A rich landowner in Germany had on his estate a warden who had grown up there and was so trusted that he strove to fulfill every wish of his master. In the area lived a number of farmers, some who had united as a commune while the others remained outside on their land.
The parcels of land that the farmers owned were not large but were very productive and fruitful. The wealthy man often spoke to his people and especially to the warden that he felt constrained by the commune, and that he would like to see them move away so that he could expand and unify his land ownership.
The warden advised his master to buy the properties, and so they began bargaining with the farmers, who a unified whole were although the parts belonging to the independent farmers were separated by artificial boundaries. The farmers did not want to be part of the dealings and said that their properties were inherited from their fathers and they didn’t want to give them up.
The landowner returned angrily home and told his warden that his offer had been rejected. The warden offered himself to make an attempt; often it happens that stupid people will curse and complain but nonetheless must surrender for nothing something that they rejected selling for a fair price.
The next day he went to the farmers with good words and predicting mountains of gold if they would only be more receptive to the landowner. When they asked what he was asking, the warden said that the landowner only wanted to buy as much land as he could cover with the skin of an ox.
The farmers found that acceptable; the sale was agreed to in the presence of witnesses and sealed with festive handshakes. When the warden told the landowner of the agreement, the landowner became angry, asking what he could do with such a small amount of land. The warden replied that it would soon show who of the two parties was the cleverer, now that they had gained a foothold in the farmers’ land. The landowner then left further matters to the warden.
The warden then obtained the thick skin of a nine-year-old steer and cut it into very thin strips which he once again split. This resulted in a seemingly endless band that, when stretched, would span a wide acre. As soon as he finished this work he called together the witnesses to the sale, and together they went to a place that was no wider than the length of the leather strip but that contained the most fruitful part of the land.
He told the witnessed to verify that the ox’s skin spanned the land and demanded that the farmers give up all land whose width was not greater than the measure of the strip, telling them that they must vacate the land within seven days. Through this trick the rich landowner gained ownership of the greatest part of the land; the farmers, now beggars, moved away while pleading with God to grant them revenge for the injustice.
A greedy man’s thirst only grows the more he drinks. This was borne out when the rich landowner desired to obtain the land of the independent farmers. He went to the warden whom he now believed could do anything. The warden replied that they would now have to deal differently and advised the landowner to ride to the farmers and ask in all friendliness how long they are willing to keep their inheritance without paying interest.
The landowner took this advice, but the farmers replied curiously that their property has belonged to their families since time immemorial. The landowner replied that he would defend his right if they ignorantly made a stand and rode away.
The warden, on whom the responsibility fell to carry out the process, told the farmers that he could prove through witnesses that the land they were on belonged to the landowner and that following the death of his father and grandfather it was illegally taken from him while he still was underage.
When the day came when the case was to be decided before a judge, the warden arose early and took two of the landowner’s old servants into a small building, closing the door carefully. He then told them to remove their shoes and fill them with earth dug from the floor. “You’re sure,” he said, “that the earth under this house belongs to our master?” They replied that they were certain. “And it is also clear to you,” he continued, “that his ground is under your feet regardless of where you go today?” They agreed to that as well.
“Well then,” said the warden, “you will also be able to swear a truthful oath today when you stand on the stated land.” After the two old men stated that they were ready to swear the oath in the desired way, they were led to the contested land and swore in the presence of the judge that the earth on which they stood was the landowner’s property. And so these farmers also lost their inheritance and were led into poverty.
For this swindling warden the word of Salomon is appropriate: he who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. But God does not tolerate it that such a severe crime on earth remains unpunished, and so he struck down the warden with a speedily progressing sickness that soon led to his death. And his body gave off such a sickly smell that already on the day of his death no one near him could stand it.
The landowner commanded, as is the custom then in the land, that the servants should observe the night watch by the dead warden. But in spite of severe threats no one was willing to perform this service until finally the landowner found an old woman whose son was in prison and who he promised to have set free.
In the evening the old woman went into the church where the body lay in state, but before that she spread a scarf she had brought on an oak stump across from the church door. She then sat down on the holiest place in the church and began to pray.
After a while a noise came from the coffin, and the dead warden sat up and said, “Why are you mumbling over me?” and then he sank back down. The old woman continued her prayer, but soon the body sat up again and called, “It will go poorly for you if you aren’t still.” The woman crossed herself and continued to pray.
Suddenly the dead man sprang up and fell upon the woman who had taken a place near the door. Quickly she pulled the door open and then hid herself in a dark corner. The dead man, who believed that she had fled outside, ran out as well. The woman slammed the door closed behind him and quickly shoved all of the bolts shut.
For the rest of the night she remained in the dark. In the morning she went to the landowner and asked him to follow her to the church where he was met with a horrible sight: the dead warden who had out of the church and saw the scarf, was crazed and thought she herself was there. The dead man attacked her with both hands and ran himself into the tree stump up to his shoulders.
The landowner was amazed and began to suspect what the cause of this had been. He ordered that the body be buried as quickly as possible. The next night as the bell ringer slept in his room, a loud tumult arose in the churchyard and a voice called through the window, “Throw your digging tools out; we want them!”
The bell ringer was so shocked that he could only obey. There then began a hectic digging and shoveling, followed by a storm that shook the whole church. When it became still the bell ringer risked going outside; the warden’s grave was empty. The bell ringer climbed a hill and saw in the north in the middle of the woods a bright firelight like a funeral pyre.
In the morning, the bell ringer told the landowner about the night’s events. The latter rode into the woods to learn for himself what had happened. High up between two oaks lay an iron rod from which hung the charred remains of a body. Below the body was a huge ditch with clear signs of where a large fire had blazed.
The landowner was so frightened by these unnatural events that he sent messengers to the exploited farmers and told them he would return their acreage. In the future he avoided unrightfully possessing goods.
From this example the mighty should learn how dangerous it is to rob the weak, as God is their avenger as he said himself in Romans 12:19: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”