And they played all kinds of harmless foolery, but the King remained sad and severe.
That same evening, the Markgrave of Antwerp, the burgomasters, captains and deans, assembled together to find out some game or play that might win Philip the King to laughter.
"Have ye not heard tell of a certain Pierkin Jacobsen, the town-fool of Bois-le-Duc, and far renowned for his merry tricks?"
"Well!" said the Markgrave, "let us summon him to come hither, and bid him do us some nimblewitted turn, since our own fool has his boots stuffed with lead."
When the messenger from Antwerp came to Bois-le-Duc, they told him that the fool Pierkin had snuffed out his candle with over-much laughing, but that there was in the town another fool, a bird of passage, called Ulenspiegel. The messenger went to look for him in a tavern where he was eating a fricassee of mussels and making a petticoat for a girl with the shells.
Ulenspiegel was delighted when he knew that it was for him the courier of the commune had come all the way from Antwerp, mounted upon a fine horse of Vuern-Ambacht and leading another by the bridle.
Without setting foot to ground, the courier asked him if he knew where to find a new trick to make King Philip laugh.
"I have a mine of them under my hair," answered Ulenspiegel.
They went away together. The two horses galloping loose-reined brought Ulenspiegel and the courier to Antwerp.
Ulenspiegel made his appearance before the Markgrave, the two burgomasters, and the officials of the commune.
"What do you intend to do?" asked the Markgrave.
"How will you set about this?" asked the Markgrave.
"Do you know," asked Ulenspiegel, "what is worth less than a burst bladder?"
"A secret that has been let out," replied Ulenspiegel.
In the meanwhile, the heralds of the games, mounted upon their handsome steeds caparisoned with crimson velvet, rode through all the main streets, squares, and carfaxes of the city, sounding clarions and with beat of drum. In this fashion they announced to the signorkes and the signorkinnes that Ulenspiegel, the fool of Damme, would fly in the air at the quay, there being present upon a staging King Philip and his high illustrious and distinguished company.
Over against the staging there was a house built in the Italian fashion, with a gutter running along the whole length of the roof. A garret window opened upon the gutter.