Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/107

 He entered the palace of the Sultan at the hour of the audience. He saw his father who was talking to the wicked counselor. So, burning with anger, he asked the devil who was at his service to slap the counselor twice in the face. Upon the command he struck him on the face so fiercely that he fell on the ground. And when with the help of those around him he rose to his feet, the spirit beat him once again so vehemently that he remained unconscious for some time.

That incident was very painful in the presence of the Sultan who loved his counselor. So, he asked his ministers that he should be carried immediately to his residence. He then called the best physicians of the city and discussed with them at length the accident with the counselor. He was led to believe that the illness of his counselor had been caused by an excess of humors or other bodily indispositions and they ended up giving him a potion which they believed could rid him of his illness.

But because the young man continued to be present at this conclusion, unseen by anyone, he ordered the spirit to beat the counselor fiercely after he had drunk the potion.

So, when the physicians brought the potion early the next day and the counselor had drunk it, he was so severely struck by the spirit on the face in their presence that nearly everything came out of his nose.