Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 8, 1897.djvu/147

 Rh Reply of the wicked woman:—Hereupon the woman was bitterly wroth, and said within herself: "If the lad be not killed this day, to-morrow he will speak and do me harm, and I shall be handed over to destruction. And if I do not destroy myself, I have no defence to urge." Thereupon she collected everything that she possessed, and presented it to her relations, bidding them gather for her huge logs. These she kindled with fire, intending to throw herself into the fire before the seventh day had run out, fearing, as she did, lest the youth might tell, and because of that which she had proposed to him. And the king heard this news and was afraid. Whereupon he said to her: "Wherefore would you throw yourself into the fire?" She replies: "Because thou hast not done me justice against thy son." So he promised her that he would no longer suffer his son to live. Upon this (assurance) she restrained herself from the fire. And the king commanded that his son be put to death without delay. But when the philosophers heard that the king had ordered his son to be put to death, they were very much distressed; and the seven of them rose, and went to the executioner and persuaded him, telling him to wait a little, and not to kill the youth. And he was talked over by means of gifts with which they presented him; and so he did not kill him.

. XVII.—Then the seventh wise man entered the king's presence, made obeisance to him, and spake as follows: "Long live my master and sovereign! Realise that, in ordering your son to be killed upon the report of the wicked woman, you are about to commit an extremely wicked action; and do you not know that, in consequence of vows and petitions, God gave you this son? But listen, my sovereign lord! There was once a man who possessed the spirit of divination, which used to cause great profits to accrue to him, and used to instruct him in the entire art of healing, (in fact) it used to acquaint him with everything concerning which people asked him. By means of it he amassed great