he queen are not crimes,
for in what can she be said to have contributed toward them? Your
majesty may abstain from seeing her, but let her live. The affliction in
which she will spend the rest of her life, after the loss of your
favour, will be a punishment sufficiently distressing."

The emperor of Persia considered with himself, and, reflecting that it
was unjust to condemn the queen to death for what had happened, said:
"Let her live then; I will spare her life, but it shall be on this
condition: that she shall desire to die more than once every day. Let a
wooden shed be built for her at the gate of the principal mosque, with
iron bars to the windows, and let her be put into it, in the coarsest
habit; and every Mussulman that shall go into the mosque to prayers
shall heap scorn upon her. If any one fail, I will have him exposed to
the same punishment; and that I may be punctually obeyed, I charge you,
vizier, to appoint persons to see this done." The emperor pronounced his
sentence in such a tone that the grand vizier durst not further
remonstrate; and it was executed, to the great satisfaction of the two
envious sisters. A shed was built, and the queen, truly worthy of
compassion, was put into it and exposed ignominiously to the contempt of
the people, which usage she bore with a patient resignation that excited
the compassion of those who were discriminating and judged of things
better than the vulgar.

The two princes and the princess were, in the meantime, nursed and
brought up by the intendant of the gardens and his wife with the
tenderness of a father and mother; and as they advanced in age, they all
showed marks of superior dignity, which discovered itself every day by a
certain air which could only belong to exalted birth. All this increased
the affections of the intendant and his wife, who called the eldest
prince Bahman, and the second Perviz, both of them names of the most
ancient emperors of Persia, and the princess, Periezade, which name also
had been borne by several queens and princesses of the kingdom.

As soon as the two princes were old enough, the intendant provided
proper masters to teach them to read and write; and the princess, their
sister, who was often with them, showing a great desire to learn, the
intendant, pleased with her quickness, employed the same master to teach
her also. Her vivacity and piercing wit made her, in a little time, as
great a proficient as her brothers. From that tim