Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/15

 One day when the King was informed, he could not believe that they had made such great progress so quickly and he decided to test them himself.

Not long thereafter, he called his eldest son to come to see him and spoke to him as follows, “You know, my son, how long I have borne the burden of such an empire, and the government of such a great kingdom, and how I have always been careful, with all my might, to govern my subjects and vassals with as much love and charity as I could, and to obey as much as possible the commandments of God. Now that I have arrived at such advanced age, it is right that after having taken care of the well-being of my subjects and of the provinces of my kingdom for such a long time, I devote the short span of life that is left to me to think of myself and the salvation of my soul.

Therefore, I have decided to retire to a nearby monastery where I can peacefully reflect upon my sins and the offenses made against my soul, and do the greatest penance I can to obtain the mercy of the Lord God and implore Him to forgive all my offenses. I wanted to call you before me and, because you are my eldest son, to command you to succeed me in the government of this state and my kingdom.