THE Lord God had created all animals, and had chosen out the wolf
to be his dog, but he had forgotten the goat. Then the Devil made
ready and began to create also, and created goats with fine long
tails. Now when they went to pasture, they generally remained
caught in the hedges by their tails, then the Devil had to go there
and disentangle them, with a great deal of trouble. This enraged
him at last, and he went and bit off the tail of every goat, as may
be seen to this day by the stump. Then he let them go to pasture alone,
but it came to pass that the Lord God perceived how at one time they
gnawed away at a fruitful tree, at another injured the noble vines, or
destroyed other tender plants. This distressed him, so that in his goodness
and mercy he summoned his wolves, who soon tore in pieces the goats
that went there. When the devil observed this, he went before the Lord
and said, "Thy creatures have destroyed mine." The Lord answered, "Why
didst thou create things to do harm?" The Devil said, "I was compelled
to do it: inasmuch as my thoughts run on evil, what I create can have no
other nature, and thou must pay me heavy damages." "I will pay thee as
soon as the oak leaves fall; come then, thy money will then be ready counted
out." When the oak-leaves had fallen, the Devil came and demanded what
was due to him. But the Lord said, "In the church of Constantinople stands
a tall oak-tree which still has all its leaves." With raging and curses, the Devil
departed, and went to seek the oak, wandered in the wilderness for six months
before he found it, and when he returned, all the oaks had in the meantime
covered themselves again with green leaves. Then he had to forfeit his
indemnity, and in his rage he put out the eyes of all the remaining goats, and
put his own in instead.

This is why all goats have devil's eyes, and their tails bitten off,
and why he likes to assume their shape.

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