the Princess Nouronnihar_ . a 71

i

 

thoughts ran so much upon the Princess Nouronnihar, that he fancied
he should be the more easy and happy the nearer he was to her.
After he had paid the master of the khan for his apartment, and told
him the hour when he might come for‘the key, without telling him
how he should go, he shut the door, put the key on the outside, and:
spreading the carpet, he and the officer he had brought with him sat
down on it, and, as soon as he had wished, were transported to the inn :
at which he and his brothers were to meet, where he passed for a
merchant till they came.

Prince Ali, the second brother, travelled into oe sia, with a caravan,
-and after four months’ travelling arrived at  Schiraz, which was then
the capital of the kingdom of Persia, and having on the way made
friends with some merchants, passed for a jeweller, and lodged in the
same khan with them.

The next morning, while the merchants were opening their bales
of merchandise, Prince Ali took a walk into that quarter of the town
where they sold precious stones, gold and silver work, brocades, silks,
fine linens, and other choice and valuable merchandise, which was at
Schiraz called the bezestein. It was a spacious and well-built place,
arched over, and supported by large pillars; along the walls, within
and without, were shops. Prince Ali soon rambled through the
bezestein, and with admiration judged of the riches of the place

/ by the prodigious quantities of most precious. merchandiseg ‘there
es to view. ;

_ But among all the criers ‘who passed backwards ain Oewideds with

_ several sorts of things to sell, he was not.a little surprised to see one
who held in his hand an ivory tube about a foot in length and about
an inch thick, and cried it at thirty purses. At first he thought the
_ rier mad, and to make sure, went to:a shop, and said to the merchant,
who stood at the door, ‘Pray, sir, is not that man mad? If he is neg
I am very much’ deceived.’ a
‘Indeed, Sify, answered the merchant, “ ‘he was in | his right senses: