him by the Minister’s speech and he was troubled; so he said to him, “O base of birth, thou hast dishonoured us and marred our mention, and needs must I do away thy life from the world.”  Quoth the youth, “O king, make use of patience in all thine affairs, so wilt thou win to thy wish, for that Allah Almighty hath appointed the issue of long-suffering to be in abounding good, and indeed by patience Abu Sabir ascended from the pit and sat down upon the throne.”  Asked the king, “Who was Abu Sabir, and what is his tale?” and the youth answered, saying, “Hear thou, O king,

The Story of Abu Sabir.

There was once a man, a village headman,[FN#165] Abu Sabir hight, and he had much black cattle and a buxom wife, who had borne him two sons.  They abode in a certain hamlet and there used to come thither a lion and rend and devour Abu Sabir’s herd, so that the most part thereof was wasted and his wife said to him one day, “This lion hath wasted the greater part of our property.  Arise, mount thy horse and take thy host and do thy best to kill him, so we may be at rest from him.”  But Abu Sabir said, “Have patience, O woman, for the issue of patience is praised.  This lion it is which transgresseth against us, and the transgressor, perforce must Almighty Allah destroy him.  Indeed, ’tis our long-suffering that shall slay him,[FN#166] and he that doth evil needs must it recoil upon him.”  A few days after, the king went forth one morning to hunt and falling in with the lion, he and his host, gave chase to him and ceased not pursuit till they slew him.  This news reached Abu Sabir who improved the occasion to his wife, “Said I not to thee, O woman, that whoso doth evil, it shall recoil upon him?  Haply an I sought to slay the lion myself, I had not prevailed against him, and this is the issue of patience.”  It befel, after this, that a man was slain in Abu Sabir’s village; wherefore the Sultan bade plunder the village, and they spoiled the patient one’s goods with the rest.  Thereupon his wife said to him, “All the king’s officers know thee; so do thou prefer thy plaint to the sovran, that he may bid thy beasts to be restored to thee.”  But he said to her, “O woman, said I not to thee that he who worketh wrong shall be wronged?  Indeed, the king hath done evil, and right soon he shall suffer the issues of his deed, for whoso taketh the goods of the folk, needs must his goods be taken.”  A man of his neighbours heard his speech, and he was an envier of his; so he went to the Sultan and acquainted him therewith, whereupon the king sent and plundered all the rest of his goods and drave him forth from the village, and his wife and family with him.  They went wandering in the waste grounds about the hamlet and his wife said to him, “All that hath befallen us cometh of thy slowness in affairs and thy helplessness.”  But he said to her, “Have patience, for the issue of patience is good.”  Then they walked on a little way, and thieves met them and despoiling