and the Physician Douban Sz 163

 

till he came to the sixth leaf, and finding no writing in the place
where he was bidden to look for it, ‘Physician, said he to the head,
‘there is nothing written.’

‘Turn over some more leaves, replied the head.. The king
continued to turn over, always putting his finger to his mouth,
until the poison, with which each leaf was imbrued, came to have
its effect; all of a sudden he was taken with an extraordinary
fit, his eyesight failed, and he fell down at the foot of the throne
in violent convulsions.

When the physician Douban, or rather his head, saw that the
poison had taken effect and that the king had but a few moments
to live, ‘Tyrant, it cried, ‘now you see how princes are treated
who, abusing their authority, cut off innocent men. Soon or late
God punishes their injustice and cruelty.’ Scarcely had the head
spoken these words when the king fell down dead, and the head
itself lost what life it had.