Through one of his bishops Charlemagne met a man who he found to be very clever, impressed Charlemagne asked the man to be part of his envoy to Constantinople (on of the 4-5 other known major empires at the time). His cleverness would indeed come in handy.
Thereupon the King of Constantinople invited him to his banquet and placed him among his nobles. Now these had a law that no guest at the king's table, whether a native or a foreigner, should turn over any animal or part of an animal: he must eat only the upper part of whatever was placed before him. The Frankish envoy of course were not akin to the customs and were not terribly knowledgeable about them. Now, a river fish, covered with spice, was brought and placed on the dish before him. He knew nothing of the custom and turned the fish over whereupon all the nobles rose up and cried: "Master, you are dishonoured, as no king ever was before you." Then the king groaned and said to our envoy: "I cannot resist them: you must be put to death at once: but ask me any other favour you like and I will grant it."
Charlemagne knew that saving the man’s life would result in disharmony between the super-powers, as a religious man he knew coming between the King of Constantinople and God was not an option.
He thought awhile and then in the hearing of all pronounced these words: "I pray you, lord emperor, that in accordance with your promise you will grant me one small petition." And the king said: "Ask what you will, and you shall have it: except only that I may not give you your life, for that is against the laws of the Greeks." Then said the envoy: "With my dying breath I ask one favour; let everyone who saw me turn that fish over be deprived of his eyes."
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The king was amazed at the stipulation, and swore, by Christ, that he had seen nothing, but had only trusted the word of others. Then the queen began to excuse herself: "By the beneficent Mother of God, the Holy Mary, I noticed nothing." Then the other nobles, in their desire to escape from the danger, swore, one by the keeper of the keys of heaven, and another by the apostle of the Gentiles, and all the rest by the virtue of the angels and the companies of the saints, that they were beyond the reach of the stipulation. And so the clever Frank beat the empty-headed Greeks in their own land and came home safe and sound.
The Two Lives of Charlemagne - Notker the Stammerer
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