"Oh," answered the peasant, "I do not want her. I have one wife at home already, and she is too much for me. Whenever I go home, it is just as if I had a wife standing in every corner."

　　Then the king grew angry, and said, "You are a lout."

　　"Alas, your majesty," answered the peasant, "what can you expect from an ox, but beef?"

　　"Wait," replied the king. "You shall have another reward. Get out of here for now, but come back in three days, and then five hundred shall be counted out for you in full."

　　When the peasant passed through the gate, the sentry said, "You made the king's daughter laugh, so you must have received something very good."

　　"Yes, that is right," answered the peasant. "Five hundred are to be counted out to me."

　　"Listen," said the soldier. "Give me some of it. How can you spend all that money?"

　　"Because it is you," said the peasant, "you shall have two hundred. In three days report to the king, and have it counted out for you."

　　A Jew, who had been standing nearby and had overheard the conversation, ran after the peasant, took hold of his coat, and said, "Miracle of God, what a child of fortune you are! I will change it for you. I will change it for you into smaller coins. What do you want with hard talers?"

　　"Jew," said the peasant, "You can have three hundred. Give it to me right now in coins. Three days from now you will be paid for it by the king."

　　  The Jew was delighted with his small profit, and brought the sum in bad groschens, three of which were worth two good ones. After three days had passed, in keeping with the king's order, the peasant went before the king.

　　"Pull off his coat," said the king "He shall have his five hundred."

　　"Alas," said the peasant, "they no longer belong to me. I gave two hundred of them to the sentry, and the Jew has changed three hundred for me, so rightfully nothing more belongs to me."

　　In the meantime the soldier and the Jew entered and demanded what they had received from the peasant, and they received the blows carefully counted out.

　　The soldier bore it patiently, for he already knew how it tasted, but the Jew cried out pitifully, "Oh my, oh my, are these the hard talers?"