ves, we are lost." "Do
you know what we must do?" said another. "Let us hear." "We must go to
the astrologer and tell him frankly that we stole the ring, and ask him
not to betray us, and present him with a purse of money. Are you
willing?" "Perfectly."

So they went in harmony to the astrologer, and making him a lower bow
than usual, one of them began: "Mr. Astrologer, you have discovered that
we stole the ring. We are poor people and if you reveal it to the king,
we are undone. So we beg you not to betray us, and accept this purse of
money." Crab took the purse and then added: "I will not betray you, but
you must do what I tell you, if you wish to save your lives. Take the
ring and make that turkey in the court-yard swallow it, and leave the
rest to me." The servants were satisfied to do so and departed with a
low bow. The next day Crab went to the king and said to him: "Your
Majesty must know that after having toiled over a month I have succeeded
in discovering where the ring has gone to." "Where is it, then?" asked
the king. "A turkey has swallowed it." "A turkey? very well, let us
see."

They went for the turkey, opened it, and found the ring inside. The
king, amazed, presented the astrologer with a large purse of money and
invited him to a banquet. Among the other dishes, there was brought on
the table a plate of crabs. Crabs must then have been very rare, because
only the king and a few others knew their name. Turning to the peasant
the king said: "You, who are an astrologer, must be able to tell me the
name of these things which are in this dish." The poor astrologer was
very much puzzled, and, as if speaking to himself, but in such a way
that the others heard him, he muttered: "Ah! Crab, Crab, what a plight
you are in!" All who did not know that his name was Crab rose and
proclaimed him the greatest astrologer in the world.[28]

NOTES.

INTRODUCTION.

[1] There are some popular tales, chiefly Oriental in their origin, in
the _Cente novelle antiche_ (see the notes to Chapter III.), and
Boccaccio and his imitators undoubtedly made use of popular material.
These popular elements, however, are almost exclusively of the class of
jests. The fairy tale, which constitutes by far the largest and most
important class of popular tales, is not found in European literature
until Straparola. For a few earlier traces of fairy tales in mediaeval
literature, see an article by the writer, "Two Mediaeval Folk-Tales,