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him after the foulest fashion or torture him with the most grievous torments or how?’ Quoth the chief vizier, ‘Cut off his limbs, one a day.’ And another said, ‘Beat him grievously every day [till he die].’ And a third, ‘Cut him in half.’ A fourth, ‘Cut off all his fingers and burn him with fire.’ And a fifth, ‘Crucify him.’ And so on. each speaking according to his judgment.
Now there was with the Blue King an old amir, versed in affairs and experienced in the circumstance of the times, and he said, ‘O king of the age, I have somewhat to say to thee, and it is for thee to judge whether thou wilt hearken to me or not.’ Now he was the king’s privy counsellor and the chief officer of his empire, and he was wont to give ear to his word and act by his counsel and gainsay him not in aught. So he rose and kissing the ground before the king, said to him, ‘O king of the age, if I counsel thee in this matter, wilt thou follow my counsel and grant me indemnity?’ ‘Set forth thine opinion,’ answered the king, ‘and thou shalt have indemnity.’ Then said he, ‘O king of the age, if thou wilt accept my advice and hearken to my word, to slay this young man now is inexpedient, for that he is thy prisoner and in thy power, and whenas thou wilt, thou mayst lay thy hand on him and do with him as thou wilt. Have patience, then, O king of the age, for he hath entered the garden of Irem and is become the [affianced] husband of Bediya el Jemal, daughter of King Shehyal, and one of them. Thy people seized him there and brought him hither and he did not hide his case from them or from thee. So, if thou kill him, King Shehyal will seek to avenge him of thee and wage war on thee for his daughter’s sake, and thou canst not avail to cope with him nor make head against his power.’ So the king hearkened to his counsel and commanded to imprison Seif el Mulouk.
