"Look! He is talking from a barrel!" exclaimed the abbot. "Hej, you shaggy one! Why do you look at the bucket? You will not find any Latin at the bottom of that."
"I am not looking for Latin, but for beer; but I cannot find any."
The abbot turned toward Zbyszko, who was looking with astonishment at such courtiers as these, and said:
"They are _clerici scholares_;[83] but every one of them prefers to throw his books aside, and taking his lute, wander through the world. I shelter and nourish them; what else can I do? They are good for nothing, but they know how to sing and they are familiar with God's service; therefore I have some benefit out of them in my church, and in case of need, they will defend me, because some of them are fierce fellows! This pilgrim says that he was in the Holy Land; but I have asked him in vain about some of the seas and countries; he does not know even the name of the Greek emperor nor in what city he lives."
"I did know," said the pilgrim, in a hoarse voice; "but the fever I caught at the Danube, shook everything out of me."
"What surprises me most is, that they wear swords, being wandering seminarists," said Zbyszko.
"They are allowed to wear them," said the abbot, "because they have not received orders yet; and there is no occasion for anyone to wonder because I wear a sword even though I am an abbot. A year ago I challenged Wilk of Brzozowa to fight for the forests which you passed; but he did not appear."
"How could he fight with one of the clergy?" interrupted Zych.
At this the abbot became angry, struck the table with his fist, and exclaimed:
"When I wear armor, then I am not a priest, but a nobleman! He did not come because he preferred to have his servants attack me in Tulcza. That is why I wear a sword: _Omnes leges, omniaque iura vim vi repellere cunctisque sese defensare permittunt!_ That is why I gave them their swords."
Hearing the Latin, Zych, Macko and Zbyszko became silent and bent their heads before the abbot's wisdom, because they did not understand a word of it; as for the abbot, he looked very angry for a while, and then he said:
"Who knows but what he will attack me even here?"
"Owa! Let him come!" exclaimed the wandering seminarists, seizing the hilts of their swords.