Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1839-06-20
MISCELLANEOUS.
GENEROSITY REWARDED.
AN EASTERN TALE.

Lord Lindsay, one Of the travellers in the
East, relates the following tale; and as it con
veys with il an important moral, it seems wor
thy ofinsertion in the columns ofthe Recorder
The tale itself affords fair specimen Of the
Oriental mode OF conveying instruction, anc
serves also to remind us that, ale who water
eth others shall be watered himselfn
Episcopal Recorder.
cages ago, in The days of the Abbassides, to
whom Egypt bowed the knee from the middle
the eighth to that Of the ninth century, one
ofthe Caiphs, even the great Haroun Al Ras.
child himself, was displeased with the Egyp-
tlans, and DESTROYS at once to punish and make
them an example to others, picked out the low
est Of his slaves, one Ebn Khasib, the bath
warmer Of the palace, and sent him governor
to Egypt, in the confidence that the insoence,
rapacity, and cruelty of such ruler would
amply express his resentment. Never was
man more mistaken than the Caliph; never was
Egypt happier than under the mild rule of
Ebn Rhasib. His fame spread far and wide !;
many even ofthe Calph's immediate courtiers,
and one especially of his nearest kinsman, Wis
tied and were entertained by him; in fine EbR4
Khasib was second Chehib. II
"On the return of his kinsman TO Bagd1tKFhe
Caliph, who had remarked and won6sss TG at
his absence, enquired where he had bel "Tol
Egypt" replied the prince, and pY'5soded toI
extol the humanity, justice, beneN SP1, and
generosity of the governor, an3~dispIAy the i
presents he had received from<Gm. The Ca.
liph, enraged at the failure OF his scheme, sent
instant and peremptory orders for his degra-
dalton, and that his house should be RACED to
the ground his goods confscated, his eyes put
o,,f nd ,bot ba should bn ooct forth nakad md
a beggar, INTO the streets Of Bagdad.
To hear, Of course, was 10 obey; a few weeks,
and behold Ebn Khasib friendless, hungry, des-
titute, cropping his way through the streets, or
sitting near the gate of the seraglio, forgotten
by his fellow slaves, UNDECIDED by the mobiles q
who had eaten his bread and salt in Egypt, and u
whose silken garments touched as they swept q
past him-summer birds flee with summer Ic
flowers. n
He was accosted one morning by poet: "Ebn n
Khasb," said he, 81 was on the point Of start T.
ing for Egypt with poem in your praise; your /;
arrival here in Bagdad saves me the trouble of Il
Ina. long journey, and ifyou will listen shall Il
have great pleasure in repeating it," lc
"Poor and blind, naked and mserabe,n re- IP
,lied Ebn Khasib, what have to give thee : X
30, my friend, seek richer patron my star sc
las SET" n
"Only listen to me-" replied the child Of al
ong, "and as for recompense, God only do for L
ou as you have done for Others" III
Khasib listened, and his heart was touched sa
ney were the first words Of sympathy that had gt
onsoled him in his mislortunes. "Cut open ty
lis seam," said he, when the song was ended &C
and accept this ruby;'' it was the only vaua- ~
e that he had been able TO secrete on the wreck tn
+ his fortunes. The poet expostuIated Ebn ny
hash insisted, and the poet accordingly car MI
ed the gem for sale to the jeweers's ba- an
aar. on
"Such stone," cried the syndik of the Jew va
lers, "can only belong to the Caliph," and
,fore the Ca!iph they brought him. lie told
s little story; the Caliph's eye gistened, he
mt for Ebn Khasib, owned he had done wrong, flow
AIDED him with presents, and sent him back to CDR
gypt proprietor Of Mineh, the spot he was SO
ndest of in all the river Nile-that Nile to no
hose bounty the poets fancy had likened his tor
Vn; the place is still called after him. "Min- qui
h Ebn Khasb," and his posterity fourished Civ
ere for cannot say how many generations,
nee they were extinct, when my author ant
', Ebn Batatia, visited the spot in the 14th mig
injury. sh,
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