A Danish priest sat drinking with his bell ringer, and because drunkenness often clouded their senses, they soon fell into disagreement. In the heat of things, the priest gave his drinking companion a slap to the head. The bell ringer responded in kind.
They soon came to arguing and wrestling until they both were bruised and bleeding. When they met the next morning, the priest told the bell ringer that he would no longer need his services and that he had incurred the pope’s ban.
“I will not deny,” replied the bell ringer, “that I brought about the penalty of a ban. But when I see it correctly you are in the same trap.”
“Nevertheless, I fear that this is how it is,” the priest replied.
“There appears to be no other way out,” said the bell ringer, “than for us both to make our way to the pope.”
“I have no desire to travel so far,” countered the priest. “It appears to me to be more advisable that I send you in both our names to Rome and that you deliver a letter to the pope. I also know that you do not have such means, I will give you the necessary travel money.”
The bell ringer declared himself in agreement, took a small amount of money and began the trip. When he reached Rome, he found that his small travel allowance was almost gone and he was in doubt about how he would complete his mission; he knew that without money he would not be able to gain an audience at the papal palace without money, much less so as one such as he knew no one.
After he had remained in Rome for a longer time, he had the luck one day to gain entry to the pope’s palace with a number of others, but he was still far from his goal, as the multitude was large and no one other than the cardinals was allowed to approach the pope. Some of the latter stood before their superior; others sat and talked, complaining of their rights, while the most distinguished of them had taken their place at the pope’s left hand.
The bell ringer resolved then to deliver the letter regardless of the situation, choosing the most appropriate means: throwing it to the pope. Since the letter was too light, he tied a stone to it and threw them both. Unluckily the stone hit the oldest cardinal, who sat next to the pope, with such force that he began immediately to bleed. Angry, he became enraged and commanded that whoever was guilty of committing such an impropriety in the pope’s house should be seized.
However, the pope pointed to the unusual missile, letting it be picked up. They then saw that a letter was attached to the stone. At the pope’s command, the letter was opened and read openly by a cardinal. It began:
“Ego presbyter. Nos mittimus ad te clericum nostrum ut solvas eum, et si non poteris, remitte eum ad nos.”
Since no one knew who had thrown the letter, the pope sought out the Dane with the poorest dress and whose humble manner most betrayed him, and had him brought before him. The pope asked who he was and what brought him to Rome.
The bell ringer gave a detailed account of what had happened between him and the priest, and as a result, he had been banned. “If you were already banned,” said the pope, “this has not bettered your case that you injured the most respected of our brothers and now also practiced mischief in my presence. Nevertheless, I believe that you did these things only out of ignorance and not with bad intentions. In addition, you travelled a long distance to seek us out and endured both need and danger on your trip. You have the courage to subject yourself to my judgment even when you could have been acquitted by church elders closer to you — for all these reasons I will grant you forgiveness and pronounce you free from the ban.
I also pronounce that you and none other can release your priest from the ban into which he also has fallen, and for this purpose I will give you a certificate with our seal.” With that, the pope placed his hand on the bell ringer’s head and absolved him. “Why are you so poorly dressed,” asked the pope, “when he who sent you is so wealthy?”
“I received no clothing from him,” replied the bell ringer, “and the money that he gave me is used up.”
“Then how have you completed your trip?” asked the pope.
“Nothing other than by other poor people” answered the bell ringer.
“Since he must take back our order,” said the pope, “give him clothing and money so that he can return home honorably.” After the bell ringer was so prepared, he took leave of the pope, thanking him warmly as he thought seemly. He then returned safely to Denmark, showed the priest the certificate and granted the priest absolution. After the trip, the bell ringer was regarded much more honorably than before.
With that, this story ends.