| 1 | An infamous merchant of false antiquities exiled and no longer able to make a living by his trade, |
| 2 | Called out in poverty and exhaustion upon a lonely road to the gods: |
| 3 | May the gods have mercy upon a broken man! Behold! I have done no transgression before heaven! |
| 4 | For what a priest creates in faith, I give as form. Yet both seek to lift the spirit. |
| 5 | Upon his desperate petition, he spotted the edge of a buried box under a tree. |
| 6 | When he opened the box, he discovered an elaborate gold and jewel encrusted text in ancient language the merchant knew from his trade. |
| 7 | The merchant did thank the gods for his good fortune and pledged: Upon this sign, I shall henceforth use this knowledge for good and not evil. |
| 8 | So the merchant changed his appearance and when he entered the next city, he established a market stall and soon became popular for his accurate predictions and prognostications as a Soothsayer. |
| 9 | Each time, the Soothsayer would produce the gold and jewel encrusted text, saying a spell and then would find a page and speak in eloquent yet vague terms. |
| 10 | Yet above all, the merchant would simply tell the people what they wanted to hear. |
| 11 | Before long, the merchant now as a Great Soothsayer was as famous as any in the land and had become fabulously wealthy from patrons. |
| 12 | Soon, the great and wise King of the land summonsed the Soothsayer to his palace and said thus: |
| 13 | Oh great Soothsayer, I implore your wisdom on matters of the gravest concern. For this day we choose whether to wage war with our neighbors. |
| 14 | The merchant in his disguise then produced the gold and jewel encrusted text, then did say a spell and sought to quote from its passages. |
| 15 | Yet the King was unconvinced by such words and demanded a clearer demonstration of his claimed powers. |
| 16 | Three men in chains were brought into the court and placed before the Soothsayer and the King. The King then spoke thus: |
| 17 | Before you oh Soothsayer is one man sentenced to death and two innocent men. Without speaking to them, you must choose whom it is. |
| 18 | Yet be careful Soothsayer. For your decision shall be final and the penalty of a judge executing an innocent man is death to such a false judge. |
| 19 | The merchant under such condition looked to the King and then collapsed to the ground, prostrating himself, saying: |
| 20 | Forgive me oh great and just King! For I am no more a Soothsayer than I am a judge of character. |
| 21 | I be but a failed merchant, whom the gods saw fit to bestow the gold and jeweled text before you and whom pledged an oath to the gods not to do evil. |
| 22 | Have mercy on me, for I could no more sentence a man to death, than live with such fraud. I merely gave men what they wished to hear. |
| 23 | In reply the King said thus: In my court, I have witnessed soothsayers who knew far less than you, but did not flinch at condemning a man. |
| 24 | I have honored priests who could speak far less eloquently than you, yet had never slept a night on an empty stomach. |
| 25 | As the gods spared you, so you are now spared. For while you think you came to me an impostor, your heart did not lie. |
| 26 | Verily, we are what we choose to be by our words and deeds Soothsayer. |
Search Texts
Download book as a pdf
Eacturas