Our only excuse for copying this from Pindar will be found in reading the
poem, slightly abbreviated. The pilgrims were ordered by the priest to do
penance by walking fifty miles with peas in their shoes.
"The knaves set off upon the same day,
Peas in their shoes, to go and pray;
But very different their speed, I wot;
One of the sinners galloped on,
Light as a bullet from a gun,
_The other limped as though he'd been shot_.
"One saw the Virgin soon, '_Peccavi!_' cried,
Had his soul whitewashed, all so clever,
When home again he nimbly hied,
Made fit with saints above to live forever!
In coming back, however, let me say,
He met his brother rogue about half way,
Hobbling with outstretched hand and bending knees,
Cursing the souls and bodies of the peas!
His eyes in tears, his cheeks and brows in sweat,
Deep sympathizing with his groaning feet.
'How now?' the light-toed, whitewashed pilgrim broke;
'You lazy lubber!'
'You see it,' cried the other. ''Tis no joke.
My feet, once hard as any rock,
Are now as soft as blubber.'
"'But, brother sinner, do explain
How 'tis that you are not in pain;
How is't that you can like a greyhound go,
Merry as if nought had happened, burn ye?'
'Why,' cried the other, grinning, 'you must know
That just before I ventured on my journey,
To walk a little more at ease,
_I took the liberty to boil my peas_!'"
[Illustration: THE PILGRIM CHEAT.]