Sit down near me, and tell
the story of your life; for, by what you wrote, and the insolence
of that slave merchant, I guess there is something extraordinary
in it.
Prince Assad obeyed her; and, sitting down, began thus: Mighty
queen, your majesty is not mistaken in thinking there is
something extraordinary in the story of my life; it is indeed
more so than you can imagine. The ills, the incredible torments,
I have suffered, and the death to which I was devoted, and from
which I am delivered by your generosity, will show, when I have
related them, that my obligation to you is infinite. But, before
I enter into the particulars of my miseries, which will strike
horror into the hearts of all who hear them related, to explain
the occasion of them, I must trace the matter a little higher,
and begin with the source of my misfortunes.
This preamble increased queen Margiana's curiosity.
The prince then told her of his royal birth; of his brother
Amgrad, and their mutual friendship; of their mother's criminal
passion, which in a night turned into inveterate hatred, the
cause of all their sufferings; of the king's rage; how
miraculously they saved their lives; how he lost his brother; how
he had been imprisoned, tortured, and was only sent there to be
sacrificed on the Fiery Mountain.
When Assad had finished his discourse, the queen was more than
ever enraged at the adorers of fire.
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