# The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night/The Two Kings

Second-level story, contained in King Jelyaad of Hind and His Vizier Shimas
THE TWO KINGS.
‘There were once two kings, a just and an unjust. The latter’s country abounded in trees and fruits and herbs; but he let no merchant pass without robbing him of his goods and his merchandise, and the merchants endured this with patience, by reason of their gain from the fatness of the land in the means of life and its pleasantness, more by token that it was renowned for its richness in precious stones and jewels. Now the just king, who loved jewels, heard of this land and sent one of his subjects thither, giving him much money and bidding him buy jewels therewith from that country. So he went thither and it being told to the unjust king that a merchant was come to his realm, with much money to buy jewels withal, he sent for him and asked him whence and what he was and what was his errand. Quoth the merchant, “I am of such a country, and the king of the land gave me money and bade me buy therewith jewels from this country; so I obeyed him and came.” “Out on thee!” cried the unjust king. “Knowst thou not my fashion of dealing with the people of my realm and how each day I take their good? How then comest thou to my country? And behold, thou hast been a sojourner here since such a time!” “The money is not mine,” answered the stranger; “not a doit of it; nay, it is a trust in my hands, till I bring it to its owner.” But the king said, “I will not let thee take thy livelihood of my country or go out therefrom, except thou ransom thyself with this money, all of it; Night dccccx.else shalt thou die.”
So the man said in himself, “I am fallen between two kings, and I know that the oppression of this one ​embraceth all who abide in his dominions: and if I content him not, I shall lose both life and money and shall fail of my errand; whilst, on the other hand, if I give him all the money, it will assuredly prove my ruin with the other king, its owner: wherefore nothing will serve me but that I give this one a small part thereof and content him therewith and avert perdition from myself and from the money. Thus shall I get my livelihood of the fatness of this land, till I buy that which I desire of jewels and return to the owner of the money with his need, trusting in his justice and indulgence and fearing not that he will punish me for that which this unjust king taketh of the money, especially if it be but a little.”
Then he called down blessings on the unjust king and said to him, “O king, I will ransom myself and this money with a small portion thereof, from the time of my entering thy country to that of my going forth therefrom.” The king agreed to this and left him at peace for a year, till he bought jewels with all [the rest of] the money and returned therewith to his master, to whom he made his excuses, confessing to having rescued himself from the unjust king as before related. The just king accepted his excuse and praised him for his wise ordinance and set him on his right hand in his divan and appointed him in his kingdom an abiding inheritance and a happy life.
Return to King Jelyaad of Hind and His Vizier Shimas.
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