As they were thus engaged, behold, up came the dancers and mountebanks, with their pipes and drums, whilst one of their number forewent them, with a great banner in his hand, and played all manner antics with his voice and limbs.  When they came to the Courthouse, the Cadi exclaimed, “I seek refuge with God from yonder Satans!” And the merchant laughed, but said nothing.  Then they entered and saluting his highness the Cadi, kissed Alaeddin’s hands and said, “God’s blessing on thee, O son of our uncle!  Indeed, thou solacest our eyes in that which thou dost, and we beseech God to cause the glory of our lord the Cadi to endure, who hath honoured us by admitting thee to his alliance and allotted us a part in his high rank and dignity.”  When the Cadi heard this talk, it bewildered his wit and he was confounded and his face flushed with anger and he said to his son-in-law, “What words are these?” Quoth the merchant, “Knowest thou not, O my lord, that I am of this tribe?  Indeed this man is the son of my mother’s brother and that other the son of my father’s brother, and I am only reckoned of the merchants [by courtesy]!”

When the Cadi heard this, his colour changed and he was troubled and waxed exceeding wroth and was rike to burst for excess of rage.  Then said he to the merchant, “God forbid that this should be!  How shall it be permitted that the daughter of the Cadi of the Muslims abide with a man of the dancers and vile of origin?  By Allah, except thou divorce her forthright, I will bid beat thee and cast thee into prison till thou die!  Had I foreknown that thou wast of them, I had not suffered thee to approach me, but had spat in thy face, for that thou art filthier[FN#268] than a dog or a hog.”  Then he gave him a push and casting him down from his stead, commanded him to divorce; but he said, “Be clement to me, O Effendi, for that God is clement, and hasten not.  I will not divorce my wife, though thou give me the kingdom of Irak.”

The Cadi was perplexed and knew that constraint was not permitted of the law;[FN#269] so he spoke the young merchant fair and said to him, “Protect me,[FN#270] so may God protect thee.  If thou divorce her not, this disgrace will cleave to me till the end of time.”  Then his rage got the better of him and he said to him, “An thou divorce her not with a good grace, I will bid strike off thy head forthright and slay myself; rather flame[FN#271] than shame.”  The merchant bethought himself awhile, then divorced her with a manifest divorcement[FN#272] and on this wise he delivered himself from that vexation.  Then he returned to his shop and sought in marriage of her father her who had played him the trick aforesaid and who was the daughter of the chief of the guild of the blacksmiths.  So he took her to wife and they abode with each other and lived the most solaceful of lives, in all prosperity and contentment and joyance, till the day of death; and God [alone] is All-Knowing.

End of vol.  II.