ion
should be among us. Here beside dwelleth a king full of reason; therefore,
to avoid strife, let us go to him, and each of us lay his right before
him, and as he shall judge, let us stand to his judgment." Then said his
brethren, "Thy counsel is good." Wherefore they went all three unto the
king of reason, and each of them severally showeth forth his right unto
him, as it is said before.

When the king had heard the titles, he rehearsed them all again
severally, first saying to the eldest son thus: "You say," quoth the
king, "that your father gave you all that is under the earth and above
the earth of the said tree. And to the second brother he bequeathed all
that is great and small of that tree. And to the third brother he gave
all that is wet and dry."

And with that he laid the law to them, and said that this will ought to
stand.

"Now, my dear friends, briefly I shall satisfy all your requests;" and
when he had thus said, he turned him unto the eldest brother, saying,
"My dear friend, if you list to abide the judgment of right, it behoveth
you to be letten blood of the right arm." "My lord," quoth he, "your
will shall be done." Then the king called for a discreet physician,
commanding him to let him blood.

When the eldest son was letten blood, the king said unto them all three,
"My dear friends, where is your father buried?" Then answered they, and
said, "Forsooth, my lord, in such a place." Anon the king commanded to
dig in the ground for the body, and to take a bone out of his breast,
and to bury the body again: and so it was done. And when the bone was
taken out, the king commanded that it should be laid in the blood of the
elder brother, and it should lie till it had received kindly the blood,
and then to be laid in the sun and dried, and after that it should
be washed with clear water. His servants fulfilled all that he had
commanded: and when they began to wash, the blood vanished clean away;
when the king saw this, he said to the second son, "It behoveth that
thou be letten blood, as thy brother was." Then said he, "My lord's will
shall be fulfilled," and anon he was done unto like as his brother was
in all things, and when they began to wash the bone, the blood vanished
away. Then said the king to the third son, "It behoveth thee to be
letten blood likewise." He answered and said, "My lord, it pleaseth me
well so to be." When the youngest brother was letten blood, and done
unto in all things as the