“Knowest thou,” said the king, as soon as he saw him, “why I sent for thee here?”--“No, Sire,” answered Douban, “and I wait till your majesty pleases to instruct me.”--“I have ordered thee to come,” replied the king, “to free myself from thy snares, by taking thy life.” It is impossible to express the astonishment of Douban, at hearing the sentence of his death. “For what reason, Sire,” replied he, “does your majesty condemn me to death? What crime have I been guilty of?”--“I have been well informed,” added the king, “that you are a spy, and that you have come to my court in order to take away my life; but to prevent that, I will first deprive you of yours. Strike,” added he to an officer who was by, “and deliver me from a treacherous wretch who has introduced himself here only to assassinate me.” At hearing this, the physician began to think, that the honours and riches which had been heaped upon him, had excited some enemies against him, and that the king, through weakness, had suffered himself to be guided by them, nor was he wrong. He began to repent having cured him; but that came too late. “Is it thus,” he cried, “that you recompense the good I have done you?”--The king, however, paid no attention, and desired the officer, a second time, to execute his orders. The physician had then recourse to prayers. “Ah, Sire,” he cried, “if you prolong my life, God will prolong yours; do not kill me, lest God should treat you in the same manner.” “You see then,” said the fisherman, breaking off his story in this place, and addressing himself to the Genius, “that what has passed between the Greek king and the physician Douban is exactly the same as what has happened between us. “The Greek king, however,” continued he, “instead of regarding the entreaties the physician urged in conjuring him, in the name of God, to relent, exclaimed, “No, no, you must die, or you will take away my life in a still more concealed manner than you have cured me.” Douban, in the mean time, bathed in tears, complained much at finding his important services so ill requited; and at last prepared for death. The officer then put a bandage over his eyes, tied his hands, and was going to draw his scimitar. The courtiers, however, who were present, felt so much for him, that they entreated the king to pardon him, assuring his majesty he was not guilty, and that they would answer for his innocence. But the king was inflexible, and spoke so peremptorily, they dared not reply.