tree which was hollow as the shape of a vessel. So the man entered therein, and the ape climbed up and took a seat above the man's head, and waved his hand to the lion, saying: 'Come along, let's kill him!' And the lion approached and stood beneath the tree. But it happened that the ape had genitalia magna, which had gone down into the cleft of the tree. So the thief put out his hand, caught hold of them, pressed them hard and tore them, and the ape fell from the tree dead. And when the lion saw that the ape was dead, he ran for fear, and exclaimed: 'In very truth the one who killed the ape is the very one who made me run all the night!' As for me, I have hope in God, that he will give me success over thy philosophers."
Thereupon the king commanded that his son be put to death.
6th Philosopher. XV.—Now the sixth philosopher came, and entered the king's presence, and exclaimed: "Long live my sovereign lord! Know, my sovereign, that if you had no son, it would have been meet for you to petition God to give you a son: and now that you have one, you order him to be killed, and moreover, through the advice of a base woman. If only it would not happen to thee as it happened to a certain dove, who was in the habit of gathering seeds after the reapers, and, having satiated himself, he used to collect and store them in an aperture until he had filled it. He said to his mate: 'Don't come near this aperture until the winter-time,' to which she replied: 'Thou hast spoken well.' So the dove departed, he and his mate, and fed in the open. But, as soon as the sun had warmed the seeds which were in the hole they became dry, after having been moist (sc. when placed there). And the dove came to look after the store which he had gathered, and found that it had greatly diminished. So he addressed his mate: 'Did I not of a certainty bid you not to approach this store?' And in his anger he smote and killed her, and was left solitary. Now when the winter
