The Quick-witted Astrologer

An astrologer foretold the death of a lady whom Louis XI passionately loved. When she died, the king imagined that the astrologer’s prediction was the cause of it. He sent for the man, intending to have him thrown through the window, as punishment.

“You pretend to be so clever and learned a man; tell me, what will be your fate? When do you die?”

The soothsayer, who suspected the intrigues of the Prince, and knew his foibles, replied…