"
"O king!" said the abbot, "these are deep, hard questions, and I
cannot answer them just now. But if you will give me two weeks to
think about them, I will do the best that I can."
"Two weeks you shall have," said the king; "but if then you fail to
answer me, you shall lose your head, and all your lands shall be
mine."
The abbot went away very sad and in great fear. He first rode to
Oxford. Here was a great school, called a u-ni-ver'si-ty, and he
wanted to see if any of the wise pro-fess-ors could help him. But they
shook their heads, and said that there was nothing about King John in
any of their books.
Then the abbot rode down to Cam-bridge, where there was another
u-ni-ver-si-ty. But not one of the teachers in that great school could
help him.
At last, sad and sor-row-ful, he rode toward home to bid his friends
and his brave knights good-by. For now he had not a week to live.
II. THE THREE ANSWERS.
As the abbot was riding up the lane which led to his grand house, he
met his shep-herd going to the fields.
"Welcome home, good master!" cried the shepherd. "What news do you
bring us from great King John?"
"Sad news, sad news," said the abbot; and then he told him all that
had happened.
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