How Eulenspiegel Tricked the Riesenburg Priest Out of a Horse

Eulenspiegel did not refrain from trickery even in the village of Riesenburg. There lived a priest who had a beautiful housekeeper and a splendid little horse. The priest loved both dearly, even the horse more than the servant. Once, the Duke of Brunswick visited Riesenburg and, through intermediaries, conveyed to the priest that he wished to acquire the horse and was willing to pay more than its worth. But the priest firmly refused the duke; he loved his horse too much and did not want to part with it. The duke, however, did not wish to take it by force.

Eulenspiegel, who was well-versed in such matters, heard of this and said to the duke: “Gracious lord, what will you give me if I procure the priest’s horse for you?” The duke replied, “If you do this, I will give you a red coat from my own shoulders, embroidered with pearls.”

Eulenspiegel took up the task and headed to the village. He had been to the priest’s house before, so he was known there and was received hospitably. After a few days, Eulenspiegel pretended to be gravely ill, began groaning loudly, and eventually took to his bed. The priest and his housekeeper did not know how to help him and were deeply distressed. Finally, seeing that he was in a bad way, the priest spoke to him about confession. Eulenspiegel had no objections. The priest then said he would hear the confession himself and suggested that Eulenspiegel recall all the wrongs he had committed in his life, and the merciful Lord would forgive him. In a weak voice, Eulenspiegel replied that he had no sins except for one, but he could not confess it to the priest. It would be better to call another priest, as he feared the priest would be angry if he revealed it.

Hearing this, the priest’s curiosity was piqued, and he wanted to know what the matter was. “Dear Eulenspiegel,” he said, “the road is long, and I doubt I can fetch another priest in time. If you die before confessing, we will both have to answer to God. Tell me your sin; perhaps it is not so great, and I will absolve you. And why should you fear my anger? I am bound by the secrecy of confession.” “Well then,” said Eulenspiegel, “if that is the case, I will confess to you. The sin may not be great, but I regret that it will displease you, for it concerns you.”

These words further stirred the priest’s curiosity, and he resolved to find out the truth at all costs. If Eulenspiegel had stolen something from him or was guilty of something similar, he said, let him speak without fear, and he would forgive him and hold no grudge. “Ah, dear sir,” said Eulenspiegel, “I know you will be angry, but since I am soon to leave this world, I must confess. Do not be angry, dear sir, but the matter is that I have slept with your housekeeper.”

The priest asked how often this had happened. “Only five times,” replied Eulenspiegel. “Well, she will be punished fivefold for this,” thought the priest, and after absolving Eulenspiegel of his sins, he went to his room, called the housekeeper, and asked her if she had slept with Eulenspiegel. The housekeeper denied it. The priest then declared that Eulenspiegel had confessed it to him and that he could not disbelieve him. She insisted it was a lie, but he insisted it was true, and then he took a stick and beat her until she was bruised. Meanwhile, Eulenspiegel, lying in bed, laughed to himself, thinking, “Now the deed is done.”

He stayed in bed for a day, but by nightfall, he had recovered and in the morning rose, saying he felt better and must be on his way. He asked how much he owed for his stay; the priest calculated the sum, received payment, and was glad to see him go. The housekeeper was also glad, for it was because of him that she had been beaten. Eulenspiegel was ready to leave, but before setting off, he said to the priest, “Father, I must warn you that since you have violated the secrecy of confession, I intend to ride to Halberstadt and report this to the bishop.”

Hearing that Eulenspiegel intended to ruin him, the priest forgot his anger and begged Eulenspiegel to keep silent, promising him twenty guilders. But Eulenspiegel said, “No, not even for a hundred guilders will I remain silent. I will do as I promised.” Then, with tears in his eyes, the priest implored the housekeeper to speak with Eulenspiegel and find out what he wanted; he would give him anything for his silence.

Finally, Eulenspiegel said he would keep quiet if the priest gave him the horse. The priest would rather have parted with all his money than with the horse—he loved it so much. But he had no choice and reluctantly handed over the horse, and Eulenspiegel rode off at once.

He galloped to the city gates. The duke was standing on the drawbridge at the time. Seeing Eulenspiegel on the priest’s horse, he took off the promised coat and said, “My dear Eulenspiegel, here is your coat.” “And here is your horse, gracious lord,” replied Eulenspiegel, dismounting.

The duke was very grateful to him and then asked him to tell how he had managed to get the horse from the priest. Upon hearing the story, the duke laughed heartily and, in addition to the coat, gave Eulenspiegel the horse as well.

As for the priest, he grieved deeply for his horse and often beat the housekeeper over it, so she soon left him. And he was left with nothing: neither horse nor housekeeper.

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How Eulenspiegel Tricked the Riesenburg Priest Out of a Horse

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