Disciplina clericalis facts for kids

Disciplina clericalis is a very old and important book written by a man named Petrus Alphonsi. He wrote it in Latin around the early 1100s. This book is special because it's a collection of 33 fables and stories. It's known as the oldest book of its kind in Europe!

Stories in Disciplina Clericalis

The book has many interesting tales, like these:

The Perfect Friend

This story is about two merchants, one from Marrakech and one from Egypt. They knew each other only by what they had heard. One day, the merchant from Marrakech visited Egypt for business. His friend welcomed him to stay at his house.

But the Marrakech merchant suddenly became very sick. The Egyptian merchant called the best doctors. They said he was sick because he was in love. To help, his host brought all the women from his house, like maids and singers, and then his own daughters. But none of them helped the sick merchant.

Finally, the host brought a noble girl he hoped to marry someday. When the sick merchant saw her, he said, "She is the one who means life or death to me." Hearing this, the host gave the girl to his friend. The sick merchant got better and went back to Marrakech after his business.

Later, the Egyptian merchant lost all his money and became poor. He traveled to Marrakech to see his friend. He arrived late at night and decided to sleep in a mosque so his friend wouldn't see him looking poor. While there, he heard one man kill another. People rushed in and found the Egyptian. He said he did it, even though he didn't.

The next morning, he was about to be punished. But his friend, the merchant from Marrakech, saw him and said he was the one who did it, to save his friend. Then, the real killer saw this and decided to tell the truth. He didn't want to feel bad about it later.

The judges were confused. They took the case to the king. After talking it over, the king decided to let all three men go free if they told the whole story. They did, and they were set free. The Marrakech merchant then invited his friend to live with him and share his wealth. But the Egyptian merchant wanted to go home. So, the Marrakech merchant gave him half of his goods, and he returned to his own land.

The Three Poets

Three different poets came to share their poems with a king. The first poet was from a group called the Berbers. He wasn't from a rich family, but he was very talented. The king loved his poetry and gave him many gifts. Other poets tried to make fun of him for not being from a noble family. But the king gave him even more gifts. He told the other poets, "No one blames a rose because it grows among thorny bushes."

The second poet was from a noble family but wasn't as talented. When the king heard his poem, he didn't give him a gift. The poet then asked for a gift just because he was noble. The king asked who his father was. After finding out, the king told the poet, "Your father's good qualities have not passed on to you."

The third poet had a noble mother but a father who wasn't well-known. This poet also wasn't very talented. When the king heard this poet, he again asked who the father was. The poet felt shy to talk about his father. So, he talked about his uncle, who was very skilled and clever. The king laughed loudly when he heard this. When asked why, he began to tell a story.

The Mule and the Fox

The king told his helpers that he was laughing because the situation reminded him of a story from a book of fables. They asked him to tell it:

A young mule and a fox were together in a field. The fox was curious about the mule and asked who he was. The mule replied that he was one of God's creatures. The fox then asked if the mule had a mother and a father. The mule didn't want to say his father was a donkey. So, he said, "My mother's brother is a noble horse."

After telling this story, the king compared the third poet to the mule who was shy about his father. He asked the poet again who his father was. When the king saw the poet's father, he realized he was a simple, uneducated man. Seeing this, the king said about the poet, "Give him something from our treasury, because his father's qualities have indeed passed on to him."

The Man and the Serpent

A man was walking through a field and found a snake tied up by shepherds. The man untied the snake and helped it warm up and come back to life. As soon as the snake was alive again, it attacked the man by wrapping itself around him. The man asked why the snake was repaying kindness with harm. The snake said it was just its nature.

The man argued with the snake, and a fox was asked to decide who was right. The fox first had the snake tied up again. He told the snake to escape if it could. Then the fox told the man that he couldn't change how things naturally are. He used an example of a heavy object that falls when its support is removed.

The Hunchback and the Poet

A poet shared a nice poem with the king and was allowed to choose his own gift. He asked the king if he could sit at the gate and ask for one dinar (a type of money) from every person with a unique physical trait, like being hunchbacked, having one eye, or having a skin rash.

One day, a hunchback person came by, wearing a hooded cloak and holding a staff. The poet asked him for a dinar, but he refused. The poet then pulled off his hood, showing that he had only one eye. The poet, still holding the hood, asked for two dinars. The person tried to run, and his hood was ripped off, showing a rash. The poet then asked for three dinars.

The hunchback tried to fight back. This made his arms visible, and it was clear he had another skin condition. He was asked for a fourth dinar. During the struggle, his cloak also tore, showing another physical difference. This made the poet ask for a fifth dinar from him. The lesson of the story is that because the hunchback struggled, he ended up having to pay five dinars when he could have just paid one.

The Two Clerks who Entered a Tavern

Two learned men were walking and came near a place where people gathered to drink. The first man said they should go a different way to avoid getting involved with people who might cause trouble. The other man disagreed, saying it wouldn't hurt to pass through. So, they kept going.

As they walked by, the second man was drawn in by a song he heard and stopped. His friend left him. The second man decided to go inside the gathering place to drink. Meanwhile, a city official was following someone he suspected of doing wrong into the same place. This official realized the place was where the suspected person stayed. He then arrested everyone inside for being involved.

The Voice of the Screech Owl

Two students were walking and heard a beautiful voice belonging to a woman. One student stopped to listen. His friend urged him to keep going, saying, "Whoever hears the song of the bird and is charmed by it, might face trouble."

The first student said the voice they heard was more beautiful than one he heard with his teacher earlier. He then told his friend about the earlier voice. This voice was repeated and not very pleasant. The student wondered why his teacher liked it. The teacher had said that people find joy in their own voice, poetry, and even their child, even if others don't find them perfect. Then the two students continued their walk.

See also

In Spanish: Disciplina clericalis para niños