At this cruel order the physician threw himself on his knees. "Spare
my life," he cried, "and yours will be spared."
The fisherman stopped here to say to the genius: "You see what passed
between the Greek king and the physician has just passed between us
two. The Greek king," he went on, "had no mercy on him, and the
executioner bound his eyes."
All those present begged for his life, but in vain.
The physician on his knees, and bound, said to the king: "At least let
me put my affairs in order, and leave my books to persons who will make
good use of them. There is one which I should like to present to your
majesty. It is very precious, and ought to be kept carefully in your
treasury. It contains many curious things the chief being that when
you cut off my head, if your majesty will turn to the sixth leaf, and
read the third line of the left-hand page, my head will answer all the
questions you like to ask it."
The king, eager to see such a wonderful thing, put off his execution to
the next day, and sent him under a strong guard to his house. There
the physician put his affairs in order, and the next day there was a
great crowd assembled in the hall to see his death, and the doings
after it. The physician went up to the foot of the throne with a large
book in his hand. He carried a basin, on which he spread the covering
of the book, and presenting it to the king, said: "Sire, take this
book, and when my head is cut off, let it be placed in the basin on the
covering of this book; as soon as it is there, the blood will cease to
flow. Then open the book, and my head will answer your questions.
But, sire, I implore your mercy, for I am innocent."