Once upon a time there lived a foolish king and a famous magician. One day this magician foretold the death of a rich merchant, who was a favorite of the king. It happened that the merchant died on that day. The magician never thought that this would cause a lot of trouble.
When the king heard that his friend had died, he got very angry. He said it was the magician's fault, and sent for him at once.
When the magician came in, the king said to him, “I know you are able to foretell the death of others, but can you foretell the date of your own death?”
When the poor man heard this, he was very frightened. He knew that the king was angry with him and wanted to have him killed. For a few minutes he did not answer. He didn't know what he could say to save himself. Then he had an idea.
“Your Majesty,” he said bowing, “I cannot foretell the exact date of my death, but I know that I shall die one day before the death of Your Majesty.”
When the king heard this, it was his turn to be afraid. He thought, if I cut his head today, I'll die tomorrow. No, I can't do this. I'll let him live as long as possible. Instead of killing the magician, the king now ordered his best doctors to look after him and his strongest soldiers to protect him. And he said to all his men, “Everything must be done to make him live as long as possible.”
从前，有一个愚蠢的国王和一个著名的魔法师。有一天，魔法师预言一个富有的商人将会死去，这商人还是国王特别喜欢的朋友。碰巧的是，商人当天果然死了。魔法师根本没想到这件事会给他带来诸多麻烦。
国王听说朋友死了，非常生气，认为这都是魔法师的错，就马上派人把他找来。
等魔法师走进来，国王对他说：“我知道你能预言别人的死亡，可你能预知自己的死期吗？”
可怜的魔法师听到这儿，害怕极了。他知道国王生他的气，想要他的命。他沉默了几分钟，不知道说点儿什么才能救自己一命。这时，他想出了一个主意。
“陛下，”他鞠躬说道，“我不能预知自己到底哪天会死，不过我却知道我会比陛下早一天死去。”
国王一听这话，这下轮到他自己担惊受怕了。他想，如果今天砍了这家伙的头，明天我就得死了。不行，我不能这么做。我得让他能活多久活多久才行。国王没有杀掉魔法师，反而命令自己最好的大夫照顾他，派出最强壮的士兵保护他。国王还对所有手下说：“不惜一切代价，让他多活一天是一天。”
-foretell [fɔːˈtel] v. 预言
魔法师(magicians)多见于西方民间传说，指可以驱使神秘力量的人群。较早的魔法师故事可以追溯到几千年前古希腊和古埃及的文学作品中，传奇魔法师迦加门农可以劈开湖水寻找丢失的宝石、巫女瑟斯和侄女都能帮助人们返老还童。中世纪亚瑟王的顾问梅林甚至与神话中英勇的国王和贵族齐名。现代文学中，魔法师也活跃在魔幻作品中，比如《哈利·波特》系列。