![[Bottel] Sticks and stones...](../img/castbar2.gif){kind=small}
Your Good Majesty Queen Berengaria,
I give Thee greetings the first time I appear before you in all your Pomp and Glory!
Nay, I mean THOU be in all your Pomp and Glory, I would not fit!Your Majesty, I be a little overawed and confused.
I hath been standing quietly by watching the goings on in this busy place of great import, and listening with great interest to great talkings on many serious subjects, which hath made my poor simple head spin. Truly thou art surrounded by many wise counsellors and loyal subjects.
Having quietly waited till there was a lull in the conversation, I wish to press my suit... Nay, Nay, Your majesty, what I mean is, I wish to place my painful situation before thee!
Your Good Predecessor did take pity on this poor witless fool and grant me the protection of her household. I did thoroughly enjoy the benefits of her protection and her kitchen, but now, alas, I hath fallen upon hard times. It is some time since I had a good meal, I mean, since I had the good deal she struck with me.
So, your Majesty, I wish to beg from thee a few scraps from your table before the dogs get their due.
In repayment for Thy kindness, I would beg thy leave to tell thee a little tale to distract thy mind... Nay, just from the cares of the Affairs of State that weigh mightily upon Thy worthy brow.
Once there was a poor monastery, in a poor land. The monks were very pious, but exceeding poor. And the whole community wast sore afflicted. They had enough to eat, but very little to spare for maintenance of the buildings. Even the little chapel did look dowdy.
So, it came to pass that the good monks decided that they would whitewash the chapel to the greater glory of God. They toiled long and hard to put aside the wherewithal to obtain the makings for the whitewash. And a wealthy local merchant, through great generosity, helped a little, and they were able to have some brushes too.
And so, on a bright sunny morn, they did gather at the little chapel, and did offer up thanks that the Lord had provided their poor community with the wherewithal to paint the chapel to the greater glory of God. And so they did start, happy in heart with their task.
Verily then, they started, but had not half completed the task, when they realised that they hath not enough whitewash to finish the task. And so they did pray for guidance, and then remembered that whitewash can be thinned with water, so this they did. And they did continue, happy in heart with their task.
And thus, they did reach at last the rear wall, and looked again, and to their sorrow, they discovered that once again, they did not have sufficient to complete the task. But this time, they simply added more water, for this had worked before, so what be wrong with that?
So at last, with joyful heart, they did finish their task.
But as the paint dried, they did look, and did notice that it was patchy in places where the thinning had been, and they were sore distressed. And so they did stand and wonder what they should do.
At that moment, a small dark cloud passed before the sun, and a voice spake saying:
"Repaint, Repaint, and thin no more."
Ah! but then what would I know, I'm only a Fool!
Robin the Ruthless in Bottel - Once Personal Fool to Her Majesty, Queen Jacyntha of Antir, (now between Patrons)
(Once a Fool..... Now What?)
"Blessed are those of us who can laugh at ourselves,
for we shall never cease to be amused."
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