him; and they redoubled in esteem for him and exceeding affection and sued pardon of him, admiring that which Allah had done with him and how He had given him the kingship by reason of his longsuffering and his patience and how he had raised himself by his endurance from the bottom of the pit to the throne of the kingdom, what while Allah cast down the late king from the throne into the pit.[FN#174] Then Abu Sabir foregathered with his wife and said to her, “How deemest thou of the fruit of patience and its sweetness and the fruit of haste and its bitterness?  Verily, all that a man doth of good and evil, he shall assuredly encounter the same.”  “On like wise, O king” (continued the young treasurer), “it befitteth thee to practice patience, whenever it is possible to thee, for that longsuffering is the wont of the noble, and it is the chiefest of their reliance, especially for kings.”  When the king heard this from the youth, his wrath subsided; so he bade return him to the prison, and the folk dispersed that day.

The Fourth Day.

Of the Ill Effects of Impatience.

When it was the fourth day, the fourth Wazir, whose name was Zushad,[FN#175] made his appearance, and prostrating himself to his liege lord, said to him, “O king, let not the talk of yonder youth delude thee, for that he is not a truth-teller.  As long as he shall remain alive, the folk will not leave talking nor will thy heart cease to be occupied with him.”  Cried the king, “By Allah, thou sayst sooth and I will cause fetch him this day and slay him between my hands.”  Then bade he bring the youth; so they fetched him in fetters and he said to him, “Woe to thee!  Thinkest thou to appease my heart with thy prate, whereby the days are spent in talk?  I mean to do thee die this day and be quit of thee.”  Said the youth, “O king, ’tis in thy power to put me out of the world whenso thou wilt, but haste is the wont of the ignoble and patience the sign of the noble.  An thou do me to death, thou wilt repent, and when thou desire to bring me back to life, thou wilt not be able.  Indeed, whoso acteth hastily in an affair, there befalleth him what befel Bihzad, son of the king.”  Quoth the king, “And what is his tale?” Replied the treasurer, “O king, hear

The Story of Prince Bihzad.[FN#176]

There was once, of olden time, a king and he had a son Bihzad hight, there was not in his tide a fairer than he and he loved to fellow with the folk and to mix with the merchants and sit and talk with them.  One day, as he was seated in an assembly, amongst a number of people, he heard them talking of his own beauty and loveliness, and saying, “There be not in his time a fairer than he.”  But one of the company said, “Indeed, the daughter of King Such-an-one is seemlier than he.”  When Bihzad heard this saying, his reason fled and his heart fluttered and he called the last speaker and said to him, “Repeat to me that which thou saidst and tell me the truth concerning her whom thou