Ayaz answered with respect: "May the Lord bless the king of the world! How
many favors have you given me! How many sweet and savory dainties! How,
then, could I make a wry face over one bitter morsel? I ought, on the contrary, to
declare that the bitterness of this mouthful is completely annulled by the
delicious sweetness of the others, so that your Majesty shall continue to bestow
dainties upon me as before."
A certain king, vain of his royal power, had a servant who was very pious and a
true believer, very punctilious in the practice of his religious duties. The King
distinguished him above all the others as one in whom he could trust on account
of the integrity of his heart. He had given him this order: "Go not far away from
here, day or night. Keep close watch, and neglect not my service." The servant,
after finishing his religious duties, took his post, where the King from time to
time sent for him. But the King had need of him, and he was not to be found.
They sent to look for him, but in vain, and the King grew very angry with him.
Finally the servant arrived and prostrated himself before the King. The latter, full
of wrath, demanded:
"Why are you late? Why don't you pay attention to my orders?" And he
commanded that the man be punished, to make him more attentive to the King's
service.
But the servant replied, "If I am late, it is only on account of the great
embarrassment in which I find myself placed."
"What embarrassment? Tell me."
The servant, bowing low, spoke as follows: "My embarrassment comes from the
fact that I have two masters to serve. The first is the true Master, he who created
the universe and the children of Adam, whose punishments are very severe. The
second is only the servant of the former, and not the true master. I am obliged to
attend to the service of the true Master before the service of the second. That is
the embarrassment in which I find myself."
When the King heard these words he shed abundant tears, and said: "From this
day forth you are free. Follow the service of the Lord, and do not forget to pray
for me."
The servants of the King should love their King more than they love their own
life, their mother, their father, their children, their grandchildren, their family,