the Princess of China | @® 41

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ship, he arrived safe in sight of the capital; but, just before it
entered the port, the ship struck against a rock through the unskil-
fulness of the pilot, and foundered. It went down in sight of
-Prince Camaralzaman’s castle, where were at that time the king
and his grand vizier. j

Marzavan could swim very well, and immediately on the ship’s
sinking cast himself into the sea, and got safe to the shore under
the castle, where he was soon relieved by the grand vizier’s order.
After he had changed his clothes and been well treated, and
had recovered, he was introduced to the grand vizier, who had
sent for him. :

Marzavan being a young man of good air and address, this
minister received him very civilly; and when he heard him give
such just and fitting answers to what was asked of him, conceived a
great esteem for him. ‘He also gradually perceived that he possessed
a great deal of knowledge, and therefore said to him, ‘ From what I
can understand, I perceive you are no common man; you have
travelled a great way: would to God you had learned any secret
for curing a certain sick person, who has greatly afflicted this court
for a long while!’.

. Marzavan replied that if he knew what malady it was, he might
perhaps find a remedy for it.

Then the grand vizier related to him the whole story of Prince
Camaralzaman from its origin, and concealed nothing; his birth,
his education, the inclination the king his father had to see him
married early, his resistance and extraordinary aversion to marriage,
his disobeying his father in full council, his imprisonment, his
pretended extravagancies in prison, which were afterwards changed
into a violent madness for a certain unknown lady, who, he
pretended, had exchanged a ring with him; though, for his paut,

“he verily believed there was no such person in the world.

Marzavan gave great attention to all the grand vizier said; and