Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 2.djvu/67
greed exactly with the Day of his Dream. She was brought to-Bed of me at the end of nine Months, which occaſion’d great Joy in the Family.
My Father, who had obſerved the very Moment of my Birth, conſulted Aſtrologers about my Nativity, who told him, Your Son ſhall live very happily till the Age of fifteen when he will be in danger of loſing his Life, and hardly be able to eſcape it. But if his good Deſtiny preſerve him beyond that Time, he will live to grow very old. ’Twill be then (ſaid they) when the Statue of Braſs, that ſtands upon the Top of the Mountain of Adamant, ſhall be thrown down into the Sea by Prince Agib, Son of King Caſſib; and, as the Stars prognoſticate your Son ſhall be kill’d 50 Days afterwards by that Prince.
As the Event of this Part of the Prediction about the Statue agrees exactly with my Father’s Dream, it afflicted him ſo much that he was ſtruck to the very Heart with it. In the mean time he took all imaginable Care of my Education until this preſent Year, which is the 15th of my Age; and he had notice given him yeſterday, that the Statue of Braſs had been thrown into the Sea about 10 days ago, by that ſame Prince I told you of. This News has coſt him ſo many Tears, and has alarm’d him ſo much, that he looks not like himſelf.
Upon theſe Predictions of the Aſtrologers, he has ſought by all means poſſible to ſatiſify my Horoſcope, and to preſerve my Life, ’Tis not long ſince he took this Precaution, to build me this ſubterranean Habitation to hide me in, till the Expiration of the 50 Days after the throwing down of the Statue, and therefore ſince it was that this had happened 10 Days ago, he came haſtily hither to hide me, and promiſed at the end of 40 Days to come again and fetch me out. As for my own part, I am in good hopes, and cannot believe that Prince Agib will come to ſeek for me in a Place under Ground, in the midſt of a deſart Iſland. This, my Lord, is what I have to ſay to you.
Whilſt the Jeweller’s Son was telling me this Story, I laugh’d in my ſelf at thoſe Aſtrologers who had foretold that I ſhould take away his Life; for I thought my ſelf ſo far from being likely to verify what they ſaid, that he had ſcarce done ſpeaking, when I told him with great Joy, Dear Sir, put your Confidence in the Goodneſs of God,