as you were pleased to observe; and I love her with so tender and violent
a passion, that it is plain I never loved any woman till I saw her. Oh!
how I am blessed and transported with her charms! and I cannot
sufficiently thank either the queen her mother, or you, prince, or your
whole family, for the matchless generosity with which you have consented
to receive me into so glorious an alliance as yours. At the end of these
words, he invited them to take part of the collation, and he and his
queen sat down at his table with them. After the collation was over, the
king of Persia entertained them with discourse till it was very late; and
when they thought it convenient to retire, he waited upon them himself to
the several apartments he had ordered to be prepared for them.
The king of Persia treated his illustrious guests for a great many days
together; during which time, he omitted nothing that might show his court
in its greatest splendour and magnificence, and insensibly prevailed with
them to stay there till the queen was brought to bed. When the time of
her lying-in drew near, he gave particular orders to get every thing in
readiness that was necessary upon such an occasion. At last there was a
son born, to the great joy of the queen his mother, who, as soon as he
was dressed in swaddling-clothes, which were very rich and costly, went
and presented him to the king.
The king of Persia received the present with a joy easier to be imagined
than expressed. The young prince being of a beautiful countenance, and
all over charms, he thought no name so proper for him as that of Beder,
which, in the Arabian language, signifies the Full Moon. By way of thanks
to Heaven, he was very liberal in his alms to the poor, and caused the
prison-doors to be set open, and gave all the prisoners of both sexes
their liberty. He distributed vast sums among the priests and the holy
men of his religion. He also gave large donatives to his courtiers,
besides a great deal that was thrown amongst the people; and, by a
proclamation, ordered several rejoicing days to be kept publicly through
the whole city.
One day after the queen’s up-sitting, as the king of Persia, queen
Gulnare herself, the queen her mother, king Saleh her brother, and the
princesses their relations, were discoursing together in her majesty’s
bed-chamber, the nurse chanced to come in with the young prince Beder in
her arms. King Saleh no sooner saw him, than he ran to embrace him, and
taking him in his arms, fell a kissing and caressing him after a mighty
rate. He took several turns with him about the room, dancing and dandling
him about, when all of a sudden, through a transport of joy, the window
being open, he leaped out, and plunged with him into the sea.
The king of Persia, who expected no such sight, set up a hideous cry,
verily believing he should either see the dear prince his son no more, or
that he should see him drowned; nay, he was like to give up the ghost
amidst his so great grief and affliction. Sir, quoth queen Gulnare, with
a quiet and undisturbed countenance, (the better to comfort him,) let
your majesty fear nothing; the young prince is my son as well as yours,
and I do not love him less than you do. You see I am not alarmed at the
loss of him; neither in truth ought I to be so. In short, he runs no
risk, and you will soon see the king his uncle appear with him again, who
will return him to you safe and sound. Although he be born of your blood
as well as mine, he will not fail to have the same advantage his uncle
and I have, of living equally in the sea and upon the land. The queen his
mother, and the princesses his relations, confirmed the same thing: yet
all was no great consolation to the king; he could not possibly recover
from his fright till he saw prince Beder appear again as before.
The sea at length became troubled, when immediately king Saleh arose,
with the young prince in his arms, and dancing and dandling him about,
re-entered at the same window he went out at. The king of Persia,
overjoyed to see prince Beder again, became as calm as before he lost
sight of him. Then king Saleh said, Sir, was not your majesty in a great
fright, when you first saw me plunge into the sea with the prince my
nephew? Alas! prince, answered the king of Persia, I cannot express my
concern: I thought him lost from that very moment, and you now restore
life to me by bringing him again. I thought as much, replied king Saleh,
though you had not the least reason to apprehend any danger; for before I
plunged into the sea with him, I pronounced certain mysterious words over
him, which were engraven on the seal of the great Solomon the Son of
David. We practise the like in relation to all those children that are
born in the regions at the bottom of the sea, by virtue whereof they
receive the same privileges that we have over those people who inhabit
the earth. Now, from what your majesty has observed, you may easily see
what advantage your son prince Beder has acquired on the part of his
mother queen Gulnare my sister; for as long as he lives, and as often as
he pleases, it shall be free for him to plunge into the sea, and traverse
the vast empires it contains at its bottom.
Having so spoken, king Saleh, who had restored prince Beder to his
nurse’s arms, opened a box he had fetched from his palace in that little
time he had disappeared, which was filled with three hundred diamonds, as
large as pigeons’ eggs; a like number of rubies, of extraordinary size;
as many emerald wands, of half a foot long; and with thirty strings of
necklaces of pearl, consisting each of ten pieces. Sir, said he to the
king of Persia, presenting him with this box, when I was first summoned
by the queen my sister, I knew not what part of the earth she was in, or
that she had the honour to be married to so great a monarch as I now
find; wherefore I came empty-handed: but now I understand how much we
have been both obliged to your majesty, I beg you therefore to accept of
this small token of gratitude, in acknowledgment of the many particular
favours you have been pleased to do us, and whereof I am not less
sensible than she.
It cannot be imagined how greatly the king of Persia was surprised at the
sight of so much riches enclosed in so little compass. What! prince,
cried he, do you call so inestimable a present a small token of your
gratitude, when you never have been indebted to me? I declare you have
never been in the least obliged to me, neither you nor the queen your
mother; I esteem myself but too happy in the consent you have been
pleased to give to the alliance I have contracted with you. Madam,
continued he, turning to Gulnare, the king your brother has put me into
the greatest confusion in the world; and I would beg of him to retain his
present, were it not that I fear to disoblige him. Do you therefore
endeavour to obtain his leave, that I may be dispensed with on this
occasion.
Sir, replied king Saleh, I am not at all surprised that your majesty
thinks this present so extraordinary: I know you are not accustomed upon
earth to see such and so many fine stones; but if you knew, as I do, the
mines from whence these jewels were taken, and that it is in my power to
heap up a treasure, much larger than those, of all the things of the
earth, you would, it may be, wonder I should have the boldness to make
you a present of so small a value. I beseech you therefore not to regard
it in that respect, but on account of the sincere friendship I am obliged
to offer to you, which I hope you will not give me the mortification to
refuse. These engaging expressions obliged the king of Persia to accept
the present, for which he returned many thanks, both to king Saleh and
the queen his mother.
A few days after, king Saleh gave the king of Persia to understand that
the queen his mother, the princesses his relations, and himself could
have no greater pleasure than to spend their whole lives at his court;
but that having been absent from their own kingdom for some time, where
their presence was absolutely necessary, they begged of him not to take
it ill, if they took leave of him and queen Gulnare. The king of Persia
assured them he was very sorry that it was not in his power to come and
visit them in their dominions; but added, As I am verily persuaded you
will not forget queen Gulnare, but come and see her now and then, I hope
I shall have the honour to kiss your hands again many times before I die.
Many tears were shed on both sides upon their separation. King Saleh
departed first; but the queen his mother, and the princesses his
relations, were fain to force themselves, in a manner, from the embraces
of queen Gulnare, who could not prevail with herself to let them go. This
royal company were no sooner out of sight, than the king of Persia said
to queen Gulnare, Madam, I should have looked upon that person as one who
would have imposed on my credulity in the grossest manner, that had
pretended to palm those wonders upon me for true, which I myself have
been an eye-witness of from the time I have been honoured with your
illustrious family at my court: but I cannot escape conviction of this
kind; and shall remember it as long as I live, and be always ready to
bless Heaven for directing you to me, rather than to any other prince.
Young prince Beder was brought up and educated in the palace, under the
care of the king and queen of Persia, who both saw him grow and increase
in beauty, to their great satisfaction. He gave them yet greater pleasure
as he advanced in years, by his continued sprightliness, by his agreeable
ways in whatever he did, and by the justness and vivacity of his wit in
whatever he said; and they were the more sensible of this satisfaction,
by reason king Saleh his uncle, the queen his grandmother, and the
princesses his relations, came from time to time to take part of it.
He was easily taught to read and write, and was instructed with the same
facility in all the sciences that became a prince of his rank.
When he arrived at fifteen, he acquitted himself of all his exercises
with infinitely better address, and good grace, than any of his masters.
He was withal very wise and prudent. The king, who had almost from his
cradle discovered in him virtues so necessary for a monarch, and who
moreover began to perceive the infirmities of old age coming upon
himself, would not stay till death gave him the possession of his throne,
but purposed to resign it to him immediately. He had no great difficulty
to make his council consent to it; and the people heard this resolution
with so much the more joy, as they conceived prince Beder worthy to
govern them. In a word, as the king had not for a long time appeared in
public, they had all the opportunity in the world to observe he had not
that disdainful, proud, and crabbed air, which most princes, who look
upon all below them with scorn and contempt, have. They saw, on the
contrary, he treated all mankind with that goodness which invited them to
approach him, that he heard favourably all who had any thing to say to
him; that he answered every body with a goodness that was peculiar to
him; and that he refused nobody any thing that had the least appearance
of reasonableness.
The day for the ceremony was appointed, when in the midst of the whole
assembly, which was then more numerous than ordinary, the king of Persia,
then sitting on his throne, came down from it, took the crown off his
head, put it on that of prince Beder; and having seated him in his place,
kissed his hand, as a token that he resigned his authority to him: after
which, he ranged himself among the crowd of viziers and emirs.
Hereupon the viziers, emirs, and other principal officers, came
immediately and threw themselves at the new king’s feet, taking each the
oath of fidelity, according to their degrees. Then the grand vizier made
a report of divers important matters; on which the young king gave
judgment with that admirable prudence and sagacity that surprised all the
council. He next turned out divers governors convicted of
mal-administration, and put others in their room; which he did with that
wonderful and just discernment as excited the acclamations of every body,
which were so much the more honourable, as flattery had no share in them.
He at length left the council, accompanied by the late king his father,
and went to wait on his mother queen Gulnare, at her apartment. The queen
no sooner saw him coming with the crown upon his head, than she ran to
embrace him with a great deal of tenderness, wishing him a long and
prosperous reign.
The first year of his reign, king Beder acquitted himself of all his
royal functions with great assiduity. Above all, he took care to instruct
himself in affairs of state, and all that might any way contribute
towards the happiness of his people. Next year, having left the
administration to his council, under the direction of the old king his
father, he went out of his capital city, under pretence of diverting
himself with hunting; but his real intention was to visit all the
provinces of his kingdom, that he might reform all abuses there,
establish good order and discipline every where, and deprive all
ill-minded princes, his neighbours, of any opportunities of attempting
any thing against the security and tranquillity of his subjects, by
appearing and showing himself seasonably on his frontiers.
No less than a whole year sufficed this young king to put in practice a
purpose so worthy of him. Soon after his return, the old king his father
fell so dangerously ill, that he knew at first he should never recover.
He waited for his last moment with great tranquillity, and his only care
was to recommend to the ministers and other lords of his son’s court to
persist in the fidelity they had sworn to him; insomuch that there was
not one but willingly renewed his oath as freely as at first. He died at
length, to the great grief of king Beder and queen Gulnare, who caused
his corpse to be carried to a stately mausoleum, worthy of his rank and
dignity.
When the funeral obsequies were ended, king Beder found no difficulty to
comply with that ancient custom in Persia to mourn for the dead a whole
month, and not to be seen by any body during all that time. He had
mourned the death of his father his whole life, had he hearkened to his
excessive affliction, and had it been permitted to so great a prince as
he was to amuse himself after that manner. During this interval, the
queen, mother to queen Gulnare, and king Saleh, together with the
princesses their relations, arrived at the Persian court, and shared in
great part of their affliction, before they proposed any consolation.
Though the month was expired, the king could not prevail on himself to
give admittance to the grand vizier and the other lords of his court, who
all besought him to lay aside his mourning habit, to show himself to his
subjects, and take upon him the administration of affairs as before.
He showed so great unwillingness to their request, that the grand vizier
took upon him to speak in the following manner: Sir, it would be needless
to represent to your majesty that it belongs only to women to persist in
perpetual mourning. We doubt not but you are sufficiently convinced of
that, and that it is not your intention to follow their example. Neither
our tears nor yours are capable of restoring life to the good king your
father, though we should lament all our days. He has undergone the common
fate of all men, which nobody can resist. Yet we cannot say absolutely
that he is dead, since we see him reviving in the person of your sacred
majesty. He did not himself doubt, when he was dying, but he should
revive in you, and to your majesty it belongs to show that he was not
deceived.
King Beder could no longer oppose such pressing instances. He laid aside
his mourning habit that very moment; and after he had resumed the royal
ornaments, he began to provide for the necessities of his subjects with
the same assiduity as before his father’s death. He acquitted himself
with universal approbation; and, as he was exact in maintaining his
predecessor’s ordinances, the people perceived no alteration in their
sovereign.
King Saleh, who was returned to his dominions in the sea, with the queen
his mother and the princesses, no sooner saw that king Beder had resumed
the government, than he came alone to visit him; and king Beder and queen
Gulnare were overjoyed to see him. One day, as they rose from table, they
fell to discoursing of several matters. King Saleh fell insensibly on the
praises of the king his nephew, and the queen his sister, how glad he was
to see him govern so prudently, which had acquired him so great
reputation, not only among his neighbours, but more remote princes. King
Beder, who could not bear to hear himself so well spoken of, and not
being willing to interrupt the king his uncle, through good manners
turned on one side, and seemed to be asleep, leaning his head against a
cushion that was behind him.
From these commendations, which regarded only the wonderful conduct and
surprising wit of king Beder, king Saleh came to speak of the perfections
of his body, which he extolled after a mighty rate, as having nothing
equal to them, either upon the earth, or the kingdoms under the waters,
which he was well acquainted with.
Sister, said he in an ecstasy, so beautiful as he is, and of such
excellent endowments, I wonder you have not thought of marrying him ere
this: if I mistake not, he is at present in his twentieth year, and at
that age no prince ought to be suffered to be without a wife. I will
think of a match for him myself, since you will not, and marry him to
some princess of our lower world, that may be worthy of him.
Brother, replied queen Gulnare, you call to my remembrance a thing, I
must own, I have never thought of to this very moment. As he never
discovered any inclination for marriage, I never thought of mentioning it
to him; and I am glad you have now spoken of it to me. I like your
proposing one of your princesses; and I desire you to name one who may be
beautiful and well accomplished, that the king my son may be obliged to
love her.
I know one that will be proper, replied king Saleh, softly; but before I
will tell you who she is, let us see if the king my nephew sleeps or not,
and I will tell you afterwards why it is necessary we should take that
precaution. Queen Gulnare then looked upon her son, and thought she had
no reason to doubt but he was profoundly asleep, (king Beder
nevertheless, very far from sleeping, redoubled his attention, as being
unwilling to lose any thing the king his uncle said upon that subject.)
There is no necessity for your speaking so low, said the queen to the
king her brother; you may speak out with all freedom, without fear of
being heard.
It is by no means proper, replied king Saleh, that the king my nephew
should as yet have any knowledge of what I am going to say. Love, you
know, sometimes enters the ear; and it is not necessary he should love
this lady I am about to name, after that sort: in short, I see many
difficulties to surmount in this case, not on the lady’s part, as I hope,
but on that of her father. I need only mention to you the princess
Giahaure[2], and the king of Samarcand.
How, brother, replied queen Gulnare, is not the princess Giahaure yet
married? I remember to have seen her a little before I left your palace;
she was then about eighteen months old, and surprisingly beautiful, and
must needs be the wonder of the world, if her charms have increased equal
with her years. The few years she is older than the king my son, ought
not to hinder our doing our utmost to bring the match about. Let me know
but the difficulties that are to be surmounted, and I will warrant we
will do well enough.
Sister, replied king Saleh, the greatest difficulty is, that the king of
Samarcand is insupportably vain, looking upon all others as his
inferiors: it is not likely we shall easily get him to enter into this
alliance. For my part, I will go to him in person, and demand the
princess his daughter of him; and in case he refuses her, will address
ourselves elsewhere, where we shall be like to be more favourably heard.
For this reason, as you may perceive, added he, it is not proper for the
king my nephew to know any thing of our design, lest he should fall in
love with the princess Giahaure, and we afterwards not be able to obtain
her for him. They discoursed a little longer upon this point, and before
they parted, agreed that king Saleh should forthwith return to his own
dominions, and demand the princess Giahaure of the king of Samarcand, her
father, for the king of Persia, his nephew.
This done, queen Gulnare and king Saleh, who verily believed king Beder
asleep, agreed to wake him; and he dissembled the matter so well, that he
seemed to wake from a profound sleep. He had nevertheless heard every
word they said; and the character they gave of the princess Giahaure had
inflamed his heart with an unknown passion. He had conceived so bright an
idea of her beauty, that he could not sleep a wink all night, but
remained under continual inquietudes.
Next day king Saleh would needs take leave of queen Gulnare and the king
his nephew. The young king, who knew the king his uncle would not have
departed so soon, but to go and promote his happiness, blushed when he
heard him mention his departure. His passion was become so violent, it
would not suffer him to wait so long for the sight of his mistress as
would suffice to accomplish the marriage. He more than once resolved to
desire his uncle to bring her away with him; but as he did not care to
let the queen his mother understand he knew any thing of what had passed,
he desired him only to stay with him a day or two, that they might hunt
together, intending to make use of that occasion to discover his mind to
him.
The day for hunting was set, and king Beder had many opportunities to
declare his mind to his uncle; but he had not the courage so much as once
to open his mouth to acquaint him with what he designed.
In the midst of the chase, when not only king Saleh but all his
attendants had left him, he alighted near a spring; and, having tied his
horse to a tree that afforded a very plentiful shade, as did several
others along the banks of the rivulet, he laid himself down on the grass,
and gave a free course to his tears, which issued forth in great
abundance, accompanied with many sobs and sighs. He remained in this
condition, overwhelmed with thought, and not speaking so much as one
word. King Saleh, in the mean time, missing the king his nephew, and not
meeting with any one who could tell tidings of him, began to be much
concerned to know what was become of him. He therefore left his company
to go in search of him, and at length perceived him at a distance. He had
observed the day before, and even more evidently that day, that he was
not so merry as he used to be, that he was more pensive than ordinary,
and that if he was asked a question, he either answered not at all, or
nothing to the purpose: but he never so much as in the least suspected
the cause of all this alteration, till he saw him lying in that
disconsolate posture; when he immediately guessed he had not only heard
what passed between him and the queen Gulnare, but was become
passionately in love. He hereupon alighted, at some distance from him,
and having tied his horse to a tree, took a compass, and came upon him so
softly, that he heard him pronounce the following words:
Adorable princess of the kingdom of Samarcand, cried he out, I have no
doubt had but an imperfect sketch of your incomparable beauty; yet I hold
you to be preferable to all the princesses in the world in charms, and to
excel them as much as the sun does the moon and stars. I would this
moment go and offer you my heart, if I but knew where to find you: it
belongs to you, dear princess, and nobody shall be the possessor of it
but you.