Select popular tales, from the German of Musaeus . HERE was once awealthy merchant,called Melchior ofBremen, who alwaysused to stroke his chin with a kindof complacence when he heard theparable of the rich man in the Gos-pel read, whom, in comparison with himself,he considered but a poor shopkeeper. Such,indeed, was his wealth, that he had thefloor of his banqueting - room paved withdollars ; for luxury, though of a more sub-stantial kind, was prevalent in those rudetimes, as well as now : and while his friends 2 POPULAR TALES. and fellow-citizens were not much pleased at such a proof of hisos
Select popular tales, from the German of Musaeus . HERE was once awealthy merchant,called Melchior ofBremen, who alwaysused to stroke his chin with a kindof complacence when he heard theparable of the rich man in the Gos-pel read, whom, in comparison with himself,he considered but a poor shopkeeper. Such,indeed, was his wealth, that he had thefloor of his banqueting - room paved withdollars ; for luxury, though of a more sub-stantial kind, was prevalent in those rudetimes, as well as now : and while his friends 2 POPULAR TALES. and fellow-citizens were not much pleased at such a proof of hisostentation, yet it was, in fact, intended more as a mercantile spe-culation than for idle display. He was sagacious enough to seethat reports would go abroad of his excessive wealth, which wouldgreatly add to his credit even among those who censured hisvanity. This was exactly the case; his idle capital of old dollars,so prudently as well as ostentatiously employed, brought largereturns of interest: it was a visible bond of payment which gavevigou
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookpubli, booksubjectfairytales
