The Turnip
Once upon a time there were two brothers who had both served as soldiers, but one had got riches while the other remained poor. So the poor man, in order to help himself out of his difficulties, drew off his soldiering coat and turned ploughman. He dug and ploughed over his piece of land, and then sowed some turnip seed. Soon the seed began to show itself above ground, and there grew one turnip immensely large and thick, which seemed as if it would never have done growing, but was a princess among turnips; and as there had never before been seen such a turnip, so also there has never been such another since. At length it was such a size, that it filled of itself a whole cart, and two oxen were required to draw it; but the poor man knew not what to do with it, or whether it would be the making of his fortune, or just the contrary. At last he thought to himself that if he sold it he should not get very much for it; and as to eating it, why the ordinary sized turnips would do as well; and so he resolved to take it to the King and offer it to him. So thinking, he laid it on a cart, and harnessing two oxen, took his turnip to court and presented it to the King. “What curious thing is this?” asked the King; “such a wonderful sight I have never before seen, though I have looked at some curiosities; pray from what seed was this grown? or are you a luck-child who have picked it up?”
“Oh no,” said the man, “I am no luck-child, but only a poor soldier, who, because he could not get enough to live on, has pulled off his uniform and turned to tilling land. I have got a brother who is rich and well known to you, your majesty, but I, because I have nothing, and forgotten by all.”
Thereupon the King took compassion on the poor Soldier, and said to him, “Your poverty shall be put an end to, and you shall receive so much from me that you shall be equal to your rich brother.” So saying, the King presented the man with much gold, land, flocks, and herds, and made him thereby so rich that his brother’s property was not to be compared with his. When the latter heard what his brother had gained by a single turnip, he envied him, and revolved in his own mind how he could manage to happen with the like luck. He thought he would be much cleverer, and took to the King gold and horses as a present, thinking no less than that he would receive a much handsomer present; since his brother had been treated so liberally for a mere turnip, what would not his generous present be requited with! The King received the present very graciously, and told the Soldier he could give him in return nothing richer or rarer than the magnificent turnip! So the wealthy soldier was obliged to lay the turnip upon his carriage and drive it home with him. When he reached his house he knew not what to do with himself for vexation and rage, till by degrees wicked thoughts took possession of him, and he resolved to kill his brother. So he hired some murderers, whom he placed in ambush, and then going to his brother, he said to him, “I know a secret treasure, my dear brother, which we will obtain and share together.” The good brother was deceived by these words, and unsuspectingly accompanied the wicked one. But as they went along the murderers burst out upon them, and binding the good man prepared to hang him on a tree. But while they were about it a sudden shouting and laughing was heard at a distance, which frightened the assassins so much that they tumbled their prey head over heels into a sack, and suspended him on a bough, and then took flight. The Soldier, however, worked himself about in the sack till he got his head through a hole at the top, and then he perceived that the noise which had saved him was made by a Student, a young fellow who was singing and shouting snatches of songs as he walked along. As soon as this Student was just under the tree, the man in the sack called out, “I hope you are well at this lucky moment.” The Scholar looked about him and wondered where the voice came from, for he could see nobody; at last he said, “Who calls me?” “Raise your eyes and you will see me sitting above here in wisdom’s sack. In a short time I have learnt great things; in fact, this place beats all schools hollow! In a little while I shall have learnt everything, and then I shall descend and mix with my fellow men. I understand astronomy and the signs of heaven, the motion of all the winds, the sand in the sea, the art of healing the sick, the virtue of every herb, birds and stones! Were you once in this place you would feel what a noble thing it is to sit in the sack of wisdom!”
When the Scholar heard all this he was astonished, and said, “Blessed be the hour in which I found you! can I not also come a little while into the sack?”
“For a short time I will allow you to take my place in consideration of some reward and your fair speech; but you must first wait an hour, for there is one piece of learning which I have not yet fully mastered.”
The Scholar accordingly sat down to wait, but the time appeared to him terribly long, and he soon began to pray to be allowed to take his place, because his thirst for wisdom was so great. The man in the sack at length pitied his impatience, and told him to let the sack down carefully by the rope which held it, and then he should get in. Thereupon the Scholar let him down, and, opening the mouth of the sack, delivered the man, and as soon as he had done so he got into the sack, and said, “Now pull me up quickly!”
“Stop, stop!” cried the other; “that is not quite right;” and laying hold of the Scholar by the shoulders he thrust him head downwards into the sack. Then he pulled the neck to, and, fastening the rope on, swung the sack up on the bough of the tree, while he exclaimed, “How do you feel now, my good fellow? do you find that wisdom comes with your experience? Sit quietly there till you become wiser.”
With these words he mounted the Student’s horse and rode off; but in an hour’s time he sent somebody to release the poor Student in the sack.