[9] A slightly different version occurs in the Tale of Beryn, which is found in a unique MS. of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and which forms the first part of the old French romance of the Chevalier Berinus.  In the English poem Beryn, lamenting his misfortunes, and that he had disinherited himself, says: 

  “But I fare like the man, that for to swale his vlyes [i.e. flies]
  He stert in-to the bern, and aftir stre he hies,
  And goith a-bout with a brennyng wase,
  Tyll it was atte last that the leam and blase
  Entryd in-to the chynys, wher the whete was,
  And kissid so the evese, that brent was al the plase.”

It is certain that the author of the French original of the Tale of Beryn did not get this story out of our jests of the men of Gotham.

[10] There is an analogous Indian story of a youth who went to a tank to drink, and observing the reflection of a golden-crested bird that was sitting on a tree, he thought it was gold in the water, and entered the tank to take it up, but he could not lay hold of it as it appeared and disappeared in the water.  But as often as he ascended the bank he again saw it in the water, and again he entered the tank to lay hold of it, and still he got nothing.  At length his father saw and questioned him, then drove away the bird, and explaining the matter to him, took the foolish fellow home.

We have already seen that the men of Abdera (p. 5) flogged an ass before its fellows for upsetting a jar of olive oil, but what is that compared with the story of the ass that drank up the moon?  According to Ludovicus Vives, a learned Spanish writer, certain townspeople imprisoned an ass for drinking up the moon, whose reflection, appearing in the water, was covered with a cloud while the ass was drinking.  Next day the poor beast was brought to the bar to be sentenced according to his deserts.  After the grave burghers had discussed the affair for some time, one at length rose up and declared that it was not fit the town should lose its moon, but rather that the ass should be cut open and the moon he had swallowed taken out of him, which, being cordially approved by the others, was done accordingly.

[11] This is also one of the Fables of Marie de France (thirteenth century).

[12] A complete translation of the Katha Sarit Sagara, by Professor C.H.  Tawney, with notes of variants, which exhibit his wide acquaintance with the popular fictions of all lands, has been recently published at Calcutta (London agents, Messrs. Truebner and Co.), a work which must prove invaluable to every English student of comparative folk-lore.

[13] Siva’s paradise, according to Hindu mythology, is on Mount Kailasa, in the Himalyas, north of Manasa.

[14] Tawney’s translation, which is used throughout this work.

CHAPTER III.

GOTHAMITE DROLLERIES (continued).