THE CANTERBURY PUZZLES
prayer, Men must give silver to the needy friar." He went by the
name of Hubert. One day he produced four money bags and
spake as follows : " If the needy friar doth receive in alms five
hundred silver pennies, prithee tell in how many different ways they
may be placed in the four bags." The good man explained that
order made no difference (so that the distribution 50, 100, 150, 200
would be the same as 100, 50, 200, 150, or 200, 50, 100, 150,)
and one, two, or three bags may at any time be empty.
25.—
The Parsons Puzzle.
The Parson was a really devout and good man. "A better
priest I trow there nowhere is." His virtues and charity made him be-
loved by all his
flock, to whom
he presented his
teaching with
patience and
simplicity, "but
first he followed
it himself/*
Now, Chaucer
is careful to tell
us that "Wide
was his parish,
and houses far
asunder, But
he neglected
nought for rain
or thunder,"
and it is with
his parochial visitations that the Parson's puzzle actually dealt.
He produced a plan of part of his parish, through which a small
river ran that joined the sea some hundreds of miles to the south.
I give a facsimile of the plan.
" Here, my worthy Pilgrims, is a strange riddle," quoth the
Parson. " Behold how at the branching of the river is an island.
23
