THE CALIPH AND THE JESTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6261, 10 December 1881, Page 6

THE CALIPH AND THE JESTER.

[Fiom "The New Plutarch. Har.iu.nUrasch.iJ.'' Et I'rofesscr E. 11. I'.ilmer.i The two were disputing one day as to the truth of an axiom laid down by Abu Kaw- ; was, that "an excuse was often worse tkic the crime,'' and the poet offered, to convince ; tiie monarch of it before the night was over, i The Caliph, with a grim humour peculiarly : his own, promised to take otf the jester's i head if he failed to do so, and went on: as [ rage. After a while, Harouu came in a ; somewhat surly temper to his harem, and . the first thing that greeted him was .i iisa ; from a rough-bearded face. On callia-i out . violently for a light and an executioner, he , found that his assailant was Aim Navrvis > himself. " What on earih, you scoundrel, - do you mean by this conduct?" asked the i enraged sovereign. " I beg your Majesty's most humble pardon," said Abu Na'vwy, • " I thought it was your Majesty's favourite i wife." " What!" shrieked Harouu : "way • the excuse is worse than the crime." "Jun what I promised to prove to your Maiesty," i replied Abu Nawwas, and retired closely . followed by one of the imperial slippers, i Another incident in which Abu Nauwai ; worsted his royal master is the following :— . The Caliph was seated in his divan witriiiis ; nudama, or equerries, around him, iiiwni upon an evening's amusement. Abu Xaw- , was, however had not arrived, and tiie > Caliph devised a clever plan for punishing 5 him for being late. He arranged a game a; f forfeits, in which the rule was to be that » every one who did exactly a≤ he did should t receive a dinar—about half i sovereign—bat p everyone who failed to keep up the game i was to receive a dozen stroked of tiie bas- > tinado. Haroun then ordered in some eggs, r and putting one under his o-.vn cushion, commanded his followers to do the same, i and they had scarcely completed their pre- > parations when the niiisiiii.' poet came in. , The Caliph beaan the lime, anJ, having proposed to Abu Saivwas to join, began j clucking like a hen, and pro.iucel aa egg. > Each of the courtiers did the same, and it [ eauie at last to Abu Nawwas's turn. With . all eyes fixed on him, with a wicked stare, . lie stalked into the middle of the room, [ flapped his arms against his sides, and I crowed loudly "Cock-a-doodle-doo," to in- " dicate that he alone was cock of the walk.