Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/36

 The Emperor, who understood the cold-blooded objective of his counselor, spared his life but banished him immediately from his presence and designated all his goods for the benefit of the treasury. He made him understand that he had to be beyond the borders of his kingdom within a three-day time span. He was infinitely grateful to God the Lord, who had saved him from such a grave danger. And he regally rewarded the woman who had discovered the treachery and married her to one of his important barons.

After the Emperor had returned to the young men and had told them all what had happened at the counselor's banquet, he highly praised them and said, “I don’t doubt that because you are so prudent and so highly intelligent you were able to guess so many things and you have saved my life from the hands of the disloyal and wicked counselor. I wonder whether you would also be able to find a solution for an issue of great importance that I am dealing with at the moment. I really know that you will not deny me this since I have now noticed the great love you have for me when it concerns my life.”

They readily offered him their help in any way needed, and having said that, the Emperor began, “The ancient philosophers of this kingdom who were always highly regarded by my predecessors discovered a type of mirror which was called the Mirror of Justice. Because of this property when two people had a dispute, the judge made them look into the Mirror.