d thou wilt undoubtedly be the King of
Persia.

"The gold and jewels, the imperial sway,
The crown, the throne, the army, all he owns,
Will presently be thine; then wait in patience,
And reign, in time, the monarch of the world."

Isfendiyar, however, was not contented with his mother's counsel, and
suspecting that she would communicate to the king what he had said, he
one day, as if under the influence of wine, thus addressed his father:
"In what way have I failed to accomplish thy wishes? Have I not
performed such actions as never were heard of, and never will be
performed again, in furtherance of thy glory? I have overthrown thy
greatest enemy, and supported thy honor with ceaseless toil and
exertion. Is it not then incumbent on thee to fulfil thy promise?"
Gushtasp replied: "Do not be impatient--the throne is thine;" but he was
deeply irritated at heart on being thus reproached by his own son. When
he retired he consulted with Jamasp, and was anxious to know what the
stars foretold. The answer was: "He is of exalted fortune, of high
destiny; he will overcome all his enemies, and finally obtain the
sovereignty of the heft-aklim, or seven climes." This favorable prophecy
aggravated the spleen of the father against the son, and he inquired
with bitter and unnatural curiosity: "What will be his death? Look to
that."

"A deadly dart from Rustem's bow,
Will lay the glorious warrior low."

These tidings gladdened the heart of Gushtasp, and he said: "If this
miscreant had been slain in his expedition to the Brazen Fortress I
should not now have been insulted with his claim to my throne." The king
then having resolved upon a scheme of deep dissimulation, ordered a
gorgeous banquet, and invited to it all his relations and warriors; and
when the guests were assembled he said to Isfendiyar: "The crown and the
throne are thine; indeed, who is there so well qualified for imperial
sway?" and turning to his warriors, he spoke of him with praise and
admiration, and added: "When I was entering upon the war against Arjasp,
before I quitted Sistan, I said to Rustem: 'Lohurasp, my father, is
dead, my wife and children made prisoners, wilt thou assist me in
punishing the murderer and oppressor?' but he excused himself, and
remained at home, and although I have since been involved in numberless
perils, he has not once by inquiry shown himself interested in my
behalf; in short, he boasts that Kai-khosrau gave him the princ