In the country of Zouman, in Persia, there lived a king, whose subjects were originally Greeks. This king was sorely afflicted with a leprosy, and his physicians had unsuccessfully tried every remedy they were acquainted with, when a very ingenious physician, called Douban, arrived at the court.
He had acquired his profound learning by studying different authors in the Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Syriac, and Hebrew languages; and besides having a consummate knowledge of philosophy, he was also well acquainted with the good and bad properties of all kinds of plants and drugs.
As soon as he was informed of the king’s illness, and that the physicians had given him up, he dressed himself as neatly as possible, and obtained permission to be presented to the king. “Sire,” said he, “I know that all the physicians who have attended your majesty, have been unable to remove your leprosy; but, if you will do me the honour to accept of my services, I will engage to cure you without either internal or topical applications.” The king, pleased with this proposition, replied, “If you are really so skilful as you pretend, I promise to confer affluence on you and your posterity; and without reckoning the presents you will have, you shall be my first favourite; but do you assure me then, that you will remove my leprosy without making me swallow any potion or applying any remedy externally?” - “Yes, Sire,” replied the physician, “I flatter myself I shall succeed, with the help of God; and to-morrow I will begin my operations.”
Douban returned to his house, and made a sort of racket or bat, with a hollow in the handle to admit the drug he meant to use; that being done, he also prepared a sort of round ball, or bowl, in the manner he intended, and the following day he presented himself before the king, and prostrating himself at his feet, kissed the ground.
Douban then arose, and having made a profound reverence, told the king that he must ride on horseback to the place where he was accustomed to play at bowls. The king did as he was desired, and when he had reached the bowling green, the physician approached him, and putting into his hand the bat which he had prepared, “Sire,” said he, “exercise yourself with striking that bowl about with this bat, till you find yourself in a profuse perspiration. When the remedy I have enclosed in its handle is warmed by your hand, it will penetrate through your whole body; you may then leave off, for the drug will have taken effect; and when you return to your palace get into a warm bath, and be well rubbed and washed, then go to bed, and tomorrow you will be quite cured.
The king took the bat, and spurred his horse after the bowl till he struck it; it was sent back again to him by the officers who were playing with him, and he struck it again; and thus the game continued for a considerable time, till he found his hand as well as his whole body in a perspiration, which made the remedy in the bat operate as the physician had said; the king then left the game, returned to the palace, bathed, and observed very punctually all the directions that had been given him.
He soon found the good effects of the prescription; for when he arose the next morning, he perceived, with equal surprise and joy, that his leprosy was entirely cured, and that his body was as clear as if he had never been attacked by that malady. As soon as he was dressed, he went into the audience-room, where he mounted his throne and received the congratulations of all his courtiers who had assembled on that day, partly to gratify their curiosity and partly to testify their joy.
Douban entered, and went to prostrate himself at the foot of the throne, with his face towards the ground. The king seeing him, called to him, and made him sit by his side; and shewing him to the assembly, gave him in that public way all the praise he so well deserved; nay, he did not stop here, for there being a grand entertainment at court on that day, he placed him at his own table to dine only with him.
The Greek king, (proceeded the fisherman,) was not satisfied with admitting the physician to his own table; towards evening, when the courtiers were about to depart, he put him on a long rich robe resembling that which the courtiers usually wore in his presence, and in addition, made him a present of two thousand sequins. The following days he did nothing but caress him; in short, this prince, thinking he could never repay the obligations he owed to so skilful a physician, was continually conferring on him some fresh proof of his gratitude.
The king had a grand vizier, who was avaricious, envious, and by nature capable of every species of crime. He observed, not without pain, the presents which had been bestowed upon the physician, whose great character and merit he was determined to lessen and destroy in the mind of the king. To accomplish this, he went to him, and said in private, that he had some intelligence of the greatest moment to communicate. The king asked him what it was. “Sire,” replied he, “it is very dangerous for a monarch to place any confidence in a man, of whose fidelity he is not assured. In overwhelming the physician Douban with your favors, and bestowing all this kindness and regard upon him, you are ignorant that he is a traitor, who has introduced himself to the court, in order to assassinate you.” - “What is this you dare tell me?” answered the king, “Recollect to whom you speak, and that you advance an assertion which I shall not easily give credit to.” - “Sire,” added the vizier, “I am accurately informed of what I have the honor to represent to you; do not, therefore, continue to repose such a dangerous confidence in him. If your majesty is, as it were, in a dream, it is time to awake; for I again repeat, that the physician Douban has not travelled from the farther part of Greece, his own country, but for the horrible design I have mentioned.”
“No, no, vizier,” interrupted the king, “I am sure this man, whom you consider as an hypocrite and traitor, is one of the most virtuous and best of men; there is no one in the world whom I regard so much. You know by what remedy, or rather by what miracle, he cured me of my leprosy; and if he had sought my life, why did he thus save it. Cease then from endeavouring to instil unjust suspicions, for instead of listening to them, I now inform you, that from this very day I bestow upon him a pension of one thousand sequins a month, for the rest of his life. And were I to share all my riches, and even my kingdoms with him, I could never sufficiently repay what he has done for me. I see what it is; his virtue excites your envy; but do not suppose that I shall suffer myself to be prejudiced against him unjustly. I well remember what a vizier said to king Sindbad, his master, to prevent his giving orders for the death of his son.”
This very much excited the curiosity of the vizier. “I beg your majesty will pardon me, if I have the boldness to ask you what it was that the vizier of king Sindbad said to his master, in order to avert the death of his son.” The Greek king had the complaisance to satisfy him. “This vizier,” added he, “after having represented to king Sindbad, that he ought to hesitate to do a thing which was founded on the suggestion of a mother-in-law, for fear she should repent, related the following story.”
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