There is a story I know about good King Jonat and the time he met his match I can tell you that if you want to hear it. What you've got to remember is that he was the wisest king that ever there was. So wise that sometimes even the gods asked him to sort out their quarrels, but that's another story.
Anyway, one day when the king was sitting on his throne that news came to him of an incredibly wise peasant who was selling lucky charms in the marketplace. Now everyone said that this tinkerer could only see out of one eye and didn't smell none too good neither but that he was wiser than the king. So hearing this King Jonat immediately sent his advisors to fetch the tinkerer to the court for he wished to talk to such a sage.
So it was, before you could say your name, that the tinkerer was bought before him -- for that is how things were in those days.
On seeing him the king smiled and raised one finger but the tinkerer held up two. The king frowned and then held up three fingers only for the tinkerer to hold up a closed fist -- just like this. The king seemed flummoxed for a second but then picked up a whole fresh orange from a plate by his throne. In answer the tinkerer picked out a crust of bread from inside his vest and offered it to the king.
Well, as you can imagine, the king went a funny colour at this then turned to his advisors and said, ``Let this man take all he can carry from our treasury for he is surely a wiser man than me.'' This they did and afterwards the king explained their battle of wits to the court.
``First I held up one finger to signify that there is no god but the
Invisible God but the tinkerer held up two to say that there is both God
and his prophet Malkion. So I held up three fingers to show that there is
God, his prophet and the Holy Breath thinking that I had got him there.
But then he held up his fist to show that in God they were One. I
realise then that I could never ouwit him at theology so I turned to
logic instead and so held up the orange to show that the cosmos as a
whole is a sphere. He replied by offering me a bread crust to say that
what I said was true but that no man may live within it excepting that
they have a crust of bread to eat. This told me that I could never
beat him and so I rewarded him.''
And everyone marvelled at the wisdom and the generosity of the king.
When the tinkerer got home he immediately went out and bought lots of food to make a feast for his friends and when they asked him where he gots his money from he said ``there is a king in Okarnia who has gone mad and gave me all this money.'' His friends asked him to explain and so he told them this.
``I was summoned to the court to see the king. When I got there he
mocked me by holding up a finger to say that I had only one eye. I
responded by saying that I have two but can only see from one. He
continued to make fun of me by holding three fingers to say that we had
only three eyes between us and I began to grow angry and held my fist
up. Then the king apologised by offering me a whole orange and I felt
sorry for raising my fist and I offered him all I had in return which is
this little bit of bread I have left here. I thought the king would
surely get angry at such a poor offer but instead he let me take all I
could carry from the treasury so I did and got out of there as quickly as
possible before he could change his mind!''
And everyone marvelled at the foolishness and stupidity of the king.
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