Brother Paleček and the Two Fridays

When Paleček was out riding around Prague with King George, he asked the king whose was that village with the ponds and meadows. The king answered that it belonged to those poor people in the almshouse. Paleček therefore did not delay long, and on Friday he went to that almshouse to dine with the poor people and ate with them; they had nothing for dinner but soup, unbuttered groats and small fish in jelly. And the next Friday he went, though he was not invited, to the master of the almshouse and ate with him; at that table there was food in plenty, several kinds of fish, spiced, fried and roasted, and two sorts of wine. Paleček did not wait for the last course; he rose from the table, hurried from the almshouse to the castle and said mournfully to the king: 'Brother king, it is ill there, it is ill there, it could not be worse.' The king asked what was the matter, and Paleček answered: 'This, that the poor lords, though they hold a great estate, must perish of hunger, while their servants and stewards have more than enough to spare.' The king said: 'Where does this happen? It would not be well that servants should fare better than their lords.' Then Paleček told him what he had seen in the almshouse and added: 'Therefore, brother king, send with me at once for that servant and steward of theirs and command him to give his lords spiced fish as well, and to keep them better out of such an estate of theirs, that they may suffer no more such hunger and want.' And so King George at once sent his steward of the household with Paleček to that almshouse and ordered that on Fridays they should be given two kinds of fish, in jelly and spiced — as it is to this day.