After he had received all these things, he set out on his way. Whom should he happen to overtake on the road but his two wise brothers.
‘Whither are you going?’ he asked of them. [[156]]
‘We are going to a king’s palace—his who has contrived this tower, upon the second story of which he has placed his daughter; and he has proclaimed that whoever kisses her shall become her husband.’
The fool got off his horse, cut himself a cudgel, and began to beat his two brothers; finally he gave them each three ducats. The two brothers did not recognise him, and so he went on by himself, unknown. When he had come to the king’s palace all the great lords looked with admiration at this prince, mounted on a silver steed, and clad in garments of silver. He leapt up with a great spring towards the princess, and almost got near enough to kiss her. He fell back again, and then, with the help of the good God, he took his departure. These noblemen then asked of one another, ‘What is the meaning of this? He had scarcely arrived when he all but succeeded in kissing the princess.’
The fool then returned home, and went to the bush, and struck it thrice. The fairy again appeared, and asked of him, ‘What is thy will?’ He commanded her to hide his horse and his clothes. He took his buckets filled with water and went back into the house.
‘Where hast thou been?’ asked his mother of him.
‘Mother, I have been outside, and I stripped myself, and (pardon me for saying so) I have been hunting lice in my shirt.’
‘That is well,’ said his mother, and she gave him some food.
On the return of the two wise brothers their mother desired them to tell her what they had seen.
‘Mother, we saw there a prince mounted on a silver steed, and himself clad in silver. He had overtaken us by the way, and asked us whither we were going. We told him the truth, that we were going to the palace of the king who had contrived this tower, on the second story of which he had placed his daughter, decreeing that whosoever should get near enough to give her a kiss should marry her. The prince dismounted, cut himself a cudgel, and gave us a sound beating, and then gave us each three ducats.’