The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 02

To John Payne, Esq.
My Dear Sir,
Allow me thus publicly to express my admiration of your magnum opus, The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night; and to offer you my cordial thanks for honouring me with the dedication of that scholar-like and admirable version.
Ever yours sincerely,
Richard F. Burton.
Queen's College, Oxford, August 1, 1885.
Hold to nobles, sons of nobles! 'tis ever Nature's test That nobles born of nobles shall excel in noble deed: And shun the mean of soul, meanly bred, for 'tis the law, Mean deeds come of men who are mean of blood and breed.
And as much as the people loved and fondly loved Al-Fazl bin Khákán, so they hated and thoroughly hated the mean and miserly Mu'ín bin Sáwí. It befel one day by the decree of the Decreer, that King Mohammed bin Sulayman al-Zayni, being seated on his throne with his officers of state about him, summoned his Wazir Al-Fazl and said to him, I wish to have a slave-girl of passing beauty, perfect in loveliness, exquisite in symmetry and endowed with all praiseworthy gifts. Said the courtiers, Such a girl is not to be bought for less than ten thousand gold pieces: whereupon the Sultan called out to his treasurer and said, Carry ten thousand dinars to the house of Al-Fazl bin Khákán. The treasurer did the King's bidding; and the Minister went away, after receiving the royal charge to repair to the slave-bazar every day, and entrust to brokers the matter aforesaid. Moreover the King issued orders that girls worth above a thousand gold pieces should not be bought or sold without being first displayed to the Wazir. Accordingly no broker purchased a slave-girl ere she had been paraded before the minister; but none pleased him, till one day a dealer came to the house and found him taking horse and intending for the palace. So he caught hold of his stirrup saying,
O thou, who givest to royal state sweet savour, Thou'rt a Wazir shalt never fail of favour! Dead Bounty thou hast raised to life for men; Ne'er fail of Allah's grace such high endeavour!