ded him withal,
whilst in his hand he held a stallion, whose like is not among the
horses of the Arabs of the Arabs, [456] with housings of the richest
stuffs brocaded with gold; whereupon Alaeddin called his mother
forthright and delivered her the twelve slave-girls and gave her the
[twelve] suits, [457] so she might dress herself [458] and go with them
to the Sultan's palace. Then he despatched one of the mamelukes thither,
to see an the Sultan were come forth of the harem or not; so he went and
returning, swiftlier than lightning, said to him, "O my lord, the Sultan
awaiteth thee." Accordingly he arose and mounting, [set forth], whilst
the mamelukes rode before him and after him, (extolled be the perfection
of the Lord who created them with [459] that which clothed them of
beauty and grace!), strewing gold upon the folk before their lord
Alaeddin, who overpassed them all of his grace and goodliness, and ask
thou not of kings' sons, [460] extolled be the perfection of the Giver,
the Eternal! Now all this was of the virtue of the wonderful lamp, [461]
which gifted whoso possessed it with goodliness and grace and wealth and
wisdom.

The folk marvelled at Alaeddin's bounty and at the excess of his
munificence and were amazed when they saw that which graced him of
beauty and goodliness and his courtliness and dignity; yea, they
extolled the perfection of the Compassionate One for this His noble
creature and all of them great and small [462] called down blessings
on him, albeit they knew him for the son of such an one the tailor; yet
none envied him, but all said, "He is deserving." So [463] he fared on
his way, with the mamelukes before him and behind him, scattering gold
upon the folk, till he came to the palace.

Now the Sultan had summoned to his presence the chiefs of his state
and telling them that he had passed his word for the marriage of his
daughter to Alaeddin, bade them await the latter, commanding them that,
when he came, they should all go out to meet him; moreover, he assembled
the amirs and viziers and chamberlains and guards and captains of the
troops and they were all awaiting Alaeddin at the door of the palace.
When he arrived, he would have dismounted at the door, but there came up
to him one of the Amirs, whom the Sultan had deputed to that office, and
said to him, "O my lord, the commandment is that thou enter, riding on
thy charger, so thou mayst alight at the door of the Divan." So they
all forewe