But the good-natured monarch bade him not to fear, and thanked him
for the lesson he had given his king, praising his respect for the laws
and commending his parents for bringing up their son so wisely. He
dismissed them with liberal presents, and afterwards gave orders that any
one might gather fallen wood in the forest, if they did not interfere with
the standing timber.
Another adventure was with a poor woodman and his wife. The man, as he
stood in the marketplace with his little store, complained bitterly of his
lot, as compared with that of those who lived idly amid luxuries in the
palace. The wife bade him be careful, as he might be overheard in his
complaints. The king, looking down on the market from a latticed window,
and amusing himself with the chatter of the market people, heard the words
of the couple, and ordered them to be brought into his presence.
He asked the frightened pair what they had said, and was pleased to find
that they answered him truly. Then he bade them reflect that if he had
great wealth, he had great demands upon it; that he who had a nation to
govern could not lead an idle life; and told them "to be more cautious in
future, as walls had ears.
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