out. But the latter accuses St. Peter of denying his Saviour, and,
conscience-stricken, the gate-keeper of heaven applies to St. Thomas,
who undertakes to drive away the intruder. The peasant, however,
disconcerts St. Thomas by reminding him of his disbelief, and St. Paul,
who comes next, fares no better--he had persecuted the saints. At length
Christ hears of what had occurred, and comes himself. The Saviour
listens benignantly to the poor soul's pleading, and ends by forgiving
the peasant his sins, and allowing him to remain in Paradise.[156]

[156] See Méon's Barbazan, 1808, tome iv, p. 114; also Le
Grand, 1781, tome ii, p. 190: "Du Vilain qui gagna
Paradis en plaidant."

* * * * *

There exists a very singular English burlesque of the unprofitable
sermons of the preaching friars in the Middle Ages, which is worthy of
Rabelais himself, and of which this is a modernised extract:

_Mollificant olera durissima crusta._--"Friends, this is to say to your
ignorant understanding, that hot plants and hard crusts make soft hard
plants. The help and the grace of the gray goose that goes on the green,
and the wisdom of the water wind-mill, with the good grace of a gallon
pitcher, and all the salt sausages that be sodden in Norfolk upon
Saturday, be with us now at our beginning, and help us in our ending,
and quit you of bliss and both your eyes, that never shall have ending.
Amen. My dear curst creatures, there was once a wife whose name was
Catherine Fyste, and she was crafty in court, and well could carve.
Hence she sent after the four Synods of Rome to know why, wherefore, and
for what cause that Alleluja was closed before the cup came once round.