KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT OF CANTERBURY
In King John’s reign the Abbot of Canterbury was so rich and grand that the king became jealous, and sent for the Abbot to reproach him. The Abbot claimed that he was only spending what had been given in pious gifts to the Abbey. But the king replied that everything in the kingdom belonged to the king. However, he promised to spare the Abbot’s life if he could answer three questions. These were: “Where is the centre of the world?”, “How soon can I ride round the world?” and “What do I think?” He gave the Abbot a week to find the answers, and the Abbot was in despair for he thought the questions unanswerable. No learned man in Oxford could help him, and he returned to Canterbury to say farewell to his monks. On the way he met his shepherd, who at once offered to take the Abbot’s place, for a fool could sometimes succeed where a wise man could not. The Abbot at last gave an unwilling consent, a...