The Three Clever Kings
Old King Roland lay upon his deathbed, and as he had no son to reign after him he sent for his three nephews, Aldovrand, Aldebert, and Alderete, and addressed them as follows:—
“My dear nephews, I feel that my days are now drawing to an end, and one of you will have to be King when I am dead. But there is no pleasure in being King. My people have been difficult to govern and never content with what I did for them, so that my life has been a hard one, and though I have watched you all closely, still I know not, which is most fit to wear the crown; so my wish is that you should each try it in turn. You, Aldovrand, as you are the oldest, shall be King first, and if you reign happily, all well and good; but if you fail, let Aldebert take your place; and if he fail, let him give it up to Alderete, and then you will know which is the best fitted to govern.”
On this the three young men all thanked their uncle, and each one declared that he would do his best, and soon after old King Roland died and was buried with great state and ceremony.
So now Aldovrand was to be King, and he was crowned, and there were great rejoicings everywhere.
“ ’Tis a fine thing to be King,” cried he in much glee; “Now I can amuse myself and do just as I please, and there will be no one to stop me, and I will lie in bed as late as I like in the morning, for who dares blame one, if one is King?”
Next morning the Prime Minister and the Chancellor came to the palace to see the new King and settle affairs of state, but they were told that his majesty was in bed and had given orders that no one should disturb him.
“This is a bad beginning,” sighed the Prime Minister.
“Very bad,” echoed the Chancellor.
When they came back to the palace later in the day the King was playing at battledore and shuttlecock with some of his gentlemen, and was very angry at being interrupted in his game.
“A pretty thing,” he cried, “that I the King am to be sent for hither and thither as if I were a lackey. They must go away and come another time;” and on hearing this the Prime Minister and Chancellor looked graver still.
But next morning there came the Commander-in-Chief and the Lord High Admiral, as well as the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, all wanting to have an audience with the King, and as he was not out of bed and they could not wait any longer, they all stood outside his bedroom door, and knocked to gain admittance, and at last he came out in a towering rage, and throwing them his crown, cried,
“Here, let one of my cousins be King, for I will not bear this longer. It is much more trouble than it is worth, so Aldebert or Alderete may try it and see how they like it, but as for me, I have had enough of it,” and he ran downstairs and out of the palace door, leaving the Prime Minister and the Chancellor and the General and Admiral staring at each other in dismay.
Aldovrand walked out of the town unnoticed, and turned towards the country, whistling cheerily to himself. When he had gone some way in the fields, he came to a farmhouse, and in a meadow near, the farmer stood talking to his men. Aldovrand went straight up to him, and, touching his hat, asked if he could give him any work.
“Work?” cried the farmer, little thinking he was talking to his late king. “Why, what sort of work can you do?”
“Well,” said Aldovrand, “I am not very fond of running about, but if you want anyone to mind your sheep, or keep the birds from your corn, I could do that nicely.”
“I tell you what you can do if you like,” said the farmer. “I am wanting a goose-boy to take care of my geese. See, there they are on the common. All you will have to do is to see that they don’t stray away, and to drive them in at night.”
“That will suit me exactly,” cried Aldovrand. “I will begin at once;” and he went straight on to the common, and when he had collected the geese together lay down to watch them in high good humour.
“This is capital,” he cried, “and much better than being King at the palace. Here there is no Prime Minister or Chancellor to come worrying;” and he lay watching the geese all day very contentedly.
When the Prime Minister and the Chancellor knew that Aldovrand was really gone, they went in a great hurry to Aldebert to tell him that it was his turn to be King. But when he heard how his cousin had run away, he looked frightened.
“I will do my best,” quoth he; “but I really know very little about the matter. However, you must tell me, and I will do whatever you direct.”
At hearing this the Prime Minister and the Chancellor were delighted.
“Now we have got the right sort of King,” they said; and both wagged their heads with joy.
So King Aldebert was crowned, and there were great rejoicings all over the country.
Early next morning he was up all ready to receive his Ministers, and first came the Prime Minister.
“Your Majesty,” said he, “I come to you on an affair of much importance. A great part of our city is falling
