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Burton, Richard Francis

"The Arabian Nights"

For
state processions a throne is set for him upon a huge elephant
eleven cubits high, and upon this he sitteth having his great lords
and officers and guests standing in two ranks, on his right hand and
on his left. At his head is a man hending in hand a golden javelin and
behind him another with a great mace of gold whose head is an
emerald a span long and as thick as a man's thumb. And when he
mounteth horse there mount with him a thousand horsemen clad in gold
brocade and silk, and as the King proceedeth a man precedeth him,
crying, 'This is the King of great dignity, of high authority!' And he
continueth to repeat his praises in words I remember not, saying at
the end of his panegyric, 'This is the King owning the crown whose
like nor Solomon nor the Mihraj ever possessed.' Then he is silent and
one behind him proclaimeth, saying, 'He will die! Again I say he
will die!' and the other addeth, 'Extolled be the perfection of the
Living who dieth not!' Moreover, by reason of his justice and
ordinance and intelligence, there is no kazi in his city, and all
his lieges distinguish between truth and falsehood.


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