The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban

# book_id: fd6159f4811c4f7697072669cdc74b1e
# book_title: The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban
# chapter_id: 1-the-story-of-the-greek-king-and-the-physician-douban
# chapter_title: The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban
# book_page: 1 / 2
# chapter_page: 1
# language: en
# content_format: markdown
# reading_structure: unknown
# render_mode: prose

In the country of Zouman, in Persia, there lived a Greek king. This king was a leper, and all his doctors had been unable to cure him, when a very clever physician came to his court. He was very learned in many languages and knew a great deal about herbs and medicines.

As soon as he was told of the king's illness, he put on his best robe and presented himself before the king. "Sire," said he, "I know that no physician has been able to cure your majesty, but if you will follow my instructions, I promise to cure you without any medicines or outward application." The king listened to this proposal. "If you are clever enough to do this," he said, "I promise to make you and your descendants rich forever."

The physician went to his house and made a polo club, the handle of which he hollowed out, and put in it the drug he wished to use. Then he made a ball, and with these things he went the next day to the king. He told him that he wished him to play polo. Accordingly, the king mounted his horse and went to the place where he played.

There the physician approached him with the club he had made, saying, "Take this, sire, and strike the ball until you feel your hand and whole body glowing. When the remedy in the handle of the club is warmed by your hand, it will penetrate throughout your body. Then you must return to your palace, bathe, and go to sleep, and when you awake tomorrow morning you will be cured."

The king took the club and urged his horse after the ball he had thrown. He struck it, and then it was hit back by the courtiers who were playing with him. When he felt very hot, he stopped playing and went back to the palace, went into the bath, and did all that the physician had said. The next day when he arose, he found, to his great joy and astonishment, that he was completely cured. When he entered his audience chamber, all his courtiers, who were eager to see if the wonderful cure had been effected, were overwhelmed with joy.

# book_id: fd6159f4811c4f7697072669cdc74b1e
# book_title: The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban
# chapter_id: 1-the-story-of-the-greek-king-and-the-physician-douban
# chapter_title: The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban
# book_page: 2 / 2
# chapter_page: 2
# language: en
# content_format: markdown
# reading_structure: unknown
# render_mode: prose

The physician Douban entered the hall and bowed low to the ground. The king, seeing him, called him over, made him sit by his side, and showed him every mark of honor. That evening he gave him a long and rich robe of state and presented him with two thousand sequins. The following day he continued to load him with favors.

Now the king had a grand vizier who was greedy, envious, and a thoroughly wicked man. He became extremely jealous of the physician and resolved to bring about his ruin. To that end, he asked to speak with the king in private, saying that he had a most important matter to communicate. "What is it?" asked the king. "Sire," answered the grand vizier, "it is most dangerous for a monarch to place his trust in a man whose loyalty has not been proven.

You do not know whether this physician is a traitor who has come here to assassinate you." "I am certain," said the king, "that this man is the most faithful and virtuous of men. If he wished to take my life, why did he cure me? Stop speaking against him. I see what this is—you are jealous of him. But do not imagine that I can be turned against him. I remember well what a vizier said to King Sindbad, his master, to prevent him from putting the prince, his son, to death." What the Greek king said aroused the vizier's curiosity, and he said to him, "Sire, I beg your majesty to be so kind as to tell me what the vizier said to King Sindbad." "This vizier," he replied, "told King Sindbad that one ought not to believe everything a mother-in-law says, and he told him this story."