Page:Lays and Legends of Germany (1834).djvu/246

 The entertainment which he places before his guests, reminds us of a similar scene in the lives of all the cele bratedcelebrated [sic] magicians of the middle ages—see chap. xliii, in History of Doctor Faustus, (’ Early English Prose Romances.) The magic transformations which the heads of the nobleman and his wife undergo, are analogous to that which that tricksey Puck wrought on the head of Master Bottom the weaver.





A long time since Rubezahl went, in the form of a strange nobleman, to a tailor in Liebenthal, and desired him to cut from a beautiful cloth, which he showed him, sufficient for a cloak, and to have it ready by a certain day, when he would send for it. Now what does the tailor do, in the first place, but thinking the nobleman would never observe it, when he cut the cloth he placed it double, so that he cut off twice as much as was required for the cloak; and in the next, the cunning knave exchanged this cloth, and made use of one of inferior quality, out of which he speedily made the required garment; this was in due course delivered over to the nobleman, although the tailor did not receive the amount of his charge for making it, but only a promise that his customer would call himself some time or other and settle it.

The tailor, at first, thought he had made a capital job, and determined to apply the stolen cloth, at once, to his own use. But when he came to examine it, he found nothing but a heap of coarse matting, such as merchants use for the packing of goods. But, however, the time was