answered, “My master, who killed the dragon, is here, and I am to ask
for some confectionery, such as the King eats.” Then she summoned her
confectioner, who had to bake confectionery such as the King ate, and
carry it to the door for the bear; then the bear first licked up the
comfits which had rolled down, and then he stood upright, took the
dish, and carried it to his master. “Behold, sir host,” said the
huntsman, “now I have bread, meat, vegetables and confectionery, but I
will drink wine also, and such as the King drinks.” He called his lion
to him and said, “Dear Lion, thou thyself likest to drink till thou art
intoxicated, go and fetch me some wine, such as is drunk by the King.”
Then the lion strode through the streets, and the people fled from him,
and when he came to the watch, they wanted to bar the way against him,
but he did but roar once, and they all ran away. Then the lion went to
the royal apartment, and knocked at the door with his tail. Then the
King’s daughter came forth, and was almost afraid of the lion, but she
knew him by the golden clasp of her necklace, and bade him go with her
into her chamber, and said, “Dear Lion, what wilt thou have?” He
answered, “My master, who killed the dragon, is here, and I am to ask
for some wine such as is drunk by the King.” Then she bade the
cup-bearer be called, who was to give the lion some wine like that
which was drunk by the King. The lion said, “I will go with him, and
see that I get the right wine.” Then he went down with the cup-bearer,
and when they were below, the cup-bearer wanted to draw him some of the
common wine that was drunk by the King’s servants, but the lion said,
“Stop, I will taste the wine first,” and he drew half a measure, and
swallowed it down at one draught. “No,” said he, “that is not right.”
The cup-bearer looked at him askance, but went on, and was about to
give him some out of another barrel which was for the King’s marshal.
The lion said, “Stop, let me taste the wine first,” and drew half a
measure and drank it. “That is better, but still not right,” said he.
Then the cup-bearer grew angry and said, “How can a stupid animal like
you understand wine?” But the lion gave him a blow behind the ears,
which made him fall down by no means gently, and when he had got up
again, he conducted the lion quite silently into a little cellar apart,
where the King’s wine lay, from which no one ever drank. The lion first
drew half a measure and tried the wine, and then he said, That may
possibly be the right sort, and bade the cup-bearer fill six bottles of
it. And now they went upstairs again, but when the lion came out of the
cellar into the open air, he reeled here and there, and was rather
drunk, and the cup-bearer was forced to carry the wine as far as the
door for him, and then the lion took the handle of the basket in his
mouth, and took it to his master. The huntsman said, “Behold, sir host,
here have I bread, meat, vegetables, confectionery and wine such as the
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