Dante's Heart
The Seven Sages of Rome
The Marvellous Mirror
“…There was an emperor of Rome who had a statue of a man, and the
statue had a bow in its hand with an arrow, and in front of the statue there
was a fire that burned continuously, so that it was of great use to all the
people, and most especially to the poor. And that statue had written on its
front: Who wounds me, I will wound. There came a mad priest, and he
wounded the statue. Immediately the bow pulled violently in the fire, and
killed him.
"Now there was another marvel of Rome, and that was an enormous mirror
in which could be seen each province or city that wanted to rebel against the
empire of Rome. There was a king in Sicily who greatly held the Romans in
hatred, but on account of this mirror he could not assail them. He thought
about how he could destroy this mirror. There came to him three brothers
who would carry it off, and they said, ‘What are you willing to give us if we
bring it to you?’
"The king said, ‘So that I have it, I will give you all that you will know how to
ask.’ He promised them a great quantity of things, and they said to him,
‘Find three kegs of gold that we will carry with us.’
"This done, they went to Rome, and they hid the kegs outside of Rome, the
one by itself, the other two together. Then they went to the emperor, and
said that they wished to speak to him. The emperor said that they should
come, and they said, ‘Sir, we know how to find gold, and our dreams are
true.’ The emperor greatly desired to see gold and to have it, and he
received them very warmly.
"Now the one said, ‘I dreamed last night that I found a keg of gold. Give me
men to come with me.’ And when he went he said, ‘Lead me to such-and-
such a place,’ in order not to show that it was done in deceit. He revealed
that he practiced witchcraft and that he measured out the ground until he
got to where he had buried the keg of gold. And they returned to the
emperor with great joy.
"And the emperor said, 'Which of you dreamed of finding twice as much
gold?’ The second said, ‘I did.’
"And the emperor was very joyful about this. The two kegs were found
where they had been placed, and the man returned and announced the gold.
"The third man said, ‘I know of a great quantity of goods.’ The emperor
said, ‘I want to come to see this,’ and he had himself led into that place
where the mirror was, and these men pretended to make great prayers, and
they said, ‘Dig here.’
"The emperor said, ‘Take care that my mirror not be broken.’
"They replied, ‘We will do it so that it will not be broken and so that we will
see the gold, and we ourselves want to dig.' And they began to dig slowly
around the mirror, and they did so until evening. And they said to the
emperor, ‘Tomorrow we’ll return and we will take out this gold.’ That night,
when every man had left, these three brothers came, they went to the mirror,
and they stole it from his majesty the emperor, and they carried it to the king
of Sicily. And so I tell you, lord emperor, these philosophers with their
beautiful words will trick you.”
Hearing this, the emperor ordered that his son be led in the morning to be
hung.
In the morning, the seventh philosopher came to the emperor and greeted
him, but the emperor answered him vilely, “And because you have thus
taught my son, I will make him lose his life, and yours will be worth little to
you.” Then the philosopher said, “Lord emperor, what moves you at the
request of a wretched woman to have your son die?” And he said to the
emperor, “If you want to suspend the judgment for one day, I will tell you a
beautiful example.” And the emperor delayed himself as he had done on
the other days.
The philosopher said:
back next page: "The Jealous Man Locked Out of the House"
The Marvellous Mirror
“…There was an emperor of Rome who had a statue of a man, and the
statue had a bow in its hand with an arrow, and in front of the statue there
was a fire that burned continuously, so that it was of great use to all the
people, and most especially to the poor. And that statue had written on its
front: Who wounds me, I will wound. There came a mad priest, and he
wounded the statue. Immediately the bow pulled violently in the fire, and
killed him.
"Now there was another marvel of Rome, and that was an enormous mirror
in which could be seen each province or city that wanted to rebel against the
empire of Rome. There was a king in Sicily who greatly held the Romans in
hatred, but on account of this mirror he could not assail them. He thought
about how he could destroy this mirror. There came to him three brothers
who would carry it off, and they said, ‘What are you willing to give us if we
bring it to you?’
"The king said, ‘So that I have it, I will give you all that you will know how to
ask.’ He promised them a great quantity of things, and they said to him,
‘Find three kegs of gold that we will carry with us.’
"This done, they went to Rome, and they hid the kegs outside of Rome, the
one by itself, the other two together. Then they went to the emperor, and
said that they wished to speak to him. The emperor said that they should
come, and they said, ‘Sir, we know how to find gold, and our dreams are
true.’ The emperor greatly desired to see gold and to have it, and he
received them very warmly.
"Now the one said, ‘I dreamed last night that I found a keg of gold. Give me
men to come with me.’ And when he went he said, ‘Lead me to such-and-
such a place,’ in order not to show that it was done in deceit. He revealed
that he practiced witchcraft and that he measured out the ground until he
got to where he had buried the keg of gold. And they returned to the
emperor with great joy.
"And the emperor said, 'Which of you dreamed of finding twice as much
gold?’ The second said, ‘I did.’
"And the emperor was very joyful about this. The two kegs were found
where they had been placed, and the man returned and announced the gold.
"The third man said, ‘I know of a great quantity of goods.’ The emperor
said, ‘I want to come to see this,’ and he had himself led into that place
where the mirror was, and these men pretended to make great prayers, and
they said, ‘Dig here.’
"The emperor said, ‘Take care that my mirror not be broken.’
"They replied, ‘We will do it so that it will not be broken and so that we will
see the gold, and we ourselves want to dig.' And they began to dig slowly
around the mirror, and they did so until evening. And they said to the
emperor, ‘Tomorrow we’ll return and we will take out this gold.’ That night,
when every man had left, these three brothers came, they went to the mirror,
and they stole it from his majesty the emperor, and they carried it to the king
of Sicily. And so I tell you, lord emperor, these philosophers with their
beautiful words will trick you.”
Hearing this, the emperor ordered that his son be led in the morning to be
hung.
In the morning, the seventh philosopher came to the emperor and greeted
him, but the emperor answered him vilely, “And because you have thus
taught my son, I will make him lose his life, and yours will be worth little to
you.” Then the philosopher said, “Lord emperor, what moves you at the
request of a wretched woman to have your son die?” And he said to the
emperor, “If you want to suspend the judgment for one day, I will tell you a
beautiful example.” And the emperor delayed himself as he had done on
the other days.
The philosopher said:
back next page: "The Jealous Man Locked Out of the House"
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