In the days of the great King Arthur, a poor beggar was tramping through the countryside of England.

One evening, when his feet were sore, and his bones were weary, he knocked on the door of a ploughman and begged a bite to eat.

The countryman welcomed the stranger into his humble cottage, while his wife fetched some milk in a wooden bowl, and some brown bread and cheese on a plate.

Little did this good-hearted couple realize that their humble guest was, in fact, none other than Merlin, the greatest and most skillful wizard who ever lived.

Merlin was touched by the kindness of the ploughman and his wife, and he could not help noticing that though everything was neat and comfortable in the cottage, they seemed both to be less than perfectly happy.

He asked them some subtle questions about their lives, and he soon learned that they were full of regrets because they had no children.

The poor woman said, with tears in her eyes, " I should be the happiest creature in the world if I had a son; although he was no bigger than my husband's thumb, I would be satisfied."