l is that thou
take me to a bath, whose like is not in the world, and fetch me a suit
of royal raiment and exceeding costly, such as no king can boast."
"Hearkening and obedience," replied the Marid and taking him up, brought
him intro a bath, never saw King nor Kisra [447] its like, for it was
of alabaster and agate and full of marvellous limnings that ravished the
sight, and therein was a saloon all embossed with precious jewels. None
was there; but, when Alaeddin entered, there came in to him one of the
Jinn in human semblance and washed him and bathed him to the utmost of
the wish: after [448] which he went forth the bath to the outer saloon,
where he found his clothes taken away and in their stead a suit of the
richest royal apparel. Then sherbets were brought him and coffee with
ambergris and he drank and arose; whereupon there came to him a troop
of slaves and clad him in those [449] sumptuous clothes [450] and he
dressed and perfumed himself with essences and sweet-scented smoke.
[451] Now thou knowest [452] that Alaeddin was the son of a poor man,
a tailor: yet now none had thought it, [453] but had said, "This is the
chiefest of the sons of the kings," extolled be the perfection of Him
who changeth and is not changed!

Then the slave of the lamp came to him and taking him up, set him down
in his house and said to him, "O my lord, dost thou need aught?" "Yes,"
answered Alaeddin; "I will have thee bring me eight-and-forty mamelukes,
[454] four-and-twenty to walk before me and four-and-twenty to walk
behind me, with their horses and clothes and arms, and let all that is
upon them and their horses be of stuffs costly and precious exceedingly,
such as are not found in kings' treasuries. Then bring me a stallion
fit for the riding of the Chosroes and be his trappings all of gold,
embossed with noble jewels; and bring me eight-and-forty thousand
diners, in each mameluke's hand a thousand, for that I purpose presently
to visit the Sultan; wherefore delay thou not on me, since I cannot go
thither without all that whereof I have bespoken thee. Bring me also
twelve slave-girls, who must be unique in loveliness and clad in the
richest of raiment, so they may attend my mother to the Sultan's palace,
and let each slave-girl have with her a suit of apparel fit for the
wearing of kings' wives." [455]

"Hearkening and obedience," replied the genie and disappearing, brought
him in the twinkling of an eye all that he had comman