THE DEVIL AND THE HUSBANDMAN
This devil having arrived at the place, addressed a husbandman and asked him what he did. The poor man replied to him that he sowed that field of early wheat to assist him in living during the following year. “But really,” said the devil, “this field is not thine; it is mine and belongs to me …; however, I leave thee the field. But it is on condition we shall share the profit.” “I agree to it,” replied the husbandman. “I mean,” said the devil, “that of the coming profit we shall make two shares. The one shall be what grows above the ground, the other what shall be covered in the earth. The choice belongs to me, for I am a devil of a noble and ancient race; thou art only a villein. I choose that which will be in the ground, thou shalt have that above. When will the reaping be?” “In the middle of July,” replied the husbandman. “Now,” said the devil, “I need not be present here. In other respects do thy duty. Work, villein, work.”
The middle of July having come, the devil presents himself again at the place, accompanied by a squadron of little chorister devilets. Meeting there the husbandman, he said to him, “And now, villein, how hast thou been since my departure? It is requisite to make our division now?” “That is right,” replied the husbandman.
Then the husbandman, with his people, began to reap the corn. The little devils similarly drew the stubble from the ground. The husbandman threshed his corn in the air, put it in sacks, and carried it to the market to sell. The devilets did the same, and at the market seated themselves near the husbandman to sell their stubble. The husbandman sold his corn very well, and with the money filled an old sock which he carried at his belt. The devils sold nothing, but on the contrary the peasants jeered at them in the midst of the market.
The market being over, said the devil to the husbandman, “Villein, thou hast cheated me this time; at another thou shalt not deceive me.” “My Lord Devil,” replied the husbandman, “how have I cheated you who have chosen first? True it is that in that choice you thought of cheating me, hoping that nothing would come out of the ground as my share, and to find, below, the whole of the corn that I had sown …. But you are very young at the trade.”… “Leave this discourse,” said the devil; “with what canst thou sow our field this following year?” “For profit,” replied the husbandman, “and good economy it is expedient to sow radishes.” “Now then,” said the devil, “thou art an honest man; sow plenty of radishes. I shall protect them from tempests, and shall not hail at all on them. But, understand thoroughly, I keep as my share what shall be above ground; thou shalt have what is below. Work, villein, work.”
The time for the reaping having come, the devil was present at the spot with a squadron of household devilets. There, meeting the husbandman and his people, he began to reap and collect the leaves of the radishes. After him the husbandman dug and drew out the large radishes, and put them into sacks. So they went all together to the market. The husbandman sold his radishes very well. The devil sold nothing. What was worse, they jeered at him publicly.
“I see well, villain,” the devil then said, “that I am cheated by thee. I want to make an end of the field between thee and me.”
I add a variant of the cultivating caste, as some incidents are new.