第101章 ALAEDDIN ABOU ESH SHAMAT.(11)
Alaeddin，'replied the Khalif，let Zubeideh play us an air，by way of thank-offering for thy deliverance.'So she played him the rarest of measures on the lute，till the very stones shook for delight and the strings cried out for ecstasy，O Loving One！'[105] They spent the night after the merriest fashion，and in the morning，the Khalif said to Alaeddin，Come to the Divan to-morrow.'I hear and obey，O Commander of the Faithful，answered he，so it please God and thou be well and in good case.'So on the morrow he took ten trays and putting a costly present on each，went up with them to the palace. As the Khalif was sitting on the throne，Alaeddin appeared at the door of the Divan，repeating the following verses：
Good fortune and glory still wait on thy days And rubbed in the dust be thine enviers nose！
May the days never stint to be white unto thee And black with despite be the days of thy foes！
Welcome，O Alaeddin！'sad the Khalif，and he replied，Commander of the Faithful，the Prophet （whom God 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 Khalifs Divan.
One day，as he sat in his place，one said to the Khalif，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 mans room，appointing him a monthly wage of a thousand dinars. He continued to fill his new office till，one day，as he sat in the Divan，according to his wont，an Amir came up with a sword and shield in his hand and said，Commander of the Faithful，mayst thou outlive the Chief of the Sixty，for he is this day dead；whereupon the Khalif ordered Alaeddin a dress of honour and made him Chief of the Sixty，in place of the dead man，who had neither wife nor child. So Alaeddin laid hands on his estate，and the Khalif said to him，Bury him in the earth and take all he hath left of wealth and slaves，male and female.'Then he shook the handkerchief and dismissed the Divan，whereupon Alaeddin went forth，attended by Ahmed ed Denef，captain of the right hand，and Hassan Shouman，captain of the left hand troop of the Khalifs guard，riding at his either stirrup，each with his forty men. Presently，he turned to Hassan Shouman and his men and said to them，Plead ye for me with Captain Ahmed ed Denef，that he accept me as his son before God.'And Ahmed ed Denef assented，saying，I and my forty men will go before thee to the Divan every day.'
After this，Alaeddin abode in the Khalifs service many days；