Do not worry about that, incomparable princess! They are easily corrected. [_Groom from the Chamber enters._] GROOM. The Prince of Malsinki, who has just arrived, wishes to wait on your royal highness. [_Exit._] LEANDER. Your obedient servant. [_Exit._] _Prince_ NATHANIEL _of Malsinki. The_ KING KING. Here, Prince, is my daughter, a young, simple creature, as you see her before you. (_Aside._) Be polite, my daughter, courteous; he is an illustrious prince from afar; his country is not even on my map, I have already looked it up; I have an amazing amount of respect for him. PRINCESS. I am glad to have the pleasure of making your acquaintance. NATHAN. Beautiful Princess, the report of your beauty has been spread so widely over the whole world that I have come here from a far distant corner for the happiness of seeing you face to face. KING. Indeed it is astonishing, how many countries and kingdoms there are! You would not believe how many thousand crown-princes have been here already, to pay their addresses to my daughter; sometimes they arrive by dozens, especially when the weather is fine--and now you have come all the way from--I beg your pardon, topography is such a very extensive subject--in what region does your country lie? NATHAN. Mighty king, if you travel from here first down the great highway, then you turn to the right and go on; but when you reach a mountain, turn to the left again, then you go to the ocean and sail directly north (if the wind is favorable, of course), and so, if the journey is successful, you reach my dominions in a year and a half. KING. The deuce! I must have my court scholar explain that to me. You are probably a neighbor of the North Pole or Zodiac, or something like that, I suppose! NATHAN. Not that I know of. KING. Perhaps somewhere near the savages? NATHAN. I beg your pardon, all my subjects are very tame. KING. But you must live confoundedly far away. I can't get a clear idea of it yet. NATHAN. The geography of my country is still not exactly fixed; I expect to discover more every day; and then it may easily come about that we shall even become neighbors in the end. KING. That will be splendid! And if, after all, a few countries still stand in our way, I will help you in your discoveries. My neighbor is not a good friend of mine, so to speak, and he has a fine country; all the raisins come from there; why, I should be only too glad to have it! But another thing; do tell me, how, living so far away, can you speak our language so fluently! NATHAN. Hush! KING. What? NATHAN. Hush! hush! KING. I do not understand. NATHANIEL, (_softly to him_). Do be quiet about it, pray, for otherwise the audience down there will surely notice that it is really very unnatural. KING. It doesn't matter. They clapped before and so I can afford to take a chance. NATHAN.