history
he had never set his foot outside the walls of that high tower, and that
of the vast world without he knew only the green plains which surrounded
it; the flocks and the birds of that region were all his experience of
living creatures, and all the men he saw outside were shepherds.

And yet he was not utterly deprived of change, for sometimes one of his
attendants would be ordered away, and his place would be supplied by a
new one. The prince would never weary of questioning this fresh
companion, and of letting him talk of cities, of ships, of forests, of
merchandise, of kings; but though in turns they all tried to satisfy his
curiosity, they could not succeed in conveying very distinct notions to
his mind; partly because there was nothing in the tower to which they
could compare the external world, partly because, having chiefly lived
lives of seclusion and indolence in Eastern palaces, they knew it only
by hearsay themselves.

At length, one day, a venerable man of a noble presence was brought to
the tower, with soldiers to guard him and slaves to attend him. The
prince was glad of his presence, though at first he seldom opened his
lips, and it was manifest that confinement made him miserable. With
restless feet he would wander from window to window of the stone tower,
and mount from story to story; but mount as high as he would there was
still nothing to be seen but the vast, unvarying plain, clothed with
scanty grass, and flooded with the glaring sunshine; flocks and herds
and shepherds moved across it sometimes, but nothing else, not even a
shadow, for there was no cloud in the sky to cast one. The old man,
however, always treated the prince with respect, and answered his
questions with a great deal of patience, till at length he found a
pleasure in satisfying his curiosity, which so much pleased the poor
young prisoner, that, as a great condescension, he invited him to come
out on the roof of the tower and drink sherbet with him in the cool of
the evening, and tell him of the country beyond the desert, and what
seas are like, and mountains, and towns.

"I have learnt much from my attendants, and know this world pretty well
by hearsay," said the prince, as they reclined on the rich carpet which
was spread on the roof.

The old man smiled, but did not answer; perhaps because he did not care
to undeceive his young companion, perhaps because so many slaves were
present, some of whom were serving them with