Another English variant relates that a young girl having been left alone in the house, her mother finds her in tears when she comes home, and asks the cause of her distress.  “Oh,” says the girl, “while you were away, a brick fell down the chimney, and I thought, if it had fallen on me I might have been killed!” The only novel adventure which the girl’s betrothed meets with, in his quest of three bigger fools, is an old woman trying to drag an oven with a rope to the table where the dough lay.

Several versions are current in Italy and Sicily, which present a close analogy to those of other European countries.  The following is a translation of one in Bernoni’s Venetian collection: 

Once upon a time there were a husband and a wife who had a son.  This son grew up, and said one day to his mother, “Do you know, mother, I would like to marry?” “Very well, marry!  Whom do you want to take?” He answered, “I want the gardener’s daughter.”  “She is a good girl—­take her; I am willing.”  So he went, and asked for the girl, and her parents gave her to him.  They were married, and when they were in the midst of their dinner, the wine gave out.  The husband said, “There is no more wine!” The bride, to show that she was a good housekeeper, said, “I will go and get some.”  She took the bottles and went to the cellar, turned the cock, and began to think, “Suppose I should have a son, and we should call him Bastianelo, and he should die!  Oh, how grieved I should be! oh, how grieved I should be!” And thereupon she began to weep and weep; and meanwhile the wine was running all over the cellar.

When they saw that the bride did not return, the mother said, “I will go and see what the matter is.”  So she went into the cellar, and saw the bride, with the bottle in her hand, and weeping.  “What is the matter with you that you are weeping?” “Ah, my mother, I was thinking that if I had a son, and should name him Bastianelo, and he should die, oh, how I should grieve! oh, how I should grieve!” The mother, too, began to weep, and weep, and weep; and meanwhile the wine was running over the cellar.

When the people at the table saw that no one brought the wine, the groom’s father said, “I will go and see what is the matter.  Certainly something wrong has happened to the bride.”  He went and saw the whole cellar full of wine, and the mother and bride weeping.  “What is the matter?” he said; “has anything wrong happened to you?”

“No,” said the bride; “but I was thinking that if I had a son, and should call him Bastianelo, and he should die, oh, how I should grieve! oh, how I should grieve!” Then he, too, began to weep, and all three wept; and meanwhile the wine was running over the cellar.