enchantments, and falling a-weeping, said to him, "O my uncle,
what have I done to deserve from thee this blow?" The Maugrabin
proceeded to soothe him and said to him, "O my son, it is my
desire to make thee a man; so cross me not, for that I am thine
uncle and as it were thy father; wherefore do thou obey me in
that which I shall say to thee, and after a little thou shalt
forget all this travail and annoy, whenas thou lookest upon
things marvellous."

Now, when the earth clove in sunder before the enchanter, there
appeared to him an alabaster slab and in it a ring of molten
brass; [FN#219] so he turned to Alaeddin and said to him, "An thou
do that which I shall tell thee, thou shalt become richer than
all the kings; and on this account, O my son, I beat thee, for
that here is a treasure and it is in thy name, and thou, thou
wouldst fain have passed it by and fled. But now collect thy
wits [FN#220] and see how I have opened the earth by my
conjurations and incantations. Under [FN#221] yonder stone,
wherein is the ring, is the treasure whereof I have told thee; so
do thou put thy hand to the ring and lift the slab, for that none
of mankind can open it but thou and none but thou can set his
foot within this treasure, since it is guarded for thee. But
needs must thou hearken from me that which I shall teach thee and
lose not [FN#222] a syllable of my speech. Marry, all this, O my
son, is for thy good, for that this is an exceeding great
treasure, the kings of the world possess not its like, and it is
thine and mine." So poor Alaeddin forgot fatigue and beating and
weeping, of his amazement at the Maugrabin's speech and joy that
he should become rich after such a measure that even the kings
would be no wealthier than he, and said to him, "O my uncle,