( 10 )
O Heavens, cry’d he, What Indignity! What Horror? can the Wife of a Sovereign, ſuch as I am, be capable of ſuch an infamous Action? After this, let no Prince boaſt of his being perfectly happy. Alas! My Brother, continues he, (embracing the King of Tartary) let’s both renounce the World; Honeſty is baniſh’d out of it; if it flatter us the one Day, it betrays us the next; let us abandon our Dominions and Grandeur; let us go into foreign Countries, where we may lead an obſcure Life, and conceal our Misfortune. Schahzenan did not at all approve of this Reſolution, but did not think fit to contradict Schahriar in the Heat of his Paſſion. Dear Brother, ſays he, your Will ſhall be mine; I am ready to follow you whither you pleaſe; bu promiſe me that you will return, if we can meet with any one that is more unhappy than ourſelves. I agree to it, ſays the Sultan, but doubt much whether we ſhall. I am not of your Mind in this, replies the King of Tartary, I fancy our Journey will be but ſhort. Having faid thus, they went ſecretly out of the Palace by another Way than they came. They travell’d as long as ’twas Day, and lay the firſt Night under the Trees, and getting up about Break of Day, they went on till they came to a fine Meadow upon the Bank of the Sea, in which Meadow there were Tufts of great Trees at ſome diſtance from one another. They fat down under thoſe Trees to reſt and refreſh themſelves, and the chief Subject of their Converſation, was the Lewdneſs of their Wives.
They had not ſat long, till they heard a frightful Noiſe, and a terrible Cry from the Sea, which fil’d them with Fear; then the Sea opening, there roſe up a Thing like a great black Column, which reach’d almoſt to the Clouds. This redoubled their Fear, made them riſe ſpecdily, and climb up in to a Tree to hide themſelves. They had ſcarce got up, till looking to the Place from whence the Noiſe came, and where the Sea open’d, they obſerved that the Black Column advanced, winding about towards the Shoar, cleaving the Water before it. They could not at firſt think what it ſhould be, but in a little time they found,
That it was one of thoſe malignant Genies, that are mortal Enemies to Mankind, and always doing them Miſ-chief,
