o the wood and gathered
a bunch of St. John's Wort, and rosemary, and suchlike herbs, and rubbed
them, as he had been told, on the floor of the palace. Hardly had he
done so than the walls immediately turned into ivory, so richly inlaid
with gold and silver that they dazzled the eyes of all beholders. The
King, when he rose and saw the miracle that had been performed, was
beside himself with amazement, and didn't know what in the world he was
to do.

But when Cola-Mattheo came next day, and, in the name of the snake,
demanded the hand of the Princess, the King replied, 'Don't be in such
a hurry; if the snake really wants to marry my daughter, he must do some
more things first, and one of these is to turn all the paths and walls
of my garden into pure gold before noon to-morrow.'

When the snake was told of this new condition, he replied, 'To-morrow
morning, early, you must go and collect all the odds and ends of rubbish
you can find in the streets, and then take them and throw them on the
paths and walls of the garden, and you'll see then if we won't be more
than a match for the old King.'

So Cola-Mattheo rose at cock-crow, took a large basket under his arm,
and carefully collected all the broken fragments of pots and pans, and
jugs and lamps, and other trash of that sort. No sooner had he scattered
them over the paths and walls of the King's garden than they became one
blaze of glittering gold, so that everyone's eyes were dazzled with the
brilliancy, and everyone's soul was filled with wonder. The King, too,
was amazed at the sight, but still he couldn't make up his mind to
part with his daughter, so when Cola-Mattheo came to remind him of his
promise he replied, 'I have still a third demand to make. If the snake
can turn all the trees and fruit of my garden into precious stones, then
I promise him my daughter in marriage.'

When the peasant informed the snake what the King had said, he replied,
'To-morrow morning, early, you must go to the market and buy all the
fruit you see there, and then sow all the stones and seeds in the palace
garden, and, if I'm not mistaken, the King will be satisfied with the
result.'

Cola-Mattheo rose at dawn, and taking a basket on his arm, he went to
the market, and bought all the pomegranates, apricots, cherries, and
other fruit he could find there, and sowed the seeds and stones in the
palace garden. In one moment, the trees were all ablaze with rubies,
emeralds, diamonds, and