The Manners of Kings
STORY XXII
A king was subject to a terrible disease, the mention of which is not sanctioned by custom. The tribe of Yunani[1] physicians agreed that this pain cannot be allayed, except by means of the bile of a person endued with certain qualities. Orders having been issued to search for an individual of this kind, the son of a landholder was discovered to possess the qualities mentioned by the doctors. The King summoned the father and mother of the boy, whose consent he obtained by giving them immense wealth, the Qâzi issued a judicial decree that it is permissible to shed the blood of one subject for the safety of the King, and the executioner was ready to slay the boy, who then looked heavenwards and smiled.
The King asked: "What occasion for laughter is there in such a position?"
The youth replied: "A son looks to the affection of his father and mother to bring his case before the Qâzi, and to ask justice from the Pâdshâh; in the present instance, however, the father and mother have for the trash of this world surrendered my blood, the Qâzi has issued a decree to kill me, the Sultân thinks he will recover his health only through my destruction, and I see no other refuge besides God the Most High. To whom shall I complain against thy hand, if I am also to seek justice from thy hand?"
The Sultân became troubled at these words, tears rushed to his eyes, and he said: "It is better for me to perish than to shed innocent blood." He kissed the head and eyes of the youth, presented him with boundless weath; and it is said that the King also recovered his health during that week.
- ↑ The Ionian, or Greek, system of Hippocrates and others is still taught in India, and in Bombay also a Yunani dispensary is kept up.
36
