by Charles Swan
It happened that the king himself once passed the night in the same castle; and the father sent to him the following message:—“Oh, my son, pity thy old father who gave up everything to thee. I suffer thirst and hunger; and deprived of all comfort—even of wine to cheer me in my infirmity—I draw out my life.” “I know not,” said the king, “that there is wine in this castle.” He was told that there were five casks reposited in that place, but that without his permission the seneschal refused to draw wine from them. “Suffer me, my dear son,” said the unhappy father, “suffer me at least to recruit my wasted form with the first of these casks.” The son refused, alleging that it was new, and therefore prejudicial to old men. “Then,” said the old man, “give me the second cask.” “I will not do that,” answered the king, “because it is kept for my own drinking, and for the young noblemen who attend me.” “Yet you will surely permit me to take the third,” continued his father; “No,” replied the other; “it is very strong, and you are so weak and infirm that it would kill you.” “The fourth cask, then?” said he, “give me that.” “It is sour, and would do you much injury.” “But,” urged the father, “there is a fifth, allow me to retain it.” “Oh,” said the king, “it is nothing but dregs; the noblemen would charge me with having slain thee in case thou wert permitted to drink of it.” The poor father, hearing excuses like these, went away very sorrowful; but secretly wrote letters to the noblemen, declaring how he had been treated, and imploring them to relieve him from the misery he was compelled to endure. His ill-usage excited their pity and indignation; they restored the father, and threw the son into prison, where he died.*
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the king is Christ; and the son is any bad Christian.
* Our nursery-books contain a story not unlike the present. A father resigns his estates to an ungrateful son, and is driven into the garret, and left to neglect and poverty. The grandson pities, and by a pointed speech—hardly characteristic of a child—reproves, and touches his parent’s heart.
TALE LXXIII.
OF AVARICE, WHICH MAKES MANY BLIND.
A CERTAIN king of Rome decreed that every blind man should annually receive a hundred shillings. It happened that twenty-three associates came into the city and entered a tavern to drink. They remained there seven days, both eating and drinking; but when they would reckon with the tavern-keeper, they had not sufficient money to defray the expense of what they had consumed. “Friends,” quoth mine host, “here be wanting a hundred shillings. I tell you, of a certainty, ye go not hence till ye have paid the uttermost farthing.” This rather startled the revellers, who, turning to one another, exclaimed, “What shall we do? We cannot pay so large a sum.” At length one of them observed, “Listen to me; I will give you the best advice. The king of this country has decreed that whosoever is blind shall receive from his treasury one hundred shillings. Let us then cast lots, and upon whomsoever the lot falls, we will deprive him of sight, and send him to the king for the promised benevolence. Thus we shall depart in peace.” They all agreed that the counsel was excellent; and casting lots, the chance fell upon the contriver of the expedient; whose eyes they immediately put out. He was then led to the palace. Arriving at the gate, they knocked and were admitted by the porter, who inquired their business. The blind man answered, “I am one entitled, from my deficiency of sight, to the benefit of the royal donation.” “Well,” said the porter, “I will inform the seneschal.” He went accordingly; but the wary seneschal first determined to examine his exterior before he delivered the money. He did so, and then asked what he wanted. “A hundred shillings,” replied he, “which the law gives to every blind man.” “My friend,” said the seneschal, “if I am not greatly mistaken, I saw you yesterday in a tavern with both eyes perfect. You misinterpret the law. It relates to those who, by some natural infirmity, or by accident, become blind—and against which there was no defence. Such the law protects and relieves. But you voluntarily surrendered your eyes; you drank away your money in a tavern, and planned this deceit. Seek, therefore, consolation and relief in the same place, for you shall not get a halfpenny here.” The blind man then retired in great confusion from the palace.
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the law in the story is the law of God. He who errs by natural infirmity, or through the temptations of the devil, and repents, is forgiven. But if any one, from pure malice, shall commit sin and fall into despair, he can scarcely, if at all, be pardoned. The tavern-keeper is the devil.
TALE LXXIV.
OF FORESIGHT AND CARE.
A KING had an only son, whom he tenderly loved. He caused a golden apple to be made at an immense expense; and shortly after its fabrication he sickened. Finding his end approach, he called to him his son, and spoke after the following manner:—“My dear son, I shall not recover from the sickness under which I suffer, and on my blessing I charge you, travel through town and country, and take with you the golden apple which I caused to be made; find out the greatest fool, and deliver to him that apple from me.” The son faithfully promised to execute his parent’s wish; and the king, turning himself toward the wall, resigned his spirit. A splendid funeral was prepared, and after the interment the son set out upon his travels, with the apple in his possession.
He traversed many countries and kingdoms, and found abundance of fools, but none whom he thought quite worthy of the apple. At last he entered a certain province, and approached its principal city. Observing the king, very magnificently attended, riding through the streets, he asked various questions respecting the person he saw, and especially of the institutions of the country. He was answered that, according to their custom, the throne was annually vacated; and that the late possessor, deprived of every honour, was driven into banishment, where he died in obscurity and poverty. The traveller, hearing this account, exclaimed, “This is the man; I have found him whom I sought;” and immediately hastening to the palace, he bent his knee, and cried, “Hail, oh king! my deceased father bequeathed to you this golden apple in his last will.” The king received the gift and said, “My friend, how can this be? Your royal parent knew nothing of me, nor have I ever performed any service to him. Why, then, hath he left me so valuable a present?” “The king, my Lord,” replied he, “bequeathed it not more to you than to another; but on his blessing, he charged me to bestow it upon the greatest fool that I could find. And I have now travelled through various kingdoms and countries, but nowhere have I discovered so exquisite a fool and madman. Therefore, according to my sire’s command, I resign the apple to your most gracious majesty.” “But,” said the king, “on what account do you take me for so great a fool?” “I will tell you, my Lord,” returned the other. “You are king for one year; and then, doomed to poverty and exile, you perish most miserably. I declare to you, I do not believe that there is in the whole world such an instance of egregious folly. For would any but a fool choose so short a time of splendour for an end so calamitous?” “Why,” replied the king, “you are doubtless right; and therefore, while I yet reign, I will prepare for my future existence. I will send the greater portion of my wealth into a remote land, upon which I may live in comfort, when I am driven into exile.” He did so; and for a number of years enjoyed great prosperity, and ended his life in peace.
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the king who bequeathed a golden apple to fools is God. That apple is the world. The king who reigned for a year is any man who lives in this world (considered with respect to futurity) but as a single hour. Let us then make provision for the future.
TALE LXXV.
OF WORLDLY ANXIETY.
THERE formerly lived a king who had three fair daughters. He married them to three dukes; but, unhappily, all their husbands died in the space of one year. The king, being made acquainted with this circumstance, would have had his daughters marry again, and calling the first into his presence he said, “My dear daughter, your husband is dead; I will therefore unite you to another.” But she would by no
means consent, and assigned for it this reason: “If I marry again, I should love my second husband equally with the first; perhaps more, or it might be less. This ought not to be; for my first husband possessed my earliest affection—my virgin troth. Therefore the second ought not to be loved so well. But I might love him more, and this would increase the evil: on the other hand, if I loved him less, there would exist only contention between us. So that I resolve never to be espoused again.” The king, satisfied with what he heard, called another of his daughters, and proposed the same thing to her as to her eldest sister. She replied, “My Lord, I also decline this matter. For should I comply, it must be either for riches, or power, or beauty. Now, of riches I have quite enough; my friends are sufficiently numerous to defend me; and as for beauty, I do not believe there was so beautiful a person in the world as my late husband. Therefore, I too resolve upon a single state.” The king then applied to the third daughter, and she gave the following reasons for refusing his request:—“If,” said she, “I marry, my husband must desire me either for my beauty or my wealth. Now, it cannot be for the former, because I am not beautiful; then, it must be for the latter, and true love never existed which was founded upon mercenary feelings. When wealth flies, love flies with it.* Therefore, I would on no account marry again. Moreover, the Sacred Writings say that a husband and wife are one body but two souls ; therefore, the body of my husband is my body, and the converse. Every day I visit the sepulchre of my deceased lord, and he is ever present to my mind. For all these causes, I determine to remain as I am.” The king, pleased with the virtuous resolutions of his daughters, solicited them no more.
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the king is God. The three daughters are the soul, which image the Holy Trinity. For God said, “Let us make man in our image ;” therefore the Trinity in unity is typified by the soul, and the soul represented by three persons. The three dukes are the devil, the world, and the flesh; when they die, that is, when the soul repents of her sins, do not again be united to them.
* When Poverty comes in at the door, Love flies out at the window.—ENGLISH PROVERB.
TALE LXXVI.
OF CONCORD.
Two physicians once resided in a city, who were admirably skilled in medicine; insomuch that all the sick who took their prescriptions were healed, and it thence became a question with the inhabitants which of them was the best. After a while, a dispute arose between them upon this point. Said one, “My friend, why should discord or envy or anger separate us? Let us make the trial, and whosoever is inferior in skill shall serve the other.” “But how,” replied his friend, “is this to be brought about? “The first physician answered, “Hear me. I will pluck out your eyes, without doing you the smallest injury, and lay them before you on the table; and when you desire it, I will replace them as perfect and serviceable as they were before. If, in like manner, you can perform this, we will then be esteemed equal, and walk as brethren through the world. But, remember, he who fails in the attempt shall become the servant of the other.” “I am well pleased,” returned his fellow, “to do as you say.” Whereupon, he who made the proposition took out his instruments and extracted the eyes, besmearing the sockets and the outer part of the lids with a certain rich ointment. “My dear friend,” said he, “what do you perceive?” “Of a surety,” cried the other, “I see nothing. I want the use of my eyes, but I feel no pain from their loss. I pray you, however, restore them to their places as you promised.” “Willingly,” said his friend. He again touched the inner and outer part of the lids with the ointment, and then, with much precision, inserted the balls into their sockets. “How do you see now?” asked he. “Excellently,” returned the other, “nor do I feel the least pain.” “Well, then,” continued the first, “it now remains for you to treat me in a similar manner.”* “I am ready,” said the latter. And accordingly taking the instruments, as the first had done, he smeared the upper and under parts of the eye with a peculiar ointment, drew out the eyes and placed them upon the table. The patient felt no pain; but added, “I wish you would hasten to restore them.” The operator cheerfully complied; but as he prepared his implements, a crow entered by an open window, and seeing the eyes upon the table, snatched one of them up, and flew away with it. The physician, vexed at what had happened, said to himself, “If I do not restore the eye to my companion, I must become his slave.” At that moment a goat, browsing at no great distance, attracted his observation. Instantly he ran to it, drew out one of its eyes, and put it into the place of the lost orb. “My dear friend,” exclaimed the operator, “how do things appear to you? ““Neither in extracting nor in replacing,” he answered, “did I suffer the least pain; but—bless me!—one eye looks up to the trees!” “Ah!” replied the first, “this is the very perfection of medicine. Neither of ns is superior; henceforward we will be friends, as we are equals; and banish far off that spirit of contention which has destroyed our peace.” They lived from this time in the greatest amity.
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the two physicians are the new and the old law. Thus the Jews and Christians contend: the extracted eyes denote those parts of the old law which Christians retain. The crow is the devil; and the goat’s eye typifies those ceremonies of the Jews to which they attach so much importance, and by which they are not able to discern the truth.*
* A foolish physician. If the other succeeded, he acknowledged his superiority, or equality, at least; if not, he lost his eyes. At all events, he could gain nothing by the experiment.
* This is to see the beam in a neighbour’s eye, and forget that in their own. The Catholic ceremonies are open to the same censure, and are equally prejudicial in their consequences.
TALE LXXVII.
OF RICHES, WHICH ARE NOT TO BE COVETED.
A CERTAIN king had two daughters, one of whom was extremely beautiful, and very much beloved. The other, however, was of a dark, unprepossessing complexion, and hated as much as her sister was esteemed. This difference in their appearance caused the king to give them characteristic names. He called the first Rosamunda, † that is, the fragrant rose; and the second, Gratiaplena, or the full of grace.
A herald was commanded to proclaim that all men should come to him, and he would give his daughters to those who were worthy. But whoever got the beautiful girl to wife should have nothing but her beauty; and he who selected the dark girl should succeed him to the throne. Multitudes flocked to the summons; but every one still clung to the fair lady, and not even the temptation of a kingdom could induce any one to espouse the other. Gratiaplena wept bitterly at her unhappy fate. “My daughter,” said the king, “why are you so grievously afflicted? ““Oh, my father,” returned she, “no one visits or speaks kindly to me; all pay their attentions to my sister, and despise me.” “Why, my dear daughter,” said the father, “do you not know that whosoever marries you will possess the crown? “The lady dried her tears, and was marvellously comforted.
Not long after a king entered the royal palace, and, seeing the great beauty of Rosamunda, desired her in marriage. The king, her father, consented, and she was espoused with great joy. But the other daughter remained many years unbetrothed. At last a certain poor nobleman, very wisely reflecting that though the girl was abominably ugly yet she was rich, determined to marry her. He therefore went to the king, and solicited his consent; who, glad enough at the proposal, cheerfully bestowed her upon him; and after his decease, bequeathed him the kingdom.
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the king is our Lord Jesus Christ; Rosamunda is the world, which every one loves. The other daughter, Gratiaplena, so abhorred by the world, is poverty. But the poor in spirit will receive the kingdom of heaven.
† Or Rosa mundi, rose of the world. There are two monkish Latin verses inscribed over the unfortunate paramour of Henry II. which may find a place here:—
“Hie jacet in tumba ROSA MUNDI, non ROSAMUNDA;
“Non redolet, sed olet, quæ redolere solet.”—CAMDEN.
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TALE LXXVIII.
OF THE CONSTANCY OF LOVE.
THE beautiful daughter of a certain king was betrothed to a noble duke, by whom she had very handsome children. The duke died, and was greatly bewailed by the whole state. After his death her friends earnestly solicited the lady to marry a second time, alleging that her youth and beauty required it. But she answered, “I will never marry again. My departed lord was so good and kind; he loved me so truly, that I verily believe I shall not live much longer. And if it were possible that I could forget what he has been, where shall I find another? Admitting that I should marry, perhaps my second husband would also precede me to the grave? Why, then, my grief would be awakened the second time, and my afflictions be as heavy as before! Moreover, if he were a bad man, it would indeed be torture to remember him who was good, while one so inferior had succeeded him. I am therefore determined to remain as I am.” *
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the king is God; the daughter the soul, betrothed to our Lord Jesus Christ.
* See Tale LXXV., which is similar both in structure and reasoning.
