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 he was not content. He sighed and cried ‘I should like to be a king.’

And there came an angel out of heaven and said ‘Be it as you have said.’

And he became a king. And before his carriage were many horsemen, and behind were also horsemen, and over his head they held the golden umbrella.

And the sun shone with hot beams, and burned the earth in such a manner that the grass was dried up.

And the king complained that the sun burned his face, and had more power than he; and he was not satisfied. He sighed and cried ‘I should like to be the sun.’

And there came an angel out of heaven who said ‘Be it as you have said.’ And he became the sun. And he sent up his beams on high, and down to the earth; to the right and to the left—everywhere.

And he burned up the grass on the earth and the faces of the princes who were on the earth.

And a cloud came between him and the earth and the beams of the sun were turned back.

And he was angry that his power was resisted; and he complained that this cloud had more power than he; and he was dissatisfied.

He desired to be the cloud that was so mighty.

And there came an angel from heaven who said ‘Be this as you have said.’

And he became a cloud, and placed himself between the sun and the earth, and intercepted the beams, so that the grass became green. And the cloud rained in large drops on the earth and made the rivers swell, and the floods carried away the herds.

And the cloud devastated the field with much water.

And it fell on a rock which did not move, and rattled in large streams, but the rock did not yield.

And the cloud was angry because the rock would not yield, and because the strength of its streams was vain, and it was not contented.

It cried ‘This rock has more power than I have. I wish to be this rock.’

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