The magistrate, when he heard these things, began to cry, saying, “The soul of my friend is really present; I can no longer doubt or deny it.” Then he ordered the choicest fare possible to be prepared as a sacrifice to his friend. In a little the friend bade him farewell and took his departure.
The magistrate said, “Alas! I thought mutangs were a brood of liars, but now I know that there are true mutangs as well as false.” He gave her rich rewards, sent her away in safety, recalled his order against witches, and refrained from any matters pertaining to them for ever after.
XXVI
WHOM THE KING HONOURS
In the days of King Se-jong students of the Confucian College were having a picnic to celebrate the Spring Festival. They met in a wood to the north of the college, near a beautiful spring of water, and were drinking and feasting the night through. While they were thus enjoying themselves the rooms of the college were left deserted. One student from the country, a backwoodsman in his way, who was of no account to others, thought that while the rest went away to enjoy themselves some one ought to stay behind to guard the sacred precincts of the temple; so he decided that he would forgo the pleasures of the picnic, stay behind and watch.
The King at that time sent a eunuch to the college to see how many of the students had remained on guard. The eunuch returned, saying that all had gone off on the picnic, except one man, a raw countryman, who was in sole charge. The King at once sent for the man, asking him to come just as he was in his common clothes.
On his arrival his Majesty asked, “When all have gone off for a gay time, why is it that you remain alone?”
He replied, “I, too, would like to have gone, but to leave the sacred temple wholly deserted did not seem to me right, so I stayed.”