Scheherazade resumed the story where she left off the day before: Sir, said she to the sultan, when the physician Douban, or rather his head, saw that the poison had taken effect, and that the king had but a few moments to live; Tyrant, it cried, now you see how princes are treated, who, abusing their authority, cut off innocent men: God punishes soon or late their injustice and cruelty. Scarcely had the head spoken these words, when the king fell down dead, and the head itself lost what life it had. Sir, continued Scheherazade, such was the end of the Grecian king and of the physician Douban. I must return now to the story of the fisherman and the genie; but it is day. The sultan, who always observed his hours regularly, got up; and wishing to hear the sequel of the story of the genie and the fisherman, bid the sultaness prepare to relate it to him the next night. EIGHTEENTH NIGHT. Dinarzade made amends for the last night’s neglect; she awoke long before day, and calling upon Scheherazade, sister, said she, if you be not asleep, pray give us the rest of the story of the fisherman and the genie; you know the sultan desires to hear it as well as I. I shall soon satisfy his curiosity and yours, answered the sultaness, and then addressing herself to Schahriar, Sir, continued she, as soon as the fisherman had concluded the history of the Greek king and his physician Douban, he made the application to the genie, whom he still kept shut up in the vessel. If the Grecian king, said he, had suffered the physician to live, God would have continued his life also: but he rejected his most humble prayers, and the case is the same with thee, O, genie! Could I have prevailed with thee to grant me the favour I supplicated, I should now take pity on thee; but since, notwithstanding the extreme obligation thou wast under to me, for having set thee at liberty, thou didst persist in thy design to kill me, I am obliged, in my turn, to be equally hard-hearted to thee. My good friend fisherman, replied the genie, I conjure thee once more, not to be guilty of such cruelty; consider, that it is not good to avenge one’s self, and that on the other hand, it is commendable to do good for evil; do not treat me as Imama formerly treated Ateca. And what did Imama to Ateca? inquired the fisherman. Ho! says the genie, if you have a mind to be informed, open the vessel: do you think that I can be in a humour to relate stories in so strait a prison? I will tell you as many as you please, when you have let me out. No, said the fisherman, I will not let thee out; it is in vain to talk of it: I am just going to throw thee into the bottom of the sea. Hear me one word more, cried the genie: I promise to do thee no hurt; nay, far from that, I will shew thee a way to become exceedingly rich.