'Each day hath a planet that rules it. Soif the first day of the year fall on a Sundaythat day is the sun's and this portends（though God alone is All-knowing）oppression of kings and sultans and governors and much miasma and lack of rain and that the folk will be in great disorder and the grain-crop will be goodexcept lentilswhich will perishand the vines will rot and flax will be dear and wheat cheap from the beginning of Toubeh to the end of Beremhat. Moreoverin this year there will be much fighting among kingsand there shall be great plenty of good in this year.'（Q.）'What if the first day fall on Monday？'（A.）'That day belongs to the moon and portends righteousness in administrators and deputies and that it will be a year of much rain and grain-crops will be goodbut linseed will decay and wheat will be cheap in the month Keyehk；also that plagues will be rife and that half the sheep and goats will diethat grapes will be plentiful and honey scarce and cotton cheap.'（Q.）'What if it fall on Tuesday？'（A.）'That is Mars's day and portends death of great men and much destruction and outpouring of blood and dearness of grainlack of rain and scarcity of fishwhich will anon be in excess and anon fail [altogether]. In this yearlentils and honey will be cheap and linseed dear and only barley will thriveto the exception of all other grain： great will be the fighting among kings and death will be in the blood and there will be much mortality among asses.'（Q.）'What if it fall on Wednesday？'（A.）'That is Mercury's day and portends great anarchy among the folk and much enmity and rotting of some of the green crops and moderate rains；also that there will be great mortality among cattle and infants and much fighting by seathat wheat will be dear from Burmoudeh to Misra and other grains cheap： thunder and lightning will abound and honey will be dearpalm-trees will thrive and bear apace and flax and cotton will be plentifulbut radishes and onions will be dear.'（Q.）'What if it fall on Thursday？'
（A.）'That is Jupiter's day and portends equity in viziers and righteousness in Cadis and fakirs and the ministers of religion and that good will be plentiful： rain and fruits and trees and grain and fish will abound and flaxcottonhoney and grapes be cheap.'（Q.）'What if it fall on Friday？'（A.）'That day belongs to Venus and portends oppression in the chiefs of the Jinn and talk of forgery and calumny；there will be much dew，the autumn crops will be good in the land and there will be cheapness in one town and not in another： lewdness will be rife by land and sealinseed will be dearalso wheatin Hatourbut cheap in Amshir： honey will be dear and grapes and melons will rot.'（Q.）'What if it fall on Saturday？'（A.）'That is Saturn's day and portends the preferment of slaves and Greeks and those in whom there is no goodneither in their neighbourhood；there will be great drought and scarcity；clouds will abound and death will be rife among mankind and woe to the people of Egypt and Syria from the oppression of the Sultan and failure of blessing upon the green crops and rotting of grain.'
With thisthe astronomer hung his head[being at an end of his questions]and she said to him'O astronomerI will ask thee one questionwhich if thou answer notI will take thy clothes.'Ask on，'replied he. Quoth she'Where is Saturn's dwelling place？'And he answered'In the seventh heaven.'（Q.）
'And that of Jupiter？'（A.）'In the sixth heaven.'（Q.）'And that of Mars？'（A.）'In the fifth heaven.'（Q.）'And that of the sun？'（A.）'In the fourth heaven.'（Q.）'And that of Venus？'（A.）'In the third heaven.'（Q.）'And that of Mercury？'
（A.）'In the second heaven.'（Q.）'And that of the moon？'（A.）
'In the first heaven.'Quoth she'Well answered；but I have one more question to ask thee. Into how many parts are the stars divided？'But he was silent and answered nothing；and she said to him'Put off thy clothes.'So he put them off and she took them；after which the Khalif said to her'Tell us the answer to thy question.'O Commander of the Faithful，'answered she'the stars are divided into three partsone whereof is hung in the sky of the earthas it were lampsto give light to the earthanother suspended in the airto give light to the seas and that which is thereinand the third is used to transfix the demons withalwhen they draw near by stealth to [listen to the talk of the angels in]heaven. Quoth God the Most High'Verilywe have decked the sky of the earth with lamps and have appointed them for projectiles against the demons.'Quoth the astronomer，'I have one more question to askwhich if she answerI will avow myself beaten.'Say on，'answered she. Then said he，'What four incompatible things are based upon other four incompatibles？'The four elements，'replied she；'for of heat God created firewhich is by nature hot and dry；of dryness，earthwhich is cold and dry；of coldwaterwhich is cold and moist；of moistureairwhich is hot and moist. MoreoverHe created twelve signs of the ZodiacAriesTaurusGemini，CancerLeoVirgoLibraScorpioSagittariusCapricorn，Aquarius and Pisces and appointed them of four [several]humoursthreeAriesLeo and SagittariusfieryTaurusVirgo and CapricornearthyGeminiLibra and Aquariusairyand CancerScorpio and Pisceswatery.'With thisthe astronomer roseand saying'Bear witness against me that she is more learned than I，'went away beaten.
Then said the Khalif'Where is the philosopher？'whereupon one came forward and said to Taweddud'What is Time？'Time，'
answered she'is a name applied to the [lapse of the] hours of the day and nightwhich are but the measures of the courses of the sun and moon in their several orbitseven as God the Most High telleth uswhen he saith'And a sign to them [is] the nightfrom which we strip off the dayand beholdthey are in darknessand the sun runneth to a fixed abode[appointed] to it；this is the ordinance of the Sublimethe All-knowing.'
