How the Schildbürgers Welcomed the Emperor

I had already mentioned that the emperor ordered the Schildburgers to meet His Majesty by going "half on foot, half on horseback" and to respond to his greeting with a clever saying in rhyme.

The townspeople discussed this tricky matter in their town hall and came up with a decision regarding the clever rhyme. The mayor would first address the emperor with the words:

"Welcome, Sovereign Emperor,
To the glorious town of Schild, we invite you!"

And then His Majesty would have no choice but to reply:

"Thank you, wise Schildburgers!"

If everything went as planned, the mayor would then say:

"And the wisest among us is the First Swineherd!"

In this way, they would fulfill one half of the task the emperor had set for them.

However, opinions among the town fathers diverged on the second part.
One suggested dividing into two groups for the emperor's reception: one would ride on horseback, and the other would go on foot.
Others thought it should be done this way: line up in ranks, with one burgher on horseback and another on foot in each row.
A third advised that each townsman should take a horse, place one foot in the stirrup, and hop alongside on the other foot.

There were also clever minds who proposed this: the emperor should be greeted while riding on hobbyhorses, the kind children ride. That would truly be "half on foot, half on horseback." Moreover, such a stick is always ready—light, swift, and easy to maintain: just bridle it, lift a leg, and off you go.

Needless to say, this proposal delighted the Schildburgers. And the mayor immediately issued a decree: everyone must be ready with their hobbyhorse. Incidentally, in Schild, there was no poor man who didn’t have his own hobbyhorse at home. Soon, they were all racing around town—some on bay, some on black, some on piebald, and some on chestnut—breaking in their spirited steeds.

When the appointed day arrived and the emperor and his retinue appeared in the distance, the Schildburgers galloped toward them at full speed. However, something unexpected happened to the new mayor. Whether he was too nervous or for some other reason, he fell behind and hastily hid behind a dung heap.

Meanwhile, the emperor and his entourage drew closer. The Schildburgers grew uneasy—where had their new mayor disappeared to?

The mayor, realizing he could delay no longer, forgot about his hobbyhorse, hitched up his trousers, and climbed onto the dung heap to greet His Majesty properly from there.

As the emperor and his retinue approached, it was time for the mayor to remove his hat, but his hands were full. What could he do? He stuck the hat in his teeth, held up his trousers with one hand, waved a greeting to His Majesty with the other, and from atop the dung heap shouted:

"Welcome, Emperor of Schild,
Come join us at our table!"

Such a greeting, and in such a place, opened the emperor’s eyes to the kind of people he was dealing with. He realized that the Schildburgers were no ordinary jesters and that the rumors about them were not unfounded. He extended his hand to the mayor and said:

"Thank you, wise Schildburgers!"

At this point, the mayor was supposed to respond with the clever rhyme they had agreed upon at the council. But, fearing he might misspeak, he stood there in silence. Another Schildburger, seeing that the mayor was too frightened to speak, leaped forward on his hobbyhorse and blurted out:

"Our mayor is the first jester!"

Though, to make it rhyme properly, he should have said:

"And the wisest among us is the First Swineherd!"

But the Schildburger reasoned: what’s the difference between a swineherd and a jester? And their mayor truly was the first jester. So, he accidentally told the truth.

That’s how the Schildburgers welcomed the emperor.

Afterward, the townsfolk raced to the city gates. Before following them, the emperor asked the mayor:

"Why on earth did you climb onto the dung heap, you odd fellow?"

"Well, Your Majesty," replied the mayor, "my legs were so overjoyed they couldn’t feel a thing, so they just flew up onto the heap."

The emperor was quite satisfied with this answer, and they all proceeded to the town hall. To keep His Majesty entertained along the way, the Schildburgers amused him with tales of how they had built their town hall and how they had recently accomplished a great feat—sowing salt. They also asked the emperor to exempt them from the salt tax once they harvested their crop and to issue them a patent—a charter for the salt grain.

The emperor heeded their request, and from that day on, the right to sow salt was granted to the Schildburgers forever.

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How the Schildbürgers Welcomed the Emperor

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