been the coral lips and the lilies and roses of his most beautiful wives;
whilst they, less terrified than jealous at the sight, dropped their
veils to hide the blush of mortification that suffused their foreheads.

Nor would the scene have closed here, had not Carathis, with all the art
of insinuation, a little repressed the raptures of her son. Having
prevailed upon him to return to Samarah, she caused a herald to precede
him, whom she commanded to proclaim as loudly as possible: "The wonderful
stranger hath appeared again; he hath healed the Caliph; he hath spoken!
he hath spoken!"

Forthwith all the inhabitants of this vast city quitted their
habitations, and ran together in crowds to see the procession of Vathek
and the Indian, whom they now blessed as much as they had before
execrated, incessantly shouting: "He hath healed our sovereign; he hath
spoken! he hath spoken!" Nor were these words forgotten in the public
festivals which were celebrated the same evening, to testify the general
joy; for the poets applied them as a chorus to all the songs they
composed.

The Caliph in the meanwhile caused the palaces of the senses to be again
set open; and, as he found himself prompted to visit that of taste in
preference to the rest, immediately ordered a splendid entertainment, to
which his great officers and favourite courtiers were all invited. The
Indian, who was placed near the prince, seemed to think that as a proper
acknowledgment of so distinguished a privilege he could neither eat,
drink, nor talk too much. The various dainties were no sooner served up
than they vanished, to the great mortification of Vathek, who piqued
himself on being the greatest eater alive, and at this time in particular
had an excellent appetite.