There was once a city called Thriving City. In it lived a merchant called Strong-Tooth, who was at the head of the whole administration. By his clever handling of public business and state matters he satisfied both the king and the inhabitants at large. To put the matter briefly, no-one ever saw or heard of his equal for the clever conduct of affairs
While he occupied this position he had a daughter married. To the wedding he invited all the people of the city, and the ladies of the court, paid them honour, feasted them, and made them presents of garments, and so forth. After the ceremony he accompanied the king to the palace with his ladies, and showed him reverence.
Now the king had a sweeper named Bull, who sat where he ought not to; and that in the very presence of the king and his chaplain. Incensed at his impudence, Strong-Tooth seized him by the nape of the neck and expelled him. From that time forth the humiliation so rankled in Bull's inner soul that he could not sleep at night for thinking how he could deprive Strong-Tooth of the king's favour. 'But then' he reflected, 'why should I worry and grow thin to no purpose? I am no match for him, and cannot do him an injury. As the proverb says:
"Why fret and fume, if you are weak
To harm another man?
The chickpea hopping up and down,
Cracks not the frying pan."
Now early one morning, as he was sweeping near the bed where the king lay dozing, he said 'The insolence of Strong-Tooth! He kisses the queen.'
When the king heard this he sprang up and cried 'Come, come, Bull! Is that true which you have just said? Does Strong-Tooth kiss the queen?'
Bull replied: 'O King, through my fondness for gambling I was awake all night. And now, intent on my sweeping, I was overcome by sleep, and do not know what I said.'
But the king's jealousy was aroused and he thought, 'He has free access to my palace. So has Strong-Tooth. Perhaps he actually saw Strong-Tooth embracing the queen. For we know what one sees or does in his waking hours one sometime speaks of during sleep. And we are never sure what our wives are up to when they are out of our sight.' After this melancholy reflection he withdrew his favour from Strong-Tooth. In a word he forbade him to enter the palace.
When Strong-Tooth saw the king's favour was suddenly withdrawn he was puzzled to know the reason of it. 'For' he thought, 'neither waking nor sleeping have I so much as uttered a word against the king or anyone else. Much less have I done them an injury. Then why does he behave towards me in this manner?'
One day Bull the sweeper, seeing Strong-Tooth turned away from the palace gate, laughed loudly and cried to the porters: 'Beware, doorkeepers! This fellow Strong-Tooth puffed up by the indulgence, takes it upon himself to give rewards and punishments where he will. If you stop him you will get a cuffing, as I did.'
On hearing this Strong-Tooth thought: 'I see. It was Bull's doing that the king withdrew his favour from me.' Thereupon he went home, worried and anxious. In the evening he sent for Bull, received him deferentially, and presented him with a pair of garments. And he said: 'My good fellow, it was through no ill-will that I expelled you from the seat. It was because I saw you sitting where you had no right to be, in the presence of the chaplain, that I humiliated you.'
Bull received the two garments as though they were the kingdom of heaven, and with profound satisfaction he said: 'Friend, merchant, I have forgiven you that. Now you shall soon see the fruit of this honour shown to me here in the return of the king's favour, and so on.' With this he departed, well pleased with his good fortune.
The next day Bull went to the palace, and did his sweeping as usual. And while the king lay half awake he said loud enough for him to hear: 'What intelligence the king has, when he sits on his stool he eats a cucumber.'
Now the king, on hearing it, rose in amazement and said: 'Come, come, Bull. What senseless twaddle is this? If you were not my house-servant I would certainly kill you. Have you ever once seen me do anything of the kind you mention?'
But Bull replied: 'O King, owing to my fondness for gambling, and being awake all night, in the midst of sweeping I was overcome with drowsiness. So I do not know what I was muttering. Forgive me, master. I must really have been asleep.'
Then the king thought: 'I am sure that never in my life have I eaten a cucumber while engaged in that occupation. And since this blockhead has uttered such nonsense about me, in all probability he did the same with regard to Strong-Tooth. Therefore I did wrong in depriving the poor fellow of his honours, for nothing of the sort is conceivable with such men. And in his absence all the city business and my own affairs also, are in a state of neglect.'
Having thus fully considered the matter, he summoned Strong-Tooth, presented him with garments and jewels from his own person, and restored him to his former dignity.
The moral of the story is that even people with low level jobs can change your life for better or worse if you don't treat them well.
Original illustration from the book, by Peggy Whistler
Transcribed by Karen Freeman
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