I opened the third door, where I found a large volary, paved with marble of several fine colours that were not common.  The cage was made of sanders and wood of aloes:  it contained a vast number of nightingales, goldfinches, canary birds, larks, and other rare singing-birds which I never heard of; and the vessels that held their seed and water were of the most precious jasper or agate.  Besides, this volary was so exceedingly neat, that, considering its extent, one would think there could not be less than an hundred persons to keep it so clean as it was; but all this while not one soul appeared, either here or in the gardens where I had been, and yet I could not perceive a weed or any superfluous thing there.  The sun went down, and I retired, being perfectly charmed with the chirping notes of the multitude of birds, which then began to perch upon such places as were convenient for them to repose on during the night.  I went to my chamber, resolving to open all the rest of the doors the day following, except the golden one.

I failed not to open a fourth door next day, and if what I had seen before was capable of surprising me, that which I saw then put me into a perfect ecstasy.  I went into a large court, surrounded with buildings of an admirable structure, the description of which I shall pass by to avoid prolixity.  This building had forty doors, wide open, and through each of them there was an entrance into a treasury, several of which were of greater value than the largest kingdoms.  The first contained heaps of pearls; and, what is almost incredible, the number of these stones, which are most precious, and as large as pigeons’ eggs, exceeded the number of those of the ordinary size:  in the second treasury there were diamonds, carbuncles, and rubies:  in the third there were emeralds:  in the fourth there were ingots of gold:  in the fifth, money:  in the sixth, ingots of silver:  in the two following there was also money.  The rest contained amethysts, chrysolites, topazes, opals, turkoises, and hyacinths, with all the other stones unknown to us, without mentioning agate, jasper, cornelian, and coral, of which there was a storehouse filled, not only with branches, but whole trees.  Being filled with amazement and admiration, I cried out to myself, after having seen all these riches, Now, if all the treasures of the kings of the universe were gathered together in one place, they could not come near this.  What good fortune have I to possess all this wealth, with so many admirable princesses!

I shall not stay, madam, to tell you the particulars of all the other rare and precious things I saw the days following:  I shall only tell you, that thirty-nine days afforded me but just as much time as was necessary to open ninety-nine doors, and to admire all that presented itself to my view, so that there was only the hundredth door left, the opening of which was forbidden.  I was come to the fortieth day after the departure of those charming princesses, and had