“Without the weight of anxiety which oppresses me,” said the king, “yet with honors sufficient, and an ample provision for all his wants, shall I not here find a happy man?”
But it was not long before the king heard him, one day when he thought he was alone, muttering to himself:
“Why did I ever accept this post, or choose this service for my calling, only to bear the envy of those below me, and the scorn of those above? How much better off and more independent would I have been engaged in some business of my own, like my well-to-do friends around the corner!”
“I will seek for my object in a lower sphere of life and occupation,” said the king; and, passing into an obscure back street, he went into the shop of a mechanic who was working at his bench with saw and plane as a carpenter.
“Below the level of ambition and above that of want,” continued the king, “surely here I shall find the object of my search.”
So he entered into conversation with the man, talked with him about his trade, admired his handiwork, and said:
“Whatever else you lack, my friend, I am sure that here in perfect independence you enjoy content.”