kings of mankind; and Alaeddin knew not their value, but thought
that they were glass or crystal. "Then, O my mother," continued
he, "after I had fetched the lamp and had gone forth [the garden]
and came to the door of the treasure, I cried out to the accursed
Maugrabin, who feigned himself my uncle, to give me his hand and
pull me up, for I was laden with things which weighed me down, so
that it was not possible for me to mount alone. However, he would
not give me his hand, but said to me, 'Reach me the lamp that is
with thee, and after I will give thee my hand and pull thee up.'
I, seeing that I had put the lamp within my sleeve and the purses
atop [FN#280] of it, could not reach it to give it to him and said
to him, 'O my-uncle, I cannot give thee the lamp. When I come up,
I will give it to thee.' But he would not help me up; nay, he
would e'en have the lamp, and his intent was to take it from me
and turn back the earth over me and destroy me, even as he did
with me in the end. This, then, O my mother, was what befell me
from that foul wizard." And he told her all that had passed
between them from first to last and fell to reviling the
Maugrabin with all rancour and heat of heart, saying, "Out on
this accursed one, this foul sorcerer, this hard-hearted
oppressor, this inhuman, perfidious, hypocritical villain,
lacking [FN#281] all mercy and ruth!"

When [FN#282] Alaeddin's mother heard her son's speech and that
which the accursed Maugrabin did with him, she said to him, "Yea,
verily, O my son, he is a misbeliever and a hypocrite, who
destroyeth folk with his sorcery; but glory [FN#283] to God the
Most High, who hath delivered thee from the perfidy and guile of
this accursed sorcerer, of whom I thought that he was in very
deed thine uncle." Now, Alaeddin had passed three days without