appeared before the King and saluted him with the salam, Wird Khan
returned his salutation and bade him be seated. So he sat down and the
King asked him, “Knowest thou who talked with thee yesternight?”
Answered the boy, “Yes;” and the King said, “And where is he?” “’Tis he
who speaketh with me at this present,” said the boy. Rejoined the King,
“Thou sayst sooth, O friend,” and bade set him a chair beside his own,
whereon he made him sit and called for meat and drink. Then they talked
awhile and the King said, “Ho thou the Wazir,[171] in our talk
yesternight thou toldest me that thou hadst a device whereby thou
couldst defend us from the malice of the King of Hind. What is this
contrivance and how shall we manœuvre to ward off his mischief from us?
Tell me, that I may make thee chief of those who speak with me in the
realm and choose thee to be my Grand Wazir and do according to thy
judgment in all thou counsellest me and assign thee a splendid
honorarium.” Answered the boy, “O King, keep thy honorarium to thyself
and seek counsel and policy of thy women, who directed thee to slay my
father Shimas and the rest of the Wazirs.” When the King heard this, he
was ashamed and sighed and said, “O thou dear boy, was Shimas indeed thy
sire?” The boy replied, “Shimas was indeed my sire, and I am in truth
his son.” Whereupon the King bowed his head, whilst the tears ran from
his eyes, and he craved pardon of Allah. Then said he, “O boy, indeed I
did this of my ignorance and by the evil counsel of the women; for
‘Great indeed is their malice’[172]: but I beseech thee to forgive me
and I will set thee in thy father’s stead and make thy rank higher than
his rank. Moreover, an thou do away from us this retribution sent down
from Heaven, I will deck thy neck with a collar of gold and mount thee
on the goodliest of steeds and bid the crier make proclamation before
thee, saying:—This is the lief[173] boy, the Wazir who sitteth in the
second seat after the King! And touching what thou sayest of the women,
I have it in mind to do vengeance on them at such time as Almighty Allah
shall will it. But tell me now what thou hast with thee of counsel and
contrivance, that my heart may be content.” Quoth the boy, “Swear to me
an oath that thou wilt not gainsay me in whatso I shall say to thee and
that I from that which I fear shall be safe;” and quoth the King, “This
is the covenant of Allah between me and thee, that I will not go from
thy word and that thou shalt be my chief counsellor and whatsoever thou
biddest me, that will I do; and the Almighty Lord is witness betwixt us
twain whatso I say.” Therewith the boy’s breast waxed broad and the
field of speech was opened to him wide and he said, “O King, my rede to
thee is that thou await the expiration of the delay appointed to thee
for answering the courier of the King of Hind; and when he cometh before
thee seeking the reply, do thou put him off to another day. With this he
will excuse himself to thee, on the ground of his master having
appointed him certain fixed days, and importune for an answer; but do
thou rebut him and defer him to another day, without specifying what day
it be. Then will he go forth from thee angered and betake himself into
the midst of the city and speak openly among the folk, saying:—O people
of the city, I am a courier of the King of Outer Hind, who is a monarch
of great puissance and of determination such as softeneth iron. He sent
me with a letter to the King of this city appointing to me certain days,
saying:—An thou be not with me by the time appointed, my vengeance shall
fall on thee. Now, behold, I went in to the King of this city and gave
him the missive, which when he had read, he sought of me a delay of
three days, after which he would return me an answer to the letter and I
agreed to this of courtesy and consideration for him. When the three
days were past, I went to seek the reply of him, but he delayed me to
another day; and now I have no patience to wait longer; so I am about to
return to my lord, the King of Outer Hind, and acquaint him with that
which hath befallen me; and ye, O folk, are witnesses between me and
him. All this will be reported to thee and do thou send for him and
speak him gently and say to him:—O thou who seekest thine own ruin, what
hath moved thee to blame us among our subjects? Verily, thou deservest
present death at our hands; but the ancients say:—Clemency is of the
attributes of nobility. Know that our delay in answering arose not from
helplessness on our part, but from our much business and lack of leisure
to look into thine affair and write a reply to thy King.” Then call for
the scroll and read it again and laugh loud and long and say to the
courier:—Hast thou a letter other than this? If so, we will write thee
an answer to that also. He will say, I have none other than this letter;
but do thou repeat thy question to him a second time and a third time,
and he will reply, I have none other at all. Then say to him, Verily,
this thy King is utterly witless in that he writeth us the like of this
writ seeking to arouse our wrath against him, so that we shall go forth
to him with our forces and domineer over his dominions and capture his
kingdom. But we will not punish him this time for his unmannerly manners
as shown in this letter, because he is wanting in wit and feeble of
foresight, and it beseemeth our dignity that we first warn him not to
repeat the like of these childish extravagances; and if he risk his life
by returning to the like of this, he will deserve speedy destruction.
Indeed, methinks this King of thine who sent thee on such errand must be
an ignorant fool, taking no thought to the issue of things and having no
Wazir of sense and good counsel, with whom he may advise. Were he a man
of mind, he had taken counsel with a Wazir, ere sending us the like of
this laughable letter. But he shall have a reply similar to his script
and surpassing it; for I will give it to one of the boys of the school
to answer. Then send for me; and, when I come to the presence, bid me
read the letter and reply thereto.” When the King heard the boy’s
speech, his breast broadened and he approved his proposal and his device
delighted him. So he conferred gifts upon him and installing him in his
father’s office, sent him away rejoicing. And as soon as expired the
three days of delay which he had appointed, the courier presented
himself and going in to the King, demanded the answer; but he put him
off to another day; whereupon he went to the end of the carpet-room[174]
and spake with unseemly speech, even as the boy had foresaid. Then he
betook himself to the bazar and cried, “Ho, people of this city, I am a
courier of the King of Outer Hind and came with a message to your
monarch who still putteth me off from a reply. Now the term is past
which my master limited to me and your King hath no excuse, and ye are
witnesses unto this.” When these words reached the King, he sent for
that courier and said to him, “O thou that seeketh thine own ruin, art
thou not the bearer of a letter from King to King, between whom are
secrets, and how cometh it that thou goest forth among the folk and
publishest Kings’ secrets to the vulgar? Verily, thou meritest
retribution from us, but this we will forbare, for the sake of returning
an answer by thee to this fool of a King of thine: and it befitteth not
that any return to him reply but the least of the boys of the school.”
Then he sent for the Wazir’s son, who came and prostrating himself
before Allah, offered up prayers for the King’s lasting glory and long
life; whereupon Wird Khan threw him the letter, saying, “Read that
letter and write me an acknowledgment thereof in haste.” The boy took
the letter and read it, smiled; then he laughed; then he laughed aloud
and asked the King, “Didst thou send for me to answer this letter?”
“Yes,” answered Wird Khan, and the boy said, “O King, methought thou
hadst sent for me on some grave occasion; indeed, a lesser than I had
answered this letter but ’tis thine to command, O puissant potentate.”
Quoth the King, “Write the reply forthright, on account of the courier,
for that he is appointed a term and we have delayed him another day.”
Quoth the boy, “With the readiest hearkening and obedience,” and pulling
out paper and inkcase[175] wrote as follows:——And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the boy took
the letter and read it, he forthright pulled out inkcase and paper and
wrote as follows:—“In the name of Allah the Compassionating, the
Compassionate! Peace be upon him who hath gotten pardon and deliverance
and the mercy of the Merciful! But after. O thou who pretendest thyself
a mighty King and art but a King in word and not in deed, we give thee
to know that thy letter hath reached us and we have read it and have
taken note of that which is therein of absurdities and peregrine
extravagances, whereby we are certified of thine ignorance and ill-will
to us. Verily, thou hast put out thy hand to that whereunto thou canst
never reach; and, but that we have compassion on Allah’s creatures and
the lieges, we had not held back from thee. As for thy messenger, he
went forth to the market-streets and published the news of thy letter to
great and small, whereby he merited retaliation from us; but we spared
him and remitted his offence, of pity for him, seeing that he is
excusable with thee and not for aught of respect to thyself. As for that
whereof thou makest mention in thy letter of the slaying of my Wazirs
and Olema and Grandees, this is the truth and this I did for a reason
that arose with me, and I slew not one man of learning but there are
with me a thousand of his kind, wiser than he and cleverer and wittier;
nor is there with me a child but is filled with knowledge, and I have,
in the stead of each of the slain, of those who surpass in his kind,
what is beyond count. Each man of my troops also can cope with an horde
of thine, whilst, as for monies I have a manufactory that maketh every
day a thousand pounds of silver, besides gold, and precious stones are
with me as pebbles; and as for the people of my possessions I cannot set
forth to thee their goodliness and abundance of means. How darest thou,
therefore, presume upon us and say to us, Build me a castle amiddlemost
the main? Verily, this is a marvellous thing, and doubtless it ariseth
from the slightness of thy wit; for hadst thou aught of sense, thou
hadst enquired of the beatings of the billows and the waftings of the
winds. But wall it off from the waves and the surges of the sea and
still the winds, and we will build thee the castle. Now as for thy
pretension that thou wilt vanquish me, Allah forfend that such thing
should befal and the like of thee should lord it over us and conquer our
realm! Nay, the Almighty hath given me the victory over thee, for that
thou hast transgressed against me and rebelled without due cause. Know,
therefore, that thou hast merited retribution from the Lord and from me;
but I fear Allah in respect of thee and thy subjects[176] and will not
take horse against thee except after warning. Wherefore, an thou also
fear Allah, hasten to send me this year’s tribute; else will I not turn
from my design to ride forth against thee with a thousand thousand[177]
and an hundred thousand fighting-men, all furious giants on elephants,
and I will range them round about my Wazir and bid him besiege thee
three years, in lieu of the three days’ delay thou appointedst to thy
messenger, and I will make myself master of thy dominion, except that I
will slay none save thyself alone and take captive therefrom none but
thy Harim.” Then the boy drew his own portrait in the margin of the
letter and wrote thereunder the words: “This answer was written by the
least of the boys of the school.” After this he sealed it and handed it
to the King, who gave it to the courier, and the man, after taking it
and kissing the King’s hands went forth from him thanking Allah and the
Sovran for his royal clemency to him and marvelling at the boy’s
intelligence. He arrived at the court of the King, his master, on the
third day after the expiration of the term appointed to him, and found
that he had called a meeting of his council, by reason of the failure of
the courier to return at the time appointed. So he went in to the King
and prostrating himself before him, gave him the letter. The King took
it and questioned him of the cause of his tarrying and how it was with
King Wird Khan. So he told him all he had seen with his own eyes and
heard with his own ears; whereat the King’s wit was confounded and he
said, “Out on thee! What tale is this thou tellest me of the like of
this King?” Answered the courier, “O mighty monarch, here am I in thy
presence,[178] but open the letter and read it, and the truth of my
speech will be manifest to thee.” So the King opened the letter and read
it and seeing the semblance of the boy who had written it, made sure of
the loss of his kingdom and was perplexed anent the end of his affair.
Then, turning to his Wazirs and Grandees, he acquainted them with what
had occurred and read to them the letter, whereat they were affrighted
with the sorest affright and sought to sooth the King’s terror with
words that were only from the tongue, whilst their hearts were torn
piecemeal with palpitations of alarm. But Badi’a (the Chief Wazir)
presently said, “Know, O King, that there is no profit in that which my
brother Wazirs have proffered, and it is my rede that thou write this
King a writ and excuse thyself to him therein, saying:—I love thee and
loved thy father before thee and sent thee not this letter by the
courier except only to prove thee and try thy constancy and see what was
in thee of valiancy and thy proficiency in matters of practick and
theorick and skill in enigmas and that wherewith thou art endowed of all
perfections. So we pray Almighty Allah to bless thee in thy kingdom and
strengthen the defences of thy capital and add to thy dominion, since
thou art mindful of thyself and managest to accomplish every need of thy
subjects. And send it to him by another courier.” Exclaimed the King,
“By Allah of All-might! ’tis a marvel of marvels that this man should be
a mighty King and ready for war, after his slaughter of all the wise men
of his kingdom and his counsellors and the captains of his host and that
his realm should be populous and prosper after this and there should
issue therefrom this prodigious power! But the marvelousest of all is
that the little ones of its schools should return the like of this
answer for its King. Verily, of the vileness of my greed I have kindled
this fire upon myself and lieges, and I know not how I shall quench it,
save by taking the advice of this my Wazir.” Accordingly he gat ready a
costly present, with eunuchs and slaves manifold, and wrote the
following reply:—“In the name of Allah the Compassionating, the
Compassionate! To proceed: O Glorious King Wird Khan, son of my dear
brother, Jali’ad, may the Lord have mercy on thee and continue thee!
Thine answer to our letter hath reached us and we have read it and
apprehended its contents and see therein that which gladdeneth us and
this is the utmost of that which we sought of Allah for thee; so we
beseech Him to exalt thy dignity and stablish the pillars of thy state
and give thee the victory over thy foes and those who purpose thee
frowardness. Know, O King, that thy father was my brother and that there
were between us in his lifetime pacts and covenants, and never saw he
from me aught save weal, nor ever saw I from him other than good; and
when he deceased and thou tookest seat upon the throne of his kingship,
there betided us the utmost joy and gladness; but, when the news reached
us of that which thou didst with thy Wazirs and the Notables of thy
State, we feared lest the report of thee should come to the ears of some
King other than ourselves and he should presume against thee, for that
we deemed thee negligent of thine affairs and of the maintenance of thy
defences and neglectful of the interests of thy kingdom; so we let write
unto thee what should arouse thy spirit. But, when we saw that thou
returnedest us the like of this reply, our heart was set at ease for
thee, may Allah give thee enjoyment[179] of thy kingdom and stablish
thee in thy dignity! And so peace be with thee.” Then he despatched the
letter and the presents to Wird Khan with an escort of an hundred
horse,——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the monarch
of Outer Hind, after making ready his presents, despatched them to King
Wird Khan, with an escort of an hundred horse, who fared on till they
came to his court and saluting him, presented letter and gifts. The King
read the writ and lodged the leader of the escort in a befitting place,
entreating him with honour and accepting the presents he presented. So
the news of this was bruited abroad among the folk and the King rejoiced
therein with joy exceeding. Then he sent for the boy, the son of Shimas,
and the Captain of the hundred horse; and, entreating the young Wazir
with honour, gave him the letter to read; whilst he himself blamed the
King’s conduct to the Captain who kissed his hands and made his excuses
to him, offering up prayers for the continuance of his life and the
permanence of his prosperity. The King thanked him for this and bestowed
upon him honours and largesse and gave to all his men what befitted them
and made ready presents to send by them and bade the boy Wazir indite an
answer to their King’s letter. So the boy wrote a reply, wherein, after
an address[180] beautiful exceedingly, he touched briefly on the
question of reconciliation and praised the good breeding of the envoy
and of his mounted men, and showed it, when duly finished, to the King
who said to him, “Read it, O thou dear boy, that we may know what is
written[181] therein.” So the boy read the letter in the presence of the
hundred horse, and the King and all present marvelled at its ordinance
of style and sense. Then the King sealed the letter and delivering it to
the Captain of the hundred horse, dismissed him with some of his own
troops, to escort him as far as the frontier of his country. The Captain
returned, confounded in mind at that which he had seen of the boy’s
knowledge and thanking Allah for the speedy accomplishment of his errand
and the acceptance of peace, to the King of Outer Hind. Then going in to
the presence, he delivered the presents and handed to him the letter,
telling him what he had seen and heard, whereat the King rejoiced with
joy exceeding and rendered lauds to his Lord the Most High and honoured
the Captain commending his care and zeal and advancing him in rank. And
from that hour he woned in peace and tranquillity and all happiness. As
for King Wird Khan, he returned to the paths of righteousness,
abandoning his evil ways and repenting to Allah with sincere penitence;
and he gave up womanising altogether and applied himself wholly to the
ordering of the affairs of his realm and the governance of his people in
the fear of Allah. Furthermore, he made the son of Shimas Wazir in his
father’s stead, and the chief after himself in his realm and keeper of
his secrets and bade decorate his capital for seven days and likewise
the other cities of his kingdom. At this the subjects rejoiced and fear
and alarm ceased from them and they were glad in the prospect of justice
and equity and instant in prayer for the King and for the Minister who
from him and them had done away this trouble. Then said the King to the
Wazir, “What is thy rede for the assuring of the state and the
prospering of the people and the return of the realm to its aforetime
state as regards Captains and Councillors?” Answered the boy, “O King of
high estate, in my judgment it behoveth before all, that thou begin by
rending out from thy heart the root of wickedness and leave thy
debauchery and tyranny and addiction to women; for, an thou return to
the root of transgression, the second backsliding will be worse than the
first.” The King asked, “And what is the root of sinfulness that it
behoveth me to root out from my heart?”; and was answered by the Wazir,
little of years but great of wit, “O King the root of wickedness is
subjection to the desire of women and inclining to them and following
their counsel and contrivance; for the love of them changeth the
soundest wit and corrupteth the most upright nature, and manifest proofs
bear witness to my saying, wherein an thou meditate them and follow
their actions and consequences with eyes intent, thou wilt find a loyal
counsellor against thy own soul and wilt stand in no need whatever of my
rede. Look, then, thou occupy not thy heart with the thought of
womankind and do away the trace of them from thy mind, for that Allah
the Most High hath forbidden excessive use of them by the mouth of His
prophet Moses, so that quoth a certain wise King to his son:—O my son,
when thou succeedest to the kingdom after me, frequent not women
overmuch, lest thy heart be led astray and thy judgment be corrupted;
for that overmuch commerce with them leadeth to love of them, and love
of them to corruption of judgment. And the proof of this is what befel
our Lord Solomon, son of David, (peace be upon the twain of them!) whom
Allah specially endowed with knowledge and wisdom and supreme dominion,
nor vouchsafed He to any one of the Kings his predecessors the like of
that which He gave him; and women were the cause of his father’s
offending. The examples of this are many, O King, and I do but make
mention of Solomon to thee for that thou knowest that to none was given
such dominion as that with which he was invested, so that all the Kings
of the earth obeyed him. Know then, O King, that the love of women is
the root of all evil and none of them hath any judgment: wherefore it
behoveth a man use them according to his need and not incline to them
with utter inclination for that will cast him into corruption and
perdition. An thou hearken to my words, all thine affairs will prosper;
but, an thou neglect them thou wilt repent, whenas repentance will not
profit thee.” Answered the King, “Verily, I have left my whilome
inclination to women——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,