Story of the Fox and the Folk.[FN#256]
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.
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