The king of Persia was more astonished at hearing this than he was before: however, believing the slave might have some reason for her sorrow, he was willing to endeavour to divert it, and make her merry. Accordingly, he made a very splendid ball, to which all the fine ladies of the court came, and those who were skilful in playing upon musical instruments showed their parts, while others sang or danced, or did both together: in short, they played at a great many sorts of games, which mightily diverted the king. The fair slave was the only person that took no pleasure in those diversions: she never stirred out of her place, but with her eyes still fixed on the ground, without taking any notice of the entertainment, behaved herself with so much indifferency that all the ladies were no less surprised at it than the king. After the ball was done, every one retired to her apartment; and the king, who was left alone with the fair slave, lay with her that night.
The next morning, the king of Persia arose more pleased than he had been with all the women he had ever seen, and more enamoured with the fair slave than he was before. Indeed, he soon made it appear, by resolving henceforth to keep constant to her; and he performed his resolution. On the very same day he dismissed all his other women, giving every one of them their jewels and other valuable things, besides a considerable fortune, with free leave to marry whom they thought fit, and only kept the matrons, and a few other old women, to wait upon and attend the fair slave. However, for a whole year together, she never afforded him the pleasure of one single word; yet the king took abundance of pains to please her, and, with all complaisance imaginable, to give her the most signal proofs of his violent passion.
The year was now expired, when the king, sitting one day by his mistress, protested to her that his love, instead of being diminished, grew every day more violent: My queen, said he, I cannot conceive what your thoughts are; but, however, nothing is more true, and I swear to you the same, that in having the happiness of possessing you, there remains nothing for me to desire: I esteem my kingdom, great as it is, less than an atom, when I have the pleasure of beholding your eyes, and of telling you a thousand times how I adore you. You see I have given you some other proofs of my affection than bare words; and therefore surely you can never doubt of it, after the vast number of women I have sacrificed to your beauty. You may remember, it is about a year since I sent them away from my court; and I repent of it as little even now I am talking with you, as I did the first moment of their departure, and I believe I never shall. Nothing would be wanting to complete my happiness, and crown my joys for ever, would you speak but one single word to me, by which I might be assured that you thought yourself in some measure obliged to me. But how can you speak to me if you are dumb? and alas! how fearful I am lest it should be true! yet what reason have I to doubt of it, since you still torment me with silence, after a whole year’s entreating you every hour to speak to me! However, if it is impossible for me to obtain that consolation, may Heaven, at least, grant me the blessing of a son by you to succeed me after my death. I find myself growing old every day, and I begin to want one to assist me in bearing the weight of a crown. But still I cannot refrain from the desire I have of hearing you speak; for methinks something within me tells me you are not dumb; and, therefore, dear madam, I beseech, I conjure you, to break through this obstinate humour, and speak but one word to me; and after that, I care not how soon I die.
At this discourse, the fair slave, who, according to her usual custom, had hearkened to the king with downcast eyes, and had given him cause to believe, not only that she was dumb, but that she never had laughed in her life, began to look up and smile a little. The king of Persia perceived it with a surprise that made him break forth into an exclamation of joy; and no longer doubting but that she was going to speak, he waited for that happy moment with an eagerness and attention that cannot be easily expressed.
At last, the fair slave, breaking her long silence, thus addressed herself to the king: Sir, said she, I have so many things to say to your majesty, that, having once broke silence, I know not where to begin. However, in the first place, I think myself obliged in duty to thank your majesty for all the favours and honours you have been pleased to confer upon me, and to implore the gods to bless and prosper you, to prevent the wicked designs and intentions of your enemies, and that they would not suffer you to die after hearing me speak, but grant you a long and happy reign. After this, sir, I cannot give you a greater satisfaction than acquainting you with my being with child; and I wish, as you do, it may be a son. Had it never been my fortune to have been breeding, I was resolved (I beg your majesty to pardon the sincerity of my intention) never to have loved you, as well as to have kept an eternal silence; but now I love and respect you as I ought to do.
The king of Persia, ravished to hear the fair slave not only speak, but at the same time tell him news in which he was so nearly concerned, embraced her tenderly: Shining light of my eyes, said he, it is impossible for me to receive a greater joy than what you have now given me: you have spoken to me, and declared your being with child; so that I am fully satisfied in myself, that after these two signal occasions of joy, I ought to expect no other.
The king of Persia, in the transport of joy he was in, said no more to the fair slave. He left her; but after such a manner as made her perceive his intention was speedily to return; and being willing that the occasion of his joy should be made public, he declared it to his officers, and sent in all haste for the grand vizier. As soon as he came, he ordered him to distribute a thousand pieces of gold among the holy men of his religion, who had made vows of poverty; as also among the hospitals and the poor, by way of returning thanks to Heaven; and his will was obeyed, by the direction of that minister.
After the king of Persia had given this order, he came to the fair slave again: Madam, said he, pardon me for leaving you so abruptly, since you have been the occasion of it; but I hope you will entertain me some other time, since I am desirous to know of you several things of a much greater consequence. However, in the mean time, tell me, I beseech you, my dearest charmer, what were the powerful reasons that induced you to persist in that obstinate silence for a whole year together, though every day you saw me, heard me talk to you, ate and drank with me, and every night lay with me? I shall pass by your not speaking; but how you could carry yourself after such an indifferent manner, that I could never discover whether you were sensible of what I said to you, or no, I must confess it surpasses my understanding: and I cannot yet comprehend, how you could contain yourself so long: therefore I must conclude the occasion of it to be very extraordinary.
To satisfy the king of Persia’s curiosity, this fair person replied, Think whether or no to be a slave, far from my own country, without any hopes of ever seeing it again, to have a heart torn with grief, for being separated from my mother, my brother, my friends, and my acquaintance, are not sufficient reasons for my keeping a silence your majesty has thought so strange and unaccountable. The love of our native country is as natural to us as that of our parents; and the loss of liberty is unsupportable to every one, who is not wholly destitute of sense and reason, and knows how to set a value on it. The body indeed may be enslaved, and under the subjection of a master who has the power and authority in his hands; but the will can never be conquered or domineered over, but still remains free and unconfined, depending on itself alone, and your majesty has found an example of it in me; and it is a wonder that I have not followed the example of abundance of unfortunate wretches, whom the loss of liberty has reduced to the mournful resolution of procuring their own deaths a thousand ways, rather than survive it, and wear out a wretched life in shameful slavery.
Madam, replied the king, I am now convinced of the truth of what you say; but till this moment I was of opinion, that a person beautiful, well-shaped, with a great deal of wit and good sense, such as yourself, whom her rigorous stars had destined to be a slave, ought to think herself very happy in meeting with a king for her master.