with “Hearing and obedience,” saying, “O our King and our defender an thou should set over us one of thy blackamoor slaves we would obey him and hearken to thy word and accept thy command:  how much more then with thy son Sayf al-Muluk?  Indeed, we accept of him and approve him on our eyes and heads!” So King Asim bin Safwan arose and came down from his seat and seating his son on the great throne,[FN#383] took the crown from his own head and set it on the head of Sayf al-Muluk and girt his middle with the royal girdle.[FN#384] Then he sat down beside his son on the throne of his kingship, whilst the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the land and all the rest of the folk rose and kissed ground before him, saying, “Indeed, he is worthy of the kingship and hath better right to it than any other.”  Then the Chamberlains made proclamation crying, “Aman!  Aman!  Safety!  Safety!” and offered up prayers for his victory and prosperity.  And Sayf al-Muluk scattered gold and silver on the heads of the lieges one and all.—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

    When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixty-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when King Asim seated his son, Sayf al-Muluk, upon the throne and all the people prayed for his victory and prosperity, the youth scattered gold and silver on the heads of the lieges, one and all, and conferred robes of honour and gave gifts and largesse.  Then, after a moment, the Wazir Faris arose and kissing ground said, “O Emirs, O Grandees, ye ken that I am Wazir and that my Wazirate dateth from old, before the accession of King Asim bin Safwan, who hath now divested himself of the Kingship and made his son King in his stead?” Answered they, “Yes, we know that thy Wazirate is from sire after grandsire.”  He continued, “And now in my turn I divest myself of office and invest this my son Sa’id, for he is intelligent, quick-witted, sagacious.  What say ye all?” And they replied, “None is worthy to be Wazir to King Sayf al-Muluk but thy son, Sa’id, and they befit each other.”  With this Faris arose and taking off his Wazirial turband, set it on his son’s head and eke laid his ink-case of office before him, whilst the Chamberlains and the Emirs said, “Indeed, he is deserving of the Wazirship” and the Heralds cried aloud, “Mubarak!  Mubarak!—­Felix sit et faustus!” After this, King Asim and Faris the Minister arose and, opening the royal treasuries, conferred magnificent robes of honour on all the Viceroys and Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the land and other folk and gave salaries and benefactions and wrote them new mandates and diplomas with the signatures of King Sayf al-Muluk and his Wazir Sa’id.  Moreover, he made distribution of money to the men-at-arms and gave guerdons, and the provincials abode in the city a full week ere they departed each to his own country and place.  Then King Asim carried his son and his Wazir Sa’id back to the palace which was