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424 drop fell on his head." "Item, that goldsmith who shod a gnat on each foot with a golden shoe which had four and twenty nails in it." Compare the story of The Four Skilful Brothers (No. 129).

From Zwehrn. A story from German Bohemia varies. During their flight, the three soldiers had gone beneath a pear-tree, where one of them cried in his sore need, "I wish the Devil would take us!" On this the Devil appeared immediately, closed with the proposition, and helped them out of their difficulty. And now they were compelled to remain in hell for the space of one year, until the time came when the Devil should set them the riddles; but they were occasionally allowed to take a walk in the neighbourhood. Lucifer (who always stays at home, and only sends out his emissaries the devils) was however not quite at ease, for he thought the Devil would not set the fellows good riddles, and would be cheated by them. One day the three soldiers went out walking, and were very sad, and the two who had not spoken, upbraided the other for having brought them into this trouble by the rash words which had escaped from him. "And thou must help us out of it now," said they, "or it shall be the worse for thee!" "Good gracious!" he answered, "we shall at all events, certainly be able to guess one of the three riddles!" Then he walked on alone for a short distance to consider the matter in private, and when he saw a tall pear-tree he climbed it, and looked on the country round about. Just at this moment he perceived Lucifer and the Devil, who were also taking a walk, and seated themselves under this very pear-tree to rest. "Hark you," said Lucifer, "what riddles are you going to set them? I am afraid they will guess them; discharged soldiers are as sharp as devils!" "You may be quite easy," answered the Devil, "they will never guess them. In the first place I'll give them a goat's skin, but will turn it into Dutch cloth; secondly, I will come riding on a he-goat, which will seem to them to be the most beautiful horse; thirdly, I will show them a cup made of pitch, which they will believe to be a cup of the purest gold." Hereupon the soldier in the pear-tree thought, "Now it's all right," but said nothing about it to the two others. On the day appointed the Devil came, and the two others were properly befooled by him, but the third said boldly in his face, "Thy Dutch cloth is a stinking goatskin; thy horse is an old he-goat, good enough for thee, but too bad for us; thy gold cup is an old pitch-pot and nothing better. And now I require thee to give me money enough for the rest of my life." Then to his great wrath the Devil was forced to bear the consequences, and to carry as much money as they chose to have to the place where the bargain had first been made. Compare with