CHAPTER IV.
1. When So-qi, the king, issued the decree to have Zarathustra found and brought before him, otherwise all the male infants of Oas to be slain, the Lords sent travail on the king's wife and on the king's daughter, wife of Asha, the philosopher, and the two women gave birth that day to two sons, a month before their time, but nevertheless unto life and strength and beauty. Now, according to the laws of Oas, a king could not rescind or change his own decrees, for he had assumed the position of infallibility, whereupon he had doomed to death kin of his kin, flesh of his flesh.
2. Accordingly, after search had been made in vain to find Zarathustra, the king repented of his decree, but knew no way to justify a change of commandment. Asha, hearing of this, came out of concealment, saying to himself: Now will I go to the king and hold him to his decree, even demanding that he slay me also. So Asha came before So-qi, and after saluting, said: O king, I have heard of thy strait, and am come to thee that I may counsel thee.
3. The king was angered, and he said: Asha, my friend, hear thou thy king: Thou camest before me, relating a marvelous story regarding an infant son of the virgin who saith she never knew a man. Now, according to the laws of the City of the Sun, any man stating for truth that which he cannot prove, is already adjudged to death. Shall not the law be fulfilled, because, forsooth, thou art near me in blood?
4. Asha said: Most assuredly, O king, the laws must be carried out. Are they not the all highest? For it followeth that man being the all highest person, his laws, above all else, must never be set aside. Therefore, thou shalt have me slain. Think not I am come before thee to plead an excuse, in order to save myself; rather let all men perish than that the king's decrees go amiss.
5. The king said: Thou art wise, O Asha. The laws cannot err, for they are the standard by which to judge all else. And he who hath risen to be king standeth by nature the infallible highest of all things. History hath proven this. But yet hear me, thou who hast wisdom from the movements of the sun and moon and stars: The king, being the all highest, how can he be bound? Cannot he decree new decrees forever?
6. Asha said: I will not deceive thee, O king! I know thou art arguing not for me, but for thine own infant son, and for thy daughter's infant son. Neither have I come before thee in prowess, though I love life. But here is the matter: If thou change one law, thou admittest that all laws made by man may also need changing; which is to say, wisdom is folly. How, then, shall the judge, judge any man by the laws? Is it not setting up error in order to find truth?
7. The king said: Thou reasonest well. Methought this morning, in my walk in the market gardens, when the soldiers were spreading the scalps of their enemies in the sun to dry, whether or no, in ages to come, the weaker nations and tribes of men might not attempt to justify their right to life. And were the kings to admit fallibility in their decrees and laws, no man can foresee the end; for even slaves and servants and women will raise up against the laws, and claim their right to life. Wherein, then, would the earth be large enough for all the people? Yet, wherefore, O Asha, cometh this heart-ache of mine against killing mine own son?
8. Asha said: What are thy sympathies, O king? If thou wert to justify the escape of thy child's death for sympathy, would not my wife and my children justify their sympathy in desiring me to live? Nay, sympathy is the enemy of law and justice. It is the evil in our natures that crieth out for evil. The laws must be maintained; the decrees must be maintained; the king's word must be maintained. No man must suffer his judgment to go higher than the law, or the decree, or the king.
9. Asha said: This is the City of the Sun. If this city goeth back on its own laws, what will not the tributary cities do? Will not they also begin to disrespect the laws, or say: Perhaps the laws are in error? This will come to anarchy. To one purpose only can a great city be maintained. To divide the purposes and judgment of men is to scatter to the four winds the glory of our civil liberty. Was it not disrespect of the laws, combined with superstition, that caused the nations of ancients to perish?
10. The king said: What shall I do, O Asha? My son hath smiled in my face!
11. Asha said: Thou shalt send me and thy son and thy daughter's son, and all male infants to the slaughter's pen, and have us all beheaded and cast into the fire. Otherwise, it will come true what the infant Zarathustra hath said: Behold, my hand shall smite the city of Oas, and it shall fall as a heap of straw.
12. Think not, O king, I am superstitious and fear such threats; but this I perceive: Suffer the laws to be impeached, and every man in Oas will set up to interpret the laws to be wrong and himself right. And thy officers will rebel against thee on all sides, and the glory of thy kingdom will perish.
13. After the city had been searched for thirty days, and the virgin and child not found, the king appointed a day for the slaughter, according to his former decree; and there were ninety thousand male infants adjudged to death, the king's son among the rest.
14. Whilst these matters were maturing, the Lord went to Choe'jon, and inspired him to make songs about Zarathustra, the infant that was stronger than a king. And also songs about the decree of death to the ninety thousand infant sons of Oas. And the beauty of the songs, together with the nature of these proceedings, caused the songs to be sung in the streets day and night; and the songs, in satire, approved of the horrors, so that even the king could not interdict the singing.
CHAPTER V.
1. When the day arrived for the slaughter of the male infants, not more than a thousand mothers appeared at the place of execution with their infants, the others having risen in the night previous and departed out of the gates, upward of eighty-nine thousand mothers.
2. When the king went to the place of execution, having set apart the day as a holiday, and not finding but a thousand infants present, he inquired the reason, and, having been told, he said: Can it be that mothers love their offspring more than they respect the decrees of the king? Asha was standing near, having stripped himself ready for execution, and he answered the king, saying:
3. Because they love their offspring, is it not the love of the flesh? And doth not the law stand above all flesh? In this matter, then, because they have evaded the law, they have adjudged themselves also to death.
4. Then came Betraj, the king's wife, bringing the infant. Betraj said: Here is thy son, O king, ready for the sacrifice. Asha reasonest well; there must be an All Highest, which never erreth; which is the law of the king. Take thou my flesh and blood and prove thy decrees. What! Why hesitate? If thou swerve one jot or tittle, then shalt thou open the door for all men to find an excuse against the law. Doth not the sun blight a harvest when he will? Yea, and strike dead our most beloved? Art thou not descended from the Sun Gods? Who will obey the laws if thou, thyself, do not?
5. The king said: Behold, it is yet early morn; let the officers go fetch all who have escaped beyond the walls, and both mothers and children shall be put to death. Till then, let the proceedings be suspended. Now there had congregated a vast multitude, anxious to witness the slaughter; and when the king suspended matters, there went up cries of disappointment. And many said: When a thing toucheth the king, he is a coward.
6. The king returned for his palace, leaving Asha standing stripped for the execution. And the multitude cried out: More is Asha like a king than So-qi. Let us make him king. King So-qi! We will not have a sheep for a king! And none could stay them, or be heard above their noise; and they ran after the king and slew him with stones, and they made Asha King of the Sun. And there was not one infant slain according to the decrees.
7. God saith: Think not, O man, that things happen without a cause, or that all things are left to chance. In my works I go beforehand and plan the way, even more carefully than a captain lieth siege to a city. Before Zarathustra was born I sent ashars to choose out my personages. Think not that Asha made his own arguments; but by virtue of the presence of my ashars, whom he saw not, he spake and behaved in my commandments, not knowing it. And even so was it with the king's wife; my angels also inspired her to speak before the king. And those that fled out of the city, were inspired by my hosts of angels.
8. God said: Yet with the king's decree I had no part, for I foresaw he would do this of his own will; and with the multitude in slaying the king I had no part, for I saw they would do this on their own account. Neither would the multitude hear my voice, even though I had spoken to every man's soul; for in them tetracts were the ascendant power.
9. God saith: The multitude slew the king because he had gone so far from me he heeded me not. And I made Asha king, because he came so near me my power was with him through my ashars.
CHAPTER VI.
1. During the infant age of Zarathustra, God manifested no more through him; but he sent Ejah, one of his Lords, to be with Zarathustra, day and night. And Ejah taught the infant wisdom in all things, but showed himself to none else.
2. When Zarathustra was half grown, the Lord began to manifest through him, giving signs and miracles and prophecy before the Listians who lived in the Forest of Goats. This forest was of the width in every direction, save the east, of forty days' journey for a man, and in all that region there were no houses, the inhabitants living in tents made of bark and skins.
3. The Lord inspired Zarathustra to teach them to build houses, and tame the goats, and to live in cities, and otherwise subdue the earth through righteousness; the chief center of their habitations being on the river Apherteon and its tributaries. And it was from these inhabitants that sprang in after years the migrants called Fonece'ans, signifying, out of the mountains. Nevertheless, these people were I'huans, but because of the cruelties of the Par'si'ean kings, they fled and lived in the forests.
4. The Lord said to Zarathustra: Behold the people who fly from the kings! I have made them kings over goats and over the beasts of the fields.
5. And from this time forth the Listians styled themselves shepherd kings. And Zarathustra taught them of the Lord, that man should have dominion over the beasts of the forests, but that no man should hold dominion over his neighbor. Consequently, every man of the Listians styled himself a king, and every woman styled herself a queen.
6. Again the Lord said to Zarathustra: Go thou, my son, whither I will lead thee, and thou shalt find a people sacred to the Great Spirit. So Zarathustra wandered beyond the Forest of Goats, and came to Hara'woetchij, to the south of the mountains of Oe'tahka, where were three large cities and twelve small ones, inhabited by I'hins.
7. And the Lord had been with the I'hins, and foretold them Zarathustra was coming, so that it was proven on both sides. The Lord said to the high priest: Thou shalt suffer Zarathustra to come within the walls of the cities, for he is pure.
8. So Zarathustra went in, and, in the time of worship before the altar of God, the Lord appeared in a great light and commanded the high priest, saying: Behold, I have brought my son to thee. Him shalt thou anoint as a priest according to the I'hin laws; and thou shalt teach him the rites and ceremonies of the ancients.
9. Accordingly Zarathustra was made a priest and was otherwise accepted as an I'hin, and bestowed under the rod with water and with fire. And he also taught the sacred words and the art of writing and making tablets; and of weaving cloth and making clothes from flax.
10. Seven years Zarathustra remained with the I'hins, fasting and praying, and singing and dancing before the Lord. And then the Lord commanded him to return through the Forest of Goats, the which he did, teaching before the Listians whithersoever he halted for a rest, and the Lord was with him, working miracles.
11. At the end of another seven years the Lord said to Zarathustra: Behold, the dawn of light is come! Thou shalt, therefore, bestow thy mother with thy people, and I will lead thee to the city of thy birth. Zarathustra said: Tell me, O Lord, of the city of my birth?
12. The Lord said: It is a great city, but it shall fall before thy hand; for I'hua'Mazda hath turned his favor away from its kings.
13. In two days' journey Zarathustra came to Oas, and entered into the city, but he brought no provender with him. Now, it was a law of Oas, that all strangers coming into the city, should bring provender as a testimony of fidelity to the laws and to the king. So, when he came to the inner gate, the keeper asked him for provender; but Zarathustra answered him, saying:
14. Naked I came into the world, and Ormazd asked me not for provender. Is thy king greater than the Creator?
15. The keeper said: I know not thy words; shall a servant explain laws? To which Zarathustra said: Thou art wise; neither shalt thou suffer for disobedience in letting me pass. The Lord will give thee food.
16. When he had spoken thus, there fell at the feet of the keeper an abundance of fruit,3 and the keeper feared and stood aside, suffering Zarathustra to pass in. The keeper not only told the people of the miracle, but ran and told the king, likewise. This was Asha, who had reigned since the death of So-qi; and Asha no sooner heard of the miracle than he imagined the person to be the same whom he had seen in infancy.
17. Asha, the king, sent officers at once to find Zarathustra, and bring him before the court. But the Lord knowing these things, inspired Zarathustra to go on his own account; and he went accordingly before the king, even before the officers returned.
18. The king said: Who art thou? and for what purpose hast thou come before the king?
19. Then spake I'hua'Mazda through Zarathustra, saying: I am I'hua'Mazda, God of the I'huans. He through whom I speak, is Zarathustra, whom thou sawest in his mother's arms. We twain are one. I have come before thee, O king, because of two reasons: thou hast sent for me; and I desire to use thee.
20. The king said: Speak further, stranger, that I may approve of thy words.
21. In the time of So-qi, said I'hua'Mazda, I made thee king of Oas, and from that day to this my ashars have been with thee and heard thee oft praying privately for information of the infant thou sawest; for it resteth heavily on thy judgment whether or no man be immortal. Sit thou with me this night privily, and I will show thee So-qi's soul.
22. Asha said: Thou wert to smite the city and it would fall. Behold, it standeth! Yet I desire not to stand in my own light. Then Zarathustra spake on his own account, saying: Fear not, O king, for this philosophy. As thou wouldst bend a straw, so do the Gods wield the nations of the earth. The city will fall ere six years pass, and thou shalt be reduced to beggary, and yet thou shalt be happier than now.
3 See 259, 24; 263,10; 264, 23.
