“JONATHAN AND THE THREE TALISMANS.”
Darius was a wise and prudent king; he had three sons whom he loved much, and amongst whom he divided his possessions. To the eldest he gave his kingdom; to the second, his personal wealth; to the third, a ring, a necklace, and a valuable carpet. These three gifts were charmed. The ring rendered any one who wore it beloved, and obtained for him whatsoever he desired. The necklace, if worn on the breast, enabled the wearer to realize every wish; whilst the cloth had such virtue that whosoever sat upon it, and thought where he would be carried, found himself there almost before his thought was expressed. These three precious gifts the king conferred upon Jonathan, his youngest son, to aid him in his studies; but his mother retained them during the earlier years of his youth; after a time his mother delivered to him the ring.
“Jonathan,” she said, “take the first of thy father’s bequests—this ring; guard it as a treasure. So long as you wear it, every one shall love you, and whatsoever you wish shall be obtained by you; of one thing beware—an artful woman.”
Jonathan, with many thanks and protestations, took the ring. Its magic effects were soon evident. Every one sought his society, and every one loved him. Though he had neither silver nor gold, house nor fields, he had but to wish for them, and lo, one gave him fields, and another houses, a third gold, a fourth merchandise. Walking one day in the streets of Rome, he met a lady so beautiful to look at that he could not restrain himself from following her, and eventually he had no happiness but in her society. She loved Jonathan, and Jonathan loved her.
“Dearest,” said the lady one day, as Jonathan was enjoying her society, “how comes it that you immediately obtain every thing you but wish for, and yet the good king did not leave thee his wealth, or his power?”
“It is a secret, Subtilia; a secret that I may not reveal, lest it lose its value.”
“And do you profess to love me, Jonathan, and yet keep from me the secret of your power, your wealth, and your life?”
“Ask me not, dearest, for it may not be.”
“Farewell, then, Jonathan—thou lovest me not—never more will I love thee again.”
“Nay, Subtilia, but thou canst not prevent thyself loving me as long as I wear this ring.”