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The Sixty Firſt Night.
THE officious Dinarzade being awake long before Day, called to the Sultaneſs, If you be not aſleep, Siſter, conſider that it is time to tell the remaining Part of the Story to our Lord the Sultan: Scheherazade addreſſing her ſelf to the Sultan, ſaid, Sir, Your Majeſty may be pleas’d to know, that the Callender purſued his Story thus.
Madam, ſaid he, this Diſcourſe of the fair Princeſſes made me extrem ſorrowful, I omitted not to make them ſenfible how much their Abſence would afflict me; I thanked them for their good Advice, and aſſur’d ’em that I would follow it, and willingly do what was much more difficult, in order to be ſo happy as to paſs the reſt of my Days with Ladies of ſuch rare Qualifications. We took leave of one another with a great deal of Tenderneſs; and having embraced them all, at laſt they departed, and I was left alone in the Caſtle.
Their agreeable Company, the good Cheer, the Conforts of Muſick, and other Pleaſures, had fo much diverted me during the whole Year, that I neither had Time, nor the leaſt Deſire to ſee the wonderful things contain’d in this inchanted Palace. Nay, I did not ſo much as take notice of a thouſand rare Objects that were every Day in my Sight; for I was ſo taken with the charming Beauty of thoſe Ladies, and took ſo much Pleaſure in ſeeing them wholly imploy’d to oblige me, that their Departure afflicted me very ſenſibly; and tho’ their Abſence was to be only 40 Days, it ſeemed to me an Age to live without them.
I promis’d myſelf not to forget the important Advice they had given me, not to open the Golden Door; but as I was permitted to ſatisfy my Curioſity in every thing elſe, I took the firſt of the Keys of the other Doors, which were hung up in good Order.
I open’d the firſt Door, and came into an Orchard, which I believe the Univerſe could not equal: I could not imagine that any thing could ſurpaſs it, but that which our Religion promiſes us after Death; the Symmetry, the Neatneſs, the admirable Order of the Trees, the abundance and di-