Part 36 (2/2)

”Let it be so!” answered G.o.d, who took leave of him and departed.

Meantime the people in the farmhouse were feasting and drinking, not remembering the proverbs, ”A large piece strains the mouth,” and ”The mouth is the measure of the stomach.” They set the house on fire by their recklessness, and only escaped with bare life. All their goods and chattels were reduced to ashes, and they were left without a roof to shelter them. The guests hastened home, but the farmer and his people were forced to take refuge in the shoemaker's hut. He received them in the most friendly way, and gave them clothes and shoes, and food and drink, and saw to it that they wanted for nothing till they could again provide themselves with shelter.

Besides this, needy people came every day to the shoemaker, and each received an abundant allowance.

As he thus doled out everything, and refused no one relief, low people jeered at him, saying, ”What is your object in giving everything away?

You cannot make the world warm.” He answered, ”We should love our neighbours as ourselves.”

At length the shoemaker felt that his last hour had come. So he dressed himself neatly, took with him a staff of juniper, and set off on the way to h.e.l.l. The warden trembled when he saw him, and cried out, ”Throw down the staff! No one may bring such a weapon to h.e.l.l.” The shoemaker took no heed of this speech, but pressed on his way. At length the Prince of h.e.l.l himself met him, and cried out, ”Throw down your staff and let us wrestle. If you overcome me, I will be your slave; but if I should overcome you, then you must serve me.”

This did not please the shoemaker, who answered, ”I will not wrestle with you, for you have such very clumsy hands, but come against me with a spear.”

As the Devil continued talking, and again advised him to throw away the staff, the shoemaker struck him a heavy blow with it behind the ear.

Upon this, all h.e.l.l shook, and the Devil and his companions vanished suddenly, as lead sinks in water.

Then the shoemaker proceeded farther, and cautiously explored the interior of the underworld. In one hall lay a great book, in which the souls of all children who died unbaptized were recorded. Near the book lay many keys, which opened the rooms in which the children's souls were imprisoned. So he took the keys, released the innocent captive souls, and went with them to heaven, where he was received with honour, and a thanksgiving feast was inst.i.tuted in remembrance of his good deed.

Among other stories of devils is one of a forester who gave the Devil three drops of blood for a magic powder which would heal all wounds. But when he died, his corpse rushed out at the door, and was never seen again. Another time, a dull schoolboy, who was always beaten by his master, met the Devil, who drew blood from three punctures, and wrote a compact with it; but the boy was rescued by a clever student, who afterwards died from the bursting of the ”blood-vessel of wisdom,” as was ascertained by autopsy.

The Devil is sometimes represented as driving about in a coach drawn by twelve black stallions, and annoying the neighbourhood.

Another time, a charitable orphan-girl stayed late one Sat.u.r.day evening in the bath-house,[58] after was.h.i.+ng the poor and helpless, when the Devil and his mother and three sons drove up in a coach drawn by four black stallions, with harness adorned with gold and silver, and asked her hand for one of his sons. But the maiden fled back into the bath-house, after making the sign of the cross on the threshold, and replied that she was not ready, as she had no shoes nor dress. The Devil desired her to ask for whatever she wanted; but a mouse called to her to ask for each article separately. One of the sons fetched each article as it was asked for; and the maiden was at last fully attired, when the c.o.c.k crew, and everything vanished. Next day the girl's mistress and her daughter were envious of her fine clothes and ornaments; and next Sat.u.r.day evening the daughter went to the bath-house. But she despised the warning of the mouse, and asked for everything at once, when she was taken into the coach and carried away.

Tales of minor dealings with the Devil are common. A farmer taking flax to market, invoked the Devil to enable him to sell it well. The Devil did so, and rode home with him from market, made him drunk, and tempted him to commit a burglary at the house of a rich man in the neighbourhood. He put his hat on the farmer's head, which made him invisible, and broke open the iron bars of the door with his teeth. On the way home, the farmer cried out, while crossing the ford where he had first met the Devil, ”Good G.o.d! how much money I've got!” The Devil vanished, and all the treasure fell into the stream, and was lost. On another occasion, a labourer devoted his horse to the Devil, at a time when an old Devil and his son overheard him. The son wanted to lay claim to it, but his father warned him that it was no use, for such people did not mean what they said, and did not keep their word. Nevertheless, the imp went to unharness it, and the peasant in terror invoked the Trinity, when the imp ran away, and his father laughed at him.

The stories which follow, like several of the preceding, are mostly told by Jannsen, and deal with various forms of black magic. The first is an instance of something very like Vampyrism.

[Footnote 57: This disguise is often a.s.sumed by G.o.d in the stories of Eastern Europe, when he wishes to be incognito; nor is it always clear whether G.o.d or Christ is intended. I remember once reading a Lithuanian story in which G.o.d and St. Peter are represented as descending to earth disguised as beggars, for fear they might be recognised, to inquire into the wickedness of mankind before the Flood.]

[Footnote 58: The bath is a special place of resort for devils in Mohammedan folk-lore.]

MARTIN AND HIS DEAD MASTER.

Martin was a young fellow who was very fond of amusing himself with the girls, and often sat up talking and joking with them till very late in the evening. One Sunday, when he had slept very little the night before, he went to church, and there he fell asleep and did not awake till dark night. He rubbed his eyes, and could not imagine where he was, for the church was full of people, and they were all fine gentlemen. Martin looked about, and recognised among them his former master, who had been buried three months before. He also knew him, and asked, ”Well, Martin, when did you die?” ”Three months after you were buried,” answered Martin. ”Oh, indeed,” said the gentleman; ”but what do you think?

Shouldn't we go home now for a short visit? Won't you accompany me?”

”I'm ready,” said Martin, and he rose and followed his master. On the way he found a frozen glove, which he put in his pocket. They came to the mansion, and the master went first to the stable, for he intended to torment the horses, and thought Martin would help him. When the gentleman entered, the horses made no sound, but when Martin came in, they neighed. The master turned round and said, ”Listen, Martin! you can't be really dead. Give me your hand to feel.” Martin thrust his hand into the frozen glove which he had found on the road, and extended it to his master, who said, ”Yes, you are really dead; your hand is shockingly cold.” Then he tormented the horses till they were covered with white foam. Martin was sorry, but could do nothing but stand and look on. At last the master ceased his spiteful work, and said, ”Let us go into the house. Go you into the kitchen and frighten the maids, and I will torment the lady. When it is time to depart, I will come for you.” The lady screamed and sobbed with terror as if she was mad, and the maids screamed too, but with fun and frolic.

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