The emperor Frederick went hunting one day with his falcons, of which he was fonder than of a city. He cast it at a crane, and the latter flew high. The falcon too flew high, much above the other bird. He saw below him an eagle. He drove it to earth and held it and killed it.

The emperor ran up, thinking it was a crane, but soon saw what bird it was.

Then in anger he called his executioner, and ordered that the falcon's head should be cut off, because he had killed his lord and master¹.

¹ The eagle being the king of birds, the Emperor considered the falcon as a kind of regicide, and so ordered it to be killed.