“Alas, wife, why do you wish to be Emperor?” “Husband,” said she, “go to the Flounder.  I will be Emperor.”  “Alas, wife,” said the man, “he cannot make you Emperor; I may not say that to the fish.  There is only one Emperor in the land.  An Emperor the Flounder cannot make you!  I assure you he cannot.”

“What!” said the woman, “I am the King, and you are nothing but my husband; will you go this moment?  Go at once!  If he can make a king he can make an emperor.  I will be Emperor; go instantly.”  So he was forced to go.  As the man went, however, he was troubled in mind, and thought to himself, “It will not end well; it will not end well!  Emperor is too shameless!  The Flounder will at last be tired out.”

With that he reached the sea, and the sea was quite black and thick, and began to boil up from below, so that it threw up bubbles, and such a sharp wind blew over it that it curdled, and the man was afraid.  Then he went and stood by it, and said—­

  “Flounder, Flounder, in the sea,
  Come, I pray thee, here to me;
  For my wife, good Ilsabil,
  Wills not as I’d have her will.”

“Well, what does she want, then?” asked the Flounder.  “Alas, Flounder,” said he, “my wife wants to be Emperor.”  “Go to her,” said the Flounder; “she is Emperor already.”

So the man went, and when he got there the whole palace was made of polished marble with alabaster figures and golden ornaments, and soldiers were marching before the door blowing trumpets, and beating cymbals and drums; and in the house, barons, and counts, and dukes were going about as servants.  Then they opened the doors to him, which were of pure gold.  And when he entered, there sat his wife on a throne, which was made of one piece of gold, and was quite two miles high; and she wore a great golden crown that was three yards high, and set with diamonds and carbuncles, and in one hand she had the sceptre, and in the other the imperial orb; and on both sides of her stood the yeomen of the guard in two rows, each being smaller than the one before him, from the biggest giant, who was two miles high, to the very smallest dwarf, just as big as my little finger.  And before it stood a number of princes and dukes.

Then the man went and stood among them, and said, “Wife, are you Emperor now?” “Yes,” said she, “now I am Emperor.”  Then he stood and looked at her well; and when he had looked at her thus for some time, be said, “Ah, wife, be content, now that you are Emperor.”  “Husband,” said she, “why are you standing there?  Now, I am Emperor, but I will be Pope too; go to the Flounder.”

“Alas, wife,” said the man, “what will you not wish for?  You cannot be Pope; there is but one in Christendom; he cannot make you Pope.”  “Husband,” said she, “I will be Pope; go immediately, I must be Pope this very day.”  “No, wife,” said the man, “I do not like to say that to him; that would not do; it is too much; the Flounder can’t make you Pope.”  “Husband,” said she, “what nonsense!  If he can make an emperor he can make a pope.  Go to him directly.  I am Emperor and you are nothing but my husband; will you go at once?”