The Parson replied, "God."
"You are out again," quoth Jack, "for God made them bulls, but my father
and his man Hobson made oxen of them."
The Parson, finding himself fooled, trudged away, leaving Jack in a fit
of laughter.
In those days the mount of Cornwall was kept by a huge and monstrous
Giant, of twenty-seven feet high, and three yards in compass, of a grim
countenance, to the terror of all the neighbouring towns. His habitation
was a cave in the midst of the mount; neither would he suffer any living
creature near him; his feeding was upon other men's cattle; for
whensoever he had occasion for food, he would wade over to the
mainland, where he would furnish himself with whatever he could find.
For the people at his approach would forsake their habitations; then he
would take their cows and oxen, of which he would make nothing to carry
over his back half-a-dozen at a time; and as for sheep and hogs, he
would tie them round his waist. This he had for many years practised in
Cornwall.
But one day Jack, coming to the Town Hall, when the Magistrates were
sitting in consternation about the Giant, he asked what reward they
would give to any person that would destroy him?
They answered, "He shall have all the Giant's treasure in recompense."
Quoth Jack, "Then I myself will undertake the work."
Jack furnished himself with a horn, a shovel, and a pick-axe, and over
to the mount he goes in the beginning of a dark winter evening, where he
fell to work, and before morning had digged a pit twenty-two feet deep
and as broad, and covered the same over with long sticks and straw; then
strewed a little mould upon it, so that it appeared like the plain
ground.
This done, Jack places himself on the contrary side of the pit, just
about the dawning of the day, when, putting his horn to his mouth, he
then blew, _Tan Twivie, tan twivie_. Which unexpected noise roused the
Giant, who came roaring towards Jack, crying out--"You incorrigible
villain, are you come hither to break my rest; you shall dearly pay for
it; satisfaction I will have, and it shall be this: I will take you
wholly and broil you for my breakfast."
Which words were no sooner out of his mouth but he tumbled headlong into
the deep pit, which heavy fall made the very foundation of the mount to
shake. "Oh, Giant! where are you now? Faith, you are got into Lobb's
Pond, where I shall plague you for your threatening words. What do you
think now of broiling me for your breakfast? Will no other diet serve
you but poor Jack?"
Thus having tantalized the Giant for a while, he gave him a most weighty
knock on the crown of his head with his pick-axe, so that he immediately
tumbled down, gave a most dreadful groan, and died. This done, Jack
threw the earth in upon him, and so buried him; then going and searching
the cave, he found a great quantity of treasure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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