There was once a merchant, who had abundant wealth, and a wife to boot. He set out one day on a business journey, leaving his wife big with child,

The Tale Of The Merchant And His Sons. 53 and said to her, "Albeit, I now leave you, yet I will return before the birth of the babe, God willing!" Then he farewelled her and setting out, did not stop faring from country to country till he came to the court of one of the kings and foregathered with him. Now this king needed one who should order his affairs and those of his kingdom and seeing the merchant well bred and intelligent, he required him to abide at court and entreated him honourably. After some years, he sought his Sovran's leave to go to his own house, but the king would not consent to this; whereupon he said to him, "O king, suffer me go and see my children and come again." So he granted him permission for this and, taking surety of him for his return, gave him a purse, in which were a thousand gold dinars. Accordingly, the merchant embarked in a ship and set sail, intending for his motherland. On such wise fared it with the trader; but as regards his wife, news had reached her that her husband had accepted service with King Such an one; so she arose and taking her two sons (for she had borne twins in his absence), set out seeking those parts. As Fate would have it, they happened upon an island, and her husband came there that very night in the ship.

So the woman said to her children, "The ship comes from the country where your father is: hie you to the sea shore, that you may enquire of him." Accordingly, they repaired to the sea shore and going up into the ship, fell to playing about it and busied themselves with their play till evening evened. Now the merchant their sire lay asleep in the ship, and the noisy disport of the boys troubled him; where upon he rose to call out to them "Silence" and let the purse with the thousand dinars fall among the bales of merchandise. He sought for it and finding it not, buffeted his head and seized upon the boys, saying, "None took the purse but you: you were playing all about the bales, so you might steal somewhat, and there was none here but you twain." Then he took his staff, and laying hold of the children, fell to beating them and flogging them, whilst they wept, and the crew came round about them saying, "The boys of this island are all rogues and robbers." Then, of the greatness of the merchant's anger, he swore an oath that, except they brought out the purse, he would drown them in the sea; so when by reason of their denial his oath demanded the deed, he took the two boys and binding them each to a bundle of reeds, cast them into the water. Presently, finding that they tarried from her, the mother of the two boys went searching for them, till she came to the ship and began saying, "Who has seen two boys of mine? Their fashion is so and so and their age thus and thus."

When the crew heard her words, they said, "This is the description of the two boys who were drowned in the sea just now." Their mother hearing this began calling on them and crying, "Alas, my anguish for your loss, O my sons! Where was the eye of your father this day, that it might have seen you?" Then one of the sailors asked, "Whose wife are you?" and she answered, "I am the wife of such an one the trader. I was on my way to him, and there has befallen me this calamity." When the merchant heard her words, he knew her and rising to his feet, rent his raiment and beat his head and said to his wife, "By God, I have destroyed my children with my own hand! This is the end of whoever looks not to the endings of affairs. This is his reward who takes not time to reflect." Then he took to wailing and weeping over them, he and his wife, and he said to his shipmates, "By God, I shall never enjoy my life, till I light upon news of them!" And he began to go round about the sea, in quest of his sons, but found them not. Meanwhile, the wind carried the two children from the ship towards the land, and cast them up on the sea shore.

As for one of them, a company of the guards of the king of those parts found him and carried him to their lord, who marvelled at him with exceeding marvel and adopted him, giving out to the folk that he was his own son, whom he had hidden, of his love for him. So the folk rejoiced in him with joy exceeding, for their lord's sake, and the king appointed him his heir apparent and the inheritor of his king dom. in this way a number of years passed, till the king died and they enthroned the youth sovran in his stead, when he sat down on the seat of his kingship and his estate flourished and his affairs prospered with all regularity. Meanwhile, his father and mother had gone round about, in quest of him and his brother, all the islands of the sea, hoping that the tide might have cast them up, but found no trace of them; so they despaired of them and took up their abode in a certain of the islands. One day, the merchant, being in the market, saw a broker,

The Tale Of The Merchant And His Sons. 55 and in his hand was a boy he was crying for sale, and said to himself, "I will buy that boy, so I may solace myself with him for my sons." So he bought him and bore him to his house; and when his wife saw him, she cried out and said, "By God, this is my son!" Accordingly his father and mother rejoiced in him with exceeding joy and asked him of his brother; but he answered, "The waves parted us and I knew not how it went with him." Therewith his father and mother consoled themselves with him and in this way a number of years passed by. Now the merchant and his wife had homed them in a city of the land where their other son was king, and when the boy they had recovered grew up, his father assigned unto him merchandise, to the end that he might travel therewith. Upon this he fared forth and entered the city in which his brother ruled and soon news reached the king that a merchant had come there with merchandise befitting royalties; so he sent for him and the young trader obeyed the summons and going in to him, sat down before him. Neither of them knew the other; but blood moved between them and the king said to the merchant youth, "I desire of you that you tarry with me and I will exalt your station and give you all that you require and cravest."

Accordingly, he abode with him awhile, never quitting him; and when he saw that he would not suffer him to depart from him, he sent to his father and mother and bade them remove there to him. at this they resolved upon moving to that island, and their son still increased in honour with the king, albeit he knew not that he was his brother. Now it chanced one night that the king sallied forth without the city and drank and the wine got the mastery of him and he became drunken. So, of the youth's fear for his safety, he said, "I will keep watch myself over the king this night, seeing that he deserves this from me, for that which he has done with me of kindly deeds;" and he arose directly and, baring his brand, stationed himself at the door of the king's pavilion. But one of the royal pages saw him standing there with the drawn sword in his hand, and he was of those who envied him his favour with the king; therefore, he said to him, "Why do you act in this way at this time and in this place?" The youth said, "I am keeping watch and ward over the king myself, in requital of his bounties to me."

The page said no more to him; however, when morning came, he acquainted a number of the king's servants with the matter, and they said, "This is an opportunity for us. Come, let us assemble together and acquaint the king therewith, so the young merchant may lose regard with him and we be rid of him and at rest from him." So they assembled together and, going in to the king said to him, "We have a warning with which we would warn you." He said, "And what is your warning?" and they said, "This youth, the trader, whom you have taken into favour and whose rank you have exalted above the chiefest of your lords, we saw yesterday bare his brand and design to fall upon you, to the end that he might slay you."

Now when the king heard this, his colour changed and he said to them, "Have you proof of this?" They rejoined, "What proof would you have? If you desire this, feign yourself drunken again this night and lie down as if asleep, and privily watch him and you will see with yours eyes all that we have mentioned to you." Then they went to the youth and said to him, "Know that the king thanks you for your dealing yesternight and exceeds in commendation of your good deed;" and they prompted him again to do the like. Accordingly, when the next night came, the king abode on wake, watching the youth; and as for the latter, he went to the door of the pavilion and unsheathing his scimitar, stood in the doorway. When the king saw him do thus, he was sore disquieted and bade seize him and said to him, "Is this my reward from you? I showed you favour more than any else and you would do with me this abominable deed." Then arose two of the king's pages and said to him, "O our lord, If you order it, we will smite his neck." But the king said, "Haste in killing is a vile thing, for 'tis a grave matter; the quick we can kill, but the killed we cannot quicken, and needs must we look to the end of affairs. The slaying of this youth will not escape us." Therewith he bade imprison him, whilst he himself went back to the city and, his duties done, fared forth to the chase. Then he returned to town and forgot the youth; so the pages went in to him

The Tale Of The Merchant And His Sons. 57 and said to him, "O king, If you keep silence concerning that youth, who designed to slaughter you, all your servants will presume upon the king's majesty, and indeed the folk talk of this matter." at this the king grew wroth and cried, "Fetch him here;" and bade the headsman strike off his head. So they brought the youth and bound his eyes; and the sworder stood at his head and said to the king, "By your leave, O my lord, I will smite his neck." But the king cried, "Stay, till I look into his affair. Needs must I put him to death and the dispatching of him will not escape me." Then he restored him to the prison and there he abode till it should be the king's will to do him die. Presently, his parents heard of the matter; whereupon his father arose and going up to the palace, wrote a letter and presented it to the king, who read it, and behold, within it was written, saying, "Have ruth on me, so may Allah have ruth on you, and hasten not in the slaughter of my son; for indeed I acted hastily in a certain affair and drowned his brother in the sea, and to this day I bemourn him. If you must needs kill him, kill me in his stead."

Therewith the old merchant, weeping bitterly, prostrated himself before the king, who said to him, "Tell me your tale." Said the merchant, "O my lord, this youth had a brother and I in my haste cast the twain into the sea." And he related to him his story, first and last, whereupon the king cried with a mighty loud cry and casting himself down from the throne, embraced his father and brother and said to the merchant, "By God, you are my very father and this is my brother and your wife is our mother." And they abode weeping, all three of them. Then the king acquainted his people with the matter and said to them, "O folk, how deem you of my looking to the consequences of action?" and they all marvelled at his wisdom and foresight. Then he turned to his sire and said to him, "Had you looked to the issue of yours affair and made due delay in whatever you did, there had not happened you this repentance and chagrin all this time." Thereupon he sent for his mother and they rejoiced one in other and lived all their days in joy and gladness. "What then" (continued the young treasurer), "is more grievous than the lack of looking to the ends of things? Why hasten you not in the slaying of me, lest penitence happen you and sore chagrin." When the king heard this, he said, "Return him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his affair; for that deliberation in such is advisable and the slaughter of this youth shall not escape us."

The Third Day