said, "My life on thee, is this the truth thou sayest, that the
Fisherman standeth at the door?" and Ja'afar replied, "By thy
life, O Commander of the Faithful, he standeth at the door."
Quoth the Caliph, "O Ja'afar, by Allah, I will assuredly do my
best to give him his due! If Allah at my hands send him misery,
he shall have it; and if prosperity he shall have it." Then he
took a piece of paper and cutting it in pieces, said to the
Wazir, "O Ja'afar, write down with thine own hand twenty sums of
money, from one dinar to a thousand, and the names of all kinds
of offices and dignitaries from the least appointment to the
Caliphate; also twenty kinds of punishment from the lightest
beating to death." [FN#240] "I hear and obey, O Commander of the
Faithful," answered Ja'afar, and did as he was bidden. Then said
the Caliph, "O Ja'afar, I swear by my holy forefathers and by my
kinship to Hamzah [FN#241] and Akil, [FN#242] that I mean to
summon the fisherman and bid him take one of these papers, whose
contents none knowesth save thou and I; and whatsoever is written
in the paper which he shall choose, I will give it to him; though
it be the Caliphate I will divest myself thereof and invest him
therewith and grudge it not to him; and, on the other hand, if
there be written therein hanging or mutilation or death, I will
execute it upon him. Now go and fetch him to me." When Ja'afar
heard this, he said to himself, "There is no Majesty and there is
no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! It may be
somewhat will fall to this poor wretch's lot that will bring
about his destruction, and I shall be the cause. But the Caliph
hath sworn; so nothing remains now but to bring him in, and
naught will happen save whatso Allah willeth." Accordingly he
went out to Khalifah the Fisherman and laid hold of his hand to
carry him in to the Caliph, whereupon his reason fled and he said