all the readers of these papers are well met, and of good faith. If any one of a different sort trespasses on our premises, and does not see the beauties we deal with, all we can say is, that he is in the usual condition of those profane persons who are punished when they venture into Fairy-land, by that very inability of sight, which he, poor fellow, would fain consider a mark of his discernment. So now to our dinner with a Fairy.

The reader will recollect, that Prince Ahmed shot an arrow a great way among some rocks, and, upon finding it was astonished to see how far it had gone. The arrow was also lying flat, which looked as if it had rebounded from one of the rocks. This increased his surprise, and made him think there was some mystery in the circumstance. On looking about, he discovered an iron door. He pushed it open and went down a passage in the earth. On a sudden, "a different light succeeded to that which he came out of; "he entered a square, and perceived a magnificent palace, out of whieh a lady of exceeding beauty made her appearance at the door, attended by a troop of others.

"As soon as Prince Ahmed perceived the lady, he hastened to pay his respects; and the lady on her part, seeing him coming, prevented him. Addressing her discourse to him first, and raising her voice, she said to him, 'Come near, Prince Ahmed; you are welcome.'

"It was no small surprise to the prince to hear himself named in a palace he never heard of, though so nigh his father's capital; and he could not comprehend how he should be known to a lady who was a stranger to him."

By the way, who knows what our geologists may come to, provided they dig far enough, and are worthy? Strange things are surmised of the interior of the earth; and

Burnet, now-a-days, would have rubbed his hands to think what phenomenon may turn up.*

"After the proper interchanging of amenities on either side, the prince is led into a hall, over which is a dome of gold and onyx. He is seated on a sofa; the lady seats herself by him, and addresses him in the following words: 'You are surprised, you say, that I should know you and not be known by you; but you will be no longer surprised when I inform you who I am. You cannot be ignorant that your religion teaches you to believe that the world is inhabited by Genii as well as men; I am the daughter of one of the most powerful and distinguished of these Genii, and my name is Pari Banou; therefore you ought not to wonder that I know you, the sultan your father, and the Princess Nouronnihar. I am no stranger to your loves or your travels, of which I could tell you all the circumstances, since it was I myself who exposed to sale the artificial apple which you bought at Samarcande, the carpet which Prince Houssain met with at Bisnagar, and the tube which Prince Ali brought from Schiraz. This is sufficient to let you know that I am not unacquainted with any thing that relates to you. The only thing I have to add is, that you seemed to me worthy of a more happy fate than that of possessing the Princess Nouronnihar; and, that you might

*The author of the "Sacred Theory of the Earth," "-a book as good as a romance, and containing passages of great beauty. We speak of the Latin original. Burnet somewhere has expressed a desire to know more about Satan-what he is doing at present, and how he lives. There is a subterraneous Fairy-land, to which King Arthur is supposed to have been withdrawn, and whence he is expected to come again and re-establish his throne. Milton has a fine allusion to this circumstance in his Latin poem, "Mansus," v. 81. A poetical traveller in Wales might look at the mouth of a cavern, and expect to see the great king with his chivalry coming up, blowing their trumpets, into the daylight.

attain to it, I was present when you drew your arrow, and foresaw it would not go beyond Prince Houssain's. I took it in the air, and gave it the necessary motion to strike against the rocks near which you found it. It is in your power to avail yourself of the favorable opportunity which it presents to make you happy.' As the fairy, Pari Banou, pronounced these last words with a different tone, and looked at the same time tenderly on Prince Ahmed, with downcast eyes and a modest blush on her cheeks, it was not difficult for the prince to comprehend what happiness she meant. He presently considered that the Princess Nouronnihar could never be his, and that the fairy, Pari Banou, excelled her infinitely in beauty, attractions, agreeableness, transcendent wit, and as far as he could conjecture by the magnificence of the palace where she resided, in immense riches. He blessed the moment that he thought of seeking after his arrow a second time, and yielding to his inclination, which drew him towards the new object which had fired his heart, 'Madam,' replied he, 'should I, all my life, have had the happiness of being your slave, and the admirer of the many charms which ravish my soul, I should think myself the happiest of men. Pardon me the boldness which inspires me to ask you this favor, and do not refuse to admit into your court a prince who is entirely devoted to you.'

"Prince,' answered the fairy, 'as I have been a long time my own mistress, and have no dependence on my parents' consent, it is not as a slave I would admit you into my court, but as master of my person, and all that belongs to me, by pledging your faith to me and taking me to be your wife. I hope you will not take it amiss that I anticipate you in making this proposal. I am, as I said, mistress of my will; and must add, that the same customs

are not observed among fairies as among other ladies, in whom it would not have been decent to have made such advances: but it is what we do; we suppose we confer obligation by it.'

"Prince Ahmed made no answer to this discourse, but was so penetrated with gratitude, that he thought he could not express it better than by coming to kiss the hem of her garment, which she would not give him time to do, but presented her hand, which he kissed a thousand times, and kept fast locked in his. 'Well, Prince Ahmed,' said she, will you not pledge your faith to me, as I do mine to you?'—'Yes, madam,' replied the prince, in an ecstasy of joy, 'what can I do better, and with greater pleasure? Yes, my sultaness, my queen, I will give it you with my heart, without the least reserve.' ' Then,' answered the fairy, 'you are my husband, and I am your wife. Our marriages are contracted with no other ceremonies, and yet are more firm and indissoluble than those among men, with all their formalities. But, as I suppose,' pursued she, 'that you have eaten nothing to-day, a slight repast shall be served up for you while preparations are making for our nuptial-feast this evening, and then I will show you the apartments of my palace, and you shall judge if this hall is the smallest part of it.'

"Some of the fairy's women who came into the hall with them, and guessed her intention, went immediately out, and returned presently with some excellent meats and wines.

"When the prince had eaten and drank as much as he cared for, the fairy, Pari Banou, carried him through all the apartments, where he saw diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and all sorts of fine jewels, intermixed with pearls, agate, jasper, porphyry, and all kinds of the most precious mar

bles; not to mention the richness of the furniture, which was inestimable; the whole disposed with such profusion, that the prince, instead of ever having seen any thing like it, acknowledged that there could not be any thing in the world that could come up to it.

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'Prince,' said the fairy, 'if you admire my palace so much, which is indeed very beautiful, what would you say to the palaces of the chief of our Genii, which are made much more beautiful, spacious, and magnificent? I could also charm you with my garden; but we will leave that till another time. Night draws near, and it will be time to go to supper.'

"The next hall which the fairy led the prince into, and where the cloth was laid for the feast, was the only apartment the prince had not seen, and it was not in the least inferior to the others. At his entrance into it he admired the infinite number of wax candles, perfumed with amber, the multitude of which, instead of being confused, were placed with so just a symmetry, as formed an agreeable and pleasant sight. A large beaufet was set out with all sorts of gold plate, so finely wrought, that the workmanship was much more valuable than the weight of the gold. Several choruses of beautiful women, richly dressed, and whose voices were ravishing, began a concert, accompanied with all kinds of the most harmonious instruments he had ever heard. When they were set down to table, the fairy, Pari Banou, took care to help Prince Ahmed to the most delicious meats, which she named as she invited him to eat of them, and which the prince had never heard of, but found so exquisite and nice, that he commended them in the highest terms, saying, that the entertainment which she gave him far surpassed those among men. found also the same excellence in the wines, which neither

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