Govan and the Miserly Monks

Now you may know of great Govan, the greatest smith and carpenter there ever was.Now there was a time when he was asked by a load of monks to build them a tower. Well, Govan was a bit reluctant, for he had little enough trust for this new god, but craft was craft.

“I’ll work for five days, and at the end of five days you’ll have a fifty foot tower, and I’ll have fifty gold coins.

“That you will.”

So Govan worked for five days. By himself he quarried the stone, cut and shaped it, brought it in with his great skill and set it in place, as fine as any building ever rose. Now on the fifth day, the roof was nearly finished. Govan came down for a few drinks of water, and said, “You have the fifty feet. I’d like the fifty coins now.”

“Yes, of course, there are the forty coins.” A monk said happily, handing over a bag.

“But you promised me fifty coins.”

“Oh, no, we promised you forty.”

“Well then,” said Govan, “you’ve paid forty coins, and you’ll have forty feet.” And he went up the scaffold, and began to throw back down the roofing stones.

“Stop, stop!!” the monks cried, but Govan only called, “Forty.”

“We’ll pay fifty!”

Then, and only then, did Govan stop throwing stones about and finish the building. And the monks learned not to cheat one of the old folk.