Just be quiet, answered St. Peter, I can do more than cure sick people. I can bring dead ones to life again. Well, if you can do that, said brother lustig, it's all right, but you should earn at least half the kingdom for us by that. Then they went to the royal palace, where everyone was in great grief, but St. Peter told the king that he would restore his daughter to life. He was taken to her, and said, bring me a kettle and some water, and when that was brought, he bade everyone go out, and allowed no one to remain with him but brother lustig. Then he cut off all the dead girl's limbs, and threw them in the water, lighted a fire beneath the kettle, and boiled them. And when the flesh had fallen away from the bones, he took out the beautiful white bones, and laid them on a table, and arranged them together in their natural order. When he had done that, he stepped forward and said three times, in the name of the holy trinity, dead woman, arise. And at the third time, the princess arose, living, healthy and beautiful.
Then the king was in the greatest joy, and said to St. Peter, ask for your reward. Even if it were half my kingdom, I would give it. But St. Peter said, I want nothing for it. Oh, you tomfool, thought brother lustig to himself, and nudged his comrade's side, and said, don't be so stupid. If you have no need of anything, I have. St.
Peter, however, would have nothing, but as the king saw that the other would very much like to have something, he ordered his treasurer to fill brother lustig's knapsack with gold.
Then they went on their way, and when they came to a forest, St.
Peter said to brother lustig, now, we will divide the gold. Yes, he replied, we will. So St. Peter divided the gold, and divided it into three heaps. Brother lustig thought to himself, what crazy idea has he got in his head now. He is making three shares, and there are only two of us. But St. Peter said, I have divided it exactly.
There is one share for me, one for you and one for him who ate the lamb's heart.
Oh, I ate that, replied brother lustig, and hastily swept up the gold. You may trust what I say. But how can that be true, said St.
Peter, when a lamb has no heart. Eh, what, brother, what can you be thinking of. Lambs have hearts like other animals, why should only they have none. Well, so be it, said St. Peter, keep the gold to yourself, but I will stay with you no longer. I will go my way alone. As you like, dear brother, answered brother lustig.
Farewell.
Then St. Peter went a different road, but brother lustig thought, it is a good thing that he has taken himself off, he is certainly a strange saint. Then he had money enough, but did not know how to manage it, squandered it, gave it away, and and when some time had gone by, once more had nothing. Then he arrived in a certain country where he heard that a king's daughter was dead.
Oh, ho, thought he, that may be a good thing for me. I will bring her to life again, and see that I am paid as I ought to be. So he went to the king, and offered to raise the dead girl to life again.
Now the king had heard that a discharged soldier was traveling about and bringing dead persons to life again, and thought that brother lustig was the man. But as he had no confidence in him, he consulted his councillors first, who said that he might give it a trial as his daughter was dead.
Then brother lustig ordered water to be brought to him in a kettle, bade every one go out, cut the limbs off, threw them in the water and lighted a fire beneath, just as he had seen St. Peter do. The water began to boil, the flesh fell off, and then he took the bones out and laid them on the table, but he did not know the order in which to lay them, and placed them all wrong and in confusion. Then he stood before them and said, in the name of the most holy trinity, dead maiden, I bid you arise, and he said this thrice, but the bones did not stir. So he said it thrice more, but also in vain. Confounded girl that you are, get up, cried he, get up, or it shall be the worse for you.
When he had said that, St. Peter suddenly appeared in his former shape as a discharged soldier. He entered by the window and said, godless man, what are you doing. How can the dead maiden arise, when you have thrown about her bones in such confusion. Dear brother, Ihave done everything to the best of my ability, he answered. This once, I will help you out of your difficulty, but one thing I tell you, and that is that if ever you undertake anything of the kind again, it will be the worse for you, and also that you must neither demand nor accept the smallest thing from the king for this.
Thereupon St. Peter laid the bones in their right order, said to the maiden three times, in the name of the most holy trinity, dead maiden, arise, and the king's daughter arose, healthy and beautiful as before. Then St. Peter went away again by the window, and brother lustig was rejoiced to find that all had passed off so well, but was very much vexed to think that after all he was not to take anything for it. I should just like to know, thought he, what fancy that fellow has got in his head, for what he gives with one hand he takes away with the other - there is no sense whatever in it.
Then the king offered brother lustig whatsoever he wished to have, but he did not dare to take anything. However, by hints and cunning, he contrived to make the king order his knapsack to be filled with gold for him, and with that he departed. When he got out, St. Peter was standing by the door, and said, just look what a man you are.
Did I not forbid you to take anything, and there you have your knapsack full of gold. How can I help that, answered brother lustig, if people will put it in for me. Well, I tell you this, that if ever you set about anything of this kind again you shall suffer for it.