The sultan hearkened to this discourse with a great deal of mildness, without shewing the least anger or passion; but before he gave her any answer, he asked her what she had brought tied up in that napkin. She took the china dish, which she had set down at the foot of the throne, before she prostrated herself before him; she untied it, and presented it to the sultan.
The sultan’s amazement and surprise were inexpressible, when he saw so many large, beautiful, and valuable jewels collected in one dish. He remained for some time motionless with admiration. At last, when he had recovered himself, he received the present from Aladdin’s mother’s hand, and crying out in a transport of joy, “How rich and how beautiful!” After he had admired and handled all the jewels, one after another, he turned about to his grand vizier, and shewing him the dish, said, “Look here, and confess that your eyes never beheld any thing so rich and beautiful before.” The vizier was charmed. “Well,” continued the sultan, “what sayest thou to such a present? Is it not worthy of the princess my daughter! And ought I not to bestow her on one who values her at so great price?”
These words put the grand vizier into a strange agitation. The sultan had some time before signified to him his intention of bestowing the princess his daughter on a son of his; therefore he was afraid, and not without grounds, that the sultan, dazzled by so rich and extraordinary a present, might change his mind. Thereupon, going to him, and whispering him in the ear, he said to him, “Sir, I cannot but own that the present is worthy of the princess; but I beg of your majesty to grant me three months before you come to a resolution. I hope, before that time, my son, on whom you have had the goodness to look with a favourable eye, will be able to make a nobler present than Aladdin, who is an entire stranger to your majesty.”
The sultan, though he was very well persuaded that it was not possible for the vizier to provide so considerable a present for his son to make the princess, yet he hearkened to him, and granted him that favour. So turning about to Aladdin’s mother, he said to her, “Good woman, go home, and tell your son that I agree to the proposal you have made me; but I cannot marry the princess my daughter till some furniture I design for her be got ready, which cannot be finished these three months; but at the expiration of that time come again.”
Aladdin’s mother returned home much more overjoyed than she could have imagined, for she looked upon her access to the sultan as a thing impossible; and besides, she had met with a favourable answer instead of the refusal and confusion she expected. From two circumstances Aladdin, when he saw his mother return, judged that she brought him good news; the one was, that she returned sooner than ordinary; and the next was, the gaiety of her countenance. “Well, mother,” said he to her, “may I entertain any hopes, or must I die with despair?” When she had pulled off her veil, and had sat herself down on the sofa by him, she said to him, “Not to keep you long in suspense, son, I will begin by telling you, that instead of thinking of dying, you have every reason to be very well satisfied.” Then pursuing her discourse, she told him how that she had an audience before everybody else, which made her come home so soon; the precautions she had taken lest she should have displeased the sultan, by making the proposal of marriage between him and the princess Badr-oul-boudour, and the favourable answer she had from the caliph’s own mouth; and that, as far as she could judge, the present wrought that powerful effect. “But when I least expected it,” said she, “and he was going to give me an answer, the grand vizier whispered him in the ear, and I was afraid it might be some obstacle to his good intentions towards us.”
Aladdin thought himself the most happy of all men, at hearing of this news, and thanked his mother for all the pains she had taken in the pursuit of this affair, the good success of which was of so great importance to his peace. Though, through his impatience to enjoy the object of his passion, three months seemed an age, yet he disposed himself to wait with patience, relying on the sultan’s word, which he looked upon to be irrevocable. But all that time he not only counted the hours, days, and weeks, but every moment. When two of the three months were passed, his mother one evening going to light the lamp, and finding no oil in the house, went out to buy some, and when she came into the city, found a general rejoicing. The shops, instead of being shut up, were open, dressed with foliage, every one striving to shew their zeal in the most distinguished manner. The streets were crowded with officers in habits of ceremony, mounted on horses richly caparisoned, each attended by a great many footmen. Aladdin’s mother asked the oil-merchant what was the meaning of all those doings. “Whence came you, good woman,” said he, “that you don’t know that the grand vizier’s son is to marry the princess Badr-oul-boudour, the sultan’s daughter, to-night? She will presently return from the baths; and these officers that you see, are to assist at the cavalcade to the palace, where the ceremony is to be solemnised.”
This was news enough for Aladdin’s mother. She ran, till she was quite out of breath, home to her son, who little suspected any such thing. “Child,” cried she, “you are undone! you depend upon the sultan’s fine promises, but they will come to nothing.” Aladdin was terribly alarmed at these words. “Mother,” replied he, “how do you know the sultan has been guilty of a breach of promise?” “This night,” answered the mother, “the grand vizier’s son is to marry the princess Badr-oul-boudour.” She then related how she had heard it; so that from all circumstances he had no reason to doubt the truth of what she said.
At this account, Aladdin was thunderstruck. Any other man would have sunk under the shock; but a secret motive of jealousy soon roused his spirits, and he bethought himself of the lamp, which had till then been so useful to him; and without venting his rage in empty words against the sultan, the vizier, or his son, he only said, “Perhaps, mother, the vizier’s son may not be so happy to-night as he promises himself: while I go into my chamber a moment, do you go and get supper ready.” She accordingly went about it, and she guessed that her son was going to make use of the lamp, to prevent if possible, the consummation of the marriage.
When Aladdin had got into his chamber, he took the lamp, and rubbed it in the same place as before, and immediately the genie appeared, and said to him, “What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave, and the slave of all those who have that lamp in their hands; I and the other slaves of the lamp.” “Hear me,” said Aladdin; “thou hast hitherto brought me whatever I wanted as to provisions; but now I have business of the greatest importance for thee to execute. I have demanded the princess Badr-oul-boudour in marriage of the sultan her father: he promised her to me, but he asked three months’ time: and instead of keeping that promise, has this night, before the expiration of that time, married her to the grand vizier’s son. I have just heard this, and have no doubt of it. What I ask of you is, that as soon as the bride and bridegroom are in bed, you bring them both hither in their bed.” “Master,” replied the genie, “I will obey you. Have you any other commands?” “None, at present,” answered Aladdin; and then the genie disappeared.
Aladdin went down stairs, and supped with his mother, with the same tranquillity of mind as usual; and after supper, talked of the princess’s marriage as of an affair wherein he had not the least concern; and afterwards returned to his own chamber again, and left his mother to go to bed; but he for his part, sat up till the genie had executed his orders.