Caliph, sending for the man, commanded him to marry his daughter to her lover; after which he gave him an hundred thousand dinars, and the father went back to his folk. As for the young man, he abode one of Ja’afar’s cup companions till there happened what happened[FN#176] whereupon he returned with his household to al-Medinah; may Almighty Allah have mercy upon their souls one and all! And they also tell, O auspicious King, a tale of AL-MALIK AL-NASIR AND HIS WAZIR. There was given to Abú Ámir bin Marwán,[FN#177] a boy of the Christians, than whom never fell eyes on a handsomer. Al-Nasir the conquering Soldan saw him and said to Abu Amir, who was his Wazir, “Whence cometh this boy?” Replied he, “From Allah;” whereupon the other, “Wilt thou terrify us with stars and make us prisoner with moons?” Abu Amir excused himself to him and preparing a present, sent it to him with the boy, to whom he said, “Be thou part of the gift: were it not of necessity, my soul had not consented to give thee away.” And he wrote with him these two couplets, “My lord, this full moon takes in Heaven of thee new birth; * Nor can deny we Heaven excelleth humble earth: Thee with my soul I please and—oh! the pleasant case! * No man e’er saw I who to give his soul prefer’th.” The thing pleased Al-Nasir and he requited him with much treasure and the Minister became high in favour with him. After this, there was presented to the Wazir a slave-girl, one of the loveliest women in the world, and he feared lest this should come to the King’s ears and he desire her, and the like should happen as with the boy. So he made up a present still costlier than the first and sent it with her to the King,——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night, She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Abu Amir, when presented with the beautiful slave-girl, feared lest it come to the Conquering King’s ears and that the like should happen as with the boy, so he made up a present still costlier than the first and sent it with her to his master, accompanying it with these couplets, “My lord, this be the Sun, the Moon thou hadst before; * So the two greater lights now in thy Heaven unite: Conjunction promising to me prosperity, * And Kausar draught to thee and Eden’s long delight. Earth shows no charms, by Allah, ranking as their third, * Nor King who secondeth our Conquering King in might.”