One day, the Count Lucanor was speaking with Patronio, his councillor and said to him: “Patronio, a man who claims to be my friend started dedicating great praises to me, causing me to understand that I have a lot to be proud of: honour, power and never-ending virtues. And, after having flattered me so much, he suggested an agreement which, at first, seemed to be worth my while.” The Count explained what his friend had proposed. And, even though the agreement seemed very fruitful, Patronio discovered the deception which was hidden beneath all the words of enchanting beauty, just like the count was saying. “Sir Count Lucanor, what this man is trying to do, from what you’re telling me, is trickery, and for this he’s causing you to understand that you are much richer and honourable than you are in reality. And to avoid deceiving yourself, I would like you to know what happened to the raven and the fox.” The count asked what happened to the raven and the fox, to which Patronio replied:
“Sir Count Lucanor, on one occasion, the raven found a great piece of cheese and flew to the height of a tree to eat it with great pleasure without anyone annoying him or being able to steal it from him. But then the fox passed beneath the tree and when he saw the raven having the cheese, he began to ponder, thinking of how to get it to leave him. And finally he began to say to him:
“Mister Raven, I’ve heard an awful lot of talk about you and your nobility and beauty. But, even though I have looked for you everywhere to get to know you, neither God nor my luck have wished for me to find you until this day. Now I realize that you are much better than what they have been telling me and, in order for you to see that I’m not telling you this just for terrible flattery, in the same way that I will describe your charm and perfections, I will mention the things which according to people, are not so handsome.”
Everyone thinks that the colour of your feathers and your eyes and your beak and your feet and your claws is too dark.
And, as things which are black are not as beautiful as those of other colours, they call you ugly, but they’re wrong…
Because it’s true that your feathers are black, but of a black so intense and so shiny that sometimes they give off and indigo reflection, like off the feathers of a real peacock, which is the most beautiful of all birds. And, even though it is true that your eyes are black, they are the most beautiful eyes in the world, thus the eyes are made to see and black eyes are those which least tire the eyes, that’s why the most praised eyes are those of the gazelle, which are the most blackest amongst all animals. In the same way, your beak and your feet and nails are much stronger than any other bird of your size, and your body is so light that you could fly more strongly rather than blowing in the wind, something that other birds cannot do with such ease like you.
And, as god forever endowed the five senses in everything he created, I’m sure that he wouldn’t have allowed someone so perfect like you to lack the grace of singing better than other birds. And, so the lord made me worthy of you to let me see you and realise that you are much better than ever heard of, if I could hear your song, I will count myself fortunate for ever and ever.”
“Be warned, sir count, that even though the intention of the fox was to fool the raven, he mixed his words with some truths. And incidentally having the most dangerous fraudsters and fatal traps are those in which the traitor uses a deceitful truth.
The thing is that, when the raven noticed that there was some truth in the great praises dedicated to him by the fox, he believed that the fox was his friend and that he had good intentions, and didn’t expect that all of that was a scheme to steal the cheese from him. As the fox had been so friendly and he had begged him to sing, the raven got ready to sing. And, as soon as he opened his beak, the cheese fell to the ground, so the fox caught it and left everything and ran. And in this way was how the fox tricked the raven, making him believe that he was more beautiful and perfect than he was in truth.
- As soon as you, Sir Count Lucanor - concluded Patronio -, although god made you so worthy of everything, well, see that that man has implied that you have more power and honour and virtues than what you know to have in truth, understand that he’s done it to fool you, like this it convenes you to keep him if you wish to act as a wise man.”
The count very much liked what Patronio said, so he followed his advice, with which he saved himself from committing a serious mistake.
And as it seemed to king Juan that this example was very good, he sent it to be copied in this book and wrote these verses which summarize the moral of the example:
When showering you with praises
And it is not deserved by thee
It’s because they wish to take
Something you possess, you see.
