Day-light appeared, and prevented Scheherazade’s going on with her Story, but next Night at the uſual Hour ſhe continued it thus,
WHEN the Genie had attentively conſiderd Bedreddin Haſſan, he ſaid to himſelf To judge of this Creature by his good Mein he would ſeem to be an Angel of the terreſtrial Paradiſe, whom God has ſent to put the World in a Flame with his Beauty. Ar laſt, after he had ſatisfied himſelt with looking upon him, he took a Flight into the Air, where meeting by chance with a Fairy, they ſaluted one another, after which he ſaid to him, Pray deſcend with me into the Church-Yard, where I ſtay, and I will ſhew you a prodigious Beauty, which is worthy your Admiration as well as mine, The Fairy conſented, and both deſcended in an Inſtant, they came into the Tomb, Look ye, ſaid the Genie to the Fairy, ſhowing him Bedreddin Haſſan, did you ever ſee a young Man of a better Shape and more beautiful than this.
The Fairy, having attentively obſerv’d
Bedreddin, returned to the Genie, I muſt confeſs, ſaid ſhe, that he’s a very handſome Man, but I juſt now came from ſeeing an Object at
Cairo, more admirable than this, and if you will hear me, I will tell you a ſtrange Story concerning her. You will very much oblige me in ſo doing, anſwer’d the Genie. You muſt know then, ſaid the Fairy, (for I will tell it you at length) That the Sultan of
Egypt has a Vizier called
Schemſedden Mohammed, who has a Daughter of about Twenty Years of Age, the moſt beautiful and complete Perſon that ever was known. The Sultan having heard of this Young Lady’s beauty, ſent the other Day for her Father, and told him, I underſtand you have a Daughter to marry; I have a mind to marry her. Will not you conſent to it? The Vizier, who did not expect this Propoſal, was troubled at it, and inſtead of accepting it joyfully, which another in his Place would certainly have done, he anſwer’d the Sultan; May it pleaſe your Majeſty, I am not worthy of the Honour you would confer upon me, and I moſt humbly beſeech you to pardon me, If I do not agree to your Requeſt; You know I had a Brother, call’d