of the world and of dominion.  So they laid a snare for Judar and said to him, “O our brother, verily we have a mind to glory in thee and would fain have thee enter our houses and eat of our entertainment and solace our hearts.”  Replied Judar, “So be it, in whose house shall the banquet be?” “In mine,” said Salim “and after thou hast eaten of my victual, thou shalt be the guest of my brother.”  Said Judar, " ’Tis well,” and went with him to his house, where he set before him poisoned food, of which when he had eaten, his flesh rotted from his bones and he died.[FN#309] Then Salim came up to him and would have drawn the ring from his finger, but it resisted him; so he cut off the finger with a knife.  Then he rubbed the ring and the Marid presented himself, saying, “Adsum!  Ask what thou wilt.”  Quoth Salim, “Take my brother Salim and put him to death and carry forth the two bodies, the poisoned and the slaughtered, and cast them down before the troops.”  So the Marid took Salim and slew him; then, carrying the two corpses forth, he cast them down before the chief officers of the army, who were sitting at table in the parlour of the house.  When they saw Judar and Salim slain, they raised their hands from the food and fear get hold of them and they said to the Marid, “Who hath dealt thus with the Sultan and the Wazir Replied the Jinni, “Their brother Salim.”  And behold, Salim came up to them and said, “O soldiers, eat and make merry, for Judar is dead and I have taken to me the seal ring, whereof the Marid before you is the servant; and I bade him slay my brother Salim lest he dispute the kingdom with me, for he was a traitor and I feared lest he should betray me.  So now I am become Sultan over you; will ye accept of me?  If not, I will rub the ring and bid the Marid slay you all, great and small.”—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

     When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Salim said to the officers, “Will ye accept me as your Sultan, otherwise I will rub the ring and the Marid shall slay you all, great and small?”; they replied, “We accept thee to King and Sultan.”  Then he bade bury his brothers and summoned the Divan; and some of the folk followed the funeral, whilst others forewent him in state procession to the audience hall of the palace, where he sat down on the throne and they did homage to him as King; after which he said, “It is my will to marry my brother Judar’s wife.”  Quoth they, “Wait till the days of widowhood are accomplished.[FN#310] Quoth he, “I know not days of widowhood nor aught else.  As my head liveth, I needs must go in unto her this very night.”  So they drew up the marriage contract and sent to tell the Princess Asiyah, who replied, “Bid him enter.”  Accordingly, he went in to her and she received him with a show of joy and welcome; but by and by she gave him poison in water and made