Good Gifts and a Fool’s Folly.
_Give a fool heaven and earth, and all the stars, and he will makeducks and drakes of them._
Once upon a time there was an old man, who, by thrifty living andlong saving, had laid by a fortune great enough to buy ease andcomfort and pleasure for a lifetime.
By-and-by he died, and the money came to his son, who was of adifferent sort from the father; for, what that one had gained bythe labor of a whole year, the other spent in riotous living in oneweek.
So it came about in a little while that the young man found himselfwithout so much as a single penny to bless himself withal. Then hisfair-weather friends left him, and the creditors came and seizedupon his house and his household goods, and turned him out into thecold wide world to get along as best he might with the other foolswho lived there.
Now the young spendthrift was a strong, stout fellow, and, seeingnothing better to do, he sold his fine clothes and bought him aporter’s basket, and went and sat in the corner of the market-placeto hire himself out to carry this or that for folk who were betteroff in the world, and less foolish than he.
There he sat, all day long, from morning until evening, but nobodycame to hire him. But at last, as dusk was settling, there camealong an old man with beard as white as snow hanging down below hiswaist. He stopped in front of the foolish spendthrift, and stoodlooking at him for a while; then, at last, seeming to be satisfied,he beckoned with his finger to the young man. “Come,” said he, “Ihave a task for you to do, and if you are wise, and keep a stilltongue in your head, I will pay you as never a porter was paidbefore.”
You may depend upon it the young man needed no second bidding tosuch a matter. Up he rose, and took his basket, and followed theold man, who led the way up one street and down another, until atlast they came to a rickety, ramshackle house in a part of thetown the young man had never been before. Here the old man stoppedand knocked at the door, which was instantly opened, as thoughof itself, and then he entered with the young spendthrift at hisheels. The two passed through a dark passage-way, and anotherdoor, and then, lo and behold! all was changed; for they had comesuddenly into such a place as the young man would not have believedcould be in such a house, had he not seen it with his own eyes.Thousands of waxen tapers lit the place as bright as day--a greatoval room, floored with mosaic of a thousand bright colors andstrange figures, and hung with tapestries of silks and satins andgold and silver. The ceiling was painted to represent the sky,through which flew beautiful birds and winged figures so life-likethat no one could tell that they were only painted, and not real.At the farther side of the room were two richly cushioned couches,and thither the old man led the way with the young spendthriftfollowing, wonder-struck, and there the two sat themselves down.Then the old man smote his hands together, and, in answer, tenyoung men and ten beautiful girls entered bearing a feast of rarefruits and wines which they spread before them, and the young man,who had been fasting since morning, fell to and ate as he had noteaten for many a day.
The old man, who himself ate but little, waited patiently for theother to end. “Now,” said he, as soon as the young man could eat nomore, “you have feasted and you have drunk; it is time for us towork.”
Thereupon he rose from the couch and led the way, the young manfollowing, through an arch doorway into a garden, in the centre ofwhich was an open space paved with white marble, and in the centreof that again a carpet, ragged and worn, spread out upon the smoothstones. Without saying a word, the old man seated himself upon oneend of this carpet, and motioned to the spendthrift to seat himselfwith his basket at the other end; then--
“Are you ready?” said the old man.
“Yes,” said the young man, “I am.”
“Then, by the horn of Jacob,” said the old man, “I command thee,O Carpet! to bear us over hill and valley, over lake and river,to that spot whither I wish to go.” Hardly had the words left hismouth when away flew the carpet, swifter than the swiftest wind,carrying the old man and the young spendthrift, until at last itbrought them to a rocky desert without leaf or blade of grass to beseen far or near. Then it descended to where there was a circle ofsand as smooth as a floor.
The old man rolled up the carpet, and then drew from a pouch thathung at his side a box, and from the box some sticks of sandal andspice woods, with which he built a little fire. Next he drew fromthe same pouch a brazen jar, from which he poured a gray powderupon the blaze. Instantly there leaped up a great flame of whitelight and a cloud of smoke, which rose high in the air, and therespread out until it hid everything from sight. Then the old manbegan to mutter spells, and in answer the earth shook and quaked,and a rumbling as of thunder filled the air. At last he gave aloud cry, and instantly the earth split open, and there the youngspendthrift saw a trap-door of iron, in which was an iron ring tolift it by.
“Look!” said the old man. “Yonder is the task for which I havebrought you; lift for me that trap-door of iron, for it is tooheavy for me to raise, and I will pay you well.”
And it was no small task, either, for, stout and strong as theyoung man was, it was all he could do to lift up the iron plate.But at last up it swung, and down below he saw a flight of stonesteps leading into the earth.
The old man drew from his bosom a copper lamp, which he lit at thefire of the sandal and spice wood sticks, which had now nearlydied away. Then, leading the way, with the young man followingclose at his heels, he descended the stairway that led down below.At the bottom the two entered a great vaulted room, carved outof the solid stone, upon the walls of which were painted strangepictures in bright colors of kings and queens, genii and dragons.Excepting for these painted figures, the vaulted room was perfectlybare, only that in the centre of the floor there stood three stonetables. Upon the first table stood an iron candlestick with threebranches; upon the second stood an earthen jar, empty of everythingbut dust; upon the third stood a brass bowl, a yard wide and ayard deep, and filled to the brim with shining, gleaming, dazzlingjewels of all sorts.
“Now,” said the old man to the spendthrift, “I will do to youas I promised: I will pay you as never man was paid before forsuch a task. Yonder upon those three stone tables are three greattreasures: choose whichever one you will, and it is yours.”
“I shall not be long in choosing,” cried the young spendthrift. “Ishall choose the brass bowl of jewels.”
The old man laughed. “So be it,” said he. “Fill your basket fromthe bowl with all you can carry, and that will be enough, providedyou live wisely, to make you rich for as long as you live.”
The young man needed no second bidding, but began filling hisbasket with both hands, until he had in it as much as he couldcarry.
Then the old man, taking the iron candlestick and the earthen jar,led the way up the stairway again. There the young man lowered theiron trap-door to its place, and so soon as he had done so theother stamped his heel upon the ground, and the earth closed ofitself as smooth and level as it had been before.
The two sat themselves upon the carpet, the one upon the one end,and the other upon the other. “By the horn of Jacob,” said the oldman, “I command thee, O Carpet! to fly over hill and valley, overlake and river, until thou hast brought us back whence we came.”
Away flew the carpet, and in a little time they were back inthe garden from which they had started upon their journey; andthere they parted company. “Go thy way, young man,” said the oldgraybeard, “and henceforth try to live more wisely than thou hastdone heretofore. I know well who thou art, and how thou hast lived.Shun thy evil companions, live soberly, and thou hast enough tomake thee rich for as long as thou livest.”
“Have no fear,” cried the young man, joyfully. “I have learned abitter lesson, and henceforth I will live wisely and well.”
So, filled with good resolves, the young man went the next day tohis creditors and paid his debts; he bought back the house whichhis father had left him, and there began to lead a new life as hehad promised.
But a gray goose does not become white, nor a foolish man a wiseone.
At first he led a life sober enough; but by little and little hebegan to take up with his old-time friends again, and by-and-by themoney went flying as merrily as ever, only this time he was twentytimes richer than he had been before, and he spent his money twentytimes as fast. Every day there was feasting and drinking going onin his house, and roaring and rioting and dancing and singing. Thewealth of a king could not keep up such a life forever, so by theend of a year and a half the last of the treasure was gone, and theyoung spendthrift was just as poor as ever. Then once again hisfriends left him as they had done before, and all that he could dowas to rap his head and curse his folly.
At last, one morning, he plucked up courage to go to the old manwho had helped him once before, to see whether he would not helphim again. Rap! tap! tap! he knocked at the door, and who shouldopen it but the old man himself. “Well,” said the graybeard, “whatdo you want?”
“I want some help,” said the spendthrift; and then he told himall, and the old man listened and stroked his beard.
“By rights,” said he, when the young man had ended, “I should leaveyou alone in your folly; for it is plain to see that nothing cancure you of it. Nevertheless, as you helped me once, and as I havemore than I shall need, I will share what I have with you. Come inand shut the door.”
He led the way, the spendthrift following, to a little room all ofbare stone, and in which were only three things--the magic carpet,the iron candlestick, and the earthen jar. This last the old mangave to the foolish spendthrift. “My friend,” said he, “when youchose the money and jewels that day in the cavern, you chose theless for the greater. Here is a treasure that an emperor might wellenvy you. Whatever you wish for you will find by dipping your handinto the jar. Now go your way, and let what has happened cure youof your folly.”
“It shall,” cried the young man; “never again will I be so foolishas I have been!” And thereupon he went his way with anotherpocketful of good resolves.
The first thing he did when he reached home was to try the virtueof his jar. “I should like,” said he, “to have a handful of justsuch treasure as I brought from the cavern over yonder.” He dippedhis hand into the jar, and when he brought it out again it wasbrimful of shining, gleaming, sparkling jewels. You can guess howhe felt when he saw them.
Well, this time a whole year went by, during which the young manlived as soberly as a judge. But at the end of the twelvemonth hewas so sick of wisdom that he loathed it as one loathes bitterdrink. Then by little and little he began to take up with his oldways again, and to call his old cronies around, until at the end ofanother twelvemonth things were a hundred times worse and wilderthan ever; for now what he had he had without end.
One day, when he and a great party of roisterers were shoutingand making merry, he brought out his earthen-ware pot to showthem the wonders of it; and to prove its virtue he gave to eachguest whatever he wanted. “What will you have?”--“A handful ofgold.”--“Put your hand in and get it!”--“What will you have?”--“Afistful of pearls.”--“Put your fist in and get them!”--“What willyou have?”--“A necklace of diamonds.”--“Dip into the jar and getit.” And so he went from one to another, and each and every one gotwhat he asked for, and such a shouting and hubbub those walls hadnever heard before.
Then the young man, holding the jar in his hands, began to danceand to sing: “O wonderful jar! O beautiful jar! O beloved jar!” andso on, his friends clapping their hands, and laughing and cheeringhim. At last, in the height of his folly, he balanced the earthenjar on his head, and began dancing around and around with it toshow his dexterity.
Smash! crash! The precious jar lay in fifty pieces on the stonefloor, and the young man stood staring at the result of his follywith bulging eyes, while his friends roared and laughed and shoutedlouder than ever over his mishap. And again his treasure and hisgay life were gone.
But what had been hard for him to do before was easier now. At theend of a week he was back at the old man’s house, rapping on thedoor. This time the old man asked him never a word, but frowned asblack as thunder.
“I know,” said he, “what has happened to you. If I were wise Ishould let you alone in your folly; but once more I will have pityon you and will help you, only this time it shall be the last.”Once more he led the way to the stone room, where were the ironcandlestick and the magic carpet, and with him he took a good stoutcudgel. He stood the candlestick in the middle of the room, andtaking three candles from his pouch, thrust one into each branch.Then he struck a light, and lit the first candle. Instantly thereappeared a little old man, clad in a long white robe, who begandancing and spinning around and around like a top. He lit thesecond candle, and a second old man appeared, and round and roundhe went, spinning like his brother. He lit the third candle, and athird old man appeared. Around and around and around they spun andwhirled, until the head spun and whirled to look at them. Then theold graybeard gripped the cudgel in his hand. “Are you ready?” heasked.
“We are ready, and waiting,” answered the three. Thereupon, withoutanother word, the graybeard fetched each of the dancers a blow uponthe head with might and main--One! two! three! crack! crash! jingle!
Lo and behold! Instead of the three dancing men, there lay threegreat heaps of gold upon the floor, and the spendthrift stoodstaring like an owl. “There,” said the old man, “take what youwant, and then go your way, and trouble me no more.”
“Well,” said the spendthrift, “of all the wonders that ever I saw,this is the most wonderful! But how am I to carry my gold away withme, seeing I did not fetch my basket?”
“You shall have a basket,” said the old man, “if only you willtrouble me no more. Just wait here a moment until I bring it toyou.”
The spendthrift was left all alone in the room; not a soul wasthere but himself. He looked up, and he looked down, and scratchedhis head. “Why,” he cried aloud, “should I be content to take apart when I can have the whole?”
To do was as easy as to say. He snatched up the iron candlestick,caught up the staff that the old man had left leaning against thewall, and seated himself upon the magic carpet. “By the horn ofJacob,” he cried, “I command thee, O Carpet! to carry me over hilland valley, over lake and river, to a place where the old man cannever find me.”
Hardly had the words left his mouth than away flew the carpetthrough the air, carrying him along with it; away and away,higher than the clouds and swifter than the wind. Then at last itdescended to the earth again, and when the young spendthrift lookedabout him, he found himself in just such a desert place as he andthe old man had come to when they had found the treasure. But hegave no thought to that, and hardly looked around him to see wherehe was. All that he thought of was to try his hand at the threedancers that belonged to the candlestick. He struck a light, andlit the three candles, and instantly the three little old menappeared for him just as they had for the old graybeard. And aroundand around they spun and whirled, until the sand and dust spun andwhirled along with them. Then the young man grasped his cudgeltightly.
Now, he had not noticed that when the old man struck the threedancers he had held the cudgel in his _left_ hand, for he wasnot wise enough to know that great differences come from littlematters. He griped the cudgel in his right hand, and struck thedancers with might and main, just as the old man had done. Crack!crack! crack! One; two; three.
Did they change into piles of gold? Not a bit of it! Each of thedancers drew from under his robe a cudgel as stout and stouter thanthe one the young man himself held, and, without a word, fell uponhim and began to beat and drub him until the dust flew. In vain hehopped and howled and begged for mercy, in vain he tried to defendhimself; the three never stopped until he fell to the ground, andlaid there panting and sighing and groaning; and then they left andflew back with the iron candlestick and the magic carpet to the oldman again. At last, after a great while, the young spendthrift satup, rubbing the sore places; but w
hen he looked around not a signwas to be seen of anything but the stony desert, without a house ora man in sight.
Perhaps, after a long time, he found his way home again, andperhaps the drubbing he had had taught him wisdom; the first is alikely enough thing to happen, but as for the second, it would needthree strong men to tell it to me a great many times before I wouldbelieve it.
You may smile at this story if you like, but, all the same, ascertainly as there is meat in an egg-shell, so is there truth inthis nonsense. For, “Give a fool heaven and earth,” say I, “andall the stars, and he will make ducks and drakes of them.”
* * * * *
_Fortunatus lifted his canican to his lips and took a long, heartydraught of ale. “Methinks,” said he, “that all your stories have atwang of the same sort about them. You all of you, except my friendthe Soldier here, play the same tune upon a different fiddle.Nobody comes to any good.”_
_St. George drew a long whiff of his pipe, and then puffed outa cloud of smoke as big as his head. “Perhaps,” said he toFortunatus, “you know of a story which turns out differently. Ifyou do, let us have it, for it is your turn now.”_
_“Very well,” said Fortunatus, “I will tell you a story that turnsout as it should, where the lad marries a beautiful princess andbecomes a king into the bargain.”_
_“And what is your story about?” said the Lad who fiddled for theJew in the bramble-bush._
_“It is,” said Fortunatus, “about--”_