{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_34206/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_34206","id":"gutenberg_34206","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34206","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Classics of Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"\n\n\n\nProduced by Jonathan Ingram, Turgut Dincer and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n\n +---------------------------------------------------+\n | Transcriber's Note: |\n | |\n | There are two levels of notes (footnotes) |\n | in this book: The first level is called Notes by |\n | the author and are referred from the main body |\n | of text as [C_n] where C is the Chapter number |\n | and n the number of the note related to this |\n | chapter. The second level consists of regular |\n | footnotes referred from the Notes of the author |\n | and are numbered the usual way. |\n | |\n | In the HTML file Notes and footnotes are numbered |\n | without chapter numbers. |\n +---------------------------------------------------+\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n The THOUSAND & ONE nights.\n\n VOL. I.\n\n LONDON: CHATTO AND WINDUS.\n\n\n THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS\n\n COMMONLY CALLED THE\n\n ARABIAN NIGHTS' ENTERTAINMENTS\n\n\n TRANSLATED FROM THE ARABIC, WITH COPIOUS NOTES, BY\n\n EDWARD WILLIAM LANE\n\n\n EDITED BY HIS NEPHEW EDWARD STANLEY POOLE\n\n FROM A COPY ANNOTATED BY THE TRANSLATOR\n\n\n WITH A PREFACE BY STANLEY LANE-POOLE AND\n\n ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE DESIGNS OF WILLIAM HARVEY\n\n [Illustration]\n\n A NEW IMPRESSION IN THREE VOLUMES\n\n VOL. I\n\n\n LONDON\n\n CHATTO & WINDUS\n\n 1912\n\n\n LONDON:\n\n PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED.\n DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND GREAT WINDMILL STREET, W.\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nADVERTISEMENT.\n\n\nThe present edition is an exact reproduction of that edited by my\nfather, with my great-uncle's final corrections, and published by Mr.\nJohn Murray in 1859. Several reprints of that edition have testified to\nthe continued popularity of the work, and the necessity for the present\nissue shows that an acquaintance of nearly half a century has not yet\nwearied the public of the standard translation of the _Thousand and One\nNights_. The secret of Mr. Lane's success is to be found partly in the\ninstinctive sympathy for the spirit of the East, which enabled him\nfaithfully to reproduce the characteristic tone of the original, and\npartly in the rich store of illustrations of oriental life and thought\ncontained in his Notes. In the various cheap versions, based upon\nGalland's French paraphrase, the Eastern tone and local colour is wholly\nwanting; and the peculiarities of life and manners, which contrast so\nmarkedly with those of the West, are left unnoted and unexplained. Such\nversions may serve in an inadequate degree to make the Arabian Nights\nknown to those who care only for the bare stories; but educated readers,\nwho are capable of something more than the mere enjoyment of the\nromance, and desire to understand the character and habits of the actors\nand the spectators, find in Mr. Lane's translation, and in his only, a\ncomplete satisfaction of their want. It is not merely a scholar's\nedition, though no oriental student can afford to be without it; but\nbeyond this narrow circle it has ever appealed to the wide audience that\ncares to know the famous books of the world in their most perfect and\nfaithful reflections.\n\nThe actual moment is an opportune one for the reappearance of the work.\nEgypt just now holds a foremost place in the eyes of the world, and it\nis of Egypt that the _Thousand and One Nights_ have most to tell. Indian\nor Persian as many of the tales are in their origin, their setting is\nalmost purely Egyptian; and though the place may be nominally Baghd\u00e1d or\nIndia, or even furthest China, it is in medi\u00e6val Cairo, in the days of\nthe Memlooks, that the scene of the Arabian Nights is really laid. The\npeople described are not Hindoos or Chinese, but Arabs and Egyptians as\nthey lived and moved in the fifteenth century, when some of the\nbeautiful mosques and tombs, that still make Cairo the delight of\nartists, were being built, and the devastating hand of the Ottoman Turk\nhad not yet been laid on the land of the Pharaohs. For a minute picture\nof Arabian society as it was in the Middle Ages, the _Thousand and One\nNights_ have no rival, and it is Mr. Lane's appreciation of this\npicture, and the wealth of illustration lavished upon it in his Notes,\nthat render his edition the most complete commentary we possess on\nMuslim life and manners, religion and literature, and make it an\nindispensable supplement to his famous _Account of the Manners and\nCustoms of the Modern Egyptians_. The poetry of Eastern life is rapidly\nfading away under the effacing touch of European civilisation; the\ncharacteristic society in which an Haroon-Er-Rasheed, an Aboo-Nuwas, a\nK\u00e1foor, a Saladin, or a Ka\u00eft-Bey, revelled and jested and conquered, is\nfast becoming matter of history rather than of experience, a field for\nthe antiquary instead of the traveller; and it is well that we can\nreconstruct it in the pages of the _Thousand and One Nights_, whose\ncompiler saw it when it was still almost in its Golden Prime, and in the\n_Modern Egyptians_, whose author knew it when it still preserved the\nromantic character which has charmed and fascinated readers of every age\nand condition.\n\n STANLEY LANE-POOLE.\n\n THE DAY OF TELL-EL-KEBEER, 1882.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE EDITOR'S PREFACE.\n\n\nA new edition of this work having been required, Mr. Lane was requested\nto undertake the correction of the press. But severe literary labours\nallowing him no leisure for this object, he named me, as his pupil in\nthe study of Arabic, familiar with his writings, and for many years\nresident with him in Cairo, to fill, in some measure, his place. I have\nundertaken this duty with great diffidence, from a sense of my own\ndeficiencies and his extensive knowledge; but I have felt that I could\nat least insure the correctness of the text, and a scrupulous adherence\nto his wishes. The present edition is printed, without any variations of\nmy own (except those which are marked as such, and have been submitted\nto Mr. Lane), from a copy of the first and complete edition, with\ncorrections and additions made by Mr. Lane, from time to time, since its\nfirst publication. These, however, from the accuracy with which the\ntranslation was made, and the fulness of the Notes, are not very\nnumerous. The same reasons have also caused my own notes to be few: I\nbelieve that my Uncle's notes are complete in themselves; and that I\nhave sometimes erred, even in the rare exceptions I have made, on the\nside of unnecessary addition.\n\nAn edition of any book not superintended by the author is sometimes\nregarded with distrust. I would therefore assure the reader that in this\ninstance he may depend even on the punctuation; the whole having been\nlaboriously collated with Mr. Lane's annotated copy, notwithstanding the\ngreat delay which this process has occasioned in the printing of the\nwork.\n\nI have called this a _complete_ edition, to distinguish it from two\nothers which have been published without Mr. Lane's notes or his method\nof writing oriental words, and with other variations from the standard\nedition. The public appreciation of these notes, and of the advantage of\ncorrectly-written foreign words, is, I conceive, proved by the call for\nthe present edition. On the subject of the mode of writing oriental\nwords in European characters, I need say little, for the controversy has\nwell nigh died out. The present generation does not regard antiquated\nblunders as \"the familiar names of childhood,\" but rather strives to\nattain accuracy in all things; and those few who still cling to\n\"Mahomet\" or \"Mahomed\" should consistently exhume the forgotten\n\"Mahound\" of the Crusades.\n\nThe translator's views respecting the origin and literary history of\n\"The Thousand and One Nights\" will be found fully expressed in the\nReview at the end of the third volume. In his original preface, he\nstated, \"The remarks which I here submit to the reader, being written\nwhen only one-third of the work to which they principally relate is\nprinted, must unavoidably be more defective than they would be if\nreserved until a later period. During the progress of the publication I\nmay be enabled to form clearer and more complete views of the several\nsubjects which might with propriety be fully discussed at the head of\nmy translation, and I think it better, therefore, to append at the close\nof the work many observations which I originally intended to prefix to\nthe first volume.\" He has therefore wished me to remodel the preface,\ntransferring all portions relating to the subjects in question to the\nReview, retaining whatever may more properly stand at the commencement\nof the work, and adding any matter of my own.\n\nThe object with which the translation was made is best expressed in the\nwords of Mr. Lane's preface.\n\n\"My undertaking to translate anew the Tales of 'The Thousand and One\nNights' implies an unfavourable opinion of the version which has so long\namused us; but I must express my objections with respect to the latter\nin plain terms, and this I shall do by means of a few words on the\nversion of Galland, from which it is derived; for to him alone its chief\nfaults are to be attributed. I am somewhat reluctant to make this\nremark, because several persons, and among them some of high and\ndeserved reputation as Arabic scholars, have pronounced an opinion that\nhis version is an _improvement_ upon the original. That 'The Thousand\nand One Nights' may be greatly improved, I most readily admit; but as\nconfidently do I assert that Galland has excessively _perverted_ the\nwork. His acquaintance with Arab manners and customs was insufficient to\npreserve him always from errors of the grossest description, and by the\n_style_ of his version he has given to the whole a false character, thus\nsacrificing, in a great measure, what is most valuable in the original\nwork,--I mean its minute accuracy with respect to those peculiarities\nwhich distinguish the Arabs from every other nation, not only of the\nWest, but also of the East. Deceived by the vague nature of Galland's\nversion, travellers in Persia, Turkey, and India, have often fancied\nthat the Arabian Tales describe the particular manners of the natives of\nthose countries; but no one who has read them in the original language,\nhaving an intimate acquaintance with the Arabs, can be of this opinion:\nit is in Arabian countries, and especially in Egypt, that we see the\npeople, the dresses, and the buildings, which it describes in almost\nevery case, even when the scene is laid in Persia, in India, or in\nChina.\n\n\"Convinced of the truth of this assertion, I consider myself possessed\nof the chief qualifications for the proper accomplishment of my present\nundertaking, from my having lived several years in Cairo, associating\nalmost exclusively with Arabs, speaking their language, conforming to\ntheir general habits with the most scrupulous exactitude, and received\ninto their society on terms of perfect equality. Since the downfall of\nthe Arab Empire of Baghd\u00e1d, Cairo has been the chief of Arabian cities:\nits Memlook Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns, introduced into Egypt in their youth, naturally\nadopted, to a great degree, the manners of its native inhabitants, which\nthe 'Osm\u00e1nlee Turks in later days have but little altered. Cairo is the\ncity in which Arabian manners now exist in the most refined state; and\nsuch I believe to have been the case when the present work was\ncomposed.\"\n\nMr. Lane's first two visits to Egypt were made when, for the last time,\nArab manners and customs as they existed in the age of the Arabian\nNights could be studied; and his translation was written very shortly\nafter his second return to England. Though some of the tales may be\nIndian or Persian in origin, in their present state they exhibit a\npicture of the manners, modes of thought, and language, of the court and\ntimes of the Memlook Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns of Egypt, which nearly resembled in these\npoints those of the Khaleefehs of Baghd\u00e1d, or the great Arab Empire. De\nSacy and Von Hammer, the two celebrated orientalists who differed widely\nin opinion as to the origin of the book, agreed that the tales in which\nthe Khaleefeh H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed is introduced (the best, with few\nexceptions, in the collection) are Egyptian in character. But since the\n\"Modern Egyptians\" were described by Mr. Lane, all things in the East\nhave changed, and every day witnesses the decay of some old custom, to\nbe followed by a bastard European imitation. During Mohammad 'Alee's\nrule, all traces of the state and circumstance of the Memlook court\ngradually passed away. European dress has displaced oriental costume,\ncloth of gold, and dresses of honour; European architecture elbows the\nquaint beauty of the old Arab capital; and the cavalcade of fifty\nhorsemen around a grandee is succeeded by an English carriage that\nprofanes the quiet streets of the city, and frightens away both 'Efreets\nand their memory. Mr. Lane saw the last of Cairo in its integrity; and\nhe has not overstated his qualifications, as author of the \"Modern\nEgyptians,\" for the task of translating the Arabian Nights.\n\nOf the copy from which this translation was made, and the method\nobserved in its execution, I may again quote the preface to the first\nedition. Mr. Lane says,--\n\n\"I have taken as my general standard of the original text the Cairo\nedition lately printed; it being greatly superior to the other printed\neditions, and probably to every manuscript copy.[1] It appears to agree\nalmost exactly with the celebrated MS. of Von Hammer, than which no copy\nmore copious, I believe, exists; and contains all the tales in the old\nversion except those which, as Von Hammer says, Galland appears to have\ntaken from other works, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, in the Royal\nLibrary of Paris. The manuscript from which it was printed was carefully\ncollated and corrected by a very learned man, the sheykh 'Abd-Er-Ra\u1e25m\u00e1n\nE\u1e63-\u1e62aftee Esh-Shar\u1e33\u00e1wee, who also superintended the progress of the work\nthrough the press. But in addition to the value conferred upon it by the\ncorrections of this sheykh, the copy from which the whole of my\ntranslation is made, except in a few instances, possesses an advantage\nwhich, I believe, renders it incomparably superior to any other now\nexisting: it has been again revised and corrected, and illustrated with\nnumerous manuscript notes, by a person whom I think I may safely\npronounce the first philologist of the first Arab college of the present\nday, the sheykh Mo\u1e25ammad 'Eiy\u00e1d E\u1e6d-\u1e6can\u1e6d\u00e1wee, or, more properly,\nE\u1e6d-\u1e6candit\u00e1ee. His notes are chiefly philological, and explanatory of\nwords which do not belong to the classical language; and many of them\nare of very great assistance to me; though most of them I find\nunnecessary, from the knowledge of the modern Arabic which I have\nacquired during my intercourse with the people who speak it. His\ncorrections of the text are numerous; and as they would interest very\nfew persons, I have mentioned but few of them in the notes to my\ntranslation, notwithstanding a strong temptation that I felt to do\notherwise in order that Arabic scholars might be assisted to judge of\nthe fidelity of my version by comparing it with the text of the Cairo\nedition.[2] To the pieces of poetry which are interspersed throughout\nthe work he has paid especial attention; not only correcting the errors\nwhich he found in them, but also always adding the vowel-points, and\ngenerally, commentaries or explanations. Thus I have shewn that I am\nvery greatly indebted to him for his learned labours. I should, however,\nadd, that I have ventured to differ from him in interpreting a few\nwords; having found more appropriate meanings assigned to them by Arabs\nin parts not visited by him, or such meanings given in printed\ndictionaries with which he is unacquainted; and I have also corrected a\nfew errors which have escaped his notice.[3] Without the valuable aid\nwhich he has afforded me, I would not have attempted the translation;\nnor with it would I have done so were it not for the advantage that I\nderive from my having lived among Arabs. No translator can always be\ncertain that, from twenty or more significations which are borne by one\nArabic word, he has selected that which his author intended to convey;\nbut, circumstanced as I am, I have the satisfaction of feeling confident\nthat I have never given, to a word or phrase in this work, a meaning\nwhich is inconsistent with its presenting faithful pictures of Arab life\nand manners.\n\n\"I have thought it right to omit such tales, anecdotes, &c., as are\ncomparatively uninteresting or on any account objectionable. In other\nwords, I insert nothing that I deem greatly inferior in interest to the\ntales in the old version. Certain passages which, in the original work,\nare of an objectionable nature, I have slightly varied; but in doing\nthis, I have been particularly careful to render them so as to be\nperfectly agreeable with Arab manners and customs. It was originally my\nintention to omit almost the whole of the poetry, thinking that the loss\nof measure and rhyme, and the impossibility of preserving the examples\nof paronomasia and some other figures with which they abound, would\nrender translations of them generally intolerable to the reader: but\nafterwards I reflected that the character of the work would be thus\ngreatly altered; and its value, as illustrating Arab manners and\nfeelings, much diminished. I therefore determined to preserve a\nconsiderable number of select pieces, chosen either for their relative\nmerits or because required by the context. The number of those comprised\nin the first volume of my translation is nearly half of the number\ncontained in the corresponding portion of the original work; but in\nseveral cases I have omitted one or more verses of a piece as\nunsuitable, or for some other reason; and in a few instances I have\ngiven only the first verse or the first couplet. These pieces of poetry\nare not in general to be regarded as the compositions of the author or\nauthors of the work: they appear to be mostly borrowed from others, and\nmany of them are taken from the works of celebrated poets.--To avoid the\ntedious interruptions which occur in the original at the close of each\nNight, I have divided the translation into chapters, each of which\nconsists of one tale, or of two or more tales connected one with\nanother, and have merely mentioned the Night with which each chapter\ncommences, and that with which it terminates.\n\n\"The original work being designed solely for the entertainment of Arabs,\nI add copious notes to the translation, to render it more intelligible\nand agreeable to the English reader. These are entirely my own, except\nin those cases when I have stated otherwise;[4] and my general object in\nthem has been to give such illustrations as may satisfy the general\nreader, without obliging him to consult other works. In many of them I\nendeavour to shew, by extracts from esteemed Arabic histories and\nscientific and other writings, chiefly drawn from MSS. in my possession,\nas well as by assertions and anecdotes that I have heard, and conduct\nthat I have witnessed, during my intercourse with Arabs, that the most\nextravagant relations in this work are not in general regarded, even by\nthe educated classes of that people, as of an incredible nature. This is\na point which I deem of much importance to set the work in its proper\nlight before my countrymen. I have resided in a land where genii are\nstill firmly believed to obey the summons of the magician or the owner\nof a talisman, and to act in occurrences of every day; and I have\nlistened to stories of their deeds related as facts by persons of the\nhighest respectability, and by some who would not condescend to read the\ntales of 'The Thousand and One Nights,' merely because they are\nfictions, and not written in the usual polished style of literary\ncompositions.\"\n\nI have already mentioned that the literary history of \"The Thousand and\nOne Nights\" is discussed in Mr. Lane's Review appended to this\ntranslation. In the course of my Arabic studies, and more especially\nsince I have been occupied in editing the present work, I have\nendeavoured to form an unbiassed judgment on this difficult question;\nand all my researches have confirmed me in agreeing with the opinions\nthere expressed. Von Hammer was inclined to lay too much stress on the\nsupposed Persian or Indian origin of these Tales; while De Sacy, on the\nother hand, rejected the belief in any connection between the old work\nand the more modern; contending that the latter was an independent\nproduction. The discovery, however, of a passage in an Arabic author, by\nVon Hammer, since the publication of De Sacy's Essay and Mr. Lane's\nPreface, has placed the matter beyond a doubt; and scholars are now\nagreed, notwithstanding De Sacy's pleasant sarcasm, and the weight of\nhis great name, that \"The Thousand Nights\" formed in some measure the\nprototype of \"The Thousand and One Nights.\" On the other hand, De Sacy's\nkeen appreciation of the modern (and chiefly Egyptian, or Arab,)\ncharacter of the book, in its present form, must be fully recognised,\nand was indeed thus acknowledged by Von Hammer himself. The manners,\ndresses, and modes of thought, portrayed by it are Arab throughout, even\nin the stories which are probably retained from the Persian or Indian\noriginal, of which that of the Magic Horse is the best example in this\ntranslation. Besides those relating to the court and adventures of\nH\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed, which, as I have before remarked, are curiously\nEgyptian, many others appear to have been remodelled, if not actually\ncomposed, in Egypt. It is not less true that these tales are generally\nthe best in the collection, if those of the Slave K\u00e1foor, of 'Azeez and\n'Azeezeh, and of Es-Sindib\u00e1d, be excepted; for these certainly are\ninferior to none. The more colloquial and familiar stories point to the\nsame origin; such as that of 'Al\u00e1-ed-Deen Abu-sh-Sh\u00e1m\u00e1t (which is\npervaded by Egyptian characteristics in phraseology and in other\nrespects), that of Aboo-\u1e62eer and Aboo-\u1e32eer, and that of Ma\u1ea1roof. The\nstories founded mainly on Persian or Indian originals appear to be\nthose in which supernatural beings play the most conspicuous parts; and,\nas Mr. Lane remarks, these are generally deficient in verses, although\nthe converse does not hold good of the former class. The anecdotes are\nmostly historical: many of them are, in the Notes, identified with\nsimilar ones in other Arabic works; and almost all are of Arab origin.\n\nThe evidences of a late date scattered through the book may be additions\nof copyists and reciters; but considered with reference to its general\ncharacter, they have a certain weight that cannot be overlooked: this is\ncarefully stated in the Review.\n\nMr. Lane's arguments in favour of the collective \"Thousand and One\nNights\" being an individual work, and not one of many similar\ncollections, seem to me to be conclusive: not the least important of\nthese is the fact that no similar collection is known to exist, nor is\nmentioned by any Arab author, with the sole exception of the old\n\"Thousand Nights,\" which I believe he has demonstrated to be the\nprototype, in a remote degree, of the \"Thousand and One.\" To cite the\nwords of the Preface on the question of the original of the work as it\nis known to us--\"I have shewn it to be my opinion that all the complete\ncopies of 'The Thousand and One Nights' now known are in the main\nderived, though not immediately, from one original; and I hold the same\nopinion with respect to every fragment containing the commencement of\nthe work;\" \"not regarding the work as wholly original, nor as the first\nof its kind; for many of the tales which it contains are doubtless of\ndifferent and early origins; and I think that its general plan is\nprobably borrowed from a much older production, bearing the same title\nof 'The Thousand and One Nights,' [or 'The Thousand Nights,'] a\ntranslation of a Persian work having a corresponding title, namely\n'Hez\u00e1r Afs\u00e1neh.'... One thing is certain--that 'The Thousand and One\nNights,' [or 'The Thousand Nights,'] translated from the Persian was\nmuch older than the work now known by that title, and also extremely\ndifferent from the latter.\"\n\nWhen these facts are considered in reference to each other, the date\nassigned, in the Review, to the composition of the work cannot\nreasonably be regarded as far from the truth. It is in Egypt, and\nespecially in the Memlook court, that we must look to find the people,\nthe manners, and the habits of thought, of \"The Arabian Nights;\" while\nthe style of the language in which they are written is that which we\nmight expect from an Egyptian of those times, who, unskilled in the\nclassical Arabic, yet endeavouring to imitate it, was doubtless more\ngenerally intelligible then than he is now to the modern Egyptians. This\nassumption of the old language, I may remark, is, and always has been,\ncharacteristic of all learned Arabs, be they Egyptians or natives of\nother Arabian countries (for such Egypt truly is); but no other instance\nexists of a work of fiction in which the attempt fails so singularly in\naffecting the classical, or retaining the modern tongue; while all other\nArabic _tales_ are certainly composed in either the one or the other.\nThe modern Egyptian romances are mostly written in the colloquial\ndialect of every-day life; but those which are of older date are not\n_modernized_, as some have supposed, against all reason, \"The Thousand\nand One Nights\" to be: such an alteration would be without a parallel in\nArabic literature, as Mr. Lane proves in the Review in a way to relieve\nme of the necessity of further alluding here to this particular\nquestion. \"The Thousand and One Nights\" exhibit a style which would be\nunfamiliar to the audience of the reciter of romances, without attaining\nto the classical diction: and the conclusion is forced on us that the\nwork exhibits the language of a by-gone generation, which (taking into\nconsideration the other indications of its age and country), is, it can\nscarcely be disputed, that of the later period of the Memlook rulers of\nEgypt, before the Turkish conquest of that country. In the words of Mr.\nLane's Preface:--\"Most of the tales which it contains are doubtless of\nan older _origin_, and many of them founded upon very old traditions and\nlegends; but all these traditions or legends were evidently remodelled\nso as to become pictures of the state of manners which existed among the\nArabs, and especially among those of Egypt, at the period here\nmentioned; and I think that the composer of the work, or each of the\ncomposers, if one commenced and another completed it, was an Egyptian.\"\n\nBut a more popular subject than its obscure origin is the literary merit\nof this work. The rare fascination of these old Arab stories, their\nsupernatural romance, excessive love, quaint philosophy, and grotesque\nhumour, have, since the days of Galland, secured to them more readers\nthan any other profane work. The translation of Galland, with all its\nlameness, puerility, and indecency, gained for them a hold which has\nnever been relaxed; and it only required the appearance of a scholarlike\nand readable translation, freed from these defects, to make them\ngenerally accepted in English families. The fashion of travelling in the\nEast has not a little added to the desire for a standard and annotated\nedition of a work unique, even in those lands of genii and adventure, in\nits remarkable portrayal of Eastern character, life, and, when closely\ntranslated, idiom. The humour of the book, now broad, now subtle, (who\ndoes not delight in K\u00e1foor and his \"half lie?\") renders the comic\nstories generally superior to the romantic; but the pathos perhaps\nexcels every other beauty. The story of Shems-en-Nah\u00e1r is remarkable for\nthis characteristic; and that of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh (first published in\nthis translation), surpasses in delicate tenderness any Arab tale with\nwhich we are acquainted.\n\nOf the critical value of Mr. Lane's translation I ought scarcely to\nspeak. Yet I may observe that students of Arabic make it a text-book in\nreading the original; while the English reader not uncommonly forgets\nthat it is a translation, and detects not the literal accuracy of its\nrendering of an unfamiliar, or unknown, language.\n\nI have adverted to the system adopted in transcribing foreign words, and\nI now conclude these preliminary remarks (intended only to render the\nlearned Review easier of perusal to the general reader, and to smooth\nhis first steps in a strange land), by quoting, with some slight\nimprovements by Mr. Lane, the explanation of that system given in the\npreface to the first edition.\n\n\"In writing Arabic and other Oriental words in the present work, I have\nemployed a system congenial with our language, and of the most simple\nkind; and to this system I adhere in every case, for the sake of\nuniformity as well as _truth_.[5] Some persons have objected to my\nwriting in this manner a few familiar words which are found in our\ndictionaries; but they will excuse me for remarking that general usage\nis not altogether accordant with their opinion. Almost every author, I\nbelieve, now writes 'Koran,' or 'Kur\u00e1n,' and 'Pasha,' or 'Pacha,' for\nour dictionary-words 'Alcoran' and 'Bashaw;' and most of our best\nauthors on Arabian History, of late, have written 'Khalif' for 'Caliph.'\nIn a work relating to a people who pronounce the Arabic w as v, I should\nwrite 'Vezeer' for the Arabic word 'Wezeer;' but to do so when the\nsubject is Arabian, I consider inexpedient: and in this opinion I am\nupheld by a great majority of literary and other friends whom I have\nconsulted on the subject, in the proportion of five to one. I may add\nthat Dr. Johnson has written in his Dictionary, 'Vizier [properly\n_Wazir_];' and if we express the Arabic vowels by their _Italian_\nequivalents, it _is_ properly 'Waz\u00edr' or 'Wez\u00edr.'--The system which I\nhere employ requires but little explanation; the general reader may be\ndirected to pronounce\n\n a as in our word 'beggar:'[6]\n \u00e1 as in 'father:'[7]\n e as in 'bed:'\n \u00e9 as in 'there:'\n ee as in 'bee:'\n ei as our word 'eye:'\n ey as in 'they:'\n i as in 'bid:'\n o as in 'obey' (short):\n \u00f3 as in 'bone:'\n oo as in 'boot:'\n ow as in 'down:'\n and\n u as in 'bull.'\n\n The letter y is to be pronounced as in 'you' and 'lawyer:' never as\n in 'by.'\n\n An _apostrophe_, when immediately preceding or following a vowel, I\n employ to denote the place of a letter which has no equivalent in our\n alphabet; it has a guttural sound like that which is heard in the\n bleating of sheep: \u1ea1 (with a dot beneath) represents the same sound\n at the end of a syllable, when it is more forcibly pronounced.\n\n Each of the consonants distinguished by a dot beneath has a\n peculiarly hard sound.\n\n Having avoided as much as possible making use of accents, I must\n request the reader to bear in mind that a single vowel, when not\n marked with an accent, is always short; and that a double vowel or\n diphthong at the end of a word, when not so marked, is not accented\n ('Welee,' for instance, being pronounced 'W\u0115'lee'): also, that the\n acute accent does not always denote the principal or only emphasis\n ('H\u00e1roon' being pronounced 'H\u00e1ro\u00f3n'); that a vowel with a grave\n accent (only occurring at the end of a word), is not emphasized,\n though it is long; and that dh, gh, kh, sh, and th, when not divided\n by a hyphen, represent, each, a single Arabic letter.\"[8]\n\nI have only to add one more extract from Mr. Lane's Preface.\n\n\n\"Many of the engravings which are so numerously interspersed in this\nwork will considerably assist to explain both the Text and the Notes;\nand to insure their accuracy, to the utmost of my ability, I have\nsupplied the artist with modern dresses, and with other requisite\nmaterials. Thus he has been enabled to make his designs agree more\nnearly with the costumes &c. of the times which the tales generally\nillustrate than they would if he trusted alone to the imperfect\ndescriptions which I have found in Arabic works.[9] Except in a few\ncases, when I had given him such directions as I deemed necessary, his\noriginal designs have been submitted to me; and in suggesting any\ncorrections, I have, as much as possible, avoided fettering his\nimagination, which needs no eulogy from me. He has acquired a general\nnotion of Arabian architecture from the great work of Murphy on the\nArabian remains in Spain, and from the splendid and accurate work on the\nAlhambra by Messrs. Goury and Jones; and through the kindness of my\nfriend Mr. Hay, of Linplum, he has been allowed to make a similar use of\na very accurate and very beautiful collection of drawings of a great\nnumber of the finest specimens of Arabian architecture in and around\nCairo, executed by M. Pascal Coste, and now the property of Mr. Hay.[10]\nHe has also consulted a number of Oriental drawings, and various other\nsources. My acknowledgments to other persons I have expressed in several\nof the Notes.\n\n\"The portion which is comprised in the first volume of this translation,\nterminates with part of the hundred and thirty-seventh Night: it is\ntherefore necessary to remark,--first, that there is less to omit in the\nearly part of the original work than in the later:--secondly, that the\n_Nights_ in the early part are generally much _longer_ than in the\nsubsequent portion; the first hundred Nights (without the Introduction)\ncomprising 213 pages in the Cairo edition of the original work; the\nsecond hundred, 149 pages; the third, 107; the fourth, 106; the fifth,\n94:[11]--thirdly, that a similar observation applies to the _Notes_\nwhich are inserted in my translation; those appended to the early tales\nbeing necessarily much more copious than the others.\"\n\n\n [1] Two other printed editions were also used by Mr. Lane--that\n of the first two hundred Nights, printed at Calcutta, and in\n consequence of the loss, by shipwreck, of nearly the whole\n impression of the first volume, never completed; and that of\n Breslau. The former differs much, in matter and manner, from\n any other known copy; the latter, which was edited to the close\n of the seven hundred and third night by Professor Habicht, and\n completed by Professor Fleischer, is far inferior to all the\n others. One other edition has appeared in the Arabic, that of\n Calcutta, or \"the Calcutta edition of the complete work.\" It\n was brought from Cairo, and is apparently (though not\n immediately) from the same original as the Bool\u00e1\u1e33 edition. I\n have continually referred to it for various readings, without\n finding any one of importance. And here I must animadvert on\n the practice of German orientalists of wasting their own time\n and their readers' patience in collecting such various readings\n of a work like \"The Thousand and One Nights\" as must\n necessarily be the result of the carelessness or the ignorance\n of copyists and reciters. The habit is unfortunately adopted by\n some Englishmen, who seem to imagine that all that is German is\n therefore learned.--ED.\n\n [2] \"I must here state, that peculiar qualifications are\n required to enable a person to judge of the fidelity of my\n translation. The original work contains many words not\n comprised in any printed dictionary, and a great number of\n words used in senses which no such dictionary gives: in cases\n of both these kinds, I am guided either by the explanations of\n the sheykh Mo\u1e25ammad 'Eiy\u00e1d, or by my having been long in the\n habit of noting down new words during conversation with Arabs,\n and in the perusal of works in which they are explained.\"\n\n [3] \"As I hope that the copy which he has rendered so valuable\n may be of great utility to many students of the Arabic language\n when I have ceased to profit by it, I may mention here, that\n the few corrections, and some explanations, which I have\n inserted upon the margins of pages will be easily distinguished\n from those of the sheykh Mo\u1e25ammad 'Eiy\u00e1d by the difference of\n our handwritings.\"\n\n [4] \"When I mention 'my sheykh' in the notes, the sheykh\n Mo\u1e25ammad 'Eiy\u00e1d is the person to whom I allude. In several\n instances, when he has given brief explanations of words,\n phrases, customs, &c., with which I was previously acquainted,\n I have not thought it necessary to name him as my authority in\n notes which I have inserted, though I have sometimes done so.\"\n\n [5] \"English writers generally express the Arabic vowels and\n diphthongs by their nearest _Italian_ equivalents. This mode is\n very well suited for those who know, and for those who do not\n care for, the correct pronunciation of the words so\n transcribed; but for others I think it objectionable. Our\n language is altogether much more suitable to the purpose of\n expressing the sounds of Arabic than the Italian. Besides, I\n believe it is the custom of every other European nation, in\n transcribing Oriental words, to employ a system congenial with\n its own language. In a former work, I made use of a double h to\n express a very strong Arabic aspirate (as others had done\n before me), and the word 'Hh\u00e1gg' or 'Hh\u00e1jj' was pointed out by\n a critic as one remarkably uncouth: Von Hammer, in a review of\n that work, writes the same word (and very properly as a German\n writer) 'Hadschdsch.'\"\n\n [6] \"Strictly speaking, it has a sound between that of a in\n 'bad' and that of u in 'bud;' sometimes approximating more to\n the former; and sometimes to the latter.\"\n\n [7] \"Its sound, however, often approximates to that of a in\n 'ball.'\"\n\n [8] \"Dh is pronounced as th in 'that:' gh represents a guttural\n sound like that produced in gargling: kh represents a guttural\n sound like that which is produced in expelling saliva from the\n throat, and approaching nearer to the sound of \u1e25 (a very strong\n aspirate) than to that of k: sh is pronounced as in 'shall:'\n and th, as in 'thin.'\"\n\n [9] \"Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, in his '\u1e24osn el-Mo\u1e25\u00e1\u1e0darah,' after quoting a\n description of certain dresses, says, 'As to their dresses of\n honour, and those of the Wezeers and others of similar rank, I\n have struck out the description of them from the words of\n Ibn-Fa\u1e0dl-Allah; for they are composed of silk and gold, which\n is forbidden by the law, and I have obliged myself not to\n mention in this book any thing of which I should be questioned\n in the world to come, if it be the will of God.'--I have never\n seen any Arabic work with drawings of costumes; but Persian\n drawings are often useful in explaining Arab dresses.\"\n\n [10] These drawings, with some few exceptions, have now been\n published, from copies in the possession of M. Coste.\n\n [11] \"The substance of the first five chapters in my\n translation, ending with part of the thirty-second Night,\n occupies a hundred and sixty-eight Nights in the edition of\n Breslau.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nCONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.\n\n PAGE\n Introduction 1\n\n Notes 15\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n Story of the Merchant and the Jinnee 38\n\n Story of the First Sheykh and the Gazelle 42\n\n Story of the Second Sheykh and the two Black Hounds 46\n\n Story of the Third Sheykh and the Mule 50\n\n Notes 52\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n Story of the Fisherman 69\n\n Story of King Yoon\u00e1n and the Sage Doob\u00e1n 75\n\n Story of the Husband and the Parrot 79\n\n Story of the Envious Wezeer and the Prince and the Ghooleh 81\n\n Continuation of the Story of King Yoon\u00e1n and the Sage Doob\u00e1n 83\n\n Continuation of the Story of the Fisherman 86\n\n Story of the Young King of the Black Islands 94\n\n Notes 104\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n Story of the Porter and the Ladies of Baghd\u00e1d, and of\n the Three Royal Mendicants, &c. 120\n\n Story of the First Royal Mendicant 134\n\n Story of the Second Royal Mendicant 140\n\n Story of the Envier and the Envied 149\n\n Continuation of the Story of the Second Royal Mendicant 151\n\n Story of the Third Royal Mendicant 160\n\n Continuation of the Story of the Ladies of Baghd\u00e1d, &c. 173\n\n Story of the First of the Three Ladies of Baghd\u00e1d 173\n\n Story of the Second of the Three Ladies of Baghd\u00e1d 181\n\n Conclusion of the Story of the Ladies of Baghd\u00e1d, &c. 187\n\n Notes 190\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n Story of the Three Apples, &c. 222\n\n Story of Noor-ed-Deen and his Son, and of Shems-ed-Deen\n and his Daughter 230\n\n Notes 272\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n Story of the Humpback 291\n\n Story told by the Christian Broker 297\n\n Story told by the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's Steward 310\n\n Story told by the Jewish Physician 320\n\n Story told by the Tailor 328\n\n The Barber's Story of Himself 342\n\n The Barber's Story of his First Brother 344\n\n The Barber's Story of his Second Brother 348\n\n The Barber's Story of his Third Brother 351\n\n The Barber's Story of his Fourth Brother 355\n\n The Barber's Story of his Fifth Brother 359\n\n The Barber's Story of his Sixth Brother 369\n\n Conclusion of the Story told by the Tailor 374\n\n Conclusion of the Story of the Humpback 374\n\n Notes 377\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n Story of Noor-ed-Deen and Enees-el-Jelees 390\n\n Notes 430\n\n\n CHAPTER VII.\n\n Story of Gh\u00e1nim the Son of Eiyoob, the Distracted Slave\n of Love 436\n\n Story of the Slave K\u00e1foor 440\n\n Continuation of the Story of Gh\u00e1nim 445\n\n Notes 463\n\n\n CHAPTER VIII.\n\n Story of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and the Lady Duny\u00e0 469\n\n Story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh 480\n\n Continuation of the Story of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and the\n Lady Duny\u00e0 512\n\n Notes 544\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME I.\n\n\n\n Engraver's Names. Page\n\n Ornamental Title.--At the foot is the\n Title in Arabic JACKSON.\n\n Head-piece to Preface.--The Vase is formed\n of the Arabic words signifying \"In the\n name of God, the Compassionate, the\n Merciful\" (always placed at the head of a\n Muslim work), written doubly, and\n contrarily MARY CLINT vii\n\n Tail-piece to Preface LANDELLS xxii\n\n Head-piece to Table of Contents LANDELLS xxiii\n\n Tail-piece to Table of Contents WILLIAMSON xxv\n\n Head-piece to List of Illustrations LANDELLS xxvi\n\n Shahriy\u00e1r going out to hunt, and Ornamental\n Border JACKSON 1\n\n The Wezeer presenting the letter to Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n O. SMITH 3\n\n Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n, after having killed his Wife O. SMITH 4\n\n Meeting of Shahriy\u00e1r and Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n O. SMITH 5\n\n Shahriy\u00e1r's return from the Chase GRAY 6\n\n Garden of Shahriy\u00e1r's Palace THOMPSON 7\n\n 'Efreet and Lady T. WILLIAMS 8\n\n The Wezeer and his two Daughters O. SMITH 11\n\n The Ass at Plough LANDELLS 12\n\n The Dog and the Cock LANDELLS 13\n\n Shahriy\u00e1r unveiling Shahraz\u00e1d THOMPSON 14\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Introduction.--The Arabic\n inscription is the subject of the first\n paragraph of the first Note LANDELLS 15\n\n Tail-piece to Notes to Introduction.--Morning LANDELLS 37\n\n Head-piece to Chapter I.--Shahraz\u00e1d narrating\n her Stories MISS WILLIAMS 38\n\n Merchant and Jinnee S. WILLIAMS 39\n\n Meeting of the Merchant and the Sheykh with\n the Gazelle O. SMITH 41\n\n Return of the Jinnee O. SMITH 42\n\n Transformation of the Concubine into a Cow THOMPSON 43\n\n The Herdsman introducing his Daughter to\n the Sheykh BENNEWORTH 45\n\n The Second Sheykh receiving his poor Brother GRAY 47\n\n The Second Sheykh finding the Maiden on\n the Sea-shore GRAY 48\n\n The Second Sheykh saved from drowning LINTON 49\n\n The Second Sheykh and the two Black Hounds GRAY 50\n\n Tail-piece to Chapter I.--The Jinnee listening\n to the Tales of the Sheykhs F. W. BRANSTON 51\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Chapter I.--The Merchant\n eating in the Garden LANDELLS 52\n\n Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter I. MASON JACKSON 68\n\n Head-piece to Chapter II.--The Fisherman.--Motto,\n \"Small things stir up great\" JACKSON 69\n\n The 'Efreet liberated from the Bottle ORRIN SMITH 71\n\n The Fisherman enclosing the 'Efreet in\n the Bottle GREEN 74\n\n King Yoon\u00e1n playing at Goff LANDELLS 76\n\n Doob\u00e1n in his Dress of Honour THOMPSON 78\n\n The Intelligent Parrot GRAY 79\n\n The Prince Meeting the Ghooleh LANDELLS 82\n\n Doob\u00e1n and the Executioner GRAY 84\n\n The Death of King Yoon\u00e1n THOMPSON 86\n\n The Fish of Four Colours GRAY 88\n\n The Fisherman shewing the Fish to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n THOMPSON 89\n\n The Cook-maid dressing the Fish KIRCHNER 90\n\n The Black Palace LANDELLS 92\n\n The Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n discovering the Young King of\n the Black Islands ORRIN SMITH 94\n\n The Young King on his Bed, attended by\n Two Maids T. WILLIAMS 95\n\n The Black Slave wounded by the Young King GRAY 97\n\n The \u1e32ubbeh, or Tomb MISS WILLIAMS 100\n\n The Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n killing the Enchantress S. WILLIAMS 101\n\n Tail-piece to Chapter II.--The Journey home LANDELLS 103\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Chapter II.--The Fisherman\n and the dead Ass LANDELLS 104\n\n Head-piece to Chapter III.--The Porter,\n &c.--The Motto is the Inscription upon\n the Door, in Koofee Characters MASON JACKSON 120\n\n The Porter pleading with the Three Ladies SMITH 123\n\n The Porter and Ladies carousing T. WILLIAMS 124\n\n The Three Royal Mendicants VASEY 126\n\n The Concert of the Mendicants SMITH 127\n\n The Ladies preparing to whip the Bitches GRAY 129\n\n The Portress fainting T. WILLIAMS 130\n\n The Porter seized GRAY 132\n\n First Prince (afterwards a Mendicant) leading\n the Lady to the Tomb SMITH 135\n\n Second Prince (afterwards a Mendicant)\n meeting the Robbers GREEN 140\n\n Second Prince as a Wood-cutter T. WILLIAMS 142\n\n Second Prince discovering the Trap-door LANDELLS 143\n\n Second Prince ascending the Steps LANDELLS 145\n\n Second Prince carried off by the 'Efreet THOMPSON 146\n\n Second Prince begging his life of the 'Efreet THOMPSON 148\n\n The Envied Sheykh and the Jinn in the Well T. WILLIAMS 150\n\n Second Prince transformed into an Ape S. WILLIAMS 152\n\n The Ape recognised by the Princess GRAY 155\n\n The Combat with the Lion (Head-piece) S. WILLIAMS, Jun. 156\n\n Transformations WRIGHT & FOLKARD 156\n\n Ditto WRIGHT & FOLKARD 157\n\n Disenchantment of the Ape SMITH 158\n\n The Mountain of Loadstone WHIMPER 162\n\n The Prince thrown ashore M. JACKSON 163\n\n Death of the Youth in the Cave GREEN 166\n\n Garden M. JACKSON 171\n\n First Lady recognising her Sisters GREEN 174\n\n The Prince in the Oratory SMITH 177\n\n First Lady after killing the Serpent LANDELLS 180\n\n B\u00e1z\u00e1r, or Market-Street M. JACKSON 184\n\n Old Woman interceding for the Second Lady THOMPSON 186\n\n Palace GREEN 189\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Chapter III.--The Porter J. JACKSON 190\n\n Persian Harps LANDELLS 205\n\n Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter III. T. WILLIAMS 221\n\n Head-piece to Chapter IV.--Fisherman drawing\n his Nets THOMPSON 222\n\n The Young Man presenting the Apples to\n his Wife F. BRANSTON 226\n\n The Wezeer finding the Apple GREEN 229\n\n The Pyramids J. JACKSON 232\n\n The Mule of Noor-ed-Deen LANDELLS 233\n\n Noor-ed-Deen after the Bath M. JACKSON 235\n\n The Old Wezeer instructing his Grandchild THOMPSON 238\n\n Noor-ed-Deen and his Son LINTON 241\n\n Bedr-ed-Deen at his Father's Tomb J. JACKSON 243\n\n The 'Efreet, attended by the Jinneeyeh,\n carrying off Bedr-ed-Deen THOMPSON 245\n\n Transformations WRIGHT & FOLKARD 248\n\n Ditto WRIGHT & FOLKARD 249\n\n Bedr-ed-Deen and his Bride WRIGHT & FOLKARD 249\n\n Gate of Damascus M. JACKSON 251\n\n The Wezeer Shems-ed-Deen recovering from\n a Swoon SLADER 255\n\n The School GRAY 257\n\n Damascus SMITH 260\n\n The Widow of Noor-ed-Deen kissing the feet\n of his Brother T. WILLIAMS 263\n\n Bedr-ed-Deen waiting upon his Son and\n the Eunuch GREEN 265\n\n Bedr-ed-Deen bound SMITH 267\n\n Bedr-ed-Deen's perplexity J. JACKSON 270\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Chapter IV.--The Old\n Fisherman MISS WILLIAMS 273\n\n Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter IV. WRIGHT & FOLKARD 290\n\n Head-piece to Chapter V.--The Humpback, &c. T. WILLIAMS 291\n\n The Humpback Dead WRIGHT & FOLKARD 296\n\n B\u00e1b en-Na\u1e63r (from a Sketch by\n Mr. E.W. Lane), &c. J. JACKSON 297\n\n Money-Changer and Scrivener, &c. WRIGHT & FOLKARD 300\n\n Saloon THOMPSON 303\n\n Interior of B\u00e1b Zuweyleh (from a Sketch\n by M. Coste) LANDELLS 306\n\n Head-piece to the Story told by the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's\n Steward LANDELLS 310\n\n Arrival of the Lady on the Mule M. JACKSON 313\n\n Mosque on the Bank of the Tigris J. JACKSON 315\n\n Displaying of the Bride THOMPSON 317\n\n Portrait of the Jew SLADER 319\n\n Head-piece to the Story told by the Jewish\n Physician SMITH 320\n\n Aleppo SMITH 322\n\n The Arrest GRAY 325\n\n The Lady confessing her Crime GRAY 327\n\n Head-piece to the Story told by the Tailor SMITH 328\n\n Young Man sitting on a Ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah SMITH 330\n\n The Barber and the Young Man LANDELLS 332\n\n The Barber and Servants with Dishes LANDELLS 336\n\n The Barber rending his Clothes J. JACKSON 339\n\n Portrait of the Barber VASEY 341\n\n Head-piece to the Barber's Story of Himself J. JACKSON 342\n\n Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his First\n Brother.--The Motto, \"How different is\n to-night from yesterday!\" LANDELLS 344\n\n Tail-piece to the same WILLIAMSON 347\n\n Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his\n Second Brother T. WILLIAMS 348\n\n Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his\n Third Brother S. WILLIAMS 351\n\n Tail-piece to the same JENNINGS 354\n\n Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his\n Fourth Brother JACKSON 355\n\n Tail-piece to the same GRAY 358\n\n Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his Fifth\n Brother.--The Motto, \"The emulous desire\n of increase employeth you until ye visit\n the graves.\"\n (\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. cii. vv. 1 and 2.) JACKSON 359\n\n The Reverie of the Barber's Fifth Brother THOMPSON 360\n\n Ditto S. WILLIAMS 361\n\n Ditto T. WILLIAMS 362\n\n Ditto GRAY 363\n\n The Result LEE 363\n\n The Second Misfortune of the Barber's\n Fifth Brother THOMPSON 366\n\n Tail-piece to the Barber's Story of his\n Fifth Brother WILLIAMSON 368\n\n Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his\n Sixth Brother LANDELLS 369\n\n The Barber's Sixth Brother taken by\n Bedawees GREEN 373\n\n Tail-piece to the Story of the Humpback SLADER 376\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Chapter V. LANDELLS 377\n\n Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter V. VASEY 389\n\n Head-piece to Chapter VI. SMITH 390\n\n Noor-ed-Deen embracing the Slave THOMPSON 394\n\n The Funeral of the Wezeer El-Fa\u1e0dl WRIGHT & FOLKARD 397\n\n The Wezeer El-Mo'een in the Slave-Market J. JACKSON 402\n\n El-Mo'een in his Abasement MISS H. CLARKE 404\n\n The Lane leading to \"The Garden of Delight\" GREEN 408\n\n Bower in \"The Garden of Delight\" T. WILLIAMS 410\n\n Enees-el-Jelees offering the Wine WRIGHT & FOLKARD 412\n\n The Khaleefeh and the Wezeer in the Tree S. WILLIAMS 415\n\n Kereem, the Fisherman JENNINGS 418\n\n Enees-el-Jelees playing on the Lute S. WILLIAMS 421\n\n Enees-el-Jelees and the Khaleefeh\n and Ja\u1ea1far SLADER 427\n\n Tail-piece to Chapter VI. BASTIN 429\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Chapter VI. LANDELLS 430\n\n Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter VI. BRANSTON 435\n\n Head-piece to Chapter VII. LANDELLS 436\n\n Gh\u00e1nim in the Palm-tree SMITH 439\n\n The Merchant meeting his Family JACKSON 443\n\n \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob awaking GRAY 446\n\n Pretended Tomb of \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob WILLIAMSON 451\n\n Gh\u00e1nim sick in a Mosque M. JACKSON 455\n\n Gh\u00e1nim's Mother and Sister as Beggars WRIGHT & FOLKARD 459\n\n Tail-piece to Chapter VII. LANDELLS 462\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Chapter\n VII.--Damascus LANDELLS 463\n\n Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter\n VII.--The Decision M. JACKSON 468\n\n Head-piece to Chapter VIII.--Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h\n and his Wezeer J. JACKSON 469\n\n Zahr Sh\u00e1h on his Throne VASEY 473\n\n The Troops of Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h meeting\n his Bride WRIGHT & FOLKARD 475\n\n T\u00e1j-el-Mulook hunting GREEN 477\n\n Descent of the Handkerchief S. WILLIAMS 482\n\n 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh SLADER 485\n\n The Ma\u1e33'ad O. SMITH 490\n\n 'Azeez returned with the Knife and Dirhem LANDELLS 495\n\n 'Azeezeh weeping over the Design of\n the Gazelles SLADER 497\n\n 'Azeezeh dead LANDELLS 499\n\n 'Azeez and his Mistress at the Grave\n of 'Azeezeh WILLIAMSON 502\n\n The future Wife of 'Azeez JENNINGS 505\n\n The Punishment of 'Azeez GRAY 508\n\n The Lady Duny\u00e0 THOMPSON 512\n\n Halt on the Journey WHIMPER 514\n\n T\u00e1j-el-Mulook receiving the Old Woman VASEY 519\n\n The Lady Duny\u00e0 writing HARRIET CLARKE 523\n\n The Lady Duny\u00e0 untwisting the Old Woman's\n Hair T. WILLIAMS 526\n\n The Old Woman beaten by Female Slaves S. WILLIAMS 528\n\n Illustrations of the Stratagem in the Lady\n Duny\u00e1's Garden LANDELLS 532\n\n T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and the Lady Duny\u00e0 LANDELLS 535\n\n Scene on the Arrival of the Troops of\n Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h WHIMPER 538\n\n The Horses sent to Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h GRAY 541\n\n Tail-piece to Chapter VIII. WRIGHT & FOLKARD 543\n\n Head-piece to Notes to Chapter VIII. LANDELLS 544\n\n Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter VIII. GREEN 555\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\n_In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful._[i_1]\n\nPraise be to God, the Beneficent King, the Creator of the universe, who\nhath raised the heavens without pillars, and spread out the earth as a\nbed;[i_2] and blessing and peace be on the lord of apostles, our\nlord and our master Mo\u1e25ammad, and his Family; blessing and peace,\nenduring and constant, unto the day of judgment.\n\nTo proceed:--The lives of former generations are a lesson to posterity;\nthat a man may review the remarkable events which have happened to\nothers, and be admonished; and may consider the history of people of\npreceding ages, and of all that hath befallen them, and be restrained.\nExtolled be the perfection of Him who hath thus ordained the history of\nformer generations to be a lesson to those which follow. Such are the\nTales of a Thousand and One Nights, with their romantic stories and\ntheir fables.\n\nIt is related (but God alone is all-knowing,[i_3] as well as\nall-wise, and almighty, and all-bountiful,) that there was, in ancient\ntimes, a King[i_4] of the countries of India and China, possessing\nnumerous troops, and guards, and servants, and domestic dependents: and\nhe had two sons; one of whom was a man of mature age; and the other, a\nyouth. Both of these princes were brave horsemen; but especially the\nelder, who inherited the kingdom of his father; and governed his\nsubjects with such justice that the inhabitants of his country and whole\nempire loved him. He was called King Shahriy\u00e1r:[i_5] his younger\nbrother was named Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n,[i_6] and was King of Samar\u1e33and.[i_7]\nThe administration of their governments was conducted with rectitude,\neach of them ruling over his subjects with justice during a period of\ntwenty years with the utmost enjoyment and happiness. After this period,\nthe elder King felt a strong desire to see his brother, and ordered his\nWezeer[i_8] to repair to him and bring him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHaving taken the advice of the Wezeer on this subject,[i_9] he\nimmediately gave orders to prepare handsome presents, such as horses\nadorned with gold and costly jewels, and memlooks, and beautiful\nvirgins, and expensive stuffs.[i_10] He then wrote a letter to his\nbrother, expressive of his great desire to see him;[i_11] and\nhaving sealed it, and given it to the Wezeer, together with the presents\nabove mentioned, he ordered the minister to strain his nerves, and tuck\nup his skirts, and use all expedition in returning. The Wezeer answered,\nwithout delay, I hear and obey; and forthwith prepared for the journey:\nhe packed his baggage, removed the burdens, and made ready all his\nprovisions within three days; and on the fourth day, he took leave of\nthe King Shahriy\u00e1r, and went forth towards the deserts and wastes. He\nproceeded night and day; and each of the kings under the authority of\nKing Shahriy\u00e1r by whose residence he passed came forth to meet\nhim,[i_12] with costly presents, and gifts of gold and silver, and\nentertained him three days;[i_13] after which, on the fourth day,\nhe accompanied him one day's journey, and took leave of him. Thus he\ncontinued on his way until he drew near to the city of Samar\u1e33and, when\nhe sent forward a messenger to inform King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n of his approach.\nThe messenger entered the city, inquired the way to the palace, and,\nintroducing himself to the King, kissed the ground before\nhim,[i_14] and acquainted him with the approach of his brother's\nWezeer; upon which Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n ordered the chief officers of his court,\nand the great men of his kingdom, to go forth a day's journey to meet\nhim; and they did so; and when they met him, they welcomed him, and\nwalked by his stirrups until they returned to the city. The Wezeer then\npresented himself before the King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n, greeted him with a prayer\nfor the divine assistance in his favour, kissed the ground before him,\nand informed him of his brother's desire to see him; after which he\nhanded to him the letter. The King took it, read it, and understood its\ncontents;[i_15] and answered by expressing his readiness to obey\nthe commands of his brother. But, said he (addressing the Wezeer), I\nwill not go until I have entertained thee three days. Accordingly, he\nlodged him in a palace befitting his rank, accommodated his troops in\ntents, and appointed them all things requisite in the way of food and\ndrink: and so they remained three days. On the fourth day, he equipped\nhimself for the journey, made ready his baggage, and collected together\ncostly presents suitable to his brother's dignity.\n\nThese preparations being completed, he sent forth his tents and camels\nand mules and servants and guards, appointed his Wezeer to be governor\nof the country during his absence, and set out towards his brother's\ndominions. At midnight,[i_16] however, he remembered that he had\nleft in his palace an article which he should have brought with him; and\nhaving returned to the palace to fetch it, he there beheld his wife\nsleeping in his bed, and attended by a male negro slave, who had fallen\nasleep by her side. On beholding this scene, the world became black\nbefore his eyes; and he said within himself, If this is the case when I\nhave not departed from the city, what will be the conduct of this vile\nwoman while I am sojourning with my brother? He then drew his sword, and\nslew them both in the bed: after which he immediately returned, gave\norders for departure, and journeyed to his brother's capital.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShahriy\u00e1r, rejoicing at the tidings of his approach, went forth to meet\nhim, saluted him, and welcomed him with the utmost delight. He then\nordered that the city should be decorated on the occasion,[i_17]\nand sat down to entertain his brother with cheerful conversation: but\nthe mind of King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n was distracted by reflections upon the\nconduct of his wife; excessive grief took possession of him; and his\ncountenance became sallow; and his frame, emaciated. His brother\nobserved his altered condition, and, imagining that it was occasioned by\nhis absence from his dominions, abstained from troubling him or asking\nrespecting the cause, until after the lapse of some days, when at length\nhe said to him, O my brother, I perceive that thy body is emaciated, and\nthy countenance is become sallow. He answered, O brother, I have an\ninternal sore:--and he informed him not of the conduct of his wife which\nhe had witnessed. Shahriy\u00e1r then said, I wish that thou wouldest go out\nwith me on a hunting excursion; perhaps thy mind might so be\ndiverted:--but he declined; and Shahriy\u00e1r went alone to the\nchase.[i_18]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow there were some windows in the King's palace commanding a view of\nhis garden; and while his brother was looking out from one of these, a\ndoor of the palace was opened, and there came forth from it twenty\nfemales and twenty male black slaves; and the King's wife, who was\ndistinguished by extraordinary beauty and elegance,[i_19] accompanied\nthem to a fountain, where they all disrobed themselves, and sat down\ntogether. The King's wife then called out, O Mes'ood![i_20] and\nimmediately a black slave came to her, and embraced her; she doing the\nlike. So also did the other slaves and the women; and all of them\ncontinued revelling together until the close of the day. When Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n\nbeheld this spectacle, he said within himself, By Allah! my affliction\nis lighter than this! His vexation and grief were alleviated, and he no\nlonger abstained from sufficient food and drink.\n\nWhen his brother returned from his excursion, and they had saluted each\nother, and King Shahriy\u00e1r observed his brother Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n, that his\ncolour had returned, that his face had recovered the flush of health,\nand that he ate with appetite, after his late abstinence, he was\nsurprised, and said, O my brother, when I saw thee last, thy countenance\nwas sallow, and now thy colour hath returned to thee: acquaint me with\nthy state.--As to the change of my natural complexion, answered\nSh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n, I will inform thee of its cause; but excuse my explaining to\nthee the return of my colour.--First, said Shahriy\u00e1r, relate to me the\ncause of the change of thy proper complexion, and of thy weakness: let\nme hear it.--Know then, O my brother, he answered, that when thou\nsentest thy Wezeer to me to invite me to thy presence, I prepared myself\nfor the journey, and when I had gone forth from the city, I remembered\nthat I had left behind me the jewel that I have given thee; I therefore\nreturned to my palace for it, and there I found my wife sleeping in my\nbed, and attended by a black male slave; and I killed them both, and\ncame to thee: but my mind was occupied by reflections upon this affair,\nand this was the cause of the change of my complexion, and of my\nweakness: now, as to the return of my colour, excuse my informing thee\nof its cause.--But when his brother heard these words, he said, I\nconjure thee by Allah that thou acquaint me with the cause of the return\nof thy colour:--so he repeated to him all that he had seen. I would see\nthis, said Shahriy\u00e1r, with my own eye.--Then, said Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n, give out\nthat thou art going again to the chase, and conceal thyself here with\nme, and thou shalt witness this conduct, and obtain ocular proof of it.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShahriy\u00e1r, upon this, immediately announced that it was his intention to\nmake another excursion. The troops went out of the city with the tents,\nand the King followed them; and after he had reposed awhile in the camp,\nhe said to his servants, Let no one come in to me:--and he disguised\nhimself, and returned to his brother in the palace, and sat in one of\nthe windows overlooking the garden; and when he had been there a short\ntime, the women and their mistress entered the garden with the black\nslaves, and did as his brother had described, continuing so until the\nhour of the afternoon-prayer.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen King Shahriy\u00e1r beheld this occurrence, reason fled from his head,\nand he said to his brother Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n, Arise, and let us travel whither\nwe please, and renounce the regal state, until we see whether such a\ncalamity as this have befallen any other person like unto us; and if\nnot, our death will be preferable to our life. His brother agreed to his\nproposal, and they went out from a private door of the palace, and\njourneyed continually, days and nights, until they arrived at a tree in\nthe midst of a meadow, by a spring of water, on the shore of the sea.\nThey drank of this spring, and sat down to rest; and when the day had a\nlittle advanced, the sea became troubled before them, and there arose\nfrom it a black pillar, ascending towards the sky, and approaching the\nmeadow. Struck with fear at the sight, they climbed up into the tree,\nwhich was lofty; and thence they gazed to see what this might be: and\nbehold, it was a Jinnee,[i_21] of gigantic stature, broad-fronted\nand bulky, bearing on his head a chest.[i_22] He landed, and came\nto the tree into which the two Kings had climbed, and, having seated\nhimself beneath it, opened the chest, and took out of it another box,\nwhich he also opened; and there came forth from it a young woman, fair\nand beautiful, like the shining sun. When the Jinnee cast his eyes upon\nher, he said, O lady of noble race, whom I carried off on thy\nwedding-night, I have a desire to sleep a little:--and he placed his\nhead upon her knee, and slept. The damsel then raised her head towards\nthe tree, and saw there the two Kings; upon which she removed the head\nof the Jinnee from her knee, and, having placed it on the ground, stood\nunder the tree, and made signs to the two Kings, as though she would\nsay, Come down, and fear not this 'Efreet.[i_23] They answered her,\nWe conjure thee by Allah that thou excuse us in this matter. But she\nsaid, I conjure you by the same that ye come down; and if ye do not, I\nwill rouse this 'Efreet, and he shall put you to a cruel death. So,\nbeing afraid, they came down to her; and, after they had remained with\nher as long as she required, she took from her pocket a purse, and drew\nout from this a string, upon which were ninety-eight seal-rings;[i_24]\nand she said to them, Know ye what are these? They answered, We know\nnot.--The owners of these rings, said she, have, all of them, been\nadmitted to converse with me, like as ye have, unknown to this foolish\n'Efreet; therefore, give me your two rings,[i_25] ye brothers. So they\ngave her their two rings from their fingers; and she then said to them,\nThis 'Efreet carried me off on my wedding-night, and put me in the box,\nand placed the box in the chest, and affixed to the chest seven locks,\nand deposited me, thus imprisoned, in the bottom of the roaring sea,\nbeneath the dashing waves; not knowing that, when one of our sex desires\nto accomplish any object, nothing can prevent her. In accordance with\nthis, says one of the poets:--\n\n Never trust in women; nor rely upon their vows;\n For their pleasure and displeasure depend upon their passions.\n They offer a false affection; for perfidy lurks within their clothing.\n By the tale of Yoosuf[i_26] be admonished, and guard against their\n stratagems.\n Dost thou not consider that Iblees ejected Adam by means of woman?\n\nAnd another poet says:--\n\n Abstain from censure; for it will strengthen the censured, and increase\n desire into violent passion.\n If I suffer such passion, my case is but the same as that of many a man\n before me:\n For greatly indeed to be wondered at is he who hath kept himself safe\n from women's artifice.[i_27]\n\nWhen the two Kings heard these words from her lips, they were struck\nwith the utmost astonishment, and said, one to the other, If this is an\n'Efreet, and a greater calamity hath happened unto him than that which\nhath befallen us, this is a circumstance that should console us:--and\nimmediately they departed, and returned to the city.\n\nAs soon as they had entered the palace, Shahriy\u00e1r caused his wife to be\nbeheaded, and in like manner the women and black slaves; and\nthenceforth he made it his regular custom, every time that he took a\nvirgin to his bed, to kill her at the expiration of the night. Thus he\ncontinued to do during a period of three years; and the people raised an\noutcry against him, and fled with their daughters, and there remained\nnot a virgin in the city of a sufficient age for marriage.[i_28]\nSuch was the case when the King ordered the Wezeer to bring him a virgin\naccording to his custom; and the Wezeer went forth and searched, and\nfound none; and he went back to his house enraged and vexed, fearing\nwhat the King might do to him.\n\nNow the Wezeer had two daughters; the elder of whom was named Shahraz\u00e1d;\nand the younger, Duny\u00e1z\u00e1d. The former had read various books of\nhistories, and the lives of preceding kings, and stories of past\ngenerations: it is asserted that she had collected together a thousand\nbooks of histories, relating to preceding generations and kings, and\nworks of the poets: and she said to her father on this occasion, Why do\nI see thee thus changed, and oppressed with solicitude and sorrows? It\nhas been said by one of the poets:--\n\n Tell him who is oppressed with anxiety, that anxiety will not last:\n As happiness passeth away, so passeth away anxiety.\n\nWhen the Wezeer heard these words from his daughter, he related to her\nall that had happened to him with regard to the King: upon which she\nsaid, By Allah, O my father, give me in marriage to this King: either I\nshall die, and be a ransom for one of the daughters of the Muslims,\nor I shall live, and be the cause of their deliverance from\nhim.[i_29]--I conjure thee by Allah, exclaimed he, that thou expose\nnot thyself to such peril:--but she said, It must be so. Then, said he,\nI fear for thee that the same will befall thee that happened in the case\nof the ass and the bull and the husbandman.--And what, she asked, was\nthat, O my father.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nKnow, O my daughter, said the Wezeer, that there was a certain merchant,\nwho possessed wealth and cattle, and had a wife and children; and God,\nwhose name be exalted, had also endowed him with the knowledge of the\nlanguages of beasts and birds.[i_30] The abode of this merchant was\nin the country; and he had, in his house, an ass and a bull.[i_31]\nWhen the bull came to the place where the ass was tied, he found it\nswept and sprinkled;[i_32] in his manger were sifted barley and\nsifted cut straw,[i_33] and the ass was lying at his ease; his\nmaster being accustomed only to ride him occasionally, when business\nrequired, and soon to return: and it happened, one day, that the\nmerchant overheard the bull saying to the ass, May thy food benefit\nthee![i_34] I am oppressed with fatigue, while thou art enjoying\nrepose: thou eatest sifted barley, and men serve thee; and it is only\noccasionally that thy master rides thee, and returns; while I am\ncontinually employed in ploughing, and turning the mill.[i_35]--The\nass answered,[i_36] When thou goest out to the field, and they\nplace the yoke upon thy neck, lie down, and do not rise again, even if\nthey beat thee; or, if thou rise, lie down a second time; and when they\ntake thee back, and place the beans before thee, eat them not, as\nthough thou wert sick: abstain from eating and drinking a day, or\ntwo days, or three; and so shalt thou find rest from trouble and\nlabour.--Accordingly, when the driver came to the bull with his fodder,\nhe ate scarcely any of it; and on the morrow, when the driver came again\nto take him to plough, he found him apparently quite infirm: so the\nmerchant said, Take the ass, and make him draw the plough in his stead\nall the day. The man did so; and when the ass returned at the close of\nthe day, the bull thanked him for the favour he had conferred upon him\nby relieving him of his trouble on that day; but the ass returned him no\nanswer, for he repented most grievously. On the next day, the ploughman\ncame again, and took the ass, and ploughed with him till evening; and\nthe ass returned with his neck flayed by the yoke, and reduced to an\nextreme state of weakness; and the bull looked upon him, and thanked and\npraised him. The ass exclaimed, I was living at ease, and nought but my\nmeddling hath injured me! Then said he to the bull, Know that I am one\nwho would give thee good advice: I heard our master say, If the bull\nrise not from his place, take him to the butcher, that he may kill him,\nand make a na\u1e6d\u1ea1[i_37] of his skin:--I am therefore in fear for\nthee, and so I have given thee advice; and peace be on thee!--When the\nbull heard these words of the ass, he thanked him, and said, To-morrow\nI will go with alacrity:--so he ate the whole of his fodder, and even\nlicked the manger.--Their master, meanwhile, was listening to their\nconversation.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOn the following morning, the merchant and his wife went to the bull's\ncrib, and sat down there; and the driver came, and took out the bull;\nand when the bull saw his master, he shook his tail, and showed his\nalacrity by sounds and actions, bounding about in such a manner that the\nmerchant laughed until he fell backwards. His wife, in surprise, asked\nhim, At what dost thou laugh? He answered, At a thing that I have heard\nand seen; but I cannot reveal it; for if I did, I should die. She said,\nThou must inform me of the cause of thy laughter, even if thou die.--I\ncannot reveal it, said he: the fear of death prevents me.--Thou\nlaughedst only at _me_, she said; and she ceased not to urge and\nimportune him until he was quite overcome and distracted. So he called\ntogether his children, and sent for the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee[i_38] and witnesses,\nthat he might make his will, and reveal the secret to her, and die: for\nhe loved her excessively, since she was the daughter of his paternal\nuncle, and the mother of his children, and he had lived with her to the\nage of a hundred and twenty years.[i_39] Having assembled her\nfamily and his neighbours, he related to them his story, and told them\nthat as soon as he revealed his secret he must die; upon which every one\npresent said to her, We conjure thee by Allah that thou give up this\naffair, and let not thy husband, and the father of thy children, die.\nBut she said, I will not desist until he tell me, though he die for it.\nSo they ceased to solicit her; and the merchant left them, and went to\nthe stable to perform the ablution, and then to return, and tell them\nthe secret, and die.[i_40]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow he had a cock, with fifty hens under him, and he had also a dog; and\nhe heard the dog call to the cock, and reproach him, saying, Art thou\nhappy when our master is going to die? The cock asked, How so?--and the\ndog related to him the story; upon which the cock exclaimed, By Allah!\nour master has little sense: _I_ have _fifty_ wives; and I please this,\nand provoke that; while _he_ has but _one_ wife, and cannot manage this\naffair with her: why does he not take some twigs of the mulberry-tree,\nand enter her chamber, and beat her until she dies or repents? She would\nnever, after that, ask him a question respecting anything.--And when the\nmerchant heard the words of the cock, as he addressed the dog, he\nrecovered his reason, and made up his mind to beat her.--Now, said the\nWezeer to his daughter Shahraz\u00e1d, perhaps I may do to thee as the\nmerchant did to his wife. She asked, And what did he? He answered, He\nentered her chamber, after he had cut off some twigs of the\nmulberry-tree, and hidden them there; and then said to her, Come into\nthe chamber, that I may tell thee the secret while no one sees me, and\nthen die:--and when she had entered, he locked the chamber-door upon\nher, and beat her until she became almost senseless and cried out, I\nrepent:--and she kissed his hands and his feet, and repented, and went\nout with him; and all the company, and her own family, rejoiced; and\nthey lived together in the happiest manner until death.\n\nWhen the Wezeer's daughter heard the words of her father, she said to\nhim, It must be as I have requested. So he arrayed her, and went to the\nKing Shahriy\u00e1r. Now she had given directions to her young sister, saying\nto her, When I have gone to the King, I will send to request thee to\ncome; and when thou comest to me, and seest a convenient time, do thou\nsay to me, O my sister, relate to me some strange story to beguile our\nwaking hour:[i_41]--and I will relate to thee a story that shall,\nif it be the will of God, be the means of procuring deliverance.\n\nHer father, the Wezeer, then took her to the King, who, when he saw\nhim, was rejoiced, and said, Hast thou brought me what I desired? He\nanswered, Yes. When the King, therefore, introduced himself to her, she\nwept; and he said to her, What aileth thee? She answered, O King, I have\na young sister, and I wish to take leave of her. So the King sent to\nher; and she came to her sister, and embraced her, and sat near the foot\nof the bed; and after she had waited for a proper opportunity, she said,\nBy Allah! O my sister, relate to us a story to beguile the waking hour\nof our night. Most willingly, answered Shahraz\u00e1d, if this virtuous King\npermit me. And the King, hearing these words, and being restless, was\npleased with the idea of listening to the story; and thus, on the first\nnight of the thousand and one, Shahraz\u00e1d commenced her recitations.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO THE INTRODUCTION.\n\n\nNOTE 1.--_On the Initial Phrase, and on the Mohammadan Religion and\nLaws._ It is a universal custom of the Muslims to write this phrase at\nthe commencement of every book, whatever may be the subject, and to\npronounce it on commencing every lawful act of any importance. This they\ndo in imitation of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n (every chapter of which, excepting one, is\nthus prefaced), and in accordance with a precept of their Prophet. The\nwords which I translate \"Compassionate\" and \"Merciful\" are both derived\nfrom the same root, and have nearly the same meaning: the one being of a\nform which is generally used to express an accidental or occasional\npassion or sensation; the other, to denote a constant quality: but the\nmost learned of the 'Ulam\u00e0 (or professors of religion and law, &c.)\ninterpret the former as signifying \"Merciful in great things;\" and the\nlatter, \"Merciful in small things.\" Sale has erred in rendering them,\nconjunctly, \"Most merciful.\"\n\nIn the books of the Muslims, the first words, after the above phrase,\nalmost always consist (as in the work before us) of some form of praise\nand thanksgiving to God for his power and goodness, followed by an\ninvocation of blessing on the Prophet; and in general, when the author\nis not very concise in these expressions, he conveys in them some\nallusion to the subject of his book. For instance, if he write on\nmarriage, he will commence his work with some such form as this (after\nthe phrase first mentioned)--\"Praise be to God, who hath created the\nhuman race, and made them males and females,\" &c.\n\nThe exordium of the present work, showing the duty imposed upon a Muslim\nby his religion, even on the occasion of his commencing the composition\nor compilation of a series of fictions, suggests to me the necessity of\ninserting a brief prefatory notice of the fundamental points of his\nfaith, and the principal laws of the ritual and moral, the civil, and\nthe criminal code; leaving more full explanations of particular points\nto be given when occasions shall require such illustrations.\n\nThe confession of the Muslim's faith is briefly made in these\nwords:--\"There is no deity but God: Mo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle:\"--which\nimply a belief and observance of everything that Mo\u1e25ammad taught to be\nthe word or will of God. In the opinion of those who are commonly called\northodox, and termed \"Sunnees\" (the only class whom we have to consider;\nfor they are Sunnee tenets and Arab manners which are described in this\nwork in almost every case, wherever the scene is laid), the Mohammadan\ncode is founded upon the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, the Traditions of the Prophet, the\nconcordance of his principal early disciples, and the decisions which\nhave been framed from analogy or comparison. This class consists of four\nsects, \u1e24anafees, Sh\u00e1fe'ees, M\u00e1likees, and \u1e24ambelees; so called after the\nnames of their respective founders. The other sects, who are called\n\"Shiya'ees\" (an appellation particularly given to the Persian sect, but\nalso used to designate generally all who are not Sunnees), are regarded\nby their opponents in general nearly in the same light as those who do\nnot profess El-Isl\u00e1m (or the Mohammadan faith); that is, as destined to\neternal or severe punishment.\n\nThe Mohammadan faith embraces the following points:\n\n1. Belief in God, who is without beginning or end, the sole Creator and\nLord of the universe, having absolute power, and knowledge, and glory,\nand perfection.\n\n2. Belief in his Angels, who are impeccable beings, created of light;\nand Genii (Jinn), who are peccable, created of smokeless fire. The\nDevils, whose chief is Iblees, or Satan, are evil Genii.\n\n3. Belief in his Scriptures, which are his uncreated word, revealed to\nhis prophets. Of these there now exist, but held to be greatly\ncorrupted, the Pentateuch of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospels\nof Jesus Christ; and, in an uncorrupted and incorruptible state, the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, which is held to have abrogated, and to surpass in excellence,\nall preceding revelations.\n\n4. Belief in his Prophets and Apostles;[12] the most distinguished of\nwhom are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mo\u1e25ammad. Jesus is held\nto be more excellent than any of those who preceded him; to have been\nborn of a virgin, and to be the Messiah, and the word of God, and a\nSpirit proceeding from Him, but not partaking of his essence, and not to\nbe called the Son of God. Mo\u1e25ammad is held to be more excellent than\nall; the last and greatest of prophets and apostles; the most excellent\nof the creatures of God.\n\n5. Belief in the general resurrection and judgment, and in future\nrewards and punishments, chiefly of a corporeal nature: that the\npunishments will be eternal to all but wicked Mohammadans; and that none\nbut Mohammadans will enter into a state of happiness.\n\n6. Belief in God's predestination of all events, both good and evil.\n\nThe principal Ritual and Moral Laws are on the following subjects, of\nwhich the first four are the most important.\n\n1. Prayer (e\u1e63-\u1e63al\u00e1h, commonly pronounced e\u1e63-\u1e63alah), including\npreparatory purifications. There are partial or total washings to be\nperformed on particular occasions which need not be mentioned. The\nablution which is more especially preparatory to prayer (and which is\ncalled wu\u1e0do\u00f3) consists in washing the hands, mouth, nostrils, face, arms\n(as high as the elbow, the right first), each three times; and then the\nupper part of the head, the beard, ears, neck, and feet, each once. This\nis done with running water, or from a very large tank, or from a lake,\nor the sea.--Prayers are required to be performed five times in the\ncourse of every day; between daybreak and sunrise, between noon and the\n'a\u1e63r (which latter period is about mid-time between noon and nightfall),\nbetween the 'a\u1e63r and sunset, between sunset and the 'esh\u00e8 (or the period\nwhen the darkness of night commences), and at, or after, the 'esh\u00e8. The\ncommencement of each of these periods is announced by a chant (called\nad\u00e1n), repeated by a crier (mu\u00ebddin) from the m\u00e1d'neh, or menaret, of\neach mosque; and it is more meritorious to commence the prayer then than\nat a later time. On each of these occasions, the Muslim has to perform\ncertain prayers held to be ordained by God, and others ordained by the\nProphet; each kind consisting of two, three, or four \"rek'ahs;\" which\nterm signifies the repetition of a set form of words, chiefly from the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and ejaculations of \"God is most Great!\" &c., accompanied by\nparticular postures; part of the words being repeated in an erect\nposture; part, sitting; and part, in other postures: an inclination of\nthe head and body, followed by two prostrations, distinguishing each\nrek'ah. These prayers may in some cases be abridged, and in others\nentirely omitted. Other prayers must be performed on particular\noccasions. 1. On Friday, the Mohammadan Sabbath. These are\ncongregational prayers, and are similar to those of other days, with\nadditional prayers and exhortations by a minister, who is called Im\u00e1m,\nor Kha\u1e6deeb. 2. On two grand annual festivals. 3. On the nights of\nRama\u1e0d\u00e1n, the month of abstinence. 4. On the occasion of an eclipse of\nthe sun or moon. 5. For rain. 6. Previously to the commencement of\nbattle. 7. In pilgrimage. 8. At funerals.\n\n2. Alms-giving. An alms, called \"zek\u00e1h,\" commonly pronounced \"zekah,\" is\nrequired by law to be given annually, to the poor, of camels, oxen\n(bulls and cows), and buffaloes, sheep and goats, horses and mules and\nasses, and gold and silver (whether in money or in vessels, ornaments,\n&c.), provided the property be of a certain amount, as five camels,\nthirty oxen, forty sheep, five horses, two hundred dirhems, or twenty\ndeen\u00e1rs. The proportion is generally one-fortieth, which is to be paid\nin kind, or in money, or other equivalent.\n\n3. Fasting (e\u1e63-\u1e63iy\u00e1m). The Muslim must abstain from eating and drinking,\nand from every indulgence of the senses, every day during the month of\nRama\u1e0d\u00e1n, from the first appearance of daybreak until sunset, unless\nphysically incapacitated.--On the first day of the following month, a\nfestival, called the Minor Festival, is observed with public prayer, and\nwith general rejoicing, which continues three days.\n\n4. Pilgrimage (el-\u1e25ajj). It is incumbent on the Muslim, if able, to\nperform, at least once in his life, the pilgrimage to Mekkeh and Mount\n'Araf\u00e1t. The principal ceremonies of the pilgrimage are completed on the\n9th of the month of Zu-l-\u1e24ejjeh: on the following day, which is the\nfirst of the Great Festival, on the return from 'Araf\u00e1t to Mekkeh, the\npilgrims who are able to do so perform a sacrifice, and every other\nMuslim who can is required to do the same: part of the meat of the\nvictim he should eat, and the rest he should give to the poor. This\nfestival is observed otherwise in a similar manner to the minor one,\nabove mentioned; and lasts three or four days.\n\nThe less important ritual and moral laws may here be briefly mentioned\nin a single paragraph.--One of these is circumcision, which is not\nabsolutely obligatory.--The distinctions of clean and unclean meats are\nnearly the same in the Mohammedan as in the Mosaic code. Camels' flesh\nis an exception; being lawful to the Muslim. Swine's flesh, and blood,\nare especially condemned; and a particular mode of slaughtering animals\nfor food is enjoined, accompanied by the repetition of the name of\nGod.--Wine and all inebriating liquors are strictly forbidden.--So also\nare gaming and usury.--Music is condemned; but most Muslims take great\ndelight in hearing it.--Images and pictures representing living\ncreatures are contrary to law.--Charity, probity in all transactions,\nveracity (excepting in a few cases), and modesty, are virtues\nindispensable.--Cleanliness in person, and decent attire, are\nparticularly required. Clothes of silk, and ornaments of gold or silver,\nare forbidden to men, but allowed to women: this precept, however, is\noften disregarded.--Utensils of gold and silver are also condemned: yet\nthey are used by many Muslims.--The manners of Muslims in society are\nsubject to particular laws or rules, with respect to salutations, &c.\n\nOf the Civil Laws, the following notices will at present suffice.--A man\nmay have four wives at the same time, and, according to common opinion,\nas many concubine slaves as he pleases.--He may divorce a wife twice,\nand each time take her back again; but if he divorce her a third time,\nor by a triple sentence, he cannot make her his wife again unless by her\nown consent, and by a new contract, and after another man has\nconsummated a marriage with her, and divorced her.--The children by a\nwife and those by a concubine slave inherit equally, if the latter be\nacknowledged by the father. Sons inherit equally: so also do daughters;\nbut the share of a daughter is half that of a son. One-eighth is the\nshare of the wife or wives of the deceased if he have left issue, and\none-fourth if he have left no issue. A husband inherits one-fourth of\nhis wife's property if she have left issue, and one-half if she have\nleft no issue. The debts and legacies of the deceased must be first\npaid. A man may leave one-third of his property in any way he\npleases.--When a concubine slave has borne a child to her master, she\nbecomes entitled to freedom on his death.--There are particular laws\nrelating to commerce. Usury and monopoly are especially condemned.\n\nOf the Criminal Laws, a few only need here be mentioned. Murder is\npunishable by death, or by a fine to be paid to the family of the\ndeceased, if they prefer it.--Theft, if the property stolen amount to a\nquarter of a deen\u00e1r, is to be punished by cutting off the right hand,\nexcept under certain circumstances.--Adultery, if attested by four\neye-witnesses, is punishable by death (stoning): fornication, by a\nhundred stripes, and banishment for a year.--Drunkenness is punished\nwith eighty stripes.--Apostasy, persevered in, by death.\n\nNOTE 2.--_On the Arabian System of Cosmography._ The words translated\n\"as a bed\" would be literally rendered \"and the bed;\" but the\nsignification is that which I have expressed. (See the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch.\nlxxviii. v. 6; and, with respect to what is before said of the heavens,\nidem, ch. xiii. v. 2.[13]) These, and the preceding words, commencing\nwith \"the Beneficent King,\" I have introduced (in the place of \"the Lord\nof all creatures\") from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred\nnights, as affording me an opportunity to explain here the Arabian\nsystem of Cosmography, with which the reader of this work cannot be too\nearly acquainted.\n\nWhen we call to mind how far the Arabs surpassed their great master,\nAristotle, in natural and experimental philosophy, and remember that\ntheir brilliant discoveries constituted an important link between those\nof the illustrious Greek and of our equally illustrious countryman,\nRoger Bacon, their popular system of cosmography becomes an interesting\nsubject for our consideration.\n\nAccording to the common opinion of the Arabs (an opinion sanctioned by\nthe \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and by assertions of their Prophet, which almost all Muslims\ntake in their literal sense), there are Seven Heavens, one above\nanother, and Seven Earths, one beneath another; the earth which we\ninhabit being the highest of the latter, and next below the lowest\nheaven. The upper surface of each heaven, and that of each earth, are\nbelieved to be nearly plane, and are generally supposed to be circular;\nand are said to be five hundred years' journey in width. This is also\nsaid to be the measure of the depth or thickness of each heaven and each\nearth, and of the distance between each heaven or earth and that next\nabove or below it. Thus is explained a passage of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, (ch. lxv.\nlast verse), in which it is said, that God hath created seven heavens\nand as many earths, or stories of the earth, in accordance with\ntraditions from the Prophet.[14]--This notion of the seven heavens\nappears to have been taken from the \"seven spheres;\" the first of which\nis that of the Moon; the second, of Mercury; the third, of Venus; the\nfourth, of the Sun; the fifth, of Mars; the sixth, of Jupiter; and the\nseventh, of Saturn; each of which orbs was supposed to revolve round the\nearth in its proper sphere. So also the idea of the seven earths seems\nto have been taken from the division of the earth into seven climates; a\ndivision which has been adopted by several Arab geographers.--But to\nreturn to the opinions of the religious and the vulgar.\n\nTraditions differ respecting the _fabric_ of the seven heavens. In the\nmost credible account, according to a celebrated historian, the first is\ndescribed as formed of emerald; the second, of white silver; the third,\nof large white pearls; the fourth, of ruby; the fifth, of red gold; the\nsixth, of yellow jacinth; and the seventh, of shining light.[15]\n\nSome assert Paradise to be in the seventh heaven; and, indeed, I have\nfound this to be the general opinion of my Muslim friends: but the\nauthor above quoted proceeds to describe, next above the seventh heaven,\nseven seas of light; then, an undefined number of veils, or separations,\nof different substances, seven of each kind; and then, Paradise, which\nconsists of seven stages, one above another; the first (D\u00e1r el-Jel\u00e1l, or\nthe Mansion of Glory), of white pearls; the second (D\u00e1r es-Sel\u00e1m, or the\nMansion of Peace), of ruby; the third (Jennet el-Ma-w\u00e0, or the Garden of\nRest), of green chrysolite; the fourth (Jennet el-Khuld, or the Garden\nof Eternity), of green[16] coral; the fifth (Jennet en-Na'eem, or the\nGarden of Delight), of white silver; the sixth (Jennet el-Fird\u00f3s, or the\nGarden of Paradise), of red gold; and the seventh (Jennet 'Adn, or the\nGarden of Perpetual Abode, or--of Eden), of large pearls; this\noverlooking all the former, and canopied by the Throne, or rather\nEmpyrean, of the Compassionate ('Arsh Er-Ra\u1e25m\u00e1n), _i. e._ of God.--These\nseveral regions of Paradise are described in some traditions as forming\nso many degrees, or stages, ascended by steps.\n\nThough the opinion before mentioned respecting the form of the earth\nwhich we inhabit is that generally maintained by the Arabs, there have\nbeen, and still are, many philosophical men among this people who have\nargued that it is a globe, because, as El-\u1e32azweenee says, an eclipse of\nthe moon has been observed to happen at different hours of the night in\neastern and western countries. Thus we find Ptolemy's measurement of the\nearth quoted and explained by Ibn-El-Wardee:--The circumference of the\nearth is 24,000 miles, or 8,000 leagues; the league being three miles;\nthe mile, 3,000 royal cubits; the cubit, three spans; the span, twelve\ndigits; the digit, five barley-corns placed side by side; and the width\nof the barley-corn, six mule's-hairs. El-Ma\u1e33reezee also, among the more\nintelligent Arabs, describes[17] the globular form of the earth, and its\narctic and antarctic regions, with their day of six months, and night of\nsix months, and their frozen waters, &c.\n\nFor ourselves, however, it is necessary that we retain in our minds the\nopinions first stated, with regard to the form and dimensions of our\nearth; agreeing with those Muslims who allow not philosophy to trench\nupon revelation or sacred traditions. It is written, say they, that God\nhath \"spread out the earth,\"[18] \"as a bed,\"[19] and \"as a carpet;\"[20]\nand what is round or globular cannot be said to be spread out, nor\ncompared to a bed, or a carpet. It is therefore decided to be an almost\nplane expanse. The continents and islands of the earth are believed by\nthe Arabs (as they were by the Greeks in the age of Homer and Hesiod) to\nbe surrounded by \"the Circumambient Ocean,\" \"el-Ba\u1e25r el-Mo\u1e25ee\u1e6d;\" and\nthis ocean is described as bounded by a chain of mountains called K\u00e1f,\nwhich encircle the whole as a ring, and confine and strengthen the\nentire fabric. With respect to the extent of the earth, our faith must\nat least admit the assertion of the Prophet, that its width (as well as\nits depth or thickness) is equal to five hundred years' journey:\nallotting the space of two hundred to the sea, two hundred to\nuninhabited desert, eighty to the country of Y\u00e1jooj and M\u00e1jooj (or Gog\nand Magog), and the rest to the remaining creatures:[21] nay, vast as\nthese limits are, we must rather extend than contract them, unless we\nsuppose some of the heroes of this work to travel by circuitous routes.\nAnother tradition will suit us better, wherein it is said, that the\ninhabited portion of the earth is, with respect to the rest, as a tent\nin the midst of a desert.[22] But even according to the former\nassertion, it will be remarked, that the countries now commonly known to\nthe Arabs (from the western extremity of Africa to the eastern limits of\nIndia, and from the southern confines of Abyssinia to those of Russia,)\noccupy a comparatively insignificant portion of this expanse. They are\nsituated in the middle; Mekkeh, according to some,--or Jerusalem,\naccording to others,--being exactly in the centre. Adjacent to the tract\noccupied by these countries are other lands and seas, partially known to\nthe Arabs. On the north-west, with respect to the central point, lies\nthe country of the Christians, or Franks, comprising the principal\nEuropean nations; on the north, the country of Y\u00e1jooj and M\u00e1jooj, before\nmentioned, occupying, in the maps of the Arabs, large tracts of Asia and\nEurope; on the north-east, central Asia; on the east, E\u1e63-\u1e62een (or\nChina); on the south-east, the sea, or seas, of El-Hind (or India), and\nEz-Zinj (or Southern Ethiopia), the waves of which (or of the former of\nwhich) mingle with those of the sea of E\u1e63-\u1e62een, beyond; on the south,\nthe country of the Zinj; on the south-west, the country of the Sood\u00e1n,\nor Blacks: on the west is a portion of the Circumambient Ocean, which\nsurrounds all the countries and seas already mentioned, as well as\nimmense unknown regions adjoining the former, and innumerable islands\ninterspersed in the latter. These _terr\u00e6 incognit\u00e6_ are the scenes of\nsome of the greatest wonders described in the present work; and are\nmostly peopled with Jinn, or Genii. On the Mo\u1e25ee\u1e6d, or Circumambient\nOcean, is the 'Arsh Iblees, or Throne of Iblees: in a map accompanying\nmy copy of the work of Ibn-El-Wardee, a large yellow tract is marked\nwith this name, adjoining Southern Africa. The western portion of the\nMo\u1e25ee\u1e6d is often called \"the Sea of Darkness\" (Ba\u1e25r e\u1e93-\u1e92ulum\u00e1t,\nor,--e\u1e93-\u1e92ulmeh). Under this name (and the synonymous appellation of\nel-Ba\u1e25r el-Mu\u1e93lim) the Atlantic Ocean is described by the author just\nmentioned; though, in the introduction to his work, he says that the Sea\nof Darkness surrounds the Mo\u1e25ee\u1e6d. The former may be considered either as\nthe western or the more remote portion of the latter. In the dark\nregions (E\u1e93-\u1e92ulum\u00e1t, from which, perhaps, the above-mentioned portion of\nthe Mo\u1e25ee\u1e6d takes its name),[23] in the south-west quarter of the earth,\naccording to the same author, is the Fountain of Life, of which El-Khi\u1e0dr\ndrank, and by virtue of which he still lives, and will live till the day\nof judgment. This mysterious person, whom the vulgar and some others\nregard as a prophet, and identify with Ily\u00e1s (Elias, or Elijah), and\nwhom some confound with St. George, was, according to the more approved\nopinion of the learned, a just man, or saint, the Wezeer and counsellor\nof the first Zu-l-\u1e32arneyn, who was a universal conqueror, but an equally\ndoubtful personage, contemporary with the patriarch Ibr\u00e1heem, or\nAbraham. El-Khi\u1e0dr is said to appear frequently to Muslims in perplexity,\nand to be generally clad in green garments; whence, according to some,\nhis name. The Prophet Ily\u00e1s (or Elias) is also related to have drunk of\nthe Fountain of Life. During the day-time, it is said, El-Khi\u1e0dr wanders\nupon the seas, and directs voyagers who go astray; while Ily\u00e1s\nperambulates the mountains or deserts, and directs persons who chance to\nbe led astray by the Ghools:[24] but at night, they meet together, and\nguard the rampart of Y\u00e1jooj and M\u00e1jooj,[25] to prevent these people from\nmaking irruptions upon their neighbours. Both, however, are generally\nbelieved by the modern Muslims to assist pious persons in distress in\nvarious circumstances, whether travelling by land or by water.--The\nmountains of \u1e32\u00e1f, which bound the Circumambient Ocean, and form a\ncircular barrier round the whole of our earth, are described by\ninterpreters of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n as composed of green chrysolite, like the\ngreen tint of the sky.[26] It is the colour of these mountains, said the\nProphet, that imparts a greenish hue to the sky.[27] It is said, in a\ntradition, that beyond these mountains are other countries; one of gold,\nseventy of silver, and seven of musk, all inhabited by angels, and each\ncountry ten thousand years' journey in length, and the same in\nbreadth.[28] Some say that beyond it are creatures unknown to any but\nGod:[29] but the general opinion is, that the mountains of \u1e32\u00e1f terminate\nour earth, and that no one knows what is beyond them. They are the chief\nabode of the Jinn, or Genii.--Such is a concise account of the earth\nwhich we inhabit, according to the notions of the Arabs.\n\nWe must now describe what is _beneath_ our earth.--It has already been\nsaid, that this is the first, or highest, of seven earths, which are all\nof equal width and thickness, and at equal distances apart. Each of\nthese earths has occupants. The occupants of the first are men, genii,\nbrutes, &c.: the second is occupied by the suffocating wind that\ndestroyed the infidel tribe of '\u00c1d: the third, by the stones of Jahennem\n(or Hell), mentioned in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, in these words, \"the fuel of which\nis men and stones:\"[30] the fourth, by the sulphur of Jahennem: the\nfifth, by its serpents: the sixth, by its scorpions, in colour and size\nlike black mules, and with tails like spears: the seventh, by Iblees and\nhis troops.[31] Whether these several earths are believed to be\nconnected with each other by any means, and if so, how, we are not\nexpressly informed; but, that they are supposed to be so is evident.\nWith respect to our earth in particular, as some think, it is said that\nit is supported by a rock, with which the mountains of \u1e32\u00e1f communicate\nby means of veins or roots; and that, when God desires to effect an\nearthquake at a certain place, He commands the mountain [or rock] to\nagitate the vein that is connected with that place.[32]--But there is\nanother account, describing our earth as upheld by certain successive\nsupports of inconceivable magnitude, which are under the seventh earth;\nleaving us to infer that the seven earths are in some manner connected\ntogether. This account, as inserted in the work of one of the writers\nabove quoted, is as follows:--The earth [under which appellation are\nhere understood the seven earths] was, it is said, originally unstable;\n\"therefore God created an angel of immense size and of the utmost\nstrength, and ordered him to go beneath it, [_i.e._ beneath the lowest\nearth,] and place it on his shoulders; and his hands extended beyond the\neast and west, and grasped the extremities of the earth [or, as related\nin Ibn-El-Wardee, the seven earths], and held it [or them]. But there\nwas no support for his feet: so God created a rock of ruby, in which\nwere seven thousand perforations; and from each of these perforations\nissued a sea, the size of which none knoweth but God, whose name be\nexalted: then He ordered this rock to stand under the feet of the angel.\nBut there was no support for the rock: wherefore God created a huge\nbull, with four thousand eyes, and the same number of ears, noses,\nmouths, tongues, and feet; between every two of which was a distance of\nfive hundred years' journey: and God, whose name be exalted, ordered\nthis bull to go beneath the rock: and he bore it on his back and his\nhorns. The name of this bull is Kuyoot\u00e0.[33] But there was no support\nfor the bull: therefore God, whose name be exalted, created an enormous\nfish, that no one could look upon, on account of its vast size, and the\nflashing of its eyes and their greatness; for it is said that if all the\nseas were placed in one of its nostrils, they would appear like a grain\nof mustard-seed in the midst of a desert: and God, whose name be\nexalted, commanded the fish to be a support to the feet of the bull.[34]\nThe name of this fish in Bahamoot. He placed, as its support, water; and\nunder the water, darkness: and the knowledge of mankind fails as to\nwhat is under the darkness.\"[35]--Another opinion is, that the [seventh]\nearth is upon water; the water, upon the rock; the rock, on the back of\nthe bull; the bull, on a bed of sand; the sand, on the fish; the fish,\nupon a still, suffocating wind; the wind, on a veil of darkness; the\ndarkness, on a mist; and what is beneath the mist is unknown.[36]\n\nIt is generally believed, that, under the lowest earth, and beneath seas\nof darkness of which the number is unknown, is Hell, which consists of\nseven stages, one beneath another. The first of these, according to the\ngeneral opinion, is destined for the reception of wicked Mohammadans;\nthe second, for the Christians; the third, for the Jews; the fourth, for\nthe Sabians; the fifth, for the Magians; the sixth, for the Idolaters;\nthe seventh, by general consent, for the Hypocrites. \"Jahennem\" is the\ngeneral name for Hell, and the particular name for its first stage. The\nsituation of Hell has been a subject of dispute; some place it in the\nseventh earth; and some have doubted whether it be above or below the\nearth which _we_ inhabit.\n\nAt the consummation of all things, God, we are told, will take the whole\nearth in his [left] hand, and the heavens will be rolled together in his\nright hand;[37] and the earth will be changed into another earth; and\nthe heavens [into other heavens];[38] and Hell will be brought nigh [to\nthe tribunal of God].[39]\n\nNOTE 3. The phrase \"God is all-knowing,\" or \"surpassing in knowledge,\"\nor, as some say, simply \"knowing,\" is generally used by an Arab writer\nwhen he relates anything for the truth of which he cannot vouch; and\nMuslims often use it in conversation, in similar cases, unless when they\nare uttering intentional falsehoods, which most of them are in the\nfrequent habit of doing. It is worthy of remark, that, though falsehood\nis permitted by their religion in some cases, their doctors of religion\nand law generally condemn all works of fiction (even though designed to\nconvey useful instruction), excepting mere fables, or apologues of a\nhigh class.\n\nNOTE 4. In my usual standard-copy of the original work, as also in that\nfrom which the old translation was made, and in the edition of Breslau,\nthis prince is called a king of the dynasty of S\u00e1s\u00e1n; but as he is not\nso designated in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, I\nhave here omitted, in my translation, what would render the whole work\nfull of anachronisms.\n\nNOTE 5. Shahriy\u00e1r is a Persian word, signifying \"Friend of the City.\"\nThe name of the elder King is thus written in the Calcutta edition above\nmentioned: in the edition of Cairo (which I generally follow) it is\nwritten Shahrab\u00e1z, by errors in diacritical marks; and in that of\nBreslau, Shahrab\u00e1n.\n\nNOTE 6. This name, Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n, is a compound of Persian and Arabic, and\nsignifies \"King of the Age.\" By the omission of a diacritical point, in\nthe Cairo edition, it is written Sh\u00e1h-Rem\u00e1n.\n\nNOTE 7. In the Calcutta edition before mentioned, the elder brother is\ncalled King of Samar\u1e33and; and the younger, King of China.\n\nNOTE 8.--_On the title and office of_ Wezeer. Wezeer is an Arabic word,\nand is pronounced by the Arabs as I have written it; but the Turks and\nPersians pronounce the first letter V. There are three opinions\nrespecting the etymology of this word. Some derive it from \"wizr\" (a\nburden); because the Wezeer bears the burdens of the King: others, from\n\"wezer\" (a refuge); because the King has recourse to the counsels of his\nWezeer, and his knowledge and prudence: others, again, from \"azr\" (back,\nor strength); because the King is strengthened by his Wezeer as the\nhuman frame is by the back.[40]\n\nThe proper and chief duties of a Wezeer are explained by the above, and\nby a saying of the Prophet:--\"Whosoever is in authority over Muslims, if\nGod would prosper him, He giveth him a virtuous Wezeer, who, when he\nforgetteth his duty, remindeth him, and when he remembereth, assisteth\nhim: but if He would do otherwise, He giveth him an evil Wezeer, who,\nwhen he forgetteth, doth not remind him, and when he remembereth, doth\nnot assist him.\"[41]\n\nThe post of Wezeer was the highest that was held by an officer of the\npen; and the person who occupied it was properly the next to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n:\nbut the Turkish Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns of Egypt made the office of N\u00e1\u00efb (or Viceroy) to\nhave the pre-eminence. Under them, the post of Wezeer was sometimes\noccupied by an officer of the sword, and sometimes by an officer of the\npen; and, in both cases, the Wezeer was also called \"the \u1e62\u00e1\u1e25eb.\" The\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n Bar\u1e33oo\u1e33 so degraded this office, by intrusting its most important\nfunctions to other ministers, that the Wezeer became, in reality, the\nKing's purveyor, and little else; receiving the indirect taxes, and\nemploying them in the purchase of provisions for the royal kitchen.[42]\nIt is even said, that he was usually chosen, by the Turkish Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns of\nEgypt, from among the Copts (or Christian Egyptians); because the\nadministration of the taxes had, from time immemorial, been committed to\npersons of that race.[43] This, it would seem, was the case about the\ntime of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Bar\u1e33oo\u1e33. But in the present work, we are to\nunderstand the office of Wezeer as being what it was in earlier\ntimes,--that of Prime Minister; though we are not hence to infer that\nthe editions of the Tales of a Thousand and One Nights known to us were\nwritten at a period anterior to that of the Memlook Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns of Egypt and\nSyria; for, in the time of these monarchs, the degradation of the office\nwas commonly known to be a recent innovation, and it may have been of no\nvery long continuance.\n\nNOTE 9. The paragraph to which this note relates is from the Calcutta\nedition of the first two hundred Nights.\n\nNOTE 10.--_On Presents._ The custom of giving presents on the occasion\nof paying a visit, or previously, which is of such high antiquity as to\nbe mentioned in the book of Genesis,[44] has continued to prevail in the\nEast to this day. Presents of provisions of some kind, wax candles, &c.,\nare sent to a person about to celebrate any festivity, by those who are\nto be his guests: but after paying a mere visit of ceremony, and on some\nother occasions, only money is commonly given to the servants of the\nperson visited. In either case, the latter is expected to return the\ncompliment on a similar occasion by presents of equal value. To reject a\npresent generally gives great offence; being regarded as an insult to\nhim who has offered it. When a person arrives from a foreign country, he\ngenerally brings some articles of the produce or merchandise of that\ncountry as presents to his friends. Thus, pilgrims returning from the\nholy places bring water of Zemzem, dust from the Prophet's tomb, &c.,\nfor this purpose.--Horses, and male and female slaves, are seldom given\nbut by kings or great men. Of the condition of slaves in Mohammadan\ncountries, an account will be given hereafter.\n\nNOTE 11.--_On the Letters of Muslims._ The letters of Muslims are\ndistinguished by several peculiarities dictated by the rules of\npoliteness. The paper is thick, white, and highly polished: sometimes it\nis ornamented with flowers of gold; and the edges are always cut\nstraight with scissors. The upper half is generally left blank: and the\nwriting never occupies any portion of the second side. A notion of the\nusual style of letters will be conveyed by several examples in this\nwork. The name of the person to whom the letter is addressed, when the\nwriter is an inferior or an equal, and even in some other cases,\ncommonly occurs in the first sentence, preceded by several titles of\nhonour; and is often written a little above the line to which it\napertains; the space beneath it in that line being left blank: sometimes\nit is written in letters of gold, or red ink. A king, writing to a\nsubject, or a great man to a dependent, usually places his name and seal\nat the head of his letter. The seal is the impression of a signet\n(generally a ring, worn on the little finger of the right hand), upon\nwhich is engraved the name of the person, commonly accompanied by the\nwords \"His [_i.e._ God's] servant,\" or some other words expressive of\ntrust in God, &c. Its impression is considered more valid than the\nsign-manual, and is indispensable to give authenticity to the letter. It\nis made by dabbing some ink upon the surface of the signet, and pressing\nthis upon the paper: the place which is to be stamped being first\nmoistened, by touching the tongue with a finger of the right hand, and\nthen gently rubbing the part with that finger. A person writing to a\nsuperior, or to an equal, or even an inferior to whom he wishes to shew\nrespect, signs his name at the bottom of his letter, next the left side\nor corner, and places the seal immediately to the right of this: but if\nhe particularly desire to testify his humility, he places it beneath his\nname, or even partly over the lower edge of the paper, which\nconsequently does not receive the whole of the impression. The letter is\ngenerally folded twice, in the direction of the writing, and enclosed in\na cover of paper, upon which is written the address, in some such form\nas this:--\"It shall arrive, if it be the will of God, whose name be\nexalted, at such a place, and be delivered into the hand of our honoured\nfriend, &c., such a one, whom God preserve.\" Sometimes it is placed in a\nsmall bag, or purse, of silk embroidered with gold.\n\nNOTE 12. The custom of sending forth a deputation to meet and welcome an\napproaching ambassador, or other great man, is still observed in Eastern\ncountries; and the rank of the persons thus employed conveys to him some\nintimation of the manner in which he is to be received at the court: he\ntherefore looks forward to this ceremony with a degree of anxiety. A\nhumorous illustration of its importance in the eye of an Oriental\nambassador, is given in \"The Adventures of Hajji Baba in England.\"\n\nNOTE 13.--_On Hospitality._ The hospitable custom here mentioned is\nobserved by Muslims in compliance with a precept of their Prophet.\n\"Whoever,\" said he, \"believes in God and the day of resurrection must\nrespect his guest; and the time of being kind to him is one day and one\nnight; and the period of entertaining him is three days; and after that,\nif he does it longer, he benefits him more; but it is not right for a\nguest to stay in the house of the host so long as to incommode him.\" He\neven allowed the \"right of a guest\" to be taken by force from such as\nwould not offer it.[45] The following observations, respecting the\ntreatment of guests by the Bedawees, present an interesting commentary\nupon the former precept, and upon our text:--\"Strangers who have not any\nfriend or acquaintance in the camp, alight at the first tent that\npresents itself: whether the owner be at home or not, the wife or\ndaughter immediately spreads a carpet, and prepares breakfast or dinner.\nIf the stranger's business requires a protracted stay, as, for instance,\nif he wishes to cross the Desert under the protection of the tribe, the\nhost, after a lapse of three days and four hours from the time of his\narrival, asks whether he means to honour him any longer with his\ncompany. If the stranger declares his intention of prolonging his visit,\nit is expected that he should assist his host in domestic matters,\nfetching water, milking the camel, feeding the horse, &c. Should he even\ndecline this, he may remain; but will be censured by all the Arabs of\nthe camp: he may, however, go to some other tent of the nezel [or\nencampment], and declare himself there a guest. Thus, every third or\nfourth day he may change hosts, until his business is finished, or he\nhas reached his place of destination.\"[46]\n\nNOTE 14.--_On different modes of Obeisance._ Various different modes of\nobeisance are practised by the Muslims. Among these, the following are\nthe more common or more remarkable: they differ in the degree of respect\nthat they indicate, nearly in the order in which I shall mention them;\nthe last being the most respectful:--1. Placing the right hand upon the\nbreast.--2. Touching the lips and the forehead or turban (or the\nforehead or turban only) with the right hand.--3. Doing the same, but\nslightly inclining the head during that action.--4. The same as the\npreceding, but inclining the body also.--5. As above, but previously\ntouching the ground with the right hand.--6. Kissing the hand of the\nperson to whom the obeisance is paid.--7. Kissing his sleeve.--8.\nKissing the skirt of his clothing.--9. Kissing his feet.--10. Kissing\nthe carpet or ground before him.--The first five modes are often\naccompanied by the salutation of \"Peace be on you!\" to which the reply\nis, \"On you be peace, and the mercy of God, and his blessings!\" The\nsixth mode is observed by servants or pupils to masters, by the wife to\nthe husband, and by children to their father, and sometimes to the\nmother. It is also an act of homage paid to the aged by the young; or to\nlearned or religious men by the less instructed or less devout. The last\nmode is seldom observed but to kings; and in Arabian countries it is now\nvery uncommon.\n\nNOTE 15. It might seem unnecessary to say, that a King understood what\nhe read, were it not explained that the style of Arabic epistolary\ncompositions, like that of the literature in general, differs\nconsiderably from that of common conversation.\n\nNOTE 16. The party travelled chiefly by night, on account of the heat of\nthe day.\n\nNOTE 17.--_On the occasional Decorations of Eastern Cities._ On various\noccasions of rejoicing in the palace of the king or governor, the\ninhabitants of an Eastern city are commanded to decorate their houses,\nand the tradesmen, in particular, to adorn their shops, by suspending\nshawls, brocades, rich dresses, women's ornaments, and all kinds of\ncostly articles of merchandise; lamps and flags are attached to cords\ndrawn across the streets, which are often canopied over; and when\nsufficient notice has been given, the shops, and the doors, &c., of\nprivate houses, are painted with gay colours.--Towards the close of the\nyear 1834, the people of Cairo were ordered to decorate their houses and\nshops previously to the arrival of Ibr\u00e1heem B\u00e1sh\u00e0, after his victorious\ncampaigns in Syria and Asia Minor. They ornamented the lower parts of\ntheir houses with whitewash and red ochre, generally in broad,\nalternate, horizontal stripes; that is, one course of stone white, and\nthe next red; but the only kind of oil-paint that they could procure in\nlarge quantities was blue, the colour of mourning; so that they were\nobliged to use this as the ground upon which to paint flowers and other\nornamental devices on their shops; but they regarded this as portending\na pestilence; and the awful plague of the following spring confirmed\nthem in their superstitious notions.\n\nNOTE 18. As the notes to this introductory portion are especially\nnumerous, and the chase is here but cursorily alluded to, I shall\nreserve an account of the mode of hunting to be given on a future\noccasion.\n\nNOTE 19.--_On the opinions of the Arabs respecting Female Beauty._ The\nreader should have some idea of the qualifications or charms which the\nArabs in general consider requisite to the perfection of female beauty;\nfor erroneous fancies on this subject would much detract from the\ninterest of the present work. He must not imagine that excessive fatness\nis one of these characteristics; though it is said to be esteemed a\nchief essential to beauty throughout the greater part of Northern\nAfrica: on the contrary, the maiden whose loveliness inspires the most\nimpassioned expressions in Arabic poetry and prose is celebrated for her\nslender figure: she is like the cane among plants, and is elegant as a\ntwig of the oriental willow.[47] Her face is like the full moon,\npresenting the strongest contrast to the colour of her hair, which (to\npreserve the nature of the simile just employed,) is of the deepest hue\nof night, and descends to the middle of her back. A rosy blush\noverspreads the centre of each cheek; and a mole is considered an\nadditional charm. The Arabs, indeed, are particularly extravagant in\ntheir admiration of this natural beauty-spot; which, according to its\nplace, is compared to a globule of ambergris upon a dish of alabaster or\nupon the surface of a ruby.[48] The eyes of the Arab beauty are\nintensely black, large, and long; of the form of an almond: they are\nfull of brilliancy; but this is softened by a lid slightly depressed,\nand by long silken lashes, giving a tender and languid expression, which\nis full of enchantment, and scarcely to be improved by the adventitious\naid of the black border of ko\u1e25l; for this the lovely maiden adds rather\nfor the sake of fashion than necessity; having, what the Arabs term,\nnatural ko\u1e25l. The eyebrows are thin and arched; the forehead is wide,\nand fair as ivory; the nose, straight; the mouth, small; the lips are of\na brilliant red; and the teeth, \"like pearls set in coral.\" The forms of\nthe bosom are compared to two pomegranates; the waist is slender; the\nhips are wide and large; the feet and hands, small; the fingers,\ntapering, and their extremities dyed with the deep orange-red tint\nimparted by the leaves of the \u1e25enn\u00e0.[49] The person in whom these charms\nare combined exhibits a lively image of \"the rosy-fingered Aurora:\" her\nlover knows neither night nor sleep in her presence, and the\nconstellations of heaven are no longer seen by him when she approaches.\nThe most bewitching age is between fourteen and seventeen years; for\nthen the forms of womanhood are generally developed in their greatest\nbeauty; but many a maiden in her twelfth year possesses charms\nsufficient to fascinate every youth or man who beholds her.\n\nThe reader may perhaps desire a more minute analysis of Arabian beauty.\nThe following is the most complete that I can offer him.--\"Four things\nin a woman should be _black_; the hair of the head, the eyebrows, the\neyelashes, and the dark part of the eyes: four _white_; the complexion\nof the skin, the white of the eyes, the teeth, and the legs: four _red_;\nthe tongue, the lips, the middle of the cheeks, and the gums: four\n_round_; the head, the neck, the fore-arms, and the ankles: four _long_;\nthe back, the fingers, the arms, and the legs:[50] four _wide_; the\nforehead, the eyes, the bosom, and the hips: four _fine_; the eyebrows,\nthe nose, the lips, and the fingers: four _thick_; the lower part of the\nback, the thighs, the calves of the legs, and the knees: four _small_;\nthe ears, the breasts, the hands, and the feet.\"[51]\n\nNOTE 20. Mes'ood is a common proper name of men, and signifies \"happy,\"\nor \"made happy.\"\n\nNOTE 21.--_On the_ Jinn, _or Genii._ The frequent mention of Genii in\nthis work, and the erroneous accounts that have been given of these\nfabulous beings by various European writers, have induced me to examine\nthe statements respecting them in several Arabic works; and I shall here\noffer the result of my investigation, with a previous account of the\nAngels.\n\nThe Muslims, in general, believe in three different species of created\nintelligent beings; namely, Angels, who are created of light; Genii, who\nare created of fire; and Men, created of earth. The first species are\ncalled \"Mel\u00e1ikeh\" (sing. \"Melek\"); the second, \"Jinn\" or \"Ginn\" (sing.\n\"Jinnee\" or \"Ginnee\"); the third, \"Ins\" (sing. \"Insee\"). Some hold that\nthe Devils (Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns) are of a species distinct from Angels and Jinn;\nbut the more prevailing opinion, and that which rests on the highest\nauthority, is, that they are rebellious Jinn.\n\n\"It is believed,\" says El-\u1e32azweenee, \"that the Angels are of a simple\nsubstance, endowed with life, and speech, and reason; and that the\ndifference between them and the Jinn and Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns is a difference of\nspecies. Know,\" he adds, \"that the Angels are sanctified from carnal\ndesire and the disturbance of anger: they disobey not God in what He\nhath commanded them, but do what they are commanded. Their food is the\ncelebrating of his glory; their drink, the proclaiming of his holiness;\ntheir conversation, the commemoration of God, whose name be exalted;\ntheir pleasure, his worship: they are created in different forms, and\nwith different powers.\" Some are described as having the forms of\nbrutes. Four of them are Archangels; Jebraeel or Jibreel (or Gabriel),\nthe angel of revelations; Meekaeel or Meek\u00e1l (or Michael), the patron of\nthe Israelites; 'Azraeel, the angel of death; and Isr\u00e1feel, the angel of\nthe trumpet, which he is to sound twice, or as some say thrice, at the\nend of the world: one blast will kill all living creatures (himself\nincluded): another, forty years after, (he being raised again for this\npurpose, with Jebraeel and Meekaeel), will raise the dead. These\nArchangels are also called Apostolic Angels. They are inferior in\ndignity to human prophets and apostles, though superior to the rest of\nthe human race: the angelic nature is held to be inferior to the human\nnature, because all the Angels were commanded to prostrate themselves\nbefore Adam. Every believer is attended by two guardian and recording\nangels; one of whom writes his good actions; the other, his evil\nactions: or, according to some, the number of these angels is five, or\nsixty, or a hundred and sixty. There are also two Angels called Munkar\n(vulg. N\u00e1kir) and Nekeer, who examine all the dead, and torture the\nwicked, in their graves.\n\nThe species of Jinn is said to have been created some thousands of years\nbefore Adam. According to a tradition from the Prophet, this species\nconsists of five orders or classes; namely, J\u00e1nn (who are the least\npowerful of all), Jinn, Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns (or Devils), 'Efreets, and M\u00e1rids. The\nlast, it is added, are the most powerful; and the J\u00e1nn are transformed\nJinn; like as certain apes and swine were transformed men.[52]--It must,\nhowever, be remarked here, that the terms Jinn and J\u00e1nn are generally\nused indiscriminately, as names of the whole species (including the\nother orders above mentioned), whether good or bad; and that the former\nterm is the more common. Also, that \"Shey\u1e6d\u00e1n\" is commonly used to\nsignify any evil Jinnee. An 'Efreet is a powerful evil Jinnee:[53] a\nM\u00e1rid, an evil Jinnee of the most powerful class. The Jinn (but\ngenerally speaking, evil ones) are called by the Persians \"Deevs,\" the\nmost powerful evil Jinn, \"Narahs\" (which signifies \"males,\" though they\nare said to be males and females); the good Jinn, \"Perees;\" though this\nterm is commonly applied to females.\n\nIn a tradition from the Prophet, it is said, \"The J\u00e1nn were created of a\nsmokeless fire.\"[54] The word which signifies \"a smokeless fire\" has\nbeen misunderstood by some as meaning \"the flame of fire:\" El-J\u00f3haree\n(in the \u1e62e\u1e25\u00e1\u1e25) renders it rightly; and says that of this fire was _the_\nShey\u1e6d\u00e1n (Iblees) created. \"El-J\u00e1nn\" is sometimes used as a name for\nIblees; as in the following verse of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n:--\"And the J\u00e1nn [the\nfather of the Jinn; _i. e._ Iblees] we had created before [_i. e._\nbefore the creation of Adam] of the fire of the samoom [_i. e._ of fire\nwithout smoke].\"[55] \"J\u00e1nn\" also signifies \"a serpent;\" as in other\npassages of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n;[56] and is used in the same book as synonymous\nwith \"Jinn.\"[57] In the last sense it is generally believed to be used\nin the tradition quoted in the commencement of this paragraph. There are\nseveral apparently contradictory traditions from the Prophet which are\nreconciled by what has been above stated: in one, it is said, that\nIblees was the father of all the J\u00e1nn and Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns;[58] J\u00e1nn being here\nsynonymous with Jinn: in another, that J\u00e1nn was the father of all the\nJinn;[59] here, J\u00e1nn being used as a name of Iblees.\n\n\"It is held,\" says El-\u1e32azweenee, \"that the Jinn are aerial animals, with\ntransparent bodies, which can assume various forms. People differ in\nopinion respecting these beings: some consider the Jinn and Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns as\nunruly men; but these persons are of the Mo\u1ea1tezileh [a sect of Muslim\nfreethinkers]: and some hold, that God, whose name be exalted, created\nthe Angels of the light of fire, and the Jinn of its flame [but this is\nat variance with the general opinion], and the Sheyt\u00e1ns of its smoke\n[which is also at variance with the common opinion]; and that [all]\nthese kinds of beings are [usually] invisible[60] to men, but that they\nassume what forms they please, and when their form becomes condensed\nthey are visible.\"--This last remark illustrates several descriptions of\nJinnees in this work; where the form of the monster is at first\nundefined, or like an enormous pillar, and then gradually assumes a\nhuman shape and less gigantic size. The particular forms of brutes,\nreptiles, &c., in which the Jinn most frequently appear will be\nmentioned hereafter.\n\nIt is said that God created the J\u00e1nn [or Jinn] two thousand years before\nAdam [or, according to some writers, much earlier]; and that there are\nbelievers and infidels and every sect among them, as among\nmen.[61]--Some say that a prophet, named Yoosuf, was sent to the Jinn:\nothers, that they had only preachers, or admonishers: others, again,\nthat seventy apostles were sent, before Mo\u1e25ammad, to Jinn and men\nconjointly.[62] It is commonly believed that the preadamite Jinn were\ngoverned by forty (or, according to some, seventy-two) kings, to each of\nwhom the Arab writers give the name of Suleym\u00e1n (or Solomon); and that\nthey derive their appellation from the last of these, who was called\nJ\u00e1nn Ibn-J\u00e1nn, and who, some say, built the Pyramids of Egypt. The\nfollowing account of the preadamite Jinn is given by El-\u1e32azweenee.--\"It\nis related in histories, that a race of Jinn, in ancient times, before\nthe creation of Adam, inhabited the earth, and covered it, the land and\nthe sea, and the plains and the mountains; and the favours of God were\nmultiplied upon them, and they had government, and prophecy, and\nreligion, and law; but they transgressed and offended, and opposed their\nprophets, and made wickedness to abound in the earth; whereupon God,\nwhose name be exalted, sent against them an army of Angels, who took\npossession of the earth, and drove away the Jinn to the regions of the\nislands, and made many of them prisoners; and of those who were made\nprisoners was 'Az\u00e1zeel [afterwards called Iblees, from his _despair_];\nand a slaughter was made among them. At that time, 'Az\u00e1zeel was young:\nhe grew up among the Angels [and probably for that reason was called one\nof them], and became learned in their knowledge, and assumed the\ngovernment of them; and his days were prolonged until he became their\nchief; and thus it continued for a long time, until the affair between\nhim and Adam happened, as God, whose name be exalted, hath said, 'When\nwe said unto the Angels, Worship[63] ye Adam, and [all] worshipped\nexcept Iblees, [who] was [one] of the Jinn.'\"[64]\n\n\"Iblees,\" we are told by another authority, \"was sent as a governor upon\nthe earth, and judged among the Jinn a thousand years, after which he\nascended into heaven, and remained employed in worship until the\ncreation of Adam.\"[65] The name of Iblees was originally, according to\nsome, 'Az\u00e1zeel (as before mentioned); and according to others,\nEl-\u1e24\u00e1rith: his patronymic is Aboo-Murrah, or Abu-l-Ghimr.[66]--It is\ndisputed whether he was of the Angels or of the Jinn. There are three\nopinions on this point.--1. That he was of the Angels, from a tradition\nfrom Ibn-'Abb\u00e1s.--2. That he was of the Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns (or evil Jinn); as it\nis said in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, \"except Iblees, [who] was [one] of the Jinn:\"\nthis was the opinion of El-\u1e24asan El-Ba\u1e63ree, and is that commonly\nheld.--3. That he was neither of the Angels nor of the Jinn; but created\nalone, of fire.--Ibn-'Abb\u00e1s founds his opinion on the same text from\nwhich El-\u1e24asan El-Ba\u1e63ree derives his: \"When we said unto the Angels,\nWorship ye Adam, and [all] worshipped except Iblees, [who] was [one] of\nthe Jinn\" (before quoted): which he explains by saying, that the most\nnoble and honourable among the Angels are called \"the Jinn,\" because\nthey are _veiled_ from the eyes of the other Angels on account of their\nsuperiority; and that Iblees was one of these Jinn. He adds, that he had\nthe government of the lowest heaven and of the earth, and was called the\n\u1e6c\u00e1oos (literally, Peacock) of the Angels; and that there was not a spot\nin the lowest heaven but he had prostrated himself upon it: but when the\nJinn rebelled upon the earth, God sent a troop of Angels who drove them\nto the islands and mountains; and Iblees being elated with pride, and\nrefusing to prostrate himself before Adam, God transformed him into a\nShey\u1e6d\u00e1n.--But this reasoning is opposed by other verses, in which Iblees\nis represented as saying, \"Thou hast created _me_ of _fire_, and hast\ncreated _him_ [Adam] of _earth_.\"[67] It is therefore argued, \"If he\nwere created originally of fire, how was he created of light? for the\nAngels were [all] created of light.\"[68]--The former verse may be\nexplained by the tradition, that Iblees, having been taken captive, was\nexalted among the Angels; or perhaps there is an ellipsis after the word\n\"Angels;\" for it might be inferred that the command given to the Angels\nwas also (and _\u00e0 fortiori_) to be obeyed by the Jinn.\n\nAccording to a tradition, Iblees and all the Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns are distinguished\nfrom the other Jinn by a longer existence. \"The Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns,\" it is added,\n\"are the children of Iblees, and die not but with him: whereas the\n[other] Jinn die before him;\"[69] though they may live many centuries.\nBut this is not altogether accordant with the popular belief: Iblees and\nmany other evil Jinn are to survive mankind; but they are to die before\nthe general resurrection; as also even the Angels; the last of whom will\nbe the Angel of Death, 'Azraeel: yet not _all_ the evil Jinn are to live\nthus long: many of them are killed by shooting stars, hurled at them\nfrom heaven; wherefore, the Arabs, when they see a shooting star\n(shih\u00e1b), often exclaim, \"May God transfix the enemy of the\nfaith!\"--Many also are killed by other Jinn; and some, even by men. The\nfire of which the Jinnee is created circulates in his veins, in place of\nblood: therefore, when he receives a mortal wound, this fire, issuing\nfrom his veins, generally consumes him to ashes.--The Jinn, it has been\nalready shown, are peccable. They also eat and drink, and propagate\ntheir species, sometimes in conjunction with human beings; in which\nlatter case, the offspring partakes of the nature of both parents. In\nall these respects they differ from the Angels. Among the evil Jinn are\ndistinguished the five sons of their chief, Iblees; namely, Teer, who\nbrings about calamities, losses, and injuries; El-A\u1ea1war, who encourages\ndebauchery; S\u00f3\u1e6d, who suggests lies; D\u00e1sim, who causes hatred between man\nand wife; and Zelemboor, who presides over places of traffic.[70]\n\nThe most common forms and habitations or places of resort of the Jinn\nmust now be described.\n\nThe following traditions from the Prophet are the most to the purpose\nthat I have seen.--The Jinn are of various shapes; having the forms of\nserpents, scorpions, lions, wolves, jackals, &c.[71]--The Jinn are of\nthree kinds; one on the land; one in the sea; and one in the air.[72]\nThe Jinn consist of forty troops; each troop consisting of six hundred\nthousand.[73]--The Jinn are of three kinds; one have wings, and fly;\nanother are snakes, and dogs; and the third move about from place to\nplace like men.[74]--Domestic snakes are asserted to be Jinn on the same\nauthority.[75]\n\nThe Prophet ordered his followers to kill serpents and scorpions if they\nintruded at prayers; but on other occasions, he seems to have required\nfirst to admonish them to depart, and then, if they remained, to kill\nthem. The Doctors, however, differ in opinion whether _all_ kinds of\nsnakes or serpents should be admonished first; or whether _any_ should;\nfor the Prophet, say they, took a covenant of the Jinn [probably after\nthe above-mentioned command], that they should not enter the houses of\nthe faithful: therefore, it is argued, if they enter, they break their\ncovenant, and it becomes lawful to kill them without previous\nadmonishment. Yet it is related that '\u00c1isheh, the Prophet's wife, having\nkilled a serpent in her chamber, was alarmed by a dream, and, fearing\nthat it might have been a Muslim Jinnee, as it did not enter her chamber\nwhen she was undressed, gave in alms, as an expiation, twelve thousand\ndirhems (about \u00a3300), the price of the blood of a Muslim.[76]\n\nThe Jinn are said to appear to mankind most commonly in the shapes of\nserpents, dogs, cats, or human beings. In the last case, they are\nsometimes of the stature of men, and sometimes of a size enormously\ngigantic. If good, they are generally resplendently handsome: if evil,\nhorribly hideous. They become invisible at pleasure (by a rapid\nextension or rarefaction of the particles which compose them), or\nsuddenly disappear in the earth or air, or through a solid wall. Many\nMuslims in the present day profess to have seen and held intercourse\nwith them.\n\nThe Z\u00f3ba'ah, which is a whirlwind that raises the sand or dust in the\nform of a pillar of prodigious height, often seen sweeping across the\ndeserts and fields, is believed to be caused by the flight of an evil\nJinnee. To defend themselves from a Jinnee thus \"riding in the\nwhirlwind,\" the Arabs often exclaim, \"Iron! Iron!\" (\u1e24adeed! \u1e24adeed!),\nor, \"Iron! thou unlucky!\" (\u1e24adeed! y\u00e1 mashoom!), as the Jinn are\nsupposed to have a great dread of that metal: or they exclaim, \"God is\nmost great!\" (All\u00e1hu akbar!).[77] A similar superstition prevails with\nrespect to the water-spout at sea, as the reader may have discovered\nfrom the first instance of the description of a Jinnee in the present\nwork, which occasions this note to be here inserted.\n\nIt is believed that the chief abode of the Jinn is in the Mountains of\n\u1e32\u00e1f, which are supposed (as mentioned on a former occasion) to encompass\nthe whole of our earth. But they are also believed to pervade the solid\nbody of our earth, and the firmament; and to choose, as their principal\nplaces of resort, or of occasional abode, baths, wells, the latrina,\novens, ruined houses, market-places, the junctures of roads, the\nsea, and rivers. The Arabs, therefore, when they pour water, &c.,\non the ground, or enter a bath, or let down a bucket into a well,\nor visit the latrina, and on various other occasions, say,\n\"Permission!\" or \"Permission, ye blessed!\" (\"Destoor! or, Destoor y\u00e1\nmub\u00e1rakeen!\").[78]--The evil spirits (or evil Jinn), it is said, had\nliberty to enter any of the seven heavens till the birth of Jesus, when\nthey were excluded from three of them; on the birth of Mo\u1e25ammad, they\nwere forbidden the other four.[79] They continue, however, to ascend to\nthe confines of the lowest heaven, and there listening to the\nconversation of the Angels respecting things decreed by God, obtain\nknowledge of futurity, which they sometimes impart to men, who, by means\nof talismans, or certain invocations, make them to serve the purposes of\nmagical performances. To this particular subject it will be necessary to\nrevert.--What the Prophet said of Iblees, in the following tradition,\napplies also to the evil Jinn over whom he presides:--His chief abode\n[among men] is the bath; his chief places of resort are the markets, and\nthe junctures of roads; his food is whatever is killed without the name\nof God being pronounced over it; his drink, whatever is intoxicating;\nhis mu\u00ebddin, the mizm\u00e1r (a musical pipe; _i. e._ any musical\ninstrument); his \u1e33ur\u00e1n, poetry; his written character, the marks made in\ngeomancy;[80] his speech, falsehood; his snares are women.[81]\n\nThat particular Jinnees presided over particular places, was an opinion\nof the early Arabs. It is said in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, \"And there were certain\nmen who sought refuge with certain of the Jinn.\"[82] In the Commentary\nof the Jel\u00e1leyn, I find the following remark on these words:--\"When they\nhalted, on their journey, in a place of fear, each man said, 'I seek\nrefuge with the lord of this place, from the mischief of his foolish\nones!'\" In illustration of this, I may insert the following tradition,\ntranslated from El-\u1e32azweenee:--\"It is related by a certain narrator of\ntraditions, that he descended into a valley, with his sheep, and a wolf\ncarried off a ewe from among them; and he arose, and raised his voice,\nand cried, 'O inhabitant of the valley!' whereupon he heard a voice\nsaying, 'O wolf, restore to him his sheep!' and the wolf came with the\newe, and left her, and departed.\"--The same opinion is held by the\nmodern Arabs, though probably they do not use such an invocation.--A\nsimilar superstition, a relic of ancient Egyptian credulity, still\nprevails among the people of Cairo. It is believed that each quarter of\nthis city has its peculiar guardian-genius, or Agathod\u00e6mon, which has\nthe form of a serpent.[83]\n\nIt has already been mentioned that some of the Jinn are Muslims; and\nothers, infidels. The good Jinn acquit themselves of the imperative\nduties of religion; namely, prayers, alms-giving, fasting during the\nmonth of Rama\u1e0d\u00e1n, and pilgrimage to Mekkeh and Mount 'Araf\u00e1t: but in the\nperformance of these duties they are generally invisible to human\nbeings. Some examples of the mode in which good Jinn pay the alms\nrequired of them by the law, I have given in a former work.[84]\n\nOf the services and injuries done by Jinn to men, some account must be\ngiven.\n\nIt has been stated, that, by means of talismans, or certain invocations,\nmen are said to obtain the services of Jinn; and the manner in which the\nlatter are enabled to assist magicians, by imparting to them the\nknowledge of future events, has been explained. No man ever obtained\nsuch absolute power over the Jinn as Suleym\u00e1n, Ibn-D\u00e1ood (Solomon, the\nSon of David). This he did by virtue of a most wonderful talisman, which\nis said to have come down to him from heaven. It was a seal-ring, upon\nwhich was engraved \"the most great name\" of God; and was partly composed\nof brass, and partly of iron. With the brass he stamped his written\ncommands to the good Jinn; with the iron (for a reason before\nmentioned), those to the evil Jinn, or Devils. Over both orders he had\nunlimited power; as well as over the birds and the winds,[85] and, as is\ngenerally said, the wild beasts. His Wezeer, A\u1e63af the son of Barkhiy\u00e0,\nis also said to have been acquainted with \"the most great name,\" by\nuttering which, the greatest miracles may be performed; even that of\nraising the dead. By virtue of this name, engraved on his ring, Suleym\u00e1n\ncompelled the Jinn to assist in building the Temple of Jerusalem, and in\nvarious other works. Many of the evil Jinn he converted to the true\nfaith; and many others of this class, who remained obstinate in\ninfidelity, he confined in prisons. He is said to have been monarch of\nthe whole earth. Hence, perhaps, the name of Suleym\u00e1n is given to the\nuniversal monarchs of the preadamite Jinn; unless the story of his own\nuniversal dominion originated from confounding him with those kings of\nthe Jinn.\n\nThe injuries related to have been inflicted upon human beings by evil\nJinn are of various kinds. Jinnees are said to have often carried off\nbeautiful women, whom they have forcibly kept as their wives or\nconcubines. I have mentioned in a former work, that malicious or\ndisturbed Jinnees are asserted often to station themselves on the roofs,\nor at the windows, of houses, and to throw down bricks and stones on\npersons passing by.[86] When they take possession of an uninhabited\nhouse, they seldom fail to persecute terribly any person who goes to\nreside in it. They are also very apt to pilfer provisions, &c. Many\nlearned and devout persons, to secure their property from such\ndepredations, repeat the words \"In the name of God, the Compassionate,\nthe Merciful!\" on locking the doors of their houses, rooms, or closets,\nand on covering the bread-basket, or anything containing food.[87]\nDuring the month of Rama\u1e0d\u00e1n, the evil Jinn are believed to be confined\nin prison; and therefore, on the last night of that month, with the same\nview, women sometimes repeat the words above mentioned, and sprinkle\nsalt upon the floors of the apartments of their houses.[88]\n\nTo complete this sketch of Arabian mythology, an account must be added\nof several creatures generally believed to be of inferior orders of the\nJinn.\n\nOne of these is the Ghool, which is commonly regarded as a kind of\nSheyt\u00e1n, or evil Jinnee, that eats men; and is also described by some as\na Jinnee or an enchanter who assumes various forms. The Ghools are said\nto appear in the forms of various animals, and of human beings, and in\nmany monstrous shapes; to haunt burial-grounds and other sequestered\nspots; to feed upon dead human bodies; and to kill and devour any human\ncreature who has the misfortune to fall in their way: whence the term\n\"Ghool\" is applied to any cannibal. An opinion quoted by a celebrated\nauthor, respecting the Ghool, is, that it is a demoniacal animal, which\npasses a solitary existence in the deserts, resembling both man and\nbrute; that it appears to a person travelling alone in the night and in\nsolitary places, and, being supposed by him to be itself a traveller,\nlures him out of his way.[89] Another opinion stated by him is this:\nthat, when the Sheyt\u00e1ns attempt to hear words by stealth [from the\nconfines of the lowest heaven], they are struck by shooting stars; and\nsome are burnt; some, falling into a sea, or rather a large river\n(ba\u1e25r), become converted into crocodiles; and some, falling upon the\nland, become Ghools. The same author adds the following tradition:--\"The\nGhool is any Jinnee that is opposed to travels, assuming various forms\nand appearances;\"[90] and affirms that several of the Companions of the\nProphet saw Ghools in their travels; and that 'Omar, among them, saw a\nGhool while on a journey to Syria, before El-Isl\u00e1m, and struck it with\nhis sword.--It appears that \"Ghool\" is, properly speaking, a name only\ngiven to a _female_ demon of the kind above described: the male is\ncalled \"\u1e32u\u1e6drub.\"[91] It is said that these beings, and the Ghadd\u00e1r, or\nGharr\u00e1r, and other similar creatures which will presently be mentioned,\nare the offspring of Iblees and of a wife whom God created for him of\nthe fire of the Samoom (which here signifies, as in an instance before\nmentioned, \"a smokeless fire\"); and that they sprang from an egg.[92]\nThe female Ghool, it is added, appears to men in the deserts, in various\nforms, converses with them, and sometimes prostitutes herself to\nthem.[93]\n\nThe Se\u1ea1l\u00e1h, or Sa\u1ea1l\u00e1h, is another demoniacal creature, described by some\n[or rather, by most authors] as of the Jinn. It is said that it is\nmostly found in forests, and that when it captures a man, it makes him\ndance, and plays with him as the cat plays with the mouse. A man of\nI\u1e63fah\u00e1n asserted that many beings of this kind abounded in his country;\nthat sometimes the wolf would hunt one of them by night, and devour it,\nand that, when it had seized it, the Se\u1ea1l\u00e1h would cry out, \"Come to my\nhelp, for the wolf devoureth me!\" or it would cry, \"Who will liberate\nme? I have a hundred deen\u00e1rs, and he shall receive them!\" but the people\nknowing that it was the cry of the Se\u1ea1l\u00e1h, no one would liberate it; and\nso the wolf would eat it.[94]--An island in the sea of E\u1e63-\u1e62een (or\nChina) is called \"the Island of the Se\u1ea1l\u00e1h,\" by Arab geographers, from\nits being said to be inhabited by the demons so named: they are\ndescribed as creatures of hideous forms, supposed to be Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns, the\noffspring of human beings and Jinn, who eat men.[95]\n\nThe Ghadd\u00e1r, or Gharr\u00e1r (for its name is written differently in two\ndifferent MSS. in my possession), is another creature of a similar\nnature, described as being found in the borders of El-Yemen, and\nsometimes in Tih\u00e1meh, and in the upper parts of Egypt. It is said that\nit entices a man to it, and either tortures him in a manner not to be\ndescribed, or merely terrifies him, and leaves him.[96]\n\nThe Delh\u00e1n is also a demoniacal being, inhabiting the islands of the\nseas, having the form of a man, and riding on an ostrich. It eats the\nflesh of men whom the sea casts on the shore from wrecks. Some say that\na Delh\u00e1n once attacked a ship in the sea, and desired to take the crew;\nbut they contended with it; whereupon it uttered a cry which caused them\nto fall upon their faces, and it took them.[97]--In my MS. of\nIbn-El-Wardee, I find the name written \"Dahl\u00e1n.\" He mentions an island\ncalled by this name, in the Sea of 'Om\u00e1n; and describes its inhabitants\nas cannibal Shey\u1e6d\u00e1ns, like men in form, and riding on birds resembling\nostriches.\n\nThe Shi\u1e33\u1e33 is another demoniacal creature, having the form of half a\nhuman being (like a man divided longitudinally); and it is believed that\nthe Nesn\u00e1s is the offspring of a Shi\u1e33\u1e33 and of a human being. The Shi\u1e33\u1e33\nappears to travellers; and it was a demon of this kind who killed, and\nwas killed by, 'Al\u1e33amah, the son of \u1e62afw\u00e1n, the son of Umeiyeh; of whom\nit is well known that he was killed by a Jinnee. So says El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\nThe Nesn\u00e1s (above mentioned) is described as resembling half a human\nbeing; having half a head, half a body, one arm, and one leg, with which\nit hops with much agility; as being found in the woods of El-Yemen, and\nbeing endowed with speech: \"but God,\" it is added, \"is all-knowing.\"[98]\nIt is said that it is found in \u1e24a\u1e0dram\u00f3t as well as El-Yemen; and that\none was brought alive to El-Mutawekkil: it resembled a man in form,\nexcepting that it had but half a face, which was in its breast, and a\ntail like that of a sheep. The people of \u1e24a\u1e0dram\u00f3t, it is added, eat it;\nand its flesh is sweet. It is only generated in their country. A man who\nwent there asserted that he saw a captured Nesn\u00e1s, which cried out for\nmercy, conjuring him by God and by himself.[99] A race of people whose\nhead is in the breast is described as inhabiting an island called J\u00e1beh\n(supposed to be Java), in the Sea of El-Hind, or India.[100] A kind of\nNesn\u00e1s is also described as inhabiting the Island of R\u00e1\u00efj, in the Sea of\nE\u1e63-\u1e62een, or China, and having wings like those of the bat.[101]\n\nThe H\u00e1tif is a being that is heard, but not seen; and is often mentioned\nby Arab writers. It is generally the communicator of some intelligence\nin the way of advice, or direction, or warning.\n\nHere terminating this long note, I must beg the reader to remark, that\nthe superstitious fancies which it describes are prevalent among all\nclasses of the Arabs, and the Muslims in general, learned as well as\nvulgar. I have comprised in it much matter not necessary to illustrate\nthe introductory portion of this work, in order to avoid frequent\nrecurrence to the same subject. Another apology for its length may also\nbe offered:--its importance as confuting Schlegel's opinion, that the\nfrequent mention of Genii is more consistent with Indian than with Arab\nnotions.\n\nNOTE 22. This chest is described in some copies as formed of glass.\n\nNOTE 23. The term \"'Efreet\" has been explained above, in Note 21.\n\nNOTE 24. Most of the copies of the original, it appears, make the number\nof rings ninety-eight; therefore, I have substituted this, as less\nextraordinary, for five hundred and seventy, which is the number\nmentioned in the Cairo edition.\n\nNOTE 25. Almost every Muslim who can afford it has a seal-ring, for a\nreason shewn in a former note (No. 11).[102]\n\nNOTE 26. For the story of Yoosuf and Zeleekha (or Joseph and the wife of\nPotiphar), see the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xii.\n\nNOTE 27.--_On the wickedness of Women._ The wickedness of women is a\nsubject upon which the stronger sex among the Arabs, with an affected\nfeeling of superior virtue, often dwell in common conversation. That\nwomen are deficient in judgment or good sense is held as a fact not to\nbe disputed even by themselves, as it rests on an assertion of the\nProphet; but that they possess a superior degree of cunning is\npronounced equally certain and notorious. Their general depravity is\npronounced to be much greater than that of men. \"I stood,\" said the\nProphet, \"at the gate of Paradise; and lo, most of its inmates were the\npoor: and I stood at the gate of Hell; and lo, most of its inmates were\nwomen.\"[103] In allusion to women, the Khaleefeh 'Omar said, \"Consult\nthem, and do the contrary of what they advise.\" But this is not to be\ndone merely for the sake of opposing them; nor when other advice can be\nhad. \"It is desirable for a man,\" says a learned Im\u00e1m, \"before he enters\nupon any important undertaking, to consult ten intelligent persons among\nhis particular friends; or, if he have not more than five such friends,\nlet him consult each of them twice; or, if he have not more than one\nfriend, he should consult him ten times, at ten different visits: if he\nhave not one to consult, let him return to his wife, and consult her;\nand whatever she advises him to do, let him do the contrary: so shall he\nproceed rightly in his affair, and attain his object.\"[104] A truly\nvirtuous wife is, of course, excepted in this rule: such a person is as\nmuch respected by Muslims as she is (at least, according to their own\naccount) rarely met with by them. When woman was created, the Devil, we\nare told, was delighted, and said, \"Thou art half of my host, and thou\nart the depository of my secret, and thou art my arrow, with which I\nshoot, and miss not.\"[105] What are termed by us affairs of gallantry\nwere very common among the Pagan Arabs, and are scarcely less so among\ntheir Muslim posterity. They are, however, unfrequent among most tribes\nof Bedawees, and among the descendants of those tribes not long settled\nas cultivators. I remember being roused from the quiet that I generally\nenjoyed in an ancient tomb in which I resided at Thebes, by the cries of\na young woman in the neighbourhood, whom an Arab was severely beating\nfor an impudent proposal that she had made to him.\n\nNOTE 28.--_On the cruelty ascribed to_ Shahriy\u00e1r. I wish that I could\naccuse the author of inventing, in this case, an incident of an\nincredible nature, and entirely unparalleled; but, alas, acts of equal\ncruelty are recorded of Arab princes: traits of benevolence, and crimes\nof the blackest hue, are related in their histories, sometimes in the\nsame page. I have not read of any case exactly resembling that to which\nthis note relates; but the following anecdote will shew, that if conduct\nstill more atrocious had been described in the latter, it might have\nbeen founded on fact. \"In the year of the Flight 423, the Khaleefeh of\nEgypt, E\u1e93-\u1e92\u00e1hir, the son of El-\u1e24\u00e1kim, collected together all the female\nslaves that were in the palace, and said to them, 'Assemble together,\nand I will make a day of pleasure for you, such as hath not before been\nseen in Egypt.' He ordered, also, that every person who had a female\nslave should bring her, and that none of them should come but with her\nornaments of jewels and gold. They did so; and there was not a single\none that did not come. He then placed them in a chamber, and, calling\nsome masons, made them build up the door of the chamber upon them, and\nso they all died. This happened on Friday (the Mohammadan Sabbath,) the\n6th of Showw\u00e1l. The number of them was two thousand six hundred and\nsixty female slaves. After they had remained six months, he heaped\nlighted combustibles upon them, and burned them, together with their\nclothes and ornaments. May God [says the narrator] shew no mercy to\nhim!\"[106]\n\nNOTE 29. I here deviate a little from my original, in which Shahraz\u00e1d is\nmade to say, \"Either I shall live, or I shall be a ransom for the\ndaughters of the Muslims, and the cause of their deliverance from him.\"\nUpon this, the sheykh Mo\u1e25ammed 'Eiy\u00e1d has remarked in a marginal note,\n\"It would seem that she had contrived some stratagem to prevent his\nmarrying again if he determined to kill her: otherwise, the mere killing\nher would not be a means of rescuing the other maidens.\"\n\nNOTE 30.--_On the Language of Birds, &c._ It is commonly believed by the\nMuslims (learned and unlearned), that all kinds of birds, and many (if\nnot all) beasts, have a language by which they communicate their\nthoughts to each other; and we are told in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n,[107] that\nSuleym\u00e1n (or Solomon) was taught the language of birds.[108] I thought\nthat I could boast of an accomplishment very rare in Christian\ncountries, in having learned, in Egypt, somewhat of this language; for\ninstance, that the common cry of the pigeon is \"All\u00e1h! All\u00e1h!\" (\"God!\nGod!\"); that of the ringdove, \"Keerem! Toww\u00e1b!\" (\"Bountiful!\nPropitious!\"--an ejaculation addressed to God); that of the common dove,\n\"Wa\u1e25\u1e25idoo rabbakumu-llezee khala\u1e33akum, yeghfir-lakum zembakum!\" (\"Assert\nthe unity of your Lord who created you, so will He forgive you your\nsin!\") but I afterwards found that several specimens of this language\nwere given by Ez-Zamakhsheree, and had been published in Europe: see\n\"Alcoranus Marraccii,\" p. 511. The cock cries, \"Uzkuru-ll\u00e1ha, y\u00e1\ngh\u00e1filoon!\" (\"Commemorate God, O ye negligent!\"): the \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e0 (a kind of\ngrouse),[109] \"Men seket selim!\" (\"He who is silent is safe!\"). The\nlatter, however, would do better if it did itself attend to the maxim it\nutters; for its cry, which, to the uninstructed in the language of\nbirds, sounds merely, \"\u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e0! \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e0!\" as its own name, tells where it is\nto be found by the sportsman, and thus causes its own destruction. Hence\nthe proverb--\"More veracious than the \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e0.\"\n\nNOTE 31. In the houses of persons of the middle classes in Arabian\ncountries, there is generally an apartment on the ground-floor fitted up\nas a stable for a horse, mule, or ass, or for two or more such animals;\nand the cattle of the farmer, if not very numerous, are usually lodged\nduring the night in similar quarters, or in an open court enclosed\nwithin, or immediately adjacent to, his house.\n\nNOTE 32. It is a common custom in the East to sprinkle the ground,\nduring the summer, in order to cool the air.\n\nNOTE 33. Cut straw is the usual fodder of asses and other beasts of\nburden in Egypt and other countries of the East.\n\nNOTE 34. The phrase with which the bull commences his address to the\nass, is one dictated by an indispensable rule of Muslim politeness,\nwhich requires that these or some similar words should be uttered by a\nperson whenever he sees another with food before him, and does not\npartake of it. If this were not done, it would be feared that the food\nhad been poisoned, or rendered of no avail, by an envious eye.\n\nNOTE 35. The peasants in the East use a hand-mill for grinding their\ncorn. The larger mills used for this and other purposes are turned by\ncattle.\n\nNOTE 36. In the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, the\nass is made to quote verses to the bull. Hast thou not, he asks him,\nheard the poet say:--\n\n I occupy myself every day and night in anxious service of him in\n whose prosperity I have no enjoyment;\n Like the bleacher who blackens his face in the sun, while he watches\n the whitening of the clothes of others.\n\nNOTE 37. I read \"na\u1e6d'an,\" as in the Calcutta edition of the first two\nhundred nights, instead of \"ki\u1e6da'an\" in the Cairo edition. The na\u1e6d\u1ea1 is a\nlarge round piece of leather, which, spread upon the ground, serves as a\ntable for dinner, &c. It is particularly convenient, and therefore much\nused, in travelling. Around the edge is a running string, which, being\ndrawn, converts it into a bag to hold what is left of the food.\n\nNOTE 38.--_On the office of_ \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee. The \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee is a judge, or minister of\njustice, who passes sentence in all cases of law, religious, moral,\ncivil, and criminal. This he generally does, in the present day, in\naccordance with the decision of a Muftee, or doctor of the law. In small\ntowns and villages, he is often employed to draw up written contracts of\nvarious kinds.\n\nNOTE 39. The famous Sa\u1ea1dee attained the age here mentioned; but\ninstances of equal longevity, among the Orientals, are rare.[110]\n\nNOTE 40. To perform the ablution preparatory to prayer in the\nexpectation of almost immediate death, is a supererogatory act which, I\nbelieve, is seldom observed.\n\nNOTE 41. Both religion and climate make the Muslim an early riser. It is\nhis duty to perform the first of the five daily prayers at, or soon\nafter, daybreak; and he generally awakes before this period. While\nShahriy\u00e1r, therefore, was waiting for the dawn of day to acquit himself\nof this duty, in accordance with the common custom of Mohammadan kings,\nShahraz\u00e1d amused him by the recitation of her tales. That he should be\ndescribed as thus strict with regard to religious exercises, when about\nto give orders for the murder of his innocent wife, needs not excite our\nsurprise: such conduct is consistent with the character of many Muslims.\nIn the year 1834, when I was residing in Cairo, a General in the service\nof Mo\u1e25ammad 'Alee hired a large party of men to perform a recital of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, in his house in that city, and then went up into his \u1e25areem, and\nstrangled his wife, in consequence of a report which accused her of\nincontinence. The religious ceremony was designed as preparatory to this\nact, though the punishment of the woman was contrary to the law, since\nher husband neither produced four witnesses of the imputed crime, nor\nallowed her to clear herself of the charge by her own oath. Another case\nof diligence in the performance of a religious duty, accompanied by the\ncontemplation of murder, but murder on a larger scale, occurred in the\nsame city shortly after. Suleym\u00e1n \u00c1gh\u00e0, the Sil\u00e1\u1e25d\u00e1r, being occupied in\ndirecting the building of a public fountain, as a work of charity to\nplace to the account of a deceased brother, desired to extend the\noriginal plan of the structure; and to do this, it was necessary that\nhe should purchase two houses adjoining the plot in which the\nfoundations had been laid: but the owners of these houses refused to\nsell them, and he therefore employed a number of workmen to undermine\nthem by night, and cause them to fall upon their inhabitants. His\nscheme, however, but partially succeeded, and no lives were sacrificed.\nThis man was notorious for cruelty, but he was a person of pleasing and\nvenerable countenance, and engaging manners: whenever I chanced to meet\nhim, I received from him a most gracious salutation. He died before I\nquitted Egypt.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n [12] An Apostle is distinguished from a mere Prophet by his\n having a _book_ revealed to him.\n\n [13] In quoting the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, I distinguish the verses in\n accordance with the numbers in Fluegel's excellent edition of\n the original text: 4to Lipsi\u00e6 1834. These numbers agree\n (excepting in a few cases, where a disagreement was found\n absolutely necessary) with those in Hinckelmann's edition,\n which is that most commonly quoted by the learned. I am sorry\n to see that Marracci's numbers have been adopted in a late\n edition of Sale's translation, and that the distinction between\n the words of the text and the explanatory interpolations has\n there been neglected. Its utility to Arabic scholars, and its\n general fidelity, have been thus greatly lessened; and it\n appears to me very desirable that it should be superseded as\n soon as possible by another edition.\n\n [14] Mo\u1e25ammad's answers to 'Abd-Allah Ibn-Sel\u00e1m, quoted by\n Ibn-El-Wardee (MS. in my possession); and Mek-\u1e25ool, quoted by\n the same author, and Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63abee\u1e25, vol. ii. pp. 652 and\n 653.\n\n [15] Ibn-Esh-She\u1e25neh (MS. in my possession).\n\n [16] In another MS. of the same author in my possession,\n \"yellow.\"\n\n [17] In his \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d\" (MS. in my possession).\n\n [18] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xiii. v. 3, and several other places.\n\n [19] Idem, ch. ii. v. 20, and ch. lxxviii. v. 6.\n\n [20] Idem, ch. lxxi. v. 18.\n\n [21] Mek-\u1e25ool, quoted by Ibn-El-Wardee.\n\n [22] Wahb Ibn-Munebbih, quoted by El-Ma\u1e33reezee, is his\n \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d.\"\n\n [23] Ibn-El-Wardee, however, says that its name is derived from\n its terrors and difficulties.\n\n [24] These are monsters who will be described in a subsequent\n note.\n\n [25] History of El-Khi\u1e0dr in the \"Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n\" (MS. in my\n possession), a great history, whose author died in the year of\n the Flight 656.\n\n [26] El-\u1e32azweenee (MS. in my possession).\n\n [27] Mo\u1e25ammad's answers to 'Abd-Allah Ibn-Sel\u00e1m, quoted by\n Ibn-El-Wardee.\n\n [28] Ibid.\n\n [29] El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\n [30] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. ii. v. 22, and ch. lxvi. v. 6.\n\n [31] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [32] Tradition from the Prophet, recorded by Ibn-'Abb\u00e1s, and\n quoted by Ibn-El-Wardee; and by El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee, in describing an\n earthquake that happened in his life-time.--On the subject of\n earthquakes, see also the next foot-note.\n\n [33] In Ibn-Esh-She\u1e25neh, \"Kuyooth\u00e1n:\" the orthography of this\n word is doubtful, as the vowel-points are not written. As the\n tradition is related in Ibn-El-Wardee, this bull takes a breath\n twice in the course of every day (or twenty-four hours); when\n he exhales, the sea flows; and when he inhales, it ebbs. But it\n must not be imagined that none of the Arabs have any notion of\n the true theory of the tides: the more learned among them\n explain this phenomenon by the influence of the moon.--Many of\n the Arabs attribute earthquakes to the shaking of this bull.\n\n [34] In Ibn-El-Wardee, a quantity of sand is introduced between\n the bull and the fish.\n\n [35] Ed-Demeeree, on the authority of Walib Ibn-Munebbih,\n quoted by El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ce, _loco laudato_.\n\n [36] Ibn-El-Wardee.\n\n [37] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xxxix. v. 67.\n\n [38] Idem, ch. xiv. v. 49.\n\n [39] Idem, ch. lxxxix. v. 24.\n\n [40] Khaleel E\u1e93-\u1e92\u00e1hiree, in De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, 2nde\n ed. tome ii. pp. 10 and 11 of Ar. text.\n\n [41] Ibid.\n\n [42] El-Ma\u1e33reezee, quoted by De Sacy, _ubi supra_, pp. 58-62.\n\n [43] Ibn-Khaldoon, in the same, pp. 168 and 169.\n\n [44] Ch. xxxii. v. 13.\n\n [45] Mish\u1e33\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 329.\n\n [46] Burckhardt's \"Notes on the Bedouins and Wah\u00e1bys,\" 8vo ed.\n vol. i. pp. 178 and 179.\n\n [47] This tree is called, in Arabic, \"b\u00e1n\" and \"khil\u00e1f\" or\n \"khal\u00e1f.\"\n\n [48] The Anacreon of Persia affected to prize the mole upon the\n cheek of his beloved above the cities of Samar\u1e33and and Bukh\u00e1ra.\n\n [49] Lawsonia inermis.\n\n [50] In another analysis of the same kind, it is said that four\n should be _short_; the hands, the feet, the tongue, and the\n teeth; but this is metaphorically speaking; the meaning is,\n that these members should be kept within their proper bounds.\n (Kit\u00e1b el-'Onw\u00e1n fee Mek\u00e1id en-Nisw\u00e1n. MS. in my possession.)\n\n [51] An unnamed author quoted by El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee, in his account of\n the 'Abb\u00e1see Khaleefeh El-Mutawekkil.\n\n [52] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n. See also, \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. v. v. 65.\n\n [53] The term \"'Efreet\" is sometimes improperly applied to a\n _good_ Jinnee [and also, in Egypt, to the ghost of a dead\n person. See \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. 1. ch. x. Ed.].\n\n [54] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [55] Ch. xv. v. 27; and Commentary of the Jel\u00e1leyn. Also,\n \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. lv. v. 14.\n\n [56] Ch. xxvii. v. 10 and ch. xxviii. v. 31; and Commentary of\n the Jel\u00e1leyn.\n\n [57] Ch. lv. vv. 39 and 74; and same Commentary.\n\n [58] 'Ekrimeh, from Ibn-'Abb\u00e1s, in the Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [59] Muj\u00e1hid, from the same, ibid.\n\n [60] Hence the appellations of \"Jinn\" and \"J\u00e1nn.\"\n\n [61] Tradition from the Prophet, in the Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [62] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [63] The worship here spoken of is prostration, as an act of\n obeisance to a superior being.\n\n [64] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xviii. v. 48.\n\n [65] E\u1e6d-\u1e6cabaree, quoted in the Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [66] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [67] Ch. vii. v. 11; and chap. xxxviii. v. 77.\n\n [68] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [69] El-\u1e24asan El-Ba\u1e63ree, in the Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.--My\n interpolation of the word \"other\" is required by his opinion\n before stated.\n\n [70] Muj\u00e1hid, quoted by El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\n [71] The same, from Ibn-'Abb\u00e1s, in the Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [72] El-\u1e24asan El-Ba\u1e63ree, ibid.\n\n [73] 'Ekrimeh, from Ibn-'Abb\u00e1s, ibid.\n\n [74] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 314.\n\n [75] Ibid. vol. ii. pp. 311 and 312.\n\n [76] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [77] \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. i. ch. x.\n\n [78] Ibid.\n\n [79] Sale, in a note on chap. xv. of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n.\n\n [80] So I translate the word \"kha\u1e6d\u1e6d;\" but in a work by\n Es-Suyootee, (a MS. in my possession, entitled \"Nuzhet\n el-Muta\u00e4mmil wa-Murshid el-Muta\u00e4hhil,\" section 7,) I find, in\n its place, the word \"weshm,\" or \"tattooing;\" and there are some\n other slight variations and omissions in this tradition as\n there quoted.\n\n [81] El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\n [82] Ch. lxxii. v 6.\n\n [83] \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. i. ch. x.\n\n [84] Idem, vol. ii. ch. xi.\n\n [85] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xxvii. v. 17; and ch. xxxviii. v. 35.\n\n [86] \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. i. ch. x.\n\n [87] Ibid.\n\n [88] Ibid.\n\n [89] El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\n [90] El-J\u00e1\u1e25e\u1e93 ('Amr Ibn-Ba\u1e25r).\n\n [91] \u1e62e\u1e25\u00e1\u1e25 and \u1e32\u00e1moos.\n\n [92] Tradition for the Whab Ibn-Munebbih, quoted in the account\n of the early Arabs in the Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [93] Ibid.\n\n [94] El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\n [95] Ibn-El-Wardee.\n\n [96] El-\u1e32azweenee, and Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [97] El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\n [98] El-\u1e32azweenee, in the kh\u00e1timeh of his work.\n\n [99] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [100] Ibn-El-Wardee.\n\n [101] Idem.\n\n [102] In a great collection of Indian tales, the \"Kath\u00e1 Sarit\n S\u00e1gara,\" is a story which may have been the original of that to\n which this note refers. \"Two young Brahmans travelling are\n benighted in a forest, and take up their lodging in a tree near\n a lake. Early in the night a number of people come from the\n water, and having made preparation for an entertainment,\n retire; a Yaksha, a genie, then comes out of the lake with his\n two wives, and spends the night there: when he and one of his\n wives are asleep, the other, seeing the youths, invites them to\n approach her, and to encourage them, shews them a hundred rings\n received from former gallants, notwithstanding her husband's\n precautions, who keeps her locked up in a chest at the bottom\n of the lake. The Hindu story-teller is more moral than the\n Arab. The youths reject her advances; she wakes the genie, who\n is going to put them to death, but the rings are produced in\n evidence against the unfaithful wife, and she is turned away\n with the loss of her nose. The story is repeated in the next\n section with some variation; the lady has ninety and nine\n rings, and is about to complete the hundredth, when her\n husband, who is here a Naga, a snake-god, wakes, and consumes\n the guilty pair with fire from his mouth.\"--British and Foreign\n Review, No. xxi. page 266.\n\n [103] Kit\u00e1b el-'Onw\u00e1n fee Mek\u00e1id en-Nisw\u00e1n: a work on the\n strategems of women (MS. in my possession).\n\n [104] El-Im\u00e1m El-Jara'ee, in his book entitled \"Shir'at\n el-Isl\u00e1m,\" ibid.\n\n [105] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil wa-Murshid el-Muta\u00e4hhil, section 2.\n\n [106] Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, History of Egypt, account of the strange\n events that have happened in Egypt during the time of El-Isl\u00e1m.\n\n [107] Ch. xxvii. v. 16.\n\n [108] Man\u1e6di\u1e33 e\u1e6d-\u1e6deyr.\n\n [109] Of the family _Pteroclid\u00e6_. (Pr. Bon.) ED.\n\n [110] Ibn-'Arab-Sh\u00e1h, however, has given an account of a man\n called the sheykh El-'Ory\u00e1n, an inhabitant of Samar\u1e33and, and a\n devotee, who was said to have attained the age of 350 [lunar]\n years [or nearly 340 solar years], and yet preserved an erect\n stature, a comely appearance, and such strength that it seemed\n as if he had not attained to mature years. The old men of the\n place asserted that they remembered him to have had the same\n appearance when they were children, and that their fathers and\n grandfathers had said the same.--History of Teemoor, p. 470,\n Calcutta edition.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nCOMMENCING WITH THE FIRST NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE THIRD.\n\nTHE STORY OF THE MERCHANT AND THE JINNEE.\n\n\nIt has been related to me, O happy King, said Shahraz\u00e1d, that there was\na certain merchant who had great wealth, and traded extensively with\nsurrounding countries; and one day he mounted his horse, and journeyed\nto a neighbouring country to collect what was due to him, and, the heat\noppressing him, he sat under a tree, in a garden,[I_1] and put his\nhand into his saddle-bag,[I_2] and ate a morsel of bread and a date\nwhich were among his provisions. Having eaten the date, he threw aside\nthe stone,[I_3] and immediately there appeared before him an\n'Efreet, of enormous height, who, holding a drawn sword in his hand,\napproached him, and said, Rise, that I may kill thee, as thou hast\nkilled my son. The merchant asked him, How have I killed thy son? He\nanswered, When thou atest the date, and threwest aside the stone, it\nstruck my son upon the chest,[I_4] and, as fate had decreed against\nhim, he instantly died.[I_5]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe merchant, on hearing these words,[I_6] exclaimed, Verily to God\nwe belong, and verily to Him we must return! There is no strength nor\npower but in God, the High, the Great! If I killed him, I did it not\nintentionally, but without knowing it; and I trust in thee that thou\nwilt pardon me.--The Jinnee answered, Thy death is indispensable, as\nthou hast killed my son:--and so saying, he dragged him, and threw him\non the ground, and raised his arm to strike him with the sword. The\nmerchant, upon this, wept bitterly, and said to the Jinnee, I commit my\naffair unto God, for no one can avoid what He hath decreed:--and he\ncontinued his lamentation, repeating the following verses:--\n\n Time consists of two days; this, bright; and that, gloomy: and life,\n of two moieties; this, safe; and that, fearful.\n Say to him who hath taunted us on account of misfortunes, Doth fortune\n oppose any but the eminent?\n Dost thou not observe that corpses float upon the sea, while\n the precious pearls remain in its furthest depths?\n When the hands of time play with us, misfortune is imparted to us by\n its protracted kiss.\n In the heaven are stars that cannot be numbered; but none is eclipsed\n save the sun and the moon.\n How many green and dry trees are on the earth; but none is assailed\n with stones save that which beareth fruit!\n Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee,\n and fearedst not the evil that destiny was bringing.\n\n--When he had finished reciting these verses, the Jinnee said to him,\nSpare thy words, for thy death is unavoidable.\n\nThen said the merchant, Know, O 'Efreet, that I have debts to pay, and I\nhave much property, and children, and a wife, and I have pledges also in\nmy possession: let me, therefore, go back to my house, and give to every\none his due, and then I will return to thee: I bind myself by a vow and\ncovenant that I will return to thee, and thou shalt do what thou wilt;\nand God is witness of what I say.--Upon this, the Jinnee accepted his\ncovenant, and liberated him; granting him a respite until the expiration\nof the year.\n\nThe merchant, therefore, returned to his town, accomplished all that was\nupon his mind to do, paid every one what he owed him, and informed his\nwife and children of the event which had befallen him; upon hearing\nwhich, they and all his family and women wept. He appointed a guardian\nover his children, and remained with his family until the end of the\nyear; when he took his grave-clothes under his arm,[I_7] bade\nfarewell to his household and neighbours, and all his relations, and\nwent forth, in spite of himself; his family raising cries of\nlamentation, and shrieking.[I_8]\n\nHe proceeded until he arrived at the garden before mentioned; and it was\nthe first day of the new year; and as he sat, weeping for the calamity\nwhich he expected soon to befall him, a sheykh,[I_9] advanced in\nyears, approached him, leading a gazelle with a chain attached to its\nneck. This sheykh saluted the merchant, wishing him a long life, and\nsaid to him, What is the reason of thy sitting alone in this place,\nseeing that it is a resort of the Jinn? The merchant therefore informed\nhim of what had befallen him with the 'Efreet, and of the cause of his\nsitting there; at which the sheykh, the owner of the gazelle, was\nastonished, and said, By Allah, O my brother, thy faithfulness is great,\nand thy story is wonderful! if it were engraved upon the intellect, it\nwould be a lesson to him who would be admonished!--And he sat down by\nhis side, and said, By Allah, O my brother, I will not quit this place\nuntil I see what will happen unto thee with this 'Efreet. So he sat\ndown, and conversed with him. And the merchant became almost senseless;\nfear entered him, and terror, and violent grief, and excessive anxiety.\nAnd as the owner of the gazelle sat by his side, lo, a second sheykh\napproached them, with two black hounds, and inquired of them, after\nsaluting them, the reason of their sitting in that place, seeing that it\nwas a resort of the J\u00e1nn:[I_10] and they told him the story from\nbeginning to end. And he had hardly sat down when there approached them\na third sheykh, with a dapple mule; and he asked them the same question,\nwhich was answered in the same manner.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nImmediately after, the dust was agitated, and became an enormous\nrevolving pillar, approaching them from the midst of the desert; and\nthis dust subsided, and behold, the Jinnee, with a drawn sword in his\nhand; his eyes casting forth sparks of fire. He came to them, and\ndragged from them the merchant, and said to him, Rise, that I may kill\nthee, as thou killedst my son, the vital spirit of my heart. And the\nmerchant wailed and wept; and the three sheykhs also manifested their\nsorrow by weeping and crying aloud and wailing: but the first sheykh,\nwho was the owner of the gazelle, recovering his self-possession, kissed\nthe hand of the 'Efreet, and said to him, O thou Jinnee, and crown of\nthe kings of the J\u00e1nn, if I relate to thee the story of myself and this\ngazelle, and thou find it to be wonderful, and more so than the\nadventure of this merchant, wilt thou give up to me a third of thy\nclaim to his blood? He answered, Yes, O sheykh; if thou relate to me the\nstory, and I find it to be as thou hast said, I will give up to thee a\nthird of my claim to his blood.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST SHEYKH AND THE GAZELLE.\n\nThen said the sheykh, Know, O 'Efreet, that this gazelle is the daughter\nof my paternal uncle,[I_11] and she is of my flesh and my blood. I\ntook her as my wife when she was young,[I_12] and lived with her\nabout thirty years; but I was not blessed with a child by her; so I took\nto me a concubine slave,[I_13] and by her I was blessed with a male\nchild, like the rising full moon, with beautiful eyes, and\ndelicately-shaped eyebrows, and perfectly-formed limbs; and he grew up\nby little and little until he attained the age of fifteen years. At this\nperiod, I unexpectedly had occasion to journey to a certain city, and\nwent thither with a great stock of merchandise.\n\nNow my cousin,[I_14] this gazelle, had studied enchantment and\ndivination from her early years; and during my absence, she transformed\nthe youth above mentioned into a calf; and his mother, into a\ncow;[I_15] and committed them to the care of the herdsman: and when\nI returned, after a long time, from my journey, I asked after my son and\nhis mother, and she said, Thy slave is dead, and thy son hath fled, and\nI know not whither he is gone. After hearing this, I remained for the\nspace of a year with mourning heart and weeping eye, until the Festival\nof the Sacrifice;[I_16] when I sent to the herdsman, and ordered\nhim to choose for me a fat cow; and he brought me one, and it was my\nconcubine, whom this gazelle had enchanted. I tucked up my skirts and\nsleeves, and took the knife[I_17] in my hand, and prepared myself\nto slaughter her; upon which she moaned and cried so violently that I\nleft her, and ordered the herdsman to kill and skin her: and he did so,\nbut found in her neither fat nor flesh, nor anything but skin and bone;\nand I repented of slaughtering her, when repentance was of no avail. I\ntherefore gave her to the herdsman, and said to him, Bring me a fat\ncalf: and he brought me my son, who was transformed into a calf. And\nwhen the calf saw me, he broke his rope, and came to me, and fawned upon\nme, and wailed and cried, so that I was moved with pity for him; and I\nsaid to the herdsman, Bring me a cow, and let this--\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHere Shahraz\u00e1d perceived the light of morning, and discontinued the\nrecitation with which she had been allowed thus far to proceed. Her\nsister said to her, How excellent is thy story! and how pretty! and how\npleasant! and how sweet!--but she answered, What is this in comparison\nwith that which I will relate to thee in the next night, if I live, and\nthe King spare me! And the King said, By Allah, I will not kill her\nuntil I hear the remainder of her story. Thus they pleasantly passed the\nnight until the morning, when the King went forth to his hall of\njudgment, and the Wezeer went thither with the grave-clothes under his\narm: and the King gave judgment, and invested and displaced, until the\nclose of the day, without informing the Wezeer of that which had\nhappened; and the minister was greatly astonished. The court was then\ndissolved; and the King returned to the privacy of his palace.\n\n[On the second and each succeeding night, Shahraz\u00e1d continued so to\ninterest King Shahriy\u00e1r by her stories as to induce him to defer putting\nher to death, in expectation that her fund of amusing tales would soon\nbe exhausted; and as this is expressed in the original work in nearly\nthe same words at the close of every night, such repetitions will in the\npresent translation be omitted.[I_18]]\n\nWhen the sheykh, continued Shahraz\u00e1d, observed the tears of the calf,\nhis heart sympathized with him, and he said to the herdsman, Let this\ncalf remain with the cattle.--Meanwhile, the Jinnee wondered at this\nstrange story; and the owner of the gazelle thus proceeded.\n\nO lord of the kings of the J\u00e1nn, while this happened, my cousin, this\ngazelle, looked on, and said, Slaughter this calf; for he is fat: but I\ncould not do it; so I ordered the herdsman to take him back; and he took\nhim and went away. And as I was sitting, on the following day, he came\nto me, and said, O my master, I have to tell thee something that thou\nwilt be rejoiced to hear; and a reward is due to me for bringing good\nnews.[I_19] I answered, Well:--and he said, O merchant, I have a\ndaughter who learned enchantment in her youth from an old woman in our\nfamily; and yesterday, when thou gavest me the calf, I took him to her,\nand she looked at him, and covered her face, and wept, and then laughed,\nand said, O my father, hath my condition become so degraded in thy\nopinion that thou bringest before me strange men?[I_20]--Where,\nsaid I, are any strange men? and wherefore didst thou weep and laugh?\nShe answered, This calf that is with thee is the son of our master, the\nmerchant, and the wife of our master hath enchanted both him and his\nmother; and this was the reason of my laughter; but as to the reason of\nmy weeping, it was on account of his mother, because his father had\nslaughtered her.--And I was excessively astonished at this; and scarcely\nwas I certain that the light of morning had appeared when I hastened to\ninform thee.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen I heard, O Jinnee, the words of the herdsman, I went forth with\nhim, intoxicated without wine, from the excessive joy and happiness that\nI received, and arrived at his house, where his daughter welcomed me,\nand kissed my hand; and the calf came to me, and fawned upon me. And I\nsaid to the herdsman's daughter, Is that true which thou hast said\nrespecting this calf? She answered, Yes, O my master; he is verily thy\nson, and the vital spirit of thy heart.--O maiden, said I, if thou wilt\nrestore him, all the cattle and other property of mine that thy father\nhath under his care shall be thine. Upon this, she smiled, and said, O\nmy master, I have no desire for the property unless on two conditions:\nthe first is, that thou shalt marry me to him; and the second, that I\nshall enchant her who enchanted him, and so restrain her; otherwise, I\nshall not be secure from her artifice. On hearing, O Jinnee, these her\nwords, I said, And thou shalt have all the property that is under the\ncare of thy father besides; and as to my cousin, even her blood shall be\nlawful to thee. So, when she heard this, she took a cup, and filled it\nwith water, and repeated a spell over it, and sprinkled with it the\ncalf, saying to him, If God created thee a calf, remain in this form,\nand be not changed; but if thou be enchanted, return to thy original\nform, by permission of God, whose name be exalted!--upon which he shook,\nand became a man; and I threw myself upon him, and said, I conjure thee\nby Allah that thou relate to me all that my cousin did to thee and to\nthy mother. So he related to me all that had happened to them both; and\nI said to him, O my son, God hath given thee one to liberate thee, and\nto avenge thee:--and I married to him, O Jinnee, the herdsman's\ndaughter; after which, she transformed my cousin into this gazelle. And\nas I happened to pass this way, I saw this merchant, and asked him what\nhad happened to him; and when he had informed me, I sat down to see the\nresult.--This is my story. The Jinnee said, This is a wonderful tale;\nand I give up to thee a third of my claim to his blood.\n\nThe second sheykh, the owner of the two hounds, then advanced, and said\nto the Jinnee, If I relate to thee the story of myself and these hounds,\nand thou find it to be in like manner wonderful, wilt thou remit to me,\nalso, a third of thy claim to the blood of this merchant? The Jinnee\nanswered, Yes.\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE SECOND SHEYKH AND THE TWO BLACK HOUNDS.\n\nThen said the sheykh, Know, O lord of the kings of the J\u00e1nn, that these\ntwo hounds are my brothers. My father died, and left to us three\nthousand pieces of gold;[I_21] and I opened a shop[I_22] to\nsell and buy. But one of my brothers made a journey, with a stock of\nmerchandise, and was absent from us for the space of a year with the\ncaravans; after which, he returned destitute. I said to him, Did I not\nadvise thee to abstain from travelling? But he wept, and said, O my\nbrother, God, to whom be ascribed all might and glory, decreed this\nevent; and there is no longer any profit in these words: I have nothing\nleft. So I took him up into the shop, and then went with him to the\nbath, and clad him in a costly suit of my own clothing; after which, we\nsat down together to eat; and I said to him, O my brother, I will\ncalculate the gain of my shop during the year, and divide it, exclusive\nof the principal, between me and thee. Accordingly, I made the\ncalculation, and found my gain to amount to two thousand pieces of gold;\nand I praised God, to whom be ascribed all might and glory, and rejoiced\nexceedingly, and divided the gain in two equal parts between myself and\nhim.--My other brother then set forth on a journey; and after a year,\nreturned in the like condition; and I did unto him as I had done to the\nformer.\n\nAfter this, when we had lived together for some time, my brothers again\nwished to travel, and were desirous that I should accompany them; but I\nwould not. What, said I, have ye gained in your travels, that I should\nexpect to gain? They importuned me; but I would not comply with their\nrequest; and we remained selling and buying in our shops a whole year.\nStill, however, they persevered in proposing that we should travel, and\nI still refused, until after the lapse of six entire years, when at last\nI consented, and said to them, O my brothers, let us calculate what\nproperty we possess. We did so, and found it to be six thousand pieces\nof gold: and I then said to them, We will bury half of it in the earth,\nthat it may be of service to us if any misfortune befall us, in which\ncase each of us shall take a thousand pieces, with which to\ntraffic.[I_23] Excellent is thy advice, said they. So I took the\nmoney and divided it into two equal portions, and buried three thousand\npieces of gold; and of the other half, I gave to each of them a thousand\npieces. We then prepared merchandise, and hired a ship, and embarked our\ngoods, and proceeded on our voyage for the space of a whole month, at\nthe expiration of which we arrived at a city, where we sold our\nmerchandise; and for every piece of gold we gained ten.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd when we were about to set sail again, we found, on the shore of the\nsea, a maiden clad in tattered garments, who kissed my hand, and said to\nme, O my master, art thou possessed of charity and kindness? If so, I\nwill requite thee for them. I answered, Yes, I have those qualities,\nthough thou requite me not. Then said she, O my master, accept me as thy\nwife, and take me to thy country; for I give myself to thee:[I_24]\nact kindly towards me; for I am one who requires to be treated with\nkindness and charity, and who will requite thee for so doing; and let\nnot my present condition at all deceive thee. When I heard these words,\nmy heart was moved with tenderness towards her, in order to the\naccomplishment of a purpose of God, to whom be ascribed all might and\nglory; and I took her, and clothed her, and furnished for her a place in\nthe ship in a handsome manner, and regarded her with kind and respectful\nattention.\n\nWe then set sail; and I became most cordially attached to my wife, so\nthat, on her account, I neglected the society of my brothers, who, in\nconsequence, became jealous of me, and likewise envied me my wealth, and\nthe abundance of my merchandise; casting the eyes of covetousness upon\nthe whole of the property. They therefore consulted together to kill me,\nand take my wealth; saying, Let us kill our brother, and all the\nproperty shall be ours:--and the devil made these actions to seem fair\nin their eyes; so they came to me while I was sleeping by the side of my\nwife, and took both of us up, and threw us into the sea. But as soon as\nmy wife awoke, she shook herself, and became transformed into a\nJinneeyeh.[I_25] She immediately bore me away, and placed me upon\nan island, and, for a while, disappeared. In the morning, however, she\nreturned, and said to me, I am thy wife, who carried thee, and rescued\nthee from death, by permission of God, whose name be exalted. Know that\nI am a Jinneeyeh: I saw thee, and my heart loved thee for the sake of\nGod; for I am a believer in God and his Apostle, God bless and save\nhim![I_26] I came to thee in the condition in which thou sawest me,\nand thou didst marry me; and see, I have rescued thee from drowning. But\nI am incensed against thy brothers, and I must kill them.--When I heard\nher tale, I was astonished, and thanked her for what she had done;--But,\nsaid I, as to the destruction of my brothers, it is not what I desire. I\nthen related to her all that had happened between myself and them from\nfirst to last; and when she had heard it, she said, I will, this next\nnight, fly to them, and sink their ship, and destroy them. But I said, I\nconjure thee by Allah that thou do it not; for the author of the proverb\nsaith, O thou benefactor of him who hath done evil, the action that he\nhath done is sufficient for him:[I_27]--besides, they are at all\nevents my brothers. She still, however, said, They must be killed;--and\nI continued to propitiate her towards them: and at last she lifted me\nup, and soared through the air, and placed me on the roof of my\nhouse.[I_28]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHaving opened the doors, I dug up what I had hidden in the earth; and\nafter I had saluted my neighbours, and bought merchandise, I opened my\nshop. And in the following night, when I entered my house, I found these\ntwo dogs tied up in it; and as soon as they saw me, they came to me, and\nwept, and clung to me; but I knew not what had happened until\nimmediately my wife appeared before me, and said, These are thy\nbrothers. And who, said I, hath done this unto them? She answered, I\nsent to my sister and she did it; and they shall not be restored until\nafter the lapse of ten years. And I was now on my way to her, that she\nmight restore them, as they have been in this state ten years, when I\nsaw this man, and, being informed of what had befallen him, I determined\nnot to quit the place until I should have seen what would happen between\nthee and him.--This is my story.--Verily, said the Jinnee, it is a\nwonderful tale; and I give up to thee a third of the claim that I had to\nhis blood on account of his offence.\n\nUpon this, the third sheykh, the owner of the mule, said to the\nJinnee,[I_29] As to me, break not my heart if I relate to thee\nnothing more than this:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE THIRD SHEYKH AND THE MULE.\n\n\nThe mule that thou seest was my wife: she became enamoured of a black\nslave; and when I discovered her with him, she took a mug of water, and,\nhaving uttered a spell over it, sprinkled me, and transformed me into a\ndog. In this state, I ran to the shop of a butcher, whose daughter saw\nme, and, being skilled in enchantment, restored me to my original form,\nand instructed me to enchant my wife in the manner thou beholdest.--And\nnow I hope that thou wilt remit to me also a third of the merchant's\noffence. Divinely was he gifted who said,\n\n Sow good, even on an unworthy soil; for it will not be lost wherever\n it is sown.\n\nWhen the sheykh had thus finished his story, the Jinnee shook with\ndelight, and remitted the remaining third of his claim to the merchant's\nblood. The merchant then approached the sheykhs, and thanked them, and\nthey congratulated him on his safety; and each went his way.\n\nBut this, said Shahraz\u00e1d, is not more wonderful than the story of the\nfisherman. The King asked her, And what is the story of the fisherman?\nAnd she related it as follows:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST.\n\nNOTE 1. The words \"in a garden\" are omitted in my original; but they are\nrequired by the sequel. I may here remark, that, in future, when I find\ntrifling insertions of this kind to be requisite in my translation, I\nshall not deem it necessary to mention them in a note.\n\nNOTE 2. An Eastern traveller often makes a long journey with no other\nencumbrance than a well-filled pair of saddle-bags: in one bag he puts\nhis provisions; and in the other, such articles of clothing as he may\nrequire in addition to those in which he sets out, including a spare\nshirt, and perhaps no other clean linen: for he is as indifferent with\nregard to this comfort as he is careful respecting his _personal_\ncleanliness.\n\nNOTE 3. Perhaps no reader of this work will require to be told that the\ndate has not a _shell_. I only make this remark on account of an error\nin the old translation.--As dates are very nutritious, and are preserved\nby being merely dried in the sun, they are an excellent article of\nprovision for travellers.\n\nNOTE 4. The merchant was culpably careless: before throwing aside the\ndate-stone with sufficient force to kill a Jinnee who happened to be\nnear him (though at the time invisible), he should have asked permission\nby the exclamation \"Destoor!\" as explained in a note appended to the\nIntroduction.\n\nNOTE 5.--_On Fate and Destiny._ The belief in fate and destiny (\"el-\u1e33a\u1e0d\u00e0\nwa-l-\u1e33adar\") exercises a most powerful influence upon the actions and\ncharacter of the Muslims; and it is therefore highly important that the\nreader of the present work should be acquainted with the notions which\nthese people entertain respecting such matters of faith. I use two words\n(perhaps the best that our language affords) to express corresponding\nArabic terms, which some persons regard as synonymous, but others\ndistinguish by different shades of meaning. On what I consider the best\nauthority, the word which I render \"fate\" respects the decrees of God in\na general sense; while that which I translate \"destiny\" relates to the\nparticular applications of those decrees. In such senses these terms are\nhere to be understood when separately employed.\n\nMany Muslims hold that fate is, in some respects, absolute and\nunchangeable; in others, admitting of alteration; and almost all of them\n_act_, in many of the affairs of life, as if this were their belief. In\nthe former case, it is called \"el-\u1e33a\u1e0d\u00e0 el-Mo\u1e25kam:\" in the latter,\n\"el-\u1e33a\u1e0d\u00e0 el-Mubram\" (which term, without the explanation here given,\nmight be regarded as exactly synonymous with the former). Hence, the\nProphet, it is said, prayed to be preserved from the latter, as knowing\nthat it might be changed; and in allusion to this changeable fate, God,\nwe are told, says, \"God will cancel what He pleaseth, and confirm;\"[111]\nwhile, on the contrary, the fate which is termed \"Mo\u1e25kam\" is appointed\n\"destiny\" decreed by God.[112]\n\nMany doctors have argued, that destiny respects only the _final state_\nof a certain portion of men (believers and unbelievers); and that, in\ngeneral, man is endowed with free will, which he should exercise\naccording to the laws of God and his own conscience and judgment,\npraying to God for a blessing on his endeavours, or imploring the\nintercession of the Prophet, or of any of the saints, in his favour, and\npropitiating them by offering alms or sacrifices in their names; relying\nupon God for the result, which he may then, and then only, attribute to\nfate or destiny. They hold, therefore, that it is criminal to attempt\nresistance to the will when its dictates are conformable with the laws\nof God and our natural consciences and prudence, and so passively to\nawait the fulfilment of God's decrees.--The doctrine of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n and\nthe Traditions respecting the decrees of God, or fate and destiny,\nappears, however, to be, that they are altogether absolute and\nunchangeable,--written, in the beginning of the creation, on the\n\"Preserved Tablet,\" in heaven; that God hath predestined every event and\naction, evil as well as good; at the same time commanding and approving\ngood, and forbidding and hating evil; and that the \"cancelling\"\nmentioned in the preceding paragraph relates (as the context seems to\nshew) to the abrogation of former scriptures, or revelations; not of\nfate. But still it must be held that He hath not predestined the _will_;\nthough He sometimes inclines it to good, and the Devil sometimes\ninclines it to evil. It is asked, then, If we have the power to will,\nbut not the power to perform otherwise than as God hath predetermined,\nhow can we be regarded as responsible beings? The answer to this is,\nthat our actions are judged good or evil according to our intentions, if\nwe have faith: good actions or intentions, it should be added, only\nincrease, and do not cause, our happiness, if we are believers; and evil\nactions or intentions only increase our misery if we are unbelievers or\nirreligious: for the Muslim holds that he is to be admitted into heaven\nonly by the mercy of God, on account of his faith; and to be rewarded in\nproportion to his good works.\n\nThe Prophet's assertions on the subject of God's decrees are considered\nof the highest importance as explanatory of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n.--\"Whatever is in\nthe universe,\" said he, \"is by the order of God.\"--\"God hath\npre-ordained five things on his servants; the duration of life, their\nactions, their dwelling-places, their travels, and their\nportions.\"--\"There is not one among you whose sitting-place is not\nwritten by God, whether in the fire or in paradise.\"[113]--Some of the\nCompanions of the Prophet, on hearing the last-quoted saying, asked him,\n\"O Prophet, since God hath appointed our places, may we confide in this,\nand abandon our religious and moral duties?\" He answered, \"No: because\nthe happy will do good works, and those who are of the miserable will do\nbad works.\"--The following of his sayings further illustrate this\nsubject.--\"When God hath ordered a creature to die in any particular\nplace, He causeth his wants to direct him to that place.\"--A Companion\nasked, \"O Prophet of God, inform me respecting charms, and the medicines\nwhich I swallow, and shields which I make use of for protection, whether\nthey prevent any of the orders of God.\" Mo\u1e25ammad answered, \"These also\nare by the order of God.\"[114] \"There is a medicine for every pain:\nthen, when the medicine reaches the pain, it is cured by the order of\nGod.\"[115]--When a Muslim, therefore, feels an inclination to make use\nof medicine for the cure of a disease, he should do so, in the hope of\nits being predestined that he shall be so cured.\n\nOn the predestination of diseases, I find the following curious\nquotation and remark in a manuscript work, by Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, in my\npossession.--\"El-\u1e24aleemee says, 'Communicable or contagious diseases are\nsix: small-pox, measles, itch or scab, foul breath or putridity,\nmelancholy, and pestilential maladies; and diseases engendered are also\nsix: leprosy, hectic, epilepsy, gout, elephantiasis, and phthisis.' But\nthis does not contradict the saying of the Prophet, 'There is no\ntransition of diseases by contagion or infection, nor any omen that\nbrings evil:' for the transition here meant is one occasioned by the\ndisease itself; whereas the effect is of God, who causes pestilence to\nspread when there is intercourse with the diseased.\"[116]--A Bedawee\nasked the Prophet, \"What is the condition of camels which stay in the\ndeserts? verily, you might say, they are deer, in health and in\ncleanness of skin; then they mix with mangy camels, and they become\nmangy also.\" Mo\u1e25ammad said, \"What made the first camel mangy?\"[117]\n\nNotwithstanding, however, the arguments which have been here adduced,\nand many others that might be added, declaring or implying the\nunchangeable nature of all God's decrees, I have found it to be the\nopinion of my own Muslim friends, that God may be induced, by\nsupplication, to change certain of his decrees; at least, those\nregarding degrees of happiness or misery in this world and the next; and\nthat such is the general opinion, appears from a form of prayer which is\nrepeated in the mosques on the eve of the middle (or fifteenth day) of\nthe month of Sha\u1ea1b\u00e1n; when it is believed that such portions of God's\ndecrees as constitute the destinies of all living creatures for the\nensuing year, are confirmed and fixed. In this prayer it is said, \"O\nGod, if Thou _hast recorded_ me in thine abode, upon 'the Original of\nthe Book' [the Preserved Tablet], miserable, or unfortunate, or scanted\nin my sustenance, _cancel_, O God, of thy goodness, my misery, and\nmisfortune, and scanty allowance of sustenance, and confirm me, in thine\nabode, upon the Original of the Book, as happy, and provided for, and\ndirected to good,\" &c.[118]\n\nThe Arabs in general constantly have recourse both to charms and\nmedicines, not only for the cure, but also for the prevention of\ndiseases. They have, indeed, a strange passion for medicine, which shows\nthat they do not consider fate as altogether unconditional. Nothing can\nexceed the earnestness with which they often press a European traveller\nfor a dose; and the more violent the remedy, the better are they\npleased. The following case will serve as an example:--Three\ndonkey-drivers, conveying the luggage of two British travellers from\nBool\u00e1\u1e33 to Cairo, opened a bottle which they observed in a basket, and\nfinding it to contain, as they had suspected, brandy, emptied it down\ntheir throats: but he who had the last, on turning up the bottle, got\nthe tail of a scorpion into his mouth; and, looking through the bottle,\nto his great horror, saw that it contained a number of these reptiles,\nwith tarantulas, vipers, and beetles. Thinking that they had poisoned\nthemselves, but not liking to rely upon fate, they persuaded a man to\ncome to me for medicine. He introduced the subject by saying, \"O\nEfendee, do an act of kindness: there are three men poisoned; in your\nmercy give them medicine, and save their lives:\" and then he related the\nwhole affair, without concealing the theft. I replied, that they did not\ndeserve medicine; but he urged that, by giving it, I should obtain an\nimmense reward. \"Yes,\" said I; \"'he who saveth a soul alive shall be as\nif he had saved the lives of all mankind.'\"[119] I said this to try the\nfeeling of the applicant, who, expressing admiration of my knowledge,\nurged me to be quick, lest the men should die; thus showing himself to\nbe no unconditional fatalist. I gave him three strong doses of tartar\nemetic; and he soon came back to thank me, saying that the medicine was\nmost admirable, for the men had hardly swallowed it, when they almost\nvomited their hearts and livers, and everything else in their bodies.\n\nFrom a distrust in faith, some Muslims even shut themselves up during\nthe prevalence of plague; but this practice is generally condemned. A\nSyrian friend of mine, who did so, nearly had his door broken open by\nhis neighbours. Another of my friends, one of the most distinguished of\nthe 'Ulam\u00e0, confessed to me his conviction of the lawfulness of\nquarantine, and argued well in favour of it; but said that he dared not\nopenly avow such an opinion. \"The Apostle of God,\" said he, \"God bless\nand save him! hath commanded that we should not enter a city where there\nis pestilence, nor go out from it. Why did he say, 'Enter it\nnot?'--because, by so doing, we should expose ourselves to the disease.\nWhy did he say, 'Go not out from it?'--because, by so doing, we should\ncarry the disease to others. The Prophet was tenderly considerate of our\nwelfare: but the present Muslims in general are like bulls [brute\nbeasts]; and they hold the meaning of this command to be, Go not into a\ncity where there is pestilence, because this would be rashness; and go\nnot out from it, because this would be distrusting God's power to save\nyou from it.\"\n\nMany of the vulgar and ignorant among modern Muslims, believe that the\nunchangeable destinies of every man are written upon his head, in what\nare termed the sutures of the skull.\n\nNOTE 6. The paragraph thus commencing, and the verses comprised in it,\nare translated from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred\nnights.\n\nNOTE 7. It is a common custom for a Muslim, on a military expedition, or\nduring a long journey, especially in the desert, to carry his\ngrave-linen with him; for he is extremely careful that he may be buried\naccording to the law.[120] It seems to be implied in our tale, that the\nmerchant hoped that the Jinnee, or some passing traveller, would wash,\nshroud, and bury him.\n\nNOTE 8. It is thus that the Arab women generally do on the occasion of a\nfuneral.\n\nNOTE 9.--_On the title of_ Sheykh. \"Sheykh\" is an appellation which\nliterally signifies \"an elder,\" or \"an aged person,\" and in this sense\nit is here used; but it is also commonly employed as synonymous with our\nappellation of \"Mister;\" and particularly applied to a learned man, or a\nreputed saint. In every case, it is a title of respect, and never given\nto any but a Muslim.\n\nNOTE 10. \"J\u00e1nn\" is here used as synonymous with \"Jinn.\"\n\nNOTE 11. A cousin (the daughter of a paternal uncle) is often chosen as\na wife, on account of the tie of blood, which is likely to attach her\nmore strongly to her husband; or on account of an affection conceived in\nearly years. The various customs relating to marriage, I shall describe\non a future occasion.\n\nNOTE 12. A bride is called young, by the Arabs, when she is about twelve\nyears of age. In the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights,\nthe wife in this tale is said to have been of this age when she was\nfirst married.\n\nNOTE 13.--_On Slaves._ A slave, among Muslims, is either a person taken\ncaptive in war, or carried off by force, and being at the time of\ncapture an infidel; or the offspring of a female slave by another slave,\nor by any man who is not her owner, or by her owner, if he does not\nacknowledge himself to be the father: but the offspring of a male slave\nby a free woman is free. A person who embraces the Mohammadan faith\nafter having been made a slave, does not by this act become free, unless\nhe flees from a foreign infidel master to a Muslim country, and there\nbecomes a Mohammadan. A person cannot have as a slave one whom he\nacknowledges to be within the prohibited degrees of marriage.[121]--The\nslaves of the Arabs are mostly from Abyssinia and the Negro countries: a\nfew, mostly in the houses of wealthy individuals, are from Georgia and\nCircassia.\n\nSlaves have no civil liberty; but are entirely under the authority of\ntheir owners, whatever may be the religion, sex, or age, of the latter;\nand can possess no property, unless by the owner's permission. The owner\nis entire master, while he pleases, of the person and goods of his\nslave; and of the offspring of his female slave, which, if begotten by\nhim or presumed to be so, he may recognise as his own legitimate child,\nor not: the child, if recognised by him, enjoys the same privileges as\nthe offspring of a free wife; and if not recognised by him, is his\nslave. The master may even kill his own slave with impunity for any\noffence; and he incurs but a slight punishment (as imprisonment for a\nperiod at the discretion of the judge) if he kills him wantonly. He may\ngive away or sell his slaves, excepting in some cases which will be\nmentioned; and may marry them to whom he will, but not separate them\nwhen married. A slave, however, according to most of the doctors, cannot\nhave more than two wives at the same time. Unemancipated slaves, at the\ndeath of their master, become the property of his heirs; and when an\nemancipated slave dies, leaving no male descendants or collateral\nrelations, the former master is the heir; or, if he be dead, his heirs\ninherit the slave's property. As a slave enjoys less advantages than a\nfree person, the law, in some cases, ordains that his punishment for an\noffence shall be half of that to which the free is liable to the same\noffence, or even less than half: if it be a fine, or pecuniary\ncompensation, it must be paid by the owner, to the amount, if necessary,\nof the value of the slave, or the slave must be given in compensation.\n\nThe owner, but not the part-owner, may cohabit with any of his female\nslaves who is a Mohammadan, a Christian, or a Jewess, if he has not\nmarried her to another man; but not with two or more who are sisters, or\nwho are related to each other in any of the degrees which would prevent\ntheir both being his wives at the same time if they were free: after\nhaving so lived with one, he must entirely relinquish such intercourse\nwith her before he can do the same with another who is so related to\nher. He cannot have this intercourse with a pagan slave. A Christian or\nJew may have slaves, but not enjoy the privilege above mentioned with\none who is a Mohammadan. The master must wait a certain period\n(generally from a month to three months) after the acquisition of a\nfemale slave, before he can have such intercourse with her. If he find\nany fault in her within three days, he is usually allowed to return her.\n\nWhen a man, from being the husband, becomes the master, of a slave, the\nmarriage is dissolved, and he cannot continue to live with her but as\nher master, enjoying, however, all a master's privileges; unless he\nemancipates her; in which case he may again take her as his wife with\nher consent. In like manner, when a woman, from being the wife, becomes\nthe possessor, of a slave, the marriage is dissolved, and cannot be\nrenewed unless she emancipates him, and he consents to the re-union.\n\nComplete and immediate emancipation is sometimes granted to a slave\ngratuitously, or for a future pecuniary compensation. It is conferred by\nmeans of a written document, or by a verbal declaration (expressed in\nthe words, \"Thou art free,\" or some similar phrase) in the presence of\ntwo witnesses, or by returning the certificate of sale obtained from the\nformer owner. Future emancipation is sometimes covenanted to be granted\non the fulfilment of certain conditions; and more frequently, to be\nconferred on the occasion of the owner's death. In the latter case, the\nowner cannot sell the slave to whom he has made this promise: and, as he\ncannot alienate by will more than one-third of the whole property that\nhe leaves, the law ordains that, if the value of the said slave exceeds\nthat portion, the slave must obtain and pay the additional sum. When a\nfemale slave has borne a child to her master, and he acknowledges the\nchild to be his own, he cannot sell this slave, and she becomes free on\nhis death.\n\nAbyssinian and white female slaves are kept by many men of the middle\nand higher classes, and often instead of wives, as requiring less\nexpense, and being more subservient; but they are generally indulged\nwith the same luxuries as free ladies; their vanity is gratified by\ncostly dresses and ornaments, and they rank high above free servants; as\ndo also the male slaves. Those called Abyssinians appear to be a mixed\nrace between negroes and whites; and are from the territories of the\nGallas. They are mostly kidnapped and sold by their own countrymen. The\nnegro female slaves, as few of them have considerable personal\nattractions (which is not the case with the Abyssinians, many of whom\nare very beautiful), are usually employed only in cooking, and other\nmenial offices. The female slaves of the higher classes are often\ninstructed in plain needlework and embroidery, and sometimes in music\nand dancing. Formerly, many of them possessed sufficient literary\naccomplishments to quote largely from esteemed poems, or even to compose\nextemporary verses, which they would often accompany with the lute. The\ncondition of many concubine slaves is happy; and that of many, quite the\ncontrary. These, and all other slaves of either sex, are generally\ntreated with kindness; but at first they are usually importuned, and not\nunfrequently used with much harshness, to induce them to embrace the\nMohammadan faith; which almost all of them do. Their services are\ncommonly light: the usual office of the male white slave, who is called\n\"memlook,\" is that of a page, or a military guard. Eunuchs are employed\nas guardians of the women; but only in the houses of men of high rank,\nor of great wealth: on account of the important and confidential office\nwhich they fill, they are generally treated in public with especial\nconsideration. I used to remark, in Cairo, that few persons saluted me\nwith a more dignified and consequential air than these pitiable but\nself-conceited beings. Most of them are Abyssinians or Negroes. Indeed,\nthe slaves in general take too much advantage of the countenance of\ntheir masters, especially when they belong to men in power. The master\nis bound to afford his slaves proper food and clothing, or to let them\nwork for their own support, or to sell, give away, or liberate them. It\nis, however, considered disgraceful for him to sell a slave who has been\nlong in his possession; and it seldom happens that a master emancipates\na female slave, without marrying her to some man able to support her, or\notherwise providing for her.\n\nThe Prophet strongly enjoined the duty of kindness to slaves. \"Feed your\nmemlooks,\" said he, \"with food of that which ye eat, and clothe them\nwith such clothing as ye wear; and command them not to do that which\nthey are unable.\"[122]--These precepts are generally attended to, either\nentirely or in a great degree. Some other sayings of the Prophet on this\nsubject well deserve to be mentioned; as the following:--\"He who beats\nhis slave without fault, or slaps him on the face, his atonement for\nthis is freeing him.\"--\"A man who behaves ill to his slave will not\nenter into paradise.\"--\"Whoever is the cause of separation between\nmother and child, by selling or giving, God will separate him from his\nfriends on the day of resurrection.\"--\"When a slave wishes well to his\nmaster, and worships God well, for him are double rewards.\"[123]--It is\nrelated of 'Othm\u00e1n, \"that he twisted the ear of a memlook belonging to\nhim, on account of disobedience, and afterwards, repenting of it,\nordered him to twist _his_ ear in like manner: but he would not. 'Othm\u00e1n\nurged him, and the memlook advanced, and began to wring it by little and\nlittle. He said to him, 'Wring it hard; for I cannot endure the\npunishment of the day of judgment [on account of this act].' The memlook\nanswered, 'O my master, the day that thou fearest, I also fear.'\"--\"It\nis related also of Zeyn-el-'\u00c1bideen, that he had a memlook who seized a\nsheep, and broke its leg; and he said to him, 'Why didst thou this?' He\nanswered, 'To provoke thee to anger.' 'And I,' said he, 'will provoke to\nanger him who taught thee; and he is Iblees: go, and be free, for the\nsake of God.'\"[124]--Many similar anecdotes might be added; but the\ngeneral assertions of travellers in the East are more satisfactory\nevidence in favour of the humane conduct of most Muslims to their\nslaves.\n\nIt sometimes happens, though rarely, that free girls are sold as\nslaves.[125] A remarkable instance is related in the \"Mir-\u00e1t\nez-Zem\u00e1n.\"[126]--F\u00e1\u1e6dimeh, surnamed Ghareeb, a slave of the Khaleefeh\nEl-Mo\u1ea1ta\u1e63im, the son of H\u00e1roon, was a poetess, accomplished in singing\nand calligraphy, and extremely beautiful. Her mother was an orphan; and\nJa\u1ea1far, the famous Wezeer of H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed, took her as his wife;\nbut his father, Ya\u1e25y\u00e0, reproached him for marrying a woman whose father\nand mother were unknown, and he therefore removed her from his own\nresidence to a neighbouring house, where he frequently visited her; and\nshe bore him a daughter, the above-mentioned Ghareeb, and died. Ja\u1ea1far\ncommitted her infant to the care of a Christian woman, to nurse; and, on\nthe overthrow of his family, this woman sold her young charge as a\nslave. El-Emeen, the successor of Er-Rasheed, bought her of a man named\nSumbul, but never paid her price; and when he was killed, she returned\nto her former master; but on the arrival of El-Ma-moon at Baghd\u00e1d, she\nwas described to him, and he compelled Sumbul to sell her to him. This\nSumbul loved her so passionately, that he died of grief at her loss. On\nthe death of El-Ma-moon, his successor, El-Mo\u1ea1ta\u1e63im, bought her for a\nhundred thousand dirhems, and emancipated her. The historian adds, that\nshe composed several well-known airs and verses.\n\nNOTE 14. An Arab who is married to his cousin generally calls her by\nthis appellation rather than that of wife, as the tie of blood is, to\nhim, in every respect, stronger than that of matrimony.\n\nNOTE 15.--_On Magic._ The Arabs and other Mohammadans enjoy a remarkable\nadvantage over _us_ in the composition of works of fiction: in the\ninvention of incidents which _we_ should regard as absurd in the\nextreme, _they_ cannot be accused by their countrymen of exceeding the\nbounds of probability. A case similar to that here described was related\nto me as a fact, in Cairo. A person in that city, I was told, was\nsuddenly surprised by the disappearance of his brother, and by finding,\nin his place, an ass: but this animal increased his astonishment, and\nthat of every person who beheld him, by manifesting a sagacity\nsingularly opposed to the proverbial dulness of the generality of his\nspecies. Yet, strange as it may seem, it was not imagined that this\nbrute was the lost man in a transformed state, till, one day, an old\nwoman, seeing him, quickly covered her face, and declared the fact. She\ndiscovered this by her knowledge of magic; and, by her skill in this\nart, she agreed to restore the enchanted person to his proper shape.\nHaving collected a number of herbs, she boiled them in a large vessel;\nand when the decoction had cooled, she took the vessel, and, muttering a\ncertain spell, threw its contents over the animal, endeavouring to do so\nin such a manner that every part of it should be wetted. Every part of\nit _was_ wetted, excepting one hind-foot; and, accordingly, it was\nrestored to the original human form, with the exception of one foot,\nwhich remained like that of an ass.\n\nAn implicit belief in magic is entertained by almost all Muslims; and\nhe, among them, who denies its truth, they regard as a freethinker, or\nan infidel. Some are of opinion that it ceased on the mission of\nMo\u1e25ammad; but these are comparatively few. Many of the most learned\nMuslims, to the present age, have deeply studied it; and a much greater\nnumber of persons of inferior education (particularly school-masters)\nhave, more or less, devoted their time and talents to the pursuit of\nthis knowledge. Recourse is had to it for the discovery of hidden\ntreasures, for alchymical purposes, for the acquisition of the knowledge\nof futurity, to procure offspring, to obtain the affection of a beloved\nobject, to effect cures, to guard against the influence of the evil eye,\nto afflict or kill an enemy or a rival, and to attain various other\nobjects of desire.\n\nThere are two descriptions of magic; one is spiritual, and regarded by\nall but freethinkers as true; the other, natural, and denounced by the\nmore religious and enlightened as deceptive.\n\nI. Spiritual magic, which is termed \"er-Roo\u1e25\u00e1nee\" (vulgo \"Row\u1e25\u00e1nee\"),\nchiefly depends upon the virtues of certain names of God, and passages\nfrom the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and the agency of Angels and Jinn, or Genii. It is of\ntwo kinds: High and Low (\"'Ilwee\" and \"Suflee\"), or Divine and Satanic\n(\"Ra\u1e25m\u00e1nee,\" _i. e._ relating to \"the Compassionate\" [who is God], and\n\"Shey\u1e6d\u00e1nee\").\n\n1. Divine magic is regarded as a sublime science, and is studied only by\ngood men, and practised only for good purposes. Perfection in this\nbranch of magic consists in the knowledge of \"the most great name\" of\nGod (\"el-Ism el A\u1ea1\u1e93am\"); but this knowledge is imparted to none but the\npeculiar favourites of Heaven. By virtue of this name, which was\nengraved on his seal-ring, Suleym\u00e1n (or Solomon) subjected to his\ndominion the Jinn and the birds and the winds, as mentioned in a former\nnote. By pronouncing it, his minister \u00c1\u1e63af, also, transported, in an\ninstant, to the presence of his sovereign, in Jerusalem, the throne of\nthe Queen of Sheba.[127] But this was a small miracle to effect by such\nmeans; for, by uttering this name, a man may even raise the dead. Other\nnames of the Deity, commonly known, are believed to have particular\nefficacies when uttered or written; as also are the names of the\nProphet; and Angels and good Jinn are said to be rendered subservient to\nthe purposes of divine magic by means of certain invocations. Of such\nnames and invocations, together with words unintelligible to the\nuninitiated in this science, passages from the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, mysterious\ncombinations of numbers, and peculiar diagrams and figures, are chiefly\ncomposed written charms employed for good purposes. Enchantment, when\nused for benevolent purposes, is regarded by the vulgar as a branch of\nlawful or divine magic; but not so by the learned; and the same remark\napplies to the science of divination.\n\n2. Satanic magic, as its name implies, is a science depending on the\nagency of the Devil and the inferior evil Jinn, whose services are\nobtained by means similar to those which propitiate, or render\nsubservient, the good Jinn. It is condemned by the Prophet and all good\nMuslims, and only practised for bad purposes.--Enchantment, which is\ntermed \"es-Se\u1e25r,\" is almost universally acknowledged to be a branch of\nsatanic magic; but some few persons assert (agreeably with several tales\nin this work), that it _may_ be, and by some _has_ been, studied with\ngood intentions, and practised by the aid of good Jinn; consequently,\nthat there is such a science as _good_ enchantment, which is to be\nregarded as a branch of _divine_ or _lawful_ magic. The metamorphoses\nare said to be generally effected by means of spells, or invocations to\nJinn, accompanied by the sprinkling of water or dust, &c., on the object\nto be transformed. Persons are said to be enchanted in various ways:\nsome, paralyzed, or even deprived of life; others, affected with\nirresistible passion for certain objects; others, again, rendered\ndemoniacs; and some, transformed into brutes, birds, &c. The evil eye is\nbelieved to enchant in a very powerful and distressing manner. This was\nacknowledged even by the Prophet.[128] Diseases and death are often\nattributed to its influence. Amulets, which are mostly written charms,\nof the kind above described, are worn by many Muslims with the view of\ncounteracting, or preserving from, enchantment; and for the same\npurpose, many ridiculous ceremonies are practised.--Divination, which is\ntermed \"el-Kih\u00e1neh,\" is pronounced, on the highest authority, to be a\nbranch of satanic magic; though not believed to be so by all Muslims.\nAccording to an assertion of the Prophet, what a fortune-teller says may\nsometimes be true; because one of the Jinn steals away the truth, and\ncarries it to the magician's ear: for the Angels come down to the region\nnext the earth (the lowest heaven), and mention the works that have been\npre-ordained in heaven; and the Devils (or evil Jinn) listen to what the\nAngels say, and hear the orders predestined in heaven, and carry them to\nthe fortune-tellers. It is on such occasions that shooting-stars are\nhurled at the Devils.[129] It is said that \"the diviner obtains the\nservices of the Shey\u1e6d\u00e1n by magic arts, and by names [invoked], and by\nthe burning of perfumes, and he informs him of secret things: for the\nDevils, before the mission of the Apostle of God,\" it is added, \"used to\nascend to heaven, and hear words by stealth.\"[130] That the evil Jinn\nare believed still to ascend sufficiently near to the lowest heaven to\nhear the conversation of the Angels, and so to assist magicians, appears\nfrom the former quotation, and is asserted by all Muslims. The discovery\nof hidden treasures, before alluded to, is one of the objects for which\ndivination is most studied.--The mode of divination called \"\u1e0carb\nel-Mendel\" is by some supposed to be effected by the aid of evil Jinn;\nbut the more enlightened of the Muslims regard it as a branch of natural\nmagic. Some curious performances of this kind, by means of a fluid\nmirror of ink, have been described in my \"Account of the Manners and\nCustoms of the Modern Egyptians,\" and in No. 117 of the \"Quarterly\nReview.\"[131]\n\nThere are certain modes of divination which cannot properly be classed\nunder the head of spiritual magic, but require a place between the\naccount of this science and that of natural magic.--The most important\nof these branches of Kih\u00e1neh is Astrology, which is called \"'Ilm\nen-Nujoom.\" This is studied by many Muslims in the present day; and its\nprofessors are often employed by the Arabs to determine a fortunate\nperiod for laying the foundation of a building, commencing a journey,\n&c.; but more frequently by the Persians and Turks. The Prophet\npronounced astrology to be a branch of magic.[132]--Another branch of\nKih\u00e1neh is Geomancy, called \"\u1e0carb er-Raml;\" a mode of divination from\ncertain marks made on sand (whence its appellation), or on paper; and\nsaid to be chiefly founded on astrology.--The science called \"ez-Zijr,\"\nor \"el-'Ey\u00e1feh,\" is a third branch of Kih\u00e1neh; being divination or\nauguration chiefly from the motions and positions, or postures, of\nbirds, or of gazelles and other beasts of the chase. Thus, what was\ntermed a \"S\u00e1ne\u1e25,\" that is, such an animal standing or passing with its\nright side towards the spectator, was esteemed among the Arabs as of\ngood omen; and a \"B\u00e1re\u1e25,\" or an animal of this kind with its left side\ntowards the spectator, was held as inauspicious.[133]--\"El-\u1e32iy\u00e1feh,\"\nunder which term are included Chiromancy and its kindred sciences, is a\nfourth branch of Kih\u00e1neh.--\"Et-Tef\u00e1-ul,\" or the taking an omen,\nparticularly a good one, from a name or words accidentally heard or\nseen, or chosen from a book, belongs to the same science. The taking a\n\"f\u00e1l,\" or omen, from the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n is generally held to be lawful.--Various\ntrifling events are considered as ominous. For instance, a Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\nquitting his palace with his troops, a standard happened to strike a\n\"thureiy\u00e0\" (a cluster of lamps, so called from resembling the Pleiades),\nand broke them: he drew from this an evil omen, and would have\nrelinquished the expedition; but one of his chief officers said\nto him, \"O our lord, thy standards have reached the Pleiades;\"--and,\nbeing relieved by this remark, he proceeded, and returned\nvictorious.[134]--The interpretation of dreams, \"Ta\u1ea1beer el-Men\u00e1m\u00e1t,\"\nmust also be classed among the branches of this science. According to\nthe Prophet, it is the only branch of divination worthy of dependance.\n\"Good dreams,\" said he, \"are one of the parts of prophecy,\" and \"nothing\nelse of prophecy remains.\" \"Good dreams are from God; and false dreams,\nfrom the Devil.\" \"When any one of you has a bad dream, spit three times\nover your left shoulder, and seek protection with God from the Devil\nthrice; and turn from the side on which the dream was, to the\nother.\"[135] This rule is observed by many Muslims. Dreams are generally\nso fully relied upon by them as to be sometimes the means of deciding\ncontested points in history and science. The sight, in a dream, of\nanything green or white, or of water, is considered auspicious; anything\nblack or red, or fire, inauspicious.--The distinction of fortunate and\nunfortunate days should also here be mentioned. Thursday and Friday,\nespecially the latter, are considered fortunate; Monday and Wednesday,\ndoubtful; Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday, especially the last,\nunfortunate. It is said that there are seven evil days in every [lunar]\nmonth; namely, the third, on which \u1e32\u00e1beel (or Cain) killed H\u00e1beel\n(Abel); the fifth, on which God cast down Adam from paradise, and\nafflicted the people of Yoonus (Jonas), and on which Yoosuf (or Joseph)\nwas cast into the well; the thirteenth, on which God took away the\nwealth of Eiyoob (or Job), and afflicted him, and took away the kingdom\nfrom Suleym\u00e1n (or Solomon), and on which the Jews killed the prophets;\nthe sixteenth, on which God exterminated and buried the people of Loo\u1e6d\n(or Lot), and transformed three hundred Christians into swine, and Jews\ninto apes, and on which the Jews sawed asunder Zekereey\u00e0 (or Zachariah);\nthe twenty-first, on which Pharaoh was born, and on which he was\ndrowned, and on which his nation was afflicted with the plagues; the\ntwenty-fourth, on which Numrood[136] (or Nimrod) killed seventy women,\nand cast El-Khaleel (or Abraham) into the fire, and on which was\nslaughtered the camel of \u1e62\u00e1le\u1e25; and the twenty-fifth, on which the\nsuffocating wind was sent upon the people of Hood.[137]\n\nII. Natural magic, which is called \"es-Seemiy\u00e0,\" is regarded by most\npersons of the more enlightened classes of Muslims as altogether a\ndeceptive art, no more worthy of respect than legerdemain; but it seems\nto be nearly allied to enchantment; for it is said to effect, in\nappearance, the most wonderful transformations, and to cause the most\nextraordinary visions; affecting the senses and imagination in a manner\nsimilar to opium. This and other drugs are supposed, by some persons, to\nbe the chief means by which such illusions are caused; and perfumes,\nwhich are generally burnt in these performances, may operate in a\nsimilar manner. As such things are employed in performances of the kind\ncalled \"\u1e0carb el-Mendel,\" before mentioned, these feats are regarded by\nmany as effected by natural magic, notwithstanding what has been said\nabove respecting the services of evil Jinn being procured by means of\nperfumes.--Alchymy (\"el-Keemiy\u00e0\") is a branch of natural magic. It is\nstudied by many Muslims of the present day, and by some of considerable\ntalents and attainments.\n\nThe most celebrated of the magicians who have gained notoriety in Egypt\nduring the course of the last hundred years, was the sheykh A\u1e25mad\n\u1e62\u00e1doomeh, who flourished somewhat more than sixty years ago--I write in\n1837. Several persons of Cairo, men of intelligence and of good\neducation, have related to me various most marvellous stories of his\nperformances, on the authority of eye-witnesses whom they considered\nveracious; but a more credible account of this magician I have found in\nthe work of an excellent historian of Modern Egypt. This author mentions\nthe sheykh \u1e62\u00e1doomeh as an aged man, of venerable appearance, who derived\nhis origin from the town of Semennood, in the Delta, and who acquired a\nvery great and extensive celebrity for his attainments in spiritual and\nnatural magic, and for holding converse, face to face, with Jinn, and\ncausing them to appear to other persons, even to the blind, as men\nacquainted with him informed the historian. His contemporaries, says\nthis writer, entertained various opinions respecting him; but, among\nthem, a famous grammarian and general scholar, the sheykh \u1e24asan\nEl-Kafr\u00e1wee, regarded him as a first-rate saint, who performed evident\nmiracles; this learned man pronouncing as such the effects of \"his\nlegerdemain and natural magic.\" His fame he describes as having\nincreased until he was induced to try an unlucky experiment. A Memlook\nchief, Yoosuf Bey, saw some magic characters written on the body of one\nof his female slaves, and, exasperated by jealousy, commanded her, with\na threat of instant death, to tell him who had done this. She confessed\nthat a woman had taken her to the sheykh \u1e62\u00e1doomeh, and that he had\nwritten this charm to attract to her the Bey's love. Upon hearing this,\nhe instantly sent some attendants to seize the magician, and to put him\nto death, and throw him into the Nile; which was done.[138] But the\nmanner in which the seizure was made, as related to me by one of my\nfriends, deserves to be mentioned. Several persons, one after another,\nendeavoured to lay hold upon him; but every arm that was stretched forth\nfor this purpose was instantly paralyzed, through a spell muttered by\nthe magician; until a man behind him thrust a gag into his mouth, and so\nstopped his enchantments.\n\nOf the stories related to me of \u1e62\u00e1doomeh's miracles, the following will\nserve as a specimen:--In order to give one of his friends a treat, he\ntook him to the distance of about half an hour's walk into the desert on\nthe north of Cairo; here they both sat down, upon the pebbly and sandy\nplain, and, the magician having uttered a spell, they suddenly found\nthemselves in the midst of a garden, like one of the gardens of\nparadise, abounding with flowers and fruit-trees of every kind,\nspringing up from a soil clothed with verdure brilliant as the emerald,\nand irrigated by numerous streamlets of the clearest water. A repast of\nthe most delicious viands and fruits and wines was spread before them by\ninvisible hands; and they both ate to satiety, taking copious draughts\nof the various wines. At length, the magician's guest sank into a deep\nsleep; and when he awoke, he found himself again in the pebbly and sandy\nplain, with \u1e62\u00e1doomeh still by his side.--The reader will probably\nattribute this vision to a dose of opium or some similar drug; and such\nI suppose to have been the means employed; for I cannot doubt the\nintegrity of the narrator, though he would not admit such an\nexplanation; regarding the whole as an affair of magic, effected by the\noperation of Jinn, like similar relations in the present work.\n\nIt may be remarked that most of the enchantments described in this work\nare said to be performed by _women_; and reputed _witches_ appear to\nhave been much more numerous in all countries than _wizards_. This fact\nthe Muslims readily explain by a saying of their Prophet:--That women\nare deficient in sense and religion:--whence they argue that they are\nmore inclined than men to practise what is unlawful.\n\nNOTE 16.--_On the Two Grand Festivals._ The Muslims observe two grand\n'Eeds, or Festivals, in every year. The first of these immediately\nfollows Rama\u1e0d\u00e1n, the month of abstinence, and lasts three days: it is\ncalled the Minor Festival. The other, which is called the Great\nFestival, commences on the tenth of Zu-l-\u1e24ejjeh, the day when the\npilgrims, halting on their return from Mount 'Araf\u00e1t to Mekkeh, in the\nValley of Min\u00e8 (vulgarly called Mun\u00e0), perform their sacrifice: the\nobservance of this festival also continues three days, or four.\n\nEarly in the first morning, on each of these festivals, the Muslim is\nrequired to perform a lustration of his whole person, as on the mornings\nof Friday; and on the first morning of the Minor Festival, he should\nbreak his fast with a few dates or some other light food; but on the\nGreat Festival, he abstains from food until he has acquitted himself of\nthe religious duties now to be mentioned. Soon after sunrise, on the\nfirst day of each festival, the men, dressed in new or in their best\nclothes, repair to the mosque, or to a particular place appointed for\nthe performance of the prayers of the 'Eed. On going thither, they\nshould repeat, frequently, \"God is most great!\"--this, on the Minor\nFestival, they should do inaudibly: on the other, aloud. The\ncongregation, having assembled, repeat the prayers of two rek'ahs; after\nwhich, the Kha\u1e6deeb recites a khu\u1e6dbeh; _i. e._ an exhortation and a\nprayer. On each of these festivals, in the mosque, or place of prayer,\nand in the street, and at each other's houses, friends congratulate and\nembrace one another; generally paying visits for this purpose; and the\ngreat receive visits from their dependants. The young, on these\noccasions, kiss the right hand of the aged; and servants or dependants\ndo the same to their masters or superiors, unless the latter be of high\nrank, in which case they kiss the end of the hanging sleeve, or the\nskirt of the outer garment. Most of the shops are closed, excepting\nthose at which eatables and sweet drinks are sold; but the streets are\nfilled with people in their holiday clothes.\n\nOn the Minor Festival, which, as it terminates an arduous fast, is\ncelebrated with more rejoicing than the other,[139] servants and other\ndependants receive presents of new articles of clothing from their\nmasters or patrons; and the servant receives presents of small sums of\nmoney from his master's friends, whom, if they do not visit his master,\nhe goes to congratulate; as well as from any former master, to whom he\noften takes a plateful of ka\u1e25ks. These are sweet cakes, or biscuits, of\nan annular form, composed of flour and butter, with a little 'ajameeyeh\n(which is a thick paste consisting of butter, honey, a little flour, and\nsome spices) inside. They are also often sent as presents on this\noccasion by other people. Another custom required of the faithful on\nthis festival is the giving of alms.\n\nOn the Great Festival, after the prayers of the congregation, every one\nwho can afford it performs, with his own hand, or by that of a deputy, a\nsacrifice of a ram, he-goat, cow or buffalo, or she-camel; part of the\nmeat of which he eats, and part he gives to the poor, or to his friends\nor dependants. The ram or goat should be at least one year old; the cow\nor buffalo, two years; and the camel, five years; and the victim should\nnot have any considerable mutilation or infirmity. A cow or buffalo, or\na camel, is a sufficient sacrifice for seven persons. The clothes which\nwere put on new at the former festival are generally worn on this\noccasion; and the presents which are given to servants and others are\nusually somewhat less.\n\nOn each of the two festivals it is also customary, especially with the\nwomen, to visit the tombs of relations. The party generally take with\nthem a palm-branch, and place it, broken in several pieces, or merely\nits leaves, upon the tomb or monument; or some, instead of this, place\nsweet basil or other flowers. They also usually provide themselves with\nsweet cakes, bread, dates, or some other kind of food, to distribute to\nthe poor. But their first duty, on arriving at the tomb, is to recite\nthe F\u00e1te\u1e25ah (the opening Chapter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n), or to employ a person\nto recite previously a longer chapter; generally the thirty-sixth (or\nSoorat Y\u00e1-Seen); or even the whole of the book: or sometimes the\nvisiters recite the F\u00e1te\u1e25ah, and, after having hired a person to perform\na longer recitation, go away before he commences. The women often stay\nall the days of the festival in the cemeteries, either in tents, or in\nhouses of their own, erected there for their reception on these and\nother occasions. The tent of each party surrounds the tomb which is the\nobject of their visit. In the outskirts of the cemeteries, swings and\nwhirligigs are erected; and story-tellers, dancers, and jugglers, amuse\nthe populace.\n\nNOTE 17.--_On the Mode of Slaughtering of Animals for Food._ In the old\ntranslation, the sheykh is described as preparing to slaughter the cow\nwith a _mallet_. This is a mistake of a serious nature; as the flesh of\nthe victim, if so killed, would be legally unclean. The Muslims are\nrequired to slaughter animals for food in a particular manner. Sheep,\ngoats, cows or bulls, and buffaloes, must be killed by cutting the\nthroat, at the part next the head, or any other part; dividing the\nwindpipe, gullet, and carotid arteries. The camel is to be slaughtered\nby _stabbing_ the throat at the part next the breast. Poultry, also,\nmust be killed by cutting the throat; and so must every tame animal of\nwhich the flesh is lawful food. The slaughterer, in every case, must be\na Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew; of either sex. On commencing the\noperation, he must say, \"In the name of God! God is most great!\"--or at\nleast, \"In the name of God!\"--but not add, \"the Compassionate, the\nMerciful\"--for an obvious reason. Birds or beasts of the chase may be\nkilled by an arrow, a dog, a hawk, &c.; but the name of God must be\nuttered at the time of discharging the arrow, or slipping the dog, &c.\nWhen the beast or bird is not killed at once by the arrow, &c., it must\nbe slaughtered as soon as possible, in the same manner as sheep and\npoultry: the law, as well as humanity, requires this.\n\nNOTE 18.--_On the Influence of Eloquence and Tales upon the Arabs._ The\nmain incident upon which this work is founded, the triumph of the\nfascination of the tongue over a cruel and unjust determination which\nnothing else could annul, might be regarded, by persons unacquainted\nwith the character and literature of the Arabs, as a contrivance too\nimprobable in its nature; but such is not the case. Perhaps there are no\nother people in the world who are such enthusiastic admirers of\nliterature, and so excited by romantic tales, as those above named.\nEloquence, with them, is lawful magic: it exercises over their minds an\nirresistible influence. \"I swear by God,\" said their Prophet, \"verily\nabuse of infidels in verse is worse to them than arrows.\"[140] This, of\ncourse, alludes to _Arab_ unbelievers.\n\nIn the purest, or Heroic Age of Arabic literature, which was anterior to\nthe triumph of the Mohammadan religion, the conquest which the love of\neloquence could achieve over the sanguinary and vindictive feelings of\nthe Arabs was most remarkably exemplified in the annual twenty days'\nfair of 'Ok\u00e1\u1e93, or 'Ok\u00e1\u1e0dh. Respecting this fair, I shall here insert a\nfew particulars borrowed from an author who is at present devoting\ntalents of the very highest order to the study and illustration of the\nhistory and literature of the early Arabs, and to whose conversation and\nwritings I must acknowledge myself indebted for most valuable\ninformation, which will often be of great utility to me in this\nundertaking, as well as in every branch of my Arabic studies.\n\nThe fair of 'Ok\u00e1\u1e93 \"was not only a great mart opened annually to all the\ntribes of Arabia; but it was also a literary congress, or rather a\ngeneral concourse of virtues, of glory and of poetry, whither the\nhero-poets resorted to celebrate their exploits in rhyming verse, and\npeacefully to contend for every kind of honour. This fair was held in\nthe district of Mekkeh, between E\u1e6d-\u1e6c\u00e1\u00eff and Nakhleh, and was opened at\nthe new moon of Zu-l-\u1e32a\u1ea1deh; that is to say, at the commencement of a\nperiod of three sacred months, during which all war was suspended, and\nhomicide interdicted.... How is it possible to conceive that men whose\nwounds were always bleeding, who had always acts of vengeance to\nexecute, vengeances to dread, could at a certain epoch impose silence\nupon their animosities, so as tranquilly to sit by a mortal enemy? How\ncould the brave who required the blood of a father, a brother, or a son,\naccording to the phraseology of the desert and of the Bible,[141] who\nlong, perhaps, had pursued in vain the murderer,--meet him, accost him\npeacefully at 'Ok\u00e1\u1e93, and only assault with cadences and rhymes him whose\npresence alone seemed to accuse him of impotence or cowardice,--him whom\nhe was bound to slay, under pain of infamy, after the expiration of the\ntruce? In fine, how could he hear a panegyric celebrating a glory\nacquired at his own expense, and sustain the fire of a thousand looks,\nand yet appear unmoved? Had the Arabs no longer any blood in their veins\nduring the continuance of the fair?--These questions, so\nembarrassing, ... were determined [to a great degree], during the age of\nArab paganism, in a manner the most simple and most refined.--At the\nfair of 'Ok\u00e1\u1e93, the heroes were masked [or veiled].--In the recitations\nand improvisations, the voice of the orator was aided by that of a\nrhapsodist or crier, who was stationed near him, and repeated his words.\nThere is a similar office in the public prayers: it is that of the\nmuballigh (transmitter), who is employed to repeat in a loud voice what\nis said in a lower tone by the Im\u00e1m. These two facts have been revealed\nto me by the same manuscript which I am translating, and upon which I am\ncommenting. The use of the mask [or veil] might, however, be either\nadopted or dispensed with, _ad libitum_; as is proved by the narratives\nof a great number of quarrels begun and ended at 'Ok\u00e1\u1e93.... It was in\nthis congress of the Arab poets (and almost every warriour was a poet at\nthe age which I am considering) that the dialects of Arabia became fused\ninto a magic language, the language of the \u1e24ej\u00e1z, which Mo\u1e25ammad made\nuse of to subvert the world; for the triumph of Mo\u1e25ammad is nothing else\nthan the triumph of speech.\"[142]--The \u1e32ur-\u00e1n is regarded by the Arabs\nas an everlasting miracle, surpassing all others, appealing to the\nunderstanding of every generation by its inimitable eloquence. A\nstronger proof of the power of language over their minds could hardly be\nadduced; unless it be their being capable of receiving as a credible\nfact the tradition that both genii and men were attracted by the\neloquent reading of David, when he recited the Psalms; that the wild\nbeasts and the birds were alike fascinated; and that sometimes there\nwere borne out from his assembly as many as four hundred corpses of men\nwho died from the excessive delight with which he thus inspired\nthem.[143] It may be added that the recitation, or chanting, of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n is a favourite means of amusing the guests at modern private\nfestivities.\n\nIn what may be termed the Middle Age of Arabic literature, commencing\nfrom the triumph of the Mohammadan religion, and extending to the\nfoundation of the Empire of Baghd\u00e1d, the power of eloquence over the\neducated classes of the Arabs probably increased in proportion as it\nbecame less familiar to them: for, early in this age, they began to\nsimplify their spoken language in consequence of their intercourse with\nstrangers, who could not generally acquire the difficult, old dialect of\ntheir conquerors: this, therefore, then began to be confined to literary\ncompositions. That such a change took place at this period appears from\nseveral anecdotes interspersed in Arabic works. The Khaleefeh El-Weleed\n(who reigned near the close of the first century of the Flight), the son\nof 'Abd-El-Melik, spoke so corrupt a dialect that he often could not\nmake himself understood by the Arabs of the desert. A ridiculous\ninstance of the mistakes occasioned by his use of the simplified\nlanguage which is now current is related by Abu-l-Fid\u00e0. The same author\nadds, that the father and predecessor of this prince was a man of\neloquence, and that he was grieved by the corrupt speech of his son,\nwhich he considered as a defect that incapacitated him to be a future\nruler of the Arabs, as they were still great admirers of purity of\nspeech, though so large a proportion of them spoke a corrupt dialect;\nwherefore, he sent him to a house to be instructed by a grammarian; but\nafter the youth had remained there a long time, he returned to his\nfather more ignorant than before. Vulgarisms, however, would sometimes\nescape from the mouth of 'Abd-El-Melik himself; yet, so sensible was he\nto eloquence, that, when a learned man, with whom he was conversing,\nelegantly informed him of an error of this kind, he ordered his mouth to\nbe filled with jewels. \"These,\" said his courteous admonisher, \"are\nthings to be treasured up; not to be expended:\"--and for this delicate\nhint, he was further rewarded with thirty thousand pieces of silver, and\nseveral costly articles of apparel.[144]--It may be aptly added, that\nthis Khaleefeh was, in the beginning of his reign, an unjust monarch;\nand as he thus bore some slight resemblance to our Shahriy\u00e1r, so was he\nreclaimed to a sense of his duty by means somewhat similar. Being, one\nnight, unable to sleep, he called for a person to tell him a story for\nhis amusement. \"O Prince of the Faithful,\" said the man thus bidden,\n\"there was an owl in El-M\u00f3\u1e63il, and an owl in El-Ba\u1e63rah; and the owl of\nEl-M\u00f3\u1e63il demanded in marriage, for her son, the daughter of the owl of\nEl-Ba\u1e63rah: but the owl of El-Ba\u1e63rah said, 'I will not, unless thou give\nme, as her dowry, a hundred desolate farms.' 'That I cannot do,' said\nthe owl of El-M\u00f3\u1e63il, 'at present; but if our sovereign (may God, whose\nname be exalted, preserve him!) live one year, I will give thee what\nthou desirest.'\"--This simple fable sufficed to rouse the prince from\nhis apathy, and he thenceforward applied himself to fulfil the duties of\nhis station.[145]\n\nIn the most flourishing age of Arabic poetry and general literature and\nscience, commencing from the foundation of the Empire of Baghd\u00e1d, and\nextending to the conquest of Egypt by the 'Osm\u00e1nlee Turks, the influence\nof eloquent and entertaining language upon the character of the Arab\nsovereigns was particularly exemplified. A few illustrative anecdotes\nmay here be inserted.\n\nIt is related by El-A\u1e63ma'ee, that H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed, at a grand f\u00eate\nwhich he was giving, ordered the poet Abu-l-'At\u00e1hiyeh to depict, in\nverse, the voluptuous enjoyments of his sovereign. The poet began\nthus:--\n\n \"Live long in safe enjoyment of thy desires, under the shadow\n of lofty palaces!\"\n\n\"Well said!\" exclaimed Er-Rasheed: \"and what next?\"\n\n \"May thy wishes be abundantly fulfilled, whether at eventide\n or in the morning!\"\n\n\"Well!\" again said the Khaleefeh: \"then what next?\"\n\n \"But when the rattling breath struggles in the dark cavity\n of the chest.\n Then shalt thou know surely, that thou hast been only in\n the midst of illusions.\"\n\n--Er-Rasheed wept; and Fa\u1e0dl, the son of Ya\u1e25y\u00e0, said, \"The Prince of the\nFaithful sent for thee to divert him, and thou hast plunged him into\ngrief.\" \"Suffer him,\" said the prince; \"for he hath beheld us in\nblindness, and it displeased him to increase it.\"[146]\n\nThe family of the Barmekees (one of the most brilliant ornaments of\nwhich was the Wezeer Ja\u1ea1far, who has been rendered agreeably familiar to\nus by the many scenes in which he is introduced in the present work)\nearned a noble and enduring reputation by their attachment to\nliterature, and the magnificent rewards they conferred on learned men.\nIt was peculiarly hard, therefore, that literature contributed to their\nmelancholy overthrow. Poets were employed by their enemies to compose\nsongs artfully pointed against them, to be sung before the prince to\nwhom they owed their power. Of one of these songs, the following lines\nformed a part:--\n\n \"Would that Hind had fulfilled the promises she made us, and healed\n the disease under which we suffer!\n That she had once, at least, acted for herself! for imbecile, indeed,\n is he who doth not so.\"\n\n\"Yea! By Allah! Imbecile!\" exclaimed the Khaleefeh, on hearing these\nverses: his jealousy was roused; and his vengeance soon after fell\nheavily upon his former favourites.[147]\n\nOne of the Khaleefehs having invited the poets of his day to his palace,\na Bedawee, carrying a water-jar to fill at the river, followed them, and\nentered with them. The Khaleefeh, seeing this poor man with the jar on\nhis shoulder, asked him what brought him thither. He returned for answer\nthese words:--\n\n \"Seeing that this company had girded on the saddles\n To repair to thy overflowing river, I came with my jar.\"\n\nThe Khaleefeh, delighted with his answer, gave orders to fill his jar\nwith gold.[148]\n\nIn the present declining age of Arabian learning (which may be said to\nhave commenced about the period of the conquest of Egypt by the\n'Osm\u00e1nlees), literary recreations still exert a magic influence upon the\nArabs. Compositions of a similar nature to the tales of a Thousand and\nOne Nights (though regarded by the learned as idle stories unworthy of\nbeing classed with their literature) enable numbers of professional\nstory-tellers to attract crowds of delighted listeners to the\ncoffee-shops of the East; and now that the original of the present work\nis printed, and to be purchased at a moderate price, it will probably\nsoon, in a great measure, supersede the romances of Aboo-Zeyd, E\u1e93-\u1e92\u00e1hir,\nand 'Antar. As a proof of the powerful fascinations with which the tales\nof a Thousand and One Nights affect the mind of a highly-enlightened\nMuslim, it may be mentioned that the latest native historian of Modern\nEgypt, the sheykh 'Abd-Er-Ra\u1e25m\u00e1n El-Jabartee, so delighted in their\nperusal that he took the trouble of refining the language of a copy of\nthem which he possessed, expunging or altering whatever was grossly\noffensive to morality without the somewhat redeeming quality of wit, and\nadding many faceti\u00e6 of his own, and of other literati. What has become\nof this copy, I have been unable, though acquainted with several of his\nfriends, to discover.\n\nNOTE 19. It is a common custom among the Muslims to give a present to a\nperson who brings good tidings. The word (bish\u00e1rah) which I render \"a\nreward for bringing good news,\" literally signifies merely \"good news;\"\nbut it is often used, as in this case, in the former sense.\n\nNOTE 20. A Mohammadan woman is not allowed to show her face to any men\nexcepting certain near relations and others whom the law prohibits her\nfrom marrying. Who these are will be mentioned in a future note,\ndescriptive of the general laws and ceremonies of marriage. Respectable\nfemales consider it a great disgrace to be seen unveiled by any men but\nthose above alluded to.\n\nNOTE 21.--_On the_ Deen\u00e1r _and_ Dirhem. The standards of gold and\nsilver coin, among the Arabs, were the deen\u00e1r and the dirhem: therefore,\nin this work, I call the former \"a piece of gold,\" and the latter \"a\npiece of silver.\" Their values have varied considerably at different\nperiods; but in the present work, we shall sufficiently approximate to\nthe truth, if we understand the average value of the former to be about\nten shillings or half a guinea; and that of the latter, about sixpence.\n\nNOTE 22.--_Description of Shops._ In Eastern cities, most of the great\nthoroughfare-streets, and many others, have a row of shops along each\nside, not communicating with the superstructures; which latter are\ndivided into separate lodgings, inhabited by different families, and\nseldom by the persons who rent the shops beneath. These streets are\ncalled, in Arabic, \"Soo\u1e33s;\" and are generally termed by us, \"B\u00e1z\u00e1rs.\" A\nwhole street of this description, or a portion of such a street,\ncommonly contains only or chiefly shops appropriated to a particular\ntrade; and is called the Soo\u1e33 of that trade. In general, the shop is a\nsmall recess or cell, about six or seven feet high, and between three\nand four feet wide, the floor of which is even with the top of a raised\nseat of stone or brick, called \"ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah,\" between two and three feet\nhigh, and about the same in breadth; upon which the shopkeeper usually\nsits.[149] The front of the shop is furnished with shutters; which, when\nclosed, at night, are secured by a wooden lock. Several of the\nengravings in this work will convey a better notion of shops of\ndifferent kinds than a more detailed description.\n\nNOTE 23. Distrust in his governors and relations and acquaintance often\ninduces an Arab to hide his money under the paved floor of a room, or in\nsome other place, in his house.\n\nNOTE 24. These words, \"I give myself to thee,\" uttered by a woman to a\nman, even without the presence of witnesses, if they cannot be easily\nprocured, render her his lawful wife, if he replies that he accepts her,\nand gives her a dowry.\n\nNOTE 25. I have substituted \"Jinneeyeh\" (agreeably with the Calcutta\nedition of the first two hundred nights, and because the context\nrequires it) for \"'Efreeteh,\" which signifies a powerful and evil female\ngenie.--The tale to which this note refers may be illustrated by the\nfollowing anecdote, which was related to me by a Persian with whom I was\nacquainted in Cairo, named Abu-l-\u1e32\u00e1sim, a native of Geel\u00e1n, then\nsuperintendent of the B\u00e1sh\u00e0's Printing-office at Bool\u00e1\u1e33.\n\nOne of this person's countrymen, whom he asserted to be a man of\nindubitable veracity, was sitting on the roof of a house which he had\nhired, overlooking the Ganges, and was passing the closing hour of the\nday, according to his usual custom, smoking his Persian pipe, and\nfeasting his eyes by gazing at the beautiful forms of Indian maidens\nbathing in the river, when he beheld among them one so lovely that his\nheart was overpowered with desire to have her for his wife. At nightfall\nshe came to him, and told him that she had observed his emotion, and\nwould consent to become his wife; but on the condition that he should\nnever admit another female to take or share her place, and that she\nshould only be with him in the night-time. They took the marriage-vow to\neach other, with none for their witness but God; and great was his\nhappiness, till, one evening, he saw again, among a group of girls in\nthe river, another who excited in him still more powerful emotions. To\nhis surprise, this very form stood before him at the approach of night.\nHe withstood the temptation, mindful of his marriage-vow: she used every\nallurement; but he was resolute. His fair visiter then told him that she\nwas his wife; that she was a Jinneeyeh; and that she would always\nthenceforward visit him in the form of any female whom he might chance\nto prefer.\n\nNOTE 26. This form of benediction is almost always added when the\nProphet is mentioned in a book by any of his followers, and often also\nin conversation.\n\nNOTE 27. Perhaps it is needless to explain this proverb by the words of\nthe Bible--\"Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.\" (Romans,\nxii. 19.) For the honour of the Muslims I must say that this maxim is\noften observed by them, excepting in cases to which the law of\nretaliation applies.\n\nNOTE 28. The houses in Arabian countries generally have flat roofs, upon\nwhich, in the summer, some of the inhabitants often sleep: the interior,\ntherefore, is as accessible from the roof as from the common entrance.\n\nNOTE 29. I here steer a middle course between my usual standard\ncopy--which gives the story of the third sheykh more fully than I have\ndone--and the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, which\nomits it altogether, as does also the copy from which the old\ntranslation was made, perhaps on account of its uninteresting nature.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n [111] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xiii. v. 39.\n\n [112] \"El-Ins\u00e1n el-K\u00e1mil,\" by 'Abd-El-Kereem El-Jeelee, quoted\n by El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee, in his account of Ibr\u00e1heem B\u00e1sh\u00e0 el-Ma\u1e33tool.\n\n [113] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. i. pp. 26-34.\n\n [114] Ibid.\n\n [115] Idem, vol. ii. p. 373.\n\n [116] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil wa-Murshid el-Muta\u00e4hhil, section 7.\n\n [117] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 381.\n\n [118] For a translation of the whole of this prayer, see\n \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. ii. ch, xii.\n\n [119] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. v. v. 35.\n\n [120] See \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. ii. ch. xv.\n\n [121] These degrees of relationship will be explained when I\n describe the customs relating to marriage.\n\n [122] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil wa-Murshid el-Muta\u00e4hhil, section 9.\n\n [123] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. pp. 140 and 141.\n\n [124] Nuzhet El-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., _loco laudato_.\n\n [125] See \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. i. ch. vii.\n\n [126] Events of the year 227.\n\n [127] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xxvii. v. 40; and Commentary of the Jel\u00e1leyn.\n\n [128] See \"Mish\u1e33\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25,\" vol. ii. p. 374.\n\n [129] Idem, vol ii. pp. 384, et seqq.\n\n [130] Account of the early Arabs, in the \"Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\"\n\n [131] During his last residence in Egypt, Mr. Lane thought he\n had discovered a clue to the means employed in these\n performances, but he afterwards found that there were cases\n which remained to him inexplicable.--ED.\n\n [132] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, _loco laudato_.\n\n [133] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, _loco laudato_.\n\n [134] El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee, in his account of the reign of El-Mo\u1ea1ta\u1e63im,\n the son of H\u00e1roon.\n\n [135] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 388.\n\n [136] Vulgarly pronounced Nemrood.\n\n [137] El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee, close of his account of the reign of\n El-Emeen.\n\n [138] El-Jabartee's Modern Egyptian History (MS. in my\n possession); account of the death of Yoosuf Bey, in the year of\n the Flight 1191; and account of the death of the sheykh \u1e24asan\n El-Kafr\u00e1wee, in the year 1202.\n\n [139] Hence it has been called by many travellers, and even by\n some learned Orientalists, the Great Feast; but it is never so\n called by the Arabs.\n\n [140] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 424.\n\n [141] Genesis ix. 5.\n\n [142] Lettres sur l'Histoire des Arabes avant l'Islamisme, par\n Fulgence Fresnel. Paris, 1836, pp. 31, et seqq.\n\n [143] El-Is-h\u00e1\u1e33ee.\n\n [144] El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee.\n\n [145] Idem.\n\n [146] Fakhr-ed-Deen, in De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i.\n p. 3 of the Arabic Text: 2nd edition.\n\n [147] Ibn-Khaldoon, _ubi supra_, vol. i. p. 124 of the Arabic\n text.\n\n [148] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt (MS. in my possession), chap. vii.\n\n [149] The ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah, with the picturesque Arab architecture of\n which it forms a part, is fast disappearing from Egypt. In\n Cairo and Alexandria, Mo\u1e25ammad 'Alee ordered that the ma\u1e63\u1e6dabahs\n in the thoroughfare-streets should be removed, or reduced to\n about a foot in width; and interdicted the erection of new\n meshrebeeyehs (projecting windows of lattice-work), although he\n allowed the old ones to remain.--ED.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nCOMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THIRD NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE\nNINTH.\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN.\n\nThere was a certain fisherman, advanced in age, who had a wife and three\nchildren; and though he was in indigent circumstances, it was his custom\nto cast his net, every day, no more than four times. One day he went\nforth at the hour of noon to the shore of the sea, and put down his\nbasket, and cast his net, and waited until it was motionless in the\nwater, when he drew together its strings, and found it to be heavy: he\npulled, but could not draw it up: so he took the end of the cord, and\nknocked a stake into the shore, and tied the cord to it. He then\nstripped himself, and dived round the net, and continued to pull until\nhe drew it out: whereupon he rejoiced, and put on his clothes; but when\nhe came to examine the net, he found in it the carcass of an ass. At the\nsight of this he mourned, and exclaimed, There is no strength nor power\nbut in God, the High, the Great! This is a strange piece of\nfortune!--And he repeated the following verse:--\n\n O thou who occupiest thyself in the darkness of night, and in peril!\n Spare thy trouble; for the support of Providence is not obtained\n by toil![II_1]\n\nHe then disencumbered his net of the dead ass, and wrung it out; after\nwhich he spread it, and descended into the sea, and--exclaiming, In the\nname of God!--cast it again, and waited till it had sunk and was still,\nwhen he pulled it, and found it more heavy and more difficult to raise\nthan on the former occasion. He therefore concluded that it was full of\nfish: so he tied it, and stripped, and plunged and dived, and pulled\nuntil he raised it, and drew it upon the shore; when he found in it only\na large jar, full of sand and mud; on seeing which, he was troubled in\nhis heart, and repeated the following words of the poet:--\n\n O angry fate, forbear! or, if thou wilt not forbear, relent!\n Neither favour from fortune do I gain, nor profit from the work\n of my hands,\n I came forth to seek my sustenance, but have found it to be exhausted.\n How many of the ignorant are in splendour! and how many of the wise,\n in obscurity!\n\nSo saying, he threw aside the jar, and wrung out and cleansed his net;\nand, begging the forgiveness of God for his impatience, returned to the\nsea the third time, and threw the net, and waited till it had sunk and\nwas motionless: he then drew it out, and found in it a quantity of\nbroken jars and pots.\n\nUpon this, he raised his head towards heaven, and said, O God, Thou\nknowest that I cast not my net more than four times; and I have now cast\nit three times! Then--exclaiming, In the name of God!--he cast the net\nagain into the sea, and waited till it was still; when he attempted to\ndraw it up, but could not, for it clung to the bottom. And he exclaimed,\nThere is no strength nor power but in God!--and stripped himself again,\nand dived round the net, and pulled it until he raised it upon the\nshore; when he opened it, and found in it a bottle[II_2] of brass,\nfilled with something, and having its mouth closed with a stopper of\nlead, bearing the impression of the seal of our lord Suleym\u00e1n.[II_3]\nAt the sight of this, the fisherman was rejoiced, and said, This I\nwill sell in the copper-market; for it is worth ten pieces of gold.\nHe then shook it, and found it to be heavy, and said, I must open it,\nand see what is in it, and store it in my bag; and then I will\nsell the bottle in the copper-market. So he took out a knife, and\npicked at the lead until he extracted it from the bottle. He then laid\nthe bottle on the ground, and shook it, that its contents might pour\nout; but there came forth from it nothing but smoke, which ascended\ntowards the sky, and spread over the face of the earth; at which he\nwondered excessively. And after a little while, the smoke collected\ntogether, and was condensed, and then became agitated, and was converted\ninto an 'Efreet, whose head was in the clouds, while his feet rested\nupon the ground:[II_4] his head was like a dome: his hands were\nlike winnowing forks;[II_5] and his legs, like masts: his mouth\nresembled a cavern: his teeth were like stones; his nostrils, like\ntrumpets;[II_6] and his eyes, like lamps; and he had dishevelled\nand dust-coloured hair.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen the fisherman beheld this 'Efreet, the muscles of his sides\nquivered, his teeth were locked together, his spittle dried up, and he\nsaw not his way. The 'Efreet, as soon as he perceived him, exclaimed,\nThere is no deity but God: Suleym\u00e1n is the Prophet of God. O Prophet of\nGod, slay me not; for I will never again oppose thee in word, or rebel\nagainst thee in deed!--O M\u00e1rid,[II_7] said the fisherman, dost thou say,\nSuleym\u00e1n is the Prophet of God? Suleym\u00e1n hath been dead a thousand and\neight hundred years; and we are now in the end of time. What is thy\nhistory, and what is thy tale, and what was the cause of thy entering\nthis bottle? When the M\u00e1rid heard these words of the fisherman, he said,\nThere is no deity but God! Receive news, O fisherman!--Of what, said the\nfisherman, dost thou give me news? He answered, Of thy being instantly\nput to a most cruel death. The fisherman exclaimed, Thou deservest, for\nthis news, O master of the 'Efreets, the withdrawal of protection from\nthee, O thou remote![II_8] Wherefore wouldst thou kill me? and what\nrequires thy killing me, when I have liberated thee from the bottle, and\nrescued thee from the bottom of the sea, and brought thee up upon the\ndry land?--The 'Efreet answered, Choose what kind of death thou wilt\ndie, and in what manner thou shalt be killed.--What is my offence, said\nthe fisherman, that this should be my recompense from thee? The 'Efreet\nreplied, Hear my story, O fisherman.--Tell it then, said the fisherman,\nand be short in thy words; for my soul hath sunk down to my feet.\n\nKnow then, said he, that I am one of the heretical Jinn: I rebelled\nagainst Suleym\u00e1n the son of D\u00e1ood: I and \u1e62akhr the Jinnee;[II_9]\nand he sent to me his Wezeer, \u00c1\u1e63af the son of Barkhiy\u00e0, who came upon me\nforcibly, and took me to him in bonds, and placed me before him: and\nwhen Suleym\u00e1n saw me, he offered up a prayer for protection against me,\nand exhorted me to embrace the faith, and to submit to his authority;\nbut I refused; upon which he called for this bottle, and confined me in\nit, and closed it upon me with the leaden stopper, which he stamped with\nthe Most Great Name: he then gave orders to the Jinn, who carried me\naway, and threw me into the midst of the sea. There I remained a hundred\nyears; and I said in my heart, Whosoever shall liberate me, I will\nenrich him for ever:--but the hundred years passed over me, and no one\nliberated me: and I entered upon another hundred years; and I said,\nWhosoever shall liberate me, I will open to him the treasures of the\nearth;--but no one did so: and four hundred years more passed over me,\nand I said, Whosoever shall liberate me, I will perform for him three\nwants:--but still no one liberated me. I then fell into a violent rage,\nand said within myself, Whosoever shall liberate me now, I will kill\nhim; and only suffer him to choose in what manner he will die. And lo,\nnow thou hast liberated me, and I have given thee thy choice of the\nmanner in which thou wilt die.\n\nWhen the fisherman had heard the story of the 'Efreet, he exclaimed, O\nAllah! that I should not have liberated thee but in such a time as this!\nThen said he to the 'Efreet, Pardon me, and kill me not, and so may God\npardon thee; and destroy me not, lest God give power over thee to one\nwho will destroy thee. The M\u00e1rid answered, I must positively kill thee;\ntherefore choose by what manner of death thou wilt die. The fisherman\nthen felt assured of his death; but he again implored the 'Efreet,\nsaying, Pardon me by way of gratitude for my liberating thee.--Why,\nanswered the 'Efreet, I am not going to kill thee but for that very\nreason, because thou hast liberated me.--O Sheykh of the 'Efreets, said\nthe fisherman, do I act kindly towards thee, and dost thou recompense me\nwith baseness? But the proverb lieth not that saith,--\n\n We did good to them, and they returned us the contrary; and such,\n by my life, is the conduct of the wicked.\n Thus he who acteth kindly to the undeserving is recompensed in\n the same manner as the aider of Umm-'\u00c1mir.[II_10]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe 'Efreet, when he heard these words, answered by saying, Covet not\nlife, for thy death is unavoidable. Then said the fisherman within\nhimself, This is a Jinnee, and I am a man; and God hath given me sound\nreason; therefore, I will now plot his destruction with my art and\nreason, like as he hath plotted with his cunning and perfidy. So he said\nto the 'Efreet, Hast thou determined to kill me? He answered, Yes. Then\nsaid he, By the Most Great Name engraved upon the seal of Suleym\u00e1n, I\nwill ask thee one question; and wilt thou answer it to me truly? On\nhearing the mention of the Most Great Name, the 'Efreet was agitated,\nand trembled, and replied, Yes; ask, and be brief. The fisherman then\nsaid, How wast thou in this bottle? It will not contain thy hand or thy\nfoot; how then can it contain thy whole body?--Dost thou not believe\nthat I was in it? said the 'Efreet. The fisherman answered, I will never\nbelieve thee until I see thee in it. Upon this, the 'Efreet shook, and\nbecame converted again into smoke, which rose to the sky, and then\nbecame condensed, and entered the bottle by little and little, until it\nwas all enclosed; when the fisherman hastily snatched the sealed leaden\nstopper, and, having replaced it in the mouth of the bottle, called out\nto the 'Efreet, and said, Choose in what manner of death thou wilt die.\nI will assuredly throw thee here into the sea, and build me a house on\nthis spot; and whosoever shall come here, I will prevent his fishing in\nthis place, and will say to him, Here is an 'Efreet, who, to any person\nthat liberates him, will propose various kinds of death, and then give\nhim his choice of one of them. On hearing these words of the fisherman,\nthe 'Efreet endeavoured to escape; but could not, finding himself\nrestrained by the impression of the seal of Suleym\u00e1n, and thus\nimprisoned by the fisherman as the vilest and filthiest and least of\n'Efreets. The fisherman then took the bottle to the brink of the sea.\nThe 'Efreet exclaimed, Nay! nay!--to which the fisherman answered, Yea,\nwithout fail! yea, without fail! The M\u00e1rid then addressing him with a\nsoft voice and humble manner, said, What dost thou intend to do with me,\nO fisherman? He answered, I will throw thee into the sea; and if thou\nhast been there a thousand and eight hundred years, I will make thee to\nremain there until the hour of judgment. Did I not say to thee, Spare\nme, and so may God spare thee; and destroy me not, lest God destroy\nthee? But thou didst reject my petition, and wouldest nothing but\ntreachery; therefore God hath caused thee to fall into my hand, and I\nhave betrayed thee.--Open to me, said the 'Efreet, that I may confer\nbenefits upon thee. The fisherman replied, Thou liest, thou accursed! I\nand thou are like the Wezeer of King Yoon\u00e1n[II_11] and the sage\nDoob\u00e1n.[II_12]--What, said the 'Efreet, was the case of the Wezeer of\nKing Yoon\u00e1n and the sage Doob\u00e1n, and what is their story? The fisherman\nanswered as follows:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF KING YOON\u00c1N AND THE SAGE DOOB\u00c1N.\n\nKnow, O 'Efreet, that there was, in former times, in the country of the\nPersians,[II_13] a monarch who was called King Yoon\u00e1n, possessing great\ntreasures and numerous forces, valiant, and having troops of every\ndescription; but he was afflicted with leprosy, which the physicians and\nsages had failed to remove; neither their potions, nor powders, nor\nointments were of any benefit to him; and none of the physicians was\nable to cure him. At length there arrived at the city of this king a\ngreat sage, stricken in years, who was called the sage Doob\u00e1n: he was\nacquainted with ancient Greek, Persian, modern Greek, Arabic, and Syriac\nbooks, and with medicine and astrology, both with respect to their\nscientific principles and the rules of their practical applications for\ngood and evil; as well as the properties of plants, dried and fresh,\nthe injurious and the useful: he was versed in the wisdom of the\nphilosophers, and embraced a knowledge of all the medical and other\nsciences.\n\nAfter this sage had arrived in the city, and remained in it a few days,\nhe heard of the case of the King, of the leprosy with which God had\nafflicted him, and that the physicians and men of science had failed to\ncure him. In consequence of this information, he passed the next night\nin deep study; and when the morning came, and diffused its light, and\nthe sun saluted the Ornament of the Good,[II_14] he attired himself in\nthe richest of his apparel, and presented himself before the King.\nHaving kissed the ground before him, and offered up a prayer for the\ncontinuance of his power and happiness, and greeted him in the best\nmanner he was able, he informed him who he was, and said, O King, I have\nheard of the disease which hath attacked thy person, and that many of\nthe physicians are unacquainted with the means of removing it; and I\nwill cure thee without giving thee to drink any potion, or anointing\nthee with ointment. When King Yoon\u00e1n heard his words, he wondered, and\nsaid to him, How wilt thou do this? By Allah, if thou cure me, I will\nenrich thee and thy children's children, and I will heap favours upon\nthee, and whatever thou shalt desire shall be thine, and thou shalt be\nmy companion and my friend.--He then bestowed upon him a robe of\nhonour,[II_15] and other presents, and said to him, Wilt thou cure me of\nthis disease without potion or ointment? He answered, Yes; I will cure\nthee without any discomfort to thy person. And the King was extremely\nastonished, and said, O Sage, at what time, and on what day, shall that\nwhich thou hast proposed to me be done? Hasten it, O my Son.--He\nanswered, I hear and obey.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHe then went out from the presence of the King, and hired a house, in\nwhich he deposited his books, and medicines, and drugs. Having done\nthis, he selected certain of his medicines and drugs, and made a\ngoff-stick, with a hollow handle, into which he introduced them; after\nwhich he made a ball for it, skilfully adapted; and on the following\nday, after he had finished these, he went again to the King, and kissed\nthe ground before him, and directed him to repair to the horse-course,\nand to play with the ball and goff-stick. The King, attended by his\nEmeers and Chamberlains and Wezeers, went thither, and, as soon as he\narrived there, the sage Doob\u00e1n presented himself before him, and handed\nto him the goff-stick, saying, Take this goff-stick, and grasp it thus,\nand ride along the horse-course, and strike the ball with it with all\nthy force, until the palm of thy hand and thy whole body become moist\nwith perspiration, when the medicine will penetrate into thy hand, and\npervade thy whole body; and when thou hast done this, and the medicine\nremains in thee, return to thy palace, and enter the bath,[II_16] and\nwash thyself, and sleep: then shalt thou find thyself cured: and peace\nbe on thee. So King Yoon\u00e1n took the goff-stick from the sage, and\ngrasped it in his hand, and mounted his horse; and the ball was thrown\nbefore him, and he urged his horse after it until he overtook it, when\nhe struck it with all his force; and when he had continued this exercise\nas long as was necessary, and bathed and slept, he looked upon his skin,\nand not a vestige of the leprosy remained: it was clear as white silver.\nUpon this he rejoiced exceedingly; his heart was dilated, and he was\nfull of happiness.\n\nOn the following morning he entered the council-chamber, and sat upon\nhis throne; and the Chamberlains and great officers of his court came\nbefore him. The sage Doob\u00e1n also presented himself; and when the King\nsaw him, he rose to him in haste, and seated him by his side. Services\nof food were then spread before them, and the sage ate with the King,\nand remained as his guest all the day;[II_17] and when the night\napproached, the King gave him two thousand pieces of gold, besides\ndresses of honour and other presents, and mounted him on his own horse,\nand so the sage returned to his house.[II_18] And the King was\nastonished at his skill; saying, This man hath cured me by an external\nprocess, without anointing me with ointment: by Allah, this is\nconsummate science; and it is incumbent on me to bestow favours and\nhonours upon him, and to make him my companion and familiar friend as\nlong as I live. He passed the night happy and joyful on account of his\nrecovery, and when he arose, he went forth again, and sat upon his\nthrone; the officers of his court standing before him, and the Emeers\nand Wezeers sitting on his right hand and on his left; and he called for\nthe sage Doob\u00e1n, who came, and kissed the ground before him; and the\nKing rose, and seated him by his side, and ate with him, and greeted him\nwith compliments: he bestowed upon him again a robe of honour and other\npresents, and, after conversing with him till the approach of night,\ngave orders that five other robes of honour should be given to him, and\na thousand pieces of gold; and the sage departed, and returned to his\nhouse.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAgain, when the next morning came, the King went as usual to his\ncouncil-chamber, and the Emeers and Wezeers and Chamberlains surrounded\nhim. Now there was, among his Wezeers, one of ill aspect, and of evil\nstar;[II_19] sordid, avaricious, and of an envious and malicious\ndisposition; and when he saw that the King had made the sage Doob\u00e1n his\nfriend, and bestowed upon him these favours, he envied him this\ndistinction, and meditated evil against him; agreeably with the adage\nwhich saith, There is no one void of envy;[II_20]--and another, which\nsaith, Tyranny lurketh in the soul: power manifesteth it, and weakness\nconcealeth it. So he approached the King, and kissed the ground before\nhim, and said, O King of the age, thou art he whose goodness extendeth\nto all men, and I have an important piece of advice to give thee: if I\nwere to conceal it from thee, I should be a base-born wretch: therefore,\nif thou order me to impart it, I will do so. The King, disturbed by\nthese words of the Wezeer, said, What is thy advice? He answered, O\nglorious King, it hath been said, by the ancients, He who looketh not to\nresults, fortune will not attend him:--now I have seen the King in a way\nthat is not right; since he hath bestowed favours upon his enemy, and\nupon him who desireth the downfall of his dominion: he hath treated him\nwith kindness, and honoured him with the highest honours, and admitted\nhim to the closest intimacy: I therefore fear, for the King, the\nconsequence of this conduct.--At this the King was troubled, and his\ncountenance changed; and he said, Who is he whom thou regardest as mine\nenemy, and to whom I shew kindness? He replied, O King, if thou hast\nbeen asleep, awake! I allude to the sage Doob\u00e1n.--The King said, He is\nmy intimate companion, and the dearest of men in my estimation; for he\nrestored me by a thing that I merely held in my hand, and cured me of my\ndisease which the physicians were unable to remove, and there is not now\nto be found one like to him in the whole world, from west to east.\nWherefore, then, dost thou utter these words against him? I will, from\nthis day, appoint him a regular salary and maintenance, and give him\nevery month a thousand pieces of gold; and if I gave him a share of my\nkingdom it were but a small thing to do unto him. I do not think that\nthou hast said this from any other motive than that of envy. If I did\nwhat thou desirest, I should repent after it, as the man repented who\nkilled his parrot.[II_21]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE HUSBAND AND THE PARROT.\n\nThere was a certain merchant, of an excessively jealous disposition,\nhaving a wife endowed with perfect beauty, who had prevented him from\nleaving his home; but an event happened which obliged him to make a\njourney; and when he found his doing so to be indispensable, he went to\nthe market in which birds were sold, and bought a parrot, which he\nplaced in his house to act as a spy, that, on his return, she might\ninform him of what passed during his absence; for this parrot was\ncunning and intelligent, and remembered whatever she heard.[II_22] So,\nwhen he had made his journey, and accomplished his business, he\nreturned, and caused the parrot to be brought to him, and asked her\nrespecting the conduct of his wife. She answered, Thy wife has a lover,\nwho visited her every night during thy absence:--and when the man heard\nthis, he fell into a violent rage, and went to his wife, and gave her a\nsevere beating.\n\nThe woman imagined that one of the female slaves had informed him of\nwhat had passed between her and her paramour during his absence: she\ntherefore called them together, and made them swear; and they all swore\nthat they had not told their master anything of the matter; but\nconfessed that they had heard the parrot relate to him what had passed.\nHaving thus established, on the testimony of the slaves, the fact of the\nparrot's having informed her husband of her intrigue, she ordered one of\nthese slaves to grind with a hand-mill under the cage, another to\nsprinkle water from above, and a third to move a mirror from side to\nside, during the next night on which her husband was absent; and on the\nfollowing morning, when the man returned from an entertainment at which\nhe had been present, and inquired again of the parrot what had passed\nthat night during his absence, the bird answered, O my master, I could\nneither see nor hear anything, on account of the excessive darkness, and\nthunder, and lightning, and rain. Now this happened during summer: so he\nsaid to her, What strange words are these? It is now summer, when\nnothing of what thou hast described ever happens.--The parrot, however,\nswore by Allah the Great that what she had said was true; and that it\nhad so happened: upon which the man, not understanding the case, nor\nknowing the plot, became violently enraged, and took out the bird from\nthe cage, and threw her down upon the ground with such violence that he\nkilled her.\n\nBut after some days, one of his female slaves informed him of the truth;\nyet he would not believe it, until he saw his wife's paramour going out\nfrom his house; when he drew his sword,[II_23] and slew the traitor by\na blow on the back of his neck: so also did he to his treacherous wife;\nand thus both of them went, laden with the sin which they had committed,\nto the fire; and the merchant discovered that the parrot had informed\nhim truly of what she had seen; and he mourned grievously for her loss.\n\nWhen the Wezeer heard these words of King Yoon\u00e1n, he said, O King of\ngreat dignity, what hath this crafty sage--this man from whom nought but\nmischief proceedeth--done unto me, that I should be his enemy, and speak\nevil of him, and plot with thee to destroy him? I have informed thee\nrespecting him in compassion for thee, and in fear of his despoiling\nthee of thy happiness; and if my words be not true, destroy me, as the\nWezeer of Es-Sindib\u00e1d was destroyed.--The King asked, How was that? And\nthe Wezeer thus answered:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE ENVIOUS WEZEER AND THE PRINCE AND THE GHOOLEH.\n\nThe King above mentioned had a son who was ardently fond of the\nchase;[II_24] and he had a Wezeer whom he charged to be always with this\nson wherever he went. One day the son went forth to hunt, and his\nfather's Wezeer was with him; and as they rode together, they saw a\ngreat wild beast; upon which the Wezeer exclaimed to the Prince, Away\nafter this wild beast! The King's son pursued it until he was out of the\nsight of his attendants, and the beast also escaped from before his eyes\nin the desert; and while the Prince wandered in perplexity, not knowing\nwhither to direct his course, he met in his way a damsel, who was\nweeping. He said to her, Who art thou?--and she answered, I am a\ndaughter of one of the kings of India; I was in the desert, and slumber\novertook me, and I fell from my horse in a state of insensibility, and\nbeing thus separated from my attendants, I lost my way. The Prince, on\nhearing this, pitied her forlorn state, and placed her behind him on his\nhorse; and as they proceeded, they passed by a ruin,[II_25] and the\ndamsel said to him, O my master, I would alight here for a little while.\nThe Prince therefore lifted her from his horse at this ruin; but she\ndelayed so long to return, that he wondered wherefore she had loitered\nso, and entering after her, without her knowledge, perceived that she\nwas a Ghooleh,[II_26] and heard her say, My children, I have brought you\nto-day a fat young man:--on which they exclaimed, Bring him in to us, O\nmother! that we may fill our stomachs with his flesh. When the Prince\nheard their words, he felt assured of destruction; the muscles of his\nsides quivered, and fear overcame him, and he retreated. The Ghooleh\nthen came forth, and, seeing that he appeared alarmed and fearful, and\nthat he was trembling, said to him, Wherefore dost thou fear? He\nanswered, I have an enemy of whom I am in fear. The Ghooleh said, Thou\nassertest thyself to be the son of the King. He replied, Yes.--Then,\nsaid she, wherefore dost thou not give some money to thine enemy, and so\nconciliate him? He answered, He will not be appeased with money, nor\nwith anything but life; and therefore do I fear him: I am an injured\nman. She then said to him, If thou be an injured man, as thou affirmest,\nbeg aid of God against thine oppressor, and He will avert from thee his\nmischievous design, and that of every other person whom thou fearest.\nUpon this, therefore, the Prince raised his head towards heaven, and\nsaid, O thou who answerest the distressed when he prayeth to Thee, and\ndispellest evil, assist me, and cause mine enemy to depart from me; for\nThou art able to do whatsoever Thou wilt!--and the Ghooleh no sooner\nheard his prayer, than she departed from him. The Prince then returned\nto his father, and informed him of the conduct of the Wezeer; upon which\nthe King gave orders that the minister should be put to death.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nCONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF KING YOON\u00c1N AND THE SAGE DOOB\u00c1N.\n\nAnd thou, O King, continued the Wezeer of King Yoon\u00e1n, if thou trust in\nthis sage, he will kill thee in the foulest manner. If thou continue to\nbestow favours upon him, and to make him thine intimate companion, he\nwill plot thy destruction. Dost thou not see that he hath cured thee of\nthe disease by external means, by a thing that thou heldest in thy hand?\nTherefore thou art not secure against his killing thee by a thing that\nthou shalt hold in the same manner.--King Yoon\u00e1n answered, Thou hast\nspoken truth: the case is as thou hast said, O faithful Wezeer: it is\nprobable that this sage came as a spy to accomplish my death; and if he\ncured me by a thing I held in my hand, he may destroy me by a thing that\nI may smell: what then, O Wezeer, shall be done respecting him? The\nWezeer answered, Send to him immediately, and desire him to come hither;\nand when he is come, strike off his head, and so shalt thou avert from\nthee his evil design, and be secure from him. Betray him before he\nbetray thee.--The King said, Thou hast spoken right.\n\nImmediately, therefore, he sent for the sage, who came, full of joy, not\nknowing what the Compassionate[II_27] had decreed against him, and\naddressed the King with these words of the poet:--\n\n If I fail any day to render thee due thanks, tell me for whom I have\n composed my verse and prose.\n Thou hast loaded me with favours unsolicited, bestowed without delay\n on thy part, or excuse.\n How then should I abstain from praising thee as thou deservest,\n and lauding thee both with my heart and voice?\n Nay, I will thank thee for thy benefits conferred upon me: they are\n light upon my tongue, though weighty to my back.\n\nKnowest thou, said the King, wherefore I have summoned thee? The sage\nanswered, None knoweth what is secret but God, whose name be exalted!\nThen said the King, I have summoned thee that I may take away thy life.\nThe sage, in the utmost astonishment at this announcement, said, O King,\nwherefore wouldst thou kill me, and what offence hath been committed by\nme? The King answered, It hath been told me that thou art a spy, and\nthat thou hast come hither to kill me: but I will prevent thee by\nkilling thee first:--and so saying, he called out to the executioner,\nStrike off the head of this traitor, and relieve me from his\nwickedness,--Spare me, said the sage, and so may God spare thee; and\ndestroy me not, lest God destroy thee.--And he repeated these words\nseveral times, like as I did, O 'Efreet; but thou wouldst not let me go,\ndesiring to destroy me.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nKing Yoon\u00e1n then said to the sage Doob\u00e1n, I shall not be secure unless\nI kill thee; for thou curedst me by a thing that I held in my hand, and\nI have no security against thy killing me by a thing that I may smell,\nor by some other means.--O King, said the sage, is this my recompense\nfrom thee? Dost thou return evil for good?--The King answered, Thou must\nbe slain without delay. When the sage, therefore, was convinced that the\nKing intended to put him to death, and that his fate was inevitable, he\nlamented the benefit that he had done to the undeserving. The\nexecutioner then advanced, and bandaged his eyes, and, having drawn his\nsword, said, Give permission. Upon this the sage wept, and said again,\nSpare me, and so may God spare thee; and destroy me not, lest God\ndestroy thee! Wouldst thou return me the recompense of the\ncrocodile?--What, said the King, is the story of the crocodile? The sage\nanswered, I cannot relate it while in this condition;[II_28] but I\nconjure thee by Allah to spare me, and so may He spare thee. And he wept\nbitterly. Then one of the chief officers of the King arose, and said, O\nKing, give up to me the blood of this sage; for we have not seen him\ncommit any offence against thee; nor have we seen him do aught but cure\nthee of thy disease, which wearied the other physicians and sages. The\nKing answered, Ye know not the reason wherefore I would kill the sage:\nit is this, that if I suffered him to live, I should myself inevitably\nperish; for he who cured me of the disease under which I suffered by a\nthing that I held in my hand, may kill me by a thing that I may smell;\nand I fear that he would do so, and would receive an appointment on\naccount of it; seeing that it is probable he is a spy who hath come\nhither to kill me; I must therefore kill him, and then shall I feel\nmyself safe.--The sage then said again, Spare me, and so may God spare\nthee; and destroy me not, lest God destroy thee.\n\nBut he now felt certain, O 'Efreet, that the King would put him to\ndeath, and that there was no escape for him; so he said, O King, if my\ndeath is indispensable, grant me some respite, that I may return to my\nhouse, and acquit myself of my duties, and give directions to my family\nand neighbours to bury me, and dispose of my medical books; and among my\nbooks is one of most especial value, which I offer as a present to thee,\nthat thou mayest treasure it in thy library.--And what, said the King,\nis this book? He answered, It contains things not to be enumerated; and\nthe smallest of the secret virtues that it possesses is this; that, when\nthou hast cut off my head, if thou open this book, and count three\nleaves, and then read three lines on the page to the left, the head will\nspeak to thee, and answer whatever thou shalt ask. At this the King was\nexcessively astonished, and shook with delight, and said to him, O Sage,\nwhen I have cut off thy head will it speak? He answered, Yes, O King;\nand this is a wonderful thing.\n\nThe King then sent him in the custody of guards; and the sage descended\nto his house, and settled all his affairs on that day; and on the\nfollowing day he went up to the court: and the Emeers and Wezeers, and\nChamberlains and Deputies, and all the great officers of the state, went\nthither also: and the court resembled a flower-garden.[II_29] And when\nthe sage had entered, he presented himself before the King, bearing an\nold book, and a small pot containing a powder: and he sat down, and\nsaid, Bring me a tray. So they brought him one; and he poured out the\npowder into it, and spread it. He then said, O King, take this book, and\ndo nothing with it until thou hast cut off my head; and when thou hast\ndone so, place it upon this tray, and order some one to press it down\nupon the powder; and when this is done, the blood will be stanched: then\nopen the book. As soon as the sage had said this, the King gave orders\nto strike off his head; and it was done. The King then opened the book,\nand found that its leaves were stuck together; so he put his finger to\nhis mouth, and moistened it with his spittle, and opened the first leaf,\nand the second, and the third; but the leaves were not opened without\ndifficulty. He opened six leaves, and looked at them; but found upon\nthem no writing. So he said, O Sage, there is nothing written in it. The\nhead of the sage answered, Turn over more leaves. The King did so; and\nin a little while, the poison penetrated into his system; for the book\nwas poisoned; and the King fell back, and cried out, The poison hath\npenetrated into me!--and upon this, the head of the sage Doob\u00e1n repeated\nthese verses:--\n\n They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically; and soon\n it became as though it never had existed.\n Had they acted equitably, they had experienced equity; but they\n oppressed; wherefore fortune oppressed them with calamities\n and trials.\n Then did the case itself announce to them, This is the reward of\n your conduct, and fortune is blameless.\n\nAnd when the head of the sage Doob\u00e1n had uttered these words, the King\nimmediately fell down dead.[II_30]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nCONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN.\n\nNow, O 'Efreet, continued the fisherman, know that if King Yoon\u00e1n had\nspared the sage Doob\u00e1n, God had spared him; but he refused, and desired\nhis destruction; therefore God destroyed him: and thou, O 'Efreet, if\nthou hadst spared me, God had spared thee, and I had spared thee; but\nthou desiredst my death; therefore will I put thee to death imprisoned\nin this bottle, and will throw thee here into the sea. The M\u00e1rid, upon\nthis, cried out, and said, I conjure thee by Allah, O fisherman, that\nthou do it not: spare me in generosity, and be not angry with me for\nwhat I did; but if I have done evil, do thou good, according to the\nproverb,--O thou benefactor of him who hath done evil, the action that\nhe hath done is sufficient for him:--do not therefore as Um\u00e1meh did to\n'\u00c1tikeh.--And what, said the fisherman, was their case? The 'Efreet\nanswered, This is not a time for telling stories, when I am in this\nprison; but when thou liberatest me, I will relate to thee their\ncase.[II_31] The fisherman said, Thou must be thrown into the sea, and\nthere shall be no way of escape for thee from it; for I endeavoured to\npropitiate thee, and humbled myself before thee, yet thou wouldest\nnothing but my destruction, though I had committed no offence to deserve\nit, and had done no evil to thee whatever, but only good, delivering\nthee from thy confinement; and when thou didst thus unto me, I perceived\nthat thou wast radically corrupt: and I would have thee know, that my\nmotive for throwing thee into this sea, is, that I may acquaint with thy\nstory every one that shall take thee out, and caution him against thee,\nthat he may cast thee in again: thus shalt thou remain in this sea to\nthe end of time, and experience varieties of torment.--The 'Efreet then\nsaid, Liberate me, for this is an opportunity for thee to display\nhumanity; and I vow to thee that I will never do thee harm; but, on the\ncontrary, will do thee a service that shall enrich thee for ever.\n\nUpon this the fisherman accepted his covenant that he would not hurt\nhim, but that he would do him good; and when he had bound him by oaths\nand vows, and made him swear by the Most Great Name of God, he opened to\nhim; and the smoke ascended until it had all come forth, and then\ncollected together, and became, as before, an 'Efreet of hideous form.\nThe 'Efreet then kicked the bottle into the sea. When the fisherman saw\nhim do this, he made sure of destruction, and said, This is no sign of\ngood:--but afterwards he fortified his heart, and said, O 'Efreet, God,\nwhose name be exalted, hath said, Perform the covenant, for the covenant\nshall be inquired into:[II_32]--and thou has covenanted with me, and\nsworn that thou wilt not act treacherously towards me; therefore, if\nthou so act, God will recompense thee; for He is jealous; He respiteth,\nbut suffereth not to escape; and remember that I said to thee as said\nthe sage Doob\u00e1n to King Yoon\u00e1n, Spare me, and so may God spare thee.\n\nThe 'Efreet laughed, and, walking on before him, said, O fisherman,\nfollow me. The fisherman did so, not believing in his escape, until they\nhad quitted the neighbourhood of the city, and ascended a mountain, and\ndescended into a wide desert tract, in the midst of which was a lake of\nwater. Here the 'Efreet stopped, and ordered the fisherman to cast his\nnet and take some fish; and the fisherman, looking into the lake, saw in\nit fish of different colours, white and red and blue and yellow; at\nwhich he was astonished; and he cast his net, and drew it in, and found\nin it four fish, each fish of a different colour from the others, at the\nsight of which he rejoiced. The 'Efreet then said to him, Take them to\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n,[II_33] and present them to him, and he will give thee\nwhat will enrich thee; and for the sake of God accept my excuse, for, at\npresent, I know no other way of rewarding thee, having been in the sea a\nthousand and eight hundred years, and not seen the surface of the earth\nuntil now: but take not fish from the lake more than once each day: and\nnow I commend thee to the care of God.--Having thus said, he struck the\nearth with his feet, and it clove asunder, and swallowed him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe fisherman then went back to the city, wondering at all that had\nbefallen him with the 'Efreet, and carried the fish to his house; and he\ntook an earthen bowl, and, having filled it with water, put the fish\ninto it; and they struggled in the water: and when he had done this, he\nplaced the bowl upon his head, and repaired to the King's palace, as the\n'Efreet had commanded him, and, going up unto the King, presented to him\nthe fish; and the King was excessively astonished at them, for he had\nnever seen any like them in the course of his life; and he said, Give\nthese fish to the slave cook-maid. This maid had been sent as a present\nto him by the King of the Greeks, three days before; and he had not yet\ntried her skill. The Wezeer, therefore, ordered her to fry the fish, and\nsaid to her, O maid, the King saith unto thee, I have not reserved my\ntear but for the time of my difficulty:--to-day, then, gratify us by a\nspecimen of thy excellent cookery, for a person hath brought these fish\nas a present to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n. After having thus charged her, the Wezeer\nreturned, and the King ordered him to give the fisherman four hundred\npieces of gold: so the Wezeer gave them to him; and he took them in his\nlap, and returned to his home and his wife, joyful and happy, and bought\nwhat was needful for his family.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSuch were the events that befell the fisherman: now we must relate what\nhappened to the maid.--She took the fish, and cleaned them, and arranged\nthem in the frying-pan, and left them until one side was cooked, when\nshe turned them upon the other side; and lo, the wall of the kitchen\nclove asunder, and there came forth from it a damsel of tall stature,\nsmooth-cheeked, of perfect form, with eyes adorned with\nko\u1e25l,[II_34] beautiful in countenance, and with heavy, swelling\nhips; wearing a koofeeyeh[II_35] interwoven with blue silk; with\nrings in her ears, and bracelets on her wrists, and rings set with\nprecious jewels on her fingers; and in her hand was a rod of Indian\ncane: and she dipped the end of the rod in the frying-pan, and said, O\nfish, are ye remaining faithful to your covenant? At the sight of this,\nthe cook-maid fainted. The damsel then repeated the same words a second\nand a third time; after which the fish raised their heads from the\nfrying-pan, and answered, Yes, yes. They then repeated the following\nverse:--\n\n If thou return, we return; and if thou come, we come; and if thou\n forsake, we verily do the same.\n\nAnd upon this the damsel overturned the frying-pan, and departed by the\nway she had entered, and the wall of the kitchen closed up again. The\ncook-maid then arose, and beheld the four fish burnt like charcoal; and\nshe exclaimed, In his first encounter his staff broke!--and as she sat\nreproaching herself, she beheld the Wezeer standing at her head; and he\nsaid to her, Bring the fish to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n:--and she wept, and informed\nhim of what had happened.[II_36]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Wezeer was astonished at her words, and exclaimed, This is indeed a\nwonderful event;--and he sent for the fisherman, and when he was\nbrought, he said to him, O fisherman, thou must bring to us four fish\nlike those which thou broughtest before. The fisherman accordingly went\nforth to the lake, and threw his net, and when he had drawn it in he\nfound in it four fish as before; and he took them to the Wezeer, who\nwent with them to the maid, and said to her, Rise, and fry them in my\npresence, that I may witness this occurrence. The maid, therefore,\nprepared the fish, and put them in the frying-pan, and they had remained\nbut a little while, when the wall clove asunder, and the damsel\nappeared, clad as before, and holding the rod; and she dipped the end of\nthe rod in the frying-pan, and said, O fish, O fish, are ye remaining\nfaithful to your old covenant? Upon which they raised their heads, and\nanswered as before; and the damsel overturned the frying-pan with the\nrod, and returned by the way she had entered, and the wall closed up\nagain.\n\nThe Wezeer then said, This is an event which cannot be concealed from\nthe King:--so he went to him, and informed him of what had happened in\nhis presence; and the King said, I must see this with my own eyes. He\nsent, therefore, to the fisherman, and commanded him to bring four fish\nlike the former; granting him a delay of three days. And the fisherman\nrepaired to the lake, and brought the fish thence to the King, who\nordered again that four hundred pieces of gold should be given to him;\nand then, turning to the Wezeer, said to him, Cook the fish thyself here\nbefore me. The Wezeer answered, I hear and obey. He brought the\nfrying-pan, and, after he had cleaned the fish, threw them into it; and\nas soon as he had turned them, the wall clove asunder, and there came\nforth from it a negro, in size like a bull, or like one of the tribe of\n'\u00c1d,[II_37] having in his hand a branch of a green tree; and he said,\nwith a clear but terrifying voice, O fish, O fish, are ye remaining\nfaithful to your old covenant? Upon which they raised their heads, and\nanswered as before, Yes, yes:\n\n If thou return, we return; and if thou come, we come; and if thou\n forsake, we verily do the same.\n\nThe black then approached the frying-pan, and overturned it with the\nbranch, and the fish became like charcoal, and he went away as he had\ncome.\n\nWhen he had thus disappeared from before their eyes, the King said, This\nis an event respecting which it is impossible to keep silence, and there\nmust, undoubtedly, be some strange circumstance connected with these\nfish. He then ordered that the fisherman should be brought before him,\nand when he had come, he said to him, Whence came these fish? The\nfisherman answered, From a lake between four mountains behind this\nmountain which is without thy city. The King said to him, How many days'\njourney[II_38] distant? He answered, O our lord the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, a\njourney of half-an-hour. And the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n was astonished, and ordered his\ntroops to go out immediately with him and the fisherman, who began to\ncurse the 'Efreet. They proceeded until they had ascended the mountain,\nand descended into a wide desert tract which they had never before seen\nin their whole lives; and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n and all the troops wondered at the\nsight of this desert, which was between four mountains, and at the fish,\nwhich were of four colours, red and white and yellow and blue. The King\npaused in astonishment, and said to the troops, and to the other\nattendants who were with him, Hath any one of you before seen this lake\nin this place? They all answered, No. Then said the King, By Allah, I\nwill not enter my city, nor will I sit upon my throne, until I know the\ntrue history of this lake, and of its fish. And upon this he ordered\nhis people to encamp around these mountains; and they did so. He then\ncalled for the Wezeer, who was a well-informed, sensible, prudent, and\nlearned man; and when he had presented himself before him, he said to\nhim, I desire to do a thing with which I will acquaint thee; and it is\nthis:--I have resolved to depart alone this night, to seek for\ninformation respecting this lake and its fish: therefore, sit thou at\nthe door of my pavilion, and say to the Emeers and Wezeers and\nChamberlains, The Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n is sick, and hath commanded me not to allow any\nperson to go in unto him:--and acquaint no one with my intention.\n\nThe Wezeer was unable to oppose his design; so the King disguised\nhimself, and slung on his sword, and withdrew himself from the midst of\nhis troops. He journeyed the whole of the night, until the morning, and\nproceeded until the heat became oppressive to him: he then paused to\nrest; after which he again proceeded the remainder of the day and the\nsecond night until the morning, when there appeared before him, in the\ndistance, something black, at the sight of which he rejoiced, and said,\nPerhaps I shall there find some person who will inform me of the history\nof the lake and its fish. And when he approached this black object, he\nfound it to be a palace built of black stones, and overlaid with iron;\nand one of the leaves of its doors was open, and the other shut. The\nKing was glad, and he stood at the door, and knocked gently, but heard\nno answer; he knocked a second and a third time, but again heard no\nanswer: then he knocked a fourth time, and with violence; but no one\nanswered. So he said, It is doubtless empty:--and he took courage, and\nentered from the door into the passage, and cried out, saying, O\ninhabitants of the palace, I am a stranger and a traveller! have ye any\nprovision? And he repeated these words a second and a third time; but\nheard no answer. And upon this he fortified his heart, and emboldened\nhimself, and proceeded from the passage into the midst of the palace;\nbut he found no one there, and only saw that it was furnished, and that\nthere was, in the centre of it, a fountain with four lions of red gold,\nwhich poured forth the water from their mouths, like pearls and jewels:\naround this were birds; and over the top of the palace was extended a\nnet which prevented their flying out. At the sight of these objects he\nwas astonished, and he was grieved that he saw no person there whom he\ncould ask for information respecting the lake, and the fish, and the\nmountains, and the palace. He then sat down between the doors,[II_39]\nreflecting upon these things; and as he thus sat, he heard a voice of\nlamentation from a sorrowful heart, chanting these verses:--\n\n O fortune, thou pitiest me not, nor releasest me! See my heart is\n straitened between affliction and peril!\n Will not you [O my wife] have compassion on the mighty whom love\n hath abased, and the wealthy who is reduced to indigence?\n We were jealous even of the zephyr which passed over you: but when\n the divine decree is issued, the eye becometh blind!\n What resource hath the archer when, in the hour of conflict,\n he desireth to discharge the arrow, but findeth his bow-string\n broken.\n And when troubles are multiplied upon the noble-minded, where shall\n he find refuge from fate and from destiny?[II_40]\n\nWhen the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n heard this lamentation, he sprang upon his feet, and,\nseeking the direction whence it proceeded, found a curtain suspended\nbefore the door of a chamber; and he raised it, and beheld behind it a\nyoung man sitting on a couch raised to the height of a cubit from the\nfloor. He was a handsome youth, well-shaped, and of eloquent speech,\nwith shining forehead, and rosy cheek, marked with a mole resembling\nambergris. The King was rejoiced at seeing him, and saluted him; and the\nyoung man (who remained sitting, and was clad with a vest of silk,\nembroidered with gold, but who exhibited traces of grief) returned his\nsalutation, and said to him, O my master, excuse my not rising.--O\nyouth! said the King, inform me respecting the lake, and its fish of\nvarious colours, and respecting this palace, and the reason of thy being\nalone in it, and of thy lamentation. When the young man heard these\nwords, tears trickled down his cheeks, and he wept bitterly.[II_41]\nAnd the King was astonished, and said to him, What causeth thee to weep,\nO youth? He answered, How can I refrain from weeping, when this is my\nstate?--and so saying, he stretched forth his hand, and lifted up the\nskirts of his clothing; and lo, half of him, from his waist to the soles\nof his feet, was stone; and from his waist to the hair of his head, he\nwas like other men. He then said, Know, O King, that the story of the\nfish is extraordinary; if it were engraved upon the intellect, it would\nbe a lesson to him who would be admonished:--and he related as\nfollows:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLANDS.\n\nMy father was king of the city which was here situate: his name was\nMa\u1e25mood, and he was lord of the Black Islands, and of the four\nmountains. After a reign of seventy years, he died, and I succeeded to\nhis throne; whereupon I took as my wife the daughter of my uncle; and\nshe loved me excessively, so that when I absented myself from her, she\nwould neither eat nor drink till she saw me again. She remained under my\nprotection five years. After this, she went one day to the bath; and I\nhad commanded the cook to prepare the supper, and entered this palace,\nand slept in my usual place.[II_42] I had ordered two maids to fan\nme;[II_43] and one of them sat at my head, and the other at my feet; but\nI was restless, because my wife was not with me; and I could not sleep.\nMy eyes were closed, but my spirit was awake; and I heard the maid at my\nhead say to her at my feet, O Mes'oodeh,[II_44] verily our lord is\nunfortunate in his youth, and what a pity is it that it should be passed\nwith our depraved, wicked mistress!--Perdition to unfaithful wives!\nreplied the other: but (added she) such a person as our lord, so endowed\nby nature, is not suited to this profligate woman, who passes every\nnight absent from his bed.--Verily, rejoined she at my head, our lord is\ncareless in not making any inquiry respecting her.--Wo to thee! said the\nother: hath our lord any knowledge of her conduct, or doth she leave him\nto his choice? Nay, on the contrary, she contriveth to defraud him by\nmeans of the cup of wine[II_45] which he drinketh every night before he\nsleepeth, putting benj[II_46] into it; in consequence of which he\nsleepeth so soundly that he knoweth not what happeneth, nor whither she\ngoeth, nor what she doeth; for, after she hath given him the wine to\ndrink, she dresseth herself, and goeth out from him, and is absent until\ndaybreak, when she returneth to him, and burneth a perfume under his\nnose, upon which he awaketh from his sleep.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen I heard this conversation of the maids, the light became darkness\nbefore my face, and I was hardly conscious of the approach of night,\nwhen my cousin returned from the bath. The table was prepared, and we\nate, and sat a while drinking our wine as usual. I then called for the\nwine which I was accustomed to drink before I lay down to sleep, and she\nhanded to me the cup; but I turned away, and, pretending to drink it as\nI was wont to do, poured it into my bosom, and immediately lay down:\nupon which she said, Sleep on; I wish that thou wouldst never wake\nagain! By Allah, I abhor thee, and abhor thy person, and my soul is\nweary of thy company!--She then arose, and attired herself in the most\nmagnificent of her apparel, and, having perfumed herself, and slung on a\nsword, opened the door of the palace, and went out. I got up\nimmediately, and followed her until she had quitted the palace, and\npassed through the streets of the city, and arrived at the city-gates,\nwhen she pronounced some words that I understood not; whereupon the\nlocks fell off, and the gates opened, and she went out, I still\nfollowing her, without her knowledge. Thence she proceeded to a space\namong the mounds,[II_47] and arrived at a strong edifice, in which\nwas a \u1e33ubbeh[II_48] constructed of mud, with a door, which she\nentered. I then climbed upon the roof of the \u1e33ubbeh, and, looking down\nupon her through an aperture, saw that she was visiting a black slave,\nwhose large lips, one of which overlapped the other, gathered up the\nsand from the pebbly floor, while he lay, in a filthy and wet condition,\nupon a few stalks of sugar-cane.\n\nShe kissed the ground before this slave; and he raised his head towards\nher, and said, Wo to thee! Wherefore hast thou remained away until this\nhour? The other blacks have been here drinking wine, and each of them\nhas gone away with his mistress; and I refused to drink on thy\naccount.--She answered, O my master, and beloved of my heart, knowest\nthou not that I am married to my cousin, and that I abhor every man who\nresembles him, and hate myself while I am in his company? If I did not\nfear to displease thee, I would reduce the city to ruins, so that the\nowl and the raven should cry in it, and would transport its stones\nbeyond Mount \u1e32\u00e1f.[II_49]--Thou liest, thou infamous woman, replied\nthe slave; and I swear by the generosity of the blacks (and if I speak\nnot truth, may our valour be as the valour of the whites), that if thou\nloiter as thou hast now done till this hour, I will no longer give thee\nmy company, nor approach thy person, thou faithless one! Dost thou\ninconvenience me for the sake of thine own pleasure, thou filthy wretch,\nand vilest of the whites?--When I heard (continued the King) their\nwords, and witnessed what passed between them, the world became dark\nbefore my face, and I knew not where I was.--My cousin still stood\nweeping, and abasing herself before him, and said, O my beloved, and\ntreasure of my heart, there remaineth to me none but thee for whom I\ncare, and if thou cast me off, alas for me! O my beloved! O light of\nmine eye!--Thus she continued to weep, and to humble herself before him,\nuntil he became pacified towards her; upon which she rejoiced, and\narose, and, having disrobed herself, said to him, O my master, hast\nthou here anything that thy maid may eat? He answered, Uncover the\ndough-pan; it contains some cooked rats' bones:[II_50] eat of them,\nand pick them; and take this earthen pot: thou wilt find in it some\nboo\u1e93ah[II_51] to drink. So she arose, and ate and drank, and washed\nher hands; after which she lay down by the side of the slave, upon the\nstalks of sugar-cane, and covered herself with his tattered clothes and\nrags.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen I saw her do this, I became unconscious of my existence, and,\ndescending from the roof of the \u1e33ubbeh, entered, and took the sword from\nthe side of my cousin, with the intention of killing them both. I struck\nthe slave upon his neck, and thought that he was killed; but the blow,\nwhich I gave with the view of severing his head, only cut the gullet and\nskin and flesh; and when I thought that I had killed him, he uttered a\nloud snore, upon which my cousin started up, and as soon as I had gone,\ntook the sword, and returned it to its scabbard, and came back to the\ncity and to the palace, and lay down again in my bed, in which she\nremained until the morning.\n\nOn the following day, I observed that my cousin had cut off her hair,\nand put on the apparel of mourning;[II_52] and she said to me, O my\ncousin, blame me not for what I do; for I have received news that my\nmother is dead, and that my father hath been slain in a holy war, and\nthat one of my two brothers hath died of a poisonous sting, and the\nother by the fall of a house: it is natural, therefore, that I should\nweep and mourn. On hearing these words, I abstained from upbraiding her,\nand said, Do what seemeth fit to thee; for I will not oppose thee.\nAccordingly, she continued mourning and weeping and wailing a whole\nyear; after which she said to me, I have a desire to build for myself,\nin thy palace, a tomb, with a \u1e33ubbeh, that I may repair thither alone to\nmourn, and I will call it the House of Lamentations.[II_53] I\nreplied, Do what thou seest fit. So she built for herself a house for\nmourning, with a \u1e33ubbeh in the middle of it, like the tomb of a\nsaint;[II_54] after which she removed thither the slave, and there\nshe lodged him. He was in a state of excessive weakness, and unable to\nrender her any service, though he drank wine; and from the day on which\nI had wounded him, he had never spoken; yet he remained alive, because\nthe appointed term of his life had not expired. My cousin every day\nvisited him in this tomb early and late, to weep and mourn over him, and\ntook to him wine to drink, and boiled meats; and thus she continued to\ndo, morning and evening, until the expiration of the second year, while\nI patiently suffered her, till one day, I entered her apartment\nunawares, and found her weeping, and slapping her face, and repeating\nthese verses:--\n\n I have lost my existence among mankind since your absence;\n for my heart loveth none but you.\n Take my body, then, in mercy, to the place where you are laid;\n and there bury me by your side:\n And if, at my grave, you utter my name, the moaning of my bones\n shall answer to your call.\n\nAs soon as she had finished the recitation of these verses, I said to\nher, holding my drawn sword in my hand, This is the language of those\nfaithless women who renounce the ties of affinity, and regard not lawful\nfellowship!--and I was about to strike her with the sword, and had\nlifted up my arm to do so, when she rose--for she knew that it was I who\nhad wounded the slave--and, standing before me, pronounced some words\nwhich I understood not, and said, May God, by means of my enchantment,\nmake thee to be half of stone, and half of the substance of\nman!--whereupon I became as thou seest, unable to move, neither dead nor\nalive; and when I had been reduced to this state, she enchanted the city\nand its markets and fields. The inhabitants of our city were of four\nclasses; Muslims, and Christians, and Jews, and Magians; and she\ntransformed them into fish: the white are the Muslims; the red, the\nMagians; the blue, the Christians; and the yellow, the Jews.[II_55] She\ntransformed, also, the four islands into four mountains, and placed them\naround the lake; and from that time she has continued every day to\ntorture me, inflicting upon me a hundred lashes with a leathern whip,\nuntil the blood flows from my wounds; after which she puts on my upper\nhalf a vest of hair-cloth, beneath these garments.--Having said thus,\nthe young man wept, and ejaculating the following verses:--\n\n Give me patience, O Allah, to bear what Thou decreest! I will be\n patient, if so I may obtain thine approval.\n I am straitened, indeed, by the calamity that hath befallen me:\n but the Family of the favoured Prophet shall intercede\n for me![II_56]\n\nUpon this, the King, looking towards the young man, said to him, O\nyouth, thou hast increased my anxiety. And where (he added) is this\nwoman?--The young man answered, She is in the tomb where the slave is\nlying, in the \u1e33ubbeh; and every day, before she visits him, she strips\nme of my clothing, and inflicts upon me a hundred lashes with the whip,\nwhile I weep and cry out, unable to move so as to repulse her. After\nthus torturing me, she repairs early to the slave, with the wine and\nboiled meat.--By Allah, O youth, said the King, I will do thee an act of\nkindness for which I shall be remembered, and a favour which historians\nshall record in a biography after me.\n\nHe then sat and conversed with him until the approach of night, upon\nwhich he arose, and waited till the first dawn of day, when he took off\nhis clothes, and slung on his sword, and went to the place where the\nslave lay. After remarking the candles and lamps, and perfumes and\nointments, he approached the slave, and with a blow of his sword slew\nhim: he then carried him on his back, and threw him into a well which he\nfound in the palace, and, returning to the \u1e33ubbeh, clad himself with the\nslave's clothes, and lay down with the drawn sword by his side. Soon\nafter, the vile enchantress went to her cousin, and, having pulled off\nhis clothes, took the whip, and beat him, while he cried, Ah! it is\nenough for me to be in this state! Have pity on me then!--Didst thou\nshew pity to me, she exclaimed, and didst thou spare my lover?--She then\nput on him the hair-cloth vest and his outer garments, and repaired to\nthe slave with a cup of wine, and a bowl of boiled meat. Entering the\ntomb, she wept and wailed, exclaiming, O my master, answer me! O my\nmaster, speak to me!--and poured forth her lamentation in the words of\nthis verse:--\n\n How long shall this aversion and harshness continue? Sufficient\n is the evil which my passion hath brought upon me![II_57]\n\nThen, weeping as before, she exclaimed again, O my master, answer me,\nand speak to me! Upon this the King, speaking in a low voice, and\nadapting his tongue to the pronunciation of the blacks, ejaculated, Ah!\nAh! there is no strength nor power but in God! On hearing these words,\nshe screamed with joy, and fell down in a swoon; and when she recovered,\nshe exclaimed, Possibly my master is restored to health! The King, again\nlowering his voice, as if from weakness, replied, Thou profligate\nwretch, thou deservest not that I should address thee.--Wherefore? said\nshe. He answered, Because all the day long thou tormentest thy husband,\nwhile he calleth out, and imploreth the aid of God, so that thou hast\nprevented my sleeping from the commencement of darkness until morning:\nthy husband hath not ceased to humble himself, and to imprecate\nvengeance upon thee, till he hath distracted me; and had it not been for\nthis, I had recovered my strength: this it is which hath prevented my\nanswering thee.--Then, with thy permission, she replied, I will liberate\nhim from his present sufferings.--Liberate him, said the King, and give\nus ease.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShe replied, I hear and obey;--and immediately arose, and went out from\nthe \u1e33ubbeh to the palace, and, taking a cup, filled it with water, and\npronounced certain words over it, upon which it began to boil like a\ncauldron. She then sprinkled some of it upon her cousin, saying, By\nvirtue of what I have uttered, be changed from thy present state to that\nin which thou wast at first!--and instantly he shook, and stood upon his\nfeet, rejoicing in his liberation, and exclaimed, I testify that there\nis no deity but God, and that Mo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle; God bless and\nsave him! She then said to him, Depart, and return not hither, or I will\nkill thee:--and she cried out in his face: so he departed from before\nher, and she returned to the \u1e33ubbeh, and said, O my master, come forth\nto me that I may behold thee. He replied, with a weak voice, What hast\nthou done? Thou hast relieved me from the branch, but hast not relieved\nme from the root.--O my beloved, she said, and what is the root? He\nanswered, The people of this city, and of the four islands: every night,\nat the middle hour, the fish raise their heads, and imprecate vengeance\nupon me and upon thee; and this is the cause that preventeth the return\nof vigour to my body; therefore, liberate them, and come, and take my\nhand, and raise me; for vigour hath already in part returned to me.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOn hearing these words of the King, whom she imagined to be the slave,\nshe said to him with joy, O my master, on my head and my eye! In the\nname of Allah![II_58]--and she sprang up, full of happiness, and\nhastened to the lake, where, taking a little of its water, she\npronounced over it some unintelligible words, whereupon the fish became\nagitated, and raised their heads, and immediately became converted into\nmen as before. Thus was the enchantment removed from the inhabitants of\nthe city, and the city became repeopled, and the market-streets\nre-erected, and every one returned to his occupation: the mountains also\nbecame changed into islands as they were at the first. The enchantress\nthen returned immediately to the King, whom she still imagined to be the\nslave, and said to him, O my beloved, stretch forth thy honoured hand,\nthat I may kiss it.--Approach me, said the King in a low voice. So she\ndrew near to him; and he, having his keen-edged sword ready in his hand,\nthrust it into her bosom, and the point protruded from her back: he then\nstruck her again, and clove her in twain, and went forth.\n\nHe found the young man who had been enchanted waiting his return, and\ncongratulated him on his safety; and the young prince kissed his hand,\nand thanked him. The King then said to him, Wilt thou remain in thy\ncity, or come with me to my capital?--O King of the age, said the young\nman, dost thou know the distance that is between thee and thy city? The\nKing answered, Two days and a half.--O King, replied the young man, if\nthou hast been asleep, awake: between thee and thy city is a distance of\na year's journey to him who travelleth with diligence; and thou camest\nin two days and a half only because the city was enchanted: but, O King,\nI will never quit thee for the twinkling of an eye. The King rejoiced at\nhis words, and said, Praise be to God, who hath in his beneficence given\nthee to me: thou art my son; for during my whole life, I have never been\nblest with a son:--and they embraced each other, and rejoiced\nexceedingly. They then went together into the palace, where the King who\nhad been enchanted informed the officers of his court that he was about\nto perform the holy pilgrimage: so they prepared for him everything that\nhe required; and he departed with the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n; his heart burning with\nreflections upon his city, because he had been deprived of the sight of\nit for the space of a year.\n\nHe set forth, accompanied by fifty memlooks,[II_59] and provided\nwith presents, and they continued their journey night and day for a\nwhole year, after which they drew near to the city of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and\nthe Wezeer and the troops, who had lost all hope of his return, came\nforth to meet him. The troops, approaching him, kissed the ground before\nhim, and congratulated him on his safe return; and he entered the city,\nand sat upon the throne. He then acquainted the Wezeer with all that had\nhappened to the young King; on hearing which, the Wezeer congratulated\nthe latter, also, on his safety; and when all things were restored to\norder, the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n bestowed presents upon a number of his subjects, and\nsaid to the Wezeer, Bring to me the fisherman who presented to me the\nfish. So he sent to this fisherman, who had been the cause of the\nrestoration of the inhabitants of the enchanted city, and brought him;\nand the King invested him with a dress of honour, and inquired of him\nrespecting his circumstances, and whether he had any children. The\nfisherman informed him that he had a son and two daughters; and the\nKing, on hearing this, took as his wife one of the daughters, and the\nyoung prince married the other.[II_60] The King also conferred upon the\nson the office of treasurer. He then sent the Wezeer to the city of the\nyoung prince, the capital of the Black Islands, and invested him with\nits sovereignty, despatching with him the fifty memlooks who had\naccompanied him thence, with numerous robes of honour to all the Emeers:\nand the Wezeer kissed his hands, and set forth on his journey; while the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n and the young prince remained. And as to the fisherman, he became\nthe wealthiest of the people of his age; and his daughters continued to\nbe the wives of the Kings until they died.\n\nBut this (added Shahraz\u00e1d) is not more wonderful than what happened to\nthe porter.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO CHAPTER SECOND.\n\nNOTE 1. The sentiment expressed in this verse is one which is often\nheard from the mouth of a Muslim; but generally when, his toil is ended,\nand its result seen; though not unfrequently as an excuse for indolence.\n\nNOTE 2. The bottle is here described (by the term \"\u1e33um\u1e33um\") as of a kind\ncommonly used for sprinkling rose-water, &c., having a spherical or wide\nbody, with a long and narrow neck. I remember seeing a gilt brass bottle\nof this kind, of very beautiful workmanship, for which nearly as much as\nten pieces of gold was demanded.\n\nNOTE 3. The seal of Suleym\u00e1n, or Solomon, has twice been mentioned in\nformer notes; in No. 21 of the notes appended to the Introduction, and\nin No. 15 of those to the first chapter.\n\nNOTE 4. It is necessary to remark, that this and many other descriptions\nin the present work are not designed to be understood in their literal\nsense. The reader will often be required to make some allowance for\nOriental hyperbole, and to distinguish between expressions characterised\nby this figure, and such as are purely accordant with Eastern grandeur\nand magnificence, or with Muslim superstition.\n\nNOTE 5. The end of the winnowing-fork bears a rude resemblance to a\ngigantic hand; having several long prongs of wood.\n\nNOTE 6. Instead of \"ibree\u1e33\" (a ewer), in the Cairo edition, I read\n\"abw\u00e1\u1e33\" (trumpets), as in other editions.\n\nNOTE 7. This appellation has been mentioned in a former note, as\nsignifying an evil Jinnee of the most powerful class.\n\nNOTE 8. It is a rule observed in decent society, by the Arabs, to avoid,\nas much as possible, the mention of opprobrious epithets, lest any\nperson present should imagine such epithets to be addressed insidiously\nto himself. For this reason, when any malediction or offensive language\nis repeated in a story, it is usual with them to designate the object of\nsuch language by this term, which signifies both remote or absent from\nthe person or persons in whose presence the words are repeated, and\nremote from virtue or good. In the present instance, \"remote\" is an\nepithet substituted by Shahraz\u00e1d for some other of a gross nature, from\nrespect to the king to whom she is relating the story.\n\nNOTE 9. I read \"\u1e62akhr el-Jinnee\" for \"\u1e62akhr el-Jinn.\"--\u1e62akhr was an evil\nJinnee, and a terrible enemy of Solomon. His last act of treachery to\nthat monarch, and his fate, are thus related by commentators on the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n.--Solomon having, through negligence, suffered one of his women\nto practise idolatry under his roof, God saw fit to punish him. It was\nthe custom of this King, on certain occasions, \"to intrust his signet,\non which his kingdom depended, with a concubine of his, named\nEl-Emeeneh. One day, therefore, when she had the ring in her custody, a\ndevil [or evil Jinnee], named \u1e62akhr, came to her in the shape of\nSolomon, and received the ring from her; by virtue of which he became\npossessed of the kingdom, and sat on the throne in the shape which he\nhad borrowed, making what alterations in the law he pleased. Solomon, in\nthe meantime, being changed in his outward appearance, and known to none\nof his subjects, was obliged to wander about, and beg alms for his\nsubsistence; till at length, after the space of forty days, which was\nthe time the image had been worshipped in his house, the devil flew\naway, and threw the signet into the sea. The signet was immediately\nswallowed by a fish, which being taken and given to Solomon, he found\nthe ring in its belly; and having by this means recovered the kingdom,\nhe took \u1e62akhr, and, tying a great stone to his neck, threw him into the\nLake of Tiberias.\"[150]\n\nNOTE 10. \"Umm-'\u00c1mir\" is an appellation of the hyena. It is scarcely\nnecessary to mention, that the proverb here quoted is said to have\noriginated from the fact of a man's having been devoured by a hyena whom\nhe had aided against an enemy.\n\nNOTE 11. In some copies, the personage here mentioned is called \"Melik\nel-Yoon\u00e1n,\" that is, \"King of Ancient Greece,\" or--\"of the Ancient\nGreeks.\" I have followed the Cairo edition, and that of the first two\nhundred nights, printed at Calcutta, in which \"Yoon\u00e1n\" is used as the\nKing's proper name. See also Note 13.\n\nNOTE 12. This is the name of the sage in most copies; but in the Cairo\nedition he is called \"Rooy\u00e1n.\"\n\nNOTE 13. In the Calcutta edition, the king is merely said to have\nreigned \"in the country of the Persians,\" as in my translation; but in\nthe Cairo edition, he is said to have been \"in the _city_ of the\nPersians, and the country of Room\u00e1n;\" which may perhaps mean (though\nthis is hardly allowable) the [eastern] Roman, or later Greek, empire;\nan unnecessary contradiction. (See Note 22 to Chapter x.) It is\nobviously more agreeable with the story to regard him as a Persian King.\n\nNOTE 14. \"The Ornament of the Good,\" or--\"of the Comely,\" is an\nappellation of the Arabian prophet, who is related to have said, \"The\nsun never riseth until it hath saluted me.\" \"The sun's saluting the\nOrnament of the Good,\" or \"Comely,\" is, therefore, a phrase not\nunfrequently used by Muslims merely to signify its rising.\n\nNOTE 15.--_On the Rewards of Men of Literature and Science._ It has long\nbeen a common custom of Eastern princes to bestow dresses of honour upon\nmen of literature and science, as well as upon their great officers and\nother servants. These dresses were of different kinds for persons of\ndifferent classes or professions. The most usual kind was an ample coat.\nWith dresses of this description were often given gold-embroidered\nturbans; and sometimes, to Emeers (or great military officers),\nneck-rings or collars (called \u1e6d\u00f3\u1e33s), some of which were set with jewels;\nas also, bracelets, and swords ornamented with precious stones, &c.; and\nto Wezeers, instead of the \u1e6d\u00f3\u1e33, a necklace of jewels.[151]--The\nfollowing striking record will convey an idea of the magnificence of\nsome of these dresses of honour; or, in other words, of the liberality\nof a Muslim prince, and, at the same time, of the very precarious nature\nof his favour. A person, chancing to look at a register kept by one of\nthe officers of H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed, saw in it the following entry:--\"Four\nhundred thousand pieces of gold, the price of a dress of honour for\nJa\u1ea1far, the son of Ya\u1e25y\u00e0, the Wezeer.\"--A few days after, he saw beneath\nthis written,--\"Ten \u1e33eer\u00e1\u1e6ds, the price of naphtha and reeds, for burning\nthe body of Ja\u1ea1far, the son of Ya\u1e25y\u00e0.\"[152]--The \u1e33eer\u00e1\u1e6d of Baghd\u00e1d was\nthe twentieth part of a deen\u00e1r, or piece of gold.\n\nArab princes and other great men have generally been famous for highly\nrespecting, and liberally rewarding, men of literature and science, and\nespecially poets. El-Mamoon and many others are well known to us for\ntheir patronage of the learned. Er-Rasheed carried his condescension to\nthem so far as to pour the water on the hands of a blind man,\nAboo-Mo'\u00e1wiyeh, one of the most learned persons of his time, previously\nto his eating with him, to shew his respect for science.[153] An\nanecdote of a Khaleefeh ordering the mouth of a learned man to be filled\nwith jewels, I have related in a former note. To cram the mouth with\nsugar or sweetmeats for a polite or eloquent speech, or piece of poetry,\nhas been more commonly done; but the usual presents to learned men were,\nand are, dresses of honour and sums of money. Ibn-'Obeyd El-Bakhteree,\nan illustrious poet and traditionist, who flourished in the reign of\nEl-Musta'een, is said to have received so many presents, that, after his\ndeath, there were found, among the property which he left, a hundred\ncomplete suits of dress, two hundred shirts, and five hundred\nturbans.[154] A thousand pieces of gold were often given, and sometimes\nten, twenty, or thirty, thousand, and even more, for a few verses; nay,\nfor a single couplet.\n\nThe prodigality of Arab princes to men of learning may be exemplified by\nthe following anecdote:--\u1e24amm\u00e1d, surnamed Er-R\u00e1wiyeh, or the famous\nreciter, having attached himself to the Khaleefeh El-Weleed, the son of\n'Abd-el-Melik, and shewn a contrary feeling towards his brother Hish\u00e1m,\non the accession of the latter fled to El-Koofeh. While there, a letter\narrived from Hish\u00e1m, commanding his presence at Damascus: it was\naddressed to the governor, who, being ordered to treat him with honour,\ngave him a purse containing a thousand pieces of gold, and despatched\nhim with the Khaleefeh's messenger. On his arrival at Damascus, he was\nconducted before Hish\u00e1m, whom he found in a splendid saloon, seated\nunder a pavilion of red silk, surmounted by a dome of yellow brocade,\nattended by two female slaves of beauty unsurpassed, each holding a\ncrystal ewer of wine. His admission during the presence of members of\nthe King's \u1e25areem, the reader will remark as a very unusual and high\nhonour: the mention of the wine may also surprise him; but this is a\nsubject upon which much may be said, and which will be considered on a\nfuture occasion. After \u1e24amm\u00e1d had given the salutation, and the\nKhaleefeh had returned it, the latter told him that he had sent for him\nto ask respecting a couplet of which he (the Khaleefeh) could only\nremember that it ended with the word \"ibree\u1e33,\" which signifies \"a ewer.\"\nThe reciter reflected a while, and the lines occurred to his mind, and\nhe repeated them. Hish\u00e1m cried out, in delight, that the lines were\nthose he meant; drank a cup of wine, and desired one of the female\nslaves to hand a cup to \u1e24amm\u00e1d. She did so; and the draught, he says,\ndeprived him of one-third of his reason. The Khaleefeh desired him to\nrepeat the lines again, and drank a second cup; and \u1e24amm\u00e1d was deprived\nof another third of his reason in the same manner; and said, \"O Prince\nof the Faithful, two-thirds of my reason have departed from me.\" Hish\u00e1m\nlaughed, and desired him to ask what he would before the remaining third\nshould have gone; and the reciter said, \"One of these two female\nslaves.\" The Khaleefeh laughed again, and said, \"Nay, but both of them\nare thine, and all that is upon them, and all that they possess, and,\nbeside them, fifty thousand pieces of gold.\"--\"I kissed the ground\nbefore him,\" says \u1e24amm\u00e1d, \"and drank a third cup, and was unconscious of\nwhat happened after: I did not awake till the close of the night, when I\nfound myself in a handsome house, surrounded by lighted candles, and the\ntwo female slaves were putting in order my clothes and other things: so\nI took possession of the property, and departed, the happiest of the\ncreatures of God.\"[155]\n\nA whimsical story is told of a king, who denied to poets those rewards\nto which usage had almost given them a claim. This king, whose name is\nnot recorded, had the faculty of retaining in his memory an ode after\nhaving only once heard it; and he had a memlook who could repeat an ode\nthat he had twice heard, and a female slave who could repeat one that\nshe had heard thrice. Whenever a poet came to compliment him with a\npanegyrical ode, the King used to promise him that, if he found his\nverses to be his original composition, he would give him a sum of money\nequal in weight to what they were written upon. The poet, consenting,\nwould recite his ode; and the King would say, \"It is not new; for I have\nknown it some years;\" and would repeat it as he had heard it; after\nwhich he would add, \"And this memlook also retains it in his memory;\"\nand would order the memlook to repeat it; which, having heard it twice,\nfrom the poet and the king, he would do. The King would then say to the\npoet, \"I have also a female slave who can repeat it;\" and on his\nordering her to do so, stationed behind the curtains, she would repeat\nwhat she had thus thrice heard: so the poet would go away empty-handed.\nThe famous poet El-A\u1e63ma'ee, having heard of this proceeding, and\nguessing the trick, determined upon outwitting the King; and accordingly\ncomposed an ode made up of very difficult words; but this was not his\nonly preparative measure; another will be presently explained; and a\nthird was, to assume the dress of a Bedawee, that he might not be known,\ncovering his face, the eyes only excepted, with a lith\u00e1m (a piece of\ndrapery) in accordance with a custom of Arabs of the desert. Thus\ndisguised, he went to the palace, and, having asked permission, entered,\nand saluted the King, who said to him, \"Whence art thou, O brother of\nthe Arabs, and what dost thou desire?\" The poet answered, \"May God\nincrease the power of the King! I am a poet of such a tribe, and have\ncomposed an ode in praise of our lord the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n.\"--\"O brother of the\nArabs,\" said the King, \"hast thou heard of our condition?\"--\"No,\"\nanswered the poet; \"and what is it, O King of the age?\"--\"It is,\"\nreplied the King, \"that if the ode be not thine, we give thee no reward;\nand if it be thine, we give thee the weight in money of what it is\nwritten upon.\"--\"How,\" said El-A\u1e63ma'ee, \"should I assume to myself that\nwhich belongs to another, and knowing, too, that lying before kings is\none of the basest of actions? But I agree to this condition, O our lord\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n.\" So he repeated his ode. The King, perplexed, and unable to\nremember any of it, made a sign to the memlook--but he had retained\nnothing; and called to the female slave, but she also was unable to\nrepeat a word. \"O brother of the Arabs,\" said he, \"thou hast spoken\ntruth, and the ode is thine without doubt: I have never heard it before:\nproduce, therefore, what it is written upon, and we will give thee its\nweight in money, as we have promised.\"--\"Wilt thou,\" said the poet,\n\"send one of the attendants to carry it?\"--\"To carry what?\" asked the\nKing; \"is it not upon a paper here in thy possession?\"--\"No, O our lord\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n,\" replied the poet; \"at the time I composed it I could not\nprocure a piece of paper upon which to write it, and could find nothing\nbut a fragment of a marble column left me by my father; so I engraved it\nupon this; and it lies in the court of the palace.\" He had brought it,\nwrapped up, on the back of a camel. The King, to fulfil his promise, was\nobliged to exhaust his treasury; and to prevent a repetition of this\ntrick (of which he afterwards discovered El-A\u1e63ma'ee to have been the\nauthor), in future rewarded the poets according to the usual custom of\nkings.[156]\n\nThe following case is also related as an exception to the common custom\nof great men, with regard to the bestowal of rewards on poets:--\"A poet\npraised a governor in some verses, and the latter ordered an ass's\nbarda'ah (or stuffed saddle) and girth to be given to him. The poet went\naway with them on his shoulder; and, being asked what he had got,\nanswered, 'I have praised our honoured lord in the best of my verses,\nand he hath bestowed on me some of the most magnificent articles of his\napparel.'\"[157]\n\nNOTE 16.--_On the Bath._ The \u1e25amm\u00e1m, or bath, is a favourite resort of\nboth men and women of all classes among the Muslims who can afford the\ntrifling expense which it requires; and (it is said) not only of human\nbeings, but also of evil genii; on which account, as well as on that of\ndecency, several precepts respecting it have been dictated by Mo\u1e25ammad.\nIt is frequented for the purpose of performing certain ablutions\nrequired by the religion, or by a regard for cleanliness, and for its\nsalutary effects, and for mere luxury.\n\nThe following description of a public bath will convey a sufficient\nnotion of those in private houses, which are on a smaller scale, and\ngenerally consist of only two or three chambers. The public bath\ncomprises several apartments, with mosaic or tesselated pavements,\ncomposed of white and black marble, and pieces of fine red tile, and\nsometimes other materials. The inner apartments are covered with domes,\nhaving a number of small, round, glazed apertures, for the admission of\nlight. The first apartment is the meslakh, or disrobing room, which has,\nin the centre, a fountain of cold water, and, next the walls, wide\nbenches or platforms, encased with marble. These are furnished with\nmattresses and cushions for the higher and middle classes, and with mats\nfor the poorer sort. The inner division of the building, in the more\nregularly planned baths, occupies nearly a square: the central and chief\nportion of it is the principal apartment, or \u1e25ar\u00e1rah, which generally\nhas the form of a cross. In its centre is a fountain of hot water,\nrising from a base encased with marble, which serves as a seat. One of\nthe angles of the square is occupied by the beyt-owwal, or antechamber\nof the \u1e25ar\u00e1rah: in another, is the fire over which is the boiler; and\neach of the other two angles is generally occupied by two small\nchambers: in one of these is a tank filled with warm water, which pours\ndown from a spout in the dome: in the other are two taps, side by side;\none of hot, and the other of cold water, with a small trough beneath,\nbefore which is a seat. The inner apartments are heated by the steam\nwhich rises from the fountain and tanks, and by the contiguity of the\nfire; but the beyt-owwal is not so hot as the \u1e25ar\u00e1rah, being separated\nfrom it by a door. In cold weather, the bather undresses in the former,\nwhich has two or three raised seats, like those of the meslakh.\n\nWith a pair of wooden clogs to his feet, and having a large napkin round\nhis loins, and generally a second wound round his head like a turban, a\nthird over his chest, and a fourth covering his back, he enters the\n\u1e25ar\u00e1rah, the heat of which causes him immediately to perspire profusely.\nAn attendant of the bath removes from him all the napkins excepting the\nfirst; and proceeds to crack the joints of his fingers and toes, &c.,\nand several of the vertebr\u00e6 of the back and neck; kneads his flesh; and\nrubs the soles of his feet with a coarse earthen rasp, and his limbs and\nbody with a woollen bag which covers his hand as a glove; after which,\nthe bather, if he please, plunges into one of the tanks. He is then\nthoroughly washed with soap and water, and fibres of the palm-tree, and\nshaved, if he wish it, in one of the small chambers which contain the\ntaps of hot and cold water; and returns to the beyt-owwal. Here he\ngenerally reclines upon a mattress, and takes some light refreshment,\nwhile one of the attendants rubs the soles of his feet, and kneads the\nflesh of his body and limbs, previously to his resuming his dress. It is\na common custom, now, to take a pipe and a cup of coffee during this\nperiod of rest.\n\nThe women are especially fond of the bath, and often have entertainments\nthere; taking with them fruits, sweetmeats, &c., and sometimes hiring\nfemale singers to accompany them. An hour or more is occupied by the\nprocess of plaiting the hair, and applying the depilatory, &c.; and,\ngenerally, an equal time is passed in the enjoyment of rest, or\nrecreation, or refreshment. All necessary decorum is observed on these\noccasions by most females; but women of the lower orders are often seen\nin the bath without any covering. Some baths are appropriated solely to\nmen; others, only to women; and others, again, to men during the\nforenoon, and in the afternoon to women. When the bath is appropriated\nto women, a napkin, or some other piece of drapery, is suspended over\nthe door, to warn men from entering.\n\nBefore the time of Mo\u1e25ammad, there were no public baths in Arabia; and\nhe was so prejudiced against them, for the reasons already alluded to,\nthat he at first forbade both men and women from entering them:\nafterwards, however, he permitted men to do so, if for the sake of\ncleanliness, on the condition of their having a cloth round the waist;\nand women also on account of sickness, child-birth, &c., provided they\nhad not convenient places for bathing in their houses. But,\nnotwithstanding this license, it is held to be a characteristic of a\nvirtuous woman, not to go to a bath even with her husband's permission:\nfor the Prophet said, \"Whatever woman enters a bath, the devil is with\nher.\" As the bath is a resort of the Jinn, prayer should not be\nperformed in it, nor the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n recited. The Prophet said, \"All the\nearth is given to me as a place of prayer, and as pure, except the\nburial-ground and the bath.\"[158] Hence also, when a person is about to\nenter a bath, he should offer up an ejaculatory prayer for protection\nagainst evil spirits; and should place his left foot first over the\nthreshold.--Infidels have often been obliged to distinguish themselves\nin the bath, by hanging a signet to the neck, or wearing anklets, &c.,\nlest they should receive those marks of respect which should be paid\nonly to believers.[159]\n\nNOTE 17.--_On Meals, and the Manner of Eating._ The King (with the sage\nas his guest) is here described as eating in the presence of his court,\nagreeably with a common custom of Eastern princes and other great men in\nthe present day; the simple manner in which the meal is served and eaten\noccasioning but a slight interruption.\n\nThe Muslim takes a light breakfast after the morning-prayers, and dinner\nafter the noon-prayers; or a single meal instead of these two, before\nnoon. His principal meal is supper, which is taken after the prayers of\nsunset. A man of rank or wealth, when he has no guest, generally eats\nalone; his children eat after him, or with his wife or wives. In all his\nrepasts he is moderate with regard to the quantity which he eats,\nhowever numerous the dishes.\n\nIn the times to which most of the tales in the present work relate, it\nappears that the dishes were sometimes, I believe generally, placed upon\na round embroidered cloth spread on the floor, and sometimes on a tray,\nwhich was either laid on the floor or upon a small stand or stool. The\nlast is the mode now always followed in the houses of the higher and\nmiddle classes of the Arabs. The table is usually placed upon a round\ncloth, spread in the middle of the floor, or in a corner, next two of\nthe deew\u00e1ns, or low seats which generally extend along three sides of\nthe room. It is composed of a large round tray of silver, or of tinned\ncopper, or of brass, supported by a stool, commonly about fifteen or\nsixteen inches high, made of wood, and generally inlaid with\nmother-of-pearl and ebony or other wood, or tortoise-shell, &c. When\nthere are numerous guests, two or more such tables are prepared. The\ndishes are of silver, or of tinned copper, or of china. Several of these\nare placed upon the tray; and around them are disposed some round, flat\ncakes of bread, with spoons of box-wood, ebony, or other material, and,\nusually, two or three limes, cut in halves, to be squeezed over certain\nof the dishes. When these preparations have been made, each person who\nis to partake of the repast receives a napkin; and a servant pours water\nover his hands. A basin and ewer of either of the metals first mentioned\nare employed for this purpose; the former has a cover with a receptacle\nfor a piece of soap in its centre, and with numerous perforations\nthrough which the water runs during the act of washing, so that it is\nnot seen when the basin is brought from one person to another. It is\nindispensably requisite to wash at least the right hand before eating\nwith the fingers anything but dry food; and the mouth, also, is often\nrinsed, the water being taken up into it from the right hand. The\ncompany sit upon the floor, or upon cushions, or some of them on the\ndeew\u00e1n, either cross-legged, or with the right knee raised:[160] they\nretain the napkins before mentioned; or a long napkin, sufficient to\nsurround the tray, is placed upon their knees; and each person, before\nhe begins to eat, says, \"In the name of God,\" or \"In the name of God,\nthe Compassionate, the Merciful.\" The master of the house begins first:\nif he did not so, some persons would suspect that the food was poisoned.\nThe thumb and two fingers of the right hand serve instead of knives and\nforks; and it is the usual custom for a person to help himself to a\nportion of the contents of a dish by drawing it towards the edge, or\ntaking it from the edge, with a morsel of bread, which he eats with it:\nwhen he takes too large a portion for a single mouthful, he generally\nplaces it on his cake of bread. He takes from any dish that pleases him;\nand sometimes a host hands a delicate morsel with his fingers to one of\nhis guests. It is not allowable to touch food with the left hand (as it\nis used for unclean purposes), excepting in a few cases, when both hands\nare required to divide a joint.\n\nAmong the more common dishes are the following:--lamb or mutton cut into\nsmall pieces, and stewed with various vegetables, and sometimes with\npeaches, apricots, or jujubes, and sugar; cucumbers or small gourds, or\nthe fruit of the black or white egg-plant, stuffed with rice and minced\nmeat, &c.; vine-leaves or pieces of lettuce-leaf or cabbage-leaf,\nenclosing a similar composition; small morsels of lamb or mutton,\nroasted on skewers, and called \"keb\u00e1b;\" fowls simply roasted or boiled,\nor boned, and stuffed with raisins, pistachio-nuts, crumbled bread, and\nparsley; and various kinds of pastry, and other sweets. The repast is\nfrequently commenced with soup; and is generally ended with boiled rice,\nmixed with a little butter, and seasoned with salt and pepper; or after\nthis, is served a water-melon or other fruit, or a bowl of a sweet drink\ncomposed of water with raisins, and sometimes other kinds of fruit,\nboiled in it, and then sugar, and with a little rose-water added to it\nwhen cool. The meat, having generally little fat, is cooked with\nclarified butter, and is so thoroughly done that it is easily divided\nwith the fingers.\n\nA whole lamb, stuffed in the same manner as the fowls above mentioned,\nis not a very uncommon dish; but one more extraordinary, of which\n'Abd-El-La\u1e6deef gives an account[161] as one of the most remarkable that\nhe had seen in Egypt, I am tempted to describe. It was an enormous pie,\ncomposed in the following manner:--Thirty pounds of fine flour being\nkneaded with five pounds and a half of oil of sesame, and divided into\ntwo equal portions, one of these was spread upon a round tray of copper,\nabout four spans in diameter. Upon this were placed three lambs, stuffed\nwith pounded meat fried with oil of sesame and ground pistachio-nuts,\nand various hot aromatics, such as pepper, ginger, cinnamon, mastic,\ncoriander-seed, cumin-seed, cardamom, nut [or nutmeg?], &c. These were\nthen sprinkled with rose-water infused with musk; and upon the lambs,\nand in the remaining spaces, were placed twenty fowls, twenty chickens,\nand fifty smaller birds; some of which were baked, and stuffed with\neggs; some, stuffed with meat; and some, fried with the juice of sour\ngrapes, or that of limes, or some similar acid. To the above were added\na number of small pies; some filled with meat, and others with sugar and\nsweetmeats; and sometimes, the meat of another lamb, cut into small\npieces, and some fried cheese. The whole being piled up in the form of a\ndome, some rose-water infused with musk and aloes-wood was sprinkled\nupon it; and the other half of the paste first mentioned was spread\nover, so as to close the whole: it was then baked, wiped with a sponge,\nand again sprinkled with rose-water infused with musk.--A dish still\nmore extraordinary will be described in a note on public Royal feasts.\n\nWith respect to clean and unclean meats, the Muslim is subject to nearly\nthe same laws as the Jew. Swine's flesh, and blood, are especially\nforbidden to him; but camel's flesh is allowed. The latter, however,\nbeing of a coarse nature, is never eaten when any other meat can be\nobtained, excepting by persons of the lower classes, and by Arabs of the\ndesert. Of fish, almost every kind is eaten (excepting shell-fish),\nusually fried in oil: of game, little; partly in consequence of frequent\ndoubt whether it have been lawfully killed. The diet consists, in a\ngreat measure, of vegetables, and includes a large variety of pastry. A\nvery common kind of pastry is a pancake, which is made very thin, and\nfolded over several times like a napkin; it is saturated with butter,\nand generally sweetened with honey or sugar; as is also another common\nkind, which somewhat resembles vermicelli.\n\nThe usual beverage at meals is water, which is drunk from cooling,\nporous, earthen bottles, or from cups of brass or other metal: but in\nthe houses of the wealthy, sherbet is sometimes served instead of this,\nin covered glass cups, each of which contains about three quarters of a\npint. The sherbet is composed of water made very sweet with sugar, or\nwith a hard conserve of violets or roses or mulberries, &c. After every\ntime that a person drinks, he says, \"Praise be to God;\" and each person\nof the company says to him, \"May it be productive of enjoyment:\" to\nwhich he replies, \"May God cause thee to have enjoyment.\" The Arabs\ndrink little or no water during a meal, but generally take a large\ndraught immediately after. The repast is quickly finished; and each\nperson, as soon as he has done, says, \"Praise be to God,\" or \"Praise be\nto God, the Lord of all creatures.\" He then washes, in the same manner\nas before, but more thoroughly; well lathering his beard, and rinsing\nhis mouth.\n\nNOTE 18. This mode of shewing honour to a meritorious individual, or\ndistinguished guest, which is at least as ancient as the time of\nAhasuerus,[162] is still observed in Muslim countries.\n\nNOTE 19. The influence of the stars upon the dispositions and fortunes\nof mankind is firmly believed by the generality of Muslims, and is often\na matter of consideration previously to the uniting of two persons in\nmarriage; though the absurdity of such an opinion is declared in their\nlaw.\n\nNOTE 20.--_On the Distribution of Virtues and Vices among Mankind._ I\nhave heard Arabs confess that their nation possesses nine-tenths of the\nenvy that exists among all mankind collectively; but I have not seen any\nwritten authority for this. Ibn-'Abb\u00e1s assigns nine-tenths of the\nintrigue or artifice that exists in the world to the Copts; nine-tenths\nof the perfidy, to the Jews; nine-tenths of the stupidity, to the\nMaghrabees; nine-tenths of the hardness, to the Turks; and nine-tenths\nof the bravery, to the Arabs. According to Ka\u1ea1b-El-A\u1e25b\u00e1r, reason and\nsedition are most peculiar to Syria; plenty and degradation, to Egypt;\nand misery and health, to the Desert. In another account, faith and\nmodesty are said to be most peculiar to El-Yemen; fortitude and\nsedition, to Syria; magnificence, or pride, and hypocrisy, to El-'Er\u00e1\u1e33;\nwealth and degradation, to Egypt; and poverty and misery, to the\nDesert.--Of women, it is said, by Ka\u1ea1b-El-A\u1e25b\u00e1r, that the best in the\nworld (excepting those of the tribe of \u1e32ureysh mentioned by the Prophet)\nare those of El-Ba\u1e63rah; and the worst in the world, those of\nEgypt.[163]\n\nNOTE 21. In the Cairo edition, King Yoon\u00e1n is made to say, \"I should\nrepent after it, as King Sindib\u00e1d repented of killing the falcon;\"--and\nthus is introduced an indifferent story in the place of that of the\nHusband and the Parrot; the former story describing a king as having,\nunder an erroneous idea, killed a falcon that had prevented his drinking\npoison. The latter story I insert in preference, according to the\nCalcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and the edition of\nBreslau.\n\nNOTE 22.--_On Miraculously-gifted Birds._ An Arab historian would make\nit to appear, that the intelligence and talent ascribed to this parrot\nare not nearly so wonderful as those which some birds have been known to\ndisplay. He mentions a parrot which recited the Soorat Y\u00e1-Seen (or 36th\nchapter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n); and a raven which recited the Soorat es-Sijdeh\n(or 32nd chapter), and which, on arriving at the place of prostration\n(or verse which should be recited with prostration), would perform that\naction, and say, \"My body prostrateth itself to Thee, and my heart\nconfideth in Thee.\" But these are not the most remarkable cases of the\nkind. He affirms that there was a parrot in Cairo which recited the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n from beginning to end. The B\u00e1sh\u00e0, he says, desiring to try its\ntalent, caused a man to recite a chapter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n in its presence,\nand to pass irregularly from one chapter to another, with the view of\nleading the bird into error: but, instead of this being the result, the\nparrot corrected him![164]\n\nNOTE 23. But a few years ago, it was a common custom for an Arab\nmerchant or shopkeeper of the higher class to wear a sword; and this not\nonly during a journey, but also during his ordinary walks or rides. I\nhave seen many persons of this description so armed, and with a pair of\npistols stuck in the girdle; though seldom excepting in the former case.\nA dagger or case-knife is a weapon now more commonly worn by such\npersons, both at home and abroad.\n\nNOTE 24.--_On Hunting and Hawking._ Hunting and hawking, which were\ncommon and favourite diversions of the Arabs, and especially of their\nkings and other great men, have now fallen into comparative disuse among\nthis people. They are, however, still frequently practised by the\nPersians, and in a manner the same as they are generally described in\nthe present work. Sir John Malcolm was informed that these sports were\nnowhere found in greater perfection than in the neighbourhood of\nAboo-Shahr, where he witnessed and took part in them: I shall,\ntherefore, here avail myself of his observations on this subject.\n\n\"The huntsmen,\" he says, \"proceed to a large plain, or rather desert,\nnear the sea-side: they have hawks and greyhounds; the former carried in\nthe usual manner, on the hand of the huntsman; the latter led in a leash\nby a horseman, generally the same who carries the hawk. When the\nantelope is seen, they endeavour to get as near as possible; but the\nanimal, the moment it observes them, goes off at a rate that seems\nswifter than the wind: the horsemen are instantly at full speed, having\nslipped the dogs. If it is a single deer, they at the same time fly the\nhawks; but if a herd, they wait till the dogs have fixed on a particular\nantelope. The hawks, skimming along near the ground, soon reach the\ndeer, at whose head they pounce in succession, and sometimes with a\nviolence that knocks it over. [They are commonly described as pecking at\nthe poor creature's eyes until they blind it.] At all events, they\nconfuse the animal so much as to stop its speed in such a degree that\nthe dogs can come up with it; and, in an instant, men, horses, dogs, and\nhawks, surround the unfortunate deer, against which their united efforts\nhave been combined. The part of the chase that surprised me most, was\nthe extraordinary combination of the hawks and the dogs, which\nthroughout seemed to look to each other for aid. This, I was told, was\nthe result of long and skilful training.--The antelope is supposed to be\nthe fleetest quadruped on earth; and the rapidity of the first burst of\nthe chase I have described is astonishing. The run seldom exceeds three\nor four miles, and often is not half so much. A fawn is an easy victory;\nthe doe often runs a good chase; and the buck is seldom taken. The Arabs\nare, indeed, afraid to fly their hawks at the latter, as these fine\nbirds, in pouncing, frequently impale themselves on its sharp\nhorns.--The hawks used in this sport are of a species that I have never\nseen in any other country. This breed, which is called Cherkh, is not\nlarge, but of great beauty and symmetry.\n\n\"Another mode of running down the antelope is practised here, and still\nmore in the interior of Persia. Persons of the highest rank lead their\nown greyhounds in a long silken leash, which passes through the collar,\nand is ready to slip the moment the huntsman chooses. The well-trained\ndog goes alongside the horse, and keeps clear of him when at full speed,\nand in all kinds of country. When a herd of antelopes is seen, a\nconsultation is held, and the most experienced determine the point\ntowards which they are to be driven. The field (as an English sportsman\nwould term it) then disperse, and, while some drive the herd in the\ndesired direction, those with the dogs take their post on the same line,\nat the distance of about a mile from each other; one of the worst dogs\nis then slipped at the herd, and from the moment he singles out an\nantelope the whole body are in motion. The object of the horsemen who\nhave greyhounds is to intercept its course, and to slip fresh dogs, in\nsuccession, at the fatigued animal. In rare instances, the second dog\nkills. It is generally the third or fourth; and even these, when the\ndeer is strong, and the ground favourable, often fail. This sport, which\nis very exhilarating, was the delight of the late King of Persia, \u00c1gh\u00e0\nMo\u1e25ammad Kh\u00e1n, whose taste is inherited by the present sovereign.\n\n\"The novelty of these amusements interested me, and I was pleased, on\naccompanying a party to a village, about twenty miles from Aboo-Shahr,\nto see a species of hawking peculiar, I believe, to the sandy plains of\nPersia, on which the \u1e24ob\u00e1r\u00e0, a noble species of bustard, is found on\nalmost bare plains, where it has no shelter but a small shrub called\n'geetuck.' When we went in quest of them, we had a party of about\ntwenty, all well mounted. Two kinds of hawks are necessary for this\nsport; the first, the Cherkh (the same which is flown at the antelope),\nattacks them on the ground, but will not follow them on the wing; for\nthis reason, the 'Bhyree,' a hawk well known in India, is flown the\nmoment the \u1e24ob\u00e1r\u00e0 rises.--As we rode along in an extended line, the men\nwho carried the Cherkhs every now and then unhooded and held them up,\nthat they might look over the plain. The first \u1e24ob\u00e1r\u00e0 we found afforded\nus a proof of the astonishing quickness of sight of one of the hawks: he\nfluttered to be loose, and the man who held him gave him a whoop as he\nthrew him off his hand, and set off at full speed. We all did the same.\nAt first we only saw our hawk skimming over the plain, but soon\nperceived, at a distance of more than a mile, the beautiful speckled\n\u1e24ob\u00e1r\u00e0, with his head erect and wings outspread, running forward to meet\nhis adversary. The Cherkh made several unsuccessful pounces, which were\neither evaded or repelled by the beak or wings of the \u1e24ob\u00e1r\u00e0, which at\nlast found an opportunity of rising, when a Bhyree was instantly flown,\nand the whole party were again at full gallop. We had a flight of more\nthan a mile, when the \u1e24ob\u00e1r\u00e0 alighted, and was killed by another Cherkh,\nwho attacked him on the ground. This bird weighed ten pounds. We killed\nseveral others, but were not always successful, having seen our hawks\ntwice completely beaten, during the two days we followed this fine\nsport.\"[165]\n\nThe hunting of the wild ass is another sport of the Persians and Arabs,\nbut one of a more difficult nature. This animal is found in Syria, and\nin the Nubian deserts, as well as in Arabia and Persia. The more common\nkinds of game are gazelles, or antelopes, hares, partridges, the species\nof grouse called \"\u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e0,\" quails, wild geese, ducks, &c. Against all of\nthese, the hawk is generally employed, but assisted in the capture of\ngazelles and hares by dogs. The usual arms of the sportsmen, in the\ntimes to which the present work relates, were the bow and arrow, the\ncross-bow, the spear, the sword, and the mace. When the game is struck\ndown, but not killed, by any weapon, its throat is immediately cut. If\nmerely stunned, and then left to die, its flesh is unlawful food. Some\nother laws respecting the killing of game have been mentioned in a\nformer note; but one has been there omitted which is worthy of remark,\nthough it is often disregarded; it is, that hunting is allowable only\nfor the purpose of procuring food, or to obtain the skin of an animal,\nor for the sake of destroying ferocious and dangerous beasts. Amusement\nis certainly, in general, the main object of the Muslim huntsman, but he\ndoes not, with this view, endeavour to prolong the chase; on the\ncontrary, he strives to take the game as quickly as possible; for this\npurpose, nets are often employed, and the hunting party, forming what is\ncalled the circle of the chase (\u1e25al\u1e33at e\u1e63-\u1e63eyd), surround the spot in\nwhich the game is found.\n\n\"On the eastern frontiers of Syria,\" says Burckhardt, \"are several\nplaces allotted for the hunting of gazelles: these places are called\n'masiade' [more properly, 'ma\u1e63yedehs']. An open space in the plain, of\nabout one mile and a half square, is enclosed on three sides by a wall\nof loose stones, too high for the gazelles to leap over. In different\nparts of this wall, gaps are purposely left, and near each gap a deep\nditch is made on the outside. The enclosed space is situated near some\nrivulet or spring to which, in summer, the gazelles resort. When the\nhunting is to begin, many peasants assemble, and watch till they see a\nherd of gazelles advancing from a distance towards the enclosure, into\nwhich they drive them: the gazelles, frightened by the shouts of these\npeople, and the discharge of fire-arms, endeavour to leap over the wall,\nbut can only effect this at the gaps, where they fall into the ditch\noutside, and are easily taken, sometimes by hundreds. The chief of the\nherd always leaps first: the others follow him one by one. The gazelles\nthus taken are immediately killed, and their flesh is sold to the Arabs\nand neighbouring Fell\u00e1\u1e25s.\"[166]\n\nNOTE 25. In the Cairo edition, the word \"jezeereh\" (an island) is\nerroneously put for \"khar\u00e1beh\" (a ruin).\n\nNOTE 26. \"Ghooleh\" is the feminine of \"Ghool.\" The Ghool is a fabulous\nbeing, of which some account has been given in No. 21 of the notes to\nthe Introduction.\n\nNOTE 27. This epithet of the Deity appears to be used in preference to\nothers in this instance, in order to imply that God always decrees what\nis best for a virtuous man, even when the reverse would seem to us to be\nthe case. He is here described as appointing that the sage should die a\nviolent death; but this death, being unmerited, raised him, according to\nMohammadan notions, to the rank of a martyr.\n\nIn the edition from which my translation is chiefly made, four poetical\nquotations are here inserted on the subject of fate, and the inutility\nof anxious forebodings. The first of these is as follows:--\n\n \"O thou who fearest thy fate, be at ease; commit thine affairs\n unto Him who spread out the earth.\n For what is predestined cannot be cancelled; and thou art secure\n from every thing that is not predestined.\"\n\nNOTE 28.--_The Fable of the Crocodile._ Perhaps the reader may desire to\nknow what is the story which the sage Doob\u00e1n declined to relate; I will\ntherefore supply the omission as well as my memory will allow me. I have\nheard this fable differently told by different persons; and it is\nsometimes spun out to a considerable length; but the principal points of\nit are these:--A crocodile, having crawled far from the Nile, over a\ndesert tract, found his strength so exhausted by fatigue and thirst,\nthat he despaired of being able to return to the river. While he was in\nthis unhappy state, an Arab with his camel approached him, proceeding in\nthe desired direction; and he appealed to his compassion, entreating\nthat he would bind him on the back of the camel, and so convey him to\nthe Nile, and promising that he would afterwards, in return for this\nfavour, carry him across to the opposite bank. The Arab answered, that\nhe feared the crocodile would, as soon as he was unbound, turn upon him,\nand devour him; but the monster swore so solemnly that he would\ngratefully requite the service he requested, that the man was induced to\nconsent; and, making his camel lie down, bound the crocodile firmly upon\nhis back, and brought him to the bank of the river. No sooner, however,\nwas the horrid creature liberated, than, in spite of his vows, he opened\nhis hideous jaws to destroy his benefactor, who, though he eluded this\ndanger, was unable to rescue his camel. At this moment a fox drew near\nthem. The man, accosting this cunning animal, related his tale; and the\ncrocodile urged in his own excuse, that the man had spitefully bound him\non the back of the camel in such a manner that he had almost killed him.\nThe fox replied that he could quickly pursue and capture the man, but\nthat he must act fairly, and first see the whole transaction repeated\nbefore him. The crocodile, assenting, and submitting to have a noose\nthrown over his jaws, was again bound on the back of the camel, and\ntaken to the place whence he was brought; and as soon as this was done,\nthe man, by the direction of the fox, holding with one hand the halter\nof his camel, with the other cut the ropes which secured his burden, and\nhasted away with his beast, leaving the ungrateful and treacherous\nmonster in the same hopeless state in which he had found him.\n\nNOTE 29. This comparison is perfectly just. My first visit to Egypt was\nnot too late for me to witness such a scene as that which is here\nalluded to; but now, throughout the Turkish dominions, the officers of\ngovernment are obliged, more or less, to assimilate their style of dress\nto that which commonly prevails in Europe; gaudy colours are out of\nfashion among them, and silk embroidery is generally preferred to gold:\nin Egypt, however, the dress worn by this class of persons has not been\nso much altered as in Turkey, still retaining an Oriental character,\nthough wanting the shawl which was wound round the red cap, and formed\nthe turban; while the dress worn by other classes has undergone no\nchange. [This note still applies to the inhabitants of Egypt, with the\nexception of the Turks, who have very generally adopted the modern\nTurkish, or semi-European dress.--ED.]\n\nNOTE 30. This story of the head speaking after it was cut off is not\nwithout a parallel in the writings of Arab historians. The head of\nSa'eed, the son of Jubeyr, is said to have uttered the words, \"There is\nno deity but God,\" after it had been severed from his body by order of\nEl-\u1e24ajj\u00e1j, who is related to have killed a hundred and twenty thousand\npersons of note, besides those whom he slew in war.\n\nNOTE 31. I do not remember to have read or heard the story of Um\u00e1meh and\n'\u00c1tikeh, who, as their names import, were two females.\n\nNOTE 32. The words here quoted are part of the 36th verse of the 17th\nchapter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n.\n\nNOTE 33. The title of \"Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\" is higher than that of \"Melik\" (or King):\na Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, properly speaking, being a monarch who has kings or viceroys\nunder his authority.\n\nNOTE 34.--_On_ Ko\u1e25l, _and the mode of applying it_. Ko\u1e25l is a black\npowder, with which most of the Arab, and many other, women blacken the\nedges of the eyelids. The most common kind is the smoke-black which is\nproduced by burning a kind of frankincense. An inferior kind is the\nsmoke-black produced by burning the shells of almonds. These are\nbelieved to be beneficial to the eyes; but are generally used merely for\nthe sake of ornament. Among other kinds which are particularly employed\nfor their beneficial effect upon the eye are several ores of lead,\nreduced to a fine powder. Antimony is said to have been, in former\ntimes, the most esteemed kind of ko\u1e25l. The powder is applied by means of\na small probe of wood, ivory, or silver, the end of which is moistened,\nand then dipped in the powder, and drawn along the edges of the\neyelids.[167]\n\nNOTE 35. The Koofeeyeh is described in a great Arabic Lexicon (T\u00e1j\nel-'Aroos) as \"a thing worn on the head; so called because of its\nroundness:\" and this is the only description of it that I have been able\nto find. I was told in Cairo, that \"koofeeyeh\" is the correct\nappellation of the head-kerchief commonly called \"keffeeyeh:\" but this\nis a mistake. The latter is a square kerchief, which is worn on the\nhead, measuring about a yard in each direction, and of various colours,\ngenerally a dull, brownish red, bright green, and yellow, composing\nbroad and narrow stripes, and having a deep fringe of strings and\ntassels along two opposite edges. The most common kind is entirely of\ncotton; another, of cotton interwoven with silk; and a third, of silk\ninterwoven with gold. It is now chiefly worn by the Wahh\u00e1bees and\nseveral tribes of Bedawees; but the former wear only the first kind, as\nthey hold articles of dress composed wholly or partly of silk or gold to\nbe unlawful. In former times it was in common use among the inhabitants\nof the towns. It is mostly worn by men, and is doubled diagonally, and\nplaced over the cap in such a manner that the two corners which are\nfolded together hang down the back; and the other two corners, in front.\nA piece of woollen rope, or a strip of rag, or a turban, is generally\nwound round it; and the corners, or those only which usually hang down\nin front, are sometimes turned up, and tucked within the upper edge of\nthe turban. The inhabitants of the towns usually wear the turban over\nthe keffeeyeh. Burckhardt, who calls this head-kerchief \"keffie,\"\nmentions, that the Bedawees of Mekkeh and El-Yemen tie over it, instead\nof the woollen rope which is used by the Northern Bedawees, \"a circle\nmade of wax, tar, and butter, strongly kneaded together: this,\" he adds,\n\"is pressed down to the middle of the head, and looks like the airy\ncrown of a saint. It is about the thickness of a finger; and they take\nit off very frequently to press it between their hands, so that its\nshape may be preserved.\"[168] The better kinds of keffeeyeh above\nmentioned are worn by some of the Turks, but not in the Arab manner;\nbeing wound tight round the cap.\n\nNOTE 36.--_Anecdote of a Miraculous Fish._ This story of the miraculous\nfish reminds me of one of a similar kind which is related as authentic.\nA certain just judge of the Israelites, in the time of Solomon, had a\nwife who, every time that she brought him his food, used to ejaculate a\nprayer that disgrace might befall every unfaithful wife. One day, this\nwoman having placed before her husband a fried fish, and repeated her\nusual ejaculation, the fish leaped from the dish, and fell upon the\nfloor. This happened three times; and, in consequence of a suspicion\nexpressed by a devotee, who was consulted respecting the meaning of this\nstrange event, the judge discovered that a supposed maid, whom he had\npurchased as a slave, was a disguised man.[169]\n\nNOTE 37. This comparison is not intended to be understood in its literal\nsense, for the smallest of the tribe of '\u00c1d is said to have been sixty\ncubits high: the largest, a hundred! The tribe of '\u00c1d were a race of\nancient Arabs, who, according to the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n and Arab historians, were\ndestroyed by a suffocating wind, for their infidelity, after their\nrejection of the admonitions of the prophet Hood.\n\nNOTE 38. The Arabs generally calculate distances by time. The average\ndistance of a day's journey is from twenty to twenty-five miles; the\nformer being the usual rate of caravan-travelling.\n\nNOTE 39.--_On the Privacy of Arab Dwellings._ In a palace, or large\nhouse, there is generally a wide bench of stone, or a wooden couch,\nwithin the outer door, for the accommodation of the door-keeper and\nother servants. The entrance-passage leads to an open court, and, for\nthe sake of preventing persons at the entrance, or a little within it,\nfrom seeing into the court, it usually has two turnings. We may,\ntherefore, understand the motive of the King in seating himself in the\nplace here described to have been a desire that he might not, if\ndiscovered, be supposed to be prying impertinently into the interior of\nthe palace. Respect for the privacy of another's house is a point that\nis deemed of so much importance that it is insisted upon in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n,\nin these words:--\"O ye who have become believers, enter not any houses,\nbesides your own houses, until ye shall have asked leave, and saluted\ntheir inhabitants; this will be better for you: peradventure ye will be\nadmonished. And if ye find not in them any person, enter them not, until\nleave be granted you; and if it be said unto you, Return, then do ye\nreturn; this will be more decent for you; and God knoweth what ye do.\nBut it shall be no crime in you that ye enter uninhabited houses wherein\nye may find a convenience.\"[170] When a visiter finds the door open, and\nno servant below, he usually claps his hands as a signal for some\nperson to come to him; striking the palm of his left hand with the\nfingers of the right: and even when leave has been granted him to enter,\nit is customary for him, when he has to ascend to an upper apartment, to\nrepeat several times some ejaculation, such as \"Permission!\" or, \"O\nProtector!\" (that is, \"O protecting God!\"), as he goes up, in order that\nany female of the family, who may chance to be in the way, may have\nnotice of his approach, and either retire or veil herself. Sometimes the\nservant who precedes him does this in his stead.\n\nNOTE 40. These verses are translated from the Calcutta edition of the\nfirst two hundred nights, as more apposite than those which are inserted\nin their place in the edition of Cairo.\n\nNOTE 41. That the reader may not form wrong conceptions of the\ncharacters of many persons portrayed in this work, it is necessary to\nobserve, that weeping is not regarded by the Arabs as an evidence of an\neffeminate disposition, or inconsistent with even a heroic mind; though\nthe Muslims in general are remarkable for the calmness with which they\nendure the heaviest afflictions.\n\nNOTE 42. It is, perhaps, unnecessary to mention, that it is a common\ncustom of the Orientals, as of other natives of warm climates, to take a\nnap in the afternoon. A tradesman is not unfrequently seen enjoying this\nluxury in his shop, and seldom, excepting in this case, is it considered\nallowable to wake a person.\n\nNOTE 43.--_Description of Arab Fans._ The kind of fan most commonly used\nby the Arabs has the form of a small flag. The flap, which is about six\nor seven inches in width, and somewhat more in length, is composed of\nsplit palm-leaves of various colours, or some plain and others coloured,\nneatly plaited or woven together. The handle is a piece of palm-stick,\nabout twice the length of the flap. This fan is used by men as well as\nwomen, and for the double purpose of moderating the heat and repelling\nthe flies, which, in warm weather, are excessively annoying. It is more\neffective than the ordinary European fan, and requires less exertion.\nArabian fans of the kind here described, brought from Mekkeh to Cairo as\narticles of merchandise, may be purchased in the latter city for a sum\nless than a penny each; they are mostly made in the \u1e24ej\u00e1z. Another\nkind of fan, generally composed of black ostrich-feathers, of large\ndimensions, and ornamented with a small piece of looking-glass on the\nlower part of the front, is often used by the Arabs. A kind of fly-whisk\nmade of palm-leaves is also in very general use. A servant or slave is\noften employed to wave it over the master or mistress during a meal or\nan afternoon nap.\n\nNOTE 44. Mes'oodeh is the feminine of Mes'ood, a name before explained,\nas signifying \"happy,\" or \"made happy.\"\n\nNOTE 45. The word which I have here rendered \"wine\" namely, \"shar\u00e1b\" is\napplied to any drink, and particularly to a sweet beverage; but, in the\npresent case, the context shews that its signification is that which I\nhave given it. The description of a carousal in the next chapter will\npresent a more fit occasion for my considering at large the custom of\ndrinking wine as existing among the Arabs.\n\nNOTE 46.--_On the Use of Hemp to induce Intoxication._ The name of\n\"benj,\" or \"beng,\" is now, and, I believe, generally, given to henbane;\nbut El-\u1e32azweenee states that the leaves of the garden hemp (\u1e33inneb\nbust\u00e1nee, or shahd\u00e1naj,) are the benj which, when eaten, disorders the\nreason. This is an important confirmation of De Sacy's opinion\nrespecting the derivation of the appellation of \"Assassins\" from\n\u1e24ashsh\u00e1sheen (hemp-eaters, or persons who intoxicate themselves with\nhemp); as the sect which we call \"Assassins\" are expressly said by the\nArabs to have made frequent use of benj.[171] To this subject I shall\nhave occasion to revert. I need only add here, that the custom of using\nbenj, and other narcotics, for purposes similar to that described in\nthis tale, is said to be not very unfrequently practised in the present\nday; but as many Arab husbands are extremely suspicious of the character\nof women in general, perhaps there is but little ground for this\nassertion.\n\nNOTE 47. Most Eastern cities and towns are partly or wholly surrounded\nby mounds of rubbish, close to the walls; and upon these mounds are\nthrown the carcasses of camels, horses, and other beasts, to be devoured\nby dogs and vultures. Immense mounds of this unsightly description\nentirely surrounded the city of Cairo; but those which extended along\nits western side, and, in a great measure, screened it from the view of\npersons approaching from the Nile, have lately been removed by order of\nthe present B\u00e1sh\u00e0 of Egypt. [This note was written in the year 1838, in\nthe time of Mo\u1e25ammad 'Alee.--ED.]\n\nNOTE 48. \"\u1e32ubbeh\" generally signifies either a dome or a cupola, or a\nbuilding or apartment surmounted by a dome. In the present instance it\nis to be understood in the latter sense. It is also applied to a closet,\nand to a tent.\n\nNOTE 49. \"\u1e32\u00e1f\" is generally to be understood, as it is in the present\ncase; to signify the chain of mountains believed, by the Muslims, to\nencircle our earth, as mentioned in a former note. It is also the name\nof the chain of Caucasus, and hence it has been supposed that the fable\nrespecting the mountains before mentioned, originated from an early idea\nthat the chain of Caucasus was the limit of the habitable earth; but it\nis possible that the latter mountains may have derived their name from\nan imaginary resemblance to the former.\n\nNOTE 50. Rats, though unlawful food to the Muslim, are occasionally\neaten by many of the peasants of the province of Lower Egypt called\nEl-Bo\u1e25eyreh, on the west of the western branch of the Nile. The\nextraordinary abundance of these animals, and mice, throughout Egypt,\ngave rise to an absurd fable, which is related by Diodorus Siculus[172]\nas a matter worthy of serious consideration:--that these creatures are\ngenerated from the alluvial soil deposited by the Nile. The inundation\ndrives many of them from the fields to the houses and deserts, and\ndestroys the rest; but soon after the waters have subsided, vast numbers\nof them are seen again, taking refuge in the deep clefts of the parched\nsoil.\n\nNOTE 51.--_On the Beverage called_ Boo\u1e93ah. Boo\u1e93ah, or boozeh, is a\nfavourite beverage of the boatmen, and other persons of the lower class,\nin Egypt; and more especially of the Nubians and negroes; as it was,\naccording to Herodotus[173] and other writers, of the ancient Egyptians.\nIt is an intoxicating liquor, a kind of beer, most commonly prepared\nfrom barley-bread, crumbled, mixed with water, strained, and left to\nferment. It is also prepared from wheat and from millet in the same\nmanner. The account of Herodotus has been confirmed by the discovery of\nlarge jars, containing the dregs of the barley-beer in ancient tombs at\nThebes.\n\nNOTE 52.--_On the Apparel, &c., of Mourning._ The wearing of mourning\nappears to have been a custom of both sexes among the Arabs in earlier\ntimes, for the black clothing which distinguished the 'Abb\u00e1see\nKhaleefehs and their officers was originally assumed in testimony of\ngrief for the death of the Im\u00e1m Ibr\u00e1heem Ibn-Mo\u1e25ammad. It has, however,\nceased to be worn by men, as indicating a want of resignation to the\ndecrees of Providence, and is only assumed by women on the occasion of\nthe death of a husband or near relation, and not for an elderly person.\nIn the former cases they dye their shirts, head-veils, face-veils, and\nhandkerchiefs, of a blue or almost black colour, with indigo; and\nsometimes, with the same dye, stain their hands and arms as high as the\nelbows, and smear the walls of their apartments. They generally abstain\nfrom wearing any article of dress of a bright colour, leave their hair\nunbraided, and deck themselves with few or no ornaments. They also cease\nto make use of perfumes, ko\u1e25l, and \u1e25enn\u00e0; and often turn upside-down the\ncarpets, mats, cushions, and coverings of the deew\u00e1ns.\n\nNOTE 53. \"Houses of Lamentations,\" erected in burial-grounds for the\naccommodation of ladies on the occasions of their visiting the tombs of\ntheir relations, have been mentioned in a former note respecting the two\ngrand annual festivals.\n\nNOTE 54. The kind of tomb here alluded to is generally a square building\ncrowned by a dome.\n\nNOTE 55. This passage deserves particular notice, as being one of those\nwhich assist us to form some opinion respecting the period when the\npresent work, in the states in which it is known to us, was composed or\ncompiled or remodelled. It is the same in all the copies of the original\nwork that I have seen, and bears strong evidence of having been written\nsubsequently to the commencement of the eighth century of the Flight, or\nfourteenth of our era, at which period, it appears, the Christians and\nJews were first compelled to distinguish themselves by wearing,\nrespectively, blue and yellow turbans, in accordance with an order\nissued by the Sult\u00e1n of Egypt, Mo\u1e25ammad Ibn-Kala-oon.[174] Thus the\nwhite turban became peculiar to the Muslims.--An eminent German critic\nhas been unfortunate in selecting the incident of the four fish as\naffording an argument in favour of his opinion that the Tales of a\nThousand and One Nights are of Indian origin, on the mere ground that\nthe same word (_varna_) is used in Sanscrit to signify both \"colour\" and\n\"caste.\"\n\nNOTE 56. The Muslims often implore the intercession of their prophet,\nand of various members of his family and other holy persons, though\ntheir ordinary prayers are addressed solely to God. The regard which\nthey pay to their reputed saints, both living and deceased, as\nmediators, is one of the heresies which the Wahh\u00e1bees most vehemently\ncondemn.\n\nNOTE 57. This verse, translated from my usual prototype, the Cairo\nedition, is there followed by another, which I omit as being inapposite.\n\nNOTE 58. In the first of the notes to the Introduction, I have mentioned\nthat it is a general custom of the Muslims to repeat this phrase, \"In\nthe name of God!\" on commencing every lawful action that is of any\nimportance; it is, therefore, here employed, as it is in many similar\ncases, to express a readiness to do what is commanded or requested; and\nis equivalent to saying, \"I this instant begin to execute thy orders.\"\n\nNOTE 59. The condition and offices of memlooks, who are male white\nslaves, have been mentioned in the thirteenth note to the first chapter.\n\nNOTE 60. Eastern histories present numerous instances of marriages as\nunequal as those here related; the reader, therefore, must not regard\nthis part of the story as inconsistent.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n [150] Sale's Kor\u00e1n, note to chap. xxxviii.\n\n [151] El-Ma\u1e33reezee's \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d;\" chapter entitled \"Khiz\u00e1net\n el-Kisaw\u00e1t.\"\n\n [152] Fakhr-ed-Deen, in De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i.\n p. 32 of the Arabic text, 2nd ed.\n\n [153] Idem, p. 4 of the Arabic text.\n\n [154] D'Herbelot, art. \"Bokhteri.\"\n\n [155] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, chapter the seventh (MS. in my\n possession).\n\n [156] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, chapter the eighth.\n\n [157] Idem, chapter the seventh.\n\n [158] A recent traveller has questioned Mr. Lane's authority,\n in the \"Modern Egyptians,\" for the remark that Muslims should\n not pray in the bath. A reference to any well-known collection\n of traditions of the Prophet will, however, prove, by many\n sayings besides that quoted above, that Mr. Lane is in this\n matter strictly accurate.--ED.\n\n [159] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., section the seventh.\n\n [160] A pious Muslim generally sits at his meals with the right\n knee raised, after the example of the Prophet, who adopted this\n custom in order to avoid too comfortable a posture in eating,\n as tempting to unnecessary gratification.--ED.\n\n [161] Pp. 180--182, ed. Oxon. 1800.\n\n [162] See Esther vi. 8 and 9.\n\n [163] El-Ma\u1e33reezee's \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d,\" and El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee.\n\n [164] El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee; reign of the Khaleefeh El-Musta'een, the son\n of El-Mo\u1ea1ta\u1e63im.\n\n [165] Sketches of Persia, vol. i. ch. v. [Mr. Lane has written\n some of the Oriental words in this extract according to his own\n mode.--ED.]\n\n [166] Notes on the Bedouins and Wah\u00e1bys, vol. i. pp. 220 et\n seq. 8vo. ed.\n\n [167] A more full account of this custom is given in my work on\n the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. ch. l.\n\n [168] Notes on the Bedouins and Wah\u00e1bys, vol. i. p. 232, 8vo.\n ed.\n\n [169] Kit\u00e1b el-'Onw\u00e1n fee Mek\u00e1\u00efd en-Nisw\u00e1n.\n\n [170] Ch. xxiv. vv. 27-29.\n\n [171] See \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. ii., close of chap,\n ix.--Since this was written, I have found that El-Idreesee\n applies the term \"\u1e24asheesheeyeh,\" which is exactly synonymous\n with \"\u1e24ashsh\u00e1sheen,\" to the \"Assassins:\" this, therefore,\n decides the question.\n\n [172] Lib. i. cap. 10.\n\n [173] Lib. ii. cap. 77.\n\n [174] El-Ma\u1e33reezee and El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nCOMMENCING WITH PART OF THE NINTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE\nEIGHTEENTH.\n\nTHE STORY OF THE PORTER AND THE LADIES OF BAGHD\u00c1D, AND OF THE THREE\nROYAL MENDICANTS, &c.\n\nThere was a man of the city of Baghd\u00e1d, who was unmarried, and he was a\nporter; and one day, as he sat in the market, reclining against his\ncrate,[III_1] there accosted him a female wrapped in an\niz\u00e1r[III_2] of the manufacture of El-M\u00f3\u1e63il,[III_3] composed of\ngold-embroidered silk, with a border of gold lace at each end, who\nraised her face-veil, and displayed beneath it a pair of black eyes,\nwith lids bordered by long lashes, exhibiting a tender expression, and\nfeatures of perfect beauty; and she said, with a sweet voice, Bring thy\ncrate, and follow me.\n\nThe porter had scarcely heard her words when he took up his crate, and\nhe followed her until she stopped at the door of a house, and knocked;\nwhereupon there came down to her a Christian, and she gave him a piece\nof gold, and received for it a quantity of olives, and two large vessels\nof wine,[III_4] which she placed in the crate, saying to the\nporter, Take it up, and follow me. The porter exclaimed, This is,\nindeed, a fortunate day!--and he took up the crate, and followed her.\nShe next stopped at the shop of a fruiterer, and bought of him Syrian\napples, and 'Othm\u00e1nee quinces,[III_5] and peaches of 'Om\u00e1n, and\njasmine of Aleppo, and water-lilies of Damascus, and cucumbers of the\nNile, and Egyptian limes, and Sul\u1e6d\u00e1nee citrons, and sweet-scented\nmyrtle, and sprigs of the \u1e25enn\u00e0-tree, and chamomile, and anemones, and\nviolets, and pomegranate flowers, and eglantine: all these she put into\nthe porter's crate, and said to him, Take it up. So he took it up, and\nfollowed her until she stopped at the shop of a butcher, to whom she\nsaid, Cut off ten pounds of meat;--and he cut it off for her, and she\nwrapped it in a leaf of a banana-tree, and put it in the crate, and said\nagain, Take it up, O porter:--and he did so, and followed her. She next\nstopped at the shop of a seller of dry fruits, and took some of every\nkind of these, and desired the porter to take up his burden. Having\nobeyed, he followed her until she stopped at the shop of a confectioner,\nwhere she bought a dish, and filled it with sweets of every kind that he\nhad,[III_6] which she put into the crate; whereupon the porter\nventured to say, If thou hadst informed me beforehand, I had brought\nwith me a mule to carry all these things. The lady smiled at his remark,\nand next stopped at the shop of a perfumer, of whom she bought ten kinds\nof scented waters; rose-water, and orange-flower-water, and\nwillow-flower-water,[III_7] &c.; together with some sugar, and a\nsprinkling-bottle[III_8] of rose-water infused with musk, and some\nfrankincense, and aloes-wood, and ambergris, and musk, and wax candles;\nand, placing all these in the crate, she said, Take up thy crate, and\nfollow me. He, therefore, took it up, and followed her until she came to\na handsome house, before which was a spacious court. It was a lofty\nstructure, with a door of two leaves, composed of ebony, overlaid with\nplates of red gold.[III_9]\n\nThe young lady stopped at this door, and knocked gently; whereupon both\nits leaves were opened, and the porter, looking to see who opened it,\nfound it to be a damsel of tall stature, high-bosomed, fair and\nbeautiful, and of elegant form, with a forehead like the bright new\nmoon, eyes like those of gazelles, eyebrows like the new moon of\nRama\u1e0d\u00e1n,[III_10] cheeks resembling anemones, and a mouth like the\nseal of Suleym\u00e1n:[III_11] her countenance was like the full moon in\nits splendour, and the forms of her bosom resembled two pomegranates of\nequal size. When the porter beheld her, she captivated his reason, the\ncrate nearly fell from his head, and he exclaimed, Never in my life have\nI seen a more fortunate day than this! The lady-portress, standing\nwithin the door, said to the cateress and the porter, Ye are\nwelcome:--and they entered, and proceeded to a spacious\nsaloon,[III_12] decorated with various colours, and beautifully\nconstructed, with carved wood-work, and fountains, and benches of\ndifferent kinds, and closets with curtains hanging before them; there\nwas also in it, at the upper end,[III_13] a couch of alabaster\ninlaid with large pearls and jewels, with a musquito-curtain of red\nsatin suspended over it, and within this was a young lady with eyes\npossessing the enchantment of B\u00e1bil,[III_14] and a figure like the\nletter Alif,[III_15] with a face that put to shame the shining sun:\nshe was like one of the brilliant planets, or rather, one of the most\nhigh-born of the maidens of Arabia. This third lady,[III_16] rising\nfrom the couch, advanced with a slow and elegant gait to the middle of\nthe saloon, where her sisters were standing, and said to them, Why stand\nye still? Lift down the burden from the head of this poor\nporter:--whereupon the cateress placed herself before him, and the\nportress behind him, and, the third lady assisting them, they lifted it\ndown from his head. They then took out the contents of the crate, and,\nhaving put every thing in its place, gave to the porter two pieces of\ngold, saying to him, Depart, O porter.\n\nThe porter, however, stood looking at the ladies, and admiring their\nbeauty and their agreeable dispositions; for he had never seen any more\nhandsome; and when he observed that they had not a man among them, and\ngazed upon the wine, and fruits, and sweet-scented flowers, which were\nthere, he was full of astonishment, and hesitated to go out; upon which\none of the ladies said to him, Why dost thou not go? dost thou deem thy\nhire too little? Then turning to one of her sisters, she said to her,\nGive him another piece of gold.--By Allah, O my mistress, exclaimed the\nporter, my hire is but two half-dirhems,[III_17] and I thought not\nwhat ye have given me too little; but my heart and mind were occupied\nwith reflections upon you and your state, ye being alone, with no man\namong you, not one to amuse you with his company; for ye know that the\nmen\u00e1reh[III_18] standeth not firmly but on four walls: now ye have\nnot a fourth, and the pleasure of women is not complete without men: ye\nare three only, and have need of a fourth, who should be a man, a\nperson of sense, discreet, acute, and a concealer of secrets. We are\nmaidens, they replied; and fear to impart our secret to him who will not\nkeep it; for we have read, in a certain history, this verse:--\n\n Guard thy secret from another: intrust it not: for he who intrusteth\n a secret hath lost it.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n--By your existence, said the porter, I am a man of sense, and\ntrustworthy: I have read various books, and perused histories: I make\nknown what is fair, and conceal what is foul, and act in accordance with\nthe saying of the poet:--\n\n None keepeth a secret but a faithful person: with the best of mankind\n it remaineth concealed.\n A secret is with me as in a house with a lock, whose key is lost,\n and whose door is sealed.[III_19]\n\nWhen the ladies heard the verses which he quoted, and the words with\nwhich he addressed them, they said to him, Thou knowest that we have\nexpended here a considerable sum of money: hast thou then wherewith to\nrequite us? We will not suffer thee to remain with us unless thou\ncontribute a sum of money; for thou desirest to sit with us, and to be\nour cup-companion, and to gaze upon our beautiful faces.--If friendship\nis without money, said the mistress of the house, it is not equivalent\nto the weight of a grain:--and the portress added, If thou hast nothing,\ndepart with nothing:--but the cateress said, O sister, let us suffer\nhim; for, verily, he hath not been deficient in his services for us this\nday: another had not been so patient with us: whatever, therefore, falls\nto his share of the expense, I will defray for him.--At this the porter\nrejoiced, and exclaimed, By Allah, I obtained my first and only pay this\nday from none but thee:--and the other ladies said to him, Sit down:\nthou art welcome.\n\nThe cateress then arose, and, having tightened her girdle, arranged the\nbottles, and strained the wine, and prepared the table by the pool of\nthe fountain. She made ready all that they required, brought the wine,\nand sat down with her sisters; the porter also sitting with them,\nthinking he was in a dream. And when they had seated themselves, the\ncateress took a jar of wine, and filled the first cup, and drank\nit:[III_20] she then filled another, and handed it to one of her\nsisters; and in like manner she did to her other sister; after which she\nfilled again, and handed the cup to the porter, who, having taken it\nfrom her hand, repeated this verse:--\n\n I will drink the wine, and enjoy health; for, verily, this beverage\n is a remedy for disease.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe wine continued to circulate among them, and the porter, taking his\npart in the revels, dancing and singing with them, and enjoying\nthe fragrant odours, began to hug and kiss them, while one\nslapped[III_21] him, and another pulled him, and the third beat\nhim with sweet-scented flowers, till, at length, the wine made sport\nwith their reason; and they threw off all restraint, indulging\ntheir merriment with as much freedom as if no man had been\npresent.[III_22]\n\nThus they continued until the approach of night, when they\nsaid to the porter, Depart, and shew us the breadth of thy\nshoulders;[III_23]--but he replied, Verily the departure of my soul\nfrom my body were more easy to me than my departure from your company;\ntherefore suffer us to join the night to the day, and then each of us\nshall return to his own, or her own, affairs. The cateress, also, again\ninterceded for him, saying, By my life I conjure you that ye suffer him\nto pass the night with us, that we may laugh at his drolleries, for he\nis a witty rogue. So they said to him, Thou shalt pass the night with us\non this condition, that thou submit to our authority, and ask not an\nexplanation of anything that thou shalt see. He replied, Good.--Rise\nthen, said they, and read what is inscribed upon the door. Accordingly,\nhe went to the door, and found the following inscription upon it in\nletters of gold, Speak not of that which doth not concern thee, lest\nthou hear that which will not please thee:--and he said, Bear witness to\nmy promise that I will not speak of that which doth not concern me.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe cateress then rose, and prepared for them a repast; and, after they\nhad eaten a little, they lighted the candles and burnt some aloes-wood.\nThis done, they sat down again to the table; and, while they were eating\nand drinking, they heard a knocking at the door; whereupon, without\ncausing any interruption to their meal, one of them went to the door,\nand, on her return, said, Our pleasure this night is now complete, for I\nhave found, at the door, three foreigners[III_24] with shaven\nchins, and each of them is blind of the left eye: it is an extraordinary\ncoincidence. They are strangers newly arrived,[III_25] and each of\nthem has a ridiculous appearance: if they come in, therefore, we shall\nbe amused with laughing at them.--The lady ceased not with these words,\nbut continued to persuade her sisters until they consented, and said,\nLet them enter; but make it a condition with them that they speak not of\nthat which doth not concern them, lest they hear that which will not\nplease them. Upon this she rejoiced, and, having gone again to the door,\nbrought in the three men blind of one eye and with shaven chins, and\nthey had thin and twisted mustaches. Being mendicants, they saluted and\ndrew back; but the ladies rose to them, and seated them; and when these\nthree men looked at the porter, they saw that he was intoxicated; and,\nobserving him narrowly, they thought that he was one of their own class,\nand said, He is a mendicant like ourselves, and will amuse us by his\nconversation:--but the porter, hearing what they said, arose, and rolled\nhis eyes, and exclaimed to them, Sit quiet, and abstain from impertinent\nremarks. Have ye not read the inscription upon the door?--The ladies,\nlaughing, said to each other, Between the mendicants and the porter we\nshall find matter for amusement. They then placed before the former some\nfood, and they ate, and then sat to drink. The portress handed to them\nthe wine, and, as the cup was circulating among them, the porter said to\nthem, Brothers, have ye any tale or strange anecdote wherewith to amuse\nus? The mendicants, heated by the wine, asked for musical instruments;\nand the portress brought them a tambourine of the manufacture of\nEl-M\u00f3\u1e63il, with a lute of El-'Er\u00e1\u1e33, and a Persian harp;[III_26]\nwhereupon they all arose; and one took the tambourine; another, the\nlute; and the third, the harp: and they played upon these instruments,\nthe ladies accompanying them with loud songs; and while they were thus\ndiverting themselves, a person knocked at the door. The portress,\ntherefore, went to see who was there; and the cause of the knocking was\nthis.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Khaleefeh[III_27] H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed had gone forth this night to see\nand hear what news he could collect, accompanied by Ja\u1ea1far[III_28] his\nWezeer, and Mesroor[III_29] his executioner. It was his custom to\ndisguise himself in the attire of a merchant; and this night, as he went\nthrough the city, he happened to pass, with his attendants, by the house\nof these ladies, and hearing the sounds of the musical instruments, he\nsaid to Ja\u1ea1far, I have a desire to enter this house, and to see who is\ngiving this concert.--They are a party who have become intoxicated,\nreplied Ja\u1ea1far, and I fear that we may experience some ill usage from\nthem;--but the Khaleefeh said, We must enter, and I would that thou\ndevise some stratagem by which we may obtain admission to the inmates.\nJa\u1ea1far therefore answered, I hear and obey:--and he advanced, and\nknocked at the door; and when the portress came and opened the door, he\nsaid to her, My mistress, we are merchants from Tabareeyeh,[III_30] and\nhave been in Baghd\u00e1d ten days; we have brought with us merchandise, and\ntaken lodgings in a Kh\u00e1n;[III_31] and a merchant invited us to an\nentertainment this night: accordingly, we went to his house, and he\nplaced food before us, and we ate, and sat awhile drinking together,\nafter which he gave us leave to depart;[III_32] and going out in the\ndark, and being strangers, we missed our way to the Kh\u00e1n: we trust,\ntherefore, in your generosity that you will admit us to pass the night\nin your house; by doing which you will obtain a reward in heaven.--The\nportress, looking at them, and observing that they were in the garb of\nmerchants, and that they bore an appearance of respectability, returned,\nand consulted her two companions; and they said to her, Admit them:--so\nshe returned, and opened to them the door. They said to her, Shall we\nenter with thy permission? She answered, Come in. The Khaleefeh,\ntherefore, entered, with Ja\u1ea1far and Mesroor; and when the ladies saw\nthem, they rose to them, and served them, saying, Welcome are our\nguests; but we have a condition to impose upon you, that ye speak not of\nthat which doth not concern you, lest ye hear that which will not please\nyou. They answered, Good:--and when they had sat down to drink, the\nKhaleefeh looked at the three mendicants, and was surprised at observing\nthat each of them was blind of the left eye; and he gazed upon the\nladies, and was perplexed and amazed at their fairness and beauty. And\nwhen the others proceeded to drink and converse, the ladies brought wine\nto the Khaleefeh; but he said, I am a pilgrim;[III_33]--and drew back\nfrom them. Whereupon the portress spread before him an embroidered\ncloth, and placed upon it a China bottle, into which she poured some\nwillow-flower-water, adding to it a lump of ice, and sweetening it with\nsugar, while the Khaleefeh thanked her, and said within himself,\nTo-morrow I must reward her for this kind action.\n\nThe party continued their carousal, and, when the wine took effect upon\nthem, the mistress of the house arose, and waited upon them; and\nafterwards, taking the hand of the cateress, said, Arise, O my sister,\nthat we may fulfil our debt. She replied, Good. The portress then rose,\nand, after she had cleared the middle of the saloon, placed the\nmendicants at the further end, beyond the doors; after which, the ladies\ncalled to the porter, saying, How slight is thy friendship! thou art not\na stranger, but one of the family. So the porter arose, and girded\nhimself, and said, What would ye?--to which one of the ladies answered,\nStand where thou art:--and presently the cateress said to him, Assist\nme:--and he saw two black bitches, with chains attached to their necks,\nand drew them to the middle of the saloon; whereupon the mistress of the\nhouse arose from her place, and tucked up her sleeve above her wrist,\nand, taking a whip, said to the porter, Bring to me one of them.\nAccordingly, he dragged one forward by the chain. The bitch whined, and\nshook her head at the lady; but the latter fell to beating her upon the\nhead, notwithstanding her howling, until her arms were tired, when she\nthrew the whip from her hand, and pressed the bitch to her bosom, and\nwiped away her tears, and kissed her head; after which she said to the\nporter, Take her back, and bring the other;--and he brought her, and she\ndid to her as she had done to the first. At the sight of this, the mind\nof the Khaleefeh was troubled, and his heart was contracted, and he\nwinked to Ja\u1ea1far that he should ask her the reason; but he replied by a\nsign, Speak not.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe mistress of the house then looked towards the portress, and said to\nher, Arise to perform what thou hast to do. She replied, Good:--and the\nmistress of the house seated herself upon a couch of alabaster, overlaid\nwith gold and silver, and said to the portress and the cateress, Now\nperform your parts. The portress then seated herself upon a couch by\nher; and the cateress, having entered a closet, brought out from it a\nbag of satin with green fringes, and, placing herself before the lady of\nthe house, shook it, and took out from it a lute; and she tuned its\nstrings, and sang to it these verses:--\n\n Restore to my eyelids the sleep which hath been ravished;\n and inform me of my reason, whither it hath fled.\n I discovered, when I took up my abode with love, that slumber had\n become an enemy to my eyes.\n They said, We saw thee to be one of the upright; what, then, hath\n seduced thee? I answered, Seek the cause from his glance.\n Verily I excuse him for the shedding of my blood, admitting that\n I urged him to the deed by vexation.\n He cast his sun-like image upon the mirror of my mind, and its\n reflection kindled a flame in my vitals.[III_34]\n\nWhen the portress[III_35] had heard this song, she exclaimed, Allah\napprove thee!--and she rent her clothes, and fell upon the floor in a\nswoon; and when her bosom was thus uncovered, the Khaleefeh saw upon her\nthe marks of beating, as if from mi\u1e33ra'ahs[III_36] and whips; at\nwhich he was greatly surprised. The cateress[III_37] immediately\narose, sprinkled water upon her face, and brought her another dress,\nwhich she put on. The Khaleefeh then said to Ja\u1ea1far, Seest thou not this\nwoman, and the marks of beating upon her? I cannot keep silence\nrespecting this affair, nor be at rest, until I know the truth of the\nhistory of this damsel, and that of these two bitches. But Ja\u1ea1far\nreplied, O our lord, they have made a covenant with us that we shall not\nspeak excepting of that which concerneth us, lest we hear that which\nwill not please us.--The cateress then took the lute again, and, placing\nit against her bosom, touched the chords with the ends of her fingers,\nand thus sang to it:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n If of love we complain, what shall we say? Or consuming through desire,\n how can we escape?\n Or if we send a messenger to interpret for us, he cannot convey\n the lover's complaint.\n Or if we would be patient, short were our existence after the loss\n of those we love.\n Nought remaineth to us but grief and mourning, and tears streaming\n down our cheeks.\n O you who are absent from my sight, but constantly dwelling within\n my heart!\n Have you kept your faith to an impassioned lover, who, while time\n endureth, will never change?\n Or, in absence, have you forgotten that lover who, on your account,\n is wasting away?\n When the day of judgment shall bring us together, I will beg of\n our Lord a protractive trial.[III_38]\n\nOn hearing these verses of the cateress, the portress again rent her\nclothes, and cried out, and fell upon the floor in a swoon; and the\ncateress, as before, put on her another dress, after she had sprinkled\nsome water upon her face.[III_39]\n\nThe mendicants, when they witnessed this scene, said, Would that we had\nnever entered this house, but rather had passed the night upon the\nmounds;[III_40] for our night hath been rendered foul by an event\nthat breaketh the back! The Khaleefeh, looking towards them, then said,\nWherefore is it so with you? They answered, Our hearts are troubled by\nthis occurrence.--Are ye not, he asked, of this house?--No, they\nanswered; nor did we imagine that this house belonged to any but the man\nwho is sitting with you:--upon which the porter said, Verily, I have\nnever seen this place before this night; and I would that I had passed\nthe night upon the mounds rather than here. They then observed, one to\nanother, We are seven men, and they are but three women; we will,\ntherefore, ask them of their history; and if they answer us not\nwillingly they shall do it in spite of themselves:--and they all agreed\nto this, excepting Ja\u1ea1far, who said, This is not a right determination;\nleave them to themselves, for we are their guests, and they made a\ncovenant with us which we should fulfil: there remaineth but little of\nthe night, and each of us shall soon go his way. Then, winking to the\nKhaleefeh, he said, There remaineth but an hour; and to-morrow we will\nbring them before thee, and thou shalt ask them their story. But the\nKhaleefeh refused to do so, and said, I have not patience to wait so\nlong for their history.--Words followed words, and at last they said,\nWho shall put the question to them?--and one answered, The porter.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe ladies then said to them, O people, of what are ye talking?--whereupon\nthe porter approached the mistress of the house, and said to her, O my\nmistress, I ask thee, and conjure thee by Allah, to tell us the story of\nthe two bitches, and for what reason thou didst beat them, and then\ndidst weep, and kiss them, and that thou acquaint us with the cause of\nthy sister's having been beaten with mi\u1e33ra'ahs: that is our question,\nand peace be on you.--Is this true that he saith of you? inquired the\nlady, of the other men; and they all answered, Yes,--excepting Ja\u1ea1far,\nwho was silent. When the lady heard their answer, she said, Verily, O\nour guests, ye have wronged us excessively; for we made a covenant with\nyou beforehand, that he who should speak of that which concerned him not\nshould hear that which would not please him. Is it not enough that we\nhave admitted you into our house, and fed you with our provisions? But\nit is not so much your fault as the fault of her who introduced you to\nus.--She then tucked up her sleeve above her wrist, and struck the floor\nthree times, saying, Come ye quickly!--and immediately the door of a\ncloset opened, and there came forth from it seven black slaves, each\nhaving in his hand a drawn sword. The lady said to them, Tie behind them\nthe hands of these men of many words, and bind each of them to\nanother:--and they did so, and said, O virtuous lady, dost thou permit\nus to strike off their heads? She answered, Give them a short respite,\nuntil I shall have inquired of them their histories, before ye behead\nthem.--By Allah, O my mistress, exclaimed the porter, kill me not for\nthe offence of others: for they have all transgressed and committed an\noffence, excepting me. Verily our night had been pleasant if we had been\npreserved from these mendicants, whose presence is enough to convert a\nwell-peopled city into a heap of ruins!--He then repeated this\ncouplet:--\n\n How good is it to pardon one able to resist! and how much more so,\n one who is helpless!\n For the sake of the friendship that subsisted between us, destroy\n not one for the crime of another!\n\nOn hearing these words of the porter, the lady laughed after her anger.\nThen approaching the men, she said, Acquaint me with your histories, for\nthere remaineth of your lives no more than an hour. Were ye not persons\nof honourable and high condition, or governors,[III_41] I would\nhasten your recompense.--The Khaleefeh said to Ja\u1ea1far, Wo to thee, O\nJa\u1ea1far! make known to her who we are; otherwise she will kill us.--It\nwere what we deserve, replied he.--Jesting, said the Khaleefeh, is not\nbefitting in a time for seriousness: each has its proper occasion.--The\nlady then approached the mendicants, and said to them, Are ye brothers?\nThey answered, No, indeed; we are only poor foreigners.[III_42] She\nsaid then to one of them, Wast thou born blind of one eye?--No, verily,\nhe answered; but a wonderful event happened to me when my eye was\ndestroyed, and the story of it, if engraved on the understanding, would\nserve as a lesson to him who would be admonished. She asked the second\nand the third also; and they answered her as the first; adding, Each of\nus is from a different country, and our history is wonderful and\nextraordinary. The lady then looked towards them and said, Each of you\nshall relate his story, and the cause of his coming to our abode, and\nthen stroke his head,[III_43] and go his way.\n\nThe first who advanced was the porter, who said, O my mistress, I am a\nporter; and this cateress loaded me, and brought me hither, and what\nhath happened to me here in your company ye know. This is my story; and\npeace be on you.--Stroke thy head, then, said she, and go:--but he\nreplied, By Allah, I will not go until I shall have heard the story of\nmy companions.--The first mendicant then advanced, and related as\nfollows:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST ROYAL MENDICANT.\n\nKnow, O my mistress, that the cause of my having shaved my beard, and of\nthe loss of my eye was this:--My father was a King, and he had a brother\nwho was also a King, and who resided in another capital. It happened\nthat my mother gave birth to me on the same day on which the son of my\nuncle was born; and years and days passed away until we attained to\nmanhood. Now, it was my custom, some years, to visit my uncle, and to\nremain with him several months; and on one of these occasions my cousin\npaid me great honour; he slaughtered sheep for me, and strained the wine\nfor me, and we sat down to drink; and when the wine had affected us, he\nsaid to me, O son of my uncle, I have need of thine assistance in an\naffair of interest to me, and I beg that thou wilt not oppose me in that\nwhich I desire to do. I replied, I am altogether at thy service:--and he\nmade me swear to him by great oaths, and, rising immediately, absented\nhimself for a little while, and then returned, followed by a woman\ndecked with ornaments, and perfumed, and wearing a dress of\nextraordinary value. He looked towards me, while the woman stood behind\nhim, and said, Take this woman, and go before me to the burial-ground\nwhich is in such a place:--and he described it to me, and I knew it. He\nthen added, Enter the burial-ground, and there wait for me.\n\nI could not oppose him, nor refuse to comply with his request, on\naccount of the oaths which I had sworn to him; so I took the woman, and\nwent with her to the burial-ground; and when we had sat there a short\ntime, my cousin came, bearing a basin of water, and a bag containing\nsome plaster, and a small adze. Going to a tomb in the midst of the\nburial-ground, he took the adze, and disunited the stones, which he\nplaced on one side; he then dug up the earth with the adze, and\nuncovered a flat stone, of the size of a small door, under which there\nappeared a vaulted staircase. Having done this he made a sign to the\nwoman, and said to her, Do according to thy choice:--whereupon she\ndescended the stairs. He then looked towards me, and said, O son of my\nuncle, complete thy kindness when I have descended into this place, by\nreplacing the trap-door and the earth above it as they were before:\nthen, this plaster which is in the bag, and this water which is in the\nbasin, do thou knead together, and plaster the stones of the tomb as\nthey were, so that no man may know it, and say, This hath been lately\nopened, but its interior is old:--for, during the space of a whole year\nI have been preparing this, and no one knew it but God: this is what I\nwould have thee do. He then said to me, May God never deprive thy\nfriends of thy presence, O son of my uncle!--and, having uttered these\nwords, he descended the stairs.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen he had disappeared from before my eyes, I replaced the trap-door,\nand busied myself with doing as he had ordered me, until the tomb was\nrestored to the state in which it was at first; after which I returned\nto the palace of my uncle, who was then absent on a hunting excursion. I\nslept that night, and when the morning came, I reflected upon what had\noccurred between me and my cousin, and repented of what I had done for\nhim, when repentance was of no avail. I then went out to the\nburial-ground, and searched for the tomb; but could not discover it. I\nceased not in my search until the approach of night; and, not finding\nthe way to it, returned again to the palace; and I neither ate nor\ndrank: my heart was troubled respecting my cousin, since I knew not what\nhad become of him; and I fell into excessive grief. I passed the night\nsorrowful until the morning, and went again to the burial-ground,\nreflecting upon the action of my cousin, and repenting of my compliance\nwith his request; and I searched among all the tombs; but discovered not\nthat for which I looked. Thus I persevered in my search seven days\nwithout success.[III_44]\n\nMy trouble continued and increased until I was almost mad; and I found\nno relief but in departing, and returning to my father; but on my\narrival at his capital, a party at the city-gate sprang upon me and\nbound me. I was struck with the utmost astonishment, considering that I\nwas the son of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n of the city, and that these were the servants\nof my father and of myself: excessive fear of them overcame me, and I\nsaid within myself, What hath happened to my father? I asked, of those\nwho had bound me, the cause of this conduct; but they returned me no\nanswer, till after a while, when one of them, who had been my servant,\nsaid to me, Fortune hath betrayed thy father, the troops have been false\nto him, and the Wezeer hath killed him; and we were lying in wait to\ntake thee.--They took me, and I was as one dead, by reason of this news\nwhich I had heard respecting my father; and I stood before the Wezeer\nwho had killed my father.\n\nNow, there was an old enmity subsisting between me and him; and the\ncause of it was this:--I was fond of shooting with the cross-bow; and it\nhappened, one day, that as I was standing on the roof of my palace, a\nbird alighted on the roof of the palace of the Wezeer, who was standing\nthere at the time, and I aimed at the bird; but the bullet missed it,\nand struck the eye of the Wezeer, and knocked it out, in accordance with\nthe appointment of fate and destiny, as the poet hath said:--\n\n We trod the steps appointed for us: and the man whose steps are\n appointed must tread them.\n He whose death is decreed to take place in one land will not die\n in any land but that.\n\nWhen I had thus put out the eye of the Wezeer, he could say nothing,\nbecause my father was King of the city. This was the cause of the enmity\nbetween him and me: and when I stood before him, with my hands bound\nbehind me, he gave the order to strike off my head. I said to him,\nWouldst thou kill me for no offence?--What offence, he exclaimed, could\nbe greater than this?--and he pointed to the place of the eye which was\nput out. I did that, said I, unintentionally. He replied, If thou didst\nit unintentionally, I will do the same to thee purposely:--and\nimmediately he said, Bring him forward to me:--and, when they had done\nso, he thrust his finger into my left eye, and pulled it out. Thus I\nbecame deprived of one eye, as ye see me. He then bound me firmly, and\nplaced me in a chest, and said to the executioner, Take this fellow, and\ndraw thy sword, and convey him without the city; then put him to death,\nand let the wild beasts devour him.\n\nAccordingly, he went forth with me from the city, and, having taken me\nout from the chest, bound hand and foot, was about to bandage my eye,\nand kill me; whereupon I wept, and exclaimed,--\n\n How many brothers have I taken as armour! and such they were;\n but to guard my enemies.\n I thought they would be as piercing arrows: and such they were;\n but to enter my heart!\n\nThe executioner, who had served my father in the same capacity, and to\nwhom I had shewn kindnesses, said, on hearing these verses, O my master,\nwhat can I do, being a slave under command?--but presently he added,\nDepart with thy life, and return not to this country, lest thou perish,\nand cause me to perish with thee. The poet saith,--\n\n Flee with thy life if thou fearest oppression, and leave the house\n to tell its builder's fate.\n Thou wilt find, for the land that thou quittest, another: but no soul\n wilt thou find to replace thine own.\n\nAs soon as he had thus said, I kissed his hands, and believed not in my\nsafety until I had fled from his presence. The loss of my eye appeared\nlight to me when I considered my escape from death; and I journeyed to\nmy uncle's capital, and, presenting myself before him, informed him of\nwhat had befallen my father, and of the manner in which I had lost my\neye: upon which he wept bitterly, and said, Thou hast added to my\ntrouble and my grief; for thy cousin hath been lost for some days, and I\nknow not what hath happened to him, nor can any one give me information\nrespecting him. Then he wept again, until he became insensible; and when\nhe recovered, he said, O my son, the loss of thine eye is better than\nthe loss of thy life.\n\nUpon this I could no longer keep silence respecting his son, my cousin;\nso I informed him of all that happened to him; and on hearing this news\nhe rejoiced exceedingly, and said, Shew me the tomb.--By Allah, O my\nuncle, I replied, I know not where it is; for I went afterwards several\ntimes to search for it, and could not recognise its place. We, however,\nwent together to the burial-ground, and, looking to the right and left,\nI discovered it; and both I and my uncle rejoiced. I then entered the\ntomb with him, and when we had removed the earth, and lifted up the\ntrap-door, we descended fifty steps, and, arriving at the bottom of the\nstairs, there issued forth upon us a smoke which blinded our eyes;\nwhereupon my uncle pronounced those words which relieve from fear him\nwho uttereth them,--There is no strength nor power but in God, the High,\nthe Great!--After this, we proceeded, and found ourselves in a saloon,\nfilled with flour and grain, and various eatables; and we saw there a\ncurtain suspended over a couch, upon which my uncle looked, and found\nthere his son and the woman who had descended with him, lying side by\nside, and converted into black charcoal, as if they had been thrown into\na pit of fire. And when he beheld this spectacle, he spat in his son's\nface, and exclaimed, This is what thou deservest, O thou wretch! This is\nthe punishment of the present world, and there remaineth the punishment\nof the other world, which will be more severe and lasting!--and he\nstruck him with his shoes. Astonished at this action, and grieved for my\ncousin, seeing him and the damsel thus converted into charcoal, I said,\nBy Allah, O my uncle, moderate the trouble of thy heart, for my mind is\nperplexed by that which hath happened to thy son, and by thinking how it\nhath come to pass that he and the damsel are converted into black\ncharcoal. Dost thou not deem it enough for him to be in this state, that\nthou beatest him with thy shoes?\n\nO son of my brother, he replied, this my son was, from his early years,\ninflamed with love for his foster-sister,[III_45] and I used to\nforbid him from entertaining this passion for her, and to say within\nmyself, They are now children, but when they grow older a base act will\nbe committed by them:--and, indeed, I heard that such had been the case,\nbut I believed it not. I, however, reprimanded him severely, and said to\nhim, Beware of so foul an action, which none before thee hath committed,\nnor will any commit after thee: otherwise we shall suffer disgrace and\ndisparagement among the Kings until we die, and our history will spread\nabroad with the caravans: have a care for thyself that such an action\nproceed not from thee; for I should be incensed against thee, and kill\nthee. I then separated him from her, and her from him: but the vile\nwoman loved him excessively; the Devil got possession of them both; and\nwhen my son saw that I had separated him, he secretly made this place\nbeneath the earth, and, having conveyed hither the provisions which\nthou seest, took advantage of my inadvertence when I had gone out to\nhunt, and came hither: but the Truth[III_46] (whose perfection be\nextolled, and whose name be exalted!) was jealously vigilant over them,\nand consumed them by fire; and the punishment of the world to come will\nbe more severe and lasting.--He then wept, and I wept with him; and he\nsaid to me, Thou art my son in his stead.--I remained a while reflecting\nupon the world and its vicissitudes, upon the murder of my father by the\nWezeer, and his usurping his throne, and the loss of my eye, and the\nstrange events which had happened to my cousin, and I wept again.\n\nWe then ascended, and, having replaced the trap-door and the earth above\nit, and restored the tomb to its former state, returned to our abode;\nbut scarcely had we seated ourselves when we heard the sounds of drums\nand trumpets, warriours galloped about, and the air was filled with dust\nraised by the horses' hoofs. Our minds were perplexed, not knowing what\nhad happened, and the King, asking the news, was answered, The Wezeer of\nthy brother hath slain him and his soldiers and guards, and come with\nhis army to assault the city unawares; and the inhabitants, being unable\nto withstand, have submitted to him:--whereupon I said within myself, If\nI fall into his hand, he will slay me.--Griefs overwhelmed me, and I\nthought of the calamities which had befallen my father and my mother,\nand knew not what to do; for if I appeared, the people of the city would\nknow me, and the troops of my father would hasten to kill and destroy\nme. I knew no way of escape but to shave off my beard:[III_47] so I\nshaved it, and, having changed my clothes, departed from the city, and\ncame hither, to this abode of peace, in the hope that some person would\nintroduce me to the Prince of the Faithful, the Khaleefeh of the Lord of\nall creatures, that I might relate to him my story, and all that had\nbefallen me. I arrived in this city this night; and as I stood\nperplexed, not knowing whither to direct my steps, I saw this mendicant,\nand saluted him, and said, I am a stranger. He replied, And I, too, am a\nstranger:--and while we were thus addressing each other, our companion,\nthis third person, came up to us, and saluting us, said, I am a\nstranger. We replied, And we, also, are strangers. So we walked on\ntogether, and darkness overtook us, and destiny directed us unto your\nabode.--This was the cause of the shaving of my beard, and of the loss\nof my eye.\n\nThe lady then said to him, Stroke my head, and depart:--but he replied,\nI will not depart until I have heard the stories of the others. And\nthey wondered at his tale; and the Khaleefeh said to Ja\u1ea1far, Verily I\nhave never known the like of that which hath happened to this mendicant.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe second mendicant then advanced, and, having kissed the ground,\nsaid,--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT.\n\nO my mistress, I was not born with only one eye; but my story is\nwonderful, and, if written, would serve as a lesson to him who would be\nadmonished. I am a King, and son of a King: I read the \u1e32ur\u00e1n according\nto the seven readings,[III_48] and perused various works under the\ntuition of different learned professors of their subjects: I studied the\nscience of the stars,[III_49] and the writings of the poets, and\nmade myself a proficient in all the sciences; so that I surpassed the\npeople of my age. My hand-writing[III_50] was extolled among all\nthe scribes, my fame spread among all countries, and my history among\nall Kings; and the King of India, hearing of me, requested my father to\nallow me to visit him, sending him various gifts and curious presents,\nsuch as were suitable to Kings. My father, therefore, prepared for me\nsix ships, and we proceeded by sea for the space of a whole month, after\nwhich we came to land; and, having disembarked some horses which we had\nwith us in the ship, we loaded ten camels with presents, and commenced\nour journey; but soon there appeared a cloud of dust, which rose and\nspread until it filled the air before us, and, after a while, cleared a\nlittle, and discovered to us, in the midst of it, sixty horseman like\nfierce lions whom we perceived to be Arab highwaymen; and when they saw\nus, that we were a small company with ten loads of presents for the King\nof India, they galloped towards us, pointing their spears at us. We made\nsigns to them with our fingers, and said, We are ambassadors to the\nhonoured King of India; therefore do us no injury:--but they replied, We\nare not in his territories, nor under his government. They slew certain\nof the young men, and the rest fled. I also fled, after I had received a\nsevere wound; the Arabs being employed, without further regard to us, in\ntaking possession of the treasure and presents which we had with us.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI proceeded without knowing whither to direct my course, reduced from a\nmighty to an abject state, and journeyed till I arrived at the summit of\na mountain, where I took shelter in a cavern until the next morning. I\nthen resumed my journey, and arrived at a flourishing city: the winter,\nwith its cold, had passed away, and the spring had come, with its\nflowers; and I rejoiced at my arrival there, being wearied with my\njourney, anxious and pallid. My condition being thus changed, I knew not\nwhither to bend my steps; and, turning to a tailor sitting in his shop,\nI saluted him, and he returned my salutation, and welcomed me, and\nwished me joy, asking me the reason of my having come thither. I\nacquainted him, therefore, with what had befallen me from first to last,\nand he was grieved for me, and said, O young man, reveal not thy case,\nfor I fear what the King of this city might do to thee, since he is the\ngreatest of thy father's enemies, and hath a debt of blood against him.\nHe then placed some food and drink before me, and we ate together, and I\nconversed with him till night, when he lodged me in a place by his shop,\nand brought me a bed and coverlet; and, after I had remained with him\nthree days, he said to me, Dost thou not know any trade by which to make\ngain?[III_51] I answered, I am acquainted with the law, a student\nof sciences, a writer, and an arithmetician.--Thy occupation, he said,\nis profitless in our country: there is no one in our city acquainted\nwith science or writing, but only with getting money. Verily, I replied,\nI know nothing but what I have told thee.--Gird thyself, then, said he,\nand take an axe and a rope, and cut firewood in the desert, and so\nobtain thy subsistence until God dispel thy affliction; but acquaint no\none with thy history, else they will kill thee. He then bought for me an\naxe and a rope, and sent me with a party of wood-cutters, giving them a\ncharge respecting me. Accordingly, I went forth with them, and, cut some\nwood, and brought back a load upon my head, and sold it for half a\npiece of gold, part of which I expended in food, laying by the\nremainder.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThus I continued for the space of a year, after which I went one day\ninto the desert, according to my custom, to cut firewood; and, finding\nthere a tract with abundance of wood, I entered it, and came to a tree,\naround which I dug; and as I was removing the earth from its roots, the\naxe struck against a ring of brass; and I cleared away the earth from\nit, and found that it was affixed to a trap-door of wood, which I\nimmediately removed. Beneath it appeared a staircase, which I descended;\nand at the bottom of this I entered a door, and beheld a palace,\nstrongly constructed, where I found a lady, like a pearl of high price,\nwhose aspect banished from the heart all anxiety and grief and\naffliction. At the sight of her I prostrated myself in adoration of her\nCreator for the fairness and beauty which He had displayed in her\nperson; and she, looking towards me, said, Art thou a man or a Jinnee? I\nanswered her, I am a man.--And who, she asked, hath brought thee to this\nplace, in which I have lived five and twenty years without ever seeing a\nhuman being?--Her words sounded sweetly to me, and I answered her, O my\nmistress, God hath brought me to thy abode, and I hope will put an end\nto my anxiety and grief:--and I related to her my story from beginning\nto end. She was grieved at my case, and wept, and said, I also will\nacquaint thee with my story. Know that I am the daughter of the King of\nthe further parts of India, the lord of the Ebony Island. My father had\nmarried me to the son of my uncle; but on the night of my bridal\nfestivities, an 'Efreet namad Jarjarees, the son of Rejmoos, the son of\nIblees, carried me off, and, soaring with me through the air, alighted\nin this place, to which he conveyed all things necessary for me, such as\nornaments, and garments, and linen, and furniture, and food, and drink;\nand once in every ten days he cometh to me, and spendeth a night\nhere;[III_52] and he hath appointed with me, that, in case of my\nwanting any thing by night or day, I should touch with my hand these\ntwo lines which are inscribed upon the \u1e33ubbeh,[III_53] and as soon\nas I remove my hand I see him before me. Four days have now passed since\nhe was last with me, and there remain, therefore, six days before he\nwill come again; wilt thou then remain with me five days, and depart one\nday before his visit?--I answered, Yes; rejoicing at the proposal; and\nshe arose, and taking me by the hand, conducted me through an arched\ndoor to a small and elegant bath, where I took off my clothes, while she\nseated herself upon a mattress. After this, she seated me by her side,\nand brought me some sherbet of sugar infused with musk,[III_54] and\nhanded it to me to drink: she then placed some food before me, and after\nwe had eaten and conversed together, she said to me, Sleep, and rest\nthyself; for thou art fatigued.\n\nI slept, O my mistress, and forgot all that had befallen me; and when I\nawoke, I found her rubbing my feet;[III_55] upon which I called to\nher, and we sat down again and conversed a while; and she said to me, By\nAllah, I was straitened in my heart, living here alone, without any\nperson to talk with me, five and twenty years. Praise be to God who hath\nsent thee to me.--I thanked her for her kind expressions; and love of\nher took possession of my heart, and my anxiety and grief fled away. We\nthen sat down to drink together; and I remained by her side all the\nnight, delighted with her company, for I had never seen her like in my\nwhole life; and in the morning, when we were both full of joy, I said to\nher, Shall I take thee up from this subterranean place, and release thee\nfrom the Jinnee? But she laughed, and replied, Be content, and hold thy\npeace; for, of every ten days, one day shall be for the 'Efreet, and\nnine for thee. I persisted, however, being overcome with passion: and\nsaid, I will this instant demolish this \u1e33ubbeh upon which the\ninscription is engraved, and let the 'Efreet come, that I may slay him:\nfor I am predestined to kill 'Efreets. She entreated me to refrain; but,\npaying no attention to her words, I kicked the \u1e33ubbeh with violence;\nupon which she exclaimed, The 'Efreet hath arrived! Did I not caution\nthee against this? Verily thou hast brought a calamity upon me; but save\nthyself, and ascend by the way that thou camest.\n\nIn the excess of my fear I forgot my sandals and my axe, and when I had\nascended two steps, turning round to look for them, I saw that the\nground had opened, and there rose from it an 'Efreet of hideous aspect,\nwho said, Wherefore is this disturbance with which thou hast alarmed me,\nand what misfortune hath befallen thee? She answered, No misfortune\nhath happened to me, excepting that my heart was contracted, and I\ndesired to drink some wine to dilate it, and, rising to perform my\npurpose, I fell against the \u1e33ubbeh.--Thou liest, vile woman, he\nexclaimed;--and, looking about the palace to the right and left, he saw\nthe sandals and axe; and said to her, These are the property of none but\na man. Who hath visited thee?--I have not seen them, she answered, until\nthis instant: probably they caught to thee.--This language, said he, is\nabsurd, and will have no effect upon me, thou shameless woman!--and, so\nsaying, he stripped her of her clothing, and tied her down, with her\narms and legs extended, to four stakes, and began to beat her, urging\nher to confess what had happened.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nFor myself, being unable to endure her cries, I ascended the stairs,\noverpowered by fear, and, arriving at the top, replaced the trap-door as\nit was at first, and covered it over with earth. I repented bitterly of\nwhat I had done, and reflecting upon the lady and her beauty, and how\nthis wretch was torturing her after she had lived with him five and\ntwenty years, and that he tortured her only on my account, and\nreflecting also upon my father and his kingdom, and how I had been\nreduced to the condition of a wood-cutter, I repeated this verse:--\n\n When fortune bringeth thee affliction, console thyself by remembering\n that one day thou must see prosperity, and another day, difficulty.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nReturning to my companion, the tailor, I found him awaiting my return as\nif he were placed in a pan upon burning coals. I past last night, said\nhe, with anxious heart on thy account, fearing for thee from some wild\nbeast or other calamity. Praise be to God for thy safe return.--I\nthanked him for his tender concern for me, and entered my apartment; and\nas I sat meditating upon that which had befallen me, and blaming myself\nfor having kicked the \u1e33ubbeh, my friend the tailor came in to me, and\nsaid, In the shop is a foreigner, who asks for thee, and he has thy axe\nand sandals; he came with them to the wood-cutters,[III_56] and\nsaid to them, I went out at the time of the call of the Mu\u00ebddin to\nmorning-prayer, and stumbled upon these, and know not to whom they\nbelong: can ye guide me to their owner?--The wood-cutters, therefore,\ndirected him to thee: he is sitting in my shop; so go out to him and\nthank him, and take thy axe and thy sandals.--On hearing these words, my\ncountenance turned pale, and my whole state became changed; and while I\nwas in this condition, the floor of my chamber clove asunder, and there\nrose from it the stranger, and lo, he was the 'Efreet; he had tortured\nthe lady with the utmost cruelty; but she would confess nothing: so he\ntook the axe and the sandals, and said to her, If I am Jarjarees, of the\ndescendants of Iblees, I will bring the owner of this axe and these\nsandals. Accordingly, he came, with the pretence before mentioned, to\nthe wood-cutters, and, having entered my chamber, without granting me\nany delay, seized me, and soared with me through the air: he then\ndescended, and dived into the earth, and brought me up into the palace\nwhere I was before.\n\nHere I beheld the lady stripped of her clothing, and with blood flowing\nfrom her sides; and tears trickled from my eyes. The 'Efreet then took\nhold of her, and said, Vile woman, this is thy lover:--whereupon she\nlooked at me, and replied, I know him not, nor have I ever seen him\nuntil this instant. The 'Efreet said to her, With all this torture wilt\nthou not confess? She answered, Never in my life have I seen him before,\nand it is not lawful in the sight of God that I should speak falsely\nagainst him.[III_57]--Then, said he, if thou know him not, take\nthis sword and strike off his head. She took the sword, and came to me,\nand stood over my head: but I made a sign to her with my eyebrow, while\ntears ran down my cheeks. She replied in a similar manner, Thou art he\nwho hath done all this to me:--I made a sign to her, however, that this\nwas a time for pardon, conveying my meaning in the manner thus described\nby the poet:--[III_58]\n\n Our signal in love is the glance of our eyes; and every intelligent\n person understandeth the sign.\n Our eyebrows carry on an intercourse between us: we are silent;\n but love speaketh.\n\nAnd when she understood me, she threw the sword from her hand, O my\nmistress, and the 'Efreet handed it to me, saying, Strike off her head,\nand I will liberate thee, and do thee no harm. I replied, Good:--and,\nquickly approaching her, raised my hand; but she made a sign as though\nshe would say, I did no injury to thee:--whereupon my eyes poured with\ntears, and, throwing down the sword, I said, O mighty 'Efreet, and\nvaliant hero, if a woman, deficient in sense and religion,[III_59]\nseeth it not lawful to strike off my head, how is it lawful for me to do\nso to her, and especially when I have never seen her before in my life?\nI will never do it, though I should drink the cup of death and\ndestruction.--There is affection between you, said the 'Efreet, and,\ntaking the sword, he struck off one of the hands of the lady; then, the\nother; after this, her right foot; and then, her left foot: thus with\nfour blows he cut off her four extremities, while I looked on,\nexpecting my own death. She then made a sign to me with her eye; and the\n'Efreet, observing her, exclaimed, Now thou hast been guilty of\nincontinence with thine eye!--and, with a blow of his sword, struck off\nher head; after which, he turned towards me, and said, O man, it is\nallowed us by our law, if a wife be guilty of incontinence, to put her\nto death. This woman I carried off on her wedding-night, when she was\ntwelve years of age, and she was acquainted with no man but me; and I\nused to pass one night with her in the course of every ten days in the\ngarb of a foreigner; and when I discovered of a certainty that she had\nbeen unfaithful to me, I killed her: but as for thee, I am not convinced\nthat thou hast wronged me with respect to her; yet I must not leave thee\nunpunished: choose, therefore, what injury I shall do to thee.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nUpon this, O my mistress, I rejoiced exceedingly, and, eager to obtain\nhis pardon, I said to him, What shall I choose from thy hands?--Choose,\nhe answered, into what form I shall change thee; either the form of a\ndog, or that of an ass, or that of an ape. I replied, in my desire of\nforgiveness, Verily, if thou wilt pardon me, God will pardon thee in\nrecompense for thy shewing mercy to a Muslim who hath done thee no\ninjury:--and I humbled myself in the most abject manner, and said to\nhim, Pardon me as the envied man did the envier.--And how was that? said\nhe. I answered as follows:--[III_60]\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE ENVIER AND THE ENVIED.\n\nKnow, O my master, that there was a certain man who had a neighbour that\nenvied him; and the more this person envied him, so much the more did\nGod increase the prosperity of the former. Thus it continued a long\ntime; but when the envied man found that his neighbour persisted in\ntroubling him, he removed to a place where there was a deserted well;\nand there he built for himself an oratory, and occupied himself in the\nworship of God. Numerous Fa\u1e33eers[III_61] assembled around him, and\nhe acquired great esteem, people repairing to him from every quarter,\nplacing firm reliance upon his sanctity; and his fame reached the ears\nof his envious neighbour, who mounted his horse, and went to visit him;\nand when the envied man saw him, he saluted him, and payed him the\nutmost civility. The envier then said to him, I have come hither to\ninform thee of a matter in which thou wilt find advantage, and for which\nI shall obtain a recompense in heaven. The envied man replied, May God\nrequite thee for me with every blessing. Then, said the envier, order\nthe Fa\u1e33eers to retire to their cells, for the information that I am\nabout to give thee I would have no one overhear. So he ordered them to\nenter their cells; and the envier said to him, Arise, and let us walk\ntogether, and converse; and they walked on until they came to the\ndeserted well before mentioned, when the envier pushed the envied man\ninto this well, without the knowledge of any one, and went his way,\nimagining that he had killed him.\n\nBut this well was inhabited by Jinn, who received him unhurt, and seated\nhim upon a large stone; and when they had done this, one of them said to\nthe others, Do ye know this man? They answered, We know him not.--This,\nsaid he, is the envied man who fled from him who envied him, and took up\nhis abode in this quarter, in the neighbouring oratory, and who\nentertaineth us by his zikr[III_62] and his readings; and when his\nenvier heard of him, he came hither to him, and, devising a stratagem\nagainst him, threw him down here. His fame hath this night reached the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n of this city, who hath purposed to visit him to-morrow, on\naccount of the affliction which hath befallen his daughter.--And what,\nsaid they, hath happened to his daughter? He answered, Madness; for\nMeymoon, the son of Demdem, hath become inflamed with love for her; and\nher cure is the easiest of things. They asked him, What is it?--and he\nanswered, The black cat that is with him in the oratory hath at the end\nof her tail a white spot, of the size of a piece of silver; and from\nthis white spot should be taken seven hairs, and with these the damsel\nshould be fumigated, and the M\u00e1rid would depart from over her head, and\nnot return to her; so she would be instantly cured. And now it is our\nduty to take him out.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen the morning came, the Fa\u1e33eers saw the Sheykh rising out of the\nwell; and he became magnified in their eyes. And when he entered the\noratory, he took from the white spot at the end of the cat's tail seven\nhairs, and placed them in a portfolio by him; and at sunrise the King\ncame to him, and when the Sheykh saw him, he said to him, O King, thou\nhast come to visit me in order that I may cure thy daughter. The King\nreplied. Yes, O virtuous Sheykh.--Then, said the Sheykh, send some\nperson to bring her hither; and I trust in God, whose name be exalted,\nthat she may be instantly cured. And when the King had brought his\ndaughter, the Sheykh beheld her bound, and, seating her, suspended a\ncurtain over her, and took out the hairs, and fumigated her with them;\nwhereupon the M\u00e1rid cried out from over her head, and left her; and the\ndamsel immediately recovered her reason, and, veiling her face, said to\nher father, What is this, and wherefore didst thou bring me to this\nplace? He answered her, Thou hast nothing to fear;--and rejoiced\ngreatly. He kissed the hand of the envied Sheykh, and said to the great\nmen of his court who were with him, What shall be the recompense of this\nSheykh for that which he hath done? They answered, His recompense should\nbe that thou marry him to her.--Ye have spoken truly, said\nthe King:--and he gave her in marriage to him, and thus the Sheykh became\na connection of the King; and after some days the King died, and he was\nmade King in his place.\n\nAnd it happened one day that this envied King was riding with his\ntroops, and he saw his envier approaching; and when this man came before\nhim he seated him upon a horse with high distinction and honour, and,\ntaking him to his palace, gave him a thousand pieces of gold, and a\ncostly dress; after which he sent him back from the city, with\nattendants to escort him to his house, and reproached him for\nnothing.--Consider, then, O 'Efreet, the pardon of the envied to the\nenvier, and his kindness to him, notwithstanding the injuries he had\ndone him.[III_63]\n\n\nCONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE SECOND ROYAL MENDICANT.\n\nThe 'Efreet, when he had heard this story, replied, Lengthen not thy\nwords to me: as to my killing thee, fear it not; and as to my pardoning\nthee, covet it not; but as to my enchanting thee, there is no escape\nfrom it;--and, so saying, he clove the earth asunder, and soared with me\nthrough the sky to such a height that I beheld the world beneath me as\nthough it were a bowl of water: then, alighting upon a mountain, he took\nup a little dust, and, having muttered and pronounced certain words over\nit, sprinkled me with it, saying, Quit this form, and take the form of\nan ape!--whereupon I became like an ape of a hundred years of age.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen I saw myself changed into this ugly form, I wept for myself, but\ndetermined to be patient under the tyranny of fortune, knowing it to be\nconstant to no one. I descended from the summit of the mountain, and,\nafter having journeyed for the space of a month, arrived at the\nsea-shore; and, when I had stood there a short time, I saw a vessel in\nthe midst of the sea, with a favourable wind approaching the land; I\ntherefore hid myself behind a rock on the beach, and when the ship came\nclose up, I sprang into the midst of it. But as soon as the persons on\nboard saw me, one of them cried, Turn out this unlucky brute from the\nship:--another said, Let us kill him:--and a third exclaimed, I will\nkill him with this sword. I, however, caught hold of the end of the\nsword, and tears flowed from my eyes; at the sight of which the captain\ntook compassion on me, and said to the passengers, O merchants, this ape\nhath sought my aid, and I give it him; he is under my protection; let no\none, therefore, oppose or trouble him. He then treated me with kindness,\nand whatever he said to me I understood, and all that he required to be\ndone I performed as his servant.\n\nWe continued our voyage for fifty days with a fair wind, and cast anchor\nunder a large city containing a population which no one but God, whose\nname be exalted, could reckon; and when we had moored our vessel, there\ncame to us some memlooks from the King of the city, who came on board\nthe ship, and complimented the merchants on their safe arrival, saying,\nOur King greeteth you, rejoicing in your safety, and hath sent to you\nthis roll of paper, desiring that each of you shall write a line upon\nit; for the King had a Wezeer who was an eminent caligraphist, and he is\ndead, and the King hath sworn that he will not appoint any person to his\noffice who cannot write equally well.[III_64] Though in the form of\nan ape, I arose and snatched the paper from their hands; upon which,\nfearing that I would tear it and throw it into the sea, they cried out\nagainst me, and would have killed me; but I made signs to them that I\nwould write, and the captain said to them, Suffer him to write, and if\nhe scribble we will turn him away; but if he write well I will adopt him\nas my son; for I have never seen a more intelligent ape. So I took the\npen, and demanded the ink, and wrote in an epistolary hand this\ncouplet:--\n\n Fame hath recorded the virtues of the noble; but no one hath been\n able to reckon thine.\n May God not deprive mankind of such a father; for thou art the parent\n of every excellence.\n\nThen, in a more formal, large hand, I wrote the following verses:--\n\n There is no writer that shall not perish; but what his hand hath\n written endureth ever.\n Write, therefore, nothing but what will please thee when thou shalt\n see it on the day of resurrection.\n\nTwo other specimens I wrote, in two different and smaller hands, and\nreturned the paper to the memlooks, who took it back to the King; and\nwhen he saw what was written upon it, the hand of no one pleased him\nexcepting mine; and he said to his attendants, Go to the author of this\nhand-writing, put upon him this dress, and mount him upon a mule, and\nconduct him, with the band of music before him, to my presence. On\nhearing this order, they smiled; and the King was angry with them, and\nsaid, How is it that I give you an order, and ye laugh at me? They\nanswered, O King, we laugh not at thy words, but because he who wrote\nthis is an ape, and not a son of Adam: he is with the captain of the\nship newly arrived.\n\nThe King was astonished at their words; he shook with delight, and said,\nI would purchase this ape. He then sent some messengers to the ship,\nwith the mule and the dress of honour, saying to them, Ye must clothe\nhim with this dress, and mount him upon the mule, and bring him hither.\nSo they came to the ship, and, taking me from the captain, clad me with\nthe dress; and the people were astonished, and flocked to amuse\nthemselves with the sight of me. And when they brought me to the King,\nand I beheld him, I kissed the ground before him three times, and he\nordered me to sit down: so I sat down upon my knees;[III_65] and\nthe persons present were surprised at my polite manners, and especially\nthe King, who presently ordered his people to retire. They, therefore,\ndid so; none remaining but the King, and a eunuch, and a young memlook,\nand myself. The King then commanded that a repast should be brought; and\nthey placed before him a service of viands, such as gratified the\nappetite and delighted the eye; and the King made a sign to me that I\nshould eat; whereupon I arose, and, having kissed the ground before him\nseven times, sat down to eat with him; and when the table was removed, I\nwashed my hands, and, taking the ink-case, and pen and paper, I wrote\nthese two verses:--\n\n Great is my appetite for thee, O Kun\u00e1feh![III_66] I cannot\n be happy nor endure without thee.\n Be thou every day and night my food; and may drops of honey not\n be wanting to moisten thee.\n\nHaving done this, I arose, and seated myself at a distance; and the\nKing, looking at what I had written, read it with astonishment, and\nexclaimed, Can an ape possess such fluency and such skill in caligraphy?\nThis is, indeed, a wonder of wonders!--Afterwards, a chess-table was\nbrought to the King, and he said to me, Wilt thou play? By a motion of\nmy head I answered, Yes:--and I advanced, and arranged the\npieces.[III_67] I played with him twice, and beat him; and the King\nwas perplexed, and said, Were this a man, he would surpass all the\npeople of his age.\n\nHe then said to his eunuch, Go to thy mistress, and say to her, Answer\nthe summons of the King:--that she may come and gratify her curiosity by\nthe sight of this wonderful ape. The eunuch, therefore, went, and\nreturned with his mistress, the King's daughter, who, as soon as she saw\nme, veiled her face, and said, O my father, how is it that thou art\npleased to send for me, and suffer strange men to see me?--O my\ndaughter, answered the King, there is no one here but the young memlook,\nand the eunuch who brought thee up, and this ape, with myself, thy\nfather: from whom, then, dost thou veil thy face?--This ape, said she,\nis the son of a King, and the name of his father is Eym\u00e1r:[III_68]\nhe is enchanted, and it was the 'Efreet Jarjarees, a descendant of\nIblees, who transformed him, after having slain his own wife, the\ndaughter of King A\u1e33n\u00e1moos. This, whom thou supposedst to be an ape, is a\nlearned and wise man.--The King was amazed at his daughter's words, and,\nlooking towards me, said, Is it true that she saith of thee? I answered,\nby a motion of my head, Yes:--and wept. The King then said to his\ndaughter, By what means didst thou discover that he was enchanted?--O my\nfather, she answered, I had with me, in my younger years, an old woman\nwho was a cunning enchantress, and she taught me the art of enchantment:\nI have committed its rules to memory, and know it thoroughly, being\nacquainted with a hundred and seventy modes of performing it, by the\nleast of which I could transport the stones of thy city beyond Mount\n\u1e32\u00e1f, and make its site to be an abyss of the sea, and convert its\ninhabitants into fish in the midst of it.--I conjure thee, then, by the\nname of Allah, said her father, to restore this young man, that I may\nmake him my Wezeer. Is it possible that thou possessedst this\nexcellence, and I knew it not? Restore him, that I may make him my\nWezeer, for he is a polite and intelligent youth.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShe replied, With pleasure:--and, taking a knife upon which were\nengraved some Hebrew names, marked with it a circle in the midst of the\npalace. Within this she wrote certain names and talismans, and then she\npronounced invocations, and uttered unintelligible words; and soon the\npalace around us became immersed in gloom to such a degree, that we\nthought the whole world was overspread; and lo, the 'Efreet appeared\nbefore us in a most hideous shape, with hands like winnowing-forks, and\nlegs like masts, and eyes like burning torches; so that we were\nterrified at him. The King's daughter exclaimed, No welcome to thee!--to\nwhich the 'Efreet, assuming the form of a lion, replied, Thou traitress,\nhow is it that thou hast broken thine oath? Did we not swear that we\nwould not oppose one another?--Thou wretch, said she, when didst thou\nreceive an oath?--The 'Efreet, still in the form of a lion, then\nexclaimed, Take what awaiteth thee!--and, opening his mouth, rushed upon\nthe lady: but she instantly plucked a hair from her head and muttered\nwith her lips, whereupon the hair became converted into a piercing\nsword, with which she struck the lion, and he was cleft in twain by the\nblow; but his head became changed into a scorpion. The lady immediately\ntransformed herself into an enormous serpent, and crept after the\nexecrable wretch in the shape of a scorpion, and a sharp contest ensued\nbetween them; after which, the scorpion became an eagle, and the\nserpent, changing to a vulture, pursued the eagle for a length of time.\nThe latter then transformed himself into a black cat, and the King's\ndaughter became a wolf, and they fought together long and fiercely, till\nthe cat, seeing himself overcome, changed himself into a large red\npomegranate, which fell into a pool; but, the wolf pursuing it, it\nascended into the air, and then fell upon the pavement of the palace,\nand broke in pieces, its grains becoming scattered, each apart from the\nothers, and all spread about the whole space of ground enclosed by the\npalace. The wolf, upon this, transformed itself into a cock, in order to\npick up the grains, and not leave one of them; but, according to the\ndecree of fate, one grain remained hidden by the side of the pool of the\nfountain. The cock began to cry, and flapped its wings, and made a sign\nto us with its beak; but we understood not what it would say. It then\nuttered at us such a cry, that we thought the palace had fallen down\nupon us; and it ran about the whole of the ground, until it saw the\ngrain that had lain hid by the side of the pool, when it pounced upon\nit, to pick it up; but it fell into the midst of the water, and became\ntransformed into a fish, and sank into the water; upon which the cock\nbecame a fish of a larger size, and plunged in after the other. For a\nwhile it was absent from our sight; but, at length, we heard a loud cry,\nand trembled at the sound; after which, the 'Efreet rose as a flame of\nfire, casting fire from his mouth, and fire and smoke from his eyes and\nnostrils: the King's daughter also became as a vast body of fire; and we\nwould have plunged into the water from fear of our being burnt and\ndestroyed; but suddenly the 'Efreet cried out from within the fire, and\ncame towards us upon the leew\u00e1n,[III_69] blowing fire at our faces.\nThe lady, however, overtook him, and blew fire in like manner in his\nface; and some sparks struck us both from her and from him: her sparks\ndid us no harm; but one from him struck me in my eye, and destroyed it,\nI being still in the form of an ape; and a spark from him reached the\nface of the King, and burned the lower half, with his beard and mouth,\nand struck out his lower teeth: another spark also fell upon the breast\nof the eunuch; who was burnt, and died immediately. We expected\ndestruction, and gave up all hope of preserving our lives; but while we\nwere in this state, a voice exclaimed, God is most great! God is most\ngreat! He hath conquered and aided, and abandoned the denier of the\nfaith of Mo\u1e25ammad, the chief of mankind![III_70]--The person from\nwhom this voice proceeded was the King's daughter: she had burnt the\n'Efreet; and when we looked towards him, we perceived that he had become\na heap of ashes.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe lady then came to us, and said, Bring me a cup of water:--and when\nit was brought to her, she pronounced over it some words which we\nunderstood not, and, sprinkling me with it, said, Be restored, by\nvirtue of the name of the Truth, and by virtue of the most great name of\nGod, to thy original form!--whereupon I became a man as I was at first,\nexcepting that my eye was destroyed. After this, she cried out, The\nfire! the fire! O my father, I shall no longer live, for I am\npredestined to be killed. Had he been a human being, I had killed him at\nthe first of the encounter. I experienced no difficulty till the\nscattering of the grains of the pomegranate, when I picked them up\nexcepting the one in which was the life of the Jinnee: had I picked up\nthat, he had instantly died; but I saw it not, as fate and destiny had\nappointed; and suddenly he came upon me, and a fierce contest ensued\nbetween us under the earth, and in the air, and in the water; and every\ntime that he tried against me a new mode, I employed against him one\nmore potent, until he tried against me the mode of fire; and rarely does\none escape against whom the mode of fire is employed. Destiny, however,\naided me, so that I burned him first; but I exhorted him previously to\nembrace the faith of El-Isl\u00e1m. Now I die; and may God supply my place to\nyou.--Having thus said, she ceased not to pray for relief from the fire;\nand lo, a spark ascended to her breast, and thence to her face; and when\nit reached her face, she wept, and exclaimed, I testify that there is no\ndeity but God, and I testify that Mo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle!--We then\nlooked towards her, and saw that she had become a heap of ashes by the\nside of the ashes of the 'Efreet.\n\nWe were plunged into grief on her account, and I wished that I had been\nin her place rather than have seen that sweet-faced creature who had\ndone me this kindness reduced to a heap of ashes: but the decree of God\ncannot be averted. The King, on beholding his daughter in this state,\nplucked out what remained of his beard, and slapped his face, and rent\nhis clothes; and I also did the same, while we both wept for her. Then\ncame the chamberlains and other great officers of the court, who,\nfinding the King in a state of insensibility, with two heaps of ashes\nbefore him, were astonished, and remained encompassing him until he\nrecovered from his fit, when he informed them of what had befallen his\ndaughter with the 'Efreet; and great was their affliction. The women\nshrieked, with the female slaves, and continued their mourning seven\ndays. After this, the King gave orders to build, over the ashes of his\ndaughter, a great tomb with a dome, and illuminated it with candles and\nlamps: but the ashes of the 'Efreet they scattered in the wind, exposing\nthem to the curse of God. The King then fell sick, and was near unto\ndeath: his illness lasted a month; but after this he recovered his\nhealth, and, summoning me to his presence, said to me, O young man, we\npassed our days in the enjoyment of the utmost happiness, secure from\nthe vicissitudes of fortune, until thou camest to us, when troubles\novercame us. Would that we had never seen thee, nor thy ugly form, on\naccount of which we have been reduced to this state of privation: for,\nin the first place, I have lost my daughter, who was worth a hundred\nmen; and, secondly, I have suffered this burning, and lost my teeth: my\neunuch also is dead: but it was not in thy power to prevent these\nafflictions: the decree of God hath been fulfilled on us and on thee;\nand praise be to God that my daughter restored thee, though she\ndestroyed herself. Now, however, depart, O my son, from my city. It is\nenough that hath happened on thy account; but as it was decreed against\nus and thee, depart in peace.\n\nSo I departed, O my mistress, from his presence; but before I quitted\nthe city, I entered a public bath, and shaved my beard. I traversed\nvarious regions, and passed through great cities, and bent my course to\nthe Abode of Peace,[III_71] Baghd\u00e1d, in the hope of obtaining an\ninterview with the Prince of the Faithful, that I might relate to him\nall that had befallen me.\n\nThe third mendicant then advanced, and thus related his story:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE THIRD ROYAL MENDICANT.\n\nO illustrious lady, my story is not like those of my two companions, but\nmore wonderful: the course of fate and destiny brought upon them events\nagainst which they could not guard; but as to myself, the shaving of my\nbeard and the loss of my eye were occasioned by my provoking fate and\nmisfortune; and the cause was this:--\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\nthen continued our voyage; and when twenty days more had passed, we\nfound ourselves in strange waters, unknown to the captain, and desired\nthe watch to look out from the mast-head: so he went aloft, and when he\nhad come down he said to the captain, I saw, on my right hand, fish\nfloating upon the surface of the water; and looking towards 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,\nReceive warning of our destruction, which will befall all of us: not one\nwill escape! So saying, he began to weep; and all of us in like manner\nbewailed our lot. I desired him to inform us of that which the watch had\nseen. O my lord, he replied, know that we have wandered from our course\nsince the commencement of the contrary wind that was followed in the\nmorning by a calm, in consequence of which we remained stationary two\ndays: from that period we have deviated from our course for twenty-one\ndays, and we have no wind to carry us back from the fate which awaits us\nafter this day: to-morrow we shall arrive at a mountain of black stone,\ncalled loadstone: the current is now bearing us violently towards it,\nand the ships will fall in pieces, and every nail in them will fly to\nthe mountain, and adhere to it; for God hath given to the loadstone a\nsecret property by virtue of which everything of iron is attracted\ntowards it. On that mountain is such a quantity of iron as no one\nknoweth but God, whose name be exalted; for from times of old great\nnumbers of ships have been destroyed by the influence of that\nmountain.[III_72] There is, upon the summit of the mountain, a\ncupola of brass supported by ten columns, and upon the top of this\ncupola is a horseman upon a horse of brass, having in his hand a brazen\nspear, and upon his breast suspended a tablet of lead, upon which are\nengraved mysterious names and talismans: and as long, O King, as this\nhorseman remains upon the horse, so long will every ship that approaches\nbe destroyed, with every person on board, and all the iron contained in\nit will cleave to the mountain: no one will be safe until the horseman\nshall have fallen from the horse.--The captain then wept bitterly; and\nwe felt assured that our destruction was inevitable, and every one of us\nbade adieu to his friend.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOn the following morning we drew near to the mountain; the current\ncarried us towards it with violence, and when the ships were almost\nclose to it, they fell asunder, and all the nails, and every thing else\nthat was of iron, flew from them towards the loadstone. It was near the\nclose of day when the ships fell in pieces. Some of us were drowned, and\nsome escaped; but the greater number were drowned, and of those who\nsaved their lives none knew what became of the others, so stupefied were\nthey by the waves and the boisterous wind. As for myself, O my mistress,\nGod, whose name be exalted, spared me on account of the trouble and\ntorment and affliction that He had predestined to befall me. I placed\nmyself upon a plank, and the wind and waves cast it upon the mountain;\nand when I had landed, I found a practicable way to the summit,\nresembling steps cut in the rock: so I exclaimed, In the name of\nGod!--and offered up a prayer, and attempted the ascent, holding fast by\nthe notches; and presently God stilled the wind and assisted me in my\nendeavours, so that I arrived in safety at the summit. Rejoicing greatly\nin my escape, I immediately entered the cupola, and performed the\nprayers of two rek'ahs[III_73] in gratitude to God for my\npreservation; after which I slept beneath the cupola, and heard a voice\nsaying to me, O son of Kha\u1e63eeb,[III_74] when thou awakest from thy\nsleep, dig beneath thy feet, and thou wilt find a bow of brass, and\nthree arrows of lead, whereon are engraved talismans: then take the bow\nand arrows and shoot at the horseman that is upon the top of the cupola,\nand relieve mankind from this great affliction; for when thou hast shot\nat the horseman he will fall into the sea; the bow will also fall, and\ndo thou bury it in its place; and as soon as thou hast done this, the\nsea will swell and rise until it attains the summit of the mountain;\nand there will appear upon it a boat bearing a man, different from him\nwhom thou shalt have cast down, and he will come to thee, having an oar\nin his hand: then do thou embark with him; but utter not the name of\nGod; and he will convey thee in ten days to a safe sea, where, on thy\narrival, thou wilt find one who will take thee to thy city. All this\nshall 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, In the name of God! There is no deity but God! God is most\ngreat!--and as soon as I had done this, he cast me out of the boat, and\nsank in the sea.\n\n[Illustration]\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\nthe faith, and gave myself up as lost; but the sea rose with the\nviolence of the wind, and a wave like a vast castle threw me upon the\nland, in order to the accomplishment of the purpose of God. I ascended\nthe shore, and after I had wrung out my clothes, and spread them upon\nthe ground to dry, I slept; and in the morning I put on my clothes\nagain, and, looking about to see which way I should go, I found a tract\ncovered with trees, to which I advanced; and when I had walked round it,\nI found that I was upon a small island in the midst of the sea; upon\nwhich I said within myself, Every time that I escape from one calamity I\nfall into another that is worse:--but while I was reflecting upon my\nunfortunate case, and wishing for death, I beheld a vessel bearing a\nnumber of men. I arose immediately, and climbed into a tree; and lo, the\nvessel came to the shore, and there landed from it ten black slaves\nbearing axes. They proceeded to the middle of the island, and, digging\nup the earth, uncovered and lifted up a trap-door, after which they\nreturned to the vessel, and brought from it bread and flour and\nclarified butter and honey and sheep and everything that the wants of an\ninhabitant would require, continuing to pass backwards and forwards\nbetween the vessel and the trap-door, bringing loads from the former,\nand entering the latter, until they had removed all the stores from the\nship. They then came out of the vessel with various clothes of the most\nbeautiful description, and in the midst of them was an old sheykh,\nenfeebled and wasted by extreme age, leading by the hand a young man\ncast in the mould of graceful symmetry, and invested with such perfect\nbeauty as deserved to be a subject for proverbs. He was like a fresh and\nslender twig, enchanting and captivating every heart by his elegant\nform. The party proceeded to the trap-door, and, entering it, became\nconcealed from my eyes.[III_75]\n\nThey remained beneath about two hours, or more; after which, the sheykh\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, Let\nthy mind be composed, O my master: thou hast nothing to fear, O delight\nof my eye; for I am a man, and the son of a King, like thyself: fate\nhath impelled me to thee, that I may cheer thee in thy solitude. The\nyouth, when he heard me thus address him, and was convinced that I was\none of his own species, rejoiced exceedingly at my arrival, his colour\nreturned, and, desiring me to approach him, he said, O my brother, my\nstory is wonderful: my father is a jeweller: he had slaves who made\nvoyages by his orders, for the purposes of commerce, and he had dealings\nwith Kings; but he had never been blest with a son; and he dreamt that\nhe was soon to have a son, but one whose life would be short; and he\nawoke sorrowful.[III_76] Shortly after, in accordance with the\ndecrees of God, my mother conceived me, and when her time was complete,\nshe 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 'Ajeeb,[III_77] the son of\nKing Kha\u1e63eeb. My father was greatly afflicted at this announcement; and\nwhen he had reared me until I had nearly attained the age of fifteen\nyears, the astrologers came again, and informed him that the horseman\nhad fallen into the sea, and that it had been thrown down by King\n'Ajeeb, the son of King Kha\u1e63eeb; on hearing which, he prepared for me\nthis dwelling, and here left me to remain until the completion of the\nterm, of which there now remain ten days. All this he did from fear lest\nKing 'Ajeeb should kill me.\n\nWhen I heard this, I was filled with wonder, and said within myself, I\nam King 'Ajeeb, the son of King Kha\u1e63eeb, 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, if\nit be the will of God, whose name be exalted: thou hast nothing to fear:\nI will remain with thee to serve thee, and will go forth with thee to\nthy father, and beg of him to send me back to my country, for the which\nhe will obtain a reward. The youth rejoiced at my words, and I sat and\nconversed with him until night, when I spread his bed for him, and\ncovered him, and slept near to his side. And in the morning I brought\nhim water, and he washed his face, and said to me, May God requite thee\nfor me with every blessing. If I escape from King 'Ajeeb, I will make my\nfather reward thee with abundant favours.--Never, I replied, may the day\narrive that would 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\n[Illustration]\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,\nThis is, indeed, a calamity! O what a calamity! O my Lord, I implore thy\npardon, and declare to Thee my innocence of his death! Would that I had\ndied before him! How long shall I devour trouble after trouble!\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 sheykh, 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, O my mistress, by day hiding myself in a tree, and at night\nwalking about the open part of the island. Thus I continued for the\nspace of two months; and I perceived that, on the western side of the\nisland, the water of the sea every day retired, until, after three\nmonths, the land that had been beneath it became dry. Rejoicing at this,\nand feeling confident now in my escape, I traversed this dry tract, and\narrived at an expanse of sand; whereupon I emboldened myself, and\ncrossed it. I then saw in the distance an appearance of fire, and,\nadvancing towards it, found it to be a palace, overlaid with plates of\ncopper, which, reflecting the rays of the sun, seemed from a distance to\nbe fire: and when I drew near to it, reflecting upon this sight, there\napproached me an old sheykh, accompanied by ten young men who were all\nblind of one eye, at which I was extremely surprised. As soon as they\nsaw me, they saluted me, and asked me my story, which I related to them\nfrom first to last; and they were filled with wonder. They then\nconducted me into the palace, where I saw ten benches, upon each of\nwhich was a mattress covered with a blue stuff;[III_78] and each of\nthe young men seated himself upon one of these benches, while the sheykh\ntook his place upon a smaller one; after which they said to me, Sit\ndown, O young man, and ask no question respecting our condition, nor\nrespecting our being blind of one eye. Then the sheykh arose, and\nbrought to each of them some food, and the same to me also; and next he\nbrought to each of us some wine: and after we had eaten, we sat drinking\ntogether until the time for sleep, when the young men said to the\nsheykh, Bring to us our accustomed supply:--upon which the sheykh arose,\nand entered a closet, from which he brought, upon his head, ten covered\ntrays. Placing these upon the floor, he lighted ten candles, and stuck\none of them upon each tray; and, having done this, he removed the\ncovers, and there appeared beneath them ashes mixed with pounded\ncharcoal. The young men then tucked up their sleeves above the elbow,\nand blackened their faces, and slapped their cheeks,[III_79]\nexclaiming, We were reposing at our ease, and our impertinent curiosity\nsuffered us not to remain so! Thus they did until the morning, when the\nsheykh brought them some hot water, and they washed their faces, and put\non 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 towards 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; for the proverb saith, When the eye seeth not,\nthe heart doth not grieve.--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 then\nall arose, and, taking a ram, slaughtered and skinned it, and said to\nme, Take this knife with thee, and introduce thyself into the skin of\nthe ram, and we will sew thee up in it, and go away; whereupon a bird\ncalled the rukh'[III_80] will come to thee, and, taking thee up by\nits talons, will fly away with thee, and set thee down upon a mountain:\nthen cut open the skin with this knife, and get out, and the bird will\nfly away. Thou must arise, as soon as it hath gone, and journey for half\na day, and thou wilt see before thee a lofty palace, encased with red\ngold, set with various precious stones, such as emeralds and rubies,\n&c.; and if thou enter it thy case will be as ours; for our entrance\ninto that palace was the cause of our being blind of one eye; and if one\nof us would relate to thee all that hath befallen him, his story would\nbe too long for thee to 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 towards the palace, which I found to be as\nthey had 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,\nWelcome! 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 our\nmaster 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 had\nnever 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 have broken my heart.--They answered, Would that we had\nnever known thee; for we have associated with many men, but have seen\nnone like thee. May God, therefore, not deprive us of thy company.--And\nthey wept afresh. I said to them, I wish that you would acquaint me with\nthe cause of this weeping.--Thou, they replied, art the cause; yet now,\nif thou wilt attend to what we tell thee, we shall never be parted; but\nif thou act contrary to it, we are separated from this time; and our\nhearts whisper to us that thou wilt not regard our warning.--Inform me,\nsaid I, and I will attend to your directions:--and they replied, If then\nthou wouldst inquire respecting our history, know that we are the\ndaughters of Kings: for many years it hath been our custom to assemble\nhere, and every year we absent ourselves during a period of forty days;\nthen returning, we indulge ourselves for a year in feasting and\ndrinking. 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\n[Illustration]\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.[III_81] After admiring the\nmingled colours of the apple resembling the hue upon the cheek of a\nbeloved mistress and the sallow countenance of the perplexed and timid\nlover, the sweet-smelling quince diffusing an odour like musk and\nambergris, and the plum shining as the ruby, I retired from this place,\nand, having locked the door, opened that of the next closet, within\nwhich I beheld a spacious tract planted with numerous palm-trees, and\nwatered by a river flowing among rose-trees, and jasmine, and marjoram,\nand eglantine, and narcissus, and gilliflower, the odours of which,\ndiffused in every direction by the wind, inspired me with the utmost\ndelight. I locked again the door of the second closet, and opened that\nof the third. Within this I found a large saloon, paved with marbles of\nvarious colours, and with costly minerals and precious gems, and\ncontaining cages constructed of sandal and aloes-wood with singing birds\nwithin them, and others upon the branches of trees which were planted\nthere. My heart was charmed, my trouble was dissipated, and I slept\nthere until the morning. I then opened the door of the fourth closet,\nand within this door I found a great building in which were forty\nclosets with open doors; and, entering these, I beheld pearls, and\nrubies, and chrysolites, and emeralds, and other precious jewels such as\nthe tongue cannot describe. I was astonished at the sight, and said,\nSuch things as these, I imagine, are not found in the treasury of any\nKing. I am now the King of my age, and all these treasures, through the\ngoodness of God, are mine, together with forty damsels under my\nauthority who have no man to share them with me.\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; and two large\nperfuming-vessels filled with aloes-wood and ambergris, and a perfume\ncompounded with honey, spread fragrance through the whole place. I saw\nalso a black horse, of the hue of the darkest night, before which was a\nmanger of white crystal filled with cleansed sesame, and another,\nsimilar to it, containing rose-water infused with musk: he was saddled\nand bridled, and his saddle was of red gold. Wondering at the sight of\nhim, I said within myself, This must be an animal of extraordinary\nqualities;--and, seduced by the Devil, I led him out, and mounted him;\nbut he moved not from his place: I kicked him with my heel; but still he\nmoved not: so I took a mi\u1e33ra'ah and struck him with it; and as soon as\nhe felt the blow he uttered a sound like thunder, and, expanding a pair\nof wings, soared with me to an immense height through the air, and then\nalighted upon the roof of another palace, where he threw me from his\nback, and, by a violent blow with his tail upon my face, as I sat on the\nroof, struck out my eye, and left me.[III_82]\n\nIn this state I descended from the roof, and below I found the one-eyed\nyoung men before mentioned, who, as soon as they beheld me, exclaimed,\nNo welcome to thee!--Receive me, said I, into your company:--but they\nreplied, By Allah, thou shalt not remain with us:--so I departed from\nthem, with mournful heart and weeping eye, and, God having decreed me a\nsafe journey hither, I arrived at Baghd\u00e1d, after I had shaved my beard,\nand become a mendicant.[III_83]\n\n\nCONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE LADIES OF BAGHD\u00c1D, &c.\n\nThe mistress of the house then looked towards the Khaleefeh and Ja\u1ea1far\nand Mesroor, and said to them, Acquaint me with your histories:--upon\nwhich Ja\u1ea1far advanced towards her, and related to her the same story\nthat he had told to the portress before they entered; and when she had\nheard it, she liberated them all. They accordingly departed, and when\nthey had gone out into the street, the Khaleefeh inquired of the\nmendicants whither they were going. They answered that they knew not\nwhither to go: whereupon he desired them to accompany his party; and\nthen said to Ja\u1ea1far, Take them home with thee, and bring them before me\nto-morrow, and we will see the result. Ja\u1ea1far, therefore, did as he was\ncommanded, and the Khaleefeh returned to his palace; but he was unable\nto sleep during the remainder of the night.\n\nOn the following morning he sat upon his throne, and when his courtiers\nhad presented themselves before him, and departed, excepting Ja\u1ea1far, he\nsaid to him, Bring before me the three ladies and the two bitches and\nthe mendicants. So Ja\u1ea1far arose, and brought them, and, placing the\nladies behind the curtains, said to them, We have forgiven you on\naccount of your previous kindness to us, and because ye knew us not; and\nnow I acquaint you that ye are in the presence of the fifth of the sons\nof El-'Abb\u00e1s, H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed; therefore relate to him nothing but the\ntruth. And when the ladies heard the words which Ja\u1ea1far addressed to\nthem on the part of the Khaleefeh, the eldest of them advanced, and thus\nrelated her story:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST OF THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHD\u00c1D.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nO Prince of the Faithful, my story is wonderful; for these two\nbitches[III_84] are my sisters, born to my father, but of another\nmother; and I am the youngest of the three. After the death of our\nfather, who left us five thousand pieces of gold, these my two sisters\nmarried, and when they had resided some time with their husbands, each\nof the latter prepared a stock of merchandise, and received from his\nwife a thousand pieces of gold, and they all set forth on a journey\ntogether, leaving me here; but after they had been absent four years, my\nsisters' husbands lost all their property, and abandoned them in a\nstrange land, and they returned to me in the garb of beggars. When I\nfirst saw them in this state, I knew them not; and, as soon as I\nrecognised them, I exclaimed, How is it that ye are in this\ncondition?--O our sister, they answered, thy inquiry now is of no use:\nthe Pen hath written what God hath decreed.[III_85]--I sent them,\ntherefore, to the bath, and, having clad them in new apparel, said to\nthem, O my sisters, ye are my elders, and I am young; so ye shall be to\nme in the places of my father and mother. The inheritance which I shared\nwith you God hath blessed; partake then of its increase, for my affairs\nare prosperous; and I and ye shall fare alike.--I treated them with the\nutmost kindness, and during a whole year they remained with me, and\nenriched themselves by the money that I had given them; but after this\nperiod they said to me, It will be more agreeable to us to marry again,\nfor we can no longer abstain from doing so.--O my sisters, I replied, ye\nhave seen no happiness in marriage: a good husband in this age is rarely\nfound, and ye have already had experience of the marriage-state. They,\nhowever, heeded not my words; but married against my consent: yet I gave\nthem dowries from my own property, and continued to them my protection.\nThey went to their husbands, and the latter, after they had resided with\nthem a short time, defrauded them of all that they possessed, and,\nsetting forth on a journey, left them destitute: so again they returned\nto me, and, in a state of nudity, implored my forgiveness, saying, Be\nnot angry with us; for though thou art younger than we, thou hast more\nmature sense; and we promise thee that we will never again mention the\nsubject of marriage. I replied, Ye are welcome, O my sisters; for I have\nno one dearer to me than yourselves:--and I received them, and treated\nthem with every kindness, and we remained happily together for the space\nof a year.\n\nAfter this I resolved to fit out a vessel for a mercantile\nvoyage:[III_86] accordingly, I stocked a large ship with various\ngoods and necessary provisions, and said to my sisters, Will ye rather\nstay at home during my voyage, or will ye go with me?--to which they\nanswered, We will accompany thee during the voyage, for we cannot endure\nto be separated from thee. I therefore took them with me, and we set\nsail; but first I divided my property into two equal portions; one of\nwhich I took with me, and the other I concealed, saying within myself,\nPerhaps some evil accident may happen to the ship, and our lives may be\nprolonged; in which case, when we return we shall find that which will\nbe of service to us.--We continued our voyage by day and night, till at\nlength the vessel pursued a wrong course, and the captain knew not\nwhither to steer. The ship had entered a different sea from that which\nwe wished to cross, and for some time we knew it not; but for ten days\nwe had a pleasant wind, and after this, a city loomed before us in the\ndistance. We asked the captain what was the name of this city; and he\nanswered, I know it not; I have never seen it till this day, nor have I\never before in the course of my life navigated this sea: but as we have\ncome hither in safety, ye have nothing to do but to enter this city and\nland your goods, and, if ye find opportunity, sell or exchange there: if\nnot, we will rest there two days, and take in fresh provisions. So we\nentered the port of the city, and the captain landed, and after a while\nreturned to us, saying, Arise, and go up into the city, and wonder at\nthat which God hath done unto his creatures, and pray to be preserved\nfrom his anger. And when we had entered the city, we found all its\ninhabitants converted into black stones. We were amazed at the sight,\nand as we walked through the market-streets, finding the merchandise and\nthe gold and silver remaining in their original state, we rejoiced, and\nsaid, This must have been occasioned by same wonderful circumstance. We\nthen separated in the streets, each of us attracted from his companions\nby the wealth and stuffs in the shops.\n\nAs for myself, I ascended to the citadel, which I found to be a building\nof admirable construction; and, entering the King's palace, I found all\nthe vessels of gold and silver remaining in their places, and the King\nhimself seated in the midst of his Chamberlains and Viceroys and\nWezeers, and clad in apparel of astonishing richness. Drawing nearer to\nhim, I perceived that he was sitting upon a throne adorned with pearls\nand jewels, every one of the pearls shining like a star: his dress was\nembroidered with gold, and around him stood fifty memlooks, attired in\nsilks of various descriptions, and having in their hands drawn swords.\nStupefied at this spectacle, I proceeded, and entered the saloon of the\n\u1e24areem, upon the walls of which were hung silken curtains; and here I\nbeheld the Queen, attired in a dress embroidered with fresh pearls, and\nhaving upon her head a diadem adorned with various jewels, and necklaces\nof different kinds on her neck. All her clothing and ornaments remained\nas they were at first, though she herself was converted into black\nstone. Here also I found an open door, and, entering it, I saw a flight\nof seven steps, by which I ascended to an apartment paved with marble,\nfurnished with gold-embroidered carpets, and containing a couch of\nalabaster, ornamented with pearls and jewels; but my eyes were first\nattracted by a gleam of light, and when I approached the spot whence it\nproceeded, I found a brilliant jewel, of the size of an ostrich's egg,\nplaced upon a small stool, diffusing a light like that of a candle. The\ncoverings of the couch above mentioned were of various kinds of silk,\nthe richness of which would surprise every beholder; and I looked at\nthem with wonder. In this apartment I likewise observed some lighted\ncandles, and reflected that there must then have been some person there\nto light them. I passed thence to another part of the palace, and\ncontinued to explore the different apartments, forgetting myself in the\namazement of my mind at all these strange circumstances, and immersed in\nthoughts respecting what I beheld, until the commencement of night, when\nI would have departed; but could not find the door: so I returned to the\nplace in which were the lighted candles, and there I laid myself upon\nthe couch, and, covering myself with a quilt, repeated some words of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and endeavoured to compose myself to sleep; but I could not. I\ncontinued restless: and at midnight I heard a recitation of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n,\nperformed by a melodious and soft voice; upon which I arose, and,\nlooking about, saw a closet with an open door, and I entered it, and\nfound that it was an oratory: lighted lamps were suspended in it, and\nupon a prayer-carpet spread on the floor sat a young man of handsome\naspect. Wondering that he had escaped the fate of the other inhabitants\nof the city, I saluted him; and he raised his eyes, and returned my\nsalutation: and I then said to him, I conjure thee by the truth of that\nwhich thou art reading in the Book of God, that thou answer the question\nwhich I am about to ask thee:--whereupon he smiled, and replied, Do thou\nfirst acquaint me with the cause of thine entrance into this place, and\nthen I will answer thy question: so I told him my story, and inquired of\nhim the history of this city. Wait a little, said he;--and he closed the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and, having put it in a bag of satin, seated me by his side. As\nI now beheld him, his countenance appeared like the full moon, and his\nwhole person exhibited such perfect elegance and loveliness, that a\nsingle glance at him drew from me a thousand sighs, and kindled a fire\nin my heart. I repeated my request that he would give me an account of\nthe city; and, replying, I hear and obey, he thus addressed me:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\nKnow that this city belonged to my father and his family and subjects;\nand he is the King whom thou hast seen converted into stone; and the\nQueen whom thou hast seen is my mother. They were all Magians,\nworshipping fire in the place of the Almighty King;[III_87] and\nthey swore by the fire and the light, and the shade and the heat, and\nthe revolving orb. My father had no son, till, in his declining years,\nhe was blest with me, whom he reared until I attained to manhood. But,\nhappily for me, there was, in our family, an old woman, far advanced in\nage, who was a Muslimeh, believing in God and his Apostle in her heart,\nthough she conformed with my family in outward observances; and my\nfather confided in her, on account of the faithfulness and modesty that\nhe had observed in her character, and shewed her great favour, firmly\nbelieving that she held the same faith as himself; therefore, when I had\npassed my infancy, he committed me to her care, saying, Take him, and\nrear him, and instruct him in the ordinances of our faith, and educate\nhim and serve him in the best manner. The old woman accordingly received\nme, but took care to instruct me in the faith of El-Isl\u00e1m, teaching me\nthe laws of purification, and the divine ordinances of ablution,\ntogether with the forms of prayer; after which she made me commit to\nmemory the whole of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n. She then charged me to keep my faith a\nsecret from my father, lest he should kill me; and I did so; and a few\ndays after, the old woman died. The inhabitants of the city had now\nincreased in their impiety and arrogance, and in their dereliction of\nthe truth; and while they were in this state, they heard a crier\nproclaim with a voice like thunder, so as to be audible to both the near\nand the distant, O inhabitants of this city, abstain from the worship of\nfire, and worship the Almighty King!--The people were struck with\nconsternation, and, flocking to my father, the King of the city, said to\nhim, What is this alarming voice which hath astounded us by its terrible\nsound?--but he answered them, Let not the voice terrify you, nor let it\nturn you from your faith:--and their hearts inclined to his words; so\nthey persevered in the worship of fire, and remained obstinate in their\nimpiety during another year, until the return of the period at which\nthey had heard the voice the first time. It was then heard a second\ntime; and again, in the next year, they heard it a third time; but still\nthey persisted in their evil ways, until, drawing down upon themselves\nthe abhorrence and indignation of Heaven, one morning, shortly after\ndaybreak, they were converted into black stones, together with their\nbeasts and all their cattle. Not one of the inhabitants of the city\nescaped, excepting me; and from the day on which this catastrophe\nhappened, I have continued occupied as thou seest, in prayer, and\nfasting, and reading the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n: but I have become weary of this\nsolitary state, having no one to cheer me with his company.\n\nOn hearing these words, I said to him, Wilt thou go with me to the city\nof Baghd\u00e1d, and visit its learned men and lawyers, and increase thy\nknowledge? If so, I will be thy handmaid, though I am the mistress of my\nfamily, and have authority over a household of men. I have here a ship\nladen with merchandise, and destiny hath driven us to this city, in\norder that we might become acquainted with these events: our meeting was\npredestined.--In this manner I continued to persuade him until he gave\nhis consent. I slept that night at his feet, unconscious of my state\nthrough excessive joy; and in the morning we rose, and, entering the\ntreasuries, took away a quantity of the lighter and most valuable of the\narticles that they contained, and descended from the citadel into the\ncity, where we met the slaves and the captain, who were searching for\nme. They were rejoiced at seeing me, and, to their questions respecting\nmy absence, I replied by informing them of all that I had seen, and\nrelated to them the history of the young man, and the cause of the\ntransmutation of the people of the city, and of all that had befallen\nthem, which filled them with wonder. But when my two sisters saw me with\nthe young man, they envied me on his account, and malevolently plotted\nagainst me.\n\nWe embarked again, and I experienced the utmost happiness, chiefly owing\nto the company of the young man; and after we had waited a while till\nthe wind was favourable, we spread our sails, and departed. My sisters\nsat with me and the young man; and, in their conversation with me, said,\nO our sister, what dost thou purpose to do with this handsome youth? I\nanswered, I desire to take him as my husband:--and, turning to him, and\napproaching him, I said, O my master, I wish to make a proposal to thee,\nand do not thou oppose it. He replied, I hear and obey:--and I then\nlooked towards my sisters, and said to them, This young man is all that\nI desire, and all the wealth that is here is yours.--Excellent, they\nreplied, is thy determination:--yet still they designed evil against\nme.--We continued our voyage with a favourable wind, and, quitting the\nsea of peril, entered the sea of security, across which we proceeded for\nsome days, until we drew near to the city of El-Ba\u1e63rah, the buildings of\nwhich loomed before us at the approach of evening; but as soon as we had\nfallen asleep, my sisters took us up in our bed, both myself and the\nyoung man, and threw us into the sea. The youth, being unable to swim,\nwas drowned: God recorded him among the company of the martyrs;[III_88]\nwhile I was registered among those whose life was yet to be preserved;\nand, accordingly, as soon as I awoke and found myself in the sea, the\nprovidence of God supplied me with a piece of timber, upon which I\nplaced myself, and the waves cast me upon the shore of an island.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nDuring the remainder of the night I walked along this island, and in the\nmorning I saw a neck of land, bearing the marks of a man's feet, and\nuniting with the main land. The sun having now risen, I dried my clothes\nin its rays, and proceeded along the path that I had discovered until I\ndrew near to the shore upon which stands the city, when I beheld a snake\napproaching me, and followed by a serpent which was endeavouring to\ndestroy it; the tongue of the snake was hanging from its mouth in\nconsequence of excessive fatigue, and it excited my compassion; so I\ntook up a stone, and threw it at the head of the serpent, which\ninstantly died: the snake then extended a pair of wings, and soared\naloft into the sky, leaving me in wonder at the sight. At the time of\nthis occurrence I had become so fatigued, that I now laid myself down\nand slept; but I awoke after a little while, and found a damsel seated\nat my feet, and gently rubbing them with her hands; upon which I\nimmediately sat up, feeling ashamed that she should perform this service\nfor me, and said to her, Who art thou, and what dost thou want?--How\nsoon has thou forgotten me! she exclaimed: I am she to whom thou hast\njust done a kindness, by killing my enemy: I am the snake whom thou\nsavedst from the serpent; for I am a Jinneeyeh, and the serpent was a\nJinnee at enmity with me; and none but thou delivered me from him:\ntherefore, as soon as thou didst this, I flew to the ship from which thy\nsisters cast thee, and transported all that it contained to thy house: I\nthen sunk it; but as to thy sisters, I transformed them by enchantment\ninto two black bitches; for I knew all that they had done to thee: the\nyoung man, however, is drowned.--Having thus said, she took me up, and\nplaced me with the two black bitches on the roof of my house: and I\nfound all the treasures that the ship had contained collected in the\nmidst of my house: nothing was lost. She then said to me, I swear by\nthat which was engraved upon the seal of Suleym\u00e1n, that, if thou do not\ninflict three hundred lashes upon each of these bitches every day, I\nwill come and transform thee in the like manner:--so I replied, I hear\nand obey:--and have continued ever since to inflict upon them these\nstripes, though pitying them while I do so.\n\nThe Khaleefeh heard this story with astonishment, and then said to the\nsecond lady, And what occasioned the stripes of which thou bearest the\nmarks? She answered as follows:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE SECOND OF THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHD\u00c1D.\n\nO Prince of the Faithful, my father, at his death, left considerable\nproperty; and soon after that event I married to one of the wealthiest\nmen of the age, who, when I had lived with him a year, died, and I\ninherited from him eighty thousand pieces of gold, the portion that fell\nto me according to the law;[III_89] with part of which I made for\nmyself ten suits of clothing, each of the value of a thousand pieces of\ngold. And as I was sitting one day, there entered my apartment an old\nwoman, disgustingly ugly, who saluted me, and said, I have an orphan\ndaughter whose marriage I am to celebrate this night, and I would have\nthee obtain a reward and recompense in heaven by thy being present at\nher nuptial festivity; for she is broken-hearted, having none to\nbefriend her but God, whose name be exalted. She then wept, and kissed\nmy feet; and, being moved with pity and compassion, I assented, upon\nwhich she desired me to prepare myself, telling me that she would come\nat the hour of nightfall and take me; and so saying, she kissed my hand,\nand departed.\n\nI arose immediately, and attired myself, and when I had completed my\npreparations, the old woman returned, saying, O my mistress, the ladies\nof the city have arrived, and I have informed them of thy coming, and\nthey are waiting with joy to receive thee:--so I put on my outer\ngarments, and, taking my female slaves with me, proceeded until we\narrived at a street in which a soft wind was delightfully playing, where\nwe saw a gateway over-arched with a marble vault, admirably constructed,\nforming the entrance to a palace which rose from the earth to the\nclouds.[III_90] On our arrival there, the old woman knocked at the\ndoor, and, when it was opened, we entered a carpeted passage,\nilluminated by lamps and candles, and decorated with jewels and precious\nmetals.[III_91] Through this passage we passed into a saloon of\nunequalled magnificence, furnished with mattresses covered with silk,\nlighted by hanging lamps and by candles, and having, at its upper end, a\ncouch of alabaster decorated with pearls and jewels, and canopied by\ncurtains of satin, from which there came forth a lady beautiful as the\nmoon, who exclaimed to me, Most welcome art thou, O my sister: thou\ndelightest me by thy company, and refreshest my heart. She then sat down\nagain, and said to me, O my sister, I have a brother who hath seen thee\nat a festivity: he is a young man, more handsome than myself, and, his\nheart being violently inflamed with love of thee, he hath bribed this\nold woman to go to thee, and to employ this artifice in order to obtain\nfor me an interview with thee. He desireth to marry thee according to\nthe ordinance of God and his Apostle, and in that which is lawful there\nis no disgrace.--When I heard these words, and saw myself thus confined\nin the house so that I could not escape, I replied, I hear and\nobey:--and the lady, rejoicing at my consent, clapped her hands, and\nopened a door, upon which there came out from it a young man so\nsurpassingly handsome, that my heart immediately inclined to him. No\nsooner had he sat down than the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee and four witnesses entered, and\nsaluted us, and proceeded to perform the ceremony of the\nmarriage-contract[III_92] between me and the young man; which\nhaving done, they departed; and when they had retired, the young man\nlooked towards me, and said, May our night be blessed. He then informed\nme that he desired to impose a covenant upon me, and, bringing a copy of\nthe \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, said, Swear that thou wilt not indulge a preference, nor at\nall incline, to any man but me:--and when I had sworn to this effect, he\nrejoiced exceedingly, and embraced me; and the love of him took entire\npossession of my heart.\n\nWe lived together in the utmost happiness for the space of a month,\nafter which I begged that he would allow me to go to the b\u00e1z\u00e1r, in order\nto purchase some stuffs for dress, and, having obtained his permission,\nwent thither in company with the old woman, and seated myself at the\nshop of a young merchant with whom she was acquainted, and whose father,\nas she informed me, had died and left him great wealth. She desired him\nto shew me his most costly stuffs; and while he was occupied in doing\nso, she began to utter various flattering expressions in praise of him;\nbut I said to her, We have no concern with the praises that thou\nbestowest upon him; we desire only to make our purchase, and to return\nhome. Meanwhile he produced to us what we wanted, and we handed him the\nmoney: he refused, however, to take it, saying, It is an offering of\nhospitality to you for your visit this day:--whereupon I said to the old\nwoman, If he will not take the money, return to him his stuff. But he\nwould not receive it again, and exclaimed, By Allah, I will take nothing\nfrom you: all this is a present from me for a single kiss, which I shall\nvalue more than the entire contents of my shop.--What will a kiss profit\nthee? asked the old woman. Then, turning to me, she said, O my daughter,\nthou hast heard what the youth hath said: no harm will befall thee if he\ngive thee a kiss, and thou shalt take what thou wantest.--Dost thou not\nknow, said I, that I have taken an oath? She answered, Let him kiss thee\nthen without thy speaking, and so it will be of no consequence to thee,\nand thou shalt take back thy money. Thus she continued to palliate the\nmatter until I put my head (as it were) into the bag, and consented: so\nI covered my eyes, and held the edge of my veil in such a manner as to\nprevent the passengers from seeing me, whereupon he put his mouth to my\ncheek beneath the veil, but instead of merely kissing me, he lacerated\nmy cheek by a violent bite. I fell into a swoon from the pain, and the\nold woman laid me on her lap till I recovered, when I found the shop\nclosed, and the old woman uttering expressions of grief, and saying,\nWhat God hath averted would have been a greater calamity; let us return\nhome, and do thou feign to be ill, and I will come to thee and apply a\nremedy that shall cure the wound, and thou wilt quickly be restored.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAfter remaining there some time longer, I rose, and, in a state of great\nuneasiness and fear, returned to the house, and professed myself ill,\nupon which my husband came in to me, and said, What hath befallen thee,\nO my mistress, during this excursion? I answered, I am not well.--And\nwhat is this wound, said he, that is upon thy cheek, and in the soft\npart? I answered, When I asked thy permission, and went out to-day to\npurchase some stuff for dress, a camel loaded with firewood drove\nagainst me in the crowd, and tore my veil, and wounded my cheek as thou\nseest, for the streets of this city are narrow.[III_93]--To-morrow,\nthen, he exclaimed, I will go to the governor, and make a complaint to\nhim, and he shall hang every seller of firewood in the city.--By Allah,\nsaid I, burden not thyself by an injury to any one; for the truth is,\nthat I was riding upon an ass, which took fright with me, and I fell\nupon the ground, and a stick lacerated my cheek.--If it be so, then, he\nreplied, I will go to-morrow to Ja\u1ea1far El-Barmekee, and relate the\nmatter to him, and he shall kill every ass-driver in this city.--Wilt\nthou, said I, kill all those men on my account, when this which befell\nme was decreed by God?--Undoubtedly, he answered; and, so saying, he\nseized me violently, and then sprang up, and uttered a loud cry, upon\nwhich the door opened, and there came forth from it seven black slaves,\nwho dragged me from my bed, and threw me down in the middle of the\napartment; whereupon he ordered one of them to hold me by my shoulders\nand to sit upon my head; and another, to sit upon my knees and to hold\nmy feet. A third then came, with a sword in his hand, and said, O my\nlord, shall I strike her with the sword, and cleave her in twain, that\neach of these may take a half and throw it into the Tigris for the fish\nto devour?[III_94] For such is the punishment of her who is\nunfaithful to her oath and to the laws of love.--My husband answered,\nStrike her, O Sa\u1ea1d:[III_95]--and the slave, with the drawn sword in\nhis hand, said, Repeat the profession of the faith, and reflect what\nthou wouldst have to be done, that thou mayest give thy testamentary\ndirections, for this is the end of thy life.--Good slave, I replied,\nrelease me for a while that I may do so:--and I raised my head, and,\nweeping as I spoke, addressed my husband with these verses:--\n\n You render me lovelorn, and remain at ease. You make my wounded\n eyelid to be restless, and you sleep.\n Your abode is between my heart and my eyes; and my heart will not\n relinquish you, nor my tears conceal my passion.\n You made a covenant with me that you would remain faithful;\n but when you had gained possession of my heart you deceived me.\n Will you not pity my love for you and my moaning? Have you yourself\n been secure from misfortunes?\n I conjure you, by Allah, if I die, that you write upon my tombstone,\n This was a slave of love.\n That, perchance, some mourner who hath felt the same flame may pass\n by the lover's grave, and pity her.[III_96]\n\nBut on hearing these verses, and witnessing my weeping, he became more\nincensed, and replied in the words of this couplet:--\n\n I reject not the beloved of my heart from weariness: her own guilty\n conduct is the cause of her punishment.\n She desired that another should share with me her love; but the faith\n of my heart inclineth not to partnership.[III_97]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI continued to weep, and to endeavour to excite his compassion, saying\nwithin myself, I will humble me before him, and address him with soft\nwords, that he may at least refrain from killing me, though he take all\nthat I possess;--but he cried out to the slave, Cleave her in twain; for\nshe is no longer of any value to us.--So the slave approached me, and I\nnow felt assured of my death, and committed myself to God; but suddenly\nthe old woman came and threw herself at my husband's feet, and, kissing\nthem, exclaimed, O my son, by the care with which I nursed thee, I\nconjure thee to pardon this damsel, for she hath committed no offence\nthat deserveth such a punishment: thou art young, and I fear the effect\nof the imprecations that she may utter against thee:--and after she had\nthus addressed him, she wept, and continued to importune him, until, at\nlength, he said, I pardon her, but must cause her to bear upon her\nperson such marks of her offence as shall last for the remainder of her\nlife. So saying, he commanded the slaves to strip off my vest, and,\ntaking a stick cut from a quince-tree, he beat me upon my back and my\nsides until I became insensible from the violence of the blows, and\ndespaired of my life. He then ordered the slaves to take me away as soon\nas it was night, accompanied by the old woman, and to throw me into my\nhouse in which I formerly resided. They accordingly executed their\nlord's commands, and when they had deposited me in my house, I applied\nmyself to the healing of my wounds; but, after I had cured myself, my\nsides still bore the appearance of having been beaten with mi\u1e33ra'ahs. I\ncontinued to apply remedies for four months before I was restored, and\nthen repaired to view the house in which this event had happened; but I\nfound it reduced to ruin, and the whole street pulled down; the site of\nthe house I found occupied by mounds of rubbish, and I knew not the\ncause.\n\nUnder these circumstances, I went to reside with this my sister, who is\nof the same father as myself, and I found with her these two bitches.\nHaving saluted her, I informed her of all that had befallen me; to which\nshe replied, Who is secure from the afflictions of fortune? Praise be to\nGod who terminated the affair with safety to thy life!--She then related\nto me her own story, and that of her two sisters, and I remained with\nher, and neither of us ever mentioned the subject of marriage.\nAfterwards we were joined by this our other sister, the cateress, who\nevery day goes out to purchase for us whatever we happen to want.\n\n\nCONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF THE LADIES OF BAGHD\u00c1D, &c.\n\nThe Kaleefeh was astonished at this story, and ordered it to be recorded\nin a book, as an authentic history, and deposited the book in his\nlibrary. And he said to the first lady, Knowest thou where the\nJinneeyeh[III_98] who enchanted thy sisters is to be found? She\nanswered, O Prince of the Faithful, she gave me a lock of her hair, and\nsaid, When thou desirest my presence, burn a few of these hairs, and I\nwill be with thee quickly, though I should be beyond Mount \u1e32\u00e1f.--Bring\nthen the hair, said the Khaleefeh. The lady, therefore, produced it; and\nthe Khaleefeh, taking it, burned a portion of it, and, when the odour\nhad diffused itself, the palace shook, and they heard a sound of\nthunder, and lo, the Jinneeyeh appeared before them. She was a Muslimeh,\nand therefore greeted the Khaleefeh by saying, Peace be on thee, O\nKhaleefeh of God!--to which he replied, On you be peace, and the mercy\nof God, and his blessings![III_99]--She then said, Know that this\nlady hath conferred on me a benefit for which I am unable to requite\nher; for she rescued me from death, by killing my enemy; and I, having\nseen what her sisters had done to her, determined to take vengeance upon\nthem; therefore I transformed them by enchantment into two bitches; and,\nindeed, I had wished rather to kill them, fearing lest they should\ntrouble her; but now, if thou desire their restoration, O Prince of the\nFaithful, I will restore them, as a favour to thee and to her; for I am\none of the true believers.--Do so, said the Khaleefeh; and then we will\nenter upon the consideration of the affair of the lady who hath been\nbeaten, and examine her case, and if her veracity be established, I will\ntake vengeance for her upon him who hath oppressed her. The Jinneeyeh\nreplied, O Prince of the Faithful, I will guide thee to the discovery of\nhim who acted thus to this lady, and oppressed her, and took her\nproperty: he is thy nearest relation. She then took a cup of water, and,\nhaving pronounced a spell over it, sprinkled the faces of the two\nbitches, saying, Be restored to your original human forms!--whereupon\nthey became again two young ladies.--Extolled be the perfection of\ntheir Creator![III_100] Having done this, the Jinneeyeh said, O\nPrince of the Faithful, he who beat the lady is thy son El-Emeen, who\nhad heard of her beauty and loveliness:--and she proceeded to relate\nwhat had happened. The Khaleefeh was astonished, and exclaimed, Praise\nbe to God for the restoration of these two bitches which hath been\neffected through my means!--and immediately he summoned before him his\nson El-Emeen, and inquired of him the history of the lady; and he\nrelated to him the truth. He then sent for \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dees and witnesses, and the\nfirst lady and her two sisters who had been transformed into bitches he\nmarried to the three mendicants who had related that they were the sons\nof Kings; and these he made chamberlains of his court, appointing them\nall that they required, and allotting them apartments in the palace of\nBaghd\u00e1d. The lady who had been beaten he restored to his son El-Emeen,\ngiving her a large property, and ordering that the house should be\nrebuilt in a more handsome style. Lastly, the lady-cateress he took as\nhis own wife; he admitted her at once to his own apartment, and, on the\nfollowing day, he appointed her a separate lodging for herself, with\nfemale slaves to wait upon her: he also allotted to her a regular\nincome; and afterwards built for her a palace.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD.\n\nNOTE 1.--_On the Uses of Palm-sticks in various Manufactures._ The kind\nof crate here mentioned is made of jereeds, or palm-sticks, which (being\nvery soft, and easily cut and punched, in their fresh state, and very\ntough, difficult to break, and light, when dry,) are used in a great\nvariety of manufactures. In making crates or baskets, and stools,\nbed-frames, coops, &c., a number of jereeds, being placed an inch or\nmore apart, are fixed by two, three, or more, thicker ones, placed\ntransversely. Round holes are punched in the latter, through which the\nformer are inserted; and the whole becomes light and strong as soon as\nit is dry. Chests are made with thick jereeds placed close together, and\nothers, pared thin, passing transversely through them.\n\nNOTE 2.--_Description of the Veils of Arab Women._ The modern iz\u00e1r or\neez\u00e1r (for the word is written in two different ways), of Arab women, is\na piece of drapery commonly worn by them when they appear in public. It\nis about two yards or more in width (according to the height of the\nwearer), and three yards in length: one edge of it being drawn from\nbehind, over the upper part of the head and the forehead, and secured by\na band sewed inside, the rest hangs down behind and on each side to the\nground, or nearly so, and almost entirely envelops the person; the two\nends being held so as nearly to meet in front. Thus it conceals every\nother part of the dress excepting a small portion of a very loose gown\n(which is another of the articles of walking or riding apparel), and the\nface-veil. It is now generally made of white calico, but a similar\ncovering of black silk for the married, and of white silk for the\nunmarried, is now worn by females of the higher and middle classes, and\nis called a \"\u1e25abarah.\"\n\nIt appears that the kind of face-veil mentioned in the same passage (in\nArabic, \"\u1e33in\u00e1\u1ea1,\") is a piece of muslin, about a yard or more in length,\nand somewhat less in width, a portion of which is placed over the head,\nbeneath the iz\u00e1r, the rest hanging down in front, to the waist, or\nthereabout, and entirely concealing the face. I have often seen Arab\nwomen, particularly those of the Wahh\u00e1bees, wearing veils of this kind\ncomposed of printed muslin, completely concealing their features, yet of\nsufficiently loose fabric to admit of their seeing their way. But the\nmore common kind of Arab face-veil is a long strip of white muslin, or\nof a kind of black crape, covering the whole of the face excepting the\neyes, and reaching nearly to the feet. It is suspended at the top by a\nnarrow band, which passes up the forehead, and which is sewed, as are\nalso the two upper corners of the veil, to a band that is tied round the\nhead. This veil is called \"bur\u1e33o'.\" The black kind is often ornamented\nwith gold coins, false pearls, &c., attached to the upper part. It is\nnot so genteel as the white veil, unless for a lady in mourning.\n\nNOTE 3. \"El-M\u00f3\u1e63il\" is the name of the city which Europeans commonly call\n\"Mosul,\" \"Mosoul,\" &c.; a city long famous for its fine stuffs. Hence\nour word \"muslin,\" often termed, in Arabic, \"M\u00f3\u1e63ilee,\" signifying, \"of\nthe manufacture of El-M\u00f3\u1e63il.\"\n\nNOTE 4. The wine is mentioned in the Calcutta edition of the first two\nhundred nights, but not in the edition of Cairo. The lady went to a\nChristian to purchase her wine because Muslims are not allowed to sell\nit.\n\nNOTE 5. The \"'Othm\u00e1nee quinces\" I suppose to be a kind so called after\nsome person named 'Othm\u00e1n who introduced it, or was famous for its\nculture. The term \"Sul\u1e6d\u00e1nee,\" applied to the citrons afterwards\nmentioned, signifies \"imperial.\"\n\nNOTE 6. A list of these sweets is given in my original, but I have\nthought it better to omit the names.\n\nNOTE 7. The \"willow-flower-water\" is prepared from the sweet-scented\nflowers of the Oriental willow, called \"b\u00e1n\" and \"khil\u00e1f\" or \"khal\u00e1f;\" a\ntwig of which is, among the Arabs, a favourite emblem of a graceful\nfemale.\n\nNOTE 8.--_On the Vessels used for Sprinkling and Perfuming._ The\nsprinkling-bottle, here called \"mirashsh,\" is more commonly called\n\"\u1e33um\u1e33um,\" and has been alluded to in a former note, as having a\nspherical or wide body, and a long and narrow neck. It is generally\nabout eight inches high, and of plain or gilt silver, or of fine brass,\nor china, or glass; and has a cover pierced with a small hole. This\nvessel is used in the houses of the rich to sprinkle a guest or visiter,\nbefore he rises to take his leave, with rose-water; after which\nceremony, a page or servant presents to him a kind of censer, called\n\"mibkharah,\" which is generally of one or other of the metals above\nmentioned, and about the same height as the \u1e33um\u1e33um; and he wafts the\nsmoke which rises from it towards his face, beard, &c., with the right\nhand. The body of the mibkharah, the form of which is nearly globular,\nsurmounts a stem rising from the centre of a small circular tray; the\nupper half is a cover pierced with apertures for the escape of the\nsmoke; and the lower half, in which some burning charcoal is placed, is\nlined, or half filled, with gypsum-plaster. Aloes-wood, previously\nmoistened, or some other odoriferous substance, is placed upon the\nburning coals; and sometimes, in the houses of very wealthy persons,\nambergris is used.\n\nNOTE 9. This description of the outer door of a house in Baghd\u00e1d is an\nobvious absurdity; but none of the copies of the original to which I\nhave access authorizes my substituting \"gilt\" for \"plated with gold;\"\nall here agreeing in the use of words which have the latter sense.\n\nNOTE 10. In their eagerness to obtain the earliest possible sight of the\nnew moon which marks the period of the commencement of the Rama\u1e0d\u00e1n, lest\nthey should not begin their fast as soon as the law requires, the\nMuslims often see the crescent one night earlier in this than in any\nother month. The comparison of an eyebrow to the new moon of Rama\u1e0d\u00e1n\nexpresses, therefore, its extreme thinness, as well as its arched form.\nTo reduce its natural thickness, and to give it this form, scissors are\noften used.\n\nNOTE 11. \"The seal of Suleym\u00e1n\" is a name given by the Arabs to a\nsix-pointed star formed by two equilateral triangles intersecting each\nother, and to the flower which we, also, call \"Solomon's seal.\" I fear\nthat the reader will not consider the comparison very apposite, unless\nthe allusion be to a beautiful red berry which, I am informed, is borne\nby the flower here mentioned.\n\nNOTE 12.--_Description of Apartments in Arab Houses._ Most of the\ndescriptions of interior domestic architecture which occur in the\npresent work, I may aptly illustrate by availing myself of observations\nmade in Cairo. In the houses of persons of the higher and middle classes\nin this city, the different apartments generally resemble each other in\nseveral respects, and are similarly furnished. The greater portion of\nthe floor is elevated about half a foot, or somewhat more, above the\nrest. The higher portion is called \"leew\u00e1n\" (a corruption of\n\"el-eew\u00e1n\"), and the lower, \"dur\u1e33\u00e1'ah,\" from the Persian \"dar-g\u00e1h.\" When\nthere is but one leew\u00e1n, the dur\u1e33\u00e1'ah occupies the lower end, extending\nfrom the door to the opposite wall. In a handsome house, it is usually\npaved with white and black marble, and little pieces of red tile, inlaid\nin tasteful and complicated patterns; and if the room is on the\nground-floor, and sometimes in other cases, it has, in the centre, a\nfountain which plays into a small, shallow pool, lined with coloured\nmarbles, &c., like the surrounding pavement. The shoes, or slippers, are\nleft upon the dur\u1e33\u00e1'ah previously to stepping upon the leew\u00e1n. The\nlatter is generally paved with common stone, and covered with a mat in\nsummer, and a carpet over this in winter; and a mattress and cushions\nare placed against each of its three walls, composing what is called a\n\"deew\u00e1n,\" or divan. The mattress, which is commonly about three feet\nwide, and three or four inches thick, is placed either on the floor or\non a raised frame or a slightly-elevated pavement; and the cushions,\nwhich are usually of a length equal to the width of the mattress, and of\na height equal to half that measure, lean against the wall. Both\nmattresses and cushions are stuffed with cotton, and are covered with\nprinted calico, cloth, or some more expensive stuff. The deew\u00e1n which\nextends along the upper end of the leew\u00e1n is called the \"\u1e63adr,\" and is\nthe most honourable: and the chief place on this seat is the corner\nwhich is to the right of a person facing this end of the room; the other\ncorner is the next in point of honour; and the intermediate places on\nthe same deew\u00e1n are more honourable than those on the two side-deew\u00e1ns.\nTo a superior, and often to an equal, the master or mistress yields the\nchief place. The corners are often furnished with an additional\nmattress, of a square form, just large enough for one person, placed\nupon the other mattress, and with two additional (but smaller) cushions\nto recline against. The walls are, for the most part, plastered and\nwhite-washed, and generally have two or more shallow cupboards, the\ndoors of which, as well as those of the apartments, are fancifully\nconstructed with small panels. The windows, which are chiefly composed\nof curious wooden lattice-work, serving to screen the inhabitants from\nthe view of persons without, as also to admit both light and air,\ncommonly project outwards, and are furnished with mattresses and\ncushions. In many houses there are, above these, small windows of\ncoloured glass, representing bunches of flowers, &c. The ceiling is of\nwood, and certain portions of it, which are carved, or otherwise\nornamented by fanciful carpentry, are usually painted with bright\ncolours, such as red, green, and blue, and sometimes varied with\ngilding; but the greater part of the wood-work is generally left\nunpainted.\n\nThe word in the original text which I translate \"saloon,\" is \"\u1e33\u00e1'ah.\"\nThis term is applied to a large and lofty apartment, commonly having two\nleew\u00e1ns, on opposite sides of the dur\u1e33\u00e1'ah. One of these is, in most\ninstances, larger than the other, and is held to be the more honourable\npart. Some \u1e33\u00e1'ahs, containing three leew\u00e1ns, one of these being opposite\nthe entrance, or four leew\u00e1ns composing the form of a cross with the\ndur\u1e33\u00e1'ah in the centre, communicate with small chambers or closets, or\nhave elevated recesses which are furnished in the same manner as the\nleew\u00e1ns. That part of the roof which is over the dur\u1e33\u00e1'ah rises above\nthe rest, sometimes to nearly twice the height of the latter, and is\ngenerally surmounted by a lantern of wooden lattice-work to admit the\nair.\n\nNOTE 13. In the Cairo edition, the couch is described as being in the\n_midst_ of the saloon; but this is inconsistent with what follows.\n\nNOTE 14.--_Of_ B\u00e1bil, _and the Angels_ H\u00e1root _and_ M\u00e1root. B\u00e1bil, or\nBabel, is regarded by the Muslims as the fountain-head of the science of\nmagic, which was, and, as most think, still is, taught there to mankind\nby two fallen angels, named H\u00e1root and M\u00e1root,[175] who are there\nsuspended by the feet in a great pit closed by a mass of rock.\nAccording to the account of them generally received as correct, these\ntwo angels, in consequence of their want of compassion for the frailties\nof mankind, were rendered, by God, susceptible of human passions, and\nsent down upon the earth to be tempted: they both sinned; and, being\npermitted to choose whether they would be punished in this life or in\nthe other, chose the former; but they were sent down not merely to\n_experience_ temptation, being also appointed to tempt others by means\nof their knowledge of magic; though it appears that they were commanded\nnot to teach this art to any man \"until they had said, Verily we are a\ntemptation; therefore, be not an unbeliever.\"[176]--The celebrated\ntraditionist Muj\u00e1hid is related to have visited them, under the guidance\nof a Jew. Having removed the mass of rock from the mouth of the pit, or\nwell, they entered. Muj\u00e1hid had been previously charged by the Jew not\nto mention the name of God in their presence; but when he beheld them,\nresembling in size two huge mountains, and suspended upside-down, with\nirons attached to their necks and knees, he could not refrain from\nuttering the forbidden name; whereupon the two angels became so\nviolently agitated that they almost broke the irons which confined them,\nand Muj\u00e1hid and his guide fled back in consternation.[177]\n\nNOTE 15. The meaning conveyed by this comparison is \"tall and slender.\"\n\nNOTE 16. In the MS. from which the old translation was made, it appears\nthat this lady is called Zubeydeh (which was the name of the daughter of\nJa\u1ea1far the son of El-Man\u1e63oor, and wife of Er-Rasheed); the portress,\n\u1e62\u00e1fiyeh; and the cateress, \u00c1mineh; but no names are given to them in any\nof the copies of the original to which I have access.\n\nNOTE 17. Literally, \"two nu\u1e63fs.\" \"Nu\u1e63f,\" vulgarly pronounced by the\nEgyptians \"nu\u1e63\u1e63,\" and signifying \"half,\" is the name of a small Egyptian\ncoin made of a mixture of silver and copper, and now equivalent to\nsomething less than a quarter of a farthing; but this name was\noriginally given to the half-dirhems which were struck in the reign of\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n El-Mu-eiyad, in the early part of the ninth century of the\nFlight, or of the fifteenth of our era. In the Calcutta edition of the\nfirst two hundred nights, and in the edition of Breslau, we read here\n\"two dirhems,\" instead of \"two nu\u1e63fs.\" [The coin here mentioned still\nbears the name \"Mu-eiyadee,\" or, vulgarly, \"Meiyadee.\" In the latest\ncoinage, copper has been substituted for the mixed metal. ED.]\n\nNOTE 18. The \"men\u00e1reh\" is the tower of a mosque, commonly called by\nEnglish writers \"minaret,\" which generally rises from a square base.\n\nNOTE 19. It is a common custom in the East to seal the doors of\nstore-houses with a lump of clay, lest the lock should be picked.\n\nNOTE 20. I here deviate a little from the Cairo edition, in which the\ncateress is described as having drunk three cups of wine successively\nbefore she handed any to her sisters. My reason for this will presently\nbe seen.\n\nNOTE 21. Thus in two editions. In the Cairo edition, \"tukellimuhu\" is\nput for \"telkumuhu.\"\n\nNOTE 22. _On Wine, Fruits, Flowers, and Music, in Illustration of Arab\nCarousals._ I here pass over an extremely objectionable scene, which, it\nis to be hoped, would convey a very erroneous idea of the manners of\nArab _ladies_; though I have witnessed, at private festivities in Cairo,\nabominable scenes, of which ladies, screened behind lattices, were\nspectators. Can the same be said with respect to the previous carousal?\nThis is a question which cannot be answered in a few words.\n\nThe prohibition of wine, or, rather, of fermented and intoxicating\nliquors, being one of the most remarkable and important points of the\nMohammadan religion, it might be imagined that the frequent stories in\nthis work, describing parties of Muslims as habitually indulging in the\nuse of forbidden beverages, are scandalous misrepresentations of Arab\nmanners and customs. There are, however, many similar anecdotes\ninterspersed in the works of Arab historians, which (though many of them\nare probably untrue in their application to particular individuals)\ncould not have been offered to the public by such writers if they were\nnot of a nature consistent with the customs of a considerable class of\nthe Arab nation.\n\nIn investigating this subject, it is necessary, in the first place, to\nstate, that there is a kind of wine which Muslims are permitted to\ndrink. It is properly called \"nebeedh\" (a name which is _now_ given to\n_prohibited_ kinds of wine), and is generally prepared by putting dry\ngrapes, or dry dates, in water, to extract their sweetness, and\nsuffering the liquor to ferment slightly, until it acquires a little\nsharpness or pungency. The Prophet himself was in the habit of drinking\nwine of this kind, which was prepared for him in the first part of the\nnight; he drank it on the first and second days following; but if any\nremained on the morning of the third day, he either gave it to his\nservants or ordered it to be poured out upon the ground.[178] Such\nbeverages have, therefore, been drunk by the strictest of his followers;\nand Ibn-Khaldoon strongly argues that nebeedh thus prepared from dates\nwas the kind of wine used by the Khaleefehs H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed and\nEl-Ma-moon, and several other eminent men, who have been commonly\naccused of habitually and publicly indulging in debauches of wine\nproperly so called; that is, of inebriating liquors.[179]\n\nNebeedh, prepared from raisins, is commonly sold in Arab towns, under\nthe name of \"zebeeb,\" which signifies \"raisins.\" This I have often drunk\nin Cairo; but never could perceive that it was in the slightest degree\nfermented. Other beverages, to which the name of \"nebeedh\" has been\napplied (though, like zebeeb, no longer called by that name), are also\nsold in Arab towns. The most common of these is an infusion of licorice,\nand called by the name of the root, \"'er\u1e33-soos.\" The nebeedh of dates is\nsold in Cairo with the dates themselves in the liquor; and in like\nmanner is that of figs. Under the same appellation of \"nebeedh\" have\nbeen classed the different kinds of beer now commonly called \"boozeh,\"\nwhich have been mentioned in former pages. Opium, hemp, &c., are now\nmore frequently used by the Muslims to induce intoxication or\nexhilaration. The young leaves of the hemp are generally used alone, or\nmixed with tobacco, for smoking; and the capsules, without the seeds,\nenter into the composition of several intoxicating conserves. Some\nremarks upon this subject have been inserted in a former note.\n\nBy my own experience I am but little qualified to pronounce an opinion\nrespecting the prevalence of drinking wine among the Arabs; for, never\ndrinking it myself, I had little opportunity of observing others do so\nduring my residence among Muslims. I judge, therefore, from the\nconversations and writings of Arabs, which justify me in asserting that\nthe practice of drinking wine in private, and by select parties, is far\nfrom being uncommon among modern Muslims, though certainly more so than\nit was before the introduction of tobacco into the East, in the\nbeginning of the seventeenth century of our era; for this herb, being in\na slight degree exhilarating, and at the same time soothing, and\nunattended by the injurious effects that result from wine, is a\nsufficient luxury to many who, without it, would have recourse to\nintoxicating beverages merely to pass away hours of idleness. The use of\ncoffee, too, which became common in Egypt, Syria, and other countries,\nbesides Arabia, a century earlier than tobacco, doubtless tended to\nrender the habit of drinking wine less general. That it was adopted as a\nsubstitute for wine appears even from its name, \"\u1e33ahweh,\" an old Arabic\nterm for wine; whence the Turkish \"\u1e33ahveh,\" the Italian \"caffe,\" and our\n\"coffee.\"\n\nThere is an Arabic work of some celebrity, and not of small extent,\nentitled \"\u1e24albet el-Kumeyt,\"[180] apparently written shortly before the\nArabs were in possession of the first of the above-mentioned substitutes\nfor wine, nearly the whole of which consists of anecdotes and verses\nrelating to the pleasures resulting from, or attendant upon, the use of\nwine; a few pages at the end being devoted to the condemnation of this\npractice, or, in other words, to prove the worthlessness of all that\nprecedes. Of this work I possess a copy, a quarto volume of 464 pages. I\nhave endeavoured to skim its cream; but found it impossible to do so\nwithout collecting, at the same time, a considerable quantity of most\nfilthy scum; for it is characterised by wit and humour plentifully\ninterlarded with the grossest and most revolting obscenity; yet it\nserves to confirm what has been above asserted. The mere existence of\nsuch a work (and it is not the only one of the kind), written by a man\nof learning, and I believe a \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee, a judge, or one holding the\nhonourable office of a guardian of religion and morality,[181]--written,\ntoo, evidently with pleasure, notwithstanding his assertion to the\ncontrary,--is a strong argument in favour of the prevalence of the\npractice which it paints in the most fascinating colours, and then\ncondemns. Its author terminates a chapter (the ninth), in which many\nwell-known persons are mentioned as having been addicted to wine, by\nsaying, that the Khaleefehs, Emeers, and Wezeers, so addicted, are too\nnumerous to name in such a work; and by relating a story of a man who\nplaced his own wife in pledge in the hands of a wine-merchant, after\nhaving expended in the purchase of the forbidden liquor all the property\nthat he possessed. He excuses himself (in his preface) for writing this\nbook, by saying that he had been ordered to do so by one whom he could\nnot disobey; thus giving us a pretty strong proof that a great man in\nhis time was not ashamed of avowing his fondness for the prohibited\nenjoyment. If, then, we admit the respectable authority of Ibn-Khaldoon,\nand acquit of the vice of drunkenness those illustrious individuals\nwhose characters he vindicates, we must still regard most of the\nanecdotes relating to the carousals of other persons as being not\nwithout foundation.\n\nOne of my friends, who enjoys a high reputation, ranking among the most\ndistinguished of the 'Ulam\u00e0 of Cairo, is well known to his intimate\nacquaintances as frequently indulging in the use of forbidden beverages\nwith a few select associates. I disturbed him and his companions by an\nevening visit on one of these occasions, and was kept waiting within the\nstreet-door while the guests quickly removed everything that would give\nme any indication of the manner in which they had been employed; for the\nannouncement of my (assumed) name, and their knowledge of my abstemious\ncharacter, completely disconcerted them. I found them, however, in the\nbest humour. They had contrived, it appeared, to fill with wine a\n_china_ bottle, of the kind used at that season (winter) for water; and\nwhen any one of them asked the servant for water, this bottle was\nbrought to him; but when I made the same demand, my host told me that\nthere was a bottle of water on the sill of the window behind that part\nof the deew\u00e1n upon which I was seated. The evening passed away very\npleasantly, and I should not have known how unwelcome was my intrusion\nhad not one of the guests with whom I was intimately acquainted, in\nwalking part of the way home with me, explained to me the whole\noccurrence. There was with us a third person, who, thinking that my\nantipathy to wine was feigned, asked me to stop at his house on my way,\nand take a cup of \"white coffee,\" by which he meant brandy.\n\nAnother of my Muslim acquaintances in Cairo I frequently met at the\nhouse of a mutual friend, where, though he was in most respects very\nbigoted, he was in the habit of indulging in wine. For some time he\nrefrained from this gratification when I was present; but at length my\npresence became so irksome to him, that he ventured to enter into an\nargument with me on the subject of the prohibition. The only answer I\ncould give to his question, \"Why is wine forbidden?\"--was in the words\nof the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, \"Because it is the source of more evil than profit.\"[182]\nThis suited his purpose, as I intended it should; and he asked, \"What\nevil results from it?\" I answered, \"Intoxication and quarrels,\n&c.\"--\"Then,\" said he, \"if a man take not enough to intoxicate him there\nis no harm;\"--and finding that I acquiesced by silence, he added, \"I am\nin the habit of taking a little; but never enough to intoxicate. Boy,\nbring me a glass.\"--He was the only Muslim, however, whom I have heard\nto argue against the absolute interdiction of inebriating liquors.\n\nHistories tell us that some of the early followers of the Prophet\nindulged in wine, holding the text above referred to as indecisive; and\nthat Mo\u1e25ammad was at first doubtful upon this subject appears from\nanother text, in which his followers were told not to come to prayer\nwhen they were drunk, until they should know what they would say;[183]\nan injunction somewhat similar to one in the Bible;[184] but when\nfrequent and severe contentions resulted from their use of wine, the\nfollowing more decided condemnation of the practice was pronounced:--\"O\nye who have become believers, verily wine and lots and images and\ndivining-arrows are an abomination of the work of the Devil; therefore,\navoid them, that ye may prosper.\"[185] This law is absolute: its\nviolation in the smallest degree is criminal. The punishment ordained by\nthe law for drinking (or, according to most doctors, for even tasting)\nwine or spirits, or inducing intoxication by any other means, on\nordinary occasions, is the infliction of eighty stripes in the case of a\nfree man, and forty in that of a slave; but if the crime be openly\ncommitted in the course of any day of the month of Rama\u1e0d\u00e1n, when others\nare fasting, the punishment prescribed is death!\n\nThe prohibition of wine hindered many of the Prophet's contemporaries\nfrom embracing his religion. It is said that the famous poet El-A\u1ea1sh\u00e0,\nwho was one of them, delayed to join his cause on this account, until\ndeath prevented him. A person passing by his tomb (at Menfoo\u1e25\u00e1h, in\nEl-Yem\u00e1meh), and observing that it was moist, asked the reason, and was\nanswered, that the young men of the place, considering him still as\ntheir cup-companion, drank wine over his grave, and poured his cup upon\nit.[186] Yet many of the most respectable of the pagan Arabs, like\ncertain of the Jews and early Christians, abstained totally from wine,\nfrom a feeling of its injurious effects upon morals, and, in their\nclimate, upon health; or, more especially, from the fear of being led by\nit into the commission of foolish and degrading actions. Thus, \u1e32eys the\nson of '\u00c1\u1e63im, being one night overcome with wine, attempted to grasp the\nmoon, and swore that he would not quit the spot where he stood until he\nhad laid hold of it: after leaping several times with the view of doing\nso, he fell flat upon his face; and when he recovered his senses, and\nwas acquainted with the cause of his face being bruised, he made a\nsolemn vow to abstain from wine ever after.[187] A similar feeling\noperated upon many Muslims more than religious principle. The Khaleefeh\n'Abd-El-Melik Ibn-Marw\u00e1n took pleasure in the company of a slave named\nNa\u1e63eeb, and one day desired him to drink with him. The slave replied, \"O\nPrince of the Faithful, I am not related to thee, nor have I any\nauthority over thee, and I am of no rank or lineage: I am a black slave,\nand my wit and politeness have drawn me into thy favour: how then shall\nI take that which will plunder me of these two qualities; and by what\nshall I then propitiate thee?\" The Khaleefeh admired and excused\nhim.[188]\n\nIt was the custom of many Muslim princes, as might be inferred from the\nabove anecdote, to admit the meanest of their dependants to participate\nin their unlawful carousals when they could have no better companions;\nbut poets and musicians were their more common associates on these\noccasions; and these two classes, and especially the latter, are in the\npresent day the most addicted to intoxicating liquors. Few modern Arab\nmusicians are so well contented with extraordinary payment and mere\nsweet sherbet as with a moderate fee and plenty of wine and brandy; and\nmany of them deem even wine but a sorry beverage.\n\nIt was usual with the host and guests at wine-parties to wear dresses of\nbright colours, red, yellow, and green;[189] and to perfume their beards\nand mustaches with civet, or to have rose-water sprinkled upon them; and\nambergris or aloes-wood, or some other odoriferous substance, placed\nupon burning coals in a censer, diffused a delicious fragrance\nthroughout the saloon of the revels.\n\nThe wine, it appears, was rather thick; for it was necessary to strain\nit:[190] it was probably sweet, and not strong; for it was drunk in\nlarge quantities. Frequently, perhaps, it was nebeedh of dry raisins\nkept longer than the law allows. It was usually kept in a large earthen\nvessel, called \"denn,\" high, and small at the bottom, which was partly\nimbedded in the earth to keep it upright. The name of this vessel is now\ngiven to a cask of wood; but the kind above mentioned was of earth; for\nit was easily broken.--A famous saint, Abu-l-\u1e24oseyn En-Nooree, seeing a\nvessel on the Tigris containing thirty denns belonging to the Khaleefeh\nEl-Mo\u1ea1ta\u1e0did, and being told that they contained wine, took a boat-pole,\nand broke them all, excepting one. When brought before the Khaleefeh to\nanswer for this action, and asked by him, \"Who made thee Mo\u1e25tesib?\"[191]\nhe boldly answered, \"He who made thee Khaleefeh!\"--and was\npardoned.[192]--Pitch was used by the Arabs, as it was by the Greeks and\nRomans, for the purpose of curing their wine; the interior of the denn\nbeing coated with it. A smaller kind of earthen jar, or amphora,[193]\nand a bottle of leather,[194] or of glass,[195] were also used. The wine\nwas transferred for the table to glass jugs, or long-spouted ewers.[196]\nThese and the cups were placed upon a round embroidered cloth spread on\nthe floor, or upon a round tray. The latter now is in general use, and\nis supported on a low stool, described in a former note, as being used\nat ordinary meals. The guests sat around, reclining against pillars; or\nthey sat upon the deew\u00e1n, and a page or slave handed the cup, having on\nhis right arm a richly-embroidered napkin: the person after drinking\ntook the end of this to wipe his lips. The cups are often described as\nholding a fluid pound, or little less than an English pint; and this is\nto be understood literally, or nearly so: they were commonly of cut\nglass; but some were of crystal, or silver, or gold.[197] With these and\nthe ewers or jugs were placed several saucers, or small dishes,[198] of\nfresh and dried fruits;[199] and fans and fly-whisks, of the kinds\ndescribed on a former occasion, were used by the guests.\n\nThe most common and esteemed fruits in the countries inhabited by the\nArabs may here be mentioned.\n\nThe date[200] deserves the first place. The Prophet's favourite fruits\nwere fresh dates[201] and water-melons; and he ate them both\ntogether.[202] \"Honour,\" said he, \"your paternal aunt, the date-palm;\nfor she was created of the earth of which Adam was formed.\"[203] It is\nsaid that God hath given this tree as a peculiar favour to the Muslims;\nthat he hath decreed all the date-palms in the world to them, and they\nhave accordingly conquered every country in which these trees are found;\nand all are said to have derived their origin from the Hej\u00e1z.[204] The\npalm-tree has several well-known properties that render it an emblem of\na human being; among which are these; that if the head be cut off, the\ntree dies; and if a branch be cut off, another does not grow in its\nplace.[205] Dates are preserved in a moist state by being merely pressed\ntogether in a basket or skin, and thus prepared are called \"'ajweh.\"\nThere are many varieties of this fruit. The pith or heart of the\npalm[206] is esteemed for its delicate flavour.\n\nThe water-melon,[207] from what has been said of it above, ought to be\nranked next; and it really merits this distinction. \"Whoso eateth,\" said\nthe Prophet, \"a mouthful of water-melon, God writeth for him a thousand\ngood works, and cancelleth a thousand evil works, and raiseth him a\nthousand degrees; for it came from Paradise;\"--and again, \"The\nwater-melon is food and drink, acid and alkali, and a support of life,\"\n&c.[208] The varieties of this fruit are very numerous.\n\nThe banana[209] is a delicious fruit. The Prophet pronounced the\nbanana-tree to be the only thing on earth that resembles a thing in\nParadise; because it bears fruit both in winter and summer.[210]\n\nThe pomegranate[211] is another celebrated fruit. Every pomegranate,\naccording to the Prophet, contains a fecundating seed from\nParadise.[212]\n\nThe other most common and esteemed fruits are the following:--the apple,\npear, quince, apricot, peach, fig, sycamore-fig, grape, lote, jujube,\nplum, walnut, almond, hazel-nut, pistachio-nut, orange, Seville-orange,\nlime and lemon, citron, mulberry, olive, and sugar-cane.[213]\n\nOf a selection of these fruits consists the dessert which accompanies\nthe wine; but the table is not complete without a bunch or two of\nflowers placed in the midst.\n\nThough the Arabs are far from being remarkable for exhibiting taste in\nthe planning of their gardens, they are passionately fond of flowers,\nand especially of the rose.[214]--The Khaleefeh El-Mutawekkil\nmonopolized roses for his own enjoyment; saying, \"I am the King of\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1ns, and the rose is the king of sweet-scented flowers; therefore\neach of us is most worthy of the other for a companion.\" The rose, in\nhis time, was seen nowhere but in his palace: during the season of this\nflower he wore rose-coloured clothes; and his carpets, &c., were\nsprinkled with rose-water.[215] A similar passion for the rose is said\nto have distinguished a weaver, in the reign of El-Ma-moon. He was\nconstantly employed at his loom every day of the year, even during the\ncongregational prayers of Friday, excepting in the rose-season, when he\nabandoned his work, and gave himself up to the enjoyment of wine, early\nin the morning and late in the evening, loudly proclaiming his revels by\nsinging,--\n\n \"The season has become pleasant! The time of the rose has come!\n Take your morning potations, as long as the rose has blossoms\n and flowers!\"\n\nWhen he resumed his work, he made it known by singing aloud,--\n\n \"If my Lord prolong my life until the rose-season, I will take\n again my morning potations: but if I die before it, alas!\n for the loss of the rose and wine!\n \"I implore the God of the supreme throne, whose glory be extolled,\n that my heart may continually enjoy the evening potations\n to the day of resurrection.\"\n\n--The Khaleefeh was so amused with the humour of this man, that he\ngranted him an annual pension of ten thousand dirhems to enable him to\nenjoy himself amply on these occasions.[216]--Another anecdote may be\nadded to shew the estimation of the rose in the mind of an Arab. It is\nsaid that Row\u1e25 Ibn-\u1e24\u00e1tim, the governor of the province of Northern\nAfrica, was sitting one day, with a female slave, in an apartment of his\npalace, when a eunuch brought him a jar full of red and white roses,\nwhich a man had offered as a present. He ordered the eunuch to fill the\njar with silver in return; but his concubine said, \"O my lord, thou hast\nnot acted equitably towards the man; for his present to thee is of two\ncolours, red and white.\" The Emeer replied, \"Thou hast said truly;\" and\ngave orders to fill the jar for him with silver and gold (dirhems and\ndeen\u00e1rs) intermixed.[217]--Some persons preserve roses during the whole\nof the year, in the following manner. They take a number of rose-buds,\nand fill with them a new earthen jar, and, after closing its mouth with\nmud, so as to render it impervious to the air, bury it in the earth.\nWhenever they want a few roses, they take out some of these buds, which\nthey find unaltered, sprinkle a little water upon them, and leave them\nfor a short time in the air, when they open, and appear as if just\ngathered.[218]--The rose is even a subject of miracles. It is related by\nIbn-\u1e32uteybeh, that there grows in India a kind of rose upon the leaves\nof which is inscribed, \"There is no deity but God.\"[219] But I find a\nmore particular account of this miraculous rose. A person, who professed\nto have seen it, said, \"I went into India, and I saw, at one of its\ntowns, a large rose, sweet-scented, upon which was inscribed, in white\ncharacters, 'There is no deity but God; Mo\u1e25ammad is God's apostle:\nAboo-Bekr is the very veracious: 'Omar is the discriminator;' and I\ndoubted of this, whether it had been done by art; so I took one of the\nblossoms not yet opened, and in it was the same inscription; and there\nwere many of the same kind there. The people of that place worshipped\nstones, and knew not God, to whom be ascribed might and\nglory.\"[220]--Roses are announced for sale in the streets of Cairo by\nthe cry of \"The rose was a thorn: from the sweat of the Prophet it\nblossomed!\" in allusion to a miracle recorded of Mo\u1e25ammad. \"When I was\ntaken up into heaven,\" said the Prophet, \"some of my sweat fell upon the\nearth, and from it sprang the rose; and whoever would smell my scent,\nlet him smell the rose.\" In another tradition it is said, \"The white\nrose was created from my sweat on the night of the Me\u1ea1r\u00e1j;[221] and the\nred rose, from the sweat of Jebraeel;[222] and the yellow rose, from the\nsweat of El-Bur\u00e1\u1e33.\"[223]--The Persians take especial delight in roses;\nsometimes spreading them as carpets or beds on which to sit or recline\nin their revellings.\n\nBut there is a flower pronounced more excellent than the rose; that of\nthe Egyptian privet, or Lawsonia inermis.[224] Mo\u1e25ammad said, \"The chief\nof the sweet-scented flowers of this world and of the next is the\nf\u00e1ghiyeh;\" and this was his favourite flower.[225] I approve of his\ntaste; for this flower, which grows in clusters somewhat like those of\nthe lilac, has a most delicious fragrance. But, on account of\ndiscrepancies in different traditions, a Muslim may, with a clear\nconscience, prefer either of the two flowers next mentioned.\n\nThe Prophet said of the violet,[226] \"The excellence of the extract of\nviolets, above all other extracts, is as the excellence of me above all\nthe rest of the creation: it is cold in summer and hot in winter:\" and,\nin another tradition, \"The excellence of the violet is as the excellence\nof El-Isl\u00e1m above all other religions.\"[227] A delicious sherbet is made\nof a conserve of sugar and violet-flowers.\n\nThe myrtle[228] is the rival of the violet. \"Adam,\" said the Prophet,\n\"fell down from Paradise with three things; the myrtle, which is the\nchief of sweet-scented flowers in this world; an ear of wheat, which is\nthe chief of all kinds of food in this world; and pressed dates, which\nare the chief of the fruits of this world.\"[229]\n\nThe anemone[230] was monopolized for his own enjoyment by No\u1ea1m\u00e1n\nIbn-El-Mundhir (King of El-\u1e24eereh, and contemporary of Mo\u1e25ammad), as the\nrose was afterwards by El-Mutawekkil.[231]\n\nAnother flower much admired and celebrated in the East is the\ngilliflower.[232] There are three principal kinds; the most esteemed is\nthe yellow, or golden-coloured, which has a delicious scent both by\nnight and day; the next, the purple, and other dark kinds, which have a\nscent only in the night; the least esteemed, the white, which has no\nscent. The yellow gilliflower is an emblem of a neglected lover.[233]\n\nThe narcissus[234] is very highly esteemed. Galen says, \"He who has two\ncakes of bread, let him dispose of one of them for some flowers of the\nnarcissus; for bread is the food of the body, and the narcissus is the\nfood of the soul.\" Hippocrates, too, gave a similar opinion.[235]\n\nThe following flowers complete the list of those celebrated as most\nappropriate to add to the delights of wine:--the jasmine, eglantine,\nSeville-orange-flower, lily, sweet-basil, wild thyme, buphthalmum,\nchamomile, nenuphar, lotus, pomegranate-flower, poppy, ketmia, crocus or\nsaffron, safflower, flax, the blossoms of different kinds of bean, and\nthose of the almond.[236]\n\nA sprig of Oriental willow[237] adds much to the charms of a bunch of\nflowers, being the favourite symbol of a graceful female.\n\nBut I have not yet mentioned all that contributes to the pleasures of an\nEastern carousal. For the juice of the grape is not fully relished\nwithout melodious sounds. \"Wine is as the body; music, as the soul; and\njoy is their offspring.\"[238] All the five senses should be gratified.\nFor this reason, an Arab toper, who had nothing, it appears, but wine to\nenjoy, exclaimed,--\n\n \"Ho! give me wine to drink; and tell me, 'This is wine.'\"\n\nFor, on drinking, his sight and smell and taste and touch would all be\naffected; but it was desirable that his hearing should also be\npleased.[239]\n\nMusic was condemned by the Prophet almost as severely as wine. \"Singing\nand hearing songs,\" said he, \"cause hypocrisy to grow in the heart, like\nas water promoteth the growth of corn:\"[240]--and musical instruments he\ndeclared to be among the most powerful means by which the Devil seduces\nman. An instrument of music is the Devil's mu\u00ebddin, serving to call men\nto his worship, as stated in a former note. Of the hypocrisy of those\nattached to music, the following anecdote presents an instance:--A\ndrunken young man with a lute in his hand was brought one night before\nthe Khaleefeh 'Abd-El-Melik the son of Marw\u00e1n, who, pointing to the\ninstrument, asked what it was, and what was its use. The youth made no\nanswer; so he asked those around him; but they also remained silent,\ntill one, more bold than the rest, said, \"O Prince of the Faithful,\nthis is a lute: it is made by taking some wood of the pistachio-tree,\nand cutting it into thin pieces, and glueing these together, and then\nattaching over them these chords, which, when a beautiful girl touches\nthem, send forth sounds more pleasant than those of rain falling upon a\ndesert land; and my wife is separated from me by a triple divorce if\nevery one in this council is not acquainted with it, and doth not know\nit as well as I do, and thou the first of them, O Prince of the\nFaithful.\" The Khaleefeh laughed, and ordered that the young man should\nbe discharged.[241]\n\nThe latter saying of the Prophet, respecting the Devil, suggests to me\nthe insertion of another anecdote, related of himself by Ibr\u00e1heem\nEl-M\u00f3\u1e63ilee, the father of Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33; both of whom were very celebrated\nmusicians. I give a translation of it somewhat abridged.--\"I asked\nEr-Rasheed,\" says Ibr\u00e1heem, \"to grant me permission to spend a day at\nhome with my female slaves and brothers; and he gave me two thousand\ndeen\u00e1rs, and appointed the next Saturday for this purpose. I caused the\nmeats and wine and other necessaries to be prepared, and ordered the\nchamberlain to close the door, and admit no one: but while I was\nsitting, with my attendants standing in the form of a curved line before\nme, there entered, and approached me, a sheykh, reverend and dignified\nand comely in appearance, wearing short khuffs,[242] and two soft gowns,\nwith a \u1e33alensuweh[243] upon his head, and in his hand a silver-headed\nstaff; and sweet odours were diffused from his clothes. I was enraged\nwith the chamberlain for admitting him; but on his saluting me in a very\ncourteous manner, I returned his salutation, and desired him to sit\ndown. He then began to repeat to me stories, tales of war, and poetry;\nso that my anger was appeased, and it appeared to me that my servants\nhad not presumed to admit him until acquainted with his politeness and\ncourteousness; I therefore said to him, 'Hast thou any inclination for\nmeat?' He answered, 'I have no want of it.'--'And the wine?' said I. He\nreplied, 'Yes.' So I drank a large cupful, and he did the same, and then\nsaid to me, 'O Ibr\u00e1heem, wilt thou let us hear some specimen of thy art\nin which thou hast excelled the people of thy profession?' I was angry\nat his words; but I made light of the matter, and, having taken the lute\nand tuned it, I played and sang; whereupon he said, 'Thou hast performed\nwell, O Ibr\u00e1heem.' I became more enraged, and said within myself, 'He is\nnot content with coming hither without permission, and asking me to\nsing, but he calls me by my name, and proves himself unworthy of my\nconversation.' He then said, 'Wilt thou let us hear more? If so, we will\nrequite thee.' And I took the lute, and sang, using my utmost care, on\naccount of his saying, 'we will requite thee.' He was moved with\ndelight, and said, 'Thou hast performed well, O my master\nIbr\u00e1heem:'--adding, 'Wilt thou permit thy slave to sing?' I answered,\n'As thou pleasest:'--but thinking lightly of his sense to sing after me.\nHe took the lute, and tuned it; and, by Allah! I imagined that the lute\nspoke in his hands with an eloquent Arab tongue. He proceeded to sing\nsome verses commencing,--\n\n 'My heart is wounded! Who will give me, for it, a heart without\n a wound?'\n\nThe narrator continues by saying, that he was struck dumb and motionless\nwith ecstasy; and that the strange sheykh, after having played and sung\nagain, and taught him an enchanting air (with which he afterwards\nenraptured his patron, the Khaleefeh), vanished. Ibr\u00e1heem, in alarm,\nseized his sword; and was the more amazed when he found that the porter\nhad not seen the stranger enter or leave the house; but he heard his\nvoice again, outside, telling him that he was Aboo-Murrah (the\nDevil).[244]--Two other anecdotes of a similar kind are related in the\nwork from which the above is taken.\n\nIbr\u00e1heem El-M\u00f3\u1e63ilee, his son Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33, and Mukh\u00e1ri\u1e33 (a pupil of the\nformer), were especially celebrated among the Arab musicians, and among\nthe distinguished men of the reign of H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed. Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33\nEl-M\u00f3\u1e63ilee relates, of his father Ibr\u00e1heem, that when Er-Rasheed took\nhim into his service, he gave him a hundred and fifty thousand dirhems,\nand allotted him a monthly pension of ten thousand dirhems, besides\noccasional presents [one of which is mentioned as amounting to a hundred\nthousand dirhems for a single song], and the produce of his (Ibr\u00e1heem's)\nfarms: he had food constantly prepared for him; three sheep every day\nfor his kitchen, besides birds; three thousand dirhems were allowed him\nfor fruits, perfumes, &c., every month, and a thousand dirhems for his\nclothing; \"and with all this,\" says his son, \"he died without leaving\nmore than three thousand deen\u00e1rs, a sum not equal to his debts, which I\npaid after his death.\"[245]--Ibr\u00e1heem was of Persian origin, and of a\nhigh family. He was commonly called the Nedeem (or cup-companion), being\nEr-Rasheed's favourite companion at the wine-table; and his son, who\nenjoyed the like distinction with El-Ma-moon, received the same\nappellation, as well as that of \"Son of the Nedeem.\" Ibr\u00e1heem was the\nmost famous musician of his time, at least till his son attained\ncelebrity.[246]\n\nIs-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33 El-M\u00f3\u1e63ilee was especially famous as a musician; but he was also a\ngood poet, accomplished in general literature, and endowed with great\nwit. He was honoured above all other persons in the pay of El-Ma-moon,\nand enjoyed a long life; but for many years before his death he was\nblind.[247]\n\nMukh\u00e1ri\u1e33 appears to have rivalled his master Ibr\u00e1heem. The latter, he\nrelates, took him to perform before Er-Rasheed, who used to have a\ncurtain suspended between him and the musicians. \"Others,\" he says,\n\"sang, and he was unmoved; but when I sang, he came forth from behind\nthe curtain, and exclaimed, 'Young man, hither!' and he seated me upon\nthe sereer [a kind of couch], and gave me thirty thousand dirhems.\"[248]\nThe following anecdote (which I abridge a little in translation) shews\nhis excellence in the art which he professed, and the effect of melody\non an Arab:--\"After drinking with the Khaleefeh[249] a whole night, I\nasked his permission,\" says he, \"to take the air in the Ru\u1e63\u00e1feh,[250]\nwhich he granted; and while I was walking there, I saw a damsel who\nappeared as if the rising sun beamed from her face. She had a basket,\nand I followed her. She stopped at a fruiterer's, and bought some fruit;\nand observing that I was following her, she looked back and abused me\nseveral times; but still I followed her until she arrived at a great\ndoor, after having filled her basket with fruits and flowers and similar\nthings. When she had entered, and the door was closed behind her, I sat\ndown opposite to it, deprived of my reason by her beauty; and knew that\nthere must be in the house a wine-party. The sun went down upon me while\nI sat there; and at length there came two handsome young men on asses,\nand they knocked at the door, and when they were admitted I entered with\nthem; the master of the house thinking that I was their companion, and\nthey imagining that I was one of his friends. A repast was brought, and\nwe ate, and washed our hands, and were perfumed. The master of the house\nthen said to the two young men, 'Have ye any desire that I should call\nsuch a one?' (mentioning a female name). They answered, 'If thou wilt\ngrant us the favour, well:'--so he called for her, and she came, and lo,\nshe was the maiden whom I had seen before, and who had abused me. A\nservant-maid preceded her, bearing her lute, which she placed in her\nlap. Wine was then brought, and she sang while we drank, and shook with\ndelight. 'Whose air is that?' they asked. She answered, 'Seedee[251]\nMukh\u00e1ri\u1e33's.' She then sang another air, which, also, she said was mine;\nwhile they drank by pints; she looking aside and doubtfully at me until\nI lost my patience, and called out to her to do her best: but in\nattempting to do so, singing a third air, she overstrained her voice,\nand I said, 'Thou hast made a mistake:'--upon which she threw the lute\nfrom her lap, in anger, so that she nearly broke it; saying, 'Take it\nthyself, and let us hear thee.' I answered, 'Well;' and, having taken it\nand tuned it perfectly, sang the first of the airs which she had sung\nbefore me; whereupon all of them sprang upon their feet, and kissed my\nhead. I then sang the second air, and the third; and their reason almost\nfled, from ecstasy. The master of the house, after asking his guests,\nand being told by them that they knew me not, came to me, and, kissing\nmy hand, said, 'By Allah, my master, who art thou?' I answered, 'By\nAllah, I am the singer Mukh\u00e1ri\u1e33.'--'And for what purpose,' said he,\nkissing both my hands, 'camest thou hither?' I replied, 'As a\nspunger;'--and related what had happened with respect to the maiden:\nwhereupon he looked towards his two companions, and said to them, 'Tell\nme, by Allah, do ye not know that I gave for that girl thirty thousand\ndirhems, and have refused to sell her?' They answered, 'It is so.' Then\nsaid he, 'I take you as witnesses that I have given her to him.'--'And\nwe,' said the two friends, 'will pay thee two-thirds of her price.' So\nhe put me in possession of the girl, and in the evening, when I\ndeparted, he presented me also with rich dresses and other gifts, with\nall of which I went away; and as I passed the places where the maiden\nhad abused me, I said to her, 'Repeat thy words to me;' but she could\nnot, for shame. Holding the girl's hand, I went with her immediately to\nthe Khaleefeh, whom I found in anger at my long absence; but when I\nrelated my story to him he was surprised, and laughed, and ordered that\nthe master of the house and his two friends should be brought before\nhim, that he might requite them: to the former he gave forty thousand\ndirhems; to each of his two friends, thirty thousand; and to me, a\nhundred thousand; and I kissed his feet, and departed.\"[252]\n\nIt is particularly necessary for the Arab musician, that he have a\nretentive memory, well stocked with choice pieces of poetry, and with\nfacetious or pleasant anecdotes, interspersed with songs; and that he\nhave a ready wit, aided by dramatic talent, to employ these materials\nwith good effect. If, to such qualifications, he adds fair attainments\nin the difficult rules of grammar, a degree of eloquence, comic humour,\nand good temper, and is not surpassed by many in his art, he is sure to\nbe a general favourite. Very few Muslims of the higher classes have\ncondescended to study music, because they would have been despised by\ntheir inferiors for doing so; or because they themselves have despised\nor condemned the art. Ibr\u00e1heem, the son of the Khaleefeh El-Mahdee, and\ncompetitor of El-Ma-moon, was a remarkable exception: he is said to have\nbeen an excellent musician, and a good singer.\n\nIn the houses of the wealthy, the vocal and instrumental performers were\nusually (as is the case in many houses in the present age) domestic\nfemale slaves, well instructed in their art by hired male or female\nprofessors. In the work before us, these slaves are commonly described\nas standing or sitting unveiled in the presence of male guests; but,\nfrom several descriptions of musical entertainments that I have met with\nin Arabic works, it appears that, according to the more approved custom\nin respectable society, they were concealed on such occasions behind a\ncurtain, which generally closed the front of an elevated recess. In all\nthe houses of wealthy Arabs that I have entered, one or each of the\nlarger saloons has an elevated closet, the front of which is closed by a\nscreen of wooden lattice-work, to serve as an orchestra for the domestic\nor hired female singers and instrumental performers. Of the hired\nperformers, any further mention is not here required; but of the slaves\nand free ladies who supplied their place, a few words must be added, as\nvery necessary to illustrate the preceding and many other tales in this\nwork.\n\nTo a person acquainted with modern Arabian manners, it must appear\ninconsistent with truth to describe such females as exposing their\nfaces before strange men, unless he can discover in sober histories some\nevidence of their having been less strict in this respect than the\ngenerality of Arab females at the present period. I find, however, a\nremarkable proof that such was the case in the latter part of the ninth\ncentury of the Flight, and the beginning of the tenth: that is, about\nthe end of the fifteenth century of our era. The famous historian\nEs-Suyoo\u1e6dee, who flourished at this period, in his preface to a curious\nwork on wedlock, written to correct the corrupt manners of his age,\nsays,--\"Seeing that the women of this time deck themselves with the\nattire of prostitutes, and walk in the soo\u1e33s (or market-streets), like\nfemale warriours against the religion, and uncover their faces and hands\nbefore men, to incline [men's] hearts to them by evil suggestions, and\nplay at feasts with young men, thereby meriting the anger of the\nCompassionate [i.e. God], and go forth to the public baths and\nassemblies, with various kinds of ornaments and perfumes, and with\nconceited gait; for the which they shall be congregated in Hell-fire,\nfor opposing the good, and on account of this their affected gait, while\nto their husbands they are disobedient, behaving to them in the reverse\nmanner, excepting when they fear to abridge their liberty of going\nabroad by such conduct; for they are like swine and apes in their\ninterior nature, though like daughters of Adam in their exterior\nappearance; especially the women of this age; not advising their\nhusbands in matters of religion, but the latter erring in permitting\nthem to go out to every assembly; sisters of devils and demons, &c.\n&c.... I have undertaken the composition of this volume.\"[253] A more\nconvincing testimony than this, I think, cannot be required.\n\nThe lute (el-'ood) is the only instrument that is generally described as\nused at the entertainments which we have been considering. Engravings of\nthis and other musical instruments are given in my work on the Modern\nEgyptians. The Arab viol (called rab\u00e1b) was commonly used by inferior\nperformers. (See also Note 26, below.)\n\nThe Arab music is generally of a soft and plaintive character, and\nparticularly that of the most refined description, which is\ndistinguished by a remarkable peculiarity, the division of tones into\nthirds. The singer aims at distinct enunciation of the words, for this\nis justly admired; and delights in a trilling style. The airs of songs\nare commonly very short and simple, adapted to a single verse, or even\nto a single hemistich; but in the instrumental music there is more\nvariety.\n\nNOTE 23. This is often said to a person whose presence is disagreeable\nto his companions.\n\nNOTE 24.--_On the_ \u1e32alenderees. In the old translation, these three\nstrangers are called \"Calenders;\" that is, \"\u1e32alenderees:\" but in the\nCalcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and the edition of\nBreslau, they are designated as \"\u1e32arendelees,\" \"miserable or ridiculous\nbeggars;\" and in that of Cairo, the term applied to them is \"\u1e63a'\u00e1leek,\"\nor, simply, \"paupers,\" or \"mendicants.\" Some may suppose the right\nreading to be \"\u1e32alenderees;\" for it was a custom of this order of\nDarweeshes to shave their beards: they were forbidden to do so in the\nyear of the Flight 761,[254] by the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n of Egypt (El-Melik en-N\u00e1\u1e63ir\nEl-\u1e24asan); but whether they afterwards reverted to this habit, I do not\nknow. The order of the \u1e32alenderees, however, was not founded until about\nthe commencement of the fifth century of the Flight,[255] a period long\nposterior to that to which the tale relates.\n\nNOTE 25. In the edition of Cairo, they are said to have arrived from\nGreece.\n\nNOTE 26.--_On the Persian Harp._ This instrument is called in Arabic\n\"junk,\" from the Persian \"chang.\" It has almost fallen into disuse, and\nI have never seen it: I am enabled, however, to give two sketches of its\nform through the kindness of the [late] Right Honourable Sir Gore\nOuseley, who has favoured me with drawings made from two of the most\nsatisfactory representations of it in his rich collection of Oriental\nMSS.; the first, about 350 years old; the second 410. The number of\nstrings, he informs me, vary from 20 to 27.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNOTE 27.--_On the Title and Office of_ Khaleefeh. As most of our best\nauthors on Oriental subjects have for some years past deviated from our\nold general mode of writing this title, substituting (for \"Caliph\")\n\"Khalif,\" \"Khal\u00edfah,\" &c., I have taken the same liberty. It cannot be\ncorrectly written, at the same time congenially with our language and\nwith its orthography in Arabic characters, otherwise than \"Khaleefeh\" or\n\"Khaleefah;\" and of these two modes I adopt the one which agrees with\nthe manner in which the title is most generally pronounced by the Arabs.\nThe meaning of this title is \"Successor,\" or \"Vicar;\" and it was\noriginally given to the universal sovereigns of the Muslim Arabs, as\nsignifying \"Successor of the Prophet;\" but afterwards, in a more exalted\nsense, as \"Vicar of God:\" the Khaleefeh being the head of the religion\nas well as the supreme political governor, or at least arrogating to\nhimself the right to possess such supremacy, throughout the whole Muslim\nworld. [The last of the Khaleefehs died in Egypt shortly after the\nTurkish conquest of that country, or in the year of the Flight, 950.\nAfter the overthrow of the house of El-'Abb\u00e1s by Hul\u00e1g\u00f9, certain of its\nmembers obtained an asylum at the court of the Memlook Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns, and\ncontinued the line of the Khaleefehs, with spiritual, but no temporal,\nauthority until it ceased in the person of El-Mutawekkil, who delegated\nhis office to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Seleem I.; it is consequently held by the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n of Turkey. The Emperors of Morocco, being descendants of the\nProphet, also claim and receive from their subjects the title of\nKhaleefeh.[256]--ED.]\n\nNOTE 28. The stories in which this justly-celebrated man is mentioned\nwill, I think, be more agreeable to those readers who are unacquainted\nwith his history, of which, therefore, I shall say nothing.\n\nNOTE 29. Mesroor was a black eunuch, and a favourite servant of\nEr-Rasheed. The name signifies \"happy.\"\n\nNOTE 30. \"\u1e6cabareeyeh\" is the modern name for Tiberias.\n\nNOTE 31.--_Description_ of Kh\u00e1ns, or Wek\u00e1lehs. A Kh\u00e1n is a building\nchiefly designed for the accommodation of merchants, and for the\nreception of their goods. In Egypt, a building of this kind is generally\ncalled a Wek\u00e1leh. I have described it, in a former work, as surrounding\na square or oblong court, and having, on the ground-floor, vaulted\nmagazines for merchandise, which face the court, and are sometimes used\nas shops. Above these are generally lodgings, which are entered from a\ngallery extending along each of the four sides of the court; or, in the\nplace of these lodgings, there are other magazines: and in many kh\u00e1ns or\nwek\u00e1lehs which have apartments designed as lodgings, these apartments\nare used as magazines. In general, the building has only one common\nentrance; the door of which is closed at night, and kept by a porter.\n\nNOTE 32. It is customary for a guest or visiter to ask permission of the\nhost, or master of the house, before taking his departure. A common form\nof speech used on this occasion is, \"With your permission, I rise.\"\n\nNOTE 33. Many Muslims perform the pilgrimage with the view of expiating\ntheir offences, and, at the Ka\u1ea1beh, or at the tomb of the Prophet, make\na vow to abstain from any glaring infringement of the law of which they\nmay before have been guilty.\n\nNOTE 34. I learn, from a marginal note in my copy of the original, by\nthe sheykh Mo\u1e25ammad E\u1e6d-Tan\u1e6d\u00e1wee, that these verses are the composition\nof Ibn-Sahl El-Ishbee-lee. Three concluding verses of the same ode, and\na second poetical quotation immediately following, I have passed over.\n\nNOTE 35. In the original there are some errors in this part of the\nstory, which the sequel requires me to correct. The cateress is\ndescribed as having sung three successive songs, accompanying them with\nher lute. After the first song, the mistress of the house is said to\nhave been affected in the manner described in the translation, and to\nhave exposed to view the marks of beating. The second lady (namely, the\nportress) is represented as similarly excited by the second song; and\nthe third lady (the cateress herself), by the third song. The last also\nis said to have exhibited upon her person those marks which, as the\nsequel shews, were borne by the second.\n\nNOTE 36. The \"mi\u1e33ra'ah,\" vulgarly called \"ma\u1e33ra'ah,\" is a portion of the\nthicker end of a palm-branch stripped of the leaves. It is often used to\nbeat a person in sport; but in this case, two or three splits are\nusually made in the thicker part of it, to increase the sound of the\nblows.\n\nNOTE 37. In the original, \"the portress.\" See Note 35, above.\n\nNOTE 38. Perhaps it is needless to explain that the wish here expressed,\nfor a protractive trial on the day of judgment, is occasioned by the\nlonging for reunion, and the fear of separation after that day. The\nMuslims usually pray for an easy (and, consequently, a short) reckoning.\n\nNOTE 39. I have omitted the third song of the cateress, and the\ndescription of its effects, mentioned in Note 35.\n\nNOTE 40. See Note 47 to Chapter II.\n\nNOTE 41. It seems to be implied that the lady discovered her guests,\nnotwithstanding their disguise, to be persons of rank.\n\nNOTE 42. I read \"fu\u1e33ar\u00e1\u00fc a\u1ea1j\u00e1m\" for \"fu\u1e33ar\u00e1\u00fc-l-hojj\u00e1m:\" the former,\ncarelessly written (in Arabic characters), might easily be mistaken for\nthe latter.\n\nNOTE 43. This phrase is used to signify \"Recover thy senses;\" alluding\nto a person's drawing his hand over his head or face after a sleep or\nfit.\n\nNOTE 44. The burial-grounds of Eastern cities are generally so\nextensive, that, with the varied structures which they contain, they may\naptly be called \"Cities of the Dead.\" It was with difficulty that I\nrecognised the tomb of the lamented Burckhardt, in the great cemetery on\nthe north of Cairo, even after I had carefully noticed its place on a\nformer visit.\n\nNOTE 45. I have ventured to make a slight alteration here; but it is one\nwhich does not in the least affect the consistency of the tale. Marriage\nwith a foster-sister is as expressly forbidden by the Mohammadan law as\nthat with a natural sister.\n\nNOTE 46. \"The Truth\" is one of the ninety-nine names or epithets of God.\n\nNOTE 47. Many an Arab would rather risk the loss of his head than part\nwith his beard; for the latter is regarded by almost all Muslims with a\nsuperstitious respect; and to shave it off, at least after it has been\nsuffered to grow for many days, they consider as sinful: this, however,\nis sometimes done by religious mendicants, as it is also by some of\nthose persons who seek, or enjoy, the reputation of sanctity, and who\nare, or pretend to be, insane.\n\nNOTE 48. By \"the seven readings,\" we are to understand seven slightly\ndifferent modes of reading the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, seldom differing essentially as\nto the sense.\n\nNOTE 49. Astrology (not astronomy) is here meant. Though a forbidden\nscience, it is studied by many Muslims.\n\nNOTE 50. A misplaced diacritical point occasions a wrong reading here,\nin the original, which I have corrected.\n\nNOTE 51. The Mohammadan law requires that every man be acquainted with\nsome art or occupation by which he may, in case of necessity, at least\nbe able to obtain the means of supporting himself and such of his family\nas are dependant upon him, and of fulfilling all his religious as well\nas moral duties. Hence it has been a common custom of Muslim princes, in\nevery age, to learn some useful art; and many of them have distinguished\nthemselves by displaying exquisite skill in the work of their hands, and\nespecially in caligraphy, of which the Orientals in general are great\nadmirers.\n\nNOTE 52. The 'Efreet (as we are told in some editions of the original)\nhad taken this lady against the consent of his family, and therefore\ncould not more frequently visit her.\n\nNOTE 53. The term \"\u1e33ubbeh\" is often applied to a closet or small chamber\nadjoining a saloon; and in this sense it appears to be here used.\n\nNOTE 54.--_On Sherbets._ The Arabs have various kinds of sherbets, or\nsweet drinks; the most common of which is merely sugar and water, made\nvery sweet. The most esteemed kind is prepared from a hard conserve of\nviolets, made by pounding violet-flowers, and then boiling them with\nsugar. Other kinds are prepared from conserves of fruits, &c. The\nsherbet is served in covered glass cups, containing from two-thirds to\nthree-quarters of an English pint; the same which I have described in a\nformer note as used for wine. These are placed on a round tray, and\ncovered with a round piece of embroidered silk, or cloth of gold; and on\nthe right arm of the person who presents the sherbet, is hung a long\nnapkin with a deep embroidered border of gold and coloured silks at each\nend, which is ostensibly offered for the purpose of wiping the lips\nafter drinking, though the lips are scarcely touched with it.\n\nNOTE 55. The Arabs are very fond of having their feet, and especially\nthe soles, slowly rubbed with the hand; and this operation, which is one\nof the services commonly required of a wife or female slave, is a usual\nmode of waking a person.\n\nNOTE 56. Here, and again in the same and a subsequent sentence, for\n\"kheiy\u00e1\u1e6deen,\" I read \"\u1e25a\u1e6d\u1e6d\u00e1been.\" In the Breslau edition, \"kha\u1e6d\u1e6d\u00e1been\"\nis put for the latter. The right reading is obvious.\n\nNOTE 57. Falsehood was _commended_ by the Prophet when it tended to\nreconcile persons at enmity with each other, and when practised in order\nto please one's wife, or to obtain any advantage in a war with infidels,\nthough strongly reprobated in other cases.\n\nNOTE 58. Four verses here inserted in the original appear to me to be a\ncorruption of a couplet which better expresses the same meaning, and\nwhich I have therefore translated in the place of the former. As the\nlines to which I allude are particularly pleasing, I may perhaps be\nexcused if I here introduce the original words, which are as follow:--\n\n \"Ish\u00e1ratun\u00e0 fi-l-\u1e25obbi remzu 'oyoonin\u00e0: wa-kullu lebeebin\n bi-l-ish\u00e1rati yefhamu,\n \u1e24aw\u00e1jibun\u00e0 te\u1e33\u1e0di-l-\u1e25aw\u00e1\u00efj\u00e0 beynen\u00e0: fa-na\u1e25nu sukootun wa-l-haw\u00e0\n yetekellemu.\"\n\nNOTE 59. This is not meant to disparage the individual lady here\nmentioned, but is a saying of the Prophet applied to the sex in general.\n\nNOTE 60. In the edition of Cairo, this story is omitted. I translate it\nfrom the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights.\n\nNOTE 61. \"Fa\u1e33eer\" (which signifies \"poor,\" and is particularly used in\nthe sense of \"poor in the sight of God,\" or rather, \"in need of the\nmercy of God\") is an appellation commonly given to poor persons who\nespecially occupy themselves in religious exercises.\n\nNOTE 62. The performances called \"zikrs\" will be briefly described\ntowards the close of the next note.\n\nNOTE 63.--_On Muslin Saints, or Devotees._ The tale of the Envied\nSheykh, and several other stories in this work, require that the reader\nshould be acquainted with the remarkable opinions which the Arabs\nentertain with respect to the offices and supernatural powers of their\nsaints. Such matters form an important part of the mysteries of the\nDarweeshes, and are but imperfectly known to the generality of Muslims.\n\nThe distinguished individuals above mentioned are known by the common\nappellation of \"Welees,\" or particular favourites of God. The more\neminent among them compose a mysterious hierarchical body, whose\ngovernment respects the whole human race, infidels as well as believers;\nbut whose power is often exercised in such a manner that the subjects\ninfluenced by it know not from what person or persons its effects\nproceed. The general governor or coryph\u00e6us of these holy beings is\ncommonly called the \"\u1e32u\u1e6db,\" which literally signifies a \"pole,\" or an\n\"axis,\" and is metaphorically used to signify a \"chief,\" either in a\ncivil or political, or in a spiritual sense. The \u1e32u\u1e6db of the saints is\ndistinguished by other appellations: he is called \"\u1e32u\u1e6db el-Gh\u00f3s,\" or\n\"---- el-Gh\u00f3th\" (\"the \u1e32u\u1e6db of Invocation for Help\"), &c.; and simply\n\"El-Gh\u00f3s.\"[257] The orders under the rule of this chief are called\n\"'Omud (or Owt\u00e1d), Akhy\u00e1r, Abd\u00e1l, Nujab\u00e0, and Nu\u1e33ab\u00e0:\" I name them\naccording to their precedence.[258] Perhaps to these should be added an\ninferior order called \"A\u1e63-\u1e25\u00e1b ed-Darak,\" which is said to mean\n\"Watchmen,\" or \"Overseers.\" The members are not known as such to their\ninferior, unenlightened fellow-creatures; and are often invisible to\nthem. This is more frequently the case with the \u1e32u\u1e6db, who, though\ngenerally stationed at Mekkeh, on the roof of the Ka\u1ea1beh, is never\nvisible there, nor at any of his other favourite stations or places of\nresort; yet his voice is often heard at these places. Whenever he and\nthe saints under his authority mingle among ordinary men, they are not\ndistinguished by a dignified appearance, but are always humbly clad.\nThese, and even inferior saints, are said to perform astonishing\nmiracles, such as flying in the air, passing unhurt through fire,\nswallowing fire, glass, &c., walking upon water, transporting themselves\nin a moment of time to immense distances, and supplying themselves and\nothers with food in desert places. Their supernatural power they are\nsupposed to obtain by a life of the most exalted piety, and especially\nby constant self-denial, accompanied with the most implicit reliance\nupon God; by the services of good genii; and, as many believe, by the\nknowledge and utterance of \"the most great name\" of God. A miracle\nperformed by a saint is distinguished by the term \"kar\u00e1meh\" from one\nperformed by a prophet, which is called \"mo\u1ea1jizeh.\"\n\nEl-Khi\u1e0dr and Ily\u00e1s (or Elias), of whom I have before had occasion to\nspeak, are both believed to have been \u1e32u\u1e6dbs, and the latter is called in\nthe \u1e32ur-\u00e1n an apostle; but it is disputed whether the former was a\nprophet or merely a welee. Both are said to have drunk of the Fountain\nof Life, and to be in consequence still living; and Ily\u00e1s is commonly\nbelieved to invest the successive \u1e32u\u1e6dbs. The similarity of the miracles\nascribed to the \u1e32u\u1e6dbs and those performed by Elias or Elijah I have\nremarked in a former work. Another miracle, reminding us of the mantle\nof Elijah in the hands of his successor, may here be mentioned.--A saint\nwho was the \u1e32u\u1e6db of his time, dying at Toonis (or Tunis), left his\nclothes in trust to his attendant, Mo\u1e25ammad El-Ashwam, a native of the\nneighbouring regency of Tripoli (now called \u1e6car\u00e1bulus), who desired to\nsell these relics, but was counselled to retain them, and accordingly,\nthough high prices were bidden for them, made them his own by purchase.\nAs soon as they became his property, he was affected, we are told, with\na divine ecstasy, and endowed with miraculous powers.[259]\n\nInnumerable miracles are related to have been performed by Muslim\nsaints, and large volumes are filled with the histories of their\nwonderful lives. The author of the work from which the above story is\ntaken, mentions, as a fact to be relied on, in an account of one of his\nancestors, that, his lamp happening to go out one night while he was\nreading alone in the riw\u00e1\u1e33 of the Jabart (of which he was the sheykh),\nin the great mosque El-Azhar, the forefinger of his right hand emitted a\nlight which enabled him to continue his reading until his na\u1e33eeb had\ntrimmed and lighted another lamp.[260]\n\nFrom many stories of a similar kind that I have read, I select the\nfollowing as a fair specimen: it is related by a very celebrated saint,\nIbr\u00e1heem El-Khoww\u00e1\u1e63.--\"I entered the desert [on pilgrimage to Mekkeh\nfrom El-'Er\u00e1\u1e33], and there joined me a man having a belt round his waist,\nand I said, 'Who art thou?'--He answered, 'A Christian; and I desire thy\ncompany.' We walked together for seven days, eating nothing; after which\nhe said to me, 'O monk of the Muslims, produce what thou hast in the way\nof refreshment; for we are hungry:' so I said, 'O my God, disgrace me\nnot before this infidel:' and lo, a tray, upon which were bread and\nbroiled meat and fresh dates and a mug of water. We ate, and continued\nour journey seven days more; and I then said to him, 'O monk of the\nChristians, produce what thou hast in the way of refreshment; for the\nturn is come to thee:' whereupon he leaned upon his staff; and prayed;\nand lo, two trays, containing double that which was on my tray. I was\nconfounded, and refused to eat: he urged me, saying, 'Eat;' but I did it\nnot. Then said he, 'Be glad; for I give thee two pieces of good news:\none of them is, that I testify that there is no deity but God, and that\nMo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle: the other, that I said, O God, if there be\nworth in this servant, supply me with two trays:--so this is through thy\nblessing.' We ate, and the man put on the dress of pilgrimage, and so\nentered Mekkeh, where he remained with me a year as a student; after\nwhich he died, and I buried him in [the cemetery] El-Ma\u1ea1l\u00e0.\" \"And God,\"\nsays the author from whom I take this story, \"is all-knowing:\" _i.e._ He\nalone knoweth whether it be strictly true: but this is often added to\nthe narration of traditions resting upon high authority.[261]--The saint\nabove mentioned was called \"El-Khoww\u00e1\u1e63\" (or the maker of palm-leaf\nbaskets, &c.) from the following circumstance, related by himself.--\"I\nused,\" said he, \"to go out of the town [Er-Rei] and sit by a river on\nthe banks of which was abundance of palm-leaves; and it occurred to my\nmind to make every day five baskets [\u1e33uffehs], and to throw them into\nthe river, for my amusement, as if I were obliged to do so. My time was\nso passed for many days: at length, one day, I thought I would walk\nafter the baskets, and see whither they had gone: so I proceeded a while\nalong the bank of the river, and found an old woman sitting sorrowful.\nOn that day I had made nothing. I said to her, 'Wherefore do I see thee\nsorrowful?' She answered, 'I am a widow: my husband died leaving five\ndaughters, and nothing to maintain them; and it is my custom to repair\nevery day to this river, and there come to me, upon the surface of the\nwater, five baskets, which I sell, and by means of them I procure food;\nbut to-day they have not come, and I know not what to do.' Upon hearing\nthis, I raised my head towards heaven, and said, 'O my God, had I known\nthat I had more than five children to maintain, I had laboured more\ndiligently!'\" He then took the old woman to his house, and gave her\nmoney and flour, and said to her, \"Whenever thou wantest anything, come\nhither and take what may suffice you.\"[262]\n\nAn irresistible influence has often been exercised over the minds of\nprinces and other great men by reputed saints. Many a Muslim Monarch has\nthus been incited (as the Kings of Christendom were by Peter the Hermit)\nto undertake religious wars, or urged to acts of piety and charity; or\nrestrained from tyranny by threats of Divine vengeance to be called down\nupon his head by the imprecations of a welee. 'Alee, the favourite son\nof the Khaleefeh El-Ma-moon, was induced, for the sake of religion, to\nflee from the splendour and luxuries of his father's court, and, after\nthe example of a self-denying devotee, to follow the occupation of a\nporter, in a state of the most abject poverty, at El-Ba\u1e63rah, fasting all\nthe day, remaining without sleep at night in a mosque, and walking\nbarefooted, until, under an accumulation of severe sufferings, he\nprematurely ended his days, dying on a mat. The honours which he refused\nto receive in life were paid to him after his death: his rank being\ndiscovered by a ring and paper which he left, his corpse was anointed\nwith camphor and musk and aloes, wrapped in fine linen of Egypt, and so\nconveyed to his distressed father at Baghd\u00e1d.[263]\n\nSelf-denial I have before mentioned as one of the most important means\nby which to attain the dignity of a welee. A very famous saint,\nEsh-Shiblee, is said to have received from his father an inheritance of\nsixty millions of deen\u00e1rs (a sum incredible, and probably a mistake for\nsixty thousand, or for sixty million dirhems), besides landed property,\nand to have expended it all in charity: also, to have thrown into the\nTigris seventy hundred-weight of books, written by his own hand during a\nperiod of twenty years.[264]\n\nSh\u00e1h El-Karm\u00e1nee, another celebrated saint, had a beautiful daughter,\nwhom the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n of his country sought in marriage. The holy man required\nthree days to consider his sovereign's proposal, and in the mean time\nvisited several mosques, in one of which he saw a young man humbly\noccupied in prayer. Having waited till he had finished, he accosted him,\nsaying, \"My son, hast thou a wife?\" Being answered, \"No,\" he said, \"I\nhave a maiden, a virtuous devotee, who hath learned the whole of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and is amply endowed with beauty. Dost thou desire her?\"--\"Who,\"\nsaid the young man, \"will marry me to such a one as thou hast described,\nwhen I possess no more than three dirhems?\"--\"_I_ will marry thee to\nher,\" answered the saint: \"she is my daughter, and I am Sh\u00e1h the son of\nShuj\u00e1\u1ea1 El-Karm\u00e1nee: give me the dirhems that thou hast, that I may buy a\ndirhem's worth of bread, and a dirhem's worth of something savoury, and\na dirhem's worth of perfume.\" The marriage-contract was performed; but\nwhen the bride came to the young man, she saw a stale cake of bread\nplaced upon the top of his mug; upon which she put on her iz\u00e1r, and went\nout. Her husband said, \"Now I perceive that the daughter of Sh\u00e1h\nEl-Karm\u00e1nee is displeased with my poverty.\" She answered, \"I did not\nwithdraw from fear of poverty, but on account of the weakness of thy\nfaith, seeing how thou layest by a cake of bread for the morrow.\"[265]\n\nOne of my friends in Cairo, Abu-l-\u1e32\u00e1sim of Geel\u00e1n, mentioned in a former\nnote, entertained me with a long relation of the mortifications and\nother means which he employed to attain the rank of a welee. These were\nchiefly self-denial and a perfect reliance upon Providence. He left his\nhome in a state of voluntary destitution and complete nudity, to travel\nthrough Persia and the surrounding countries, and yet more distant\nregions if necessary, in search of a spiritual guide. For many days he\navoided the habitations of men, fasting from daybreak till sunset, and\nthen eating nothing but a little grass or a few leaves or wild fruits,\ntill by degrees he habituated himself to almost total abstinence from\nevery kind of nourishment. His feet, at first blistered, and cut by\nsharp stones, soon became callous; and in proportion to his reduction of\nfood, his frame, contrary to the common course of nature, became\n(according to his own account) more stout and lusty. Bronzed by the sun,\nand with his black hair hanging over his shoulders (for he had abjured\nthe use of the razor), he presented, in his nudity, a wild and frightful\nappearance; and on his first approaching a town, was surrounded and\npelted by a crowd of boys; he therefore retreated, and, after the\nexample of our first parents, made himself a partial covering of leaves;\nand this he always after did on similar occasions; never remaining long\nenough in a town for his leafy apron to wither. The abodes of mankind he\nalways passed at a distance, excepting when several days' fast, while\ntraversing an arid desert, compelled him to obtain a morsel of bread or\na cup of water from the hand of some charitable fellow-creature. One\nthing that he particularly dreaded was, to receive relief from a sinful\nman, or from a demon in the human form. In passing over a parched and\ndesolate tract, where for three days he had found nothing to eat, not\neven a blade of grass, nor a spring from which to refresh his tongue, he\nbecame overpowered with thirst, and prayed that God would send him a\nmessenger with a pitcher of water. \"But,\" said he, \"let the water be in\na green Baghd\u00e1hee pitcher, that I may know it be from Thee, and not from\nthe Devil; and when I ask the bearer to give me to drink, let him pour\nit over my head, that I may not too much gratify my carnal desire.\"--\"I\nlooked behind me,\" he continued, \"and saw a man bearing a green\nBaghd\u00e1hee pitcher of water, and said to him, 'Give me to drink;' and he\ncame up to me, and poured the contents over my head, and departed! By\nAllah it was so!\"--Rejoicing in this miracle, as a proof of his having\nattained to a degree of wil\u00e1yeh (or saintship), and refreshed by the\nwater, he continued his way over the desert, more firm than ever in his\ncourse of self-denial, which, though imperfectly followed, had been the\nmeans of his being thus distinguished. But the burning thirst returned\nshortly after, and he felt himself at the point of sinking under it,\nwhen he beheld before him a high hill, with a rivulet running by its\nbase. To the summit of this hill he determined to ascend, by way of\nmortification, before he would taste the water, and this point, with\nmuch difficulty, he reached at the close of the day. Here standing, he\nsaw approaching, below, a troop of horsemen, who paused at the foot of\nthe hill, when their chief, who was foremost, called out to him by name,\n\"O Abu-l-\u1e32\u00e1sim! O Geel\u00e1nee! Come down and drink!\"--but, persuaded by\nthis that he was Iblees with a troop of his sons, the evil Genii, he\nwithstood the temptation, and remained stationary until the deceiver\nwith his attendants had passed on, and were out of sight. The sun had\nthen set; his thirst had somewhat abated; and he only drank a few drops.\nContinuing his wanderings in the desert, he found, upon a pebbly plain,\nan old man with a long white beard, who accosted him, asking of what he\nwas in search. \"I am seeking,\" he answered, \"a spiritual guide; and my\nheart tells me that thou art the guide I seek.\" \"My son,\" said the old\nman, \"thou seest yonder a saint's tomb: it is a place where prayer is\nanswered: go thither, enter it, and seat thyself: neither eat nor drink\nnor sleep; but occupy thyself solely, day and night, in repeating\nsilently, 'L\u00e1 il\u00e1ha illa-ll\u00e1h' (There is no deity but God); and\nlet not any living creature see thy lips move in doing so; for\namong the peculiar virtues of these words is this, that they may\nbe uttered without any motion of the lips. Go, and peace be on\nthee.\"--\"Accordingly,\" said my friend, \"I went thither. It was a small\nsquare building, crowned by a cupola; and the door was open. I entered,\nand seated myself, facing the niche, and the oblong monument over the\ngrave. It was evening, and I commenced my silent professions of the\nUnity, as directed by my guide; and at dusk I saw a white figure seated\nbeside me, as if assisting in my devotional task. I stretched forth my\nhand to touch it; but found that it was not a material substance; yet\nthere it was: I saw it distinctly. Encouraged by this vision, I\ncontinued my task for three nights and days without intermission,\nneither eating not drinking, yet increasing in strength both of body and\nof spirit; and on the third day, I saw written upon the whitewashed\nwalls of the tomb, and on the ground, and in the air, wherever I turned\nmy eyes, 'L\u00e1 il\u00e1ha illa-ll\u00e1h;' and whenever a fly entered the tomb, it\nformed these words in its flight. By Allah it was so! My object was now\nfully attained: I felt myself endowed with supernatural knowledge:\nthoughts of my friends and acquaintances troubled me not; but I knew\nwhere each of them was, in Persia, India, Arabia, and Turkey, and what\neach was doing. I experienced an indescribable happiness. This state\nlasted several years; but at length I was insensibly enticed back to\nworldly objects: I came to this country; my fame as a caligraphist drew\nme into the service of the government; and now see what I am, decked\nwith pelisses and shawls, and with this thing [a diamond order] on my\nbreast; too old, I fear, to undergo again the self-denial necessary to\nrestore me to true happiness, though I have almost resolved to make the\nattempt.\"--Soon after this conversation, he was deprived of his office,\nand died of the plague. He was well known to have passed several years\nas a wandering devotee; and his sufferings, combined with enthusiasm,\nperhaps disordered his imagination, and made him believe that he really\nsaw the strange sights which he described to me; for there was an\nappearance of earnestness and sincerity in his manner, such as I thought\ncould hardly be assumed by a conscious impostor.\n\nInsanity, however, if not of a very violent and dangerous nature, is\ncommonly regarded by Muslims as a quality that entitles the subject of\nit to be esteemed as a saint; being supposed to be the abstraction of\nthe mind from worldly affairs, and its total devotion to God. This\npopular superstition is a fertile source of imposture; for, a reputation\nfor sanctity being so easily obtained and supported, there are numbers\nof persons who lay claim to it from motives of indolence and\nlicentiousness, eager to receive alms merely for performing the tricks\nof madmen, and greedy of indulging in pleasures forbidden by the law;\nsuch indulgences not being considered in their case as transgressions by\nthe common people, but rather as indications of holy frenzy. From my own\nobservation I should say that lunatics or idiots, or impostors,\nconstitute the majority of the persons reputed to be saints among the\nMuslims of the present day; and most of those who are not more than\nslightly tinged with insanity are darweeshes.\n\nA reputed saint of this description, in Cairo, in whom persons of some\neducation put great faith, affected to have a particular regard for me.\nHe several times accosted me in an abrupt manner, acquainted me with the\nstate of my family in England, and uttered incoherent predictions\nrespecting me, all of which communications, excepting one which he\nqualified with an \"in sh\u00e1a-ll\u00e1h\" (or \"if it be the will of God\"), I must\nconfess, proved to be true; but I must also state that he was acquainted\nwith two of my friends who might have materially assisted him to frame\nthese predictions, though they protested to me that they had not done\nso. The following extract from a journal which I kept in Cairo during my\nsecond visit to Egypt, will convey some idea of this person, who will\nserve as a picture of many of his fraternity.--To-day (Nov. 6th, 1834),\nas I was sitting in the shop of the B\u00e1sh\u00e0's booksellers, a reputed\nsaint, whom I have often seen here, came and seated himself by me, and\nbegan, in a series of abrupt sentences, to relate to me various matters\nrespecting me, past, present, and to come. He is called the sheykh 'Alee\nEl-Leysee. He is a poor man, supported by alms; tall and thin and very\ndark, about thirty years of age, and wears nothing at present but a blue\nshirt and a girdle, and a padded red cap. \"O Efendee,\" he said, \"thou\nhast been very anxious for some days. There is a grain of anxiety\nremaining in thee yet. Do not fear. There is a letter coming to thee by\nsea, that will bring thee good news.\" He then proceeded to tell me of\nthe state of my family, and that all were well excepting one, whom he\nparticularized by description, and who he stated to be then suffering\nfrom an intermittent fever. [This proved to be exactly true.] \"This\naffliction,\" he continued, \"may be removed by prayer; and the\nexcellences of the next night, the night of [_i. e._ preceding] the\nfirst Friday of the month of Regeb, of Regeb, the holy Regeb, are very\ngreat. I wanted to ask thee for something to-day; but I feared: I feared\ngreatly. Thou must be invested with the wil\u00e1yeh [_i. e._ be made a\nwelee]: the welees love thee; and the Prophet loves thee. Thou must go\nto the sheykh Mu\u1e63\u1e6daf\u00e0 El-Mun\u00e1dee, and the sheykh El-Bah\u00e1ee.[266] Thou\nmust be a welee.\" He then took my right hand, in the manner commonly\npractised in the ceremony which admits a person a darweesh, and repeated\nthe F\u00e1te\u1e25ah (commonly pronounced F\u00e1t'\u1e25ah);[267] after which he added, \"I\nhave admitted thee my darweesh.\" Having next told me of several\ncircumstances relating to my family--matters of an unusual nature--with\nsingular minuteness and truth, he added, \"To-night, if it be the will of\nGod, thou shalt see the Prophet in thy sleep, and El-Khi\u1e0dr and the\nseyyid El-Bedawee. This is Regeb, and I wanted to ask of thee--but I\nfeared--I wanted to ask of thee four piastres, to buy meat and bread and\noil and radishes. Regeb! Regeb! I have great offices to do for thee\nto-night.\"--Less than a shilling for all he promised was little enough:\nI gave it him for the trouble he had taken; and he uttered many abrupt\nprayers for me.--In the following night, however, I saw in my sleep\nneither Mo\u1e25ammad nor El-Khi\u1e0dr nor the seyyid El-Bedawee, unless, like\nNebuchadnezzar, I was unable, on awaking, to remember my dreams.\n\nSome reputed saints of the more respectable class, to avoid public\nnotice, wear the general dress and manners of their fellow-countrymen,\nand betray no love of ostentation in their acts of piety and\nself-denial; or live as hermits in desert places, depending solely upon\nProvidence for their support, and are objects of pious and charitable\nvisits from the inhabitants of near and distant places, and from casual\ntravellers. Others distinguish themselves by the habit of a darweesh, or\nby other peculiarities, such as a long and loose coat (called dil\u1e33)\ncomposed of patches of cloth of various colours, long strings of beads\nhung upon the neck, a ragged turban, and a staff with shreds of cloth of\ndifferent colours attached to the top; or obtain a reputation for\nmiraculous powers by eating glass, fire, serpents, &c. Some of those who\nare insane, and of those who feign to be so, go about, even in crowded\ncities, in a state of perfect nudity, and are allowed to commit, with\nimpunity, acts of brutal sensuality which the law, when appealed to,\nshould punish with death. Such practices are forbidden by the religion\nand law even in the cases of saints; but common and deeply-rooted\nsuperstition prevents their punishment. During the occupation of Egypt\nby the French, the Commander-in-chief, Menou, applied to the Sheykhs (or\n'Ulam\u00e0) of the city for their opinion \"respecting those persons who were\naccustomed to go about in the streets in a state of nudity, crying out\nand screaming, and arrogating to themselves the dignity of wil\u00e1yeh,\nrelied upon as saints by the generality of the people, neither\nperforming the prayers of the Muslims nor fasting,\" asking whether such\nconduct was permitted by the religion, or contrary to the law. He was\nanswered, \"Conduct of this description is forbidden, and repugnant to\nour religion and law and to our traditions.\" The French General thanked\nthem for this answer, and gave orders to prevent such practices in\nfuture, and to seize every one seen thus offending; if insane, to\nconfine him in the M\u00e1rist\u00e1n (or hospital and lunatic asylum); and if not\ninsane, to compel him either to relinquish his disgusting habits, or to\nleave the city.[268]--Of reputed saints of this kind, thus writes an\nenlightened poet, El-Bedree El-\u1e24ej\u00e1zee:--\n\n\n \"Would that I had not lived to see every fool esteemed among men\n as a \u1e32u\u1e6db!\n Their learned men take him as a patron; nay, even as Lord, in place\n of the Possessor of Heaven's throne.\n Forgetting God, they say, 'Such a one from all mankind can remove\n affliction.'\n When he dies, they make for him a place of visitation, and strangers\n and Arabs hurry thither in crowds:\n Some of them kiss his tomb, and some kiss the threshold of the door,\n and the very dust.\n Thus do the idolaters act towards their images, hoping so to obtain\n their favour.\"\n\nThese lines are quoted by El-Jabartee, in his account of a very\ncelebrated modern saint, the seyyid 'Alee El-Bekree (events of Rabee\u1ea1\neth-Th\u00e1nee, 1214). A brief history of this person will not be here\nmisplaced, as it will present a good illustration of the general\ncharacter and actions of those insane individuals who are commonly\nregarded as saints.\n\nThe seyyid 'Alee El-Bekree was a mejzoob (or insane person) who was\nconsidered an eminent welee, and much trusted in: for several years he\nused to walk naked about the streets of Cairo, with a shaven face,\nbearing a long nebboot (or staff), and uttering confused language, which\nthe people attentively listened to, and interpreted according to their\ndesires and the exigencies of their states. He was a tall, spare man,\nand sometimes wore a shirt and a cotton skull-cap; but he was generally\nbarefooted and naked. The respect with which he was treated induced a\nwoman, who was called the sheykhah Ammooneh, to imitate his example\nfurther than decency allowed: she followed him whithersoever he went,\ncovered at first with her iz\u00e1r (or large cotton veil thrown over the\nhead and body), and muttering, like him, confused language. Entering\nprivate houses with him, she used to ascend to the \u1e25areems, and gained\nthe faith of the women, who presented her with money and clothes, and\nspread abroad that the sheykh ('Alee) had looked upon her, and affected\nher with religious frenzy, so that she had become a weleeyeh, or female\nsaint. Afterwards, becoming more insane and intoxicated, she uncovered\nher face, and put on the clothing of a man; and thus attired she still\naccompanied the sheykh, and the two wandered about, followed by numbers\nof children and common vagabonds; some of whom also stripped off their\nclothes in imitation of the sheykh, and followed, dancing; their mad\nactions being attributed (like those of the woman) to religious frenzy,\ninduced by his look or touch, which converted them into saints. The\nvulgar and young, who daily followed them, consequently increased in\nnumbers; and some of them, in passing through the market-streets,\nsnatched away goods from the shops, thus exciting great commotion\nwherever they went. When the sheykh sat down in any place, the crowd\nstopped, and the people pressed to see him and his mad companions. On\nthese occasions the woman used to mount upon the ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah of a shop, or\nascend a hillock, and utter disgusting language, sometimes in Arabic,\nand sometimes in Turkish, while many persons among her audience would\nkiss her hands to derive a blessing. After having persevered for some\ntime in this course, none preventing them, the party entered one day the\nlane leading from the principal street of the city to the house of the\n\u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee, and were seized by a Turkish officer there residing, named Ja\u1ea1far\nK\u00e1shif, who, having brought them into his house, gave the sheykh some\nfood, and drove out the spectators, retaining the woman and the\nmejzoobs, whom he placed in confinement: he then liberated the sheykh\n'Alee, brought out the woman and the mejzoobs and beat them, sent the\nwoman to the M\u00e1rist\u00e1n, and there confined her, and set at large the\nrest, after they had prayed for mercy, and clothed themselves, and\nrecovered from their intoxication. The woman remained a while confined\nin the M\u00e1rist\u00e1n, and, when liberated, lived alone as a sheykhah,\nbelieved in by men and women, and honoured as a saint with visits and\nfestivals.\n\nThe seyyid 'Alee, after he had thus been deprived of his companions and\nimitators, was constrained to lead a different kind of life. He had a\ncunning brother, who, to turn the folly of this saint to a good account,\nand fill his own purse (seeing how great faith the people placed in him,\nas the Egyptians are prone to do in such a case), confined him in his\nhouse, and clothed him, asserting that he had his permission to do so,\nand that he had been invested with the dignity of \u1e32u\u1e6db. Thus he\ncontrived to attract crowds of persons, men and women, to visit him. He\nforbade him to shave his beard, which consequently grew to its full\nsize; and his body became fat and stout from abundance of food and rest;\nfor, while he went about naked, he was, as before mentioned, of a lean\nfigure. During that period he used generally to pass the night\nwandering, without food, through the streets, in winter and summer.\nHaving now servants to wait upon him, whether sleeping or waking, he\npassed his time in idleness, uttering confused and incoherent words,\nand sometimes laughing and sometimes scolding; and in the course of his\nidle loquacity he could not but let fall some words applicable to the\naffairs of some of his listening visiters, who attributed such\nexpressions to his supernatural knowledge of the thoughts of their\nhearts, and interpreted them as warnings or prophecies. Men and women,\nand particularly the wives of the grandees, flocked to him with presents\nand votive offerings, which enriched the coffers of his brother; and the\nhonours which he received ceased not with his death. His funeral was\nattended by multitudes from every quarter. His brother buried him in the\nmosque of Esh-Shar\u00e1\u00efbee, in the quarter of the Ezbekeeyeh, made for him\na ma\u1e33\u1e63oorah (or railed enclosure) and an oblong monument over the grave,\nand frequently repaired thither with readers of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n,\nmunshids[269] to sing odes in his honour, flag-bearers, and other\npersons, who wailed and screamed, rubbed their faces against the bars of\nthe window before his grave, and caught the air of the place in their\nhands to thrust it into their bosoms and pockets. Men and women came\ncrowding together to visit his tomb, bringing votive offerings and wax\ncandles, and eatables of various kinds to distribute for his sake to the\npoor.[270]--The oblong monument over his grave, resembling a large\nchest, was covered, when I was in Cairo, with a black stuff ornamented\nby a line of words from the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, in white characters, surrounding it.\nA servant who accompanied me during my rides and walks used often to\nstop as we passed this tomb, and touch the wooden bars of the window\nabove mentioned with his right hand, which he then kissed to obtain a\nblessing.\n\nIn most cases greater honour is paid to a reputed saint after his death\nthan he receives in his life. A small, square, whitewashed building,\ncrowned with a dome, is generally erected as his tomb, surrounding an\noblong monument of stone, brick, or wood, which is immediately over the\nsepulchral vault. At least one such building forms a conspicuous object\nclose by, or within, almost every Arab village; for the different\nvillages, and different quarters of every town and city, have their\nrespective patron saints, whose tombs are frequently visited, and are\nthe scenes of periodical festivals, generally celebrated once in every\nyear. The tombs of many very eminent saints are mosques; and some of\nthese are large and handsome edifices, the monument being under a large\nand lofty dome, and surrounded by an enclosure of wooden railings, or of\nelegantly-worked bronze. In these buildings also, and in some others,\nthe monument is covered with silk or cotton stuff ornamented with words\nfrom the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, which form a band around it. Many buildings of the more\nsimple kind erected in honour of saints, and some of the larger\ndescription, are mere cenotaphs, or cover only some relic of the person\nto whom they are dedicated. The tombs and cenotaphs or shrines of saints\nare visited by numerous persons, and on frequent occasions; most\ncommonly on a particular day of the week. The object of the visiter, in\ngeneral, is to perform some meritorious act, such as taking bread, or\nother food, or money, for the poor, or distributing water to the\nthirsty, on account of the saint, to increase his rewards in heaven, and\nat the same time to draw down a blessing on himself; or to perform a\nsacrifice of a sheep, goat, calf, or other animal, which he has vowed to\noffer, if blessed with some specific object of desire, or to obtain\ngeneral blessings; or to implore the saint's intercession in some case\nof need. The flesh of the devoted animal is given to the poor. The\nvisiters also often take with them palm-branches, or sprigs of myrtle,\nor roses or other flowers, to lay upon the monument, as they do when\nthey visit the tombs of their relations. The visiter walks round the\nmonument, or its enclosure, from left to right, or with his left side\ntowards it (as the pilgrims do round the Ka\u1ea1beh), sometimes pausing to\ntouch its four angles or corners with his right hand, which he then\nkisses; and recites the opening chapter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n (the F\u00e1t'\u1e25ah)\nstanding before one or each of its four sides. Some visiters repeat also\nthe chapter of Y\u00e1-Seen (the 36th), or employ a person to recite this, or\neven the whole of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, for hire.\n\nThe reciter afterwards declares that he transfers the merit of this work\nto the soul of the deceased saint. Any private petition the visiter\noffers up on his own account, imploring a favourable answer for the sake\nof the saint, or through his intercession; holding his hands before his\nface like an open book, and then drawing them down his face. Many a\nvisiter, on entering the tomb, kisses the threshold, or touches it with\nhis right hand, which he then kisses; and, on passing by it, persons\noften touch the window, and kiss the hand thus honoured.\n\nThe great periodical or annual festivals are observed with additional\nceremonies, and by crowds of visiters. These are called Moolids (more\nproperly M\u00f3lids); and are held on the anniversary of the birth of the\nsaint, or in commemoration of that event. Persons are then hired to\nrecite the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n in and near the tomb, during the day; and others,\nchiefly darweeshes, employ themselves during the night in performing\nzikrs, which consist in repeating the name of God, or the profession of\nhis unity, &c., in chorus, accompanying the words by certain motions of\nthe head, hands, or whole body; munshids, at intervals, singing\nreligious odes or love songs during these performances, to the\naccompaniment of a n\u00e1y, which is a kind of flute, or the arghool, which\nis a double reed-pipe. These moolids are scenes of rejoicing and of\ntraffic, which men and boys and girls attend, to eat sweatmeats, and\ndrink coffee and sherbets, or to amuse themselves with swinging, or\nturning on a whirligig, or witnessing the feats of conjurers, or the\nperformances of dancers; and to which tradesmen repair to sell or barter\ntheir goods. The visiters to the great moolids of the seyyid A\u1e25mad\nEl-Bedawee, at \u1e6can\u1e6d\u00e0, in the Delta of Egypt, which are great fairs as\nwell as religious festivals, are almost as numerous as the pilgrims at\nMekkeh. During a moolid, the inhabitants of the houses in the\nneighbourhood of the tomb hang lamps before their houses, and spend a\ngreat part of the night listening to the story-tellers at the\ncoffee-shops, or attending the zikrs.\n\nThese latter performances, though so common among the Arabs, are\ninconsistent with the spirit of the Mohammadan religion, and especially\nwith respect to music, which was not employed in religious ceremonies\nuntil after the second century of the Flight. The Im\u00e1m Aboo-Bekr\nE\u1e6d-\u1e6coosee, being asked whether it were lawful or not to be present with\npeople who assembled in a certain place, and read a portion of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n; and, after a munshid had recited some poetry, would dance, and\nbecome excited, and play upon tambourines and pipes,--answered, that\nsuch practices were vain, ignorant, and erroneous; not ordained by the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n or the Traditions of the Prophet, but invented by those\nIsraelites who worshipped the Golden Calf; that the Prophet and his\ncompanions used to sit so quietly that a bird might alight upon the head\nof any one of them and not be disturbed; that it was incumbent on the\nSult\u00e1n and his vicegerents to prevent such persons from entering the\nmosques and other places for these purposes; and that no one who\nbelieved in God and the Last Day should be present with them, or assist\nthem in their vain performances: such, he asserted, was the opinion of\nthe Im\u00e1ms of the Muslims.[271] Some eminent doctors, however, have\ncontended for the lawfulness of these practices.[272]\n\nOf the various orders of darweeshes, to which so many of the reputed\nsaints belong, it is unnecessary here to say more than that they differ\nchiefly in unimportant regulations and rites, such as particular forms\nof prayer, and modes of zikr; that some distinguish themselves by\npeculiar dresses; and that a few pursue a wandering life, and subsist on\nalms.\n\nNOTE 64. The reason of this strange proceeding is not stated in the\nCairo edition, but it is in the two other editions which I have before\nme.\n\nNOTE 65. Arab etiquette requires that a person should sit upon his knees\nand feet in the presence of one of much higher rank, or of one to whom\nhe would pay especial honour. He should also, in these cases, cover his\nhands with his sleeves.\n\nNOTE 66. Kun\u00e1feh is a kind of pastry resembling vermicelli, made of\nwheat-flour. It is moistened with clarified butter--then baked, and\nsweetened with honey or sugar.\n\nNOTE 67. Chess is played somewhat differently in different parts of the\nEast. The pieces are generally of very simple forms, as the Muslim is\nforbidden by his religion to make an image of anything that has life.\n\nNOTE 68. In my original, and in the Breslau edition, the ape is said to\nhave been the son of the King of the Ebony Islands; but this is a\nmistake; for the latter, as before stated, was the father of the lady\nwho was carried off by Jarjarees.\n\nNOTE 69. The term \"leew\u00e1n\" has been explained in No. 12 of the notes to\nthis chapter.\n\nNOTE 70. This was, and I believe still is, a common battle-cry of the\nArabs, and more commonly used on the occasion of a victory.\n\nNOTE 71. \"D\u00e1r es-Sel\u00e1m,\" \"the Abode of Peace,\" or \"of Safety,\" is a name\noften given to Baghd\u00e1d, as it is also to one of the seven stories or\nstages of Paradise.\n\nNOTE 72.--_The Mountain of Loadstone._ Several Arab writers describe\nthis mountain of loadstone. El \u1e32azweenee, in his account of minerals,\nsays that the mine of loadstone is on the shore of the Indian Ocean, and\nthat if the ships which navigate this sea approach the said mine, and\ncontain anything of iron, it flies from them like a bird, and adheres to\nthe mountain; for which reason, it is the general custom to make use of\nno iron in the construction of the vessels employed in this\nnavigation.[273] I think that I have met with a similar story in some\nLatin author.\n\nNOTE 73. For an explanation of this term, see what I have said on the\nsubject of prayer in the first of the notes to the Introduction.\n\nNOTE 74. \"Kha\u1e63eeb\" signifies \"endowed with plenty.\"\n\nNOTE 75. The remainder of the story of the Third Royal Mendicant is\nalmost wholly omitted in the Cairo edition. I translate it chiefly from\nthe Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights.\n\nNOTE 76.--_On Dreams._ That Dreams are regarded by the Muslims as being\noften true warnings or indications of future events I have mentioned in\na former note. This belief, sanctioned by the Prophet, will be well\nillustrated by the following anecdote, which was related to me in Cairo,\nshortly after the terrible plague of the year 1835, by the sheykh\nMo\u1e25ammad E\u1e6d-\u1e6can\u1e6d\u00e1wee, who had taken the trouble of investigating the\nfact, and had ascertained its truth.\n\nA tradesman, living in the quarter of El-\u1e24anafee, in Cairo, dreamt,\nduring the plague above mentioned, that eleven persons were carried out\nfrom his house to be buried, victims of this disease. He awoke in a\nstate of the greatest distress and alarm, reflecting that eleven was the\ntotal number of the inhabitants of his house, including himself, and\nthat it would be vain in him to attempt, by adding one or more members\nto his household, to elude the decree of God, and give himself a chance\nof escape: so, calling together his neighbours, he informed them of his\ndream, and was counselled to submit with resignation to a fate so\nplainly foreshewn, and to be thankful to God for the timely notice with\nwhich he had been mercifully favoured. On the following day, one of his\nchildren died; a day or two after, a wife; and the pestilence continued\nits ravages among his family until he remained in his house alone. It\nwas impossible for him now to entertain the slightest doubt of the\nentire accomplishment of the warning: immediately, therefore, after the\nlast death that had taken place among his household, he repaired to a\nfriend at a neighbouring shop, and, calling to him several other persons\nfrom the adjoining and opposite shops, he reminded them of his dream,\nacquainted them with its almost complete fulfilment, and expressed his\nconviction that he, the eleventh, should very soon die. \"Perhaps,\" said\nhe, \"I shall die this next night: I beg of you, therefore, for the sake\nof God, to come to my house early to-morrow morning, and the next morning\nand the next if necessary, and to see if I be dead, and, when dead, that\nI be properly buried; for I have no one with me to wash and shroud me.\nFail not to do me this service, which will procure you a recompense in\nheaven. I have bought my grave-linen: you will find it in a corner of\nthe room in which I sleep. If you find the door of the house latched,\nand I do not answer to your knocking, break it open.\"\n\nSoon after sunset he laid himself in his lonely bed, though without any\nexpectation of closing his eyes in sleep; for his mind was absorbed in\nreflections upon the awful entry into another world, and a review of his\npast life. As the shades of night gathered around him, he could almost\nfancy that he beheld, in one faint object or another in his gloomy\nchamber, the dreadful person of the Angel of Death: and at length he\nactually perceived a figure gliding in at the door, and approaching his\nbed. Starting up in horror, he exclaimed, \"Who art thou?\"--and a stern\nand solemn voice answered, \"Be silent! I am 'Azraeel, the Angel of\nDeath!\"--\"Alas!\" cried the terrified man; \"I testify that there is no\ndeity but God, and I testify that Mo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle! There is no\nstrength nor power but in God, the High! the Great! To God we belong,\nand to Him we must return!\"--He then covered himself over with his\nquilt, as if for protection, and lay with throbbing heart, expecting\nevery moment to have his soul torn from him by the inexorable messenger.\nBut moments passed away, and minutes, and hours; yet without his\nexperiencing any hope of escape; for he imagined that the Angel was\nwaiting for him to resign himself, or had left him for a while, and was\noccupied in receiving first the souls of the many hundred human beings\nwho had attained their predestined term in that same night and in the\nsame city, and the souls of the thousands who were doomed to employ him\nelsewhere. Daybreak arrived before his sufferings terminated; and his\nneighbours, coming according to their promise, entered his chamber, and\nfound him still in bed; but observing that he was covered up, and\nmotionless as a corpse, they doubted whether he were still alive, and\ncalled to him. He answered, with a faint voice, \"I am not yet dead; but\nthe Angel of Death came to me in the dusk of the evening, and I expect\nevery moment his return, to take my soul: therefore trouble me not; but\nsee me washed and buried.\"--\"But why,\" said his friends, \"was the\nstreet-door left unlatched?\"--\"I latched it,\" he answered, \"but the\nAngel of Death may have opened it.\"--\"And who,\" they asked, \"is the man\nin the court?\"--He answered, \"I know of no man in the court: perhaps the\nAngel who is waiting for my soul has made himself visible to you, and\nbeen mistaken, in the twilight, for a man.\"--\"He is a thief,\" they said,\n\"who has gathered together everything in the house that he could carry\naway, and has been struck by the plague while doing so, and now lies\ndead in the court, at the foot of the stairs, grasping in his hand a\nsilver candlestick.\"--The master of the house, after hearing this,\npaused for a moment, and then, throwing off his quilt, exclaimed,\n\"Praise be to God, the Lord of all creatures! That is the eleventh, and\nI am safe! No doubt it was that rascal who came to me and said that he\nwas the Angel of Death. Praise be to God! Praise be to God!\"\n\nThis man survived the plague, and took pleasure in relating the above\nstory. The thief had overheard his conversation with his neighbours,\nand, coming to his house in the dusk, had put his shoulder to the wooden\nlock, and so raised the door and displaced the latch within.--There is\nnothing wonderful in the dream, nor in its accomplishment; the plague of\n1835 entirely desolated many houses, and was mostly fatal to the young;\nand all the inhabitants of the house in question were young excepting\nthe master.\n\nNOTE 77. \"'Ajeeb\" signifies \"a wonder,\" or \"anything strange or\nadmirable.\"\n\nNOTE 78. Blue is the colour of mourning, as before mentioned, in No. 52\nof the notes to the second chapter.\n\nNOTE 79. Smearing the face and slapping the cheeks are common practices\nof Arab women, especially of the lower orders, on following to the\ngrave the corpse of a near relation or a husband.\n\nNOTE 80.--_On the_ Rukh'. This fabulous bird is described by many Arab\nwriters, some of whom assert that it can carry a rhinoceros, while\nothers ascribe to it powers still more extraordinary. I shall have\noccasion to speak of it again in my notes to this work.\n\nNOTE 81. This is explained by No. 30 of the notes to the Introduction.\n\nNOTE 82. I here return to the Cairo edition.\n\nNOTE 83. Some of the incidents described in this story, as the\nshipwrecks caused by the image, and the opening of the forbidden closet,\n&c., appear to be taken from the romance of Seyf Zu-l-Yezen, of which I\npossess a copy, purchased during my second visit to Egypt. This romance,\nwhich has become extremely scarce, is filled with stories of genii and\nenchantments of the most extravagant kind. Some of the public\nstory-tellers in Cairo used, a few years since, to amuse their audiences\nby recitations from it. I was not able to discover the period at which\nit was composed; but it is said to have been written long before the\nTales of a Thousand and One Nights. I saw once a portion of a copy of\nwhich it appeared, from the hand-writing and the paper, to be three or\nfour centuries old.\n\nNOTE 84. So in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and\nin the edition of Breslau.\n\nNOTE 85. Those decrees which are written with \"the Pen\" on the\n\"Preserved Tablet\" are believed to be unchangeable. \"The Pen\" is also\nthe title of one of the chapters of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, the 68th.\n\nNOTE 86. In all the copies of the original which I have by me, El-Ba\u1e63rah\nis said to have been the place to which the lady designed to voyage; but\nthis is inconsistent with the sequel of the story.\n\nNOTE 87. In the old version, two strange errors occur in the passage\ncorresponding with this: two words in the original, \"n\u00e1r\" and \"doon,\"\nhaving been mistaken for a proper name; and the word \"jebb\u00e1r,\" which,\napplied to God, signifies \"almighty,\" or rather the \"Compeller of his\ncreatures to do whatsoever He willeth,\" being taken in the sense of\n\"giant,\" which it bears in many other cases.\n\nNOTE 88.--_On Martyrs._ The Mohammadan law distinguishes several\ndifferent descriptions of martyrs. This honourable title is given to the\nsoldier who dies in fighting for the faith, or on his way to do so, or\nwho dies almost immediately after his having been wounded when so\nengaged; to a person who innocently meets with his death from the hand\nof another; to a victim of the plague, who does not flee from the\ndisease, or of dysentery; to a person who is drowned; and to one who is\nkilled by the falling of a wall or any building. It is said that the\nsouls of martyrs, after quitting their bodies, reside, until the day of\nresurrection, in the crops of green birds, which eat of the fruits, and\ndrink of the waters, of Paradise. Such we are to consider as the first\nand lowest state of felicity to which the young prince in this tale was\nintroduced as the reward of his virtue.\n\nNOTE 89. The share inherited, according to the law, by the wife, or by\nthe wives conjointly when there are more than one, is one-eighth of what\nremains of the property of the deceased after the discharge of his debts\nand legacies, if he have left issue; and one-fourth, if he have left no\nissue.\n\nNOTE 90. The Arabs, fond of hyperbole, often thus describe a lofty\nbuilding.\n\nNOTE 91.--_On the Magnificence of Arab Palaces, &c._ After remarking\nupon the preceding sentence as presenting an instance of Oriental\nhyperbole, it may be necessary to inform the reader that he needs not\nregard this in the same light. The magnificence of the palaces of\nBaghd\u00e1d in the times of the Khaleefehs almost exceeds belief.\n\nIn the beginning of the year of the Flight 305 (June, A.D. 917), two\nambassadors from the Greek Emperor (Constantine IX., Porphyrogenitus)\narrived in Baghd\u00e1d on a mission to the Khaleefeh El-Mu\u1e33tedir, bringing\nan abundance of costly presents; and the scenes which they witnessed are\nthus described; apparently, however, not without some exaggeration. They\nwere first received by the Wezeer, who, at the audience which he granted\nto them in his garden-palace, displayed on this occasion a degree of\nmagnificence that had never before been manifested by any of his rank;\npages, memlooks, and soldiers, crowded the avenues and courts of his\nmansion, the apartments of which were hung with tapestry of the value of\nthirty thousand deen\u00e1rs; and the Wezeer himself was surrounded by\ngenerals and other officers on his right and left and behind his seat,\nwhen the two ambassadors approached him, dazzled by the splendour that\nsurrounded them, to beg for an interview with the Khaleefeh.\nEl-Mu\u1e33tedir, having appointed a day on which he would receive them,\nordered that the courts and passages and avenues of his palace should be\nfilled with armed men, and that all the apartments should be furnished\nwith the utmost magnificence. A hundred and sixty thousand armed\nsoldiers were arranged in ranks in the approach to the palace; next to\nthese were the pages of the closets, and chief eunuchs, clad in silk and\nwith belts set with jewels, in number seven thousand; four thousand\nwhite, and three thousand black: there were also seven hundred\nchamberlains; and beautifully ornamented boats of various kinds were\nseen floating upon the Tigris, hard by. The two ambassadors passed first\nby the palace of the chief chamberlain, and, astonished at the splendid\nornaments and pages and arms which they there beheld, imagined that this\nwas the palace of the Khaleefeh; but what they had seen here was\neclipsed by what they beheld in the latter, where they were amazed by\nthe sight of thirty-eight thousand pieces of tapestry of\ngold-embroidered silk brocade, and twenty-two thousand magnificent\ncarpets. Here also were two menageries of beasts by nature wild, but\ntamed by art, and eating from the hands of men: among them were a\nhundred lions; each lion with its keeper. They then entered the Palace\nof the Tree, enclosing a pond from which rose the Tree: this had\neighteen branches, with leaves of various colours (being artificial),\nand with birds of gold and silver (or gilt and silvered) of every\nvariety of kind and size, perched upon its branches, so constructed that\neach of them sang. Thence they passed into the garden, in which were\nfurniture and utensils not to be enumerated: in the passages leading to\nit were suspended ten thousand gilt coats of mail. Being at length\nconducted before El-Mu\u1e33tedir, they found him seated on a couch of ebony\ninlaid with gold and silver, to the right of which were hung nine\nnecklaces of jewels, and the like to the left, the jewels of which\noutshone the light of day. The two ambassadors paused at the distance of\nabout a hundred cubits from the Khaleefeh, with the interpreter. Having\nleft the presence, they were conducted through the palace, and were\nshewn splendidly-caparisoned elephants, a giraffe, lynxes, and other\nbeasts. They were then clad with robes of honour, and to each of them\nwas brought fifty thousand dirhems, together with dresses and other\npresents. It is added, that the ambassadors approached the palace\nthrough a street called \"the Street of the Men\u00e1rehs,\" in which were a\nthousand men\u00e1rehs, or menarets. It was at the hour of noon; and as they\npassed, the mu\u00ebddins from all these men\u00e1rehs chanted the call to prayer\nat the same time, so that the earth almost quaked at the sound, and the\nambassadors were struck with fear.[274]\n\nThe Orientals well understand how to give the most striking effect to\nthe jewels which they display on their dress, &c., on occasions of\nstate. Sir John Malcolm, describing his reception by the late King of\nPersia, says, \"His dress baffled all description. The ground of his\nrobes was white; but he was so covered with jewels of an extraordinary\nsize, and their splendour, from his being seated where the rays of the\nsun played upon them, was so dazzling, that it was impossible to\ndistinguish the minute parts which combined to give such amazing\nbrilliancy to his whole figure.\"[275]\n\nNOTE 92. As this marriage is described as conducted in an irregular\nmanner, I need say nothing at present of the ceremonies usually\npractised on such an occasion.\n\nNOTE 93. Every person who has visited Eastern cities will bear testimony\nto the plausibility of this excuse. I have several times been thrown\ndown by the wide load of a camel in the streets of Cairo, and seen loads\nof firewood scraping the houses on both sides of a street at the same\ntime.\n\nNOTE 94. Women suspected of infidelity to their husbands have not\nunfrequently been thus punished in Egypt in modern times, in violation\nof the law.\n\nNOTE 95. \"Sa\u1ea1d\" signifies \"happiness,\" or \"prosperity,\" and also\n\"happy,\" or \"prosperous.\"\n\nNOTE 96. Pity is of more important service to the Muslim after death\nthan during life; for the prayers which it inspires increase his\nhappiness in futurity, or diminish his misery.\n\nNOTE 97. This allusion to religious faith is peculiarly apt in the mouth\nof a Muslim; for the chief dogma of his creed is the denial of any\npartnership in the Divine essence. He calls persons of all other\nreligions \"mushriks,\" or those who attribute partners to God.\n\nNOTE 98. In the original, she is here called an 'Efreeteh, which is an\nimproper term.\n\nNOTE 99. This salutation and its reply are only to be given by and to\nMuslims.\n\nNOTE 100. It is implied by this ejaculation that the two ladies were\nadmirable beauties, evidences of the perfection of their Creator.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n [175] See \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. ii. v. 96.\n\n [176] See \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. ii. v. 96.\n\n [177] El-\u1e32azweenee, account of the well of B\u00e1bil, in \"'Aj\u00e1\u00efb\n el-Makhloo\u1e33\u00e1t.\"\n\n [178] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 339.\n\n [179] De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i. pp. 125-131,\n Arabic text, 2nd ed.\n\n [180] That is, a race-course for sallies of wit and eloquence\n on the subject of wine: the word \"kumeyt\" being used, in\n preference to more than a hundred others that might have been\n employed, as signifying \"wine,\" because it bears also the\n meaning of \"a dark bay horse.\"\n\n [181] His name is not mentioned in my copy; but D'Herbelot\n states it to have been Shems-ed-Deen Mo\u1e25ammad Ibn-Bedr-ed-Deen\n \u1e24asan, el-\u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee; and writes his surname \"Naouagi,\" or\n \"Naouahi.\"\n\n [182] Ch. ii. v. 216.\n\n [183] Ch. iv. v. 46.\n\n [184] Leviticus, ch. x. v. 9.\n\n [185] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. v. v. 92.\n\n [186] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. ix.\n\n [187] Idem, kh\u00e1timeh, or conclusion.\n\n [188] Ibid.\n\n [189] Fakhr-ed-Deen, in De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i.\n p. 23, Arabic text, 2nd ed.\n\n [190] \"While tears of blood trickle from the strainer, the ewer\n beneath it giggles.\" (E\u1e63-\u1e62adr Ibn-El-Wekeel, quoted in the\n \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. xiii.)--The strainer is called \"r\u00e1woo\u1e33.\"\n\n [191] The Mo\u1e25tesib is inspector of the markets, the weights and\n measures, and provisions, &c.\n\n [192] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year 295.\n\n [193] In Arabic, \"b\u00e1\u1e6diyeh.\"\n\n [194] \"Ba\u1e6d\u1e6dah.\"\n\n [195] \"\u1e32inneeneh.\"\n\n [196] \"Ibree\u1e33s.\"\n\n [197] The cup, when full, was generally called \"k\u00e1s:\" when\n empty, \"\u1e33ada\u1e25\" or \"j\u00e1m.\" The name of \"k\u00e1s\" is now given to a\n small glass used for brandy and liqueurs, and similar to our\n liqueur-glass: the glass or cup used for wine is called, when\n so used, \"koobeh:\" it is the same as that used for sherbet; but\n in the latter case it is called \"\u1e33ulleh.\"\n\n [198] \"Nu\u1e33uld\u00e1ns.\"\n\n [199] \"Nu\u1e33l.\"\n\n [200] \"Bela\u1e25.\"\n\n [201] \"Ru\u1e6dab.\"\n\n [202] Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, account of the fruits of Egypt, in his\n history of that country (MS. in my possession)\n\n [203] Ibid.\n\n [204] Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, account of the fruits of Egypt, in his\n history of that country (MS. in my possession).\n\n [205] El-\u1e32azweenee (MS. in my possession).\n\n [206] \"Jumm\u00e1r.\"\n\n [207] \"Bi\u1e6d\u1e6deekh,\" vulg., \"ba\u1e6d\u1e6deekh.\"\n\n [208] El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\n [209] \"M\u00f3z.\"\n\n [210] Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, _ubi supr\u00e0_.\n\n [211] \"Rumm\u00e1n\".\n\n [212] Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, _ubi supr\u00e0_.\n\n [213] The Arabic names of these fruits are, tuff\u00e1\u1e25 (vulg.,\n tiff\u00e1\u1e25), kummetr\u00e8, safarjal, mishmish, kh\u00f3kh, teen, jummeyz\n (vulg., jemmeyz), 'eneb, nab\u1e33 or sidr, 'onn\u00e1b (vulg., 'ann\u00e1b),\n ijj\u00e1s or bar\u1e33oo\u1e33, j\u00f3z, l\u00f3z, bundu\u1e33, fustu\u1e33, burtu\u1e33\u00e1n, n\u00e1rinj,\n leymoon, utrujj or turunj and kebb\u00e1d, toot, zeytoon, and \u1e33a\u1e63ab\n es-sukkar.\n\n [214] \"Ward.\"\n\n [215] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. xvii.; and Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, account of\n the flowers of Egypt, in his history of that country.\n\n [216] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. xvii.\n\n [217] Ibid.\n\n [218] Ibid.\n\n [219] Ibid.\n\n [220] Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, _ubi supr\u00e0_.\n\n [221] The night of the Ascension.\n\n [222] Gabriel, who accompanied the Prophet.\n\n [223] The beast on which he rode from Mekkeh to Jerusalem\n previously to his ascension. These traditions are from\n Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, _ubi supr\u00e0_.\n\n [224] This flower is called \"f\u00e1ghiyeh,\" and, more commonly,\n \"temer el-\u1e25enn\u00e8;\" or, according to some, the f\u00e1ghiyeh is the\n flower produced by a slip of temer el-\u1e25enn\u00e8 planted upside\n down, and superior to the flower of the latter planted in the\n natural way.\n\n [225] Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, _ubi supr\u00e0_.\n\n [226] \"Benefsej.\"\n\n [227] Es-Suyootee.\n\n [228] \"\u00c1s,\" or \"narseen.\"\n\n [229] Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee.\n\n [230] \"Sha\u1e33\u00e1\u00ef\u1e33.\" The \"adhriyoon,\" or \"\u00e1dharyoon,\" is said to be\n a variety of the anemone.\n\n [231] From the former, or from \"no\u1ea1m\u00e1n\" as signifying \"blood,\"\n the anemone was named \"sha\u1e33\u00e1\u00ef\u1e33 en-no\u1ea1m\u00e1n.\"\n\n [232] \"Menthoor,\" or \"kheeree.\"\n\n [233] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. xvii.\n\n [234] \"Narjis.\"\n\n [235] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, _ubi supr\u00e0_; Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, _ubi supr\u00e0_;\n and El-\u1e32azweenee.\n\n [236] The Arabic names of these flowers are, y\u00e1semeen, nisreen,\n zahr (or zahr n\u00e1rinj), soosan, ree\u1e25\u00e1n (or \u1e25aba\u1e33), nem\u00e1m, bah\u00e1r,\n u\u1e33-how\u00e1n, neel\u00f3far, beshneen, jullan\u00e1r or juln\u00e1r, khashkh\u00e1sh,\n khi\u1e6dmee, za\u1ea1far\u00e1n, 'o\u1e63fur, kett\u00e1n, b\u00e1\u1e33ill\u00e0 and lebl\u00e1b, and l\u00f3z.\n\n [237] \"B\u00e1n,\" and \"khil\u00e1f\" or \"khal\u00e1f.\" Both these names are\n applied to the same tree (which, according to Forskal, differs\n slightly from the salix \u00c6gyptiaca of Linn\u00e6us) by the author of\n the \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, and by the modern Egyptians.\n\n [238] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. xiv.\n\n [239] Idem, ch. xi.\n\n [240] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 425.\n\n [241] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. xiv.\n\n [242] Soft boots, worn inside the slippers or shoes.\n\n [243] This is so vaguely described by the Arab lexicographers\n that I cannot obtain a definite notion of its form.\n\n [244] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, _loco laudato_.\n\n [245] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. xiv.\n\n [246] He was born in the year of the Flight 125, and died in\n 213, or, according to some, 188.--Abulfed\u00e6 Annales, vol. ii.\n pp. 150 and 675.\n\n [247] He was born in the year of the Flight 150, and died in\n 235.--Idem, adnot., pp. 691 et seq.; and Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n,\n events of the year 235.\n\n [248] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year 231. He died in this\n year.\n\n [249] I believe this Khaleefeh was El-Ma-moon.\n\n [250] A quarter in Baghd\u00e1d.\n\n [251] That is, \"My master.\"--ED.\n\n [252] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. vii.\n\n [253] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil wa-Murshid el-Muta\u00e4hhil.\n\n [254] El-Ma\u1e33reezee, in De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i.\n p. 265, 2nd ed.\n\n [255] Ibid.\n\n [256] El-Ma\u1e33reezee, in his \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d,\" and his history of the\n Memlook Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns, translated by Quatrem\u00e8re; El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee; and\n D'Ohsson, Tableau G\u00e9n\u00e9ral de l'Empire Othoman.\n\n [257] D'Ohsson (vol. i. pp. 315 and 316) asserts the \u1e32u\u1e6db to be\n the chief minister of the Gh\u00f3s; and gives an account somewhat\n different from that which I offer of the orders under his\n authority: but perhaps the Turkish Darweeshes differ from the\n Arab in their tenets on this subject.\n\n [258] It is said that \"the Nu\u1e33ab\u00e0 are three hundred; the\n Nujab\u00e0, seventy; the Abd\u00e1l, forty; the Akhy\u00e1r, seven; the\n 'Omud, four; the Gh\u00f3s [as before mentioned,] is one. The Nu\u1e33ab\u00e0\n reside in El-Gharb [Northern Africa to the west of Egypt]; the\n Nujab\u00e0, in Egypt; the Abd\u00e1l, in Syria; the Akhy\u00e1r travel about\n the earth; the 'Omud, in the corners of the earth; the abode of\n the Gh\u00f3s is at Mekkeh. In an affair of need, the Nu\u1e33ab\u00e0 implore\n relief for the people; then, the Nujab\u00e0; then, the Abd\u00e1l; then,\n the Akhy\u00e1r; then, the 'Omud; and if their prayer be not\n answered, the Gh\u00f3s implores, and his prayer is answered.\"\n (El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee's History, preface.)--This statement, I find,\n rests on the authority of a famous saint of Baghd\u00e1d, Aboo-Bekr\n El-Kett\u00e1nee, who died at Mekkeh, in the year of the Flight 322.\n (Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year above mentioned.)\n\n [259] El-Jabartee's History of Modern Egypt, vol. ii., obituary\n of the year 1201 (MS. in my possession).--The appellation of\n \"the four \u1e32u\u1e6dbs\" is given in Egypt to the seyyid A\u1e25mad Rif\u00e1'ah,\n the seyyid 'Abd-El-\u1e32\u00e1dir El-Geel\u00e1nee, the seyyid A\u1e25mad\n El-Bedawee, and the seyyid Ibr\u00e1heem Ed-Dasoo\u1e33ee, the founders\n of the four orders of darweeshes most celebrated among the\n Arabs, called Rif\u00e1'eeyeh, \u1e32\u00e1direeyeh, A\u1e25medeeyeh, and\n Bar\u00e1himeh.\n\n [260] El-Jabartee's History, vol. i., obituary of the year\n 1188.\n\n [261] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year 291.\n\n [262] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year 291.\n\n [263] Idem, events of the year 218.\n\n [264] Idem, events of the year 334.\n\n [265] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 4.\n\n [266] These are two very celebrated welees.\n\n [267] The opening chapter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n.\n\n [268] El-Jabartee's History, vol. iii., events of the month of\n Sha\u1ea1b\u00e1n, 1215 (A.D. 1800-1801).\n\n [269] Singers of religious odes.\n\n [270] El-Jabartee's History, vol. ii., obituary of the year\n 1207, and events of Rejeb, 1200; and vol. iii., events of\n Rabee\u1ea1 eth-Th\u00e1nee, 1214.\n\n [271] El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee, reign of El-Mutawekkil.\n\n [272] De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i. pp. 122, 123, 2nd.\n ed.\n\n [273] \"'Aj\u00e1\u00efb el-Makhloo\u1e33\u00e1t.\"\n\n [274] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year above mentioned.\n\n [275] Sketches of Persia, vol. ii. p. 129.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nCOMMENCING WITH PART OF THE EIGHTEENTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF\nTHE TWENTY-FOURTH.\n\nTHE STORY OF THE THREE APPLES, &c.[IV_1]\n\nOne night, after the adventure above described, the Khaleefeh H\u00e1roon\nEr-Rasheed said to Ja\u1ea1far, his Wezeer, We will go down to-night into the\ncity, and inquire respecting the affairs of those who are at present in\nauthority, and him against whom any one shall complain we will displace.\nJa\u1ea1far replied, I hear and obey:--and when the Khaleefeh had gone forth\nwith him and Mesroor, and they had passed through several of the\nmarket-streets, they proceeded along a lane, and saw there an old man,\nwith a net and basket upon his head, and a staff in his hand, walking at\nhis leisure, and reciting these verses:--\n\n They say to me, Thou shinest among mankind, by thy knowledge,\n like the moonlight night:\n But I answer, Abstain from thus addressing me, since there is no\n knowledge without power:\n For if they would pawn me, and my knowledge with me, and all my papers\n and inkhorn too,\n For one day's food, they would never find the pledge accepted to\n the day of judgment.\n As for the poor, and his condition, and his whole life, how full of\n trouble!\n In the summer he fails to earn his food, and in winter he warms\n himself over the fire-pot.[IV_2]\n The dogs follow him wherever he goes, and any reviler, and he cannot\n repel him.\n If he states his case, and proves himself wronged, the judge will not\n admit his plea.\n Such, then, being the poor man's life, his fittest place is in\n the burial-ground.[IV_3]\n\nThe Khaleefeh, when he heard his recitation, said to Ja\u1ea1far, Observe\nthis poor man, and consider these verses; for they indicate his\nnecessity. Then approaching the man, he said to him, O sheykh, what is\nthine occupation?--O my master, answered the old man, I am a fisherman,\nand have a family to maintain, and I went forth from my house at noon,\nand have remained until now, but God hath allotted me nothing wherewith\nto obtain food for my household; therefore I have hated myself, and\nwished for death.--Wilt thou, said the Khaleefeh, return with us to the\nriver, and station thyself on the bank of the Tigris, and cast thy net\nfor my luck? If thou wilt do so I will purchase of thee whatever cometh\nup for a hundred pieces of gold.--The fisherman rejoiced when he heard\nthese words, and said, On my head be your commands: I will return with\nyou.--So he went again to the river, and cast his net, and, having\nwaited till it sank, drew the cords, and dragged back the net, and there\ncame up in it a chest, locked and heavy. When the Khaleefeh saw it, he\nfelt its weight, and found it to be heavy; and he gave a hundred pieces\nof gold to the fisherman, who went away, while Mesroor, assisted by\nJa\u1ea1far, took up the chest, and conveyed it, in company with the\nKhaleefeh, to the palace, where they lighted the candles, and placed the\nchest before the Khaleefeh. Ja\u1ea1far and Mesroor then broke it open, and\nthey found in it a basket of palm-leaves sewed up with red worsted; and\nthey cut the threads, and saw within it a piece of carpet, and, lifting\nup this, they found beneath it an iz\u00e1r,[IV_4] and when they had\ntaken up the iz\u00e1r they discovered under it a damsel like molten silver,\nkilled, and cut in pieces.\n\nWhen the Khaleefeh beheld this, tears ran down his cheeks, and, looking\ntowards Ja\u1ea1far, he exclaimed, O dog of Wezeers, shall people be murdered\nin my time, and be thrown into the river, and become burdens upon my\nresponsibility? By Allah, I must retaliate for this damsel upon him who\nkilled her, and put him to death!--Then said he to Ja\u1ea1far, By the truth\nof my descent from the Khaleefehs of the sons of El-'Abb\u00e1s, if thou do\nnot bring to me him who killed this woman, that I may avenge her upon\nhim, I will crucify thee at the gate of my palace, together with forty\nof thy kinsmen![IV_5] And the Khaleefeh was enraged.--Grant me,\nsaid Ja\u1ea1far, a delay of three days.--I grant thee the delay, replied the\nKhaleefeh. Ja\u1ea1far then went forth from his presence, and took his route\nthrough the city, sorrowful, and saying within himself, How shall I\ndiscover him who killed this damsel, that I may take him before the\nKhaleefeh? And if I take to him any other person, he will become a\nweight upon my conscience. I know not what to do.--For three days he\nremained in his house, and on the fourth day the Khaleefeh sent to\nsummon him, and, when he had presented himself before him, said to him,\nWhere is the murderer of the damsel?--O Prince of the Faithful, answered\nJa\u1ea1far, am I acquainted with things hidden from the senses, that I\nshould know who is her murderer? The Khaleefeh, incensed at this answer,\ngave orders to crucify him at the gate of his palace, and commanded a\ncrier to proclaim through the streets of Baghd\u00e1d, Whosoever desireth to\namuse himself by seeing the crucifixion of Ja\u1ea1far El-Barmekee, the\nWezeer of the Khaleefeh, and the crucifixion of his kinsmen, at the gate\nof the Khaleefeh's palace, let him come forth and amuse himself.--So the\npeople came forth from every quarter to see the crucifixion of Ja\u1ea1far\nand his kinsmen; and they knew not the cause of this. The Khaleefeh then\ngave orders to set up the crosses; and they did so, and placed the\nWezeer and his kinsmen beneath, to crucify them, and were awaiting the\nKhaleefeh's permission, while the people wept for Ja\u1ea1far and his\nrelatives.\n\nBut while they were thus waiting, a handsome and neatly-dressed young\nman came forward quickly through the crowd, and, approaching the Wezeer,\nsaid to him, Safety to thee from this predicament, O chief of Emeers,\nand refuge of the poor! It was I who killed the woman whom ye found in\nthe chest: kill me therefore for her, and retaliate her death upon\nme.--When Ja\u1ea1far heard these words, he rejoiced for his own deliverance,\nand grieved for the young man: but while he was speaking to him, lo, an\nold sheykh pressed hastily through the crowd to him and the young man,\nand, having saluted them, said, O Wezeer, believe not the words of this\nyoung man, for no one killed the damsel but myself; therefore retaliate\nher death upon me. The young man, however, said, O Wezeer, this is an\nold man, imbecile through age; he knoweth not what he saith: it was I\nwho killed her; avenge her therefore upon me.--O my son, said the\nsheykh, thou art young, and wilt find pleasure in the world; and I am\nold, and satiated with the world: I will be a ransom for thee and for\nthe Wezeer and his kinsmen; and no one killed the damsel but myself: by\nAllah, therefore, hasten to retaliate upon me.\n\nOn witnessing this scene, the Wezeer was astonished; and he took the\nyoung man and the sheykh to the Khaleefeh, and said, O Prince of the\nFaithful, the murderer of the damsel hath come.--Where is he? said the\nKhaleefeh. This young man, answered Ja\u1ea1far, saith, I am the\nmurderer;--and this sheykh accuseth him of falsehood, and saith, Nay,\nbut _I_ am the murderer.--The Khaleefeh, looking towards the sheykh and\nthe young man, said, Which of you killed this damsel? The young man\nanswered, No one killed her but myself:--and the sheykh said also, No\none killed her but myself. The Khaleefeh therefore said to Ja\u1ea1far, Take\nthem both and crucify them.--If the murderer be one, replied Ja\u1ea1far, to\nkill the other would be unjust. The young man then said, By Him who\nraised the heavens and spread out the earth, it was I who killed the\ndamsel:--and he gave an account of the manner of his killing her, and\ndescribed what the Khaleefeh had found. The Khaleefeh therefore was\nconvinced that the young man was he who had killed the damsel; and he\nwas astonished, and said, What was the cause of thy killing this damsel\nunjustly, and of thy confessing the murder without being\nbeaten,[IV_6] and thy saying, Retaliate her death upon me? The\nyoung man answered as follows:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\nKnow, O Prince of the Faithful, that this damsel was my wife, and the\ndaughter of my uncle: this sheykh was her father, and is my uncle. I\nmarried her when she was a virgin, and God blessed me with three male\nchildren by her; and she loved me and served me, and I saw in her no\nevil. At the commencement of this month she was attacked by a severe\nillness, and I brought to her the physicians, who attended her until her\nhealth returned to her; and I desired them to send her to the bath; but\nshe said to me, I want something before I enter the bath, for I have a\nlonging for it.--What is it? said I. She answered, I have a longing for\nan apple, to smell it, and take a bite from it. So I went out\nimmediately into the city, and searched for the apple, and would have\nbought it had its price been a piece of gold: but I could not find one.\nI passed the next night full of thought, and when the morning came I\nquitted my house again and went about to all the gardens, one after\nanother; yet I found none in them. There met me, however, an old\ngardener, of whom I inquired for the apple, and he said to me, O my son,\nthis is a rare thing, and not to be found here, nor anywhere except in\nthe garden of the Prince of the Faithful at El-Ba\u1e63rah, and preserved\nthere for the Khaleefeh. I returned therefore to my wife, and my love\nfor her so constrained me that I prepared myself and journeyed fifteen\ndays, by night and day, in going and returning, and brought her three\napples which I purchased of the gardener at El-Ba\u1e63rah for three pieces\nof gold; and, going in, I handed them to her; but she was not pleased by\nthem, and left them by her side. She was then suffering from a violent\nfever, and she continued ill during a period of ten days.\n\nAfter this she recovered her health, and I went out and repaired to my\nshop, and sat there to sell and buy; and while I was thus occupied, at\nmid-day there passed by me a black slave, having in his hand an apple,\nwith which he was playing: so I said to him, Whence didst thou get this\napple, for I would procure one like it?--Upon which he laughed, and\nanswered, I got it from my sweetheart: I had been absent, and came, and\nfound her ill, and she had three apples; and she said to me, My\nunsuspecting husband journeyed to El-Ba\u1e63rah for them, and bought them\nfor three pieces of gold:--and I took this apple from her.--When I heard\nthe words of the slave, O Prince of the Faithful, the world became black\nbefore my face, and I shut up my shop, and returned to my house,\ndeprived of my reason by excessive rage. I found not the third apple,\nand said to her, Where is the apple? She answered, I know not whither it\nis gone. I was convinced thus that the slave had spoken the truth, and I\narose, and took a knife, and throwing myself upon her bosom, plunged the\nknife into her: I then cut off her head and limbs, and put them in the\nbasket in haste, and covered them with the iz\u00e1r, over which I laid a\npiece of carpet: then I put the basket in the chest, and, having locked\nthis, conveyed it on my mule, and threw it with my own hands into the\nTigris.[IV_8]\n\nAnd now, continued the young man, I conjure thee by Allah, O Prince of\nthe Faithful, to hasten my death in retaliation for her murder, as I\ndread, otherwise, her appeal for vengeance upon me on the day of\nresurrection:[IV_9] for when I had thrown her into the Tigris\nwithout the knowledge of any one, I returned to my house, and found my\neldest boy crying, though he knew not what I had done to his mother: so\nI said to him, What maketh thee cry?--and he answered, I took one of\nthe apples that my mother had, and went down with it into the street to\nplay with my brothers, and a tall black slave snatched it from me, and\nsaid to me, Whence came this to thee? I answered him, My father made a\njourney for it, and brought it from El-Ba\u1e63rah, for the sake of my\nmother; for she is sick: he bought three apples for three pieces of\ngold:--but he took it from me and beat me, and went away with it; and I\nam afraid that my mother may beat me on account of the apple.--When I\nheard my son's story, I discovered that the slave had forged a lie\nagainst the daughter of my uncle, and found that she had been killed\nunjustly; and as I was weeping bitterly for what I had done, this\nsheykh, my uncle and her father, came to me, and I informed him of the\nevent; and he seated himself by me, and wept. We wept until midnight,\nand continued our mourning for her five days, ceasing not to the present\nday to bewail her death. By the honour of thine ancestors, therefore,\nhasten my death, to retaliate her murder upon me.\n\nThe Khaleefeh wondered at the young man's story, and said, By Allah, I\nwill not put to death any but the wicked slave; for the young man is\nexcusable. Then looking towards Ja\u1ea1far, he said to him, Bring before me\nthis wicked slave who hath been the cause of the catastrophe; or, if\nthou bring him not, thou shalt be put to death in his stead. So the\nWezeer departed weeping, and saying, Whence shall I bring him? Not every\ntime that the jar is struck doth it escape being broken! I have no\nstratagem to employ in this affair: but He who delivered me in the first\ncase may deliver me in the second. By Allah, I will not go out from my\nhouse for three days; and the Truth, whose perfection be extolled, will\ndo what He willeth!--So he remained in his house three days, and on the\nfourth day he caused the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee to be brought, and made his testamentary\narrangements; and as he was bidding farewell to his children, and\nweeping, lo, the messenger of the Khaleefeh came and said to him, The\nPrince of the Faithful is in a most violent rage, and hath sent me to\nthee; and he hath sworn that this day shall not pass until thou art put\nto death if thou do not bring to him the slave.\n\nOn hearing this, Ja\u1ea1far wept, and his children wept with him; and when\nhe had bidden them all farewell except his youngest daughter, he\napproached her for the same purpose. He loved her more than all his\nother children; and he pressed her to his bosom, and wept at the thought\nof his separation from her; but, in doing this, he felt something round\nin her pocket, and said to her, What is in thy pocket? She answered, O\nmy father, it is an apple; our slave Rey\u1e25an[IV_10] brought it, and I\nhave had it four days; he would not give it me until he had received\nfrom me two pieces of gold.--At this mention of the slave and the\napple, Ja\u1ea1far rejoiced, and exclaimed, O ready Dispeller of\ntrouble![IV_11]--and immediately he ordered that the slave should be\nbrought before him. He was therefore brought in, and he said to him,\nWhence came this apple?--O my master, he answered, I went out five days\nago, and, entering one of the by-streets of the city, I saw some\nchildren playing, and one of them had this apple: and I snatched it from\nhim, and beat him; and he cried, and said, That belongs to my mother,\nand she is sick: she wanted my father to bring her an apple, and he made\na journey to El-Ba\u1e63rah, and brought back for her three apples which he\nbought for three pieces of gold; and I took this to play with it:--then\nhe cried again; but, paying no regard to him, I took it away and brought\nit hither; and my little mistress bought it of me for two pieces of\ngold.--When he heard this story, Ja\u1ea1far was filled with wonder at\ndiscovering that this distressing event, and the murder of the damsel,\nhad been occasioned by his slave; and he took the slave and went with\nhim to the Khaleefeh, who ordered that the story should be committed to\nwriting, and published.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nJa\u1ea1far then said to him, Wonder not, O Prince of the Faithful, at his\ntale, for it is not more extraordinary than the story of the Wezeer\nNoor-ed-Deen, and Shems-ed-Deen, his brother.--What story, said the\nKhaleefeh, can be more wonderful than this?--O Prince of the Faithful,\nreplied Ja\u1ea1far, I will not relate it to thee unless on the condition\nthat thou exempt my slave from the punishment of death. The Khaleefeh\nsaid, I give thee his blood:--and Ja\u1ea1far, thereupon, commenced the\nrelation of the story as follows:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF NOOR-ED-DEEN AND HIS SON, AND OF SHEMS-ED-DEEN AND HIS\nDAUGHTER.\n\nKnow, O Prince of the Faithful, that there was, in Cairo,[IV_12] a\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n,[IV_13] just and beneficent, who had a wise and well-informed\nWezeer, possessing a knowledge of the affairs of the world, and of the\nart of government. This minister was an aged man, and he had two sons,\nlike two moons: the name of the elder was Shems-ed-Deen, and that of the\nyounger, Noor-ed-Deen;[IV_14] and the latter was more distinguished than\nthe former by handsomeness and comeliness: there was no one in his day\nmore handsome, so that the fame of his charms spread through the\nneighbouring regions, and some of the inhabitants of those parts\ntravelled to his country merely to obtain a sight of him. And it came to\npass that their father died, and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n mourned for him, and,\nturning his regards towards the two sons, took them into his favour,\ninvested them with robes of honour, and said to them, Ye two are\ninstated in your father's office:--at which they rejoiced, and kissed\nthe ground before him. They observed the ceremonies of mourning[IV_15]\nfor their father during a period of a whole month, and entered upon the\noffice of Wezeers, each of them discharging the duties of this station\nfor a week at a time; and whenever the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n had a desire to go forth\non a journey, he took one of them with him.\n\nNow it happened, one night, that the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n purposed commencing a\njourney on the following morning; and it was the turn of the elder\nWezeer to accompany him; and as the two brothers were conversing\ntogether that night, the elder said, O my brother, it is my wish that we\nshould both marry on one night.--Do, O my brother, as thou desirest,\nanswered the younger; and I will comply with that which thou shalt say.\nSo they agreed to do this. The elder then said to his brother, If God so\ndecree that we obtain the betrothal of two maidens, and accomplish our\nmarriage on the same night, and they give birth to children on the same\nday, and God will that thy wife have a son, and my wife have a daughter,\nwe will marry them to each other, for they will be cousins.--And what, O\nmy brother, said Noor-ed-Deen, wilt thou require of my son as the dowry\nof thy daughter? He answered, I will require of thy son, as the dowry of\nmy daughter, three thousand pieces of gold, and three gardens, and three\nfarms; for if the young man make any other contract than this, it will\nnot be proper. But when Noor-ed-Deen heard this proposal, he exclaimed,\nWhat is this dowry that thou imposest upon my son? Dost thou not know\nthat we are two brothers, and that we are both Wezeers, of one dignity?\nIt were incumbent on thee to offer thy daughter to my son as a free\ngift, without any dowry; for thou knowest that the male is more\nhonourable than the female, and my child is a male, and by him shall our\nmemory be preserved: not by thy daughter.--What sayest thou of her?\nasked his brother.--That our memory will not be preserved by her among\nthe nobles, answered Noor-ed-Deen. But thou desirest, added he, to act\nwith me according to the opinion of him who saith, If thou desire to\ndrive away a person who would buy, demand of him a high price.--I see\nthee, replied Shems-ed-Deen, to have committed a fault, in making thy\nson more honourable than my daughter: thou art doubtless deficient in\njudgment, and destitute of good disposition, seeing that thou mentionest\nthe partnership in the office of Wezeer, when I admitted thee not to\nshare it with me excepting in my pity for thee, and that thou mightest\nassist me: but talk as thou wilt: since thou hast said this, by Allah, I\nwill not marry my daughter to thy son, though thou offer me her weight\nin gold.--On hearing these words of his brother, Noor-ed-Deen was\nenraged, and said, I will not marry my son to thy daughter.--I will not\naccept him as a husband for her, replied Shems-ed-Deen; and if I were\nnot purposing a journey, I would do to thee deeds that should serve as\nwarnings to others: however, when I return, God will do what He\nwilleth.--When Noor-ed-Deen heard this, he was full of anger, and became\nunconscious of existence: but he concealed his feelings; and each of the\ntwo brothers passed the night apart from the other; and in the morning\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n set out on his journey, and, crossing over to the\nisland,[IV_16] proceeded towards the Pyramids, accompanied by the\nWezeer Shems-ed-Deen.\n\nNoor-ed-Deen passed that night in a state of the utmost rage; and when\nthe morning came he arose, and, having performed the morning-prayers,\nwent to his closet and took out from it a pair of small saddle-bags,\nwhich he filled with gold; and as he reflected upon the words of his\nbrother, and the contempt which he had shewn him, and the pride that he\nhad manifested towards him, he repeated these verses:--\n\n Travel. Thou wilt find a friend in the place of him thou leavest;\n and fatigue thyself; for by labour are the sweets of life\n obtained.\n To a man of intelligence and education there is no glory in a constant\n residence: therefore quit thy native place, and go abroad.\n I have observed that the stagnation of water corrupteth it;\n if it floweth, it becometh sweet; but otherwise, it doth not.\n If the full moon never set, the eye of the contemplative would not\n on every occasion pay regard to it:\n The lions, if they left not the forest, would capture no prey;\n and the arrow, if it quitted not the bow, would not strike the mark:\n The grains of gold upon their native bed are regarded as mere dust;\n and the aloes-wood, where it groweth, is a kind of firewood:\n If exported, it becometh an object of high demand; but if not,\n it attaineth no kind of distinction.\n\nHe then ordered one of his young men to saddle for him a dapple mule,\ntall, and of quick pace; and he did so, placing upon her a saddle\nadorned with gold, with stirrups of Indian steel, and housings of the\nvelvet of I\u1e63pah\u00e1n; and she resembled a bride displayed before her\nhusband. He ordered him also to place upon her a carpet of silk, and a\nprayer-carpet,[IV_17] and to put the saddle-bags beneath the\nlatter; and when this was done, he said to the young man and the slaves,\nI have a desire to take a ride for my amusement outside the city,\ntowards the province of \u1e32alyoob, and shall be absent three nights; and\nlet none of you follow me, for my heart is contracted.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHaving thus said, he mounted his mule in haste, and, taking with him a\nsmall supply of food, departed from the city, turning his face towards\nthe open country. The hour of noon overtook him not until he entered\nthe city of Bilbeys, where he alighted to repose himself and rest his\nmule, and ate; after which he took from this place what he required for\nhimself, and some provender for his mule, and, having placed these\nprovisions upon her, went forth again into the plain, and before noon on\nthe second following day, he entered Jerusalem.[IV_18] Here he\nalighted again, and rested himself and his beast, and ate: he then\nplaced his saddle-bags under his head, and spread his carpet, and slept,\nstill overcome by anger. He passed the night in this place; and in the\nmorning he remounted, and he continued to urge on his mule until he\narrived at Aleppo,[IV_19] where he alighted at a \u1e32h\u00e1n, and remained\nthree days to give rest to himself and his mule, and to enjoy the air of\nthe place: which having done, he determined to prosecute his journey,\nand mounted his mule, and went forth. He knew not whither to direct his\ncourse; but travelled on until he arrived at the city of El-Ba\u1e63rah; and\nscarcely was he aware that the night had overtaken him, when he alighted\nthere at a Kh\u00e1n, where he took off the saddle-bags from the mule, and\nspread the prayer-carpet, committing the mule, with her equipage, to the\ncare of the door-keeper, and ordering him to walk her about a little.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe door-keeper did so; and it happened that the Wezeer of El-Ba\u1e63rah,\nsitting at a window of his palace, saw the mule, and, observing her\ncostly equipage, thought that she must belong to some Wezeer or King;\nand as he attentively regarded her he was surprised, and said to one of\nhis pages, Bring before me that door-keeper. So the page went and\nbrought him; and the door-keeper, approaching, kissed the ground before\nhim. The Wezeer, who was an aged person, then said to this man, Who is\nthe owner of this mule, and what is his appearance?--O my lord, answered\nthe door-keeper, her owner is a young man of elegant person, of the sons\nof the merchants, and of a dignified and grave aspect. On hearing this,\nthe Wezeer arose, and, mounting his horse,[IV_20] went to the Kh\u00e1n,\nand introduced himself to the young man, who, as soon as he saw him\napproaching, rose to meet him, and embraced him. The Wezeer, after he\nhad alighted from his horse, saluted him and welcomed him, and, seating\nhim by his side, said to him, Whence, O my son, hast thou come; and for\nwhat purpose?--O my lord, answered Noor-ed-Deen, I have come from the\ncity of Cairo: my father was Wezeer there; and he hath departed to\nreceive the mercy of God;--and he informed him of all that had happened\nto him from first to last, adding, I have determined that I will not\nreturn until I shall have seen all the cities and countries of the\nworld.--O my son, replied the Wezeer, obey not the suggestions of thy\nmind, lest thou expose thyself to destruction; for the countries are\nwaste, and I fear on thy account the issues of fortune. So saying, he\nordered that the saddle-bags should be placed again on the mule,\ntogether with the carpet of silk and the prayer-carpet, and took\nNoor-ed-Deen with him to his house, where he lodged him in an elegant\napartment, and treated him with honour and kindness; and, conceiving a\nstrong affection for him, said to him, O my son, I have become an old\nman, and I have no male child; God, however, hath blessed me with a\ndaughter who resembleth thee in comeliness, and I have rejected many\npersons who have been her suitors: but now, love for thee hath entered\nmy heart; wilt thou then take my daughter as thy hand-maid to serve\nthee, and be her husband? If thou consent to this, I will go up to the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n of El-Ba\u1e63rah, and will say to him, This is the son of my\nbrother;--and I will introduce thee to him, that I may make thee Wezeer\nin my place, and I will remain in my house; for I am now\naged.--Noor-ed-Deen, on hearing this proposal of the Wezeer of\nEl-Ba\u1e63rah, hung down his head, and then answered, I hear and obey.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Wezeer rejoiced at his assent, and ordered his servants to prepare\nfor him a repast, and to decorate the great saloon[IV_21] which was\nfurnished for the reception of the chiefs of the Emeers. He then called\ntogether his friends, and invited the great officers of the state, and\nthe merchants of El-Ba\u1e63rah; and when they had come into his presence, he\nsaid to them, I had a brother who was Wezeer in the land of Egypt, and\nGod blessed him with two sons; and me, as ye know, He hath blessed with\na daughter: now my brother enjoined me to marry my daughter to one of\nhis sons, and I consented to do so; and when she attained a fit age for\nmarriage, he sent to me one of his sons, who is this young man here\npresent. As soon, therefore, as he had come, I desired to perform the\nmarriage-contract between him and my daughter, and that he should\nintroduce himself to her here in my house.--Excellently hast thou done!\nthey replied. They then drank sherbet of sugar, and the pages sprinkled\nrose-water upon them, and they departed: after which, the Wezeer ordered\nhis servants to conduct Noor-en-Deen to the bath, and gave him a suit of\nhis best clothes,[IV_22] and sent to him the napkins and cups and\nperfuming-vessels, and everything else that he required. So when he came\nout from the bath, he put on the suit of clothes, and appeared like the\nfull moon; and he mounted his mule, and, returning to the palace,\nalighted and presented himself before the Wezeer, and kissed his hand:\nand the Wezeer welcomed him, saying, Arise, and introduce thyself this\nnight to thy wife; and to-morrow I will go up with thee to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n,\nand I pray that God may bless thee with every kind of happiness.\nNoor-ed-Deen therefore arose, and went to his wife, the daughter of the\nWezeer.--Thus did it happen to Noor-ed-Deen.\n\nAs to his brother, he continued a while journeying with the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and\nwhen he returned, and found not his brother, he inquired of the servants\nrespecting him, and they answered, On the day of thy departure with the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n, he mounted his mule, caparisoned as for a procession of state,\nand said, I am going towards the province of \u1e32alyoob, and shall be\nabsent a day or two days; for my heart is contracted; therefore let none\nof you follow me:--and from the day on which he went forth, to the\npresent day, we have heard no tidings of him. Upon this the heart of\nShems-ed-Deen was troubled at the separation of his brother, and he\ngrieved excessively for his loss, saying within himself, The cause of\nthis is nothing else than my having spoken harshly to him in my\nconversation on the night before my departure with the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n; and\nprobably his mind was disturbed, and he went on a journey: I must\ntherefore send after him. He then went up and related this event to the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n, who wrote letters and sent them to his vicegerents in all the\nprovinces: but Noor-ed-Deen had traversed distant regions during the\nabsence of his brother with the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n: therefore the messengers, when\nthey had gone with the letters, returned without having obtained any\ninformation respecting him. So Shems-ed-Deen despaired of his brother,\nand said, I have enraged my brother by what I said to him concerning the\nmarriage of the children. Would that I had not done so! This was not\noccasioned but by my want of sense and judgment!--And soon after this,\nhe demanded in marriage the daughter of one of the merchants of Cairo,\nand performed the marriage-contract between himself and her, and\nintroduced himself to her: and it happened that the night when this\nevent took place was the same night on which Noor-ed-Deen introduced\nhimself to his wife, the daughter of the Wezeer of El-Ba\u1e63rah: this being\nin accordance with the will of God, whose name be exalted, that He might\nexecute his decree upon his creatures.\n\nThe event was as they both had said: for it came to pass that the two\nwives conceived by them: the wife of Shems-ed-Deen, the Wezeer, of\nEgypt, gave birth to a daughter, than whom there was not seen, in that\ncountry, one more beautiful; and the wife of Noor-ed-Deen gave birth to\na son, one more beautiful than whom was not seen in his time: as the\npoet hath said:--\n\n If beauty came to be compared with him, it would hang down its head\n in shame;\n Or if it were said, O beauty, hast thou seen the like?--it would\n answer, The equal of this I have not.\n\nSo they named him \u1e24asan;[IV_23] and on the seventh day after his\nbirth, they made entertainments and spread repasts such as were fit for\nthe sons of Kings[IV_24] after which the Wezeer of El-Ba\u1e63rah took\nwith him Noor-ed-Deen, and went up with him to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n; and when he\ncame into his presence he kissed the ground before him; and\nNoor-ed-Deen, being eloquent in tongue, and firm of heart, and comely in\nperson and in actions, recited these words of the poet:--\n\n This is he whose justice extendeth to all men, and who hath overrun\n and subdued every region.\n Be thankful for his benefits; for they are not mere benefits;\n but they are strings of jewels on the necks of his people;\n And kiss his fingers; for they are not mere fingers;\n but they are the keys of the supplies of Providence.\n\nThe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n treated them both with honour, and, having thanked\nNoor-ed-Deen for his address, said to his Wezeer, Who is this young man?\nThe Wezeer therefore related to him his story from beginning to end, and\nadded, This is the son of my brother.--How is it, said the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, that\nhe is the son of thy brother, and we have not before heard of him? The\nWezeer answered, O our lord the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, I had a brother who was Wezeer\nin the land of Egypt, and he died, leaving two sons: the elder succeeded\nto his father's office, as Wezeer, and this his younger son came to me;\nand I swore that I would not marry my daughter to any but him: so, when\nhe came, I married him to her. He is a young man, and I am now aged; my\nhearing is impaired, and my judgment faileth: it is my wish, therefore,\nthat our lord the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n would instate him in my office, seeing that he\nis the son of my brother and the husband of my daughter, and a person\nworthy of the dignity of Wezeer; for he is endowed with knowledge and\njudgment.--The Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, upon this, looked towards him, and, being pleased\nwith him, approved of the advice of the Wezeer that he should promote\nhim to that office; so he bestowed it upon him, and ordered that a\nmagnificent dress of honour should be given to him, and one of the best\nof the mules upon which he was himself accustomed to ride, allotting him\nalso supplies and salaries; and Noor-ed-Deen kissed the hand of the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and descended with his father-in-law to their house, both in\nhigh delight, and saying, Verily the birth of this child is fortunate.\nOn the following day Noor-ed-Deen went again to the King, and kissed the\nground, and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n ordered him to sit in the place of the Wezeer:\nso he sat, and occupied himself with the affairs of his office, and\nexamined the cases of the people, and their suits, according to the\ncustom of Wezeers: and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, observing him, was surprised at his\nconduct, and the acuteness of his understanding, and his good judgment.\nHe attentively considered his qualities, and loved him, and advanced him\nin his favour: and when the court was dissolved, Noor-ed-Deen returned\nto his house, and related what had passed to his father-in-law, who was\nrejoiced at hearing it.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe old Wezeer ceased not to superintend the rearing of the child, who\nwas named \u1e24asan, for many days, while Noor-ed-Deen was constantly\noccupied with the affairs of his office, so that he left not the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\nby day nor by night; and the King increased his salaries and supplies\nuntil his circumstances became ample: he had ships which made voyages\nunder his orders with merchandise and other things, and he founded\nnumerous estates, and made water-wheels[IV_25] and gardens. Thus\ndid he until his son \u1e24asan was four years of age, when the old Wezeer,\nthe father of his wife, died; and he conveyed his corpse with great\npomp, and decently deposited it in the earth. He then turned his\nthoughts towards the education of his son; and when the child had gained\nstrength, he brought him a tutor to teach him in his own house, charging\nhim to instruct him and educate him well; and the tutor did so, and\ntaught him various useful sciences, after he had passed some years in\nlearning the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n. \u1e24asan meanwhile increased in loveliness and beauty,\nand elegance of person. The tutor continued to educate him in his\nfather's palace; and from the time that he arrived at adolescence he\nwent not out of the Wezeer's palace, until his father took him one day,\nand, having clad him in one of the richest of his dresses, mounted him\non one of his best mules, and conducted him to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and\nintroduced him. When the King beheld \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen,[IV_26] the\nson of the Wezeer Noor-ed-Deen, he was astonished at his beauty; and the\npeople, when he passed by them for the first time, going up with his\nfather to the King, were amazed at his surpassing beauty and loveliness,\nand elegance of person. The Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, as soon as he saw him, loved him,\nand bestowed marks of favour upon him, and said to his father, O Wezeer,\nthou must bring him with thee every day. The Wezeer answered, I hear and\nobey;--and returned with his son to his abode; and he continued every\nday to go up with him to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n until the youth attained the age of\nfifteen years.\n\nHis father, the Wezeer Noor-ed-Deen, then fell sick, and called him into\nhis presence, and said to him, O my son, know that this world is a\nperishable abode, and the world to come is an everlasting abode. I wish\nto give thee some precepts, and do thou understand what I am about to\nsay to thee, and incline thy heart to it.--And he began to counsel him\nrespecting the proper mode of conducting himself in society, and the due\nmanagement of his affairs; and when he had done so, he reflected upon\nhis brother and his native place and country, and wept at the thought of\nhis separation from those he loved; his tears flowing: and he said, O my\nson, hear my words. I have a brother[IV_27] in Cairo, and I quitted\nhim and departed against his will.--He then took a piece of\npaper,[IV_28] and wrote upon it all that had happened to him from\nfirst to last, together with the date of his marriage and introduction\nto the daughter of the Wezeer, and the date of his arrival at El-Ba\u1e63rah\nand his interview with its Wezeer; and, having added some strict\nadmonition, he said to his son, Keep this charge, for the paper on which\nit is written containeth an account of thine origin and thy rank and\nlineage; and if any evil accident befall thee, repair to Cairo, and\ninquire for thine uncle, and salute him, and inform him that I died in a\nstrange land, ardently desiring that I could see him. Therefore \u1e24asan\nBedr-ed-Deen took the paper, and, having folded it, and wrapped it in a\npiece of waxed cloth,[IV_29] sewed it between the lining and the\nouter cloth of his cap,[IV_30] and wept for his father, that he\nshould be parted from him in his youth.\n\nNoor-ed-Deen then said to his son,[IV_31] I charge thee that thou\nbe not familiar with any one; for in retirement is security. Divinely\ngifted was the poet who said,--\n\n There is none in thy time whose friendship thou shouldst covet;\n nor any intimate who, when fortune is treacherous, will be\n faithful.\n Live then apart, and rely upon no man: I have given thee,\n in these words, good advice, and sufficient.\n\nAccustom thyself to taciturnity: occupy thyself with thine own affairs,\nand use not many words: for the poet saith,--\n\n Taciturnity is an ornament, and in silence is security: therefore,\n when thou speakest, be not loquacious:\n For if thou repent once of thy silence, thou wilt assuredly repent\n many times of thy speech.\n\nBeware of drinking wine; for it is the source of every kind of mischief.\nThe poet[IV_32] saith on this subject,--\n\n I have abandoned wine and those who drink it; and have become\n the friend of such as condemn it.\n Wine leadeth astray from the path of rectitude, and openeth\n the doors to evil.\n\nHate no man, and oppress none; for oppression is base. The poet saith,--\n\n Oppress not if thou hast the power to do so; for oppression will\n eventually bring thee repentance:\n Thine eye will sleep while the oppressed, wakeful, will call for\n vengeance upon thee; and the eye of God sleepeth not.\n\nDespise thy wealth, but not thyself: yet bestow not wealth save upon him\nwho deserveth it. If thou keep it, it will keep thee; but if thou\nsquander it, it will ruin thee; and then wilt thou need the assistance\nof the least of mankind. It hath been said by the poet,--\n\n When my wealth faileth, no friend assisteth me; but when it aboundeth,\n all men are my friends.\n How many enemies for the sake of wealth have consorted with me!\n And my companion, in the time of want, hath abandoned me!\n\nIn this manner he continued to admonish his son \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen until\nhis spirit departed. The house became a scene of mourning, and the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n and all the Emeers grieved for him; and they buried him. They\ncontinued their mourning during a period of two months, and the son of\nNoor-ed-Deen rode not out nor went to the court nor presented himself\nbefore the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n; and the King instated one of the Chamberlains in his\nplace, and appointed a new Wezeer in the place of his father, and\nordered this Wezeer to put seals upon all the houses of Noor-ed-Deen,\nand upon his wealth and all his buildings and other possessions.[IV_33]\nSo the new Wezeer went with the Chamberlains to the house of the Wezeer\nNoor-ed-Deen, to seal its door and to arrest his son \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen,\nand bring him before the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, that he might do to him what his\njudgment required. But there was among the troops one of the memlooks of\nthe deceased Wezeer Noor-ed-Deen; and he could not endure that the son\nof his master should be thus treated: he therefore repaired to \u1e24asan\nBedr-ed-Deen, whom he found with downcast head and mourning heart, on\naccount of the death of his father, and acquainted him with what had\npassed. \u1e24asan asked him, Will the execution of the order be delayed long\nenough for me to enter my house,[IV_34] and take somewhat of my worldly\npossessions by which to obtain support during my exile? But the memlook\nanswered, Save thyself:--and when \u1e24asan heard these words, he covered\nhis head with the skirt of his robe, and, going forth on foot, fled of\nthe city: and he heard the people saying, The Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n hath sent the new\nWezeer to the house of the deceased Wezeer, to seal his wealth and other\npossessions, and to arrest his son \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen, and bring him\nbefore him that he may put him to death:--and the people were mourning\nfor him on account of his beauty and loveliness. So when he heard what\nthey said, he took a course that he had not intended, and, not knowing\nwhither to go, walked on until destiny urged him to the tomb of his\nfather.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nEntering the burial-ground, he bent his way among the tombs until he\nseated himself at that of his father, where he removed his skirt from\nover his head. And as he was sitting there, a Jew of El-Ba\u1e63rah\napproached, and said to him, Wherefore, O my master, do I see thee thus\nchanged? He answered, I was just now sleeping, and I beheld my father\nreproaching me for having failed to visit his tomb: wherefore I rose in\nalarm, fearing that the day would pass without my visiting it, and so\nthe occurrence would distress me. The Jew then said to him, O my master,\nthy father despatched some vessels with merchandise, and some of them\nhave returned; and it is my wish to purchase of thee the cargo of every\nvessel that hath arrived for a thousand pieces of gold;--and so saying,\nhe took out a purse filled with gold, and counted out from it a thousand\npieces, which he paid to \u1e24asan the son of the Wezeer, and said to him,\nWrite me a paper, and seal it. So \u1e24asan took a paper, and wrote upon it,\nThe writer of this paper, \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen, the son of the Wezeer\nNoor-ed-Deen, hath sold to the Jew such a one the whole cargo of every\none of his father's vessels that hath returned from her voyage, for a\nthousand pieces of gold, and hath received the price in advance. And\nafter he had taken a copy[IV_35] of it, the Jew went away with the\npaper; and \u1e24asan wept, reflecting upon his former state of dignity and\nfavour. At length the night closed in upon him, and sleep overtook him,\nand he remained asleep at his father's tomb until the moon rose when his\nhead rolled from the tomb, and he lay and slept on his back, his face\nshining in the moonlight.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow the burial-ground was inhabited by believing Jinn; and a Jinneeyeh,\ncoming forth, saw the face of \u1e24asan as he lay asleep, and when she\nbeheld him, was surprised at his beauty and loveliness, and exclaimed,\nExtolled be Allah's perfection! This youth is like none but the virgins\nof paradise!--She then soared into the air, to perform her accustomed\ncircuits, and saw an 'Efreet on his flight. She saluted him, and he\nreturned her salutation; and she said to him, Whence comest thou? He\nanswered from Cairo:--and she said to him, Wilt thou go with me to\nbehold the beauty of the youth who is sleeping in the burial-ground? He\nreplied, Yes. So they went together; and when they had descended into\nthe burial-ground, she said to him, Hast thou seen in the course of thy\nlife a person like this?--And the 'Efreet looked upon him, and\nexclaimed, Extolled be the perfection of Him unto whom none is to be\ncompared! But, O my sister, he added, if thou desire, I will relate to\nthee what I have seen.--Tell me, she replied: so he said, I have seen a\nperson resembling this youth in the land of Egypt; and that person is\nthe daughter of the Wezeer. The King had heard of her, and demanded her\nof her father, the Wezeer Shems-ed-Deen, in marriage; but he answered\nhim, O our lord the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, accept my excuse, and pity my grief; for\nthou knowest that my brother Noor-ed-Deen departed from us, and we know\nnot where he is; and that he shared with me the office of Wezeer; and\nthe cause of his departure was this, that I was sitting conversing with\nhim on the subject of marriage, and he was angry with me, and in anger\nwent away:--and he related to the King all that had passed between them;\nadding, This was the cause of his indignation, and I have been under an\noath that I will not marry my daughter to any but the son of my brother\nfrom the day that her mother gave birth to her; and that was about\nfifteen years ago: and lately I heard that my brother had married the\ndaughter of the Wezeer of El-Ba\u1e63rah, and obtained a son by her; and I\nwill not marry my daughter to any but him, in honour of my brother.\nAfter I had heard this, I recorded the date of my marriage, and of my\nwife's conception, and of the birth of this daughter: she is intended\nfor the son of her uncle; and of other maidens there are plenty.--But\nwhen the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n heard these words of the Wezeer, he was violently\nenraged, and said, How is it that such a one as myself demandeth in\nmarriage a daughter from one like thee, and thou withholdest her from\nhim, and excusest thyself by an absurd pretext? By my head, I will not\nmarry her but to one of less consideration than myself, in scorn of thy\npride!--And the King had a humpbacked groom, with a hump before and a\nhump behind; and he ordered him to be brought, and affianced him to the\ndaughter of the Wezeer, commanding that he should introduce himself to\nher this night, and be conducted in pompous procession. I left him in\nthe midst of the memlooks of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, who were surrounding him with\nlighted candles in their hands, laughing at him and mocking him, at the\ndoor of the bath, while the daughter of the Wezeer was sitting weeping\nin the midst of the dye-women[IV_36] and tire-women.[IV_37]\nShe resembles more than any other person this youth. They have\nprohibited her father from going to her; and I have never seen, O my\nsister, a more ugly wretch than this humpback: but as to the maiden, she\nis more beautiful than this youth.\n\nTo this story of the 'Efreet, the Jinneeyeh answered, Thou liest; for\nthis youth is the most beautiful of the people of his age. But the\n'Efreet replied, By Allah, O my sister, the maiden is more beautiful\nthan he: however, none but he is suited to her; for they resemble each\nother, and probably are brother and sister, or cousins; and how will she\nbe thrown away upon this humpback! She therefore said to him, O my\nbrother, let us place ourselves beneath him and lift him up and take him\nto the maiden of whom thou speakest, and see which of the two is more\nbeautiful. The 'Efreet answered, I hear and obey: this proposal is\nright, and there can be no better determination than this which thou\nhast chosen; therefore I will carry him. So he lifted him up, and soared\ninto the sky, and the Jinneeyeh flew by his side until he descended with\nhim in the city of Cairo, where he placed him upon a ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah,[IV_38]\nand roused him from his sleep.[IV_39]\n\nWhen, therefore, he awoke, and found that he was not at his father's\ntomb in the land of El-Ba\u1e63rah, he looked to the right and left, and\nperceived that he was in a city that was not El-Ba\u1e63rah, and would have\ncried out, but the 'Efreet winked to him, and, lighting for him a\ncandle, said to him, Know that I have brought thee hither, and I desire\nto do thee a service for the sake of God: take, therefore, this candle,\nand go with it to yonder bath, and mix with the people there, and\nproceed with them until thou arrivest at the saloon of the bride; then\ngo before, and enter the saloon, and fear no one; and when thou hast\nentered, station thyself on the right of the humpbacked bridegroom; and\nwhenever the tire-women and singing-women and dye-women come to thee,\nput thy hand into thy pocket: thou wilt find it full of gold, and do\nthou take it by the handful and throw it to them; and imagine not that\nthou wilt put thy hand in and not find it filled with gold: give\ntherefore to every one who cometh to thee by the handful, and fear\nnothing; but rely upon Him who created thee; for this will not be\nthrough thine own strength or power, but through the strength of God,\nand his power.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOn hearing these words of the 'Efreet, \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen said, What is\nthis event, and what manner of kindness is this? And he went with his\ncandle to the bath, where he found the humpback mounted on his horse;\nand he joined himself to the party, in the same garb in which he had\narrived, and with the same comely appearance; being attired with a\n\u1e6darboosh[IV_40] and turban, and a farajeeyeh[IV_41] interwoven\nwith gold. He proceeded with the pompous train, and every time that the\nsinging-women stopped for the people to give them money, he put his hand\ninto his pocket, and found it filled with gold, and took it by the\nhandful and threw it into the tambourine,[IV_42] for the\nsinging-women and tire-women, filling the tambourine with pieces of\ngold: and the singing-women were amazed, and the people wondered at his\nbeauty and loveliness. Thus he continued to do until they arrived at the\nhouse of the Wezeer, when the chamberlains drove back the people, and\nprevented their entrance; but the singing-women and tire-women said, By\nAllah, we will not enter unless this youth enter with us, for he hath\noverwhelmed us with his favours, and the bride shall not be displayed\nunless he be present:--and upon this they entered with him into the\nsaloon of the festivity, and seated him, in spite of the humpbacked\nbridegroom. All the ladies of the Emeers and Wezeers and Chamberlains\nwere ranged in two rows, each lady holding a large lighted candle, and\nhaving her head-veil drawn across the lower part of her face: thus they\nstood in two rows, to the right and the left, from the foot of the couch\nof the bride to the upper end of the leew\u00e1n that adjoined the chamber\nfrom which the bride was to come forth. And when the ladies beheld \u1e24asan\nBedr-ed-Deen and his beauty and loveliness, his face shining like the\ncrescent of the moon, the hearts of all of them inclined to him, and the\nfemale singers said to all the women who were present, Know that this\ncharming youth hath given us nothing but red gold; therefore fail not to\nserve him properly, and obey him in whatever he shall say. The women\ncrowded round him to gaze at his charms, and their minds were\noverpowered by astonishment at his beauty, and each of them wished that\nshe might be in his bosom for a year or a month or an hour: they removed\nthe veils from their faces, and their hearts were perplexed, and they\nsaid, Joy to the person to whom this youth belongeth, or to the person\nover whom he is lord! Then they imprecated evil upon the humpbacked\ngroom and him who was the cause of his marriage to that lovely maiden;\nand every time that they prayed for blessings upon \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen,\nthey imprecated misfortunes upon the humpback.\n\nThe singing-women then beat the tambourines, and the tire-women\napproached with the daughter of the Wezeer in the midst of them. They\nhad perfumed her with sweet scents and essences, and clad her, and\nadorned her hair and neck with various ornaments, decking her with\ngarments such as were worn by the ancient monarchs of Persia. Among\nthese was a loose gown embroidered with red gold, presenting the forms\nof wild beasts and birds, hanging down over her other clothes; and round\nher neck was a necklace worth thousands, composed of jewels such as\nneither a King of El-Yemen nor a C\u00e6sar ever collected: she was like the\nmoon shining in its fourteenth night, and when she approached she\nresembled a \u1e24ooreeyeh.[IV_43] Extolled be the perfection of him who\ncreated her so splendid a being! The women encompassed her, and appeared\nlike stars; she, in the midst of them, being as the moon when the clouds\nhave withdrawn from before it. Meanwhile, \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen remained\nsitting, with the company gazing at him; and as the bride approached\nwith a dignified and graceful gait, the humpbacked groom rose to her, to\nkiss her; but she turned aside from him, and went and stood before\n\u1e24asan, the son of her uncle. The company laughed at this; and when they\nbeheld her turn towards \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen, and saw him put his hand\ninto his pocket and take out handfuls of gold and throw it into the\ntambourine of the singing-women, they were delighted, and said, We wish\nthat this bride were thine:--and he smiled. All this time the humpbacked\ngroom was alone, looking like an ape; and every time that they lighted\nhis candle it went out again, and he was confounded, and remained\nsitting in the dark, full of secret indignation, with all the company\nsurrounding him, while the lighted candles presented an appearance of\nbeauty that was most admirable, so that every person of reflection was\namazed at their splendour. But as to the bride, she raised her hands\ntowards heaven, and said, O Allah, make this to be my husband, and\nrelieve me from this humpbacked groom!--The tire-women then proceeded to\ndisplay the bride in different dresses, to the seventh suit, before\n\u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen of El-Ba\u1e63rah, the humpbacked groom remaining alone;\nand when they had finished this ceremony they gave permission to the\ncompany to depart: so all who were present at the festivity, both women\nand children, went out, except \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen and the humpbacked\ngroom; after which the tire-women conducted the bride to an inner\nchamber, to take off her ornaments and outer robes, and to prepare her\nfor the bridegroom's visit.\n\nUpon this, the humpbacked groom approached \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen, and said\nto him, O my master, thou hast made us happy by thy company this night,\nand overwhelmed us with thy favours; but now wherefore dost thou not\nrise and go to thy house without thy being ejected? He answered, In the\nname of Allah;--and rose, and went out from the door: but the 'Efreet\nmet him, and said unto him, Stay, O Bedr-ed-Deen; and when the humpback\nretires into the private closet, enter thou and seat thyself in the\nbride-chamber; and when the bride cometh, say to her, I am thy husband;\nand the King had not recourse to this stratagem from any other motive\nthan his fearing for thee the effect of the eye;[IV_44] and this\nwhom thou hast seen is one of our grooms:--then approach her, and\nuncover her face, and fear no evil from any one.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhile Bedr-ed-Deen was thus conversing with the 'Efreet, lo, the groom\nentered the closet, and seated himself; and immediately the 'Efreet rose\nbefore him, from the trough of water that was in the closet,[IV_45]\nin the form of a mouse, and cried Zeek!--What brought thee here? said\nthe humpback. The mouse then increased in size, and became like a cat;\nand then increased, and became a dog, and cried, 'Owh! 'Owh! At the\nsight of this the groom was terrified, and exclaimed, Get away, thou\nunlucky![IV_46] The dog, however, still increased and swelled until\nit became an ass, and brayed in his face, crying, H\u00e1\u1e33! H\u00e1\u1e33!--upon which\nthe groom, in terror, cried out, Come to my aid, O people of the house!\nBut lo, the ass increased, and became like a buffalo, and, stopping up\nthe place before him, spoke with the speech of a son of Adam, and said,\nWo be to thee, O humpback! O filthiest of grooms! Upon this the groom\nwas seized with a colick, and seated himself upon the slabs, and his\nteeth knocked together. The 'Efreet then said to him, Hath the earth\nbecome narrow to thee, that thou wouldst marry none but my mistress? But\nthe groom was silent. Return me an answer, said the 'Efreet, or I will\nmake thine abode to be in the dust!--By Allah, then answered the groom,\nI am not in fault; for they compelled me, and I knew not that she had a\nlover among the buffaloes; but now I repent before Allah and before\nthee. Then the 'Efreet said, I swear by Allah that if thou depart now\nfrom this place, or utter a word before the sun hath risen, I will slay\nthee: and when the sun hath risen go thy way, and never return to this\nhouse. And he seized the humpbacked groom, and, placing his head upside\ndown upon the slabs, and his feet upwards, said to him, Remain here, and\nI will watch thee until sunrise.--Thus did it happen to the humpback.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow, as to \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen of El-Ba\u1e63rah, he left the humpback and the\n'Efreet contending together, and, entering the house, seated himself in\nthe bride-chamber; and lo, the bride approached, accompanied by an old\nwoman, who stopped at the door of the chamber, and said, O\nAboo-Shih\u00e1b,[IV_47] rise, and take thy bride; and I commend thee to\nthe care of Allah. Then the old woman went away, and the bride, whose\nname was Sitt-el-\u1e24osn,[IV_48] advanced to the upper end of the\nchamber. Her heart was broken, and she said within herself, By Allah, I\nwill not suffer him to caress me though my spirit depart from me! But\nwhen she had proceeded to the upper end of the chamber, she beheld\nBedr-ed-Deen, and said, My beloved, until this hour art thou remaining?\nI had said within myself, perhaps thou and the humpbacked groom are to\nshare me between you.--What, said he, should give the groom access to\nthee, and wherefore should he be my partner in the possession of\nthee?--Who, then, she asked, is my husband? Thou or he?--O my mistress,\nanswered Bedr-ed-Deen, we did not this for any other purpose than to\nmake a jest of him, and that we might laugh at him; for when the\ntire-women and the singing-women and thy family beheld thine admirable\nbeauty, they feared for us the effect of the eye, and thy father hired\nhim for ten pieces of gold, in order that he might divert from us the\neye; and now he hath departed. When Sitt-el-\u1e24osn heard these words of\nBedr-ed-Deen, she smiled, and uttered a gentle laugh, and said, By\nAllah, thou hast extinguished my fire! Take me then, I conjure thee, and\npress me to thy bosom.--And they embraced each other.\n\nNot long after this, the 'Efreet said to the Jinneeyeh, Arise, and place\nthyself beneath the youth, and let us convey him back, lest the morning\novertake us; for the time is near. So she advanced towards him, and,\nplacing herself beneath his skirt, as he lay asleep, took him up, and\nflew away with him, in the state in which she found him, clad only in\nhis shirt, and pursued her flight with the 'Efreet by her side. But God\ngave permission to some angels to cast at the 'Efreet a shooting-star of\nfire, and he was burnt. The Jinneeyeh, however, escaped unhurt, and\ndeposited Bedr-ed-Deen in the place over which the shooting-star had\nburnt the 'Efreet. She would not pass beyond it, fearing for his safety;\nand as destiny had appointed, this place was Damascus: so she placed him\nby one of the gates of this city, and flew away.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen daylight therefore came, and the gates were opened, the people,\ncoming forth, beheld a beautiful youth clad in his shirt, and with a\ncotton skull-cap without a turban. In consequence of his having been so\nlong wakeful, he was now immersed in sleep; and when the people saw him,\nsome said, Would that he had waited till he had put on his\nclothes!--another said, Objects of pity are the children of men of\ncondition! Probably this youth hath just come forth from his\ndrinking-place, on account of some business, and intoxication hath\novercome him, and he hath wandered from the place to which he would go\nuntil he arrived at the gate of the city, and, finding it locked, hath\nslept here.--They had expressed various opinions respecting him, and\nwere wondering at his case, when Bedr-ed-Deen awoke. Perceiving that he\nwas at the gate of a city, and surrounded by men, he was astonished, and\nsaid, Where am I, O good people; and what is the cause of your\nassembling around me, and what hath befallen me among you? They\nanswered, We saw thee at the call to morning-prayer lying at this gate\nasleep; and we know nothing more of thy case. Where wast thou sleeping\nthis last night?--By Allah, O people, he replied, I was sleeping this\nlast night in Cairo.--On hearing this, one of them said, Dost thou eat\n\u1e25asheesh?[IV_49] Another said, Thou art mad. How couldst thou be\npassing the night in Cairo, and be sleeping in the morning at the city\nof Damascus?--He said to them, By Allah, O good people, I will tell you\nno falsehood: I was last night in the land of Egypt, and the day before\nI was at El-Ba\u1e63rah. One of them said, This is a wonderful thing! Another\nsaid, This youth is mad. And they clapped their hands at him, and,\nconversing together, said, Alas, for his youth! By Allah, there is no\ndenying his madness!--They then said to him, Return to thy reason. But\nhe replied, I was yesterday a bridegroom in the land of Egypt.--Probably\nthou hast dreamt, said they, and hast seen this of which thou speakest\nin thy sleep. And \u1e24asan was confounded, and said, By Allah, this was not\na dream: and where is the humpbacked groom who was sitting with us, and\nthe purse of gold that I had? And where are my clothes and my\ndrawers?--He then rose, and entered the city, and proceeded through its\ngreat thoroughfare-streets and market-streets; and the people crowded\nround him and paraded him: so he entered the shop of a cook. Now this\ncook was a robber,[IV_50] whom God had caused to repent of his\nunlawful actions, and he had opened a cook's shop; and all the people of\nDamascus feared him on account of his boldness; therefore, when they saw\nthat the youth had entered this shop, they left him, being afraid.\n\nWhen the cook beheld \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen, and observed his beauty and\ncomeliness, love for him entered his heart, and he said to him, Whence\nart thou, O young man? Relate to me thy story; for thou art become\ndearer to me than my soul.--So he related to him all that had happened,\nfrom beginning to end: and the cook said to him, O my master\nBedr-ed-Deen, know that this is a wonderful event and an extraordinary\nstory; but, O my son, conceal thy case until God dispel thy trouble, and\nremain with me in this place; and as I have not a son, I will adopt thee\nas such. Bedr-ed-Deen replied, Let it be as thou desirest, O uncle. And\nimmediately the cook went out to the mart, and bought for Bedr-ed-Deen\ncostly clothes, and put them on him: he then went to the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee, and made\na declaration that he was his adopted son:[IV_51] so \u1e24asan\nBedr-ed-Deen became known throughout the city of Damascus as the son of\nthe cook; and he sat with him in the shop to receive the money, and in\nthis situation he remained.\n\nNow as to Sitt-el-\u1e24osn, when daybreak came and she awoke, she found not\n\u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen remaining with her, and, imagining that he would soon\nreturn, she sat a while expecting him; and lo, her father came in to\nher, troubled at that which had befallen him from the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and at his\nhaving married his daughter by force to one of his servants, the\nhumpbacked groom; and he said within himself, I will kill this girl if\nshe have suffered the wretch to caress her. So he advanced to the\nbride-chamber, and, stopping at the door, said, O Sitt-el-\u1e24osn! She\nanswered, Well, O my master!--and came forth to him, walking with a\nvacillating gait, through joy, and kissed the ground before him; and her\ncountenance beamed with increased splendour in consequence of her union\nwith that gazelle. When her father, therefore, saw her in this state, he\nexclaimed to her, O thou base creature! art thou delighted with this\ngroom? On hearing these words of her father, Sitt-el-\u1e24osn smiled, and\nreplied, By Allah, it is enough that thou hast done, and that the people\nlaugh at me, and put me on an equality with this groom, who is not, in\nmy estimation, of the value of a paring of one of my finger-nails; but\nas to my husband--by Allah, I never in the course of my life passed a\nnight more delightful than that which I have just passed in his company:\ntherefore jest not with me by mentioning that humpback.--When her father\nheard what she said he was filled with rage; his eyes glared so that\nlittle appeared of them but the white, and he said to her, Wo to thee!\nWhat are these words that thou sayest? Verily the humpbacked groom hath\npassed the night with thee!--I conjure thee by Allah, she rejoined, that\nthou mention him not. May Allah reject him, and reject his father!\nContinue not then to mock me by mentioning him; for the groom was only\nhired for ten pieces of gold, and he took his hire and departed; and I\ncame and entered the bride-chamber, and beheld my husband seated, after\nthe singing-women had displayed me before him; and he threw them red\ngold until he had enriched the poor who were present. I have reclined\nupon the bosom of my gentle-hearted husband, with the black eyes and the\njoined eyebrows.--When her father heard this, the light became darkness\nbefore his face, and he exclaimed to her, O thou abandoned one! What is\nthis that thou sayest? Where is thy reason?--O my father, she replied,\nthou hast broken my heart in pieces! Wherefore dost thou pay no\nattention? This of whom I spake is my husband, and he hath retired to\nhis private closet.\n\nSo her father went thither, in a state of astonishment, and, entering\nthe closet, found the humpbacked groom with his head upon the slabs and\nhis feet turned upwards; and the Wezeer was confounded at the sight, and\nsaid, Is not this the humpback?--and he spoke to him; but the humpback\nreturned no answer, thinking that it was the 'Efreet who addressed him.\nThe Wezeer, therefore, cried out at him with a loud voice, and said to\nhim, Speak, or I will cut off thy head with this sword! Upon which the\nhumpback exclaimed, By Allah, O sheykh of the 'Efreets, from the time\nthat thou placedst me here I have not raised my head: I conjure thee\ntherefore that thou shew favour to me!--The Wezeer, on hearing the\nhumpback thus address him, said to him, What sayest thou? I am the\nfather of the bride, and I am not an 'Efreet.--Then said the humpback,\nMy life is not in thy hand, nor art thou able to take my soul; so go thy\nway before he come to thee who hath treated me in this manner. Ye would\nnot marry me to any but the mistress of buffaloes and the mistress of\n'Efreets! May Allah, then, confound him who married me to her, and\nconfound him who was the cause of it!--Then did the humpbacked groom\naddress the Wezeer, the father of the bride, again, saying, Allah\nconfound him who was the cause of this!--Rise, said the Wezeer, and\ndepart from this place.--Am I mad, he replied, that I should go with\nthee without the permission of the 'Efreet? For he said to me, When the\nsun shall have risen go thy way.--Hath the sun then risen or not? For I\ncannot depart from my place until the sun hath risen.--Upon this the\nWezeer said to him, Who brought thee to this place? He answered, I came\nhither yesterday, and a dust rose from the midst of the water, and cried\nout, and increased in bulk until it became of the size of a buffalo, and\nsaid to me words that entered my ear. Leave me, therefore, and go. Allah\nconfound the bride and him who married me to her!--The Wezeer then\napproached him, and dragged him forth, and he went out running, doubting\nwhether the sun had risen, and went up to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and informed him\nof that which had happened to him with the 'Efreet.\n\nBut as to the Wezeer, the father of the bride, he returned with his\nreason perplexed respecting the case of his daughter, and said to her, O\nmy daughter, reveal to me thy story. She replied, The elegant person\nbefore whom I was displayed remained with me; and if thou believe me\nnot, see this is his turban, twisted just as it was, upon the\nchair,[IV_52] and his drawers are under the bed, and in them is\nsomething wrapped up: I know not what it is. So, when her father heard\nthis, he entered the bride-chamber, and found the turban of \u1e24asan\nBedr-ed-Deen, the son of his brother; and taking it up, he turned it\nover, and said, This is such a turban as is worn by Wezeers, except that\nit is of the M\u00f3\u1e63ilee[IV_53] kind. He then observed an amulet sewed\nin his red cloth cap; and he unsewed it; and he took the drawers, and\nfound the purse containing the thousand pieces of gold, and, opening\nthis, he discovered in it a paper, which, when he had read it he saw to\nbe a copy of the Jew's contract, with the name of \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen the\nson of Noor-ed-Deen of Cairo; and he found also the thousand pieces of\ngold. But when he read the paper he cried aloud and fell down in a\nswoon; and as soon as he recovered, and understood the case, he was\nastonished, and exclaimed, There is no deity but God, who is able to do\nwhatsoever He willeth! Then said he, O my daughter, knowest thou who\nhath become thy husband? She answered, No.--He is the son of my brother,\nsaid he, and the son of thine uncle; and these thousand pieces of gold\nare thy dowry. Extolled be the perfection of God! Would that I knew how\nthis event hath happened!--Then he opened the amulet that was sewed up,\nand found in it a paper written by the hand of his brother Noor-ed-Deen\nof Cairo, the father of \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen: and when he beheld the\nhand-writing of his brother he repeated this couplet:--\n\n I behold their footsteps, and melt with desire, and pour forth\n my tears upon the places they have trodden,\n Begging of Him who hath afflicted me by their separation,\n that He will bless me some day by a reunion.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo saying, he read the paper, and found in it the date of his marriage\nto the daughter of the Wezeer of El-Ba\u1e63rah, and that of his first\nintroduction to her, and a record of his age at the time of his death,\nand the date of the birth of his son \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen; and he\nwondered, and shook with delight; and, comparing what had happened to\nhis brother with the events that had happened to himself, he found that\nthey corresponded exactly: his marriage and the marriage of his brother\nagreed in date, and their first visits to their respective wives in like\nmanner; as also the birth of Bedr-ed-Deen, the son of his brother, and\nthe birth of his daughter Sitt-el-\u1e24osn. He took the two papers, and,\ngoing up with them to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, he acquainted him with all that had\nhappened from the first of the case to the last; and the King was\nastonished, and ordered that the case should be immediately recorded.\nThe Wezeer then remained in expectation of the son of his brother; but\nhe met with no tidings of him: so he said, By Allah, I will do a deed\nthat none hath done before me:--and he took an ink-case and a pen, and\nwrote an inventory of the furniture of the house, describing the\nmoney-chest as having been in such a place, and a certain curtain in\nsuch another place, and everything in the house in like manner; and he\nfolded up the paper, and ordered that all the furniture should be stored\nup; and he took the turban with its \u1e6darboosh, and also the farajeeyeh\nand the purse, and kept them himself.\n\nAfter this, in due time, the daughter of the Wezeer gave birth to a son\nlike the moon, resembling his father in beauty and symmetry and\nsplendour and loveliness. They received him from his mother, and\nblackened the edges of his eyes with ko\u1e25l,[IV_54] and delivered him\nto the nurses, and named him 'Ajeeb.[IV_55] His day was as a month;\nand his month, as a year;[IV_56] and when seven years had passed\nover him, his grandfather committed him to a schoolmaster, whom he\ncharged to educate him with great care. He continued at the school four\nyears, and used to fight with his schoolfellows, and abuse them, saying\nto them, Who among you is like me? I am the son of the Wezeer of\nCairo.--So the boys went together to complain to the monitor of that\nwhich they suffered from 'Ajeeb; and the monitor said to them, I will\nteach you something to say to him when he cometh, and he shall repent of\nhis coming to the school; and it is this: to-morrow, when he is come,\nseat yourselves around him, and say to one another, By Allah, none shall\nplay with us at this game excepting him who shall tell us the name of\nhis mother and that of his father; and he who knoweth not the name of\nhis mother and that of his father is illegitimate; therefore he shall\nnot play with us. Accordingly, on the following morning they came to the\nschool, and 'Ajeeb was there; and the boys surrounded him, and said as\nthe monitor had directed them, and they all agreed to the proposal; and\none said, My name is M\u00e1jid, and my mother is 'Alawee, and my father is\n'Ezz-ed-Deen:--then another said after the same manner, and another, and\nso on, until the turn came to 'Ajeeb; and he said to them, My name is\n'Ajeeb, and my mother is Sitt-el-\u1e24osn, and my father is Shems-ed-Deen,\nthe Wezeer of Cairo:--and they said to him, By Allah, the Wezeer is not\nthy father. 'Ajeeb replied, the Wezeer is my father indeed:--and upon\nthis the boys laughed at him, and clapped their hands at him, saying,\nThou knowest not who is thy father: get away from us, therefore; for\nnone shall play with us excepting him who knoweth the name of his\nfather:--and immediately the boys dispersed from around him, and made a\njest of him. In consequence of this treatment his heart became\ncontracted, and he was almost choked with crying; and the monitor said\nto him, Dost thou really consider as thy father him who is thy\ngrandfather, the Wezeer, the father of thy mother Sitt-el-\u1e24osn? Thy\nfather thou knowest not, nor do we know him; for the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n married her\nto the humpbacked groom, and the Jinn came and prevented him: so, if\nthou know not thy father, they will regard thee among them as\nillegitimate. Dost thou not see that the son of the woman who is coveted\nas a wife knoweth his father? The Wezeer of Cairo is thy grandfather;\nand as to thy father, we know him not, nor dost thou: return therefore\nto thy reason.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nUpon this, 'Ajeeb went immediately to his mother, Sitt-el-\u1e24osn, and\ncomplained to her, and wept; and his weeping prevented his speaking: and\nwhen his mother heard his complaint and his crying, her heart was\ninflamed for him, and she said to him, O my son, what maketh thee weep?\nTell me thy story.--So he told her what he had heard from the boys and\nfrom the monitor, and said to her, O my mother, who is my father? She\nanswered him, Thy father is the Wezeer of Cairo. But he said, He is not\nmy father: tell me not, therefore, what is false; for the Wezeer is thy\nfather; not mine: who then is my father? If thou do not tell me truly; I\nwill kill myself with this dagger.--And when his mother heard the\nmention of his father, she wept at the allusion to the son of her uncle,\nand remembering the amiable qualities of \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen of\nEl-Ba\u1e63rah, and what had happened to herself and him, she recited an ode\ncommencing thus:--\n\n They excited love in my heart, and departed; and far distant hath\n their abode become!\n Reason forsook me when they withdrew, and sleep and patience\n abandoned me.\n\nAnd she wept and cried out, and her son did the same; and lo, the Wezeer\nentered. His heart burned within him when he beheld their state, and he\nsaid to them, What causeth you to weep? She acquainted him therefore\nwith the treatment that her son had experienced from the other boys of\nthe school; and he, also, wept, and called to mind what had happened to\nhis brother and himself and his daughter, and he knew not the mystery of\nthe case. Then suddenly he arose, and, going up to the council-chamber,\npresented himself before the King, and related to him the story, begging\nhis permission to travel eastwards to the city of El-Ba\u1e63rah, that he\nmight make inquiries respecting the son of his brother; and requesting\nalso of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n that he would write letters for him to all the\ncountries through which he might pass, that, if he found the son of his\nbrother in any place, he might take him away. And he wept before the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and the heart of the King was moved with compassion for him, and\nhe wrote for him letters to all the regions and countries; upon which\nthe Wezeer rejoiced, and, having offered up a prayer for the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n,\ntook leave of him.\n\nHe descended immediately and prepared for the journey, and, taking with\nhim all that he required, together with his daughter and her son 'Ajeeb,\ntravelled the first day and the second and the third, and proceeded\nuntil he arrived at the city of Damascus, and beheld it with its trees\nand streams celebrated by the poets. He alighted in the open space\ncalled Meyd\u00e1n el-\u1e24a\u1e63b\u00e0; and, when he had pitched his tents, said to his\nservants, We will take rest here two days. So the servants entered the\ncity to gratify their various desires; one to sell, another to buy, a\nthird to enter the bath, and a fourth to visit the mosque of the\nBenee-Umeiyeh, which hath not in the world its equal. 'Ajeeb also\nentered the city, accompanied by his eunuch, in order to amuse\nthemselves; and the eunuch walked behind 'Ajeeb, having in his hand a\nwhip that would strike down a camel. And when the people of Damascus\nbeheld 'Ajeeb, and his elegance of form and perfect beauty, and observed\nhim to be endowed with admirable loveliness, and with kindness of\nmanner, more bland than the northern zephyr, sweeter than limpid water\nto the thirsty, and more pleasant than health to the diseased, they\nfollowed him, running after him in crowds; and some sat waiting in the\nstreets to see him pass. Thus did they until the slave, as destiny had\nordained, stopped before the shop of 'Ajeeb's father, \u1e24asan\nBedr-ed-Deen, in which the cook who had acknowledged him as his adopted\nson in the presence of the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dees and witnesses had established him; and\nthis cook had died, and left him all his property, together with his\nshop.[IV_57]\n\nWhen the slave stopped there on this day, the servants also stopped with\nhim: and \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen beheld his son, and was charmed with him,\nobserving his extreme beauty: his soul yearned towards him with natural\nsympathy, and his heart clung to him. He had just prepared a conserve of\npomegranate-grains, sweetened with sugar; and the affection divinely\ninspired increased in him; so he called out in ecstasy, and said, O my\nmaster, O thou who hast captivated my heart and soul, and to whom my\naffections are drawn by sympathy! wilt thou come in to me and refresh my\nheart and eat of my food? And when he had said this, his eyes overflowed\nwith involuntary tears, and he reflected upon his past experience and\nhis condition at the present time. When 'Ajeeb heard the address of his\nfather, his heart was in like manner drawn towards him by sympathy, and\nhe looked towards the eunuch, and said to him, Verily my heart is moved\nwith sympathy for this cook: he seemeth to have parted with a son: come\nin with us, therefore, that we may refresh his heart and eat his\noffering of hospitality: perhaps God, through our so doing, may\naccomplish our union with our father. But the eunuch replied, By Allah,\nO my master, it is not proper. How should we, who are of the family of\nthe Wezeer, eat in the shop of a cook? I will, however, drive away the\npeople from thee, lest they see thee: otherwise it will be impossible\nfor thee to enter the shop. On hearing the reply of the eunuch,\nBedr-ed-Deen was surprised, and, looking towards him, while his tears\nflowed down his cheeks, said to him, Verily my heart loveth him.--Let us\nhear no more of these words, said the eunuch:--and he desired the youth\nnot to enter: but the father of 'Ajeeb cast his eyes upon the eunuch,\nand said, Great sir, wherefore wilt thou not refresh my heart and come\nin to me? O thou who resemblest black dust, but whose heart is white! O\nthou who hast been described in such and such terms of praise!--so that\nthe eunuch laughed, and said, What wouldst thou say? Speak, and be\nbrief.--And Bedr-ed-Deen recited this couplet:--\n\n Were it not for his accomplishments and admirable faithfulness,\n he had not been invested with authority in the abode of Kings.\n What an excellent guardian for the \u1e25areem is he! On account\n of his beauty the angels of heaven wait upon him!\n\nThis address pleased the eunuch so much that he took the hand of 'Ajeeb,\nand entered the cook's shop; and Bedr-ed-Deen ladled out a saucerful of\nconserve of pomegranate-grains prepared with almonds and sugar, and the\nslave and the youth ate together; Bedr-ed-Deen saying to them, Ye have\ndelighted me by your company: eat, and may it benefit you! 'Ajeeb then\nsaid to his father, Sit down and eat with us; and perhaps God will unite\nus to him whom we desire. And Bedr-ed-Deen said, O my son, hast thou\nbeen afflicted in thy tender years by the separation of those whom thou\nlovest?--Yes, O uncle, answered 'Ajeeb: my heart is inflamed by the\nabsence of one of those who are dear to me: the friend who hath\nwithdrawn himself from me is my father, and I and my grandfather have\ncome abroad to search for him through the world; and how do I sigh for\nmy union with him!--And he wept bitterly; and his father, moved by his\ntears, wept with him, reflecting upon his own desolate state, separated\nfrom those he loved, deprived of his father, and far removed from his\nmother; and the eunuch was moved with compassion for him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThey all ate together until they were satisfied; after which, the youth\nand the slave arose, and quitted the shop of Bedr-ed-Deen, who felt as\nif his soul had departed from his body and gone with them. He could not\nendure their absence for the twinkling of an eye; so he shut up his shop\nand followed them, though ignorant that the youth was his son, and\nwalked quickly until he came up to them before they had gone out from\nthe great gate; whereupon the eunuch, looking back at him, said, What\ndost thou want, O cook? Bedr-ed-Deen answered, When ye departed from me,\nI felt as if my soul had quitted my body, and, having some business in\nthe suburb, I was desirous of accompanying you to transact my business,\nand, after that, to return. But the eunuch was angry, and said to\n'Ajeeb, Verily this repast was unlucky: respectful treatment hath become\nincumbent on us; and see, he is following us from place to place. 'Ajeeb\ntherefore looked round, and, seeing the cook, was enraged, and his face\nbecame red; but he said to the eunuch, Suffer him to walk in the public\nroad of the Muslims; but when we shall have turned from it to our tents,\nif he do the same, and we know that he is following us, we will drive\nhim back. And he hung down his head and went on, with the eunuch behind\nhim. Bedr-ed-Deen, however, followed them to the Meyd\u00e1n el-\u1e24a\u1e63b\u00e0, and\nwhen they had drawn near to the tents they looked back and saw him\nbehind them; and 'Ajeeb was angry, fearing that the eunuch might inform\nhis grandfather, and lest it should be said that he had entered the\ncook's shop, and that the cook had followed him. He looked at him till\nhis eyes met the eye of his father, who had become as a body without a\nsoul; and he fancied that his eye bore an expression of deceit, and that\nhe was perhaps a knave: so his anger increased, and he took up a stone,\nand threw it at his father, and the stone struck him on the forehead,\nand wounded him, and he fell down in a swoon, the blood flowing over his\nface. 'Ajeeb went on with the eunuch to the tents; and \u1e24asan\nBedr-ed-Deen, when he recovered his senses, wiped off the blood, and,\nhaving cut off a piece of linen from his turban, bound up his head with\nit, blaming himself, and saying, I wronged the youth when I shut up my\nshop and followed him, so he thought I was a deceiver. He then returned\nto his shop, and occupied himself with the sale of his meats; and he\nyearned with desire for his mother, who was at El-Ba\u1e63rah.\n\nThe Wezeer, his uncle, remained at Damascus three days, and then\ndeparted to \u1e24em\u1e63, and, having entered this town, proceeded thence,\ninquiring at every place where he halted in his journey until he had\narrived at M\u00e1rideen and El-M\u00f3sil and Diy\u00e1r Bekr. He continued his\njourney until he arrived at the city of El-Ba\u1e63rah, and when he had\nentered it and taken up his quarters, he went and presented himself\nbefore the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, who received him with respect and honour, and\ninquired the reason of his coming: so he acquainted him with his story,\nand informed him that the Wezeer 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen was his brother. The\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n ejaculated, God have mercy upon him![IV_58]--and said, O\n\u1e62\u00e1\u1e25eb,[IV_59] he was my Wezeer, and I loved him much: he died\ntwelve years[IV_60] ago, and left a son; but we have lost him, and\nhave heard no tidings of him: his mother, however, is with us, for she\nis the daughter of my old Wezeer. On hearing from the King that the\nmother of his nephew was alive, the Wezeer Shems-ed-Deen rejoiced, and\nsaid, I am desirous of having an interview with her. And the King gave\nhim immediate permission to visit her at his brother's house: so he went\nthither, and kissed the threshold, and, entering an open court, found a\ndoor over-arched with hard stone inlaid with various kinds of marble of\nevery colour; and he walked along by the walls of the house, and as he\ncast his eyes around upon them he observed the name of his brother\nNoor-ed-Deen inscribed on them in characters of gold; and he went to the\nname, and kissed it, and wept. He then advanced to the saloon of his\nbrother's wife, the mother of \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen of El-Ba\u1e63rah. During\nthe absence of her son she had given herself up to weeping and wailing\nnight and day; and after she had long suffered from his separation she\nmade for her son a tomb of marble in the midst of the saloon, where she\nwept for him night and day, sleeping nowhere but by this tomb. And when\nShems-ed-Deen arrived at her apartment he heard her voice apostrophizing\nthe tomb; and while she was thus occupied he entered and saluted her,\nand informed her that he was her husband's brother, acquainting her with\nwhat had passed, and revealing to her the particulars of the story. He\ntold her that her son \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen had passed a whole night with\nhis daughter, and disappeared in the morning, and that his daughter had\nborne him a son, whom he had brought with him: and when she heard this\nnews of her son, and that he was perhaps still living, and beheld her\nhusband's brother, she fell at his feet and kissed them, addressing him\nwith this couplet:--\n\n Divinely is he inspired who acquainteth me with their approach;\n for he hath brought information most delightful to be heard.\n If he would be satisfied with that which is cast off,[IV_61]\n I would give him a heart rent in pieces at the hour\n of valediction.\n\nThe Wezeer then sent to bring 'Ajeeb; and when he came, his grandmother\nrose to him, and embraced him, and wept; but Shems-ed-Deen said to her,\nThis is not a time for weeping, but rather a time for preparing thyself\nto accompany us on our return to the land of Egypt: and perhaps God may\nunite us with thy son, my nephew. She replied, I hear and obey:--and,\narising immediately, collected all her property and treasures, and her\nfemale slaves, and forthwith prepared herself: after which the Wezeer,\nShems-ed-Deen, went up again to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n of El-Ba\u1e63rah, and took leave\nof him; and the King sent with him presents and rarities for the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\nof Egypt.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Wezeer departed without delay, accompanied by his brother's wife,\nand continued his journey until he arrived at the city of Damascus,\nwhere he alighted again, and encamped, and said to his attendants, We\nwill remain at Damascus a week, to buy, for the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, presents and\nrarities. 'Ajeeb then said to the eunuch, Boy,[IV_62] I long for a\nlittle diversion: arise, therefore, and let us go to the market of\nDamascus, and see what is going on there, and what hath happened to that\ncook whose confection we ate and whose head we broke, notwithstanding he\nhad treated us with kindness: we acted ill towards him. The eunuch\nreplied, I hear and obey:--and 'Ajeeb went forth with him from the\ntents, the tie of blood inciting him to visit his father and they\nentered the city, and proceeded to the shop of the cook, whom they found\nstanding there. It was then near the time of afternoon-prayers; and it\nhappened that he had again just prepared a confection of\npomegranate-grains; and when they drew near to him, the heart of 'Ajeeb\nyearned towards him when he saw him, and he perceived the scar\noccasioned by the stone that he had thrown. He said to him, Peace be on\nthee! Know that my heart is with thee.--And when Bedr-ed-Deen beheld\nhim, his affections were engrossed by him, and his heart throbbed with\nemotion towards him, and he hung down his head, desiring to adapt his\ntongue to speech, and unable to do so: but presently he raised his head,\nand, looking towards the youth in an humble and abject manner, recited\nthese verses:--\n\n I wished for my beloved; but when I beheld him I was confounded\n and possessed neither tongue nor eye.\n I hung down my head in honour and reverence, and would have hidden\n what I felt; but it would not be concealed.\n I had prepared a volume of expostulation; but when we met\n I remembered not a word.\n\nHe then said to them, Refresh ye my heart, and eat of my food; for, by\nAllah, as soon as I beheld thee, my heart yearned towards thee, and I\nhad not followed thee unless I had been deprived of my reason.--By\nAllah, replied 'Ajeeb, thou dost indeed love us, and we ate a morsel\nwith thee; but after it thou keptest close behind us and wouldst have\ndisgraced us: we will not eat again with thee, therefore, but on the\ncondition of thy swearing that thou wilt not follow us; and otherwise we\nwill not come to thee again henceforth; for we are staying at this city\na week, in order that my grandfather may procure presents for the\nKing.--I bind myself, said Bedr-ed-Deen, to do as ye desire. So 'Ajeeb\nentered the shop with the eunuch, and Bedr-ed-Deen placed before them a\nsaucer filled with the confection of pomegranate-grains; upon which\n'Ajeeb said to him, Eat with us; and may God dispel our affliction:--and\nBedr-ed-Deen was delighted, and he ate with them; but he turned not his\neyes from the youth; for his heart and all his faculties were captivated\nby him. 'Ajeeb, observing this, said to him, Knowest thou not that I\ntold thee thou wast a rude doter? Enough of this: continue not to gaze\nat my face.--Bedr-ed-Deen, therefore, apologized to him, and began to\nput morsels into the mouth of 'Ajeeb, and then did the same to the\neunuch. Afterwards he poured the water upon their hands, and when they\nhad washed he loosed a napkin of silk from his waist and wiped them with\nit. He next sprinkled rose-water upon them from a bottle that was in his\nshop, and went out, and returned with two cups of sherbet prepared with\nrose-water infused with musk, and, placing these before them, he said,\nComplete your kindness. So 'Ajeeb took a cup and drank; and Bedr-ed-Deen\nhanded the other to the eunuch; and both drank until their stomachs were\nfull, and gratified their appetites to a degree beyond their usual\nhabit.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThey then departed, and hastened back to the tents, and 'Ajeeb went in\nto his grandmother, the mother of his father \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen; and she\nkissed him, and said, Where hast thou been? He answered, In the city.\nAnd she arose, and brought him a saucer of confection of\npomegranate-grains, which happened to be somewhat deficient in\nsweetness; and she said to the eunuch, Sit down with thy master. The\neunuch said within himself, By Allah, we have no appetite. He, however,\nseated himself, and 'Ajeeb did the same, though satiated with what he\nhad eaten and drunk, and dipped a morsel of bread in the confection, and\nate it; but it seemed to him insipid, on account of his being thus\ncloyed, and he loathed it, and said, What is this nasty dish?--O my\nchild, said his grandmother, dost thou find fault with my cookery? It\nwas I who prepared it; and, except thy father, \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen, there\nis none who can cook it as well as myself.--By Allah, O my mistress,\nreplied 'Ajeeb, This thy dish is not well prepared: we have just now\nseen in the city a cook who had prepared a confection of\npomegranate-grains, but its odour was such as to dilate the heart, and\nthe confection itself, such as to excite appetite in one already\nsatiated: as to thine, in comparison with his, it is good for nothing.\n\nHis grandmother, on hearing this, fell into a violent rage, and turning\ntowards the eunuch, said to him, Wo to thee! Hast thou corrupted my\nchild? Thou hast taken him into the shops of the cooks!--The eunuch\nfeared, and denied, saying, We did not enter the shop, but only passed\nby it:--but 'Ajeeb said, By Allah, we entered and ate, and what we ate\nwas better than this mess of thine. And upon this his grandmother arose,\nand informed her husband's brother, and incensed him against the eunuch.\nThe slave was therefore brought before the Wezeer, and he said to him,\nWherefore didst thou take my child into the cook's shop? The eunuch,\nfearing, said again, We did not enter.--Nay, said 'Ajeeb, we did enter,\nand ate of a confection of pomegranate-grains until we were satiated,\nand the cook gave us to drink sherbet with ice and sugar. The Wezeer's\nanger with the eunuch now increased, and he asked him again; but still\nhe denied. Then said the Wezeer, If thine assertion be true, sit down\nand eat before us. The eunuch therefore advanced, and would have eaten;\nbut he could not; and he threw down the morsel that was in his hand, and\nsaid, O my master, I am satiated since yesterday. And by this the Wezeer\nknew that he had eaten in the shop of the cook: so he ordered the female\nslaves to throw him down upon the ground, and they did so, and he gave\nhim a severe beating, while the slave cried for mercy, but still saying,\nI am satiated since yesterday! The Wezeer then interrupted the beating,\nand said to him, Declare the truth. And at length the eunuch said, Know\nthat we did enter the shop of the cook while he was cooking\npomegranate-grains, and he ladled out for us some of the confection,\nand, by Allah, I never in my life ate any like it, or any more\ndetestable than this which is before us.\n\nThe mother of Bedr-ed-Deen, enraged at this, said, Thou shalt go to this\ncook and bring us a saucerful of his confection and shew it to thy\nmaster, that he may say which of the two is the better and the more\ndelicious.--Well, replied the eunuch: and immediately she gave him a\nsaucer, and half a piece of gold; and he went to the shop, and said to\nthe cook, We have laid a wager respecting thy confection at the tent of\nour master; for there is a mess of pomegranate-grains cooked by the\nfamily: give us, therefore, for this half-piece of gold, and apply\nthyself to prepare it perfectly; for we have received an excruciating\nbeating on account of thy cookery. Laughing at these words, Bedr-ed-Deen\nreplied, By Allah, none excelleth in the preparation of this confection\nexcept myself and my mother, and she is now in a distant country. And he\nladled out as much as filled the saucer, and perfected it by the\naddition of some musk and rose-water. The eunuch then hastened back with\nit to the family; and the mother of \u1e24asan took it, and, tasting its\ndelicious flavour, immediately knew who had prepared it, and shrieked,\nand fell down in a swoon. The Wezeer was amazed at the event; and they\nsprinkled some rose-water upon her, and when she recovered she said, If\nmy son be yet in the world, no one but he cooked this confection: he is\nmy son \u1e24asan Bedr-ed-Deen without doubt: for none but he can prepare\nthis, except myself, and it was I who taught him to do it.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen the Wezeer heard these words, he rejoiced exceedingly, and\nexclaimed, Oh, how I long to behold my brother's son! Will fortune,\nindeed, unite us with him? But I look not for our union from any but\nGod, whose name be exalted!--And he instantly arose, and called out to\nhis male attendants, saying, Let twenty men of you go to the shop of the\ncook, and demolish it, and bind his hands behind him with his turban,\nand drag him hither by force, but without any injury to his person. They\nreplied, Well. The Wezeer then rode immediately to the palace, and,\npresenting himself before the Viceroy of Damascus, shewed him the\ncontents of the letters which he had brought from the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n; and the\nViceroy, after kissing them, put them to his head, and said, Who is\nthine offender? He answered, A man who is by trade a cook. And instantly\nthe Viceroy ordered his Chamberlains to repair to his shop; and they\nwent thither; but found it demolished, and everything that had been in\nit broken; for when the Wezeer went to the palace, his servants did as\nhe had commanded them. They were then waiting his return from the\npalace; and Bedr-ed-Deen was saying within himself, What can they have\ndiscovered in the confection, that such an event as this should have\nbefallen me? And when the Wezeer returned from the Viceroy, and had\nreceived his permission to take his offender and to depart with him, he\nentered the encampment, and called for the cook. They brought him,\ntherefore, with his hands bound behind him with his turban; and when he\nsaw his uncle he wept bitterly, and said, O my master, what crime have\nye found in me? The Wezeer said to him, Art thou he who cooked the\nconfection of pomegranate-grains? He answered, Yes: and have ye found in\nit anything that requires one's head to be struck off? This, replied the\nWezeer, is the smallest part of thy recompense.--Wilt thou not, said\nBedr-ed-Deen, acquaint me with my crime? The Wezeer answered, Yea,\nimmediately. And forthwith he called out to the young men, saying, Bring\nthe camels!\n\nThey then took Bedr-ed-Deen, and put him in a chest, and, having locked\nhim up in it, commenced their journey, and continued on their way till\nthe approach of night, when they halted and ate, and, taking out\nBedr-ed-Deen, fed him; after which they put him again into the chest,\nand in like manner proceeded to another station. Here also they took him\nout; and the Wezeer said to him, Art thou he who cooked the confection\nof pomegranate grains? He answered, Yes, O my master. And the Wezeer\nsaid, Shackle his feet. And they did so, and restored him to the chest.\nThey then continued their journey to Cairo; and when they arrived at the\nquarter called Er-Reyd\u00e1neeyeh,[IV_63] the Wezeer commanded to take\nout Bedr-ed-Deen again from the chest, and to bring a carpenter, to whom\nhe said, Make, for this man, a cross.[IV_64]--What, said\nBedr-ed-Deen, dost thou mean to do with it? The Wezeer answered, I will\ncrucify thee upon it, and nail thee to it, and then parade thee about\nthe city.--Wherefore, demanded Bedr-ed-Deen, wilt thou treat me\nthus?--The Wezeer replied, For thy faulty preparation of the confection\nof pomegranate-grains, because thou madest it deficient in\npepper.--Because of its deficiency in pepper, exclaimed Bedr-ed-Deen,\nwilt thou do all this to me? Art thou not satisfied with having thus\nimprisoned me, and fed me every day with only one meal?--The Wezeer\nanswered, For its deficiency in pepper, thy recompense shall be nothing\nless than death. And Bedr-ed-Deen was amazed, and bewailed his lot, and\nremained a while absorbed in reflection. The Wezeer, therefore, said to\nhim, Of what art thou thinking? He answered, Of imbecile minds, such as\nthine; for if thou wert a man of sense thou wouldst not have treated me\nin this manner on account of the deficiency of pepper.--It is incumbent\non us, replied the Wezeer, to punish thee, that thou mayest not do the\nlike again:--to which Bedr-ed-Deen rejoined, The least of the things\nthou hast done to me were a sufficient punishment. The Wezeer, however,\nsaid, Thy death is unavoidable.--All this conversation took place while\nthe carpenter was preparing the cross; and Bedr-ed-Deen was looking on.\n\nThus they both continued until the approach of night, when\nBedr-ed-Deen's uncle took him and put him again into the chest, saying,\nTo-morrow shall be thy crucifixion. He then waited until he perceived\nthat he was asleep; upon which he remounted, and, with the chest borne\nbefore him, entered the city, and repaired to his house: and when he had\narrived there he said to his daughter Sitt-el-\u1e24osn, Praise be to God who\nhath restored to thee the son of thine uncle! Arise, and furnish the\nhouse as it was on the night of the bridal display.--She therefore\nordered her female slaves to do so; and they arose, and lighted the\ncandles; and the Wezeer brought out the paper upon which he had written\nhis inventory of the furniture of the house, and read it, and ordered\nthem to put every thing in its place, so that the beholder would not\ndoubt that this was the very night of the bridal display. He directed\nthem to put Bedr-ed-Deen's turban in the place where its owner had\ndeposited it, and in like manner the trousers, and the purse which was\nbeneath the mattress, and ordered his daughter to adorn herself as she\nwas on the bridal night, and to enter the bride-chamber; saying to her,\nWhen the son of thine uncle comes into thy chamber, say to him, Thou\nhast loitered since thou withdrewest from me this night:--and request\nhim to return and converse with thee till day.--Having thus arranged\neverything, the Wezeer took out Bedr-ed-Deen from the chest, removed the\nshackles from his feet, and stripped him of his outer clothes, leaving\nhim in his shirt.\n\nAll this was done while he was asleep, unconscious of what was passing;\nand when he awoke, and found himself in an illuminated vestibule, he\nsaid, within himself, Am I bewildered by dreams, or am I awake? Then\nrising, he advanced a little way to an inner door, and looked, and lo,\nhe was in the house in which the bride had been displayed, and he beheld\nthe bride-chamber and the couch and his turban and clothes. Confounded\nat the sight of these things, he took one step forwards and another\nbackwards, thinking, Am I asleep or awake? And he began to wipe his\nforehead, and exclaimed in his astonishment,\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBy Allah, this is the dwelling of the bride who was here displayed\nbefore me: and yet I was just now in a chest. And while he was\naddressing himself, behold Sitt-el-\u1e24osn lifted up the corner of the\nmusquito curtain, and said, O my master, wilt thou not come in? for thou\nhast loitered since thou withdrewest from me this night. When he heard\nthese words he looked at her face, and laughed, and said, Verily, these\nappearances are bewildering illusions of a dream! Then entering, he\nsighed; and as he reflected upon what had happened to him, he was\nperplexed at his situation, and his case seemed involved in obscurity.\nLooking at his turban and trousers, and the purse containing the\nthousand pieces of gold, he exclaimed, Allah is all-knowing!--but it\nseemeth to me that I am bewildered by dreams!--And he was confounded in\nthe excess of his astonishment. Upon this, therefore, Sitt-el-\u1e24osn said\nto him, Wherefore do I behold thee thus astonished and perplexed? Thou\nwast not so in the commencement of the night.--And he laughed, and asked\nher, How many years have I been absent from thee?--Allah preserve thee!\nshe exclaimed. The name of Allah encompass thee![IV_65] Thou hast\nonly withdrawn to yonder apartment. What hath passed in thy mind?--On\nhearing this he smiled, and replied, Thou hast spoken truth; but when I\nwithdrew from thee, sleep overcame me, and I dreamt that I was a cook in\nDamascus, and that I lived there twelve years;[IV_66] and I\nthought that a youth of the sons of the great came to me, accompanied\nby a eunuch,--and he proceeded to relate what had happened to him in\nconsequence of this youth's visit: then drawing his hand over his\nforehead, he felt the scar occasioned by the blow, and exclaimed, By\nAllah, O my mistress, it seemeth as though it were true; for he struck\nme with a stone upon my forehead, and cut it open: it seemeth,\ntherefore, as though this had really happened when I was awake: but\nprobably this dream occurred when we were both asleep. I imagined in my\ndream that I was transported to Damascus, without \u1e6darboosh or turban or\ntrousers, and that I followed the occupation of a cook.--And again, for\na while, he remained utterly confounded. He then said, By Allah, I\nimagined that I made a confection of pomegranate-grains containing but\nlittle pepper. Verily I must have been asleep, and in my sleep have seen\nall this.--I conjure thee by Allah, said Sitt-el-\u1e24osn, tell me what more\nthou sawest? And he related to her the whole; and added, If I had not\nawaked, they would have crucified me upon a wooden cross.--On account of\nwhat? said she. He answered, On account of the deficiency of pepper in\nthe confection of pomegranate-grains; and I imagined that they\ndemolished my shop, and broke all my vessels, and put me in a chest, and\nbrought the carpenter to make a cross of wood; for they intended to\ncrucify me upon it. Praise be to God, therefore, who caused all this to\noccur to me in sleep, and caused it not to happen to me when I was\nawake!--Sitt-el-\u1e24osn, laughing at his words, pressed him to her bosom,\nand he in like manner embraced her. Then reflecting again, he said, By\nAllah, it seems as if it had happened when I was awake; and I knew not\nthe reason, nor the truth of the case.--And he composed himself to\nsleep, perplexed with his case, and sometimes saying, I saw it in my\nsleep,--and other times, I experienced it awake.\n\nThus he continued until the morning, when his uncle, the Wezeer\nShems-ed-Deen, came in to him, and saluted him; and Bedr-ed-Deen, as\nsoon as he beheld him, exclaimed, I conjure thee by Allah, tell me art\nnot thou he who gave orders to bind my hands behind me, and to nail up\nmy shop, on account of the confection of pomegranate-grains, because it\nwas deficient in pepper? The Wezeer answered, Know, O my son, that the\ntruth hath appeared, and what was hidden hath been manifested. Thou art\nthe son of my brother; and I did not this but to know if thou wert he\nwho visited my daughter on that night. I was not convinced of this until\nI saw that thou knewest the house, and thy turban and trousers and gold,\nand the two papers; namely, the one which thou wrotest, and that which\nthy father, my brother, wrote: for I had never seen thee before, and\ntherefore knew thee not; and as to thy mother, I have brought her with\nme from El-Ba\u1e63rah.--Having thus said, he threw himself upon him, and\nwept; and Bedr-ed-Deen, full of astonishment at his uncle's words,\nembraced him, and in like manner wept from excess of joy. The Wezeer\nthen said to him, O my son, the cause of all this was what passed\nbetween me and thy father. And he related to him the circumstances of\ntheir case, and the cause of his father's departure to El-Ba\u1e63rah; after\nwhich he sent for 'Ajeeb; and when the father of the youth saw him, he\nexclaimed, This is he who threw the stone at me.--This, said the Wezeer,\nis thy son. And Bedr-ed-Deen cast himself upon him, and recited the\nfollowing verses:--\n\n Long have I wept on account of our disunion; the tears overflowing\n from my eyelids;\n And I vowed that if Providence should bring us together, I would\n never again mention our separation.\n Joy hath overcome me to such a degree that by its excess it hath\n made me weep.\n O eye, thou hast become so accustomed to tears that thou weepest\n from happiness as from grief.[IV_67]\n\nAnd when he had uttered these words, his mother, beholding him, threw\nherself upon him, and repeated this couplet:--\n\n Fortune made a vow to torment me incessantly; but thine oath\n hath proved false, O Fortune; therefore expiate it.[IV_63]\n Happiness hath arrived, and the beloved is come to my relief:\n repair then to the messenger of festivity, and hasten.\n\nShe afterwards related to him everything that had happened to her; and\nhe also acquainted her with all that he had suffered; and they offered\nup thanks to God for their union. The Wezeer then went up to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n,\nand informed him of these occurrences; and the King was astonished, and\nordered that a statement of them should be inserted in the records, to\nbe preserved to future ages. And the Wezeer resided with his brother's\nson, and his own daughter and her son, and with the wife of his brother;\nand all of them passed their lives in the enjoyment of the utmost\nhappiness until they were visited by the terminator of delights, and the\nseparator of companions.[IV_69]\n\nSuch, O Prince of the Faithful, said Ja\u1ea1far, were the events that\nhappened to the Wezeer Shems-ed-Deen and his brother Noor-ed-Deen.--By\nAllah, exclaimed the Khaleefeh H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed, this story is\nwonderful! And he gave one of his own concubines to the young man who\nhad killed his wife, and appointed him a regular maintenance; and the\nyoung man became one of his companions at the table.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO CHAPTER FOURTH.\n\nNOTE 1. From the close of Chapter iii., the order of the tales in this\ntranslation (agreeably with the Cairo edition) differs from that which\nis followed in the old version.\n\nNOTE 2. This alludes to the poor man's want of sufficient clothing; for,\nin the climate of Baghd\u00e1d, a person who is not very scantily clad is in\nlittle need of a fire to warm himself.\n\nNOTE 3. My sheykh has remarked, in a marginal note, that these verses\nwould be appropriate only from the mouth of a learned man complaining of\nthe unprofitableness of his science with respect to procuring him money;\nbut perhaps, in writing this, he was actuated by a somewhat over-zealous\nregard for the honour of his own profession; for, when a poor man has\nacquired a little knowledge, his neighbours are apt to flatter him.\n\nNOTE 4. The \"iz\u00e1r\" has been described in the second note to Chapter iii.\n\nNOTE 5. Literally, \"the sons of thine uncle;\" but the meaning is, \"thy\nkinsmen.\"\n\nNOTE 6.--_On Bastinading._ In Arabian, and some other Eastern,\ncountries, it is a common custom, when a person is accused of a crime\nbefore a magistrate, and denies his guilt, to bastinade him, in order to\ninduce him to confess; and even witnesses, sometimes, are treated in the\nsame manner. The beating is usually inflicted with a kurb\u00e1j (a thong or\nwhip of hippopotamus' hide hammered into a round form) or with a stick,\nand generally on the soles of the feet. For this purpose the feet are\nconfined by a chain or rope attached at each end to a staff, which is\nturned round to tighten it. This is called a \"fala\u1e33ah.\" Two persons (one\non each side) strike alternately; and the punishment is often continued\nuntil the sufferer becomes insensible, and even longer.\n\nNOTE 7.--_Of Sales by Auction._ In many of the soo\u1e33s (market-streets, or\nb\u00e1z\u00e1rs) in Arabian cities, auctions are held on stated days, once or\nmore frequently in every week. They are conducted by brokers (dell\u00e1ls),\nhired either by private persons or by shopkeepers. These brokers carry\nthe goods up and down the street, announcing the sums bidden, with cries\nof \"\u1e25ar\u00e1j,\" &c.; and the shopkeepers, as well as others, purchase of\nthem.\n\nNOTE 8. I have before mentioned, that this horrid mode of punishing a\nwoman suspected of incontinence is not unfrequently practised among the\nArabs. Many similar cases have been mentioned to me in Egypt as having\noccurred in that country in the present age; and often the murder is\ncommitted by the father or a brother of the woman, as her relations are\nconsidered as more disgraced than the husband by her crime. The present\ntale is probably founded on some particular occurrence of this kind. One\nis related as having happened in the reign of the Khaleefeh El-Mo\u1ea1ta\u1e0did.\nIn this case, some limbs of the murdered woman, in two leathern bags,\nwere brought up from the bed of the Tigris in the net of a\nfisherman.[276] [Such barbarity, however, is contrary to law, as is\nstated in two former notes.--ED.]\n\nNOTE 9.--_Of the Retaliation of Injuries on the Day of Resurrection._\nThe \"examination being past, and every one's works weighed in a just\nbalance, that mutual retaliation will follow according to which every\ncreature will take vengeance one of another, or have satisfaction made\nto him for the injuries which he hath suffered. And since there will\nthen be no other way of returning like for like, the manner of giving\nthis satisfaction will be, by taking away a proportionable part of the\ngood works of him who offered the injury, and adding it to those of him\nwho suffered it. Which being done, if the angels (by whose ministry this\nis to be performed) say, 'Lord, we have given to every one his due, and\nthere remaineth of this person's good works so much as equalleth the\nweight of an ant,' God will of his mercy cause it to be doubled unto\nhim, that he may be admitted into Paradise; but if, on the contrary, his\ngood works be exhausted, and there remain evil works only, and there be\nany who have not yet received satisfaction from him, God will order that\nan equal weight of their sins be added unto his, that he may be punished\nfor them in their stead, and he will be sent to Hell laden with\nboth.\"[277]\n\nNOTE 10. \"Rey\u1e25\u00e1n\" is a common proper name of men, now commonly given to\nslaves; and the name of the sweet basil in particular (also called\n\"ree\u1e25\u00e1n\") and of sweet-smelling plants in general. It also signifies\n\"any favour of God,\" \"the supplies necessary for subsistence,\" \"a son,\"\n&c.\n\nNOTE 11. This ejaculation is addressed to God.\n\nNOTE 12. In the original, \"Mi\u1e63r,\" _vulg._, \"Ma\u1e63r.\" This is the name\nwhich the Arabs give to Egypt, and which they have also given to its\nsuccessive capitals, or seats of government, Memphis, Egyptian Babylon,\nEl-Fus\u1e6d\u00e1\u1e6d, and El-\u1e32\u00e1hireh, or Cairo. It is here applied to Cairo, as\nwill be shewn by the following note, and by the sequel of the tale,\nthough this city was not founded until long after the reign of H\u00e1roon\nEr-Rasheed. I may here remark, that I have not found the name of \"Mi\u1e63r\"\napplied to Cairo in any Arabic work anterior to the conquest of Egypt by\nthe 'Osm\u00e1nlee Turks, which happened in the year of the Flight 923 (A.D.\n1517). El-Fus\u1e6d\u00e1\u1e6d retained this appellation in the time of Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee,\nwho died in the year of the Flight 911, but it ceased to do so before\nthe time of El-Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33ee, who brought down his history to the month of\nRama\u1e0d\u00e1n, 1032 (A.D. 1623). It is probable, therefore, that the name of\n\"Misr\"[typo Mi\u1e63r] was transferred to Cairo on the occasion of the\nconquest by the Turks. I must not assert, that this observation alone\nenables us to form a decided judgment as to the period when this work\nwas composed, as it may be objected that copyists have perhaps\nsubstituted \"Mi\u1e63r\" for \"El-\u1e32\u00e1hireh;\" but I persue the inquiry in the\nnext note.\n\nNOTE 13.--_On several Evidences of the Period when this Work, in the\nstates in which it is known to us, was composed or compiled or\nremodelled._ The tale here presents another anachronism. The title of\n\"Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n,\" as a prefix, was first borne by Ma\u1e25mood Ibn-Sabuktekeen, in\nthe year of the Flight 393, just two hundred years after the death of\nH\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed; and there was no Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n of Egypt until the year of\nthe Flight 567 of a little later; the first being the famous\n\u1e62al\u00e1\u1e25-ed-Deen, or Saladin.\n\nI have now given several data upon which to found a reasonable opinion\nas to the age when these tales, in the states in which they are known\nto us, were composed or compiled or remodelled. First, in Note 55 to\nChapter ii., I have shewn that a fiction in one of the tales is framed\nin accordance with the distinction of Muslims, Christians, and Jews, by\nthe colours of their turbans, which mode of distinction originated in\nthe beginning of the eighth century of the Flight. Secondly, in the\npresent note, I have mentioned a fact which affords some reason for\ninferring that there had been a long series of Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns in Egypt before\nthe age of the writer or writers. In the third place, I must remark,\nthat all the events described in this work are said to have happened in\nages which, with respect to that of the writer or writers, were\n_ancient_, being related to an ancient king; from which I think we may\ninfer its age to have been at least two centuries posterior to the\nperiod mentioned in the first of these data. Fourthly, in Note 22 to\nChapter iii., I have shewn that the state of manners and morals\ndescribed in many of these tales agrees, in a most important point of\nview, with the manners and morals of the Arabs at the commencement of\nthe tenth century of the Flight. This I regard as an argument of great\nweight, and especially satisfactory as agreeing with the inference just\nbefore drawn. Fifthly, from what I have stated in the note immediately\npreceding, I incline to the opinion that few of the copies of this work\nnow known to us, if any, were written until after the conquest of Egypt\nby the Turks, in the year 1517 of our era. This opinion, it should be\nremarked, respects especially the _early_ portion of the work, which is\nthe least likely to have been interpolated, as later parts evidently\nhave been. At the last-mentioned period, a native of Cairo (in which\ncity I believe the principal portion of the work to have been written)\nmight, if about forty years of age, retain a sufficient recollection of\nthe later Memlook Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns and of their ministers to describe his kings\nand courts without the necessity of consulting the writings of\nhistorians; deriving his knowledge of early times not from the perusal\nof any regular record, but only from traditions or from works like the\npresent.--I should have delayed the insertion of the foregoing remarks,\nhad I not considered it a point of some importance to suggest to the\nreader, as early as possible, that the manners and customs, and in\ngeneral even the dresses and dwellings, described in most of the present\ntales, are those of a very late period. The lax state of morals which\nappears to have prevailed among the Arabs in the time of the writer or\nwriters probably continued at least until the period when coffee became\na common beverage, about the middle of the tenth century of the Flight\n(or near the middle of the sixteenth century of our era), and perhaps\nconsiderably later, until some years after the introduction of tobacco\ninto the East. The researches of Von Hammer have satisfactorily shewn\nthat the Thousand and One Nights, in the states in which it is known to\nus, is based upon a very old work, in Persian; an Arabic translation of\nwhich bore a similar, or perhaps the same, title as that which we are\nconsidering; but I believe the last to be, in its best features, a very\nlate production.\n\nNOTE 14. \"Shems-ed-Deen\" signifies \"the Sun of the Religion;\" and\n\"Noor-ed-Deen,\" \"the Light of the Religion.\"\n\nNOTE 15.--_Customs observed after a Death._ Though the men, in Arabian\ncountries, make no change in their dress in indication of mourning, they\nobserve other customs after the death of a relation. By the term here\nused in the original for \"mourning\" (\"'az\u00e1,\" the primary signification\nof which is \"consolation\" or \"condolence\"), an allusion is made to\nreceiving the visits of condoling friends. On the night immediately\nfollowing the burial, several persons are employed to perform\nrecitations of portions of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, &c. The most remarkable of these\nceremonies consists in repeating thrice one thousand times, \"There is no\ndeity but God:\" one of the performers having a string of a thousand\nlarge beads by means of which to count these repetitions. Some persons\nare also hired to perform a recitation of the whole of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n in the\nafternoon or evening of the first Thursday after the funeral, and often\non other days; and the merit of these and the former religious acts is\ntransferred to the soul of the deceased.--These customs I have fully\ndescribed in my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. ch. xv.\n\nNOTE 16. The island here alluded to is that called \"Er-R\u00f3\u1e0dah,\" or \"The\nGarden.\"\n\nNOTE 17. The prayer-carpet, which resembles a wide hearth-rug, is seldom\nused as a covering for the saddle except when the rider is a person of\nthe learned profession. It is probably mentioned here to shew that\nNoor-ed-Deen was an officer of the pen, which was generally the case\nwith the Wezeers of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns of Egypt.\n\nNOTE 18. Jerusalem is called in the original, and by the modern Arabs,\n\"El-\u1e32uds,\" which signifies \"Holiness.\"\n\nNOTE 19. The Arabic name of Aleppo is \"\u1e24alab.\"\n\nNOTE 20. An Arab of rank is seldom seen on foot outside the threshold of\nhis own house, unless it be merely to cross the street.\n\nNOTE 21. The decoration here alluded to consists in furnishing the\napartment with costly carpets, handsome cushions, rich coverings for the\ndeew\u00e1ns, and coloured lamps, &c.\n\nNOTE 22. This, to some readers, may appear odd: it should therefore be\nexplained that most articles of Arab clothing are equally suitable to\nyoung and old, thin and stout.\n\nNOTE 23. \"\u1e24asan\" signifies \"Beautiful\" or \"Handsome.\"\n\nNOTE 24.--_On Infancy and Education._ I may avoid an unnecessary\nmultiplication of notes on the same, or nearly the same, subject, by\navailing myself of this occasion to insert here the following\nillustrations of numerous passages, in the preceding and subsequent\ntales, relating to infancy and education.\n\nIn few cases are the Mohammadans so much fettered by the directions of\ntheir Prophet and other religious institutors as in the rearing and\neducating of their children. In matters of the most trivial nature,\nreligious precedents direct their management of the young. One of the\nfirst duties is, to wrap the new-born child in clean white linen, or in\nlinen of some other colour; but not yellow. After this, some person [not\na female] should pronounce the ad\u00e1n[278] in the ear of the infant,\nbecause the Prophet did so in the ear of El-\u1e24asan when F\u00e1timeh gave\nbirth to him; or he should pronounce the ad\u00e1n in the right ear, and the\ni\u1e33ameh (which is nearly the same) in the left.[279]\n\nIt was formerly a custom of many of the Arabs, and perhaps is still\namong some, for the father to give a feast to his friends on seven\nsuccessive days after the birth of a son; but that of a daughter was\nobserved with less rejoicing. The general modern custom is, to give an\nentertainment only on the seventh day, which is called \"Y\u00f3m es-Suboo\u1ea1.\"\nOn this occasion, the mother, having left her bed, receives her guests;\nthe child is exhibited to them; and they give presents of gold or silver\ncoins, which are generally used to decorate the infant's head-dress. The\nfather entertains his friends in the evening.\n\nOn this day, or on the fourteenth, twenty-first, twenty-eighth, or\nthirty-fifth day after the birth, several religious ceremonies are\nrequired to be performed; but they are most approved if observed on the\nseventh day. One of these is the naming. I believe, however, that it is\na more common custom to give the name almost immediately after the\nbirth, or about three hours after. Astrologers were often consulted on\nthis occasion; but the following directions are given on higher\nauthority, and are generally observed.--\"The father should give his son\na good name, ... not a name of self-praise, as Rasheed [Orthodox], Emeen\n[Faithful], &c.... The prophet said, 'The names most approved by God are\n'Abd-Allah [Servant of God] and 'Abd-Er-Ra\u1e25m\u00e1n [Servant of the\nCompassionate], and such like.' He also said, 'Give my name, but do not\ndistinguish by my surname of relationship:' but this precept, they say,\nrespects his own life-time, ... because he was addressed, 'O\nAbu-l-\u1e32\u00e1sim!' and now it is not disapproved; but some disapprove of\nuniting the name and surname, so as to call a person Mohammad and\nAbu-l-\u1e32\u00e1sim. And if a son be called by the name of a prophet it is not\nallowable to abuse or vilify him, unless the person so named be facing\nhis reproacher, who should say, 'Thou' [without mentioning his name]:\nand a child named Mo\u1e25ammad or A\u1e25mad should be [especially] honoured....\nThe Prophet said, 'There is no people holding a consultation at which\nthere is present one whose name is Mo\u1e25ammad or A\u1e25mad, but God blesseth\nall that assembly:' and again he said, 'Whoever nameth his child by my\nname, or by that of any of my children or my companions, from affection\nto me or to them, God (whose name be exalted!) will give him in Paradise\nwhat eye hath not seen nor ear heard.' And a son should not be named\nKing of kings, or Lord of lords; nor should a man take a surname of\nrelationship from the name of the eldest of his children; nor take any\nsuch surname before a child is born to him.\"[280]--The custom of naming\nchildren after prophets, or after relations or companions of Mo\u1e25ammad,\nis very common. No ceremony is observed on account of the naming.\n\nOn the same day, however, two practices which I am about to mention are\nprescribed to be observed; though, as far as my observations and\ninquiries allow me to judge, they are generally neglected by the modern\nMuslims. The first of these is a sacrifice. The victim is called\n'a\u1e33ee\u1e33ah. It should be a ram or goat; or two such animals should be\nsacrificed for a son, and one for a daughter. This rite is regarded by\nIbn-\u1e24ambal as absolutely obligatory: he said, \"If a father sacrifice not\nfor his son, and he [the son] die, that son will not intercede for him\non the day of judgment.\" The founders of the three other principal sects\nregard it in different and less important lights, though Mohammad slew\nan 'a\u1e33ee\u1e33ah for himself after his prophetic mission. The person should\nsay, on slaying the victim, \"O God, verily this a\u1e33ee\u1e33ah is a ransom\nfor my son such a one; its blood for his blood, and its flesh for his\nflesh, and its bone for his bone, and its skin for his skin, and its\nhair for his hair. O God, make it a ransom for my son from Hell-fire.\" A\nbone of the victim should not be broken.[281] The midwife should receive\na leg of it. It should be cooked without previously cutting off any\nportion of it; and part of it should be given in alms.--After this\nshould be performed the other ceremony above alluded to, which is this.\nIt is a sunneh ordinance, incumbent on the father, to shave, or cause to\nbe shaved, the head of his child, and to give, in alms to the poor, the\nweight of the hair in gold or silver. This should also be done for a\nproselyte.[282] On the subsequent occasions of shaving the head of a\nmale child (for the head of the male is frequently shaven), a tuft of\nhair is generally left on the crown, and commonly, for several years,\nanother also over the forehead.\n\nCircumcision is most approved if performed on the same day:[283] but the\nobservance of this rite is generally delayed until the child has\nattained the age of five or six years, and sometimes several years\nlater. I shall therefore delay mentioning the ceremonies with which it\nis celebrated.\n\nThe Muslims rightly regard a child as a trust committed by God to its\nparents, who, they hold, are responsible for the manner in which they\nbring it up, and will be examined on this subject on the day of\njudgment. But they further venture to say, that \"the first who will lay\nhold of a man on the day of judgment will be his wife and children, who\n[if he have been deficient in his duty to them] will present themselves\nbefore God, and say, 'O our Lord, take for us our due from him; for he\ntaught us not that of which we were ignorant, and he fed us with\nforbidden food, and we knew not:' and their due will be taken from\nhim.\"[284] By this is meant, that a certain proportion of the good works\nwhich the man may have done, and his children and wife neglected, will\nbe set down to their account; or that a similar proportion of their evil\nworks will be transferred to _his_ account.\n\nThe mother is enjoined by the law to give suck to her child two full\nyears, unless she have her husband's consent to shorten the period, or\nto employ another nurse. \"For suckling the child, a virtuous woman, who\neateth only what is lawful, should be chosen; for the unlawful [food]\nwill manifest its evil in the child: as the Prophet ... said, 'Giving\nsuck altereth the tempers.' But it is recommended by the sunneh that the\nmother herself suckle the child; for it is said in a tradition, 'There\nis nothing better for a child than its mother's milk.' 'If thou wouldst\ntry,' it is added,'whether a child be of an ingenuous disposition in its\ninfancy, or not, order a woman who is not its mother to suckle it after\nits mother has done so; and if it drink of the milk of the woman who is\nnot its mother, it is not of an ingenuous disposition.'\"[285]\n\nChildren, being regarded by Muslim parents as enviable blessings, are,\nto them, objects of the most anxious solicitude. To guard them from the\nsupposed influence of the envious or evil eye, they have recourse to\nvarious expedients. When they are taken abroad, they are usually clad in\nthe most slovenly manner, and left unwashed, or even purposely smeared\nwith dirt; and as a further precaution, a fantastic cap is often put\nupon the child's head, or its head-dress is decorated with one or more\ncoins, a feather, a gay tassel, or a written charm or two sewed up in\nleather or encased in gold or silver, or some other appendage to attract\nthe eye, that so the infant itself may pass unnoticed. If a person\nexpress his admiration of another's child otherwise than by some pious\nejaculation, as, for instance, by praising its Creator (with the\nexclamation of \"Sub\u1e25\u00e1na-ll\u00e1h!\" or, \"M\u00e1 sh\u00e1a-ll\u00e1h!\" &c.) or invoking a\nblessing on the Prophet, he fills the mind of the parent with\napprehension; and recourse is had to some superstitious ceremony to\ncounteract the dreaded influence of his envious glance. The children of\nthe poor are less exposed to this imaginary danger from their\nunattractive appearance: they generally have little clothing, or none\nwhatever, and are extremely dirty. It is partly with the view of\nprotecting them from the evil eye, that those of the rich are so long\nconfined to the \u1e25areem: there they are petted and pampered for several\nyears; at least until they are of age to go to school; but most of them\nare instructed at home.\n\nThe children of the Muslims are taught to shew to their fathers a degree\nof respect which might be deemed incompatible with the existence of a\ntender mutual affection; but I believe that this is not the case. The\nchild greets the father in the morning by kissing his hand, and then\nusually stands before him in a respectful attitude, with the left hand\ncovered by the right, to receive any order or to await his permission to\ndepart; but after the respectful kiss, is often taken on the lap. After\nthe period of infancy, the well-bred son seldom sits in the presence of\nhis father; but during that period he is generally allowed much\nfamiliarity. A Syrian merchant, who was one of my near neighbours in\nCairo, had a child of exquisite beauty, commonly supposed to be his\ndaughter, whom, though he was a most bigoted Muslim, he daily took with\nhim from his private house to his shop. The child followed him, seated\nupon an ass, before a black slave; and, until about six years old, was\ndressed like most young ladies, but without a face-veil. The father then\nthinking that the appearance of taking about with him a daughter of that\nage was scandalous, dressed his pet as a boy, and told his friends that\nthe female attire had been employed as a protection against the evil\neye; girls being less coveted than boys. This indeed is sometimes done;\nand it is possible that such might have been the case in this instance;\nbut I was led to believe that it was not so. A year after, I left\nCairo: while I remained there, I continued to see the child pass my\nhouse as before; but always in boy's clothing.\n\nIt is not surprising that the natives of Arabian countries, where a very\ntrifling expense is required to rear the young, should be generally\ndesirous of a numerous offspring. A motive of self-interest conduces\nforcibly to cherish this feeling in a wife, for she is commonly esteemed\nby her husband in proportion to her fruitfulness; and a man is seldom\nwilling to divorce a wife, or to sell a slave, who has borne him a\nchild. A similar feeling also induces in both parents a desire to obtain\noffspring, and renders them at the same time resigned to the loss of\nsuch of their children as die in tender age. This feeling arises from\ntheir belief of certain services, of greater moment than the richest\nblessings this world can bestow, which children who die in infancy are\nto render to their parents. The Prophet is related to have said, \"The\ninfant children [of the Muslims] shall assemble at the scene of judgment\non the day of the general resurrection, when all creatures shall appear\nfor the reckoning, and it will be said to the angels, 'Go ye with these\ninto Paradise:' and they will halt at the gate of Paradise, and it will\nbe said to them, 'Welcome to the offspring of the Muslims! enter ye\nParadise: there is no reckoning to be made with you:' and they will\nreply, 'Yea, and our fathers and our mothers:' but the guardians of\nParadise will say, 'Verily your fathers and your mothers are not with\nyou because they have committed faults and sins for which they must be\nreckoned with and inquired of.' Then they will shriek and cry at the\ngate of Paradise with a great cry; and God (whose name be exalted!) and\nwho is all-knowing respecting them) will say, 'What is this cry?' It\nwill be answered, 'O our Lord, the children of the Muslims say, We will\nnot enter Paradise but with our fathers and our mothers.' Whereupon God\n(whose name be exalted!) will say 'Pass among them all, and take the\nhands of your parents, and introduce them into Paradise.'\" The children\nwho are to have this power are such as are born of believers, and die\nwithout having attained to the knowledge of sin; and according to one\ntradition, one such child will introduce his parents into Paradise.\n[Such infants only are to enter Paradise; for, of the children who die\nin infancy, those of believers alone are they who would believe if they\ngrew to years of discretion.] On the same authority it is said, \"When a\nchild of the servant [of God] dies, God (whose name be exalted!) saith\nto the angels, 'Have ye taken the child of my servant?' They answer,\n'Yea.' He saith, 'Have ye taken the child of his heart?' They reply,\n'Yea.' He asketh them, 'What did my servant say?' They answer, 'He\npraised thee, and said, Verily to God we belong, and verily unto Him we\nreturn!' Then God will say, 'Build for my servant a house in Paradise,\nand name it the House of Praise.'\" To these traditions, which I find\nrelated as proofs of the advantages of marriage, the following anecdote,\nwhich is of a similar nature, is added. A certain man, who would not\ntake a wife, awoke one day from his sleep, and demanded to be married,\nsaying, as his reason, \"I dreamt that the resurrection had taken place,\nand that I was among the beings collected at the scene of judgment, but\nwas suffering a thirst that stopped up the passage of my stomach; and\nlo, there were youths passing through the assembly, having in their\nhands ewers of silver, and cups of gold, and giving drink to one person\nafter another; so I stretched forth my hand to one of them, and said,\n'Give me to drink; for thirst overpowereth me:' but they answered, 'Thou\nhast no child among us: we give drink only to our fathers.' I asked\nthem, 'Who are ye?' They replied, 'We are the deceased infant children\nof the Muslims.'\"[286] Especial rewards in heaven are promised to\nmothers. \"When a woman conceives by her husband,\" said the Prophet, \"she\nis called in heaven a martyr [_i.e._ she is ranked as a martyr in\ndignity]; and her labour in child-bed, and her care for her children,\nprotect her from Hell-fire.'\"[287]\n\n\"When the child begins to speak, the father should teach him first the\nkelimeh [or profession of faith], 'There is no deity but God: [Mo\u1e25ammad\nis God's apostle:]'--he should dictate this to him seven times. Then he\nshould instruct him to say, 'Wherefore, exalted be God, the King, the\nTruth! There is no deity but He, the Lord of the honourable\nthrone.'[288] He should teach him also the Throne-verse,[289] and the\nclosing words of the \u1e24ashr, 'He is God, beside whom there is no deity,\nthe King, the Holy,'\" &c.[290]\n\nAs soon as a son is old enough, his father should teach him the most\nimportant rules of decent behaviour: placing some food before him, he\nshould order him to take it with the right hand (the left being employed\nfor unclean purposes), and to say, on commencing, \"In the name of God;\"\nto eat what is next to him, and not to hurry, nor spill any of the food\nupon his person or dress. He should teach him that it is disgusting to\neat much. He should particularly condemn to him the love of gold and\nsilver, and caution him against covetousness as he would against\nserpents and scorpions; and forbid his spitting in an assembly, and\ncommitting any similar breach of good manners, talking much, turning his\nback upon another, standing in an indolent attitude, and speaking ill of\nany person to another. He should keep him from bad companions, teach him\nthe \u1e32ur-\u00e1n and all requisite divine and prophetic ordinances, and\ninstruct him in the arts of swimming and archery, and in some virtuous\ntrade; for trade is a security from poverty. He should also command him\nto endure patiently the chastisements of his teacher. In one tradition\nit is said, \"When a boy attains the age of six years he should be\ndisciplined; and when he attains to nine years he should be put in a\nseparate bed; and when he attains to ten years he should be beaten for\n[neglecting] prayer:\" in another tradition, \"Order your children to pray\nat seven [years], and beat them for [neglecting] it at ten, and put them\nin separate beds.\"[291]\n\nCircumcision, which has before been mentioned, is generally performed\nbefore the boy is submitted to the instruction of the schoolmaster.[292]\nPreviously to the performance of this rite, he is, if belonging to the\nhigher or middle rank of society, usually paraded about the\nneighbourhood of his parents' dwelling, gaily attired, chiefly with\nfemale habits and ornaments, but with a boy's turban on his head,\nmounted on a horse, preceded by musicians, and followed by a group of\nhis female relations and friends. This ceremony is observed by the great\nwith much pomp and with sumptuous feasts. El-Jabartee mentions a f\u00eate\ncelebrated on the occasion of the circumcision of a son of the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee of\nCairo, in the year of the Flight 1179 (A.D. 1766), when the grandees and\nchief merchants and 'ulam\u00e0 of the city sent him such abundance of\npresents that the magazines of his mansion were filled with rice and\nbutter and honey and sugar; the great hall, with coffee; and the middle\nof the court, with firewood: the public were amused for many days by\nplayers and performers of various kinds; and when the youth was paraded\nthrough the streets he was attended by numerous memlooks with their\nrichly-caparisoned horses and splendid arms and armour and military\nband, and by a number of other youths who, from compliment to him, were\ncircumcised afterwards with him. This latter custom is usual on such\noccasions; and so also is the sending of presents, such as those above\nmentioned, by friends, acquaintances, and tradespeople.' At a f\u00eate of\nthis kind, when the Khaleefeh El-Mu\u1e33tedir circumcised five of his sons,\nthe money that was scattered in presents amounted to six hundred\nthousand pieces of gold, or about \u00a3300,000. Many orphans were also\ncircumcised on the same day, and were presented with clothes and pieces\nof gold.[293] The Khaleefeh above mentioned was famous for his\nmagnificence, a proof of which I have given in a former note. At the\nmore approved entertainments which are given in celebration of a\ncircumcision, a recital of the whole of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, or a zikr, is\nperformed: at some others, male or female public dancers perform in the\ncourt of the house, or in the street before the door.\n\nFew of the children of the Arabs receive much instruction in literature,\nand still fewer are taught even the rudiments of any of the higher\nsciences; but there are numerous schools in their towns, and one at\nleast in almost every moderately large village. The former are mostly\nattached to mosques and other public buildings, and, together with those\nbuildings, endowed by princes or other men of rank, or wealthy\ntradesmen. In these, the children are instructed either gratis or for a\nvery trifling weekly payment, which all parents, except those in\nindigent circumstances, can easily afford. The schoolmaster generally\nteaches nothing more than to read, and to recite by heart the whole of\nthe \u1e32ur-\u00e1n. After committing to memory the first chapter of the sacred\nvolume, the boy learns the rest in the inverse order of their\narrangement, as they generally decrease in length. Writing and\narithmetic are usually taught by another master; and grammar, rhetoric,\nversification, logic, the interpretation of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and the whole\nsystem of religion and law, with all other knowledge deemed useful,\nwhich seldom includes the mere elements of mathematics, are attained by\nstudying at a collegiate mosque, and at no expense; for the professors\nreceive no pay either from the students, who are mostly of the poorer\nclasses, or from the funds of the mosque.\n\nThe wealthy often employ for their sons a private tutor; and, when he\nhas taught them to read, and to recite the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, engage for them a\nwriting-master, and then send them to the college. But among this class,\npolite literature is more considered than any other branch of knowledge,\nafter religion. Such an acquaintance with the works of some of their\nfavourite poets as enables a man to quote them occasionally in society,\nis regarded by the Arabs as essential to a son who is to mix in genteel\ncompany; and to this acquirement is often added some skill in the art of\nversification, which is rendered peculiarly easy by the copiousness of\nthe Arabic language, and by its system of inflection. These\ncharacteristics of their noble tongue (which are remarkably exhibited by\nthe custom, common among the Arabs, of preserving the same rhyme\nthroughout a whole poem), while on the one hand they have given an\nadmirable freedom to the compositions of men of true poetic genius, have\non the other hand mainly contributed to the degradation of Arabic\npoetry. To an Arab of some little learning it is almost as easy to speak\nin verse as in prose; and hence he often intersperses his prose\nwritings, and not unfrequently his conversation, with indifferent\nverses, of which the chief merit often consists in puns, or in an\ningenious use of several words nearly the same in sound, but differing\nin sense. To a reader unacquainted with the Arabic language it is\nnecessary to explain this custom; otherwise he would imagine that the\nauthor of the present work is merely indulging in a dramatic licence\ninconsistent with a true delineation of manners, when he makes a person\nsuddenly change the style of his speech from prose to verse, and then\nrevert to the former.\n\nOne more duty of a father to a son I should here mention: it is, to\nprocure for him a wife as soon as he has arrived at a proper age. This\nage is decided by some to be twenty years; though many young men marry\nat an earlier period. It is said, \"When a son has attained the age of\ntwenty years, his father, if able, should marry him, and then take his\nhand, and say, 'I have disciplined thee, and taught thee, and married\nthee: I now seek refuge with God from thy mischief in the present world\nand the next.'\" To enforce this duty, the following tradition is urged:\n\"When a son attains to the age of puberty, and his father does not marry\nhim, and yet is able to do so, if the youth commit an improper act in\nconsequence, the sin of it is between the two,\"--or, as in another\nreport,--\"on the father.\"[294] The same is held to be the case with\nrespect to a daughter who has attained the age of twelve years.[295]\n\nThe female children of the Arabs are seldom taught even to read. Though\nthey are admissible at the daily schools in which the boys are\ninstructed, very few parents allow them the benefit of this privilege;\npreferring, if they give them any instruction of a literary kind, to\nemploy a sheykhah (or learned woman) to teach them at home. She\ninstructs them in the forms of prayer, and teaches them to repeat by\nheart a few chapters of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n; very rarely the whole book. Parents\nare indeed recommended to withhold from their daughters some portions of\nthe \u1e32ur-\u00e1n; to \"teach them the Soorat en-Noor [or 24th chapter], and\nkeep from them the Soorat-Yoosuf [12th chapter]; on account of the story\nof Zeleekh\u00e0 and Yoosuf in the latter, and the prohibitions and threats\nand mention of punishments contained in the former.\"[296]\n\nNeedlework is not so rarely, but yet not generally, taught to Arab\ngirls: the spindle frequently employs those of the poorer classes; and\nsome of them learn to weave. The daughters of persons of the middle and\nhigher ranks are often instructed in the art of embroidery, and in other\nornamental work, which are taught in schools and in private houses.\nSinging, and playing upon the lute, which were formerly not uncommon\nfemale accomplishments among the wealthy Arabs, are now almost\nexclusively confined, like dancing, to professional performers and a few\nof the slaves in the \u1e25areems of the great: it is very seldom now that\nany musical instrument is seen in the hand of an Arab lady, except a\nkind of drum called darabukkeh, and a \u1e6d\u00e1r (or tambourine), which are\nfound in many \u1e25areems, and are beaten with the fingers.[297] Some care,\nhowever, is bestowed by the ladies in teaching their daughters what they\nconsider an elegant gait and carriage, as well as various alluring and\nvoluptuous arts with which to increase the attachment of their future\nhusbands.\n\nNOTE 25.--_Water-wheels._ The water-wheels here mentioned are machines\ncommonly used for the purpose of irrigating fields and gardens. They are\ngenerally turned by a pair of cows or bulls. They raise the water from a\nriver or well in a series of earthen pots attached to cords which pass\nover a vertical wheel, and pour it into a trough, from which it flows in\nnarrow channels through the space of ground to be irrigated. A cogged\nvertical wheel is attached to the same axis as the former; and this, and\nconsequently the other also, are turned by means of a larger,\nhorizontal, cogged wheel. The ground is divided into hollow squares, or\nfurrows, into each of which in succession the water is admitted.\n\nNOTE 26. \"Bedr-ed-Deen\" signifies \"the Full Moon of the Religion.\"\n\nNOTE 27. I have here omitted the name of Shems-ed-Deen, and his office;\nas \u1e24asan's knowledge of them would render the sequel of the story too\nimprobable even to an Arab.\n\nNOTE 28. In the original, this paper is here said to have been written\nby \u1e24asan in accordance with the dictation of his father; but afterwards\nit is said to have been written by the latter; and this is more\nconsistent with the rest of the tale.\n\nNOTE 29. Papers of importance are often wrapped in waxed cloth to\npreserve them from wet, which would efface the writing, as the Arab ink\nis chiefly composed of smoke-black and gum and water.\n\nNOTE 30. In the original, the cap is not here mentioned; but it is\nafterwards.\n\nNOTE 31. This paragraph and the verses interspersed in it are translated\nfrom the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights.\n\nNOTE 32. The poet here alluded to is El-Mutanebbee.\n\nNOTE 33. It is a common custom of Eastern kings and governors to avail\nthemselves of any pretext for seizing upon the property of a deceased\nofficer who has accumulated much wealth.\n\nNOTE 34. It is implied that he was sitting at the door, or in the court,\nof his house.\n\nNOTE 35. His taking a copy is mentioned afterwards in the original; but\nnot in this place.\n\nNOTE 36. I have designated by the appellation of \"dye-women\" (from\nwant-of a better) those females who are employed to apply the \u1e25enn\u00e0,\nwhich imparts a deep orange-red dye, to the nails or tips of the\nfingers, the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, &c. Some Arab\nladies, especially on such an occasion as that here described, are\nornamented with this dye in a more fanciful manner. The woman who\napplies it is called in Arabic \"muna\u1e33\u1e33isheh.\"\n\nNOTE 37. The chief office of the tire-woman (in Arabic, \"m\u00e1shi\u1e6d\u00e1h\") is\nto comb and plait the hair. She attends the ladies in the bath; and\nhence is also called \"bell\u00e1neh.\"\n\nNOTE 38. A \"ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah\" is a bench of stone or brick, generally between\ntwo and three feet in height, and about the same in width, built against\nthe front of a shop, and sometimes along the front of a private house.\n[See Note 22 to Chapter i.--ED.]\n\nNOTE 39.--_On Marriage._ Previously to the perusal of the first\ndescription of a nuptial f\u00eate that occurs in this work, the reader may\nperhaps desire some introductory information, which I shall here\nendeavour to convey in such a manner as to make the present note serve\nto illustrate many future allusions in these pages, and not merely the\nforegoing tale.\n\nMarriage is regarded by the Muslims in general as a positive duty; and\nto neglect it, without a sufficient excuse, subjects a man to severe\nreproach. \"When a servant [of God],\" said the Prophet, \"marries, verily\nhe perfects half his religion.\"[298] He once asked a man, \"Art thou\nmarried?\" The man answered, \"No.\" \"And art thou,\" said he, \"sound and\nhealthy?\" The answer was, \"Yes.\" \"Then,\" said Mo\u1e25ammad, \"thou art one of\nthe brothers of the devils; for the most wicked among you are the\nunmarried; and the most vile among your dead are the unmarried; moreover\nthe married are those who are acquitted of filthy conversation; and by\nHim in whose hand is my soul, the devil hath not a weapon more effective\nagainst the virtuous, both men and women, than the neglect of\nmarriage.\"[299] Some remarks on this subject, and on the advantages of\nmarriage, have been made in a preceding note on infancy and education.\n\nThe number of wives whom a Muslim may have at the same time is four. He\nmay marry free women, or take concubine slaves, or have of both these\nclasses. It is the opinion of most persons, I believe, among the more\nstrictly religious, that a man may not have more than four women,\nwhether they be wives alone, or concubine slaves alone, or of both\nclasses together; but the practice of some of the Companions of the\nProphet, who cannot be accused of violating his precepts, affords a\nstrong argument to the contrary. 'Alee, it is said, \"was the most devout\nof the Companions; but he had four wives and seventeen concubines\nbesides, and married, after F\u00e1\u1e6dimeh (may God be well pleased with her!),\namong all that he married and divorced, more than two hundred women: and\nsometimes he included four wives in one contract, and sometimes divorced\nfour at one time, taking other four in their stead.\"[300] This may\nperhaps be an exaggerated statement: but it is certain that the custom\nof keeping an unlimited number of concubines was common among wealthy\nMuslims in the first century of the Mohammadan era, and has so\ncontinued. The famous author of the work above quoted urges the example\nof Solomon to prove that the possession of numerous concubines is not\ninconsistent with piety and good morals; not considering that God made\nbut one wife for Adam.\n\nIt has been mentioned in the first of the notes to this work, that a\nMuslim may divorce his wife twice, and each time take her back. This he\nmay do, even against her wish, during a fixed period, which cannot\nextend beyond three months, unless she be _enceinte_, in which latter\ncase she must wait until the birth of her child before she will be at\nliberty to contract a new marriage. During this period the husband is\nobliged to maintain her. If he divorce her a third time, or by a triple\nsentence, he cannot take her again unless with her own consent, and by a\nnew contract, and after another marriage has been consummated between\nher and another husband, and this husband also has divorced her.\n\nIt is not a common custom, especially among the middle ranks, for an\nArab to have more than one wife at the same time; but there are few of\nmiddle age who have not had several different wives at different\nperiods, tempted to change by the facility of divorce. The case of 'Alee\nhas been mentioned above. Mugheyreh Ibn-She\u1ea1beh married eighty women in\nthe course of his life;[301] and several more remarkable instances of\nthe love of change are recorded by Arab writers: the most extraordinary\ncase of this kind that I have met with was that of Mo\u1e25ammad\nIbn-E\u1e6d-\u1e6ceiyib, the Dyer, of Baghd\u00e1d, who died in the year of the Flight\n423, aged eighty-five years; of whom it is related, on most respectable\nauthority, that he married more than nine hundred women![302]--Supposing,\ntherefore, that he married his first wife when he was fifteen years of\nage, he must have had, on the average, nearly thirteen wives _per\nannum_. The women, in general, cannot of course marry so many successive\nhusbands, not only because a woman cannot have more than one husband at\na time, but also because she cannot divorce her husband. There have\nbeen, however, many instances of Arab women who have married a\nsurprising number of men in rapid succession. Among these may be\nmentioned Umm-Kh\u00e1rijeh, who gave occasion to a proverb on this subject.\nThis woman, who was of the tribe of Bejeeleh, in El-Yemen, married\nupwards of forty husbands; and her son Kh\u00e1rijeh knew not who was his\nfather. She used to contract a marriage in the quickest possible manner:\na man saying to her, \"Khi\u1e6dbun\" (betrothal), she replied, \"Nik-\u1e25un\"\n(marriage), and thus became his lawful wife. She had a very numerous\nprogeny; several tribes originating from her.[303]\n\nFor the choice of a wife, a man generally relies on his mother, or some\nother near female relation, or a professional female betrother (who is\ncalled \"kh\u00e1\u1e6dibeh\"); for there are many women who perform this office for\nhire. The law allows him to see the face of the female whom he proposes\nto marry, previously to his making the contract; but in the present day\nthis liberty is seldom obtained, except among the lower orders. Unless\nin this case, a man is not allowed to see unveiled any woman but his own\nwife or slave, and those women to whom the law prohibits his uniting\nhimself in marriage: nay, according to some, he is not allowed to \"see\"\nhis own niece unveiled, though he may not marry her. It should be added,\nthat a slave may lawfully see the face of his own mistress; but this\nprivilege is seldom granted in the present day to any slave but a\neunuch. An infringement of the law above mentioned is held to be\nextremely sinful in both parties: \"The curse of God,\" said the Prophet,\n\"is on the seer and the seen:\" yet it is very often disregarded in the\ncase of women of the lower orders.\n\nA man is forbidden, by the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n[304] and the Sunneh, to marry his\nmother, or other ascendant; daughter, or other descendant; his sister,\nor half-sister; the sister of his father or mother or other ascendant;\nhis niece, or any of her descendants; his foster-mother who has suckled\nhim five times in the course of the first two years, or a woman related\nto him by milk in any of the degrees which would preclude his marriage\nwith her if she were similarly related to him by consanguinity; the\nmother of his wife, even if he has not consummated his marriage with\nthis wife; the daughter of his wife, if he has consummated his marriage\nwith the latter (but if he has not done so, and this wife is divorced\nfrom him, or dead, he may marry her daughter); his father's wife, and\nhis son's wife; and to have at the same time two wives who are sisters,\nor aunt and niece: he is forbidden also to marry his unemancipated\nslave, or another man's slave if he has already a free wife; and to\nmarry any woman but one of his own faith, or a Christian, or a Jewess. A\nMohammadan woman, however, may only marry a man of her own faith. An\nunlawful intercourse with any woman prevents a man from marrying any of\nher relations who would be forbidden to him if she were his wife.\n\nThe reader has already seen that a cousin (the daughter of a paternal\nuncle) is often chosen as a wife, on account of the tie of blood, which\nis likely to attach her more strongly to her husband, or on account of\nan affection conceived in early years. Parity of rank is generally much\nregarded; and a man is often unable to obtain as his wife the daughter\nof one of a different profession or trade, unless an inferior; or a\nyounger daughter when an elder remains unmarried. A girl is often\nmarried at the age of twelve years, and sometimes at ten, or even nine:\nthe usual period is between twelve and sixteen years. At the age of\nthirteen or fourteen she may be a mother. The young men marry a few\nyears later.\n\nThe most important requisite in a wife is religion. The Prophet said, \"A\nvirtuous wife is better than the world and all that it contains.\" \"A\nvirtuous wife,\" said Lu\u1e33m\u00e1n, \"is like a crown on the head of a king; and\na wicked wife is like a heavy burden on the back of an old man.\" Among\nthe other chief requisites are agreeableness of temper, and beauty of\nform (undiminished by any defect or irregularity of features or\nmembers), moderation in the amount of dowry required, and good birth. It\nis said, \"if thou marry not a virgin, [which is most desirable,] marry a\ndivorced woman, and not a widow; for the divorced woman will respect thy\nwords when thou sayest, 'If there were any good in thee thou hadst not\nbeen divorced;' whereas the widow will say, 'May God have mercy on such\na one! he hath left me to one unsuited to me.'\" But according to another\nselfish maxim, the woman most to be avoided is she who is divorced from\na man by whom she has had a child; for her heart is with him, and she is\nan enemy to the man who marries her after.[305]--Modesty is a requisite\nupon which too much stress cannot be laid; but this, to an English\nreader, requires some explanation. 'Alee asked his wife F\u00e1\u1e6dimeh, \"Who is\nthe best of women?\" She answered, \"She who sees not men, and whom they\nsee not.\"[306] Modesty, therefore, in the opinion of the Muslims, is\nmost eminently shown by a woman's concealing her person, and restraining\nher eyes, from men. \"The best rank of men [in a mosque],\" said the\nProphet, \"is the front; and the best rank of women is the rear:\"[307]\nthat is, those most distant from the men: but better than even these are\nthe women who pray at home.[308]--Fruitfulness is also a desirable\nqualification to be considered in the choice of a wife: \"it may be known\nin maidens,\" says the Prophet, \"from their relations; because, generally\nspeaking, kindred are similar in disposition, &c.\"[309] Lastly,\ncontentment is to be enumerated among the requisites. It is said, on the\nsame authority, \"Verily the best of women are those that are most\ncontent with little.\"[310] To obtain a contented and submissive wife,\nmany men make their selection from among the classes inferior to them in\nrank. Others, with a similar view, prefer a concubine slave in the place\nof a wife.\n\nThe consent of a girl not arrived at the age of puberty is not required:\nher father, or, if he is dead, her nearest adult male relation, or a\nguardian appointed by will or by the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee, acts as her wekeel, or\ndeputy, to effect the marriage-contract for her. If of age, she appoints\nher own deputy. A dowry is required to legalize the marriage; and the\nleast dowry allowed by the law is ten dirhems, or drachms of silver;\nabout five shillings of our money. Mo\u1e25ammad married certain of his wives\nfor a dowry of ten dirhems and the household necessaries, which were a\nhandmill to grind the corn, a water-jar, and a pillow of skin or leather\nstuffed with the fibres of the palm-tree, which are called \"leef:\" but\nsome he married for a dowry of five hundred dirhems.[311] With the\nincrease of wealth and luxury, dowries have increased in amount; but, to\nour ideas, they are still trifling; a sum equivalent to about twenty\npounds sterling being a common dowry among Arabs of the middle classes\nfor a virgin, and half or a third or quarter of that sum for a divorced\nwoman or a widow. Two-thirds of the sum is usually paid before making\nthe contract, and the remaining portion held in reserve to be paid to\nthe woman in case of her divorce or in case of the husband's death. The\nfather or guardian of a girl under age receives the former portion of\nher dowry; but it is considered as her property, and he generally\nexpends it, with an additional sum from his own purse, in the purchase\nof necessary furniture, dress, &c., for her, which the husband can never\ntake from her against her own wish.\n\nThe marriage-contract is generally, in the present day, merely verbal;\nbut sometimes a certificate is written, and sealed by the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee. The\nmost approved or propitious period for this act is the month of Showw\u00e1l:\nthe most unpropitious, Mo\u1e25arram. The only persons whose presence is\nrequired to perform it are the bridegroom (or his deputy), the bride's\ndeputy (who is the betrother), two male witnesses, if such can be easily\nprocured, and the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee or a schoolmaster or some other person to recite\na khu\u1e6dbeh, which consists of a few words in praise of God, a form of\nblessing on the Prophet, and some passages of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, respecting\nmarriage. They all recite the F\u00e1t'\u1e25ah (or opening chapter of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n), after which the bridegroom pays the money. The latter and the\nbride's deputy then seat themselves on the ground, face to face, and\ngrasp each other's right hand, raising the thumbs, and pressing them\nagainst each other. Previously to the khu\u1e6dbeh, the person who recites\nthis formula places a handkerchief over the two joined hands; and after\nthe khu\u1e6dbeh he dictates to the two contracting parties what they are to\nsay. The betrother generally uses the following or a similar form of\nwords: \"I betroth to thee my daughter [or her for whom I act as deputy]\nsuch a one [naming the bride], the virgin, [or the adult virgin, &c.,]\nfor a dowry of such an amount.\" The bridegroom answers, \"I accept from\nthee her betrothal to myself.\" This is all that is absolutely necessary;\nbut the address and reply are usually repeated a second and third time,\nand are often expressed in fuller forms of words. The contract is\nconcluded with the recital of the F\u00e1t'\u1e25ah by all persons present.\n\nThis betrothal, or marriage-contract, is often performed several years\nbefore the consummation, when the two parties are yet children; or\nduring the infancy of the girl; but generally not more than about eight\nor ten days before the former event. The household furniture and dress\nprepared for the bride are sent by her family to the bridegroom's house,\nusually conveyed by a train of camels, two or three or more days before\nshe is conducted thither.\n\nThe feasts and processions which are now to be mentioned are only\nobserved in the case of a virgin bride; a widow or divorced woman being\nremarried in a private manner. I describe them chiefly in accordance\nwith the usages of Cairo, which appear to me most agreeable, in general,\nwith the descriptions and allusions in the present work.--The period\nmost commonly approved for the consummation of marriage is the eve of\nFriday, or that of Monday. Previously to this event, the bridegroom once\nor twice or more frequently gives a feast to his friends; and for\nseveral nights, his house and the houses of his near neighbours are\nusually illuminated by numerous clusters of lamps, or by lanterns,\nsuspended in front of them; some, to cords drawn across the street. To\nthese or other cords are also suspended small flags, or square pieces of\nsilk, each of two different colours, generally red and green. Some say\nthat the feast or feasts should be given on the occasion of the\ncontract; others, on the consummation; others, again, on both these\noccasions.[312] The usual custom of the people of Cairo is to give a\nfeast on the night immediately preceding that of the consummation, and\nanother on the latter night; but some commence their feasts earlier.\nRespecting marriage-feasts, the Prophet said, \"The first day's feast is\nan incumbent duty; and the second day's, a sunneh ordinance; and the\nthird day's, for ostentation and notoriety:\" and he forbade eating at\nthe feast of the ostentatious.[313] It is a positive duty to accept an\ninvitation to a marriage-feast or other lawful entertainment; but the\nguest is not obliged to eat.[314] The persons invited, and all intimate\nfriends, generally send presents of provisions of some kind a day or two\nbefore. The Prophet taught that marriage-feasts should be frugal: the\nbest that _he_ gave was with one goat.[315] He approved of\ndemonstrations of joy at the celebration of a marriage with songs, and,\naccording to one tradition, by the beating of deffs (or tambourines);\nbut in another tradition the latter practice is condemned.[316] The\npreferable mode of entertaining the guests is by the performance of a\nzikr.\n\nThe bride is conducted to the bridegroom's house in the afternoon\nimmediately preceding the night of consummation. On the day next\npreceding that on which she is conducted thither, she goes to the public\nbath, accompanied by a number of her female relations and friends. The\nprocession generally pursues a circuitous route, for the sake of greater\ndisplay; and on leaving the house, turns to the right. In Cairo, the\nbride walks under a canopy of silk borne by four men, with one of her\nnear female relations on each side of her. Young unmarried girls walk\nbefore her; these are preceded by the married ladies; and the procession\nis headed and closed by a few musicians with drums and hautboys. The\nbride wears a kind of pasteboard crown, or cap; and is completely veiled\nfrom the view of spectators by a Kashmeer shawl placed over her crown\nand whole person; but some handsome ornaments of the head are attached\nexternally. The other women are dressed in the best of their\nwalking-attire. In the case, however, of a bride of high rank, or of\nwealth, and often in the case of one belonging to a family of the middle\nclass, the ladies ride upon high-saddled asses, without music or canopy;\nand the bride is only distinguished by a Kashmeer shawl instead of the\nusual black silk covering; one or more eunuchs sometimes riding at the\nhead. In the bath, after the ordinary operations of washing, &c., a\nfeast is made, and the party are often entertained by female singers.\nHaving returned in the same manner to her home, the bride's friends\nthere partake of a similar entertainment with her. Her hands and feet\nare then stained with \u1e25enn\u00e0, and her eyes ornamented with ko\u1e25l; and her\nfriends give her small presents of money, and take their leave. \"It is a\nsunneh ordinance that the bride wash her feet in a clean vessel, and\nsprinkle the water in the corners of the chamber, that a blessing may\nresult from this. She should also brighten her face, and put on the best\nof her apparel, and adorn her eyes with ko\u1e25l, and stain [her hands and\nfeet] with \u1e25enn\u00e0 [as above mentioned]; and she should abstain, during\nthe first week, from eating anything that contains mustard, and from\nvinegar, and sour apples.\"[317]\n\nThe bride is conducted to the house of the bridegroom (on the following\nday) in the same manner as to the bath, or with more pomp. In Cairo, the\nbridal processions of persons of very high rank are conducted with\nsingular display. The train is usually headed by buffoons and musicians,\nand a water-carrier loaded with a goat's-skin filled with sand and\nwater, of very great weight, which is often borne for many hours before,\nas well as during, the procession, merely to amuse the spectators by\nthis feat of strength. Then follow (interrupted by groups of male or\nfemale dancers, jugglers, &c.) numerous decorated open waggons, or cars,\neach of which contains several members of some particular trade or art\nengaged in their ordinary occupations, or one such person with\nattendants: in one, for instance, a \u1e33ahwejee (or \u1e33ahvejee), with his\nassistants and pots and cups and fire, making coffee for the\nspectators: in a second, makers of sweetmeats: in a third, makers of\npancakes (fa\u1e6deerehs): in a fourth, silk-lace manufacturers: in a fifth,\na silk-weaver, with his loom: in a sixth, tinners of copper vessels, at\ntheir work: in a seventh, white-washers, whitening over and over again a\nwall: in short, almost every manufacture, &c., has its representatives\nin a different waggon. El-Jabartee describes a procession of this kind\nin which there were upwards of seventy parties of different trades and\narts, each party in a separate waggon, besides buffoons, wrestlers,\ndancers, and others; followed by various officers, the eunuchs of the\nbride's family, ladies of the \u1e25areem with their attendants, then the\nbride, in a European carriage, a troop of memlooks clad in armour, and a\nTurkish band of music. It was a procession of which the like had not\nbefore been seen.[318]\n\nThe bride and her party, having arrived at the house, sit down to a\nrepast. The bridegroom does not yet see her. He has already been to the\nbath, and at nightfall he goes in procession with a number of his\nfriends to a mosque, to perform the night-prayers; he is accompanied by\nmusicians and singers, or by chanters of lyric odes in praise of the\nProphet; and by men bearing cressets (poles with cylindrical frames of\niron at the top filled with flaming wood); and on his return, most of\nhis other attendants bear lighted wax candles, and bunches of flowers.\n\nReturned to his house, he leaves his friends in a lower apartment, and\ngoes up to the bride, whom he finds seated, with a shawl thrown over her\nhead, so as to conceal her face completely, and attended by one or two\nfemales. The latter he induces to retire, by means of a small present.\nHe then gives a present of money to the bride, as \"the price of\nuncovering the face,\" and having removed the covering (saying, as he\ndoes so, \"In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful\"), he\nbeholds her, generally, for the first time. On the occasion of this\nfirst visit, which is called the \"dukhool,\" or \"dukhleh,\" he is\nrecommended \"to perfume himself, and to sprinkle some sugar and almonds\non the head of the bride and on that of each woman with her; this\npractice being established by existing usage and by traditions: also,\nwhen he approaches her, he should perform the prayers of two rek'ahs;\nand she should do the same if able: then he should take hold of the hair\nover her forehead, and say, 'O God, bless me in my wife, and bless my\nwife in me! O God, bestow upon me [offspring] by her, and bestow upon\nher [offspring] by me! O God, unite us, as Thou hast united, happily;\nand separate us, when Thou separatest, happily!'\"[319]\n\nNOTE 40. The \u1e6darboosh is a woollen skull-cap, of a deep blood-red\ncolour, having a tassel of dark blue silk attached to the crown. It is\nnow worn by most Arabs of the higher and middle classes, and by many\nothers, except in Arabia, where it is not so common. Round it is wound\nthe muslin or shawl which forms the turban. Within it is worn a cotton\ncap. The Turks call it \"fes,\" and \"f\u00e9s.\"\n\nNOTE 41. The farajeeyeh is a loose robe or coat, now generally made of\ncloth, with full and long sleeves extending a little beyond the\nextremities of the fingers and without any slit. It is worn chiefly by\npersons of the learned professions.\n\nNOTE 42. This is the usual mode in which money is collected for the\nsinging-women in the present day.\n\nNOTE 43. \"\u1e24ooreeyeh\" is the appellation commonly given by the Arabs to a\nvirgin of Paradise, by French and English writers, termed \"Houri;\" which\nterm, in Arabic, converts a female into a male, but is agreeable with\nthe Persian equivalent of the Arabic \"\u1e24ooreeyeh.\"\n\nNOTE 44.--_On the Evil Eye._ Some remarks on the \"evil eye\" have been\nmade in a former note (No. 24 in the present series), with respect to\nchildren, and the means of counteracting its supposed influence; but I\nmention this subject again partly with the view of suggesting to the\nreader the necessity of bearing it in mind, as it explains many usages\ndescribed, or alluded to, in this work, which would otherwise appear\nunaccountable. He may remember a well-known line of Virgil--\n\n \"Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos,\"\n\nwhich, like many other allusions in works of ancient authors, shews how\nlong and how extensively this superstition has been entertained. How\ndeeply it is rooted in the minds of Arabs, even the most religious and\nlearned, may be inferred from this saying of their Prophet: \"The eye has\na complete influence; because verily, if there were a thing to overcome\nfate, it most certainly would be a malignant eye.\"[320] Hence he\npermitted charms (which he disallowed in almost every other case) to be\nemployed for the purpose of counteracting its influence.[321] The\nfollowing observation, selected from several of a similar nature in my\nwork on the Modern Egyptians, aptly illustrates the passage to which\nthis note immediately refers. \"It is a custom among the higher and\nmiddle classes in Cairo, on the occasion of a marriage, to hang\nchandeliers in the street before the bridegroom's house; and it often\nhappens that a crowd is collected to see a very large and handsome\nchandelier suspended: in this case, it is a common practice to divert\nthe attention of the spectators by throwing down and breaking a large\njar, or by some other artifice, lest an envious eye should cause the\nchandelier to fall.\"\n\nNOTE 45. The closet here alluded to, being one in which ablution is\nperformed, always contains a small trough of water, or a ewer.\n\nNOTE 46. This epithet, \"unlucky,\" is often applied to an 'Efreet. I have\nfrequently heard it thus used by Arabs.\n\nNOTE 47. \"Aboo-Shih\u00e1b\" (literally, Father of a Shooting Star) is a\nnickname often given to a devil, and is so employed because devils, or\nevil jinnees, are sometimes destroyed by shooting stars hurled at them\nby angels; an instance of which occurs in the tale under consideration.\n\nNOTE 48. \"Sitt-el-\u1e24osn\" signifies \"the Lady of Beauty.\"\n\nNOTE 49. \"\u1e24asheesh\" is the intoxicating hemp, which has been mentioned\nin former notes.\n\nNOTE 50. Thus in the Breslau edition, and in the Calcutta edition of the\nfirst two hundred nights; but in the edition of Cairo, the cook is\nmerely termed a prodigal.\n\nNOTE 51.--_On Adoption._ The Mohammadan law allows the adoption of sons,\nprovided that the person to be adopted consents to the act, if of age to\njudge for himself; also, that he has been deprived of his parents by\ndeath or other means; and that there be such a difference of age between\nthe two parties as might subsist between a natural father and his son.\nThe adopted son enjoys the same right of inheritance as the natural son;\nbut the adoptive father is not prevented by this act from marrying any\nrelation of his adopted son.\n\nNOTE 52. In the houses of Arabs of the more wealthy classes, there is\nusually a chair upon which the turban is placed at night. It is of a\nlarge size, but slight make; the bottom and back being generally of\ncane-work; and sometimes it has a kind of canopy constructed over it.\nThe turban, when placed upon it, is covered with a kerchief of thick\nsilk stuff, often embroidered or interwoven with gold thread.\n\nNOTE 53. \"M\u00f3\u1e63ilee\" may be understood as meaning either \"of the fashion\nof El-M\u00f3\u1e63il,\" or \"of muslin:\" but the former, according to my sheykh, is\nthe signification here intended. I think there is nothing peculiar in\nthe common modern turban of El-M\u00f3\u1e63il.\n\nNOTE 54. This is done under the idea that it strengthens the infant's\neyes.\n\nNOTE 55. \"'Ajeeb\" signifies \"Wonderful.\"\n\nNOTE 56. The meaning of this is, that he grew in a day as other children\nin a month; and in a month, as others in a year.\n\nNOTE 57. The death of the cook is mentioned in the edition of Breslau;\nbut not in that of Cairo.\n\nNOTE 58. This ejaculation is generally uttered at the mention of a\ndeceased Muslim.\n\nNOTE 59. \"\u1e62\u00e1\u1e25eb\" is a title given to Wezeers, as mentioned in Note 8 to\nthe Introduction.\n\nNOTE 60. In the original, fifteen. The age of 'Ajeeb has been shewn to\nhave been little more than eleven at this period; therefore I have\nsubstituted twelve for fifteen. In page 243 I have made a similar\ncorrection, substituting fifteen for eighteen.\n\nNOTE 61. This alludes to a custom common in the East,--that of giving a\npresent of a dress, or some article of clothing, to a person who has\nbrought good news.\n\nNOTE 62. The term \"boy\" is not used here to imply that the eunuch was a\nyouth; but in the sense in which it is often employed by us; as\nsynonymous with \"servant.\"\n\nNOTE 63. \"Er-Reyd\u00e1neeyeh\" is the name of a tract on the north of Cairo,\nwhere travellers arriving from Syria generally halted. In the original,\nby errors in the diacritical points, this name is converted into\n\"Ez-Zebed\u00e1neeyeh.\"\n\nNOTE 64. The word which I translate \"a cross,\" literally signifies \"an\neffigy;\" but I suppose this term to be employed merely because a cross\nbears a rude resemblance to a man with extended arms.\n\nNOTE 65. \"The name of Allah encompass thee!\" (or, literally, \"--be\naround thee!\") is an ejaculation often used, especially by women,\nagreeing exactly with the expression in the first verse of the twentieth\nPsalm,--\"The name of the God of Jacob defend thee!\"--the \"name\" of God\nhere signifying his power. \"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the\nrighteous runneth into it, and is safe.\" (Proverbs xviii. 10.)\n\nNOTE 66. Here, for a reason given above, I have substituted \"twelve\" for\n\"ten.\"\n\nNOTE 67. In the original, the last of these verses is here omitted, but\nmy sheykh has supplied it in the margin of my copy, and it occurs\nafterwards, in the 75th night, in which the preceding verses, with some\nslight variations, are repeated.\n\nNOTE 68.--_On the Expiation of Oaths._ The law clearly allows expiation\nfor an inconsiderate oath, and, according to vulgar opinion, for the\nviolation of a deliberate oath.[322] The expiation consists in once\nfeeding or clothing ten poor men, liberating a Muslim slave or captive,\nor fasting three days. An unintentional oath requires no expiation; but\nthe swearing to a falsehood can only be expiated by deep repentance.\n\nNOTE 69. Hole observes (page 222), that \"the discovery of Bedreddin in\nthe Arabian Nights by the tarts he had made, bears internal evidence of\nhaving been copied from Nella Raja's detection by the same means:\" and\nhe refers to Kindersley's \"Specimens of Indian Literature.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n [276] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year 289.\n\n [277] Sale's Preliminary Discourse, sect. iv.\n\n [278] The call to prayer, which is chanted from the m\u00e1d'nehs\n (or menarets) of the mosques. It is as follows:--\"God is most\n great!\" (four times). \"I testify that there is no deity but\n God!\" (twice). \"I testify that Mo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle!\"\n (twice). \"Come to prayer!\" (twice). \"Come to security!\"\n (twice). \"God is most great!\" (twice). \"There is no deity but\n God!\"\n\n [279] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil wa-Murshid el-Muta\u00e4hhil, sect. 9.\n\n [280] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil wa-Murshid el-Muta\u00e4hhil, sect. 9.\n\n [281] Compare Exodus xiii. 13; and xii. 46.\n\n [282] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 9; and Mishk\u00e1t\n el-Ma\u1e63abee\u1e25, vol. ii. pp. 315, 316.\n\n [283] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., _loco laudato_.\n\n [284] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 9.\n\n [285] Ibid.\n\n [286] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 2.\n\n [287] Idem, sect 7.\n\n [288] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xxiii. v. 117.\n\n [289] \"God! there is no deity but He,\" &c., to the words, \"He\n is the High, the Great.\"--Idem, ch. ii. v. 256.\n\n [290] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 9.\n\n [291] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 9.\n\n [292] A similar custom is mentioned in a note appended to the\n account of circumcision in vol. i. ch. ii. of my work on the\n Modern Egyptians.\n\n [293] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year 302.\n\n [294] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 9; and Mishk\u00e1t\n el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 86.\n\n [295] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, ibid.\n\n [296] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 6.\n\n [297] See my work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. ch. v.\n\n [298] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 79.\n\n [299] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 1.\n\n [300] Ibid.\n\n [301] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 1.\n\n [302] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n, events of the year above mentioned.\n\n [303] Idem, Proverbs of the Arabs: and \u1e32\u00e1moos, _voce_\n \"kharaja.\"\n\n [304] Ch. iv. vv. 26, 27.\n\n [305] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 4.\n\n [306] Idem, sect. 6.\n\n [307] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. i. p. 229.\n\n [308] Idem, vol. i. p. 223.\n\n [309] Idem, vol. ii. p. 78.\n\n [310] Idem, vol. ii. p. 79.\n\n [311] Nuzhet El-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 4.\n\n [312] Idem, sect. 8.\n\n [313] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 8.\n\n [314] Ibid.; and Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 105.\n\n [315] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25 vol. ii. p. 104.\n\n [316] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., _loco laudato_; and Mishk\u00e1t\n el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 89.\n\n [317] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., _loco laudato_.\n\n [318] Account of the Emeer Mo\u1e25ammad \u00c1gha El-B\u00e1roodee, obituary,\n year 1205.\n\n [319] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil, &c., sect. 8.\n\n [320] Mishk\u00e1t el-Ma\u1e63\u00e1bee\u1e25, vol. ii. p. 377.\n\n [321] Ibid.\n\n [322] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. v. v. 9.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nCOMMENCING WITH PART OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF\nTHE THIRTY-SECOND.\n\nTHE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK.\n\nThere was, in ancient times, in the city of El-Ba\u1e63rah,[V_1] a\ntailor who enjoyed an ample income, and was fond of sport and merriment.\nHe was in the habit of going out occasionally with his wife, that they\nmight amuse themselves with strange and diverting scenes; and one day\nthey went forth in the afternoon,[V_2] and, returning home in the\nevening, met a humpbacked man, whose aspect was such as to excite\nlaughter in the angry, and to dispel anxiety and grief: so they\napproached him to enjoy the pleasure of gazing at him, and invited him\nto return with them to their house, and to join with them in a carousal\nthat night.\n\nHe assented to their proposal; and after he had gone with them to the\nhouse, the tailor went out to the market; night having then approached.\nHe bought some dried fish, and bread and limes and sweetmeat, and,\nreturning with them, placed the fish before the humpback and they sat\ndown to eat; and the tailor's wife took a large piece of fish, and\ncrammed the humpback with it, and, closing his mouth with her hand,\nsaid, By Allah, thou shalt not swallow it but by gulping it at once, and\nI will not give thee time to chew it. He therefore swallowed it; but it\ncontained a large and sharp bone, which stuck across in his throat, his\ndestiny having so determined, and he expired. The tailor exclaimed,\nThere is no strength nor power but in God the High, the Great! Alas,\nthat this poor creature should not have died but in this manner by our\nhands!--Wherefore this idling? exclaimed the woman.--And what can I do?\nasked her husband.--Arise she answered, and take him in thy bosom, and\ncover him with a silk napkin: I will go out first and do thou follow me,\nthis very night and say, This is my son, and this is his mother; and we\nare going to convey him to the physician, that he may give him some\nmedicine.\n\nNo sooner had the tailor heard these words than he arose, and took the\nhumpback in his bosom. His wife, accompanying him, exclaimed, O my\nchild! may Allah preserve thee! Where is the part in which thou feelest\npain; and where hath this small-pox attacked thee?--So every one who saw\nthem said, They are conveying a child smitten with the small-pox. Thus\nthey proceeded, inquiring as they went, for the abode of the physician;\nand the people directed them to the house of a physician who was a Jew;\nand they knocked at the door, and there came down to them a black\nslave-girl, who opened the door, and beheld a man carrying (as she\nimagined) a child, and attended by its mother; and she said, What is\nyour business?--We have a child here answered the tailor's wife, and we\nwant the physician to see him: take, then, this quarter of a piece of\ngold, and give it to thy master, and let him come down and see my son;\nfor he is ill. The girl, therefore, went up, and the tailor's wife,\nentering the vestibule, said to her husband, Leave the humpback here,\nand let us take ourselves away. And the tailor, accordingly, set him up\nagainst the wall, and went out with his wife.\n\nThe slave-girl, meanwhile, went in to the Jew, and said to him, Below,\nin the house, is a sick person, with a woman and a man: and they have\ngiven me a quarter of a piece of gold for thee, that thou mayest\nprescribe for them what may suit his case. And when the Jew saw the\nquarter of a piece of gold, he rejoiced, and, rising in haste, went down\nin the dark; and in doing so, his foot struck against the lifeless\nhumpback. O Ezra! he exclaimed--O Heavens and the Ten Commandments! O\nAaron, and Joshua son of Nun! It seemeth that I have stumbled against\nthis sick person, and he hath fallen down the stairs and died! And how\nshall I go forth with one killed from my house? O Ezra's\nass![V_3]--He then raised him, and took him up from the court of\nthe house to his wife, and acquainted her with the accident.--And why\nsittest thou here idle? said she; for if thou remain thus until daybreak\nour lives will be lost: let me and thee, then, take him up to the\nterrace, and throw him into the house of our neighbour the Muslim; for\nhe is the steward of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's kitchen, and often do the cats come to\nhis house, and eat of the food which they find there;[V_4] as do\nthe mice too: and if he remain there for a night, the dogs will come\ndown to him from the terraces and eat him up entirely.[V_5] So the\nJew and his wife went up, carrying the humpback, and let him down by his\nhands and feet to the pavement; placing him against the wall; which\nhaving done, they descended.\n\nNot long had the humpback been thus deposited when the steward returned\nto his house, and opened the door, and, going up with a lighted candle\nin his hand, found a son of Adam standing in the corner next the\nkitchen; upon which he exclaimed, What is this? By Allah, the thief that\nhath stolen our goods is none other than a son of Adam, who taketh what\nhe findeth of flesh or grease, even though I keep it concealed from the\ncats and the dogs; and if I killed all the cats and dogs of the quarter\nit would be of no use; for he cometh down from the terraces!--And so\nsaying, he took up a great mallet, and struck him with it, and then,\ndrawing close to him, gave him a second blow with it upon the chest,\nwhen the humpback fell down, and he found that he was dead; whereupon he\ngrieved, and said, There is no strength nor power but in God! And he\nfeared for himself, and exclaimed, Curse upon the grease and the flesh,\nand upon this night, in which the destiny of this man hath been\naccomplished by my hand! Then, looking upon him, and perceiving that he\nwas a humpback, he said, Is it not enough that thou art humpbacked, but\nmust thou also be a robber, and steal the flesh and the grease? O\nProtector, cover me with thy gracious shelter!--And he lifted him upon\nhis shoulders, and descended, and went forth from his house, towards the\nclose of the night, and stopped not until he had conveyed him to the\ncommencement of the market-street, where he placed him upon his feet by\nthe side of a shop at the entrance of a lane, and there left him and\nretired.\n\nSoon after, there came a Christian, the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's broker, who, in a state\nof intoxication, had come forth to visit the bath; and he advanced,\nstaggering, until he drew near to the humpback, when he turned his eyes,\nand beheld one standing by him. Now some persons had snatched off his\nturban early in the night,[V_6] and when he saw the humpback\nstanding there, he concluded that he intended to do the same; so he\nclenched his fist, and struck him on the neck. Down fell the humpback\nupon the ground, and the Christian called out to the watchman of the\nmarket,[V_7] while, still in the excess of his intoxication, he\ncontinued beating the humpback, and attempting to throttle him. As he\nwas thus employed, the watchman came, and, finding the Christian\nkneeling upon the Muslim[V_8] and beating him, said, Arise, and\nquit him! He arose, therefore, and the watchman, approaching the\nhumpback, saw that he was dead, and exclaimed, How is it that the\nChristian dareth to kill the Muslim? Then seizing the Christian, he\nbound his hands behind him, and took him to the house of the\nW\u00e1lee;[V_9] the Christian saying within himself, O Heavens! O\nVirgin! how have I killed this man? and how quickly did he die from a\nblow of the hand!--Intoxication had departed, and reflection had come.\n\nThe humpback and the Christian passed the remainder of the night in the\nhouse of the W\u00e1lee, and the W\u00e1lee ordered the executioner to proclaim\nthe Christian's crime, and he set up a gallows, and stationed him\nbeneath it. The executioner then came, and threw the rope round his\nneck, and was about to hang him, when the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's steward pushed\nthrough the crowd, seeing the Christian standing beneath the gallows,\nand the people made way for him, and he said to the executioner, Do it\nnot; for it was I who killed him.--Wherefore didst thou kill him? said\nthe W\u00e1lee. He answered, I went into my house last night, and saw that he\nhad descended from the terrace and stolen my goods; so I struck him with\na mallet upon his chest, and he died, and I carried him out, and\nconveyed him to the market-street, where I set him up in such a place,\nat the entrance of such a lane. Is it not enough for me to have killed a\nMuslim, that a Christian should be killed on my account? Hang, then,\nnone but me.--The W\u00e1lee, therefore, when he heard these words, liberated\nthe Christian broker, and said to the executioner, Hang this man, on the\nground of his confession. And he took off the rope from the neck of the\nChristian, and put it round the neck of the steward, and, having\nstationed him beneath the gallows, was about to hang him, when the\nJewish physician pushed through the crowd, and called out to the\nexecutioner, saying to him, Do it not; for none killed him but I; and\nthe case was this: he came to my house to be cured of a disease, and as\nI descended to him I struck against him with my foot, and he died: kill\nnot the steward, therefore; but kill me. So the W\u00e1lee gave orders to\nhang the Jewish physician; and the executioner took off the rope from\nthe steward's neck, and put it round the neck of the Jew. But, lo, the\ntailor came, and, forcing his way among the people, said to the\nexecutioner, Do it not; for none killed him but I; and it happened thus:\nI was out amusing myself during the day, and as I was returning at the\ncommencement of the night, I met this humpback in a state of\nintoxication, with a tambourine, and singing merrily; and I stopped to\ndivert myself by looking at him, and took him to my house. I then bought\nsome fish, and we sat down to eat, and my wife took a piece of fish and\na morsel of bread, and crammed them into his mouth, and he was choked,\nand instantly died. Then I and my wife took him to the house of the Jew,\nand the girl came down and opened the door, and while she went up to her\nmaster, I set up the humpback by the stairs, and went away with my wife:\nso, when the Jew came down and stumbled against him, he thought that he\nhad killed him.--And he said to the Jew, Is this true? He answered, Yes.\nThe tailor, then, looking towards the W\u00e1lee, said to him, Liberate the\nJew, and hang me. And when the W\u00e1lee heard this he was astonished at the\ncase of the humpback, and said, Verily this is an event that should be\nrecorded in books! And he said to the executioner, Liberate the Jew, and\nhang the tailor on account of his own confession. So the executioner led\nhim forward, saying, Dost thou put forward this and take back that; and\nshall we not hang one? And he put the rope round the neck of the tailor.\n\nNow the humpback was the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's buffoon, and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n could not bear\nhim to be out of his sight; and when the humpback had got drunk, and\nbeen absent that night and the next day until noon, the King inquired\nrespecting him of some of his attendants, and they answered him, O our\nlord, the W\u00e1lee hath taken him forth dead, and gave orders to hang the\nperson who killed him, and there came a second and a third person, each\nsaying, None killed him but I:--and describing to the W\u00e1lee the cause of\nhis killing him. When the King, therefore, heard this, he called out to\nthe Chamberlain, and said to him, Go down to the W\u00e1lee, and bring them\nall hither before me. So the Chamberlain went down, and found that the\nexecutioner had almost put to death the tailor, and he called out to\nhim, saying, Do it not:--and informed the W\u00e1lee that the case had been\nreported to the King. And he took him, and the humpback borne with him,\nand the tailor and the Jew and the Christian and the steward, and went\nup with them all to the King; and when the W\u00e1lee came into the presence\nof the King, he kissed the ground, and related to him all that had\nhappened. And the King was astonished, and was moved with merriment, at\nhearing this tale; and he commanded that it should be written in letters\nof gold. He then said to those who were present, Have ye ever heard\nanything like the story of this humpback? And upon this the Christian\nadvanced, and said, O King of the age, if thou permit me I will relate\nto thee an event that hath occurred to me more wonderful and strange and\nexciting than the story of the humpback.--Tell us then thy story, said\nthe King. And the Christian related as follows:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER.\n\nKnow, O King of the age, that I came to this country with merchandise,\nand destiny stayed me among your people. I was born in Cairo, and am one\nof its Copts, and there I was brought up. My father was a broker; and\nwhen I had attained to manhood, he died, and I succeeded to his\nbusiness; and as I was sitting one day, lo, a young man of most handsome\naspect, and clad in a dress of the richest description, came to me,\nriding upon an ass, and, when he saw me, saluted me; whereupon I rose to\nhim, to pay him honour, and he produced a handkerchief containing some\nsesame, and said, What is the value of an ardebb[V_10] of this? I\nanswered him, A hundred pieces of silver. And he said to me, Take the\ncarriers and the measurers, and repair to the Kh\u00e1n of El-J\u00e1walee[V_11]\nin the district of B\u00e1b en-Na\u1e63r:[V_12] there wilt thou find me. And he\nleft me and went his way, after having given me the handkerchief with\nthe sample of the sesame. So I went about to the purchasers; and the\nprice of each ardebb amounted to a hundred and twenty pieces of silver;\nand I took with me four carriers, and went to him. I found him waiting\nmy arrival; and when he saw me he rose and opened a magazine, and we\nmeasured its contents, and the whole amounted to fifty ardebbs. The\nyoung man then said, Thou shalt have, for every ardebb, ten pieces of\nsilver as brokerage; and do thou receive the price and keep it in thy\ncare: the whole sum will be five thousand; and thy share of it, five\nhundred: so there will remain for me four thousand and five hundred; and\nwhen I shall have finished the sale of the goods contained in my\nstore-rooms, I will come to thee and receive it. I replied, It shall be\nas thou desirest. And I kissed his hand, and left him. Thus there\naccrued to me, on that day, a thousand pieces of silver, besides my\nbrokerage.[V_13]\n\nHe was absent from me a month, at the expiration of which he came and\nsaid to me, Where is the money? I answered, Here it is, ready. And he\nsaid, Keep it until I come to thee to receive it. And I remained\nexpecting him; but he was absent from me another month; after which he\ncame again, and said, Where is the money? Whereupon I arose and saluted\nhim, and said to him, Wilt thou eat something with us? He, however,\ndeclined, and said, Keep the money until I shall have gone and returned\nto receive it from thee. He then departed; and I arose, and prepared for\nhim the money, and sat expecting him; but again he absented himself from\nme for a month, and then came and said, After this day I will receive it\nfrom thee. And he departed, and I made ready the money for him as\nbefore, and sat waiting his return. Again, however, he remained a month\nabsent from me, and I said within myself, Verily this young man is\nendowed with consummate liberality! After the month he came, attired in\nrich clothing, and resembling the full moon, appearing as if he had just\ncome out of the bath, with red cheek and fair forehead, and a mole like\na globule of ambergris. When I beheld him I kissed his hand, and invoked\na blessing upon him, and said to him, O my master, wilt thou not take\nthy money?--Have patience with me, he answered, until I shall have\ntransacted all my affairs, after which I will receive it from thee. And\nso saying, he departed; and I said within myself, By Allah, when he\ncometh I will entertain him as a guest, on account of the profit which I\nhave derived from his money; for great wealth hath accrued to me from\nit.\n\nAt the close of the year he returned, clad in a dress richer than the\nformer; and I swore to him that he should alight to be my guest.--On the\ncondition, he replied, that thou expend nothing of my money that is in\nthy possession. I said, Well:--and, having seated him, prepared what was\nrequisite of meats and drinks and other provisions, and placed them\nbefore him, saying, In the name of Allah! And he drew near to the table,\nand put forth his left hand, and thus ate with me: so I was surprised at\nhim;[V_14] and when we had finished he washed his hand, and I gave\nhim a napkin with which to wipe it. We then sat down to converse, and I\nsaid, O my master dispel a trouble from my mind. Wherefore didst thou\neat with thy left hand? Probably something paineth thee in thy right\nhand?--On hearing these words, he stretched forth his arm from his\nsleeve,[V_15] and behold, it was maimed--an arm without a hand! And\nI wondered at this; but he said to me, Wonder not; nor say in thy heart\nthat I ate with thee with my left hand from a motive of self-conceit;\nfor rather to be wondered at is the cause of the cutting off of my right\nhand. And what, said I, was the cause of it? He answered, thus:--\n\nKnow that I am from Baghd\u00e1d: my father was one of the chief people of\nthat city; and when I had attained the age of manhood, I heard the\nwanderers and travellers and merchants conversing respecting the land of\nEgypt, and their words remained in my heart until my father died, when I\ntook large sums of money, and prepared merchandise consisting of the\nstuffs of Baghd\u00e1d and of El-M\u00f3\u1e63il, and similar precious goods, and,\nhaving packed them up, journeyed from Baghd\u00e1d; and God decreed me safety\nuntil I entered this your city. And so saying, he wept, and repeated\nthese verses:--\n\n The blear-eyed escapeth a pit into which the clear-sighted falleth;\n And the ignorant, an expression by which the shrewd sage is ruined.\n The believer can scarce earn his food, while the impious infidel\n is favoured.\n What art or act can a man devise? It is what the Almighty appointeth!\n\nI entered Cairo, continued the young man, and deposited the stuffs in\nthe Kh\u00e1n of Mesroor,[V_16] and, having unbound my packages and put\nthem in the magazines, gave to the servant some money to buy for us\nsomething to eat, after which I slept a little; and when I arose, I went\nto Beyn el-\u1e32a\u1e63reyn.[V_17] I then returned, and passed the night;\nand in the morning following, I opened a bale of stuff, and said within\nmyself, I will arise and go through some of the market-streets, and see\nthe state of the mart. So I took some stuff, and made some of my\nservants carry it, and proceeded until I arrived at the \u1e32eys\u00e1reeyeh of\nJah\u00e1rkas,[V_18] where the brokers came to me, having heard of my\narrival, and took from me the stuff, and cried it about for sale; but\nthe price bidden amounted not to the prime cost. And upon this the\nSheykh of the brokers said to me, O my master, I know a plan by which\nthou mayest profit; and it is this: that thou do as other merchants, and\nsell thy merchandise upon credit for a certain period, employing a\nscrivener and a witness and a money-changer, and receive a portion of\nthe profits every Thursday and Monday; so shalt thou make of every piece\nof silver two; and besides that, thou wilt be able to enjoy the\namusements afforded by Egypt and its Nile.--The advice is judicious, I\nreplied: and accordingly I took the brokers with me to the Kh\u00e1n, and\nthey conveyed the stuffs to the \u1e32eys\u00e1reeyeh, where I sold it to the\nmerchants, writing a bond in their names, which I committed to the\nmoney-changer, and taking from him a corresponding bond. I then returned\nto the Kh\u00e1n, and remained there some days; and every day I took for my\nbreakfast a cup of wine, and had mutton and sweetmeats prepared for me,\nuntil the month in which I became entitled to the receipt of the\nprofits, when I seated myself every Thursday and Monday at the shops of\nthe merchants, and the money-changer went with the scrivener and brought\nme the money.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThus did I until one day I went to the bath and returned to the Kh\u00e1n,\nand, entering my lodging, took for my breakfast a cup of wine, and then\nslept; and when I awoke I ate a fowl,[V_19] and perfumed myself\nwith essence, and repaired to the shop of a merchant named Bedr-ed-Deen\nthe Gardener,[V_20] who, when he saw me, welcomed me, and conversed\nwith me a while in his shop; and as we were thus engaged, lo, a female\ncame and seated herself by my side. She wore a headkerchief inclined on\none side, and the odours of sweet perfumes were diffused from her, and\nshe captivated my reason by her beauty and loveliness as she raised her\niz\u00e1r and I beheld her black eyes. She saluted Bedr-ed-Deen, and he\nreturned her salutation, and stood conversing with her; and when I heard\nher speech, love for her took entire possession of my heart. She then\nsaid to Bedr-ed-Deen, Hast thou a piece of stuff woven with pure gold\nthread? And he produced to her a piece; and she said, May I take it and\ngo, and then send thee the price? But he answered, It is impossible, O\nmy mistress; for this is the owner of the stuff, and I owe him a portion\nof the profit.--Wo to thee! said she: it is my custom to take of thee\neach piece of stuff for a considerable sum of money, giving thee a gain\nbeyond thy wish, and then to send thee the price.--Yes, he rejoined; but\nI am in absolute want of the price this day. And upon this she took the\npiece and threw it back to him upon his breast, saying, Verily your\nclass knows not how to respect any person's rank! And she arose, and\nturned away. I felt then as if my soul went with her, and, rising upon\nmy feet, I said to her, O my mistress, kindly bestow a look upon me, and\nretrace thine honoured steps. And she returned, and smiled and said, For\nthy sake I return. And she sat opposite me upon the seat of the shop;\nand I said to Bedr-ed-Deen, What is the price that thou hast agreed to\ngive for this piece. He answered, Eleven hundred pieces of silver. And I\nsaid to him, Thy profit shall be a hundred pieces of silver: give me\nthen a paper, and I will write for thee the price upon it. I then took\nthe piece of stuff from him, and wrote him the paper with my own hand,\nand gave the piece of stuff to the lady, saying to her, Take it and go;\nand if thou wilt, bring the price to me in the market; or, if thou wilt,\nit shall be my present to thee. She replied, God recompense thee, and\nbless thee with my property, and make thee my husband; and may God\naccept this prayer!--O my mistress, said I, let this piece of stuff be\nthine, and another like it, and permit me to see thy face. And upon this\nshe raised her veil; and when I beheld her face, the sight drew from me\na thousand sighs, and my heart was entangled by her love, so that I no\nlonger remained master of my reason. She then lowered the veil again,\nand took the piece of stuff, saying, O my master, leave me not desolate.\nSo she departed, while I continued sitting in the market-street until\npast the hour of afternoon-prayer, with wandering mind, overpowered by\nlove. In the excess of my passion, before I rose I asked the merchant\nrespecting her; and he answered me, She is a rich lady, the daughter of\na deceased Emeer, who left her great property.\n\nI then took leave of him, and returned to the Kh\u00e1n, and the supper was\nplaced before me; but, reflecting upon her, I could eat nothing. I laid\nmyself down to rest; but sleep came not to me, and I remained awake\nuntil the morning, when I arose and put on a suit of clothing different\nfrom that which I had worn the day before; and, having drunk a cup of\nwine, and eaten a few morsels as my breakfast, repaired again to the\nshop of the merchant, and saluted him, and sat down with him. The lady\nsoon came, wearing a dress more rich than the former, and attended by a\nslave-girl; and she seated herself, and saluted me instead of\nBedr-ed-Deen, and said, with an eloquent tongue which I had never heard\nsurpassed in softness or sweetness, Send with me some one to receive the\ntwelve hundred pieces of silver, the price of the piece of\nstuff.--Wherefore, said I, this haste? She replied, May we never lose\nthee! And she handed to me the price; and I sat conversing with her, and\nmade a sign to her, which she understood, intimating my wish to visit\nher: whereupon she rose in haste, expressing displeasure at my hint. My\nheart clung to her, and I followed in the direction of her steps through\nthe market-street; and lo, a slave-girl came to me, and said, O my\nmaster, answer the summons of my mistress. Wondering at this, I said, No\none here knoweth me.--How soon, she rejoined, hast thou forgotten her!\nMy mistress is she who was to-day at the shop of the merchant\nBedr-ed-Deen.--So I went with her until we arrived at the\nmoney-changer's;[V_21] and when her mistress, who was there, beheld\nme, she drew me to her side, and said, O my beloved, thou hast wounded\nmy heart, and love of thee hath taken possession of it; and from the\ntime that I first saw thee, neither sleep nor food nor drink hath been\npleasant to me. I replied, And more than that do I feel; and the state\nin which I am needs no complaint to testify it.--Then shall I visit\nthee, O my beloved, she asked, or wilt thou come to me? For our marriage\nmust be a secret.[V_22]--I am a stranger, I answered, and have no\nplace of reception but the Kh\u00e1n; therefore, if thou wilt kindly permit\nme to go to thine abode the pleasure will be perfect.--Well, she\nreplied; but to-night is the eve of Friday, and let nothing be done till\nto-morrow, when, after thou hast joined in the prayers, do thou mount\nthine ass, and inquire for the \u1e24abb\u00e1neeyeh;[V_23] and when thou\nhast arrived there, ask for the house called the \u1e32\u00e1'ah[V_24] of\nBarak\u00e1t the Na\u1e33eeb,[V_25] known by the surname of Aboo-Sh\u00e1meh; for\nthere do I reside; and delay not; for I shall be anxiously expecting\nthee.\n\nOn hearing this I rejoiced exceedingly, and we parted; and I returned to\nthe Kh\u00e1n in which I lodged. I passed the whole night sleepless, and was\nscarcely sure that the daybreak had appeared when I rose and changed my\nclothes, and, having perfumed myself with essences and sweet scents,\ntook with me fifty pieces of gold in a handkerchief, and walked from the\nKh\u00e1n of Mesroor to B\u00e1b Zuweyleh,[V_26] where I mounted an ass, and\nsaid to its owner, Go with me to the \u1e24abb\u00e1neeyeh. And in less than the\ntwinkling of an eye he set off, and soon he stopped at a by-street\ncalled Darb El-Muna\u1e33\u1e33iree, when I said to him, Enter the street, and\ninquire for the \u1e32\u00e1'ah of the Na\u1e33eeb. He was absent but a little while,\nand, returning, said, Alight.--Walk on before me, said I, to the \u1e32\u00e1'ah.\nAnd he went on until he had led me to the house; whereupon I said to\nhim, To-morrow come to me hither to convey me back.--In the name of\nAllah, he replied: and I handed to him a quarter of a piece of gold, and\nhe took it and departed. I then knocked at the door, and there came\nforth to me two young virgins in whom the forms of womanhood had just\ndeveloped themselves, resembling two moons, and they said, Enter; for\nour mistress is expecting thee, and she hath not slept last night from\nher excessive love for thee. I entered an upper saloon with seven doors:\naround it were latticed windows looking upon a garden in which were\nfruits of every kind, and running streams and singing birds: it was\nplastered with imperial gypsum, in which a man might see his face\nreflected:[V_27] its roof was ornamented with gilding, and\nsurrounded by inscriptions in letters of gold upon a ground of\nultramarine: it comprised a variety of beauties, and shone in the eyes\nof beholders: the pavement was of coloured marbles, having in the midst\nof it a fountain, with four snakes of red gold casting forth water from\ntheir mouths like pearls and jewels at the corners of the\npool;[V_28] and it was furnished with carpets of coloured silk, and\nmattresses.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHaving entered, I seated myself; and scarcely had I done so when the\nlady approached me. She wore a crown set with pearls and\njewels;[V_29] her hands and feet were stained with \u1e25enn\u00e0; and her\nbosom was ornamented with gold. As soon as she beheld me she smiled in\nmy face, and embraced me, saying, Is it true that thou hast come to me,\nor is this a dream?--I am thy slave, I answered; and she said, Thou art\nwelcome. Verily, from the time when I first saw thee, neither sleep hath\nbeen sweet to me, nor hath food been pleasant!--In such case have _I_\nbeen, I replied;--and we sat down to converse; but I hung down my head\ntowards the ground, in bashfulness; and not long had I thus remained\nwhen a repast was placed before me, consisting of the most exquisite\ndishes, as fricandoes and hashes and stuffed fowls. I ate with her until\nwe were satisfied; when they brought the basin and ewer, and I washed my\nhands; after which we perfumed ourselves with rose-water infused with\nmusk, and sat down again to converse: expressing to each other our\nmutual passion; and her love took such possession of me that all the\nwealth I possessed seemed worthless in comparison. In this manner we\ncontinued to enjoy ourselves until, night approaching, the female slaves\nbrought supper and wine, a complete service; and we drank until\nmidnight. Never in my life had I passed such a night. And when morning\ncame, I arose, and, having thrown to her the handkerchief containing the\npieces of gold,[V_30] I took leave of her and went out; but as I\ndid so she wept, and said, O my master, when shall I see again this\nlovely face? I answered her, I will be with thee at the commencement of\nthe night. And when I went forth, I found the owner of the ass, who had\nbrought me the day before, waiting for me at the door; and I mounted,\nand returned with him to the Kh\u00e1n of Mesroor, where I alighted, and gave\nto him half a piece of gold, saying to him, Come hither at sunset. He\nreplied, On the head be thy command.\n\nI entered the Kh\u00e1n, and ate my breakfast, and then went forth to collect\nthe price of my stuffs; after which I returned. I had prepared for my\nwife a roasted lamb, and purchased some sweetmeat and I now called the\nporter, described to him the house, and gave him his hire. Having done\nthis, I occupied myself again with my business until sunset, when the\nowner of the ass came, and I took fifty pieces of gold, and put them\ninto a handkerchief. Entering the house, I found that they had wiped the\nmarble and polished the vessels of copper and brass, and filled the\nlamps and lighted the candles, and dished the supper and strained the\nwine; and when my wife saw me, she threw her arms around my neck, and\nsaid, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence! The tables were then\nplaced before us, and we ate until we were satisfied, and the\nslave-girls took away the first table, and placed before us the wine;\nand we sat drinking, and eating of the dried fruits, and making merry,\nuntil midnight. We then slept until morning, when I arose and handed her\nthe fifty pieces of gold as before, and left her.\n\nThus I continued to do for a long time, until I passed the night and\nawoke possessing not a piece of silver nor one of gold; and I said\nwithin myself, This is the work of the Devil! And I repeated these\nverses:--\n\n Poverty causeth the lustre of a man to grow dim, like the yellowness\n of the setting sun.\n When absent, he is not remembered among mankind; and when present,\n he shareth not their pleasures.\n In the market-streets he shunneth notice; and in desert places\n he poureth forth his tears.\n By Allah! a man, among his own relations, when afflicted with poverty,\n is as a stranger!\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWith these reflections I walked forth into Beyn el-\u1e32a\u1e63reyn, and\nproceeded thence to B\u00e1b Zuweyleh, where I found the people crowding\ntogether, so that the gate was stopped up by their number; and, as\ndestiny willed, I saw there a trooper, and, unintentionally pressing\nagainst him, my hand came in contact with his pocket, and I felt it, and\nfound that it contained a purse; and I caught hold of the purse, and\ntook it from his pocket. But the trooper felt that his pocket was\nlightened, and, putting his hand into it, found nothing; upon which he\nlooked aside at me, and raised his hand with the mace,[V_31] and\nstruck me upon my head. I fell to the ground, and the people surrounded\nus, and seized the bridle of the trooper's horse, saying, On account of\nthe crowd dost thou strike this young man such a blow? But he called out\nto them and said, This is a robber! On hearing this I feared. The people\naround me said, This is a comely young man, and hath taken nothing.\nWhile some, however, believed this, others disbelieved; and after many\nwords, the people dragged me along, desiring to liberate me: but, as it\nwas predestined, there came at this moment the W\u00e1lee and other\nmagistrates entering the gate, and, seeing the people surrounding me and\nthe trooper, the W\u00e1lee said, What is the news? The trooper answered, By\nAllah, O Emeer, this is a robber: I had in my pocket a blue purse\ncontaining twenty pieces of gold; and he took it while I was pressed by\nthe crowd.--Was any one with thee? asked the W\u00e1lee. The trooper\nanswered, No. And the W\u00e1lee called out to the chief of his servants,\nsaying, Seize him and search him. So he seized me; and protection was\nwithdrawn from me; and the W\u00e1lee said to him, Strip him of all that is\nupon him. And when he did so, they found the purse in my clothes: and\nthe W\u00e1lee, taking it, counted the money, and found it to be twenty\npieces of gold, as the trooper had said; whereupon he was enraged, and\ncalled out to his attendants, saying, Bring him forward. They,\ntherefore, brought me before him, and he said to me, O young man, tell\nthe truth. Didst thou steal this purse?--And I hung down my head towards\nthe ground, saying within myself, If I answer that I did not steal it,\nit will be useless, for he hath produced it from my clothes; and if I\nsay, I stole it, I fall into trouble. I then raised my head, and said,\nYes, I took it. And when the W\u00e1lee heard these words, he wondered, and\ncalled witnesses, who presented themselves, and gave their testimony to\nmy confession.--All this took place at B\u00e1b Zuweyleh.--The W\u00e1lee then\nordered the executioner to cut off my hand; and he cut off my right\nhand;[V_32] but the heart of the trooper was moved with compassion for\nme, and he interceded for me that I should not be killed:[V_33] so the\nW\u00e1lee left me and departed. The people however continued around me, and\ngave me to drink a cup of wine; and the trooper gave me the purse,\nsaying, Thou art a comely youth, and it is not fit that thou shouldst\nbe a thief. And I took it from him, and addressed him with these\nverses:--\n\n By Allah! good sir, I was not a robber; nor was I a thief, O, best\n of mankind!\n But fortune's vicissitudes overthrew me suddenly, and anxiety\n and trouble and poverty overpowered me.\n I cast it not; but it was the Deity who cast an arrow that threw\n down the kingly diadem from my head.[V_34]\n\nThe trooper then left me and departed, after having given me the purse,\nand I went my way; but first I wrapped my hand in a piece of\nrag,[V_35] and put it in my bosom. My condition thus altered, and\nmy countenance pallid in consequence of my sufferings, I walked to the\n\u1e32\u00e1'ah, and, in a disordered state of mind, threw myself upon the bed. My\nwife, seeing my complexion thus changed, said to me, What hath pained\nthee, and wherefore do I see thee thus altered? I answered her, My head\nacheth, and I am not well. And on hearing this she was vexed, and became\nill on my account, and said, Burn not my heart, O my master! Sit up, and\nraise thy head, and tell me what hath happened to thee this day; for I\nread a tale in thy face.--Abstain from speaking to me, I replied. And\nshe wept, and said, It seemeth that thou art tired of us; for I see thee\nto be conducting thyself in a manner contrary to thy usual habit. Then\nshe wept again, and continued addressing me, though I made her no reply,\nuntil the approach of night, when she placed some food before me; but I\nabstained from it, fearing that she should see me eat with my left hand,\nand said, I have no desire to eat at present. She then said again, Tell\nme what hath happened to thee this day, and wherefore I see thee anxious\nand broken-hearted. I answered, I will presently tell thee at my\nleisure. And she put the wine towards me, saying, Take it; for it will\ndispel thine anxiety; and thou must drink, and tell me thy story. I\nreplied, therefore, If it must be so, give me to drink with thy hand.\nAnd she filled a cup and drank it; and then filled it again and handed\nit to me, and I took it from her with my left hand, and, while tears ran\nfrom my eyes, I repeated these verses:--\n\n When God willeth an event to befall a man who is endowed with reason\n and hearing and sight,\n He deafeneth his ears, and blindeth his heart, and draweth his reason\n from him as a hair.[V_36]\n Till, having fulfilled his purpose against him, He restoreth him\n his reason that he may be admonished.[V_37]\n\nHaving thus said, I wept again; and when she saw me do so, she uttered a\nloud cry, and said, What is the reason of thy weeping? Thou hast burned\nmy heart! And wherefore didst thou take the cup with thy left hand?--I\nanswered her, I have a boil upon my right hand.--Then put it forth, said\nshe, that I may open it for thee.--It is not yet, I replied, the proper\ntime for opening it; and continue not to ask me; for I will not put it\nforth at present. I then drank the contents of the cup, and she\ncontinued to hand me the wine until intoxication overcame me, and I\nfell asleep in the place where I was sitting; upon which she discovered\nthat my right arm was without a hand, and, searching me, saw the purse\ncontaining the gold.\n\nGrief, such as none else experienceth, overcame her at the sight; and\nshe suffered incessant torment on my account until the morning, when I\nawoke, and found that she had prepared for me a dish composed of four\nboiled fowls, which she placed before me. She then gave me to drink a\ncup of wine; and I ate and drank, and put down the purse, and was about\nto depart; but she said, Whither wouldst thou go? I answered, To such a\nplace, to dispel somewhat of the anxiety which oppresseth my heart.--Go\nnot, said she; but rather sit down again. So I sat down, and she said to\nme, Hath thy love of me become so excessive that thou hast expended all\nthy wealth upon me, and lost thy hand? I take thee, then, as witness\nagainst me, and God also is witness, that I will never desert thee; and\nthou shalt see the truth of my words.--Immediately, therefore, she sent\nfor witnesses, who came; and she said to them, Write my contract of\nmarriage to this young man, and bear witness that I have received the\ndowry. And they did as she desired them; after which she said, Bear\nwitness that all my property which is in this chest, and all my memlooks\nand female slaves, belong to this young man. Accordingly, they declared\nthemselves witnesses of her declaration, and I accepted the property,\nand they departed after they had received their fees. She then took me\nby my hand, and, having led me to a closet, opened a large chest, and\nsaid to me, See what is contained in this chest. I looked, therefore;\nand lo, it was full of handkerchiefs; and she said, This is thy\nproperty; which I have received from thee: for every time that thou\ngavest me a handkerchief containing fifty pieces of gold, I wrapped it\nup, and threw it into this chest: take, then, thy property; for God hath\nrestored it to thee, and thou art now of high estate. Fate hath\nafflicted thee on my account so that thou hast lost thy right hand, and\nI am unable to compensate thee: if I should sacrifice my life, it would\nbe but a small thing, and thy generosity would still have surpassed\nmine.--She then added, Now take possession of thy property. So I\nreceived it; and she transferred the contents of her chest to mine,\nadding her property to mine which I had given her. My heart rejoiced, my\nanxiety ceased, and I approached and kissed her, and made myself merry\nby drinking with her; after which she said again, Thou hast sacrificed\nall thy wealth and thy hand through love of me, and how can I compensate\nthee? By Allah, if I gave my life for love of thee, it were but a small\nthing, and I should not do justice to thy claims upon me.--She then\nwrote a deed of gift transferring to me all her apparel, and her\nornaments of gold and jewels, and her houses and other possessions; and\nshe passed that night in grief on my account, having heard my relation\nof the accident that had befallen me.\n\nThus we remained less than a month, during which time she became more\nand more infirm and disordered; and she endured no more than fifty days\nbefore she was numbered among the people of the other world. So I\nprepared her funeral, and deposited her body in the earth, and having\ncaused recitations of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n to be performed for her, and given a\nconsiderable sum of money in alms for her sake, returned from the tomb.\nI found that she had possessed abundant wealth, and houses and lands,\nand among her property were the store-rooms of sesame of which I sold to\nthee the contents of one; and I was not prevented from settling with\nthee during this period but by my being busied in selling the remainder,\nthe price of which I have not yet entirely received. Now I desire of\nthee that thou wilt not oppose me in that which I am about to say to\nthee; since I have eaten of thy food: I give thee the price of the\nsesame, which is in thy hands.--This which I have told thee was the\ncause of my eating with my left hand.\n\nI replied, Thou hast treated me with kindness and generosity:--and he\nthen said, Thou must travel with me to my country; for I have bought\nmerchandise of Cairo and Alexandria. Wilt thou accompany me?--I\nanswered, Yes;--and promised him that I would be ready by the first day\nof the following month. So I sold all that I possessed, and, having\nbought merchandise with the produce, travelled with the young man to\nthis thy country, where he sold his merchandise and bought other in its\nstead, after which he returned to the land of Egypt: but it was my lot\nto remain here, and to experience that which hath befallen me this night\nduring my absence from my native country.--Now is not this, O King of\nthe age, more wonderful than the story of the humpback?\n\nThe King replied, Ye must be hanged, all of you!--And upon this, the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n's steward advanced towards the King, and said, If thou permit me,\nI will relate to thee a story that I happened to hear just before I\nfound this humpback; and if it be more wonderful than the events\nrelating to him, wilt thou grant us our lives?--The King answered, Tell\nthy story:--and he began thus:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE STORY TOLD BY THE SUL\u1e6c\u00c1N'S STEWARD.\n\nI was last night with a party who celebrated a recitation of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n,[V_38] for which purpose they had assembled the professors\nof religion and law; and when these reciters had accomplished their\ntask, the servants spread a repast, comprising among other dishes a\nzirb\u00e1jeh.[V_39] We approached, therefore, to eat of the zirb\u00e1jeh;\nbut one of the company drew back, and refused to partake of it: we\nconjured him; yet he swore that he would not eat of it: and we pressed\nhim again; but he said, Press me not; for I have suffered enough from\neating of this dish. And when we had finished, we said to him, By Allah,\ntell us the reason of thine abstaining from eating of this zirb\u00e1jeh. He\nreplied, Because I cannot eat of it unless I wash my hands forty times\nwith kali, and forty times with cyperus, and forty times with soap;\naltogether, a hundred and twenty times. And upon this, the giver of the\nentertainment ordered his servants, and they brought water and the other\nthings which this man required: so he washed his hands as he had\ndescribed, and advanced, though with disgust, and, having seated\nhimself, stretched forth his hand as one in fear, and put it into the\nzirb\u00e1jeh, and began to eat, while we regarded him with the utmost\nwonder. His hand trembled, and when he put it forth, we saw that his\nthumb was cut off, and that he ate with his four fingers: we therefore\nsaid to him, We conjure thee, by Allah, to tell us how was thy thumb\nmaimed: was it thus created by God, or hath some accident happened to\nit?--O my brothers, he answered, not only have I lost this thumb, but\nalso the thumb of the other hand; and each of my feet is in like manner\ndeprived of the great toe: but see ye:--and, so saying, he uncovered the\nstump of the thumb of his other hand, and we found it like the right;\nand so also his feet, destitute of the great toes. At the sight of this,\nour wonder increased, and we said to him, We are impatient to hear thy\nstory, and thine account of the cause of the amputation of thy thumbs\nand great toes, and the reason of thy washing thy hands a hundred and\ntwenty times. So he said,--\n\nKnow that my father was a great merchant, the chief of the merchants of\nthe city of Baghd\u00e1d in the time of the Khaleefeh H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed; but\nhe was ardently addicted to the drinking of wine, and hearing the lute;\nand when he died, he left nothing. I buried him, and caused recitations\nof the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n to be performed for him, and, after I had mourned for him\ndays and nights, I opened his shop, and found that he had left in it but\nfew goods, and that his debts were many: however, I induced his\ncreditors to wait, and calmed their minds, and betook myself to selling\nand buying from week to week, and so paying the creditors.[V_40]\n\nThus I continued to do for a considerable period, until I had discharged\nall the debts and increased my capital; and as I was sitting one day, I\nbeheld a young lady, than whom my eye had never beheld any more\nbeautiful, decked with magnificent ornaments and apparel, riding on a\nmule, with a slave before her and a slave behind her; and she stopped\nthe mule at the entrance of the market-street, and entered, followed by\na eunuch, who said to her, O my mistress, enter, but inform no one who\nthou art, lest thou open the fire of indignation upon us. The eunuch\nthen further cautioned her; and when she looked at the shops of the\nmerchants, she found none more handsome than mine; so, when she arrived\nbefore me, with the eunuch following her, she sat down upon the seat of\nmy shop, and saluted me; and I never heard speech more charming than\nhers, or words more sweet. She then drew aside the veil from her face,\nand I directed at her a glance which drew from me a sigh; my heart was\ncaptivated by her love, and I continued repeatedly gazing at her face,\nand recited these two verses:--\n\n Say to the beauty in the dove-coloured veil, Death would indeed\n be welcome to relieve me from thy torment.\n Favour me with a visit, that so I may live. See, I stretch forth\n my hand to accept thy liberality.\n\nAnd when she had heard my recitation of them, she answered thus:--\n\n May I lose my heart if it cease to love you! For verily my heart\n loveth none but you.\n If my eye regard any charms but yours, may the sight of you never\n rejoice it after absence!\n\nShe then said to me, O youth, hast thou any handsome stuffs?--O my\nmistress, I answered, thy slave is a poor man; but wait until the other\nmerchants open their shops, and then I will bring thee what thou\ndesirest. So I conversed with her, drowned in the sea of her love, and\nbewildered by my passion for her, until the merchants had opened their\nshops, when I arose, and procured all that she wanted, and the price of\nthese stuffs was five thousand pieces of silver: and she handed them all\nto the eunuch, who took them; after which, they both went out from the\nmarket-street, and the slaves brought to her the mule, and she mounted,\nwithout telling me whence she was, and I was ashamed to mention the\nsubject to her: consequently, I became answerable for the price to the\nmerchants, incurring a debt of five thousand pieces of silver.\n\nI went home, intoxicated with her love, and they placed before me the\nsupper, and I ate a morsel; but reflections upon her beauty and\nloveliness prevented my eating more. I desired to sleep, but sleep came\nnot to me; and in this condition I remained for a week. The merchants\ndemanded of me their money; but I prevailed upon them to wait another\nweek; and after this week, the lady came again, riding upon a mule, and\nattended by a eunuch and two other slaves; and, having saluted me, said,\nO my master, we have been tardy in bringing to thee the price of the\nstuffs: bring now the money-changer, and receive it.[V_41] So the\nmoney-changer came, and the eunuch gave him the money, and I took it,\nand sat conversing with her until the market was replenished, and the\nmerchants opened their shops, when she said to me, Procure for me such\nand such things. Accordingly, I procured for her what she desired of the\nmerchants, and she took the goods and departed without saying anything\nto me respecting the price. When she had gone, therefore, I repented of\nwhat I had done; for I had procured for her what she demanded for the\nprice of a thousand pieces of gold; and as soon as she had disappeared\nfrom my sight, I said within myself, What kind of love is this? She hath\nbrought me five thousand pieces of silver, and taken goods for a\nthousand pieces of gold!--I feared that the result would be my\nbankruptcy, and the loss of the property of others, and said, The\nmerchants know none but me, and this woman is no other than a cheat, who\nhath imposed upon me by her beauty and loveliness: seeing me to be\nyoung, she hath laughed at me, and I asked her not where was her\nresidence.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI remained in a state of perplexity, and her absence was prolonged more\nthan a month. Meanwhile the merchants demanded of me their money, and so\npressed me that I offered my possessions for sale, and was on the brink\nof ruin; but as I was sitting absorbed in reflection, suddenly she\nalighted at the gate of the market-street, and came in to me. As soon as\nI beheld her, my solicitude ceased, and I forgot the trouble which I had\nsuffered. She approached, and addressed me with her agreeable\nconversation, and said, Produce the scales, and weigh thy money:--and\nshe gave me the price of the goods which she had taken, with a surplus;\nafter which, she amused herself by talking with me, and I almost died\nwith joy and happiness. She then said to me, Hast thou a wife? I\nanswered, No: for I am not acquainted with any woman:--and wept. So she\nasked me, What causeth thee to weep? And I answered, A thought that hath\ncome into my mind:--and, taking some pieces of gold, gave them to the\neunuch, requesting him to grant me his mediation in the affair; upon\nwhich he laughed, and said, She is in love with thee more than thou art\nwith her, and hath no want of the stuffs, but hath done this only from\nher love of thee: propose to her, therefore, what thou wilt; for she\nwill not oppose thee in that which thou wilt say. Now she observed me\ngiving the pieces of gold to the eunuch, and returned, and resumed her\nseat; and I said to her, Shew favour to thy slave, and pardon me for\nthat which I am about to say. I then acquainted her with the feelings of\nmy heart, and my declaration pleased her, and she consented to my\nproposal, saying, This eunuch will come with my letter; and do thou what\nhe shall tell thee;--and she arose, and departed.\n\nI went to the merchants, and delivered to them their money, and all\nprofited except myself; for when she left me I mourned for the\ninterruption of our intercourse, and I slept not during the whole of the\nnext night: but a few days after, her eunuch came to me, and I received\nhim with honour, and asked him respecting his mistress. He answered, She\nis sick:--and I said to him, Disclose to me her history. He replied, The\nlady Zubeydeh, the wife of H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed, brought up this damsel,\nand she is one of her slaves: she had desired of her mistress to be\nallowed the liberty of going out and returning at pleasure, and the\nlatter gave her permission: she continued, therefore, to do so until she\nbecame a chief confident; after which, she spoke of thee to her\nmistress, and begged that she would marry her to thee: but her mistress\nsaid, I will not do it until I see this young man, and if he have a\ndesire for thee, I will marry thee to him. We therefore wish to\nintroduce thee immediately into the palace; and if thou enter without\nany one's having knowledge of thy presence, thou wilt succeed in\naccomplishing thy marriage with her; but if thy plot be discovered, thy\nhead will be struck off. What, then, sayest thou?--I answered, Good: I\nwill go with thee, and await the event that shall befall me there.--As\nsoon, then, as this next night shall have closed in, said the eunuch,\nrepair to the mosque which the lady Zubeydeh hath built on the bank of\nthe Tigris, and there say thy prayers, and pass the night.[V_42]--Most\nwillingly, I replied.\n\nAccordingly, when the time of nightfall arrived, I went to the mosque,\nand said my prayers there, and passed the night; and as soon as the\nmorning began to dawn, I saw two eunuchs approaching in a small boat,\nconveying some empty chests, which they brought into the mosque. One of\nthem then departed, and the other remained; and I looked attentively at\nhim, and lo, it was he who had been our intermediary: and soon after,\nthe damsel, my companion, came up to us. I rose to her when she\napproached, and embraced her; and she kissed me, and wept: and after we\nhad conversed together for a little while, she took me and placed me in\na chest, and locked it upon me.[V_43] The slaves then brought a\nquantity of stuffs, and filled with them the other chests, which they\nlocked, and conveyed, together with the chest in which I was enclosed,\nto the boat, accompanied by the damsel; and having embarked them, they\nplied the oars, and proceeded to the palace of the honoured lady\nZubeydeh. The intoxication of love now ceased in me, and reflection came\nin its place: I repented of what I had done, and prayed God to deliver\nme from my dangerous predicament.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nMeanwhile, they arrived at the gate of the Khaleefeh, where they landed,\nand took out all the chests, and conveyed them into the palace: but the\nchief of the door-keepers, who had been asleep when they arrived, was\nawoke by the sounds of their voices, and cried out to the damsel,\nsaying, The chests must be opened, that I may see what is in them:--and\nhe arose, and placed his hand upon the chest in which I was hidden. My\nreason abandoned me, my heart almost burst from my body, and my limbs\ntrembled; but the damsel said, These are the chests of the lady\nZubeydeh, and if thou open them and turn them over, she will be incensed\nagainst thee, and we shall all perish. They contain nothing but clothes\ndyed of various colours, except this chest upon which thou hast put thy\nhand, in which there are also some bottles filled with the water of\nZemzem,[V_44] and if any of the water run out upon the clothes it\nwill spoil their colours. Now I have advised thee, and it is for thee to\ndecide: so do what thou wilt.--When he heard, therefore, these words, he\nsaid to her, Take the chests, and pass on:--and the eunuchs immediately\ntook them up, and, with the damsel, conveyed them into the palace: but\nin an instant, I heard a person crying out, and saying, The Khaleefeh!\nThe Khaleefeh!\n\nI was bereft of my reason, and seized with a colick from excessive fear;\nI almost died, and my limbs were affected with a violent shaking. The\nKhaleefeh cried out to the damsel, saying to her, What are these chests?\nShe answered, O my lord (may God exalt thy dominion!), these chests\ncontain clothes of my mistress Zubeydeh.--Open them, said the\nKhaleefeh, that I may see the clothes.--When I heard this, I felt sure\nof my destruction. The damsel could not disobey his command; but she\nreplied, O Prince of the Faithful, there is nothing in these chests but\nclothes of the lady Zubeydeh, and she hath commanded me not to open them\nto any one. The Khaleefeh, however, said, The chests must be opened, all\nof them, that I may see their contents:--and immediately he called out\nto the eunuchs to bring them before him. I therefore felt certain that I\nwas on the point of destruction. They then brought before him chest\nafter chest, and opened each to him, and he examined the contents; and\nwhen they brought forward the chest in which I was enclosed, I bade\nadieu to life, and prepared myself for death; but as the eunuchs were\nabout to open it, the damsel said, O Prince of the Faithful, verily this\nchest containeth things especially appertaining to women; and it is\nproper, therefore, that it should be opened before the lady\nZubeydeh:--and when the Khaleefeh heard her words, he ordered the\neunuchs to convey all the chests into the interior of the palace. The\ndamsel then hastened, and ordered two eunuchs to carry away the chest in\nwhich I was hidden, and they took it to an inner chamber, and went their\nway: whereupon she quickly opened it, and made a sign to me to come out:\nso I did as she desired, and entered a closet that was before me, and\nshe locked the door upon me, and closed the chest: and when the eunuchs\nhad brought in all the chests, and had gone back, she opened the door of\nthe closet, and said, Thou hast nothing to fear! May God refresh thine\neye! Come forth now, and go up with me, that thou mayest have the\nhappiness of kissing the ground before the lady Zubeydeh.\n\nI therefore went with her, and beheld twenty other female slaves,\nhigh-bosomed virgins, and among them was the lady Zubeydeh, who was\nscarcely able to walk from the weight of the robes and ornaments with\nwhich she was decked. As she approached, the female slaves dispersed\nfrom around her, and I advanced to her, and kissed the ground before\nher. She made a sign to me to sit down: so I seated myself before her;\nand she began to ask me questions respecting my condition and lineage;\nto all of which I gave such answers that she was pleased, and said, By\nAllah, the care which we have bestowed on the education of this damsel\nhath not been in vain. She then said to me, Know that this damsel is\nesteemed by us as though she were really our child, and she is a trust\ncommitted to thy care by God. Upon this, therefore, I again kissed the\nground before her, well pleased to marry the damsel; after which, she\ncommanded me to remain with them ten days. Accordingly, I continued with\nthem during this period; but I knew nothing meanwhile of the damsel;\ncertain of the maids only bringing me my dinner and supper, as my\nservants. After this, however, the lady Zubeydeh asked permission of her\nhusband, the Prince of the Faithful, to marry her maid, and he granted\nher request, and ordered that ten thousand pieces of gold should be\ngiven to her.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe lady Zubeydeh, therefore, sent for the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee and witnesses, and\nthey wrote my contract of marriage to the damsel; and the maids then\nprepared sweetmeats and exquisite dishes, and distributed them in all\nthe apartments. Thus they continued to do for a period of ten more days;\nand after the twenty days had passed, they conducted the damsel into the\nbath, preparatively to my being introduced to her as her husband. They\nthen brought to me a repast comprising a basin of zirb\u00e1jeh sweetened\nwith sugar, perfumed with rose-water infused with musk, and containing\ndifferent kinds of fricandoed fowls and a variety of other ingredients,\nsuch as astonished the mind; and, by Allah, when this repast was\nbrought, I instantly commenced upon the zirb\u00e1jeh, and ate of it as much\nas satisfied me, and wiped my hand, but forgot to wash it. I remained\nsitting until it became dark; when the maids lighted the candles, and\nthe singing-girls approached with the tambourines, and they continued to\ndisplay the bride, and to give presents of gold, until she had\nperambulated the whole of the palace; after which, they brought her to\nme, and disrobed her; and as soon as I was left alone with her, I threw\nmy arms around her neck, scarcely believing in our union: but as I did\nso, she perceived the smell of the zirb\u00e1jeh from my hand, and\nimmediately uttered a loud cry: whereupon the female slaves ran in to\nher from every quarter.\n\nI was violently agitated, not knowing what was the matter; and the\nslaves who had come in said to her, What hath happened to thee, O our\nsister?--Take away from me, she exclaimed to them, this madman, whom I\nimagined to be a man of sense!--What indication of my insanity hath\nappeared to thee? I asked. Thou madman, said she, wherefore hast thou\neaten of the zirb\u00e1jeh, and not washed thy hand? By Allah, I will not\naccept thee for thy want of sense, and thy disgusting conduct!--And so\nsaying, she took from her side a whip,[V_45] and beat me with it\nupon my back until I became insensible from the number of the stripes.\nShe then said to the other maids, Take him to the magistrate of the city\npolice, that he may cut off his hand with which he ate the zirb\u00e1jeh\nwithout washing it afterwards. On hearing this, I exclaimed, There is no\nstrength nor power but in God! Wilt thou cut off my hand on account of\nmy eating a zirb\u00e1jeh and neglecting to wash it?--And the maids who were\npresent entreated her, saying to her, O our sister, be not angry with\nhim for what he hath done this time. But she replied, By Allah, I must\ncut off something from his extremities! And immediately she departed,\nand was absent from me ten days: after which, she came again, and said\nto me, O thou black-faced! Am I not worthy of thee? How didst thou dare\nto eat the zirb\u00e1jeh and not wash thy hand?--And she called to the maids,\nwho bound my hands behind me, and she took a sharp razor, and cut off\nboth my thumbs and both my great toes, as ye see, O companions; and I\nswooned away. She then sprinkled upon my wounds some powder, by means of\nwhich the blood was stanched; and I said, I will not eat of a zirb\u00e1jeh\nas long as I live unless I wash my hands forty times with kali and forty\ntimes with cyperus and forty times with soap:--and she exacted of me an\noath that I would not eat of this dish unless I washed my hands as I\nhave described to you. Therefore, when this zirb\u00e1jeh was brought, my\ncolour changed, and I said within myself, This was the cause of the\ncutting off of my thumbs and great toes:--so, when ye compelled me, I\nsaid, I must fulfil the oath which I have sworn.\n\nI then said to him (continued the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's steward), And what happened\nto thee after that? He answered, When I had thus sworn to her, she was\nappeased, and I was admitted into her favour; and we lived happily\ntogether for a considerable time: after which she said, The people of\nthe Khaleefeh's palace know not that thou hast resided here with me,\nand no strange man beside thee hath entered it; nor didst thou enter but\nthrough the assistance of the lady Zubeydeh. She then gave me fifty\nthousand pieces of gold, and said to me, Take these pieces of gold, and\ngo forth and buy for us a spacious house. So I went forth, and purchased\na handsome and spacious house, and removed thither all the riches that\nshe possessed, and all that she had treasured up, and her dresses and\nrarities.--This was the cause of the amputation of my thumbs and great\ntoes.--So we ate (said the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's steward), and departed; and after\nthis, the accident with the humpback happened to me: this is all my\nstory; and peace be on thee.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe King said, This is not more pleasant than the story of the humpback:\nnay, the story of the humpback is more pleasant than this; and ye must\nall of you be crucified.--The Jew, however, then came forward, and,\nhaving kissed the ground, said, O King of the age, I will relate to thee\na story more wonderful than that of the humpback:--and the King said,\nRelate thy story. So he commenced thus:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN.\n\nThe most wonderful of the events that happened to me in my younger days\nwas this:--I was residing in Damascus, where I learnt and practised my\nart; and while I was thus occupied, one day there came to me a memlook\nfrom the house of the governor of the city: so I went forth with him,\nand accompanied him to the abode of the governor. I entered, and beheld,\nat the upper end of a saloon, a couch of alabaster overlaid with plates\nof gold, upon which was reclining a sick man: he was young; and a person\nmore comely had not been seen in his age. Seating myself at his head, I\nejaculated a prayer for his restoration;[V_46] and he made a sign\nto me with his eye. I then said to him, O my master, stretch forth to me\nthy hand:--whereupon he put forth to me his left hand; and I was\nsurprised at this, and said within myself, What self-conceit! I felt his\npulse, however, and wrote a prescription for him, and continued to visit\nhim for a period of ten days, until he recovered his strength; when he\nentered the bath, and washed himself, and came forth: and the governor\nconferred upon me a handsome dress of honour, and appointed me\nsuperintendent of the hospital of Damascus.[V_47] But when I went\nwith him into the bath, which they had cleared of all other visitors for\nus alone, and the servants had brought the clothes, and taken away those\nwhich he had pulled off within, I perceived that his right hand had been\ncruelly amputated; at the sight of which I wondered, and grieved for\nhim; and looking at his skin, I observed upon him marks of beating with\nmi\u1e33ra'ahs, which caused me to wonder more. The young man then turned\ntowards me, and said, O doctor of the age, wonder not at my case; for I\nwill relate to thee my story when we have gone out from the bath:--and\nwhen we had gone forth, and arrived at the house, and had eaten some\nfood, and rested, he said to me, Hast thou a desire to divert thyself in\nthe supper-room? I answered, Yes:--and immediately he ordered the slaves\nto take up thither the furniture, and to roast a lamb and bring us some\nfruit. So the slaves did as he commanded them: and when they had brought\nthe fruit, and we had eaten, I said to him, Relate to me thy story:--and\nhe replied, O doctor of the age, listen to the relation of the events\nwhich have befallen me.\n\nKnow that I am of the children of El-M\u00f3\u1e63il. My paternal grandfather died\nleaving ten male children, one of whom was my father: he was the eldest\nof them; and they all grew up and married; and my father was blest with\nme; but none of his nine brothers was blest with children. So I grew up\namong my uncles, who delighted in me exceedingly; and when I had\nattained to manhood, I was one day with my father in the chief mosque of\nEl-M\u00f3\u1e63il. The day was Friday; and we performed the congregational\nprayers, and all the people went out, except my father and my uncles,\nwho sat conversing together respecting the wonders of various countries,\nand the strange sights of different cities, until they mentioned Egypt;\nwhen one of my uncles said, The travellers assert, that there is not on\nthe face of the earth a more agreeable country than Egypt with its\nNile:[V_48]--and my father added, He who hath not seen Cairo hath\nnot seen the world: its soil is gold; its Nile is a wonder; its women\nare like the black-eyed virgins of Paradise; its houses are palaces; and\nits air is temperate; its odour surpassing that of aloes-wood, and\ncheering the heart: and how can Cairo be otherwise when it is the\nmetropolis of the world?[V_49] Did ye see its gardens in the\nevening (he continued), with the shade obliquely extending over them, ye\nwould behold a wonder, and yield with ecstasy to their attractions.[V_50]\n\nWhen I heard these descriptions of Egypt, my mind became wholly engaged\nby reflections upon that country; and after they had departed to their\nhomes, I passed the night sleepless from my excessive longing towards\nit, and neither food nor drink was pleasant to me. A few days after, my\nuncles prepared to journey thither, and I wept before my father that I\nmight go with them, so that he prepared a stock of merchandise for me,\nand I departed in their company; but he said to them, Suffer him not to\nenter Egypt, but leave him at Damascus, that he may there sell his\nmerchandise.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI took leave of my father, and we set forth from El-M\u00f3\u1e63il, and continued\nour journey until we arrived at Aleppo, where we remained some days;\nafter which we proceeded thence until we came to Damascus; and we beheld\nit to be a city with trees and rivers and fruits and birds, as though it\nwere a paradise, containing fruits of every kind. We took lodgings in\none of the Kh\u00e1ns, and my uncles remained there until they had sold and\nbought; and they also sold my merchandise, gaining, for every piece of\nsilver, five, so that I rejoiced at my profit. My uncles then left me,\nand repaired to Egypt, and I remained, and took up my abode in a\nhandsome \u1e32\u00e1'ah, such as the tongue cannot describe; the monthly rent of\nwhich was two pieces of gold.[V_51]\n\nHere I indulged myself with eating and drinking, squandering away the\nmoney that was in my possession; and as I was sitting one day at the\ndoor of the \u1e32\u00e1'ah, a damsel approached me, attired in clothing of the\nrichest description, such as I had never seen surpassed in costliness,\nand I invited her to come in; whereupon, without hesitation, she\nentered; and I was delighted at her compliance, and closed the door upon\nus both. She then uncovered her face, and took off her iz\u00e1r, and I found\nher to be so surprisingly beautiful that love for her took possession of\nmy heart: so I went and brought a repast consisting of the most\ndelicious viands and fruit and everything else that was requisite for\nher entertainment, and we ate and sported together; after which, we\ndrank till we were intoxicated, and fell asleep, and so we remained\nuntil the morning, when I handed her ten pieces of gold; but she swore\nthat she would not accept them from me, and said, Expect me again, O my\nbeloved, after three days: at the hour of sunset I will be with thee:\nand do thou prepare for us, with these pieces of gold, a repast similar\nto this which we have just enjoyed. She then gave me ten pieces of gold,\nand took leave of me, and departed, taking my reason with her. And after\nthe three days had expired, she came again, decked with embroidered\nstuffs and ornaments and other attire more magnificent than those which\nshe wore on the former occasion. I had prepared for her what was\nrequired previously to her arrival; so we now ate and drank and fell\nasleep as before; and in the morning she gave me again ten pieces of\ngold, promising to return to me after three more days. I therefore made\nready what was requisite, and after the three days she came attired in a\ndress still more magnificent than the first and second, and said to me,\nO my master, am I beautiful?--Yea, verily, I answered.--Wilt thou give\nme leave, she rejoined, to bring with me a damsel more beautiful than\nmyself, and younger than I, that she may sport with us, and we may make\nmerry with her? For she hath requested that she may accompany me, and\npass the night in frolicking with us.--And so saying, she gave me twenty\npieces of gold, desiring me to prepare a more plentiful repast, on\naccount of the lady who was to come with her; after which, she bade me\nfarewell, and departed.\n\nAccordingly, on the fourth day, I procured what was requisite, as usual,\nand soon after sunset she came, accompanied by a female wrapped in an\niz\u00e1r, and they entered, and seated themselves. I was rejoiced, and I\nlighted the candles, and welcomed them with joy and exultation. They\nthen took off their outer garments, and when the new damsel uncovered\nher face, I perceived that she was like the full moon: I had never\nbeheld a person more beautiful. I arose immediately, and placed before\nthem the food and drink, and we ate and drank, while I continued\ncaressing the new damsel, and filling the wine-cup for her, and drinking\nwith her: but the first lady was affected with a secret jealousy.--By\nAllah, she said, verily this girl is beautiful! Is she not more charming\nthan I?--Yea, indeed, I answered.--Soon after this, I fell asleep, and\nwhen I awoke in the morning, I found my hand defiled with blood, and,\nopening my eyes, perceived that the sun had risen; so I attempted to\nrouse the damsel, my new companion, whereupon her head rolled from her\nbody. The other damsel was gone, and I concluded, therefore, that she\nhad done this from her jealousy; and after reflecting a while, I arose,\nand took off my clothes, and dug a hole in the \u1e32\u00e1'ah, in which I\ndeposited the murdered damsel, afterwards covering her remains with\nearth, and replacing the marble pavement as it was before. I then\ndressed myself again, and, taking the remainder of my money, went forth,\nand repaired to the owner of the \u1e32\u00e1'ah, and paid him a year's rent,\nsaying to him, I am about to journey to my uncles in Egypt.\n\nSo I departed to Egypt, where I met with my uncles, and they were\nrejoiced to see me. I found that they had concluded the sale of their\nmerchandise, and they said to me, What is the cause of thy coming? I\nanswered, I had a longing desire to be with you, and feared that my\nmoney would not suffice me.--For a year I remained with them, enjoying\nthe pleasures of Egypt and its Nile; and I dipped my hand into the\nresidue of my money, and expended it prodigally in eating and drinking\nuntil near the time of my uncles' departure, when I fled from them: so\nthey said, Probably, he hath gone before us, and returned to\nDamascus:--and they departed. I then came forth from my concealment, and\nremained in Cairo three years, squandering away my money until scarcely\nany of it remained: but meanwhile I sent every year the rent of the\n\u1e32\u00e1'ah at Damascus to its owner: and after the three years my heart\nbecame contracted, for nothing remained in my possession but the rent\nfor the year.\n\nI therefore journeyed back to Damascus, and alighted at the \u1e32\u00e1'ah. The\nowner was rejoiced to see me, and I entered it, and cleansed it of the\nblood of the murdered damsel, and, removing a cushion, I found, beneath\nthis, the necklace that she had worn that night. I took it up and\nexamined it, and wept a while. After this I remained in the house two\ndays, and on the third day I entered the bath, and changed my clothes. I\nnow had no money left; and I went one day to the market, where (the\nDevil suggesting it to me, in order to accomplish the purpose of\ndestiny) I handed the necklace of jewels to a broker; and he rose to me,\nand seated me by his side: then having waited until the market was\nreplenished, he took it, and announced it for sale secretly, without my\nknowledge. The price bidden for it amounted to two thousand pieces of\ngold; but he came to me and said, This necklace is of brass, of the\ncounterfeit manufacture of the Franks, and its price hath amounted to a\nthousand pieces of silver. I answered him, Yes; we had made it for a\nwoman, merely to laugh at her, and my wife has inherited it, and we\ndesire to sell it: go, therefore, and receive the thousand pieces of\nsilver. Now when the broker heard this, he perceived that the affair was\nsuspicious, and went and gave the necklace to the chief of the market,\nwho took it to the W\u00e1lee, and said to him, This necklace was stolen from\nme, and we have found the thief, clad in the dress of the sons of the\nmerchants. And before I knew what had happened, the officers had\nsurrounded me, and they took me to the W\u00e1lee, who questioned me\nrespecting the necklace. I told him, therefore, the same story that I\nhad told to the broker; but he laughed, and said, This is not the\ntruth:--and instantly his people stripped me of my outer clothing, and\nbeat me with mi\u1e33ra'ahs all over my body, until, through the torture that\nI suffered from the blows, I said, I stole it;--reflecting that it was\nbetter I should say I stole it, than confess that its owner was murdered\nin my abode; for then they would kill me to avenge her: and as soon as I\nhad said so, they cut off my hand, and scalded the stump with boiling\noil,[V_52] and I swooned away. They then gave me to drink some\nwine, by swallowing which I recovered my senses; and I took my amputated\nhand, and returned to the \u1e32\u00e1'ah; but its owner said to me, Since this\nhath happened to thee, leave the \u1e32\u00e1'ah, and look for another abode; for\nthou art accused of an unlawful act.--O my master, I replied, give me\ntwo or three days' delay that I may seek for a lodging:--and he assented\nto this, and departed and left me. So I remained alone, and sat weeping,\nand saying, How can I return to my family with my hand cut off? He who\ncut it off knoweth not that I am innocent: perhaps, then, God will bring\nabout some event for my relief.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI sat weeping violently; and when the owner of the \u1e32\u00e1'ah had departed\nfrom me, excessive grief overcame me, and I was sick for two days; and\non the third day, suddenly the owner of the \u1e32\u00e1'ah came to me, with some\nofficers of the police, and the chief of the market, and accused me\nagain of stealing the necklace. So I went out to them, and said, What is\nthe news?--whereupon, without granting me a moment's delay, they bound\nmy arms behind me, and put a chain around my neck, saying to me, The\nnecklace which was in thy possession hath proved to be the property of\nthe governor of Damascus, its Wezeer and its Ruler: it hath been lost\nfrom the governor's house for a period of three years, and with it was\nhis daughter.--When I heard these words from them, my limbs trembled,\nand I said within myself, They will kill me! My death is inevitable! By\nAllah, I must relate my story to the governor; and if he please he will\nkill me, or if he please he will pardon me.--And when we arrived at the\ngovernor's abode, and they had placed me before him, and he beheld me,\nhe said, Is this he who stole the necklace and went out to sell it?\nVerily ye have cut off his hand wrongfully.--He then ordered that the\nchief of the market should be imprisoned, and said to him, Give to this\nperson the compensatory fine for his hand,[V_53] or I will hang\nthee and seize all thy property. And he called out to his attendants,\nwho took him and dragged him away.\n\nI was now left with the governor alone, after they had, by his\npermission, loosed the chain from my neck, and untied the cords which\nbound my arms; and the governor, looking towards me, said to me, O my\nson, tell me thy story, and speak truth. How did this necklace come into\nthy possession?--So I replied, O my lord, I will tell thee the\ntruth:--and I related to him all that had happened to me with the first\ndamsel, and how she had brought to me the second, and murdered her from\njealousy; on hearing which, he shook his head, and covered his face with\nhis handkerchief, and wept. Then looking towards me, he said, Know, O my\nson, that the elder damsel was my daughter: I kept her closely; and when\nshe had attained a fit age for marriage, I sent her to the son of her\nuncle in Cairo; but he died, and she returned to me, having learnt\nhabits of profligacy from the inhabitants of that city:[V_54] so\nshe visited thee four times; and on the fourth occasion, she brought to\nthee her younger sister. They were sisters by the same mother, and much\nattached to each other; and when the event which thou hast related\noccurred to the elder, she imparted her secret to her sister, who asked\nmy permission to go out with her; after which the elder returned alone;\nand when I questioned her respecting her sister, I found her weeping\nfor her, and she answered, I know no tidings of her:--but she afterwards\ninformed her mother, secretly, of the murder which she had committed;\nand her mother privately related the affair to me; and she continued to\nweep for her incessantly, saying, By Allah, I will not cease to weep for\nher until I die. Thy account, O my son, is true; for I knew the affair\nbefore thou toldest it me. See then, O my son, what hath happened: and\nnow I request of thee that thou wilt not oppose me in that which I am\nabout to say; and it is this:--I desire to marry thee to my youngest\ndaughter; for she is not of the same mother as they were:[V_55] she\nis a virgin, and I will receive from thee no dowry, but will assign to\nyou both an allowance; and thou shalt be to me as an own son.--I\nreplied, Let it be as thou desirest, O my master. How could I expect to\nattain unto such happiness?--The governor then sent immediately a\ncourier to bring the property which my father had left me (for he had\ndied since my departure from him), and now I am living in the utmost\naffluence.\n\nI wondered, said the Jew, at his history; and after I had remained with\nhim three days, he gave me a large sum of money; and I left him, to set\nforth on a journey; and, arriving in this your country, my residence\nhere pleased me, and I experienced this which hath happened to me with\nthe humpback.\n\nThe King, when he had heard this story, said, This is not more wonderful\nthan the story of the humpback, and ye must all of you be hanged, and\nespecially the tailor, who is the source of all the mischief. But he\nafterwards added, O tailor, if thou tell me a story more wonderful than\nthat of the humpback, I will forgive you your offences. So the tailor\nadvanced, and said,--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR.\n\nKnow, O King of the age, that what hath happened to me is more wonderful\nthan the events which have happened to all the others. Before I met the\nhumpback, I was, early in the morning, at an entertainment given to\ncertain tradesmen of my acquaintance, consisting of tailors and\nlinen-drapers and carpenters and others; and when the sun had risen, the\nrepast was brought for us to eat; and lo, the master of the house came\nin to us, accompanied by a strange and handsome young man, of the\ninhabitants of Baghd\u00e1d. He was attired in clothes of the handsomest\ndescription, and was a most comely person, except that he was lame; and\nas soon as he had entered and saluted us, we rose to him; but when he\nwas about to seat himself, he observed among us a man who was a barber,\nwhereupon he refused to sit down, and desired to depart from us. We and\nthe master of the house, however, prevented him, and urged him to seat\nhimself; and the host conjured him, saying, What is the reason of thy\nentering, and then immediately departing?--By Allah, O my master,\nreplied he, offer me no opposition; for the cause of my departure is\nthis barber, who is sitting with you. And when the host heard this, he\nwas exceedingly surprised, and said, How is it that the heart of this\nyoung man, who is from Baghd\u00e1d, is troubled by the presence of this\nbarber? We then looked towards him, and said, Relate to us the cause of\nthy displeasure against this barber; and the young man replied, O\ncompany, a surprising adventure happened to me with this barber in\nBaghd\u00e1d, my city; and he was the cause of my lameness, and of the\nbreaking of my leg; and I have sworn that I will not sit in any place\nwhere he is present, nor dwell in any town where he resides: I quitted\nBaghd\u00e1d and took up my abode in this city, and I will not pass the next\nnight without departing from it.--Upon this, we said to him, We conjure\nthee, by Allah, to relate to us thy adventure with him.--And the\ncountenance of the barber turned pale when he heard us make this\nrequest. The young man then said,--\n\nKnow, O good people, that my father was one of the chief merchants of\nBaghd\u00e1d; and God (whose name be exalted!) blessed him with no son but\nmyself; and when I grew up, and had attained to manhood, my father was\nadmitted to the mercy of God, leaving me wealth and servants and other\ndependants; whereupon I began to attire myself in clothes of the\nhandsomest description, and to feed upon the most delicious meats. Now\nGod (whose perfection be extolled!) made me to be a hater of women; and\nso I continued, until, one day, I was walking through the streets of\nBaghd\u00e1d, when a party of them stopped my way: I therefore fled from\nthem, and, entering a by-street which was not a thoroughfare, I reclined\nupon a ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah at its further extremity. Here I had been seated but a\nshort time when, lo, a window opposite the place where I sat was opened,\nand there looked out from it a damsel like the full moon, such as I had\nnever in my life beheld. She had some flowers, which she was watering,\nbeneath the window; and she looked to the right and left, and then shut\nthe window, and disappeared from before me. Fire had been shot into my\nheart, and my mind was absorbed by her; my hatred of women was turned\ninto love, and I continued sitting in the same place until sunset, in a\nstate of distraction from the violence of my passion, when, lo, the\n\u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee of the city came riding along, with slaves before him and servants\nbehind him, and alighted, and entered the house from which the damsel\nhad looked out: so I knew that he must be her father.\n\nI then returned to my house, sorrowful; and fell upon my bed, full of\nanxious thoughts; and my female slaves came in to me, and seated\nthemselves around me, not knowing what was the matter with me; and I\nacquainted them not with my case, nor returned any answers to their\nquestions; and my disorder increased. The neighbours, therefore, came\nto cheer me with their visits; and among those who visited me was an old\nwoman, who, as soon as she saw me, discovered my state; whereupon she\nseated herself at my head, and, addressing me in a kind manner, said, O\nmy son, tell me what hath happened to thee? So I related to her my\nstory, and she said, O my son, this is the daughter of the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee of\nBaghd\u00e1d, and she is kept in close confinement: the place where thou\nsawest her is her apartment, and her father occupies a large saloon\nbelow, leaving her alone; and often do I visit her: thou canst obtain an\ninterview with her only through me: so brace up thy nerves. When I\nheard, therefore, what she said, I took courage, and fortified my heart;\nand my family rejoiced that day. I rose up firm in limb, and hoping for\ncomplete restoration; and the old woman departed; but she returned with\nher countenance changed, and said, O my son, ask not what she did when I\ntold her of thy case; for she said, If thou abstain not, O ill-omened\nold woman, from this discourse, I will treat thee as thou\ndeservest:--but I must go to her a second time.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOn hearing this, my disorder increased: after some days, however, the\nold woman came again, and said, O my son, I desire of thee a reward for\ngood tidings. My soul returned to my body at these words, and I replied,\nThou shalt receive from me everything that thou canst wish. She then\nsaid, I went yesterday to the damsel, and when she beheld me with broken\nheart and weeping eye, she said to me, O my aunt, wherefore do I see\nthee with contracted heart?--and when she had thus said, I wept, and\nanswered, O my daughter and mistress, I came to thee yesterday from\nvisiting a youth who loveth thee, and he is at the point of death on thy\naccount:--and, her heart being moved with compassion, she asked, Who is\nthis youth of whom thou speakest? I answered, He is my son, and the\nchild that is dear to my soul: he saw thee at the window some days ago,\nwhile thou wast watering thy flowers; and when he beheld thy face, he\nbecame distracted with love for thee: I informed him of the conversation\nthat I had with thee the first time; upon which his disorder increased,\nand he took to his pillow: he is now dying, and there is no doubt of his\nfate.--And upon this, her countenance became pale, and she said, Is this\nall on my account?--Yea, by Allah, I answered; and what dost thou order\nme to do?--Go to him, said she; convey to him my salutation, and tell\nhim that my love is greater than his; and on Friday next, before the\ncongregational prayers, let him come hither: I will give orders to open\nthe door to him, and to bring him up to me, and I will have a short\ninterview with him, and he shall return before my father comes back from\nthe prayers.\n\nWhen I heard these words of the old woman, the anguish which I had\nsuffered ceased; my heart was set at rest, and I gave her the suit of\nclothes which I was then wearing, and she departed, saying to me, Cheer\nup thy heart. I replied, I have no longer any pain. The people of my\nhouse, and my friends, communicated, one to another, the good news of my\nrestoration to health, and I remained thus until the Friday, when the\nold woman came in to me, and asked me respecting my state: so I informed\nher that I was happy and well. I then dressed and perfumed myself, and\nsat waiting for the people to go to prayers, that I might repair to the\ndamsel; but the old woman said to me, Thou hast yet more than ample\ntime, and if thou go to the bath and shave, especially for the sake of\nobliterating the traces of thy disorder, it will be more becoming.--It\nis a judicious piece of advice, replied I; but I will shave my head\nfirst, and then go into the bath.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo I sent for a barber to shave my head, saying to the boy, Go to the\nmarket, and bring me a barber, one who is a man of sense, little\ninclined to impertinence, that he may not make my head ache by his\nchattering. And the boy went, and brought this sheykh, who, on entering,\nsaluted me; and when I had returned his salutation, he said to me, May\nGod dispel thy grief and thine anxiety, and misfortunes and sorrows! I\nresponded, May God accept thy prayer! He then said, Be cheerful, O my\nmaster, for health hath returned to thee. Dost thou desire to be shaved\nor to be bled?--for it hath been handed down, on the authority of\nIbn-'Abb\u00e1s,[V_56] that the Prophet said, Whoso shorteneth his hair\non Friday, God will avert from him seventy diseases;--and it hath been\nhanded down also, on the same authority, that the Prophet said, Whoso is\ncupped on Friday will not be secure from the loss of sight and from\nfrequent disease.--Abstain, said I, from this useless discourse, and\ncome immediately, shave my head, for I am weak. And he arose, and,\nstretching forth his hand, took out a handkerchief, and opened it; and\nlo, there was in it an astrolabe, consisting of seven plates;[V_57]\nand he took it, and went into the middle of the court, where he raised\nhis head towards the sun, and looked for a considerable time; after\nwhich he said to me, Know that there have passed, of this our day, which\nis Friday, and which is the tenth of \u1e62afar,[V_58] of the year\n263[V_59] of the Flight of the Prophet,--upon whom be the most\nexcellent of blessings and peace!--and the ascendant star of which,\naccording to the required rules of the science of computation, is the\nplanet Mars,--seven degrees[V_60] and six minutes; and it happeneth\nthat Mercury hath come in conjunction with that planet; and this\nindicateth that the shaving of hair is now a most excellent operation:\nand it hath indicated to me, also, that thou desirest to confer a\nbenefit upon a person: and fortunate is he!--but after that, there is an\nannouncement that presenteth itself to me respecting a matter which I\nwill not mention to thee.\n\nBy Allah, I exclaimed, thou hast wearied me, and dissipated my mind, and\naugured against me, when I required thee only to shave my head: arise,\nthen, and shave it; and prolong not thy discourse to me. But he replied,\nBy Allah, if thou knewest the truth of the case, thou wouldst demand of\nme a further explication; and I counsel thee to do this day as I direct\nthee, according to the calculations deduced from the stars: it is thy\nduty to praise God, and not to oppose me; for I am one who giveth thee\ngood advice, and who regardeth thee with compassion: I would that I were\nin thy service for a whole year, that thou mightest do me justice; and I\ndesire not any pay from thee for so doing.--When I heard this, I said to\nhim, Verily thou art killing me this day, and there is no escape for\nme.--O my master, he replied, I am he whom the people call\nE\u1e63-\u1e62\u00e1mit,[V_61] on account of the paucity of my speech, by which I\nam distinguished above my brothers; for my eldest brother is named\nEl-Ba\u1e33boo\u1e33;[V_62] and the second, El-Hedd\u00e1r; and the third, Ba\u1e33ba\u1e33;\nand the fourth is named El-Kooz el-A\u1e63w\u00e1nee; and the fifth, El-Feshsh\u00e1r;\nand the sixth is named Sha\u1e33\u00e1li\u1e33; and the seventh brother is named\nE\u1e63-\u1e62\u00e1mit; and he is myself.\n\nNow when this barber thus overwhelmed me with his talk, I felt as if my\ngall-bladder had burst, and said to the boy, Give him a quarter of a\npiece of gold, and let him depart from me for the sake of Allah: for I\nhave no need to shave my head. But the barber on hearing what I said to\nthe boy, exclaimed, What is this that thou hast said, O my lord? By\nAllah, I will accept from thee no pay unless I serve thee; and serve\nthee I must; for to do so is incumbent on me, and to perform what thou\nrequirest; and I care not if I receive from thee no money. If thou\nknowest not my worth, I know thine; and thy father--may Allah have mercy\nupon him!--treated us with beneficence; for he was a man of generosity.\nBy Allah, thy father sent for me one day, like this blessed day, and\nwhen I went to him, he had a number of his friends with him, and he said\nto me, Take some blood from me. So I took the astrolabe, and observed\nthe altitude for him, and found the ascendant of the hour to be of evil\nomen, and that the letting of blood would be attended with trouble: I\ntherefore acquainted him with this, and he conformed to my wish, and\nwaited until the arrival of the approved hour, when I took the blood\nfrom him. He did not oppose me; but, on the contrary, thanked me; and in\nlike manner all the company present thanked me; and thy father gave me\na hundred pieces of gold for services similar to the letting of\nblood.--May God, said I, shew no mercy to my father for knowing such a\nman as thou!--and the barber laughed, and exclaimed, There is no deity\nbut God! Mo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle! Extolled be the perfection of Him\nwho changeth others, but is not changed! I did not imagine thee to be\notherwise than a man of sense; but thou hast talked nonsense in\nconsequence of thine illness. God hath mentioned, in his Excellent Book,\nthose who restrain their anger, and who forgive men:[V_63]--but\nthou art excused in every case. I am unacquainted, however, with the\ncause of thy haste; and thou knowest that thy father used to do nothing\nwithout consulting me; and it hath been said, that the person to whom\none applies for advice should be trusted: now thou wilt find no one\nbetter acquainted with the affairs of the world than myself, and I am\nstanding on my feet to serve thee. I am not displeased with thee, and\nhow then art thou displeased with me? But I will have patience with thee\non account of the favours which I have received from thy father.--By\nAllah, said I, thou hast wearied me with thy discourse, and overcome me\nwith thy speech! I desire that thou shave my head and depart from me.\n\nI gave vent to my rage; and would have risen, even if he had wetted my\nhead, when he said, I knew that displeasure with me had overcome thee;\nbut I will not be angry with thee, for thy sense is weak, and thou art a\nyouth: a short time ago I used to carry thee on my shoulder,[V_64]\nand take thee to the school.--Upon this, I said to him, O my brother, I\nconjure thee by Allah, depart from me that I may perform my business,\nand go thou thy way. Then I rent my clothes; and when he saw me do this,\nhe took the razor, and sharpened it, and continued to do so until my\nsoul almost parted from my body; then advancing to my head, he shaved a\nsmall portion of it; after which he raised his hand, and said, O my\nlord, haste is from the Devil;--and he repeated this couplet:--\n\n Deliberate, and haste not to accomplish thy desire; and be merciful,\n so shalt thou meet with one merciful:\n For there is no hand but God's hand is above it;[V_65] nor\n oppressor that shall not meet with an oppressor.\n\nO my lord (he then continued), I do not imagine that thou knowest my\ncondition in society; for my hand lighteth upon the heads of kings and\nemeers and wezeers and sages and learned men; and of such a one as\nmyself hath the poet said,--\n\n The trades altogether are like a necklace, and this barber is\n the chief pearl of the strings.\n He excelleth all that are endowed with skill, and under his hands\n are the heads of Kings.\n\n--Leave, said I, that which doth not concern thee! Thou hast contracted\nmy heart, and troubled my mind.--I fancy that thou art in haste, he\nrejoined. I replied, Yes! Yes! Yes!--Proceed slowly, said he; for verily\nhaste is from the Devil, and it giveth occasion to repentance and\ndisappointment; and he upon whom be blessing and peace[V_65] hath\nsaid, The best of affairs is that which is commenced with\ndeliberation:--and, by Allah, I am in doubt as to thine affair: I wish,\ntherefore, that thou wouldst make known to me what thou art hasting to\ndo; and may it be good; for I fear it is otherwise.\n\nThere now remained, to the appointed time, three hours; and he threw the\nrazor from his hand in anger, and, taking the astrolabe, went again to\nobserve the sun; then after he had waited a long time, he returned,\nsaying, There remain, to the hour of prayer, three hours, neither more\nnor less. For the sake of Allah, said I, be silent; for thou hast\ncrumbled my liver!--and thereupon, he took the razor, and sharpened it\nas he had done the first time, and shaved another portion of my head.\nThen stopping again, he said, I am in anxiety on account of thy hurry:\nif thou wouldst acquaint me with the cause of it, it would be better for\nthee; for thou knowest that thy father used to do nothing without\nconsulting me.\n\nI perceived now that I could not avoid his importunity, and said within\nmyself, The time of prayer is almost come, and I desire to go before the\npeople come out from the service: if I delay a little longer, I know not\nhow to gain admission to her. I therefore said to him, Be quick, and\ncease from this chattering and impertinence; for I desire to repair to\nan entertainment with my friends. But when he heard the mention of the\nentertainment, he exclaimed, The day is a blessed day for me! I\nyesterday conjured a party of my intimate friends to come and feast with\nme, and forgot to prepare for them anything to eat; and now I have\nremembered it. Alas for the disgrace that I shall experience from\nthem!--So I said to him, Be in no anxiety on this account, since thou\nhast been told that I am going to-day to an entertainment; for all the\nfood and drink that is in my house shall be thine if thou use expedition\nin my affair, and quickly finish shaving my head.--May God recompense\nthee with every blessing! he replied: describe to me what thou hast for\nmy guests, that I may know it. I have, said I, five dishes of meat, and\nten fowls fricandoed, and a roasted lamb.--Cause them to be brought\nbefore me, he said, that I may see them. So I had them brought to him,\nand he exclaimed, Divinely art thou gifted! How generous is thy soul!\nBut the incense and perfumes are wanting.--I brought him, therefore, a\nbox containing nedd[V_67] and aloes-wood and ambergris and musk,\nworth fifty pieces of gold.--The time had now become contracted, like my\nown heart; so I said to him, Receive this, and shave the whole of my\nhead, by the existence of Mo\u1e25ammad, God bless and save him! But he\nreplied, By Allah, I will not take it until I see all that it\ncontains.--I therefore ordered the boy, and he opened the box to him;\nwhereupon the barber threw down the astrolabe from his hand, and,\nseating himself upon the ground, turned over the perfumes and incense\nand aloes-wood in the box until my soul almost quitted my body.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHe then advanced, and took the razor, and shaved another small portion\nof my head; after which he said, By Allah, O my son, I know not whether\nI should thank thee or thank thy father; for my entertainment to-day is\nentirely derived from thy bounty and kindness, and I have no one among\nmy visiters deserving of it; for my guests are, Zeytoon the bath-keeper,\nand \u1e62alee\u1ea1 the wheat-seller, and 'Owkal the bean-seller, and 'Akresheh\nthe grocer, and \u1e24omeyd the dustman, and 'Ak\u00e1rish the milk-seller, and\neach of these hath a peculiar dance which he performeth, and peculiar\nverses which he reciteth; and the best of their qualities is, that they\nare like thy servant, the memlook who is before thee; and I, thy slave,\nknow neither loquacity nor impertinence. As to the bath-keeper, he\nsaith, If I go not to the feast, it cometh to my house!--and as to the\ndustman, he is witty, and full of frolick: often doth he dance, and say,\nNews, with my wife, is not kept in a chest!--and each of my friends hath\njests that another hath not: but the description is not like the actual\nobservation. If thou choose, therefore, to come to us, it will be more\npleasant both to thee and to us: relinquish, then, thy visit to thy\nfriends of whom thou hast told us that thou desirest to go to them; for\nthe traces of disease are yet upon thee, and probably thou art going to\na people of many words, who will talk of that which concerneth them not;\nor probably there will be among them one impertinent person; and thy\nsoul is already disquieted by disease.--I replied, If it be the will of\nGod, that shall be on some other day:--but he said, It will be more\nproper that thou first join my party of friends, that thou mayest enjoy\ntheir conviviality, and delight thyself with their salt. Act in\naccordance with the saying of the poet:--\n\n Defer not a pleasure when it can be had; for fortune often destroyeth\n our plans.\n\nUpon this I laughed from a heart laden with anger, and said to him, Do\nwhat I require, that I may go in the care of God, whose name be exalted!\nand do thou go to thy friends, for they are waiting thine arrival. He\nreplied, I desire nothing but to introduce thee into the society of\nthese people; for verily they are of the sons of that class among which\nis no impertinent person; and if thou didst but behold them once, thou\nwouldst leave all thine own companions.--May God, said I, give thee\nabundant joy with them, and I must bring them together here some\nday.--If that be thy wish, he rejoined, and thou wilt first attend the\nentertainment of thy friends this day, wait until I take this present\nwith which thou hast honoured me, and place it before my friends, that\nthey may eat and drink without waiting for me, and then I will return to\nthee, and go with thee to thy companions; for there is no false delicacy\nbetween me and my companions that should prevent my leaving them: so I\nwill return to thee quickly, and repair with thee whithersoever thou\ngoest.--Upon this I exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in\nGod, the High, the Great! Go thou to thy companions, and delight thy\nheart with them, and leave me to repair to mine, and to remain with them\nthis day, for they are waiting my arrival.--But he said, I will not\nleave thee to go alone.--The place to which I am going, said I, none can\nenter except myself.--I suppose then, he rejoined, that thou hast an\nappointment to-day with some female: otherwise, thou wouldst take me\nwith thee; for I am more deserving than all other men, and will assist\nthee to attain what thou desirest. I fear that thou art going to visit\nsome strange woman, and that thy life will be lost; for in this city of\nBaghd\u00e1d no one can do anything of this kind, especially on such a day\nas this; seeing that the W\u00e1lee of Baghd\u00e1d is a terrible, sharp\nsword.--Wo to thee, O wicked old man! I exclaimed, what are these words\nwith which thou addressest me?--And upon this, he kept a long silence.\n\nThe time of prayer had now arrived, and the time of the\nKhu\u1e6dbeh[V_68] was near, when he had finished shaving my head: so I\nsaid to him, Go with this food and drink to thy friends, and I will wait\nfor thee until thou return, and thou shalt accompany me:--and I\ncontinued my endeavours to deceive him, that he might go away; but he\nsaid to me, Verily thou art deceiving me, and wilt go alone, and\nprecipitate thyself into a calamity from which there will be no escape\nfor thee: by Allah! by Allah! then, quit not this spot until I return to\nthee and accompany thee, that I may know what will be the result of\nthine affair.--I replied, Well: prolong not thine absence from me. And\nhe took the food and drink and other things which I had given him, but\nintrusted them to a porter to convey them to his abode, and concealed\nhimself in one of the by-streets. I then immediately arose. The mu\u00ebddins\non the men\u00e1rehs had chanted the Sel\u00e1m of Friday;[V_69] and I put on\nmy clothes, and went forth alone, and, arriving at the by-street,\nstopped at the door of the house where I had seen the damsel: and lo,\nthe barber was behind me, and I knew it not. I found the door open, and\nentered; and immediately the master of the house returned from the\nprayers, and entered the saloon, and closed the door; and I said within\nmyself, How did this devil discover me?\n\nNow it happened, just at this time, for the fulfilment of God's purpose\nto rend the veil of protection before me, that a female slave belonging\nto the master of the house committed some offence, in consequence of\nwhich he beat her, and she cried out; whereupon a male slave came in to\nhim to liberate her; but he beat him also, and he likewise cried out;\nand the barber concluded that he was beating me; so he cried, and rent\nhis clothes, and sprinkled dust upon his head, shrieking, and calling\nfor assistance. He was surrounded by people, and said to them, My master\nhath been killed in the house of the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee! Then running to my house,\ncrying out all the while, and with a crowd behind him, he gave the news\nto my family; and I knew not what he had done when they approached,\ncrying, Alas for our master!--the barber all the while being before\nthem, with his clothes rent, and a number of the people of the city with\nthem. They continued shrieking, the barber shrieking at their head, and\nall of them exclaiming, Alas for our slain!--Thus they advanced to the\nhouse in which I was confined; and when the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee heard of this\noccurrence, the event troubled him, and he arose, and opened the door,\nand seeing a great crowd, he was confounded, and said, O people, what is\nthe news? The servants replied, Thou hast killed our master.--O people,\nrejoined he, what hath your master done unto me that I should kill him;\nand wherefore do I see this barber before you?--Thou hast just now\nbeaten him with mi\u1e33ra'ahs, said the barber; and I heard his cries.--What\nhath he done that I should kill him? repeated the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee. And whence, he\nadded, came he; and whither would he go?--Be not an old man of\nmalevolence, exclaimed the barber; for I know the story, and the reason\nof his entering thy house, and the truth of the whole affair: thy\ndaughter is in love with him, and he is in love with her; and thou hast\ndiscovered that he had entered thy house, and hast ordered thy young\nmen, and they have beaten him. By Allah, none shall decide between us\nand thee except the Khaleefeh; or thou shalt bring forth to us our\nmaster that his family may take him; and oblige me not to enter and take\nhim forth from you: haste then thyself to produce him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nUpon this, the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee was withheld from speaking, and became utterly\nabashed before the people: but presently he said to the barber, If thou\nspeak truth, enter thyself, and bring him forth. So the barber advanced,\nand entered the house; and when I saw him do so, I sought for a way to\nescape; but I found no place of refuge except a large chest which I\nobserved in the same apartment in which I then was: I therefore entered\nthis, and shut down the lid, and held in my breath. Immediately after,\nthe barber ran into the saloon, and, without looking in any other\ndirection than that in which I had concealed myself, came thither: then\nturning his eyes to the right and left, and seeing nothing but the\nchest, he raised it upon his head; whereupon my reason forsook me. He\nquickly descended with it; and I, being now certain that he would not\nquit me, opened the chest, and threw myself upon the ground. My leg was\nbroken by the fall; and when I came to the door of the house, I found a\nmultitude of people: I had never seen such a crowd as was there\ncollected on that day; so I began to scatter gold among them, to divert\nthem; and while they were busied in picking it up, I hastened through\nthe by-streets of Baghd\u00e1d, followed by this barber; and wherever I\nentered, he entered after me, crying, They would have plunged me into\naffliction on account of my master! Praise be to God who aided me\nagainst them, and delivered my master from their hands! Thou\ncontinuedst, O my master, to be excited by haste for the accomplishment\nof thine evil design until thou broughtest upon thyself this event; and\nif God had not blessed thee with me, thou hadst not escaped from this\ncalamity into which thou hast fallen; and they might have involved thee\nin a calamity from which thou wouldst never have escaped. Beg,\ntherefore, of God, that I may live for thy sake, to liberate thee in\nfuture. By Allah, thou hast almost destroyed me by thine evil design,\ndesiring to go alone: but we will not be angry with thee for thine\nignorance, for thou art endowed with little sense, and of a hasty\ndisposition.--Art thou not satisfied, replied I, with that which thou\nhast done, but wilt thou run after me through the market-streets?--And I\ndesired for death to liberate me from him; but found it not; and in the\nexcess of my rage I ran from him, and, entering a shop in the midst of\nthe market, implored the protection of its owner; and he drove away the\nbarber from me.\n\nI then seated myself in a magazine belonging to him, and said within\nmyself, I cannot now rid myself of this barber; but he will be with me\nnight and day, and I cannot endure the sight of his face. So I\nimmediately summoned witnesses, and wrote a document, dividing my\nproperty among my family, and appointing a guardian over them, and I\nordered him to sell the house and all the immoveable possessions,\ncharging him with the care of the old and young, and set forth at once\non a journey in order to escape from this wretch. I then arrived in your\ncountry, where I took up my abode, and have remained a considerable\ntime; and when ye invited me, and I came unto you, I saw this vile\nwretch among you, seated at the upper end of the room. How, then, can my\nheart be at ease, or my sitting in your company be pleasant to me, with\nthis fellow, who hath brought these events upon me, and been the cause\nof the breaking of my leg?\n\nThe young man still persevered in his refusal to remain with us; and\nwhen we had heard his story, we said to the barber, Is this true which\nthe young man hath said of thee?--By Allah, he answered, it was through\nmy intelligence that I acted thus towards him; and had I not done so, he\nhad perished: myself only was the cause of his escape; and it was\nthrough the goodness of God, by my means, that he was afflicted by the\nbreaking of his leg instead of being punished by the loss of his life.\nWere I a person of many words, I had not done him this kindness; and now\nI will relate to you an event that happened to me, that ye may believe\nme to be a man of few words, and less of an impertinent than my\nbrothers; and it was this:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE BARBER'S STORY OF HIMSELF\n\nI was living in Baghd\u00e1d, in the reign of the Prince of the Faithful\nEl-Munta\u1e63ir bi-ll\u00e1h,[V_70] who loved the poor and indigent, and\nassociated with the learned and virtuous; and it happened, one day, that\nhe was incensed against ten persons, in consequence of which, he ordered\nthe chief magistrate of Baghd\u00e1d to bring them to him in a boat. I saw\nthem, and I said within myself, These persons have assembled for nothing\nbut an entertainment, and, I suppose, will pass their day in this boat\neating and drinking; and none shall be their companion but\nmyself:[V_71]--so I embarked, and mixed myself among them; and when\nthey had landed on the opposite bank, the guards of the W\u00e1lee came with\nchains, and put them upon their necks, and put a chain upon my neck\nalso.--Now this, O people, is it not a proof of my generosity, and of my\npaucity of speech? For I determined not to speak.--They took us,\ntherefore, all together, in chains, and placed us before El-Munta\u1e63ir\nbi-ll\u00e1h, the Prince of the Faithful; whereupon he gave orders to strike\noff the heads of the ten; and the executioner struck off the heads of\nthe ten, and I remained. The Khaleefeh then turning his eyes, and\nbeholding me, said to the executioner, Wherefore dost thou not strike\noff the heads of all the ten? He answered, I have beheaded every one of\nthe ten.--I do not think, rejoined the Khaleefeh, that thou hast\nbeheaded more than nine; and this who is before me is the tenth. But the\nexecutioner replied, By thy beneficence, they are ten.--Count them, said\nthe Khaleefeh. And they counted them; and lo, they were ten. The\nKhaleefeh then looked towards me, and said, What hath induced thee to\nbe silent on this occasion; and how hast thou become included among the\nmen of blood?--And when I heard the address of the Prince of the\nFaithful, I said to him, Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that I am the\nsheykh E\u1e63-\u1e62\u00e1mit (the silent): I possess, of science, a large stock; and\nas to the gravity of my understanding, and the quickness of my\napprehension, and the paucity of my speech, they are unbounded: my trade\nis that of a barber; and yesterday, early in the morning, I saw these\nten men proceeding to the boat; whereupon I mixed myself with them, and\nembarked with them, thinking that they had met together for an\nentertainment; but soon it appeared that they were criminals; and the\nguards came to them, and put chains upon their necks, and upon my neck\nalso they put a chain; and from the excess of my generosity I was\nsilent, and spoke not: my speech was not heard on that occasion, on\naccount of the excess of my generosity; and they proceeded with us until\nthey stationed us before thee, and thou gavest the order to strike off\nthe heads of the ten, and I remained before the executioner, and\nacquainted you not with my case. Was not this great generosity which\ncompelled me to accompany them to slaughter? But throughout my life I\nhave acted in this excellent manner.\n\nWhen the Khaleefeh heard my words, and knew that I was of a very\ngenerous character, and of few words, and not inclined to impertinence\nas this young man, whom I delivered from horrors, asserteth, he said,\nHast thou brothers? I answered, Yes: six.--And are thy six brothers,\nsaid he, like thyself, distinguished by science and knowledge, and\npaucity of speech? I answered, They lived not so as to be like me: thou\nhast disparaged me by thy supposition, O Prince of the Faithful, and it\nis not proper that thou shouldst compare my brothers to me; for through\nthe abundance of their speech, and the smallness of their generous\nqualities, each of them experienced a defect: the first was lame; the\nsecond, deprived of many of his teeth; the third, blind; the fourth,\none-eyed; the fifth, cropped of his ears; and the sixth had both his\nlips cut off:[V_72] and think not, O Prince of the Faithful, that I\nam a man of many words: nay, I must prove to thee that I am of a more\ngenerous character than they; and each of them met with a particular\nadventure, in consequence of which he experienced a defect: if thou\nplease, I will relate their stories to thee.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FIRST BROTHER.\n\nKnow, O Prince of the Faithful, that the first (who was named\nEl-Ba\u1e33boo\u1e33) was the lame one. He practised the art of a tailor in\nBaghd\u00e1d, and used to sew in a shop which he hired of a man possessing\ngreat wealth, who lived over the shop, and who had, in the lower part of\nhis house, a mill. And as my lame brother was sitting in his shop one\nday, sewing, he raised his head, and saw a woman like the rising full\nmoon, at a projecting window of the house, looking at the people passing\nby; and as soon as he beheld her, his heart was entangled by her love.\nHe passed that day gazing at her, and neglecting his occupation, until\nthe evening; and on the following morning he opened his shop, and sat\ndown to sew; but every time that he sewed a stitch, he looked towards\nthe window; and in this state he continued, sewing nothing sufficient to\nearn a piece of silver.[V_73]\n\nOn the third day he seated himself again in his place, looking towards\nthe woman; and she saw him, and, perceiving that he had become enslaved\nby her love, laughed in his face, and he, in like manner, laughed in her\nface. She then disappeared from before him, and sent to him her\nslave-girl, with a wrapper containing a piece of red flowered silk; and\nthe girl, coming to him, said to him, My mistress saluteth thee, and\ndesireth thee to cut out for her, with the hand of skill, a shirt of\nthis piece, and to sew it beautifully. So he answered, I hear and\nobey:--and he cut out for her the shirt, and finished the sewing of it\non that day; and on the following day the slave-girl came to him again;\nand said to him, My mistress saluteth thee, and saith to thee, How didst\nthou pass last night?--for she tasted not sleep, from her passion for\nthee.--She then placed before him a piece of yellow satin, and said to\nhim, My mistress desireth thee to cut out for her, of this piece, two\npairs of trousers, and to make them this day. He replied, I hear and\nobey. Salute her with abundant salutations, and say to her, Thy slave is\nsubmissive to thine order, and command him to do whatsoever thou\nwilt.--He then busied himself with the cutting out, and used all\ndiligence in sewing the two pairs of trousers; and presently the woman\nlooked out at him from the window, and saluted him by a sign, now\ncasting down her eyes, and now smiling in his face, so that he imagined\nhe should soon obtain possession of her. After this, she disappeared\nfrom before him, and the slave-girl came to him; so he delivered to her\nthe two pairs of trousers, and she took them and departed: and when the\nnight came, he threw himself upon his bed, and remained turning himself\nover in restlessness until the morning.\n\nOn the following day, the master of the house came to my brother,\nbringing some linen, and said to him, Cut out and make this into shirts\nfor me. He replied, I hear and obey:--and ceased not from his work until\nhe had cut out twenty shirts by the time of nightfall, without having\ntasted food. The man then said to him, How much is thy hire for\nthis?--but my brother answered not; and the damsel made a sign to him\nthat he should receive nothing, though he was absolutely in want of a\nsingle copper coin. For three days he continued scarcely eating or\ndrinking anything, in his diligence to accomplish his work, and when he\nhad finished it, he went to deliver the shirts.\n\nNow the young woman had acquainted her husband with the state of my\nbrother's mind, but my brother knew not this; and she planned with her\nhusband to employ him in sewing without remuneration, and moreover to\namuse themselves by laughing at him: so, when he had finished all the\nwork that they gave him, they contrived a plot against him, and married\nhim to their slave-girl; and on the night when he desired to introduce\nhimself to her, they said to him, Pass this night in the mill, and\nto-morrow thou shalt enjoy happiness. My brother, therefore, thinking\nthat their intention was good, passed the night in the mill alone.\nMeanwhile, the husband of the young woman went to the miller, and\ninstigated him by signs to make my brother turn the mill. The miller,\naccordingly, went in to him at midnight, and began to exclaim, Verily\nthis bull is lazy, while there is a great quantity of wheat, and the\nowners of the flour are demanding it: I will therefore yoke him in the\nmill, that he may finish the grinding of the flour:--and so saying, he\nyoked my brother, and thus he kept him until near morning, when the\nowner of the house came, and saw him yoked in the mill, and the miller\nflogging him with the whip; and he left him, and retired. After this,\nthe slave-girl to whom he had been contracted in marriage came to him\nearly in the morning, and, having unbound him from the mill, said to\nhim, Both I and my mistress have been distressed by this which hath\nbefallen thee, and we have participated in the burden of thy sorrow. But\nhe had no tongue wherewith to answer her, by reason of the severity of\nthe flogging. He then returned to his house; and lo, the sheykh who had\nperformed the marriage-contract came and saluted him, saying, May God\nprolong thy life! May thy marriage be blessed!--May God not preserve the\nliar! returned my brother: thou thousandfold villain! By Allah, I went\nonly to turn the mill in the place of the bull until the morning.--Tell\nme thy story, said the sheykh:--and my brother told him what had\nhappened to him: upon which the sheykh said, Thy star agreeth not with\nhers: but if thou desire that I should change for thee the mode of the\ncontract, I will change it for another better than it, that thy star may\nagree with hers.[V_74]--See then, replied my brother, if thou hast\nany other contrivance to employ.\n\nMy brother then left him, and repaired again to his shop, hoping that\nsomebody might give him some work, with the profit of which he might\nobtain his food; and lo, the slave-girl came to him. She had conspired\nwith her mistress to play him this trick, and said to him, Verily, my\nmistress is longing for thee, and she hath gone up to look at thy face\nfrom the window. And my brother had scarcely heard these words when she\nlooked out at him from the window, and, weeping, said, Wherefore hast\nthou cut short the intercourse between us and thee? But he returned her\nno answer: so she swore to him that all that had happened to him in the\nmill was not with her consent; and when my brother beheld her beauty and\nloveliness, the troubles that had befallen him became effaced from his\nmemory, and he accepted her excuse, and rejoiced at the sight of her. He\nsaluted her, therefore, and conversed with her, and then sat a while at\nhis work; after which the slave-girl came to him, and said, My mistress\nsaluteth thee, and informeth thee that her husband hath determined to\npass this next night in the house of one of his intimate friends;\nwherefore, when he hath gone thither, do thou come to her.--Now the\nhusband of the young woman had said to her, How shall we contrive when\nhe cometh to thee that I may take him and drag him before the W\u00e1lee? She\nreplied, Let me then play him a trick, and involve him in a disgrace for\nwhich he shall be paraded throughout this city as an example to\nothers:--and my brother knew nothing of the craftiness of women.\nAccordingly, at the approach of evening, the slave-girl came to him,\nand, taking him by the hand, returned with him to her mistress, who said\nto him, Verily, O my master, I have been longing for thee.--Hasten then,\nsaid he, to give me a kiss, first of all. And his words were not\nfinished, when the young woman's husband came in from his neighbour's\nhouse, and, seizing my brother, exclaimed to him, By Allah, I will not\nloose thee but in the presence of the chief magistrate of the police. My\nbrother humbled himself before him; but, without listening to him, he\ntook him to the house of the W\u00e1lee, who flogged him with whips, and\nmounted him upon a camel, and conveyed him through the streets of the\ncity, the people crying out, This is the recompense of him who breaketh\ninto the \u1e25areems of others!--and he fell from the camel, and his leg\nbroke: so he became lame. The W\u00e1lee then banished him from the city; and\nhe went forth, not knowing whither to turn his steps: but I, though\nenraged, overtook him, and brought him back; and I have taken upon\nmyself to provide him with meat and drink unto the present day.\n\nThe Khaleefeh laughed at my story, and exclaimed, Thou hast spoken\nwell:--but I replied, I will not accept this honour until thou hast\nlistened to me while I relate to thee what happened to the rest of my\nbrothers; and think me not a man of many words.--Tell me, said the\nKhaleefeh, what happened to all thy brothers, and grace my ears with\nthese nice particulars: I beg thee to employ exuberance of diction in\nthy relation of these pleasant tales.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS SECOND BROTHER.\n\nSo I said, Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that my second brother, whose\nname was El-Hedd\u00e1r,[V_75] was going one day to transact some\nbusiness, when an old woman met him, and said to him, O man, stop a\nlittle, that I may propose to thee a thing, which, if it please thee,\nthou shalt do for me. My brother, therefore, stopped; and she said to\nhim, I will guide thee to a thing, and rightly direct thee to it, on the\ncondition that thy words be not many. So he said, Communicate what thou\nhast to tell me:--and she proceeded thus:--What sayest thou of a\nhandsome house, with running water, and fruit and wine, and a beautiful\nface to behold, and a smooth cheek to kiss, and an elegant form to\nembrace; and to enjoy all these pleasures without interruption? Now, if\nthou wilt act agreeably with the condition that I have imposed upon\nthee, thou wilt see prosperity.--When my brother had heard her words, he\nsaid to her, O my mistress, how is it that thou hast sought me out in\npreference to all the rest of the creation for this affair; and what is\nthere in me that hath pleased thee? She replied, Did I not say to thee\nthat thou must not be a person of many words? Be silent then, and come\nwith me.\n\nThe old woman then went her way, my brother following her, eager to\nenjoy the pleasures which she had described to him, until they had\nentered a spacious house, when she went up with him to an upper story,\nand my brother perceived that he was in a beautiful palace, in which he\nbeheld four damsels, than whom none more lovely had ever been seen,\nsinging with voices that would charm a heart as insensible as stone. One\nof these damsels drank a cup of wine; and my brother said to her, May it\nbe attended with health and vigour!--and advanced to wait upon her; but\nshe prevented his doing so, giving him to drink a cup of wine; and as\nsoon as he had drunk it, she slapped him on his neck. When he found that\nshe treated him thus, he went out from the chamber in anger, and with\nmany words; but the old woman, following him, made a sign to him with\nher eye that he should return: so he returned, and seated himself,\nwithout speaking; and upon this, the damsel slapped him again upon the\nback of his neck until he became senseless; after which, recovering, he\nwithdrew again. The old woman, however, overtook him, and said to him,\nWait a little, and thou shalt attain thy wish.--How many times, said he,\nshall I wait a little before I attain it? The old woman answered, When\nshe hath become exhilarated with wine thou shalt obtain her favour. He\ntherefore returned to his place, and resumed his seat. All the four\ndamsels then arose, and the old woman directed them to divest my brother\nof his outer clothes, and to sprinkle some rose-water upon his face; and\nwhen they had done so, the most beautiful one among them said to him,\nMay Allah exalt thee to honour! Thou hast entered my abode, and if thou\nhave patience to submit to my requisitions, thou wilt attain thy\nwish.--O my mistress, he replied, I am thy slave, and under thy\nauthority.--Know then, said she, that I am devotedly fond of frolic, and\nhe who complieth with my demands will obtain my favour. Then she ordered\nthe other damsels to sing; and they sang so that their hearers were in\nan ecstasy; after which the chief lady said to one of the other damsels,\nTake thy master, and do what is required, and bring him back to me\nimmediately.\n\nAccordingly, she took him away, ignorant of that which she was about to\ndo; and the old woman came to him, and said, Be patient; for there\nremaineth but little to do. He then turned towards the damsel, and the\nold woman said to him, Be patient: thou hast almost succeeded, and there\nremaineth but one thing, which is, to shave thy beard.--How, said he,\nshall I do that which will disgrace me among the people? The old woman\nanswered, She desireth this only to make thee like a beardless youth,\nthat there may be nothing on thy face to prick her; for her heart is\naffected with a violent love for thee. Be patient, therefore, and thou\nshalt attain thy desire.--So my brother patiently submitted to the\ndamsel's directions: his beard was shaven, and he was shorn also of his\neyebrows and mustaches, and his face was painted red, before the damsel\ntook him back to the chief lady, who, when she saw him, was at first\nfrightened at him, and then laughed until she fell backwards, and\nexclaimed, O my master, thou hast gained me by these proofs of thine\namiable manners! She then conjured him by her life to arise and dance;\nand he did so; and there was not a single cushion in the chamber that\nshe did not throw at him. In like manner also the other damsels threw at\nhim various things, such as oranges, and limes, and citrons, until he\nfell down senseless from the pelting, while they slapped him incessantly\nupon the back of his neck, and cast things in his face. But at length\nthe old woman said to him, Now thou hast attained thy wish. Know that\nthere remaineth to thee no more beating, nor doth there remain for thee\nto do more than one thing, namely, this: it is her custom, when she is\nunder the influence of wine, to suffer no one to come near her until she\nhath taken off her outer clothes; thou, being prepared in the like\nmanner, must run after her, and she will run before thee as though she\nwere flying from thee; but cease not to follow her from place to place\nuntil thou overtake her. He arose, therefore, and did so: the lady ran\nbefore, and as he followed her, she passed from chamber to chamber, and\nhe still ran after her. At last he heard her utter a slight sound as she\nran before him, and, continuing his pursuit, he suddenly found himself\nin the midst of the street.\n\nThis street was in the market of the leather-sellers, who were then\ncrying skins for sale; and when the people there collected saw him in\nthis condition, almost naked, with shaven beard and eyebrows and\nmustaches, and with his face painted red, they shouted at him, and\nraised a loud laugh, and some of them beat him with the skins until he\nbecame insensible. They then placed him upon an ass, and conducted him\nto the W\u00e1lee, who exclaimed, What is this?--They answered, This\ndescended upon us from the house of the Wezeer, in this condition. And\nthe W\u00e1lee inflicted upon him a hundred lashes, and banished him from the\ncity: but I went out after him, and brought him back privately into the\ncity, and allotted him a maintenance. Had it not been for my generous\ndisposition, I had not borne with such a person.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS THIRD BROTHER.\n\nAs to my third brother (the blind man, Ba\u1e33ba\u1e33), who was also surnamed\n\u1e32uffeh,[V_76] fate and destiny impelled him one day to a large\nhouse, and he knocked at the door, hoping that its master would answer\nhim, and that he might beg of him a trifle. The owner called out, Who is\nat the door?--but my brother answered not; and then heard him call with\na loud voice, Who is this? Still, however, he returned him no answer;\nand he heard the sounds of his footsteps approaching until he came to\nthe door and opened it, when he said to him, What dost thou desire? My\nbrother answered, Something for the sake of God, whose name be\nexalted!--Art thou blind? said the man; and my brother answered,\nYes.--Then give me thy hand rejoined the master of the house;--so my\nbrother stretched forth to him his hand, and the man took him into the\nhouse, and led him up from stair-case to stair-case until he had\nascended to the highest platform of the roof: my brother thinking that\nhe was going to give him some food or money: and when he had arrived at\nthis highest terrace, of his house, the owner said, What dost thou\ndesire, O blind man!--I desire something, he answered again, for the\nsake of God, whose name be exalted!--May God, replied the man, open to\nthee some other way!--What is this! exclaimed my brother: couldst thou\nnot tell me so when I was below?--Thou vilest of the vile! retorted the\nother: why didst thou not ask of me something for the sake of God when\nthou heardest my voice the first time, when thou wast knocking at the\ndoor?--What then, said my brother, dost thou mean to do to me?--The man\nof the house answered, I have nothing to give thee.--Then take me down\nthe stairs, said my brother. The man replied, The way is before thee. So\nmy brother made his way to the stairs, and continued descending until\nthere remained, between him and the door, twenty steps, when his foot\nslipped and he fell, and, rolling down, broke his head.[V_77]\n\nHe went forth, not knowing whither to direct his steps, and presently\nthere met him two blind men, his companions, who said to him, What hath\nhappened to thee this day? My brother, therefore, related to them the\nevent that had just befallen him: and then said to them, O my brothers,\nI desire to take a portion of the money now in our possession, to expend\nit upon myself.--Now the owner of the house which he had just before\nentered had followed him to acquaint himself with his proceedings, and\nwithout my brother's knowledge he walked behind him until the latter\nentered his abode; when he went in after him, still unknown. My brother\nthen sat waiting for his companions; and when they came in to him, he\nsaid to them, Shut the door, and search the room, lest any stranger have\nfollowed us. When the intruder, therefore, heard what he said, he arose,\nand clung to a rope that was attached to the ceiling; and the blind men\nwent feeling about the whole of the chamber, and, finding no one,\nreturned and seated themselves by my brother, and brought forth their\nmoney, and counted it; and lo, it was more than ten thousand pieces of\nsilver. Having done this, they laid it in a corner of the room, and each\nof them took of the surplus of that sum as much as he wanted, and they\nburied the ten thousand pieces of silver in the earth; after which, they\nplaced before themselves some food, and sat eating; but my brother heard\nthe sound of a stranger by his side, and said to his friends, Is there a\nstranger among us? Then stretching forth his hand, it grasped the hand\nof the intruder; whereupon he cried out to his companions, saying, Here\nis a stranger!--and they fell upon him with blows until they were tired,\nwhen they shouted out, O Muslims![V_78] a thief hath come in upon\nus, and desireth to take our property!--and immediately a number of\npersons collected around them.\n\nUpon this, the stranger whom they accused of being a thief shut his\neyes, feigned to be blind like themselves, so that no one who saw him\ndoubted him to be so; and shouted, O Muslims! I demand protection of\nAllah and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n! I demand protection of Allah and the W\u00e1lee! I\ndemand protection of Allah and the Emeer! for I have important\ninformation to give to the Emeer!--and before they could collect their\nthoughts, the officers of the W\u00e1lee surrounded them and took them all,\nincluding my brother, and conducted them before their master. The W\u00e1lee\nsaid, What is your story?--and the stranger replied, Hear my words, O\nW\u00e1lee; the truth of our case will not become known to thee but by means\nof beating;[V_79] and if thou wilt, begin by beating me before my\ncompanions. The W\u00e1lee therefore said, Throw down this man, and flog him\nwith whips:--and accordingly they threw him down and flogged him; and\nwhen the stripes tortured him, he opened one of his eyes; and after they\nhad continued the flogging a little longer, he opened his other eye;\nupon which the W\u00e1lee exclaimed, What meaneth this conduct, O thou\nvillain?--Grant me indemnity, replied the man, and I will acquaint\nthee:--and the W\u00e1lee having granted his request, he said, We four\npretend that we are blind, and, intruding among other people, enter\ntheir houses, and see their women, and employ stratagems to corrupt\nthem, and to obtain money from them. We have acquired, by these means,\nvast gain, amounting to ten thousand pieces of silver; and I said to my\ncompanions, Give me my due, two thousand and five hundred; and they rose\nagainst me and beat me, and took my property. I beg protection,\ntherefore, of Allah and of thee; and thou art more deserving of my share\nthan they. If thou desire to know the truth of that which I have said,\nflog each of them more than thou hast flogged me, and he will open his\neyes.\n\nSo the W\u00e1lee immediately gave orders to flog them, and the first of them\nwho suffered was my brother. They continued beating him until he almost\ndied; when the W\u00e1lee said to them, O ye scoundrels! do ye deny the\ngracious gift of God, feigning yourselves to be blind? My brother\nexclaimed, All\u00e1h! All\u00e1h! All\u00e1h! there is none among us who seeth!--They\nthen threw him down again, and ceased not to beat him until he became\ninsensible, when the W\u00e1lee said, Leave him until he shall have\nrecovered, and then give him a third flogging:--and in the meantime, he\ngave orders to flog his companions, to give each of them more than three\nhundred stripes; while the seeing man said to them, Open your eyes, or\nthey will flog you again after this time. Then addressing himself to the\nW\u00e1lee, he said, Send with me some person to bring thee the property; for\nthese men will not open their eyes, fearing to be disgraced before the\nspectators. And the W\u00e1lee sent with him a man, who brought him the\nmoney; and he took it, and gave to the informer, out of it, two\nthousand and five hundred pieces of silver, according to the share which\nhe claimed, in spite of the others (retaining the rest), and banished\nfrom the city my brother and the two other men; but I went forth, O\nPrince of the Faithful, and, having overtaken my brother, asked him\nrespecting his sufferings; and he acquainted me with that which I have\nrelated unto thee. I then brought him back secretly into the city, and\nallotted him a supply of food and drink as long as he lived.\n\nThe Khaleefeh laughed at my story, and said, Give him a present, and let\nhim go:--but I replied, I will receive nothing until I have declared to\nthe Prince of the Faithful what happened to the rest of my brothers, and\nmade it manifest to him that I am a man of few words:--whereupon the\nKhaleefeh said, Crack our ears, then, with thy ridiculous stories, and\ncontinue to us thy disclosure of vices and misdeeds. So I proceeded\nthus:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FOURTH BROTHER.\n\nMy fourth brother, O Prince of the Faithful, was the one-eyed (named\nEl-Kooz el-A\u1e63w\u00e1nee): he was a butcher in Baghd\u00e1d, and both sold meat and\nreared lambs; and the great and the rich had recourse to him to purchase\nof him their meat; so that he amassed great wealth, and became possessor\nof cattle and houses. Thus he continued to prosper for a long time; and\nas he was in his shop, one day, there accosted him an old man with a\nlong beard, who handed to him some money, saying, Give me some meat for\nit. So he took the money, and gave him the meat; and when the old man\nhad gone away, my brother looked at the money which he had payed him,\nand, seeing that it was of a brilliant whiteness, put it aside by\nitself. This old man continued to repair to him during a period of five\nmonths, and my brother always threw his money into a chest by itself;\nafter which period he desired to take it out for the purpose of buying\nsome sheep; but on opening the chest, he found all the contents\nconverted into white paper, clipped round; and he slapped his face, and\ncried out; whereupon a number of people collected around him, and he\nrelated to them his story, at which they were astonished.\n\nHe then went again, as usual, into his shop, and, having killed a ram,\nand hung it up within the shop, he cut off some of the meat, and\nsuspended it outside, saying within himself, Perhaps now this old man\nwill come again, and if so, I will seize him:--and very soon after, the\nold man approached with his money; upon which my brother arose, and,\nlaying hold upon him, began to cry out, O Muslims, come to my aid, and\nhear what this scoundrel hath done unto me! But when the old man heard\nhis words, he said to him, Which will be more agreeable to thee--that\nthou abstain from disgracing me, or that I disgrace thee, before the\npeople?--For what wilt thou disgrace me? said my brother. The old man\nanswered, For thy selling human flesh for mutton.--Thou liest, thou\naccursed! exclaimed my brother.--None is accursed, rejoined the old man,\nbut he who hath a man suspended in his shop. My brother said, If it be\nas thou hast asserted, my property and blood shall be lawful to\nthee:--and immediately the old man exclaimed, O ye people here\nassembled! verily this butcher slaughtereth human beings, and selleth\ntheir flesh for mutton; and if ye desire to know the truth of my\nassertion, enter his shop! So the people rushed upon his shop, and\nbeheld the ram converted into a man, hung up; and they laid hold upon my\nbrother, crying out against him, Thou infidel! Thou scoundrel!--and\nthose who had been his dearest friends turned upon him and beat him; and\nthe old man gave him a blow upon his eye, and knocked it out. The people\nthen carried the carcass, and took with them my brother, to the chief\nmagistrate of the police; and the old man said to him, O Emeer, this man\nslaughtereth human beings, and selleth their flesh for mutton; and we\nhave therefore brought him to thee: arise, then, and perform the\nrequisition of God, whose might and glory be extolled! Upon this, the\nmagistrate thrust back my brother from him, and, refusing to listen to\nwhat he would have said, ordered that five hundred blows of a staff\nshould be inflicted upon him, and took all his property. Had it not been\nfor the great amount of his wealth, he had put him to death.[V_80]\nHe then banished him from the city.\n\nMy brother, therefore, went forth in a state of distraction, not knowing\nwhat course to pursue; but he journeyed onwards until he arrived at a\ngreat city, where he thought fit to settle as a shoemaker: so he opened\na shop, and sat there working for his subsistence. And one day he went\nforth on some business, and, hearing the neighing of horses, he inquired\nrespecting the cause, and was told that the King was going forth to\nhunt; whereupon he went to amuse himself with the sight of the\nprocession: but the King happening to look on one side, his eye met that\nof my brother, and immediately he hung down his head, and exclaimed, I\nseek refuge with God from the evil of this day! He then turned aside the\nbridle of his horse, and rode back, and all his troops returned with\nhim; after which, he ordered his pages to run after my brother, and to\nbeat him; and they did so, giving him so severe a beating that he\nalmost died; and he knew not the cause. He returned to his abode in a\nmiserable plight, and afterwards went and related his misfortune to one\nof the King's attendants, who laughed at the recital until he fell\nbackwards, and said to him, O my brother, the King cannot endure the\nsight of a one-eyed person, and especially when the defect is that of\nthe left eye;[V_81] for in this case, he faileth not to put the\nperson to death.\n\nWhen my brother heard these words, he determined to fly from that city;\nand forthwith departed from it, and repaired to another city, where\nthere was no King. Here he remained a long time; and after this, as he\nwas meditating upon his adventure in the former city, he went out one\nday to amuse himself, and heard again the neighing of horses behind him;\nupon which he exclaimed, The decree of God hath come to pass! and ran\naway, seeking for a place in which to conceal himself; but he found\nnone, until, continuing his search, he saw a door set up as a barricade:\nso he pushed this, and it fell down; and, entering the doorway, he\nbeheld a long passage, into which he advanced. Suddenly, however, two\nmen laid hold upon him, and exclaimed, Praise be to God who hath enabled\nus to take thee, O thou enemy of God! For these three nights thou hast\nsuffered us to enjoy neither quiet nor sleep, and we have found no\nrepose: nay, thou hast given us a foretaste of death!--O men, said my\nbrother, what hath happened unto you? They answered, Thou keepest a\nwatch upon us, and desirest to disgrace us, and to disgrace the master\nof the house! Is it not enough for thee that thou hast reduced him to\npoverty, thou and thy companions? Produce now the knife wherewith thou\nthreatenest us every night.--And so saying, they searched him, and found\nupon his waist the knife with which he cut the shoe-leather.--O men, he\nexclaimed, fear God in your treatment of me, and know that my story is\nwonderful. They said, What then is thy story? So he related it to them,\nin the hope that they would liberate him: but they believed not what he\nsaid; and, instead of shewing him any regard, they beat him, and tore\nhis clothes; whereupon, his body becoming exposed to their view, they\ndiscovered upon his sides the marks of beating with mi\u1e33ra'ahs, and\nexclaimed, O wretch! these scars bear testimony to thy guilt. They then\nconducted him before the W\u00e1lee, while he said within himself, I am\nundone for my transgressions, and none can deliver me but God, whose\nname be exalted! And when he was brought before the W\u00e1lee, the\nmagistrate said to him, O thou scoundrel! nothing but a heinous crime\nhath occasioned thy having been beaten with mi\u1e33ra'ahs:--and he caused a\nhundred lashes to be inflicted upon him; after which, they mounted him\nupon a camel, and proclaimed before him, This is the recompense of him\nwho breaketh into men's houses!--But I had already heard of his\nmisfortunes, and gone forth, and found him; and I accompanied him about\nthe city while they were making this proclamation, until they left him;\nwhen I took him, and brought him back secretly into Baghd\u00e1d, and\napportioned him a daily allowance of food and drink.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER.[V_82]\n\nMy fifth brother (El-Feshsh\u00e1r[V_83]) was cropped of his ears, O\nPrince of the Faithful. He was a pauper, who begged alms by night, and\nsubsisted upon what he thus acquired by day: and our father was a very\nold man, and he fell sick and died, leaving to us seven hundred pieces\nof silver, of which each of us took his portion; namely, a hundred\npieces. Now my fifth brother, when he had received his share, was\nperplexed, not knowing what to do with it; but while he was in this\nstate, it occurred to his mind to buy with it all kinds of articles of\nglass, and to sell them and make profit; so he bought glass with his\nhundred pieces of silver, and put it in a large tray, and sat upon an\nelevated place, to sell it, leaning his back against a wall. And as he\nsat, he meditated, and said within himself, Verily my whole stock\nconsisteth of this glass: I will sell it for two hundred pieces of\nsilver; and with the two hundred I will buy other glass, which I will\nsell for four hundred; and thus I will continue buying and selling until\nI have acquired great wealth. Then with this I will purchase all kinds\nof merchandise and essences and jewels, and so obtain vast gain. After\nthat, I will buy a handsome house, and memlooks, and horses, and gilded\nsaddles; and I will eat and drink; and I will not leave in the city a\nsingle female singer but I will have her brought to my house that I may\nhear her songs.--All this he calculated with the tray of glass lying\nbefore him.--Then, said he, I will send all the female betrothers to\nseek in marriage for me the daughters of Kings and Wezeers; and I will\ndemand as my wife the daughter of the chief Wezeer;[V_84] for I\nhave heard that she is endowed with perfect beauty and surprising\nloveliness: and I will give as her dowry a thousand pieces of gold. If\nher father consent, my wish is attained; and if he consent not, I will\ntake her by force, in spite of him: and when I have come back to my\nhouse, I will buy ten young eunuchs, and I will purchase the apparel of\nKings and Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns, and cause to be made for me a saddle of gold set with\njewels: after which I will ride every day upon a horse, with slaves\nbehind me and before me,[V_85] and go about through the streets and\nmarkets to amuse myself, while the people will salute me and pray for\nme.[V_86] Then I will pay a visit to the Wezeer, who is the father\nof the maiden, with memlooks behind me and before me, and on my right\nhand and on my left; and when he seeth me, he will rise to me, in\nhumility, and seat me in his own place; and he himself will sit down\nbelow me,[V_87] because I am his son-in-law. I will then order one\nof the servants to bring a purse containing the pieces of gold which\ncompose the dowry; and he will place it before the Wezeer; and I will\nadd to it another purse, that he may know my manly spirit and excessive\ngenerosity, and that the world is contemptible in my eye: and when he\naddresseth me with ten words, I will answer him with two. And I will\nreturn to my house; and when any person cometh to me from the house of\nthe Wezeer, I will clothe him with a rich dress: but if any come with a\npresent, I will return it: I will certainly not accept it.[V_88]\nThen, on the night of the bridal display, I will attire myself in the\nmost magnificent of my dresses, and sit upon a mattress covered with\nsilk; and when my wife cometh to me, like the full moon, decked with her\nornaments and apparel, I will command her to stand before me as stands\nthe timid and the abject; and I will not look at her, on account of the\nhaughtiness of my spirit and the gravity of my wisdom; so that the maids\nwill say, O our master and our lord, may we be thy sacrifice! This thy\nwife, or rather thy handmaid, awaiteth thy kind regard, and is standing\nbefore thee: then graciously bestow on her one glance; for the posture\nhath become painful to her.[V_89]--Upon this, I will raise my\nhead, and look at her with one glance, and again incline my head\ndownwards; and thus I will do until the ceremony of displaying her is\nfinished; whereupon they will conduct her to the sleeping-chamber; and I\nwill rise from my place, and go to another apartment, and put on my\nnight-dress, and go to the chamber in which she is sitting, where I will\nseat myself upon the deew\u00e1n; but I will not look towards her. The\ntire-women will urge me to approach her; but I will not hear their\nwords, and will order some of the attendants to bring a purse containing\nfive hundred pieces of gold for them, and command them to retire from\nthe chamber.[V_90] And when they have gone, I will seat myself by\nthe side of the bride; but with averted countenance, that she may say,\nVerily this is a man of a haughty spirit. Then her mother will come to\nme, and will kiss my hands, and say to me, O my master, look upon thy\nhandmaid with the eye of mercy; for she is submissively standing before\nthee. But I will return her no answer. And she will kiss my feet, again\nand again, and will say, O my master, my daughter is young, and hath\nseen no man but thee; and if she experience from thee repugnance, her\nheart will break: incline to her, therefore, and speak to her, and calm\nher mind. And upon this I will look at her through the corner of my eye,\nand command her to remain standing before me, that she may taste the\nsavour of humiliation, and know that I am the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n of the age. Then\nher mother will say to me, O my master, this is thy handmaid: have\ncompassion upon her, and be gracious to her:--and she will order her to\nfill a cup with wine, and to put it to my mouth. So her daughter will\nsay, O my lord, I conjure thee by Allah that thou reject not the cup\nfrom thy slave; for verily I am thy slave. But I will make her no\nreply; and she will urge me to take it, and will say, It must be\ndrunk:--and will put it to my mouth: and upon this, I will shake my hand\nin her face, and spurn her with my foot, and do thus.--So saying, he\nkicked the tray of glass, which, being upon a place elevated above the\nground, fell, and all that was in it broke: there escaped nothing: and\nhe cried out and said, All this is the result of my pride! And he\nslapped his face, and tore his clothes; the passengers gazing at him,\nwhile he wept, and exclaimed, Ah! O my grief!\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe people were now repairing to perform the Friday-prayers; and some\nmerely cast their eyes at him, while others noticed him not: but while\nhe was in this state, deprived of his whole property, and weeping\nwithout intermission, a female approached him, on her way to attend the\nFriday-prayers: she was of admirable loveliness; the odour of musk was\ndiffused from her; under her was a mule with a stuffed saddle covered\nwith gold-embroidered silk; and with her was a number of servants; and\nwhen she saw the broken glass, and my brother's state and his tears, she\nwas moved with pity for him, and asked respecting his case. She was\nanswered, He had a tray of glass, by the sale of which to obtain his\nsubsistence and it is broken, and he is afflicted as thou seest:--and\nupon this, she called to one of the servants, saying, Give what thou\nhast with thee to this poor man. So he gave him a purse, and he took it,\nand when he had opened it, he found in it five hundred pieces of gold,\nwhereupon he almost died from excessive joy, and offered up prayers for\nhis benefactress.\n\nHe returned to his house a rich man, and sat reflecting, and lo, a\nperson knocked at the door: he rose, therefore, and opened it; and\nbeheld an old woman whom he knew not, and she said to him, O my son,\nknow that the time of prayer hath almost expired, and I am not prepared\nby ablution; wherefore I beg that thou wilt admit me into thy house,\nthat I may perform it. He replied, I hear and obey;--and, retiring\nwithin, gave her permission to enter; his mind still wandering from joy\non account of the gold; and when she had finished the ablution, she\napproached the spot where he was sitting, and there performed the\nprayers of two rek'ahs. She then offered up a supplication for my\nbrother; and he thanked her, and offered her two pieces of gold; but\nwhen she saw this, she exclaimed, Extolled be God's perfection! Verily I\nwonder at the person who fell in love with thee in thy beggarly\ncondition! Take back thy money from me, and if thou want it not, return\nit to her who gave it thee when thy glass broke.--O my mother, said he,\nhow can I contrive to obtain access to her? She answered, O my son, she\nhath an affection for thee; but she is the wife of an affluent man; take\nthen with thee all thy money, and when thou art with her be not\ndeficient in courteousness and agreeable words; so shalt thou obtain of\nher favours and her wealth whatever thou shalt desire. My brother,\ntherefore, took all the gold, and arose and went with the old woman,\nhardly believing what she had told him; and she proceeded, and my\nbrother behind her, until they arrived at a great door, at which she\nknocked; whereupon a Greek damsel came and opened the door, and the old\nwoman entered, ordering my brother to do the same. He did so, and found\nhimself in a large house, where he beheld a great furnished chamber,\nwith curtains hung in it; and, seating himself there, he put down the\ngold before him, and placed his turban on his knees;[V_91] and\nscarcely had he done so, when there came to him a damsel, the like of\nwhom had never been seen, attired in most magnificent apparel. My\nbrother stood up at her approach; and when she beheld him, she laughed\nin his face, and rejoiced at his visit: then going to the door, she\nlocked it; after which she returned to my brother, and took his hand,\nand both of them went together into a private chamber, carpeted with\nvarious kinds of silk, where my brother sat down, and she seated herself\nby his side, and toyed with him for a considerable time. She then rose,\nsaying to him, Move not from this place until I return to thee;--and was\nabsent from him for a short period;--and as my brother was waiting for\nher, there came in to him a black slave, of gigantic stature, with a\ndrawn sword, the brightness of which dazzled the sight; and he exclaimed\nto my brother. Wo to thee! Who brought thee to this place? Thou vilest\nof men! Thou misbegotten wretch, and nursling of impurity!--My brother\nwas unable to make any reply; his tongue was instantly tied; and the\nslave laid hold upon him, and stripped him, and struck him more than\neighty blows with the flat of his sword, until he fell sprawling upon\nthe floor; when he retired from him, concluding that he was dead, and\nuttered a great cry, so that the earth trembled, and the place resounded\nat his voice, saying, Where is El-Melee\u1e25ah?[V_92]--upon which a\ngirl came to him, holding a handsome tray containing salt; and with this\nshe forthwith stuffed the flesh-wounds with which my brother's skin was\ngashed until they gaped open; but he moved not, fearing the slave would\ndiscover that he was alive, and kill him. The girl then went away, and\nthe slave uttered another cry, like the first, whereupon the old woman\ncame to my brother, and, dragging him by the feet to a deep and dark\nvault, threw him into it upon a heap of slain.[V_93] In this place\nhe remained for two whole days; and God (whose perfection be extolled!)\nmade the salt to be the means of preserving his life, by stanching the\nflow of blood from his veins; so, when he found that he had strength\nsufficient to move, he arose, and, opening a shutter in the wall,\nemerged from the place of the slain; and God (to whom be ascribed all\nmight and glory!) granted him his protection. He therefore proceeded in\nthe darkness, and concealed himself in the passage until the morning,\nwhen the old woman went forth to seek another victim, and my brother,\ngoing out after her, without her knowledge, returned to his house.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHe now occupied himself with the treatment of his wounds until he was\nrestored; and continued to watch for the old woman, and constantly saw\nher taking men, one after another, and conducting them to the same\nhouse. But he uttered not a word on the subject; and when his health\nreturned, and his strength was completely renewed, he took a piece of\nrag, and made of it a purse, which he filled with pieces of glass: he\nthen tied it to his waist, and disguised himself so that no one would\nknow him, in the dress of a foreigner; and, taking a sword, placed it\nwithin his clothes; and as soon as he saw the old woman, he said to her,\nin the dialect of a foreigner, Old woman, hast thou a pair of scales fit\nfor weighing nine hundred pieces of gold? The old woman answered, I have\na young son, a money-changer, and he hath all kinds of scales; therefore\naccompany me to him before he go forth from his abode, that he may weigh\nfor thee thy gold. So my brother said, Walk on before me:--and she went,\nand my brother followed her until she arrived at the door, and knocked;\nupon which the girl came out, and laughed in his face; and the old woman\nsaid to her, I have brought you to-day some fat meat. The girl then took\nmy brother's hand, and conducted him into the house (the same which he\nhad entered before), and after she had sat with him a short time, she\nrose, saying to him, Quit not this place until I return to thee:--and\nshe retired; and my brother had remained not long after when the slave\ncame to him with the drawn sword, and said to him, Rise, thou unlucky!\nSo my brother rose, and, as the slave walked before him, he put his hand\nto the sword which was concealed beneath his clothes, and struck the\nslave with it, and cut off his head; after which he dragged him by his\nfeet to the vault, and called out, Where is El-Melee\u1e25ah? The slave-girl,\ntherefore, came, having in her hand the tray containing the salt; but\nwhen she saw my brother with the sword in his hand, she turned back and\nfled: my brother, however, overtook her, and struck off her head. He\nthen called out, Where is the old woman?--and she came; and he said to\nher, Dost thou know me, O malevolent hag? She answered, No, O my\nlord.--I am, said he, the man who had the pieces of gold, and in whose\nhouse thou performedst the ablution and prayedst; after which, devising\na stratagem against me, thou betrayedst me into this place.--The old\nwoman exclaimed, Fear God in thy treatment of me!--but my brother,\nturning towards her, struck her with the sword, and clove her in twain.\nHe then went to search for the chief damsel, and when she saw him, her\nreason fled, and she implored his pardon; whereupon he granted her his\npardon, and said to her, What occasioned thy falling into the hands of\nthis black? She answered, I was a slave to one of the merchants, and\nthis old woman used to visit me; and one day she said to me, We are\ncelebrating a festivity, the like of which no one hath seen, and I have\na desire that thou shouldst witness it. I replied, I hear and obey:--and\narose, and clad myself in the best of my attire, and, taking with me a\npurse containing a hundred pieces of gold,[V_94] proceeded with her\nuntil she entered this house, when suddenly this black took me, and I\nhave continued with him in this state three years, through the stratagem\nof the old witch.--My brother then said to her, Is there any property of\nhis in the house?--Abundance, she answered; and if thou canst remove it,\ndo so:--and upon this, he arose and went with her, when she opened to\nhim chests filled with purses, at the sight of which he was confounded;\nand she said to him, Go now, and leave me here, and bring some person to\nremove the property. So he went out, and, having hired ten men,\nreturned; but on his arrival at the door, he found it open, and saw\nneither the damsel nor the purses; he found, however, some little money\nremaining, and the stuffs. He discovered, therefore, that she had\neluded him; and he took the money that remained, and, opening the\nclosets, took all the stuffs which they contained, leaving nothing in\nthe house.\n\nHe passed the next night full of happiness; but when the morning came,\nhe found at the door twenty soldiers, and on his going forth to them,\nthey laid hold upon him, saying, The W\u00e1lee summoneth thee. So they took\nhim, and conducted him to the W\u00e1lee, who, when he saw him, said to him,\nWhence obtainedst thou these stuffs?--Grant me indemnity, said my\nbrother:--and the W\u00e1lee gave him the handkerchief of indemnity;[V_95]\nand my brother related to him all that had befallen him with the old\nwoman from first to last, and the flight of the damsel; adding,--and of\nthat which I have taken, take thou what thou wilt; but leave me\nwherewith to procure my food. The W\u00e1lee thereupon demanded the whole of\nthe money and the stuffs; but fearing that the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n[V_96] might become\nacquainted with the matter, he retained a portion only, and gave the\nrest to my brother, saying to him, Quit this city, or I will hang thee.\nMy brother replied, I hear and obey:--and went forth to one of the\nsurrounding cities. Some robbers, however, came upon him, and stripped\nand beat him, and cut off his ears; and I, having heard of his\nsituation, went forth to him, taking to him some clothes; and brought\nhim back privily into the city, and supplied him with daily food and\ndrink.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nTHE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS SIXTH BROTHER\n\nMy sixth brother (Sha\u1e33\u00e1li\u1e33), O Prince of the Faithful, had his lips cut\noff. He was in a state of extreme poverty, possessing nothing of the\ngoods of this perishable world; and he went forth one day to seek for\nsomething with which to stay his departing spirit, and on his way he\nbeheld a handsome house, with a wide and lofty vestibule, at the door of\nwhich were servants, commanding and forbidding; whereupon he inquired of\none of the persons standing there, who answered, This house belongeth to\na man of the sons of the Barmekees.[V_97] My brother, therefore,\nadvanced to the door-keepers, and begged them to give him something; and\nthey said, Enter the door of the house, and thou wilt obtain what thou\ndesirest of its master. So he entered the vestibule, and proceeded\nthrough it a while until he arrived at a mansion of the utmost beauty\nand elegance, having a garden in the midst of it, unsurpassed in beauty\nby anything that had ever been seen: its floors were paved with marble,\nand its curtains were hanging around. He knew not in which direction to\ngo; but advanced to the upper extremity, and there he beheld a man of\nhandsome countenance and beard, who, on seeing my brother, rose to him,\nand welcomed him, inquiring respecting his circumstances. He accordingly\ninformed him that he was in want; and when the master of the house heard\nhis words, he manifested excessive grief, and, taking hold of his own\nclothes, rent them, and exclaimed, Am I in the city, and thou in it\nhungry? It is a thing that I cannot endure!--Then promising him every\nkind of happiness, he said, Thou must stay and partake of my salt. But\nmy brother replied, O my master, I have not patience to wait; for I am\nin a state of extreme hunger.\n\nUpon this, the master of the house called out, Boy, bring the basin and\newer!--and he said, O my guest, advance, and wash thy hand. He then\nperformed the same motions as if he were washing his hand; and called to\nhis attendants to bring the table; whereupon they began to come and go\nas though they were preparing it; after which the master of the house\ntook my brother, and sat down with him at this imaginary table, and\nproceeded to move his hands and lips as if he were eating; saying to my\nbrother, Eat, and be not ashamed, for thou art hungry, and I know how\nthou art suffering from the violence of thy hunger. My brother,\ntherefore, made the same motions, as if he also were eating, while his\nhost said to him, Eat, and observe this bread and its whiteness. To\nthis, my brother at first made no reply; but observed in his own mind,\nVerily this is a man who loveth to jest with others:--so he said to him,\nO my master, in my life I have never seen bread more beautifully white\nthan this, or any of sweeter taste:--on which the host rejoined, This\nwas made by a female slave of mine whom I purchased for five hundred\npieces of gold. He then called out, Boy, bring to us the\nsikb\u00e1j,[V_98] the like of which is not found among the dishes of\nKings!--and, addressing my brother, he said, Eat, O my guest; for thou\nart hungry, vehemently so, and in absolute want of food. So my brother\nbegan to twist about his mouth, and to chew, as in eating. The master of\nthe house now proceeded to demand different kinds of viands, one after\nanother; and, though nothing was brought, he continued ordering my\nbrother to eat. Next he called out, Boy, place before us the chickens\nstuffed with pistachio-nuts:--and said to his guest, Eat of that which\nthou hast never tasted the like.--O my master, replied my brother,\nverily this dish hath not its equal in sweetness of flavour:--and the\nhost, thereupon, began to put his hand to my brother's mouth as though\nhe were feeding him with morsels; and proceeded to enumerate to him the\nvarious different kinds of viands, and to describe their several\nexcellencies; while his hunger so increased that he longed for a cake of\nbarley-bread. The master of the house then said to him, Hast thou tasted\nanything more delicious than the spices in these dishes?--No, O my\nmaster, answered my brother.--Eat more then, resumed the host; and be\nnot ashamed.--I have eaten enough of the meats, replied the guest. So\nthe man of the house called to his attendants to bring the sweets; and\nthey moved their hands about in the air as if they were bringing them;\nwhereupon the host said to my brother, Eat of this dish; for it is\nexcellent; and of these \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e1\u00eff,[V_99] by my life! and take this one\nbefore the sirup runs from it.--May I never be deprived of thee, O my\nmaster! exclaimed my brother, proceeding to inquire of him respecting\nthe abundance of musk in the \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e1\u00eff.--This, answered the host, is my\nusual custom in my house: they always put for me, in each of the \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e1\u00eff,\na mith\u1e33\u00e1l[V_100] of musk, and half a mith\u1e33\u00e1l of ambergris.--All\nthis time my brother was moving his head and mouth, and rolling about\nhis tongue between his cheeks, as if he were enjoying the sweets. After\nthis, the master of the house called out to his attendants, Bring the\ndried fruits!--and again they moved about their hands in the air as\nthough they were doing what he ordered; when he said to my brother, Eat\nof these almonds, and of these walnuts, and of these raisins;--and so\non; enumerating the various kinds of dried fruits; and added again, Eat,\nand be not ashamed.--O my master, replied my brother, I have had enough,\nand have not power to eat anything more:--but the host rejoined, If thou\ndesire, O my guest, to eat more, and to delight thyself with\nextraordinary dainties, by Allah! by Allah! remain not hungry.\n\nMy brother now reflected upon his situation, and upon the manner in\nwhich this man was jesting with him, and said within himself, By Allah,\nI will do to him a deed that shall make him repent before God of these\nactions! The man of the house next said to his attendants, Bring us the\nwine:--and, as before, they made the same motions with their hands in\nthe air as if they were doing what he commanded; after which he\npretended to hand to my brother a cup, saying, Take this cup, for it\nwill delight thee:--and his guest replied, O my master, this is of thy\nbounty:--and he acted with his hand as though he were drinking it.--Hath\nit pleased thee? said the host.--O my master, answered my brother, I\nhave never seen anything more delicious than this wine.--Drink then,\nrejoined the master of the house, and may it be attended with benefit\nand health:--and he himself pretended to drink, and to hand a second cup\nto my brother, who, after he had affected to drink it, feigned himself\nintoxicated, and, taking his host unawares, raised his hand until the\nwhiteness of his arm-pit appeared, and struck him such a slap upon his\nneck that the chamber rang at the blow; and this he followed by a second\nblow; whereupon the man exclaimed, What is this, thou vilest of the\ncreation?--O my master, answered my brother, I am thy slave, whom thou\nhast graciously admitted into thine abode, and thou hast fed him with\nthy provisions, and treated him with old wine, and he hath become\nintoxicated, and committed an outrage upon thee; but thou art of too\nexalted dignity to be angry with him for his ignorance.\n\nWhen the master of the house heard these words of my brother, he uttered\na loud laugh, and said to him, Verily for a long time have I made game\nof men, and jested with all persons accustomed to joking and rudeness,\nbut I have not seen among them any who could endure this trick, nor any\nwho had sagacity to conform to all my actions, except thee: now,\ntherefore, I pardon thee; and be thou my companion in reality, and never\nrelinquish me. He then gave orders to bring a number of the dishes above\nmentioned, and he and my brother ate together to satisfaction; after\nwhich they removed to the drinking-chamber, where female slaves like so\nmany moons sang all kinds of melodies, and played on all kinds of\nmusical instruments. There they drank until intoxication overcame them:\nthe master of the house treated my brother as a familiar friend, became\ngreatly attached to him, and clad him with a costly dress; and on the\nfollowing morning they resumed their feasting and drinking. Thus they\ncontinued to live for a period of twenty years: the man then died, and\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n[V_101] seized upon his property, and took possession of\nit.\n\nMy brother, upon this, went forth from the city, a fugitive; and upon\nhis way, a party of Arabs[V_102] came upon him. They made him a\ncaptive; and the man who captured him tortured him with beating, and\nsaid to him, By Allah, purchase thyself of me by wealth, or I will kill\nthee:--but my brother, weeping, replied, By Allah, I possess nothing, O\nSheykh of the Arabs; nor do I know the means of obtaining any property:\nI am thy captive; I have fallen into thy hands, and do with me what thou\nwilt. And immediately the tyrannical Bedawee drew forth from his girdle\na broad-bladed knife (such as, if plunged into the neck of a camel,\nwould cut it across from one jugular vein to the other), and, taking it\nin his right hand, approached my poor brother, and cut off with it his\nlips; still urging his demand.--Now this Bedawee had a handsome wife,\nwho, when he was absent, used to manifest a strong affection for my\nbrother; though he observed a proper decorum towards her, fearing God\n(whose name be exalted!); and it happened, one day, that she had called\nhim, and seated him with her; but while they were together, lo, her\nhusband came in upon them; and when he beheld my brother, he exclaimed,\nWo to thee, thou base wretch! Dost thou desire now to corrupt my\nwife?--Then drawing his knife, he inflicted upon him another cruel\nwound; after which he mounted him upon a camel, and, having cast him\nupon a mountain, left him there, and went his way. Some travellers,\nhowever, passed by him, and when they discovered him, they gave him food\nand drink, and acquainted me with his case: so I went forth to him, and\nconveyed him back into the city, and allotted him a sufficient\nmaintenance.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow I have come unto thee, O Prince of the Faithful, continued the\nbarber, and feared to return to my house without relating to thee these\nfacts; for to neglect doing so had been an error. Thus thou hast seen\nthat, although having six brothers, I am of a more upright character\nthan they.--But when the Prince of the Faithful had heard my story, and\nall that I had related to him respecting my brothers, he laughed, and\nsaid, Thou hast spoken truth, O \u1e62\u00e1mit (O silent man); thou art a person\nof few words, and devoid of impertinence; now, however, depart from this\ncity, and take up thine abode in another. So he banished me from\nBaghd\u00e1d; and I journeyed through various countries, and traversed many\nregions, until I heard of his death, and of the succession of another\nKhaleefeh; when, returning to my city, I met with this young man, unto\nwhom I did the best of deeds, and who, had it not been for me, had been\nslain: yet he hath accused me of that which is not in my character; for\nall that he hath related of me, with respect to impertinence, and\nloquacity, and dulness, and want of taste, is false, O people.\n\n\nCONTINUATION OF THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR.\n\nThe tailor then proceeded thus:--When we heard the story of the barber,\nand were convinced of his impertinence and loquacity, and that the young\nman had been treated unjustly by him, we seized hold upon him, and put\nhim in confinement, and, seating ourselves to keep watch over him, ate\nand drank; and the feast was finished in the most agreeable manner. We\nremained sitting together until the call to afternoon-prayers, when I\nwent forth, and returned to my house; but my wife looked angrily at me,\nand said, Thou hast been all the day enjoying thy pleasure while I have\nbeen sitting at home sorrowful; now if thou go not forth with me and\namuse me for the remainder of the day, thy refusal will be the cause of\nmy separation from thee. So I took her and went out with her, and we\namused ourselves until nightfall, when, returning home, we met this\nhumpback, full of drink, and repeating verses; upon which I invited him\nto come home with us, and he consented. I then went forth to buy some\nfried fish, and having bought it and returned, we sat down to eat; and\nmy wife took a morsel of bread and a piece of fish, and put them into\nhis mouth, and choked him, so that he died; whereupon I took him up, and\ncontrived to throw him into the house of this physician, and he\ncontrived to throw him into the house of the steward, and the steward\ncontrived to throw him in the way of the broker.--This is the story of\nwhat happened to me yesterday. Is it not more wonderful than that of the\nhumpback?\n\n\nCONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK.\n\nWhen the King had heard this story, he ordered certain of his\nchamberlains to go with the tailor, and to bring the barber; saying to\nthem, His presence is indispensable, that I may hear his talk, and it\nmay be the cause of the deliverance of you all: then we will bury this\nhumpback decently in the earth, for he hath been dead since yesterday;\nand we will make him a monument around his grave, since he hath been the\noccasion of our acquaintance with these wonderful stories.\n\nThe chamberlains and the tailor soon came back, after having gone to the\nplace of confinement and brought the barber, whom they placed before the\nKing; and when the King beheld him, he saw him to be an old man, passed\nhis ninetieth year, of dark countenance, and white beard and eyebrows,\nwith small ears, and long nose, and a haughty aspect. The King laughed\nat the sight of him, and said to him, O silent man, I desire that thou\nrelate to me somewhat of thy stories.--O King of the age, replied the\nbarber, what is the occasion of the presence of this Christian and this\nJew and this Muslim, and this humpback lying dead among you; and what is\nthe reason of this assembly?--Wherefore dost thou ask this? said the\nKing. The barber answered, I ask it in order that the King may know me\nto be no impertinent person, nor one who meddleth with that which doth\nnot concern him, and that I am free from the loquacity of which they\naccuse me: for I am fortunate in my characteristic appellation, since\nthey have surnamed me E\u1e63-\u1e62\u00e1mit; and, as the poet hath said,--\n\n Seldom hast thou seen a person honoured with a surname,\n but thou wilt find, if thou search, that his character\n is expressed by it.\n\nThe King therefore said, Explain to the barber the case of this\nhumpback, and what happened to him yesterday evening, and explain to him\nalso what the Christian hath related, and the Jew and the steward and\nthe tailor. So they repeated to him the stories of all these persons.\n\nThe barber, thereupon, shook his head, saying, By Allah, this is a\nwonderful thing! Uncover this humpback, that I may examine him.--And\nthey did so. He then seated himself at his head, and, taking it up,\nplaced it upon his lap, and looked at his face, and laughed so violently\nthat he fell backwards, exclaiming, For every death there is a cause;\nand the death of this humpback is most wonderful: it is worthy of being\nregistered in the records, that posterity may be instructed by this\nevent!--The King, astonished at his words, said, O \u1e62\u00e1mit, explain to us\nthe reason of thy saying this.--O King, replied the barber, by thy\nbeneficence, life is yet in the humpback! He then drew forth from his\nbosom a pot containing some ointment, and with this he anointed the neck\nof the humpback; after which he covered it up until it perspired; when\nhe took forth an iron forceps, and put it down his throat, and extracted\nthe piece of fish with its bone, and all the people saw them. The\nhumpback now sprang upon his feet, and sneezed, and, recovering his\nconsciousness, drew his hands over his face, and exclaimed, There is no\nDeity but God! Mo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle! God bless and save him!--and\nall who were present were astonished at the sight, and the King laughed\nuntil he became insensible; as did also the other spectators. The King\nexclaimed, By Allah, this accident is wonderful! I have never witnessed\nanything more strange!--and added, O Muslims! O assembly of soldiers!\nhave ye ever in the course of your lives seen any one die and after\nthat come to life? But had not God blessed him with this barber, the\nhumpback had been to-day numbered among the people of the other world;\nfor the barber hath been the means of restoring him to life.--They\nreplied, This is indeed a wonderful thing!\n\nThe King then gave orders to record this event; and when they had done\nso, he placed the record in the royal library; and he bestowed dresses\nof honour upon the Jew and the Christian and the steward; upon each of\nthem, a costly dress: the tailor he appointed to be his own tailor,\ngranting him regular allowances, and reconciling him and the humpback\nwith each other: the humpback he honoured with a rich and beautiful\ndress, and with similar allowances, and appointed him his cup-companion;\nand upon the barber also he conferred the like favours, rewarding him\nwith a costly dress of honour, regular allowances, and a fixed salary,\nand appointing him state-barber, and his own cup-companion: so they all\nlived in the utmost happiness and comfort until they were visited by the\nterminator of delights and the separator of friends.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH.\n\nNOTE 1. As the story of the Humpback is one of the best in this\ncollection, and purely Arab, I have been glad to find, in the Calcutta\nedition of the first two hundred nights, authority for deviating here\nfrom my usual standard copy, by substituting \"El-Ba\u1e63rah\" for a city of\nChina. The Breslau edition, in the opening of the story, lays the scene\nat \"El-Ba\u1e63rah _and_ \u1e32aj\u1e33\u00e1r.\" By the latter, I suppose K\u00e1shghar to be\nmeant.\n\nNOTE 2. In my original, they are said to have gone out early in the\nmorning; but this is contradicted by the sequel.\n\nNOTE 3. The appeal to Ezra's ass, which alludes to a tradition believed\nby the Muslims, as it is mentioned in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, is omitted in the\nCairo edition. The story is this:--'Ozeyr, or Ezra, \"riding on an ass by\nthe ruins of Jerusalem, after it had been destroyed by the Chaldeans,\ndoubted in his mind by what means God could raise the city and its\ninhabitants again; whereupon God caused him to die, and he remained in\nthat condition a hundred years; at the end of which, God restored him to\nlife, and he found a basket of figs and a cruise of wine that he had\nwith him, not in the least spoiled or corrupted; but his ass was dead,\nthe bones only remaining; and these, while the Prophet looked on, were\nraised and clothed with flesh, becoming an ass again, which, being\ninspired with life, began immediately to bray.\"[323]\n\nNOTE 4. Most Arab cities abound with cats, which are much favoured by\nthe inhabitants. These animals are often seen leaping across from the\nterrace of one house to that of another on the opposite side of a narrow\nstreet; and often has my kitchen in Cairo been robbed by them. They are\nsaid to contribute greatly to the spreading of the plague.\n\nNOTE 5. Occurrences of this kind are said to have often happened in Arab\ntowns, where dogs, though esteemed unclean by the Muslims, are, like\ncats, generally very numerous. Few of them have masters; but they\ncompose distinct tribes; those of each tribe confining themselves to a\nparticular quarter or district of the town, and suffering no strange dog\nto intrude among them and share with them in the offal thrown out from\nthe butchers' shops and from private houses; or prowling about the\nmounds of rubbish in the environs, and, like the vultures, feeding upon\nthe carcasses of camels, asses, and other beasts, thrown out by the\ninhabitants. I was once told that the master of an English\nmerchant-vessel, having fallen asleep in a state of intoxication on the\nshore of the harbour of Alexandria, at night, was devoured by dogs.\n\nNOTE 6. The snatching of turbans by night is still a frequent practice\nof Arab rogues, and one which is often very lucrative; many a turban\nbeing composed of a costly Kashmeer shawl wound round a \u1e6darboosh, which\nlatter alone is worth eight or nine shillings, or more, and some also\nhaving money or other valuables secreted in them.\n\nNOTE 7. Watchmen are generally employed to guard by night the soo\u1e33s, or\nmarket-streets, and other districts, in Arab towns. Those in Cairo carry\na nebboot, or long staff, but no lantern. Their usual cries are of a\nreligious nature; as, \"I extol the perfection of the Living King, who\nsleepeth not nor dieth!\" When they see a passenger approaching, they\ncall out to him, \"Attest the unity of God!\" or merely, \"Attest the\nunity!\" and the reply is, \"There is no deity but God!\" It is supposed\nthat a person bound on any unlawful undertaking would not dare to utter\nthese words.\n\nNOTE 8. At the period when this work was composed, the Christians were\ndistinguished from the Muslims by a black or blue turban, and this was\nwound in a peculiar manner.\n\nNOTE 9.--_On the Title and Office of_ W\u00e1lee. \"W\u00e1lee\" is the title given\nto the chief magistrate of the police, and was so employed in the time\nof El-Ma\u1e33reezee, instead of the older appellation of \"\u1e62\u00e1\u1e25eb\nesh-Shur\u1e6dah.\" The same officer was also called \"Mutawellee.\" It was the\nduty of this magistrate to perambulate the streets at night, attended by\na body of his officers, including an executioner; for he often inflicted\ncapital punishment on criminals immediately after their detection. He\nwas invested with a degree of despotic power, and often put to death\npersons accused of capital crimes without the formalities required by\nthe law. It was also his duty to superintend the infliction of the\npunishments of criminals legally condemned. An officer was employed to\nperform the nightly rounds in El-Medeeneh in the reign of Aboo-Bekr; but\nit appears that the first regular guard for this purpose was appointed\nin the reign of 'Othm\u00e1n.[324]\n\nNOTE 10. The ardebb, thus commonly pronounced, but properly written\nirdebb, varies in different places. In Cairo it is very nearly\nequivalent to five English bushels.\n\nNOTE 11. In the original, this building is called the Kh\u00e1n of\nEl-Jaw\u00e1lee; but it evidently should be----of El-J\u00e1walee; and the error\nis to be attributed to a copyist. The Kh\u00e1n of El-J\u00e1walee is mentioned by\nEl-Ma\u1e33reezee,[325] as being situate at a short distance within the\npresent gate called B\u00e1b en-Na\u1e63r, and by the site of the older gate so\ncalled; and as existing in his time, in the former half of the ninth\ncentury of the Flight. [El-Ma\u1e33reezee also informs us, in his account of\nthe Medreseh el-J\u00e1waleeyeh, that El-J\u00e1walee's full name was\n'Alam-ed-Deen Senjer, and that he was originally a memlook of one\nJ\u00e1walee (whence his surname), an Emeer of El-Melik e\u1e93-\u1e92\u00e1hir Beybars. He\ndied in the year of the Flight 745.--ED.]\n\nNOTE 12. B\u00e1b en-Na\u1e63r (the Gate of Victory, or----of Aid) is the name\nof the easternmost of the northern gates of Cairo. It was built in the\nreign of the Khaleefeh El-Mustan\u1e63ir, in the year of the Flight 480 (A.\nD. 1087-8).\n\nNOTE 13. The words \"besides my brokerage,\" I have inserted as necessary\nto make the account correct.\n\nNOTE 14. It has been shewn in a former note that the Arabs consider it\nindecorous to eat with the left hand.\n\nNOTE 15. As it is held impolite to shew the hands, unless unavoidably,\nin the presence of a person of rank, the sleeve of the cloth coat, or\nthat of the silk vest which is worn beneath it, is made sufficiently\nlong to extend a little beyond the ends of the fingers; and so also, in\ngeneral, is the sleeve of the shirt worn by persons of the lower orders.\n\nNOTE 16. This building is first called, in the Cairo edition, the Kh\u00e1n\nof Suroor; and afterwards,----of Mesroor: the latter is the\nappellation given to it in the edition of Breslau; and is the correct\nname. The Kh\u00e1n of Mesroor is mentioned by El-Ma\u1e33reezee,[326] as situate\nat the southern extremity of Beyn el-\u1e32a\u1e63reyn (respecting which see the\nnext note), adjacent to the site of the Great Palace of the Khaleefehs.\nThere were two Kh\u00e1ns of this name near each other. El-Ma\u1e33reezee says,\nthat, in his earlier days, the greater of these, which appears to be\nthat here alluded to, was one of the finest and largest Kh\u00e1ns in Cairo,\nin a most flourishing state, the resort of the chief Syrian merchants,\nand the d\u00e9p\u00f4t of their goods; but that latterly it had declined, and\nsome portions of it were ruined.\n\nNOTE 17. Beyn el-\u1e32a\u1e63reyn (which signifies \"Between the Two Palaces\") is\nthe name still applied to that part of the principal street of Cairo\nwhich intervenes between the sites of the two famous palaces of the\nKhaleefehs.\n\nNOTE 18. A \u1e32eys\u00e1reeyeh is a superior kind of soo\u1e33, consisting of ranges\nof shops facing each other. That which is here mentioned (called in the\nCairo edition, the \u1e32eysereeyeh of Jirjis; in the edition of Breslau, the\n\u1e32eys\u00e1reeyeh of Jarkash; and in the old English version, erroneously, the\nCircassian bezestein) is the \u1e32eys\u00e1reeyeh of Jah\u00e1rkas, which, as I learn\nfrom El-Ma\u1e33reezee,[327] was situate near the centre of what constituted\nthe old city, on the east of the principal street. It existed in his\ntime, and was built by the Emeer Fakhr-ed-Deen Jah\u00e1rkas, in the year of\nthe Flight 502 (A.D. 1108-9). Ibn-Khallik\u00e1n,[328] as quoted by\nEl-Ma\u1e33reezee, says of it, \"I have seen a number of merchants who have\ntraversed various countries, and who say, 'We have not seen in any\ncountry its equal in beauty and greatness, and compactness of\nconstruction.'\" He explains also the orthography of the name of\n\"Jah\u00e1rkas,\" and states that it is Persian (Chah\u00e1r-kas), and signifies\n\"four persons.\"\n\nNOTE 19. The Egyptian fowls are much smaller than those of our country,\nand one is not too much for one man's breakfast. The eggs are usually\nhatched in ovens.\n\nNOTE 20. The appellation of \"the Gardener\" is here to be understood as a\nmere surname derived from the occupation of some ancestor of the\nmerchant; it being a common custom of the Arabs to retain an appellation\nof this kind, however humble.\n\nNOTE 21. El-Ma\u1e33reezee[329] mentions a \"soo\u1e33 of the money-changers\" as\nnear to the Kh\u00e1n of Mesroor; and it seems to be the place here alluded\nto: the word \"soo\u1e33\" being often omitted.\n\nNOTE 22. The lady having offered up a prayer that the young merchant\nmight be her husband, I have taken the liberty of inserting here a\nslight interpolation, which does not detract from the probability or\nconsistency of the story; but rather the contrary.\n\nNOTE 23.--_On one of the Passages in this Work indicating a very late\nDate._ The \u1e24abb\u00e1neeyeh is the name now applied to a portion of a main\nstreet, a little to the west of the lake called Birket el-Feel, in the\nsouthern part of Cairo. It is evidently thus applied in the passage to\nwhich this note relates; but El-Ma\u1e33reezee, writing in the former half of\nthe ninth century of the Flight,[330] says, \"In this our time, bordering\nupon it [the Birket el-Feel] is a _garden_ called by the name of the\n\u1e24abb\u00e1neeyeh, who were a family of Darm\u00e0 the son of 'Amr the son of 'Owf\nthe son of Tha\u1ea1lebeh the son of Ba\u1ea1l the son of 'Amr the son of El-Gh\u00f3th\nthe son of \u1e6ceiyi: so Darm\u00e0 was a minor family of [the tribe of] \u1e6ceiyi,\nand the \u1e24abb\u00e1neeyoon [or \u1e24abb\u00e1neeyeh--for the terms are synonymous] were\na family of Darm\u00e0; and the people have made a road between the garden of\nthe \u1e24abb\u00e1neeyeh and the lake.\" He proceeds to say, that on the _east_ of\nthe Birket el-Feel there _were_ gardens; but that _houses_ and _streets_\nhad been built _there_.--Now, in the work before us, the tract which was\na _garden_ in the time of El-Ma\u1e33reezee is mentioned as occupied by\n_houses_ and _streets_. Many years must have elapsed since that period\nbefore such could have been the case; and surely at least a century\nbefore the houses could have presented such an appearance as would lead\na writer to imagine them of \"ancient times.\" It may be objected against\nan argument drawn from this passage, that it is perhaps an interpolation\nof a copyist; but it agrees with many evidences of a late date, and\noccurs in at least one other copy (that from which the Breslau edition\nis printed), with only this slight difference--that \"\u1e24abb\u00e1neeyeh,\" by\nthe erroneous addition of a point beneath the first letter, is converted\ninto \"Jebb\u00e1neeyeh;\" and it should be remarked that the latter copy\nvaries considerably in other points from that of Cairo. It would imply\nthat Cairo was almost as extensive a city at the time when this work was\ncomposed or modernized as it is at present; and would account for its\nbeing here called Mi\u1e63r, or Ma\u1e63r; a name which was retained by El-Fus\u1e6d\u00e1\u1e6d\nat least as late as the commencement of the tenth century of the Flight,\nand probably until the year 1517 of our era or a little later, as I have\nremarked in a former note.\n\nNOTE 24. \"\u1e32\u00e1'ah\" is a term generally signifying \"a lofty saloon;\" but\nalso often applied to an elegant house.\n\nNOTE 25. \"Na\u1e33eeb\" signifies \"a chief,\" \"a leader,\" &c., and has various\napplications. In the present instance, the office which it designates is\ndoubtful, but is evidently of high dignity, as Na\u1e33eeb of the Shereefs,\nthe Chief, or Syndic, of the Descendants of the Prophet.\n\nNOTE 26. B\u00e1b Zuweyleh (the Gate of Zuweyleh, or, more properly, of\nZaweeleh, which is the name of a tribe) is a gate that was built at the\nsame period as B\u00e1b en-Na\u1e63r, before mentioned. It marked the southern\nlimit of Cairo; but is now in the heart of the metropolis. With two\nround-fronted towers, each surmounted by a lofty and elegant m\u00e1d'neh, or\nmenaret, pertaining to the adjoining great mosque of El-Mueiyad, it\npresents a very noble appearance.\n\nNOTE 27. \"Imperial gypsum\" is a name given to the best kind of plaster\nused in Cairo. I have often admired the smoothness of its surface upon\nthe walls of chambers in some of the older houses in that city; but, I\nneed hardly say, never saw any that reflected like a mirror.\n\nNOTE 28. In the Cairo edition, \"with pearls and jewels at its corners.\"\nThe deficiency I have supplied from the edition of Breslau: but I may\nhere remark, that it would have been more proper to describe the snakes\nas _gilt_.\n\nNOTE 29.--_On the Crowns worn by Arab Ladies._ From Eastern drawings and\ndescriptions, it appears that the kind of crown here mentioned was\ngenerally a circle of jewelled gold (the lower edge of which was\nstraight; and the upper, fancifully heightened to four or more points)\nsurrounding the lower part of a dome-shaped cap with a jewel or some\nother ornament at the summit. This crown was worn by many Arab ladies of\nhigh rank or great wealth, probably until about two centuries ago.\nAnother kind of crown is now more generally worn, called a \"\u1e33ur\u1e63.\" This\nis a round, convex ornament, generally about five inches in diameter,\ncomposed of gold set with a profusion of diamonds, of open work,\nrepresenting roses, leaves, &c. It is sewed upon the top of the\n\u1e6darboosh; and is worn by most of the ladies of Cairo, at least in full\ndress. An engraving of a crown of this description, and another of one\nof a more common kind, may be seen in my work on the Modern Egyptians,\nvol. ii. Appendix A.\n\nNOTE 30. It is a common custom of the Arabs to give a present of money\ntied up in a corner of an embroidered handkerchief.\n\nNOTE 31. The mace is a weapon still used in the East; but not so\ncommonly as it was in former times. There was a petty governor in Upper\nEgypt during my first visit to that country, who, in his daily rides,\nindulged a frequent habit of striking persons with a weapon of this\nkind, a tolerably-heavy steel mace; but he did it with a happy knack, so\nas never, I believe, to inflict a dangerous wound, unless intentionally.\nMaces, like other arms of steel, are often tastefully inlaid with\narabesque ornaments and inscriptions in gold.\n\nNOTE 32.--_On the Punishment of Theft._ The Mohammadan law ordains that\na person who is adult and of sound mind, if he steals an article of the\nvalue of a quarter of a deen\u00e1r (or piece of gold) from a place to which\nhe has not ordinary or free access, shall lose his right hand; but this\npunishment is not to be inflicted for stealing a free child, or anything\nwhich, in the eye of the law, is of no pecuniary value; as wine, or a\nmusical instrument; and there are some other cases in which the thief is\nnot to be so punished. For the second offence, the left foot is to be\ncut off; and for the third and subsequent offences, according to the\n\u1e24anafee code, the culprit is to be punished by a long imprisonment; or,\nby the Sh\u00e1fe'ee law, for the third offence, he is to lose his left hand;\nfor the fourth, his right foot; and for further offences, he is to be\nflogged or beaten. The punishment is the same for a woman as for a\nman.--This law induced a freethinking Muslim to ask, \"If the hand is\nworth five hundred deen\u00e1rs, [this being the fine for depriving a man of\nthat member,] why should it be cut off for a quarter of a deen\u00e1r?\" He\nwas answered, \"An honest hand is of great value; but not so is the hand\nthat hath stolen.\"--Amputation for theft is now seldom practised:\nbeating, or some other punishment, is usually inflicted in its stead for\nthe first, second, and third offence; and, frequently, death for the\nfourth.\n\nNOTE 33. Capital punishment in this case would be contrary to the law;\nbut it is often inflicted upon highway-robbers.\n\nNOTE 34. The meaning is, that the doer is God. An allusion is here\nconveyed to a verse (the 17th) in the Soorat el-Anf\u00e1l (the eighth\nchapter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n)--\"Thou didst not cast [the gravel into their\neyes] when thou didst [seem to] cast [it]; but God cast [it].\"[331]\n\nNOTE 35. The honour that is due to the human body requires that any\nportion disunited from it be decently deposited in the earth.\n\nNOTE 36. As a hair, for instance, is drawn from paste.[332]\n\nNOTE 37. These verses are founded on a tradition of the Prophet.[333]\n\nNOTE 38. _On_ Khatmehs, _or Recitations of the whole of the_ \u1e32ur-\u00e1n _at\nPrivate Festivities._ The most approved and common mode of entertaining\nguests at modern private festivities among the Arabs is by a Khatmeh,\nwhich is the recitation of the whole of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n. Three or more\npersons of the inferior class of the professors of religion and law, who\nare called fa\u1e33eehs (vulgarly, fi\u1e33ees), are usually hired for this\npurpose. Schoolmasters, and students of the collegiate mosques who\ndevote themselves to religion and law, are the persons most commonly\nthus employed. Their mode of recitation is a peculiar kind of\nchanting,[334] which, when well executed, I found very agreeable, at\nleast for an hour or so: but the guests seldom have to listen to the\nchanting of the whole of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n: the reciters usually accomplish the\ngreater portion of their task, in a somewhat hurried manner, before the\nguests have assembled, each of them chanting, in turn, a certain\nportion, as a thirtieth part of the whole (called a \"juz\"), or half of\none of these sections (a \"\u1e25ezb\"), or, more commonly, a quarter (rub\u1ea1).\nAfterwards they chant more leisurely, and in a more musical manner; but\nstill by turns.--These recitations of the whole of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n are\nperformed on various festive occasions, but are most usual after a\ndeath; the merit of the performance being transferred to the soul of the\ndeceased.\n\nNOTE 39. The mess termed \"zirb\u00e1jeh,\" by some called \"zurb\u00e1jeh,\" from the\nPersian \"zeerb\u00e1j,\" is a kind of spoon-meat. Some of its ingredients are\ndescribed in the sequel of the present story.\n\nNOTE 40.--_On Atonements and other Services for the Dead._ As filial\npiety is a general characteristic of the Arabs, and various services are\nbelieved by them to atone for the minor sins of the deceased, and thus\nto diminish his misery, or to increase his happiness, it is natural, and\nnot uncommon, for a son to act in the manner here related. Recitations\nof the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n are performed for the dead, to whom the merit of these\nworks is transferred, and a sacrifice is often offered at the tomb after\nthe burial; the flesh of the victim being distributed to the poor. But a\nmore important service for the deceased is the payment of his debts; for\nit is affirmed by the Prophet, that even martyrdom will not atone for a\ndebt unpaid.\n\nNOTE 41. A money-changer is very frequently employed to examine the\nmoney which a purchaser offers; and if it be old, to weigh it. The\nmoney-changers are mostly Jews and Christians.\n\nNOTE 42. Some mosques (as the Azhar, for instance, the principal mosque\nof Cairo) remain open all night; and many houseless persons sleep in\nthem, upon the matting which covers the paved floor. Men are also often\nseen, at other times, but not at the hours of prayer, lounging, eating,\nor working, in the mosques; such practices not being deemed inconsistent\nwith the high respect which the Muslims pay to these buildings.\n\nNOTE 43. The remainder of this paragraph, and the whole of the next two\nparagraphs, being omitted in the edition of Cairo, I translate from the\nCalcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and the edition of\nBreslau; but almost entirely from the former.\n\nNOTE 44. The water of the well of Zemzem, in the temple of Mekkeh, is\nbelieved to possess miraculous virtues, and is therefore brought away in\nbottles or flasks by many of the pilgrims, to be used when occasion may\nrequire as medicine, or to be sprinkled on grave-linen. A bottle of it\nis a common and acceptable present from a pilgrim, and a guest is\nsometimes treated with a sip of this holy water.\n\nNOTE 45. A whip is sometimes used in the \u1e25areem of a great man; and its\nbeing attached to the waist of the damsel here mentioned marks her\nauthority. It is generally formed of a strip of hippopotamus' hide,\nhammered into a round shape; and this kind is called a \"kurb\u00e1j.\" I\nbelieve it is seldom used in the \u1e25areem with severity; but usually for\nintimidation. [I once saw some of the ladies of N\u00e1zlee Kh\u00e1nim (thus\nvulgarly pronounced for N\u00e1zloo Kh\u00e1num) struck with a kurb\u00e1j, for too\ncuriously looking in at the window of an apartment in that lady's\npalace, in which I and some friends happened to be, and which overlooked\nthe private garden. They were speedily driven away by two or three black\neunuchs, who appeared to use their heavy whips indiscriminately and\nseverely; their excuse for this conduct undoubtedly being, that these\nladies were guilty of a great impropriety in thus shewing themselves to\nmen; for when riding abroad, it is usual for passengers in the streets\nto turn their faces to the wall on the approach of the women of a great\nman's household. Moreover, the \u1e25areem of N\u00e1zlee Kh\u00e1nim was well known to\nbe ruled with an iron hand, and its mistress herself to have acquired\nthe character of her brutal husband, Mo\u1e25ammad Bey, the Defterd\u00e1r, whose\ncruelties are mentioned in the \"Modern Egyptians.\"--ED.]\n\nNOTE 46. It is a universal custom of the Arabs, on visiting the sick, to\nsay, \"May our Lord restore thee!\" or, \"No evil befall thee!\" &c.\n\nNOTE 47. The first hospital built by a Muslim was that of Damascus,\nfounded by El-Weleed the son of 'Abd-El-Melik, in the eighty-eighth year\nof the Flight (A. D. 706-7). The Arabs would deprive St. Ephrem Syrus of\nthe honour of having been the author of the first institution of this\nkind; one of their historians ascribing it to an early Pharaoh, named\nMen\u00e1\u1e33iyoosh; another, to Hippocrates.[335]\n\nNOTE 48. The remainder of the paragraph is translated from the Calcutta\nedition of the first two hundred nights.\n\nNote 49. \"The metropolis of the world,\" or literally, \"the mother of the\nworld\" (\"umm ed-duny\u00e0\"), is a title given to several cities, as well as\nto Cairo, by their respective inhabitants. This passage, therefore, and\nothers of a similar kind, in which even _foreigners_ are made to rank\nEgypt and Cairo as superior to every other country and city, strongly\nfavour the opinion that some of its tales were written, or altered, by\nan Egyptian.\n\nNOTE 50. A more ample eulogium upon Egypt and the Nile, but abounding\nwith such gross errors that I could not confidently offer a translation,\nis found in the Breslau edition. It agrees better with the old\ntranslation; which, however, in this place, presents considerable\nunauthorized amplifications, and some misconceptions: \"Birket el-\u1e24abash\"\n(for instance), the name of a lake on the south of Cairo, being mistaken\nfor Ethiopia.\n\nNOTE 51. For this monthly rent (or about a guinea of our money), a large\nand handsome house may be hired at the present day in Cairo.\n\nNOTE 52. After the amputation of the hand for theft, the stump is\nusually plunged in boiling pitch or tar, or oil, to stanch the blood.\n\nNOTE 53.--_On Retaliation and Fines for Wounds and Mutilations._\nRetaliation for intentional wounds and mutilations is allowed by the\nMohammadan law, like as for murder; \"eye for eye,\" &c.:[336] but a fine\nmay be accepted instead, which the law allows also for unintentional\ninjuries. The fine for a member that is single (as the nose) is the\nwhole price of blood, as for homicide; namely a thousand deen\u00e1rs (about\n500_l._) from him who possesses gold; or, from him who possesses\nsilver, twelve thousand dirhems (about 300_l._); for a member of which\nthere are two, and not more (as a hand), half the price of blood; for\none of which there are ten (a finger or toe), a tenth of the price of\nblood: but the fine of a man for maiming or wounding a woman is half of\nthat for the same injury to a man; and that of a free person for\ninjuring a slave varies according to the value of the slave. The fine\nfor depriving a man of any of his five senses, or dangerously wounding\nhim, or grievously disfiguring him for life, is the whole price of\nblood.\n\nNOTE 54. See No. 20 of the notes to Chapter ii.--\"The women of Egypt\nhave the character of being the most licentious in their feelings of all\nfemales who lay any claim to be considered as members of a civilized\nnation; and this character is freely bestowed upon them by their\n_countrymen_, even in conversation with foreigners.\"[337]--In the work\nfrom which the above passage is quoted, I have expatiated upon this\nsubject more than I need do in the present case.\n\nNOTE 55. The Arabs are generally of opinion that the innate dispositions\nof a child are inherited more from the mother than from the father. They\nbelieve that a daughter commonly resembles, in good or evil qualities,\nher mother; and a son, his maternal uncle. Hence they often address a\nman, \"Y\u00e1 \u1e6deiyib el-kh\u00e1l!\"--\"O thou who hast a good maternal uncle!\"\n\nNOTE 56. 'Abd-Allah Ibn-'Abb\u00e1s was one of the most learned of the\ncompanions of his cousin Mo\u1e25ammad, and one of the most celebrated of the\nrelaters of his sayings and actions. He has received the titles of\n\"Interpreter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n\" and \"Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n of Commentators.\" He died in the\nyear of the Flight 68. His father, 'Abb\u00e1s, the son of 'Abd-El-Mu\u1e6d\u1e6dalib,\nwas paternal uncle of Mo\u1e25ammad, and ancestor of the 'Abb\u00e1see Khaleefehs.\n\nNOTE 57.--_On the Astrolabe._ The astrolabe is more commonly used by the\nArabs than any other instrument for astronomical observations. It is\ngenerally between four and six inches in diameter. It consists of a\ncircular plate with a graduated rim, within which fit several thinner\nplates, and of a limb, moving on a pivot in the centre, with two sights.\nThe plates are engraved with complicated diagrams, &c., for various\ncalculations. The instrument is held by a ring, or by a loop of cord\nattached to the ring, during an observation; and thus its own weight\nanswers the same purpose as the plumb-line of the quadrant (which the\nArabs sometimes use in its stead); the position of the moveable limb\nwith the sights marking the required altitude.\n\nNOTE 58. \u1e62afar is the second mouth of the Mohammadan year.\n\nNOTE 59. As different copies vary here as to the date, I have taken the\nliberty of putting 263 instead of 763 or 653, in order to avoid a\nglaring anachronism. It is probable, however, that the last of these is\nthe author's date, as it is found both in the old translation, and in\nthe Breslau edition. The date in the Cairo edition is 763.\n\nNOTE 60. A degree is four minutes; it would have been more proper,\ntherefore, to have said, eight degrees and two minutes, than seven\ndegrees and six minutes.\n\nNOTE 61. \"E\u1e63-\u1e62\u00e1mit\" signifies \"the Silent.\"\n\nNOTE 62. This and the two following names, or rather, surnames, convey\nthe same meaning. Ba\u1e33boo\u1e33, Hedd\u00e1r, and Ba\u1e33ba\u1e33 (here, in my original,\nerroneously written Ya\u1e33ya\u1e33), signify \"Chatterer.\" \"El-Kooz el-A\u1e63w\u00e1nee\"\n(not to be mistaken for \"---- ---- Asw\u00e1nee,\" with a _soft_ s) seems to\nimply that the person thus named was always like a mug, with open mouth,\nand insensible as flint to rebuke. The two remaining names are different\nin different copies: \"Sha\u1e33\u00e1li\u1e33\" is perhaps put erroneously for some\nother word, as \"Shi\u1e33\u00e1\u1e33,\" \"Discord.\"\n\nNOTE 63. \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. iii. v. 128.\n\nNOTE 64. The Arabs generally carry their young children in this manner,\nseated astride upon the shoulder.\n\nNOTE 65. This expression is borrowed from the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xlviii. v. 10.\nThe meaning is, \"there is no power of man, but God's power is superior\nto it.\"\n\nNOTE 66. The Prophet (Mo\u1e25ammad) is always alluded to when this form of\nbenediction is used and the name of the person to whom it is applied is\nnot mentioned.\n\nNOTE 67. \"Nedd\" is a perfume composed of ambergris, musk, and aloes\nwood; or simply ambergris.\n\nNOTE 68. Two khu\u1e6dbehs are recited on the occasion of the congregational\nFriday-prayers. It is the first of these which is here alluded to. See\nthe next note.\n\nNOTE 69.--_On the Congregational Friday-prayers._ The Sel\u00e1m (or\nSalutation) of Friday is a form of blessing on the Prophet and his\nfamily and companions, which is chanted by the mu\u00ebddins from the\nm\u00e1d'nehs (or towers) of the congregational mosques half an hour before\nnoon. The worshippers begin to assemble in the mosque as soon as they\nhear it, and, ranging themselves in rows parallel to, and facing, that\nside in which is the niche, that marks the direction of Mekkeh, each\nperforms, by himself, the prayers of two rek'ahs, which are\nsupererogatory, and then sits in his place while a reader recites part\nor the whole of the 18th chapter of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n. At the call of noon,\nthey all stand up, and each again performs, separately, the prayers of\ntwo rek'ahs, ordained by the Prophet. A minister, standing at the foot\nof the pulpit-stairs, then proposes to bless the Prophet: and\naccordingly, a second Sel\u00e1m is chanted by one or more other ministers\nstationed on an elevated platform. After this, the former minister, and\nthe latter after him, repeat the call of noon (which the mu\u00ebddins have\nbefore chanted from the m\u00e1d'nehs); and the former enjoins silence. The\nchief minister (Kha\u1e6deeb, or Im\u00e1m,) has already seated himself on the top\nstep or platform of the pulpit. He now rises, and recites a khu\u1e6dbeh of\npraise to God and exhortation to the congregation; and if in a country\nor town acquired by arms from unbelievers, he holds a wooden sword,\nresting its point on the ground.[338] Each of the congregation next\noffers up some private supplication; after which, the Kha\u1e6deeb recites a\nsecond khu\u1e6dbeh, which is always the same, or nearly so; part, of a\nsimilar nature to the first, but chiefly, prayer for the Prophet and his\nfamily, &c., and for the general welfare of the Muslims. This finished,\nthe Kha\u1e6deeb or Im\u00e1m descends from the pulpit, and, stationed before the\nniche, after a form of words[339] differing slightly from the call to\nprayer has been chanted by the ministers on the elevated platform before\nmentioned, recites the divinely-ordained prayers of Friday (two\nrek'ahs), while the people do the same silently, keeping time with him\nexactly in the various postures. Thus are completed the Friday-prayers;\nbut some of the congregation remain, and perform the ordinary\ndivinely-ordained prayers of noon.[340]\n\nNOTE 70. So in the Cairo edition. El-Munta\u1e63ir bi-ll\u00e1h was the\ngreat-grandson of H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed, and acceded to the throne in the\nyear of the Flight 247 (A.D. 861). A slight anachronism, therefore, is\nhere presented, unless we suppose that the hero of the story told by\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n's steward was an old man at the period of the misfortune of\nthe humpback. The reign of El-Munta\u1e63ir was somewhat less than six\nmonths. The copy from which the old translation was made, and the\nedition of Breslau, date the adventure of the barber, here related, more\nthan three centuries and a half later, in the reign of El-Musta\u1e63ir\nbi-ll\u00e1h.\n\nNOTE 71. The practice of spunging, or the intrusion of strangers at\nentertainments, has long been very prevalent in Arab towns. An instance\nhas been given towards the close of Note 22 to Chapter iii.\n\nNOTE 72. I have altered the order in which the brothers are described,\nand omitted two particulars, to agree with the sequel.\n\nNOTE 73. The next paragraph is translated from the Calcutta edition of\nthe first two hundred nights; being omitted in the Cairo edition. An\nequal portion, later, is wanting in the old translation.\n\nNOTE 74.--_On Augurations with respect to Marriage._ This passage\nalludes to an astrological calculation made with the view of determining\nby what sign of the zodiac the two persons are influenced who\ncontemplate becoming man and wife, and thence ascertaining whether they\nwill agree. This is often done in the present day by adding together the\nnumerical values of the letters composing his or her name and that of\nthe mother, and, if I remember right, subtracting from 12 the whole sum\nif this is less than 12, or what remains after subtracting, or dividing\nby, 12. Thus is obtained the number of the sign. The twelve signs,\ncommencing with Aries, correspond respectively with the elements of\nfire, earth, air, water, fire, earth, and so on; and if the signs of the\ntwo parties indicate the same element, it is inferred that they will\nagree; but if they indicate different elements, the inference is, that\nthe one will be affected by the other in the same manner as the element\nof the one is by that of the other: thus, if the element of the man is\nfire, and that of the woman, water, he will be subject to her rule.\n\nAmong other calculations of the same kind is the following, which my\nsheykh has mentioned in a marginal note on this passage, in the copy\nfrom which I translate.--The numerical values of the letters composing\nthe name of each of the two parties are added together, and one of these\ntwo sums is subtracted from the other: if the remainder is an uneven\nnumber, the inference is unfavourable; but if even, the reverse.\n\nIn the present instance, the dupe, knowing that there are various modes\nof divining whether he will be happy with his wife, is made to believe\nthat his fortune depends upon the mode, instead of the result, of the\ncalculation.\n\nNOTE 75. Here, in my original, \"Ba\u1e33ba\u1e33;\" but this, as before mentioned,\nwas the name of the _third_ brother.\n\nNOTE 76. \"\u1e32uffeh,\" signifying \"a basket of palm-leaves,\" and \"a dry\ngourd,\" seems to be here equivalent to \"empty-head.\"\n\nNOTE 77. The blind in Egypt are notorious for their impudence.--It is\nrelated that Moses, while bathing one day in the Nile, saw a blind man\npass by, and, being moved with pity, prayed that God would restore his\nsight. His prayer was answered; but as soon as the eyes of the blind man\nwere opened, he seized the clothes of his benefactor, which were lying\non the bank, and protested that they were his own. Moses, therefore, now\nprayed that the thief might be struck blind again; and God, answering\nhis prayer, said, O Moses, know that I am wiser than thou with respect\nto my creatures.--This tradition was related to me in Cairo.\n\nNOTE 78. It is generally thus that an injured Muslim calls others to his\naid.\n\nNOTE 79. Like the natives of Egypt in the period of the Roman\ndomination,[341] its modern inhabitants, and the Arabs of other\ncountries (though, I believe, in a less degree), are notorious for their\nobstinacy in refusing to pay their taxes until they have been severely\nbeaten. They well know that, the more readily they pay, the more will be\nexacted from them; and are often heard to boast of the number of stripes\nwhich they have received before yielding their money. The same obstinacy\nis generally displayed by an Arab accused of any offence; and often,\neven by a witness: in either case the man fears that, should he tell at\nonce all he can, the judge will try whether the stick or the kurb\u00e1j[342]\nwill elicit a further confession.\n\nNOTE 80.--_On the general Corruptness of Muslim Judges._ Khi\u1e0dr Bey\n(whether he was a judge I do not know), conversing one day with his\nfriends on the difficulties experienced in the exercise of judicature,\none of the company remarked, \"In my opinion, the greatest difficulty\nthat is met with is, when one of the parties is rich, and the other,\npoor.\"--\"In that case,\" replied Khi\u1e0dr Bey, \"I find none; for it is clear\nthat the rich will gain his cause, and the poor will lose: but the great\ndifficulty is, when the two parties are equally rich and powerful. If\nthou, he continued, being a poor man, have a suit against one who is\nrich and powerful, beware of applying to the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee; for he will not fail\nto condemn thee: my advice is, that thou desist altogether from thy\nsuit, and rather throw thyself at the feet of thine adversary; for thou\nwilt obtain more justice from him than from the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee.\"[343]--For a\njustification of the opinion here expressed, see my work on the Modern\nEgyptians, vol. i. ch. iv.\n\nNOTE 81.--_On good and evil Omens._ Of omens I have already treated, in\nNote 15 to Chapter i.: but a few words on this subject must be here\nadded.--It is common to draw a lucky or unlucky omen from the first\nobject seen on going out in the morning; and according as that object is\npleasant or the contrary, the person says, \"my morning is good,\" or\n\"---- bad.\" A one-eyed man is regarded as of evil omen; and especially\none who is blind of the _left_ eye. Many a person is related to have\nsuffered for having an unlucky countenance.\n\nNOTE 82. The portion of this story comprised in the first paragraph\nhaving been the subject of a specimen of the present publication,\ntranslated from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights,\nand printed and distributed when I had not in my possession the copy of\nthe original which I have taken as my general standard, it is here given\nnearly in the same words: I have only made a few slight additions and\nalterations derived from a comparison of the two editions. Some of the\nnotes inserted in the specimen I omit in this place, as they relate to\nmatters already explained.--Hole remarks (in page 223), that this part\nof the Barber's story of his Fifth Brother is derived \"from an Indian\nfable of the remotest antiquity ... found in the Heeto-pades of\nVeeshnoo-Sarma,\" in which a Brahman \"inadvertently breaks his pottery\nware ... with a walking-stick ... in the act of suppressing the\noutrageous jealousy of four beautiful but turbulent wives.\"\n\nNOTE 83. \"El-Feshsh\u00e1r\" signifies \"the Foolish Talker,\" or \"Vain\nBoaster.\" I have substituted this name for \"El-'Ashsh\u00e1r,\" the reading in\nmy original. In the Arabic characters, the latter differs from the\nformer in little more than the want of a point, and has no appropriate\nmeaning. It appears that, in most copies of the original, the barber's\nFifth Brother is surnamed \"En-Neshsh\u00e1r,\" or \"the Sawyer,\" perhaps in\nallusion to his incessant loquacity: but this, also, in the Arabic\ncharacters, very nearly resembles \"El-Feshsh\u00e1r,\" which I doubt not to be\nthe right name.\n\nNOTE 84. There is nothing very extravagant in this hope of the barber's\nbrother; for in the East, persons frequently rise from very low to very\nhigh stations; and it is remarkable that, notwithstanding their usual\npride, they generally retain the appellation of the trade or craft which\nthey or their fathers pursued, however ignoble, before their elevation.\nIt is common for a great man to distinguish himself by adding to his\nname the appellation of \"the druggist or perfumer,\" or \"the grocer,\"\n&c.; and he is not a whit the less respected on this account.\n\nNOTE 85. The Eastern grandee rides not at the head or rear of his\nattendants, but in the midst of them.\n\nNOTE 86. Persons distinguished by rank or wealth or learning are saluted\nby many of the shopkeepers and passengers as they pass through the\nstreets of Eastern cities, and often greeted with a short ejaculatory\nprayer for the continuance of their life and happiness. When a very\ngreat man rides through the streets, most of the shopkeepers rise to\nhim, and pay their respect to him by inclining the head, and touching\nthe lips and forehead or turban with the fingers of the right hand.\n\nNOTE 87. See Note 12 to Chapter iii.\n\nNOTE 88. He could scarcely shew his pride more strongly; for it is an\naffront to reject a present.\n\nNOTE 89. An Arab lady of high rank seldom makes use of her feet but to\nmove from one chamber to another; when she goes abroad, she always\nrides: to stand for many minutes together is, therefore, fatiguing to\nher.\n\nNOTE 90. See the close of Note 39 to Chapter iv.\n\nNOTE 91. This is said either to shew his vulgarity or that the weather\nwas sultry.\n\nNOTE 92. \"El-Melee\u1e25ah\" signifies \"the Beautiful:\" it is derived from\n\"mil\u1e25\" (salt, &c.).\n\nNOTE 93. An occurrence of a similar nature, which happened a few years\nago in Cairo, was related to me by one of my friends there.--An old\nwoman frequented the tomb of a saint in that city, near the eastern gate\ncalled the B\u00e1b el-Ma\u1e25roo\u1e33, to which many women afflicted with disease or\nbarrenness often resorted to offer up prayers, believing their petitions\nwould be effectual through the saint's intercession; and she was in the\nhabit of enticing ladies from this tomb to the house of her husband,\nwhich was near by, under pretence of his serving them with medicines or\nwith charms. The unsuspecting victim, being desired to go thither alone,\nwas conducted by the old woman to an upper room, at the end of which the\nman was seated; and in walking over the matted floor to approach him,\nsuddenly fell through a trap-door into a place so deep that the fall\nrendered her senseless. In this state, she was put to death; and as\nladies in Cairo always wear valuable ornaments and costly clothes, the\nmurderers were sure of obtaining considerable spoil.\n\nNOTE 94. This money, we are to understand, was prepared for the purpose\nof giving those presents which are customary from a guest at a\nmarriage-festivity; but the mention of a smaller sum would have been\nmore proper. It is given to the singing-women and tire-women who, in\ngreat houses, parade the bride through the different apartments, and\ndisplay her in different rich suits of attire before the bridegroom.\n\nNOTE 95.--_On the Handkerchief, and Signet, of Indemnity._ Sometimes,\nthe handkerchief, and sometimes, the signet, or seal-ring, is given as a\npledge of indemnity.--It was a frequent custom of many a chief of the\nMemlooks of Egypt (there commonly called \"the Ghuzz\"), to bastinade men\nin the court of his mansion (when he desired to make a show of strict\njustice), in order that one of the women of the family, hearing the\ncries, might drop a handkerchief from a window, and so the punishment\nmight soon cease, in respect for the \u1e25areem, whose protection is often\nappealed to by offenders.\n\nNOTE 96. The title of \"Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\" is here, and afterwards, given to the\nKhaleefeh; and it has been so employed by a celebrated historian,\nEl-Ma\u1e33reezee.[344]\n\nNOTE 97. So, apparently, in most copies; but in the Cairo edition, \"of\nthe sons of the Kings.\" It is said to have been a custom of some of the\nBarmekees (the family so renowned for their generosity) to keep open\nhouse during the hours of meals, and to allow no one who applied at such\ntimes for admission to be repulsed.\n\nNOTE 98. \"Sikb\u00e1j\" is a dish composed of meat, wheat-flour, and vinegar.\n\nNOTE 99. \"\u1e32a\u1e6d\u00e1\u00eff\" is a name applied to various kinds of sweet pastry:\nparticularly to a kind of small pancakes, made of a thin paste of fine\nflour and water, about three inches broad, and a sixth of an inch or\nless in thickness, baked upon a copper tray over a fire, like kun\u00e1feh\n(the composition of which is the same), and eaten with honey or sugar:\nalso to cakes composed of fine flour, treacle or honey, and sesame-oil.\nThe sirup mentioned in the same sentence is (as my sheykh states in a\nmarginal note) treacle thickened over the fire.--The proper singular of\n\u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e1\u00eff, namely, \"\u1e33a\u1e6deefeh,\" is seldom used; one of these cakes being\ngenerally called \"fard \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e1\u00eff.\" Sometimes, it appears, they were\nperfumed with musk.\n\nNOTE 100. The \"mith\u1e33\u00e1l\" is the weight of a deen\u00e1r, or a dirhem and a\nhalf,--in Cairo, about 71-1/2 or 72 English grains.\n\nNOTE 101. See above, Note 96.\n\nNOTE 102. By \"Arabs,\" we are here to understand Bedawees, or Arabs of\nthe Desert, who are termed, by the older writers, \"A\u1ea1r\u00e1b,\" or\n\"A\u1ea1r\u00e1bees;\" but in my original, as in other late works, \"'Arab,\" which\nwas the _old_ appellation of the _townspeople_ and _villagers_.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n [323] Sale's Kor\u00e1n; note near the close of chap. ii.\n\n [324] See De Sacy, Relation de l'Egypte par Abd-allatif, pp.\n 381 et seq.; and Quatrem\u00e8re, Histoire des Sultans Mamlouks,\n vol. i. pp. 109 et seq., a work of very great value, especially\n for the notes.\n\n [325] In his \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d;\" description of the principal street of\n Cairo, and its branches (MS. in my possession).\n\n [326] In his \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d;\" description of the principal street of\n Cairo, and its branches; and account of the Kh\u00e1ns.\n\n [327] Idem; account of the \u1e32eys\u00e1reeyehs; and description of the\n principal street of Cairo, and its branches.\n\n [328] The orthography of this celebrated name is disputed; and\n I may therefore mention that I have found it written Khall'k\u00e1n\n in an Arabic MS. of the year of the Flight 843; and in many\n MSS. in which the reduplication of the _l_ is not marked, the\n vowel _a_ is given to the first syllable. According to the\n general opinion of the learned in Cairo, it is Khillik\u00e1n.\n\n [329] In his \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d;\" description of the principal street of\n Cairo.\n\n [330] In his \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d;\" description of the suburbs or environ\n (\u1e0daw\u00e1\u1e25ee) of Cairo--[The latest date in that work, as far as I\n am aware, is found in the account of the mosques, in two\n separate places. It is that of the year of the Flight 843 (in\n the edition recently printed at Cairo); and, as El-Ma\u1e33reezee\n died in the year 845, its occurrence is curious as shewing the\n likelihood that he continued the composition of his most\n celebrated work until very near his death. Indeed, it is\n probable that he never finished it; the seventh and last\n section, which is mentioned in the Preface, being wanting in\n all the MSS. This date, in each instance, may be an insertion\n by a later hand; but the author's History of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns of\n Egypt was brought down, it is said by himself, to the year\n preceding his death.--ED.]\n\n [331] Marginal note, in my copy of the original, by the sheykh\n Mohammad 'Eiy\u00e1d.\n\n [332] Marginal note, in my copy of the original, by the sheykh\n Mo\u1e25ammad 'Eiy\u00e1d.\n\n [333] Idem.\n\n [334] A specimen of this mode of chanting is given in my work\n on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. end of chap. v.\n\n [335] El-Ma\u1e33reezee's \"Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d;\" account of the hospitals.\n\n [336] \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. v. v. 49.\n\n [337] \"Modern Egyptians,\" vol. i. ch. xiii.\n\n [338] It would not be necessary to remark on this explanation\n of a curious custom if it had not been lately contradicted. Mr.\n Lane derived his information from Arab authors, and from his\n friends in Cairo; but D'Ohsson, also, says, in his Tableau\n G\u00e9n\u00e9ral de l'Empire Othoman, Code Religieux, livre ii. ch. iv.\n (and the authority of the works from which he translated will\n hardly be questioned), that the Kha\u1e6deeb \"est m\u00eame tenu de\n r\u00e9citer tout le _Khouthb\u00e9_ sur la chaire, _Minnber_, en\n s'appuyant de la main sur la garde d'un sabre, dans tous les\n temples qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 pris avec la ville par la force des armes.\"\n The writer alluded to thinks that the use of the sword at\n Mekkeh proves Mr. Lane to be in error; whereas the custom is\n observed at Mekkeh because it was taken in war; but not at\n El-Medeeneh because this city was not so taken.--ED.\n\n [339] The i\u1e33\u00e1meh see Note 24 to Chapter iv.\n\n [340] For a more full account of the Friday-prayers, see my\n work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. ch. iii.\n\n [341] Ammianus Marcellinus, lib. xxii.\n\n [342] See Note 6 to Chapter iv.\n\n [343] D'Herbelot, Bibl. Or., article \"Cadhi.\"\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nCOMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THIRTY-SECOND NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF\nTHIS THIRTY-SIXTH.\n\nTHE STORY OF NOOR-ED-DEEN AND ENEES-EL-JELEES.[VI_1]\n\nThere was, in El-Ba\u1e63rah, a certain King who loved the poor and indigent,\nand regarded his subjects with benevolence; he bestowed of his wealth\nupon him who believed in Mo\u1e25ammad (God bless and save him!) and was such\nas one of the poets who have written of him hath thus described:--\n\n He used his lances as pens; and the hearts of his enemies, as paper;\n their blood being his ink:\n And hence, I imagine, our forefathers applied to the lance the term\n Kha\u1e6d\u1e6deeyeh.[VI_2]\n\nThe name of this King was Mo\u1e25ammad the son of Suleym\u00e1n Ez-Zeynee; and he\nhad two Wezeers; one of whom was named El-Mo'een[VI_3] the son of\nS\u00e1wee; and the other, El-Fa\u1e0dl[VI_4] the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n. El-Fa\u1e0dl the\nson of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n was the most generous of the people of his age, upright in\nconduct, so that all hearts agreed in loving him, and the wise complied\nwith his counsel, and all the people supplicated for him length of life;\nfor he was a person of auspicious aspect,[VI_5] a preventer of evil\nand mischief: but the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee hated others,\nand loved not good; he was a man of inauspicious aspect; and in the same\ndegree that the people loved Fa\u1e0dl-ed-Deen the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n, so did they\nabhor El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee, in accordance with the decree of the\nAlmighty.\n\nNow the King Mo\u1e25ammad the son of Suleym\u00e1n Ez-Zeynee was sitting one day\nupon his throne, surrounded by the officers of his court, and he called\nto his Wezeer El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n, and said to him, I desire a\nfemale slave unsurpassed in beauty by any in her age, of perfect\nloveliness, and exquisite symmetry, and endowed with all praiseworthy\nqualities.--Such as this, replied his courtiers, is not to be found for\nless than ten thousand pieces of gold. And the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n thereupon called\nout to the treasurer, saying, Carry ten thousand pieces of gold to the\nhouse of El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n. So the treasurer did as he\ncommanded, and the Wezeer departed, after the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n had ordered him to\nrepair every day to the market, and to commission the brokers to procure\nwhat he had described, and had commanded also that no female slave of a\ngreater price than one thousand pieces of gold should be sold without\nhaving been shewn to the Wezeer.\n\nThe brokers, therefore, sold no female slave without shewing her to him,\nand he complied with the King's command, and thus he continued to do for\na considerable time, no slave pleasing him: but on a certain day, one of\nthe brokers came to the mansion of the Wezeer El-Fa\u1e0dl, and found that he\nhad mounted to repair to the palace of the King; and he laid hold upon\nhis stirrup, and repeated these two verses:--\n\n O thou who hast reanimated what was rotten in the state! Thou art\n the Wezeer ever aided by Heaven.\n Thou hast revived the noble qualities that were extinct among men.\n May thy conduct never cease to be approved by God!\n\nHe then said, O my master, the female slave for the procuring of whom\nthe noble mandate was issued hath arrived. The Wezeer replied, Bring her\nhither to me. So the man returned, and, after a short absence, came\nagain, accompanied by a damsel of elegant stature, high-bosomed, with\nblack eyelashes, and smooth cheek, and slender waist, and large hips,\nclad in the handsomest apparel; the moisture of her lips was sweeter\nthan sirup; her figure put to shame the branches of the Oriental willow;\nand her speech was more soft than the zephyr passing over the flowers of\nthe garden; as one of her describers hath thus expressed:--\n\n Her skin is like silk, and her speech is soft, neither redundant\n nor deficient:\n Her eyes, God said to them, Be,--and they were, affecting men's\n hearts with the potency of wine.\n May my love for her grow more warm each night, and cease not\n until the day of judgment!\n The locks on her brow are dark as night, while her forehead shines\n like the gleam of morning.\n\nWhen the Wezeer beheld her, she pleased him extremely, and he looked\ntowards the broker, and said to him, What is the price of this damsel?\nThe broker answered, The price bidden for her hath amounted to ten\nthousand pieces of gold, and her owner hath sworn that this sum doth not\nequal the cost of the chickens which she hath eaten, nor the cost of the\ndresses which she hath bestowed upon her teachers; for she hath learnt\nwriting and grammar and lexicology, and the interpretation of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and the fundamentals of law and religion, and medicine, and the\ncomputation of the calendar, and the art of playing upon musical\ninstruments. The Wezeer then said, Bring to me her master:--and the\nbroker immediately brought him; and lo, he was a foreigner, who had\nlived so long that time had reduced him to bones and skin, as the poet\nhath said,--\n\n How hath time made me to tremble! For time is powerful and severe.\n I used to walk without being weary; but now I am weary and do not walk.\n\nAnd the Wezeer said to him, Art thou content to receive for this damsel\nten thousand pieces of gold from the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Mo\u1e25ammad the son of Suleym\u00e1n\nEz-Zeynee? The foreigner answered, As she is for the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, it is\nincumbent on me to give her as a present to him, without\nprice.[VI_6] So the Wezeer, upon this, ordered that the money\nshould be brought, and then weighed the pieces of gold for the\nforeigner; after which, the slave-broker addressed the Wezeer, and said,\nWith the permission of our lord the Wezeer, I will speak.--Impart what\nthou hast to say, replied the Wezeer.--It is my opinion, then, said the\nbroker, that thou shouldst not take up this damsel to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\nto-day; for she hath just arrived from her journey, and the change of\nair hath affected her, and the journey hath fatigued her; but rather let\nher remain with thee in thy palace ten days, that she may take rest, and\nher beauty will improve: then cause her to be taken into the bath, and\nattire her in clothes of the handsomest description, and go up with her\nto the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n: so shalt thou experience more abundant good fortune. And\nthe Wezeer considered the advice of the slave-broker, and approved it.\nHe therefore took her into his palace, and gave her a private apartment\nto herself, allotting her every day what she required of food and drink\nand other supplies, and she continued a while in this state of\nenjoyment.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow the Wezeer El-Fa\u1e0dl had a son like the shining full moon, with\nbrilliant countenance, and red cheek, marked with a mole like a globule\nof ambergris, and with grey down. The youth knew not of this damsel, and\nhis father had charged her, saying, Know that I have purchased thee for\nthe King Mo\u1e25ammad the son of Suleym\u00e1n Ez-Zeynee, and that I have a son\nwho hath not left a girl in the quarter without making love to her:\ntherefore keep thyself concealed from him, and beware of shewing him thy\nface, or suffering him to hear thy voice. The damsel replied, I hear and\nobey:--and he left her and departed. And it happened, as fate had\nordained, that she went one day into the bath which was in the house,\nand, after certain of the female slaves had bathed her, she attired\nherself in rich apparel, and her beauty and loveliness increased in\nconsequence. She then went in to the Wezeer's wife, and kissed her hand,\nand she said to her, May it be favourable,[VI_7] O Enees-el-Jelees!\nHow didst thou find this bath?--O my mistress, she answered, I wanted\nnothing but thy presence there. And upon this, the mistress of the house\nsaid to the female slaves, Arise, and let us go into the bath. And they\ncomplied with her command, and went, accompanied by their mistress, who\nfirst charged two young slave-girls to keep the door of the private\napartment in which was Enees-el-Jelees, saying to them, Suffer no one to\ngo in to the damsel:--and they replied, We hear and obey. But while\nEnees-el-Jelees was sitting in her chamber, lo, the Wezeer's son, whose\nname was 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, came in, and asked after his mother and the\nfamily. The two girls answered, They are gone into the bath. Now the\ndamsel Enees-el-Jelees heard the speech of 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen as she sat\nin her chamber, and she said within herself, I wonder what this youth is\nlike, of whom the Wezeer hath told me that he hath not left a girl in\nthe quarter without making love to her: by Allah, I have a desire to see\nhim. She then rose upon her feet, fresh as she was from the bath, and,\napproaching the door of the chamber, looked at 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and\nbeheld him to be a youth like the full moon. The sight of him occasioned\nher a thousand sighs; and a look from the youth, at her, affected him\nalso in the same manner. Each was caught in the snare of the other's\nlove, and the youth approached the two slave-girls, and cried out at\nthem; whereupon they fled from before him, and stopped at a distance,\nlooking to see what he would do. He then advanced to the door of the\nchamber, and, opening it, went in, and said to the damsel, Art thou she\nwhom my father hath purchased for me? She answered, Yes. And upon this,\nthe youth, who was in a state of intoxication, went up to her, and\nembraced her, while she, in like manner, threw her arms around his neck,\nand kissed him. But the two slave-girls, having seen their young master\nenter the chamber of the damsel Enees-el-Jelees, cried out. The youth,\ntherefore, soon ran forth, and fled for safety, fearing the consequence\nof his intrusion; and when the mistress of the house heard the cry of\nthe two slave-girls, she came out dripping from the bath, saying, What\nis the cause of this cry in the house? And when she drew near to the\ntwo slave-girls whom she had placed at the door of the private chamber,\nshe said to them, Wo to you! What is the matter?--They answered, as soon\nas they beheld her, Our master 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen came to us and beat\nus, and we fled from him, and he went into the chamber of\nEnees-el-Jelees, and when we cried out to thee he fled. The mistress of\nthe house then went to Enees-el-Jelees, and said to her, What is the\nnews?--O my mistress, she answered, as I was sitting here, a youth of\nhandsome person came in to me, and said to me, Art thou she whom my\nfather hath purchased for me?--And I answered, Yes.--By Allah, O my\nmistress, I believed that what he said was true; and he came up to me\nand embraced me, and kissed me three times, and he left me overcome by\nhis love.\n\nUpon this, the mistress of the house wept, and slapped her face, and her\nfemale slaves did the like, fearing for 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, lest his\nfather should slay him; and while they were in this state, lo, the\nWezeer came in, and inquired what had happened. His wife said to him,\nSwear that thou wilt listen to that which I shall say. He replied, Well.\nSo she told him what his son had done; and he mourned, and rent his\nclothes, and slapped his face, and plucked his beard. His wife then said\nto him, Kill not thyself. I will give thee, of my own property, ten\nthousand pieces of gold, her price.--But upon this, he raised his head\ntowards her, and said to her, Wo to thee! I want not her price; but I\nfear the loss of my life and my property.--Wherefore, O my master? she\nasked.--Knowest thou not, said he, that we have this enemy El-Mo'een the\nson of S\u00e1wee? When he heareth of this event, he will repair to the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and say to him, Thy Wezeer whom thou imaginest to love thee hath\nreceived from thee ten thousand pieces of gold, and purchased therewith\na female slave such as no one hath seen equalled, and when she pleased\nhim, he said to his son, Take her; for thou art more worthy of her than\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n:--and he took her; and the damsel is now with him.--Then the\nKing will say, Thou liest. And he will say to the King, With thy\npermission, I will break in upon him suddenly, and bring her to thee.\nAnd he will give him permission to do so: he will therefore make a\nsudden attack upon the house, and take the damsel, and conduct her into\nthe presence of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and he will question her, and she will not\nbe able to deny: he will then say, O my lord, I give thee good counsel,\nbut I am not in favour with thee:--and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n will make an example\nof me, and all the people will make me a gazing-stock, and my life will\nbe lost.--His wife, however, replied, Acquaint no one; for this thing\nhath happened privily: commit, therefore, thine affair unto God, in this\nextremity. And upon this, the heart of the Wezeer was quieted, and his\nmind was relieved.\n\nSuch was the case of the Wezeer.--Now as to Noor-ed-Deen, he feared the\nresult of his conduct, and so passed each day in the gardens, not\nreturning to his mother until towards the close of the night: he then\nslept in her apartment, and rose before morning without being seen by\nany one else. Thus he continued to do so for the space of a month, not\nseeing the face of his father; and at length his mother said to his\nfather, O my master, wilt thou lose the damsel and lose the child? For\nif it long continue thus with the youth, he will flee his country.--And\nwhat is to be done? said he. She answered, Sit up this night, and when\nhe cometh, lay hold upon him, and be reconciled to him, and give him the\ndamsel; for she loveth him, and he loveth her; and I will give thee her\nprice. So the Wezeer sat up the whole night, and when his son came, he\nlaid hold upon him, and would have cut his throat;[VI_8] but his\nmother came to his succour, and said to her husband, What dost thou\ndesire to do unto him? He answered her, I desire to slay him. The youth\nthen said to his father, Am I of so small account in thy estimation? And\nupon this, the eyes of his father filled with tears, and he said to him,\nO my son, is the loss of my property and my life of small account with\nthee?--Listen, O my father, rejoined the youth:--and he implored his\nforgiveness. So the Wezeer rose from the breast of his son, and was\nmoved with compassion for him; and the youth rose, and kissed his\nfather's hand; and the Wezeer said, O my son, if I knew that thou\nwouldst act equitably to Enees-el-Jelees, I would give her to thee.--O\nmy father, replied the youth, wherefore should I not act equitably\ntowards her? And his father said, I charge thee, O my son, that thou\ntake not a wife to share her place, and that thou do her no injury, nor\nsell her. He replied, O my father, I swear to thee that I will neither\ntake a wife to share her place, nor sell her:--and he promised him by\noaths to act as he had said, and took up his abode with the damsel, and\nremained with her a year; and God (whose name be exalted!) caused the\nKing to forget the affair of the female slave; but the matter became\nknown to El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee; yet he could not speak of it, on\naccount of the high estimation in which the other Wezeer was held by the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAfter this year had expired, the Wezeer Fa\u1e0dl-ed-Deen the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n\nentered the oath, and came out in a state of excessive perspiration, in\nconsequence of which the external air smote him, so that he became\nconfined to his bed, and long remained sleepless; and his malady\ncontinued unremittingly; so he called, thereupon, his son 'Alee\nNoor-ed-Deen, and when he came before him, said to him, O my son, verily\nthe means of life are apportioned, and its period is decreed, and every\nsoul must drink the cup of death. I have nothing with which to charge\nthee but the fear of God, and forethought with regard to the results of\nthine actions, and that thou conduct thyself kindly to the damsel\nEnees-el-Jelees.--O my father, said the youth, who is like unto thee?\nThou hast been celebrated for virtuous actions, and the praying of the\npreachers for thee on the pulpits.--O my son, rejoined the Wezeer, I\nhope for the approbation of God, whose name be exalted! And then he\npronounced the two professions of the faith,[VI_9] and uttered a\nsigh, and was recorded among the company of the blest. And upon this,\nthe palace was filled with shrieking, and the news reached the ears of\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and the people of the city heard of the death of El-Fa\u1e0dl the\nson of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n, and even the boys in the schools wept for\nhim.[VI_10] His son 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen arose, and prepared his\nfuneral, and the Emeers and Wezeers and other officers of the state\nattended it, and among them was the Wezeer El-Mo'een the Son of S\u00e1wee;\nand as the procession passed out from the mansion, one of the mourners\nrecited these verses:--\n\n I said to the man who was appointed to wash him,--Would that he had\n yielded obedience to my counsel,--\n Put away from him the water, and wash him with the tears of honour,\n shed in lamentation for him:\n And remove these fragrant substances collected for his corpse,\n and perfume him rather with the odours of his praise:\n And order the noble angels to carry him, in honour. Dost thou\n not behold them attending him?\n Cause not men's necks to be strained by bearing him: enough\n are they laden already by his benefits.[VI_11]\n\n'Alee Noor-ed-Deen for a long time remained in a state of violent grief\nfor the loss of his father; but as he was sitting one day in his\nfather's house, a person knocked at the door, and he rose up and opened\nit, and lo, there was a man who was one of his father's intimate\ncompanions, and he kissed the hand of Noor-ed-Deen, and said to him, O\nmy master, he who hath left a son like thee hath not died. This is the\ndestination of the lord of the first and the last among\nmankind.[VI_12] O my master, cheer up thy heart, and give over\nmourning.--And upon this, 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen arose, and went to the\nguest-chamber, and removed thither all that he required, and his\ncompanions came together to him, and he took again his slave. Ten of the\nsons of the merchants became his associates, and he gave entertainment\nafter entertainment, and began to be lavish with presents. His steward,\ntherefore, came in to him, and said to him, O my master Noor-ed-Deen,\nhast thou not heard the saying, He who expendeth and doth not calculate\nis reduced to poverty? This profuse expenditure, and these magnificent\npresents, will annihilate the property.--But when 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen\nheard these words of his steward, he looked at him, and replied, Of all\nthat thou hast said to me, I will not attend to one word. How excellent\nis the saying of the poet:--\n\n If I be possessed of wealth and be not liberal, may my hand never\n be extended, nor my foot raised!\n Shew me the avaricious who hath attained glory by his avarice,\n and the munificent who hath died through his munificence.[VI_13]\n\nKnow, O Steward, he continued, that if there remain in thy hands what\nwill suffice for my dinner, thou shalt not burden me with anxiety\nrespecting my supper.--So the steward left him, and went his way; and\n'Alee Noor-ed-Deen resumed his habits of extravagant generosity:\nwhenever any one of his companions said, Verily this thing is\nbeautiful!--he would reply, It is a present to thee:--and if any said, O\nmy master, verily such a house is delightful!--he would reply, It is a\npresent to thee.\n\nHe ceased not to give entertainments to his companions from the\ncommencement of day, one after another, until he had passed in this\nmanner a whole year; after which, as he was sitting with them, he heard\nthe slave-girl recite these two verses:--\n\n Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee,\n and fearedst not the evil that destiny was bringing.\n Thy nights were peaceful, and thou wast deceived by them:\n in the midst of their brightness there cometh gloom.\n\nAnd immediately after, a person knocked at the door: so Noor-ed-Deen\nrose, and one of his companions followed him without his knowledge; and\nwhen he opened the door, he beheld his steward, and said to him, What is\nthe news?--O my master, answered the steward, that which I feared on thy\naccount hath happened to thee.--How is that? asked Noor-ed-Deen. The\nsteward answered, Know that there remaineth not of thy property in my\nhands, anything equivalent to a piece of silver, or less than a piece of\nsilver; and these are the accounts of thy expenses, and of thy original\nproperty. When 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen heard these words, he hung down his\nhead towards the ground, and exclaimed, There is no strength nor power\nbut in God! And the man who had followed him secretly to pry into his\ncase, as soon as he heard what the steward told him, returned to his\ncompanions, and said to them, See what ye will do; for 'Alee\nNoor-ed-Deen hath become a bankrupt. So when Noor-ed-Deen returned to\nthem, grief appeared to them in his countenance, and immediately one of\nthem rose, and, looking towards him, said to him, O my master, I desire\nthat thou wouldst permit me to depart.--Why thus depart to-day? said\nNoor-ed-Deen. His guest answered, My wife is to give birth to a child\nthis night, and it is impossible for me to be absent from her: I desire,\ntherefore, to go and see her. And he gave him leave. Then another rose,\nand said to him, O my master Noor-ed-Deen, I desire to-day to visit my\nbrother; for he celebrateth the circumcision of his son. Thus each of\nthem asked leave of him deceitfully, and went his way, until all had\ndeparted.\n\nSo 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen remained alone; and he called his slave-girl, and\nsaid to her, O Enees-el-Jelees, seest thou not what hath befallen me?\nAnd he related to her what the steward had told him. She replied, O my\nmaster, for some nights past, I have been anxious to speak to thee of\nthis affair; but I heard thee reciting these two verses:--\n\n When fortune is liberal to thee, be thou liberal to all others\n before she escape from thee:\n For liberality will not annihilate thy wealth when she is favourable;\n nor avarice preserve it when she deserteth thee.\n\nAnd when I heard thee repeat these words, I was silent, and would not\nmake any remark to thee.--O Enees-el-Jelees, he rejoined, thou knowest\nthat I have not expended my wealth but on my companions; and I do not\nthink that they will abandon me without relief.--By Allah, said she,\nthey will be of no use to thee. But he said, I will immediately arise\nand go to them, and knock at their doors: perhaps I shall obtain from\nthem something which I will employ as a capital wherewith to trade, and\nI will cease from diversion and sport. So he arose instantly, and\nproceeded without stopping until he arrived at the by-street in which\nhis ten companions resided; for they all lived in that same street: and\nhe advanced to the first door, and knocked; and there came forth to him\na slave-girl, who said to him, Who art thou? He answered, Say to thy\nmaster,--'Alee Noor-ed-Deen is standing at the door, and saith to thee,\nThy slave kisseth thy hands, looking for a favour from thee.--And the\ngirl entered, and acquainted her master; but he called out to her,\nsaying, Return, and tell him, He is not here.--The girl, therefore,\nreturned to Noor-ed-Deen, and said to him, My master, Sir, is not here.\nAnd he went on, saying within myself, If this is a knave, and hath\ndenied himself, another is not. He then advanced to the next door, and\nsaid as he had before; and the second also denied himself; and\nNoor-ed-Deen exclaimed,--\n\n They are gone, who, if thou stoodest at their door, would bestow\n upon thee the bounty thou desirest.\n\nBy Allah, he added, I must try all of them: perchance one of them may\nstand me in the place of all the others. And he went round to all the\nten; but found not that one of them would open the door, or shew\nhimself, or even order him a cake of bread; and he recited the following\nverses:--\n\n A man in prosperity resembleth a tree, around which people flock\n as long as it hath fruit;\n But as soon as it hath dropped all that it bore, they disperse\n from beneath it, and seek another.\n Perdition to all the people of this age! for I find not one man\n of integrity among ten.\n\nHe then returned to his slave: his anxiety had increased, and she said\nto him, O my master, said I not unto thee that they would not profit\nthee?--By Allah, he replied, not one of them shewed me his face.--O my\nmaster, rejoined she, sell of the moveables of the house a little at a\ntime, and expend the produce. And he did so until he had sold all that\nwas in the house, and there remained nothing in his possession; and\nupon this he looked towards Enees-el-Jelees, and said to her, What shall\nwe do now?--It is my advice, O my master, she answered, that thou arise\nimmediately, and take me to the market, and sell me; for thou knowest\nthat thy father purchased me for ten thousand pieces of gold, and\nperhaps God may open to thee a way to obtain a part of this price; and\nif God have decreed our reunion, we shall meet again. But he replied, O\nEnees-el-Jelees, it is not easy for me to endure thy separation for one\nhour.--Nor is the like easy to me, said she: but necessity is imperious.\nAnd upon this, he took Enees-el-Jelees, his tears flowing down his\ncheeks, and went and delivered her to the broker, saying to him, Know\nthe value of that which thou art to cry for sale.--O my master\nNoor-ed-Deen, replied the broker, noble qualities are held in\nremembrance. Is she not Enees-el-Jelees, whom thy father purchased of me\nfor ten thousand pieces of gold?--He answered, Yes. And the broker\nthereupon went to the merchants; but he found that they had not all yet\nassembled; so he waited until the rest had come, and the market was\nfilled with all varieties of female slaves, Turkish and Greek and\nCircassian and Georgian and Abyssinian; and when he beheld its crowded\nstate, he arose and exclaimed, O merchants! O possessors of wealth!\neverything that is round is not a nut; nor is everything long, a banana;\nnor is everything that is red, meat; nor is everything white, fat; nor\nis everything that is ruddy, wine; nor is everything tawny, a date! O\nmerchants! this precious pearl, whose value no money can equal, with\nwhat sum will ye open the bidding for her?--And one of the merchants\nanswered, With four thousand and five hundred pieces of\ngold.[VI_14]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBut, lo, the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee was in the market, and,\nseeing 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen standing there, he said within himself, What\ndoth he want here, having nothing left wherewith to purchase female\nslaves? Then casting his eyes around, and hearing the broker as he stood\ncrying in the market with the merchants around him, he said within\nhimself, I do not imagine anything else than that he hath become a\nbankrupt, and come forth with the slave-girl to sell her; and if this be\nthe case, how pleasant to my heart! He then called the crier, who\napproached him, and kissed the ground before him;[VI_15] and the\nWezeer said to him, I desire this female slave whom thou art crying for\nsale. The broker, therefore, being unable to oppose his wish, brought\nthe slave and placed her before him; and when he beheld her, and\nconsidered her charms, her elegant figure and her soft speech, he was\ndelighted with her, and said to the broker, To what has the bidding for\nher amounted? The broker answered, Four thousand and five hundred pieces\nof gold. And as soon as the merchants heard this, not one of them could\nbid another piece of silver or of gold; but all of them drew back,\nknowing the tyrannical conduct of that Wezeer. El-Mo'een the son of\nS\u00e1wee then looked towards the broker, and said to him, Why standest thou\nstill? Take away the slave-girl for me at the price of four thousand and\nfive hundred pieces of gold, and thou wilt have five hundred for\nthyself.--So the broker went to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and said to him, O\nmy master, the slave-girl is lost to thee without price.--How so? said\nNoor-ed-Deen. The broker answered, We opened the bidding for her at four\nthousand and five hundred pieces of gold; but this tyrant El-Mo'een the\nson of S\u00e1wee came into the market, and when he beheld the damsel she\npleased him, and he said to me, Ask her owner if he will agree for four\nthousand pieces of gold, and five hundred for thee:--and I doubt not but\nhe knoweth that the slave belongeth to thee; and if he give thee her\nprice immediately, it will be through the goodness of God; but I know,\nfrom his injustice, that he will write thee an order upon some of his\nagents for the money, and then send to them and desire them to give thee\nnothing; and every time that thou shalt go to demand it of them, they\nwill say to thee, To-morrow we will pay thee:--and they will not cease\nto promise thee, and to defer from day to day, notwithstanding thy\npride; and when they are overcome by thy importunity they will say, Give\nus the written order:--and as soon as they have received the paper from\nthee they will tear it in pieces: so thou wilt lose the price of the\nslave.\n\nWhen Noor-ed-Deen, therefore, heard these words of the broker, he said\nto him, What is to be done? The broker answered, I will give thee a\npiece of advice, and if thou receive it from me, thou wilt have better\nfortune.--What is it? asked Noor-ed-Deen.--That thou come to me\nimmediately, answered the broker, while I am standing in the midst of\nthe market, and take the slave-girl from me, and give her a blow with\nthy hand, and say to her, Wo to thee! I have expiated my oath that I\nswore, and brought thee to the market, because I swore to thee that thou\nshouldst be exposed in the market, and that the broker should cry thee\nfor sale.--If thou do this, perhaps the trick will deceive him and the\npeople, and they will believe that thou tookest her not to the market\nbut to expiate the oath.--This, replied Noor-ed-Deen, is the right\ncounsel. So the broker returned into the midst of the market, and,\ntaking hold of the hand of the slave-girl, made a sign to the Wezeer\nEl-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee, saying, O my lord, this is her owner who\nhath just come. Then 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen advanced to the broker, and tore\nthe damsel from him, and struck her with his hand, saying to her, Wo to\nthee! I have brought thee to the market for the sake of expiating my\noath. Go home, and disobey me not again. I want not thy price, that I\nshould sell thee; and if I sold the furniture of the house and\neverything else of the kind over and over again, their produce would not\namount to thy price.--But when El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee beheld\nNoor-ed-Deen, he said to him, Wo to thee! Hast thou anything left to be\nsold or bought?--And he would have laid violent hands upon him. The\nmerchants then looked towards Noor-ed-Deen (and they all loved him), and\nhe said to them, Here am I before you, and ye have all known his\ntyranny.--By Allah, exclaimed the Wezeer, were it not for you, I had\nkilled him! Then all of them made signs, one to another, with the eye,\nand said, Not one of us will interfere between thee and him. And upon\nthis, 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen went up to the Wezeer, the son of S\u00e1wee (and\nNoor-ed-Deen was a man of courage), and he dragged the Wezeer from his\nsaddle, and threw him upon the ground. There was at that spot a\nkneading-place for mud,[VI_16] and the Wezeer fell into the midst\nof it, and Noor-ed-Deen beat him with his fist, and a blow fell upon his\nteeth, by which his beard became dyed with his blood. Now there were\nwith the Wezeer ten memlooks, and when they saw Noor-ed-Deen treat their\nmaster in this manner, they put their hands upon the hilts of their\nswords, and would have fallen upon him and cut him in pieces; but the\npeople said to them, This is a Wezeer, and this is the son of a Wezeer,\nand perhaps they may make peace with each other, and ye will incur the\nanger of both of them; or perhaps a blow may fall upon your master, and\nye will all of you die the most ignominious of deaths: it is advisable,\ntherefore, that ye interfere not between them.--And when 'Alee\nNoor-ed-Deen had ceased from beating the Wezeer, he took his slave-girl,\nand returned to his house.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Wezeer, the son of S\u00e1wee, then immediately arose, and his dress,\nwhich before was white, was now dyed with three colours, the colour of\nmud, and the colour of blood, and the colour of ashes;[VI_17] and\nwhen he beheld himself in this condition, he took a round\nmat,[VI_18] and hung it to his neck, and took in his hand two\nbundles of coarse grass,[VI_19] and went and stood beneath the\npalace of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and cried out, O King of the age! I am\noppressed!--So they brought him before the King, who looked at him\nattentively, and saw that he was his Wezeer, El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee.\nHe said, therefore, Who hath done thus unto thee?--and the Wezeer cried\nand moaned, and repeated these two verses:--\n\n Shall fortune oppress me while thou existest; and the dogs devour me\n when thou art a lion?\n Shall all else who are dry drink freely from thy tanks, and I thirst\n in thine asylum when thou art as rain?\n\n--O my lord, he continued, thus is every one who loveth thee and serveth\nthee: these afflictions always befall him.--And who, said the King\nagain, hath done thus unto thee?--Know, answered the Wezeer, that I went\nforth to-day to the market of the female slaves with the idea of buying\na cook-maid, and saw in the market a slave-girl the like of whom I had\nnever in my life beheld, and the broker said that she belonged to 'Alee\nNoor-ed-Deen. Now our lord the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n had given his father ten thousand\npieces of gold to buy for him with it a beautiful female slave, and he\nbought that girl, and she pleased him; so he gave her to his son; and\nwhen his father died, the son pursued the path of prodigality, until he\nsold all his houses and gardens and utensils; and when he had become a\nbankrupt, nothing else remaining in his possession, he took the\nslave-girl to the market to sell her, and delivered her to the broker:\nso he cried her for sale, and the merchants continued bidding for her\nuntil her price amounted to four thousand pieces of gold; whereupon I\nsaid to myself, I will buy this for our lord the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n; for her\noriginal price was from him. I therefore said, O my son, receive her\nprice, four thousand pieces of gold. But when he heard my words, he\nlooked at me and replied, O ill-omened old man! I will sell her to the\nJews and the Christians rather than to thee.--I then said to him, I\nwould not buy her for myself, but for our lord the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, who is our\nbenefactor. As soon, however, as he had heard these words from me, he\nwas filled with rage, and dragged me and threw me down from the horse,\nnotwithstanding my advanced age, and beat me, and ceased not to do so\nuntil he left me in the state in which thou seest me. Nothing exposed me\nto all this ill treatment but my coming to purchase this slave-girl for\nyour majesty.--The Wezeer then threw himself upon the ground, and lay\nweeping and trembling.\n\nNow when the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n beheld his condition, and had heard his speech, the\nvein of anger swelled between his eyes, and he looked towards the\nmembers of his court who were attending him; whereupon forty swordsmen\nstood before him, and he said to them, Descend immediately to the house\nof 'Alee the son of El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n, and plunder it and\ndemolish it, and bring hither him and the slave-girl with their hands\nbound behind them: drag them along upon their faces, and so bring them\nbefore me. They replied, We hear and obey:--and went forth to repair to\nthe house of 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen. But there was in the court of the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n a chamberlain named 'Alam-ed-Deen Senjer, who had been one of the\nmemlooks of El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n, the father of 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen;\nand when he heard the order of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and saw the enemies prepared\nto slay his master's son, it was insupportable to him; so he mounted his\nhorse, and proceeded to the house of 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and knocked at\nthe door. Noor-ed-Deen came forth to him, and, when he saw him, knew\nhim, and would have saluted him; but he said, O my master, this is not a\ntime for salutation, nor for talking. Noor-ed-Deen said, O\n'Alam-ed-Deen, what is the news? He replied, Save thyself by flight,\nthou and the slave-girl; for El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee hath set up a\nsnare for you, and if ye fall into his hands he will slay you: the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n hath sent to you forty swordsmen, and it is my advice that ye fly\nbefore the evil fall upon you. Then Senjer stretched forth his hand to\nNoor-ed-Deen with some pieces of gold, and he counted them, and found\nthem to be forty pieces; and he said, O my master, receive these, and if\nI had with me more, I would give it thee: but this is not a time for\nexpostulating. And upon this, Noor-ed-Deen went in to the damsel, and\nacquainted her with the occurrence, and she was confounded.\n\nThe two then went forth immediately from the city, and God let down the\nveil of his protection upon them, and they proceeded to the bank of the\nriver, where they found a vessel ready to sail: the master was standing\nin the midst of it, and saying, He who hath anything to do, whether\nleave-taking or procuring provisions, or who hath forgotten aught, let\nhim do what he desireth and return; for we are going. And they all\nreplied, We have nothing remaining to do, O master. So, upon this, the\nmaster said to his crew, Quick! Loose the rope's end, and pull up the\nstake.[VI_20]--And 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen exclaimed, Whither, O master?\nHe answered, To the Abode of Peace, Baghd\u00e1d. And Noor-ed-Deen embarked,\nand the damsel with him, and they set the vessel afloat, and spread the\nsails, and it shot along like a bird with its pair of wings, carrying\nthem forward with a favourable wind.\n\nMeanwhile, the forty men whom the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n had sent came to the house of\n'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and broke open the doors and entered, and searched\nall the chambers, but without success; so they demolished the house, and\nreturned, and acquainted the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, who said, Search for them in every\nplace where they may be:--and they replied, We hear and obey. The Wezeer\nEl-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee then descended to his house, after the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\nhad invested him with a robe of honour, and had said to him, None shall\ntake vengeance for thee but myself. And he greeted the King with a\nprayer for long life, and his heart was set at ease: and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n gave\norders to proclaim throughout the city, O all ye people! our lord the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n hath commanded that whoever shall meet with 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen,\nand bring him to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, shall be invested with a robe of honour,\nand he will give him a thousand pieces of gold; and he who shall conceal\nhim, or know where he is, and not give information thereof, will merit\nthe exemplary punishment that shall befall him! So all the people began\nto search for him; but could not trace him.--Such was the case with\nthese people.\n\nNow as to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen and his slave, they arrived in safety at\nBaghd\u00e1d, and the master of the vessel said to them, This is Baghd\u00e1d, and\nit is a city of security: winter with its cold hath departed from it,\nand the spring-quarter hath come with its roses, and its trees are in\nblossom, and its waters are flowing. And upon this, 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen\nlanded with his slave-girl, and gave the master five pieces of gold.\nThey then walked a little way, and destiny cast them among the gardens,\nand they came to a place which they found swept and sprinkled, with long\nma\u1e63\u1e6dabahs, and pots suspended filled with water, and over it was a\ncovering of trellis-work of canes extending along the whole length of a\nlane, at the upper end of which was the gate of a garden; but this was\nshut. And Noor-ed-Deen said to the damsel, By Allah, this is a pleasant\nplace!--and she replied, O my master, let us sit down a while upon one\nof these ma\u1e63\u1e6dabahs. So they mounted and seated themselves there, and\nthey washed their faces and hands, and enjoyed the current of the\nzephyr, and slept.--Glory be to Him who sleepeth not!\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThis garden was called the Garden of Delight, and in it was a palace\ncalled the Palace of Diversion, and it belonged to the Khaleefeh H\u00e1roon\nEr-Rasheed, who, when his heart was contracted, used to come to this\ngarden, and enter the palace above mentioned, and there sit. The palace\nhad eighty latticed windows, and eighty lamps were suspended in it, and\nin the midst of it was a great candlestick of gold; and when the\nKhaleefeh entered it, he commanded the female slaves to open the\nwindows, and ordered Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33 the cup-companion to sing with them: so his\nheart became dilated, and his anxiety ceased. There was a superintendent\nto the garden, an old man, named the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem; and it happened\nthat he went forth once to transact some business, and found there\npersons diverting themselves with women of suspicious character,\nwhereupon he was violently enraged, and having waited until the\nKhaleefeh came thither some days after, he acquainted him with this\noccurrence, and the Khaleefeh said, Whomsoever thou shalt find at the\ngate of the garden, do with him what thou wilt. Now on this day the\nsheykh Ibr\u00e1heem went out to transact an affair of business, and found\nthe two sleeping at the garden-gate covered with a single iz\u00e1r; and he\nsaid, Do not these two persons know that the Khaleefeh hath given me\npermission to kill every one whom I find here? But I will only give\nthese two a slight beating, that no one may again approach the gate of\nthe garden. He then cut a green palm-stick, and went forth to them, and\nraised his hand until the whiteness of his arm-pit appeared, and was\nabout to beat them; but he reflected in his mind, and said, O Ibr\u00e1heem,\nhow shouldst thou beat them when thou knowest not their case? They may\nbe two strangers, or of the children of the road,[VI_21] whom\ndestiny hath cast here. I will therefore uncover their faces, and look\nat them.--So he lifted up the iz\u00e1r from their faces, and said, These are\ntwo handsome persons, and it is not proper that I should beat them. And\nhe covered their faces again, and, approaching the foot of 'Alee\nNoor-ed-Deen, began to rub it gently;[VI_22] whereupon Noor-ed-Deen\nopened his eyes, and saw that he was an old man; and he blushed, and\ndrew in his feet, and, sitting up, took the hand of the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem\nand kissed it; and the sheykh said to him, O my son, whence are ye?--O\nmy master, he answered, we are strangers.--And a tear gushed from his\neye. The sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem then said to him, O my son, know that the\nProphet (God bless and save him!) hath enjoined generosity to the\nstranger. Wilt thou not arise, O my son, and enter the garden, and\ndivert thyself in it, that thy heart may be dilated?--O my master, said\nNoor-ed-Deen, to whom doth this garden belong? The sheykh answered, O my\nson, this garden I inherited from my family. And his design in saying\nthis was only that they might feel themselves at ease, and enter the\ngarden. And when Noor-ed-Deen heard his words, he thanked him, and\narose, together with his slave, and, the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem preceding them,\nthey entered the garden.\n\nThe gate was arched, and over it were vines with grapes of different\ncolours; the red, like rubies; and the black, like ebony. They entered a\nbower, and found within it fruits growing in clusters and singly, and\nthe birds were warbling their various notes upon the branches: the\nnightingale was pouring forth its melodious sounds; and the turtle-dove\nfilled the place with its cooing; and the blackbird, in its singing,\nresembled a human being; and the ring-dove, a person exhilarated by\nwine. The fruits upon the trees, comprising every description that was\ngood to eat, had ripened; and there were two of each kind: there were\nthe camphor-apricot, and the almond-apricot, and the apricot of\nKhur\u00e1s\u00e1n; the plum of a colour like the complexion of beauties; the\ncherry delighting the sense of every man; the red, the white, and the\ngreen fig, of the most beautiful colours; and flowers like pearls and\ncoral; the rose, whose redness put to shame the cheeks of the lovely;\nthe violet, like sulphur in contact with fire; the myrtle, the\ngilliflower, the lavender, and the anemone; and their leaves were\nbespangled with the tears of the clouds; the chamomile smiled,\ndisplaying its teeth, and the narcissus looked at the rose with its\nnegroes' eyes; the citrons resembled round cups; the limes were like\nbullets of gold; the ground was carpeted with flowers of every colour,\nand the place beamed with the charms of spring; the river murmured by\nwhile the birds sang, and the wind whistled among the trees; the season\nwas temperate, and the zephyr was languishing.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem conducted them into the elevated saloon,[VI_23]\nand they were charmed with its beauty and the extraordinary elegances\nwhich it displayed, and seated themselves in one of the windows; and\nNoor-ed-Deen, reflecting upon his past entertainments, exclaimed, By\nAllah, this place is most delightful! It hath reminded me of past\nevents, and quenched in me an anguish like the fire of the\ngha\u1e0d\u00e0.[VI_24]--The sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem then brought to them some food,\nand they ate to satisfaction, and washed their hands, and Noor-ed-Deen,\nseating himself again in one of the windows, called to his slave, and\nshe came to him; and they sat gazing at the trees laden with all kinds\nof fruits; after which, Noor-ed-Deen looked towards the sheykh, and said\nto him, O sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, hast thou not any beverage? For people drink\nafter eating.--So the sheykh brought him some sweet and cold water: but\nNoor-ed-Deen said, This is not the beverage I desire.--Dost thou want\nwine? asked the sheykh.--Yes, answered Noor-ed-Deen. The sheykh\nexclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah from it! Verily, for thirteen years\nI have done nothing of that kind; for the Prophet (God bless and save\nhim!) cursed its drinker and its presser and its carrier.--Hear from me\ntwo words, said Noor-ed-Deen. The sheykh replied, Say what thou wilt. So\nhe said, If thou be neither the presser of the wine, nor its drinker,\nnor its carrier, will aught of the curse fall upon thee? The sheykh\nanswered, No.--Then take this piece of gold, rejoined Noor-ed-Deen, and\nthese two pieces of silver, and mount the ass, and halt at a distance\nfrom the place, and whatsoever man thou findest to buy it, call to him,\nand say to him, take these two pieces of silver, and with this piece of\ngold buy some wine, and place it upon the ass:--so, in this case, thou\nwilt be neither the carrier, nor the presser, nor the buyer; and nothing\nwill befall thee of that which befalleth the rest.\n\nThe sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, after laughing at his words, replied, By Allah, I\nhave never seen one more witty than thou, nor heard speech more sweet.\nAnd Noor-ed-Deen said to him, We have become dependant upon thee, and\nthou hast nothing to do but to comply with our wishes: bring us,\ntherefore, all that we require.--O my son, said the sheykh, my buttery\nhere is before thee (and it was the store-room furnished for the Prince\nof the Faithful): enter it then, and take from it what thou wilt; for it\ncontaineth more than thou desirest. So Noor-ed-Deen entered the\nstore-room, and beheld in it vessels of gold and silver and crystal,\nadorned with a variety of jewels; and he took out such of them as he\ndesired, and poured the wine into the vessels of earthenware and bottles\nof glass; and he and the damsel began to drink, astonished at the beauty\nof the things which they beheld. The sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem then brought to\nthem sweet-scented flowers, and seated himself at a distance from them;\nand they continued drinking, in a state of the utmost delight, until the\nwine took effect upon them, and their cheeks reddened, and their eyes\nwantoned like those of the gazelle, and their hair hung\ndown:[VI_25] whereupon the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem said, What aileth me\nthat I am sitting at a distance from them? Why should I not sit by\nthem? And when shall I be in the company of such as these two, who are\nlike two moons?--He then advanced, and seated himself at the edge of the\nraised portion of the floor; and Noor-ed-Deen said to him, O my master,\nby my life I conjure thee to approach and join us. So he went to them;\nand Noor-ed-Deen filled a cup, and, looking at the sheykh, said to him,\nDrink, that thou mayest know how delicious is its flavour. But the\nsheykh Ibr\u00e1heem exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah! Verily, for\nthirteen years I have done nothing of that kind.--And Noor-ed-Deen,\nfeigning to pay no attention to him, drank the cup, and threw himself\nupon the ground, pretending that intoxication had overcome him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nUpon this, Enees-el-Jelees looked towards the sheykh, and said to him, O\nsheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, see how this man hath treated me.--O my mistress, said\nhe, what aileth him? She rejoined, Always doth he treat me thus: he\ndrinketh a while, and then sleepeth, and I remain alone, and find no one\nto keep me company over my cup. If I drink, who will serve me? And if I\nsing, who will hear me?--The sheykh, moved with tenderness and affection\nfor her by her words, replied, It is not proper that a cup-companion be\nthus. The damsel then filled a cup, and, looking at the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem,\nsaid to him, I conjure thee, by my life that thou take it and drink it;\nreject it not, but accept it, and refresh my heart. So he stretched\nforth his hand, and took the cup, and drank it; and she filled for\nhim a second time, and handed it to him, saying, O my master, this\nremaineth for thee. He replied, By Allah, I cannot drink it: that\nwhich I have drunk is enough for me. But she said, By Allah, it is\nindispensable:--and he took the cup, and drank it. She then gave him the\nthird; and he took it, and was about to drink it, when, lo, Noor-ed-Deen\nraised himself, and said to him, O sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, what is this? Did I\nnot conjure thee a while ago, and thou refusedst, and saidst, Verily,\nfor thirteen years I have not done it?--The sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, touched\nwith shame, replied, By Allah, I am not in fault; for she pressed me.\nAnd Noor-ed-Deen laughed, and they resumed their carousal, and the\ndamsel, turning her eyes towards her master, said to him, O my master,\ndrink thou, and do not urge the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem; that I may divert thee\nwith the sight of him. So she began to fill and to hand to her master,\nand her master filled and gave to her, and thus they continued to do,\ntime after time; till at length the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem looked towards them\nand said, What meaneth this? And what sort of carousal is this?\nWherefore do ye not give me to drink, since I have become your\ncup-companion?--At this they both laughed until they became almost\nsenseless; and then drank, and gave him to drink; and they continued\nthus until the expiration of a third of the night, when the damsel said,\nO sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, with thy permission shall I rise and light one of the\ncandles which are arranged here?--Rise, he answered; but light not more\nthan one candle. But she sprang upon her feet, and, beginning with the\nfirst candle, proceeded until she had lighted eighty. She then sat down\nagain; and presently Noor-ed-Deen said, O sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, in what\nfavour am I held with thee? Wilt thou not allow me to light one of these\nlamps?--The sheykh answered, Arise, and light one lamp, and be not thou\nalso troublesome. So he arose, and, beginning with the first lamp,\nlighted all the eighty; and the saloon seemed to dance. And after this,\nthe sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, overcome by intoxication, said to them, Ye are more\nfrolicksome than I:--and he sprang upon his feet, and opened all the\nwindows, and sat down again with them, and they continued carousing and\nreciting verses; and the place rang with their merriment.\n\nNow God, the All-seeing and All-knowing, who hath appointed a cause to\nevery event, had decreed that the Khaleefeh should be sitting that night\nat one of the windows looking towards the Tigris, by moonlight; and he\nlooked in that direction, and saw the light of lamps and candles\nreflected in the river, and, turning his eyes up towards the palace in\nthe garden, he beheld it beaming with those candles and lamps, and\nexclaimed, Bring hither to me Ja\u1ea1far El-Barmekee! In the twinkling of an\neye, Ja\u1ea1far stood before the Prince of the Faithful; and the Khaleefeh\nsaid to him, O dog of Wezeers, dost thou serve me and not acquaint me\nwith what happeneth in the city of Baghd\u00e1d?--What, asked Ja\u1ea1far, is the\noccasion of these words? The Khaleefeh answered, If the city of Baghd\u00e1d\nwere not taken from me, the Palace of Diversion were not enlivened with\nthe light of the lamps and candles, and its windows were not opened. Wo\nto thee! Who could do these things unless the office of Khaleefeh were\ntaken from me?--Who, said Ja\u1ea1far (the muscles of his side quivering\nfrom fear), informed thee that the lamps and candles were lighted in the\nPalace of Diversion, and that its windows were opened? The Khaleefeh\nreplied, Advance hither to me, and look. So Ja\u1ea1far approached the\nKhaleefeh, and, looking towards the garden, beheld the palace as it were\na flame of fire, its light surpassing that of the moon. He desired,\ntherefore, to make an excuse for the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, the\nsuperintendent, thinking, from what he beheld, that the event might have\noccurred through his permission: and accordingly he said, O Prince of\nthe Faithful, the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem last week said to me, O my master\nJa\u1ea1far, I am desirous of entertaining my children during my life and the\nlife of the Prince of the Faithful.--And what, said I, is thy design in\nsaying this? He answered, It is my wish that thou wouldst obtain for me\npermission from the Khaleefeh that I may celebrate the circumcision of\nmy sons in the palace. So I said, Do what thou wilt with respect to the\nentertainment of thy sons, and, if God will, I shall have an interview\nwith the Khaleefeh, and will acquaint him with it. And he left me thus;\nand I forgot to acquaint thee.--O Ja\u1ea1far, said the Khaleefeh, thou wast\nguilty of one offence against me, and then thine offence became two: for\nthou hast erred in two points: the first, thy not acquainting me with\nthis affair; and the second, thy not accomplishing the desire of the\nsheykh Ibr\u00e1heem; for he did not come to thee and address thee with these\nwords but to hint a request for some money by the aid of which to effect\nhis design, and thou neither gavest him anything nor acquaintedst me\nthat I might give him.--O Prince of the Faithful, replied Ja\u1ea1far, I\nforgot.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Khaleefeh then said, By my forefathers, I will not pass the\nremainder of my night but with him, for he is a just man, who\nfrequenteth the sheykhs,[VI_26] and attendeth to the poor, and\nfavoureth the indigent; and I imagine all his acquaintances are with him\nthis night; so I must repair to him: perhaps one of them may offer up\nfor us a prayer productive of good to us in this world and the next; and\nprobably some advantage may accrue to him from my presence, and he will\nreceive pleasure from this, together with his friends.--O Prince of the\nFaithful, replied Ja\u1ea1far, the greater part of the night hath passed, and\nthey are now about to disperse. But the Khaleefeh said, We must go to\nthem. And Ja\u1ea1far was silent, and was perplexed in his mind, not knowing\nwhat to do. So the Khaleefeh rose upon his feet, and Ja\u1ea1far rose and\npreceded him, and Mesroor the eunuch went with them. The three walked on\nreflecting, and, departing from the palace, proceeded through the\nstreets, in the attire of merchants; until they arrived at the gate of\nthe garden above mentioned; and the Khaleefeh, approaching it, found it\nopen; and he was surprised, and said, See, O Ja\u1ea1far, how the sheykh\nIbr\u00e1heem hath left the gate open until this hour, which is not his usual\ncustom. They then entered, and came to the end of the garden, where they\nstopped beneath the palace; and the Khaleefeh said, O Ja\u1ea1far, I desire\nto take a view of them secretly before I go up to them, that I may see\nhow the sheykhs are occupied in the dispensing of their blessings and\nthe employment of their miraculous powers; for they have qualities which\ndistinguish them both in their private retirements and in their public\nexercises; and now we hear not their voices, nor discover any indication\nof their presence. Having thus said, he looked around, and, seeing a\ntall walnut tree, he said, O Ja\u1ea1far, I would climb this tree (for its\nbranches are near to the windows) and look at them. And accordingly he\nascended the tree, and climbed from branch to branch until he came to\nthat which was opposite to one of the windows, and there he sat, and,\nlooking in through this window of the palace, beheld a damsel and a\nyoung man, like two moons (extolled be the perfection of Him who created\nthem!); and he saw the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem sitting with a cup in his hand,\nand saying, O mistress of beauties, drinking unaccompanied by merry\nsounds is not pleasant. Hast thou not heard the saying of the poet?--\n\n Circulate it in the large cup, and in the small; and receive it\n from the hand of the shining moon:[VI_27]\n And drink not without merry sounds; for I have observed that\n horses drink to the sound of whistling.\n\nWhen the Khaleefeh witnessed this conduct of the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, the\nvein of anger swelled between his eyes, and he descended, and said, O\nJa\u1ea1far, I have never seen anything of the miraculous performances of the\njust such as I have beheld this night: ascend, therefore, thyself also,\ninto this tree, and look, lest the blessings of the just escape\nthee.[VI_28]--On hearing the words of the Prince of the Faithful,\nJa\u1ea1far was perplexed at his situation; and he climbed up into the tree,\nand looked, and saw Noor-ed-Deen and the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem and the damsel,\nand the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem had the cup in his hand. As soon as he beheld\nthis, he made sure of destruction; and he descended, and stood before\nthe Prince of the Faithful, and the Khaleefeh said, O Ja\u1ea1far, praise be\nto God who hath made us to be of the number of those who follow the\nexternal ordinances of the holy law, and averted from us the sin of\ndisguising ourselves by the practice of hypocrisy! But Ja\u1ea1far was unable\nto reply, from his excessive confusion. The Khaleefeh then looked\ntowards him, and said, Who can have brought these persons hither, and\nadmitted them into my palace? But the like of this young man and this\ndamsel, in beauty and loveliness and symmetry of form, mine eye hath\nnever beheld.--Ja\u1ea1far, now conceiving a hope that the Khaleefeh might be\npropitiated, replied, Thou hast spoken truly, O Prince of the Faithful.\nAnd the Khaleefeh said, O Ja\u1ea1far, climb up with us upon this branch\nwhich is opposite them, that we may amuse ourselves by observing them.\nSo they both climbed up into the tree, and, looking at them, heard the\nsheykh Ibr\u00e1heem say, O my mistress, I have relinquished decorum by the\ndrinking of wine; but the pleasure of this is not complete without the\nmelodious sounds of stringed instruments.--O sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, replied\nEnees-el-Jelees, by Allah, if we had any musical instrument, our\nhappiness were perfect. And when the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem heard her words, he\nrose upon his feet.--The Khaleefeh said to Ja\u1ea1far, What may he be going\nto do? Ja\u1ea1far replied, I know not.--And the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem went away,\nand returned with a lute; and the Khaleefeh, looking attentively at it,\nsaw that it was the lute of Is-\u1e25\u00e1\u1e33, the cup-companion; and said, By\nAllah, if this damsel sing not well, I will crucify you all; but if she\nsing well, I will pardon them, and crucify thee. So Ja\u1ea1far said, O\nAllah, let her not sing well!--Why? asked the Khaleefeh.--That thou\nmayest crucify all of us, answered Ja\u1ea1far; and then we shall cheer one\nanother by conversation. And the Khaleefeh laughed: and the damsel took\nthe lute, and tuned its strings, and played upon it in a manner that\nwould melt iron, and inspire an idiot with intellect; after which she\nsang with such sweetness that the Khaleefeh exclaimed, O Ja\u1ea1far, never\nin my life have I heard so enchanting a voice as this!--Perhaps, said\nJa\u1ea1far, the anger of the Khaleefeh hath departed from him?--Yea, he\nanswered; it hath departed. He then descended with Ja\u1ea1far from the tree,\nand, looking towards him, said, I am desirous of going up to them, to\nsit with them, and to hear the damsel sing before me.--O Prince of the\nFaithful, replied Ja\u1ea1far, if thou go up to them, probably they will be\ntroubled by thy presence; and as to the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, he will\nassuredly die of fear. The Khaleefeh therefore said, O Ja\u1ea1far, thou must\nacquaint me with some stratagem by means of which I may learn the truth\nof the affair without their knowing that I have discovered them. And he\nand Ja\u1ea1far walked towards the Tigris, reflecting upon this matter; and\nlo, a fisherman stood beneath the windows of the palace, and he threw\nhis net, hoping to catch something by means of which to obtain his\nsubsistence.--Now the Khaleefeh had, on a former occasion, called to the\nsheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, and said to him, What was that noise that I heard\nbeneath the windows of the palace?--and he answered, The voices of the\nfishermen, who are fishing:--so he said, Go down and forbid them from\ncoming to this place. They were therefore forbidden to come thither; but\nthis night there came a fisherman named Kereem, and, seeing the\ngarden-gate open, he said within himself, This is a time of\ninadvertence, and perhaps I may catch some fish on this occasion:--so he\ntook his net, and threw it into the river, and then recited some verses,\ncontrasting the condition of the poor fisherman, toiling throughout the\nnight, with that of the lord of the palace, who, awaking from a pleasant\nslumber, findeth the fawn in his possession; and as soon as he had\nfinished his recitation, lo, the Khaleefeh, unattended, stood at his\nhead. The Khaleefeh knew him, and exclaimed, O Kereem!--and the\nfisherman, hearing him call him by his name, turned towards him; and\nwhen he beheld the Khaleefeh, the muscles of his side quivered, and he\nsaid, By Allah, O Prince of the Faithful, I did not this in mockery of\nthe mandate; but poverty and the wants of my family impelled me to the\nact of which thou art witness. The Khaleefeh replied, Throw thy net for\nmy luck. And the fisherman advanced, rejoicing exceedingly, and cast the\nnet, and, having waited until it had attained its limit and become\nsteady at the bottom, drew it in again, and there came up in it a\nvariety of fish that could not be numbered.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Khaleefeh was delighted at this, and said, O Kereem, strip off thy\nclothes:--and he did so. He was clad in a jubbeh[VI_29] in which\nwere a hundred patches of coarse woollen stuff, containing vermin of the\nmost abominable kind, and among them fleas in such numbers that he might\nalmost have been transported by their means over the face of the earth;\nand he took from his head a turban which for three years he had never\nunwound; but when he happened to find a piece of rag he twisted it\naround it: and when he had taken off the jubbeh and turban, the\nKhaleefeh pulled off from his own person two vests of silk of Alexandria\nand Ba\u1ea1labekk, and a melwa\u1e6dah[VI_30] and a farajeeyeh,[VI_31]\nand said to the fisherman, Take these, and put them on. The Khaleefeh\nthen put on himself the fisherman's jubbeh and turban, and, having drawn\na lith\u00e1m[VI_32] over his face, said to the fisherman, Go about thy\nbusiness;--and he kissed the feet of the Khaleefeh, and thanked him,\nreciting these two verses:--\n\n Thou hast granted me favours beyond my power to acknowledge,\n and completely satisfied all my wants.\n I will thank thee, therefore, as long as I live; and when I die,\n my bones will thank thee in their grave.[VI_33]\n\nBut scarcely had he finished his verses, when the vermin overran the\nperson of the Khaleefeh, and he began to seize them with his right hand\nand his left from his neck, and to throw them down; and he exclaimed, O\nfisherman, wo to thee! What are these abundant vermin in this jubbeh?--O\nmy lord, he answered, at present they torment thee; but when a week\nshall have passed over thee, thou wilt not feel them, nor think of them.\nThe Khaleefeh laughed, and said to him, How can I suffer this jubbeh to\nremain upon me? The fisherman replied, I wish to tell thee something;\nbut I am ashamed, through my awe of the Khaleefeh. Impart, said the\nKhaleefeh, what thou hast to tell me. So he said to him, It hath\noccurred to my mind, O Prince of the Faithful, that thou desirest to\nlearn the art of fishing, in order that thou mayest be master of a trade\nthat may profit thee; and if such be thy desire, this jubbeh is suitable\nto thee. And the Khaleefeh laughed at his words.\n\nThe fisherman then went his way, and the Khaleefeh took the basket of\nfish, and, having put upon it a little grass, went with it to Ja\u1ea1far,\nand stood before him; and Ja\u1ea1far, thinking that he was Kereem the\nfisherman, feared for him, and said, O Kereem, what brought thee hither?\nSave thyself by flight; for the Khaleefeh is here this night.--And when\nthe Khaleefeh heard the words of Ja\u1ea1far, he laughed until he fell down\nupon his back. So Ja\u1ea1far said, Perhaps thou art our lord the Prince of\nthe Faithful?--Yes, O Ja\u1ea1far, answered the Khaleefeh, and thou art my\nWezeer, and I came with thee hither, and thou knowest me not. How then\nshould the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem know me when he is drunk? Remain where thou\nart until I return to thee.--Ja\u1ea1far replied, I hear and obey:--and the\nKhaleefeh advanced to the door of the palace, and knocked. The sheykh\nIbr\u00e1heem arose, therefore, and said, Who is at the door? He answered, I,\nO sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem. The sheykh said, Who art thou?--and the Khaleefeh\nanswered, I am Kereem the fisherman: I heard that there were guests with\nthee, and have therefore brought thee some fish; for it is\nexcellent.--Now Noor-ed-Deen and the damsel were both fond of fish, and\nwhen they heard the mention of it they rejoiced exceedingly, and said, O\nmy master, open to him, and let him come in to us with the fish which he\nhath brought. So the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem opened the door, and the Khaleefeh,\nin his fisherman's disguise, entered, and began by salutation; and the\nsheykh Ibr\u00e1heem said to him, Welcome to the robber, the thief, the\ngambler! Come hither, and shew us the fish which thou hast brought.--He\ntherefore shewed it to them; and lo, it was alive, and moving; and the\ndamsel exclaimed, By Allah, O my master, this fish is excellent! I wish\nit were fried!--By Allah, said the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, thou hast spoken\ntruth. Then, addressing the Khaleefeh, he said, O fisherman, I wish thou\nhadst brought this fish fried. Arise, and fry it for us, and bring\nit.--On the head be thy commands, replied the Khaleefeh: I will fry it,\nand bring it.--Be quick, said they, in doing it.\n\nThe Khaleefeh therefore arose and ran back to Ja\u1ea1far, and said, O\nJa\u1ea1far, they want the fish fried.--O Prince of the Faithful, replied he,\ngive it me, and I will fry it. But the Khaleefeh said, By the tombs of\nmy ancestors, none shall fry it but myself; with my own hand will I do\nit! He then repaired to the hut of the superintendent, and, searching\nthere, found in it everything that he required, the frying-pan, and even\nthe salt, and wild marjoram, and other things. So he approached the\nfire-place, and put on the frying-pan, and fried it nicely; and when it\nwas done, he put it upon a banana-leaf, and having taken from the garden\nsome limes, he went up with the fish, and placed it before them. The\nyoung man, therefore, and the damsel and the sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem advanced\nand ate; and when they had finished, they washed their hands, and\nNoor-ed-Deen said, By Allah, O fisherman, thou hast done us a kindness\nthis night. Then putting his hand into his pocket, he took forth for him\nthree pieces of gold, of those which Senjer had presented to him when he\nwas setting forth on his journey, and said, O fisherman, excuse me; for,\nby Allah, if I had known thee before the events that have lately\nhappened to me, I would have extracted the bitterness of poverty from\nthy heart: but take this as accordant with my present circumstances. So\nsaying, he threw the pieces of gold to the Khaleefeh, who took them, and\nkissed them,[VI_34] and put them in his pocket. The object of the\nKhaleefeh in doing this was only that he might hear the damsel sing: so\nhe said to him, Thou hast treated me with beneficence, and abundantly\nrecompensed me; but I beg of thy unbounded indulgence that this damsel\nmay sing an air, that I may hear her. Noor-ed-Deen therefore said, O\nEnees-el-Jelees! She replied, Yes.--By my life, said he, sing to us\nsomething for the gratification of this fisherman; for he desireth to\nhear thee. And when she had heard what her master said, she took the\nlute, and tried it with her fingers, after she had twisted its pegs, and\nsang to it these two verses:--\n\n The fingers of many a fawn-like damsel have played upon the lute,\n and the soul hath been ravished by the touch.\n She hath made the deaf to hear her songs; and the dumb hath exclaimed,\n Thou hast excelled in thy singing!\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen she played again, in an extraordinary manner, so as to charm the\nminds of her hearers, and sang the following couplet:--\n\n We are honoured by your visiting our abode, and your splendour\n hath dispelled the darkness of the moonless night:\n It is therefore incumbent upon me to perfume my dwelling with musk\n and rose-water and camphor.\n\nUpon this, the Khaleefeh was affected with violent emotion, and overcome\nby ecstasy, so that he was no longer master of himself from excessive\ndelight; and he began to exclaim, Allah approve thee! Allah approve\nthee! Allah approve thee! So Noor-ed-Deen said to him, O fisherman, have\nthe damsel and her art in striking the chords pleased thee?--Yea, by\nAllah! exclaimed the Khaleefeh. And Noor-ed-Deen immediately said, She\nis bestowed upon thee as a present from me, the present of a generous\nman who will not revoke his gift. And he rose upon his feet, and took a\nmelwa\u1e6dah, and threw it upon the Khaleefeh in the fisherman's disguise,\nordering him to depart with the damsel. But she looked towards him, and\nsaid, O my master, wilt thou part from me without bidding me farewell?\nIf we must be separated, pause while I take leave of thee.--And she\nrecited the following couplet:--\n\n If you depart from me, still your abode will be in my heart,\n in the recess of my bosom.\n I implore the Compassionate to grant our reunion; and a boon\n such as this, God will grant to whom He pleaseth.\n\nAnd when she had finished, Noor-ed-Deen thus replied to her:--\n\n She bade me farewell on the day of separation, saying, while\n she wept from the pain that it occasioned,\n What wilt thou do after my departure?--Say this, I replied,\n unto him who will survive it.\n\nThe Khaleefeh, when he heard this, was distressed at the thought of\nseparating them, and, looking towards the young man, he said to him, O\nmy master, art thou in fear on account of any crime, or art thou in debt\nto any one? Noor-ed-Deen answered, By Allah, O fisherman, a wonderful\nevent, and an extraordinary adventure, happened to me and this damsel:\nif it were engraved on the understanding, it would be a lesson to him\nwho would be admonished.--Wilt thou not, rejoined the Khaleefeh, relate\nto us thy story, and acquaint us with thy case? Perhaps thy doing so may\nbe productive of relief; for the relief of God is near.--So Noor-ed-Deen\nsaid, Wilt thou hear our story in poetry or in prose?--Prose, answered\nthe Khaleefeh, is mere talk; and verse, words put together like pearls.\nAnd Noor-ed-Deen hung down his head towards the ground, and then related\nhis story in a series of verses: but when he had finished, the Khaleefeh\nbegged him to explain his case more fully. He therefore acquainted him\nwith the whole of his circumstances from beginning to end; and when the\nKhaleefeh understood the affair, he said to him, Whither wouldst thou\nnow repair? He answered, God's earth is wide. The Khaleefeh then said to\nhim, I will write for thee a letter which thou shalt convey to the\nSul\u1e6d\u00e1n Mo\u1e25ammad the son of Suleym\u00e1n Ez-Zeynee, and when he shall have\nread it, he will do thee no injury.--Is there in the world, said\nNoor-ed-Deen, a fisherman who correspondeth with Kings? Verily this is a\nthing that can never be.--Thou hast spoken truly, rejoined the\nKhaleefeh; but I will acquaint thee with the cause. Know that I read in\nthe same school with him, under a master, and I was his monitor; and\nafter that, prosperity was his lot, and he became a Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, while God\nmade me to be a fisherman: yet I have never sent to request anything of\nhim, but he hath performed my wish; and if I sent to him every day to\nrequest a thousand things of him, he would do what I asked. When\nNoor-ed-Deen, therefore, heard his words, he said to him, Write, that I\nmay see. And he took an inkhorn and a pen, and wrote (after the phrase,\nIn the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful).--To proceed.--This\nletter is from H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed the son of El-Mahdee, to his highness\nMo\u1e25ammad the son of Suleym\u00e1n Ez-Zeynee, who hath been encompassed by my\nbeneficence, and whom I constituted my viceroy of a portion of my\ndominions. I acquaint thee that the bearer of this letter is\nNoor-ed-Deen the son of El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n the Wezeer, and on his\narrival in thy presence thou shalt divest thyself of the regal\nauthority, and seat him in thy place; for I have appointed him to the\noffice to which I formerly appointed thee: so disobey not my commands:\nand peace be on thee.--He then gave the letter to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen,\nwho took it and kissed it and put it in his turban, and immediately set\nforth on his journey.\n\nThe sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem now looked towards the Khaleefeh in his fisherman's\ndisguise, and said to him, O most contemptible of fishermen, thou hast\nbrought us two fish worth twenty half-dirhems,[VI_35] and received\nthree pieces of gold, and desirest to take the slave also. But when the\nKhaleefeh heard these words, he cried out at him, and made a sign to\nMesroor, who immediately discovered himself, and rushed in upon him.\nJa\u1ea1far, meanwhile, had sent one of the attendants of the garden to the\nporter of the palace to demand a suit of clothing of him for the Prince\nof the Faithful; and the man went, and brought the dress, and kissed the\nground before the Khaleefeh, who took off and gave to him that with\nwhich he was then clad, and put on this suit. The sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem was\nsitting on a chair: the Khaleefeh paused to see the result: and the\nsheykh was astounded, and began to bite the ends of his fingers through\nhis confusion, saying, Am I asleep or awake? The Khaleefeh then looked\nat him, and said, O sheykh Ibr\u00e1heem, what is this predicament in which\nthou art placed? And upon this, the sheykh recovered from his\nintoxication, and, throwing himself upon the ground, implored\nforgiveness: and the Khaleefeh pardoned him; after which he gave orders\nthat the damsel should be conveyed to the palace where he resided; and\nwhen she had arrived there, he appropriated to her a separate lodging,\nand appointed persons to wait upon her, and said to her, Know that I\nhave sent thy master as Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n of El-Ba\u1e63rah, and, if God please, I will\ndespatch to him a dress of honour, and send thee also to him with it.\n\nAs to Noor-ed-Deen, he continued his journey until he entered\nEl-Ba\u1e63rah, and went up to the palace of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, when he uttered a\nloud cry, whereupon the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n desired him to approach; and when he came\ninto the presence of the King, he kissed the ground before him, and\nproduced the letter, and handed it to him. And as soon as the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n saw\nthe superscription in the handwriting of the Prince of the Faithful, he\nrose upon his feet, and, having kissed it three times, said, I hear and\npay obedience to God (whose name be exalted!) and to the Prince of the\nFaithful. He then summoned before him the four \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dees,[VI_36] and\nthe Emeers, and was about to divest himself of the regal office: but,\nlo, the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee was before him, and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\ngave him the letter of the Prince of the Faithful, and when he saw it,\nhe rent it in pieces, and put it into his mouth, and chewed it, and\nthrew it down. The Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, enraged, cried, Wo to thee! What hath induced\nthee to act thus?--He answered, This man hath had no interview with the\nKhaleefeh nor with his Wezeer; but is a young wretch, an artful devil,\nwho, having met with a paper containing the handwriting of the\nKhaleefeh, hath counterfeited it, and written what he desired: wherefore\nthen shouldst thou abdicate the sovereignty, when the Khaleefeh hath not\nsent to thee an envoy with a royal autographical mandate; for if this\naffair were true, he had sent with him a Chamberlain or a Wezeer; but he\ncame alone.--What then is to be done? said the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n. The Wezeer\nanswered, Send away this young man with me, and I will take charge of\nhim, and despatch him in company with a Chamberlain to the city of\nBaghd\u00e1d; and if his words be true, he will bring us a royal\nautographical mandate and diploma of investiture; and if not true, they\nwill send him back to us with the Chamberlain, and I will take my\nrevenge upon my offender.\n\nWhen the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n heard what the Wezeer said, it pleased him; and the\nWezeer took him away,[VI_37] and cried out to the pages, who threw\ndown Noor-ed-Deen, and beat him until he became insensible. He then\nordered to put a chain upon his feet, and called to the jailer; and when\nhe came, he kissed the ground before him. This jailer was named\n\u1e32u\u1e6dey\u1e6d;[VI_38] and the Wezeer said to him, O \u1e32u\u1e6dey\u1e6d, I desire that\nthou take this person, and cast him into one of the subterranean cells\nwhich are in thy prison, and torture him night and day. The jailer\nreplied, I hear and obey:--and he put Noor-ed-Deen into the prison, and\nlocked the door upon him; but after having done this, he gave orders to\nsweep a ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah within the door, and furnished it with a prayer-carpet\nand a pillow, and seated Noor-ed-Deen upon it, and loosed his chain,\nand treated him with kindness. The Wezeer every day sent to him,\ncommanding him to beat him; and the jailer pretended that he tortured\nhim, while, on the contrary, he treated him with benignity.\n\nThus he continued to do for forty days; and on the forty-first day,\nthere came a present from the Khaleefeh, and when the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n saw it, it\npleased him, and he conferred with the Wezeers upon the subject; but one\nsaid, Perhaps this present was designed for the new Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n. Upon this,\nthe Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee remarked, It were proper to have\nslain him on his arrival:--and the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n exclaimed, Now thou hast\nreminded me of him, go down and bring him, and I will strike off his\nhead. The Wezeer replied, I hear and obey:--and arose, saying, I desire\nto proclaim throughout the city, He who wisheth to witness the\ndecapitation of Noor-ed-Deen 'Alee the son of El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n,\nlet him come to the palace:--so that all the people may come to behold\nit, and I may gratify my heart, and mortify my enviers. The Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n said,\nDo what thou wilt. So the Wezeer descended, full of joy and happiness,\nand went to the W\u00e1lee, and ordered him to make this proclamation; and\nwhen the people heard the crier, they all grieved and wept, even the\nboys in the schools, and the tradesmen in their shops; and numbers of\nthe people strove together to take for themselves places where they\nmight behold the spectacle, while others repaired to the prison, to\naccompany him thence. The Wezeer then went forth, attended by ten\nmemlooks, to the prison: and \u1e32u\u1e6dey\u1e6d the jailer said to him, What dost\nthou desire, O our lord the Wezeer?--Bring forth to me, said the Wezeer,\nthis young wretch. The jailer replied, He is in a most miserable state\nfrom the excessive beating that I have inflicted upon him. And he\nentered, and found him reciting some verses, commencing thus:--\n\n Who is there to aid me in my affliction? For my pain hath become\n intense, and my remedy is scarce procurable!\n\nAnd the jailer pulled off from him his clean clothes, and, having clad\nhim in two dirty garments, brought him out to the Wezeer. Noor-ed-Deen\nthen looked at him, and saw that he was his enemy who had incessantly\ndesired his destruction; and when he beheld him, he wept, and said to\nhim, Art thou secure from misfortune? Hast thou not heard the saying of\nthe poet?--\n\n They made use of their power, and used it tyrannically; and soon\n it became as though it never had existed.\n\nO Wezeer, know that God (whose perfection be extolled, and whose name\nbe exalted!) is the doer of whatsover He willeth.--O 'Alee, replied the\nWezeer, wouldst thou frighten me by these words? I am now going to\nstrike off thy head, in spite of the people of El-Ba\u1e63rah; and I will pay\nno regard to thy counsel; but I will rather attend to the saying of the\npoet:--\n\n Let fortune do whatever it willeth, and bear with cheerful mind\n the effects of fate.\n\nHow excellent also is the saying of another poet:--\n\n He who liveth after his enemy a single day, hath attained\n his desire.\n\nThe Wezeer then ordered his pages to convey him on the back of a mule;\nwhereupon they said to him (being distressed to obey), Suffer us to\nstone him and cut him in pieces, though our lives should be sacrificed\nin consequence. But he replied, Never do it. Have ye not heard what the\npoet hath said:--\n\n A decreed term is my inevitable lot; and as soon as its days\n have expired, I die.\n If the lions dragged me into their forest, they could not close it\n while aught of it remained.\n\nSo they proceeded to proclaim before Noor-ed-Deen, This is the smallest\nrecompense of him who forgeth a letter from the Khaleefeh to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n.\nAnd they continued to parade him throughout El-Ba\u1e63rah until they\nstationed him beneath the window of the palace, and in the place of\nblood,[VI_39] when the executioner approached him, and said to him,\nI am a slave under command; and if thou hast any want, acquaint me with\nit, that I may perform it for thee; for there remaineth not of thy life\nany more than the period until the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n shall put forth his face from\nthe window. And upon this, Noor-ed-Deen looked to the right and left,\nand recited these verses:--\n\n Is there among you a merciful friend, who will aid me? I conjure\n you by Allah to answer me!\n My life hath passed, and my death is at hand! Is there any who\n will pity me, to obtain my recompense,[VI_40]\n And consider my state, and relieve my anguish, by a draught\n of water that my torment may be lightened?\n\nAnd the people were excited to tears for him; and the executioner took\nsome water to hand it to him; but the Wezeer arose from his place, and\nstruck the \u1e33ulleh[VI_41] of water with his hand, and broke it, and\ncalled to the executioner, commanding him to strike off his head;\nwhereupon he bound Noor-ed-Deen's eyes. The people, however, called out\nagainst the Wezeer, and raised a tumultuous cry against him, and many\nwords passed between them; and while they were in this state, lo, a\ndust rose, and filled the sky and the open tracts; and when the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\nbeheld it, as he sat in the palace, he said to his attendants, See what\nis the news. The Wezeer said, After thou shalt first have beheaded this\nman. But the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n replied, Wait thou until we see what is the news.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow this dust was the dust of Ja\u1ea1far, the Wezeer of the Khaleefeh, and\nof his attendants; and the cause of their coming was this:--The\nKhaleefeh had passed thirty days without remembering the affair of 'Alee\nthe son of El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n, and no one mentioned it to him,\nuntil he came one night to the private apartment of Enees-el-Jelees, and\nheard her lamenting, as she recited, with a soft voice, the saying of\nthe poet:--\n\n Thine image [is before me] whether distant or near, and my tongue\n never ceaseth to mention thee.\n\nHer lamentation increased, and lo, the Khaleefeh opened the door, and\nentered the chamber, and saw Enees-el-Jelees weeping. On beholding the\nKhaleefeh, she fell at his feet, and, having kissed them three times,\nrecited these two verses:--\n\n O thou of pure origin, and of excellent birth; of ripe-fruitful branch,\n and of unsullied race!\n I remind thee of the promise thy beneficence granted, and far be it\n from thee that thou shouldst forget it.\n\nThe Khaleefeh said to her, Who art thou? She answered, I am the present\ngiven to thee by 'Alee the son of El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n; and I\nrequest the fulfilment of the promise which thou gavest me, that thou\nwouldst send me to him with the honorary gift; for I have now been here\nthirty days, and have not tasted sleep. And upon this, the Khaleefeh\nsummoned Ja\u1ea1far El-Barmekee, and said to him, For thirty days I have\nheard no news of 'Alee the son of El-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n, and I\nimagine nothing less than that the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n hath killed him: but, by my\nhead! by the tombs of my ancestors! if any evil event hath happened to\nhim, I will destroy him who hath been the cause of it, though he be the\ndearest of men in my estimation! I desire, therefore, that thou journey\nimmediately to El-Ba\u1e63rah, and bring me an account of the conduct of the\nKing Mo\u1e25ammad the son of Suleym\u00e1n Ez-Zeynee to 'Alee the son of El-Fa\u1e0dl\nthe son of Kh\u00e1\u1e33\u00e1n.\n\nSo Ja\u1ea1far obeyed his commands, and set forth on his journey, and when he\napproached, and saw this tumult and crowd, he said, What is the occasion\nof this crowd? They related to him, therefore, the situation in which\nthey were with regard to Noor-ed-Deen; and when he heard their words, he\nhastened to go up to the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and, having saluted him, acquainted him\nwith the cause of his coming, and told him, that if any evil event had\nhappened to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, the Khaleefeh would destroy him who was\nthe cause of it. He then arrested the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n, and the Wezeer El-Mo'een\nthe son of S\u00e1wee, and gave orders to liberate 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, and\nenthroned him as Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n in the place of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Mo\u1e25ammad the son of\nSuleym\u00e1n Ez-Zeynee; after which he remained in El-Ba\u1e63rah three days, the\nusual period of entertainment; and on the morning of the fourth day,\n'Alee Noor-ed-Deen said to Ja\u1ea1far, I have a longing desire to see the\nPrince of the Faithful. So Ja\u1ea1far said to the King Mo\u1e25ammad the son of\nSuleym\u00e1n, Prepare thyself for travelling; for we will perform the\nmorning-prayers, and depart to Baghd\u00e1d. He replied, I hear and\nobey:--and they performed the morning-prayers, and mounted all together,\nwith the Wezeer El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee, who now repented of what he\nhad done. As to 'Alee Noor-ed-Deen, he rode by the side of Ja\u1ea1far: and\nthey continued their journey until they arrived at Baghd\u00e1d, the Abode of\nPeace.\n\nThey then presented themselves before the Khaleefeh, and related to him\nthe case of Noor-ed-Deen; whereupon the Khaleefeh addressed him, saying,\nTake this sword, and strike off with it the head of thine enemy. And he\ntook it, and approached El-Mo'een the son of S\u00e1wee; but he looked at\nhim, and said to him, I did according to my nature, and do thou\naccording to thine. And Noor-ed-Deen threw down the sword from his hand,\nand, looking towards the Khaleefeh, said, O Prince of the Faithful, he\nhath beguiled me. So the Khaleefeh said, Do thou leave him:--and he said\nto Mesroor, O Mesroor, advance thou, and strike off his head. Mesroor,\ntherefore, did so: and upon this, the Khaleefeh said to 'Alee the son of\nEl-Fa\u1e0dl the son of Kh\u00e1k\u00e1n, Request of me what thou wilt. He replied, O\nmy lord, I have no want of the sovereignty of El-Ba\u1e63rah, and desire\nnothing but to have the honour of serving thee.--Most willingly I\nassent, said the Khaleefeh:--and he summoned the damsel, and when she\nhad come before him, he bestowed favours upon them both: he gave to them\none of the palaces of Baghd\u00e1d, and assigned to them regular allowances,\nand made Noor-ed-Deen one of his companions at the table; and he\nremained with him until death overtook him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO CHAPTER SIXTH.\n\nNOTE 1. In the old version, the person here named Enees-el-Jelees is\ncalled \"The Fair Persian;\" but I do not find her so described in any\ncopy of the original. The name here given to her may be rendered \"the\nCompanion's Cheerer;\" \"Enees\" being a term applied to any person or\nthing serving as an agreeable, cheering companion; and \"Jelees\"\nsignifying \"a companion,\" or \"one in the habit of sitting with another.\"\n\nNOTE 2. \"Kha\u1e6d\u1e6deeyeh\" is derived from \"kha\u1e6d\u1e6d,\" which signifies \"writing,\"\nbut which is also the name of a place (Kha\u1e6d\u1e6d Hejer) in the province of\nEl-Ba\u1e25reyn, a famous mart for spears. Of the figure of speech employed\nin the couplet in which this word occurs (considered by the Arabs an\nelegant mode of \u00e6tiology, and called by them \"\u1e25osn et-ta\u1ea1leel\") my\nsheykh gives the following example in a marginal note:--\n\n \"And the rain fell not but for the purpose of kissing the ground\n before thee.\"\n\nNOTE 3. \"El-Mo'een\" signifies \"the Aider,\" or \"the Assistant.\"\n\nNOTE 4. \"El-Fa\u1e0dl,\" signifying \"the Excellence,\" is here, as a proper\nname, an abbreviation of \"Fa\u1e0dl-ed-Deen,\" \"the Excellence of the\nReligion.\"\n\nNOTE 5. This phrase (a person of auspicious aspect[345]) is often used\nby the modern Arabs and the Turks, and signifies \"a virtuous or\nbeneficent man.\"\n\nNOTE 6. This answer is not to be understood in its literal sense; it has\nbecome a common form of speech which an Arab often uses for the purpose\nof obtaining something more than he would venture to demand.\n\nNOTE 7. \"May it be favourable,\" or \"----beneficial,\" is a compliment\nusually addressed to a person who has just been to the bath, and to a\nman who has just had his head shaved. The reply is, \"May God bestow\nfavours upon thee.\"\n\nNOTE 8.--_On the Law respecting Murder and unintentional Homicide._ The\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n ordains that murder shall be punished with death; or, rather,\nthat the free shall die for the free, the slave for the slave, and a\nwoman for a woman; or that the perpetrator of the crime shall pay, to\nthe heirs of the person whom he has killed, if they will allow it, a\nfine, which is to be divided according to the laws of inheritance.[346]\nIt also ordains, that unintentional homicide shall be expiated by\nfreeing a believer from slavery, and paying, to the family of the person\nkilled, a fine, unless they remit it.[347] But these laws are amplified\nand explained by the same book and by the Im\u00e1ms.--A fine is not to be\naccepted for murder unless the crime has been attended by some\npalliating circumstance. This fine, the price of blood, is a hundred\ncamels; or a thousand deen\u00e1rs (about 500_l._) from him who possesses\ngold; or, from him who possesses silver, twelve thousand dirhems[348]\n(about 300_l._). This is for killing a free man; for a woman, half that\nsum; for a slave, his or her value, but that must fall short of the\nprice of blood for the free. A person unable to free a believer must\nfast two months as in Rama\u1e0d\u00e1n. The accomplices of a murderer are liable\nto the punishment of death. By the Sunneh also, a man is obnoxious to\ncapital punishment for the murder of a woman; and by the \u1e24anafee law,\nfor the murder of another man's slave. But he is exempted from this\npunishment who kills his own child or other descendant, or his own\nslave, or his son's slave, or a slave of whom he is part-owner: so also\nare his accomplices: and according to Esh-Sh\u00e1fe'ee, a Muslim, though a\nslave, is not to be put to death for killing an infidel, though the\nlatter be free. A man who kills another in self-defence, or to defend\nhis property from a robber, is exempt from all punishment. The price of\nblood is a debt incumbent on the family, tribe, or association, of which\nthe homicide is a member. It is also incumbent on the inhabitants of an\nenclosed quarter, or the proprietor or proprietors of a field, in which\nthe body of a person killed by an unknown hand is found; unless the\nperson has been found killed in his own house.\n\nHence it appears, that the punishment with which the Wezeer El-Fa\u1e0dl\nthreatened his son is not to be regarded as a grave criminal act;\nespecially when we consider the nature of the son's offence: for the\nslave was the property of the king, and it was not allowable to any\nother man even to see her without his permission. Many of the characters\ndepicted in the present work would seem incongruous in the extreme, if\njudged according to European notions of justice and other moral\nqualities.\n\nNOTE 9. \"The two professions of the faith,\" \"There is no deity but God,\"\nand \"Mo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle,\" are generally repeated by a dying\nMuslim.\n\nNOTE 10. This is said to imply (as my sheykh has remarked in a marginal\nnote) that El-Fa\u1e0dl was a charitable person who bestowed pensions upon\nthe professors of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n and of science. There are many among the\nmodern Muslims who do so, and numbers also who found and endow public\nschools.\n\nNOTE 11.--_On the Washing, Shrouding, and Burial of the Dead._ The\nceremonies attendant upon death and burial are nearly the same in the\ncases of men and women. The face or the head of the dying person is\nturned towards the direction of Mekkeh. When the spirit is departing,\nthe eyes are closed; and then, or immediately after, the women of the\nhouse commence a loud lamentation, in which many of the females of the\nneighbourhood generally come to join. Hired female mourners are also\nusually employed; each of whom accompanies her exclamations of \"Alas for\nhim!\" &c., by beating a tambourine. If possible, the corpse is buried on\nthe day of the death; but when this cannot be done, the lamentation of\nthe women is continued during the ensuing night; and a recitation of\nseveral chapters, or of the whole, of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n is performed by one or\nmore men hired for the purpose.\n\nThe washing consists, first, in the performance of the ordinary ablution\nwhich is preparatory to prayer, with the exception of the cleansing of\nthe mouth and nose; and secondly, in an ablution of the whole body with\nwarm water and soap, or with water in which some leaves of the lote-tree\nhave been boiled. The jaw is bound up, the eyes are closed, and the\nnostrils &c., are stuffed with cotton; and the corpse is sprinkled with\na mixture of water, pounded camphor, dried and pounded leaves of the\nlote-tree, and sometimes other dried and pulverized leaves, &c., and\nwith rose-water. The ankles are bound together; and the hands placed\nupon the breast.\n\nThe grave-clothing of a poor man consists of a piece or two of cotton,\nor a kind of bag: but the corpse of a man of wealth is generally wrapped\nfirst in muslin; then, in cotton cloth of a thicker texture; next, in a\npiece of striped stuff of silk and cotton intermixed, or in a \u1e33af\u1e6d\u00e1n (a\nlong vest) of similar stuff, merely stitched together; and over these is\nwrapped a Kashmeer shawl. The colours most approved for the\ngrave-clothes are white and green. The body thus shrouded is placed in a\nbier, which is usually covered with a Kashmeer shawl, and borne on the\nshoulders of three or four men, generally friends of the deceased.\n\nThere are some slight differences in the funeral-ceremonies observed in\ndifferent Arab countries; but a sufficient notion of them will be\nconveyed by briefly describing those which prevail in Cairo. The\nprocession to the tomb is generally headed by a number of poor men,\nmostly blind, who, walking two and two, or three and three, together,\nchant, in a melancholy tone, the profession (or two professions) of the\nfaith, mentioned above (in Note 9), or sometimes other words. They are\nusually followed by some male relations and friends of the deceased; and\nthese, by a group of schoolboys, chanting in a higher tone, and one of\nthem bearing a copy of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, or of one of its thirty sections,\nplaced upon a kind of desk formed of palm-sticks, and covered with an\nembroidered kerchief. Then follows the bier, borne head-foremost.\nFriends of the deceased relieve one another in the office of carrying\nit; and casual passengers often take part in this service, which is\nesteemed highly meritorious. Behind the bier walk the female mourners,\ncomposing a numerous group, often more than a dozen; or, if of a wealthy\nfamily, they ride. Each of those who belong to the family of the\ndeceased has a strip of cotton stuff or muslin, generally blue, bound\nround her head, over the head-veil, and carries a handkerchief, usually\ndyed blue (the colour of mourning), which she sometimes holds over her\nshoulders, and at other times twirls with both hands over her head or\nbefore her face, while she cries and shrieks almost incessantly; and the\nhired female mourners, accompanying the group, often celebrate the\npraises of the deceased in the manner described in the preceding tale,\nthough this was forbidden by the Prophet.--The funeral-procession of a\nman of wealth is sometimes preceded by several camels, bearing bread and\nwater to give to the poor at the tomb; and closed by the led horses of\nsome of the attendants, and by a buffalo or other animal to be\nsacrificed at the tomb, where its flesh is distributed to the poor, to\natone for some of the minor sins of the deceased.[349]\n\nThe bier used for conveying the corpse of a boy or a female has a cover\nof wood, over which a shawl is spread; and at the head is an upright\npiece of wood: upon the upper part of this, in the case of a boy, is\nfixed a turban, with several ornaments of female head-dress; and in the\ncase of a female, it is similarly decked, but without the turban.\n\nA short prayer is recited over the dead, either in a mosque or in a\nplace particularly dedicated to this service in, or adjacent to, the\nburial-ground. The body is then conveyed, in the same manner as before,\nto the tomb. This is a hollow, oblong vault, one side of which faces the\ndirection of Mekkeh, generally large enough to contain four or more\nbodies, and having an oblong monument of stone or brick constructed over\nit, with a stela at the head and foot. Upon the former of these two\nstel\u00e6 (which is often inscribed with a text from the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and the\nname of the deceased, with the date of his death), a turban, cap, or\nother head-dress, is sometimes carved, shewing the rank or class of the\nperson or persons buried beneath; and in many cases, a cupola supported\nby four walls, or by columns, &c., is constructed over the smaller\nmonument. The body is laid on its right side, or inclined by means of a\nfew crude bricks, so that the face is turned towards Mekkeh; and a\nperson is generally employed to dictate to the deceased the answers\nwhich he should give when he is examined by the two angels Munkar and\nNekeer, whom I have mentioned in No. 21 of the Notes to the\nIntroduction. If the funeral be that of a person of rank or wealth, the\nbread and water &c. before mentioned are then distributed to the\npoor.[350]\n\nThe principal ceremonies observed _after_ the funeral have been\ndescribed in Note 15 to Chapter iv.\n\nNOTE 12. \"The lord (or chief) of the first and the last among mankind\"\nis one of the many appellations of honour given by the Muslims to their\nProphet.\n\nNOTE 13. My sheykh remarks, that this is said merely to excite men to\ngenerosity; for literally it is not true, as is shown by the memorable\nexample of Ka\u1ea1b the son of M\u00e1meh, who preferred giving the water with\nwhich he was provided to another, and in consequence himself died of\nthirst.\n\nNOTE 14. We are not to understand that such a slave as Enees-el-Jelees\nwas exposed to the public gaze in a market to which all persons\nindiscriminately were admitted (for this would be at variance with\nEastern usages); but in a special mart to which none were allowed access\nbut persons of wealth who expressed a desire to purchase.\n\nNOTE 15.--_On Kissing the Ground, as a Mode of Obeisance._ This and\nseveral other passages in the present work shew that we are often to\nunderstand the expression \"kissing the ground before a person\" as\nsignifying \"touching the ground, and then the lips and forehead, or\nturban, with the right hand;\" and I believe this expression should\n_generally_ be so understood. When I wrote the fourteenth note to the\nIntroduction, I inclined to a contrary opinion, chiefly from\nrecollecting to have read the following translation of a passage of\nEl-Ma\u1e33reezee, by the learned De Sacy:--\"Ce khalife [El-\u1e24\u00e1kim] ordonna\nqu'\u00e0 l'avenir on ne baiseroit plus la terre devant lui; que personne, en\nle saluant dans les marches publiques, ne baiseroit sa main ou son\netrier, parce que cette coutume de se _prosterner_ devant une cr\u00e9ature\n\u00e9toit une invention des Grecs.\"[351] But on referring to the original, I\nfind that the words which he renders \"cette coutume de se prosterner\"\nsignify literally \"the bending towards the ground.\" I suppose,\ntherefore, that his deviating from the literal sense in one case was\nowing to his adhering to it in another; and not meeting with the proof\nwhich I had fancied to exist of his being right, I venture to differ\nfrom him in this instance, without fear of being suspected of arrogance,\nas the kind of obeisance above described is _often_ called \"kissing the\nground\" both by the Arabs and the Persians. I should add that, except in\nthe house, I do not remember to have ever seen the ground actually\ntouched, but nearly so, in making this obeisance, which is still called\n\"kissing the ground\" when thus imperfectly performed.\n\nNOTE 16. By this is meant, a place where mud was kneaded to be employed\nin building. The mortar generally used in the construction of Arab\nhouses is composed of mud in the proportion of one-half, with a fourth\npart of lime, and the remaining part of the ashes of straw and rubbish.\n\nNOTE 17. See the note immediately preceding.\n\nNOTE 18. In Arabic, \"bursh.\" This kind of mat, composed of palm-leaves\n(and sometimes, I believe, of the coarse grass mentioned in the next\nnote), is used by the poor to sit upon.\n\nNOTE 19. This kind of grass, called in Arabic \"\u1e25alfeh,\" and more\nproperly \"\u1e25alf\u00e0\" (by botanists, poa multiflora, and poa cynosyro\u00efdes),\nand the \"'\u00e1\u1e33ool\" (or hedysarum alhagi), overspread spontaneously most of\nthe alluvial tracts in Egypt which are above the reach of the\ninundation, and in consequence left uncultivated. The former is used in\nthe manufacture of coarse mats, and the latter serves as pasture for\ncamels. The Wezeer, by taking the round mat and the two bundles of\n\u1e25alf\u00e0, seems to indicate that he is degraded to a condition as low as\nthat of a maker of coarse mats. [The practice mentioned in the passage\nto which this note refers is aptly illustrated in El-Ma\u1e33reezee's Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d.\nIn his description of the palaces of the F\u00e1\u1e6dimee Khaleefehs, he says,\n\"There was in the Great Palace a place known by the name of the\nSa\u1e33eefeh, where complainants of injustice used to station themselves;\nand it was a custom of the Khaleefeh to sit there every night, for those\nof the complainants of injustice who might come to him. When any one,\ntherefore, was wronged, he would stand under the Sa\u1e33eefeh, and say, in\na loud voice, 'There is no deity but God, Mo\u1e25ammad is the Apostle of\nGod, 'Alee is the Friend (Welee) of God;' and the Khaleefeh would hear\nhim, and command him to be brought to him, or he would intrust his case\nto the Wezeer,\" &c.--ED.]\n\nNOTE 20. The boats used by the Arabs in the navigation of rivers are\ngenerally moored by means of a rope attached to a stake which is driven\ninto the bank.\n\nNOTE 21. By \"children of the road\" are meant \"travellers.\"\n\nNOTE 22. See Note 55 to Chapter iii.\n\nNOTE 23. The word which I render elevated (mo'alla\u1e33ah) is applied to a\nstructure raised upon columns or pillars, &c.\n\nNOTE 24. The \"gha\u1e0d\u00e0\" is a tree of a very inflammable nature, which, in\nburning, gives out a fierce heat. It grows chiefly in sandy tracts, and\nis described as resembling the \"athl\" (or tamarisk), but as being\nsmaller than this tree.\n\nNOTE 25.--_On Shaving the Head._ I do not know when the custom of\nshaving the head became general among the Arabs of the towns; but from a\nremark of Es-Suyoo\u1e6dee, I think it was not so common about the\ncommencement of the tenth century of the Flight (that is, about the\nperiod which this work best illustrates) as it is at present, when it is\nalmost universal among all classes; for in his time, its legality was\ndoubted. He writes thus:--\"The Im\u00e1n El-Ghaz\u00e1lee hath said, 'There is no\nharm in it in the case of him whose object is cleanliness:' and the\napparent sense of his words is, that it is improper in him who desireth\nto beautify himself for any worldly purpose, as is done by people of bad\ndisposition.\"[352] It is added in a marginal note in the copy from which\nI translate this, \"Persons differ respecting the shaving of the head.\nThe opinion generally prevailing is, that it is improper to him who\nwears not a turban, and allowable to him who does wear one, since he has\na substitute:\"--\"that it is also lawful, unquestionably, in the case of\nany disease of the head:\"--and \"that the hanging of the rosary to the\nneck, and the shaving of the head without a legal necessity, are\ninnovations,\"--H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed generally wore the hair of his head\nsufficiently long to reach below his ears; but shaved it when he\nperformed the pilgrimage;[353] and many other Muslims in early times did\nthe same. Those who shave the head generally leave a small tuft upon the\ncrown; but most persons of the literary and religious professions, and\nmany others, disapprove of this tuft.\n\nNOTE 26. By the term \"sheykhs\" we are here to understand \"persons of\nsanctity and of learning.\" See Note 9 to Chapter i.\n\nNOTE 27. By \"the shining moon\" is meant \"the beautiful cup-bearer, whose\nface is like the shining moon.\"\n\nNOTE 28. The Muslims believe that a blessing is derived from witnessing\nand hearing the devout exercises, recitations, &c., of holy men.\n\nNOTE 29. The \"jubbeh\" worn in Eastern countries, is a long outer vest,\nwith sleeves which reach nearly to the wrist. It is now generally made\nof cloth, and is worn by most tradesmen and other persons of the middle\nand higher classes. It differs somewhat in form in different countries.\n\nNOTE 30. The \"melwa\u1e6dah\" is a garment of which I was unable to obtain a\ndescription until I inquired of my friend Mr. Salam\u00e9, who informed me\nthat it was the name of a large outer garment which used to be worn over\nthe farajeeyeh. But I afterwards found it stated in one of the marginal\nnotes to a later tale, that the term above mentioned is now pronounced\n\"melloo\u1e6dah,\" and is applied in the present day to an article of dress of\ncloth or other costly material; particularly to a jubbeh; but that it\nis also employed, in allusion to a jubbeh, &c., in a contemptuous sense,\nor, as I infer, ironically.\n\nNOTE 31. See Note 41 to Chapter iv.\n\nNOTE 32. The \"lith\u00e1m\" is a piece of drapery with which a Bedawee often\ncovers the lower part of his face. It frequently prevents his being\nrecognised by another Arab who might make him a victim of blood-revenge;\nand is a means of disguise seldom employed but by Arabs of the desert.\n\nNOTE 33. The meaning is, that the act would speak for itself, and be\nlong remembered; that the grave of the fisherman would be pointed out as\nthat of one to whom the Khaleefeh had shewn signal favours.\n\nNOTE 34. It is a common custom of Arabs of the lower orders to put the\nmoney which they receive, especially when it is the first of the day's\ngains, to the lips and forehead before depositing it in the pocket; and\nthe same is sometimes done by persons of the middle class.\n\nNOTE 35. Literally, \"twenty nu\u1e63fs.\" See Note 17 to Chapter iii.\n\nNOTE 36. These are the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dees of the four great sects, or persuasions,\nof the Sunnee Muslims. See Note 1 to the Introduction.\n\nNOTE 37. The words \"and the Wezeer took him away\" are omitted in the\nCairo edition.\n\nNOTE 38. \"\u1e32u\u1e6dey\u1e6d\" is the diminutive of \"\u1e33i\u1e6d\u1e6d,\" _vulgo_ \"\u1e33u\u1e6d\u1e6d,\" a \"cat,\"\nand properly a \"he-cat.\"\n\nNOTE 39. The words which I translate \"the place of blood\" literally\nsignify \"the place of the stagnation of blood;\" and are applied to the\nusual place of decapitation, because the blood is left there to soak\ninto the ground.\n\nNOTE 40. The recompense here alluded to is one to be received at the\nfinal retribution; not in the present life.\n\nNOTE 41. This kind of \"\u1e33ulleh\" is a small, porous, earthen bottle, with\na wide mouth. Some specimens of it are figured beneath.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n [344] See De Sacy, Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. ii. pp. 99 and\n 120, 2nd ed.\n\n [345] In Arabic, \"ma\u1e25\u1e0daru kheyrin\" (vulg., \"ma\u1e25\u1e0dar kheyr\"); in\n Turkish, \"neek ma\u1e25\u1e93ar.\"\n\n [346] Ch. ii. v. 173.\n\n [347] Ch. iv. v. 34.\n\n [348] Or, according to some, ten thousand dirhems.\n\n [349] More than one is unusual; but, at the funeral of Mo\u1e25ammad\n 'Alee B\u00e1sh\u00e0, which I witnessed in Cairo, about eighty buffaloes\n were thus driven in the procession: in the narrow streets of\n the city, however, many of them disappeared, one after another,\n so that few reached the tomb.--ED.\n\n [350] If the reader desire more detailed information on the\n subject of this note, I refer him to my work on the Modern\n Egyptians, vol. ii. ch. xv.\n\n [351] Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i. p. 106; 2nd ed.\n\n [352] Nuzhet el-Muta\u00e4mmil wa-Murshid el-Muta\u00e4h-hil, sect. 7.\n\n [353] Elmacini Historia Saracenica, page 120.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nCOMMENCING WITH PART OF THE THIRTY-SIXTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF\nTHE FORTY-FOURTH.\n\nTHE STORY OF GH\u00c1NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, THE DISTRACTED SLAVE OF LOVE.\n\n\nIt hath been told me, O happy King, said Shahraz\u00e1d, that there was, in\nancient times, a certain merchant of Damascus,[VII_1] possessed of\nwealth, who had a son like the moon at the full, of eloquent tongue,\ncalled Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob,[VII_2] the Distracted Slave of\nLove; and this son had a sister, named Fitneh,[VII_3] on account of\nher excessive beauty and loveliness. Their father died, leaving them\nlarge property, among which were a hundred loads[VII_4] of silk and\nbrocade, and bags[VII_5] of musk, and upon these loads was written,\nThis is intended for Baghd\u00e1d:--it having been his desire to journey to\nthat city.\n\nSo, when God (whose name be exalted!) had taken his soul, and some time\nhad elapsed, his son took these loads, and journeyed with them to\nBaghd\u00e1d.--This was in the time of H\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed.--He took leave of\nhis mother and relations and townspeople before his departure, and went\nforth, placing his dependence upon God (whose name be exalted!), and God\ndecreed him safety, so that he arrived at Baghd\u00e1d, whither there\ntravelled in his company a party of merchants. He hired for himself a\nhandsome house, and furnished it with carpets and cushions, and\nsuspended curtains in it; and there he deposited those loads, together\nwith the mules and camels, and remained until he had rested himself; and\nthe merchants of Baghd\u00e1d, and its great men, came and saluted him. He\nthen took a wrapper containing ten pieces of costly stuff, with the\nprices written upon them, and went forth with them to the market of the\nmerchants, who met him and saluted him, treated him with honour and\nwelcomed him, and seated him at the shop of the Sheykh of the market;\nand he sold the pieces, gaining, for every piece of gold, two. So Gh\u00e1nim\nrejoiced; and he proceeded to sell the stuffs by little and little, and\ncontinued to do so for a whole year.\n\nAfter this, on the first day of the following year, he came to the same\nmarket, but found its gate shut, and, inquiring the cause of this, he\nwas answered, One of the merchants hath died, and all the rest of them\nhave gone to walk in his funeral-procession. Wilt thou then, added his\ninformant, gain a recompense[VII_6] by walking with them?--He\nreplied, Yes;--and he asked respecting the place of the funeral. So they\nguided him thither; and he performed the ablution,[VII_7] and\nwalked with the other merchants until they arrived at the place of\nprayer, where they prayed over the dead. The merchants then walked all\ntogether before the corpse to the burial-ground, Gh\u00e1nim following them,\nuntil the procession arrived at the burial-ground outside the city, and\nthey proceeded among the tombs until they came to that in which the\ncorpse was to be deposited. They found that the family of the deceased\nhad pitched a tent over the tomb, and placed there the candles and\nlamps; and they buried the dead, and the readers sat reciting the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n\nat the tomb. The merchants sat with them; and so also did Gh\u00e1nim the son\nof Eiyoob; but he was overcome by bashfulness, saying within himself, I\ncannot quit them until I have departed with them. They sat listening to\nthe recitation of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n until the period of nightfall, when the\nservants placed before them the supper and sweetmeats, and they ate till\nthey were satisfied, and washed their hands, and resumed their seats.\n\nThe heart of Gh\u00e1nim was now troubled with reflections upon his\nmerchandize, and he was fearful of the thieves, and said within himself,\nI am a stranger, and suspected of possessing wealth, and if I pass the\nnight far away from my abode, the thieves will steal the money and the\nloads. So, fearing for his property, he arose and went forth from among\nthe company, asking their leave to depart on account of some business\nthat he had to transact, and followed the beaten track until he came to\nthe gate of the city: but it was then midnight, and he found the gate of\nthe city shut, and saw no one coming or going, and heard not a sound\nsave the barking of the dogs, and the howling of the wolves; whereupon\nhe exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in God! I was in fear\nfor my property, and came hither on account of it, and have found the\ngate shut, and now I have become in fear for my life!--He then returned\nto seek for himself a place in which to sleep until the morning: and,\nfinding a private burial-place enclosed by four walls, with a palm-tree\nwithin it, and a gate-way of hard stone, open, he entered it, and\ndesired to sleep; but sleep came not to him.\n\nTremor and gloom overcame him, thus lying among the tombs, and he rose\nupon his feet, and, opening the door, looked out, and beheld a light\ngleaming in the distance in the direction of the city-gate. He advanced a\nfew steps, and saw the light approaching in the way which led to the\nburial-place in which he was taking refuge; whereupon Gh\u00e1nim feared for\nhimself, and hastily closed the door, and climbed up into the palm-tree,\nand concealed himself in the midst of its branches. The light continued\nto approach the tomb by little and little until it came very near; and\nas he looked attentively at it, he perceived three black slaves, two of\nwhom were bearing a chest, the other having in his hand an adze and a\nlantern; and as they drew near, one of the two slaves who were bearing\nthe chest said, What aileth thee, O \u1e62aw\u00e1b?[VII_8]--to which the\nother of the two replied, What aileth thee, O K\u00e1foor?[VII_9] The\nformer rejoined, Were we not here at the hour of nightfall, and did we\nnot leave the door open?--Yes, answered the other: what thou sayest is\ntrue.--See then, resumed the first speaker, it is shut and barred.--Upon\nthis, the third, who was carrying the adze and light, and whose name was\nBakheet,[VII_10] said, How small is your sense! Know ye not that\nthe owners of the gardens go forth from Baghd\u00e1d and repair hither, and,\nevening overtaking them, enter this place, and shut the door upon\nthemselves, through fear, lest the blacks, like ourselves, should take\nthem and roast them and eat them?[VII_11]--Thou hast spoken truth,\nthey answered; but there is none among us of less sense than\nthyself.--Verily, he replied, ye will not believe me until we enter the\nburial-place and find some one in it: and I imagine that, if any one be\nin it, and have seen the light, he hath betaken himself to the top of\nthe palm-tree.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen Gh\u00e1nim heard these words of the slave, he said within himself, How\ncunning is this slave! May Allah disgrace the blacks for their malice\nand villainy! There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the\nGreat! What will deliver me from this difficulty?--The two who were\nbearing the chest then said to him who had the adze, Climb over the\nwall, and open to us the door, O Bakheet; for we are fatigued with\ncarrying the chest upon our necks: and if thou open to us the door, we\nwill give thee one of the persons whom we take, and we will fry him for\nthee excellently, so that not a drop of his fat shall be lost. But he\nreplied, I am afraid of a thing that my little sense hath suggested to\nme: let us throw over the chest behind the door; for it is our deposite.\nThey said to him, If we throw it, it will break.--I am afraid, he\nrejoined, that there may be, within the tomb, robbers who slay men and\nsteal their property; for when evening overtaketh them they enter these\nplaces to divide what they have taken.--O thou of little sense,\nexclaimed the two others; can they enter here?--They then put down the\nchest, and climbed up the wall, and descended, and opened the door,\nwhile the third slave, Bakheet, stood waiting for them with the light,\nand a basket containing some plaster: after which they seated\nthemselves, having closed the door; and one of them said, O my brother,\nwe are tired with walking and taking up and putting down, and opening\nthe door and shutting it, and it is now midnight, and we have not\nstrength remaining to open the tomb and to bury the chest; wherefore we\nwill sit here three hours to rest ourselves, and then rise and\naccomplish our business: but each of us shall in the mean time tell his\nstory, and relate all that hath happened to him from beginning to end.\nSo the first, who carried the light, told his story; but it was of a\nnature unfit to be here repeated;[VII_12] after which, another of\nthe slaves thus began.\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE SLAVE K\u00c1FOOR.[VII_13]\n\nKnow, O my brothers, that I was, at the commencement of my career, a boy\nof eight years, and I used to tell one lie to the slave-merchants every\nyear, so that they fell out with each other in consequence, and the\nslave-merchant my master, becoming impatient of me, committed me to the\nbroker, desiring him to cry, Who will buy this slave with his fault? He\nwas therefore asked, What is his fault?--and answered, He telleth one\nlie every year. And a merchant approached the broker, and said to him,\nHow much have they bidden for this slave with his fault? He answered,\nThey have bidden six hundred pieces of silver.--Then thou shalt have\ntwenty for thyself, replied the merchant. So the broker introduced him\nto the slave-merchant, who received from him the money, and the broker\nconveyed me to the dwelling of the merchant, and took his brokerage.\n\nThe merchant clad me in a dress suitable to my condition, and I\ncontinued with him for the remainder of the year, until the new year\ncommenced with prosperity. It was a blessed year, plenteous in the\nproduce of the earth, and the merchants began to give entertainments,\nevery day one taking his turn to do so, until it was my master's turn to\ngive an entertainment in a garden within the city. So he went, and the\nother merchants also, and he took for them what they required of food\nand other provisions, and they sat eating and drinking and carousing\ntill noon, when my master wanted something from the house, and said, O\nslave, mount the mule, and go to the house, and bring, from thy\nmistress, such a thing, and return quickly.\n\nI obeyed, therefore, and went to the house; but when I approached it, I\nshrieked out, and shed tears; whereupon the people of the quarter\nassembled together, old and young; and my master's wife and daughters,\nhearing my cry, opened the door, and asked me what was the matter. I\nanswered them, My master was sitting beneath an old wall, he and his\nfriends, and it fell upon them; and when I beheld what happened to them,\nI mounted the mule, and came in haste to inform you. And when his\nchildren and wife heard these words, they shrieked, and tore their\nclothes, and slapped their faces, and the neighbours came to them. Then\nmy master's wife overturned the furniture of the house, one thing upon\nanother, and pulled down its shelves, and broke its shutters and its\nwindows, and smeared its walls with mud and indigo, and said to me, Wo\nto thee, O K\u00e1foor! Come hither and help me, and demolish these\ncupboards, and smash these vessels and this China-ware.--So I went to\nher, and destroyed with her the shelves of the house and all that was\nupon them, and its cupboards and what they contained, and went about\nover the terraces and through every place until I had laid waste the\nwhole, crying all the while, Oh my master! My mistress then went forth,\nwith her face uncovered, and only with her head-veil, and the girls and\nboys went with her, saying to me, O K\u00e1foor, walk on before us, and shew\nus the place where thy master lieth dead beneath the wall, that we may\ntake him forth from under the ruins, and carry him in a bier, and bring\nhim to the house, and convey his corpse in a handsome manner to the\nburial. So I walked before them, crying, Oh my master!--and they\nfollowed me with their faces and heads uncovered,[VII_14] crying,\nOh our misfortune! Oh our calamity!--and there was none among the men,\nnor among the women, nor among the children, nor a maiden, nor an old\nwoman, [in the quarter,] who did not accompany us; and all of them\nslapped themselves in the excess of their lamentation. Thus I went with\nthem through the city; and the people asking the news, they informed\nthem of that which they had heard from me; and the people exclaimed,\nThere is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great! We will\ngo to the W\u00e1lee, and acquaint him.--And when they arrived before the\nW\u00e1lee, they informed him; and he mounted, and took with him labourers\nwith axes and baskets, and they followed my footsteps, accompanied by a\ncrowd of people.\n\nI preceded them, weeping and crying out, and throwing dust upon my head,\nand slapping my face; and when I came to the party in the garden, and my\nmaster beheld me, I slapped my face, and exclaimed, Oh my mistress! who\nwill have pity upon me after my mistress? Would that I had been her\nsacrifice!--When my master, therefore, saw me, he was confounded, his\ncountenance became pale, and he said, What aileth thee, O K\u00e1foor, and\nwhat is this predicament, and what is the news? I answered him, When\nthou sentest me to the house to bring thee what thou wantedst, I went\nthither and entered the house, and found that the wall of the saloon had\nfallen, and that the whole saloon had tumbled down upon my mistress and\nher children.--And did not thy mistress, said he, escape? I answered,\nNo: not one of them escaped; and the first of them that died was my\nmistress the elder.--But did my youngest daughter escape? he asked. I\nanswered, No.--And what, said he, hath become of the mule that I ride:\nis she safe?--No, O my master, I answered: for the walls of the house\nand the walls of the stable tumbled down upon all that was in the house;\neven upon the sheep and the geese and the hens, and all of them became a\nmass of flesh beneath the ruins; not one of them escaped. He then said\nto me, And thy master the elder? I answered, No: not one escaped; and\nnow there remains neither house nor inhabitant, nor any trace of them;\nand as to the sheep and the geese and the hens, the cats and dogs have\nnow eaten them.--And when my master heard my words, the light became\ndarkness before his face, and he was no longer master of his senses nor\nof his reason, and was unable to stand upon his feet: he was paralyzed,\nand the strength of his back failed him, and he rent his clothes and\nplucked his beard and slapped his face and threw his turban from his\nhead, and ceased not to slap his face until the blood flowed from it:\nand he began to cry, Ah! Oh my children! Ah! Oh my wife! Ah! Oh my\nmisfortune! Unto whom hath happened the like of that which hath happened\nto me?--The merchants, also, his companions, joined with him in cries\nand lamentations, and were moved with pity for his case, and rent their\nclothes; and my master went forth from the garden, beating himself for\nthe calamity that had [as he supposed] befallen him, and redoubled the\nblows upon his face, seeming as though he were drunk.\n\nAnd as the party thus went out from the gate of the garden, they beheld\na great dust, and heard tumultuous cries, and, looking in that\ndirection, saw the crowd approaching them. This crowd was the W\u00e1lee and\nhis attendants, and a concourse of people who had come to gratify their\ncuriosity, with the merchant's family behind them, shrieking and crying\nwith violent lamentation and excessive grief; and the first who accosted\nmy master were his wife and children. On beholding these, he was\nconfounded, and laughed, and said to them, How are ye; and what hath\nhappened to you in the house, and what hath befallen you? And when they\nsaw him, they exclaimed, Praise be to God for thy safety! And they threw\nthemselves upon him, and his children clung to him, crying out, Oh our\nfather! Praise be to God for thy safety, O our father!--and his wife\nsaid to him, Praise be to God who hath shewn us thy face in safety!--and\nshe was stupified, and her reason fled from her at that which she\nbeheld. She then said to him, How didst thou escape with thy\nfriends?--And how, said he, were ye in the house?--We were all well,\nthey answered, in prosperity and health, and no evil hath befallen our\nhouse, save that thy slave K\u00e1foor came to us with his head uncovered and\nhis clothes rent, crying out, Oh my master! Oh my master!--and we said\nto him, What is the matter, O K\u00e1foor?--and he answered, My master was\nsitting under a wall in the garden, and it fell upon him, and he\ndied.--By Allah, replied my master, he came to me just now, crying, Oh\nmy mistress! Oh the children of my mistress!--and said, My mistress and\nher children are all dead!\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHe then looked aside, and, seeing me with my turban falling from my\nhead, while I still cried out and wept violently and threw dust upon my\nhead, he called out to me: so I approached him, and he said to me, Wo to\nthee! O malevolent slave! O misbegotten wretch! O thou of accursed race!\nWhat events hast thou brought about! But, by Allah, I will strip off\nthy skin from thy flesh, and cut thy flesh from thy bones!--By Allah,\nreplied I, thou canst not do to me anything; for thou boughtest me with\nmy fault, on this condition, the witnesses testifying that thou\nboughtest me with my fault, thou knowing it, and it was, that I was\naccustomed to tell one lie every year; and this is but half a lie, and\nwhen the year is complete I will tell the other half of it; so it will\nbe an entire lie. But upon this, he cried out at me, O most accursed of\nslaves! is this but half a lie? Nay, it is an exceeding calamity! Depart\nfrom me; for thou art free![VII_15]--By Allah, I replied, if thou\nliberate me, I will not liberate thee until the year be complete, and I\ntell the remaining half of the lie; and when I have completed it, then\ntake me to the market, and sell me as thou boughtest me with my fault,\nand liberate me not; for I have no trade by means of which to procure my\nsubsistence: this is a legal proposition that I have stated to thee,\nlaid down by the lawyers in the Chapter of Emancipation.[VII_16]--While\nwe were thus talking, the crowd approached, with the people of the\nquarter, women and men, come to mourn, and the W\u00e1lee with his\nattendants: and my master and the other merchants went to the W\u00e1lee,\nand acquainted him with the case, and that this was but half a lie; and\nwhen the people who were present heard this, they were astonished at\nthis lie, and struck with the utmost wonder; and they cursed and\nreviled me; while I stood laughing, and saying, How can my master kill\nme when he bought me with this fault?\n\nSo when my master went to the house, he found it in a state of ruin (and\nit was I who destroyed the greater part, and broke in it things worth a\nlarge sum of money); and his wife said to him, It was K\u00e1foor who broke\nthe vessels and the China-ware. Upon this, his rage increased, and he\nexclaimed, By Allah! in my life I have never seen such a misbegotten\nwretch as this slave; yet he calleth it half a lie! What then would have\nbeen the result had it been a whole lie! In that case he had destroyed a\ncity, or two cities!--Then, in the excess of his rage, he went to the\nW\u00e1lee, who inflicted upon me a severe beating, so that I became\ninsensible, and swooned away; after which, my master contrived means of\nobtaining for me a high price, and I ceased not to excite disturbances\nin the places into which I was sold, and was transferred from Emeer to\nEmeer and from Grandee to Grandee, by sale and purchase, until I entered\nthe palace of the Prince of the Faithful, and now my spirit is broken,\nand my strength hath failed.\n\n\nCONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF GH\u00c1NIM THE SON OF EIYOOB, THE DISTRACTED\nSLAVE OF LOVE.\n\nWhen the other slaves had heard his story, they laughed at it, and said\nto him, Verily thou art a villain, the son of a villain: thou hast told\nan abominable lie. The first and second then said to the third slave,\nRelate to us thy story.--O sons of my uncle, he replied, all that hath\njust been related is nonsense: but my story is long, and this is not a\ntime to tell it; for the morning, O sons of my uncle, is near, and\nperhaps it may overtake us with this chest still before us, and we shall\nbe disgraced among the public, and our lives will be lost; haste then to\nwork, and when we have finished, and returned home, I will relate to you\nmy story. So they put down the light, and dug a trench of the size of\nthe chest between four tombs; K\u00e1foor digging, and \u1e62aw\u00e1b removing the\nearth in baskets, until they had dug to the depth of half a fathom, when\nthey put the chest into the trench, and replaced the earth over it, and\nwent forth from the enclosure, and, having closed the gate, disappeared\nfrom before the eyes of Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob.\n\nWhen, therefore, they had left the place vacant unto Gh\u00e1nim, and he knew\nthat he was alone, his mind became busied respecting the contents of the\nchest, and he said within himself, What can this chest contain? He\nwaited until daybreak gleamed and shone forth, and then descended from\nthe palm-tree, and removed the earth with his hand until he had\nuncovered the chest and disengaged it, when he took a stone, and struck\nwith it the lock, and broke it; and lifting up the cover, he looked in,\nand beheld a sleeping damsel, stupified with benj,[VII_17] but\nstill breathing: she was of beautiful and lovely person, and decked with\nornaments of gold, and necklaces of jewels, worth a kingdom, and of a\nvalue that no money would equal. When Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob beheld\nher, he knew that she had been the object of a plot, and, being\nconvinced of this, he pulled her up until he had lifted her out of the\nchest, and laid her upon her back; and as soon as she scented the\nbreeze, and the air entered her nostrils and her mouth and throat, she\nsneezed, and then was choked, and coughed, whereupon there fell from her\nthroat a round piece of benj, of such potency that if an elephant smelt\nit he would sleep from one night to another. She then opened her eyes,\nand, looking round, said, with an eloquent voice, Wo to thee, O wind!\nThou neither satisfiest the thirsty, nor cheerest by thy presence the\nsatisfied with drink! Where is Zahr-el-Bust\u00e1n?--But no one answered her.\nThen looking aside, she exclaimed, \u1e62abee\u1e25ah! Shejeret-ed-Durr!\nNoor-el-Hud\u00e0! Nejmet-e\u1e63-\u1e62ub\u1e25! Art thou awake?[VII_18] Nuzheh!\n\u1e24ulweh! \u1e92areefeh! Speak ye!--But no one answered her. And she looked\nround about her, and exclaimed, Alas for me, that I am transported to\nthe tombs! O Thou who knowest the secrets of the breasts, and\nrecompensest on the day of resurrection! who hath brought me from among\nthe curtains and the veils, and placed me amid four tombs?\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhile she was saying all this, Gh\u00e1nim stood still; but he now said to\nher, O my mistress, there are neither veils nor palaces nor tombs for\nthee here: this is none other than thy slave Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob,\nwhom the King who is omniscient with respect to hidden things hath\nimpelled hither that he may deliver thee from these troubles, and that\nthe utmost of thy desires may be accomplished unto thee.--And he was\nsilent; and when she became convinced of the truth of the case, she\nexclaimed, I testify that there is no deity but God, and I testify that\nMo\u1e25ammad is God's Apostle! Then looking towards Gh\u00e1nim, with her hands\nplaced upon her breast, she said to him, with a sweet voice, O\nauspicious youth, who brought me unto this place? For now I have\nrecovered my senses.--O my mistress, he answered, three eunuchs came\nbearing this chest:--and he related to her all that had happened, and\nhow the evening had overtaken him, so that he became the means of her\npreservation, and that otherwise she had died of suffocation; and he\ninquired of her respecting her history.--O youth, she replied, praise be\nto God who hath cast me into the hands of one like thee! Rise therefore\nnow, and put me into the chest, and go forth to the road, and as soon as\nthou shalt find any one who lets out asses or other beasts, or a\nmuleteer, hire him to transport this chest, and convey me to thy house;\nand when I am in thy abode it will be well, and I will relate to thee my\nstory, and acquaint thee with my tale, and good fortune will accrue to\nthee through my means.--So Gh\u00e1nim rejoiced, and he went forth into the\ndesert tract.\n\nThe day had begun to gleam, the sun rose in splendour, and the people\ncome walking forth; and Gh\u00e1nim hired a man with a mule, and brought him\nto the burial-place. He then lifted the chest, after he had put the\ndamsel into it, and, with his heart smitten by love for her, proceeded\nwith her, full of joy, for she was a damsel worth ten thousand pieces of\ngold, and was decked with ornaments and apparel of enormous value.\nScarcely had he found himself at his house when he put down the chest,\nand opened it, and took forth from it the damsel, who looked, and saw\nthat the place was a handsome dwelling furnished with variegated\ncarpets, and she observed the gay colours and various embellishments,\nand beheld stuffs packed up, and loads of goods, and other property: so\nshe knew that he was a great merchant, and a man of wealth. She then\nuncovered her face, and looked at him, and observed him to be a handsome\nyoung man, and loved him; and she said to him, Bring us something to\neat. He answered her, On the head and the eye be thy commands:--and went\nto the market, and bought a roasted lamb, and a dish of sweetmeat, and\nprocured some dried fruits, and candles and wine, and the requisite\napparatus for perfumes. Then returning to the house, he took in the\nthings, and when the damsel saw him, she laughed, and kissed him, and\nembraced him, and began to caress him, so that the love which he felt\nincreased, and took entire possession of his heart. They then ate and\ndrank until the approach of night, and their love was mutual: for they\nwere both of the same age, and both equal in comeliness; and when the\nnight approached, the Distracted Slave of Love, Gh\u00e1nim the son of\nEiyoob, rose and lighted the candles and lamps, and the chamber\nglistened: he then brought forth the wine-service, and prepared the\ntable, and sat down with her; he filling and handing to her, and she\nfilling and handing to him, while they both toyed and laughed and\nrecited verses: their gaiety increased, and they were engrossed by\nmutual love.--Extolled be the perfection of the Uniter of Hearts!--Thus\nthey continued until it was near morning, when sleep overcame them, and\neach of them slept apart from the other till morning came.\n\nGh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob then arose, and went forth to the market, and\nbought what was requisite of vegetables and meat and wine and other\nprovisions, and brought them to the house; and he again sat with her to\neat, and they ate until they were satisfied; after which he brought the\nwine, and they drank and toyed together till their cheeks reddened and\ntheir eyes became more intensely black;[VII_19] and Gh\u00e1nim said, O\nmy mistress, have compassion on the captive of thy love, and him whom\nthine eyes have slain. I had remained sound of heart but for thee.--Then\nhe wept a while; and she replied, O my master, and light of mine eye, By\nAllah, I love thee and confide in thee; but I know that thou canst not\nbe united to me.--And what hindereth? said he. She answered, I will this\nnight relate to thee my story, that thou mayest accept my excuse. But\nthey continued thus a whole month; and after this, one night, when\nGh\u00e1nim was complaining to her of his passion, she said to him, I will\nnow explain to thee my case, that thou mayest know my dignity, and that\nmy secret may be revealed to thee, and my excuse become manifest to\nthee. He replied, Well. And she took hold of a band which confined a\npart of her dress, and said to him, O my master, read what is on this\nborder. So he took the border in his hand, and looked at it, and found\nworked upon it in gold, I am thine, and thou art mine, O descendant of\nthe Prophet's Uncle.[VII_20] And when he had read this, he let fall\nhis hand, and said to her, Reveal to me thy history. She answered,\nWell:--and thus began:--\n\nKnow that I am a favourite slave of the Prince of the Faithful, and my\nname is \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob.[VII_21] The Prince of the Faithful, after\nhe had reared me in his palace, and I had grown up, observed my\nqualities, and the beauty and loveliness with which my Lord had endowed\nme, and loved me excessively: he took me and lodged me in a private\napartment, and appointed me ten female slaves to serve me, and then gave\nme those ornaments which thou seest with me. After this, the Khaleefeh\nwent forth one day on a journey to one of the surrounding provinces, and\nthe lady Zubeydeh came to one of the female slaves who were in my\nservice, and said, When thy mistress \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob sleepeth, put this\npiece of benj into her nose and her drink, and thou shalt receive from\nme a sum of money that will satisfy thee. The slave replied, Most\nwillingly:--and she received the benj from her, rejoicing on account of\nthe money, and because she had been originally Zubeydeh's slave; and she\ninsinuated the benj into me, whereupon I fell upon the floor, with my\nhead bent down to my feet, and seemed to be in another world. And when\nshe could devise no other stratagem, she put me into that chest, and\nprivily summoned the black slaves, and, after having given presents to\nthem and to the door-keepers, sent me with the black slaves on the night\nwhen thou wast reposing at the top of the palm-tree: and they did with\nme as thou sawest, and my deliverance was effected through thy means.\nThen thou broughtest me unto this place, where thou hast treated me with\nthe utmost kindness. This is my story; and I know not what hath happened\nto the Khaleefeh during my absence. Know, therefore, my dignity; and\ndivulge not my case.\n\nWhen Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob heard these words of \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, and\ndiscovered that she was the favourite of the Khaleefeh, he drew back, in\nhis awe of the Khaleefeh, and sat alone at one side of the chamber,\nblaming himself, and reflecting upon his situation, perplexed by love of\nher to whom he could not be united; and he wept from the violence of his\ndesire, and the fierceness of his passion and distraction, and began to\ncomplain of fortune and its injustice.--Extolled be the perfection of\nHim who causeth the hearts of the generous to be troubled with love, and\nendueth not the mean with so much of it as equalleth the weight of a\ngrain!--And upon this, \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob rose to him, and embraced and\nkissed him, and, her heart being entirely captivated by his love, she\nrevealed what she had hidden of the extent of her passion, and encircled\nhis neck with her arms, and kissed him again; but he withdrew from her\nembrace, in his fear of the Khaleefeh. They then conversed a while,\ndrowned in the sea of mutual love, and so remained until day, when\nGh\u00e1nim arose, and went forth to the market as usual, and procured what\nwas requisite, and, returning to the house, found \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob\nweeping: but as soon as she beheld him, she ceased from her tears, and\nsmiled, and said to him, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence, O\nbeloved of my heart! By Allah, this hour during which thou hast been\naway from me hath appeared as a year; for I cannot endure thy\nseparation; and see, I have thus shewn thee my state, through the\nviolence of my passion. Arise therefore now, and mind not what hath\nhappened, but take me as thy wife.--But he replied, I seek refuge with\nAllah! This is a thing that cannot be. How should the dog sit in the\nplace of the lion? What belongeth to my lord is forbidden me to\napproach.--He then tore himself from her, and sat apart; and she\nincreased in love through his refusal.--In this manner they passed three\nlong months; and whenever she made any advances to him he withdrew from\nher, and said, Whatever belongeth to the master is forbidden to the\nslave.--Such was the case of the Distracted Slave of Love, Gh\u00e1nim the\nson of Eiyoob.\n\nMeanwhile, Zubeydeh, during the absence of the Khaleefeh, having acted\nthus with \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, became perplexed, saying within herself, What\nshall I say to the Khaleefeh when he cometh and inquireth respecting\nher; and what shall be my answer to him? She then called for an old\nwoman who resided with her, and acquainted her with her secret, and said\nto her, What shall I do, now that \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob is no more? The old\nwoman answered, when she understood the affair, Know, O my mistress,\nthat the return of the Khaleefeh is near; but I will send to a\ncarpenter, and desire him to make a wooden image of a corpse, and they\nshall dig for it a grave, and thou shalt light candles and lamps around\nit, and command every one who is in the palace to wear black,[VII_22]\nand order thy female slaves and eunuchs, as soon as they know of the\nKhaleefeh's return from his journey, to raise lamentations in the\nvestibules, and when he enters and asks the news, they shall answer him,\n\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob is dead; and may God abundantly compensate thee for the\nloss of her!--and from the esteem with which she was regarded by our\nmistress, she hath buried her in her own palace. So when he heareth\nthis, he will weep, and the event will distress him. Then he will cause\nthe readers to sit up by night at her tomb to perform recitations of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n: and if he say within himself, Surely the daughter of my uncle,\nthrough her jealousy, hath been led to destroy \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob,--or the\ndistraction of love overpower him, and he give orders to take her forth\nfrom the tomb, fear not from that; for if they dig down to the image in\nthe form of a human being, and take it forth, shrouded in costly\ngrave-clothes, and the Khaleefeh desire to remove the grave-clothes from\nit, to behold her, do thou prevent him, and the fear of the world to\ncome will withhold him; and do thou say to him, To behold her corpse\nuncovered is unlawful. Then he will believe her death, and will return\nher image to its place, and thank thee for thy conduct, and thou shalt\nescape, if it please God, from this difficulty.--When the lady Zubeydeh,\ntherefore, heard what she said, she approved it, and bestowed upon her a\ndress of honour, and commanded her to do this, having given her a sum of\nmoney. So the old woman set about the business immediately, and ordered\nthe carpenter to make for her an image as above described; and when it\nwas finished, she brought it to the lady Zubeydeh, and she shrouded it,\nand lighted the candles and lamps, and spread the carpets around the\ntomb, and clad herself in black, ordering the female slaves to do the\nsame; and the news was spread through the palace, that \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob\nhad died.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSome time after this, the Khaleefeh returned from his journey, and went\nup to his palace; but his mind was occupied only with \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob;\nand seeing the pages and eunuchs and female slaves all clad in black,\nhis heart was agitated; and when he entered the palace of the lady\nZubeydeh, and beheld her also clad in black, he inquired the reason of\nit, and they informed him of the death of \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob. Upon hearing\nthis, he fell down in a swoon; and when he recovered, he asked where was\nher tomb; and the lady Zubeydeh answered, Know, O Prince of the\nFaithful, that, on account of the esteem in which she was held by me, I\nburied her in my palace. So the Khaleefeh, entering the palace in his\ntravelling-dress, proceeded to visit the tomb of \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, and\nfound the carpets spread, and the candles and lamps lighted; and when he\nbeheld this, he thanked her for what she had done. But afterwards he\nbecame perplexed, and wavered a while between belief and disbelief,\nuntil suspicion overcame him, and he gave orders to open the tomb and to\ntake her out: when, however, he saw the grave-clothes, and was about to\nremove them that he might behold her, he feared God (whose name be\nexalted!), and the old woman said, Restore her to her place. Then\nimmediately the Khaleefeh commanded to bring the professors of religion\nand law, and the readers, and they performed recitations of the whole of\nthe \u1e32ur-\u00e1n at her tomb, while he sat by the side of it weeping until he\nbecame insensible.\n\nHe continued to frequent the tomb for the space of a month; after which\nit happened that he entered the \u1e24areem, after the emeers and wezeers had\ndispersed from before him to their houses, and he slept a while, and a\nfemale slave sat at his head, and another at his feet; and after sleep\nhad overcome him he awoke, and opened his eyes, and heard the damsel who\nwas at his head say to her who was at his feet, Wo to thee, O\nKheyzur\u00e1n!--Wherefore, O \u1e32a\u1e0deeb?[VII_23] said the other.--Our lord,\nrejoined the first, is ignorant of what hath happened; so he sitteth up\nby night at a tomb in which there is nothing but a carved image, the\nwork of the carpenter.--And what then, asked the other damsel, hath\nbefallen \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob? Her companion answered, Know that our mistress\nZubeydeh sent some benj by a female slave, and she stupified her with\nit, and when the benj had taken effect upon her, she put her in a chest,\nand sent her away with \u1e62aw\u00e1b and K\u00e1foor, commanding them to throw her\ninto the tomb. Upon this, Kheyzur\u00e1n said, Wo to thee, O \u1e32a\u1e0deeb! Is not\nthe lady \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob dead?--Heaven preserve her youth from death!\nanswered \u1e32a\u1e0deeb: I heard the lady Zubeydeh say that \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob was\nwith a young merchant named Gh\u00e1nim of Damascus, and that she had been\nwith him, including this day, four months; and our lord here weepeth and\npasseth sleepless nights at a tomb in which there is no corpse.--Thus\nthey conversed together, while the Khaleefeh heard their words; and\nwhen they had finished their conversation, and he had become acquainted\nwith the event, that this tomb was a false one, and that \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob\nhad been with Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob for the space of four months, he\nwas violently incensed, and arose, and summoned the emeers of his court;\nwhereupon the Wezeer Ja\u1ea1far El-Barmekee presented himself and kissed the\nground before him, and the Khaleefeh said to him, in anger, Descend, O\nJa\u1ea1far, with a body of men, and inquire for the house of Gh\u00e1nim the son\nof Eiyoob, and assault it suddenly, and bring him hither with my female\nslave \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob; and I will assuredly torture him.\n\nJa\u1ea1far replied, I hear and obey;--and he went forth with his attendants,\nthe W\u00e1lee also accompanying him, and they proceeded until they arrived\nat Gh\u00e1nim's house. Gh\u00e1nim had just before gone out and brought a pot of\nmeat, and was about to stretch forth his hand to eat of it with\n\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, when she looked out, and found that the house was beset\non all sides, and the Wezeer and the W\u00e1lee and the officers of violence\nand the memlooks with drawn swords were surrounding it as the black\nsurrounds the pupil of the eye; and upon this she knew that tidings of\nher situation had reached the ears of the Khaleefeh her lord, and she\nmade sure of destruction; her countenance became pale, and her beauty\nchanged, and, looking towards Gh\u00e1nim, she said to him, O my beloved,\nsave thyself!--How shall I do, said he, and whither shall I flee, when\nmy wealth and means of subsistence are in this house? But she answered,\nDelay not, lest thou perish, and thy wealth also be lost.--O my\nmistress, and light of mine eye, rejoined he, how can I contrive to go\nforth when they are surrounding the house?--Fear not, she answered:--and\nshe pulled off his clothes, and clad him in worn-out, ragged garments,\nand, taking the pot that had contained the meat, placed it upon his\nhead, and put in it a little bread and a saucer of meat, and said to\nhim, Go forth by the help of this stratagem, and thou hast nothing to\nfear with respect to me, for I know what I am able to do with the\nKhaleefeh. When Gh\u00e1nim, therefore, heard the words of \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob,\nand the advice which she gave him, he went forth through the midst of\nthem, bearing the pot, and Providence protected him so that he escaped\nfrom the snares and injuries which menaced him, by the blessing of his\ngood conscience.\n\nAnd when the Wezeer Ja\u1ea1far arrived at the house, he dismounted from his\nhorse, and entered, and looked at \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, who had adorned\nherself, and filled a chest with gold and ornaments and jewels and\nrarities, such as were light to carry and of great value; and when\nJa\u1ea1far came in to her, she rose upon her feet, and kissed the ground\nbefore him, saying to him, O my master, the Pen hath written what God\nhath decreed.[VII_24] But Ja\u1ea1far, when he beheld her situation,\nreplied, By Allah, O my mistress, he gave me no order but to arrest\nGh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob. And she said, Know that he hath packed up some\nbales of merchandise, and gone with them to Damascus, and I know nothing\nmore than this; and I request thee to take care of this chest for me,\nand to convey it to the palace of the Prince of the Faithful. So Ja\u1ea1far\nanswered, I hear and obey:--and he took the chest, and gave orders that\nit should be conveyed, together with \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, to the palace of\nthe Khaleefeh, treating her with honour and respect. This took place\nafter they had plundered the house of Gh\u00e1nim; and they went to the\nKhaleefeh, and Ja\u1ea1far related to him all that had happened; whereupon\nthe Khaleefeh appointed to \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob a dark chamber, and there\nlodged her, commissioning an old woman to serve her; for he imagined\nthat Gh\u00e1nim had acted dishonestly towards her.\n\nHe then wrote a letter to the Emeer Mo\u1e25ammad the son of Suleym\u00e1n\nEz-Zeynee, who was viceroy of Damascus, containing as follows:--As soon\nas this letter cometh to thy hands, thou shalt arrest Gh\u00e1nim the son of\nEiyoob, and send him unto me.--So when the mandate was brought to him,\nhe kissed it, and put it upon his head, and caused it to be proclaimed\nthrough the market-street, Whosoever desireth to plunder, let him repair\nto the house of Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob. And they came to the house,\nand found that the mother of Gh\u00e1nim, and his sister, had made for them a\ntomb, and sat by it weeping; and they laid hold upon them, and plundered\nthe house, and the mother and sister knew not the cause: and when they\nbrought them before the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n,[VII_25] he inquired of them\nrespecting Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob; and they answered him, For the\nspace of a year we have obtained no tidings of him.--And they restored\nthem to their place.[VII_26]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nIn the mean time, Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob, the Distracted Slave of\nLove, when his wealth had been seized, was perplexed, and began to weep\nfor himself so as to break his heart. He walked on, and ceased not on\nhis way to the close of day, suffering from excessive hunger and\nfatigue, until he arrived at a village, where he entered a mosque, and\nseated himself upon a round mat,[VII_27] and he leaned his back\nagainst one of the walls of the building, and then threw himself down,\nunder the influence of extreme hunger and weariness. There he remained\nuntil the morning, his heart palpitating from want of food; vermin\nattacked his body, his breath became fetid, and he was altogether\nchanged; and the people of that village, coming to perform the\nmorning-prayers, found him lying there sick through want of food, yet\nexhibiting evident traces of former affluence; and when they approached\nhim, they found him cold and hungry. They clad him, therefore, with an\nold garment having ragged sleeves, and said to him, Whence art thou, O\nstranger, and what is the cause of thine infirmity? And Gh\u00e1nim opened\nhis eyes and looked at them and wept; but he returned them no answer.\nThen one of them, knowing the violence of his hunger, went and brought\nhim a saucer of honey and two cakes of bread, and he ate, while they sat\naround him until the sun rose, when they departed to their several\noccupations.--In this state he remained among them for a month, and his\ninfirmity and disease increased; so the people, commiserating him,\nconsulted together respecting his case, and agreed to transport him to\nthe hospital at Baghd\u00e1d.\n\nNow while they were thus conversing, lo, two women, beggars, came in to\nhim; and they were his mother and sister; and when he beheld them, he\ngave them the bread that was at his head, and they slept by him the next\nnight; but he knew them not. And on the following day, the people of the\nvillage came to him, bringing a camel, and said to its owner, Convey\nthis sick person on the camel, and when thou hast arrived at Baghd\u00e1d,\nput him down at the door of the hospital: perhaps he may recover his\nhealth, and thou wilt receive a recompense. He answered them, I hear and\nobey. So they brought forth Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob from the mosque,\nand placed him, with the round mat upon which he was sleeping, on the\ncamel; and his mother and sister came to look at him among the other\npeople; but they knew him not. Then observing him attentively, they\nsaid, Verily he resembleth our Gh\u00e1nim! Can he be this sick person or\nnot?--But as to Gh\u00e1nim, he awoke not until he was mounted on the camel,\nand he began to weep and moan; and the people of the village saw his\nmother and sister weeping for him, though they did not know him. Then\nhis mother and sister journeyed onwards to Baghd\u00e1d, while the\ncamel-driver also proceeded without stopping until he had deposited\nGh\u00e1nim at the door of the hospital, when he took his camel, and\nreturned.\n\nGh\u00e1nim remained lying there until the morning; and when the people began\nto pass along the street, they beheld him. He had become so emaciated\nthat his form resembled that of a toothpick, and the people ceased not\nto gaze at him until the Sheykh of the market came and repelled them\nfrom him, and said, I will gain Paradise by means of this poor person;\nfor if they take him into the hospital they will kill him in one day. He\nthen ordered his young men to carry him, and they conveyed him to his\nhouse, where he spread for him a new bed, and put for him a new cushion,\nand said to his wife, Serve him faithfully. She replied, On the\nhead:--and she tucked up her sleeves, and, having heated for him some\nwater, washed his hands and feet and body, and clothed him in a vest of\none of her female slaves. She then gave him to drink a cup of wine, and\nsprinkled rose-water upon him: so he recovered his senses; and he\nremembered his beloved, \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, and his anguish increased.--Thus\ndid it happen to Gh\u00e1nim.\n\nNow as to \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob,--when the Khaleefeh, incensed against her,\nhad lodged her in the dark chamber, she remained there in the same state\nfor eighty days; and it happened that the Khaleefeh passed one day by\nthat place, and heard her reciting verses; and when she had finished her\nrecitation of them, she exclaimed, O my beloved! O Gh\u00e1nim! How kind art\nthou, and how chaste is thy disposition! Thou hast acted with kindness\nunto him who hath injured thee, and hast guarded the honour of him who\nhath violated thine, and hast protected his \u1e25areem and he hath enslaved\nboth thee and thy family; but thou wilt assuredly stand, with the Prince\nof the Faithful, before a Just Judge, and thou wilt obtain justice\nagainst him on the day when the judge shall be God; and the witnesses,\nthe angels!--And when the Khaleefeh heard her words, and understood her\ncomplaint, he knew that she was injured; and he entered his palace, and\nsent the eunuch to her, and when she came before him she hung down her\nhead, with weeping eye, and sorrowful heart; and he said to her, O\n\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, I see that thou complainest of my oppression, and\naccusest me of tyranny, and thinkest that I have injured him who hath\nacted kindly unto me. Who then is he who hath guarded my honour and I\nhave violated his; and who hath protected my \u1e25areem and I have enslaved\nhis?[VII_28]--She answered him, Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob; for he\nhath not attempted any dishonest action towards me, by thy beneficence,\nO Prince of the Faithful!--Upon this the Khaleefeh exclaimed, There is\nno strength nor power but in God!--and then added, O \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob,\ndesire of me what thou wilt, and I will grant thy wish. So she replied,\nI desire of thee my beloved, Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob. And when he heard\nher words, he said, I will cause him to be brought hither, if it be the\nwill of God, in honour.--O Prince of the Faithful, she rejoined, when\nthou shalt have caused him to be brought, wilt thou present me to him?\nHe answered, When I have had him brought, I will present thee to him,\nthe present of a generous man who will not revoke his gift. So she said,\nO Prince of the Faithful, permit me to search about for him: perhaps God\nmay unite me with him. And he replied, Do as thou wilt.\n\nUpon this she rejoiced, and went forth, taking with her a thousand\npieces of gold and visited the sheykhs, and gave alms for the sake of\nGh\u00e1nim:[VII_29] and on the following day she went to the market of\nthe merchants, and gave to the chief of the market some money, saying to\nhim, Bestow it in alms upon the strangers. Then again, in the following\nweek, she went forth, taking with her a thousand pieces of gold, and,\nentering the market of the goldsmiths and jewellers, summoned the chief\nof the market, and he came, and she gave him the thousand pieces of\ngold, and said to him, Bestow it in alms upon the strangers: whereupon\nthe chief, who was the Sheykh of the market before mentioned, looked at\nher, and said to her, Wilt thou go with me to my house, to look at a\nyoung stranger there, and see how elegant he is, and how perfectly\ncharming? For it is probable that he is Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob, the\nDistracted Slave of Love.--But the chief had no knowledge of him, and\nimagined that he was a poor person involved in debt, whose wealth had\nbeen taken from him, or a lover parted from his beloved. And when she\nheard his words, her heart beat, and her affections were engrossed by\nhim, and she answered, Send with me some one to conduct me to thy house.\nSo he sent with her a young boy, who conducted her to the house where\nthe stranger was lodged, and she thanked him for doing so; and when she\nentered the house, and saluted the chief's wife, the latter arose, and\nkissed the ground before her; for she knew her. Then \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob said\nto her, Where is the sick person who is with you? And she wept, and\nanswered, Here he is, O my mistress: but he is of a respectable family,\nand exhibiteth traces of former affluence. And \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob looked\ntowards the bed upon which he was lying, and, regarding him narrowly,\nbeheld him as though he were Gh\u00e1nim himself; but his condition was\nchanged, and he had become so emaciated that he resembled a toothpick,\nand the truth of his case was disguised from her, so that she did not\ndiscover him to be the person whom she sought; but she was moved with\ncompassion for him, and she wept, and exclaimed, Verily, strangers are\nobjects of pity, though they be emeers in their own countries! She then\nordered for him supplies of wine and medicines, and sat at his head a\nwhile, and mounted, and returned to her palace; and she continued to go\nforth to every market for the purpose of searching for Gh\u00e1nim.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSoon after, the chief of the market brought the mother of Gh\u00e1nim, and\nhis sister Fitneh, and went with them to \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, and said to\nher, O most charitable lady, there have entered our city this day a\nwoman and a girl of respectable origin, bearing evident traces of former\naffluence, but they are clad in garments of hair-cloth, and each of them\nhath a wallet hung to her neck, and their eyes are weeping, and their\nhearts sorrowful: so I have brought them unto thee, that thou mayest\ngive them refuge, and preserve them from the disgrace of beggary; for\nthey are not persons suited to ask alms of the sordid; and if it please\nGod, we shall enter Paradise by their means.--By Allah, O my master,\nshe replied, thou hast made me long to behold them! Where are they?\nOrder them to come in.--So, upon this, Fitneh and her mother came in to\n\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, who, when she saw them, and observed that they were both\ndistinguished by beauty, wept for them, and said, By Allah, they are\npersons of an affluent family, and traces of wealth are conspicuous in\ntheir appearance.--O my mistress, replied the chief of the market, we\nlove the poor and indigent for the sake of future recompense;[VII_30]\nand probably the extortioners have oppressed these two persons, and\nplundered them of their wealth, and ruined their houses. Then these two\nfemales wept violently, and, remembering Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob, the\nDistracted Slave of Love, their wailing increased, and \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob\nwept with them; and the mother of Gh\u00e1nim exclaimed, We pray God to unite\nus with him whom we seek, and he is my son Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob.\nWhen \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, therefore, heard these words, she knew that this\nwoman was the mother of her beloved, and that the other was his sister,\nand she wept until she fell down in a swoon; and when she recovered, she\napproached them, and said to them, Ye have nothing to fear; for this day\nis the first of your prosperity, and the last of your adversity:\ntherefore grieve not. She then ordered the chief of the market to take\nthem to his house, and to let his wife conduct them into the bath, and\nattire them in handsome clothing, and take care of them, and treat them\nwith the utmost honour; and she gave him a sum of money.\n\nThen, on the following day, \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob mounted and went again to the\nhouse of the chief of the market, and went in to visit his wife, who\nrose to her, and kissed the ground before her, and thanked her for her\ncharity; and she saw that his wife had conducted the mother of Gh\u00e1nim,\nand his sister, to the bath, and taken off their former clothes, and\nthat the traces of their original affluence had become more conspicuous\nin consequence; and she sat a while conversing with them; after which\nshe asked the wife of the chief of the market respecting the sick person\nwho was with her. She answered, He is in the same state. And\n\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob said, Arise, and let us look at him and visit him. So\nthey both arose, with Gh\u00e1nim's mother and sister, and went in to him,\nand seated themselves by him; and when Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob, the\nDistracted Slave of Love, heard one of them mention \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob,\nemaciated as he was in body and limbs, his soul returned to him, and he\nraised his head from the pillow, and called out, O \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob! She\nlooked at him, therefore, and knew him, and cried, saying, Yes, O my\nbeloved! He then said to her, Draw near to me. And she asked him, Art\nthou Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob, the Distracted Slave of Love? He answered\nher, Yes: I am he. And upon this, she fell down in a swoon; and when his\nsister and his mother heard their words, they cried out, Oh, our\njoy!--and in like manner fainted. And when they recovered,\n\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob said to Gh\u00e1nim, Praise be to God who hath united us with\nthee and with thy mother and sister! Then, approaching him, she related\nto him all that had happened to her with the Khaleefeh, adding, I said\nto him, I have declared to thee the truth, O Prince of the\nFaithful:--and he believed my words, and approved thee; and he is now\ndesiring to see thee. And she said to him, The Khaleefeh hath given me\nto thee:--whereupon he was filled with the utmost joy: and\n\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob said to them all, Quit not this place until I come again.\n\nShe then arose immediately, and departed to her palace, and removed\nthence the chest that she had brought from Gh\u00e1nim's house, and took\nforth from it some pieces of gold, which she gave to the chief of the\nmarket, saying to him, Take these pieces of gold, and buy for each of\nthem four complete suits of dress of the best kinds of stuff, and twenty\nhandkerchiefs, and whatever else they require. And after this, she\nconducted them to the bath, and gave orders to wash them, and prepared\nfor them boiled meats, and infusion of galangal, and apple-water, after\nthey had come forth from the bath and dressed themselves. For three days\nshe remained with them, feeding them with fowls and with boiled meats,\nand giving them sherbet of refined sugar to drink; and after the three\ndays their spirits returned to them. Then she conducted them again to\nthe bath, and they came forth, and she changed their clothes, and,\nleaving them in the house of the chief of the market, went to the\nKhaleefeh, and kissed the ground before him, and related to him the\nstory, telling him that her master, Gh\u00e1nim the son of Eiyoob, the\nDistracted Slave of Love, had come, and that his mother and sister also\nhad arrived. When the Khaleefeh, therefore, heard these words of\n\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob, he said to the eunuchs, Bring hither to me Gh\u00e1nim. And\nJa\u1ea1far went down with them to bring him: but \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob had gone\nbefore him; and she went in unto Gh\u00e1nim, and said to him, The Khaleefeh\nhath sent to thee to bring thee before him: have a care then to display\neloquence of tongue, and firmness of heart, and sweetness of speech. And\nshe attired him in a magnificent dress, and gave him pieces of gold in\nabundance, saying to him, Bestow plentifully upon the domestics of the\nKhaleefeh as thou goest in to him. And lo, Ja\u1ea1far approached him,\nmounted upon his mule, and Gh\u00e1nim advanced to meet him, and greeted him\nwith a prayer for long life, kissing the ground before him.\n\nThe planet of his prosperity had appeared, and the star of his glory had\nrisen aloft, and Ja\u1ea1far took him, and they proceeded until they entered\ninto the presence of the Prince of the Faithful; and when Gh\u00e1nim came\nbefore him, he looked towards the wezeers and emeers and chamberlains\nand lieutenants and the other officers of the court, and the warriours,\nand, being eloquent of tongue, firm of heart, delicate in the style of\nhis language, and pleasing in the allusions it conveyed, he hung down\nhis head towards the ground, and then looked towards the Khaleefeh, and\naddressed him in a series of complimentary verses. And when he had\nfinished his recitation, the Khaleefeh was delighted with the graces of\nhis person, and pleased with the eloquence of his tongue and the\nsweetness of his speech; and he said to him, Approach me. He therefore\napproached him, and the Khaleefeh said to him, Explain to me thy tale,\nand acquaint me with the truth of thy history. So Gh\u00e1nim sat, and\nrelated to the Khaleefeh all that had happened to him from beginning to\nend; and when the Khaleefeh knew that he spoke truth, he bestowed upon\nhim a dress of honour, and admitted him into his favour, and said to\nhim, Acquit me of responsibility.[VII_31] And he did so, and said\nto him, O Prince of the Faithful, the slave and all that his hands\npossess belong to his master:--and the Khaleefeh rejoiced. He then gave\norders to appropriate a palace to him exclusively, and appointed him\nabundant pensions and allowances, and removed to him his mother and his\nsister. And the Khaleefeh, hearing that his sister Fitneh was, in beauty\n(as her name imported), a temptation, demanded her of him in marriage.\nGh\u00e1nim therefore replied, She is thy handmaid,[VII_32] and I am thy\nmemlook. And the Khaleefeh thanked him, and gave him a hundred thousand\npieces of gold,[VII_33] and summoned the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee and witnesses, and\nthey performed the marriage-contract. Then he and Gh\u00e1nim visited their\nwives on the same day, the Khaleefeh going to Fitneh, and Gh\u00e1nim the son\nof Eiyoob to \u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob; and on the following morning, the Khaleefeh\nordered that all that had happened to Gh\u00e1nim, from first to last, should\nbe committed to writing and inserted in the records, that his posterity\nmight consider it, and wonder at the disposals of destiny, and commit\ntheir affairs unto the Creator of the night and the day.[VII_34]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO CHAPTER SEVENTH.\n\nNOTE 1. Damascus is afterwards mentioned in the original as the abode of\nthis merchant's family; but not here.\n\nNOTE 2. \"Gh\u00e1nim\" signifies \"a taker of spoil,\" \"a fortunate acquirer of\nanything;\" and \"Eiyoob\" is the name which _we_ call \"Job.\"\n\nNOTE 3. \"Fitneh\" signifies \"temptation,\" \"seduction,\" \"disturbance,\" &c.\n\nNOTE 4. By the term \"loads\" we are always to understand \"camel-loads,\"\nunless it is otherwise expressed. A camel-load is generally about three\nhundred-weights.\n\nNOTE 5. Or vesicles of musk. In the original, \"naw\u00e1fe\u1e25\" is put for\n\"naw\u00e1fij.\"\n\nNOTE 6. A great recompense in the world to come is to be the lot of him\nwho takes part in a funeral-procession.\n\nNOTE 7. The ablution was necessary to qualify Gh\u00e1nim for joining in the\nprayer over the dead.\n\nNOTE 8. \"\u1e62aw\u00e1b\" signifies \"rectitude.\"\n\nNOTE 9. \"K\u00e1foor\" is the Arabic for \"camphor.\" Instances of antiphrasis\nin the names given to black slaves are very common.\n\nNOTE 10. \"Bakheet\" signifies \"fortunate,\" from \"bakht\" (\"fortune\"), a\nword borrowed from the Persian.\n\nNOTE 11. I am not sure that this is to be understood as a jest; for I\nhave been assured, by a slave-dealer and other persons in Cairo, that\nsometimes slaves brought to that city are found to be cannibals; and\nthat a proof lately occurred there; an infant having been eaten by its\nblack nurse. I was also told that these cannibals are generally\ndistinguished by an elongation of the os coccygis; or in other words,\nthat they have tails!\n\nNOTE 12. The story here alluded to is inserted in the original; but,\nbeing extremely objectionable, and too short and simple to be abridged,\nI have been compelled to omit it altogether.\n\nNOTE 13. This story is not in the old version; but I think the reader\nwill consider it worthy of insertion in the present series, as an\namusing illustration of the customs which are often observed by the\nArabs on the occasion of the death of the master of a family. I can bear\ntestimony to the general correctness of the picture which it presents;\nor rather state, that the greatest of the extravagances which it\ndescribes are not unfrequently practised in the present day.\n\nNOTE 14. As the Arab women are much more reluctant to uncover the upper\nand back part of the head than they are to shew the face, before strange\nmen, such a scene as that which is here described is very seldom\nwitnessed; but I have seen not so unfrequently a woman with her face\nuncovered, and besmeared with mud, on her receiving the news of the\nsudden death of a near relation.\n\nNOTE 15. This, to some readers, may require explanation. To free a slave\nwho has no means of providing for himself, and not to grant him any\nmeans to do so, is almost the heaviest punishment that can be inflicted\nupon him; and to do this, unless for a heinous crime, is considered\ndisgraceful.\n\nNOTE 16. This is not just; for as soon as the slave is emancipated he is\nlegally free, without doubt: but it is inserted in the tale as a\njest.[354]\n\nNOTE 17. See Note 46 to Chapter ii.--This mode of disposing of a rival\nin the \u1e25areem is said to have been not very unfrequently adopted.\n\nNOTE 18. I suspect that the original presents here an error, which I\nhave endeavoured to correct.--The names which the lady ejaculates are to\nbe understood as those of female slaves, her attendants.\n\"Zahr-el-Bust\u00e1n\" signifies \"Flower of the Garden;\" \"\u1e62abee\u1e25ah,\"\n\"Beautiful;\" \"Shejeret-ed-Durr,\" \"Tree of Pearls\" (this is the vulgar\nmode of pronouncing \"Shejer-ed-Durr,\" which was the name of the wife of\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n E\u1e63-\u1e62\u00e1le\u1e25 Nejm-ed-Deen, afterwards Queen of Egypt);\n\"Noor-el-Hud\u00e0,\" \"Light of Day,\" or \"Light of Guidance;\"\n\"Nejmet-e\u1e63-\u1e62ub\u1e25,\" \"Star of the Morning;\" \"Nuzheh,\" \"Delight;\" \"\u1e24ulweh,\"\n\"Sweet;\" and \"\u1e92areefeh,\" \"Elegant.\"\n\nNOTE 19. From this point, to the relation of the stratagem employed by\nZubeydeh, I omit much that is unsuitable for insertion in the\ntranslation, as approaching to licentiousness.\n\nNOTE 20. Perhaps it is unnecessary to mention, that \"the Prophet's\nUncle\" here alluded to was El-'Abb\u00e1s; and that the \"descendant\" was\nH\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed.\n\nNOTE 21. \"\u1e32oot-el-\u1e32uloob\" signifies \"Food (or Sustenance) of Hearts.\"\n\nNOTE 22. As black, which was the distinguishing colour of the banners\nand dress of the 'Abb\u00e1see Khaleefehs, was originally assumed in token of\nmourning for such of their relations as were victims of the Umawees, it\nmay have continued for a long time to be used for a similar purpose: but\nthe modern colour of mourning among the Arabs is blue; and it is\nremarkable that the term which properly signifies \"black\" is commonly\napplied by them to dark blue.--On the subject of mourning, see Note 52\nto Chapter ii.\n\nNOTE 23. \"Kheyzur\u00e1n\" and \"\u1e32a\u1e0deeb\" signify respectively, \"a Cane\"\n(particularly \"Indian Cane\"), and \"a Rod,\" or \"a long and slender\nBranch.\"\n\nNOTE 24. See note 85 to Chapter iii.\n\nNOTE 25. By \"the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n\" is meant the Viceroy of Damascus, though the\ntitle is improperly used in this sense.\n\nNOTE 26. The account of the disgusting treatment of Gh\u00e1nim's mother and\nsister, which follows in this place in the old version, is not in either\nof the copies of the original which I possess, containing this tale.\nHence, and as it is extremely inconsistent with Arab customs and\nfeelings, I have little doubt of its being an interpolation by some\nignorant copyist.\n\nNOTE 27. See Note 18 to Chapter vi.\n\nNOTE 28, By Gh\u00e1nim's \u1e25areem, we are here to understand his mother and\nsister; the term \"\u1e25areem\" being often used to signify a man's female\nrelations residing in his house.\n\nNOTE 29. It is implied that she visited the sheykhs (by which are here\nmeant the devotees) to request the aid of their prayers; and gave alms\nfor the sake (or in the name) of Gh\u00e1nim in order to propitiate\nProvidence in his favour.\n\nNOTE 30.--_On the Charitable Disposition of the Arabs._ Some remarks\nwhich I have made on this subject with reference to the Egyptians, in a\nformer work, are equally applicable to the Arabs in general.\n\"Benevolence and charity to the poor are virtues which the Egyptians\npossess in an eminent degree, and which are instilled into their hearts\nby religion; but from their own profession it appears that they are as\nmuch excited to the giving of alms by the expectation of enjoying\ncorresponding rewards in heaven, as by pity for the distresses of their\nfellow-creatures, or a disinterested wish to do the will of God. It may\nbe attributed, in some measure, to the charitable disposition of the\ninhabitants, that beggars are so numerous in Cairo. The many handsome\nSebeels, or public fountains (buildings erected and endowed for the\ngratuitous supply of water to passengers), which are seen in this city,\nand the more humble structures of the same kind in the villages and\nfields, are monuments of the same virtue.\"[355] So also the numerous\nKh\u00e1ns for the reception of travellers, in countries occupied by the\nArabs, bear testimony to the charity of this people.\n\nNOTE 31. This is often said by an Arab to a person against whom he knows\nor fears himself to have committed an offence. The most urgent reason\nfor doing so may be seen by reverting to No. 9 of the notes to Chapter\niv.\n\nNOTE 32. This compliment has occasioned, in the old version, an error of\nthe most serious kind, by its having been understood in its literal\nsense. Gh\u00e1nim is made to propose that the Khaleefeh should take his\nsister as one of his favourites (_i. e._ concubines); which, as she was\na free woman, would be a crime of the foulest nature.\n\nNOTE 33. We are to understand this sum of money as being Fitneh's\ndowry.--Here it may be mentioned, that the Khaleefeh, by marrying\nFitneh, severely punished Zubeydeh: for he thus gave her a wife, instead\nof a concubine, as a rival.\n\nNOTE 34.--_On the Passion of Love among the Arabs._ A few remarks on\nthis subject may be inserted to justify the picture of love presented in\nthe foregoing tale. That sensual passion is most prevalent among the\nArabs cannot be doubted; but I think it unjust to suppose them generally\nincapable of a purer feeling, worthy, if constancy be a sufficient test,\nof being termed true love. That they are not so, appears evident to\nalmost every person who mixes with them in familiar society; for such a\nperson must have opportunities of being acquainted with many Arabs\nsincerely attached to wives whose personal charms have long vanished,\nand who have neither wealth nor influence of their own, nor wealthy nor\ninfluential relations, to induce their husbands to refrain from\ndivorcing them. It very often happens, too, that an Arab is sincerely\nattached to a wife possessed, even in the best portion of her age, of\nfew charms; and that the lasting favourite among two or more wives is\nnot the most handsome. This opinion, I am sorry to observe, is at\nvariance, as far as the Arabs of the _towns_ are concerned, with that\nentertained by one of the most intelligent and experienced of modern\ntravellers, who long resided among this people,--the justly-celebrated\nBurckhardt:[356] but it is confirmed by numerous facts related by\nrespectable Arab authors (and therefore not regarded by them as of an\nincredible nature), as well as by cases which have fallen under my own\nobservation. The tale of Leyl\u00e0 and Mejnoon, \"the Juliet and Romeo of\nArabia,\" is too well known to be here repeated; but among many other\nanecdotes of strong and constant love, the following may be inserted:--\n\nThe Khaleefeh Yezeed the son of 'Abd-El-Melik, it is said, had two\nfemale slaves; one of whom was named \u1e24abb\u00e1beh, and the other, Sel\u00e1meh;\nto the former of whom he was most ardently attached: he had purchased\nher for a hundred thousand dirhems; and the other, for ten thousand. In\nthe company of these two females he sometimes shut himself up for three\nmonths together, utterly neglecting the affairs of his people. At\nlength, being reproved for this conduct by his brother Meslemeh, he\npromised to return to his duty: but the two slaves diverted him from his\npurpose; and on the following morning, excited by their songs and\ncaresses, and by wine, he became frantic with pleasure, and danced and\nsang like a madman, till a fatal accident put a stop to his joy:\n\u1e24abb\u00e1beh, eating a pomegranate, was choked by one of the grains, and\nimmediately died. The grief of Yezeed was so poignant that he would not\nquit the corpse, but continued to kiss and fondle it until it became\nputrid. Being then admonished by his attendants that proper respect\nrequired its burial, he consented to commit it to the earth: after five\ndays, however, his desire again to behold the object of his love induced\nhim to open the grave, and though the corpse had become hideous, he\ndeclared that it was lovely as ever in his eyes. At the earnest request\nof Meslemeh, he ordered the grave to be closed again; but he was unable\nto exist when deprived of the sight of the remains of her who was at the\nsame time his slave and his mistress: he threw himself upon his bed,\nspeechless; and after lingering seventeen nights, expired, and was\nburied by the side of \u1e24abb\u00e1beh. \"May God,\" says the narrator, \"have\nmercy on them both!\"[357]\n\nIn the same work from which the above is taken, it is related that\nH\u00e1roon Er-Rasheed, visiting Suleym\u00e1n the son of Aboo-Ja\u1ea1far, one of his\nchief officers, saw with him a female slave, named \u1e0ca'eefeh, of\nexcessive beauty, and being smitten by her charms, demanded her as a\npresent. His request was granted; but Suleym\u00e1n from grief at the loss of\nhis mistress, fell sick; and during his illness was heard to exclaim,--\n\n \"I appeal unto God against the affliction which He hath sent\n upon me through the Khaleefeh.\n The world heareth of his justice; but he is a tyrant in the affair\n of \u1e0ca'eefeh.[358]\n Love of her is fixed in my heart as ink upon the surface of paper.\"\n\nEr-Rasheed, being informed of his complaint, restored to him his\nmistress, and, with her, his peace of mind.--This anecdote is given as a\nproof of strong love; but perhaps may not be thought much to the\npurpose. The following, from the same work, is more apt.\n\nDuring the hottest hour of an excessively sultry day, the Khaleefeh\nMo'\u00e1wiyeh the son of Aboo-Sufy\u00e1n was sitting in a chamber which was open\non each side to allow free passage to the air, when he beheld a\nbarefooted Bedawee approaching him. Wondering what could induce this man\nto brave the scorching heat, he declared to his attendants that, if he\nwere come to demand of him any favour or aid or act of justice, his\nrequest should be granted. The Bedawee addressed him, in verse, with a\npathetic appeal for justice against the tyranny of Marw\u00e1n the son of\nEl-\u1e24akam (afterwards Khaleefeh, Mo'\u00e1wiyeh's fourth successor), by whom\nhe had been forcibly deprived of his beloved wife, named So\u1ea1d\u00e0. The\nKhaleefeh requiring a more particular account of his case, he related\nthe following facts. He had a wife, the daughter of his paternal uncle,\nexcessively beloved by him, and he possessed a number of camels, which\nenabled him to live in comfort; but a year of terrible drought deprived\nhim of his property, and reduced him to utter want: his friends deserted\nhim, and his wife was taken away from him by her father. To seek\nredress, he repaired to Marw\u00e1n, the Governor of his district, at\nEl-Medeeneh, who, having summoned the father of his wife, and herself,\nwas so smitten by the beauty of the woman that he determined to obtain\nher for himself in marriage; to accomplish which, he threw the husband\ninto prison, and offered the father of the woman a thousand deen\u00e1rs and\nten thousand dirhems for his consent to his marriage with her, promising\nto compel her actual husband to divorce her; and this latter object,\nhaving obtained the father's approval, he gained by severely torturing\nthe unfortunate Bedawee. It would have been vain for the woman to\nattempt resistance; and so she became the wife of Marw\u00e1n.--The oppressed\nBedawee, having related these circumstances, fell down in a swoon, and\nlay on the floor senseless, coiled up like a dead snake. As soon as he\nrecovered, the Khaleefeh wrote a poetical epistle to Marw\u00e1n, severely\nreproaching him for his baseness, and commanding him, on pain of death,\nto divorce the woman and send her with his messenger. She was\naccordingly divorced and sent, with an answer composed in the same\nmeasure and rhyme, assuring the Khaleefeh that the sight of So\u1ea1d\u00e0 would\nconvince him that her charms were irresistible; and this proved too\ntrue. Mo'\u00e1wiyeh himself no sooner saw her than he coveted the possession\nof her, and offered to give the Bedawee, if he would resign her to him,\nthree virgins from among his female slaves, together with a thousand\ndeen\u00e1rs, and an ample annual pension. The Bedawee shrieked with dismay,\nas though he had received his death-blow; and indignantly rejected the\noffer. The Khaleefeh then said to him, \"Thou confessest that thou hast\ndivorced her, and Marw\u00e1n has married her and acknowledged that he has\ndivorced her: we will therefore give her her choice: if she desire any\nother than thee as her husband we will marry her to him, and if she\nprefer thee we will restore her to thee.\" She however preferred the\ndestitute Bedawee, and the Khaleefeh gave her up to him, with a present\nof ten thousand dirhems.\n\nNumerous instances of unreasonable love are recorded in the writings of\nArabs. It is related that a man fell in love with a female from seeing\nthe impression of her hand upon a wall; and being unable to obtain\npossession of her, died. Many men are said, to have conceived a violent\npassion for females seen in dreams: others, again, to have been thus\naffected merely by the ear. An author relates his having been acquainted\nwith an accomplished schoolmaster who lost his heart from hearing a man\nsing the praises of a woman named Umm-'Amr, and two days after, shut\nhimself up in his house to mourn for her death, in consequence of his\nhearing the same man sing,--\n\n \"The ass went away with Umm-'Amr; and she returned not, nor did\n the ass return.\"[359]\n\nBut a few anecdotes may be considered as rare exceptions to a general\nrule. I think, however, that strong evidences of the existence of true\nlove among all classes of the Arabs are afforded by their very numerous\ntales of fiction descriptive of this passion.\n\n\n [354] Marginal note by my sheykh.\n\n [355] Modern Egyptians, vol. i. ch. xiii.\n\n [356] I may suffer in public estimation for my differing in opinion from\n this accomplished traveller and most estimable man; but I cannot, on\n that account, abstain from the expression of my dissent. Our difference,\n I think, may be thus explained. He conformed, in a great degree, to the\n habits of the Arabs; but not to such an extent as I consider necessary\n to obtain from them that confidence in his sympathy which would induce\n them to lay open to him their character; and when a man is often treated\n with coldness and reserve, I doubt whether the people from whom he\n experiences such treatment can be judged by him with strict\n impartiality. To be received on terms of equality by Arabs of the more\n polished classes, an undeviating observance of their code of etiquette\n is absolutely indispensable: but Burckhardt, I have been assured, often\n violated this code, by practices harmless enough to our notions, and\n probably, also, in the opinion of the Arabs of the Desert, but extremely\n offensive to the people who enjoyed the least share of his esteem: his\n most intimate acquaintances in Cairo generally refused, in speaking of\n him, to designate him by the title of \"sheykh\" which he had adopted; and\n yet the heaviest charge that I heard brought against him was his\n frequent habit of _whistling_!--This fact has been mentioned, as\n corroborating an observation of the same kind, by Mr. Urquhart (\"Spirit\n of the East,\" vol. i. pp. 417 and 418), all of whose opinions relating\n to the East, expressed in the work here referred to, and especially\n those regarding the characteristics of the Eastern _mind_, are entitled\n to the highest respect.\n\n[A very remarkable instance, confirming Mr. Lane's opinion of the\nexistence of true love among the Arabs, occurred during my residence\nwith him in Cairo. The wife of a man of good birth, and holding a high\nposition in that city, was accused of carrying on an intrigue while\nvisiting the tombs of her relations. Her family claimed her in\naccordance with the law, and threatened to put her to death, as the law\nwould undoubtedly have justified them in doing, if the case were proved\nagainst her. Her husband was much attached to her--she was his first and\nonly wife--and he believed, with reason, that the accusation was false:\nat the same time he knew that she would in all likelihood find it\nimpossible to clear herself in a court of law, where justice is only\naccidentally awarded, and had good cause to fear that her male relations\nwould put her to death without a hearing. He therefore adopted the\nextraordinary expedient of taking her secretly to the house of a married\nEuropean gentleman of his acquaintance. There she remained concealed for\nsome time, her husband visiting her daily, and shewing the most perfect\nconfidence in his friend; while the latter was almost confined to one\nroom, never venturing into the \u1e25areem without calling \"Permission!\" at\nevery few steps. In the mean time, the indignation of the lady's friends\ncooled, and the affair was cleared up. She has since lived in perfect\nhappiness with her husband.\n\nTo any one familiar with Eastern customs and modes of thought, a\nstronger proof of sincere love could scarcely be given, than that a man\nshould thus set aside the strongest prejudices of his nation to save the\nhonour, and perhaps the life, of his wife, disbelieving a report which,\nfrom its plausibility, might have been accepted without hesitation. The\nfacilities afforded by the visits to the cemeteries are notorious, and\nthe state of morals among the women of Egypt unfortunately makes their\ndefence difficult in a suspicious case.--ED.]\n\n\n [357] Kit\u00e1b el-'Onw\u00e1n fee Mek\u00e1\u00efd en-Nisw\u00e1n (MS. in my\n possession).\n\n [358] This word slightly varied (changed to \u1e0da'eefih) bears\n another meaning; namely, \"his weak one:\" the final vowel being\n suppressed by the rule of wa\u1e33f.\n\n [359] Kit\u00e1b el-'Onw\u00e1n, &c.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nCOMMENCING WITH PART OF THE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH NIGHT,[VIII_1] AND\nENDING WITH PART OF THE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVENTH.\n\nTHE STORY OF T\u00c1J-EL-MULOOK AND THE LADY DUNY\u00c0.\n\n\nThere was, in former times, a city behind the mountains of I\u1e63pah\u00e1n,\ncalled El-Medeeneh el-Kha\u1e0dr\u00e0,[VIII_2] and in it resided a King\ncalled the King Suleym\u00e1n. He was a person of liberality and beneficence,\nand justice and integrity, and of a generous and obliging disposition:\ntravellers repaired to him from every quarter, and his fame spread\nthroughout all the regions and countries; and he reigned a long time in\nglory and security; but he was destitute of children and of wives.\n\nHe had a Wezeer who nearly resembled him in his qualities, in liberality\nand other endowments; and it came to pass that he sent to this Wezeer\none day, and having summoned him into his presence, said to him, O\nWezeer, my heart is contracted, and my patience is overcome, and my\nstrength is impaired, because I have neither a wife nor a child: this is\nnot the usual way of Kings who rule over lords and poor men; for they\nrejoice in leaving children, and multiplying by them the number of their\nposterity; and the Prophet (God bless and save him!) hath said,\nIntermarry, and beget offspring, that ye may increase in number; for I\nshall contend for your superiority with the other nations on the day of\nresurrection.--What, then, is thy counsel, O Wezeer? Point out to me\nwhat is advisable.--But when the Wezeer heard these words, tears poured\nfrom his eyes, and he replied, Far be it from me, O King of the age,\nthat I should speak of that which belongeth unto the Compassionate to\ndecide![VIII_3] Dost thou desire that I should enter the fire of\nHell, through the anger of the Almighty King?--Know, O Wezeer, rejoined\nhis sovereign, that, if the King purchase a female slave whose rank and\nlineage are unknown, he will not be acquainted with her ignoble origin\nthat he may abstain from her, or the nobility of her extraction that he\nmay make her his companion: so, if he do this, she may perhaps bear him\na son who may be a hypocrite, a tyrant, a shedder of blood; and she may\nresemble a marshy land, the produce of which is worthless, and attaineth\nno excellence: her child may be obnoxious to the indignation of his\nLord, not doing what He commandeth him, nor refraining from that which\nHe forbiddeth him to do. I will never, therefore, be the means of such\nan event by purchasing a female slave. I desire, rather, that thou\ndemand in marriage for me one of the daughters of the Kings, whose\nlineage is known, and whose loveliness is celebrated. If, then, thou\nwilt point out to me one of good birth and of religion among the\ndaughters of the Muslim Kings, I will demand her as my wife, and marry\nher in the presence of witnesses, that I may thereby obtain the approval\nof the Lord of mankind.--The Wezeer replied, Verily God hath\naccomplished thy want and given thee thy desire.--How so? asked the\nKing.--Know, O King, answered the Wezeer, that it hath been told me that\nthe King Zahr Sh\u00e1h, the sovereign of El-Ar\u1e0d el-Bey\u1e0d\u00e0,[VIII_4] hath\na daughter of astonishing loveliness, whom words cannot describe, whose\nequal existeth not in this age, for she is endowed with the most perfect\nbeauty and symmetry, with black eye, and long hair, and slender waist,\nand large hips; when she approacheth she seduceth, and when she turneth\nher back she killeth, ravishing the heart and the eye. It is my opinion,\ntherefore, O King, that thou shouldst send to her father an intelligent\nmessenger, well-informed, and experienced in the course of events, that\nhe may courteously ask her in marriage for thee of her father; for she\nhath no equal in the distant parts of the earth, nor in the near; so\nshalt thou enjoy her lovely face, and the Glorious King shall approve\nthy conduct; since it hath been handed down from the Prophet (God bless\nand save him!) that he said, There is no monkery in El-Isl\u00e1m.\n\nUpon this, the King was perfectly delighted, his bosom expanded with\njoy, and anxiety and grief departed from him; and, addressing his\nWezeer, he said to him, Know, O Wezeer, that no one shall go on this\nbusiness but thou, on account of thy consummate wisdom and politeness:\ndepart, therefore, to thy house, and accomplish what thou hast to do,\nand prepare thyself by the morrow, and demand for me in marriage this\ndamsel with whom thou hast caused my heart to be engrossed, and return\nnot to me without her. The Wezeer replied, I hear and obey:--and he went\nto his house, and gave orders to bring presents suitable to Kings,\nconsisting of costly jewels and precious rarities, such as were light to\ncarry and of great value, together with Arab horses, and Davidean coats\nof mail,[VIII_5] and chests of wealth such as language would fail\nto describe. These they placed upon the mules and camels, and the Wezeer\ndeparted, accompanied by a hundred memlooks and a hundred male black\nslaves and a hundred female slaves, and the flags and banners were\nunfurled over his head. The King charged him to return soon; and after\nhis departure, the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h burned with desire, and became\nengrossed with love of the damsel night and day. Meanwhile, the Wezeer,\nby night and by day traversed the deserts and wastes until there\nremained between him and the city to which he was repairing one day's\njourney, when he alighted at the bank of a river, and, having summoned\none of his chief officers, ordered him to go quickly to the King Zahr\nSh\u00e1h, and to acquaint him with his approach. He answered, I hear and\nobey:--and went quickly to the city; and when he arrived there, it\nhappened that the King Zahr Sh\u00e1h was sitting in one of the places of\nrecreation before the gate of the city, and, seeing him as he entered,\nknew him to be a stranger, and summoned him before him. So when the\nmessenger came to him, he informed him of the approach of the Wezeer of\nthe supreme King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, the King of El-Ar\u1e0d el-Kha\u1e0dr\u00e0 and of the\nmountains of I\u1e63pah\u00e1n; and the King Zahr Sh\u00e1h rejoiced, and welcomed the\nmessenger, and, having conducted him to his palace, said to him, Where\ndidst thou part from the Wezeer? He answered, I parted from him in the\nmorning at the bank of such a river, and to-morrow he will arrive and\nvisit thee: may God continue his favours unto thee, and show mercy unto\nthy parents![VIII_6] Zahr Sh\u00e1h then ordered one of his wezeers to\ntake with him the greater number of his chief officers and chamberlains\nand lieutenants and the lords of his court, and to go forth with them to\nmeet him, in honour of the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h; for his dominion extended\nthrough the land.\n\nIn the mean time, the Wezeer of Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h remained where he had\nhalted until midnight, and then proceeded towards the city; and when the\nmorning gleamed, and the sun shone upon the hills and the lowlands,\nsuddenly the Wezeer of the King Zahr Sh\u00e1h, and his chamberlains and the\nlords of his court and the chief officers of his kingdom, approached and\njoined him at the distance of some leagues from the city. So the Wezeer\nof Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h felt sure of the accomplishment of his business, and\nsaluted those who met him; and the latter preceded him until they\narrived at the palace of the King, and passed in before him through the\nentrance to the seventh vestibule. This was the place which no one\nentered on horseback; for it was near to the King; therefore here the\nWezeer alighted, and he proceeded on foot until he came to a lofty\nsaloon, at the upper end of which was a couch of alabaster set with\npearls and jewels, having four legs of elephants' tusks, and upon it was\na mattress covered with green satin embroidered with red gold, and over\nit was a canopy adorned with pearls and jewels. Upon this couch sat the\nKing Zahr Sh\u00e1h, and the lords of his court stood in attendance upon him.\nAnd when the Wezeer went in unto him, and stood before him, he composed\nhis heart, and gave liberty to his tongue, and, displaying the oratory\nof wezeers, and uttering the language of the eloquent, addressed the\nKing with courtesy of manner, and recited a series of complimentary\nverses; and when he had finished, the King caused him to draw near,\ntreated him with the utmost respect, and, seating him by his side,\nsmiled in his face, and honoured him with a gracious reply. After this,\nthe attendants brought forward the table in that saloon, and they ate\nuntil they were satisfied, when the attendants removed the table, and\nevery one who was present went forth, except the chief officers. When\nthe Wezeer, therefore, saw that they had quitted the hall, he rose and\nstood on his feet, and, complimenting the King, kissed the ground\nbefore him, and said, O great King, and dignified sovereign, I have come\nunto thee and visited thee on an affair productive of peace and\nprosperity and happiness unto thee; and it is this: I have come to thee\nas an ambassador to desire in marriage thy daughter, the distinguished\nby rank and lineage, from the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, who is endowed with\njustice and integrity, and graciousness and beneficence, the King of\nEl-Ar\u1e0d el-Kha\u1e0dr\u00e0 and of the mountains of I\u1e63pah\u00e1n, and he hath sent unto\nthee many presents and numerous rarities, desiring thine alliance. Dost\nthou then wish the same of him?--He then stood silent, waiting for the\nanswer; and when the King Zahr Sh\u00e1h heard these words, he rose upon his\nfeet, and modestly kissed the ground; and the persons who were present\nwondered at the King's condescension to the ambassador, and their minds\nwere amazed. The King then offered up praises unto Him who is possessed\nof glory and honour, and said, still standing, O exalted Wezeer, and\nillustrious lord, hear what I say: we are, unto the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h,\namong the number of his subjects, and shall be ennobled by his affinity:\nwe covet this distinction; and my daughter is one of his handmaids. This\nis my greatest desire; that he may be a means of support to me, and my\nreliance.--And he summoned the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dees and witnesses, and they bore\nwitness that the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h had appointed his Wezeer as his\ndeputy to effect the marriage, and the King Zahr Sh\u00e1h joyfully\nofficiated for his daughter in performing the contract; so the \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dees\nconcluded the marriage-contract, and offered up a prayer for the\nhappiness and prosperity of both parties: after which, the Wezeer arose,\nand produced the presents and precious rarities, and all the gifts that\nhe had brought, and offered the whole to the King Zahr Sh\u00e1h.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe King then occupied himself in fitting out his daughter, and in\nhonourably entertaining the Wezeer; and he feasted at his banquets the\ngreat and the abject, and continued the festivity for a period of two\nmonths, omitting in it nothing that would rejoice the heart and the\neye.[VIII_7] And when everything that the bride required was\ncompleted, the King gave orders to carry forth the tents, and they were\npitched outside the city. They packed the stuffs in the chests, and made\nready the Greek and Turkish female slaves; and the King provided the\nbride with precious treasures and costly jewels, and made for her a\nlitter[VIII_8] of red gold adorned with pearls and jewels,\nappropriating to her use ten mules for the journey. The litter appeared\nlike a private chamber, and its occupant like one of the beautiful\n\u1e24ooreeyehs,[VIII_9] her canopy resembling one of the pavilions of\nParadise. They packed up the treasures and wealth, and placed them upon\nthe mules and camels, and the King Zahr Sh\u00e1h went with them to the\ndistance of three leagues, and then bade farewell to his daughter and\nthe Wezeer and his attendants, and returned home in joy and safety.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Wezeer proceeded with the King's daughter, and continued his days'\njourneys and his route over the wastes, travelling with diligence by\nnight and day, until there remained between him and his country a\njourney of three days; whereupon he sent forward a messenger to the King\nSuleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h to inform him of the approach of the bride. So the\nmessenger hasted in his journey till he arrived in the presence of the\nKing, and acquainted him with the approach of the bride; and the King\nwas rejoiced, and bestowed a robe of honour upon the messenger, and\nordered his troops to go forth in grand procession to meet the bride and\nher attendants with honour, desiring them to equip themselves in the\ngayest manner, and to unfurl the standards over their heads. And they\ncomplied with his commands; and a crier proclaimed through the city,\nthat no curtained damsel nor honoured lady nor infirm old woman should\nfail to go forth to meet the bride. So they all went forth to meet her,\nand the chief among them accompanied her to serve her. They decided\ntogether to conduct her towards night to the King's palace, and the\nchief officers of the court agreed to decorate the streets, and to stand\nwhile the bride passed by them with the eunuchs and female slaves before\nher, she herself being clad in the dress which her father gave her. And\nwhen she approached, the troops surrounded her, ranged on the right and\nleft, and the litter advanced with her until it drew near to the palace;\nand there was no one who did not come forth to see it: the drums were\nbeaten, and the spears brandished, and the trumpets sounded, and sweet\nodours were diffused around, and the standards flapped, and the horses\nraced with each other, until they arrived at the gate of the palace,\nwhen the pages advanced with the litter to the entrance of the \u1e24areem:\nthe palace was illuminated by its splendour, and its walls shone with\nthe lustre of its ornaments; and at night the eunuchs opened the doors\nof the inner apartment, and stood surrounding the chief entrance. The\nbride then came forward among the female slaves, like the moon among the\nstars, or the chief pearl among the minor pearls of the string, and she\nentered the apartment, where they had placed for her a couch of\nalabaster set with pearls and jewels. Upon this she seated herself, and\nthe King came in to visit her, and God inspired his heart with love for\nher, so that his disquietude and trouble ceased.\n\nHe remained with her about a month, after which he went forth and sat\nupon his throne, and administered justice to his subjects; and towards\ndaybreak on the morning after the expiration of the ninth month, his\nwife gave birth to a male child of an auspicious appearance. When the\nKing heard of it, he rejoiced exceedingly, and gave a large sum of money\nto the bearer of the good tidings; and in his joy he went to the child,\nand kissed him between the eyes, wondering at his surpassing beauty. The\nmidwives took him, and blackened the edges of his eyelids with\nko\u1e25l;[VIII_10] and they named him T\u00e1j-el-Mulook Kh\u00e1r\u00e1n.[VIII_11]\nHe was nourished on the bosom of indulgence, and reared in the lap of\nprosperity, and days and years passed until he attained the age of seven\nyears; whereupon the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h summoned the men of learning and\nscience, and ordered them to instruct his son in writing and science and\npolite literature, and they continued to do so for some years, until he\nhad learnt what was requisite; and when he was acquainted with all that\nthe King desired, he caused him to be brought from the professors and\nteachers, and engaged for him a master to instruct him in horsemanship,\nwho continued to teach him until his pupil was fourteen years of age.\nWhenever the youth went forth on any business, every one who beheld him\nwas ravished by his beauty, so that they composed verses in his praise,\nand even the women of virtue were overcome by love for him, through the\nsurpassing beauty with which he was endowed. And when he had attained\nthe age of eighteen years, the grey down appeared upon a mole on his red\ncheek, while another mole, like a globule of ambergris, added to these\ncharms, and he captivated the minds and eyes of his beholders. His\ncomeliness increased as he became a man, and he had companions and\nfriends, and every one who enjoyed access to him wished that\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook might be Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n after the death of his father, and that he\nmight himself be one of his emeers.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow T\u00e1j-el-Mulook became addicted to hunting, and would not desist from\nit for a single hour. His father, the King, used to forbid him this\npursuit, fearing, on his account, the perils of the desert and the wild\nbeasts; but he would not receive his warnings. And it came to pass that\nhe said to his servants, Take with you provender for ten days. And they\ncomplied with his order; and when he went forth with his followers to\nthe chase, they proceeded over the desert, and continued their course\nfor four days, until they came in sight of a verdant tract, where they\nbeheld wild beasts ranging at large, and trees with ripe fruit, and\nsprings gushing forth; so he said to his followers, Set here the nets,\nand enlarge their circle, and our place of meeting shall be at the\nextremity of the circle, at such a spot. They therefore obeyed his\ncommands: they set the nets, and enlarged their circle, and there\ncollected within them an abundance and a variety of wild beasts and\ngazelles, in such numbers that the wild beasts cried out in fear of\nthem, and threw themselves in the faces of the horses in their attempts\nto escape. So he urged the dogs and the lynxes[VIII_12] and the\nhawks at them; and they shot the wild beasts with arrows, striking them\nin mortal places, and they arrived not at the further extremity of the\ncircle without having taken, of the wild beasts, a great number; the\nrest having fled away. T\u00e1j-el-Mulook then alighted at some water, and,\nhaving caused the game to be brought before him, divided it: he\nappropriated to his father, Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, the best of the beasts, and\ndespatched the portion to him; and some he distributed among the\nofficers of his court.\n\nThey passed the night at that place; and in the morning there approached\nthem a great caravan, comprising black slaves and servants and\nmerchants. The caravan halted at the water and the verdant tract; and\nwhen T\u00e1j-el-Mulook beheld them, he said to one of his companions, Bring\nme an account of these people, and ask them wherefore they have halted\nin this place. And when the messenger went to them, he said to them,\nInform us who ye are, and return an answer quickly. So they replied, We\nare merchants, and have halted here for the sake of rest, for the next\nstation is distant from us; and we have halted in this place because we\nhere enjoy tranquillity under the protection of the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h\nand his son; for we know that every one who alighteth in his dominions\nis in safety and peace; and we have some precious stuffs which we have\nbrought on account of his son T\u00e1j-el-Mulook. The messenger, therefore,\nreturned to the King's son, and acquainted him with the truth of the\nmatter, informing him of what he had heard from the merchants; and the\nKing's son said, If they have anything which they have brought on my\naccount, I will not enter the city nor remove from this place until I\ncause it to be displayed before me. He then mounted his horse, and\nproceeded, his memlooks following him, until he drew near to the\ncaravan; and the merchants rose to him, and greeted him with prayers for\nthe divine aid and favour, and the continuance of his glory and his\nexcellencies. A tent of red satin embroidered with pearls and jewels was\npitched for him, and they spread for him, over a carpet of silk, a royal\ncarpet, the upper end of which was adorned with emeralds: and\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook seated himself, and the memlooks stood waiting upon him;\nand he sent to the merchants, commanding them to bring everything that\nthey had with them. So they approached him with their merchandise, and\nhe caused all of it to be displayed before him, and took of it what\nsuited him, and gave them the price.\n\nAfter this, he mounted, and was about to depart; when, casting a glance\nat the caravan, he saw a young man, a comely youth, attired in clean\nclothes, of elegant person, with shining forehead and brilliant\ncountenance; but the charms of this youth had suffered a change, and\npaleness had overspread him, in consequence of his separation from the\nobjects of his affection; great was his groaning and lamentation, and,\nwith tears flowing from his eyes, he recited these verses:--\n\n Our separation is protracted, and anxiety and fear are prolonged;\n and tears from my eye, O my friend, are flowing.\n I bade farewell to my heart on the day of parting, and now I am alone,\n without heart, and without hope.\n O my friend, pause with me while I bid her farewell by whose voice\n diseases and infirmities would be cured.\n\nHaving thus said, he wept a while, and fell down in a swoon, while\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook looked at him, wondering at his case; and when he\nrecovered, he stared with a bold look, and again recited some verses,\ncommencing thus:--\n\n Beware of her eye; for it is enchanting, and none escapeth upon\n whom it is cast.\n\nHe then uttered a loud sigh, and a second time swooned; and when\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook beheld him in this state, he was perplexed at his case,\nand walked towards him; and as soon as he recovered from his fit, he saw\nthe King's son standing at his head; whereupon he rose upon his feet,\nand kissed the ground before him; and T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to him,\nWherefore hast thou not displayed thy merchandise to us?--O my lord, he\nanswered, my merchandise compriseth nothing suitable to thy highness.\nBut the King's son said, Thou must positively shew me what thou hast,\nand acquaint me with thy circumstances; for I see thee with weeping eye\nand mourning heart; and if thou be oppressed, we will put an end to the\noppression that thou sufferest; and if thou be in debt, we will\ndischarge thy debt; for my heart hath been tormented on thine account\nsince I first beheld thee.\n\nThen T\u00e1j-el-Mulook gave orders to place a chair; and they set for him a\nchair of ivory and ebony ornamented with reticulated work of gold and\nsilk, and they spread for him a silken carpet; and T\u00e1j-el-Mulook seated\nhimself upon the chair, and commanded the young man to sit upon the\ncarpet, and said to him, Display to me thy merchandise. The young man\nreplied, O my lord, mention it not unto me; for my merchandise is not\nsuitable to thee. But T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to him, It must be done:--and\nordered some of his pages to bring it: so they brought it in spite of\nhim; and when the young man beheld it, his tears flowed, and he wept and\nsighed and lamented, and groans rose from his throat. After again\nrepeating some verses, he opened his merchandise, and displayed it\nbefore T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, portion by portion and piece by piece, and took\nforth from among it a garment of satin interwoven with gold, worth two\nthousand pieces of gold; and when he opened this, there fell from the\nmidst of it a piece of linen, and the young man, snatching it hastily,\nput it beneath him, his reason wandering, and thus exclaimed.--\n\n When will the tortured heart be healed by thee? The constellation\n of the Pleiades is nearer to me than thou!\n\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook was struck with the utmost wonder at his words, not\nknowing the cause of them; and when the young man took the piece of\nlinen, and put it beneath him, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to him, What is this\npiece of linen? He answered, O my lord, thou hast no interest in this.\nBut the King's son said, Shew it to me.--O my lord, he replied, I\nrefrained not from exposing to thee my merchandise but on account of\nthis; for I cannot allow thee to see it. T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, however, said, I\nmust see it:--and he urged him, and was angry. The young man, therefore,\ntook it from beneath his knee, and wept and sighed and lamented\nexceedingly: so T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to him, I regard thy conduct as not\nright: acquaint me then with the cause of thy weeping at beholding this\npiece of linen. And when the young man heard the mention of the piece of\nlinen, he sighed, and said, O my lord, my story is wonderful, and my\ncase is strange with respect to this piece of linen and her to whom it\nbelonged, and her who designed these figures and emblems. He then\nunfolded the piece of linen; and lo, in it was the figure of a gazelle\nworked with silk, and embroidered with red gold, and facing it was the\nfigure of another gazelle worked with silver, and having upon its neck a\nring of red gold and three \u1e33a\u1e63abehs[VIII_13] of chrysolite. When\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook beheld this, and observed the beauty of its execution, he\nexclaimed, Extolled be the perfection of God, who hath taught man that\nwhich he knew not![VIII_14] And his heart was engrossed with desire\nto hear the story of this young man; so he said to him, Relate to me the\nstory of thyself and of her who was the owner of these gazelles. The\nyoung man, therefore, replied,--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF 'AZEEZ AND 'AZEEZEH.\n\nKnow, O my lord, that my father was a great merchant, and he was blest\nwith no child but me. I had a cousin (the daughter of a paternal uncle)\nwith whom I was brought up in my father's house; for her father had\ndied, and before his death he had made an agreement with my father that\nthey should marry me to her: so, when I had attained to manhood, and she\nto womanhood, they did not exclude her from me, nor me from her. My\nfather then spoke to my mother, and said to her, This year we will\nperform the marriage-contract of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh.[VIII_15] And\nhaving agreed with my mother to do this, he began to make ready the\nprovisions for the entertainments.\n\nAll this was done while I and my cousin were living together without the\nslightest restraint, and ignorant of the circumstance; and she was more\nintelligent and more knowing than I. And when my father had made the\npreparations for the festivity, and nothing remained but the performance\nof the contract, and my union to my cousin, my father proposed that they\nshould perform the contract after the Friday-prayers: so he repaired to\nhis friends, the merchants and others, and acquainted them with his\nintention; and my mother went and invited her female friends and\nrelations. And when the Friday came, they washed the saloon which was\nappropriated to the guests, and cleansed its marble pavement, and spread\nthe carpets in our house, and furnished it with everything that was\nrequisite, after they had decorated its walls with stuffs interwoven\nwith gold; the people having agreed to pay their compliments to our\nfamily after the Friday-prayers. My father then went and caused\nsweetmeats and dishes of sugar to be prepared; and there remained\nnothing but the performance of the contract. My mother had sent me to\nthe bath, and sent after me a new suit of clothes of the richest\ndescription; and on my coming out from the bath, I put on this handsome\nsuit, which was perfumed; and when I put it on, a delicious odour was\ndiffused from it, and left a fragrance in the way.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI desired now to repair to the mosque; but, remembering one of my\nfriends, I returned to search for him, that he might be present at the\nceremony of the contract, saying within myself, I will busy me with this\naffair until the time of prayer draws near. I then entered a by-street\nwhich I had never entered before. I was perspiring from the effect of\nthe bath and the new clothes which I wore, and the moisture dropped from\nme while my perfumes diffused their odour; so I seated myself at the\nupper end of the street to take rest upon a ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah, and spread beneath\nme an embroidered handkerchief that I had with me. The heat became\noppressive to me, and my forehead perspired, and the drops ran down my\nface, and I could not wipe the moisture from it with my handkerchief\nbecause it was spread beneath me: I was therefore about to take the\nskirt of my farajeeyeh to wipe with it my cheek, when suddenly a white\nhandkerchief fell upon me from above. This handkerchief was more\ndelicate to the feel than the zephyr, and the sight of it was more\npleasant than restoration to the diseased; and I took it in my hand,\nand, raising my head to see whence it had fallen, my eye met the eye of\nthe female who owned these gazelles; and lo, she was looking out from a\nlattice in a window of brass. My eye never beheld a person more lovely,\nand altogether her charms were such as the tongue cannot describe; and\nwhen she saw me looking at her, she put her finger in her mouth, and\nthen united her middle finger and her fore finger, and placed them upon\nher bosom; after which, she drew in her head from the window, and shut\nthe lattice and withdrew. A fire had been darted into my heart, and the\nflame increased; the sight drew from me a thousand sighs, and I was\nperplexed; for I heard not anything from her, and understood not what\nshe meant by her signs. I looked again towards the window; but found it\nclosed: and I waited until sunset; but heard no sound, nor saw any\nperson; so, despairing of seeing her again, I rose from my place, and\ntook the handkerchief with me. I opened it, and the odour of musk was\ndiffused from it, and I was so exhilarated by the scent that I seemed as\nif I were in paradise. I then spread it before me; whereupon there fell\nfrom it a piece of delicate paper, and, opening this, I found it richly\nperfumed with exquisite scents, and inscribed with these verses:--\n\n I sent a letter to complain to him of the pain of my passion,\n in a delicate handwriting (for handwritings are various);\n So my beloved said, Wherefore is thy writing thus delicate\n and minute, so as scarce to be discernible?\n I answered, Because I am wasted and attenuated: so, therefore,\n should the writing of lovers be.\n\nAfter this, I cast a glance at the beauty of the handkerchief, and\nbeheld an amatory couplet worked upon one of its two borders,[VIII_16]\nand another, of a similar kind, on its other border.\n\nWhen I saw these verses upon the handkerchief, a flame of fire shot into\nmy heart, and my desire and perplexity increased; and I took the\nhandkerchief and the paper, and went with them to the house, not knowing\nany means of obtaining what I desired, and incapable of discovering how\nto proceed properly in my love. I arrived not at the house until a\nconsiderable portion of the night had elapsed, and beheld my cousin\nsitting weeping; but when she saw me, she wiped away her tears, and\napproached me, and took off from me my outer clothes, and asked me the\ncause of my absence. She told me that all the people, the emeers and\ngrandees, and merchants and others, had assembled in our house, and the\n\u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee and the witnesses had come, and they ate the repast, and remained\na considerable while sitting in expectation of my presence for the\npurpose of performing the marriage-contract, and when they despaired of\nmy coming, they dispersed and went their ways.--Thy father, said she,\nwas violently enraged on account of this, and swore that he would not\nperform our marriage-contract until next year; for he hath expended upon\nthis festivity a large sum of money. What, she added, hath happened unto\nthee this day, that thou hast delayed thy return until now, and that\nthis hath happened on account of thine absence?\n\nI answered her, Such and such things have happened to me:--and\nmentioned to her the handkerchief, acquainting her with the affair from\nfirst to last: and she took the paper and the handkerchief, and read\nwhat was upon them, and her tears ran down upon her cheeks; and she\nasked me, What did she say to thee, and of what did she make signs to\nthee? I answered, She uttered not a word; but put her finger in her\nmouth, and then united it with the middle finger, and placed both\nfingers upon her bosom, and pointed to the ground: then she drew in her\nhead, and closed the lattice, and I saw her not afterwards. She carried\noff my heart with her, and I sat until sunset in expectation of her\nlooking out from the lattice a second time; but she did it not; and when\nI despaired of seeing her again, I rose from the place. This is my\nstory; and I beg of thee to aid me in the trouble in which I am\ninvolved.--Upon this, she raised her head towards me, and said, O son of\nmy uncle, if thou requiredst mine eye, I would pull it out for thee from\nmy eyelids; and I must assist thee in the accomplishment of thy desire,\nand assist her in like manner; for she is overwhelmed by love for thee,\nas thou art by love for her.--And what, said I, is the interpretation of\nthe signs which she made?--Her putting her finger in her mouth, she\nanswered, indicateth that thou art in her estimation as her soul to her\nbody,[VIII_17] and that she longeth for thy union with her; and as\nto the handkerchief, it is a signal of the lover's salutation to the\nbeloved; and the paper denoteth that her soul is captivated by thee; and\nas to her putting her two fingers upon her bosom, the meaning of it is\nas though she said to thee, After two days come hither, that my\naffliction may be dissipated by thy countenance.[VIII_18] And know,\nO son of my uncle, she continued, that she loveth thee and confideth in\nthee. This is my interpretation of her signs; and if I had liberty to go\nin and out at pleasure, I would effect thy union with her in the\nshortest time, and protect you both with my skirt.--When I heard these\nwords from her, said the young man, I thanked her for what she had said,\nand I said within myself, I will wait two days. I then remained two days\nin the house, neither going out nor coming in, nor eating nor drinking.\nI put my head in the lap of my cousin; and she cheered me by her\nconversation, and said to me, Be resolute and of good heart, and dress\nthyself, and repair to her at the time appointed. And she arose, and\nchanged my clothes, and perfumed me with incense.\n\nI then braced up my nerves, and fortified my heart, and went forth, and\nproceeded until I entered the by-street, and after I had sat a while\nupon the ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah, lo, the lattice opened. I looked towards the damsel,\nand when I saw her I fell down in a swoon: then recovering, I summoned\nresolution, and took heart, and looked at her a second time; but again I\nbecame insensible; and when I recovered, I saw with her a mirror and a\nred handkerchief. Observing me now, she tucked up her sleeves from her\nfore arms, and, opening her five fingers, struck her bosom with them\n(with the palm and the five fingers): next she raised her hands, and\nheld forth the mirror from the lattice, and took the red handkerchief,\nand retired with it; after which she returned, and let it down from the\nlattice towards the street three times, letting it down and raising it,\nand then wringing it and twisting it with her hand, and bending down her\nhead: she then drew it in through the lattice, and closed the lattice,\nand departed, without speaking to me one word, but leaving me in\nperplexity, not knowing to what she alluded. I remained sitting there\nuntil the hour of nightfall, and went home near midnight.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI found my cousin with her hand placed to her cheek, and her eyelids\npouring forth tears; and upon this, my anxieties and griefs increased,\nand I fell down in a corner of the chamber; but she sprang towards me,\nand lifted me up, and, having taken off from me my outer clothes, wiped\nmy face with her sleeve, and asked me what had happened to me. I\nrelated to her, therefore, all that had happened on the part of the\ndamsel: and she said to me, O son of my uncle, as to her sign with\nher hand and five fingers, its interpretation is, Come hither after\nfive days:--and as to her sign with the mirror, and her putting\nforth her head from the lattice [and her actions with the red\nhandkerchief],[VIII_19] the meaning is, Seat thyself at the shop of\nthe dyer until my messenger shall come to thee.--When I heard her words,\nfire burned in my heart, and I replied, By Allah, O daughter of my\nuncle, thou sayest truly in this interpretation; for I saw in the\nby-street a Jewish dyer. I then wept, and my cousin said, Be resolute,\nand firm of heart; for others than thou are troubled with love for a\nperiod of years, and contend with the fierceness of passion, while thou\nhast but a week to endure: wherefore then should this impatience\novercome thee? And she proceeded to cheer me with her conversation, and\nbrought me food; and I took a morsel, and would have eaten it; but I\ncould not. I abstained from drink and food, and renounced the delights\nof sleep, and my complexion became pallid, and my charms became changed;\nfor I had never known love before that, nor tasted the fervency of that\npassion before; and I fell sick, and my cousin became sick on my\naccount. She occupied herself in relating to me the sufferings of\nlovers, in order to enliven me, until I fell asleep; and I used to\nawake, and find her sleepless on my account, with her tears flowing upon\nher cheeks; and thus I remained until the five days had passed, when my\ncousin arose, and heated some water for me, and bathed me with it, and\ndressed me, and said to me, Repair to her, and may Allah accomplish thy\nwish, and grant thee what thou desirest of thy beloved.\n\nSo I went, and walked on until I came to the upper end of the by-street,\nand that day was Saturday; so I found the shop of the dyer shut: and I\nsat there till the call to afternoon-prayers; and the sun became yellow,\nand the call to evening-prayers was chanted; and night commenced, and I\nsaw no trace of her, nor heard a voice, nor received any message: I\ntherefore feared for myself, sitting alone; and I rose and walked away,\nlike one intoxicated, until I entered the house.\n\nThere, on going in, I beheld my cousin 'Azeezeh with one of her hands\nholding a peg knocked into the wall, and her other hand upon her bosom;\nand she was groaning, and reciting verses; but when she had finished her\nrecitation, she turned her eyes towards me, and beheld me; whereupon she\nwiped away her tears and mine with her sleeve, and, smiling in my face,\nsaid to me, O son of my uncle, Allah grant thee enjoyment of that which\nHe hath given thee! Wherefore hast thou not visited thy beloved this\nnight?--And when I heard her words, I kicked her with my foot upon her\nbosom, and she fell down upon the raised floor, and there was a peg\nthere, and it wounded her forehead. On looking at her I saw that her\nforehead was cut open, and her blood was flowing; yet she was silent,\nand uttered not a single letter; but rose immediately, and burned some\ntinder of rags, and, having closed with it the wound, tied a bandage\nround her head, and wiped away the blood that had flowed upon the\ncarpet; and it was as though this accident had not occurred. She then\ncame to me, and, smiling in my face, said to me with a gentle voice, By\nAllah, O son of my uncle, I said not this to make a jest of thee or of\nher. I was troubled just now by the aching of my head, and with wiping\naway the blood: but at the present moment the pain of my head is\nalleviated, and that of my forehead: tell me therefore what hath\nhappened to thee this day.--So I related to her all that had befallen me\nthrough the conduct of that damsel on this day; and after I had done so\nI wept; but she said to me, Rejoice at the announcement of the success\nof thy desire, and the accomplishment of thy hope. Verily this is a sign\nof acceptance: for she absented herself from thee because she desireth\nto try thee, and to know whether thou art patient or not, and whether\nthou art sincere in thy love of her or not. To-morrow go to her, and\nstation thyself at thy first place, and see what sign she will make to\nthee; for thy happiness is near, and thy sorrow is dissipated.--And she\nproceeded to console me; but I ceased not to increase in anxiety and\ngrief. She then placed the food before me; but I kicked it with my foot,\nand the contents of each saucer were scattered about; and I said, Every\none who is in love is insane, and inclineth not to food, nor findeth\npleasure in sleep.--By Allah, O son of my uncle, exclaimed my cousin\n'Azeezeh, these are indeed symptoms of love! And her tears flowed, and\nshe gathered together the fragments of the saucers, and wiped up the\nfood that was spilt, and sat chatting to me, while I prayed to God that\nHe would hasten the morning.\n\nAnd when the morning came, and diffused its light, I repaired to the\ndamsel, and entered hastily the by-street, where I seated myself upon\nthe ma\u1e63\u1e6dabah before mentioned; and lo, the window was opened, and she\nput forth her head from it, laughing. She then retired, and returned\nbringing a mirror, and a bag, and a pot filled with green plants, and\nhaving also in her hand a lamp: and the first thing that she did was\nthis: she took the mirror in her hand, and put it into the bag: then she\ntied it up and threw it back into the chamber. After this, she let down\nher hair over her face, and put the lamp upon the top of the green\nplants for a moment, and then took all these things and departed with\nthem, and closed the lattice. My heart was riven by her secret signs and\nher obscure intimations, for she addressed me not with a single word,\nand my passion grew more violent thereat, and my excitement and\ndistraction increased.\n\nI retraced my steps with weeping eye and sorrowful heart until I entered\nthe house, where I saw my cousin sitting with her face to the wall: her\nheart was burning with anxiety and grief and jealousy; but her affection\nprevented her from acquainting me at all with the passion which she felt\non witnessing my excessive love and distraction. I then looked at her\nagain, and saw that she had, on her head, two bandages: one of them was\non account of the accident that had happened to her forehead, and the\nother was upon her eye, on account of a pain that she suffered in\nconsequence of the violence of her weeping. She was in a most miserable\ncase, weeping, and reciting these verses:--\n\n Wherever thou be, mayst thou be in safety, O thou who departest,\n and yet dwellest in my heart!\n May God be near thee wherever thou goest, to deliver thee from\n vicissitudes and from misfortunes!\n Thou hast gone, and mine eye is cheerless through thine absence,\n and my tears are flowing--O how abundantly!\n\nAnd when she had ended her recitation, she looked towards me and saw me\nas she wept, and she wiped away her tears, and rose to me; but she could\nnot speak, from the excessive love with which she was affected, and she\nremained for some time silent; after which, she said to me, O son of my\nuncle, tell me what thou hast experienced from her on this occasion. And\nI told her all that had happened to me; whereupon she said to me, Be\npatient; for the time of thy union is come, and thou hast attained the\nobject of thy hopes. As to the sign that she made to thee with the\nmirror, and her putting it into the bag, it is equivalent to her saying\nto thee, Wait until the sun shall have set:--and as to her letting fall\nher hair over her face, it implieth her saying to thee, When night\ncometh, and letteth fall its black shade over the light of day, come\nhither:--and the sign that she made to thee with the pot containing the\nplants meant that she would say to thee, When thou comest, enter the\ngarden that is behind the by-street:--and the sign which she made to\nthee with the lamp denoted her saying to thee, When thou enterest the\ngarden, to the place where thou findest the lighted lamp do thou repair,\nand seat thyself beneath it, and there wait for me; for the love of thee\ndestroyeth me.--But when I heard these words of my cousin, I cried out\nfrom the excess of my passion, and said, How many times dost thou\npromise me, and I go to her and attain not my desire, nor find a true\nmeaning to thine interpretation? And upon this, my cousin laughed, and\nreplied, It remaineth for thee to have patience during the rest of this\nday, until the daylight is gone, and the night cometh with its deep\ndarkness, and then shalt thou enjoy thy union and the accomplishment of\nthy hopes; and these words are true, without any falsehood. She then\ndrew near to me, and comforted me with soft words, but dared not bring\nme any food, fearing that I should be angry with her, and hoping that I\nmight incline to her with favour: she only came to me, and took off my\nouter clothes: after which she said to me, O son of my uncle, sit with\nme that I may converse with thee to amuse thee until the close of the\nday, and, if it be the will of God, the night shall not come without thy\nbeing in the company of thy beloved. But I took no notice of her,\nwaiting for the night, and saying, O Allah, hasten the coming of the\nnight! And when it arrived, my cousin wept violently, and gave me a\ngrain of pure musk, saying to me, O son of my uncle, put this grain in\nthy mouth, and when thou hast met thy Beloved, and she hath accepted thy\nsuit, recite to her this verse:--\n\n O ye lovers, by Allah, inform me, how a youth should act when\n his love is intense.\n\nShe then kissed me, and desired me to swear that I would not recite this\nverse until my departure from the damsel; and I replied, I hear and\nobey.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI went forth at the hour of nightfall, and proceeded until I came to the\ngarden. I found its gate open, and entered, and beheld a light in the\ndistance; so I advanced towards it, and when I arrived at it, I found\nthere a large ma\u1e33'ad,[VIII_20] over which was constructed a dome of\nivory and ebony, and the lamp was suspended in the midst of the dome.\nThe ma\u1e33'ad was furnished with silken carpets embroidered with gold and\nsilver; and there was a great lighted candle in a candlestick of gold\nbeneath the lamp: in the midst of the chamber was a fountain ornamented\nwith various designs:[VIII_21] by the side of this fountain was a\ntable of viands covered with a silk napkin, near which was a large china\nbottle full of wine, with a cup of crystal adorned with gilding; and by\nthe side of all these things was a great tray of silver, covered over. I\nuncovered it, and beheld in it a variety of fruits, such as figs and\npomegranates and grapes and oranges and citrons of different kinds,\ntogether with various flowers, as roses and jasmine and myrtle and\neglantine and narcissus, and all kinds of sweet scents. I was astonished\nat this place, and affected with the utmost delight, and my anxiety and\ngrief were dissipated; but I found not in this abode any being of the\ncreatures of God (whose name be exalted!); not even a male or female\nslave did I see, nor the person who thus neglected these things. I sat\nin this chamber, waiting for the coming of the beloved of my heart,\nuntil the first hour of the night had passed, and the second hour, and\nthe third; but she came not; and hunger began to torment me violently,\nfor a long time had elapsed without my eating food, through the excess\nof my passion; but when I beheld this place, and my cousin's correct\nunderstanding of the signs made by my beloved became manifest to me, I\nfelt at ease; yet I still experienced the torment of hunger, and the\nsavoury odours of the food upon the table had excited my desire on my\narrival there. Feeling secure, therefore, of the attainment of my\nobject, and longing to eat, I approached the table, and took off the\ncover, and found in the midst of it a dish of china containing four\nfricandoed fowls seasoned with spices, around which were four saucers;\none containing sweetmeats; and another, conserve of pomegranate-grains;\nand a third, ba\u1e33l\u00e1weh;[VIII_22] and the fourth, \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e1\u00eff:[VIII_23] the\ncontents of these saucers consisting both of sweet and acid. So I ate of\nthe \u1e33a\u1e6d\u00e1\u00eff, and a piece of meat, and I put my hand to the ba\u1e33l\u00e1weh and\nate of it as much as was agreeable, and then turned to the sweetmeat and\nate a spoonful, or two, or three, or four, and I ate a portion of a\nfowl, and a morsel of another dish: and when I had done this, my stomach\nwas full, and my joints became loose, and I was too lazy to remain\nawake; so I laid my head upon a cushion, after I had washed my hands,\nand sleep overcame me, and I knew not what happened to me after this. I\nawoke not until the sun scorched me (for some days had passed without my\nhaving tasted sleep); and when I awoke, I found upon my stomach some\nsalt and charcoal; and I stood up and shook my clothes, and looked to\nthe right and left, but found no one: I discovered that I had been\nsleeping upon the marble pavement without anything spread beneath me,\nand I was perplexed in my mind, and mourned greatly; my tears ran down\nupon my cheeks, and I lamented for myself.\n\nI then returned to the house, and when I arrived there I found my cousin\nstriking her hand upon her bosom, and weeping with tears like raining\nclouds; but when she beheld me she arose quickly, and wiped away her\ntears, and, addressing me with her soft speech, said to me, O son of my\nuncle, God hath been gracious to thee in thy passion, since the person\nwhom thou lovest loveth thee, while _I_ remain weeping and mourning for\nthe separation of thee who findest fault with me; but may God not\nchastise thee on my account! She then smiled in my face with the smile\nof one in anger, and caressed me, and took off my outer clothes, and\nspread them out, and said, By Allah, these are not the odours of one who\nhath enjoyed the company of his beloved! Tell me, then, what hath\nhappened to thee, O son of my uncle.--And I told her all that had\nbefallen me; whereupon she smiled a second time with the smile of one in\nanger, and said, Verily, my heart is full and in pain! But may the\nperson who paineth thy heart cease to exist! This woman maketh herself\nextravagantly difficult to thee. By Allah, O son of my uncle, I fear\nwhat she may do to thee. Know that the meaning of the salt is, Thou art\ndrowned in sleep, and seemest insipid, so that the soul regardeth thee\nwith loathing, and thou requirest to be salted, that the stomach may not\neject thee: thou pretendest that thou art of the number of generous\nlovers; but sleep, unto lovers, is forbidden; and thy pretension to love\nis false.--Such, however, is her pretension: her love for thee is false,\nfor when she saw thee sleeping she did not rouse thee; and had her love\nfor thee been true she would have roused thee.--And as to the charcoal,\nthe meaning indicated by it is, May God blacken thy face,[VIII_24]\nsince thou hast made false pretensions to love, when thou art only a\nchild, and hast no care but for eating and drinking and sleeping. This\nis the interpretation of her sign; and may Allah (whose name be\nexalted!) deliver thee from her.--Now when I heard what she said, I\nstruck my hand upon my breast, and exclaimed, By Allah, this is the\ntruth; for I slept; and lovers sleep not: so I have wronged mine own\nself. What could have been more injurious to me than eating and\nsleeping? And what is to be done?--I then wept exceedingly, and said to\nmy cousin, Direct me what to do, and have mercy upon me; so may God have\nmercy upon thee; otherwise I shall die. My cousin, therefore, having a\nvery great love for me, replied, On my head and my eye! But, O son of my\nuncle, I have told thee several times, that, if I had the privilege of\ncoming in and going out when I pleased, I would accomplish thy union\nwith her in the shortest time, and cover you both with my skirt; and\nthis I would not do but from the desire of obtaining thine approval. If\nGod permit, I will employ my utmost endeavours to bring you together;\nbut hear my words, and comply with my directions, and go to that same\nplace, and seat thyself there: when the hour of nightfall is come, seat\nthyself in the place where thou wast, and beware of eating anything; for\neating induceth sleep: have a care then that thou sleep not; for she\nwill not come to thee until a quarter of the night hath passed: and may\nGod avert from thee her wickedness!--So, when I heard her words, I\nrejoiced, and prayed God to hasten the night; and when night came, I\ndesired to depart; and my cousin said to me, When thou hast met her,\nrepeat to her the verse before mentioned, at the time of thy departure.\nI replied, On the head and the eye.\n\nAnd when I went forth and repaired to the garden, I found the place\nprepared, in the same state in which I had seen it before; in it was\neverything requisite, of food and drink and dried fruits and sweet\nscents and other things; and I went up into the ma\u1e33'ad, and, smelling\nthe odour of the food, I longed for it. I refrained from it several\ntimes; but at length I could not withstand it: so I arose and went to\nthe table, and took off its cover, and found a dish of fowls, around\nwhich were four saucers of food of four different kinds; and I ate of\neach kind a morsel, and as much as was agreeable of the sweetmeat, and a\npiece of meat, and drank some zardeh,[VIII_25] and, finding it\npleasant to me, I drank again of it plentifully by the spoonful until I\nwas satiated and my stomach was full. And after this, my eyelids closed;\nso I took a pillow and put it beneath my head, saying, Perhaps I may\nrecline upon it without sleeping. But I closed my eyes and slept, and\nawoke not until the sun had risen, when I found upon my stomach a\nplay-bone and a \u1e6d\u00e1b-stick[VIII_26] and a date-stone and a\nlocust-seed; and there was no furniture nor anything else in the place\nand it seemed as if nothing had been there on the preceding night.\n\nI rose, and shook off all these things from me, and went forth enraged,\nand, arriving at the house, I found my cousin groaning; and I chid her\nand abused her; whereupon she wept, and, having wiped away her tears,\napproached and kissed me, and pressed me to her bosom; but I drew back\nfrom her, blaming myself. She then said to me, O son of my uncle, it\nseemeth that thou hast slept again this last night. I replied, Yes; and\nwhen I awoke I found a play-bone laid upon my stomach, and a \u1e6d\u00e1b-stick\nand a date-stone and a locust-seed; and I know not wherefore she did\nthis. Then I wept, and approached her, and said to her, Explain to me\nthe meaning of her doing this, and tell me how I shall act, and assist\nme in my trouble. She replied, On the head and the eye. As to the\n\u1e6d\u00e1b-stick [and the play-bone], which she placed upon thy stomach, she\nmeaneth thereby, that thou camest there and thy heart was absent; as\nthough she would say to thee, Love is not thus; therefore reckon not\nthyself among lovers.[VIII_27] And as to the date-stone, she\nindicated by it, that, if thou wert a lover, thy heart had been burning\nwith passion, and thou wouldst not taste the delight of sleep; for the\nsweetness of love is like a date, which kindleth a fire in the\nheart.[VIII_28] And as to the locust-seed, she intimated to thee by\nit, that the heart of the lover is fatigued; and she would say to thee\nthereby, Endure our separation with the patience of Job.[VIII_29]--When\nI heard this interpretation, fire darted into my heart, and my grief\nincreased, and I cried out and exclaimed, God had decreed that I should\nsleep, on account of my little fortune! I then said to her, O daughter\nof my uncle, by my life I conjure thee to contrive for me some stratagem\nby means of which I may obtain an interview with her. And I wept.--O\n'Azeez, O son of my uncle, she replied, verily my heart is full of\nthoughts, and I cannot talk; but go thou to-night to that place, and\nbeware of sleeping, and so shalt thou attain thy desire. This is my\ncounsel, and peace be on thee.--I said, If it please God, I will not\nsleep; but I will do as thou chargest me. And my cousin arose, and\nbrought me food, saying to me, Eat now what will satisfy thee, that thou\nmayest have no desire remaining. So I ate what satisfied me: and when\nnight came, my cousin arose, and brought me a superb suit of clothing,\nand clad me with it, and conjured me to repeat to the damsel the verse\nbefore mentioned, and cautioned me against sleeping.\n\nI then departed from her, and, having repaired to the garden, went up\ninto the ma\u1e33'ad; and I gazed at the garden, and kept opening my eyes\nwith my fingers, and shaking my head, as the night grew dark. But I\nbecame hungry from watching, and the odours of the food were wafted\ntowards me, and my hunger in consequence increased: so I went to the\ntable, and removed its cover, and ate a morsel of every dish, and a\npiece of meat, and I went to the bottle of wine, saying within myself, I\nwill drink a cup:--and I drank it, and then drank the second, and the\nthird, and so on to the number of ten; and being already stricken by\nlove, I fell upon the floor as one slain. Thus I remained until day\ncame, and I awoke, and found myself outside the garden, with a large\nsharp knife upon my stomach, and an iron dirhem;[VIII_30] and I\ntrembled with fear, and took them with me and returned to the house.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI found my cousin saying, I am in this house wretched and sorrowful,\nwith no relief but weeping. And as I entered, I fell down prostrate,\nthrowing the knife and dirhem from my hand, and fainted; and when I\nrecovered, I acquainted her with that which had befallen me, and said to\nher, I shall not attain my desire. Her grief increased at witnessing my\nweeping and my excessive passion, and she said to me, I have failed of\nsuccess in cautioning thee against sleeping; for thou wouldst not attend\nto my advice: my words profit thee nothing. But I replied, I conjure\nthee by Allah that thou explain to me the meaning of the knife and the\niron dirhem. So she said, As to the dirhem, she alluded by it to her\nright eye,[VIII_31] and intimated that she swore by it, and said,\nBy the Lord of all creatures, and by my right eye,[VIII_32] if thou\ncome again and sleep I will assuredly slaughter thee with this knife!--I\nfear for thee, therefore, O son of my uncle, from her malice; and my\nheart is full of grief on thine account, and I cannot talk. If, then,\nthou art confident in thyself that, if thou return to her, thou wilt not\nsleep, return to her, and beware of sleeping, and so shalt thou attain\nthy desire; but if thou know that, shouldst thou go to her again, thou\nwilt sleep as usual, and so go to her and sleep, she will slaughter\nthee.--What then, said I, is to be done, O daughter of my uncle? I\nconjure thee by Allah to help me in this affliction.--She replied, On my\nhead and my eye: and if thou attend to my words and comply with my\ndirections thou wilt accomplish thy desire. I said, I will do so. And\nshe rejoined, When the time of departure cometh I will tell thee. She\nthen pressed me to her bosom, and laid me on the bed, and continued\ngently kneading my limbs until slumber overcame me, and I sank into\nsleep;[VIII_33] and she took a fan, and, seating herself at my\nhead, fanned my face until the close of day, when she roused me; and on\nmy awaking, I found her at my head with the fan in her hand, and weeping\nso that her tears had wetted her clothes. But when she saw me that I\nhad awoke, she wiped away her tears, and brought me some food. I\nrefrained from it; but she said to me, Did I not tell thee that thou\nmust attend to my directions? Eat, therefore.--So I ate, and would not\noppose her; and she proceeded to put the food into my mouth, while I\nchewed it, until my stomach was full. She then gave me to drink some\ninfusion of jujubes[VIII_34] with sugar, and washed my hands, and\ndried them with a handkerchief, and sprinkled some rose-water upon me;\nafter which I sat with her, in healthy frame; and when the night became\ndark, she put on me my clothes, and said, O son of my uncle, watch all\nnight, and sleep not; for she will not come to thee this night until\nnear its close; and, if it be the will of God, thou shalt meet her this\nnight; but forget not my charge. Then she wept, and my heart was pained\nfor her, on account of her excessive weeping; and I said to her, What is\nthe charge which thou gavest me? She answered, When thou departest from\nher, repeat to her the verse before mentioned.\n\nI then went forth from her full of joy, and proceeded to the garden, and\nwent up to the ma\u1e33'ad, satiated with food. I remained sleepless a\nquarter of the night, and the night seemed as long to me as though it\nwere a year; and I continued watching until two thirds of it had passed,\nand the cocks crew, and I became violently hungry from watching: so I\nwent up to the table, and ate until I was satisfied; and my head became\nheavy, and I desired to sleep; but suddenly I heard a noise in the\ndistance; whereupon I arose, and washed my hands and mouth, and roused\nmyself; and soon after, she came. She was accompanied by ten female\nslaves, and she appeared among them like the full moon among the\nplanets: she was attired in a garment of green satin embroidered with\nred gold; and when she saw me, she laughed, and said, How is it that\nthou hast remained awake, and that sleep hath not overcome thee? Now\nthat thou hast passed the night sleepless I am convinced that thou art a\nlover; for among the characteristics of lovers is the watching by night\nin the resolute endurance of desire.--She then turned towards her female\nslaves, and made a sign to them; whereupon they departed from her; and\nshe approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, and kissed me, and we\nconversed together until the morning, when I desired to depart; but she\nheld me, and said to me, Stop, that I may acquaint thee with something,\nand give thee a charge.--So I stopped; and she unfolded a handkerchief,\nand, taking forth from it this piece of linen, spread it open before\nme; and I found in it the design of the gazelles, as thou seest, and I\nadmired it exceedingly, and took it; after which I made a promise to her\nthat I would pay her a visit every night in that garden, and departed\nfrom her, full of joy; but in my joy I forgot the verse which my cousin\nhad charged me to repeat. And when she gave me the piece of linen\ncontaining the design of the gazelles, she said to me, This is the work\nof my sister.--And what, said I, is the name of thy sister? She\nanswered, Her name is Noor-el-Hud\u00e0:[VIII_35] and do thou take care\nof this piece of linen.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAfter this, when I had taken leave of her and departed, full of joy, I\nreturned and went in to my cousin, and found her lying down, and when\nshe saw me she rose, her tears dropping, and approached me, and, kissing\nmy bosom, said, Hast thou recited the verse as I charged thee? I\nanswered, I forgot it; and nothing drove it from my mind but the design\nof these gazelles. And I threw down the piece of linen before her. She\narose, and then seated herself again, and, in her impatience, shed\ntears, and said, O son of my uncle, make a present to me of this piece\nof linen. So I gave it her, and she took it and spread it open, and saw\nwhat was in it. And when the time of my departure came, she said, Go,\nand may safety attend thee; but when thou retirest from her, recite to\nher the verse that I taught thee before, and which thou didst\nforget.--Repeat it to me, said I. And she did so.\n\nI then repaired to the garden, and entered the ma\u1e33'ad. I found the\ndamsel waiting for me, and when she beheld me she arose and kissed me\nand seated me, and we ate and drank, and in the morning I repeated to\nher the verse, which was this:--\n\n O ye lovers, by Allah, inform me, how a youth should act when\n his love is intense.\n\nAnd when she heard it, her eyes filled with tears, and thus she\nreplied:--\n\n He should hide his love, and conceal his secret, and be patient\n under every event, and submissive.\n\nI committed this to memory, and, glad at having done what my cousin\ndesired, went forth and returned to her. I found her lying down, with my\nmother, at her head, weeping for her unhappy state; and when I went in\nto her, my mother said to me, Perdition to such a cousin as thou! How\ncanst thou leave the daughter of thine uncle indisposed and not inquire\nrespecting her disease?--But my cousin, on beholding me, raised her\nhead, and sat up, and said to me, O 'Azeez, hast thou repeated to her\nthe verse that I taught thee? I answered, Yes: and when she heard it,\nshe wept, and recited to me another verse, which I retain in my\nmemory.--Let me hear it, said my cousin. And when I had repeated it to\nher she wept violently, and recited this other verse:--\n\n He hath sought to attain a becoming patience; but found nought\n save a heart pining with desire.\n\nShe then said to me, When thou goest to her as usual, repeat to her this\nverse which thou hast heard. I replied, I hear and obey.\n\nSo I went to the garden according to my custom, and when I was about to\nreturn, I recited to the damsel that verse; and when she heard it, tears\npoured from her eyes, and she replied,--\n\n Then, if he have not patience to conceal his secret, I know nothing\n better for him than death.\n\nRetaining this in my memory, I returned to the house; and when I went in\nto my cousin, I found her fallen down in a fit, and my mother sitting at\nher head; and when my cousin heard my voice, she opened her eyes, and\nsaid, O 'Azeez, hast thou repeated to her the verse? I answered, Yes:\nand when she heard it, she wept, and recited to me this other verse. And\nI repeated it to her; and as soon as she heard it she fainted again,\nand, on her recovering, recited another verse, which was this:--\n\n We hear and obey, and we die; then convey my salutation to the person\n who hath prevented our union.[VIII_36]\n\nAt the approach of the following night I went again to the garden as\nusual, and found the damsel expecting me; and we ate and drank; and in\nthe morning, when I was about to depart, I repeated to her what my\ncousin had said; whereupon she uttered a loud cry, and was agitated, and\nexclaimed, By Allah, she who uttered this verse hath died! She then\nwept, and said to me, Wo to thee! Is not she who uttered this verse\nrelated to thee?--I answered, She is the daughter of my paternal\nuncle.--Thou liest, replied she: by Allah, if she were the daughter of\nthy uncle thou hadst borne her the same love that she bore thee. Thou\nart he who hath destroyed her, and may God destroy thee in like manner!\nBy Allah, if thou hadst told me of thy having a cousin, I had not\nadmitted thee into my favour.--Verily, said I, she is my cousin, and she\nexplained to me the signs that thou madest me, and it was she who taught\nme how to proceed with thee: I had not obtained access to thee but\nthrough her good management.--And did she know of our affair? said she.\nI answered, Yes.--May Allah, she exclaimed, cause thee to bewail thy\nyouth, as thou hast caused her to bewail hers! She then said to me, Go\nand see her.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI departed, therefore, troubled in mind, and proceeded until I came to\nour street, when I heard a wailing, and, asking respecting it, was\nanswered, We found 'Azeezeh lying behind the door, dead. I entered the\nhouse, and when my mother beheld me, she exclaimed, The crime of\ndestroying her is on thy neck, and may God not pardon thee her blood!\nPerdition to such a cousin as thou!--My father then came, and we\nprepared her body for interment, and performed the funeral-ceremonies,\nand buried her; and we caused recitations of the whole of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n to\nbe performed at her tomb, and remained there three days, after which I\nreturned to the house, sorrowing for her. And my mother addressed me,\nand said, I desire to know what thou didst to her, so that thou brokest\nher heart. I asked her continually, O my son, respecting the cause of\nher disorder; but she would not acquaint me with it. I conjure thee,\ntherefore, by Allah, that thou inform me what thou didst unto her, to\ncause her death.--I replied, I did nothing. But she said, May God avenge\nher upon thee! for she mentioned to me nothing, but concealed the truth\nof her case until she died, still preserving her affection for thee; and\nwhen she died I was with her, and she opened her eyes, and said to me, O\nwife of my uncle, may God hold thy son guiltless of my blood, and not\npunish him for that which he hath done unto me; and now God transporteth\nme from the perishable world to the world of eternity. And I replied, O\nmy daughter, may God preserve thee, and preserve thy youth! And I asked\nher respecting the cause of her disorder: but she answered not. Then she\nsmiled, and said, O wife of my uncle, if thy son desire to go to the\nplace which he is accustomed to frequent, tell him to repeat these two\nphrases on departing from it:--Fidelity is good, and treachery is\nbase:--and this I desire in my compassion for him, that I may shew him\ncompassion in my life and after my death. She then gave me something for\nthee, and took an oath of me that I would not give it to thee until I\nshould see thee weeping for her and lamenting: this thing I have, and\nwhen I see thee in the state that she hath described I will give it to\nthee.--I said to her, Shew it me. But she would not.\n\nI then gave myself up to my pleasures, and thought not of the death of\nmy cousin; for I was unsettled in mind, and wished that I were passing\nthe whole of every night and day with my beloved; and scarcely had the\nnext night approached when I repaired again to the garden. I found the\ndamsel sitting there, burning with impatience to see me; and as soon as\nshe beheld me, she hastened to me and clung to my neck, and asked me\nrespecting my cousin. I answered her, She is dead, and we have performed\nzikrs[VIII_37] and recitations of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n for her, and four\nnights have passed since her death, and this is the fifth. When she\nheard this, she cried out and wept, and said, Did I not tell thee that\nthou hadst killed her? Hadst thou informed me of her, before her death,\nI had requited her for the kindness that she hath shewn me; for she hath\nbeen of service to me in giving thee access to me: had it not been for\nher, I should not have had an interview with thee, and I fear thou wilt\nfall into a calamity on account of her disaster.--I replied, She\nacquitted me before her death. And I related to her what my mother had\ntold me; upon which she exclaimed, By Allah, I conjure thee, when thou\ngoest to thy mother, learn what it is that she hath.--My mother, said I,\ntold me, Thy cousin, before she died, charged me saying, If thy son\ndesire to go to the place which he is accustomed to frequent, tell him\nto repeat these two phrases:--Fidelity is good, and treachery is\nbase.--And when the damsel heard this, she exclaimed, The mercy of God\n(whose name be exalted!) be upon her, for she hath saved thee from me: I\nwas meditating an injury to thee; but now I will not hurt thee nor\ntrouble thee. And I wondered at this, and said to her, What didst thou\npurpose before this to do to me, after mutual love had taken place\nbetween us? She answered, Thou art devoted to me; but thou art young,\nand thy mind is free from deceit, and thou knowest not our malice nor\nour deceit: were she still in the bonds of life, she would assist thee;\nfor she is the cause of thy safety, and hath delivered thee from\ndestruction: and now I charge thee that thou speak not with any female,\nnor answer any of our sex, young or old. Beware, beware; for thou art\nignorant of the deceit of women, and their malice: she who used to\ninterpret the signs to thee is dead; and I fear for thee lest thou fall\ninto a calamity and find none to deliver thee from it after the death of\nthy cousin. O my sorrow for the daughter of thy uncle! Would that I had\nknown her before her death, that I might have requited her for the\nkindness that she hath done me! The mercy of God (whose name be\nexalted!) be upon her, for she concealed her secret, and revealed not\nwhat she felt; and but for her, thou wouldst never have had access to\nme. And now I have a service to demand of thee.--What is it? said I. She\nanswered, That thou conduct me to her tomb, that I may visit her at her\ngrave, and inscribe some verses upon it. I replied, To-morrow, if it be\nthe will of God, whose name be exalted!--So I remained with her that\nnight, and frequently she said to me, Would that thou hadst told me of\nthy cousin before her death! And I asked her, What is the meaning of\nthese words which she said--Fidelity is good, and treachery is base? But\nshe answered me not.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nIn the morning, therefore, she arose, and, taking a purse containing\nsome pieces of gold, said to me, Arise, and shew me the tomb, that I may\nvisit it, and write upon it some verses, and build over it a cupola, and\npray for mercy upon her, and bestow these pieces of gold in alms for her\nsoul. I replied, I hear and obey. And I walked before her, and she\nfollowed me, and employed herself in giving alms on the way as she went,\nand every time that she did so she said, This is an alms for the soul of\n'Azeezeh, who concealed her secret until she drank the cup of death, and\nrevealed not her love. Thus she continued to give of the contents of\nthe purse, and to say, For the soul of 'Azeezeh,--until we arrived at\nthe tomb, and the contents of the purse were exhausted; and when she\nbeheld the tomb, she threw herself upon it, and wept violently. She then\ntook forth a pointed instrument of steel, and a small mallet, and\nengraved upon the stone at the head of the tomb, in small characters,\nthese verses:--\n\n I passed by an undistinguished tomb in the midst of a garden,\n with seven anemones upon it;[VIII_38]\n And I said, Whose tomb is this? The soil answered, Be respectful,\n for this is the resting-place of a lover.\n So I said, God keep thee, O victim of love, and lodge thee\n in the highest stage of Paradise!\n How miserable are lovers among the creation, when even their tombs\n are covered with vile dust!\n Were I able [O tomb], I would make of thee a garden, and water it\n with my streaming tears!\n\nShe then again wept violently, and arose, and I arose with her; and\nafter we had returned to the garden, she said to me, I conjure thee by\nAllah that thou never forsake me. And I replied, I hear and obey. So I\nresumed my visits to her as before, and she treated me with kindness and\nhonour, and used to ask me respecting the two phrases which my cousin\n'Azeezeh had mentioned to my mother, and I repeated them to her. Thus I\nremained, eating and drinking, and enjoying her conversation, and\nattiring myself in changes of delicate clothing, until I became stout\nand fat, and I experienced neither anxiety nor grief nor sorrow, and\nforgot my cousin.\n\nI continued drowned in these pleasures for a whole year; and at the\ncommencement of the new year, I entered the bath, and refreshed myself,\nand put on a handsome suit; and after I had gone forth from the bath, I\ndrank a cup of wine, and smelt the odours of my clothes, which were\nrichly perfumed with various scents. My heart was unoppressed by\ncalamities or misfortunes; and when the hour of nightfall came, I\ndesired to repair to the damsel; but I was intoxicated, and knew not my\nway; and, in going to her, intoxication led me aside into a by-street\ncalled the street of the Na\u1e33eeb:[VIII_39] and as I was proceeding\nalong it, lo, an old woman came, with a lighted candle in one of her\nhands, and in her other hand a folded letter. I advanced towards her,\nand she, with weeping eye, said to me, O my son, art thou able to read?\nI answered her, Yes, my old aunt. And she said, Take this letter, and\nread it to me. And she handed me the letter; so I took it from her and\nopened it, and read to her its contents, informing her that it was a\nletter from the absent, with salutations to the beloved. And when she\nheard this, she rejoiced at the good news, and ejaculated a prayer for\nme, saying, May God dispel thine anxiety as thou hast dispelled mine!\nShe then took the letter, and proceeded a few steps; but presently she\nreturned to me, and, kissing my hand, said, O my lord, may God (whose\nname be exalted!) give thee enjoyment of thy youth, and not disgrace\nthee. I beg that thou wilt walk with me a few paces, to that door; for I\nhave told them what thou hast read to me of the letter, and they do not\nbelieve me: come with me, therefore, two steps, and read to them the\nletter outside the door, and accept my prayer for thee.--And what, said\nI, is the history of this letter? She answered, O my son, this letter\nhath come from my son, who hath been absent from us for the space of ten\nyears; for he journeyed with merchandise, and hath remained abroad\nduring that period, and we relinquished all hope of his return, thinking\nthat he was dead: then came to us this letter from him; and he hath a\nsister who hath wept for him during his absence night and day; and I\ntold her that he was in health and prosperity; but she believed me not,\nand said to me, Thou must bring me a person to read this letter and to\nacquaint me with its contents, that my heart may be set at ease and my\nmind comforted.--Thou knowest, O my son, that the loving is prepossessed\nwith evil anticipations: favour me, therefore, by reading this letter\nwhile thou shalt stand outside the curtain, and his sister shall hear it\nwithin the door, that the recompense of him who accomplisheth a want for\na Muslim, and dispelleth from his mind a trouble, may be thine: for the\nApostle of God (may God bless and save him!) hath said, Whoso dispelleth\nfrom the mind of a sorrowful person one of the troubles of this world,\nGod will dispel from his mind one of the troubles of the world to\ncome:--and in another tradition, Whoso dispelleth from the mind of his\nbrother one of the troubles of this world, God will dispel from his mind\nseventy-two of the troubles of the day of resurrection:--and now I have\ndesired thee, do not disappoint me.--So I replied, I hear and obey:\nproceed before me.\n\nShe therefore walked before me, and I followed her a little way, until\nshe arrived at a great door overlaid with copper; and she stopped at\nthis door, and called out in Persian, and immediately a damsel\napproached, with light and nimble step. Her trousers were tucked up to\nher knees, and I beheld a pair of legs that confounded the mind and the\neye by their beauty: they were like two columns of alabaster, and\nornamented with anklets of gold set with jewels. The skirts of her outer\nclothes were tucked up under her arms, and her sleeves were turned up\nfrom her arms, and I looked at her white wrists, and upon them were two\npairs of bracelets: in her ears were two ear-rings of pearls; and upon\nher neck was a necklace of costly jewels; and on her head, a\nkoofeeyeh,[VIII_40] quite new, adorned with precious gems. She had\ntucked the skirt of her inner tunic within the band of her trousers, and\nappeared as though she had been employed in some active work. And when\nshe beheld me, she said, with an eloquent and sweet tongue that I had\nnever heard surpassed in sweetness, O my mother, is this he who hath\ncome to read the letter? She answered, Yes. And the damsel stretched\nforth her hand to me with the letter. There was, between her and the\ndoor, a distance of about half a rod;[VIII_41] and I extended my\nhand to take the letter from her, and put my head and shoulders within\nthe door to draw near to her; but before I knew what she was about to\ndo, the old woman placed her head against my back, and pushed me\nforward, while my hand was holding the letter, and I looked around, and\nfound myself in the midst of the house; that is, within the vestibule.\nThe old woman entered more quickly than the blinding lightning, and had\nnothing to do but to shut the door: and when the damsel beheld me within\nthe vestibule, she approached me, and pressed me to her bosom, and,\ntaking me by the hand, unable to extricate myself from her grasp, led\nme, preceded by the old woman with the lighted candle, until she had\npassed through seven vestibules; after which she conducted me into a\nlarge saloon, with four leew\u00e1ns,[VIII_42] in which a horseman might\nplay at goff.[VIII_43] She then seated me, and said to me, Open\nthine eye. And I did so, giddy from the violence that I had experienced,\nand saw that the whole construction of the saloon was of the most\nbeautiful alabaster, and all its furniture, including the cushions and\nmattresses, of brocade. In it were also two benches of brass, and a\ncouch of red gold set with pearls and jewels, not suitable to any but a\nKing like thee.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAfter this, she said to me, O 'Azeez, which of the two states is the\nmore agreeable to thee, life or death? I answered her, Life. And she\nsaid, Then if life is more agreeable to thee, marry me.--I dislike,\nI replied, marrying such a person as thou. She rejoined, if thou\nmarry me, thou wilt be secure from the daughter of the crafty\nDeleeleh.[VIII_44]--And who, said I, is the daughter of the crafty\nDeleeleh? She laughed, and answered, How is it that thou knowest her\nnot, when thou hast now been in her company a year and four months? May\nAllah (whose name be exalted!) destroy her. Verily there existeth not\nany one more treacherous than she. How many persons hath she killed\nbefore thee, and what deeds hath she done! And how hast thou escaped\nfrom her, without her killing or troubling thee, when thou hast been in\nher company all this time?--When I heard her words I wondered extremely,\nand said to her, O my mistress, who acquainted thee with her? She\nanswered, I know her as the age knoweth its calamities; but I desire\nthat thou inform me of all that thou hast experienced from her, that I\nmay know the cause of thy safety from her. So I related to her all that\nhad happened to me with her and with my cousin 'Azeezeh; and she\nexclaimed, Allah have mercy upon her!--and her eyes shed tears, and she\nstruck her hands together, when she heard of the death of my cousin\n'Azeezeh, and said, May Allah compensate thee abundantly for the loss of\nher, O 'Azeez; for she hath been the cause of thy safety from the\ndaughter of the crafty Deleeleh; and had it not been for her, thou hadst\nperished.[VIII_45] After this, she clapped her hands, and said, O\nmy mother, bring in those who are with thee. And lo, the old woman\napproached with four lawful witnesses; and she lighted four candles; and\nwhen the witnesses entered, they saluted me, and seated themselves; and\nthe damsel covered herself with an iz\u00e1r, and appointed one of the\nwitnesses to be her deputy in making her contract. So they performed the\nmarriage-contract, and she affirmed of herself that she had received the\nwhole of the dowry, both the portion usually paid in advance and the\narrears, and that she was indebted to me in the sum of ten thousand\npieces of silver; after which she gave to the witnesses their fees, and\nthey departed.\n\nOn the following day, I desired to go out; but she approached me\nlaughing, and said, Dost thou think that going out from the bath is like\nentering it?[VIII_46] I imagine thou thinkest me to be like the\ndaughter of the crafty Deleeleh. Beware of entertaining such an idea.\nThou art no other than my husband, according to the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n and the\nSunneh; and if thou hast been intoxicated, return to thy reason. Verily\nthis house in which thou art is not opened but on one day in every year.\nGo to the street-door and look.--So I went and looked, and found it\nclosed and nailed, and returned and told her so; and she said to me, O\n'Azeez, we have of flour and grain and fruits and pomegranates and sugar\nand meat and sheep and fowls and other provisions what will suffice us\nfor many years, and from this last night our door will not be opened\nuntil after a year and I know that thou wilt not behold thyself outside\nthis house until after a year hath expired. Upon this I exclaimed, There\nis no strength nor power but in God! And she laughed, and I laughed\nalso, and complied with her orders, and remained with her until the\ntwelve months of the year had expired, when I was blest with a son by\nher. And on the first day of the following year, I heard the opening of\nthe door, and lo, men came in with ka\u1ea1ks[VIII_47] and flour and\nsugar; and I desired to go out; but she said to me, Wait until\nnightfall, and as thou camest in, so go forth. I therefore waited until\nthat hour, and was on the point of going out, in fear and trembling,\nwhen she said to me, By Allah, I will not let thee go until I have made\nthee swear to me that thou wilt return this night before the door is\nclosed. So I promised her to do it; and she made me swear by binding\noaths upon the sword and the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, and by the oath of divorce, that I\nwould return to her.[VIII_48]\n\nI then went forth from her, and repaired to the garden. I found it open\nas usual, and was angry, saying within myself, I have been absent from\nthis place a whole year, and, coming unawares, have found it open as\nusual. I wonder if the damsel be still there as heretofore, and I must\nenter and see before I go to my mother.--It was then nightfall, and I\nentered the garden, and, proceeding to the ma\u1e33'ad, found the daughter of\nthe crafty Deleeleh sitting with her head upon her knee and her hand\nupon her cheek. Her complexion was changed, and her eyes were sunk, and\nwhen she beheld me she exclaimed, Praise be to God for thy safety!--and\nshe endeavoured to rise, but fell down through her joy. I was ashamed at\nseeing her, and hung down my head; but presently I advanced to her and\nkissed her, and said to her, How didst thou know that I was coming to\nthee at this time? She answered, I knew it not. By Allah, for a year I\nhave not tasted sleep; but have sat up every night expecting thee, and\nin this state have I been from the day when thou wentest forth from me\nand I gave thee the new suit of clothing and thou promisedst me that\nthou wouldst return to me. I remained expecting thee, and thou camest\nnot the first night, nor the second, nor the third: so I still waited in\nexpectation of thy coming; for such is the way of the lover: and I would\nnow that thou tell me what hath been the cause of thine absence from me\nthis year. I therefore told her; and when she knew that I had married,\nher countenance became pale. I then said to her, I have come to thee\nthis night, but must go before the morning. But she exclaimed, Is it not\nenough for her to have married thee, and to have employed this stratagem\nagainst thee, and imprisoned thee with her a whole year, that she hath\nmade thee swear by the oath of divorce that thou wilt return to her\nbefore the morning, and will not allow thee to divert thyself with thy\nmother nor with me, and cannot endure thy passing one night with either\nof us? What then must be the state of her from whom thou hast been\nabsent a whole year, though I knew thee before she did! But may Allah\nhave mercy on 'Azeezeh; for she suffered what none other hath suffered,\nand endured with patience that of which none else hath endured the like,\nand died through thy oppression. It was she who protected thee from me.\nI thought that thou wouldst return, and gave thee liberty, though I was\nable to imprison thee, and to destroy thee.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHaving thus said, she wept, and became enraged, and looked at me with\nthe eye of anger; and when I beheld her in this state, the muscles of my\nside quivered, and I feared her, and became as the bean upon the fire.\nShe then cried out, and suddenly ten female slaves came to me, and threw\nme upon the floor; and when I fell under their hands, she arose, and,\ntaking a knife, said, I will slaughter thee as goats are slaughtered,\nand this shall be thy least recompense for that which thou hast done\nunto thy cousin. When I beheld myself, therefore, beneath her female\nslaves, and my cheek was soiled with the dust, and I saw the knife in\nher hand, I looked upon death as inevitable. I implored her mercy; but\nshe only increased in hardness, and ordered the female slaves to bind my\nhands behind me; and they did so, and, throwing me upon my back, seated\nthemselves upon my body, and held my head. Then two of them arose and\ntook hold of my toes, and two others seated themselves upon my legs;\nafter which, their mistress arose, with two others of them, and she\nordered them to beat me; whereupon they beat me until I fainted, and my\nvoice became inaudible; and when I recovered, I said within myself,\nVerily my being slaughtered were easier to me than this beating! I\nbethought myself of the words of my cousin, when she said, May God avert\nfrom thee her wickedness!--and I cried out and wept until my voice\nfailed. She then sharpened the knife, and said to the female slaves,\nUncover his throat. But God inspired me to repeat the two phrases which\nmy cousin had charged me to utter, namely, Fidelity is good, and\ntreachery is base;--and when she heard this, she cried out and said,\nAllah have mercy upon thee, O 'Azeezeh! Would that thy youth had been\nspared! Thou hast profited thy cousin during thy life and after thy\ndeath!--Then addressing me, she added, By Allah, thou hast saved thy\nlife from me by means of these two phrases; but I must cause thee to\nbear a mark of my resentment.--So saying, she inflicted upon me a cruel\nwound, and I fainted; but when I recovered, the blood had stopped, and\nshe gave me to drink a cup of wine, and spurned me with her foot.\n\nI rose; but was unable at first to walk: presently, however, I proceeded\nby little and little until I arrived at the door of my wife's house. I\nfound it open, and threw myself within it, in a state of distraction;\nand my wife came and took me up and conveyed me to the saloon, where I\nfell into a deep sleep; but when I awoke, I found myself laid at the\ngate of the garden.\n\nIn anguish I rose, and went to my home, and, entering the house, found\nmy mother weeping for me, and exclaiming, Would that I knew, O my son,\nin what land thou art! So I approached her, and threw myself upon her,\nand when she beheld me, she saw that I was unwell. Yellowness and\nblackness were mingled upon my face; and I remembered my cousin, and the\nkindness she had shewn me, and was convinced that she loved me. I wept\nfor her, and my mother also wept, and then said to me, O my son, thy\nfather is dead. And upon this, my rage increased, and I wept until I\nbecame insensible; and when I recovered, I looked towards the place\nwhere my cousin was accustomed to sit, and wept again till I fainted\nfrom the violence of my lamentation. I ceased not to weep and wail until\nmidnight, when my mother said to me, Thy father hath been dead ten days.\nBut I replied, I think of no one but my cousin; for I deserve what hath\nhappened to me, because I neglected her when she loved me. She asked me,\ntherefore, And what hath happened to thee? So I related to her that\nwhich had befallen me; to which she replied, Praise be to God that this\nhappened to thee and that she did not slaughter thee! She then applied\nremedies to my wound until I recovered, and regained my usual strength;\nand she said to me, O my son, I will now produce to thee the deposite\nwith which thy cousin intrusted me; for it is thine, and she made me\nswear that I would not produce it to thee until I saw that thou\nrememberedst her and mournedst for her, and that thine affections for\nanother were severed; and now I hope that I find in thee these\ndispositions. She therefore arose, and, opening a chest, took forth from\nit this piece of linen containing the design of the gazelles, which I\nhad originally given to her; and when I took it, I found written upon it\nsome verses complaining of her unrequited love for me, and there fell\nfrom it a paper containing some words of consolation and\ncounsel.[VIII_49]\n\nAs soon as I had read and understood this paper, I wept again, and my\nmother did the same, and I continued looking at it and weeping until the\napproach of night; and in this state I remained for the space of a year;\nafter which, some merchants of my city, the same whom I am accompanying\nin this caravan, prepared for a journey; and my mother suggested to me\nthat I should fit myself out and go with them, saying to me, Perhaps the\njourney will dispel this sorrow which thou sufferest, and thou wilt be\nabsent a year, or two years, or three, until the caravan returneth, and\nthy heart may become dilated. Thus she continued to persuade me, so that\nI prepared some merchandise, and journeyed with them; but my tears have\nnot dried up during my travels; for at every station where we halt I\nspread this piece of linen before me, and look at this design, and think\nof my cousin, and weep for her as thou seest, since she loved me\nexcessively, and died through my unkindness; I doing nothing but evil to\nher, while she did nothing to me but what was good. When the merchants\nreturn from their journey, I shall return with them, and the period of\nmy absence will be a complete year; but I still suffer increasing\nsorrow; and my sorrow hath been only augmented in consequence of my\npassing by the Islands of Camphor and the Castle of Crystal.[VIII_50]\n\nThese Islands are seven in number, and the sovereign of them is a King\nnamed Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n.[VIII_51] He hath a daughter named Duny\u00e0;[VIII_52]\nand it was told me that it was she who worked the designs of the\ngazelles, and that this design which is in my possession was one of her\nwork; and when I knew this, I became excessively desirous of seeing her:\nso, when the caravan entered her country, I went forth and wandered\nabout the gardens, which contained a profusion of trees. The\nsuperintendent of the gardens was a sheykh advanced in age; and I said\nto him, O sheykh, to whom doth this garden belong? He answered, To the\nKing's daughter, the lady Duny\u00e0, and we are beneath her palace; and if\nthou desire to amuse thyself, open the private door, and take a view of\nthe garden and smell the odours of the flowers. So I said to him, Have\nthe kindness to allow me to sit in this garden until she passeth by,\nthat I may enjoy a glance at her. The sheykh replied, There will be no\nharm in thy doing so. When he said this, therefore, I gave him some\nmoney, saying to him, Buy for us something to eat. And he rejoiced at\nreceiving the money, and, opening the door, conducted me within; and we\nproceeded until we came to a pleasant spot, where he brought me some\ndelicate fruits, and said to me, Sit here while I go and return to thee.\nAnd he left me and departed, and, after he had been absent a while,\nreturned bringing a roasted lamb; and we ate until we were satisfied, my\nheart longing to behold the lady, and while we were sitting, lo, the\ndoor opened; whereupon he said to me, Rise, and conceal thyself. So I\nrose, and hid myself; and a black eunuch put forth his head from the\ndoor, and said, O sheykh, is any one with thee? He answered, No.--Then\nclose the door, said the eunuch. The sheykh, therefore, closed the door\nof the garden; and lo, the lady Duny\u00e0 came forth. When I beheld her, I\nthought that the moon had descended upon the earth; my mind was\nconfounded, and I desired her as the thirsty longeth for water; and\nafter a while, she closed the door and departed. I then went forth from\nthe garden, and repaired to my lodging, knowing that I could not obtain\naccess to her; and when my companions prepared for departure, I also\nprepared myself, and travelled with them towards thy city; and on our\narrival here, we met with thee.--This is my story, and this is what hath\nhappened unto me; and peace be on thee.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nCONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF T\u00c1J-EL-MULOOK AND THE LADY DUNY\u00c0.\n\nWhen T\u00e1j-el-Mulook heard this story, his heart became troubled with love\nfor the lady Duny\u00e0. He then mounted his horse, and, taking with him\n'Azeez, returned to his father's city, where he assigned to him a house,\nand furnished it with everything that he required; after which he left\nhim, and repaired to his palace. His tears ran down upon his cheeks (for\nhearing affecteth as sight and union), and in this state he remained\nuntil his father came in to him, and, finding that his colour was\nchanged, knew that he was oppressed by anxiety and grief: so he said to\nhim, O my son, acquaint me with thy case, and tell me what hath happened\nto thee to change thy colour. He therefore related to him all that he\nhad heard of the story of Duny\u00e0, and how he had fallen in love with her\nfrom hearsay, without having seen her; whereupon his father said to him,\nO my son, her father is a King, and his country is distant from us:\nabandon, therefore, this idea, and enter the palace of thy mother; for\nin it are five hundred female slaves like so many moons, and whoever of\nthem pleaseth thee do thou take her; or, if none of them please thee, we\nwill demand in marriage for thee one of the daughters of the Kings, more\nbeautiful than the lady Duny\u00e0. But he replied, O my father, I desire not\nany but her: it was she who worked the design of the gazelles that I\nsaw, and I must have her, or I will flee into the deserts, and kill\nmyself on her account.\n\nSo his father said, Have patience with me, O my son, that I may send to\nher father and demand her of him in marriage, and accomplish for thee\nthy wish, like as I did for myself in the case of thy mother; and if he\nconsent not, I will convulse his kingdom around him, and send against\nhim an army of which the rear shall be with me when the van is with him.\nHe then called for the young man 'Azeez, and said to him, O my son,\nknowest thou the way? He answered, Yes.--Then I desire of thee, said the\nKing, that thou journey with my Wezeer. And 'Azeez replied, I hear and\nobey, O King of the age. The King, therefore, summoned his Wezeer, and\nsaid to him, Manage for me the affair of my son according to thy\nknowledge, and repair to the Islands of Camphor, and demand in marriage\nthe daughter of their King. He replied, I hear and obey. And\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook returned to his apartments, and his malady and impatience\nincreased: he fell down in a swoon, and recovered not until the morning;\nand when the morning arrived, his father came to him, and saw his\ncomplexion more changed, and his sallowness increased; and he exhorted\nhim to patience, and promised him the accomplishment of his union.\n\nThe King then equipped 'Azeez, with his Wezeer, and supplied them with\nthe presents; and they journeyed days and nights until they beheld the\nIslands of Camphor, when they halted on the bank of a river, and the\nWezeer sent forward a messenger from his party to the King, to acquaint\nhim with their approach; and half a day after the departure of the\nmessenger, suddenly they saw that the chamberlains of the King, and his\nemeers, had advanced to meet them from the distance of a league; and\nthey met him, and attended them until they went in with them to the\nKing. They placed before the King the presents, and remained in his\npalace four days; and on the fifth day the Wezeer arose and went in to\nthe King, and, standing before him, delivered to him his message, and\nacquainted him with the cause of his coming; but the King was perplexed\nhow to answer, for his daughter liked not marriage; and he hung down his\nhead for a while towards the floor; and after this he raised it, and,\nlooking towards one of the eunuchs, said to him, Go to thy mistress\nDuny\u00e0, and acquaint her with what thou hast heard, and with the purpose\nof the visit of this Wezeer. So the eunuch went, and, after a short\nabsence, returned to the King, and said to him, O King of the age, when\nI went in to the lady Duny\u00e0, and acquainted her with what I had heard,\nshe was violently enraged, and rose against me with a stick, and would\nhave broken my head; wherefore I fled from her; and she said to me, If\nmy father force me to marry, him whom I marry I will kill. Her father,\ntherefore, said to the Wezeer and 'Azeez, Salute ye the King, and inform\nhim of this, and that my daughter liketh not marriage. Accordingly the\nWezeer returned with his attendants unsuccessful, and they continued\ntheir journey until they went in unto the King, and acquainted him with\nwhat had happened; and upon this he ordered the chiefs to call together\nthe troops that they might march to war; but the Wezeer said to him, Do\nnot this; for the King is not in fault: the refusal is on the part of\nhis daughter, who, when she knew of this proposal, sent to say, If my\nfather force me to marry, I will kill him whom I marry, and kill myself\nafter him.\n\nAnd when the King heard the words of the Wezeer, he feared for his son\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and said, If I make war upon her father, and obtain\npossession of his daughter, she will kill herself. He then acquainted\nhis son T\u00e1j-el-Mulook with the truth of the case; and when the prince\nheard it, he said to his father, O my father, I cannot exist without\nher: I will therefore go to her, and seek means of obtaining an\ninterview with her, though I die in the attempt: and I will do nothing\nbut this. His father said, How wilt thou go to her? He answered, I will\ngo in the disguise of a merchant.--Then if it must be so, rejoined the\nKing, take with thee the Wezeer and 'Azeez. He then took forth for him\nsome money from his treasuries, and prepared for him merchandise at the\nprice of a hundred thousand pieces of gold, and they both agreed as to\nthis course; and when night came, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and 'Azeez went to the\nabode of the latter, and there passed that night. But the heart of\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook was captivated, and neither eating nor rest pleased him:\nreflections overwhelmed him, and he was drowned in them; and, longing\nfor his beloved, he poured forth his tears, and wept violently; and\n'Azeez wept with him, reflecting upon his cousin; and they both\ncontinued thus until the morning, when T\u00e1j-el-Mulook arose and went in\nto his mother. He was equipped for the journey; and she asked him\nrespecting his state: so he acquainted her with the whole truth; and she\ngave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and bade him farewell, and he\nwent forth from her, while she offered up prayers for his safety, and\nfor his union with the object of his love. He then went in to his\nfather, and asked his permission to depart; and the King granted him\npermission, and gave him fifty thousand pieces of gold, and ordered that\na tent should be pitched for him outside the city.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nA large tent was therefore pitched for him; and after they had remained\nin it two days, they commenced their journey; and T\u00e1j-el-Mulook treated\n'Azeez with familiar kindness, and said to him, O my brother, I cannot\nhenceforth part with thee.--And I, replied 'Azeez, am of the like mind,\nand desire to die at thy feet; but, O my brother, my heart is troubled\nwith thoughts of my mother. So T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said, When we shall have\nattained our wish, all will be well. Now the Wezeer had charged\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook to display an air of patience, and 'Azeez occupied himself\nwith reciting to him verses, and narrating to him histories and tales;\nand they continued on their way by night and day for the space of two\nmonths. The length of the journey became wearisome to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook; and\nthe violence of his desire, and his passion and distraction, increased:\nso when they drew near to the city, he rejoiced excessively, and his\nanxiety and grief ceased.\n\nThey entered it in the garb of merchants, the King's son being also clad\nin the same manner, and, coming to a place known as the abode of\nmerchants, which was a large Kh\u00e1n, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, Is this\nthe abode of the merchants? 'Azeez answered, Yes: it is not, however,\nthe Kh\u00e1n in which I lodged with the caravan that I accompanied; but it\nis better than that. So they made their camels lie down, and unloaded,\nand, having deposited their goods in the magazines, remained there to\ntake rest four days. The Wezeer then suggested to them that they should\nhire for themselves a large house; to which they assented; and they\nhired a spacious house, fitted for festivities. There they took up their\nabode; and the Wezeer and 'Azeez studied to devise some stratagem for\nthe sake of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, who was perplexed, not knowing what to do.\nThe Wezeer could contrive no other plan than that of his opening for\nhimself a shop to carry on the trade of a merchant in the market of fine\nstuffs: he therefore addressed T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and 'Azeez, and said to\nthem, Know that if we remain in this state we shall not attain our wish;\nand a thing hath occurred to my mind which probably may be advisable, if\nit be the will of God. So they replied, Do what seemeth fit to thee; for\na blessing attendeth the aged, and especially in thy case, since thou\nhast devoted thyself to the management of affairs: therefore give us the\nadvice which hath suggested itself to thy mind. And he said to\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook, It is my opinion that we should hire for thee a shop in\nthe market of fine stuffs, and that thou shouldst sit in it to sell and\nbuy; for every person of the higher ranks and of the people in general\nstandeth in need of such stuffs, and if thou sit in that shop thy affair\nwill be arranged, if it be the will of God (whose name be exalted!),\nespecially because of thy comely person; but make 'Azeez thy trusty\nattendant, and seat him in the shop to hand to thee the stuffs. And when\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook heard these words, he said, This is a judicious\nopinion;--and immediately he took forth a suit of merchant's attire,\nand clad himself in it, and arose and went forth, followed by his young\nmen, and gave to one of them a thousand pieces of gold to fit up the\nshop.\n\nThey proceeded until they arrived at the market of fine stuffs, and when\nthe merchants saw T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and observed his handsome and comely\nperson, they were confounded, and began to say, Hath Ri\u1e0dw\u00e1n[VIII_53]\nopened the gates of Paradise and neglected them, so that this youth of\nsurprising beauty hath come forth?--and one said, This is probably one\nof the angels. And when they went in among the merchants, they inquired\nfor the shop of the Sheykh of the market. The merchants, therefore,\nguided them thither, and they went to him; and as they approached him,\nhe and the merchants who were with him rose to them, and received them\nwith honour, especially the excellent Wezeer; for they saw him to be an\naged and venerable man; and observing that he was accompanied by\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook and 'Azeez, they said, No doubt this sheykh is the father\nof these two young men. The Wezeer then said to them, Who among you is\nthe Sheykh of the market? They answered, This is he. And the Wezeer,\nlooking at him and observing him, saw that he was an old man of grave\nand respectable aspect, and possessing servants and young men. The\nSheykh of the market greeted them with friendly compliments, and treated\nthem with great honour, and, having seated them by his side, said to\nthem, Have ye any business which we may have the happiness of\ntransacting? The Wezeer answered, Yes: I am an old man, advanced in age,\nand I have these two young men: I have travelled with them through all\nregions and countries, and have not entered a town without remaining in\nit a whole year, that they might amuse themselves with the sight of it\nand become acquainted with its inhabitants; and now I have come to this\nyour town, and have chosen to make a stay in it: I therefore desire of\nthee one of the best shops, that I may seat them in it to traffic, and\nthat they may amuse themselves with the sight of this city, and acquire\nthe manners of its people, and obtain an experience in buying and\nselling and other commercial transactions.\n\nSo the Sheykh of the market replied, There will be no harm in doing\nso:--and, looking at the two young men, he was delighted with them, and\nhe arose and stood like a servant before them to wait upon them. And\nafterwards he went and prepared for them the shop: it was in the midst\nof the market, and there was none larger than it, nor any more handsome\nthere; for it was spacious and decorated, and contained shelves of\nivory and ebony. He then delivered the keys to the Wezeer (who was also\nin the garb of a merchant), and said, God grant that it may be attended\nwith blessings to thy two sons![VIII_54] And when the Wezeer had\ntaken the keys of the shop, he went to it, together with the servants,\nwho deposited in it their goods; and they ordered the servants to remove\nthither all the merchandise and stuffs and rarities that they had. These\nthings were worth treasuries of wealth; and they transported the whole\nof them to the shop. They then passed the night, and in the morning the\nWezeer conducted the two young men to the bath, where they washed and\nenjoyed themselves to the utmost, after which they returned to their\nabode to rest from the fatigue of bathing, and ate and drank; and they\npassed the next night in their abode in the most perfect joy and\nhappiness. And on the following morning they rose from their sleep, and,\nhaving performed the ablution, recited the divinely-ordained prayers,\nand drank their morning-beverage;[VIII_55] and when daylight came,\nand the shops and markets were opened, they went forth from their abode,\nand repaired to the market, and opened the shop. The servants had\nprepared it for them in the handsomest manner, and spread it with\ncarpets of silk, and placed in it two mattresses, each of which was\nworth a hundred pieces of gold; and upon each mattress they spread a\nskin such as Kings sit upon, surrounded with an edge of gold: so\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook seated himself upon one mattress, and 'Azeez upon the\nother, and the Wezeer sat in the midst of the shop, while the servants\nstood before them. The people heard of them, and crowded about them, and\nthey sold of their merchandise; and the fame of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook was spread\nthrough the city, and the report of his handsomeness and comeliness was\nblazed throughout it. They continued this life for several days, the\npeople pressing to them; after which the Wezeer addressed T\u00e1j-el-Mulook,\nand enjoined him to conceal his case, and, having charged 'Azeez to keep\nwatch over him, repaired to the house to plan some mode of proceeding\nthat might be of advantage to them. Meanwhile, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and 'Azeez\nsat conversing together; and the former said, Perhaps some one may come\nfrom the lady Duny\u00e0.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThus T\u00e1j-el-Mulook passed his time days and nights, and slept not;\ndesire overpowered him, and he became more and more emaciated and\ninfirm, renouncing the delight of sleep, and abstaining from drink and\nfood; but still he was like the full moon: and as he was sitting one\nday, lo, an old woman approached and advanced towards him, followed by\ntwo female slaves, and she continued to draw near until she stopped at\nhis shop. Beholding his graceful person, and his handsome and lovely\naspect, she wondered at his beauty, and said, Extolled be the perfection\nof Him who created thee! Extolled be the perfection of Him who hath made\nthee a temptation to all creatures!--She ceased not to gaze at him, and\nsaid, This is not a mortal: this is no other than a noble\nangel![VIII_56] Then drawing close to him, she saluted him, and he\nreturned her salutation, and rose to her, standing upon his\nfeet,[VIII_57] and smiled in her face. All this he did at the\nhinting of 'Azeez; after which he seated her by his side, and occupied\nhimself with fanning her until she had rested herself; when she said to\nhim, O my son! O thou of perfect qualities and graces! art thou of this\ncountry?--T\u00e1j-el-Mulook answered her, with an eloquent and sweet and\ncharming voice, By Allah, O my mistress, in my life I never entered this\ncountry until now; and I have not taken up my abode in it but for the\nsake of amusement. And she wished him honour, and welcomed him, and\nsaid, What stuffs hast thou brought with thee? Show me something\nbeautiful; for the beautiful bringeth not anything but what is\nbeautiful.--And when T\u00e1j-el-Mulook heard her words his heart\npalpitated; but he understood not their meaning: so 'Azeez made a sign\nto him; and T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to her, I have everything that thou\ndesirest of stuffs suitable only to Kings and the daughters of Kings.\nFor whom, then, wouldst thou purchase, that I may display to thee what\nwill be appropriate?--He desired by this question to learn the meaning\nof her words; and she answered, I want some stuff suitable to the lady\nDuny\u00e0, the daughter of King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n. On hearing the mention of his\nbeloved, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook rejoiced exceedingly, and said to 'Azeez, Bring\nme the most magnificent of the goods that are by thee. And 'Azeez gave\nhim a wrapper, and untied it before her, and T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to her,\nChoose what will suit her; for this is such as is not found with any but\nme. So the old woman chose some stuff that was worth a thousand pieces\nof gold; and said, What is the price of this?--What! said he, shall I\nbargain with a person like thee respecting this contemptible thing?\nPraise be to God who hath made me acquainted with thee.--And the old\nwoman exclaimed, I invoke, for thy comely face, the protection of the\nLord of the Daybreak![VIII_58] for verily thy face is comely, and\nso are thine actions. Joy be to her who possesseth thee, and especially\nif she be endowed with beauty like thee!--Upon this, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook\nlaughed until he fell backwards, and said [within himself], O\nAccomplisher of desires by the means of wicked old women![VIII_59]\nAnd she said to him, O my son, what is thy name? He answered, My name is\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook.--This, she replied, is one of the names of Kings; but\nthou art in the garb of the merchants. So 'Azeez said, From the\naffection of his family for him, and the high estimation in which they\nheld him, they gave him this name. And the old woman replied, Thou hast\nspoken truth. May God avert from you the evil of the envious, though\nhearts be broken by your charms!\n\nShe then took the stuff, and departed, confounded by his handsomeness\nand loveliness and elegant form; and she proceeded until she went in to\nthe lady Duny\u00e0, when she said to her, O my mistress, I have brought thee\nsome beautiful stuff.--Shew it me, said the lady. And she replied, O my\nmistress, here it is: turn it over, and behold it. And when the lady\nDuny\u00e0 saw it, she said to her, O my nurse, verily this is beautiful\nstuff; I have not seen such in our city!--O my mistress, replied the old\nwoman, the seller of it surpasseth it in beauty. It seemeth as though\nRi\u1e0dw\u00e1n had opened the gates of Paradise and neglected them, and so the\nmerchant who selleth this stuff had come forth from it. I wish he were\nwith thee; for he is a temptation to every one who beholdeth him. He\nhath come to our city with these stuffs for the sake of amusement.--At\nthese words of the old woman the lady Duny\u00e0 laughed, and said, Allah\nafflict thee, thou ill-omened old woman! Thou hast spoken nonsense, and\nart become insane.--She then added, Give me the stuff that I may examine\nit closely. So the old woman handed it to her, and she looked at it\nagain, and saw that it was but little, and that its price was great; and\nshe wondered at its beauty; for she had never in her life seen anything\nlike it. The old woman then said to her, O my mistress, if thou didst\nbehold its owner, thou wouldst know that he is the handsomest person on\nthe face of the earth. And the lady Duny\u00e0 said to her, Didst thou ask\nhim if he had any want to be performed, that he might acquaint us with\nit, and thou mightest accomplish it for him? The old woman, shaking her\nhead, replied, Allah preserve thy sagacity! By Allah, he hath a want.\nAnd is any person without one?--Go to him, then, said the lady Duny\u00e0,\nand salute him, and say to him, I have been honoured by thine arrival in\nour city, and whatever want thou hast, we will perform it for thee on\nthe head and the eye.\n\nThe old woman, therefore, returned immediately to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and\nwhen he saw her, his heart leaped with joy, and he rose to her, standing\nupon his feet, and, taking her hand, seated her by his side. So when she\nhad sat and rested herself, she informed him of that which the lady\nDuny\u00e0 had said. On hearing this, he was filled with the utmost joy; his\nbosom expanded, and he said within himself, I have accomplished my wish!\nHe then said to the old woman, Perhaps thou wilt convey to her a letter\nfrom me, and bring me back the answer. She replied, I hear and obey. And\nwhen he heard her reply, he said to 'Azeez, Give me an inkhorn and\npaper, and a pen of brass. And 'Azeez having given him these things, he\nwrote the following verses:--\n\n I write to thee a letter, O object of my petition, expressive\n of the torment that I suffer from separation;\n And first, I make known to thee the ardour of my heart; and secondly,\n my desire and eager longing;\n And thirdly, the expiring of my life and patience; and fourthly,\n that all the violence of my love remaineth;\n And fifthly, I ask, When shall I behold thee? and sixthly,\n When shall be the day of our union?\n\nHe then added beneath, This letter is from the captive of desire,\nincarcerated in the prison of longing expectation, to whom there can be\nno liberation but by enjoying an interview, even were it with the\nphantom of the object of his hope; for he is enduring a painful torment\nfrom the separation of his beloved.--Then his tears flowed, and he wrote\nthese two verses:--\n\n I write unto thee with my tears flowing, and the drops from\n my eyes descending incessantly;\n But I am not despairing of the favour of my Lord: perhaps\n some day our union may take place.\n\nHe then folded the letter, and sealed it, and gave it to the old woman,\nsaying, Convey it to the lady Duny\u00e0. She replied, I hear and obey. And\nhe gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and said, Receive this as a\npresent from me. So the old woman took it and departed, praying for him.\n\nShe stopped not until she went in to the lady Duny\u00e0, who, when she\nbeheld her, said to her, O my nurse, what hath he demanded that we\nshould do for him?--O my mistress, she answered, he hath sent with me a\nletter, and I know not its contents. And she handed the letter to her.\nSo the lady Duny\u00e0 took it and read it, and understood its meaning, and\nexclaimed, Whence is he, and to what doth he aspire, that this merchant\nopeneth a correspondence with me? Then slapping her face, she said, Were\nit not for my fear of God (whose name be exalted!) I would crucify him\nupon his shop. So the old woman said to her, What is in this letter,\nthat it hath disturbed thy heart? Doth it contain a complaint of\noppression, or a demand for the price of the stuff?--Wo to thee! she\nanswered: it containeth not that, nor anything but love and affection;\nand all this is through thee. Or, if not, how should this devil presume\nto employ these words?--O my mistress, replied the old woman, thou art\nresiding in thy lofty palace, and no one can obtain access to thee; not\neven the flying bird. Allah preserve thee from blame and censure! Thou\nhast nothing to fear from the barking of dogs. Be not angry with me for\nmy bringing thee this letter when I knew not its contents: but it is my\nopinion that thou shouldst return him an answer, and threaten him in it\nwith slaughter, and forbid him from employing these vain words; for he\nwill abstain, and not do so again.--The lady Duny\u00e0 said, I fear to write\nto him, lest he covet me more. But the old woman replied, When he\nheareth the threatening, and promise of punishment, he will desist from\nhis present conduct. So she said, Bring me an inkhorn and paper, and a\npen of brass. And when they had brought them to her, she wrote these\nverses:--\n\n O pretender to love and affliction and sleeplessness, and feelings\n of rapturous passion, and anxiety!\n Dost thou seek for a meeting, O deceived, from a moon? Doth any\n attain from a moon his wish?\n I advise thine abstaining from thy desire: forbear then; for thou\n art exposed to peril.\n If thou again make use of these words, I will visit thee with\n a punishment of the utmost severity.\n By Him who created mankind of clotted blood,[VIII_60]\n and who gave light to the sun and the moon!\n If thou repeat the proposal thou hast made, I will assuredly crucify\n thee on the trunk of a tree.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShe then folded up the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to\nher, Deliver it to him, and say to him, Abstain from these words. And\nshe replied, I hear and obey.\n\nShe took the letter, full of joy,[VIII_61] and went with it to her\nhouse, where she passed the night; and in the morning she repaired to\nthe shop of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, whom she found expecting her. As soon as he\nbeheld her, he almost flew with joy, and when she drew near to him he\nrose to her, standing upon his feet, and seated her by his side; and she\ntook forth the letter, and handed it to him, saying, Read its contents.\nShe then said to him, The lady Duny\u00e0, when she read thy letter, was\nenraged; but I coaxed her and jested with her until I made her laugh,\nand she was moved with pity for thee, and returned thee an answer. So\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook thanked her for this, and, having ordered 'Azeez to give\nher a thousand pieces of gold, read the letter, and understood it; and\nhe wept violently, so that the heart of the old woman was moved with\ncompassion for him, and his weeping and complaining grieved her. She\nsaid to him, O my son, and what is in this paper, that it hath made\nthee weep? He answered, She threateneth me with slaughter and\ncrucifixion, and forbiddeth my writing to her; but if I write not to\nher, my death will be preferable to my life; therefore take a reply to\nher letter, and let her do what she will.--By thy youth, replied the old\nwoman, I must risk my life for thee, and enable thee to attain thy\ndesire, and accomplish for thee that which is in thy heart. And\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook said, Whatsoever thou dost I will requite thee for it; and\nit shall be determined by thee; for thou art experienced in the\nmanagement of affairs, and skilled in the modes of intrigue, and\neverything that is difficult becometh easy to thee; and God is able to\naccomplish all things. So he took a paper, and wrote in it these\nverses:--\n\n She threatened me with slaughter. O my bereavement! Slaughter\n would be ease to me, and death is decreed.\n Death is better than life prolonged to the love-smitten who is\n debarred from enjoyment and treated with oppression.\n By Allah, visit a helpless lover; for I am your slave, and the slave\n is in captivity.\n O my mistress, have mercy on me for my passion; for every one who\n loveth the virtuous is excusable.\n\nHaving done this, he sighed heavily, and wept until the old woman wept\nwith him; after which she took the letter from him, and said to him, Be\nhappy and cheerful; for I must accomplish for thee thy wish.\n\nShe then arose, and left him as though he were upon the fire, and\nrepaired to the lady Duny\u00e0, whom she found with a countenance changed by\nher anger in consequence of the former epistle of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook; and she\nhanded her the second letter; whereupon her rage increased, and she said\nto the old woman, Did I not tell thee that he would covet us more?--And\nwhat is this dog, said the old woman, that he should aspire to thee? The\nlady Duny\u00e0 replied, Go to him, and say to him, If thou write to her\nagain she will strike off thy head. But the old woman said, Do thou\nwrite this to him in a letter, and I will take it with me, that his fear\nmay be the greater. So she took a paper, and wrote in it the following\nverses:--\n\n O thou who art heedless of the course of misfortunes, and who canst not\n accomplish thy desired union!\n Dost thou think, O deceived, to attain to Es-Suh\u00e0,[VIII_62] when\n thou canst not reach to the shining moon?\n How then dost thou venture to hope for our union, and to hold in thine\n embrace my javelin-like form?\n Quit, therefore, this project, in fear of my assault on a day\n of adversity when hair shall become gray.\n\nHaving folded this letter, she handed it to the old woman, who took it\nand repaired with it to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook. At the sight of her he rose, and\nsaid, May God never deprive me of the blessing of thy coming! And the\nold woman replied, Receive the answer to thy letter. So he took the\npaper and read it, and wept violently, and said, I desire now some one\nto kill me; for slaughter would be easier to me than this my present\nstate of suffering. He then took an inkhorn and a pen and paper, and\nwrote a letter expressed in these two verses:--\n\n O my hope, persist not in abandonment and cruelty; but visit\n a lover drowned in desire.\n Think not that I can survive this oppression; for my soul\n departeth at the loss of my beloved.\n\nAnd he folded the letter, and gave it to the old woman, saying to her, I\nhave wearied thee to no purpose. And again he ordered 'Azeez to give her\na thousand pieces of gold, and said to her, O my mother, this paper must\nbe followed by complete union or complete separation.--O my son, she\nreplied, by Allah, I desire for thee nothing but good fortune: and I\nwish she may be with thee; for thou art the shining moon, and she is the\nrising sun; and if I do not bring you together, no profit will remain to\nme in my life. I have passed my life in the practice of artifice and\ndeceit, until I have attained the age of ninety years; and how then\nshould I fail of uniting two persons in opposition to all law?\n\nThen, having bidden him farewell, and soothed his mind, she departed,\nand proceeded without stopping to the lady Duny\u00e0; but she had hidden the\npaper in her hair; and when she sat down with her mistress, she\nscratched her head, and said, O my mistress, perhaps thou wilt untwist\nmy hair; for it is a long time since I have entered the bath. So the\nlady Duny\u00e0 made bare her arms to the elbows, and untwisted the old\nwoman's hair; whereupon the paper fell from her head; and the lady\nDuny\u00e0, seeing it, said, What is this paper? The old woman answered, It\nseemeth that, when I was sitting at the shop of the merchant, this paper\ncaught to me: give it me, therefore, that I may return it to him. But\nthe lady Duny\u00e0 opened it and read it, and understood its contents, and\nexclaimed, This is a trick of thine, and were it not for the fact of thy\nhaving reared me, I would lay violent hands upon thee this moment. God\nhath afflicted me by this merchant, and all that I have experienced from\nhim hath been through thy means. I know not from what country this man\nhath come. No one but he could ever use such boldness towards me. I\nfear that this affair which hath happened to me may be discovered, and\nespecially since it relateth to a man who is neither of my family nor of\nmy equals.--The old woman then addressed her, and said, No one can utter\na word on this subject, through fear of thy power, and of the dignity of\nthy father: and there will be no harm in thy returning him an answer.--O\nmy nurse, replied the lady Duny\u00e0, this is a devil. How hath he dared to\nuse these words, and feared not the power of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n? I am perplexed\nrespecting his case; for if I give orders to kill him, it will not be\nright: and if I leave him, he will increase in his boldness.--Write to\nhim a letter, rejoined the old woman; and perhaps he will be restrained.\nShe therefore demanded a paper and an inkhorn and a pen, and wrote to\nhim the following verses:--\n\n[Illustration]\n\n Though repeatedly rebuked, still gross ignorance inciteth thee.\n How oft shall my hand write verses to forbid thee?\n Thou increasest in eagerness after each prohibition; but I will\n only permit thee to conceal thy secret.\n Conceal then thy love, and never more utter it; for if thou utter it,\n I will not regard thee.\n If thou repeat what thou hast said, the raven of separation will\n announce thy fate:\n In a little time will death overtake thee, and thy resting-place\n be beneath the earth:\n Thou shalt leave thy family, O deceived, in sorrow, when the swords\n of love have prevented thine escape.\n\nHaving then folded the paper, she gave it to the old woman, who took it,\nand went with it to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and gave it to him; and when he had\nread it, and was convinced that she was hard-hearted, and that he could\nnot obtain access to her, he complained of his case to the Wezeer, and\ndesired his prudent counsel. The Wezeer replied, Know that there\nremaineth for thee nothing that can be of avail, except thy writing to\nher another letter, and invoking retribution upon her. So he said, O my\nbrother, O 'Azeez, write in my stead, according to thy knowledge. And\n'Azeez took the paper, and wrote these verses:--\n\n O my Lord, by the Five Elders,[VIII_63] deliver me; and to her\n who hath afflicted me transfer my anguish!\n For Thou knowest that I am suffering a tormenting flame, and my beloved\n hath oppressed me, and will not pity me.\n How long shall I feel tenderly to her in my affliction! And how long\n shall she tyrannize over my weakness!\n I wander in agonies never ending, and find not a person, O my Lord,\n to assist me.\n\n'Azeez then folded the letter, and handed it to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook; and when\nhe had read it, it pleased him, and he gave it to the old woman.\n\nSo she took it, and repaired with it to the lady Duny\u00e0, who, as soon as\nshe had read it, and understood its contents, fell into a violent rage,\nand exclaimed, All that hath befallen me hath been through the means of\nthis ill-omened old woman! And she called out to the female slaves and\neunuchs, and said, Seize this artful old woman, and beat her with your\nslippers.--So they fell to beating her with their slippers until she\nfainted; and when she recovered, the lady Duny\u00e0 said to her, O wicked\nold woman, were it not for my fear of God (whose name be exalted!) I had\nkilled thee. She then said to her attendants, Beat her again. And they\nbeat her again until she fainted; after which she ordered them to throw\nher outside the door; and they dragged her along upon her face and threw\nher down before the door.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen she recovered, therefore, she rose, and, walking and resting now\nand then, arrived at her abode. She waited until the morning, and then\nrose and proceeded to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, whom she acquainted with all that\nhad befallen her; and it vexed him, and he said to her, We are grieved,\nO my mother, for that which hath happened to thee: but everything is in\naccordance with fate and destiny. She replied, Be happy and cheerful;\nfor I will not cease my endeavours until I procure thee an interview\nwith her, and obtain for thee access to this vile woman who hath\ntortured me with beating. T\u00e1j-el-Mulook then said to her, Acquaint me\nwith the cause of her hatred of men. She replied, It is in consequence\nof her having had a dream.--And what was that dream? he asked. She\nanswered, She was sleeping one night, and saw a fowler who set his snare\nupon the ground, and sprinkled around it some wheat, and then seated\nhimself near it; and there was not a single bird near it but it came to\nthat snare. And she saw, among the birds, two pigeons, a male and a\nfemale; and while she was looking at the snare, the foot of the male\nbird became entangled in it, and he began to struggle; whereupon all the\nother birds flew away from him in alarm; but his mate returned to him,\nand flew around over him, and then, alighting upon the snare, while the\nfowler was inadvertent, began to peck at the mesh in which was the foot\nof the male, and pulled it with her beak, until she liberated his foot;\nand she flew away with him. Then, after this, the fowler came and\nreadjusted the snare, and seated himself at a distance from it; and but\na little while had elapsed when the birds descended, and the snare\ncaught the female pigeon; upon which all the other birds flew away in\nalarm, and among them the male pigeon, who returned not to his mate: so\nthe fowler came and took the female bird, and killed her. And the lady\nDuny\u00e0 awoke terrified by her dream, and said, Every male is like this,\ndestitute of good; and men universally are devoid of goodness to\nwomen.--And when the old woman had finished her story to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook,\nhe said to her, O my mother, I wish to obtain one glance at her, though\nmy death be the consequence: contrive, therefore, some stratagem for me,\nthat I may see her.--Know, then, said she, that she hath a garden\nadjacent to her palace, for her diversion, and she goeth out into it\nonce in every month, from the private door, and remaineth in it ten\ndays. The time of her thus going forth to divert herself hath now\narrived, and when she is about to do so I will come to thee and inform\nthee, that thou mayest go thither and meet her; and do thou take care\nnot to quit the garden: for probably, if she behold thy handsome and\ncomely aspect, her heart will be captivated by love of thee; since love\nis the most powerful means of effecting union.\n\nHe replied, I hear and obey:--and he arose, and quitted the shop with\n'Azeez, and they both, taking with them the old woman, repaired to their\nabode, and acquainted her with it; after which, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to\n'Azeez, O my brother, I have no further want of the shop; for I have\naccomplished the purpose for which I took it; and I give it to thee,\nwith all that it containeth, because thou hast come abroad with me, and\nabsented thyself from thy country. And 'Azeez accepted his present, and\nthey sat conversing together; T\u00e1j-el-Mulook asking him respecting his\nstrange adventures, and 'Azeez relating what had happened to him. Then,\naddressing the Wezeer, they acquainted him with the purpose of\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and asked him, What is to be done? He answered, Let us go\nto the garden. So each of them clad himself in the richest of his\napparel, and they went forth, followed by three memlooks, and repaired\nto the garden. They beheld it abounding with trees, and with many\nrivulets, and saw the superintendent sitting at the gate. They saluted\nhim, therefore, and he returned their salutation, and the Wezeer handed\nto him a hundred pieces of gold, saying to him, I beg thee to receive\nthis money, and to buy for us something to eat; for we are strangers,\nand I have with me these children whom I wish to divert. So the gardener\ntook the pieces of gold, and replied, Enter, and divert yourselves; for\nthe whole of it is your property: and sit down until I return to you\nwith something for you to eat. He then went to the market, and the\nWezeer and T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and 'Azeez entered the garden after the\ngardener had departed to the market; and soon the latter returned,\nbringing a roasted lamb, which he placed before them. And they ate, and\nwashed their hands, and sat conversing together; and the Wezeer said,\nInform me respecting this garden: doth it belong to thee, or dost thou\nrent it? The sheykh replied, It is not mine, but belongeth to the King's\ndaughter, the lady Duny\u00e0.--And what, said the Wezeer, is thy monthly\nsalary? He answered, One piece of gold, and no more. And the Wezeer,\ntaking a view of the garden, beheld there a lofty but old pavilion; and\nhe said, O sheykh, I desire to perform here a good work by which thou\nwilt be reminded of me.--And what good thing dost thou desire to do?\nasked the sheykh. The Wezeer said, Take these three hundred pieces of\ngold. And when the superintendent heard the mention of the gold, he\nreplied, O my master, do whatsoever thou wilt. So he took the pieces of\ngold; and the Wezeer said to him, If it be the will of God (whose name\nbe exalted!), we will execute in this place a good work.\n\nThey then went forth from him, and returned to their abode, and passed\nthe next night; and on the morrow, the Wezeer caused a whitewasher to be\nbrought, and a painter, and an excellent goldsmith; and, having provided\nthem with all the implements that they required, introduced them into\nthe garden, and ordered them to whitewash that pavilion and to decorate\nit with various kinds of paintings. After which he gave orders to bring\nthe gold, and the ultramarine pigment, and said to the painter,\nDelineate, at the upper end of this saloon, the figure of a fowler, as\nthough he had set his snare, and a female pigeon had fallen into it, and\nhad become entangled in it by her bill. And when the painter had\nfinished his picture on one portion, the Wezeer said to him, Now paint,\non this other portion, as before, and represent the female pigeon in the\nsnare, and shew that the fowler hath taken her, and put the knife to her\nneck; and on the other side paint the figure of a great bird of prey,\nthat hath captured the male pigeon, and fixed his talons into him. So he\ndid this; and when he had finished these designs which the Wezeer had\ndescribed to him, they took leave of the gardener, and returned to their\nabode.\n\nThere they sat conversing together; and T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to 'Azeez, O\nmy brother, recite to me some verses: perhaps my heart may thereby be\ndilated, and these troubling reflections may be dispelled, and the flame\nthat is in my heart be quenched. And upon this, 'Azeez, with charming\nmodulations, chanted these verses:--\n\n Ibn-Seen\u00e0[VIII_64] hath asserted that the lover's remedy\n consisteth in melodious sounds,\n And the company of one like his beloved, and the pleasures\n of a dessert and wine and a garden:\n But I have taken another in thy stead to cure myself, and fate\n and contingency aided me:\n Yet I found that love was a mortal disease, for which Ibn-Seen\u00e0's\n medicine was vain.\n\nMeanwhile, the old woman remained alone in her house; and the lady Duny\u00e0\nlonged to divert herself in the garden; but she used not to go forth\nsave with the old woman: so she sent to her, and conciliated her, and\nsoothed her mind, and said to her, I desire to go out into the garden,\nto amuse myself with the sight of its trees and fruits, and that my\nheart may be dilated by its flowers. The old woman replied, I hear and\nobey; but I would first go to my house and dress myself, and I will be\nwith thee again.--Go, then, to thy house, rejoined the lady Duny\u00e0; but\nbe not long absent from me. The old woman, therefore, went forth from\nher, and repaired to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and said to him, Make ready, and\nclothe thyself in the richest of thine apparel, and betake thyself to\nthe garden, and go in to the gardener and salute him, and then conceal\nthyself in the garden. He replied, I hear and obey. And she agreed with\nhim respecting a sign to be made; after which she returned to the lady\nDuny\u00e0. And when she had gone, the Wezeer arose, and clad T\u00e1j-el-Mulook\nin a suit of the most magnificent of the apparel of Kings, worth five\nthousand pieces of gold, and girded him with a girdle of gold set with\njewels, and repaired to the garden. On arriving at its gate, they found\nthe superintendent sitting there; and when he saw T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, he rose\nto him, standing upon his feet, and, receiving him with reverence and\nhonour, opened to him the gate, and said to him, Enter, and divert\nthyself in the garden. But the gardener knew not that the King's\ndaughter would enter the garden that day. And when T\u00e1j-el-Mulook had\ngone in, he waited but a short time, and heard a noise; and before he\nknew the cause, the eunuchs and female slaves came forth from the\nprivate door; and as soon as the superintendent beheld them, he went and\nacquainted T\u00e1j-el-Mulook with their coming, saying to him, O my lord,\nwhat is to be done, now that the King's daughter, the lady Duny\u00e0, hath\ncome? He answered, No harm will befall thee; for I will conceal myself\nin some place in the garden. So the gardener charged him to use the\nutmost caution in concealing himself, and left him, and departed.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd when the King's daughter, with her female slaves and the old woman,\nentered the garden, the old woman said within herself, If the eunuchs be\nwith us, we shall not attain our wish. So she said to the King's\ndaughter, O my mistress, I would propose to thee a thing productive of\nease to thy heart. And the lady Duny\u00e0 replied, Propose what thou wilt.\nThe old woman therefore said, O my mistress, thou hast no need of these\neunuchs at the present time; nor will thy heart be dilated as long as\nthey are with us: so dismiss them from us.--Thou hast spoken truly,\nreplied the lady Duny\u00e0:--and she dismissed them; and a little while\nafter, as she was walking, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook beheld her, and gazed at her\nbeauty and loveliness, while she knew it not; and every time that he\nlooked at her he fainted, by reason of her surpassing beauty. The old\nwoman in the meantime led her on by conversation to the pavilion which\nthe Wezeer had ordered to be painted; and, entering this pavilion, the\nlady Duny\u00e0 took a view of its paintings, and saw the birds and the\nfowler and the pigeons; whereupon she exclaimed, Extolled be the\nperfection of God! Verily this is the representation of what I beheld in\nmy dream!--And she continued gazing at the figures of the birds and the\nfowler and the snare, full of wonder; and said, O my nurse, I used to\ncensure men, and hate them; but see the fowler, how he hath killed the\nfemale bird, and the male hath escaped, and desired to return to the\nfemale to liberate her, but the bird of prey hath met him and captured\nhim. The old woman, however, affected ignorance to her, and proceeded to\ndivert her with talk until they both approached the place where\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook was concealed; upon which she made a sign to him that he\nshould walk beneath the windows of the pavilion; and while the lady\nDuny\u00e0 stood there, she looked aside, and saw him, and, observing the\nbeauty of his face, and his elegant form, she said, O my nurse, whence\nis this handsome youth? The old woman answered, I know him not; but I\nimagine that he is the son of a great King; for he is of the utmost\nbeauty and loveliness. And the lady Duny\u00e0 was enraptured with him. The\nspells that bound her were dissolved, her reason was overcome by his\nbeauty and loveliness and his elegant person, and she was affected by\nviolent love: so she said to the old woman, O my nurse, verily this\nyoung man is handsome. The old woman replied, Thou hast spoken truth, O\nmy mistress. And she made a sign to the King's son to return to his\nhouse. The fire of desire flamed within him, and his rapture and\ndistraction became excessive; but he went, and bade farewell to the\nsuperintendent, and departed to his abode, that he might not disobey the\nold woman, and acquainted the Wezeer and 'Azeez that she had made a sign\nto him to depart. And they both exhorted him to be patient, saying to\nhim, If the old woman did not know that there was an object to be\nattained by thy return, she had not made a sign to thee to do so.\n\nNow to return to the lady Duny\u00e0.--Desire overcame her, and her rapture\nand distraction increased; so she said to the old woman, I know not how\nto obtain an interview with this young man but through thy means. The\nold woman exclaimed, I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed!\nThou hast no desire for men; and how, then, have fears affected thee in\nconsequence of the love of him? But, by Allah, none other than he is\nsuited to thy youth.--O my nurse, rejoined the lady Duny\u00e0, assist me to\nobtain an interview with him, and thou shalt receive from me a thousand\npieces of gold, and a dress of the same value: if thou assist me not to\ngain him, I shall die inevitably. So the old woman replied, Go thou to\nthy palace, and I will devise means to bring you together, and give my\nlife to satisfy you both. The lady Duny\u00e0 then returned to her palace,\nwhile the old woman repaired to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook; and when he saw her, he\nrose to her, and stood, and received her with respect and honour,\nseating her by his side; and she said to him, The stratagem hath\nsucceeded. She then related to him what had occurred between her and\nthe lady Duny\u00e0; and he said to her, When shall be the interview? She\nanswered, To-morrow. And he gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a\ngarment of the same value: and she took them, and departed, and stopped\nnot until she went in to the lady Duny\u00e0, who said to her, O my nurse,\nwhat news hast thou brought from the beloved?--I have discovered his\nabode, she answered; and to-morrow I will bring him to thee. And at this\nthe lady Duny\u00e0 rejoiced, and gave her a thousand pieces of gold, and a\ngarment of the same value; and she took them, and returned to her house.\n\nShe passed the next night, and in the morning she went forth and\nrepaired to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and, having clad him in women's apparel, said\nto him, Walk behind me, and incline thy body from side to side as thou\nsteppest,[VIII_65] and proceed not with a hasty pace, nor take\nnotice of any one who may speak to thee. And after she had thus charged\nhim, she went forth, and he behind her in his female attire; and she\nproceeded to instruct him, on the way, how to act, that he might not\nfear. She continued on her way, he following her, until they arrived at\nthe entrance of the palace, when she entered, and he also after her, and\nshe passed through successive doors and antechambers until she had\nconducted him through seven doors. And when she arrived at the seventh\ndoor, she said to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, Fortify thy heart, and if I call out to\nthee, and say to thee, O slave-girl, advance!--be not tardy in thy pace,\nbut hasten on, and when thou hast entered the antechamber beyond, look\nto thy left: thou wilt see a saloon with seven doors; and do thou count\nfive doors, and enter the sixth; for within it is the object of thy\ndesire.--And whither goest _thou_? said T\u00e1j-el-Mulook. She answered, I\nhave no place to go to; but perhaps I may wait after thee and speak with\nthe chief eunuch. She then proceeded, and he followed her, until they\narrived at the door where was the chief eunuch; and he saw with her\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook in the attire of a female slave, and said to her, What is\nthe business of this slave-girl who is with thee? She answered him, The\nlady Duny\u00e0 hath heard that this girl is skilled in different kinds of\nwork, and she desireth to purchase her. But the eunuch replied, I know\nneither slave-girl nor any other person; and no one shall enter without\nbeing searched by me, as the King hath commanded me. Upon this, the old\nwoman, manifesting anger, said to him, I knew that thou wast a man of\nsense and of good manners; and if thou art changed I will acquaint her\nwith this, and inform her that thou hast offered opposition to her\nfemale slave. She then called out to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and said to him,\nAdvance, O slave-girl! And immediately he entered the antechamber, as\nshe had commanded him, and the eunuch was silent, and said no more. So\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook counted five doors, and entered the sixth, and found the\nlady Duny\u00e0 standing expecting him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAs soon as she beheld him, she knew him, and pressed him to her bosom,\nand he embraced her in like manner; and the old woman, coming in to\nthem, contrived a pretext to dismiss the female slaves; after which the\nlady Duny\u00e0 said to her, Be thou keeper of the door. She then remained\nalone with T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and they passed the whole night in innocent\ndalliance.[VIII_66] And on the following morning she closed the\ndoor upon him and the old woman, and entering another apartment, sat\nthere according to her custom; and her female slaves came to her, and\nshe transacted their affairs and conversed with them, and then said to\nthem, Go forth from me now; for I desire to amuse myself in solitude. So\nthey left her, and she returned to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and the old woman,\ntaking with her some food for them; and thus they ceased not to do for a\nwhole month.\n\nAs to the Wezeer, however, and 'Azeez, when T\u00e1j-el-Mulook had gone to\nthe palace of the King's daughter and remained all this time, they\nconcluded that he would never return from it, and that he was inevitably\nlost; and 'Azeez said to the Wezeer, O my father, what wilt thou do? The\nWezeer answered, O my son, this affair is one of difficulty, and if we\nreturn not to his father to acquaint him, he will blame us for our\nnegligence. So they prepared themselves immediately, and journeyed\ntowards El-Ar\u1e0d el-Kha\u1e0dr\u00e0 and El-'Amoodeyn[VIII_67] and the royal\nresidence of the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, and traversed the valleys night and\nday until they went in and presented themselves before the King Suleym\u00e1n\nSh\u00e1h; and they informed him of that which had happened to his son, and\nthat they had learnt no news of him since he had entered the palace of\nthe King's daughter. On hearing this, he was as though the day of\nresurrection had surprised him: his sorrow was intense, and he gave\norders to make a proclamation of war throughout his dominions. He then\nsent forth his troops outside the city, and caused the tents to be\npitched for them, and remained in his pavilion until the forces had\nassembled from all the quarters of his kingdom. His subjects loved him\nfor his great justice and beneficence, and he departed with an army that\ncovered the earth as far as the eye could reach, for the purpose of\ndemanding his son T\u00e1j-el-Mulook.\n\nIn the meantime, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and the lady Duny\u00e0 continued together for\nhalf a year, every day increasing in mutual love; and the love and\ndistraction and rapture of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook so augmented that he opened to\nher his mind, and said to her, Know, O beloved of my heart, that the\nlonger I remain with thee, the more do my distraction and ecstasy and\ndesire increase; for I have not altogether attained my wish. So she\nsaid, What dost thou wish, O light of my eye, and delight of my heart?\nHe answered, I desire to acquaint thee with my true history: know, then,\nthat I am not a merchant, but a King, son of a King, and the name of my\nfather is the Supreme King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, who sent the Wezeer as\nambassador to thy father to demand thee for me in marriage; and when the\nnews came to thee thou refusedst to consent.--He then related to her his\nstory from first to last; and added, I desire now to repair to my\nfather, that he may send an ambassador again to thy father, to demand\nthee in marriage from him, and so we shall remain at ease.--And when she\nheard this, she rejoiced exceedingly: for it coincided with her wish;\nand they passed the next night determined upon this proceeding.\n\nBut it happened, in accordance with destiny, that sleep overcame them\nunusually that night, and they remained until the sun had risen. The\nKing Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n was then upon his royal seat, with the emeers of his\nempire before him, and the chief of the goldsmiths presented himself,\nhaving in his hand a large round casket: and he advanced, and, opening\nit before the King, took forth from it an elegant box worth a hundred\nthousand pieces of gold for the jewels it contained, and rubies and\nemeralds, such as no King of the earth could procure. And when the King\nsaw it, he wondered at its beauty; and he looked towards the chief\neunuch, to whom the affair with the old woman had happened (as above\ndescribed), and said to him, O K\u00e1foor,[VIII_68] take this box, and\ngo with it to the lady Duny\u00e0. So the eunuch took it, and proceeded until\nhe arrived at the chamber of the King's daughter, when he found its door\nclosed, and the old woman sleeping at its threshold, and he exclaimed,\nUntil this hour are ye sleeping? And when the old woman heard what he\nsaid, she awoke from her sleep, and, in her fear of him, said, Wait\nuntil I bring the key. She then went forth and fled. The eunuch,\ntherefore, knew that she was alarmed, and he displaced the\ndoor,[VIII_69] and, entering the chamber, found the lady Duny\u00e0\nasleep with T\u00e1j-el-Mulook. At the sight of this, he was perplexed at his\ncase, and was meditating to return to the King, when the lady Duny\u00e0\nawoke, and found him by her; and she was troubled, and her countenance\nbecame pale, and she said, O K\u00e1foor, veil what God hath veiled. But he\nreplied, I cannot conceal anything from the King. And he closed the door\nupon them, and returned to the King. So the King said to him, Hast thou\ngiven the box to thy mistress? The eunuch answered, Take the box: here\nit is. I cannot conceal from thee anything. Know that I beheld, with the\nlady Duny\u00e0, a handsome young man, sleeping in the same chamber. The King\ntherefore ordered that they should be both brought before him; and when\nthey had come into his presence, he said to them, What are these deeds?\nAnd he was violently enraged, and, seizing a dagger,[VIII_70] was\nabout to strike with it T\u00e1j-el-Mulook; but the lady Duny\u00e0 threw her head\nupon him, and said to her father, Slay me before him. The King, however,\nchid her, and ordered them to convey her back to her chamber. Then\nlooking towards T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, he said to him, Wo to thee! Whence art\nthou, and who is thy father, and what hath emboldened thee to act thus\ntowards my daughter?--Know, O King, answered T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, that, if\nthou put me to death, thou wilt perish, and thou and all in thy\ndominions will repent.--And why so? said the King. He answered, Know\nthat I am the son of the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, and thou wilt not be aware\nof the consequence when he will approach thee with his horsemen and his\ninfantry. And when King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n heard this, he desired to defer\nputting him to death; and to imprison him until he should see whether\nhis assertion were true; but his Wezeer said to him, O King of the age,\nit is my advice that thou hasten the execution of this young wretch,\nsince he hath been guilty of presumption towards the daughters of Kings.\nSo he said to the executioner, Strike off his head; for he is a traitor.\nAnd the executioner took him, and, having bound him firmly, raised his\nhand, and made a sign of consultation to the emeers a first and a second\ntime, desiring by this that some delay might take place; but the King\ncalled out to him, How long wilt thou consult? If thou do so again I\nwill strike off thy head.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe executioner, therefore, raised his hand until his arm-pit appeared,\nand was about to strike off his head, when loud cries were heard, and,\nthe people closed their shops. So the King said to the executioner,\nHasten not. And he sent a person to learn the news for him; and the\nmessenger went, and, soon returning, said to the King, I beheld an army\nlike the roaring sea agitated with waves; their horses are prancing, and\nthe earth trembleth beneath them, and I know not wherefore they are\ncome. And the King was amazed, and feared lest he should be deposed from\nhis throne. He then said to his Wezeer, Have none of our troops gone\nforth to meet this army? But his words were not finished when his\nchamberlains came in to him accompanied by the messengers of the\napproaching King, and among them was the Wezeer who had been with\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook. He commenced by salutation; and the King rose to him,\nand, calling them near to him, asked them respecting the cause of their\ncoming: whereupon the Wezeer advanced from among them, and approached\nthe King, and said to him, Know that he who hath alighted in thy\nterritories is a King not like the Kings who have preceded him, nor like\nthe Sul\u1e6d\u00e1ns of former times.--And who is he? said the King. The Wezeer\nanswered, He is the lord of justice and security, the fame of whose\nmagnanimity the caravans have spread abroad, the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h,\nthe lord of El-Ar\u1e0d el-Kha\u1e0dr\u00e0 and El-'Amoodeyn and the mountains of\nI\u1e63pah\u00e1n, who loveth justice and equity, and hateth tyranny and\noppression; and he saith to thee, that his son is in thy dominions and\nin thy city, and he is the vital spirit of his heart, and its delight;\nand if he find him in safety, it is what he desireth, and thou wilt be\nthanked and praised; but if he be not found in thy country, or if any\nevil hath befallen him, receive tidings of destruction and of the ruin\nof thy territories; for thy country shall become a desert in which the\nraven shall croak. Thus I have delivered to thee the message; and peace\nbe on thee.--When the King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n heard these words of the envoy,\nhis heart was troubled, and he feared for his kingdom, and called out to\nthe lords of his empire, and his wezeers and chamberlains and\nlieutenants; and when they had come before him he said to them, Wo unto\nyou! Go down and search for this young man.--But he was under the hand\nof the executioner, and his appearance was changed through the fear that\nhe suffered. The Wezeer then, looking aside, found the King's son upon\nthe skin of blood,[VIII_71] and he recognised him, and arose, and\nthrew himself upon him. So also did the other messengers: they then\nunbound him, and kissed his hands and his feet; whereupon T\u00e1j-el-Mulook\nopened his eyes, and, recognising the Wezeer and his companion 'Azeez,\nfell down in a swoon through the excess of his joy at their presence.\n\nThe King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n was perplexed at his situation, and in great fear,\non discovering that the coming of the army was on account of this young\nman; and he arose and walked forward to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, and kissed his\nhead, and, with weeping eyes, said to him, O my son, be not angry with\nme: be not angry with the evil-doer for his deed; but have compassion on\nmy gray hairs, and lay not waste my dominions. And T\u00e1j-el-Mulook\napproached him, and kissed his hand, saying to him, No harm shall befall\nthee; for thou art in my estimation as my father; but beware that no\nevil befall my beloved, the lady Duny\u00e0.--O my lord, rejoined the King,\nfear not for her; for nought but happiness awaiteth her. And he\nproceeded to excuse himself to him, and to soothe the mind of the Wezeer\nof the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, promising him a large sum of money that he\nmight conceal from the King what he had seen; after which he ordered the\ngrandees of his empire to take T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and to conduct him to the\nbath, to clothe him in a suit of the best of royal apparel, and bring\nhim back quickly. So they did this: they conducted him into the bath,\nand, having clad him in the suit which the King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n had allotted\nhim, brought him back to the hall of audience; and when he came in, the\nKing rose to him, he and all the lords of his empire, and they all stood\nto wait upon him. Then T\u00e1j-el-Mulook sat and conversed with his father's\nWezeer and with 'Azeez respecting the events which had happened to him;\nand they replied, During that period we went to thy father, and informed\nhim that thou hadst entered the palace of the King's daughter, and not\ncome forth from it, and that thy case appeared doubtful to us; and when\nhe heard this, he made ready the troops, and we came to this country,\nand on our arrival have experienced joy and happiness. So he said to\nthem, Good fortune hath attended your actions, first and last.\n\nThe King, in the meantime, had gone into his daughter, the lady Duny\u00e0,\nand found her weeping for T\u00e1j-el-Mulook. She had taken a sword, and put\nits hilt to the floor, and its point to the middle of her bosom, and was\nleaning over it, saying, I must kill myself, and not live after my\nbeloved. When her father, therefore, went in to her, and beheld her in\nthis state, he called out to her, and said, O mistress of the daughters\nof Kings, do it not; but have mercy upon thy father and the people of\nthy country! Then advancing to her, he said to her, I conjure thee to\nabstain, lest evil befall thy father on thy account. And he acquainted\nher with the case, telling her that her beloved, the son of the King\nSuleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, desired to celebrate his marriage with her, and adding,\nThe affair of the betrothal and marriage is committed to thy judgment.\nAnd she smiled, and said to him, Did I not tell thee that he was the son\nof a Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n? I will make him crucify thee upon a piece of wood worth a\ncouple of pieces of silver. I conjure thee by Allah, he exclaimed, that\nthou have mercy upon thy father!--Go to him, she rejoined, and bring him\nto me. He replied, On the head and the eye. And he returned from her\nquickly, and, going in to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, rejoiced him by what he said.\nHe then arose with him, and went to her again; and when she beheld\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook, she embraced him in the presence of her father, and clung\nto him, and said to him, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence.\nThen looking at her father, she said, Can any one act injuriously\ntowards such a person as this handsome youth, and he a King, a son of a\nKing? And upon this the King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n went forth, and closed the door\nupon them, and, repairing to the Wezeer and the other messengers of the\nfather of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, ordered them to inform the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h\nthat his son was in prosperity and health, and enjoying a life of the\nutmost delight. He gave orders also to carry forth provisions and pay to\nthe troops of the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h; and after they had conveyed all\nthat he commanded them to take forth, he brought out a hundred coursers,\nand a hundred dromedaries, and a hundred memlooks, and a hundred\nconcubine slaves, and a hundred male black slaves, and a hundred female\nslaves, and sent them all to him as a present.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHe then repaired to him, with the lords of his empire, and his chief\nattendants, and they proceeded until they arrived outside the city; and\nwhen the Sul\u1e6d\u00e1n Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h became acquainted with this he advanced\nsome paces to meet him. The Wezeer and 'Azeez had informed him of the\nnews, and he rejoiced, and exclaimed, Praise be to God who hath granted\nmy son the accomplishment of his wish! And he embraced the King\nSh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n, and seated him by his side upon the couch, and they\nconversed together; after which the attendants placed before; them the\nfood, and when they had eaten to satisfaction they brought them the\nsweetmeats. Soon after, T\u00e1j-el-Mulook came, approaching in his rich and\nornamented dress; and when his father beheld him, he rose to him and\nkissed him, and all who were present rose to him; and after he had sat\nwith them a while conversing, the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h said, I desire to\nperform my son's contract of marriage to thy daughter in the presence of\nwitnesses. And King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n replied, I hear and obey. So he summoned\nthe \u1e32\u00e1\u1e0dee and witnesses, and they came, and wrote the marriage-contract;\nand the troops rejoiced at this. And King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n began to fit out\nhis daughter.\n\nThen T\u00e1j-el-Mulook said to his father, Verily, 'Azeez is a generous\nperson; he hath performed for me a great service, and wearied himself,\nand journeyed with me, and enabled me to attain the object of my search,\nceasing not to exhort me to patience until I accomplished my wish, and\nhe hath been with us two years separated from his country: it is my\ndesire, therefore, that we should prepare for him merchandise; for his\ncountry is near. His father replied, Thy opinion is excellent. So they\nprepared for him a hundred loads of the most costly stuffs; and\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook bade him farewell, saying to him, O my brother, accept\nthis as a present. And he accepted it, and kissed the ground before him\nand before his father. T\u00e1j-el-Mulook then mounted his horse, and\nproceeded with 'Azeez for the space of three miles; after which, 'Azeez\nconjured him to return, and said, Were it not for my mother, I could not\nendure thy separation; and by Allah, I entreat thee not to cease\nacquainting me with thy state. Having thus said, he bade him farewell,\nand repaired to his city. He found that his mother had built for him a\ntomb in the midst of the house, and she frequently visited it; and when\nhe entered the house, he found that she had dishevelled her hair and\nspread it upon the tomb, and, with streaming eyes, was reciting these\nverses:--\n\n By Allah, O tomb, have his charms perished; and hath that brilliant\n countenance changed?\n O tomb, thou art neither a garden nor a firmament: how then can\n the full moon and flowers be united in thee?\n\nShe then groaned, and recited some other verses; but before she had\nfinished, 'Azeez went in to her: and when she beheld him, she rose to\nhim and embraced him, and asked him respecting his long absence: so he\nacquainted her with all the events that had happened to him from first\nto last, and told her that T\u00e1j-el-Mulook had given him, of wealth and\nstuffs, a hundred loads; and she rejoiced at this.--Such was the history\nof 'Azeez.\n\nNow as to T\u00e1j-el-Mulook, he returned to his beloved, the lady Duny\u00e0, and\nKing Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n fitted her out for the journey with her husband and her\nfather-in-law: he sent to them provisions and presents and rarities, and\nthey loaded their beasts and departed; and King Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n accompanied\nthem three days' journey to bid them farewell. The King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h\nthen conjured him to return: so he returned; and T\u00e1j-el-Mulook and his\nfather and his wife continued their journey night and day until they\ncame in sight of their country. The city was decorated for them, and\nthey entered it; and the King Suleym\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h sat upon his throne with his\nson T\u00e1j-el-Mulook by his side; and he gave presents, and liberated the\npersons confined in the prisons; after which he celebrated for his son a\nsecond wedding-festivity: the songs and instrumental music were\ncontinued for a whole month, and the tire-women crowded around the lady\nDuny\u00e0, and she was not tired with the display, nor were they with gazing\nat her. T\u00e1j-el-Mulook then took up his abode with her, after an\ninterview with his father and mother together; and they passed a life of\nthe utmost delight and enjoyment.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nNOTES TO CHAPTER EIGHTH.\n\nNOTE 1. The next story to that of Gh\u00e1nim, in my original, is one of very\ngreat length, comprising the greater part of the forty-fourth night and\nextending to the end of the hundred and forty-fifth; but interrupted by\nthe contents of my eighth chapter, which consists of two stories of a\nvery different kind, that appear to have been introduced to relieve its\ntediousness. With these, it occupies nearly 162 pages, or not much less\nthan an eighth part of the whole work. It is the story of the King 'Omar\nEn-No\u1ea1m\u00e1n, and his two sons Sharr-k\u00e1n[360] and \u1e0c\u00f3-el-Mek\u00e1n,[361] and his\ndaughter Nuzhet-ez-Zem\u00e1n,[362] &c. It is entirely a fiction, professedly\nrelating to the first century of the Mohammadan era, \"before the reign\nof the Khaleefeh 'Abd-El-Melik the son of Marw\u00e1n;\" and its main subject\nis a war with two Greek Kings. Taken altogether, I deem it unworthy of a\nplace in the present series of tales; and so much of it depends upon\nincidents of a most objectionable nature, that I cannot attempt to\nabridge it; but a pleasant tale might be composed from it by\nconsiderable _alterations_.\n\nOne of the two stories which I have extracted from it, that of\nT\u00e1j-el-Mulook and the Lady Duny\u00e0, bears apparent indications of a\nPersian origin; but in their present state, the manners and customs &c.\nwhich both exhibit are Arab. The scenes of the events narrated in the\nstory of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook are in Persia and, probably, in India; but\nimaginary names appear to be given to the several kingdoms mentioned in\nit: the kingdom of El-Ar\u1e0d el-Kha\u1e0dr\u00e0 (\"the Green Country\") and\nEl-'Amoodeyn (which signifies \"the Two Columns\") is said to include the\nmountains of I\u1e63pah\u00e1n, and its locality is thereby sufficiently\nindicated: that of El-Ar\u1e0d el-Bey\u1e0d\u00e0 (\"the White Country\") I suppose to be\nin Persia or India: and as to the Islands of Camphor, I fancy we must be\ncontent to consider them vaguely as appertaining to India: the country\nin which 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh resided is said to have been near to the\nIslands of Camphor; but their story is perfectly Arab.--The Island of\nCamphor is also mentioned in the Story of \u1e24asan of El-Ba\u1e63rah.\n\nNOTE 2. \"El-Medeeneh el-Kha\u1e0dr\u00e0\" signifies \"the Green City.\" See the\nabove note.\n\nNOTE 3. \"The Compassionate\" is an epithet here applied to God.\n\nNOTE 4. See the first note in this series.--\"Zahr,\" in Arabic, signifies\n\"a Flower.\"\n\nNOTE 5.--_On Coats of Mail, and other Armour worn by the Arabs._ The\nProphet David is said to have been the first person who manufactured\ncoats of mail; and the cause of his applying himself to the art was\nthis.--\"He used to go forth in disguise; and when he found any people\nwho knew him not, he approached them and asked them respecting the\nconduct of D\u00e1ood (or David), and they praised him and prayed for him;\nbut one day as he was asking questions respecting himself as usual, God\nsent to him an angel in the form of a human being, who said, 'An\nexcellent man were D\u00e1ood if he did not take from the public\ntreasury:'--whereupon the heart of D\u00e1ood was contracted, and he begged\nof God to render him independent: so He made iron soft to him, and it\nbecame in his hands as thread; and he used to sell a coat of mail for\nfour thousand [pieces of money--whether gold or silver is not said], and\nwith part of this he obtained food for himself, and part he gave in\nalms, and with part he fed his family.\"[363]--Hence an excellent coat of\nmail is often called by the Arabs \"D\u00e1oodee,\" _i. e._ \"Davidean.\" This\nkind of armour is worn by some Arabs of the Desert in the present day;\nbut the best specimens, I believe, are mostly found in India. Burckhardt\nmentions one tribe of Arabs who have about twenty-five; another, two\nhundred; and two others, between thirty and forty. \"The dora [properly\ndir\u1ea1] is,\" he remarks, \"of two sorts, one covering the whole body like a\nlong gown from the elbow, over the shoulders, down to the knees: this is\nthe sirgh: the other, called kemb\u00e1z, covers the body only to the waist;\nthe arms from the elbows downwards being covered with two pieces of\nsteel, fitting into each other, with iron fingers. Thus clad, the Arab\ncompletes his armour by putting on his head an iron cap (t\u00e1s), which is\nbut rarely adorned with feathers. The price of a coat of mail fluctuates\nfrom two hundred to fifteen hundred piastres.... Those of the best\nquality are capable of resisting a ball.\"[364] The coat of mail is\nsometimes worn within the ordinary outer tunic.\n\nNOTE 6. This implies that his parents were dead.\n\nNOTE 7.--_On Public Royal Feasts._ On certain periodical festivals, and\non other occasions (as those of the kind here described), it has long\nbeen, and still is, a custom of Muslim princes to give public feasts to\nall classes of their subjects, in the palace. El-Ma\u1e33reezee quotes a\ncurious account of the feasts which were given on the festival following\nRama\u1e0d\u00e1n to the inhabitants of Cairo, by the F\u00e1\u1e6dimee Khaleefehs.[365] At\nthe upper end of a large saloon was placed the sereer (or couch) of the\nmonarch, upon which he sat with the Wezeer on his right. Upon this seat\nwas placed a round silver table, with various delicacies, of which they\nalone ate. Before it, and extending nearly from the seat to the other\nextremity of the saloon, was set up a kind of table or platform (sim\u00e1\u1e6d)\nof painted wood, resembling a number of benches placed together, ten\ncubits (or about eighteen or nineteen feet) in width. Along the middle\nof this were arranged twenty-one enormous dishes, each containing\ntwenty-one baked sheep, three years old, and fat; together with fowls,\nchickens, and young pigeons, in number three hundred and fifty of each\nkind; all of which were piled together in an oblong form, to the height\nof the stature of a man, and enclosed with dry sweetmeat. The spaces\nbetween these dishes were occupied by nearly five hundred other dishes\nof earthenware; each of which contained seven fowls, and was filled up\nwith sweetmeats of various kinds. The table was strewn with flowers;\nand cakes of bread made of the finest flower were arranged along each\nside. There were also two great edifices of sweetmeats, each weighing\nseventeen hundred-weights, which were carried thither by porters with\nshoulder-poles; and one of these was placed at the commencement, and the\nother at the close, of this sumptuous banquet. When the Khaleefeh and\nWezeer had taken their seats upon the couch, the officers of state who\nwere distinguished by neck-rings or collars,[366] and the inferior\nmembers of the court, seated themselves in the order of their respective\nranks; and when they had eaten, they gave place to others. Two such\nfeasts, given on the festival after Rama\u1e0d\u00e1n and on the \"great festival,\"\ncost four thousand deen\u00e1rs, or about two thousand pounds sterling.--Two\nmilitary officers, named Ibn-F\u00e1\u00efz and Ed-Deylemee, distinguished\nthemselves at these feasts in a very remarkable manner. Each of them\nused to eat a baked sheep, and ten fowls dressed with sweetmeats, and\nten pounds of sweetmeats besides, and was presented with a quantity of\nfood carried away from the feast to his house, together with a large sum\nof money. One of them had been a prisoner at 'As\u1e33al\u00e1n; and after he had\nremained there some time, the person into whose power he had fallen\njestingly told him that if he would eat a calf belonging to him, the\nflesh of which weighed several hundred-weights, he would emancipate him.\nThis feat he accomplished, and thus he obtained his liberation.[367]\n\nSeveral cases of a similar kind to those just mentioned are instanced in\na late work. One of a man who, as related by Vopiscus, was brought\nbefore the Emperor Maximilian [_sic_], and who devoured a whole calf,\nand was proceeding to eat up a sheep, but was prevented. Another, of a\nman who commenced his repast (in the presence of Dr. Boehmen, of\nWittenberg,) by eating a raw sheep and a sucking pig, and, by way of\ndessert, swallowed sixty pounds of prunes, stones and all. A third, of\nan attendant of the menagerie of the Botanical Garden in Paris, who used\nto devour all the offals of the Theatre of Comparative Anatomy, and ate\na dead lion in one day.[368]\n\nNOTE 8.--_On Litters for Travelling._ The kind of litter borne by mules\nis generally one resembling the p\u00e1lkee (or palanquin): it is borne by\nfour of these animals, two before and two behind, or by two only, or\nmore commonly by two camels, and sometimes by two horses. When borne by\ncamels, the head of the hindmost of these animals is painfully bent\ndown, under the vehicle. It is the most comfortable kind of litter; and\ntwo light persons may travel in it. The name generally given to it is\n\"takhtaraw\u00e1n,\" or \"takht-raw\u00e1n;\" but the term employed in the passage to\nwhich this note refers is \"mi\u1e25affeh,\" which is often used as a general\nname for a camel-litter, and particularly applied to one with a flat\ntop.--A very common kind of camel-litter, called \"musa\u1e6d\u1e6da\u1e25,\" or \"\u1e25eml\nmusa\u1e6d\u1e6da\u1e25,\" resembles a small square tent, and is chiefly composed of two\nlong chests, each of which has a high back: these are placed on the\ncamel in the same manner as a pair of panniers, one on each side; and\nthe high backs, which are placed outwards, together with a small pole\nresting on the camel's pack-saddle, support the covering which forms\nwhat may be called the tent. This vehicle accommodates two persons. It\nis generally open at the front; and may also be opened at the back.\nThough it appears comfortable, the motion is uneasy; especially when it\nis placed upon a camel that has been accustomed to carry heavy burdens:\nbut camels of easy pace are generally chosen for bearing\nlitters.--Another kind of litter, called \"shibreeyeh,\" is composed of a\nsmall square platform with an arched covering. This accommodates but one\nperson; and is placed on the back of the camel: two sa\u1e25\u1e25\u00e1rahs (or square\ncamel-chests), one on each side of the animal, generally form a\nfoundation for it.--The musa\u1e6d\u1e6da\u1e25 and shibreeyeh (but particularly the\nlatter) are also called \"h\u00f3daj.\"\n\nNOTE 9. See Note 43 to Chapter iv.\n\nNOTE 10. See Note 54 to Chapter iv.\n\nNOTE 11. \"T\u00e1j-el-Mulook\" signifies \"the Crown of the Kings.\"\n\nNOTE 12. Lynxes were often employed in the chase in Arabian and other\nEastern countries in former times; but I do not know if they are at\npresent. See Note 24 to Chapter ii.\n\nNOTE 13. By this word are meant \"oblong, cylindrical, hollow beads:\"\n\"\u1e33a\u1e63abeh\" signifying originally \"a reed,\" \"cane,\" &c.\n\nNOTE 14. The words \"who hath taught men,\" &c., are from the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch.\nxcvi. v. 5.\n\nNOTE 15. \"'Azeez\" and \"'Azeezeh\" (masculine and feminine) signify\n\"Dear,\" \"Excellent,\" &c.\n\nNOTE 16. The handkerchief is generally oblong, and each of its two ends\nis embroidered with a border of coloured silks and gold; the other two\nedges being plain.\n\nNOTE 17. My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note, that this sign may\nallude to her heart, or to her sighing because she enjoys not the union\nshe desires (as expressed immediately after); and that the latter is\nmore probable, as the action is one common with persons in grief.\n\nNOTE 18.--_On Conversing and Corresponding by means of Signs, Emblems,\nMetaphors, &c._ Many persons of the instructed classes, and some others,\namong the Arabs, often take delight, and shew much ingenuity and\nquickness of apprehension, in conversing and corresponding by means of\nsigns, emblems, &c., or in a conventional, metaphorical, language, not\nunderstood by the vulgar in general, and sometimes not by any except the\nparties engaged in the intercourse. In some cases, when the main\nmetaphor employed is understood, the rest of the conversation becomes\neasily intelligible without any previous explanation; and I have\noccasionally succeeded in carrying on a conversation of this kind\n(though not in cases such as that described in the tale referred to by\nthis note); but I have more frequently been unsuccessful in attempting\nto divine the nature of a topic in which other persons were engaged. One\nsimple mode of secret conversation or correspondence is by substituting\ncertain letters for other letters.\n\nMany of the women are said to be adepts in this art, or science, and to\nconvey messages, declarations of love, &c., by means of fruits, flowers,\nand other emblems. The inability of numbers of females in families of\nthe middle classes to write or read, as well as the difficulty or\nimpossibility frequently existing of conveying written letters, may have\ngiven rise to such modes of communication. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, in\none of her charming letters from the East, has gratified our curiosity\nby a Turkish love-letter of this kind.[369] A specimen of one from an\nArab, with its answer, may be here added.--An Arab lover sent to his\nmistress a fan, a bunch of flowers, a silk tassel, some sugar-candy, and\na piece of a chord of a musical instrument; and she returned for answer\na piece of an aloe-plant, three black cumin-seeds, and a piece of a\nplant used in washing.[370] His communication is thus interpreted:--The\nfan, being called \"mirwa\u1e25ah,\" a word derived from a root which has among\nits meanings that of \"going to any place in the evening,\" signified his\nwish to pay her an evening visit: the flowers, that the interview should\nbe in her garden: the tassel, being called \"shurr\u00e1beh,\" that they should\nhave shar\u00e1b[371] (or wine): the sugar-candy, being termed \"sukkar\nneb\u00e1t,\" and \"neb\u00e1t\" also signifying \"we will pass the night,\" denoted\nhis desire to remain in her company until the morning: and the piece of\na chord, that they should be entertained by music. The interpretation of\nher answer is as follows:--The piece of an aloe-plant, which is called\n\"\u1e63abb\u00e1rah\" (from \"\u1e63abr,\" which signifies \"patience\"--because it will\nlive for many months together without water), implied that he must wait:\nthe three black cumin-seeds explained to him that the period of delay\nshould be three nights: and the plant used in washing informed him that\nshe should then have gone to the bath, and would meet him.[372]--I have\nomitted one symbol in the lady's answer, as it conveys an allusion not\nso consistent with European as with Arab notions of female delicacy.\n\nThe language of flowers employed by the Turks does not exactly agree\nwith the system illustrated in the story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh; for the\nformer consists of a collection of words and phrases or sentences which\nrhyme with the names of the objects used as the signs.[373] This system\nis also employed by the Arabs; but I believe not so commonly as the\nother.\n\nA remarkable faculty is displayed by some Arabs in catching the meaning\nof secret signs employed in written communications to them; such signs\nbeing often used in political and other intrigues. The following is a\ncurious instance.--The celebrated poet El-Mutanebbee, having written\nsome verses in dispraise of K\u00e1foor El-Ikhsheedee the independent\nGovernor of Egypt, was obliged to flee, and hide himself in a distant\ntown. K\u00e1foor was informed of his retreat, and desired his secretary to\nwrite to him a letter promising him pardon, and commanding him to\nreturn; but told the writer at the same time, that when the poet came he\nwould punish him. The secretary was a friend of the poet, and, being\nobliged to read the letter to the Prince when he had written it, was\nperplexed how to convey to El-Mutanebbee some indication of the danger\nthat awaited him: he could only venture to do so in the exterior\naddress; and having written this in the usual form, commencing \"In\nsh\u00e1a-ll\u00e1h\" (If it be the will of God) \"this shall arrive,\" &c., he put a\nsmall mark of reduplication over the \"n\" in the first word, which he\nthus converted into \"Inna;\" the filial vowel being understood. The poet\nread the letter, and was rejoiced to see a promise of pardon; but on\nlooking a second time at the address, was surprised to observe the mark\nof reduplication over the \"n.\" Knowing the writer to be his friend, he\nimmediately suspected a secret meaning, and rightly conceived that the\nsign conveyed an allusion to a passage in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n commencing with the\nword \"Inna,\" and this he divined to be the following:--\"Verily the\nmagistrates are deliberating concerning thee, to put thee to\ndeath.\"[374] Accordingly, he fled to another town.--Some authors add,\nthat he wrote a reply, conveying, by a similar sign, to his friend, an\nallusion to another passage in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n:--\"We will never enter the\ncountry while they remain therein.\"[375]--It is probable that signs thus\nemployed were used by many persons to convey allusions to certain words;\nand such may have been the case in the above-mentioned instance: if not,\nthe poet was indeed a wonderful guesser.\n\nNOTE 19. Perhaps it is unnecessary to explain that the actions here\ndescribed are those of a dyer, dipping a piece of linen into a red dye,\nand then wringing it. The shop of the dyer is generally, like most other\nshops, a small chamber or recess open towards the street. Pans\ncontaining the different dyes are imbedded in its floor.\n\nNOTE 20. \"Ma\u1e33'ad\" is a name generally given to a chamber in which male\nguests or visiters are received, having an open front with two or more\narches, and looking into the court or garden of the house. Its floor is\nelevated about ten or more feet above the ground, and the front is\nusually towards the north, or nearly so.\n\nNOTE 21. I suppose it to be meant, that these designs were executed in a\nkind of mosaic work; for the pool of the fountain is generally\nornamented with black and white marble, and pieces of fine red tile,\ninlaid in complicated and tasteful patterns. A view and plan of a\nfountain of this kind are inserted in the Introduction to my work on the\nModern Egyptians.\n\nNOTE 22. \"Ba\u1e33l\u00e1weh,\" from the Turkish \"ba\u1e33l\u00e1va,\" is a name given to a\nkind of pastry, which is generally thus prepared:--A paste made of fine\nflour with clarified butter is rolled thin, and laid upon a tray: upon\nthis paste is then spread a composition of clarified butter and blanched\nalmonds (and sometimes walnuts and currants) beaten small; and over this\nis put another layer of paste. Eight of these double layers of paste\nwith the composition above mentioned between them are placed one upon\nanother, making the whole about an inch thick. It is baked in an oven;\ncut into lozenge-shaped pieces, about three inches long, and two inches\nwide; and after it is thus cut, some honey or treacle is poured over.\n\nNOTE 23. See Note 99 to Chapter v.\n\nNOTE 24. It is a general belief of the Muslims that the wicked will rise\nto judgment with their faces black; and hence the origin of the\nimprecation, \"May God blacken thy face!\" But it is often used to signify\n\"May God disgrace thee!\" for a person's face is said to be black when he\nis in any disgrace; and in the reverse case, it is said to be\nwhite.[376]\n\nNOTE 25. \"Zardeh\" (which is a Persian word) is a name given to rice\ndressed with honey and saffron; but here it appears to be applied to a\nsweet drink infused with saffron.\n\nNOTE 26. By the play-bone and the \u1e6d\u00e1b-stick an allusion is conveyed to\ntwo games common among the Arabs. The play-bones are used in the same\nmanner as dice, of which they are probably the origin; and both bear the\nsame name in the Arabic, in the singular \"ka\u1ea1b\" or \"ka\u1ea1beh,\" that is, \"a\ncube.\" Of the game of \u1e6d\u00e1b I have given a full account in my work on the\nModern Egyptians (vol. ii. ch. iv.). I need only mention here, that the\n\u1e6d\u00e1b-stick is of a flat form, about a span (or eight inches) in length,\nand two-thirds of an inch in breadth, generally formed of a piece of a\npalm-branch; one side of which, being cut flat and smooth, is white; the\nother, green, or, if not fresh, of a dull yellow colour. Four such\nsticks are used in playing the game.\n\nNOTE 27. The more simple interpretation is this:--Idle games are more\nsuited to thee than affairs of love.\n\nNOTE 28. El-\u1e32azweenee makes a remark somewhat similar to this at the\nclose of his account of the date; but the interpretation of the meaning\nconveyed by the date-stone in our text is very far-fetched: my sheykh,\nin a marginal note, gives one perfectly apposite: the date-stone is\ncalled \"naw\u00e1yeh,\" and more properly \"naw\u00e1h\" and \"naw\u00e0;\" and the last of\nthese words signifies also \"distance,\" \"absence,\" &c., and is often used\nto express the state of one who is far from loving or being a lover: it\nimplies also, in this case, that, if he slept again, she would cast him\noff.\n\nNOTE 29. The locust-fruit, by its dark colour, and the length of time it\nremains in a state of preservation after it has been plucked, is\nrendered a fit emblem of a heart long enduring separation from the\nobject of its love.\n\nNOTE 30. \"Dirhem,\" I have before mentioned, is the name of a silver\ncoin: it is also the name of a weight, very nearly equivalent to\nforty-eight English grains; and being here described as of iron, we must\nunderstand it in the latter sense.\n\nNOTE 31. I suppose the iron dirhem to be symbolic of the eye because it\nis round, and perhaps likewise because the Arabic term for \"iron\"\n(namely \"\u1e25adeed\") has also the signification of \"sharp\" or \"piercing;\"\nin which sense it is often applied to the sight (as in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch.\nl. v. 21). See the next note.\n\nNOTE 32. From this double oath, it seems to me probable, that, by the\ncircular form of the dirhem, an allusion was meant to God (as being\nwithout beginning or end), and that the matter of which it was composed\n(from what I have said in the note immediately preceding), as well as\nits form, conveyed the allusion to the eye.\n\nNOTE 33. This gentle kneading or pressing of the limbs, which is one of\nthe operations performed in the bath, is often practised by the Arabs\nfor the purpose of inducing sleep.\n\nNOTE 34. This is a kind of nebeedh. (See Note 22 to Chapter iii.) The\nsame fruit is also stewed with meat. It is called in Arabic \"'onn\u00e1b.\"\n\nNOTE 35. See Note 18 to Chapter vii.\n\nNOTE 36. It is seen that 'Azeezeh speaks of herself in the masculine\ngender in the verses here inserted; but this is in accordance with a\ncommon Arab custom.\n\nNOTE 37.--_On the Ceremony called_ Zikr. Zikrs are very often\nperformed after a death; the merit of the performance being transferred\nto the soul of the deceased.\n\nI have before mentioned these ceremonies (in Note 63 to Chapter iii.);\nbut in a vague manner; and as it is my object in the present work to\ngive such illustrations as will satisfy the general reader, without\nobliging him to refer to other books, I shall here insert an abridged\nextract, descriptive of a zikr, from my Account of the Manners and\nCustoms of the Modern Egyptians.\n\nThe zikkeers (or performers of the zikr), who were about thirty in\nnumber, sat, cross-legged, upon matting extended close to the houses on\none side of the street, in the form of an oblong ring.[377] Within this\nring, along the middle of the matting, were placed three very large wax\ncandles; each about four feet high, and stuck in a low candlestick. Most\nof the zikkeers were A\u1e25medee darweeshes, persons of the lower orders,\nand meanly dressed: many of them wore green turbans. At one end of the\nring were four munshids (or singers of religious odes), and with them\nwas a player on the kind of flute called \"n\u00e1y.\" I procured a small seat\nof palm-sticks from a coffee-shop close by, and, by means of a little\npushing, and the assistance of my servant, obtained a place with the\nmunshids, and sat there to hear a complete act, or \"meglis,\" of the\nzikr; which act commenced at about three o'clock (or three hours after\nsunset), and continued two hours.\n\nThe performers began by reciting the F\u00e1t'\u1e25ah (or opening chapter of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n) all together; their sheykh, or chief, first exclaiming,\n\"El-F\u00e1t'\u1e25ah!\" They then chanted the following words;--\"O God, bless our\nlord Mo\u1e25ammad among the former generations; and bless our lord Mo\u1e25ammad\namong the latter generations; and bless our lord Mo\u1e25ammad in every time\nand period; and bless our lord Mo\u1e25ammad in the highest degree, unto the\nday of judgment; and bless all the prophets and apostles among the\ninhabitants of the heavens and of the earth; and may God (whose name be\nblessed and exalted!) be well pleased with our lords and our masters,\nthose persons of illustrious estimation, Aboo-Bekr and 'Omar and 'Osm\u00e1n\nand 'Alee, and with all the favourites of God. God is our sufficiency;\nand excellent is the Guardian! There is no strength nor power but in\nGod, the High, the Great! O God! O our Lord! O Thou liberal of pardon! O\nThou most bountiful of the most bountiful! O God! Amen!\"--They were then\nsilent for three or four minutes; and again recited the F\u00e1t'\u1e25ah; but\nsilently. This form of prefacing the zikr is commonly used, by almost\nall orders of darweeshes in Egypt.\n\nThe performers now commenced the zikr. Sitting in the manner above\ndescribed, they chanted, in slow measure, \"L\u00e1 il\u00e1ha illa-ll\u00e1h\" (\"There\nis no deity but God\") to the following air:--\n\n[Illustration: Lyrics:\n\n L\u00e1 i - l\u00e1 - ha illa - l - l\u00e1h.\n L\u00e1 i - l\u00e1 - ha i - l - la - l - l\u00e1 - h.\n L\u00e1 i - l\u00e1 - ha illa - l - l\u00e1h.\n\n]\n\nbowing the head and body twice in each repetition of \"L\u00e1 il\u00e1ha\nilla-ll\u00e1h.\" Thus they continued about a quarter of an hour; and then,\nfor about the same space of time, they repeated the same words to the\nsame air, but in a quicker measure, and with correspondingly quicker\nmotions. In the meantime, the munshids frequently sang, to the same, or\na variation of the same, air, portions of a \u1e33a\u1e63eedeh, or of a\nmuweshsha\u1e25; an ode of a similar nature to the Song of Solomon, generally\nalluding to the Prophet as the object of love and praise; and at\nfrequent intervals, one of them sang out the word \"meded,\" implying an\ninvocation for spiritual or supernatural aid.\n\nThe zikkeers, after having performed as above described, next repeated\nthe same words to a different air for about the same length of time;\nfirst, very slowly; then, quickly. The air was as follows:--\n\n[Illustration: Lyrics:\n\n L\u00e1 i - l\u00e1 - ha illa - l - l\u00e1 - h.\n L\u00e1 i - l\u00e1 - ha illa - l - l\u00e1 - h.\n L\u00e1 i - l\u00e1 - ha illa - l - l\u00e1h.\n\n]\n\nThen they repeated these words again, to the following air, in the same\nmanner:--\n\n[Illustration: Lyrics:\n\n L\u00e1 i - l\u00e1 - ha il - la - l - l\u00e1h.\n L\u00e1 i - l\u00e1 - ha il - la - l - l\u00e1h.\n\n]\n\nThey next rose, and, standing in the same order in which they had been\nsitting, repeated the same words to another air. After which, still\nstanding, they repeated these words in a very deep and hoarse tone;\nlaying the principal emphasis upon the word \"L\u00e1\" and the first syllable\nof the last word \"Allah;\" and uttering it, apparently, with a\nconsiderable effort: the sound much resembled that which is produced by\nbeating the rim of a tambourine. Each zikkeer turned his head\nalternately to the right and left at each repetition of \"L\u00e1 il\u00e1ha\nilla-ll\u00e1h.\" One of them, a eunuch, at this part of the zikr, was seized\nwith an epileptic fit, evidently the result of a high state of religious\nexcitement; but nobody seemed surprised at it; for occurrences of this\nkind at zikrs are not uncommon. All the performers now seemed much\nexcited; repeating their ejaculations with greater rapidity, violently\nturning their heads, and sinking the whole body at the same time: some\nof them jumping. The eunuch above mentioned again was seized with fits\nseveral times; and I generally remarked that this happened after one of\nthe munshids had sung a line or two and exerted himself more than\nusually to excite his hearers: the singing was, indeed, to my taste,\nvery pleasing. The contrast presented by the vehement and distressing\nexertions of the performers at the close of the zikr, and their calm\ngravity and solemnity of manner at the commencement, was particularly\nstriking. Money was collected during the performance for the munshids.\nThe zikkeers receive no pay.\n\nNOTE 38. From the last of these verses it appears that the flowers are\ndescribed as _laid_ upon the tomb (in accordance with the custom\nmentioned in the last paragraph of Note 16 to Chapter i.), and not as\n_planted_ upon it; though this is frequently done in some countries of\nthe East; the monument being filled with mould, and the whole of its top\nopen.\n\nNOTE 39. See Note 25 to Chapter v.\n\nNOTE 40. See Note 35 to Chapter ii.\n\nNOTE 41. The \"rod\" (in Arabic \"\u1e33a\u1e63abeh\") was, according to the Egyptian\nmeasurement, until lately reduced, about twelve English feet and a half.\n\nNOTE 42. See Note 12 to Chapter iii.\n\nNOTE 43. It is common (as my sheykh has remarked) to say, of a very\nspacious chamber, that a horseman might gallop in it. The playing at\ngoff by horsemen has been mentioned in a former tale. It was a common\nexercise in Egypt as well as Persia and other Eastern countries.\n\nNOTE 44. \"Deleeleh\" is an epithet used in modern Arabic as indicative of\nartifice, machination, or fraud.[378] It is often employed as a female\nnickname.\n\nNOTE 45. From this point to the end of the story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh\nI omit some portions which are tedious, and others which are more\nobjectionable.\n\nNOTE 46. Any one may enter the public bath, but none can go out of it,\nwithout paying.[379]\n\nNOTE 47. The \"ka\u1ea1k,\" commonly called \"ka\u1e25k,\" has been described in Note\n16 to Chapter i. De Sacy has remarked that our English word \"cake\" seems\nto be from the same origin.\n\nNOTE 48.--_On Oaths._ To explain this passage, I must repeat, with a few\nslight additions, some remarks which I have made in a former\npublication.[380]--Among a people by whom falsehood, in certain cases,\nis not only allowed but commended,[381] oaths of different kinds are\nmore or less binding. In considering this subject, we should also\nremember that oaths may sometimes be expiated.[382] There are some\noaths which, I believe, few Muslims would falsely take; such as saying,\nthree times, \"By God the Great!\" (Wa-ll\u00e1hi-l-A\u1e93eem), and the oath upon\nthe mu\u1e63-\u1e25af (or copy of the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n), saying, \"By what this contains of\nthe word of God!\" This latter is rendered more binding by placing a\nsword with the sacred volume; and still more so, by the addition of a\ncake, or piece, of bread, and a handful of salt. But a form of oath\nwhich is generally yet more to be depended upon is that of saying, \"I\nimpose upon myself divorcement!\" (that is, \"the divorce of my wife, if\nwhat I say be false\"); or, \"I impose upon myself interdiction!\" which\nhas a similar meaning (\"My wife be unlawful to me!\"); or, \"I impose upon\nmyself a triple divorcement!\" which binds a man by the irrevocable\ndivorce of his wife. If a man use any of these three forms of oath\nfalsely, his wife, if he have but one, is divorced by the oath itself,\nif proved to be false, without the absolute necessity of any further\nceremony; and if he have two or more wives, he must, under such\ncircumstances, choose one of them to put away.\n\nIn the case which this note is principally intended to illustrate, the\nwife of 'Azeez makes him swear by the sword and the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n in the hope\nof inducing him to return to her; and by the oath of divorce, to make\nthe inducement more strong, and that she might be enabled, in case he\ndid not fulfil his vow, legally to contract another marriage as soon as\nshe should have waited the period which the law requires.\n\nNOTE 49. The verses I have omitted as they are the same (with the\nexception of some slight variations) as the first, second, third, and\nfifth, of those commencing at page 185 in this volume; and the contents\nof the accompanying paper as being tiresome and in some parts unmeaning.\n\nNOTE 50. See the first note in the present series.\n\nNOTE 51. I have substituted \"Sh\u00e1h-Zem\u00e1n\" (signifying \"King of the Age\")\nfor Shahram\u00e1n; the latter being evidently a mistake of a copyist.\n\nNOTE 52. \"Duny\u00e0\" signifies the \"world.\"\n\nNOTE 53. \"Ri\u1e0dw\u00e1n,\" which signifies \"approbation,\" \"complacency,\" &c., is\nthe name of the Guardian of Paradise.--The meaning of this passage is,\n\"Surely this handsome young person is one of the Wild\u00e1n, or Weleeds,\nthose beautiful youths prepared to wait upon the faithful in Paradise;\nand he hath escaped thence through the inadvertence of Ri\u1e0dw\u00e1n.\" The very\nmeanest in Paradise is promised eighty thousand of these servants,\nbesides seventy-two \u1e24ooreeyehs, &c.\n\nNOTE 54. A compliment of this kind is generally uttered on letting a\nshop or house, and on selling an article of dress, &c.; and \"God bless\nthee!\" is usually said in reply. In like manner, a merchant selling\ngoods to be re-sold says, \"May God grant thee a profit upon them!\"\n\nNOTE 55. The word thus translated signifies taking a morning-draught of\nwine, milk, sherbet, or any other beverage.\n\nNOTE 56. When Zeleekh\u00e0 invited her female friends that they might behold\nYoosuf (or Joseph) and excuse her for inclining to him, at the sight of\nhim they cut their own hands, and praised God, ejaculating these words,\n\"This is not a mortal,\" &c. (\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xii. v. 31).\n\nNOTE 57. To persons more or less above him in rank, the shopkeeper rises\nand stands, or merely makes a slight motion as if he were about to rise.\n\nNOTE 58. This is a common invocation, for the protection of a person\nfrom envy, or the evil eye, founded upon the last chapter but one of the\n\u1e32ur-\u00e1n, in which the believer is desired to \"seek refuge with the Lord\nof the Daybreak\" from various evils, and among these \"from the mischief\nof the envious.\" It is very often said to imply admiration of a child,\nthat the mother may not fear.\n\nNOTE 59. This ejaculation is addressed to God.\n\nNOTE 60. This alludes to one of the stages of the creation of man\nexplained in the \u1e32ur-\u00e1n, ch. xxii. v. 5.\n\nNOTE 61. The old woman is described as being \"full of joy\" because,\nhaving induced her mistress to answer the letter, she saw a prospect of\ncontinuing the correspondence, and so obtaining additional presents.\n\nNOTE 62. \"Es-Suh\u00e0\" is an obscure star in the Greater Bear, at which\npeople look to try their powers of sight. It is the star 80, by [Greek:\nz].\n\nNOTE 63. My sheykh has remarked in a marginal note on the \"Five Elders\"\nor Sheykhs here mentioned, \"the known number is the four; namely the\n[first four] Khaleefehs; or the Four Welees (eminent saints), the seyyid\nEl-Bedawee and the seyyid Ed-Dasoo\u1e33ee and Er-Rif\u00e1'ee and El-Geel\u00e1nee.\"\nThe latter four are often mentioned together as being the saints\ngenerally most esteemed in the present day and the founders of the four\nprincipal orders of Darweeshes.--Who, then, can be meant by \"the Five\nElders\" I do not know; but I have retained this number as it occurs\nagain in a variation of the same verses in a subsequent tale, which is\nalmost exactly the same as that of T\u00e1j-el-Mulook.\n\nNOTE 64. \"Ibn-Seen\u00e0\" (\"Son of Seen\u00e0\") is the true name of the great\nphysician called by us \"Avicenna.\"\n\nNOTE 65. The gait of Arab ladies is very remarkable: they incline the\nlower part of the body from side to side as they step, and with the\nhands raised to the level of the bosom they hold the edges of their\nouter covering. Their pace is slow, and they look not about them, but\nkeep their eyes towards the ground in the direction to which they are\ngoing.\n\nNOTE 66. It should be remarked here, that the private room of an Eastern\nprincess is not to be regarded as a Western bed-room. In the East, a\nguest may lay himself down upon a deew\u00e1n in the presence of another, to\npass the night, without any infringement of decorum.\n\nNOTE 67. See the latter paragraph of the first note in the present\nseries.\n\nNOTE 68. See Note 9 to Chapter vii.\n\nNOTE 69. The doors in Eastern houses generally turn on two wooden pins;\none fitting into a hole in the lintel; the other, into a hole\nimmediately behind the threshold; and the latter is very short. It is\ntherefore often easy to displace a door by raising it a little, which\nmay be done by means of a projecting wooden lock; and in many cases,\nwhen the door cannot be displaced from its sockets, it may be raised\nsufficiently to remove the inner latch from its catch. The doors of the\nancient temples and tombs in Egypt were formed as above described, with\npins, which were often made of bronze.\n\nNOTE 70. I here read \"nimsheh\" (also written \"nimjeh\" and \"nimj\u00e1h\"--from\nthe Persian \"neemjah\") instead of \"\u1e33amsheh.\" The latter is described by\nmy sheykh, in a marginal note, as \"a strip of leather divided into two,\nand tied together and nailed at the upper end to a piece of wood;\" but\nthe use of such an instrument in this case would be ridiculous. The name\nof \"nimsheh\" is often given to a royal dagger.\n\nNOTE 71. As persons are often decapitated in an Eastern palace, a skin\nis made use of to receive the head and the blood. I believe it to be\nsimilar to the round skin used by travellers to eat upon; which is\nconverted into a bag by means of a running string round the edge.\n\nIn concluding the present series of notes, I may state my opinion, that\nthe two stories to which they relate are fully worthy of insertion in\nthis collection, as extending the picture of _Arab_ life and manners,\nwhatever may be thought of their _origin_.\n\n\n [360] Thus commonly pronounced for \"Sharrun k\u00e1n,\" signifying\n \"an evil hath come into existence.\" Names of this kind are\n sometimes given by the Arabs not in dispraise, but as prophetic\n of great achievements.\n\n [361] \"Light of the Place.\"\n\n [362] \"Delight of the Age.\"\n\n [363] Mir-\u00e1t ez-Zem\u00e1n.\n\n [364] \"Notes on the Bedouins and Wah\u00e1bys,\" 8vo. vol. i. pp. 55\n and 56.\n\n [365] The Dynasty of the F\u00e1\u1e6dimee Khaleefehs was founded by\n El-Mahdee in Western Africa, in the year of the Flight 297. His\n third successor, El-Mo'ezz li-deeni-ll\u00e1h, conquered Egypt in\n the year 358, and the seat of his government was transferred to\n Cairo. As they claimed descent from F\u00e1\u1e6dimeh, and were of the\n Shiya'ee sect, their possession of the fairest province of the\n orthodox (or 'Abb\u00e1see) Khaleefehs forms a strange episode in\n the history of El-Isl\u00e1m.--Their power was overthrown by\n \u1e62al\u00e1\u1e25-ed-Deen, in the year 567.--ED.\n\n [366] See Note 15 to Chapter ii.\n\n [367] \"El-Khi\u1e6da\u1e6d:\" Account of the Palaces of the Khaleefehs.\n\n [368] Dr. Millengen's Curiosities of Medical Experience, quoted\n in the Literary Gazette, No. 1043.\n\n [369] The art here mentioned was first made known to Europeans\n by a Frenchman, M. Du Vigneau, in a work entitled \"Secr\u00e9taire\n Turc, contenant l'Art d'exprimer ses pens\u00e9es sans se voir, sans\n se parler, et sans s'\u00e9crire:\" Paris, 1688: in-12.--Von Hammer\n has also given an interesting paper on this subject in the\n \"Mines de l'Orient,\" No. 1: Vienna, 1809. (Note to Marcel's\n \"Contes du Cheykh El-Mohdy,\" vol. iii. pp. 327 and 328: Paris,\n 1833.)\n\n [370] Called \"gh\u00e1sool el-azr\u00e1r.\" In Delile's Flora \u00c6gyptiaca,\n the name of gh\u00e1sool is given to the mesembryanthemum\n nodiflorum, class icosandria, order pentagynia.\n\n [371] This name is now given to sherbet.\n\n [372] \u1e24albet el-Kumeyt, ch. x.--The aloe-plant is called\n \"\u1e63abir,\" \"\u1e63abr,\" \"\u1e63ibr,\" and \"\u1e63abb\u00e1rah.\" The second of these\n words signifies \"patience;\" and so does the root of _all_ of\n them: and the last signifies \"very patient.\" The _reason_ of\n its having these appellations cannot, of course, be _proved_.\n\n [373] See Marcel, _ubi supr\u00e0_. He states that Von Hammer's\n vocabulary of flowers and other hieroglyphic objects contains\n 120 articles; and that of Du Vigneau, 179; almost all of the\n former being the same as those of the latter.\n\n [374] Ch. xxviii. v. 19.\n\n 37 5: Ch. v. v. 27.--This anecdote is from the \u1e24albet\n el-Kumeyt, ch. viii.--[K\u00e1foor was a black eunuch purchased by\n El-Ikhsheed, the first of the virtually-independent dynasty of\n the Ikhsheedeeyeh, which fell before the F\u00e1\u1e6dimee Khaleefehs.\n K\u00e1foor was regent of Egypt for upwards of twenty years, during\n the reigns of his master's two sons; and was actual governor\n from the year of the Flight 355 to 357.--ED.]\n\n [376] Sometimes, also, it means \"May God cause thee to\n experience grief!\" or \"sorrow!\" and, used in this sense, it is\n similar to the phrase, often occurring in this work, \"the world\n became black before his face.\"\n\n [377] The zikr here described was performed near the tomb of a\n saint, for whose sake it was celebrated. The ceremony is often\n performed in a sepulchral mosque, and often in the court, or in\n a chamber, of a private house.\n\n [378] Marginal note by my sheykh.\n\n [379] Idem.\n\n [380] The \"Modern Egyptians.\"\n\n [381] See Note 57 to Chapter iii.\n\n [382] As shewn in Note 68 to Chapter iv.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nEND OF THE FIRST VOLUME.\n\n\n LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,\n DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND GREAT WINDMILL STREET, W.\n\n\n\n\n\n
","title":"The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":262953}