Grandees, deign accept him to mate." Nor did the Sultan's mother
cease to speak soothing words to the maiden and to gentle her
with soft language until her mind was made up and she gave
consent.[FN#177] Upon this they began to prepare for the ceremony
forthright, and summoned the Kazi and witnesses who duly knotted
the knot of wedlock and by eventide the glad tidings of the
espousals were bruited abroad. The King bade spread bride-feasts
and banqueting tables and invited his high Officials and the
Grandees of the kingdom and he went in to the maiden that very
night and the rejoicings grew in gladness and all sorrows ceased
to deal sadness. Then he proclaimed through the capital and all
the burghs that the lieges should decorate the streets with rare
tapestries and multiform in honour of the Sultanate. Accordingly,
they adorned the thoroughfares in the city and its suburbs for
forty days and the rejoicings increased when the King fed the
widows and the Fakirs and the mesquin and scattered gold and
robed and gifted and largessed till all the days of decoration
were gone by. On this wise the sky of his estate grew clear by
the loyalty of the lieges and he gave orders to deal justice
after the fashion of the older Sultans, to wit, the Chosroes and
the Caesars; and this condition endured for three years, during
which Almighty Allah blessed him by the Princess with two
men-children as they were moons. Such was the case with the
youngest Princess; but as regards the cadette, the second
sister,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent
and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that