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 Old King Cole Old King Cole was a merry old soul. And a merry old soul was he; He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl And he called for his fiddlers three. OLD KING COLE was not always a king, nor was
he born a member of any royal family, It
was only chance — “hard luck” he used to call it — that made him a king
at all.
He had always been a poor man, being the son of an apple peddler, who
died and
left him nothing but a donkey and a fiddle. But that was enough for
Cole, who
never bothered his head about the world’s goods, but took things as
they came
and refused to worry about anything. So,
when the house he lived in, and the furniture, and even the apple-cart
were
sold to pay his father’s debts, and he found himself left with the old
fiddle that
nobody wanted and the old donkey that no one would have — it being both
vicious
and unruly — he uttered no word of complaint. He simply straddled the
donkey
and took the fiddle under his arm and rode out into the world to seek
his
fortune. When
he came to a village he played a merry tune upon the fiddle and sang a
merry
song with it, and the people gave him food most willingly. There was no
trouble
about a place to sleep, for if he was denied a bed he lay down with the
donkey
in a barn, or even on the village green, and making a pillow of the
donkey’s neck
he slept as soundly as anyone could in a bed of down. And
so he continued riding along and playing upon his fiddle for many
years, until
his head grew bald and his face was wrinkled and his bushy eyebrows
became as
white as snow. But his eyes never lost their merry twinkle, and he was
just as
fat and hearty as in his younger days, while, if you heard him singing
his songs
and scraping upon the old fiddle, you would know at once his heart was
as young
as ever. He never guided the donkey, but let the beast go where it
would, and
so it happened that at last they came to Whatland, and entered one day
the city
where resided the King of that great country. Now,
even as Cole rode in upon his donkey the King of Whatland lay dying in
his
palace, surrounded by all the luxury of the court. And as he left no
heir, and
was the last of the royal line, the councilors and wise men of Whatland
were in
a great quandary as to who should succeed him. But finally they
bethought themselves
of the laws of the land, and upon looking up the records they found in
an old
book a law that provided for just such a case as this. "If
the King dies,” so read the law, “and there be no one to succeed to the
throne,
the prime minister shall be blinded and led from the palace into the
main street
of the city. And he shall stretch out his arms and walk about, and the
first
person he touches shall be crowned as King of the land.” The
councilors were greatly pleased when they found this law, for it
enabled them
to solve the problem that confronted them. So when the King had
breathed his
last they blindfolded the prime minister and led him forth from the
palace, and
he began walking about with outstretched arms seeking someone to touch. Of
course the people knew nothing of this law, nor even that the old King
was
dead, and seeing the prime minister groping about blindfolded they kept
out of his
way, fearing they might be punished if he stumbled against them. But
Cole was
then riding along on the donkey, and did not even know it was the prime
minister who was feeling about in such a funny way. So he began to
laugh, and
the minister, who had by this time grown tired of the game, heard the
laugh and
came toward the stranger and touched him, and immediately all the wise
men and
the councilors fell down before him and hailed him as King of Whatland! Thus
did the wandering fiddler become King Cole, and you may be sure he
laughed more
merrily than ever when they explained to him his good fortune. They
carried him within the palace and dressed him in purple and fine linen,
and
placed a crown of gold upon his bald head and a jeweled scepter in his
wrinkled
hand, and all this amused old King Cole very much. When he had been led
to the
great throneroom and placed upon the throne of gold (where the silken
cushions
felt very soft and pleasant after his long ride upon the donkey’s sharp
back)
the courtiers all knelt before him and asked what commands he wished to
give,
since everyone in the kingdom must now obey his slightest word. "Oh
well,” said the new King, “I think the first thing I would like is my
old pipe.
You'll find it in the pocket of the ragged coat I took off” One of the
officers
of the court at once ran for the pipe, and when it was brought King
Cole filled
it with tobacco from his greasy pouch and lighted it, and you can
imagine what
a queer sight it was to see the fat King sitting upon the rich throne,
dressed
in silks and satins and a golden crown, and smoking at the same time an
old
black pipe! The
councilors looked at each other in dismay, and the ladies of the court
sneezed
and coughed and seemed greatly shocked, and all this pleased old King
Cole so
much that he lay back in his throne and roared with laughter. Then
the prime minister came forward very gravely, and bowing low he said, "May
it please your Majesty, it is not the custom of Kings to smoke a pipe
while
seated upon the throne.” "But
it is my custom,” answered Cole. “It is impolite, and — unkingly!”
ventured the
minister. "Now,
see here, old fellow,” replied his Majesty, “I didn’t ask to be King of
this
country; it’s all your own doing. All my life I have smoked whenever I
wished,
and if I can’t do as I please here, why, I won’t be king — so there!” "But
you must be the King, your Majesty, whether you want to or not. The law
says
so.” “If
that’s the case,” returned the King, “I can do as I please in other
things. So
you just run and get me a bowl of punch, there’s a good fellow.” The aged minister did not like to be addressed thus, but the King’s commands must be obeyed; so, although the court was greatly horrified, he brought the bowl of punch, and the King pushed his crown onto the back of his head and drank heartily, and smacked his lips afterwards.  “That’s
fine!” he said; “but say — what do you people do to amuse yourselves?” “Whatever
your Majesty commands,” answered one of the councilors. "What!
must I amuse you as well as myself? Methinks it is no easy task to be a
King if
so many things are required of me. But I suppose it is useless to fret,
since
the law obliges me to reign in this great country against my will.
Therefore will
I make the best of my misfortune, and propose we have a dance, and
forget our
cares. Send at once for some fiddlers, and clear the room for our
merry-making,
and for once in our lives we shall have a jolly good time!” So one of
the
officers of the court went out and soon returned with three fiddlers,
and when
at the King’s command they struck up a tune, the monarch was delighted,
for
every fiddler had a very fine fiddle and knew well how to use it. Now,
Old King Cole was a merry old soul, so he soon set all the ladies and
gentlemen
of the court to dancing, and he himself took off his crown and his
ermine robe
and laid them upon the throne, while he danced with the prettiest lady
present
till he was all out of breath. Then
he. dismissed them, and they were all very well pleased with the new
King, for
they saw that, in spite of his odd ways, he had a kind heart, and would
try to
make every one about him as merry as he was himself. The
next morning the King was informed that several of his subjects craved
audience
with him, as there were matters of dispute between them that must be
settled.
King Cole at first refused to see them, declaring he knew nothing of
the
quarrels of his subjects and they must manage their own affairs; but
when the
prime minister told him it was one of his duties as king, and the law
required
it, he could not do otherwise than submit. So he put on his crown and
his
ermine robe and sat upon the throne, although he grumbled a good deal
at the
necessity; for never having had any business of his own to attend to he
thought
it doubly hard that in his old age he must attend to the business of
others. The
first case of dispute was between two men who each claimed to own a
fine cow,
and after hearing the evidence, the King ordered the cow to be killed
and
roasted and given to the poor, since that was the easiest way to decide
the
matter. Then followed a quarrel between two subjects over ten pieces of
gold,
one claiming the other owed him that sum. The King, thinking them both
rascals,
ordered the gold to be paid, and then he took it and scattered it
amongst the
beggars outside the palace. By
this time King Cole decided he had transacted enough business for one
day, so
he sent word to those outside that if anyone had a quarrel that was not
just he
should be severely punished; and, indeed, when the subjects learned the
manner
in which the King settled disputes, they were afraid to come to him, as
both sides
were sure to be losers by the decision. And that saved King Cole a lot
of
trouble thereafter, for the people thought best to settle their own
differences. The
King, now seeing he was free to do as he pleased, retired to his
private
chamber, where he called for the three fiddlers and made them play for
him while
he smoked his pipe and drank a bowl of punch. Every evening he had a
dance in
the palace, and every day there were picnics and merry-makings of all
kinds,
and before long King Cole had the reputation of having the merriest
court in
all the world. He
loved to feast and to smoke and to drink his punch, and he was never so
merry
as when others were merry with him, so that the three fiddlers were
almost
always by his side, and at any hour of the day you could hear sweet
strains of
music echoing through the palace. Old
King Cole did not forget the donkey that had been his constant
companion for so
long. He had a golden saddle made for him, with a saddle-cloth
broidered in
gold and silver, and the bridle was studded with diamonds and precious
stones,
all taken from the King’s treasury. And
when he rode out, the old fat King always bestrode the donkey, while
his
courtiers rode on either side of him upon their prancing chargers. Old
King Cole reigned for many years, and was generally beloved by his
subjects;
for he always gave liberally to all who asked, and was always as merry
and
happy as the day was long. When
he died the new King was found to be of a very different temper, and
ruled the
country with great severity; but this only served to make the memory of
Old
King Cole more tenderly cherished by his people, and they often sighed
when
they recalled his merry pranks, and the good times they enjoyed under
his rule. |
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