Gesta Romanorum Vol. II (1871)/Of the Cunning of the Devil
TALE VIII.
OF THE CUNNING OF THE DEVIL.
It is related of a certain prince, that with all his power he could not subdue his enemies. At length he made use of the following stratagem. He feigned a flight, and resigned his castles, with the provisions they contained, into the hands of his foes. Now the castles were furnished with casks of wine empoisoned with the seed of a certain herb; insomuch, that whosoever drank of it immediately fell asleep. He knew that his opponents were hunger-starved and gluttonous; and that, overjoyed to find such excellent quarters, they would drink to excess, and fall into the half death-like quiet of sleep. They did so, and the prince returning put them all to death.
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the prince is the devil; let us beware of what he leaves.