"Didn't you ever see your father behave so?" asked the king.

"No, never," said Cyrus. "He does not drink merely to be drinking. He
drinks to quench his thirst, and that is all."

When Cyrus became a man, he succeeded his father as king of Persia;
he also succeeded his grandfather Astyages as king of Media. He was
a very wise and powerful ruler, and he made his country the greatest
of any that was then known. In history he is commonly called Cyrus
the Great.




THE SONS OF THE CALIPH



There was a caliph of Persia whose name was Al Mamoun. [Footnote: Al
Mam'oun] He had two sons whom he wished to become honest and noble
men. So he employed a wise man whose name was Al Farra to be their
teacher. One day, after lesson hours, Al Farra rose to go out of the
house. The two boys saw him and ran to fetch his shoes. For in that
country, people never wear shoes in the house, but take them off at
the door. The two boys ran for the teacher's shoes, and each claimed
the honor of carrying them to him. But they dared not quarrel and at
last agreed that each should carry one shoe. Thus the honor would be
divided. When the caliph heard of this he sent for Al Farra and asked
him, "Who is the most honored of men?"