The Honest Carpenter
The Honest Carpenter
Summer 1999
Once upon a time there lived a carpenter named Simon. Simon was kind-hearted, but very poor and lived in a tiny house in a very small village. He made his living fixing his neighbor’s houses when they needed repair. All his neighbors had bigger houses than he did and Simon wished that one day he could have a bigger house. Then he could get married and raise a family.
Simon was not paid very often for his labor because his neighbors knew he was too kind to ask them for money. They usually gave him food or something to drink instead. They were a mean-spirited lot and took advantage of poor Simon all the time. It seemed Simon would have to wait a long time before he could afford to build himself a bigger house.
One day a King’s Messenger rode into the village on a fine horse. He asked if there was a carpenter who could come to the King’s castle and fix the roof. The castle was getting old and the roof leaked every time it rained. All the villagers shouted that Simon was a very good carpenter and hurried him toward the King’s Messenger. The villagers thought that if Simon went to the castle and fixed the roof, the King would look kindly on their village and they would prosper because of it.
"So", cried the Messenger, "You are Simon the Carpenter? Are you a good carpenter? Will you work hard if I take you to the castle to meet the King?"
Simon looked down at his feet and shuffled them nervously in the dirt. "Yes sir", he replied, "I am Simon the Carpenter. I will work hard if you take me to the castle. The King may rely on my diligence. I will fix the roof if he wishes me to".
"Very well then", said the Messenger. "Come with me. The King shall see if you are any good at what you do. If you are, you will be paid well. If you are not, you will not be paid at all and you will be sent back to your village in shame." And off he galloped on his fine horse. Poor Simon hardly had time to grab the old burlap sack in which he wrapped his saw for safekeeping. He had to run behind the horse as fast as he could to keep up.
When he arrived at the castle, Simon was amazed. He had never seen so many people in all his life. His village was small, but here there were hundreds of people. Everyone seemed to be working doing something. Tailors were making clothes. Cobblers were making shoes. Blacksmiths toiled next to hot fires making ploughs and hoes. There was even an armourer making swords and helmets.
"Come along Simon," said the Messenger. " You may sleep outside here tonight and tomorrow you will meet the King". He pointed to a pile of straw in a corner. "Do not be late. The King likes people to be on time."
Poor Simon looked with dejection at the pile of straw. "It could be worse I suppose", he thought to himself. "At least I got to see the castle and all the different people here. Even if the King does not like my work, I have gained some knowledge of what the world is like outside my little village. Oh, I hope the King does like my work. I don’t want to be sent back to my village in shame in shame."
And then Simon wondered, "Why is there no carpenter here? There must have been a carpenter here before now. Who would build and fix things? After all, there seems to be someone doing every other kind of work. Why not a carpenter? I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow. I mustn’t be late though. " With that thought he placed his old saw aside and curled up on the pile of straw and went to sleep.
The next morning Simon awoke to see everyone getting ready to go to work. He looked up and saw the King’s Messenger purposefully striding towards him.
"Up you get Carpenter", shouted the Messenger, "It is time to see the King. He is waiting."
Simon scrambled to his feet, but could not find his saw anywhere. He looked and looked, but it wasn’t anywhere to be found. "Oh no!", he wailed, "How can I show the King my work if I do not have my saw". Feeling very gloomy indeed Simon followed the Messenger into a great hall.
The Messenger brought Simon before the King. "Here is a carpenter, Sire, just as you asked. He claims to be hard-working."
The King looked Simon up and down for a time before he spoke. When he did, he spoke in a deep voice which made Simon tremble in fright. "Carpenter, can you fix the roof of the castle so it won’t leak every time it rains?"
Simon’s knees trembled as he replied, "Yes Sire I can, but I’m afraid I have lost…"
The King cut him short. "Good. Then we shall put you to a test. If you pass the test then you can fix the roof and be paid very well for doing so. If not, you shall have be sent back to your village."
Simon wished the floor of the great hall would open up and swallow him whole. How could he pass a test without his saw? He would have to return to the village without ever having worked at all. The villagers would be angry with him and they would not give him any more work. They would find another carpenter to take his place. He would have to leave and find work elsewhere. His dream of building a larger house for himself now seemed very distant.
Then the King looked at Simon more closely. "Where is your saw, Carpenter? You claim to be able to work hard, yet you have no tools to do so. How do you explain this? Do you pretend to be a carpenter when really you are nothing more than an idle layabout? Everyone knows carpenters have saws. Where is yours?"
Simon bridled at the suggestion he was idle. He had always worked hard and this gave him the strength of mind to reply firmly to the King, " Sire, I am a carpenter and I have always done my best in my work. Sometime during the night as I slept I misplaced my saw. Now I cannot show you my work and prove to you that I am a good carpenter."
Instead of accepting Simon’s explanation as he had hoped, the King grew very angry. "How do you mean you ‘misplaced’ your saw as you slept? Nobody misplaces anything when they sleep. Do you mean to say that someone in my castle stole your saw in the night? That is a serious accusation, Carpenter. We do not have thieves in my castle."
Simon was even more miserable now. He wished he had never come to the castle. "No Sire", he replied meekly, "I did not say anyone stole my saw. Maybe it is lost in the pile of straw where I slept last night."
"Is that so!", shouted the King loudly so everyone in the great hall could hear. "The carpenter here claims to have either lost his saw in a pile of straw as he slept or has had it stolen from him. We shall see." The King commanded his Messenger to come before him. " Go to the pile of straw outside and see if you can find the missing saw. The carpenter shall remain here with me while you do so."
The Messenger left and a great silence swept over the hall. All the courtiers, lords and ladies, jesters and servants stared at Simon. Simon stared at his feet.
Then the Messenger returned. Simon’s hopes rose for the Messenger carried a burlap sack, which he handed to the King. "I found this in the straw", he said quietly.
The King opened the sack and took out a saw. The crowd gasped and so did Simon. This was not any old saw. It had an oak handle encrusted with rubies and diamonds and its blade was made of gold.
"Is this your saw?" demanded the King. "This was found in the pile of straw where you spent the night."
Simon could not believe his eyes. He had never seen such a saw. If he owned a saw like that, he could afford to build a new house and live without want forever. One of the rubies in the handle alone was worth more money than Simon had ever made in his life. And the King was asking if it was his. He gazed upon the saw for a long time and then he answered the King.
"No Sire", Simon heard himself saying, "That is not my saw. My saw is an old one with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade. I cannot afford such a saw as the one you have in your hand."
"If this is not your saw, then perhaps my Messenger made a mistake", said the King looking at Simon carefully. He sent the Messenger outside again.
The Messenger returned once more with another burlap sack. The King opened the second sack and this time took out a glittering silver saw. Again the crowd gasped.
"Is this your saw?" asked the King. "This was found in the pile of straw where you spent the night".
Simon was still in shock from the sight of the gold saw. The silver saw the King now held towards him was of less value than the other, but it was still worth much more than Simon could ever hope to earn in a lifetime. With the silver saw, Simon could build his house and still live without want for the remainder of his days.
However, Simon shook his head slowly. "No Sire. That is not my saw. My saw is an old one with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade. I cannot afford a silver saw like the one you have in your hand."
The King looked at Simon carefully a second time. "Well then, perhaps my Messenger has made another mistake and brought the wrong saw a second time." He made a motion for the Messenger to go outside and look in the pile of straw again.
When the Messenger returned, he handed the King another burlap sack. The King opened this sack and brought out a bronze saw. He held it aloft for the crowd to see. "Is this your saw, carpenter? As you can see, this one is of considerably less value than the other two. Surely a good carpenter like you claim to be would have a saw such as this."
Simon knew that the bronze saw was of less value than the gold and silver saws. Nevertheless, with such a saw Simon could afford to build his new house and work only occasionally to keep food on the table.
Again Simon shook his head. "Sire, I don’t know anything about this saw or the others. I am a poor carpenter. I cannot afford saws such as these. Mine is an old saw with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade."
The King looked at Simon and asked in a stern voice. " Carpenter, are you telling me the truth? How many saws do you think can be found in a pile of straw? I should not think that even one saw would be found in any pile of straw you cared to point at, let alone three saws of great value such as these. Perhaps you are not any good at your trade and deny that one or all of these saws are yours so that I won’t test you to see if you can fix my roof. If these are your saws, take them and go home. I will find another carpenter to fix the roof."
Simon replied meekly, "Sire, these are not my saws. If they were, I would claim them and go home as you suggest. The value of any one saw is more than I could ever earn in my life and truly I wish that one day it would be possible for me to own saws such as these. But, they do not belong to me. My saw is old with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade."
The King sighed. "Very well. I will send the messenger to look in the pile of straw one more time."
The Messenger returned a fourth time and handed the King a fourth burlap sack. The King opened the sack and pulled out an old saw with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade. Before he could say anything, Simon shouted out loud.
"That’s my saw. I would recognize it anywhere. That is indeed my saw and now I can show Your Majesty that I am a good carpenter. With that saw I can fix the roof of the castle. Sire, you will not be disappointed. Set me to any test you desire. I will do my best. You will see."
The King gazed upon Simon for what seemed an eternity. Then he spoke. "Carpenter, if this is your saw, then take it. However, there will be no test."
Simon’s joy dissipated at once. "Sire," he cried, "Please let me show you my work. I can pass any test you care to give me. All I ask is one chance. I am a poor carpenter and all I can afford is an old saw like this one. It works as well and probably better than the others because it is mine and I have used it for years."
To Simon’s amazement the King began to smile. And then he began to laugh. Soon the messenger and all the other people on the great hall were laughing too. Except for Simon. He did not know what to make of this.
"There will be no test", shouted the King so all could hear, "because you have already passed the test. You are honest, which is more than I can say for the last carpenter here. I sent him away because he stole from me and from the people who work hard here in the castle. It was with the money that he stole that he made the gold, silver and bronze saws you see before you. He wanted everyone to think he was such a good carpenter that he became rich through hard work. Now he has nothing. When my Messenger came to your village, I already knew you were a good carpenter. The quality of your work is well known. You did not have to pass a test to prove this, just a test to prove honesty. I could not be sure of your honesty because everyone in your village seemed to cheat you of your wages and what one person will do to another, so the second person will sometimes do to a third and so on. You, however, passed up not one but three opportunities to become wealthy without doing anything to deserve it. Last night I had my Messenger remove your old saw while you slept so that you would not find it this morning when you woke. Then I had him bring in the gold, silver and bronze saws and I asked if they were yours, knowing that they weren’t. Now you shall be rewarded."
And so the King gave Simon a permanent job fixing the roof of the castle and anything else that needed the attention of a carpenter. He also gave him the gold, silver and bronze saws on the condition that once a year Simon would gather together all the children in the castle and from the villages close by and tell them how he came to own such beautiful saws.
Simon was paid well enough that he finally built a large house for himself just outside the castle. He married and began to raise a family like he had wanted to. And, once a year, he returned to his old village and fixed the houses of his former neighbors. They had no carpenter now that Simon had left and none would work there because they feared they would not be paid for their labor.
Summer 1999
Once upon a time there lived a carpenter named Simon. Simon was kind-hearted, but very poor and lived in a tiny house in a very small village. He made his living fixing his neighbor’s houses when they needed repair. All his neighbors had bigger houses than he did and Simon wished that one day he could have a bigger house. Then he could get married and raise a family.
Simon was not paid very often for his labor because his neighbors knew he was too kind to ask them for money. They usually gave him food or something to drink instead. They were a mean-spirited lot and took advantage of poor Simon all the time. It seemed Simon would have to wait a long time before he could afford to build himself a bigger house.
One day a King’s Messenger rode into the village on a fine horse. He asked if there was a carpenter who could come to the King’s castle and fix the roof. The castle was getting old and the roof leaked every time it rained. All the villagers shouted that Simon was a very good carpenter and hurried him toward the King’s Messenger. The villagers thought that if Simon went to the castle and fixed the roof, the King would look kindly on their village and they would prosper because of it.
"So", cried the Messenger, "You are Simon the Carpenter? Are you a good carpenter? Will you work hard if I take you to the castle to meet the King?"
Simon looked down at his feet and shuffled them nervously in the dirt. "Yes sir", he replied, "I am Simon the Carpenter. I will work hard if you take me to the castle. The King may rely on my diligence. I will fix the roof if he wishes me to".
"Very well then", said the Messenger. "Come with me. The King shall see if you are any good at what you do. If you are, you will be paid well. If you are not, you will not be paid at all and you will be sent back to your village in shame." And off he galloped on his fine horse. Poor Simon hardly had time to grab the old burlap sack in which he wrapped his saw for safekeeping. He had to run behind the horse as fast as he could to keep up.
When he arrived at the castle, Simon was amazed. He had never seen so many people in all his life. His village was small, but here there were hundreds of people. Everyone seemed to be working doing something. Tailors were making clothes. Cobblers were making shoes. Blacksmiths toiled next to hot fires making ploughs and hoes. There was even an armourer making swords and helmets.
"Come along Simon," said the Messenger. " You may sleep outside here tonight and tomorrow you will meet the King". He pointed to a pile of straw in a corner. "Do not be late. The King likes people to be on time."
Poor Simon looked with dejection at the pile of straw. "It could be worse I suppose", he thought to himself. "At least I got to see the castle and all the different people here. Even if the King does not like my work, I have gained some knowledge of what the world is like outside my little village. Oh, I hope the King does like my work. I don’t want to be sent back to my village in shame in shame."
And then Simon wondered, "Why is there no carpenter here? There must have been a carpenter here before now. Who would build and fix things? After all, there seems to be someone doing every other kind of work. Why not a carpenter? I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow. I mustn’t be late though. " With that thought he placed his old saw aside and curled up on the pile of straw and went to sleep.
The next morning Simon awoke to see everyone getting ready to go to work. He looked up and saw the King’s Messenger purposefully striding towards him.
"Up you get Carpenter", shouted the Messenger, "It is time to see the King. He is waiting."
Simon scrambled to his feet, but could not find his saw anywhere. He looked and looked, but it wasn’t anywhere to be found. "Oh no!", he wailed, "How can I show the King my work if I do not have my saw". Feeling very gloomy indeed Simon followed the Messenger into a great hall.
The Messenger brought Simon before the King. "Here is a carpenter, Sire, just as you asked. He claims to be hard-working."
The King looked Simon up and down for a time before he spoke. When he did, he spoke in a deep voice which made Simon tremble in fright. "Carpenter, can you fix the roof of the castle so it won’t leak every time it rains?"
Simon’s knees trembled as he replied, "Yes Sire I can, but I’m afraid I have lost…"
The King cut him short. "Good. Then we shall put you to a test. If you pass the test then you can fix the roof and be paid very well for doing so. If not, you shall have be sent back to your village."
Simon wished the floor of the great hall would open up and swallow him whole. How could he pass a test without his saw? He would have to return to the village without ever having worked at all. The villagers would be angry with him and they would not give him any more work. They would find another carpenter to take his place. He would have to leave and find work elsewhere. His dream of building a larger house for himself now seemed very distant.
Then the King looked at Simon more closely. "Where is your saw, Carpenter? You claim to be able to work hard, yet you have no tools to do so. How do you explain this? Do you pretend to be a carpenter when really you are nothing more than an idle layabout? Everyone knows carpenters have saws. Where is yours?"
Simon bridled at the suggestion he was idle. He had always worked hard and this gave him the strength of mind to reply firmly to the King, " Sire, I am a carpenter and I have always done my best in my work. Sometime during the night as I slept I misplaced my saw. Now I cannot show you my work and prove to you that I am a good carpenter."
Instead of accepting Simon’s explanation as he had hoped, the King grew very angry. "How do you mean you ‘misplaced’ your saw as you slept? Nobody misplaces anything when they sleep. Do you mean to say that someone in my castle stole your saw in the night? That is a serious accusation, Carpenter. We do not have thieves in my castle."
Simon was even more miserable now. He wished he had never come to the castle. "No Sire", he replied meekly, "I did not say anyone stole my saw. Maybe it is lost in the pile of straw where I slept last night."
"Is that so!", shouted the King loudly so everyone in the great hall could hear. "The carpenter here claims to have either lost his saw in a pile of straw as he slept or has had it stolen from him. We shall see." The King commanded his Messenger to come before him. " Go to the pile of straw outside and see if you can find the missing saw. The carpenter shall remain here with me while you do so."
The Messenger left and a great silence swept over the hall. All the courtiers, lords and ladies, jesters and servants stared at Simon. Simon stared at his feet.
Then the Messenger returned. Simon’s hopes rose for the Messenger carried a burlap sack, which he handed to the King. "I found this in the straw", he said quietly.
The King opened the sack and took out a saw. The crowd gasped and so did Simon. This was not any old saw. It had an oak handle encrusted with rubies and diamonds and its blade was made of gold.
"Is this your saw?" demanded the King. "This was found in the pile of straw where you spent the night."
Simon could not believe his eyes. He had never seen such a saw. If he owned a saw like that, he could afford to build a new house and live without want forever. One of the rubies in the handle alone was worth more money than Simon had ever made in his life. And the King was asking if it was his. He gazed upon the saw for a long time and then he answered the King.
"No Sire", Simon heard himself saying, "That is not my saw. My saw is an old one with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade. I cannot afford such a saw as the one you have in your hand."
"If this is not your saw, then perhaps my Messenger made a mistake", said the King looking at Simon carefully. He sent the Messenger outside again.
The Messenger returned once more with another burlap sack. The King opened the second sack and this time took out a glittering silver saw. Again the crowd gasped.
"Is this your saw?" asked the King. "This was found in the pile of straw where you spent the night".
Simon was still in shock from the sight of the gold saw. The silver saw the King now held towards him was of less value than the other, but it was still worth much more than Simon could ever hope to earn in a lifetime. With the silver saw, Simon could build his house and still live without want for the remainder of his days.
However, Simon shook his head slowly. "No Sire. That is not my saw. My saw is an old one with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade. I cannot afford a silver saw like the one you have in your hand."
The King looked at Simon carefully a second time. "Well then, perhaps my Messenger has made another mistake and brought the wrong saw a second time." He made a motion for the Messenger to go outside and look in the pile of straw again.
When the Messenger returned, he handed the King another burlap sack. The King opened this sack and brought out a bronze saw. He held it aloft for the crowd to see. "Is this your saw, carpenter? As you can see, this one is of considerably less value than the other two. Surely a good carpenter like you claim to be would have a saw such as this."
Simon knew that the bronze saw was of less value than the gold and silver saws. Nevertheless, with such a saw Simon could afford to build his new house and work only occasionally to keep food on the table.
Again Simon shook his head. "Sire, I don’t know anything about this saw or the others. I am a poor carpenter. I cannot afford saws such as these. Mine is an old saw with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade."
The King looked at Simon and asked in a stern voice. " Carpenter, are you telling me the truth? How many saws do you think can be found in a pile of straw? I should not think that even one saw would be found in any pile of straw you cared to point at, let alone three saws of great value such as these. Perhaps you are not any good at your trade and deny that one or all of these saws are yours so that I won’t test you to see if you can fix my roof. If these are your saws, take them and go home. I will find another carpenter to fix the roof."
Simon replied meekly, "Sire, these are not my saws. If they were, I would claim them and go home as you suggest. The value of any one saw is more than I could ever earn in my life and truly I wish that one day it would be possible for me to own saws such as these. But, they do not belong to me. My saw is old with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade."
The King sighed. "Very well. I will send the messenger to look in the pile of straw one more time."
The Messenger returned a fourth time and handed the King a fourth burlap sack. The King opened the sack and pulled out an old saw with a worn wooden handle and a steel blade. Before he could say anything, Simon shouted out loud.
"That’s my saw. I would recognize it anywhere. That is indeed my saw and now I can show Your Majesty that I am a good carpenter. With that saw I can fix the roof of the castle. Sire, you will not be disappointed. Set me to any test you desire. I will do my best. You will see."
The King gazed upon Simon for what seemed an eternity. Then he spoke. "Carpenter, if this is your saw, then take it. However, there will be no test."
Simon’s joy dissipated at once. "Sire," he cried, "Please let me show you my work. I can pass any test you care to give me. All I ask is one chance. I am a poor carpenter and all I can afford is an old saw like this one. It works as well and probably better than the others because it is mine and I have used it for years."
To Simon’s amazement the King began to smile. And then he began to laugh. Soon the messenger and all the other people on the great hall were laughing too. Except for Simon. He did not know what to make of this.
"There will be no test", shouted the King so all could hear, "because you have already passed the test. You are honest, which is more than I can say for the last carpenter here. I sent him away because he stole from me and from the people who work hard here in the castle. It was with the money that he stole that he made the gold, silver and bronze saws you see before you. He wanted everyone to think he was such a good carpenter that he became rich through hard work. Now he has nothing. When my Messenger came to your village, I already knew you were a good carpenter. The quality of your work is well known. You did not have to pass a test to prove this, just a test to prove honesty. I could not be sure of your honesty because everyone in your village seemed to cheat you of your wages and what one person will do to another, so the second person will sometimes do to a third and so on. You, however, passed up not one but three opportunities to become wealthy without doing anything to deserve it. Last night I had my Messenger remove your old saw while you slept so that you would not find it this morning when you woke. Then I had him bring in the gold, silver and bronze saws and I asked if they were yours, knowing that they weren’t. Now you shall be rewarded."
And so the King gave Simon a permanent job fixing the roof of the castle and anything else that needed the attention of a carpenter. He also gave him the gold, silver and bronze saws on the condition that once a year Simon would gather together all the children in the castle and from the villages close by and tell them how he came to own such beautiful saws.
Simon was paid well enough that he finally built a large house for himself just outside the castle. He married and began to raise a family like he had wanted to. And, once a year, he returned to his old village and fixed the houses of his former neighbors. They had no carpenter now that Simon had left and none would work there because they feared they would not be paid for their labor.
posted by alex malcolm at 12:57 pm
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