me this favour, otherwise thou wilt destroy me; and present Death hovereth over my head except I win my will of my heart’s dearling; and I, O my mother, am in every case thy child.”  Hearing these words, his parent wept of her sorrow for him and said, “O my child!  Yes, in very deed I am thy mother, nor have I any son or life’s blood of my liver except thyself, and the end of my wishes is to give thee a wife and rejoice in thee.  But suppose that I would seek a bride of our likes and equals, her people will at once ask an thou have any land or garden, merchandise or handicraft, wherewith thou canst support her; and what is the reply I can return?  Then, if I cannot possibly answer the poor like ourselves, how shall I be bold enough, O my son, to ask for the daughter of the Sultan of China-land who hath no peer or behind or before him?  Therefore do thou weigh this matter in thy mind.  Also who shall ask her to wife for the son of a snip?  Well indeed I wot that my saying aught of this kind will but increase our misfortunes; for that it may be the cause of our incurring mortal danger from the Sultan; peradventure even death for thee and me.  And, as concerneth myself, how shall I venture upon such rash deed and perilous, O my son? and in what way shall I ask the Sultan for his daughter to be thy wife; and, indeed, how ever shall I even get access to him?  And should I succeed therein, what is to be my answer an they ask me touching thy means?  Haply the King will hold me to be a madwoman.  And, lastly, suppose that I obtain audience of the Sultan, what offering is there I can submit to the King’s majesty?"[FN#129]—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say,

      When it was the Five Hundred and Forty-third Night,

Quoth Dunyazad, “O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy, do tell us some of thy pleasant tales;” whereupon Shahrazad replied, “With love and good will.”—­It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that Alaeddin’s mother continued to her son, " ’tis true, O my child, that the Sultan is mild and merciful, never rejecting any who approach him to require justice or ruth or protection, nor any who pray him for a present; for he is liberal and lavisheth favour upon near and far.  But he dealeth his boons to those deserving them, to men who have done some derring-do in battle under his eyes or have rendered as civilians great service to his estate.  But thou! do thou tell me what feat thou hast performed in his presence or before the public that thou meritest from him such grace?  And, secondly, this boon thou ambitionest is not for one of our condition, nor is it possible that the King grant to thee the bourne of thine aspiration; for whoso goeth to the Sultan and craveth of him a favour, him it besitteth to take in hand somewhat that suiteth the royal majesty, as indeed I warned thee aforetime.  How, then, shalt thou risk thyself to stand before the Sultan and ask his daughter in marriage, when