and said to him, ’O Bekhtzeman, God accepteth thy repentance and openeth on thee [the gate of succour] and will further thee against thine enemy.’  When he was certified of this in the dream, he arose and turned back, intending for his own city; and when he drew near thereunto, he saw a company of the king’s retainers, who said to him, ’Whence art thou?  We see that thou art a stranger and fear for thee from this king, for that every stranger who enters this city, he destroys him, of his fear of King Bekhtzeman.’  Quoth Bekhtzeman, ’None shall hurt him nor advantage him save God the Most High.’  And they answered, saying, ’Indeed, he hath a vast army and his heart is fortified in the multitude of his troops.’

When King Bekhtzeman heard this, his heart was comforted and he said in himself, ’I put my trust in God.  If He will, I shall overcome mine enemy by the might of God the Most High.’  So he said to the folk, ’ Know ye not who I am?’ and they answered, ’ No, by Allah.’  Quoth he, ‘I am King Bekhtzeman.’  When they heard this and knew that it was indeed he, they dismounted from their horses and kissed his stirrup, to do him honour, and said to him, ‘O king, why hast thou thus adventured thyself?’ Quoth he, ’Indeed, my life is a light matter to me and I put my trust in God the Most High, looking to Him for protection.’  And they answered him, saying, ’May this suffice thee!  We will do with thee that which is in our power and whereof thou art worthy:  comfort thy heart, for we will succour thee with our goods and our lives, and we are his chief officers and the most in favour with him of all folk.  So we will take thee with us and cause the folk follow after thee, for that the inclination of the people, all of them, is to thee.’  Quoth he, ’Do that unto which God the Most High enableth you.’

So they carried him into the city and hid him with them.  Moreover, they agreed with a company of the king’s chief officers, who had aforetime been those of Bekhtzeman, and acquainted them with this; whereat they rejoiced with an exceeding joy.  Then they assembled together to Bekhtzeman and made a covenant and handfast [of fealty] with him and fell upon the enemy at unawares and slew him and seated King Bekhtzeman again on the throne of his kingship.  And his affairs prospered and God amended his estate and restored His bounty to him, and he ruled his subjects justly and abode in the obedience of the Most High.  On this wise, O king,” continued the young treasurer, “he with whom God is and whose intent is pure, meeteth nought but good.  As for me, I have no helper other than God, and I am content to submit myself to His ordinance, for that He knoweth the purity of my intent.”

With this the king’s wrath subsided and he said, “Restore him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his affair.”

The Seventh Day.

Of clemency.