The man swore to the facts, and the Sultan had 400 tahil counted out to
him in place of those he had lost. The following Friday, after prayers,
forbidding anyone to leave the mosque, the Sultan said: "O servants of
the Lord, know that 400 tahil have been stolen from the shop of a
certain man. Unless you denounce the robber, not one of you shall
escape, but to-day shall all of you be put to death."
Now, as he had rigorously commanded attendance at Friday's prayer
service, the whole town had come to the mosque. They were seized with
fright, for they knew that the Sultan kept his word, and they denounced
the robber. The latter gave back the 400 tahil and received his
punishment.
A long time afterward the Sultan Zayad asked, "At what place in my
kingdom do they fear robbers most of all?"
"In the Valley of the Beni Ardou, in the country of Bassrah, for there
they are numerous."
Sultan Zayad one day had the highways and paths of the valley strewn
with gold and silver, precious stones, and stuffs of great price. All
these things lay there a long time and not one was taken. Then the
Sultan ordered them to take up these riches and give them to the fakirs
and the poor. Then he rendered thanks unto God that he had thus
securely established his law among his subjects.
Now it was in the times when Nouchirvau governed with justice and
equity, protecting his subjects and causing his kingdom to prosper. One
day he asked the grandees of his court, "Are there in my kingdom any
places deserted and without inhabitants?"
The grandees who were there answered, "O king of the world, we know not
in all your Majesty's realm a place which is not inhabited."
Nouchirvau kept silence, and for many days did not leave the palace. He
summoned to his private chamber a learned doctor named Bouzor Djambour,
and said to him:
"I desire to know with certainty if all parts of my realm are peopled,
or if there is any which is not. How can I be sure of this?"
"To have your Majesty's desire fully satisfied you have only to abstain
from leaving the palace."
Saying this, Bouzor Djambour took leave of the King and went to the
audience-chamber of the King. He spoke to those assembled there as
follows: "O ministers, generals, and all present, know that his Majesty
is ill. Now, in order to cure him you must find for me a little bit of
earth from a place in ruins and uninhabited. Those who are faithful
servants of the King will not hesitate to accomplish immediately this
act of devotion in his service, and to start at once in search of the
remedy I have named."
These words were scarcely uttered when men were sent out to search the
towns and villages and find some earth from a place in ruins and
uninhabited. They found only one house in ruins, and the governor of
the town said as follows about it: "A merchant once established in this
dwelling. He died and left much wealth. As none of his heirs came
forward, we closed the doors with stones and mortar, waiting for them
to arrive. So the house has fallen to ruin."
Then the people took a little earth from beneath the house and took it
to the King, telling him what had happened. Then the King called an
assembly and said:
"Know all that my illness proceeded only from my fear that there might
be in my kingdom a house in ruins. Now that it has been shown to me
that there exists in my whole realm not a single place in ruins, but
that the country is well populated, my malady is cured, seeing that my
kingdom is in a perfect condition."
In the time of Nouchirvau a man sold his compound to another man. The
buyer of this property, while engaged in making repairs, found in the
earth many jars filled with gold which someone had buried there. He
went immediately to the one who sold him the premises and told him the
news. The seller said:
"That gold is not mine, for I did not put it in the ground. I sold you
the compound; the discovery that you have made is yours."
The buyer replied: "I bought the premises alone, I did not buy gold;
so it is yours." As each refused to take the treasure, they went to the
King Nouchirvau and recounted the affair to him, saying, "This gold
should be the property of the King." But King Nouchirvau would not take
the gold. He asked the two men if they had children. They replied,
"Yes, my lord, we have each a child, a boy and a girl."
"Well," said the King, "marry the girl to the boy, and give them the
gold you found."
In ancient times a King of China fell ill and as a result of his malady
he lost his hearing. He wept in sorrow over this affliction and grew
very thin and pale. His ministers came one day and asked him to tell
them in writing his condition. He answered: "I am not ill, but so
weakened by my inquietude and distress that I can no longer hear the
words of my subjects when they come to make their complaints. I know
not how to act not to be guilty of negligence in the government of my
kingdom."
The ministers then said: "If the ears of your Majesty do not hear, our
ears shall replace those of the King, and we can carry to his Majesty
the complaints and regrets of his subjects. Why, then, should his
Majesty be so much disturbed over the weakening of his physical
forces?"
The King of China answered: "At the day of judgment it is I, and not my
ministers, who will have to render account of the affairs of my
subjects. I must therefore myself examine into their complaints and
troubles. I am sure that the burden of ruling would be lighter for me
if I could have tranquillity of spirit. But my eyes can see, although
my ears are deaf."
And he commanded them to publish this edict: "All who are victims of
injustice must reduce their complaints to writing, and bring them to
the King so that he may look into their troubles."
They tell also the following story: There was formerly in the city of
Ispahan, a king whose power and glory had filled him with pride. He
commanded his ministers to build him a palace in a certain place. The
ministers, with the architects, ordered the slaves to level the ground
so as to form a vast esplanade and cause to disappear all the houses of
the neighborhood. Among these houses, they say, there was one belonging
to an old woman who was very poor and without a family to help her. In
spite of her great age, she went to work as well as she could, in
different places, but could scarcely exist on her earnings. Her house
near the site selected for the new palace was old and in a tumble-down
condition. They tell that one day having gone a long distance to find
work she fell ill and remained a long time without being able to return
to her house. Then the architects who were building the palace said,
"We must not let this hovel remain standing so near the King's palace."
So they razed the hut and levelled the earth, and finished the palace
with all sorts of embellishments. The King, taking possession, gave a
grand house-warming festival.
Now on this very day it so happened that the old woman returned home.
Arriving she could find no traces of her house, and was stupefied. In
one hand she held a stick, in the other some dry wood for her fire. On
her back she bore a package of rice and herbs for cooking. She was
fatigued with a long journey and faint with hunger. When she saw that
her house had disappeared she knew not what to do nor where to go. She
burst into tears. The servants of the King drove her away, and as she
went, she fell and spilled her rice and herbs and fell down in the mud.
In this state of indescribable desolation she exclaimed, "O Lord,
avenge me on these tyrants!"
The old woman had hardly ceased speaking when the voice of some unseen
being was heard above her saying, "O woman, fly quickly from this spot,
for the anger of God is advancing upon the King." In horror she got up
and fled in all haste. Again she heard the voice saying, "O woman, look
behind you at the palace." She looked behind her and saw the palace,
the King, and all his ministers and servants engulfed in the bowels of
the earth by the will of God. And to this day that place vomits fire
and smoke as a mark and a warning.
In the Kitab Tarykh it is told that in ancient times under the kings of
Persia named Moah, who followed the rules of justice, men were happy.
But after these kings, Izdegherd-ibn-Chahryar reigned over Persia. By
his harsh tyranny he destroyed the high reputation of the kings of
Persia and wretchedly closed a series of reigns lasting 4,000 years and
noted all over the world for justice and equity. Under the rule of this
miserable tyrant countless numbers of men perished and a great many
prosperous and famous cities were devastated. All the better classes of
citizens were plunged into the most frightful distress and the most
lamentable desolation, and it would be impossible to tell how great and
wide-spread was the mourning. Now while all were groaning in affliction
the King made merry.
One day in his presumptuous pride he assembled his ministers and his
generals to show his royal power and his domination over the people. He
was seated on his throne, surrounded by a crowd of courtiers, when
suddenly a beautiful horse crossing the city at a gallop went straight
into the palace of the King, among the ministers and the grandees. They
all admired the beautiful horse, the like of which none had ever seen.
Nobody dared to seize him as he pranced from right to left. Suddenly
the horse approached the throne and laid down at the feet of the King.
The King patted and stroked him, and the horse never moved. Then the
wicked King began to laugh and said: "O my ministers, you see how far
my greatness goes. It is only at my throne that this wonderful horse
has stopped. I will mount and ride him on the esplanade." The King
ordered a saddle brought, and was placing it on the horse with his own
hands, when he received such a kick over the heart that he was
immediately killed. Then the wonderful horse vanished, and no one saw
where it went. The people all rejoiced and said, "Of a truth, this
mysterious horse was one of the angels of God sent to exterminate a
tyrant."
It was in the time of this King, and by his tyranny, that the kingdom
of the sovereign of Persia was ruled and fell into the hands of another
people. King Khochtacab, the most celebrated of all the kings of his
time, by his power, greatness, and magnificence, had raised in rank a
man named Rassat Rouchin, a name which in Persia signifies "sincere and
brilliant." Influenced by this fine name, the King forgot all prudence,
and without any proof of his capacity he raised this man to power and
made him minister, turning over to him the care of the most important
affairs in his kingdom and giving him all his confidence. His
ostensible conduct was irreproachable, and his acts had for everybody
the appearance of honesty and truth. One day the minister Rassat
Rouchin said to the King: "The people, on account of our leniency and
goodness, are forgetting their duty, and are showing no more deference
nor respect We must inspire them with fear, or affairs will not
prosper."
The King in his blind confidence responded, "Do whatever you think is
right." As soon as the minister had come from the palace of the King he
addressed a proclamation to the towns and villages in which he said:
"His Majesty is irritated with his subjects. You must all come with
presents to appease his anger." From all sides arrived princes and
ministers and grandees of the realm, with precious and magnificent
objects. Seized with fear they sought counsel of the minister Rassat
Rouchin.
"How," said they, "dare we present ourselves before his Majesty in his
present state of anger against us?"
Then the minister responded: "If the instant of death is not yet come
for you, I will try to save you. I tremble to admit you to the King.
But what can I do? On account of the critical situation I will go alone
before the King and present your case." So every day he conducted them
only as far as the door of the King. There they were told of the fines
to which they had been condemned. He took in this way what they had,
and sent them home.
This sort of thing continued for a long while until the means of the
people were exhausted and the treasury became absolutely empty. The
King, always full of confidence in the uprightness of the minister, was
in complete ignorance of all this. But at that time there was a king
who was an enemy of King Khochtacab. When he learned that the subjects
of the latter were suffering cruelly from the oppression of his
minister and that his generals were weakened by hunger, he took heart
and invaded the kingdom. Then King Khochtacab commanded that his
treasury should be opened, and that they should take out all the wealth
to gratify the army, gain the hearts of the generals, and defray the
expenses of the war. But he found that there was nothing left in the
treasury. The army, weakened, was incapable of resisting. The King,
shut up in his fort, found it impossible to attack the enemy, and they
ravaged and despoiled the kingdom.
The King, having been considered so great, was cruelly wounded by shame
at his defeat. He knew not which way to turn his steps. His soul was
profoundly troubled. One day, when he had gone forth from the city,
wandering at random through plain and forest, he saw a shepherd's hut
in the distance, at the door of which were two dogs hanging by the
neck. Seeing the King, the shepherd approached and led him to his hovel
and served him with the best food he could afford. But the King said:
"I shall not eat until you have told me why you have hanged these two
dogs at your cabin-door."
The shepherd responded: "O king of the world, I hanged these two dogs
because they betrayed my flock. As my flock was wasting away, I hid one
day to see what took place. The wolf came and the dogs played with him
and let him carry off sheep and goats. So I hanged the two dogs as
faithless traitors."
The King returned to the city and thought over this singular story. "It
is a lesson for me," he said, "a revelation. It is impossible not to
see that my subjects are the flock and I am the shepherd, while my
minister has acted like the shepherd's dogs, and the enemy who has my
kingdom is the wolf. I must examine into the conduct of my minister and
see with what fidelity he has served me."
When he had returned to the palace he called his secretaries and bade
them bring the registers in which the accounts of the kingdom were
kept. When these registers were opened he saw that they mentioned only
the name of the minister Rassat Rouchin, and included such statements
as: "Intercession of Rassat Rouchin in favor of princes so and so,
ministers such and such, and grandees this and that, who ask pardon for
their faults. Rassat Rouchin took their treasures and granted them
grace." There was nothing else in the registers. When the King saw this
he said:
"Who rests his faith upon a name goes often without bread,
While he who faithless proves for bread shall lose his soul
instead."
These words the King had engraved in letters of gold and fastened to
the gate. And at this gate he had the false minister hanged as the dogs
were hanged at the cabin-door.
A King of Persia, in a fit of anger against his wife for a certain
fault which she had committed, commanded his prime minister to put her
to death, together with her nursing infant. The minister, on account of
the furious anger of the King, did not dare to plead the Queen's cause,
but took her to his mother's house. The minister found another woman
who had been condemned to death and had her executed, telling the King
that it was the Queen who was beheaded. The King's child grew and
nourished until he had become a handsome young man. But the King grew
more and more morose and melancholy, and shut himself up in the palace.
The minister, noticing this continual sadness of the King, said:
"O king of the world, what has come over the heart of your Majesty?
Pray tell me the cause of your sorrow."
And the King said: "O minister, how should I not be sad and disturbed?
Here I am getting old and I have no son to cause my name to live and
protect my kingdom. That is the cause of my sorrow and unhappiness."
When the minister heard these words he said, "O king of the world, your
sorrow shall not long endure, for you have a son, capable of preserving
and protecting your kingdom. This son of yours has intelligence,
education, natural gifts, and great personal beauty, and is of most
excellent character."
The King said, "Where is this son of whose existence I have been
unaware?"
The minister answered, "Your Majesty is not aware of his existence, but
I know that he is very much alive." The minister then related how he
had spared the lives of the Queen and her child. The King was
transported with joy, and cried, "Happy the king who has such a
minister!"
The minister bowed low and said, "When shall your son, the prince,
present himself?"
The King answered: "Go seek forty young men of his age, build, figure,
and complexion. Have them all dressed alike. Bring these forty young
men with my son to a certain place in the plain. Await me there, but
tell not this secret to a soul. When I have arrived at the spot then
cause these forty young men to present themselves before me. If my son
is among them I shall most certainly recognize him."
The minister took leave of the King, and with a heart filled with joy
set about doing what the King had ordered. When the King had arrived at
the spot chosen his minister advanced, followed by forty-one youths,
all dressed alike. As soon as the King had seen them he recognized his
son and called him to his side. Then he went back to the city with him
and all the grandees. The next day he invited the latter to a great
festival, and gave to each of them a splendid present. He turned over
his kingdom to his son, taking care to place him and his government
under the tutelage of the good minister who had saved his wife and
brought him up. Then the King went into a religious retreat, and as
long as he lived occupied himself in the service of God.
The Sultan Alexander, called the Two-Horned, at the beginning of his
reign sent an ambassador to King Darius, who was then at the zenith of
his greatness. On his return, this ambassador made his report to King
Alexander. The latter read it, but had doubts over a certain word
therein contained. He questioned his ambassador about the word, saying,
"Did you hear that exact word from the mouth of King Darius?"