Types of Children's Literature: A Collection of the World's Best Literature for Children, For Use in Colleges, Normal Schools and Library Schools
General
Types of Children's Literature: A Collection of the World's Best Literature for Children, For Use in Colleges, Normal Schools and Library Schools
Children's literature
The princess, who took great pleasure in giving the sultan the
satisfaction he demanded, said, "If I appear so little altered, I beg
of your Majesty to consider that I received new life yesterday morning
by the presence of my dear husband and deliverer Aladdin, whom I looked
upon and bewailed as lost to me; and the happiness of seeing and
embracing of whom has almost recovered me to my former state of health.
My greatest suffering was only to find myself forced from your Majesty
and my dear husband; not only from the love I bore my husband, but from
the uneasiness I labored under through fear that he, though innocent,
might feel the effects of your anger, to which I knew he was left
exposed. I suffered but little from the insolence of the wretch who had
carried me off; for having secured the ascendant over him, I always put
a stop to his disagreeable overtures, and was as little constrained as
I am at present.
"As to what relates to my transportation, Aladdin had no concern in it:
I was myself the innocent cause of it." To persuade the sultan of the
truth of what she said, she gave him a full account how the African
magician had disguised himself, and offered to change new lamps for old
ones; how she had amused herself in making that exchange, being
entirely ignorant of the secret and importance of the wonderful lamp;
how the palace and herself were carried away and transported into
Africa, with the African magician, who was recognized by two of her
women and the eunuch who made the exchange of the lamp, when he had the
audacity, after the success of his daring enterprise, to propose
himself for her husband; how he persecuted her till Aladdin's arrival;
how they had concerted measures to get the lamp from him again, and the
success they had fortunately met with by her dissimulation in inviting
him to supper, and giving him the cup with the powder prepared for him.
"For the rest," added she, "I leave it to Aladdin to recount."
Aladdin had not much to tell the sultan, but only said, "When the
private door was opened I went up into the great hall, where I found
the magician lying dead on the sofa; and as I thought it not proper for
the princess to stay there any longer, I desired her to go down into
her own apartment, with her women and eunuchs. As soon as I was alone,
and had taken the lamp out of the magician's breast, I made use of the
same secret he had done, to remove the palace, and carry off the
princess; and by that means the palace was reconveyed to the place
where it stood before; and I have the happiness to restore the princess
to your Majesty, as you commanded me. But that your Majesty may not
think that I impose upon you, if you will give yourself the trouble to
go up into the hall, you may see the magician punished as he deserved."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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