The poetical works of John Godfrey Saxe :: :: University of Virginia Library

Quoth he: “To every stranger
Who comes unto my court
Let a fried fish be given,
And of the finest sort;
Then mark the man's behavior,
And bring me due report.

III.

“If, when the man has eaten
The fish unto the bone,
The glutton turns it over,—
Then, by my royal throne,
For this, his misdemeanor,
The gallows shall atone!”

IV.

Now when this regal mandate,
According to report,
Had slain a score of strangers,
To serve the monarch's sport,
It chanced a gay young Marquis
Came to the royal court.

V.

His Majesty received him
As suited with his state,
But when he sat at dinner,
The fish was on the plate;
Alas! he turns it over,
Unconscious of his fate.

VI.

Then, to his dire amazement,
Three guardsmen, standing nigh,
Conveyed him straight to prison,
And plainly told him why,—
And how, in retribution,
That he was doomed to die!

VII.

The Marquis, filled with sorrow,
Implored the monarch's ruth,
Whereat the King relented
(A gracious deed, in sooth!)
And granted these conditions,
In pity of his youth:—

VIII.

That for three days the culprit
Should have the King's reprieve;
Also, to name three wishes
The prisoner had leave,—
One each succeeding morning,—
The which he should receive.

IX.

“Thanks!” said the grateful Marquis
“His Majesty is kind;
And, first, to wed his daughter
Is what I have in mind;
Go, bid him fetch a parson
The holy tie to bind.”

X.

Now when the merry Monarch
This bold demand had heard,
With grief and indignation
His royal breast was stirred;
But he had pledged his honor,
And so he kept his word.

XI.

Now, if the first petition
He reckoned rather bold,
What was the King's amazement
To hear the second told,—
To wit, the monarch's treasure
Of silver and of gold!

XII.

To beg the culprit's mercy
This mighty king was fain;
But pleading and remonstrance
Were uttered all in vain;
And so he gave the treasure
It cost him years to gain.

XIII.

Sure ne'er was mortal Monarch
In such dismay as he!
He woke next morning early
And went himself to see
What, in the name of wonder,
The third demand would be.

XIV.

“I ask,” replied the Marquis,
“(My third and final wish),
That you should call the servants
Who served the fatal dish,
And have the eyes extinguished
That saw me turn the Fish.”

XV.

“Good!” said the monarch gayly,
With obvious delight,
“What you demand, Sir Marquis,
Is reasonable, quite;
That they should pay this forfeit
Is nothing more than right.

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XVI.

“How was it,—Mr. Chamberlain?”
But he at once denied
That he had seen the culprit
Turn up the other side;
“It must have been the Steward,”
The Chamberlain replied.

XVII.

“Indeed!” exclaimed the Steward,
“It surely was n't I!
It must have been the Butler!”—
Who quickly made reply,
“It must have been the guardsmen,
Unless the fellows lie!”

XVIII.

But they, in turn, protested,
With plausible surprise,
(And dreadful imprecations,
If they were telling lies!)
That nothing of the matter
Had come before their eyes.

XIX.

“Good father,” said the Princess,
“I pray you ponder this”
(And here she gave the monarch
A reverential kiss),
“My husband must be guiltless,
If none saw aught amiss!”

XX.

The monarch frowned a little,
And gravely shook his head:
“Your Marquis should be punished;
Well,—let him live,” he said,
“For though he cheats the gallows,
The man, at least, is wed!”