“’You must reason with Prince Vespaluus,’ said the king, ‘and impress on him the error of his ways. We cannot have the heir to the throne setting such a dangerous example.’
“’But where shall I find the necessary arguments?’ asked the Librarian.
“’I give you free leave to pick and choose your arguments in the royal woods and coppices,’ said the king; ‘if you cannot get together some cutting observations and stinging retorts suitable to the occasion you are a person of very poor resource.’
“So the Librarian went into the woods and gathered a goodly selection of highly argumentative rods and switches, and then proceeded to reason with Vespaluus on the folly and iniquity and above all the unseemliness of his conduct. His reasoning left a deep impression on the young prince, an impression wh
