Page:Select Popular Tales from the German of Musaeus.djvu/155

Rh me to mass, and repay this favour with a rich offering for the poor.

The pampered favourite of fortune and of the lovely Urraca yet lay stretched on his broad couch, yawned aloud when he received the honourable message, but caused himself to be dressed by his half-asleep attendants, and repaired to the court, where the High Chamberlain looked askance at him that he should again enjoy the honour of exercising his function on his behalf. With splendid pomp went the procession this time to the Cathedral, where the Archbishop, with his staff of Clergy, held a solemn festival. The people had already assembled in great numbers to stare at the noble cavalcade. The lovely Urraca, and yet more the rich train of her dress which was supported by six attendants, excited general astonishment. A crowd of unfortunate beggars, lame, blind, and halt, on crutches and stilts, surrounded the splendid Cathedral, impeded the way and supplicated alms, which Andiol distributed largely to the right and left. A blind old man distinguished himself by the activity with which he pushed himself forward, and by the anxious supplications with which he entreated benevolence before all the rest; he would not quit the side of the Princess, but held up his hat constantly, and begged for a trifle. Andiol from time to time threw him a gold-piece, but before the blind man found it, a thievish neighbour stole it from him, and he resumed his entreaty. The Princess appeared to compassionate this unhappy old man; she suddenly took the purse from her companion, and gave it into the hand of the blind beggar: “Take,” said she, “good old man, the blessing which a noble knight bestows on thee, through me, and pray for the health of his soul.”

Andiol was horrified to such a degree at this exercise of liberality at his expense, that he was quite confounded, and made a movement with his hand as if to recover the purse, at which apparent avarice the attentive suite broke forth into loud laughter. At this his emotion was only greater; yet he was so fearful of injuring his reputation, that he went with the Princess on his arm into the Cathedral, and concealed his deep grief as well as he could till the mass was sung. Afterwards he inquired industriously after the beggar, and promised great rewards for an old coin, which, according to his representation, was a rare cabinet-piece. But no one could tell him whither the beggar had disappeared; as soon as the purse was in his hands, he vanished, and was no more seen. The seeing blind man in fact could have been found only in the antechamber of the Princess Urraca, where he awaited her return; for he was her court buffoon, whom she had disguised as a blind beggar in order to obtain possession of the hatching penny, which to her great joy she found in the purse, which her agent faithfully made over to her.

The most crafty of women now found herself, through her arts, in possession of all the magic gifts of the three esquires, who