The Arabian Nights Entertainments, vol 1 | Page 5

often fixed upon the garden, as
lifted up to heaven to bewail his misfortune.
Whilst he was thus swallowed up with grief, an object presented itself
to his view, which quickly turned all his thoughts another way. A secret
gate of the sultan's palace opened all of a sudden, and there came out at
it twenty women, in the midst of whom marched the sultaness, who
was easily distinguished from the rest by her majestic air. This princess,
thinking that the king of Tartary was gone a hunting with his brother
the sultan, came up with her retinue near the windows of his apartment;
for the prince had placed himself so that he could see all that passed in
the garden without being perceived himself. He observed that the
persons who accompanied the sultaness threw off their veils and long
robes, that they might be at more freedom; but was wonderfully
surprised when he saw ten of them to be blacks, and that each of them
took his mistress. The sultaness, on her part, was not long without her
gallant. She clapped her hands, and called out Masoud, Masoud, and
immediately a black came down from a tree, and ran to her in all haste.
Modesty will not allow, nor is it necessary to relate, what passed

betwixt the blacks and ladies. It is sufficient to say, that Schahzenan
saw enough to convince him that his brother had as much cause to
complain as himself. This amorous company continued together till
midnight and having bathed all together in a great pond, which was one
of the chief ornaments of the garden, they dressed themselves, and
re-entered the palace, by the secret door, all except Masoud, who
climbed up his tree, and got over the garden-wall the same way as he
came.
All this having passed in the king of Tartary's sight, it gave him
occasion to make a multitude of reflections. How little reason had I,
says he, to think that no one was so unfortunate as myself? It is
certainly the unavoidable fate of all husbands, since the sultan, my
brother, who is sovereign of so many dominions, and the greatest
prince of the earth, could not escape it. The case being so, what a fool
am I to kill myself with grief? I will throw it off, and the remembrance
of a misfortune so common shall never after this disturb my quiet. So
that, from that moment, he forebore afflicting himself. Being unwilling
to sup till he saw the whole scene that was acted under his window, he
called then for his supper, ate with a better appetite than he had done at
any time after his coming to Samarcande, and listened with pleasure to
the agreeable concert of vocal and instrumental music that was
appointed to entertain him while at table.
He continued after this to be of a very good humour; and when he knew
that the sultan was returning, he went to meet him, and paid him his
compliments with a great deal of gaiety. Schahriar at first took no
notice of this great alteration, but expostulated with him modestly, why
he would not bear him company at hunting the stag; and, without
giving him time to reply, entertained him with the great number of deer
and other game they had killed, and what pleasure he had in the sport.
Schahzenan heard him with attention, gave answers to every thing, and
being rid of that melancholy which formerly over-clouded his wit, he
said a thousand agreeable and pleasant things to the sultan.
Schahriar, who expected to have found him in the same condition as he
left him, was overjoyed to see him so cheerful, and spoke to him thus:
Dear brother, I return thanks to Heaven for the happy change it has
made on you during my absence; I am extremely rejoiced at it; but I
have a request to make to you, and conjure you not to deny me. I can

refuse you nothing, replies the king of Tartary; you may command
Schahzenan as you please; pray speak, I am impatient to know what
you desire of me. Ever since you came to my court, replies Schahriar, I
found you swallowed up by a deep melancholy, and I did in vain
attempt to remove it by diversions of all sorts. I imagined it might be
occasioned by reason of the distance from your dominions, or that love
might have a great share in it; and that the queen of Samarcande, who,
no doubt, is an accomplished beauty, might be the cause of it. I do not
know if I be mistaken; but I must own that this was the peculiar reason
why I did not importune you upon the subject, for fear of making you
uneasy.