with profound respect, and by a very low bow signified to her
majesty that he in return drank to her health.

At the same time, ten of Queen Labe's women entered with musical
instruments, with which and their voices they made an agreeable
concert, while they continued drinking till late at night. At
length both began so to be heated with wine; that King Beder
insensibly forgot he had to do with a magic queen, and looked
upon her only as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. As
soon as the queen perceived she had wrought him to the pitch she
desired, she made a sign to her eunuchs and women to retire.

Next morning the queen and King Beder went to the bath; the women
who had served the king there, presented him with fine linen and
a magnificent habit. The queen likewise, who was more splendidly
dressed than the day before, came to receive him, and they went
together to her apartments, where they had a repast brought them,
and spent the remainder of the day in walking in the garden and
in various other amusements.

Queen Labe treated King Beder after this manner for forty days,
as she had been accustomed to do all her lovers. The fortieth
night, as they were in bed together, she, believing he was really
asleep, arose without making any noise; but he was awake, and
perceiving she had some design upon him watched all her motions.
Being up, she opened a chest, from whence she took a little box
full of a yellow powder; taking some of the powder, she laid a
train of it across the chamber, and it immediately flowed in a
rivulet of water, to the great astonishment of King Beder. He
trembled with fear, but still pretended to sleep.

Queen Labe next took up some of the water in a vessel, poured it
into a basin that contained some flour; with which she made a
paste, and kneaded it for a long time: then she mixed with it
certain drugs which she took from different boxes, and made a
cake, which she put into a covered baking-pan. As she had taken
care first of all to make a good fire, she took some of the
coals, and set the pan upon them; and while the cake was baking,
she put up the vessels and boxes in their places again; and on
her pronouncing certain words, the rivulet disappeared. When the
cake was baked, she took it off the coals, carried it into her
closet, and afterwards returned to King Beder, who dissembled so
well, that she had not the least suspicion of his having seen
what she had done.

King Beder, whom the