Once there came to him a man and a woman. The man said to the judge: ‘I came to this woman’s house on a mule; a calf accompanied my mule. When I tied up the mule, the calf began to suck its breast. The woman, seeing this, ran out, seized the calf, and began to grumble at me, saying it was her calf, and asking how it came to be with my mule. I withstood her with all my might, but it was of no avail. She wished to drag away the calf, but I would not allow it, I would not give up my property to her; we quarrelled, and now we have come before thee—in God’s name judge between us!’ Thus he spoke in person to the judge, but secretly he sent him a large bribe and a message, saying: ‘Take this money, and put me not to shame before this woman.’
But the judge would not tamper with the scales of justice, and sent to tell the man: ‘How can I take the calf from the woman by force, if justice do not demand it?’ The judge asked the woman: ‘What sayest thou?’ The woman replied: ‘My lord, this man rode up to my house on a mule; I had nothing in the world but one calf and its mother, which I loved; my calf went up to this man’s mule, caressed it, and took hold of it with its snout, as if it were going to suck its breast. The man, seeing this, thought: ‘I shall certainly take away this calf with me.’ He dragged it home, but, of course, I could not allow this—all extol thine equity, I too am come to thy door, and trust thou wilt not suffer me to be trampled down by injustice.’
When the judge had heard both sides, he pronounced the following decision: ‘Since a mule never bore offspring and never will, it is still less possible that a mule should bring forth a calf. Let the calf therefore be taken from the man, and given to the woman who owns the cow, the mother of the calf.’ This judgment pleased everybody in the highest degree. And God was merciful to this good judge: by means of the kerchief of that woman his eyes were made whole, and he saw. After this he saw with both eyes, but till the day of his death he judged uprightly; when he died he went to heaven.
VIII
The Priest’s youngest Son
There was once a priest who had three sons. On the day of his death, the priest said to his sons: ‘When I die, let each of you read the psalter over me for one night.’ But the elder sons did not do as their father had bidden them, only the youngest read the psalter over him. That night his father appeared, and gave him a horse. Next night he again read the psalter over his father in his brothers’ place. His father again appeared, and gave him another horse, which he resolved to give to his younger brother. On the third night he again read the psalter. His father brought him a third horse, gave the young man his blessing, and departed.
At that time, a princess was to be married to any man whose horse could jump up to the castle, so that its rider could kiss that maiden-queen. Many princes came to woo, but none of their horses could leap up to the castle. Then the priest’s youngest son mounted the horse his father had given him, and rode up to the royal palace; he struck the horse with his switch, and made it jump, but it could only go one third of the way up to the castle. Next day he mounted another horse, and made it jump, it went two thirds of the height of the castle. The third day he came on the third horse, and made it jump; it jumped right up to the top of the castle; the youth kissed the princess, and they married him to her. After this the priest’s son went home.
At this time the queen, his mother-in-law, fell ill; she sent for her son-in-law, and said to him: ‘Between the white sea and the black sea there feeds a doe, they tell me that its milk will do me good; if thou canst get it for me I shall recover, if not, I must die.’ Then the youth mounted his horse and went forth. He rode between the seas, milked the doe, brought its milk to his mother-in-law, gave it to her to drink, and healed her.