Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/37

 The face of the one who was wrong instantaneously turned black while the face of the one who legitimately defended himself retained its natural color, and he was declared the winner by the judge.

Thanks to the virtue of the mirror, witnesses were therefore not necessary, and the people lived in so much peace and calm, that this empire resembled paradise itself. And he whose face turned black because of fraud, could not regain his natural color unless he was lowered into a very deep well, where he must remain for forty days with only bread and water to support his life. When he was taken out of the well after the punishment and led into the presence of the people where he confessed his sin, he recovered his natural color. Because of fear of the Mirror, the people lived in great tranquility; each was content with his status and worked the land. The country abounded with everything, and any poor merchant or foreigner who arrived from other parts, would return rich to his homeland. The Lord God had raised all forces against the enemies of this kingdom, and for many years everyone enjoyed a joyful and happy life. At that time lived my grandfather, who had two children, one of them was my father and the other my uncle. After his death both made claims to the empire, and it came about that my father got the upper hand. Then, the brother, waiting for the occasion to take revenge, actually managed to steal the Mirror and take it with him while fleeing to India.