an ape?” “Sir,” replied the Lady of Beauty, “your majesty may remember that when I was past my infancy I had an old lady who waited on me; she was a most expert magician, and taught me seventy rules of magic, by virtue of which I can, in the twinkling of an eye, transport your capital into the midst of the sea, or beyond mount Caucasus.  By this science I know all enchanted persons at first sight:  I know who they are, and by whom they have been enchanted; therefore do not be surprised if I should forthwith relieve this prince, in spite of the enchantments, from that which prevents his appearing in your sight in his natural form.”  “Daughter,” said the sultan, “I did not believe you to have understood so much.”  “Sir,” replied the princess, “these things are curious and worth knowing; but I think I ought not to boast of them.”  “Since it is so,” said the sultan, “you can dispel the prince’s enchantment.”  “Yes, sir,” said the princess, “I can restore him to his original shape.”  “Do it then,” said the sultan, “you cannot do me a greater pleasure; for I will have him to be my vizier, and he shall marry you.”  “Sir,” said the princess, “I am ready to obey you in all that you should be pleased to command me.”

The princess, the Lady of Beauty, went into her apartment, and brought thence a knife, which had some Hebrew words engraven on the blade:  she made the sultan, the master of the eunuchs, the little slave, and myself, descend into a private court of the palace, and there left us under a gallery that went round it.  She placed herself in the middle of the court, where she made a great circle, and within it she wrote several words in Arabian characters, some of them ancient.

When she had finished and prepared the circle as she thought fit, she placed herself in the centre of it, where she began incantations, and repeated verses of the Koraun.  The air grew insensibly dark, as if it had been night, and the whole world were about to be dissolved:  we found ourselves struck with consternation, and our fear increased when we saw the genie, the son of the daughter of Eblis, appear suddenly in the shape of a lion of a gigantic size.

As soon as the princess perceived this monster, “Dog,” said she, “instead of creeping before me, dare you present yourself in this shape, thinking to frighten me?” “And thou,” replied the lion, “art thou not afraid to break the treaty which was solemnly made and confirmed between us by oath, not to wrong or do one another any injury?” “Wretch,” replied the princess, “I justly may reproach thee with having done so.”  The lion answered fiercely, “Thou shalt quickly have thy reward for the trouble thou hast given me:”  with that he opened his monstrous jaws, and sprang forward to devour her; but she, being on her guard, stepped back, got time to pull out one of her hairs, and by pronouncing three or four words, changed it into a sharp sword, with which she cut the lion in two through the middle.