grandees, and his subjects lived with him the most easeful of lives and the most delightsome. Meanwhile, he ceased not, he and his beloved, Queen Mariyah, in the most enjoyable of life and the pleasantest, and he was vouchsafed by her children; and indeed there befel friendship and affection between them and the longer their companionship was prolonged, the more their love waxed, so that they became unable to endure each from other a single hour, save the time of his going forth to the Divan, when he would return to her in the liveliest that might be of longing. And after this fashion they abode in all solace of life and satisfaction till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of societies. So extolled be the Eternal whose sway endureth for ever and aye, who never unheedeth neither dieth nor sleepeth! This is all that hath come down to us of their tale, and so the Peace! SHAHRAZAD AND SHAHRYAR.[443] King Shahryar marvelled at this history[444] and said, “By Allah, verily, injustice slayeth its folk!”[445] And he was edified by that wherewith Shahrazad bespoke him and sought help of Allah the Most High. Then said he to her, “Tell me another of thy tales, O Shahrazad; supply me with a pleasant story and this shall be the completion of the story-telling.” Shahrazad replied, “With love and gladness! It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that a man once declared to his mates, I will set forth to you a means of security against annoy. A friend of mine once related to me and said:—We attained to security against annoy, and the origin of it was other than this; that is, it was the following[446]:— TALE OF THE TWO KINGS AND THE WAZIR’S DAUGHTERS.”[447]