Page:The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart.pdf/274

270 (they called her the daughter of Pharaoh). Abiding now with her, he was struck by her beauty, and sought rather her glance and pleasure than wisdom; then (a thing I should never have imagined) he allowed his glances to fall on the crowd of joyous maidens—and cunning Pleasure brought more and yet more of them before his eyes; struck by the beauty now of this, now of that one, he called to him all that came in his way, without their even being weighed together. Thus, in a short time he beheld seven hundred of them around him, and three hundred also that were not wedded; for he held it as glory to surpass, in such matters also, all who were before him and would be after him. And now nothing was to be seen but amorous trifling, and even his own followers grieved and groaned over this.

4. Now, when he had passed through this street he proceeded farther, and entered the street of the priests, and whither the wretched companions who were fettered to him dragged him, thither he allowed himself to be drawn among beasts and reptiles, dragons and poisonous vermin; and he began to find doleful delight among them.