Once upon a time there was a great white knight. From his youth, he devoted himself to justice and righteousness. He loyally served his government. He protected the innocent and avenged their deaths; he showed sacred hospitality to all, both as host and as guest, and he punished those who transgressed this; he showed justice to widows and orphans, and foreigners, and punished their oppressors; he always paid a just wage to those who labored for him, and he punished those who did not.

The white knight was a chaste man: while he loved a fair maiden, he would not dream of lying with her before marriage—nor would he think of being unfaithful. He could not be seduced by prostitutes.

The white knight was a temperate man: he exercised self-discipline in eating and drinking, and always left something for those who needed it more. He could not be bribed by food or drink.

The white knight was a generous man: he freely gave to the poor, using only what he needed and no more. He could not be bribed with wealth.

The white knight was an industrious man: he was never lazy nor idle. He took only what rest he needed and no more. He could not be tempted with the prospect of spoiling himself thus.

The white knight kept his temper. While he could get angry in righteousness, he did not lose control of his anger. He could not be provoked.

The white knight was a brave man. He could not be intimidated, even by superior forces, for he knew his cause was just.

To all appearances, the white knight was incorruptible. To his own eyes, the white knight was incorruptible.

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But the white knight perceived that others did not trust him, not even his best friend. Not even the maiden he loved.

For while she truly loved him back, at first she hesitated to marry him. And this broke his heart.

The white knight perceived that sometimes they failed to appreciate the good that he did; that sometimes they mistrusted him; that sometimes they kept secrets from him; that sometimes they even resented him.

Sometimes the white knight wondered whether they weren’t trying to hinder the good that he did—by trying to keep him down.

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One day, a terrible thug came to the land. In secret conspiracy, the thug met with many criminals who feared the law. He promised them that with his help, they would have great power and need never fear the law again.

The white knight and his friends fought valiantly against the criminals, and the heroes were victorious.

But then the thug hired assassins to kill the highest-ranking magistrates of the land, leaving it in chaos, and terrorizing the people into breaking their loyalty.

One of the assassins was hired to kill the maiden whom the white knight loved.

When the white knight learned that his beloved was threatened with death, he was enraged. He threatened the assassin, and all who dared threaten the fair maiden.

The white knight appeared to be incorruptible, even to his own eyes, and he would not kill someone weaker than himself, especially if that person surrendered. But such was his concern for his beloved’s safety, and such was his rage against those who threatened her, that he intimidated them, that they might not be so certain of what he would do.

The terrible thug saw this and was pleased. Here, after all, perhaps, was a weakness in the white knight: a limit to his incorruptibility. Rather than kill the white knight, the thug sought to corrupt him, to bring him down to his own level.

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Thus the thug preyed upon the white knight’s fear for his beloved’s life, and his willingness to do anything to save her life, even at cost to himself.

For the fair maiden had at last agreed to marry the white knight, and make all his dreams come true.

The thug met the white knight face to face, revealing that he was the one responsible for the assassinations and the chaos thst had come to the land. Thus he provoked the white knight to anger. Appearing before him unarmed, placing himself completely at the white knight’s mercy, the thug tempted the white knight in his fury to kill him.

For once, the white knight was at a loss. If he killed an unarmed man who threw himself upon his mercy, then the white knight would be a murderer—would be corrupted. But if he did not, then the thug would continue with his evil, including his own murders—and their blood would be on the white knight’s hands.

Nor did the thug appear to have ill designs on the white knight’s beloved.

In the end, the white knight did not kill the thug. He hoped to turn him in.

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But the white knight’s bride at last died. And he was forced to watch, helpless to save her, as he himself suffered terrible burns which disfigured him.

The knight was torn apart with grief and despair. He blamed himself for her death.

But he also blamed others, and sought to avenge her death. Now the disfigured knight went on a killing spree, his outer ugliness a sign of the evil within his heart.

But it gave him no pleasure.

The disgraced knight hated the thug as much as ever, but now he also hated himself as an irredeemable evil. Gone were the knight’s principles; he now used all means to his ends.

The disgraced knight turned against his former friend, blaming the man for betraying him over his beloved. The knight tried to kill his erstwhile friend—but failed.

The two were never reconciled in life.

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Thus the white knight was corruptible after all. He was blinded to his own pride, and his pride was his undoing.

Let this be a lesson to all: pride goeth before the fall.

The End.