There was a miller, who left no more estate to the three sons he had, than his Mill, his Ass, and his Cat.
The poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor a lot.
The Cat, who heard all this, but made as if he did not, said to him with a grave and serious air:
"Do not thus afflict yourself, my good master; you have only to give me a bag, and get a pair of boots made for me, that I may scamper thro' the dirt and the brambles, and you shall see that you have not so bad a portion of me as you imagine."
Tho' the Cat's master did not build very much upon what he said, he had however often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice; as when he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself in the meal, and make as if he were dead; so that he did not altogether despair of his affording him some help in his miserable condition.
When the Cat had what he asked for, he booted himself very gallantly; and putting his bag about his neck, he held the strings of it in his two fore paws, and went into a warren where was great abundance of rabbits.
Scarce was he lain down, but he had what he wanted; a rash and foolish young rabbit jumped into his bag, and Monsieur Puss, immediately drawing close the strings, took and killed him without pity.
"I have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren which my noble lord the
"Tell thy master," said the King, "that I thank him, and that he does me a great deal of pleasure."
Another time he went and hid himself among some standing corn, holding still his bag open; and when a brace of partridges ran into it, he drew the strings, and so caught them both.
The Cat continued for two or three months, thus to carry his Majesty, from time to time, game of his master's taking. One day in particular, when he knew for certain that the King was to take the air, along the river side, with his daughter, the most beautiful Princess in the world, he said to his master:
"If you will follow my advice, your fortune is made; you have nothing else to do, but go and wash yourself in the river, in that part I shall shew you, and leave the rest to me."
The Marquis of Carabas did what the Cat advised him to, without knowing why or wherefore.
While he was washing, the King passed by, and the Cat began to cry out, as loud as he could:
"Help, help, my lord Marquis of Carabas is drowning."
At this noise the King put his head out of his coach-window, and finding it was the Cat who had so often brought him such good game, he commanded his guards to run immediately to the assistance of his lordship the Marquis of Carabas.
While they were drawing the poor Marquis out of the river, the Cat came up to the coach, and told the King that while his master was washing, there came by some rogues, who went off with his clothes, tho' he had cried out "Thieves, thieves," several times, as loud as he could. This cunning Cat had hidden them under a great stone. The King immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one of his best suits for the lord Marquis of Carabas.
The King received him with great kindness, and as the fine clothes he had given him extremely set off his good mien (for he was well made, and very handsome in his person), the King's daughter took a secret inclination to him, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast two or three respectful and somewhat tender glances, but she fell in love with him to distraction.
"Good people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the King, that the meadow you mow belongs to my lord Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped as small as mince-meat."
The King did not fail asking of the mowers, to whom the meadow they were mowing belonged.
"To my lord Marquis of Carabas," answered they all together; for the Cat's threats had made them terribly afraid.
"Truly a fine estate," said the King to the Marquis of Carabas.
"You see, sir," said the Marquis, "this is a meadow which never fails to yield a plentiful harvest every year."
The Master Cat, who still went on before, met with some reapers, and said to them:
"Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the King that all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped as small as mince-meat."
The King, who passed by a moment after, would needs know to whom all that corn, which he then saw, did belong. "To my lord Marquis of Carabas," replied the reapers; and the King again congratulated the Marquis.
The Master Cat, who went always before, said the same words to all he met; and the King was astonished at the vast estates of my lord Marquis of Carabas.
Monsieur Puss came at last to a stately castle, the master of which was an Ogre, the richest had ever been known; for all the lands which the King had then gone over belonged to this castle. The Cat, who had taken care to inform himself who this Ogre was, and what he could do, asked to speak with him, saying, he could not pass so near his castle, without having the honour of paying his respects to him.
The Ogre received him as civilly as an Ogre could do, and made him sit down.
"I have been assured," said the Cat, "that you have the gift of being able to change yourself into all sorts of creatures you have a mind to; you can, for example, transform yourself into a lion, or elephant, and the like."
"This is true," answered the Ogre very briskly, "and to convince you, you shall see me now become a lion."
Puss was so sadly terrified at the sight of a lion so near him, that he immediately got into the gutter, not without abundance of trouble and danger, because of his boots, which were ill-suited for walking upon the tiles.
"I have been moreover informed," said the Cat, "but I know not how to believe it, that you have also the power to take on you the shape of the smallest animals; for example, to change yourself into a rat or a mouse; but I must own to you,
"Impossible?" cried the Ogre, "you shall see that presently," and at the same time changed into a mouse, and began to run about the floor.
Puss no sooner perceived this, but he fell upon him, and ate him up.
Meanwhile the King, who saw, as he passed, this fine castle of the Ogre's, had a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard the noise of his Majesty's coach running over the drawbridge, ran out and said to the King:
"Your Majesty is welcome to this castle of my lord Marquis of Carabas."
"What! my lord Marquis?" cried the King, "and does this castle also belong to you? There can be nothing finer than this court, and all the stately buildings which surround it; let us go into it, if you please."
The Marquis gave his hand to the Princess, and followed the King, who went up first. They passed into a spacious hall, where they found a magnificent collation which the Ogre had prepared for his friends, who were that very day to visit him, but dared not to enter knowing the King was there. His Majesty was perfectly charmed with the good qualities of my lord Marquis of Carabas, as was his daughter who was fallen violently in love with him; and seeing the vast estate he possessed, said to him, after having drank five or six glasses:
"It will be owing to yourself only, my lord Marquis, if you are not my son-in-law."
The Marquis making several low bows, accepted the honour which his Majesty conferred upon him, and forthwith, that very same day, married the Princess.
Puss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more, but only for his diversion.
Bratři Grimmové
yl jednou jeden mlynář a ten měl na tomto světě tři syny, k tomu mlýn, osla a kocoura a bylo mu to k užitku. Synové pracovali ve mlýně, osel přinášel pytle s obilím a odnášel pytle s moukou a kocour? Inu, ten přece chytal myši! Když mlynář zemřel, rozdělili si synové dědictví, ten nejstarší dostal mlýn, ten prostřední osla a ten nejmladší? Inu, ten přece dostal kocoura! Nic jiného na něj taky nezbylo! Takové dědictví by nebylo nikomu k radosti. „To jsem dopadl.“ řekl si ten nejmladší: „Dostal jsem to nejhorší! Nejstarší bratr má mlýn a může mlít, prostřední má osla a ten je mu taky k užitku, ale co si já počnu s kocourem? Nechám si z jeho kožešiny udělat palčáky a bude to!“ „Poslouchej,“ měl se k řeči kocour, který rozuměl všemu, co se řeklo: „kvůli tomu, abys měl z mé pelichavé kožešiny pár špatných rukavic, mě zabíjet nemusíš. Nechej mi raději udělat pár holínek, abych vypadal dobře a mohl se ukázat mezi lidmi a rázem ti budu k užitku.“ Mlynářský synek se věru podivil, že kocour mluví, ale protože šel kolem mlýna zrovna švec, zavolal ho dovnitř a nechal kocourovi vzít míru na pár holínek. Když byly hotové, kocour si je natáhnul, vzal pytel obilí, nahoře uvázal šňůru, jakoby ho chtěl táhnout po zemi, pak si ho hodil na záda a šel po dvou nohách jako člověk do lesa.
oho času vládl v té zemi král, který jedl k smrti rád koroptve, ale na trhu jich bylo tak málo, že to bylo k soužení. Královské lesy byly koroptví plné, ale byly vám tak plaché a opatrné, že to nebylo ani k lovu ani k nástrahám a lovci se vraceli s prázdnou. Ale kocour se na to rozhodl jít od lesa. Když přišel na mýtinu, položil pytel na zem, otevřel ho a rozsypal část obilí do trávy. Smyčku, kterou byl pytel zavázaný, vedl za jeden keř, kde se sám pak ukryl a čekal a čekal. Za nějakou chvíli přicupitaly zvědavé koroptve, našly zrní a daly se do zobání zob! zob! a jedna po druhé vlezla za obilím až do pytle. Když kocourovi přišlo, že je jich uvnitř už pěkná řádka, utáhl smyčku a bylo to! Uvězněným koroptvím pak jedné po druhé zakroutil krkem, pytel si hodil na záda a vydal se rovnou cestou na královský zámek. Tam se mu do cesty postavila královská stráž: „Stát! Kampak?“ „Ke králi.“ odvětil. „Ty jsi mi vtipálek! Kocour a ke králi?“ smál se strážce. „Jen ho nech jít.“ řekl druhý voják: „Pan král má často dlouhou chvíli, třeba ho mluvící kocour trochu rozptýlí.“ A bylo to!
řed králem se kocour hluboce poklonil a řekl: „Můj pán, hrabě,“ k tomu titulu pronesl jakési dlouhé a urozené jméno, které si už nikdo nepamatuje: „se nechá panu králi poroučet a posílá mu koroptve, které zrovna ulovil.“ Králi se sbíhaly sliny, když kulaťoučké ptáčky zpěváčky uviděl, a nedal jinak, než že musejí tomu kocourovi z pokladnice nandat do pytle tolik zlata, kolik jen unese. „To zanes svému pánu a poděkuj mu mnohokrát za dárek.“ Však kocour taky nečekal nic jiného a rázoval rovnou do mlýna, kde seděl ten nejmladší u okna v chalupě s hlavou v dlaních, protože si činil výčitky a levity, že poslední groš utratil za to, aby pořídil holínky pro kocoura, svět většího hlupáka neviděl! Z toho zadumání ho vytrhnul kocour, který mu shodil u nohou pytel, a když ho rozvázali, bylo v něm samé zlato. „Tady máš něco za ty holínky, pan král tě nechává pozdravovat a mockrát děkuje.“ Z takové řeči hoch nezmoudřel, ale to zlato ho potěšilo, ať se vzalo, kde se vzalo. Zatímco si kocour po lidském způsobu stahoval holínky, vyprávěl mu vše, co a jak bylo a nakonec řekl: „Inu, zlata máš teď sice dost, ale u toho nemůžeme zůstat! Ráno si zase natáhnu holínky a poohlídnu se, jak z tebe udělat něco onačejšího. Však jsem panu králi řekl, že jsi hrabě.“
ruhého dne se kocour vydal opět na lov a králi přinesl bohatý úlovek. Tak to šlo i třetí den a čtvrtý i ten desátý a každý den přinesl domů zlato a nejen to, král si kocoura v botách oblíbil, mohl si chodit i smýčit po zámku jak chtěl a nebylo nikoho, kdo by mu chtěl zkřivit vlásek. Jednou se zase kocour vyhříval u kamen v královské kuchyni, když tu přišel kočí a láteřil: „K čertu s králem i princeznou! Chtěl jsem jít do hospody, dát si něco k pití a zahrát si karty, místo toho s nimi musím k jezeru!“ Jak to kocour uslyšel, pelášil do mlýna a řekl svému pánovi: „Jestli chceš být bohatý a k tomu hrabě, pojď se mnou ven k jezeru a vlez do vody.“ Jinoch nevěděl, co si s takovým nápadem počít, ale protože bylo zatím vše, co kocour udělal, k dobrému, poslechl a šel s ním. U jezera se svlékl se a skočil do vody. Kocour vzal jeho šaty a někam je schoval. A už tam byl král i princezna, přijeli v krásném kočáře a pod kola se jim vrhnul kocour, který lamentoval a naříkal: „Ach, nejurozenější králi, byl tu zloděj a mému pánu, urozenému hraběti, který se tu v jezeru koupal, ukradl šaty! Teď je ubohý hrabě ve vodě a nemůže ven, jestli tam ještě nějakou chvíli zůstane, určitě prochladne a umře.“ Jen to král uslyšel, nechal zastavit a jeden z jeho lidí musel na zámek, aby přinesl královské šaty. Když si pan hrabě si ty nádherné šaty oblékl, vypadal k světu, to se líbilo králi i princezně a nedali jinak než, že si musí sednout k nim do kočáru.
ocour běžel po svých napřed a ocitl se na jedné obrovské louce, kde přes sto sekáčů kosilo seno. „Čípak je ta louka lidičky?“ zeptal se. „Jednoho mocného kouzelníka.“ odvětili mu. „Poslouchejte, brzy tudy pojede král. Když se vás bude ptát, komu patří ta louka, raději mu odpovězte, že panu hraběti, jinak se král nezná vzteky a všechny vás zabijí.“ Potom běžel kocour dál a dorazil na velikánské žitné pole, políčko, kde žalo dvě sta ženců obilí. „Komu patří to žito, lidičky?“ zeptal se. „Jednomu mocnému kouzelníkovi.“ odvětili. „Poslouchejte, brzy tudy pojede král. Když se vás bude ptát, komu patří to pole, raději mu odpovězte, že panu hraběti, jinak se král nezná vzteky a všechny vás zabijí.“ A běžel dál, až doběhnul do hustého černého lesa, kde kácelo tři sta dřevorubců mohutné buky. „Komupak patří ten les, lidičky?“ zeptal se. „Jednomu mocnému kouzelníkovi.“ odvětili. „Poslouchejte, brzy tudy pojede král. Když se vás bude ptát, komu patří ten les, raději mu odpovězte, že panu hraběti, jinak se král nezná vzteky a všechny vás zabijí.“ Kdo by odporoval kocourovi, který chodí světem v botách a k tomu ještě mluví?
atímco se lidi radili, co to má všechno znamenat, dorazil kocour do čarodějova zámku a hned se hnal dovnitř. Čaroděj se tvářil nevrle a přezíravě se ptal, co tu pohledává. Ale kocour se měl k úkloně a k lichotce: „Slyšel jsem, že se umíš proměnit v jakékoliv zvíře, co jich na světě je, prý v psa, lišku nebo vlka. Inu, tomu bych i věřil! Ale proměnit se ve slona, to se mi zdá zhola nemožné, a proto jsem přišel, abych se sám přesvědčil.“ Kouzelník pravil pyšně: „To je pro mne maličkost.“ A byl tu slon! „Hm, to je dobré! A co takhle lev? To bys taky uměl?“ „To také nic není.“ ušklíbnul se čaroděj a byl tu lev! Kocour se stavěl strachy bez sebe a zvolal: „To je neuvěřitelné a neslýchané! Něco takového bych si ani ve snu nepomyslel. Ale co v malé zvířátko, třeba myš, to bys taky dokázal? To bys byl pak opravdu ten největší čaroděj na světě!“ Čarodějové si rádi přihýbají z pohárů lichotek a tento byl málem opilý: „Ano, milý kocourku, to umím také.“ A byla tu myš! Inu, ne dlouho. Kocourovi stačil jeden skok a bylo po ní, jen se olíznul, jak to už kocouři dělají.
a vybraná společnost zatím přijela k louce. „Komu patří to seno, lidičky?“ zeptal se král. „Panu hraběti! Panu hraběti! “ volali nakonec všichni, jak jim kocour poradil. „Máte pěkný kousek země, pane hrabě.“ řekl král. Potom přijeli k žitnému poli. „Komu patří to obilí, lidičky?“ „Panu hraběti! Panu hraběti!“ znělo jednohlasně. „Máte velký a krásný lán, pane hrabě.“ řekl král. A u lesa to bylo podobné. „Komu patří to dřevo, lidičky?“ ptal se král. „Panu hraběti! Panu hraběti!“ volali všichni. Král se podivil ještě víc a řekl: „Vy musíte být opravdu bohatý muž, pane hrabě, nemyslím, že já sám mám tak nádherný les.“ Konečně přijeli k zámku, kocour stál na schodech, a když dole zastavil kočár, otevřel dveře a řekl: „Pane králi, přijeli jste na zámek mého pána, je to pro nás ta nejvyšší pocta.“ A ten zámek byl větší a krásnější než královský zámek, a tak král udělal to nejlepší, co mohl a dal hraběti princeznu za ženu.
dyž král umřel, stal se hrabě králem a kocour? Inu, ten byl přeci jeho prvním ministrem!
"Listen," said the tom cat, who had understood everything, what he said, "you do not need to kill me, to get a pair of bad gloves from my pelt, let only a pair of boots be made for me, that I can go out, and be seen among the people, then you will soon be helped." The miller's son was in wonderment, that the tom cat so spoke, but because the shoemaker just walked by, he called him in, and let a pair of boots be measured for him. When they were ready, the tom cat put them on, took a sack, made the bottom of the same full of corn, but on the top a string, with which one could pull it closed, then he threw it over his back and went on two legs, like a human, out the door.
In those days reigned a king in the land, he liked to eat partridges so much: there was a need, that none were to be gotten. The whole forest was full, but they were so shy, that no hunter could reach them. The tom cat knew that and considered to do his matter better; when he came into the forest, he made the sack open, spread the corn apart, but the cord he laid into the grass and led it behind a hedge. There he hid himself, snuck around and lurked. The partridges soon came running, and one after the other hopped into the sack. When a good quantity was in it, the tom cat pulled the cord closed, ran to and twisted their heads around; then he threw the sack over his shoulder and went straight away to the king's palace.
The watch cried: "Halt! Whereto?" - "To the king," answered the tom cat quickly. - "Are you crazed, a tom cat to the king?" - "Just let him go, said another, the king has often boredom, maybe the tom cat makes him amused with his humming and spinning. When the tom cat came in front of the king, he made a Reverence and said: "My Herr, the Graf, with that he named his long and distinguished name, lets himself be recommended to the Herr King and sends him these partridges, that he just caught in slings. The king astonished over the beautiful fat partridges, knew not out of pleasure how to contain himself, and commanded that the tom cat be given as much gold out of the treasure chamber into his sack, as he could carry: "That bring to your Herren and thank him again many times for his gift."
But the poor miller's son sat at home at the window, supported his head an his hand and thought, that he had spent his last for the tom cat's boots, and what large things will he be able to bring back. Thereon the tom cat stepped in, threw the sack from his hack, untied it open and shook the gold in front of the miller: "There you have something for the hoots, the king also greets you and says many thanks to you." The miller was glad over the wealth, without understanding rightly, how it came to be. But the tom cat, as he took off his boots, told him everything, then he said: "You do have money enough now, but it should not stay with that, tomorrow I will put my boots on again, you will become richer still, I also told the king, that you are a Graf." On the next day the torn cat went, as he had said, well booted to hunting again, and brought the king a rich catch.
So it went all days, and the tom cat brought gold home all days, and was so popular as one by the king, that he was allowed to come in and go out and prowl around in the palace, where he wanted. One time the tom cat stood in the king's kitchen by the stove and warmed himself, thereon came the coach man and cursed: "I wish king and the princess were at the executioner! I wanted to go to Wirtshaus and drink once and play cards, there I should drive them spazieren at the lake." As the tom cat heard that, he snuck home and told his Herrn: "If a Graf you want to be and become rich, so come outside with me to the lake and bathe yourself therein." The miller did not know, what he should say to that, but followed the tom cat, went with him, undressed splinter naked and sprang into the water. But the tom cat took his clothes, carried them away and hid them.
No sooner was he finished with that, thereon came the king driving by; the tom cat immediately began, pathetically to lament: "Ach! All merciful king! Mein Herr, bathed himself here in the lake, thereon a thief came and stole his clothes, that lay on the shore, now the Herr Graf is in the water and can not come out, and if he stays in longer he will calch cold and die." When the king heard that, he called halt and one of his people had to chase back and of the king's clothes bring hack. The Herr Graf put on the magnificent clothes, and because the king anyway for the partridges, that he thought to have received from him, held his worth, so he had to sit with them in the carriage. The princess was also not upset over it, because the Graf was young and handsome, and she liked him quite well.
But the tom cat went ahead and came to a large grass field, where over a hundred people were making hay. "Who does this grass field belong to, you people?" said the tom cat. - "The great magician." - "Listen, the king will soon drive by, when he asks, who the grass field belongs to, so answer: the Grafen; and if you do not do that, you will all be struck dead." Thereon the tom cat went further and came to a grain field, so large, that no one could oversee it, there stood more than two hundred people and cut the grain. "Who's grain is this you people?" - "The magician." - "Listen, the king will drive by now, when he asks, who the grain belongs to, so answer: the Grafen; and if you do not do that, vou will all be struck dead." - Finally the tom cat came to a magnificent forest, there stood more than three hundred people, felled the big oaks and made wood. -
"Who's forest is this, you people?" - "The magician." - "Listen, the king will drive by now, when he asks, who the forest belongs to so answer: the Grafen; and if you do not do that, you will all be killed." The tom cat went still furlher, the people all looked after him, and because he looked so wonderly, and as a human walked in the boots, they were afraid of him. He soon came to the magicians palace, stepped boldly in and in front of him. The magician looked at him contemptuously, and asked him, what he wanted. The tom cat made a Reverenz and said: "I have beard, that vou could transform yourself into every animal you chose by your own will; what a hound, fox, or even wolf concerns, that I will well believe, but of an elephant, that seems to me quite impossible, and therefore I have come to convince myself."
The magician said proudly: "That is a trifle to me," and in that wink-of-an-eye was transformed into an elephant. "That is much, but also in a lion?" - "That is also nothing," said the magician and stood as a lion in front of the tom cat. The tom cat made as if startled, and cried: "That is unbelievable and unheard of, the same I would never had dreamt of coming into my thoughts; but more still, all else, it would be, if you could transform yourself into such a small animal, as a mouse is, you can certainly do more, than any other magician in the world, but that will be certainly too high for you. The magician was very friendly from the sweet words and said: "O'ja, dear cat-let, that I can also," and sprang as a mouse around the room. The tom cat was after him, caught the mouse with one jump and ate him up.
But the king was still driving spazieren with the Grafen and the princess, and came to the large field. "Who does the hay belong to?" asked the king - "The Herr Grafen" - cried all, as the tom cat had commanded them. - "Thou have a pretty piece of land, Herr Graf," said he. Thereafter they came to the large grain field: "Who does the grain belong to, you people?" - "The Herrn Grafen." - "Ei! Herr Graf! large, big estates!" - "Thereon to the forest: "who does the wood belong to, you people?" - "The Herrn Grafen." - The king was astonished even more and said:
"Thou must be a rich man, Herr Graf, I do not believe, that I have such a magnificent forest." Finally they came to the palace, the tom cat stood on top of the stairs, and as the wagon stopped below, he sprang down, opened the door and said: "Herr King, thou comest to the palace of my Herr, the Graf, that this honors him and makes him happv his life day long." The king stepped out and marveled at the magnificent building, that was almost larger and more beautiful, than his own palace; but the Graf led the princess up the stairs into the hall, that was shimmering with gold and precious stones.
Thereon the princess was promised to the Graf, and when the king died, he was king, but the booted tom cat became first minister.