Page:The German Novelists (Volume 2).djvu/214

 man he took him for; and that being engaged in an argument with him, he (the King) had not concealed his opinion of him, upon which the Dervise had left him in a huff, declaring that he would never more submit to any of the King’s commands from the moment he should reach the frontiers.

This invention obtained credit throughout the whole court, for there were many who had been jealous of the Dervise’s influence with the monarch, and were rejoiced to think that he had incurred the royal displeasure. All tongues were now loud in their aspersions of him, insomuch that the Dervise in the King’s shape, had an opportunity of hearing the real, but by no means flattering opinion entertained of him at court. He resolved to revenge himself at a fit opportunity, but at present he had more important business to occupy his attention, namely to secure possession of the throne which he had thus treacherously obtained. For this purpose he issued a royal edict to all his subjects for the speedy destruction of all the roes throughout his dominions, each being entitled to a handsome reward for every one that should be taken.

The real king would infallibly have been destroyed, as coming within the operation of this act, had he not luckily avoided his impending fate by escaping into the corpse of a deceased nightingale, which he found at the foot of a treetree. [sic]