I opened the third door, where I found a large aviary, paved with marble of several fine uncommon colours. The cage was made of sandal wood and wood of aloes. It contained a vast number of nightingales, goldfinches, canary-birds, larks, and other rare singing-birds, which I never heard of; and the vessels that held their seed and water were of the most precious jasper or agate. Besides, this aviary was so exceedingly neat, that considering its extent, one would think there could not be less than a hundred persons to keep it so clean; but all this while not one soul appeared, either here or in the gardens where I had been; and yet I could not perceive a weed, or any superfluous thing there. The sun went down, and I retired, charmed with the chirping notes of the multitude of birds, who then began to perch upon such places as suited them to repose on during the night. I went to my chamber, resolving to open all the rest of the doors the days following, excepting that of gold. I failed not to open the fourth door next day, and if what I had seen before was capable of surprising me, that which I saw then put me in a perfect ecstasy. I went into a large court surrounded with buildings of an admirable structure, the description of which I will pass by, to avoid prolixity. This building had forty doors, all open, and through each of them was an entrance into a treasury, several of which would purchase the largest kingdoms. The first contained heaps of pearls; and, what is almost incredible, the number of those stones which are most precious, and as large as pigeons’ eggs, exceeding the number of those of the ordinary size. In the second treasury there were diamonds, carbuncles, and rubies; in the third, emeralds; in the fourth, ingots of gold; in the fifth, money; in the sixth, ingots of silver; in the two following there was also money. The rest contained amethysts, chrysolites, topazes, opals, turquoises, and hyacinths, with all the other stones unknown to us, without mentioning agate, jasper, cornelian, and coral, of which there was a storehouse filled, not only with branches, but whole trees. Transported with amazement and admiration, I cried out to myself, after having seen all these riches, If all the treasures of the kings of the universe were gathered together in one place, they could not come near this: what good fortune have I to possess all this wealth with so many admirable princesses. I shall not stay, madam, to tell you the particulars of all the other rare and precious things I saw the following days. I shall only say that thirty-nine days afforded me but just as much time as was necessary to open ninety-nine doors, and to admire all that presented itself to my view; so that there was only the hundredth door left, the opening of which was forbidden to me.