[Another variant.]
A great scholar, who spent his time studying with his
pupils, got a son in his old age. He kept him in the house,
never allowing him to go out but gave him more and more
of his time. The pupils became jealous of the young boy
and one day they took him out of his father’s house and
showed him the world of which he knew nothing. On his
return, he reproached his father who henceforth went out
with him and showed him everything. The students used
to go to a distant country to trade for a month every year,
and with the profit they made they used to live for the
remaining n months. They persuaded the young man to
go with them. The father gave him 1000 dinars, and no
sooner had they reached the foreign country, than they
left him. He wandered about in search of his companions.
A merchant took him in and the next morning he saw a
great commotion in the market-place. The rabbi had died
and the sultan would not allow the burial unless the Jews
paid him a debt of 1000 dinars. The young man went to
the sultan, found favour in his eyes, paid the money and
obtained permission to bury the rabbi. The father was
greatly satisfied. Next year, again urged by his father’s
pupils, the young man asked for 10,000 dinars. They left
him again and again the merchant took him. The next
morning, he bought by auction for 10,000 dinars a Spanish
174 -
ship captured by the sultan’s ships. It was sold as it stood,
no one knowing whether anything was in it. He found it
quite empty when suddently he heard a voice crying. A
panel opened and he found a small room and in it a young
beautiful girl. She told him that she was the daughter of
the king of Spain. War had broken out and not knowing
what would be the outcome of it she had manned the ship
with provisions and had hidden there. Now she was a prisoner. She also told him that she had taken a large amount
of jewels and precious stones hidden in wine bottles some
of them filled with wine. The people jeered at him, thinking
the ship was empty but he hired sailors and returned home.
His father came on board and learnt what had happened
and was advised to tell the governor that the son had gone
mad and spent 10,000 dinars on an empty ship and bottles
of wine, and in order to cover his madness, to ask permission to carry the bottles home secretly in the dead of
night which he did. Thus no one knew of the great treasures.
The princess married him and they had two sons. She was
very clever and made some tapestry and embroidery, unknown in that country. A merchant took advantage of the
young man’s ignorance of the value of the tapestry, bought
them and sold them in distant lands. Some reached Spain
and the king saw and recognised in them the work of his
daughter, found out where they had come from and disguising
himself, came to that country. There he paid a higher price
for them than the merchant, won the confidence of the
young man and invited himself to his house. One day he
sent the young man out, made himself known to his daughter
and forced her to flee with him and her children to Spain.
The young man in despair went to the harbour and found
there a boat with two men in it. They promised to take
him to Spain and to help him on condition that afterwards
they would share everything equally. He consented and was
quickly transported to Spain. Outside the town where the
king’s palace was there was a large heap of refuse as big
as a hill. Advised by the boatmen, the young men bought
175 -
the refuse heap to the great surprise of the king. On the
morrow a huge palace with magnificent gardens stood in
its place. The people wondered, went there to see it, and the
princess heard of it and also went there after having obtained permission from her father who had kept her locked
up in the palace. She recognised her husband and promised
to flee with him. After 30 days she was able to bring her
two children and a large amount of treasure. The boatmen
waited for them and then carried them swiftly home. In
the morning the people found that the palace and gardens
had disappeared and the refuse heap was again there. When
they approached the port, the two boatmen asked the
young man to divide the spoils according to arrangement. He was to take one, either the treasure, or the
wife or children; the other two belonged to them. He
willingly gave up the treasure, but neither wife nor
children.
When they saw his despair, they comforted him and told
him that he could keep all; they had only put him to the
test and would take nothing, for one of the boatmen was
the dead rabbi whom he had ransomed from the Sultan
and brought to honourable burial and the other, his companion, was none other than the prophet Elijah who had
been allowed by God to accompany him and reward him
for his pious deeds. It was he who had built the palace and
then made it disappear again. Henceforth, the young man
his wife and children all lived happily together.
441a. A man carrying a jug of milk heard a snake crying.
It was thirsty. The man gave it to drink and the snake
promised him a treasure. After it had drunk it showed him
a spot under a stone where the man found a great treasure.
Then the snake coiled itself round his neck and wanted to
kill him, because he had robbed it of its treasure. They
came to Solomon for judgment. The snake pleaded justification by referring to the words in Scripture, “Thou shalt
bruise his heel/' Solomon ordered it to get down as they
must both be standing equal in the court. When the snake
176—
got down, Solomon told the man to “bruise its head” and
the man killed it on the spot.
441b. A man found a snake frozen on the ground and
picked it up and put it in his bosom. The snake, quickened
to life through the warmth, coiled itself round the man
and tried to kill him. To requite evil for good, the shake
said, was the way of the world. They brought the case
before King David. On the way they met an ox, who decided
in favour of the snake. So also did an ass and finally King
David did likewise, for it is written that the ‘Snake shall
bruise the heel’. When they left the court, they found
Solomon, still a lad, playing near the well. His stick had
fallen into the water and no one could succeed in getting
it. Solomon then ordered his servants to widen the conduit;
thus the water would fill the well. It rose and they were
able to take the stick. Greatly impressed, the old man aske
Solomon for advice. He obtained the permission of David to
judge the case. Asked by Solomon, the snake replied that
it had acted according to the word of the Lord and then
Solomon said, “Abide by the Word of the Lord,” which
commands the two parties to stand before the judge. The
snake was to uncoil itself and stand apart from the old
man on the ground before him. The snake did so and Solomon told the old man to “bruise its head” with the stick
which he was holding, for so it was written in the Law.
He did so and killed the snake.
440. [Another variant.]
A great scholar, who spent his time studying with his
pupils, got a son in his old age. He kept him in the house,
never allowing him to go out but gave him more and more
of his time. The pupils became jealous of the young boy
and one day they took him out of his father’s house and
showed him the world of which he knew nothing. On his
return, he reproached his father who henceforth went out
with him and showed him everything. The students used
to go to a distant country to trade for a month every year,
and with the profit they made they used to live for the
remaining n months. They persuaded the young man to
go with them. The father gave him 1000 dinars, and no
sooner had they reached the foreign country, than they
left him. He wandered about in search of his companions.
A merchant took him in and the next morning he saw a
great commotion in the market-place. The rabbi had died
and the sultan would not allow the burial unless the Jews
paid him a debt of 1000 dinars. The young man went to
the sultan, found favour in his eyes, paid the money and
obtained permission to bury the rabbi. The father was
greatly satisfied. Next year, again urged by his father’s
pupils, the young man asked for 10,000 dinars. They left
him again and again the merchant took him. The next
morning, he bought by auction for 10,000 dinars a Spanish
174 -
ship captured by the sultan’s ships. It was sold as it stood,
no one knowing whether anything was in it. He found it
quite empty when suddently he heard a voice crying. A
panel opened and he found a small room and in it a young
beautiful girl. She told him that she was the daughter of
the king of Spain. War had broken out and not knowing
what would be the outcome of it she had manned the ship
with provisions and had hidden there. Now she was a prisoner. She also told him that she had taken a large amount
of jewels and precious stones hidden in wine bottles some
of them filled with wine. The people jeered at him, thinking
the ship was empty but he hired sailors and returned home.
His father came on board and learnt what had happened
and was advised to tell the governor that the son had gone
mad and spent 10,000 dinars on an empty ship and bottles
of wine, and in order to cover his madness, to ask permission to carry the bottles home secretly in the dead of
night which he did. Thus no one knew of the great treasures.
The princess married him and they had two sons. She was
very clever and made some tapestry and embroidery, unknown in that country. A merchant took advantage of the
young man’s ignorance of the value of the tapestry, bought
them and sold them in distant lands. Some reached Spain
and the king saw and recognised in them the work of his
daughter, found out where they had come from and disguising
himself, came to that country. There he paid a higher price
for them than the merchant, won the confidence of the
young man and invited himself to his house. One day he
sent the young man out, made himself known to his daughter
and forced her to flee with him and her children to Spain.
The young man in despair went to the harbour and found
there a boat with two men in it. They promised to take
him to Spain and to help him on condition that afterwards
they would share everything equally. He consented and was
quickly transported to Spain. Outside the town where the
king’s palace was there was a large heap of refuse as big
as a hill. Advised by the boatmen, the young men bought
175 -
the refuse heap to the great surprise of the king. On the
morrow a huge palace with magnificent gardens stood in
its place. The people wondered, went there to see it, and the
princess heard of it and also went there after having obtained permission from her father who had kept her locked
up in the palace. She recognised her husband and promised
to flee with him. After 30 days she was able to bring her
two children and a large amount of treasure. The boatmen
waited for them and then carried them swiftly home. In
the morning the people found that the palace and gardens
had disappeared and the refuse heap was again there. When
they approached the port, the two boatmen asked the
young man to divide the spoils according to arrangement. He was to take one, either the treasure, or the
wife or children; the other two belonged to them. He
willingly gave up the treasure, but neither wife nor
children.
When they saw his despair, they comforted him and told
him that he could keep all; they had only put him to the
test and would take nothing, for one of the boatmen was
the dead rabbi whom he had ransomed from the Sultan
and brought to honourable burial and the other, his companion, was none other than the prophet Elijah who had
been allowed by God to accompany him and reward him
for his pious deeds. It was he who had built the palace and
then made it disappear again. Henceforth, the young man
his wife and children all lived happily together.
441a. A man carrying a jug of milk heard a snake crying.
It was thirsty. The man gave it to drink and the snake
promised him a treasure. After it had drunk it showed him
a spot under a stone where the man found a great treasure.
Then the snake coiled itself round his neck and wanted to
kill him, because he had robbed it of its treasure. They
came to Solomon for judgment. The snake pleaded justification by referring to the words in Scripture, “Thou shalt
bruise his heel/' Solomon ordered it to get down as they
must both be standing equal in the court. When the snake
— 176 —
got down, Solomon told the man to “bruise its head” and
the man killed it on the spot.
441b. A man found a snake frozen on the ground and
picked it up and put it in his bosom. The snake, quickened
to life through the warmth, coiled itself round the man
and tried to kill him. To requite evil for good, the shake
said, was the way of the world. They brought the case
before King David. On the way they met an ox, who decided
in favour of the snake. So also did an ass and finally King
David did likewise, for it is written that the ‘Snake shall
bruise the heel’. When they left the court, they found
Solomon, still a lad, playing near the well. His stick had
fallen into the water and no one could succeed in getting
it. Solomon then ordered his servants to widen the conduit;
thus the water would fill the well. It rose and they were
able to take the stick. Greatly impressed, the old man aske
Solomon for advice. He obtained the permission of David to
judge the case. Asked by Solomon, the snake replied that
it had acted according to the word of the Lord and then
Solomon said, “Abide by the Word of the Lord,” which
commands the two parties to stand before the judge. The
snake was to uncoil itself and stand apart from the old
man on the ground before him. The snake did so and Solomon told the old man to “bruise its head” with the stick
which he was holding, for so it was written in the Law.
He did so and killed the snake.
