TALES FROM THE
GESTA ROMANORUM.
CONTENTS.
| I. | [The Eight Pennies.] |
| II. | [The Three Truths.] |
| III. | [The Husband of Aglaes.] |
| IV. | [The Three Caskets.] |
| V. | [The Three Cakes.] |
| VI. | [The Hermit.] |
| VII. | [The Lost Foot.] |
| VIII. | [Placidus.] |
| IX. | [Dead Alexander.] |
| X. | [The Tree of Paletinus.] |
| XI. | [Hungry Flies.] |
| XII. | [The Humbling of Jovinian.] |
| XIII. | [The Two Physicians.] |
| XIV. | [The Falcon.] |
| XV. | [Let the Laziest be King.] |
| XVI. | [The Three Maxims.] |
| XVII. | [A Loaf for a Dream.] |
| XVIII. | [Lower than the Beasts.] |
| XIX. | [Of Real Friendship.] |
| XX. | [Royal Bounty.] |
| XXI. | [Wily Beguiled.] |
| XXII. | [The Basilisk.] |
| XXIII. | [The Trump of Death.] |
| XXIV. | [Alexander and the Pirate.] |
| XXV. | [A Tale of a Penny.] |
| XXVI. | [Of Avoiding Imprecations.] |
| XXVII. | [A Verse Exercise.] |
| XXVIII. | [Bred in the Bone.] |
| XXIX. | [Fulgentius.] |
| XXX. | [Vengeance Deferred.] |
I.—THE EIGHT PENNIES.
When Titus was Emperor of Rome, he made a decree that the natal day of his first-born son should be held sacred, and that whosoever violated it by any kind of labour should be put to death. Then he called Virgil to him, and said, "Good friend, I have made a certain law; we desire you to frame some curious piece of art which may reveal to us every transgressor of the law." Virgil constructed a magic statue, and caused it to be set up in the midst of the city. By virtue of the secret powers with which it was invested, it told the emperor whatever was done amiss. And thus by the accusation of the statue, an infinite number of persons were convicted and punished.
Now there was a certain carpenter, called Focus, who pursued his occupation every day alike. Once, as he lay in bed, his thoughts turned upon the accusations of the statue, and the multitudes which it had caused to perish. In the morning he clothed himself, and proceeded to the statue, which he addressed in the following manner: "O statue! statue! because of thy informations, many of our citizens have been taken and slain. I vow to my God, that if thou accusest me, I will break thy head." Having so said, he returned home.
About the first hour, the emperor, as he was wont, despatched sundry messengers to the statue, to inquire if the edict had been strictly complied with. After they had arrived, and delivered the emperors pleasure, the statue exclaimed: "Friends, look up; what see ye written upon my forehead?" They looked, and beheld three sentences which ran thus: "Times are altered. Men grow worse. He who speaks truth has his head broken." "Go," said the statue, "declare to his majesty what you have seen and read." The messengers obeyed, and detailed the circumstances as they had happened.
The emperor therefore commanded his guard to arm, and march to the place on which the statue was erected; and he further ordered, that if any one presumed to molest it, they should bind him hand and foot, and drag him into his presence.
The soldiers approached the statue and said, "Our emperor wills you to declare the name of the scoundrel who threatens you."