mouth of King Darius?"
The ambassador replied, "I heard it with my own ears."
King Alexander, not being able to believe it, wrote a second letter, mentioning
this word, and despatched to King Darius another ambassador, charged to
deliver it. When King Darius, reading the letter of King Alexander, came to this
special word, he took a knife and cut it out, then wrote a letter to King
Alexander, in which he said: "The sincerity of the soul of the King is the
foundation of his realm and his greatness. His words, therefore, should be
faithfully transmitted and reproduced by his ambassador. I have cut out of your
letter a certain word, because it was never pronounced by me. And if your
former ambassador were only here I would cut out his lying tongue even as I
have cut out the word from your letter."
When this answer of King Darius's was borne to King Alexander he read it and
summoned before him the faithless ambassador. "Why," said he, "were you
willing, with a word, to cause the loss of many men and countries?"
"Because they showed me little deference and did not treat me well."
King Alexander said: "Foolish man! And you thought that we sent you to look
after your own personal interests, and neglect those of the nation?" He
commanded that his tongue should be torn out, and made a proclamation, saying,
"This is the fate of traitors who falsely report the words of kings."
In the Kitab Tarykh the following is recounted: The Sultan Homayoun sent an
ambassador to the King of Khorassan. When this ambassador, on his arrival in
the country, had delivered the letter of the Sultan to the King, the latter asked:
"How does your King conduct himself regarding his subjects? How does he
govern them?"
"The rule of conduct and the mode of government used by my King," answered
the ambassador, "are to make himself loved by all his subjects."
The King asked, "Of what nature is the affection of your King for his subjects?"
"That of a mother and father for their children and grandchildren."