old woman in the field, and when Nero's name
is mentioned, instead of cursing him as others do, she says: "May God
preserve him." She explains her words by saying that they have had
several kings, each worse than the other, and now they have Nero, who
tears every son from his mother, wherefore may God guard and preserve
him, for "There is no end to evil."[24]

There was once a whimsical prince who thought he could arrange the world
and animals as he pleased and overcome Nature. He taught his horse to
devour flesh and his dogs to eat grass. He trained an ass to dance and
accompany himself by his braying: in short, the prince boasted that by
means of Art one could rule Nature. Among other things he trained a cat
to stand on the table and hold a lighted candle while he was eating. No
matter what was brought on the table, the cat never moved, but held the
candle as if it had been a statue of wood. The prince showed the cat to
his friends and said, boastingly: "Nature is nothing; my art is more
powerful and can do this and other things." His friends often said that
everything must be true to its nature; "Art departs and Nature
prevails." The prince invited them to make any trial they wished,
asserting that the cat would never forget the art he had taught it. One
of his friends caught a mouse one day and wrapped it up in a
handkerchief and carried it with him to the prince's. When the cat heard
and saw the mouse, it dropped the candlestick and ran after the mouse.
The friend began to laugh, and said to the prince, who stood with his
mouth wide open with amazement: "Dear prince, I always told you Art
departs and Nature prevails!"

This story is told of Dante and Cecco d' Ascoli, the former playing the
role of the prince.[25]

To counterbalance the stories of foolish people which have been related
above, we will conclude this chapter with some stories of clever people,
stories which were popular as long ago as the Middle Ages.

The first is from Sicily (Gonz., No. 50) and is called:

CVII. THE CLEVER PEASANT.

There was once a king who, while hunting, saw a peasant working in the
fields and asked him: "How much do you earn in a day?" "Four _carlini_,
your Majesty," answered the peasant. "What do you do with them?"
continued the king. The peasant said: "The first I eat; the second I
put out at interest; the third I give back, and the fourth I throw
away."

The king rode on, but after a time the peasant's answer seemed