came, with the acclamations of the people, who wished him all happiness
and prosperity. As soon as he dismounted, he retired to his own chamber,
took the lamp, and called the genie as before, who in the usual manner
made him a tender of his service. “Genie,” said Aladdin, “I have all the
reason in the world to commend your exactness in executing hitherto
punctually whatever I have asked you to do; but now, if you have any
regard for the lamp your mistress, you must show, if possible, more zeal
and diligence than ever. I would have you build me, as soon as you can,
a palace over against and at a proper distance from the sultan’s fit to
receive my spouse, the princess Badr-oul-boudour. I leave the choice of
the materials to you, that is to say, porphyry, jasper, agate, lapis
lazuli, and the finest marble of the most varied colours, and of the
rest of the building. But I expect, that in that highest storey of this
palace you shall build me a large hall with a dome, and four equal
fronts; and that, instead of layers of bricks, the walls be made of
massy gold and silver, laid alternately; that each front shall contain
six windows, the lattices of all which, except one, must be left
unfinished and imperfect, and shall be so enriched with art and
symmetry, diamonds, rubies and emeralds, that they shall exceed
everything of the kind that has ever been in the world. I would have an
inner and outer court before this palace; and a curious garden; but
above all things take care that there be laid in a place which you shall
point out to me, a treasure of gold and silver coin. Besides, this
palace must be well provided with kitchens, and offices, store-houses,
and rooms to keep choice furniture in, for every season of the year. I
must have stables full of the finest horses, with their equerries and
grooms, and hunting equipage. There must be officers to attend the
kitchens and offices, and women slaves to wait on the princess. You
understand what I mean; therefore go about it, and come and tell me when
all is finished.”
By the time Aladdin had instructed the genie with his intentions
respecting the building of his palace, the sun was set. The next morning
by break of day, Aladdin, whose love for the princess would not let him
sleep, was no sooner up but the genie presented himself, and said, “Sir,
your palace is finished; come and see how you like it.” Aladdin had no
sooner signified his consent, but the genie transported him thither in
an instant, and he found it so much beyond his expectation, that he
could not enough admire it. The genie led him through all the
apartments, where he met with nothing but what was rich and magnificent,
with officers and slaves, all dressed according to their rank and the
services to which they were appointed. Then the genie shewed him the
treasury, which was opened by a treasurer, where Aladdin saw heaps of
purses, of different sizes, piled up to the top of the ceiling, and
disposed in most pleasing order. The genie assured him of the
treasurer’s fidelity, and thence led him to the stables, where he shewed
him some of the finest horses in the world, and the grooms busy in
dressing them; from thence they went to the store-houses, which were
filled with all necessary provisions, both for the food and ornament of
the horses.
When Aladdin had examined the palace from top to bottom, and
particularly the hall with the four-and-twenty windows, and found it
much beyond whatever he could have imagined, he said to the genie,
“Genie, no one can be better satisfied than I am; and indeed I should be
very much to blame if I found any fault. There is only one thing
wanting, which I forgot to mention; that is, to lay from the sultan’s
palace to the door of the apartment designed for the princess, a carpet
of fine velvet for her to walk upon.” The genie immediately disappeared,
and Aladdin saw what he desired executed that minute. Then the genie
returned and carried Aladdin home, before the gates of the sultan’s
palace were opened.
When the porters, who had always been used to an open prospect, came to
open the gates, they were amazed to find it obstructed, and to see a
carpet of velvet spread for a great way. They did not immediately see
what it meant; but when they could discern Aladdin’s palace distinctly,
their surprise was increased. The news of so extraordinary a wonder was
presently spread through the palace. The grand vizier, who came soon
after the gates were open, was no less amazed than other people at this
novelty, but ran and acquainted the sultan, and endeavoured to make him
believe it to be all enchantment. “Vizier,” replied the sultan, “why
will you have it to be enchantment? You know as well as I, that it is
Aladdin’s palace, which I gave him leave to build, to receive my
daughter in. After the proof we have had of his riches, can we think it
strange that he should build a palace in so short a time? He has a mind
to surprise us, and let us see what wonders are to be done with ready
money every day. Confess sincerely with me that that enchantment you
talk of proceeds from a little envy.” The hour of going to council put
an end to the conversation.
When Aladdin had been conveyed home and had dismissed the genie, he
found his mother up, and dressing herself in one of those suits that
were brought her. By the time the sultan came from the council, Aladdin
had prepared his mother to go to the palace with her slaves, and desired
her, if she saw the sultan, to tell him she came to do herself the
honour to attend the princess towards evening to her palace. Accordingly
she went; but though she and the women slaves who followed her were all
dressed like sultanesses, yet the crowd was nothing near so great,
because they were all veiled, and had each an upper garment on,
agreeable to the richness and magnificence of their habits. As for
Aladdin, he mounted his horse, and took leave of his paternal house for
ever, taking care not to forget his wonderful lamp, by the assistance of
which he had reaped such advantages, and arrived at the utmost height of
his wishes, and went to the palace in the same pomp as the day before.
As soon as the porters of the sultan’s palace saw Aladdin’s mother, they
went and informed the sultan, who presently ordered the bands of
trumpets, cymbals, drums, fifes, and hautboys, placed in different parts
of the palace, to play and beat, so that the air resounded with
concerts, which inspired the whole city with joy: the merchants began to
adorn their shops and houses with fine carpets and cushions, and bedeck
them with boughs, and prepare illuminations against night. The artists
of all sorts left their work, and the people all repaired to the great
space between the sultan’s and Aladdin’s palace; which last drew all
their attention, not only because it was new to them, but because there
was no comparison between the two buildings. But their amazement was, to
comprehend by what unheard-of miracle so magnificent a palace should be
so soon built; it being apparent to all that there were no prepared
materials, or any foundations laid, the day before.
Aladdin’s mother was received in the palace with honour, and introduced
into the princess Badr-oul-boudour’s apartment, by the chief of the
eunuchs. As soon as the princess saw her, she went and saluted her, and
desired her to sit down on her sofa; and while her women made an end of
dressing her, and adorned her with the jewels Aladdin had presented her
with, a noble collation was served up. At the same time, the sultan, who
had a mind to be as much with his daughter as possible before he parted
with her, came and paid her great respect. Aladdin’s mother had often
talked to the sultan in public, but he had never seen her with her veil
off, as she was then; and though she was somewhat advanced in years, she
had the remains of a good face, which shewed what she had been in her
youth. The sultan, who had always seen her dressed very meanly, not to
say poorly, was surprised to find her as richly and magnificently
clothed as the princess his daughter. This made him think Aladdin
equally prudent and wise in whatever he undertook.
When it was night, the princess took her leave of the sultan her father:
their adieus were tender, and accompanied with tears. They embraced each
other several times, and at last the princess left her own apartment,
and set forward for Aladdin’s palace, with his mother on her left hand,
followed by a hundred women slaves, dressed with surprising
magnificence. All the bands of music, which played from the time
Aladdin’s mother arrived, joined together, led the procession, followed
by a hundred chiaoux, and the like number of black eunuchs, in two
files, with their officers at their head. Four hundred of the sultan’s
young pages carried flambeaux on each side, which, together with the
illuminations of the sultan’s and Aladdin’s palaces, made it as light as
day.
In this order the princess walked on the carpet, which was spread from
the sultan’s palace to Aladdin’s, preceded by bands of musicians, who,
as they advanced, joining with those on the terraces of Aladdin’s
palace, formed a concert, which extraordinary and confused as it
appeared, increased the joy not only of the crowd assembled in the great
square, but of all that were in the two palaces, the town, and a great
way round about it.
At length the princess arrived at the new palace. Aladdin ran with all
imaginable joy to receive her at the entrance of the apartment appointed
for him. His mother had taken care to point him out to the princess, in
the midst of the officers that surrounded him, and she was charmed with
his person as soon as she saw him. “Adorable princess,” said Aladdin to
her, accosting her and saluting her respectfully, “if I have the
misfortune to have displeased you by my boldness in aspiring to the
possession of so lovely a princess, and my sultan’s daughter, I must
tell you, that you ought to blame your bright eyes and charms, not
me.”—“Prince, as I may now call you,” answered the princess, “I am
obedient to the will of my father: and it is enough for me to have seen
you, to tell you that I obey without reluctance.”
Aladdin, charmed with so agreeable and satisfactory an answer, would not
keep the princess standing after she had walked so far, which was more
than she was used to do; but took her by the hand, which he kissed with
the greatest demonstrations of joy, and led her into a large hall,
illuminated with an infinite number of wax candles, where, by the care
of the genie, a noble feast was served up. The plates were of massy
gold, and contained the most delicate meats. The vases, basins, and
goblets, with which the beaufet was furnished, were gold also, and of
exquisite workmanship, and all the other ornaments and embellishments of
the hall were answerable to this great wealth. The princess, dazzled to
see so much riches collected in one place, said to Aladdin, “I thought,
prince, that nothing in the world was so beautiful as the sultan my
father’s palace; but the sight of this hall alone is sufficient to shew
I was deceived.”
Then Aladdin led the princess to the place appointed for her, and as
soon as she and his mother were sat down, a band of the most harmonious
instruments, accompanied with the voices of beautiful ladies, began a
concert, which lasted without intermission to the end of the repast. The
princess was so charmed, that she declared she never heard anything like
it in the sultan her father’s court; but she knew not that the musicians
were fairies chosen by the genie, slave of the lamp.
When the supper was ended, and the table taken away, there entered a
company of dancers, who danced, according to the custom of the country,
several figure dances, ending with a dancing man and woman, who
performed their parts with surprising lightness and agility, and shewed
all the address they were capable of. About midnight, Aladdin, according
to the custom of that time in China, rose up and presented his hand to
the princess Badr-oul-boudour to dance with her, and to finish the
ceremonies of their nuptials. They danced with so good a grace, that
they were the admiration of all the company. When they left off, Aladdin
did not let the princess’s hand go, but led her to the apartment where
the nuptial bed was prepared. The princess’s women helped to undress
her, and put her to bed: Aladdin’s officers did the same by him, and
then all retired. Thus ended the ceremonies and rejoicings at the
marriage of Aladdin with the princess Badr-oul-boudour.
The next morning when Aladdin awaked, his valets-de-chambre presented
themselves to dress him, and brought him another habit as rich and
magnificent as that he wore the day before. Then he ordered one of the
horses appointed for his use to be got ready, mounted him, and went in
the midst of a large troop of slaves to the sultan’s palace. The sultan
received him with the same honours as before, embraced him, placed him
on the throne near him, and ordered in breakfast. Aladdin replied, “I
beg your majesty will dispense with me from accepting that honour
to-day; I came to ask you to come and take a repast in the princess’s
palace, attended by your grand vizier, and all the lords of your court.”
The sultan consented with pleasure, rose up immediately, and, as it was
not far off, went thither on foot, with Aladdin on his right hand, the
grand vizier on his left, preceded by the chiaoux and principal officers
of his palace, and followed by all the great lords of his court.
The nearer the sultan approached Aladdin’s palace, the more he was
struck with its beauty, but was much more amazed when he entered it; and
could not forbear breaking out into exclamations of approbation. But
when he came into the hall with the four-and-twenty windows, into which
Aladdin had invited him, and had seen the ornaments, and, above all,
cast his eyes on the windows, enriched with diamonds, rubies, emeralds,
all large perfect stones; and when Aladdin had observed to him, that it
was as rich on the outside, he was so much surprised, that he remained
some time motionless. After he recovered himself, he said to his vizier,
“Is it possible that there should be such a stately palace so nigh my
own, and I be an utter stranger to it till now?” “Sir,” replied the
grand vizier, “your majesty may remember that the day before yesterday,
you gave Aladdin, whom you accepted for your son-in-law, leave to build
a palace over against your own, and that very day at sunset there was no
palace on this spot, and yesterday I had the honour first to tell you
that the palace was built and finished.” “I remember it,” replied the
sultan, “but never imagined that the palace was one of the wonders of
the world; for where in all the world besides shall we find walls built
of courses of massy gold and silver, instead of courses of brick, stone,
or marble: and diamonds, rubies, and emeralds set thick about the
windows? There never was anything mentioned like it in this world
before.”
The sultan would examine and admire the beauty of all the windows and
counting them, found that there were but three-and-twenty windows that
were so richly adorned, and he was greatly astonished that the
twenty-fourth was left imperfect. “Vizier,” said he, for that minister
made a point of never leaving him, “I am surprised that a hall of this
magnificence should be left thus imperfect.” “Sir,” replied the grand
vizier, “without doubt Aladdin only wanted time to finish this window
like the rest; for it is not to be supposed but that he has sufficient
jewels for it, and that he will set about it the first opportunity.”
Aladdin, who had left the sultan to go and give some orders, returned
just as the vizier had given that prince his supposed reasons. “Son,”
said the sultan to him, “this hall is the most worthy of admiration of
any hall in the world; there is only one thing that surprises me, which
is, to find one of the windows unfinished. Is it from the forgetfulness
or negligence of the workmen or want of time, that they have not put the
finishing stroke to so beautiful a piece of architecture?” “Sir,”
answered Aladdin, “it was for none of these reasons that your majesty
sees it in this condition. The thing was done by design, and it was by
my orders that the workmen left it thus, since I had a mind that your
majesty should have the glory of finishing this hall and the palace also
together, and I beg of you to approve of my good intention, that I may
remember the favours I have received from you.” “If you did it with this
intention,” replied the sultan, “I take it kindly, and will give orders
about it immediately.” He accordingly sent for the most considerable
jewellers and goldsmiths in his capital.
In the meantime, the sultan went out of this hall, and Aladdin led him
into that where he had regaled the princess Badr-oul-boudour on their
wedding-day. The princess came immediately afterwards, and received the
sultan her father with an air that shewed how much she was satisfied
with her marriage. Two tables where immediately spread with the most
delicious meats, all served up in gold dishes. The sultan, princess,
Aladdin, and the grand vizier, sat down at the first, and all the lords
of the court at the second, which was very long. The sultan was very
much pleased with the meats, and owned he had never eaten anything more
excellent. He said the same of the wines, which were delicious; but what
he most of all admired was four large beaufets, profusely furnished with
large flagons, basins, and cups, all of massy gold, set with jewels. He
was besides charmed with several bands of music, which were ranged along
the hall, and formed most agreeable concerts.
When the sultan rose from table, he was informed that the jewellers and
goldsmiths he had sent for attended; upon which he returned to the hall,
and shewed them the window which was unfinished. “I sent for you,” said
he, “to fit up this window in as great perfection as the rest; examine
them well, and make all the despatch you can, to make them all alike.”
The jewellers and goldsmiths examined the other three-and-twenty windows
with great attention, and after they had consulted together to know what
each could furnish, they returned, and presented themselves before the
sultan, whose principal jeweller, undertaking to speak for the rest,
said, “Sir, we are all willing to exert our utmost care and industry to
obey your majesty, but among us all we cannot furnish jewels enough for
so great a work.” “I have more than are necessary,” said the sultan;
“come to my palace, and you shall choose what are fitting.”
When the sultan returned to his palace, he ordered his jewels to be
fetched out, and the jewellers took a great quantity, particularly those
which Aladdin had made him a present of, which they soon used without
making any great advance in their work. They came again several times
for more, and in a month’s time had not finished half their work. In
short, they used all the jewels the sultan had of his own, and borrowed
of the vizier, and yet the work was not half done.
Aladdin, who knew that all the sultan’s endeavours to make this window
like the rest were in vain, and that he never could compass it with
credit, sent for the jewellers, and goldsmiths, and not only bid them
desist from their work, but ordered them to undo what they had begun,
and to carry all their jewels back to the sultan and to the vizier. They
undid in a few hours what they had been six weeks about, and retired,
leaving Aladdin alone in the hall. He took the lamp, which he carried
about him, and rubbed it, and presently the genie appeared. “Genie,”
said Aladdin, “I ordered thee to leave one of the four-and-twenty
windows of this hall imperfect, and thou hast executed my commands
punctually; now, I would have thee make it like the rest.” The genie
immediately disappeared. Aladdin went out of the hall, and returning
soon after into it, he found the window, as he wished it to be, like the
others.
In the meantime, the jewellers and goldsmiths reached the palace, and
were introduced into the sultan’s presence, where the first jeweller,
presenting the jewels which he had brought back, said, in the name of
all the rest, “Sir, your majesty knows how long we have been upon the
work you were pleased to set us about, in which we used all imaginable
industry. It was far advanced, when Aladdin obliged us not only to leave
off, but to undo what we had already begun, and bring your majesty your
jewels back.” The sultan asked them if Aladdin gave them any reason for
so doing, and they answering that he had given them none, he ordered a
horse to be brought to him presently, which he mounted, and rode to
Aladdin’s palace, with some few attendants on foot by his side. When he
came there, he alighted at the staircase, which led up to the hall with
the twenty-four windows, and went directly up to it, without giving
previous notice to Aladdin; but it happened that at that very juncture
Aladdin was opportunely there, and had just time to receive him at the
door.
The sultan, without giving Aladdin time to complain obligingly of his
not giving him notice, that he might have acquitted himself with the
more duty and respect, said to him, “Son, I come myself to know the
reason why you left so noble and magnificent a hall as this is
imperfect.”
Aladdin disguised the true reason, which was, that the sultan was not
rich enough in jewels to be at so great an expense, but said, “It is
true your majesty saw this hall unfinished, but I beg of you now to see
if anything is wanting.”
The sultan went directly to the window which was left imperfect, and
when he found it like the rest, he fancied that he was mistaken, and
examined the two windows on each side, and afterwards all the
four-and-twenty; and when he was convinced that the window, which
several workmen had been so long about, was finished in so short a time,
he embraced Aladdin, and kissed him between his eyes. “My son,” said he,
“what a man you are to do such surprising things always in the twinkling
of an eye! There is not your fellow in the world. The more I know you,
the more I admire you.”
Aladdin received these praises from the sultan with a great deal of
modesty, and replied in these words: “Sir, it is a great honour to me to
deserve your majesty’s goodwill and approbation, and I assure you I
shall study to deserve them more.”
The sultan returned to his palace as he came, but would not let Aladdin
go back with him. When he came there, he found the grand vizier waiting
for him, to whom he related the wonder he had been a witness of with the
utmost admiration, and in such terms as left that minister no room to
doubt but that the fact was as the sultan related it; though he was the
more confirmed in his belief that Aladdin’s palace was the effect of
enchantment, as he told the sultan the first moment he saw it. He was
going to repeat the same thing again, but the sultan interrupted him,
and said, “You told me so once before. I see, vizier, you have not
forgot your son’s marriage to my daughter.” The grand vizier plainly saw
how much the sultan was prepossessed, and therefore avoided any
disputes, and let him remain in his own opinion. The sultan, as certain
as he rose in a morning, went into the closet to look at Aladdin’s
palace, and would go many times in a day to contemplate and admire it.