When the Weaver brought out a square piece of beautiful cloth, daintily
embroidered with lions and castles, as depicted in the illustration, the
pilgrims disputed among themselves as to the meaning of these ornaments.
The Knight, however, who was skilled in heraldry, explained that they
were probably derived from the lions and castles borne in the arms of
Ferdinand III., the King of Castile and Leon, whose daughter was the
first wife of our Edward I. In this he was undoubtedly correct. The
puzzle that the Weaver proposed was this. "Let us, for the nonce, see,"
saith he, "if there be any of the company that can show how this piece
of cloth may be cut into four several pieces, each of the same size and
shape, and each piece bearing a lion and a castle." It is not recorded
that anybody mastered this puzzle, though it is quite possible of
solution in a satisfactory manner. No cut may pass through any part of a
lion or a castle.
[Illustration]