Chapter Chapter 32 · The Three Languages

. The Three Languages

An aged count once lived in Switzerland, who had an only son, but he

was stupid, and could learn nothing. Then said the father, “Hark thee,

my son, I can get nothing into thy head, let me try as I will. Thou

must go from hence, I will give thee into the care of a celebrated

master, who shall see what he can do with thee.” The youth was sent

into a strange town, and remained a whole year with the master. At the

end of this time, he came home again, and his father asked, “Now, my

son, what hast thou learnt?” “Father, I have learnt what the dogs say

when they bark.” “Lord have mercy on us!” cried the father; “is that

all thou hast learnt? I will send thee into another town, to another

master.” The youth was taken thither, and stayed a year with this

master likewise. When he came back the father again asked, “My son,

what hast thou learnt?” He answered, “Father, I have learnt what the

birds say.” Then the father fell into a rage and said, “Oh, thou lost

man, thou hast spent the precious time and learnt nothing; art thou not

ashamed to appear before mine eyes? I will send thee to a third master,

but if thou learnest nothing this time also, I will no longer be thy

father.” The youth remained a whole year with the third master also,

and when he came home again, and his father inquired, “My son, what

hast thou learnt?” he answered, “Dear father, I have this year learnt

what the frogs croak.” Then the father fell into the most furious

anger, sprang up, called his people thither, and said, “This man is no

longer my son, I drive him forth, and command you to take him out into

the forest, and kill him.” They took him forth, but when they should

have killed him, they could not do it for pity, and let him go, and

they cut the eyes and the tongue out of a deer that they might carry

them to the old man as a token.

The youth wandered on, and after some time came to a fortress where he

begged for a night’s lodging. “Yes,” said the lord of the castle, “if

thou wilt pass the night down there in the old tower, go thither; but I

warn thee, it is at the peril of thy life, for it is full of wild dogs,

which bark and howl without stopping, and at certain hours a man has to

be given to them, whom they at once devour.” The whole district was in

sorrow and dismay because of them, and yet no one could do anything to

stop this. The youth, however, was without fear, and said, “Just let me

go down to the barking dogs, and give me something that I can throw to

them; they will do nothing to harm me.” As he himself would have it so,

they gave him some food for the wild animals, and led him down to the

tower. When he went inside, the dogs did not bark at him, but wagged

their tails quite amicably around him, ate what he set before them, and

did not hurt one hair of his head. Next morning, to the astonishment of

everyone, he came out again safe and unharmed, and said to the lord of

the castle, “The dogs have revealed to me, in their own language, why

they dwell there, and bring evil on the land. They are bewitched, and

are obliged to watch over a great treasure which is below in the tower,

and they can have no rest until it is taken away, and I have likewise

learnt, from their discourse, how that is to be done.” Then all who

heard this rejoiced, and the lord of the castle said he would adopt him

as a son if he accomplished it successfully. He went down again, and as

he knew what he had to do, he did it thoroughly, and brought a chest

full of gold out with him. The howling of the wild dogs was henceforth

heard no more; they had disappeared, and the country was freed from the

trouble.

After some time he took it into his head that he would travel to Rome.

On the way he passed by a marsh, in which a number of frogs were

sitting croaking. He listened to them, and when he became aware of what

they were saying, he grew very thoughtful and sad. At last he arrived

in Rome, where the Pope had just died, and there was great difficulty

as to whom they should appoint as his successor. They at length agreed

that the person should be chosen as pope who should be distinguished by

some divine and miraculous token. And just as that was decided on, the

young count entered into the church, and suddenly two snow-white doves

flew on his shoulders and remained sitting there. The ecclesiastics

recognized therein the token from above, and asked him on the spot if

he would be pope. He was undecided, and knew not if he were worthy of

this, but the doves counselled him to do it, and at length he said yes.

Then was he anointed and consecrated, and thus was fulfilled what he

had heard from the frogs on his way, which had so affected him, that he

was to be his Holiness the Pope. Then he had to sing a mass, and did

not know one word of it, but the two doves sat continually on his

shoulders, and said it all in his ear.