A fox once made his way into a city by the wall and, entering a
currier’s store-house, played havoc with all therein and spoiled the
skins for the owner. One day, the currier set a trap for him and taking
him, beat him with the hides, till he fell down senseless, whereupon
the man deeming him to be dead, cast him out into the road by the
city-gate. Presently, an old woman who was walking by, seeing the fox
said, “This is a fox whose eye, hung about a child’s neck, is salutary
against weeping.” So she pluckt out his right eye and went away. Then
passed a boy, who said, “What does this tail on this fox?”; and cut off
his brush. After a while, up came a man and saying, “This is a fox
whose gall cleareth away film and dimness from the eyes, if they be
anointed therewith like kohl,” took out his knife to slit up the fox’s
paunch. But Reynard said in himself, “We bore with the plucking out of
the eye and the cutting off of the tail; but, as for the slitting of
the paunch, there is no putting up with that!” So saying, he sprang up
and made off through the gate of the city, hardly believing in his
escape. Quoth the King, “I excuse her, and in my son’s hands be her
doom. If he will, let him torture her, and if he will, let him kill
her.” Quoth the Prince, “Pardon is better than vengeance and mercy is
of the quality of the noble;” and the King repeated, “’Tis for thee to
decide, O my son.” So the Prince set her free, saying, “Depart from our
neighbourhood and Alla pardon what is past!” Therewith the King rose
from his throne of estate and seating his son thereon, crowned him with
his crown and bade the Grandees of his realm swear fealty and commanded
them do homage to him. And he said, “O folk, indeed, I am stricken in
years and desire to withdraw apart and devote myself only to the
service of my Lord; and I call you to witness that I divest myself of
the kingly dignity, even as I have divested myself of my crown and set
it on my son’s head.” So the troops and officers swore fealty to the
Prince, and his father gave himself up to the worship of his Lord nor
stinted from this, whilst his son abode in his kingship, doing justice
and righteousness; and his power was magnified and his sultanate
strengthened and he abode in all delight and solace of life, till there
came to him the Certainty.