ation, and he and his queen sat down with them. After the
collation, the king of Persia conversed with them 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 with continual
feasts; in which he omitted nothing that might shew his grandeur
and magnificence, and insensibly prevailed with them to stay with
him till the queen was brought to bed. When the time of her
lying-in drew near, he gave particular orders that nothing should
be wanting proper for such an occasion. At length she was brought
to bed of a son, to the great joy of the queen her mother, who
assisted at the labour, and presented him to the king.

The king of Persia received this present with a joy easier to be
imagined than expressed. The young prince being of a beautiful
countenance, he thought no name so proper for him as that of
Beder, which in the Arabian language signifies the Full Moon. To
return thanks to heaven, he was very liberal in his alms to the
poor, caused the prison doors to be set open, and gave all his
slaves of both sexes their liberty. He distributed vast sums
among the ministers and holy men of his religion. He also gave
large donations to his courtiers, besides a considerable sum that
was thrown amongst the people; and by proclamation, ordered
rejoicings to be kept for several days through the whole city.

One day, after the queen was recovered, as the king of Persia,
Gulnare, the queen her mother, King Saleh her brother, and the
princesses their relations, were discoursing together in her
majesty's bed-chamber, the nurse came in with the young prince
Beder in her arms. King Saleh as soon as he saw him, ran to
embrace him, and taking him in his arms, kissed and caressed him
with the greatest demonstrations of tenderness. He took several
turns with him about the room, dancing and tossing him about,
when all of a sudden, through a transport of joy, the window
being open, he sprung out, and plunged with him into the sea.

The king of Persia, who expected no such sight, believing he
should either see the prince his son no more, or else that he
should see him drowned, was overwhelmed in affliction. "Sir,"
said 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