So the bishop told the people that he wondered that the congregation could complain of a parson, who was so gifted and had such wisdom, that he could prophesy things that were to come. He thought he ought at least to be dean, and it was not long before he was made one. There was no help for it; they had to put up with him.
Now it so happened, that the king and queen in that country had no children, but when the king heard that he was to have one he was curious to know whether he was to get a son and heir to his broad lands and acres, or if he only would get a princess. So all the learned men in the land were called to the palace to say which it would be. But as none of them were able to do this, both the king and the bishop happened to think of the new dean, and it did not take long till they had him brought before them and began questioning him. No, he could not tell, he said, for it wasn't easy to guess what no one could know anything about.
"Well, well!" said the king, "I don't care whether you know it or not; but you are the wise parson and the true prophet, who can foretell things to come, and if you won't tell me, you'll lose both your gown and your ruff! But never mind, I'll give you a trial first," and so he took the biggest silver tankard he had and went down to the sea shore with the parson. "Can you tell me now, what I have got in this tankard?" said the king; "and if so, you can tell me the other thing I asked you as well," and he held the lid of the tankard tight. The charcoal-burner wrung his hands in despair and cried: "Oh, you unfortunate crawling crab of this earth, what have you now in return for all your toil and trouble!" "Ah, there you see! You did know it after all!" said the king, for he had put a crab in the tankard.
So the charcoal-burner had to go back to the palace, where he was shown into the queen's drawing-room. He took a chair and sat down in the middle of the room, while the queen walked up and down the floor.
"One should never make a stall for the unborn calf, and never quarrel about the baby's name before it is born." said the charcoal-
