Flemish Legends

on account of a certain hotch-potch he made, well seasoned with rare herbs, for which he asked a not unreasonable price. He was reputed by the devout to have commerce wi

ened, yellow as a guinea, wrinkled as an

may now see the brewery of Claes van Volxem. Gans and Blaeskaek

eous melancholy state, asked him if he ha

Blaeskaek, "save an evil fear which ha

m the whole story of t

and will show you his likeness." And taking them up to the top of his house, into a small room which he had ther

e," said Blaeskaek,

icularly notable as the inventor of wine, beer, and ale. It may be, on that account, that instead of hell he is only in purgatory, where no doubt he has become thirsty, and by God's permission was allowed to return to earth, once only, no more, and there sing this l

p, if you please, a whole barrelful, without paying me so much as the smallest gol

l take the advice I am about to give you, you may find a way whereby you can make clear profit from this Bacchus, for he is

ed Blaeskaek, "wh

l, from this dark cellar. Then put him in some place whither the sun reaches, such as

aimed Pieter Gans,

sniffing the good smell of stoups and flagons, and hearing jolly talk, he will grow a

sts should get wind of this statue, s

ound him buried under the earth in a corner of your garden. Thus you will make him seem an ancient relic, as indeed he is. Only take care to forget his name whe

gether, and they then departed, not without having

y hotch-potch, but Pieter Gans turned him a deaf ear, saying to himself that it was devil's co