It is told that Haroun er Reshidin the days before he became jealous of the Barmecidessent once for one of his guardsSalih by nameand said to him'O Salihgo to Mensour and say to him'Thou owest us a thousand thousand dirhems and we require of thee immediate payment of the amount.'And I charge theeO Salihan he pay it not before sundownsever his head from his body and bring it to me.'I hear and obey，'answered Salih and going to Mensouracquainted him with what the Khalif had said，whereupon quoth he'By AllahI am a lost man；for all my estate and all my hand ownsif sold for their utmost valuewould not fetch more than a hundred thousand dirhems. Whence thenO Salih，shall I get the other nine hundred thousand？'Contrive how thou mayst speedily acquit thyself，'answered Salih；'else art thou a dead man；for I cannot grant thee a moment's delay after the time appointed me by the Khalifnor can I fail of aught that he hath enjoined on me. Hastenthereforeto devise some means of saving thyself ere the time expire.'O Salih，'quoth Mensour'I beg thee of thy favour to bring me to my housethat I may take leave of my children and family and give my kinsfolk my last injunctions.'
So he carried him to his housewhere he fell to bidding his family farewelland the house was filled with a clamour of weeping and lamentation and calling on God for help. Then Salih said to him'I have bethought me that God may peradventure vouchsafe thee relief at the hands of the Barmecides. Comelet us go to the house of Yehya ben Khalid.'So they went to Yehya's houseand Mensour told him his casewhereat he was sore concerned and bowed his head awhile；then raising ithe called his treasurer and said to him'How much money have we in our treasury？'Five thousand dirhems，'answered the treasurerand Yehya bade him bring them and sent a message to his son Fezl，saying'I am offered for sale estates of great pricethat may never be laid waste；so send me somewhat of money.'Fezl sent him a thousand thousand dirhemsand he despatched a like message to his son Jaaferwho also sent him a thousand thousand dirhems；nor did he leave sending to his kinsmen of the Barmecidestill he had collected from them a great sum of mosey for Mensour. But the latter and Salih knew not of this；and Mensour said to Yehya，'O my lordI have laid hold upon thy skirt for I know not whither to look for the money but to thee；so discharge thou the rest of my debt for mein accordance with thy wonted generosity，and make me thy freed slave.'Thereupon Yehya bowed his head and wept；then he said to a page'Harkyeboythe Commander of the Faithful gave our slave-girl Denanir a jewel of great price： go thou to her and bid her send it us.'The page went out and presently returned with the jewelwhereupon quoth Yehya'O MensourI bought this jewel of the merchants for the Commander of the Faithfulfor two hundred thousand dinersand he gave it to our slave-girl Denanir the lutanist. When he sees it with theehe will know it and spare thy life and do thee honour for our sake；and now thy money is complete.'
So Salih took the money and the jewel and carried them to the Khaliftogether with Mensour；but on the way？ he heard the latter repeat this verseapplying it to his own case：
It was not loveindeedmy feet to them that led；Naybut because the stroke of th'arrows I did dread.
When Salih heard thishe marvelled at the baseness and ingratitude of Mensour's natureand turning upon himsaid，'There is none on the face of the earth better than the Barmecidesnor any baser nor more depraved than thou；for they bought thee off from death and saved thee from destruction，giving thee what should deliver thee；yet thou thankest them not nor praisest themneither acquittest thee after the manner of the noble；naythou requitest their benevolence with this speech.'Then he went to Er Reshid and acquainted him with all that had passed；and he marvelled at the generosity and benevolence of Yehya ben Khalid and the baseness and ingratitude of Mensour and bade restore the jewel to Yehyasaying'That which we have givenit befits not that we take again.'
So Salih returned to Yehyaand acquainted him with Mensour's ill conduct；whereupon'O Salih，'replied he'when a man is in distresssick at heart and distracted with melancholy thought.
he is not to be blamed for aught that falls from him；for it comes not from the heart.'And he fell to seeking excuse for Mensour. But Salih wept [in telling the tale] and exclaimed，'Never shall the revolving sphere bring forth into being the like of theeO Yehya！ Alasthat one of such noble nature and generosity should be buried beneath the earth！ 'And he repeated the following verses：
Hasten to do the kindnesses thou hast a mind unto；For bounty is not possible at every tide and hour.
How many a man denies his soul to do the generous deedTo which it's faintill lack of means deprive him of the power！
THE GENEROUS DEALING OF YEHYA BEN KHALID WITH A MAN WHO FORGED A LETTER IN HIS NAME.
There was between Yehya ben Khalid and Abdallah ben Malik el Khuzai a secret enmitythe reason whereof was that Haroun er Reshid loved the latter with an exceeding loveso that Yehya and his sons were wont to say that he had bewitched the Khalif；