Brother Lustig
Once there was a great war, which at last came to an end, and then many soldiers received their discharge, and amongst others was Brother Lustig, who was sent away with nothing else but a small loaf of ammunition-bread and four farthings in money. Now, a holy Saint dressed himself as a poor beggar, and sat by the roadside where Brother Lustig passed, and begged an alms of him. “My good beggar,” said the Soldier in reply, “what shall I give you? I have been in the army, and have just received my discharge with no other reward than a loaf of ammunition-bread and four farthings; and when those are done I also must beg; still, what I have, that will I share with you.” So saying, Brother Lustig divided the loaf into four parts, and gave one to the beggar, and also one farthing. The Saint thanked him, and, going further, sat himself down in the form of another beggar by the roadside. And when the Soldier came up he asked him as before for a gift. Brother Lustig replied just as he had to the first beggar, and gave again a fourth part of his bread and a farthing. The Saint thanked him, and, going still further, took the form of a third beggar, and asked for an alms; and Brother Lustig gave him the third share of his bread, and one of his two remaining farthings. The Saint thanked him, and left him to pursue his way in peace with his one portion of bread and single piece of money. With these he entered an inn, ate his bread, and with his farthing procured some beer When he had done his meal, he went on again, and presently the Saint, in the form of a discharged soldier like himself, came up to him and said, “Good day, comrade; can you not give me a bit of bread and a farthing to buy some beer?” “Where shall I get them?” said Lustig, “I have just received my discharge, and nothing with it but a loaf of ammunition-bread and four farthings; and those I have shared with three beggars whom I have met by the way. The last farthing I have spent for a draught of beer to wash down my own share of the loaf, and so I am empty in purse, and, if you have no more, we may as well go begging together.”
“No,” replied the Saint, “that is not yet necessary, for I understand a little of the healing art, and with that I can earn as much as I require.”
“Ah well!” replied Brother Lustig, “then I must go alone, since I am quite ignorant of that science.”
“You can come with me,” said the Saint, “and of what I earn you shall have the half.”
“That is all right,” replied Brother Lustig; and they walked on together.
Soon they came to a farmhouse, and heard within a great crying and groaning. So they entered, and found the master lying on his bed, very ill, and nigh unto death, while his wife sat by weeping and howling. “Cease your tears and groans!” said the Saint to the woman, “I will make your husband well;” and he took out of his pocket an ointment, with which he anointed him, and in a minute the farmer stood up quite recovered. In their joy and satisfaction, the man and his wife asked the Saint, “How can we reward you, or what shall we give you?” The Saint, however, would take nothing, and the more they begged him the more earnestly he refused; but Brother Lustig nudged him, and said, “Do take something, we shall want it.” At last the countrywoman brought a lamb and asked the Saint to take it, but he still refused, till Lustig, nudging him again and saying, “Pray take it, we shall certainly want it,” he consented, saying to Brother Lustig, “I will take this lamb, but I cannot carry it; you must do that, since you wish for it.” “Oh, as to that matter,” said Lustig, “I will readily take it;” and he tied his legs to a stick and put it upon his shoulder. Now they went on till they came to a forest, where the lamb would soon have become a burden to Lustig, but he was hungry, and said to the Saint, “See, here is a beautiful place to cook and eat the lamb.”
“Very well,” replied his companion; “but I cannot stay here while you cook; do you see to that. Here is a kettle; meanwhile I will walk about till it is ready; but mind you must not begin to eat until I return, which will be at the right time.” “You can go if you please,” said Lustig; “I understand cooking well, and all will soon be ready.” And so saying, he killed the lamb, made a fire, and threw the flesh into the pot to boil. The meat was soon done enough, but still the Saint did not return, and Brother Lustig at length took it out of the pot, and, cutting it up, found the heart. “This is the best part,” said he as he ate it, and just then the Saint returned, and said to him, “You can eat the whole lamb by yourself, but give me the heart.” Brother Lustig took up his knife and fork and pretended to search very eagerly among the flesh for the heart without success. “There is none,” said he at length. “No! where should it be, then?” asked the Saint. “That I do not know,” replied the other; “but what simpletons we both are to expect to find a lamb’s heart when it has none!”
“Eh!” said the Apostle, “that is something new; every animal has a heart, and why should not a lamb have one?” “No, certainly, comrade,” said Lustig, “a lamb has no heart; just think for a minute, and you will readily allow it has not.”
“Well, then,” rejoined the Saint, “since there is no heart I need none of the flesh; you may eat it all yourself.”
“And what I cannot eat I shall put in my knapsack,” said the Soldier, and as he ate but half he disposed of the other as he said.
This over, they travelled on further, and soon came to a stream which they were obliged to pass. “Go you first,” said the Saint to his companion; but he refused, thinking, if the other went before, he should know whether the water were deep or no. The holy Saint walked through, and the water was only up to his knees, and then Brother Lustig followed, but the water had become deeper and covered him up to the neck, so that he called, “Help me, comrade!” But the Saint said, “Will you confess that you ate the heart of the lamb?”
“No,” he replied, “I have not eaten it;” and immediately the water rose still more, till it reached his mouth. “Help me, comrade!” cried the Soldier again; but the Saint asked a second time, “Will you confess that you ate the lamb’s heart?” “No, I have not eaten it,” said Lustig; but nevertheless the Saint would not drown him, but took him by the hand and pulled him out.
Now they walked on again, and came to a country where they heard that the King’s daughter lay deadly sick. “Halloa! comrade,” said the Soldier to the Saint, “here is a windfall for us; if we can restore her to life, our fortune is made for ever.” But the holy Saint would not hurry, and Lustig said, “Pray make haste, comrade, and lift your legs quicker, or we shall not arrive in time.” Still the Saint went on slowly, slowly, although his companion tried to push him along, until they at last heard that the Princess was dead. “There,” said the Soldier, “this comes of your sleepy walking.”
But the Saint said, “Be quiet! I can do more than make the sick well, for I can also restore the dead to life.”
“Well, if that be so,” said Brother Lustig, “that will please; but you must ask the half of the kingdom for a reward.” Thereupon they went into the royal palace, where all were in great grief, and the Saint said to the King, “I will restore your daughter to life.” So he was led to her, and he asked for a kettle of water, and as soon as it was brought he caused every one to go out of the room, and only Brother Lustig to remain. Then he cut all the limbs of the dead Princess one from another, and threw them into the water; and, making a fire beneath the kettle; waited till nothing was left but the bones. Then he took out the white bones and laid them upon a table, and arranged them in their natural order, and when that was done he stepped in front of them and said, “In the name of the most Holy, stand up, oh dead!”
At the third repeating of these words the Princess arose, in full enjoyment of health and vigour, and the King was so rejoiced that he said to the Saint, “Ask your recompense, and whatever it is I will give it you, even to the half of my kingdom.”
But the Saint answered, “I desire nothing.” “Oh, you simple fellow!” thought the Soldier to himself, and taking his comrade aside he whispered to him, “Be not so foolish; if you desire nothing, still I have need;” but the holy Saint would ask nothing. The King, however, seeing that the other wished for some recompense, caused his knapsack to be filled with gold by the treasurer.
After this they traveled on further, and as they entered a wood, Brother Lustig said to the Saint, “Let us now share the gold.” “Yes,” replied the Saint, “now is the time,” and he divided the gold into three portions. Brother Lustig thought, “Why, what crotchet has he got in his head now, to make three portions while we are only two?”
The Saint said, “I have now divided it, one share for me, one for you, and one for him who ate the lamb’s heart.”
“Oh! I ate that,” replied Brother Lustig quickly, and snatched at the gold; “you may believe me.”
“But how can that be true?” asked the Saint, “lambs have no hearts!”
“Eh, what!” replied the Soldier; “why, what are you thinking of? A lamb has a heart as well as any other animal; why should a lamb alone have no heart?”
“Ah!” said the Saint, “now you may keep the gold yourself, I will travel no longer with such a man, but will go my own path.”
“As you like, comrade,” replied the Soldier; “as you like; farewell!”
So the holy Saint went another road, and Brother Lustig thought, “It is well that he is gone; he is certainly a wonderful man.” The Soldier had gold enough now; but what with visiting, giving presents, feasting, and such like, before many months had elapsed he was again quite poor. At that time he came into a country where he heard that the King’s daughter had just died. “Ah!” thought he, “here is a good thing! I will restore her to life again, and I will have such a sum counted out as the importance of my art warrants!” So he went to the King and offered to bring the dead to life. Now this King had heard that a discharged Soldier was travelling about who had raised the dead, and he supposed our Brother Lustig to be the man. Nevertheless, as he did not feel certain, he first asked the advice of his councillors, who decided that there was no harm in trying the man as the Princess was really dead. So Brother Lustig caused water to be brought to him in a kettle, and when every one had left the room, he cut the limbs asunder, and put them into the water and made a fire beneath, just as he had seen the Saint do. Then when the water boiled, and nothing was left but the bones, he took them out and laid them on a table, but he knew not in what order to put them, and so placed them the wrong way. This done, he rose up and said thrice, “In the name of the most Holy, arise, oh dead!” but the bones did not move. “You shining fellows, get up, or it will be the worse for you!” said he, and just as he spoke the Saint came, in his former disguise as a discharged Soldier, and said, “You impious man! what are you about? how can the dead rise when you have placed the limbs all wrong?”
“Comrade, I did it as well as I could,” said he. “This time,” continued the holy Saint, “I will help you out of your trouble, but do not undertake anything of this sort again, or it will be your ruin. Likewise I warn you, you are not to take or desire the least things of the King for this service.”
Thereupon the Saint laid the bones in their right order, and said thrice aloud, “In the name of the most Holy, arise, oh dead!” and immediately the Princess arose as well as ever, and as beautiful. Then the Saint disappeared through the window, and left Brother Lustig rejoicing at the miracle, but vexed that he must not take any reward for the deed. “I should like to know,” said he, “what whim now he has taken into his head, for what he gives with one hand he takes with the other, and there is no understanding him.” And so thinking, when the King asked him what he wished for he dared not take anything, but through artifice and cunning he managed to get his knapsack filled with gold. Then he took his leave with many thanks, and as he went out the door the Saint stood there, and said, “What sort of a man are you? I forbade you to take anything, and yet you have your knapsack filled with gold.”
“How can I help it, if it is put in for me?” replied Brother Lustig.
“Well, this I tell you,” continued the Saint, “if you undertake such things in future you will suffer.”
“Oh! comrade, what care I? now I have money what do I want with bone-boiling?” said Brother Lustig.
“Ah!” said the Saint, “the gold will last long, will it not? but, that you may not tread again in forbidden paths, I will give your knapsack this power—whatever you wish, that shall you see within it. Farewell! you will not now see me again.”
“Heaven be praised!” exclaimed Brother Lustig, “I am glad that you are gone, you strange fellow; I certainly will not follow you.” But of the wonderful power of his knapsack he did not then think.
On again he traveled and traveled, spending and wasting his money as at first, till at length he had but four farthings left, with which sum he arrived at an inn on his road. “The money must go,” thought he, and he laid it out in three farthings’ worth of wine and one of bread. As he sat eating, the smell of roast goose tickled his nose, and he got up and peeped about, and presently discovered that the Landlord had put two geese into the oven to bake. Just then it occurred to him to try the wonderful power of his knapsack, and he went out at the door, and wished that the two roast geese were safe within it. As soon as he had said the words he unbuckled and looked in, and there they both lay snug enough! “Ah! all’s right,” said he, “I am a made man;” and he turned into a meadow and pulled out his prize. Just as he was in the best of his eating, two working men came by and looked at the goose which was yet untouched with hungry eyes.
Brother Lustig, thinking when he saw them that he had quite enough with one, called up the two fellows and said, “There, take this goose, and eat it to my health and happiness.” They thanked him, and went on to the inn and ordered some wine and bread, and then, pulling out their present, began to eat. The Landlady looked at them, and then at her husband, and said to him, “They are eating a goose; just see if it is not one of ours out of the oven.”
The Landlord ran to look, and behold there was the oven empty, and, coming back, he cried out, “You thieving rascals, would you eat goose so cheaply? Pay me for it quickly, or I will beat you with the thickest stick I can find!”
But the two cried together, “We are not thieves! A discharged soldier out there on the meadow gave us this goose!” “Tell me no lies,” said the Landlord; “the soldier has been here certainly, but he has gone out at the door like an honest man; I have no suspicion of him, you are thieves, and must pay the reckoning.” But as they would not pay he took a stick and flogged them out of the house. Meanwhile Brother Lustig walked on till he came to a village, on one side of which stood a noble castle, and on the other a mean little inn, into which he went, and asked for a night’s lodging, but the Host refused, saying, “There is no room; my house is full of excellent guests.” “It is a wonder to me, then,” replied the Soldier, “that they come to you instead of going into that fine castle.”
“Ah! that would be worth while surely,” said the Landlord. “Why, no one who has tried to sleep there one night has ever yet come out alive.”
“I will try it, then, as others have,” replied Brother Lustig.
“You had better not,” said the Landlord; “you will lose your life.”
“We shall see, we shall see!” rejoined the Soldier. “Give me the key and something substantial to eat and drink.”
The Landlord, therefore, gave him the key, and some meat and beer, and Brother Lustig took them into the castle and ate a hearty meal, after which, feeling sleepy, he laid down upon the ground, for there was no bed. He soon went to sleep, but in the middle of the night he was awakened by a great screeching, and when he aroused himself he saw nine ugly evil spirits, who had joined hands in a circle, and were dancing round him. When Brother Lustig saw them he said, “Dance as long as you like, but don’t come too near!” But the spirits did not pay any attention to him, and kept approaching nearer and nearer till they almost kicked their feet in his face. “Be quiet, you wretched spirits!” said the Soldier again; but still they came nearer and nearer, so that he grew quite angry and called out, “Then I will make you be still!” and, taking up the leg of a chair, he made an attack upon them. The evil spirits, however, were rather too many against one Soldier, and, even if he knocked one down, another instantly flew at his hair and tore it out unmercifully. “You pack of evils!” cried he, “this is too much for me; but wait. All nine into my knapsack!” No sooner had he said the words than in they tumbled, and, buckling up the knapsack instantly, he threw it into a corner. Then everything was quiet at once, and Brother Lustig laid himself down and slept till broad daylight. At that time the landlord and the nobleman to whom the castle belonged entered it, to see how he had passed the night, and as soon as they saw him alive and well they were astonished, and inquired, “What! have the spirits done nothing to you?”
“No; and for a good reason,” replied Brother Lustig. “I have them all nine in my knapsack. You may live in your castle again in quiet: henceforth nothing of this sort will happen.”
The nobleman thanked him, and rewarded him liberally, and begged him to remain in his service, and he would take care of him all his lifetime. But the Soldier refused, saying he was used to wandering about, and wished to proceed further. So Brother Lustig travelled on, and, coming to a smithy, he laid the knapsack wherein were the nine evil spirits upon the anvil, and bade the smith and his companions beat it, and they beat it with their heavy hammers with all their strength, so that the evil spirits received an unmerciful crushing, and when he opened the knapsack eight were dead; but one who had crept into a corner was still living, and slipped out, and ran away to the place he came from.
After this Brother Lustig travelled about still more, the whole world through, and whoever knows them might tell many tales of his wanderings. At length he began to grow old, and be thought himself of his end; so he went to a pilgrim who was known as a very pious man, and said to him, “I am weary of wandering, and wish now to tread in a holy path.”
The Pilgrim said to him, “There are two roads, the one broad and smooth, and leading to the abode of evil spirits, the other narrow and rugged, which leads to the abode of angels.” “I should be a simpleton,” thought Brother Lustig within himself, “if I should walk in the narrow and rugged road;” and, getting up, he chose the broad and smooth path, along which he travelled till he came to a large black gate, which was the entrance to the abode of evil. At this he knocked, and the door-porter peeped out to see who it was, and as soon as he saw Brother Lustig he was frightened, for he was the same ninth evil spirit who had been shut up in the knapsack, and had escaped with a black eye. He pushed the bolt in quicker than before, and ran to the chief evil spirit and said, “There is a fellow outside with a knapsack who wants to enter; but let him not get his body inside or he will wish the whole place in his knapsack, as he once did to me.”
So Brother Lustig was told that he must go away again, for he could not enter, and he resolved, therefore, to try if he could find a welcome in the abode of angels, for somewhere he must go. So he turned and traveled on till he came to the door, at which he knocked, and there sat by the door at watch the same Saint who had travelled with him. Brother Lustig recognised him at once, and thought, “Since I find an old friend here, it will be more lucky for me.”
But the holy Saint said, “I suppose you wish to enter this abode?”
“Yes; let me in, comrade,” said he.
“No,” said the Saint, “you cannot enter.”
“No!” reiterated the old Soldier, “no! well then since you will not let me in, take back your knapsack, for I will have nothing of yours.”
“Give it me here,” said the Saint; and he reached it through the bars of the gate, and the Saint hung it up near his seat. Then Brother Lustig said, “Now I wish myself inside the knapsack,” and in a moment he was there, and so outwitted the Saint, who was thus compelled to let him enter the abode of the angels.