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ever, when Day began to appear, he did not forget to ſay his Prayers, like a good Muſſulman, and afterwards added this Petition: Lord, you know, that I caſt my Nets only four times a Day; I have already drawn them three times, without the leaſt Reward for my Labour: I am only to caſt ’em once more; I pray you to render the Sea ſavourable to me, as you did to Moſes.
The Fiſherman having finiſh’d this Prayer, caſt his Nets the fourth time; and when he thought it was time, he drew them as formerly, with great Difficulty; but inſtead of Fiſh, found nothing in ’em but a Veſſel of yellow Copper, that by its Weight ſeem’d to be full of ſomething; and he obſerv’d that it was ſhut up and ſeal’d with Lead, having the Impreſſion of a Seal upon it. This rejoiced him: I will ſell it, ſays he to the Founder, and with the Money ariſing from the Product, buy a Meaſure of Corn. He examin’d the Veſſel on all Sides, and ſhook it, to ſee if what was within made any Noiſe, and heard nothing. This Circumſtance, with the Impreſſion of the Seal upon upon the leaden Cover, made him to think there was ſomething precious in it. To try this, he took a Knife and open’d it with very little Labour. He preſently turn’d the Mouth downward, but nothing came out, which ſurprizd him extreamly, He ſet it before him, and while he look’d upon it attentively, there came out a very thick Smoak, which oblig’d him to retire two or three Paces from it,
This Smoak mounted as highas the Clouds, and extending it ſelf along the Sea, and upon the Shoar, form’d a great Miſt, which we may well imagine did mightily aſtoniſh the Fiſherman, When the Smoak was all out of the Veſſel, it reunited it ſelf, and became a ſolid Body, of which there was form’d a Genie twice as high as the greateſt of Giants. At the ſight of a Monſter of ſuch an unſizeable Bulk, the Fiſherman would ſain have fled, but was ſo frighten’d, that he could not go one ſtep.
Solomon, cried the Genie immediately, Solomon, the great Propher, Pardon, Pardon, I will never more oppoſe your Will, l will obey all your Commands,—Scheherazade perceiving Day, broke off her Story.
