shot," said Solomon. "And the younger?"

"The younger ... Forgive me, O King,--I could not insist upon thy
command being fulfilled exactly.... The younger did make his string
taut, but suddenly lowered the bow to his feet, turned around, and said,
weeping: 'Nay, this I can not do.... I will not shoot at the corpse of
my father.'"

"Therefore, let the estate of his father belong to him," decided the
king. "He has proven the worthier son. As for the elder, if he desire,
he may join the number of my bodyguards. I have need of such strong and
rapacious men, sure of hand and true of eye, and with a heart grown over
with wool."

Next three men came before the king. Carrying on a mutual traffic in
merchandise, they had amassed much money. And so, when the time had
come for them to journey to Jerusalem, they had sewn up the gold in a
leathern belt and had set out on their way. On the road they had spent
a night in a forest, and, for safe-keeping, had buried the belt in the
ground. But when they awoke in the morning, they found no belt in the
place where they had put it.

They all accused one another of the secret theft, and since all three
seemed to be men of exceeding cunning, and subtile of speech, the king
therefore said unto them:

"Ere I decide your suit, hearken unto that which I shall relate to you.
A certain fair maiden promised her beloved, who was setting out upon a
journey, to await his return, and to yield her virginity to none save
him. But, having gone away, he within a short while married another
maiden, in another city, and she came to know of this. In the absence of
her beloved, a wealthy and kind-hearted youth in her city, a friend of
her childhood, paid court to her. Constrained by her parents she durst
not, for shame and fear, tell him of her pact, and took him to spouse.
But when, at the conclusion of the marriage feast, he led her to the
bed-chamber, and would lay down with her, she began to implore him:
'Allow me to go to the city where my former beloved dwelleth. Let him
relieve me of my vow; then shall I return to thee, and do all thy
desire!' And since the youth loved her exceedingly, he did agree to her
request, allowed her to go, and she went. On the way a robber fell upon
her, disheveled her, and was about to ravish her. But the maiden fell
down on her knees before him, and, in tears, implored him to spare her
virtue, telling the robber all that had befallen her, and her reason for
travelling