of the wish:  after [FN#448] which he went forth the bath to the outer saloon, where he found his clothes taken away and in their stead a suit of the richest royal apparel.  Then sherbets were brought him and coffee with ambergris and he drank and arose; whereupon there came to him a troop of slaves and clad him in those [FN#449] sumptuous clothes [FN#450] and he dressed and perfumed himself with essences and sweet-scented smoke. [FN#451] Now thou knowest [FN#452] that Alaeddin was the son of a poor man, a tailor:  yet now none had thought it, [FN#453] but had said, “This is the chiefest of the sons of the kings,” extolled be the perfection of Him who changeth and is not changed!

Then the slave of the lamp came to him and taking him up, set him down in his house and said to him, “O my lord, dost thou need aught?” “Yes,” answered Alaeddin; “I will have thee bring me eight-and-forty mamelukes, [FN#454] four-and-twenty to walk before me and four-and-twenty to walk behind me, with their horses and clothes and arms, and let all that is upon them and their horses be of stuffs costly and precious exceedingly, such as are not found in kings’ treasuries.  Then bring me a stallion fit for the riding of the Chosroes and be his trappings all of gold, embossed with noble jewels; and bring me eight-and-forty thousand diners, in each mameluke’s hand a thousand, for that I purpose presently to visit the Sultan; wherefore delay thou not on me, since I cannot go thither without all that whereof I have bespoken thee.  Bring me also twelve slave-girls, who must be unique in loveliness and clad in the richest of raiment, so they may attend my mother to the Sultan’s palace, and let each slave-girl have with her a suit of apparel fit for the wearing of kings’ wives.” [FN#455]

“Hearkening and obedience,” replied the genie and disappearing, brought him in the twinkling of an eye all that he had commanded him withal, whilst in his hand he held a stallion, whose like is not among the horses of the Arabs of the Arabs, [FN#456] with housings of the richest stuffs brocaded with gold; whereupon Alaeddin called his mother forthright and delivered her the twelve slave-girls and gave her the [twelve] suits, [FN#457] so she might dress herself [FN#458] and go with them to the Sultan’s palace.  Then he despatched one of the mamelukes thither, to see an the Sultan were come forth of the harem or not; so he went and returning, swiftlier than lightning, said to him, “O my lord, the Sultan awaiteth thee.”  Accordingly he arose and mounting, [set forth], whilst the mamelukes rode before him and after him, (extolled be the perfection of the Lord who created them with [FN#459] that which clothed them of beauty and grace!), strewing gold upon the folk before their lord Alaeddin, who overpassed them all of his grace and goodliness, and ask thou not of kings’ sons, [FN#460] extolled be the perfection of the Giver, the Eternal!  Now all this was of the virtue of the wonderful lamp, [FN#461] which gifted whoso possessed it with goodliness and grace and wealth and wisdom.