In days of yore there was a war, and when it was at an end a great
number of the soldiers that had been engaged in it were disbanded.
Among the rest Brother Merry received his discharge, and nothing more
for all he had done than a very little loaf of soldier's bread, and
four halfpence in money. With these possessions he went his way. Now a
saint had seated himself in the road, like a poor beggar man, and when
Brother Merry came along, he asked him for charity to give him
something. Then the soldier said--
"Dear beggar man, what shall such as I give you? I have been a
soldier, and have just got my discharge, and with it only a very
little loaf and four halfpence. When that is gone I shall have to beg
like yourself."
However, he divided the loaf into four parts, and gave the saint one,
with a halfpenny. The saint thanked him, and having gone a little
further along the road seated himself like another beggar in the way
of the soldier. When Brother Merry came up the saint again asked alms
of him, and the old soldier again gave him another quarter of the loaf
and another halfpenny.
The saint thanked him, and seated himself in the way a third time,
like another beggar, and again addressed Brother Merry. Brother Merry
gave him a third quarter of the loaf, and the third halfpenny.
The saint thanked him, and Brother Merry journeyed on with all he had
left--one quarter of the loaf and a single halfpenny. When he came to
a tavern, being hungry and thirsty, he went in and ate the bread, and
spent the halfpenny in beer to drink with it. When he had finished, he
continued his journey, and the saint, in the disguise of a disbanded
soldier, met him again and saluted him.
"Good day, comrade," said he; "can you give me a morsel of bread, and
a halfpenny to get a drop of drink?"
"Where shall I get it?" answered Brother Merry. "I got my discharge,
and nothing with it but a loaf and four halfpence, and three beggars
met me on the road and I gave each of them a quarter of the loaf and a
halfpenny. The last quarter I have just eaten at the tavern, and I
have spent the last halfpenny in drink. I am quite empty now. If you
have nothing, let us go begging together."
"No, that will not be necessary just now," said the saint. "I
understand a little about doctoring, and I will in time obtain as
much as I need by that."
"Ha!" said Brother Merry, "I know nothing about that, so I must go and
beg by myself."
"Only come along," replied the saint, "and if I can earn anything, you
shall go halves."
"That will suit me excellently," replied Brother Merry.
So they travelled on together.
They had not gone a great distance before they came to a cottage in
which they heard a great lamenting and screaming. They went in to see
what was the matter, and found a man sick to the death, as if about to
expire, and his wife crying and weeping loudly.
"Leave off whining and crying," said the saint. "I will make the man
well again quickly enough," and he took a salve out of his pocket and
cured the man instantly, so that he could stand up and was quite
hearty. Then the man and his wife, in great joy, demanded--
"How can we repay you? What shall we give you?"
The saint would not, however, take anything, and the more the couple
pressed him the more firmly he declined. Brother Merry, who had been
looking on, came to his side, and, nudging him, said--
"Take something; take something. We want it badly enough."
At length the peasant brought a lamb, which he desired the saint to
accept, but he declined it still. Then Brother Merry jogged his side,
and said--
"Take it, you foolish fellow; take it. We want it badly enough."