Justice or Injustice? Which Is Best.

A king had two sons; of these, one was cunning and unjust, the other,

just and gentle. After the death of the father the elder son said to

the younger, 'Depart; I will not live with you any longer. Here are

three hundred zechins and a horse; this is your portion of our

father's property. Take it, for I owe you nothing more than this.' The

younger son took the money and the horse which were offered him, and

said, 'Thank God! See only how much of the kingdom has fallen to me!'

Some time afterwards the two brothers, both of whom were riding, met

by chance in a road. The younger brother greeted the elder one,

saying, 'God help thee, brother!' and the elder answered, 'Why do you

speak always about God? Nowadays, injustice is better than justice.'

The younger brother, however, said to him, 'I will wager with you that

injustice is not, as you say, better than justice.' So they betted one

hundred golden zechins, and it was arranged that they should leave the

decision to the first man they met in the road. Riding together a

little farther they met with Satan, who had disguised himself as a

monk, and they asked him to decide which was better, justice or

injustice? Satan answered, 'Injustice!' And the good brother paid the

bad one the hundred golden zechins which he had wagered.

Then they betted for another hundred zechins, and again a third time

for a third hundred, and each time Satan--who managed to disguise

himself in different ways and meet them--decided that injustice was

better than justice.

Thus the younger brother lost all his money, and his horse into the

bargain. Then he said, 'Thank God! I have no more money, but I have

eyes, and I wager my eyes that justice is better than injustice.'

Thereupon the unjust brother, without waiting for any one's decision,

drew his knife and cut both his brother's eyes out, saying, 'Now you

have no eyes, let justice help you.' But the younger brother in his

trouble only thanked God and said, 'I have lost my eyes for the sake

of God's justice, but I pray you, my brother, give me a little water

in some vessel to wash my wounds and wet my mouth, and bring me away

from this place to the pine-tree just about the spring, before you

leave me.' The unjust brother did so, gave him water, and left him

alone under the pine-tree near the spring of water.

There the unfortunate remained, sitting on the ground. Late, however,

in the night, some fairies came to the spring to bathe, and one of

them said to the others, 'Do you know, my sisters, that the king's

daughter has got the leprosy? The king has summoned all the

physicians, but no one can possibly help her. But if the king only

knew, he would take a little of this water in which we are bathing,

and wash his daughter therewith! and then in a day and a night she

would recover completely from her leprosy. Just as any one deaf, or

dumb, or blind, could be cured by this same water.'

Then, as the cocks began to crow, the fairies hurried away. As soon as

they were gone, the unfortunate man felt his way slowly with his

outstretched hands till he came to the spring of water. There he

bathed his eyes, and in an instant recovered his sight. After that he

filled the vessel with water, and hurried away to the king, whose

daughter was leprous, and said to the servants, 'I am come to cure the

king's daughter, if he will only let me try. I guarantee that she will

become healthy in a day and night.'

When the king heard that, he ordered him to be led into the room where

the girl was, and made her immediately bathe in the water. After a day

and a night the the girl came out pure and healthy.

Then the king was greatly pleased, and gave the young prince the half

of his kingdom, and also his daughter for a wife, so that he became

the king's son-in-law, and the first man after him in the kingdom.

The tidings of this great event spread all over the world, and so came

to the ears of the unjust brother. He guessed directly that his blind

brother must have met with good fortune under the pine-tree, so he

went himself to try to find it also. He carried with him a vessel full

of water, and then carved out his own eyes with his knife. When it was

dark the fairies came again, and, as they bathed, spoke about the

recovery of the king's daughter. 'It cannot be otherwise,' they said,

'someone must have been listening to our last conversation here.

Perhaps someone is listening now. Let us see.'

So they searched all around, and when they came to the pine-tree they

found there the unjust brother who had come to seek after good

fortune, and who declared always that injustice was better than

justice. They immediately caught him, and tore him into four parts.

And so, at the last, his wickedness did not help him, and he found to

his cost that justice is better than injustice.