Seven Thieves once went out to steal, according to their custom, and fell in with a Boy, poor and orphaned to boot, who besought them for something to eat. One of them asked him, "Will go with us, O Boy, and we will feed you and give you drink, clothe you and entreat you kindly?" And he answered, "Needs must I go with you whitherso you will and you are as my own kith and kin." So they took him and fared on with him till they came to a garden, and entering, went round about within it, till they found a walnut tree laden with ripe fruit and said to him, "O Boy, will you enter this garden with us and swarm up this tree and eat of its walnuts your sufficiency and throw the rest down to us?" He consented and entered with them,—

When it was the Nine Hundred and Nineteenth night

And they said, "None of us is slighter than this boy so they sent him up into the tree an said to him, "O Boy, touch not anything of the fruit, lest some one see you and work you a mischief." He asked, "How then shall I do?", and they answered, "Sit among the boughs and shake them one by one with all your might, so that which is thereon may fall, and we pick it up. Then, when you have made end of shaking down the fruit, come down and take your share that which we have gathered." Accordingly he began to shake every branch at which he could come, so that the nuts fell and thieves picked them up and ate some and hid other some till all were full, save the Boy who had eaten nothing. As they we thus engaged, behold, up came the owner of the garden who standing to witness the spectacle, enquired of them, "What do you with this tree?" They replied, "We have taken nothing of it; but we were passing by and seeing that Boy on the tree, took him for the owner of it and besought him to give us to eat of the fruit. at that he fell to shaking one of the branches, so that the nuts dropped down, and we are not fault." the master to the Boy "What sayst you?" and he said, "These men lie; but I will tell you the truth. It is that we all came here together and they bade me climb the tree and shake its boughs that the nuts might fall down to them, and I obeyed their bidding."

Said the master, "You have cast yourself into sore calamity; but have you profited by eating anything of the fruit?"; and he said, "I have eaten nothing of it." Rejoined the owner of the garden, "Now know I your folly and, yours ignorance in that you have wrought to ruin yourself and profit others." Then he said to the Thieves, "I have no resort against you, so go on their way!" But he laid hands on the Boy and punished him. "On like wise," added the favourite; "your Wazirs and Officers of state would sacrifice you to their interests and do with you as did the Thieves with the Boy." Answered the King, "You sayst truth, and speak truth: I will not go forth to them nor leave my pleasures." Then he passed the night with his wife in all delight till the morning, when the Grand Wazir arose and, assembling the Officers of state, together with those of the subjects who were present with them, repaired with them to the palace gate, congratulating one another and rejoicing. But the door opened not nor did the King come forth unto them nor give them leave to go in to him. So, when they despaired of him, they said to Shimas, "O excellent Wazir

King Jali'ad Of Hind And His Wazir Shimas. 97 and accomplished sage, see you not the behaviour of this lad, young of years and little of wit, how he adds to his offences falsehood? see how he has broken his promise to us and has not performed that for which he engaged unto us, and this sin it behoves you join unto his other sins; but we beseech you go in to him yet again and discover what is the cause of his holding back and refusal to come forth; for we doubt not but that the like of this action comes of his corrupt nature, and indeed he is now hardened to the highest degree." Accordingly, Shimas went in to the King and bespake him, saying, "Peace be with you, O King! How comes it that I see you give yourself up to these slight pleasures and neglect the great affair whereto it behoves you sedulously apply yourself? You are like unto a man who had a milch camel and, coming one day to milk her, the goodness of her milk made him neglect to hold fast her halter; which whenas she felt, she haled herself free and made off into the wold. Thus the man lost both milk and camel and the loss that happened him surpassed his gain. Why, O King, do you look unto that in which is your welfare and the weal of your subjects; for, even as it behoves not a man to sit for ever at the kitchen door, because of his need unto food, so should he not alway company with women, by reason of his inclination to them. And as a man should eat but as much food as will guard him from the pains of hunger and drink but what will ward off the pangs of thirst, in like manner it behoves the sensible man to content himself with passing two of the four and twenty hours of his day with women and expend the rest in ordering his own affairs and those of his people. For to be longer than this in company with women is hurtful both to mind and body, seeing that they bid not unto good neither direct thereto: Why it besitts not a man to accept from them or word or deed, for indeed it has reached me that many men have come to ruin through their women, and amongst others a certain man who perished through conversation with his wife at her command." The King asked, "How was that?" and Shimas answered, saying, "Hear, O King the tale of