While he was thus swallowed up with grief, an object presented itself to his view, which quickly turned all his thoughts another way. A secret gate of the sultan’s palace opened all of a sudden, and there came out of it twenty women, in the midst of whom walked the sultaness, who was easily distinguished from the rest by her majestic air. The princess, thinking that the king of Tartary was gone a hunting with his brother the sultan, came up with her retinue near the windows of his apartment; for the prince had placed himself so that he could see all that passed in the garden, without being perceived himself. He observed, that the persons who accompanied the sultaness threw off their veils and long robes, that they might be at more freedom; but was wonderfully surprised when he saw ten of them to be blacks, and that each of them took his mistress. The sultaness, on her part, was not long without her gallant. She clapped her hands, and called Masoud, Masoud; and immediately a black came down from a tree, and ran to her in all haste. Modesty will not allow, nor is it necessary, to relate what passed between the blacks and the ladies. It is sufficient to say, that Schahzenan saw enough to convince him that his brother was as much to be pitied as himself. This amorous company continued together till midnight, and having bathed all together, in a great piece of water which was one of the chief ornaments of the garden, they dressed themselves, and re-entered the palace by the secret door, all except Masoud, who climbed up his tree, and got over the garden wall the same way as he came in. All this having passed in the king of Tartary’s sight, occasioned him to make a multitude of reflections. How little reason had I, says he, to think that no one was so unfortunate as myself! It is certainly the unavoidable fate of all husbands, since the sultan, my brother, who is sovereign of so many dominions, and the greatest prince of the earth, could not escape it. The case being so, what a fool am I to kill myself with grief! I am resolved that the remembrance of a misfortune so common shall never more disturb my quiet. From that moment he forbore afflicting himself. Being unwilling to sup till he saw the whole scene that was acted under his window, he called then for his supper, eat with a better appetite than he had done at any time since his coming from Samarcande, and listened with some degree of pleasure to the agreeable concert of vocal and instrumental music, that was appointed to entertain him while at table.