The Book of Wisdom and Lies

HERE was once a mighty monarch all whose great deeds no one can imagine. his goodness and kindness he gathered up such a flood of mercifulness in his heart that the waters of the ocean were not one thousandth part as great Violence and cruelty he wafted away from his heart by means of the breeze of the fear of God; by his generosity he overshadowed all, more than the raimbring’ ing clouds; in his gifts, scattered to all men, he outdid the rain of heaven. His warlike exploits and the terror thereof spread over the face of the whole earth, so tnatthey were more feared than the thmv derbolt. His mildness and affability endeared him to his folk; they grew to love those qualities of his so much that they thought them sweeter than is a mother’s milk to her child. This great and exalted king was called Phonez. He had a vizier, who by his wisdom reached to heaven, by his understanding he measured the whole length and breadth of the dry land, by his knowledge he pierced to the depths of the sea, the laws of winds and stars were written on the tablets of his heart. So sweet was his speech that it turned beasts into men, melted rocks as if they were wax, and made birds to speak like men. This vizier’s name was Sedrak (i.e. Shadrach). The king greatly loved his vizier, and in his heart there was no sorrow nor trouble, excepting only that he had no offspring. One day he gave away to the poor countless treasures, that they might pray for a son for him The king’s eunuch was an irritable and cruel man; he was chamberlain, & a devoted servant of the king; his name was Ruka; he said No king ever gave away such a quantity of treasure!”