THE STRANGE ESCAPE OF THE KING'S
JESTER
A "PUZZLING ADVENTURE
At one time I was greatly in favour with the king, and his
majesty never seemed to weary of the companionship of the court
fool. I had a gift for making riddles and quaint puzzles which
ofttimes caused great sport, for albeit the king never found the right
answer of one of these things in all his life, yet would he make
merry at the bewilderment of those about him.
But let every cobbler stick unto his last, for when I did set out to
learn the art of performing strange tricks in the magic, wherein the
hand doth ever deceive the eye, the king was affrighted and did
accuse me of being a wizard, even commanding that I should be put
to death. Luckily my wit did save my life. I begged that I might
be slain by the royal hand and not by that of the executioner.
" By the saints," said his Majesty, " what difference can it make
unto thee ! But since it is thy wish, thou shalt have thy choice
whether I kill thee or the executioner."
" Your Majesty," I answered, " I accept the choice that thou hast
so graciously offered to me : I prefer that your Majesty should kill
the executioner."
Yet is the life of a royal jester beset with great dangers, and the
king having once gotten it into his royal head that I was a wizard
it was not long before I again fell into trouble, from which my wit
did not a second time in a like way save me. I was cast into the
51
