Arrived there, the Kaiser soon saw the cause of the serpent"s seeking him, for its nest, which was full of eggs, was occupied by a hideous toad of monstrous proportions.
"Let the toad be flung into the fire," said the monarch solemnly, "and let the serpent have possession of its nest restored to it."
This sentence was carried at once into execution. The toad was burnt, and the serpent placed in possession. Charlemagne and his court then returned to the palace.
Three days afterwards, as the Kaiser again sat at dinner, he was surprised at the appearance of the serpent, which this time glided into the hall unnoticed and unannounced.
"What does this mean?" thought the king.
The reptile approached the table, and raising itself on its tail, dropped from its mouth, into an empty plate which stood beside the monarch, a precious diamond. Then, again abasing itself before him, the crawling creature glided out of the hall as it had entered, and was speedily lost to view. This diamond the monarch caused to be set in a costly chased ring of the richest gold; and he then presented the trinket to his fair wife, the much-beloved Fastrada.
Now this stone had the virtue of attraction, and whoso received it from another, so long as they wore it, received also the intensest love of that individual. It was thus with Fastrada, for no sooner did she place the ring on her finger than the attachment of Charlemagne, great before, no longer knew any bounds. In fact his love was more like madness than any sane pa.s.sion. But though this talisman had full power over love, it had no power over death; and the mighty monarch was soon to experience that nothing may avert the fiat of destiny.
Charlemagne and his beloved bride returned to Germany, and, at Ingelheim palace, Fastrada died. The Kaiser was inconsolable. He would not listen to the voice of friendship, and he sorrowed in silence over the dead body of his once beautiful bride. Even when decay had commenced, when the remains, late so lovely, were now loathsome to look on, he could not be induced to leave the corpse for a moment, or to quit the chamber of death in which it lay. The court were all astounded. They knew not what to make of the matter. At length Turpin, Archbishop of Rheims, approached the corpse, and being made aware of the cause, by some supernatural communication contrived to engage the emperor"s attention while he removed the charm. The magic ring was found by him in the mouth of the dead empress, concealed beneath her tongue.
Immediately that the talisman was removed the spell was broken, and Charlemagne now looked on the putrid corpse with all the natural horror and loathing of an ordinary man. He gave orders for its immediate interment, which were at once carried into execution, and he then departed from Ingelheim for the forest of the Ardennes. Arrived at Aix-la-Chapelle, he took up his abode in the ancient castle of Frankenstein, close by that famous city. The esteem, however, that he had felt for Fastrada was now transferred to the possessor of the ring, Archbishop Turpin; and the pious ecclesiastic was so persecuted by the emperor"s affection that he finally cast the talisman into the lake which surrounds the castle.
An immediate transference of the royal liking took place, and the monarch, thenceforth and for ever after during his lifetime, loved Aix-la-Chapelle as a man might love his wife. So much did he become attached to it, that he directed that he should be buried there; and there accordingly his remains rest unto this day.
THE JEW IN THE BUSH.
A faithful servant had worked hard for his master, a thrifty farmer, for three long years, and had been paid no wages. At last it came into the man"s head that he would not go on thus any longer, so he went to his master and said--
"I have worked hard for you a long time, and without pay, too. I will trust you to give me what I ought to have for my trouble, but something I must have, and then I must take a holiday."
The farmer was a sad miser, and knew that his man was simple-hearted, so he took out three crowns, and thus gave him a crown for each year"s service. The poor fellow thought it was a great deal of money to have, and said to himself--
"Why should I work hard and live here on bad fare any longer? Now that I am rich I can travel into the wide world and make myself merry."
With that he put the money into his purse, and set out, roaming over hill and valley. As he jogged along over the fields, singing and dancing, a little dwarf met him, and asked him what made him so merry.
"Why, what should make me down-hearted?" replied he. "I am sound in health and rich in purse; what should I care for? I have saved up my three years" earnings, and have it all safe in my pocket."
"How much may it come to?" said the mannikin.
"Three whole crowns," replied the countryman.
"I wish you would give them to me," said the other. "I am very poor."
Then the good man pitied him, and gave him all he had; and the dwarf said--
"As you have such a kind heart, I will grant you three wishes--one for each crown,--so choose whatever you like."
The countryman rejoiced at his luck, and said--
"I like many things better than money. First, I will have a bow that will bring me down everything I shoot at; secondly, a fiddle that will set every one dancing that hears me play upon it; and, thirdly, I should like to be able to make every one grant me whatever I ask."
The dwarf said he should have his three wishes, gave him the bow and the fiddle, and went his way.
Our honest friend journeyed on his way too, and if he was merry before, he was now ten times more so. He had not gone far before he met an old Jew. Close by them stood a tree, and on the topmost twig sat a thrush, singing away most joyfully.
"Oh what a pretty bird!" said the Jew. "I would give a great deal of my money to have such a one."
"If that"s all," said the countryman, "I will soon bring it down."
He took up his bow, off went his arrow, and down fell the thrush into a bush that grew at the foot of the tree. The Jew, when he saw that he could have the bird, thought he would cheat the man, so he put his money into his pocket again, and crept into the bush to find the prize. As soon as he had got into the middle, his companion took up his fiddle and played away, and the Jew began to dance and spring about, capering higher and higher in the air. The thorns soon began to tear his clothes, till they all hung in rags about him, and he himself was all scratched and wounded, so that the blood ran down.
"Oh, for heaven"s sake!" cried the Jew. "Mercy, mercy, master! Pray stop the fiddle! What have I done to be treated in this way?"
"What hast thou done? Why, thou hast shaved many a poor soul close enough," said the other. "Thou art only meeting thy reward;" and he played up another tune yet merrier than the first.
Then the Jew began to beg and pray, and at last he said he would give plenty of his money to be set free. He did not, however, come up to the musician"s price for some time, so he danced him along brisker and brisker. The higher the Jew danced, the higher he bid, till at last he offered a round hundred crowns that he had in his purse, and had just gained by cheating some poor fellow. When the countryman saw so much money, he said--
"I agree to the bargain," and, taking the purse and putting up his fiddle, he travelled on well pleased.
Meanwhile the Jew crept out of the bush, half naked, and in a piteous plight, and began to ponder how he should take his revenge and serve his late companion some trick. At length he went to a judge, and said that a rascal had robbed him of his money, and beaten him soundly into the bargain, and that this fellow carried a bow at his back, and had a fiddle hanging round his neck. The judge sent out his bailiffs to bring up the man whenever they should find him. The countryman was soon caught, and brought up to be tried.
The Jew began his tale, and said he had been robbed of his money.
"Robbed, indeed!" said the countryman; "why, you gave it me for playing you a tune, and teaching you to dance."
The judge said that was not likely; that the Jew, he was sure, knew better what to do with his money; and he cut the matter short by sending the countryman off to the gallows.
Away he was taken, but as he stood at the foot of the ladder, he said--
"My Lord Judge, may it please your worship to grant me but one boon?"
"Anything but thy life," replied the other.
"No," said he; "I do not ask my life. Only let me play upon my fiddle for the last time."
The Jew cried out--
"Oh, no! no! no! for heaven"s sake don"t listen to him! don"t listen to him!"
But the judge said--
"It is only for this once, poor fellow! He will soon have done."
The fact was he could not say no, because the dwarf"s third gift enabled the countryman to make every one grant whatever he asked.
Then the Jew said--
"Bind me fast, bind me fast, for pity"s sake!"