There was, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone
before, a puissant King among the Kings of China, the crown of
crowned heads, who ruled over many men of war and vassals with
wisdom and justice, might and majesty; equitable to his Ryots,
liberal to his lieges and dearly beloved by the hearts of his
subjects. He was wealthy as he was powerful, but he had grown old
without being blessed with a son, and this caused him sore
affliction. He could only brood over the cutting off of his seed
and the oblivion that would bury his name and the passing of his
realm into the stranger's hands. So he secluded himself in his
palace, never going in and out or rising and taking rest till the
lieges lost all tidings of him and were sore perplexed and began
to talk about their King. Some said, "He's dead"; others said,
"No, he's not"; but all resolved to find a ruler who could reign
over them and carry out the customs of government. At last,
utterly despairing of male issue, he sought the intercession of
the Prophet (whom Allah bless and keep!) with the Most High and
implored Him, by the glory of His Prophets and Saints and Martyrs
and others of the Faithful who were acceptable to Heaven that he
would grant him a son, to be the coolth of his eyes and heir to
the kingdom after him. Then he rose forthright and, withdrawing
to his sitting-saloon, sent for his wife who was the daughter of
his uncle. Now this Queen was of surpassing beauty and
loveliness, the fairest of all his wives and the dearest to him
as she was the nearest: and to boot a woman of excellent wit and
passing judgement. She found the King dejected and sorrowful,
tearful-eyed and heavy-hearted; so she kissed ground between his
hands and said, "O King, may my life ransom thy life! may Time
never prove thy foe, nor the shifts of Fortune prevail over thee;
may Allah grant thee every joy and ward off from thee all annoy!
How is it I see thee brooding over thy case and tormented by the
displeasures of memory?" He replied, "Thou wottest well that I am
a man now shotten in years, who hath never been blessed with a
son, a sight to cool his eyes; so I know that my kingdom shall
pass away to the stranger in blood and my name and memory will be
blotted out amongst men. 'Tis this causeth me to grieve with
excessive grief." "Allah do away with thy sorrows," quoth she:
"long ere this day a thought struck me; and yearning for issue
arose in my heart even as in thine. One night I dreamed a dream
and a voice said to me, 'The King thy husband pineth for progeny:
if a daughter be vouchsafed to him, she will be the ruin of his
realm; if a son, the youth will undergo much trouble and annoy
but he will pass through it without loss of life. Such a son can
be conceived by thee and thee only and the time of thy conception
is when the moon conjoineth with Gemini!' I woke from my dream,
but after what I heard that voice declare I refrained from
breeding and would not consent to bear children." "There is no
help for it but that I have a son, Inshallah, --God willing!"
cried the King. Thereupon she soothed and consoled him till he
forgot his sorrows and went forth amongst the lieges and sat, as
of wont, upon his throne of estate. All rejoiced to see him once
more and especially the Lords of his realm. Now when the
conjunction of the moon and Gemini took place, the King knew his
wife carnally and, by order of Allah Almighty she became
pregnant. Presently she anounced the glad tidings to her husband
and led her usual life until her nine months of pregnancy were
completed and she bare a male child whose face was as the rondure
of the moon on its fourteenth night. The lieges of the realm
congratulated one another thereanent and the King commanded an
assembly of his Olema and philosophers, astrologers and
horoscopists, whom he thus addressed, "I desire you to forecast
the fortune of my son and to determine his ascendant
[FN#154] and
whatever is shown by his nativity." They replied "'Tis well, in
Allah's name, let us do so!" and cast his nativity with all
diligence. After ascertaining his ascendant, they pronounced
judgement in these words, "We see his lot favourable and his life
viable and durable; save that a danger awaiteth his youth." The
father was sorely concerned at this saying, when they added "But,
O King, he shall escape from it nor shall aught of injury accrue
to him!" Hereupon the King cast aside all cark and care and robed
the wizards and dismissed them with splendid honoraria; and he
resigned himself to the will of Heaven and acknowledged that the
decrees of destiny may not be countervailed. He committed his boy
to wet nurses and dry nurses, handmaids and eunuchs, leaving him
to grow and fill out in the Harim till he reached the age of
seven. Then he addressed letters to his Viceroys and Governors in
every clime and by their means gathered together Olema and
philosophers and doctors of law and religion, from all countries,
to a number of three hundred and three score. He held an especial
assembly for them and, when all were in presence, he bade them
draw near him and be at their ease while he sent for the
food-trays and all ate their sufficiency. And when the banquet
ended and the wizards had taken seats in their several degrees,
the King asked them, "Wot ye wherefore I have gathered ye
together?"; whereto all answered, "We wot not, O King!" He
continued, "It is my wish that you select from amongst you fifty
men, and from these fifty ten, and from these ten one, that he
may teach my son omnem rem scibilem; for whenas I see the youth
perfect in all science, I will share my dignity with the Prince
and make him partner with me in my possessions." "Know, O King,"
they replied, "that among us none is more learned or more
excellent than Al-Sindibad,
[FN#155] hight the Sage, who woneth in
thy capital under thy protection. If such be thy design, summon
him and bid him do thy will." The King acted upon their advice
and the Sage, standing in the presence, expressed his loyal
sentiments with his salutation, whereupon his Sovereign bade him
draw nigh and thus raised his rank, saying, "I would have thee to
know, O Sage, that I summoned this assembly of the learned and
bade them choose me out a man to teach my son all knowledge; when
they selected thee without dissenting thought or voice. If, then,
thou feel capable of what they claimed for thee, come thou to the
task and understand that a man's son and heir is the very fruit
of his vitals and core of his heart and liver. My desire of thee
is thine instruction of him; and to happy issue Allah guideth!"
The King then sent for his son and committed him to Al-Sindibad
conditioning the Sage to finish his education in three years. He
did accordingly but, at the end of that time, the young Prince
had learned nothing, his mind being wholly occupied with play and
disport; and when summoned and examined by his sire, behold, his
knowledge was as nil. Thereupon the King turned his attention to
the learned once more and bade them elect a tutor for his youth;
so they asked, "And what hath his governor, Al-Sindibad, been
doing?" and when the King answered, "He hath taught my son
naught;" the Olema and philosophers and high officers summoned
the instructor and said to him, "O Sage, what prevented thee from
teaching the King's son during this length of days?" "O wise
men," he replied, "the Prince's mind is wholly occupied with
disport and play; yet, an the King will make with me three
conditions and keep to them, I will teach him in seven months
what he would not learn (nor indeed could any other lesson him)
within seven years." "I hearken to thee," quoth the King, "and I
submit myself to thy conditions;" and quoth Al-Sindibad, "Hear
from me, Sire, and bear in mind these three sayings, whereof the
first is, 'Do not to others what thou wouldest not they do unto
thee';
[FN#156] and second, 'Do naught hastily without consulting
the experienced'; and thirdly, 'Where thou hast power show
pity.'
[FN#157] In teaching this lad I require no more of thee but
to accept these three dictes and adhere thereto." Cried the King,
"Bear ye witness against me, O all ye here assembled, that I
stand firm by these conditions!"; and caused a proces verbal to
be drawn up with his personal security and the testimony of his
courtiers. Thereupon the Sage, taking the Prince's hand, led him
to his place, and the King sent them all requisites of provaunt
and kitchen-batteries, carpets and other furniture. Moreover the
tutor bade build a house whose walls he lined with the whitest
stucco painted over with ceruse,
[FN#158] and, lastly, he
delineated thereon all the objects concerning which he proposed
to lecture his pupil. When the place was duly furnished, he took
the lad's hand and installed him in the apartment which was amply
furnished with belly-timber; and, after stablishing him therein,
went forth and fastened the door with seven padlocks. Nor did he
visit the Prince save every third day when he lessoned him on the
knowledge to be extracted from the wall-pictures and renewed his
provision of meat and drink, after which he left him again to
solitude. So whenever the youth was straitened in breast by the
tedium and ennui of loneliness, he applied himself diligently to
his object-lessons and mastered all the deductions therefrom. His
governor seeing this turned his mind into other channel and
taught him the inner meanings of the external objects; and in a
little time the pupil mastered every requisite. Then the Sage
took him from the house and taught him cavalarice and Jerid play
and archery. When the pupil had thoroughly mastered these arts,
the tutor sent to the King informing him that the Prince was
perfect and complete in all things required to figure favourably
amongst his peers. Hereat the King rejoiced; and, summoning his
Wazirs and Lords of estate to be present at the examination,
commanded the Sage to send his son into the presence. Thereupon
Al-Sindibad consulted his pupil's horoscope and found it barred
by an inauspicious conjunction which would last seven days; so,
in sore affright for the youth's life, he said, "Look into thy
nativity-scheme." The Prince did so and, recognising the portent,
feared for himself and presently asked the Sage, saying, "What
dost thou bid me do?" "I bid thee," he answered, "remain silent
and speak not a word during this se'nnight; even though thy sire
slay thee with scourging. An thou pass safely through this
period, thou shalt win to high rank and succeed to thy sire's
reign; but an things go otherwise then the behest is with Allah
from the beginning to the end thereof." Quoth the pupil, "Thou
art in fault, O preceptor, and thou hast shown undue haste in
sending that message to the King before looking into my
horoscope. Hadst thou delayed till the week had passed all had
been well." Quoth the tutor, "O my son, what was to be was; and
the sole defaulter therein was my delight in thy scholarship. But
now be firm in thy resolve; rely upon Allah Almighty and
determine not to utter a single word." Thereupon the Prince fared
for the presence and was met by the Wazirs who led him to his
father. The King accosted him and addressed him but he answered
not; and sought speech of him but he spake not. Whereupon the
courtiers were astounded and the monarch, sore concerned for his
son, summoned Al-Sindibad. But the tutor so hid himself that none
could hit upon his trace nor gain tidings of him; and folk said,
"He was ashamed to appear before the King's majesty and the
courtiers." Under these conditions the Sovereign heard some of
those present saying, "Send the lad to the Serraglio where he
will talk with the women and soon set aside this bashfulness;"
and, approving their counsel, gave orders accordingly. So the
Prince was led into the palace, which was compassed about by a
running stream whose banks were planted with all manner of
fruit-trees and sweet-smelling flowers. Moreover, in this palace
were forty chambers and in every chamber ten slave-girls, each
skilled in some instrument of music, so that whenever one of them
played, the palace danced to her melodious strains. Here the
Prince passed one night; but, on the following morning, the
King's favourite concubine happened to cast eyes upon his beauty
and loveliness, his symmetrical stature, his brilliancy and his
perfect grace, and love gat hold of her heart and she was
ravished with his charms.
[FN#159] So she went up to him and threw
herself upon him, but he made her no response; whereupon, being
dazed by his beauty, she cried out to him and required him of
himself and importuned him; then she again threw herself upon him
and clasped him to her bosom kissing him and saying, "O King's
son, grant me thy favours and I will set thee in thy father's
stead; I will give him to drink of poison, so he may die and thou
shalt enjoy his realm and wealth." When the Prince heard these
words, he was sore enraged against her and said to her by signs,
"O accursed one, so it please Almighty Allah, I will assuredly
requite thee this thy deed, whenas I can speak; for I will go
forth to my father and will tell him, and he shall kill thee." So
signing, he arose in rage, and went out from her chamber; whereat
she feared for herself. Thereupon she buffeted her face and rent
her raiment and tare her hair and bared her head, then went in to
the King and cast herself at his feet, weeping and wailing. When
he saw her in this plight, he was sore concerned and asked her,
"What aileth thee, O damsel? How is it with thy lord, my son? Is
he not well?"; and she answered, "O King, this thy son, whom thy
courtiers avouch to be dumb, required me of myself and I repelled
him, whereupon he did with me as thou seest and would have slain
me; so I fled from him, nor will I ever return to him, nor to the
palace again, no, never again!" When the King heard this, he was
wroth with exceeding wrath and, calling his seven Wazirs, bade
them put the Prince to death. However, they said one to other,
"If we do the King's commandment, he will surely repent of having
ordered his son's death, for he is passing dear to him and this
child came not to him save after despair; and he will round upon
us and blame us, saying, 'Why did ye not contrive to dissuade me
from slaying him?'" So they took counsel together, to turn him
from his purpose, and the chief Wazir said, "I will warrant you
from the King's mischief this day." Then he went in to the
presence and prostrating himself craved leave to speak. The King
gave him permission, and he said, "O King, though thou hadst a
thousand sons, yet were it no light matter to thee to put one of
them to death, on the report of a woman, be she true or be she
false; and belike this is a lie and a trick of her against thy
son; for indeed, O King, I have heard tell great plenty of
stories of the malice, the craft and perfidy of women." Quoth the
King, "Tell me somewhat of that which hath come to thy knowledge
thereof." And the Wazir answered, saying, 'Yes, there hath
reached me, O King, a tale entituled The King and his Wazir's Wife.
