the King’s Son we 205

ever any one had-either seen or known of the cleverness or sense of
apes, he determined not to be the only witness of those prodigies
himself; but having a daughter, called the Lady of Beauty, on whom
the chief of the chamberlains, then present, waited, ‘Go, said the
sultan to him, ‘and bid your lady come hither: I am desirous she
should share my pleasure.’ ;

The chamberlain went, and immediately brought the Brcess who
had her face uncovered ; but she had no sooner come into the room
than she put on her veil, and said to the sultan, ‘Sir, your majesty
must needs have forgotten yoursélf: I am very much Sore S that
your majesty has sent for me to appear among men.’

‘Nay, daughter, said the sultan, ‘you do not know what you say:
here is nobody but the little slave, the chamberlain your attendant
and myself, who have the liberty to see your face; and yet you lower
your veil, and blame me for having sent for you hither.’

‘Sir? said the princess, ‘your majesty shall soon understand that I
am not in the wrong. ~ That ape you see before you, ‘though he has
the shape of an ape, is a young prince, son of a great king; he has

_been metamorphosed into an ape by enchantment. A genie, the son

of the daughter of Eblis, has maliciously done him this wrong, after
“having cruelly taken away the life of the Princess of the Isle of
Ebony, daughter to the King Epitimarus.’

The. sultan, astonished at this discourse, turned feeacds me
and-asked no more by signs, but in- plain words if it was true
what his daughter said? Seeing I could not speak, I put my
hand to my head to signify that what the princess spoke was true.
Upon this the sultan said again to his daughter, ‘How do you
know that this prince has been transformed by enchantments into
an ape?’

‘Sir, replied: the Lady of Beauty, ‘ your majesty may remember
that when I was past my infancy, I.had an old lady to wait upon
me; she was a most expert magician, and» taught me seventy rules