quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night
and that was

The Five Hundred and Fourteenth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
continued to Al-Hajjaj: - "And whoso breaketh his fast daily with
seven raisins red of hue shall never find in his body aught that
irketh him; moreover, whoso each morning eateth on the
spittle[FN#80] three ripe dates all the worms in his belly shall
be slain and whoso exceedeth in diet of boucan'd meat[FN#81] and
fish shall find his strength weakened and his powers of carnal
copulation abated; and beware lest thou eat beef[FN#82] by cause
that 'tis a disease forsure whereas the soured milk of cows is a
remedy secure and clarified butter is a perfect cure: withal is
its hide a succor for use and ure. And do thou take to thee, O
Hajjaj, the greater Salve."[FN#83] Cried the Lieutenant, "What
may be that?" and said the youth in reply, "A bittock of hard
bread eaten[FN#84] upon the spittle, for indeed such food
consumeth the phlegm and similar humours which be at the mouth of
the maw.[FN#85] And let not the blood in the hot bath for it
enfeebleth man's force, and gaze not upon the metal pots of the