The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack

There was once upon a time a tailor who had three sons, and only one goat. The goat’s milk fed the whole family, so she needed good food and had to be taken out to graze every day.But as the goat supported the whole of them with her milk, she was obliged to have good food, and to be taken every day to pasture. The sons, therefore, did this, in turn. Once the eldest took her to the churchyard, where the finest herbs were to be found, and let her eat and run about there. At night when it was time to go home he asked, “Goat, have you had enough?Goat, hast thou had enough?” The goat answered,

“I have eaten so much,
Not a leaf more I’ll touch, meh! meh!”

“Come home, then,” said the youth, and took hold of the cord round her neck, led her into the stable and tied her up securely. “Well,” said the old tailor, “has the goat had as much food as she ought?” “Oh,” answered the son, “she has eaten so much, not a leaf more she’ll touch.” But the father wished to satisfy himself, and went down to the stable, stroked the dear animal and asked, “Goat, have you had enough?Goat, art thou satisfied?” The goat answered,

“How could I have had enough?Wherewithal should I be satisfied?
Among the graves I leapt about,
And found no food, so went without, meh! meh!”

“What do I hear?” cried the tailor, and ran upstairs and said to the youth, “Hey, you liar! You said the goat had eaten enough, but you have left her hungry!Hollo, thou liar: thou saidest the goat had had enough, and hast let her hunger!” and in his anger he took the measuring stickyard-measure from the wall, and drove him out with blows.

Next day it was the turn of the second son, who found a place by the garden fencelooked out for a place in the fence of the garden, where nothing but good herbs grew, and the goat cleared them all off. At night when he wanted to go home, he asked, “Goat, have you had enough?Goat, art thou satisfied?” The goat answered,

“I have eaten so much,
Not a leaf more I’ll touch, meh! meh!”

“Come home, then,” said the youth, and led her home, and tied her up in the stable. “Well,” said the old tailor, “has the goat had as much food as she ought?” “Oh,” answered the son, “she has eaten so much, not a leaf more she’ll touch.” The tailor would not rely on this, but went down to the stable and said, “Goat, have you had enough?Goat, hast thou had enough?” The goat answered,

“How could I have had enough?Wherewithal should I be satisfied?
Among the graves I leapt about,
And found no food, so went without, meh! meh!”

“The godless scoundrel!The godless wretch!” cried the tailor, “to leave such a good animal hungryto let such a good animal hunger,” and he ran up and drove the youth out of doors with the measuring stickyard-measure.

Now came the turn of the third son, who wanted to do the thing well, and sought out some bushes with the finest leaves, and let the goat devour them. In the evening when he wanted to go home, he asked, “Goat, have you had enough?Goat, hast thou had enough?” The goat answered,

“I have eaten so much,
Not a leaf more I’ll touch, meh! meh!”

“Come home, then,” said the youth, and led her into the stable, and tied her up. “Well,” said the old tailor, “has the goat had a proper amount of food?” “She has eaten so much, not a leaf more she’ll touch.” The tailor did not trust to that, but went down and asked, “Goat, have you had enough?Goat, hast thou had enough?” The wicked beast answered,

“How could I have had enough?Wherewithal should I be satisfied?
Among the graves I leapt about,
And found no leaves, so went without, meh! meh!”

“Oh, what a family of liars!Oh, the brood of liars!” cried the tailor, “each as wicked and forgetful of his duty as the other! You will not make a fool of me any longerYe shall no longer make a fool of me,” and quite beside himself with anger, he ran upstairs and beat the poor young man so hardbelabored the poor young fellow so vigorously with the measuring stickyard-measure that he sprang out of the house.

The old tailor was now alone with his goat. Next morning he went down into the stable, strokedcaressed the goat and said, “Come, my dear little animal, this time I will take you out to graze.Come, my dear little animal, I will take thee to feed myself.” He took her by the rope and conducted her to green hedges, and amongst yarrowmilfoil, and whatever else goats like to eat. “There, for once, you can eat to your heart’s contentThere thou mayest for once eat to thy heart’s content,” said he to her, and let her browse till evening. Then he asked, “Goat, have you had enough?Goat, art thou satisfied?” She replied,

“I have eaten so much,
Not a leaf more I’ll touch, meh! meh!”

“Come home, then,” said the tailor, and led her into the stable, and tied her fast. When he was going away, he turned round again and said, “Well, have you had enough for once?Well, art thou satisfied for once?” But the goat treated him no betterBut the goat did not behave the better to him, and cried,

“How could I have had enough?Wherewithal should I be satisfied?
Among the graves I leapt about,
And found no leaves, so went without, meh! meh!”

When the tailor heard that, he was shocked, and saw clearly that he had driven away his three sons without cause. “Just wait, you ungrateful creatureWait, thou ungrateful creature,” cried he, “driving you away is not enough. I will mark you so that you never dare show yourself among honest tailors again.it is not enough to drive thee forth, I will mark thee so that thou wilt no more dare to show thyself amongst honest tailors.” In great haste he ran upstairs, fetched his razor, lathered the goat’s head, and shaved her as clean as the palm of his hand. And as the measuring stickyard-measure would have been too good for her, he brought the horsewhip, and whipped her so hard that she ran away as fast as she could.gave her such cuts with it that she ran away in violent haste.

When the tailor was thus left quite alone in his house he became deeply miserablehe fell into great grief, and would gladly have had his sons back again, but no one knew where they had gone.no one knew whither they were gone. The eldest had apprenticed himself to a carpenterjoiner, and worked hard and tirelessly at his tradelearnt industriously and indefatigably. When the time came for him to travel, his master gave him a plain little table made of ordinary wood. But it had one special power:, and when the time came for him to go travelling, his master presented him with a little table which had no particular appearance, and was made of common wood, but it had one good property; if anyone set it out, and said, “Little table, set yourselfspread thyself,” the good little table was covered at once with a clean little cloth. A plate appeared, with a knife and fork beside it, and as many dishes of boiled and roasted meat as the table could hold. A great glass of red wine gleamed cheerfully.the good little table was at once covered with a clean little cloth, and a plate was there, and a knife and fork beside it, and dishes with boiled meats and roasted meats, as many as there was room for, and a great glass of red wine shone so that it made the heart glad. The young trained craftsmanjourneyman thought, “With this, you have enough for your whole lifeWith this thou hast enough for thy whole life,” and went joyously about the world and never troubled himself at all whether an inn was good or bad, or if anything was to be found in it or not. When it suited him he did not enter an inn at all, but either on the plain, in a wood, a meadow, or wherever he fancied, he took his little table off his back, set it down before him, and said, “Set yourselfCover thyself,” and then everything appeared that his heart desired.

At length he took it into his head to go back to his father, whose anger would have cooled by nowwhose anger would now be appeased, and who would now willingly receive him with his wishing-table. On his way home, he came one eveningIt came to pass that on his way home, he came one evening to an inn which was filled with guests. They welcomed himThey bade him welcome, and invited him to sit and eat with them, because otherwise he might have trouble getting any food.for otherwise he would have difficulty in getting anything. “No,” answered the carpenterjoiner, “I will not take the few bites out of your mouths; rather than that, you shall be my guests.” They laughed, and thought he was jokingthought he was jesting with them; he, however, placed his wooden table in the middle of the room, and said, “Little table, set yourselfcover thyself.” Instantly it was covered with food, so good that the innkeeper could never have provided it. Its delicious smell rose towards the guests.so good that the host could never have procured it, and the smell of it ascended pleasantly to the nostrils of the guests. “Eat up, dear friendsFall to, dear friends,” said the carpenterjoiner; and the guests when they saw that he meant it, did not need to be asked twice, but drew near, pulled out their knives and tucked in eagerlyattacked it valiantly. And what surprised them the most was that when a dish became empty, a full one instantly took its place of its own accord. The innkeeper stood in one corner and watched the affair; he did not at all know what to say, but thought, “You could easily use a cook like that in your kitchen.Thou couldst easily find a use for such a cook as that in thy kitchen.” The carpenterjoiner and his comrades made merry until late into the night; at length they lay down to sleep, and the young apprentice also went to bed, and set his magic table against the wall. But the innkeeper’s thoughts would not let him rest. He remembered a little old table in his storeroom that looked just like the apprentice’s. He brought it out very quietly and swapped it for the wishing-table.The host’s thoughts, however, let him have no rest; it occurred to him that there was a little old table in his lumber-room which looked just like the apprentice’s and he brought it out quite softly, and exchanged it for the wishing-table.

Next morning, the carpenterjoiner paid for his bed, took up his table, never thinking that he had got a false one, and went his way. At middaymid-day he reached his father, who received him with great joy. “Well, my dear son, what have you learned?what hast thou learnt?” said he to him. “Father, I have become a carpenterjoiner.”

“A good trade,” replied the old man; “but what have you brought back from your apprenticeship?what hast thou brought back with thee from thy apprenticeship?” “Father, the best thing which I have brought back with me is this little table.” The tailor inspected it on all sides and said, “You certainly didn’t make a masterpiece there; it is a shabby old table.Thou didst not make a masterpiece when thou mad’st that; it is a bad old table.” “But it is a table that sets itselfit is a table which furnishes itself,” replied the son. “When I set it out, and tell it to cover itself, the most beautiful dishes stand on it, and a wine also, which gladdens the heart. Just invite all our relativesrelations and friends, they can eat, drink and enjoy themselves for oncethey shall refresh and enjoy themselves for once, for the table will give them all they require.” When the company was assembled, he put his table in the middle of the room and said, “Little table, set yourselfcover thyself,” but the little table did not stirdid not bestir itself, and remained just as bare as any other table which did not understand language. Then the poor apprentice became aware that his table had been changed, and was ashamed at having to stand there like a liar. The relativesrelations, however, mocked him, and were forced to go home without having eaten or drunk. The father brought out his patches again, and went on tailoring, but the son went to work for a master carpenter.the son went to a master in the craft.

The second son had gone to a miller and had apprenticed himself to him. When his years were over, the master said, “As you have behaved so well, I am giving you a special donkey. It neither pulls a cart nor carries a sack.As thou hast conducted thyself so well, I give thee an ass of a peculiar kind, which neither draws a cart nor carries a sack.” “What is he used for, then?To what use is he put, then?” asked the young apprentice. “He lets gold drop from his mouth,” answered the miller. “If you stand him on a cloth and sayIf thou settest him on a cloth and sayest ‘Bricklebrit,’ the good animal will drop gold pieces for you.the good animal will drop gold pieces for thee.” “That is a fine thing,” said the apprentice, and thanked the master, and went out into the world. When he had need of gold, he had only to say “Bricklebrit” to his donkeyass, and it rained gold pieces, and he had nothing to do but pick them off the ground. WhereverWheresoever he went, he wanted the best of everything, and the more expensive the betterthe best of everything was good enough for him, and the dearer the better, for he had always a full purse. When he had looked about the world for some time, he thought, “You must find your father. If you go to him with the gold-donkey, he will forget his anger and welcome you.Thou must seek out thy father; if thou goest to him with the gold-ass he will forget his anger, and receive thee well.” He happened to come to the same innIt came to pass that he came to the same public-house in which his brother’s table had been exchanged. He led his donkeyass by the bridle, and the host was about to take the animal from him and tie him up, but the young apprentice said, “Don’t trouble yourself, I will take my grey donkeymy grey horse into the stable, and tie him up myself too, for I must know where he stands.” This struck the host as odd, and he thought that a man who was forced to look after his donkeyass himself, could not have much to spend; but when the stranger put his hand in his pocket and brought out two gold pieces, and said he was to provide something good for him, the host opened his eyes wide, and ran and sought out the best he could muster. After dinner the guest asked what he owed. The host did not see why he should not double the billdouble the reckoning, and said the apprentice must give two more gold pieces. He felt in his pocket, but he had just run out of gold.his gold was just at an end. “Wait an instant, sir host,” said he, “I will go and fetch some money;” but he took the table-cloth with him. The host could not imagine what this could mean, and being curious, stole after him, and as the guest bolted the stable-door, he peeped through a hole left by a knot in the wood. The stranger spread out the cloth under the animal and cried, “Bricklebrit,” and immediately the beast began to let gold pieces fall, so that it fairly rained down money on the ground. “Eh, my word,” said the host, “gold coins are made quickly there! A purse like that would be useful.ducats are quickly coined there! A purse like that is not amiss.” The guest paid his billpaid his score, and went to bed, but in the night the host stole down into the stable, led away the maker of the gold coinsled away the master of the mint, and tied up another donkeyass in his place.

Early next morning the apprentice travelled away with his donkeyass, and thought that he had his gold-donkeyass. At middaymid-day he reached his father, who rejoiced to see him again, and gladly took him in. “What have you become, my son?What hast thou made of thyself, my son?” asked the old man. “A miller, dear father,” he answered.“A miller,” dear father, he answered. “What have you brought back from your travels?What hast thou brought back with thee from thy travels?” “Nothing else but a donkeyan ass.” “There are donkeysasses enough here,” said the father, “I would rather have had a good goat.” “Yes,” replied the son, “but it is no common donkeyass, but a gold-donkeyass, when I say ‘Bricklebrit,’ the good beast opens its mouth and drops a whole sheetful of gold pieces. Just call all our relatives hereJust summon all our relations hither, and I will make them rich folks.” “That suits me well,” said the tailor, “for then I shall have no need to torment myself any longer with the needle,” and ran out himself and called the relativesrelations together. As soon as they were assembled, the miller asked them to make roombade them make way, spread out his cloth, and brought the donkeyass into the room. “Now watch,” said he, and cried, “Bricklebrit,” but no gold pieces fell, and it was clear that the animal knew nothing of the art, for not every donkey can achieve such perfection.for every ass does not attain such perfection. Then the poor miller pulled a long face, saw that he was betrayed, and begged pardon of the relatives, who went home as poor as they came. There was no help for it, the old man had to return to his sewing once morehad to betake him to his needle once more, and the youth hired himself to a miller.

The third brother had become an apprentice woodturner, shaping wood on a lathe. Because the work required skill, his training took the longest.had apprenticed himself to a turner, and as that is skilled labour, he was the longest in learning. His brothers, however, told him in a letter how badly things had gone with them, and how the innkeeper had cheated them of their beautiful wishing-gifts on the last evening before they reached home. When the turner had finished his training and was ready to travel, his master gave him a sack as a reward for behaving so wellWhen the turner had served his time, and had to set out on his travels, as he had conducted himself so well, his master presented him with a sack and said, “There is a clubcudgel in it.” “I can carry the sackI can put on the sack,” said he, “and it may be useful to meit may be of good service to me, but why should the clubcudgel be in it? It only makes it heavy.” “I will tell you whyI will tell thee why,” replied the master; “if anyone has done anything to hurt you, just say,if any one has done anything to injure thee, do but say, ‘Out of the sack, ClubCudgel!’ and the club will leap out among them and dance so hard on their backs that they will not be able to move for a week. It will not stop until you say,and the cudgel will leap forth among the people, and play such a dance on their backs that they will not be able to stir or move for a week, and it will not leave off until thou sayest, ‘Into the sack, ClubCudgel!’” The apprentice thanked him, and put the sack on his back, and when any one came too near him, and wished to attack him, he said, “Out of the sack, ClubCudgel!” and instantly the clubcudgel sprang out, and beat the dust out of their coats and jackets, one after another. It did not stop until it had stripped the clothes from their backs. It worked so quickly that each person’s turn came before they knew it.and dusted the coat or jacket of one after the other on their backs, and never stopped until it had stripped it off them, and it was done so quickly, that before anyone was aware, it was already his own turn. In the evening the young turner reached the inn where his brothers had been cheated. He laid his sack on the table before him, and began to talk of all the wonderful things which he had seen in the world. “Yes,” said he, “people may easily find a table which will cover itself, a gold-donkeyass, and things of that kind—excellent things that I certainly valueextremely good things which I by no means despise—but these are nothing in comparison with the treasure which I have won for myself, and am carrying about with me in my sack there.” The inn-keeper pricked up his ears, “What in the world can that be?” thought he; “the sack must be filled with nothing but jewels; I ought to get them cheap too, for all good things go in threes.” When it was time for sleep, the guest stretched himself on the bench, and laid his sack beneath him for a pillow. When the inn-keeper thought his guest was lying in a sound sleep, he went to him and pushed and pulled quite gently and carefully at the sack to see if he could possibly draw it away and lay another in its place. The turner had, however, been waiting for this for a long time, and now just as the inn-keeper was about to give a hearty tug, he cried, “Out of the sack, ClubCudgel!” Instantly the little clubcudgel came outforth, and fell on the inn-keeper and gave him a sound thrashing.

The host cried for mercy; but the louder he cried, so much more heavily the clubcudgel beat the time on his back, until at length he fell to the ground exhausted. Then the turner said, “If you do not return the table that sets itself and the gold-donkey, the dance will start again.If thou dost not give back the table which covers itself, and the gold-ass, the dance shall begin afresh.” “Oh, no,” cried the host, quite humbly, “I will gladly produce everything, just make that cursed little goblin crawl back into the sack.only make the accursed kobold creep back into the sack.” Then said the apprentice, “I will let mercy take the place of justice, but beware of getting into mischief again!” So he cried, “Into the sack, ClubCudgel!” and let him have rest.

Next morning the turner went home to his father with the wishing-table, and the gold-donkeyass. The tailor rejoiced when he saw him once more, and asked him likewise what he had learned in foreign countriesin foreign parts. “Dear father,” said he, “I have become a turner.” “A skilled trade,” said the father. “What have you brought back from your travels?What hast thou brought back with thee from thy travels?”

“A precious thing, dear father,” replied the son, “a clubcudgel in the sack.”

“What!” cried the father, “a clubcudgel! That was worth your trouble, wasn’t it! You could cut yourself one from any tree.That’s worth thy trouble, indeed! From every tree thou can cut thyself one.” “But not one like this, dear father. If I say, ‘Out of the sack, ClubCudgel!’ the clubcudgel springs out and makes anyone who means me harm dance a painful dance. It does not stop until the person lies on the ground and begs for relief.leads any one who means ill with me a weary dance, and never stops until he lies on the ground and prays for fair weather. Look, with this club I got backLook you, with this cudgel have I got back the wishing-table and the gold-donkeyass which the thievish inn-keeper took away from my brothers. Now let them both be sent for, and invite all our relativeskinsmen. I will give them food and drinkI will give them to eat and to drink, and will fill their pockets with gold into the bargain.” The old tailor would not quite believe, but nevertheless got the relatives together. Then the turner spread a cloth in the room and led in the gold-donkeyass, and said to his brother, “Now, dear brother, speak to him.” The miller said, “Bricklebrit,” and instantly the gold pieces fell down on the cloth like a thunder-shower, and the donkeyass did not stop until every one of them had so much that he could carry no more. (I can see by your face that you would like to be there too.I can see in thy face that thou also wouldst like to be there.)

Then the turner brought the little table, and said, “Now dear brother, speak to it.” And scarcely had the carpenter said, “Table, set yourselfcover thyself,” than it was spread and amply covered with the most exquisite dishes. Then such a meal took place as the good tailor had never yet known in his house, and the whole party of relativeskinsmen stayed together till far in the night, and were all merry and glad. The tailor locked away needle and thread, measuring stick and tailor’s iron in a cupboardyard-measure and goose, in a press, and lived with his three sons in joy and splendour.

(What, however, has become of the goat who was to blame for the tailor driving out his three sons? That I will tell you.That I will tell thee. She was ashamed that she had a bald head, and ran to a fox’s hole and crept into it. When the fox came home, he was met by two great eyes shining out of the darkness, and was terrified and ran away. A bear met him, and as the fox looked quite disturbed, he said, “What is the matter, brother Fox? Why do you look like that?What is the matter with thee, brother Fox, why dost thou look like that?” “Ah,” answered RedcoatRedskin, “a fierce beast is in my cave and stared at me with its fiery eyes.” “We will soon drive him out,” said the bear, and went with him to the cave and looked in, but when he saw the fiery eyes, fear seized on him likewise; he would have nothing to do with the furious beast, and took to his heels. The bee met him, and as she saw that he was ill at ease, she said, “Bear, you look so miserable! What has happened to all your cheerfulness?Bear, thou art really pulling a very pitiful face; what has become of all thy gaiety?” “It is all very well for you to talkIt is all very well for thee to talk,” replied the bear, “a furious beast with staring eyes is in RedcoatRedskin’s house, and we can’t drive him out.” The bee said, “Bear, I feel sorry for you. I am a poor weak creature you would not even bother to look at, but I still believe I can help you.Bear I pity thee, I am a poor weak creature whom thou wouldst not turn aside to look at, but still, I believe, I can help thee.” She flew into the fox’s cave, landed on the goat’s smoothly shaved headlighted on the goat’s smoothly-shorn head, and stung her so violently, that she sprang up, crying “Meh, meh,” and ran outforth into the world as if mad, and to this hour no one knows where she has gone.)