“The old man said, ‘This is well. But the king and his nobles will think, “Rustem fears this Tartar,” and they will say, “If Rustem is afraid, what can we do but leave our country?” I pray you therefore not to turn your back upon the king, when things are in such a plight. Is it well that the Persians should become the slaves of the infidel Tartars?’
“Rustem stood confounded to hear such words. ‘If there were fear in my heart, then I would tear my soul from my body. But you know that it is not; only the king has treated me with scorn.’
“But he perceived that he must yield to the old man’s advice. So he went back with the nobles.
“As soon as the king saw him, he leaped upon his feet, and said, ‘I am hard of soul, but a man must grow as God has made him. My heart was troubled by the fear of this new enemy. I looked to you for safety, and you delayed your coming. Then I spoke in my wrath; but I have repented, and my mouth is full of dust.’
“Rustem said, ‘It is yours to command, O king, and ours to obey. You are the master, and we are the slaves. I am but as one of those who open the door for you, if indeed I am worthy to be reckoned among them. And now I come to execute your commands.’
“Kaoos said, ‘It is well. Now let us feast. To-morrow we will prepare for war.’
“So Kaoos, and Rustem, and the nobles feasted till the night had passed and the morning came. The next day King Kaoos and Rustem, with a great army, began their march.”
Matthew Arnold, the great English critic, scholar and poet, has used the incidents that follow as the subject of one of his most interesting poems. To that poem we will look for a continuation of the story. Arnold alters the story at times to suit the needs of his poem, and he often employs a slightly different spelling of proper names from that used in the above account.