tle and at night they arrested the assassins. The treasurer was so
grateful to the youth that he wished to give him his daughter, but he
replied that he could not remain now, but that he would return within a
year and three days. After he left that castle he arrived at a city
where the king's daughter was very ill because the frogs which were in a
fountain near the palace gave her no rest with their croaking. The lad
perceived that the frogs croaked because the princess had thrown a cross
into the fountain, and as soon as it was removed the girl recovered. The
king, too, wished the lad to marry her, but he again said that he would
return within a year and three days. After leaving the king he set out
for Rome, and on the way met three young men, who became his companions.
One day it was very warm and all three lay down to sleep under an oak.
Immediately a great flock of birds flew into the oak and awakened the
pilgrims by their loud singing. One of them asked: "Why are these birds
singing so joyfully?" The youth answered: "They are rejoicing with the
new Pope, who is to be one of us."

And suddenly a dove alighted on his head, and in truth shortly after he
was made Pope. Then he sent for his father, the treasurer, and the king.
All presented themselves trembling, for they knew that they had
committed some sin. But the Pope made them all relate their deeds, and
then turned to his father and said: "I am the son whom you sent to be
killed because I said I understood the language of birds, of dogs, and
of frogs. You have treated me thus, and on the other hand a treasurer
and a king have been very grateful for this knowledge of mine." The
father, repenting his fault, wept bitterly, and his son pardoned him and
kept him with him while he lived.[28]

* * * * *

The next story is doubly interesting because it is found not only in the
mediaeval collection last mentioned, but also in Greek literature, being
told of Rampsinitus, King of Egypt, by Herodotus (II. 121), and by
Pausanias of the two architects Agamedes and Trophonius who robbed the
treasury of Hyrieus.[29] There are four versions in Italian: two from
Sicily (Pitre, Nos. 159, 160), one from Bologna (Coronedi-Berti, No. 2),
and one from Monferrato (Comparetti, No. 13). In one of the Sicilian
versions (Pitre, No. 159), and in the other two from Bologna and
Monferrato, the thieves are two friends. In the other Sicilian version
they are a fa