Alexander and the Wise Philosopher

When the work on that cypress-like tomb was done, and its place set out as he had ordered, he then turned his attention to the learned man, wanting to see how wisdom rises up in battle. He sent a great bowl brimming with cow's butter to the mighty philosopher, saying: rub this into your limbs, your legs, your waist, your chest, your back, your neck. Rest, so you throw off your weariness, and fill my soul and mind with your knowledge. When the wise man looked at the butter, he said: this riddle cannot be hidden from me. He dropped a thousand needles into the bowl and sent it back to the king. The king of the world looked at the needles, then secretly summoned his blacksmiths. He ordered them to melt the iron down and forge from it a single ball. He sent it at once to the wise man, who examined it and worked the iron smooth. In no time, from that dark-colored iron he made a mirror, bright and free of rust. They brought it to Alexander at night, and no lip breathed a word of the secret. Alexander set the mirror under moisture and kept it there until it turned black and dull. He sent it back to his philosopher; the riddle of the iron had grown long. The sage polished the iron clear as water and sent it back again in haste, treated with a compound so that afterward, damp or not, it would not soon turn black and dull. Alexander looked, then called the man in, questioned him, and seated him below the throne. First he spoke of the bowl of butter, seeking out the famous man's meaning. The man of wisdom answered the king: the butter would sink into the limbs, and so, you were saying: among all the philosophers of the city, my own share of knowledge is the greatest. By way of reply, O king, I meant this: a wise man's heart, like that of the devout, counts every sinew and bone like a needle, and if a stone stands in its way, it splits it open. In answer the king said to the wise man: any heart that has turned black, amid feasting and war and the spilling of blood, forever grappling with the enemy, how can the subtle words of a wise man ever pass through a heart gone dark? The sage said: I told you these fine words of yours, your spirit, your heart, your alert judgment, your mind that grasps meaning finer than a hair; your heart is no darker than iron. You said: over all these years that have passed, my heart has filled with rust from all the bloodshed. How can this darkness be set right? Why do I twist my words in such confusion? I told you: with the knowledge of the heavens I will scour your heart clean, so all doubt leaves you. And once it turns clear as water in its hue, there is no need to press it hard again. The king was pleased by his fresh words, and his heart grew keener toward the man's cause. He ordered robes, silver, and gold, and the treasurer brought a bowl of jewels. They handed them to the wise man, and the sage said: I hold a jewel hidden within me, through which I find all I need, one that has no enemy, unlike wealth, which is a companion to the devil. At night its guards demand no wages; on any road I travel, I fear no thief. One needs wisdom, knowledge, and honesty, which pound crookedness down into ruin. My food and clothing from this world, seen or unseen from the king, are enough for me, for knowledge is my watchman through the night, and wisdom is the crown of my waking soul. Why should I rejoice in having more, and stand guard over such wealth? Order that this be taken back to its place; let wisdom be the guide of my soul. Alexander was left in wonder at him, and set aside all manner of thoughts. He said to him: from now on the Lord of sun and moon will not hold me to blame, for I embrace this counsel and advice of yours, and your words that bring true benefit.