Grimms' Fairy Tales

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sentenced to death, and was to be rolled into the water, in a barrel
pierced full of holes. He was led forth, and a priest was brought who
was to say a mass for his soul. The others were all obliged to retire to
a distance, and when the peasant looked at the priest, he recognized the
man who had been with the miller's wife. He said to him: 'I set you free
from the closet, set me free from the barrel.' At this same moment up
came, with a flock of sheep, the very shepherd whom the peasant knew had
long been wishing to be mayor, so he cried with all his might: 'No, I
will not do it; if the whole world insists on it, I will not do it!' The
shepherd hearing that, came up to him, and asked: 'What are you about?
What is it that you will not do?' The peasant said: 'They want to make
me mayor, if I will but put myself in the barrel, but I will not do it.'
The shepherd said: 'If nothing more than that is needful in order to be
mayor, I would get into the barrel at once.' The peasant said: 'If you
will get in, you will be mayor.' The shepherd was willing, and got in,
and the peasant shut the top down on him; then he took the shepherd's
flock for himself, and drove it away. The parson went to the crowd,