"Once upon a time there was a Roman general. He had a son, Martin, and he expected him to become the commander of an army as well. But Martin had other ideas. 'Why should I kill people with swords or spears,' he thought. 'I want them to live, not die.' When the father heard that Martin did not wish to join the army, he was very angry. He had soldiers come to fetch him. They tied his hands and feet, placed him on a cart and carried him off to the army. At this time he was fifteen years old and had to serve as a soldier for three years. Then he would be free. One winter's day, Martin came to the city of Amiens. By the city gates he saw a poor beggar who was shivering with cold because he had no clothes to put on. But Martin had only the clothes he was wearing because he had given away all his other clothes. He looked at the beggar and saw the inhabitants of the town and the soldiers walking past him, leaving him standing in the icy cold. Then he took his own cloak and cut it in two with his sword. He gave one half to the beggar and put the other half around his shoulders. When he rode on, there were people who laughed at him because he did not look very chivalrous wearing half a cloak; but others admired him for what he had done." The opening from the chapter on Saint Martin in the book, Stories of the Saints, retold by Siegwart Knijpenga.