a warning to others. And thou, knowing of this, dost not disapprove. But verily if a wrong were brought before the Khalîfahs of the Benu-ʾOmeyyah who preceded thee, they remedied it immediately. And of a truth, O Commander of the Faithful! I journeyed once to China, and found upon my arrival that the king of the country had lost his hearing. And he wept. And his wazîrs said to him, 'What makes thee weep, O King! Let not Allâh cause the eyes of the King to overflow, except for fear of Himself!' The King made answer, 'I weep not for the misfortune which has befallen me. I weep because the victim of tyranny may now cry at my door, and I cannot hear him.' Then he went on, 'But if my hearing has gone, verily my sight remains. Proclaim among the people that no one shall clothe himself in red unless he be oppressed.' And he would mount his elephant every morning and evening, and ride through the city, lest perchance he might meet with one clad in red garments, and knowing him to be wronged might succour him.[1] This man, O Commander of the Faithful, was
- ↑ The habits of the King of the Celestial Empire must by this account have changed more in the course of centuries than is generally supposed!
