Now the king of the city was dead and had left no son, and the townsfolk fell out concerning who should be king over them:  and their sayings differed and their counsels, so that turmoil was like to betide between them by reason of this.  At last, after long dissension, they came to an accord and agreed to leave the choice to the late king’s elephant and that he unto whom he consented should be king and that they would not contest the commandment with him.  So they made oath of this and on the morrow, they brought out the elephant and came forth to the utterward of the city; nor was there man or woman left in the place but was present at that time.  Then they adorned the elephant and setting up the throne on his back, gave him the crown in his trunk; and he went round about examining the faces of the folk, but stopped not with any of them till he came to the banished king, the forlorn, the exile, him who had lost his children and his wife, when he prostrated himself to him and placing the crown on his head, took him up and set him on his back.

Thereupon the folk all prostrated themselves and gave one another joy of this and the drums of good tidings beat before him, and he entered the city [and went on] till he came to the House of Justice and the audience-hall of the palace and sat down on the throne of the kingdom, with the crown on his head; whereupon the folk came in to him to give him joy and offer up prayers for him.  Then he addressed himself, after his wont in the kingship, to ordering the affairs of the folk and ranging the troops according to their ranks and looking into their affairs and those of all the people.  Moreover, he released those who were in the prisons and abolished the customs dues and gave dresses of honour and bestowed gifts and largesse and conferred favours on the amirs and viziers and dignitaries, and the chamberlains and deputies presented themselves before him and did him homage.  So the people of the city rejoiced in him and said, ’Indeed this is none other than a king of the greatest of the kings.’

Moreover, he assembled the sages and the theologians and the sons of the kings and devised with them and asked them questions and problems and examined with them into many things of all fashions that might direct him to well-doing in the kingly office; and he questioned them also of subtleties and religious obligations and of the laws of the kingdom and the fashions of administration and of that which it behoveth the king to do of looking into the affairs of the people and repelling the enemy [from the realm] and fending off his malice with war; wherefore the people’s contentment redoubled and their joy in that which God the Most High had vouchsafed them of his elevation to the kingship over them.  So he upheld the ordinance of the realm and the affairs thereof abode established upon the accepted customs.