Once King Matthias, when he was wandering around the country, to see what the poor people had to do, went out into a field near a village, and there he had a talk with an old man who was sowing in the fields. With him was his escort. They were great lords. The king got to know the old ploughman, who had once been a soldier for him. With these words he greeted the old man:
- With respect, old man!
The ploughman replied:
- Thank you to the woman!
The king then asks:
- How much money does kend make?
- I have, my sovereign king, six.
- And how many of kend lives?
- "Two of two," says the old man.
- Where do you put four of them?
The old man replied:
- I'll throw that in the mud.
The King continues to ask:
- Well, old man, how many more is thirty-two?
- Indeed, my lord king, there are now only twelve.
- Could you milk a goat? - asks the king.
- And so do I, my sovereign king.
The King says:
- Now, old man, God bless you, don't tell anybody the explanation of my questions until you see my face.
The king goes on, they leave the old man, and he says to the lords:
- Now, gentlemen, if you can explain my questions, I'll give you a manor.
But the gentlemen wanted to invent it, but they couldn't think of it. What could they do but go back to the old man. They surrounded him and asked him to explain the meaning of the speech. Says the old man:
- Have not the gentlemen heard what the king said? I must not tell until I see the king's face.
But so and so, said the gentlemen, you will be paid handsomely, just explain.
- 'All right,' said the old man, 'give me ten gold pieces.
The old man is about to have ten gold pieces counted, and one of the gentlemen asks:
- Well, when the king greeted him with "Honour, old man", why did he reply "Thank you, madam"?
- "Because," said the old man, "my wife washes my clothes, and clean clothes are honour.
- "Well, that's true," said the gentlemen.
- But how do you throw your money in the mud?
- Well, I live on two of them myself and spend four on my son. And that's like throwing it in the mud because I never see it.
- What's that: how many more of the thirty-two?
- I'll tell you when they count ten gold pieces.
Okay, they're reading that too.
- The explanation is that when I was young I had thirty-two teeth, now I only have twelve.
- "Well, we hadn't thought of that," said the gentlemen.
- How would you milk the goats?
- I'll even tell you that for ten gold pieces.
They count out the ten gold pieces, and the old man says:
- So I milk the goats the way I now milk the gentlemen.
But the gentlemen were ashamed, and in their great annoyance they said:
- Well, stop kend, we'll tell the king that he explained his speech, and he hasn't even seen his face.
- "Haven't I?" said the old man. "Haven't I seen the picture of our king? "Yes, I have, here it is!" and he showed the king's image on the gold. - For so the gentlemen shall know, that so the king understood, that I shall not explain his speech till I see his image on money.
But now the lords had no more to say, and they left the old man, and went after the king in great shame.
(Elek Benedek: Hungarian tale- and mythology Volume 3)
