“My friend,” said the angel to the old man, “show us the way to yonder city.”
As the pilgrim turned him to show the angel the road, he seized him by the shoulders, and cast the old man headlong into the river that ran beneath.
“Alas, alas!” cried the hermit to himself, “it is the Evil One himself. Why? what evil had the poor man done?” and yet, with all his thoughts, the hermit feared to give utterance to his fears.
About the hour of vespers, the travellers reached another city, in which they sought shelter for the night; but the master of the house refused them rudely.
“For the love of heaven,” said the angel, “spare us of thy house for shelter against the wolves and other wild beasts.”
“That,” rejoined the man, “is my pigsty, lie ye there, if it so please ye; for ye come no other whither.”
“Necessity,” replied the angel, “forces us to accept your ungracious offer.”
On the morrow, the angel called the host, and said, “Friend, I give you this goblet,” presenting to him the cup he had stolen from his former host.
“Now,” said the hermit, “know I that this is no angel; doth he not reward evil for good, and good for evil? No longer will I travel with you; fare thee well, I commend thee to God.”
“Dear friend,” rejoined the angel, “hear me ere you depart. Whilst thou wert in thy hermitage, the lord of the flock unjustly slew his careless but innocent servant. For his innocence he will be in a fit state to enter another world; but had he lived, he would have fallen into sin, and died before repentance could have followed. Eternal punishment shall follow them who stole the sheep; but repentance and acts of faith shall repair the error which the owner of the flock committed in his ignorance. Truly the soldier was hospitable, but he loved his son overmuch; ere then, he was charitable and merciful, but on the birth of his child he grew parsimonious and covetous, that he might leave a fortune to his son. With his child’s death hath returned his Christian virtues to his parent. Before that cup was made, which I stole from our host who owned it, there was not a more abstemious person in this world; but with that cup came the love of indulgence and inebriety. I took away the temptation, and our host is once more abstemious. Again, I cast the poor pilgrim into the river. He whom I drowned was a good Christian; but had he proceeded further, he would have fallen into mortal sin: now he is saved and is reigning in heaven. Neither did I bestow the cup on the unhospitable citizen without reason: he gave us his swine’s house; he has received his reward—the temptation of gluttony and pleasure. Guard, therefore, thy lips; detract not from the Almighty; to him all things are known.”