Malayan literature; comprising romantic tales, epic poetry and royal ...

MAKOTA RADJA-RADJA*
KINGS who are of the true faith, who have wisdom and
follow justice, cause men worthy of their confidence
to travel through their kingdom, to serve as their
eyes and ears, and to make reports on the state and condition
of their subjects, so that, knowing the cause, they may
examine for themselves the conduct of the servants of God.
But there are kings who do not rest contented with the report
of their servants, and go themselves by night to see the
condition and hear the complaints of subjects. Then they
make by day a thorough examination of the matters thus
come to their knowledge, in order to regulate them with jus-
tice and equity.
A story will illustrate this. Zeyd
Ibries Selam tells what
follows : The prince of the believers, the Caliph Omar (may
God be satisfied with him !), judged the servants of God with
equity during the day, and after pronouncing his judgments
he went out of the city on the side toward the cemetery
called Bakia-el-Gharkada. There he cut stone to gain money
enough for the maintenance of his house, and when night had
come he went through the city to know the good and evil
of the servants of God. One night, says Zeyd Ibries Selam,
"
I accompanied the prince of the believers, Omar. When
he was outside of Medina, he perceived a fire in an out-of-theway
place, and turned his steps thither. Scarcely had he arrived
when he heard a woman with three children, and the
*
latter were crying. The woman said : O God the most high,
I beseech thee, make Omar suffer what I am suffering now.
He sleeps satiated with food, while I and my children are
starving.' The prince of the believers, Omar, hearing these
• Or, " The Crown of Kings."