Hear ye now that which Owlglass did on another day at Stassfurt. It fortuned, that thither he came again to lie in the same inn; and he took other clothes, and so disguised himself, and came thither, and entered in unto the court there, and lo! he perceived in that place a great wheel. Now did a knavery enter into his sconce therewith, and he lay down upon it, and gave the hostess a good day. And he inquired of her, if that she had heard aught said of the famous Master Owlglass? And she straightway answered him, and said: “Why should I desire to hear tidings of the knave? Truly, his name hath an ill savour in my nostrils!” And he said unto her: “Woman, what hath he done unto ye that ye should speak so bitterly concerning him?” And she answered, and said: “Truly should I speak bitterly of him. Came he not hither, and stripped me the skin of my dog from off his back, and gave me the skin for the beer, the which he drank; for, of a truth, should he have had shame to consort with a dog as a guest, and thereafter take off his skin in such wise?” And Owlglass spake unto her, saying: “Hostess, that was not well done.” And the hostess said: “Aye, and unto a knave’s death will he also come.” Then said Owlglass to her: “It goes not well with him even now, for he lieth upon the wheel.” And thereat said she: “As the labour so the hire. God be praised for all good things.” And Owlglass stood up, and said unto her: “I am Owlglass; have ye forgotten me? Farewell, I depart hence.”
The Ninety and First Adventure.
How that Owlglass caused a Hollander from a plate to take an apple, the which evilly ended for the eater.
Honest and true was the payment the which Owlglass gave unto a Hollander at the village of Andorf, in an inn at that place, where that they abode, and whither many merchants of Holland did resort. Now Owlglass was somewhat sick, and did not care to eat meat, and in place thereof did seethe him soft eggs. Now when that the guests sate at table, came Owlglass and brought the eggs with him, and the Hollander looked upon him as a boor, and said: “How is this, boor; dost not like the fare the which our host giveth unto us, and must eggs be seethed for thee?” Therewith taketh he the twain eggs, and breaketh them, and the one after the other doth he swallow; thereafter layeth he the shells before Owlglass, and saith unto him: “Lo! do thou lick the vessel, forth have I taken the yolk.” And at this merry jest of the Hollander laughed the guests, and Owlglass with them.
But the same evening went Owlglass forth, and bought him a handsome apple, of the which did he scoop out the inside, and filled the same with flies and gnats. Then set he the apple to the fire to roast, and thereafter peeled it, and with sweet honey did cover the outside. And at night, when that all the guests once again sat at table to supper, came Owlglass with the apple on the plate, and turned his back upon the table as if he would have fetched some other thing. And when the Hollander saw it, he put forth his hand, and plucked the plate unto him, and took the apple, and swallowed it. Thereupon was he grievously sick, and did vomit forth the apple and all that in his stomach was beside, so that the host and all the guests thought that Owlglass had put poison therein. Then said Owlglass: “Nay, therein is no poison; it is but an apple to cleanse the stomach; an he had but said unto me that he would have eaten the apple, would I have warned him; for in the eggs which I seethed were there not any flies or gnats, but within the apple lay there a goodly company.” Thereafter was the Hollander well enough again, and he opened his mouth, and spake unto Owlglass, saying: “Of a truth do thou eat roast or boiled, whatever thou wilt; even if thou hadst quails like unto those the which ate the children of Israel in the wilderness, would I not eat with thee.”
The Ninety and Second Adventure.
How that Owlglass caused a woman to break in pieces the whole of her wares in the market-place at Bremen.
Now that so happily had Owlglass, unto his great comfort and content, brought to pass this knavery, departed he again, and journeyed unto the Bishop at Bremen, who loved Owlglass much; and by reason of his great wit and continual jests, did hold him in great honour. And he caused the bishop oftentimes to laugh right merrily, so that he gave unto Owlglass a house, in the which he had free provisions granted unto him by the bishop. When that he arrived there, Owlglass did as if he were tired, and desired to give up his knaveries, and was fain to enter unto the church there to pray. At that mocked the bishop—as bishops have done before that time and since—at the resolve of Owlglass—yet would he not be persuaded, but gat him unto the church, and prayed until that time that he could not any longer bear the quips and quiddities, the which were put upon him by the bishop. And privily had Owlglass with a market woman agreed, and she was the wife of a potter, and in the market-place sat she with pots and pans to sell: then did Owlglass pay unto the woman the price of all her ware, and enjoined her what she should do when that he gave unto her a sign.
Thereafter departed Owlglass, and came unto the bishop, as if he had come from the church, and the bishop reviled and mocked Master Owlglass, in that he was so pious and not any longer the same man. At last Owlglass said unto the bishop: “Gracious prince and reverend father! do ye now grant me to come unto the market-place, and there sitteth a potter’s wife, and a wager will I set with you, that without my speaking unto her, or making a sign unto her with mine eye I will cause, by magical words, the which I will mutter, that she shall arise up and take a stick and herself break in pieces all her ware.” Then said the bishop unto Owlglass: “Such a thing would I fain behold.” Therefore with him made the bishop a wager of thirty pieces of gold that the woman did it not. And Owlglass did accept the wager, and with the bishop gat him unto the market-place. Then did Owlglass shew unto the bishop the woman where she sate, and they departed, and sate upon the house of the town council hard by. Then ’gan Owlglass to make incantation and conjuration, at the which stirred the potter’s wife not a whit, and in good sooth the bishop rejoiced that he had most truly won his wager. At last gave Owlglass the sign unto the woman, the which they had agreed, thereupon arose she up and taking a stick, doth soundly belabour the ware, and breaketh it all in pieces very small. And with much content laughed the bishop; yet was vexed in the matter of the thirty pieces of gold, the which he had manifestly lost unto Master Owlglass. And when that they came again unto the bishop’s court, did he confer privily with Owlglass, and said unto him: “If that he would discover unto him after what manner he had so brought it to pass that the woman should, after that wise, have broken her wares in pieces, then would he pay unto him the thirty pieces of gold.” Then answered Owlglass unto the bishop, and said unto him: “Yea, gracious lord, that will I most cheerfully do.” And therewith said unto him: “Most simple was this matter in every particular, for I paid unto the woman the price of her wares before that she brake them, and I made agreement with her beside.”
Then laughed the bishop right merrily, and paid unto him the thirty pieces of gold, requiring of him that he should not disclose unto any one that which had come to pass. And if he kept his counsel, the bishop promised him that he would help him to a good fat ox thereto. “Yea,” quoth Master Owlglass, and thereafter departed thence. Now when that the bishop sate at meat with his knights and gentlefolk, he opened his mouth and said unto them: “That he had learned an art whereby he might cause the potter’s wife to break in sunder all her ware.” Then the knights and gentlefolk craved much to know how this was done, and desired much to see the same performed; and this sheweth that in all times are men rather desirous to know how a mystery may be unfolded than patiently to follow it and wait until it doth itself give unto them the explication they would have. Then said the bishop: “Lo! an if ye will each of ye give unto me a good fat ox for my kitchen, will I teach ye all this art.”
And it came to pass that it was the autumn season when the oxen were at the best. Then thought each noble knight and gentleman: “This will not be a great charge unto me, truly then will I do it for in this art to become learned.” Thus did the bishop have of them sixteen fat oxen, and such was their price, that thereby was the bishop recompenced some three-fold for the thirty pieces of gold which he had paid unto Owlglass. And at this time came Owlglass riding thither upon his horse, and he said unto the bishop: “Of this booty is the half mine.” And the bishop answered, and said unto him: “If that thou dost hold thy promise unto me, will I faithfully perform unto thee our contract; do thou leave me that which I have won.” Then gave the bishop unto Owlglass a good fat ox, the which, with great reverence, did Owlglass receive from him. Thereupon did the bishop, discover unto his knights and gentlefolk in what manner they could perform the same marvellous thing, according to that wise by which he had learned it himself; for that Owlglass had paid unto the woman the price of her wares ere she brake them.