in
Literature
and Art.
231
dronke, she toke the childe to bere it home, and in the wai was a litle bridg over a
muddy water. And as the mydwife would have gone over the lytle brydge, she fel
into the mudde with the chylde, for she had a lytel dronk to much wyne, for had
not helpe come quickly, the had both be drowned in the mudde. And whan the
came home with the childe, the made a kettle of warm water to be made redi, and
therin they washed the child clen of the mudde. And thlli was Howleglas thre
tymes in one dai cristened, once at the churche, once in the mudde, and once in the
warm water."
It will be feen that the Englilh tranilator was not very correct in his
geography or in his names. The child, having thus efcaped deitruetion,
grew rapidly, and difplayed an extraordinary love of mifchief, with various
other evil propennties, as well as a cunning beyond his age, in efcaping
the ritks to which thefe expoled him. At a very early age, he difplayed
a remarkable talent for fetting the other children by the ears, and this
was his favourite amufement during life. His mother, who was now a
widow, contemplating the extraordinary cunning of her child, which, as
[he thought, mull neceffarily enfure his advancement in the world, reiblved
that he fhould no longer remain idle, and put him apprentice to a baker,
but his wicked and reitlefs difpofltion defeated all the good intentions of
his parent, and Eulenfpiegel was obliged to leave his mafter in confequence
of his mal-practices. One day his mother took him to a church-dedica-
tion, and the child drank to much at the feait on that occalion, that he
crept into an empty beehive and fell aflccp, while his mother, thinking he
had gone home, returned without him. In the night-time two thieves
came into the garden to {teal the bees, and they agreed to take firlt the hive
which was heaviett. This, as may be fuppofed, proved to be the hive in
which Eulenfpiegel was hidden, and they fixed it on a pole which they
carried on their lhoulders, one before and one behind, the hive hanging
between them. Eulenfpiegel, awakened by the movement, foon difcovered
the pofition in which he was placed, and hit upon a plan for efcaping.
Gently lifting the lid of the hive, he put out his arm and plucked the
hair of the man before, who turned about and accufed his companion of
infnlting him. The other afferted that he had not touched him, and the
firit, only half fatisned, continued to bear his {hare of the burthen, but he
had not advanced many fteps when a itill [harper pull at his hair excited
his