Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/217

205 saying in himself, “There is nothing for me but to watch for his coming out and complain to him of my case and that which hath betided me.” Accordingly, he waited till he heard one of the guards announce the king’s coming forth; whereupon he crept up, little by little, till he stood before the gate; and when the king came out, he threw himself in his way and made his complaint to him, giving him to know that he was a man of the people of God, who had renounced the world and went wandering over the earth, seeking acceptance of God and entering every city and hamlet, whilst all the folk he met gave him alms according to their power. “I entered this thy city,” continued he, “hoping that the folk would deal with me as with others of my condition; but thy men stopped me and stripped me of one of my gowns and loaded me with blows. Wherefore do thou look into my case and take me by the hand and get me back my gown and I will not abide in thy city an hour.” Quoth the unjust king, “Who counselled thee to enter this city, unknowing the custom of its king?” And the pilgrim answered, “Give me back my gown and do with me what thou wilt.”

When the king heard this, he fell into a rage and said, “O fool, we stripped thee of thy gown, so thou mightest humble thyself [to us]; but since thou troublest us with this clamour, we will strip thy soul from thee.” Then he commanded to cast him into prison, where he began to repent of having answered the king and reproached himself for not having left him the gown and made off with his life. When it was the middle of the night, he rose to his feet and prayed long and fervently, saying, “O God, Thou art the Righteous Judge; Thou knowest my case and that which hath befallen me with this unjust king, and I, Thine oppressed servant, beseech Thee, of the fulness of Thy mercy, to deliver me from the hand of this unjust