The King of Persia can only, according to law, marry four wives: these are selected from considerations of policy, not of affection. They are upon a very different footing from any of the other ladies in the seraglio; they have separate establishments, and are always objects of attention and respect, though seldom perhaps of affection. But real love can hardly be imagined to have ever found a dwelling amid such scenes as have been described; yet I was told a short but affecting tale, with so many circumstances to confirm its truth, that I could hardly doubt but the king of kings once knew the meaning of this sacred word. A young dancing-girl from Shiraz, named Tootee,[133] was raised from a humble rank to a place in the royal seraglio. Tootee, who from her profession must in her earliest years have been seen by many, is said to have been of an elegant and delicate form, with a fine voice, and a face that indicated feeling and intelligence. She gained the heart of her royal lover, and, according to fame, gave him all her own in return. While she lived, others were neglected; but this fair flower soon drooped and died. The grief of the king was excessive. He directed her to be interred near the shrine of the holy Shâh Abd-ool-Azeem, which is within five miles of the capital. His visits to this shrine have, since this event, become much more frequent than before; whether they are from respect to the remains of the saint, or from fond regret of his beloved Tootee, cannot be determined; but he is often observed to sit upon her tomb, in the apparent enjoyment of a melancholy pleasure. Notwithstanding the habits of his condition, and the severe and cruel acts to which that has often led him, there is naturally a kind disposition in the present King of Persia, which has made me always regard him as deserving of estimation, and I cannot but take an interest in all that personally concerns him. It is from such feelings, that the short history and fate of Tootee have ever interested me. I have been gratified to think, that the mind of one I desired to hold in regard was not so completely corrupted and polluted by sensual indulgence and luxury, as to be a stranger to a passion which, in any shape that approaches to purity, softens and ennobles man, far beyond all other sentiments that are associated with his happiness in this world. The king leaves his inner apartments at eight o'clock. An hour or two before breakfast is passed with his favourite companions, of whom Mahomed Hoosein Khan Mervee is, as he merits to be, the most distinguished, both from his rank and superior qualities. The breakfast for his majesty is served in great state, and the dishes are of pure gold: this meal is usually at ten in the morning, and dinner at eight in the evening.