Hvor lykkelig er ikke den husbond, som har en karl, der ganske vist hører på, hvad han siger, men alligevel følger sit eget, kloge hovede! En sådan klog fyr blev engang sendt af sted for at lede efter en ko, som var løbet sin vej. Han blev længe borte, og husbonden tænkte: "Det er dog en flink fyr, han er såmænd ivrig i tjenesten." Men da han slet ikke kom igen, blev husbonden bange for, at der var tilstødt ham noget, og gik ud for at lede efter ham. Efter lang søgen så han karlen løbe frem og tilbage henne på marken. "Har du så fundet den ko, du skulle lede efter, Hans?" spurgte han, da han var kommet derhen. "Nej," svarede karlen, "men jeg har rigtignok heller ikke søgt efter den." - "Hvad har du da bestilt?" - "Jeg har søgt efter noget meget bedre, og det har jeg da også fundet." - "Hvad er det da?" - "Tre drosler," svarede Hans. "Hvor har du da gjort af dem?" spurgte husbonden. "Den ene kan jeg se, den anden kan jeg høre og den tredie er jeg på jagt efter," svarede den kloge karl.
How fortunate is the master, and how well all goes in his house, when he has a wise servant who listens to his orders and does not obey them, but prefers following his own wisdom. A clever John of this kind was once sent out by his master to seek a lost cow. He stayed away a long time, and the master thought, "Faithful John does not spare any pains over his work!" As, however, he did not come back at all, the master was afraid lest some misfortune had befallen him, and set out himself to look for him. He had to search a long time, but at last he perceived the boy who was running up and down a large field. "Now, dear John," said the master when he had got up to him, "hast thou found the cow which I sent thee to seek?" - "No, master," he answered, "I have not found the cow, but then I have not looked for it." - "Then what hast thou looked for, John?" - "Something better, and that luckily I have found." - "What is that, John?" - "Three blackbirds," answered the boy. "And where are they?" asked the master. "I see one of them, I hear the other, and I am running after the third," answered the wise boy.
Hvis I tager ham til eksempel og ikke bryder jer om, hvad jeres husbond siger, men gør, hvad I selv har lyst til, så bærer I jer lige så fornuftigt ad som den kloge Hans.
Take example by this, do not trouble yourselves about your masters or their orders, but rather do what comes into your head and pleases you, and then you will act just as wisely as prudent John.