a
dress and largess, raised him one step in his rank as a nobleman!

IV

In the west of Africa I saw a schoolmaster of a sour aspect and bitter
speech, crabbed, misanthropic, beggarly, and intemperate, insomuch that
the sight of him would derange the ecstasies of the orthodox; and his
manner of reading the Koran cast a gloom over the minds of the pious. A
number of handsome boys and lovely virgins were subject to his despotic
sway, who had neither the permission of a smile nor the option of a
word, for this moment he would smite the silver cheek of one of them
with his hand, and the next put the crystalline legs of another in the
stocks. In short their parents, I heard, were made aware of a part of
his disloyal violence, and beat and drove him from his charge. And they
made over his school to a peaceable creature, so pious, meek, simple,
and good-natured that he never spoke till forced to do so, nor would he
utter a word that could offend anybody. The children forgot that awe in
which they had held their first master, and remarking the angelic
disposition of their second master, they became one after another as
wicked as devils; and relying on his clemency, they would so neglect
their studies as to pass most part of their time at play, and break the
tablets of their unfinished tasks over each other's heads:--"When the
schoolmaster relaxes in his discipline, the children will stop to play
at marbles in the market-place."

A fortnight after I passed by the gate of that mosque and saw the first
schoolmaster, with whom they had been obliged to make friends, and to
restore him to his place. I was in truth offended, and calling on God to
witness, asked, saying: "Why have they again made a devil the preceptor
of angels?" A facetious old gentleman, who had seen much of life,
listened to me and replied: "Have you not heard what they have said:--A
king sent his son to school, and hung a tablet of silver round his neck.
On the face of that tablet he had written in golden letters: 'The
severity of the master is more useful than the indulgence of the
father.'"

* * * * *

VI

A king gave his son into the charge of a preceptor, and said: "This is
your child, educate him as you would one of your own." For some years he
labored in teaching him, but to no good purpose; whilst the sons of the
preceptor excelled in eloquence and knowledge. The king blamed the
learned man, and remonstrated with h