treated him, his answer is, 'Issi teggi' (`Self did it'). With a laugh
they bid him lie on the bed which he has made: 'selbst gethan, selbst
habe.' The Devil died of his new eyes, and was never seen again."

In his attempts to obtain human souls the Devil is frequently foiled by
the superior cunning of mortals. Once, he agreed to build a house for
a peasant in exchange for the peasant's soul; but if the house were not
finished before cockcrow, the contract was to be null and void. Just as
the Devil was putting on the last tile the man imitated a cockcrow and
waked up all the roosters in the neighbourhood, so that the fiend had
his labour for his pains. A merchant of Louvain once sold himself to
the Devil, who heaped upon him all manner of riches for seven years, and
then came to get him. The merchant "took the Devil in a friendly manner
by the hand and, as it was just evening, said, 'Wife, bring a light
quickly for the gentleman.' 'That is not at all necessary,' said the
Devil; 'I am merely come to fetch you.' 'Yes, yes, that I know very
well,' said the merchant, 'only just grant me the time till this little
candle-end is burnt out, as I have a few letters to sign and to put
on my coat.' 'Very well,' said the Devil, 'but only till the candle is
burnt out.' 'Good,' said the merchant, and going into the next room,
ordered the maid-servant to place a large cask full of water close to a
very deep pit that was dug in the garden. The men-servants also carried,
each of them, a cask to the spot; and when all was done, they were
ordered each to take a shovel, and stand round the pit. The merchant
then returned to the Devil, who seeing that not more than about an inch
of candle remained, said, laughing, 'Now get yourself ready, it will
soon be burnt out.' 'That I see, and am content; but I shall hold you to
your word, and stay till it IS burnt.' 'Of course,' answered the Devil;
'I stick to my word.' 'It is dark in the next room,' continued the
merchant, 'but I must find the great book with clasps, so let me just
take the light for one moment.' 'Certainly,' said the Devil, 'but I'll
go with you.' He did so, and the merchant's trepidation was now on the
increase. When in the next room he said on a sudden, 'Ah, now I know,
the key is in the garden door.' And with these words he ran out with the
light into the garden, and before the Devil could overtake him, threw it
into the pit, and the men and the maids poured water upon it, and the