et the cook fall asleep,
Let the roast be burned,
Let the old witch be unable to eat of it."

Again the guests waited until they grew weary, and then the groom went
to see what was the matter. He found the cook asleep again, and said:
"Cook, good cook, what is the matter with you that you sleep?" Then the
cook told him that there was a dove that flew on the balcony and
repeated:--

"Let the cook fall asleep,
Let the roast be burned,
Let the old witch be unable to eat of it."--

and that he was immediately seized with drowsiness, and fell asleep at
once. The bridegroom went out on the balcony, saw the dove, and said to
it: "_Cuocula_, pretty _cuocula_, come here and let me see you!" The
dove came near him and he caught it, and while he was caressing it he
saw the pins planted in its head, one in its forehead, and one in each
of its temples. What did he do? He pulled out the pin in the forehead!
Then he caressed it again, and pulled out the pins from its temples.
Then the dove became a beautiful girl, more beautiful than she was
before, and the prince took her to his mother and said: "Here, my
mother, this is my bride!" His mother was delighted to see the beautiful
girl, and the king, too, was well pleased. When the old witch saw the
girl, she cried: "Take me away, take me away, I am afraid!" Then the
fair girl told the whole secret how it was. The guests who were present
wished to give their opinions as to what should be done with the old
woman. One of the highest rank said: "Let her be well greased, and
burned!" "Bravo, bravo!" exclaimed the others, "burn her; she must be
burned!" So they seized the old woman, had wood brought, and burned her
in the midst of the city. Then they returned home, and had a finer
wedding than before.

* * * * *

The following are the Italian versions of the above: _Pent._ IV. 9;
Pitre, _Otto Fiabe_, II. "_La Bella di li setti Citri_;" Gonz., No. 13;
Busk, p. 15; _Nov. fior._ pp. 305, 308 (Milan); Comparetti, No. 68 (also
in Nerucci, p. 111); De Gub., _Sto. Stefano_, Nos. 4, 5; Prato, _Quattro
nov. pop. livornesi_, No. 1; _Archivio_, I. 525 (Tuscan); II. 204
(Sardinian); Piedmontese in Mila y Fontanals _Observaciones sobre la
poesia popular_, Barcelona, 1853, p. 179; Coronedi-Berti, No. 11;
Corazzini (Benevento), p. 467; and Schneller, No. 19. Part of our story
is the same as Pitre, No. 13, "Snow-white-fire-red," given in full in
our