1284.

Franciscan begging Friars are wont, at certain times, to keep fasts, when they do not eat meat in their convents.  But on journeys, as they live on charity, they have license to eat whatever is set before them.  Now a couple of these friars on their travels, stopped at an inn, in company with a certain merchant, and sat down with him at the same table, where, from the poverty of the inn, nothing was served to them but a small roast chicken.  The merchant, seeing this to be but little even for himself, turned to the friars and said:  “If my memory serves me, you do not eat any kind of flesh in your convents at this season.”  At these words the friars were compelled by their rule to admit, without cavil, that this was the truth; so the merchant had his wish, and eat the chicken and the friars did the best they could.  After dinner the messmates departed, all three together, and after travelling some distance they came to a river of some width and depth.  All three being on foot—­the friars by reason of their poverty, and the other from avarice—­it was necessary by the custom of company that one of the friars, being barefoot, should carry the merchant on his shoulders:  so having given his wooden shoes into his keeping, he took up his man.  But it so happened that when the friar had got to the middle of the river, he again remembered a rule of his order, and stopping short, he looked up, like Saint Christopher, to the burden on his back and said:  “Tell me, have you any money about you?”—­“You know I have”, answered the other, “How do you suppose that a Merchant like me should go about otherwise?” “Alack!” cried the friar, “our rules forbid as to carry any money on our persons,” and forthwith he dropped him into the water, which the merchant perceived was a facetious way of being revenged on the indignity he had done them; so, with a smiling face, and blushing somewhat with shame, he peaceably endured the revenge.

1285.

A JEST.

A man wishing to prove, by the authority of Pythagoras, that he had formerly been in the world, while another would not let him finish his argument, the first speaker said to the second:  “It is by this token that I was formerly here, I remember that you were a miller.”  The other one, feeling himself stung by these words, agreed that it was true, and that by the same token he remembered that the speaker had been the ass that carried the flour.

A JEST.

It was asked of a painter why, since he made such beautiful figures, which were but dead things, his children were so ugly; to which the painter replied that he made his pictures by day, and his children by night.

1286.

A man saw a large sword which another one wore at his side.  Said he “Poor fellow, for a long time I have seen you tied to that weapon; why do you not release yourself as your hands are untied, and set yourself free?” To which the other replied:  “This is none of yours, on the contrary it is an old story.”  The former speaker, feeling stung, replied:  “I know that you are acquainted with so few things in this world, that I thought anything I could tell you would be new to you.”