his peace, having made an end of telling his tale; but presently he resumed, “O Commander of the Faithful, I trow thou art not displeased at this my conduct, nay rather thou wouldst punish such a woman with a punishment still greater than this.”  He then kissed the hem of the Caliph’s robe and kept silence; and Harun al-Rashid, perceiving that he had said all his say, exclaimed, “In very sooth thy story is exceeding strange and rare.  The wrong doing of thy wife hath no excuse and thy requital is methinks in due measure and just degree, but I would ask thee one thing—­How long wilt thou chastise her thus, and how long will she remain in bestial guise?  ’Twere better now for thee to seek the young lady by whose magical skill thy wife was transformed and beg that she bring her back to human shape.  And yet I fear me greatly lest perchance whenas this sorceress, this Ghulah, shall find herself restored to woman’s form and resumeth her conjurations and incantations she may—­who knoweth?.—­requite thee with far greater wrong than she hath done thee heretofore, and from this thou wilt not be able to escape.”  After this the Prince of True Believers forbore to urge the matter, albeit he was mild and merciful by nature,[FN#271] and addressing the third man whom the Wazir had brought before him said, “As I was walking in such a quarter I was astonished to see thy mansion, so great and so grand is it; and when I made enquiry of the townsfolk they answered each and every, that the palace belongeth to one (thyself) whom they called Khwajah Hasan.  They added that thou west erewhile exceeding poor and in straitened case, but that Allah Almighty had widened thy means and had now sent thee wealth in such store that thou hast builded the finest of buildings; moreover, that albeit thou hast so princely a domicile and such abundance of riches, thou art not unmindful of thy former estate, and thou dost not waste thy substance in riotous living but thou addest thereto by lawful trade.  The neighbourhood all speaketh well of thee and not a wight of them hath aught to say against thee; so I now would know of thee the certainty of these things and hear from thine own lips how thou didst gain this abundant wealth.  I have summoned thee before me that I might be assured of all such matters by actual hearsay:  so fear not to tell me all thy tale; I desire naught of thee save knowledge of this thy case.  Enjoy thou to thy heart’s content the opulence that Almighty Allah deigned bestow upon thee, and let thy soul have pleasure therein.  Thus spake the Caliph and the gracious words reassured the man.  Then Khwajah Hasan threw himself before the Commander of the Faithful and, kissing the carpet at the foot of the throne, exclaimed, “O Prince of True Believers, I will relate to thee a faithful relation of my adventure, and Almighty Allah be my witness that I have not done aught contrary to thy laws and just commandments, and that all this my wealth is by the favour and goodness of Allah alone.”  Harun al-Rashid hereupon again bade him speak out boldly and forthwith he began to recount in the following words the