Dante's Heart
The Seven Sages of Rome
The King's Treasure and the Son of the Thief
“…There was a king who had two seneschals in his court. The one was
extremely tight-fisted, the other a huge spender who in little time consumed
whatever money he had his hands on. One day that man called his son, and
told him that he had no more to spend. His son replied, ‘Father of mine,
you spend too much, and you should not spend as greatly as you do.’ The
father said to his son, ‘Find iron tools, and we will secretly break into the
tower and spend the treasure of his majesty the king wherever we want.’
And thus they did, several times.
"While they were spending this money, it happened that the tight-fisted
seneschal went one day to the tower, and he found the wall broken and a
great quantity of money taken. And seeing this he was dismayed, and he
thought of how he could seize this thief. Then he had a trench made near
the break in the wall, and he filled the trench with birdlime and pitch, and he
covered it over.
"The thief, going with his son into the tower, fell into the trench, and he went
into the birdlime and the pitch up to his neck, so that only his head was out
of it. Then the father said to his son, ‘Don’t go any farther ahead, because
you will get stuck.’
"The son said to his father, ‘What will we do?’
"And he replied that he didn’t know what to do, ‘Unless it is that you cut
off my head so that I won’t be recognized, and so that you will save your
own life.’
"And then the son cut off his father’s head, and he buried it. Returning
home, the son told his family what had happened and told them that they
should not cry.
"When the other seneschal got up in the morning, believing he would
discover the thief, he found him there with his head cut off, and he did not
know who it might be. He ordered that the body be dragged through the
whole city so that his family would cry when the body passed by their
house. And the thief’s family, seeing this, were not able to keep from crying.
The son was filled with anguish; he took a knife and stabbed himself in the
thigh.
"Then the officials said, ‘What is the reason you cry?’
"The son said, ‘Cutting a piece of wood, I cut myself with a knife in my
thigh; thus these people cry.’
"The officials, believing this was true, departed. Thus it will happen to you,
lord emperor, that your son will also cut off your head.” Then the emperor
said that he would cut his son’s head off before this son cut off his.
The fifth philosopher came, and he said, “Lord emperor, you must not
believe the malice of this woman, because you will be deceived:
back next page: "The Stolen Wife"
The King's Treasure and the Son of the Thief
“…There was a king who had two seneschals in his court. The one was
extremely tight-fisted, the other a huge spender who in little time consumed
whatever money he had his hands on. One day that man called his son, and
told him that he had no more to spend. His son replied, ‘Father of mine,
you spend too much, and you should not spend as greatly as you do.’ The
father said to his son, ‘Find iron tools, and we will secretly break into the
tower and spend the treasure of his majesty the king wherever we want.’
And thus they did, several times.
"While they were spending this money, it happened that the tight-fisted
seneschal went one day to the tower, and he found the wall broken and a
great quantity of money taken. And seeing this he was dismayed, and he
thought of how he could seize this thief. Then he had a trench made near
the break in the wall, and he filled the trench with birdlime and pitch, and he
covered it over.
"The thief, going with his son into the tower, fell into the trench, and he went
into the birdlime and the pitch up to his neck, so that only his head was out
of it. Then the father said to his son, ‘Don’t go any farther ahead, because
you will get stuck.’
"The son said to his father, ‘What will we do?’
"And he replied that he didn’t know what to do, ‘Unless it is that you cut
off my head so that I won’t be recognized, and so that you will save your
own life.’
"And then the son cut off his father’s head, and he buried it. Returning
home, the son told his family what had happened and told them that they
should not cry.
"When the other seneschal got up in the morning, believing he would
discover the thief, he found him there with his head cut off, and he did not
know who it might be. He ordered that the body be dragged through the
whole city so that his family would cry when the body passed by their
house. And the thief’s family, seeing this, were not able to keep from crying.
The son was filled with anguish; he took a knife and stabbed himself in the
thigh.
"Then the officials said, ‘What is the reason you cry?’
"The son said, ‘Cutting a piece of wood, I cut myself with a knife in my
thigh; thus these people cry.’
"The officials, believing this was true, departed. Thus it will happen to you,
lord emperor, that your son will also cut off your head.” Then the emperor
said that he would cut his son’s head off before this son cut off his.
The fifth philosopher came, and he said, “Lord emperor, you must not
believe the malice of this woman, because you will be deceived:
back next page: "The Stolen Wife"
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