led towards him, and cried out, as she swung her
crutch to and fro in the air,

"Fool, fool, young idle fool! think of the stone of Mount Massis,
otherwise thou canst not be my husband."

After these words she limped back again, gathered herself up as
before, and the lid of the urn closed once more of itself.

This occurred every night; but after that Jalaladdeen had recovered
from the agitation caused by her first appearance, he slept as soundly
as ever: still the old woman woke him night after night by thrusts in
the ribs with her crutch, and on every occasion repeated the same or
similar words.

But she generally awoke him in the midst of a dream, in which he
always saw a very beautiful young lady, who rose from a kingly throne
near him, and touched him with her golden sceptre. To this succeeded
the reality of the hideous old woman; and instead of the sceptre, the
crutch was wielded against him.

He often endeavoured by day to get the vessel removed; and sometimes
even it was thrown into the river which flows by Bagdad; but still it
always found its way back to his chamber at night. He then caused his
couch to be removed to another room, but this was to no purpose, as
the vessel always followed it. Thus matters went on, till the nightly
disturbances, and still more the disturbed state of his mind, affected
him to such a degree, that his health was very much impaired. He
sought the advice of physicians, who prescribed all kinds of
stimulants and restoratives; but their combined skill could not
restore him to his lost rest. At length one of the physicians said to
him,

"My skill has done all it can, my medicines avail nothing: if your
illness were really that of the body, you would have been restored to
health long since; but if your indisposition has its source in the
mind, my prescriptions cannot aid you. Seek a magician--that is my
advice: he by his occult science may be enabled to discover the cause
of your bad health, and to effect a cure."

Jalaladdeen felt the truth of these words.

"It cannot be denied," said he, "that the cause of my illness is
seated in my mind, and till that be removed, my health cannot be
restored."

He then sought out one of the most skilful magicians of the day, and
disclosed to him the circumstances of his nightly disturbance,
assuring him, that before the first night on which the old woman had
made her odious appearance out of the vessel, his rest had never been
impaired. H