of the earth that could imitate them.'
'Faint heart never won fair lady,' says the prince. 'Go to the palace
and ask for a quarter of a pound of gold, a quarter of a pound of
silver, and a quarter of a pound of copper. Get one crown for a pattern,
and my head for a pledge, I'll give you out the very things that are
wanted in the morning.' 'Are you in earnest?' says the smith. 'Faith, I
am so,' says he. 'Go! you can't do worse than lose.'

To make a long story short, the smith got the quarter of a pound of
gold, and the quarter of a pound of silver, and the quarter of a pound
of copper, and gave them and the pattern crown to the prince. He shut
the forge door at nightfall, and the neighbours all gathered in the
yard, and they heard him hammering, hammering, hammering, from that to
daybreak; and every now and then he'd throw out through the window bits
of gold, silver, and copper; and the idlers scrambled for them, and
cursed one another, and prayed for the good luck of the workman.

Well, just as the sun was thinking to rise, he opened the door, and
brought out the three crowns he got from his true love, and such
shouting and huzzaing as there was! The smith asked him to go along with
him to the palace, but he refused; so off set the smith, and the whole
townland with him; and wasn't the king rejoiced when he saw the crowns!
'Well,' says he to the smith, 'you're a married man. What's to be done?'
'Faith, your majesty, I didn't make them crowns at all. It was a big
fellow that took service with me yesterday.' 'Well, daughter, will
you marry the fellow that made these crowns?' 'Let me see them first,
father,' said she; but when she examined them she knew them right well,
and guessed it was her true love that sent them. 'I will marry the man
that these crowns came from,' says she.

'Well,' says the king to the elder of the two princes, 'go up to the
smith's forge, take my best coaches, and bring home the bridegroom.' He
did not like doing this, he was so proud, but he could not refuse.
When he came to the forge he saw the prince standing at the door, and
beckoned him over to the coach. 'Are you the fellow,' says he, 'that
made these crowns?' 'Yes,' says the other. 'Then,' says he, 'maybe you'd
give yourself a brushing, and get into that coach; the king wants to see
you. I pity the princess.' The young prince got into the carriage, and
while they were on the way he opened the snuff-box, and out walked Seven
Inches, and sto