Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 2.djvu/47

Rh "I can help you only in one thing; but this will be sufficient. I have in my hunting-bag a golden hook, which I will give you: fasten it on the top of a rod, and then strike your harp. The sound will inveigle the fishes, and as soon as they approach, by means of the hook draw them to land. If you follow my advice, the whistler will depart in great trouble." The poor man did as he was directed; and before the fishes could arrive at the place where the whistler was stationed, the hook brought them to land. The whistler, perceiving himself out-done, retired in much tribulation. (3)

My beloved, the emperor is Christ, the harmony which delights him is prayer. The water is the world; the fishes are sinners. The poor man is a preacher, and the harp is the Sacred Writings. The whistler is the devil, and the golden hook is Divine Grace.