This is the story of the hair shirt. Like many in the world, there once was a gentleman and a lady. They had no children, and they wanted one more than anything. They vowed to go to Rome. As soon as they had done so the woman found herself pregnant.
The cilice
The husband said to her: “We had better go straight away. »
The woman said, "We don't have enough time now, we might as well go later." »
The lady gave birth to a boy. The boy grew up and found his father always sad and often found him crying. The little boy was now seven years old and the mother had never decided to go to Rome. One day this young boy entered his father's room and found him still crying. So he said to him:
“What is the matter with you, father? »
But he did not want to answer her; then the child took a pistol and said to his father:
"If you don't want to tell me what you have, I will shoot you first and then me." »
The father then told him that he would tell him, (and he told him) how he and his mother had vowed to go to Rome if they had a child and that they had never been there.
The child said to him: “It is for me that this wish was made and it is I who will fulfill it. »
He bade farewell and left.
He spent seven years on the road and begging for bread. Finally he arrived at the holy father and told him what brought him there. Our holy father put him in a room, alone, for an hour.
When he came out, he said to her: “Oh, you must have made a mistake, you made me stay there for at least two hours. »
Our holy father told him no, that he had only been there for an hour. And he put him in another room for two hours.
When he came out of there he said: “You made me stay more than two hours. »
He told him no and put him in another room for three hours.
When he came out, he said: “You only left me there for three minutes. »
And he said to him: “Yes, yes, yes, you stayed there for three hours. »
And our holy father told him that the first chamber was hell, the second was purgatory and the last was heaven.
The child said to him: “Where am I? I am in paradise! And my father ?
-In paradise too.
-And my mother?
- In hell. »
The boy was very upset and said to her, “Can't I save my mother? I am ready to shed my blood for her for seven years. »
Our holy father told him that he could and he put a hair shirt on him closed with a padlock and threw the key into the water.
And our Holy Father said to him: “When you find this key, your mother will be saved. »
He left, begging as before and took another seven years before arriving in his country. He went from house to house asking for alms. His father met him and asked him where he was from. He says “from Rome”. He asked him if he had seen a boy his age on his way. He told her yes and that he had continued his walk for seven years, shedding his blood to save his mother. And he continued to talk to him about his son.
His mother went to the stairs and told her husband to send this poor thing away, that he had to get out of there. But he paid no attention to her. He brought him in and told his wife he was going to have dinner with them. The woman was not happy. The husband sent the maid to the market, telling her to buy the finest fish she could find. When the girl returned, she went to the farmyard to clean the fish. The young man followed her and as she was cleaning the fish she found a key inside.
The young man said to him: “This key is mine. »
And she gave it to him.
The lady did not tolerate this young man. She pushed him and he fell into the well. Immediately, the water in the well began to overflow and the young man came out soaking wet. The husband did not realize that his wife had pushed him into the well and the young man told him that he had fallen in alone. This poor gentleman wanted to give him some clothes, but he did not accept them, saying that he would dry himself by the fire. At the table the lady did not show him good grace. The young man asked her if she would recognize her son.
She said, “Yes, yes, he has a mark in the middle of his chest. »
And the young man undid his clothes and showed his mark. At the same time he gave the key to his mother so that she could open the hair shirt and the mother saw nothing but blood and more blood. He had suffered for her. All three died. And the maid saw three white doves flying away. I want to do like them in the same way.
