Page:Grimm's household tales, volume 2 (1884).djvu/461

Rh mouth for him, he saw that he must perish miserably from hunger, but he preferred death to work. Through the street where he was lying the executioner came every day on his way to the place of execution. More than once the sluggard wished to speak to him, but he was too idle even for that; at length he made an effort, and said, "Dear executioner, I do not like to work, and would rather die; do take me with you to the place of execution and execute me." So the executioner had pity on him, and took him with him. When they came to the gate, they met the Kapudan Pasha. "Executioner," said he, "what has this man whom thou art conducting to the place of execution done?" "He has done nothing," answered the executioner, "but he is too idle to work, and as he must die of hunger, he has entreated me to take him away and execute him. I am doing it to please him, for I am acquainted with his family." "Release him!" said the Kapudan Pasha. "At home I have a great magazine full of biscuits, take him in there, and let him eat as much as he likes." "Yes, but are the biscuits already softened;" said the sluggard. "No," replied the Pasha. "Then let us go on," said the sluggard to the executioner. Fischart tells another incident relating to Lazy Harry, see Gargantua, 79b, "Just like that fellow, who, when they awoke him betimes, with 'Oh the birds are already singing in the trees,' said, "Let'Let [sic] them sing, let them sing, the birds have small heads and can soon sleep their sleep out, but my head is twice too large for me to be able to get my sleep out in one night. Compare notes to No. 32.

From Keller's Fastnachtspiele des 15ten Jahrh. pp. 562, 566. Compare also the Two Servants, a story from the Bukowina, in Wolf's Zeitschrift, 1. 49.

From Bavaria. There are questions of the same kind in Stricker's Old-German poem, Pfaffe Amis (98-180). The bishop asks, (1.) "How much water is there in the sea?" "A tun." "How can you prove that?" "Just order all the streams which flow into the sea to stand still, and then I will measure it and tell you." (2.) "How many days have passed by, since Adam lived?" "Seven, and when they come to an end, they begin again, and thus it will go on as long as the world lasts." (3.) "Where is the centre of the earth?" "Where my church stands; let your men-servants measure with a cord, and if there is the breadth of a blade of grass more on one side than on the other, I have lost my church." (4.) "How far is it from earth to heaven?" "Heaven is just so