r? I to-morrow
Will take thee in my arms, and straight convey thee
To Zal, and place thee on the ivory throne,
And on thy head a crown of gold shall glitter.
The treasury I will open, and our troops
Shall fight for thee, and I will gird my loins
As they were girt for thy bold ancestors;
And when thou art the chosen king, and I
Thy warrior-chief, the world will be thy own;
No other sovereign need attempt to reign."

"So much time has been spent in vain boasting, and extravagant
self-praise," rejoined Isfendiyar, "that the day is nearly done, and I
am hungry; let us therefore take some refreshment together." Rustem's
appetite being equally keen, the board was spread, and every dish that
was brought to him he emptied at once, as if at one swallow; then he
threw aside the goblets, and called for the large flagon that he might
drink his fill without stint. When he had finished several dishes and as
many flagons of wine, he paused, and Isfendiyar and the assembled chiefs
were astonished at the quantity he had devoured. He now prepared to
depart, and the prince said to him, "Go and consult with thy father: if
thou art contented to be bound, well; if not, thou wilt have cause to
repent, for I will assuredly attend to the commands of Gushtasp."--"Do
thou also consult with thy brethren and friends," replied Rustem,
"whether thou wilt be our guest to-morrow, or not; if not, come to this
place before sunrise, that we may decide our differences in battle."
Isfendiyar said, "My most anxious desire, my wish to heaven, is to meet
thee, for I shall have no difficulty in binding thee hand and foot. I
would indeed willingly convey thee without fetters to my father, but if
I did so, he would say that I was unable to put thee in bonds, and that
would disgrace my name." Rustem observed that the immense number of men
and demons he had contended against was as nothing in the balance of his
mind compared with the painful subject of his present thoughts and
fears. He was ready to engage, but afraid of meriting a bad name.

"If in the battle thou art slain by me,
Will not my cheek turn pale among the princes
Of the Kaianian race, having cut off
A lovely branch of that illustrious tree?
Will not reproaches hang upon my name
When I am dead, and shall I not be cursed
For perpetrating such a horrid deed?
Thy father, too, is old, and near his end,
And thou upon the eve of being crowned;
And in thy heart tho