THE CANTERBURY PUZZLES
5.—The Wife of Bath's Riddles.
The good lady explained that a bung that is made fast in a barrel
is like another bung that is falling out of a barrel because one of them
is
in secure
and the other is also
insecure.
The little relationship
poser is readily understood when we are told that the parental com-
mand came from the father (who was also in the room) and not from
the mother.
6.—
The Host's Puzzle.
The puzzle propounded by the jovial host of the " Tabard " Inn
of Southwark had proved more popular than any other of the
whole collection. "I see, my merry masters," he cried, "that I
have sorely twisted thy brains by my little piece of craft. Yet it is
but a simple matter for me to put a true pint of fine old ale in each
of these two measures, albeit one is of five pints and the other of
three pints, without using any other measure whatsoever."
The host of the " Tabard " Inn thereupon proceeded to explain
to the pilgrims how this apparently impossible task could be done.
He first filled the 5-pint and 3-pint measures, and then, turning the
tap, allowed the barrel to run to waste, a proceeding against which
the company protested, but the wily man showed that he was aware
that the cask did not contain much more than eight pints of ale. The
contents, however, do not affect the solution of the puzzle. He then
closed the tap and emptied the 3-pint into the barrel; filled the
3-pint from the 5-pint; emptied the 3-pint into the barrel; transferred
the two pints from the 5-pint to the 3-pint; filled the 5-pint from the
barrel, leaving one pint now in the barrel ; filled 3-pint from 5-pint;
allowed the company to drink the contents of the 3-pint; filled the
3-pint from the 5-pint, leaving one pint now in the 5-pint ; drank
the contents of the 3-pint ; and finally drew off one pint from the
barrel into the 3-pint. He had thus obtained the required one pint
of ale in each measure, to the great astonishment of the admiring
crowd of pilgrims.
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