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The king had to laugh at the peasant, and when his anger had subsided, he said, "Because you lost your reward even before you received it, I will replace it for you. Go into my treasure chamber and take as much money for yourself as you want." The peasant did not need to be told twice, and he stuffed as much as would fit into his big pockets. After that he went to an inn and counted out his money. The Jew had crept after him and heard him muttering to himself, "That rascal of a king has cheated me after all. If he himself had given me the money, then I would know how much I have. Now how can I know if what I had the luck to put into my pockets is right?" "God forbid," said the Jew to himself, "he is speaking disrespectfully of his majesty. I will run and report him, and then I shall get a reward, and furthermore he will be punished." When the king heard what the peasant had said he fell into a rage, and ordered the Jew to go and bring the offender to him. The Jew ran to the peasant and said, "You are to go to his majesty the king at once, and just as you are." "I know better than that what is right," answered the peasant. "First let me have a new coat made for myself. Do you think that a man with so much money in his pockets should go before the king in this tattered old coat?" The Jew, seeing that the peasant could not be moved without another coat, and fearing that if the king's anger cooled, he himself would lose his reward, and the peasant his punishment, said, "Out of pure friendship I will lend you a handsome coat for a little while. What people will not do for love!" The peasant was satisfied with this, put on the Jew's coat, and went off with him. The king confronted the peasant with the evil things the Jew had accused him of saying. "Oh," said the peasant, "what a Jew says is always a lie. No true word ever comes out of his mouth. That rascal there is even capable of claiming that I have his coat on." "What are you saying?" shouted the Jew. "Is that coat not mine? Did I not lend it to you out of pure friendship, so that you could appear before his majesty the king?" When the king heard this, he said, "For sure the Jew has deceived one of us, either myself or the peasant." And once again he had the Jew paid out in hard talers. The peasant, however, went home wearing the good coat and with the good money in his pockets, saying to himself, "This time I made it."
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发表于 2012-9-22 13:24
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