 them,
was an injurious reproach; that to grant what had been so haughtily demanded
would argue in the monarch both weakness and timidity; in a word, that to remit
the punishment inflicted by my predecessors would be to condemn their judgment.
Lastly, one told me in a whisper, His whole family are enemies to your house. By
these means the ministers prevailed. The young lord took the refusal so ill,
that he retired from court, and abandoned himself to despair, whilst the old one
languished in prison. By which means, as I have since discovered, I lost the use
of two of my best subjects.«
    »To confess the truth, I had, by means of my ministers, conceived a very
unjust opinion of my whole people, whom I fancied to be daily conspiring against
me, and to entertain the most disloyal thoughts, when, in reality (as I have
known since my death), they held me in universal respect and esteem. This is a
trick, I believe, too often played with sovereigns, who, by such means, are
prevented from that open intercourse with their subjects which, as it would
greatly endear the person of the prince to the people, so might it often prove
dangerous to a minister who was consulting his own interest only at the expense
of both. I believe I have now recounted to you the most material passages of my
life; for I assure you there are some incidents in the lives of kings not
extremely worth relating. Everything which passes in their minds and families is
not attended with the splendour which surrounds their throne - indeed, there are
some hours wherein the naked king and the naked cobbler can scarce be
distinguished from each other.«
    »Had it not been, however, for my ingratitude to Bernard del Carpio, I
believe this would have been my last pilgrimage on earth; for, as to the story
of St. James, I thought Minos would have burst his sides at it; but he was so
displeased with me on the other account, that, with a frown, he cried out, Get
thee back again, king. Nor would he suffer me to say another word.«
 

                                Chapter Eighteen

                           Julian passes into a fool.

The next visit I made to the world was performed in France, where I was born in
the court of Lewis III., and had afterwards the honour to be preferred to be
fool to the prince, who was surnamed Charles the Simple. But, in reality, I know
not whether I might so properly be said to have acted the fool in his court as
