was upon shag-piled rugs of silk.  But when Nadan grew great and walked and shot up even as the lofty Cedar[FN#14] of Lebanon, his uncle taught him deportment and writing and reading[FN#15] and philosophy and the omne scibile.  Now after a few days Sankharib the King looked upon Haykar and saw how that he had waxed an old old man, so quoth he to him, “Ho thou excellent companion,[FN#16] the generous, the ingenious, the judicious, the sagacious, the Sage, my Secretary and my Minister and the Concealer of my secrets and the Councillor of my kingdom, seeing how so it be that thou art aged and well shotten in years and nigh unto thy death and decease, so tell me[FN#17] who shall stand in my service after thy demise?” Made answer Haykar, “O my lord the King, may thy head live for ever and aye! that same shall be this Nadan, son to my sister, whom I have taken to myself as mine own child and have reared him and have taught him my learning and my experience, all thereof.”  “Bring him to the presence,” quoth the King, “and set him between my hands, that I look upon him; and, if I find him fitting, I will stablish him in thy stead.  Then do thou wend thy ways and off-go from office that thou take thy rest and tend thine old age, living the lave of thy life in the fairest of honour.”  Hereupon Haykar hied him home and carried his nephew Nadan before the King, who considered him and was pleased with the highmost of pleasure and, rejoicing in him, presently asked the uncle, “Be this thine adopted son, O Haykar?  I pray Allah preserve him; and, even as thou servedst my sire Sarhadun[FN#18] before me, even so shall this thy son do me suite and service and fulfil my affairs and my needs and my works, to the end that I may honour him and advance him for the sake of thee.”  Thereat Haykar prostrated himself before the presence and said, “May thy head live, O my lord, for evermore!  I desire of thee to extend the wings of thy spirit over him for that he is my son, and do thou be clement to his errings, so that he may serve thee as besitteth.”  The King forthwith made oath that he would stablish the youth amongst the highmost of his friends and the most worshipful of his familiars and that he should abide with him in all respect and reverence.  So Haykar kissed the royal hands and blessed his lord; then, taking with him Nadan his nephew, he seated him in privacy and fell to teaching him by night as well as by day, that he might fill him with wisdom and learning rather than with meat and drink; and he would address him in these terms.[FN#19] “O dear my son,[FN#20] if a word come to thine ears, suffer it to die within thy heart nor ever disclose it unto other, lest haply it become a live coal[FN#21] to burn up thy tongue and breed pain in thy body and clothe thee in shame and gar thee despised of God and man.  O dear my son, an thou hear a report reveal it not, and if thou behold a thing relate it not.  O dear my son, make easy thine address unto thine hearers, and be not hasty in return of reply.