e sultan heard this, his colour changed, he turned
pale, and fainted away. When he was recovered, he remained some
time in deep contemplation, after which he exclaimed, "By him who
constituted me the guardian of his people, I swear that if thy
assertion be found true I will abdicate my kingdom, and resign it
to thee, for royalty cannot longer become me; but should thy
words prove void of foundation, I will put thee to instant
death." "To hear is to assent," replied the sharper.

The sultan now arose, entered the haram, and bursting into his
mother's apartment with his cimeter drawn, exclaimed, "By him who
divided the heavens from the earth, shouldst thou not answer
faithfully to what I shall inquire, I will cut thee to pieces
with this cimeter." The queen, trembling with alarm, said, "What
dost thou ask of me?" "Inform me," replied the sultan, "of whom
am I the son?" "Since truth only can save me," cried the
princess, "know that thou art the offspring of a cook. My husband
had no children either male or female, on which account he became
sad, and lost his health and appetite. In a court of the haram we
had several sorts of birds, and one day the sultan fancying he
should relish one of them, ordered the cook to kill and dress it.
I happened then to be in the bath alone.

"As I was in the bath," continued the sultana, "I saw the cook
endeavouring to catch the birds. At that instant it occurred to
my mind from the instigation of Satan, that if I bore not a son,
after the death of the sultan my influence would be lost. I
tempted the man, and thou art the produce of my crime. The signs
of my pregnancy soon appeared; and when the sultan was informed
of them, he recovered his health, and rejoiced exceedingly, and
conferred favours and presents on his ministers and courtiers
daily, till the time of my delivery. On that day he chanced to be
upon a hunting excursion at a country palace; but when
intelligence was brought him of the birth of a son, he instantly
returned to me, and issued orders for the city to be decorated,
which was done for forty days together, out of respect to the
sultan. Such was my crime, and such was thy birth."

The sultan now returned to the adventurer, and commanded him to
pull off his clothes, which he did; when the sultan, disrobing
himself, habited him in the royal vestments, after which he said,
"Inform me whence thou judgest that I was a bastard?"

"My lord," replied the adventurer, "when each