A king once determined to build a town and selected a site. The astrologers approved of the place on condition that a child be walled in alive, brought voluntarily by its mother. After three years an old woman brought a child of about 10 years. When ready to be walled in, the boy said to the king, “Let me ask the astrologers three questions; if they answer correctly, then they have read the signs aright but if not they must have been mistaken." The king
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granted the request and the boy asked:—"What is the lightest, what is the sweetest and what is the hardest thing in the world?” After three days the astrologers replied, "The lightest is the feather, the sweetest is honey and the hardest thing in the world is stone.” The young boy laughed and said, "Anyone could answer like that. The lightest thing in the world in an only child in its mother's arms. It is never heavy. The sweetest is the mother's milk to the baby and the hardest is for the mother to bring her child willingly to be buried alive in the wall.” The astrologers were confounded and had to own that they had read the stars wrongly and the child was saved.