Venice. The first is called:
CI. THE LITTLE OMELET.
Once upon a time there was a little woman who had a little room and a
little hen. The hen laid an egg and the little woman took it and made a
little omelet of it, and put it to cool in the window. Along came a fly
and ate it up. Imagine what an omelet that must have been! The little
woman went to the magistrate and told him her story. He gave her a club
and told her to kill the fly with it wherever she saw it. At that moment
a fly lighted on the magistrate's nose, and the woman, believing it to
be the same fly, gave it a blow and broke the magistrate's nose.
The versions from Leghorn and Venice are in almost the same words.[14]
The literary versions are quite abundant, four or five being found in
Italy, and a number in France, the best known of which is La Fontaine's
fable of "The Bear and the Amateur Gardener," Book VIII. 10.[15]
One morning, before Giufa was up, he heard a whistle and asked his
mother who was passing. She answered that it was the morning-singer. One
day Giufa, tired of the noise, went out and killed the man who was
blowing the whistle, and came back and told his mother that he had
killed the morning-singer. His mother went out and brought the body into
the house and threw it into the well, which happened to be dry. Then she
remembered that she had a lamb, which she killed and also threw in the
well.
Meanwhile the family of the murdered man had learned of the murder and
had gone to the judge, with their complaint, and all together went to
Giufa's house to investigate the matter. The judge said to Giufa: "Where
did you put the body?" Giufa, who was silly, replied: "I threw it in the
well." Then they tied Giufa to a rope and lowered him into the well.
When he reached the bottom he began to feel around and touched wool, and
cried out to the son of the murdered man: "Did your father have wool?"
"My father did not have wool." "This one has wool; he is not your
father." Then he touched the tail: "Did your father have a tail?" "My
father did not have a tail." "Then it's not your father." Then he felt
four feet and asked: "How many feet did your father have?" "My father
had two feet." Giufa said: "This one has four feet; he is not your
father." Then he felt the head and said: "Did your father have horns?"
"My father did not have horns." Giufa replied: "This one has horns; he
is not your father." Then the judge said: "Giufa, bring him up either
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