e came, he
took the road to a city whose distant spires had attracted his
attention.

As he approached it, he perceived a number of workmen engaged in
constructing a palace for the King. The overseer of this work took
hold of him by the arm, and obliged him to labour with his workmen,
under pain of being sent to prison. Abosaber was forced to have
patience, while he exerted himself to the utmost, receiving no wages
but a little bread and water.

He had been a month in this laborious and unprofitable situation, when
a workman, falling from a ladder, broke his leg. This poor unhappy
man set up dreadful cries, interrupted by complaints and imprecations.
Abosaber approached him.

"Companion," said he to him, "you increase your misfortunes instead of
relieving them. Have patience! The fruits of this virtue are always
salutary: it supports us under calamity, and such is its power that it
can raise a man to the throne, even though he were cast into the
bottom of a well."

The monarch of the country was at this moment at one of the windows of
his palace, to which the cries of the unfortunate workman had drawn
him. He had heard Abosaber's discourse, and was offended at it.

"Let this man be arrested," said he to one of his officers, "and
brought before me."

The officer obeyed. Abosaber was in the presence of the tyrant whose
pride he had unintentionally shocked.

"Insolent fellow!" said this barbarous King to him, "can patience then
bring a man from the bottom of a well to a throne? Thou art going to
put the truth of thy own maxim to the trial."

At the same time he ordered him to be let down to the bottom of a dry
and deep well which was within the palace. There he visited him
regularly every day, carrying him two morsels of bread.

"Abosaber," would he say to him, "you appear to me to be still at the
bottom of the well: when is your patience to raise you to the throne?"

The more this unfeeling monarch insulted his prisoner, he became the
more resigned.

"Let us have patience," would he say to himself; "let us not repel
contempt with reproach; we are not suffered to avenge ourselves in any
shape whatever. Let us allow the crime to come to its full height:
Heaven sees, and is our judge. Let us have patience."

The King had a brother, whom he had always concealed from every eye in
a secret part of the palace. But suspicion and uneasiness made him
afraid lest he should one day be carried off and placed upon the