was cut off; praise be unto God, the Lord of all creatures, in order that it might be known that such is the end of deceivers and the termination of traitors. DISTICHS. Whoever places in man's path a snare, 1 Kur'an, Fl. vi. 45; Mar. vi., 44; Sale, p. 95, 1. 25: And when they had forgotten that concerning which they had been admonished, we opened unto them the gates of all things; until while they were rejoicing for that which had been given them, we suddenly laid hold on them; and behold, they were seized with despair; and the utmost part of the people, which had acted wickedly, was cut off, praise be unto God, the Lord of all creatures!' CHAPTER III. ON THE AGREEMENT OF FRIENDS AND THE ADVANTAGES OF THEIR MUTUALLY AIDING ONE ANOTHER. INTRODUCTION. The King said to the Bráhman, 'I have heard the story of friends whose relations, owing to the endeavors of mischievous calumniators, terminated in enmity, and thus the innocent party was put to death, and how God Most High brought on that perfidious disturber the retribution due. Now, if the time calls for it, be pleased to explain the state of friends, one in heart and of one accord, and the way in which they enjoy fruit from the plant of friendship and amity, and their placing back to back and standing face to face in repulsing their foes, and their giving each other's inclination precedence over their own.' The Bráhman replied, Know that in the opinion of the perfectly wise and of people of merit and approved qualities, there is no coin more valuable than the existence of sincere friends, and no rank more lofty than the attainment of attached companions. COUPLET. For young and old, far as earth's climes extend, Must in some exigence require a friend. And assuredly those persons, the coin of whose friendship has been adorned with the stamp of sincerity in the mint of attachment; and the shrub of whose amity has been watered in the garden of speciality by the drops of unanimity and obligingness, are a delight to the soul and the means of abundance and success; and the advantage of friends is great, and their benefits incalculable. And in the number of them is to be included, that in prosperous times they increase the amount of pleasure and happy converse, and in disasters they tread the path of assistance and are accompanied by companionship and support. Bad signifies both 'the wind,' and 'a steed,' hence the equivoque in the original, which I have been unable to preserve. STANZA. Get thee a friend-he truly stands alone, Who in this worldly pageant friend has none : - Of goods that on man in this life attend, Not one can equal an enduring friend. And among the number of the stories which they have written on the pages of narration concerning attached companions and united friends, the story of the Crow and the Mouse, and the Pigeon, and the Tortoise, and the Stag, is a lucid narrative and sweet tale.' The King inquired, 'How was that?' STORY I. The Brahman said, 'They have related that in the country of Kashmír there was a delightful spot and an incomparable mead, the surface of whose ground-from the profusion of its flowers-was adorned like the expanse of heaven, and by the reflection of its perfume-shedding plants, the wings of a crow showed like a peacock's tail. VERSE. Founts like life's waters there on all sides spring, Upstarts the violet with enameling Of grass; and morn's young breath reveals to sight The rose's bosom; and there wind-flowers shine Like emerald branches holding cups of wine.1 And inasmuch as there was much game in that green plain, huntsmen visited it the more frequently and everywhere set their snares for the capture of animals and the imprisonment of birds; and in the vicinity of that plain, a Crow had made its nest on a large tree, and read from the pages of its leaves the maxim, 'Love of country is a part of religion.' One day, seated on the top of the tree, it was looking down and up and to the right and left, when, on a sudden, it beheld a fowler, who, with a net on his neck, a pouch at his back, and a stick in his hand, was coming towards the tree. The Crow was alarmed, and said to itself, STANZA. O God! what can the occurrence be, Nought know I of the cause why he Comes this way, hurrying with such speed. And it is probable that he may have girded himself to attack me and have placed the arrow of deliberation in the bow of stratagem to make me his prey; hence caution requires that I keep my place and watch, The original has standing on one leg' as an epithet of the anemone or wind-flower in this verse, but as the idea is simply ludicrous to our taste, I have omitted it. HEMISTICH. Till from the curtain what proceeds I see. The Crow, hidden by the leaves of the tree, employed the eye of expectancy; and the fowler coming to the foot of the tree spread his net and having scattered some grain over it, seated himself in ambush. After some time had elapsed, a flock of pigeons arrived, whose chief was called Ring-dove, of clear intellect and the utmost sagacity, and perfect intelligence and strong judgment; and these pigeons agreed in submitting to him, and gloried in obeying and ministering to him, and spent not their time save in his service, which was to them the service of safety and the adornment of their successful and happy state. As soon as the eyes of the pigeons fell upon the grain, the fire of hunger began to blaze and the reins. of choice dropped from the hands of power. Ring-dove, according to the tenderness which is due from superiors to inferiors, endeavoured to induce them to reflect and pause, saying, COUPLET. Not to the grain, through greed, impetuous fly. Beware! for snares beneath each seed may lie.' They replied, Prinee! matters with us have reached the pitch of urgency, and our affairs have issued in extreme distress. When our crops are empty of grain, and our hearts are full of anxiety, we have not the power to listen to advice, nor time to watch the consequences; and the wise have said, Hunger meets peril hardily, COUPLET. The sate of life dread not to die.' Ring-dove perceived that he could not restrain with the noose of counsel those greedy grain-seekers, nor draw them out with the rope of reproach from the pit of incaution and ignorance. COUPLET. Can hardly from those bonds be freed. He who becomes enslaved by greed, He wished to withdraw from them and to escape on one side, but the power1 of the divine decree bound his neck with the chain of fate, and dragged him towards the snare. HEMISTICH. I blindly follow, as he draws the hook. In short the whole flock of pigeons, at once laying aside caution, alighted. The instant that they began to pick up the grain they were caught in the fowler's net. Ring-dove exclaimed, 'Did I not tell you that the consequences of precipitation are not commendable, and that to enter upon affairs without reflection, is not to be approved? In the original ķaid, ‘leader.' COUPLET. The path of love is full, my heart! of terror and dismay; The pigeons were quite overcome with shame and alarm, and the fowler, issuing from his place of concealment, was running with the utmost delight towards them, in order that, having seized and secured them, he might return. home. As soon as the pigeons beheld the fowler they were distracted with fear, and each flapped its wings and struggled to free itself. Ring-dove exclaimed, 'O comrades! you are exerting yourselves each for his own release, while you are all careless of your companions' safety, HEMISTICH. And acts like these ill suit fraternity. Among friends, it has been declared that they ought to think of their companions' safety before their own, as once on a time two comrades were sitting in a vessel, when, suddenly, near the shore, the vessel foundered, and both fell into the water. A boatman on the shore plunged into the water, and tried to save one of them, but whichever he wanted to rescue, called out, COUPLET. In this dread troublous vortex, O my friend! Leave me, and first to him thy arm extend.' And if you have not sufficient firmness to prefer your comrade's life to your own, and to esteem his safety more precious than yours, at least, let all of you, with mutual consent and co-operation, put out your strength, so that, perhaps, by the fortunate influence of this unanimity and agreement, the net may be raised from its place and we may all obtain deliverance.' The pigeons did as they were directed and all made a common effort, and by this manœuvre, tore up the net and made off. The fowler, notwithstanding this circumstance, followed on their traces, and hoping that they would at last get weary and fall, went on with his eyes fixed in the air. The crow thought to himself. It will take a vast interval of time before a similar strange occurrence comes from the womb of nonentity into the expanse of existence, and I, myself, am not safe from an accident of this nature. It will be better to follow them with speed that I may learn how their affair terminates, and storing up that experience for my future life, make use of it in the time of need. COUPLET. That thou in time of trouble may it use. Share of experience do not then refuse, The Crow flew after them, and Ring-dove with his flock flew on, bearing the net, and the greedy and audacious fowler, fixing his eyes upon them traveled onward. When Ring-dove observed that the fowler still followed them and that his appetite being stimulated urged him not to rest until he had laid hands upon them, he turned to his companions and said, 'This hostile |