No words are sufficiently expressive to give any idea of the joy of Bedreddin, when he saw his mother and his son Agib. These three persons did not cease embracing each other, and evincing all the transports which nature and the tenderest affection can inspire. The mother said the most affecting things to Bedreddin; she related to him the sorrow which so long an absence had created, and the tears she had shed on his account. The little Agib, instead of avoiding the embraces of his father, as he had done at Damascus, flew to receive them; and Bedreddin Hassan, divided between two objects so worthy of his love, thought he could not lavish on them sufficient proofs of his affection. Whilst these things were passing in the house of Schemseddin Mohammed, the vizier himself was gone to the palace, to give the sultan an account of the happy success of his journey. The sultan was so delighted with the relation of this wonderful history, that he ordered it to be written and carefully preserved amongst the archives of his kingdom. As soon as Schemseddin Mohammed returned home, as he had prepared a superb entertainment, he sat down to table with all his family, and his whole household passed the day in great festivity and rejoicings. The vizier Giafar having concluded the history of Bedreddin Hassan, said to the caliph, Haroun Alraschid, “Commander of the Faithful, this is what I had to relate to your majesty.” The caliph thought this history so surprising, that he did not hesitate to grant his pardon to the slave Rihan: and to console the young man for having so unhappily deprived himself of a wife he tenderly loved, this prince married him to one of his slaves, loaded him with gifts, and continued to bestow his favours upon him as long as he lived. “But, Sire,” added Scheherazadè, “however entertaining the history I have related may have been, I know another, which is far more so: if your majesty wishes to hear it to-morrow night, I am sure you will think so too.” Schahriar arose without making any reply, and very uncertain what he should do. “This good sultana,” said he to himself, “relates very long stories, and when she has once begun one, there is no possibility of refusing to hear the whole of it. I do not know, whether I ought not to order her death to-day; yet no; I will not do any thing precipitately; the story she promises me is, perhaps, the most diverting of any I have yet heard, and I must not deprive myself of the pleasure of hearing it; after she has finished it, I will give orders for her execution.” Dinarzadè did not fail the following morning to wake the sultana of the Indies before day-break, according to her usual custom. And Scheherazadè, having requested permission of Schahriar to begin the history she had promised him, proceeded as follows: NOTES TO VOL. I.