told him, and thereafter\ndescended he unto the street, and left the ladder, and so departed. And\nthe smith heard the noise that he made, and ran up stairs, and lo! there\nwas a great hole in the roof.\n\nThen grew he yet more angry, and sought his pike, and departed in haste,\nand ran after Owlglass. But the other man held him, and said: \u201cNay,\nmaster, do not this thing, for behold, he did but that which thou didst\ncommand him. Thou didst say: \u2018Get thee _up_ out of my house,\u2019 and that\nhath he done, for he hath departed through this hole in the roof.\u201d And\nthe smith was persuaded; and was not that the best thing? What booted it\nunto him; he could not longer lay hands upon Owlglass, for he had\ndeparted thence. So he fell to mending his roof, and the fellow of\nOwlglass said: \u201cWith such comrades, can but little be won. And he that\nknoweth not Owlglass, let him only have to do with him, he shall surely\nknow him well in no long time.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did cause all the tools, hammers, and tongs of a\n smith to be as one mass of iron._\n\n\nNow when that Owlglass departed away from the smith, it came near unto\nthe winter season, and the weather was very cold. And it did freeze\nhard, and all things soever waxed very dear, and at great price could\nyou alone get victual, so that serving-men went with scant lining to\ntheir stomachs. Like unto many others, Owlglass was without money in his\npouch, and he came unto a village, where was another smith. Now Owlglass\ncraved not again to become a smith\u2019s man; but great hunger and thirst\nand cold drave him thereto, and merciless masters be they. So went he\nunto the smith, but the smith would have none of him, by reason of\nlittle work which there was; yet did Owlglass beseech him, so that at\nlast the smith took him. And Owlglass promised that he would eat\nwhatever that the smith set before him. Now the smith was a knave, and\nthought in himself, he shall not eat me until that I am poor.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the morning, that they fell to labour, and\nlaboured very hard until that it was dinner time. Then took the smith\nOwlglass, and led him unto the court unto the lime-pit, and he said unto\nhim: \u201cThou didst promise to eat that which I set before thee. Now take,\neat, and make thee good cheer.\u201d But he departed into the house, and ate\nroast and boiled. Then Owlglass abode without, and thought within\nhimself: \u201cUnto many hast thou wrought great knaveries, thou art repaid\nin that coin which thou didst pass to others. Yet shall master smith\ndearly pay for this deceitful practise.\u201d And after the dinner hour did\nOwlglass return in silence unto his labour, and said nought at all, and\nso went it until supper time. Then had the smith pity for Owlglass, and\ngave unto him some supper, and said unto him: \u201cRise ye up early in the\nmorning, and do ye begin in good time. Then shall ye knock together what\nye shall find, and make me a round number of horse nails. The maid may\nstand at the bellows until that I come unto thee.\u201d Then did Owlglass go\nto rest, and when that it was morning he rose up early, and thought:\n\u201cNow shall he pay for the dinner.\u201d So he took the tongs and hammers,\nfire-irons, sand-ladles, and everything that he could find, which was of\niron, and hammered it into one mass in the fire. The same did he with\nthe horse-nails; and when that he heard the master coming, departed he.\n\nAnd when that the smith came in and found the pretty business, he waxed\nwroth, and asked the maid how it came that this was so, and where might\nhis man be? And the maid answered and said: \u201cHe hath gone forth without\nthe door.\u201d The smith said: \u201cLike unto a knave hath he gone; and if that\nI wist whither that he went, I would beat him with heavy stripes.\u201d Then\nsaid the maid: \u201cBefore he departed, he wrote somewhat over the door.\u201d\nThen went the smith and beheld that Owlglass had, as his fashion was,\npainted over the door an owl and a glass, the which signified his name.\nThen knew the smith thereby who his man had been, and was glad that\nOwlglass had done him no worse knavery than that he had practised. But\nOwlglass returned not again unto that village, or that master. And the\nsmith had heavy work to make his tools again as they should be.\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and Sixth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did speak a word of truth unto a smith, his wife,\n man, and maid, each one before the house._\n\n\nUnto Wismar came Owlglass upon a holy day, and when he passed by over\nagainst the smithy, he then beheld before the smithy door a good wife\nstanding dressed in her best clothes, and with her was her maid, and she\nwas the smith\u2019s wife. And Owlglass went and lay at the inn opposite that\nnight, and in the night time he brake from off his horse\u2019s feet all his\nshoes, and the next day went over unto the smithy. On this wise came he\nto know them. And when that he approached unto the smithy, lo! they\nperceived that he was Owlglass; and the good wife, and her maid, came\nforth before the house door, so that they might behold that which\nOwlglass said and did. And Owlglass lifted up his voice, and spake unto\nthe smith saying: \u201cWilt thou now shoe these my horse\u2019s feet?\u201d And the\nsmith answered him \u201cYea\u201d; and it pleased the smith that he should talk\nwith so wonderful a man as was Owlglass. After that they had talked and\nconferred together awhile, the smith said unto him: \u201cBehold now, if that\nthou canst unto me say a word of truth, then will I give unto thee a\nshoe therefor.\u201d And Owlglass answered: \u201cYea\u201d; and thus spake unto him:\n\n \u201cAn if hammer and iron and coals have ye,\n And wind enow in the bellows free,\n Brave smith of might then can ye be.\u201d\n\nThen said the smith: \u201cThat word is truth,\u201d and gave unto him a shoe.\nThen did the apprentice put the shoe on the horse\u2019s foot; and he spake\nunto Owlglass and said: \u201cThat an if Owlglass would say unto him also\nsuch a word of verity, he would likewise bestow upon him a shoe.\u201d Then\nanswered Owlglass: \u201cYea\u201d; and said unto him:\n\n \u201cThe master and the man they two,\n If that work they fain would do,\n Hard labour should they never rue.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrue is thy saying,\u201d answered the smith\u2019s man, and gave him a shoe.\nThereat marvelled the good wife, and her maid; and they came unto him,\nand conferred with him, and the good wife said unto him: \u201cThat an if he\nsaid also to her words of true meaning, she would give unto him a shoe.\u201d\nAnd thereat answered Owlglass, and said: \u201cYea\u201d; and spake thus:\n\n \u201cGood wife, good wife, eye that\u2019s bright,\n Sparkling with such knavish light,\n Loves a trysting place at night.\u201d\n\nThen said the good wife: \u201cMarry but thou sayest truth,\u201d and therewith\ngave him a shoe. Then would the maid fain have a true word also spoken\nunto her; and if that Owlglass did it, she would give him a shoe. And he\nsaid:\n\n \u201cWhen that thou dost dine on veal,\n Eat with care, or thou shalt feel\n Tooth-ache pangs thee over-steal.\u201d\n\nAnd the maid said thereat: \u201cO and alas! how true is that saying,\u201d and\ngave him a shoe. Then departed Owlglass from that place with his horse\nwell shod. But if any of us, my masters, went unto a blacksmith, I fear\nme greatly we should have no satisfaction, or horseshoes, for telling\ntruths unto him. This sheweth that of old time were the people wiser\nthan now.\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and Seventh Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, did with guile delude two\n Jews of rings._\n\n\nOn a time came Owlglass unto the city of Frankfort-on-the-Main, and it\nwas yearly market day when that he entered therein. And in that town\ndwelt many Jews, and those that dwelt not there, dwelt in other places;\nand some have come out thence, and go not thither again. Then did\nOwlglass send for two rich Jews, and he spake unto them, saying: \u201cThat\nhe would have two pair of ear-rings of them, beset with precious stones;\nbut they must all be of one pattern and size, nor one in the least\nlarger or smaller than the other.\u201d And it was for a noble lady that he\nsaid he would have them. Then the Jews brought a great number of costly\nrings, and Owlglass dealt with each alone, and of each did he have a\npair. But unto the first he gave back a ring, and said: \u201cThat he should\ntake it unto the goldsmith and have it made a little larger.\u201d And this\nthe Jew agreed should be done, and departed with the ring, and promised\nthat he would return ere long; but he left the other ring with Owlglass.\nAnd Owlglass did likewise with the second Jew, and kept one of the twain\nrings. And the Jews departed each alone. Then had Owlglass wan him a\npair of ear-rings, and therewith did he go forth from Frankfort, and\ncame not again. But the Jews were beguiled; yet cared not Owlglass a jot\ntherefor.\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and Eighth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass served a shoemaker, and how that he inquired of him\nwhat shapes he should cut; and the master answered him, and said: \u201cGreat\n and small, as the herdsman driveth forth to field.\u201d Therefore cut he\n oxen, cows, calves, sheep, and pigs._\n\n\nNow in a place where Owlglass sojourned on a time, was there a\nshoemaker, who loved rather to walk about in the market than to labour,\nand he hired Owlglass for his servant, and he bade Owlglass cut out the\nshapes himself. Then said Owlglass unto him: \u201cMaster, what would you\nhave me to cut?\u201d And the shoemaker answered him, and said: \u201cCut ye out\ngreat and small, as the herdsman driveth forth to field.\u201d And Owlglass\nspake unto him, and said: \u201cYea, master, that will I.\u201d And therewith\ndeparted the master unto the market. Then fell Owlglass to work, and\nbegan to cut out pigs, and oxen, and calves, and sheep, and goats, and\nall kind of cattle. When that it was night, the master returned him home\nagain, and fain would see what his serving-man had done; then found he\nthese animals cut out of the leather. Thereat grew he angry, and said\nunto Owlglass: \u201cWhat is it that thou hast done, so to cut and destroy my\nleather?\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cDear master, I have done it as thou\nwouldst most desire it should be.\u201d The master answered, and said: \u201cNay,\nthou liest; I would not have thee to destroy the leather; that did I not\ncommand thee that thou shouldst do.\u201d Then answered Owlglass to him:\n\u201cMaster, wherefore be ye angry? Ye commanded me that I should cut the\nleather great and small, like as the herdsman driveth forth to field;\nand most truly to be seen is it that I have thus done.\u201d Then said the\nmaster: \u201cNay, but I meant ye should cut out shoes great and small.\u201d\nThereupon said Owlglass: \u201cHad ye said that unto me so that I understood\nit, then would I have done it with great joy; and yet would I do it.\u201d\nThen agreed Owlglass and his master, the one with the other; and he\nforgave him the leather he had cut up, for Owlglass promised him that he\nwould do him content thereafter, and as he told him that would he do.\n\nThen did the shoemaker cut a number of soles for shoes, and laid them\nbefore Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cLook ye, sew ye them little and\ngreat as they be altogether.\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cYea\u201d thereunto, and\nbegan to sew them. Then tarried the master awhile, and departed not\nforth, for he desired to see how Owlglass did sew. For well knew he that\nwhich he had told him, and he craved to behold how he would do according\nto his words. And Owlglass took a small shoe and a great shoe, and with\nhis needle and thread he sewed them together. And thereat stole the\nmaster secretly up to him, and he perceived that which he did. Then said\nhe unto Owlglass: \u201cThou art truly a man after mine own heart; thou doest\nthat which I desire thee to do.\u201d And Owlglass answered, and said unto\nhim: \u201cHe that doeth his master\u2019s bidding will receive no stripes.\u201d Then\nsaid the master: \u201cYea, my good servant, my words were so, but my meaning\nwas other. What I meaned was, that thou shouldst first make a pair of\nsmall shoes, and then make a pair of large, or the great first and the\nsmall ones after; but thou sewest them altogether, according to my words\nand not my meaning.\u201d And then waxed he wroth, and took the leather which\nwas cut up, and said: \u201cNow take thee other leather, and cut me new shoes\non one last.\u201d\n\nThereafter thought he no more about the matter, and departed forth to\nwalk. And when that he had been out for more than an hour, he remembered\nhim that he had told Owlglass to cut all on one last; and he hastened\nhim home to see what was done. And Owlglass had sate him still the\nwhile, and taken a small last, and cut all the shoes thereunto. So that\nwhen the master came, he found he had cut it all according to the little\nlast; and he said unto him: \u201cWhat dost thou mean, that thou hast on the\none last cut me all these shoes? How can the great sole belong to the\nlittle shoe?\u201d And Owlglass said unto him: \u201cThat will I do after, and the\nother will I cut.\u201d Then said the master: \u201cBut thou takest only one last,\nand makest them all for one foot; what dost thou expect can I do with\nthy work?\u201d Then answered Owlglass unto him: \u201cOf a truth, master, thou\ndidst bid me to cut them over one last only, and that have I done.\u201d\nThereat said the master: \u201cIf that I had much to do with thee, should I\nhave to run with thee to the hangman;\u201d and he furthermore said unto him:\n\u201cPay thou me for the leather thou hast marred.\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cIf\nthat I have marred thy leather, the currier can he not make more?\u201d Then\narose he, and stood in the door, and turning himself round unto the\nmaster, said: \u201cIf that I come not again, have I yet been with thee.\nFarewell.\u201d And he departed from that city.\n\n\n\n\n The Forty and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass bought eggs and had them tightly packed._\n\n\nOn a time Owlglass came into a village in Swabia, where abode a man very\nstupid, who with lard and eggs drave a trade. And Owlglass did become\nserving-man unto him, and much business did for his master, by the which\nhe gained greatly. In this wise and after this manner was it that\nOwlglass did all that his master required. His master sent him unto the\nmarket, that he might cheaply buy and dearly sell; for according to such\nmodes grow all merchants rich. And it came to pass on a day, that\nOwlglass had bought so much, that his baskets, panniers, and chests were\nall full of lard and butter and eggs, and yet craved he to buy much\nmore. Then lifted he up his voice, and spake unto his master, saying:\n\u201cBehold, master, between each egg is there a great room; might it not\nbe, that we might get more in if that, like unto cabbages, we trod them\ncloser together?\u201d And the stupid egg-merchant perceived that to be most\ntrue; and then bid he the folk which helped him to tread the eggs close\ntogether. And so did they; but, lo! then were their feet all yellow, and\nthe eggs were soon broken to pieces. Then did the master of Owlglass cry\nout upon his man, and despatched him hastily to do business elsewhere;\nfor the egg-trade did he not understand. Yet was the story soon noised\nabroad; and thenceforward laughed the people, and called the Swabians\nyellow-feet, the which name remaineth even unto days of this chronicler.\n\n\n\n\n The Fiftieth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass made a soup for a boor, and put therein shoemaker\u2019s\n oil; for that, in his nobility, he thought it good enow for the boor._\n\n\nNow after these knaveries came Owlglass unto Stade, and there he again\nhired him unto a shoemaker. And when that he began the first day to\nwork, his master went unto market, and of a boor bought a load of wood,\nand then came home, and commanded that the boor should have a soup given\nunto him. But he found no one at home; for the goodwife and the maid had\ngone forth, and Owlglass was alone within the house; and he was sewing\nshoes. And the master was obliged again to go to the market. So spake he\nto Owlglass, and said, that he should make ready a soup for the boor;\nfor that had he promised him into their bargain. And Owlglass answered:\n\u201cYea;\u201d then the boor unloaded the wood, and came into the house. But\nwhen that Owlglass sought in the cupboard, and had made ready the soup,\nhe found nothing to flavour it save shoemaker\u2019s oil; so he took the\nbottle, and poured therefrom a goodly measure into the soup, and a fine\nflavour was there then therein. And when that the boor began to eat, he\ntasted that it was very evil; but he was an hungered, and he soon ate up\nthe soup. In no long time thereafter came the shoemaker home, and asked\nthe boor how the soup tasted. And the boor answered him: \u201cThat it was\ngood all but one thing, and that was, that it savoured woundily of new\nshoes.\u201d Then departed the boor. And the shoemaker laughed, and said unto\nOwlglass: \u201cWhat didst thou put in the soup thou gavest to the boor?\u201d And\nOwlglass answered, and said: \u201cThou commandest me that I should take that\nI found and put in the soup; and I found nought but the shoemaker\u2019s oil.\nTherefore put I that in.\u201d And the shoemaker said: \u201cIt is well, and quite\ngood enough to give for a bargain to a boor.\u201d And so were the two knaves\ncontented; but as two of a trade never can agree together, in no long\ntime parted they, and Owlglass continued his journey.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and First Adventure.\n\n_This chapter is a special chapter, telling how that a bootmaker sought\nto beguile Owlglass by greasing his boots, and how that Owlglass looked\n through the window, and brake it._\n\n\nChristopher was the name of a bootmaker, who, in Brunswick, lived upon\nthe Cabbage-market. Unto him on a time went Owlglass, that he might have\nhis boots greased. And when that he came into the house, he opened his\nmouth, and said: \u201cMaster, an if ye will smear me these boots well and\nthroughly, I will pay your demand, so that I have them by Monday.\u201d And\nthe master answered, and said: \u201cYea, truly shall ye have them.\u201d Then\ndeparted Owlglass from the house, and thought no longer thereupon; for\nwhen wise men say things shall be done, it is the fool\u2019s fault if they\nbe not. And after that he had gone his way, the bootmaker\u2019s man said:\n\u201cBehold, master, have a care; for that is Owlglass, and to all men doth\nhe work knavery. Do, therefore, that he said, or he will work ye a vile\nturn.\u201d Then answered the master, and said: \u201cWhat would he have?\u201d And the\nman said: \u201cHe said, smear me these boots and throughly. Therefore do ye\naccording to his words, and smear ye them within and without.\u201d Then\nanswered the master unto him, and said: \u201cThat will I do.\u201d So did he, in\ntruth.\n\nAnd on the Monday cometh Owlglass, and he saith unto them: \u201cHave ye my\nboots ready?\u201d And the master had hung them upon a hook in his shop, and\nanswered unto him, and said, as he pointed unto them: \u201cBehold, there\nhave ye your boots as they hang.\u201d And Owlglass looked, and saw that they\nwere so smeared within and without; and he laughed, and said: \u201cHow good\nand pious a master bootmaker have I found, that he doth smear me my\nboots throughly. And what may ye desire to have for your pains?\u201d Then\nspake the master: \u201cAn old penny will I have.\u201d Then did Owlglass give him\nan old penny he had by him, and departed from the house; and then\nlaughed the master and his man, and said one to the other: \u201cHow may he\ntake that? Surely now hath he been made a fool!\u201d That heard our good\nMaster Owlglass; and he put his head within the window so that it brake,\nand head and shoulders followed after, to the great wonderment of all\nthereby. And Owlglass said unto the bootmaker: \u201cMaster, what lard used\nye? Tell me if it be lard from a sow or a boar?\u201d Thereat was the master\namazed with his man, and at last perceived that Owlglass lay in the\nwindow, and he had broken it. Then the bootmaker grew angry, and said:\n\u201cThe genius of evil take thee! What meanest thou? With this lapstone\nwill I break thy head!\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cHonourable sir, be not\nangry. It is but a simple answer I would have. Which is it from which ye\nhave taken the lard, from a sow or a boar?\u201d And the master wished his\nwindow whole. But he answered never a word; and thereat said Owlglass:\n\u201cIf that ye will not tell me, I must depart to foreign lands to have it\ncertified, and of another must I learn whether it be of a sow or a\nboar.\u201d Therewith departed Owlglass.\n\nThen waxed the master wroth with his man, and said unto him: \u201cThat\ncounsel gavest thou me; now give me other counsel how that my window may\nbe whole.\u201d But the servant was dumb. So said the master: \u201cWhich hath\nbeen the greatest fool among these, and who shall pay the damage?\u201d But\nthe comrade held his tongue; and the master continued: \u201cWho is it that\nhath mocked the other? How shall my window be made whole? I have always\nheard it said: He that is heavy laden with a fool may soon rejoice to\nlose his pack from his shoulders; and if I had done that might I have\nkept my window, nor would I have cared an if it had been in that wise.\u201d\nTherefore departed the apprentice, and bootmaker Christopher paid for\nhis broken window himself.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and Second Adventure.\n\n _Telleth how that Owlglass at Einbeck became a brewer\u2019s man, and did\n seethe a dog which was called Hops._\n\n\nOwlglass tarried not at any time in doing his evil knavery. And he came\nunto Einbeck after a time, and in that town did he hire him unto a\nbrewer to be his man. Then came it to pass, that the brewer his master\ndesired to go unto a wedding; and he spake unto Owlglass, and said unto\nhim: \u201cDo thou brew with the maid while I am away from hence, and\nto-morrow will I return to help thee in thy labour. Yet, above all, do\nye not forget to put hops into the beer, so that it shall savour\nstrongly thereof, and be a most desirable thing to buy.\u201d And Owlglass\nanswered and said unto his master, that would he diligently perform unto\nhis content. Then did the brewer with his wife depart out of the door to\nthe wedding. Then began Owlglass to brew the beer; and the serving-woman\ntaught him what he should do, forasmuch as she understood it better than\nhe did. And when it came to be time that the hops should be put therein,\nthe maid said unto him: \u201cLo! my dear fellow-servant, thou canst boil the\nhops alone as well as while I am with thee. Therefore do thou boil them,\nand I will go for an hour unto the dance.\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cYea;\u201d and\nthought within himself: \u201cWhen that she hath departed out of the way,\nthen canst thou better do thy knavery. What shall it be that thou wilt\ndo unto this brewer?\u201d\n\nNow the brewer had in his house a great dog, whose name was Hops; and\nwhen the water was hot, took Owlglass the poor beast, and threw him into\nthe vat, and boiled him therein, so that the flesh was boiled from off\nthe bones, and the skin and hair was sodden altogether. Thereafter\nthought the maid, that it was time she should return home unto Owlglass,\nfor the hops must have been seethed enough. She entered in unto him, and\nspake unto him: \u201cLo! my brother, now have the hops seethed enough; draw\noff.\u201d Then took she a sieve and strained the beer, but found nought\ntherein; then said she unto Owlglass: \u201cHast thou also put therein the\nhops, as I said unto ye? I find nought therein.\u201d But Owlglass said:\n\u201cThou wilt find all at the bottom.\u201d And the woman took a shovel, and\nfound the bones of the dog at the bottom. Then cried she aloud: \u201cWhat is\nthis thing thou hast put therein? The evil one defend me from this\nbeer!\u201d And Owlglass answered: \u201cWhat our master commanded me that did I.\nI seethed therein Hops our dog.\u201d\n\nIt fortuned that the brewer then entered in unto them, and he had\ndrunken himself drunk at the wedding; and he said unto them: \u201cHa! ha!\nwhat is it that ye do, my children?\u201d Then answered the maid, and said\nunto him: \u201cLo! I did but go for half an hour unto the dance, and bade\nthis our new man to seethe the hops in the beer; and he hath taken our\ndog, and hath seethed him. Behold, ye may see his bones.\u201d Then spake\nOwlglass, and said: \u201cTruly did I nothing more than ye enjoined me to do.\nYe said that Hops should I seethe, and that have I done. But ye are\nungrateful when that I am obedient. Had ye servants which ever did that\nwhich ye commanded as I have done, would ye surely have great content.\u201d\nThen departed he, and was wroth that they thanked him not.\n\n[Illustration: HOW OWLGLASS BOILETH HOPS.]\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and Third Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass hired him unto a tailor, and sewed so secretly that\n it was not seen of any one._\n\n\nAnd when that Owlglass approached unto Berlin, he there hired him unto a\ntailor of that town. Then said his master unto him, as he sate in the\nworkshop: \u201cIf that thou sewest for me, sew for me after that wise that\nit shall be seen of no one.\u201d To him answered Owlglass: \u201cYea;\u201d and with\nthat took his work, and crept him under the counter, and put his work\nacross his knee, and began there to sew. The tailor stood thereby, and\nlooked upon him, and said unto him: \u201cWhat doest thou? Of a truth that is\na marvellous way to sew thy coat.\u201d And Owlglass answered: \u201cMaster, said\nye not that I should sew in such wise as that it should be seen of no\none, and can any one behold me where I sew?\u201d Then said the tailor: \u201cNay;\nbut, my dear serving-man, sew ye no longer after that wise, but begin to\nsew that all may see.\u201d\n\nSo fared they on for a matter of three days; and it fortuned one night,\nthat a peasant\u2019s great over-coat, such as in that country is called a\nwolf, lay unfinished in the shop. This took the tailor, and gave it unto\nOwlglass, and said unto him: \u201cHere, take the wolf and make it ready, and\nthereafter mayest thou get thee to bed.\u201d Then answered Owlglass: \u201cYea;\nand if ye go will I right quickly do it as ye enjoin.\u201d Then departed the\nmaster; and Owlglass took the coat, and he cut it up, and made first a\nwolf\u2019s head, and then legs and body, and with sticks set it upright on\nthe bench, so that it looked like unto a wolf, and then gat he him unto\nbed. And when that it was day, the master gat him up, and awakened\nOwlglass also, and found the wolf standing in the shop. And he marvelled\nwith great wonderment at this doing of Owlglass; and he said unto him\nwhen that he came: \u201cI\u2019 the prince of mischief\u2019s name, what is this thing\nthou hast done?\u201d And Owlglass answered, and said: \u201cA wolf have I made,\nas ye enjoined me.\u201d Then said the tailor: \u201cSuch a wolf would I not have;\nbut a peasant\u2019s great coat. That called I a wolf.\u201d Thereat answered\nOwlglass, and spake unto the tailor, saying: \u201cDear master, that knew not\nI. An ye had said unto me, that ye would have a peasant\u2019s coat, then\nwould I have made it; but ye said I should make a wolf, and, lo! have I\nnot done it? And with greater content would I have made a coat than a\nwolf.\u201d And the tailor forgave him; for as it was ended, what should he\ndo?\n\nAnd after four days had passed, was the tailor fain again to sleep, and\nyet he judged that it was too soon for his man to get him to bed. And\nthere lay a coat in the shop, the which had been finished, all save the\narms, which should be sewed on. This took he, and gave it unto Owlglass,\nsaying: \u201cWhip me these arms to the coat, and then mayest thou sleep.\u201d\nAnd Owlglass answered: \u201cYea;\u201d and therewith departed the tailor. Then\ndid Owlglass light two candles, and he hung the coat on a hook, and made\nhim a whip with whipcord, and \u2019gan to whip the sleeves, so that he might\nget them unto the coat. Yet stirred they not. And when that his candles\nwere burned down, gat he two more, and lighted them, and burned candles\nthrough the whole night. At last arose the master, and came unto\nOwlglass into the shop, and said unto him: \u201cWhat mystery play ye here?\u201d\nAnd Owlglass answered gravely, and said: \u201cNo mystery is this, but hard\nlabour; for the whole night through have I stood here, and whipped me\nthese sleeves with whipcord, yet move they not unto the coat. Better had\nit been if that ye had bid me sleep; for ye surely knew that I must lose\nmy labour.\u201d Then answered the tailor, and said: \u201cLay ye that to my\ncharge? Am I ever to be finding ye brains to understand that which I\nsay? Didst not see that I meant that ye should sew the sleeves on to the\ncoat?\u201d Answered straightway unto him Owlglass: \u201cNay; but, in the evil\none\u2019s name, how can ye think that it be my fault, that when ye say one\nthing I should understand ye to mean another thing? If that I had known\nwhat ye would have done, would I not have sewn the sleeves on, and then\nslept an hour or twain? Now may ye sit ye down, for I will get me unto\nmy bed.\u201d Thereat said the tailor: \u201cNot so; I will not receive into my\nhouse folk that lazy be and sleep.\u201d Then did they strive together in\nanger; and the tailor would have payment of Owlglass for the candles he\nhad burned, but this would not Owlglass give him; therefore took he that\nwhich belonged unto him, and departed.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and Fourth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass caused three tailors to fall from their board, and\nthen would have persuaded the people that the wind had blown them down._\n\n\nOn the market at Brandenburg, Owlglass abode in an inn for a matter of\nfourteen days. And hard by there dwelt a tailor, and on his board had he\nthree of his men sitting at work. And when that Owlglass passed by over\nagainst them, they did nothing but mock him, and throw rags after him.\nAnd all this time kept Owlglass silence; and one day when that it was a\nfull market-day, did he secretly the night before saw through the posts\nwhich held up the board, and so left them standing. In the morning did\nthe men put the board on the posts, and sate them down as usual, and\nsewed. At the time when that the swineherd blew his horn that every one\nmight drive forth his swine, came the tailor\u2019s swine forth likewise, and\nran under the window, and against the posts began to rub themselves;\nthen came down the three tailors, and fell upon the ground, and sorely\nhurt themselves. And when Owlglass marked that they fell, he cried with\na loud voice: \u201cBehold, ye people, of what light account are tailors,\nwhen that by the wind three are blown down from the board!\u201d These words\nof Owlglass heard the whole market, and the people therein. Then ran all\nthe market-place in great haste, and laughed, and mocked the tailors\nwith great scorn; and then did the tailors abuse each one the other with\nmuch evil language, for they wist not how it had come to pass that they\nhad fallen. At last did they behold that the posts were sawed through,\nand knew well that it was Owlglass. Then did they set new posts in the\nground, but mocked him no longer.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass assembled all the tailors throughout the whole land\n of Saxony, by proclaiming that he would teach them a mighty useful\n thing, that would get bread both for them and their children._\n\n\nOn a time, Owlglass made proclamation in the whole of the Wendic Union,\nand in the land of Saxony, that is, in Holstein, Pommern, Stettin, and\nMecklenburg, and likewise in L\u00fcbeck, Hamburg, in the Sound, and at\nWismar; and in his letters said, that truly the tailors in those parts\nshould come unto him, for tidings of great joy and content did he bring,\nand a cunning and rare art would he disclose unto them, by the which\nthey should have great comfort and gain, and their children after them.\nAnd he said, that they should come unto him into the town of Rostock,\nand so should assemble together. Then did they all make answer unto\nOwlglass, that for so great an art would they willingly come, and learn\nthat art of which he spake.\n\nAnd so came they all together upon occasion to Rostock; and the folks\nwere all amazed as to why so great a number of tailors came and abode in\nthat town. When that Owlglass also heard that they had approached and\nentered into the town, he was right glad; and he let them grow in\nmultitude until that among these tailors were a goodly number of men.\nThereafter spake they unto Owlglass, and said unto him, that, according\nunto his word, they had come together, and that they would fain learn of\nhim what that art was which they should be taught, and the which should\nbenefit both them and their children. Then besought they him that he\nshould soon teach them; and rarely would they recompence him therefor.\nAnd Owlglass answered, and said unto them: \u201cYea; do ye all together come\ninto a field, so that all may hear.\u201d And according unto his saying did\nthey.\n\nThen gat him Owlglass up into a house, which overlooked the field, and\nthere looked he forth from a window; and he lifted up his voice, and\nsaid unto them: \u201cHonourable artificers in the tailoring trade, I bid ye\nmark and perceive, that when ye have by ye scissors, ellwand, thread,\nthimble, needle, and a smoothing-iron, the which ye call a goose, then\nhave ye enough tools for your business; and to get them, therein is no\nart, for common is it, and cometh of itself. But do ye steadfastly learn\nof me this art, and bear ye me in mind when that ye do it. When that ye\ntake a thread, forget ye not at the end thereof that is contrary unto\nthat which ye thread in the needle to make a knot, or, in good sooth, ye\nwill make many a stitch in vain.\u201d Thereat did one tailor look upon his\nneighbour; and they each one said unto the other: \u201cLo! was not this a\nthing well known unto all of us, and of old time a rule among us?\u201d Then\ndid they ask him whether he had anything further to tell them. \u201cVerily!\nfor phantasy\u2019s sake would not we have come twelve weary miles, or\ndespatched from one to the other messengers of speed; and this art ye\nhave told us have we known these thousand years.\u201d Then answered Owlglass\nunto the tailors, and said unto them: \u201cThat which hath been known these\nthousand years is marked of no man; and when that people are bidden to\nthink upon it, do they not in any wise thank the speaker.\u201d Therefore\nmight they depart again unto where they had come from. Then were the\ntailors who had come from afar very wroth with Owlglass, and would fain\nhave come to him, and beaten him; but he was nimble and escaped them.\nThen conferred they one with the other, and laughed, and said: \u201cTruly\nwas it their own fault that they were thus befooled; for knew they not\nof old what a slippery fellow was this same Owlglass?\u201d\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and Sixth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass beat wool upon a saint\u2019s day, and that very high._\n\n\nAnd when that Owlglass came unto Stendal, he gave it out, that he was a\nwoolstapler, and hired himself unto a master in that town. Then upon a\nSunday spake the master unto him, saying: \u201cMark ye, my good fellow, upon\na Monday do ye commonly keep holiday, and that love I not in any man who\ncometh into my house; for here must all diligently labour.\u201d And Owlglass\nmade answer: \u201cThat pleaseth me right well, master.\u201d So he gat him up\nearly on the Monday, and laboured hard, and the same thing did he on\nTuesday; and that pleased the master exceedingly. And on the Wednesday\nthere fell a saint\u2019s day, the which was a holy day and should be kept;\nyet gat Owlglass to his labour again, and \u2019gan to work and beat his\nwool, so that ye might hear him right down the street. The master arose\nfrom his bed when that he heard the noise, and cried unto Owlglass with\na loud voice: \u201cBe ye still; be ye still; to-day is a holy day, and we\nmay not labour.\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cDear master, said ye not on\nSunday, that ye loved not that one should be idle on a holy day; but ye\nsaid, that I should work the whole week through.\u201d And the woolstapler\nanswered him: \u201cNay; but I meant not that. Leave thy labour now, and that\nwhich thou wouldst have earned to-day will I pay thee.\u201d And this fitted\nOwlglass right well; and he kept the holy day, and at eventide he supped\nwith his master. Then conferred they; and the master said unto him, that\nthe wool contented him not, and he bade Owlglass, that he should beat it\nup a little higher. And Owlglass said: \u201cYea;\u201d and in the morning he\narose from his bed early, and fixed up the frame to the beam, and gat\nhim a ladder, and mounted thereupon, and with his rod beat the wool, so\nthat all the town could hear the noise. The while lay the master in bed,\nand he perceived right certainly that Owlglass was not beating the wool\nas he should do; therefore he gat up, and went, and looked upon him. And\nhe spake unto him jestingly: \u201cBy my troth, and if ye stood upon the roof\nso would ye be yet higher; and little would it rede whether ye stood on\nthe ladder or the roof.\u201d And therewith departed he unto the church.\nThereupon did Owlglass take the frame, and climbed up on the roof, and\nthere beat the wool. That saw his master from the street as he came\nalong; and he cried aloud unto him, and came running: \u201cHa! ho! what do\nye there upon the roof? Is that a thing ye should do, to beat the wool\nupon the roof?\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cTruly did I according unto thy\nwords. For thou didst say, that it would be better upon the roof than\nthe ladder, for that the roof was higher than the beam.\u201d And the\nwoolstapler said: \u201cPlay ye no more of your knaveries; get ye forth from\nmy house, nor do ye again come hither.\u201d Thereat departed Owlglass, and\nlamented that he could never earn any thanks.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and Seventh Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass was hired by a furrier, and did sleep among the\n skins._\n\n\nOn a time did Owlglass take service with a furrier, and when that it was\nnight, he bade Owlglass get him to work and hang out the skins. But\nOwlglass loved not the labour, and would fain have escaped therefrom.\nAnd he spake unto his master, saying: \u201cHow is this that with so ill\nsavour this smelleth. I\u2019 faith, I cannot bear it!\u201d And the furrier\nanswered him and said: \u201cVerily, it seemeth unto me that of this trade\nknowest thou nought. For an if thou hadst slept only four nights among\nthe furs, then wouldst thou no longer mark their ill savour.\u201d Then said\nOwlglass: \u201cFour nights will I sleep among the skins, master, and then\nshall I not mark it.\u201d So the furrier gat him to bed. And behold,\nOwlglass took the skins which were prepared, and which hung upon the\nwall, and he took also the skins which were dry; and lastly, took he the\nwet skins; and he cast them together upon the floor of the loft, and\ncrept in among them and slept until the morning. When that it was day,\nthen rose up his master, and he beheld that the skins were taken from\nthe wall; and he ran unto the loft, and spake unto Owlglass to inquire\nof him what it might fortune that he knew about the skins. And he\nperceived not Owlglass; but lo! his eyes fell upon the skins, which, wet\nand dry, lay together in a heap one with the other. Thereat was he\nstrangely moved, and with a weeping voice called the maid and the women\nfolk; and these cries did cause Owlglass to awake, and he looked forth\nfrom among the skins, and said: \u201cHonoured master, what may it be that\ndoth move ye so to cry out and to clamour?\u201d Then did the furrier marvel\ngreatly, and knew not what might be in the heap of skins.\n\nAnd he opened his mouth, and said unto Owlglass: \u201cWhere art thou?\u201d And\nOwlglass to him answered: \u201cBehold, here am I.\u201d Then said the master:\n\u201cThat good fortune may never come unto thee! Hast taken me the dry furs\nfrom the wall, and the wet from the lime-pit, and cast me them together\nin this heap, so that they be spoiled. What wilt thou with this\nphantasy?\u201d But the wise and prudent Master Owlglass answered him and\nsaid: \u201cHow, master, be ye not angry! for an if ye be angry for that I\nhave slept one night amidst the skins, what will ye be when that I have\nslept the four nights ye enjoined me; for ye said that I knew nought of\nthe labour.\u201d Then said the furrier: \u201cNow liest thou like unto a false\nand ready knave! I bid thee not carry together the wet and the dry, and\nsleep amid them after this wise!\u201d Then sought the furrier for a stick,\nand tried to beat Owlglass. But then went Owlglass towards the door to\ndepart thence; and as he went he met the wife of the furrier, and the\nmaid servant, and they would fain have held him. But he said unto them:\n\u201cPeace be with ye, good friends, let me hasten for a chirurgeon, for my\nmaster hath fallen, and his leg hath broken!\u201d Then they let him go, and\nran up the stairs unto the master; but he came running down at a great\npace, and overthrew the maid and his good wife, and they all stumbled\nand fell together. Yet our good master had speedily departed, and gotten\nhim thence with all haste.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and Eighth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass on a time, at Berlin, did make wolves._\n\n\nOf a cunning and wily mind are the Swabians, and where they come and\nfind not victual, ye may approve it of a certainty that other folk will\nstarve. Yet are they more lovers of the beer jug, and of drinking, than\nthoughtful of their labour, so comes it likewise that their business\nlieth but sadly. Now it happened on a time that at Berlin lived a\nfurrier, and he was in Swabia born, and in his art was he most handy,\nand had much business, and thereto was rich, with a good workshop, by\nthe which he had gained much, as he served those which held lands, and\nmoneys, and houses, and goodly titles. And it came to pass that one\nwinter season a great and noble prince, with all his court, desired to\nhunt; and they commanded the furrier to prepare for them not a few wolf\nskins to wear. Of this was Owlglass told, so he gat him unto the\nfurrier, and besought him that he would give unto him work, that he\nmight have money and food. At that time, also, did the master lack\npeople, and was right glad that Owlglass had come unto him; and he spake\nunto him, and asked him, if that he would make such wolves. And Owlglass\nanswered: \u201cThat he was of the land of Saxony, and knew well how to make\nthem.\u201d Then said the furrier unto him: \u201cTruly art thou well come unto\nme, and I bid thee stay. And touching the reward of thy pains will we\nagree, and thou shalt abide with me, and have a good time while that\nthou stayest.\u201d Owlglass answered and said unto the furrier: \u201cYea,\nmaster, I do bethink me that thou art right honest and true; and I crave\nnothing so much as that ye shall know me for what manner of man I am,\nwhen that ye behold my labour. But I work not in fellowship with other\nmen; but ever alone in mine own company.\u201d\n\nThen did the furrier allot unto Owlglass a small chamber wherein he\nabode; and he received from the furrier the metage of certain furs, and\nthe wolves\u2019 skins. Then took Owlglass the wolves\u2019 skins as they were,\nand cut them, and made of them a number of wolves; and these he stuffed\nfull of hay, and gat feet made of sticks, and they stood up in manner as\nif they lived. And when that he had thus cut up all the furs, and made\nan end of his labours, he cried aloud to his master: \u201cHo! master, come\nhither; truly have I ended my labour, and made the wolves.\u201d And the\nmaster answered and said: \u201cYea, my good man, verily have I yet much\nlabour to do! Be thou diligent, and continue as thou art.\u201d Then turned\nhe about to go thence, and he beheld the wolves standing in the chamber,\nand he lifted up his voice thereat, and cried aloud in great anger:\n\u201cWhat is this that thou hast done! Thou bird of unhappy fortune! what\nevil hast thou wrought unto me? For this will I have thee cast into\ngaol, and thou shalt suffer therefor.\u201d Then answered Owlglass and said:\n\u201cMaster, call ye that my reward and my thanks. Ye commanded me that I\nshould make wolves, and wolves have I also made. Had ye but said that I\nshould make wolf furs, then had I understood ye, and also have done it\nwith great joy. In the beginning should ye have explained carefully unto\none that is a stranger that which ye would have. And, indeed, had it\nappeared unto me that I should have gained no greater thanks than that\nwhich hath been given me, then would I not have wrought thy work in any\nwise.\u201d Then departed Owlglass from Berlin, and gat him into the city of\nLeipzig.\n\n\n\n\n The Fifty and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass, being servant unto a great lord, did fetch for him\n wine and beer together in a most delectable manner._\n\n\nOnce again did Owlglass take service with a noble lord, and became unto\nhim body servant. And it fortuned, that this master of his loved good\ncheer,\u2014the which is a thing not rare among all manner of men,\u2014and\nespecially loved he a cup of generous wine, or a deep draught of good\nbeer.\n\nIt came to pass, that on a time Owlglass and his master journeyed\ntogether, and lay at an inn. And the day was hot, and they twain were\nfaint, for they had ridden hard. Then spake the lord unto his\nserving-man Owlglass, and said: \u201cGo thou and find mine host the landlord\nof this inn, and fetch him unto me.\u201d That did Owlglass on that instant;\nfor well knew he, that when the master drank the man was seldom dry. And\nhis lord spake unto the host, and said unto him: \u201cLo! we have come far,\nand the sun hath burned us so that we be dry, and would have some\ndrink.\u201d And the host answered him: \u201cVerily, in all the wide world, and\nthe Duchy of Mecklenburg to boot, is there no such liquor as in my\ncellar. Therefore have ye come unto the best place to slake your\nthirst.\u201d Then commanded the master, that Owlglass should depart with the\nhost; and he said unto him: \u201cI know not the which is best, therefore do\nthou bring me good store of both wine and beer, and bring ye them\ntogether.\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cYea;\u201d and departed with the host. Then\nthe host meted unto him both of wine and of beer; and Owlglass said unto\nhimself: \u201cIf that I faint then loseth my master his good servant;\ntherefore, that I may truly serve him, will I first drink, for\nperadventure I shall not have strength to bring the liquor unto my\nlord.\u201d Therefore drank he merrily the half of the wine and the half of\nthe beer, and remembered his lord\u2019s words, that they should be together;\ntherefore mingled he the wine and the beer in one measure, and gave unto\nhis lord to drink. And when that the lord found how delectable was the\nmixture, he waxed very wroth, and said unto Owlglass: \u201cWhat is this that\nthou hast done, and what vile liquor is this?\u201d \u201cTruly, my lord,\u201d quoth\nhonest Owlglass, \u201cit is wine and beer mingled together, as ye enjoined\nme to bring unto ye.\u201d But his master perceived it was a knavery, and\nbade Owlglass to depart from his sight; for, of a truth, was his\nbeguiling most evilly done. But sorrowfully departed Owlglass, for he\nthought that he wrought no harm in doing the thing which was commanded\nunto him. Indeed, my masters, often times falleth the evil temper of the\none upon the other; and for the too exact enactment of the commands of\nthe master is the man chidden.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixtieth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass for a tanner prepared leather with stools and\n benches, at the good city of Brunswick on the Dam._\n\n\nNow it fortuned that as Owlglass journeyed from Leipzig, he came unto\nBrunswick to a tanner there, who made ready the leather for the\nshoemaker. And it was winter time, and he said unto himself: \u201cNow shalt\nthou stay the winter through with this tanner.\u201d Then agreed they\ntogether, and he hired himself unto him. And after that eight days had\ngone by, it came to pass that the tanner desired to depart unto a feast,\nand he commanded Owlglass the while that he should make ready some\nleather. For he said unto him: \u201cThe cauldron of leather prepare ye.\u201d And\nOwlglass asked him: \u201cWhat shall I do it with? and where shall I find\nwood for the fire?\u201d And the tanner answered and said unto him:\n\u201cWherefore ask ye such an idle question? If that I had no wood upon the\nwood-heap, have I yet store of stools and benches enough in the house,\nwith the which thou mayest prepare the leather.\u201d And Owlglass answered:\n\u201cYea;\u201d and then departed the tanner. Then did Owlglass take a cauldron,\nand hung it over the fire, and put one skin of leather after another\ntherein, and boiled the leather until it was so soft that ye might, with\ntwo fingers, rend it in twain. And when that Owlglass found this he took\na hatchet, and therewith hewed in pieces every stool and bench the which\nwere in the house, and he put them in the fire under the cauldron, and\nboiled the leather yet more until that he looked therein again, and lo!\nthese stools and benches were all burned up. Then took he the leather\nout of the cauldron, and put it in a heap, and departed out of the house\nand the city, and continued his journeying.\n\nBut the tanner thought not a jot upon the matter, but ate and drank, and\ngat him to bed, and slept. Next morning \u2019gan he to think it was time he\nshould see what labour had been fulfilled of his man; therefore he\narose, and went unto the workshop, and found the heap of leather so\nmarred, and neither stool or bench in the place. Then grew he right\nangry, and went unto his wife, and said unto her: \u201cBehold, I fear our\nman that we hired was Owlglass, that great knave, cheat, and beguiler;\nfor it is his custom to do everything that is told according to the\nwords spoken unto him. And now hath he departed, and marred me all the\nleather, and burned me up every stool and bench the which stood in our\nhouse.\u201d Then wept his wife, and spake unto him, saying: \u201cGet ye after\nhim with all speed, and bring him back hither.\u201d But the tanner said:\n\u201cNay, that will I not do. I have had of him enough.\u201d And perchance was\nthis saying true.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and First Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass was groom unto a noble lord, and what knavery he\n wrought unto his lord\u2019s horse, Rosimond._\n\n\nOn a time it fortuned, that with a lord of great wealth and much land,\nour noble Master Owlglass took service. Now this most noble gentleman,\nwhen that he entered into the lord his household, was made to be groom\nof the horses; and his lord commanded and enjoined him, that he should\nhave a great care of the horses, and in especial he desired Owlglass to\ndress and tend a horse of a milk-white skin and gentle blood, named\nRosimond. And this horse did his lord love better than any other steed;\nfor that it was of a disposition most rare. Yet did Owlglass none the\nless bethink him of a knavery the which he might do unto this lord; for\nfrom a deceitful beguiling could he at no time refrain. But he answered\nhis lord when that he charged him; and spake unto him, saying: \u201cYea, my\ngood lord and master; all that ye bid me to do will I with great\ndiligence perform.\u201d And therewith departed his lord from him, and\nrejoiced with great content that he had obtained for himself so\nexcellent a groom.\n\nIn no long time thereafter were all the horses put forth into the\nfields, there to graze, and to exercise themselves after the manner of\nhorses. Then gat Owlglass unto his lord, and stood before him, and said:\n\u201cOf a truth, master, well know I that of thy horses there is not one\nthat thou lovest so well as thou dost the milk-white steed Rosimond.\u201d\nAnd thereto said his master: \u201cYea.\u201d \u201cThen of that steed,\u201d answered\nOwlglass, \u201chave I had special care. Yet I fear me, master, that by thy\nanswer unto me, he will not be long to live.\u201d Then said his master: \u201cIf\nthat be so, and my beloved steed is not long to live, go thou, my trusty\ngroom, and get ye me his skin, that I may have it.\u201d For Rosimond\u2019s skin\nwas of a most rare beauty. Thereat answered Owlglass: \u201cYea;\u201d and gat him\nto the field where Rosimond was grazing, and pursued him. But the horse\nwas very fleet, and fled before Owlglass; and it was eventide ere\nOwlglass caught him. Then when he had thus caught him, he took a knife\nand killed Rosimond, and took his skin, and brought it unto his lord.\nAnd when that he brought it unto him, he said unto Owlglass: \u201cHow cometh\nthis? Verily, the whole day hast thou been away, and surely in a less\ntime than a whole day couldst thou have taken off the skin.\u201d And\nOwlglass excused himself, saying: \u201cLo! my good lord, most truly sayest\nthou that in less than a whole day could I have taken off the skin; yet\nhad I great labour in the matter, for Rosimond fled before me, and was\nfleet of foot. Now have I brought the skin, as thou didst enjoin me.\u201d\nThen waxed the master of Owlglass very wroth, and cried aloud unto him:\n\u201cThou knave, was not my horse Rosimond dead then? Didst thou kill my\nhorse?\u201d To him quoth Owlglass: \u201cYea, truly killed I the horse; for so\ncruel am I not, that I should take the skin off a living horse. For in\ntorture-chambers do they only such things, either unto man or unto\nbeast.\u201d Then wept the lord greatly for his beloved horse; and he would\nhave killed Owlglass, but that Owlglass fled, saying: \u201cI did but\naccording to the words of my master; for I said unto him, that I feared\nme that the horse would not live any long while; and then commanded he\nthat I should take his skin, the which I have done, and my kind heart\nhath injured me, in that I did not skin the horse ere I killed it.\u201d Then\ndeparted Owlglass in great haste, and came not again into that lord\u2019s\nhouse.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and Second Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass beguiled the drawer at the town-house cellar of\n L\u00fcbeck, and did for a can of wine give him a can of water._\n\n\nWhen that Owlglass came unto L\u00fcbeck, he took great heed to commit no\nknavery; for in that town are the folk very strict upon such as beguile\nor deceive. Therefore was our good master sadly perplexed and unhappy,\nfor that in no wise could he gratify the feelings of his heart and\ncontent himself as he was wont to do. And at that time there lived in\nthe town of L\u00fcbeck a drawer, named Lamprecht, who kept the cellar at the\ntown house; and he was a man very proud, who believed that no person in\nL\u00fcbeck,\u2014yea, no person in the whole world,\u2014was so wise and so important\nand so discerning as he. Nor did he at any time think that he might not\nsay it of himself; and when that he said it, he used to add, that one\nthat would beguile him must of a morning rise very early. For this\nreason were the citizens very wroth with him, and held him as an enemy.\n\nNow when that Owlglass heard of the arrogance of this man, he could no\nlonger keep hidden the knave which he was; and he thought within\nhimself, that he would soon shew that he was an even master in craft and\ncunning with him. Therefore took he two cans of the same size and form;\nthe one he carried openly in his hand, and it was empty; but the other\nbare he secretly under his cloak, and it was filled with water. Then\ndeparted he unto the wine-cellar, and there had a measure of wine meted\nunto him, and then deftly took forth the can with water and set it down,\nand put the wine-can within his cloak. And Owlglass lifted up his voice,\nand said unto the drawer: \u201cWorshipful master drawer, what costeth this\nwine?\u201d And he answered, and said unto him: \u201cTruly, it is tenpence the\nmeasure.\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cThe wine is marvellous costly. I have no\nmore than sixpence. Can I have it for that money?\u201d Then waxed the drawer\nvery wroth, and said: \u201cWilt thou dare to value the wine of my lords the\ntown council? Here have we a fixed sum; and he that liketh not the\nprice, may let the wine stay in the butt.\u201d Therewith taketh he in his\nwrath the can with the water in it; and Owlglass said unto him: \u201cSee\nthou, an if ye will not have the sixpence, therefore I am content ye\nshall pour it back.\u201d Then the drawer poured the water into the butt, for\nhe thought that it was the wine; and he said unto him: \u201cWhat a foolish\nknave art thou? Thou hast wine meted unto thee, but thou carest not to\npay therefor.\u201d Then took Owlglass the empty can, and departed, and said:\n\u201cVerily do I see that thou art a fool; and there is no one so cunning\nand wise in this world, that may not by a fool be beguiled. Aye, and\nthat too if he were a drawer!\u201d Then he returned forth from the cellar,\nand he thought himself safe.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and Third Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass \u2019scaped hanging by his cunning, and would have hanged\n himself for a crown, yet did not._\n\n\nWhen that Owlglass came forth into day from the cellar, the drawer,\nLamprecht, did bethink him of the words which Owlglass spake, and he ran\nhastily for a police officer, and they pursued Owlglass, and in no long\ntime took him in the street as he went forward. The officer seized him,\nand they examined our noble Master Owlglass, and found upon him the two\ncans, and of them one contained the wine of the which he had beguiled\nthe drawer, and the other was empty. And, O and alas! that the pen of\nthis chronicler should write so sad a thing of the virtuous Master\nOwlglass!\u2014they held him for a thief, and took him first and carried him\nand cast him into the city prison, and there lay he. And then assembled\nthe council of the town, and they conferred together touching the\noffence of Master Owlglass, and it was agreed amongst them that he had\ncommitted a grave crime, for the doing and enactment of which it was\nfitting that he should be hanged up until that he was dead. Yet did some\naver that it was nought else but a subtle device and knavery, and that\nthe drawer should have, with more care, avoided the over-reaching with\nthe which he had been visited; so that, indeed, the fault, in so much as\nit touched Master Owlglass, was but an impudent action. But the many\nwho, with great hatred, hated Master Owlglass, carried it that it was\nflat robbery, so with their voices outweighed the rest, and he was\ndecreed to die.\n\nAnd when the day came on the which he should be hanged up, there was a\ngreat assembly of people in the city, for my good masters (as in this\ntown of ours in the which this book is imprinted and published), there\nare ever lying in wait evil and cruel persons who, if it so chance, that\nthey themselves be not in fear of the gallows\u2019 tree, will always hastily\nrun and see another die the death they would not command should be done\nto their dogs. They came upon horses and on foot, and so great an uproar\nwas there, that at last the council was greatly vexed that they had\nresolved to put him to death; for in good truth this deed was not\nsufficient to be worthy of the gallows. And some desired to look upon\nhim to see how so marvellous a man would take his end. Others considered\nthat he was a magician, and with the aid of evil demons would rescue and\nsave himself, and of a truth did all hope that after some wise he would\ncome off alive. But all this time, as he was led forth, remained\nOwlglass silent and still, and held his peace; and the multitude\nmarvelled, for they thought he would have despaired greatly. And when\nthat he was come unto the gallows\u2019 tree, he opened his mouth and spake,\nand besought the town council that as he was a dying man, and one that\nwould never again speak, that they would grant unto him one grace, and\nhe would not ask them for his life, nor for money, nor for anything the\nwhich should cost them a penny; nay, but that by it he might, in good\nsooth, save them a sum, and the charges of the town being heavy, it\nwould relieve them.\n\nAnd then stood the council altogether, and marvelled what this might be;\nand they conferred together, and agreed that, indeed, they would grant\nhim that he desired, if that it proved not against the things he had\nhimself said unto them. Then spake Owlglass unto the town council, and\nsaid: \u201cIndeed, it shall be manifest unto ye that it runneth not counter\nunto my words. It is but a little matter the which can easily be told\nunto ye, and give me now your hands, that it may be granted.\u201d Thereat\ndid they according to his words. Then said good Master Owlglass, the\nprisoner: \u201cNoble and worshipful councillors of L\u00fcbeck! I have said unto\nye, that for as much as ye have condemned me to death, I should truly\nsuffer death as ye have decreed. But a grievous and heavy debt lieth\nupon the city, the which every man should strive to lighten according\nunto his means; and to do this will I also aid as best I may. This day\nhave ye brought me out to be hanged up; but see ye the halter wherewith\nye would hang me is a new one, and ye must be at charges therefor unto\ntwo crowns. Now, if I say unto ye that I will, an if ye give me a crown,\ngo and fetch an old rope, and therewith hang myself, will ye make no\nlittle profit; for my good friend the hangman, will not be at the pains\nto hang me, and ye will save his fee, and all these men with the which\nye guard me, may freely depart unto their homes. Therefore I pray ye\nthat ye will give unto me the money, and at mine ease, when that I have\nnought else to do, will I hang myself, in good faith, with an old rope.\u201d\nThen said the chief magistrate: \u201cOf a truth the knave is right, and we\nwould do well to let him do this as he saith.\u201d And they granted his\nwish, and he departed thence; but in all his life was he never at his\nease sufficient to fulfil his saying. But oft he meditated thereupon,\nintending to do it; yet the best intents are oft not to be discharged.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and Fourth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass, at Helmstadt, caused a great pocket to be made._\n\n\nA knavery did once Owlglass perform with a pocket. For in the town of\nHelmstadt there lived a pocket-maker, and unto him came Owlglass, and\nspake unto him, saying: \u201cWilt thou make for me a great pocket?\u201d Then\nanswered the pocket-maker: \u201cYea, that will I. How great will thou have\nit to be?\u201d And Owlglass said unto him: \u201cSo that it be great enough I\nshall be content therewith.\u201d And at that time was it the set fashion to\nwear great pockets of hair, broad and deep. Then did the pocket-maker\nmake for Owlglass such a great pocket as he would have him to do. And\nwhen Owlglass came and looked upon it, he said: \u201cLo! this pocket is not\ngreat enough. This is but a pocket-kin. Make for me one the which shall\nbe large enough. Of a truth will I pay thee well all thy labour.\u201d Then\ntook the pocket-maker the skin of an ox, and made the pocket so great\nthat one might have put a calf of one year old within it, and it would\ntax one man\u2019s strength to lift it. Thereafter came Owlglass again unto\nthe house of the pocket-maker, and looked upon it, but it liked him not,\nand again said he: \u201cThis pocket is not great enough. If that thou wilt\nmake me a pocket great enough, will I now give thee two crowns on the\nbusiness.\u201d And the pocket-maker answered him: \u201cYea;\u201d and took the two\ncrowns, and made another pocket; and thereunto took he three ox-hides,\nand it was so heavy that two men would have had to bear it upon a frame,\nand within might ye have put great store of corn. But when Owlglass\nlooked again upon the work of the master, he spake unto him, saying:\n\u201cLo! my good master, this pocket is great enough, but the pocket I would\ncrave is not this one; therefore will I not have it. But an if ye would\nfashion for me such a pocket that when I take from it one penny I shall\never leave therein twain, I would most willingly pay thee for thy\nlabour.\u201d And therewith departed Owlglass, and left the man with his\nthree pockets and the two crowns. Yet in leather had the work cost hard\nupon ten crowns.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass, at Erfurt, beguiled a butcher._\n\n\nWhen that Owlglass came unto the town of Erfurt, he forgat not to work\nsome piece of knavery. And soon was he well-known of the students and\ntownsfolk. One day he was going through the market-place, over against a\nbutcher\u2019s shop, and the butcher cried aloud unto him that he should buy\nsomewhat of him that he might carry it home. Then answered Owlglass unto\nthe butcher, and said unto him: \u201cWhat wilt thou that I shall take with\nme?\u201d And the butcher said: \u201cWhat shalt thou take, sayest thou? Why,\ntruly, a good piece of beef!\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cYea,\u201d and took such a\npiece and departed. Then ran the butcher, and pursued him, and said unto\nhim: \u201cNay; but do thou now pay me for this meat!\u201d Thereat spake Owlglass\nunto him, saying: \u201cOf money didst thou say nothing at all unto me. Thou\ndidst say unto me with great kindness and courtesy, that I should take\nsomething, and when I asked thee what it should be, thou didst single\nout the beef; and that took I. And I can, by thy neighbours, prove that\nit was after that wise that thou gavest unto me the beef.\u201d Then came the\nother butchers, neighbours of the one who had controversy with Owlglass,\nand they confirmed our noble master from hatred of their neighbour, and\nsaid: \u201cYea, that it was as the butcher had said unto the young man.\u201d For\nwhen that folk came to buy in the shambles, this butcher would always\ncry aloud unto the customers that they should buy always of him.\nTherefore did the neighbours help good Master Owlglass unto his piece of\nbeef. And while that the butcher was arguing and contending with anger\nand strife on this matter, Owlglass put the beef within his cloak and\ndeparted; thus left he them to contend together as long as it delighted\nthem.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and Sixth Adventure.\n\n _Telleth how that good Master Owlglass again beguiled the butcher at\n Erfurt, by pleasing him with a most grateful jingle._\n\n\nIn less than a week after, came Owlglass again unto the shambles. And\nthe same butcher spake once more to Owlglass, and mocked him, and said:\n\u201cCome hither again, and for thyself get a piece of beef.\u201d And unto such\ncomforting words answered Owlglass: \u201cYea;\u201d and would have taken a good\npiece of meat; but the butcher in haste took hold of his meat, and kept\nit. Then said Owlglass unto him: \u201cBide a while, and let the meat lie; I\nwill pay thee for it.\u201d And the butcher laid the meat again upon the\nbench. Then said Owlglass unto him: \u201cHear me what I say. If that I speak\nsuch a word unto thee as shall content thee, will that be payment for\nthis meat, and I will not touch it in any wise?\u201d And the butcher said:\n\u201cLo! thou mightest say words unto me that would content me most greatly,\nor words that would not agree; yet if thou sayest such words as shall be\npleasant, then canst thou take the meat.\u201d Then spoke Owlglass after this\nwise:\n\n \u201cBe merry this day, and drink good wine;\n Thy meat will be paid for,\u2014the money thine.\u201d\n\n\u201cTruly this is a brave saying,\u201d said the butcher; \u201cbut I would rather\nhave the doing. This likes me not. Say on.\u201d Thereat spake Owlglass once\nmore:\n\n \u201cThe good wife scolds nor prates to-day;\n Be happy therefore whilst thou may.\u201d\n\n\u201cNay, nay,\u201d said the butcher; \u201chow can that be when that I have no wife.\nThy saying likes me not. Say on.\u201d Then laughed Owlglass, and said:\n\n \u201cThe butcher best likes to be paid,\n So money-bag be now my aid.\u201d\n\nThen cried the butcher: \u201cSuch words are brave and true words. Behold,\nthou speakest sensibly, and the saying like I well.\u201d Thereat said\nOwlglass: \u201cBehold, then, the meat is mine. Good friends that stand\naround, is it not true that I have now fulfilled my part?\u201d And with much\nclamour said they: \u201cYea;\u201d and Owlglass took the meat, and departed. But\nthe butcher stood still, and knew not what to say unto them; for the\nneighbours mocked him, and turned him to scorn. And if thereat he was\nvexed, truly was it no great wonder.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and Seventh Adventure.\n\n _Touching the faults of the which our noble Master Owlglas had a few;\n for he was human, and in all human things is imperfection._\n\n\nMy worthy masters, truly must ye have seen how virtuous, how wise, how\nkind, how excellent a man was our noble Master Owlglass; so that as a\nmirror of honesty and simplicity ye mote admire him. But, alas! this\npresent chronicler hath, with grief and sorrow, to confess, that even in\nthis great man was there error; and it behoveth a true historian justly\nto set forth the imperfections of men as much as their marvellous\nexcellencies. And thus, with scrupulous care, say I now, that Master\nOwlglass had, with his many noble qualities, the error of a short\nmemory. Most strange is this defect in so great a person: yet is it\ntrue, that if he received money to pay to another, he forgat it; if he\nowed money to another, he forgat it; and in eating and drinking most of\nall was his memory treacherous and failing.\n\nHe sate at meat once in a noble house, where the folk were making\nexcellent cheer, and where, for more than six hours, sate they eating\nand drinking; and Owlglass was with them, for he marked not the time.\nYet, at last, it was meet they should rise up from the table, and depart\neach to his home. Then departed Owlglass also; and as he went, he passed\nby a house where they sate at supper, and the master of that house\nentreated him, that he should enter in unto them and eat. And so did he;\nfor he had forgotten altogether, that for six hours he had dined. Then\nmost excellently played he the guest at the table; and one that knew he\nhad come from the feast spake unto him, saying: \u201cLo! my beloved Master\nOwlglass, how cometh it that ye eat so well now, having lately at the\nbanquet so lustily eaten?\u201d And Owlglass answered: \u201cDid I so? That have I\nforgotten; for I have the misfortune to carry with me a belly that\nlacketh memory in every wise.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and Eighth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass at Dresden became a carpenter, and for his pains\n earned little thanks._\n\n\nSoon departed Owlglass, and came unto Dresden, near unto the Bohemian\nforest, upon the Elbe water, and there proclaimed that he was a\ncarpenter. And it fortuned, that a master carpenter in the town heard of\nhim, and hired him to be his journeyman; for his man had departed from\nhim, and he lacked some one to be man unto him. And as in this world of\nours, my masters, there be pleasure and gadding about and weddings as\nwell as woe and buryings, so fortuned it, that at that time there was in\nthe town such a wedding, and thereunto was the master carpenter bidden.\nAnd he spake unto Owlglass, saying: \u201cGood fellow of mine, unto this\nwedding must I go, and to-day shall I not return home again. Do thou,\ntherefore, labour diligently, and bind me these four table boards most\ncunningly together with glue.\u201d And Owlglass answered, and said unto him:\n\u201cYea; but which of these belong together?\u201d Then laid the master the\ntable boards together as he would have them joined, and gat him forth\nwith his wife unto the wedding.\n\nThen did our Owlglass, that pious man, diligently go to work, and, after\nhis manner of doing all things wrong, took the four table boards, and\nbored holes in them, and laid them one upon the other. Then set he the\nglue-pot on the fire, and heated it, and with the brush glued all the\nboards together, and carried them up stairs unto the top of the house,\nand put them forth out of the window to dry, and then kept he holiday\nall the eventide. And at night cometh the master home, and well had he\ndrunken at the festival. Then spake he unto Owlglass, and said unto him:\n\u201cHow hast thou laboured during the day?\u201d And Owlglass answered, and\nsaid: \u201cLo! my good master, verily have I done that which thou didst bid\nme to do, and joined the boards together with glue, and then made I an\nearly holiday at eventide.\u201d And therewith was his master right well\npleased and content; and he said unto his wife: \u201cIn good sooth is this a\nmost excellent serving-man, and he doth with great diligence fulfil that\nwhich I have commanded him. Therefore must we hold him in great honour\nand esteem.\u201d These words spoken, he gat him to bed.\n\nAnd when that it was day he arose, and so did also Owlglass; and the\nmaster bade Owlglass that he should bring unto him the table that he had\nmade. Then went Owlglass unto the loft, and brought down the boards all\nglued together and marred. And when that the master saw how the work was\nspoiled, he said unto Owlglass: \u201cWhere didst thou learn the art of\ncarpenter\u2019s work?\u201d And Owlglass answered, and said: \u201cWherefore ask ye me\nthis thing?\u201d Then said the master: \u201cForasmuch as thou hast marred me\nmuch costly wood in thy labour.\u201d When that Owlglass heard this he was\ngreatly moved, and said: \u201cNay; but, master, I did only that which ye\ncommanded, and if that I marred the wood, it is thy fault, not mine.\u201d\nThen was the master right wroth, and said unto him: \u201cThou knave, get ye\nforth from my house, and be gone from my workshop; for of thy work have\nI no profit.\u201d Thus departed Owlglass, and very little thanks earned he\nfor his labour.\n\n\n\n\n The Sixty and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did hire himself unto the master of a saw mill._\n\n\nAs Owlglass journeyed on from place to place, it fortuned that he passed\nhard by a saw-mill, at a time when the men were diverting themselves,\nand eating their suppers, the which a maiden servant had brought unto\nthem. Owlglass then conferred with the men, and told them of his many\nmarvellous adventures, the which he was not unmindful of extolling.\nThereat came the master, and listened with an attentive ear. Now, it\nhappened, that the manners of Owlglass pleased the master of the\nsaw-mills much, and he took great delight in his merry jests. Then\nOwlglass told him he was a carpenter, and had also worked in saw-pits,\nwhich caused the master to move him to tarry, for he might have as much\nwork there as it pleased him to do. Thereat did Owlglass consent unto\nhim; and in order that the bargain might at once be shewn of effect, he\nsate himself down, and did eat of the supper; nor did he seem after that\nin any wise strange at that house, but did eat with so much appetite,\nthat in truth it appeared unto all as if he had eaten of that fare all\nhis life.\n\nThereafter did they depart unto their work again, and Owlglass had to\ncarry heavy oaken stems up unto the saw-mill, the which did not agree\nwith him in the wise that meat and drink always did. Soon, therefore,\nwas he aweary of this labour, and he cast about in his mind how\ncunningly he might become quit thereof. So when it came to pass that his\nwork-fellows set a huge block of oak over the pit, and began to saw it,\ndrawing the saw each way, Owlglass spake unto them, saying: \u201cWhat is\nthat I see ye do? Wherefore pull ye the saw so as if each would have it\nalone. In my country, every man hath his own labour; but ye labour not\nto do any good purpose in pulling away the saw each from the other. But\nI will shew unto you a simple way by which ye can profitably labour.\u201d\nTherewith took he the axe in his hand and brake the saw in two pieces,\nand said unto them: \u201cNow can ye each labour in comfort without getting\ninto anger.\u201d Then ran the workmen unto the master to tell him how\nOwlglass brake the saws; and when the master came to demand money for\nhis saws, had Owlglass departed thence.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventieth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass became a maker of spectacles, and perceived that\n trade was very bad._\n\n\nAngry and contentious were the monarchs and electors, and there was no\nRoman C\u00e6sar or king all this while. And it came to pass, that the Count\nof Supplenburg was chosen to be Roman king; yet were there others who\nwith might desired to enter into the empire. Therefore was it, that the\nnewly chosen Roman king had to sit down before Frankfort with a large\narmy for the space of six months, and there lie in wait for some one to\nbeat him off. And as with him abode there much folk, both foot and\nhorse, Owlglass bethought him within himself: \u201cLo! now among the king\u2019s\npeople shall thy affairs be most profitably advanced; and now will I get\nme up, and among the many strange lords which be there, will I make\nhappy fortune; for of money will these gentles bestow not a little upon\nme.\u201d Then did he according to his words, and gat him up, and departed on\nhis way. And all the great folk of all countries came together there.\nAnd in the Wetterau by Friedberg it came to pass, that the Bishop of\nTrier, with his folk, encountered our noble Master Owlglass by the way,\nas he journeyed on toward Frankfort. Now Owlglass was curiously\napparelled; and the bishop\u2014who, like unto most meddling priests,\ndelighted much in prying into all matters\u2014asked of Owlglass what manner\nof man he was, and in what way he earned his living.\n\nThen opened Owlglass his mouth, and spake unto the bishop, and said unto\nhim: \u201cMost reverend lord and father, a maker of spectacles am I, and\nfrom Brabant do I fare. And in that country do people so clearly see,\nthat I can by my trade win nothing. Therefore do I journey in search of\nwork, the which I might do because trade is bad.\u201d Then said the bishop:\n\u201cOf a truth believe I not that which thou sayest unto me. For thy trade\nshould wax greater and greater every day, for as much as people now grow\nmore shortsighted, and see less and less that which is before them. Thus\ndo folk require many spectacles.\u201d To him replied our noble master after\nthis wise: \u201cYea, my noble lord; but there is one thing that destroyeth\nour handicraft, and that would I tell you, but that you would with great\nscorn reject my saying, and with anger visit me.\u201d\n\nAnd the bishop answered, saying: \u201cNay, to the crying out of the people\nare we well used. Say freely on that which thou wouldst say.\u201d Then said\nOwlglass: \u201cNoble and reverend lord, one thing is there the which doth\nmar our handicraft altogether, and I fear me greatly, that, with all\nobeisance unto thee, it will utterly ruin and destroy it. For that ye\nand other great lords, popes, cardinals, bishops, C\u00e6sars, kings,\nprinces, counsellors, governors, and judges, now look rather through\nyour fingers, than after any other wise. And thus think ye your sight\nlong and true, and therefore buy ye not of such poor artizans as we be.\nAnd of old time read we, that men which are reputed learned did with\nmuch diligence read, study, and explore the mysteries of wisdom, so that\ntheir eyes grew faint and weak, in order that thereby no evil might\narise unto the people; and at that time was our trade yet good. In the\nlike manner did the parsons most carefully read and study; but now is\nevery one so learned, that, without looking upon any book, doth he know\neverything, and by his inward wisdom perceiveth he all that he would\nknow. Thus is our trade marred. Now run I from one land unto another,\nand nowhere can I find any work; for even hath this reached so far into\nthe hearts of men, that the very boors do ape and imitate their betters,\nand would be so wondrous wise.\u201d Without gloss perceived the bishop good\nMaster Owlglass his text, and spake unto him fair words, and said:\n\u201cBehold now, come thou with us unto Frankfort, and there will we mend\nthy trade, and recompence thee richly for thy pains, and to thee shall\nbe given our dress and arms; for truly art thou worthy to be with us.\u201d\n\nThus did the bishop reward Owlglass, and chose the vagabond for his\nfellow, and in right fellowship were they the twain; and from the\nChurch, the which Owlglass despised, gat he at last great comfort. For\nthat which now with great contempt we put away, may anon be of great\nworth and advantage. So he abode with the bishop until the count was\nconfirmed emperor, and then departed again into Saxony.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and First Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass of a boor at the fair of Gerau took leather._\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nIn the town of Gerau was there a fair, and from all the country side and\nparts both far and near, came folk in great multitude exceeding many, to\nbuy and to sell and to chaffer. All manner of ware might ye behold\nthere; but (O good fortune!) in especial was there no lack of leather,\nand almost every boor which came unto that place bought of leather a\nroll or twain. But the crowd of folk pushing hither and thither, each\ncontending and striving with each, was so great, that it was hard to\ntell which owned any special roll of the good leather they had bought.\n\nAnd among the good folk which came unto that place was our worthy and\ntrusty Master Owlglass, and he came with the crowd, and was greatly\ncontented therewith. And, behold, there came before him a boor with a\nroll of leather; and Owlglass perceived what an excellent knavery could\nbe practised. So took he a needle and thread with speed, and deftly\nsewed a corner of the leathern roll unto his own doublet. In no short\nspace of time did he with his hands pluck by force the piece of leather\nfrom the boor, and turned him about, and departed another way among the\nfolk. Thereat marvelled the boor with great marvel, and stood still; but\nin a little while thereafter departed he after Owlglass, and took him,\nand said: \u201cThou knave, thou hast from me stolen my leather.\u201d But\nOwlglass answered, and said unto him gently: \u201cNay, friend, thou art\nunjust towards me. Seest thou not that the leather is mine, for it is\nsewed unto my coat, so that none may steal it. And hadst thou done so\nlikewise, then couldst thou not have lost thy leather.\u201d And the boor\nbelieved the words of Owlglass, and departed elsewhere to seek the\nleather he had lost.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and Second Adventure.\n\n _How that at Hildesheim Owlglass did hire himself unto merchant to be\n his cook, and what tricks he played unto him._\n\n\nAs thou goest down that street at Hildesheim which leadeth from the\nHaymarket, dwelt, on a time, a rich merchant, and he did come forth unto\nthe gate, and would have entered into his garden. And he passed along,\nand behold, he found Owlglass lying in a green field, and he greeted him\nand spake unto him, and would have known of him what manner of man he\nwas, and in what wise he earned his bread. Then with hidden knavery\nanswered Owlglass unto him, and said: \u201cI am a cook, yet have I now no\nservice.\u201d And the merchant said unto him: \u201cIf that thou would be pious\nand diligent, would I myself hire thee, and give unto thee new clothes;\nfor my wife doth every day most bitterly cry out touching the cooking.\u201d\nThen did Owlglass, with great sincerity, promise and vow unto him\nobedience. Thereafter hired him the merchant, and asked him what his\nname might be? And Owlglass answered, and said: \u201cPAN-CRA-TI-US.\u201d The\nmerchant said: \u201cOf a truth is this name very long; behold, one cannot\nwith brief time speak it. Thy name shall be Crazy.\u201d And Owlglass\nanswered: \u201cYea, most excellent master, so mote it be, for it is all one\nto me, what I am called.\u201d Then did the merchant approve him, and said to\nhim: \u201cBehold, thou art a servant in whom I can have pleasure. Follow me,\ntherefore, and we will get unto my garden before the town, and there\ngather herbs, and carry home with us young chickens, for on the next\nSunday have I guests coming, and I would fain give unto them good\ncheer.\u201d Owlglass followed him unto the garden, and there cut they\nrosemary, to make a stuffing for the chickens, after the Italian mode;\nand they took of onions, and of other herbs good store, and thereto of\neggs, and departed, and came home again.\n\nAnd when the good wife looked upon the strangely apparelled Owlglass,\nshe said unto her husband, and asked him: \u201cWhat manner of man have ye\nhere? Would ye waste our bread on such a fellow?\u201d And the merchant\nstraightway answered and said: \u201cBe content good wife; to thee shall he\nbe obedient. Lo! he is a good cook.\u201d And the wife replied unto him:\n\u201cYea, good man, I am content, and goodly messes shall he cook for us.\u201d\nThen said the merchant: \u201cTo-morrow shall ye see how bravely he can\ncook.\u201d And he called Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cCrazy!\u201d Then spake\nOwlglass: \u201cMaster!\u201d \u201cGo thou and take the meat sack, and follow me unto\nthe shambles, for I would buy meat for the dinner.\u201d Then followed\nOwlglass his master, and the meat was bought accordingly. Then the\nmerchant enjoined Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cBehold, take thou the\nmeat and set it me down where it may slowly become cooked, in a cool\nplace, so that it be not burned. And the other meat set me down\nlikewise.\u201d Owlglass answered: \u201cYea,\u201d and rose up early the next morning,\nand some of the meat put he unto the fire to roast; but the other put he\nupon the spit, and laid it in the cellar between two butts of Einbeck\nbeer, so that it could not be burned.\n\nAnd when the friends of the merchant entered, among them was the town\nclerk, and many other worthy folk; and the merchant went unto Owlglass,\nand said unto him: \u201cHow doth the meat fare? Hast thou done as I told\nthee.\u201d \u201cYea,\u201d said Owlglass, \u201cthat have I. For no cooler place in all\nthy house could I find than the cellar, and there lieth the meat upon a\nspit between two casks of Einbeck beer.\u201d \u201cBut is it not ready then?\u201d\nasked the merchant. \u201cNay,\u201d said Owlglass, \u201cI wist not that ye would have\nit.\u201d\n\nAnd then came the guests, and the merchant told them how Owlglass had\nput the meat in the cellar; and thereat laughed they greatly at the\nmerry jest, and so was Owlglass excused. But the good wife was not\ncontent therewith by reason of the guests, and besought her husband that\nhe would let him go, for well saw she that he was a knave. Then said the\nmerchant: \u201cDear wife, behold! I fain would have his services to assist\nme when that I go unto the town of Goslar; be patient, and when that I\nreturn thence will I bid him depart in God\u2019s name.\u201d And they sate and\nmade good cheer, and drank good wine, and had much comfort; and at\neventide the merchant called for Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cToll,\nprepare thou the coach and smear it right well, for to-morrow will we\ndepart unto Goslar, and with us doth ride that good priest, Master Henry\nHamenstede, for there abideth he, and will go with us.\u201d Then said\nOwlglass unto his master: \u201cYea, he would do his bidding.\u201d And he\ninquired of him, saying: \u201cWhat manner of unction shall I use to smear\nthe coach withal?\u201d The merchant cast down a shilling for him to take,\nand said unto him: \u201cGo ye straightway and buy ye cart grease, and that\nunction will serve thee as well as any other.\u201d And the obedient Owlglass\ndid, therefore, according unto the words of his master.\n\nWhen that all men had gat them to bed, stood our Master Owlglass and\nsmeared the coach within and without with the cart grease the which he\nhad bought, and on that spot where his master sate smeared he the most.\nIn the morning arose his master, and came with the priest unto the\ncoach, and commanded that he should put the horses unto the coach; and\nthat also did Owlglass. And then departed they in the coach; and as they\nwent forward, the grease with the which Owlglass had greased the seat\nbegan to smell with no sweet savour, and the priest opened his mouth,\nand spake unto the merchant, saying: \u201cLo! what is this? There is a\nsavour in this coach which savoureth not of a goodly savour. And when\nthat I would hold me unto the sides of the coach, for as much as it\njolteth and jarreth me, then are my hands covered over with grease, the\nwhich love I not.\u201d Then commanded they Owlglass that he should stop, and\nthen told they him that of a truth were they smeared all over with\ngrease, and with grievous anger visited they our good master.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen cometh by a peasant with a load of straw, going unto the market; of\nhim bought they sundry bundles, and they wiped the coach, and all their\nclothes, and again gat them in. And the merchant spake with great anger\nunto Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cThou evil and most beguiling knave,\nwhat is this thing which thou hast done? Get ye unto the town gallows\nwith all speed.\u201d And Owlglass did as he was commanded, and when that he\ncame unto the gallows tree, he stayed the coach, and unharnessed the\nhorses thereof. Then cried the merchant unto Owlglass, with a loud\nvoice: \u201cWhat is this other thing which thou hast done, thou knave?\u201d And\nOwlglass said: \u201cOf a truth bid ye me drive unto the town gallows, and\nthere stand we. I thought that here would ye rest.\u201d Then looked the\nmerchant and perceived the place where they stood, and the gallows\nthereby. What could these worthy men do? Was it not the best to laugh\nthereat as they might. So laughed they; but the merchant said unto\nOwlglass: \u201cNow do thou drive straight forward, and look not round in any\nwise.\u201d Then drew Owlglass the pole from out of the carriage, and drave\nthe horses forward.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when that they had driven some small distance, that\nthe fore-part of the coach was from the hinder part loosened, and the\nmerchant and the priest sate within, and abode standing on the road.\nThey cried aloud unto Owlglass, but he would not look round, but\ndeparted with the fore-part of the coach and the horse, and cast not his\neyes behind to see what had happened. And though they pursued him, was\nit a long time ere they came up with him. Then would the merchant have\nkilled him, but the priest would not have this done. And when that the\njourney was ended, said the merchant\u2019s wife unto him: \u201cWhat manner of\nvoyage hast thou had?\u201d And the merchant answered unto her: \u201cMarvellous\nstrange hath it been; yet have we returned back again with safety.\u201d Then\ncalled he Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cHear me what I say, fellow\nvoyager. This night mayest thou yet remain here with me, and thou mayest\nalso bravely eat and drink. To-morrow morn do thou rise up and clear me\nthe house that I may be quit of thee and of thy company. For a knave art\nthou wheresoever thou wert born.\u201d Then said the poor and worthy Master\nOwlglass: \u201cDear heart of me! all that is required of me that do I, but\nno one giveth me thanks therefor. Yet my service contenteth me not, then\naccording as thou commandest will I in the morning clear the house and\nget me hence.\u201d \u201cYea, so do thou,\u201d said the merchant.\n\nThe next day arose the merchant, and said unto Owlglass: \u201cDo thou eat\nand drink until thy stomach is contented, and then get forth from this\nhouse, so that I look not upon thy face again, when that I come from the\nchurch.\u201d But Owlglass held his peace. And when that the merchant had\ndeparted from the house, he began to clear the house, and stools,\nbenches, tables, and all that he could drag forth took he and cast it in\nthe street. The wares of the merchant likewise cast he forth, and the\nneighbours marvelled greatly what it should signify that all the goods\nwere thus brought out from the house. And one that was a friend of the\nmerchant departed and told him, so with great wrath ran he unto his\nhouse, and sware more than in the church he had prayed. And then said he\nunto Owlglass: \u201cHow cometh it that yet ye are here? Did I not command\nthee to go hence?\u201d \u201cYea, master,\u201d quoth honest Master Owlglass, \u201cI would\nfain only have fulfilled your command, for ye enjoined me that I should\nclear the house, the which am I not performing? And truly am I glad ye\nare returned, for some matters are too heavy for me, and I would crave\nyour help.\u201d \u201cLet all things lie,\u201d said the master, \u201cI have been at more\ncharges for them than that they should be cast into the mire. And thou,\nget thee unto the evil one, and let me not see thee more.\u201d And Owlglass\nlamented and said: \u201cAlas! is it not a marvellous strange thing that\neverywhere do I what I am told; yet am I ever chidden for my pains? In\nan unfortunate hour must I have come into the world.\u201d Then departed he,\nand left the merchant to carry back into his house his chattels and\nmerchandise. Thereat laughed the neighbours with great content.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and Third Adventure.\n\n_How that at Greifswald good Master Owlglass came unt the Rector of the\nUniversity, and proclaimed himself to be a master in all languages, save\n in one only, to wit, the Spanish tongue._\n\n\nNow unto the good town of Greifswald, on that stormy sea which is called\nthe Baltic, came Owlglass on a time. And when that he arrived set he\nupon the church doors letters, and upon the University gates also,\nproclaiming therein, that of all languages, save one only was he the\nmaster, and he could understand every tongue save one, to wit, the\nSpanish. Thereat marvelled the people with great marvel.\n\nWhen that the Rector saw the letters which Owlglass had set upon the\nuniversity gate, he called together his masters, and they conferred\ntogether; and then was it agreed amongst them, that Owlglass should be\nbidden to come before them, and that if he could do that which he said,\nthen would they do him high honour, and entertain, and endue him with\nall the dignities of their venerable college; but if that he might be a\ndeceiver, then would they with great indignity visit him, and command\nhim to depart out of their town. So appointed they a day for this to be\ndone. And Owlglass accepted the challenge which the rector and masters\nsent him; and the town was busy all the time with gossips here and\ngossips there, talking of the marvellous professor which had come. And,\nafter the manner of gossips, did they make two where before was one; and\nof the foreign master was great conference and noise.\n\nWhen that the day had come for this wonderful disputation and\nexamination, there assembled together the rector and the masters, the\nchief councillors of the town and the most considerable citizens; and\nthen entered to them Owlglass, who was attired in like manner unto them,\nwith gown and grave look. And the rector bade him, that he should sit on\na stool in the midst of the assembly, over against him. And Owlglass\nsignified unto him, that now would he fain be examined. Then arose the\nrector, and, with much gravity, spake unto him, and addressed him in the\nLatin tongue. And Owlglass said to him: \u201cMost noble rector, but one\nlanguage in the world have I not learned, the which language is Spanish;\nand now that thou speakest unto me, it appeareth unto me that thy words\nsavour of that tongue.\u201d Then the rector said unto him, that truly was\nLatin like unto Spanish, yet was it not Spanish, and, therefore, should\nhe have known. But Owlglass said: \u201cNay; but if any tongue were like unto\nSpanish, then shut he his ears; for that it was great shame unto the\nChristian world, that yet should in Spain such vile unbelievers be as\nthe Moors and their black king.\u201d So by reason of his fervour excused\nthey Owlglass. Then stood up the rector, and spake unto him in the Greek\nlanguage. And Owlglass answered, that unto him it sounded like Spanish.\nAnd the rector said unto him: \u201cIf that thou knowest all languages, then\nmust thou truly also know the Greek tongue.\u201d \u201cThat,\u201d quoth Owlglass, \u201cis\nthe reason why unto me it sounded like unto Spanish. For of old time\nwere the Greek nations idol worshippers, and bowed down unto senseless\nstocks and stones; and shame were it that Christian man should speak\nsuch a tongue.\u201d Then did the assembly praise Owlglass with great praise.\n\nA third time arose the learned rector, and spake unto Owlglass; and this\ntime spake he Italian. And Owlglass said unto him: \u201cBehold, that too is\nlike Spanish, and I must hold my peace.\u201d And the rector told unto him\nthat it was Italian. \u201cShame should it be,\u201d said Owlglass, \u201cthat I should\nspeak the language of brigands and robbers.\u201d And again praised the\nassembly the wisdom of the new professor. And the rector spake unto him\nin the French. \u201cMarvellous like unto Spanish,\u201d cried Owlglass. \u201cNay, but\nit is the French,\u201d said the rector. \u201cThen marvel I no longer,\u201d said\nOwlglass; \u201cfor the French would everywhere continually have more land;\nand the mountains which lie betwixt France, Navarre, and Spain, would\nthey fain have cast into the sea.\u201d Then spake the rector to him in\nEnglish. \u201cThat tongue likes me not; I fear me it is Spanish,\u201d quoth\nMaster Owlglass. The rector told him that it was English. \u201cLet me hear\nno more on\u2019t,\u201d answered he; \u201cfor in England is mist and fog and snow, so\nthat there be no marvel if that it sound like Spanish or any other. Give\nme,\u201d he said unto the rector, \u201cthe honest German tongue, for that must\nfor ever be a noble tongue and a useful.\u201d And the assembly had great\ncontent with Owlglass; for they perceived, that truly he was a master of\nlanguages, and understood not the words so much as the intent, and that\nhe judged of the lands by the tongues used by the inhabitants thereof.\nFor truly, my masters, all languages are like each unto the other; for\nin every one will ye find liars, cozeners, knaves, cutpurses, deceivers,\nand beguilers, in number a great multitude. So with honour departed\nOwlglass.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and Fourth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass did at Wismar become a horse-dealer, and beguiled a\n merchant._\n\n\nBy the water at Wismar most knavishly did Owlglass beguile a\nhorse-dealer. For unto that place came a horse-dealer, and he bought no\nhorse unless by a certain thing he learned whether the horse was long to\nlive. And thus did he: when that he had bargained and the price was\nfixed, he seized the horse by the tail, and marked, by the plucking of\nthe tail, whether he would long live or no. For if the horse had a long\ntail, and he plucked him thereby, and the hair was weak, then judged he\nthe horse would not long live. Then bought he not that horse. An if the\ntail were firm in the horse, then did he buy it, and believed truly that\nit would long live and had a hardy body. For this was a common saying at\nWismar, and in it believed all people which abode there. Of this saying\nheard Owlglass, and upon it meditated he a great knavery; for he held it\nto be a thing most grave, that all error should from the folk be taken,\nfor Owlglass would have no beguiler of the people but himself; and, my\nmasters, was not this our good master an exemplar unto many which even\nunto this day have followed in his footsteps?\n\nIn the black art was our master also well grounded; therefore with rosin\nand blood made he a tail unto a horse, the which had no tail, and\ntherewith gat he him to market, and there did he bid to the folk dear\nenough so that none would buy it. And the merchant, which plucked the\nhorses by the tail, after that came by, and Owlglass offered it unto him\nat cheap rate, in all good conscience. Then the merchant looked upon the\nhorse that it was fair, and in truth worth the money which Owlglass\ndemanded therefor. So he came thither, and desired to pluck it by the\ntail. Now Owlglass had so wrought the tail, that if peradventure the\ndealer so plucked, the tail would therewith stay within his hand, and it\nshould seem as if he had plucked it forth. And so also it came to pass.\nThen stood the merchant with the tail, and was abashed; and Owlglass\ncried with a loud voice: \u201cBehold the knave, he hath plucked my horse by\nthe tail, and lo! he hath plucked it out, and my horse hath he marred.\u201d\nThen ran the townsfolk, and held the merchant, and would not let him\ndepart until that he had satisfied Owlglass with ten crowns for the\ndamage unto the horse. Then Owlglass went on his way rejoicing.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass wrought a great knavery upon a pipemaker at\n L\u00fcneburg._\n\n\nAt L\u00fcneburg abode a pipemaker, and he once had been a pedlar, and, with\na pack, had trudged many a league; and this man fortuned to sit drinking\nhis beer. And to him entered Owlglass, and much company found he there.\nAnd in jest did the pipemaker bid Owlglass to dine with him, and said\nunto him: \u201cTo-morrow do thou come unto meat with me, and eat that which\nthou wouldst have, an thou art able.\u201d And Owlglass answered: \u201cYea;\u201d and\ntook his words to be serious, and the next day came unto the pipemaker\u2019s\nhouse, and would have entered in and eaten at his table. But there found\nhe that above and below was the door bolted and the windows shut. Then\nOwlglass walked up and down before the house a few times, until that the\ndinner-hour came; but the door was fast shut all this time, and he\nperceived that he had been beguiled of the pipemaker. So he departed\nfrom that place, and said not a word, but held his peace. And it came to\npass, that on the next day Owlglass beheld the pipemaker in the\nmarket-place, and he stood before him, and spake unto him, saying: \u201cThou\ndost bid guests unto the feast, and when that they come, find they the\ndoor fast closed, so that they cannot enter therein.\u201d Then answered the\npipemaker unto Owlglass, and said unto him: \u201cBehold, I bid thee to be my\nguest, but with certain words; for I said unto thee that thou shouldst\neat with me, an thou wert able; but that couldst thou not, for when that\nthou camest were the doors shut, and thou mightst not enter therein.\u201d\n\u201cTruly,\u201d quoth Master Owlglass, \u201cwe live and learn. That wist not I\nbefore, so have thou my thanks.\u201d And the pipemaker laughed, and said:\n\u201cYet shalt thou not fast this day. Go thou unto my house, and, behold,\nthere wilt thou find boiled and roast, and the doors are open. Enter\ntherein and eat, and in no long time will I follow thee; and thou shalt\nbe alone, and no other guest but thee will I have.\u201d And Owlglass\nmeditated within himself, and said, privily: \u201cBravely goeth this\nforward.\u201d Then gat he him unto the pipemaker\u2019s house, and findeth it as\nthe master said unto him. And the pipemaker\u2019s wife stood cooking by the\nfire. Then said Owlglass unto her: \u201cBehold, thy good man is at the\nmarket, and hath received a great fish as a gift, and he desireth that\nthou shouldst depart unto him, and help him to carry it home. Meanwhile\nwill I turn the spit for thee.\u201d The good wife answered Owlglass, and\nsaid: \u201cAlas! good Master Owlglass, that will I do; and with my maid will\nI get me quickly unto him, and soon return.\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cPeace\ngo with thee.\u201d Then departed the good wife and her maid unto the market,\nand as they went forward met they the pipemaker coming towards his\nhouse; and he said unto them: \u201cWhat do ye here?\u201d And they answered, and\nsaid: \u201cOwlglass came unto us, and bade us hasten unto thee upon the\nmarket, for thou hast had a large fish given unto thee, and thou wouldst\nhave help to carry it home. And Owlglass hath remained in the house, and\nturneth the spit.\u201d And the pipemaker waxed very wroth, and said unto his\nwife: \u201cHere is a knavery. Why didst thou not stay within; for he hath\nnot done this without thereby signifying some deceitful work. Behold, I\nhave no fish.\u201d Then turned they, and altogether came unto the house; and\nwhile they were conferring together, Owlglass had shut both door and\nwindows, and that found they when that they came unto the house. Then\nspake the pipemaker unto his wife: \u201cNow seest thou what manner of fish\nthou shouldest fetch?\u201d\n\nThen beat they upon the door. Thereat came Owlglass behind the door, and\nsaid: \u201cBeat ye the door no longer, for to no one will I open it. The\nhost said unto me, that I should be alone within the house, and no other\nguest would he have but myself. Therefore depart ye, and after dinner\ncome hither again.\u201d The pipemaker said: \u201cIt is true, I said according\nunto thy words, but I meant not that it should be thus.\u201d And the\npipemaker said unto his wife: \u201cI\u2019 good faith, let him now eat and drink,\nfor I have in my pate that which shall reward him for his knavery.\u201d\n\nSo the three departed, and abode in a neighbour\u2019s house until that\nOwlglass had made an end of eating and drinking. Then set Owlglass to\nhis labour, and boiled the meat, and roasted the roast, and set it upon\na dish, and brought a stool unto the table, and with great content ate\nand drank and made good cheer; and he drank health unto his worthy host,\nthe pipemaker. And when he had filled himself, then arose he and opened\nthe door, and set the dishes unto the fire again. Then entered in the\npipemaker, his wife and maid; and he said unto Owlglass: \u201cAfter this\nwise, the which thou hast done, do not honest folk.\u201d But Owlglass\nanswered and said: \u201cHow might it be that I should do otherwise? For,\nbehold, thou didst say I should be alone and the only guest; and if that\nI had let more guests in, shame would it have been to me, for my host\nwould have brooked it not.\u201d And therewith departed he. Then looked the\npipemaker upon him as he went, and said: \u201cBe not afraid, this matter\nwill I richly repay unto thee, thou knave!\u201d Thereat said Owlglass: \u201cHe\nis the best man who is ever the master.\u201d Then in that same hour went the\npipemaker unto the hangman, who also gat money by carting dead horses;\nand he said unto him: \u201cAt the inn lieth a pious man, named Owlglass, and\nthis night hath his horse died. This would he have carted away.\u201d And the\npipemaker showed the hangman the house where lodged Owlglass. And the\nhangman perceived that it was the pipemaker, and agreed with him that he\nwould do it, and took his cart and went unto the house. Then said\nOwlglass unto him: \u201cWhat wouldst thou have?\u201d And the hangman answered\nOwlglass, and said unto him: \u201cLo! the pipemaker hath been with me, and\nsaid unto me that thy horse was dead and should be carried away. Is it\ntruly so?\u201d But Owlglass mocked him, and bade him carry the pipemaker\nunto the gallows. Then was the hangman wroth, and departed unto the\npipemaker\u2019s house, and made complaint, and with six shillings did the\npipemaker satisfy him. But Owlglass saddled his horse and rode forth\nfrom the town.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and Sixth Adventure.\n\n _How that an old woman mocked the good Master Owlglass when that at\n Gerdau he lost his pocket._\n\n\nOf old time lived there at Gerdau, in the L\u00fcneburg country, an aged and\nvenerable couple, who for fifty years lived there together, being good\nman and wife; and had goodly sons and daughters, the which had grown to\nripe age. And it came to pass, that the priest of the town was a merry\ngood-humoured wight, who loved jolly company; and wherever there was a\ncup of wine to be quaffed, there would he fain be. With his parishioners\nhad he so fitted it, that every boor in the country side did at least\nreceive him and his cook once in each year; and then stayed he some day\nor twain, and made excellent cheer. Now, the two old people had for many\na year kept neither dedication, nor christening, or any feast at which\nthe priest could have content for his fair round belly; and thereat was\nhe greatly moved and vexed. Therefore he meditated much within himself,\nhow that he might bring it about that they should give a feast.\n\nThen sendeth he unto the boor a messenger, and asketh how long that it\nhad been since he had by Holy Church been married unto his good wife? To\nhim answered the boor: \u201cReverend father, so long is it ago, that I have\nforgotten how many years it hath been.\u201d And the priest rejoined unto\nhim: \u201cThat such forgetfulness was an evil thing for the salvation of his\nsoul, and he should strive to remember that thing.\u201d Then did the boor\nconfer with his wife, and considered the matter; yet could they not find\nthe true time to tell it unto the priest. Therefore came they both unto\nthe priest, and were greatly troubled, and entreated of him that he\nshould give unto them some wholesome counsel wherewithal they might\ncomfort themselves. Then said the priest unto them: \u201cForasmuch as ye\nknow not the time at the which ye were married, will it be best that\nnext Sunday I marry you again, and then will ye be comforted. Therefore\ndo ye prepare a feast, and kill an ox, and a sheep, and a pig, and bid\nyour children and good friends to rejoice with ye on that day, and with\nall favour give unto them good cheer; and I promise ye that I also will\nbe with ye.\u201d Then said the boor: \u201cIn good sooth, reverend father, is thy\ncounsel most comforting unto the spirit. It shall go hard, but I will\nhave a feast which shall be fitting unto the day; for it would not be\nwell that after fifty years we should be put forth from the marriage\nstate.\u201d These words spoken, he departed unto his house, and failed not\nto do as the priest had advised him.\n\nAnd the priest bid unto the feast several of his own friends, other\npriests and dignitaries of the most Holy Church. Among these was the\nDean of Epsdorf, who in his stables had always a horse or twain, the\nwhich were not to be despised; and, like unto other priests, he loved\ngood cheer. And with him had Owlglass served some time. And the dean\nsaid unto him: \u201cSit ye upon my young horse and ride with me, and to that\nare ye right welcome.\u201d To that agreed Owlglass. And when that they were\nright merry, and did eat and drink with marvellous content, the old\nwoman, the which was the bride, sat at the head of the table. And after\nso much labour was she tired; so she gat up and departed out of her\nhouse, at the back, down to the river Gerdau, and therein bathed she her\nfeet. By this time did the Dean of Epsdorf and Owlglass set forth to\nride home; and when that they approached unto her, Owlglass caused his\nhorse to prance and curvet, that the bride might have content thereof;\nand so lustily did he this, that his girdle came unfastened, and his\nside-pocket fell down upon the ground. And when that the woman beheld\nthis, she rose up and took the pocket, and sat down thereupon by the\nwater. So it came to pass, that when Owlglass had got about a field\u2019s\nlength from the place where the woman sate, he found that he had lost\nhis pocket, and therefore turneth he about and cometh again unto Gerdau,\nand he saith unto the woman: \u201cHast thou seen an old pocket anywhere upon\nthe ground?\u201d And the woman said: \u201cAye, upon my wedding-day did I find an\nold rusty pocket, and that have I yet unto this hour.\u201d And Owlglass said\nunto her: \u201cThy wedding-day? Oho! long since was it that thou wast a\nbride! truly must it be an old rusty pocket, such an one will not I\nhave!\u201d Then said the woman: \u201cIs it this?\u201d but would not give it unto\nhim; and so cunning might he be, yet gat he not his pocket, and he was\nfain to leave it behind him; and at Gerdau it is unto this day, and\nthither mayest thou travel if that thou desirest to look upon it.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and Seventh Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass gained money by a horse._\n\n\nOn a time was Owlglass very poor; and of all his possessions there\nremained unto him nought but his horse; and he was sorely troubled in\nhis mind, how it might be that he should get him food, lodging, and\nraiment. Then came he unto a village where there was a fair, and he gat\nhim unto the chief inn, and in the stable lodged he the horse, and he\nbade the host bring him food to eat, and good cheer of wine. And\naccording unto his words was it done.\n\nAnd when he had eaten and drunk, and was no longer hungry, he bethought\nhim how that he might get him some money. Therefore went he into the\nmarket-place, and there cried with a loud voice, that he had brought\nwith him the most marvellous horse which had ever been seen, and that\nits tail was where its head should be, and in the place of its tail was\nits head. And this horse would he for little money show unto the village\nfolk. Then came they unto him in great multitude, and each gave unto him\nsome money according to his wealth; and he let them into the stable, and\nrequired of them that they should not in any wise betray him, and this\npromised they unto him. Then did he display unto them the horse, and lo!\nhis tail was tied unto the manger, and his head looked forth the other\nway. Then laughed the village folk at the merry jest of Owlglass, and\nforgave him the money he had taken from them. Thus gat he store of\nmoney, and departed on his way with great content.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and Eighth Adventure.\n\n _How that at Oltzen Owlglass did beguile a boor of a piece of green\n cloth, and caused him to confess that it was blue._\n\n\nOf roast and boiled was Owlglass most woundily fond at all times,\nseasons, and occasions; and for that hunger pinched and griped him, by\nreason that honest bread he would never eat, it so befel, that to eat he\nmust seek diligently for what he would have. Now it came to pass, that\nwhile the fairing was going forward in the good little town of Oltzen,\nwhither from the Wend country came many, and also from divers other\ntowns, it came to pass, I say, that the great and beloved Master\nOwlglass bent thitherward his steps, with intent to sell of his ware,\nwhich be fool-making and coney-catching, like any other honest merchant\nof them all. And truly do ye know, that all goods be most difficult to\nsell, and such ware as Master Owlglass possessed not less than other\nkind; so it behoved him to walk hither and thither, that he might have\noccasions to display that wit and honesty, for the which he was so\nfamous.\n\nThereafter as he was, with weary steps\u2014believing that honest trade had\ndeparted clean out of this mad and strange world in which we\nbe\u2014purposing to turn away, he beheld a country boor, of loutish mien,\nchaffering and cheapening with a peddling huckster vagabond, for a piece\nof green cloth, the which the boor gat, and therewith set forth toward\nhome. \u201cFine work be this,\u201d thought Owlglass unto himself, \u201cthat loutish\nboors should thus chaffer and cheapen cloth, the which for their betters\nwas woven! Here be thou arbiter, and of wrongs redresser.\u201d And within\nhimself took he counsel how that cloth he might himself have, for, as\nbeing the compeer of princes and bishops, it would the better grace his\ngood and fair personage and trappings. Therefore he sought out the name\nof the village unto which the boor was departed, and went and took unto\nhim a hedge parson, and one other, a loose fellow, and gat him with them\nforth from the city, on that road whereby the boor should go; and\nbidding the twain to swear in faith and by\u2019r lady to all he might say\nunto the country boor, set them in order upon the road, removed some\nlittle space the one from the other, and in such wise lay in wait for\nthe coming of good master green-cloth boor.\n\nIn no long time came that worthy trudging along the road, with great\nrejoicing within his heart; for it seemed unto him most brave, that in\ngood green cloth he should attire himself, like unto such as did with\nreviling and hard words take service from him; and he was, in very\ntruth, right merry at heart, for he loved the colour green, as do all\ncountry wights. Unto him approached Owlglass, and opened his mouth, and\nspake unto him, saying: \u201cLo! what a fine blue cloth hast thou there. Of\na truth it is azure, like the darkening sky which hangeth above our\nheads in marvellous mystery. Nay, but such a blue cloth is rarely woven.\nPrithee, whence didst thou get it?\u201d And the boor answered, and said unto\nOwlglass: \u201cNe\u2019er a blue cloth be this at all, but a swart green, the\nwhich I bought in the fair of Oltzen.\u201d Then said Owlglass: \u201cNay, but it\nis blue; and thereon will I set twenty silver marks, and let the first\nman that cometh by between us twain determine and end the contention.\u201d\nThereat said the boor: \u201cNay, if that thou be beside thyself and wilt\nlose thy money, have with thee. I am content.\u201d So they agreed thereupon.\n\nWith a good swinging trot cometh the first of Owlglass\u2019s fellows\ntrudging along the road, for he spied that the boor had made agreement\nwith Owlglass. And the boor said unto the voyager: \u201cHold thou an\ninstant; we have here a contention betwixt us upon the colour of this\ncloth. Say thou the truth if that it be blue or green, and we will\ntherewith be content.\u201d Then the man spake unto them, saying: \u201cIt is, of\na truth, as fine blue cloth as ever eyes of mine beheld.\u201d But the boor\nwould not agree thereunto, and said: \u201cNay, but ye are two beguilers,\ncheats, and cozeners; green it is, but ye have agreed to deceive me.\u201d\nBut unto him quoth the wily Owlglass: \u201cLo! now that it may be perceived\nof me, that in this matter I am as innocent as any spotless lamb of the\nflock unto which I pertain, and that right and truth is on my side, let\nus make fresh agreement. See, hither, with measured steps, cometh a most\nreverend priest, who in pious meditation beguileth the weariness of\ntravel. Let him be judge betwixt us, and by his word be we bound; for if\nHoly Church bind us not, then will no ties constrain us within virtuous\npaths.\u201d And with such speech was the boor content.\n\nThen when the priest (right good exemplar of all his tribe!) drew nigh\nunto them, Owlglass spake unto him, and said: \u201cReverend father, upon thy\ndevout thoughts may we for a brief space intrude the base matters of\nthis outer world; and we beseech thee, determine between this boor and\nmyself what be the colour of this cloth.\u201d \u201cNay, son,\u201d quoth the reverend\nman, \u201cbut that can ye for yourselves most easily behold.\u201d Thereat said\nthe boor: \u201cYea, reverend father; but here have we two that would with\nknavery constrain me to believe a thing the which is contrary to reason\nand justice.\u201d And unto him answered the priest, and said: \u201cWhat have I\nto do with your contentions? So many things there be in this world\nwhich, contrary to reason and justice, find hot believers, men heated\nand molten in the furnace of vanity and self-conceit; and would ye\ncontend over the hue and dye of a cloth? What care I if it be black or\nwhite? That with your own eyes can ye see.\u201d \u201cBut, reverend sir,\u201d quoth\nMaster Bumpkin, \u201cdo ye, in the plenitude of your kindness, judge betwixt\nus, and say what be the colour of this cloth.\u201d Then the priest said:\n\u201cThat ye twain may be at peace, and have no grief or ill-will at heart,\nor vain rejoicing one above the other, will I say that which ye may so\neasily see. The cloth is a deep blue.\u201d And the boor marvelled thereat;\nbut Owlglass turned round unto him, and said: \u201cLo! hearest thou what the\ngood priest sayeth? O Holy and Excellent Church, in the which such true\nand faithful men be! O noble and worthy cause, which is upheld by such\ninstruments of acute and keen temper! Behold, boor, the cloth is mine;\nand unto the Church must I pay somewhat of its value, as by decree of\necclesiastic it hath been awarded me.\u201d Then the boor looked upon the\nthree with much amazement, and said these words: \u201cO\u2019 my halidom! an if\nthis man were not an ordained and sanctified priest, I would fain\nbelieve that ye were all liars, intending to cozen me of my cloth with\nconspiration and deceit, being three thorough-going knaves; but as I\nperceive that ye be a priest, I must put faith in ye whether ye be knave\nor no.\u201d\n\nThen he gave the cloth unto Owlglass; but if that he had known\njack-priests as well as thou and I, he had not left it. Yet such is the\nworld\u2019s way; when the parson doeth justice, the boor must trudge home in\nragged frock.\n\n\n\n\n The Seventy and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass most strangely gat a potful of money._\n\n\nNay but wiles and deceits be many in this world! Nor can it grow better,\nor wiser, or nobler, unless the sayings which men, in the fulness of\ntheir hearts and their wine-cups, publish abroad, be regarded and\nreflected in the deeds they do the next morning. It fortuned that\nOwlglass had been carousing with companions, who, indeed, were neither\nworse nor better than was he himself in proper person; but who, for that\nhe discharged the expenses of the tippling, was extolled to the skies by\nruined gamesters, cunning and lying boon companions,\u2014noble pothouse\nfriends, whose faces, marred and scored like the table whereon, in grimy\ncirclets, pot and glass lovingly stand together, would, in after days,\nlook grimly forth from the tablets of memory, and brand the soul of any\nman but such a philosopher as was Owlglass. And elated and ennobled,\nbesmouched and bemired, by their commendation, he descended from the\nthrone of the wine-chamber, and set forth to come homeward, where he lay\nthat night. Philosophy was in his heart beaming with placid face upon\nthe world; from his countenance looked forth universal love of brother\nto brother, in bond, apparently as firm as that of Church, in truth, as\nrotten at the core, and Owlglass, in such thoughts as fumy wine\nbestoweth, was for a while no longer the roving knave, cheat, and\ncozener, but a true man filled full of impotent benevolence, clasping\nthe world in drunken joy.\n\nTherefore, master mine, marvel not if that in mazy glory, our good\nfriend and brother journeyed on, and forgat what place it was where he\nshould lie. And while that the stars \u2019gan to blink down upon him, he\nfound that he had departed clean forth from the village, and was nigh\nunto another. \u201cNay,\u201d quoth he, \u201cbut here must I find me a lodging, for I\nam aweary, and my steps be short and leaden.\u201d So he shook away from\nhimself the loathly praise and glorifyings of reeling brethren of the\nwine-pot, and diligently sought in that village for some house where he\nmight sleep. But of a truth it was late, and no friendly door stood wide\nto let him enter. Coming at last unto the village end, he beheld a\ntwinkling light, and he took counsel within him what he should do. Then\ncrept he up privily unto the casement, and lay in wait thereby, and\nlooked in and beheld how a boor did count the money, the which he had\ntaken at the mart for a lusty yoke of oxen he had sold. \u201cNay,\u201d thought\nOwlglass, \u201chere be we close by the threshold of avarice, for i\u2019 faith\nwhy should a man sit in the midst of the night to count and finger the\ngreasy coin, the which by chaffering he hath obtained? Could he not i\u2019\nthe morning\u2019s light full as happily have set forth the gain?\u201d\n\nMoney waxeth neither with counting nor with handling; and yet men tire\nnot in the reckoning thereof. Better bid farewell unto a shiny Edward\nshovel-groat, say I, and let it work its office in many and divers\npouches, than mar its silver beauty with the hot hands of a miser. For\nif that money be a great instrument of wicked wills; yet on its course\nit encourageth much and great good, and the evil that it doth is weighed\ndown in the balance by a hundredfold of happiness. Put ye but a penny\nforth, my masters, in a faithful device, it will bud, and blossom, and\nfructify, and ripen, to the harvest of a thousand pound; but an if ye\nbestow it in evil design, it dieth in the hands where ye laid it, nor\nenricheth any, save the unsated innkeeper or the lurking thief. And that\navarice is punished by its own miserly griping after gain, shall ye\npresently perceive set forth in the true chronicle of Master Owlglass,\nhis doings and life. For hard by the boor sate his little son; and in\nchildren, mark me, with all their innocence, there be the seeds of\ngreed; nay, the seeds of every vice and virtue under heaven.\n\nNow he beheld how that his father, with trembling hands, and by a\nfarthing candle, did count the moneys he had received, and the child\nlusted to become possessed of a penny, and besought that he should\nbestow it upon him. \u201cNay,\u201d quoth the other roughly, \u201cthis must never be.\nWhat can a child like thee desire to have money for? Hast not food, and\nlodging, and raiment, bestowed on thee, and wouldst thou have money\nbeside. Go to!\u201d And he refused the child the gift which he beseeched of\nhim. Yet the child would not be discouraged, but again besought his\nfather, who denied him, and waxed wroth, and spake unto him saying: \u201cIf\nthat thou dost seek to obtain of me aught of this, I will give it unto\nthe black man without the casement, and put it forth to interest after\nthat wise.\u201d Yet he wist not that in the darkness of the night lay\nOwlglass hidden. Yet did the child, with speech and gesture, entreat a\npenny of his father. So, with violent hand, the father swept from the\ntable all the fair marks he had received, and in an earthen pot bestowed\nthem and held it forth through the casement, and said: \u201cHere, black man,\ndo thou take the money.\u201d For he would affright the child. And Owlglass\nput forth his hand and took the pot of money; and like an evil doer fled\nforth unto the fields therewith rejoicing with an aching heart at the\nfortune which had thus come unto him.\n\n\n\n\n The Eightieth Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass ran great peril of his neck for receiving the pot of\n money, yet gat fifteen shillings in stead of a hanging._\n\n\nWhen that Owlglass had, with nimble legs, gat forth with the pot of\nmoney into the fields, and looked about, lo! there was not any man which\nfollowed after him, and thus guilt was its own constable, lashing the\ntrembling culprit, and driving him forth to seek a bed in the fields,\nwith stubble for a pillow. Marvel not that none did with hue and cry\npursue good Master Owlglass; for it came to pass that when the boor had\nfound his pot of money taken, he cried aloud with a great voice, and\nspake unto such as from their drowsy pillows would with sleepy head give\nheed unto his speech. But for as much as it was well-known to the\nworthies which abode in that village, that good master peasant was a\nmiserly hunks, they cared not at all when that he cried aloud that a\nthief had taken his treasure, and fled with it into the night.\n\nThus did none follow Owlglass until the day dawned, and then search was\ndiligently made, for in truth men\u2019s hearts, lacking charity in the night\nseason, do sometimes become strangely moved in the face of morning,\u2014and\nsearch being made, they encompassed Master Owlglass, and set upon him,\nand took him and carried him before my good justice of that village, who\nwas a right worthy and true judge. Then the miserly boor stood forth,\nand said: \u201cLast night while that I sate in my chamber and counted my\nmoneys, this knave lay in wait under the casement thereof, and when that\nto fright my child, I put forth my pot of money, he with rascally guile\ntook it from me, and fled away therewith. And that he had the money that\ncan he not deny, for when that we took him, he had it in his pouch.\u201d\nThen the judge said unto Owlglass: \u201cWhat hast thou to answer unto this\nman? Dost thou confess and make restitution unto him, for this be a\nhanging matter, and thou art like to be food for the crows?\u201d Thereat\nOwlglass answered and said: \u201cNay, but I entreat ye that of this boor I\nmay have some answers touching this matter.\u201d The judge said: \u201cSpeak on.\u201d\nThen said Owlglass: \u201cLo! didst thou not open the window and say aloud:\n\u2018Here black man, do thou take the money?\u2019\u201d \u201cYea,\u201d quoth the boor. \u201cAnd\nwas not the night dark?\u201d \u201cIn good sooth it was,\u201d answered the boor. \u201cAnd\nin dark night are not all men black?\u201d \u201cI\u2019 faith that is true,\u201d said the\nboor. \u201cThen I being a black man, may it content your worship\u2019s\nreverence, was bidden to take this boor\u2019s pot of money, the which I\ngraciously received, and for the which I bestow the thanks of a poor man\nupon him.\u201d \u201cOf a truth, thou speakest wisely,\u201d observed the judge, \u201cand\nfor such deed can I not hang thee; and for as much as thou art a proper\nman and of a quick wit, do I free thee, and bestow upon thee these\nfifteen shillings; but be thou very heedful to depart forth from this\nour village, and come not again by day or by night.\u201d Then the boor\ndeparted homeward and thought it had been better to have bestowed a\npenny upon his little lad, than lose the goodly marks by such a rare\nconey-catcher as was Owlglass. Yet for this cared Owlglass not a whit;\nbut set forth with full pouch and merry mood to the next country; and\npraised the judge for the just and true judgment he had given.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and First Adventure.\n\n _How with good luck Owlglass told many that he had lost his\n money-girdle, and thereby came unto a warm fire._\n\n\nNow the winter season came, and with white mantle hid the earth, and it\nwas bitter cold. Yet it fortuned that Owlglass had urgent reason to\ntravel, for his occasions never happened to keep him in one place or\ncity for any time. And as the night drew near, Owlglass came unto a\nvillage, and there entered into the inn and the chamber where the guests\nand village gossips sate talking around the fire. Our noble master was\ncovered over with sleet and snow, and the frost had bitten him sore and\nhis garments held within them icy proofs of the wintry season; yet for\nas much as the boors concealed the fire he could not warm himself.\nThereat he cried out lustily for good master host that he should bring\nhim some wine, the which was readily done. And Owlglass opened his mouth\nand spake unto the host after this wise: \u201cGood mine host, I beseech thee\ndo thou allot unto me a candle in a lanthorn, and one which should go\nforth with me unto the road, for there lieth by the way, a money-girdle,\nthe which I have lost; and though I sought it diligently, yet by reason\nof the darkness of the night, could I not discover it.\u201d But the host\nanswered: \u201cNay, but this night seek not after it, for where it lieth\nshall we find it to-morrow at sun-rise, and there will be no harm come\nthereunto.\u201d And he said this, for that he was wily, and would have\nsought it himself, and taken it. And the boors which were talking about\nthe fire, pricked me up their ears, and one by one departed out of the\ninn that they might seek the money-girdle, so that at last the chimney\nnook was empty, and Master Owlglass might, with comfort, drink his wine\nin the warmth, while the others delved and digged in the snow abroad.\nWhen that they were all departed thence, Owlglass discovered the\npleasant jest unto the host, and they laughed hugely, and drank in the\ningle a most joyous cup thereupon.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and Second Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass did at Bremen of the market-women buy milk, and cause\n it to be poured altogether into one tun._\n\n\nA pleasant jest wrought Owlglass at Bremen. At one season when that he\ncame thither, he stood on the market, and he beheld that the boors\u2019\nwomen brought great store of milk thereto; and therewith he \u2019gan to\nthink what a merry piece of knavery he might perform. Therefore he\ntarried awhile until a day on which the market was very full, and much\nmilk was brought thither, and he fetched him a great tun, the which he\nset upon the market-place, and cried aloud unto the boors\u2019 women that\nthey should turn unto him, for he would buy their milk, and they should\npour it into the tun. And every good wife of the which he took milk he\nbade write the measure and price therefor, upon a paper, and then sit\ndown, for he would pay the money when that the tun was filled.\n\nSo the boors\u2019 wives sat in a circle around Owlglass, and waited for\ntheir money, and rejoiced greatly at such a noble milk merchant (for\nthey knew him not); and it came to pass, that after a while there was\nnot any other good wife who had milk to sell. Then Owlglass opened his\nmouth and spake unto the women, and said unto them these words: \u201cTo-day\nhave I not any money in pouch. And such of ye as cannot abide and give\nme credit for a matter of fourteen days, would do best to take forth her\nmilk again:\u201d and having thus maliciously ended his speech, he hasted to\ngo away from the market-place. Thereafter contended the boors\u2019 wives\nwith much anger, and each would fain take her milk out of the tun first,\nand in their quarrelings the milk was spilled on the ground and on their\nclothes, and in their eyes; and it did most certainly appear as if milk\nfrom the clouds had been rained down. And all the townspeople beheld the\nmerry conceit, and they were greatly contented with the wit of Master\nOwlglass.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and Third Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass spake unto twelve blind men, and persuaded them that\n he had unto them given twelve shillings; and how that they spent the\n money and came evilly off thereafter._\n\n\nAnd, it came to pass, that as Owlglass journeyed hither and thither up\nand down in the land, like an uneasy spirit as he was, he came again\nunto Hanover, and there he wrought not a few strange things. Therefore\none day as he sate upon his horse beyond the city gate and rode a good\nway, there came along the road twelve blind men, the which he\nencountered. When that he beheld them he cried aloud unto them: \u201cGod\ngive ye grace, blind men, whence come ye?\u201d Then the company of blind men\nstood still and perceived that he sate upon a horse, and by that they\njudged him to be an honest gentleman\u2014for respect is always due to one\nwho is a cavalier; and who rides must needs be honest\u2014so they took off\ntheir hats and saluted him, and spake unto him, saying: \u201cLo! noble and\nworshipful sir, good kind Christian gentleman, we have been within this\ncity of Hanover; there had a rich man given up the ghost, and at his\nfuneral feast were alms and baked meats bestowed upon us and other poor\nmen, as be we. Yet for as much as frost and snow be on the ground, we\nwere right sorely pinched with the cold.\u201d Then answered Owlglass, and\nsaid unto them: \u201cYe say truly that it is cold; I fear me that of frost\nye will utterly perish. Now look you, here be twelve shillings, enter ye\nagain into the city, and get ye unto such an inn, [and he told them what\ninn they should seek], and spend ye these twelve shillings for God his\ngrace and my sake, until that the winter be gone by, and ye be able to\nagain set forth in comfort upon your voyage.\u201d\n\nThen the blind men stood in great honour and worship of the noble\ngentleman\u2019s person, and bowed themselves before him, and gave him their\nthanks for his guerdon. For each blind man believed that his neighbour\nhad received the money, to wit, in the manner that the first thought the\nsecond had it, and the second the third, and the third the fourth; and\nafter this wise were they all hoodwinked, for not one stiver had\nOwlglass bestowed upon them. Thereafter they turned back, and gat them\nunto the hostel of the which Owlglass had told them; and when they had\nentered in, they spake unto the host, and told him how that it had come\nto pass that a good charitable gentleman had encountered them by the\nway, and had bestowed upon them twelve shillings, that they might eat\nand rejoice during the hard winter, until that spring should come again.\n\nNow the host was a man greedy of gain, and he thought no more upon that\nsaying, but how he might get the money; and he received them, and never\ndid he dream within his stupid sconce to ask which had the money in\npouch of them all. But he spake unto them, saying: \u201cDear and beloved\nbrethren, ye shall here receive satisfaction, and your afflictions shall\nbe comforted.\u201d And he made haste to kill and hew down oxen and calves;\nand he made ready meats boiled and roast, and set them before the blind\nmen, who fell to right gladly; and this feasting went forward every day,\nuntil he thought that they had eaten the value of the twelve shillings.\n\nThen he spake unto them, and said: \u201cDear brethren, ye have eaten the\nvalue of the twelve shillings, methinks, let us therefore reckon.\u201d And\nthe blind men answered: \u201cYea;\u201d and spake each unto his fellow, that he\nshould take forth the twelve shillings, that good master host should be\nrewarded. But the one had it not, neither had the other; moreover they\nfound that not a penny had any man of their company. And the blind folk\nsate still and scratched their pates, but found not the twelve shillings\nanywhere behind their ears; and they perceived that they had been\nbeguiled. Then the host saw likewise that he had been cozened of his\ncharges, and he sate there, and pondered what he should do. For he\nthought within himself: \u201cHere be a company of blind rascals, and if that\nthou permittest them to depart, then dost thou lose thy charges; and if\nthat thou keepest them will they eat yet more, and then thou wilt be at\ndouble cost.\u201d So with no more ado he claps me the blind company of dear\nbrethren into the pig-stye, and there may they make fine cheer with hay\nand straw.\n\nAt this time, Owlglass \u2019gan to think,\u2014for with all his malice he had a\ngood heart:\u2014\u201cNay, but thy blind men must very nigh have eaten up the\nprovision thou madest for them, and therefore go thou and seek news of\nthem.\u201d And he saddled his horse and disguised himself, and rode unto\nHanover, and came unto the inn where the blind men lay. Thereupon, as he\ncame into the court, and would have bound his horse up in the stable, he\nlooked, and behold the blind men lay in the pig-stye. Thereat he gat him\ninto the house, and spake unto the host, and said unto him: \u201cWhat is\nthis thing which thou hast done unto these blind men? Wherefore be they\namidst the dirt and mire of the pig-stye? Have ye no bowels of mercy\nwhen ye see the vile fare they eat?\u201d And the host answered him: \u201cNay,\nbut I wish that in the water they lay all perished, if only my charges\nwere paid.\u201d Therewith telleth he unto Owlglass the whole story of the\nmatter. Owlglass said unto him: \u201cHow, sir host, could ye not have a\nsurety for this debt?\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d quoth the host, \u201cright gladly would I\nhave a surety if that it could be\u2014and if that a certain surety be found,\nI would set free these poor men forthwith.\u201d Thereat said Owlglass unto\nhim: \u201cSee now, I will go and in this city make quest, if that I can find\nsome charitable man that will do this thing for thee.\u201d\n\nSo Owlglass gat him forth, and came unto the priest of the parish, and\nsaid unto him: \u201cMost reverend and learned sir, hast thou a will to do a\nChristian kindness? For lo! I must expound unto thee, that mine host of\nthe inn where I lie is possessed of an evil spirit within the past\nnight, and he beggeth hard that ye would exorcise him, and cast out the\nevil demon.\u201d The priest answered, and said: \u201cYea, that I will most\ncheerfully; for is it not mine office? Yet must we tarry a day or two;\nfor with such things is haste greatly to be avoided.\u201d Then quoth\nOwlglass: \u201cI will go fetch his wife, that ye may repeat this thing unto\nher.\u201d The priest replied: \u201cYea, bring her unto me, I warrant she shall\nbe content.\u201d Then departed Owlglass, and gat him to the host, and said:\n\u201cI have found for thee a surety in good master parson of the parish.\nGive me now thy wife to bear me company unto him; for he will give her\nsatisfaction.\u201d Thereat was the host right glad, and bade his wife\nimmediately resort with Owlglass unto the priest; and when they came\nthither, Owlglass said: \u201cBehold, reverend sir, here is the woman, wife\nunto the host of the which I spake anon. Assure her now as before thou\ndidst assure me.\u201d And the priest said: \u201cYea, my good woman; be thou\ncontent. For is it not mine office to do deeds of charity? That which\nthy husband seeketh shall be in a short time performed within these few\ndays.\u201d And the woman was content, and returned again unto her husband,\nand said unto him, that the priest would perform the payment duly; and\nthen was the host glad, and let the blind men depart, and rewarded\nOwlglass for his pains; and this last set forth on his journey, and\ntarried no longer in Hanover.\n\nThe third day after this, the woman went again to master parson, and\ndemanded of him, that he should pay the twelve shillings. And he asked\nher, if her husband had said this thing unto her; and she said: \u201cYea.\u201d\nThereat he observed, \u201cthat such was the way with evil spirits; they\nwould always have money.\u201d But the woman said: \u201cThere be no evil spirits\nhere; pay ye the charges, and therewith are we ended.\u201d The priest quoth\nthereat: \u201cI was admonished that your good man was possessed of an evil\nspirit, the which he would fain have cast forth; now this will I do, but\nof money know I nothing.\u201d To him straightway answered the goodwife:\n\u201cNay, but this is the fashion with liars and shufflers; when that money\nis to be paid, they would with knavery escape. If that my husband be of\nan evil spirit beset, ye shall surely be advised thereof,\u201d and therewith\nran speedily unto her husband, and told him what the parson said.\n\nAfter this took the host halberts and pikes, and ran with a company unto\nthe parsonage. And when the parson beheld it, he cried aloud, and\nassembled his neighbours, and said unto them: \u201cDo you, I charge ye, help\nme against this madman, who of an evil demon is sore possessed.\u201d And the\nhost said unto him: \u201cPriest, remember thy surety, and do now pay me.\u201d\nBut the priest stood and blessed himself, and payed not at all. Then\nwould the host have with a goodly staff stricken the priest, but that\nthe boors came and parted the twain with great difficulty. But, so long\nas the host lived, he was ever seeking payment from the priest; and the\npriest affirmed that he had an evil spirit, and of that would he free\nhim, but of money owed he unto him not a doit.\n\nThus fell out the end of the excellent adventure of Owlglass with the\nblind men, the host, and the parson.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and Fourth Adventure.\n\n _How that in a city of Saxony Owlglass sowed knaves._\n\n\nKnaves abound in many places; there be knaves of every degree: there be\nblack knaves, white knaves, copper-coloured knaves, red knaves, and\nyellow knaves. There be knaves which ride in coaches and waggons; there\nbe knaves on horseback; there be knaves on foot. There be knaves of high\ndegree; there be knaves of low estate. There be knaves in Holy Church,\ndevout knaves, which cheat heaven in their prayers, and earth in their\ntithes; there be knaves out of Holy Church, which, for wise reasons, do\nsimulate a contempt thereof; there be knaves which buy, and there be\nknaves which sell; there be knaves which, with honest mien, declare\nthemselves no better than they be, for thou in thy vanity condemnest\nthem not, but thinkest them better than their speech declareth, and yet\nbe these very knaves, sorry knaves, and shallow knaves. There be knaves\nwhich bear rule, and there be knaves over which rule is borne; there be\nknaves which bow the knee to knavish kings, princes, and lords; and\nthere be knaves which set foot forth against all rulers, princes, and\ngovernors. There be knaves which help ye with seeming good fellowship,\nand there be knaves which, by opposing ye, do ye true service; there be\nknaves which amuse ye; there be knaves which laugh in turn at that which\nye do: lo! indeed, not in this world can ye find any place which is\ndevoid of knaves, creeping like caterpillars through your gardens, and\ndestroying your fairest flowers, to fatten and batten, and crawl and die\nlike other things.\n\nKnaves sit smiling by your own hearthstone, deluding ye with love and\nfair service\u2014your children be knaves, your fathers were knaves;\u2014for in\nthis world are secrets hidden\u2014and, indeed, are we unto ourselves not\ntrue, but knaves altogether, excusing, palliating, concealing, hugging,\nwith not a little fear and trembling, our favourite vices, or our evil\ndesires. O what a discourse of knavery would a history of our mad world\nbe, what quaking terrors of evil doings, what fierce self-destructions,\nwhat insane flight from self-condemning would be unfolded! Let us\nrejoice, my masters, that a little spice of honesty leaveneth the whole\nlump and maketh life endurable, our meat not poison, our porridge not\naltogether rat\u2019s-bane. And truly this chronicle affirmeth, averreth, and\nwith loud voice saith, that an if such words as these had been set down\nin courteous phrase, and not hurled from the priest\u2019s pulpit or babbled\nfrom the fool\u2019s booth, ye had not received, but had denied utterly the\ngracious assent which I do perceive sitteth upon your heart; thus,\ntherefore, like all other things, is this chronicle but a knavish\nmatter.\n\nOf a truth, it may be most certainly believed, that to such a world it\nwas necessary and fit, that a pitying eye and brain should see, and\npurpose despatch, from highest heaven to insulted earth a Prince of\npeace and justice. But in this chronicle, as in this world, is all\nhonesty discarded; for the world is so turned topside t\u2019 other way, that\nit may not be that we should distinguish gentle from simple, wise from\nfoolish, honest man from knave. \u201cYet be of good cheer,\u201d saith One who is\nhigher than any of us; \u201cI have overcome the world.\u201d\n\nYet in one little town of Saxony espied Owlglass, when that he was\ntherein, that not within its walls there could be a knave; yet might\nthis be, for that he was strange unto the devices and nature of the folk\nwhich dwelt therein; and he fell into a deep contemplation and musing\nupon such a marvellous matter. And he took his way beside of the river\nWeser, the more at ease to reflect thereover. For while that he abode in\nthat city, beheld he all that was done by the folk therein; and so\nstrangely honest appeared their dealings, that he was tired and sick at\nheart with folk among whom he could not have any profit. And as he took\nhis way along the bank of the Weser, he looked, and, behold! of pebbles\nshiny and clear, rolled in mass by the stream, was there a goodly heap;\nand he bethought how that of old some wondrous one did, by casting\nstones over his shoulders, produce men and women, the which in knavery\nexcelled greatly. \u201cNay,\u201d quoth he thereat; \u201cwhy should not in this place\na like marvel happen?\u201d and with no more ado, he catcheth me up a sackful\nof these so shining stones, and entereth with great joy and content into\nthe city.\n\nThen in that street which is hard by over against the town-house, he\nbeginneth to sow his crop of marvellous nature; but the people came\nrunning unto him and inquired of him, and fain would know what it might\nbe that he was doing. \u201cWhy,\u201d quoth noble Master Owlglass, \u201cin this town\nhere be ye so woundily honest, that for fear ye should be altogether\nwithout praise for your virtue, I sow ye a crop of knaves.\u201d With that,\nmy masters, ye should have heard the outcry and hallabaloo which the\nburghers did make. \u201cNay, nay!\u201d they cried, \u201cthis city be, indeed, so\ncrammed with an abundance of knaves that an if ye sow not honest folk,\nwe shall surely perish.\u201d But Owlglass said: \u201cThat may not be, for in\nthis town have grown virtues so long that ye must change the crop, or\nlet the ground be for awhile fallow.\u201d Then they laid hands upon him and\ntook him, and bade him answer his deeds before the town council. And the\ntown council admonished him, and would have none of his crop, and bade\nhim therewith carry his seed-sack out of their bounds. So Owlglass gat\nhim forth, and entered into another city; but the fame of what he bare\nhad been noised abroad, and so entirely did they detest knavery, and\nloathe cheats, that neither to eat nor to drink nor to tarry for rest\nwould they permit Owlglass. Aweary of such ware, at last he entered into\na ship, and would have departed by water, but the seed brake the bottom\nthrough, and he was nigh drowned; so into the River Weser returned the\nstones he had taken; and unto this day, whenever that any man is seized\nof great virtue, they give unto him water of the Weser to drink, the\nwhich strangely promoteth chousing, coney-catching, and gulling.\n\nThus endeth a great feat of our modern Deucalion.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _How that in the good city of Hamburg Owlglass hired him unto a barber\n and went through the casement unto his service._\n\n\nOn a time came Owlglass unto Hamburg and there stood upon the\nHop-market, and gazed hither and thither as he was wont to do. And unto\nhim came up a barber, and spake unto him and said: \u201cLo! what seekest\nthou, and whence comest thou?\u201d Then Owlglass said: \u201cOf a truth, I come\nnow straightway from the last place in the which I abode.\u201d Upon this\nsaith the barber: \u201cWhat art thou for a workman?\u201d And Owlglass said: \u201cI\nam a barber, an it please ye.\u201d Thereat the master hired him, and spake\nunto him saying: \u201cMark me, dost thou see yon house over against us with\nthe casement down unto the ground.\u201d \u201cYea,\u201d quoth the man. \u201cThen do thou\nstraightway enter in there, and soon will I follow,\u201d said the master.\n\u201cMost truly,\u201d said our worthy Owlglass. Then he gat him unto the house,\nand brake the casement all in pieces, and entered in thereby, and\nsaluted the barber\u2019s wife, who sate spinning within, and spake courteous\nwords and said: \u201cGod bless this handiwork.\u201d But the barber\u2019s wife was\nafeared, and cried: \u201cWhat labour and handiwork be this that thou dost,\nbreaking me the casement after this wise? The foul fiend seize thee,\nloon!\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d quoth Owlglass, \u201cimpute not the marring of the casement\nunto me, except as diligent service, for your good man bade me enter in\nthereby, and I ever perform that which is enjoined me.\u201d Then the woman\nsaid: \u201cTruly, a faithful servant is he who marreth his master\u2019s\nsubstance!\u201d But Owlglass said: \u201cShould not a servant perform his\nmaster\u2019s bidding?\u201d With that, during such conference betwixt the twain,\ncometh the master, and looked upon the broken casement. And he said unto\nOwlglass: \u201cWhat is this? Couldst thou not enter by my house door, and\nleave me the casement whole? What be the cause that thou shouldst thus\nenter by a window.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d answered Owlglass, \u201cbeloved master, ye bade\nme look upon the tall window and there enter in; and I did but according\nto thy words.\u201d Thereat was the master content, for he considered within\nhimself: \u201cI can but from the money of his hiring take what will pay the\ncharges of making my casement whole.\u201d\n\nThereafter they went forward in comfort for some days. Then did the\nbarber enjoin Owlglass that he should take a razor, and he instructed\nhim, and said: \u201cNow do thus evenly with the edge grind me the back, so\nthat no notches be.\u201d And Owlglass answered: \u201cYea, most willingly.\u201d And\nafter a season had gone past, the barber cometh privily behind Owlglass\nto see after what manner he was performing his labour, and Owlglass had\nground the back as sharp as the edge, and marred the work altogether. So\nthe master spake unto him saying: \u201cWhat vile thing is this that thou\ndost?\u201d And the other to him answered: \u201cI do not any vile thing? But only\naccording to thy words; didst not bid me to grind the back evenly with\nthe edge? And so do I.\u201d Then did the master wax very wroth, and said\nunto him: \u201cLo! get thee forth hence, and return in manner that thou\ndidst come.\u201d Owlglass answered him: \u201cYea,\u201d and taking his bundle,\nspringeth me forth through the casement again, and breaketh it, and so\ndeparteth. And though the barber was lithe and active, as be the fashion\nwith barbers, yet could he never seize Owlglass, who, indeed, was a\nmatch for a good fleet runner.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and Sixth Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass did cause the host of the inn at Eisleben to be beset\nwith great terror, by showing unto him a wolf, of the which he professed\n no fear._\n\n\nIn Eisleben there dwelt an innkeeper who was mocker of others, and who\nthought that of all great hosts he was the exemplar and flower. Unto him\ncame Owlglass in the winter time; and he abode in the inn with him while\nthat the snow was on the ground. And while that the night was dark,\nthere came three merchants from Saxony unto the inn, who would fain come\nunto N\u00fcrnberg. The host, who was swift of speech, spake unto them, and,\nwith ready words, said: \u201cWhence come ye folk so late, and why have ye\ntarried so long by the way?\u201d And the merchants answered him, and said:\n\u201cBehold, master host! be not wroth with us by reason of our lateness; a\nwolf did lie in wait for us by the way and attacked us, and with him had\nwe to contend and beat him off; from that cause is it that we be so late\nwith thee.\u201d And when that the host heard their words, he mocked them,\nand said unto them: \u201cGreat shame is it that ye do let yourselves be\nstayed by a wolf\u2014for if that I met two wolves in the field, I would\nalone contend with them and slay them; little account would I make of\nsuch a pair! And there were of ye folk three people, and by a single\nwolf were ye affrighted.\u201d And thus continued the host to mock them the\nwhole even through until that they gat them to bed.\n\nAll this while sate Owlglass by the fire, and heard what was said. And\nwhen that the night was far spent, in the which this host so despised\nthe merchants, they gat them to bed and Owlglass lay with them in one\nchamber; and then conferred the merchants one with the other, as to how\nit might be brought about that the host should be rightly recompenced\nfor his mockery and scorn, so that they might make him to hold his\npeace, for that afterwards they might take their ease in the inn. Then\ndid Owlglass open his mouth, and spake unto them, saying: \u201cLo! an it\nplease ye, beloved friends, truly do I mark that our host is nought but\na vain speaker. Now, if that ye are content to hear me what I would say\nunto ye, I will so do that never more shall he speak unto ye of the\nwolf.\u201d Thereat rejoiced the merchants with great content, and did\npromise him money, the which should be given unto him; and his\nreckoning, likewise would they pay. Then he bade them depart freely unto\ntheir business; but as they returned, he would have them lie at that\nsame inn, and he would then also be there present, and he would cause\nthe host to hold his peace, thereafter in the matter of the wolf. To\nthat agreed they, and gat them ready for their voyage on the next day,\nand paid their charges and those of Owlglass likewise, and they all rode\naway therefrom, and the host called after them with mockery: \u201cBe ye\nsure, ye merchants, that no wolf doth beset ye by the way.\u201d But they\nanswered, and said unto him: \u201cGreat thanks do we give unto thee; and if\nthe wolves devour us, then come we not hither again.\u201d\n\nThen did Owlglass ride unto the hunt, and chased the wolves, and by God\nhis grace killed he one, and this one did he put in the ice until that\nit froze hard. And when that it was about the season that the merchants\nshould again come unto Eisleben unto the inn, Owlglass took the dead\nwolf within a sack, and gat him unto the inn according unto his promise,\nand there found he the three merchants. At supper time did the host yet\nmock the three merchants about the wolf; but they said that of a truth\nit had so happened unto them as they had said unto him. But the host\ncontinued to speak words of vain import, and declared unto them, that if\nhe did meet two wolves in the field, he would shake the one by the head\nuntil that he died, and then would cut the other in pieces.\n\nThus went all conversation forward, until that they departed unto bed.\nYet kept Owlglass silence, and spake no word until they had entered into\ntheir chamber and shut the door. Then he opened his mouth, and said unto\nthem: \u201cLo! gentlemen and good friends, do ye still keep watch for a\nspace, and put ye not out the light.\u201d And when the host had gat him to\nbed with all his folk, Owlglass crept privily from the chamber, and bare\nwith him the dead wolf, the which was frozen hard, and carried it into\nthe kitchen, and with sticks supported it that it stood upright; then\ndid he open its mouth wide, and therein set two children\u2019s shoes, and\nthereafter gat he him unto the chamber where he abode with the\nmerchants. In no long time thereafter cried he aloud for the host. Then\ndid the host hear him, for yet was he not asleep; and he called unto him\nand demanded what he would have. Then they cried aloud unto him: \u201cAlas!\nworthy master host, send unto us the maid or the man, for of thirst\nshall we else die!\u201d\n\nWhen that the merchants cried aloud after this manner, the host waxed\nvery wroth, and said: \u201cEven thus is it ever with the folk from Saxony,\nfor by day and by night are they always bibbing.\u201d Then he called the\nmaid, and bade her that she should arise and give them drink in their\nchamber. So the maid arose and went unto the fire, and would have taken\na light; then beheld she the wolf, and looked straight into his jaws,\nand she was affrighted, and let the light which she had taken fall, and\nfled away into the court; for she believed nought else but that the wolf\nhad devoured the children. But with a loud voice did Owlglass and the\nmerchants yet cry for drink. Then thought the host that the maid had\ngone to sleep, and called the man, and he arose and would have taken a\nlight; then beheld he the wolf, and he believed at once that the wolf\nhad devoured the maid, and he fled and gat him unto the cellar. Thereat\nsaid Owlglass unto the merchants: \u201cBe ye but patient! soon will ye have\nrare sport withal.\u201d And he called the third time to know where the maid\nand man might be, for that they perished of thirst; therefore besought\nthey the host that he should take a light and bring them to drink with\nhis own hand, for that they could not come forth from their chamber.\n\nThe host was thereat very wroth, and believed in his heart that the man\nhad slept as he went, and he said: \u201cOf a truth these Saxons, with their\ncontinual drinking, cause me to have much labour!\u201d Yet he arose and\nlighted a candle in the kitchen, and with that beheld he the wolf as he\nstood by the hearth, bearing the shoes between his jaws. Then fled he\nunto the merchants in the chamber, and cried aloud with fear: \u201cCome\nhither to help me, beloved friends! By the hearth here standeth a\nterrible raging beast, the which hath eaten me the children, and maid,\nand man.\u201d Then went the merchants and Owlglass with him; and the man\ncame forth from the cellar, and the maid returned from the court, and\nhis wife brought the children out of the chamber, and lo! they were all\nalive. Thereupon went Owlglass unto the wolf, and with his foot cast it\ndown, and it lay quite still.\n\nThen spake Owlglass unto the host, and said: \u201cBehold! this wolf is a\ndead beast, and dost thou thereat cry out so lustily? What a craven man\nare ye? Think ye that a dead wolf will bite ye, and cause your people to\nflee into corners? Yet last night were ye so brave, that one wolf, the\nwhich was alive, would not have contented ye to strive withal? and with\ntwo such beasts would ye have fought in the field. But with thee is it\nin words, what with most others lieth only in the mind.\u201d And the host\nheard these words of Owlglass, and perceived that he had been beguiled,\nand crept into his chamber, and was ashamed that he should by a dead\nwolf have been so cozened. But the merchants laughed hugely at the\nexcellent wit and merry conceit of our prince of good fellows, honest\nMaster Owlglass, and right willingly paid for his provisions with their\nown, and rode with him upon their way. Since that time, however, hath\nnot the landlord extolled his own bravery in like manner.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and Seventh Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass paid his host with the ring of his money._\n\n\nOne day Owlglass entered at Cologne into an inn, and it came to pass,\nthat the provision was put unto the fire to cook when that it was very\nlate, and the time for dinner came soon thereupon. And Owlglass loved\ngood cheer, and therefore was he wroth thereat, for he loved fasting no\nmore than a pious friar. This perceived the host, and spake unto him,\nsaying: \u201cHe that cannot bide until that dinner be ready, may eat that he\nhath.\u201d Then gat Owlglass a small loaf, and that did he eat; and\nthereafter sate down by the hearth at the fire, and he smelled the\nsavour of the meat upon the spit, and it satisfied him. And when\ndinner-time came, the table was set and the meat brought up, and the\nhost sate with the guests at the table, but Owlglass abode in the\nkitchen by the fire. Then said the host unto him: \u201cWilt thou not sit at\nmeat with us?\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d quoth Owlglass, \u201cI care not to eat; with the\nsavour of the roast am I filled.\u201d\n\nThen the host held his peace, and continued to eat with the guests, and\nafter dinner they paid him and departed this way and that way; yet abode\nOwlglass by the fire. To him entered the host with his pay-table, and\nwould have of him two Cologne pence for his dinner. And Owlglass said\nunto him: \u201cSir host, are ye that kind of man which demandeth pay of one\nwho hath not eaten?\u201d Then was the host angry, and said \u201che should pay,\nfor an if he had not eaten of the meat, had not he confessed himself\nfilled with the savour thereof?\u201d Then took Owlglass forth a Cologne\npenny and threw it on the table, and said unto the host: \u201cHearest thou\nthe sound of that penny?\u201d \u201cYea,\u201d quoth the host. And Owlglass quickly\ntook up his penny again, and put it into his pouch, and said: \u201cAs much\nreward the sound of my penny is unto thee, even so much have I profited\nof the savour of thy meat.\u201d And when the landlord would have received\nthe penny of him, Owlglass denied it unto him, and mocked him with much\nscorn, and departed thence over the Rhine water, and gat him back again\ninto Saxony.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and Eighth Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass at L\u00fcbeck did escape from a house when that the watch\n would have taken him for his debts._\n\n\nMaster Owlglass, like unto most other great and glorious personages,\nesteemed money but lightly; and he could not bear to look upon the same\npiece of coin oftener than twice\u2014once when that he received it and put\nit in his pouch, and again when that he took it forth to spend it in\njoyous company. Therefore marvel ye not when that I say unto ye, that\nMaster Owlglass did oftentimes make debts, the which he could not pay.\nAnd it fortuned, that on a time when that he was abiding in that good\ntown of L\u00fcbeck, that he had not a penny, and the officers of the watch\ndid go about to catch him, and cast him into gaol until that he paid\nevery person to whom he owed aught. But he kept within his house, and\nwent not forth but at eventide, when that darkness had with its black\nmantle covered the town. Yet on one evening he perceived that they had\nsurrounded the house where he lay, and would have entered and have taken\nhim. And he beheld, that for him was only one thing possible to be\ndone\u2014that he should in a church find sanctuary. Now, in that same house\nlay an old woman who was sick unto death, and sorely afflicted. Unto her\nwent Owlglass, and took her hand, and did, with a most grave\ncountenance, say unto her: \u201cBehold, is it not time that thou shouldst\nthink of thy soul, and make thee ready to depart; for near unto death\ndost thou lie.\u201d And therewith sent he unto the priest of the parish,\nthat he should come, that she might confess unto him, and receive\nextreme unction from his holy hands. Then when the host entered in at\nthe door, did the watch arrive from the guardhouse, and beheld it, and\nthey prostrated themselves before it; and then Owlglass, while that they\nsaw him not, departed out of that house, and thereafter gat him unto the\nchurch, where he lay until even, and then departed he out of the town.\n\n\n\n\n The Eighty and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass at Stassfurt of a dog took the skin, the which he\n gave unto his hostess for her charges._\n\n\nOn a time it came to pass, that Owlglass entered into an inn, and there\nfound the hostess quite alone. And this hostess had a little dog, of the\nwhich she was greatly enamoured; and ever mote it be, that, when she had\nnought to do, this dog must lie in her lap. And Owlglass stood by the\nfire, and drank from the beer-can. Now it was the custom with that\nhostess, that when she drank beer, she did always, in a small dish, give\nthereof unto the dog. So when that Owlglass drank, the dog arose, and\ncame unto him, and would, by leaps and look, have entreated him for some\nbeer. That saw the hostess, and she said unto Owlglass: \u201cBehold, beloved\nguest, do thou give him to drink in the dish of thy beer for so would he\nsignify unto thee.\u201d And Owlglass said unto her: \u201cThat will I do\ncheerfully.\u201d Then departed the hostess to perform whatever business she\nhad about the house; and Owlglass gave him to drink in the dish, and\ntherein put likewise a little piece of meat; and when that the dog had\neaten thereof, goeth he to the fire and lieth sleeping thereby. Then\nsaid Owlglass unto the hostess: \u201cLet us now reckon our charges.\u201d And he\nasked her: \u201cGood, my hostess, if that a guest eat of thy meat and drink\nof thy beer, yet hath not any coin, would ye also unto such an one give\ncredit?\u201d Then thought the woman not of the dog, but had great suspicion\nof his own worthy person (the which, as ye know, my masters, was most\nunjust!); therefore she answered quickly unto him: \u201cMaster traveller,\nhere must I have money, or a pledge in place thereof.\u201d And Owlglass said\nunto her: \u201cTruly am I right content therewith for mine own part; let the\nother look to it for his.\u201d\n\nThen departed the hostess again, and Owlglass took the dog beneath his\ncloak, and went into the stable, and there took he his skin off, and\nentered again into the house, carrying it privily beneath his coat. Then\ncalled he the hostess again, and took out his money, and said: \u201cLo! let\nus now reckon.\u201d And the hostess reckoned up the charges. Then did\nOwlglass lay down half the reckoning upon the table, and said: \u201cThere\nhave ye my part.\u201d And the hostess asked of him: \u201cWho then shall pay the\nrest? Have ye not eaten and drank alone in my house?\u201d But he said unto\nher: \u201cNay, but I had another with me, who ate of thy meat and drank of\nthy beer. Yet hath he no money, but a pledge can he give thee, the which\nis his coat; and therewith will he pay the other half.\u201d And the hostess\nsaid: \u201cWhat guest mean ye?\u201d Then Owlglass drew forth the dog\u2019s skin, and\nspake unto her saying: \u201cBehold, mine hostess, here have ye the best coat\nthat he hath.\u201d Then was the hostess moved, and saw that it was the skin\nof her dog; and she waxed wroth, and said unto Owlglass: \u201cMay the evil\nthing be upon ye ever! Wherefore didst thou take the skin from off my\ndog?\u201d And Owlglass answered her, and said: \u201cWoman, this is thine own\nfault, for thou didst demand either money or a pledge. And thou thyself\ndidst desire that thy dog should drink, and I said unto ye the guest had\nno money; and thus, as he had nought else to give ye, take ye now his\nskin for the beer the which he drank.\u201d Then waxed the hostess yet more\nwroth, and commanded and enjoined him to go out of her house. \u201cNay,\u201d\nquoth Owlglass, \u201cout of thy house will I not go, but ride.\u201d And\ntherewith did he saddle his horse, and rode forth, and said unto her:\n\u201cHostess, do thou keep the pledge until that thou dost receive the\nmoney; and once again will I visit thee, to see if that thou hast had it\nredeemed. Farewell.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n The Ninetieth Adventure.\n\n _How that our noble master gave assurance unto the same hostess, that\n Owlglass lay upon the wheel._\n\n\nHear ye now that which Owlglass did on another day at Stassfurt. It\nfortuned, that thither he came again to lie in the same inn; and he took\nother clothes, and so disguised himself, and came thither, and entered\nin unto the court there, and lo! he perceived in that place a great\nwheel. Now did a knavery enter into his sconce therewith, and he lay\ndown upon it, and gave the hostess a good day. And he inquired of her,\nif that she had heard aught said of the famous Master Owlglass? And she\nstraightway answered him, and said: \u201cWhy should I desire to hear tidings\nof the knave? Truly, his name hath an ill savour in my nostrils!\u201d And he\nsaid unto her: \u201cWoman, what hath he done unto ye that ye should speak so\nbitterly concerning him?\u201d And she answered, and said: \u201cTruly should I\nspeak bitterly of him. Came he not hither, and stripped me the skin of\nmy dog from off his back, and gave me the skin for the beer, the which\nhe drank; for, of a truth, should he have had shame to consort with a\ndog as a guest, and thereafter take off his skin in such wise?\u201d And\nOwlglass spake unto her, saying: \u201cHostess, that was not well done.\u201d And\nthe hostess said: \u201cAye, and unto a knave\u2019s death will he also come.\u201d\nThen said Owlglass to her: \u201cIt goes not well with him even now, for he\nlieth upon the wheel.\u201d And thereat said she: \u201cAs the labour so the hire.\nGod be praised for all good things.\u201d And Owlglass stood up, and said\nunto her: \u201cI am Owlglass; have ye forgotten me? Farewell, I depart\nhence.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and First Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass caused a Hollander from a plate to take an apple, the\n which evilly ended for the eater._\n\n\nHonest and true was the payment the which Owlglass gave unto a Hollander\nat the village of Andorf, in an inn at that place, where that they\nabode, and whither many merchants of Holland did resort. Now Owlglass\nwas somewhat sick, and did not care to eat meat, and in place thereof\ndid seethe him soft eggs. Now when that the guests sate at table, came\nOwlglass and brought the eggs with him, and the Hollander looked upon\nhim as a boor, and said: \u201cHow is this, boor; dost not like the fare the\nwhich our host giveth unto us, and must eggs be seethed for thee?\u201d\nTherewith taketh he the twain eggs, and breaketh them, and the one after\nthe other doth he swallow; thereafter layeth he the shells before\nOwlglass, and saith unto him: \u201cLo! do thou lick the vessel, forth have I\ntaken the yolk.\u201d And at this merry jest of the Hollander laughed the\nguests, and Owlglass with them.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBut the same evening went Owlglass forth, and bought him a handsome\napple, of the which did he scoop out the inside, and filled the same\nwith flies and gnats. Then set he the apple to the fire to roast, and\nthereafter peeled it, and with sweet honey did cover the outside. And at\nnight, when that all the guests once again sat at table to supper, came\nOwlglass with the apple on the plate, and turned his back upon the table\nas if he would have fetched some other thing. And when the Hollander saw\nit, he put forth his hand, and plucked the plate unto him, and took the\napple, and swallowed it. Thereupon was he grievously sick, and did vomit\nforth the apple and all that in his stomach was beside, so that the host\nand all the guests thought that Owlglass had put poison therein. Then\nsaid Owlglass: \u201cNay, therein is no poison; it is but an apple to cleanse\nthe stomach; an he had but said unto me that he would have eaten the\napple, would I have warned him; for in the eggs which I seethed were\nthere not any flies or gnats, but within the apple lay there a goodly\ncompany.\u201d Thereafter was the Hollander well enough again, and he opened\nhis mouth, and spake unto Owlglass, saying: \u201cOf a truth do thou eat\nroast or boiled, whatever thou wilt; even if thou hadst quails like unto\nthose the which ate the children of Israel in the wilderness, would I\nnot eat with thee.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and Second Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass caused a woman to break in pieces the whole of her\n wares in the market-place at Bremen._\n\n\nNow that so happily had Owlglass, unto his great comfort and content,\nbrought to pass this knavery, departed he again, and journeyed unto the\nBishop at Bremen, who loved Owlglass much; and by reason of his great\nwit and continual jests, did hold him in great honour. And he caused the\nbishop oftentimes to laugh right merrily, so that he gave unto Owlglass\na house, in the which he had free provisions granted unto him by the\nbishop. When that he arrived there, Owlglass did as if he were tired,\nand desired to give up his knaveries, and was fain to enter unto the\nchurch there to pray. At that mocked the bishop\u2014as bishops have done\nbefore that time and since\u2014at the resolve of Owlglass\u2014yet would he not\nbe persuaded, but gat him unto the church, and prayed until that time\nthat he could not any longer bear the quips and quiddities, the which\nwere put upon him by the bishop. And privily had Owlglass with a market\nwoman agreed, and she was the wife of a potter, and in the market-place\nsat she with pots and pans to sell: then did Owlglass pay unto the woman\nthe price of all her ware, and enjoined her what she should do when that\nhe gave unto her a sign.\n\nThereafter departed Owlglass, and came unto the bishop, as if he had\ncome from the church, and the bishop reviled and mocked Master Owlglass,\nin that he was so pious and not any longer the same man. At last\nOwlglass said unto the bishop: \u201cGracious prince and reverend father! do\nye now grant me to come unto the market-place, and there sitteth a\npotter\u2019s wife, and a wager will I set with you, that without my speaking\nunto her, or making a sign unto her with mine eye I will cause, by\nmagical words, the which I will mutter, that she shall arise up and take\na stick and herself break in pieces all her ware.\u201d Then said the bishop\nunto Owlglass: \u201cSuch a thing would I fain behold.\u201d Therefore with him\nmade the bishop a wager of thirty pieces of gold that the woman did it\nnot. And Owlglass did accept the wager, and with the bishop gat him unto\nthe market-place. Then did Owlglass shew unto the bishop the woman where\nshe sate, and they departed, and sate upon the house of the town council\nhard by. Then \u2019gan Owlglass to make incantation and conjuration, at the\nwhich stirred the potter\u2019s wife not a whit, and in good sooth the bishop\nrejoiced that he had most truly won his wager. At last gave Owlglass the\nsign unto the woman, the which they had agreed, thereupon arose she up\nand taking a stick, doth soundly belabour the ware, and breaketh it all\nin pieces very small. And with much content laughed the bishop; yet was\nvexed in the matter of the thirty pieces of gold, the which he had\nmanifestly lost unto Master Owlglass. And when that they came again unto\nthe bishop\u2019s court, did he confer privily with Owlglass, and said unto\nhim: \u201cIf that he would discover unto him after what manner he had so\nbrought it to pass that the woman should, after that wise, have broken\nher wares in pieces, then would he pay unto him the thirty pieces of\ngold.\u201d Then answered Owlglass unto the bishop, and said unto him: \u201cYea,\ngracious lord, that will I most cheerfully do.\u201d And therewith said unto\nhim: \u201cMost simple was this matter in every particular, for I paid unto\nthe woman the price of her wares before that she brake them, and I made\nagreement with her beside.\u201d\n\nThen laughed the bishop right merrily, and paid unto him the thirty\npieces of gold, requiring of him that he should not disclose unto any\none that which had come to pass. And if he kept his counsel, the bishop\npromised him that he would help him to a good fat ox thereto. \u201cYea,\u201d\nquoth Master Owlglass, and thereafter departed thence. Now when that the\nbishop sate at meat with his knights and gentlefolk, he opened his mouth\nand said unto them: \u201cThat he had learned an art whereby he might cause\nthe potter\u2019s wife to break in sunder all her ware.\u201d Then the knights and\ngentlefolk craved much to know how this was done, and desired much to\nsee the same performed; and this sheweth that in all times are men\nrather desirous to know how a mystery may be unfolded than patiently to\nfollow it and wait until it doth itself give unto them the explication\nthey would have. Then said the bishop: \u201cLo! an if ye will each of ye\ngive unto me a good fat ox for my kitchen, will I teach ye all this\nart.\u201d\n\nAnd it came to pass that it was the autumn season when the oxen were at\nthe best. Then thought each noble knight and gentleman: \u201cThis will not\nbe a great charge unto me, truly then will I do it for in this art to\nbecome learned.\u201d Thus did the bishop have of them sixteen fat oxen, and\nsuch was their price, that thereby was the bishop recompenced some\nthree-fold for the thirty pieces of gold which he had paid unto\nOwlglass. And at this time came Owlglass riding thither upon his horse,\nand he said unto the bishop: \u201cOf this booty is the half mine.\u201d And the\nbishop answered, and said unto him: \u201cIf that thou dost hold thy promise\nunto me, will I faithfully perform unto thee our contract; do thou leave\nme that which I have won.\u201d Then gave the bishop unto Owlglass a good fat\nox, the which, with great reverence, did Owlglass receive from him.\nThereupon did the bishop, discover unto his knights and gentlefolk in\nwhat manner they could perform the same marvellous thing, according to\nthat wise by which he had learned it himself; for that Owlglass had paid\nunto the woman the price of her wares ere she brake them.\n\nThen sate the noble knights and gentlemen silently upon their stools,\nand perceived that with cunning they had been beguiled; nor could they\nin any wise murmur thereat. So one scratched his head, and his neighbour\nsought for comfort in his neck, and they were sorely troubled for the\nloss of their oxen. But it could not be otherwise answered, and\ntherefore comforted they themselves in that unto their gracious lord the\nprofit had fallen; yet grieved they for their foolishness. But Owlglass\nrejoiced thereat, and departed with his booty. Thus may ye see, my\nmasters, that when a wise man like unto Owlglass, with a bishop sitteth\nunder one cap, ye may expect not a little knavery to come thereof!\nTherefore take heed and let not knaves approach near unto holy bishops\nof the Church, lest they be defiled, and much mischief come unto the\ncommonwealth thereafter.\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and Third Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass sold a horse, the which would not go over trees._\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOn a time had Owlglass a horse, the which he would fain sell, and one\ncame unto him, and looked upon it, and desired to buy it. And this buyer\nspake unto Owlglass saying: \u201cHath this horse any fault with him, the\nwhich thou oughtest to reveal unto me; and if that he hath shall it be\nno break to the bargain, I will yet buy him of thee, and in good money\npay thee the price therefor.\u201d And Owlglass answered and said unto him:\n\u201cVerily I say unto you, that I find no scathe in him, but this one, the\nwhich I confess openly, over the trees will he not go.\u201d And the merchant\nsaid: \u201cI crave not that he should go over the trees, and therefore will\nI pay thee the price, if thou wilt let me have him for an easy penny.\u201d\nThen answered Owlglass and said: \u201cOf a truth for a penny canst thou not\nhave him; but for five pieces of gold mayest thou receive him from me,\u201d\nand they twain agreed the purchase. And when that he would have ridden\nthe horse forth from the town, came he unto the town bridge, over the\nwhich would the horse not go, for it was a wooden bridge, and built of\ntrees. And he returned again unto Owlglass, and would have his money\nback; but Owlglass said unto him: \u201cThat most clearly had he told him the\nfault the which was in the horse.\u201d And the merchant gat him unto the\njudge, who said: \u201cMost certainly should Owlglass give back unto him the\nmoney.\u201d Then summoned they Owlglass, but he came not; neither at any\ntime would he make restitution for that he had said the horse would not\ngo over trees.\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and Fourth Adventure.\n\n_How that of a horse-dealer Owlglass bought a horse, and only paid half\n of the money therefor._\n\n\nWhen that Owlglass came unto the town of Hildesheim he encountered there\na horse-dealer, who, for twenty-five pieces of silver, did offer him a\ngood horse. And they marketed together for twenty-four pieces; and\nOwlglass said unto him: \u201cLo! the half of it will I pay thee straightway,\nand the rest shall I remain indebted unto thee. Thus will I now give\nunto thee twelve pieces of silver.\u201d And the horse-dealer (for he knew\nhim not) said unto him: \u201cAgreed; take thou the horse.\u201d And Owlglass took\nhim.\n\nAnd some three months fled by; then came the horse-dealer unto him, and\ndemanded the twelve pieces of silver. Then said Owlglass unto him:\n\u201cBehold, did we not agree that I should remain indebted unto thee for\nthese twelve pieces of silver?\u201d Thereat the other answered him, and they\nstrove together, and came unto the house where the judge sate, and\nentered in, and would therewith have it appointed how the matter should\nstand. And then did Owlglass say he would remain faithful unto his\nbargain, according as he had bought the horse; and said unto the judge:\n\u201cFor twenty and four pieces of silver bought I the horse, and I paid him\ntwelve thereof in good money; the other twelve agreed we that I should\nremain indebted unto him. If now that I do give him the money shall I\nfalsify my word; and that have I never yet done, but always performed\nthe thing which was commanded unto or required of me. And so let it be.\u201d\nThen was the suit before the judge withdrawn; and so stands the\nbusiness, as if it were in the Chancery Court, unto this day.\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _How that in the land of Brunswick Owlglass turned shepherd._\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOwlglass was a man that, with all his endeavours, could never grow rich,\nthe which is a marvel, considering how it is that so many knaves prosper\nright well; and here was one that in honesty could never be approached,\nand yet was poor. Now he took counsel within himself, and said: \u201cI have\nheard it said, that peradventure if one turneth shepherd, by the cunning\nof the patriarch Jacob one may grow rich.\u201d And he also had heard it\nsaid, that in the Duke of Brunswick\u2019s service all men grew rich in no\nlong season. So he gat him unto the duke; and when that he had come unto\nhim he spake unto him, saying: \u201cMost gracious duke, do thou, with thy\nmarvellous goodness, appoint me that I shall be a shepherd in thy\nservice for some years; for I would fain have money, that in mine old\nage I may live; and for my service I desire no other recompence.\u201d And\nthe duke did grant the post unto him for ten years. Then was Owlglass an\nexcellent shepherd; and when that he heard that in any part of the\nduke\u2019s country there was good grazing land, then wrote he straightway\nletters unto that land, and told the people thereof that he would bring\nthither his master\u2019s cattle to graze. And in great terror did the farmer\nboors assemble, and did, for fear that the cattle should eat up all\ntheir substance, make collection, and send unto him five and twenty\npieces of gold to go elsewhere. Then thought Owlglass: \u201cA most fair\nthing is this;\u201d and wrote unto another city, and thence also came money\nunto him; and this went forward so long, until the duke himself asked\nOwlglass how that his post prospered. \u201cTruly,\u201d quoth he, \u201cI have a fair\ninheritance thereby, and a coat of delicate workmanship; for there is no\noffice so little, that by it one may not have profit.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d answered\nthe duke; \u201cI must unto this see myself.\u201d Hence comes it that dukes,\nprinces, kings, emperors, and all their lackeys, do continually take\ninto their own hands the work and labour of lesser men; for the duke\nsaid unto Owlglass, he himself would do this thing; and Owlglass\nanswered him, saying: \u201cNo office is so little, that the hangman may not\nfrom it draw an inheritance. For the great be in marvellous peril\nalway.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and Sixth Adventure.\n\n _How that without money Owlglass bought a pair of shoes._\n\n\nNow it fortuned, that on a time Owlglass was at Erfurt, and there went\nthrough the Shoemaker\u2019s street; and a woman called loudly unto him, that\nhe should come unto her and buy a good pair of shoes. Then came he\nstraightway unto her, and took a shoe, and put it on his foot; then took\nhe up its fellow, and put it upon the other foot, and said unto her:\n\u201cLo! they do suit me marvellous well,\u201d and therewith ran off. Then made\nthe woman a great outcry, and said: \u201cStop me yonder thief, ye good\nfolk!\u201d And they would have held him. \u201cNay,\u201d said he, \u201cgood people, now\ndo we run for a wager; therefore let me go, and then shall I win a pair\nof shoes.\u201d Thus came he off with the pair of shoes; but so ill made were\nthey, that he gave them unto the servant at the inn where that he lay.\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and Seventh Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass sold unto the furriers at Leipzig a live cat, the\n which was sewed into the skin of a hare; and how rare sport came\n thereof._\n\n\nIn no long space of time was Owlglass ever ready with a knavish device.\nThis proved he to be a great truth when that he was at Leipzig, among\nthe furriers on Easter Even when altogether they held their feast. And\nit came to pass that most willingly would they have had some kind of\ngame to make them a hunt therewith. Of this heard Owlglass, and in his\nknavery he bethought him: \u201cThe furrier at Berlin gave thee nought for\nthy labour, therefore shall these men pay thee thy pains.\u201d With that\ndeparted he into his inn, where he lay, and there found he that the host\nhad a fine fat cat. This took Owlglass, and under his frock he carried\nit off; and then gat he him to the cook and besought him that he should\ngive unto him the skin of a hare. For therewith would he play off a\nknavery of great and merry conceit. The cook gave unto him the skin\nwhich he demanded of him; and then he took needle and thread and sewed\nup the cat therewith in the skin. After did our master put on a boor\u2019s\nfrock, and gat him to the town-house, and stood over against it. But his\nhare held he concealed under his coat until that a furrier came by. Then\nsaid Owlglass to the furrier: \u201cWould his honour buy a good hare?\u201d and\nthen shewed it unto him, where that he held it under his frock. And the\nfurrier and Owlglass conferred together; and they agreed that he should\ngive unto him four silver bits for the hare, and six pennies for the old\nsack, in the which Owlglass had put the hare. Then the furrier carried\nthe hare into the house of their alderman, and they rejoiced with great\nmerriment, and were content in that they had got such a good live hare,\nfor the furrier was right proud of getting such an one. Then did all the\nfurriers feel and punch the hare to see how fat he was; and not that\nyear, did they all agree had they seen such an one\u2014the which was very\ntrue! And at the time they would hold their games, they fetched dogs and\nlet the hare run in the garden, for they would have a hunt.\n\n[Illustration: HOW OWLGLASS SOLD PUSS.]\n\nNow when that the hare could run no more, it leaped up into a tree, and\ncried out _Miaow_, for most willingly would it again have been at home.\nAnd when that the furriers beheld this, they cried aloud: \u201cBrethren,\nbrethren, come let us pursue the wicked knave, which hath beguiled us,\nand strike him dead!\u201d And so would it have been if Owlglass had not put\non other clothes, so that they knew him not. But now, my worshipful\nmasters, hence came the proverb: \u201cThe cat hath leaped up into the tree.\u201d\nYet were the furriers beguiled, and so remained.\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and Eighth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass hired himself unto a boor._\n\n\nIt came to pass on a time that Owlglass served a boor; and the boor did\ndesire that they twain should, with a horse and cart, get them unto the\nforest to cut wood. And Owlglass sate upon the horse\u2019s back, while his\nmaster sate behind him upon the shafts of the cart. Then ran a hare\nacross the road whither they journeyed; and the master, when that he\nbeheld it, said: \u201cLo! my man, turn we back again upon this day; for it\nis a most evil fortune when that a hare doth run across the way. To-day\nwill we do some other thing.\u201d So they gat themselves home again.\n\nOn the next day departed they as before unto the forest; and Owlglass\nspake unto his master, and said unto him: \u201cA wolf hath run across the\nroad, master; what shall we do?\u201d \u201cHa! sayest thou so?\u201d quoth the boor.\n\u201cDrive forth, drive forth; great good fortune is it when that a wolf\ndoth cross thy road.\u201d So Owlglass drave the horse into the forest; and\nwhen that they gat thither, they took the horse out of the traces, and\nleft the cart standing, while they gat them to their labour. And when\nthat they had done, the boor despatched Owlglass, and bade him fetch the\nhorse and cart, that they might load and get them home once more.\n\nNow when that the excellent Owlglass came before the forest, he beheld\nthe horse lying dead, and the wolf was inside thereof devouring him with\ngreat appetite. And at this sight was Owlglass secretly glad, and ran\nback and said unto the boor: \u201cCome hither, boor come hither! the good\nfortune is within the horse!\u201d Thereat said the boor unto him: \u201cWhat dost\nthou mean?\u201d Yet Owlglass hastened him, and said: \u201cDo thou lose no time;\nbut get thee forward, or thou wilt have lost the good fortune.\u201d When\nthat they came thither, lo! the wolf lay within the carcase of the\nhorse, and eagerly tore and devoured him. Then said Owlglass: \u201cBoor! an\nif ye had gone into the forest yesterday, when that the hare crossed our\npath, would your horse have been whole! But I crave not to abide with\none that on signs and omens setteth his trust. Farewell!\u201d And so\ndeparted.\n\n\n\n\n The Ninety and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _How that Owlglass gat him to the High School of Paris._\n\n\nOnce Owlglass gat him as far as Paris, that learned city, at a season\nwhen the examination for licentiate was going forward. And he went in\nand stood over against the one who on the stool sate and looked upon\nhim. Then the learned doctor said unto him: \u201cWhat wouldst thou have!\nDost thou desire to say aught unto me?\u201d Then Owlglass took counsel\nwithin himself, and said: \u201cYea, most learned, I have a most difficult\nquestion I would desire resolved. Thus: Is it better for a man to do\nthat which he knoweth, or to learn that which he knoweth not? Make the\ndoctors the books, or the books the doctors?\u201d And at this question\nmarvelled everyone, and disputed thereupon; and the greater number\nthought that it was better that a man should do that which he knoweth,\nthan that he should first learn that which he knoweth not. Then said\nOwlglass: \u201cThen what fools must all of ye here be, in that ye ever crave\nto learn that which ye know not, and what ye know, that do none of ye.\u201d\nThen departed he with great scorn of pedants and scholars.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundredth Adventure.\n\n _How Owlglass would fain have been an innkeeper at Rouen, but was\n beguiled by a one-eyed man, and again, in turn, cozened him._\n\n\nIn the town of Rouen, it fortuned that there was a certain tax to be\ntaken from those who desired to keep an inn, which was named the\nSign-tax, for to set up a sign you must give a crown, and of this tax a\none-eyed man was the receiver. Owlglass thought to keep an inn, but\ncould never have permission from this man to put up a sign unless he\nwould give him a piece of gold, for that they had had a quarrel at some\ntime before. But at last he was obliged to give a piece of gold, and he\nset his mind to make the receiver sorry for having taken it. So soon,\ntherefore, as he might set up a sign, Owlglass had a one-eyed man\npainted, to whom another man was giving a piece of gold, and underneath\nhe had written, \u201c_Au Borgne qui prend_.\u201d[11] Those who beheld that sign,\nand who knew the story, laughed much thereat; and when it came unto the\nears of the tax-receiver, he was very angry, and went and laid his\ncomplaint before the judge. Owlglass was cited to come to answer the\ncomplaint, the which he did at once, and confessed that he had set up\nthe sign in shame of the man who had so cheated him; upon which the\njudge commanded the other to be sworn, who then said it was true he had\ntaken so much money, and offered to return it. This he was ordered to\ndo; and Owlglass was commanded to alter his sign, but all that he did\nwas to paint out the p in the writing, which thus read: \u201c_Au Borgne qui\nrend_;\u201d[12] for in sooth it was not easy to discover in the painting\nwhether the man was giving or taking the gold-piece. Thus Owlglass\nsatisfied justice, and the judge would not hear the second complaint.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 11:\n\n To the one-eyed man who takes.\n\nFootnote 12:\n\n To the one-eyed man who returns.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and First Adventure.\n\n _How in Berlin Owlglass was an officer, and collected taxes of the\n boors._\n\n\nWhen, unto his shame, Owlglass forgat his noble and virtuous estate, and\nbecame a tax-officer, he was on a time sent forth unto a village, to\ndemand money of a boor, who either loved not to pay money, or was poor\nand could not. And as Owlglass with his little lance went forth, the\nfollowing matter came to pass. For as an evil and wicked office bringeth\nshame unto the mind, so also leadeth it every man into bad company;\ntherefore marvel ye not when that I say unto ye that the Devil, that\nprince of evil and darkness, encountered Owlglass as he ran. And his\nhigh estate had the devil put off, and appeared in the likeness of a\nboor, yet did Master Owlglass perceive right well who it was. Then \u2019gan\nthey to confer together, and walked together on the way. The boor said\nunto him: \u201cThou goest about to receive money, let us now make\nfellowship; for I go to find a concealed treasure, and of that will I\ngive thee half, and do thou the same with me.\u201d\n\nNow Owlglass had heard it said of old time, that the devil knoweth full\nwell of many a hidden treasure, so he agreed with him, and they departed\ntogether. And it came to pass, that as they went through a village, they\nheard a child crying and screaming. Then came its mother by, and said\nunto it: \u201cHold thy peace, wilt thou? May the foul fiend take thee!\u201d\nThereat said Owlglass unto the devil: \u201cLo! hearest thou, there hast thou\na child given unto thee?\u201d The devil said: \u201cMy good friend, the mother\nmeaneth not that she saith; I dare not take it, for it is but spoken in\ncholer.\u201d Then went they forward unto the field, and came unto a herd of\nswine; and lo! a great fat sow had departed from the herd, and the\nswineherd pursued it, and cried aloud, as he ran: \u201cMay the devil take\nthee!\u201d That heard Owlglass, and for as much as he loved bacon, would\nfain have received his share, and said unto the devil: \u201cLo! dost thou\nnot hear? Now hast thou a fat sow given unto thee. Put forth thine hand\nand take it, for it is thine. With thee will I have no further\nfellowship.\u201d Then said the devil: \u201cWorthy Master Owlglass, what could I\ndo with a sow? Nor hath he any grave intent to give it unto me; and if\nthat I took it, the poor swineherd would have to pay for it. Nay, I will\nawait something better than this.\u201d For the devil was tenderhearted; but\nOwlglass thought upon the treasure.\n\nThereafter came they unto the court-yard of the boor of whom Owlglass\nwas to receive the money; and he stood in the barn and thrashed the\ncorn. When that he looked up and beheld Owlglass, he opened his mouth,\nand spake unto him, saying: \u201cArt thou there again? The devil take thee,\nfor I would fain never see thee again.\u201d Thereat said the devil unto\nOwlglass: \u201cNow dost thou see? He meaneth this thing most devoutly; do\nthou, therefore, come with me, for of a truth have I found my treasure,\nthe which was hidden.\u201d But Owlglass answered, and said unto the devil:\n\u201cNay, but now will we reckon with each other; for I said unto thee that\nI would no longer have fellowship with thee, and now do I fulfil my\nsaying; therefore do thou nothing contrary to law.\u201d Therewith cited he\nthe devil before the judge, and bade him hold his hand not to touch him,\nfor was he not a government officer? I know not, my good masters,\nwhether the devil,\u2014who is contrary unto all law, and existeth contrary\nthereunto,\u2014had no great love for judges, or whether they were so steeped\nin evil-doing that even the foul fiend held them in contempt; yet most\ntrue it is, that he came not unto Owlglass his citation. Thereafter grew\nOwlglass greater in virtue, and left off his evil ways, and laid down\nhis office.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Second Adventure.\n\n_How that in his latter days Owlglass became a pious monk, and what came\n thereof._\n\n\nUnto all men is there appointed a time when that their manifold and\nheavy sins sit upon their remorse-laden souls, and they groan for mercy,\nand writhe under the pangs of repentance. And though Owlglass had,\nthroughout his life, been a virtuous man (as I have clearly manifested\nunto ye, my masters!) yet after he had journeyed hither and thither in\nall lands, there came unto him a gallows-repentance; and he bethought\nhim how that he unto a convent might depart, taking the vows of poverty,\nand there end his days, and cast forth all that old leaven of his\nevil-doings, and be a pious and a good man henceforth, so that his soul\nshould not be lost. Therefore he gat him unto the Abbot of the convent\nat Marienthal, and entreated of him that he would receive him as a\nbrother, and unto the convent would he in his testament give all that he\nhad. Now, the which was not a most marvellous thing, the abbot with such\nfools was greatly contented, and therefore spake he unto Owlglass, and\nsaid: \u201cFor that thou hast yet some gear of valuable treasure, art thou\nwelcome unto me. But, seest thou, some office must thou have, for among\nour fraternity is no one without somewhat to do; every one among us hath\nan employment, and therefore must thou too labour.\u201d And Owlglass\nanswered, and said: \u201cYea, reverend father, that would I cheerfully do.\u201d\nThereat said the abbot: \u201cThen, with God\u2019s grace, as thou lovest not much\nlabour, do I receive thee, and be thou our gatekeeper. So wilt thou stay\nwithin thy chamber, and wilt have neither sorrow nor great work, only to\nfetch thy provision and beer from the cellar, and to lock and unlock the\ngate.\u201d And the pious Owlglass said: \u201cReverend father abbot! God give you\nguerdon therefore, that ye do so kindly consider the infirmities of a\npoor old man, borne down with the weight of his sins and broken with\nsickness, of a truth will I perform everything that ye do enjoin me.\u201d\nThen said the abbot: \u201cBehold, do ye now receive of me the keys, but let\nnot every one enter herein, or will the convent soon grow poor, for the\nrobbers will waste our substance, and eat up all our provision;\ntherefore do thou let but few in, scarcely more than the third or\nfourth.\u201d And Owlglass answered, and said: \u201cYea, reverend sir, I will do\nyour bidding as ye command me.\u201d Then did he never let more than the\nfourth person enter into the convent, it recked not whether they\nbelonged unto the convent or no.\n\nAnd a complaint came unto the abbot of this action of Owlglass, and he\ncalled him and spake unto him after this wise: \u201cWhat a vile and doubly\ncondemned knave art thou, that thou wilt not let such enter in that unto\nthe convent do belong.\u201d \u201cReverend Lord Abbot,\u201d answered Owlglass, \u201clo!\nunto the fourth have I let them enter, according as thou didst signify\nunto me. Thy words have I fulfilled with great diligence.\u201d \u201cLike unto a\nknave hast thou fulfilled those words of mine,\u201d said the abbot, and\nwould fain have again been free of him. Then the abbot appointed another\ndoor-keeper, for he marked well that Owlglass would not hold from his\nancient beguilings. And he gave unto him another office, and bade him\ncount the monks in order as they gat them down unto matins, and he spake\nunto him, saying: \u201cAnd behold, if thou dost overlook one of them then\nmust thou get thee hence.\u201d Then said Owlglass to the abbot: \u201cVerily is\nthis a heavy business; yet an if none other hath command to do it, must\nI fulfil it as well as may be.\u201d\n\nThereafter brake he privily by night some boards from the staircase, by\nthe which the monks came down unto the chapel. Now the Prior of that\nconvent was an old man and a pious, and ever was he the first the which\nentered into the chapel to be at matins. And he came unto the stairs and\nsought the steps the which by Owlglass had been broken away, and found\nthem not, but fell through and brake his leg. Then cried he out with a\nloud voice, so that all the other monks ran with great haste unto that\nplace to see what had come to pass, and fell one after the other over\nthe prior. Then did Owlglass get him unto the abbot, and said unto him:\n\u201cMost reverend sir! I have fulfilled mine office as thou wouldst have\nfrom me.\u201d Therewith gave Owlglass unto the abbot the piece of wood, the\ntally on the which he had nicked down the number of the monks as he\nstood thereby. And the abbot said unto him: \u201cLike unto a most vile knave\nhast thou fulfilled my command; get thee now straightway forth from this\nplace.\u201d So Owlglass departed, and put from him his monk\u2019s frock, and\ncame unto M\u00f6llen, where he thereafter lay sick and died.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Third Adventure.\n\n _How that when at M\u00f6llen Owlglass lay sick, his mother came unto him._\n\n\nIn sickness and in health hath a man but one ever kind friend, who in\nhim can see no fault, whose good counsel abideth within his heart, and\nbitter sore is it when he followeth not the words spake unto him with\nsuch noble and truthful intent; yet such was the action of Owlglass. For\nwhen that in his youth his mother would have restrained him from his\nknavery, would he not be persuaded. Now at M\u00f6llen lay he grievously\nsick, and not one of his noble friends, unto the which he had caused\nsuch great laughter, cared to come nigh unto him; yet came his mother,\nwho with fear and trembling had, in her solitude and desolate home,\nmarked the courses of our noble master; and she besought him, saying:\n\u201cSoon wilt thou depart unto the land of darkness and shadow, the which\nmen traverse with shuddering, quaking with fear for the evil they have\ndone, for of a truth is no man good, no man worthy of grace! Therefore\ndo thou, I pray of thee, bequeath unto me of thy substance, that in my\nold age and decrepitude I may have some comfort; for I perish of sadness\nand sorrow, the which killeth more than an empty stomach, and destroyeth\nmore than the bitterness of winter frost.\u201d\n\nAnd, as he lay sick before her, did his evil youth rise up against him,\nand proclaim him a cunning and deceitful knave. Then took he his\nmother\u2019s hand between his twain, and opened his mouth and said unto her:\n\u201cLo! evil gotten riches reward not any man, neither canst thou on them\nplace thy comfort. Now in this world is it a rule, the which none doth,\nthat of him which hath anything should you take of his substance, and to\nhim that hath not allot ye a part. Yet is my good fortune so great that\nmy treasure is hidden where no man can find it. If that thou canst\ndiscover aught that is mine take it and use it freely. But an if thou\nfindest it not, be not grieved, for my treasure is subtle and lieth most\nprivily concealed.\u201d Then understood his mother the words which he spake\nunto her, and cared not any more to receive from him aught that by guile\nand cunning he had received of others. Yet may we perceive, in another\nplace, what that treasure was, and how eagerly men strove thereafter.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Fourth Adventure.\n\n_How that when Owlglass was sick unto death, he made confession of three\n things, the which it sorely troubled him he had not done._\n\n\nSorrow and trouble had Owlglass for his manifold wickedness; but the\nmood in which he spake unto his mother, remained not upon him any while.\nFor as the tree falleth so doth it lie, and in so much joyous company\nhath Master Owlglass spent his life, that now at the end of it can he\nnot send forth the remembrance of it, and a smack of his ancient knavery\ncometh back unto him. When those which were around him perceived that he\nwas near unto his end, they besought and moved him to confess his\ntransgressions unto the priest. And that would he not do until an old\nnun of marvellous wisdom came and entreated him. Then he opened his\nmouth and spake unto her, saying: \u201cNay, but I die not sweetly, for death\nis bitter indeed, and unto me cometh with a face of woe; and why should\nI confess unto any man in secret? For what I have done,\u2014knowing that in\nmy manhood I have perfected many and divers things,\u2014is perceived by me\nto be noised abroad over many lands and countries, and unto not a few is\nit well known, and of me converse they continually; and unto the end of\ntime shall the inheritance of my life come unto others that arise after\nme. Of a truth do I not think so scurvily of the world. But an if I have\ndone therein any good, it shall not be remembered; and if man receive it\nnot, then will the Almighty Lord record it within the glorious book he\nhath of his creatures. And yet of my evil doings will there be constant\nreport, so that without confession shall they be multiplied. Three\nsorrows have I, the which I have not done and performed, and the which\ncould have been accomplished by me.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: HOW OWLGLASS REBUKED THE PRIEST\u2019S COVETOUSNESS.]\n\nAnd the holy nun answered him, and said: \u201cDear heart! be ye content; for\nan if it might be an evil thing that ye would do, have ye in the thought\nconcerning it wrought more than half thereof. But what be these things,\nevil or good?\u201d And Owlglass answered, and said: \u201cThe first of these\nthings is, that when I beheld a man walking in the street, and his coat\nhung below his mantle, I followed after him, and I thought that the coat\nwould have fallen from off him; then would I fain have rolled it up, and\ndid I not do it. For when that I approached unto him, I was grievously\nvexed that I could not cut off his coat as far as it hung down beneath\nthe mantle. And this thing, the which I did not, troubled me most\nsorely. Unto this add I the second thing, the which is, that when I\nbehold a man who sitteth, and with a knife thrust between his jaws, doth\npick his teeth, then would I gladly jerk the knife into his wizen, for\nthat thereby he might not again mar his teeth. And the last thing that I\nhave not done is, that when a pack of old women sate conferring\ntogether, and gossiping away the character, conduct, and interests of\nthose which be fools enow to look upon them with awe and reverence, I\ncould not sew their mouths up, hath troubled me sorely.\u201d Then said the\nold nun unto him: \u201cMeanest thou that, and wouldst thou do it unto me?\u201d\n\u201cYea,\u201d quoth the dying knave. \u201cThen would I give unto thee thy viaticum,\nand assoilzie thee,\u2014and that thou shouldst get thee unto the foul fiend,\nthe which owneth thee, and all like unto thee!\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d answered\nOwlglass, \u201can if thou dost this, thou dost condemn the whole human race,\nfor be we not every one of us fools or knaves?\u201d But she tarried no\nlonger with him, the which he deemed not civil, for with others, until\nthat he was bidden to depart, remained he always.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Fifth Adventure.\n\n _Saith, How that to a greedy priest Owlglass confessed his sins, and\n paid him handsomely for his pains._\n\n\nAnd it came to pass, that when the nun had departed from him, he still\nthought that with this world he would leave not a moment without profit;\ntherefore when that they brought a priest unto him, lost he not any time\nin rehearsing unto him his sins, and likewise giving unto him such a\nlesson as in this true and veracious chronicle will now be set forth.\nFor the greed of priests be very great, and ever delight they in\nclutching from the poor such money as would otherwise fill their\nill-lined bodies with good meat and drink, and cover their pinched limbs\nwith a fair doublet. So when that this priest came unto Owlglass,\nperceived he that an adventurous man had our master been, and in his\ntime had made not a little provision for his purse, and could,\ntherefore, pay unto his confessor a goodly sum. And unto him did he\ntherefore speak, beseeching him to think of the peace of his soul, and\nthat he should pay money for masses, the which should be said and sung\nfor him. Thereunto answered Owlglass, that it was well said of him, and\nhe bade him to come again that afternoon, and he would make provision\ntherefor.\n\nThen departed the priest, and came not again until even; and our good\nmaster made preparation, and gat a large vessel and filled it with\npitch; and on the top of the pitch laid he some crown-pieces, and\nducats, and other money, so as to hide the pitch from the eyes of the\npriest. Then confessed Owlglass his sins, and the priest gave him\nabsolution, and then would have received the money of him. And Owlglass\nsaid unto him: \u201cLo! in yonder vessel lieth store of treasure, put in\nthine hand and pluck forth a handful; but do thou see that thou dip not\ntoo deep.\u201d Yet was the priest greedy, and hearkened not unto the words\nof Owlglass, but dipped his hand deep into the vessel, and behold! when\nhe brought it forth again was it with pitch all defiled. Thereat was\nMaster Owlglass greatly benefited, so that strength returned unto him,\nand he rose up from his bed and said unto him: \u201cDost thou not see! I\nrequired of thee that thou shouldst not dip too deep into the vessel;\nbut thou wouldst not hearken unto my words, for on the top lay the\ntreasure, the which was thine.\u201d And he laughed and made sport of the\npriest\u2019s greed. Then was the priest wroth, and departed, and would with\nsuch a knave have no more to do.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Sixth Adventure.\n\n_How that Owlglass in three parts did divide all that belonged unto him;\n and the one part gave he freely unto his friends, and another thereof\nhumbly to the town council of M\u00f6llen, and the third part unto the priest\n there._\n\n\nNow when that Owlglass lay sick, every day grew he weaker, and knew that\nhis death was approaching; therefore he made his will, and in three\nparts did he divide his wealth,\u2014the one part gave he unto his friends,\nand the other unto the town council of M\u00f6llen, to pay the debts which\nlay upon the town, and the third part unto the priest of that place. But\nhe made one stipulation, and caused them to promise that they would bury\nhim in the holy earth of the churchyard, and after a Christian wise sing\nand say a mass and vigil for his sinful soul; and then, after four\nweeks, should they open the chest in the which lay his treasure, and the\nwhich chest was with three most excellent locks shut, and unto each gave\nOwlglass one key, and they accepted the trust of him, and then bidding\nthem all farewell and enjoyment of the wealth he left unto them, he\ngently gave up the ghost, and so from this world departed one of the\nbest and noblest men the which Germany had ever seen; nor since that\ntime hath there been any like unto him in rarity of wit or subtlety of\nheart. And though there be no lack of fools and knaves who chouse and\ncozen, yet do none of them perform such chousing and cozening to the\nglory and advantage of true wisdom, in manner and form as did Owlglass.\n\nAnd after the four weeks were gone by, and all things had been duly\naccomplished according to the promise made unto him, came the council\nand the priest and the friends of Owlglass to open the treasure, and\nenter upon the enjoyment thereof. And, behold! when they opened the\nchest, found they nought but stones. Then grew they angry, and strove\ntogether; and each believed that the other had from the chest taken the\ntreasure. But it was not so; for of a truth understood they not until\nafterward, that all treasure is indeed of no greater account than\nstones. For a lusty frame and a cheerful heart be the best of riches.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Seventh Adventure.\n\n _How that at M\u00f6llen Owlglass died, and the swine did cast down the\n coffin when that the good priests sang the vigil._\n\n\nNow after that time that Owlglass had given up the ghost, the people\nentered in unto the hospital where he lay, and took him, and put him in\na coffin, and set it upon tressels. Then came the good priests to sing a\nvigil round his coffin, and they lifted up their voices and sang. But as\nthey sang came the swine of the master of that hospital, and entered in\nunto the room where lay Owlglass, and they ran underneath the coffin,\nand cast it down. Then came the nuns and monks, and much folk likewise,\nand would have driven forth the swine, but that could they not do; and\nthe swine leaped and ran, and upset the nuns and monks, so that it was a\nmost lamentable sight to look upon. Afterwards gat the swine forth into\nthe street, and the nuns entered in, and laid Owlglass within his coffin\nagain; and they bare him forth unto the graveyard to bury him.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Eighth Adventure.\n\n _How that our for ever prized Master Owlglass was buried._\n\n\nAnd at the burying of Owlglass was there a most wondrous strange thing.\nFor when that they all stood in the graveyard round the coffin in the\nwhich he lay, they took ropes to let it down into the grave, and, of\nthese twain ropes, brake the one which was under his feet, and the\ncoffin fell down, and stood on end. Thus stood Owlglass in his grave.\nAnd the folks around marvelled greatly thereat, and said: \u201cNay, let him\nstand an if he will; for in his life wrought he many great marvels, and\nhe will be strange in death likewise.\u201d Then they filled the grave with\nearth, and above his head set a stone, and on it did they cunningly hew\nthe likeness of an owl, who within his claws bare a glass, and upon the\nstone set the words which stand written in the chapter which here\nfolloweth.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Ninth Adventure.\n\n _Telleth what stood upon his gravestone._[13]\n\n EPITAPHIUM.\n\n This stone dare none to overthrow,\n For Owlglass upright stands below.\n\n[Illustration: ANNO MCCCL.]\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 13:\n\n This device is faithfully copied from that in the edition of 1519.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Tenth Adventure.\n\n _How in after time our most excellent Owlglass was esteemed so worthy\n that he was made a holy Saint; and on the day of All Fools in April do\n the folk alway keep his memory, as also when they do a foolish thing,\n the which maketh him continually esteemed of great and small._\n\n\nThat which is accomplished of a great man must at some season bring him\nhonour and glory; therefore be not astonished at the matter which came\nto pass when that Cardinal Raymundus lay at M\u00f6llen great number of years\nafter. For in those parts did many bear in mind the virtues of the\nillustrious Owlglass; and the cardinal himself went and looked upon the\ngravestone of Owlglass, and had report made unto him of his doings and\nsayings. And, for as much as the people of M\u00f6llen gave great glory unto\nhis memory, the good cardinal wrote unto the Holy Father at Rome; and\nunto the great content and delight of the townsfolk of M\u00f6llen, Master\nOwlglass was made a Saint, and beareth rule over all manner of\nchousings, beguilings, cozenings, cheatings, and knaveries having\nfellowship with Saint Nicholas; and when that a man goeth about to do a\nfoolish thing, remembereth he that holy man, Saint Owlglass, and doth\ncall upon his name\u2014and of a verity is Saint Owlglass, of all the saints\nthat be in the calendar, that one which hath the government of the\ngreatest number of devout folks here on earth. For fools be there many;\nand upon the first day of that fair month of April, the weather of which\nis as various as were the adventures of the holy saint\u2014upon the first of\nApril, I say, do all men honour him, and indeed every day; for in that\nhour in the which they accomplish any idle vain work, do they increase\nhis glory. So that Saint Owlglass doth receive the continual esteem of\nboth great and small.\n\n\n\n\n The Hundred and Eleventh, and Last, Adventure.\n\n _Reciteth a few grave reflections of this present chronicler._\n\n\nThat thing which a man maketh his own, and causeth aye to be his beloved\nwork, be it evil or good, will beset him for ever, nor, save in the\nprickings and movings of his trembling conscience, and timorous spirit,\nwill he acknowledge his own desperate courses, the which seemed fair to\nenjoy, but turn unto the apples of Sodom and Gomorrah i\u2019 the mouth; and\nlike unto the red-hot ploughshare, over the which the hardened criminal\nwalketh, doth the sin all done in life sear the aspen soul, which\nquivereth in terror at evil doing. And verily when that I look me back\nover the book, my good master, which now I present unto thee, do I\nperceive right well that deep meaning and truthful lesson which can be\ngathered by the careful reading of such a life as that one of good\nMaster Owlglass. It hath been said unto us, that we should not do evil\nthat good may arise therefrom; yet from such actions and enactments as\nthose of our master came forth good, for we are taught therein to know\nthe wisdom of the saying of Solon unto that ancient King Cr\u0153sus, that\nuntil the end be perceived ye should esteem no man happy. And what\nprofit had Master Owlglass of his knaveries? A life of continual change\nand hurrying to and fro upon the face of the earth\u2014of carking care, and,\noftentimes, pinching hunger and parching thirst. For whatsoever he\nwrought was a thing spoiled thereafter, and his knavery and wickedness\nat not any season brought him content. Lo! do we not live in other\ntimes; but yet those very same things which lay so heavy upon Owlglass,\nsit yet openly among us, in defiance of the judgment which the voice of\nthe righteous man pronounceth against them. O that folly, knavery, and\ninjustice, could be rooted up from the fair soil of this world, and cast\nforth unto the burning! This book was brought forth with not a little\ntravail, for while it should cause the merry laugh upon the cheek of old\nand young, peradventure it may enter into the hearts of some, and they\nmay read that lesson which we do all merit. If that Master Owlglass had\nnot been a knave and a beguiler, might he not, with his rare wit and\ningenious brain, have waxed strong in good and noble things? Therefore\nstrive we to understand the intent of his life, and use those talents\nwith the which God hath endowed us, to the greater glory and honour of\nthe Giver; for truly hath it been here clearly set forth how the fool\u2019s\ncap doth extinguish all light of use, beauty, or excellency.\n\n[Illustration: FINIS]\n\n\n\n\n APPENDIX A.\n\n _Bibliographical Notes for the Literary History of Eulenspiegel._\n\n\nIn the foregoing volume, as has been announced in the preface, the\nedition followed in chief has been the oldest Low German quarto, printed\nat Strasburg in the year 1519. This is the one with which the Franciscan\nFriar, Doctor Thomas Murner, has been identified; and, as all reasonable\nsurmise and possible evidence indicate him to be the author of the\noriginal Eulenspiegel, we have no reason to believe that any older\nedition will ever be discovered, although there is a rumour of a Low\nGerman edition of 1483. The title page is as follows:\u2014\u201cEin kurtzweilig\nlesen von Dil Ulen | -spiegel geboren, vsz. d\u0113 land z\u016b Brunszwick. Wie\ner | se\u012b leb\u0113 volbracht hat. & evt (?) seiner geschichten.\u201d Underneath\nOwlglass on horseback with owl and glass. It consists of one hundred and\nthirty paged leaves in small quarto, and contains twenty-five sheets,\nmarked A\u2013Z, and _a_\u2013_b_ iiii; but the number of pages in a sheet varies\nfrom four to six and eight. The number of stories contained in the\nedition is ninety-six, and, with the exception of nine stories, each is\nprovided with a rudely-executed woodcut, in all of which Eulenspiegel is\nrepresented in the ordinary dress of the period, his head uncovered, and\nwithout the fool\u2019s dress which it has been the custom since to bestow\nupon him. Panzer was only acquainted with one copy of this edition\nmentioned in Wenker\u2019s Catalogue, Strasburg, 1783, p. 215, No. 3175. This\nis preserved in the Ducal Library of Gotha, and no other is known to\nexist. It is now readily accessible to the student, being reprinted by\nDr. Lappenberg (Dr. Thomas Murner\u2019s Ulenspiegel. Leipzig, T. O. Weigel,\n1854).\n\n2. In 1520\u201330, we meet with another edition, the title of which we here\ntranscribe: \u201cAyn Kurtz Wylich | lesen van Tyel Ulenspiegel: geboren |\nvyss dem land Brunzwyck. Wat he seltzamer boitzen be | dreuen hait syn\ndage, l\u00fcstich tzo lesen.\u201d Printed by Servais Kruffter, in quarto, in old\nGothic letters; thirteen sheets, A-N, with 104 unnumbered pages. This\nedition is known from two imperfect copies, which, however, restore,\nwhen collated, the whole. The first twelve sheets are in the Imperial\nLibrary of Vienna, and the Royal Library of Berlin has the last eleven.\nThis edition differs from all others by possessing no preface. There are\nseventy-eight stories; and the one which appears second in this edition\n(which has been taken from the English Black Letter) first makes its\nappearance as an Eulenspiegel, as do Adventures 93 and 95.\n\n3. A Dutch edition is first found about this time (1520\u201330), printed at\nAntwerp by Michiel Van Hoochstraten. The following is the title page:\n\n (Picture of the \u201cVlenspieghel. (Picture of the\n Owl.) Van Vl\u0113spieghels leuen. Mirror.)\n\n En\u0304 schimpelicke werck\u0113, en\u0304 w\u014dderlijcke auontueren die | hi hadde\n want he en liet hem gheen boeuerie verdrieten.\u201d\n\nThe sheets run to K ij., and forty leaves in small quarto. The only\nknown copy is at Copenhagen, in the Royal Library, and wants two leaves.\nForty-six, perhaps forty-eight, stories (counting two for the missing\nleaves) are contained in this edition, but they are not numbered.\n\n4. 1528\u20131530. The two editions now to be described are perhaps more\ninteresting to English readers than any others, and deserve careful\nexamination. Of the English \u201cHowleglas\u201d two copies only remain, of\ndifferent editions and presumed years. At the time when Dr. Lappenberg,\nin 1854, completed his bibliographical list, one of these copies only\nhad reached the British Museum. They are both imperfect; but,\nfortunately, what is wanting in one copy is completed in the other. The\ntitle is as follows:\n\n\u201cHere beginneth a merrye Jest of a man that was called Howleglas, and of\nmany marueylous thinges and Jestes that he dyd in his lyfe, in Eastlande\nand in many other places.\u201d\n\nOccupying nearly the whole of the remainder of the quarto page is a rude\nwoodcut of a king upon his throne with two people standing before,\nalluding evidently to the story of the King of Poland\u2019s Jester and\nEulenspiegel.[14] The colophon of the earliest edition, which has no\ndate, but to which 1528 is assigned by the British Museum Catalogue (Dr.\nLappenberg dates it at 1540\u20131556), is as follows: \u201cImprynted at London\nin Tame Street at the Vintre on the thre Craned wharfe by Wyllyam\nCopland (\u2e2a).\u201d\n\nThe book begins immediately at the back of the title with the following\npreface:\n\n\u201cFor the great desyryng and praying of my good frandes. And I y^e first\nwriter of this boke might not denye th\u0113. Thus haue I compled & gathered\nmuch knauyshnes & falsnes of one Howleglas made and done within his\nlyfe, whiche Howleglas dyed y^e yeare of our lorde God .M.CCCC. &\n.L.[15] Nowe I desyre to be pardoned both before ghostly & worldly,\nafore highe & lowe afore noble and unnoble. And right lowly I requyre\nall those y^t shall reade or heare this pres\u0113te Jeste (my ignora\u016bce to\nexcuse). This fable is not but only to renewe y^e mindes of men or\nwomen, of all degrees fr\u014d y^e use of sadnesse to passe the tyme, with\nlaughter or myrthe. And for because y^e simple knowyng persons shuld\nbeware if folkes can see. Me thinke it is better to passe the tyme with\nsuch a mery Jeste and laughe there at and doo no synne: than for to wepe\nand do synne.\u201d\n\nThe number of adventures in the English Howleglas is forty-six; but they\nare not numbered, one being a copy of verses (given in Appendix D), and\nforming an additional chapter, making forty-seven. Of this copy,\nSignature D is missing; otherwise, excepting the corner of a leaf, it is\nperfect. Signatures are from A\u2013M, worked in sheets of eight pages, equal\nto fifty-two pages, of which the last is a blank. It belonged at one\ntime to Garrick, and, with other portions of his library, was\ntransferred to the Museum, where it will be found with the Press-mark C.\n21. _c_.\n\nOf this book a second copy exists, as above mentioned, also in the\nBritish Museum. It is a later edition (1530), but differing in nothing\nfrom the one already described. It is, however, very imperfect, wanting\nSignature B and the page marked K iiii, as well as all subsequent pages,\ncomprising L and M. This has been completed from the other copy. On the\nfly-leaf is the following note, which I copy:\n\n\u201cSuch is the rarity of this volume, that only _one_ other copy is known,\nviz., that in the British Museum, which is of another edition, and is\nalso slightly imperfect (_Note by the writer of the fly-leaf comment_:\nOn a more accurate inspection of the above volume, I have discovered\nthat it wants an entire sheet, viz. _c_[_d_]), wanting the corner of a\nleaf. _This_ copy was purchased at the Roxburgh sale by the late Mr.\nHeber, whose note will be seen on the fly-leaf immediately preceding the\ntitle.\u201d\n\nMr. Heber\u2019s note is: \u201c1812. Roxburgh sale \u00a314 5 0. Mem. to examine the\nMuseum copy.\u201d\n\nIn 1842, it was marked in Lilly\u2019s Catalogue; and the date placed upon it\nby the Museum authorities is sixth of October, 1857, with the press-mark\n12316 _c_.\n\nThe only record of any other copy of this English Howleglas, also\nreferred to in the preface, is in a paper of Mr. Halliwell\u2019s in the\nPapers of the Shakspere Society (vol. iv. p. 18, 26\u201328), where that\ngentleman describes the library of a certain Captain Cox, quoting from\nan account of Queen Elizabeth\u2019s entertainments at Kenilworth, made by\nLaneham, clerk and keeper of the Council Chamber door.\n\nThat same Captain Cox is represented by Ben Jonson in the \u201cMasque of\nOwls, at Kenelworth, presented by the Ghost of Captain Cox, mounted on\nhis Hobbyhorse 1626,\u201d and is made to say:\n\n \u201cThis Captain Cox, by St. Mary,\n Was at Bullen with King Ha\u2014ry;\n And (if some do not vary)\n Had a goodly library,\n By which he was discerned\n To be one of the learned,\n To entertain the queen here,\n When last she was seen here.\u201d\n\nIt has been stated, that Owlglass also existed as a Miracle Play; but\nthis statement does not seem to refer to more than the Easter Play, to\nwhich reference has been made in the Preface.\n\n5. 1532. This year we find the first French edition, stated to be\ntranslated from Flemish into French (probably from the Antwerp edition)\nprinted at Paris, the title being as follows:\u2014\n\nBetween four flowerets there is first an owl then the word:\n\u201cUlenspiegel,\u201d and after it a round glass. Next: \u201cDe sa vie de ses\noeuures | Et merueilleuses aduentures par luy faictes | et des gran- |\ndes fortunes quil a eux, lequel par milles fallaces ne se lais | sa\ntromper. Nouuellement translate et corrige de Flamant | en Francoys.\u201d\nThe colophon is thus: \u201cImprime nouuellement a Paris en l\u2019an\nMil*ccccc*xxxii*.\u201d Sheets run to K iiij _b_ in quarto, without\npagination, and the type all Gothic. The only known copy exists in the\nRoyal Library at Stuttgart.\n\n6. In the same year, 1532, an edition appeared at Erfurt, printed by\nMelcher Sachsen. The following is the title: \u201cVon Vlenspiegel eins bau |\nren sun (son) des lands Braunschweick, wie | er sein leben volbracht\nhat, gar mit | seltzamen sachen.\u201d Ten sheets in quarto, leaves in number\n84, without pagination; the last being blank. There are 102 stories,\nwith 86 woodcuts, some little merit belonging to the first few\u2014the later\nones having been considerably worn. Only four copies, nearly all\ndefective, are known of this edition; one was bought for the private\nlibrary of the King of Prussia, at the sale of the collection of the\nViennese antiquary Matth. Kuppitsch, and presented by his Majesty to the\nRoyal University Library of Berlin. There is another in the Royal\nLibrary of M\u00fcnchen.\n\n7. Another edition, in every respect similar to the Erfurt edition of\n1532, was printed between 1533\u20137; but from the last pages being lost, it\nis impossible to say by whom, where, or in what year. The copy is at the\nRoyal Library of Berlin. The missing leaves are perfected in manuscript;\nand it ends with a strange note, to the effect that it was printed at\nAugsburg by Simon Gymell, and \u201ctranslated from the old Saxon tongue into\ngood German,\u201d in the year 1498. No such person is known to have existed\nat Augsburg at that time, and the words between inverted commas, first\nappear in 1539, in the Cologne edition.\n\n8. In 1538, an edition was again issued, in every way similar to that of\n1532, by Melchior Sachsen at Erfurt. Copies at Berlin, in the\ncollections of Herr von Meusebach, and Professor J. A. Nasser.\n\n9. Shortly after the 1532 edition of Erfurt, another quarto edition in\nforty pages was issued in French, by Alain Lotrian, at Paris. There are\nforty-six stories and twenty-six woodcuts. The copy examined by Dr.\nLappenberg belonged to the Ducal Library at Wolfenb\u00fcttel, and contains\nan autograph of Duke Julius of Brunswick and L\u00fcneburg, dated, July 17,\n1567. The title is as follows, after four flowers, with the owl in the\ncentre, and the looking-glass, and between them the word Vlenspiegel:\n\u201cDe sa vie & de ces oeuues[16] | Et merueilleuses aduentures par luy\nfaictes et des gran- | des fortunes quil a euz, lequel par milles\nfallaces ne se lais | sa tromper. Nouuellement translate et corrige de\nFlamant | en Francoys.\u201d Colophon: \u201cCy finist les faictz et merueilleuses\nadu\u0113tures | de Thiel Vlespiegle lequel a este translate de | langage\nFlameng en Francoys, et nouuelle- | ment imprime a Paris par Alain\nLotrian demou- | rant en la rue neufue nostre dame a l\u2019enseigne de l\u2019es\n| cu de France.\u201d\n\n10. 1539. Ulenspiegel | De sa vie de ses oeuures, | et merueilleuses\nauentures par luy faictes: et des grandes fortunes quil a eu: leq\u0304l par\nnulles fallaces ne se laissa trom- | per: nouuellem\u0113t translate &\ncorrige de flam\u0113nt en francoys.\n\nColophon: Imprime nouuellement a Anuers en l\u2019an M.CCCCC*XXXIX.\n\nThe only copy known is in the Library at Wolfenb\u00fcttel. This edition\nalmost coincides with that of Alain Lotrian, with some very trifling\nvariations.\n\n11. 1539. A German edition was this year published with the following\ntitle: \u201cEYn wunderbairlich | vnd seltzame History, vonn Dyll Ulnspi |\ngel, b\u00fcrtig auss dem land Brunschweig, wie er sein leben | verbracht\nhat, newlich aufs Sachsischer sprach vff | Teutsch verdolmetscht, seer\nkurtz- | weilig zu lesenn, myt sch\u00f6 | nen figuren.\u201d\n\nColophon: \u201cGedruckt zu C\u00f6ln f\u00fcr Sanct Lupus, bey Ian von Ach. Im Iar\nDusent Funffhundert Neunund dreissig.\u201d\n\nOne copy of it is to be found in the private Library of the king of\nW\u00fcrtemburg at Stuttgart. The text is divided into one hundred stories,\neach with its own heading. The signatures of the sheets run from A to S,\neach containing four leaves. The name of the printer was found by Dr.\nLappenberg as Ian van Aich. One other copy is known to be in the Royal\nLibrary at M\u00fcnchen.\n\n12. 1539. \u201cWunderbarliche, vnnd seltzame Historyen Tyll Vlnspiegels,\nausz dem land zu Braunschweig b\u00fcrtig, new auss Sachsischer sprach auff\ngut hochdeutsch verdolmetscht. Straszburg, Jac. Fr\u00f6lich. Mit\nHolzschnitten. 1539.\u201d This is in quarto, and is mentioned in a catalogue\nof a collection of books which were to be publicly sold on 25th January,\n1847, at Frankfort-on-the-Main. Lappenberg, who gives us this\ninformation, appears unable to give any more.\n\n13. 1540. \u201cEyn wunderbarliche | vnd seltzame History, von Dyll Vln |\nspiegel, burtig ausz dem land Brunschweig, wie | er sein Leben verbracht\nhatt, newlich ausz | S\u00e4chsischer sprach auff gut Teutsch |\nverdolmetschet, seer kurtzweilig zu lesen, mit sch\u00f6nen | figuren.\u201d\nColophon: \u201cGedruckt zu Augspurg, durch Alexander Weissenhorn | Im Iar\nTausend F\u00fcnffhundert | und fiertzig.\u201d\n\nThis edition, in quarto, runs as far as S iii, seventy-three pages,\nwithout pagination. The book contains one hundred adventures (numbered)\nand is a reprint, word for word, of the Cologne edition of 1539 (see No.\n11, _ante_, p. 224). There are forty woodcuts in all. A copy exists in\nthe Ducal Library at Wolfenb\u00fcttel.\n\n14. 1541. Under this year an Augsburg edition, now at Lemberg, is\nmentioned in San-Marte\u2019s Gross-Polens National Sagen (pp. 203 and 207).\n\n15. 1543. \u201cWunderbarliche, Vnnd | seltzame historyen, Tyll Vienspiegels\n| ausz dem land zu Brunschweig b\u00fcrtig, newlich ausz S\u00e4ch- | sischer\nsprach auff gut Hochdeutsch verdolmetscht.\u201d Colophon: \u201cGetrukt zu\nStraszburg, bey Jacob Fr\u00f6lich, | in M.D.XLIII Iar.\u201d\n\nWoodcuts and pagination similar in almost every respect to the edition\nof 1519. A copy is in the Royal Library at G\u00f6ttingen from the Gebauer\ncollection.\n\n16. 1545. \u201cSeltzame vnnd | Wunderbarliche History- | en Dyll\nVlenspiegels, eines Baw | ren son. B\u00fcrtig ausz dem landt zu Braun- |\nschweig. Newlich ausz S\u00e4chsischer | sprach auff gut Hochdeutsch |\nverdolmetscht, sehr kurtzwei- | lig, mit sch\u00f6nen Fi- | guren.\u201d On the\ntitle page is a woodcut of Eulenspiegel on horseback; in the left-hand,\nhis owl; in his right, the mirror; upon his head, a hat with three\nfeathers. Beneath: \u201cM.D.XLV.\u201d Colophon: \u201cGedruckt zu | Franckfurt am |\nMayn, durch Her- | man G\u00fclfferichen, in | der Schnurgas- | senn zum |\nKrug.\u201d\n\nSignatures to D iiii., one hundred and nine numbered pages, and one\nwithout pagination, in small octavo. There are one hundred and two\nstories, and some of the woodcuts are new.\n\n17. 1551. \u201cSeltzame unnd | wunderbarliche Historien | Tyll Vlenspiegels,\neines Bawren Son | B\u00fcrtig auss dem land zu Braunschweiyg | Newlich ausz\nSachszischer Sprach auff gut Hochdeutsch verteutscht, sehr | kurtzweilig\nzu lesen mit sch\u00f6 | nen Figuren.\u201d Colophon: \u201cZu Strassburg | In Jahr |\nM.D.L.I.\u201d This is preserved in the Grand Ducal library of Darmstadt; it\nis in octavo, sheets A\u2013O without pagination; the stories are 102 in\nnumber, each with a woodcut.\n\n18. 1554. \u201cEyn wunderbarlich.... History von Dyll Ulenspegel, C\u00f6ln. 4to.\n1554.\u201d Preserved at the Royal State Library at M\u00fcnchen.\n\n19. 1558. \u201cTriumphus | humanae | stultitiae, vel Tylus Saxo nunc primum\nLatinitate dona | tus ab Joanne Nemio. Vltraiecti. | Harmannus Borculous\nexcudebat. | Anno 1558.\u201d\n\nFive sheets and a half in 8vo. This translation was made by the rector\nof the school at Herzogenbusch, and is in iambics. The copy examined by\nDr. Lappenberg is preserved in the Town Library at L\u00fcbeck, and another\nexists at G\u00f6ttingen.\n\n20. 1559. \u201cLes avantures joyeuses et faitz merveilleux de Tiel\nVlespiegle, ensemble les grandes fortunes \u00e0 luy avenues en diverses\nr\u00e9gions, lequel par falace ne se laissait aucunement tromper: Le tout\ntraduit d\u2019allemand en fran\u00e7oys. Livre fort r\u00e9cr\u00e9atif pour r\u00e9veiller les\nbons espritz. Lyon, par Jean Savgrain, 1559.\u201d\n\nOne hundred and nine pages, in 16mo. Brunet mentions several copies of\nthis edition.\n\n21. 1557\u20131563. \u201cWunderbarlich | vnnd seltzame Historien | Tyl\nEulenspiegels, eines Bawren | Son, b\u00fcrtig ausz dem Land zu Braunschweig.\nNewlich ausz S\u00e4chsischer sprach, auff gut | hoch deutsch verdeutscht,\nsehr | kurtzweilig, mit sch\u00f6 | nen figuren. Gedruckt zu Franckfurdt | am\nMayn | durch Wey- | gand Han.\u201d\n\nSignatures to Q, 127 pages, and one page without number, in small\noctavo. This is the earliest edition where Vlenspiegle becomes\nEulenspiegel. Copies preserved at the Royal Library at Berlin, and the\nUniversity library at Jena.\n\n22. 1563. Another edition of the version of Nemius appeared in this\nyear, and is preserved at Halle.\n\n23. 1567. \u201cNoctvae Specvlum. | Omnes res me- | morabiles, varias qve |\net admirabiles, Tyli Saxonici | machinationes complectens, plan\u00e8 novo\nmore nunc primum ex idiomate Germanico latinitate donatum adiectis\ninsuper elegantissimis iconibus veras omnium historiar\u016b species ad venum\nadumbrantibus, ante hac nunquam visis aut editis. Avthore \u00c6gidio\nPeriandro, Bruxellensi, Brabantino. Cum Gratia et privilegio ad\ndecennium, Francofvrti ad M\u0153num, M.D.LXVII.\u201d At the end: \u201cImpressum\nFrancofurti ad M\u0153num, apud Georgium Corvinum, sumptibus Sigismundi\nFeyrabendt & Simonis Huteri.\u201d\n\nSignatures A-Z, 210 pages, with 103 woodcuts. Copies at Dresden,\nG\u00f6ttingen, M\u00fcnchen, Hamburg, and two copies in the British Museum\n(Press-marks 243. a. 11 of the King\u2019s Library, and 1080. d. 33). The\nbook is in elegiac verse, and was composed by Giles Omma, who was known\nas Aegidius Periander.\n\n24. About 1571, a Danish translation of Eulenspiegel is mentioned. See\nNyerup Morskabs laesning, p. 269.\n\n25. 1566\u20131571. We next have to record the title of a very remarkable\nversified edition, by John Fischart, as follows: \u201cEulenspiegel Rei |\nmensweisz. | Ein newe Be- | schreibung vnnd Le- | gendt desz\nkurtzweiligen Le- | bens | vnd seltzamen Thaten | Thyll Eulenspiegels\nmit | sch\u00f6nen neuwen Figuren be- | zieret vn nu zum ersten male in\nartige Rei-| men durch J[ohann] F[ischart] G[ennant] M[entzer] gebracht,\n| n\u00fctzlich vnd lustig zu | lesen. Cum Gratia & Privilegio. Getruckt zu\nFranckfurt.\u201d Colophon:\u2014\u201cGetruckt zu Frankfurt am Mayn, | durch Johannen\nSchmidt, in Verlegung | Hieronymi Feyrabends, vnd | Bernard Jobin.\u201d\n\nThis edition is in octavo, with 16 unpaged leaves and 307 numbered\npages, and 98 woodcuts. The year 1571 is assigned to it by Ebert. In\nthis versified edition, Fischart applied much of the satire of the book\nto the events and customs of his time, and he appears to have been well\nacquainted with the editions which had preceded him, and his knowledge\nof Rabelais, of whom he was the German translator, was also very great,\nbut he did not know Eulenspiegel to be the work of Murner. Many copies\nof this edition exist; amongst others, the British Museum contains one,\nthe press-mark of which is 11517. a.\n\n26. 1571. \u201cEvlenspiegels Wunderbarliche, abendtheurische vnd gar\nseltzame Historien, Geschichte, bossen vnd Fatzwerck, jetzt auffs neuwe\nmit sch\u00f6nen artlichen Figuren zugericht, so vormals im Deutschen nie\ngesehen. Getruckt zu Frankfurt am Mayn. M.D.LXXI.\u201d At the end: \u201cGetruckt\nzu Frankfurt am Mayn durch | Johannem Schmidt, in Verlegung Hieronymi\nFeyerabends Anno M.D.LXXI.\u201d\n\nTwenty-one and a half sheets in octavo, without pagination.\n\n27. 1567\u20131574. \u201cDe sa vie [et] des ses oeuures, | Et merueilleuses\naduentures par luy faictes. Et de grandes fortu- | nes quil a eues,\nlequel par milles fallaces ne se laissa tromper. Nou | uellement corrige\n& translate de Flament en Francoys. viii. c. A Paris pour la vesue Jean\nBorfons, demourant en la rue | neuue Nostre Dame, a lenseigne sainct\nNicolas.\u201d\n\nThirty-two unnumbered pages, in quarto. This edition is almost identical\nwith that of Alain Lotrian. A copy exists in the Ducal library at\nWolfenb\u00fcttel.\n\n28. 1571. \u201cLes aventures joyeuses et faits merveilleux de Tiel\nVlespiegle, trad. du Flamand. Orleans.\u201d An edition in duodecimo.\n\n29. 1571. \u201cEulenspiegels Historien, mit newen Figuren zugericht.\nFrankfurt.\u201d\n\nA duodecimo edition mentioned by Celsii, Elenchus librorum ab \u0101o\n1500\u20131602 editorum, II. 221.\n\n30. 1571. \u201cL\u2019histoire joyeuse et recreative de Tiel Vlespiegle;\nnouvellement reueu et traduit du flameng en fran\u00e7ois. Orleans, par Eloy\nGibier.\u201d\n\nNo date is assigned to this book; but it has been seen by Brunet bound\nup with \u201cLe Voyage de Panurge,\u201d issued in 1571. One hundred and seventy\npages, in 16mo.\n\n31. 1575. \u201cUlen Spiegel. | Van Ulespieghels leuen Ende schimpe- | lijcke\nwercken ende wonderlijcke auonturen.... Thantwerpen. Ghedruckt by my Jan\nvan Ghelen in den witten Hasewint, 1575. Met Gratie ende Privilegie. Mit\nFigg.\u201d\n\nA quarto in the library of Dr. Jacob Grimm; this appears to be the\nedition prohibited by Philip II. and the Duke of Alba, in 1579.\n\n32 and 33. 1578\u20139. \u201cHistoire joyeuse et recreative de Tiel Vlespiegle,\nou est trait\u00e9 de ses faits et merveilleuses avantures et de grandes\nfortunes, quil a av\u00e9s. Traduit de Flamand en fran\u00e7ois. Anvers. 1579.\u201d\n\nAn octavo spoken of by Von Murr, Journal xiv. 353.\n\n34. 1580. \u201cUlen Spiegel\u2014Van Ulenspieghels leuen En | schijmpelijcke\nwercken ende wonderlijcke auonturen | die hi hadde, want hie en liet hem\nghe\u0113 Boeuerije verdrieten | seer playsant en ghenuechlijck om lesen. |\nGhedruckt Thantwerpen, | Opede Camerpoortbrugghe in den Schilt van\nBasele by my | Jan van Ghelen de Jonghe, ghesworen Drucker der Con. Ma.\nMet Gratie en Privilegie.\u201d\n\nTitle-page in black and red, and the name of the book in old Teutonic\nletters. Thirty-two pages, in quarto. Signatures A-H ij. Copy at\nG\u00f6ttingen.\n\n35. 1586. \u201cWunderbarliche & seltsame Historien Tyl\nEulenspiegels\u2014[without place]\u20141586.\u201d\n\nAn octavo in the Royal Library at M\u00fcnchen.\n\n36. An edition, bearing the date of the year 1588, is mentioned in the\nCatalogue of the Kiel Library, but is not to be found there now.\n\n37. 1592. An edition of this year, uniform with a Flemish edition of Dr.\nJohn Faust, is mentioned by Tross, in Naumann\u2019s Serapeum, vol. xi. p.\n159.\n\n38, 39. 1612\u20131613. \u201cHistorie van Thyl | UUlenspieghel | van syn schalke\nboeverijen die | hy bedreuen heest | seer ghenoechlije [om te lesen] met\nschoone figuren. Tot Rotterdam | By Jacob van der Hoeven Op de | Delffe\nvart. 1613.\u201d\n\nSmall octavo sheets A-F, forty-eight pages. Preserved in the Royal\nLibrary at Berlin. Another Dutch edition, the title of which need not be\nrecapitulated, was also published about this time.\n\n40. 1618. \u201cWunderbarliche und seltzame Historia | Tyllen Eulen- |\nspiegels, eines Bawren Son, | aus dem Land zu Braunschweig b\u00fcr- | tig.\nNewlich aus S\u00e4chsischer Sprache auff | gut Hochteutsch verdolmetschet\nsehr | kurtzweilig zu lesen. Jetzundt wider frisch gesotten vnd new\ngebacken. Gedruckt im Jahr M.D.C.XVIII.\u201d\n\nThirteen sheets in small octavo, without pagination. The stories, 102 in\nnumber, with woodcuts. Preserved in a book, together with a song-book\nprinted by Jacob Singe, and with which the Eulenspiegel is uniform, at\nthe Town Library at Bremen.\n\n41. 1636. This edition is not in the list of Dr. Lappenberg. The copy I\nhave examined is in the British Museum (press mark 12315 _c_), and the\ntitle is as follows: \u201cL\u2019histoire de | Tiel Vlespiegle | contenant ses\nfaits | merueilleux, & les grandes fortunes | quil a eu\u00ebs durant sa vie.\n| Nouuellement traduit de Flammand en Fran\u00e7ois.\u201d (Beneath this a woodcut\nrepresenting in a rude way Eulenspiegel with the glass in the right hand\nand the owl in the left, on horseback), a Paris, chez Iean Prom\u00e9, en sa\nboutique au coin de la ru\u00eb Dauphine. 1636. 16mo. The stories are\nforty-six in number and the epitaph is thus given:\u2014\n\n \u201cVlespiegle est icy gisant,\n Son corp est icy mis en terre,\n Pour-ce on aduise le passant,\n Q\u2019aucen ne change cette pierre.\u201d\n\nThe pagination is only on one side, and extends to thirty-five,\nsignatures A-E iij, and the rude woodcut at the commencement is repeated\nat the end. The chapters are not numbered, and the following prologue is\nprinted at the back of the title: \u201cAyant esgard aux prieres d\u2019aucuns\nmiens familiers, ausquels ie n\u2019ay os\u00e9 bounement refuser, amy Lecteur,\ni\u2019ay acteur du present Liure, amasse & compil\u00e9 les plaisantes tromperies\nmocqueries & finesses, dont usa en sa vie Tiel Vlespiegle, lequel depuis\nmourut l\u2019an mil trois cent cinquante. En quoy toutes fois ie demande\nd\u2019estre excus\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019endroit de toutes personnes, tant Spirituels, que\nTemporels, Nobles que Roturiers; attendu le dessein que i\u2019ay tousiours\neu de n\u2019offencer aucun, l\u2019ayant compos\u00e9, non point au mespris de la\ngloire de Dieu, ou pour inuenter menteries & enseigner malice; mais\nseulement pour recreer & resueiller les esprit eunuyez, afin aussi que\nles simples se puissent garder de telles tromperies au temps aduenir.\u201d\nThe copy in the Museum is well bound in a dark coloured calf.\n\n42. 1637. \u201cWonderbaerliche ende seltsame historie van Thijl Ulenspiegel,\nvan zijne schalke, listighe bootsen ende boeverijen, gedruckt by broer\nJansz.\u201d Broer Jansz is known as the printer of the earliest Amsterdam\nnewspaper, in 1628.\n\n43. 1640 (?). \u201cHet aerdig leven | van | Thijl Ulenspiegel | Waer in\nverhallt worden niet alleenelyk veel aerdige en kluchtige Poetsen en\nBoeveryen, maer ook besonderlyk syn wondere aventueren, die hem\ngeduerende syn Leuen gebeurt zyn, zoo hier, als in andere Landen.\nT\u2019Antwerpen. By J. H. Heyliger, op de groote Merkt in de Pauw.\u201d\n\nSheets A-D 2. Sixty-one sides without pagination, in octavo, with rough\nwoodcuts. This edition varies considerably from all others, although\nfounded upon the edition of Broer Jansz. New adventures and scenes are\nintroduced, and the tone of the book much altered.\n\n44. 1655. \u201cLa vie de Tiel Vlespiegle de ses faicts merveilleux et\nfinesses par luy faictes, & des grandes fortunes qu\u2019il a eu\u00ebs, lequel\npar nulles fallaces ne se laissa tromper. Nouuellement corrig\u00e9e &\ntranslat\u00e9e de Flamand en Fran\u00e7ois. A Troyes. Chez Nicholas Oudot,\ndemeurant en la ru\u00eb Nostre Dame au Chappon d\u2019Or Couronn\u00e9.\u201d Signatures\nA-E, in small 8vo. In the public Library of Ponikau at Halle.\n\n45. 1657\u201363. In a volume, entitled \u201cRecueil des plus illustres\nproverbes, mis en lumi\u00e8re par Jacq. Lagniet\u201d\u2014the Life of Eulenspiegel is\ngiven as the fourth book. Brunet, Manuel, Tom. III. s. v. Lagniet.\n\n46. 1663. A French translation in \u201cLes \u0153uvres de Bruscambille. Rouen.\u201d\nCopy preserved in the Royal Library of G\u00f6ttingen.\n\n47. 1675. Tyll Eulenspiegel is referred to by Koch, as published this\nyear without place.\n\n48. 1677. \u201cLa vie de Til Eulenspiegel, a Troyes.\u201d An octavo, preserved\nat G\u00f6ttingen.\n\n49. 1683. This edition was not known to Dr. Lappenberg when his work\nappeared. The title page is as follows: \u201cLa vie | de | Tiel Ulespiegle |\nDe ses farces & merveilleuses finesses, par luy | faites, & des grandes\nfortunes qu\u2019il | a eu\u00ebs, lequel par milles fallaces | ne se laissa\ntromper. | Nouvellement corrig\u00e9e & translat\u00e9e de Flamen en Fran\u00e7ois,\navec des belles figures. | (Here a figure of an owl in a looking-glass).\nA Paris | Chez Pierre Clinchet, \u00e0 l\u2019enseigne du Dauphin | M.DC.LXXXIII.\u201d\nIn the British Museum (Press mark, 12315 _a_), small octavo, bound in\npaper. The woodcuts in this edition are of the rudest kind and the\nprologue the same as that in the edition of 1636. The stories are\nforty-six in number, and the epitaph; the number of pages are\neighty-eight. Signatures A-F iij. It seems to be a close reprint of the\nedition above mentioned, No. 44.\n\n50. 1690. \u201cHistoria Tillen Eulenspiegels.\u201d An octavo, named in Heise\u2019s\nB\u00fccher-Catalog. Hamburg, 1827. Vol. I.\n\n51. 1696. \u201cUnderlig oc selsom Historie om Tiile Ugelspegel, een Bondes\nSoen, barnfoed udi Lande Brunszwig, saare Kortvillig at laese, af\nTydsken paa danske udsat. Sidste Gang prentet i dette Aar.\u201d At the end\nis the date of the year, 1696. Thirteen sheets in octavo.\n\n52. 1699. \u201cLa vie | de Tiel Ulespiegle | De ses faits merveilleux, des\ngrandes fortunes qu\u2019il a | eues, lequel par aucunes fallace [sic] ne se\nlaissa surprendre ni tromper. A Troyes | Chez Jacques Oudot, demeurant\nen la rue | du Temple, 1699. Avec permission.\u201d A small octavo,\nsignatures A-C (query F), forty-eight pages, without numbers. The copy\ndescribed by Lappenberg is preserved in the Imperial Library of Paris.\n\n\n _17th Century, without particular date._\n\n53, 54. Without date, but belonging to the seventeenth century are two\noctavo editions mentioned in a catalogue published at Halle in 1846, p.\n379.\n\n55. An undated Dutch edition of this period in octavo has the following\ntitle: \u201cWonderlijke Levensgeschiedniss van Thyl Uilenspiegel, behelzende\nzijn schalkachtig en avonteurlijk leven, op nieuw verbeterd en\nvermeerderd, met zeldzaamheden welke noch nimmer bekent zijn geweest.\nTweede Druck. Rotterdam.\u201d This is a second edition.\n\n56. An edition without date appeared at Amsterdam about this time in\noctavo. \u201cWonderbarelyke en zeldzame Historien van Thyl Uilenspiegel, van\nzyn schalke, listige potsen en Boeveryen, di hy, zoo in zyn dood, als\nook in zyn leven bedreven heest. Zeer tydkordig en geneuglyk om te lezen\nvoor oude en jonge lieden.\u201d\n\n57. A Rotterdam edition, with following title page, is in the Bodleian\n(Douce, v. 58): \u201cWonderbaarlyke en Zeldzaame | Historie | van | Thyl |\nUlenspiegel, | en van Zyn Schalke, Listig Bootzen en | Boerveryen, | die\nhy en zyn leven | bedreef. | Zeer tydk\u00f6rtig en genoeglyk om te leezen |\nVerciert met Figuuren en zyn Lyk-Ceel. | Te Rotterdam. | By Johannes\nScheffers, Boek- | Drukker in de Prinsestraat.\u201d Duodecimo, eighty-eight\nnumbered pages, and eight without pagination. Rough woodcuts, and\ntypography in black letter, except the headings of chapters, and the\nlast eight pages. This edition is not mentioned by Dr. Lappenberg.\n\n58. Without date: \u201cLa vie de Tiel Vlespiegle de ses faicts et merveilles\n& des grandes fortunes qu\u2019il a eues, lequel par milles fallacies ne se\nlaissa surprendre n\u2019y tromper. A Troyes et se vend a Paris chez Antoine\nde Raffl\u00e9, Imprimeur Marchand libraire, Rue de petit Pont, \u00e0 l\u2019Image S.\nAntoine.\u201d Signatures A-D, small octavo. Preserved in the Royal Library\nof Dresden, and in the public Library of Ponikau at Halle.\n\n59. A Rouen edition, without date, not mentioned by Lappenberg: \u201cTiel\nVlespiegle de sa vie ..... ne se laissa tromper. A Rouen chez Loys\nCost\u00e9, rue Escuyere aux trois croix Couronn\u00e9es.\u201d Printed in double\ncolumns in quarto, without pagination, and bound in a volume, preserved\nin the British Museum (press mark, 12513/5, _g_), together with a number\nof publications by Loys Cost\u00e9 and others, comprising Melusine, Geoffrey\na la grand Dent, Richard sans paour, Florimont, and Oliuier de Castille.\n\n60, 61, 62. At this time several Polish translations seem to have\nappeared. See San Marte Gross-Polens Nationalsagen. Bromberg, 1842. p.\n203.\n\n * * * * *\n\n63. 1701. \u201cTiel Wliespiegle, de sa vie, de ses faits et merveilleuses\nfinesses par lui faites, et des grandes fortunes qu\u2019il a eues, lequel\npar les fallaces, ne se laissa tromper, traduit du flamand. Rouen.\nBesogne, 1701.\u201d An octavo, on which see Brunet.\n\n64. 1702. \u201cHistoire de la vie de Tiel Wlepiegle, Contenant ses faits et\nfinesses .... ne s\u2019\u00e9tant jamais laiss\u00e9 tromper par aucune personne.\nAmsterdam, chez Nicolas Chevalier.\u201d A duodecimo, in the Royal Library at\nM\u00fcnchen, and in the possession of Herr Regierungsrath Blumenbach, of\nHanover; as also in the British Museum, press mark, 12315 _a_.\n\n65. 1702. \u201cHistoire de la vie de Tiel Wlespiegle. Contenant ses faits et\nfinesses, ses aventures, et les grandes fortunes qu\u2019il a eu\u00ebs, ne\ns\u2019etant jamais laiss\u00e9 tromper par aucune personne. Nouvelle Traduction\nde l\u2019Alemand en Fran\u00e7ois: o\u00f9 l\u2019on a ajout\u00e9 \u00e0 cette edition, plusieurs\npieces qui n\u2019ont point encore paru en Fran\u00e7ois jusques \u00e0 present. A\nMiddelbourg chez Ric. Parmenter. MDCCII.\u201d A duodecimo, at the Royal\nLibrary at Dresden.\n\n66. 1703. The same title at Amsterdam, printed by Pierre Marteau,\nMDCCIII. 247 pages, and eight leaves, in duodecimo. In this edition,\nseveral adventures are added, which appear in the German Rogue (_vide\ninfra_, No. 71). Copies in the British Museum (press mark 1079 _b_, 18);\nat the Royal Library at Dresden, and the Town Library at Hamburg.\n\n67. \u201cLa | Vie de Tiel | Ulespiegle | (see edition of 1699, _supra_).\nTroyes, chez la veuve Jacques Oudot. 1705. Avec permission.\u201d In small\noctavo, with two rude cuts. Signatures extend from A-D ij, over\nfifty-four pages. Flemish names, as in some other editions, take the\nplace of German. This edition is in the library of Dr. Lappenberg.\n\n68. 1713. \u201cWunderliche und seltsame Historien Tillen Eulenspiegels,\neines Bauren Sohn, aus dem Lande zu Braunschweig b\u00fcrtig; neulich aus\nS\u00e4chsischer Sprache auf gut Hochteutsch verdollmetscht, &c., &c. Anitzo\nwieder aufs neue aufgelegt. Gedruckt in diesem Jahre (13) Mit\nHolzschnitten.\u201d Small octavo. Referred to in the Catalogue of the\n\u201cBibliothek der Maatschappij van Nederlandsche Letterkunde, te Leiden,\u201d\nvol. ii. p. 336.\n\n69. 1714. \u201cLa Vie de Tiel Ulespiegle de ses faits ... tromper. A Troyes,\n1714.\u201d Duodecimo.\n\n70. 1714. \u201cWunderliche & Seltzame Historien von Tyll Eulenspiegel....\nKurtzweilig zu lesen. Hamburg gedruckt auffm Schaarsteinweg.\u201d Octavo,\nsixty-three woodcuts, numbered to 100 chapters, except that, by the\nomission of chap. 79, there are really only ninety-nine. This is the\ncommonly received text constantly reprinted.\n\n71. 1720. \u201cThe | German Rogue, | or the | Life and Merry | Adventures, |\nCheats, Stratagems | & | Contrivances | of Tiel Eulespiegel. Let none\nEulespiegle\u2019s Artifices blame, | For Rogues of ev\u2019ry Country are the\nsame. | Made English From the High Dutch. London: Printed in the Year\nMDCCXX.\u201d This edition is the only other version ever made of the work\npresented in this volume. It differs widely, however, from the popular\nGerman Owlglass; many stories are introduced which the original editions\ndid not contain, and the taste for tales of the Decameron class has been\nconsulted in the compilation of it. Dr. Lappenberg, in his\nbibliographical section, assigns to it the date of 1709; but the only\ntwo copies I have seen, one of which is in my possession, give the date\n1720 as above. It is an octavo and of extreme rarity, the British Museum\ncontains no copy of it; the only other copy is in the Douce Collection\nat the Bodleian Library, Oxford. That which I have was formerly the\nproperty of Mr. Bernard Quaritch, who priced it at \u00a32 12_s._ 6_d._ A\nnote on the fly-leaf states the rarity of the book, and that the\nannotator never met with another; and Mr. Thoms says, that he only saw\nthe one in Douce\u2019s Collection. The number of pages is 111, and of\nchapters forty-four. Signatures B-P 4, with title and preface. The\nrarity of the book is not much to be regretted; for its contents are not\nin any way of a nature fitted for quotation or great remark.\n\n72. 1736. \u201cLustige Historien oder Merckw\u00fcrdiges Leben, Thaten und Reisen\ndes Weltbekandten Tyll Eulenspiegels. Mit vielen Historischen,\nPolitischen, und Moralischen Anmerckungen, Auch allerhand Tugend-,\nStaats und Sitten-Lehren, Nach aller St\u00e4nden durch und durch, bei jeder\nHistorie, erl\u00e4utert und beschrieben (Dresden bei Hilscher).\u201d An octavo,\npreserved at the Royal Libraries of Dresden and G\u00f6ttingen.\n\n73. 1774. \u201cWonderbaerlyke en zeldzame Historie van Thyl Ulenspiegel, van\nzyn Schalke..... Zeer teydkortig en geneuglijk on te lezen. Vor Oude en\nJonge Lieden. Te Amsterdam, by Joannes Kannewet.\u201d A small octavo, of\neighty-eight numbered pages, and four pages without numbers, preserved\nat M\u00fcnchen.\n\n74. A popular romance on Owlglass appeared in two volumes in 1779 and\n1784.\n\n75. A Danish translation was published in 1787 at Copenhagen; twelve\nsheets in octavo without pagination.\n\n76. 1794. \u201cLeben und Sonderbare Thaten Till Eulenspiegels.\u201d An octavo of\n136 pages.\n\n77. 1795. The same, republished at Prague and Vienna.\n\n\n _18th Century, without particular date._\n\n78. In the Bodleian at Oxford (Douce Collection, p. 280, press-mark TT\niii) is a French Eulenspiegel, entitled, \u201cHistoire | Plaisante | de |\nTiel Ulespiegel | Contenant les faits & subtilit\u00e9s dont | il s\u2019est\nservi. | Revue et Corrig\u00e9e de Nouveau. | A Limoges, | Chez F.\nChapoulard, Imprimeur-Libraire, | place de Banc.\u201d It is an octavo of\ntwenty-nine pages, and the number of adventures far from complete. It is\nprinted on very bad paper, and evidently with a view to cheapness.\n\n79. \u201cWonderbaarlyke | en zeldame | Historie | van | Thyl Ulenspiegel,\n&c. Te Leyden. By P. van Leeuwen. In the de Pieters Choorsteg.\u201d Chiefly\ncurious from a cut on the title, representing Eulenspiegel holding a\nmirror up for an owl to look in, with the inscription above it, \u201cBroeder\nmyn.\u201d Ninety pages duodecimo, with the ordinary adventures and rude\ncuts. Preserved in the Bodleian.\n\n80, 81. Several stories of Eulenspiegel were translated into Jew-German,\nand printed at Frankfort-on-the-Main, in octavo, according to Wolf,\n\u201cBibliotheca Hebraica,\u201d vol. iii., p. 86, 1727. Another Hebrew-German\nedition appears referred to in the same work, vol. ii., p. 1255, 1721.\n\n82. Fl\u00f6gel mentions, in 1789, an old Polish version (p. 473): \u201cSowizrzal\nKrotochwilny Smiezny Poczatek, zywot y dokonanie iego.\u201d Without year or\nplace, in octavo.\n\n83. \u201cLa Vie | joyeuse et r\u00e9cr\u00e9ative de Thiel Ulespi\u00e8gle ... qu\u2019il a\neues. A Douai. Chez Deregnaucourt. Imprimeur-Libraire, rue Jacques, no.\n45.\u201d Three sheets of forty-eight pages in duodecimo, in the Imperial\nLibrary at Paris.\n\n84, 85. Of the eighteenth century. \u201cHistorien von dem wunderlichen &\nseltsamen Till Eulenspiegel. Hamburg.\u201d Twelve sheets in octavo. Another\nedition published by Solbrig of Leipzig.\n\n86, 87. 1804 and 1806. Two Dutch editions, published at Amsterdam and\nDeventer.\n\n88. 1807. A German Leipzig edition.\n\n89. 1819. Dutch book of the Eulenspiegel character, but not containing\nthe same Adventures. \u201cHet | Leven | van den | Jongen | Ulenspiegel, &c.\nTe Amsterdam. By B. Koene, Boekdrukker in de Boomstraat.\u201d 12mo. in\nninety-six pages, in the Bodleian (v. 58, Douce Collection).\n\n90, 91. A quarto edition, consisting of fifty-five plates, published by\nRamberg at Hanover. In the Museum (press-mark, 554 _b_ 40). At Rotterdam\nin the same year an edition in Dutch appeared, which contained several\nadventures differing from the common version.\n\n92. 1830. Baron von Halberg in this year published a versified edition\nin octavo at Crefeld. In the Museum, with the press-mark 11526 _d_.\n\n93\u201396. \u201cDer ganz neue wiedererstandene Till Eulenspiegel,\u201d in 100\nchapters, with 102 woodcuts. \u201cM\u00fcnchen, 1833, 1836\u20137, 1844.\u201d This edition\nhas been used in the preparation of this volume.\n\n97, 98. \u201cAvantures de Tiel Ulespiegle et ses bon mots, finesses et\namusantes inventions. Par Joseph Octave Delepierre. Bruges. 1835.\u201d\nNinety pages in octavo. Only fifty copies of this edition printed.\u20141840.\n\u201cLes Aventures de Tiel Ulespiegle. Par Delepierre.\u201d An octavo of 222\npages. This edition of M. Delepierre affirms with amusing mock gravity\nthe entirely Flemish origin of Owlglass, and the names are ingeniously\naltered to suit Flemish localities. Use has been made of the edition in\nthis version.\n\n99, 100, 101. In the years 1838 and 1839, several editions appeared, one\nof them that of Cornelius, which, together with the 1519 edition and the\npreceding, has been consulted in this edition.\n\n102. 1841. An edition belonging to Dr. Simrock\u2019s Collection of German\nFolkbooks, at Berlin.\n\n103. \u201cTyll Eulenspiegel\u2019s wunderbare und seltsame Historien. Von Carl\nFr\u00f6lich. Reutlingen, 1849.\u201d\n\n104. 1854. Dr. Thomas Murner\u2019s Ulenspiegel. By Dr. J. M. Lappenberg.\nLeipzig, Weigel. This is the best and completest edition yet published\nof Owlglass, and one which has formed the groundwork of the translation\nnow published.\n\nSeveral editions have appeared since, but none of them possessing value\nsufficient to render notice necessary; the only one which need be\nmentioned being\u2014\n\n105. \u201cHistoire Joyeuse et R\u00e9cr\u00e9ative de Tiel L\u2019Espi\u00e8gle. Nouvelle\nEdition. Avec une \u00e9tude litt\u00e9raire sur Tiel L\u2019Espi\u00e8gle par Pr. van\nDuyse. Gand, 1858.\u201d\n\nWe have thus, without referring to the numerous badly printed versions\nof the illustrious Eulenspiegel, given here a complete review of all the\neditions of this remarkable book, which, from its length, will serve to\nshow how popular it has been from its very first appearance.\n\nIn connection with Eulenspiegel literature, it may be interesting in\nthis place to give a description of a curious work, of which three\ncopies are preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford (Douce\nCollection, Catalogue, page 290 A. Press-marks, R 328, 90), and which,\nby the kind permission of Dr. Bandinel, and of my friend, the Rev. A.\nHackman, M.A., Precentor of Christ Church, I have been permitted to\nexamine. It is entitled\u2014\n\n\u201cThe | French | Rogue. | Being a pleasant | History | of | His Life and\nFortunes | adorned with variety of other | Adventures | of no less\nRarity | With | Epigrams | suitable to each Stratagem | London: |\nPrinted by T. N. for Samuel Lowndes, | and are to be sold at his Shop,\nover against | Exeter House in the Strand, 1672.\u201d\n\nThe two copies which I saw are well preserved, especially the one marked\n\u201cR 90,\u201d which is bound up with the letters of Monsieur De Bergerac. The\nbook is a small 12mo, with 197 pages and two pages of advertisements.\nThe Signature A is formed of title page and six sides (without\npagination) of preface and lines to the author. It is one of those dull\nbooks so common about that time, and contains the adventures and travels\nof a personage who, like Owlglass, but without his wit, cheats and robs\nthose whom he encounters. He journeys over France, and becomes a member\nof a society of thieves, and swears to abide by certain rules of their\norder, tedious to be recapitulated here. The book is curious as an\nexample of the taste of the time. The chapters are twenty-nine in\nnumber, and, as the title page says, epigrams appropriate to the\nadventures are inserted. Other works, ancient and modern, akin to\nEulenspiegel literature, will be found in a subsequent Appendix.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 14:\n\n Adventure the 24th, pp. 38\u201339.\n\nFootnote 15:\n\n This should be M.CCC. & L.\n\nFootnote 16:\n\n Error _oeuues_ for _oeuures_.\n\n\n\n\n APPENDIX B.\n\n _The historical Eulenspiegel and his gravestone._\n\n\nIt is scarcely necessary to enter upon the question of the historical\nEulenspiegel. That there was such a person seems unquestionable. The\nnames of his parents were Saxon names, not unfrequent, and the name of\nUlenspiegel appears as early as 1337, being the name of a widow living\nat Brunswick, and again in 1473, in conjunction with another name. The\nwidow Ulenspeygel has even been supposed to be the mother of our hero.\nBut what little is known of him, is more easily to be read in the book\nitself than gathered from other records.\n\nAmong the objects of interest which remain to the present time, a\ntestimony of the real existence of Eulenspiegel, is the gravestone at\nM\u00f6llen, the place assigned to him as his last resting-place, both by\nhistorical tradition and in the folk-book. Caspar Abel, who in 1729\u201332\npublished a collection of old German chronicles, gives one which he\ndescribes as having been the property of the family of Hetling, at\nHalberstadt, and which seems to have been written about 1486. In this\nchronicle, mention is made under the year 1350 of the ravages of the\nBlack Death at Braunschweig, and it continues: \u201cThereof died Ulenspeygel\nat M\u00f6llen, among the Gheyseler brethren\u201d (\u201c_Dosulffest sterff\nUlenspeygel to M\u00f6llen unde de Gheyseler Broder kemen an_\u201d). Yet it is\nnecessary to remark, that this statement, later than the first presumed\nedition of 1486\u2014of which little is known\u2014is not supported by any other\nSaxon chronicle of the fifteenth century. The next reference to the\ngrave at M\u00f6llen, is in Reimar Rock\u2019s _L\u00fcbscher Chronik_, in the\nfollowing jest concerning the Cardinal Raymond; being the original hint,\nindeed, which I have amplified in the present book, in adventure the\nhundredth and tenth: \u201cThe Cardinal abode in the first night at M\u00f6llen.\nAnd when he comprehended the German speech, and heard of the holy-living\nsaint Ulenspegel, an if there had been money in store\u2014after which do all\nItalians and Spaniards thirst\u2014Ulenspegel could have been entered on the\nPope his calendar.\u201d This jest, as Dr. Lappenberg well notices, is at any\nrate a proof, that at this time the grave was often sought out by\nvisitors. Michael Heberer, in his voyage to Sweden and Denmark, in 1592,\ndescribes the gravestone, but not in the way depicted in our cut. He\nmakes no mention of the figure, but only of the owl and glass; and the\nsame description occurs in Merian (_Topographie von Nieder Sachsen_) as\nbeing there in 1614. But in 1631, in the manuscript Chronicles of\nDethlev Dreyer, a description of the stone, nearly as it now stands, is\ngiven; but a basket of owls is mentioned, so it could scarcely be the\nsame. Dreyer and Zeiller (_Reiszbuch durch Hoch und Nieder Teutschland_,\n1674), both speak of the gravestone having been renewed and fenced off\nfrom the attacks of boys, and other wilful destroyers of antiquities.\nBut the most interesting account is given by Zacharias Conrad von\nUffenbach, who visited M\u00f6llen in the year 1710, and I shall, therefore,\noffer a translation of it:\u2014\n\n\u201cWe first,\u201d says the writer, \u201cexamined at the church, which stands upon\na slight hill, just by where one goeth up by steps into the churchyard,\nnear the door, the little hut in which the gravestone of Eulenspiegel is\nset up and leans against the wall of the church. Formerly it had lain in\nthe churchyard not far from the church, under the elm tree, which still\nstands in its place, but as by bad boys it was often damaged and went\nhard to be destroyed by rain and weather, a most worthy and benevolent\nmagistrate of this town, a long time ago, had it placed against the wall\nof the church, and a small house erected round about it, and closed in,\nwith only an open window, or hole, in front. The stone is more than four\nells high, and only about one broad. There is not alone an owl and glass\nsculptured on the two sides, as Merian or Zeiller says in _Topog. Sax.\ninfer._ p. 184, but the noble [_vornehmes_] likeness of Eulenspiegel is\nupon it in the size of life, although not quite equal to his stature and\ntallness, and the above-named things are in his hands. That he wears\nbells, may not arise from the fact that he plays the part of a wise fool\nor a jesting knave [_Schalksknecht_], but that in those times the bells\nwere greatly in the fashion, and even worn by great lords (as see in\n_Observat. Hallens. ad rem liter. spectant. Germanicas_ concerning\nSchellen-Moritz). The inscription on the lower part of the stone, is\nsomewhat damaged by rain and carelessness; so that it is somewhat\ndifficult to be read by those who know it not. In the wood of the hut\nvery many Owlglasses [_Eulenspiegels_, used in the sense of rogues] have\ncut their names.\u201d\n\nThe expression, that the figure was the size of life, but not quite\nequal to the stature and tallness of Eulenspiegel, cannot be otherwise\nunderstood than that the figure was not entirely cut in the stone, but\nperhaps only to the knee. It would seem, however, that the figure was\nrepeatedly replaced, for the one now existing differs from the account\ngiven by Uffenbach. It stands upright at the wall of the tower, with a\nwooden shed round it, the lower part of which hides the inscription.\nOther relics of this apostle of knavery are mentioned by Uffenbach, such\nas an old shirt of mail, preserved in the council chamber at M\u00f6llen. His\nsword, beaker, and money-pouch, all of a later period, are also shown.\nWith the beaker, a very narrow and deep one, a sorry joke is connected,\nthat he had it so made because his mother bade him never to dip his nose\ntoo deep in a glass.\n\nIn respect of the gravestone, it is yet to be mentioned, that in a\nlittle descriptive work which appeared some years ago, the figure is\nattributed to a certain knight, Tilodictus Ulenspegel, who, in\nWestphalian annals of the fourteenth century, is not unknown. Yet for\nthe sake of romance, and also from historical probability, it is best to\nadhere to the story which remains to us. The inscription on the stone is\nas follows:\u2014\n\n \u201cAnno 1350 is d\u016dss\n -en vp gehau\u0113 ty-\n le vlenspegel ligt\n her vnder begrauen\n marcket wol vnd\n dencket dran. wat\n ick gwest sivp .. e\n ... de her vor ...\n ... an moten mi\n glick wer.....\u201d\n\n\u201cAnno 1350 is this sculptured, Tyle Ulenspegel lies here under buried.\nMark well and think thereover what I have been....\u201d (rest too\nfragmentary). But to be restored thus:\n\n \u201cGedenk daran\n Wat ick gwest sivp ... e\n ... de her vor (uber)\n (Gh) an moten mi\n glich wer (den).\u201d\n\n\u201cThink thereover, what I have been ... who passeth by may to me become\nalike.\u201d\n\nAt Damme, in Belgium, there is another gravestone with which tradition\nconnects our hero, but unsatisfactorily. A writer in Meyer\u2019s\n\u201cConversations Lexicon,\u201d vol. ix. p. 331, thinks this gravestone is that\nof Eulenspiegel\u2019s father, who might have died at the date of it, 1301.\n\n\n\n\n APPENDIX C.\n\n _Of Dr. Thomas Murner, the author of Eulenspiegel._\n\n\nAs the author of Eulenspiegel, and also as a not unknown man in his own\ncountry, as well as in England, it may be not unwelcome to print here a\nfew brief notes concerning Thomas Murner. He was born at Ehenheim, south\nof Strasburg, the 24th December, 1475, his father being a cobbler at\nthat place. He was educated in a school of the Franciscans at Strasburg,\nand seems afterwards to have visited, in the capacity of travelling\nstudent, the Universities of Paris, Freiburg, Rostock, Prague, Vienna,\nand Cracow, and in his nineteenth year (1494) appears already to have\ntaken orders. In 1499 he published his first work, his _Invectiva contra\nAstrologos_, and another piece, the _Tractatus perutilis de phitonico\ncontractu_, and thenceforward lived a life of extreme literary activity.\nHaving similar tastes to Sebastian Brandt, author of the \u201cShip of\nFools,\u201d we find Murner printing similar works\u2014works of a satirical kind,\nsuch as the _Narrenbeschwerung_ (\u201cConjuration of Fools\u201d), the\n_Schelmenzunft_ (\u201cKnave Corporation\u201d), and the _G\u00e4uchmatt_, in which the\nvarious classes of society are bitterly treated, but in a way not\ninteresting to modern persons. The most memorable thing which can\nconnect Murner with England, is the part he took in the dispute between\nHenry the Eighth and Luther; and a book which he published under the\ntitle of \u201cIs the King of England a liar or is Luther?\u201d (_Ob der Kunig\nusz Engelland ein l\u00fcgner sey oder der Luther?_), obtained favour for him\nfrom Henry.\n\nThe following letter from Sir Thomas More to Cardinal Wolsey, dated the\n26th August, 1523, will tell the story of Murner\u2019s visit to this country\nbetter than any other mode of narrating it. Cardinal Wolsey was then\nstaying at Easthampstead. The spelling, which is quite intelligible\nenough, has been left in its original state, to give the reader an idea\nof the unsettled condition of English at that time.\n\n\u201cIt may ferther lyke Your Good Grace to be advertised that one Thomas\nMurner, a Frere of Saynt Francisce, which wrote a booke against Luther\nin defence of the Kinges boke, was out of Almaigne sent into England, by\nthe meane of a simple[17] person, an Almaign namyng hymselfe servaunt un\nto the Kinges Grace, and afferming un to Murner, that the King had gevyn\nhym in charge to desyre Murner to cum over to hym in to England, and by\noccasion ther of he is cummen over and has now bene here a good while.\nWher fore the Kinges Grace, pitiyng that he was so deceived, and having\ntendre respecte to the goode zele that he bereth toward the feith, and\nhis good hart and mynd toward His Highnes, requyreth Your Grace that it\nmay lyke you to cause hym have in reward one hundred pownde, and that he\nmay retourn home, wher his presence is very necessary; for he is one of\nthe chiefe stays agaynst the faction of Luther in that parties, agaynst\nwhom he hath wrytten many bokis in the Almayng tong; and now, sith the\ncumming hither, he hath translated into Latyn, the boke that he byfore\nmade in Almaign, in defence of the Kinges boke. He is Doctour of\nDivinite and of bothe Lawes, and a man for wryting and preching of great\nestimation in his cuntre.\n\n\u201cHit may like Your Grace ferther to wite, that the same simple person,\nwhich caused Murner to cum in to England, is now cummen to the Court,\nand hath brought with him a Barons son of Almaygn, to whom he hath also\npersuaded, that the Kinges Grace wold be glad to have hym in his\nservice. He hath also brought lettres from Duke Ferdinand un to the\nKinge\u2019s Grace, which lettres J send un to Your Grace, wherin he desireth\nthe Kinge\u2019s Highnes to take in to his service, and to reteyne, with some\nconvenient yerely pention Ducem Mechelburgensem; of which request the\nKinges Grace greatly merveileth, and veryly thinketh that this simple\nfelow, which brought the lettres, lykewise as he caused Murner to cum\nhither, and persuaded the Barons sone that the King would be glad to\nhave his service, so hath by some simple ways brought the Duke of\nMechelborough in the mynd, that the Kings Grace wold, at the\ncontemplation of Duke Ferdinandis lettres, be content to reteign the\nDuke of Mechelborough with a yerly pention. The felow hath brought also\nfro the Duke of Mechelborough lettres of credence written in the Duche\ntong. He bare hym selfe in Almaign for the Kinge\u2019s servaunt, and bosted\nthat he had a yerely pention of fiftie markes, and that the King had\nsent him thither to take upp servauntes for hym; and now he saith, he is\nservaunt un to the Empereurs Majeste, and is going into Spaigne, with\nlettres to hym; and in dede he hath diverse lettres to his Magestie, and\nso it was easie for hym to gete, if he entend to deceive and mocke; as\nthe Kinges Grace thinketh that he doth. For His Grace never saw hym\nbyfore, but he understandeth now, that before this tyme he was in\nEngland, when th Empereur was here,[18] and slew a man and escaped his\nway. Wherfor His Grace requyreth Yours to give hym your prudent advice,\nas well in a convenient answere to be made both to Duke Ferdinand and\nthe Duke of Mechelborough, as also in what wyse hit shal be convenient\nto ordre this simple felowe, that so hath deceived menne in the Kinges\nname.\u201d\n\nHowever agreeable to the vanity, and useful to the cause, of the King,\nthe book is a somewhat dreary book to read now; and save that it\nconsists of a long dialogue between the King, Luther, and Murner, there\nneed be little more said of it. Those who wish to read it will find it\nin its original German in that valuable collection of Middle Age\nliterature made by Scheible, and entitled _Das Kloster_ (the Convent)\nVolume IV. pp. 893\u2013982. The dispute continued to give a tone to his life\nhenceforth, and all his later years were spent in empty and angry\ncontroversy. Indeed, we lose sight of him altogether in the year 1530;\nand it has been suspected that he was murdered at Lucerne, though we\nhear the last of him at Strasburg. His death was certainly before 1537.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 17:\n\n \u201cSimple\u201d is here used in the sense of \u201ccunning,\u201d \u201cbad.\u201d\n\nFootnote 18:\n\n Charles V. was in England from the 26th of May, when he landed at\n Dover, till the 1st of July, 1522.\n\n\n\n\n APPENDIX D.\n\n _The verses inserted by William Copland in the English black-letter\n Howleglas of 1528._\n\n\n _How Howleglas came to a scoler to make verses with hym to that vse\n of reason. And howe that Howleglas began, as after shal folowe_:\u2014\n\n HOWLEGLAS.\n\n Mars with septer[19] a king coronate,\n Furius[20] in affliction, and taketh no regarde.\n By terrible fightyng he is our prymate\n And god of battell, and person ryght forward,\n Of warries[21] the tutor, the locke and the warde.\n His power, his might, who can them resyst?\n Not all this worlde, if that him selfe lyst.\n\n THE SCHOLER.\n\n Not all this worlde, who told the[22] so?\n Where is that written, ryght fayne wold I see?\n Ye came lyke a foole and so shall ye go.\n By one person only deceived ye may be\n And by astronomy, I tell vnto the.\n If that will not helpe, some shyft shal I fynde\n By craft or cunnyng, Mars for to blynde.\n\n HOWLEGLAS.\n\n Venus a god of loue most decorate,\n The floure of women and lady most pvre,\n Louers to concorde she doth aye aggregate\n With parfyte loue, as marble to dure,\n The knot of loue, she knittes on them sure\n With frendly amite[23] and neuer to discorde\n By dedes, thought, cogitation, nor worde.\n\n THE SCHOLER.\n\n Not to discorde? yed[24] did I never see,\n Knowe not here tell of louers suche twayne,\n But some fault there was, learne this of me.\n Other in thought, or yet in wordes playne\n Your reasons be nought, your tongue goeth in vayne.\n By naturall person such loue is not found\n In Fraunce, Flaunders, nor yet in Englysh ground.\n\n HOWLEGLAS.\n\n The God of wyne, that Bachus hath to name,\n The sender of fruytes, that maketh wynes all,\n May slake or make or put them in frame,\n All at his pleasure and use dynyall.[25]\n He may the[26] exalt in lyke wyse to fall,\n Their lorde and meister,[27] and chief gouernour\n He may then destroye and make in an houre.\n\n THE SCHOLER.\n\n All to destroye it is not by his myght,\n Nor yet for to make, of that be thou sure.\n \u201cOmnia per ipsum,\u201d Saint Johan sayes full ryght.\n Than we call Christ our god and our treasure.\n Presume not so hye,[28] you fayle of your measure,\n Rede, heare and see, and here well a waye,\n Unknowen, vnsayde and for grace thou pray.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 19:\n\n _Septer_, sceptre.\n\nFootnote 20:\n\n _furius_, furious.\n\nFootnote 21:\n\n _warries_, wars.\n\nFootnote 22:\n\n _the_, thee.\n\nFootnote 23:\n\n _amite_, French _amiti\u00e9_.\n\nFootnote 24:\n\n _yed_, yet.\n\nFootnote 25:\n\n _dynyall_, denial.\n\nFootnote 26:\n\n _the_, thee.\n\nFootnote 27:\n\n _meister_, master.\n\nFootnote 28:\n\n _hye_, high.\n\n\n\n\n APPENDIX E.\n\n _The Bak\u00e2la legend of the Valacqs analogous to Owlglass._\n\n\nThe most interesting fiction with which I have met, approaching in\nintention and construction to the German Eulenspiegel, is a legend\ncurrent among the Wallachians, entitled \u201cBak\u00e2la.\u201d The hero goes through\na few adventures savouring much of the wily malice of Owlglass; but\nthere are only thirteen of these adventures in all. The first introduces\nus to Bak\u00e2la, at the death of his father, who leaves a single cow behind\nhim. The question arises between Bak\u00e2la and his two elder brothers, as\nto which is to become possessor of the cow. They agree at last to build\nthree sheds, and, placing the cow in the middle, give her the\nopportunity of deciding the ownership. Bak\u00e2la builds his shed of a\ngrassy material, which the cow perceives, and instead of entering the\nsheds of stone built by Bak\u00e2la\u2019s brethren, enters his, and thus becomes\nhis property. He then sells his cow to a tree, which agitated by the\nwind, appears to bargain with him. His brethren mock at him for a fool\nin selling the cow to a tree; and next day, when payment is to be made,\nthe cow has broken loose and departed, and when Bak\u00e2la asks for the\nmoney, there being no wind, the tree is silent. Then Bak\u00e2la cuts down\nthe tree and finds a pot of money in the roots; thereof he takes the\nagreed price, and goes home, and his brethren are astonished at his\nreceiving money from a tree. The two brothers plague him until he tells\nthem the whole story as to the treasure, which they go and take. Bak\u00e2la\nis then sent to borrow a fruit measure from a neighbour, who asks him\nwhat he wants it for, and Bak\u00e2la tells him that it is to measure his\nmoney. So the neighbour follows him, and peeps through the window. This\nis seen by the inmates of the house, and Bak\u00e2la is told to go and kill\nhim, which he does; the brothers only meaning that Bak\u00e2la should give\nhim a beating. When they find, however, that Bak\u00e2la has killed him, they\nare obliged to depart from that place.\n\nAn adventure by which Bak\u00e2la becomes possessed of a sack of incense,\nobtains him a gift from the Almighty (who, as in the ancient\nmiracle-plays, is brought into the story) of a marvellous bagpipe, which\ncauses every one to dance. When a shepherd the sheep dance; and his\nmaster, who is watching him, is obliged to dance also; and afterwards\nhis master\u2019s wife dances herself to death. Other mischief Bak\u00e2la also\ncontrives to do. After cutting the tails of his master\u2019s dogs off, and\nkilling the youngest child by washing it and hanging it up to dry, the\nmaster resolves to depart; for he is bound by a treaty to Bak\u00e2la. But\nBak\u00e2la gets into the sack, which the master prepares to carry books in,\nand is discovered at last. Then the master and his son conspire to drown\nBak\u00e2la; but he overhears them, and the son gets drowned instead. Bak\u00e2la\nappears here to be analogous to the Old Man of the Sea, of whom Sindbad\ncannot rid himself. At last the contract between them, to the effect\nthat either on breaking it should forfeit a long strip of skin in the\nback, has to be completed by Bak\u00e2la on the body of his master, who has\nbroken it by the attempt to drown his servant. And as the master\u2019s back\nis sore, he takes the book-wallet and departs. This story, as our\nauthority, Schott, says (_Walachische M\u00e4hrchen_, p. 362), reminds us of\nthe agreement between Apollo and Marsyas. Then he sets a bride free from\na disagreeable bridegroom by a stratagem, and after acting the bride\u2019s\npart himself, escapes.\n\nThe last story in the series is worthy of translation entire, therefore\nhere it is:\u2014\n\n \u201c_How Bak\u00e2la findeth a fellow, and thereafter is not any other\n news heard of him._\u2014After that Bak\u00e2la had in such wise departed\n from the bridegroom, he gat, whence I know not, a sack filled with\n sawdust. No longtime had he journeyed, when he encountered by the\n way another man, who likewise bare a sack. Then did they greet\n each other, and after awhile proposed that they should change\n sacks. And so did they; then they hasted to open the sacks, and in\n that which Bak\u00e2la had received lay nought but flint stones, and\n what the other received that do we know. For a time they looked\n upon their prizes with great wonder; but thereupon laughed hugely.\n \u2018Truly,\u2019 quoth Bak\u00e2la, \u2018we have beguiled each other!\u2019 \u2018That is\n truth indeed!\u2019 cried the other. And great content had these twain\n one of the other, and embraced thereupon, and made agreement that\n thereafter would they journey everywhere in company. From that\n time hath no more been heard of Bak\u00e2la.\u201d\n\nSchott, in his work, finds analogy between the various adventures of\nBak\u00e2la, and the course of the sun through the months of the year; but it\nis foreign to our present purpose to enter upon such a speculation. Yet,\nas a curious exemplification of the love of trickery to be found among\nall races, this Wallachian Owlglass is worthy of mention.\n\n\n\n\n APPENDIX F.\n\n _Works akin to the Eulenspiegel literature._\n\n\nAlthough the Eulenspiegel folk-book has become the best known of the\nspecial class of books in which the middle age took such pleasure, there\nare many other compositions of a kindred nature worthy of mention, and\nof these I shall here describe the most important. The first on which\nany remark is necessary is the celebrated legend of Salomon and\nMarcolphus, which, in Latin, German, Anglo-Saxon, and French, has\nsurvived to the present time. Marcolphus is a jester in a more sober\nsense than is Owlglass; the jests of the former, though some of them are\nanalogous to those of the latter, rarely touch upon the humourous. They\nare capable of application to far more serious things, to matters of\nspeculative philosophy and science. Luther, for instance, applied a\nstory of Marcolphus in reproof of persons who shut their eyes to the\ngood, but afterwards were compelled, whether they would or no, to behold\nthe evil.[29] But the Marcolphus legend is an exemplification rather of\nthe combats of wit and wisdom common to the earlier part of the middle\nage, than a vivid reflex, as is the Owlglass, of the manners and customs\nof the time to which it belongs. One story borrowed from the Marcolphus,\nor from Morlini, at an early period, appears in Owlglass, being the\nsecond adventure in this edition, p. 3.\n\nThe _Narrenschiff_ (\u201cShip of Fools\u201d) of Sebastian Brandt was published\nin 1494. It is also called the _Welt Spiegel_, or \u201cWorld Mirror,\u201d and it\nenjoyed a great and deserved reputation in its time, but was far too\npedantic and tiresome to survive to the present age, or be profitable\nnow. A few remarks upon it, extracted from Hallam, will be found in the\nPreface.\n\nMurner himself published a satirical work in 1517, entitled the\n_Schelmenzunft_ (\u201cCorporation of Knaves\u201d), but from a want of entirety\nit has fallen into little repute. So also the _G\u00e4uchmatt_ has been\nforgotten, while Owlglass, published in the same year (1519), will live\na companion to many.\n\nSimilar books had preceded Master Owlglass, but not with the same\nsuccess, although from them the frequent editors of the latter\nabstracted stories to add to the deeds of the wandering knave; from the\nlegend of the \u201cPriest Amis,\u201d for instance, Murner took the story of the\ninvisible picture, the reading ass, the wise university examination at\nPrague, and the history of the pardoner with the holy head of Saint\nBrandonus. Another work, the \u201cPriest of Kalenberg,\u201d preceded Owlglass,\nhaving appeared before the year 1494 at Vienna, being written by Villip\nFrankfurter; the only copy known is preserved in the Hamburg Town\nLibrary. The \u201cPriest of Kalenberg\u201d is mentioned by Sebastian Brandt in\nthe \u201cShip of Fools;\u201d and Murner, in his _Narrenbeschwerung_, tells a\nstory concerning him. The book is alluded to by Fischart in the preface\nto his Eulenspiegel, as having been a great success. The latest edition\nof the \u201cPriest of Kalenberg\u201d appeared under the title of _Der geistliche\nEulenspiegel, oder der Pfarrer vom Kalenberg, nebst Schw\u00e4nken einiger\nanderen lustigen Gesellen_ (\u201cThe Clerical Eulenspiegel, or the Parson of\nKalenberg, with the quips of some other merry fellows\u201d). Leipzig, 1818.\n\nAnother book which supplied the editors of Eulenspiegel with materials\nfor its extension was the Jests of Gonella, Court Fool to the Margrave\nNicolaus of Este (\u20201441), and to his son Borso, the Duke of Ferrara\n(\u20201471); indeed, it is far from unlikely that Murner himself was\nacquainted with it, as it was published in 1506 at Bologna. So rare is\nthis work, that in an appendix Dr. Lappenberg has reprinted it.\n\nThe \u201cJests of Poggio Bracciolini\u201d (1381\u20131459), a man to whom we owe the\nrecovery of Quintilian, eight orations of Cicero, twelve comedies of\nPlautus, and other classics, also furnished Murner with matter for the\nEulenspiegel. In fact, Murner and his successors must have very\ndiligently sought out all the literature of the class likely to serve\ntheir purpose in adding to the adventures of their own hero. Thus\nseveral stories are adapted from the \u201cCento Novelle Antiche\u201d (printed at\nBologna, 1525), from Morlini (Naples, 1520), from Bebel, and from\nFran\u00e7ois Villon.\n\nThere are a few books later than Eulenspiegel having a family\nresemblance to it; of these the _Schimpf und Ernst_ (\u201cAbuse and\nSeriousness\u201d) of John Pauli Pfedersheimer, published in 1522, is the\nmost noted. The following is the title of the first edition: \u201cSchimpf\nvn\u0304 | Ernst | heiset | das Buch mit nam\u0113 | durchlaufft e d\u2019 welthandlung\nmit | ernstlichen vnd kurtzweiligen exem- | plen, parabolen vnd\nhystorien | n\u00fctzlich vnd gut zu besse- | rung der menschen.\u201d This title\nis in an oblong tablet surrounded with woodcuts. Below is Herodias\nbringing the head of John the Baptist to her father; to the right is\nAdam and Eve; to the left, Bishop Martin; and at the top is St. George\nwith the dragon. Sheets run from A-X iiii, 124 pages in folio, double\ncolumns. Colophon: \u201cGetruckt zu Strassburg von Johannes | Grieninger,\nvnd volendet vff vnser lieben frawentag der geburt, | in dem iar nach\nder geburt Christi vnsers herren. Tausend | f\u00fcnf hundert vnd zwei vnd\nzwantzig.\u201d Then follows sheet Y, with six pages of contents. Copies in\nthe Royal Libraries at Dresden, Berlin, and M\u00fcnchen. Forty-nine editions\nare specified by Lappenberg in \u201cUlenspiegel\u201d (pp. 368\u2013378), besides\nseveral translations. Pauli, in turn, has borrowed from Eulenspiegel,\nand that he understood the spirit of the book is plain from a reference\nhe makes to it.\n\nAnother work akin to the Owlglass is the popular folk-book of Friar\nRush, which is sufficiently well known to need no further description\nhere. Mr. Thoms has reprinted it in his \u201cCollection of Early Prose\nRomances.\u201d Claus Narr von Ranstedt is another successor to Eulenspiegel.\nThis worthy was court-fool to the Elector of Saxony from 1486 to 1532;\nthus a contemporary to Murner, who, indeed, mentions him in the\ntreatise, \u201cWhether the King of England be a liar or Dr. Luther?\u201d The\nearliest edition appears to be of 1572, and its author was Master\nWolfgang B\u00fcttner, Priest of Volfferstet. In the preface, B\u00fcttner sneers\nat Eulenspiegel, and asks why the pure words and good sayings of this\ngood man should not be preferred and esteemed rather than the shameless\nstories of Owlglass.\n\nNoteworthy also is a book containing the adventures of Hans Clauert of\nTrebbin, who in a humble manner, yet not without humour, follows in the\nfootsteps of Owlglass. The only edition of it which I have seen is an\nundated folk-book, published in the series of Otto Wigand at Leipzig.\nThis hero goes to Hungary and other places; but his adventures contain\nnone of the satiric intention evident in the Owlglass. With these\nelucidatory remarks touching Owlglass, and the literature of which his\nadventures form the completest example, I bid the reader\n\n A HEARTY FAREWELL.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 29:\n\n The curious reader will find this duly set forth in Mr. Kemble\u2019s\n critical history of the Salomon and Marcolphus tale (Salomon and\n Saturnus, p. 70). And in the preface to Dr. Luther\u2019s \u201cTable Talk,\u201d\n where this application is made, Stangwald complains of the great\n number of people who prefer Marcolphus, Eulenspiegel, and such books,\n to these _Colloquia Lutheri_.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n TRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES\n\n\n 1. Changed \u201cThen said then\u201d to \u201cThen said the\u201d on p. 138.\n 2. All book titles and colophons are rendered as printed.\n 3. Silently corrected typographical errors.\n 4. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.\n 5. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.\n 6. Superscripts are denoted by a carat before a single superscript\n character or a series of superscripted characters enclosed in\n curly braces, e.g. M^r. or M^{ister}.","title":"The Marvellous Adventures and Rare Conceits of Master Tyll Owlglass: Newly collected, chronicled and set forth, in our English tongue","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":83512}