Pagina 91 de 626

So he went home again; and as he came near he saw his wife

Ilsabill sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold, with

a great crown on her head full two yards high; and on each side

of her stood her guards and attendants in a row, each one smaller

than the other, from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no

bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes, and dukes,

and earls: and the fisherman went up to her and said, 'Wife, are

you emperor?' 'Yes,' said she, 'I am emperor.' 'Ah!' said the

man, as he gazed upon her, 'what a fine thing it is to be

emperor!' 'Husband,' said she, 'why should we stop at being

emperor? I will be pope next.' 'O wife, wife!' said he, 'how can

you be pope? there is but one pope at a time in Christendom.'

'Husband,' said she, 'I will be pope this very day.' 'But,'

replied the husband, 'the fish cannot make you pope.' 'What

nonsense!' said she; 'if he can make an emperor, he can make a

pope: go and try him.'