Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/350

320 hanging and asked the reason and it would have been answered them, “They sought to debauch the King’s daughter.” Then would they have spread divers reports concerning thee, some saying, “She abode with them half a score days, away from her palace, till they had taken their fill of her;” and other some otherguise; for honour, O my lady, is like milk, the least dust spoils it; or like glass, which, if it be cracked, may not be mended. So beware of telling thy father or any other of this matter, lest thy honour be ruined, for it will never profit thee to tell folk aught. Weigh what I say with thy keen wit, and if thou find it not just, do as thou wilt.’

The princess pondered her words and seeing them to be altogether just, said, ‘Thou art right, O my nurse: indeed, anger had blinded my judgment.’ Quoth the old woman, ‘Thy resolve to tell no one is pleasing to God the Most High; but that is not all: we must not let the insolence of yonder vile dog of a merchant pass without rebuke. Write him a letter and say to him, “O vilest of merchants, but that I found my father absent, I had straightway commanded to hang thee and all thy neighbours. But thou shalt gain nothing by this; for I swear to thee by God the Most High that, if thou return to the like of this talk, I will blot out the trace of thee from the face of the earth!” And deal thou roundly with him in words, so shalt thou discourage him and arouse him from his heedlessness.’ ‘And wilt these words cause him to abstain from his offending?’ asked the princess. ‘How should he not abstain?’ replied the old woman. ‘Besides, I will talk with him and tell him what has passed.’ So the princess called for inkhorn and paper and wrote the following verses:

Thy hopes unto the winning our favours still cleave fast, And still of us thou meekest thy wishes to attain. It is his self-delusion alone that slays the man And that which he requireth of us shall be his bane.