Merchant Strong-Tooth

There is a city called Growing City on the earth



surface. In it lived a merchant named Strong-Tooth




who directed the whole administration. So long as he
handled city business and royal business, all the in-



habitants were satisfied. Why spin it out? Nobody
ever saw or heard of his like for cleverness. For there
is much wisdom in the proverb:


Suppose he minds the king's affairs
The common people hate him

And if he plays the democrat,

The prince will execrate him:
So, since the struggling interests

Are wholly contradictory,

manager is hard to find

Who gives them both the victory.

While he occupied this position, he once had a
daughter married. To the wedding he invited all the

townspeople and the king's entourage, paid them
much honor, feasted them, and regaled them with

gifts of garments and the like. And when the wedding
was over, he conducted the king home with his ladies
and showed him reverence.

Now the king had a house-cleaning drudge named
Bull, who took a seat that did not belong to him



this in the very palace, and in the presence of the
king's professor. So Strong-Tooth administered a cuf-
fing and drove him out. From that moment the hu-
miliation so rankled in Bull's inner soul that he had

no rest even at night. Yet he thought: "After all,

why should I grow thin? It does me no good. For
cannot possibly hurt him. And there is sense in the
saying :

Indulge no angry, shameless wish

To hurt, unless you can :



The chick-pea, hopping up and down
Will crack no frying-pan."


Now one morning, as he was sweeping near the
bed where the king lay half awake, he said: "What
impudence! Strong-Tooth kisses the queen." When
the king heard this, he jumped up in a hurry, crying:

Come, come, Bull! Is that thing true that you were



muttering? Has the queen been kissed by Strong



Tooth?


King," answered Bull, "I was awake all night
because I am passionately fond of gambling. So sleep



overpowered me even when I was busy with my


sweeping. I do not know what I said.



But the jealous king thought: "Yes, he has free
entrance to my palace. So has Strong-Tooth. Per-
haps he actually saw the fellow hugging the queen
For the proverb says:

Whate'er a man desires, sees, does


In broad daylight,
Still mindful, he will say or do

Asleep at night.



And again:



Whatever secrets, good or ill,

Men in their bosoms keep,
Are soon betrayed when they are drunk

Or talking in their sleep.


In any case, what doubt can there be where a woman
is concerned?



With one she tries the gossip's art
Her glances with a second flirt

She holds another in her heart:
Whom does she love enough to hurt ?



And again:



The logs will glut the hungry fire,

The rivers glut the sea's desire,
And Death with life be glutted, when
The flirt has had enough of men.



No chance, no corner dark

No man to woo;
Then, holy sage, you find

woman true.




And once again :



The blunderhead who thinks:
'My love loves me/
ever in her power;





tame bird, he.

After all this lamentation, he withdrew his favor
forthwith from Strong-Tooth. Not to make a long
story of it, he forbade his entrance at court.

When Strong-Tooth saw that the monarch's favor
was suddenly withdrawn, he thought: "Ah me

There is wisdom in the stanza:

Whom does not fortune render proud ?

Whom does not death lay low ?
To what roui do passions not



Bring never ceasing woe r


What beggar can be dignified ?
Whose heart no woman stings




Who, trapped by scamps, comes safely off?
Who is beloved of kings f



And again:



Who ever saw or heard
A gambler's truthful word
neat and cleanly crow,
woman going slow


In love, a kindly snake,
eunuch's pluck awake,

A drunkard's love of science
king in friends' alliance?




And yet I never committed an unfriendly act against
the king— or anyone else— not even in a dream, not



even Sy mere words. So why does the king withdraw

his favor from me?

Now one day Bull, the sweeper, saw Strong-
Tooth stopped at the palace gate, and he laughed
aloud, saying to the doorkeepers: "Be careful, door-



keepers ! This fellow Strong-Tooth's temper has been



spoiled by the king's favor and he dispenses arrests
and releases. If you stop him, you will get a cuffing,

just like me."



And Strong-Tooth reflected on hearing this


see. It was Bull's doing. Well, there is sense in the
proverb :



Though foolish, base, and lacking pride

A servant at the monarch's side
Will have his honor satisfied.

Though fashioned on a cowardly plan
And mean, a royal servant can
Resent affronts from any man."



After this lamentation he went home, abashed and
deeply stirred. Then he summoned Bull in the eve-
ning* gave him two garments as an honorable present,



and said: "My good fellow, I did not drive you out
by order of the king. It was because I saw you, in the
chaplain's presence, sitting where you did not belong,



that I humiliated you."

Now Bull received the two garments as if they
were the Kingdom of Heaven, and feeling intense



satisfaction, he said: "Friend merchant, I forgive
you. You will soon see the reward of the honor shown
me in the king's favor and such things." With this
he departed in high glee. For there is wisdom in the



saying:



A little thing will lift him high,

A little make him fall:
Twixt balance-beam and scamp there is

No difference at all.



On the next day Bull entered the palace, and did
his sweeping. And while the king lay half awake, he

said : "What intelligence ! When our king sits at stool,
he eats a cucumber."



Now the king, hearing this, rose in amazement and
said: "Come, come. Bull! What twaddle is this ? But


remember that you are a house-servant and do not

kill you. Did you ever see me engaged in that occupa-
tion?"


King," said Bull, "I was awake all night be
cause I am passionately fond of gambling. So drowsi
ness overcame me in the very act of doing my sweep
ing. I do not know what I was muttering. Pardon



me, master. I was really asleep.



Then the king thought: "Why, from the day of



my birth I never ate a cucumber while engaged in



that occupation. And since this blockhead has talked
unimaginable nonsense about me, it must be the same



with Strong-Tooth. This being so, I made a mistake
in taking the poor man's honors from him. Nothing
of the sort is conceivable with such men. And in his
absence all the king's business and city business is at
loose ends."

After thus considering the matter from every
point of view, he summoned Strong-Tooth, presented
him with gems from his own person and with gar-
ments, and reinstated him.



it



And that is why I say:

Whoever is too haughty to
Pay king's retainers honor due


and the rest of it." "My dear fellow," said Lively,
"your argument is quite convincing. Let it be as you
say "



After this Victor took him to Rusty and said:


King, here is Lively. I have brought him hither. The
future rests with the king." Then Lively bowed re-
spectfully and stood before the king in a modest atti-
tude. Thereupon Rusty extended over him a right
paw plump, firm, massive, adorned with claws as

formidable as thunderbolts, and said with deference:


Do you enjoy health? Why do you dwell in this wild



wood?

Thus questioned, Lively related accurately his
separation from merchant Increase and the others.
And Rusty, after listening to the story, said: "Have



no fear, comrade. Protected by my paws, lead your




own life in this forest. Furthermore, you must
ways take your amusements in my vicinity. For this



forest has many drawbacks, since it swarms with
numerous savage creatures." And Lively made an-
swer: "Very well, King.



Then the king of beasts went down to the bank

of the Jumna, drank and bathed his fill, and plunged
again into the forest, wherever inclination led him.

Thus the time passed, the mutual affection of the
two increasing daily. Now Lively had assimilated



solid intelligence by mastering numerous authorita



tive works, so that in a very few days he planted dis-
cernment in Rusty, dull as was his mind. He weaned

him from forest habits and taught him village man-
ners. Why spin it out? Lively and Rusty did nothing
but hold secret confabulations every day.

This being so, all the other animals of the retinue
were kept at a distance. As for the two jackals, they

did not even have the entr6e. More than that, as
soon as they lacked the lion's prowess, the whole com-
pany of animals, not excluding the two jackals, suf-
fered grievously from hunger and huddled together.
As the proverb puts it:

king, though proud and pure of birth,
Will see his servants flee
court where no rewards are won,
As birds a withered tree*





And again:



They may be honored gentlemen,
They may devoted be,

Yet servants leave a monarch who



Forgets the salary.

While, on the other hand:




king may scold
Yet servants hold,
If he but pay

Upon the day.

Indeed, all the creatures in this world, adopting
cajolery or one of the other three devices, live by eat-
ing one another. For example:

Some eat the countries; these are kings

The doctors, those whom sickness stings;
The merchants, those who buy their things

And learned men, the fools.
The married are the clergy's meat;
The thieves devour the indiscreet
The flirts their eager lovers eat
And Labor eats us all.



They keep deceitful snares in play;
They lie in wait by night and day;

And when occasion offers, prey
Like fish on lesser fish.



Now Cheek and Victor, robbed of their master's
favor, took counsel together — for their throats were
pinched with hunger. And Victor said: "Cheek, my
noble friend, we two seem to have lost our job. For



Rusty takes such delight in Lively's conversation



that he neglects his business. And the whole court is
scattered every which way. What is to be done?"

And Cheek replied: "Even if the master does not
take your advice, still you should admonish him to
correct his faults. For the proverb says:

Good counselors should warn a king

Although he pay no heed
(As Vidur warned the monarch blind)



To cease from evil deed.



And again:



Good counselors or drivers may not duck
From kings or elephants that run amuck.



Besides, in introducing this grass-nibbler to the mas-
ter you were handling live coals." And Victor an-
swered: "You are right. The fault is mine, not the

master's. As the saying goes:

The jackal at the ram-fight,

And we, when tricked by June;
The meddling friend — were playing

A self-defeating tune.



How was that?" asked Cheek. And Victor told



three stories in one, called



GODLY AND JUNE