merve/folk-mythology-tales · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"No, I'll not," said the master; "I'll explain my advice."

"Tell it me, then," said Ivan.

Then said the master, "Never leave the old road for the sake of a new
one."

After that they agreed for another year at the old wages, and at the
end of it Ivan took instead a piece of advice, and this was it: "Never
lodge where an old man is married to a young woman."

The same thing happened at the end of the third year, when the piece of
advice was: "Honesty is the best policy."

But Ivan would not stay longer, but wanted to go back to his wife.

"Don't go to-day," said his master; "my wife bakes to-morrow, and she
shall make thee a cake to take home to thy good woman."

And when Ivan was going to leave, "Here," said his master, "here is a
cake for thee to take home to thy wife, and, when ye are most joyous
together, then break the cake, and not sooner."

So he took fair leave of them and travelled towards home, and at last
he came to Wayn Her, and there he met three merchants from Tre Rhyn, of
his own parish, coming home from Exeter Fair. "Oho! Ivan," said they,
"come with us; glad are we to see you. Where have you been so long?"

"I have been in service," said Ivan, "and now I'm going home to my
wife."

"Oh, come with us! you'll be right welcome." But when they took the new
road Ivan kept to the old one. And robbers fell upon them before they
had gone far from Ivan as they were going by the fields of the houses
in the meadow. They began to cry out, "Thieves!" and Ivan shouted out
"Thieves!" too. And when the robbers heard Ivan's shout they ran away,
and the merchants went by the new road and Ivan by the old one till
they met again at Market-Jew.

"Oh, Ivan," said the merchants, "we are beholding to you; but for you
we would have been lost men. Come lodge with us at our cost, and
welcome."

When they came to the place where they used to lodge, Ivan said, "I
must see the host."

"The host," they cried; "what do you want with the host? Here is the
hostess, and she's young and pretty. If you want to see the host you'll
find him in the kitchen."

So he went into the kitchen to see the host; he found him a weak old
man turning the spit.

"Oh! oh!" quoth Ivan, "I'll not lodge here, but will go next door."

"Not yet," said the merchants, "sup with us, and welcome."

Now it happened that the hostess had plotted with a certain monk in
Market-Jew to murder the old man in his bed that night while the rest
were asleep, and they agreed to lay it on the lodgers.

So while Ivan was in bed next door, there was a hole in the pine-end of
the house, and he saw a light through it. So he got up and looked, and
heard the monk speaking. "I had better cover this hole," said he, "or
people in the next house may see our deeds." So he stood with his back
against it while the hostess killed the old man.

But meanwhile Ivan out with his knife, and putting it through the hole,
cut a round piece off the monk's robe. The very next morning the
hostess raised the cry that her husband was murdered, and as there was
neither man nor child in the house but the merchants, she declared they
ought to be hanged for it.

So they were taken and carried to prison, till a last Ivan came to
them. "Alas! alas! Ivan," cried they, "bad luck sticks to us; our host
was killed last night, and we shall be hanged for it."

"Ah, tell the justices," said Ivan, "to summon the real murderers."

"Who knows," they replied, "who committed the crime?"

"Who committed the crime!" said Ivan. "If I cannot prove who committed
the crime, hang me in your stead."

So he told all he knew, and brought out the piece of cloth from the
monk's robe, and with that the merchants were set at liberty, and the
hostess and the monk were seized and hanged.

Then they came all together out of Market-Jew, and they said to him:
"Come as far as Coed Carrn y Wylfa, the Wood of the Heap of Stones of
Watching, in the parish of Burman." Then their two roads separated, and
though the merchants wished Ivan to go with them, he would not go with
them, but went straight home to his wife.

And when his wife saw him she said: "Home in the nick of time. Here's a
purse of gold that I've found; it has no name, but sure it belongs to
the great lord yonder. I was just thinking what to do when you came."

Then Ivan thought of the third counsel, and he said "Let us go and give

"No, I'll not," said the master; "I'll explain my advice."

"Tell it me, then," said Ivan.

Then said the master, "Never leave the old road for the sake of a new

one."

After that they agreed for another year at the old wages, and at the

end of it Ivan took instead a piece of advice, and this was it: "Never

lodge where an old man is married to a young woman."

The same thing happened at the end of the third year, when the piece of

advice was: "Honesty is the best policy."

But Ivan would not stay longer, but wanted to go back to his wife.

"Don't go to-day," said his master; "my wife bakes to-morrow, and she

shall make thee a cake to take home to thy good woman."

And when Ivan was going to leave, "Here," said his master, "here is a

cake for thee to take home to thy wife, and, when ye are most joyous

together, then break the cake, and not sooner."

So he took fair leave of them and travelled towards home, and at last

he came to Wayn Her, and there he met three merchants from Tre Rhyn, of

his own parish, coming home from Exeter Fair. "Oho! Ivan," said they,

"come with us; glad are we to see you. Where have you been so long?"

"I have been in service," said Ivan, "and now I'm going home to my

wife."

"Oh, come with us! you'll be right welcome." But when they took the new

road Ivan kept to the old one. And robbers fell upon them before they

had gone far from Ivan as they were going by the fields of the houses

in the meadow. They began to cry out, "Thieves!" and Ivan shouted out

"Thieves!" too. And when the robbers heard Ivan's shout they ran away,

and the merchants went by the new road and Ivan by the old one till

they met again at Market-Jew.

"Oh, Ivan," said the merchants, "we are beholding to you; but for you

we would have been lost men. Come lodge with us at our cost, and

welcome."

When they came to the place where they used to lodge, Ivan said, "I

must see the host."

"The host," they cried; "what do you want with the host? Here is the

hostess, and she's young and pretty. If you want to see the host you'll

find him in the kitchen."

So he went into the kitchen to see the host; he found him a weak old

man turning the spit.

"Oh! oh!" quoth Ivan, "I'll not lodge here, but will go next door."

"Not yet," said the merchants, "sup with us, and welcome."

Now it happened that the hostess had plotted with a certain monk in

Market-Jew to murder the old man in his bed that night while the rest

were asleep, and they agreed to lay it on the lodgers.

So while Ivan was in bed next door, there was a hole in the pine-end of

the house, and he saw a light through it. So he got up and looked, and

heard the monk speaking. "I had better cover this hole," said he, "or

people in the next house may see our deeds." So he stood with his back

against it while the hostess killed the old man.

But meanwhile Ivan out with his knife, and putting it through the hole,

cut a round piece off the monk's robe. The very next morning the

hostess raised the cry that her husband was murdered, and as there was

neither man nor child in the house but the merchants, she declared they

ought to be hanged for it.

So they were taken and carried to prison, till a last Ivan came to

them. "Alas! alas! Ivan," cried they, "bad luck sticks to us; our host

was killed last night, and we shall be hanged for it."

"Ah, tell the justices," said Ivan, "to summon the real murderers."

"Who knows," they replied, "who committed the crime?"

"Who committed the crime!" said Ivan. "If I cannot prove who committed

the crime, hang me in your stead."

So he told all he knew, and brought out the piece of cloth from the

monk's robe, and with that the merchants were set at liberty, and the

hostess and the monk were seized and hanged.

Then they came all together out of Market-Jew, and they said to him:

"Come as far as Coed Carrn y Wylfa, the Wood of the Heap of Stones of

Watching, in the parish of Burman." Then their two roads separated, and

though the merchants wished Ivan to go with them, he would not go with

them, but went straight home to his wife.

And when his wife saw him she said: "Home in the nick of time. Here's a

purse of gold that I've found; it has no name, but sure it belongs to

the great lord yonder. I was just thinking what to do when you came."

Then Ivan thought of the third counsel, and he said "Let us go and give