Certain husbandmen once made complaint to David (on whom be
peace!) against certain owners of sheep, whose flocks had fallen
upon their crops by night and devoured them, and he bade value
the crops [and that the shepherds should make good the amount].
But Solomon (on whom be peace!) rose and said, "Nay, but let the
sheep be delivered to the husbandmen, so they may take their milk
and wool, till they have repaid themselves the value of their
crops; then let the sheep return to their owners." So David
withdrew his own ordinance and caused execute that of Solomon;
yet was David no oppressor; but Solomon's judgment was more
pertinent and he showed himself therein better versed in
jurisprudence.'[FN#245]
When the tither heard the old man's speech, he relented towards
him and said to him, 'O old man, I make thee a present of that
which is due from thee, and do thou cleave to me and leave me
not, so haply I may get of thee profit that shall do away from me
my errors and guide me into the way of righteousness.' So the old
man followed him, and there met him another with a load of wood.
Quoth the tither to him, 'Pay what is due from thee.' And he
answered, 'Have patience with me till to-morrow, for I owe the
hire of a house, and I will sell another load of wood and pay
thee two days' tithe.' But he refused him this and the old man
said to him, 'If thou constrain him unto this, thou wilt enforce
him quit thy country, for that he is a stranger here and hath no
domicile; and if he remove on account of one dirhem, thou wilt
lose [of him] three hundred and threescore dirhems a year. Thus
wilt thou lose the much in keeping the little.' Quoth the tither,
'I give him a dirhem every month to the hire of his lodging.'
Then he went on and presently there met him a third woodcutter
and he said to him, 'Pay what is due from thee.' And he answered,
'I will pay thee a dirhem when I enter the city; or take of me
four danics[FN#246] [now].' Quoth the tither, 'I will not do it,'
but the old man said to him, 'Take of him the four danics
presently, for it is easy to take and hard to restore.' 'By
Allah,' quoth the tither, 'it is good!' and he arose and went on,
crying out, at the top of his voice and saying, 'I have no power
to-day [to do evil].' Then he put off his clothes and went forth
wandering at a venture, repenting unto his Lord. Nor," added the
vizier, "is this story more extraordinary than that of the thief
who believed the woman and sought refuge with God against falling
in with her like, by reason of her cunning contrivance for
herself."
When the king heard this, he said in himself, "Since the tither
repented, in consequence of the admonitions [of the woodcutter],
it behoves that I spare this vizier, so I may hear the story of
the thief and the woman." And he bade Er Rehwan withdraw to his
lodging.
The Eleventh Night of the Month.
When the evening came and the king sat in his privy chamber, he
summoned the vizier and required of him the story of the thief
and the woman. Quoth the vizier, "Know, O king, that