and said: 'My trade, King Archidej, is of such a kind that the man
who follows it in your kingdom generally loses his life and has no
hopes of pardon. There is only one thing I can do really well, and
that is--to steal, and to hide the smallest scrap of anything I have
stolen. Not the deepest vault, even if its lock were enchanted,
could prevent my stealing anything out of it that I wished to have.'

When the king heard this he fell into a passion. 'I will not pardon
you, you rascal,' he cried; 'I will shut you up in my deepest dungeon
on bread and water till you have forgotten such a trade. Indeed, it
would be better to put you to death at once, and I've a good mind
to do so.'

'Don't kill me, O king! I am really not as bad as you think. Why,
had I chosen, I could have robbed the royal treasury, have bribed
your judges to let me off, and built a white marble palace with what
was left. But though I know how to steal I don't do it. You
yourself asked me my trade. If you kill me you will break your
royal word.'

'Very well,' said the king, 'I will not kill you. I pardon you. But
from this hour you shall be shut up in a dark dungeon. Here,
guards! away with him to the prison. But you six Simons follow
me and be assured of my royal favour.'

So the six Simons followed the king. The seventh Simon was
seized by the guards, who put him in chains and threw him in prison
with only bread and water for food. Next day the king gave the
first Simon carpenters, masons, smiths and labourers, with great
stores of iron, mortar, and the like, and Simon began to build. And