stone. I descended, and at the bottom found myself in a large room, brilliantly lighted, and furnished with a carpet, a couch covered with tapestry, and cushions of rich stuff, upon which the young man sat reading. He, when he perceived me, was considerably alarmed; but I made a low obeisance, and said to him, “Sir, do not fear. I am a king, and I will do you no harm. On the contrary, it is probable that your good destiny may have brought me hither to deliver you out of this tomb, where it seems you have been buried alive. But what surprises me (for you must know that I have seen all that passed since your coming to this island) is, that you suffered yourself to be entombed in this place without any resistance.”
The youth, much assured at these words, with a smiling countenance requested me to sit myself by him. As soon as I was seated, he said, “Prince, my story will surprise you. My father is a jeweler. He had been long married without having issue when he dreamt that he should have a son, though his life would be but short. Some time after, I was born, which occasioned great joy in the family. My father, who had observed the very moment of my birth, consulted astrologers about my nativity, and was answered, ‘Your son shall live happily till the age of fifteen, when his life will be exposed to a danger, which he will hardly be able to escape. But if his good destiny preserve him beyond that time, he will live to a great age. It will be,’ said they, ‘when the
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