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When Er Reshid came to the throne, he invested Jaafer ben Yehya ben Khalid el Bermeki[1] with the vizierate. Now Jaafer was eminently distinguished for generosity and munificence, and the stories of him to this effect are renowned and are written in the books. None of the viziers attained to the rank and favour which he enjoyed with Er Reshid, who was wont to call him brother[2] and used to carry him with him into his house. The period of his vizierate was nineteen years,[3] and Yehya one day said to his son Jaafer, “O my son, what time thy reed trembleth, water it with kindness.”[4] Opinions differ concerning the reason of Jaafer’s slaughter, but the better is as follows.
- ↑ This is an error. Jaafer’s father Yehya was appointed by Haroun his vizier and practically continued to exercise that office till the fall of the Barmecides (A.D. 803), his sons Fezl and Jaafer acting only as his assistants or lieutenants. See my Essay on the History and Character of the Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night.
- ↑ Another mistake. It was Fezl, the Khalif’s foster-brother, to whom he used to give this title.
- ↑ A third mistake. The whole period during which the empire was governed by Yehya and his sons was only seventeen years, i.e. A.D 786–803, but see my Essay.
- ↑ The apparent meaning of this somewhat obscure saying is, “Since fortune is uncertain, conciliate the favour of those with whom thou hast to do by kind offices, so thou mayst find refuge with them in time of need.”
with his suite to the bridge in question and bade his Vizier Yehya ben Khalid send for divers and cause them make search for the ring. It had then been five months in the water and no one believed it would be found. However, the divers plunged into the river and found the ring in the very place where he had thrown it in, whereat Haroun rejoiced with an exceeding joy, regarding it as a presage of fair fortune.
