“What, another victim?” rejoined the royal leper; “does he know the alternative?”
“My lord,” said Jonathan, “I am aware of the terms, and accept them freely; by God’s help I will cure my lord, or perish in the attempt. I pray my lord the king to eat of this fruit.”
“What, this withered, rotten apple?” exclaimed the king.
The king took the fruit of the second tree, and ate it as Jonathan advised. In a moment his leprosy began to disappear, and the pimples to sink and become hardly visible.
“Thou art, indeed, a physician,” exclaimed the king; “the promised reward is thine.”
“Stay, my lord,” said Jonathan, “we must restore the flesh to its original state.”
With these words, he touched every mark on the king’s body with the water of the second river, and the flesh returned fair and white as before the leprosy.
“Blessed physician, thy reward is doubled; stay, I pray thee, in our country.”
“Nay, my lord, I may not. I must seek my own land, and all I ask is that my lord will divide the half of my reward amongst the poor of this city.”
Soon after this Jonathan sailed from this city for Rome; arrived there, he circulated a report that a great physician had arrived. Now it happened that Subtilia, in despite of all the talismans, lay grievously sick, and nigh unto death. The report of the arrival of the great physician comforted her, and she sent for Jonathan. He knew her again, but she knew him not, for he was greatly altered and disguised.
“Great master,” said she, in a faint voice, “I die.”
“Death, lady, comes ever to those who confess not their sins against God and man, and defraud their friends; if thou hast done this my help is vain, without confession and restoration.”
Then did Subtilia confess all her treachery against Jonathan, and how she had deprived him by her subtlety, of the three talismans, and left him to die in a desert place.
“Woman,” said Jonathan, “thy ill-used lover yet lives, and is prosperous; the talismans must be restored to him—where be they?”
“In yonder chest; here, take the keys, restore them to Jonathan, and give me of your medicine.”
“Mercy, mercy!” exclaimed Subtilia, “I am a leper—the flesh is burning away from my bones—I die—I die.”
“Subtilia, thou hast met with thy reward—thou diest—and Jonathan is thy physician.”