Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/289

277 shall be his deliverance.’ ‘But who shall tell the king of this,’ asked Wird Khan, ‘that he may send for thethee [sic]?’ Quoth the boy, ‘If I hear that he seeketh men of experience and good counsel, I will go up with them to him and tell him that wherein shall be his welfare and the warding off of this affliction from him; but, if he neglect this pressing matter and busy himself with his pleasures among his women and I go to him of my own motion, purposing to acquaint him with the means of deliverance, he will assuredly give orders to slay me, even as he slew those his viziers, and my courtesy to him will be the cause of my destruction; wherefore the folk will think meanly of me and belittle my wit and I shall be of those of whom it is said, “He whose learning exceeds his wit perishes by his ignorance.”’

When the king heard the boy’s speech, he was assured of his sagacity and the excellence of his merit was manifest unto him. So he was certified that deliverance would betide him and his subjects at the boy’s hands and said to him, ‘Whence art thou and where is thy house?’ ‘This is the wall of our house,’ answered he. The king took note of the place and leaving the boy, returned to his palace, rejoicing. There he changed his clothes and called for meat and drink, forbidding his women access to him. Then he ate and drank and returned thanks to God the Most High and besought Him of succour and deliverance. Moreover he craved His pardon and forgiveness for that which he had done with his counsellors of state and ministers and turned to Him with sincere repentance, imposing on himself prayer and fasting galore, by way of votive offering.

On the morrow, he called one of his chief officers and describing to him the boy’s abiding-place, bade him go thither and bring him to his presence with all gentleness.