{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_20916/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_20916","id":"gutenberg_20916","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20916","summary":null,"tags":["Arabs -- Folklore","Category: Adventure","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's Literature","Fairy tales","Fairy tales -- Arab countries","Folklore -- Arab countries","Harvard Classics","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"Produced by Irma Spehar, Graeme Mackreth, and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE ARABIAN NIGHTS\n\n\n\n\nTHE\nARABIAN NIGHTS\n\nTHEIR BEST-KNOWN TALES\n\nEDITED BY\n\nKATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN\nAND\nNORA A. SMITH\n\nILLUSTRATED BY MAXFIELD PARRISH\n\nNEW YORK\nCHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS\nMCMIX\n\nCopyright, 1909, by\nCHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS\n\nPublished October, 1909\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n_Little excuse is needed, perhaps, for any fresh selection from the\nfamous \"Tales of a Thousand and One Nights,\" provided it be\nrepresentative enough, and worthy enough, to enlist a new army of\nyouthful readers. Of the two hundred and sixty-four bewildering,\nunparalleled stories, the true lover can hardly spare one, yet there\nmust always be favourites, even among these. We have chosen some of the\nmost delightful, in our opinion; some, too, that chanced to appeal\nparticularly to the genius of the artist. If, enticed by our choice and\nthe beauty of the pictures, we manage to attract a few thousand more\ntrue lovers to the fountain-book, we shall have served our humble turn.\nThe only real danger lies in neglecting it, in rearing a child who does\nnot know it and has never fallen under its spell._\n\n_You remember Maimoune, in the story of Prince Camaralzaman, and what she\nsaid to Danhasch, the genie who had just arrived from the farthest\nlimits of China? \"Be sure thou tellest me nothing but what is true or I\nshall clip thy wings!\" This is what the modern child sometimes says to\nthe genies of literature, and his own wings are too often clipped in\nconsequence._\n\n   _\"The Empire of the Fairies is no more.\n   Reason has banished them from ev'ry shore;\n   Steam has outstripped their dragons and their cars,\n   Gas has eclipsed their glow-worms and their stars.\"_\n\n_Edouard Laboulaye says in his introduction to Nouveaux Contes Bleus:\n\"Mothers who love your children, do not set them too soon to the study\nof history; let them dream while they are young. Do not close the soul\nto the first breath of poetry. Nothing affrights me so much as the\nreasonable, practical child who believes in nothing that he cannot\ntouch. These sages of ten years are, at twenty, dullards, or what is\nstill worse, egoists.\"_\n\n_When a child has once read of Prince Agib, of Gulnare or Periezade,\nSinbad or Codadad, in this or any other volume of its kind, the magic\nwill have been instilled into the blood, for the Oriental flavour in the\nArab tales is like nothing so much as magic. True enough they are a vast\nstorehouse of information concerning the manners and the customs, the\nspirit and the life of the Moslem East (and the youthful reader does not\nhave to study Lane's learned foot-notes to imbibe all this), but beyond\nand above the knowledge of history and geography thus gained, there\ncomes something finer and subtler as well as something more vital. The\nscene is Indian, Egyptian, Arabian, Persian; but Bagdad and Balsora,\nGrand Cairo, the silver Tigris, and the blooming gardens of Damascus,\nthough they can be found indeed on the map, live much more truly in that\nenchanted realm that rises o'er \"the foam of perilous seas in faery\nlands forlorn.\" What craft can sail those perilous seas like the book\nthat has been called a great three-decker to carry tired people to\nIslands of the Blest? \"The immortal fragment,\" says Sir Richard Burton,\nwho perhaps knew the Arabian Nights as did no other European, \"will\nnever be superseded in the infallible judgment of childhood. The\nmarvellous imaginativeness of the Tales produces an insensible\nbrightness of mind and an increase of fancy-power, making one dream that\nbehind them lies the new and unseen, the strange and unexpected--in\nfact, all the glamour of the unknown.\"_\n\n_It would be a delightful task to any boy or girl to begin at the\nbeginning and read the first English version of these famous stories,\nmade from the collection of M. Galland, Professor of Arabic in the Royal\nCollege of Paris. The fact that they had passed from Arabic into French\nand from French into English did not prevent their instantaneous\npopularity. This was in 1704 or thereabouts, and the world was not so\nbusy as it is nowadays, or young men would not have gathered in the\nmiddle of the night under M. Galland's window and cried: \"O vous, qui\nsavez de si jolis contes, et qui les racontez si bien, racontez nous en\nun!\"_\n\n_You can also read them in Scott's edition or in Lane's (both of which,\nbut chiefly the former, we have used as the foundation of our text),\nwhile your elders--philologists or Orientalists--are studying the\ncomplete versions of John Payne or Sir Richard Burton. You may leave the\nwiseacres to wonder which were told in China or India, Arabia or Persia,\nand whether the first manuscript dates back to 1450 or earlier._\n\n_We, like many other editors, have shortened the stories here and there,\nomitting some of the tedious repetitions that crept in from time to time\nwhen Arabian story-tellers were adding to the text to suit their\npurposes._\n\n_Mr. Andrew Lang says amusingly that he has left out of his special\nversions \"all the pieces that are suitable only for Arabs and old\ngentlemen,\" and we have done the same; but we have taken no undue\nliberties. We have removed no genies nor magicians, however terrible;\nhave cut out no base deed of Vizier nor noble deed of Sultan; have\ndiminished the size of no roc's egg, nor omitted any single allusion to\nthe great and only Haroun Al-raschid, Caliph of Bagdad, Commander of the\nFaithful, who must have been a great inspirer of good stories._\n\n_Enter into this \"treasure house of pleasant things,\" then, and make\nyourself at home in the golden palaces, the gem-studded caves, the\nbewildering gardens. Sit by its mysterious fountains, hear the plash of\nits gleaming cascades, unearth its magic lamps and talismans, behold its\nensorcelled princes and princesses._\n\n_Nowhere in the whole realm of literature will you find such a Marvel,\nsuch a Wonder, such a Nonesuch of a book; nowhere will you find\nimpossibilities so real and so convincing; nowhere but in what Henley\ncalls:_\n\n   _\"... that blessed brief\n     Of what is gallantest and best\n   In all the full-shelved Libraries of Romance.\n       The Book of rocs,\n     Sandalwood, ivory, turbans, ambergris,\n   Cream-tarts, and lettered apes, and Calenders,\n     And ghouls, and genies--O so huge\n   They might have overed the tall Minster Tower,\n     Hands down, as schoolboys take a post;\n     In truth the Book of Camaralzaman,\n   Schemselnihar and Sinbad, Scheherezade\n     The peerless, Bedreddin, Badroulbadour,\n       Cairo and Serendib and Candahar,\n   And Caspian, and the dim, terrific bulk--\n   Ice-ribbed, fiend-visited, isled in spells and storms--\n     Of Kaf ... That centre of miracles\n     The sole, unparalleled Arabian Nights.\"_\n\nKATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN.\nAugust, 1909.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\nTHE TALKING BIRD, THE SINGING TREE, AND THE\nGOLDEN WATER                                                          3\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN AND THE GENIE                             52\n\nTHE HISTORY OF THE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLES                     67\n\nTHE STORY OF GULNARE OF THE SEA                                      81\n\nTHE STORY OF ALADDIN; OR, THE WONDERFUL LAMP                         97\n\nTHE STORY OF PRINCE AGIB                                            190\n\nTHE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS                                      205\n\nTHE STORY OF ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES                         229\n\nTHE HISTORY OF CODADAD AND HIS BROTHERS                             264\n\nTHE STORY OF SINBAD THE VOYAGER                                     290\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\n\nFROM DRAWINGS IN COLORS\nBY MAXFIELD PARRISH\n\n\nTHE TALKING BIRD                                                     32\n\nIt will be sufficient to break off a branch and carry it to\nplant in your garden\n\nTHE FISHERMAN AND THE GENIE                                          54\n\nThe smoke ascended to the clouds, and extending itself along\nthe sea and upon the shore formed a great mist\n\nTHE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLES                                    74\n\nWhen he came to this part of his narrative the young king\ncould not restrain his tears\n\nGULNARE OF THE SEA                                                   86\n\nAnd she proceeded to burn perfume and repeat spells until the\nsea foamed and was agitated\n\nALADDIN                                                             106\n\nAt the same time the earth, trembling, opened just before the\nmagician, and uncovered a stone, laid horizontally, with a\nbrass ring fixed into the middle\n\nPRINCE AGIB                                                         194\n\nAnd when the boat came to me I found in it a man\nof brass, with a tablet of lead upon his breast,\nengraven with names and talismans\n\nPRINCE AGIB                                                         202\n\nAt the approach of evening I opened the first closet and, entering\nit, found a mansion like paradise\n\nTHE CITY OF BRASS                                                   218\n\nAnd when they had ascended that mountain they saw a city than\nwhich eyes had not beheld any greater\n\nTHE STORY OF ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES                         236\n\nCassim ... was so alarmed at the danger he was in that the\nmore he endeavoured to remember the word _Sesame_ the more\nhis memory was confounded\n\nTHE HISTORY OF CODADAD AND HIS BROTHERS                             276\n\nAs it drew near we saw ten or twelve armed pirates appear on the deck\n\nSECOND VOYAGE OF SINBAD                                             300\n\nThe spot where she left me was encompassed on all sides by mountains\nthat seemed to reach above the clouds, and so steep that\nthere was no possibility of getting out of the valley\n\nTHIRD VOYAGE OF SINBAD                                              306\n\nHaving finished his repast, he returned to his porch, where he lay\nand fell asleep, snoring louder than thunder\n\n\n\n\nTHE ARABIAN NIGHTS\n\n   \"When the breeze of a joyful dawn blew free\n   In the silken sail of infancy,\n   The tide of time flow'd back with me,\n     The forward-flowing time of time;\n   And many a sheeny summer morn,\n   Adown the Tigris I was borne,\n   By Bagdat's shrines of fretted gold,\n   High-walled gardens green and old;\n     True Mussulman was I and sworn,\n       For it was in the golden prime\n         Of good Haroun Alraschid.\n\n   \"Anight my shallop, rustling thro'\n     The low and bloomed foliage, drove\n     The fragrant, glistening deeps, and clove\n   The citron-shadows in the blue:\n     By garden porches on the brim,\n   The costly doors flung open wide,\n     Gold glittering thro' lamplight dim,\n   And broider'd sofas on each side:\n     In sooth it was a goodly time,\n     For it was in the golden prime\n       Of good Haroun Alraschid.\"\n\nALFRED, LORD TENNYSON.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TALKING BIRD, THE SINGING TREE, AND THE GOLDEN WATER\n\n\nThere was an emperor of Persia named Kosrouschah, who, when he first\ncame to his crown, in order to obtain a knowledge of affairs, took great\npleasure in night excursions, attended by a trusty minister. He often\nwalked in disguise through the city, and met with many adventures, one\nof the most remarkable of which happened to him upon his first ramble,\nwhich was not long after his accession to the throne of his father.\n\nAfter the ceremonies of his father's funeral rites and his own\ninauguration were over, the new sultan, as well from inclination as from\nduty, went out one evening attended by his grand vizier, disguised like\nhimself, to observe what was transacting in the city. As he was passing\nthrough a street in that part of the town inhabited only by the meaner\nsort, he heard some people talking very loud; and going close to the\nhouse whence the noise proceeded, and looking through a crack in the\ndoor, perceived a light, and three sisters sitting on a sofa, conversing\ntogether after supper. By what the eldest said he presently understood\nthe subject of their conversation was wishes: \"for,\" said she, \"since we\nare talking about wishes, mine shall be to have the sultan's baker for\nmy husband, for then I shall eat my fill of that bread, which by way of\nexcellence is called the sultan's; let us see if your tastes are as good\nas mine.\" \"For my part,\" replied the second sister, \"I wish I was wife\nto the sultan's chief cook, for then I should eat of the most excellent\ndishes; and as I am persuaded that the sultan's bread is common in the\npalace, I should not want any of that; therefore you see,\" addressing\nherself to her eldest sister, \"that I have a better taste than you.\" The\nyoungest sister, who was very beautiful, and had more charms and wit\nthan the two elder, spoke in her turn: \"For my part, sisters,\" said she,\n\"I shall not limit my desires to such trifles, but take a higher flight;\nand since we are upon wishing, I wish to be the emperor's queen-consort.\nI would make him father of a prince, whose hair should be gold on one\nside of his head, and silver on the other; when he cried, the tears from\nhis eyes should be pearls; and when he smiled, his vermilion lips should\nlook like a rosebud fresh-blown.\"\n\nThe three sisters' wishes, particularly that of the youngest, seemed so\nsingular to the sultan, that he resolved to gratify them in their\ndesires; but without communicating his design to his grand vizier, he\ncharged him only to take notice of the house, and bring the three\nsisters before him the following day.\n\nThe grand vizier, in executing the emperor's orders, would but just give\nthe sisters time to dress themselves to appear before his majesty,\nwithout telling them the reason. He brought them to the palace, and\npresented them to the emperor, who said to them, \"Do you remember the\nwishes you expressed last night, when you were all in so pleasant a\nmood? Speak the truth; I must know what they were.\" At these unexpected\nwords of the emperor, the three sisters were much confounded. They cast\ndown their eyes and blushed, and the colour which rose in the cheeks of\nthe youngest quite captivated the emperor's heart. Modesty, and fear\nlest they might have offended by their conversation, kept them silent.\nThe emperor, perceiving their confusion, said to encourage them, \"Fear\nnothing, I did not send for you to distress you; and since I see that\nwithout my intending it, this is the effect of the question I asked, as\nI know the wish of each, I will relieve you from your fears. You,\" added\nhe, \"who wished to be my wife, shall have your desire this day; and\nyou,\" continued he, addressing himself to the two elder sisters, \"shall\nalso be married to my chief baker and cook.\"\n\nAs soon as the sultan had declared his pleasure, the youngest sister,\nsetting her elders an example, threw herself at the emperor's feet to\nexpress her gratitude. \"Sir,\" said she, \"my wish, since it is come to\nyour majesty's knowledge, was expressed only in the way of conversation\nand amusement. I am unworthy of the honour you do me, and supplicate\nyour pardon for my presumption.\" The other two sisters would have\nexcused themselves also, but the emperor, interrupting them, said, \"No,\nno; it shall be as I have declared; the wishes of all shall be\nfulfilled.\" The nuptials were all celebrated that day, as the emperor\nhad resolved, but in a different manner. The youngest sister's were\nsolemnized with all the rejoicings usual at the marriages of the\nemperors of Persia; and those of the other two sisters according to the\nquality and distinction of their husbands; the one as the sultan's chief\nbaker, and the other as head cook.\n\nThe two elder felt strongly the disproportion of their marriages to that\nof their younger sister. This consideration made them far from being\ncontent, though they were arrived at the utmost height of their late\nwishes, and much beyond their hopes. They gave themselves up to an\nexcess of jealousy, which not only disturbed their joy, but was the\ncause of great trouble and affliction to the queen-consort, their\nyounger sister. They had not an opportunity to communicate their\nthoughts to each other on the preference the emperor had given her, but\nwere altogether employed in preparing themselves for the celebration of\ntheir marriages. Some days afterward, when they had an opportunity of\nseeing each other at the public baths, the eldest said to the other:\n\"Well, what say you to our sister's great fortune? Is not she a fine\nperson to be a queen!\" \"I must own,\" said the other sister, \"I cannot\nconceive what charms the emperor could discover to be so bewitched by\nher. Was it a reason sufficient for him not to cast his eyes on you,\nbecause she was somewhat younger? You were as worthy of his throne, and\nin justice he ought to have preferred you.\"\n\n\"Sister,\" said the elder, \"I should not have regretted if his majesty\nhad but pitched upon you; but that he should choose that little\nsimpleton really grieves me. But I will revenge myself; and you, I\nthink, are as much concerned as I; therefore, I propose that we should\ncontrive measures and act in concert: communicate to me what you think\nthe likeliest way to mortify her, while I, on my side, will inform you\nwhat my desire of revenge shall suggest to me.\" After this wicked\nagreement, the two sisters saw each other frequently, and consulted how\nthey might disturb and interrupt the happiness of the queen. They\nproposed a great many ways, but in deliberating about the manner of\nexecuting them, found so many difficulties that they durst not attempt\nthem. In the meantime, with a detestable dissimulation, they often went\ntogether to make her visits, and every time showed her all the marks of\naffection they could devise, to persuade her how overjoyed they were to\nhave a sister raised to so high a fortune. The queen, on her part,\nconstantly received them with all the demonstrations of esteem they\ncould expect from so near a relative. Some time after her marriage, the\nexpected birth of an heir gave great joy to the queen and emperor, which\nwas communicated to all the court, and spread throughout the empire.\nUpon this news the two sisters came to pay their compliments, and\nproffered their services, desiring her, if not provided with nurses, to\naccept of them.\n\nThe queen said to them most obligingly: \"Sisters, I should desire\nnothing more, if it were in my power to make the choice. I am, however,\nobliged to you for your goodwill, but must submit to what the emperor\nshall order on this occasion. Let your husbands employ their friends to\nmake interest, and get some courtier to ask this favour of his majesty,\nand if he speaks to me about it, be assured that I shall not only\nexpress the pleasure he does me but thank him for making choice of you.\"\n\nThe two husbands applied themselves to some courtiers, their patrons,\nand begged of them to use their interest to procure their wives the\nhonour they aspired to. Those patrons exerted themselves so much in\ntheir behalf that the emperor promised them to consider of the matter,\nand was as good as his word; for in conversation with the queen he told\nher that he thought her sisters were the most proper persons to be about\nher, but would not name them before he had asked her consent. The queen,\nsensible of the deference the emperor so obligingly paid her, said to\nhim, \"Sir, I was prepared to do as your majesty might please to command.\nBut since you have been so kind as to think of my sisters, I thank you\nfor the regard you have shown them for my sake, and therefore I shall\nnot dissemble that I had rather have them than strangers.\" The emperor\ntherefore named the queen's two sisters to be her attendants; and from\nthat time they went frequently to the palace, overjoyed at the\nopportunity they would have of executing the detestable wickedness they\nhad meditated against the queen.\n\nShortly afterward a young prince, as bright as the day, was born to the\nqueen; but neither his innocence nor beauty could move the cruel hearts\nof the merciless sisters. They wrapped him up carelessly in his cloths\nand put him into a basket, which they abandoned to the stream of a small\ncanal that ran under the queen's apartment, and declared that she had\ngiven birth to a puppy. This dreadful intelligence was announced to the\nemperor, who became so angry at the circumstance, that he was likely to\nhave occasioned the queen's death, if his grand vizier had not\nrepresented to him that he could not, without injustice, make her\nanswerable for the misfortune.\n\nIn the meantime, the basket in which the little prince was exposed was\ncarried by the stream beyond a wall which bounded the prospect of the\nqueen's apartment, and from thence floated with the current down the\ngardens. By chance the intendant of the emperor's gardens, one of the\nprincipal officers of the kingdom, was walking in the garden by the side\nof this canal, and, perceiving a basket floating, called to a gardener\nwho was not far off, to bring it to shore that he might see what it\ncontained. The gardener, with a rake which he had in his hand, drew the\nbasket to the side of the canal, took it up, and gave it to him. The\nintendant of the gardens was extremely surprised to see in the basket a\nchild, which, though he knew it could be but just born, had very fine\nfeatures. This officer had been married several years, but though he had\nalways been desirous of having children, Heaven had never blessed him\nwith any. This accident interrupted his walk: he made the gardener\nfollow him with the child, and when he came to his own house, which was\nsituated at the entrance to the gardens of the palace, went into his\nwife's apartment. \"Wife,\" said he, \"as we have no children of our own,\nGod has sent us one. I recommend him to you; provide him a nurse, and\ntake as much care of him as if he were our own son; for, from this\nmoment, I acknowledge him as such.\" The intendant's wife received the\nchild with great joy, and took particular pleasure in the care of him.\nThe intendant himself would not inquire too narrowly whence the infant\ncame. He saw plainly it came not far off from the queen's apartment, but\nit was not his business to examine too closely into what had passed, nor\nto create disturbances in a place where peace was so necessary.\n\nThe following year another prince was born, on whom the unnatural\nsisters had no more compassion than on his brother, but exposed him\nlikewise in a basket and set him adrift in the canal, pretending, this\ntime, that the sultana had given birth to a cat. It was happy also for\nthis child that the intendant of the gardens was walking by the canal\nside, for he had it carried to his wife, and charged her to take as much\ncare of it as of the former, which was as agreeable to her inclination\nas it was to his own.\n\nThe emperor of Persia was more enraged this time against the queen than\nbefore, and she had felt the effects of his anger if the grand vizier's\nremonstrances had not prevailed. The third year the queen gave birth to\na princess, which innocent babe underwent the same fate as her brothers,\nfor the two sisters, being determined not to desist from their\ndetestable schemes till they had seen the queen cast off and humbled,\nclaimed that a log of wood had been born and exposed this infant also on\nthe canal. But the princess, as well as her brothers, was preserved from\ndeath by the compassion and charity of the intendant of the gardens.\n\nKosrouschah could no longer contain himself, when he was informed of the\nnew misfortune. He pronounced sentence of death upon the wretched queen\nand ordered the grand vizier to see it executed.\n\nThe grand vizier and the courtiers who were present cast themselves at\nthe emperor's feet, to beg of him to revoke the sentence. \"Your majesty,\nI hope, will give me leave,\" said the grand vizier, \"to represent to\nyou, that the laws which condemn persons to death were made to punish\ncrimes; the three extraordinary misfortunes of the queen are not crimes,\nfor in what can she be said to have contributed toward them? Your\nmajesty may abstain from seeing her, but let her live. The affliction in\nwhich she will spend the rest of her life, after the loss of your\nfavour, will be a punishment sufficiently distressing.\"\n\nThe emperor of Persia considered with himself, and, reflecting that it\nwas unjust to condemn the queen to death for what had happened, said:\n\"Let her live then; I will spare her life, but it shall be on this\ncondition: that she shall desire to die more than once every day. Let a\nwooden shed be built for her at the gate of the principal mosque, with\niron bars to the windows, and let her be put into it, in the coarsest\nhabit; and every Mussulman that shall go into the mosque to prayers\nshall heap scorn upon her. If any one fail, I will have him exposed to\nthe same punishment; and that I may be punctually obeyed, I charge you,\nvizier, to appoint persons to see this done.\" The emperor pronounced his\nsentence in such a tone that the grand vizier durst not further\nremonstrate; and it was executed, to the great satisfaction of the two\nenvious sisters. A shed was built, and the queen, truly worthy of\ncompassion, was put into it and exposed ignominiously to the contempt of\nthe people, which usage she bore with a patient resignation that excited\nthe compassion of those who were discriminating and judged of things\nbetter than the vulgar.\n\nThe two princes and the princess were, in the meantime, nursed and\nbrought up by the intendant of the gardens and his wife with the\ntenderness of a father and mother; and as they advanced in age, they all\nshowed marks of superior dignity, which discovered itself every day by a\ncertain air which could only belong to exalted birth. All this increased\nthe affections of the intendant and his wife, who called the eldest\nprince Bahman, and the second Perviz, both of them names of the most\nancient emperors of Persia, and the princess, Periezade, which name also\nhad been borne by several queens and princesses of the kingdom.\n\nAs soon as the two princes were old enough, the intendant provided\nproper masters to teach them to read and write; and the princess, their\nsister, who was often with them, showing a great desire to learn, the\nintendant, pleased with her quickness, employed the same master to teach\nher also. Her vivacity and piercing wit made her, in a little time, as\ngreat a proficient as her brothers. From that time the brothers and\nsister had the same masters in geography, poetry, history, and even the\nsecret sciences, and made so wonderful a progress that their tutors were\namazed, and frankly owned that they could teach them nothing more. At\nthe hours of recreation, the princess learned to sing and play upon all\nsorts of instruments; and when the princes were learning to ride she\nwould not permit them to have that advantage over her, but went through\nall the exercises with them, learning to ride also, to bend the bow, and\ndart the reed or javelin, and oftentimes outdid them in the race and\nother contests of agility.\n\nThe intendant of the gardens was so overjoyed to find his adopted\nchildren so accomplished in all the perfections of body and mind, and\nthat they so well requited the expense he had been at in their\neducation, that he resolved to be at a still greater; for, as he had\nuntil then been content simply with his lodge at the entrance of the\ngarden, and kept no country-house, he purchased a mansion at a short\ndistance from the city, surrounded by a large tract of arable land,\nmeadows, and woods. As the house was not sufficiently handsome nor\nconvenient, he pulled it down, and spared no expense in building a more\nmagnificent residence. He went every day to hasten, by his presence, the\ngreat number of workmen he employed, and as soon as there was an\napartment ready to receive him, passed several days together there when\nhis presence was not necessary at court; and by the same exertions, the\ninterior was furnished in the richest manner, in consonance with the\nmagnificence of the edifice. Afterward he made gardens, according to a\nplan drawn by himself. He took in a large extent of ground, which he\nwalled around, and stocked with fallow deer, that the princes and\nprincess might divert themselves with hunting when they chose.\n\nWhen this country seat was finished and fit for habitation, the\nintendant of the gardens went and cast himself at the emperor's feet,\nand, after representing how long he had served, and the infirmities of\nage which he found growing upon him, begged that he might be permitted\nto resign his charge into his majesty's disposal and retire. The emperor\ngave him leave, with the more pleasure, because he was satisfied with\nhis long services, both in his father's reign and his own, and when he\ngranted it, asked what he should do to recompense him. \"Sir,\" replied\nthe intendant of the gardens, \"I have received so many obligations from\nyour majesty and the late emperor, your father, of happy memory, that I\ndesire no more than the honour of dying in your favour.\" He took his\nleave of the emperor and retired with the two princes and the princess\nto the country retreat he had built. His wife had been dead some years,\nand he himself had not lived above six months with his charges before he\nwas surprised by so sudden a death that he had not time to give them the\nleast account of the manner in which he had discovered them. The Princes\nBahman and Perviz, and the Princess Periezade, who knew no other father\nthan the intendant of the emperor's gardens, regretted and bewailed him\nas such, and paid all the honours in his funeral obsequies which love\nand filial gratitude required of them. Satisfied with the plentiful\nfortune he had left them, they lived together in perfect union, free\nfrom the ambition of distinguishing themselves at court, or aspiring to\nplaces of honour and dignity, which they might easily have obtained.\n\nOne day when the two princes were hunting, and the princess had remained\nat home, a religious old woman came to the gate, and desired leave to go\nin to say her prayers, it being then the hour. The servants asked the\nprincess's permission, who ordered them to show her into the oratory,\nwhich the intendant of the emperor's gardens had taken care to fit up in\nhis house, for want of a mosque in the neighbourhood. She bade them,\nalso, after the good woman had finished her prayers, to show her the\nhouse and gardens and then bring her to the hall.\n\nThe old woman went into the oratory, said her prayers, and when she came\nout two of the princess's women invited her to see the residence, which\ncivility she accepted, followed them from one apartment to another, and\nobserved, like a person who understood what belonged to furniture, the\nnice arrangement of everything. They conducted her also into the garden,\nthe disposition of which she found so well planned, that she admired it,\nobserving that the person who had formed it must have been an excellent\nmaster of his art. Afterward she was brought before the princess, who\nwaited for her in the great hall, which in beauty and richness exceeded\nall that she had admired in the other apartments.\n\nAs soon as the princess saw the devout woman, she said to her: \"My good\nmother, come near and sit down by me. I am overjoyed at the happiness of\nhaving the opportunity of profiting for some moments by the example and\nconversation of such a person as you, who have taken the right way by\ndedicating yourself to the service of God. I wish every one were as\nwise.\"\n\nThe devout woman, instead of sitting on a sofa, would only sit upon the\nedge of one. The princess would not permit her to do so, but rising from\nher seat and taking her by the hand, obliged her to come and sit by her.\nThe good woman, sensible of the civility, said: \"Madam, I ought not to\nhave so much respect shown me; but since you command, and are mistress\nof your own house, I will obey you.\" When she had seated herself, before\nthey entered into any conversation, one of the princess's women brought\na low stand of mother-of-pearl and ebony, with a china dish full of\ncakes upon it, and many others set round it full of fruits in season,\nand wet and dry sweetmeats.\n\nThe princess took up one of the cakes, and presenting her with it, said:\n\"Eat, good mother, and make choice of what you like best; you had need\nto eat after coming so far.\" \"Madam,\" replied the good woman, \"I am not\nused to eat such delicacies, but will not refuse what God has sent me by\nso liberal a hand as yours.\"\n\nWhile the devout woman was eating, the princess ate a little too, to\nbear her company, and asked her many questions upon the exercise of\ndevotion which she practised and how she lived; all of which she\nanswered with great modesty. Talking of various things, at last the\nprincess asked her what she thought of the house, and how she liked it.\n\n\"Madam,\" answered the devout woman, \"I must certainly have very bad\ntaste to disapprove anything in it, since it is beautiful, regular, and\nmagnificently furnished with exactness and judgment, and all its\nornaments adjusted in the best manner. Its situation is an agreeable\nspot, and no garden can be more delightful; but yet, if you will give me\nleave to speak my mind freely, I will take the liberty to tell you that\nthis house would be incomparable if it had three things which are\nwanting to complete it.\" \"My good mother,\" replied the Princess\nPeriezade, \"what are those? I entreat you to tell me what they are; I\nwill spare nothing to get them.\"\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the devout woman, \"the first of these three things is\nthe Talking Bird, so singular a creature, that it draws round it all the\nsongsters of the neighbourhood which come to accompany its voice. The\nsecond is the Singing Tree, the leaves of which are so many mouths which\nform an harmonious concert of different voices and never cease. The\nthird is the Golden Water, a single drop of which being poured into a\nvessel properly prepared, it increases so as to fill it immediately, and\nrises up in the middle like a fountain, which continually plays, and yet\nthe basin never overflows.\"\n\n\"Ah! my good mother,\" cried the princess, \"how much am I obliged to you\nfor the knowledge of these curiosities! I never before heard there were\nsuch rarities in the world; but as I am persuaded that you know, I\nexpect that you should do me the favour to inform me where they are to\nbe found.\"\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the good woman, \"I should be unworthy the hospitality\nyou have shown me if I should refuse to satisfy your curiosity on that\npoint, and am glad to have the honour to tell you that these curiosities\nare all to be met with in the same spot on the confines of this kingdom,\ntoward India. The road lies before your house, and whoever you send\nneeds but follow it for twenty days, and on the twentieth only let him\nask the first person he meets where the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree,\nand the Golden Water are, and he will be informed.\" After saying this,\nshe rose from her seat, took her leave, and went her way.\n\nThe Princess Periezade's thoughts were so taken up with the Talking\nBird, Singing Tree, and Golden Water, that she never perceived the\ndevout woman's departure, till she wanted to ask her some question for\nher better information; for she thought that what she had been told was\nnot a sufficient reason for exposing herself by undertaking a long\njourney. However, she would not send after her visitor, but endeavoured\nto remember all the directions, and when she thought she had recollected\nevery word, took real pleasure in thinking of the satisfaction she\nshould have if she could get these curiosities into her possession; but\nthe difficulties she apprehended and the fear of not succeeding made her\nvery uneasy.\n\nShe was absorbed in these thoughts when her brothers returned from\nhunting, who, when they entered the great hall, instead of finding her\nlively and gay, as she was wont to be, were amazed to see her so pensive\nand hanging down her head as if something troubled her.\n\n\"Sister,\" said Prince Bahman, \"what is become of all your mirth and\ngaiety? Are you not well? or has some misfortune befallen you? Tell us,\nthat we may know how to act, and give you some relief. If any one has\naffronted you, we will resent his insolence.\"\n\nThe princess remained in the same posture some time without answering,\nbut at last lifted up her eyes to look at her brothers, and then held\nthem down again, telling them nothing disturbed her.\n\n\"Sister,\" said Prince Bahman, \"you conceal the truth from us; there must\nbe something of consequence. It is impossible we could observe so sudden\na change if nothing was the matter with you. You would not have us\nsatisfied with the evasive answer you have given; do not conceal\nanything, unless you would have us suspect that you renounce the strict\nunion which has hitherto subsisted between us.\"\n\nThe princess, who had not the smallest intention to offend her brothers,\nwould not suffer them to entertain such a thought, but said: \"When I\ntold you nothing disturbed me, I meant nothing that was of importance to\nyou, but to me it is of some consequence; and since you press me to tell\nyou by our strict union and friendship, which are so dear to me, I will.\nYou think, and I always believed so too, that this house was so complete\nthat nothing was wanting. But this day I have learned that it lacks\nthree rarities which would render it so perfect that no country seat in\nthe world could be compared with it. These three things are the Talking\nBird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water.\" After she had informed\nthem wherein consisted the excellency of these rarities, \"A devout\nwoman,\" added she, \"has made this discovery to me, told me the place\nwhere they are to be found, and the way thither. Perhaps you may imagine\nthese things of little consequence; that without these additions our\nhouse will always be thought sufficiently elegant, and that we can do\nwithout them. You may think as you please, but I cannot help telling you\nthat I am persuaded they are absolutely necessary, and I shall not be\neasy without them. Therefore, whether you value them or not, I desire\nyou to consider what person you may think proper for me to send in\nsearch of the curiosities I have mentioned.\"\n\n\"Sister,\" replied Prince Bahman, \"nothing can concern you in which we\nhave not an equal interest. It is enough that you desire these things to\noblige us to take the same interest; but if you had not, we feel\nourselves inclined of our own accord and for our own individual\nsatisfaction. I am persuaded my brother is of the same opinion, and\ntherefore we ought to undertake this conquest, for the importance and\nsingularity of the undertaking deserve that name. I will take the charge\nupon myself; only tell me the place and the way to it, and I will defer\nmy journey no longer than till to-morrow.\"\n\n\"Brother,\" said Prince Perviz, \"it is not proper that you, who are the\nhead of our family, should be absent. I desire my sister should join\nwith me to oblige you to abandon your design, and allow me to undertake\nit. I hope to acquit myself as well as you, and it will be a more\nregular proceeding.\" \"I am persuaded of your goodwill, brother,\" replied\nPrince Bahman, \"and that you would succeed as well as myself in this\njourney; but I have resolved and will undertake it. You shall stay at\nhome with our sister, and I need not recommend her to you.\"\n\nThe next morning Bahman mounted his horse, and Perviz and the princess\nembraced and wished him a good journey. But in the midst of their\nadieus, the princess recollected what she had not thought of before.\n\"Brother,\" said she, \"I had quite forgotten the accidents which attend\ntravellers. Who knows whether I shall ever see you again? Alight, I\nbeseech you, and give up this journey. I would rather be deprived of the\nsight and possession of the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the\nGolden Water, than run the risk of never seeing you more.\"\n\n\"Sister,\" replied Bahman, smiling at her sudden fears, \"my resolution is\nfixed. The accidents you speak of befall only those who are unfortunate;\nbut there are more who are not so. However, as events are uncertain, and\nI may fail in this undertaking, all I can do is to leave you this\nknife.\"\n\nBahman pulling a knife from his vestband, and presenting it to the\nprincess in the sheath, said: \"Take this knife, sister, and give\nyourself the trouble sometimes to pull it out of the sheath; while you\nsee it clean as it is now, it will be a sign that I am alive; but if you\nfind it stained with blood, then you may believe me dead and indulge me\nwith your prayers.\"\n\nThe princess could obtain nothing more of Bahman. He bade adieu to her\nand Prince Perviz for the last time and rode away. When he got into the\nroad, he never turned to the right hand nor to the left, but went\ndirectly forward toward India. The twentieth day he perceived on the\nroadside a hideous old man, who sat under a tree near a thatched house,\nwhich was his retreat from the weather.\n\nHis eyebrows were as white as snow, as was also the hair of his head;\nhis whiskers covered his mouth, and his beard and hair reached down to\nhis feet. The nails of his hands and feet were grown to an extensive\nlength, while a flat, broad umbrella covered his head. He had no\nclothes, but only a mat thrown round his body. This old man was a\ndervish for so many years retired from the world to give himself up\nentirely to the service of God that at last he had become what we have\ndescribed.\n\nPrince Bahman, who had been all that morning very attentive, to see if\nhe could meet with anybody who could give him information of the place\nhe was in search of, stopped when he came near the dervish, alighted, in\nconformity to the directions which the devout woman had given the\nPrincess Periezade, and leading his horse by the bridle, advanced toward\nhim and saluting him, said: \"God prolong your days, good father, and\ngrant you the accomplishment of your desires.\"\n\nThe dervish returned the prince's salutation, but so unintelligibly that\nhe could not understand one word he said and Prince Bahman, perceiving\nthat this difficulty proceeded from the dervish's whiskers hanging over\nhis mouth, and unwilling to go any further without the instructions he\nwanted, pulled out a pair of scissors he had about him, and having tied\nhis horse to a branch of the tree, said: \"Good dervish, I want to have\nsome talk with you, but your whiskers prevent my understanding what you\nsay; and if you will consent, I will cut off some part of them and of\nyour eyebrows, which disfigure you so much that you look more like a\nbear than a man.\"\n\nThe dervish did not oppose the offer, and when the prince had cut off as\nmuch hair as he thought fit, he perceived that the dervish had a good\ncomplexion, and that he was not as old as he seemed. \"Good dervish,\"\nsaid he, \"if I had a glass I would show you how young you look: you are\nnow a man, but before, nobody could tell what you were.\"\n\nThe kind behaviour of Prince Bahman made the dervish smile and return\nhis compliment. \"Sir,\" said he, \"whoever you are, I am obliged by the\ngood office you have performed, and am ready to show my gratitude by\ndoing anything in my power for you. You must have alighted here upon\nsome account or other. Tell me what it is, and I will endeavour to serve\nyou.\"\n\n\"Good dervish,\" replied Prince Bahman, \"I am in search of the Talking\nBird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water; I know these three\nrarities are not far from hence, but cannot tell exactly the place where\nthey are to be found; if you know, I conjure you to show me the way,\nthat I may not lose my labour after so long a journey.\"\n\nThe prince, while he spoke, observed that the dervish changed\ncountenance, held down his eyes, looked very serious, and remained\nsilent, which obliged him to say to him again: \"Good father, tell me\nwhether you know what I ask you, that I may not lose my time, but inform\nmyself somewhere else.\"\n\nAt last the dervish broke silence. \"Sir,\" said he to Prince Bahman, \"I\nknow the way you ask of me; but the regard which I conceived for you the\nfirst moment I saw you, and which is grown stronger by the service you\nhave done me, kept me in suspense as to whether I should give you the\nsatisfaction you desire.\" \"What motive can hinder you?\" replied the\nprince; \"and what difficulties do you find in so doing?\" \"I will tell\nyou,\" replied the dervish; \"the danger to which you are going to expose\nyourself is greater than you may suppose. A number of gentlemen of as\nmuch bravery as you can possibly possess have passed this way, and asked\nme the same question. When I had used all my endeavours to persuade them\nto desist, they would not believe me; at last I yielded to their\nimportunities; I was compelled to show them the way, and I can assure\nyou they have all perished, for I have not seen one come back.\nTherefore, if you have any regard for your life, take my advice, go no\nfarther, but return home.\"\n\nPrince Bahman persisted in his resolution. \"I will not suppose,\" said he\nto the dervish, \"but that your advice is sincere. I am obliged to you\nfor the friendship you express for me; but whatever may be the danger,\nnothing shall make me change my intention: whoever attacks me, I am well\narmed, and can say I am as brave as any one.\" \"But they who will attack\nyou are not to be seen,\" replied the dervish; \"how will you defend\nyourself against invisible persons?\" \"It is no matter,\" answered the\nprince, \"all you say shall not persuade me to do anything contrary to my\nduty. Since you know the way, I conjure you once more to inform me.\"\n\nWhen the dervish found he could not prevail upon Prince Bahman, and that\nhe was obstinately bent to pursue his journey, notwithstanding his\nfriendly remonstrance, he put his hand into a bag that lay by him and\npulled out a bowl, which he presented to him. \"Since I cannot prevail on\nyou to attend to my advice,\" said he, \"take this bowl and when you are\non horseback throw it before you, and follow it to the foot of a\nmountain, where it will stop. As soon as the bowl stops, alight, leave\nyour horse with the bridle over his neck, and he will stand in the same\nplace till you return. As you ascend you will see on your right and\nleft a great number of large black stones, and will hear on all sides a\nconfusion of voices, which will utter a thousand abuses to discourage\nyou, and prevent your reaching the summit of the mountain. Be not\nafraid; but, above all things, do not turn your head to look behind you,\nfor in that instant you will be changed into such a black stone as those\nyou see, which are all youths who have failed in this enterprise. If you\nescape the danger of which I give you but a faint idea, and get to the\ntop of the mountain, you will see a cage, and in that cage is the bird\nyou seek; ask him which are the Singing Tree and the Golden Water, and\nhe will tell you. I have nothing more to say; this is what you have to\ndo, and if you are prudent you will take my advice and not expose your\nlife. Consider once more while you have time that the difficulties are\nalmost insuperable.\"\n\n\"I am obliged to you for your advice,\" replied Prince Bahman, after he\nhad received the bowl, \"but cannot follow it. However, I will endeavour\nto conform myself to that part of it which bids me not to look behind\nme, and I hope to come and thank you when I have obtained what I am\nseeking.\" After these words, to which the dervish made no other answer\nthan that he should be overjoyed to see him again, the prince mounted\nhis horse, took leave of the dervish with a respectful salute, and threw\nthe bowl before him.\n\nThe bowl rolled away with as much swiftness as when Prince Bahman first\nhurled it from his hand, which obliged him to put his horse to the same\npace to avoid losing sight of it, and when it had reached the foot of\nthe mountain it stopped. The prince alighted from his horse, laid the\nbridle on his neck, and having first surveyed the mountain and seen the\nblack stones, began to ascend, but had not gone four steps before he\nheard the voices mentioned by the dervish, though he could see nobody.\nSome said: \"Where is that fool going? Where is he going? What would he\nhave? Do not let him pass.\" Others: \"Stop him, catch him, kill him:\" and\nothers with a voice like thunder: \"Thief! assassin! murderer!\" while\nsome in a gibing tone cried: \"No, no, do not hurt him; let the pretty\nfellow pass, the cage and bird are kept for him.\"\n\nNotwithstanding all these troublesome voices, Prince Bahman ascended\nwith resolution for some time, but the voices redoubled with so loud a\ndin, both behind and before, that at last he was seized with dread, his\nlegs trembled under him, he staggered, and finding that his strength\nfailed him, he forgot the dervish's advice, turned about to run down the\nhill, and was that instant changed into a black stone; a metamorphosis\nwhich had happened to many before him who had attempted the ascent. His\nhorse, likewise, underwent the same change.\n\nFrom the time of Prince Bahman's departure, the Princess Periezade\nalways wore the knife and sheath in her girdle, and pulled it out\nseveral times in a day, to know whether her brother was alive. She had\nthe consolation to understand he was in perfect health and to talk of\nhim frequently with Prince Perviz. On the fatal day that Prince Bahman\nwas transformed into a stone, as Prince Perviz and the princess were\ntalking together in the evening, as usual, the prince desired his sister\nto pull out the knife to know how their brother did. The princess\nreadily complied, and seeing the blood run down the point was seized\nwith so much horror that she threw it down. \"Ah! my dear brother,\" cried\nshe, \"I have been the cause of your death, and shall never see you more!\nWhy did I tell you of the Talking Bird, Singing Tree, and Golden Water;\nor rather, of what importance was it to me to know whether the devout\nwoman thought this house ugly or handsome, or complete or not? I wish\nto Heaven she had never addressed herself to me!\"\n\nPrince Perviz was as much afflicted at the death of Prince Bahman as the\nprincess, but not to waste time in needless regret, as he knew that she\nstill passionately desired possession of the marvellous treasures, he\ninterrupted her, saying: \"Sister, our regret for our brother is vain;\nour lamentations cannot restore him to life; it is the will of God; we\nmust submit and adore the decrees of the Almighty without searching into\nthem. Why should you now doubt of the truth of what the holy woman told\nyou? Do you think she spoke to you of three things that were not in\nbeing, and that she invented them to deceive you who had received her\nwith so much goodness and civility? Let us rather believe that our\nbrother's death is owing to some error on his part, or some accident\nwhich we cannot conceive. It ought not therefore to prevent us from\npursuing our object. I offered to go this journey, and am now more\nresolved than ever; his example has no effect upon my resolution;\nto-morrow I will depart.\"\n\nThe princess did all she could to dissuade Prince Perviz, conjuring him\nnot to expose her to the danger of losing two brothers; but he was\nobstinate, and all the remonstrances she could urge had no effect upon\nhim. Before he went, that she might know what success he had, he left\nher a string of a hundred pearls, telling her that if they would not run\nwhen she should count them upon the string, but remain fixed, that would\nbe a certain sign he had undergone the same fate as his brother; but at\nthe same time told her he hoped it would never happen, but that he\nshould have the delight of seeing her again.\n\nPrince Perviz, on the twentieth day after his departure, met the same\ndervish in the same place as his brother Bahman had done before him. He\nwent directly up to him, and after he had saluted, asked him if he\ncould tell him where to find the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the\nGolden Water. The dervish urged the same remonstrances as he had done to\nPrince Bahman, telling him that a young gentleman, who very much\nresembled him, was with him a short time before; that, overcome by his\nimportunity, he had shown him the way, given him a guide, and told him\nhow he should act to succeed, but that he had not seen him since, and\ndoubted not but he had shared the same fate as all other adventurers.\n\n\"Good dervish,\" answered Prince Perviz, \"I know whom you speak of; he\nwas my elder brother, and I am informed of the certainty of his death,\nbut know not the cause.\" \"I can tell you,\" replied the dervish; \"he was\nchanged into a black stone, as all I speak of have been; and you must\nexpect the same transformation, unless you observe more exactly than he\nhas done the advice I gave him, in case you persist in your resolution,\nwhich I once more entreat you to renounce.\"\n\n\"Dervish,\" said Prince Perviz, \"I cannot sufficiently express how much I\nam obliged for the concern you take in my life, who am a stranger to\nyou, and have done nothing to deserve your kindness; but I thoroughly\nconsidered this enterprise before I undertook it; therefore I beg of you\nto do me the same favour you have done my brother. Perhaps I may have\nbetter success in following your directions.\" \"Since I cannot prevail\nwith you,\" said the dervish, \"to give up your obstinate resolution, if\nmy age did not prevent me, and I could stand, I would get up to reach\nyou a bowl I have here, which will show you the way.\"\n\nWithout giving the dervish time to say more, the prince alighted from\nhis horse and went to the dervish, who had taken a bowl out of his bag,\nin which he had a great many, and gave it him, with the same directions\nhe had given Prince Bahman; and after warning him not to be discouraged\nby the voices he should hear, however threatening they might be, but to\ncontinue his way up the hill till he saw the cage and bird, he let him\ndepart.\n\nPrince Perviz thanked the dervish, and when he had remounted and taken\nleave, threw the bowl before his horse, and spurring him at the same\ntime, followed it. When the bowl came to the bottom of the hill it\nstopped, the prince alighted, and stood some time to recollect the\ndervish's directions. He encouraged himself, and began to walk up with a\nresolution to reach the summit; but before he had gone above six steps,\nhe heard a voice, which seemed to be near, as of a man behind him, say\nin an insulting tone: \"Stay, rash youth, that I may punish you for your\npresumption.\"\n\nUpon this affront the prince, forgetting the dervish's advice, clapped\nhis hand upon his sword, drew it, and turned about to revenge himself;\nbut had scarcely time to see that nobody followed him before he and his\nhorse were changed into black stones.\n\nIn the meantime the Princess Periezade, several times a day after her\nbrother's departure, counted her chaplet. She did not omit it at night,\nbut when she went to bed put it about her neck, and in the morning when\nshe awoke counted over the pearls again to see if they would slide.\n\nThe day that Prince Perviz was transformed into a stone she was counting\nover the pearls as she used to do, when all at once they became\nimmovably fixed, a certain token that the prince, her brother, was dead.\nAs she had determined what to do in case it should so happen, she lost\nno time in outward demonstrations of grief, which she concealed as much\nas possible, but having disguised herself in man's apparel, she mounted\nher horse the next morning, armed and equipped, having told her servants\nshe should return in two or three days, and took the same road that her\nbrothers had done.\n\nThe princess, who had been used to ride on horseback in hunting,\nsupported the fatigue of so long a journey better than most ladies could\nhave done; and as she made the same stages as her brothers, she also met\nwith the dervish on the twentieth day. When she came near him, she\nalighted from her horse, leading him by the bridle, went and sat down by\nthe dervish, and after she had saluted him, said: \"Good dervish, give me\nleave to rest myself; and do me the favour to tell me if you have not\nheard that there are somewhere in this neighbourhood a Talking Bird, a\nSinging Tree, and Golden Water.\"\n\n\"Princess,\" answered the dervish, \"for so I must call you, since by your\nvoice I know you to be a woman disguised in man's apparel, I know the\nplace well where these things are to be found; but what makes you ask me\nthis question?\"\n\n\"Good dervish,\" replied the princess, \"I have had such a flattering\nrelation of them given me, that I have a great desire to possess them.\"\n\"Madam,\" replied the dervish, \"you have been told the truth. These\ncuriosities are more singular than they have been represented, but you\nhave not been made acquainted with the difficulties which must be\nsurmounted in order to obtain them. If you had been fully informed of\nthese, you would not have undertaken so dangerous an enterprise. Take my\nadvice, return, and do not urge me to contribute toward your ruin.\"\n\n\"Good father,\" said the princess, \"I have travelled a great way, and\nshould be sorry to return without executing my design. You talk of\ndifficulties and danger of life, but you do not tell me what those\ndifficulties are, and wherein the danger consists. This is what I desire\nto know, that I may consider and judge whether I can trust my courage\nand strength to brave them.\"\n\nThe dervish repeated to the princess what he had said to the Princes\nBahman and Perviz, exaggerating the difficulties of climbing up to the\ntop of the mountain, where she was to make herself mistress of the Bird,\nwhich would inform her of the Singing Tree and Golden Water. He\nmagnified the din of the terrible threatening voices which she would\nhear on all sides of her, and the great number of black stones alone\nsufficient to strike terror. He entreated her to reflect that those\nstones were so many brave gentlemen, so metamorphosed for having omitted\nto observe the principal condition of success in the perilous\nundertaking, which was not to look behind them before they had got\npossession of the cage.\n\nWhen the dervish had done, the princess replied: \"By what I comprehend\nfrom your discourse, the difficulties of succeeding in this affair are,\nfirst, the getting up to the cage without being frightened at the\nterrible din of voices I shall hear; and, secondly, not to look behind\nme. For this last, I hope I shall be mistress enough of myself to\nobserve it; as to the first, I own that voices, such as you represent\nthem to be, are capable of striking terror into the most undaunted; but\nas in all enterprises and dangers every one may use stratagem, I desire\nto know of you if I may use any in one of so great importance.\" \"And\nwhat stratagem is it you would employ?\" said the dervish. \"To stop my\nears with cotton,\" answered the princess, \"that the voices, however\nterrible, may make the less impression upon my imagination, and my mind\nremain free from that disturbance which might cause me to lose the use\nof my reason.\"\n\n\"Princess,\" replied the dervish, \"of all the persons who have addressed\nthemselves to me for information, I do not know that ever one made use\nof the contrivance you propose. All I know is that they all perished. If\nyou persist in your design, you may make the experiment. You will be\nfortunate if it succeeds, but I would advise you not to expose yourself\nto the danger.\"\n\n\"My good father,\" replied the princess, \"I am sure my precaution will\nsucceed, and am resolved to try the experiment. Nothing remains for me\nbut to know which way I must go, and I conjure you not to deny me that\ninformation.\" The dervish exhorted her again to consider well what she\nwas going to do; but finding her resolute, he took out a bowl, and\npresenting it to her, said: \"Take this bowl, mount your horse again, and\nwhen you have thrown it before you, follow it through all its windings,\ntill it stops at the bottom of the mountain; there alight and ascend the\nhill. Go, you know the rest.\"\n\nAfter the princess had thanked the dervish, and taken her leave of him,\nshe mounted her horse, threw the bowl before her, and followed it till\nit stopped at the foot of the mountain.\n\nShe then alighted, stopped her ears with cotton, and after she had well\nexamined the path leading to the summit began with a moderate pace and\nwalked up with intrepidity. She heard the voices and perceived the great\nservice the cotton was to her. The higher she went, the louder and more\nnumerous the voices seemed, but they were not capable of making any\nimpression upon her. She heard a great many affronting speeches and\nraillery very disagreeable to a woman, which she only laughed at. \"I\nmind not,\" said she to herself, \"all that can be said, were it worse; I\nonly laugh at them and shall pursue my way.\" At last, she climbed so\nhigh that she could perceive the cage and the Bird which endeavoured, in\ncompany with the voices, to frighten her, crying in a thundering tone,\nnotwithstanding the smallness of its size: \"Retire, fool, and approach\nno nearer.\"\n\nThe princess, encouraged by this sight, redoubled her speed, and by\neffort gained the summit of the mountain, where the ground was level;\nthen running directly to the cage and clapping her hand upon it, cried:\n\"Bird, I have you, and you shall not escape me.\"\n\nWhile Periezade was pulling the cotton out of her ears the Bird said to\nher: \"Heroic princess, be not angry with me for joining with those who\nexerted themselves to preserve my liberty. Though in a cage, I was\ncontent with my condition; but since I am destined to be a slave, I\nwould rather be yours than any other person's, since you have obtained\nme so courageously. From this instant, I swear entire submission to all\nyour commands. I know who you are. You do not; but the time will come\nwhen I shall do you essential service, for which I hope you will think\nyourself obliged to me. As a proof of my sincerity, tell me what you\ndesire and I am ready to obey you.\"\n\nThe princess's joy was the more inexpressible, because the conquest she\nhad made had cost her the lives of two beloved brothers, and given her\nmore trouble and danger than she could have imagined. \"Bird,\" said she,\n\"it was my intention to have told you that I wish for many things which\nare of importance, but I am overjoyed that you have shown your goodwill\nand prevented me. I have been told that there is not far off a Golden\nWater, the property of which is very wonderful; before all things, I ask\nyou to tell me where it is.\" The Bird showed her the place, which was\njust by, and she went and filled a little silver flagon which she had\nbrought with her. She returned at once and said: \"Bird, this is not\nenough; I want also the Singing Tree; tell me where it is.\" \"Turn\nabout,\" said the Bird, \"and you will see behind you a wood where you\nwill find the tree.\" The princess went into the wood, and by the\nharmonious concert she heard, soon knew the tree among many others, but\nit was very large and high. She came back again and said: \"Bird, I have\nfound the Singing Tree, but I can neither pull it up by the roots nor\ncarry it.\" The Bird replied: \"It is not necessary that you should take\nit up; it will be sufficient to break off a branch and carry it to plant\nin your garden; it will take root as soon as it is put into the earth,\nand in a little time will grow to as fine a tree as that you have seen.\"\n\nWhen the princess had obtained possession of the three things for which\nshe had conceived so great a desire, she said again: \"Bird, what you\nhave yet done for me is not sufficient. You have been the cause of the\ndeath of my two brothers, who must be among the black stones I saw as I\nascended the mountain. I wish to take the princes home with me.\"\n\nThe Bird seemed reluctant to satisfy the princess in this point, and\nindeed made some difficulty to comply. \"Bird,\" said the princess,\n\"remember you told me that you were my slave. You are so; and your life\nis in my disposal.\" \"That I cannot deny,\" answered the bird; \"but\nalthough what you now ask is more difficult than all the rest, yet I\nwill do it for you. Cast your eyes around,\" added he, \"and look if you\ncan see a little pitcher.\" \"I see it already,\" said the princess. \"Take\nit then,\" said he, \"and as you descend the mountain, sprinkle a little\nof the water that is in it upon every black stone.\"\n\nThe princess took up the pitcher accordingly, carried with her the cage\nand Bird, the flagon of Golden Water, and the branch of the Singing\nTree, and as she descended the mountain, threw a little of the water on\nevery black stone, which was changed immediately into a man; and as she\ndid not miss one stone, all the horses, both of her brothers and of the\nother gentlemen, resumed their natural forms also. She instantly\nrecognised Bahman and Perviz, as they did her, and ran to embrace her.\nShe returned their embraces and expressed her amazement. \"What do you\nhere, my dear brothers?\" said she, and they told her they had been\nasleep. \"Yes,\" replied she, \"and if it had not been for me, perhaps you\nmight have slept till the day of judgment. Do not you remember that you\ncame to fetch the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water,\nand did not you see, as you came along, the place covered with black\nstones? Look and see if there be any now. The gentlemen and their horses\nwho surround us, and you yourselves, were these black stones. If you\ndesire to know how this wonder was performed,\" continued she, showing\nthe pitcher, which she set down at the foot of the mountain, \"it was\ndone by virtue of the water which was in this pitcher, with which I\nsprinkled every stone. After I had made the Talking Bird (which you see\nin this cage) my slave, by his directions I found out the Singing Tree,\na branch of which I have now in my hand; and the Golden Water, with\nwhich this flagon is filled; but being still unwilling to return without\ntaking you with me, I constrained the Bird, by the power I had over him,\nto afford me the means. He told me where to find this pitcher, and the\nuse I was to make of it.\"\n\nThe Princes Bahman and Perviz learned by this relation the obligation\nthey had to their sister, as did all the other gentlemen, who expressed\nto her that, far from envying her happiness in the conquest she had\nmade, and which they all had aspired to, they thought they could not\nbetter express their gratitude for restoring them to life again, than by\ndeclaring themselves her slaves, and that they were ready to obey her in\nwhatever she should command.\n\n\"Gentlemen,\" replied the princess, \"if you had given any attention to my\nwords, you might have observed that I had no other intention in what I\nhave done than to recover my brothers; therefore, if you have received\nany benefit, you owe me no obligation, and I have no further share\nin your compliment than your politeness toward me, for which I return\nyou my thanks. In other respects, I regard each of you as quite as free\nas you were before your misfortunes, and I rejoice with you at the\nhappiness which has accrued to you by my means. Let us, however, stay no\nlonger in a place where we have nothing to detain us, but mount our\nhorses and return to our respective homes.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_It will be sufficient to break off a branch and carry it to plant in\nyour garden._\n\nThe princess took her horse, which stood in the place where she had left\nhim. Before she mounted, Prince Bahman desired her to give him the cage\nto carry. \"Brother,\" replied the princess, \"the Bird is my slave and I\nwill carry him myself; if you will take the pains to carry the branch of\nthe Singing Tree, there it is; only hold the cage while I get on\nhorseback.\" When she had mounted her horse, and Prince Bahman had given\nher the cage, she turned about and said to Prince Perviz: \"I leave the\nflagon of Golden Water to your care, if it will not be too much trouble\nfor you to carry it,\" and Prince Perviz accordingly took charge of it\nwith pleasure.\n\nWhen Bahman, Perviz, and all the gentlemen had mounted their horses, the\nprincess waited for some of them to lead the way. The two princes paid\nthat compliment to the gentlemen, and they again to the princess, who,\nfinding that none of them would accept the honour, but that it was\nreserved for her, addressed herself to them and said: \"Gentlemen, I\nexpect that some of you should lead the way;\" to which one who was\nnearest to her, in the name of the rest, replied: \"Madam, were we\nignorant of the respect due to your sex, yet after what you have done\nfor us there is no deference we would not willingly pay you,\nnotwithstanding your modesty; we entreat you no longer to deprive us of\nthe happiness of following you.\"\n\n\"Gentlemen,\" said the princess, \"I do not deserve the honour you do me,\nand accept it only because you desire it.\" At the same time she led the\nway, and the two princes and the gentlemen followed.\n\nThis illustrious company called upon the dervish as they passed, to\nthank him for his reception and wholesome advice, which they had all\nfound to be sincere. He was dead, however; whether of old age, or\nbecause he was no longer necessary to show the way to obtaining the\nthree rarities, did not appear. They pursued their route, but lessened\nin their numbers every day. The gentlemen who, as we said before, had\ncome from different countries, after severally repeating their\nobligations to the princess and her brothers, took leave of them one\nafter another as they approached the road by which they had come.\n\nAs soon as the princess reached home, she placed the cage in the garden,\nand the Bird no sooner began to warble than he was surrounded by\nnightingales, chaffinches, larks, linnets, goldfinches, and every\nspecies of birds of the country. The branch of the Singing Tree was no\nsooner set in the midst of the parterre, a little distance from the\nhouse, than it took root and in a short time became a large tree, the\nleaves of which gave as harmonious a concert as those of the parent from\nwhich it was gathered. A large basin of beautiful marble was placed in\nthe garden, and when it was finished, the princess poured into it all\nthe Golden Water from the flagon, which instantly increased and swelled\nso much that it soon reached up to the edges of the basin, and afterward\nformed in the middle a fountain twenty feet high, which fell again into\nthe basin perpetually, without running over.\n\nThe report of these wonders was presently spread abroad, and as the\ngates of the house and those of the gardens were shut to nobody, a great\nnumber of people came to admire them.\n\nSome days after, when the Princes Bahman and Perviz had recovered from\nthe fatigue of their journey, they resumed their former way of living;\nand as their usual diversion was hunting, they mounted their horses and\nwent for the first time since their return, not to their own demesne,\nbut two or three leagues from their house. As they pursued their sport,\nthe emperor of Persia came in pursuit of game upon the same ground. When\nthey perceived, by the number of horsemen in different places, that he\nwould soon be up, they resolved to discontinue their chase, and retire\nto avoid encountering him; but in the very road they took they chanced\nto meet him in so narrow a way that they could not retreat without being\nseen. In their surprise they had only time to alight and prostrate\nthemselves before the emperor, without lifting up their heads to look at\nhim. The emperor, who saw they were as well mounted and dressed as if\nthey had belonged to his court, had a curiosity to see their faces. He\nstopped and commanded them to rise. The princes rose up and stood before\nhim with an easy and graceful air, accompanied with modest countenances.\nThe emperor took some time to view them before he spoke, and after he\nhad admired their good air and mien, asked them who they were and where\nthey lived.\n\n\"Sir,\" said Prince Bahman, \"we are the sons of the late intendant of\nyour majesty's gardens, and live in a house which he built a little\nbefore he died, till we should be fit to serve your majesty and ask of\nyou some employ when opportunity offered.\"\n\n\"By what I perceive,\" replied the emperor, \"you love hunting.\" \"Sir,\"\nreplied Prince Bahman, \"it is our common exercise, and what none of your\nmajesty's subjects who intend to bear arms in your armies, ought,\naccording to the ancient custom of the kingdom, to neglect.\" The\nemperor, charmed with so prudent an answer, said: \"Since it is so, I\nshould be glad to see your expertness in the chase; choose your own\ngame.\"\n\nThe princes mounted their horses again and followed the emperor, but had\nnot gone far before they saw many wild beasts together. Prince Bahman\nchose a lion and Prince Perviz a bear, and pursued them with so much\nintrepidity that the emperor was surprised. They came up with their game\nnearly at the same time, and darted their javelins with so much skill\nand address that they pierced the one the lion and the other the bear so\neffectually that the emperor saw them fall one after the other.\nImmediately afterward Prince Bahman pursued another bear, and Prince\nPerviz another lion, and killed them in a short time, and would have\nbeaten out for fresh game, but the emperor would not let them, and sent\nto them to come to him. When they approached he said: \"If I had given\nyou leave, you would soon have destroyed all my game; but it is not that\nwhich I would preserve, but your persons; for I am so well assured your\nbravery may one time or other be serviceable to me, that from this\nmoment your lives will be always dear to me.\"\n\nThe emperor, in short, conceived so great a kindness for the two\nprinces, that he invited them immediately to make him a visit, to which\nPrince Bahman replied: \"Your majesty does us an honour we do not\ndeserve, and we beg you will excuse us.\"\n\nThe emperor, who could not comprehend what reason the princes could have\nto refuse this token of his favour, pressed them to tell him why they\nexcused themselves. \"Sir,\" said Prince Bahman, \"we have a sister younger\nthan ourselves, with whom we live in such perfect union, that we\nundertake nothing before we consult her, nor she anything without asking\nour advice.\" \"I commend your brotherly affection,\" answered the emperor.\n\"Consult your sister, meet me to-morrow, and give me an answer.\"\n\nThe princes went home, but neglected to speak of their adventure in\nmeeting the emperor and hunting with him, and also of the honour he had\ndone them, yet did not the next morning fail to meet him at the place\nappointed. \"Well,\" said the emperor, \"have you spoken to your sister,\nand has she consented to the pleasure I expect of seeing you?\" The two\nprinces looked at each other and blushed. \"Sir,\" said Prince Bahman, \"we\nbeg your majesty to excuse us, for both my brother and I forgot.\" \"Then\nremember to-day,\" replied the emperor, \"and be sure to bring me an\nanswer to-morrow.\"\n\nThe princes were guilty of the same fault a second time, and the emperor\nwas so good-natured as to forgive their negligence; but to prevent their\nforgetfulness the third time, he pulled three little golden balls out of\na purse, and put them into Prince Bahman's bosom. \"These balls,\" said\nhe, smiling, \"will prevent your forgetting a third time what I wish you\nto do for my sake; since the noise they will make by falling on the\nfloor when you undress will remind you, if you do not recollect it\nbefore.\" The event happened just as the emperor foresaw; and without\nthese balls the princes had not thought of speaking to their sister of\nthis affair, for as Prince Bahman unloosed his girdle to go to bed the\nballs dropped on the floor, upon which he ran into Prince Perviz's\nchamber, when both went into the Princess Periezade's apartment, and\nafter they had asked her pardon for coming at so unseasonable a time,\nthey told her all the circumstances of their meeting the emperor.\n\nThe princess was somewhat surprised at this intelligence. \"Your meeting\nwith the emperor,\" said she, \"is happy and honourable and may in the end\nbe highly advantageous to you, but it places me in an awkward position.\nIt was on my account, I know, you refused the emperor, and I am\ninfinitely obliged to you for doing so. I know by this that you would\nrather be guilty of incivility toward the emperor than violate the union\nwe have sworn to each other. You judge right, for if you had once gone\nyou would insensibly have been engaged to devote yourselves to him. But\ndo you think it an easy matter absolutely to refuse the emperor what he\nseems so earnestly to desire? Monarchs will be obeyed in their desires,\nand it may be dangerous to oppose them; therefore, if to follow my\ninclination I should dissuade you from obeying him, it may expose you to\nhis resentment, and may render myself and you miserable. These are my\nsentiments; but before we conclude upon anything let us consult the\nTalking Bird and hear what he says; he is penetrating, and has promised\nhis assistance in all difficulties.\"\n\nThe princess sent for the cage, and after she had related the\ncircumstances to the Bird in the presence of her brothers, asked him\nwhat they should do in this perplexity. The Bird answered: \"The princes,\nyour brothers, must conform to the emperor's pleasure, and in their turn\ninvite him to come and see your house.\"\n\n\"But, Bird,\" replied the princess, \"my brothers and I love one another,\nand our friendship is yet undisturbed. Will not this step be injurious\nto that friendship?\" \"Not at all,\" replied the Bird; \"it will tend\nrather to cement it.\" \"Then,\" answered the princess, \"the emperor will\nsee me.\" The Bird told her it was necessary he should, and that\neverything would go better afterward.\n\nNext morning the princes met the emperor hunting, who asked them if they\nhad remembered to speak to their sister. Prince Bahman approached and\nanswered: \"Sir, we are ready to obey you, for we have not only obtained\nour sister's consent with great ease, but she took it amiss that we\nshould pay her that deference in a matter wherein our duty to your\nmajesty was concerned. If we have offended, we hope you will pardon\nus.\" \"Do not be uneasy,\" replied the emperor. \"I highly approve of your\nconduct, and hope you will have the same deference and attachment to my\nperson, if I have ever so little share in your friendship.\" The princes,\nconfounded at the emperor's goodness, returned no other answer but a low\nobeisance.\n\nThe emperor, contrary to his usual custom, did not hunt long that day.\nPresuming that the princes possessed wit equal to their courage and\nbravery, he longed with impatience to converse with them more at\nliberty. He made them ride on each side of him, an honour which was\nenvied by the grand vizier, who was much mortified to see them preferred\nbefore him.\n\nWhen the emperor entered his capital, the eyes of the people, who stood\nin crowds in the streets, were fixed upon the two Princes Bahman and\nPerviz; and they were earnest to know who they might be.\n\nAll, however, agreed in wishing that the emperor had been blessed with\ntwo such handsome princes, and said that his children would have been\nabout the same age, if the queen had not been so unfortunate as to lose\nthem.\n\nThe first thing the emperor did when he arrived at his palace was to\nconduct the princes into the principal apartments, who praised without\naffectation the beauty and symmetry of the rooms, and the richness of\nthe furniture and ornaments. Afterward a magnificent repast was served\nup, and the emperor made them sit with him, which they at first refused;\nbut finding it was his pleasure, they obeyed.\n\nThe emperor, who had himself much learning, particularly in history,\nforesaw that the princes, out of modesty and respect, would not take the\nliberty of beginning any conversation. Therefore, to give them an\nopportunity, he furnished them with subjects all dinner-time. But\nwhatever subject he introduced, they shewed so much wit, judgment, and\ndiscernment, that he was struck with admiration. \"Were these my own\nchildren,\" said he to himself, \"and I had improved their talents by\nsuitable education, they could not have been more accomplished or better\ninformed.\" In short, he took such great pleasure in their conversation,\nthat, after having sat longer than usual, he led them into his closet,\nwhere he pursued his conversation with them, and at last said: \"I never\nsupposed that there were among my subjects in the country youths so well\nbrought up, so lively, so capable; and I never was better pleased with\nany conversation than yours; but it is time now we should relax our\nminds with some diversion; and as nothing is more capable of enlivening\nthe mind than music, you shall hear a vocal and instrumental concert\nwhich may not be disagreeable to you.\"\n\nThe emperor had no sooner spoken than the musicians, who had orders to\nattend, entered, and answered fully the expectations the princes had\nbeen led to entertain of their abilities. After the concerts, an\nexcellent farce was acted, and the entertainment was concluded by\ndancers of both sexes.\n\nThe two princes, seeing night approach, prostrated themselves at the\nemperor's feet; and having first thanked him for the favours and honours\nhe had heaped upon them, asked his permission to retire; which was\ngranted by the emperor, who, in dismissing them, said: \"I give you leave\nto go; but remember, you will be always welcome, and the oftener you\ncome the greater pleasure you will do me.\"\n\nBefore they went out of the emperor's presence, Prince Bahman said:\n\"Sir, may we presume to request that your majesty will do us and our\nsister the honour to pass by our house, and refresh yourself after your\nfatigue, the first time you take the diversion of hunting in that\nneighbourhood? It is not worthy of your presence; but monarchs sometimes\nhave vouchsafed to take shelter in a cottage.\" \"My children,\" replied\nthe emperor, \"your house cannot be otherwise than beautiful and worthy\nof its owners. I will call and see it with pleasure, which will be the\ngreater for having for my hosts you and your sister, who is already dear\nto me from the account you give me of the rare qualities with which she\nis endowed: and this satisfaction I will defer no longer than to-morrow.\nEarly in the morning I will be at the place where I shall never forget\nthat I first saw you. Meet me, and you shall be my guides.\"\n\nWhen the Princes Bahman and Perviz had returned home, they gave the\nprincess an account of the distinguished reception the emperor had given\nthem, and told her that they had invited him to do them the honour, as\nhe passed by, to call at their house, and that he had appointed the next\nday.\n\n\"If it be so,\" replied the princess, \"we must think of preparing a\nrepast fit for his majesty; and for that purpose I think it would be\nproper we should consult the Talking Bird, who will tell us, perhaps,\nwhat meats the emperor likes best.\" The princes approved of her plan,\nand after they had retired she consulted the Bird alone. \"Bird,\" said\nshe, \"the emperor will do us the honour to-morrow to come and see our\nhouse, and we are to entertain him; tell us what we shall do to acquit\nourselves to his satisfaction.\"\n\n\"Good mistress,\" replied the Bird, \"you have excellent cooks, let them\ndo the best they can; but above all things, let them prepare a dish of\ncucumbers stuffed full of pearls, which must be set before the emperor\nin the first course before all the other dishes.\"\n\n\"Cucumbers stuffed full of pearls!\" cried Princess Periezade with\namazement; \"surely, Bird, you do not know what you say; it is an unheard\nof dish. The emperor may admire it as a piece of magnificence, but he\nwill sit down to eat, and not to admire pearls; besides, all the pearls\nI possess are not enough for such a dish.\"\n\n\"Mistress,\" said the Bird, \"do what I say, and be not uneasy about what\nmay happen. Nothing but good will follow. As for the pearls, go early\nto-morrow morning to the foot of the first tree on your right hand in\nthe park, dig under it, and you will find more than you want.\"\n\nThat night the princess ordered a gardener to be ready to attend her,\nand the next morning early, led him to the tree which the Bird had told\nher of, and bade him dig at its foot. When the gardener came to a\ncertain depth, he found some resistance to the spade, and presently\ndiscovered a gold box about a foot square, which he showed the princess.\n\"This,\" said she, \"is what I brought you for; take care not to injure it\nwith the spade.\"\n\nWhen the gardener took up the box, he gave it into the princess's hands,\nwho, as it was only fastened with neat little hasps, soon opened it, and\nfound it full of pearls of a moderate size, but equal and fit for the\nuse that was to be made of them. Very well satisfied with having found\nthis treasure, after she had shut the box again, she put it under her\narm and went back to the house, while the gardener threw the earth into\nthe hole at the foot of the tree as it had been before.\n\nThe Princes Bahman and Perviz, who, as they were dressing themselves in\ntheir own apartments, saw their sister in the garden earlier than usual,\nas soon as they could get out went to her, and met her as she was\nreturning with a gold box under her arm, which much surprised them.\n\"Sister,\" said Bahman, \"you carried nothing with you when we saw you\nbefore with the gardener, and now we see you have a golden box; is this\nsome treasure found by the gardener, and did he come and tell you of\nit?\"\n\n\"No, brother,\" answered the princess, \"I took the gardener to the place\nwhere this casket was concealed, and showed him where to dig; but you\nwill be more amazed when you see what it contains.\"\n\nThe princess opened the box, and when the princes saw that it was full\nof pearls, which, though small, were of great value, they asked her how\nshe came to the knowledge of this treasure. \"Brothers,\" said she, \"come\nwith me and I will tell you.\" The princess, as they returned to the\nhouse, gave them an account of her having consulted the Bird, as they\nhad agreed she should, and the answer he had given her; the objection\nshe had raised to preparing a dish of cucumbers stuffed full of pearls,\nand how he had told her where to find this box. The sister and brothers\nformed many conjectures to penetrate into what the Bird could mean by\nordering them to prepare such a dish; but after much conversation, they\nagreed to follow his advice exactly.\n\nAs soon as the princess entered the house, she called for the head cook;\nand after she had given him directions about the entertainment for the\nemperor, said to him: \"Besides all this, you must dress an extraordinary\ndish for the emperor's own eating, which nobody else must have anything\nto do with besides yourself. This dish must be of cucumbers stuffed with\nthese pearls;\" and at the same time she opened him the box, and showed\nhim the jewels.\n\nThe chief cook, who had never heard of such a dish, started back, and\nshowed his thoughts by his looks; which the princess penetrating, said:\n\"I see you take me to be mad to order such a dish, which one may say\nwith certainty was never made. I know this as well as you; but I am not\nmad, and give you these orders with the most perfect recollection. You\nmust invent and do the best you can, and bring me back what pearls are\nleft.\" The cook could make no reply, but took the box and retired; and\nafterward the princess gave directions to all the domestics to have\neverything in order, both in the house and gardens, to receive the\nemperor.\n\nNext day the two princes went to the place appointed, and as soon as the\nemperor of Persia arrived the chase began and lasted till the heat of\nthe sun obliged him to leave off. While Prince Bahman stayed to conduct\nthe emperor to their house, Prince Perviz rode before to show the way,\nand when he came in sight of the house, spurred his horse, to inform the\nprincess that the emperor was approaching; but she had been told by some\nservants whom she had placed to give notice, and the prince found her\nwaiting ready to receive him.\n\nWhen the emperor had entered the court-yard and alighted at the portico,\nthe princess came and threw herself at his feet, and the two princes\ninformed him she was their sister, and besought him to accept her\nrespects.\n\nThe emperor stooped to raise her, and after he had gazed some time on\nher beauty, struck with her fine person and dignified air, he said: \"The\nbrothers are worthy of the sister, and she worthy of them; since, if I\nmay judge of her understanding by her person, I am not amazed that the\nbrothers would do nothing without their sister's consent; but,\" added\nhe, \"I hope to be better acquainted with you, my daughter, after I have\nseen the house.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" said the princess, \"it is only a plain country residence, fit for\nsuch people as we are, who live retired from the great world. It is not\nto be compared with the magnificent palaces of emperors.\" \"I cannot\nperfectly agree with you in opinion,\" said the emperor very obligingly,\n\"for its first appearance makes me suspect you; however, I will not pass\nmy judgment upon it till I have seen it all; therefore be pleased to\nconduct me through the apartments.\"\n\nThe princess led the emperor through all the rooms except the hall; and,\nafter he had considered them very attentively, and admired their\nvariety, \"My daughter,\" said he to the princess, \"do you call this a\ncountry house? The finest and largest cities would soon be deserted if\nall country houses were like yours. I am no longer surprised that you\ndespise the town. Now let me see the garden, which I doubt not is\nanswerable to the house.\"\n\nThe princess opened a door which led into the garden, and the first\nobject which presented itself to the emperor's view was the golden\nfountain. Surprised at so rare an object, he asked from whence that\nwonderful water, which gave so much pleasure to behold, had been\nprocured; where was its source, and by what art it was made to play so\nhigh. He said he would presently take a nearer view of it.\n\nThe princess then led him to the spot where the harmonious tree was\nplanted; and there the emperor heard a concert, different from all he\nhad ever heard before; and stopping to see where the musicians were, he\ncould discern nobody far or near, but still distinctly heard the music\nwhich ravished his senses. \"My daughter,\" said he to the princess,\n\"where are the musicians whom I hear? Are they under ground, or\ninvisible in the air? Such excellent performers will hazard nothing by\nbeing seen; on the contrary, they would please the more.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" answered the princess, smiling, \"they are not musicians, but the\nleaves of the tree your majesty sees before you, which form this\nconcert; and if you will give yourself the trouble to go a little\nnearer, you will be convinced, and the voices will be the more\ndistinct.\"\n\nThe emperor went nearer and was so charmed with the sweet harmony that\nhe would never have been tired with hearing it, but that his desire to\nhave a nearer view of the fountain of golden water forced him away.\n\"Daughter,\" said he, \"tell me, I pray you, whether this wonderful tree\nwas found in your garden by chance, or was a present made to you, or\nhave you procured it from some foreign country? It must certainly have\ncome from a great distance, otherwise curious as I am after natural\nrarities I should have heard of it. What name do you call it by?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" replied the princess, \"this tree has no other name than that of\nthe Singing Tree, and is not a native of this country. It would at\npresent take up too much time to tell your majesty by what adventures it\ncame here; its history is connected with the Golden Water and the\nTalking Bird, which came to me at the same time, and which your majesty\nmay presently see. But if it be agreeable to your majesty, after you\nhave rested yourself and recovered the fatigue of hunting, which must be\nthe greater because of the sun's intense heat, I will do myself the\nhonour of relating it to you.\"\n\n\"My daughter,\" replied the emperor, \"my fatigue is so well recompensed\nby the wonderful things you have shown me, that I do not feel it in the\nleast. Let me see the Golden Water, for I am impatient to see and admire\nafterward the Talking Bird.\"\n\nWhen the emperor came to the Golden Water, his eyes were fixed so\nsteadfastly upon the fountain, that he could not take them off. At last,\naddressing himself to the princess, he said: \"As you tell me, daughter,\nthat this water has no spring or communication, I conclude that it is\nforeign, as well as the Singing Tree.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" replied the princess, \"it is as your majesty conjectures; and to\nlet you know that this water has no communication with any spring, I\nmust inform you that the basin is one entire stone, so that the water\ncannot come in at the sides or underneath. But what your majesty will\nthink most wonderful is that all this water proceeded but from one small\nflagon, emptied into this basin, which increased to the quantity you\nsee, by a property peculiar to itself, and formed this fountain.\"\n\"Well,\" said the emperor, going from the fountain, \"this is enough for\none time. I promise myself the pleasure to come and visit it often; but\nnow let us go and see the Talking Bird.\"\n\nAs he went toward the hall, the emperor perceived a prodigious number of\nsinging birds in the trees around, filling the air with their songs and\nwarblings, and asked why there were so many there and none on the other\ntrees in the garden. \"The reason, sir,\" answered the princess, \"is\nbecause they come from all parts to accompany the song of the Talking\nBird, which your majesty may see in a cage in one of the windows of the\nhall we are approaching; and if you attend, you will perceive that his\nnotes are sweeter than those of any of the other birds, even the\nnightingale's.\"\n\nThe emperor went into the hall; and as the Bird continued singing, the\nprincess raised her voice, and said, \"My slave, here is the emperor, pay\nyour compliments to him.\" The Bird left off singing that instant, when\nall the other birds ceased also, and said: \"The emperor is welcome; God\nprosper him and prolong his life!\" As the entertainment was served on\nthe sofa near the window where the Bird was placed, the sultan replied,\nas he was taking his seat: \"Bird, I thank you, and am overjoyed to find\nin you the sultan and king of birds.\"\n\nAs soon as the emperor saw the dish of cucumbers set before him,\nthinking they were prepared in the best manner, he reached out his hand\nand took one; but when he cut it, was in extreme surprise to find it\nstuffed with pearls. \"What novelty is this?\" said he; \"and with what\ndesign were these cucumbers stuffed thus with pearls, since pearls are\nnot to be eaten?\" He looked at his hosts to ask them the meaning when\nthe Bird interrupting him, said: \"Can your majesty be in such great\nastonishment at cucumbers stuffed with pearls, which you see with your\nown eyes, and yet so easily believe that the queen, your wife, gave\nbirth to a dog, a cat, and a piece of wood?\" \"I believed those things,\"\nreplied the emperor, \"because the attendants assured me of the facts.\"\n\"Those attendants, sir,\" replied the Bird, \"were the queen's two\nsisters, who, envious of her happiness in being preferred by your\nmajesty before them, to satisfy their envy and revenge, have abused your\nmajesty's credulity. If you interrogate them, they will confess their\ncrime. The two brothers and the sister whom you see before you are your\nown children, whom they exposed, and who were taken in by the intendant\nof your gardens, who provided nurses for them, and took care of their\neducation.\"\n\nThis speech presently cleared up the emperor's understanding. \"Bird,\"\ncried he, \"I believe the truth which you discover to me. The inclination\nwhich drew me to them told me plainly they must be of my own blood. Come\nthen, my sons, come, my daughter, let me embrace you, and give you the\nfirst marks of a father's love and tenderness.\" The emperor then rose,\nand after having embraced the two princes and the princess, and mingled\nhis tears with theirs, said: \"It is not enough, my children; you must\nembrace each other, not as the children of the intendant of my gardens,\nto whom I have been so much obliged for preserving your lives, but as my\nown children, of the royal blood of the monarchs of Persia, whose\nglory, I am persuaded you will maintain.\"\n\nAfter the two princes and princess had embraced mutually with new\nsatisfaction, the emperor sat down again with them, and finished his\nmeal in haste; and when he had done, said: \"My children, you see in me\nyour father; to-morrow I will bring the queen, your mother, therefore\nprepare to receive her.\"\n\nThe emperor afterward mounted his horse, and returned with expedition to\nhis capitol. The first thing he did, as soon as he had alighted and\nentered his palace, was to command the grand vizier to seize the queen's\ntwo sisters. They were taken from their houses separately, convicted,\nand condemned to death; which sentence was put in execution within an\nhour.\n\nIn the meantime, the Emperor Kosrouschah, followed by all the lords of\nhis court who were then present, went on foot to the door of the great\nmosque; and after he had taken the queen out of the strict confinement\nshe had languished under for so many years, embracing her in the\nmiserable condition to which she was then reduced, said to her with\ntears in his eyes: \"I come to entreat your pardon for the injustice I\nhave done you, and to make you the reparation I ought; which I have\nbegun, by punishing the unnatural wretches who put the abominable cheat\nupon me; and I hope you will look upon it as complete, when I present to\nyou two accomplished princes and a lovely princess, our children. Come\nand resume your former rank, with all the honours which are your due.\"\nAll this was done and said before great crowds of people who flocked\nfrom all parts at the first news of what was passing, and immediately\nspread the joyful intelligence through the city.\n\nNext morning early the emperor and queen, whose mournful humiliating\ndress was changed for magnificent robes, went with all their court to\nthe house built by the intendant of the gardens, where the emperor\npresented the Princes Bahman and Perviz, and the Princess Periezade to\ntheir enraptured mother. \"These, much injured wife,\" said he, \"are the\ntwo princes your sons, and the princess your daughter; embrace them with\nthe same tenderness I have done, since they are worthy both of me and\nyou.\" The tears flowed plentifully down their cheeks at these tender\nembraces, especially the queen's, from the comfort and joy of having two\nsuch princes for her sons, and such a princess for her daughter, on\nwhose account she had so long endured the severest afflictions.\n\nThe two princes and the princess had prepared a magnificent repast for\nthe emperor and queen and their court. As soon as that was over, the\nemperor led the queen into the garden, and shewed her the Harmonious\nTree and the beautiful effect of the Golden Fountain. She had seen the\nBird in his cage, and the emperor had spared no panegyric in his praise\nduring the repast.\n\nWhen there was nothing to detain the emperor any longer, he took horse,\nand with the Princes Bahman and Perviz on his right hand, and the queen\nconsort and the princess at his left, preceded and followed by all the\nofficers of his court, according to their rank, returned to his capital.\nCrowds of people came out to meet them, and with acclamations of joy\nushered them into the city, where all eyes were fixed not only upon the\nqueen, and her royal children, but also upon the Bird, which the\nprincess carried before her in his cage, admiring his sweet notes, which\nhad drawn all the other birds about him, and followed him flying from\ntree to tree in the country, and from one house top to another in the\ncity. The Princes Bahman and Perviz and the Princess Periezade were at\nlength brought to the palace with pomp, and nothing was to be seen or\nheard all that night but illuminations and rejoicings both in the palace\nand in the utmost parts of the city, which lasted many days, and were\ncontinued throughout the empire of Persia, as intelligence of the joyful\nevent reached the several provinces.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN AND THE GENIE\n\n\nThere was once an aged fisherman who was so poor that he could scarcely\nearn as much as would maintain himself, his wife, and three children. He\nwent every day to fish betimes in the morning, and imposed it as a law\nupon himself not to cast his nets above four times a day. He went one\nmorning by moonlight, and coming to the seaside, undressed himself, and\ncast in his nets. As he drew them toward the shore, he found them very\nheavy, and thought he had a good draught of fish, at which he rejoiced;\nbut a moment after, perceiving that instead of fish his net contained\nnothing but the carcass of an ass, he was much vexed.\n\nWhen he had mended his nets, which the carcass of the ass had broken in\nseveral places, he threw them in a second time; and when he drew them,\nfound a great deal of resistance, which made him think he had taken\nabundance of fish; but he found nothing except a basket full of gravel\nand slime, which grieved him extremely. \"O Fortune!\" cried he, with a\nlamentable tone, \"be not angry with me, nor persecute a wretch who prays\nthee to spare him. I came hither from my house to seek for my\nlivelihood, and thou pronouncest against me a sentence of death. I have\nno other trade but this to subsist by, and, notwithstanding all my care,\nI can scarcely provide what is necessary for my family. But I am to\nblame to complain of thee; thou takest pleasure to persecute honest\npeople, and advancest those who have no virtue to recommend them.\"\n\nHaving finished this complaint, he fretfully threw away the basket, and,\nwashing his nets from the slime, cast them a third time, but brought up\nnothing except stones, shells, and mud. No language can express his\ndisappointment; he was almost distracted. However, when day began to\nappear, he did not forget to say his prayers like a good Mussulman, and\nhe added to them this petition: \"Lord, thou knowest that I cast my nets\nonly four times a day; I have already drawn them three times, without\nthe least reward for my labour: I am only to cast them once more; I pray\nthee to render the sea favourable to me, as thou didst to Moses.\"\n\nThe fisherman, having finished this prayer, cast his nets the fourth\ntime; and when he thought it was proper, drew them as formerly with\ngreat difficulty; but instead of fish found nothing in them but a vessel\nof yellow copper, which, from its weight, seemed not to be empty; and he\nobserved that it was fastened and closed with lead, having the\nimpression of a seal upon it. This turn of fortune rejoiced him: \"I will\nsell it,\" said he, \"to the founder, and with the money buy a measure of\ncorn.\" He examined the vessel on all sides, and shook it to see if its\ncontents made any noise, but heard nothing. This circumstance, with the\nimpression of the seal upon the cover, made him think it enclosed\nsomething precious. To try this, he took a knife and opened it with very\nlittle labour. He turned the mouth downward, but nothing came out, which\nsurprised him extremely. He placed it before him, but while he viewed it\nattentively, there burst forth a very thick smoke, which obliged him to\nretire two or three paces back.\n\nThe smoke ascended to the clouds, and, extending itself along the sea\nand upon the shore, formed a great mist, which filled the fisherman\nwith astonishment. When the smoke was all out of the vessel, it\nreunited, and became a solid body, of which was formed a genie twice as\nhigh as the greatest of giants. At the sight of such a monster the\nfisherman would fain have fled, but was so frightened that he could not\nmove.\n\n\"Solomon,\" cried the genie immediately, \"Solomon, the great prophet,\npardon, pardon; I will never more oppose your will, I will obey all your\ncommands.\"\n\nThe fisherman, when he heard these words of the genie, recovered his\ncourage and said to him: \"Thou proud spirit, what is it you say? It is\nabove eighteen hundred years since the prophet Solomon died, and we are\nnow at the end of time. Tell me your history, and how you came to be\nshut up in this vessel.\"\n\nThe genie, turning to the fisherman with a fierce look, said: \"Thou must\naddress me with more courtesy; thou art a presumptuous fellow to call me\na proud spirit; speak to me more respectfully, or I will kill thee.\"\n\"Ah!\" replied the fisherman, \"why should you kill me? Did I not just now\nset you at liberty, and have you already forgotten my services?\"\n\n\"No, I remember it,\" said the genie, \"but that shall not save thy life:\nI have only one favour to grant thee.\" \"And what is that?\" asked the\nfisherman. \"It is,\" answered the genie, \"to give thee thy choice in what\nmanner thou wouldst have me put thee to death.\" \"But wherein have I\noffended you?\" demanded the fisherman. \"Is that your reward for the\nservice I have rendered you?\" \"I cannot treat thee otherwise,\" said the\ngenie; \"and that thou mayest know the reason, hearken to my story.\"\n\n\"I am one of those rebellious spirits that opposed the will of Solomon,\nthe son of David, and to avenge himself, that monarch sent Asaph, the\nson of Barakhia, his chief minister, to apprehend me. Asaph seized\nmy person, and brought me by force before his master's throne.\n\n\"Solomon commanded me to acknowledge his power, and to submit to his\ncommands. I bravely refused, and told him I would rather expose myself\nto his resentment, than swear fealty as he required. To punish me, he\nshut me up in this copper vessel; and that I might not break my prison,\nhe himself stamped upon this leaden cover his seal with the great name\nof God engraven upon it. He then gave the vessel to one of the genies\nwho had submitted, with orders to throw me into the sea.\n\n\"During the first hundred years of my imprisonment, I swore that if any\none should deliver me before the expiration of that period, I would make\nhim rich, even after his death; but that century ran out, and nobody did\nme the good office. During the second, I made an oath that I would open\nall the treasures of the earth to any one that might set me at liberty;\nbut with no better success. In the third, I promised to make my\ndeliverer a potent monarch, and to grant him every day three requests,\nof what nature soever they might be; but this century passed as well as\nthe two former, and I continued in prison. At last, being angry to find\nmyself a prisoner so long, I swore that if afterward any one should\ndeliver me, I would kill him without mercy, and grant him no favour but\nto choose the manner of his death; and, therefore, since thou hast\ndelivered me to-day, I give thee that choice.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_The smoke ascended to the clouds, and extending itself along the sea\nand upon the shore formed a great mist._\n\nThis discourse afflicted the fisherman extremely: \"I am very\nunfortunate,\" cried he, \"to come hither to do such a kindness to one\nthat is so ungrateful. I beg you to consider your injustice, and revoke\nsuch an unreasonable oath; pardon me, and Heaven will pardon you; if you\ngrant me my life, Heaven will protect you from all attempts against your\nown.\" \"No, thy death is resolved on,\" said the genie, \"only choose in\nwhat manner thou wilt die.\" The fisherman, perceiving the genie to be\nresolute, was extremely grieved, not so much for himself, as on account\nof his three children, and bewailed the misery they must be reduced to\nby his death. He endeavoured still to appease the genie, and said,\n\"Alas! be pleased to take pity on me, in consideration of the service I\nhave done you.\" \"I have told thee already,\" replied the genie, \"it is\nfor that very reason I must kill thee.\" \"That is strange,\" said the\nfisherman, \"are you resolved to reward good with evil? The proverb truly\nsays, 'He who does good to one who deserves it not, is always ill\nrewarded.'\" \"Do not lose time,\" interrupted the genie; \"all thy\nchattering shall not divert me from my purpose; make haste, and tell me\nwhat kind of death thou preferrest?\"\n\nNecessity is the mother of invention. The fisherman bethought himself of\na stratagem. \"Since I must die then,\" said he to the genie, \"I submit to\nthe will of Heaven; but before I choose the manner of my death, I\nconjure you, by the great name which was engraven upon the seal of the\nprophet Solomon, to answer me truly the question I am going to ask you.\"\n\nThe genie finding himself obliged to a positive answer by this\nadjuration, trembled, and replied to the fisherman: \"Ask what thou wilt,\nbut make haste.\"\n\nThe genie having thus promised to speak the truth, the fisherman said to\nhim: \"I wish to know if you were actually in this vessel: dare you swear\nit by the name of the great God?\" \"Yes,\" replied the genie, \"I do swear\nby His great name that I was.\" \"In good faith,\" answered the fisherman,\n\"I cannot believe you; the vessel is not capable of holding one of your\nsize, and how should it be possible that your whole body could lie in\nit?\" \"I swear to thee, notwithstanding,\" replied the genie, \"that I was\nthere just as you see me here. Is it possible that thou dost not believe\nme after the solemn oath I have taken?\" \"Truly not I,\" said the\nfisherman; \"nor will I believe you, unless you go into the vessel\nagain.\"\n\nUpon this the body of the genie dissolved and changed itself into smoke,\nextending as before upon the seashore; and at last being collected, it\nbegan to re-enter the vessel, which it continued to do by a slow and\nequal motion, till no part remained out; when immediately a voice came\nforth, which said to the fisherman: \"Well, incredulous fellow, dost thou\nnot believe me now?\"\n\nThe fisherman, instead of answering the genie, took the cover of lead,\nand having speedily replaced it on the vessel, \"Genie,\" cried he, \"now\nit is your turn to beg my favour, and to choose which way I shall put\nyou to death; but it is better that I should throw you into the sea,\nwhence I took you: and then I will build a house upon the shore, where I\nwill reside and give notice to all fishermen who come to throw in their\nnets, to beware of such a wicked genie as you are, who have made an oath\nto kill him that shall set you at liberty.\"\n\nThe genie, enraged at these expressions, struggled to free himself; but\nit was impossible, for the impression of Solomon's seal prevented him.\nPerceiving that the fisherman had the advantage of him, he thought fit\nto dissemble his anger; \"Fisherman,\" said he, \"take heed you do not what\nyou threaten; for what I spoke to you was only by way of jest.\" \"O\ngenie!\" replied the fisherman, \"thou who wast but a moment ago the\ngreatest of all genies, and now art the least of them, thy crafty\ndiscourse will signify nothing, to the sea thou shalt return. If thou\nhast been there already so long as thou hast told me, thou mayest very\nwell stay there till the day of judgment. I begged of thee, in God's\nname, not to take away my life, and thou didst reject my prayers; I am\nobliged to treat thee in the same manner.\"\n\nThe genie omitted nothing that he thought likely to prevail with the\nfisherman: \"Open the vessel,\" said he, \"give me my liberty, and I\npromise to satisfy you to your own content.\" \"Thou art a traitor,\"\nreplied the fisherman, \"I should deserve to lose my life, if I were such\na fool as to trust thee.\"\n\n\"My good fisherman,\" replied the genie, \"I conjure you once more not to\nbe guilty of such cruelty; consider that it is not good to avenge one's\nself, and that, on the other hand, it is commendable to do good for\nevil; do not treat me as Imama formerly treated Ateca.\" \"And what did\nImama to Ateca?\" inquired the fisherman. \"Ho!\" cried the genie, \"if you\nhave a mind to be informed, open the vessel: do you think that I can be\nin a humour to relate stories in so strait a prison? I will tell you as\nmany as you please, when you have let me out.\" \"No,\" said the fisherman,\n\"I will not let thee out; it is in vain to talk of it; I am just going\nto throw thee into the bottom of the sea.\" \"Hear me one word more,\"\ncried the genie; \"I promise to do you no hurt; nay, far from that, I\nwill show you a way to become exceedingly rich.\"\n\nThe hope of delivering himself from poverty prevailed with the\nfisherman. \"I could listen to thee,\" said he, \"were there any credit to\nbe given to thy word; swear to me, by the great name of God, that thou\nwilt faithfully perform what thou promisest, and I will open the vessel;\nI do not believe thou wilt dare to break such an oath.\"\n\nThe genie swore to him, upon which the fisherman immediately took off\nthe covering of the vessel. At that instant the smoke ascended, and the\ngenie, having resumed his form, the first thing he did was to kick the\nvessel into the sea. This action alarmed the fisherman. \"Genie,\" said\nhe, \"will not you keep the oath you just now made?\"\n\nThe genie laughed at his fear, and answered: \"Fisherman, be not afraid,\nI only did it to divert myself, and to see if you would be alarmed at\nit; but to convince you that I am in earnest, take your nets and follow\nme.\" As he spoke these words, he walked before the fisherman, who having\ntaken up his nets, followed him, but with some distrust. They passed by\nthe town, and came to the top of a mountain, from whence they descended\ninto a vast plain, which brought them to a lake that lay betwixt four\nhills.\n\nWhen they reached the side of the lake, the genie said to the fisherman:\n\"Cast in your nets and catch fish.\" The fisherman did not doubt of\ntaking some, because he saw a great number in the water; but he was\nextremely surprised when he found they were of four colours; white, red,\nblue, and yellow. He threw in his nets and brought out one of each\ncolour. Having never seen the like before, he could not but admire them,\nand, judging that he might get a considerable sum for them, he was very\njoyful. \"Carry those fish,\" said the genie to him, \"and present them to\nyour sultan; he will give you more money for them. You may come daily to\nfish in this lake; but I give you warning not to throw in your nets\nabove once a day, otherwise you will repent.\" Having spoken thus, he\nstruck his foot upon the ground, which opened, and after it had\nswallowed him up, closed again.\n\nThe fisherman, being resolved to follow the genie's advice, forbore\ncasting in his nets a second time, and returned to the town very well\nsatisfied, and making a thousand reflections upon his adventure. He went\nimmediately to the sultan's palace to offer his fish, and his majesty\nwas much surprised when he saw the wonders which the fisherman\npresented. He took them up one after another, and viewed them with\nattention; and after having admired them a long time, \"Take those fish,\"\nsaid he to his vizier, \"and carry them to the cook whom the emperor of\nthe Greeks has sent me. I cannot imagine but that they must be as good\nas they are beautiful.\"\n\nThe vizier carried them as he was directed, and delivering them to the\ncook, said: \"Here are four fish just brought to the sultan; he orders\nyou to dress them.\" He then returned to the sultan, who commanded him to\ngive the fisherman four hundred pieces of gold, which he did\naccordingly.\n\nThe fisherman, who had never seen so much money, could scarcely believe\nhis good fortune, but thought the whole must be a dream, until he found\nit otherwise, by being able to provide necessaries for his family with\nthe produce of his nets.\n\nAs soon as the sultan's cook had cleaned the fish, she put them upon the\nfire in a frying-pan, with oil, and when she thought them fried enough\non one side, she turned them upon the other; but, O monstrous prodigy!\nscarcely were they turned, when the wall of the kitchen divided, and a\nyoung lady of wonderful beauty entered from the opening. She held a rod\nin her hand and was clad in flowered satin, with pendants in her ears, a\nnecklace of large pearls, and bracelets of gold set with rubies. She\nmoved toward the frying-pan, to the great amazement of the cook, and\nstriking one of the fish with the end of the rod, said: \"Fish, fish, are\nyou in your duty?\" The fish having answered nothing, she repeated these\nwords, and then the four fish lifted up their heads, and replied: \"Yes,\nyes: if you reckon, we reckon; if you pay your debts, we pay ours; if\nyou fly, we overcome, and are content.\" As soon as they had finished\nthese words, the lady overturned the frying-pan, and returned into the\nopen part of the wall, which closed immediately, and became as it was\nbefore.\n\nThe cook was greatly frightened at what had happened, and coming a\nlittle to herself went to take up the fish that had fallen on the\nhearth, but found them blacker than coal and not fit to be carried to\nthe sultan. This grievously troubled her, and she fell to weeping most\nbitterly. \"Alas!\" said she, \"what will become of me? If I tell the\nsultan what I have seen, I am sure he will not believe me, but will be\nenraged against me.\"\n\nWhile she was thus bewailing herself, the grand vizier entered, and\nasked her if the fish were ready. She told him all that had occurred,\nwhich we may easily imagine astonished him; but without speaking a word\nof it to the sultan he invented an excuse that satisfied him, and\nsending immediately for the fisherman bid him bring four more such fish,\nfor a misfortune had befallen the others, so that they were not fit to\nbe carried to the royal table. The fisherman, without saying anything of\nwhat the genie had told him, told the vizier he had a great way to go\nfor them, in order to excuse himself from bringing them that day, but\nsaid that he would certainly bring them on the morrow.\n\nAccordingly the fisherman went away by night, and coming to the lake,\nthrew in his nets betimes next morning, took four fish like the former,\nand brought them to the vizier at the hour appointed. The minister took\nthem himself, carried them to the kitchen, and shutting himself up with\nthe cook, she cleaned them and put them on the fire. When they were\nfried on one side, and she had turned them upon the other, the kitchen\nwall again opened, and the same lady came in with the rod in her hand,\nstruck one of the fish, spoke to it as before, and all four gave her the\nsame answer.\n\nAfter they had spoken to the young lady, she overturned the frying-pan\nwith her rod, and retired into the wall. The grand vizier being witness\nto what had passed, \"This is too wonderful and extraordinary,\" said he,\n\"to be concealed from the sultan; I will inform him of this prodigy.\"\n\nThe sultan, being much surprised, sent immediately for the fisherman,\nand said to him: \"Friend, cannot you bring me four more such fish?\" The\nfisherman replied: \"If your majesty will be pleased to allow me three\ndays, I will do it.\" Having obtained his time, he went to the lake\nimmediately, and at the first throwing in of his net he caught four\nfish, and brought them directly to the sultan, who was so much the more\nrejoiced, as he did not expect them so soon, and ordered him four\nhundred pieces of gold. As soon as the sultan had the fish, he ordered\nthem to be carried into his closet, with all that was necessary for\nfrying them; and having shut himself up with the vizier, the minister\ncleaned them, put them into the pan, and when they were fried on one\nside, turned them upon the other; then the wall of the closet opened,\nbut instead of the young lady, there came out a black, in the habit of a\nslave, and of a gigantic stature, with a great green staff in his hand.\nHe advanced toward the pan, and touching one of the fish with his staff,\nsaid, with a terrible voice: \"Fish, are you in your duty?\" At these\nwords the fish raised up their heads, and answered: \"Yes, yes; we are;\nif you reckon, we reckon; if you pay your debts, we pay ours; if you\nfly, we overcome and are content.\"\n\nThe fish had no sooner finished these words, than the black threw the\npan into the middle of the closet, and reduced them to a coal. Having\ndone this, he retired fiercely, and entering again into the aperture, it\nclosed, and the wall appeared just as it did before.\n\n\"After what I have seen,\" said the sultan to the vizier, \"it will not be\npossible for me to be easy; these fish, without doubt, signify something\nextraordinary.\" He sent for the fisherman, and when he came, said to\nhim: \"Fisherman, the fish you have brought us make me very uneasy; where\ndid you catch them?\" \"Sir,\" answered he, \"I fished for them in a lake\nsituated betwixt four hills, beyond the mountain that we see from\nhence.\" \"Know'st thou not that lake?\" said the sultan to the vizier.\n\"No,\" replied the vizier, \"I never so much as heard of it, although I\nhave for sixty years hunted beyond that mountain.\" The sultan asked the\nfisherman how far the lake might be from the palace. The fisherman\nanswered it was not above three hours' journey; upon this assurance the\nsultan commanded all his court to take horse, and the fisherman served\nthem for a guide. They all ascended the mountain, and at the foot of it\nthey saw, to their great surprise, a vast plain that nobody had observed\ntill then, and at last they came to the lake, which they found to be\nsituated betwixt four hills, as the fisherman had described. The water\nwas so transparent that they observed all the fish to be like those\nwhich the fisherman had brought to the palace.\n\nThe sultan stood upon the bank of the lake, and after beholding the fish\nwith admiration, demanded of his courtiers if it were possible they had\nnever seen this lake which was within so short a distance of the town.\nThey all answered that they had never so much as heard of it.\n\n\"Since you all agree that you never heard of it,\" said the sultan, \"and\nas I am no less astonished than you are at this novelty, I am resolved\nnot to return to my palace till I learn how this lake came here, and why\nall the fish in it are of four colours.\" Having spoken thus, he ordered\nhis court to encamp; and immediately his pavilion and the tents of his\nhousehold were planted upon the banks of the lake.\n\nWhen night came the sultan retired under his pavilion, and spoke to the\ngrand vizier thus: \"Vizier, my mind is uneasy; this lake transported\nhither, the black that appeared to us in my closet, and the fish that we\nheard speak; all these things so much excite my curiosity that I cannot\nresist my impatient desire to have it satisfied. To this end I am\nresolved to withdraw alone from the camp, and I order you to keep my\nabsence secret: stay in my pavilion, and to-morrow morning, when the\nemirs and courtiers come to attend my levee, send them away and tell\nthem that I am somewhat indisposed and wish to be alone; and the\nfollowing days tell them the same thing, till I return.\"\n\nThe grand vizier endeavoured to divert the sultan from this design; he\nrepresented to him the danger to which he might be exposed, and that all\nhis labour might perhaps be in vain; but it was to no purpose; the\nsultan was resolved. He put on a suit fit for walking and took his\ncimeter; and as soon as he found that all was quiet in the camp, went\nout alone, and passed over one of the hills without much difficulty; he\nfound the descent still more easy, and when he came to the plain, walked\non till the sun arose, and then he saw before him, at a considerable\ndistance, a vast building. He rejoiced at the sight, in hopes of\nreceiving there the information he sought. When he drew near, he found\nit was a magnificent palace, or rather a strong castle, of black\npolished marble, and covered with fine steel, as smooth as glass. Being\nhighly pleased that he had so speedily met with something worthy his\ncuriosity, he stopped before the front of the castle, and considered it\nwith attention.\n\nHe then advanced toward the gate, which had two leaves, one of them\nopen; though he might immediately have entered, yet he thought it best\nto knock. This he did at first softly, and waited for some time; but\nseeing no one, and supposing he had not been heard, he knocked harder\nthe second time, and after that he knocked again and again, but no one\nyet appearing, he was exceedingly surprised; for he could not think\nthat a castle in such repair was without inhabitants. \"If there be no\none in it,\" said he to himself, \"I have nothing to fear; and if it be\ninhabited, I have wherewith to defend myself.\"\n\nAt last he entered, and when he came within the porch, he cried: \"Is\nthere no one here to receive a stranger who comes in for some\nrefreshment as he passes by?\" He repeated the same words two or three\ntimes; but though he spoke very loud, he was not answered. The silence\nincreased his astonishment: he came into a spacious court, and looked on\nevery side for inhabitants, but discovered none.\n\nPerceiving nobody in the court, he entered the grand halls, which were\nhung with silk tapestry, the alcoves and sofas covered with stuffs of\nMecca, and the porches with the richest stuffs of India. He came\nafterward into a superb saloon, in the middle of which was a fountain,\nwith a lion of massy gold at each angle: water issued from the mouths of\nthe four lions, and as it fell, formed diamonds and pearls resembling a\njet d'eau, which, springing from the middle of the fountain, rose nearly\nto the top of a cupola painted in Arabesque.\n\nThe castle, on three sides, was encompassed by a garden, with parterres\nof flowers and shrubbery; and to complete the beauty of the place, an\ninfinite number of birds filled the air with their harmonious notes, and\nalways remained there, nets being spread over the garden, and fastened\nto the palace to confine them. The sultan walked from apartment to\napartment, where he found everything rich and magnificent. Being tired\nwith walking, he sat down in a veranda, which had a view over the\ngarden, reflecting upon what he had seen, when suddenly he heard the\nvoice of one complaining, in lamentable tones. He listened with\nattention, and heard distinctly these words: \"O fortune! thou who\nwouldst not suffer me longer to enjoy a happy lot, forbear to persecute\nme, and by a speedy death put an end to my sorrows. Alas! is it possible\nthat I am still alive, after so many torments as I have suffered!\"\n\nThe sultan rose up, advanced toward the place whence he heard the voice,\nand coming to the door of a great hall, opened it, and saw a handsome\nyoung man, richly habited, seated upon a throne raised a little above\nthe ground. Melancholy was painted on his countenance. The sultan drew\nnear and saluted him; the young man returned his salutation, by an\ninclination of his head, not being able to rise, at the same time\nsaying: \"My lord, I should rise to receive you, but am hindered by sad\nnecessity, and therefore hope you will not be offended.\" \"My lord,\"\nreplied the sultan, \"I am much obliged to you for having so good an\nopinion of me: as to the reason of your not rising, whatever your\napology be, I heartily accept it. Being drawn hither by your complaints,\nand afflicted by your grief, I come to offer you my help. I flatter\nmyself that you will relate to me the history of your misfortunes; but\ninform me first of the meaning of the lake near the palace, where the\nfish are of four colours; whose castle is this; how you came to be here;\nand why you are alone.\"\n\nInstead of answering these questions, the young man began to weep\nbitterly. \"How inconstant is fortune!\" cried he; \"she takes pleasure to\npull down those she has raised. Where are they who enjoy quietly the\nhappiness which they hold of her, and whose day is always clear and\nserene?\"\n\nThe sultan, moved with compassion to see him in such a condition, prayed\nhim to relate the cause of his excessive grief. \"Alas! my lord,\" replied\nthe young man, \"how is it possible but I should grieve, and my eyes be\ninexhaustible fountains of tears?\" At these words, lifting up his robe,\nhe showed the sultan that he was a man only from the head to the girdle,\nand that the other half of his body was black marble.\n\nThe sultan was much surprised when he saw the deplorable condition of\nthe young man. \"That which you show me,\" said he, \"while it fills me\nwith horror, excites my curiosity, so that I am impatient to hear your\nhistory, which, no doubt, must be extraordinary, and I am persuaded that\nthe lake and the fish make some part of it; therefore I conjure you to\nrelate it. You will find some comfort in so doing, since it is certain\nthat the unfortunate find relief in making known their distress.\" \"I\nwill not refuse your request,\" replied the young man, \"though I cannot\ncomply without renewing my grief. But I give you notice beforehand, to\nprepare your ears, your mind, and even your eyes, for things which\nsurpass all that the imagination can conceive.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY OF THE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLES\n\n\n\"You must know, my lord,\" said the wretched prisoner, \"that my father,\nnamed Mahmoud, was monarch of this country. This is the kingdom of the\nBlack Isles, which takes its name from the four small neighbouring\nmountains; for those mountains were formerly isles, and the capital\nwhere the king, my father, resided was situated on the spot now occupied\nby the lake you have seen. The sequel of my history will inform you of\nthe reason for those changes.\n\n\"The king, my father, died when he was seventy years of age; I had no\nsooner succeeded him than I married, and the lady I chose to share the\nroyal dignity with me was my cousin. I had so much reason to be\nsatisfied with her affection, and, on my part, loved her with so much\ntenderness, that nothing could surpass the harmony of our union. This\nlasted five years, at the end of which time I perceived the queen ceased\nto delight in my attentions.\n\n\"One day, after dinner, while she was at the bath, I found myself\ninclined to repose, and lay down upon a sofa. Two of her ladies, who\nwere then in my chamber, came and sat down, one at my head and the other\nat my feet, with fans in their hands to moderate the heat, and to\nprevent the flies from disturbing me. They thought I was asleep, and\nspoke in whispers; but as I only closed my eyes, I heard all their\nconversation.\n\n\"One of them said to the other, 'Is not the queen wrong, not to love so\namiable a prince?' 'Certainly,' replied her companion; 'I do not\nunderstand the reason, neither can I conceive why she goes out every\nnight, and leaves him alone! Is it possible that he does not perceive\nit?' 'Alas!' said the first, 'how should he? She mixes every evening in\nhis liquor the juice of a certain herb, which makes him sleep so sound\nall night that she has time to go where she pleases, and as day begins\nto appear she comes and wakes him by the smell of something she puts\nunder his nostrils.'\n\n\"You may guess, my lord, how much I was surprised at this conversation,\nand with what sentiments it inspired me; yet whatever emotion it excited\nI had sufficient self-command to dissemble, and feigned to awake without\nhaving heard a word.\n\n\"The queen returned from the bath, we supped together, and she presented\nme with a cup full of such liquid as I was accustomed to drink; but\ninstead of putting it to my mouth, I went to a window that was open,\nthrew out the water so quickly that she did not perceive it, and\nreturned.\n\n\"Soon after, believing that I was asleep, she arose with so little\nprecaution, that she whispered loud enough for me to hear her\ndistinctly, 'Sleep on, and may you never wake again!' and so saying, she\ndressed herself, and went out of the chamber.\n\n\"As soon as the queen, my wife, was gone, I arose in haste, took my\ncimeter, and followed her so quickly that I soon heard the sound of her\nfeet before me, and then walked softly after her. She passed through\nseveral gates, which opened upon her pronouncing some magical words, and\nthe last she opened was that of the garden, which she entered. I stopped\nat this gate, that she might not perceive me as she passed along a\nparterre; then looking after her as far as the darkness of the night\npermitted, I saw her enter a little wood, whose walks were guarded by\nthick palisadoes. I went thither by another way, and concealing myself,\nI saw her walking there with a man.\n\n\"I did not fail to lend the most attentive ear to their discourse, and\nheard her address herself thus to her gallant: 'I do not deserve,' she\nsaid, 'to be reproached by you for want of diligence. You well know the\nreason; but if all the proofs of affection I have already given you be\nnot sufficient to convince you of my sincerity, I am ready to give you\nothers more decisive: you need but command me, you know my power; I\nwill, if you desire it, before sunrise convert this great city, and this\nsuperb palace, into frightful ruins, inhabited only by wolves, owls, and\nravens. If you would have me transport all the stones of those walls so\nsolidly built, beyond Mount Caucasus, the bounds of the habitable world,\nspeak but the word, and all shall be changed.'\n\n\"As the queen finished this speech she and her companion came to the end\nof the walk, turned to enter another, and passed before me. I had\nalready drawn my cimeter, and the man being next me, I struck him on the\nneck, and brought him to the ground. I concluded I had killed him, and\ntherefore retired speedily without making myself known to the queen,\nwhom I chose to spare, because she was my kinswoman.\n\n\"The wound I had given her companion was mortal; but by her enchantments\nshe preserved him in an existence in which he could not be said to be\neither dead or alive. As I crossed the garden to return to the palace, I\nheard the queen loudly lamenting, and judging by her cries how much she\nwas grieved, I was pleased that I had spared her life.\n\n\"As soon as I had reached my apartment, I went to bed, and being\nsatisfied with having punished the villain who had injured me, fell\nasleep.\n\n\"Next morning I arose, went to my closet, and dressed myself. I\nafterward held my council. At my return, the queen, clad in mourning,\nher hair dishevelled, and part of it torn off, presented herself before\nme, and said: 'I come to beg your majesty not to be surprised to see me\nin this condition. My heavy affliction is occasioned by intelligence of\nthree distressing events which I have just received.' 'Alas! what are\nthey, madam?' said I. 'The death of the queen, my dear mother,' she\nreplied, 'that of the king, my father, killed in battle, and of one of\nmy brothers, who has fallen down a precipice.'\n\n\"I was not displeased that she used these pretexts to conceal the true\ncause of her grief. 'Madam,' said I, 'so far from blaming, I assure you\nI heartily commiserate your sorrow. I should feel surprise if you were\ninsensible to such heavy calamities: weep on; your tears are so many\nproofs of your tenderness; but I hope that time and reflection will\nmoderate your grief.'\n\n\"She retired into her apartment, where, giving herself wholly up to\nsorrow, she spent a whole year in mourning and lamentation. At the end\nof that period, she begged permission to erect a burying-place for\nherself, within the bounds of the palace, where she would continue, she\ntold me, to the end of her days: I consented, and she built a stately\nedifice, and called it the Palace of Tears. When it was finished, she\ncaused the object of her care to be conveyed thither; she had hitherto\nprevented his dying, by potions which she had administered to him; and\nshe continued to convey them to him herself every day after he came to\nthe Palace of Tears.\n\n\"Yet, with all her enchantments, she could not cure the wretch; he was\nnot only unable to walk or support himself, but had also lost the use of\nhis speech, and exhibited no sign of life except in his looks.\n\n\"Every day the queen made him two long visits. I was well apprised of\nthis, but pretended ignorance. One day my curiosity induced me to go to\nthe Palace of Tears, to observe how my consort employed herself, and\nfrom a place where she could not see me, I heard her thus address the\nwounded ruffian: 'I am afflicted to the highest degree to behold you in\nthis condition,' she cried, 'I am as sensible as yourself of the\ntormenting pain you endure; but, dear soul, I am continually speaking to\nyou, and you do not answer me: how long will you remain silent? Speak\nonly one word: alas! the sweetest moments of my life are these I spend\nhere in partaking of your grief.'\n\n\"At these words, which were several times interrupted by her sighs, I\nlost all patience: and discovering myself, came up to her, and said,\n'Madam, you have wept enough, it is time to give over this sorrow, which\ndishonours us both; you have too much forgotten what you owe to me and\nto yourself.' 'Sire,' said she, 'if you have any kindness or compassion\nfor me left, I beseech you to put no restraint upon me; allow me to\nindulge my grief, which it is impossible for time to assuage.'\n\n\"When I perceived that my remonstrance, instead of restoring her to a\nsense of duty, served only to increase her anguish, I ceased speaking\nand retired. She continued every day to visit her charge, and for two\nwhole years abandoned herself to grief and despair.\n\n\"I went a second time to the Palace of Tears, while she was there. I\nconcealed myself again, and heard her thus cry out: 'It is now three\nyears since you spoke one word to me; you answer not the proofs I give\nyou of my devotion by my sighs and lamentations. Is it from\ninsensibility, or contempt? O tomb! tell me by what miracle thou\nbecamest the depository of the rarest treasure the world ever\ncontained.'\n\n\"I must confess, my lord, I was enraged at these expressions; for, in\ntruth, this adored mortal was by no means what you would imagine him to\nhave been. He was a black Indian, one of the original natives of this\ncountry. I was so enraged at the language addressed to him, that I\ndiscovered myself, and apostrophising the tomb in my turn, I cried, 'O\ntomb! why dost thou not swallow up that monster so revolting to human\nnature, or rather why dost thou not swallow up this pair of monsters?'\n\n\"I had scarcely uttered these words, when the queen, who sat by the\nblack, rose up like a fury: 'Miscreant!' said she, 'thou art the cause\nof my grief; do not think I am ignorant of this, I have dissembled too\nlong. It was thy barbarous hand that brought the object of my fondness\ninto this lamentable condition; and thou hast the cruelty to come and\ninsult me.' 'Yes,' said I, in a rage, 'it was I who chastised that\nmonster, according to his desert; I ought to have treated thee in the\nsame manner; I now repent that I did not; thou hast too long abused my\ngoodness.' As I spoke these words, I drew out my cimeter, and lifted up\nmy hand to punish her; but regarding me steadfastly, she said with a\njeering smile, 'Moderate thine anger.' At the same time she pronounced\nwords I did not understand; and afterward added, 'By virtue of my\nenchantments, I command thee to become half marble and half man.'\nImmediately, my lord, I became what you see, a dead man among the\nliving, and a living man among the dead. After this cruel sorceress,\nunworthy of the name of queen, had metamorphosed me thus, and brought me\ninto this hall, by another enchantment she destroyed my capital, which\nwas very flourishing and populous; she annihilated the houses, the\npublic places and markets, and reduced the site of the whole to the lake\nand desert plain you have seen; the fishes of four colours in the waters\nare the four kinds of inhabitants, of different religions, which the\ncity contained. The white are the Mussulmans; the red, the Persians, who\nworship fire; the blue, the Christians; and the yellow, the Jews. The\nfour little hills were the four islands that gave name to this kingdom.\nI learned all this from the enchantress, who, to add to my affliction,\nrelated to me these effects of her rage. But this is not all; her\nrevenge not being satisfied with the destruction of my dominions, and\nthe metamorphosis of my person, she comes every day, and gives me over\nmy naked shoulders a hundred lashes with a whip until I am covered with\nblood. When she has finished this part of my punishment, she throws over\nme a coarse stuff of goat's hair, and over that this robe of brocade,\nnot to honour, but to mock me.\"\n\nWhen he came to this part of his narrative, the young king could not\nrestrain his tears; and the sultan was himself so affected by the\nrelation, that he could not find utterance for any words of consolation.\nShortly after, the young king, lifting up his eyes to heaven, exclaimed,\n\"Mighty creator of all things, I submit myself to Thy judgments, and to\nthe decrees of Thy providence: I endure my calamities with patience,\nsince it is Thy will that things should be as they are; but I hope that\nThy infinite goodness will ultimately reward me.\"\n\nThe sultan, greatly moved by the recital of this affecting story, and\nanxious to avenge the sufferings of the unfortunate prince, said to him:\n\"Inform me whither this perfidious sorceress retires, and where may be\nfound the vile wretch, who is entombed before his death.\" \"My lord,\"\nreplied the prince, \"the Indian, as I have already told you, is lodged\nin the Palace of Tears, in a superb tomb constructed in the form of a\ndome: this palace joins the castle on the side in which the gate is\nplaced. As to the queen, I cannot tell you precisely whither she\nretires, but every day at sunrise she goes to visit her charge, after\nhaving executed her bloody vengeance upon me; and you see I am not in a\ncondition to defend myself. She carries to him the potion with which she\nhas hitherto prevented his dying, and always complains of his never\nhaving spoken to her since he was wounded.\"\n\n\"Prince,\" said the sultan, \"your condition can never be sufficiently\ndeplored: no one can be more sensibly affected by your misfortune than I\nam. Never did anything so extraordinary befall any man! One thing only\nis wanting; the revenge to which you are entitled, and I will omit\nnothing in my power to effect it.\"\n\nIn his subsequent conversation with the young prince the sultan told him\nwho he was, and for what purpose he had entered the castle; and\nafterward informed him of a mode of revenge which he had devised. They\nagreed upon the measures they were to take for accomplishing their\ndesign, but deferred the execution of it till the following day. In the\nmeantime, the night being far spent, the sultan took some rest; but the\nyoung prince passed the night as usual, without sleep, never having\nslept since he was enchanted.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_When he came to this part of his narrative the young king could not\nrestrain his tears._\n\nNext morning the sultan arose with the dawn, and prepared to execute his\ndesign, by proceeding to the Palace of Tears. He found it lighted up\nwith an infinite number of flambeaux of white wax, and perfumed by a\ndelicious scent issuing from several censers of fine gold of admirable\nworkmanship. As soon as he perceived the bed where the Indian lay, he\ndrew his cimeter and deprived him of his wretched life, dragged his\ncorpse into the court of the castle, and threw it into a well. After\nthis he went and lay down in the black's bed, placed his cimeter under\nthe covering, and waited to complete his design.\n\nThe queen arrived shortly after. She first went into the chamber of her\nhusband, the king of the Black Islands, stripped him, and with\nunexampled barbarity gave him a hundred stripes. The unfortunate prince\nfilled the palace with his lamentations, and conjured her in the most\naffecting tone to take pity on him; but the cruel wretch ceased not till\nshe had given the usual number of blows. \"You had no compassion,\" said\nshe, \"and you are to expect none from me.\"\n\nAfter the enchantress had given her husband a hundred blows with the\nwhip, she put on again his covering of goat's hair, and his brocade gown\nover all; she went afterward to the Palace of Tears, and as she entered\nrenewed her tears and lamentations; then approaching the bed, where she\nthought the Indian lay: \"Alas!\" said she, addressing herself to the\nsultan, conceiving him to be the black, \"My sun, my life, will you\nalways be silent? Are you resolved to let me die without affording me\nthe comfort of hearing your voice?\"\n\nThe sultan, as if he had awaked out of a deep sleep, and counterfeiting\nthe pronunciation of the blacks, answered the queen with a grave tone:\n\"There is no strength or power but in God alone, who is almighty.\" At\nthese words the enchantress, who did not expect them, uttered a loud\nexclamation of joy. \"My dear lord,\" cried she, \"do I not deceive myself;\nis it certain that I hear you, and that you speak to me?\" \"Unhappy\nwoman,\" said the sultan, \"art thou worthy that I should answer thee?\"\n\"Alas!\" replied the queen, \"why do you reproach me thus?\" \"The cries,\"\nreturned the sultan, \"the groans and tears of thy husband, whom thou\ntreatest every day with so much indignity and barbarity, prevent my\nsleeping night or day. Hadst thou disenchanted him, I should long since\nhave been cured, and have recovered the use of my speech. This is the\ncause of my silence, of which you complain.\" \"Well,\" said the\nenchantress, \"to pacify you, I am ready to execute your commands; would\nyou have me restore him?\" \"Yes,\" replied the sultan; \"make haste to set\nhim at liberty, that I be no longer disturbed by his lamentations.\" The\nenchantress went immediately out of the Palace of Tears; she took a cup\nof water, and pronounced some words over it, which caused it to boil, as\nif it had been on the fire. She afterward proceeded to the young king,\nand threw the water upon him, saying: \"If the Creator of all things did\nform thee as thou art at present, or if He be angry with thee, do not\nchange; but if thou art in that condition merely by virtue of my\nenchantments, resume thy natural shape, and become what thou wast\nbefore.\" She had scarcely spoken these words when the prince, finding\nhimself restored to his former condition, rose up and returned thanks to\nGod. The enchantress then said to him, \"Get thee from this castle, and\nnever return on pain of death.\" The young king, yielding to necessity,\nwent away without replying a word, and retired to a remote place, where\nhe patiently awaited the event of the design which the sultan had so\nhappily begun. Meanwhile the enchantress returned to the Palace of\nTears, and supposing that she still spoke to the black, said, \"Dear\nlove, I have done what you required; nothing now prevents your rising\nand giving me the satisfaction of which I have so long been deprived.\"\n\nThe sultan, still counterfeiting the pronunciation of the black, said:\n\"What you have now done is by no means sufficient for my cure; you have\nonly removed a part of the evil; you must cut it up by the root.\" \"My\nlovely black,\" resumed the queen, \"what do you mean by the root?\"\n\"Wretched woman,\" replied the sultan, \"understand you not that I allude\nto the town and its inhabitants, and the four islands, destroyed by thy\nenchantments? The fish every night at midnight raise their heads out of\nthe lake, and cry for vengeance against thee and me. This is the true\ncause of the delay of my cure. Go speedily, restore things to their\nformer state, and at thy return I will give thee my hand, and thou shalt\nhelp me to arise.\"\n\nThe enchantress, inspired with hope from these words, cried out in a\ntransport of joy, \"My heart, my soul, you shall soon be restored to your\nhealth, for I will immediately do as you command me.\" Accordingly she\nwent that instant, and when she came to the brink of the lake she took a\nlittle water in her hand, and sprinkling it, she pronounced some words\nover the fish and the lake, and the city was immediately restored. The\nfish became men, women, and children; Mohammedans, Christians, Persians,\nor Jews; freemen or slaves, as they were before: every one having\nrecovered his natural form. The houses and shops were immediately filled\nwith their inhabitants, who found all things as they were before the\nenchantment. The sultan's numerous retinue, who found themselves\nencamped in the largest square, were astonished to see themselves in an\ninstant in the middle of a large, handsome, well-peopled city.\n\nTo return to the enchantress: As soon as she had effected this wonderful\nchange, she returned with all expedition to the Palace of Tears, that\nshe might receive her reward. \"My dear lord,\" cried she, as she entered,\n\"I have done all that you required of me, then pray rise and give me\nyour hand.\" \"Come near,\" said the sultan, still counterfeiting the\npronunciation of the black. She did so. \"You are not near enough,\" he\ncontinued; \"approach nearer.\" She obeyed. He then rose up, and seizing\nher by the arm so suddenly that she had not time to discover him, he\nwith a blow of his cimeter cut her in two, so that one half fell one way\nand the other another. This done, he left the body on the spot, and\ngoing out of the Palace of Tears, went to seek the young king of the\nBlack Isles, who waited for him with great impatience. When he found\nhim, \"Prince,\" said he, embracing him, \"rejoice; you have now nothing to\nfear; your cruel enemy is dead.\"\n\nThe young prince returned thanks to the sultan in a manner that\nsufficiently evinced his gratitude, and in return wished him long life\nand happiness. \"You may henceforward,\" said the sultan, \"dwell peaceably\nin your capital, unless you will accompany me to mine, which is near:\nyou shall there be welcome, and have as much honour shown you as if you\nwere in your own kingdom.\" \"Potent monarch, to whom I am so much\nindebted,\" replied the king, \"you think, then, that you are near your\ncapital.\" \"Yes,\" said the sultan, \"I know it is not above four or five\nhours' journey.\" \"It will take you a whole year to return,\" said the\nprince. \"I do indeed believe that you came hither from your capital in\nthe time you mention, because mine was enchanted; but since the\nenchantment is taken off, things are changed: however, this shall not\nprevent my following you, were it to the utmost corners of the earth.\nYou are my deliverer, and that I may give you proofs of my\nacknowledgment of this during my whole life, I am willing to accompany\nyou, and to leave my kingdom without regret.\"\n\nThe sultan was extremely surprised to understand that he was so far from\nhis dominions, and could not imagine how it could be, but the young king\nof the Black Islands convinced him beyond a possibility of doubt. Then\nthe sultan replied: \"It is no matter; the trouble of returning to my own\ncountry is sufficiently recompensed by the satisfaction of having\nobliged you, and by acquiring you for a son; for since you will do me\nthe honour to accompany me, as I have no child, I look upon you as such,\nand from this moment appoint you my heir and successor.\"\n\nThe young prince then employed himself in making preparations for his\njourney, which were finished in three weeks, to the great regret of his\ncourt and subjects, who agreed to receive at his hands one of his\nnearest kindred for their monarch.\n\nAt length the sultan and the young prince began their journey, with a\nhundred camels laden with inestimable riches from the treasury, followed\nby fifty handsome gentlemen on horseback, perfectly well mounted and\ndressed. They had a pleasant journey; and when the sultan, who had sent\ncouriers to give advice of his delay, and of the adventure which had\noccasioned it, approached his capital, the principal officers came to\nreceive him, and to assure him that his long absence had occasioned no\nalteration in his empire. The inhabitants also came out in great crowds,\nreceived him with acclamations, and made public rejoicings for several\ndays.\n\nThe day after his arrival the sultan acquainted his courtiers with his\nadoption of the king of the Four Black Islands, who was willing to leave\na great kingdom to accompany and live with him; and in reward for their\nloyalty, he made each of them presents according to their rank.\n\nAs for the fisherman, as he was the first cause of the deliverance of\nthe young prince, the sultan gave him a plentiful fortune, which made\nhim and his family happy the rest of his days.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF GULNARE OF THE SEA\n\n\nThere was, in olden time, and in an ancient age and period, in the land\nof the Persians, a king named Shahzeman, and the place of his residence\nwas Khorassan. He had not been blest, during his whole life, with a male\nchild nor a female; and he reflected upon this, one day, and lamented\nthat the greater portion of his life had passed, and he had no heir to\ntake the kingdom after him as he had inherited it from his fathers and\nforefathers. So the utmost grief befell him on this account.\n\nNow while he was sitting one day, one of his mamelukes came in to him,\nand said to him: \"O my lord, at the door is a slave-girl with a\nmerchant: none more beautiful than she hath been seen.\" And he replied:\n\"Bring to me the merchant and the slave-girl.\" The merchant and the\nslave-girl therefore came to him; and when he saw her, he found her to\nresemble the lance in straightness and slenderness. She was wrapped in a\ngarment of silk embroidered with gold, and the merchant uncovered her\nface, whereupon the place was illuminated by her beauty, and there hung\ndown from her forehead seven locks of hair reaching to her anklets. The\nKing, therefore, wondered at the sight of her, and at her beauty, and\nher stature and justness of form; and he said to the merchant: \"O\nsheikh, for how much is this damsel to be sold?\" The merchant answered:\n\"O my lord, I purchased her for two thousand pieces of gold of the\nmerchant who owned her before me, and I have been for three years\ntravelling with her, and she hath cost, to the period of her arrival at\nthis place, three thousand pieces of gold; and she is a present from me\nunto thee.\" Upon this, the king conferred upon him a magnificent robe of\nhonour, and gave orders to present him with ten thousand pieces of gold.\nSo he took them, and kissed the hands of the king, thanking him for his\nbeneficence, and departed. Then the king committed the damsel to the\ntirewomen, saying to them: \"Amend the state of this damsel, and deck\nher, and furnish for her a private chamber, and take her into it.\" He\nalso gave orders to his chamberlains that everything which she required\nshould be conveyed to her. The seat of government where he resided was\non the shore of the sea, and his city was called the White City. And\nthey conducted the damsel into a private chamber, which chamber had\nwindows overlooking the sea; and the king commanded his chamberlains to\nclose all the doors upon her after taking to her all that she required.\n\nThe king then went in to visit the damsel; but she rose not to him, nor\ntook any notice of him. So the king said: \"It seemeth that she hath been\nwith people who have not taught her good manners.\" And looking at the\ndamsel, he saw her to be a person surpassing in loveliness, her face was\nlike the disk of the moon at the full, or the shining sun in the clear\nsky; and he wondered at her beauty, extolling the perfection of God, the\nCreator: then the king advanced to the damsel, and seated himself by her\nside, pressed her to his bosom, and kissed her lips, which he found to\nbe sweeter than honey. After this, he gave orders to bring tables of the\nrichest viands, comprising dishes of every kind; and he ate, and put\nmorsels into her mouth until she was satisfied; but she spoke not a\nsingle word. The king talked to her, and inquired of her her name; but\nshe was silent, not uttering a word, nor returning him an answer,\nceasing not to hang down her head toward the ground; and what protected\nher from the anger of the king was her beauty, and her tenderness of\nmanner. So the king said within himself: \"Extolled be the perfection of\nGod, the Creator of this damsel! How elegant is she, saving that she\ndoth not speak!\"--Then the king asked the female slaves whether she had\nspoken; and they answered him: \"From the time of her arrival to the\npresent moment she hath not spoken one word, and we have not heard her\ntalk.\" The king therefore caused some of them to come, and sing to her,\nand make merry with her, thinking that then she might perhaps speak.\nAccordingly the female slaves played before her with all kinds of\nmusical instruments, and enacted sports and other performances, and they\nsang so that every one who was present was moved with delight, except\nthe damsel, who looked at them and was silent, neither laughing nor\nspeaking. So the heart of the king was contracted. He however inclined\nto her entirely, paying no regard to others, but relinquishing all the\nrest of his favourites.\n\nHe remained with her a whole year, which seemed as one day, and still\nshe spoke not; and he said to her one day, when his passion was\nexcessive: \"O desire of souls, verily the love that I have for thee is\ngreat, and I have relinquished for thy sake all my worldly portion, and\nbeen patient with thee a whole year. I beg God that He will, in His\ngrace, soften thy heart toward me, and that thou mayest speak to me. Or,\nif thou be dumb, inform me by a sign, that I may give up hope of thy\nspeaking. I also beg of God that He will bless thee with a son that may\ninherit my kingdom after me; for I am solitary, having none to be my\nheir, and my age hath become great. I conjure thee, then, by Allah, if\nthou love me, that thou return me a reply.\" And upon this, the damsel\nhung her head toward the ground, meditating. Then she raised her head,\nand smiled in the face of the king, whereat it appeared to the king that\nlightning filled the private chamber; and she said: \"O magnanimous King,\nGod hath answered thy prayer; for I am about to bring thee a child, and\nthe time is almost come. And were it not that I knew this thing, I had\nnot spoken to thee one word.\" And when the king heard what she said, his\nface brightened up with happiness, and he kissed her hands by reason of\nthe violence of his joy, and said: \"Praise be to God who hath favoured\nme with things that I desired; the first, thy speaking; and the second,\nthy information that thou art about to bring me a child.\" Then the king\narose and went forth from her, and seated himself upon the throne of his\nkingdom in a state of exceeding happiness; and he ordered the vizier to\ngive out to the poor and the needy a hundred thousand pieces of gold as\na thank-offering to God. So the vizier did as the king had commanded\nhim. And after that, the king went in to the damsel, and embraced her,\nsaying to her: \"O my mistress, wherefore hath been this silence, seeing\nthat thou hast been with me a whole year, awake and asleep, yet hast not\nspoken to me, except on this day?\"\n\nThe damsel answered: \"Hear, O King of the age, and know that I am a poor\nperson, a stranger, broken-hearted: I have become separated from my\nmother, and my family, and my brother.\" And when the king heard her\nwords, he knew her desire, and he replied: \"As to thy saying that thou\nart poor, there is no occasion for such an assertion; for all my kingdom\nand possessions are at thy service, and as to thy saying, 'I have become\nseparated from my mother and my family and my brother'--inform me in\nwhat place they are, and I will send to them, and bring them to thee.\"\nSo she said to him: \"Know, O King, that my name is Gulnare (_Pomegranate\nFlower_) of the Sea. My father was one of the Kings of the Sea, and he\ndied, and left to us the kingdom; but while we were enjoying it, another\nof the kings came upon us, and took the kingdom from our hands. I have\nalso a brother named Saleh, and my mother is of the women of the sea;\nand I quarrelled with my brother, and swore that I would throw myself\ninto the hands of a man of the inhabitants of the land. Accordingly I\ncame forth from the sea, and sat upon the shore of an island in the\nmoonlight, and there passed by a man who took me and sold me to this man\nfrom whom thou tookest me, and he was an excellent, virtuous man, a\nperson of religion and fidelity and kindness. But had not thy heart\nloved me, and hadst thou not preferred me above all thy wives, I had not\nremained with thee one hour; for I should have cast myself into the sea\nfrom this window, and gone to my mother and my people. I was ashamed,\nhowever, to go to them; for they would imagine evil of me, and would not\nbelieve me, even though I should swear to them, were I to tell them that\na king had purchased me with his money, and chosen me in preference to\nhis other wives and all that his right hand possessed. This is my story,\nand peace be on thee!\" And when he heard her words, he thanked her, and\nkissed her between the eyes, and said to her: \"By Allah, O my mistress,\nand light of my eyes, I cannot endure separation from thee for one hour;\nand if thou quit me, I shall die instantly. How then shall the affair\nbe?\" She answered: \"O my master, the time of the birth is near, and my\nfamily must come.\" \"And how,\" said the king, \"do they walk in the sea\nwithout being wetted?\" She answered: \"We walk in the sea as ye walk upon\nthe land, through the influence of the names engraved upon the seal of\nSolomon, the son of David, upon both of whom be peace! But, O King,\nwhen my family and my brethren come, I will inform them that thou\nboughtest me with thy money, and hast treated me with beneficence, and\nit will be meet that thou confirm my assertion to them. They will also\nsee thy state with their eyes, and will know that thou art a king, the\nson of a king.\" And thereupon the king said: \"O my mistress, do what\nseemeth fit to thee, and what thou wishest; for I will comply with thy\ndesire in all that thou wilt do.\" And the damsel said: \"Know, O King of\nthe age, that we walk in the sea with our eyes open, and see what is in\nit, and we see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the sky as on\nthe face of the earth, and this hurteth us not. Know also, that in the\nsea are many peoples and various forms of all the kinds that are on the\nland; and know, moreover, that all that is on the land, in comparison\nwith what is in the sea, is a very small matter.\" And the king wondered\nat her words.\n\nThen the damsel took a bit of aloes-wood and, having lighted a fire in a\nperfuming-vessel, threw into it that bit, and she proceeded to speak\nwords which no one understood; whereupon a great smoke arose, while the\nking looked on. After this, she said to the king: \"O my lord, arise and\nconceal thyself in a closet, that I may shew thee my brother and my\nmother and my family without their seeing thee; for I desire to bring\nthem, and thou shalt see in this place, at this time, a wonder, and\nshalt marvel at the various shapes and strange forms that God hath\ncreated.\" So the king arose immediately, and entered a closet, and\nlooked to see what she would do. And she proceeded to burn perfume and\nrepeat spells until the sea foamed and was agitated, and there came\nforth from it a young man of comely form, of beautiful countenance, like\nthe moon at the full, with shining forehead, and red cheeks, and hair\nresembling pearls and jewels; he was, of all the creation, the most\nlike to his sister, and the tongue of the case itself seemed to recite\nin his praise these verses:--\n\n   The moon becometh perfect once in each month; but the loveliness of thy\n     face is perfect every day.\n   Its abode is in the heart of one sign at a time; but thine abode is in\n     all hearts at once.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_And she proceeded to burn perfume and repeat spells until the sea\nfoamed and was agitated._\n\nAfterward, there came forth from the sea a grizzly-haired old woman, and\nwith her five damsels, resembling moons and bearing a likeness to the\ndamsel whose name was Gulnare. Then the king saw the young man and the\nold woman and the damsels walk upon the surface of the water until they\ncame to Gulnare; and when they drew near to the window, and she beheld\nthem, she rose to them and met them with joy. On their seeing her, they\nknew her, and they went in to her and embraced her, weeping violently;\nand they said to her: \"O Gulnare, how is it that thou leavest us for\nfour years, and we know not the place in which thou art? By Allah, we\nhad no delight in food nor in drink a single day, weeping night and day\non account of the excess of our longing to see thee.\" Then the damsel\nbegan to kiss the hand of her brother, and the hand of her mother, and\nso also the hands of the daughters of her uncle, and they sat with her\nawhile, asking her respecting her state, and the things that had\nhappened to her, and her present condition.\n\nSo she said to them: \"Know ye, that when I quitted you, and came forth\nfrom the sea, I sat upon the shore of an island, and a man took me, and\nsold me to a merchant, and the merchant brought me to this city, and\nsold me to its king for ten thousand pieces of gold. Then he treated me\nwith attention, and forsook all his favourites for my sake, and was\ndiverted by his regard for me from everything that he possessed and what\nwas in his city.\" And when her brother heard her words, he said:\n\"Praise be to God who hath reunited us! But it is my desire, O my\nsister, that thou wouldst arise and go with us to our country and our\nfamily.\" So when the king heard the words of her brother, his reason\nfled in consequence of his fear lest the damsel should accept the\nproposal of her kindred, and he could not prevent her, though he was\ninflamed with love of her; wherefore he became perplexed in violent fear\nof her separation. But as to the damsel Gulnare, on hearing the words of\nher brother she said: \"By Allah, O my brother, the man who purchased me\nis the king of this city, and he is a great king, and a man of wisdom,\ngenerous, of the utmost liberality. He hath treated me with honour, and\nhe is a person of kindness, and of great wealth, but hath no male child\nnor a female. He hath shewn me favour too, and acted well to me in every\nrespect; and from the day when I came to him to the present time, I have\nnot heard from him a word to grieve my heart; but he hath not ceased to\ntreat me with courtesy, and I am living with him in the most perfect of\nenjoyments. Moreover, if I quitted him, he would perish: for he can\nnever endure my separation even for a single hour. I also, if I quitted\nhim, should die of my love for him in consequence of his kindness to me\nduring the period of my residence with him; for if my father were\nliving, my condition with him would not be like my condition with this\ngreat, glorious king. God (whose name be exalted!) afflicted me not, but\ncompensated me well; and as the king hath not a male child nor a female,\nI beg God to bless me with a son that may inherit of this great king\nthese palaces and possessions.\" And when her brother, and the daughters\nof her uncle, heard her words, their eyes became cheerful thereat, and\nthey said to her: \"O Gulnare, thou art acquainted with our affection for\nthee, and thou art assured that thou art the dearest of all persons to\nus, and art certain that we desire for thee comfort, without trouble or\ntoil. Therefore if thou be not in a state of comfort, arise and\naccompany us to our country and our family; but if thou be comfortable\nhere, in honour and happiness, this is our desire and wish.\" And Gulnare\nreplied: \"By Allah, I am in a state of the utmost enjoyment, in honour\nand desirable happiness.\" So when the king heard these words from her,\nhe rejoiced, and he thanked her for them; his love for her penetrated to\nhis heart's core, and he knew that she loved him as he loved her, and\nthat she desired to remain with him to see his child which she was to\nbring to him.\n\nThen the damsel Gulnare of the Sea gave orders to the female slaves to\nbring forward viands of all kinds; and Gulnare herself was the person\nwho superintended the preparation of the viands in the kitchen. So the\nfemale slaves brought to them the viands, and the sweetmeats, and the\nfruits; and she ate with her family. But afterward they said to her: \"O\nGulnare, thy master is a man who is a stranger to us, and we have\nentered his abode without his permission, and thou praisest to us his\nexcellence, and hast also brought to us his food, and we have eaten, but\nhave not seen him, nor hath he seen us, nor come into our presence, nor\neaten with us, that the bond of bread and salt might be established\nbetween us.\" And they all desisted from eating, and were enraged at her,\nand fire began to issue from their mouths as from cressets. So when the\nking beheld this, his reason fled, in consequence of the violence of his\nfear of them. Then Gulnare rose to them, and soothed their hearts; after\nwhich she walked along until she entered the closet in which was the\nking her master; and she said to him: \"O my master, didst thou see, and\ndidst thou hear my thanks to thee, and my praise of thee in the presence\nof my family; and didst thou hear what they said to me, that they\ndesired to take me with them to our family and our country?\" The king\nanswered her: \"I heard and saw. May God recompense thee! By Allah, I\nknew not the extent of the love that thou feelest for me until this\nblessed hour.\" She replied: \"O my master, is the recompense of\nbeneficence aught but beneficence? How then could my heart be happy to\nquit thee, and to depart from thee? Now I desire of thy goodness that\nthou come and salute my family, that they may see thee, and that\npleasure and mutual friendship may ensue. For know, O King, that my\nbrother and my mother and the daughters of my uncle have conceived a\ngreat love for thee in consequence of my praising thee to them, and they\nhave said, 'We will not depart from thee to our country until we have an\ninterview with the king, and salute him.'\" And the king said to her: \"I\nhear and obey; for this is what I desire.\" He then rose from his place,\nand went to them, and saluted them with the best salutation; and they\nhastened to rise to him; they met him in the most polite manner, and he\nsat with them in the pavilion, ate with them at the table, and remained\nwith them for a period of thirty days. Then they desired to return to\ntheir country and abode. So they took leave of the king and Queen\nGulnare of the Sea, and departed from them, after the king had treated\nthem with the utmost honour.\n\nAfter this, Gulnare gave birth to a boy, resembling the moon at the\nfull, whereat the king experienced the utmost happiness, because he had\nnot before been blessed with a son nor a daughter during his life. They\ncontinued the rejoicings, and the decoration of the city, for a period\nof seven days, in the utmost happiness and enjoyment; and on the seventh\nday, the mother of Gulnare, and her brother, and the daughters of her\nuncle, all came, when they knew that she had given birth to her child.\nThe king met them, rejoicing at their arrival, and said to them: \"I said\nthat I would not name my son until ye should come, and that ye should\nname him according to your knowledge.\" And they named him Bedr Basim\n(_Smiling Full Moon_), all of them agreeing as to this name. They then\npresented the boy to his maternal uncle, Saleh, who took him upon his\nhands, and, rising with him from among them, walked about the palace to\nthe right and left; after which he went forth with him from the palace,\ndescended with him to the sea, and walked on until he became concealed\nfrom the eye of the king. So when the king saw that he had taken his\nson, and disappeared from him at the bottom of the sea, he despaired of\nhim, and began to weep and wail. But Gulnare, seeing him in this state,\nsaid to him, \"O King of the age, fear not nor grieve for thy son; for I\nlove my child more than thou, and my child is with my brother; therefore\nfear not his being drowned. If my brother knew that any injury would\nbetide the little one, he had not done what he hath done; and presently\nhe will bring thee thy son safe, if it be the will of God, whose name be\nexalted!\" And but a short time had elapsed when the sea was agitated,\nand the uncle of the little one came forth from it, having with him the\nking's son safe, and he flew from the sea until he came to them, with\nthe little one in his arms, silent, and his face resembling the moon in\nthe night of its fulness. Then the uncle of the little one looked toward\nthe king, and said to him: \"Perhaps thou fearedst some injury to thy son\nwhen I descended into the sea, having him with me.\" So he replied: \"Yes,\nO my master, I feared for him, and I did not imagine that he would ever\ncome forth from it safe.\" And Saleh said to him: \"O King of the Land, we\napplied to his eyes a lotion that we know, and repeated over him the\nnames engraved upon the seal of Solomon, the son of David; for when a\nchild is born among us, we do to him as I have told thee. Fear not\ntherefore, on his account, drowning, nor suffocation, nor all the seas\nif he descend into them. Like as ye walk upon the land, we walk in the\nsea.\"\n\nHe then took forth from his pocket a case, written upon, and sealed; and\nhe broke its seal, and scattered its contents, whereupon there fell from\nit strung jewels, consisting of all kinds of jacinths and other gems,\ntogether with three hundred oblong emeralds, and three hundred oblong\nlarge jewels, of the size of the eggs of the ostrich, the light of which\nwas more resplendent than the light of the sun and the moon. And he\nsaid: \"O King of the age, these jewels and jacinths are a present from\nme unto thee; for we never brought thee a present, because we knew not\nthe place of Gulnare's abode. So when we saw thee to have become united\nto her, and that we all had become one, we brought thee this present;\nand after every period of a few days, we will bring thee the like of it.\nFor these jewels and jacinths with us are more plentiful than the gravel\nupon the land, and we know the excellent among them, and the bad, and\nthe places where they are found, and they are easy of access to\nus.\"--And when the king looked at those jewels, his reason was\nconfounded and his mind was bewildered, and he said: \"By Allah, one of\nthese jewels is worth my kingdom!\" Then the king thanked Saleh of the\nSea for his generosity, and looking toward the Queen Gulnare said to\nher: \"I am abashed at thy brother; for he hath shewn favour to me, and\npresented me with this magnificent present, which the people of the\nearth would fail to procure.\" So Gulnare thanked her brother for that\nwhich he had done; but her brother said: \"O King of the age, to thank\nthee hath been incumbent on us; for thou hast treated my sister with\nbeneficence, and we have entered thine abode, and eaten of thy\nprovision.\" Then Saleh said: \"If we stood serving thee, O King of the\nage, a thousand years, regarding nothing else, we could not requite\nthee, and our doing so would be but a small thing in comparison with thy\ndesert.\" And Saleh remained with the king, he and his mother and the\ndaughters of his uncle, forty days; after which he arose and kissed the\nground before the king, the husband of his sister. So the king said to\nhim: \"What dost thou desire, O Saleh?\" And he answered: \"O King of the\nage, we desire of thy goodness that thou wouldst give us permission to\ndepart; for we have become desirous of seeing again our family and our\ncountry and our relations and our homes. We will not, however,\nrelinquish the service of thee, nor that of my sister nor the son of my\nsister; and by Allah, O King of the age, to quit you is not pleasant to\nmy heart; but how can we act, when we have been reared in the sea, and\nthe land is not agreeable to us?\" So when the king heard his words, he\nrose upon his feet, and bade farewell to Saleh of the Sea and his mother\nand the daughters of his uncle, and they wept together on account of the\nseparation. Then they said to the king: \"We will never relinquish you,\nbut after every period of a few days we will visit you.\" And after this,\nthey flew toward the sea, and descended into it, and disappeared.\n\nThe king treated Gulnare with beneficence, and honoured her exceedingly,\nand the little one grew up well; and his maternal uncle, with his\ngrandmother and the daughters of his uncle, after every period of a few\ndays used to come to the residence of the king, and to remain with him a\nmonth, and then return to their places. The boy ceased not to increase\nin beauty and loveliness until his age became fifteen years; and he was\nincomparable in his perfect beauty, and his stature and his justness of\nform. He had learned writing and reading, and history and grammar and\nphilology, and archery; and he learned to play with the spear; and he\nalso learned horsemanship, and all that the sons of the kings required.\nThere was not one of the children of the inhabitants of the city, men\nand women, that talked not of the charms of that young man; for he was\nof surpassing loveliness and perfection; and the king loved him greatly.\nThen the king summoned the vizier and the emeers, and the lords of the\nempire, and the great men of the kingdom, and made them swear by binding\noaths that they would make Bedr Basim king over them after his father;\nso they swore to him by binding oaths, and rejoiced thereat; and the\nking himself was beneficent to the people, courteous in speech and of\nauspicious aspect. And on the following day, the king mounted, together\nwith the lords of the empire and all the emeers, and all the soldiers,\nand they ceased not to proceed until they arrived at the vestibule of\nthe palace; the king's son riding. Thereupon he alighted, and his father\nembraced him, he and the emeers, and they seated him upon the throne of\nthe kingdom, while his father stood, as also did the emeers, before him.\nThen Bedr Basim judged the people, displaced the tyrannical and invested\nthe just, and continued to give judgment until near midday, when he rose\nfrom the throne of the kingdom, and went in to his mother, Gulnare of\nthe Sea, having upon his head the crown, and resembling the moon. So\nwhen his mother saw him, and the king before him, she rose to him and\nkissed him, and congratulated him on his elevation to the dignity of\nsultan; and she offered up a prayer in favour of him and his father for\nlength of life, and victory over their enemies. He then sat with his\nmother and rested; and when the time of afternoon-prayers arrived, he\nrode with the emeers before him until he came to the horse-course, where\nhe played with arms till the time of nightfall, together with his\nfather and the lords of his empire; after which he returned to the\npalace, with all the people before him. Every day he used to ride to the\nhorse-course; and when he returned, he sat to judge the people, and\nadministered justice between the emeer and the poor man. He ceased not\nto do thus for a whole year; and after that, he used to ride to the\nchase, and go about through the cities and provinces that were under his\nrule making proclamation of safety and security, and doing as do the\nkings; and he was incomparable among the people of his age in glory and\ncourage, and in justice to the people.\n\nNow it came to pass that the old king, the father of Bedr Basim, fell\nsick one day, whereupon his heart throbbed, and he felt that he was\nabout to be removed to the mansion of eternity. Then his malady\nincreased so that he was at the point of death. He therefore summoned\nhis son, and charged him to take care of his subjects and his mother and\nall the lords of his empire and all the dependants. He also made them\nswear, and covenanted with them a second time, that they would obey his\nson; and he confided in their oaths. And after this he remained a few\ndays, and was admitted to the mercy of God, whose name be exalted! His\nson Bedr Basim, and his wife Gulnare and the emeers and viziers and the\nlords of the empire, mourned over him; and they made for him a tomb, and\nburied him in it, and continued the ceremonies of mourning for him a\nwhole month. Saleh, the brother of Gulnare, and her mother, and the\ndaughters of her uncle, also came, and consoled them for the loss of the\nking; and they said: \"O Gulnare, if the king hath died, he hath left\nthis ingenuous youth, and he who hath left such as he is hath not died.\nThis is he who hath not an equal, the crushing lion, and the splendid\nmoon.\" Then the lords of the empire, and the grandees, went in to the\nKing Bedr Basim, and said to him: \"O King, there is no harm in mourning\nfor the king; but mourning becometh not any save women; therefore\ntrouble not thy heart and ours by mourning for thy father; for he hath\ndied and left thee, and he who hath left such as thou art hath not\ndied.\" They proceeded to address him with soft words, and to console\nhim, and after that they conducted him into the bath; and when he came\nforth from the bath, he put on a magnificent suit woven of gold, adorned\nwith jewels and jacinths, and he put the royal crown upon his head,\nseated himself upon the throne of his kingdom, and performed the affairs\nof the people, deciding equitably between the strong and the weak, and\nexacting for the poor man his due from the emeer; wherefore the people\nloved him exceedingly. Thus he continued to do for the space of a whole\nyear; and after every short period, his family of the sea visited him;\nso his life was pleasant, and his eye was cheerful: and he ceased not to\nlive in this state until he was visited by the terminator of delights\nand the separator of companions. This is the end of their story. The\nmercy of God be on them all!\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF ALADDIN; OR, THE WONDERFUL LAMP\n\n\nIn the capital of one of the large and rich provinces of the kingdom of\nChina there lived a tailor, named Mustapha, who was so poor that he\ncould hardly, by his daily labour, maintain himself and his family,\nwhich consisted of a wife and son.\n\nHis son, who was called Aladdin, had been brought up in a very careless\nand idle manner, and by that means had contracted many vicious habits.\nHe was obstinate, and disobedient to his father and mother, who, when he\ngrew up, could not keep him within doors. He was in the habit of going\nout early in the morning, and would stay out all day, playing in the\nstreets with idle children of his own age.\n\nWhen he was old enough to learn a trade, his father, not being able to\nput him out to any other, took him into his own shop, and taught him how\nto use his needle: but neither fair words nor the fear of chastisement\nwere capable of fixing his lively genius. All his father's endeavours to\nkeep him to his work were in vain; for no sooner was his back turned,\nthan he was gone for that day. Mustapha chastised him, but Aladdin was\nincorrigible, and his father, to his great grief, was forced to abandon\nhim to his idleness: and was so much troubled at not being able to\nreclaim him, that it threw him into a fit of sickness, of which he died\nin a few months.\n\nThe mother, finding that her son would not follow his father's business,\nshut up the shop, sold off the implements of trade, and with the money\nshe received for them, and what she could get by spinning cotton,\nthought to maintain herself and her son.\n\nAladdin, who was now no longer restrained by the fear of a father, and\nwho cared so little for his mother that whenever she chid him he would\nabuse her, gave himself entirely over to his idle habits, and was never\nout of the streets from his companions. This course he followed till he\nwas fifteen years old, without giving his mind to any useful pursuit, or\nthe least reflection on what would become of him. In this situation, as\nhe was one day playing with his vagabond associates, a stranger passing\nby stood to observe him.\n\nThis stranger was a sorcerer, called the African magician; as he was a\nnative of Africa, and had been but two days arrived from thence.\n\nThe African magician, who was a good physiognomist, observing in\nAladdin's countenance something absolutely necessary for the execution\nof the design he was engaged in, inquired artfully about his family, who\nhe was, and what were his inclinations; and when he had learned all he\ndesired to know, went up to him, and taking him aside from his comrades,\nsaid: \"Child, was not your father called Mustapha, the tailor?\" \"Yes,\nsir,\" answered the boy; \"but he has been dead a long time.\"\n\nAt these words, the African magician threw his arms about Aladdin's\nneck, and kissed him several times with tears in his eyes. Aladdin, who\nobserved his tears, asked him what made him weep. \"Alas! my son,\" cried\nthe African magician with a sigh, \"how can I forbear? I am your uncle;\nyour worthy father was my own brother. I have been many years abroad,\nand now I am come home with the hopes of seeing him, you tell me he is\ndead. But it is some relief to my affliction, that I knew you at first\nsight, you are so like him.\" Then he asked Aladdin, putting his hand\ninto his purse, where his mother lived, and as soon as he had informed\nhim, gave him a handful of small money, saying: \"Go, my son, to your\nmother, give my love to her, and tell her that I will visit her\nto-morrow, that I may have the satisfaction of seeing where my good\nbrother lived so long.\"\n\nAs soon as the African magician left his newly-adopted nephew, Aladdin\nran to his mother, overjoyed at the money his uncle had given him.\n\"Mother,\" said he, \"have I an uncle?\" \"No, child,\" replied his mother,\n\"you have no uncle by your father's side, or mine.\" \"I am just now\ncome,\" said Aladdin, \"from a man who says he is my uncle on my father's\nside. He cried and kissed me when I told him my father was dead; and to\nshow you that what I tell you is truth,\" added he, pulling out the\nmoney, \"see what he has given me; he charged me to give his love to you,\nand to tell you that to-morrow he will come and pay you a visit, that he\nmay see the house my father lived and died in.\" \"Indeed, child,\" replied\nthe mother, \"your father had a brother, but he has been dead a long\ntime, and I never heard of another.\"\n\nThe mother and son talked no more then of the African magician; but the\nnext day Aladdin's uncle found him playing in another part of the town\nwith other youths, and embracing him as before, put two pieces of gold\ninto his hand, and said to him: \"Carry this, child, to your mother, tell\nher that I will come and see her to-night, and bid her get us something\nfor supper; but first show me the house where you live.\"\n\nAfter Aladdin had showed the African magician the house, he carried the\ntwo pieces of gold to his mother, and when he had told her of his\nuncle's intention, she went out and bought provisions. She spent the\nwhole day in preparing the supper; and at night, when it was ready, said\nto her son: \"Perhaps your uncle knows not how to find our house; go and\nbring him if you meet with him.\"\n\nThough Aladdin had showed the magician the house, he was ready to go,\nwhen somebody knocked at the door, which he immediately opened; and the\nmagician came in loaded with wine, and all sorts of fruits, which he\nbrought for a dessert.\n\nAfter the African magician had given what he brought into Aladdin's\nhands, he saluted his mother, and desired her to shew him the place\nwhere his brother Mustapha used to sit on the sofa; and when she had so\ndone, he fell down and kissed it several times, crying out with tears in\nhis eyes: \"My poor brother! how unhappy am I, not to have come soon\nenough to give you one last embrace.\" Aladdin's mother desired him to\nsit down in the same place, but he declined. \"No,\" said he, \"but give me\nleave to sit opposite, that although I am deprived of the satisfaction\nof seeing one so dear to me, I may at least have the pleasure of\nbeholding the place where he used to sit.\"\n\nWhen the magician had sat down, he began to enter into discourse with\nAladdin's mother: \"My good sister,\" said he, \"do not be surprised at\nyour never having seen me all the time you were married to my brother\nMustapha. I have been forty years absent from this country, which is my\nnative place, as well as my late brother's; and during that time have\ntravelled into the Indies, Persia, Arabia, Syria, and Egypt; have\nresided in the finest towns of those countries; and afterward crossed\nover into Africa, where I made a longer stay. At last, as it is natural\nfor a man to remember his native country, I was desirous to see mine\nagain, and to embrace my dear brother; and finding I had strength enough\nto undertake so long a journey, I immediately made the necessary\npreparations, and set out. I will not tell you the length of time it\ntook me, all the obstacles I met with, and what fatigues I have endured\nto come hither; but nothing ever afflicted me so much, as hearing of my\nbrother's death. I observed his features in the face of my nephew, your\nson, and distinguished him among a number of lads with whom he was at\nplay; he can tell you how I received the most melancholy news that ever\nreached my ears. But God be praised for all things! it is a comfort for\nme to find, as it were, my brother in a son, who has his most remarkable\nfeatures.\"\n\nThe African magician, perceiving that the widow began to weep at the\nremembrance of her husband, changed the conversation, and turning toward\nher son, asked him his name. \"I am called Aladdin,\" said he. \"Well,\nAladdin,\" replied the magician, \"what business do you follow? Are you of\nany trade?\"\n\nAt this question the youth hung down his head, and was not a little\nabashed when his mother answered: \"Aladdin is an idle fellow; his\nfather, when alive, strove all he could to teach him his trade, but\ncould not succeed; and since his death he does nothing but idle away his\ntime in the streets, as you saw him, without considering he is no longer\na child; and if you do not make him ashamed of it, I despair of his ever\ncoming to any good. He knows that his father left him no fortune, and\nsees me endeavour to get bread by spinning cotton; for my part, I am\nresolved one of these days to turn him out of doors, and let him provide\nfor himself.\"\n\nAfter these words, Aladdin's mother burst into tears; and the magician\nsaid: \"This is not well, nephew; you must think of getting your\nlivelihood. There are many sorts of trades, consider if you have not an\ninclination to some of them; perhaps you did not like your father's and\nwould prefer another; come, do not disguise your sentiments from me; I\nwill endeavour to help you.\" But finding that Aladdin returned no\nanswer, \"If you have no mind,\" continued he, \"to learn any handicraft, I\nwill take a shop for you, furnish it with all sorts of fine stuffs and\nlinens; and with the money you make of them lay in fresh goods, and then\nyou will live in an honourable way. Consult your inclination, and tell\nme freely what you think of my proposal.\"\n\nThis plan greatly flattered Aladdin, who hated work but had sense enough\nto know that such shops were much frequented and the owners respected.\nHe told the magician he had a greater inclination to that business than\nto any other, and that he should be much obliged to him for his\nkindness. \"Since this profession is agreeable to you,\" said the African\nmagician, \"I will carry you with me to-morrow, clothe you as handsomely\nas the best merchants in the city, and afterward we will think of\nopening a shop as I mentioned.\"\n\nThe widow, who never till then could believe that the magician was her\nhusband's brother, no longer doubted after his promises of kindness to\nher son. She thanked him for his good intentions; and after having\nexhorted Aladdin to render himself worthy of his uncle's favour by good\nbehaviour, served up supper, at which they talked of several indifferent\nmatters; and then the magician, who saw that the night was pretty far\nadvanced, took his leave, and retired.\n\nHe came again the next day, as he had promised, and took Aladdin with\nhim to a merchant, who sold all sorts of clothes for different ages and\nranks ready made, and a variety of fine stuffs. He asked to see some\nthat suited Aladdin in size; and Aladdin, charmed with the liberality of\nhis new uncle, made choice of one, and the magician immediately paid for\nit.\n\nWhen the boy found himself so handsomely equipped, he returned his uncle\nthanks; who promised never to forsake him, but always to take him along\nwith him; which he did to the most frequented places in the city, and\nparticularly where the principal merchants kept their shops. When he\nbrought him into the street where they sold the richest stuffs and\nfinest linens, he said to Aladdin: \"As you are soon to be a merchant, it\nis proper you should frequent these shops, and be acquainted with them.\"\nHe then showed him the largest and finest mosques, carried him to the\nkhans or inns where the merchants and travellers lodged, and afterward\nto the sultan's palace, where he had free access; and at last brought\nhim to his own khan, where, meeting with some merchants he had become\nacquainted with since his arrival, he gave them a treat, to bring them\nand his pretended nephew acquainted.\n\nThis entertainment lasted till night, when Aladdin would have taken\nleave of his uncle to go home, but the magician would not let him go by\nhimself, but conducted him to his mother, who, as soon as she saw him so\nwell dressed, was transported with joy, and bestowed a thousand\nblessings upon the magician, for being at so great an expense for her\nchild. \"Generous relation!\" said she, \"I know not how to thank you for\nyour liberality! I wish you may live long enough to witness my son's\ngratitude, which he cannot better shew than by regulating his conduct by\nyour good advice.\"\n\n\"Aladdin,\" replied the magician, \"is a good boy, and I believe we shall\ndo very well; but I am sorry for one thing, which is, that I cannot\nperform to-morrow what I promised, because, as it is Friday, the shops\nwill be shut up, and therefore we cannot hire or furnish one till\nSaturday. I will, however, call on him to-morrow and take him to walk in\nthe gardens, where people of the best fashion generally resort. Perhaps\nhe has never seen these amusements, he has only hitherto been among\nchildren; but now he must see men.\" The African magician then took his\nleave of the mother and the son, and retired.\n\nAladdin rose early the next morning, dressed himself to be ready, and\nafter he had waited some time began to be impatient and stood watching\nat the door; but as soon as he perceived his uncle coming, he told his\nmother, took his leave of her, and ran to meet him.\n\nThe magician caressed Aladdin, and said: \"Come, my dear child, and I\nwill shew you fine things.\" He then led him out at one of the gates of\nthe city, to some magnificent palaces, to each of which belonged\nbeautiful gardens, into which anybody might enter. At every building he\ncame to, he asked Aladdin if he did not think it fine; and the youth was\nready to answer when any one presented itself, crying out: \"Here is a\nfiner house, uncle, than any we have seen yet.\" By this artifice, the\ncunning magician led Aladdin some way into the country; and as he meant\nto carry him farther, pretending to be tired, he took an opportunity to\nsit down in one of the gardens on the brink of a fountain of clear\nwater, which discharged itself by a lion's mouth of bronze into a basin:\n\"Come, nephew,\" said he, \"you must be weary as well as I; let us rest\nourselves, and we shall be better able to pursue our walk.\"\n\nAfter they had sat down, the magician pulled from his girdle a\nhandkerchief with cakes and fruit, which he had provided, and laid them\non the edge of the basin. He broke a cake in two, gave one half to\nAladdin and ate the other himself; and in regard to the fruit, left him\nat liberty to take which sort he liked best. During this short repast,\nhe exhorted his nephew to leave off keeping company with vagabonds, and\nseek that of wise and prudent men, to improve by their conversation;\n\"For,\" said he, \"you will soon be at man's estate, and you cannot too\nearly begin to imitate their example.\" When they had eaten as much as\nthey liked, they pursued their walk through gardens separated from one\nanother only by small ditches, which marked out the limits without\ninterrupting the communication; so great was the confidence the\ninhabitants reposed in each other. By this means, the African magician\ndrew Aladdin insensibly beyond the gardens, and crossed the country,\ntill they nearly reached the mountains.\n\nAladdin, who had never been so far before, began to find himself much\ntired, and said to the magician: \"Where are we going, uncle? We have\nleft the gardens a great way behind us, and I see nothing but mountains;\nif we go much farther, I do not know whether I shall be able to reach\nthe town again!\" \"Never fear, nephew,\" said the false uncle; \"I will\nshew you another garden which surpasses all we have yet seen; and when\nwe come there, you will say that you would have been sorry to have been\nso nigh, and not seen it.\" Aladdin was soon persuaded; and the magician,\nto make the way seem shorter and less fatiguing, told him a great many\nstories.\n\nAt last they arrived between two mountains of moderate height, and equal\nsize, divided by a narrow valley, which was the place where the magician\nintended to execute the design that had brought him from Africa to\nChina. \"We will go no farther now,\" said he to Aladdin: \"I will shew you\nhere some extraordinary things, which, when you have seen, you will\nthank me for: but while I strike a light, gather up all the loose dry\nsticks you can see, to kindle a fire with.\"\n\nAladdin collected a great heap and the magician presently set them on\nfire, and when they were in a blaze, threw in some incense which raised\na cloud of smoke. This he dispersed on each side, by pronouncing several\nmagical words which the lad did not understand.\n\nAt the same time the earth, trembling, opened just before the magician,\nand uncovered a stone, laid horizontally, with a brass ring fixed into\nthe middle. Aladdin was so frightened at what he saw, that he would have\nrun away; but the magician caught hold of him, abused him, and gave him\nsuch a box on the ear that he knocked him down. Aladdin got up\ntrembling, and with tears in his eyes, said to the magician: \"What have\nI done, uncle, to be treated in this severe manner?\" \"I have my\nreasons,\" answered the magician; \"I am your uncle, I supply the place of\nyour father, and you ought to make no reply. But, child,\" added he,\nsoftening, \"do not be afraid; for I shall not ask anything of you, but\nthat you obey me punctually, if you would reap the advantages which I\nintend you.\" These fair promises calmed Aladdin's fears and resentment;\nand when the magician saw that he was appeased, he said to him: \"You see\nwhat I have done by virtue of my incense, and the words I pronounced.\nKnow then, that under this stone there is hidden a treasure, destined to\nbe yours, and which will make you richer than the greatest monarch in\nthe world: no person but yourself is permitted to lift this stone, or\nenter the cave; so you must punctually execute what I may command, for\nit is a matter of great consequence both to you and me.\"\n\nAladdin, amazed at all he saw and heard the magician say of the treasure\nwhich was to make him happy forevermore, forgot what was past, and\nrising, said: \"Well, uncle, what is to be done? Command me, I am ready\nto obey.\" \"I am overjoyed, child,\" said the African magician, embracing\nhim; \"take hold of the ring, and lift up that stone.\" \"Indeed, uncle,\"\nreplied Aladdin, \"I am not strong enough; you must help me.\" \"You have\nno occasion for my assistance,\" answered the magician; \"if I help you,\nwe shall be able to do nothing; take hold of the ring, pronounce\nthe names of your father and grandfather, then lift it up, and you will\nfind it will come easily.\" Aladdin did as the magician bade him, raised\nthe stone with ease, and laid it on one side.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_At the same time the earth, trembling, opened just before the magician,\nand uncovered a stone, laid horizontally, with a brass ring fixed into\nthe middle._\n\nWhen the stone was pulled up, there appeared a cavity of about three or\nfour feet deep, with a little door, and steps to go down lower.\n\"Observe, my son,\" said the African magician, \"what I direct. Descend\ninto the cave, and when you are at the bottom of those steps you will\nfind a door which will lead you into a spacious vault, divided into\nthree great halls, in each of which you will see four large brass\ncisterns placed on each side, full of gold and silver; but take care you\ndo not meddle with them. Before you enter the first hall, be sure to\ntuck up your vest, wrap it about you, and then pass through the second\ninto the third without stopping. Above all, have a care that you do not\ntouch the walls; for if you do, you will die instantly. At the end of\nthe third hall, you will find a door which opens into a garden planted\nwith fine trees loaded with fruit; walk directly across the garden by a\npath which will lead you to five steps that will bring you upon a\nterrace, where you will see a niche before you, and in that niche a\nlighted lamp. Take the lamp down, and extinguish it: when you have\nthrown away the wick, and poured out the liquor, put it in your vestband\nand bring it to me. Do not be afraid that the liquor will spoil your\nclothes, for it is not oil; and the lamp will be dry as soon as it is\nthrown out. If you should wish for any of the fruit of the garden, you\nmay gather as much as you please.\"\n\nAfter these words, the magician drew a ring off his finger, and put it\non one of Aladdin's, telling him that it was a preservative against all\nevil, while he should observe what he had prescribed to him. After this\ninstruction he said: \"Go down boldly, child, and we shall both be rich\nall our lives.\"\n\nAladdin jumped into the cave, descended the steps, and found the three\nhalls just as the African magician had described. He went through them\nwith all the precaution the fear of death could inspire; crossed the\ngarden without stopping, took down the lamp from the niche, threw out\nthe wick and the liquor, and, as the magician had desired, put it in his\nvestband. But as he came down from the terrace, he stopped in the garden\nto observe the fruit, which he only had a glimpse of in crossing it. All\nthe trees were loaded with extraordinary fruit, of different colours on\neach tree. Some bore fruit entirely white, and some clear and\ntransparent as crystal; some pale red, and others deeper; some green,\nblue, and purple, and others yellow: in short, there was fruit of all\ncolours. The white were pearls; the clear and transparent, diamonds; the\ndeep red, rubies; the green, emeralds; the blue, turquoises; the purple,\namethysts; and those that were of yellow cast, sapphires. Aladdin was\naltogether ignorant of their worth, and would have preferred figs and\ngrapes, or any other fruits. But though he took them only for coloured\nglass of little value, yet he was so pleased with the variety of the\ncolours, and the beauty and extraordinary size of the seeming fruit,\nthat he resolved to gather some of every sort; and accordingly filled\nthe two new purses his uncle had bought for him with his clothes. Some\nhe wrapped up in the skirts of his vest, which was of silk, large and\nfull, and he crammed his bosom as full as it could hold.\n\nAladdin, having thus loaded himself with riches, returned through the\nthree halls with the same precaution, made all the haste he could, that\nhe might not make his uncle wait, and soon arrived at the mouth of the\ncave, where the African magician expected him with the utmost\nimpatience. As soon as Aladdin saw him, he cried out: \"Pray, uncle, lend\nme your hand, to help me out.\" \"Give me the lamp first,\" replied the\nmagician; \"it will be troublesome to you.\" \"Indeed, uncle,\" answered\nAladdin, \"I cannot now; it is not troublesome to me: but I will as soon\nas I am up.\" The African magician was so obstinate, that he would have\nthe lamp before he would help him up; and Aladdin, who had encumbered\nhimself so much with his fruit that he could not well get at it, refused\nto give it to him till he was out of the cave. The African magician,\nprovoked at this obstinate refusal, flew into a passion, threw a little\nof his incense into the fire, which he had taken care to keep in, and no\nsooner pronounced two magical words, than the stone which had closed the\nmouth of the cave moved into its place, with the earth over it in the\nsame manner as it lay at the arrival of the magician and Aladdin.\n\nThis action of the African magician's plainly shewed him to be neither\nAladdin's uncle, nor Mustapha the tailor's brother; but a true African.\nAfrica is a country whose inhabitants delight most in magic of any in\nthe whole world, and he had applied himself to it from his youth. After\nforty years' experience in enchantments and reading of magic books, he\nhad found out that there was in the world a wonderful lamp, the\npossession of which would render him more powerful than any monarch; and\nby a late operation of geomancy, he had discovered that this lamp lay\nconcealed in a subterranean place in the midst of China. Fully persuaded\nof the truth of this discovery, he set out from the farthest part of\nAfrica; and after a long and fatiguing journey came to the town nearest\nto this treasure. But though he had a certain knowledge of the place\nwhere the lamp was, he was not permitted to take it himself, nor to\nenter the subterranean place, but must receive it from the hands of\nanother person. For this reason he had addressed himself to Aladdin,\nwhom he looked upon as a lad fit to serve his purpose, resolving, as\nsoon as he should get the lamp into his hands, to sacrifice him to his\navarice and wickedness, by making the fumigation mentioned before, and\nrepeating two magical words, the effect of which would remove the stone\ninto its place, so that no witness would remain of the transaction.\n\nThe blow he had given Aladdin was intended to make him obey the more\nreadily, and give him the lamp as soon as he should ask for it. But his\ntoo great precipitation, and his fear lest somebody should come that way\nand discover what he wished to keep secret, produced an effect quite\ncontrary to what he had proposed.\n\nWhen the African magician saw that all his hopes were frustrated\nforever, he returned the same day for Africa; but went quite round the\ntown, and at some distance from it, lest some persons who had observed\nhim walk out with the boy, on seeing him come back without him, should\nentertain suspicions, and stop him.\n\nAccording to all appearances, there was no prospect of Aladdin being\nheard of any more. But the magician, when he had contrived his death,\nforgot the ring he had put upon his finger, which preserved him, though\nhe knew not its virtue. It may seem astonishing that the loss of that,\ntogether with the lamp, did not drive the magician to despair; but\nmagicians are so much used to misfortunes that they do not lay them to\nheart, but still feed themselves, to the end of life, with unsubstantial\nnotions and chimeras.\n\nThe surprise of Aladdin, who had never suspected this treachery from his\npretended uncle, is more easily to be imagined than expressed. When he\nfound himself buried alive, he cried, and called out to his uncle, to\ntell him he was ready to give him the lamp; but in vain, since his cries\ncould not be heard. He descended to the bottom of the steps, with a\ndesign to get into the garden, but the door, which was opened before by\nenchantment, was now shut by the same means. He then redoubled his\ncries, sat down on the steps, without any hopes of ever seeing light\nagain, and in a melancholy certainty of passing from the present\ndarkness into that of a speedy death.\n\nAladdin remained in this state two days, without eating or drinking, and\non the third looked upon death as inevitable. Clasping his hands with\nresignation to the will of God, he said: \"There is no strength or power\nbut in the great and high God.\" In joining his hands he rubbed the ring\nwhich the magician had put on his finger, and of which he knew not yet\nthe virtue. Immediately a genie of enormous size and frightful aspect\nrose out of the earth, his head reaching the roof of the vault, and said\nto him: \"What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey thee as the slave of\nall who may possess the ring on thy finger; I, and the other slaves of\nthat ring.\"\n\nAt another time, Aladdin, who had not been used to such appearances,\nwould have been so frightened at the sight of so extraordinary a figure\nthat he would not have been able to speak; but the danger he was in made\nhim answer without hesitation: \"Whoever thou art, deliver me from this\nplace, if thou art able.\" He had no sooner spoken these words, than he\nfound himself on the very spot where the magician had caused the earth\nto open.\n\nIt was some time before his eyes could bear the light, after being so\nlong in total darkness: but after he had endeavoured by degrees to\nsupport it, and began to look about him, he was much surprised not to\nfind the earth open, and could not comprehend how he had got so soon out\nof its bowels. There was nothing to be seen but the place where the fire\nhad been, by which he could nearly judge the situation of the cave. Then\nturning himself toward the town, he perceived it at a distance in the\nmidst of the gardens that surrounded it, and saw the way by which the\nmagician had brought him. Returning God thanks to find himself once more\nin the world, he made the best of his way home. When he got within his\nmother's door, the joy of seeing her and his weakness for want of food\nfor three days made him faint, and he remained for a long time as dead.\nHis mother, who had given him over for lost, seeing him in this\ncondition, omitted nothing to bring him to himself. As soon as he\nrecovered, the first words he spoke were: \"Pray, mother, give me\nsomething to eat, for I have not put a morsel of anything into my mouth\nthese three days.\" His mother brought what she had, and set it before\nhim. \"My son,\" said she, \"be not too eager, for it is dangerous; eat but\nlittle at a time, and take care of yourself. Besides, I would not have\nyou talk; you will have time enough to tell me what has happened to you\nwhen you are recovered. It is a great comfort to me to see you again,\nafter the affliction I have been in since Friday, and the pains I have\ntaken to learn what was become of you.\"\n\nAladdin took his mother's advice, and ate and drank moderately. When he\nhad done, \"Mother,\" said he to her, \"I cannot help complaining of you,\nfor abandoning me so easily to the discretion of a man who had a design\nto kill me, and who at this very moment thinks my death certain. You\nbelieved he was my uncle, as well as I; and what other thoughts could we\nentertain of a man who was so kind to me? but I must tell you, mother,\nhe is a rogue and a cheat, and only made me those promises to accomplish\nmy death; but for what reason neither you nor I can guess. You shall\njudge yourself, when you have heard all that passed from the time I left\nyou, till he came to the execution of his wicked design.\"\n\nAladdin then related to his mother all that had happened to him, from\nthe Friday when the magician took him to see the palaces and gardens\nabout the town, till they came to the place between the two mountains\nwhere the great deed was to be performed; how, with incense which the\nmagician threw into the fire, and some magical words which he\npronounced, the earth opened, and discovered a cave, which led to an\ninestimable treasure. He did not forget the blow the magician had given\nhim, and in what manner he softened again, and engaged him by great\npromises, and putting a ring on his finger, to go down into the cave. He\ndid not omit the least circumstance of what he saw in crossing the three\nhalls and the garden, and his taking the lamp, which he pulled out of\nhis bosom and shewed to his mother: as well as the transparent fruit of\ndifferent colours, which he had gathered in the garden as he returned.\nBut, though these fruits were precious stones, brilliant as the sun, she\nwas as ignorant of their worth as her son. She had been bred in a low\nrank of life, and her husband's poverty prevented his being possessed of\njewels, nor had she, her relations, or neighbours ever seen any; so that\nwe must not wonder that she regarded them as things of no value.\n\nAladdin put them behind one of the cushions of the sofa, and continued\nhis story. When he had come to an end, Aladdin said to his mother: \"I\nneed say no more! this is my adventure, and the dangers I have been\nexposed to since you saw me.\"\n\nHis mother heard with much interest this surprising relation,\nnotwithstanding it could be no small affliction to a mother who loved\nher son tenderly; but yet in the most moving part, which discovered the\nperfidy of the African magician, she could not help showing, by marks of\nthe greatest indignation, how much she detested him; and when her son\nhad finished his story, she broke out into a thousand reproaches against\nthat vile impostor. She called him perfidious traitor, barbarian,\nassassin, deceiver, magician, and an enemy and destroyer of mankind.\n\"Without doubt, child,\" added she, \"he is a magician, and they are\nplagues to the world, and by their enchantments and sorceries have\ncommerce with the devil. Bless God for preserving you from his wicked\ndesigns; for your death would have been inevitable, if you had not\ncalled upon Him, and implored His assistance.\" She said a great deal\nmore against the magician's treachery; but finding that whilst she\ntalked, Aladdin began to doze, she left him to his repose, and retired.\n\nAladdin, who had not closed his eyes while he was in the subterranean\nabode, slept very soundly till late the next morning; when the first\nthing he said to his mother was, that he wanted something to eat, and\nthat she could not do him a greater kindness than to give him his\nbreakfast. \"Alas! child,\" said she, \"I have not a bit of bread to give\nyou, you ate up all the provisions I had in the house yesterday; but\nhave a little patience, and it shall not be long before I will bring you\nsome: I have a little cotton, which I have spun; I will go and sell it,\nbuy bread, and something for our dinner.\" \"Mother,\" replied Aladdin,\n\"keep your cotton for another time, and give me the lamp I brought home\nwith me yesterday; I will go and sell it, and the money I shall get for\nit will serve both for breakfast and dinner, and perhaps supper too.\"\n\nAladdin's mother took the lamp, and said to her son: \"Here it is, but it\nis very dirty; if it was a little cleaner I believe it would bring\nsomething more.\" She took some fine sand and water to clean it; but had\nno sooner begun to rub it, than in an instant a hideous genie of\ngigantic size appeared before her, and said to her in a voice like\nthunder: \"What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave,\nand the slave of all those who have that lamp in their hands; I and the\nother slaves of the lamp.\"\n\nAladdin's mother, terrified at the sight of the genie, fainted; when the\nlad, who had seen such another phantom in the cavern, snatched the lamp\nout of his mother's hand, and said to the genie boldly: \"I am hungry,\nbring me something to eat.\" The genie disappeared immediately, and in an\ninstant returned with a large silver tray, holding twelve covered dishes\nof the same metal, which contained the most delicious viands; six large\nwhite bread-cakes on two plates, two flagons of wine, and two silver\ncups. All these he placed upon a carpet, and disappeared: this was done\nbefore Aladdin's mother recovered from her swoon.\n\nAladdin fetched some water, and sprinkled it in her face, to recover\nher: whether that or the smell of the meat brought her to life again, it\nwas not long before she came to herself. \"Mother,\" said Aladdin, \"do not\nmind this; here is what will put you in heart, and at the same time\nsatisfy my extreme hunger: do not let such delicious meat get cold.\"\n\nHis mother was much surprised to see the great tray, twelve dishes, six\nloaves, the two flagons and cups, and to smell the savoury odour which\nexhaled from the dishes. \"Child,\" said she, \"to whom are we obliged for\nthis great plenty and liberality; has the sultan been made acquainted\nwith our poverty, and had compassion on us?\" \"It is no matter, mother,\"\nsaid Aladdin; \"let us sit down and eat, for you have almost as much need\nof breakfast as myself; when we have done, I will tell you.\"\nAccordingly, both mother and son sat down, and ate with the better\nrelish as the table was so well furnished. But all the time Aladdin's\nmother could not forbear looking at and admiring the dishes, though she\ncould not judge whether they were silver or any other metal, and the\nnovelty more than the value attracted her attention.\n\nThe mother and son sat at breakfast till it was dinner-time, and then\nthey thought it would be best to put the two meals together; yet after\nthis they found they should have enough left for supper, and two meals\nfor the next day.\n\nWhen Aladdin's mother had taken away what was left, she went and sat by\nher son on the sofa, saying: \"I expect now that you should satisfy my\nimpatience, and tell me exactly what passed between the genie and you\nwhile I was in a swoon;\" which he readily complied with.\n\nShe was in as great amazement at what her son told her, as at the\nappearance of the genie; and said to him: \"But, son, what have we to do\nwith genies? I never heard that any of my acquaintance had ever seen\none. How came that vile genie to address himself to me, and not to you,\nto whom he had appeared before in the cave?\" \"Mother,\" answered Aladdin,\n\"the genie you saw is not the one who appeared to me, though he\nresembles him in size; no, they had quite different persons and habits;\nthey belong to different masters. If you remember, he that I first saw\ncalled himself the slave of the ring on my finger; and this you saw,\ncalled himself the slave of the lamp you had in your hand: but I believe\nyou did not hear him, for I think you fainted as soon as he began to\nspeak.\"\n\n\"What!\" cried the mother, \"was your lamp then the occasion of that\ncursed genie's addressing himself rather to me than to you? Ah! my son,\ntake it out of my sight, and put it where you please. I will never touch\nit. I had rather you would sell it, than run the hazard of being\nfrightened to death again by touching it: and if you would take my\nadvice, you would part also with the ring, and not have anything to do\nwith genies, who, as our prophet has told us, are only devils.\"\n\n\"With your leave, mother,\" replied Aladdin, \"I shall take care how I\nsell a lamp which may be so serviceable both to you and me. Have you not\nbeen an eye-witness of what it has procured us? and it shall still\ncontinue to furnish us with subsistence. My false and wicked uncle would\nnot have taken so much pains, and undertaken so long a journey, if it\nhad not been to get into his possession this wonderful lamp, which he\npreferred before all the gold and silver which he knew was in the halls.\nHe knew too well the worth of this lamp, not to prefer it to so great a\ntreasure; and since chance hath discovered the virtue of it to us, let\nus make a profitable use of it, without making any great show, and\nexciting the envy and jealousy of our neighbours. However, since the\ngenies frighten you so much, I will take it out of your sight, and put\nit where I may find it when I want it. The ring I cannot resolve to part\nwith; for without that you had never seen me again; and though I am\nalive now, perhaps, if it was gone, I might not be so some moments\nhence; therefore I hope you will give me leave to keep it, and to wear\nit always on my finger. Who knows what dangers you and I may be exposed\nto, which neither of us can foresee, and from which it may deliver us?\"\nAs Aladdin's arguments were just, his mother had nothing to say against\nthem; she only replied, that he might do what he pleased; for her part,\nshe would have nothing to do with genies, but would wash her hands of\nthem.\n\nBy the next night they had eaten all the provisions the genie had\nbrought: and the next day Aladdin, who could not bear the thought of\nhunger, putting one of the silver dishes under his vest, went out early\nto sell it, and addressing himself to a Jew whom he met in the streets,\ntook him aside, and pulling out the plate, asked him if he would buy it.\nThe cunning Jew took the dish, examined it, and as soon as he found that\nit was good silver, asked Aladdin at how much he valued it. Aladdin, who\nknew not its value, and never had been used to such traffic, told him he\nwould trust to his judgment and honour. The Jew was somewhat confounded\nat this plain dealing; and doubting whether Aladdin understood the\nmaterial or the full value of what he offered to sell, took a piece of\ngold out of his purse and gave it to him, though it was but the sixtieth\npart of the worth of the plate. Aladdin, taking the money very eagerly,\nretired with so much haste, that the Jew, not content with the\nexorbitancy of his profit, was vexed he had not penetrated into his\nignorance, and was going to run after him, to endeavour to get some\nchange out of the piece of gold; but the lad ran so fast, and had got so\nfar, that it would have been impossible for him to overtake him.\n\nBefore Aladdin went home, he called at a baker's, bought some cakes of\nbread, changed his money, and on his return gave the rest to his mother,\nwho went and purchased provisions enough to last them some time. After\nthis manner they lived, till Aladdin had sold the twelve dishes singly,\nas necessity pressed, to the Jew, for the same money; who, after the\nfirst time, durst not offer him less, for fear of losing so good a\nbargain. When he had sold the last dish, he had recourse to the tray,\nwhich weighed ten times as much as the dishes, and would have carried it\nto his old purchaser, but that it was too large and cumbersome;\ntherefore he was obliged to bring him home with him to his mother's,\nwhere, after the Jew had examined the weight of the tray, he laid down\nten pieces of gold, with which Aladdin was very well satisfied.\n\nThey lived on these ten pieces in a frugal manner, for Aladdin, though\nformerly used to an idle life, had left off playing with young lads of\nhis own age ever since his adventure with the African magician. He spent\nhis time in walking about, and conversing with decent people, with whom\nhe gradually got acquainted. Sometimes he would stop at the principal\nmerchants' shops, where people of distinction met, and listen to their\ndiscourse, by which he gained some little knowledge of the world.\n\nWhen all the money was spent, Aladdin had recourse again to the lamp. He\ntook it in his hand, looked for the part where his mother had rubbed it\nwith the sand, and rubbed it also, when the genie immediately appeared,\nand said: \"What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave,\nand the slave of all those who have that lamp in their hands; I, and the\nother slaves of the lamp.\" \"I am hungry,\" said Aladdin; \"bring me\nsomething to eat.\" The genie disappeared, and presently returned with a\ntray, and the same number of covered dishes as before, set them down,\nand vanished.\n\nAladdin's mother, knowing what her son was going to do, went out about\nsome business, on purpose to avoid being in the way when the genie came;\nand when she returned, was almost as much surprised as before at the\nprodigious effect of the lamp. However, she sat down with her son, and\nwhen they had eaten as much as they liked, she set enough by to last\nthem two or three days.\n\nAs soon as Aladdin found that their provisions were expended, he took\none of the dishes, and went to look for his Jew again; but passing by\nthe shop of a goldsmith, who had the character of a very fair and honest\nman, the goldsmith perceiving him, called to him, and said: \"My lad, I\nhave often observed you go by, loaded as you are at present, and talk\nwith such a Jew, and then come back again empty-handed. I imagine that\nyou carry something which you sell to him; but perhaps you do not know\nthat he is the greatest rogue even among the Jews, and that nobody of\nprudence will have anything to do with him. If you will shew me what you\nnow carry, and it is to be sold, I will give you the full worth of it;\nor I will direct you to other merchants who will not cheat you.\"\n\nThe hopes of getting more money for his plate induced Aladdin to pull it\nfrom under his vest, and shew it to the goldsmith, who at first sight\nsaw that it was made of the finest silver and asked him if he had sold\nsuch as that to the Jew, when Aladdin told him that he had sold him\ntwelve such, for a piece of gold each. \"What a villain!\" cried the\ngoldsmith; \"but,\" added he, \"my son, what is past cannot be recalled. By\nshewing you the value of this plate, which is of the finest silver we\nuse in our shops, I will let you see how much the Jew has cheated you.\"\n\nThe goldsmith took a pair of scales, weighed the dish, and after he had\nmentioned how much an ounce of fine silver was worth, assured him that\nhis plate would fetch by weight sixty pieces of gold, which he offered\nto pay down immediately. \"If you dispute my honesty,\" said he, \"you may\ngo to any other of our trade, and if he gives you more, I will be bound\nto forfeit twice as much!\"\n\nAladdin thanked him for his fair dealing, so greatly to his advantage,\ntook the gold, and never after went to any other person, but sold him\nall his dishes and the tray.\n\nThough Aladdin and his mother had an inexhaustible treasure in their\nlamp, and might have had whatever they wished for, yet they lived with\nthe same frugality as before, except that Aladdin dressed better; as for\nhis mother, she wore no clothes but what she earned by spinning cotton.\nAfter their manner of living, it may easily be supposed that the money\nfor which Aladdin had sold the dishes and tray was sufficient to\nmaintain them for some time.\n\nDuring this interval, Aladdin frequented the shops of the principal\nmerchants, where they sold cloth of gold and silver, linens, silk\nstuffs, and jewelry, and oftentimes joining in their conversation,\nacquired a knowledge of the world, and respectable demeanour. By his\nacquaintance among the jewellers, he came to know that the fruits which\nhe had gathered when he took the lamp were, instead of coloured glass,\nstones of inestimable value; but he had the prudence not to mention this\nto any one, not even to his mother.\n\nOne day as Aladdin was walking about the town, he heard an order\nproclaimed, commanding the people to shut up their shops and houses, and\nkeep within doors, while the Princess Badroulboudour, the sultan's\ndaughter, went to the baths and returned.\n\nThis proclamation inspired Aladdin with eager curiosity to see the\nprincess's face, which he could not do without admission into the house\nof some acquaintance, and then only through a window; but to gratify his\ncuriosity, he presently thought of a scheme, which succeeded; it was to\nplace himself behind the door of the bath, which was so situated that he\ncould not fail of seeing her face.\n\nAladdin had not waited long before the princess came, and he could see\nher plainly through a chink of the door without being discovered. She\nwas attended by a great crowd of ladies, slaves, and eunuchs, who walked\non each side, and behind her. When she came within three or four paces\nof the door of the baths, she took off her veil, and gave Aladdin an\nopportunity of a full view.\n\nAs soon as Aladdin had seen the princess, his heart could not withstand\nthose inclinations so charming an object always inspires. She was the\nmost beautiful brunette in the world; her eyes were large, lively, and\nsparkling; her looks sweet and modest; her nose was of a just proportion\nand without a fault, her mouth small, her lips of a vermilion red; in a\nword, all the features of her face were perfectly regular. It is not\ntherefore surprising that Aladdin, who had never before seen such a\nblaze of charms, was dazzled, and his senses ravished by such an\nassemblage. With all these perfections the princess had so majestic an\nair, that the sight of her was sufficient to inspire love and\nadmiration.\n\nAfter the princess had passed by, and entered the baths, Aladdin\nremained some time astonished and in a kind of ecstasy, retracing and\nimprinting the idea of so charming an object deeply in his mind, but at\nlast, he resolved to quit his hiding-place and go home. He could not so\nfar conceal his uneasiness but that his mother perceived it, was\nsurprised to see him so much more thoughtful than usual; and asked if he\nwere ill? He returned her no answer, but sat carelessly down on the\nsofa, and remained silently musing on the image of the charming\nBadroulboudour.\n\nAfter supper, his mother asked him again why he was so melancholy, but\ncould get no information, and he determined to go to bed rather than\ngive her the least satisfaction. As he sat next day on the sofa,\nopposite his mother, however, as she was spinning cotton, he spoke to\nher in these words: \"I perceive, mother, that my silence yesterday has\nmuch troubled you; I was not, nor am I ill; but I assure you, that what\nI felt then, and now endure, is worse than any disease.\n\n\"It was not proclaimed in this quarter of the town, and therefore you\ncould know nothing of it, that the sultan's daughter was yesterday to go\nto the baths. I had a great curiosity to see her face; and as it\noccurred to me that when she came nigh the bath, she would pull her veil\noff, I resolved to conceal myself behind the door. She did so and I had\nthe happiness of seeing her lovely face with the greatest security.\nThis, mother, was the cause of my silence yesterday; I love the princess\nwith more violence than I can express; and as my passion increases every\nmoment, I am resolved to ask her in marriage of the sultan, her\nfather.\"\n\nAladdin's mother listened with interest to what her son told her; but\nwhen he talked of asking the princess in marriage, she could not help\nbursting out into a loud laugh. He would have gone on with his rhapsody,\nbut she interrupted him: \"Alas! child,\" said she, \"what are you thinking\nof? you must be mad to talk thus.\"\n\n\"I assure you, mother,\" replied Aladdin, \"that I am not mad, but in my\nright senses; I foresaw that you would reproach me with folly and\nextravagance; but I must tell you once more, that I am resolved to\ndemand the princess in marriage!\"\n\n\"Indeed, son,\" replied the mother seriously, \"I cannot help telling you\nthat you have forgotten yourself, and I do not see who will venture to\nmake the proposal for you.\" \"You yourself,\" replied he immediately. \"I\ngo to the sultan!\" answered the mother, amazed. \"I shall be cautious how\nI engage in such an errand. Why, who are you, son,\" continued she, \"that\nyou can have the assurance to think of your sultan's daughter? Have you\nforgotten that your father was one of the poorest tailors in the\ncapital, and that I am of no better extraction; and do not you know that\nsultans never marry their daughters but to sons of sovereigns like\nthemselves?\"\n\n\"Mother,\" answered Aladdin, \"I foresaw all that you have said, or can\nsay: and tell you that neither your discourse nor your remonstrances\nshall make me change my mind. I have told you that you must ask the\nprincess in marriage for me. I beg of you not to refuse, unless you\nwould rather see me in my grave, than by your compliance give me new\nlife.\"\n\nThe good old woman was much embarrassed, when she found Aladdin\npersisting in so wild a design. \"My son,\" said she again, \"I am your\nmother, and there is nothing that is reasonable but I would readily do\nfor you. If I were to go and treat about your marriage with some\nneighbour's daughter, I would do it with all my heart; and even then\nthey would expect you should have some little estate, or be of some\ntrade. When such poor folks as we are wish to marry, the first thing\nthey ought to think of, is how to live. But without reflecting on the\nmeanness of your birth, and the little fortune you have to recommend\nyou, you aim at the highest pitch of exaltation; and your pretensions\nare no less than to demand in marriage the daughter of your sovereign,\nwho with one single word can crush you to pieces. How could so\nextraordinary a thought come into your head, as that I should go to the\nsultan and ask him to give his daughter in marriage to you? Suppose I\nhad the impudence to present myself before the sultan, to whom should I\naddress myself to be introduced to his majesty? Do you not think the\nfirst person I should speak to would take me for a mad woman, and\nchastise me as I should deserve? I know there is no difficulty to those\nwho go to petition for justice, which the sultan distributes equally\namong his subjects; I know, too, that to those who ask a favour he\ngrants it with pleasure when he sees it is deserved. But do you think\nyou have merited the honour you would have me ask? What have you done to\nclaim such a favour, either for your prince or country? How can I open\nmy mouth to make the proposal to the sultan? His majestic presence and\nthe lustre of his court would absolutely confound me. There is another\nreason, my son, which you do not think of, which is that nobody ever\ngoes to ask a favour of the sultan without a present. But what presents\nhave you to make? and what proportion could they bear to the favour you\nwould ask? Therefore, reflect well, and consider that you aspire to an\nobject which it is impossible for you to obtain.\"\n\nAladdin heard very calmly all that his mother could say to dissuade him\nfrom his design, and after he had weighed her representations replied:\n\"I own, mother, it is great rashness in me to presume to carry my\npretensions so far; and a great want of consideration to ask you to go\nand make the proposal to the sultan, without first taking proper\nmeasures to procure a favourable reception, and I therefore beg your\npardon. But be not surprised that I did not at first see every measure\nnecessary to procure me the happiness I seek. I love the princess, and\nshall always persevere in my design of marrying her. I am obliged to you\nfor the hint you have given me, and look upon it as the first step I\nought to take to procure the happy issue I promise myself.\n\n\"You say it is not customary to go to the sultan without a present, and\nthat I have nothing worthy of his acceptance. Do not you think, mother,\nthat what I brought home with me the day on which I was delivered from\ndeath may be an acceptable present? I mean those things that you and I\nboth took for coloured glass: but now I can tell you that they are\njewels of inestimable value. I know the worth of them by frequenting the\nshops; and you may take my word that all the precious stones which I saw\nin the jewellers' shops were not to be compared to those we have, either\nfor size or beauty; I am persuaded that they will be received very\nfavourably by the sultan: you have a large porcelain dish fit to hold\nthem; fetch it, and let us see how they will look, when we have arranged\nthem according to their different colours.\"\n\nAladdin's mother brought the china dish, when he took the jewels out of\nthe two purses in which he had kept them, and placed them in order\naccording to his fancy. But the brightness and lustre they emitted in\nthe daytime so dazzled the eyes both of mother and son, that they were\nastonished beyond measure; for they had only seen them by the light of a\nlamp; and though the latter had beheld them pendent on the trees like\nfruit beautiful to the eye, yet as he was then but a boy, he looked on\nthem only as glittering playthings.\n\nAfter they had admired the beauty of the jewels some time, Aladdin said\nto his mother: \"Now you cannot excuse yourself from going to the sultan,\nunder pretext of not having a present to make him, since here is one\nwhich will gain you a favourable reception.\"\n\nThough the good widow did not believe the precious stones so valuable as\nher son estimated them, she thought such a present might nevertheless be\nagreeable to the sultan, but she still hesitated. \"My son,\" said she, \"I\ncannot conceive that the sultan will look upon me with a favourable eye;\nI am sure, that if I attempt to deliver your strange message, I shall\nhave no power to open my mouth; therefore I shall not only lose my\nlabour, but the present, which you say is so valuable, and shall return\nhome again in confusion, to tell you that your hopes are frustrated.\nBut,\" added she, \"I will do my best to please you, though certainly the\nsultan will either laugh at me, or be in so great a rage, as to make us\nboth the victims of his fury.\"\n\nShe used many other arguments to endeavour to make Aladdin change his\nmind; but he persisted in importuning his mother to execute his\nresolution, and she, out of tenderness, complied with his request.\n\nAs it was now late, and the time for admission to the palace was passed,\nthe visit was put off till the next day. The mother and son talked of\ndifferent matters the remaining hours; and Aladdin strove to encourage\nher in the task she had undertaken; while she could not persuade herself\nshe should succeed; and it must be confessed she had reason enough to\ndoubt. \"Child,\" said she to Aladdin, \"if the sultan should hear my\nproposal with calmness, and after this should think of asking me where\nlie your riches and your estate, what answer would you have me return\nhim?\"\n\n\"Let us not be uneasy, mother,\" replied Aladdin, \"about what may never\nhappen. First, let us see how the sultan receives, and what answer he\ngives you. If he desires to be informed of what you mention, I am\nconfident that the lamp will not fail me in time of need.\"\n\nThe tailor's widow reflected that the lamp might be capable of doing\ngreater wonders than just providing victuals for them, and this removed\nall the difficulties which might have prevented her from undertaking the\nservice she had promised. Aladdin, who penetrated into his mother's\nthoughts, said to her: \"Above all things, mother, be sure to keep secret\nour possession of the lamp, for thereon depends the success we have to\nexpect;\" and after this caution they parted to go to rest. Aladdin rose\nbefore daybreak, awakened his mother, pressing her to get herself\ndressed to go to the sultan's palace, and to get admittance, if\npossible, before the great officers of state went in to take their seats\nin the divan, where the sultan always assisted in person.\n\nAladdin's mother took the china dish, in which they had put the jewels\nthe day before, wrapped in two napkins, one finer than the other, which\nwas tied at the four corners for more easy carriage, and set out for the\npalace. When she came to the gates, the grand vizier, the other viziers,\nand most distinguished lords of the court, were just gone in; but,\nnotwithstanding the great crowd of people who had business there, she\ngot into the divan, a spacious hall, the entrance into which was very\nmagnificent. She placed herself just before the sultan, grand vizier,\nand the great lords, who sat in council, on his right and left hand.\nSeveral causes were called, according to their order, pleaded and\nadjudged, until the time the divan generally broke up, when the sultan\nrising, returned to his apartment, attended by the grand vizier; the\nother viziers and ministers of state then retired, as also did all those\nwhose business had called them thither; some pleased with gaining their\ncauses, others dissatisfied at the sentences pronounced against them,\nand some in expectation of being heard the next sitting.\n\nAladdin's mother, seeing the sultan retire, and all the people depart,\njudged rightly that he would not sit again that day, and resolved to go\nhome. When Aladdin saw her return with the present, he knew not what to\nthink, and in fear lest she should bring him some ill news, had not\ncourage to ask her any questions; but she, who had never set foot into\nthe sultan's palace before, and knew not what was every day practised\nthere, freed him from his embarrassment, and said to him: \"Son, I have\nseen the sultan, and am very well persuaded he has seen me too; for I\nplaced myself just before him; but he was so much taken up with those\nwho attended on all sides of him, that I pitied him, and wondered at his\npatience. At last I believe he was heartily tired, for he rose up\nsuddenly, and would not hear a great many who were ready prepared to\nspeak to him, but went away, at which I was well pleased, for indeed I\nbegan to lose all patience, and was extremely fatigued with staying so\nlong. But there is no harm done; I will go again to-morrow; perhaps the\nsultan may not be so busy.\"\n\nThough his passion was very violent, Aladdin was forced to be satisfied,\nand to fortify himself with patience. He had at least the satisfaction\nto find that his mother had got over the greatest difficulty, which was\nto procure access to the sultan, and hoped that the example of those she\nsaw speak to him would embolden her to acquit herself better of her\ncommission when a favourable opportunity might offer.\n\nThe next morning she repaired to the sultan's palace with the present,\nas early as the day before, but when she came there, she found the gates\nof the divan shut, and understood that the council sat but every other\nday, therefore she must come again the next. This news she carried to\nher son, whose only relief was to guard himself with patience. She went\nsix times afterward on the days appointed and placed herself always\ndirectly before the sultan, but with as little success as the first\nmorning, and might have perhaps come a thousand times to as little\npurpose, if luckily the sultan himself had not taken particular notice\nof her.\n\nOn the sixth day, after the divan was broken up, when the sultan\nreturned to his own apartment, he said to his grand vizier: \"I have for\nsome time observed a certain woman, who attends constantly every day\nthat I give audience, with something wrapped up in a napkin: she always\nstands up from the beginning to the breaking up of the audience, and\naffects to place herself just before me. Do you know what she wants?\"\n\n\"Sir,\" replied the grand vizier, who knew no more than the sultan what\nshe wanted, but did not wish to seem uninformed, \"your majesty knows\nthat women often make complaints on trifles; perhaps she may come to\ncomplain that somebody has sold her some bad flour, or some such\ntrifling matter.\" The sultan was not satisfied with this answer, but\nreplied: \"If this woman comes to our next audience, do not fail to call\nher, that I may hear what she has to say.\" The grand vizier made answer\nby lowering his hand, and then lifting it up above his head, signifying\nhis willingness to lose it if he failed.\n\nBy this time, the tailor's widow was so much used to go to audience, and\nstand before the sultan, that she did not think it any trouble, if she\ncould but satisfy her son that she neglected nothing that lay in her\npower to please him: so the next audience-day she went to the divan and\nplaced herself in front of the sultan as usual; and before the grand\nvizier had made his report of business, the sultan perceived her, and\ncompassionating her for having waited so long, said to the vizier:\n\"Before you enter upon any business, remember the woman I spoke to you\nabout; bid her come near, and let us despatch her business first.\" The\ngrand vizier immediately called the chief of the mace-bearers, and\npointing to her, bade him tell her to come before the sultan.\n\nThe chief of the officers went to Aladdin's mother, and at a sign he\ngave her, she followed him to the foot of the sultan's throne, where he\nleft her, and retired to his place by the grand vizier. The old woman\nbowed her head down to the carpet, which covered the platform of the\nthrone, and remained in that posture till the sultan bade her rise, when\nhe said to her: \"Good woman, I have observed you to stand from the\nbeginning to the rising of the divan; what business brings you here?\"\n\nAfter these words, Aladdin's mother prostrated herself a second time;\nand when she arose, said: \"Monarch of monarchs, before I tell your\nmajesty the extraordinary and incredible business which brings me before\nyour high throne, I beg of you to pardon the boldness of the demand I am\ngoing to make, which is so uncommon, that I tremble, and am ashamed to\npropose it to my sovereign.\" In order to give her the more freedom to\nexplain herself, the sultan ordered all to quit the divan but the grand\nvizier, and then told her she might speak without restraint.\n\nAladdin's mother, not content with this favour of the sultan's to save\nher the confusion of speaking before so many people, was,\nnotwithstanding, a little apprehensive; therefore, resuming her\ndiscourse, she said: \"I beg of your majesty, if you should think my\ndemand the least offensive, to assure me first of your forgiveness.\"\n\"Well,\" replied the sultan, \"I will forgive you, be it what it may, and\nno hurt shall come to you: speak boldly.\"\n\nWhen Aladdin's mother had taken all these precautions, she told him\nfaithfully how Aladdin had seen the Princess Badroulboudour, the violent\nlove that fatal sight had inspired him with, the declaration he had made\nto her when he came home, and what she had said to dissuade him. \"But,\"\ncontinued she, \"my son, instead of taking my advice and reflecting on\nhis presumption, was so obstinate as to persevere, and to threaten me\nwith some desperate act, if I refused to come and ask the princess in\nmarriage of your majesty; and it was not without the greatest reluctance\nthat I was led to accede to his request, for which I beg your majesty\nonce more to pardon not only me, but also Aladdin my son, for\nentertaining so rash a project.\"\n\nThe sultan hearkened to this discourse without shewing the least anger;\nbut before he gave her any answer, asked her what she had brought tied\nup in the napkin? She took the china dish, which she had set down at the\nfoot of the throne before she prostrated herself before him, untied it,\nand presented it to the sultan.\n\nThe monarch's amazement and surprise were inexpressible, when he saw so\nmany large, beautiful, and valuable jewels collected in the dish. He\nremained for some time motionless with admiration. At last, when he had\nrecovered himself, he received the present, crying out in a transport of\njoy: \"How rich, how beautiful!\" After he had admired and handled all the\njewels, one after another, he turned to his grand vizier, and shewing\nhim the dish, said: \"Behold, admire, wonder, and confess that your eyes\nnever beheld jewels so rich and beautiful before.\" The vizier was\ncharmed. \"Well,\" continued the sultan, \"what sayest thou to such a\npresent? Is it not worthy of the princess, my daughter? And ought I not\nto bestow her on one who values her at so great price?\"\n\nThese words put the grand vizier into extreme agitation. The sultan had\nsome time before signified to him his intention of bestowing the\nprincess on a son of his; therefore he was afraid, and not without\ngrounds, that the present might change his majesty's mind. Therefore\ngoing to him, and whispering him in the ear, he said: \"I cannot but own\nthat the present is worthy of the princess; but I beg of your majesty to\ngrant me three months before you come to a final resolution. I hope,\nbefore that time, my son, on whom you have had the goodness to look with\na favourable eye, will be able to make a nobler present than Aladdin,\nwho is an entire stranger to your majesty.\"\n\nThe sultan, though he was fully persuaded that it was not possible for\nthe vizier to provide so considerable a present for his son, yet\nhearkened to him, and granted his request. Turning therefore to the old\nwidow, he said to her: \"Good woman, go home, and tell your son that I\nagree to the proposal you have made me; but I cannot marry the princess,\nmy daughter, till the paraphernalia I design for her be got ready, which\ncannot be finished these three months; but at the expiration of that\ntime, come again.\"\n\nThe widow returned home much more gratified than she had expected, since\nshe had met with a favourable answer.\n\nAladdin thought himself the most happy of all men at hearing this news,\nand thanked his mother for the pains she had taken in the affair, the\ngood success of which was of so great importance to his peace.\n\nWhen two of the three months were passed, his mother one evening going\nto light the lamp, and finding no oil in the house, went out to buy\nsome, and when she came into the city, found a general rejoicing. The\nshops were open, dressed with foliage, silks, and carpeting, every one\nstriving to shew their zeal in the most distinguished manner according\nto their ability. The streets were crowded with officers in habits of\nceremony, mounted on horses richly caparisoned, each attended by a great\nmany footmen. Aladdin's mother asked the oil-merchant what was the\nmeaning of all this preparation of public festivity? \"Whence come you,\ngood woman,\" said he, \"that you do not know that the grand vizier's son\nis to marry the Princess Badroulboudour, the sultan's daughter,\nto-night? She will presently return from the baths; and these officers\nwhom you see are to assist at the cavalcade to the palace, where the\nceremony is to be solemnised.\"\n\nThis was news enough for Aladdin's mother. She ran till she was quite\nout of breath home to her son, who little suspected any such event.\n\"Child,\" cried she, \"you are undone! you depend upon the sultan's fine\npromises, but they will come to nothing.\" Aladdin was alarmed at these\nwords. \"Mother,\" replied he, \"how do you know the sultan has been guilty\nof a breach of promise?\" \"This night,\" answered the mother, \"the grand\nvizier's son is to marry the Princess Badroulboudour.\" She then related\nhow she had heard it; so that he had no reason to doubt the truth of\nwhat she said.\n\nAt this account, Aladdin was thunderstruck. Any other man would have\nsunk under the shock; but a sudden hope of disappointing his rival soon\nroused his spirits, and he bethought himself of the lamp, which had in\nevery emergency been so useful to him; and without venting his rage in\nempty words against the sultan, the vizier, or his son, he only said:\n\"Perhaps, mother, the vizier's son may not be so happy to-night as he\npromises himself: while I go into my chamber a moment, do you get\nsupper ready.\" She accordingly went about it, but guessed that her son\nwas going to make use of the lamp, to prevent, if possible, the\nconsummation of the marriage.\n\nWhen Aladdin had got into his chamber, he took the lamp, rubbed it in\nthe same place as before, when immediately the genie appeared, and said\nto him: \"What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave,\nand the slave of all those who have that lamp in their possession; I and\nthe other slaves of the lamp.\" \"Hear me,\" said Aladdin; \"thou hast\nhitherto brought me whatever I wanted as to provisions; but now I have\nbusiness of the greatest importance for thee to execute. I have demanded\nthe Princess Badroulboudour in marriage of the sultan, her father; he\npromised her to me, only requiring three months' delay; but instead of\nkeeping that promise, has this night planned to marry her to the grand\nvizier's son. What I ask of you is, that as soon as the two are made\none, you bring them both hither to me.\" \"Master,\" replied the genie, \"I\nwill obey you. Have you any other commands?\" \"None at present,\" answered\nAladdin, and then the genie disappeared.\n\nAladdin having left his chamber, supped with his mother, with the same\ntranquillity of mind as usual; and after supper talked of the princess's\nmarriage as of an affair wherein he had not the least concern; he then\nretired to his own chamber again, but sat up waiting the execution of\nhis orders to the genie.\n\nIn the meantime, everything was prepared with the greatest magnificence\nin the sultan's palace to celebrate the princess's nuptials; and the\nevening was spent with all the usual ceremonies and great rejoicings.\n\nNo sooner had the bride and bridegroom slipped away from the company,\nhowever, than the genie, as the faithful slave of the lamp, and punctual\nin executing the command of those who possessed it, to the great\namazement of them both, took them up and transported them in an instant\nto Aladdin's chamber, where he set them down.\n\nAladdin had waited impatiently for this moment. \"Take this new-married\nman,\" said he to the genie, \"shut him up in the house of office, and\ncome again to-morrow morning before daybreak.\" The genie instantly\ncarried the vizier's son whither Aladdin had commanded him; and after he\nhad breathed upon him, which prevented his stirring, left him there.\n\nPassionate as was Aladdin's love for the princess, he did not talk much\nto her when they were alone; but only said with a respectful air: \"Fear\nnothing, adorable princess; you are here in safety. If I have been\nforced to come to this extremity, it is to prevent an unjust rival's\npossessing you, contrary to your father's promise in favour of myself.\"\n\nThe princess, who knew nothing of these particulars, gave very little\nattention to what Aladdin could say. The fright and amazement of so\nsurprising an adventure had alarmed her so much that he could not get\none word from her. Badroulboudour never passed a night so ill in her\nlife; and if we consider the condition in which the genie left the grand\nvizier's son, we may imagine that the new bridegroom spent it much\nworse.\n\nAladdin had no occasion the next morning to rub the lamp to call the\ngenie; who appeared at the hour appointed, and said to him: \"I am here,\nmaster; what are your commands?\" \"Go,\" said Aladdin, \"fetch the vizier's\nson out of the place where you left him, and carry the pair to the\nsultan's palace, from whence you brought them.\" The genie presently\nreturned with the vizier's son, and in an instant they were transported\ninto the same chamber of the palace from whence they had been brought.\nBut we must observe, that all this time the genie never was visible\neither to the princess or the grand vizier's son. His hideous form would\nhave made them die with fear. Neither did they hear anything of the\ndiscourse between Aladdin and him; they only perceived the motion\nthrough the air, and their transportation from one place to another;\nwhich we may well imagine was enough to alarm them.\n\nThe sultan went to the room of the princess next morning and kissed her\nbetween the eyes, according to custom, wishing her a good morrow, but\nwas extremely surprised to see her so melancholy. She only cast at him a\nsorrowful look, expressive of great affliction. He said a few words to\nher; but finding that he could not get an answer, was forced to retire.\nNevertheless, he suspected that there was something extraordinary in\nthis silence, and thereupon went immediately to the sultaness's\napartment, told her in what a state he had found the princess, and how\nshe had received him. \"Sir,\" said the sultaness, \"I will go and see her;\nI am much deceived if she receives me in the same manner.\"\n\nAs soon as the sultaness was dressed, she went to the princess's\napartment, who was still in bed. She undrew the curtain, wished her good\nmorrow, and kissed her. But how great was her surprise when she returned\nno answer; and looking more attentively at her, she perceived her to be\nmuch dejected, which made her judge that something had happened, which\nshe did not understand. \"How comes it, child,\" said the sultaness, \"that\nyou do not return my caresses? Ought you to treat your mother after this\nmanner? I am induced to believe something extraordinary has happened;\ncome, tell me freely, and leave me no longer in a painful suspense.\"\n\nAt last the princess broke silence with a deep sigh, and said: \"Alas!\nmost honoured mother, forgive me if I have failed in the respect I owe\nyou. My mind is so full of the extraordinary circumstances which have\nbefallen me that I have not yet recovered from my amazement and alarm.\"\nShe then related her surprising adventures, which the sultaness heard\nvery patiently, but could scarcely believe. \"You did well, child,\" said\nshe, \"not to speak of this to your father: take care not to mention it\nto anybody; for you will certainly be thought mad if you talk in this\nmanner.\" \"Madam,\" replied the princess, \"I can assure you I am in my\nright senses; ask my husband and he will tell you the same\ncircumstances.\" \"I will,\" said the sultaness; \"but if he should talk in\nthe same manner, I shall not be better persuaded of the truth. Come,\nrise, and throw off this idle fancy; it will be strange if all the\nfeasts and rejoicings in the kingdom should be interrupted by such a\nvision. Do not you hear the trumpets of congratulation, and concerts of\nthe finest music? Cannot these inspire you with joy and make you forget\nthe fancies of a dream?\" At the same time the sultaness called the\nprincess's women, and after she had seen her get up, went to the\nsultan's apartment, told him that her daughter had got some odd notions\nin her head, but that there was nothing in them but idle phantasy.\n\nShe then sent for the vizier's son, to know of him something of what the\nprincess had told her; but he, thinking himself highly honoured to be\nallied to the sultan, and not willing to lose the princess, denied what\nhad happened. \"That is enough,\" answered the sultaness; \"I ask no more.\nI see you are wiser than my daughter.\"\n\nThe rejoicings lasted all that day in the palace, and the sultaness, who\nnever left the princess, forgot nothing to divert her, and induce her to\ntake part in the various diversions and shows; but she was so struck\nwith the idea of what had happened to her in the night, that it was easy\nto see her thoughts were entirely taken up with it. Neither was the\ngrand vizier's son in less tribulation, though his ambition made him\ndisguise his feelings so well, that nobody doubted of his being a happy\nbridegroom.\n\nAladdin, who was well acquainted with what passed in the palace, was\nresolved that the troublesome adventure of the night before should again\ndisturb the unhappy pair, and therefore had recourse to his lamp, and\nwhen the genie appeared and offered his service, he said to him: \"Bring\nthe grand vizier's son and the Princess Badroulboudour hither to-night,\nas thou didst yesterday.\"\n\nThe genie obeyed as faithfully and exactly as the day before; the grand\nvizier's son passed the night as coldly and disagreeably, and the\nprincess had the same alarm and mortification. The genie, according to\norders, came the next morning, and returned the new-married couple again\nto the palace.\n\nThe sultan, after the reception the princess had given him, was very\nanxious to know how she had passed the second night, and therefore went\ninto her chamber as early as the morning before. After the same caresses\nhe had given her the former morning, he bade her good-morrow. \"Well,\ndaughter,\" said he, \"are you in a better humour than yesterday?\" Still\nthe princess was silent, and the sultan, perceiving her to be in greater\nconfusion than before, doubted not that something very extraordinary was\nthe cause; but provoked that his daughter should conceal it, he said to\nher in a rage, with his sabre in his hand: \"Daughter, tell me what is\nthe matter, or I will cut off your head immediately.\"\n\nThe princess, more frightened at the tone of the enraged sultan than at\nthe sight of the drawn sabre, at last broke silence, and said with tears\nin her eyes: \"My dear father and sultan, I ask your majesty's pardon if\nI have offended you, and hope that out of your goodness you will have\ncompassion on me.\"\n\nAfter this preamble, which appeased the sultan, she told him what had\nhappened to her in so moving a manner, that he, who loved her tenderly,\nwas most sensibly grieved. She added: \"If your majesty doubts the truth\nof this account, you may inform yourself from my husband, who will tell\nyou the same thing.\"\n\nThe sultan immediately felt all the uneasiness so surprising an\nadventure must have given the princess. \"Daughter,\" said he, \"you are\nmuch to blame for not telling me this yesterday, since it concerns me as\nmuch as yourself. I did not marry you to make you miserable, but that\nyou might enjoy all the happiness you might hope for from a husband, who\nto me seemed agreeable to you. Efface all these troublesome ideas from\nyour memory; I will take care that you shall have no more such\ndisagreeable experiences.\"\n\nAs soon as the sultan had returned to his own apartment, he sent for the\ngrand vizier: \"Vizier,\" said he, \"have you seen your son, and has he\ntold you anything?\" The vizier replied: \"No.\" The sultan related all the\ncircumstances of which the princess had informed him, and afterward\nsaid: \"I do not doubt but that my daughter has told me the truth; but\nnevertheless I should be glad to have it confirmed by your son,\ntherefore go and ask him how it was.\"\n\nThe grand vizier went immediately to his son, communicated what the\nsultan had told him, and enjoined him to conceal nothing, but to relate\nthe whole truth. \"I will disguise nothing from you, father,\" replied the\nson, \"for indeed all that the princess has stated is true. Yet I must\ntell you, that all these experiences do not in the least lessen those\nsentiments of love and gratitude I entertain for her; but I must\nconfess, that notwithstanding all the honour that attends marrying my\nsovereign's daughter, I would much rather die than continue in so\nexalted an alliance, if I must undergo much longer what I have already\nendured. I do not doubt but that the princess entertains the same\nsentiments, and that she will readily agree to a separation which is so\nnecessary both for her repose and mine. Therefore, father, I beg, by the\nsame tenderness which led you to procure me so great an honour, to\nobtain the sultan's consent that our marriage may be declared null and\nvoid.\"\n\nNotwithstanding the grand vizier's ambition to have his son allied to\nthe sultan, the firm resolution he saw he had formed to be separated\nfrom the princess caused the father to give his majesty a full account\nof what had passed, begging him finally to give his son leave to retire\nfrom the palace, alleging it was not just that the princess should be a\nmoment longer exposed to so terrible a persecution upon his son's\naccount.\n\nThe grand vizier found no great difficulty to obtain what he asked, as\nthe sultan had determined upon it already; orders were given to put a\nstop to all rejoicings in the palace and town, and expresses despatched\nto all parts of his dominions to countermand his first orders; and in a\nshort time, all merry-making ceased.\n\nThis sudden change gave rise both in the city and kingdom to various\nspeculations and inquiries; but no other account could be given of it,\nexcept that both the vizier and his son went out of the palace much\ndejected. Nobody but Aladdin knew the secret, who rejoiced at the happy\nsuccess procured by his lamp. Neither the sultan nor the grand vizier,\nwho had forgotten Aladdin and his request, had the least thought that he\nhad any concern in the enchantment which caused the dissolution of the\nmarriage.\n\nAladdin waited till the three months were completed, which the sultan\nhad appointed for the consummation of the marriage between the Princess\nBadroulboudour and himself; and the next day sent his mother to the\npalace, to remind the sultan of his promise.\n\nThe widow went to the palace, and stood in the same place as before in\nthe hall of audience. The sultan no sooner cast his eyes upon her than\nhe knew her again, remembered her business, and how long he had put her\noff: therefore, when the grand vizier was beginning to make his report,\nthe sultan interrupted him, and said: \"Vizier, I see the good woman who\nmade me the present of jewels some months ago; forbear your report, till\nI have heard what she has to say.\" The vizier, looking about the divan,\nperceived the tailor's widow, and sent the chief of the mace-bearers to\nconduct her to the sultan.\n\nAladdin's mother came to the foot of the throne, prostrated herself as\nusual, and when she rose, the sultan asked her what she would have.\n\"Sir,\" said she, \"I come to represent to your majesty, in the name of my\nson, Aladdin, that the three months, at the end of which you ordered me\nto come again, are expired; and to beg you to remember your promise.\"\n\nThe sultan, when he had fixed a time to answer the request of this good\nwoman, little thought of hearing any more of a marriage, which he\nimagined would be very disagreeable to the princess; so this summons for\nhim to fulfil his promise was somewhat embarrassing; he declined giving\nan answer till he had consulted his vizier, and signified to him the\nlittle inclination he had to conclude a match for his daughter with a\nstranger, whose rank he supposed to be very mean.\n\nThe grand vizier freely told the sultan his thoughts, and said to him:\n\"In my opinion, sir, there is an infallible way for your majesty to\navoid a match so disproportionate, without giving Aladdin, were he known\nto your majesty, any cause of complaint; which is, to set so high a\nprice upon the princess that, however rich he may be, he cannot comply\nwith it. This is the only way to make him desist from so bold an\nundertaking.\"\n\nThe sultan, approving of the grand vizier's advice, turned to the\ntailor's widow and said to her: \"Good woman, it is true sultans ought to\nabide by their words, and I am ready to keep mine, by making your son\nhappy in marriage with the princess, my daughter. But as I cannot marry\nher without some further valuable consideration from your son, you may\ntell him, I will fulfil my promise as soon as he shall send me forty\ntrays of massy gold, full of the same sort of jewels you have already\nmade me a present of, and carried by the like number of black slaves,\nwho shall be led by as many young and handsome white slaves, all dressed\nmagnificently. On these conditions I am ready to bestow the princess, my\ndaughter, upon him; therefore, good woman, go and tell him so, and I\nwill wait till you bring me his answer.\"\n\nAladdin's mother prostrated herself a second time before the sultan's\nthrone, and retired. On her way home, she laughed within herself at her\nson's foolish imagination. \"Where,\" said she, \"can he get so many large\ngold trays, and such precious stones to fill them? Must he go again to\nthat subterranean abode and gather them off the trees? and where will he\nget so many such slaves as the sultan requires? It is altogether out of\nhis power, and I believe he will not be much pleased with my embassy\nthis time.\" When she came home, full of these thoughts, she said to her\nson: \"Indeed, child, I would not have you think any farther of your\nmarriage with the princess. The sultan received me very kindly, and I\nbelieve he was well inclined to you; but if I am not much deceived the\ngrand vizier has made him change his mind.\" She then gave her son an\nexact account of what the sultan had said to her, and the conditions on\nwhich he consented to the match. Afterward she said to him: \"The sultan\nexpects your answer immediately; but,\" continued she, laughing, \"I\nbelieve he may wait long enough.\"\n\n\"Not so long, mother, as you imagine,\" replied Aladdin; \"the sultan is\nmistaken, if he thinks by this exorbitant demand to prevent my\nentertaining thoughts of the princess. I expected that he would have set\na higher price upon her incomparable charms. His demand is but a trifle\nto what I could have done for her. But while I think of satisfying his\nrequest, go and get something for our dinner, and leave the rest to me.\"\n\nAs soon as his mother was gone out, Aladdin took the lamp, and rubbing\nit, the genie appeared, and offered his service as usual. \"The sultan,\"\nsaid Aladdin to him, \"gives me the princess his daughter in marriage;\nbut demands first, forty large trays of massy gold, full of the fruits\nof the garden from whence I took this lamp; and these he expects to have\ncarried by as many black slaves, each preceded by a young handsome white\nslave, richly clothed. Go, and fetch me this present as soon as\npossible, that I may send it to him before the divan breaks up.\" The\ngenie told him his command should be immediately obeyed, and\ndisappeared.\n\nIn a little time afterward the genie returned with forty black slaves,\neach bearing on his head a heavy tray of pure gold, full of pearls,\ndiamonds, rubies, emeralds, and every sort of precious stones, all\nlarger and more beautiful than those formerly presented to the sultan.\nEach tray was covered with silver tissue, embroidered with flowers of\ngold: these, together with the white slaves, quite filled the house,\nwhich was but a small one, the little court before it, and a small\ngarden behind. The genie asked if he had any other commands, and Aladdin\ntelling him that he wanted nothing further, he disappeared.\n\nWhen Aladdin's mother came from market, she was much surprised to see so\nmany people and such vast riches. As soon as she had laid down her\nprovisions, she was going to pull off her veil; but her son prevented\nher, and said: \"Mother, let us lose no time; before the sultan and the\ndivan rise, I would have you return to the palace with this present as\nthe dowry demanded for the princess, that he may judge by my diligence\nof the ardent desire I have to procure myself the honour of this\nalliance.\" Without waiting for his mother's reply, Aladdin opened the\nstreet-door, and made the slaves walk out; each white slave followed by\na black with a tray upon his head. When they were all out, the mother\nfollowed the last black slave; he shut the door, and then retired to his\nchamber, full of hopes that the sultan, after this present, which was\nsuch as he required, would receive him as his son-in-law.\n\nThe first white slave who went out made all the people who were going by\nstop; and before they were all clear of the house, the streets were\ncrowded with spectators, who ran to see so extraordinary and magnificent\na procession. The dress of each slave was so rich, both for the stuff\nand the jewels, that those who were dealers in them valued each at no\nless than a million of money; besides, the neatness and propriety of the\ndress, the noble air, fine shape and proportion of each slave were\nunparalleled; their grave walk at an equal distance from each other, the\nlustre of the jewels, curiously set in their girdles of gold, and the\negrets of precious stones in their turbans, put the spectators into such\ngreat admiration, that they could not avoid following them with their\neyes as far as possible. As soon as the first of these slaves arrived at\nthe palace gate, the porters formed themselves into order, taking him\nfor a prince from the magnificence of his habit, and were going to kiss\nthe hem of his garment; but the slave, who was instructed by the genie,\nprevented them, and said: \"We are only slaves, our master will appear at\na proper time.\"\n\nThe first slave, followed by the rest, advanced into the second court,\nwhich was very spacious, and in which the sultan's household was ranged\nduring the sitting of the divan. The magnificence of the officers, who\nstood at the head of their troops, was considerably eclipsed by the\nslaves who bore Aladdin's present, of which they themselves made a part.\n\nAs the sultan, who had been informed of their approach to the palace,\nhad given orders for them to be admitted, they went into the divan in\nregular order, one part filing to the right, and the other to the left.\nAfter they were all entered, and had formed a semicircle before the\nsultan's throne, the black slaves laid the golden trays on the carpet,\nprostrating themselves, and at the same time the white slaves did the\nsame. When they rose, the black slaves uncovered the trays, and then all\nstood with their arms crossed over their breasts.\n\nIn the meantime Aladdin's mother advanced to the foot of the throne, and\nhaving paid her respects, said to the sultan: \"Sir, my son is sensible\nthat this present, which he has sent your majesty, is much below the\nPrincess Badroulboudour's worth; but hopes, nevertheless, that your\nmajesty will accept of it.\"\n\nThe sultan was not able to give the least attention to this compliment.\nThe moment he cast his eyes on the forty trays, full of the most\nprecious and beautiful jewels he had ever seen, and the fourscore\nslaves, who appeared by the elegance of their persons, and the\nmagnificence of their dress, like so many princes, he was overwhelmed.\nInstead of answering the compliment of Aladdin's mother, he addressed\nhimself to the grand vizier, who could not any more than the sultan\ncomprehend from whence such a profusion of richness could come. \"Well,\nvizier,\" said he aloud, \"who do you think it can be that has sent me so\nextraordinary a present? Do you think him worthy of the Princess\nBadroulboudour, my daughter?\"\n\nThe vizier, notwithstanding his envy and grief at seeing a stranger\npreferred to his son, durst not disguise his sentiments. It was too\nvisible that Aladdin's present was more than sufficient to merit his\nbeing received into royal alliance; therefore, consulting his master's\nfeelings, he returned this answer: \"I am so far from having any thoughts\nthat the person who has made your majesty so noble a present is unworthy\nof the honour you would do him, that I should say he deserved much more,\nif I were not persuaded that the greatest treasure in the world ought\nnot to be put in competition with the princess, your majesty's\ndaughter.\"\n\nThe sultan made no longer hesitation, nor thought of informing himself\nwhether Aladdin was endowed with all the qualifications requisite in one\nwho aspired to be his son-in-law. The sight alone of such immense\nriches, and Aladdin's quickness in satisfying his demand, without\nstarting the least difficulty at the exorbitant conditions he had\nimposed, easily persuaded him that he could want nothing to render him\naccomplished, and such as he desired. Therefore, to send Aladdin's\nmother back with all the satisfaction she could desire, he said to her:\n\"My good lady, go and tell your son that I wait with open arms to\nembrace him, and the more haste he makes to come and receive the\nprincess, my daughter, from my hands, the greater pleasure he will do\nme.\"\n\nAs soon as the tailor's widow had retired, overjoyed to see her son\nraised to such exalted fortune, the sultan put an end to the audience;\nand rising from his throne, ordered that the princess's eunuchs should\ncome and carry the trays into their mistress's apartment, whither he\nwent himself to examine them with her at his leisure. The fourscore\nslaves were conducted into the palace; and the sultan, telling the\nprincess of their magnificent appearance, ordered them to be brought\nbefore her apartment, that she might see through the lattices that he\nhad not exaggerated in his account of them.\n\nIn the meantime, Aladdin's mother got home, and shewed in her\ncountenance the good news she brought her son. \"My son,\" said she to\nhim, \"you have now all the reason in the world to be pleased. The\nsultan, with the approbation of the whole court, has declared that you\nare worthy to possess the Princess Badroulboudour, and waits to embrace\nyou, and conclude your marriage; therefore, you must think of making\npreparations for your interview, which may answer the high opinion he\nhas formed of your person.\"\n\nAladdin, enraptured with this news, made little reply, but retired to\nhis chamber. There, after he had rubbed the lamp, which had never failed\nhim, the obedient genie appeared. \"Genie,\" said Aladdin, \"I want to\nbathe immediately, and you must afterward provide me the richest and\nmost magnificent habit ever worn by a monarch.\" No sooner were the words\nout of his mouth than the genie rendered him invisible, and transported\nhim into a bath of the finest marble, where he was undressed, without\nseeing by whom, in a magnificent and spacious hall. From the hall he was\nled to the bath, which was of a moderate heat, and he was there rubbed\nwith various scented waters. After he had passed through several degrees\nof heat, he came out quite a different man from what he was before. His\nskin was clear white and red, his body lightsome and free; and when he\nreturned into the hall, he found, instead of his own, a suit the\nmagnificence of which astonished him. The genie helped him to dress, and\nwhen he had done, transported him back to his own chamber, where he\nasked him if he had any other commands? \"Yes,\" answered Aladdin, \"I\nexpect you to bring me as soon as possible a charger that surpasses in\nbeauty and goodness the best in the sultan's stables, with a saddle,\nbridle, and other caparisons worth a million of money. I want also\ntwenty slaves, as richly clothed as those who carried the present to the\nsultan, to walk by my side, and twenty more to go before me in two\nranks. Besides these, bring my mother six women slaves to attend her, as\nrichly dressed at least as any of the Princess Badroulboudour's, each\ncarrying a complete dress fit for any sultaness. I want also ten\nthousand pieces of gold in ten purses; go, and make haste.\"\n\nAs soon as Aladdin had given these orders, the genie disappeared, but\npresently returned with the horse, the forty slaves, ten of whom carried\neach a purse containing ten thousand pieces of gold, and six women\nslaves, each carrying on her head a different dress for Aladdin's\nmother, wrapped up in a piece of silver tissue.\n\nOf the ten purses Aladdin took four, which he gave to his mother,\ntelling her, those were to supply her with necessaries; the other six he\nleft in the hands of the slaves who brought them, with an order to throw\nthem by handfuls among the people as they went to the sultan's palace.\nThe six slaves who carried the purses he ordered likewise to march\nbefore him, three on the right hand and three on the left. Afterward he\npresented the six women slaves to his mother, telling her that they were\nher slaves, and that the dresses they had brought were for her use.\n\nWhen Aladdin had thus settled matters, he told the genie he would call\nfor him when he wanted him, and thereupon the genie disappeared.\nAladdin's thoughts now were only upon answering, as soon as possible,\nthe desire the sultan had shewn to see him. He despatched one of the\nforty slaves to the palace, with an order to address himself to the\nchief of the porters, to know when he might have the honour to come and\nthrow himself at the sultan's feet. The slave soon acquitted himself of\nhis commission, and brought for answer that the sultan waited for him\nwith impatience.\n\nAladdin immediately mounted his charger, and though he never was on\nhorseback before, appeared with such extraordinary grace, that the most\nexperienced horseman would not have taken him for a novice. The streets\nthrough which he was to pass were almost instantly filled with an\ninnumerable concourse of people, who made the air echo with their\nacclamations, especially every time the six slaves who carried the\npurses threw handfuls of gold among the populace. Neither did these\nshouts of joy come from those alone who scrambled for the money, but\nfrom a superior rank of people, who could not forbear applauding\nAladdin's generosity. Not only those who knew him when he played in the\nstreets like a vagabond did not recollect him, but those who saw him but\na little while before hardly recognised him, so much were his features\naltered: such were the effects of the lamp, as to procure by degrees to\nthose who possessed it perfections suitable to the rank to which the\nright use of it advanced them. Much more attention was paid to Aladdin's\nperson than to the pomp and magnificence of his attendants, as a similar\nshow had been seen the day before, when the slaves walked in procession\nwith the present to the sultan. Nevertheless, the horse was much admired\nby good judges, who knew how to discern his beauties, without being\ndazzled by the jewels and richness of his furniture. When the report was\neverywhere spread that the sultan was going to give the princess in\nmarriage to Aladdin, nobody regarded his birth, nor envied his good\nfortune, so worthy he seemed of it in the public opinion.\n\nWhen he arrived at the palace, everything was prepared for his\nreception; and when he came to the gate of the second court, he would\nhave alighted from his horse, agreeably to the custom observed by the\ngrand vizier, the commander-in-chief of the empire, and governors of\nprovinces of the first rank; but the chief of the mace-bearers, who\nwaited on him by the sultan's order, prevented him, and attended him to\nthe grand hall of audience, where he helped him to dismount. The\nofficers formed themselves into two ranks at the entrance of the hall.\nThe chief put Aladdin on his right hand, and through the midst of them\nled him to the sultan's throne.\n\nAs soon as the sultan perceived Aladdin, he was no less surprised to see\nhim more richly and magnificently habited than ever he had been himself,\nthan struck at his good mien, fine shape, and a certain air of\nunexpected dignity, very different from the meanness of his mother's\nlate appearance.\n\nBut, notwithstanding, his amazement and surprise did not hinder him from\nrising off his throne, and descending two or three steps, quickly enough\nto prevent Aladdin's throwing himself at his feet. He embraced him with\nall possible demonstrations of joy at his arrival. After this civility\nAladdin would have thrown himself at his feet again; but he held him\nfast by the hand, and obliged him to sit close to the throne.\n\nAladdin then addressed the sultan, saying: \"I receive the honour which\nyour majesty out of your great condescension is pleased to confer; but\npermit me to assure you that I know the greatness of your power, and\nthat I am not insensible how much my birth is below the lustre of the\nhigh rank to which I am raised. I ask your majesty's pardon for my\nrashness, but I cannot dissemble that I should die with grief were I to\nlose my hopes of seeing myself united to the divine princess who is the\nobject of my wishes.\"\n\n\"My son,\" answered the sultan, embracing him a second time, \"you would\nwrong me to doubt for a moment of my sincerity: your life from this\nmoment is too dear to me not to preserve it, by presenting you with the\nremedy which is at my disposal.\"\n\nAfter these words, the sultan gave a signal, and immediately the air\nechoed with the sound of trumpets, hautboys, and other musical\ninstruments: and at the same time he led Aladdin into a magnificent\nhall, where was laid out a most splendid collation. The sultan and\nAladdin ate by themselves, while the grand vizier and the great lords of\nthe court, according to their dignity and rank, sat at different tables.\nThe conversation turned on different subjects; but all the while the\nsultan took so much pleasure in looking at his intended son-in-law, that\nhe hardly ever took his eyes off him; and throughout the whole of their\nconversation Aladdin shewed so much good sense, as confirmed the sultan\nin the high opinion he had formed of him.\n\nAfter the feast, the sultan sent for the chief judge of his capital, and\nordered him to draw up immediately a contract of marriage between the\nPrincess Badroulboudour, his daughter, and Aladdin.\n\nWhen the judge had drawn up the contract in all the requisite forms, the\nsultan asked Aladdin if he would stay in the palace, and solemnise the\nceremonies of marriage that day; to which he answered: \"Sir, though\ngreat is my impatience to enjoy your majesty's goodness, yet I beg of\nyou to give me leave to defer it till I have built a palace fit to\nreceive the princess; therefore I petition you to grant me a convenient\nspot of ground near your abode, that I may the more frequently pay my\nrespects, and I will take care to have it finished with all diligence.\"\n\"Son,\" said the sultan, \"take what ground you think proper, there is\nspace enough on every quarter round my palace; but consider, I cannot\nsee you too soon united with my daughter, which alone is wanting to\ncomplete my happiness.\" After these words he embraced Aladdin again, who\ntook his leave with as much politeness as if he had been bred up and had\nalways lived at court.\n\nAladdin returned home in the order he had come, amidst the acclamations\nof the people, who wished him all happiness and prosperity. As soon as\nhe dismounted, he retired to his own chamber, took the lamp, and called\nthe genie as before, who in the usual manner made him a tender of his\nservice. \"Genie,\" said Aladdin, \"I have every reason to commend your\nexactness in executing hitherto punctually whatever I have demanded; but\nnow, if you have any regard for the lamp, your protector, you must shew,\nif possible, more zeal and diligence than ever. I would have you build\nme, as soon as you can, a palace opposite, but at a proper distance\nfrom, the sultan's, fit to receive my spouse, the Princess\nBadroulboudour. I leave the choice of the materials to you, that is to\nsay, porphyry, jasper, agate, lapis lazuli, or the finest marble of\nvarious colours, and also the architecture of the building. But I expect\nthat on the terraced roof of this palace you will build me a large hall\ncrowned with a dome, and having four equal fronts; and that instead of\nlayers of bricks, the walls be formed of massy gold and silver, laid\nalternately: that each front shall contain six windows, the lattices of\nall of which (except one, which must be left unfinished) shall be so\nenriched in the most tasteful workmanship, with diamonds, rubies, and\nemeralds, that they shall exceed anything of the kind ever seen in the\nworld. I would have an inner and outer court in front of the palace, and\na spacious garden; but above all things, take care that there be laid in\na place which you shall point out to me, a treasure of gold and silver\ncoin. Besides, the edifice must be well provided with kitchens and\noffices, storehouses, and rooms to keep choice furniture in, for every\nseason of the year. I must have stables full of the finest horses, with\ntheir equerries and grooms, and hunting equipage. There must be officers\nto attend the kitchens and offices, and women slaves to wait on the\nprincess. You understand what I mean; therefore go about it, and come\nand tell me when all is finished.\"\n\nBy the time Aladdin had instructed the genie respecting the building of\nhis palace, the sun was set. The next morning, before break of day, our\nbridegroom, whose love for the princess would not let him sleep, was up,\nwhen the genie presented himself and said: \"Sir, your palace is\nfinished; come and see how you like it.\" Aladdin had no sooner signified\nhis consent, than the genie transported him thither in an instant, and\nhe found it so much beyond his expectation, that he could not enough\nadmire it. The genie led him through all the apartments, where he met\nwith nothing but what was rich and magnificent, with officers and slaves\nall habited according to their rank and the services to which they were\nappointed. The genie then shewed him the treasury, which was opened by a\ntreasurer, where Aladdin saw heaps of purses, of different sizes, piled\nup to the top of the ceiling, and disposed in most excellent order. The\ngenie assured him of the treasurer's fidelity, and thence led him to the\nstables, where he shewed him some of the finest horses in the world, and\nthe grooms busy in dressing them; from thence they went to the\nstorehouses, which were filled with all things necessary, both for food\nand ornament.\n\nWhen Aladdin had examined the palace from top to bottom, and\nparticularly the hall with the four and twenty windows, and found it\nmuch beyond whatever he could have imagined, he said: \"Genie, no one can\nbe better satisfied than I am; and indeed I should be much to blame if I\nfound any fault. There is only one thing wanting which I forgot to\nmention; that is, to lay from the sultan's palace to the door of the\napartment designed for the princess, a carpet of fine velvet for her to\nwalk upon.\" The genie immediately disappeared, and Aladdin saw what he\ndesired executed in an instant. The genie then returned, and carried him\nhome before the gates of the sultan's palace were opened.\n\nWhen the porters, who had always been used to an open prospect, came to\nopen the gates, they were amazed to find it obstructed, and to see a\ncarpet of velvet spread from the grand entrance. They did not\nimmediately look how far it extended, but when they could discern\nAladdin's palace distinctly, their surprise was increased. The news of\nso extraordinary a wonder was presently spread through the palace. The\ngrand vizier, who arrived soon after the gates were open, being no less\namazed than others at this novelty, ran and acquainted the sultan, but\nendeavoured to make him believe it to be all enchantment. \"Vizier,\"\nreplied the sultan, \"why will you have it to be enchantment? You know as\nwell as I that it must be Aladdin's palace, which I gave him leave to\nbuild, for the reception of my daughter. After the proof we have had of\nhis riches, can we think it strange that he should raise a palace in so\nshort a time? He wished to surprise us, and let us see what wonders are\nto be done with money in only one night. Confess sincerely that the\nenchantment you talk of proceeds from a little envy on account of your\nson's disappointment.\"\n\nWhen Aladdin had been conveyed home, and had dismissed the genie, he\nfound his mother up, and dressing herself in one of those suits which\nhad been brought her. By the time the sultan rose from the council,\nAladdin had prepared his mother to go to the palace with her slaves, and\ndesired her, if she saw the sultan, to tell him she should do herself\nthe honour toward evening to attend the princess to her palace.\nAccordingly she went; but though she and the women slaves who followed\nher were all dressed like sultanesses, yet the crowd was not near so\ngreat as the preceding day, because they were all veiled, and each had\non an upper garment agreeable to the richness and magnificence of their\nhabits. Aladdin, taking care not to forget his wonderful lamp, mounted\nhis horse, left his paternal home forever, and went to the palace in the\nsame pomp as the day before.\n\nAs soon as the porters of the sultan's palace saw Aladdin's mother, they\nwent and informed the sultan, who immediately ordered the bands of\ntrumpets, cymbals, drums, fifes, and hautboys, placed in different parts\nof the palace, to play, so that the air resounded with concerts which\ninspired the whole city with joy: the merchants began to adorn their\nshops and houses with fine carpets and silks, and to prepare\nilluminations against night. The artisans of every description left\ntheir work, and the populace repaired to the great space between the\nroyal palace and that of Aladdin; which last drew all their attention,\nnot only because it was new to them, but because there was no comparison\nbetween the two buildings. But their amazement was to comprehend by what\nunheard-of miracle so magnificent a palace could have been so soon\nerected, it being apparent to all that there were no prepared materials,\nor any foundations laid the day before.\n\nAladdin's mother was received in the palace with honour, and introduced\ninto the Princess Badroulboudour's apartment by the chief of the\neunuchs. As soon as the princess saw her, she rose, saluted, and desired\nher to sit down on a sofa; and while her women finished dressing, and\nadorning her with the jewels which Aladdin had presented to her, a\ncollation was served up. At the same time the sultan, who wished to be\nas much with his daughter as possible before he parted with her, came in\nand paid the old lady great respect. Aladdin's mother had talked to the\nsultan in public, but he had never seen her with her veil off, as she\nwas then; and though she was somewhat advanced in years, she had the\nremains of a good face, which showed what she had been in her youth. The\nsultan, who had always seen her dressed very meanly, not to say poorly,\nwas surprised to find her as richly and magnificently attired as the\nprincess, his daughter. This made him think Aladdin equally prudent and\nwise in whatever he undertook.\n\nWhen it was night, the princess left her own apartment for Aladdin's\npalace, with his mother on her left hand carried in a superb litter,\nfollowed by a hundred women slaves, dressed with surprising\nmagnificence. All the bands of music, which had played from the time\nAladdin's mother arrived, being joined together, led the procession,\nfollowed by a hundred state ushers, and the like number of black\neunuchs, in two files, with their officers at their head. Four hundred\nof the sultan's young pages carried flambeaux on each side, which,\ntogether with the illuminations of the sultan's and Aladdin's palaces,\nmade it as light as day.\n\nAt length the princess arrived at the new palace and Aladdin ran with\nall imaginable joy to receive her at the grand entrance. His mother had\ntaken care to point him out to the princess, in the midst of the\nofficers who surrounded him, and she was charmed with his person.\n\"Adorable princess,\" said Aladdin, accosting her, and saluting her\nrespectfully, as soon as she had entered her apartment, \"if I have the\nmisfortune to have displeased you by my boldness in aspiring to the\npossession of so lovely a creature, I must tell you, that you ought to\nblame your bright eyes and charms, not me.\" \"Prince,\" answered the\nprincess, \"I am obedient to the will of my father; and it is enough for\nme to have seen you, to tell you that I obey without reluctance.\"\n\nAladdin, charmed with so agreeable an answer, would not keep the\nprincess standing; but took her by the hand, which he kissed with the\ngreatest demonstration of joy, and led her into a large hall,\nilluminated with an infinite number of wax candles; where, by the care\nof the genie, a noble feast was served up. The dishes were of massy\ngold, and contained the most delicate viands, and all the other\nornaments and embellishments of the hall were answerable to this\ndisplay. The princess, dazzled to see so much riches, said to Aladdin:\n\"I thought, prince, that nothing in the world was so beautiful as the\nsultan my father's palace, but the sight of this hall alone is\nsufficient to shew I was deceived.\"\n\nThen Aladdin led the princess to the place appointed for her, and as\nsoon as she and his mother were seated, a band of the most harmonious\ninstruments, accompanied with the voices of beautiful ladies, began a\nconcert, which lasted without intermission to the end of the repast. The\nprincess was so charmed, that she declared she had never heard anything\nlike it in the sultan her father's court; but she knew not that these\nmusicians were fairies chosen by the genie, the slave of the lamp.\n\nWhen the supper was ended, there entered a company of female dancers,\nwho performed, according to the custom of the country, several figure\ndances, singing at the same time verses in praise of the bride and\nbridegroom. About midnight the happy pair retired to their apartments\nand the nuptial ceremonies were at an end.\n\nThe next morning, when Aladdin arose, his attendants presented\nthemselves to dress him, and brought him another habit as magnificent as\nthat worn the day before. He then ordered one of the horses appointed\nfor his use to be got ready, mounted him, and went in the midst of a\nlarge troop of slaves to the sultan's palace. The sultan received him\nwith the same honours as before, embraced him, placed him on the throne\nnear him, and ordered a collation. Aladdin said: \"I beg your majesty\nwill dispense with my eating with you to-day; I came to entreat you to\ntake a repast in the princess's palace, attended by your grand vizier,\nand all the lords of your court.\" The sultan consented with pleasure,\nrose up immediately, and, preceded by the principal officers of his\npalace, and followed by all the great lords of his court, accompanied\nAladdin.\n\nThe nearer the sultan approached Aladdin's palace, the more he was\nstruck with its beauty, but was much more amazed when he entered it; and\ncould not forbear breaking out into exclamations of approbation. But\nwhen he came into the hall, and cast his eyes on the windows, enriched\nwith diamonds, rubies, emeralds, all large perfect stones, he was so\nmuch surprised, that he remained some time motionless. After he\nrecovered himself, he said to his vizier; \"Is it possible that there\nshould be such a stately palace so near my own, and I be an utter\nstranger to it till now?\" \"Sir,\" replied the grand vizier, \"your majesty\nmay remember that the day before yesterday you gave Aladdin, whom you\naccepted for a son-in-law, leave to build a palace opposite your own,\nand that very day at sunset there was no palace on this spot, but\nyesterday I had the honour first to tell you that the palace was built\nand finished.\" \"I remember,\" replied the sultan, \"but never imagined\nthat the palace was one of the wonders of the world; for where in all\nthe world besides shall we find walls built of massy gold and silver,\ninstead of brick, stone, or marble; and diamonds, rubies, and emeralds\ncomposing the windows!\"\n\nThe sultan would examine and admire the beauty of all the windows, and\ncounting them, found that there were but three and twenty so richly\nadorned, and he was greatly astonished that the twenty-fourth was left\nimperfect. \"Vizier,\" said he, for that minister made a point of never\nleaving him, \"I am surprised that a hall of this magnificence should be\nleft thus imperfect.\" \"Sir,\" replied the grand vizier, \"without doubt\nAladdin only wanted time to finish this window like the rest; for it is\nnot to be supposed but that he has sufficient jewels for the purpose, or\nthat he will not complete it at the first opportunity.\"\n\nAladdin, who had left the sultan to go and give some orders, returned\njust as the vizier had finished his remark. \"Son,\" said the sultan to\nhim, \"this hall is the most worthy of admiration of any in the world;\nthere is only one thing that surprises me, which is, to find one of the\nwindows unfinished. Is it from the forgetfulness or negligence of the\nworkmen, or want of time, that they have not put the finishing stroke to\nso beautiful a piece of architecture?\" \"Sir,\" answered Aladdin, \"it was\nfor none of these reasons that your majesty sees it in this state. The\nomission was by design; it was by my orders that the workmen left it\nthus, since I wished that your majesty should have the glory of\nfinishing this hall.\" \"If you did it with this intention,\" replied the\nsultan, \"I take it kindly, and will give orders about it immediately.\"\nHe accordingly sent for the most considerable jewellers and goldsmiths\nin his capital.\n\nAladdin then conducted the sultan into the saloon where he had regaled\nhis bride the preceding night. The princess entered immediately\nafterward, and received her father with an air that shewed how much she\nwas satisfied with her marriage. Two tables were immediately spread with\nthe most delicious meats, all served up in gold dishes. The sultan was\nmuch pleased with the cookery, and owned he had never eaten anything\nmore excellent. He said the same of the wines, which were delicious; but\nwhat he most of all admired were four large buffets, profusely furnished\nwith large flagons, basins, and cups, all of massy gold, set with\njewels.\n\nWhen the sultan rose from table, he was informed that the jewellers and\ngoldsmiths attended; upon which he returned to the hall, and shewed them\nthe window which was unfinished: \"I sent for you,\" said he, \"to fit up\nthis window in as great perfection as the rest; examine well, and make\nall the despatch you can.\"\n\nThe jewellers and goldsmiths examined the three and twenty windows with\ngreat attention, and after they had consulted together they returned and\npresented themselves before the sultan, when the principal jeweller,\nundertaking to speak for the rest, said: \"Sir, we are all willing to\nexert our utmost care and industry to obey your majesty; but among us\nall we cannot furnish jewels enough for so great a work.\" \"I have more\nthan are necessary,\" said the sultan; \"come to my palace, and you shall\nchoose what may answer your purpose.\"\n\nWhen the sultan returned to his palace, he ordered his jewels to be\nbrought out, and the jewellers took a great quantity, particularly those\nAladdin had made him a present of, which they soon used, without making\nany great advance in their work. They came again several times for more,\nand in a month's time had not finished half their work. In short, they\nused all the jewels the sultan had, and borrowed of the vizier, but yet\nthe work was not half done.\n\nAladdin, who knew that all the sultan's endeavours to make this window\nlike the rest were in vain, sent for the jewellers and goldsmiths, and\nnot only commanded them to desist from their work, but ordered them to\nundo what they had begun, and to carry all their jewels back to the\nsultan and to the vizier. They undid in a few hours what they had been\nsix weeks about, and retired, leaving Aladdin alone in the hall. He took\nthe lamp, which he carried about him, rubbed it, and presently the genie\nappeared. \"Genie,\" said Aladdin, \"I ordered thee to leave one of the\nfour and twenty windows of this hall imperfect and thou hast executed my\ncommands punctually; now I would have thee make it like the rest.\" The\ngenie immediately disappeared. Aladdin went out of the hall, and\nreturning soon after, found the window like the others.\n\nIn the meantime, the jewellers and goldsmiths repaired to the palace,\nand were introduced into the sultan's presence; where the chief\njeweller, presenting the precious stones which he had brought back,\nsaid, in the name of all the rest: \"Your majesty knows how long we have\nbeen upon the work you were pleased to set us about, in which we used\nall imaginable industry. It was far advanced, when Prince Aladdin\ncommanded us not only to leave off, but to undo what we had already\nbegun, and bring your majesty your jewels back.\" The sultan asked them\nif Aladdin had given them any reason for so doing, and they answering\nthat he had given them none, he ordered a horse to be brought, which he\nmounted, and rode to his son-in-law's palace, with some few attendants\non foot. When he came there, he alighted at the staircase, which led to\nthe hall with the twenty-four windows, and went directly up to it,\nwithout giving previous notice to Aladdin; but it happened that at that\nvery juncture Aladdin was opportunely there, and had just time to\nreceive him at the door.\n\nThe sultan, without giving Aladdin time to complain obligingly of his\nnot having given notice, that he might have acquitted himself with the\nmore becoming respect, said to him: \"Son, I come myself to know the\nreason why you commanded the jewellers to desist from work, and take to\npieces what they had done.\"\n\nAladdin disguised the true reason, which was, that the sultan was not\nrich enough in jewels to be at so great an expense, but said: \"I beg of\nyou now to see if anything is wanting.\"\n\nThe sultan went directly to the window which was left imperfect, and\nwhen he found it like the rest, fancied that he was mistaken, examined\nthe two windows on each side, and afterward all the four and twenty; but\nwhen he was convinced that the window which several workmen had been so\nlong about was finished in so short a time, he embraced Aladdin, and\nkissed him between his eyes. \"My son,\" said he, \"what a man you are to\ndo such surprising things always in the twinkling of an eye: there is\nnot your fellow in the world; the more I know, the more I admire you.\"\n\nAladdin received these praises from the sultan with modesty, and replied\nin these words: \"Sir, it is a great honour to me to deserve your\nmajesty's goodwill and approbation, and I assure you, I shall study to\ndeserve them more.\"\n\nThe sultan returned to his palace, but would not let Aladdin attend him.\nWhen he came there, he found his grand vizier waiting, to whom he\nrelated the wonder he had witnessed with the utmost admiration, and in\nsuch terms as left the minister no room to doubt but that the fact was\nas the sultan related it; though he was the more confirmed in his\nbelief that Aladdin's palace was the effect of enchantment, as he had\ntold the sultan the first moment he saw it. He was going to repeat the\nobservation, but the sultan interrupted him, and said: \"You told me so\nonce before; I see, vizier, you have not forgotten your son's espousals\nto my daughter.\" The grand vizier plainly saw how much the sultan was\nprepossessed, therefore avoided disputes, and let him remain in his own\nopinion. The sultan as soon as he rose every morning went into the\ncloset, to look at Aladdin's palace, and would go many times in a day to\ncontemplate and admire it.\n\nAladdin did not confine himself in his palace; but took care to show\nhimself once or twice a week in the town, by going sometimes to one\nmosque, and sometimes to another, to prayers; or to visit the grand\nvizier, who affected to pay his court to him on certain days; or to do\nthe principal lords of the court the honour to return their visits after\nhe had regaled them at his palace. Every time he went out, he caused two\nslaves, who walked by the side of his horse, to throw handfuls of money\namong the people as he passed through the streets and squares, which\nwere generally on these occasions crowded. Besides, no one came to his\npalace gates to ask alms but returned satisfied with his liberality. In\nshort, he so divided his time, that not a week passed but he went either\nonce or twice a-hunting, sometimes in the environs of the city,\nsometimes farther off; at which time the villages through which he\npassed felt the effects of his generosity, which gained him the love and\nblessings of the people; and it was common for them to swear by his\nhead. With all these good qualities he showed a zeal for the public good\nwhich could not be sufficiently applauded. He gave sufficient proofs of\nboth in a revolt on the borders of the kingdom; for he no sooner\nunderstood that the sultan was levying an army to disperse the rebels\nthan he begged the command of it, which he found not difficult to\nobtain. As soon as he was empowered, he marched with so much expedition,\nthat the sultan heard of the defeat of the rebels before he had received\nan account of his son-in-law's arrival in the army.\n\nAladdin had conducted himself in this manner several years, when the\nAfrican magician, who undesignedly had been the instrument of raising\nhim to so high a pitch of prosperity, recalled him to his recollection\nin Africa, whither, after his expedition, he had returned. And though he\nwas almost persuaded that Aladdin must have died miserably in the\nsubterranean abode where he had left him, yet he had the curiosity to\ninform himself about his end with certainty; and as he was a great\ngeomancer, he took out of a cupboard a square, covered box, which he\nused in his geomantic observations. After he had prepared and levelled\nthe sand which was in it with an intention to discover whether or not\nAladdin had died, he cast the points, drew the figures, and formed a\nhoroscope, by which, when he came to examine it, he found that instead\nof dying in the cave, his victim had made his escape, lived splendidly,\nwas in possession of the wonderful lamp, had married a princess, and was\nmuch honoured and respected.\n\nThe magician no sooner understood, by the rules of his diabolical art,\nthat Aladdin had arrived to this height of good fortune, than his face\nbecame inflamed with anger, and he cried out in a rage: \"This sorry\ntailor's son has discovered the secret and virtue of the lamp! I\nbelieved his death to be certain; but find that he enjoys the fruit of\nmy labour and study! I will, however, prevent his enjoying it long, or\nperish in the attempt.\" He was not a great while deliberating on what he\nshould do, but the next morning mounted a barb, set forward, and never\nstopped but to refresh himself and his horse, till he arrived at the\ncapital of China. He alighted, took up his lodging in a khan, and stayed\nthere the remainder of the day and the night.\n\nThe next day, his first object was to inquire what people said of\nAladdin; and, taking a walk through the town, he went to the most public\nand frequented places, where persons of the best distinction met to\ndrink a certain warm liquor, which he had drunk often during his former\nvisit. As soon as he had seated himself, he was presented with a cup of\nit, which he took; but listening at the same time to the discourse of\nthe company on each side of him, he heard them talking of Aladdin's\npalace. When he had drunk off his liquor, he joined them, and taking\nthis opportunity, inquired particularly of what palace they spoke with\nso much commendation. \"From whence come you?\" said the person to whom he\naddressed himself; \"you must certainly be a stranger not to have seen or\nheard talk of Prince Aladdin's palace. I do not say,\" continued the man,\n\"that it is one of the wonders of the world, but that it is the only\nwonder of the world; since nothing so grand, rich, and magnificent was\never beheld. Go and see it, and then judge whether I have told you more\nthan the truth.\" \"Forgive my ignorance,\" replied the African magician;\n\"I arrived here but yesterday from the farthest part of Africa, where\nthe fame of this palace had not reached when I came away. The business\nwhich brought me hither was so urgent, that my sole object was to arrive\nas soon as I could, without stopping anywhere, or making any\nacquaintance. But I will not fail to go and see it, if you will do me\nthe favour to show me the way thither.\"\n\nThe person to whom the African magician addressed himself took a\npleasure in showing him the way to Aladdin's palace, and he got up and\nwent thither instantly. When he came to the palace, and had examined it\non all sides, he doubted not but that Aladdin had made use of the lamp\nto build it. Without attending to the inability of a poor tailor's son,\nhe knew that none but the genies, the slaves of the lamp, could have\nperformed such wonders; and piqued to the quick at Aladdin's happiness\nand splendour, he returned to the khan where he lodged.\n\nThe next point was to ascertain where the lamp was; whether Aladdin\ncarried it about with him, or where he kept it; and this he was to\ndiscover by an operation of geomancy. As soon as he entered his lodging,\nhe took his square box of sand, which he always carried with him when he\ntravelled, and after he had performed some operations, he found that the\nlamp was in Aladdin's palace, and so great was his joy at the discovery\nthat he could hardly contain himself. \"Well,\" said he, \"I shall have the\nlamp, and I defy Aladdin to prevent my carrying it off, thus making him\nsink to his original meanness, from which he has taken so high a\nflight.\"\n\nIt was Aladdin's misfortune at that time to be absent in the chase for\neight days, and only three were expired, which the magician came to\nknow. After he had performed the magical operation he went to the\nsuperintendent of the khan, entered into conversation with him on\nindifferent subjects, and among the rest, told him he had been to see\nAladdin's palace; and after exaggerating on all that he had seen most\nworthy of observation, added: \"But my curiosity leads me further, and I\nshall not be satisfied till I have seen the person to whom this\nwonderful edifice belongs.\" \"That will be no difficult matter,\" replied\nthe master of the khan; \"there is not a day passes but he gives an\nopportunity when he is in town, but at present he has been gone these\nthree days on a hunting-match, which will last eight.\"\n\nThe magician wanted to know no more; he took his leave of the\nsuperintendent of the khan, and returning to his own chamber, said to\nhimself: \"This is an opportunity I ought by no means to neglect.\" To\nthat end, he went to a coppersmith and asked for a dozen copper lamps:\nthe master of the shop told him he had not so many by him, but if he\nwould have patience till the next day, he would have them ready. The\nmagician appointed his time, and desired him to take care that they\nshould be handsome and well polished. After promising to pay him well,\nhe returned to his inn.\n\nThe next day the magician called for the twelve lamps, paid the man his\nfull price, put them into a basket which he bought on purpose, and with\nthe basket hanging on his arm, went directly to Aladdin's palace; as he\napproached beginning to cry: \"Who will change old lamps for new ones?\"\nAs he went along, a crowd of children collected, who hooted, and thought\nhim, as did all who chanced to be passing by, a madman or a fool.\n\nThe African magician regarded not their scoffs, hootings, or all they\ncould say to him, but still continued crying: \"Who will change old lamps\nfor new?\" He repeated this so often, walking backward and forward in\nfront of the palace, that the princess, who was then in the hall with\nthe four and twenty windows, hearing a man cry something and not being\nable to distinguish his words, owing to the hooting of the children, and\nincreasing mob about him, sent one of her women slaves to know what he\ncried.\n\nThe slave was not long before she returned, and ran into the hall,\nlaughing so heartily that the princess could not forbear herself. \"Well,\ngiggler,\" said the princess, \"will you tell me what you laugh at?\"\n\"Madam,\" answered the slave, laughing still, \"who can forbear laughing,\nto see a fool with a basket on his arm, full of fine new lamps, ask to\nchange them for old ones?\"\n\nAnother female slave hearing this, said: \"Now you speak of lamps, I know\nnot whether the princess may have observed it, but there is an old one\nupon a shelf of the prince's robing-room. If the princess chooses, she\nmay have the pleasure of trying if this fool is so silly as to give a\nnew lamp for an old one, without taking anything for the exchange.\"\n\nThe lamp this slave spoke of was the wonderful lamp, which Aladdin had\nlaid upon the shelf before he departed for the chase: this he had done\nseveral times before; but neither the princess, the slaves, nor the\neunuchs had ever taken notice of it. At all other times except when\nhunting he carried it about his person.\n\nThe princess, who knew not the value of this lamp, and the interest that\nAladdin, not to mention herself, had to keep it safe, entered into the\npleasantry, and commanded a eunuch to take it and make the exchange. The\neunuch obeyed, went out of the hall, and no sooner got to the palace\ngates than he saw the African magician, called to him, and showing him\nthe old lamp, said: \"Give me a new lamp for this?\"\n\nThe magician never doubted but this was the lamp he wanted. There could\nbe no other such in the palace, where every utensil was gold or silver.\nHe snatched it eagerly out of the eunuch's hand, and thrusting it as far\nas he could into his breast, offered him his basket, and bade him choose\nwhich he liked best. The eunuch picked out one, and carried it to the\nprincess; but the exchange was no sooner made than the place rang with\nthe shouts of the children, deriding the magician's folly.\n\nThe African magician gave everybody leave to laugh as much as they\npleased; he stayed not long near the palace, but made the best of his\nway, without crying any longer; \"New lamps for old ones.\" His end was\nanswered, and by his silence he got rid of the children and the mob.\n\nAs soon as he was out of the square between the two palaces, he hastened\ndown the streets which were the least frequented; and having no more\noccasion for his lamps or basket, set all down in an alley where nobody\nsaw him: then going down another street or two, he walked till he came\nto one of the city gates, and pursuing his way through the suburbs,\nwhich were very extensive, at length reached a lonely spot, where he\nstopped for a time to execute the design he had in contemplation, never\ncaring for his horse which he had left at the khan; but thinking himself\nperfectly compensated by the treasure he had acquired.\n\nIn this place the African magician passed the remainder of the day, till\nthe darkest time of night, when he pulled the lamp out of his breast and\nrubbed it. At that summons the genie appeared, and said: \"What wouldst\nthou have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave, and the slave of all\nthose who have that lamp in their hands; both I and the other slaves of\nthe lamp.\" \"I command thee,\" replied the magician, \"to transport me\nimmediately and the palace which thou and the other slaves of the lamp\nhave built in this city, with all the people in it, to Africa.\" The\ngenie made no reply, but with the assistance of the other genies, the\nslaves of the lamp immediately transported him, and the palace entire,\nto the spot whither he was desired to convey it.\n\nAs soon as the sultan rose the next morning, according to custom, he\nwent into his closet, to have the pleasure of contemplating and admiring\nAladdin's palace; but when he first looked that way, and instead of a\npalace saw an empty space such as it was before the palace was built, he\nthought he was mistaken, and rubbed his eyes; but when he looked again,\nhe still saw nothing more the second time than the first, though the\nweather was fine, the sky clear, and the dawn advancing had made all\nobjects very distinct. He looked again in front, to the right and left,\nbut beheld nothing more than he had formerly been used to see from his\nwindow. His amazement was so great, that he stood for some time turning\nhis eyes to the spot where the palace had stood, but where it was no\nlonger to be seen. He could not comprehend how so large a palace as\nAladdin's, which he had seen plainly every day for some years, and but\nthe day before, should vanish so soon, and not leave the least remains\nbehind.\n\n\"Certainly,\" said he to himself, \"I am not mistaken; it stood there: if\nit had fallen, the materials would have lain in heaps; and if it had\nbeen swallowed up by an earthquake, there would be some mark left.\" At\nlast he retired to his apartment, not without looking behind him before\nhe quitted the spot, ordered the grand vizier to be sent for with\nexpedition, and in the meantime sat down, his mind agitated by so many\ndifferent conjectures that he knew not what to resolve.\n\nThe grand vizier did not make the sultan wait long for him, but came\nwith so much precipitation, that neither he nor his attendants, as they\npassed, missed Aladdin's palace; neither did the porters, when they\nopened the palace gates, observe any alteration.\n\nWhen he came into the sultan's presence, he said to him: \"The haste in\nwhich your majesty sent for me makes me believe something extraordinary\nhas happened, since you know this is a day of public audience, and I\nshould not have failed of attending at the usual time.\" \"Indeed,\" said\nthe sultan, \"it is something very extraordinary, as you say, and you\nwill allow it to be so: tell me what is become of Aladdin's palace?\"\n\"His palace!\" replied the grand vizier in amazement; \"I thought as I\npassed it stood in its usual place.\" \"Go into my closet,\" said the\nsultan, \"and tell me if you can see it.\"\n\nThe grand vizier went into the closet, where he was struck with no less\namazement than the sultan had been. When he was well assured that there\nwas not the least appearance of the palace, he returned to the sultan.\n\"Well,\" said the sultan, \"have you seen Aladdin's palace?\" \"No,\"\nanswered the vizier, \"but your majesty may remember, that I had the\nhonour to tell you, that the edifice, which was the subject of your\nadmiration, was only the work of magic and a magician; but your majesty\nwould not pay the least attention to what I said.\" The sultan, who could\nnot deny what the grand vizier had represented to him, flew into the\ngreater passion: \"Where is that impostor, that wicked wretch,\" said he,\n\"that I may have his head taken off immediately?\" \"Sir,\" replied the\ngrand vizier, \"it is some days since he came to take his leave of your\nmajesty, on pretence of hunting; he ought to be sent for, to know what\nis become of his palace, since he cannot be ignorant of what has been\ntransacted.\" \"To send for him would be too great an indulgence,\" replied\nthe sultan: \"command a detachment of horse to bring him to me loaded\nwith chains.\" The grand vizier gave orders for a detachment, and\ninstructed the officer who commanded the men how they were to act, that\nAladdin might not escape. The detachment pursued its orders; and about\nfive or six leagues from the town met him returning from the chase. The\nofficer advanced respectfully, and informed him the sultan was so\nimpatient to see him, that he had sent his party to accompany him home.\n\nAladdin had not the least suspicion of the true reason of their meeting\nhim; but when he came within half a league of the city, the detachment\nsurrounded him, when the officer addressed himself to him, and said;\n\"Prince, it is with great regret that I declare to you the sultan's\norder to arrest you, and to carry you before him as a criminal: I beg\nof you not to take it ill that we acquit ourselves of our duty, and to\nforgive us.\" Aladdin, who felt himself innocent, was much surprised at\nthis declaration, and asked the officer if he knew what crime he was\naccused of; who replied, he did not. Then Aladdin, finding that his\nretinue was much inferior to this detachment, alighted from his horse,\nand said to the officers: \"Execute your orders; I am not conscious that\nI have committed any offence against the sultan's person or government.\"\nA heavy chain was immediately put about his neck, and fastened round his\nbody, so that both his arms were pinioned down; the officer then put\nhimself at the head of the detachment, and one of the troopers taking\nhold of the end of the chain and proceeding after the officer, led\nAladdin, who was obliged to follow him on foot, into the city.\n\nWhen this detachment entered the suburbs, the people, who saw Aladdin\nthus led as a state criminal, never doubted but that his head was to be\ncut off; and as he was generally beloved, some took sabres and other\narms; and those who had none gathered stones, and followed the escort.\nTheir numbers presently increased so much, that the soldiery began to\nthink it would be well if they could get into the sultan's palace before\nAladdin was rescued; to prevent which, according to the different extent\nof the streets, they took care to cover the ground by extending or\nclosing. In this manner they with much difficulty arrived at the palace\nsquare, and there drew up in a line, till their officer and troopers\nwith Aladdin had got within the gates, which were immediately shut.\n\nAladdin was carried before the sultan, who waited for him, attended by\nthe grand vizier; and as soon as he saw him he ordered the executioner,\nwho waited there for the purpose, to strike off his head without hearing\nhim, or giving him leave to clear himself. As soon as the executioner\nhad taken off the chain that was fastened about Aladdin's neck and body,\nhe made the supposed criminal kneel down, and tied a bandage over his\neyes. Then drawing his sabre, he took his aim by flourishing it three\ntimes in the air, waiting for the sultan's giving the signal to strike.\n\nAt that instant the grand vizier perceiving that the populace had\ncrowded the great square before the palace, and were scaling the walls\nin several places, said to the sultan, before he gave the signal: \"I beg\nof your majesty to consider what you are going to do, since you will\nhazard your palace being destroyed; and who knows what fatal consequence\nmay follow?\" \"My palace forced!\" replied the sultan; \"who can have that\naudacity?\" \"Sir,\" answered the grand vizier, \"if your majesty will but\ncast your eyes toward the great square, and on the palace walls, you\nwill perceive the truth of what I say.\"\n\nThe sultan was so much alarmed when he saw so great a crowd, and how\nenraged they were, that he ordered the executioner to put his sabre\nimmediately into the scabbard, to unbind Aladdin, and at the same time\ncommanded the porters to declare to the people that the sultan had\npardoned him, and that they might retire. Those who had already got upon\nthe walls abandoned their design and got quickly down, overjoyed that\nthey had saved the life of a man they dearly loved, and published the\nnews amongst the rest, which was presently confirmed by the mace-bearers\nfrom the top of the terraces. The justice which the sultan had done to\nAladdin soon disarmed the populace of their rage; the tumult abated and\nthe mob dispersed.\n\nWhen Aladdin found himself at liberty, he turned toward the balcony, and\nperceiving the sultan, raised his voice, and said to him in a moving\nmanner: \"I beg of your majesty to add one favour more to that which I\nhave already received, which is, to let me know my crime?\" \"Your\ncrime,\" answered the sultan; \"perfidious wretch! Do you not know it?\nCome hither, and I will show it you.\" Aladdin went up, when the sultan,\ngoing before him without looking at him, said: \"Follow me;\" and then led\nhim into his closet. When he came to the door, he said: \"Go in; you\nought to know whereabouts your palace stood: look round and tell me what\nis become of it?\"\n\nAladdin looked, but saw nothing. He perceived the spot upon which his\npalace had stood; but not being able to divine how it had disappeared,\nwas thrown into such great confusion and amazement that he could not\nreturn one word of answer. The sultan, growing impatient, demanded of\nhim again: \"Where is your palace, and what is become of my daughter?\"\nAladdin, breaking silence, replied: \"Sir, I perceive and own that the\npalace which I have built is not in its place, but is vanished; neither\ncan I tell your majesty where it may be, but can assure you I had no\nconcern in its removal.\"\n\n\"I am not so much concerned about your palace,\" replied the sultan; \"I\nvalue my daughter ten thousand times more, and would have you find her\nout, otherwise I will cause your head to be struck off, and no\nconsideration shall divert me from my purpose.\"\n\n\"I beg of your majesty,\" answered Aladdin, \"to grant me forty days to\nmake my inquiries; and if in that time I have not the success I wish, I\nwill offer my head at the foot of your throne, to be disposed of at your\npleasure.\" \"I give you the forty days you ask,\" said the sultan; \"but\nthink not to escape my resentment if you fail; for I will find you out\nin whatsoever part of the world you may conceal yourself.\"\n\nAladdin went out of the sultan's presence with great humiliation, and in\na condition worthy of pity. He crossed the courts of the palace,\nhanging down his head, and in such great confusion that he durst not\nlift up his eyes. The principal officers of the court, who had all\nprofessed themselves his friends, instead of going up to him to comfort\nhim, turned their backs to avoid seeing him. But had they accosted him\nwith an offer of service, they would have no more known Aladdin. He did\nnot know himself, and was no longer in his senses, as plainly appeared\nby his asking everybody he met, and at every house, if they had seen his\npalace, or could tell him any news of it. These questions made the\ngenerality believe that Aladdin was mad. Some laughed at him, but people\nof sense and humanity, particularly those who had had any connection of\nbusiness or friendship with him, really pitied him. For three days he\nrambled about the city in this manner, without coming to any resolution\nor eating anything but what some compassionate people forced him to take\nout of charity. At last he took the road to the country; and after he\nhad traversed several fields in wild uncertainty, at the approach of\nnight came to the bank of a river. There, possessed by his despair, he\nsaid to himself: \"Where shall I seek my palace? In what province,\ncountry, or part of the world, shall I find that and my dear princess? I\nshall never succeed; I would better free myself at once from fruitless\nendeavours, and such bitter grief as preys upon me.\" He was just going\nto throw himself into the river, but, as a good Mussulman, true to his\nreligion, he thought he should not do it without first saying his\nprayers. Going to prepare himself, he went to the river's brink, in\norder to perform the usual ablutions. The place being steep and\nslippery, he slid down, and had certainly fallen into the river, but for\na little rock, which projected about two feet out of the earth. Happily\nalso for him, he still had on the ring which the African magician had\nput on his finger before he went down into the subterranean abode to\nfetch the precious lamp. In slipping down the bank he rubbed the ring so\nhard by holding on the rock, that immediately the same genie appeared\nwhom he had seen in the cave where the magician had left him. \"What\nwouldst thou have?\" said the genie. \"I am ready to obey thee as thy\nslave, and the slave of all those that have that ring on their finger;\nboth I and the other slaves of the ring.\"\n\nAladdin, agreeably surprised at an apparition he so little expected in\nhis present calamity, replied; \"Save my life, genie, a second time,\neither by showing me to the place where the palace I caused to be built\nnow stands, or immediately transporting it back where it first stood.\"\n\"What you command me,\" answered the genie, \"is not wholly in my power; I\nam only the slave of the ring; you must address yourself to the slave of\nthe lamp.\" \"If that be the case,\" replied Aladdin, \"I command thee, by\nthe power of the ring, to transport me to the spot where my palace\nstands, in what part of the world soever it may be, and set me down\nunder the window of the Princess Badroulboudour.\" These words were no\nsooner out of his mouth than the genie transported him into Africa, to\nthe midst of a large plain, where his palace stood, and placing him\nexactly under the window of the princess's apartment, left him. All this\nwas done almost in an instant. Aladdin, notwithstanding the darkness of\nthe night, knew his palace again; but as the night was far advanced and\nall was quiet, he retired to some distance, and sat down at the foot of\na large tree. There, full of hopes, and reflecting on his happiness, for\nwhich he was indebted to chance, he found himself in a much more\ncomfortable situation than when he was arrested and carried before the\nsultan, being now delivered from the immediate danger of losing his\nlife. He amused himself for some time with these agreeable thoughts; but\nnot having slept for two days, was unable to resist the drowsiness\nwhich came upon him, but fell fast asleep.\n\nThe next morning, as soon as day appeared, Aladdin was agreeably\nawakened by the singing not only of the birds which had roosted in the\ntree under which he had passed the night, but also of those which\nfrequented the thick groves of the palace garden. When he cast his eyes\non that wonderful edifice, he felt inexpressible joy at thinking he\nmight soon be master of it again, and once more greet his dear Princess\nBadroulboudour. Pleased with these hopes, he immediately arose, went\ntoward the princess's apartment, and walked some time under her window\nin expectation of her rising, that he might see her. During this\nexpectation, he began to consider with himself whence the cause of his\nmisfortune had proceeded; and after mature reflection, no longer doubted\nthat it was owing to having trusted the lamp out of his sight. He\naccused himself of negligence in letting it be a moment away from him.\nBut what puzzled him most was, that he could not imagine who had been so\nenvious of his happiness. He would soon have guessed this, if he had\nknown that both he and his palace were now in Africa, the very name of\nwhich would soon have made him remember the magician, his declared\nenemy; but the genie, the slave of the ring, had not made mention of the\nname of the country, nor had Aladdin inquired.\n\nThe princess rose earlier that morning than she had done since her\ntransportation into Africa by the magician, whose presence she was\nforced to support once a day, because he was master of the palace;\nthough she had always treated him so harshly that he dared not reside in\nit. As she was dressing, one of the women looking through the window\nperceived Aladdin, and instantly told her mistress. The princess, who\ncould not believe the joyful tidings, hastened herself to the window,\nand seeing Aladdin, immediately opened it. The noise of opening the\nwindow made Aladdin turn his head that way, and perceiving the princess\nhe saluted her with joy. \"To lose no time,\" said she to him, \"I have\nsent to have the private door opened for you; enter, and come up.\" The\nprivate door, which was just under the princess's apartment, was soon\nopened, and Aladdin conducted up into the chamber. It is impossible to\nexpress the joy of both at seeing each other, after so cruel a\nseparation. After embracing and shedding tears of joy, they sat down,\nand Aladdin said: \"I beg of you, princess, in Heaven's name, before we\ntalk of anything else, to tell me, both for your own sake, the sultan\nyour father's, and mine, what is become of an old lamp which I left upon\na shelf in my robing-chamber, when I departed for the chase.\"\n\n\"Alas! dear husband,\" answered the princess, \"I was afraid our\nmisfortune might be owing to that lamp: and what grieves me most is,\nthat I have been the cause of it.\" \"Princess,\" replied Aladdin, \"do not\nblame yourself, for I ought to have taken more care of it. But let us\nnow think only of repairing the loss; tell me what has happened, and\ninto whose hands it has fallen.\" The princess then related how she had\nchanged the old lamp for a new one, and how the next morning she found\nherself in the unknown country they were then in, which she was told was\nAfrica, by the traitor who had transported her thither by his magic art.\n\n\"Princess,\" said Aladdin, interrupting her, \"you have informed me who\nthe traitor is, by telling me we are in Africa. He is the most\nperfidious of men; but this is neither a time nor place to give you a\nfull account of his villainies. I desire you only to tell me what he has\ndone with the lamp, and where he has put it.\" \"He carries it carefully\nwrapt up in his bosom,\" said the princess; \"and this I can assure you,\nbecause he pulled it out before me, and showed it to me in triumph.\"\n\n\"Princess,\" said Aladdin, \"do not be displeased that I trouble you with\nso many questions, since they are equally important to us both. But to\ncome to what most particularly concerns me: tell me, I conjure you, how\nso wicked and perfidious a man treats you?\" \"Since I have been here,\"\nreplied the princess, \"he repairs once every day to see me; and I am\npersuaded the little satisfaction he receives from his visits makes him\ncome no oftener. All his addresses tend to persuade me to break that\nfaith I have pledged to you, and to take him for my husband; giving me\nto understand I need not entertain hopes of ever seeing you again, for\nthat you were dead, having had your head struck off by my father's\norder. He added, to justify himself, that you were an ungrateful wretch;\nthat your good fortune was owing to him, and a great many other things\nof that nature which I forbear to repeat: but as he received no other\nanswer from me but grievous complaints and tears, he was always forced\nto retire with as little satisfaction as he came. I doubt not his\nintention is to allow me time to overcome my grief, in hopes that\nafterward I may change my sentiments. But my dear husband's presence\nremoves all my apprehensions.\"\n\n\"I am confident my attempts to punish the magician will not be in vain,\"\nreplied Aladdin, \"since my princess's fears are removed, and I think I\nhave found the means to deliver you from both your enemy and mine; to\nexecute this design, it is necessary for me to go to the town. I shall\nreturn by noon, will then communicate my design, and what must be done\nby you to ensure success. But that you may not be surprised, I think it\nproper to acquaint you that I shall change my apparel, and beg of you\nto give orders that I may not wait long at the private door, but that it\nmay be opened at the first knock.\"\n\nWhen Aladdin was out of the palace, he looked round him on all sides,\nand perceiving a peasant going into the country, hastened after him; and\nwhen he had overtaken him, made a proposal to him to change habits,\nwhich the man agreed to. When they had made the exchange, the countryman\nwent about his business, and Aladdin to the city. After traversing\nseveral streets, he came to that part of the town where all descriptions\nof merchants had their particular streets, according to their trades. He\nwent into that of the druggists; and going into one of the largest and\nbest-furnished shops, asked the druggist if he had a certain powder\nwhich he named. The druggist, judging Aladdin by his habit to be very\npoor, and that he had not money enough to pay for it, told him he had\nit, but that it was very dear; upon which Aladdin penetrating his\nthoughts, pulled out his purse, and showing him some gold, asked for\nhalf a drachm of the powder; which the druggist weighed, wrapped up in\npaper, and gave him, telling him the price was a piece of gold. Aladdin\nput the money into his hand, and returned to the palace, where he waited\nnot long at the private door. When he came into the princess's\napartment, he said to her: \"Princess, perhaps the aversion you tell me\nyou have for your captor may be an objection to your executing what I am\ngoing to propose; but permit me to say it is proper that you should\ndissemble a little, and do violence to your inclinations, if you would\ndeliver yourself from him.\n\n\"If you will take my advice,\" continued he, \"dress yourself this moment\nin one of your richest habits, and when the African magician comes, make\nno difficulty to give him the best reception; so that he may imagine\ntime has removed your disgust at his addresses. In your conversation let\nhim understand that you strive to forget me; and that he may be the\nmore fully convinced, invite him to sup with you, and tell him you\nshould be glad to taste of some of the best wines of his country. He\nwill presently go to fetch you some. During his absence, put into one of\nthe cups which you are accustomed to drink of, this powder, and setting\nit by, charge the slave you may order that night to attend you, on a\nsignal you shall agree upon, to bring that cup to you. When the magician\nand you have eaten and drunk as much as you choose, let her bring you\nthe cup, and then change cups with him. He will esteem it so great a\nfavour that he will not refuse, but eagerly quaff it off; but no sooner\nwill he have drunk, than you will see him fall backward.\"\n\nWhen Aladdin had finished, \"I own,\" answered the princess, \"I shall do\nmyself violence in consenting to make the magician such advances; but\nwhat cannot one resolve to do against a cruel enemy? I will therefore\nfollow your advice, since both my repose and yours depend upon it.\"\nAfter the princess had agreed to the measures proposed by Aladdin, he\ntook his leave and went and spent the rest of the day in the\nneighbourhood of the palace till it was night, and he might safely\nreturn to the private door.\n\nThe princess, who had remained inconsolable at being parted from her\nhusband, had, ever since their cruel separation, lived in great neglect\nof her person. She had almost forgotten the neatness so becoming persons\nof her sex and quality, particularly after the first time the magician\npaid her a visit and she had understood by some of the women, who knew\nhim again, that it was he who had taken the old lamp in exchange for a\nnew one. However, the opportunity of taking the revenge he deserved made\nher resolve to gratify Aladdin. As soon, therefore, as he was gone, she\nsat down to dress, and was attired by her women to the best advantage\nin the richest habit of her wardrobe. Her girdle was of the finest and\nlargest diamonds set in gold, her necklace of pearls, six on a side, so\nwell proportioned to that in the middle, which was the largest ever\nseen, that the greatest sultanesses would have been proud to have been\nadorned with only two of the smallest. Her bracelets, which were of\ndiamonds and rubies intermixed, corresponded admirably to the richness\nof the girdle and necklace.\n\nWhen the Princess Badroulboudour was completely dressed, she consulted\nher glass and women upon her adjustment; and when she found she wanted\nno charms to flatter the foolish passion of the African magician, she\nsat down on a sofa expecting his arrival. The magician came at the usual\nhour, and as soon as he entered the great hall where the princess waited\nto receive him, she rose with an enchanting grace and smile, and pointed\nwith her hand to the most honourable place, waiting till he sat down,\nthat she might sit at the same time, which was a civility she had never\nshown him before.\n\nThe African magician, dazzled more with the lustre of the princess's\neyes than the glittering of her jewels, was much surprised. The smiling\nair with which she received him, so opposite to her former behaviour,\nquite fascinated his heart. When he was seated, the princess, to free\nhim from his embarrassment, broke silence first, looking at him all the\ntime in such a manner as to make him believe that he was not so odious\nto her as she had given him to understand hitherto, and said; \"You are\ndoubtless amazed to find me so much altered to-day; but your surprise\nwill not be so great when I acquaint you, that I am naturally of a\ndisposition so opposite to melancholy and grief, that I always strive to\nput them as far away as possible when I find the subject of them is\npast. I have reflected on what you told me of Aladdin's fate, and know\nmy father's temper so well that I am persuaded, with you, he could not\nescape the terrible effects of the sultan's rage: therefore, should I\ncontinue to lament him all my life, my tears cannot recall him. For this\nreason, since I have paid all the duties decency requires of me to his\nmemory, now he is in the grave I think I ought to endeavour to comfort\nmyself. These are the motives of the change you see in me; I am resolved\nto banish melancholy entirely; and persuaded that you will bear me\ncompany to-night, I have ordered a supper to be prepared; but as I have\nno wines but those of China, I have a great desire to taste of the\nproduce of Africa, and doubt not your procuring some of the best.\"\n\nThe African magician, who had looked upon the happiness of getting so\nsoon and so easily into the Princess Badroulboudour's good graces as\nimpossible, could not think of words expressive enough to testify how\nsensible he was of her favours: but to put an end the sooner to a\nconversation which would have embarrassed him, if he had engaged farther\nin it, he turned it upon the wines of Africa, and said: \"Of all the\nadvantages Africa can boast, that of producing the most excellent wines\nis one of the principal. I have a vessel of seven years old, which has\nnever been broached; and it is indeed not praising it too much to say it\nis the finest wine in the world. If my princess,\" added he, \"will give\nme leave, I will go and fetch two bottles, and return again\nimmediately.\" \"I should be sorry to give you that trouble,\" replied the\nprincess; \"you had better send for them.\" \"It is necessary I should go\nmyself,\" answered the African magician, \"for nobody but myself knows\nwhere the key of the cellar is laid, or has the secret to unlock the\ndoor.\" \"If it be so,\" said the princess, \"make haste back; for the\nlonger you stay the greater will be my impatience, and we shall sit down\nto supper as soon as you return.\" The African magician, full of hopes\nof his expected happiness, rather flew than ran, and returned quickly\nwith the wine. The princess, not doubting but he would make haste, put\nwith her own hand the powder Aladdin had given her into the cup set\napart for that purpose. They sat down at the table opposite to each\nother, the magician's back toward the buffet. The princess presented him\nwith the best at the table, and said to him: \"If you please, I will\nentertain you with a concert of vocal and instrumental music; but as we\nare only two, I think conversation may be more agreeable.\" This the\nmagician took as a new favour. After they had eaten some time, the\nprincess called for some wine, drank the magician's health, and\nafterward said to him: \"Indeed you had a full right to commend your\nwine, since I never tasted any so delicious.\" \"Charming princess,\" said\nhe, holding in his hand the cup which had been presented to him, \"my\nwine becomes more exquisite by your approbation.\" \"Then drink my\nhealth,\" replied the princess: \"you will find I understand wines.\" He\ndrank the princess's health, and returning the cup said; \"I think myself\nfortunate, princess, that I reserved this wine for so happy an occasion;\nand own I never before drank any in every respect so excellent.\" When\nthey had each drunk two or three cups more, the princess, who had\ncompletely charmed the African magician by her obliging behaviour, gave\nthe signal to the slave who served them with wine, bidding her bring the\ncup which had been filled for herself, and at the same time bring the\nmagician a full goblet. When they both had their cups in their hands,\nshe said to him: \"I know not how you express your loves in these parts\nwhen drinking together. With us in China lovers reciprocally exchange\ncups, and drink each other's health:\" at the same time she presented to\nhim the cup which was in her hand, and held out her hand to receive his.\nHe hastened to make the exchange with the more pleasure, because he\nlooked upon this favour as a token of conquest over the princess, which\nraised his rapture to the highest pitch. Before he drank, he said to\nher, with the cup in his hand: \"Indeed, princess, we Africans are not so\nrefined in the art of love as you Chinese: and your instructing me in a\nlesson I was ignorant of, informs me how sensible I ought to be of the\nfavour done me. I shall never, lovely princess, forget my recovering, by\ndrinking out of your cup, that life, which your cruelty, had it\ncontinued, must have made me despair of.\"\n\nThe princess, who began to be tired with his declarations, interrupted\nhim and said: \"Let us drink first, and then say what you will\nafterward:\" at the same time she set the cup to her lips, while the\nAfrican magician, who was eager to get his wine off first, drank up the\nvery last drop. In finishing it, he leaned his head back to show his\neagerness, and remained some time in that state. The princess kept the\ncup at her lips till she saw his eyes turn in his head, when he fell\nbackward lifeless on the sofa. The princess had no occasion to order the\nprivate door to be opened to Aladdin; for her women were so disposed\nfrom the great hall to the foot of the staircase, that the word was no\nsooner given that the magician was fallen, than the door was immediately\nopened. As soon as Aladdin entered the hall, he saw the magician\nstretched backward on the sofa. The princess rose from her seat, and ran\noverjoyed to embrace him; but he stopped her and said: \"Princess, it is\nnot yet time; let me be left alone a moment, while I endeavour to\ntransport you back to China as speedily as you were brought from\nthence.\" When the princess, her women and eunuchs, were gone out of the\nhall, Aladdin shut the door, and, going directly to the dead body of the\nmagician, opened his vest, took out the lamp which was carefully\nwrapped up, as the princess had told him, and unfolding and rubbing it,\nthe genie immediately appeared. \"Genie,\" said Aladdin, \"I have called to\ncommand thee, on the part of thy good mistress, this lamp, to transport\nthis palace instantly into China, to the place from whence it was\nbrought hither.\" The genie bowed his head in token of obedience, and\ndisappeared. Immediately the palace was transported into China, and its\nremoval was only felt by two little shocks, the one when it was lifted\nup, the other when it was set down, and both in a very short interval of\ntime.\n\nFrom the time of the transportation of Aladdin's palace, the princess's\nfather had been inconsolable for the loss of her. Before the disaster he\nused to go every morning into his closet to please himself with viewing\nthe palace; he went now many times in the day to renew his tears, and\nplunge himself into the deepest melancholy, by reflecting how he had\nlost what was most dear to him in this world.\n\nThe very morning of the return to the palace, the sultan went into his\ncloset to indulge his sorrows. Absorbed in himself, and in a pensive\nmood, he cast his eyes toward the spot, expecting only to see an open\nspace; but perceiving the vacancy filled up, he at first imagined the\nappearance to be the effect of a fog; looking more attentively, he was\nconvinced beyond the power of doubt that it was his son-in-law's palace.\nJoy and gladness succeeded to sorrow and grief. He returned immediately\ninto his apartment, and ordered a horse to be saddled and brought to him\nwithout delay, which he mounted that instant, thinking he could not make\nhaste enough to the palace.\n\nAladdin, who foresaw what would happen, rose that morning by daybreak,\nput on one of the most magnificent habits his wardrobe afforded, and\nwent up into the hall of twenty-four windows, from whence he perceived\nthe sultan approaching, and got down soon enough to receive him at the\nfoot of the great staircase. \"Aladdin,\" said the sultan, \"I cannot speak\nto you till I have seen and embraced my daughter.\" The happy father was\nthen led to the princess's apartment and embraced her with his face\nbathed in tears of joy. The sultan was some time before he could open\nhis lips, so great was his surprise and joy to find his daughter again,\nafter he had given her up for lost; and the princess, upon seeing her\nfather, let fall tears of rapture and affection.\n\nAt last the sultan broke silence, and said: \"I would believe, daughter,\nyour joy to see me makes you seem as little changed as if no misfortune\nhad befallen you; yet I cannot be persuaded but that you have suffered\nmuch alarm; for a large palace cannot be so suddenly transported as\nyours has been, without causing great fright and apprehension. I would\nhave you tell me all that has happened, and conceal nothing from me.\"\n\nThe princess, who took great pleasure in giving the sultan the\nsatisfaction he demanded, said: \"If I appear so little altered, I beg of\nyour majesty to consider that I received new life yesterday morning by\nthe presence of my dear husband and deliverer, Aladdin, whom I looked\nupon and bewailed as lost to me. My greatest suffering was to find\nmyself forced not only from your majesty, but from my dear husband; not\nonly from the love I bore him, but from the uneasiness I laboured under\nthrough fear that he, though innocent, might feel the effects of your\nanger. As to what relates to my transportation, I was myself the\ninnocent cause of it.\" To persuade the sultan of the truth of what she\nsaid, she gave him a full account of how the African magician had\ndisguised himself, and offered to change new lamps for old ones; how she\nhad amused herself in making that exchange; how the palace and herself\nwere carried away and transported into Africa, with the magician, who\nwas recognised by two of her women and the eunuch who made the exchange\nof the lamp, when he had the audacity, after the success of his daring\nenterprise, to propose himself for her husband; how he persecuted her\ntill Aladdin's arrival; how they had concerted measures to get the lamp\nfrom him again, and the success they had fortunately met with by her\ndissimulation in inviting him to supper, and giving him the cup with the\npowder prepared for him. \"For the rest,\" added she, \"I leave it to\nAladdin to recount.\"\n\nAladdin had not much to tell the sultan, but only said: \"When the\nprivate door was opened I went up into the great hall, where I found the\nmagician lying dead on the sofa; and as I thought it not proper for the\nprincess to stay there any longer, I desired her to go down into her own\napartment, with her women and eunuchs. As soon as I was alone, and had\ntaken the lamp out of the magician's breast, I made use of the same\nsecret he had done, to remove the palace, and carry off the princess;\nand by that means the palace was reconveyed to the place where it stood\nbefore; and I have the happiness to restore the princess to your\nmajesty. But that your majesty may not think that I impose upon you, if\nyou will give yourself the trouble to go up into the hall, you may see\nthe magician punished as he deserved.\"\n\nThe sultan rose instantly and went into the hall, where, when he saw the\nAfrican magician dead, and his face already livid by the strength of the\npoison, he embraced Aladdin with great tenderness, and said: \"My son, be\nnot displeased at my proceedings against you; they arose from my\npaternal love; and therefore you ought to forgive the excesses to which\nit hurried me.\" \"Sir,\" replied Aladdin, \"I have not the least reason to\ncomplain of your majesty's conduct, since you did nothing but what your\nduty required. This infamous magician, the basest of men, was the sole\ncause of my misfortune. When your majesty has leisure, I will give you\nan account of another villainous action he was guilty of toward me,\nwhich was no less black and base than this.\" \"I will take an\nopportunity, and that very shortly,\" replied the sultan, \"to hear it;\nbut in the meantime let us think only of rejoicing.\"\n\nThe sultan then commanded the drums, trumpets, cymbals, and other\ninstruments of music to announce his joy to the public, and a festival\nof ten days to be proclaimed for the return of the princess and Aladdin.\n\nWithin a few years afterward, the sultan died in a good old age, and as\nhe left no male children, the Princess Badroulboudour, as lawful heir of\nthe throne, succeeded him, and communicating the power to Aladdin, they\nreigned together many years, and left a numerous and illustrious\nprogeny.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF PRINCE AGIB\n\n\nI was a king, and the son of a king; and when my father died, I\nsucceeded to his throne, and governed my subjects with justice and\nbeneficence. I took pleasure in sea-voyages; and my capital was on the\nshore of an extensive sea, interspersed with fortified and garrisoned\nislands, which I desired, for my amusement, to visit; I therefore\nembarked with a fleet of ten ships, and took with me provisions\nsufficient for a whole month. I proceeded twenty days, after which there\narose against us a contrary wind; but at daybreak it ceased, and the sea\nbecame calm, and we arrived at an island, where we landed, and cooked\nsome provisions and ate; after which we remained there two days. We then\ncontinued our voyage; and when twenty days more had passed, we found\nourselves in strange waters, unknown to the captain, and desired the\nwatch to look out from the mast head: so he went aloft, and when he had\ncome down he said to the captain: \"I saw, on my right hand, fish\nfloating upon the surface of the water; and looking toward the midst of\nthe sea, I perceived something looming in the distance, sometimes black,\nand sometimes white.\"\n\nWhen the captain heard this report of the watch, he threw his turban on\nthe deck, and plucked his beard, and said to those who were with him:\n\"Receive warning of our destruction, which will befall all of us: not\none will escape!\" So saying, he began to weep; and all of us in like\nmanner bewailed our lot. I desired him to inform us of that which the\nwatch had seen. \"O my lord,\" he replied, \"know that we have wandered\nfrom our course since the commencement of the contrary wind that was\nfollowed in the morning by a calm, in consequence of which we remained\nstationary two days: from that period we have deviated from our course\nfor twenty-one days, and we have no wind to carry us back from the fate\nwhich awaits us after this day. To-morrow we shall arrive at a mountain\nof black stone, called loadstone: the current is now bearing us\nviolently toward it, and the ships will fall in pieces, and every nail\nin them will fly to the mountain, and adhere to it; for God hath given\nto the loadstone a secret property by virtue of which everything of iron\nis attracted toward it. On that mountain is such a quantity of iron as\nno one knoweth but God, whose name be exalted; for from times of old\ngreat numbers of ships have been destroyed by the influence of that\nmountain. There is, upon the summit of the mountain, a cupola of brass\nsupported by ten columns, and upon the top of this is a horseman upon a\nhorse of brass, having in his hand a brazen spear, and upon his breast\nsuspended a tablet of lead, upon which are engraved mysterious names and\ntalismans: and as long, O King, as this horseman remains upon the horse,\nso long will every ship that approaches be destroyed, with every person\non board, and all the iron contained in it will cleave to the mountain:\nno one will be safe until the horseman shall have fallen from the\nhorse.\" The captain then wept bitterly; and we felt assured that our\ndestruction was inevitable, and every one of us bade adieu to his\nfriend.\n\nOn the following morning we drew near to the mountain; the current\ncarried us toward it with violence, and when the ships were almost close\nto it, they fell asunder, and all the nails, and everything else that\nwas of iron, flew from them toward the loadstone. It was near the close\nof day when the ships fell in pieces. Some of us were drowned, and some\nescaped; but the greater number were drowned, and of those who saved\ntheir lives none know what became of the others, so stupefied were they\nby the waves and the boisterous wind. As for myself, God, whose name be\nexalted, spared me on account of the trouble and torment and affliction\nthat He had predestined to befall me. I placed myself upon a plank, and\nthe wind and waves cast it upon the mountain; and when I had landed, I\nfound a practicable way to the summit, resembling steps cut in the rock:\nso I exclaimed: \"In the name of God!\" and offered up a prayer, and\nattempted the ascent, holding fast by the notches; and presently God\nstilled the wind, so that I arrived in safety at the summit. Rejoicing\ngreatly in my escape, I immediately entered the cupola, and performed\nprayers in gratitude to God for my preservation; after which I slept\nbeneath the cupola, and heard a voice saying to me: \"O son of Khasib,\nwhen thou awakest, dig beneath thy feet, and thou wilt find a bow of\nbrass, and three arrows of lead, whereon are engraved talismans: then\ntake the bow and arrows and shoot at the horseman that is upon the top\nof the cupola, and relieve mankind from this great affliction; for when\nthou hast shot at the horseman he will fall into the sea; the bow will\nalso fall, and do thou bury it in its place; and as soon as thou hast\ndone this, the sea will swell and rise until it attains the summit of\nthe mountain; and there will appear upon it a boat bearing a man,\ndifferent from him whom thou shalt have cast down, and he will come to\nthee, having an oar in his hand: then do thou embark with him; but utter\nnot the name of God; and he will convey thee in ten days to a safe sea,\nwhere, on thy arrival, thou wilt find one who will take thee to thy\ncity. All this shall be done if thou utter not the name of God.\"\n\nAwaking from my sleep, I sprang up, and did as the voice had directed. I\nshot at the horseman, and he fell into the sea; and the bow having\nfallen from my hand, I buried it: the sea then became troubled, and rose\nto the summit of the mountain, and when I had stood waiting there a\nlittle while, I beheld a boat in the midst of the sea, approaching me. I\npraised God, whose name be exalted, and when the boat came to me, I\nfound in it a man of brass, with a tablet of lead upon his breast,\nengraven with names and talismans. Without uttering a word, I embarked\nin the boat, and the man rowed me ten successive days, after which I\nbeheld the islands of security, whereupon, in the excess of my joy, I\nexclaimed: \"There is no deity but God! God is most great!\"--and as soon\nas I had done this, the man cast me out of the boat, and sank in the\nsea.\n\nBeing able to swim, I swam until night, when my arms and shoulders were\ntired, and, in this perilous situation, I repeated the profession of the\nfaith, and gave myself up as lost; but the sea rose with the violence of\nthe wind, and a wave like a vast castle threw me upon the land, in order\nto the accomplishment of the purpose of God. I ascended the shore, and\nafter I had wrung out my clothes, and spread them upon the ground to\ndry, I slept; and in the morning I put on my clothes again, and, looking\nabout to see which way I should go, I found a tract covered with trees;\nand when I had walked round it, I found that I was upon a small island\nin the midst of the sea; upon which I said within myself: \"Every time\nthat I escape from one calamity I fall into another that is worse:\" but\nwhile I was reflecting upon my unfortunate case, and wishing for death,\nI beheld a vessel bearing a number of men. I arose immediately, and\nclimbed into a tree; and lo, the vessel came to the shore, and there\nlanded from it ten black slaves bearing axes. They proceeded to the\nmiddle of the island, and, digging up the earth, uncovered and lifted up\na trap-door, after which they returned to the vessel, and brought from\nit bread and flour, and clarified butter and honey, and sheep and\neverything that the wants of an inhabitant would require, continuing to\npass backward and forward between the vessel and the trap-door, bringing\nloads from the former, and entering the latter, until they had removed\nall the stores from the ship. They then came out of the vessel with\nvarious clothes of the most beautiful description, and in the midst of\nthem was an old sheikh, enfeebled and wasted by extreme age, leading by\nthe hand a young man cast in the mould of graceful symmetry, and\ninvested with such perfect beauty as deserved to be a subject for\nproverbs. He was like a fresh and slender twig, enchanting and\ncaptivating every heart by his elegant form. The party proceeded to the\ntrap-door, and, entering it, became concealed from my eyes.\n\nThey remained beneath about two hours, or more; after which, the sheikh\nand the slaves came out; but the youth came not with them; and they\nreplaced the earth, and embarked and set sail. Soon after, I descended\nfrom the tree, and went to the excavation. I removed the earth, and,\nentering the aperture, saw a flight of wooden steps, which I descended;\nand, at the bottom, I beheld a handsome dwelling-place, furnished with a\nvariety of silken carpets; and there was the youth, sitting upon a high\nmattress, with sweet-smelling flowers and fruits placed before him. On\nseeing me, his countenance became pale; but I saluted him, and said:\n\"Let thy mind be composed, O my master: thou hast nothing to fear; for I\nam a man, and the son of a king, like thyself: fate hath impelled me to\nthee, that I may cheer thee in thy solitude.\" The youth, when he heard\nme thus address him, and was convinced that I was one of his own\nspecies, rejoiced exceedingly at my arrival, his colour returned, and,\ndesiring me to approach him, he said: \"O my brother, my story is\nwonderful: my father is a jeweller; he had slaves who made voyages\nby his orders, for the purposes of commerce, and he had dealings with\nkings; but he had never been blest with a son; and he dreamt that he was\nsoon to have a son, but one whose life would be short; and he awoke\nsorrowful. Shortly after, in accordance with the decrees of God, my\nmother gave birth to me; and my father was greatly rejoiced: the\nastrologers, however, came to him, and said: Thy son will live fifteen\nyears: his fate is intimated by the fact that there is in the sea a\nmountain called the Mountain of Loadstone, whereon is a horseman on a\nhorse of brass, on the former of which is a tablet of lead suspended to\nhis neck; and when the horseman shall be thrown down from his horse, thy\nson will be slain: the person who is to slay him is he who will throw\ndown the horseman, and his name is King Agib, the son of King Khasib. My\nfather was greatly afflicted at this announcement; and when he had\nreared me until I had nearly attained the age of fifteen years, the\nastrologers came again, and informed him that the horseman had fallen\ninto the sea, and that it had been thrown down by King Agib, the son of\nKing Khasib; on hearing which, he prepared for me this dwelling, and\nhere left me to remain until the completion of the term, of which there\nnow remain ten days. All this he did from fear lest King Agib should\nkill me.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_And when the boat came to me I found in it a man of brass, with a\ntablet of lead upon his breast, engraven with names and talismans._\n\nWhen I heard this, I was filled with wonder, and said within myself: \"I\nam King Agib, the son of King Khasib, and it was I who threw down the\nhorseman; but, by Allah, I will neither kill him nor do him any injury.\"\nThen said I to the youth: \"Far from thee be both destruction and harm,\nif it be the will of God: thou hast nothing to fear: I will remain with\nthee to serve thee, and will go forth with thee to thy father, and beg\nof him to send me back to my country, for the which he will obtain a\nreward.\" The youth rejoiced at my words, and I sat and conversed with\nhim until night, when I spread his bed for him, and covered him, and\nslept near to his side. And in the morning I brought him water, and he\nwashed his face, and said to me: \"May God requite thee for me with every\nblessing. If I escape from King Agib, I will make my father reward thee\nwith abundant favours.\" \"Never,\" I replied, \"may the day arrive that\nwould bring thee misfortune!\" I then placed before him some\nrefreshments, and after we had eaten together, we passed the day\nconversing with the utmost cheerfulness.\n\nI continued to serve him for nine days; and on the tenth day the youth\nrejoiced at finding himself in safety, and said to me: \"O my brother, I\nwish that thou wouldst in thy kindness warm for me some water, that I\nmay wash myself and change my clothes; for I have smelt the odour of\nescape from death, in consequence of thy assistance.\" \"With pleasure,\" I\nreplied; and I arose, and warmed the water; after which, he entered a\nplace concealed from my view, and, having washed himself and changed his\nclothes, laid himself upon the mattress to rest after his bath. He then\nsaid to me: \"Cut up for me, O my brother, a water-melon, and mix its\njuice with some sugar:\" so I arose, and, taking a melon, brought it upon\na plate, and said to him; \"Knowest thou, O my master, where is the\nknife?\" \"See, here it is,\" he answered, \"upon the shelf over my head.\" I\nsprang up hastily, and took it from its sheath, and as I was drawing\nback, my foot slipped, as God had decreed, and I fell upon the youth,\ngrasping in my hand the knife, which entered his body, and he died\ninstantly. When I perceived that he was dead, and that I had killed him,\nI uttered a loud shriek, and beat my face, and rent my clothes: saying:\n\"This is, indeed, a calamity! O my Lord, I implore thy pardon, and\ndeclare to Thee my innocence of his death! Would that I had died before\nhim!\"\n\nWith these reflections I ascended the steps, and, having replaced the\ntrap-door, returned to my first station, and looked over the sea, where\nI saw the vessel that had come before, approaching, and cleaving the\nwaves in its rapid course. Upon this I said within myself: \"Now will the\nmen come forth from the vessel, and find the youth slain, and they will\nslay me also:\" so I climbed into a tree, and concealed myself among its\nleaves, and sat there till the vessel arrived and cast anchor, when the\nslaves landed with the old sheikh, the father of the youth, and went to\nthe place, and removed the earth. They were surprised at finding it\nmoist, and, when they had descended the steps, they discovered the youth\nlying on his back, exhibiting a face beaming with beauty, though dead,\nand clad in white and clean clothing, with the knife remaining in his\nbody. They all wept at the sight, and the father fell down in a swoon,\nwhich lasted so long that the slaves thought he was dead. At length,\nhowever, he recovered, and came out with the slaves, who had wrapped the\nbody of the youth in his clothes. They then took back all that was in\nthe subterranean dwelling to the vessel, and departed.\n\nI remained, by day hiding myself in a tree, and at night walking about\nthe open part of the island. Thus I continued for the space of two\nmonths; and I perceived that, on the western side of the island, the\nwater of the sea every day retired, until, after three months, the land\nthat had been beneath it became dry. Rejoicing at this, and feeling\nconfident now in my escape, I traversed this dry tract, and arrived at\nan expanse of sand; whereupon I emboldened myself, and crossed it. I\nthen saw in the distance an appearance of fire, and, advancing toward\nit, found it to be a palace, overlaid with plates of red copper, which,\nreflecting the rays of the sun, seemed from a distance to be fire: and\nwhen I drew near to it, reflecting upon this sight, there approached me\nan old sheikh, accompanied by ten young men who were all blind of one\neye, at which I was extremely surprised. As soon as they saw me, they\nsaluted me, and asked me my story, which I related to them from first to\nlast; and they were filled with wonder. They then conducted me into the\npalace, where I saw ten benches, upon each of which was a mattress\ncovered with a blue stuff; and each of the young men seated himself upon\none of these benches, while the sheikh took his place upon a smaller\none; after which they said to me: \"Sit down, O young man, and ask no\nquestion respecting our condition, nor respecting our being blind of one\neye.\" Then the sheikh arose, and brought to each of them some food, and\nthe same to me also; and next he brought to each of us some wine: and\nafter we had eaten, we sat drinking together until the time for sleep,\nwhen the young men said to the sheikh: \"Bring to us our accustomed\nsupply\"--upon which the sheikh arose, and entered a closet, from which\nhe brought, upon his head, ten covered trays. Placing these upon the\nfloor, he lighted ten candles, and stuck one of them upon each tray;\nand, having done this, he removed the covers, and there appeared beneath\nthem ashes mixed with pounded charcoal. The young men then tucked up\ntheir sleeves above the elbow, and blackened their faces, and slapped\ntheir cheeks, exclaiming: \"We were reposing at our ease, and our\nimpertinent curiosity suffered us not to remain so!\" Thus they did until\nthe morning, when the sheikh brought them some hot water, and they\nwashed their faces, and put on other clothes.\n\nOn witnessing this conduct, my reason was confounded, my heart was so\ntroubled that I forgot my own misfortunes, and I asked them the cause of\ntheir strange behaviour; upon which they looked toward me, and said: \"O\nyoung man, ask not respecting that which doth not concern thee; but be\nsilent; for in silence is security from error.\" I remained with them a\nwhole month, during which, every night they did the same, and at length\nI said to them: \"I conjure you by Allah to remove this disquiet from my\nmind, and to inform me of the cause of your acting in this manner, and\nof your exclaiming; 'We were reposing at our ease, and our impertinent\ncuriosity suffered us not to remain so!' if ye inform me not, I will\nleave you, and go my way.\" On hearing these words, they replied: \"We\nhave not concealed this affair from thee but in our concern for thy\nwelfare, lest thou shouldst become like us, and the same affliction that\nhath befallen us happen also to thee.\" I said, however: \"Ye must\npositively inform me of this matter.\" \"We give thee good advice,\" said\nthey, \"and do thou receive it, and ask us not respecting our case;\notherwise thou wilt become blind of one eye, like us\"--but I still\npersisted in my request; whereupon they said: \"O young man, if this\nbefall thee, know that thou wilt be banished from our company.\" They\nthen all arose, and, taking a ram, slaughtered and skinned it, and said\nto me: \"Take this knife with thee, and introduce thyself into the skin\nof the ram, and we will sew thee up in it, and go away; whereupon a bird\ncalled the roc will come to thee, and, taking thee up by its talons,\nwill fly away with thee, and set thee down upon a mountain: then cut\nopen the skin with this knife, and get out, and the bird will fly away.\nThou must arise, as soon as it hath gone, and journey for half a day,\nand thou wilt see before thee a lofty palace, encased with red gold, set\nwith various precious stones such as emeralds and rubies; and if thou\nenter it thy case will be as ours; for our entrance into that palace was\nthe cause of our being blind of one eye; and if one of us would relate\nto thee all that hath befallen him, his story would be too long for thee\nto hear.\"\n\nThey then sewed me up in the skin, and entered their palace; and soon\nafter, there came an enormous white bird, which seized me, and flew away\nwith me, and set me down upon the mountain; whereupon I cut open the\nskin, and got out; and the bird, as soon as it saw me, flew away. I rose\nup quickly, and proceeded toward the palace, which I found to be as they\nhad described it to me; and when I had entered it, I beheld, at the\nupper end of a saloon, forty young damsels, beautiful as so many moons,\nand magnificently attired, who, as soon as they saw me, exclaimed:\n\"Welcome! Welcome! O our master and our lord! We have been for a month\nexpecting thee. Praise be to God who hath blessed us with one who is\nworthy of us, and one of whom we are worthy!\" After having thus greeted\nme, they seated me upon a mattress, and said; \"Thou art from this day\nour master and prince, and we are thy handmaids, and entirely under thy\nauthority.\" They then brought to me some refreshments, and, when I had\neaten and drunk, they sat and conversed with me, full of joy and\nhappiness. So lovely were these ladies, that even a devotee, if he saw\nthem, would gladly consent to be their servant, and to comply with all\nthat they would desire. At the approach of night they all assembled\naround me, and placed before me a table of fresh and dried fruits, with\nother delicacies that the tongue cannot describe, and wine; and one\nbegan to sing, while another played upon the lute. The wine-cups\ncirculated among us, and joy overcame me to such a degree as to\nobliterate from my mind every earthly care, and make me exclaim: \"This\nis indeed a delightful life!\" I passed a night of such enjoyment as I\nhad never before experienced; and on the morrow I entered the bath; and,\nafter I had washed myself, they brought me a suit of the richest\nclothing, and we again sat down to a repast.\n\nIn this manner I lived with them a whole year; but on the first day of\nthe new year, they seated themselves around me, and began to weep, and\nbade me farewell, clinging to my skirts. \"What calamity hath befallen\nyou?\" said I. \"Ye are breaking my heart.\" They answered: \"Would that we\nhad never known thee; for we have associated with many men, but have\nseen none like thee. May God, therefore, not deprive us of thy company.\"\nAnd they wept afresh. I said to them: \"I wish that you would acquaint me\nwith the cause of this weeping.\" \"Thou,\" they replied, \"art the cause;\nyet now, if thou wilt attend to what we tell thee, we shall never be\nparted; but if thou act contrary to it, we are separated from this time;\nand our hearts whisper to us that thou wilt not regard our warning.\"\n\"Inform me,\" said I, \"and I will attend to your directions.\" And they\nreplied: \"If then thou wouldst inquire respecting our history, know that\nwe are the daughters of kings: for many years it hath been our custom to\nassemble here, and every year we absent ourselves during a period of\nforty days; then returning, we indulge ourselves for a year in feasting\nand drinking. This is our usual practice; and now we fear that thou wilt\ndisregard our directions when we are absent from thee. We deliver to\nthee the keys of the palace, which are a hundred in number, belonging to\na hundred closets. Open each of these, and amuse thyself, and eat and\ndrink, and refresh thyself, excepting the closet that hath a door of red\ngold; for if thou open this, the consequence will be a separation\nbetween us and thee. We conjure thee, therefore, to observe our\ndirection, and to be patient during this period.\" Upon hearing this, I\nswore to them that I would never open the closet to which they alluded;\nand they departed, urging me to be faithful to my promise.\n\nI remained alone in the palace, and at the approach of evening I opened\nthe first closet, and, entering it, found a mansion like paradise, with\na garden containing green trees loaded with ripe fruits, abounding with\nsinging birds, and watered by copious streams. My heart was soothed by\nthe sight, and I wandered among the trees, scenting the fragrance of the\nflowers, and listening to the warbling of the birds as they sang the\npraises of the One, the Almighty. After admiring the mingled colours of\nthe apple resembling the hue upon the cheek of the beloved maid and the\nsallow countenance of the perplexed and timid lover, the sweet-smelling\nquince diffusing an odour like musk and ambergris, and the plum shining\nas the ruby, I retired from this place, and, having locked the door,\nopened that of the next closet, within which I beheld a spacious tract\nplanted with numerous palm-trees, and watered by a river flowing among\nrose-trees, and jasmine, and marjoram, and eglantine, and narcissus, and\ngilliflower, the odours of which, diffused in every direction by the\nwind, inspired me with the utmost delight. I locked again the door of\nthe second closet, and opened that of the third. Within this I found a\nlarge saloon, paved with marbles of various colours, and with costly\nminerals and precious gems, and containing cages constructed of sandal\nand aloes-wood with singing birds within them, and others upon the\nbranches of trees which were planted there. My heart was charmed, my\ntrouble was dissipated, and I slept there until the morning. I then\nopened the door of the fourth closet, and within this door I found a\ngreat building in which were forty closets with open doors; and entering\nthese, I beheld pearls, and rubies, and chrysolites, and emeralds, and\nother precious jewels such as the tongue cannot describe. I was\nastonished at the sight, and said: \"Such things as these, I imagine, are\nnot found in the treasury of any king. I am now the King of my age, and\nall these treasures, through the goodness of God, are mine.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_At the approach of evening I opened the first closet and, entering it,\nfound a mansion like paradise._\n\nThus I continued to amuse myself, passing from one place to another,\nuntil thirty-nine days had elapsed, and I had opened the doors of all\nthe closets excepting that which they had forbidden me to open. My heart\nwas then disturbed by curiosity respecting this hundredth closet, and\nthe Devil, in order to plunge me into misery, induced me to open it. I\nhad not patience to abstain, though there remained of the appointed\nperiod only one day: so I approached the closet, and opened the door;\nand when I had entered, I perceived a fragrant odour, such as I had\nnever before smelt, which intoxicated me so that I fell down insensible,\nand remained some time in this state: but at length recovering, I\nfortified my heart, and proceeded. I found the floor overspread with\nsaffron, and the place illuminated by golden lamps and by candles, which\ndiffused the odours of musk and ambergris. I saw also a black horse, of\nthe hue of the darkest night, before which was a manger of white crystal\nfilled with cleansed sesame, and another, similar to it, containing\nrose-water infused with musk: he was saddled and bridled, and his saddle\nwas of red gold. Wondering at the sight of him, I said within myself:\n\"This must be an animal of extraordinary qualities;\" and, seduced by the\nDevil, I led him out, and mounted him; but he moved not from his place.\nI kicked him with my heel; but still he moved not: so I took a switch\nand struck him with it; and as soon as he felt the blow he uttered a\nsound like thunder, and, expanding a pair of wings, soared with me to an\nimmense height through the air, and then alighted upon the roof of\nanother palace, where he threw me from his back, and, by a violent blow\nwith his tail upon my face, struck out my eye, and left me.\n\nThus it was I became blind of one eye. I then recollected the\npredictions of the ten young men. The horse again took wing, and soon\ndisappeared. I got up much vexed at the misfortune I had brought upon\nmyself. I walked upon the terrace, covering my eye with one of my hands,\nfor it pained me exceedingly, and then descended, and entered into a\nhall. I soon discovered by the ten benches in a circle, and the eleventh\nin the middle, smaller than the rest, that I was in the castle whence I\nhad been carried by the roc.\n\nThe ten young men were not in the hall when I entered; but came in soon\nafter, attended by the sheikh. They seemed not at all surprised to see\nme, nor at the loss of my eye; but said: \"We are sorry that we cannot\ncongratulate you on your return, as we could wish; but we are not the\ncause of your misfortune.\" \"I should do you wrong,\" I replied, \"to lay\nit to your charge; I have only myself to accuse.\" \"If,\" said they, \"it\nbe a subject of consolation to the afflicted to know that others share\ntheir sufferings, you have in us this alleviation of your misfortune.\nAll that has happened to you we have also endured; we each of us tasted\nthe same pleasures during a year; and we had still continued to enjoy\nthem, had we not opened the golden door, when the princesses were\nabsent. You have been no wiser than we, and have incurred the same\npunishment. We would gladly receive you into our company, to join with\nus in the penance to which we are bound, and the duration of which we\nknow not. But we have already stated to you the reasons that render this\nimpossible: depart, therefore, and proceed to the court of Bagdad, where\nyou will meet with the person who is to decide your destiny.\" After they\nhad explained to me the road I was to travel, I departed from them, with\nmournful heart and weeping eye, and, God having decreed me a safe\njourney hither, I arrived at Bagdad, after I had shaved my beard, and\nbecome a mendicant. Praise be to God, whose name be exalted, and whose\npurposes concerning me are as yet hid in darkness.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE CITY OF BRASS\n\n\nThere was, in olden time, in Damascus of Syria, a king, named\nAbd-El-Melik the son of Marwan; and he was sitting, one day, having with\nhim the great men of his empire, consisting of kings and sultans, when a\ndiscussion took place among them, respecting the traditions of former\nnations. They called to mind the stories of Solomon, son of David, and\nthe dominion which God had bestowed upon him over mankind, and the\ngenies, and the birds, and the wild beasts, and they said: \"We have\nheard from those who were before us, that God bestowed not upon any one\nthe power which He bestowed upon Solomon, so that he used to imprison\nthe genies and the devils in bottles of brass, and pour molten lead over\nthem, and seal a cover over them with his signet.\"\n\nThen Talib, one of the sultans, related, that a man once embarked in a\nship with a company of others, and they voyaged to the island of Sicily\nand ceased not in their course until there arose against them a wind\nwhich bore them away to an unknown land. This happened during the black\ndarkness of night, and when the day shone forth, there came out to them,\nfrom caves in that land, people of black complexion and with naked\nbodies, like wild beasts, not understanding speech. They had a king of\ntheir own race, and none of them knew Arabic save their king. So when\nthey saw the ship and those who were in her, he came forth to them\nattended by a party of his companions, and saluted them and welcomed\nthem: They acquainted him with their state; and he said to them, \"No\nharm shall befall you; there hath not come to us any one of the sons of\nAdam before you.\" And he entertained them with a banquet of the flesh of\nbirds and of wild beasts and of fish. And after this, the people of the\nship went down to divert themselves in the city, and they found one of\nthe fishermen who had cast his net in the sea to catch fish, and he drew\nit up, and, lo, in it was a bottle of brass stopped with lead, which was\nsealed with the signet of Solomon the son of David. And the fisherman\ncame forth and broke it; whereupon there proceeded from it a blue smoke,\nwhich united with the clouds of heaven; and they heard a horrible voice,\nsaying: \"Repentance! repentance! O Prophet of God!\" Then, of that smoke\nthere was formed a person of terrible aspect, of terrific make, whose\nhead would reach as high as a mountain; and he disappeared from before\ntheir eyes. As to the people of the ship, their hearts were almost\neradicated; but the blacks thought nothing of the event. And a man\nreturned to the king, and asked him respecting this; and the king\nanswered him: \"Know that this is one of the genies whom Solomon, the son\nof David, when he was incensed against them, imprisoned in these\nbottles, and he poured lead over them, and threw them into the sea. When\nthe fisherman casteth his net, it generally bringeth up these bottles;\nand when they are broken, there cometh forth from them a genie, who\nimagineth that Solomon is still living; wherefore he repenteth, and\nsaith: 'Repentance! O Prophet of God!'\"\n\nAnd the Prince of the Faithful, Abd-El-Melik, wondered at these words,\nand said: \"By Allah, I desire to see some of these bottles!\" So Talib\nreplied: \"O Prince of the Faithful, thou art able to do so, and yet\nremain in thy country. Send to thy brother Abd-El-Azeez, that he may\nwrite orders to the Emeer Moosa to journey from the Western Country to\nthis mountain which we have mentioned, and to bring thee what thou\ndesirest of these bottles; for the furthest tract of his province is\nadjacent to this mountain.\" And the Prince of the Faithful approved of\nhis advice, and said: \"O Talib, thou hast spoken truth and I desire that\nthou be my messenger to Moosa for this purpose.\" To this, Talib replied:\n\"Most willingly, O Prince of the Faithful.\" And the king said to him:\n\"Go in dependence on the blessing of God, and his aid.\" Then he gave\norders that they should write for him a letter to his brother\nAbd-El-Azeez, his viceroy in Egypt, and another letter to Moosa, his\nviceroy in the Western Country, commanding him to journey, himself, in\nsearch of the bottles of Solomon. He sealed the two letters, and\ndelivered them to Talib, commanding him to hasten, and he gave him\nriches and riders and footmen to aid him in his way.\n\nSo Talib went forth on his way to Egypt, and when the Emeer Moosa knew\nof his approach, he went forth to him and met him, and rejoiced at his\narrival; and Talib handed to him the letter. So he took it and read it,\nand understood its meaning; and he put it upon his head, saying: \"I hear\nand obey the command of the Prince of the Faithful.\" He determined to\nsummon his great men; and they presented themselves; and he inquired of\nthem respecting that which had been made known to him by the letter;\nwhereupon they said: \"O Emeer, if thou desire him who will guide thee to\nthat place, have recourse to the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad; for he is a\nknowing man, and hath travelled much, and he is acquainted with the\ndeserts and wastes and the seas, and their inhabitants and their\nwonders, and the countries and their districts. Have recourse therefore\nto him, and he will direct thee to the object of thy desire.\"\nAccordingly he gave orders to bring him, and he came before him; and,\nlo, he was a very old man, whom the vicissitudes of years and times had\nrendered decrepit. The Emeer Moosa saluted him, and said to him: \"O\nSheikh Abd-Es-Samad, our lord, the Prince of the Faithful, hath\ncommanded us thus and thus, and I possess little knowledge of that land,\nand it hath been told me that thou art acquainted with that country and\nthe routes. Hast thou then a wish to accomplish the affair of the Prince\nof the Faithful?\" The sheikh replied: \"Know, O Emeer, that this route is\ndifficult, far extending, with few tracks.\" The emeer said to him: \"How\nlong a period doth it require?\" He answered: \"It is a journey of two\nyears and some months going, and the like returning; and on the way are\ndifficulties and horrors, and extraordinary and wonderful things. But,\"\nhe said, \"God will assuredly make this affair easy to us through the\nblessing attendant upon thee, O Viceroy of the Prince of the Faithful.\"\n\nAfter this they departed, and they continued their journey until they\narrived at a palace; whereupon the sheikh said: \"Advance with us to this\npalace, which presenteth a lesson to him who will be admonished.\" So the\nEmeer Moosa advanced thither, together with the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad and\nhis chief companions, till they came to its entrance. And they found it\nopen, and having lofty angles, and steps, among which were two wide\nsteps of coloured marbles, the like of which hath not been seen: the\nceilings and walls were decorated with gold and silver and minerals, and\nover the entrance was a slab, whereon was an inscription in ancient\nGreek; and the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad said: \"Shall I read it, O Emeer?\" The\nemeer answered; \"Advance and read.\" So he read it; and, lo, it was\npoetry; and it was this:\n\n  Here was a people whom, after their works, thou shalt see wept over for\n    their lost dominion;\n  And in this palace is the last information respecting lords collected in\n    the dust.\n\n  Death hath destroyed them and disunited them, and in the dust they have\n    lost what they amassed;\n  As though they had only put down their loads to rest a while: quickly\n    have they departed!\n\nAnd the Emeer Moosa wept and said: \"There is no deity but God, the\nLiving, the Enduring without failure!\"\n\nThen they attentively viewed the palace; and, lo, it was devoid of\ninhabitants, destitute of household and occupants: its courts were\ndesolate, and its apartments were deserted; and in the midst of it was a\nchamber covered with a lofty dome, rising high into the air, around\nwhich were four hundred tombs.\n\nAnd the Emeer Moosa drew near to the dome-crowned chamber, and, lo, it\nhad eight doors of sandalwood, with nails of gold, ornamented with stars\nof silver set with various jewels, and he beheld in it a long tomb, of\nterrible appearance, whereon was a tablet of iron of China; and the\nSheikh Abd-Es-Samad drew near to it, and read its inscription; and, lo,\non it was written:\n\n  Shouldst thou think upon me after the length of my age, and the\n    vicissitudes of days and circumstances,\n  I am the son of Sheddad, who held dominion over mankind and each tract of\n    the whole earth.\n  All the stubborn troops became abject unto me, and Esh-Sham from Misr\n    unto Adnan.\n  In glory I reigned, abasing their kings, the people of the earth fearing\n    my dominion;\n  And I beheld the tribes and armies in my power, and saw the countries and\n    their inhabitants dread me.\n  When I mounted, I beheld my army comprising a million bridles upon\n     neighing steeds;\n  And I possessed wealth that could not be calculated, which I treasured up\n    against misfortunes,\n  Determining to devote the whole of my property for the purpose of\n    extending the term of my life.\n\n  But the Deity would nought save the execution of his purpose; and thus I\n    became separated from my brethren.\n  Death, the disuniter of mankind, came to me, and I was removed from\n    grandeur to the mansion of contempt;\n  And I found the recompense of all my past actions, for which I am\n    pledged: for I was sinful!\n  Then raise thyself, lest thou be upon a brink; and beware of calamities!\n    Mayest thou be led aright!\n\nAnd again the Emeer Moosa wept, in considering the fates of the people;\nafter which, as they were going about through the different apartments\nof the palace, and viewing attentively its chambers and its places of\ndiversion, they came to a table upon four legs of alabaster, whereon was\ninscribed:\n\n  Upon this table have eaten a thousand one-eyed kings, and a thousand\n  kings each sound in both eyes. All of them have quitted the world, and\n  taken up their abode in the burial-grounds and the graves.\n\nAnd the Emeer Moosa wrote down all this. Then he went forth, and took\nnot with him from the palace aught save the table.\n\nThe soldiers proceeded, with the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad before them shewing\nthem the way, until all the first day had passed, and the second, and\nthe third. They then came to a high hill, at which they looked, and, lo,\nupon it was a horseman of brass, on the top of whose spear was a wide\nand glistening head that almost deprived the beholder of sight, and on\nit was inscribed:\n\n  O thou who comest unto me, if thou know not the way that leadeth to\n  the City of Brass, rub the hand of the horseman, and he will turn, and\n  then will stop, and in whatsoever direction he stoppeth, thither\n  proceed, without fear and without difficulty; for it will lead thee to\n  the City of Brass.\n\nAnd when the Emeer Moosa had rubbed the hand of the horseman, it turned\nlike the blinding lightning, and faced a different direction from that\nin which they were travelling.\n\nThe party therefore turned thither and journeyed on, and it was the\nright way. They took that route, and continued their course the same day\nand the next night until they had traversed a wide tract of country. And\nas they were proceeding, one day, they came to a pillar of black stone,\nwherein was a person sunk to his arm-pits, and he had two huge wings,\nand four arms; two of them like those of the sons of Adam, and two like\nthe fore-legs of lions, with claws. He had hair upon his head like the\ntails of horses, and two eyes like two burning coals, and he had a third\neye, in his forehead, like the eye of the lynx, from which there\nappeared sparks of fire. He was black and tall; and he was crying out:\n\"Extolled be the perfection of my Lord, who hath appointed me this\nsevere affliction and painful torture until the day of resurrection!\"\nWhen the party beheld him, their reason fled from them, and they were\nstupefied at the sight of his form, and retreated in flight; and the\nEmeer Moosa said to the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad: \"What is this?\" He\nanswered: \"I know not what he is.\" And the emeer said: \"Draw near to\nhim, and investigate his case: perhaps he will discover it, and perhaps\nthou wilt learn his history.\" So the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad drew near to\nhim, and said to him: \"O thou person, what is thy name, and what is thy\nnature, and what hath placed thee here in this manner?\" And the person\nanswered him: \"As to me, I am an efreet of the genies, and my name is\nDahish, and I am restrained here by the majesty of God.\" Then the Emeer\nMoosa said: \"O Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad, ask him what is the cause of his\nconfinement in this pillar.\" He therefore asked respecting that, and the\nefreet answered him: \"Verily my story is wonderful; and it is this:\n\n\"There belonged to one of the sons of Iblees an idol of red carnelian,\nof which I was made guardian; and there used to worship it one of the\nKings of the Sea, of great glory, leading, among his troops of the\ngenies, a million warriors who smote with swords before him, and who\nanswered his prayer in cases of difficulty. These genies who obeyed him\nwere under my command and authority, following my words when I ordered\nthem: all of them were in rebellion against Solomon, the son of David;\nand I used to enter the body of the idol, and command them and forbid\nthem. Now the daughter of that king was a frequent adorer of the idol,\nassiduous in the worship of it, and she was the handsomest of the people\nof her age, endowed with beauty and loveliness, and elegance and\nperfection; and I described her to Solomon, on whom be peace! So he sent\nto her father, saying to him: 'Marry to me thy daughter, and break thy\ncarnelian-idol, and bear witness that there is no deity but God, and\nthat Solomon is the Prophet of God. But if thou refuse, I will come to\nthee with forces that shall leave thee like yesterday that hath passed.'\nAnd when the messenger of Solomon came to him, the King of the Sea was\ninsolent, and magnified himself and was proud. Then he said to his\nviziers: 'What say ye respecting the affair of Solomon? For he hath sent\ndemanding my daughter, and commanding me to break my carnelian-idol, and\nto adopt his faith.' And they replied: 'O great King, can Solomon do\naught unto thee, when thou art in the midst of this vast sea? He cannot\nprevail against thee; since the genies will fight on thy side; and thou\nshalt seek aid against him of thine idol that thou worshippest. The\nright opinion is, that thou consult thy red carnelian-idol, and hear\nwhat will be his reply: if he counsel thee to fight him, fight him; but\notherwise, do not.' And upon this the king went immediately, and, going\nin to his idol, after he had offered a sacrifice and slain victims, fell\ndown before it prostrate, and began to weep, and to seek counsel.\n\n\"Thereupon I entered the body of the idol, by reason of my ignorance,\nand my solicitude respecting the affair of Solomon, and recited this\ncouplet:\n\n  'As for me, I am not in fear of him; for I am acquainted with everything.\n  If he wish to wage war with me, I will go forth, and I will snatch his\n    soul from him.'\n\nSo when the king heard my reply to him, his heart was strengthened, and\nhe determined to wage war with Solomon the Prophet of God and to fight\nagainst him. Accordingly, when the messenger of Solomon came, he\ninflicted upon him a painful beating, and returned him a shameful reply;\nand he sent to threaten Solomon, saying to him, by the messenger: 'Dost\nthou threaten me with false words? Either come thou to me, or I will go\nto thee.'\n\n\"Then the messenger returned to Solomon, and acquainted him with all\nthat had occurred. And when the Prophet of God heard that, his\nresolution was roused, and he prepared his forces, consisting of genies\nand men, and wild beasts, and birds and reptiles. He commanded his\nvizier, Ed-Dimiryat, the king of the genies, to collect them from every\nplace: so he collected for him, of the devils, six hundred millions. He\nalso commanded Asaf, his vizier of men, to collect his soldiers of\nmankind; and their number was one million, or more. He made ready the\naccoutrements and weapons, and mounted, with his forces, upon the magic\ncarpet, with the birds flying over his head, and the wild beasts beneath\nthe carpet marching, until he alighted upon his enemy's coast, and\nsurrounded his island, having filled the land with the forces. He then\nsent to our king, saying to him: 'Behold, I have arrived: therefore\nsubmit thyself to my authority, and acknowledge my mission, and break\nthine idol, and worship the One, the Adored God, and marry to me thy\ndaughter according to law, and say thou, and those who are with thee, I\ntestify that there is no deity but God, and I testify that Solomon is\nthe Prophet of God. If thou say that, peace and safety shall be thy lot.\nBut if thou refuse, thy defending thyself from me in this island shall\nnot prevent thee: for God hath commanded the wind to obey me, and I will\norder it to convey me unto thee on the carpet, and will make thee an\nexample to restrain others.' So the messenger came to him, and\ncommunicated to him the message of the Prophet! But the king said to\nhim: 'There is no way for the accomplishment of this thing that he\nrequireth: therefore inform him that I am coming forth unto him.'\nAccordingly the messenger returned to Solomon, and gave him the reply.\nThe king then sent to the people of his country, and collected for\nhimself, of the genies that were under his authority, a million; and to\nthese he added others, of the devils that were in the islands and on the\nmountains; after which he made ready his forces, and opened the\narmouries, and distributed to them the weapons. And as to the Prophet of\nGod, he disposed his troops, commanding the wild beasts to form\nthemselves into two divisions, on the right of the people and on their\nleft, and commanding the birds to be upon the islands. He ordered them\nalso when the assault should be made, to tear out the eyes of their\nantagonists with their beaks, and to beat their faces with their wings;\nand he ordered the wild beasts to tear in pieces their horses; and they\nreplied: 'We hear and obey God and thee, O Prophet of God!' Then Solomon\nset for himself a couch of alabaster adorned with jewels, and plated\nwith plates of red gold, and he placed his vizier Asaf on the right\nside, and his vizier, Ed-Dimiryat, on the left side, and the kings of\nmankind on his right, and the kings of the genies on his left, and the\nwild beasts and the vipers and serpents before him.\n\n\"After this, they came upon us all together, and we contended with him\nin a wide tract for a period of two days; and calamity befell us on the\nthird day, and the decree of God was executed among us. The first who\ncharged upon Solomon were I and my troops; and I said to my companions:\n'Keep in your places in the battle-field while I go forth to them and\nchallenge Ed-Dimiryat.' And, lo, he came forth, like a great mountain,\nhis fires flaming, and his smoke ascending; and he approached, and\nsmote me with a flaming fire; and his arrow prevailed over my fire. He\ncried out at me with a prodigious cry, so that I imagined the heaven had\nfallen, and the mountains shook at his voice. Then he commanded his\ncompanions, and they charged upon us all together: we also charged upon\nthem: the fires rose and the smoke ascended, the hearts of the\ncombatants were almost cleft asunder, and the battle raged. The birds\nfought in the air; and the wild beasts in the dust; and I contended with\nEd-Dimiryat until he wearied me and I wearied him; after which my\ncompanions and troops were enervated, and my tribes were routed. I flew\nfrom before Ed-Dimiryat; but he followed me a journey of three months,\nuntil he overtook me. I had fallen down through fatigue, and he rushed\nupon me, and made me a prisoner. So I said to him: 'By Him who hath\nexalted thee and abased me, pity me, and take me before Solomon.' But\nwhen I came before Solomon, he met me in a most evil manner: he caused\nthis pillar to be brought, and hollowed it, and put me in it, and sealed\nme with his signet; after which, he chained me, and Ed-Dimiryat conveyed\nme to this place, where he set me down as thou seest me; and this pillar\nis my prison until the day of resurrection.\"\n\nThe party therefore wondered at him, and at the horrible nature of his\nform; and the Emeer Moosa said: \"There is no deity but God!\" And the\nSheikh Abd-Es-Samad said to the efreet: \"O thou, I ask thee concerning a\nthing of which do thou inform us.\" The efreet replied: \"Ask concerning\nwhat thou wilt.\" And the sheikh said: \"Are there in this place any of\nthe efreets confined in bottles of brass from the time of Solomon?\" He\nanswered: \"Yes, in the Sea of El-Karkar, where are a people of the\ndescendants of Noah, whose country the deluge reached not, and they are\nseparated there from the rest of the sons of Adam.\" \"And where,\" said\nthe sheikh, \"is the way to the City of Brass, and the place wherein are\nthe bottles? What distance is there between us and it?\" The efreet\nanswered: \"It is near.\" So the party left him, and proceeded; and there\nappeared to them in the distance a great black object, with two fires\ncorresponding with each other in position; whereupon the Emeer Moosa\nsaid to the sheikh: \"What is this great black object, and these two\ncorresponding fires?\" The guide answered him: \"Be rejoiced, O Emeer; for\nthis is the City of Brass, and this is the appearance of it that I find\ndescribed in the Book of Hidden Treasures; that its wall is of black\nstones, and it hath two towers of brass, which the beholder seeth\nresembling two corresponding fires; and thence it is named the City of\nBrass.\" They ceased not to proceed until they arrived at it; and, lo, it\nwas lofty, strongly fortified, rising high into the air, impenetrable:\nthe height of its walls was eighty cubits, and it had five and twenty\ngates, none of which would open but by means of some artifice. They\nstopped before it, and endeavoured to discover one of its gates; but\nthey could not; and the Emeer Moosa said to the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad: \"O\nsheikh, I see not to this city any gate.\" The sheikh replied: \"O Emeer,\nthus do I find it described in the Book of Hidden Treasures; that it\nhath five and twenty gates, and that none of its gates may be opened but\nfrom within the city.\" \"And how,\" said the emeer, \"can we contrive to\nenter it, and divert ourselves with a view of its wonders?\"\n\nThen the Emeer Moosa ordered one of his young men to mount a camel, and\nride round the city, in the hope that he might discover a trace of a\ngate. So one of his young men mounted, and proceeded around it for two\ndays with their nights, prosecuting his journey with diligence, and not\nresting; and when the third day arrived, he came in sight of his\ncompanions, and he was astounded at that which he beheld of the extent\nof the city, and its height. Then he said: \"O Emeer, the easiest place\nin it is this place at which ye have alighted.\" And thereupon the Emeer\nMoosa took Talib and the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad, and they ascended a\nmountain opposite the city, and overlooking it; and when they had\nascended that mountain, they saw a city than which eyes had not beheld\nany greater. Its pavilions were lofty, and its domes were shining; its\nrivers were running, its trees were fruitful, and its gardens bore ripe\nproduce. It was a city with impenetrable gates, empty, still, without a\nvoice but the owl hooting in its quarters, and the raven croaking in its\nthoroughfare-streets, and bewailing those who had been in it.\n\nAnd the Emeer Moosa fainted with sorrow; his tears ran down upon his\ncheeks, and he said: \"By Allah, indifference to the world is the most\nappropriate and the most sure course!\"\n\nAnd when they came back to the troops, they passed the day devising\nmeans of entering the city; and the Emeer Moosa said to those of his\nchief officers who were around him: \"How shall we contrive to enter the\ncity, that we may see its wonders? Perhaps we shall find in it something\nby which we may ingratiate ourselves with the Prince of the Faithful.\"\nTalib replied: \"Let us make a ladder, and mount upon it, and perhaps we\nshall gain access to the gate from within.\" And the emeer said: \"This is\nwhat occurred to my mind, and excellent is the advice.\" Then he called\nto the carpenters and blacksmiths, and ordered them to make straight\nsome pieces of wood, and to construct a ladder covered with plates of\niron. And they did so, and made it strong. They employed themselves in\nconstructing it a whole month, and many men were occupied in making it.\nAnd they set it up and fixed it against the wall, and it proved to be\nequal to the wall in height, as though it had been made for it before\nthat day. So the Emeer Moosa wondered at it, and said: \"God bless you!\nIt seemeth, from the excellence of your work, as though ye had adapted\nit by measurement to the wall.\" He then said to the people: \"Which of\nyou will ascend this ladder, and mount upon the wall, and walk along it,\nand contrive means of descending into the city, that he may see how the\ncase is, and then inform us of the mode of opening the gate?\" And one of\nthem answered: \"I will ascend it, O Emeer, and descend and open the\ngate.\" The emeer therefore replied: \"Mount. God bless thee!\"\nAccordingly, the man ascended the ladder until he reached the top of it;\nwhen he stood, and fixed his eyes toward the city, clapped his hands,\nand cried out with his loudest voice, saying: \"Thou art beautiful!\" Then\nhe cast himself down into the city, and was destroyed. So the Emeer\nMoosa said: \"If we do thus with all our companions, there will not\nremain of them one; and we shall be unable to accomplish our affair, and\nthe affair of the Prince of the Faithful. Depart ye; for we have no\nconcern with this city.\" But one of them said: \"Perhaps another than\nthis may be more steady than he.\" And a second ascended, and a third,\nand a fourth, and a fifth; and they ceased not to ascend by that ladder\nto the top of the wall, one after another, until twelve men of them had\ngone, acting as acted the first. Therefore the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad said:\n\"There is none for this affair but myself, and the experienced is not\nlike the inexperienced.\" But the Emeer Moosa said to him: \"Thou shalt\nnot do that, nor will I allow thee to ascend to the top of this wall;\nfor shouldst thou die, thou wouldst be the cause of the death of us all,\nand there would not remain of us one; since thou art the guide of the\nparty.\" The sheikh, however, replied: \"Perhaps the object will be\naccomplished by my means, through the will of God, whose name be\nexalted!\" And thereupon all the people agreed to his ascending.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_And when they had ascended that mountain they saw a city than which\neyes had not beheld any greater._\n\nThen Abd-Es-Samad arose, and, having said: \"In the name of God, the\nCompassionate, the Merciful!\"--he ascended the ladder, repeating the\npraises of God, and reciting the Verses of Safety, until he reached the\ntop of the wall; when he clapped his hands, and fixed his eyes. The\npeople therefore all called out to him, and said: \"O Sheikh\nAbd-Es-Samad, do not cast thyself down! If Abd-Es-Samad fall, we all\nperish!\" Then Abd-Es-Samad sat a long time repeating the praises of God,\nand reciting the Verses of Safety; after which he rose with energy, and\ncalled out with his loudest voice: \"O Emeer, no harm shall befall you;\nfor God hath averted from me the effect of the artifice of the Devil.\"\nSo the emeer said to him: \"What hast thou seen, O Sheikh?\" He answered:\n\"When I reached the top of the wall I beheld ten damsels, like moons,\nwho made a sign with their hands, as though they would say: 'Come to\nus!' And it seemed to me that beneath me was a sea of water; whereupon I\ndesired to cast myself down, as our companions did: but I beheld them\ndead; so I withheld myself from them, and recited some words of the book\nof God, whereupon He averted from me the influence of those damsels, and\nthey departed; therefore I cast not myself down. There is no doubt that\nthis is an enchantment which the people of this city contrived in order\nto repel from it every one who should wish to obtain access to it.\"\n\nHe then walked along the wall till he came to the two towers of brass,\nwhen he saw that they had gates of gold, without any sign of the means\nof opening them. Therefore the sheikh, looking attentively, saw in the\nmiddle of one of the gates a figure of a horseman of brass, having one\nhand extended, as though he were pointing with it, and on it was an\ninscription, which the sheikh read, and, lo, it contained these words:\n\n  Turn the pin that is in the middle of the front of the horseman's body\n  twelve times, and then the gate will open.\n\nSo he turned the pin twelve times; whereupon the gate opened\nimmediately, with a noise like thunder; and the sheikh entered. He was a\nlearned man, acquainted with all languages and characters. And he walked\non until he entered a long passage, whence he descended some steps, and\nhe found a place with handsome wooden benches, on which were people\ndead, and over their heads were elegant shields, and keen swords, and\nstrung bows, and notched arrows. And behind the next gate were a bar of\niron, and barricades of wood, and locks of delicate fabric, and strong\napparatus. Upon this, the sheikh said within himself: \"Perhaps the keys\nare with these people.\" Then he looked, and, lo, there was a sheikh who\nappeared to be the oldest of them, and he was upon a high wooden bench\namong the dead men. So Abd-Es-Samad said: \"May not the keys of the city\nbe with this sheikh! Perhaps he was the gate-keeper of the city, and\nthese were under his authority.\" He therefore drew near to him, and\nlifted up his garments, and, lo, the keys were hung to his waist. At the\nsight of them, Abd-Es-Samad rejoiced exceedingly; and he took the keys,\nopened the locks, and pulled the gate and the barricades and other\napparatus, which opened and the gate also opened, with a noise like\nthunder. Upon this the sheikh exclaimed: \"God is most great!\" and the\npeople made the same exclamation with him, rejoicing at the event. The\nEmeer Moosa also rejoiced at the safety of Abd-Es-Samad, and at the\nopening of the gate of the city; the people thanked him for that which\nhe had done, and all the troops hastened to enter the gate. But the\nEmeer Moosa cried out to them, saying to them: \"O people, if all of us\nenter, we shall not be secure from accident. Half shall enter, and half\nshall remain behind.\"\n\nThe Emeer Moosa then entered the gate, and with him half of the people,\nwho bore their weapons of war. And the party saw their companions lying\ndead: so they buried them. They saw also the gate-keepers and servants\nand chamberlains and lieutenants lying upon beds of silk, all of them\ndead. And they entered the market of the city, and beheld that the shops\nwere open, and the scales hung up, and the utensils of brass ranged in\norder, and the stores were full of all kinds of goods. And they saw the\nmerchants dead in their shops: their skins were dried, and they had\nbecome examples to him who would be admonished. And they left this\nplace, and passed on to the silk-market, in which were silks and\nbrocades interwoven with red gold and white silver upon various colours,\nand the owners were dead, lying upon skins, and appearing almost as\nthough they would speak. Leaving these, they went on to the market of\njewels and pearls and jacinths; and they left it, and passed on to the\nmarket of the money-changers, whom they found dead, with varieties of\nsilks beneath them, and their shops were filled with gold and silver.\nThese they left, and they proceeded to the markets of the perfumers;\nand, lo, their shops were filled with varieties of perfumes, and bags of\nmusk, and ambergris, and aloes-wood, and camphor; and the owners were\nall dead, not having with them any food. And when they went forth from\nthe market of the perfumers, they found near unto it a palace,\ndecorated, and strongly constructed; and they entered it, and found\nbanners unfurled, and drawn swords, and strung bows and shields hung up\nby chains of gold and silver, and helmets gilded with red gold. And in\nthe passages of that palace were benches of ivory, ornamented with\nplates of brilliant gold, and with silk, on which were men whose skins\nhad dried upon the bones; the ignorant would imagine them to be\nsleeping; but, from the want of food, they had died, and tasted\nmortality.\n\nAnd the Emeer Moosa went on into the interior of the palace. There he\nbeheld a great hall, and four large and lofty chambers, each one\nfronting another, wide, decorated with gold and silver and with various\ncolours. In the midst of the hall was a great fountain of alabaster,\nover which was a canopy of brocade; and in those chambers were fountains\nlined with marble; and channels of water flowed along the floors of\nthose chambers, the four streams meeting in a great tank lined with\nmarbles of various colours. The Emeer Moosa then said to the Sheikh\nAbd-Es-Samad: \"Enter these chambers with us.\" So they entered the first\nchamber; and they found it filled with gold and with white silver, and\npearls and jewels, and jacinths and precious minerals. They found in it\nalso chests full of red and yellow and white brocades. And they went\nthence to the second chamber, and opened a closet in it, and, lo, it was\nfilled with arms and weapons of war, consisting of gilded helmets, and\ncoats of mail, and swords, and lances, and maces, and other instruments\nof war and battle. Then they passed thence to the third chamber, in\nwhich they found closets having upon their doors closed locks, and over\nthem were curtains worked with various kinds of embroidery. They opened\none of these closets, and found it filled with weapons decorated with\nvarieties of gold and silver and jewels. And they went thence to the\nfourth chamber, where also they found closets, one of which they opened,\nand they found it full of utensils for food and drink, consisting of\nvarious vessels of gold and silver, and saucers of crystal, and cups set\nwith brilliant pearls and cups of carnelian, and other things. So they\nbegan to take what suited them of those things, and each of the soldiers\ncarried off what he could. And when they determined to go forth from\nthose chambers, they saw there a door inlaid with ivory and ebony, and\nadorned with plates of brilliant gold. Over it was hung a curtain of\nsilk worked with various kinds of embroidery, and upon it were locks of\nwhite silver, to be opened by artifice, without a key. The Sheikh\nAbd-Es-Samad therefore advanced to those locks, and he opened them by\nhis knowledge and excellent skill. And the party entered a passage paved\nwith marble, upon the sides of which were curtains whereon were figured\nvarious wild beasts and birds, all these being worked with red gold and\nwhite silver, and their eyes were of pearls and jacinths: whosoever\nbeheld them was confounded.\n\nThey then passed on, and found a saloon constructed of polished marble\nadorned with jewels. The beholder imagined that upon its floor was\nrunning water, and if any one walked upon it he would slip. The Emeer\nMoosa therefore ordered the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad to throw upon it\nsomething that they might be enabled to walk on it; and he did this, and\ncontrived so that they passed on. And they found in it a great dome\nconstructed of stones gilded with red gold. The party had not beheld, in\nall that they had seen, anything more beautiful than it. And in the\nmidst of that dome was a great dome-crowned structure of alabaster,\naround which were lattice windows, decorated, and adorned with oblong\nemeralds, such as none of the kings could procure. In it was a pavilion\nof brocade, raised upon columns of red gold, and within this were birds,\nthe feet of which were of emeralds; beneath each bird was a net of\nbrilliant pearls, spread over a fountain; and by the brink of the\nfountain was placed a couch adorned with pearls and jewels and jacinths,\nwhereon was a damsel resembling the shining sun. Eyes had not beheld\none more beautiful. Upon her was a garment of brilliant pearls, on her\nhead was a crown of red gold, with a fillet of jewels, on her neck was a\nnecklace of jewels in the middle of which were refulgent gems, and upon\nher forehead were two jewels the light of which was like that of the\nsun; and she seemed as though she were looking at the people, and\nobserving them to the right and left. When the Emeer Moosa beheld this\ndamsel, he wondered extremely at her loveliness, and was confounded by\nher beauty and the redness of her cheeks and the blackness of her hair.\nAny beholder would imagine that she was alive, and not dead. And they\nsaid to her: \"Peace be on thee, O damsel!\" But Talib said to the emeer:\n\"May God amend thy state! Know that this damsel is dead. There is no\nlife in her. How then can she return the salutation?\" And he added: \"O\nEmeer, she is skilfully embalmed; and her eyes have been taken out after\nher death, and quicksilver hath been put beneath them, after which they\nhave been restored to their places; so they gleam; and whenever the air\nputteth them in motion, the beholder imagineth that she twinkleth her\neyes, though she is dead.\"\n\nAnd as to the couch upon which was the damsel, it had steps, and upon\nthe steps were two slaves, one of them white and the other black; and in\nthe hand of one of them was a weapon of steel, and in the hand of the\nother a jewelled sword that blinded the eyes; and before the two slaves\nwas a tablet of gold, whereon was read an inscription, which was this:\n\n  In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise be to God,\n  the Creator of Man; and He is the Lord of lords, and the Cause of\n  causes. O thou, if thou know me not, I will acquaint thee with my name\n  and my descent. I am Tedmur, the daughter of the King of the\n  Amalekites. I possessed what none of the kings possessed, and ruled\n  with justice, and acted impartially toward my subjects: I gave and\n  bestowed, and I lived a long time in the enjoyment of happiness and an\n  easy life, and possessing emancipated female and male slaves. Thus I\n  did until the summoner of death came to my abode, and disasters\n  occurred before me. And the case was this: Seven years in succession\n  came upon us, during which no water descended on us from heaven, nor\n  did any grass grow for us on the face of the earth. So we ate what\n  food we had in our dwellings, and after that, we fell upon the beasts\n  and ate them, and there remained nothing. Upon this, therefore, I\n  caused the wealth to be brought, and meted it with a measure, and sent\n  it by trusty men, who went about with it through all the districts,\n  not leaving unvisited a single large city, to seek for some food. But\n  they found it not; and they returned to us with the wealth, after a\n  long absence. So thereupon we exposed to view our riches and our\n  treasures, locked the gates of the fortresses in our city, and\n  submitted ourselves to the decree of our Lord, committing our case to\n  our Master; and thus we all died, as thou beholdest, and left what we\n  had built and what we had treasured. This is our story: Whoso arriveth\n  at our city, and entereth it, let him take of the wealth what he can,\n  but not touch anything that is on my body; for it is the covering of\n  my person. Therefore let him fear God, and not seize aught of it; for\n  he would destroy himself. Peace be on you! I beg God, moreover, to\n  save you from the evil of trials and sickness.\n\nThe Emeer Moosa, when he heard these words, again wept and was\nadmonished by what he witnessed. He then said to his companions: \"Bring\nthe sacks, and fill them with part of these riches and these vessels and\nrarities and jewels.\" And thereupon, Talib, the son of Sahl, said to the\nEmeer Moosa: \"O Emeer, shall we leave this damsel with the things that\nare upon her? They are things that have no equal, nor is the like of\nthem at any time found, and they are more than the riches thou hast\ntaken, and will be the best present by which thou mayest ingratiate\nthyself with the Prince of the Faithful.\" But the emeer replied:\n\"Heardest thou not that which the damsel hath given as a charge, in the\ninscription upon this tablet? Moreover, and especially, she hath given\nit as a charge offered in confidence, and we are not of the people of\ntreachery.\" The Vizier Talib, however, said: \"And on account of these\nwords wilt thou leave these riches and these jewels, when she is dead?\nWhat then should she do with these things, which are the ornaments of\nthe world, and the decoration of the living? With a garment of cotton\nmight this damsel be covered, and we are more worthy of the things than\nshe.\" Then he drew near to the steps, and ascended them until he reached\nthe spot between the two slaves, when, lo, one of these two smote him\nupon his back, and the other smote him with the sword that was in his\nhand, and struck off his head, and he fell down dead. So the Emeer Moosa\nsaid: \"May God not regard with mercy thy resting-place! There was, in\nthese riches, a sufficiency; and covetousness doth dishonour the person\nin whom it existeth!\" He thereupon gave orders for the entry of the\ntroops, who accordingly entered, and they loaded the camels with part of\nthose riches and minerals; after which the Emeer Moosa commanded them to\nclose the gate as it was before.\n\nThey then proceeded along the sea-coast until they came in sight of a\nhigh mountain overlooking the sea. In it were many caves, and, lo, in\nthese was a people of the blacks, clad in hides, and with burnouses of\nhides upon their heads, whose language was not known. And when they saw\nthe troops, they ran away from them, and fled, while their women and\ntheir children stood at the entrances of the caves. So the Emeer Moosa\nsaid: \"O Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad, what are these people?\" And he answered:\n\"These are the objects of the inquiry of the Prince of the Faithful.\"\nThey therefore alighted, and the tents were pitched, and the riches were\nput down; and they had not rested when the king of the blacks came down\nfrom the mountain, and drew near to the troops. He was acquainted with\nthe Arabic language; wherefore, when he came to the Emeer Moosa, he\nsaluted him; and the emeer returned his salutation, and treated him with\nhonour. Then the king of the blacks said to the emeer: \"Are ye of\nmankind, or of the genies?\" The emeer answered: \"As to us, we are of\nmankind; and as to you, there is no doubt but that ye are of the\ngenies, because of your seclusion in this mountain that is separated\nfrom the world, and because of the greatness of your make.\" But the king\nof the blacks replied: \"Nay, we are a people of the race of Adam, of the\nsons of Ham, the son of Noah, on whom be peace! And as to this sea, it\nis known by the name of El-Karkar.\"\n\nThe Emeer Moosa then said to him: \"We are the associates of the King of\nEl-Islam, Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwan; and we have come on account of\nthe bottles of brass that are here in your sea, and wherein are the\ndevils imprisoned from the time of Solomon, the son of David. He hath\ncommanded us to bring him some of them, that he may see them, and divert\nhimself by the view of them.\" And the king of the blacks replied: \"Most\nwillingly.\" Then he feasted him with fish, and ordered the divers to\nbring up from the sea some of the bottles of Solomon; and they brought\nup for them twelve bottles; wherewith the Emeer Moosa was delighted, and\nthe Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad also, and the soldiers, on account of the\naccomplishment of the affair of the Prince of the Faithful. The Emeer\nMoosa thereupon presented to the king of the blacks many presents, and\ngave him large gifts. In like manner, too, the king of the blacks gave\nto the Emeer Moosa a present consisting of wonders of the sea.\n\nThen they bade him farewell, and they journeyed back until they came to\nthe land of Syria, and went in to the Prince of the Faithful; whereupon\nthe Emeer Moosa acquainted him with all that he had seen, and all that\nhad occurred to him with respect to the verses and histories and\nadmonitions, and told him of the case of Talib the son of Sahl. And the\nPrince of the Faithful said to him: \"Would that I had been with you,\nthat I might have beheld what ye beheld!\" He then took the bottles, and\nproceeded to open one after another, and the devils came forth from\nthem, saying: \"Repentance, O Prophet of God! We will not return to the\nlike conduct ever!\" And Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwan wondered at this.\nAfter this, the Prince of the Faithful caused the riches to be brought\nbefore him, and divided them among the people. And he said: \"God hath\nnot bestowed upon any one the like of what He bestowed upon Solomon the\nson of David.\"\n\nThis is the end of that which hath come down to us, of the history of\nthe City of Brass, entire. And God is all-knowing.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES\n\n\nIn a town in Persia, there lived two brothers, one named Cassim, the\nother Ali Baba. Their father left them scarcely anything; but as he had\ndivided his little property equally between them, it would seem that\ntheir fortune ought to have been equal; but chance determined otherwise.\n\nCassim married a wife, who soon after became heiress to a large sum, and\nto a warehouse full of rich goods; so that he all at once became one of\nthe richest and most considerable merchants, and lived at his ease. Ali\nBaba, on the other hand, who had married a woman as poor as himself,\nlived in a very wretched habitation, and had no other means to maintain\nhis wife and children but his daily labour of cutting wood, and bringing\nit to town to sell, upon three asses, which were his whole substance.\n\nOne day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, and had just cut wood enough\nto load his asses, he saw at a distance a great cloud of dust, which\nseemed to be driven toward him: he observed it very attentively, and\ndistinguished soon after a body of horse. Though there had been no\nrumour of robbers in that country, Ali Baba began to think that they\nmight prove such, and without considering what might become of his\nasses, was resolved to save himself. He climbed up a large, thick tree,\nwhose branches, at a little distance from the ground, were so close to\none another that there was but little space between them. He placed\nhimself in the middle, from whence he could see all that passed without\nbeing discovered; and the tree stood at the base of a single rock, so\nsteep and craggy that nobody could climb up it.\n\nThe troop, who were all well mounted and armed, came to the foot of this\nrock, and there dismounted. Ali Baba counted forty of them, and, from\ntheir looks and equipage, was assured that they were robbers. Nor was he\nmistaken in his opinion; for they were a troop of banditti, who, without\ndoing any harm to the neighbourhood, robbed at a distance, and made that\nplace their rendezvous; but what confirmed him in his opinion was, that\nevery man unbridled his horse, tied him to some shrub, and hung about\nhis neck a bag of corn which they brought behind them. Then each of them\ntook his saddle wallet, which seemed to Ali Baba to be full of gold and\nsilver from its weight. One, who was the most personable amongst them,\nand whom he took to be their captain, came with his wallet on his back\nunder the tree in which Ali Baba was concealed, and making his way\nthrough some shrubs, pronounced these words so distinctly: \"_Open,\nSesame_,\" that Ali Baba heard him. As soon as the captain of the robbers\nhad uttered these words, a door opened in the rock; and after he had\nmade all his troop enter before him, he followed them, when the door\nshut again of itself. The robbers stayed some time within the rock, and\nAli Baba, who feared that some one, or all of them together, might come\nout and catch him, if he should endeavour to make his escape, was\nobliged to sit patiently in the tree. He was nevertheless tempted to get\ndown, mount one of their horses, and lead another, driving his asses\nbefore him with all the haste he could to town; but the uncertainty of\nthe event made him choose the safest course.\n\nAt last the door opened again, and the forty robbers came out. As the\ncaptain went in last, he came out first, and stood to see them all pass\nby him, when Ali Baba heard him make the door close by pronouncing these\nwords: \"_Shut, Sesame_.\" Every man went and bridled his horse, fastened\nhis wallet, and mounted again; and when the captain saw them all ready,\nhe put himself at their head, and they returned the way they had come.\nAli Baba did not immediately quit his tree; for, said he to himself,\nthey may have forgotten something and may come back again, and then I\nshall be taken. He followed them with his eyes as far as he could see\nthem; and afterward stayed a considerable time before he descended.\nRemembering the words the captain of the robbers used to cause the door\nto open and shut, he had the curiosity to try if his pronouncing them\nwould have the same effect. Accordingly, he went among the shrubs, and\nperceiving the door concealed behind them, stood before it, and said:\n\"_Open, Sesame!\"_ The door instantly flew wide open. Ali Baba, who\nexpected a dark dismal cavern, was surprised to see it well lighted and\nspacious, in the form of a vault, which received the light from an\nopening at the top of the rock. He saw all sorts of provisions, rich\nbales of silk stuff, brocade, and valuable carpeting, piled upon one\nanother; gold and silver ingots in great heaps, and money in bags. The\nsight of all these riches made him suppose that this cave must have been\noccupied for ages by robbers, who had succeeded one another. Ali Baba\ndid not stand long to consider what he should do, but went immediately\ninto the cave, and as soon as he had entered, the door shut of itself,\nbut this did not disturb him, because he knew the secret to open it\nagain. He never regarded the silver, but made the best use of his time\nin carrying out as much of the gold coin as he thought his three asses\ncould carry. He collected his asses, which were dispersed, and when he\nhad loaded them with the bags, laid wood over in such a manner that they\ncould not be seen. When he had done he stood before the door, and\npronouncing the words: \"_Shut, Sesame!\"_ the door closed after him, for\nit had shut of itself while he was within, but remained open while he\nwas out. He then made the best of his way to town.\n\nWhen Ali Baba got home, he drove his asses into a little yard, shut the\ngates very carefully, threw off the wood that covered the bags, carried\nthem into his house, and ranged them in order before his wife, who sat\non a sofa. His wife handled the bags, and finding them full of money,\nsuspected that her husband had been robbing, insomuch that she could not\nhelp saying: \"Ali Baba, have you been so unhappy as to----\" \"Be quiet,\nwife,\" interrupted Ali Baba, \"do not frighten yourself; I am no robber,\nunless he may be one who steals from robbers. You will no longer\nentertain an ill opinion of me, when I shall tell you my good fortune.\"\nHe then emptied the bags, which raised such a great heap of gold as\ndazzled his wife's eyes; and when he had done, told her the whole\nadventure from beginning to end; and, above all, recommended her to keep\nit secret. The wife, cured of her fears, rejoiced with her husband at\ntheir good fortune, and would count all the gold piece by piece. \"Wife,\"\nreplied Ali Baba, \"you do not know what you undertake, when you pretend\nto count the money; you will never have done. I will dig a hole, and\nbury it; there is no time to be lost.\" \"You are in the right, husband,\"\nreplied she; \"but let us know, as nigh as possible, how much we have. I\nwill borrow a small measure in the neighbourhood, and measure it, while\nyou dig the hole.\" \"What you are going to do is to no purpose, wife,\"\nsaid Ali Baba; \"if you would take my advice, you had better let it\nalone; but keep the secret, and do what you please.\" Away the wife ran\nto her brother-in-law Cassim, who lived just by, but was not then at\nhome; and addressing herself to his wife, desired her to lend her a\nmeasure for a little while. Her sister-in-law asked her, whether she\nwould have a great or a small one. The wife asked for a small one. The\nsister-in-law agreed to lend one, but as she knew Ali Baba's poverty,\nshe was curious to know what sort of grain his wife wanted to measure,\nand artfully putting some suet at the bottom of the measure, brought it\nto her with an excuse, that she was sorry that she had made her stay so\nlong, but that she could not find it sooner. Ali Baba's wife went home,\nset the measure upon the heap of gold, filled it and emptied it often\nupon the sofa, till she had done: when she was very well satisfied to\nfind the number of measures amounted to so many as they did, and went to\ntell her husband, who had almost finished digging the hole. While Ali\nBaba was burying the gold, his wife, to show her exactness and diligence\nto her sister-in-law, carried the measure back again, but without taking\nnotice that a piece of gold had stuck to the bottom. \"Sister,\" said she,\ngiving it to her again, \"you see that I have not kept your measure long;\nI am obliged to you for it, and return it with thanks.\"\n\nAs soon as her sister-in-law was gone, Cassim's wife looked at the\nbottom of the measure, and was inexpressibly surprised to find a piece\nof gold stuck to it. Envy immediately possessed her breast. \"What!\" said\nshe, \"has Ali Baba gold so plentiful as to measure it? Where has that\npoor wretch got all this wealth?\" Cassim, her husband, was not at home,\nbut at his counting-house, which he left always in the evening. His wife\nwaited for him, and thought the time an age; so great was her impatience\nto tell him the circumstance, at which she guessed he would be as much\nsurprised as herself.\n\nWhen Cassim came home, his wife said to him: \"Cassim, I know you think\nyourself rich, but you are much mistaken; Ali Baba is infinitely richer\nthan you; he does not count his money, but measures it.\" Cassim desired\nher to explain the riddle, which she did, by telling him the stratagem\nshe had used to make the discovery, and showed him the piece of money,\nwhich was so old that they could not tell in what prince's reign it was\ncoined. Cassim, instead of being pleased, conceived a base envy at his\nbrother's prosperity; he could not sleep all that night, and went to him\nin the morning before sunrise, although after he had married the rich\nwidow, he had never treated him as a brother, but neglected him. \"Ali\nBaba,\" said he, accosting him, \"you are very reserved in your affairs;\nyou pretend to be miserably poor, and yet you measure gold.\" \"How,\nbrother?\" replied Ali Baba; \"I do not know what you mean: explain\nyourself.\" \"Do not pretend ignorance,\" replied Cassim, showing him the\npiece of gold his wife had given him. \"How many of these pieces,\" added\nhe, \"have you? My wife found this at the bottom of the measure you\nborrowed yesterday.\"\n\nBy this discourse, Ali Baba perceived that Cassim and his wife, through\nhis own wife's folly, knew what they had so much reason to conceal; but\nwhat was done could not be recalled; therefore, without shewing the\nleast surprise or trouble, he confessed all, told his brother by what\nchance he had discovered this retreat of the thieves, in what place it\nwas; and offered him part of his treasure to keep the secret. \"I expect\nas much,\" replied Cassim haughtily; \"but I must know exactly where this\ntreasure is, and how I may visit it myself when I choose; otherwise I\nwill go and inform against you, and then you will not only get no more,\nbut will lose all you have, and I shall have a share for my\ninformation.\"\n\nAli Baba, more out of his natural good temper, than frightened by the\nmenaces of his unnatural brother, told him all he desired, and even the\nvery words he was to use to gain admission into the cave.\n\nCassim, who wanted no more of Ali Baba, left him, resolving to be\nbeforehand with him, and hoping to get all the treasure to himself. He\nrose the next morning long before the sun, and set out for the forest\nwith ten mules bearing great chests, which he designed to fill; and\nfollowed the road which Ali Baba had pointed out to him. He was not long\nbefore he reached the rock, and found out the place by the tree, and\nother marks, which his brother had given him. When he reached the\nentrance of the cavern, he pronounced the words: \"_Open, Sesame!_\" and\nthe door immediately opened, and when he was in, closed upon him. In\nexamining the cave, he was in great admiration to find much more riches\nthan he had apprehended from Ali Baba's account. He was so covetous, and\ngreedy of wealth, that he could have spent the whole day in feasting his\neyes with so much treasure, if the thought that he came to carry some\naway had not hindered him. He laid as many bags of gold as he could\ncarry at the door of the cavern, but his thoughts were so full of the\ngreat riches he should possess, that he could not think of the necessary\nword to make it open, but instead of \"_Sesame_,\" said: \"_Open, Barley!_\"\nand was much amazed to find that the door remained fast shut. He named\nseveral sorts of grain, but still the door would not open. Cassim had\nnever expected such an incident, and was so alarmed at the danger he was\nin, that the more he endeavoured to remember the word \"_Sesame_,\" the\nmore his memory was confounded, and he had as much forgotten it as if he\nhad never heard it mentioned. He threw down the bags he had loaded\nhimself with and walked distractedly up and down the cave, without\nhaving the least regard to the riches that were round him. About noon\nthe robbers chanced to visit their cave, and at some distance from it\nsaw Cassim's mules straggling about the rock, with great chests on their\nbacks. Alarmed at this novelty, they galloped full speed to the cave.\nThey drove away the mules, which Cassim had neglected to fasten, and\nthey strayed through the forest so far, that they were soon out of\nsight. The robbers never gave themselves the trouble to pursue them,\nbeing more concerned to know to whom they belonged, and while some of\nthem searched about the rock, the captain and the rest went directly to\nthe door, with their naked sabres in their hands, and pronouncing the\nproper words, it opened.\n\nCassim, who heard the noise of the horses' feet from the middle of the\ncave, never doubted of the arrival of the robbers, and his approaching\ndeath; but was resolved to make one effort to escape from them. To this\nend he rushed to the door, and no sooner heard the word _Sesame_, which\nhe had forgotten, and saw the door open, than he ran out and threw the\nleader down, but could not escape the other robbers, who with their\nsabres soon deprived him of life. The first care of the robbers after\nthis was to examine the cave. They found all the bags which Cassim had\nbrought to the door, to be ready to load his mules, and carried them\nagain to their places, without missing what Ali Baba had taken away\nbefore. Then holding a council, and deliberating upon this occurrence,\nthey guessed that Cassim, when he was in, could not get out again; but\ncould not imagine how he had entered. It came into their heads that he\nmight have got down by the top of the cave; but the aperture by which it\nreceived light was so high, and the rocks so inaccessible without, that\nthey gave up this conjecture. That he came in at the door they could not\nbelieve, however, unless he had the secret of making it open. In short,\nnone of them could imagine which way he had entered; for they were all\npersuaded nobody knew their secret, little imagining that Ali Baba had\nwatched them. It was a matter of the greatest importance to them to\nsecure their riches. They agreed therefore to cut Cassim's body\ninto quarters, to hang two on one side and two on the other, within the\ndoor of the cave, to terrify any person who should attempt again to\nenter. They had no sooner taken this resolution than they put it in\nexecution, and when they had nothing more to detain them, left the place\nof their hoards well closed. They then mounted their horses, went to\nbeat the roads again, and to attack the caravans they might meet.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_Cassim ... was so alarmed at the danger he was in that the more he\nendeavoured to remember the word Sesame the more his memory was\nconfounded._\n\nIn the meantime, Cassim's wife was very uneasy when night came, and her\nhusband was not returned. She ran to Ali Baba in alarm, and said: \"I\nbelieve, brother-in-law, that you know Cassim, your brother, is gone to\nthe forest, and upon what account; it is now night, and he is not\nreturned; I am afraid some misfortune has happened to him.\" Ali Baba,\nwho had expected that his brother, after what he had said, would go to\nthe forest, had declined going himself that day, for fear of giving him\nany umbrage; therefore told her, without any reflection upon her\nhusband's unhandsome behaviour, that she need not frighten herself, for\nthat certainly Cassim would not think it proper to come into the town\ntill the night should be pretty far advanced.\n\nCassim's wife, considering how much it concerned her husband to keep the\nbusiness secret, was the more easily persuaded to believe her\nbrother-in-law. She went home again, and waited patiently till midnight.\nShe repented of her foolish curiosity, and cursed her desire of\npenetrating into the affairs of her brother and sister-in-law. She spent\nall the night in weeping; and as soon as it was day, went to them,\ntelling them, by her tears, the cause of her coming. Ali Baba did not\nwait for his sister-in-law to desire him to go and see what was become\nof Cassim, but departed immediately with his three asses, begging of her\nfirst to moderate her affliction. He went to the forest, and when he\ncame near the rock, having seen neither his brother nor the mules in his\nway, was seriously alarmed at finding some blood spilt near the door,\nwhich he took for an ill omen; but when he had pronounced the word, and\nthe door had opened, he was struck with horror at the dismal sight of\nhis brother's body. Without adverting to the little fraternal affection\nhis brother had shewn for him, Ali Baba went into the cave to find\nsomething to enshroud his remains, and having loaded one of his asses\nwith them, covered them over with wood. The other two asses he loaded\nwith bags of gold, covering them with wood also as before; and then\nbidding the door shut, came away; but was so cautious as to stop some\ntime at the end of the forest, that he might not go into the town before\nnight. When he came home, he drove the two asses loaded with gold into\nhis little yard, and left the care of unloading them to his wife, while\nhe led the other to his sister-in-law's house.\n\nAli Baba knocked at the door, which was opened by Morgiana, an\nintelligent slave, fruitful in inventions to insure success in the most\ndifficult undertakings: and Ali Baba knew her to be such. When he came\ninto the court, he unloaded the ass, and taking Morgiana aside, said to\nher: \"The first thing I ask of you is an inviolable secrecy, both for\nyour mistress's sake and mine. Your master's body is contained in these\ntwo bundles, and our business is, to bury him as if he had died a\nnatural death. Go, tell your mistress I want to speak with her; and mind\nwhat I have said to you.\"\n\nMorgiana went to her mistress, and Ali Baba followed her. \"Well,\nbrother,\" said she, with impatience, \"what news do you bring me of my\nhusband? I perceive no comfort in your countenance.\" \"Sister,\" answered\nAli Baba, \"I cannot satisfy your inquiries unless you hear my story\nwithout speaking a word; for it is of as great importance to you as to\nme to keep what has happened secret.\" \"Alas!\" said she, \"this preamble\nlets me know that my husband is not to be found; but at the same time I\nknow the necessity of secrecy, and I must constrain myself: say on, I\nwill hear you.\"\n\nAli Baba then detailed the incidents of his journey, till he came to the\nfinding of Cassim's body. \"Now,\" said he, \"sister, I have something to\nrelate which will afflict you the more, because it is what you so little\nexpect; but it cannot now be remedied; if my endeavours can comfort you,\nI offer to put that which God hath sent me to what you have, and marry\nyou: assuring you that my wife will not be jealous, and that we shall\nlive happily together. If this proposal is agreeable to you, we must\nthink of acting so that my brother should appear to have died a natural\ndeath. I think you may leave the management of the business to Morgiana,\nand I will contribute all that lies in my power to your consolation.\"\nWhat could Cassim's widow do better than accept of this proposal? for\nthough her first husband had left behind him a plentiful substance, his\nbrother was now much richer, and by the discovery of this treasure might\nbe still more so. Instead, therefore, of rejecting the offer, she\nregarded it as the sure means of comfort; and drying up her tears, which\nhad begun to flow abundantly, and suppressing the outcries usual with\nwomen who have lost their husbands, showed Ali Baba that she approved of\nhis proposal. Ali Baba left the widow, recommended to Morgiana to act\nher part well, and then returned home with his ass.\n\nMorgiana went out at the same time to an apothecary, and asked for a\nsort of lozenges which he prepared, and were very efficacious in the\nmost dangerous disorders. The apothecary inquired who was ill at her\nmaster's? She replied with a sigh, her good master Cassim himself: that\nthey knew not what his disorder was, but that he could neither eat nor\nspeak. After these words, Morgiana carried the lozenges home with her,\nand the next morning went to the same apothecary's again, and with tears\nin her eyes, asked for an essence which they used to give to sick people\nonly when at the last extremity. \"Alas!\" said she, taking it from the\napothecary, \"I am afraid that this remedy will have no better effect\nthan the lozenges; and that I shall lose my good master.\" On the other\nhand, as Ali Baba and his wife were often seen to go between Cassim's\nand their own house all that day, and to seem melancholy, nobody was\nsurprised in the evening to hear the lamentable shrieks and cries of\nCassim's wife and Morgiana, who gave out everywhere that her master was\ndead. The next morning, soon after day appeared, Morgiana, who knew a\ncertain old cobbler that opened his stall early, before other people,\nwent to him, and bidding him good morrow, put a piece of gold into his\nhand. \"Well,\" said Baba Mustapha, which was his name, and who was a\nmerry old fellow, looking at the gold, \"this is good hansel: what must I\ndo for it? I am ready.\"\n\n\"Baba Mustapha,\" said Morgiana, \"you must take with you your sewing\ntackle, and go with me; but I must tell you, I shall blindfold you when\nyou come to such a place.\" Baba Mustapha seemed to hesitate a little at\nthese words. \"Oh! oh!\" replied he, \"you would have me do something\nagainst my conscience or against my honour?\" \"God forbid!\" said\nMorgiana, putting another piece of gold into his hand, \"that I should\nask anything that is contrary to your honour; only come along with me,\nand fear nothing.\"\n\nBaba Mustapha went with Morgiana, who, after she had bound his eyes with\na handkerchief, conveyed him to her deceased master's house, and never\nunloosed his eyes till he had entered the room where she had put the\ncorpse together. \"Baba Mustapha,\" said she, \"you must make haste and sew\nthese quarters together; and when you have done, I will give you another\npiece of gold.\" After Baba Mustapha had finished his task, she\nblindfolded him again, gave him the third piece of gold as she had\npromised, and recommending secrecy to him, carried him back to the place\nwhere she first bound his eyes, pulled off the bandage, and let him go\nhome, but watched him that he returned toward his stall, till he was\nquite out of sight, for fear he should have the curiosity to return and\ntrack her.\n\nBy the time Morgiana had warmed some water to wash the body, Ali Baba\ncame with incense to embalm it, after which it was sewn up in a\nwinding-sheet. Not long after, the joiner, according to Ali Baba's\norders, brought the bier, which Morgiana received at the door, and\nhelped Ali Baba to put the body into it; when she went to the mosque to\ninform the imaum that they were ready. The people of the mosque, whose\nbusiness it was to wash the dead, offered to perform their duty, but she\ntold them that it was done already. Morgiana had scarcely got home\nbefore the imaum and the other ministers of the mosque arrived. Four\nneighbours carried the corpse on their shoulders to the burying-ground,\nfollowing the imaum, who recited some prayers. Morgiana, as a slave to\nthe deceased, followed the corpse, weeping, beating her breast, and\ntearing her hair; and Ali Baba came after with some neighbours, who\noften relieved the others in carrying the corpse to the burying-ground.\nCassim's wife stayed at home mourning, uttering lamentable cries with\nthe women of the neighbourhood, who came according to custom during the\nfuneral, and joining their lamentations with hers, filled the quarter\nfar and near with sorrow. In this manner Cassim's melancholy death was\nconcealed and hushed up between Ali Baba, his wife, Cassim's widow, and\nMorgiana, with so much contrivance, that nobody in the city had the\nleast knowledge or suspicion of the cause of it.\n\nThree or four days after the funeral, Ali Baba removed his few goods\nopenly to the widow's house; but the money he had taken from the robbers\nhe conveyed thither by night: soon after the marriage with his\nsister-in-law was published, and as these marriages are common in the\nMussulman religion, nobody was surprised. As for Cassim's warehouse, Ali\nBaba gave it to his own eldest son, promising that if he managed it\nwell, he would soon give him a fortune to marry very advantageously\naccording to his situation.\n\nLet us now leave Ali Baba to enjoy the beginning of his good fortune,\nand return to the forty robbers. They came again at the appointed time\nto visit their retreat in the forest; but great was their surprise to\nfind Cassim's body taken away, with some of their bags of gold. \"We are\ncertainly discovered,\" said the captain, \"and if we do not speedily\napply some remedy, shall gradually lose all the riches which we have,\nwith so much pains and danger, been so many years amassing together. All\nthat we can think of the loss which we have sustained is, that the thief\nwhom we surprised had the secret of opening the door, and we arrived\nluckily as he was coming out: but his body being removed, and with it\nsome of our money, plainly shows that he had an accomplice; and as it is\nlikely that there were but two who had discovered our secret, and one\nhas been caught, we must look narrowly after the other. What say you, my\nlads?\" All the robbers thought the captain's proposal so advisable, that\nthey unanimously approved of it, and agreed that they must lay all other\nenterprises aside, to follow this closely, and not give it up till they\nhad succeeded.\n\n\"I expected no less,\" said the captain, \"from your fidelity: but, first\nof all, one of you who is artful, and enterprising, must go into the\ntown disguised as a traveller, to try if he can hear any talk of the\nstrange death of the man whom we have killed, as he deserved; and\nendeavour to find out who he was, and where he lived. This is a matter\nof the first importance for us to ascertain, that we may do nothing\nwhich we may have reason to repent of, by discovering ourselves in a\ncountry where we have lived so long unknown. But to warn him who shall\ntake upon himself this commission, and to prevent our being deceived by\nhis giving us a false report, I ask you all, if you do not think that in\ncase of treachery, or even error of judgment, he should suffer death?\"\nWithout waiting for the suffrages of his companions, one of the robbers\nstarted up, and said: \"I submit to this condition, and think it an\nhonour to expose my life, by taking the commission upon me; but\nremember, at least, if I do not succeed, that I neither wanted courage\nnor good will to serve the troop.\" After this robber had received great\ncommendations from the captain, he disguised himself, and taking his\nleave of the troop that night, went into the town just at daybreak; and\nwalked up and down, till accidentally he came to Baba Mustapha's stall,\nwhich was always open before any of the shops.\n\nBaba Mustapha was seated with an awl in his hand, just going to work.\nThe robber saluted him, bidding him good morrow; and perceiving that he\nwas old, said: \"Honest man, you begin to work very early: is it possible\nthat one of your age can see so well? I question, even if it were\nsomewhat lighter, whether you could see to stitch.\"\n\n\"Certainly,\" replied Baba Mustapha, \"you must be a stranger, and do not\nknow me; for old as I am, I have extraordinarily good eyes; and you will\nnot doubt it when I tell you that I sewed a dead body together in a\nplace where I had not so much light as I have now.\" The robber was\noverjoyed to think that he had addressed himself, at his first coming\ninto the town, to a man who in all probability could give him the\nintelligence he wanted. \"A dead body!\" replied he with affected\namazement. \"What could you sew up a dead body for? You mean you sewed up\nhis winding-sheet.\" \"No, no,\" answered Baba Mustapha, \"I perceive your\nmeaning; you want to have me speak out, but you shall know no more.\" The\nrobber wanted no farther assurance to be persuaded that he had\ndiscovered what he sought. He pulled out a piece of gold, and putting it\ninto Baba Mustapha's hand, said to him: \"I do not want to learn your\nsecret, though I can assure you I would not divulge it, if you trusted\nme with it; the only thing which I desire of you is, to do me the favour\nto shew me the house where you stitched up the dead body.\"\n\n\"If I were disposed to do you that favour,\" replied Baba Mustapha,\nholding the money in his hand, ready to return it, \"I assure you I\ncannot. I was taken to a certain place, where I was blinded, I was then\nled to the house, and afterward brought back again in the same manner;\nyou see, therefore, the impossibility of my doing what you desire.\"\n\n\"Well,\" replied the robber, \"you may, however, remember a little of the\nway that you were led blindfolded. Come, let me blind your eyes at the\nsame place. We will walk together; perhaps you may recognise some part;\nand as everybody ought to be paid for his trouble, there is another\npiece of gold for you; gratify me in what I ask you.\" So saying, he put\nanother piece of gold into his hand.\n\nThe two pieces of gold were great temptations to Baba Mustapha. He\nlooked at them a long time in his hand, without saying a word, thinking\nwith himself what he should do; but at last he pulled out his purse,\nand put them in. \"I cannot assure you,\" said he to the robber, \"that I\ncan remember the way exactly; but since you desire, I will try what I\ncan do.\" At these words Baba Mustapha rose up, to the great joy of the\nrobber, and without shutting his shop, where he had nothing valuable to\nlose, he led the robber to the place where Morgiana had bound his eyes.\n\"It was here,\" said Baba Mustapha, \"I was blindfolded; and I turned as\nyou see me.\" The robber, who had his handkerchief ready, tied it over\nhis eyes, walked by him till he stopped, partly leading, and partly\nguided by him. \"I think,\" said Baba Mustapha, \"I went no farther,\" and\nhe had now stopped directly at Cassim's house, where Ali Baba then\nlived. The thief, before he pulled off the band, marked the door with a\npiece of chalk, which he had ready in his hand; and then asked him if he\nknew whose house that was; to which Baba Mustapha replied, that as he\ndid not live in that neighbourhood he could not tell. The robber,\nfinding he could discover no more from Baba Mustapha, thanked him for\nthe trouble he had taken, and left him to go back to his stall, while he\nreturned to the forest, persuaded that he should be very well received.\nA little after the robber and Baba Mustapha had parted, Morgiana went\nout of Ali Baba's house upon some errand, and upon her return, seeing\nthe mark the robber had made, stopped to observe it. \"What can be the\nmeaning of this mark?\" said she to herself. \"Somebody intends my master\nno good: however, with whatever intention it was done, it is advisable\nto guard against the worst.\" Accordingly, she fetched a piece of chalk,\nand marked two or three doors on each side in the same manner, without\nsaying a word to her master or mistress.\n\nIn the meantime the thief rejoined his troop in the forest, and\nrecounted to them his success. All the robbers listened to him with the\nutmost satisfaction; when the captain, after commending his diligence,\naddressing himself to them all, said: \"Comrades, we have no time to\nlose: let us set off well armed; but that we may not excite any\nsuspicion, let only one or two go into the town together, and join at\nour rendezvous, which shall be the great square. In the meantime, our\ncomrade who brought us the good news, and I, will go and find out the\nhouse, that we may consult what had best be done.\"\n\nThis plan was approved of by all, and they were soon ready. They filed\noff in parties of two each, and got into the town without being in the\nleast suspected. The captain, and he who had visited the town in the\nmorning as spy, came in the last. He led the captain into the street\nwhere he had marked Ali Baba's residence; and when they came to the\nfirst of the houses which Morgiana had marked, he pointed it out. But\nthe captain observed that the next door was chalked in the same manner:\nand shewing it to his guide, asked him which house it was, that, or the\nfirst? The guide was so confounded, that he knew not what answer to\nmake; but still more puzzled, when he saw five or six houses similarly\nmarked. He assured the captain, with an oath, that he had marked but\none, and could not tell who had chalked the rest so that he could not\ndistinguish the house which the cobbler had stopped at.\n\nThe captain, finding that their design had proved abortive, went\ndirectly to the place of rendezvous, and told the first of his troop\nwhom he met that they had lost their labour, and must return to their\ncave. When the troop was all got together, the captain told them the\nreason of their returning; and presently the conductor was declared by\nall worthy of death. He condemned himself, acknowledging that he ought\nto have taken better precaution, and prepared to receive the stroke from\nhim who was appointed to cut off his head. Another of the gang, who\npromised himself that he should succeed better, immediately presented\nhimself, and his offer being accepted, he went and corrupted Baba\nMustapha, as the other had done; and being shewn the house, marked it in\na place more remote from sight, with red chalk.\n\nNot long after, Morgiana, whose eyes nothing could escape, went out, and\nseeing the red chalk, and arguing with herself as she had done before,\nmarked the other neighbours' houses in the same place and manner. The\nrobber, at his return to his company, valued himself much on the\nprecaution he had taken, which he looked upon as an infallible way of\ndistinguishing Ali Baba's house from the others; and the captain and all\nof them thought it must succeed. They conveyed themselves into the town\nwith the same precaution as before; but when the robber and his captain\ncame to the street, they found the same difficulty: at which the captain\nwas enraged, and the robber in as great confusion as his predecessor.\nThus the captain and his troop were forced to retire a second time, and\nmuch more dissatisfied; while the unfortunate robber, who had been the\nauthor of the mistake, underwent the same punishment; which he willingly\nsubmitted to.\n\nThe captain, having lost two brave fellows of his troop, was afraid of\ndiminishing it too much by pursuing this plan to get information of the\nresidence of their plunderer. He found by their example that their heads\nwere not so good as their hands on such occasions; and therefore\nresolved to take upon himself the important commission. Accordingly, he\nwent and addressed himself to Baba Mustapha, who did him the same\nservice he had done to the other robbers. He did not set any particular\nmark on the house, but examined and observed it so carefully, by\npassing often by it, that it was impossible for him to mistake it.\n\nThe captain, well satisfied with his attempt, and informed of what he\nwanted to know, returned to the forest; and when he came into the cave,\nwhere the troop waited for him, said: \"Now, comrades, nothing can\nprevent our full revenge, as I am certain of the house, and in my way\nhither I have thought how to put it into execution, but if any one can\nform a better expedient, let him communicate it.\" He then told them his\ncontrivance; and as they approved of it, ordered them to go into the\nvillages about, and buy nineteen mules, with thirty-eight large leather\njars, one full of oil, and the others empty. In two or three days' time\nthe robbers had purchased the mules and jars, and as the mouths of the\njars were rather too narrow for his purpose, the captain caused them to\nbe widened; and after having put one of his men into each, with the\nweapons which he thought fit, leaving open the seam which had been\nundone to leave them room to breathe, he rubbed the jars on the outside\nwith oil from the full vessel. Things being thus prepared, when the\nnineteen mules were loaded with thirty-seven robbers in jars, and the\njar of oil, the captain, as their driver, set out with them, and reached\nthe town by the dusk of the evening, as he had intended. He led them\nthrough the streets till he came to Ali Baba's, at whose door he\ndesigned to have knocked; but was prevented by his sitting there after\nsupper to take a little fresh air. He stopped his mules, addressed\nhimself to him, and said: \"I have brought some oil a great way, to sell\nat to-morrow's market; and it is now so late that I do not know where to\nlodge. If I should not be troublesome to you, do me the favour to let me\npass the night with you, and I shall be very much obliged by your\nhospitality.\"\n\nThough Ali Baba had seen the captain of the robbers in the forest, and\nhad heard him speak, it was hardly possible to know him in the disguise\nof an oil-merchant. He told him he should be welcome, and immediately\nopened his gates for the mules to go into the yard. At the same time he\ncalled to a slave, and ordered him, when the mules were unloaded, to put\nthem into the stable, and give them fodder; and then went to Morgiana,\nto bid her get a good supper. He did more. When he saw the captain had\nunloaded his mules, and that they were put into the stables as he had\nordered, and he was looking for a place to pass the night in the air, he\nbrought him into the hall where he received his company, telling him he\nwould not suffer him to be in the court. The captain excused himself on\npretence of not being troublesome; but really to have room to execute\nhis design, and it was not till after the most pressing importunity that\nhe yielded. Ali Baba, not content to keep company, till supper was\nready, with the man who had a design on his life, continued talking with\nhim till it was ended, and repeating his offer of service. The captain\nrose up at the same time with his host; and while Ali Baba went to speak\nto Morgiana he withdrew into the yard, under pretence of looking at his\nmules. Ali Baba, after charging Morgiana afresh to take care of his\nguest, said to her: \"To-morrow morning I design to go to the bath before\nday; take care my bathing linens be ready, give them to Abdoollah,\"\nwhich was the slave's name, \"and make me some good broth against I\nreturn.\" After this he went to bed.\n\nIn the meantime, the captain went from the stable to give his people\norders what to do; and beginning at the first jar, and so on to the\nlast, said to each man: \"As soon as I throw some stones out of the\nchamber window where I lie, do not fail to cut the jar open with the\nknife you have about you for the purpose, and come out, and I will\nimmediately join you.\" After this he returned into the house, when\nMorgiana, taking up a light, conducted him to his chamber, where she\nleft him; and he, to avoid any suspicion, put the light out soon after,\nand laid himself down in his clothes, that he might be the more ready to\nrise.\n\nMorgiana, remembering Ali Baba's orders, got his bathing linens ready,\nand ordered Abdoollah to set on the pot for the broth; but while she was\npreparing it, the lamp went out, and there was no more oil in the house,\nnor any candles. What to do she did not know, for the broth must be\nmade. Abdoollah seeing her very uneasy, said: \"Do not fret and tease\nyourself, but go into the yard, and take some oil out of one of the\njars.\" Morgiana thanked Abdoollah for his advice, took the oil-pot, and\nwent into the yard; when as she came nigh the first jar, the robber\nwithin said softly: \"Is it time?\" Though the robber spoke low, Morgiana\nwas struck with the voice the more, because the captain, when he\nunloaded the mules, had taken the lids off this and all the other jars\nto give air to his men, who were ill enough at their ease, almost\nwanting room to breathe. As much surprised as Morgiana naturally was at\nfinding a man in a jar, instead of the oil she wanted, many would have\nmade such an outcry as to have given an alarm; whereas Morgiana\ncomprehending immediately the importance of keeping silence, and the\nnecessity of applying a speedy remedy without noise, conceived at once\nthe means, and collecting herself without shewing the least emotion,\nanswered: \"Not yet, but presently.\" She went in this manner to all the\njars, giving the same answer, till she came to the jar of oil.\n\nBy this means, Morgiana found that her master Ali Baba, who thought that\nhe had entertained an oil merchant, had admitted thirty-eight robbers\ninto his house, regarding this pretended merchant as their captain. She\nmade what haste she could to fill her oil-pot, and returned into her\nkitchen; where, as soon as she had lighted her lamp, she took a great\nkettle, went again to the oil-jar, filled the kettle, set it on a large\nwood-fire, and as soon as it boiled went and poured enough into every\njar to stifle and destroy the robber within.\n\nWhen this action, worthy of the courage of Morgiana, was executed\nwithout any noise, she returned into the kitchen with the empty kettle;\nand having put out the great fire she had made to boil the oil, and\nleaving just enough to make the broth, put out the lamp also, and\nremained silent; resolving not to go to rest till she had observed what\nmight follow through a window of the kitchen, which opened into the\nyard.\n\nShe had not waited long before the captain of the robbers got up, opened\nthe window, and finding no light, and hearing no noise, or any one\nstirring in the house, gave the appointed signal, by throwing little\nstones, several of which hit the jars, as he doubted not by the sound\nthey gave. He then listened, but not hearing or perceiving anything\nwhereby he could judge that his companions stirred, he began to grow\nvery uneasy, threw stones again a second and also a third time, and\ncould not comprehend the reason that none of them should answer his\nsignal. Much alarmed, he went softly down into the yard, and going to\nthe first jar, whilst asking the robber, whom he thought alive, if he\nwas in readiness, smelt the hot boiled oil, which sent forth a steam out\nof the jar. Hence he suspected that his plot to murder Ali Baba and\nplunder his house was discovered. Examining all the jars one after\nanother, he found that all the members of his gang were dead; and by the\noil he missed out of the last jar guessed the means and manner of their\ndeath. Enraged to despair at having failed in his design, he forced the\nlock of a door that led from the yard to the garden, and climbing over\nthe walls, made his escape.\n\nWhen Morgiana heard no noise, and found, after waiting some time, that\nthe captain did not return, she concluded that he had chosen rather to\nmake his escape by the garden than the street door, which was\ndouble-locked. Satisfied and pleased to have succeeded so well, in\nsaving her master and family, she went to bed.\n\nAli Baba rose before day, and, followed by his slave, went to the baths,\nentirely ignorant of the important event which had happened at home; for\nMorgiana had not thought it safe to wake him before, for fear of losing\nher opportunity; and after her successful exploit she thought it\nneedless to disturb him.\n\nWhen he returned from the baths, the sun was risen; he was very much\nsurprised to see the oil jars and that the merchant was not gone with\nthe mules. He asked Morgiana, who opened the door, and had let all\nthings stand as they were, that he might see them, the reason of it. \"My\ngood master,\" answered she, \"God preserve you and all your family; you\nwill be better informed of what you wish to know when you have seen what\nI have to show you, if you will but give yourself the trouble to follow\nme.\"\n\nAs soon as Morgiana had shut the door, Ali Baba followed her; when she\nrequested him to look into the first jar and see if there was any oil.\nAli Baba did so, and seeing a man, started back in alarm, and cried out.\n\"Do not be afraid,\" said Morgiana; \"the man you see there can neither do\nyou nor anybody else any harm. He is dead.\" \"Ah, Morgiana!\" said Ali\nBaba, \"what is it you show me? Explain yourself.\" \"I will,\" replied\nMorgiana; \"moderate your astonishment, and do not excite the curiosity\nof your neighbours. Look into all the other jars.\"\n\nAli Baba examined all the other jars, and when he came to that which had\nthe oil in, found it prodigiously sunk, and stood for some time\nmotionless, sometimes looking at the jars, and sometimes at Morgiana,\nwithout saying a word, so great was his surprise: at last, when he had\nrecovered himself, he said: \"And what is become of the merchant?\"\n\n\"Merchant!\" answered she, \"he is as much one as I am; I will tell you\nwho he is, and what is become of him: but you had better hear the story\nin your own chamber; for it is time for your health that you had your\nbroth after your bathing.\"\n\nWhile Ali Baba retired to his chamber, Morgiana went into the kitchen to\nfetch the broth, but before he would drink it, he first entreated her to\nsatisfy his impatience, and tell him what had happened, with all the\ncircumstances; and she obeyed him.\n\n\"This,\" she said, when she had completed her story, \"is the account you\nasked of me; and I am convinced it is the consequence of what I observed\nsome days ago, but did not think fit to acquaint you with; for when I\ncame in one morning early I found our street door marked with white\nchalk, and the next morning with red; upon which, both times without\nknowing what was the intention of those chalks, I marked two or three\nneighbours' doors on each side in the same manner. If you reflect on\nthis, and what has since happened, you will find it to be a plot of the\nrobbers of the forest, of whose gang there are two wanting, and now they\nare reduced to three: all this shows that they had sworn your\ndestruction, and it is proper you should be upon your guard, while there\nis one of them alive: for my part, I shall neglect nothing necessary to\nyour preservation, as I am in duty bound.\"\n\nWhen Morgiana had left off speaking, Ali Baba was so sensible of the\ngreat service she had done him, that he said to her: \"I will not die\nwithout rewarding you as you deserve; I owe my life to you, and for the\nfirst token of my acknowledgment, give you your liberty from this\nmoment, till I can complete your recompense as I intend. I am persuaded\nwith you, that the forty robbers have laid snares for my destruction.\nGod, by your means, has delivered me from them as yet, and I hope will\ncontinue to preserve me from their wicked designs, and deliver the world\nfrom their persecution. All that we have to do is to bury the bodies of\nthese pests of mankind immediately, and with all the secrecy imaginable,\nthat nobody may suspect what is become of them. But that labour\nAbdoollah and I will undertake.\"\n\nAli Baba's garden was very long, and shaded at the farther end by a\ngreat number of large trees. Under these he and the slave dug a trench,\nlong and wide enough to hold all the robbers. Afterward they lifted the\nbodies out of the jars, took away their weapons, carried them to the end\nof the garden, laid them in the trench, and levelled the ground again.\nWhen this was done, Ali Baba hid the jars and weapons; and as he had no\noccasion for the mules, he sent them at different times to be sold in\nthe market by his slave.\n\nWhile Ali Baba took these measures to prevent the public from knowing\nhow he came by his riches in so short a time, the captain of the forty\nrobbers returned to the forest with inconceivable mortification; and in\nhis confusion at his ill success, so contrary to what he had promised\nhimself, entered the cave, not being able, all the way from the town, to\ncome to any resolution how to revenge himself of Ali Baba.\n\nThe loneliness of the gloomy cavern became frightful to him. \"Where are\nyou, my brave lads,\" cried he, \"old companions of my watchings, inroads,\nand labour? What can I do without you? Did I collect you only to lose\nyou by so base a fate, and so unworthy of your courage! Had you died\nwith your sabres in your hands, like brave men, my regret had been less!\nWhen shall I enlist so gallant a troop again? And if I could, can I\nundertake it without exposing so much gold and treasure to him who hath\nalready enriched himself out of it? I cannot, I ought not to think of\nit, before I have taken away his life. I will undertake that alone,\nwhich I could not accomplish with your powerful assistance; and when I\nhave taken measures to secure this treasure from being pillaged, I will\nprovide for it new masters and successors after me, who shall preserve\nand augment it to all posterity.\" This resolution being taken, he was\nnot at a loss how to execute his purpose; but full of hopes, slept all\nthat night very quietly.\n\nWhen he awoke early next morning, he dressed himself, agreeably to the\nproject he had formed, went to the town, and took a lodging in a khan.\nAs he expected what had happened at Ali Baba's might make a great noise,\nhe asked his host what news there was in the city? Upon which the\ninnkeeper told him a great many circumstances, which did not concern him\nin the least. He judged by this, that the reason why Ali Baba kept his\naffairs so secret, was for fear people should know where the treasure\nlay; and because he knew his life would be sought on account of it. This\nurged him the more to neglect nothing to rid himself of so cautious an\nenemy.\n\nThe captain now assumed the character of a merchant, and conveyed\ngradually a great many sorts of rich stuffs and fine linen to his\nlodging from the cavern, but with all the necessary precautions\nimaginable to conceal the place whence he brought them. In order to\ndispose of the merchandise, when he had amassed them together, he took a\nwarehouse, which happened to be opposite to Cassim's, which Ali Baba's\nson had occupied since the death of his uncle.\n\nHe took the name of Khaujeh Houssain, and as a newcomer, was, according\nto custom, extremely civil and complaisant to all the merchants his\nneighbours. Ali Baba's son was from his vicinity one of the first to\nconverse with Khaujeh Houssain, who strove to cultivate his friendship\nmore particularly when, two or three days after he was settled, he\nrecognised Ali Baba, who came to see his son, and stopped to talk with\nhim as he was accustomed to do. When he was gone, the impostor learnt\nfrom his son who he was. He increased his assiduities, caressed him in\nthe most engaging manner, made him some small presents, and often asked\nhim to dine and sup with him.\n\nAli Baba's son did not choose to lie under such obligation to Khaujeh\nHoussain, without making the like return; but was so much straitened for\nwant of room in his house, that he could not entertain him so well as he\nwished; he therefore acquainted his father Ali Baba with his intention,\nand told him that it did not look well for him to receive such favours\nfrom Khaujeh Houssain without inviting him in return.\n\nAli Baba, with great pleasure, took the treat upon himself. \"Son,\" said\nhe, \"to-morrow being Friday, which is a day that the shops of such great\nmerchants as Khaujeh Houssain and yourself are shut, get him to take a\nwalk with you, and as you come back, pass by my door and call in. It\nwill look better to have it happen accidentally, than if you gave him a\nformal invitation. I will go and order Morgiana to provide a supper.\"\n\nThe next day Ali Baba's son and Khaujeh Houssain met by appointment,\ntook their walk, and as they returned, Ali Baba's son led Khaujeh\nHoussain through the street where his father lived; and when they came\nto the house, stopped and knocked at the door. \"This, sir,\" said he, \"is\nmy father's house; who, from the account I have given him of your\nfriendship, charged me to procure him the honour of your acquaintance.\"\n\nThough it was the sole aim of Khaujeh Houssain to introduce himself into\nAli Baba's house, that he might kill him without hazarding his own life\nor making any noise; yet he excused himself, and offered to take his\nleave. But a slave having opened the door, Ali Baba's son took him\nobligingly by the hand, and in a manner forced him in.\n\nAli Baba received Khaujeh Houssain with a smiling countenance, and in\nthe most obliging manner. He thanked him for all the favours he had done\nhis son; adding withal, the obligation was the greater, as he was a\nyoung man not much acquainted with the world.\n\nKhaujeh Houssain returned the compliment, by assuring Ali Baba, that\nthough his son might not have acquired the experience of older men, he\nhad good sense equal to the knowledge of many others. After a little\nmore conversation on different subjects, he offered again to take his\nleave; when Ali Baba, stopping him, said: \"Where are you going, sir, in\nso much haste? I beg you would do me the honour to sup with me, though\nwhat I have to give you is not worth your acceptance; but such as it is,\nI hope you will accept it as heartily as I give it.\" \"Sir,\" replied\nKhaujeh Houssain, \"I am thoroughly persuaded of your good will; and if I\nask the favour of you not to take it ill that I do not accept your\nobliging invitation, I beg of you to believe that it does not proceed\nfrom any slight or intention to affront, but from a reason which you\nwould approve if you knew it.\n\n\"And what may that reason be, sir,\" replied Ali Baba, \"if I may be so\nbold as to ask you?\" \"It is,\" answered Khaujeh Houssain, \"that I can eat\nno victuals that have any salt in them; therefore judge how I should\nfeel at your table.\" \"If that is the only reason,\" said Ali Baba, \"it\nought not to deprive me of the honour of your company at supper; for, in\nthe first place, there is no salt ever put into my bread, and as to the\nmeat we shall have to-night, I promise you there shall be none in that.\nTherefore you must do me the favour to stay. I will return immediately.\"\n\nAli Baba went into the kitchen, and ordered Morgiana to put no salt to\nthe meat that was to be dressed that night; and to make quickly two or\nthree ragouts besides what he had ordered, but be sure to put no salt in\nthem.\n\nMorgiana, who was always ready to obey her master, could not help\nseeming somewhat dissatisfied at his strange order. \"Who is this\ndifficult man,\" said she, \"who eats no salt with his meat? Your supper\nwill be spoiled, if I keep it back so long.\" \"Do not be angry,\nMorgiana,\" replied Ali Baba; \"he is an honest man; therefore do as I bid\nyou.\"\n\nMorgiana obeyed, though with no little reluctance, and had a curiosity\nto see this man who ate no salt. To this end, when she had finished what\nshe had to do in the kitchen, she helped Abdoollah to carry up the\ndishes; and looking at Khaujeh Houssain, knew him at first sight,\nnotwithstanding his disguise, to be the captain of the robbers, and\nexamining him very carefully, perceived that he had a dagger under his\ngarment. \"I am not in the least amazed,\" said she to herself, \"that this\nwicked wretch, who is my master's greatest enemy, would eat no salt with\nhim, since he intends to assassinate him; but I will prevent him.\"\n\nMorgiana, while they were eating, made the necessary preparations for\nexecuting one of the boldest acts ever meditated, and had just\ndetermined, when Abdoollah came for the dessert of fruit, which she\ncarried up, and as soon as he had taken the meat away, set upon the\ntable; after that, she placed three glasses by Ali Baba, and going out,\ntook Abdoollah with her to sup, and to give Ali Baba the more liberty of\nconversation with his guest.\n\nKhaujeh Houssain, or rather the captain of the robbers, thought he had\nnow a favourable opportunity of being revenged on Ali Baba. \"I will,\"\nsaid he to himself, \"make the father and son both drunk: the son, whose\nlife I intend to spare, will not be able to prevent my stabbing his\nfather to the heart; and while the slaves are at supper, or asleep in\nthe kitchen, I can make my escape over the gardens as before.\"\n\nInstead of going to supper, Morgiana, who had penetrated the intentions\nof the counterfeit Khaujeh Houssain, would not give him time to put his\nvillainous design into execution, but dressed herself neatly with a\nsuitable head-dress like a dancer, girded her waist with a silver-gilt\ngirdle, to which there hung a poniard with a hilt and guard of the same\nmetal, and put a handsome mask on her face. When she had thus disguised\nherself, she said to Abdoollah: \"Take your tabor, and let us go and\ndivert our master and his son's guest, as we do sometimes when he is\nalone.\"\n\nAbdoollah took his tabor and played all the way into the hall before\nMorgiana, who when she came to the door made a low obeisance, with a\ndeliberate air, in order to draw attention, and by way of asking leave\nto exhibit her skill. Abdoollah, seeing that his master had a mind to\nsay something, left off playing. \"Come in, Morgiana,\" said Ali Baba,\n\"and let Khaujeh Houssain see what you can do, that he may tell us what\nhe thinks of you. But, sir,\" said he, turning toward his guest, \"do not\nthink that I put myself to any expense to give you this diversion, since\nthese are my slave and my cook and housekeeper; and I hope you will not\nfind the entertainment they give us disagreeable.\"\n\nKhaujeh Houssain, who did not expect this diversion after supper, began\nto fear he should not be able to improve the opportunity he thought he\nhad found: but hoped, if he now missed his aim, to secure it another\ntime, by keeping up a friendly correspondence with the father and son;\ntherefore, though he could have wished Ali Baba would have declined the\ndance, he had the complaisance to express his satisfaction at what he\nsaw pleased his host.\n\nAs soon as Abdoollah saw that Ali Baba and Khaujeh Houssain had done\ntalking, he began to play on the tabor, and accompanied it with an air;\nto which Morgiana, who was an excellent performer, danced in such a\nmanner as would have created admiration in any other company besides\nthat before which she now exhibited, among whom, perhaps, none but the\nfalse Khaujeh Houssain was in the least attentive to her, the rest\nhaving seen her so frequently.\n\nAfter she had danced several dances with equal propriety and grace, she\ndrew the poniard, and holding it in her hand, began a dance, in which\nshe outdid herself, by the many different figures, light movements, and\nthe surprising leaps and wonderful exertions with which she accompanied\nit. Sometimes she presented the poniard to one person's breast,\nsometimes to another's, and oftentimes seemed to strike her own. At\nlast, as if she was out of breath, she snatched the tabor from Abdoollah\nwith her left hand, and holding the dagger in her right, presented the\nother side of the tabor, after the manner of those who get a livelihood\nby dancing, and solicit the liberality of the spectators.\n\nAli Baba put a piece of gold into the tabor, as did also his son: and\nKhaujeh Houssain, seeing that she was coming to him, had pulled his\npurse out of his bosom to make her a present; but while he was putting\nhis hand into it, Morgiana, with a courage and resolution worthy of\nherself, plunged the poniard into his heart. Ali Baba and his son,\nshocked at this action, cried out aloud. \"Unhappy wretch!\" exclaimed Ali\nBaba, \"what have you done to ruin me and my family?\" \"It was to\npreserve, not to ruin you,\" answered Morgiana; \"for see here,\" continued\nshe (opening the pretended Khaujeh Houssain's garment, and showing the\ndagger), \"what an enemy you had entertained! Look well at him, and you\nwill find him to be both the fictitious oil-merchant, and the captain of\nthe gang of forty robbers. Remember, too, that he would eat no salt with\nyou; and what would you have more to persuade you of his wicked design?\nBefore I saw him, I suspected him as soon as you told me you had such a\nguest. I knew him, and you now find that my suspicion was not\ngroundless.\"\n\nAli Baba, who immediately felt the new obligation he had to Morgiana for\nsaving his life a second time, embraced her: \"Morgiana,\" said he, \"I\ngave you your liberty, and then promised you that my gratitude should\nnot stop there, but that I would soon give you higher proofs of its\nsincerity, which I now do by making you my daughter-in-law.\" Then\naddressing himself to his son, he said: \"I believe you, son, to be so\ndutiful a child, that you will not refuse Morgiana for your wife. You\nsee that Khaujeh Houssain sought your friendship with a treacherous\ndesign to take away my life; and, if he had succeeded, there is no doubt\nbut he would have sacrificed you also to his revenge. Consider, that by\nmarrying Morgiana you marry the preserver of my family and your own.\"\n\nThe son, far from showing any dislike, readily consented to the\nmarriage; not only because he would not disobey his father, but also\nbecause it was agreeable to his inclination.\n\nAfter this, they thought of burying the captain of the robbers with his\ncomrades, and did it so privately that nobody discovered their bones\ntill many years after, when no one had any concern in the publication of\nthis remarkable history.\n\nA few days afterward, Ali Baba celebrated the nuptials of his son and\nMorgiana with great solemnity, a sumptuous feast, and the usual dancing\nand spectacles; and had the satisfaction to see that his friends and\nneighbours, whom he invited, had no knowledge of the true motives of the\nmarriage; but that those who were not unacquainted with Morgiana's good\nqualities commended his generosity and goodness of heart.\n\nAli Baba forbore, after this marriage, from going again to the robbers'\ncave, as he had done, for fear of being surprised, from the time he had\nbrought away his brother Cassim's mangled remains. He had kept away\nafter the death of the thirty-seven robbers and their captain, supposing\nthe other two, whom he could get no account of, might be alive.\n\nAt the year's end, when he found that they had not made any attempt to\ndisturb him, he had the curiosity to make another journey, taking the\nnecessary precautions for his safety. He mounted his horse, and when he\ncame to the cave, and saw no footsteps of men or beasts, looked upon it\nas a good sign. He alighted, tied his horse to a tree, then approaching\nthe entrance and pronouncing the words, _Open, Sesame!_ the door opened.\nHe entered the cavern, and by the condition he found things in, judged\nthat nobody had been there since the false Khaujeh Houssain, when he had\nfetched the goods for his shop; that the gang of forty robbers was\ncompletely destroyed, and no longer doubted that he was the only person\nin the world who had the secret of opening the cave, so that all the\ntreasure was at his sole disposal. Having brought with him a wallet, he\nput into it as much gold as his horse would carry, and returned to town.\n\nAfterward Ali Baba carried his son to the cave, and taught him the\nsecret, which they handed down to their posterity, who, using their good\nfortune with moderation, lived in great honour and splendour.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY OF CODADAD AND HIS BROTHERS\n\n\nThere formerly reigned in the city of Harran a most magnificent and\npotent sultan, who loved his subjects, and was equally beloved by them.\nHe was endued with all virtues, and wanted nothing to complete his\nhappiness but an heir. He continually prayed to Heaven for a child; and\none night in his sleep, a prophet appeared to him and said: \"Your\nprayers are heard; you have obtained what you have desired; rise as soon\nas you awake, go to your prayers, and make two genuflexions; then walk\ninto the garden of your palace, call your gardener, and bid him bring\nyou a pomegranate; eat as many of the seeds as you please, and your\nwishes shall be accomplished.\"\n\nThe sultan calling to mind his dream when he awoke, returned thanks to\nHeaven, got up, prayed, made two genuflexions, and then went into his\ngarden, where he took fifty pomegranate seeds, which he counted, and\nate. Some time afterward forty-nine of his wives presented him with\nsons, each one as vigorous as a young palm-tree, but Pirouze, the\nfiftieth wife, remained childless. The sultan, therefore, took an\naversion to this lady and would have had her put to death had not his\nvizier prevented him, advising rather that she be sent to Samaria, to\nher brother, Sultan Samer, with orders that she be well treated.\n\nNot long after Pirouze had been retired to her brother's country, a most\nbeautiful prince was born to her. The prince of Samaria wrote\nimmediately to the sultan of Harran, to acquaint him with the birth of a\nson, and to congratulate him on the occasion. The sultan was much\nrejoiced at this intelligence, and answered Prince Samer as follows:\n\"Cousin, all my other wives have each presented me with a prince. I\ndesire you to educate the child of Pirouze, to give him the name of\nCodadad, and to send him to me when I may apply for him.\"\n\nThe prince of Samaria spared nothing that might improve the education of\nhis nephew. He taught him to ride, draw the bow, and all other\naccomplishments becoming the son of a sovereign; so that Codadad, at\neighteen years of age, was looked upon as a prodigy. The young prince,\nbeing inspired with a courage worthy his birth, said one day to his\nmother: \"Madam, I begin to grow weary of Samaria; I feel a passion for\nglory; give me leave to seek it amidst the perils of war. My father the\nsultan of Harran has many enemies. Why does he not call me to his\nassistance? Must I spend my life in sloth, when all my brothers have the\nhappiness to be fighting by his side?\" \"My son,\" answered Pirouze, \"I am\nno less impatient to have your name become famous; I could wish you had\nalready signalised yourself against your father's enemies; but we must\nwait till he requires it.\" \"No, madam,\" replied Codadad, \"I have already\nwaited too long. I burn to see the sultan, and am tempted to offer him\nmy service, as a young stranger: no doubt but he will accept of it, and\nI will not discover myself till I have performed some glorious actions.\"\nPirouze approved of his generous resolutions, and Codadad departed from\nSamaria, as if he had been going to the chase, without acquainting\nPrince Samer, lest he should thwart his design.\n\nHe was mounted on a white charger, who had a bit and shoes of gold, his\nhousing was of blue satin embroidered with pearls; the hilt of his\ncimeter was of one single diamond, and the scabbard of sandalwood,\nadorned with emeralds and rubies, and on his shoulder he carried his bow\nand quiver. In this equipage, which greatly set off his handsome\nperson, he arrived at the city of Harran, and soon found means to offer\nhis service to the sultan; who being charmed with his beauty, and\nperhaps indeed by natural sympathy, gave him a favourable reception, and\nasked his name and quality. \"Sir,\" answered Codadad, \"I am son to an\nemir of Grand Cairo; an inclination to travel has made me quit my\ncountry, and understanding that you were engaged in war, I am come to\nyour court to offer your majesty my service.\" The sultan, upon hearing\nthis, shewed him extraordinary kindness, and gave him a command in his\narmy.\n\nThe young prince soon gained the esteem of the officers, and was admired\nby the soldiers. Having no less wit than courage, he so far advanced\nhimself in the sultan's esteem, as to become his favourite. All the\nministers and other courtiers daily resorted to Codadad, and were so\neager to purchase his friendship, that they neglected the sultan's sons.\nThe princes could not but resent this conduct, and all conceived an\nimplacable hatred against him; but the sultan's affection daily\nincreasing, he was never weary of giving him fresh testimonies of his\nregard. He always would have him near his person; and to shew his high\nopinion of his wisdom and prudence, committed to his care the other\nprinces, though he was of the same age as they; so that Codadad was made\ngovernor of his brothers.\n\nThis only served to heighten their hatred. \"Is it come to this,\" said\nthey, \"that the sultan, not satisfied with loving a stranger more than\nus, will have him to be our governor, and not allow us to act without\nhis leave? This is not to be endured. We must rid ourselves of this\nforeigner.\" \"Let us go together,\" said one of them, \"and despatch him.\"\n\"No, no,\" answered another; \"we had better be cautious how we sacrifice\nourselves. His death would render us odious to the sultan. Let us\ndestroy him by some stratagem. We will ask his permission to hunt, and,\nwhen at a distance from the palace, proceed to some other city and stay\nthere some time. The sultan will wonder at our absence, and perceiving\nwe do not return, perhaps put the stranger to death, or at least will\nbanish him from court, for suffering us to leave the palace.\"\n\nAll the princes applauded this artifice. They went together to Codadad,\nand desired him to allow them to take the diversion of hunting,\npromising to return the same day. Pirouze's son was taken in the snare,\nand granted the permission his brothers desired. They set out, but never\nreturned. They had been three days absent, when the sultan asked Codadad\nwhere the princes were, for it was long since he had seen them. \"Sir,\"\nanswered Codadad, after making a profound reverence, \"they have been\nhunting these three days, but they promised me they would return\nsooner.\" The sultan grew uneasy, and his uneasiness increased when he\nperceived the princes did not return the next day. He could not check\nhis anger: \"Indiscreet stranger,\" said he to Codadad, \"why did you let\nmy sons go without bearing them company? Go, seek them immediately, and\nbring them to me, or your life shall be forfeited.\"\n\nThese words chilled with alarm Pirouze's unfortunate son. He armed\nhimself, departed from the city, and like a shepherd who had lost his\nflock, searched the country for his brothers, inquiring at every village\nwhether they had been seen; but hearing no news of them, abandoned\nhimself to the most lively grief. He was inconsolable for having given\nthe princes permission to hunt, or for not having borne them company.\n\nAfter some days spent in fruitless search, he came to a plain of\nprodigious extent, in the midst whereof was a palace built of black\nmarble. He drew near, and at one of the windows beheld a most beautiful\nlady; but set off with no other ornament than her own charms; for her\nhair was dishevelled, her garments torn, and on her countenance appeared\nall the marks of affliction. As soon as she saw Codadad, and judged he\nmight hear her, she directed her discourse to him, saying: \"Young man,\ndepart from this fatal place, or you will soon fall into the hands of\nthe monster that inhabits it: a black, who feeds only on human blood,\nresides in this palace; he seizes all persons whom their ill fate\nconducts to this plain, and shuts them up in his dungeons, whence they\nare never released, but to be devoured by him.\"\n\n\"Madam,\" answered Codadad, \"tell me who you are, and be not concerned\nfor myself.\" \"I am a lady of quality of Grand Cairo,\" replied the\ncaptive; \"I was passing by this castle yesterday, on my way to Bagdad,\nand met with the black, who killed all my attendants, and brought me\nhither. I beg of you,\" she cried, \"to make your escape: the black will\nsoon return; he is gone out to pursue some travellers he espied at a\ndistance on the plain. Lose no time, but fly.\"\n\nShe had scarcely done speaking before the black appeared. He was of\nmonstrous bulk, and of a dreadful aspect, mounted on a large Tartar\nhorse, and bore a heavy cimeter, that none but himself could wield. The\nprince seeing him, was amazed at his gigantic stature, directed his\nprayers to Heaven to assist him, then drew his own cimeter, and firmly\nawaited his approach. The monster, despising so inconsiderable an enemy,\ncalled to him to submit without fighting. Codadad by his conduct shewed\nthat he was resolved to defend his life; for rushing upon the black, he\nwounded him on the knee. The monster, feeling himself wounded, uttered\nsuch a dreadful yell as made all the plain resound. He grew furious and\nfoamed with rage, and raising himself on his stirrups, made at Codadad\nwith his dreadful cimeter. The blow was so violent, that it would have\nput an end to the young prince, had not he avoided it by a sudden\nspring. The cimeter made a horrible hissing in the air: but, before the\nblack could have time to make a second blow, Codadad struck him on his\nright arm with such force that he cut it off. The dreadful cimeter fell\nwith the hand that held it, and the black, yielding under the violence\nof the stroke, lost his stirrups, and made the earth shake with the\nweight of his fall. The prince alighted at the same time, and cut off\nhis enemy's head. Just then the lady, who had been a spectator of the\ncombat, and was still offering up her earnest prayers to Heaven for the\nyoung hero, uttered a shriek of joy, and said to Codadad: \"Prince and\nDeliverer, finish the work you have begun; the black has the keys of\nthis castle, take them and deliver me out of prison.\"\n\nThe prince searched the wretch as he lay stretched on the ground, and\nfound several keys. He opened the first door, and entered a court, where\nhe saw the lady coming to meet him; she would have cast herself at his\nfeet, the better to express her gratitude, but he would not permit her.\nShe commended his valour, and extolled him above all the heroes in the\nworld. He returned her compliments; and she appeared still more lovely\nto him near, than she had done at a distance. I know not whether she\nfelt more joy at being delivered from the desperate danger she had been\nin, than he for having done so considerable a service to so beautiful a\nperson.\n\nTheir conversation was interrupted by dismal cries and groans. \"What do\nI hear?\" said Codadad; \"whence come these miserable lamentations, which\npierce my ears?\" \"My lord,\" said the lady, pointing to a little door in\nthe court, \"they come from thence. There are I know not how many\nwretched persons whom fate has thrown into the hands of the black. They\nare all chained, and the monster drew out one every day to devour.\"\n\n\"It is an addition to my joy,\" answered the young prince, \"to understand\nthat my victory will save the lives of those unfortunate beings. Come\nwith me, madam, to partake in the satisfaction of giving them their\nliberty.\" Having so said, they advanced toward the door of the dungeon,\nwhere Codadad, pitying them, and impatient to put an end to their\nsufferings, presently put one of the keys into the lock. The noise made\nall the unfortunate captives, who concluded it was the black coming,\naccording to custom, to seize one of them to devour, redouble their\ncries and groans.\n\nIn the meantime, the prince had opened the door; he went down a steep\nstaircase into a deep vault, which received some feeble light from a\nlittle window, and in which there were above a hundred persons, bound to\nstakes. \"Unfortunate travellers,\" said he to them, \"who only expected\nthe moment of an approaching death, give thanks to Heaven which has this\nday delivered you by my means. I have slain the black by whom you were\nto be devoured, and am come to knock off your chains.\" The prisoners\nhearing these words, gave a shout of mingled joy and surprise. Codadad\nand the lady began to unbind them; and as soon as any of them were\nloose, they helped to take off the fetters from the rest; so that in a\nshort time they were all at liberty.\n\nThey then kneeled down, and having returned thanks to Codadad for what\nhe had done for them, went out of the dungeon; but when they were come\ninto the court, how was the prince surprised to see among the prisoners\nthose he was in search of, and almost without hopes to find! \"Princes,\"\ncried he, \"is it you whom I behold? May I flatter myself that it is in\nmy power to restore you to the sultan your father, who is inconsolable\nfor the loss of you? Are you all here alive? Alas! the death of one of\nyou will suffice to damp the joy I feel for having delivered you.\"\n\nThe forty-nine princes all made themselves known to Codadad, who\nembraced them one after another, and told them how uneasy their father\nwas on account of their absence. They gave their deliverer all the\ncommendations he deserved, as did the other prisoners, who could not\nfind words expressive enough to declare their gratitude. Codadad, with\nthem, searched the whole castle, where was immense wealth: curious\nsilks, gold brocades, Persian carpets, China satins, and an infinite\nquantity of other goods, which the black had taken from the caravans he\nhad plundered, a considerable part whereof belonged to the prisoners\nCodadad had then liberated. Every man knew and claimed his property. The\nprince restored them their own, and divided the rest of the merchandise\namong them. Then he said to them: \"How will you carry away your goods?\nWe are here in a desert place, and there is no likelihood of your\ngetting horses.\" \"My lord,\" answered one of the prisoners, \"the black\nrobbed us of our camels, as well as of our goods, and perhaps they may\nbe in the stables of this castle.\" \"That is not unlikely,\" replied\nCodadad; \"let us examine.\" Accordingly they went to the stables, where\nthey not only found the camels, but also the horses belonging to the\nsultan of Harran's sons. All the merchants, overjoyed that they had\nrecovered their goods and camels, together with their liberty, thought\nof nothing but prosecuting their journey; but first repeated their\nthanks to their deliverer.\n\nWhen they were gone, Codadad, directing his discourse to the lady, said:\n\"What place, madam, do you desire to go to? I intend to bear you company\nto the spot you shall choose for your retreat, and I question not but\nthat all these princes will do the same.\" The sultan of Harran's sons\nprotested to the lady, that they would not leave her till she was\nrestored to her friends.\n\n\"Princes,\" said she, \"I am of a country too remote from here; and,\nbesides that, it would be abusing your generosity to oblige you to\ntravel so far. I must confess that I have left my native country for\never. I told you that I was a lady of Grand Cairo; but since you have\nshewn me so much favour, I should be much in the wrong in concealing the\ntruth from you: I am a sultan's daughter. A usurper has possessed\nhimself of my father's throne, after having murdered him, and I have\nbeen forced to fly to save my life.\"\n\nCodadad and his brothers requested the princess to tell them her story,\nand after thanking them for their repeated protestations of readiness to\nserve her, she could not refuse to satisfy their curiosity, and began\nthe recital of her adventures in the following manner.\n\n\"There was in a certain island,\" said the princess, \"a great city called\nDeryabar, governed by a magnificent and virtuous sultan, who had no\nchildren, which was the only blessing wanting to make him happy. He\ncontinually addressed his prayers to Heaven, but Heaven only partially\ngranted his requests, for the queen his wife, after a long expectation,\nbrought forth a daughter.\n\n\"I am that unfortunate princess; my father was rather grieved than\npleased at my birth; but he submitted to the will of God, and caused me\nto be educated with all possible care, being resolved, since he had no\nson, to teach me the art of ruling, that I might supply his place after\nhis death.\n\n\"There was, at the court of Deryabar, an orphan youth of good birth whom\nthe sultan, my father, had befriended and educated according to his\nrank. He was very handsome, and, not wanting ability, found means to\nplease my father, who conceived a great friendship for him. All the\ncourtiers perceived it, and guessed that the young man might in the end\nbe my husband. In this idea, and looking on him already as heir to the\ncrown, they made their court to him, and every one endeavoured to gain\nhis favour. He soon saw into their designs, and forgetting the distance\nthere was between our conditions, flattered himself with the hopes that\nmy father was fond enough of him to prefer him before all the princes in\nthe world. He went farther; for the sultan not offering me to him as\nsoon as he could have wished, he had the boldness to ask me of him.\nWhatever punishment his insolence deserved, my father was satisfied with\ntelling him he had other thoughts in relation to me. The youth was\nincensed at this refusal; he resented the contempt, as if he had asked\nsome maid of ordinary extraction, or as if his birth had been equal to\nmine. Nor did he stop here, but resolved to be revenged on the sultan,\nand with unparalleled ingratitude conspired against him. In short, he\nmurdered him, and caused himself to be proclaimed sovereign of Deryabar.\nThe grand vizier, however, while the usurper was butchering my father\ncame to carry me away from the palace, and secured me in a friend's\nhouse, till a vessel he had provided was ready to sail. I then left the\nisland, attended only by a governess and that generous minister, who\nchose rather to follow his master's daughter than to submit to a tyrant.\n\n\"The grand vizier designed to carry me to the courts of the neighbouring\nsultans, to implore their assistance, and excite them to revenge my\nfather's death; but Heaven did not concur in a resolution we thought so\njust. When we had been but a few days at sea, there arose such a furious\nstorm, that our vessel, carried away by the violence of the winds and\nwaves, was dashed in pieces against a rock. My governess, the grand\nvizier, and all that attended me, were swallowed up by the sea. I lost\nmy senses; and whether I was thrown upon the coast, or whether Heaven\nwrought a miracle for my deliverance, I found myself on shore when my\nsenses returned.\n\n\"In my despair and horror I was on the point of casting myself into the\nsea again; when I heard behind me a great noise of men and horses. I\nlooked about to see what it might be, and espied several armed horsemen,\namong whom was one mounted on an Arabian charger. He had on a garment\nembroidered with silver, a girdle set with precious stones, and a crown\nof gold on his head. Though his habit had not convinced me that he was\nchief of the company, I should have judged it by the air of grandeur\nwhich appeared in his person. He was a young man extraordinarily well\nshaped, and perfectly beautiful. Surprised to see a young lady alone in\nthat place, he sent some of his officers to ask who I was. I answered\nonly by weeping. The shore being covered with the wreck of our ship,\nthey concluded that I was certainly some person who had escaped from the\nvessel. This conjecture excited the curiosity of the officers, who began\nto ask me a thousand questions, with assurances that their master was a\ngenerous prince, and that I should receive protection at his court.\n\n\"The sultan, impatient to know who I was, grew weary of waiting the\nreturn of his officers, and drew near to me. He gazed on me very\nearnestly, and observing that I did not cease weeping, without being\nable to return an answer to their questions, he forbade them troubling\nme any more; and directing his discourse to me: 'Madam,' said he, 'I\nconjure you to moderate your excessive affliction. I dare assure you\nthat, if your misfortunes are capable of receiving any relief, you shall\nfind it in my dominions. You shall live with the queen my mother, who\nwill endeavour by her kindness to ease your affliction. I know not yet\nwho you are, but I find I already take an interest in your welfare.'\n\n\"I thanked the young sultan for his goodness to me, accepted his\nobliging offer; and to convince him that I was not unworthy of them,\ntold him my condition. When I had done speaking, the prince assured me\nthat he was deeply concerned at my misfortunes. He then conducted me to\nhis palace, and presented me to the queen his mother, to whom I was\nobliged again to repeat my misfortunes. The queen seemed very sensible\nof my trouble, and conceived extreme affection for me. On the other\nhand, the sultan her son fell desperately in love with me, and soon\noffered me his hand and his crown. I was so taken up with the thoughts\nof my calamities, that the prince, though so lovely a person, did not\nmake so great an impression on me as he might have done at another time.\nHowever, gratitude prevailing, I did not refuse to make him happy, and\nour nuptials were concluded with all imaginable splendour.\n\n\"While the people were taken up with the celebration of their\nsovereign's nuptials, a neighbouring prince, his enemy, made a descent\nby night on the island with a great number of troops and surprised and\ncut to pieces my husband's subjects. We escaped very narrowly, for he\nhad already entered the palace with some of his followers; but we found\nmeans to slip away and to get to the sea-coast, where we threw ourselves\ninto a fishing-boat which we had the good fortune to meet with. Two days\nwe were driven about by the winds, without knowing what would become of\nus. The third day we espied a vessel making toward us under sail. We\nrejoiced at first, believing it had been a merchant-ship which might\ntake us aboard; but what was our consternation, when, as it drew near,\nwe saw ten or twelve armed pirates appear on the deck. Having boarded,\nfive or six of them leaped into our boat, seized us, bound the prince,\nand conveyed us into their ship, where they immediately took off my\nveil. My youth and features touched them, and they all declared how much\nthey were charmed at the sight of me. Instead of casting lots, each of\nthem claimed the preference, and me as his right. The dispute grew warm,\nthey came to blows, and fought like madmen. The deck was soon covered\nwith dead bodies, and they were all killed but one, who, being left sole\npossessor of me, said: 'You are mine. I will carry you to Grand Cairo,\nto deliver you to a friend of mine, to whom I have promised a beautiful\nslave. But who,' added he, looking upon the sultan, my husband, 'is that\nman? What relation does he bear to you? Are you allied by blood or\nlove?' 'Sir,' answered I, 'he is my husband.' 'If so,' replied the\npirate, 'in pity I must rid myself of him: it would be too great an\naffliction to him to see you disposed of to another.' Having spoken\nthese words, he took up the unhappy prince, who was bound, and threw him\ninto the sea, notwithstanding all my endeavours to prevent him.\n\n\"I shrieked in a dreadful manner at the sight of what he had done, and\nhad certainly cast myself into the sea also, but that the pirate held\nme. He saw my design, and therefore bound me with cords to the\nmain-mast, then hoisting sail, made toward the land, and got ashore. He\nunbound me and led me to a little town, where he bought camels, tents,\nand slaves, and then set out for Grand Cairo, designing, as he still\nsaid, to present me to his friend, according to his promise.\n\n\"We had been several days upon the road, when, as we were crossing this\nplain yesterday, we descried the black who inhabited this castle. At a\ndistance we took him for a tower, and when near us, could scarcely\nbelieve him to be a man. He drew his huge cimeter, and summoned the\npirate to yield himself prisoner, with all his slaves and the lady he\nwas conducting. You know the end of this dreadful adventure and can\nforesee what would have been my fate had you, generous prince, not come\nto my deliverance.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_As it drew near we saw ten or twelve armed pirates appear on the deck._\n\nAs soon as the princess had finished the recital of her adventures,\nCodadad declared to her that he was deeply concerned at her misfortunes.\n\"But, madam,\" added he, \"it shall be your own fault if you do not live\nat ease for the future. The sultan of Harran's sons offer you a safe\nretreat in the court of their father; be pleased to accept of it, and if\nyou do not disdain the affection of your deliverer, permit me to assure\nyou of it, and to espouse you before all these princes; let them be\nwitnesses to our contract.\" The princess consented, and the marriage was\nconcluded that very day in the castle, where they found all sorts of\nprovisions, with an abundance of delicious wine and other liquors.\n\nThey all sat down at table; and after having eaten and drunk\nplentifully, took with them the rest of the provisions, and set out for\nthe sultan of Harran's court. They travelled several days, encamping in\nthe pleasantest places they could find, and were within one day's\njourney of Harran, when Codadad, directing his discourse to all his\ncompany, said: \"Princes, I have too long concealed from you who I am.\nBehold your brother Codadad! I, as well as you, received my being from\nthe sultan of Harran, the prince of Samaria brought me up, and the\nPrincess Pirouze is my mother. Madam,\" added he, addressing himself to\nthe princess of Deryabar, \"do you also forgive me for having concealed\nmy birth from you? Perhaps, by discovering it sooner, I might have\nprevented some disagreeable reflections, which may have been occasioned\nby a match you may have thought unequal.\" \"No, sir,\" answered the\nprincess \"the opinion I at first conceived of you heightened every\nmoment and you did not stand in need of the extraction you now discover\nto make me happy.\"\n\nThe princes congratulated Codadad on his birth, and expressed much\nsatisfaction at being made acquainted with it. But in reality, instead\nof rejoicing, their hatred of so amiable a brother was increased. They\nmet together at night, and forgetting that had it not been for the brave\nson of Pirouze they must have been devoured by the black, agreed among\nthemselves to murder him. \"We have no other course to choose,\" said one\nof them, \"for the moment our father shall come to understand that this\nstranger, of whom he is already so fond, is our brother, he will declare\nhim his heir, and we shall all be obliged to obey and fall down before\nhim.\" He added much more, which made such an impression on their\nunnatural minds, that they immediately repaired to Codadad, then asleep,\nstabbed him repeatedly, and leaving him for dead in the arms of the\nprincess of Deryabar, proceeded on their journey to the city of Harran,\nwhere they arrived the next day.\n\nThe sultan their father conceived the greater joy at their return,\nbecause he had despaired of ever seeing them again: he asked what had\nbeen the occasion of their stay. But they took care not to acquaint him\nwith it, making no mention either of the black or of Codadad; and only\nsaid, that being curious to see different countries, they had spent some\ntime in the neighbouring cities.\n\nIn the meantime Codadad lay in his tent weltering in his blood and\nlittle differing from a dead man, with the princess his wife, who seemed\nto be in not much better condition than himself. She rent the air with\nher dismal shrieks, tore her hair, and bathing her husband's body with\nher tears, \"Alas! Codadad, my dear Codadad,\" cried she, \"is it you whom\nI behold just departing this life? Can I believe these are your brothers\nwho have treated you so unmercifully, those brothers whom thy valour had\nsaved? O Heaven! which has condemned me to lead a life of calamities, if\nyou will not permit me to have a consort, why did you permit me to find\none? Behold, you have now robbed me of two, just as I began to be\nattached to them.\"\n\nBy these and other moving expressions the afflicted princess of Deryabar\nvented her sorrow, fixing her eyes on the unfortunate Codadad, who could\nnot hear her; but he was not dead, and his consort, observing that he\nstill breathed, ran to a large town she espied in the plain, to inquire\nfor a surgeon. She was directed to one, who went immediately with her;\nbut when they came to the tent, they could not find Codadad, which made\nthem conclude he had been dragged away by some wild beast to be\ndevoured. The princess renewed her complaints and lamentations in a most\naffecting manner. The surgeon was moved, and being unwilling to leave\nher in so distressed a condition, proposed to her to return to the town,\noffering her his house and service.\n\nShe suffered herself to be prevailed upon. The surgeon conducted her to\nhis house, and without knowing, as yet, who she was, treated her with\nall imaginable courtesy and respect. He used all his endeavours to\ncomfort her, but it was vain to think of removing her sorrow. \"Madam,\"\nsaid he to her one day, \"be pleased to recount to me your misfortunes;\ntell me your country and your condition. Perhaps I may give you some\ngood advice, when I am acquainted with all the circumstances of your\ncalamity.\"\n\nThe surgeon's words were so efficacious, that they wrought on the\nprincess, who recounted to him all her adventures; and when she had\ndone, the surgeon directed his discourse to her: \"Madam,\" said he, \"you\nought not thus to give way to your sorrow; you ought rather to arm\nyourself with resolution, and perform what the duty of a wife requires\nof you. You are bound to avenge your husband. If you please, I will wait\non you as your attendant. Let us go to the sultan of Harran's court; he\nis a good and a just prince. You need only represent to him in lively\ncolours, how Prince Codadad has been treated by his brothers. I am\npersuaded he will do you justice.\" \"I submit to your reasoning,\"\nanswered the princess; \"it is my duty to endeavour to avenge Codadad;\nand since you are so generous as to offer to attend me, I am ready to\nset out.\" No sooner had she fixed this resolution, than the surgeon\nordered two camels to be made ready, on which the princess and he\nmounted, and repaired to Harran.\n\nThey alighted at the first caravanserai they found, and inquired of the\nhost the news at court. \"Deryabar,\" said he, \"is in very great\nperplexity. The sultan had a son, who lived long with him as a stranger,\nand none can tell what is become of the young prince. One of the\nsultan's wives, named Pirouze, is his mother; she has made all possible\ninquiry, but to no purpose. The sultan has forty-nine other sons, all by\ndifferent mothers, but not one of them has virtue enough to comfort him\nfor the death of Codadad; I say, his death, because it is impossible he\nshould be still alive, since no intelligence has been heard of him,\nnotwithstanding so much search has been made.\"\n\nThe surgeon, having heard this account from the host, concluded that the\nbest course the princess of Deryabar could take was to wait upon\nPirouze; but that step required much precaution: for it was to be feared\nthat if the sultan of Harran's sons should happen to hear of the arrival\nof their sister-in-law and her design, they might cause her to be\nconveyed away before she could discover herself. The surgeon weighed all\nthese circumstances, and therefore, that he might manage matters with\ndiscretion, desired the princess to remain in the caravanserai, whilst\nhe repaired to the palace, to observe which might be the safest way to\nconduct her to Pirouze.\n\nHe went accordingly into the city, and was walking toward the palace,\nwhen he beheld a lady mounted on a mule richly accoutred. She was\nfollowed by several ladies mounted also on mules, with a great number of\nguards and black slaves. All the people formed a lane to see her pass\nalong, and saluted her by prostrating themselves on the ground. The\nsurgeon paid her the same respect, and then asked a calendar, who\nhappened to stand by him, whether that lady was one of the sultan's\nwives. \"Yes, brother,\" answered the calendar, \"she is, and the most\nhonoured and beloved by the people, because she is the mother of Prince\nCodadad, of whom you must have heard.\"\n\nThe surgeon asked no more questions, but followed Pirouze to a mosque,\ninto which she went to distribute alms, and assist at the public prayers\nwhich the sultan had ordered to be offered up for the safe return of\nCodadad. The surgeon broke through the throng and advanced to Pirouze's\nguards. He waited the conclusion of the prayers, and when the princess\nwent out, stepped up to one of her slaves, and whispered him in the ear:\n\"Brother, I have a secret of moment to impart to the Princess Pirouze:\nmay not I be introduced into her apartment?\" \"If that secret,\" answered\nthe slave, \"relates to Prince Codadad I dare promise you shall have\naudience of her; but if it concern not him, it is needless for you to be\nintroduced; for her thoughts are all engrossed by her son.\" \"It is only\nabout that dear son,\" replied the surgeon, \"that I wish to speak to\nher.\" \"If so,\" said the slave, \"you need but follow us to the palace,\nand you shall soon have the opportunity.\"\n\nAccordingly, as soon as Pirouze was returned to her apartment, the slave\nacquainted her that a person unknown had some important information to\ncommunicate to her, and that it related to Prince Codadad. No sooner had\nhe uttered these words, than Pirouze expressed her impatience to see the\nstranger. The slave immediately conducted him into the princess's closet\nwho ordered all her women to withdraw, except two, from whom she\nconcealed nothing. As soon as she saw the surgeon, she asked him eagerly\nwhat news he had to tell her of Codadad. \"Madam,\" answered the surgeon,\nafter having prostrated himself on the ground, \"I have a long account to\ngive you, and such as will surprise you.\" He then related all the\nparticulars of what had passed between Codadad and his brothers, which\nshe listened to with eager attention; but when he came to speak of the\nmurder, the tender mother fainted away on her sofa, as if she had\nherself been stabbed like her son. Her two women soon brought her to\nherself and the surgeon continued his relation; and when he had\nconcluded, Pirouze said to him: \"Go back to the princess of Deryabar,\nand assure her from me that the sultan shall soon own her for his\ndaughter-in-law; and as for yourself, your services shall be rewarded as\nliberally as they deserve.\"\n\nWhen the surgeon was gone, Pirouze remained on the sofa in such a state\nof affliction as may easily be imagined; and yielding to her tenderness\nat the recollection of Codadad, \"O my son!\" said she, \"I must never then\nexpect to see you more! Unfortunate Codadad, why did you leave me?\"\nWhile she uttered these words, she wept bitterly, and her two\nattendants, moved by her grief, mingled their tears with hers.\n\nWhilst they were all three in this manner vying in affliction, the\nsultan came into the closet, and seeing them in this condition, asked\nPirouze whether she had received any bad news concerning Codadad. \"Alas!\nsir,\" said she, \"all is over, my son has lost his life, and to add to my\nsorrow, I cannot pay him the funeral rites; for, in all probability,\nwild beasts have devoured him.\" She then told him all she had heard from\nthe surgeon, and did not fail to enlarge on the inhuman manner in which\nCodadad had been murdered by his brothers.\n\nThe sultan did not give Pirouze time to finish her relation, but\ntransported with anger, and giving way to his passion, \"Madam,\" said he\nto the princess, \"those perfidious wretches who cause you to shed these\ntears, and are the occasion of mortal grief to their father, shall soon\nfeel the punishment due to their guilt.\" The sultan, having spoken these\nwords, with indignation in his countenance, went directly to the\npresence-chamber, where all his courtiers attended, and such of the\npeople as had petitions to present to him. They were alarmed to see him\nin passion, and thought his anger had been kindled against them. He\nascended the throne, and causing his grand vizier to approach, \"Hassan,\"\nsaid he, \"go immediately, take a thousand of my guards, and seize all\nthe princes, my sons; shut them up in the tower used as a prison for\nmurderers, and let this be done in a moment.\" All who were present\ntrembled at this extraordinary command; and the grand vizier, without\nuttering a word, laid his hand on his head, to express his obedience,\nand hastened from the hall to execute his orders. In the meantime the\nsultan dismissed those who attended for audience, and declared he would\nnot hear of any business for a month to come. He was still in the hall\nwhen the vizier returned. \"Are all my sons,\" demanded he, \"in the\ntower?\" \"They are, sir,\" answered the vizier; \"I have obeyed your\norders.\" \"This is not all,\" replied the sultan, \"I have farther commands\nfor you:\" and so saying he went out of the hall of audience, and\nreturned to Pirouze's apartment, the vizier following him. He asked the\nprincess where Codadad's widow had taken up her lodging. Pirouze's women\ntold him, for the surgeon had not forgotten that in his relation. The\nsultan then turning to his minister, \"Go,\" said he, \"to this\ncaravanserai, and conduct a young princess who lodges there, with all\nthe respect due to her quality, to my palace.\"\n\nThe vizier was not long in performing what he was ordered. He mounted on\nhorseback with all the emirs and courtiers, and repaired to the\ncaravanserai, where the princess of Deryabar was lodged, whom he\nacquainted with his orders; and presented her, from the sultan, with a\nfine white mule, whose saddle and bridle were adorned with gold, rubies,\nand diamonds. She mounted, and proceeded to the palace. The surgeon\nattended her, mounted on a beautiful Tartar horse which the vizier had\nprovided for him. All the people were at their windows, or in the\nstreets, to see the cavalcade; and it being given out that the princess,\nwhom they conducted in such state to court, was Codadad's wife, the city\nresounded with acclamations, the air rung with shouts of joy, which\nwould have been turned into lamentations had that prince's fatal\nadventure been known, so much was he beloved by all.\n\nThe princess of Deryabar found the sultan at the palace gate waiting to\nreceive her: he took her by the hand and led her to Pirouze's apartment,\nwhere a very moving scene took place. Codadad's wife found her\naffliction redouble at the sight of her husband's father and mother; as,\non the other hand, those parents could not look on their son's wife\nwithout being much affected. She cast herself at the sultan's feet, and\nhaving bathed them with tears, was so overcome with grief that she was\nnot able to speak. Pirouze was in no better state, and the sultan, moved\nby these affecting objects, gave way to his own feelings and wept. At\nlength the princess of Deryabar, being somewhat recovered, recounted the\nadventure of the castle and Codadad's disaster. Then she demanded\njustice for the treachery of the princes. \"Yes, madam,\" said the sultan,\n\"those ungrateful wretches shall perish; but Codadad's death must be\nfirst made public, that the punishment of his brothers may not cause my\nsubjects to rebel; and though we have not my son's body, we will not\nomit paying him the last duties.\" This said, he directed his discourse\nto the vizier, and ordered him to cause to be erected a dome of white\nmarble, in a delightful plain, in the midst of which the city of Harran\nstands. Then he appointed the princess of Deryabar a suitable apartment\nin his palace, acknowledging her for his daughter-in-law.\n\nHassan caused the work to be carried on with such diligence, and\nemployed so many workmen, that the dome was soon finished. Within it was\nerected a tomb, which was covered with gold brocade. When all was\ncompleted, the sultan ordered prayers to be said, and appointed a day\nfor the obsequies of his son.\n\nOn that day all the inhabitants of the city went out upon the plain to\nsee the ceremony performed. The gate of the dome was then closed, and\nall the people returned to the city. Next day there were public prayers\nin all the mosques, and the same was continued for eight days\nsuccessively. On the ninth the king resolved to cause the princes his\nsons to be beheaded. The people, incensed at their cruelty toward\nCodadad, impatiently expected to see them executed. The scaffolds were\nerecting, but the execution was respited, because, on a sudden,\nintelligence was brought that the neighbouring princes who had before\nmade war on the sultan of Harran, were advancing with more numerous\nforces than on the first invasion, and were then not far from the city.\nThis news gave new cause to lament the loss of Codadad, who had\nsignalised himself in the former war against the same enemies. The\nsultan, nothing dismayed, formed a considerable army, and being too\nbrave to await the enemies' attack within his walls, marched out to meet\nthem. They, on their side, being informed that the sultan of Harran was\nmarching to engage them, halted in the plain, and formed their army.\n\nAs soon as the sultan discovered them, he also drew up his forces, and\nranged them in order of battle. The signal was given, and he attacked\nthem with extraordinary vigour; nor was the opposition inferior. Much\nblood was shed on both sides, and the victory long remained dubious; but\nat length it seemed to incline to the sultan of Harran's enemies, who,\nbeing more numerous, were upon the point of surrounding him, when a\ngreat body of cavalry appeared on the plain, and approached the two\narmies. The sight of this fresh party daunted both sides, neither\nknowing what to think of them; but their doubts were soon cleared; for\nthey fell upon the flank of the sultan of Harran's enemies with such a\nfurious charge, that they soon broke and routed them. Nor did they stop\nhere; they pursued them, and cut most of them in pieces.\n\nThe sultan of Harran, who had attentively observed all that passed,\nadmired the bravery of this strange body of cavalry, whose unexpected\narrival had given the victory to his army. But, above all, he was\ncharmed with their chief, whom he had seen fighting with a more than\nordinary valour. He longed to know the name of the generous hero.\nImpatient to see and thank him, he advanced toward him, but perceived he\nwas coming to prevent him. The two princes drew near, and the sultan of\nHarran, discovering Codadad in the brave warrior who had just defeated\nhis enemies, became motionless with joy and surprise. \"Father,\" said\nCodadad to him, \"you have sufficient cause to be astonished at the\nsudden appearance of a man whom perhaps you concluded to be dead. I\nshould have been so, had not Heaven preserved me still to serve you\nagainst your enemies.\" \"O my son,\" cried the sultan, \"is it possible\nthat you are restored to me? Alas! I despaired of seeing you more.\" So\nsaying, he stretched out his arms to the young prince, who flew to such\na tender embrace.\n\n\"I know all, my son,\" said the sultan again, after having long held him\nin his arms. \"I know what return your brothers have made you for\ndelivering them out of the hands of the black; but you shall be revenged\nto-morrow. Let us now go to the palace where your mother, who has shed\nso many tears on your account, expects to rejoice with us on the defeat\nof our enemies. What a joy will it be to her to be informed that my\nvictory is your work!\" \"Sir,\" said Codadad, \"give me leave to ask how\nyou could know the adventure of the castle? Have any of my brothers,\nrepenting, owned it to you?\" \"No,\" answered the sultan; \"the princess of\nDeryabar has given us an account of everything, for she is in my palace,\nand came thither to demand justice against your brothers.\" Codadad was\ntransported with joy, to learn that the princess his wife was at the\ncourt. \"Let us go, sir,\" cried he to his father in rapture, \"let us go\nto my mother, who waits for us. I am impatient to dry her tears, as well\nas those of the princess of Deryabar.\"\n\nThe sultan immediately returned to the city with his army, and\nre-entered his palace victorious, amidst the acclamations of the people,\nwho followed him in crowds, praying to Heaven to prolong his life, and\nextolling Codadad to the skies. They found Pirouze and her\ndaughter-in-law waiting to congratulate the sultan; but words cannot\nexpress the transports of joy they felt when they saw the young prince\nwith him: their embraces were mingled with tears of a very different\nkind from those they had before shed for him. When they had sufficiently\nyielded to all the emotions that the ties of blood and love inspired,\nthey asked Codadad by what miracle he came to be still alive.\n\nHe answered that a peasant mounted on a mule happening accidentally to\ncome into the tent where he lay senseless, and perceiving him alone and\nstabbed in several places, had made him fast on his mule, and carried\nhim to his house, where he applied to his wounds certain herbs, which\nrecovered him. \"When I found myself well,\" added he, \"I returned thanks\nto the peasant, and gave him all the diamonds I had. I then made for the\ncity of Harran; but being informed by the way that some neighbouring\nprinces had gathered forces, and were on their march against the\nsultan's subjects, I made myself known to the villagers, and stirred\nthem up to undertake his defence. I armed a great number of young men,\nand heading them, happened to arrive at the time when the two armies\nwere engaged.\"\n\nWhen he had done speaking, the sultan said: \"Let us return thanks to God\nfor having preserved Codadad; but it is requisite that the traitors who\nwould have destroyed him should perish.\" \"Sir,\" answered the generous\nprince, \"though they are wicked and ungrateful, consider they are your\nown flesh and blood: they are my brothers; I forgive their offence, and\nbeg you to pardon them.\" This generosity drew tears from the sultan, who\ncaused the people to be assembled, and declared Codadad his heir. He\nthen ordered the princes, who were prisoners, to be brought out loaded\nwith irons. Pirouze's son struck off their chains, and embraced them\nall successively with as much sincerity and affection as he had done in\nthe black's castle. The people were charmed with Codadad's generosity,\nand loaded him with applause. The surgeon was next nobly rewarded in\nrequital of the services he had done the princess of Deryabar and the\ncourt of Harran remained thereafter in perfect joy and felicity.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF SINBAD THE VOYAGER\n\n\nIn the reign of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, there lived at Bagdad a\npoor porter called Hindbad. One day, when the weather was excessively\nhot, he was employed to carry a heavy burden from one end of the town to\nthe other. Having still a great way to go, he came into a street where a\nrefreshing breeze blew on his face, and the pavement was sprinkled with\nrose water. As he could not desire a better place to rest, he took off\nhis load, and sat upon it, near a large mansion.\n\nHe was much pleased that he stopped in this place; for the agreeable\nsmell of wood of aloes, and of pastils, that came from the house, mixing\nwith the scent of the rose-water, completely perfumed the air. Besides,\nhe heard from within a concert of instrumental music, accompanied with\nthe harmonious notes of nightingales. This charming melody, and the\nsmell of savoury dishes, made the porter conclude there was a feast\nwithin. His business seldom leading him that way, he knew not to whom\nthe mansion belonged; but to satisfy his curiosity he went to some of\nthe servants, whom he saw standing at the gate in magnificent apparel,\nand asked the name of the proprietor. \"How,\" replied one of them, \"do\nyou live in Bagdad, and know not that this is the house of Sinbad the\nsailor, that famous voyager, who has sailed round the world?\" The\nporter, who had heard of this Sinbad's riches, lifted up his eyes to\nHeaven, and said, loud enough to be heard: \"Almighty creator of all\nthings, consider the difference between Sinbad and me! I am every day\nexposed to fatigues and calamities, and can scarcely get barley-bread\nfor myself and my family, whilst happy Sinbad expends immense riches and\nleads a life of pleasure. What has he done to obtain a lot so agreeable?\nAnd what have I done to deserve one so wretched?\"\n\nWhilst the porter was thus indulging his melancholy, a servant came out\nof the house, and taking him by the arm, bade him follow him, for\nSinbad, his master, wanted to speak to him.\n\nThe servants brought him into a great hall, where a number of people sat\nround a table, covered with all sorts of savoury dishes. At the upper\nend sat a venerable gentleman, with a long white beard, and behind him\nstood a number of officers and domestics, all ready to attend his\npleasure. This personage was Sinbad. The porter, whose fear was\nincreased at the sight of so many people, and of a banquet so sumptuous,\nsaluted the company trembling. Sinbad bade him draw near, and seating\nhim at his right hand, served him himself, and gave him a cup of\nexcellent wine.\n\nWhen the repast was over, Sinbad addressed his conversation to Hindbad,\nand inquired his name and employment. \"My lord,\" answered he, \"my name\nis Hindbad.\" \"I am very glad to see you,\" replied Sinbad; \"but I wish to\nhear from your own mouth what it was you lately said in the street.\"\nSinbad had himself heard the porter complain through the window, and\nthis it was that induced him to have him brought in.\n\nAt this request, Hindbad hung down his head in confusion, and replied:\n\"My lord, I confess that my fatigue put me out of humour, and occasioned\nme to utter some indiscreet words, which I beg you to pardon.\" \"Do not\nthink I am so unjust,\" resumed Sinbad, \"as to resent such a complaint,\nbut I must rectify your error concerning myself. You think, no doubt,\nthat I have acquired, without labour and trouble, the ease which I now\nenjoy. But do not mistake; I did not attain to this happy condition,\nwithout enduring for several years more trouble of body and mind than\ncan well be imagined. Yes, gentlemen,\" he added, speaking to the whole\ncompany, \"I can assure you my troubles were so extraordinary, that they\nwere calculated to discourage the most covetous from undertaking such\nvoyages as I did, to acquire riches. Perhaps you have never heard a\ndistinct account of my wonderful adventures; and since I have this\nopportunity, I will give you a faithful account of them, not doubting\nbut it will be acceptable.\"\n\n\nTHE FIRST VOYAGE\n\n\"I inherited from my father considerable property, the greater part of\nwhich I squandered in my youth in dissipation; but I perceived my error,\nand reflected that riches were perishable, and quickly consumed by such\nill managers as myself, I further considered, that by my irregular way\nof living I wretchedly misspent my time; which is, of all things, the\nmost valuable. Struck with these reflections, I collected the remains of\nmy fortune, and sold all my effects by public auction. I then entered\ninto a contract with some merchants, who traded by sea. I took the\nadvice of such as I thought most capable, and resolving to improve what\nmoney I had, I embarked with several merchants on board a ship which we\nhad jointly fitted out.\n\n\"We set sail, and steered our course toward the Indies through the\nPersian Gulf, which is formed by the coasts of Arabia Felix on the\nright, and by those of Persia on the left. At first I was troubled with\nsea-sickness, but speedily recovered my health, and was not afterward\nsubject to that complaint.\n\n\"In our voyage we touched at several islands, where we sold or exchanged\nour goods. One day, whilst under sail, we were becalmed near a small\nisland, but little elevated above the level of the water, and resembling\na green meadow. The captain ordered his sails to be furled, and\npermitted such persons as were so inclined to land; of which number I\nwas one.\n\n\"But while we were enjoying ourselves in eating and drinking, and\nrecovering ourselves from the fatigue of the sea, the island on a sudden\ntrembled, and shook us terribly.\n\n\"The motion was perceived on board the ship, and we were called upon to\nre-embark speedily, or we should all be lost; for what we took for an\nisland proved to be the back of a sea monster. The nimblest got into the\nsloop, others betook themselves to swimming; but for myself, I was still\nupon the back of the creature when he dived into the sea, and I had time\nonly to catch hold of a piece of wood that we had brought out of the\nship. Meanwhile, the captain, having received those on board who were in\nthe sloop, and taken up some of those that swam, resolved to improve the\nfavourable gale that had just risen, and hoisting his sails, pursued his\nvoyage, so that it was impossible for me to recover the ship.\n\n\"Thus was I exposed to the mercy of the waves all the rest of the day\nand the following night. By this time I found my strength gone, and\ndespaired of saving my life, when happily a wave threw me against an\nisland. The bank was high and rugged; so that I could scarcely have got\nup, had it not been for some roots of trees, which chance placed within\nreach. Having gained the land, I lay down upon the ground half dead,\nuntil the sun appeared. Then, though I was very feeble, both from hard\nlabour and want of food, I crept along to find some herbs fit to eat,\nand had the good luck not only to procure some, but likewise to discover\na spring of excellent water, which contributed much to recover me. After\nthis I advanced farther into the island, and at last reached a fine\nplain, where at a great distance I perceived some horses feeding. I went\ntoward them, and as I approached heard the voice of a man, who\nimmediately appeared, and asked me who I was. I related to him my\nadventure, after which, taking me by the hand, he led me into a cave,\nwhere there were several other people, no less amazed to see me than I\nwas to see them.\n\n\"I partook of some provisions which they offered me. I then asked them\nwhat they did in such a desert place, to which they answered, that they\nwere grooms belonging to the Maha-raja, sovereign of the island, and\nthat every year, at the same season they brought thither the king's\nhorses for pasturage. They added, that they were to return home on the\nmorrow, and had I been one day later, I must have perished, because the\ninhabited part of the island was at a great distance, and it would have\nbeen impossible for me to have got thither without a guide.\n\n\"Next morning they returned to the capital of the island, took me with\nthem, and presented me to the Maha-raja. He asked me who I was, and by\nwhat adventure I had come into his dominions. After I had satisfied him,\nhe told me he was much concerned for my misfortune, and at the same time\nordered that I should want nothing; which commands his officers were so\ngenerous as to see exactly fulfilled.\n\n\"Being a merchant, I frequented men of my own profession, and\nparticularly inquired for those who were strangers, that perchance I\nmight hear news from Bagdad, or find an opportunity to return. They put\na thousand questions respecting my country; and I, being willing to\ninform myself as to their laws and customs, asked them concerning\neverything which I thought worth knowing.\n\n\"There belongs to this king an island named Cassel. They assured me that\nevery night a noise of drums was heard there, whence the mariners\nfancied that it was the residence of Degial. I determined to visit this\nwonderful place, and in my way thither saw fishes of one hundred and two\nhundred cubits long, that occasion more fear than hurt, for they are so\ntimorous, that they will fly upon the rattling of two sticks or boards.\nI saw likewise other fish about a cubit in length, that had heads like\nowls.\n\n\"As I was one day at the port after my return, a ship arrived, and as\nsoon as she cast anchor, they began to unload her, and the merchants on\nboard ordered their goods to be carried into the custom-house. As I cast\nmy eye upon some bales, and looked to the name, I found my own, and\nperceived the bales to be the same that I had embarked at Bussorah. I\nalso knew the captain; but being persuaded that he believed me to be\ndrowned, I went, and asked him whose bales these were. He replied that\nthey belonged to a merchant of Bagdad, called Sinbad, who came to sea\nwith him; but had unfortunately perished on the voyage, and that he had\nresolved to trade with the bales, until he met with some of his family,\nto whom he might return the profit. 'I am that Sinbad,' said I, 'whom\nyou thought to be dead, and those bales are mine.'\n\n\"When the captain heard me speak thus, 'Heavens!' he exclaimed, 'whom\ncan we trust in these times? There is no faith left among men. I saw\nSinbad perish with my own eyes, as did also the passengers on board, and\nyet you tell me you are that Sinbad. What impudence is this? You tell a\nhorrible falsehood, in order to possess yourself of what does not\nbelong to you.' 'Have patience,' replied I; 'do me the favour to hear\nwhat I have to say.' Then I told him how I had escaped, and by what\nadventure I met with the grooms of the Maha-raja, who had brought me to\nhis court.\n\n\"The captain was at length persuaded that I was no cheat; for there came\npeople from his ship who knew me, and expressed much joy at seeing me\nalive. At last he recollected me himself, and embracing me, 'Heaven be\npraised,' said he, 'for your happy escape. I cannot express the joy it\naffords me; there are your goods, take and do with them as you please.'\nI thanked him, acknowledged his probity, and offered him part of my\ngoods as a present, which he generously refused.\n\n\"I took out what was most valuable in my bales, and presented them to\nthe Maha-raja, who, knowing my misfortune, asked me how I came by such\nrarities. I acquainted him with the circumstance of their recovery. He\nwas pleased at my good luck, accepted my present, and in return gave me\none much more considerable. Upon this, I took leave of him, and went\naboard the same ship, after I had exchanged my goods for the commodities\nof that country. I carried with me wood of aloes, sandal, camphire,\nnutmegs, cloves, pepper, and ginger. We passed by several islands, and\nat last arrived at Bussorah, from whence I came to this city, with the\nvalue of one hundred thousand sequins. My family and I received one\nanother with sincere affection. I bought slaves and a landed estate, and\nbuilt a magnificent house. Thus I settled myself, resolving to forget\nthe miseries I had suffered, and to enjoy the pleasures of life.\"\n\nSinbad stopped here, and ordered the musicians to proceed with their\nconcert, which the story had interrupted. The company continued enjoying\nthemselves till the evening, when Sinbad sent for a purse of a hundred\nsequins, and giving it to the porter, said: \"Take this, Hindbad, return\nto your home, and come back to-morrow to hear more of my adventures.\"\nThe porter went away, astonished at the honour done, and the present\nmade him. The account of this adventure proved very agreeable to his\nwife and children, who did not fail to return thanks to God for what\nprovidence had sent them by the hand of Sinbad.\n\nHindbad put on his best apparel next day, and returned to the bountiful\ntraveller, who welcomed him heartily. When all the guests had arrived,\ndinner was served. When it was ended, Sinbad, addressing himself to the\ncompany, said, \"Gentlemen, be pleased to listen to the adventures of my\nsecond voyage; they deserve your attention even more than those of the\nfirst.\" Upon this every one held his peace, and Sinbad proceeded.\n\n\nTHE SECOND VOYAGE\n\n\"I designed, after my first voyage, to spend the rest of my days at\nBagdad, but it was not long ere I grew weary of an indolent life. My\ninclination to trade revived. I bought goods proper for the commerce I\nintended, and put to sea a second time with merchants of known probity.\nWe embarked on board a good ship, and after recommending ourselves to\nGod, set sail. We traded from island to island, and exchanged\ncommodities with great profit. One day we landed on an island covered\nwith several sorts of fruit-trees, but we could see neither man nor\nanimal. We went to take a little fresh air in the meadows, along the\nstreams that watered them. Whilst some diverted themselves with\ngathering flowers, and others fruits, I took my wine and provisions, and\nsat down near a stream betwixt two high trees which formed a thick\nshade. I made a good meal, and afterward fell asleep. I cannot tell how\nlong I slept, but when I awoke the ship was gone.\n\n\"I got up and looked around me, but could not see one of the merchants\nwho landed with me. I perceived the ship under sail, but at such a\ndistance, that I lost sight of her in a short time.\n\n\"In this sad condition, I was ready to die with grief. I cried out in\nagony, and threw myself upon the ground, where I lay some time in\ndespair. I upbraided myself a hundred times for not being content with\nthe produce of my first voyage, that might have sufficed me all my life.\nBut all this was in vain, and my repentance came too late.\n\n\"At last I resigned myself to the will of God. Not knowing what to do, I\nclimbed up to the top of a lofty tree, from whence I looked about on all\nsides, to see if I could discover anything that could give me hopes.\nWhen I gazed toward the sea I could see nothing but sky and water; but\nlooking over the land I beheld something white; and coming down, I took\nwhat provision I had left, and went toward it, the distance being so\ngreat that I could not distinguish what it was.\n\n\"As I approached, I thought it to be a white dome, of a prodigious\nheight and extent; and when I came up to it, I touched it, and found it\nto be very smooth. I went round to see if it was open on any side, but\nsaw that it was not, and that there was no climbing up to the top, as it\nwas so smooth. It was at least fifty paces round.\n\n\"By this time the sun was about to set, and all of a sudden the sky\nbecame as dark as if it had been covered with a thick cloud. I was much\nastonished at this sudden darkness, but much more when I found it\noccasioned by a bird of a monstrous size, that came flying toward me. I\nremembered that I had often heard mariners speak of a miraculous bird\ncalled the roc, and conceived that the great dome which I so much\nadmired must be its egg. As I perceived the roc coming, I crept close to\nthe egg, so that I had before me one of the bird's legs, which was as\nbig as the trunk of a tree. I tied myself strongly to it with my turban,\nin hopes that next morning she would carry me with her out of this\ndesert island. After having passed the night in this condition, the bird\nflew away as soon as it was daylight, and carried me so high, that I\ncould not discern the earth; she afterward descended with so much\nrapidity that I lost my senses. But when I found myself on the ground, I\nspeedily untied the knot, and had scarcely done so, when the roc, having\ntaken up a serpent of a monstrous length in her bill, flew away.\n\n\"The spot where she left me was encompassed on all sides by mountains,\nthat seemed to reach above the clouds, and so steep that there was no\npossibility of getting out of the valley. This was a new perplexity: so\nthat when I compared this place with the desert island from which the\nroc had brought me I found that I had gained nothing by the change.\n\n\"As I walked through this valley, I perceived it was strewed with\ndiamonds, some of which were of a surprising bigness. I took pleasure in\nlooking upon them; but shortly saw at a distance such objects as greatly\ndiminished my satisfaction, namely, a great number of serpents, so\nmonstrous, that the least of them was capable of swallowing an elephant.\nThey retired in the daytime to their dens, where they hid themselves\nfrom the roc, their enemy, and came out only in the night.\n\n\"I spent the day in walking about in the valley, resting myself at times\nin such places as I thought most convenient. When night came on, I went\ninto a cave, where I thought I might repose in safety. I secured the\nentrance with a great stone to preserve me from the serpents; but not so\nfar as to exclude the light. I supped on part of my provisions, but the\nserpents, which began hissing round me, put me into such extreme fear,\nthat I could not sleep. When day appeared, the serpents retired, and I\ncame out of the cave trembling. I can justly say, that I walked upon\ndiamonds, without feeling any inclination to touch them. At last I sat\ndown, and notwithstanding my apprehensions, not having closed my eyes\nduring the night, fell asleep, after having eaten a little more of my\nprovision. But I had scarcely shut my eyes, when something that fell by\nme with a great noise awaked me. This was a large piece of raw meat; and\nat the same time I saw several others fall down from the rocks in\ndifferent places.\n\n\"I had always regarded as fabulous what I had heard sailors and others\nrelate of the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagems employed by\nmerchants to obtain jewels from thence; but now I found that they had\nstated nothing but truth. For the fact is, that the merchants come to\nthe neighbourhood of this valley when the eagles have young ones; and,\nthrowing great joints of meat into the valley, the diamonds upon whose\npoints they fall stick to them; the eagles, which are stronger in this\ncountry than anywhere else, pounce with great force upon those pieces of\nmeat, and carry them to their nests on the rocks to feed their young;\nthe merchants at this time run to the nests, drive off the eagles by\ntheir shouts, and take away the diamonds that stick to the meat.\n\n\"Until I perceived the device I had concluded it to be impossible for me\nto leave this abyss, which I regarded as my grave; but now I changed my\nopinion, and began to think upon the means of my deliverance. I began to\ncollect the largest diamonds I could find, and put them into the leather\nbag in which I used to carry my provisions. I afterward took the\nlargest of the pieces of meat, tied it close round me with the cloth of\nmy turban, and then laid myself upon the ground with my face downward,\nthe bag of diamonds being made fast to my girdle.\n\n\"I had scarcely placed myself in this posture when the eagles came. Each\nof them seized a piece of meat, and one of the strongest having taken me\nup, with the piece of meat to which I was fastened, carried me to his\nnest on the top of the mountain. The merchants immediately began their\nshouting to frighten the eagles; and when they had obliged them to quit\ntheir prey, one of them came to the nest where I was. He was much\nalarmed when he saw me; but recovering himself, instead of inquiring how\nI came thither, began to quarrel with me, and asked, why I stole his\ngoods. 'You will treat me,' replied I, 'with more civility when you know\nme better. Do not be uneasy, I have diamonds enough for you and myself,\nmore than all the other merchants together. What ever they have, they\nowe to chance, but I selected for myself in the bottom of the valley\nthose which you see in this bag.' I had scarcely done speaking, when the\nother merchants came crowding about us, much astonished to see me; but\nthey were much more surprised when I told them my story.\n\n\"They conducted me to their encampment, and there having opened my bag,\nthey were surprised at the largeness of my diamonds, and confessed that\nin all the courts which they had visited they had never seen any of such\nsize and perfection. I prayed the merchant who owned the nest to which I\nhad been carried (for every merchant had his own), to take as many for\nhis share as he pleased. He contented himself with one, and that the\nleast of them; and when I pressed him to take more, 'No,' said he, 'I am\nvery well satisfied with this, which is valuable enough to save me the\ntrouble of making any more voyages, and will raise as great a fortune as\nI desire.'\n\n\"I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I related my story a\nsecond time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it. I could\nnot moderate my joy when I found myself delivered from the danger I have\nmentioned. I thought myself in a dream, and could scarcely believe\nmyself out of danger.\n\n\"The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for\nseveral days, and each of them being satisfied with the diamonds that\nhad fallen to his lot, we left the place the next morning and travelled\nnear high mountains, where there were serpents of a prodigious length,\nwhich we had the good fortune to escape. We took shipping at the first\nport we reached, and touched at the isle of Roha, where the trees grow\nthat yield camphire. This tree is so large, and its branches so thick,\nthat one hundred men may easily sit under its shade. The juice of which\nthe camphire is made exudes from a hole bored in the upper part of the\ntree, is received in a vessel, where it thickens to a consistency, and\nbecomes what we call camphire; after the juice is thus drawn out, the\ntree withers and dies.\n\n\"In this island is also found the rhinoceros, an animal less than the\nelephant, but larger than the buffalo. It has a horn upon its nose,\nabout a cubit in length; this horn is solid, and cleft through the\nmiddle. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, runs his horn into his\nbelly, and carries him off upon his head; but the blood and the fat of\nthe elephant running into his eyes, and making him blind, he falls to\nthe ground; and then, strange to relate! the roc comes and carries them\nboth away in her claws, for food for her young ones.\n\n\"In this island I exchanged some of my diamonds for merchandise. From\nhence we went to other ports, and at last, having touched at several\ntrading towns of the continent, we landed at Bussorah, from whence I\nproceeded to Bagdad. There I immediately gave large presents to the\npoor, and lived honourably upon the vast riches I had gained with so\nmuch fatigue.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_The spot where she left me was encompassed on all sides by mountains\nthat seemed to reach above the clouds, and so steep that there was no\npossibility of getting out of the valley._\n\nThus Sinbad ended his relation, gave Hindbad another hundred sequins,\nand invited him to come the next day to hear the account of the third\nvoyage.\n\n\nTHE THIRD VOYAGE\n\n\"I soon lost the remembrance of the perils I had encountered in my two\nformer voyages,\" said Sinbad, \"and being in the flower of my age, I grew\nweary of living without business, and went from Bagdad to Bussorah with\nthe richest commodities of the country. There I embarked again with some\nmerchants. We made a long voyage and touched at several ports, where we\ncarried on a considerable trade. One day, being out in the main ocean,\nwe were overtaken by a dreadful tempest, which drove us from our course.\nThe tempest continued several days, and brought us before the port of an\nisland, which the captain was very unwilling to enter, but we were\nobliged to cast anchor. When we had furled our sails, the captain told\nus that this, and some other neighbouring islands, were inhabited by\nhairy savages, who would speedily attack us; and, though they were but\ndwarfs, yet we must make no resistance, for they were more in number\nthan the locusts; and if we happened to kill one of them they would all\nfall upon us and destroy us.\n\n\"We soon found that what he had told us was but too true; an innumerable\nmultitude of frightful savages, about two feet high, covered all over\nwith red hair, came swimming towards us, and encompassed our ship. They\nspoke to us as they came near, but we understood not their language and\nthey climbed up the sides of the ship with such agility as surprised us.\nThey took down our sails, cut the cables, and hauling to the shore, made\nus all get out, and afterward carried the ship into another island, from\nwhence they had come.\n\n\"We went forward into the island, where we gathered some fruits and\nherbs to prolong our lives as long as we could; but we expected nothing\nbut death. As we advanced, we perceived at a distance a vast pile of\nbuildings, and made toward it. We found it to be a palace, elegantly\nbuilt, and very lofty, with a gate of ebony, which we forced open. We\nentered the court, where we saw before us a large apartment, with a\nporch, having on one side a heap of human bones, and on the other a vast\nnumber of roasting spits. We trembled at this spectacle, and being\nfatigued with travelling, fell to the ground, seized with deadly\napprehension, and lay a long time motionless.\n\n\"The sun set, the gate of the apartment opened with a loud crash, and\nthere came out the horrible figure of a black man, as tall as a lofty\npalm-tree. He had but one eye, and that in the middle of his forehead,\nwhere it looked as red as a burning coal. His fore-teeth were very long\nand sharp, and stood out of his mouth, which was as deep as that of a\nhorse. His upper lip hung down upon his breast. His ears resembled those\nof an elephant, and covered his shoulders; and his nails were as long\nand crooked as the talons of the greatest birds. At the sight of so\nfrightful a giant we became insensible, and lay like dead men.\n\n\"At last we came to ourselves, and saw him sitting in the porch looking\nat us. When he had considered us well, he advanced toward us, and laying\nhis hand upon me, took me up by the nape of my neck, and turned me round\nas a butcher would do a sheep's head. After having examined me, and\nperceiving me to be so lean that I had nothing but skin and bone, he let\nme go. He took up all the rest one by one, and viewed them in the same\nmanner. The captain being the fattest, he held him with one hand, as I\nwould do a sparrow, and thrust a spit through him; he then kindled a\ngreat fire, roasted, and ate him in his apartment for his supper. Having\nfinished his repast, he returned to his porch, where he lay and fell\nasleep, snoring louder than thunder. He slept thus till morning. As to\nourselves, it was not possible for us to enjoy any rest, so that we\npassed the night in the most painful apprehension that can be imagined.\nWhen day appeared the giant awoke, got up, went out, and left us in the\npalace.\n\n\"When we thought him at a distance, we broke the melancholy silence we\nhad preserved the whole of the night, and filled the palace with our\nlamentations and groans.\n\n\"We spent the day in traversing the island, supporting ourselves with\nfruits and herbs as we had done the day before. In the evening we sought\nfor some place of shelter, but found none; so that we were forced,\nwhether we would or not, to go back to the palace.\n\n\"The giant failed not to return, and supped once more upon one of our\ncompanions, after which he slept and snored till day, and then went out\nand left us as before. Our situation appeared to us so dreadful that\nseveral of my comrades designed to throw themselves into the sea, rather\nthan die so painful a death, upon which one of the company answered that\nit would be much more reasonable to devise some method to rid ourselves\nof the monster.\n\n\"Having thought of a project for this purpose, I communicated it to my\ncomrades, who approved it. 'Brethren,' said I, 'you know there is much\ntimber floating upon the coast; if you will be advised by me, let us\nmake several rafts capable of bearing us. In the meantime, we will\ncarry out the design I proposed to you for our deliverance from the\ngiant, and if it succeed, we may remain here patiently awaiting the\narrival of some ship; but if it happen to miscarry, we will take to our\nrafts and put to sea.' My advice was approved, and we made rafts capable\nof carrying three persons on each.\n\n\"We returned to the palace toward the evening, and the giant arrived\nshortly after. We were forced to submit to seeing another of our\ncomrades roasted, but at last we revenged ourselves on the brutish giant\nin the following manner. After he had finished his supper he lay down on\nhis back and fell asleep. As soon as we heard him snore, according to\nhis custom, nine of the boldest among us, and myself, took each of us a\nspit, and putting the points of them into the fire till they were\nburning hot, we thrust them into his eye all at once and blinded him.\nThe pain made him break out into a frightful yell: he started up, and\nstretched out his hands, in order to sacrifice some of us to his rage:\nbut we ran to such places as he could not reach; and after having sought\nfor us in vain, he groped for the gate and went out, howling in agony.\n\n\"We quitted the palace after the giant and came to the shore, where we\nhad left our rafts, and put them immediately to sea. We waited till day,\nin order to get upon them in case the giant should come toward us with\nany guide of his own species; but we hoped if he did not appear by\nsunrise, and gave over his howling, which we still heard, that he would\nprove to be dead; and if that happened, we resolved to stay in that\nisland, and not to risk our lives upon the rafts. But day had scarcely\nappeared when we perceived our cruel enemy, accompanied with two others\nalmost of the same size, leading him; and a great number more coming\nbefore him at a quick pace.\n\n\"We did not hesitate to take to our rafts, and put to sea with all the\nspeed we could. The giants, who perceived this, took up great stones,\nand running to the shore, entered the water up to the middle, and threw\nso exactly that they sunk all the rafts but that I was upon; and all my\ncompanions, except the two with me, were drowned. We rowed with all our\nmight, and escaped the giants, but when we got out to sea we were\nexposed to the mercy of the waves and winds, and spent that night and\nthe following day under the most painful uncertainty as to our fate; but\nnext morning we had the good fortune to be thrown upon an island, where\nwe landed with much joy. We found excellent fruit, which afforded us\ngreat relief and recruited our strength.\n\n\"At night we went to sleep on the sea shore; but were awakened by the\nnoise of a serpent of surprising length and thickness, whose scales made\na rustling noise as he wound himself along. It swallowed up one of my\ncomrades, notwithstanding his loud cries, and the efforts he made to\nextricate himself from it; dashing him several times against the ground,\nit crushed him, and we could hear it gnaw and tear the poor wretch's\nbones, though we had fled to a considerable distance.\n\n\"As we walked about, when day returned, we saw a tall tree, upon which\nwe designed to pass the following night, for our security; and having\nsatisfied our hunger with fruit, we mounted it before the dusk had\nfallen. Shortly after, the serpent came hissing to the foot of the tree;\nraised itself up against the trunk of it, and meeting with my comrade,\nwho sat lower than I, swallowed him at once, and went off.\n\n\"I remained upon the tree till it was day, and then came down, more like\na dead man than one alive, expecting the same fate as my two companions.\nThis filled me with horror, and I advanced some steps to throw myself\ninto the sea; but I withstood this dictate of despair, and submitted\nmyself to the will of God.\n\n\"In the meantime I collected a great quantity of small wood, brambles,\nand dry thorns, and making them up into faggots, made a wide circle with\nthem round the tree, and also tied some of them to the branches over my\nhead. Having done this, when the evening came I shut myself up within\nthis circle, feeling that I had neglected nothing which could preserve\nme from the cruel destiny with which I was threatened. The serpent\nfailed not to come at the usual hour, and went round the tree, seeking\nfor an opportunity to devour me, but was prevented by the rampart I had\nmade; so that he lay till day, like a cat watching in vain for a mouse\nthat has fortunately reached a place of safety. When day appeared he\nretired, but I dared not to leave my fort until the sun arose.\n\n\"I felt so much fatigued by the labour to which it had put me, and\nsuffered so much from the serpent's poisonous breath, that death seemed\nmore eligible to me than the horrors of such a state. I came down from\nthe tree, and was going to throw myself into the sea, when God took\ncompassion on me and I perceived a ship at a considerable distance. I\ncalled as loud as I could, and taking the linen from my turban,\ndisplayed it, that they might observe me. This had the desired effect;\nthe crew perceived me, and the captain sent his boat for me. As soon as\nI came on board, the merchants and seamen flocked about me, to know how\nI came into that desert island; and after I had related to them all that\nhad befallen me, the oldest among them said that they had often heard of\nthe giants that dwelt in that island, that they were cannibals; and as\nto the serpents, they added, that there were abundance of them that hid\nthemselves by day, and came abroad by night. After having testified\ntheir joy at my escaping so many dangers, they brought me the best of\ntheir provisions; and the captain, seeing that I was in rags, was so\ngenerous as to give me one of his own suits. We continued at sea for\nsome time, touched at several islands, and at last landed at that of\nSalabat, where sandal wood is obtained, which is of great use in\nmedicine. We entered the port, and came to anchor. The merchants began\nto unload their goods, in order to sell or exchange them. In the\nmeantime, the captain came to me and said: 'Brother, I have here some\ngoods that belonged to a merchant, who sailed some time on board this\nship, and he being dead, I design to dispose of them for the benefit of\nhis heirs.' The bales he spoke of lay on the deck, and showing them to\nme, he said: 'There are the goods; I hope you will take care to sell\nthem, and you shall have factorage.' I thanked him for thus affording me\nan opportunity of employing myself, because I hated to be idle.\n\n\"The clerk of the ship took an account of all the bales, with the names\nof the merchants to whom they belonged, and when he asked the captain in\nwhose name he should enter those he had given me the charge of, 'Enter\nthem,' said the captain, 'in the name of Sinbad.' I could not hear\nmyself named without some emotion; and looking steadfastly on the\ncaptain, I knew him to be the person who, in my second voyage, had left\nme in the island where I fell asleep.\n\n\"I was not surprised that he, believing me to be dead, did not recognise\nme. 'Captain,' said I, 'was the merchant's name, to whom those bales\nbelonged, Sinbad?' 'Yes,' replied he, 'that was his name; he came from\nBagdad, and embarked on board my ship at Bussorah.' 'You believe him,\nthen, to be dead?' said I. 'Certainly,' answered he. 'No, captain,'\nresumed I; 'look at me, and you may know that I am Sinbad.'\n\n\"The captain, having considered me attentively, recognised me. 'God be\npraised,' said he, embracing me, 'I rejoice that fortune has rectified\nmy fault. There are your goods, which I always took care to preserve.' I\ntook them from him, and made him the acknowledgments to which he was\nentitled.\n\n\"From the isle of Salabat, we went to another, where I furnished myself\nwith cloves, cinnamon, and other spices. As we sailed from this island,\nwe saw a tortoise twenty cubits in length and breadth. We observed also\nan amphibious animal like a cow, which gave milk; its skin is so hard,\nthat they usually make bucklers of it.\n\n\"In short, after a long voyage I arrived at Bussorah, and from thence\nreturned to Bagdad, with so much wealth that I knew not its extent. I\ngave a great deal to the poor, and bought another considerable estate in\naddition to what I had already.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n_Having finished his repast, he returned to his porch, where he lay and\nfell asleep, snoring louder than thunder._\n\nThus Sinbad finished the history of his third voyage; gave another\nhundred sequins to Hindbad, and invited him to dinner again the next day\nto hear the story of his fourth series of adventures.\n\n\nTHE FOURTH VOYAGE\n\n\"The pleasures which I enjoyed after my third voyage had not charms\nsufficient to divert me from another. My passion for trade, and my love\nof novelty, again prevailed. I therefore settled my affairs, and having\nprovided a stock of goods fit for the traffic I designed to engage in, I\nset out on my journey. I took the route of Persia, travelled over\nseveral provinces, and then arrived at a port, where I embarked. We\nhoisted our sails, and touched at several ports of the continent, and\nthen put out to sea; when we were overtaken by such a sudden gust of\nwind, as obliged the captain to lower his yards, and take all other\nnecessary precautions to prevent the danger that threatened us. But all\nwas in vain; our endeavours had no effect, the sails were split in a\nthousand pieces, and the ship was stranded; several of the merchants and\nseamen were drowned, and the cargo was lost.\n\n\"I had the good fortune, with several of the merchants and mariners, to\nget upon some planks, and we were carried by the current to an island\nwhich lay before us. There we found fruit and spring water, which\npreserved our lives. We stayed all night near the place where we had\nbeen cast ashore and next morning, as soon as the sun was up, advancing\ninto the island, saw some houses, which we approached. As soon as we\ndrew near, we were encompassed by a great number of negroes, who seized\nus and carried us to their respective habitations.\n\n\"I, and five of my comrades, were carried to one place; here they made\nus sit down, and gave us a certain herb, which they made signs to us to\neat. My comrades, not taking notice that the blacks ate none of it\nthemselves, thought only of satisfying their hunger, and ate with\ngreediness. But I, suspecting some trick, would not so much as taste it,\nwhich happened well for me; for in a little time after, I perceived my\ncompanions had lost their senses, and that when they spoke to me, they\nknew not what they said.\n\n\"The negroes fed us afterward with rice, prepared with oil of\ncocoa-nuts; and my comrades, who had lost their reason, ate of it\ngreedily. I also partook of it, but very sparingly. They gave us that\nherb at first on purpose to deprive us of our senses, that we might not\nbe aware of the sad destiny prepared for us; and they supplied us with\nrice to fatten us; for, being cannibals, their design was to eat us as\nsoon as we grew fat. This accordingly happened, for they devoured my\ncomrades, who were not sensible of their condition; but my senses being\nentire, you may easily guess that instead of growing fat I grew leaner\nevery day. The fear of death under which I laboured caused me to fall\ninto a languishing distemper, which proved my safety; for the negroes,\nhaving eaten my companions, seeing me to be withered, and sick, deferred\nmy death.\n\n\"Meanwhile I had much liberty, so that scarcely any notice was taken of\nwhat I did, and this gave me an opportunity one day to get at a distance\nfrom the houses and to make my escape. An old man, who saw me and\nsuspected my design, called to me as loud as he could to return; but I\nredoubled my speed, and quickly got out of sight. At that time there was\nnone but the old man about the houses, the rest being abroad, and not to\nreturn till night, which was usual with them. Therefore, being sure that\nthey could not arrive in time enough to pursue me, I went on till night,\nwhen I stopped to rest a little, and to eat some of the provisions I had\nsecured; but I speedily set forward again, and travelled seven days,\navoiding those places which seemed to be inhabited, and lived for the\nmost part upon cocoa-nuts, which served me both for meat and drink. On\nthe eighth day I came near the sea, and saw some white people like\nmyself, gathering pepper, of which there was great plenty in that place.\nThis I took to be a good omen, and went to them without any scruple.\nThey came to meet me as soon as they saw me, and asked me in Arabic who\nI was, and whence I came. I was overjoyed to hear them speak in my own\nlanguage, and satisfied their curiosity by giving them an account of my\nshipwreck, and how I fell into the hands of the negroes. 'Those\nnegroes,' replied they, 'eat men, and by what miracle did you escape\ntheir cruelty?' I related to them the circumstances I have just\nmentioned, at which they were wonderfully surprised.\n\n\"I stayed with them till they had gathered their quantity of pepper, and\nthen sailed with them to the island from whence they had come. They\npresented me to their king, who was a good prince. He had the patience\nto hear the relation of my adventures; and he afterward gave me clothes,\nand commanded care to be taken of me.\n\n\"The island was very well peopled, plentiful in everything, and the\ncapital a place of great trade. This agreeable retreat was very\ncomfortable to me, after my misfortunes, and the kindness of this\ngenerous prince completed my satisfaction. In a word, there was not a\nperson more in favour with him than myself; and consequently every man\nin court and city sought to oblige me; so that in a very little time I\nwas looked upon rather as a native than a stranger.\n\n\"I observed one thing which to me appeared very extraordinary. All the\npeople, the king himself not excepted, rode their horses without bridle\nor stirrups. This made me one day take the liberty to ask the king how\nit came to pass. His Majesty answered, that I talked to him of things\nwhich nobody knew the use of in his dominions.\n\n\"I went immediately to a workman, and gave him a model for making the\nstock of a saddle. When that was done, I covered it myself with velvet\nand leather, and embroidered it with gold. I afterward went to a smith,\nwho made me a bit, according to the pattern I showed him, and also some\nstirrups. When I had all things completed, I presented them to the king,\nand put them upon one of his horses. His Majesty mounted immediately,\nand was so pleased with them, that he testified his satisfaction by\nlarge presents.\n\n\"As I paid my court very constantly to the king, he said to me one day:\n'Sinbad, I love thee and I have one thing to demand of thee, which thou\nmust grant.' 'Sir,' answered I, 'there is nothing but I will do, as a\nmark of my obedience to your Majesty.' 'I have a mind thou shouldst\nmarry,' replied he, 'that so thou mayest stay in my dominions, and think\nno more of thy own country.' I durst not resist the prince's will, and\nhe gave me one of the ladies of his court, noble, beautiful, and rich.\nThe ceremonies of marriage being over, I went and dwelt with my wife,\nand for some time we lived together in perfect harmony. I was not,\nhowever, satisfied with my banishment, therefore designed to make my\nescape the first opportunity, and to return to Bagdad.\n\n\"At this time the wife of one of my neighbours fell sick, and died. I\nwent to see and comfort him in his affliction, and finding him absorbed\nin sorrow, I said to him as soon as I saw him: 'God preserve you and\ngrant you a long life.' 'Alas!' replied he, 'how do you think I should\nobtain the favour you wish me? I have not above an hour to live.'\n'Pray,' said I, 'do not entertain such a melancholy thought; I hope I\nshall enjoy your company many years.' 'I wish you,' he replied, 'a long\nlife; but my days are at an end, for I must be buried this day with my\nwife. This is a law which our ancestors established in this island, and\nit is always observed. The living husband is interred with the dead\nwife, and the living wife with the dead husband. Nothing can save me;\nevery one must submit to this law.'\n\n\"While he was giving me an account of this barbarous custom, the very\nrelation of which chilled my blood, his kindred, friends, and neighbours\ncame in a body to assist at the funeral. They dressed the corpse of the\nwoman in her richest apparel, and all her jewels, as if it had been her\nwedding day; then they placed her in an open coffin, and began their\nmarch to the place of burial, the husband walking at the head of the\ncompany. They proceeded to a high mountain, and when they had reached\nthe place of their destination, they took up a large stone, which\ncovered the mouth of a deep pit, and let down the corpse with all its\napparel and jewels. Then the husband embracing his kindred and friends,\nsuffered himself, without resistance, to be put into another open coffin\nwith a pot of water, and seven small loaves, and was let down in the\nsame manner. The ceremony being over, the aperture was again covered\nwith the stone, and the company returned.\n\n\"It is needless for me to tell you that I was a melancholy spectator of\nthis funeral, while the rest were scarcely moved, the custom was to them\nso familiar. I could not forbear communicating to the king my sentiment\nrespecting the practice: 'Sir,' I said, 'I cannot but feel astonished at\nthe strange usage observed in this country, of burying the living with\nthe dead. I have been a great traveller, and seen many countries, but\nnever heard of so cruel a law.' 'What do you mean, Sinbad?' replied the\nking: 'it is a common law. I shall be interred with the queen, my wife,\nif she die first.' 'But, sir,' said I, 'may I presume to ask your\nMajesty, if strangers be obliged to observe this law?' 'Without doubt,'\nreturned the king; 'they are not exempted, if they be married in this\nisland.'\n\n\"I returned home much depressed by this answer; for the fear of my\nwife's dying first and that I should be interred alive with her,\noccasioned me very uneasy reflections. But there was no remedy; I must\nhave patience, and submit to the will of God. I trembled, however, at\nevery little indisposition of my wife, and, alas! in a little time my\nfears were realised, for she fell sick and died.\n\n\"The king and all his court expressed their wish to honour the funeral\nwith their presence, and the most considerable people of the city did\nthe same. When all was ready for the ceremony, the corpse was put into a\ncoffin with all her jewels and her most magnificent apparel. The\nprocession began, and as second actor in this doleful tragedy, I went\nnext the corpse, with my eyes full of tears, bewailing my deplorable\nfate. Before we reached the mountain, I made an attempt to affect the\nminds of the spectators: I addressed myself to the king first, and then\nto all those that were round me; bowing before them to the earth, and\nkissing the border of their garments, I prayed them to have compassion\nupon me. 'Consider,' said I, 'that I am a stranger, and ought not to be\nsubject to this rigorous law, and that I have another wife and children\nin my own country.' Although I spoke in the most pathetic manner, no one\nwas moved by my address; on the contrary, they ridiculed my dread of\ndeath as cowardly, made haste to let my wife's corpse into the pit, and\nlowered me down the next moment in an open coffin with a vessel full of\nwater and seven loaves.\n\n\"As I approached the bottom, I discovered by the aid of the little light\nthat came from above the nature of this subterranean place; it seemed an\nendless cavern, and might be about fifty fathoms deep.\n\n\"Instead of losing my courage and calling death to my assistance in that\nmiserable condition, however, I felt still an inclination to live, and\nto do all I could to prolong my days. I went groping about, for the\nbread and water that was in my coffin, and took some of it. Though the\ndarkness of the cave was so great that I could not distinguish day and\nnight, yet I always found my coffin again, and the cave seemed to be\nmore spacious than it had appeared to be at first. I lived for some days\nupon my bread and water, which being all spent, I at last prepared for\ndeath.\n\n\"I was offering up my last devotions when I heard something tread, and\nbreathing or panting as it walked. I advanced toward that side from\nwhence I heard the noise, and on my approach the creature puffed and\nblew harder, as if running away from me. I followed the noise, and the\nthing seemed to stop sometimes, but always fled and blew as I\napproached. I pursued it for a considerable time, till at last I\nperceived a light, resembling a star; I went on, sometimes lost sight of\nit, but always found it again, and at last discovered that it came\nthrough a hole in the rock, large enough to admit a man.\n\n\"Upon this, I stopped some time to rest, being much fatigued with the\nrapidity of my progress: afterward coming up to the hole, I got through,\nand found myself upon the seashore. I leave you to guess the excess of\nmy joy: it was such that I could scarcely persuade myself that the whole\nwas not a dream.\n\n\"But when I was recovered from my surprise, and convinced of the reality\nof my escape, I perceived what I had followed to be a creature which\ncame out of the sea, and was accustomed to enter the cavern when the\ntides were high.\n\n\"I examined the mountain, and found it to be situated betwixt the sea\nand the town, but without any passage to or communication with the\nlatter; the rocks on the sea side being high and perpendicularly steep.\nI prostrated myself on the shore to thank God for this mercy, and\nafterward entered the cave again to fetch bread and water, which I ate\nby daylight with a better appetite than I had done since my interment in\nthe dark cavern.\n\n\"I returned thither a second time, and groped among the coffins for all\nthe diamonds, rubies, pearls, gold bracelets, and rich stuffs I could\nfind; these I brought to the shore, and tying them up neatly into\nbales, I laid them together upon the beach, waiting till some ship might\nappear.\n\n\"After two or three days, I perceived a ship just come out of the\nharbour, making for the place where I was. I made a sign with the linen\nof my turban, and called to the crew as loud as I could. They heard me,\nand sent a boat to bring me on board, when they asked by what misfortune\nI came thither; I told them that I had suffered shipwreck two days\nbefore, and made shift to get ashore with the goods they saw. It was\nfortunate for me that these people did not consider the place where I\nwas, nor inquire into the probability of what I told them; but without\nhesitation took me on board. When I came to the ship, the captain was so\nwell pleased to have saved me, and so much taken up with his own\naffairs, that he also took the story of my pretended shipwreck upon\ntrust, and generously refused some jewels which I offered him.\n\n\"We passed by several islands, and among others that called the isle of\nBells, about ten days' sail from Serendib, and six from that of Kela,\nwhere we landed. This island produces lead mines, Indian canes, and\nexcellent camphire.\n\n\"The King of the isle of Kela is very rich and powerful, and the isle of\nBells, which is about two days' journey in extent, is also subject to\nhim. The inhabitants are so barbarous that they still eat human flesh.\nAfter we had finished our traffic in that island, we put to sea again,\nand touched at several other ports; at last I arrived happily at Bagdad\nwith infinite riches. Out of gratitude to God for His mercies, I\ncontributed liberally toward the support of several mosques, and the\nsubsistence of the poor, and gave myself up to the society of my kindred\nand friends, enjoying myself with them in festivities and amusements.\"\n\nHere Sinbad finished the relation of his fourth voyage. He made a new\npresent of one hundred sequins to Hindbad, whom he requested to return\nwith the rest next day at the same hour to dine with him, and hear the\nstory of his fifth voyage. Hindbad and the other guests took their leave\nand retired. Next morning when they all met, they sat down at table, and\nwhen dinner was over, Sinbad began the relation of his fifth voyage as\nfollows:\n\n\nTHE FIFTH VOYAGE\n\n\"All the troubles and calamities I had undergone,\" said he, \"could not\ncure me of my inclination to make new voyages. I therefore bought goods,\ndeparted with them for the best seaport; and that I might not be obliged\nto depend upon a captain, but have a ship at my own command, I remained\nthere till one was built on purpose. When the ship was ready, I went on\nboard with my goods: but not having enough to load her, I agreed to take\nwith me several merchants of different nations with their merchandise.\n\n\"We sailed with the first fair wind, and after a long navigation, the\nfirst place we touched at was a desert island, where we found an egg of\na roc, equal in size to that I formerly mentioned. There was a young roc\nin it just ready to be hatched, and its bill had begun to appear. The\nmerchants whom I had taken on board, and who landed with me, broke the\negg with hatchets, pulled out the young roc, piecemeal, and roasted it.\nI had earnestly entreated them not to meddle with the egg, but they\nwould not listen to me.\n\n\"Scarcely had they finished their repast, when there appeared in the air\nat a considerable distance from us two great clouds. The captain whom I\nhad hired to navigate my ship, said they were the male and female roc\nthat belonged to the young one and pressed us to re-embark with all\nspeed, to prevent the misfortune which he saw would otherwise befall us.\nWe hastened on board, and set sail with all possible expedition.\n\n\"In the meantime, the two rocs approached with a frightful noise, which\nthey redoubled when they saw the egg broken, and their young one gone.\nThey flew back in the direction they had come, and disappeared for some\ntime, while we made all the sail we could to endeavour to prevent that\nwhich unhappily befell us.\n\n\"They soon returned, and we observed that each of them carried between\nits talons rocks of a monstrous size. When they came directly over my\nship, they hovered, and one of them let fall a stone, but by the\ndexterity of the steersman it missed us. The other roc, to our\nmisfortune, threw his burden so exactly upon the middle of the ship, as\nto split it into a thousand pieces. The mariners and passengers were all\ncrushed to death, or sank. I myself was of the number of the latter; but\nas I came up again, I fortunately caught hold of a piece of the wreck,\nand swimming sometimes with one hand, and sometimes with the other, I\ncame to an island, and got safely ashore.\n\n\"I sat down upon the grass, to recover myself from my fatigue, after\nwhich I went into the island to explore it. I found trees everywhere,\nsome of them bearing green, and others ripe fruits, and streams of fresh\npure water. I ate of the fruits, which I found excellent; and drank of\nthe water, which was very good.\n\n\"When I was a little advanced into the island, I saw an old man, who\nappeared very weak and infirm. He was sitting on the bank of a stream,\nand at first I took him to be one who had been shipwrecked like myself.\nI went toward him and saluted him, but he only slightly bowed his head.\nI asked him why he sat so still, but instead of answering me, he made a\nsign for me to take him upon my back, and carry him over the brook,\nsignifying that it was to gather fruit.\n\n\"I believed him really to stand in need of my assistance, took him upon\nmy back, and having carried him over, bade him get down, and for that\nend stooped, that he might get off with ease; but instead of doing so\n(which I laugh at every time I think of it) the old man, who to me\nappeared quite decrepit, clasped his legs nimbly about my neck. He sat\nastride upon my shoulders, and held my throat so tight, that I thought\nhe would have strangled me, the apprehension of which made me swoon and\nfall down.\n\n\"Notwithstanding my fainting, the ill-natured old fellow kept fast about\nmy neck, but opened his legs a little to give me time to recover my\nbreath. When I had done so, he thrust one of his feet against my\nstomach, and struck me so rudely on the side with the other that he\nforced me to rise up against my will. Having arisen, he made me walk\nunder the trees, and forced me now and then to stop, to gather and eat\nfruit. He never left me all day, and when I lay down to rest at night,\nlaid himself down with me, holding always fast about my neck. Every\nmorning he pushed me to make me awake, and afterward obliged me to get\nup and walk, and pressed me with his feet.\n\n\"One day I found in my way several dry calabashes that had fallen from a\ntree. I took a large one, and after cleaning it, pressed into it some\njuice of grapes, which abounded in the island; having filled the\ncalabash, I put it by in a convenient place, and going thither again\nsome days after, I tasted it, and found the wine so good, that it soon\nmade me forget my sorrow, gave me new vigour, and so exhilarated my\nspirits, that I began to sing and dance as I walked along.\n\n\"The old man, perceiving the effect which this liquor had upon me, and\nthat I carried him with more ease than before, made me a sign to give\nhim some of it. I handed him the calabash, and the liquor pleasing his\npalate, he drank it all off. There being a considerable quantity of it,\nhe became intoxicated, and the fumes getting up into his head, he began\nto sing after his manner, and to dance, thus loosening his legs from\nabout me by degrees. Finding that he did not press me as before, I threw\nhim upon the ground, where he lay without motion; I then took up a great\nstone, and crushed him.\n\n\"I was extremely glad to be thus freed forever from this troublesome\nfellow. I now walked toward the beach, where I met the crew of a ship\nthat had cast anchor, to take in water. They were surprised to see me,\nbut more so at hearing the particulars of my adventures. 'You fell,'\nsaid they, 'into the hands of the Old Man of the Sea, and are the first\nwho ever escaped strangling by his malicious tricks. He never quits\nthose he has once made himself master of till he has destroyed them, and\nhe has made this island notorious by the number of men he has slain.'\n\n\"After having informed me of these things, they carried me with them to\nthe ship, and the captain received me with great kindness, when they\ntold him what had befallen me. He put out again to sea, and after some\ndays' sail, we arrived at the harbour of a great city.\n\n\"One of the merchants who had taken me into his friendship invited me to\ngo along with him, and carried me to a place appointed for the\naccommodation of foreign merchants. He gave me a large bag, and having\nrecommended me to some people of the town, who used to gather\ncocoa-nuts, desired them to take me with them. 'Go,' said he, 'follow\nthem, and act as you see them do, but do not separate from them,\notherwise you may endanger your life.' Having thus spoken, he gave me\nprovisions for the journey, and I went with them.\n\n\"We came to a thick forest of cocoa-trees, very lofty, with trunks so\nsmooth that it was not possible to climb to the branches that bore the\nfruit. When we entered the forest we saw a great number of apes of\nseveral sizes, who fled as soon as they perceived us, and climbed up to\nthe top of the trees with surprising swiftness.\n\n\"The merchants with whom I was, gathered stones and threw them at the\napes on the trees. I did the same, and the apes out of revenge threw\ncocoa-nuts at us so fast, and with such gestures, as sufficiently\ntestified their anger and resentment. We gathered up the cocoa-nuts, and\nfrom time to time threw stones to provoke the apes; so that by this\nstratagem we filled our bags with cocoa-nuts, which it had been\nimpossible otherwise to have done.\n\n\"When we had gathered our number, we returned to the city, where the\nmerchant who had sent me to the forest gave me the value of the cocoas I\nbrought: 'Go on,' said he, 'and do the like every day, until you have\ngot money enough to carry you home.' I thanked him for his advice, and\ngradually collected as many cocoa-nuts as produced me a considerable\nsum.\n\n\"The vessel in which I had come sailed with some merchants who loaded\nher with cocoa-nuts. I embarked in her all the nuts I had, and when she\nwas ready to sail took leave of the merchant who had been so kind to me.\n\n\"We sailed toward the islands, where pepper grows in great plenty. From\nthence we went to the isle of Comari, where the best species of wood of\naloes grows. I exchanged my cocoa in those two islands for pepper and\nwood of aloes, and went with other merchants a pearl-fishing. I hired\ndivers, who brought me up some that were very large and pure. I embarked\nin a vessel that happily arrived at Bussorah; from thence I returned to\nBagdad, where I made vast sums from my pepper, wood of aloes, and\npearls. I gave the tenth of my gains in alms, as I had done upon my\nreturn from my other voyages, and endeavoured to dissipate my fatigues\nby amusements of different kinds.\"\n\nWhen Sinbad had finished his story, he ordered one hundred sequins to be\ngiven to Hindbad, who retired with the other guests; but next morning\nthe same company returned to dine; when Sinbad requested their\nattention, and gave the following account of his sixth voyage:\n\n\nTHE SIXTH VOYAGE\n\n\"You long without doubt to know,\" said he, \"how, after having been\nshipwrecked five times, and escaped so many dangers, I could resolve\nagain to tempt fortune, and expose myself to new hardships. I am,\nmyself, astonished at my conduct when I reflect upon it, and must\ncertainly have been actuated by my destiny. But be that as it may, after\na year's rest I prepared for a sixth voyage, notwithstanding the\nentreaties of my kindred, who did all in their power to dissuade me.\n\n\"Instead of taking my way by the Persian Gulf, I travelled once more\nthrough several provinces of Persia and the Indies, and arrived at a\nseaport, where I embarked in a ship, the captain of which was bound on a\nlong voyage. It was long indeed, for the captain and pilot lost their\ncourse. They, however, at last discovered where they were, but we had no\nreason to rejoice at the circumstance. Suddenly we saw the captain quit\nhis post, uttering loud lamentations. He threw off his turban, pulled\nhis beard, and beat his head like a madman. We asked him the reason,\nand he answered, that he was in the most dangerous place in all the\nocean. 'A rapid current carries the ship along with it,' said he, 'and\nwe shall all perish in less than a quarter of an hour. Pray to God to\ndeliver us from this peril; we cannot escape, if He do not take pity on\nus.' At these words he ordered the sails to be lowered; but all the\nropes broke, and the ship was carried by the current to the foot of an\ninaccessible mountain, where she struck and went to pieces, yet in such\na manner that we saved our lives, our provisions, and the best of our\ngoods.\n\n\"This being over, the captain said to us: 'God has done what pleased\nHim. Each of us may dig his grave, and bid the world adieu; for we are\nall in so fatal a place, that none shipwrecked here ever returned to\ntheir homes.' His discourse afflicted us sensibly, and we embraced each\nother, bewailing our deplorable lot.\n\n\"The mountain at the foot of which we were wrecked formed part of the\ncoast of a very large island. It was covered with wrecks, with human\nbones, and with a vast quantity of goods and riches. In all other\nplaces, rivers run from their channels into the sea, but here a river of\nfresh water runs out of the sea into a dark cavern, whose entrance is\nvery high and spacious. What is most remarkable in this place is, that\nthe stones of the mountain are of crystal, rubies, or other precious\nstones. Here is also a sort of fountain of pitch or bitumen, that runs\ninto the sea, which the fish swallow, and turn into ambergris: and this\nthe waves throw up on the beach in great quantities. Trees also grow\nhere, most of which are wood of aloes, equal in goodness to those of\nComari.\n\n\"To finish the description of this place, which may well be called a\ngulf, since nothing ever returns from it, it is not possible for ships\nto get off when once they approach within a certain distance. If they\nbe driven thither by a wind from the sea, the wind and the current impel\nthem; and if they come into it when a land-wind blows, the height of the\nmountain stops the wind, and occasions a calm, so that the force of the\ncurrent carries them ashore: and what completes the misfortune is, that\nthere is no possibility of ascending the mountain, or of escaping by\nsea.\n\n\"We continued upon the shore in a state of despair, and expected death\nevery day. At first we divided our provisions as equally as we could,\nand thus every one lived a longer or shorter time, according to his\ntemperance, and the use he made of his provisions.\n\n\"I survived all my companions, yet when I buried the last, I had so\nlittle provision remaining that I thought I could not long endure and I\ndug a grave, resolving to lie down in it because there was no one left\nto inter me.\n\n\"But it pleased God once more to take compassion on me, and put it in my\nmind to go to the bank of the river which ran into the great cavern.\nConsidering its probable course with great attention, I said to myself:\n'This river, which runs thus under ground, must somewhere have an issue.\nIf I make a raft, and leave myself to the current, it will convey me to\nsome inhabited country, or I shall perish. If I be drowned, I lose\nnothing, but only change one kind of death for another.'\n\n\"I immediately went to work upon large pieces of timber and cables, for\nI had choice of them, and tied them together so strongly that I soon\nmade a very solid raft. When I had finished, I loaded it with rubies,\nemeralds, ambergris, rock-crystal, and bales of rich stuffs. Having\nbalanced my cargo exactly, and fastened it well to the raft, I went on\nboard with two oars that I had made, and leaving it to the course of the\nriver, resigned myself to the will of God.\n\n\"As soon as I entered the cavern I lost all light, and the stream\ncarried me I knew not whither. Thus I floated some days in perfect\ndarkness, and once found the arch so low, that it very nearly touched my\nhead, which made me cautious afterward to avoid the like danger. All\nthis while I ate nothing but what was just necessary to support nature;\nyet, notwithstanding my frugality, all my provisions were spent. Then a\npleasing stupor seized upon me. I cannot tell how long it continued; but\nwhen I revived, I was surprised to find myself in an extensive plain on\nthe brink of a river, where my raft was tied, amidst a great number of\nnegroes. I got up as soon as I saw them, and saluted them. They spoke to\nme, but I did not understand their language. I was so transported with\njoy, that I knew not whether I was asleep or awake; but being persuaded\nthat I was not asleep, I recited aloud the following words in Arabic:\n'Call upon the Almighty, He will help thee; thou needest not perplex\nthyself about anything else: shut thy eyes, and while thou art asleep,\nGod will change thy bad fortune into good.'\n\n\"One of the blacks, who understood Arabic, hearing me speak thus, came\ntoward me and said: 'Brother, be not surprised to see us; we are\ninhabitants of this country, and came hither to-day to water our fields.\nWe observed something floating upon the water, and, perceiving your\nraft, one of us swam into the river and brought it hither, where we\nfastened it, as you see, until you should awake. Pray tell us your\nhistory, for it must be extraordinary; how did you venture yourself into\nthis river, and whence did you come?' I begged of them first to give me\nsomething to eat, and then I would satisfy their curiosity. They gave me\nseveral sorts of food, and when I had satisfied my hunger, I related all\nthat had befallen me, which they listened to with attentive surprise. As\nsoon as I had finished, they told me, by the person who spoke Arabic\nand interpreted to them what I said, that it was one of the most\nwonderful stories they had ever heard, and that I must go along with\nthem, and tell it to their king myself; it being too extraordinary to be\nrelated by any other than the person to whom the events had happened.\n\n\"They immediately sent for a horse, which was brought in a little time;\nand having helped me to mount, some of them walked before to shew the\nway, while the rest took my raft and cargo and followed.\n\n\"We marched till we came to the capital of Serendib, for it was in that\nisland I had landed. The blacks presented me to their king; I approached\nhis throne, and saluted him as I used to do the Kings of the Indies;\nthat is to say, I prostrated myself at his feet. The prince ordered me\nto rise, received me with an obliging air, and made me sit down near\nhim.\n\n\"I related to the king all that I have told you, and his majesty was so\nsurprised and pleased, that he commanded my adventures to be written in\nletters of gold, and laid up in the archives of his kingdom. At last my\nraft was brought in, and the bales opened in his presence: he admired\nthe quantity of wood of aloes and ambergris; but, above all, the rubies\nand emeralds, for he had none in his treasury that equalled them.\n\n\"Observing that he looked on my jewels with pleasure, I fell prostrate\nat his feet, and took the liberty to say to him: 'Sir, not only my\nperson is at your majesty's service, but the cargo of the raft, and I\nwould beg of you to dispose of it as your own.' He answered me with a\nsmile: 'Sinbad, I will take care not to covet anything of yours, or to\ntake anything from you that God has given you; far from lessening your\nwealth, I design to augment it, and will not let you quit my dominions\nwithout marks of my liberality.' He then charged one of his officers to\ntake care of me, and ordered people to serve me at his own expense. The\nofficer was very faithful in the execution of his commission, and caused\nall the goods to be carried to the lodgings provided for me.\n\n\"I went every day at a set hour to make my court to the king, and spent\nthe rest of my time in viewing the city, and what was most worthy of\nnotice.\n\n\"The capital of Serendib stands at the end of a fine valley, in the\nmiddle of the island, encompassed by mountains the highest in the world.\nRubies and several sorts of minerals abound, and the rocks are for the\nmost part composed of a metalline stone made use of to cut and polish\nother precious stones. All kinds of rare plants and trees grow there,\nespecially cedars and cocoa-nut. There is also a pearl-fishing in the\nmouth of its principal river; and in some of its valleys are found\ndiamonds. I made, by way of devotion, a pilgrimage to the place where\nAdam was confined after his banishment from Paradise, and had the\ncuriosity to go to the top of the mountain.\n\n\"When I returned to the city, I prayed the king to allow me to return to\nmy own country, and he granted me permission in the most honourable\nmanner. He would needs force a rich present upon me; and when I went to\ntake my leave of him, he gave me one much more considerable, and at the\nsame time charged me with a letter for the Commander of the Faithful,\nour sovereign, saying to me: 'I pray you give this present from me, and\nthis letter, to the Caliph, and assure him of my friendship.' I took the\npresent and letter and promised his majesty punctually to execute the\ncommission with which he was pleased to honour me.\n\n\"The letter from the King of Serendib was written on the skin of a\ncertain animal of great value, because of its being so scarce, and of a\nyellowish colour. The characters of this letter were of azure, and the\ncontents as follows:\n\n  \"'The King of the Indies, before whom march one hundred elephants, who\n  lives in a palace that shines with one hundred thousand rubies, and\n  who has in his treasury twenty thousand crowns enriched with diamonds,\n  to Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid:--\n\n  \"'Though the present we send you be inconsiderable, receive it,\n  however, as a brother, in consideration of the hearty friendship which\n  we bear for you, and of which we are willing to give you proof. We\n  desire the same part in your friendship, considering that we believe\n  it to be our merit, being of the same dignity with yourself. We\n  conjure you this in quality of a brother. Adieu.'\n\n\"The present consisted, first, of one single ruby made into a cup, about\nhalf a foot high, an inch thick, and filled with round pearls of half a\ndrachm each. 2. The skin of a serpent, whose scales were as large as an\nordinary piece of gold, and had the virtue to preserve from sickness\nthose who lay upon it. 3. Fifty thousand drachms of the best wood of\naloes, with thirty grains of camphire as big as pistachios. And, 4. A\nfemale slave of ravishing beauty, whose apparel was all covered over\nwith jewels.\n\n\"The ship set sail, and after a very successful navigation we landed at\nBussorah, and from thence I went to Bagdad, where the first thing I did\nwas to acquit myself of my commission.\n\n\"I took the king of Serendib's letter and went to present myself at the\ngate of the Commander of the Faithful, followed by the beautiful slave,\nand such of my own family as carried the gifts. I stated the reason of\nmy coming, and was immediately conducted to the throne of the caliph. I\nmade my reverence, and, after a short speech, gave him the letter and\npresent. When he had read what the king of Serendib wrote to him, he\nasked me if the prince were really so rich and potent as he represented\nhimself in his letter. I prostrated myself a second time, and rising\nagain, said: 'Commander of the Faithful, I can assure your majesty he\ndoth not exceed the truth. Nothing is more worthy of admiration than the\nmagnificence of his palace. When the prince appears in public he has a\nthrone fixed on the back of an elephant, and marches betwixt two ranks\nof his ministers, favourites, and other people of his court; before him,\nupon the same elephant, an officer carries a golden lance in his hand;\nand behind the throne there is another, who stands upright, with a\ncolumn of gold, on the top of which is an emerald half a foot long and\nan inch thick; before him march a guard of one thousand men, clad in\ncloth of gold and silk, and mounted on elephants richly caparisoned.\n\n\"While the king is on his march, the officer who is before him on the\nsame elephant cries from time to time, with a loud voice: 'Behold the\ngreat monarch, the potent and redoubtable Sultan of the Indies, whose\npalace is covered with one hundred thousand rubies, and who possesses\ntwenty thousand crowns of diamonds. Behold the monarch greater than\nSolomon, and the powerful Maha-raja.' After he has pronounced those\nwords, the officer behind the throne cries in his turn: 'This monarch,\nso great and so powerful, must die, must die, must die.' And the officer\nbefore replies: 'Praise be to him who liveth for ever.'\n\n\"Furthermore, the King of Serendib is so just that there are no judges\nin his dominions. His people have no need of them. They understand and\nobserve justice rigidly of themselves.'\n\n\"The caliph was much pleased with my account. 'The wisdom of that king,'\nsaid he, 'appears in his letter, and after what you tell me, I must\nconfess, that his wisdom is worthy of his people, and his people deserve\nso wise a prince.' Having spoken thus, he dismissed me, and sent me home\nwith a rich present.\"\n\nSinbad left off, and his company retired, Hindbad having first received\none hundred sequins; and next day they returned to hear the relation of\nhis seventh and last voyage.\n\n\nTHE SEVENTH AND LAST VOYAGE\n\n\"Being returned from my sixth voyage,\" said Sinbad, \"I absolutely laid\naside all thoughts of travelling; for, besides that my age now required\nrest, I was resolved no more to expose myself to such risks as I had\nencountered; so that I thought of nothing but to pass the rest of my\ndays in tranquillity. One day, however, as I was treating my friends,\none of my servants came and told me that an officer of the caliph's\ninquired for me. I rose from table, and went to him. 'The caliph,' said\nhe, 'has sent me to tell you that he must speak with you.' I followed\nthe officer to the palace, where, being presented to the caliph, I\nsaluted him by prostrating myself at his feet. 'Sinbad,' said he to me,\n'I stand in need of your service; you must carry my answer and present\nto the King of Serendib. It is but just I should return his civility.'\n\n\"This command of the caliph was to me like a clap of thunder. 'Commander\nof the Faithful,' I replied, 'I am ready to do whatever your majesty\nshall think fit to command; but I beseech you most humbly to consider\nwhat I have undergone. I have also made a vow never to go out of\nBagdad.' Hence I took occasion to give him a full and particular account\nof all my adventures, which he had the patience to hear out.\n\n\"As soon as I had finished, 'I confess,' said he, 'that the things you\ntell me are very extraordinary, yet you must for my sake undertake this\nvoyage which I propose to you. You will only have to go to the isle of\nSerendib, and deliver the commission which I give you, for you know it\nwould not comport with my dignity to be indebted to the king of that\nisland.' Perceiving that the caliph insisted upon my compliance, I\nsubmitted, and told him that I was willing to obey. He was very well\npleased, and ordered me one thousand sequins for the expenses of my\njourney.\n\n\"I prepared for my departure in a few days, and as soon as the caliph's\nletter and present were delivered to me, I went to Bussorah, where I\nembarked, and had a very happy voyage. Having arrived at the isle of\nSerendib, I acquainted the king's ministers with my commission, and\nprayed them to get me speedy audience. They did so, and I was conducted\nto the palace, where I saluted the king by prostration, according to\ncustom. That prince knew me immediately, and testified very great joy at\nseeing me, 'Sinbad,' said he, 'you are welcome; I have many times\nthought of you since you departed; I bless the day on which we see one\nanother once more.' I made my compliments to him, and after having\nthanked him for his kindness, delivered the caliph's letter and present,\nwhich he received with all imaginable satisfaction.\n\n\"The caliph's present was a complete suit of cloth of gold, valued at\none thousand sequins; fifty robes of rich stuff, a hundred of white\ncloth, the finest of Cairo, Suez, and Alexandria; a vessel of agate\nbroader than deep, an inch thick, and half a foot wide, the bottom of\nwhich represented in bas-relief a man with one knee on the ground, who\nheld a bow and an arrow, ready to discharge at a lion. He sent him also\na rich tablet, which, according to tradition, belonged to the great\nSolomon. The caliph's letter was as follows:\n\n  \"'Greeting, in the name of the sovereign guide of the right way, from\n  the dependant on God, Haroun-al-Raschid, whom God hath set in the\n  place of vicegerent to his prophet, after his ancestors of happy\n  memory, to the potent and esteemed Raja of Serendib:--\n\n  'We received your letter with joy, and send you this from our imperial\n  residence, the garden of superior wits. We hope when you look upon it,\n  you will perceive our good intention and be pleased with it. Adieu.'\n\n\"The King of Serendib was highly gratified that the caliph answered his\nfriendship. A little time after this audience, I solicited leave to\ndepart, and had much difficulty to obtain it. I procured it, however, at\nlast, and the king, when he dismissed me, made me a very considerable\npresent. I embarked immediately to return to Bagdad, but had not the\ngood fortune to arrive there so speedily as I had hoped. God ordered it\notherwise.\n\n\"Three or four days after my departure, we were attacked by corsairs,\nwho easily seized upon our ship, because it was no vessel of force. Some\nof the crew offered resistance, which cost them their lives. But for\nmyself and the rest, who were not so imprudent, the corsairs saved us on\npurpose to make slaves of us.\n\n\"We were all stripped, and instead of our own clothes, they gave us\nsorry rags, and carried us into a remote island, where they sold us.\n\n\"I fell into the hands of a rich merchant, who, as soon as he bought me,\ncarried me to his house, treated me well, and clad me handsomely for a\nslave. Some days after, not knowing who I was, he asked me if I\nunderstood any trade. I answered, that I was no mechanic, but a\nmerchant, and that the corsairs who sold me, had robbed me of all I\npossessed. 'But tell me,' replied he, 'can you shoot with a bow?' I\nanswered, that the bow was one of my exercises in my youth. He gave me a\nbow and arrows, and, taking me behind him upon an elephant, carried me\nto a thick forest some leagues from the town. We penetrated a great way\ninto the wood, and he bade me alight; then, shewing me a great tree,\n'Climb up that,' said he, 'and shoot at the elephants as you see them\npass by, for there is a prodigious number of them in this forest, and if\nany of them fall, come and give me notice.' Having spoken this, he left\nme victuals, and returned to the town, and I continued upon the tree all\nnight.\n\n\"I saw no elephant during the night, but next morning, as soon as the\nsun was up, I perceived a great number. I shot several arrows among\nthem, and at last one of the elephants fell, when the rest retired\nimmediately, and left me at liberty to go and acquaint my patron with my\nbooty. When I had informed him, he gave me a good meal, commended my\ndexterity, and caressed me highly. We went afterwards together to the\nforest, where we dug a hole for the elephant; my patron designing to\nreturn when it had fallen to pieces and take its teeth to trade with.\n\n\"I continued this employment for two months, and killed an elephant\nevery day, getting sometimes upon one tree, and sometimes upon another.\nOne morning, as I looked for the elephants, I perceived with extreme\namazement that, instead of passing by me across the forest as usual,\nthey stopped, and came to me with a horrible noise, in such number that\nthe plain was covered, and shook under them. They encompassed the tree\nin which I was concealed, with their trunks extended, and all fixed\ntheir eyes upon me. At this alarming spectacle I continued immovable,\nand was so much terrified, that my bow and arrows fell out of my hand.\n\n\"My fears were not without cause; for after the elephants had stared\nupon me some time, one of the largest of them put his trunk round the\nfoot of the tree, plucked it up, and threw it on the ground. I fell with\nthe tree; and the elephant, taking me up with his trunk, laid me on his\nback, where I sat more like one dead than alive, with my quiver on my\nshoulder. He put himself afterward at the head of the rest, who followed\nhim in troops, carried me a considerable way, then laid me down on the\nground, and retired with all his companions. After having lain some\ntime, and seeing the elephants gone, I got up, and found I was upon a\nlong and broad hill, almost covered with the bones and teeth of\nelephants. I confess to you, that this object furnished me with\nabundance of reflections. I admired the instinct of those animals; I\ndoubted not but that was their burying-place, and that they carried me\nthither on purpose to tell me that I should forbear to persecute them,\nsince I did it only for their teeth. I did not stay on the hill, but\nturned toward the city, and, after having travelled a day and a night, I\ncame to my patron.\n\n\"As soon as he saw me, 'Ah, poor Sinbad,' exclaimed he, 'I was in great\ntrouble to know what was become of you. I have been at the forest, where\nI found a tree newly pulled up, and a bow and arrows on the ground, and\nI despaired of ever seeing you more. Pray tell me what befell you, and\nby what good chance you are still alive.' I satisfied his curiosity, and\ngoing both of us next morning to the hill, he found to his great joy\nthat what I had told him was true. We loaded the elephant which had\ncarried us with as many teeth as he could bear; and when we were\nreturned, 'Brother,' said my patron, 'for I will treat you no more as my\nslave, after having made such a discovery as will enrich me, God bless\nyou with all happiness and prosperity. I declare before Him, that I give\nyou your liberty. I concealed from you what I am now going to tell you.\n\n\"'The elephants of our forest have every year killed a great many\nslaves, whom we sent to seek ivory. God has delivered you from their\nfury, and has bestowed that favour upon you only. It is a sign that He\nloves you, and has some use for your service in the world. You have\nprocured me incredible wealth. Formerly we could not procure ivory but\nby exposing the lives of our slaves, and now our whole city is enriched\nby your means. I could engage all our inhabitants to contribute toward\nmaking your fortune, but I will have the glory of doing it myself.'\n\n\"To this obliging declaration I replied: 'Patron, God preserve you. Your\ngiving me my liberty is enough to discharge what you owe me, and I\ndesire no other reward for the service I had the good fortune to do to\nyou, and your city, but leave to return to my own country.' 'Very well,'\nsaid he, 'the monsoon will in a little time bring ships for ivory. I\nwill then send you home, and give you wherewith to bear your charges.' I\nthanked him again for my liberty and his good intentions toward me. I\nstayed with him expecting the monsoon; and during that time, we made so\nmany journeys to the hill that we filled all our warehouses with ivory.\nThe other merchants, who traded in it, did the same, for it could not be\nlong concealed from them.\n\n\"The ships arrived at last, and my patron, himself having made choice of\nthe ship wherein I was to embark, loaded half of it with ivory on my\naccount, laid in provisions in abundance for my passage, and besides\nobliged me to accept a present of some curiosities of the country of\ngreat value. After I had returned him a thousand thanks for all his\nfavours, I went aboard. We set sail, and as the adventure which procured\nme this liberty was very extraordinary, I had it continually in my\nthoughts.\n\n\"We stopped at some islands to take in fresh provisions. Our vessel\nbeing come to a port on the main land in the Indies, we touched there,\nand not being willing to venture by sea to Bussorah, I landed my\nproportion of the ivory, resolving to proceed on my journey by land. I\nmade vast sums by my ivory, bought several rarities for presents, and\nwhen my equipage was ready, set out in company with a large caravan of\nmerchants. I was a long time on the way, and suffered much, but endured\nall with patience, when I considered that I had nothing to fear from the\nseas, from pirates, from serpents, or from the other perils to which I\nhad been exposed.\n\n\"All these fatigues ended at last, and I arrived safe at Bagdad. I went\nimmediately to wait upon the caliph, and gave him an account of my\nembassy. That prince said he had been uneasy as I was so long in\nreturning, but that he always hoped God would preserve me. When I told\nhim the adventure of the elephants, he seemed much surprised, and would\nnever have given any credit to it had he not known my veracity. He\ndeemed this story, and the other relations I had given him, to be so\ncurious, that he ordered one of his secretaries to write them in\ncharacters of gold, and lay them up in his treasury. I retired well\nsatisfied with the honours I received, and the presents which he gave\nme; and ever since I have devoted myself wholly to my family, kindred\nand friends.\"\n\nSinbad here finished the relation of his seventh and last voyage, and\nthen, addressing himself to Hindbad, \"Well, friend,\" said he, \"did you\never hear of any person that suffered so much as I have done, or of any\nmortal that has gone through so many vicissitudes? Is it not reasonable\nthat, after all this, I should enjoy a quiet and pleasant life?\" As he\nsaid this, Hindbad drew near to him, and kissing his hand, said, \"I must\nacknowledge sir, that you have gone through many imminent dangers; my\ntroubles are not comparable to yours; if they afflict me for a time, I\ncomfort myself with the thoughts of the profit I get by them. You not\nonly deserve a quiet life, but are worthy of all the riches you enjoy,\nbecause you make of them such a good and generous use. May you therefore\ncontinue to live in happiness till the day of your death!\" Sinbad then\ngave him one hundred sequins more, received him into the number of his\nfriends and desired him to quit his porter's employment, and come and\ndine every day with him, that he might have ample reason to remember\nSinbad the voyager and his adventures.","title":"The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":114839}