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tfV ROGUISH SOOTH-SATER 73
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him with honour and confide in him ;*but if otherwise, he should
drive him away, and guard even the outskirts bf hisjenvironment
*
'from his very snadow. Whoever does not believe in the religion
of God (great and glorio*us is He !) 'and the law of Muhammld
the Chosen One, in hjjn can no mantrust, and he is unlucky,
both to himself and to kis master. ,
In the beginning of the reign of the King Sultan Ghiydthu'd-
Dunyd wad-Din Muhammad ibn Malikshah, styled Qasimu
1
Amiril-Miiminin (may God illuminate his tomb!) the , King of
2
the Arabs Sadaqa revolted and withdrewhis neck from he yoke
of allegiance, and with fifty thousand Arabs marched on Baghdad
from 'Hilla 3 . The Prince of Believers al-Mustazhir bi'llah had
sent off letter aftef letter and courier after courier to Isfahan,
summoning the Sultan, wh< sought from the astrologers the
determination of the auspicious moment. But np such determination
could be made which would suit the. Lord of the King's
"
Ascendant, which was retrograde. So they said, O Sire, we
ynd no auspicious moment." " Seek it, then," said he and he
;
was very urgent in the matter, and much vexed in mind. And
so the astrologers fled.
Now there was a man of Ghazna who had a shop in the
Street of the Dome and who used to practise sooth-saying, and
women used to visit him, and he used to write them love-charms,
but had no hje profound knowledge. By means of an acquaintance
with one of the King's servants he brought himself to the King's
notice, and said, " I will find an auspicious moment ; depart in
that, and if (i) thou dost not return victorious, then cut off my
head."
, So the King was pleased, and mounted his horse a,t tke
moment declared auspicious by him, and gave him two hundred
dinars of Nfshapur, and went forth, fought with Sadaqa, defeated
his army, took him captive, and put him to death. And when he
returned triumphant and victorious to Isfahan, he heaped favours
on the sooth-sayerj conferred on him great honours, and made*
him one of his intimates. Then he summoned the astrologers
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and saicj, You did not find an auspicious moment, it was this
Ghaznawi^who found it and I ; jvent, and God justified his forecast.
Wherefore did ye act thus ? Probably Sadaqa had sent you
a bribe so that you should not name the auspicious time." Then
they all fell to the "
earth, lamenting and exclaiming, No astrologer
was satisfied with that choice. If you wish, write a message
1
Reigned A4 H. 498-511 (A.D. 1104-1117).
2 For an account of this event and the doings of Sadaqa ibn Mazyad, the " Kingof
the Arabc " here mentioned, see Ibnu'l-Athfr's Chronicle sub anno A.H. 501 (A.D.
1107-1108).
3 This is an error, for Sadaqa never attacked Baghdad nor quarrelled with the
Caliph al-Mustazhir bi'llah, his quarrel being with Muhammad ibn Malikshah.
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