[1716] The magicians simply saw this as a great chance and wanted to make the best of it (cf. al-Rāzī). They dictated their own terms, and surely Pharaoh was ripe for it. He offered them way more than they asked for; to be ever close to him as part of his inner court assured of great favours which would last a long while. He succumbed to their demands and bared his heart, out of sheer panic.