from me to banter your majesty; nothing is more certain than what
I have had the honour to tell you. I can assure your majesty, it
is the king of Persia, named Beder, son of the celebrated
Gulnare, princess of one of the largest kingdoms of the sea,
nephew of Saleh, king of that kingdom, and grandson of Queen
Farasche, mother of Gulnare and Saleh; and it was the Princess
Jehaun-ara, daughter of the king of Samandal, who thus
metamorphosed him into a bird." That the king might no longer
doubt of what she affirmed, she told him the whole story, and
stated that the Princess Jehaun-ara had thus revenged herself for
the ill treatment which King Saleh had used towards the king of
Samandal her father.

The king had the less difficulty to believe this assertion of the
queen, as he knew her to be a skilful magician. And as she knew
everything which passed in every part of the world, he was always
by her means timely informed of the designs of the kings his
neighbours against him, and prevented them. His majesty had
compassion on the king of Persia, and earnestly besought his
queen to break the enchantment, that he might return to his own
form.

The queen consented with great willingness. "Sir," said she to
the king, "be pleased to take the bird into your closet, and I
will shew you a king worthy of the consideration you have for
him." The bird, which had ceased eating, and attended to what the
king and queen said, would not give his majesty the trouble to
take him, but hopped into the closet before him; and the queen
came in soon after, with a vessel full of water in her hand. She
pronounced over the vessel some words unknown to the king, till