out of his palace and sat upon the throne. All the grandees came into his
presence. Ayaz was standing before him. The Sultan asked:
"Who among you had no luck?"
The ministers answered: "It is Ayaz! He did not get a single one of your
Majesty's many presents. It is clear that he has no luck, for he left all those
precious objects and came back with empty hands."
The Sultan said: "O Ayaz, are our presents without value in your eyes, that you
disdain them? I don't know why you took nothing that was within your grasp.
You would have prevented them from saying that you have no luck. What was
your motive in doing a thing that has the approbation of nobody?"
Ayaz responded: "May the days and prosperity of the King increase! May the
presents never tarnish that he has given to his servants. As for me, I have more
luck than those who received the presents of your Majesty."
The Sultan said, "O Ayaz, prove to me the truth of your words."
Ayaz responded: "If they found some part in the largesses which were given
them, I found the author himself of those great gifts. If they found gold, I found
the master of the gold. If others found silver, I found the master of silver. If
others found precious stones, I found the master of precious stones. If others yet
found some pearls, I found the ocean of pearls. Who, therefore, O king of the
world, among all those who vaunt themselves as having luck, has more than I
have?"
The Sultan replied: "O Ayaz, tell me what is the meaning of your words.
Where is all that which you say you found?"
Ayaz responded: "May the most high protect the person of the king of the world,
more precious to me than all those objects of price! In whatever place may be his
august person, there I am, and I thus obtain all that my heart desires. When I am
with your Majesty, and your Majesty is with me, what do I lack? Who, then, has
more luck than I have?"
One day the Sultan Alexander was plunged in sadness, and kept himself shut up
in his palace. The wise Aristotle came before him, and seeing him absorbed in
sad thoughts, asked him: