The magician caressed Aladdin when he came to him. “Come along, my dear child,” said he, “and I will shew you fine things.” Then he led him out at one of the gates of the city, to some large fine houses, or rather palaces, to each of which belonged beautiful gardens, into which anybody might go. At every house he came to, he asked Aladdin if he did not think it fine: and Aladdin was ready to answer when any one presented itself, crying out, “Here is a finer house, uncle, than any we have seen yet.” By this artifice the cunning magician got Aladdin a pretty way into the country; and as he had a mind to carry him farther, to execute his design, he took an opportunity to sit down in one of the gardens by a fountain of clear water, which discharged itself by a lion’s mouth of bronze into a great basin, pretending to be tired, the better to rest Aladdin. “Come, nephew,” said he, “you must be weary as well as me; let us rest ourselves, and we shall be better able to walk.” After they had sat down, the magician pulled from his girdle a handkerchief with cakes and fruit, which he had provided on purpose, and laid them on the edge of the basin. He broke a cake in two, gave one half to Aladdin, and ate the other himself; and in regard to the fruit, he left him at liberty to take which sort he liked best. During this short repast, he exhorted his nephew to leave off keeping company with children, and seek that of wise and prudent men, to improve by their conversation; “for,” said he, “you will soon be at man’s estate, and you cannot too early begin to imitate their conversation.” When they had eaten as much as they liked, they got up, and pursued their walk through the gardens, which were separated from one another only by small ditches, which only marked out the limits without interrupting the communication; so great was the confidence the inhabitants reposed in each other. By this means, the African magician drew Aladdin insensibly beyond the gardens, and crossed the country, till they almost came to the mountains. Aladdin, who had never been so far in his life before, began to find himself much tired with so long a walk, and said to the magician, “Where are we going, uncle? We have left the gardens a great way behind us, and I see nothing but mountains; if we go much farther, I do not know whether I shall be able to reach the town again.” “Never fear, nephew,” said the false uncle; “I will shew you another garden, which surpasses all we have yet seen; it is not far off, it is but a little step; and when we come there, you will say that you would have been sorry to have been so nigh it, and not seen it.” Aladdin was soon persuaded; and the magician, to make the way seem shorter and less fatiguing, told him a great many stories.