Emelyan, the Fool

“At the pike’s command, and at my desire,” said the fool, “up, cudgel, and thrash them!” Instantly up sprang the cudgel and began to lay about it on all sides. So the officer was obliged to go back to the town as fast as he could; and when he came before the King, and told him how the fool had cudgelled him, the King marvelled greatly, and would not believe the story.

Then the King called to him a wise man and ordered him to bring the fool by craft, if nothing else would do; so the wise man went to the village where Emelyan lived, called the Starosta before him and said: “I am ordered by the King to take your fool; and therefore ask for the persons with whom he lived.” Then the Starosta ran and fetched Emelyan’s sisters-in-law. The King’s messenger asked them what it was the fool liked, and they answered: “Noble sir, if anyone entreats our fool earnestly to do anything, he flatly refuses the first and second time; the third time he consents, and does what he is required, for he dislikes to be roughly treated.”

The King’s messenger thereupon dismissed them and forbade them to tell Emelyan that he had summoned them before him. Then he brought raisins, baked plums, and grapes, and went to the fool. When he came into the room, he went up to the stove and said: “Emelyan, why are you lying there?” and with that he gave him the raisins, the baked plums, and the grapes, and said: “Emelyan, we will go together to the King: I will take you with me.” But the fool replied: “I am very warm here”; for there was nothing he liked so much as being warm. Then the messenger began to entreat him: “Be so good, Emelyan, do let us go! You will like the Court vastly.” “No,” said the fool “I am lazy.” But the messenger entreated him once more: “Do come with me, there’s a good fellow, and the King will give you a fine red coat and cap, and a pair of red boots.” When the fool heard of the red coat he said: “Go on before, I will follow you.” The messenger pressed him no further, but went out and asked the sisters-in-law if there was any danger of the fool’s deceiving him.