Once upon a time, a king had a jester in his court. The king was so fond of him that the jester enjoyed every kind of liberty of speech. He did not even spare the lords and ministers. So much so that he began to ridicule even the king but no one could dare to complain against him. This made the jester bold and proud. He cared for none. One day while the king was holding a court and was busy in serious state affairs, the jester made fun of the king. Dead silence fell on the court. The king got highly offended and sentenced the jester to death. The jester bent down over his knees and begged for mercy but the king was so angry that he turned down his request. At last, when the jester pleaded for mercy, again and again, the king said, “Die you must but I grant you the freedom to choose the kind of death you like.” The clever jester at once used his ready wit and took good advantage of the concession saying, “Your Majesty! I choose to die of old age.” The king was impressed and forgave the jester with a warning for the future.

Moral: It never pays to overreach yourself