A Printer's Devil

Three old travelers struck up conversation in an inn and found something common among them: they all had chosen their careers from reading of the same verse from the scriptures. Jacob a carpet dealer from Antioch could not believe his ears. So he asked Theophilos from Ephesus how he had put the verse from the gospel of St.John to his benefit. The man from Ephesus replied, the verse ‘what thou doest do quickly.” (13:27) was a warning. So I went into real estate and one investment led to another. Before long I came to own half the property market.”
“ Remarkable!” Jacob exclaimed,” the same advice I took to heart and the carpet that I knocked for a penny turned out to be the one belonging to Queen Cleopatra. It fetched me a fabulous sum and my phenomenal luck never flagged since. In trade circles I am called the Midas’ Touch.” They looked at the third that excused himself from giving his name. “ I also took to the same verse but I lost my hand in the bargain.”
” Having come before the sultan’s summer palace in the middle of a night I was all for seeking shelter. A lodging for the night. Seeing none guarding the door I went in. None I could find either within. Suddenly the verse came to my mind. It impressed me the time was of essence.” the third traveler explained morosely, “So I packed up all that silver I could lay hands on. Only when I stepped out I couldn’t see the way out for all the guards who were there.” He sighed.
A printer’s devil is what gets you when you misapply the Scriptures out of its strict controls. Truth of action keeps the intent and actions correctly matched.
benny