The 3 Ducats (II)

The king opened his satchel and took out eight hundred ducats. As for the queen, she searched carefully through her bag, but she could only find fifty ducats. "Gentlemen," she said, "is not eight hundred and fifty ducats enough to save this poor man?" "The law requires one thousand ducats," said the unyielding magistrates. So, all the lords in the entourage of the king and queen, in turn collected what they had on them to contribute, and then counted up the money. "Nine hundred, ninety-seven ducats," announced the Consuls. "You're still missing three ducats." "This man would be hanged," cried the queen outraged, "for just three ducats?" "It is not our decision," answered the consuls, "nobody can change the law." And they made a sign to the executioner. "Stop!" shouted the queen. "Check in his pockets first. He may have three ducats on him, who knows?" The executioner obeyed, searched the convicted man's clothing ... and in one of the poor devil's pockets he found three pieces of gold! Good people! The man you met in this story, in great danger of being hanged, is you and me, is sinful humanity! On the day of the Last Judgement, nothing will save us, not the mercy of God, or the intercession of the Virgin, or the merits of the Saints, unless we have three ducats of goodwill on us...