COURSE OUTLINE

FABLES, WISDOM LITERATURE, AND EPIC

This course has three components containing both readings and related activities: The
first component is about fables—that is, stories with animal characters having human
attributes.

The second component concerns wisdom literature and looks specifically at some of the
stories, both in prose and poetry, of the famous Persian literary figure Sa‘di. We shall
introduce this author to you.

The third component is on the world’s largest epic—the Shāhnāma (Book of Kings) of
another literary giant, Firdausi.
 I. FABLES

Kalīla wa Dimna (FABLES OF BIDPAI) is a collection of fables in Arabic dating back to

the 8th century CE. The fables were originally written in Sanskrit and trace their origins to
India prior to the 6th century. After being translated to Pahlavi, they were then translated
into Arabic by Abdullah ibn Muqaffa during the Abbasid era and since then have been in
circulation around the world in numerous languages including Greek and Latin. In these
various translations, the book has not remained in a static form but instead various additions
and omissions have accompanied its long history of translation.

The story of Kalīla and Dimna revolves around an ambitious jackal, Dimna, who navigates
his way in the king’s court to win his favor and become his most trusted advisor. In the
progression of this story, various sub-stories are recounted couched in elaborate idioms and
metaphors that all eventually culminate in a moral lesson for its characters and the reader.
The following excerpt is near the beginning of the story in which Dimna works himself into
a complicated situation after attempting to help the king. The remainder of the story is an
account of his efforts to undo his mistake and learn many crucial lessons in the process
about friendship, betrayal and power.

Following chapters from Kalīla wa Dimna or The Fables of Bidpai are included:

Chapter V- The Lion and the Bull, or the emblem of two friends whom a liar contrives to
disunite.
Chapter VI- Investigation of the conduct together with the defence of Dimna.
Chapter VII- The Ring-dove, or the emblem of sincere friends.
Chapter VIII- The Owls and the Crows, or the danger of being deceived by an enemy.
 CHAPTER 5
THE LION AND THE BULL

BIDPAI, who was the chief of the Brahmins, was one day summoned into the presence
of king Dabschelim, and being commanded to relate the story of the two friends, whose
mutual esteem and unreserved familiarity a false and designing companion succeeded in
changing into sentiments of hatred and revenge, he began in the following manner: When
two friends accept the officious services of a person notorious for falsehood and deceit, their
speedy disunion is the inevitable consequence of their misplaced confidence, as illustrated
in the following story.

There was in the country of Distawand an old man, who had three sons, who being grown
up, dissipated the fortune of their father, and had recourse to all possible means of improving
their temporal condition, notwithstanding the admonitions and exhortations of their aged
parent, who was continually pointing out to them the fatal consequences of their conduct.
On one occasion he thus addressed them: My sons, the man of the world is in search of three
things; an independent fortune, consideration in life, and the provision for a future state: but to
the attainment of these, four conditions are indispensable; incorruptible integrity in the obtaining
of riches, security for the acquired good, its productive employment, and its appropriation to the
lawful enjoyments of life and the benefit of himself and others ; without which his prospect in
a future state will be clouded by apprehension and dread, and his expectations even in this life
attended with disappointment; for either his failure in the acquisition of wealth will be followed
by the loss of worldly happiness, or his acquired possessions being built on a sandy
foundation will every moment be in danger of falling, and will cover him in their ruins, or
else his accumulated but inactive stores will gradually but sensibly diminish, even under the
deceitful safeguard of a niggardly expenditure, as the 'kohl is imperceptibly consumed by
the successive application of its minutest particles to the eye-brow ; and if he is
inconsiderate in the purposes to which he applies and in the choice of the places where he
deposits his riches, he will scarcely be more benefited by them than he who has nothing,
and expose himself to the risk of being violently deprived of them ; as the lake, which has
no sufficient outlet to the accumulation of the streams which serve to fill it, overflows its
banks, and the water is lost.

The sons of the old man listened with the greatest attention to the discourse of their father,
and were unable to dispute the justice of his reproof. Now it happened sometime after that
the eldest set out on a journey to the country of Mioun, and as he was travelling in his carriage
drawn by two bulls, the one named Schanzabeh, and the other Bandaneh, he came to a
part of the road which was rendered impassable by the mud ; Schanzabeh stuck fast in the
mire, and was unable to proceed, notwithstanding the efforts which were made to
extricate him ; till at length the traveller being wearied with his exertions, and impatient at
the delay which they occasioned, determined to continue his journey, leaving one of the
company behind with Schanzabeh, with orders to remain with him, hoping that when the
road became dry, he would be able to follow him with the bull.

The man having passed the night on the spot to no purpose, grew tired of waiting, so he
quitted the beast, and having rejoined his master, told him that the bull was dead ; adding,
Behold, when a man's hour is come, and the day of his death is at hand, his labour is in
vain, for his precautions cannot arrest the arm which is lifted up to strike him, his toil is
folly and his exertions a mockery : he is like a man, who having gone into a desert, which
abounded with wild beasts, had not proceeded far before he saw a wolf ad vancing
towards him; he looked to the right and left for a way to escape, and discovering a small
village on the opposite side of a river, he ran in haste to the bank, but found to his
disappointment that there was no bridge. The wolf being at his heels and in the act of
springing upon him, he had no time left for reflection, but threw himself at once, though
unable to swim, into the water, where he must inevitably have perished, had not some
inhabitants of the village, who had observed what had passed, come out to his assistance,
and rescued him as he was on the point of sinking.

The man being somewhat recovered from his fright, and no longer in dread of the wolf,
walked towards a single house, which he perceived on the side of the river, and entering
into it was struck at the sight of a company of robbers, who from their appearance gave
him no reason to congratulate himself on the asylum he had sought ; and his apprehen -
sions were not a little increased, on discovering that the banditti were employed in
sharing a rich booty, which, he had no doubt, was the plunder of some merchant, whom
they had waylaid and murdered : he therefore lost no time in making his escape as
quickly as possible, and went to the village, and was leaning with his back against a wall,
to take a moment's breath, when it fell down upon him, and crushed him to death. The
merchant acknowledged the force of his servant's reasoning, but observed at the same
time that the story was not new to him.

Whilst this was passing, the bull contrived to release himself from the mud, and having
become his own master, he sought out the richest pastures, grew fat, and returned to his
habits of gallantry with the females of his species, which he met with in his rambles. In
the neighbourhood, where he was, was a large forest, the haunt of a noble lion, who was
the sovereign of those parts, and had in his service wolves, jackals, foxes, hyenas,
panthers, and other animals. But notwithstanding this numerous suite, his majesty the lion
had so high an opinion of his own sagacity and wisdom, that he thought it beneath his
dignity, and insulting to the hereditary knowledge of a great king, ever to ask advice of
any of his attendants ; but happening one day to hear the bellowing of the bull, with
which, notwithstanding the extent of his learning, be was hitherto unacquainted, having
never had any animal of the kind in his service, his astonishment so far got the better of
his natural habits, that he remained riveted to the spot where he stood, and commanded
that his food should be brought to him thither every day.

Now amongst the number of his attendants were two jackals, Kalila and Dimna, both of
them very cunning and clever. What can be the reason, said Dimna one day to his brother
Kalila that the lion does not quit the place where he is? Your question, replied Kalila, is
not a little surprising. Our business is to wait upon the king, to receive his orders, obey
his commands, and avoid whatever may be disagreeable to him; and our rank and conse-
quence are not sufficiently great to entitle us to the honour of conversing with our
sovereign, or to give us the privilege of prying into his affairs. I recommend to you for
the future more prudence and circumspection in your conduct, lest your curiosity and
indiscretion should expose you to the fate of the carpenter's monkey, who having seen his
master sitting upon a log of wood, in order to split it with two wedges, took it into his
head, one day that he was left quite alone, to imitate his example; for this purpose he
seated himself on a similar piece of wood, with his tail towards the wedge which
remained in the fissure, and his face towards that with which he was to continue his work;
in this posture his tail hanging down in the part of the block which was split, the wood,
upon his suddenly removing the wedge which was behind him, closed upon it, and the
violence of the pain made him fall from his seat and faint away: at this moment the
carpenter arrived, and without considering what his monkey had already suffered, he beat
him so unmercifully, that it was difficult to say whether his own indiscretion or the rage
of his master was the most fatal to him.

I comprehend your meaning, replied Dimna, but am not convinced by your reasoning.
Those who are allowed to approach their sovereign should have a nobler motive in view
than their own private interest; their aim should be to secure his protection for his friends,
and to put him upon his guard against his enemies. Persons who have no energy of
character will be contented with an inferior station, and grasp with eagerness at the boon
of an humble pittance, like the dog, who is satisfied with a dry bone; whereas on the
other hand, men of distinguished merit and a vigorous understanding will indignantly
refuse to move forever in a sphere which is too confined for the exercise of their talents, and
disproportioned to their high deserts. The lion will condescend to feed upon a hare,
till the camel come in his way, and offer him the prospect of a more worthy prey; but the
dog will fawn and wag his tail for the scanty morsel that is thrown to him; unlike the elephant,
who requires to be caressed before he will eat of the food which is placed before him. He
who has a proper sense of his own superiority, though his life be short, may yet be said to
have lived long; whilst he, whose abject soul can repress the emotions of true
greatness, which are struggling in his breast, though he may protract his existence beyond
the years which are usually allotted to his species, has in reality lived but a moment, when
compared with the man, whose shorter span of being has been filled up by illustrious deeds.
The wretch, who can sit contented with the lot of mediocrity, is no better than the beasts
which perish, and leave no memorial behind them. Once more I beseech you, brother,
answered Kalila, to attend to the dictates of your good sense, for it is but reasonable that a
man should be satisfied with the rank in life to which his claims entitle him; and surely the
distinction which we enjoy is not so disproportioned to our merit, that our actual situation
should make us consider it beneath our deserts.

Dianna: Degrees of honour are commensurate with the stock of personal character, which is
the ladder, by which a man ascends from the lowest to the highest steps of advancement, and
the want of which precipitates the unworthy favourite of fortune into the place which is his
due; and though the rise to distinction be an arduous task, and the fall from the eminence of
glory easy, and which may be compared, the former to the difficulty with which a stone of
great weight is lifted up to be placed upon the back; and the latter to the facility with which it
is thrown from thence upon the ground ; still however this should not deter us from extending
our views beyond the sphere in which we are moving, when circumstances seem to have put
into our power the means of success.

Kalila: What is it then that you intend to do?

Dimna: My intention is to solicit an audience of the lion, and if I find him undecided how to
act on the present occasion, I will make his embarrassment the means of my advancement.
Kalila: But what makes you think that the lion is in any difficulty? Dimna: My own
observation; for to the observing eye the outward manner is the surest key to the secrets of
the heart. Kalila: But how can you expect to meet with any favourable notice from the lion,
without possessing the qualifications of a minister? Dimna: A strong man, though not used to
carry great burthens, does not sink under the heaviest weight, but no practice can give a weak
man the power of lifting a weight which is beyond his strength. Kalila: A king does not
always think it necessary to select the worthiest objects for the business of the state ; it is
often sufficient to be near his person, in order to become the minion of his favour, as the vine
attaches itself to the nearest tree; and this is a privilege which you have never enjoyed.
Dimna: I understand the purport of what you say, but you forget that those who are the
unworthy favourites of the king, and are at this moment enjoying his unmerited protection,
have no greater claims to his countenance and support fr* the circumstance of their being
employed accidentally about his person, than he who has always lived at a distance from
court, and approaches his sovereign for the first time in his life. My endeavour will be to
prove, by my diligence and activity, that I am qualified for the post of which they are in
possession, and to exhibit in my whole conduct and deportment that freedom from
haughtiness, that patience under unmerited and unprovoked calumny, that unruffled temper
and good-breeding, which are indispensable to public men in the pursuit of the objects of
their laudable ambition. Kalila: Well, granted that you are allowed to approach the lion, upon
what do you ground your hopes of a favourable reception? Dimna: When I have succeeded
so far as to be admitted familiarly to the presence and conversation of the king, my next step
will be to become thoroughly acquainted with his temper and disposition ; and having
discovered these, I shall take care, always watching his whims and caprices, to contradict
him as seldom as possible ; and if I see him bent upon anything, from which I can anticipate
benefit or advantage to the country, I will place it in the most favourable point of view, in
order to flatter him with an opinion of his judgment and knowledge of affairs ; if on the other
hand passion or ignorance should make him command any measure either injurious or
dishonourable, I will do my utmost, by placing the evil which may result from it in the
strongest light, to make him desist from his purpose ; by these means I hope to gain his
confidence and esteem by my extraordinary services ; for the talent of the statesman in being
able to give to actions the complexion which he pleases, is not unlike that of the painter, who
by his knowledge of perspective practises a pleasing delusion on the eyes of the beholder.
Kalila: Be this as it may, I shall always think that this familiarity with the sovereign will be
attended with danger to you ; for it is an old saying, that there are three things, against which
everyone who is in his senses will be upon his guard, owing to the difficulty of preventing
their evil consequences ; the confidence of a sovereign, the entrusting a secret to a woman,
and drinking poison in order to try its effects ; and a king has not been unaptly compared to a
steep mountain, abound- ing with fruits and precious stones, and medicinal herbs, but at the
same time the haunt of wild beasts, the difficulty of whose ascent, if it should be fortunately
overcome, is succeeded if not by certain and speedy destruction, at least by continual
insecurity. Dimna: There is certainly much truth in what you say, but your conclusions would
lead to the condemnation of all spirited and laudable exertion, if the possibility of failure in
any great undertaking were always to be considered as a sufficient reason for not entering
upon the trial; you would exclude from the path of human ambition all interference in state
affairs, all commercial enterprize, and the pursuit of military renown; forgetting that the man
of strong understanding and sound judgment has been always held up as a pattern for
imitation in two situations, when either through the boldness of his views, and the steadiness
of his conduct, he has raised himself to a post of high honour at the court of his sovereign, or
given an additional worth and lustre to his talents by their exercise in the cause of religion
and virtue, as the elephant excites our wonder by the free exertion of his strength in his wild
state, or commands our admiration by his docility, when he has learned to carry a king upon
his back.

Kalila here wished his brother success, and Dimna went immediately to the lion, who upon
hearing his name, recollected to have known his father, and enquired what his business was.
Dimna replied, that he had been long seeking an opportunity of offering his humble services
to the king in whatever way he would condescend to make use of him; that however limited
his pretensions might be, the example of persons who scrape together every stick which they
can find against a time of need, gave him reason to hope, that his slender capacities might
find employment. At these words the lion was not less astonished than pleased, and
immediately conceived a good opinion of Dimna; and going up to one of his attendants, he
observed to him, that men of understanding and worth are often condemned to pass their time
in obscurity, till some sudden encouragement produces a spark of emulation, which if
properly fed, bursts forth into a flame of patriotic and useful conduct.

Now when Dianna had learned what impression he had made upon the king, he exclaimed,
The subjects in a state have no other motive for presenting themselves to the notice of their
sovereign than the hope of making him acquainted with the abilities which they possess, and
which are most usefully exerted either in the cabinet or in the field. This previous knowledge
in a sovereign of the qualifications of those whom he employs in the service of the state is the
more necessary, as a multitude of counsellors, whose capacity for business has not been
already tried, greatly impede, by the confusion and irregularity which they occasion, the
benefit which might be derived from a few faithful and approved servants ; a king who is
thus surrounded by a number of unprofitable and weak ministers, resembles the man who at
the end of his toil, in carrying a large stone of no value, expires with fatigue, or one who
having occasion for the trunk of a palm tree, gathers a number of reeds. And the king is too
just to despise real worth, though in a person of little reputation, who often by the greatness
of his deeds belies his humble origin, as the tendon which is taken from a dead animal, when
adapted into a bow, becomes a weapon, which the hand of a monarch does not disdain to
wield.

The object of Dimna in speaking thus was to show to the persons who surrounded the king
and the people at large, that it was not as they supposed to the reputation which his father had
enjoyed, but to his own personal character, that he was indebted for the countenance and
support, with which the king honoured him and this induced him to add, that it would be
unjust in a sovereign to estimate the merit or demerit of the son by that of the father, without
any regard to individual worth, and that it would be no less imprudent in him to suppose, that
the bare circumstance of being about his person, could impart wisdom to his attendants, than
it would be dangerous to his health in the case of sickness, to trust entirely to the strength of
his constitution, and refuse the assistance of his physician. Here Dimna left of speaking; and
the lion being pleased with what he heard, gave him a favourable answer, remarking at the
same time to his court, that it was unbecoming in a king not to respect legitimate pretensions,
and to imitate the conduct of the world at large, whose inhabitants might be divided into two
classes, and compared the one on account of its malignant disposition to the serpent, which
being trod upon and forbearing at first to sting, darts its venom into the foot which bruises it
a second time ; and the other on account of its meekness and inoffensive manner to the cold
sandal wood, which in spite of its smooth surface and unsuspicious form, suddenly takes fire
from excessive rubbing.
 From henceforth Dimna began to be admitted to great familiarity with the lion ; and as lie
had often the honour of being alone with him, he took occasion one day to ask the cause of
his remaining so long in the same place; at this moment Schanzabeh began to bellow very
loudly, which alarmed the lion, and produced in him a sensation which he refused to explain
to Dimna, though the latter did not fail to observe it ; and therefore asked the lion, if the noise
which he had heard had frightened him ; and being answered in the affirmative, he ex pressed
his surprise, that so trifling an occurrence, which really did not deserve attention, should have
obliged the king to forsake his usual habits. The lion, not being yet at his ease, asked for
some further explanation, Dimna proceeded thus: A fox came once into a wood where a
drum was hanging in a tree, and as often as the wind blew amongst the branches, the drum
sounded, which astonished the fox on account of the unusual noise which he heard ; but
having advanced towards it, he was struck at its size, and anticipated a delicious repast : at
length having got it into his possession, he turned it about till he broke it, and discovered it to
be hollow, and that notwithstanding its bulk, and the distinctness of the sound which it sent
forth, it was weak and contemptible : he then begged permission of the king to go and
explore the nature of the noise which had surprised him, declaring it as his opinion that it
would turn out to be no real subject for alarm : and the king consented. Upon this Dimna
immediately set out in search of Schanzabeh; and lie had scarcely left the presence of the
lion, before the latter began to reflect on what had passed, and to repent of having entrusted
him with the mission. For this Dimna, said he to himself, was in a very low situation, and if
he has carried away with him the notion, that his pretensions have been passed over, and
others preferred before him, whose claims were not so great as his own, or that any injustice
has been practised towards him, and he has been made to suffer unmerited oppression and
persecution ; if his ruling passions be cupidity and criminal ambition, for the gratification of
which he has been guilty of crimes of which he dreads the punishment; or if his hopes of
aggrandizement are built on the dishonour of the king, and his schemes of advancement
incompatible with the nation's prosperity, which would render him an acceptable and ready
tool in foreign hands ; if all or any of these suppositions be true, I have been wrong in placing
confidence in one, who to the feeling's of wounded pride and the sentiments of hatred and
meditated revenge, unites not only the talents which are necessary to carry his purposes into
execution, but at the same time the art of concealing his treachery under the mask of
patriotism and disinterestedness ; and what security have I that his hostile disposition towards
me will not find support and encouragement with some enemy more powerful than I am, who
is probably the author of the noise which has alarmed me, and into whose service he will
enter ! At this moment he advanced a few steps, and saw Dimna returning to him, and
became more composed ; then he went back to his place, and as soon as Dimna reached him,
he enquired of him what he had seen, and received for answer, that it was nothing but a bull
which had made the noise. The lion: And did he appear to be possessed of great strength.
Dimna: By no means. I advanced towards him, and addressed him as my equal, but he paid
no attention to me. The lion: You must not be deceived by appearances, for the strong gale
which passes harmless over the tender shrub, break by its violence the tall palm. Dimna: Be
not alarmed, 0 king! I will reduce him to submission, if your majesty pleases.

The lion assented to the proposal, and Dimna returned to the bull, and told him, that he had
received the commands of the lion to conduct him into his presence, and assured him of
pardon for his past offence in having omitted to present himself before the king, not forget-
ting to mention the strict injunctions he had received, to report without delay any refusal on
his part to appear. Schanzabeh having asked for some further account of the lion, Dimna
informed him, that he was the king of the beasts, and that his residence, where he was
surrounded by his numerous attendants, was at no great distance. This account alarmed
Schanzabeh not a little; but having obtained repeated assurances of safe conduct and
protection against all danger from the beasts, he accompanied Dimna to the lion, who
received him very graciously, asked him bow long he had been in the country, and what
business brought him thither; upon which Schanzaheh related his whole history, which
pleased the lion so much, that he desired him to remain with him, and promised to raise him
to dignities and honour. After this the lion became so intimate with Schanzabeh, that he made
him the depositary of his secrets, and consulted him on every occasion, and his admiration of
him continually increased. Now when Dimna perceived that the bull was more honoured by
the lion than he and his companions, that he had become his bosom friend, his associate in
retirement, and the partner of all his pleasures, his envy and anger so far got the better of his
prudence, that he ventured to complain aloud, and reproached himself with weakness in
neglecting his own interest for the sake of serving the lion, and in having been himself the
cause of the advancement of his rival ; and when his lamentations reached the ear of Kalila,
the consolation which he received from his brother was confined to the remark, that this was
precisely the case with the monk, whose history, at the request of Dimna, Kalila related in the
following manner. There was a monk, who on some occasion received from a sovereign as a
present a magnificent robe, of which a thief, whose wardrobe was not very well furnished,
having seen and admired it, determined in his own mind to get possession ; for this purpose
he came to the monk, and professing the greatest admiration of his learning, begged to
receive the benefit of his instruction ; to which the monk assented, and received him into his
house, till at length the thief so far got the better of his unsuspecting benefactor, that he went
off with his prize. The suspicions of the monk as soon as he missed his robe fell upon his
pupil, and he lost no time in commencing a search after his stolen goods; and as he was
travelling along, he passed by two goats, who were fighting, whilst a fox was licking- up the
blood which flowed from their wounds; who in his turn was so furiously attacked by two
other goats, that in a very short time they killed him. After this the monk continued his
journey, and arrived at a town, where, not finding any inn to lodge him, be took up his
quarters in the house of a woman, who had a young girl in her service, whose attractions and
beauty she made no scruple of sacrificing to her own private gain. The young woman having
formed a sincere and strong attachment, her mistress had determined by the murder of the
lover on the very night on which the monk arrived, to prevent the loss of her villanous traffic:
for this purpose, when the lover came to visit his future bride, the woman placed before him
an intoxicating liquor, which having drunk of, he soon fell into a sound sleep : she then took
a reed, and was in the act of blowing the poison with which she had previously filled it into
his ear, when suddenly and unintentionally catching her breath, the poison returned into her
own throat, and caused instant death. Now all this having passed in the presence of the monk,
he lost no time in quitting his lodging, and in looking out for another, and at last established
himself with a shoemaker, who being informed by his wife of the arrival of his guest, desired
her to pay him every attention in her power, and to make his excuses for his unavoidable
absence, as he was engaged to a party at a friend's house. It happened that the wife of the
shoemaker had a secret intrigue, and had made the wife of a surgeon her confidant; she
therefore immediately sent to her obliging female friend, requesting her to lose no time in
desiring her lover to come, and to assure him, that he need be under no apprehension of a
surprise, as her husband, if he returned at all in the evening, would have no notion from
excess of drinking of what was passing in his house. The lover obeyed the summons, and was
waiting below for admission when the shoemaker arrived, who notwithstanding the state of
intoxication in which he was, had still sufficiently the use of his eyes to discover a person at
his door, and enough reason left to guess the object of his being there: he therefore hastened
as well as he could to his wife, and without entering into any explanation, began to beat her
unmercifully, and having tied her to a pillar in the house, tottered into bed. Shortly after the
wife of the surgeon came to her, told her that her lover had been a long time waiting for her,
and asked her the meaning of her present situation; upon which the wife of the shoemaker
implored her compassion, entreated her to suffer herself to be bound to the pillar in her stead,
that she might go to her lover, and promised to return as quickly as possible. The surgeon's
wife good humouredly consented, and set her friend at liberty. Now, as ill luck would have it,
the shoemaker awoke before his wife returned, and having called her twice by her name
without receiving any answer, (for the surgeon's wife did not choose to betray herself,) he
went to her in a great rage, and with a knife cut off her nose, desiring her to make a present
of it to her lover. At length the real culprit arrived, and when she saw how her husband had
treated the wife of the surgeon, she was distressed beyond measure; but no other relief was at
hand than immediately to release her, and let her go home with the loss of her nose; and this
also passed under the eyes of the monk. Then the wife of the shoemaker began to load her
husband with the bitterest imprecations, reproached him with his barbarity towards her, and
desired him to look and see how gracious Providence had been to her in restoring her nose.
On hearing this husband immediately lighted a candle, and seeing to his astonishment his
wife with her nose, he begged pardon for his conduct, and chewed signs of the deepest
contrition for what he had done. In the mean time the wife of the surgeon, who had now
reached her own home, was occupied in thinking how she should account to her husband and
family for the loss of her nose, and how she might remove any unfavourable impression
respecting her conduct, to which this strange appearance would give rise. For the present, she
went to bed ; and in the morning when her husband awoke, he desired her to fetch him his
instruments, as he had been sent for by a patient ; -upon which she got up, and brought him
his razor, and upon his asking for all of them, she left the room, but returned again with the
razor; which put her husband into such a violent passion, that he threw it at her, and she
immediately fell upon the ground, crying out, O! My nose! O! My nose ! till her screams
brought all the people of the house about her ; who, seeing the state in which she was, seized
the surgeon, and led him away to the judge, who having interrogated him as to the cause of
his having treated his wife in so barbarous a manner, and hearing no sufficient rea-son
alleged in justification, ordered a similar operation to be performed on him; which was in the
act of taking place, when the monk suddenly appearing said that he would explain the whole
business. The thief, said he, was not the occasion of the robbery of which I have to com plain,
but my loss must he attributed to my own indiscretion in admitting into my society a stranger
of whose character and habits I had no previous knowledge ; neither can the death of the fox
be laid to the charge of the two goats, but to his own interference in a quarrel, with which he
had nothing to do ; in the same manner the death of the woman who made a traffic of female
virtue and innocence, which immediately followed upon her swallowing the poison, must be
traced to her own deliberate purpose of murder; and, lastly, it is not the surgeon who was the
occasion of the loss of his wife's nose, but her own foolishness in promoting an unlawful
connection.

Dimna observed, that he had heard this story before and was ready to allow, that his own
misfortune might perhaps with justice be laid to his own account : he wished however to
determine wh at under the present circumstances was the best thing to be done; and Kalila
having expressed a wish to know what he proposed doing, he spoke in the following terms: I
have not presumption enough to imagine that I shall be in greater favour with the lion, than
Schanzabeh ; I would therefore willingly return to my former condition ; for a prudent man
has occasion to use the utmost pains and diligence in three different ways. In the first place
he should ever pay a due regard to the accidental as well as more weighty circumstances
which in former times may have been the means of his happiness, or have brought about his
ill luck, with a view to pave the way by the experience he has acquired for the re turn of his
good fortune, and to ward off any sudden reverse : his second object of solicitude is how to
secure the advantages of which he is actually in possession, by the exclusion of everything
which may hazard their existence : and in the third place he should so regulate his conduct
according to the probable chances of the world, that no favourable opportunity of improving
his temporal condition may be neglected, or the means of preventing the possibility of any
unexpected danger elude his foresight : therefore at present there remains for me no other
resource, disappointed as I have been in my hopes and expectations, than to destroy by force
or stratagem this eater of grass ; which will not only recover for me the favour of the lion, but
be of service, 1 think, to the king in obviating the mischief which may be expected to result
from the too great intimacy with which he has honoured the bull. Kalila having here observed
that he saw no danger that was likely to accrue from the manner in which the lion treated
Schanzabeh; Dimna instantly replied, that there were several impediments to the good
administration of public affairs which might be mentioned ; for instance, favouritism, which
founded generally on caprice or some worse motive, gives the reins of government into
feeble if not polluted hands, to the proscription of those faithful counsellors of a nation, who
have courage to refuse becoming the tools of the passions of the prince : another evil of the
body politic is that animosity of parties, which is continually keeping up a petty warfare in
the state : a third source of mischief is a profligacy of manners, when respect for decency in
the prince and the higher circles has fled before the fascinating and authorized display of
female attractions, and the severity of business is lulled to sleep in the lap of luxurious
amusement and excess : the prevalence of these disorders gives rise to and nurtures those
unfeeling and inhuman passions, by which calumny is engendered, and the tongue sends
forth its venom to taint the bliss and satisfaction of conspicuous worth ; or the arm is lifted up
to acts of violence and oppression ; or dangers arise from the practice of severity where gen -
tleness was called for ; or of indulgence where severity would have been a virtue ; or, lastly,
the hand of time becomes visible in the age and infirmities of the sovereign, or in his
exposure to the plagues of famine or war; and the conduct of the lion, continued he, in the
preference which he has shewn to the bull, will prove in all probability a source of some of
the dangers which 1 have enumerated. Granted, replied Kalila; but how will you contrive to
get the better of the bull, considering the reputation which he enjoys? You seem to draw your
conclusions, answered Dimna, from the apparent weakness of my person, compared with that
of the bull, without reflecting that bodily force is not always the criterion of success; on the
contrary, contrivance and skill have been often known to succeed where the greatest exertion
of strength would have failed, as was exemplified by the manner in which a crow destroyed a
serpent, as related in the following story.

A crow had made her nest in a tree upon a mountain, at no great distance from which was
the hole of a serpent ; and the serpent, as soon as the crow had hatched her young, came and
took them away, and ate them. This very much distressed the crow, who went and made her
complaint to a jackal, who was her friend, and asked his opinion of what she proposed to do,
which was, when the serpent was asleep, to put out his eyes, and get rid of her enemy. The
jackal did not at all approve of this plan, but advised the crow to think of some other method,
which would be attended with less danger; because if she proceeded as she had mentioned,
she might possibly experience the fate of the swan, who perished in his attempt to kill a crab.
This swan had established himself in a place, where there was a good deal of water, where he
lived and grew old ; till at length being unable through age any longer to catch his prey, he
was tormented by the dread of dying from hunger : at that moment a crab passed by, who,
seeing the distress of the swan, enquired the reason of it; and was informed by the swan, that
having one day overheard two fishermen talking of the quantity of fish in that place, and
laying plans for catching them, he was uneasy about his future livelihood_ Upon this the crab
went to the fish, who happened for some reason or other to be assembled together, and
communicated to them what he had heard ; they therefore immediately sent a deputation to
the swan, to ask his advice in their present dilemma, the greatness of the apparent danger
outweighing all prudential considerations of the risk they were running, in placing so much
confidence in an enemy. The swan informed them, that the only means of escaping from the
fate which awaited them would be to retire to a pool in the neighbourhood, where there was
plenty of food, and at the same time he offered his services to carry them thither ; which
being accepted, he took two upon his back every day, and went with them to a hill, and there
ate them. But one morning, when he came as usual to carry of his two fish, the crab met him,
and, expressing his apprehensions for his own safety in his present abode, entreated him to
transport him also to the pool, whither he had carried the fish; upon which the swan made
him get upon his back, and transported him to the same spot. But the crab looking about, and
seeing a number of bones lying upon the ground, began to have suspicions of his supposed
friend; and reasoning with himself, that his situation could not be made worse by his
attempting to defend himself, he fastened with his claws on the neck of the swan, and
strangled him, and then went to the fish which remained, and acquainted them with what be
had done : and this story, continued the jackal, is a proof that the cunning person is often
taken in his own snares : however, I will point out to you a method, if you think you are
equal to the execution, by which you may infallibly destroy the serpent, without any danger
to yourself. This raised the curiosity of the crow, to know what her friend would recommend
to her, who proceeded thus My advice consists in this, that you should look as you are flying
about for some part of a woman's dress, which having taken up in your mouth, you must
continue just so high above the heads of the passengers, that they may be able to discover
what it is you are carrying away ; and when you are over the spot where the serpent is, you
must drop it so as to attract the notice of the persons who are near ; who running up to
recover the stolen property, will deliver you from your enemy. The crow did as she had been
directed, and continued hovering in the air, till she discovered a woman of rank, who was
taking her bath on the top of a house, and had laid her clothes and trinkets aside ; so she
darted suddenly down, and carried off a necklace ; and as she flew away with it, the persons
who had witnessed what had passed, followed without ever losing sight of her, till in the -end
they saw her drop the necklace ; and immediately coming up found the serpent, and killed it.

Kalila here remarked to his brother Dimna, that if the bull's only quality was personal
strength, he might be mastered by skill and address ; but if to bodily force were united un-
derstanding and judgment, the task would be more difficult : Not so difficult as you seem to
imagine, said Dimna, for 1 can always find resources in my own conduct and prudent
management ; and that you may not think mine a hopeless case, I beg of you to listen to the
story of the hare and the lion. A lion was king of a great forest, plentifully supplied with
water, and filled with beasts of every description ; who living in a state of constant
uneasiness, at last sent to the lion, to propose furnishing him every morning with a piece of
game for his breakfast, on condition that he would let them roam about unmolested. The lion
was pleased with this offer, and entered into the agreement, and during some time the beasts
regularly performed their engagement ; till at length it fell to the lot of a hare to be sent to the
lion, who begged of her companions to indulge her in one request, and she would deliver
them from all dread of the lion in future : the beasts complied, and desired in consequence
the animal which was to accompany her to allow her to loiter on the road ; which she having
done beyond the hour of the lion's meal, at last presented herself before him, and found him
in a violent rage at the delay which had taken place; when to appease his anger she told him
that she had been sent by the beasts with a hare for his breakfast, but that a lion, which met
them on the road, had carried off her companion, declaring that he was the lord of the wood;
and that upon her representing to him that it was food which the beasts had sent to their king,
he broke out into the most unbecoming abuse of his majesty. Upon this the lion desired the
hare to conduct him to the haunt of his rival, and she led him to the brink of a deep well full
of water, and told him it was there; upon which the lion looking down, and seeing his own
shadow and the shadow of the hare, had no suspicions of being deceived, and immediately
sprung, as he imagined, upon his enemy, and was drowned ; and the hare returned to the
beasts, and acquainted them with her success. Kalila told Dianna, that if he could effect the
disgrace and ruin of the bull without compromising the honour and safety of the lion, the
injuries which they had both experienced from him would fully justify the measure; but if on
the other hand his purpose of revenge would be followed by the destruction of the lion, he
should Oppose its execution, as being an act of ingratitude and treachery in them.

After this, Dimna passed many days without approaching the lion ; at last lie came privately
to him, and was asked what had kept him so long away ; if he had any good reason for so
doing, or if any thing unexpected or unforeseen had taken place. Dimna replied that this was
really the case ; though he felt great reluctance to mention it, as its relation could not fail to
be as disagreeable to the lion; as it would be painful to himself. You will do me the justice, 0
king, to believe, continued he, that I am the unwilling reporter of unwelcome news, and such
as even my approved fidelity, and the evidences which I have given of my zeal in your
service, will scarcely render credible ; though I trust your majesty wit be satisfied with these
vouchers for the truth of what I assert. And when I consider the obligations which my
relation, as subject, imposes upon me, I should think it a dereliction of my duty, and little
better than an act of treason, if, even at the risk of not beino , believed, and without an express
command, I delayed any longer to make my report.

This commencement increased the anxiety of the lion to hear more, upon which Dimna
continued as follows. '` A person with whom am intimately acquainted, and upon whose ve-
racity I can rely, has informed me, that Schanzabeh has often private meetings with some of
the principal persons of your court, to whom he has declared to have observed in you
infallible marks of declining strength, and of approaching incapacity for governing; from
which I conclude, that, if he has not really the project of deposing you by treachery or
violence, he is at least preparing the way for mounting the throne at your death; indeed his
whole conduct furnishes strong evidence that he has this in view. Now it is an old saying,
that a sovereign, who is surrounded by dangerous subjects, if he does not by a bold stroke put
an end at once to the conspiracies which are forming against him, will at last fall a victim to
his own timidity and want of resolution ; and what on the present occasion makes the bull the
more to be feared, are the consummate skill and knowledge of business which he possesses :
and however improbable the circumstance to which I have alluded may at this moment
appear, it is nevertheless the business of a wise man to take his precautions in time, before
any daring enterprise becomes ripe for execution. On this head men may be divided into
three classes : in the first place of two provident men, there is one, who on the occurrence of
an event, which although not quite unforeseen, was still little expected, does not immediately
take fright, and through distraction become unable to act, but without hesitation devises
means of escaping from his difficulties : then he, who is gifted with a greater degree of
foresight, though rarely to be met with, not only follows the approach of evil step by step, but
even represents the danger which threatens him to be greater than it really is, and takes his
measures accordingly with so much prudence and address, that he may be said to have stifled
the mischief in its birth : on the other hand the weak and irresolute man fluctuates between
the illusions of hope, and the visions of fear ; between the phantoms of his wishes, and the
promises of his imagination, till his protracted indecision occasions his ruin : but the truth of
this will be best illustrated by the history of the three fish, which were remarkable, the one
for its shrewdness, the second for possessing this quality in a greater degree, and the third for
its folly. These fish were in a pond on the top of a hill, very difficult of access, and a stream
had its source near the same spot‘ Now it happened that some fishermen having come to fish
in the stream, discovered the pond, and agreed to try their luck in it. The fish overheard their
conversation, and the first of the three immediately taking alarm, thought of nothing else but
of escaping, and therefore at once passed into the stream at the place where the water flowed
from it into the pond : the second remained where it was, but seeing that the fishermen began
to prepare their nets, and having therefore no longer any doubt of what they were going to
do, wished also to escape as the first had done, but found to its great surprise that the
fishermen had stopped up the hole ; it then began to accuse itself of want of foresight and
neglect ; but recollecting that it is the prerogative of good sense to impart courage, and to
banish all unreasonable fear, it pretended to be dead, and remained floating on the water,
turning alternately upon its back and its belly, till at length the fishermen took it out of the
water, and threw it upon the ground between the stream and the pond, upon which it gave a
sudden spring, jumped into the river, and swam away : but the foolish fish continued swim -
ing about unconcerned in the pond, till it was taken in the net.

The lion told Dimna, that lie understood his meaning, but did not think the bull would be
able to deceive him, or indeed that he was capable of intending him any hurt : that for his
own part, he had no injustice to reproach himself with ; on the contrary, had always made the
bull a partaker of his good fortune. The man of low origin, replied Dimna, will remain true to
his engagements, and shew himself to be an useful servant and faithful counsellor, as long as
it suits his views. When the rank and consideration which he enjoys leave him no longer any
superior, he advances higher in his pretensions, and will not even brook an equal : this is
especially the case with those, who having no fund of real merit to support their claims, have
recourse for their advancement to the basest arts ; and whilst they betray in their conduct the
violence which is done to their natural disposition by the semblance of integrity, which they
are obliged to assume, and the reluctance with which they discharge the duties, which
motives of interest alone prompt them to fulfil, they await the first ray of success which
dawns upon the schemes of their ambition and culpable aggrandisement, to throw off the
mask, and display their character in all its innate turpitude ; as the tail of a dog which is tied
up in order to make it straight, becomes crooked again as soon as the cord by which it was
bound is removed ; and the sovereign who rejects the advice of his counsellors, because the
truths which they wish to inculcate do not please his ear, forfeits all claim to good sense and
judgment, and can only be compared to the dying patient, who throws away the medicine
which his physician has prescribed, and will swallow nothing but what he himself chooses.
Moreover it is the duty of a sovereign in the government of his kingdom to direct his
attention to what may increase the nation's prosperity and his own honour, and keep off from
his people and himself injury and disgrace : the most faithful counsellor is he who gives his
advice with freedom ; the most desirable event that whose result is beneficial ; the most
respectable woman is she whose conduct leaves nothing to be desired by her husband ; the
sweetest praise is the approbation of good men; the brightest gems in a king's crown are
humanity and mildness; and the noblest quality of man's heart is the fear of God : and it has
been observed, that the man who has fire for his pillow, and is obliged to lie upon serpents, is
in a more enviable situation than another, who knowing that his friend is exasperated against
him, and aiming at his ruin, yet remains at his ease and unconcerned : on the other hand, the
weakest king is he who occupies himself with trifles, without paying any regard to future
events, and who like the furious elephant, giving himself up blindly to the guidance of his
passions, never fails, if affairs through his own mismanagement or idle indifference go
wrong, either to charge his people with treason, or his ministers with incapacity.

The lion observed to Dimna that his language was strong, that however it was the privilege
of a public servant of unimpeached fidelity to demand attention to his opinion ; but, says he,
it will not be in the power of Schanzabeh to do me any mischief, though he should really
have these hostile intentions; for, in the first place, his food is grass and mine flesh, and
therefore have it every moment in my power to make a meal of him ; and then I cannot
suppose him capable of such base ingratitude, as to repay the confidence with which I have
honoured him, and the consideration which he enjoys at my hands, by the ruin of his
benefactor ; and I should justly expose myself to the imputation of ignorance in my choice,
and of insincerity and perfidy in the protection which I promised him, were I to treat him
otherwise than as I have hitherto done. Let not the king deceive himself, answered Dimna, in
supposing that the difference of food can make Schanzabeh cease to be an object of suspicion
; what he cannot accomplish by himself, he will contrive means to effect by the assistance of
others ; and, true, is, that a person whose character , is unknown, is a dangerous guest for
even an hour ; and I hope the king may not meet with a similar fate to what the bug
experienced from the flea, as is thus related : A bug had taken up his quarters. in the bed of a
rich man, who sleeping , very soundly was neither sensible of its travels over his body, nor
even felt it when it was sucking his blood ; the bug having continued this during sometime,
invited a flea one night to come, and partake of his comfortable birth and good fare, which
the latter accepted, and as soon as the man retired to bed, it bit him, and being awakened by
the pain he got up, and ordered his bed to be searched ; but on examination nothing could be
found but the bug, which being caught was put to death in the usual way, and the flea
escaped unhurt : and it is thus with a wicked man, who, if he is himself too weak to become
the instrument of injury, at least contrives to bring it about by his skill and management ; and
this will probably be the line of conduct which Schanzabeh will adopt; wherefore it would be
right, if not to take immediate and open precautions against him, at least to be on your guard
against that which he will excite others to do.

These last words of Dimna appeared to make some impression upon the lion, who asked him
in consequence what he would recommend to be done. A tooth, he replied, which is decayed
will never cease to ache, as long as it remains in the mouth ; nor is there any other remedy for
the disagreeable sensation arising from having eaten unwholesome food, than that which will
remove it from the stomach, which is the seat of the disorder. The application of these
maxims to the case of a dangerous enemy points at once to the necessity of taking away his
life. The lion told Dimna, that the effect of his discourse was by no means favourable to
Schanzabeh, and seeing that it was no longer safe to have him near his person, he would send
for him, and tell him what should be the place of his retirement : but this determination was
embarrassing to Dimna, who was well aware, that when the lion saw Schanzabeh, and heard
his defence, he would discover the falsehood of the accusations against him, and that his own
conduct would appear in its true light ; he therefore endeavoured to dissuade the lion from
sending for Schanzabeh, which he represented as a very imprudent step to take, for that
Schanzabeh, suspecting from this what was in agitation, would assume a haughty tone, and
behave disrespectfully towards the king, or would perhaps make his escape with feelings of
vengeance in his heart, and the power of making it appear, that he had been treated with
harshness and severity ; for it is not prudent in a sovereign, said he, to let it be seen that the
punishment of any one has been determined upon, before his guilt has been established by
trial ; and though for an open crime against the state a public punishment is allotted, it is
perfectly consonant to justice that a concealed and dark plot should be counteracted by secret
means. Upon this the king observed, that the punishment of a person on bare suspicion
without any positive proof of guilt is a manifest injustice, and a stretch of arbitrary power. If
these are the sentiments of the king, answered Dimna, I hope at least that he will not suffer
Schanzabeh to approach him without being prepared against the arts which he will employ to
prove his innocence, and which may possibly not be confined to words, but extended to some
act of violence highly insulting to the dignity of your majesty ; and I am persuaded that the
king will discover from his manner and deportment, notwithstanding his attempts to conceal
it, that some great scheme is at the bottom of his thoughts : the surest signs will be, if he
betrays in his behaviour the marks of great inward agitation, by changing countenance at the
sight of your majesty, and by tossing his head, like a bull who is going to butt with his horns.
The lion assured Dimna that lie would be fully upon his guard, and should require no other
proofs of the evil intentions of Schanzabeh, than the symptoms which had been noticed.

Dimna having so far succeeded in his endeavours to prepossess the lion against the bull,
determined to go immediately to Schanzabeh, in order, if possible, to exasperate him against
the lion, and leave an ominous impression on his mind with respect to the reception which he
was likely to meet with ; for he was afraid, if what had already passed should reach the bull's
ears, that it would defeat his whole purpose of ruining him : he therefore begged permission
of the king to go to Schanzabeh, promising to make a report of all that he should see and
hear, that might be worth knowing for the sake of the intended interview ; and having
obtained the consent of the lion, he went to the hull with all the appearance of a person in the
greatest sorrow and affliction; and being asked, what had been the occasion of his long
absence, which was calculated to raise some doubts of the sincerity of his friendship, lie
answered in a mysterious manner, that there was no security for a person, who was entirely
dependent on the will of another, and whose existence was in the hands of one in whom no
trust or confidence could be placed, and where not a moment passed, that lie was not
threatened with the loss of property and life. You ask me, Schanzabeh, what has brought me
into this state of despair; nothing certainly, but what was determined by fate, to whose
decision we must all submit. It is written in the book of destiny, that the great man should be
insolent, the fortunate become indifferent and careless, the intemperate subject to loss and
dissappointment, and the lover of women deceived ; that he who asks a pittance of the
covetous should meet with a refusal, that the companion of the wicked should experience no
peace of mind, nor the favourite of a king place reliance on the security which he appears to
enjoy ; for kings have not been unaptly compared, on account of the unsteadiness of their
attachment to those whom they have honoured with their protection and friendship, and for
the facility with which they cast off their old associates, to a coquet who dismisses one lover
with the same ease and indifference, with which she favours the assiduities of another.
Schanzabeh here remarked to Dimna, that from the tenour of his observations he appeared to
be alarmed at something which had passed between him and the lion. True, said Dimna, but
it is not a matter which is personal to me. In whom then, asked Schanzabeh, do you take so
lively an interest? You shall know all, said Dimna. In the first place, you have not forgotten
what passed between us on the first day of our meeting, and the proofs of regard which I then
sheaved you : the same sentiments oblige me now to make you acquainted with the fruits of
my observation of the conduct of the lion, and to point out to you the dangers to which you
are exposed from your relations to him. I have been informed by a person of great respect-
ability, and who is incapable of asserting what is not true, that the lion on one occasion re-
marked to some of his attendants, that the fatness of the bull surprised him, and that, as he
had no longer any occasion for his services, he was determined to kill him, and invite his
court to partake of his flesh. I no sooner heard this, than, knowing the irascibility of the lion's
temper and his bad faith, I made up my mind to come to you and discharge a debt of
friendship, by putting you upon your guard against the snare which is laying for you.

Schanzabeh no sooner heard these words, which the winning frankness of Dinina made him
believe without a moment's hesitation, than he expressed his anxiety to know, on what ac-
count the lion could possibly be angry with him, as he was not conscious of ever having
corn- mitted any crime against him or any one in his service, and therefore could only
attribute to the artful and false representations of some secret enemy the displeasure which he
had excited ; for the society of the wicked, said he, always begets a bad opinion of the good ;
and the lion, by listening on this occasion to the calumnies which have been circulated
against an innocent person, and fixing his suspicions in the quarter where they are unmerited,
has committed a mistake like that of the goose, who seeing the reflection of a star in the
water, thought it was a fish, and endeavoured to catch it, and having repeated the attempt
several times, discovered its error; but observing on the morrow what was really a fish, and
concluding it to be only what it had seen on the preceding day, made no exertion to get
possession of it : and in the same manner the lion, having on some former occasion been
deceived by some worthless courtier, has lent a ready ear to all the slanderous reports
concerning me, and 1 who am innocent am made to suffer, because the world has not at all
times been as free from fault as myself; but if no report injurious to my reputation has
reached the lion, and he is act- ing entirely from his own caprice, his conduct is the more
unaccountable, because it is painful to think that the best services of a friend should meet
with no adequate return, and doubly so to find them repaid with ingratitude and persecution.
When the anger which a person conceives against his friend is well founded, satisfaction is at
no great distance, and reconciliation speedily follows : but when the occasion of dislike has
taken its rise in some imaginary affront, all hopes of reconciliation are at an end ; and how
can there be any good fellowship in the world, if friends, with a view of not giving offence to
those with whom they are on habits of intimacy, are obliged to be constantly on their guard
against what may have the most remote tendency to excite displeasure. But to this rigid
observance of rules in the business of the heart, the man of feeling and sense will offer every
mitigation in his power ; he will consider, whether the friend with whom he has reason to be
dissatisfied has erred through inadvertence or design, and whether the pardon of his fault
would be followed by consequences which it would be improper to overlook ; in a word, his
aim is to find out a motive not for condemnation, but for reconciliation and forgiveness. Now
I am not aware of having furnished the lion with any reasons for being dissatisfied with me,
unless it is that I have sometimes held a contrary opinion from him, which, however
injudicious on my part, was still the result of what I considered to be the faithful discharge of
my duties towards him : if unfortunately he has referred my conduct to other motives, if he
has ascribed it to a want of due respect, and a bold opposition of his will and pleasure, I do
not plead guilty to the accusation, for in the advice which I have given, his interest and the
claims of justice have ever been my guides ; and so far from communicating to any of his
ministers or his court what on these occasions has passed between us, I have avoided every
chance of publicity, by choosing the moment when I have had the honour of being alone with
him, to urge my reasons in respectful but at the same time dignified language, knowing, that
whoever looks for complaisance from his friends in the advice which they give, or from wise
men in their judgment about a difficult matter, or expects that the physician should
accommodate the medicine to his palate, and not to the nature of his disease, pays dearly, and
is alone answerable, for the consequences of his unreasonable demands ; but if the sudden
change in the king's sentiments may not be traced to this cause, it may possibly have its
source in a state of mind produced by his approaching end, so uncertain is the friendship of
sovereigns, and so speedily is their favour often withdrawn in a moment, when they are
lavishing marks of esteem : or possibly, however incredible it may appear, my real merit,
which the king has witnessed, may be the cause of my disgrace, unless in short I must
attribute it to the inevitable effect of destiny. It is fate, which robs the lion of his strength, and
lays him in the dust ; it places the timid man on the back of the fierce elephant, and gives
victory over the venomous serpent; it bestows foresight on the improvident, adds energy to
the sluggard, and enlarges the bounty of the miser ; it imparts boldness to the coward, and
damps the ardour of the rash, according to an uninterrupted and necessary chain of causes
and effects.

Here Dimna assured Schanzabeh, that the lion had not been excited against him by the
machinations of wicked people, nor was it the result of irritability arising from a morbid state
of body, or any accidental cause ; but of the suggestions of his own bad disposition, which
took delight in treachery and deceit, but which in the end would find the sweetness of crime
converted into the bitterness of death. It is I, replied Schanzabeh, who am destined to see the
charms of the life which I have hitherto led, end in my destruction; like the bee, who having
settled upon the water lily, was detained so long by the agreeableness of its smell and taste,
that the night came on, and the flower closed upon and killed her ; and so it is in the world,
whoever is not contented with the measure of good things which falls to his lot, and such as
his wants require, but raises his eye to objects far above him, without looking to the conse-
quences of his immoderate desires, resembles the fly, which was not satisfied with the food
which the trees and herbs afforded, but wished to taste the water, which flowed from the
elephant's ear, and was killed for its temerity. Whoever bestows his friendship on an
unworthy object, is sowing his seed in a salt soil ; and whoever gives his advice unasked
from motives of self-satisfaction and compla- result of irritability arising from a morbid state
of body, or any accidental cause ; but of the suggestions of his own bad disposition, which
took delight in treachery and deceit, but which in the end would find the sweetness of crime
converted into the bitterness of death. It is I, replied Schanzabeh, who am destined to see the
charms of the life which I have hitherto led, end in my destruction; like the bee, who having
settled upon the water lily, was detained so long by the agreeableness of its smell and taste,
that the night came on, and the flower closed upon and killed her ; and so it is in the world,
whoever is not contented with the measure of good things which falls to his lot, and such as
his wants require, but raises his eye to objects far above him, without looking to the conse-
quences of his immoderate desires, resembles the fly, which was not satisfied with the food
which the trees and herbs afforded, but wished to taste the water, which flowed from the
elephant's ear, and was killed for its temerity. Whoever bestows his friendship on an
unworthy object, is sowing his seed in a salt soil ; and whoever gives his advice unasked
from motives of self-satisfaction and compla-mands of the king. Then the lion promised him,
that be should remain in perfect security, and have every thing that he could require for his
support ; and things continued on this footing during some time. It happened after this that
the lion went out one morning in search of prey, and met with an elephant, from whom he
had great difficulty to escape ; and even this not without having been severely wounded, so
much so, that he was scarcely able, through weakness from the loss of blood, to crawl to his
den, where he lay many days unable to move, and in danger of starving from want of food,
which it was out of his power to procure for himself, and the wolf, the crow, and the jackal
fared equally ill, for they were in the habit of feeding upon what the lion left. The lion,
observing that they grew thin, expressed his concern at their being deprived of their victuals ;
but they assured him that it was on his and not on their own account that they felt uneasy ;
upon which he thanked them for this proof of attachment, and desired them to go out and
look for some game for him and themselves. Upon this the wolf, the crow, and the jackal,
went forth, and consulted together what was to be done, and their thoughts fell upon
contriving some expedient how to kill the camel, who would be a good meal for themselves
and the lion. The jackal observed that the plan would be attended with much difficulty,
because the lion had promised the camel his protection. The crow said, if this is the only
obstacle, it may be soon removed, and I will undertake to procure the lion's consent : so he
went to him immediately, and being asked what success they had had, replied, that the state
of weakness in which he and his two companions were, from having fasted so long, had
made it quite impossible for them to catch any game in the woods, but that they only waited
for his permission to put into execution a scheme which they had formed for killing the
camel, who was passing his time unprofitably amongst them in idleness and inactivity,
without making any return whatever for the kindness which he had experienced. At this
proposition the lion grew angry, and reproached the crow with his bad faith and shallow pre-
texts, and asked how he could have the audacity to come to him with such a proposal, which
was at variance with the promise of security given to the camel ; and he added, that the most
enlarged charity never found a greater recompense than the inward satisfaction which a
generous soul feels in having quieted the alarm and apprehension of a fellow creature in
distress, and that the camel had never in the slightest degree excited his displeasure, or given
him reason to repent of the reception which he had afforded him. The crow told the lion he
was prepared for what he had said, as he knew the goodness of his heart, but that policy com-
manded and justice did not forbid, that the interest of the multitude should be preferred
before that of an individual, and a single life offered up for the sake of many ; that it was by
no means uncommon for a whole family to be sacrificed in order to save a tribe, which on a
greater occasion might itself become the price of the city's security ; add to this, said he, the
example of many a country, which has been unable to ransom its sovereign on any other
terms than the captivity of thousands of its inhabitants, and the king will surely see the
necessity, in the circumstances in which he is placed, of listening to what I have proposed, to
which at the same time he will not appear to have been a party, but the execution will be so
artfully and prudently contrived that he will reap the profit without having been guilty of any
crime in procuring it.

The lion having made no answer to this last remark, the crow was convinced that his aver-
sion to the scheme was insensibly abating ; upon which he hastened to his companions, and
informing them of what had taken place, concerted with them, that they should meet together
with the camel at the lion's den ; and shewing signs of the deepest sorrow and affliction at the
state in which they found him, should offer themselves in turn as food for their master,
agreeing at the same time that the proposal of the first should be met by objections on the
part of the other two, and so successively. The plan being thus previously arranged, they
went to the lion, and the crow began by observing to him, that his weak and forlorn condition
had not escaped the notice of himself and companions, and that they felt it to be their duty, to
offer their lives for the reestablishment of the health and strength of one, to whom they were
so much indebted, and on whom they were entirely dependent ; and concluded by entreating
the king to accept of him as a meal. Upon this the wolf and the jackal remarked to the crow,
that it was presumption in him to suppose that he could satisfy the king with so small a
morsel. The jackal then went through the same ceremony of pretended devotion to the
service of the lion, and met with similar opposition from the wolf and crow, who observed to
him, that his flesh stunk. To the apparently disinterested offer of the wolf, the crow and the
jackal replied, that according to the saying of the physicians the eating of wolves' flesh occa-
sioned instant death. The camel, who had listened attentively to all that was said, and did not
doubt that an excuse would be found for rejecting a similar offer on his part, thought this a
favourable opportunity of proving to the lion his sense of gratitude for the favours he had
received, and for securing their continuance, and observed, that the reasons which had been
advanced against eating the crow, the jackal, or the wolf, did not apply to him ; that his flesh
was wholesome and easy of digestion, and there would be enough both for the king and his
attendants. The crow, the jackal, and the wolf, contrary to the expectations of the camel,
agreed with him in what he had said, and corn-plimenting him on the nobleness and
generosity of his conduct, instantly rushed upon him, and killed him. You see therefore,
continued Schanzabeh, that if the companions of the lion are really bent on my destruction,
neither my own exertions, nor even the good will of the king, will be of any service to me.
The best of sovereigns is he, who is just in his actions, and this. I believe to be a
characteristic of the lion ; but how easily may his favourable sentiments towards me be
changed by the reports and insinuations which are industriously circulated to my prejudice,
for the effect of calumny repeatedly uttered on the mind of a person of apparently the most
unperverted rectitude and unconquerable candour, is no less certain, than that of the drop of
water which successively falling upon a stone gradually though imperceptibly penetrates its
hard surface. What then, says Dirnna, do you think of doing ? Nothing remains for me,
answered Schanzabeh, if I am obliged to try my strength with the lion, but to do my utmost to
come off victorious from the struggle. The prayer of the devout is a worthy homage, the gift
of the charitable a meritorious offering, and the piety of the religious man an acceptable
sacrifice ; but the reward which attends the successful efforts of one who is contending for
his life in a good cause, is infinitely greater. Dimna said, that it was the height of folly to
expose one's self in person to certain danger, when other means of escaping were at hand ;
that a prudent man will never have recourse to measures of open violence, till he has
exhausted the resources of intrigue and secret management ; and that this in the present
instance would be the best course to pursue ; for how could the lion, strong and powerful as
he is, be successfully, if openly, opposed ; and, on the other hand, instances were not wanting
to prove the fortunate issue of stratagem and contrivance.

On a certain occasion the hen bird of a species of sea fowl, called Titawi, said to the cock, I
wish we could find a secure place to hatch our young, for I am afraid that the genius of the
sea will discover them, and take them away. The cock desired her to remain where she was,
as there was plenty of food ; upon which she reproached him with his inconsiderateness, but
received thesame answer, with some observations on the unreasonableness of her alarm. The
hen still persisted in urging her apprehensions, and cautioned the cock not to treat so lightly
what she said, reminding him of what happened to the tortoise for not attending to the advice
of the two geese, who, being in the same pond with him, and living on terms of intimacy and
friendship, were unwilling to go away, when the too great decrease of the water made their
departure necessary, without taking leave of him. The tortoise observed to them, that the
diminution of the water was more a reason for his departure, as he was almost as helpless on
dry land as a ship, than for theirs, and begged that they would take him with them ; to which
they agreed, and for that purpose desired him to suspend himself from the middle of a long
piece of wood, one end of which each of them would take hold of, and in this manner fly
away with him, strictly forbidding him to utter a sound. They bad not flown far, when some
persons below, seeing what was passing over their heads, and crying out from astonishment,
the tortoise, alarmed at the discovery, and forgetting the injunctions which he had received,
expressed aloud his wish, that their eyes might be plucked out; and losing his hold upon
opening his mouth, fell to the ground and was killed. This account made no impression upon
the cock bird, but the predictions of the hen proved too true ; for shortly after, the genius of
the sea came and took away her brood. An altercation then ensued between the cock and the
hen; the latter asserting, as is common enough, that she knew she was right, and her mate
declaring vengeance against his enemy; so he immediately repaired to the assembly of the
birds, and appealing to them as his relations and friends, implored their assistance ; upon
which it was determined that the matter should be laid before the whole feathered race ; by
whom it was at length agreed upon to address themselves to their sovereign, who would
certainly listen to the complaint, and call forth the whole force of his kingdom to avenge the
wrong done to one of his subjects ; and they were not disappointed in their expectations.
Now as soon as the genius of the sea became acquainted with the preparations for hostility
which were going to commence against him, he was afraid of engaging in a contest of which
he foresaw that the issue would be unfavourable, and therefore restored the young ones of the
Titawi. I recommend to you therefore on the present occasion, continued Dimna, to use as
much prudence, and not risk your life on the event of a battle with the lion. Schanzabeh
replied, that so far from wishing to contend with the lion, he had never given occasion for
any subject of dispute, either in his public conduct or by any secret intrigue, nor ever been
wanting in respect up to the present moment.

This meekness and humility on the part of Schanzabeh did not please Dimna, who knew that
if the lion did not discover in the behaviour and deportment of the bull the symptoms of
dissatisfaction and rebellion which he had predicted, he should be suspected himself. He
therefore begged Schanzabeh to go to the lion, and convince himself in person of the truth of
what he had told him ; adding, that he would find him sitting in an erect posture, with
flaming eyes, pricking up his ears, and with his mouth open ready to rush upon him : and
Schanzabeh allowed, that if he found him as thus described, all doubt would be removed
from his mind. Dimna having thus succeeded in prepossessing in the first instance the lion
against the bull, and in having left on the mind of the bull unfavourable impressions as to the
intentions of the lion, lost no time in returning to Kalila, who was desirous of hearing some
account of what he had done; and was informed by Dimna, that the accomplishment of their
mutual wishes was very near at hand. They then went together to be present at the battle
between the lion and the bull, being curious to see the issue of the business : about the same
time Schanzabeh arrived, and found the lion as Dimna had told him would be the case ; upon
which he exclaimed, that the friend of a sovereign is like a man, who carries about a serpent
in his bosom, against whose sting he is never secure : at these words the lion looking
stedfastly at the bull, no longer doubted of his intentions, and itnmediately sprung upon him.
The contest which was very furious lasted some time, and was at intervals doubtful, till at
length Kalila, remarking that the lion had the advantage, observed to Dimna, that the power
of a sovereign with his corn-panions was like that of the sea with its waves, and that the
exhortations which he had given him might be summed up in the advice of the man to the
bird, not to meddle in matters that do not promise success, and may be attended with danger:
A number of monkeys who lived on a mountain were wishing on a cold, windy, and rainy
night for a fire to warm themselves ; at last they saw a glow-worm, and thinking that it was a
spark of fire, they got together a quantity of wood and threw it upon it, and blew upon it, in
order to produce a flame : not far off there was a bird upon a tree, which, observing what
they were doing, cried out to them, and endeavoured to convince them of their error. This
scene attracted the attention of a man, who was passing by ; who told the bird, that it was
wasting both its time and patience ; that no one thought of proving a sword upon a stubborn
impenetrable stone, or of making a bow out of a piece of wood that would not bend. The bird
however, without attending to him, flew to the monkeys, to prove to them that the glow-
worm was not fire; and was taken up by one of them, dashed upon the ground, and killed.
And this case applies exactly to you, brother, continued Kalila, and my advice has found no
better success in the endeavours which I have used to detach you from the course of
treachery and wickedness in which you are engaged, two qualities equally bad, though the
former is generally more fatal in its consequences, as instanced in the following story ; where
it is related, that a fraudulent and an inconsiderate man were partners in trade, and 'having set
out on a journey together, it happened whilst they were travelling, that the inconsiderate man
had occasion to stop, and accidentally discovered a purse containing a thousand dinars lying
on the ground, which he took up, and put into his pocket, but not without having been
observed by his companion. At length as they were returning home, and had nearly reached
the town where they lived, they sat down to divide the money ; the inconsiderate man
desiring his partner to take half, and he would keep the remainder for himself : but this
proposal was not at all agreeable to the fraudulent partner, who had already formed the plan
in his own mind of getting the whole sum for himself : he therefore remarked, that it would
appear as if they mutually distrusted each other, were they to divide the treasure which had
so unexpectedly fallen into their possession ; that friends should have every thing in
common, without admitting any distinction of property ; that it would therefore be better for
each to take what he wanted for his present expences, and to bury the rest at the foot of a tree,
which was near them, and return for more as often as they had occasion for it ; by this means
the secret of their good fortune would remain undivulged, and they would not attract
extraordinary notice by the appearance of having become suddenly very rich. This then was
agreed upon, and each took as much of the money as he chose ; the remainder was buried at
the foot of the tree, and they returned home. Shortly after, the fraudulent man came in the
absence of his partner, and carried away the bag with its contents, taking care to make the
ground smooth and level again, that there might be no suspicion of its having been turned up.
In a few days the inconsiderate man having occasion for a fresh supply, communicated his
wishes to his partner, and desired him to accompany him to the tree, that they might both at
the same time and in concert take what they wanted. Upon their arrival, having dug a
sufficient depth, and finding nothing, the fraudulent man, with all the signs of despair and
disappointment, reproached his friend with roguery, and with his endeavour to conceal it
under the mask of uprightness and candour, and accused him of having stolen the money
privately. The other persisted in asserting his innocence, till at length, after a long and violent
altercation, they agreed to refer the matter to the judge ; before whom the same scene being
renewed, each accusing his partner of the theft, which the other as strenuously denied, the
judge asked the fraudulent man if he could adduce any proof of the truth of his assertions ; he
immediately appealed to the tree, which he declared would bear witness to the veracity of all
that he had said ; and this he did with the greater confidence, as he had previously directed
his father to go and conceal himself in the hollow of the trunk, that he might return an answer
in the name of the tree. This proposal surprised the judge; so he went with his attendants and
the parties, and being arrived at the tree, put the necessary question to it, to which the old
man replied, that it was the inconsiderate man who had been guilty of the fraud. The
astonishment of the judge became greater after hearing these words, and considering that the
business deserved a closer investigation, he commanded wood to be brought and fires to be
lighted round the tree, which beginning to burn, the old prisoner was alarmed for his safety,
and cried out for help ; and being released, just as he was on the point of perishing in the
flames, confessed the imposture ; upon which the judge sentenced both father and son, the
latter to a severe, and the former to a lighter punishment, exposed them on horseback in the
streets, fined the fraudulent man the amount of the sum, which he had surreptitiously
obtained, and gave it to his injured partner. You see therefore, brother Dimna, that the effects
of treachery and deceit generally fall on the heads of those who have practised them, and it is
on this account that your conduct, stamped with the mark of daring wickedness, joined to the
most subtle and artful contrivance, and which proves to me that you have as it were two faces
and two tongues, makes me apprehensive for your safety. Integrity of heart is incompatible
with the restlessness of uncontrolled passion, as the water of the river only remains sweet, till
it has reached the sea. Instead of resembling the honest man, who has no corrupt inclination,
you are more like the adder, which carries the poison under its tongue ; or the serpent, which
having been brought up, fed, handled, and caressed, at length stings its benefactor. It is an old
saying, Make a friend of the intelligent and nobleminded man ; (but those, brother, are not
your characteristics.) If your companion be a man of understanding and generosity, his
society is the more desirable, and though he be intelligent without possessing a noble mind,
still his friendship is of value. Where the two qualities are united, the possession of them
leaves nothing more to be desired. Good -sense unaccompanied by any laudable disposition
has claims to consideration and regard, as affording scope for discrimination in reaping the
advantages of talents, which are not under the control of amiable affections ; on the other
hand honour and integrity, though not associated with learning, have tan undisputed title to
respect and esteem, when you can apply your own information in aid of your friend's
uninstructed virtues ; but where want of talent is united with want of character, the person
who is thus destitute of all accomplishments, will never repay the time and pains, which are
employed in cultivating his acquaintance. The acknowledged truth of these remarks
convinces me, Dimna, that must not expect from you either sincere attachment or the fruits of
good behaviour, after the return which you have made to the favour and distinctions which
your sovereign has heaped upon you. You remind me of the story of the merchant, who said
that if there was a country, in which the mice were able to eat an hundred pounds of iron, the
hawks might very well be supposed capable of destroying the elephants. The story is thus
related.

A merchant who possessed an hundred pounds of iron, being obliged to be absent for a few
days, entrusted his stock to the care of a friend, and having at his return demanded to have it
restored to him, was answered, that the mice had eaten it ; to which he made no other reply
than that he had heard of the sharpness of their teeth in biting iron, removing by this
declaration all suspicion of incredulity : but as he was going away, he chanced to meet the
son of his friend, and seizing him, led him away to his own house. On the morrow the father
came to him in great haste, to ask if he knew any thing of his son : the merchant told him,
that as he was returning home the preceding day, he saw a hawk carry off a young lad, who
probably might be his son. Is it credible, exclaimed the father, or was it ever heard of, that a
hawk carried away a little child ? Indeed, answered the merchant, in a country, where the
mice can eat an hundred pounds of iron, it is not incredible that hawks should be able to carry
offthe elephants. Upon this the father confessed his theft, paid the merchant the price of his
iron, and demanded in return his son : you see therefore how little dependence can be placed
upon a man, who does not scruple to deceive his companion ; and how perishable a thing
friendship is, when founded on professions, which the heart does not approve; where the gift
of love is not received with gratitude, where advice is thrown away upon a deaf ear, and
confidential intercourse is every moment in danger of being betrayed. The society of the
good is productive of corresponding advantages, whilst the fellowship of the wicked is
attended by very opposite results, in the same manner as the zephyr which fans the aromatic
shrub, becomes impregnated with its delicious smell, whilst the wind which has passed over
a corrupt substance, carries pollution on its wings.

Kalila here left off speaking, and in the mean time the lion, having executed his purpose of
destroying the bull, began to reflect on what he had done ; and his anger giving way to softer
feelings, he spoke aloud his sorrow at the death of Schanzabeh, whom he acknowledged to
have been possessed of understanding and judgment, and of an amiable disposition, and
whom he allowed to have been probably innocent of the crimes laid to his charge, and to
have fallen a victim to the calumnies and false accusations of his enemies. He was in this
state of uneasiness and dissatisfaction with himself, which was visibly depicted on his
countenance, when Dimna, after congratulating him on his success, enquired the cause of his
present sadness ; and being informed, that it was on account of the loss of Schanzabeh, who
had so many good qualities to recommend him, he took the liberty of representing to the
king, that it was unbecoming in a man of his sense and wisdom to be afflicted at the death of
one whom he feared ; that sometimes indeed a prudent man, notwithstanding his dislike of a
person, might think it advisable to make use of his services, if he found that he was possessed
of ability and talent, in the same manner as he would submit to a disagreeable remedy in
hopes of being cured of an obstinate disease ; but even then the favour which he shews him is
generally of short duration, and the manner of his fall usually declares the apprehensions
entertained of the mischief he might do ; as a person who has been bitten in the finger by a
serpent, proves the magnitude of the danger, which he fears may arise from the poison to his
whole body, by cutting off' the hand. This satisfied the lion for some time, till at length
having discovered the treachery and villany of Dimna, he proceeded to punish him in an
exemplary manner.
CHAPTER 6

INVESTIGATION OF THE CONDUCT OF DIMNA

DABSCIIELIM the king said to Bidpai the philosopher, Well, you have detailed to me the
means by which this slanderer and detractor was able to destroy the intimacy which subsisted
between the two friends ; I now wish to be informed of what became of Dimna after the
death of Schanzabeh, when the lion, seeing the case of the bull in its true light, proceeded to
submit the arts of treachery and villany, to which he had fallen a victim, to a strict
investigation. The philosopher replied, that it was related in the history of Dimna that the
lion, after he had killed Schanzabeh, expressed great sorrow and concern at his death, and
often spoke with feeling and warmth of the pleasure which he had found in his society, as
well as of the benefit which be had derived from his services ; that he had been the most
favoured and distinguished of all his attendants, possessing unlimited freedom of access to
his person, and consulted on occasions, when no other was allowed the same privilege.

Now next to the bull no one enjoyed, the confidence of the lion in so great a degree as the
leopard ; and as he was returning home one night, having spent the evening with his master,
he had to pass by the house of Kalila and Dimna ; and as he reached the door, he heard Kalila
expostulating with his brother on the atrocity of his conduct, and blaming him for his
treachery and deceit, and especially for the use which he had made of them to the prejudice
of the respect which is due to persons of consideration and power. The leopard having thus
found a clue to the perfidy of Dinina in the dissatisfaction expressed by his brother, listened
with great attention to their conversation, and overheard Kalila speak in the following terms :
You have embarked, brother, in an enterprise pregnant with dangers, and of which the issue
will lead to your destruction, as soon as your conduct, together with the arts by which you
have disgraced it, becomes known to the lion. No one will have the power or inclination to
espouse your cause, because contempt for the meanness of which you have been guilty,
joined to a dread of the further mischief which you may be able to effect, will point to an
exem-platy punishment as the only safe means of precaution which can be taken against your
contrivances in future. From this moment I disclaim all connection and familiarity with you,
for the wisdom of ages has pronounced, that he, who has no title to esteem, is also unworthy
of confidence; besides I am bound to consult '6y own interest and safety, for I shall not fail to
be implicated in your crime, and to be thought to approve of what you have done, if the lion
observes that I am on the same intimate footing with you as formerly. The leopard after this
returned, and went to the mother of the lion, and having obtained from her a promise, that she
would not divulge any thing of what he should communicate to her, he acquainted her with
the conversation which he had overheard between Kalila and Dianna : then as soon as she
was up in the morning, she went to the lion, and seeing that he was still very low and out of
spirits, enquired the reason, and her son informed her, that the death of Schanzabeh was ever
present to his mind, and that his sorrow at his untimely end was rendered more poignant by
the reflection, that he had at the same time lost a friend and a counsellor. His mother told
him, that self-accusation was the severest and most painful of all feelings, and that he had ex -
posed himself to the pangs of remorse and conscious guilt which he felt, by his intemperate
haste in putting Schanzabeh to death without sufficient proof of his clime and added, that she
was only restrained by the recollection of the turpitude which attached to a breach of trust in
divulging what had been placed under the seal of secresy, from explaining herself more fully
to him. The lion replied, that the sayings of wise men, under which she sheltered her reserve,
were to be interpreted with great latitude, and were capable of different modifications ac-
cording to circumstances, and desired her therefore not to withhotd from him any
information, which it was important for him to know. Upon this his mother related to him the
whole of what she had heard from the leopard, whom however she did not mention by name,
observing, that though she was by no means convinced of the lawfulness of publishing what
had been confidentially entrusted to her, still she had not hesitated to prefer his interest,
which would be essentially promoted by the disclosure she had made, to that of others, to
whom it might probably be fatal, whose pertinacity in their attempts to deceive the king
deserved to be brought to light and punished, lest foolish and ignorant men, judging of the
innocence of the means by the success which attends them, should find an excuse for the
impudence and want of decency with which they attack the good and virtuous.

As soon as his mother had done speaking, the lion commanded the presence of all his at-
tendants, and being unable to suppress the painful emotions which agitated him, Dimna no
sooner remarked the symptoms of sorrow and sadness on his countenance and in his manner,
than turning to one of his companions, he asked what had happened to distress the king. The
mother of the lion answered him in an angry tone, that his presence was the cause of the un-
easiness which he pretended to deplore, and gave him plainly to understand, that he would
not be suffered to live many hours longer. Dimna replied, that the threat which had been
pronounced against him, if carried into execution, would leave nothing more to be dreaded
by him ; yet he could not believe that the king and his court would expose themselves to the
risk of taking part with evil-disposed persons., That the contagious example and dangerous
alliance of the wicked was one reason, why religious men withdrew themselves from the
commerce of mankind, and sought their safety and peace of mind in retirement and the
practice of devotional duties ; looking up for the recompense of their good actions to Him,
who repays according to the deserts of every one, and not to the world, where purity of
conduct is not only often unrewarded, but even entails misery on the virtuous and honest,
however contrary this is to the upright and equitable conduct due from the subjects of a king ;
and it has been said, whoever confounds the nature of things, is liable to be drawn into error
by specious appearances, like the woman in the fable, who mistook her servant for her lover.
 It is told of a merchant in a certain city, that he was married to a woman of great beauty and
accomplishments. There was also in the same city a painter, who was very intimate with the
wife of the merchant ; so she desired him to think of some means, by which she might be
apprised of his coming to visit her, without exciting any suspicion of the familiarity which
subsisted be tween them. The painter told her, that this was by no means difficult, for that he
was possessed of a dress of different colours, and very curiously worked with figures, which
on such occasions he would put on, and that she would be able to know him at a distance ;
this therefore took place a few days after, and every thing went of to their mutual
satisfaction: but it happened that the servant of the wife, who had been a witness of what was
passing, was struck with astonishment at what he saw, and determined to take advantage of
the discovery which he had made; and as he was acquainted with the painter's maid, he
begged her to lend him the dress, that he might spew it to a friend, and promised to return it,
before her master should call for it. The maid made no difficulty in giving it to him, upon
which he put it on, and went to the spot to which he bad observed the painter go ; and his
mistress, not doubting that it was her lover, immediately joined him, and during the whole
time that she was with him, betrayed no symptoms of suspicion or distrust. When the meet-
ing was over, the servant carried back the dress to the maid, who, as her master was absent,
had sufficient time to put it in its proper place again.

In the evening the painter came home, and putting on his dress as usual, presented himself to
his female friend ; who, rushing out to meet him, asked him, why he had so soon repeated his
visit. The painter, being surprised at the question, lost no time in returning to his house, and
calling for his maid, threatened to put her to death, if she did not satisfactorily account to him
for what had happened ; upon which the maid made a full confession of all that had passed,
and the painter took his dress and burnt it. Dimna added, that he had related this story, to
spew the king the danger of too great haste in the decision of a difficult matter, and not
through any fear of death, which, though by no means an agreeable event, was stripped of
many of its terrors, by the knowledge that it would inevitably sooner or later take place ; that,
besides this, had he a hundred lives, he would readily sacrifice them to please the king. One
of those who were present, observing to Dimna that he could not discover in what he said any
attachment to the king, but only an attempt to excuse himself; he indignantly replied, How
can anyone be blamed, who, feeling warmly for his own honour and safety, endeavours to
screen himself from the consequences of an attack upon his reputation and life 1 and on what
occasion can a man exert himself with greater right than in his own defence I I discover in
the reproach which you have made me, the predominant passions of envy and hatred, which
are the offspring of your bad heart, and render you unworthy to serve the king, or even
appear at his court. This rebuke from Dimna made his adversary retire, but called forth from
the mother of the lion an expression of surprise at his effrontery, and want of decency in the
language which he had held. Dimna told her, that her prepossessions against him, and the
partiality which she spewed to his accusers, obliged him to speak as he had done ; that his
miserable condition deprived him of the means of taking precautions against the contrivances
of his enemies, who having the ear of the king, could invent and procure belief for what
stories they pleased, in order to effect his ruin and disgrace ; that the lot of persons at the
court of a sovereign was by no means enviable, living as they necessarily must in continual
uncertainty, as to the duration of royal favour, and exposed to the risk of losing, by an
untimely word or an incantious expression, their distinctions as well as their means of
existence. Do you not see, exclaimed the mother of the lion to those who surrounded her,
how this execrable sinner, notwithstanding the magnitude of his crime, endeavours to pass
himself off for an injured and innocent person? Dimna replied, that he took no blame to
himself for the course which he was pursuing ; that the unforeseen circumstances, in which
he found himself, fully justified him ; and that were he to act in a different manner, he should
resemble the man, who spread ashes where he ought to have scattered sand ; or like one who
put on the dress of a woman instead of his own; or like the person who pretended to be the
master of the house, in which he was only a guest ; or like him who gave an answer to a
question which had not been asked him ; and that the person deserved indeed to be pitied,
who owing to his inexperience in business, and his ignorance of mankind, was unable to keep
off the evil which was impending over him. Do you think, 0 traitor, said the mother of the
lion, by this plausible language to deceive the king, and escape imprisonment? The traitor,
replied Dimna, is he who does not miss the opportunity of destroying without a cause his
enemy, who is in continual alarm at his secret contrivanc es. Do you think, villanous liar,
answered the mother, that your falsehood will remain unpunished, and that you will be able
to throw a cloak over your crime by your ingenuity and sophistry? The liar, answered Dimna,
is he who asserts what is not true, and publishes what has been neither said nor done ; but my
language is both dear and indisputable. The mother of the lion then complimented those
amongst the attendants, who from a sense of duty had stood forward as the accusers of
Dimna, and arose and went away.

Then the lion delivered Dimna over to the judge, who directed him to be put into confine-
ment, and a rope being placed about his neck, he was led away to prison. And in the middle
of the night, Kaliia, being informed that Dimna had been arrested, came to him privately, and
when he saw what his brother was suffering from the weight of his chains, and from the
narrow space in which he had to move, he could not refrain from weeping at his fate; but at
the same time told him, that his intemperate language and indiscretion, together with an
inattention to the advice which had been given him, and a neglect of the means which were in
his power to recover the false step he had made, had brought him into his present difficulties.
And if I did not feel, continued he, that I have done every thing in my power to correct the
propensities and evil habits, which I foresaw would be fatal to you, by persuasion and ex-
hortation, as well as by placing before your eyes examples of persons who have fallen
untimely victims of their own folly and deceitful practices, I should reproach myself with
being in a great measure the cause of the misfortune which has happened to you, and should
even charge myself with a participation in your crime ; but the fond conceit of your own
abilities so far got the better of your judgment and good sense, that all friendly hints were
thrown away upon you. Dimna acknowledged the justice of his brother's remarks, but
consoled himself with the reflection, that it is better, according to the saying of wise men, to
pay the penalty of a crime in this world, than to be tormented everlastingly for it in the next :
however, this reasoning was not so conclusive to the mind of Kalila, who dreaded the
punishment which it would be in the power of the lion to inflict upon Dimna.

Now there happened to be confined in the same prison a hyena, who overhearing the con-
versation which took place, and the expostulations of Kalila with Dinma on his ill conduct,
together with the confessions of the latter, who freely acknowledged to his brother the
enormity of his crime, carefully treasured up in his mind the information which he had
acquired, that he might be able to give evidence if called upon. After this Kalila returned
home, and the mother of the lion as soon as she was up in the morning went to her son, and
implored him not to change the orders which he had given the day before, and which had
spread general satisfaction amongst his attendants, for that dispatch and decision were
necessary to counteract the purposes of a dangerous enemy, however unjust it would be to
have recourse to a crime in order to punish him.

As soon as the lion had heard the words of his mother, he commanded that the leopard, who
was one of the judges, should be sent for; and upon his appearing, he directed him and
Giwash el Adel to take their seats on the bench of justice, and summon the whole troop, to
come forward and give evidence in the cause of Dimna ; and ordered at the same time that
the defence of Dimna should be recorded, and a report made to him of the proceedings from
day to day. The leopard and Giwash el Adel, who was the uncle of the lion, replied, that it
was only necessary to know the orders of the king, in order to obey them, and they imme-
diately retired to execute the commands which they had received. And the trial having com-
menced, the judge at the expiration of three hours ordered Dimna to be conducted into court,
and placed in the front of the assembly ; and after silence had been proclaimed, the president
spoke in the following terms : It is known to this assembly, that the king of the beasts since
the loss of Schanzabeh has been in the greatest affliction and sorrow at the unlawful manner
by which, as it appears, through the falsehood and treachery of Dimna his death was brought
about ; it is for the purpose of enquiring into this matter that we are met together this day : I
therefore call upon every one present to declare what he knows, tending either to the
condemnation or exculpation of Dimna, that the sentence of the court may be clothed in all
the legal forms, and be fully substantiated by evidence : if the death of •Schanzabeh admits
of justification, it is important that this fact should be brought to light, that the ends of justice
may not be frustrated by partiality, or a time-serving compliance with the wishes of the king.
When the president had finished speaking, the judge directed the attention of the court to
what had been said, and cautioned the witnesses not to dismiss from their minds the
recollection of the bull's services, or to think that his merits were small, and therefore the
injustice done to him unworthy of consideration, because there was no greater crime than the
putting to death an innocent person ; and whoever suppressed any part of the evidence, which
might serve to unravel the plot, to which he had fallen a victim, would be virtually guilty of
the murder, and share its consequences : in the next place, he called upon every one to
declare if the accused had at any time acknowledged his offence; that he might not be
deprived of the benefit of a voluntary confession, from the clemency of the king : and, lastly,
he charged them not to be biassed by any considerations of friendship or views of interest, to
give a false colour to their evidence ; reminding them, that at the future distribution of
rewards and punishments, the neglect to vindicate the reputation of a dead man, would be
visited by the torment of eternal flames. After this speech of the judge, there was a general
silence in the court, upon which Dimna called upon the witnesses to relate what they knew,
declaring that he was ready to answer whatever they could urge against him ; but threatening
any false witness with what had happened to the physician, who asserted his knowledge of a
thing of which he was ignorant ; and at the desire of the court he related the story : That there
was in a certain city a physician of established reputation in his profession, but who was very
old, and nearly blind ; and the king of the place had a daughter married to his nephew, who
experiencing the pains which .usually denote a state of pregnancy, the physician was sent for
to be consulted on the occasion, and immediately declared the nature of her malady,
regretting at the same time that he was unable, on account of his imperfect sight, to prepare
himself the proper medicines, and unwilling to trust any one else with his prescription. This
at length reached the ears of another practitioner of no education, but who pretended to have
a thorough knowledge of his profession, and offered to undertake the cure of the princess ;
upon which the king desired him to procure the necessary drugs : but when he went to the
shop, and the different medicines were shewn to him, he was so entirely ignorant of the
various kinds, that amongst other ingredients which he chose for the physic which he
intended to prepare, he took a deadly poison ; and having mixed the whole together, he gave
the draught to his patient, who died upon the spot. But the king, to punish him for his
presumption and folly, made him drink of the same mixture, and his own death immediately
ensued.

Here Dimna remarked upon the instruction contained in the fable which he had related, and
dwelt upon the liability to error, to which everyone is exposed, who does not unite prudence
and moderation with his attempts to bring to issue a doubtful matter : in this manner he
wished to impress on the minds of the court the necessity of circumspection and discrimina-
tion in the proceedings which bad been instituted against him, not only in justice to the
accused, but from considerations which were personal to themselves; because, according to a
current saying, a person was answerable for what he said, and the full liberty of speech,
which had been accorded to them, might possibly induce them to overstep the bounds of right
and discretion. Upon this the chief of those who were employed in the kitchen of the lion,
who enjoyed great consideration on account of the post which he filled, stood up, and ad-
dressed the court in the following words : I beseech this noble and learned court to listen with
attention to what I have to advance. The bounty of Providence in its dispensations towards
you has gifted you with the power of ascertaining by outward signs and marks what is
passing in the heart, and of distinguishing the good man from him who is of a contrary
disposition: it is therefore your bounden duty to make use of this prerogative on the present
occasion, and from an examination of the features of Dimna, and of the appearances which
tell against him, to arrive at a knowledge of his true character. Here the judge observed to the
principal cook, that as he enjoyed the talent of discrimination, to which he had alluded, in so
great a degree, it became him to acquaint the court with the conclusions which he had formed
from observing the countenance of Dimna ; upon which, without hesitation, he declared, that
the wise men had pronounced as their opinion, that the person, whose left eye was smaller
than the right, and continually winking, and whose nose at the same time inclined to his right
side, contained in himself the very essence of impurity, deceit, and wickedness. Here Dimna
was unable to suppress his indignation at the conduct and language of the cook, and told him,
that he only deserved to be answered, as the man answered one of his wives, who reproached
the other with being naked, though she was herself without any covering : It once happened,
he said, that the enemy having got possession of a city which was besieged, plundered the
inhabitants, and carried of a great many prisoners; and there fell to the share of one of the
soldiers a farmer and his two wives, whom the soldier treated with great inhumanity,
depriving them both of food and raiment. One day the farmer went out, attended by his two
wives, to collect wood for the soldier, and one of the females having picked up an old rag,
made the most decent use she could of it to supply her want of clothes ; and then directed the
attention of the husband to the barefacedness of the other, who was walking about
unconcerned at the state in which she was. The husband told her, that in finding fault with
her companion, she was at the same time condemning herself, for that the charge of
indecency would apply equally to both. And your behaviour, continued Dimna, addressing
himself to the cook, is truly surprising ; for when I consider the deformity of your person,
and the filthiness which renders it more disgusting, wonder at your presumption in dating
even to set a foot in the kitchen of the king, not to mention your impudence in venturing to
appear in his presence. You have put yourself forward to speak against an innocent person of
pure and honest intentions and your baseness in thus calumniating me in the presence of the
court, releases me from the obligation, which from motives of friendship I had voluntarily
contracted towards you, and imposes upon me the duty of laying open your character, which
however is known to most who are present, and of drawing aside the veil, which an indulgent
hand has so long held before your vicious habits, that the king may see the danger of
employing you in future ; for you are not only unworthy of so distinguished a post in his
kitchen, but you are unfit for the most menial occupation, or to exercise the lowest
profession. The cook here grew impatient, and a few angry words escaped him ; and Dimna
proceeded : I have asserted nothing but what is true, and to finish your portrait, I add, that
you have been lame from your birth, and a very skeleton, clubfooted, and labouring under the
most loathsome diseases in different parts of your body, which make you an object of
aversion and disgust. At these words the cook changed colour, and the depression in his
spirits which they occasioned deprived him of the means of making even the shadow of a
reply. And Dimna, observing the state of despondency into which he had sunk, and that the
tears were starting from his eyes, told him in a tone of malignant joy and exultation, that he
would soon have greater reason to weep, when the king, becoming acquainted with his
worthlessness and depravity, would not only dismiss him from the kitchen, but banish him
altogether from his court and presence.

Now a jackal, in whom the lion had great confidence, and who had received orders from the
king to report from time to time what was going on, immediately left the court, to inform his
sovereign of what had just taken place ; which he detailed in a very clear and distinct
manner; and the lion immediately ordered, that the cook should be dismissed from his office,
and sent into banishment ; and directed that Dimna should be conducted back again to
prison : and the proceedings having already occupied the greater part of the day, the whole of
the evidence, together with the defence of the prisoner, was committed to writing, and sealed
with the seal of the leopard, and the court separated.

Amongst the jackals there was one named Rusbah, a very intimate friend of Kalila, and in
great favour with the lion. Now the state of alarm and apprehension for his own safety and
life having occasioned the sudden death of Kalila, Rusbah lost no time in going to Dimna, to
acquaint him with the distressing news ; who was so much afflicted at the loss of his brother,
that he broke out into a flood of tears ; but suddenly reflecting on his own forlorn situation,
he exclaimed, What henceforth can I hope or expect in the world, if Providence is not gra-
cious to me ! I see, Rusbah, that you are not unmoved at my present condition ; I beg of you
therefore to be so good as to go to a place which I will name to you, and bring me the small
property which my brother and I have been able to collect by our pains and diligence. Rusbah
having executed the commission, Dimna made him a present of half of what he possessed,
and addressing him said, You have freer access to the lion than any of his attendants ; I there-
fore beseech you to lose no opportunity of learning what is reported to him concerning me ;
and to be particularly attentive to the language of his mother, as far as it concerns me, in
order to discover, if possible, to what extent her son is inclined to follow her advice ; and to
observe if he betrays in his answers any favourable disposition towards me. The jackal made
no scruple of accepting the present which Dimna offered him, and carried it home. On the
next morning the lion rose earlier than usual, and after his attendants had waited two hours in
expectation of being sent for, they begged permission to be admitted to an audience, and pre-
sented to him the minutes of evidence which had been taken on the trial; upon which the lion
sent for his mother, and read the whole proceedings to her ; which she .had no sooner heard,
than she expressed her dissatisfaction at the course which her son had pursued, who, blind to
his own interest and regardless of her advice, exposed himself to the risk of being deceived
by the specious arguments and ingenious reasoning of Dimna, and immediately left the room.
The jackal, whose good services Dimna had secured, having heard this, went to inform him
of what had passed ; and whilst he was talking to him, there arrived a messenger, who was
ordered to conduct him again to the court of justice ; and as soon as he appeared before the
judge, the president of the assembly addressed him in the following manner : We are now ar-
rived at that stage of the proceedings, in which we are bound to call upon you to give a true
account of yourself, and of what is laid to your charge, remembering that this world is only
the passage to another, and that our conduct here is the rule by which it will be determined
hereafter, if we are worthy to enter into that eternal dwelling, whither the prophets and
ministers of knowledge and good are gone before. The information which we had already
received was sufficient to stamp on your behaviour a complexion, which betrayed the
motives by which you were instigated ; it was nevertheless the will and pleasure of the king
that we should submit it to a judicial examination, however small the doubt which remained
on our own minds. I see, 0 judge, answered Dimna, that you are not bound by the rules of
equity in your proceedings ; and it is unjust in a king to persecute the unfortunate, who have
been guilty of no crime, by preferring an accusation against them, without allowing them to
make their defence; and I cannot be expected to submit to unmerited punishment without
resistance ; besides, the precipitation with which you have hurried on the proceeding's against
me (for my trial has scarcely lasted three days) proves, that the attainment of the ends of
justice is the least of the motives by which you have been influenced. The duty of a judge,
replied the other, as has been in old times laid down, is to make himself acquainted with the
conduct both of the good and bad, that, by dealing with every one according to his deserts, he
may strengthen and improve the disposition of the former, and create, where they are
wanting, good intentions in the latter ; therefore the best counsel which we can give you,
Dimna, is to reflect on your present situation, and in acknowledging your crime, to shew
signs of repentance and contrition. Upright judges, continued Dimna, never decide from
suspicion alone, for suspicion ought never to supply the place of justice ; and though in your
opinion I may be guilty of the crime laid to my charge, still I cannot consent to sacrifice the
inward persuasion which I have of my own innocence, founded on a knowledge of the mo-
tives by which I have been guided, to your presumption of my guilt, which from its very
nature must be inconclusive, and liable to error. if the accusation of others has already had
the effect of injuring me in your opinion, what advantage can I promise myself in becoming
my own accuser ; I should then belie the consciousness of my innocence, and challenge the
punishment which I feel I do not deserve; and I should incur a charge of inconsistency in
deposing falsely to my own criminality, in the very moment that am on my trial for a
supposed offence of the same nature against another. Cease therefore, 0 judge, to address me
in this manner. Your language, if meant as advice, is ill-timed, and ill-directed ; if intended as
a snare to entrap the innocent, it is base, and unbecoming the situation which you fill, and,
what is worse than this, your words will be treasured up by foolish and ignorant men as
lessons of instruction ; for the decisions and opinions of those who are entrusted with the
administration of justice, are capable, according to the different construction which is put
upon them, and the latitude with which they are interpreted, of becoming a suppokt to the
cause of virtue, or of affording a cloak to vice. I warn you, therefore, against the train of evil
consequences, which the course you are pursuing may draw after it. I do not allude to any
worldly misfortune which may result to you from it, for the high opinion which the king and
his attendants entertain of your wisdom and judgment, places you above the reach of
temporal calamity, but will not protect you from the pangs of remorse, for having violated in
my person the rules of equity and justice : and have you never heard it reported, that he who
pretends to have a knowledge of that with which he is not acquainted, and speaks
authoritatively and unblushingly in a dubious affair, is likely to meet with no better fate than
the falconer, who accused his master's wife of adultery ? The judge having desired to hear the
story, Dimna continued as follows :

There was in a certain city a nobleman married to a woman of great beauty, and remarkable
for the propriety of her conduct ; and he had in his service a falconer thoroughly skilled in the
bringing up and training of hawks, and who was in such estimation with his master, that he
often enjoyed the honour of sitting at table with him in the company of the ladies; and the
consequence was, that he fell in love with his wife, who so far from listening to his
declarations, or giving him the least encouragement, changed colour and became red with
shame, as often as he renewed his indecent proposals. The passion of the falconer being only
increased by the refusal which he met with, he had recourse to various expedients for the
attainment of his purpose, but which were all equally unsuccessful. So he went out hawking
one day as usual, and caught two young parrots, which he carried home and brought up, and
when they were grown to their full size, he placed them in two separate cages, and taught one
of them to say, I saw the porter lying with my mistress in my master's bed; and the other he
instructed to cry out, I will not tell tales. At the end of six months, the parrots being quite
perfect in their lesson, the falconer carried them to his master, who was all admiration and
wonder at hearing them talk, though he did not understand a syllable of what they said, for
the falconer had taught them in the language of Balk ; however his astonishment was not
diminished by this circumstance, and he desired his wife to take care of them. A short time
after some friends from Balk came on a visit to the nobleman, who entertained them very
hospitably ; and after they had dined, and talked over the news of the day, their host ordered
the falconer to bring the two parrots, and as soon as they were in the room, they cried out as
they had been taught ; and the men of Balk, understanding what they said, looked with
surprise one at the other, and then turned away their heads, in order to conceal the
astonishment which their looks might betray. This conduct of his guests did not escape the
notice of the nobleman, who therefore asked his friends what the parrots had said, but they
refused for a long time to tell him ; till at length, being tired by a repetition of the same
question, they explained it to him, and added, that they could not remain in a house of such
ill fame. Upon this the nobleman begged them to speak to the parrots in the language of Balk,
which they did, and found that they were not able to say any thing but what they had learned
from the falconer ; and in this way the innocence of the nobleman's wife was completely
proved, and the villany of the falconer brought to light. The nobleman therefore sent for him,
and he came into the room with a white hawk upon his hand ; and the wife, as soon as she
saw him, asked him triumphantly, if he bath himself seen what the parrots had published and
upon his answering in the affirmative, th,e hawk sprung at his face, and plucked out h is eyes
with its claws; and the wife exclaimed, that it was a punishment from heaven, for his havii ig
asserted what he did not know. Dimna add( A, that he had related this fable, to shew that
falsehood is severely punished as well in this wo rld as in the next.

As soon as the judge had heard the speech of Dimna, he arose and went to report it in person
to the lion, who, after some moments reflection, sent for his mother, and acquainted her with
it ; and his mother told him, that the language of Dimna filled her with alarm, and gave her
reason to apprehend a greater crime, extending possibly to an attempt on her son's life, than
that which he had committed in procuring by his treachery and cunning the death of the
innocent bull. These words of his mother made an impression upon the mind of the lion, and
he desired her to tell him who it was, who had given the information which she had com-
municated about Diuma, that he might have a good reason for putting him to death. His
mother refused to divulge, what had been entrusted to her under a promise of secrecy, lest the
death of Dirrina procured by such a breach of trust should be imputed to her as a crime ; but
thinking at length of a way to relieve tier; self from her embarrassment, without violating lier
word, she sent for the leopard, and reminding him of what he owed to the honour of the lion,
and of what was due both to the living and tile dead, she conjured him to withhold no longer
the evidence of which he was in possession, to prove the guilt of Dimna, lest his disregard to
the reputation of a murdered person should cry out for vengeance against him at the day of
judgment ; and she did not cease using the same arguments, till the leopard was at length
persuaded to go to the lion, and relate the whole of what Dirnna had confessed in his hearing.
After the leopard had declared all that he knew, the hyena, who had been confined in the
same prison with Dimna, and had been privy to his confessions, sent to the lion, to say that
he was also ready to give evidence ; upon which he was led forth from his confinement, and
related what he had heard. Then the lion asked them, what had prevented them from coming
forward sooner to give their evidence, as they knew his anxiety about the trial of Dimna.
They answered each of them, that they were unwilling to appear individually, as the
declaration of one alone was insufficient to convict the prisoner ; but one witness having
deposed to his guilt, a second could have no longer any objection to give his evidence. The
lion therefore, having received their depositions, ordered Dimna to be put to death by torture
in prison : and thus everyone who seeks his own advantage by the injury of another, will find
the means which he employs for the attainment of his purpose, converted into the instruments
of his own destruction.
Chapter VII

THE RING-DOVE

AFTER. Bidpal had finished the history of Dimna, Dabsehelim desired him. to relate the
story of the friends, who in their conduct towards each other displayed the affection and
disinterestedness of brethren, together with the origin of their acquaintance. The philosopher
said, that nothing was held in greater estimation by men of understanding than brotherly
love ; which heightens and gives a relish to the enjoyment of our good fortune in the time of
prosperity, and becomes a resource under the pressure of calamities ; the truth of which was
exemplified in the fable of the ring-dove, the rat, the roe, and the crow, as thus related.

There was in the land of Sakawand Ghin, near the city Daher, a place abounding with game,
and consequently very much frequented by sportsmen. And there was in this spot a tree, with
spreading branches and very luxuriant foliage, in which a crow had built her nest : and as she
was one day returning home, and on the point of settling upon her nest, she observed a fowler
of very suspicious appearance, with a net upon his back and a club in his hand, advancing
towards the tree, and was apprehensive of danger to herself or some other bird ; she therefore
determined to remain quiet where she was, and see what the fowler would do ; and she saw
him spread his net upon the ground, and scatter some seeds over it, and then go and hide
himself a little way off. In a short time, a ring-dove, the queen of the tribe, with a number of
her companions, came and settled upon the ground to eat the seeds, and they were caught in
the net. The fowler seeing this, ran in haste towards the net, in which the doves were
fluttering about, endeavouring to escape. The ring-dove had in the mean titne desired them
not to fatigue themselves by their useless efforts, or to think each of its own safety alone; but
to act in concert, and unite their strength in flying away with the net, and they would then all
be saved. Upon this they mutually exerted themselves to lift up the net, and having suc-
ceeded, they mounted with it into the air; and the fowler continued to follow them, thinking
that they would fly a little way, and then settle again. The crow also determined to fly after
them, to see what would become of them. Then the ring-dove looking round, saw that the
fowler was pursuing them ; and she told her companions, that they would never be concealed
from him as long as they continued flying over the open fields; but if they directed their
course over the woody and more cultivated parts of the land, that they would soon be out of
his sight, and he would then go away ; and she added, that she was very intimately
acquainted with a rat, that lived at no great distance, and if they could only mach his
dwelling, that he would soon release them from the net. The doves followed the advice of
their queen, and the fowler therefore despairing of catching them went away ; but the crow
continued to fly after them : and as soon as the ring-dove arrived over the spot where the rat
lived, she desired her companions to settle upon the ground. Now the rat had a hundred
different holes, which he inhabited. The ring-dove therefore called aloud Zirak, which was
his name, to which the rat answering, enquired who was there; and the ring--dove replied,
that it was his friend, the ring-dove ; upon which the rat came running out of one of his holes,
and seeing what had happened to the ring-dove, was very much astonished, and asked for an
explanation of it. The ring-dove said, that it was the decree of fate which determined
irrevocably both good and evil ; that even the sun and moon were subject to its irresistible
laws in their appointed eclipses. The rat then set about gnawing that part of the net where the
ring-dove was entangled ; but she desired him to go to the other doves, and begin by
releasing them, and afterwards come to her ; and when she had repeated this several times,
and the rat had paid no attention to her, he at length remarked to her, that to judge from her
manner of talking, she did not appear to have any thought about herself, or even to be aware
of the state in which she was. She told him, she was afraid, if he began by setting her at
liberty, that he would be tired, or perhaps too lazy to undertake afterwards the liberation of
the rest ; whereas, if on the contrary he left her till the last, that for her own part she had no
apprehensions of being forgotten. This disinterestedness called forth from the rat the
strongest assurances of friendship, and of a readiness to serve her ; and he immediately set to
work with so much zeal and earnestness, that in a short time he had released both the queen
and her companions.

Now after the crow had seen what the rat had done, she desired very much to become
acquainted with him, and \vent and called him by his name ; and he put his head out of one of
his holes, and asked what she wanted ; and being told what her purpose was, he replied, that
there could not possibly be any intimacy between them ; that sensible persons always limited
their wishes to what they could reasonably expect to obtain, without wasting their time in
vain and unprofitable pursuits, and that he could not consent- to seek the familiar ac-
quaintance of one, of whom he was likely to become the food. The crow replied, that it was
not with the intention of eating him that she was come ; that she had a more important object
in view, which was to secure his friendship; and that the truth and sincerity with which she
courted it, did not deserve. to be repaid by distrust ; that her principal motive for seeking his
acquaintance were the good and amiable qualities which she had observed in him, and which
it was as impossible for him to conceal, as it was for a bag of musk not to send forth a sweet
smell. The rat observed, that the strongest enmity was that which had its foundation in nature,
and which on different occasions presented itself under various aspects; that, for instance, in
the case of the lion and the elephant, its effect was contingent, as according to circumstances
either might become the victim of the other; whereas, on the other hand, the antipathy which
existed between him and the crow, or the cat, was as uniform in its operation and as certain in
its consequences, as that water, though heated by boiling to the temperature of a fire, will
nevertheless extinguish the flame ; and that the society of an enemy, which a sensible person
would never desire, was as dangerous as a serpent carried about in the bosom. I perfectly
understand what you say, answered the crow; it is fit however that you should give free scope
to the nobleness of your disposition, and not be hurried away by the false notion, that it is
impossible for us to become friends ; for nothing is easier to good and well-intentioned
persons, than to form an attachment as indissoluble, or, in case of a slight interruption, as
easy to be repaired, as a vessel of gold, whereas the friendship of the wicked is as liable to be
broken and as difficult to be restored as an earthen cup. The noble-minded person is forcibly
attracted by a disposition similar to his own ; whereas the mean and ungenerous, if they
sometimes affect a social temper, never fail to betray the selfishness in which their
professions have originated : I have only to add, that I will not, even at the risk of starving,
quit your dwelling till you have acceded to my request. The rat answered the crow, that he
accepted an offer, which had all the characteristics which were calculated to inspire con-
fidence ; and though in the end he might be deceived, that he should not reproach himself
with inconsiderateness, or a too ready acquiescence in the proposal which had been made
him. After this he came out of his hole and sat at the door; and the crow asked him the reason
for his not venturing out further, and if he had still some doubts in his mind of her sincerity'.
The rat observed, that there are two things which are objects of pursuit in the world, the
tribute of the mind, and the offerings of the hand ; that the commerce of the heart, and the
best affections, is distinguished by the purity of disinterested attachment ; whereas the
interchange of good offices between two persons, has very often no foundation in feeling or
sentiment, but originates altogether in a mutual desire of profit and advantage, each,
notwithstanding a shew of generosity, being exclusively influenced by motives of self-
interest, in the same manner as the fowler scatters the corn upon the ground, with the
intention not of feeding the birds, but of catching them in his net. He added, that the
attributes of the mind opened a sweeter source of gratification than was to be found out of the
sphere of their operation, and that his confidence in the crow's integrity, made it his duty to
observe a similar line of conduct ; that if he had hitherto betrayed some distrust in his
behaviour, it was because the sentiments which she had professed, were not those of all her
species.

Upon this the crow assured the rat, that she would prove, that she knew the value of friend-
ship, by disclaiming all connection with his enemies of every description. Then the rat ad-
vanced towards the crow, and they embraced each other, as if they were the best friends in
the world. And after some days, the crow remarked to the rat, that his dwelling was too near
the high road, and she was afraid that some boy in going along would throw a stone at him
and kill him ; and she proposed to him to accompany her to a retired spot, which she knew
of, where there was a tortoise, who was her friend, and plenty of fish, and that they could
pass their time there very comfortably, and never be at a loss for food. The rat assented, and
promised the crow that, upon their arrival at the plaCe which she had mentioned, be would
entertain her by relating a number of fables and stories which he knew. Then the crow took
hold of the rat's tail, and flew away with him : and when they reached the pond, the tortoise,
who did not immediately recognise his friend, was frightened at what he saw, but at last came
out of the water, and asked the crow whence she came ; and she told him her story from
beginning to end; how she had begun by following the doves, and what had passed between
her and the rat. The tortoise complimented the rat upon his understanding and sincerity, and
begged to know what had brought him to that country ? The crow joined in the request of the
tortoise, at the same time calling upon the rat to fulfil his promise ; and he began in the
following manner.

My first habitation was in the house of a religious man, who had neither family nor servants,
and who received every day a basket of food, of which he ate as much as he wanted, and put
away the rest; and I was in the habit of watching till he went out, and as soon as he was gone,
I jumped into the basket, and what I could not eat myself, I gave to the other rats in the
house, so that nothing was left; and the religious man made many fruitless attempts to hang
up the basket out of my reach. Now one night there arrived a guest to sup with him, and the
religious man asked his visitor whence he was come, and what were his future plans. The
other told him, that he had passed through a great many different countries, and began to
relate the history of his travels, and of all the remarkable things which he had seen, when on
a sudden the religious man clapped his hands, in order to frighten me away from the basket ;
and the guest was angry at this, which he construed into a want of due attention to what he
was relating ; but the religious man excused himself by saying, that he had only made the
noise to frighten away a rat, which ate up all the victuals in his house, wherever he put them.
The guest enquired if it was one rat which did all the mischief; and the other answered, that
there were many in the house, but one in particular, of which he had to complain. The guest
replied, You have brought to my recollection what was said of a certain woman, that it was
for some good reason she had exchanged peeled for unpeeled sesame : I once came to a
friend, and supped with him, and he offered me a bed in his house ; and upon retiring to my
room, I saw that it was only separated by a small partition of reeds from that in which the
husband and wife slept; so I overheard the husband say, that he intended the next day to
invite company to dinner, and he desired his wife to prepare something for the table : she told
him, that be could not have any persons to dine with him, as nothing had been put by the day
before, and there were no provisions in the larder. The husband told her not to regret what
had been consumed at table, for that the danger of hoarding was exemplified in the story of
the wolf, where it was related of a sportsman, that he went out one day with his bow and
arrows, and very soon shot a roe, with which he was returning home, when a wild boar
appeared, at which he discharged an arrow, and wounded him; and the boar being rendered
furious by the pain, rushed upon the sportsman, and they both fell down dead upon the spot.
At this moment a wolf came by, who seeing the man, the roe, and the boar, thought he had
found a supply of food for some time, but chose to begin by eating the bow, intending to
reserve the rest for another occasion; and he had no sooner bitten the string asunder, than the
bow flew back, and struck him on the head, and killed him. The wife seemed fully to
comprehend the lesson which this story was intended to convey, and told her husband that
she had some rice and sesame in the house, enough for six or seven persons, and that she
would have them dressed for the company which he meant to invite to dinner; and as soon as
she was up in the morning, she took the sesame and peeled it, and exposed it in the sun to
dry, and desired one of the servants to watch it, and to keep of the birds and dogs from it ; but
the servant neglected to do as he had been ordered, and a dog came by, and spoiled it ; and
after this the wife did not choose to have it served at table, but carried it to the market, and
exchanged it for the same quantity of unpeeled sesame ; and I happened to be standing near
at the same time, and heard a person remark, that she had certainly not done this without
some good reason : you must therefore imitate the prudence and good management of this
woman, and contrive some other means of getting the better of the rat; and if you will have
the goodness to give me a spade, I will dig into his hole, and see what he is about. Upon this,
continued the rat, the religious man borrowed a spade from one of his neighbours, and
brought it to his guest; and it happened, that I was at that moment in a hole which did not
belong to me, and overheard the whole of their conversation, but in my hole was a purse,
containing an hundred pieces of gold, but how it came there, I am unable to say. Then the
guest dug till he discovered the purse, which he took up, and carried to the religious man, and
told him that it was that which had enabled the rat to perform all his tricks, because wealth
was the source of strength and power ; but that when the purse was removed, lie would be
unable to repeat what he had so successfully executed before.

The next day the rats came to me, complaining of great hunger, and telling me that I was
their only support ; so I went with them to the place, whence I was accustomed to spring into
the basket, and attempted it in vain; upon which my companions, seeing the state to which I
was reduced, left me, and became my declared enemies, losing no opportunity of injuring
me. then began to reflect on the instability of friendship, and on the mercenary views of those
who are often its warmest advocates, and I made the painful discovery that the promised
accomplishment of our hopes and expectations often becomes stationary, and then passes
into disappointment, where the help of riches is wanting, as the water from the mountain
torrent when it finds no passage to the river, rests in the valley, and is at length sucked up by
the earth. I found also that the memorial of a man is dependent on the possession of relations
and children, and that wealth establishes a reputation for understanding and wisdom, whilst
the absence of it in clouding our views in this life throws a gloom over the mind, which
darkens the prospects of the next. The distressed man is like a tree in a salt soil, which is
eaten on every side, and deprived of nourishment; and what is a greater evil than this, poverty
generally nourishes in the breast the passions of hatred and calumny, arising from the distrust
with which the poor man is regarded, and from the suspicion which even his virtues excite;
for his courage is called rashness ; his disposition to be liberal, did he but possess the means,
is stigmatized as profusion ; his gentleness is degraded into weakness ; and his peaceable
temper branded with the name of stupidity : and who would not rather embrace death, than
be exposed to this train of ills, from which the only relief consists in asking a pittance at the
hands of the covetous, to which the noble-minded man will submit with greater reluctance,
than to the sentence which dooms him to extract the poison from the mouth of a viper, and
swallow it? Now I was watching the guest as he took away the purse of gold, which he
divided with the religious man, who put his share into a bag, and placed it near his head when
lie went to bed ; and seeing this, I was desirous of getting possession of it in order to recover
my power, and restore my lost credit with my friends ; for this purpose I was stealing quietly
into the room of the religious man as he was asleep, when the guest, who was fully awake,
observing me, gave me a violent blow on the head with a stick, which made me hurry again
to my hole ; and when the pain had subsided, I ventured out again, as 1 was very hungry, in
search of something to eat ; but I could not escape the notice of my enemy, who struck me a
second time so violently, that he brought blood, and I had just strength enough to crawl to my
hole, and then fainted away ; and this was sufficient to fill me with such a disgust for money,
that I could not hear it mentioned without fear and trembling; and I was persuaded, that the
greatest part of the misery which is in the world arises from inordinate desires, which are an
endless source of calamity and trouble.

I therefore determined to quit the house of the religious man, preferring the hardships of
wandering about in the open fields in search of food, to the uncertain subsistence with which
I was now threatened ; and it was in my new habitation where I was visited by my friend the
dove, that I became casually acquainted with the crow, who having informed me of the inti-
macy which existed between her and you, and of her desire to go to you, proposed to me to
accompany her, to which I readily assented ; for I dislike solitude, and think no pleasure can
be compared with that, which is enjoyed in the society of persons Who mutually love and
esteem each other; and I learned by experience, that honesty and integrity will supply the
place of worldly possessions, provided we have only enough of the good things of this life to
keep off the evils of hunger and thirst: and these are my real sentiments, which I trust will
procure for me your friendship and regard.

As soon as the rat had done speaking, the tortoise addressed him thus : I acknowledge the
truth and propriety of what you have said; and with respect to certain notions which appear to
have taken possession of your mind, it is fit that you should prove the sincerity of your
declarations by a corresponding behaviour. The physician who is acquainted with the remedy
for a disease and does not apply it, is neither esteemed for his knowledge, nor does he benefit
his patient ; and it would equally ill become you to make so little use of your understanding,
as to repine at your want of fortune. Riches are as unnecessary to call forth the lustre of real
worth, as the exertions of the lion's strength to prove that he is endowed with force; on the
other hand where character is wanting, the abundance of wealth is as incapable of procuring
esteem for its possessor, as the ornaments round the neck and feet of a dog are of proving his
value. Let not therefore the necessity to which you have been reduced of wandering about, be
a source of uneasiness to you, for travelling is as serviceable to a person of understanding, as
strength is indispensable,to the natural habits of the lion ; but be zealous in seeking by
contentment, consolation for the losses which you have suffered, and your life will pass on as
undisturbed as the water in its course downwards. The prudent and the patient seldom miss
their aim, but distinction and renown are as incompatible with irresolution and sluggishness,
as a young woman is unfit for the society of an old and decrepid man. The shadow of a cloud
in a summer's day, the friendship of the wicked, the love of women, and a false report, are
not more perishable in their nature than worldly possessions, which a sensible person
therefore will never regret, making his real wealth to consist in his understanding and the
consciousness of having done his duty, which, whilst they are the surest treasures in this life,
throw no impediment in the way of preparation for the next, which the uncertainty of our
existence should render an object of unceasing care and concern.

The reception, which the rat had received, was very agreeable to the crow, who expressed
her satisfaction to the tortoise : You have filled me, she said, with indescribable joy, which, I
hope, may return into your own bosom, for the purest bliss is what is derived from the
fellowship and brotherhood of friends, who are actuated by one common feeling of kindness
and good-will, and by the desire of mutually assisting and supporting each other ; it is in such
a chaste and honourable union of heart and hand, that the noble-minded man finds relief
under the pressure of any unexpected calamity, whilst he would spurn the sympathy of a soul
less dignified than his own ; as the elephant who has stuck in the mud, must be indebted for
his deliverance to the force and strength of one of his own species.

As the crow was speaking, there came running towards them a roe, and the tortoise was
frightened and went into the water, the rat crept into a hole, and the crow flew away and first
settled upon a tree, and then mounted into the air, and kept hovering over the roe to see
whether he was in search of any thing ; but discovering nothing which could excite her
suspicion, she called the rat and the tortoise, and they both appeared ; and the tortoise, ob-
serving that the roe was looking at the water, desired him to drink if he was thirsty, and not
be alarmed ; upon which the roe advanced, and the tortoise having saluted him, enquired
whence he came, and received for answer, that having been continually driven about from
place to place by the huntsmen, he had been alarmed in the morning at the sight of an old
man, whom he took for an enemy. The tortoise desired him to be under no apprehensions,
that they had never seen any sportsmen in those parts, and begged him to remain with them,
as he would find food and water in abundance ; and the roe accepted the proposal.

Now this select society was in the habit of meeting together at different times in a small
summer house, to amuse themselves with the relation of stories and fables ; and it happened
that the crow, the rat, and the tortoise, assembled one day, and the roe was missing; and they
waited for him some time without his making his appearance ; and as it began to grow late,
they suspected that some accident had happened to him ; upon which the rat and the tortoise
begged the crow to fly about and see what was passing in the neighbourhood, and she very
soon discovered the roe caught in a net, and returned in great haste to inform her
companions, and adding her entreaties to those of the tortoise, they engaged the rat, who
alone had it in his power, to go and release the roe ; and the rat going up to him asked, why,
with all his cunning, he had suffered himself to be taken ? the roe replied, that cunning was
of no avail against the power of destiny : and whilst they were talking, the tortoise arrived,
and the roe asked him, what he meant by coming to them ; for if the huntsman made his
appearance, his weight and slowness of motion would prevent his escaping, whilst he on the
contrary could save himself by the swiftness of his feet, the rat could retreat into a hole, and
the crow fly away. The tortoise answered, that there was no pleasure in life, when separated
from those whom we love; that the eye grew dim, when it could no longer look upon the
friend whose presence had cheered it ; and the heart telt a pang, when its dearest ties were
broken. This conversation had scarcely ended, when the huntsman appeared, and the roe,
having at the very instant regained his liberty, ran away and escaped, the crow flew about in
the air to see how matters would end, and the rat went into a hole ; and the huntsman looking
about to the right and the left, and discovering nothing but the tortoise, took possession of it,
and bound its legs with a string. And not long after, the crow, the rat, and the roe met
together again, and lamented bitteely the fate of their companion. The rat was the first who
broke silence, and said, The amount of our affliction will be very grievous suffering ; so .true
it is, that if one false step occurs to interrupt the uniformity of our walk through life, the
smoothness of the path oilers no security against the recurrence of the danger. Now what has
happened to the tortoise, fills me with the greatest apprehensions for its safety. The best of
friends are those whose friendship is disinterested, and only ceases with death, and which
even surpasses the affection of a parent for his child ; but its sweets have now been
embittered by the distress which has come upon me, proving that the joys of life are as
quickly followed by disappointment, as the rising is succeeded by the setting sun ; and the
pang which is felt at separating from those to whom we were united by the closest ties, may
be compared to the pain which is caused by the rent of a wound, which had begun to heal.
The crow and the roe told the rat, that they shared his sentiments on the present occasion, but
that words alone would be of no use to the tortoise ; that affliction was sent for the trial of
man, that mutual services are the test of faithful attachment, that the union of a family is best
seen in poverty, and the love of brethren proved in adversity. The rat said, I have thought of a
contrivance, by which to release our friend; the roe must endeavour to attract the notice of
the hunter and pretend to be wounded, and the crow fly down as if she would feed upon him ;
at that moment I will run by, and the hunter observing me will probably put down the tor-
toise, in order to throw at me whatever he has in his hand ; at the same time continuing his
chace after the roe, who from time to time must suffer himself to be very nearly caught, he
will gradually remove further away, and, I hope, leave me sufficient time to gnaw the string
by which the tortoise is bound, and we shall escape together. The crow and the roe did as the
rat had directed them, and the hunter pursued them ; and the roe, following implicitly the in-
structions which he had received, drew off the hunter, and the rat was able to release the tor-
toise, and they both saved themselves. By this time the hunter, having given up pursuing the
roe, returned fatigued and disappointed, and when he reflected on what had passed, he cursed
the earth for being the seat of witchcraft and the habitation of evil spirits ; and the crow, the
rat, the tortoise, and the roe, returned to their summer-house, and were as well and happy as
ever they had been in their lives. And in this manner the rat, notwithstanding his apparent
weakness and diminutive size, was able on more occasions than one to effect the deliverance
of his friends from impending destruction, owing to the mutual confidence, and sincere
attachment, which subsisted between them; and it is a proof, that he who is gifted with un-
derstanding and intelligence, and the power of discerning good and evil, is the surest and
most profitable companion.
CHAPTER VIII

THE OWLS AND THE CROWS

THE former story being ended, king Dabschelim desired Bidpal to point out, by relating a
fable, the danger of putting confidence in an enemy, notwithstanding the marks of submis-
sion and meekness in his conduct which apparently leave no room for distrust. The philo-
sopher then began as follows.

There was on a certain mountain a tree of the kind called Dauah, in which was a nest, which
was the habitation of a thousand crows, living under the authority of one who was their chief;
and not far off was a cave occupied by a thousand owls, who were also the subjects of a
monarchical government. Now there had existed for some time between the two kings a
secret enmity and dislike ; and one night the king of the owls, accompanied by a great many
of his people, made an attack upon the crows in their nest, and killed several of them, and
took a number of prisoners ; and in the morning the crows went to their king, to complain of
what had happened, some with their wings broken, and others having lost most of their
feathers ; but the greatest misfortune, said one of them, addressing the king, is the discovery,
which by means of their audacity the owls have made of our abode, so they can return and
renew their attack whenever they please, unless your majesty takes measures to prevent it.
And there were amongst the crows five, who were remarkable for their judgment, and had a
share in the administration of affairs, and were always consulted by the king in matters of
importance. So the king said to the first of the five, What is your opinion on this occasion?
and he answered, The wise men have anticipated my advice, by declaring that it is most
prudent to fly from an angry enemy : the second coincided with this opinion. Then the king
said to them, I cannot approve of the advice which you have given, that we should quit our
homes, and abandon them to the enemy, on account of the first disaster which we have
experienced from him ; on the contrary, we ought to take measures of precaution against his
future hostilities, that we may not be fallen upon by surprise ; and if he renews his attack, we
will boldly advance to meet him, without however unnecessarily provoking or
pusillanimously avoiding the combat ; and as our country is opposite to that of the enemy, it
will be desirable to repair our fortifications, that we may adopt according to circumstances an
offensive or defensive system of warfare. Then the king desired the third to declare his
opinion, who said, I do not consider the plan of my two companions at all adviseable, but I
think it would be more prudent to send out spies into the country, who will be able to inform
us of the proceedings of the enemy ; whether he is making preparations to rekindle the flame
of war, or appears desirous of peace ; and if we learn that he is disposed to grant us
favourable terms, on condition of our paying him an annual tribute, I strongly recommend
that we should accede to his propositions ; for it is an old maxim, that a sovereign who is
unable to contend by force of arms with an enemy more powerful than himself, ought to
make his riches a shield for his country and subjects. The king then asked the fourth crow,
what he thought of a peace to be obtained in such a manner; and the crow answered, I see
many objections to it, and think it preferable to abandon our homes, and suffer every species
of hardship, rather than tarnish our reputation by submitting to an enemy, who in every other
respect but that of power is so much our inferior; besides, it is not certain that the owls will
be satisfied with the tribute which we offer them ; or at best they will make a treaty with us,
of which the articles will be so obscure, that they will never be at a loss for a pretext to break
it, whenever it suits either their convenience or their interest. It is an old rule, that you should
make advances to your enemy to a certain extent, with a view to the accomplishment of any
secret purpose; but by no means expose your intentions, and incur the risk of failure, by a
gratuitous and rash display of confidence and frankness ; for the pretensions of an enemy will
rise or fan, in proportion to the reluctance or readiness which he observes to satisfy them ; as
a piece of wood placed in the sun, gives a great or a small shadow according to the inclined
direction which it receives ; and as I foresee that the owls will not be satisfied with
reasonable terms, it would perhaps be better to decide at once upon open war. The king then
called upon the fifth, to declare what course he thought best to be pursued under the present
circumstances ; whether peace on the terms which had been suggested, would afford security
for the future ; and if this did not appear likely to be the case, whether it would be better to
quit their habitations, or oppose force to force. The crow replied, Success is not to be
expected from resistance, when the person to whom it is offered is superior in power : and a
sensible man will never so far undervalue the strength of his enemy, as knowingly to risk his
safety in an unequal contest; add to which; I still entertain the same fears as formerly of what
the owls may do, though they do not declare war against us. The prudent man will upon
every occasion be upon his guard against an enemy, whose means of injuring him do not
depend on the greater or less distance by which he is removed ; and who can supply the want
of large resources by stratagem and cunning; therefore besides the personal danger with
which we should at least be threatened, an open rupture would certainly entail upon us a
great expence, and in the end possibly engage us in the labyrinth of negociations of which the
issue is uncertain. When .a king is distinguished for the secrecy with which he guards
confidential communications, and for the prudence with which he chooses his ministers, and
is moreover honoured in the eyes of men, it is fit that he should reap the fruits of his virtues.
Now there are secrets which are only communicated to a few people ; others which become a
subject of greater notoriety ; but some there are, which can only be safely entrusted to the
discretion of two persons ; and of this latter description is the affair of state, about which
your majesty has done me the honour to consult me; and my opinion therefore, though
regarding a matter of public interest, must be considered as of a private nature. Upon this the
king rose up and retired with the crow, and the first question which he asked him was, if he
knew how the quarrel began between them and the owls? It originated, answered the crow, in
a speech which a certain crow made to an assembly of cranes, who had met together in order
to choose the king of the owls for their sovereign. Whilst they were deliberating, a crow flew
over their heads, so they determined, if he settled amongst them, that they would consult him
on the propriety of the choice which they were about to make. They had scarcely agreed
upon this, before the crow appeared in the midst of them, and being asked his opinion, spoke
as follows : If the peacocks, the geese, the ostriches, and the doves, were destroyed from the
face of the earth, and the race of birds was almost entirely extinct, still what motive could
possibly induce you to make an owl your king, who is not only the ugliest bird to look at, but
remarkable at the same time for his bad character and profound ignorance, united to a violent
temper, and a want of all generous feeling; besides this, his partial blindness, for he is at least
unable to support the broad light of day, and natural stupidity render him totally unfit for so
distinguished a post ; unless you have secretly in view to declare him nominally your
sovereign, reserving to yourselves the whole direction and administration of affairs, as the
hare did, when she said that the moon was her sovereign. The cranes being desirous of
hearing the story, the crow continued : There was a certain country, where the elephants,
after a length of time, began to suffer very much from hunger and thirst, for the springs had
failed, the ground was parched up, and all vegetation was destroyed ; and when they were no
longer able to support the great drought which prevailed, they made a complaint to their king,
who sent out persons in every direction in search of water ; one of whom soon returned with
the infOrmation, that he had discovered a fountain, called the fountain of the moon, where
there was a very abundant source of water. The king of the elephants therefore, attended by
his companions, repaired without delay to the fountain, which happened to be situated in the
country belonging to the hares, a great many of which they trod under foot and killed. So the
hares begged an audience of their sovereign, and informed him of the conduct of the
elephants ; and the king said, Let every one who has any advice to give, at once declare it.
Then one of the hares, named Firouz, who was known to the king for the soundness of her
judgment, and the extent of her information, proposed to the king to send her to the
elephants, accompanied by some trusty person, who might report all the proceedings of her
mission. The king said to her, You are worthy of being trusted, and I approve of your
proposal, therefore equip yourself for your journey, and go to the elephants ; but recollect
that it is by discretion and good sense, united to moderation, and grafted upon real worth, that
an ambassador justifies the choice of his master, and that affability and conciliating manners
alone can win the heart ; whereas an unbending spirit and uncourteous behaviour will only
exasperate the feelings. Then the hare set out on her journey one moon-light night, and came
to the place where the elephants were ; but was afraid of going very near them, lest one of
them should tread upon her without perhaps intending it ; but she went up on a hill, and
called aloud to the king of the elephants, and said, The moon has sent me to you ; and if my
language in obedience to my instructions should appear objectionable, I must trust for my
justification to the character in which I appear. The king of the elephants desiring to be
further acquainted with the object of her mission, she continued : He who, owing to a
successful effort against a weak enemy, is led to believe that his strength is irresistible, often
pays dearly for his presumption, in a contest with a more powerful opponent ; and you, 0
king, relying on your superiority over the other beasts, overlook the consequences of your
temerity in drinking at and polluting the fountain of the moon, who has directed me to cau-
tion you against a repetition of this insult, threatening, in case of your disobedience, not only
to withdraw the light which she so graciously dispenses, but to effect your destruction ; and if
you have any doubts about my mission, I will accompany you to the fountain, and convince
you of the truth of it. The king of the elephants was surprised at the speech of the hare, and
went with her to the fountain, and looking down saw the shadow of the moon in it: then
Firouz said to him, Take up a little water with your trunk and wash your face, and humble
yourself before the moon. Then the elephant put his trunk into the fountain and disturbed the
water, and seeing that the moon appeared to be in motion, he exclaimed, What is the reason
that the moon trembles ? she is surely angry at my having touched the water with my lips.
Firouz by her answer confirmed him in the persuasion ; upon which he bowed a second time
to the moon as a sign of his repentance for what he had done, and promised that neither he
nor his companions would ever again be guilty of the same fault.

Then the crow, after enlarging for some time on the deceitful and treacherous disposition of
the owls, said, The worst qualities in a sovereign are falsehood and perfidy, and whoever
places confidence in one of this character, will experience the fate of the hare and the
nightingale, when they referred their quarrel to the cat. It happened that I had a nightingale
for my neighbour at the root of the tree in which I had made my nest, and we passed a great
deal of our time together ; at length one day I missed my friend, without being at all apprised
of his intended departure ; and during his absence a hare came and took possession of the
place which he had left ; as I did not think it necessary to interfere, she remained there some
time ; till the nightingale returning and finding the hare there, desired her to remove. The
hare disputed the claims of the nightingale, and challenged him to make good his
pretensions ; upon which the nightingale replied, that there was some one not far off who
would settle their dispute, and mentioned a cat who lived on the bank of a neighbouring river,
and who was at peace with all the world, and so abstemious, that he was contented with the
grass of the field and the water of the river. The cat being thus appointed the arbiter between
the hare and the nightingale, 1 was anxious to see the issue of the quarrel, and therefore
followed the parties to the place of meeting, to be present at the decision of this abstemious
judge. As soon as the cat saw the hare and the nightingale coming towards him, he stood up,
and prayed with great humility and devotion ; upon which they approached him with all the
marks of reverence and respect, and entreated him to settle the point of difference which had
arisen between them. Then lie desired them to state their case ; and they had scarcely begun,
when he said to them, Old age, which every day presses more heavily upon me, has rendered
me nearly deaf; I therefore beg of you to come nearer, that .I may hear distinctly what you
have to say : upon this they went up close to him, and related every thing which it was
necessary for him• to know, in order to give his opinion. The cat being thus informed of the
origin as well as Of all the particulars of their quarrel, addressed them in the following
terms : I call upon you both, in the name of the most sacred obligations, to demand nothing
but what is just and right, for rectitude of intention is always accompanied by a self-approval,
which awaits and can support with unbending fortitude the injustice of fortune ; whilst
unauthorized desires, though crowned for the moment with success, are in the end pernicious.
The greatest treasure which the man of the world can possess, is a productive store of right
conduct, which is more profitable than mines of wealth, and more permanent than even the
constancy of friends ; and a person, of understanding will fix his views on this imperishable
good, whilst he is taught to despise every less substantial gift. The value of riches in the
opinion of a sensible man, is no greater than that of the earth on which he treads; the so ciety
of a woman, when displaying the captivating allurements of her charms, as dangerous as the
approach of a venomous serpent; but man, as an object of our benevolence, is esteemed a
second self. The cat continuing to speak in this strain, the hare and the nightingale insensibly
lost all fear, and by degrees approached nearer and nearer to him, till at last, watching his
opportunity, he suddenly sprang upon them, and killed them. The crow in continuation said,
that in addition to all the bad qualities enumerated, there were many others which made the
choice of the owl for a king unadviseable. So the cranes were convinced by the speech of the
crow, and immediately desisted from their purpose.

Now it happened that an owl was accidentally present, and had heard the whole of what had
passed ; and as soon as the determination of the cranes was declared, he addressed the crow,
and said, Your language has filled me with uneasiness and apprehension, and I am at a loss to
account for your conduct on this occasion, not being aware of having offered you any
provocation. The tree which has felt the stroke of the axe will sprout again, and the cut which
a sword has given will close up and heal, but the wound which the tongue inflicts is incurable
; the point of the spear may be drawn out from the flesh which it has pierced, but the weapon
of speech remains fixed in the heart which it has reached. A flame may be smothered by
pouring water upon it, and the bane of poison subdued by its antidote; sorrow can be
lightened by patience, and an unfortunate attachment cured by absence ; but the fire, which
malevolence has kindled in the bosom, defies all attempts to extinguish it ; from henceforth
there will be eternal enmity and hatred between us and you. The owl after this went away in a
great passion to inform his sovereign of what had passed. Then the crow repented of what he
had done, and reasoning with himself, said, It was the height of folly and madness in me to
make use of language, which will entail upon me and my companions a long train of evil
consequences. I wish I had not been so unreserved in my remarks upon the owls; for though
there is perhaps scarcely any bird which does not entertain the same opinion of them as
myself, and probably has more to alledge against them than I have ; yet a secret dread of the
consequences which I have overlooked, and a knowledge of the punishment which awaits un-
seemly and injudicious sallies of the tongue, have imposed silence upon others ; whereas on
the other hand my judgment has been so far led astray by a disregard to all the restraints of
prudence, that every word which I have uttered was more irritating and sharper than a
pointed spear ; and this behaviour is at variance with all sound maxims of conduct ; for the
sensible man, however confident of his own strength and of his high claims, should be as
cautious of creating himself enemies by an unreasonable and presumptuous display of his
superiority, as a person would hesitate to swallow poison, though he is in possession of its
antidote. He who is guided in his actions by just views, has no occasion to talk beforehand of
the glories which await him, as if they could only owe their existence to the prophetic
language in which they have been announced to the credulity of the world ; for his excellence
and merit standing the test of time, and rising superior to the trials to which they are exposed,
will shine forth at last, and procure for him the reputation which he deserves ; but claims to
distinction which have no other support than the parade of words, with which they are fenced
round, will sooner or later discover the weakness of the foundation on which they rest ; and I
have certainly been guilty of very culpable indiscretion in speaking on a subject of so much
delicacy and importance, without having previously consulted any one of my friends, or
reflected on what I was about to do ; for whoever neglects the experience of former times,
and acts without due consideration according to the dictates of his own unassisted judgment,
is exposed to difficulties and inconveniences, which he might have avoided by a moderate
share of reflection and prudence.

The crow having expostulated with himself in this manner went away, and this was the
origin of the quarrel between us and the owls: now with regard to the policy of open war, I
have already declared my disapproval of such a measure, and am of opinion, that it would be
possible to contrive some expedient, without having recourse to hostilities, to obtain what we
wish, and therefore beg leave to relate the story of the monk who was robbed of his kid. A
monk had bought a fat kid for a sacrifice, and led it away, but was observed by some persons
near him, who agreed amongst themselves that they would endeavour to rob him of it ; upon
this one of them came up to him, and asked him, what he intended to do with the dog which
he was leading away ; a second and then a third repeated the same question, till at length he
no longer trusted his own eyes, but fancied he had been cheated by the person who had sold
him the kid, upon which he let it go, and the others went off with it. Thinking therefore on
the present occasion that we may accomplish all what we desire by some device which will
escape the penetration of the owls, I entreat the king to order my tail and all my feathers to be
plucked out, and to have me thrown at the foot of the tree, and then to retire with all his at -
tendants. This being done, the crow began to mourn, and to send forth the most pitiful
groans, till some of. the owls having heard him were attracted by the noise, and coming and
seeing the state in which he was, lost no time in informing their king of it. The king
determined to have the crow questioned, and commanded an owl to ask him who he was, and
where the other crows were ; upon which the crow told his name, and appealed to the state in
which he was as a reason for giving credit to what he might say. It was then told to the king
of the owls, that this was the vizir and principal counsellor of the king of the crows, and it
was immediately agreed upon to find out, if possible, by interrogating him, what the crime
could be for which he had been so severely punished ; and to the questions which were put to
him for this purpose, the crow answered in the following manner.

The king was one day taking the advice of his counsellors on the important question of
peace or war between you and us, and as I happened to be present, I took the liberty of
observing to his majesty, that we were totally unable to contend with the owls, who were
both more powerful and more intelligent than us ; and I gave it as my opinion, that we should
make peace, even though we might be reduced to the necessity of purchasing it ; that if the
terms were accepted by the owls, we should be at liberty to fly about unmolested wherever
we chose ; whereas, on the other hand, if we ob stinately preferred war, that the issue could
not under any supposition but be unfavourable to us. At the same time I dwelt on the compa-
rative advantages of peace and war, enforcing my arguments by illustrations, and examples
taken from the histories of former times, tending to shew the irreconcileable hatred of an
enemy, who has the means of avenging any affront that is offered to his power and supe-
riority ; and I instanced the tender plant which, yielding to the gale which passes over it,
escapes being broken, as a proof of the good policy of timely submission ; but nothing that I
could advance had any weight, but on the contrary produced an opposite effect, and rather
inflamed than mitigated the ardour for war ; and more than this I was suspected of treachery,
and of being secretly attached to the interest of the owls ; and the advice which I had
conscientiously given was rewarded in the manner you see, and from that period I have heard
nothing either of the king or his people.

The king of the owls was no sooner acquainted with the speech of the crow, than he called
upon one of his vizirs for his opinion, as to the manner in which he ought to be treated; who
replied, My advice is, that the utmost dispatch should be used in putting him to death ; for as
long as he lives, we can never be sure that he will not contrive some plot against us ; and as
he is without doubt one of the principal crows, his loss to the Community will be very
sensibly felt. It has been truly said, that it is no proof of wisdom to miss a favourable oppor-
tunity of striking a decisive blow, when the prospect of almost certain success challenges the
attempt ; and that where the means which were in our power of accomplishing a vast un-
dertaking have been neglected, we deserve to be reminded hereafter of our folly and
irresolution, by seeing our hopes for ever annihilated ; and whoever spares an enemy whose
inability .to defend himself renders his destruction inevitable, will at last see his error, when
the increasing though unsuspected power of resistance renders his purpose no longer
practicable. The king then desired to know the sentiments of another vizir, who said, My
opinion is, that you should not kill the crow, for a needy and unprotected enemy is an object
of pity, and should disarm the hand which is raised against his life ; and if his defenceless
state does not give him a right to be treated with kindness, it should at least procure him
pardon, and no worse treatment than the thief experienced from the merchant, of whom it is
told, that he was very rich, and married to a handsome wife; and one night a thief got into his
house with the intention of robbing it, and found the merchant asleep, but his wife was awake
; and she being frightened at what she saw, kept close to the side of her husband, a mark of
affection and love which he had been a long while unsuccessfully waiting for ; the novelty of
his situation at length awoke the merchant, and whilst he was asking his wife the reason of
this sudden passion, he discovered the thief, and not doubting that he had been the occasion
of the good fortune which had happened to him, he told him to keep what lie had stolen, as a
recompense for the services he had rendered. The king then ordered a third vizir to declare
what lie thought should be done with the crow, and he gave it as his opinion, that he should
be well treated, on account of the information which it might be in his power to give ; for a
sensible man, said he, will always take advantage of the dissension which exists between his
enemies, and turn their mutual animosity to his own profit, as was the case with the monk,
who owed his safety to the quarrel between the robber and the evil genius. The king desired
to hear the story related, and the vizir continued.

A monk had bought from a man a milch cow, which he was leading away to his - home,
when a robber met him, who wished to steal from him his beast; and not far offwas an evil
genius, who was thinking by what means he could get the monk into his power, and who
came up to the robber, and asked him who he was, and was answered, I am a robber, who
intend to steal this cow when the monk is asleep ; and now have the goodness to give an
account of yourself, said he, addressing himself to his inquisitive companion, who replied, I
am an evil genius, and I purpose carrying off the monk himself when he is asleep. By tiis
time the monk had arrived at his house, and having tied up his cow, he supped and went to
bed. Then the robber and the evil genius disputed, who should first put his plan into
execution; and the evil genius said to the robber, If you begin by stealing the cow, the monk
will probably be awakened by the noise, and assemble the people in the house, and my
purpose will be entirely frustrated ; I therefore beg of you to look quietly on, whilst I am
employed in securing the monk, and you will then be unmolested in your attempt to steal the
cow. This proposal did not please the robber, who thought that the monk would awake at the
first effort, which the evil genius might make to secure him, and that he should therefore be
deprived of the booty which he anticipated ; so he proposed to the evil genius to give him the
precedence in the accomplishment of their projected plans ; and they continued quarrelling in
this manner, till at length each of them proclaiming in an audible voice what the other
intended to do, the monk and his neighbours were awakened by the noise, and the two rogues
fled away in haste.

Then the vizir who had first spoken, and who had advised the killing of the crow, said, I
think that the object of the crow has been to deceive us, and his words, owing to their not
having been duly weighed and examined, seem likely to produce inattention to a measure
which our real interest imperiously calls for ; I therefore take the liberty of cautioning the
king against embracing a determination, which may be productive of mischief to him, and
expose him to the risk of being as fatally deceived, as the carpenter was, who chose rather to
give credit to what he beard, than to believe what his own eyes had witnessed; for it is told of
him, that he had a wife, of whom he was very fond, but who was secretly attached to another
man ; and the husband being informed of this, was desirous of having some stronger proof,
than public rumour of his wife's infidelity ; he therefore told her that he had received orders
to go to a city at some distance on business of the king, and desired her to get ready what was
necessary for his journey. The wife was delighted at the prospect of her husband's departure,
which would remove every impediment to her enjoying the society of her lover. Then the
husband pretended as if he would leave the house, and told his wife to shut the door after him
; but instead of going out, he stole privately into a corner behind the door, where he remained
hid till his wife retired ; he then removed quietly into his bed room, and concealed himself
under the bed. Now the wife had lost no time in sending to her lover, to beg him to come to
her, and he obeyed the summons, and went and passed the night with her. The merchant at
length grew very drowsy, and fell asleep ; and having stretched out his legs from under the
bed, his wife immediately recognised them, and calling to her aid all her presence of mind
against the danger of discovery, with which she was threatened, she said to her lover, Ask me
with a loud voice whom 1 love most, my husband or you : and as soon as he had put the
question to her, as she desired, she answered angrily, What authorizes you to ask me this
question? do you not know, that the heart and affections of a woman take no part in the most
intimate and unequivocal intercourse which she allows her friend, whereas a husband
awakens all the tender feelings which either a son or a brother are capable of exciting, and is
as dear to his wife as her own existence ! As soon as the husband heard these words, the bad
opinion which he had entertained of his wife gave way to other thoughts ; and though he was
distressed at the suspicious appearances to which her frailty had given rise, every feeling of
rancour or ill will quickly subsided, in the persuasion which he felt of the sincerity of her
attachment ; he did not however think it prudent to leave his hiding-place till the morning,
when he was sure that his rival was gone ; then he came out from under the bed, and found
his wife asleep, and he sat down by her, being unwilling to disturb her ; and when she awoke,
he said to her, 0 joy of my heart, sleep on, for you have passed a restless night ; and I have
only been restrained, by a regard for your honour and reputation, from calling your visitor to
an open account.

Now the king was not convinced by the arguments of his vizir, but ordered that the crow
should be taken care of, and treated with kindness and attention ; and some time after, the
crow, being in the presence of the king, with several of the owls, amongst whom was the
vizir who had recommended his death, said to his majesty, You are now fully informed, 0
king, of what I have experienced from the crows, and will find it pardonable, that I seek to be
revenged for the insult which has been offered to me; but having considered the matter, I am
persuaded that I never shall be able to accomplish what I wish, as long as I remain in my
present state ; but there is a tradition handed down to us by the sages of old, that whoever
commits his body to the flames, performs the most acceptable sacrifice to heaven ; and that
whatever he prays for whilst he is burning in the fire, is instantly accorded to him ; if there-
fore it meets with the approbation of the king, I will undergo the trial, and pray to be changed
into an owl, by which means I shall become a more certain and hurtful enemy to the crows,
and have it in my power to execute my purpose of vengeance. Upon this the vizir, who had
advised putting the crow to death, interrupted him, and said, When I consider the
speciousness of your language, which is intended to throw a cloak over the corrupt motives
of your conduct, I can only compare you to wine, that has a good taste and smell, though it is
mixed with poison. Do you think that your substance and composition will be changed by the
burning of your body, or would you persuade us that this experiment will produce an
alteration in your person and being? Nature will maintain her right as inviolably, as in the
case of the female mouse, who having the choice of a husband between the sun, the wind, the
cloud, and the mountain, became at last the partner of the male of her own species.

It is told of a religious man, who never failed to obtain what he prayed for, that he was one
day sitting on the shore of the sea, and a kite flew by him with a young mouse in its claws,
which falling down near him, he took it, and wrapped it up in a leaf, and carried it home ; but
fearing that it would be difficult for him to bring it up in his family, he prayed to heaven that
it might be changed into a young girl; and his prayer was heard, and his petition imme diately
granted : he then carried her to his wife, and told her that it was his adopted daughter, and
desired that she might be treated as if she were his own child. And when the girl had reached
the age of woman, the religious man said to her, My daughter, it is now time for you to think
of marrying, and I leave you the free choice of your husband. She replied, that as he had left
her at liberty to consult her own inclinations, she should prefer a husband who was possessed
of uncommon strength. Perhaps, said the religious man, you would have no objection to the
sun : upon which he went and ,addressed the sun, saying, I have a young woman, who is in
search of a husband, and his principal qualification must be his strength; have you any
objection to marry her? The sun answered, I will direct you to some one who is stronger than
I am, and that is the cloud, which is able to prevent the heat of my rays from reaching the
earth, and eclipses the brightness of my light. Upon this the religious man made a proposal of
marriage to the cloud, who refused his consent after the example of the sun, but
recommended the wind as the most suitable husband, who blows, said he, violently against
me, and drives me about in the heavens from the east to the west. The religious man then
addressed himself to the wind, who referred him to the mountain, whose power and
resistance, he added, defied all his attempts to move it: so he went to the mountain, and the
mountain, having heard what he had to say, said, that the mouse was his superior in strength,
as was proved by his being obliged to afford him an habitation. At length then the religious
man offered his daughter to the mouse ; and the mouse asked how it would be possible for
him to marry her, as the hole where he lived was too small to contain her; and besides this, a
mouse was accustomed to marry one of his own species : then • the religious man prayed that
his adopted daughter might be transformed into her first . state, and she returned to what she
had been : and this is a faithful picture of what we may expect from you. But nothing that his
vizir could say had any effect upon the mind of the king, who continued to treat the crow
with great kindness, and to lavish upon him proofs of his consideration and regard ; so he
spent his time very pleasantly ; till at length when his feathers had grown again, and he had
made all the observations which suited his purpose, he flew away, and returned to his
companions, and being admitted to an audience of the king, he begged permission to
communicate the information which be had acquired ; which being granted, he spoke as
follows.

The owls are living upon a mountain abounding with wood, and not far off there is a flock of
sheep, and a man watching them ; we shall therefore have no difficulty in procuring a light,
and having set fire to some dry wood, we will put it into the holes in which the owls are,
adding fresh fuel as often as is necessary, and fanning the flame with our wings, by which
means our enemies will be suffocated by the smoke ; or if any one endeavours to escape by
flying out, he will be burnt to death. The crows obeyed punctually the instructions they had
received, and having in this manner destroyed the owls, they returned quietly and unmolested
to their own homes.

Then the king asked the crow, how he had been able to endure the company of the owls, as
the society of the wicked must be so insupportable to the good. It is very true, replied the
crow ; but a man of sense, when any weighty matter seems pregnant with mischief to himself
and those with whom he is connected, will submit without reluctance to the severest trials of
his patience, when he has the prospect of a happy issue to his endurance and resignation ; he
neither repines at the pains which he is obliged to undergo, nor at the mortifying humiliation
of a temporary compliance with the will of an inferior, looking to the attainment of the object
which he has in view as a sufficient recompence for all his toils and sufferings. The king then
desired the crow to give him some account of the intellectual attainment of the owls. I did not
find, he replied, any one who possessed the least understanding, except the vizir who
endeavoured to procure my death. They proved their utter want of judgment and good sense,
by the little attention which they paid to my case, and forgetting the credit in which I had
stood with the crows, they were so far from having suspicions of any plot which I might be
contriving against them, that they not only rejected the advice of their counsellor, whose
apprehensions were so well founded, but skewed me the most unreserved confidence in
making me the depositary of their secrets, contrary to the maxim of the wise men, who
condemn in a sovereign a gratuitous disclosure of his intentions in the presence of flatterers
and sycophants. Nothing, said the king, has in my opinion occasioned the ruin of the owls,
but the unreasonable and weak conduct of their king, in listening to the advice of evil coun-
sellors. The observation of your majesty, replied the crow, is perfectly just, and the truth
which it contains may rank for importance with those sayings, which experience and time
have stamped with the character of incontrovertible maxims. Insolence, for instance, and
haughtiness of behaviour are almost inseparable attendants on great good fortune ; a
passionate love of women is a source of more than probable evil ; in the indulgences of the
table lie the seeds of disease, as the ruin of a state is almost inevitable under the
administration of corrupt ministers. The same authority has also pronounced the proud and
imperious man to be an unsuccessful candidate for fame ; the false and deceitful companion
to be unworthy of finding a friend, and the man of bad conduct incapable of arriving at
distinction ; nor is it less true, that avarice, which in no instance is free from blame, is often
the parent of crimes, and that a sovereign, who either through idleness and indifference
neglects the affairs of state, or through weakness, places the reins of government in
unserviceable hands, compromises the safety of his kingdom, and the happiness of his
subjects.

The king here observed to the crow, that he must have possessed a great deal of self-com-
mand, not to have betrayed any impatience under the humiliating character in which he ap-
peared amongst the owls : to which the crow replied, that the temper of mind, which disposes
us to support difficulties on account of the profit which follows them, without reluctance and
peevishness, is highly praiseworthy ; and instanced the example of the serpent, who found a
reward for the readiness with which he carried the king of the frogs upon his back, in the
plentiful provision of food which it procured him. The king desiring to know how this
happened, the crow related the story as follows :

There was a serpent of a very advanced age, whose sight began to grow dim, and his
strength to fail to that degree, that it became almost impossible for him to hunt after his food,
and he was therefore at times at a loss even for a morsel to eat ; one day however he crawled
out in the hopes of finding something to support life, and went to a pond, where there were a
great many frogs, and where in former times he had often been used to regale himself very
plentifully, and he lay at the edge of the water exhibiting signs of great sorrow and affliction.
Then a frog asked him the reason of his distress, and he answered, that it was no small cause
that had occasioned it ; that he had hitherto lived upon the frogs which he was able to catch,
whereas at present, owing to some fatality of which he was the victim, if he met with any, he
was unable to draw them out of the water. Upon this the frog went to his sovereign, and
acquainted him with what the serpent had said. Then the king of the frogs came to the
serpent, and asked him what was the matter; and the serpent replied, I was one evening
employed in hunting a frog, which took refuge in the house of a religious man, and I
followed it thither, and as 1 was pursuing it in the dark, I bit the finger of the religious man's
son, which I mistook for the frog, and he died of the wound : then I fled away as quickly as I
could, and the father followed me, loading me with imprecations for what I had done to his
innocent child, and praying, that as a punishment for my crime I might be reduced to the
servile condition of being rode upon by the king of the frogs, and of living from his charity
and bounty. I am therefore come to you according to the curse which hangs over me, to await
your will and pleasure. Then the king of the frogs was impa. tient to ride the serpent, which
he thought would be a great honour and distinction, and having mounted upon him, be was
highly pleased and satisfied. Upon this the serpent reminded the king of the state to which he
had been doomed, and implored his charitable aid to save him from starving; and the king of
the frogs acknowledged the justice of his claims, and that he fairly earned his livelihood by
the use which was made of him ; and he commanded two frogs to be delivered to him every
day, which were sufficient for his support ; and his servitude and patient submission to his
enemy were therefore in the result rather profitable than injurious to him : in the same
manner the security for our persons, and freedom from all apprehensions for the future,
which have been put beyond all doubt by the destruction of our foes, were the object, and
have become the recompense, of the inconveniences to which I submitted. I found too that
meekness and a complying temper would be more effectual in bringing about the purpose
which I had in view, than a haughty and assuming deportment, drawing a parallel in my own
mind between the power and respective influence of the various qualities which we betray in
our conduct, and the natural but opposite phenomena of fire and water, the former of which,
notwithstanding the intensity of its heat, will only consume the trunk and branches of a tree,
whilst the latter by its chilling moisture will even destroy the roots. And it has been said, that
neither fire, nor a disease, nor an enemy, nor a debt, should be despised on account of their
apparent insignificance, a maxim which the king has always observed, and in which he has
found his account ; and it has been laid down as certain, that where two men are in pursuit of
the same object, the strongest of the two is always successful ; but if they happen to be equal
in strength, the victory will declare itself for the more persevering; and if both are endowed
with an equal measure of indefatigable patience, that the issue will be favourable to him who
has made the greater preparation for the exertions which he will be called upon to employ :
and whoever makes war against a king who uses foresight in the measures which he orders,
and who is neither rendered arrogant by good fortune, nor beat down by the pressure of ill
luck, but like you, 0 king, determines prudently what is to be done, as well as the time and
place for its execution, neither injuring his cause by unseasonable violence and precipitation
on the one hand, nor by procrastination and a timid forbearance on the other, but looking to
the business in which he is engaged under every point of view in which it is possible to
survey it, such a man must inevitably bring ruin upon his own head_

The king here disclaimed all merit for himself, and told the crow, that his judgment and
sensible conduct, aided by the blessing which seemed to be attached by fate to every thing
which he did, deserved all the praise ; for that one prudent and intelligent person was of more
use in counteracting the plans of an enemy, and converting them into engines of his destruc-
tion, than a multitude, who had nothing to trust to except their courage and number ; and
what surprises me the most, added he, is your conduct in being able to listen for such a length
of time to the vulgar discourse of the owls, without letting fall a single expression, which
might betray your secret views. I never for a moment lost sight of your instructions,
answered the crow, and succeeded to the utmost of my wishes, by following uninterruptedly
a mild and conciliatory course of action. Indeed, said the king, I am convinced of your worth
in this respect : it is true, I have had other vizirs, who could talk plausibly, but without giving
any effect to what they uttered ; but in you I have found a strong. and powerful support, so
that I can now enjoy my meals in peace, and take my rest in whatever place I choose, without
any apprehensions for my safety ; my present situation reminds me of the state of a sick man,
who can neither enjoy the pleasures of his table, nor taste the repose of his couch, till he is
recovered from his illness ; or I may compare myself to the ambitious man, who is tormented
by the desire of arriving at fortune and power, and is not at ease, till the bounty of his
sovereign has crowned his schemes with success ; or to the man who, living in constant dread
of his enemy, is a martyr to his fears, till the cause of them is removed; for the mind is
lightened by the disappearance of the apprehensions which agitated it, as the hand is relieved
by the removal of a heavy weight which it was carrying. I will pray, said the crow, to God,
who alone has been the destroyer of your enemy, that he will pour down upon you the
blessings of his goodness, and make the excess of his bounty to you the measure of the
happiness and prosperity of your subjects : for when a people are not happy under the sway
of their sovereign, he may be compared to the excrescence, which grows under the throat of
the she-goat, which the kid sucks, fancying it to be the teat of the udder, and is disappointed
of its milk. Tell me, thou faithful minister, said the king, what was the practice of the owls
and their king in their wars, and in the management of their affairs. Their conduct, answered
the crow, was marked by insolence, haughtiness, arrogance, weakness, and pride ; this was
the character both of the king and his vizirs, with the exception of him who advised my death
; he indeed was wise and intelligent, gifted with foresight and knowledge, and rarely to be
equalled in firmness, understanding, and sound judgment. The king. And what did you
observe in his behaviour, which led you to form this opinion of him ? The crow. Two
circumstances, which struck me very forcibly: one was, his recommendation that I should be
put to death ; and the other, the freedom with which he delivered his opinion,
notwithstanding the contempt it met with ; at the same time his speech was remarkable for
moderation and temper ; and in combating the arguments of his colleagues he avoided every
sort of personality, endeavouring to give weight to what he advanced by examples and stories
which bore upon the point under discussion, by which he incurred no risk of exciting the
displeasure of the king : and I distinctly heard him say to his sovereign, that a king ought not
to neglect his affairs ; that but few people were equal to the task of a great undertaking, and
that in no case could it be successfully conducted without prudent management; that the
possession of a kingdom was a great acquisition, but entailed upon the sovereign the
necessity of unceasing attention to the means of consolidating and securing it ; that in the
uncertainty of its duration it might be compared to the transitory shadow of the leaf of the
Nilouphar, and in the quickness with which it is lost to the passage of the wind ; in the
instability of its most flourishing state to the casual and temporary connection which a noble-
minded man may have formed With a person of an opposite character ; and in its rapid
decline to the bubbles of water, which are momentarily occasioned by the falling rain.