Amongst those at the Royal Court was a Councillor named Suliman, a man of a noble mind, who had often dared to tell the Prince of his faults, and had at first been thanked for this, but later on Cheri grew angry that anyone should presume to blame him while all others at the Court were full of flattery and praise, but in his heart of hearts the Prince respected this good man, and this the wicked flatterers knew full well, and therefore feared lest he should come into the Prince’s favour.

So now they falsely said, that it was Suliman who had helped Zelie to escape, and beyond himself with fury, Cheri commanded his foster-brother to send soldiers to bring Suliman to him in chains, like a criminal.

After giving these orders Cheri retired to his chamber, but scarcely had he entered, when the earth trembled, there came a great clap of thunder, and the Fairy Candide appeared before him.

“I promised your father,” said she in a stern voice, “to give you good advice, and to punish you if you refused to follow it.  You have despised my counsels and your crimes have converted you into a monster, the horror of heaven and earth.  Now it is time to fulfill my promise of punishment.  I condemn you to take the resemblance of the beasts you are like in disposition—­A lion, because of your fury—­a wolf, on account of your greediness—­a serpent, for destroying him who has been your second father—­a bull, by reason of your brutality.”

[Illustration]

Hardly had the Fairy pronounced these words, when Cheri perceived with horror that his body had been transformed.

He had a lion’s head, a bull’s horns, the feet of a wolf, and the tail of a viper.  At the same moment he found himself in a forest, and there, after roaming about miserably for some time, he fell into a pit dug by hunters.  He was captured and led into the capital of his Kingdom.

On the way thither instead of acknowledging that he had brought this evil plight upon himself, he bit at his chains, and cursed the Fairy.  As he was nearing the city great rejoicings were seen on every side, and, on the hunters enquiring the reason, they were told that Prince Cheri, whose only pleasure it was to torment his people, had been crushed to death in his chamber by a thunder-bolt, a just punishment for his offences.  Four of his wicked companions had tried to partition the Kingdom between them, but the people would have none such to rule, and they had offered the crown to the good and wise Suliman.  Cheri panted with rage on hearing this, and in the Palace Square he saw Suliman on a superb throne, and all the people who shouted with joy, and wished him a long life to repair the evil brought about by their former sovereign.  “I accept the throne,” said Suliman, “but it is to preserve it for Prince Cheri.  A fairy has revealed to me that he is not dead, and possibly will return to you as virtuous as in his earliest years.  Alas!” cried Suliman, bursting into tears, “his flatterers have ruined him, I know that at heart he is good.”  These words moved Cheri to sorrow for his crimes, and he felt that he had not been punished as severely as he deserved, and he now resolved to amend his faults.