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to it, so it may accept of me.’ Quoth Hassan, ‘Thou hast betrayed [the bond of] bread and salt.’ Whereupon the Magian raised his hand and dealt him a buffet, that he fell and biting the deck, swooned away, whilst the tears streamed down his cheeks. Then Behram bade his servants light him a fire and Hassan said, ‘What wilt thou do with it?’ ‘This is the Fire, giver of light and sparks,’ replied the Magian. ‘This it is I worship, and if thou wilt worship it even as I, I will give thee half my wealth and marry thee to my daughter.’ ‘Out on thee!’ cried Hassan. ‘Thou art an infidel Magian, that worshippeth the Fire, instead of the All-powerful King, Creator of Night and Day; and this is nought but a calamity among faiths!’
At this the Magian was wroth and said to him, ‘Wilt thou not then fall in with me, O dog of the Arabs, and enter my faith?’ But Hassan consented not to this: so the accursed Magian arose and prostrating himself to the fire, bade his servants throw him down on his face. They did so, and he beat him with a whip of plaited hide, till his flanks were laid open, whilst he cried aloud for succour, but none succoured him, and besought protection, but none protected him. Then he raised his eyes to the All-powerful King and sought aid of Him, in the name of the Chosen Prophet. And indeed patience failed him; his tears ran down his cheeks, like rain, and he repeated the following verses:
Lord, I submit myself to Thee and eke to Fate, Content, if so Thou please, to suffer and to wait.
Unjustly have they dealt by me and sore oppressed: Belike Thou wilt the past with favours compensate.
Then the Magian commanded his slaves to raise him to a sitting posture and bring him meat and drink. So they set food before him; but he refused to eat or drink; and
