سندبادنامه 373.1

373.1

be given punishment, and that this be made the landmark of the laws of justice and the mainstay of the gates of equity,
so that the people of the world might know that when he shows no indulgence or partiality to the piece of his liver and the solace of his eye,
no leniency or favor will be shown to any stranger; and the elders have said thus:
"Punishment is the foundation of leadership."
When this news reached the hearing of the fifth vizier, he signaled the executioner to delay the punishment
and said, "Hold, until I go to the service of the shah's court, and submit to his judgment the harm
of haste in bringing forward death, and explain what is possible regarding the benefits
of deliberation, so that it may be seen how the order and command shall stand."
The Coming of the Fifth Vizier to the Court of the Shah
The fifth vizier—whose piercing judgment was the stars of the assembly of rule, and whose sound counsel
was the keys to the difficulties of the state and religion—went before the throne of the shah; and after
expressing greeting and rendering praise and service, said, "Gratitude for the divine blessings
is obligatory upon all the world in order to increase blessings and receive the abundance of generosity; and upon the servants
and retinue who spend their days in the shadow of kindness and the shade of compassion, it is even more obligatory;
for whatever is the utmost of desires and the object of life, and whatever human thought
and man's intellect can attain, has been attained in dignity and majesty through the auspicious mediation of this court;