PALACE OF THE MOUNTEBANKS 133

Although he was at some distance off, no
sooner did he see the crystal glittering in
the sun (the purple velvet having been opened
on either side to permit its being thus seen
by the people) than he felt sure that this
was the treasure he had come to seek, and
indeed to steal, if he possibly could. This did
not, indeed, at first sight, seem very easy of
accomplishment. Here was a monarch,
surrounded by his people, to whom he was
displaying his chief treasure, and upon it
the attention of everybody was of course
particularly fixed. In truth, it was one of
the mountebank customs to display this
treasure to the public upon state occasions,
and it so happened that the Prince had
arrived upon one of these, the day happening
to be the anniversary of that upon which
the King of the mountebanks had first
established the celebrated society for pro-
viding onion sauce to be eaten with the
rabbits which were the food of the greater
part of his people. Indeed, one of these
animals, boiled, and immersed in the afore-
said sauce, was carried in a large dish
which half-filled one of the carriages im-
mediately following that of the King, and