Part 4

HERE IT IS TREATED OF AN ARGUMENT AND A JUDGMENT THAT TOOK PLACE IN ALEXANDRIA

In Alexandria, which is in the parts of Roumania—for there are twelve Alexandrias which Alexander founded in the March before he died [15]—in this Alexandria there are streets where the Saracens live, who make foods for sale, and the people seek out the street where the finest and most delicate foodstuffs are to be found, just as among us one goes in search of cloths.

On a certain Monday, a Saracen cook whose name was Fabrae was standing by his kitchen door, when a poor Saracen entered the kitchen with a loaf in his hand. Money to purchase viands he had none, so he held his loaf over the pot, and let the savoury steam soak into it, and ate it.

The Saracen Fabrae, who was doing a poor trade that morning, was annoyed at the action, and seized the poor Saracen, and said to him: pay me for what you have taken of mine.

The poor man answered: I have taken nothing from your kitchen save steam. [16] Pay me for what you have taken of mine, Fabrae continued to exclaim.

The dispute over this new and difficult question which had never arisen before, continued to such an extent that news of it reached the Sultan.

Owing to the great novelty of the argument, the Sultan called together a number of wise men. He laid the question before them.

The Saracen wise men began to dispute, and there were those who held that the steam did not belong to the cook, for which they adduced many good reasons. Steam cannot be appropriated, for it dissolves in the air, and has no useful substance or property. Therefore the poor man ought not to pay. Others argued that the steam was still part of the viand cooking, in fact that it belonged to it and emanated from its property, that a man sells the products of his trade, and that it is the custom for him who takes thereof to pay.

Many were the opinions given, and finally came the judgment: since this man sells his foodstuffs and you and others buy them, you must pay his viands according to their value. If for the food he sells and of which he gives the useful properties he is accustomed to take useful money, then since he has sold steam which is the vaporous part of his cooking, you, sir, must ring a piece of money, and it shall be understood that payment is satisfied by the sound that comes therefrom.

And the Sultan ordered that this judgment be observed. [17]

X

HERE IT IS TOLD OF A FINE JUDGMENT GIVEN BY THE SLAVE OF BARI IN A DISPUTE BETWEEN A TOWNSMAN AND A PILGRIM

A townsman of Bari went on a pilgrimage, and left three hundred byzantines [18] to a friend on these conditions: I shall make my journey as God wills, and should I not return you will give this money for the salvation of my soul, but if I return within a certain time, you shall return me the money, keeping back what you will. The pilgrim went on his pilgrimage, came back at the established time and demanded his byzantines back.

His friend said: tell me over the pact again. The wanderer told it over again. You say well, quoth the friend: ten byzantines I give back to you, and two hundred and ninety I keep for myself.

The pilgrim began to get angry. What kind of faith is this? You take away from me wrongfully what is mine.

The friend replied calmly: I do you no wrong, but if you think I do, let us go before the governors of the city. A law-suit ensued.

The Slave of Bari was the judge, [19] and heard both sides. He formulated the argument, and to him who held the money he said: give back the two hundred and ninety byzantines to the pilgrim, and the pilgrim must give you back the ten you handed him. For the pact was so; what you want you will give to me. Therefore the two hundred and ninety which you want, give them to him, and the ten you do not want, take them.

XI

HERE IT IS TOLD HOW MASTER GIORDANO WAS DECEIVED BY A FALSE DISCIPLE OF HIS

There was once a doctor whose name was Giordano, and he had a disciple. A son of the king fell ill. Master Giordano went to him, and saw that the illness could be cured. The disciple, in order to injure his master’s reputation, said to the father: I see that he will certainly die.

And so disputing with his master, he made the sick youth open his mouth, and with his little finger inserted poison therein, making a great show to understand the nature of the illness from the state of the tongue.

The son died.

The master went away, and lost his reputation, while the disciple increased his.

Then the master swore that in future he would only doctor asses, and so he made physic for beasts and the lower animals. [20]

XII

HERE IT IS TOLD OF THE HONOUR THAT AMINADAB DID TO KING DAVID, HIS RIGHTFUL LORD

Aminadab, general and marshall of King David, went with a vast army of men by order of King David to a city of the Philistines. [21]

Aminadab hearing that the city would not resist long, and would soon be his, sent to King David, asking if it were his pleasure to come to the field of battle with many men, for he feared the issue of the battle.

King David started out hurriedly and went to the battlefield, and asked his marshall Aminadab: why have you made me come here?

Aminadab answered: Sire, since the city cannot resist longer, I wished that the glory of the victory should come to your person rather than that I should have it.

He stormed the city, and conquered it, and the glory and honour were David’s. [22]

XIII

HERE IT IS TOLD HOW ANTIGONUS REPROVED ALEXANDER FOR HAVING A CYTHERA PLAYED FOR HIS DELIGHT

Antigonus, the teacher of Alexander, when one day the latter was having a cythera played for his delight, took hold of the instrument and cast it into the mud [23] and said these words: at your age it behoves you to reign and not to play the cythera. For it may be said that luxury debases the body and the country, as the sound of the cythera enfeebles the soul. [24] Let him then be ashamed who should reign in virtue, and instead delights in luxury.

King Porrus [25] who fought with Alexander ordered during a banquet that the strings of a player’s cythera should be cut, saying: it is better to cut than to play, for virtue departs with sweet sounds.

XIV

HOW A KING HAD A SON OF HIS BROUGHT UP IN A DARK PLACE, AND THEN SHOWED HIM EVERYTHING, AND HOW WOMEN PLEASED HIM MOST

To a king a son was born.

The wise astrologers counselled that he should be kept for ten years without ever seeing the sun. So he was brought up and taken care of in a darksome cavern.

After the time had gone by, they brought him forth, and they set before him many fine jewels and many lovely girls, calling each thing by its name, and saying of the maidens that they were demons. Then they asked him which thing pleased him the most of all. And he answered: the demons.

At this the king marvelled mightily, saying: what a terrible thing is the tyranny and beauty of women! [26]

XV

HOW A LAND STEWARD PLUCKED OUT HIS OWN EYE AND THAT OF HIS SON TO THE END THAT JUSTICE MIGHT BE OBSERVED

Valerius Maximus in his sixth book narrates that Calognus [27] being steward of some land, ordered that whoever should commit a certain crime, should lose his eyes.

When a little time had passed, his own son fell into this very crime. All the people cried out for pity, and he remembering that mercy is a good and useful thing, and reflecting that no injury must be done to justice, and the love of his fellow citizens urging him, he provided that both justice and mercy should be observed.

He gave judgment and sentence that one eye be taken from his son, and one from himself. [28]

XVI

HERE IT IS TOLD OF THE GREAT MERCY WROUGHT BY SAINT PAULINUS THE BISHOP

Blessed Bishop Paulinus was so full of charity that when a poor woman asked a charity for her son who was in prison Blessed Paulinus replied: I have nothing to give to you, but do this. Lead me to the prison where your son is.

The woman led him there.

And he put himself in the hands of the prison-keepers [29] saying to them: give back her son to this good woman, and keep me in his stead. [30]

XVII

OF THE GREAT ACT OF CHARITY WHICH A BANKER DID FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Peter [31] the banker was a man of great wealth, and was so charitable that he distributed all his possessions to the poor.

Then when he had given everything away, he sold himself and gave the whole price to the poor. [32]

XVIII

OF THE JUDGMENT OF GOD ON A BARON OF CHARLEMAGNE

Charlemagne came to the point of death while fighting the Saracens in the field, and made his testament.

Among other things he left his horse and his arms to the poor. And he left them in charge of a baron of his that he should sell them, and give the money to the poor.

The baron kept them, however, instead of obeying. Charlemagne appeared to him and said: you have made me suffer eight generations of torment in purgatory on account of the horse and the arms which you received. But thanks be to God, I now go, purged of my sins, to heaven and you will pay dearly for your act.

Whereat, in the presence of a hundred thousand people, there descended a thunderbolt from the sky, and bore the baron away to hell. [33]

XIX

OF THE GREAT GENEROSITY AND COURTESY OF THE YOUNG KING

We read of the valour [34] of the Young King [35] in rivalry with his father through the offices of Beltram. [36]

This Beltram boasted that he had more sense than anyone else. Whence many judgments came into being, some of which are written here.

Beltram plotted with the Young King that he should persuade his father to give him his share of inheritance. And so insistent was the son that he gained his request. And he gave all away to gentlefolk and to poor knights, so that nothing remained to him and he had no more to give away.

A court player asked him for a gift. He replied that he had given all away, but this only is left me, [37] a bad tooth, and my father has promised two thousand marks to whomsoever shall prevail on me to have it taken out. Go to my father and make him give you the marks, and I will draw the tooth from my mouth at your request.

The minstrel went to the father and had the marks, and the son drew out his tooth.

On another occasion it happened that he gave two hundred marks to a gentleman. The seneschal or treasurer took the marks, and laid a carpet in a room and placed the marks beneath it, together with a bundle of cloth so that the whole should seem larger.

And the Young King going through the room, the treasurer showed him the pile saying: Sire, see how you dispense your gifts. You see what a large sum is two hundred marks, which seem nothing to you.

And the Young King looked and said: that seems little enough to me to give to so valiant a man. Give him four hundred, for I thought two hundred marks much more than they seem now I see them. [38]

XX

OF THE GREAT LIBERALITY AND COURTESY OF THE KING OF ENGLAND

The young King of England squandered and gave away all his possessions.

Once a poor knight beheld the cover of a silver dish, and said to himself: if I could but hide that upon me, my household could thrive thereon for many a day. He hid the cover on his person. The seneschal, when the dinner was ended, examined the silver, and found that the dish was missing. So they began to spread the news and to search the knights at the door.

The young King had observed him who had taken it, and came to him silently, and said to him very softly: give it to me, for I shall not be searched. And the knight all shamefaced, obeyed his behest.

Outside the door, the young King gave it back to him and hid it on him, and then he sent for him, and gave him the other half of the dish.

And his courtesy even went further; for one night some impoverished gentlemen entered his room in the belief that he was asleep. They collected his arms and clothes in order to steal them. One of them was reluctant to leave behind a rich counterpane which was covering the King, and he seized it and began to pull. The King, for fear he should remain uncovered, took hold of the end of it and held it fast, while the other tugged, and the knights present, in order to save time, lent him a hand.

And then the king spoke: this is not theft but robbery—to wit, taking by force. The knights fled when they heard him speak, for they had believed him to be sleeping.

One day, the old King, the father of this young King, took him harshly to task, saying, where is your treasure?

And he answered: Sire, I have more than you have. There was much discussion. Both sides bound themselves to a wager.

The day was fixed when each was to show his treasure.

The young King invited all the barons of the country who were in the neighbourhood. His father set up that day a sumptuous pavilion and sent for gold and silver in dishes and plates and much armour and a great quantity of precious stones, and laid all on his carpets and said to his son: where is your treasure? Thereupon the son drew his sword from its scabbard.

The assembled knights crowded in from the streets and the squares. The entire city seemed to be full of knights.

The King was unable to defend himself against them. The gold remained in the power of the young King, who said to his knights: take your treasure. Some took gold, some plate, some one thing and some another, so that in a little while everything was distributed. The father gathered all his forces to take the treasure.

The son shut himself up in a castle, and Bertrand de Born was with him. The father came to besiege him.

One day through being oversure, he was struck in the head by an arrow (for he was pursued by misfortune) and killed.

But before his death he was visited by all his creditors, and they asked him for the treasure which they had lent him. Whereat the young King answered: sirs, you come at a bad season, for my treasure has been distributed. My possessions are all given away. My body is infirm, and it would be a poor pledge for you.

But he sent for a notary, and when the notary had come, that courteous king said to him: write that I bind my soul to perpetual bondage until such time as my creditors are paid. Then he died. After his death they went to his father and asked for the money. The father answered them roughly, saying: you are the men who lent to my son wherefore he waged war upon me, and therefore under the penalty of your life and goods take yourselves out of my dominions.

Then one of them spoke and said: Sire, we shall not be the losers, for we have his soul in our keeping.

And the king asked in what way, and they showed him the document.

Then the king humbled himself and said: God forfend that the soul of so valiant a man should be in bondage for money, and he ordered them to be paid, and so it befell.

Then Bertran de Born came into his hands, and he asked for him and said: you declared you had more sense than any man in the world; now where is your sense? Bertran replied: Sire, I have lost it. And when did you lose it? I lost it when your son died.

Then the King knew that he had lost his wit for love of his son [39], so he pardoned him and loaded him with rich gifts.

XXI

HOW THREE NECROMANCERS CAME TO THE COURT OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK

The Emperor Frederick was a most noble sovereign, and men who had talent flocked to him from all sides because he was liberal in his gifts, and looked with pleasure on those who had any special talent.

To him came musicians, troubadours, and pleasant story-tellers, men of art [40], jousters, fencers and folk of every kind.

One day the table was set and the Emperor was washing his hands, [41] when there came to him three necromancers garbed in long pilgrims’ robes. [42] They greeted him forthwith, and he asked: which of you is the master? One of them came forward and said: Sire, I am he. And the Emperor besought him that he would have the courtesy to show his art. So they cast their spells and practised their arts.

The weather began to grow stormy, and a sudden shower of rain with thunder and lightning and thunder-bolts, and it seemed that a hail fell like balls of steel. The knights fled through the halls, one going in one direction, one in another.

The weather cleared up again. The necromancers [43] took their leave and asked for a recompense.

The Emperor said: ask me then. And they made their request. The Count of San Bonifazio was then near the Emperor. So they said: Sire, bid this lord come and succour us against our enemies.

The Emperor laid this command upon him with affectionate insistence. The Count set out on his way with the masters.

They took him to a noble city, showed him knights of high lineage, and prepared for him a handsome horse and fine arms, and said: these are at your command.

The enemy came up for battle. The Count defeated them, and delivered the city. He won back the country. They gave him a wife. He had children.

After some time, he ruled the land.

The necromancers left him alone for a very long period.

Then they returned. The Count’s son was already full forty years old. The Count was old. The necromancers came back and said that they wished to go and see the Emperor and the court. The Count answered: the Empire will by this time more than once have changed hands; the people will all be new: where should I return? The necromancers answered: no matter, we will take you with us all the same.

They set forth; they walked for a long time; they reached the court.

They found the Emperor among his barons, still pouring water over his hands as he had been doing when the Count went away with the necromancers.

The Emperor made him tell his tale, and he told it. I have taken a wife. My children are forty years old. Three pitched battles have I fought. The world is all topsy-turvy. How comes this?

The Emperor made him relate all this with great mirth for the barons and knights. [44]

XXII

HOW THE EMPEROR FREDERICK’S GOSHAWK ESCAPED TO MILAN

While the Emperor Frederick was besieging Milan, one of his goshawks escaped and flew into Milan. He sent ambassadors to claim it.

The councillors called a meeting. There were very many speeches. All agreed that it would be greater courtesy to send it back than to keep it.

A very old citizen of Milan advised the authorities and spoke thus: we hold the goshawk as if it were the Emperor, so we shall make him repent of what he has done to the dominions of Milan. Therefore I urge that it should not be returned to him. [45]

The ambassadors went back and told how the council had gone.

When the Emperor heard this, he said: how came that to pass? Was there anyone in Milan to contradict the proposal of the council? And the ambassadors said: yes Sire, there was. And what manner of man was he? Sire, he was an old man.

It cannot be, replied the Emperor, that an old man could make so vile a speech. None the less, Sire, so it was. Tell me, said the Emperor, what manner of man he was and how garbed. Sire, his hair was white, and his coat was striped. [46]

It may well be, said the Emperor, that since his coat was striped he was a madman.

XXIII

HOW THE EMPEROR FREDERICK FOUND A COUNTRYMAN AT A FOUNTAIN AND ASKED LEAVE TO DRINK, AND HOW HE TOOK AWAY HIS DRINKING-CUP

Once when the Emperor Frederick went hunting, dressed, as was his wont, in plain green, he came upon a countryman at a fountain who had spread a gleaming white cloth on the green grass, and had a cup made of tamerisk [47] and a nice clean loaf of bread. [48]

The Emperor came up and asked leave to drink. The countryman replied: with what should I give you to drink? You shall not set your lips to this cup. If you have a drinking horn, I will gladly give you some wine.

The Emperor answered: lend me your cup, and I will drink so that it does not touch my mouth. And the countryman handed it to him, and he kept to his promise. He did not give it back though, but on the contrary, spurred his horse and ran off with the cup.

The countryman was confident that the man was one of the Emperor’s knights.

The following day he went to the court. The Emperor told his servants if such and such a countryman come, let him in, and do not close the door to him. The countryman came. He appeared before the Emperor. He complained of the loss of his cup. The Emperor made him tell his story many times to his great amusement.

The barons listened to it with glee. And the Emperor said: would you recognise your cup? Yes, Sire. Then the Emperor drew forth the cup to show that it had been he in person.

Then the Emperor, because of the man’s cleanliness, gave him rich gifts.

XXIV

HOW THE EMPEROR FREDERICK PUT A QUESTION TO TWO WISE MEN, AND HOW HE REWARDED THEM

The Emperor Frederick had two exceedingly wise men about him; one was called Bolgaro, the other Martino. [49]

One day the Emperor was in the company of these two wise men, one of them on his right hand, and the other on his left.

And the Emperor put a question to them and said: can I give to any one of my subjects and take away from another, according to my will and without other cause? Since I am their lord, and the law says that what pleases the lord shall be law to his subjects. Say then whether I may do this, since such is my pleasure.

One of the two wise men replied: Sire, whatever is your pleasure, that you may do to your subjects without causing wrong.

The other sage answered and said: to me it seems not, since the law is utterly just, and its conditions must be observed and followed with an extreme nicety. When you take away, it should be known from whom and also to whom you give.

Since both of the wise men spoke the truth, he offered gifts to both. To the one he gave a scarlet hat and a white palfrey; and to the other he gave the right to make a law to please his fancy.

Whence there arose a great discussion among the learned as to which of the two he had given the richer present.

It was held that to him who had said he could give and take away as it pleased him he had given clothing and a palfrey as to a minstrel because he had flattered him. To him who followed justice, he gave the right to make a law.

XXV

HOW THE SULTAN GAVE TWO HUNDRED MARKS TO A MAN AND HOW HIS TREASURER WROTE DOWN THE ENTRY IN HIS PRESENCE

Saladin [50] was a most noble lord, brave and generous. Once he gave two hundred marks to a man who had given him a basket of winter roses grown in a hot-house. His treasurer wrote down the sum in his presence, and through a slip of the pen he wrote three hundred marks. Saladin said: what are you doing? The treasurer answered: Sire, I have blundered, and he was about to cancel the surplus. Then Saladin spoke: do not cancel it; write four hundred instead. It would be ill for me were your pen more generous than I.

This Saladin, at the time of his sultanate, ordered a truce between himself and the Christians, and said he would like to behold our customs, and if they pleased him, he would become a Christian.

The truce was made.

Saladin came in person to study the habits of the Christians; he beheld the tables set for eating with dazzlingly white cloths, and he praised them exceedingly.

And he beheld the disposition of the table where the King of France ate, set apart from the others.

And he praised it highly. He saw the places where the great ones of the realm ate, and he praised them highly.

He saw how the poor ate on the ground in humility, and this he disapproved greatly.

Moreover, he blamed them for that the lord’s friends ate more lowly and further down the table.

Then the Christians went to see the customs of the Saracens, and saw that they ate on the ground grossly.

The Sultan had his pavilion, where they ate, richly draped and the ground covered with carpets which were closely worked with crosses.

The stupid Christians entered, stepping with their feet on these crosses and spitting upon them as on the ground.