falconer: ‘Go, withhold thy hand from this evil occu­pation. They are all the servants of their Maker; all of them live by his command. What advantage canst thou derive by depriving them of life? What benefit canst thou reap from sacrificing an ant?’”

“Sire,” replied the prince, “the law sanctions hunt­ing and the chase; and since it is permitted by the Prophet, whence is this prohibition, and why this severity of rebuke?”

In short, the king, seeing that he was bent on going, cautioned him to be on his guard against evil and danger; and his Majesty's favourite minister, in whom he had the fullest confidence, received instructions to attend and take charge of the prince, but was desired by the king not to conduct him to the desert of Rūdān, as it was infested with ghūls. They set out, and the vazīr proposed that they should proceed to Shemsī Ghūrān, which abounded in wild asses. Another of the vazīrs, however, who had long borne envy towards the premier, and who was secretly the enemy of his sovereign, worked on the prince by his insinuations against the minister, drew him aside from his train, when they were near Shemsī Ghūrān, into a tent, and persuaded him to drink a cup of wine. The prince was then about to repose in the tent, when a cry arose that a wild ass was started.* The prince sprang up, mounted his steed, and rode on in pursuit of the animal, and never reined in until it suddenly disappeared as if the earth had swallowed it up.

The prince looked on every side, and beheld before him a charming lady, beautiful as a perī—her stature straight as a box-tree; her mouth small as the end of a hair; her waist a hair's breadth. One wonders not to find a rose growing by a fountain; but if it is found springing from a salt-marsh, it may well cause surprise. The prince was galloping in pursuit of a wild ass, and if he missed it, he found an antelope; he was in search of a serpent, and found the treasure in its stead.* “A table,” thought he to himself, “has descended from heaven.”—“O envy of hūrī and perī,” said he, addressing her, “for human being possesses not such beauty, thou art an angel, and Paradise is thy home; say, what wouldst thou in this world of gloom?”* The damsel replied: “One must not hide one's complaint from the physician. I once beheld thee at a distance, from my terrace. I had ascended to look for the new moon, when, to my unexpected good fortune, the sun appeared. (Thus) one sought the moon, and found the sun; one looked for the Goblet, and found Jam-shīd. * Since thou art the amber and I the straw, tell me, how can I preserve my heart? O captivating youth, the heart is a source of affliction;—I would not wish even an infidel the misfortune to have his heart enslaved.”—The prince was carried away by his de­sires; for the fountain was in sight, and his lip was parched. The damsel pointed to her abode, and led the way, while the prince rode on after her till they reached a desolate spot. She entered, and cried out: “Come and see what I have brought hither by my contrivance!”* From every corner the black ghūls* rushed out. The prince, on seeing them, was alarmed for his life, and conning a prayer,* fled to the desert. He urged on his steed, while the female pursued him, begging him not to desert her thus cruelly.—“Excuse me,” said the prince; “I am not my own master, but in the hands of another [i.e. his steed]. Whatever I sew, he undoes; I go not willingly, but he flies with me.”—The damsel continues to entreat; but the prince persists in not returning.

Although the pages of the manuscript are numbered consecutively, a leaf is wanting here. The conclusion may be guessed from Syntipas, where, as soon as the prince had uttered a prayer, the damsel falls powerless on the ground, unable longer to pursue him; while the prince sets off at full speed, and reaches home in safety. [7]

The commencement of the next chapter is wanting, but it, of course, contained the order of the king for the execution of his son, which is stayed by the Third Vazīr, who, repairing to the foot of the throne, intercedes for the prince. He counsels the king to put no faith in slaves. “If you desire a son,” said he, “ask in marriage the daughter of the emperor of China; for whenever you have a son by a slave, he will be of evil disposition, and ill-affected towards you: a beggar will be introduced to your court, and a black seated on your throne. Listen not to the advice of the worthless; slay not your son rashly; otherwise you will repent, as the officer did of killing his cat.” The vazīr then relates the