Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/66

48 on thee, spare me, so may He spare thee!” And he wept sore. Then one of the King’s chief officers rose and said, “O King, grant me this man’s life, for we see not that he has committed any offence against thee nor that he has done aught but cure thee of thy disorder, which baffled the doctors and sages.” “Ye know not why I put him to death,” answered the King: “it is because I believe him to be a spy, who hath been suborned to kill me and came hither with that intent: and verily he who cured me by means of a handle held in my hand can easily poison me in like manner. If I spare him, he will infallibly destroy me: so needs must I kill him, and then I shall feel myself safe.” When the physician was convinced that there was no hope for him, but that the King would indeed put him to death, he said to the latter, “O King, if thou must indeed kill me, grant me a respite, that I may go to my house and discharge my last duties and dispose of my medical books and give my people and friends directions for my burial. Among my books is one that is a rarity of rarities, and I will make thee a present of it, that thou mayst lay it up in thy treasury.” “And what is in this book?” asked the King. Quoth Douban, “It contains things without number: the least of its secret virtues is that if, when thou hast cut off my head, thou open the book, turn over six leaves and read three lines of the left-hand page, my head will speak and answer whatever questions thou shalt ask it.” At this the King marvelled greatly and shook with delight and said, “O physician, will thy head indeed speak to me, after it is cut off?” And he answered, “Yes, O King.” Quoth the King, “This is indeed wonderful!” And sent him under guard to his house, where Douban spent the remainder of the day in setting his affairs in order. Next day, the amirs and viziers and chamberlains and all the great officers and notables of the kingdom came to the court, and the presence chamber was like a