ABSTRACT
IT is related, O auspicious King, that there was once, in the antiquity of time and the passage of the ages,’ a great and powerful King of the Persians whose name was Sabur. He was not only the richest and wisest monarch of his time, but also the soul of generosity and benevolence, so that his hand was never weary of opening to any who called upon him for help. He had a large hospitality for those who only sought the barest shelter from him, and could comfort the broken-hearted with the sweetness of his discourse and the amenity of his actions. To the poor he was ever charitably disposed; the gates of his palace were always wide to the stranger; but in the severity of his justice the oppressor could find neither grace nor pardon.
