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Perfidiouſneſs too well deſerves ſuch a Penance; and in ſhort, after having told me where I might hear of her, ſhe diſappear’d,
Now the five Years being out, I am a travelling in queſt of her; and as I paſs’d this way, I met this Merchant, and the good old Man that led the Bitch, and ſat down by them, This is my Hiſtory, O Prince of Genies! don’t you think it very extraordinary? I own it, ſays the Genie, and upon, that Account remit the Merchant the ſecond Third of the Crime which he had committed againſt me.
Af ſoon as the ſecond old Man had finiſh’d his Story, the third began, and made the like Demand of the Genie, with the two firſ ; that is to ſay, to pardon the Merchant the other Third of his Crime, provided the Story he had to tell him, exceeded the two he had aiready heard, for ſingular Events. The Genie made him the ſame Promiſe as he had done the other two. Hearken then, ſays the old Man to him—but Day appears, ſays Scheherazade, I muſt ſtop here.
I can’t enough admire, Siſter, ſays Dinarzade, the Adventures you have told me. I know abundance more, anſwers the Sultaneſs, that are ſtill more wonderful. Schahriar, willing to know if the Story of the third old Man would be as agreeable as that of the Second, put off the Execution of Scheherazade till next Day.
The Eighth Night.
AS ſoon as Dinarzade perceiv’d it was time to call the Sultaneſs, ſhe ſays, Siſter, I have been awake along time, and have had a great mind to awake you, I am ſo impatient to hear the Story of the third old. Man. The Sultan anſwered, I can hardly think that the third Story will ſurpaſs the two former ones.
heard
