would forget that wherewith he was familiar in him. Now it befell
that a certain man of corrupt purpose[FN#78] found a way to the
perversion of the truth and a means of glozing over falsehood and
adorning it with a semblance of fair-seeming and there proceeded
from him that wherewith the hearts of the folk were occupied, and
their minds were corrupted by his lying tales; for that he made
use of Indian subtleties and forged them into a proof for the
denial of the Maker, the Creator, extolled be His might and
exalted be He! Indeed, God is exalted and magnified above the
speech of the deniers. He avouched that it is the planets[FN#79]
that order the affairs of all creatures and he set down twelve
mansions to twelve signs [of the Zodiac] and made each sign
thirty degrees, after the number of the days of the month, so
that in twelve mansions there are three hundred and threescore
[degrees], after the number of the days of the year; and he
wrought a scheme, wherein he lied and was an infidel and denied
[God]. Then he got possession of the king's mind and the enviers
and haters aided him against the vizier and insinuated themselves
into his favour and corrupted his counsel against the vizier, so
that he suffered of him that which he suffered and he banished
him and put him away.

So the wicked man attained that which he sought of the vizier and
the case was prolonged till the affairs of the kingdom became
disordered, by dint of ill governance, and the most part of the
king's empery fell away from him and he came nigh unto ruin.
Therewithal he was certified of the loyalty of his [late] skilful
vizier and the excellence of his governance and the justness of
his judgment. So he sent after him and brought him and the wicked
man before him and summoning the grandees of his realm and the