Thereupon the king went in to his mother and questioned her of his father, and she told him that me king her husband was weak;[FN#211] ‘wherefore,’ quoth she, ’I feared for the kingdom, lest it pass away, after his death; so I took to my bed a young man, a baker, and conceived by him [and bore a son]; and the kingship came into the hand of my son, to wit, thyself.’  So the king returned to the old man and said to him, ’I am indeed the son of a baker; so do thou expound to me the means whereby thou knewest me for this.’  Quoth the other, ’I knew that, hadst thou been a king’s son, thou wouldst have given largesse of things of price, such as rubies [and the like]; and wert thou the son of a Cadi, thou hadst given largesse of a dirhem or two dirhems, and wert thou the son of a merchant, thou hadst given wealth galore.  But I saw that thou guerdonest me not but with cakes of bread [and other victual], wherefore I knew that thou wast the son of a baker.’  Quoth the king, ‘Thou hast hit the mark.’  And he gave him wealth galore and advanced him to high estate.”

This story pleased King Shah Bekht and he marvelled thereat; but the vizier said to him, “This story is not more extraordinary than that of the rich man who married his fair daughter to the poor old man.”  The king’s mind was occupied with the [promised] story and he bade the vizier withdraw to his lodging.  So he [returned to his house and] abode there the rest of the night and the whole of the following day.

The Fourth Night of the Month.

When the evening evened, the king withdrew to his privy sitting-chamber and bade fetch the vizier.  When he presented himself before him, he said to him, “Tell me the story of the wealthy man who married his daughter to the poor old man.”  “It is well,” answered the vizier.  “Know, O puissant king, that

Story of the rich man who gave his fair
daughter in marriage to the poor old
man.

A certain wealthy merchant had a fair daughter, who was as the full moon, and when she attained the age of fifteen, her father betook himself to an old man and spreading him a carpet in his sitting-chamber, gave him to eat and caroused with him.  Then said he to him, ‘I desire to marry thee to my daughter.’  The other excused himself, because of his poverty, and said to him, ’I am not worthy of her nor am I a match for thee.’  The merchant was instant with him, but he repeated his answer to him, saying, ’I will not consent to this till thou acquaint me with the reason of thy desire for me.  If I find it reasonable, I will fall in with thy wish; and if not, I will not do this ever.’