‘Give me a hundred florins.’
He gave him a hundred florins. The old man went home and bought himself food, and put the boys to school. And the hen laid another egg, and he brought it again to that merchant, and he gave him a hundred more florins. He went home. Again the hen laid an egg; he brought it again to that merchant. And on the egg there was written: ‘Whoso eats the hen’s head shall be emperor; and whoso eats the heart, every night he shall find a thousand gold pieces under his head; and whoso eats the claws shall become a seer.’
The merchant came to that village and hired the old man: ‘What shall I give you to convey my merchandise?’
‘Give me a hundred florins.’
And he hired the man with the hen for half a year. The [[96]]merchant came to the man’s wife and said, ‘Your man is dead, and my money is gone with him, but I’m willing to wed you: I’m rich.’
‘Wedded let us be.’
‘Good, we will, and kill me the hen for the wedding-feast. We shall do without fiddlers.’[17]
And they hired a cook. ‘Have the hen ready against our return from church.’
The boys came home from school. ‘Give us something to eat.’
‘I’ve nothing to give you, for he told me not to give any of the hen.’