Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/266

234 God] and don thy grave-clothes, for I will come upon thee with an irresistible host, that shall fill the waste places of the earth and make thee even as yesterday that is passed away and hath no returning.”

When this message reached the King, his pride revolted from obeying Solomon’s bidding and he said to his Viziers, “Know that Solomon, son of David, hath sent, requiring me to give him my daughter to wife and break my idol of cornelian and enter his faith: what say ye of this?” “O mighty King,” answered they, “how shall Solomon do thus with thee? Even could he come at thee in the midst of this vast ocean, he could not prevail against thee, for the Marids of the Jinn will fight on thy side and thou wilt seek succour of thine idol whom thou servest, and he will help thee and give thee the victory over him. So thou wouldst do well to consult thy Lord,” meaning the idol aforesaid, “and hear what he says. If he say, ‘Fight him,’ fight him, and if not, not.” So the King went in forthright to his idol and offered up sacrifices and slaughtered victims; after which he fell down before him, prostrate and weeping, and repeated the following verses:

Then I, of my ignorance and lack of wit and recklessness of the commandment of Solomon and want of knowledge of his power, entered the belly of the idol and made answer as follows:

When the King heard this, he hardened his heart and resolved to do battle with the prophet; wherefore he beat