persons who accompanied the sultaness threw off their veils and
long robes, that they might be at more freedom; but was
wonderfully surprised when he saw ten of them to be blacks, and
that each of them took his mistress. The sultaness, on her part,
was not long without her gallant. She clapped her hands, and
called out Masoud, Masoud, and immediately a black came down from
a tree, and ran to her in all haste.

Modesty will not allow, nor is it necessary to relate, what
passed betwixt the blacks and ladies. It is sufficient to say,
that Schahzenan saw enough to convince him that his brother had
as much cause to complain as himself. This amorous company
continued together till midnight and having bathed all together
in a great pond, which was one of the chief ornaments of the
garden, they dressed themselves, and re-entered the palace, by
the secret door, all except Masoud, who climbed up his tree, and
got over the garden-wall the same way as he came.

All this having passed in the king of Tartary's sight, it gave
him occasion to make a multitude of reflections. How little
reason had I, says he, to think that no one was so unfortunate as
myself? It is certainly the unavoidable fate of all husbands,
since the sultan, my brother, who is sovereign of so many
dominions, and the greatest prince of the earth, could not escape
it. The case being so, what a fool am I to kill myself with
grief? I will throw it off, and the remembrance of a misfortune
so common shall never after this disturb my quiet. So that, from
that moment, he forebore afflicting himself. Being unwilling to
sup till he saw the whole scene that was acted under his window,
he called then for his supper, ate with a better appetite than he