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there tender Mothers dreading leſt theirs ſhould have the ſame Fate, making the Air to reſound beforehand with their Groans. So that inſtead of the Commendations and Bleſſings which the Sultan had hitherto receiv’d from his Subjects, their Mouths were now fill’d with Imprecations againſt him.
The Grand Viſier, who, as has been already faid, was the Executioner of this horrid Injuſtice againſt his Will, had two Daughters, the eldeſt call’d Scheherazade, and the youngeſt Dinarzade; the latter was a Lady of very great Merit; but the elder had Courage, Wit, and Penetration infinitely above her Sex; ſhe had read abundance, and had ſuch a prodigious Memory, that ſhe never forgot any thing, She had ſucceſsfully applied her ſelf to Philoſophy, Phyſick, Hiſtory, and the Liberal Arts; and for Verſe exceeded the beſt Poets of her Time: Beſides this, ſhe was a perfect Beauty,and a!l her fine Qualifications were crown’d by ſolid Virtue.
The Viſier paſſionately loved a Daughter ſo worthy of his tender Affection; and one Day as they were diſcourſing together, ſhe ſays to him, Father, I have one Favour to beg of you, and moſt humbly pray you to grant it me, I will not refuſe it, anſwers he, provided it be juſt and reaſonable. For the Juſtneſs of it, ſays ſhe, there can be no Queſtion,
and you may judge of it by the Motive which obliges me to demand it of you. I have a Deſign to ſtop the Courſe of that Barbarity which the Sultan exerciſes upon the Families of this City. I would diſpel thoſe unjuſt Fears which ſo many Mothers have of loſing their Daughters in ſuch a total manner. Your Defign, Daughter, replies the Viſier, is very commendable; but the Diſeaſe you would remedy, to me ſeems incurable; how do you pretend to affect it? Father, fays Scheherazade, ſince by your means the Sultan makes every Day a new Marriage, I conjure you by the tender Affection you bear to me, to procure me the Honour of his Bed. The Viſier could not hear this without Horror, O Heaven! replies he in a Paſſion, Have you loſt your Senſes Daughter, that you make ſuch a dangerous Requeſt to me? You know the Sultan has ſworn by his Soul, that he will never lie above one Night with the ſameWo-
