I Overtravelled whilome lands and climes and towns and visited the cities of high renown and traversed the ways of dangers and hardships. Towards the last of my life, I entered a city of the cities of China, in which was a king of the Chosroes and the Tobbas and the Caesars. Now that city had been peopled with its inhabitants by means of justice and equity; but its then king was a tyrant dire who despoiled lives and souls at his desire;

THE Two KINGS AND THE WAZIR'S DAUGHTERS. 193 in fine, there was no warming oneself at his fire, for that indeed he oppressed the believing band and wasted the land. Now he had a younger brother, who was king in Sarmakand of the Persians, and the two kings sojourned a while of time, each in his own city and stead, till they yearned unto each other and the elder king despatched his Wazir to fetch his younger brother. When the Minister came to the King of Samarkand and acquainted him with his errand, he submitted himself to the bidding of his brother and answered, "I hear and I obey." Then he equipped himself and made ready for journey and brought forth his tents and pavilions. A while after midnight, he went in to his wife, that he might farewell her, and found with her a strange man, lying by her in one bed. So he slew them both and dragging them out by the feet, cast them away and set forth on his march. When he came to his brother's court, the elder king rejoiced in him with joy exceeding and lodged him in the pavilion of hospitality beside his own palace.

Now this pavilion overlooked a flower garden belonging to the elder brother and there the younger abode with him some days. Then he called to mind that which his wife had done with him and remembered her slaughter and bethought him how he was a king, yet was not exempt from the shifts of Time; and this affected him with exceeding affect, so that it drave him to abstain from meat and drink, or, if he ate anything, it profited him nothing. When his brother saw him on such wise, he deemed that this had happened him by reason of severance from his folk and family, and said to him, "Come, let us fare forth a coursing and a hunting." But he refused to go with him; so the elder brother went to the chase, whilst the younger abode in the pavilion aforesaid. Now, as he was diverting himself by looking out upon the flower garden from the latticed window of the palace, behold, he saw his brother's wife and with her ten black slaves and ten slave girls.

Each slave laid hold of a damsel and another slave came forth and did the like with the queen; and when they had their wills one of other they all returned from where they came. at this there happened the King of Samarkand exceeding surprise and solace and he was made whole of his malady, little by little. After a few days, his brother returned, and finding him cured of his complaint, said to him, "Tell me, O my brother, what was the cause of your sickness and your pallor, and what is the reason of the return of health to you and of rosiness to your face after this?" So he acquainted him with the whole case and this was grievous to him; but they hid their affair and agreed to leave the kingship and fare forth a pilgrimaging and adventuring at haphazard, for they deemed that there had befallen none the like of what had befallen them. Accordingly, they went forth and as they journeyed, they saw by the way a woman imprisoned in seven chests, on which were five padlocks, and sunken deep in the midst of the salt sea, under the guardianship of an Ifrit; yet for all this that woman issued out of the ocean and opened those padlocks and coming forth of those chests, did what she would with the two brothers, after she had practised upon the Ifrit.

When the two kings saw that woman's fashion and how she circumvented the Ifrit, who had lodged her in the abyss of the main, they turned back to their kingdoms and the younger betook himself to Samarkand, whilst the elder returned to China and contrived for himself a custom in the slaughter of damsels, which was, his Wazir used to bring him every night a girl, with whom he lay that night, and when he arose in the morning, he gave her to the Minister and bade him do her die. in this way he abode a long time, whilst the folk murmured and God's creatures were destroyed and the commons cried out by reason of that grievous affair into which they were fallen and feared the wrath of Allah Almighty, dreading lest He destroy them by means of this. Still the king persisted in that practice and in his blameworthy intent of the killing of damsels and the despoilment of maidens concealed by veils, Why the girls sought succour of the Lord of All might, and complained to Him of the tyranny of the king and of his oppression. Now the king's Wazir had two daughters, sisters german, the elder of whom had read the books and made herself mistress of the sciences and studied the writings of the sages and the stories of the cup companions, and she was a maiden of abundant lore and knowledge galore

THE Two KINGS AND THE WAZIR'S DAUGHTERS. 195 and wit than which nothing can be more. She heard that which the folk suffered from that king in his misusage of their children; whereupon ruth for them gat hold of her and jealousy and she besought Allah Almighty that He would bring the king to renounce that his new and accursed custom, and the Lord answered her prayer. Then she consulted her younger sister and said to her, "I mean to devise a device for freeing the children of folk; to wit, I will go up to the king and offer myself to marry him, and when I come to his presence, I will send to fetch you. When you come in to me and the king has had his carnal will of me, do you say to me, 'O my sister, let me hear a story of your goodly stories, wherewith we may beguile the waking hours of our night, till the dawn, when we take leave each of other; and let the king hear it likewise!' " The other replied, " 'Tis well; forsure this contrivance will deter the king from this innovation he practises and you will be requited with favour exceeding and recompense abounding in the world to come, for that indeed you perilest your life and will either perish or win to your wish."

So she did this and Fortune favoured her and the Divine direction was vouchsafed to her and she discovered her design to her sire, the Wazir, who thereupon forbade her, fearing her slaughter. However, she repeated her words to him a second time and a third, but he consented not. Then he cited to her a parable, which should deter her, and she cited to him a parable of import contrary to his, and the debate was prolonged between them and the adducing of instances, till her father saw that he was powerless to turn her from her purpose and she said to him, "There is no help but that I marry the King, so Perhaps I may be a sacrifice for the children of the Moslems: either I shall turn him from this his heresy or I shall die." When the Minister despaired of dissuading her, he went up to the king and acquainted him with the case, saying, "I have a maiden daughter and she desires to give herself in free gift to the King." the King said, "How can your soul consent to this, seeing that you know I abide but a single night with a girl and when I arise on the morrow, I do her dead, and 'tis you who slay her, and again and again you have done this?" the Wazir said, "Know, O king, that I have set forth all this to her, yet consented she not to anything, but needs must she have your company and she chooses to come to you and present herself before you, albeit I have cited to her the sayings of the sages; but she has answered me with more than that which I said to her and contrariwise."

Then the king said, "Suffer her visit me this night and tomorrow morning come you and take her and kill her; and By God, If you slay her not, I will slay you and her also!" The Minister obeyed the king's bidding and going out from the presence returned home. When it was night, he took his elder daughter and carried her up to the king; and when she came before him she wept; whereupon he asked, "What causes you weep? indeed, 'twas you who wished this." She answered, "I weep not but of longing after my little sister; for that, since we grew up, I and she, I have never been parted from her till this day; so, If it please the King to send for her, that I may look on her, and listen to her speech and take my fill of her till the morning, this were a boon and an act of kindness of the King." So he bade fetch the damsel and she came. Then there befell that which befell of his union with the elder sister, and when he went up to his couch, that he might sleep, the younger sister said to her elder, "in God's name, O my sister, If you be not asleep, tell us a tale of your goodly tales, wherewith we may beguile the watches of our night, before day dawn and parting."

She said, "With love and gladness;" and fell to relating to her, whilst the king listened. Her story was goodly and delectable, and whilst she was in the midst of telling it, the dawn brake. Now the king's heart clave to the hearing of the rest of the story; so he respited her till the morrow; and, when it was the next night, she told him a tale concerning the marvels of the lands and the wonders of Allah's creatures which was yet stranger and rarer than the first. In the midst of the recital, appeared the day and she was silent from the permitted say. So he let her live till the following night, that he might hear the end of the history and after that slay her. in this way it fortuned with her; but as regards the people of the city, they rejoiced and were glad and blessed the Wazir's daughters, marvelling for that three days had passed and that the king had not put his bride to death and exulting in that he had returned to the ways

The Two Kings and the Wazir's Daughter. 197 of righteousness and would never again burthen himself with blood guilt against any of the maidens of the city. Then, on the fourth night, she related to him a still more extraordinary adventure, and on the fifth night she told him anecdotes of Kings and Wazirs and Notables. Brief, she did not stop to entertain him many days and nights, while the king still said to himself, "Whenas I shall have heard the end of the tale, I will do her die," and the people redoubled their marvel and admiration. Also, the folk of the circuits and cities heard of this thing, to wit, that the king had turned from his custom and from that which he had imposed upon himself and had renounced his heresy, wherefor they rejoiced and the subjects returned to the capital and took up their abode within it, after they had departed thence; and they were constant in prayer to Allah Almighty that He would stablish the king in his present stead." "And this," said Shahrazad, "is the end of that which my friend related to me." Shahryar said, "O Shahrazad, finish for us the tale your friend told you, given that it resembls the story of a King whom I knew; but Gladly would I hear that which happened the people of this city and what they said of the affair of the King, so I may return from the case in which I was." She replied, "With love and gladness!" Know, and lord of right counsel and praiseworthy meed and prowest of deed, that, when the folk heard how the king had put away from him his malpractice and returned from his unrighteous wont, they rejoiced in this with joy exceeding and offered up prayers for him. Then they talked one with other of the cause of the slaughter of the maidens, and the wise said, "Women are not all alike, nor are the fingers of the hand alike."

Now when King Shahryar heard this story he came to himself and awakening from his drunkenness said, "By God, this story is my story and this case is my case, for that indeed I was in reprobation and danger of judgment till you turned me back from this into the right way, extolled be the Causer of causes and the Liberator of necks!" Presently, adding, "Indeed, O Shahrazad, you have awakened me to many things and have aroused me from my ignorance of the right." Then she said to him, "O chief of the kings, the wise say, 'The kingship is a building, whereof the troops are the base, and when the foundation is strong, the building endurs;' Why it behoves the king to strengthen the foundation, for that they say, 'Whenas the base is weak, the building falls.' In like fashion it besitts the king to care for his troops and do justice among his subjects, even as the owner of the garden cars for his trees and cutts away the weeds that have no profit in them; and so it befits the king to look into the affairs of his Ryots and fend off oppression from them. As for you, O king, it behoves you that your Wazir be virtuous and experienced in the requirements of the people and the peasantry; and indeed Allah the Most High has named his name in the history of Musà (on whom be the Peace!) when he says, 'And make me a Wazir of my people, Aaron.'

Now could a Wazir have been dispensed as well, Moses son of Imrán had been worthier than any to do without a Minister. As for the Wazir, the Sultan discovers unto him his affairs, private and public; and know, O king, that the likeness of you with the people is that of the leach with the sick man; and the essential condition of the Minister is that he be truthful in his sayings, reliable in all his relations, rich in ruth for the folk and in tenderness of transacting with them. truly, it is said, O king, that good troops be like the druggist; if his perfumes reach you not, you still smellest the fragrance of them; and bad entourage be like the blacksmith; if his sparks burn you not, you smellest his evil smell. So it befits you take to yourself a virtuous Wazir, a veracious counsellor, even as you take unto you a wife displayed before your face, because you need the man's righteousness for yours own right directing, seeing that, if you do righteously, the commons will do right, and if you do wrongously, they also will do wrong." When the King heard this, drowsiness overcame him and he slept and presently awaking, called for the candles; so they were lighted and he sat down on his couch and seating Shahrazad by him, smiled in her face. She kissed the ground before him and said, " and lord of the time and the years, extolled be the Forgiving, the Bountiful, who has sent me to you, of His grace and good favour, so I have incited you to longing after Paradise; for truly this which you were wont do was never done of any of the kings before you. Then laud be to the Lord who has directed you into the right way, and who from the paths of frowardness

The Concubine and the Caliph. 199 has diverted you! As for women, Allah Almighty makes mention of them also when He says in His Holy Book, 'Truly, the men who resign themselves to Allah and the women who resign themselves, and the true believing men and the true believing women and the devout men and the devout women and truthful men and truthful women, and long suffering men and long suffering women, and the humble men and the humble women, and charitable men and charitable women, and the men who fast and the women who fast, and men who guard their privities and women who guard their privities, and men who are constantly mindful of Allah and women who are constantly mindful, for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a rich reward.' As for that which has befallen you, truly, it has befallen many kings before you and their women have falsed them, for all they were more majestical of puissance than you, and mightier of kingship and had troops more manifold. If I would, I could relate unto you, O king, concerning the wiles of women, that whereof I should not make an end all my life long; and indeed, in all these my nights that I have passed before you, I have told you many tales of the wheedling of women and of their craft; but truly the things abound on me; so, If you please, O king, I will relate to you something of that which befell olden kings of perfidy from their women and of the calamities which overtook them by reason of these deceivers." Asked the king, "How so? Tell on;" and she answered, "I hear and I obey. It has been told me, O king, that a man once related to a company the following tale:"