Scheich Ibrahim, without stirring very far from his place, pulled a lute out of a cupboard, and presented it to the Fair Persian, who began to put it in tune. The caliph, in the mean time, turning to the grand vizier; Giafar, said he, the young lady is going to play upon the lute; and if she performs well, I will forgive her, and the young man for her sake; but, as for thee, thou mayest go hang thyself. Commander of the true believers, replied the grand vizier, if that is your intention I wish she may play ill. Why so? said the caliph. Because, replied the grand vizier, the longer we live in this world, the more time we shall have to comfort ourselves with the hopes of dying in good social company. The caliph, who loved a jest dearly, began to laugh at this repartee; and putting his ear to the open side of the door, he listened to hear the Fair Persian play. The Fair Persian made such artful flourishes upon the lute, that from the first moment of her touching it, the caliph perceived that she did it with a masterly hand. Afterwards, she began to sing; and suiting her voice, which was admirably fine, to the lute, she sang and played with so much skill and sweetness, that the caliph was quite ravished to hear her. As soon as the Fair Persian had finished her song, the caliph went down the steps, and the vizier Giafar after him. When he came to the bottom, By my soul, said he to the vizier, I never heard a more charming voice, or a lute better touched in my life. Isaac[1], that hitherto I thought the most skilful player in the world, does not come up to her. In short, I am so charmed with her music, that I must hear her play before me; and therefore contrive some way how to bring it about. Commander of the true believers, said the grand vizier, if you should go in, and Scheich Ibrahim chance to know you, he would infallibly die with the fright. I should be extremely concerned at that, replied the caliph, and should be loath to be the occasion of his death, after so many years’ service. But there is a thought just come into my head, how to compass my design: stay here with Mesrour, and wait for me in the next alley till I come. The neighbourhood of the Tigris had given the caliph the conveniency of turning a sufficient quantity of water under a stately bridge, well terraced, into his garden, to make a fine canal, whither the choicest fish of the whole river used to retire. The fishermen knew it very well, and would have given the world to fish there; but the caliph had expressly charged Scheich Ibrahim not to suffer any of them to come near it. However, that very night, a fisherman passing by the garden door, which the caliph had left open as he found it, made use of this opportunity, and going in, went directly to the canal.