Fortunatus

Fortunatus, the title of an old German Volksbuch, dating from the 15th century, the oldest printed edition being of the date 1509. The story is that Fortunatus and his sons have an inexhaustible purse (Seckel) and a wishing-cap (Wunschhiitlein), which, instead of making them completely happy, ultimately cause their ruin; the moral being that wealth is not all-sufficient. Versions of it in French, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and Icelandic have appeared; and it was dramatised by Hans Sachs and Thomas Dekker (Pleasant Comedy of Old Fortunatus).