have taken:  keep it like a man of honour; otherwise I will take away your life, notwithstanding the kindness I have for you.”  Zeyn Alasnam protested again that he would faithfully keep his word.  The sultan of the genii then delivered to him a looking-glass, saying, “My son, you may return when you please, there is the glass you are to use.”  Zeyn and Mobarec took leave of the sultan of the genii, and went towards the lake.  The boatman with the elephant’s head brought the boat, and ferried them over the lake as he had done before.  They joined their servants, and returned with them again to Cairo.

The young sultan rested a few days at Mobarec’s house, and then said to him, “Let us go to Bagdad, to seek a maiden for the sovereign of the genii.”  “Why, are we not at Grand Cairo?” said Mobarec:  “shall we not there find beautiful maidens?” “You are in the right,” answered the prince; “but how shall we explore where they are?” “Do not trouble yourself about that,” answered Mobarec; “I know a very shrewd old woman, whom I will entrust with the affair, and she will acquit herself well.”

Accordingly the old woman found means to shew the sultan a considerable number of beautiful maidens of fifteen years of age; but when he had viewed them, and came to consult his looking-glass, the fatal touchstone of their virtue, the glass always appeared sullied.  All the maidens in the court and city, who were in their fifteenth year, underwent the trial one after another, but the glass never remained bright and clear.

When they saw there were no chaste maidens to be found in Cairo, they went to Bagdad, where they hired a magnificent palace in one of the chief quarters of the city, and began to live splendidly.  They kept open house; and after all people had eaten in the palace, the fragments were carried to the dervises, who by that means had comfortable subsistence.

There lived in that quarter a pedant, whose name was Boubekir Muezin, a vain, haughty, and envious person:  he hated the rich, only because he was poor, his misery making him angry at his neighbour’s prosperity.  He heard talk of Zeyn Alasnam, and of the plenty his house afforded.  This was enough for him to take an aversion to that prince; and it proceeded so far, that one day after the evening prayer in the mosque, he said to the people, “Brethren, I have been told there is come to live in our ward a stranger, who every day gives away immense sums.  How do we know but that this unknown person is some villain, who has committed a robbery in his own country, and comes hither to enjoy himself?  Let us take care, brethren; if the caliph should be informed that such a man is in our ward, it is to be feared he will punish us for not acquainting him with it.  I declare for my part I wash my hands of the affair, and if any thing should happen amiss, it shall not lie at my door.”  The multitude, who are easily led away, with one voice cried to Boubekir, “It is your business, do you acquaint the council with it.”  The muezin went home well pleased, and drew up a memorial, resolving to present it to the caliph next day.