I think that Mr. Benet must have been the offspring of Venturne, the proud woman of whom I have already told you. Venturné was a wealthy lady, and you may remember that while her son was fighting in a far-off land, she built a great, large castle near Bereck. She said in her reckless confidence that not even God could take her castle.
Nor did God let the proud speech go unpunished: he raised up a terrible earthquake, a terrifying earthquake, a terrifying sky, and the mighty castle collapsed like a miserable little cage. The castle was never rebuilt, and the proud woman's son, Mr. Benet, like a poor nobleman, lived in a little house of shingles, alone. But Mr. Benet, poor as he was, was kind-hearted, his gate was always open, and he shared his last morsel with any guest who came to him.
It happened that one evening, as Mr. Benet was sitting alone, perhaps remembering the good old days when his ancestors had castles and great manors, a young lad in student's form came up to him. He greeted him in the proper manner, said he was a student, and asked for lodging for the night.
- "God owns the lodgings," said Mr. Benet, "come in, my brother, settle down! I see by your face that you are hungry and tired.
- Yes, I am hungry, I am tired, because I have come from far away.
Soon they were seated at table, but dinner was meagre: a bowl of lentils. Mr. Benet thought to himself that it was not proper to offer such a meagre meal, and he soon melted the fat and poured it over the lentils.
- "You see, my brother," said Mr. Benet, "our land is thin, it only grows if it is well fertilized; in the same way, lentils are thin without fat.
Then a jug of wine was put on the table, and they talked about the affairs of the country, especially about King Matthias.
- "That is the true king," said Mr. Benet, with enthusiasm; "I have never seen him, but I have always heard his good news, that the good God may bless him and keep him! "Did you ever see the great king?" said Mr. Benet, a little later. Thou hast travelled through many countries?
- "I have indeed seen it, and I see it every day when I am in Buda," said the student.
- "It could be," said Mr Benet, but it was clear from his face that he didn't really believe the student.
- I tell you that I am King Matthias's scribe, and if you ever come to Buda, don't avoid me, come and see me: I live there in the King's palace.
He pulled a ring off his finger and gave it to Mr Benet.
- Thou knowest, keep this ring as a memento, and when thou comest to Buda, show it to any servant, and he shall be brought to me.
- Well, my dear, if God is with you, I will visit you in less than a year. I will go up to Buda Castle to see the King but once, though he is far from here, I know it well.
- A bit far," the student smiled.
The next morning, the student thanked Mr Benet for his accommodation and hospitality, and went on his way to who knows where. But from that day on Mr. Benet had no peace of mind, as soon as he had harvested what little grain he had, and a few drops of gold had trickled down from the wheat, he set off on foot, and walked and walked until he reached Buda. He went into the courtyard of the palace, and there he showed the ring to a servant, and said from whom he had received it, "Is this student still here?
- "Here," said the servant, "just go up the garadish and show it to the strasha, and he will lead you on.
Mr. Benet goes up on the garadish, shows the ring to his ostrich, and, my lord, in the twinkling of an eye the great winged door opens before him, and he is hurried in by his ostrich. There in the first room were all sorts of gentlemen in bright clothes, and as soon as they saw the ring in Mr. Benet's hand, but they did not take it in the palm of their hand, they pushed him in and in, through bright shining rooms, until suddenly Mr. Benet was standing in a great crowd of large threads: in front of the student Matthias.
But the world started to turn with Mr Benet! He had already suspected that his guest would be more than a kind of writer's deacon, but now he knew: how many weeks the world was. Well, he had had his day! King Matthias was his guest, no other. And he had only treated him to a dish of lentils. But if there was nothing else!
- 'Oh, my lord king,' cried Mr Benet, 'I am ashamed of it. I am sorry that I have not received you with propriety, but God knows that what I have taken from my poor house I have given from my heart.
The king smiled and patted Mr Benet on the shoulder, then took his hand.
- Let not your Grace grieve one bit over this. I never ate a better supper than your snake's fertilized lentils, for I felt that he gave it with a true heart. But now I will give your grace back his lentils.
The footman was reporting lunch, and King Matthias led Mr. Benet out into the dining-room, seated him beside him, and likewise urged him: eat thy snake, let him love it!
And so, with this word, Mr Benet offered him: love him!
After lunch he brought in a bowl of gold and a bowl of silver. Then he motioned to the footman to bring another larger bowl. Into this bowl he poured the silver and on top of it the gold, and said:
- Well, my lord Benet, I will fertilize silver with gold, as your snake fertilizes lentils with fat.
During lunch, the gentlemen were in a flowery mood (the King was in a flowery mood too), and what did they think, they also wanted to do something to please the noble Szekler nobleman. One of the lords suddenly took off his gold and diamond medal and hung it around Mr. Benet's neck.
- Can your grace make it to Bereck? - asked the lord.
- "I'll go on," said Mr Benet.
And another gentleman hung his heavy gold and diamond medal around his neck.
- What about this?
- I did, this one too. And more.
The gentlemen didn't need anything else (if it's a joke, let it be a joke), he hung his medal around Mr Benet's neck. Now the king asked him:
- Can you handle all that, Mr Benet?
- I am gone, my sovereign king. Wretch who takes it back.
The gentlemen laughed so hard that the palace rang in their ears. But none of them took back their medals.
- "But these precious mints are fit for a sword," said the king, and he gave Mr Benet a beautiful sword.
Mr Benet had tears in his eyes.
He said with enthusiastic words:
- I thank you for the treasure and the sword, my sovereign king. I will use it for the good of my country, and with the sword I will fight for my country and my king as long as I live!
It is said that the castle, of which only the ruins remain today, was not built by Venturne, but by Mr Benet, with that bowl of gold dunged with silver. And of the gold and diamonds of the great lords' mints. But it doesn't matter now, whoever built it, either way, it's just a sad wreck of a reminder of the glory days of old...
(Elek Benedek: Hungarian tale- and mythology Volume 3)
