How the Cobbler Cheated the Devil

Once upon a time long years ago, in the days when strange things happened in the world, and the devil himself sometimes walked about in it, he came to a very small town where he decided to stay a while to play some of his tricks. Sometimes people were better or were worse than he expected to find them. Sometimes they would not give way to him. Sometimes they went beyond him and outwitted him. But that time he became terribly angry with the people. Finally he was so disgusted that he threatened he would make them regret their treatment of him. He wanted to punish them in a manner which should show them his power. So he flew off in a fury, and all the people, knowing with whom they had to deal, were very sad. They were thinking what terrible thing would happen to them. They didn’t know what to imagine, how they might manage to escape the claws of the Evil One.

As a result it was decided to call a meeting of the townsfolk. All old and young should come to express their opinion, how they all can deal with the devil and his tricks. Only too old to walk, the sick, and the foolish, were not called to the council.

They discussed a lot of different courses. But then suddenly a man rushed into the hall where the council was held. He informed them that their enemy was coming! He had himself seen him making his way to the town. He was bearing on his shoulder a stone almost big enough to bury the place under it. He said that the devil was a long way off. The stone was also heavy and he could not travel fast.

Townsfolk did not know what to do, when suddenly there came among them a poor cobbler. They forgot to call him to the meeting, but all in all he seemed a bit mad. That is why they didn’t even regret it.

“I will go and meet him,” said he, “and stop him coming here.”

“You stop him!” cried they all; “it’s mad you must be to think of it.”

“I’ll go all the same,” said the cobbler, and without saying a word more he goes out and begins to make ready for his journey.

First of all he collected together as many old boots and shoes as he could find, and when he had got them all in a bundle. He found out the man who had seen the devil coming on. He asked him to show the way to go and to meet the devil. The man told him the road, and the cobbler set off.

He walked, and walked, and walked, till at last he came to the devil, who was sitting by the roadside resting himself and trying to get cool. The day was warm, and he was very tired with carrying the big rock which lay beside him.

“Do you know the place called… ?” asked he of the man, naming the town he would be at.

“I do, indeed,” said the man, “I have to, because I have lived in its neighborhood these many years. And have only left there to travel here.”

“And how many days have you been getting here?” asked the devil. He had hoped he was near the end of his journey.

“Oh, days and days,” replied the man. “See here,” and he opened his bag with old boots that he had ready, —“see here,” said he, “these are the boots I’ve worn out on the hard road in coming from the place here.”

“‘Have you, indeed!’ said the devil, looking at them amazed. He didn’t know the man was lying as he showed him pair after pair, all in holes.

“Well, indeed, it must be a long way off,” and he looked around him, and then at the rock, and thought what a terrible long way he had to bring it. He began to doubt whether, after all, since he’s still got so far to go, it’s worth all the trouble.

“If it had been near,” said he, “it would have been a different thing. I would have shown them what it is to treat me as they did. But it’s so far off… It’s another matter, and I don’t think it’s worth the trouble.”

So he just took up the rock and threw it aside in a field, and went off back again. So the cobbler came home, and told all the townsfolk what he had done, and how he had cheated the devil. They all admired his cleverness, and the joke of tricking the devil as he had. But they also reminded him of the fact that he missed his day’s work.

A Pleasant and Delightful History of Thomas Hickathrift

There lived a man in the county of Cambridge, whose name was Thomas Hickathrift. He was a poor man, yet he was a very strong man, and able to perform two days’ work instead of one. He had one son, he called him by his own name, Thomas Hickathrift. This old man put his son to good learning, but he didn’t want to study.

His father soon died, and his mother was very kind to him. But he was not willing to work to get a penny for his living. All his delight was to be in the chimney-corner, and he would eat as much at one time as would serve four or five men. He was in height, when he was ten years of age, about eight feet, and in thickness, five feet; and his hand was like a shoulder of mutton; and in all his parts, from top to toe, he was like a monster. Yet his great strength was not known.

The first time that his strength was known was by his mother’s going to a rich farmer’s house to have a bottle of straw for herself and her son Thomas. The farmer, being a very honest, charitable man, asked her take what she would. She went home to her son Tom, said—

“My son, I ask you, go and bring me a bottle of straw.”

He didn’t want to go. So she asked him twice. He said again he would not go unless she would borrow him a cart-rope. To please him, she went and borrowed him a cart-rope.

He came to the farmer’s house, the master was in the barn, and two men. Said Tom—

“I came for a bottle of straw.”

“Tom,” said the master, “take as much as you can carry.”

He laid down the cart-rope and began to make his bottle. Said they—

“Tom, the rope is too short,” he said but fitted the man well for it. He made his bottle, and when he had finished it, there was supposed to be a load of straw in it of two thousand pounds weight. Said they—

“What a great fool are you. You can’t carry it.”

Tom took the bottle, and threw it over his shoulder. Now Tom Hickathrift’s strength was known in the town. Everyone wanted to hire him for work. They told him that it was a shame for him to live such a lazy life day after day, when he was so strong.

Tom went first to one work and then to another, but at length came to a man who would hire him to go to the wood. He had a tree to bring home, and he would content him. Tom went with him, and took with him four men besides. But when they came to the wood they set the cart to the tree, and began to draw it up with logs. Tom said—

“Stand away, you fools!” then took it up and set it on one end and laid it in the cart.

“Now,” said he, “see what a man can do!”

“Marry, it is true,” said they.

When they had done, as they came through the wood, they met the woodman. Tom asked him for a stick to make his mother a fire with.

“Ay,” says the woodman. “Take one that you can carry.”

Tom took a tree bigger than that one that was in the cart, and laid it on his shoulder, and went home with it as fast as the cart and the six horses could draw it. This was the second time that Tom’s strength was known.

When Tom began to know that he had more strength than twenty men, he then began to be merry and would run or jump. Now he was happy to be among the company, and to go to fairs and meetings, to see sports.

Going to a feast, the young men were all met, some to wrestling, some throwing the hammer, and the like. Tom stood to see the sport, and at last went to them that were throwing the hammer. Standing a little to see their manlike sport, at last he took the hammer in his hand, to feel the weight of it. He asked all the people around to stand out of the way, because he would throw it as far as he could.

“Oh yes,” said the smith. “You’ll throw it a great way.”

Tom took the hammer in his hand and threw it. And there was a river far away, so he threw it into that. When he had done it, he asked the smith go and bring the hammer, and laughed.

Then Tom went to wrestling. He had no more skill of it but he did it by strength. He threw all that came to oppose him. Some he would throw over his head.

So Tom’s fame spread more and more in the country. Once there was a brewer at Lynn that wanted a good man to carry his beer to the Marsh and to Wisbeach. When he heard of Tom, he went to hire him, but Tom didn’t want to. And he would not be his man until his mother and friends persuaded him. He promised him that he should have a new suit of clothes, besides he should eat of the best. Tom at last decided to be his man, and his master told him how far he must go. There was an angry giant kept some part of the Marsh. And none wanted to go that way, for if they did he would keep them or kill them, or else he would make slaves of them.

But to come to Tom and his master. He did more work in one day than all his men could do in three, so that his master made him his head man to go into the Marsh to carry beer by himself. Tom went every day in the week to Wisbeach, which was a very good journey, and it was twenty miles the roadway.

One day he saw a giant. The giant met Tom like a lion, as though he would have swallowed him up at a mouthful.

“Hey,” said he, “who gave you authority to come this way? Do you not know I make all stand in fear of my sight? Are you so careless of your life?”

Tom made him answer—

“I’m not like one of them.”

“No?” said the giant. “Why? You’re a fool if you want to fight with such a one as I am. You haven’t brought any weapon with you.”

Said Tom—

“I have a weapon here will make you understand you are a fool.”

“Ay,” said the giant, he ran into his cave to fetch out his club to dash out Tom’s brains at the first blow.

While the giant went for his club, Tom made himself two very good weapons. He took his cart and turned it upside down and took out the tree. The giant, coming out again, began to stare at Tom with the tree in one hand, and the cart in the other, to defend him with.

“Oh,” said the giant, “you are like to do great service with these weapons.”

Tom perfectly saw there was no way except one, which was to kill or be killed. So they started fighting. Tom laid such huge blows on the giant that sweat and blood together ran down his face. He was almost tired out, and he asked Tom to let him drink a little water, and then he would fight him again.

“No,” said Tom, “my mother did not teach me that. Who would be the fool then?”

Soon Tom brought the giant down to the ground. The giant prayed Tom not to kill him and he would do anything for him. He even cried he could be his servant.

But Tom, having no more mercy on him than a dog or a bear, killed him. When he had done, he cut off his head, and went into his cave, where he found a lot of gold and silver.

Tom returned to his master and told everything to him. His master was so happy at the news that he would not believe him. The next day he and his master went to see if he spoke the truth or not, together with most of the town of Lynn. When they came to the place, they found the giant dead. He then showed the place where the head was, and what silver and gold there was in the cave. All of them were so happy, because this monster was a great enemy to all the country.

This news was spread all up and down the country, how Tom Hickathrift had killed the giant. Tom was a better respected man than before.

Tom took some gold and silver of the giant’s cave by consent of the whole country, and every one said he deserved twice as much more. Tom built him a fine house where the cave stood, and in the ground that the giant kept by force and strength, some of which he gave to the poor.

Tom’s fame was spread both far and near throughout the country, and it was no longer Tom but Mr. Hickathrift. So that he was now the chiefest man among them, some people feared Tom’s anger as much as they did the giant before. Tom kept men and maid servants, and lived most bravely. He made a park to keep deer in. Near to his house he built a church and gave it the name of St. James’s Church, because he killed the giant on that day. He did many good deeds, and became a public person to all people that lived near him.

One day he was late in the evening on the road. There met him four men, who were robbing passengers that way, and none could escape them. They robbed all they met, both rich and poor. They thought when they met with Tom he would be a good prize for them. But they were mistaken, for he got a prize by them. They stopped him and said

“Your money, man,” said they.

“But,” said Tom, “you must be better armed.”

“Come, come,” said they, “we come for money, and money we will have before we stir from this place.”

“Ay!” said Tom. “Is it so? Then get it and take it.”

So he fought with them, till at last he killed two of the four, and the other two he wounded. Finally he gave them their lives, but took all their money, which was about two hundred pounds, to bear his expenses home.

Then going into his forest, he met a tinker that had a good staff on his shoulder, and a great dog to carry his leather bag and tools of work. Tom asked the tinker from where he came, and where he was going. The tinker, being a sturdy fellow, said

“Go, where you were going, man.”

“Yes,” says Tom, “but I’ll make you know, before you and I part, it is me.”

“Ay!” said the tinker, “I have been this three long years, and have had no fight with any man. I think they are all cowards in this country, except maybe a man who is called Thomas Hickathrift who killed a giant. I would have one combat with him.”

“Ay!” said Tom, “but I am the man: what have you to say to me?”

“Why,” said the tinker, “I am glad we have met so happily together, that we may have one single fight.”

So they started to fight. The tinker was a great fighter but at last Tom gave the tinker a blow on the side of the head and the tinker fell to the ground.

“Now, tinker, where are you?” said Tom.

But the tinker, being a man of metal, jumped up again, and gave Tom a blow which made him reel again, and followed his blows, and then took Tom on the other side, which made Tom’s neck crack. Tom threw down the weapon, and said that the tinker was the best man. He took him home to his house, where they recovered from their wounds.