Sapur and the Queen's flight, and in the siege of Shapur's city, the soldiers and the catapults were upon it, and he had no one from the Persians to push it back except the assault of the walls and the fighting upon them. All of this Sapur had learned in detail from what his vizier understood and studied in his conversations through hints, symbols, and allusions. Sapur had not heard a word from him since he was imprisoned in that manner. When Sapur learned that Caesar had transferred his strength against the people of Shapur's city and had breached the walls with the catapult, and was close to conquering the city, he was bewildered, his opinion of his vizier soured, he despaired, and lost hope of escape from his predicament. When the one in charge of his food came to him, he said, "This ailment has taken its toll on me, and I can no longer bear it. If you wish for my life to continue, relieve me of it, or place a partition between it and me, a partition that can be torn by a piece of silk." The one in charge of his food went to the embroiderer and informed him of Sapur's words. Sapur's vizier heard this and knew that Sapur had despaired, his opinion had soured, and he had abandoned what Sapur intended. When night fell upon him, and he sat with the embroiderer, he said to him, "Tonight I remembered a strange saying that I had not recalled for so many years, and if only..."