| This was
done. So the king
caused the fair slave to be lodged in the next finest apartment to his
own, and gave particular orders to the matrons and the women-slaves
appointed
to attend her, that they should dress her in the richest robe they
could
find, and carry her the finest pearl necklaces, the brightest diamonds,
and other the richest precious stones, that she might choose those she
liked best.
The King of
Persia's capital
was situated in an island; and his palace, which was very magnificent,
was built upon the sea-shore; his window looked towards the sea; and
the
fair slave's, which was pretty near it, had also the same prospect, and
it was the more pleasant on account of the sea's beating almost against
the foot of the wall. At the end of three days the fair slave,
magnificently
dressed, was alone in her chamber, sitting upon a sofa, and leaning
against
one of the windows that faced the sea, when the king, being informed
that
he might visit her, came in.
The slave
hearing somebody
walk in the room, immediately turned her head to see who it was. She
knew
him to be the king; but without showing the least surprise, or so much
as rising from her seat to salute or receive him, she turned back to
the
window again as if he had been the most insignificant person in the
world.
The King of Persia was extremely surprised to see a slave of so
beauteous
a form so very ignorant of the world. He attributed this to the
narrowness
of her education, and the little care that had been taken to instruct
her
in the first rules of civility. He went to her at the window, where,
notwithstanding
the coldness and indifference with which she had just now received him,
she suffered herself to be admired, kissed and embraced as much as he
pleased,
but answered him not a word.
'My dearest
life,' said the
king, 'you neither answer, nor by any visible token give me the least
reason
to believe that you are listening to me. Why will you still keep to
this
obstinate silence, which chills me? Do you mourn for your country, your
friends, or your relations? Alas! is not the King of Persia, who loves
and adores you, capable of comforting, and making you amends for the
loss
of everything in the world?'
But the
fair slave continued
her astonishing reserve; and keeping her eyes still fixed upon the
ground,
would neither look at him nor utter a word; but after they had dined
together
in absolute silence, the king went to the women whom he had assigned to
the fair slave as her attendants, and asked them if they had ever heard
her speak.
One of them
presently made
answer, 'Sire, we have neither seen her open her lips, nor heard her
speak
any more than your majesty has just now; we have rendered her our
services;
we have combed and dressed her hair, put on her clothes, and waited
upon
her in her chamber; but she has never opened her lips, so much as to
say,
That is well, or, I like this. We have often asked, Madam, do you want
anything? Is there anything you wish for? Do but ask and command us:
but
we have never been able to draw a word from her. We cannot tell whether
her silence proceeds from pride, sorrow, stupidity, or dumbness; and
this
is all we can inform your majesty.'
The King of
Persia was more
astonished at hearing this than he was before: however, believing the
slave
might have some reason for sorrow, he endeavoured to divert and amuse
her,
but all in vain. For a whole year she never afforded him the pleasure
of
a single word. At length, one day there were great rejoicings in the
capital,
because to the king and his silent slave-queen there was born a son and
heir to the kingdom. Once more the king endeavoured to get a word from
his wife.
'My queen,'
he said, 'I cannot
divine what your thoughts are; but, for my own part, nothing would be
wanting
to complete my happiness and crown my joy but that you should speak to
me one single word, for something within me tells me you are not dumb:
and I beseech, I conjure you, to break through this long silence, and
speak
but one word to me; and after that I care not how soon I die.'
At this
discourse the fair
slave, who, according to her usual custom, had hearkened to the king
with
downcast eyes, and had given him cause to believe not only that she was
dumb, but that she had never laughed in her life, began to smile a
little.
The King of Persia perceived it with a surprise that made him break
forth
into an exclamation of joy; and no longer doubting but that she was
going
to speak, he waited for that happy moment with an eagerness and
attention
that cannot easily be expressed. At last the fair slave, breaking her
long-kept
silence, thus addressed herself to the king:
'Sire,'
said she, 'I have
so many things to say to your majesty, that, having once broken
silence,
I know not where to begin. However, in the first place, I think myself
in duty bound to thank you for all the favours and honours you have
been
pleased to confer upon me, and to implore Heaven to bless and prosper
you,
to prevent the wicked designs of your enemies, and not to suffer you to
die after hearing me speak, but to grant you a long life. Had it never
been my fortune to have borne a child, I was resolved (I beg your
majesty
to pardon the sincerity of my intention) never to have loved you, as
well
as to have kept an eternal silence; but now I love you as I ought to
do.'
The King of
Persia, ravished
to hear the fair slave speak, embraced her tenderly. 'Shining light of
my eyes,' said he, 'it is impossible for me to receive a greater joy
than
what you have now given me.' The King of Persia, in the transport of
his
joy, said no more to the fair slave. He left her, but in such a manner
as made her perceive that his intention was speedily to return: and
being
willing that his joy should be made public, he sent in all haste for
the
grand vizier. As soon as he came, he ordered him to distribute a
thousand
pieces of gold among the holy men of his religion, who had made vows of
poverty; as also among the hospitals and the poor, by way of returning
thanks to Heaven: and his will was obeyed by the direction of that
minister.
After the King of Persia had given this order, he returned to the fair
slave again.
'Madam,'
said he, 'pardon
me for leaving you so abruptly, but I hope you will indulge me with
some
conversation, since I am desirous to know several things of great
consequence.
Tell me, my dearest soul, what were the powerful reasons that induced
you
to persist in that obstinate silence for a whole year together, though
you saw me, heard me talk to you, and ate and drank with me every
day.'
To satisfy
the King of Persia's
curiosity, 'Think,' replied the queen, 'whether or no to be a slave,
far
from my own country, without any hopes of ever seeing it again,--to
have
a heart torn with grief at being separated for ever from my mother, my
brother, my friends, and my acquaintance,--are not these sufficient
reasons
for my keeping a silence your majesty has thought so strange and
unaccountable?
The love of our native country is as natural to us as that of our
parents;
and the loss of liberty is insupportable to every one who is not wholly
destitute of common sense, and knows how to set a value on it.'
'Madam,'
replied the king,
'I am convinced of the truth of what you say; but till this moment I
was
of opinion that a person beautiful like yourself, whom her evil destiny
had condemned to be a slave, ought to think herself very happy in
meeting
with a king for her master.'
'Sire,'
replied the fair
slave, 'whatever the slave is, there is no king on earth who can
tyrannise
over her will. But when this very slave is in nothing inferior to the
king
that bought her, your majesty shall then judge yourself of her misery,
and her sorrow, and to what desperate attempts the anguish of despair
may
drive her.' The King of Persia, in great astonishment, said 'Madam, can
it be possible that you are of royal blood? Explain the whole secret to
me, I beseech you, and no longer increase my impatience. Let me
instantly
know who are your parents, your brothers, your sisters, and your
relations;
but, above all, what your name is.'
'Sire,'
said the fair slave,
'my name is Gulnare, Rose of the Sea; and my father, who is now dead,
was
one of the most potent monarchs of the ocean. When he died, he left his
kingdom to a brother of mine, named Saleh, and to the queen, my mother,
who is also a princess, the daughter of another powerful monarch of the
sea. We enjoyed a profound peace and tranquillity through the whole
kingdom,
till a neighbouring prince, envious of our happiness, invaded our
dominions
with a mighty army; and penetrating as far as our capital, made himself
master of it; and we had but just time enough to save ourselves in an
impenetrable
and inaccessible place, with a few trusty officers who did not forsake
us in our distress. 'In this retreat my brother contrived all manner of
ways to drive the unjust invader from our dominions.
One day
"Sister," said he,
"I may fail in the attempt I intend to make to recover my kingdom; and
I shall be less concerned for my own disgrace than for what may
possibly
happen to you. To prevent it, and to secure you from all accident, I
would
fain see you married first: but in the miserable condition of our
affairs
at present, I see no probability of matching you to any of the princes
of the sea; and therefore I should be very glad if you would think of
marrying
some of the princes of the earth I am ready to contribute all that lies
in my power towards it; and I am certain there is not one of them,
however
powerful, but would be proud of sharing his crown with you."
'At this
discourse of my
brother's, I fell into a violent passion. "Brother," said I, "you know
that I am descended, as well as you, by both father's and mother's
side,
from the kings and queens of the sea, without any mixture of alliance
with
those of the earth; therefore I do not intend to marry below myself,
any
more than they did. The condition to which we are reduced shall never
oblige
me to alter my resolution; and if you perish in the execution of your
design,
I am prepared to fall with you, rather than to follow the advice I so
little
expected from you." 'My brother, who was still earnest for the
marriage,
however improper for me, endeavoured to make me believe that there were
kings of the earth who were nowise inferior to those of the sea. This
put
me into a more violent passion, which occasioned him to say several
bitter
words that stung me to the quick. He left me as much dissatisfied with
myself as he could possibly be with me; and in this peevish mood I gave
a spring from the bottom of the sea up to the island of the moon.
'Notwithstanding
the violent displeasure that made me cast myself upon that island, I
lived
content in retirement. But in spite of all my precautions, a person of
distinction, attended by his servants, surprised me sleeping, and
carried
me to his own house, and wished me to marry him. When he saw that fair
means would not prevail upon me, he attempted to make use of force; but
I soon made him repent of his insolence. So at last he resolved to sell
me; which he did to that very merchant who brought me hither and sold
me
to your majesty.
This man
was a very prudent,
courteous, humane person, and during the whole of the long journey,
never
gave me the least reason to complain. 'As for your majesty,' continued
Queen Gulnare, 'if you had not shown me all the respect you have
hitherto
paid, and given me such undeniable marks of your affection that I could
no longer doubt of it, I hesitate not to tell you plainly that I should
not have remained with you. I would have thrown myself into the sea out
of this very window, and I would have gone in search of my mother, my
brother,
and the rest of my relations; and, therefore, I hope you will no longer
look upon me as a slave, but as a princess worthy of your alliance.'
After
this manner Queen Gulnare discovered herself to the King of Persia, and
finished her story.
'My
charming, my adorable
queen,' cried he, what wonders have I heard! I must ask a thousand
questions
concerning those strange and unheard-of things which you have related
to
me. I beseech you to tell me more about the kingdom and people of the
sea,
who are altogether unknown to me. I have heard much talk, indeed, of
the
inhabitants of the sea, but I always looked upon it as nothing but a
tale
or fable; but, by what you have told me, I am convinced there is
nothing
more true; and I have a very good proof of it in your own person, who
are
one of them, and are pleased to condescend to be my wife; which is an
honour
no other inhabitant on the earth can boast of besides myself. There is
one thing yet which puzzles me; therefore I must beg the favour of you
to explain it; that is, I cannot comprehend how it is possible for you
to live or move in the water without being drowned. There are very few
amongst us who have the art of staying under water; and they would
surely
perish, if, after a certain time, they did not come up again.'
'Sire,'
replied Queen Gulnare,
'I shall with pleasure satisfy the King of Persia. We can walk at the
bottom
of the sea with as much ease as you can upon land; and we can breathe
in
the water as you do in the air; so that instead of suffocating us, as
it
does you, it absolutely contributes to the preservation of our lives.
What
is yet more remarkable is, that it never wets our clothes; so that when
we have a mind to visit the earth, we have no occasion to dry them. Our
common language is the same as that of the writing engraved upon the
seal
of the great prophet Solomon, the son of David. 'I must not forget to
tell
you, further, that the water does not in the least hinder us from
seeing
in the sea; for we can open our eyes without any inconvenience; and as
we have quick, piercing sight, we can discern any object as clearly in
the deepest part of the sea as upon land. We have also there a
succession
of day and night; the moon affords us her light, and even the planets
and
the stars appear visible to us. I have already spoken of our kingdoms;
but as the sea is much more spacious than the earth, so there are a
greater
number of them, and of greater extent. They are divided into provinces;
and in each province there are several great cities, well peopled. In
short,
there are an infinite number of nations, differing in manners and
customs,
just as upon the earth. 'The palaces of the kings and princes are very
sumptuous and magnificent. Some of them are of marble of various
colours;
others of rock-crystal, with which the sea abounds, mother of pearl,
coral,
and of other materials more valuable; gold, silver, and all sorts of
precious
stones are more plentiful there than on earth. I say nothing of the
pearls,
since the largest that ever were seen upon earth would not be valued
amongst
us; and none but the very lowest rank of citizens would wear them. 'As
we can transport ourselves whither we please in the twinkling of an
eye,
we have no occasion for any carriages or riding-horses; not but what
the
king has his stables, and his stud of sea-horses; but they are seldom
made
use of, except upon public feasts or rejoicing days. Some, after they
have
trained them, take delight in riding them, and show their skill and
dexterity
in races; others put them to chariots of mother-of-pearl, adorned with
an infinite number of shells of all sorts, of the brightest colours.
These
chariots are open; and in the middle there is a throne upon which the
king
sits, and shows himself to his subjects. The horses are trained up to
draw
by themselves; so that there is no occasion for a charioteer to guide
them.
I pass over a thousand other curious particulars relating to these
marine
countries, which would be very entertaining to your majesty; but you
must
permit me to defer it to a future leisure, to speak of something of
much
greater consequence. I should like to send for my mother and my
cousins,
and at the same time to desire the king my brother's company, to whom I
have a great desire to be reconciled. They will be very glad to see me
again, after I have related my story to them, and when they understand
I am wife to the mighty king of Persia. I beseech your majesty to give
me leave to send for them: I am sure they will be happy to pay their
respects
to you; and I venture to say you will be extremely pleased to see
them.'
'Madam,'
replied the King
of Persia, 'you are mistress; do whatever you please; I will endeavour
to receive them with all the honours they deserve. But I would fain
know
how you would acquaint them with what you desire, and when they will
arrive,
that I may give orders to make preparation for their reception, and go
myself in person to meet them.'
'Sire,'
replied the Queen
Gulnare, 'there is no need of these ceremonies; they will be here in a
moment; and if your Majesty will but look through the lattice, you
shall
see the manner of their arrival.' Queen Gulnare then ordered one of her
women to bring her a brazier with a little fire. After that she bade
her
retire, and shut the door. When she was alone, she took a piece of
aloes
out of a box, and put it into the brazier. As soon as she saw the smoke
rise, she repeated some words unknown to the King of Persia, who from a
recess observe with great attention all that she did. She had no sooner
ended, than the sea began to be disturbed. At length the sea opened at
some distance; and presently there rose out of it a tall, handsome
young
man, with moustaches of a sea-green colour; a little behind him, a
lady,
advanced in years, but of a majestic air, attended by five young
ladies,
nowise inferior in beauty to the Queen Gulnare.
Queen
Gulnare immediately
went to one of the windows, and saw the king her brother, the queen her
mother, and the rest of her relations, who at the same time perceived
her
also. The company came forward, borne, as it were, upon the surface of
the waves. When they came to the edge, they nimbly, one after another,
sprang up to the window, from whence Queen Gulnare had retired to make
room for them. King Saleh, the queen her mother, and the rest of her
relations,
embraced her tenderly, with tears in their eyes, on their first
entrance.
After Queen Gulnare had received them with all imaginable honour, and
made
them sit down upon a sofa, the queen her mother addressed herself to
her:
'Daughter,' said she, 'I am overjoyed to see you again after so long an
absence; and I am confident that your brother and your relations are no
less so. Your leaving us without acquainting anybody with it involved
us
in inexpressible concern; and it is impossible to tell you how many
tears
we have shed upon that account. We know of no other reason that could
induce
you to take such a surprising step, but what your brother told us of
the
conversation that passed between him and you. The advice he gave you
seemed
to him at that time very advantageous for settling you handsomely in
the
world, and very suitable to the then posture of our affairs. If you had
not approved of his proposal, you ought not to have been so much
alarmed;
and, give me leave to tell you, you took the thing in a quite different
light from what you ought to have done. But no more of this; we and you
ought now to bury it for ever in oblivion: give us an account of all
that
has happened to you since we saw you last, and of your present
situation;
but especially let us know if you are satisfied.'
Queen
Gulnare immediately
threw herself at her mother's feet; and after rising and kissing her
hand,
'I own,' said she, 'I have been guilty of a very great fault, and I am
indebted to your goodness for the pardon which you are pleased to grant
me.' She then related the whole of what had befallen her since she
quitted
the sea. As soon as she had acquainted them with her having been sold
to
the King of Persia, in whose palace she was at present;
'Sister,'
said the king her
brother, 'you now have it in your power to free yourself. Rise, and
return
with us into my kingdom, that I have reconquered from the proud usurper
who had made himself master of it.' The King of Persia, who heard these
words from the recess where he was concealed, was in the utmost
alarm.
'Ah!' said
he to himself,
'I am ruined; and if my queen, my Gulnare, hearkens to this advice, and
leaves me, I shall surely die.' But Queen Gulnare soon put him out of
his
fears.
'Brother,'
said she, smiling,
'I can scarce forbear being angry with you for advising me to break the
engagement I have made with the most puissant and most renowned monarch
in the world. I do not speak here of an engagement between a slave and
her master; it would be easy to return the ten thousand pieces of gold
that I cost him; but I speak now of a contract between a wife and a
husband,
and a wife who has not the least reason to complain. He is a religious,
wise, and temperate king. I am his wife, and he has declared me Queen
of
Persia, to share with him in his councils. Besides, I have a child, the
little Prince Beder. I hope then neither my mother, nor you, nor any of
my cousins, will disapprove of the resolution or the alliance I have
made,
which will be an equal honour to the kings of the sea and the earth.
Excuse
me for giving you the trouble of coming hither from the bottom of the
deep,
to communicate it to you, and for the pleasure of seeing you after so
long
a separation.'
'Sister,'
replied King Saleh,
'the proposal I made you of going back with us into my kingdom was only
to let you see how much we all love you, and how much I in particular
honour
you, and that nothing in the world is so dear to me as your
happiness.'
The queen
confirmed what
her son had just spoken, and addressing herself to Queen Gulnare, said,
'I am very glad to hear you are pleased; and I have nothing else to add
to what your brother has just said to you. I should have been the first
to have condemned you, if you had not expressed all the gratitude you
owe
to a monarch that loves you so passionately, and has done such great
things
for you.' When the King of Persia, who was still in the recess, heard
this
he began to love her more than ever, and resolved to express his
gratitude
in every possible way.
Presently
Queen Gulnare clapped
her hands, and in came some of her slaves, whom she had ordered to
bring
in a meal: as soon as it was served up, she invited the queen her
mother,
the king her brother, and her cousins, to sit down and take part of it.
They began to reflect, that without asking leave, they had got into the
palace of a mighty king, who had never seen nor heard of them, and that
it would be a great piece of rudeness to eat at his table without him.
This reflection raised a blush in their faces; in their emotion their
eyes
glowed like fire, and they breathed flames at their mouths and
nostrils.
This unexpected sight put the King of Persia, who was totally ignorant
of the cause of it, into a dreadful consternation.
Queen
Gulnare suspecting
this, and understanding the intention of her relations, rose from her
seat,
and told them she would be back in a moment. She went directly to the
recess,
and recovered the King of Persia from his surprise. 'Sir,' said she,
'give
me leave to assure you of the sincere friendship that the queen my
mother
and the king my brother are pleased to honour you with: they earnestly
desire to see you, and tell you so themselves: I intended to have some
conversation with them by ordering a banquet for them, before I
introduced
them to your majesty, but they are very impatient to pay their respects
to you: and therefore I desire your majesty would be pleased to walk
in,
and honour them with your presence.'
'Madam,'
said the King of
Persia, 'I should be very glad to salute persons that have the honour
to
be so nearly related to you, but I am afraid of the flames that they
breathe
at their mouths and nostrils.'
'Sir,'
replied the queen,
laughing, 'you need not in the least be afraid of those flames, which
are
nothing but a sign of their unwillingness to eat in your palace,
without
your honouring them with your presence, and eating with them.'
The King of
Persia, encouraged
by these words, rose up, and came out into the room with his Queen
Gulnare.
She presented him to the queen her mother, to the king her brother, and
to her other relations, who instantly threw themselves at his feet,
with
their faces to the ground. The King of Persia ran to them, and lifting
them up, embraced them one after another.
After they
were all seated,
King Saleh began: 'Sir,' said he to the King of Persia, 'we are at a
loss
for words to express our joy to think that the queen my sister should
have
the happiness of falling under the protection of so powerful a monarch.
We can assure you she is not unworthy of the high rank you have been
pleased
to raise her to; and we have always had so much love and tenderness for
her, that we could never think of parting with her to any of the
puissant
princes of the sea, who often demanded her in marriage before she came
of age. Heaven has reserved her for you, Sir, and we have no better way
of returning thanks to it for the favour it has done her, than by
beseeching
it to grant your majesty a long and happy life with her, and to crown
you
with prosperity and satisfaction.'
'Certainly,'
replied the
King of Persia, 'I cannot sufficiently thank either the queen her
mother,
or you, Prince, or your whole family, for the generosity with which you
have consented to receive me into an alliance so glorious to me as
yours.'
So saying, he invited them to take part of the luncheon, and he and his
queen sat down at the table with them. After it was over, the King of
Persia
conversed with them till it was very late; and when they thought it
time
to retire, he waited upon them himself to the several rooms he had
ordered
to be prepared for them.
Next day,
as the King of
Persia, Queen Gulnare, the queen her mother, King Saleh her brother,
and
the princesses their relations, were discoursing together in her
majesty's
room, the nurse came in with the young Prince Beder in her arms. King
Saleh
no sooner saw him, than he ran to embrace him; and taking him in his
arms,
fell to kissing and caressing him with the greatest demonstration of
tenderness.
He took several turns with him about the room, dancing and tossing him
about, when all of a sudden, through a transport of joy, the window
being
open, he sprang out, and plunged with him into the sea.
The King of
Persia, who expected
no such sight, set up a hideous cry, verily believing that he should
either
see the dear prince his son no more, or else that he should see him
drowned;
and he nearly died of grief and affliction.
'Sir,' said
Queen Gulnare
(with a quiet and undisturbed countenance, the better to comfort him),
'let your majesty fear nothing; the young prince is my son as well as
yours,
and I do not love him less than you do. You see I am not alarmed;
neither
in truth ought I to be so. He runs no risk, and you will soon see the
king
his uncle appear with him again, and bring him back safe and sound. For
he will have the same advantage his uncle and I have, of living equally
in the sea and upon the land.' The queen his mother and the princesses
his relations confirmed the same thing; yet all they said had no effect
on the king's fright, from which he could not recover till he saw
Prince
Beder appear again before him. The sea at length became troubled, when
immediately King Saleh arose with the young prince in his arms, and
holding
him up in the air, he re-entered at the same window he went out
at.
The King of
Persia being
overjoyed to see Prince Beder again, and astonished that he was as calm
as before he lost sight of him, King Saleh said, 'Sir, was not your
majesty
in a great fright, when you first saw me plunge into the sea with the
prince
my nephew?'
'Alas!
Prince,' answered
the King of Persia, 'I cannot express my concern. I thought him lost
from
that very moment, and you now restore life to me by bringing him
again.'
'I thought as much,' replied King Saleh, 'though you had not the least
reason to apprehend any danger; for, before I plunged into the sea with
him I pronounced over him certain mysterious words, which were engraven
on the seal of the great Solomon, the son of David. We do the same to
all
those children that are born in the regions at the bottom of the sea,
by
virtue of which they receive the same privileges that we have over
those
people who inhabit the earth.
From what
your majesty has
observed, you may easily see what advantage your son Prince Beder has
acquired
by his birth, for as long as he lives, and as often as he pleases, he
will
be at liberty to plunge into the sea, and traverse the vast empires it
contains in its bosom.' Having so spoken, King Saleh, who had restored
Prince Beder to his nurse's arms, opened a box he had fetched from his
palace in the little time he had disappeared. It was filled with three
hundred diamonds, as large as pigeons' eggs, a like number of rubies of
extraordinary size, as many emerald wands, each half a foot long, and
thirty
strings or necklaces of pearl, consisting each of ten feet.
'Sir,' said
he to the King
of Persia, presenting him with this box, 'when I was first summoned by
the queen my sister, I knew not what part of the earth she was in, or
that
she had the honour to be married to so great a monarch. This made us
come
empty handed. As we cannot express how much we have been obliged to
your
majesty, I beg you to accept this small token of gratitude, in
acknowledgment
of the many particular favours you have been pleased to show her.' It
is
impossible to express how greatly the King of Persia was surprised at
the
sight of so much riches, enclosed in so little compass.
'What!
Prince,' cried he,
'do you call so inestimable a present a small token of your gratitude?
I declare once more, you have never been in the least obliged to me,
neither
the queen your mother nor you. Madam,' continued he, turning to
Gulnare,
'the king your brother has put me into the greatest confusion; and I
would
beg of him to permit me to refuse his present, were I not afraid of
disobliging
him; do you therefore endeavour to obtain his leave that I may be
excused
accepting it.'
'Sir,'
replied King Saleh,
'I am not at all surprised that your majesty thinks this present so
extraordinary.
I know you are not accustomed upon earth to see precious stones of this
quality and quantity: but if you knew, as I do, the mines whence these
jewels were taken, and that it is in my power to form a treasure
greater
than those of all the kings of the earth, you would wonder we should
have
the boldness to make you a present of so small a value. I beseech you,
therefore, not to regard it in that light, but on account of the
sincere
friendship which obliges us to offer it to you not to give us the
mortification
of refusing it.'
This
obliged the King of
Persia to accept the present, for which he returned many thanks both to
King Saleh and the queen his mother. A few days after, King Saleh gave
the King of Persia to understand that the queen his mother, the
princesses
his relations and himself, could have no greater pleasure than to spend
their whole lives at his court; but that having been so long absent
from
their own kingdom, where their presence was absolutely necessary, they
begged of him not to take it ill if they took leave of him and Queen
Gulnare.
The King of
Persia assured
them he was very sorry that it was not in his power to return their
visit
in their own dominions; but he added, 'As I am verily persuaded you
will
not forget Queen Gulnare, but come and see her now and then, I hope I
shall
have the honour to see you again more than once.' Many tears were shed
on both sides upon their separation. King Saleh departed first; but the
queen his mother, and the princesses his relations, were fain to force
themselves in a manner from the embraces of Queen Gulnare, who could
not
prevail upon herself to let them go.
This royal
company were no
sooner out of sight than the King of Persia said to Queen Gulnare,
'Madam,
I should have looked with suspicion upon the person that had pretended
to pass those off upon me for true wonders, of which I myself have been
an eye-witness from the time I have been honoured with your illustrious
family at my court. But I cannot refuse to believe my own eyes; and
shall
remember it as long as I live, and never cease to bless Heaven for
sending
you to me, instead of to any other prince.
BACK
|
