{129} Chapter Nine
The Raja said, “I have heard the story of a wounded enemy who could not be placated despite all attempts. Now tell me a story of something that happened between kings and their intimates. After the infliction of cruelty and punishment and an accusation of crime and treason, can reconciliation be imagined and can the re-establishment of trust be relied upon?”
The Brahman replied, “If kings close the door to forgiveness and indulgence and cease to rely on anyone in whom they see the slightest mistake, affairs will not be tended to and they will be deprived of the pleasure of pardon. Ma’mun said, ‘If criminals knew how much pleasure I derive from pardoning their crimes they would commit more.’ Of all traits that may adorn a person none is more beautiful than forgiveness and none stands out more clearly than indulgence. The Prophet said, ‘Behold, I shall inform you of the strongest of you: it is he who controls himself in anger.’ The most praiseworthy characteristic of kings is self-control in the face of vicissitudes and never at any time to allow one’s character to be devoid of kindness or to perpetrate violence without injustice. Things should be carried out with a mixture of fear and hope: neither should the loyal be made despondent nor should the disobedient be emboldened. An authority was asked to explain the meaning of the verse, ‘Who bridle their anger, and forgive men; for God loveth the beneficent’ [Kor. 3:134]. ‘The outward meaning of the verse is self-evident in the law and needs no elaboration,’ he replied, ‘but the elders of the path have said that to swallow wrath means not to mete out excessive punishment, pardon means to erase all trace of abhorrence from the page of one’s heart, and beneficence means to return to the basis of friendship and companionship, for in the code of generosity maintaining means is obligatory and in the law of gallantry the neglect of rights is forbidden.’ It should be known that God has taught his servants good character and encouraged them to have praiseworthy customs. Anyone who is slated for happiness will obey the injunctions of the Koran. It is clear from the verse that things should be based on clemency and kindness, and in all cases leniency and {130} benevolence are of importance. The Prophet said, ‘If clemency were a person people would see no one more beautiful, and if harshness were a person people would see no one uglier.’ When one reflects on the preceding and understands the virtues of forgiveness and benevolence, one should concentrate one’s efforts on acquiring those characteristics and realize that one’s best interests lie therein. It is no secret that human beings are rarely immune to error, negligence, and mistakes, and if severity is applied as retribution for them it will be to one’s detriment.
“One must recognize the loyalty, counsel, virtue, and competence of a person against whom an accusation has been made. If one can assist him and ward off impugning his honesty, one will be making strides to renew one’s reliance on him and realize that he should not be doubted. One should follow the dictum that says, ‘Indulge the mistakes of those of good qualities,’ for it is impossible to control a kingdom without ministers and assistants, and one benefits from one’s servants when they possess wisdom, righteousness, virtue, and rectitude and their minds are adorned with good counsel and allegiance.
“There is no end to affairs of state, and kings need competent counselors who are worthy of being privy to secrets and can manage affairs. Those who possess righteousness, trustworthiness, piety, and honesty are few, and the correct way is to ascertain the good and bad qualities of one’s followers and to be aware of what each can do and for what job he is suited. When a king informs himself with certainty and insight he must assign each to a post appropriate to that person’s worthiness, bravery, intelligence, and competence. If in addition to a person’s skills a flaw is found in him, it should not be overlooked, for no person can be free of faults. Great care must be taken in this regard, for if a person fails in a task to which he is assigned he should be removed to prevent affairs from falling into chaos since the reason for taking on competent people is to get things done, and if an otherwise competent person fails at his job, of course it is just as necessary to get rid of him as it is to get rid of the ignorant and incompetent. Competence should never be a cause for complication, and even though it is sometimes necessary to discharge persons of virtue and competence for the acquisition of a goal, in the end it is better not to regret the loss of persons of ignorance and error.
“After they have understood the preceding it becomes imperative for kings to examine their employees minutely and keep track of the affairs they have entrusted to their competence so that they will know if the loyal {131} have performed satisfactorily and done good service and if the disloyal have slipped by and been negligent. They can then reward the loyal abundantly and chastise the disloyal according to their offenses. If either one is neglected the loyal will become lethargic and apathetic and the corrupt will become emboldened and presumptuous; complicated affairs will fall into disarray and be neglected, and it will be difficult to rectify them. Here the story of the lion and the jackal is apropos.”
“How was that?” asked the Raja.
It has been related that in the land of India there was a jackal who had turned away from the world. He lived among his peers, but he eschewed eating meat, shedding blood, and harming animals. His friends adopted an opposite stance, saying, “We are not pleased by these characteristics of yours, and we think you are mistaken in your opinions. Since we do not eschew each other’s company we expect compliance in habits and customs, and no benefit can be seen in spending one’s life in torment since one day life will end and you might as well take what pleasure you can from the world. ‘Forget not your share of the world’ [Kor. 28:77]. You must know that neither can you bring back yesterday nor can you count on tomorrow. What is the use of wasting today and neglecting enjoyment?”
“My friends and brothers,” the jackal said, “enough of this nonsense. Since you know that yesterday is past and tomorrow may not come, provide yourselves today with something that can serve as provision for the road, for this deceptive world is flawed from one end to the other, and the only virtue it has is being a seedbed for the hereafter in which one can plant seeds that can be harvested in the next life. You should concentrate on performing good deeds and charitable acts. Do not rely on the agreeability of the treacherous world, but rather set your hearts on eternity and do not deprive yourselves of the fruits of health, life, and youth. The Prophet said, ‘When you awake in the morning do not talk to yourself of last night, and when you go to bed do not talk to yourself of the morrow. Enjoy your health before you fall ill, your life before you die, and your youth before you grow old,’ for the pleasures of the world are as impermanent and fleeting as a flash of lightning and the darkness of a cloud. To set one’s heart on an abode of tribulation {132} and annihilation is far from wise. An intelligent person seeks nothing of the world other than a good name and memory because happiness, comfort, success, and the good things of the world all pass away.
“If you want happiness in this world and the next listen to these words and do not destroy animals for the sake of a morsel for yourselves, the enjoyment of which ceases the moment it is down the throat, and be content with what you can get without inflicting harm, for enough to ensure the continuance of the body and soul is never lacking. The Prophet said, ‘The holy spirit inspired into my heart that no soul dies until its allotted sustenance is fully used up. Therefore fear God and seek the good.’ Hear this advice and do not ask me to conform to what is rejected by reason, for my companionship with you causes you no detriment, but conformity with your blameworthy actions would cause me torment. I am with you in companionship, but in my heart I flee from you.”
His friends excused him, and as he sat all the firmer on the carpet of piety and rectitude his renown spread throughout the world and he attained a reputation for rectitude and honesty that no one could aspire to.
In the vicinity was a meadow of great beauty and fragrance, and in it were many beasts. The king of the beasts was a lion whom all obeyed and in the shelter of whose might and mastery they passed their days. When the lion heard of the jackal he summoned him and put him to the test. After several days the lion met privately with the jackal and said, “Our kingdom is extensive and involves many affairs. We are in need of advisors and helpers. We had been told that you had attained a high degree in asceticism and abstinence, but when we saw you it became clear that you were even greater than we had heard. Now we wish to assign you a position of trust that will elevate you to the elite of our intimates.”
“Worthy kings are they who choose competent helpers to carry out their tasks,” said the jackal. “It is also incumbent upon them not to impose a job on anyone, for when a task is imposed on a person by force he cannot discharge it satisfactorily. Long may the king live! I would detest working for a ruler and have no knowledge or experience in it. You are a magnificent monarch and have many beasts in your service who are both capable and competent and who {133} also crave worldly tasks. If you would take one of them your mind would be free of care, and they would be happy with the rewards they would reap.”
“What is the use of this rejection?” asked the king. “Of course you will not be exempted.”
“Working for a ruler is for two persons: one is a headstrong deceiver who gets what he wants by deceit and craftiness; the other is a weak, negligible person who is used to suffering humiliation and in no way would be respected, obeyed, or honored but will only fall prey to envy and enmity, for, as you should know, intelligent people are always deprived and envied. I am neither of these: I am not dominated by greed and will not perpetrate treachery, and I do not have a lowly nature that would suffer humiliation. No one who serves a ruler with good advice, trustworthiness, continence, and honesty and guards himself against hypocrisy, ambition, suspicion, and treachery will last long. Friends will throw up shields of enmity and contention in his face, and enemies will make of his life a target for arrows of calamity. Friends will vie for his position out of envy, and enemies will contend with him to offer advice. When friends and enemies join forces and unite in their enmity, of course he will not be able to live in safety no matter how high he has risen. A traitor is at least safe from a king’s enemies even if he is afraid of his friends.”
“My intimates will have no opportunity to attack you when you are in favor with us,” said the king. “Do not fret, for our good opinion will ward off completely the plots and calumnies of enemies. With one reprimand we will block the way for their intrigues, and we will grant you your heart’s desire.”
“If the king’s intent is empowerment and beneficence,” said the jackal, “it would be kinder, more merciful, and more equitable to let me wander safely in this countryside and be content with water and forage from the good things of the world and not have to worry about the enmity and envy of worldly people. It is certain that a short life in safety, comfort, and leisure is better than a long one in fear and dread.”
“That is all true,” said the lion, “but you must put all fear out of your mind, for you most certainly will be close to us.”
“If this is how things are,” said the jackal, “I must be given assurance that when friends conspire with underlings in hopes of gaining {134} my position and overlords intrigue in fear of their own status, you will not be instigated by them against me and that you will be constant and take all precaution.”
The lion made a solemn pact with him. Turning over his possessions and treasuries to him, he promoted him to the highest rank and station among his followers and consulted with only him in various affairs. Every day the lion’s estimation of him grew greater.
The jackal’s intimacy and station were hard for the lion’s confidants to bear. They conspired with one another and spent their days plotting against him. They sent someone to steal a bit of meat the lion had set aside for a meal and hid it in the jackal’s quarters. The next day when it was time for the lion’s meal he asked for it.
“We can’t find it,” they said. The jackal was absent, but all his foes were there, and when they saw that the fires of the lion’s hunger and wrath were both raging, they sprang their trap.
“We have no choice but to inform the king of what we know, although it will not be pleasing to some,” one of them said. “I have been told that the jackal carried that meat off to his own quarters.”
“Even though you may not believe it,” another said, “it must be considered, for it is difficult to know people, and rightly has it been said, ‘Do not praise a man until you have tested him; and do not vilify without experience.’ ”
“So it is,” said another. “It is impossible to be aware of what is in people’s minds, but if this meat is found in his quarters, of course the treachery that is being spoken of will be proven.”
“One must not fall prey to delusion,” said another. “A traitor never escapes, and treachery can in no way be kept hidden.”
“One of his cohorts told me everything,” said another, “but I hesitated to give it credence until I heard it from you. It is a good adage that says to be well informed before detaining your enemy.”
“His cunning and deceit have never been hidden from me,” said yet another. “There is no limit to his vileness and guile. I knew what he was up to all along. I knew this so-called ascetic would be unmasked as disreputable and would make a huge mistake and commit a major crime.”
Another said, “If this pious ascetic, who considered taking on the king’s affairs to be so burdensome, has committed such an act of treachery, it is truly amazing.”
{135} “If this accusation is true it is an act of ingratitude and lèse-majesté,” said another. “No one would label it as mere disloyalty.”
Another said, “You are all honest people and cannot be accused of lying. If the king orders us to search for the meat in his quarters, there will be proof and everyone’s doubts will be confirmed.”
“If caution is to be taken, no time should be wasted,” said another, “for we are surrounded by his spies, and no place is free of them.”
“What’s the use of searching?” said another. “If his crime is revealed he will only use his guile and cunning to hoodwink the king.”
In this manner they fanned the flames of the king’s anger until hatred took root in his heart. Summoning the jackal, he asked him, “What did you do with the meat?”
“I turned it over to the kitchen to be served to the king at his mealtime,” he said.
The chef was one of the conspirators, and he denied it and said he knew nothing about it. Then the lion sent a group of his trusted intimates to search for the meat in the jackal’s quarters. Of course they found it and brought it to the king.
The wolf, who had not spoken until that time in order to appear unbiased and unwilling to rush to judgment without a thorough investigation, and seeming to be friendly to the jackal, stepped forward and said, “Now that this cad’s crime is clear to the king, he should punish him, for if he ignores such a crime criminals will no longer fear being exposed.”
The lion had the jackal arrested. Then one of those present said, “I am astonished that this traitor’s actions could have been kept from the king’s mind, which is so enlightened that the sun is no more than a dust mote by comparison. How could he have been unaware of the vileness and deceitfulness of his nature?”
“Even more amazing is the fact that he has let it go on so long,” said another.
The lion sent a message to the jackal, saying, “If you have any excuse for this crime, say it.” They brought back a strident reply that the jackal knew nothing about. This enraged the lion and so clouded his mind that he broke all his promises and gave the jackal’s foes a free hand to kill him.
{136} News of these events reached the lion’s mother, and she knew her son had been hasty and lost self-control. To herself she thought, “Let me go as quickly as possible and save my son from the whisperings of the devil, for when the king is filled with wrath the devil has taken over, as the Prophet said, ‘When a ruler is angry the devil is in control.’ ”
First she sent a message to those who had been ordered to kill the jackal and told them to stay his execution. Then she went to the lion and asked what the jackal’s crime was. The lion told her.
“My son,” she said, “Do not give yourself cause for confusion and regret, and do not deprive yourself of forgiveness and beneficence. ‘Forgiveness only increases a man in stature, and humility only makes him more esteemed.’ Kings, above all men, should reflect and be prudent. A woman’s honor is tied to her husband, a son’s dignity is tied to his father, a pupil’s knowledge is due to his teacher, an army’s strength depends upon a powerful leader, veneration for ascetics depends upon religion, the safety of subjects depends upon a king, and order in a kingdom is based upon righteousness, intelligence, steadfastness, and justice. Major components of judiciousness involve knowing one’s followers, appointing each to his proper station and position, patronizing them according to their skill and competence, and realizing that they will accuse one another. If a king listens to their connivances against each other, whenever they want they will be able to accuse a loyal person and make a traitor seem honest, and they will misrepresent the king’s good deeds to the people as evil. The envious will get persons of merit ousted, traitors will accuse honest men and drag the innocent into a maelstrom of destruction. Without doubt, as this continues, all will become involved, those present will refuse to accept tasks and those absent will resign their posts, and the king’s orders will not be carried out.
“Without absolute certainty it is not proper for a king to allow himself to have a change of heart toward those he trusts. He should rather encompass everything within his clemency and knowledge and consider well his servants’ past deeds and not allow disrespect for their positions. When a mistake has been unintentional he should not impugn their loyalty or punish them for it. He should not listen to the words of base, ignoble people when they {137} bad-mouth competent persons of virtue. In all cases his own reason and opinion should be impartial referees with true discrimination.
“The jackal has advanced to a high position in your state. You have always spoken in praise of him and honored him by deliberating with him in private. Now you should stay your intention to kill him and protect yourself and him from the connivance and conspiracy of enemies by holding a judicious investigation, as befits your steadfastness and dignity, so that you will be justified to yourself and before all your military and civilian subjects, for what he is accused of is beneath anything such an honest and trustworthy servant would stoop to. You know that as long as he has been in your service, and before that too, he has never eaten meat. Do not be hasty before the truth is ascertained, for the eye and ear have often come to hasty conclusions based on surmises, just as in the darkness of night a person may see a firefly and think it is fire, but when he catches it he sees that he was mistaken and rushed to judgment before being certain. An ignorant person’s envy of a learned one, a malefactor’s of a benefactor, and a coward’s of a brave man are all well known.
“Most probably his accusers put that meat in his quarters, and it would seem to be the least part of their plot. The jealousy the recalcitrant harbor is well known, especially when the stakes are high. Birds high in the air, fish at the bottom of the sea, and beasts in the field cannot be safe from attack. When a hawk hunts, it catches both birds that fly higher and those that are lower, and dogs fight with each other over a bone they find on the road. Your servants who occupy positions lower than the jackal’s are envious: it would not be strange for them to contend for higher position. Reflect well and exact retribution as befits your greatness. If the accusation is determined to be true then it will be possible to have him killed.”
The lion listened to his mother’s words intently and weighed them in the balance of his mind. Then he called the jackal forth and said, “Based on past experience, we are more inclined to accept your defense than to believe the reports of your foes.”
“I cannot be free of the accusation unless the king ascertains the truth by means of a ruse,” said the jackal, “even though I am certain of my own innocence and honesty and am confident that the more you investigate the more my loyalty and counsel will outweigh that of your other retainers and servants.”
{138} “How should we proceed?” asked the lion.
“Summon those who have slandered me,” he replied, “and question them meticulously how I happened to be singled out and others who are meat eaters were omitted from consideration, for the affair will not become clear without such a proceeding. I am hopeful that if the king orders this—and when they growl and grumble he will roar and tell them that if they tell the truth they will be pardoned—the veil of false suspicion will be lifted from the truth and my innocence will be proven.”
“How can I bring myself to pardon someone who has admitted making an attack on me and my kingdom?” asked the lion.
“Long live the king,” replied the jackal. “Any pardon given from a position of full power and dominion is virtue itself, and the king’s objection cannot make the slightest difference in that, especially when the perpetrators repent and submit obediently. Of course then they will no longer have any cause for vengeance and will deserve to have their offenses overlooked. The wise have said that the search for a way out of evil action is a major entryway into doing good.”
When the lion heard what he had to say and realized how true it was, he separated those who had conceived the plot from the others and made an investigation into the depths of the affair and promised them amnesty if they would not conceal the truth. Some of them confessed and admitted to the entire conspiracy. The others necessarily followed them, and the jackal’s innocence was proven.
When the lion’s mother realized that all doubt had been removed from the jackal’s truthfulness she said to the lion, “This group has been given amnesty, and it is impossible to go back on that. You have gained valuable experience in this affair, and you can learn a lesson from it. Be suspicious of those who gain intimacy by bad-mouthing and defaming your counselors, and do not listen to intrigue unless you have proof that precludes all doubt. The drivel of the self-interested who find fault with your intimates and confidants should be given no weight no matter how insignificant it is, for eventually it will grow and reach a point at which it is impossible to counter. When fresh grass is collected, rope can be made from it that an elephant cannot break. One should seek the reason behind everything, major or minor, that is reported and decide whether to listen or not.
{139} “You should beware of having eight sorts of people around. The first is he who is unappreciative of his benefactors. The second is he who gets angry for no reason. The third is he who is overly proud of a long life and thinks he is exempt from obligations. The fourth is he who indulges in deceit and chicanery and disregards their seriousness. The fifth is he who bases his labor on enmity and not on truth and honesty. The sixth is he who indulges his lusts and follows passion. The seventh is he who is suspicious of people for no reason and accuses the trustworthy without a clear reason. The eighth is he who is known for immodesty, jocularity, and shamelessness. There are also eight types who should be encouraged. The first is he who recognizes the necessity of gratitude. The second is he whose promise is not broken with altered circumstances. The third is he who venerates patrons and the generous. The fourth is he who abstains from treachery and abomination. The fifth is he who can control himself in anger. The sixth is he who can be generous when called upon. The seventh is he who maintains modesty and rectitude. The eighth is he who avoids associating with profligate and foulmouthed people.”
When the lion realized how compassionate his mother had been in this affair he thanked her and apologized, saying, “Thanks to your good guidance a way that was dark has been illuminated and a difficult labor has been made easy. Proof has been had of the innocence of a knowledgeable and competent counselor, and an innocent person has been cleared of accusation.”
The lion’s trust of the jackal increased, and he was honored and patronized even more than before. He summoned the jackal and said, “This accusation should be considered as having increased my trust in and reliance on you, and affairs that were entrusted to you are back where they belong.”
“It cannot be,” said the jackal. “The king broke his promise and allowed the impossible allegations of enemies into his mind.”
“You should not think of such things,” said the lion, “for there was no shortcoming in your obedience or counsel or in our favor or patronage. Be strong of heart and perform your service.”
“I escaped this time,” the jackal said, “but the world cannot be cleared of the envious and detractors. As long as I enjoy the king’s favor the envy of associates will be in place, and the mere fact that the king listened to the words of instigators makes {140} the king look gullible. Every day they will come up with a new intrigue, and every hour they will try to create doubt in you. When a king lets the honeyed words of a conspiratorial schemer into his ear and pays attention to the chicanery of an informant, serving him will mean risking one’s life and would best be avoided. There is a well-known adage that says, ‘Leave one whose sack is slack.’
“I have one more thing to say if the king will allow it,” said the jackal. “The most appropriate persons to listen to testimony and give redress are kings and rulers. If, in this case, the king had mercy on me and renewed his trust, it is due to his excellence, which can be called a blessing. However, because of the haste with which he rushed to judgment, I have become suspicious of his generosity and lost hope in regal favors, for he needlessly forgot his patronage of me and my service to him on the basis of an accusation that, even had it been proven, would have been of little importance. A master’s heart should be as wide as the sea and his clemency should be as immovable as a mountain: neither should intrigue cause a ripple in the one nor should anger move the other.”
“What you say is good,” the lion said, “but it is harsh and severe.”
“The king’s heart is harsher and more severe in allowing falsehood than mine is in telling the truth. Since he so easily listened to calumny and slander he should not have any difficulty in listening to the truth. Do not attribute my words to boldness or disrespect, for they contain two obvious pieces of good advice. One is that the tyrannized can be placated by vindication and their minds wiped clean of vindictiveness, and what could be better than for me to express what is in my heart so that my presence and absence are alike for the king and nothing remains that would be a cause for enmity or grief? The other is that I wanted the referee of this case to be the king’s enlightened mind and justice, and a verdict is better given after listening to the words of a plaintiff.”
“Thus it is,” said the lion. “We have been steadfast in your case and ordered you released from this whirlpool.”
“If my release was due to the king’s kindness, the haste in condemning me was also by his order,” came the reply.
“Do you not think that saving you from the brink of disaster was a greater act of benevolence?”
{141} “It is so,” the jackal said. “I will never, no matter how long I live, be able to repay the king’s kindness to me, and this pardon and mercy, after his having disowned and sentenced me, outweighs all favors. Prior to this I was loyal and obedient to the king and his counselor and would have sacrificed my life for his pleasure. I am not saying what I say to prove to the king that he made a mistake in my case or to find fault with him, but the envy the ignorant have for the virtuous and competent endures and cannot be ended. What’s the use of all this? The poor things take friends, subject them to debasement, plot against them, scheme against their king, and endeavor to destroy the realm, relying on the blandishments of a world that is surrounded by false promises, and all they get is regret and remorse, for truth is always victorious and falsehood is always vanquished. God grants a praiseworthy end to people of rectitude and honesty: ‘God willeth no other than to perfect his light, although the infidels be averse thereto’ [Kor. 9:32]. Nonetheless, I fear that, God forbid, foes will find a way to intervene between me and the king; otherwise I was and still am your servant.”
“Who could do such a thing?” asked the king.
“They say, ‘In the heart of your servant fear has been created because of what you did to him, and now he bears a grudge for that injury.’ It is right to be suspicious, and it is especially right that persons who have been cruelly punished, who have fallen from their positions, who have been discharged, or who have seen inferiors promoted over their heads should be suspicious of kings. Even if none of those things could ever be thought possible, a wise man should keep in mind that after such things trust on both sides may be more firmly established since if there is any animosity in the master’s mind because of a shortcoming or act of neglect on the part of the servant, once his anger subsides and an appropriate reprimand is given, all trace of it passes away and nothing remains. He will recognize the schemes of detractors and no longer listen to intriguers’ drivel, and the servant’s loyalty and counsel, as well as his virtue and competence, will be more firmly established, for unless a servant is competent and loyal neither will he be the object of envy and enmity nor will his associates scheme against him. Rightly have they said, ‘Have nothing and escape calamities.’ If there is any fear or dread in the heart of a servant, once he has been chastised he {142} is safe and has no further expectation of calamity. There are only three reasons for a servant to have a grudge: the status he enjoyed is diminished by his master’s neglect, foes come out against him, and the goods he amassed are lost. When the master’s pleasure has been obtained reliance on him is renewed, foes are crushed, and wealth is gained, for apart from life itself it is possible to compensate for everything, especially in the service of kings and nobles. When these things have been made up for how can a grudge remain? The value of these things first and last, once they come together, can be appreciated by persons who will be mentioned for the rectitude of their forebears and known for personal integrity.
“Despite all of this, I hope that the king will excuse me and not drag me back into a snare of calamity and that he will allow me to wander safely and comfortably in this wilderness.”
“What you have said is eloquent and reasonable. Be strong of heart and take up your service again, for you are not one of those servants of whom any accusation could be made. If anything is reported of you it will not be listened to. We have come to know you and realize that you are patient in affliction and grateful for favor and consider both qualities to be dictates of wisdom and loyalty. To deviate from them you would think absolutely forbidden in the code of service, dignity, and gallantry, and you would eschew and regard as vain and futile anything contrary to gallantry, honesty, and trustworthiness. Do not let yourself fear or worry needlessly and have confidence in our favor, for our presumptions of your honesty and truthfulness have been confirmed and the expectations we had of your wisdom and perspicacity have been verified. Never again under any circumstances will the words of a foe be listened to, and any skulduggery they engage in will be attributed to manifest vilification.”
In short, the lion persuaded the jackal to take up his duties again, and every day he honored him more and grew more confident of his rectitude and righteousness.
This has been a story of what happens between kings and their followers after an outburst of wrath. Anyone who is slated for heavenly assistance and felicity will focus his attention on understanding these pieces of advice and unraveling the riddles of the wise.