so they laid [it] and they all broke their fast; and after they had eaten and drunken their sufficiency and had finished and the servants had removed the tables from before them, Alaeddin turned to the Sultan and said to him, “O my lord, [belike] Thy Grace will vouchsafe to honour me this day at the morning-meal [FN#503] with the Lady Bedrulbudour, thy precious daughter, and be Thy Grace’s company all thy viziers and the chief officers of thy state.”  Quoth the Sultan, (and indeed he rejoiced in him), “Gladly, [FN#504] O my son,” and bidding the Viziers and officers of state and grandees attend him, arose forthright and mounted; whereupon Alaeddin and the others mounted also and they all rode till they came to Alaeddin’s palace.

When the Sultan entered the palace and viewed its building and ordinance and saw its stones, which were of jade and agate, he was amazed [FN#505] and his wit was bewildered at that affluence and wealth and magnificence; so he turned to the Vizier and said to him, “How sayst thou, O Vizier?  Hast thou in all thy days seen aught like this?  Are there found with the greatest of the kings of the world riches and gold and jewels such as these we see in this palace?” “O my lord the King,” answered the Vizier, “this is a thing beyond the competence of a king of the sons of Adam, nor might all the people of the earth together avail to build a palace like this; nay, there are no craftsmen living able to do work like this, except ;it be, as I said to Thy Grace, by might of magic.”  The Sultan knew that the Vizier, in seeking to convince him that this was not by might of men, but all of it enchantment, still spoke not but of his envy of Alaeddin; so he said to him, “Enough, O Vizier; let us have no more of thy talk.  I know the cause which maketh thee speak on this wise.”

Then Alaeddin forewent the Sultan till he brought him to the high pavilion [FN#507] and he looked at the belvedere [FN#508] and its oriols [FN#509] and lattices, [FN#510] all wroughten of emeralds and rubies and other precious stones, and was amazed and astonied; his wit was bewildered and he abode perplexed in his thought.  Then he fell to going round about the pavilion and viewing these things that ravished the sight, till presently he espied the casement [FN#511] which Alaeddin had purposely left wanting and unfinished.  When the Sultan examined it and saw that it was unfinished, he said, “Woe is me for thee, O casement, that thou art not perfect!” Then, turning to the Vizier, he said to him, “Knowest thou the reason of the lack of completion of this casement and its lattices?” “O [FN#512] my lord,” answered the Vizier, “methinketh it is because Thy Grace hastened upon Alaeddin with the wedding and he had no time to complete it.”  Now Alaeddin had meanwhile gone in to his bride, the Lady Bedrulbudour, to acquaint her with the coming of her father the Sultan; and when he returned, the Sultan said to him, “O my son Alaeddin, what is the reason that the lattice[-work]