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
After frequently stopping to satisfy people of this description, who
received neither good nor harm from this imposition of hands, he came
at last to the square before Aladdin's palace. The crowd was so great
that the eagerness to get at him increased in proportion. Those who
were the most zealous and strong forced their way through the crowd.
There were such quarrels, and so great a noise, that the princess, who
was in the hall of four-and-twenty windows, heard it, and asked what
was the matter; but nobody being able to give her an answer, she
ordered them to inquire and inform her. One of her women looked out of
a window, and then told her it was a great crowd of people collected
about the holy woman to be cured of the headache by the imposition of
her hands.
The princess, who had long heard of this holy woman, but had never seen
her, was very desirous to have some conversation with her, which the
chief of the eunuchs perceiving, told her it was an easy matter to
bring her to her, if she desired and commanded it; and the princess
expressing her wishes, he immediately sent four eunuchs for the
pretended holy woman.
As soon as the crowd saw the eunuchs, they made way, and the magician
perceiving also that they were coming for him, advanced to meet them,
overjoyed to find his plot proceeded so well. "Holy woman," said one of
the eunuchs, "the princess wants to see you, and has sent us for you."
"The princess does me too great an honor," replied the false Fatima; "I
am ready to obey her command," and at the same time followed the
eunuchs to the palace.
When the magician, who under a holy garment disguised a wicked heart,
was introduced into the great hall, and perceived the princess, he
began a prayer, which contained a long enumeration of vows and good
wishes for the princess's health and prosperity, and that she might
have everything she desired. He then displayed all his hypocritical
rhetoric, to insinuate himself into the princess's favor under the
cloak of piety, which it was no hard matter for him to do; for as the
princess herself was naturally good, she was easily persuaded that all
the world were like her, especially those who made profession of
serving God in solitude.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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