1 827J The Adventures of Prince Hassan. 373 



richest manufacture : the sleeves were very full. His head was covered 

 with a cap ornamented with precious stones. He carried a book in one 

 hand, and in the other a golden wand. He stopped on seeing me, and, 

 after having regarded me for some time, he thus spoke : ' Young stranger, 

 whom the tempest has driven on our coast, follow me, and profit by the 

 short time you will remain on this island.' I perceived myself, at these 

 words, drawn on, as it were, in spite of myself. I followed him. He 

 proceeded to that side of the city which was seen at the end of the alley. 

 During our walk, he acquainted me with their customs and manner of 

 living. ' This island,' said he, ' where every thing the most rare in nature 

 is collected, is the Island of White Magic. The number of the inhabitants 

 is fixed. There is no jealousy among us: our power is equal. We live 

 together as friends, as neither envy nor interest can trouble us. We are all 

 of the same age, and we all die on the same day. We do not keep here 

 our wives, and we never have but one son. At the age of twenty-five, we 

 marry such of the princesses of the earth as we most desire. Genii, whom 

 we have at our service, bring us their portraits, and we each make choice 

 of one. They lie-in on the same day of a son, whom they bring up with 

 them till the age of twenty -five for then we are fifty ; and as that age 

 is no longer proper for pleasure, it is at that period we all die. We sum- 

 mon our wives and sons to this island, and, after giving to the latter our 

 books and wands, we are enclosed in our tombs, together with our wives, 

 whose affection for us carries them with us to the Black Empire. It is 

 to-day that we must die. Soon this heaven, that sun, will disappear 

 from my eyes ; I shall be plunged into eternal night, and shall cease to 

 exist.' 



"We had arrived at the city when he ceased speaking; it was all 

 built of marble, and of most magnificent architecture. He shewed me 

 every part of it, and afterwards led me to an eminence, from whence I 

 had a view of the whole island. There, after having embraced me, ' I 

 wish,' said he, ' to shew you, by means of my art, a part of what will 

 befal you. Happy if that may preserve you from the dangers that 

 threaten you !' He then made a circle with his wand, and placed me in 

 the middle. He opened his book, and waved his wand three times. At 

 the third time I perceived a black vapour arise all around me. As it 

 increased, I could not see : the heavens were hidden from my eyes the 

 earth disappeared ; and when this .vapour vanished, I was surprised to see 

 nothing of the magician who accompanied me, nor the hill upon which I 

 was standing, nor the island ; in short, nothing I had before observed. 

 I found myself in a vessel which was tossed about by a tempest ; and after 

 having been struck several times by the sea, it was driven on some rocks. 

 I was swallowed up by the waves. Here I beheld horrible monsters, who 

 disappeared from my sight, leaving in my arms a princess of unequalled 

 beauty. Fear had deprived her countenance of its beautiful bloom, and 

 her eyes hardly bore the light ; but her colour returned when she saw 

 me. I have never seen any thing so beautiful. It seemed to me as if she 

 thanked me for having restored her to life ; but she was torn away from 

 me at that moment by a monster of most terrible figure. I tried to snatch 

 her from his claws when again every thing vanished from my eyes. The 

 vapour, which had hitherto surrounded me, disappeared gradually. I 

 perceived myself standing on the hill, by the side of the magician. I 

 regretted that I was not for a longer space under such a delusion, The 



