Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 3.djvu/307

281 bless and preserve) accepted presents; and these ten trays, with what is on them, are my present to thee.’ The Khalif accepted his gift and ordering him a robe of honour, made him Provost of the merchants and gave him a seat in the Divan. Presently, his father-in-law came in, and seeing Alaeddin seated in his place and clad in a robe of honour, said to the Khalif, ‘O King of the age, why is this man sitting in my place and wearing this robe of honour?’ Quoth the Khalif, ‘I have made him Provost of the merchants, and thou art deposed; for offices are by investiture and not in perpetuity.’ ‘Thou hast done well, O Commander of the Faithful,’ answered the merchant; ‘for he is art and part of us. May God make the best of us the orderers of our affairs! How many a little one hath become great!’ Then the Khalif wrote Alaeddin a patent [of investiture] and gave it to the Master of Police, who gave it to the crier and the latter made proclamation in the Divan, saying, ‘None is Provost of the merchants but Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat, and it behoves all to give heed to his words and pay him respect and honour and consideration!’ Moreover, when the Divan broke up, the Master of the Police took Alaeddin and carried him through the thoroughfares of Baghdad, whilst the crier went before him, making proclamation of his dignity. Next day, Alaeddin opened a shop for his slave Selim and set him therein, to buy and sell, whilst he himself rode to the palace and took his place in the Khalif’s Divan.

One day, as he sat in his place, one said to the Khalif, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, may thy head survive such an one the boon-companion! He is gone to the mercy of God the Most High, but may thy life be prolonged!’ Quoth the Khalif, ‘Where is Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat?’ So he went up to the Commander of the Faithful, who clad him in a splendid dress of honour and made him his boon-companion in the dead man’s room, appointing him