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The Good Bargain

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Peasant loses to animals, complains to the king, is offered daughter, refuses, gets 500 strokes, resigns to others. In the end he gets money and good skirt

Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich
Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft
Marienkind
Von einem, der auszog, das Fürchten zu lernen
Der Wolf und die sieben jungen Geißlein
Der treue Johannes
Der gute Handel
Der wunderliche Spielmann
Die zwölf Brüder
Das Lumpengesindel
Brüderchen und Schwesterchen
Rapunzel
Die drei Männlein im Walde
Die drei Spinnerinnen
Hänsel und Gretel
Die drei Schlangenblätter
Die weiße Schlange
Strohhalm, Kohle und Bohne
Von dem Fischer und seiner Frau
Das tapfere Schneiderlein
Aschenputtel
Das Rätsel
Von dem Mäuschen, Vögelchen und der Bratwurst
Frau Holle
Die sieben Raben
Rotkäppchen
Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten
Der singende Knochen
Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren
Läuschen und Flöhchen
Das Mädchen ohne Hände
Der gescheite Hans
Die drei Sprachen
Die kluge Else
Der Schneider im Himmel
Tischchen deck dich, Goldesel und Knüppel aus dem Sack
Daumesdick
Die Hochzeit der Frau Füchsin
Die Wichtelmänner
Der Räuberbräutigam
Herr Korbes
Der Herr Gevatter
Frau Trude
Der Gevatter Tod
Daumerlings Wanderschaft
Fitchers Vogel
Von dem Machandelboom
Der alte Sultan
Die sechs Schwäne
Dornröschen
Fundevogel
König Drosselbart
Schneewittchen
Der Ranzen, das Hütlein und das Hörnlein
Rumpelstilzchen
Der liebste Roland
Der goldene Vogel
Der Hund und der Sperling
Der Frieder und das Katherlieschen
Die zwei Brüder
Das Bürle
Die Bienenkönigin
Die drei Federn
Die goldene Gans
Allerleirauh
Häsichenbraut
Die zwölf Jäger
Von dem Sommer- und Wintergarten
Jorinde und Joringel
Die drei Glückskinder
Sechse kommen durch die ganze Welt
Der Wolf und der Mensch
Der Wolf und der Fuchs
Der Fuchs und die Frau Gevatterin
Der Fuchs und die Katze
Die Nelke
Das kluge Gretel
Der alte Großvater und der Enkel
Die Wassernixe
Von dem Tode des Hühnchens
Bruder Lustig
Der Spielhansl
Hans im Glück
Hans heiratet
Die Goldkinder
Der Fuchs und die Gänse
Der Arme und der Reiche
Das singende, springende Löweneckerchen
Die Gänsemagd
Der junge Riese
Das Erdmännchen
Der König vom goldenen Berg
Die Rabe
Die kluge Bauerntochter
Der alte Hildebrand
Die drei Vögelchen
Das Wasser des Lebens
Doktor Allwissend
Der Geist im Glas
Des Teufels rußiger Bruder
Der Bärenhäuter
Der Zaunkönig und der Bär
Der süße Brei
Die klugen Leute
Märchen von der Unke
Der arme Müllerbursch und das Kätzchen
Die beiden Wanderer
Hans mein Igel
Das Totenhemdchen
Der Jude im Dorn
Der gelernte Jäger
Der Dreschflegel vom Himmel
Die beiden Königskinder
Vom klugen Schneiderlein
Die klare Sonne bringts an den Tag
Das blaue Licht
Das eigensinnige Kind
Die drei Feldscherer
Die sieben Schwaben
Die drei Handwerksburschen
Der Königssohn, der sich vor nichts fürchtet
Der Krautesel
Die Alte im Wald
Die drei Brüder
Der Teufel und seine Großmutter
Ferdinand getreu und Ferdinand ungetreu
Der Eisenofen
Die faule Spinnerin
Die vier kunstreichen Brüder
Einäuglein, Zweiäuglein und Dreiäuglein
Die schöne Katrinelje und Pif Paf Poltrie
Der Fuchs und das Pferd
Die zertanzten Schuhe
Die sechs Diener
Die weiße und die schwarze Braut
Der Eisenhans
Die drei schwarzen Prinzessinnen
Knoist und seine drei Söhne
Das Mädchen von Brakel
Das Hausgesinde
Das Lämmchen und Fischchen
Simeliberg
Auf Reisen gehen
Das Eselein
Der undankbare Sohn
Die Rübe
Das junggeglühte Männlein
Des Herrn und des Teufels Getier
Der Hahnenbalken
Die alte Bettelfrau
Die drei Faulen
Das Hirtenbüblein
Die Sterntaler
Der gestohlene Heller
Die Brautschau
Die Schlickerlinge
Der Sperling und seine vier Kinder
Das Märchen vom Schlaraffenland
Das Dietmarsische Lügenmärchen
Rätselmärchen
Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot
Der kluge Knecht
Der gläserne Sarg
Der faule Heinz
Der Vogel Greif
Der starke Hans
Das Bürle im Himmel
Die hagere Liese
Das Waldhaus
Lieb und Leid teilen
Der Zaunkönig
Die Scholle
Rohrdommel und Wiedehopf
Die Eule
Der Mond
Die Lebenszeit
Die Boten des Todes
Meister Pfriem
Die Gänsehirtin am Brunnen
Die ungleichen Kinder Evas
Die Nixe im Teich
Die Geschenke des kleinen Volkes
Der Riese und der Schneider
Der Nagel
Der arme Junge im Grab
Die wahre Braut
Der Hase und der Igel
Spindel, Weberschiffchen und Nadel
Der Bauer und der Teufel
Die Brosamen auf dem Tisch
Das Meerhäschen
Der Meisterdieb
Der Trommler
Die Kornähre
Der Grabhügel
Oll Rinkrank
Die Kristallkugel
Jungfrau Maleen
Die Stiefel von Büffelleder
Der goldene Schlüssel

There was once a peasant who had driven his cow to the fair, and sold her for seven thalers. On the way home he had to pass a pond, and already from afar he heard the frogs crying, "Aik, aik, aik, aik." "Well," said he to himself, "they are talking without rhyme or reason, it is seven that I have received, not eight." When he got to the water, he cried to them, "Stupid animals that you are! Don't you know better than that? It is seven thalers and not eight." The frogs, however, stood to their, "aik, aik, aik, aik." "Come, then, if you won't believe it, I can count it out to you," and he got his money out of his pocket and counted out the seven thalers, always reckoning four and twenty groschen to a thaler. The frogs, however, would not pay any attention to his reckoning, but still cried, "aik, aik, aik, aik." "What," cried the peasant quite angry, "since you are determined to know better than I, count it yourselves," and threw all the money into the water to them. He stood still and wanted to wait until they were done and had brought him his own again, but the frogs maintained their opinion and cried continually, "aik, aik, aik, aik," and besides that, did not throw the money out again. He still waited a long while until evening came on and he was forced to go home. Then he abused the frogs and cried, "You water-splashers, you thick-heads, you goggle-eyes, you have great mouths and can screech till you hurt one's ears, but you cannot count seven thalers! Do you think I'm going to stand here till you get done?" And with that he went away, but the frogs still cried, "aik, aik, aik, aik," after him till he went home quite angry.

After a while he bought another cow, which he killed, and he made the calculation that if he sold the meat well he might gain as much as the two cows were worth, and have the skin into the bargain. When therefore he got to the town with the meat, a great troop of dogs were gathered together in front of the gate, with a large greyhound at the head of them, which jumped at the meat, snuffed at it, and barked, "Wow, wow, wow." As there was no stopping him, the peasant said to him, "Yes, yes, I know quite well that thou art saying, 'wow, wow, wow,' because thou wantest some of the meat; but I should fare badly if I were to give it to thee." The dog, however, answered nothing but "wow, wow." "Wilt thou promise not to devour it all then, and wilt thou go bail for thy companions?" "Wow, wow, wow," said the dog. "Well, if thou insistest on it, I will leave it for thee; I know thee well, and know who is thy master; but this I tell thee, I must have my money in three days or else it will go ill with thee; thou must just bring it out to me." Thereupon he unloaded the meat and turned back again, the dogs fell upon it and loudly barked, "wow, wow."

The countryman, who heard them from afar, said to himself, "Hark, now they all want some, but the big one is responsible to me for it."

When three days had passed, the countryman thought, "To-night my money will be in my pocket," and was quite delighted. But no one would come and pay it. "There is no trusting any one now," said he; and at last he lost patience, and went into the town to the butcher and demanded his money. The butcher thought it was a joke, but the peasant said, "Jesting apart, I will have my money! Did not the great dog bring you the whole of the slaughtered cow three days ago?" Then the butcher grew angry, snatched a broom-stick and drove him out. "Wait a while," said the peasant, "there is still some justice in the world!" and went to the royal palace and begged for an audience. He was led before the King, who sat there with his daughter, and asked him what injury he had suffered. "Alas!" said he, "the frogs and the dogs have taken from me what is mine, and the butcher has paid me for it with the stick," and he related at full length all that had happened. Thereupon the King's daughter began to laugh heartily, and the King said to him, "I cannot give you justice in this, but you shall have my daughter to wife for it,--in her whole life she has never yet laughed as she has just done at thee, and I have promised her to him who could make her laugh. Thou mayst thank God for thy good fortune!"
"Oh," answered the peasant, "I will not have her, I have a wife already, and she is one too many for me; when I go home, it is just as bad as if I had a wife standing in every corner." Then the King grew angry, and said, "Thou art a boor." "Ah, Lord King," replied the peasant, "what can you expect from an ox, but beef?" "Stop," answered the King, "thou shalt have another reward. Be off now, but come back in three days, and then thou shalt have five hundred counted out in full."

When the peasant went out by the gate, the sentry said, "Thou hast made the King's daughter laugh, so thou wilt certainly receive something good." "Yes, that is what I think," answered the peasant; "five hundred are to be counted out to me." "Hark thee," said the soldier, "give me some of it. What canst thou do with all that money?" "As it is thou," said the peasant, "thou shalt have two hundred; present thyself in three days' time before the King, and let it be paid to thee." A Jew, who was standing by and had heard the conversation, ran after the peasant, held him by the coat, and said, "Oh, wonder! what a luck-child thou art! I will change it for thee, I will change it for thee into small coins, what dost thou want with the great thalers?" "Jew," said the countryman, "three hundred canst thou still have; give it to me at once in coin, in three days from this, thou wilt be paid for it by the King." The Jew was delighted with the profit, and brought the sum in bad groschen, three of which were worth two good ones. After three days had passed, according to the King's command, the peasant went before the King. "Pull his coat off," said the latter, "and he shall have his five hundred." "Ah!" said the peasant, "they no longer belong to me; I presented two hundred of them to the sentinel, and three hundred the Jew has changed for me, so by right nothing at all belongs to me." In the meantime the soldier and the Jew entered and claimed what they had gained from the peasant, and they received the blows strictly counted out. The soldier bore it patiently and knew already how it tasted; but the Jew said sorrowfully, "Alas, alas, are these the heavy thalers?" The King could not help laughing at the peasant, and as all his anger was gone, he said, "As thou hast already lost thy reward before it fell to thy lot, I will give thee something in the place of it. Go into my treasure chamber and get some money for thyself, as much as thou wilt." The peasant did not need to be told twice, and stuffed into his big pockets whatsoever would go in. Afterwards he went to an inn and counted over his money. The Jew had crept after him and heard how he muttered to himself, "That rogue of a King has cheated me after all, why could he not have given me the money himself, and then I should have known what I had? How can I tell now if what I have had the luck to put in my pockets is right or not?" "Good heavens!" said the Jew to himself, "that man is speaking disrespectfully of our lord the King, I will run and inform, and then I shall get a reward, and he will be punished as well."

When the King heard of the peasant's words he fell into a passion, and commanded the Jew to go and bring the offender to him. The Jew ran to the peasant, "You are to go at once to the lord King in the very clothes you have on." "I know what's right better than that," answered the peasant, "I shall have a new coat made first. Dost thou think that a man with so much money in his pocket is to go there in his ragged old coat?" The Jew, as he saw that the peasant would not stir without another coat, and as he feared that if the King's anger cooled, he himself would lose his reward, and the peasant his punishment, said, "I will out of pure friendship lend thee a coat for the short time. What will people not do for love!" The peasant was contented with this, put the Jew's coat on, and went off with him.

The King reproached the countryman because of the evil speaking of which the Jew had informed him. "Ah," said the peasant, "what a Jew says is always false--no true word ever comes out of his mouth! That rascal there is capable of maintaining that I have his coat on."

"What is that?" shrieked the Jew. "Is the coat not mine? Have I not lent it to thee out of pure friendship, in order that thou might appear before the lord King?" When the King heard that, he said, "The Jew has assuredly deceived one or the other of us, either myself or the peasant," and again he ordered something to be counted out to him in hard thalers. The peasant, however, went home in the good coat, with the good money in his pocket, and said to himself, "This time I have hit it!"

After a while he got himself another cow, slaughtered it, and calculated that if he sold the meat well, he could get as much out of it as the two cows were worth, and he would have the hide on top of that. When he arrived at the town with the meat, a pack of dogs had gathered at the gate, led by a large greyhound. He jumped around the meat, sniffed and barked: "What, what, what, what." When he did not want to stop, the farmer said to him: "Yes, I realize that you say "what, what" because you want some of the meat, but I would be very stupid if I did that. The dog answered nothing but: "what, what". ""Don't you want to eat it away either, or make yourself look good with your comrades with it? "What, what" spoke the dog. "Well, if you persist, I will let you have it. I know you well and I know with whom you serve. But I tell you, in three days I must have my money, or you will have a bad time. You bring it to me." Then he unloaded the meat and turned back. The dogs made a fuss over it and barked loudly, "what, what." The farmer, who heard it from afar, said to himself, "listen, now they are all asking for something, but the big one must answer for it to me."

When three days had passed, the farmer thought: "tonight you have your money in your pocket" and was quite happy. But nobody wanted to come and pay. "You can't rely on anyone anymore," he said, and at last his patience wore thin, so he went into town to the butcher and demanded his money. The butcher said it was a joke, but the farmer said, "Joking aside, I want my money. Didn't the big dog bring you home the whole slaughtered cow three days ago?" Then the butcher got angry, grabbed a broomstick and chased him out. "Just you wait," said the peasant, "there is still justice in the world!" And went into the royal castle and asked to be heard. He was brought before the king, who sat there with his daughter and asked what harm had befallen him? "Alas," he said, "the frogs and the dogs have taken what is mine. And the butcher paid me for it with a stick," and he went on to tell how it had happened. The king's daughter began to laugh loudly at this and the king said to him: "I cannot give you justice here, but in return you shall have my daughter as your wife. She has never laughed in her life except at you, and I have promised her to the one who would make her laugh. You can thank God for your good fortune." "O," answered the peasant, "I don't want her at all. I have only one wife at home, and she is already too much for me. When I come home, it is as if there were one in every corner." Then the king became angry and said, "You are a ruffian." "Ah, Lord King," replied the peasant, "what else can you expect from an ox but beef!" "Wait," replied the king, "you shall have another reward. Now pack up, but in three days come again. Then five hundred shall be counted full to thee."

When the farmer came out of the door, the guard said: "You made the king's daughter laugh, so you must have gotten something right. "Yes, that's what I mean," replied the peasant, "five hundred will be paid to me." "Listen," said the soldier, "give me some of it. What are you going to do with all that money!" "Because it is you," said the peasant, "you shall have two hundred. Report to the king in three days, and have it enumerated to thee." A Jew, who was standing nearby and overheard the conversation, ran after the farmer, held him by the skirt and said: "God's miracle, what a lucky child you are! I will change it for you. I will change it for you in coins, what do you want with the hard talers?" "Mauschel," said the peasant, "you can still have three hundred, give it to me right away in coins, today over three days you will be paid for it by the king." The Jew was pleased with the profit and brought the sum in bad pennies, where three are worth as much as two good ones. After the three days had passed, the peasant, in accordance with the king's command, went before the king. "Strip him of his skirt," said the latter, "he shall have his five hundred." "Alas," said the peasant, "they are no longer mine; I have given two hundred to the guard, and the Jew has exchanged three hundred for me; by right I am entitled to nothing." Then the soldier and the Jew came in, demanded what they had won from the farmer, and received the right amount of blows. The soldier bore it patiently and knew how it tasted. The Jew, however, cried out miserably, "Ouch! Are these the hard thalers?" The king had to laugh at the peasant, and when all anger had disappeared, he said: "since you have already lost your wages before they were given to you, I will give you a substitute. Go to my treasury and get as much money as you want."

The farmer didn't need to be told twice, and filled his wide pockets with whatever he could find. Then he went to the inn and counted his money. The Jew had crept up behind him and heard him muttering to himself: "Now the rogue king has deceived me! If he had not been able to give me the money himself, I would have known what I had, but how can I now know whether what I have pocketed on the off chance is correct!" "God forbid," said the Jew to himself, "he speaks disparagingly of our lord, I'll run and tell him, I'll get a reward - and he'll be punished on top of it." When the king heard of the peasant's speeches, he was enraged and sent for the Jew to bring the sinner. The Jew ran to the peasant, "you shall come straight to the Lord King as you go and as you stand." "I know better what is proper," replied the peasant, "first I will have a new skirt made. Do you think a man who has so much money in his pocket should go in the old ragged skirt?" The Jew, seeing that the peasant could not be taken away without another skirt, and fearing that if the king's anger were spent he would lose his reward and the peasant his punishment, said, "I will lend you a nice skirt for the short time, out of mere friendship. What does man not do everything for love!" The peasant put up with this, put on the skirt of the Jew and went away with him. The king reproached the peasant for the evil words the Jew had spoken. "Ah," said the peasant, "what a Jew says is always a lie, no true word comes out of his mouth. That fellow there is in the booth and claims I have his skirt on." "What is this to me?" cried the Jew, "is not the skirt mine? Did I not lend it to you out of mere friendship, that you might appear before the Lord King?" When the king heard this, he said, "The Jew has certainly cheated one, me or the peasant," and ordered him to pay something in hard talers. But the peasant went home in his good skirt and with the good money in his pocket and said, "This time I've done it.

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