ll strove to obtain his release. Such as had him
in custody were indulgent in their restraint, and his fellow-grandees
were loud in proclaiming his virtues, till the king pardoned his fault.
A good and holy man was apprised of these events, and said:--"In order
to conciliate the good-will of friends, it were better to sell our
patrimonial garden; in order to boil the pot of well-wishers, it were
good to convert our household furniture into fire-wood. Do good even to
the wicked; it is as well to shut a dog's mouth with a crumb."

XXXIV

One of Harun-al-Rashid's children went up to his father in a passion,
saying, "A certain officer's son has abused me in my mother's name."
Harun asked his ministers, "What ought to be such a person's
punishment?" One made a sign to have him put to death; another to have
his tongue cut out; and a third, to have him fined and banished. Harun
said: "O my child! it were generous to forgive him; but if you have not
resolution to do that, do you abuse his mother in return, yet not to
such a degree as to exceed the bounds of retaliation, for in that case
the injury would be on our part, and the complaint on that of the
antagonist.--In the opinion of the prudent he is no hero that can dare
to combat a furious elephant; but that man is in truth a hero who, when
provoked to anger, will not speak intemperately. A cross-grained fellow
abused a certain person; he bore it patiently, and said, O well-disposed
man! I am still more wicked than thou art calling me; for I know my
defects better than thou canst know them."

XXXV

I was seated in a vessel, along with some persons of distinction, when a
boat sunk astern of us and two brothers were drawn into the whirlpool.
One of our gentlemen called to the pilot, saying, "Save those two
drowning men and I will give you a hundred dinars." The pilot went and
rescued one of them, but the other perished. I observed, "That man's
time was come, therefore you were tardy in assisting him, and alert in
saving this other." The pilot smiled, and replied, "What you say is the
essence of inevitable necessity; yet was my zeal more hearty in rescuing
this one, because on an occasion when I was tired in the desert he set
me on a camel; whereas, when a boy, I had received a horsewhipping from
that other."--_God Almighty was all justice and equity: whoever labored
unto good experienced good in himself; and he who toiled unto evil
experienced evil_.--So long as thou art