Page:Barlaam and Josaphat. English lives of Buddha.djvu/134
Dichtungen; Eisenmenger, Entdecktes Judenthum, ii. 321 ; Vogelstein, Adnotationes ad Fabulas de Alex. Magno, 1865, p. 16; Steinschneider, l. c.,§ 540.
X.c. The Prince who left his Father's House.
A prince, the only son of a king, in the midst of play in his boyhood, took one step and said, "Your fate is to have trouble." Then a second step, and said, "And to become old and feeble." Then a third step, saying, "And then you will die." Astrologers, thereupon, announced that he would become a great saint. And the King put him a guard so he could never be left alone. One day, however, he escapes them, and encounters a funeral, and learns that all men must die. He tells his guard that if this is true they are mad. The astrologers recommend the King to marry the Prince. On the wedding night, the Prince calls for wine for his bride, and when she sleeps rises and leaves her. He finds a companion, and they both take refuge in the castle of another king, where the Princess falls in love with the Prince ; but he rejects her overtures and flees. The King has him pursued and brought back. He tells the following parables : —
The Drunken King's Son who fell into a Grave.
The Thieves who stole a Golden Vessel containing Serpents.
The Prince freed from Prison falling into a Pit with Dragons.
The Man who fell among the Ghouls.