Doctor Knowall

There was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with two oxen a load of wood to the town, and sold it to a doctor for two talers. When the money was being counted out to him, it so happened that the doctor was sitting at table, and when the peasant saw how well he ate and drank, his heart desired what he saw, and would willingly have been a doctor too. So he remained standing a while, and at length inquired if he too could not be a doctor. ‘Oh, yes,’ said the doctor, ‘that is soon managed.’ ‘What must I do?’ asked the peasant. ‘In the first place buy yourself an A B C book of the kind which has a cock on the frontispiece; in the second, turn your cart and your two oxen into money, and get yourself some clothes, and whatsoever else pertains to medicine; thirdly, have a sign painted for yourself with the words: “I am Doctor Knowall,” and have that nailed up above your house-door.’ The peasant did everything that he had been told to do. When he had doctored people awhile, but not long, a rich and great lord had some money stolen. Then he was told about Doctor Knowall who lived in such and such a village, and must know what had become of the money. So the lord had the horses harnessed to his carriage, drove out to the village, and asked Crabb if he were Doctor Knowall. Yes, he was, he said. Then he was to go with him and bring back the stolen money. ‘Oh, yes, but Grete, my wife, must go too.’ The lord was willing, and let both of them have a seat in the carriage, and they all drove away together. When they came to the nobleman’s castle, the table was spread, and Crabb was told to sit down and eat. ‘Yes, but my wife, Grete, too,’ said he, and he seated himself with her at the table. And when the first servant came with a dish of delicate fare, the peasant nudged his wife, and said: ‘Grete, that was the first,’ meaning that was the servant who brought the first dish. The servant, however, thought he intended by that to say: ‘That is the first thief,’ and as he actually was so, he was terrified, and said to his comrade outside: ‘The doctor knows all: we shall fare ill, he said I was the first.’ The second did not want to go in at all, but was forced. So when he went in with his dish, the peasant nudged his wife, and said: ‘Grete, that is the second.’ This servant was equally alarmed, and he got out as fast as he could. The third fared no better, for the peasant again said: ‘Grete, that is the third.’ The fourth had to carry in a dish that was covered, and the lord told the doctor that he was to show his skill, and guess what was beneath the cover. Actually, there were crabs. The doctor looked at the dish, had no idea what to say, and cried: ‘Ah, poor Crabb.’ When the lord heard that, he cried: ‘There! he knows it; he must also know who has the money!’

むかしあるところに、蟹という名の貧しい百姓がいた。あるとき牛二頭で薪を一荷町へ運び、医者に二ターレルで売った。金を数えてもらっているとき、たまたま医者が食卓に着いていて、そのうまそうな食べ飲みぶりを見ると、百姓の心はそれをほしがり、自分も医者になれたらと思った。そこでしばらく立ったままでいたが、とうとう自分も医者になれないものかと尋ねた。「ああ、なれるとも」と医者は言った。「造作もないことだ。」「何をすればいいのですか?」と百姓は尋ねた。「まず第一に、口絵に雄鶏の描いてあるいろは本を一冊買いなさい。第二に、荷車と牛二頭を金に換えて、着る物と、そのほか医術に要る物をひととおりそろえなさい。第三に、『わたしは物知り博士』と書いた看板を描かせて、家の戸口の上に打ちつけておきなさい。」百姓は言われた通りのことを何もかもやった。そして人を診てしばらく——といっても長くはない——たつと、ある金持ちの身分の高い領主が金を盗まれた。そこで領主は、どこそこの村に物知り博士という者が住んでいて、その金がどうなったか知っているに違いないと聞かされた。そこで領主は馬車に馬をつながせて村へ乗りつけ、蟹に、おまえが物知り博士かと尋ねた。はい、そうですと蟹は言った。では一緒に来て、盗まれた金を取り戻せというわけである。「ええ、よろしゅうございます。ですが女房のグレーテも一緒でなければ。」領主は承知して、二人とも馬車に乗せ、みなで一緒に走り出した。貴族の城に着くと食卓が整えられていて、蟹は座って食べるように言われた。「はい、ですが女房のグレーテも」と蟹は言い、女房と一緒に食卓に着いた。そして最初の下男が上等な料理の皿を持って来ると、百姓は女房を肘でつついて言った。「グレーテ、あれが一番めだ。」最初の皿を運んで来た下男のことを言ったのである。ところが下男の方は、これは「あれが一番めの泥棒だ」と言っているのだと思い、実際その通りだったので怯えて、外の仲間に言った。「あの博士は何でも知っている。おれたちはひどい目に遭うぞ。おれが一番めだと言ったんだ。」二番めはまるきり入りたがらなかったが、無理やり入らされた。そこで皿を持って入ると、百姓は女房を肘でつついて言った。「グレーテ、あれが二番めだ。」この下男も同じように驚いて、できるかぎり急いで出て行った。三番めも同じで、百姓はまた言った。「グレーテ、あれが三番めだ。」四番めは蓋のかかった皿を運んで来ることになり、領主は博士に、腕前を見せて蓋の下に何があるか言い当ててみろと言った。中身は実のところ蟹だった。博士は皿を見たが何と言ってよいか分からず、こう叫んだ。「ああ、かわいそうな蟹。」領主はそれを聞くと叫んだ。「それ! この男は知っているぞ。金を持っているのが誰かも知っているに違いない!」

On this the servants looked terribly uneasy, and made a sign to the doctor that they wished him to step outside for a moment. When therefore he went out, all four of them confessed to him that they had stolen the money, and said that they would willingly restore it and give him a heavy sum into the bargain, if he would not denounce them, for if he did they would be hanged. They led him to the spot where the money was concealed. With this the doctor was satisfied, and returned to the hall, sat down to the table, and said: ‘My lord, now will I search in my book where the gold is hidden.’ The fifth servant, however, crept into the stove to hear if the doctor knew still more. But the doctor sat still and opened his A B C book, turned the pages backwards and forwards, and looked for the cock. As he could not find it immediately he said: ‘I know you are there, so you had better come out!’ Then the fellow in the stove thought that the doctor meant him, and full of terror, sprang out, crying: ‘That man knows everything!’ Then Doctor Knowall showed the lord where the money was, but did not say who had stolen it, and received from both sides much money in reward, and became a renowned man.

これを聞いて下男たちはひどく落ち着かない様子になり、博士に、ちょっと外へ出て来てほしいと合図した。そこで博士が出て行くと、四人そろって、自分たちが金を盗んだと白状し、告げ口しないでくれるなら喜んで返すし、おまけに大金も差し上げると言った。告げ口されれば自分たちは絞首刑だからである。四人は博士を、金を隠してある場所へ案内した。博士はこれで満足して広間に戻り、食卓に着いて言った。「ご領主さま、さて黄金がどこに隠されているか、わたしの本で調べましょう。」ところが五番めの下男は、博士がもっと知っているかどうか聞こうと炉の中へ這い込んでいた。けれども博士はじっと座っていろは本を開き、あちらへこちらへと頁をめくって雄鶏を探した。そしてすぐには見つからないので、こう言った。「おまえがそこにいるのは分かっている、出て来た方が身のためだぞ!」すると炉の中の男は、博士が自分のことを言っているのだと思い、恐怖にかられて跳び出し、こう叫んだ。「あの男は何でも知っている!」そこで物知り博士は領主に金のありかを教えたが、誰が盗んだかは言わなかった。そして両方から多くの金を褒美に受け取り、名高い男となった。