{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_3445/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_3445","id":"gutenberg_3445","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3445","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Fairy tales","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"SUPPLEMENTAL\n                             NIGHTS\n                  To The Book Of The Thousand\n                   And One Nights With Notes\n                      Anthropological And\n                          Explanatory\n\n                               By\n                       Richard F. Burton\n\n                           VOLUME ONE\n              Privately Printed By The Burton Club\n\n\n\n                  General Studholme J. Hodgson\n\nMy Dear General,\n\n     To whom with more pleasure or propriety can I inscribe this\nvolume than to my preceptor of past times; my dear old friend,\nwhose deep study and vast experience of such light literature as\nThe Nights made me so often resort to him for good counsel and\nright direction?  Accept this little token of gratitude, and\nbelieve me, with the best of wishes and the kindest of memories,\n\n                    Ever your sincere and attached\n                    Richard F. Burton.\n\nLondon, July 15, 1886.\n\n\n\n\n\n\"To the pure all things are pure\"\n           (Puris omnia pura)\n                       \u2014Arab Proverb.\n\n\"Niuna corrotta mente intese mai sanamente parole.\"\n                       \u2014\"Decameron\" \u2014conclusion.\n\n\"Erubuit, posuitque meum Lucretia librum\n     sed coram Bruto.  Brute! recede, leget.\"\n          \u2014Martial.\n\n\"Mieulx est de ris que de larmes escripre,\n     Pour ce que rire est le propre des hommes.\"\n          \u2014Rabelais.\n\n\"The pleasure we derive from perusing the Thousand-and-One\nStories makes us regret that we possess only a comparatively\nsmall part of these truly enchanting fictions.\"\n          \u2014Crichton's \"History of Arabia.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                Contents of the Eleventh Volume.\n\n\n\n1.   The Sleeper and the Waker\n          Story of the Larrikin and the Cook\n2.   The Caliph Omar Bin Abd Al-Aziz and the Poets\n3.   Al-Hajjaj and the Three Young Men\n4.   Harun Al-Rashid and the Woman of the Barmecides\n5.   The Ten Wazirs; or the History of King Azadbakht and His Son\n     a.   Of the Uselessness of Endeavour Against Persistent Ill\n          Fortune\n          aa.  Story of the Merchant Who Lost His Luck\n     b.   Of Looking To the Ends of Affairs\n          bb.  Tale of the Merchant and His Sons\n     c.   Of the Advantages of Patience\n          cc.  Story of Abu Sabir\n     d.   Of the Ill Effects of Impatience\n          dd.  Story of Prince Bihzad\n     e.   Of the Issues of Good and Evil Actions\n          ee.  Story of King Dadbin and His Wazirs\n     f.   Of Trust in Allah\n          ff.  Story of King Bakhtzaman\n     g.   Of Clemency\n          gg.  Story of King Bihkard\n     h.   Of Envy and Malice\n          hh.  Story of Aylan Shah and Abu Tammam\n     i.   Of Destiny or That Which Is Written On the Forehead\n          ii.  Story of King Ibrahim and His Son\n     j.   Of the Appointed Term, Which, if it be Advanced, May\n          Not Be Deferred, and if it be Deferred, May Not Be\n          Advanced\n          jj.  Story of King Sulayman Shah and His Niece\n     k.   Of the Speedy Relief of Allah\n          kk.  Story of the Prisoner and How Allah Gave Him\nRelief\n6.   Ja'afar Bin Yahya and Abd Al-Malik Bin Salih the Abbaside\n7.   Al-Rashid and the Barmecides\n8.   Ibn Al-Sammak and Al-Rashid\n9.   Al-Maamum and Zubaydah\n10.  Al-Nu'uman and the Arab of the Banu Tay\n11.  Firuz and His Wife\n12.  King Shah Bakht and his Wazir Al-Rahwan\n     a.   Tale of the Man of Khorasan, His Son and His Tutor\n     b.   Tale of the Singer and the Druggist\n     c.   Tale of the King Who Kenned the Quintessence of Things\n     d.   Tale of the Richard Who Married His Beautiful Daughter\nto the Poor Old Man\n     e.   Tale of the Sage and His Three Sons\n     f.   Tale of the Prince who Fell in Love With the Picture\n     g.   Tale of the Fuller and His Wife and the Trooper\n     h.   Tale of the Merchant, The Crone, and the King\n     i.   Tale of the Simpleton Husband\n     j.   Tale of the Unjust King and the Tither\n          ja.  Story of David and Solomon\n     k.   Tale of the Robber and the Woman\n     l.   Tale of the Three Men and Our Lord Isa\n          la.  The Disciple's Story\n     m.   Tale of the Dethroned Ruler Whose Reign and Wealth Were\nRestored to Him\n     n.   Talk of the Man Whose Caution Slew Him\n     o.   Tale of the Man Who Was Lavish of His House and His\n          Provision to One Whom He Knew Not\n     p.   Tale of the Melancholist and the Sharper\n     q.   Tale of Khalbas and his Wife and the Learned Man\n     r.   Tale of the Devotee Accused of Lewdness\n     s.   Tale of the Hireling and the Girl\n     t.   Tale of the Weaver Who Became a Leach by Order of His\nWife\n     u.   Tale of the Two Sharpers Who Each Cozened His Compeer\n     v.   Tale of the Sharpers With the Shroff and the Ass\n     w.   Tale of the Chear and the Merchants\n          wa.  Story of the Falcon and the Locust\n     x.   Tale of the King and His Chamberlain's Wife\n          xa.  Story of the Crone and the Draper's Wife\n     y.   Tale of the Ugly Man and His Beautifule Wife\n     z.   Tale of the King Who Lost Kingdom and Wife and Wealth\n          and Allah Restored Them to Him\n     aa.  Tale of Salim the Youth of Khorasan and Salma, His\nSister\n     bb.  Tale of the King of Hind and His Wazir\nShahrazad and Shahryar\n\n\n\n\n                   The Translator's Foreword.\n\n\n\nAfter offering my cordial thanks to friends and subscribers who\nhave honoured \"The Thousand Nights and a Night\" (Kama Shastra\nSociety) with their patronage and approbation, I would inform\nthem that my \"Anthropological Notes\" are by no means exhausted,\nand that I can produce a complete work only by means of a\nsomewhat extensive Supplement.  I therefore propose to print (not\npublish), for private circulation only, five volumes, bearing\ntitle\u2014\n\n                      Supplemental Nights\n                         to the book of\n                The Thousand Nights and a Night\n\nThis volume and its successor (Nos. i. and ii.) contain Mr. John\nPayne's Tales from the Arabic; his three tomes being included in\nmy two.  The stories are taken from the Breslau Edition where\nthey are distributed among the volumes between Nos. iv and xii.,\nand from the Calcutta fragment of 1814.  I can say little for the\nstyle of the story-stuff contained in this Breslau text, which\nhas been edited with phenomenal incuriousness.  Many parts are\nhopelessly corrupted, whilst at present we have no means of\namending the commissions and of supplying the omissions by\ncomparison with other manuscripts.  The Arabic is not only\nfaulty, but dry and jejune, comparing badly with that of the\n\"Thousand Nights and a Night,\" as it appears in the Macnaghten\nand the abridged Bulak Texts.  Sundry of the tales are futile;\nthe majority has little to recommend it, and not a few require a\ndiviner rather than a translator.  Yet they are valuable to\nstudents as showing the different sources and the heterogeneous\nmaterials from and of which the great Saga-book has been\ncompounded.  Some are, moreover, striking and novel, especially\nparts of the series entitled King Shah Bakht and his Wazir Al-\nRahwan (pp. 191-355).  Interesting also is the Tale of the \"Ten\nWazirs\" (pp. 55-155), marking the transition of the Persian\nBakhtiy\u00e1r-N\u00e1meh into Arabic.  In this text also and in this only\nis found Galland's popular tale \"Abou-Hassan; or, the Sleeper\nAwakened,\" which I have entitled \"The Sleeper and the Waker.\"\n\nIn the ten volumes of \"The Nights\" proper, I mostly avoided\nparallels of folk-lore and fabliaux which, however interesting\nand valuable to scholars, would have over-swollen the bulk of a\nwork especially devoted to Anthropology.  In the \"Supplementals,\"\nhowever, it is otherwise; and, as Mr. W.A. Clouston, the\n\"Storiologist,\" has obligingly agreed to collaborate with me, I\nshall pay marked attention to this subject, which will thus form\nanother raison d'\u00eatre for the additional volumes.\n\nRichard F. Burton\n\nJunior Travellers' Club,\nDecember 1, 1886\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                      Supplemental Nights\n\n                       To The Book Of The\n\n                  Thousand Nights And A Night\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                The Sleeper and the Waker.[FN#1]\n\n\n\n\nIt hath reached me, O auspicious King, that there was once at\nBaghdad, in the Caliphate of Harun al-Rashid, a man and a\nmerchant, who had a son Ab\u00fa al-Hasan-al-Khal\u00ed'a by name.[FN#2]\nThe merchant died leaving great store of wealth to his heir who\ndivided it into two equal parts, whereof he laid up one and spent\nof the other half; and he fell to companying with Persians[FN#3]\nand with the sons of the merchants and he gave himself up to good\ndrinking and good eating, till all the wealth[FN#4] he had with\nhim was wasted and wantoned; whereupon he betook himself to his\nfriends and comrades and cup-companions and expounded to them his\ncase, discovering to them the failure of that which was in his\nhand of wealth.  But not one of them took heed of him or even\ndeigned answer him.  So he returned to his mother (and indeed his\nspirit was broken) and related to her that which had happened to\nhim and what had befallen him from his friends, how they had\nneither shared with him nor requited him with speech.  Quoth she,\n\"O Abu al-Hasan, on this wise are the sons[FN#5] of this time: an\nthou have aught, they draw thee near to them,[FN#6] and if thou\nhave naught, they put thee away from them.\"  And she went on to\ncondole with him, what while he bewailed himself and his tears\nflowed and he repeated these lines:\u2014\n\n\"An wane my wealth, no mane will succour me, * When my wealth\n     waxeth all men friendly show:\nHow many a friend, for wealth showed friendliness * Who, when my\n     wealth departed, turned to foe!\"\n\nThen he sprang up and going to the place wherein was the other\nhalf of his good, took it and lived with it well; and he sware\nthat he would never again consort with a single one of those he\nhad known, but would company only with the stranger nor entertain\neven him but one night and that, when it morrowed, he would never\nknow him more.  Accordingly he fell to sitting every eventide on\nthe bridge over Tigris and looking at each one who passed by him;\nand if he saw him to be a stranger, he made friends with him and carried him to his house, where he conversed and\ncaroused with him all night till morning.  Then he dismissed him\nand would never more salute him with the Salam nor ever more drew\nnear unto him neither invited him again.  Thus he continued to do\nfor the space of a full year, till, one day, while he sat on the\nbridge, as was his wont, expecting who should come to him so he\nmight take him and pass the night with him, behold, up came the\nCaliph and Masrur, the Sworder of his vengeance[FN#7] disguised\nin merchants' dress, according to their custom.  So Abu al-Hasan\nlooked at them and rising, because he knew them not, asked them,\n\"What say ye?  Will ye go with me to my dwelling-place, so ye may\neat what is ready and drink what is at hand, to wit, platter-\nbread[FN#8] and meat cooked and wine strained?\"  The Caliph\nrefused this, but he conjured him and said to him, \"Allah upon\nthee, O my lord, go with me, for thou art my guest this night,\nand baulk not my hopes of thee!\"  And he ceased not to press him\ntill he consented; whereat Abu al-Hasan rejoiced and walking on\nbefore him, gave not over talking with him till they came to his\nhouse and he carried the Caliph into the saloon.  Al-Rashid\nentered a hall such as an thou sawest it and gazedst upon its\nwalls, thou hadst beheld marvels; and hadst thou looked narrowly\nat its water-conduits thou would have seen a fountain cased with\ngold.  The Caliph made his man abide at the door; and, as soon as\nhe was seated, the host brought him somewhat to eat; so he ate, and Abu al-Hasan ate with him that eating might be grateful\nto him.  Then he removed the tray and they washed their hands and\nthe Commander of the Faithful sat down again; whereupon Abu al-\nHasan set on the drinking vessels and seating himself by his\nside, fell to filling and giving him to drink[FN#9] and\nentertaining him with discourse.  And when they had drunk their\nsufficiency the host called for a slave-girl like a branch of B\u00e1n\nwho took a lute and sang to it these two couplets:\u2014\n\n\"O thou aye dwelling in my heart, * Whileas thy form is far from\n     sight,\nThou art my sprite by me unseen, * Yet nearest near art thou, my\n     sprite.\"\n\nHis hospitality pleased the Caliph and the goodliness of his\nmanners, and he said to him, \"O youth, who art thou?  Make me\nacquainted with thyself, so I may requite thee thy kindness.\"\nBut Abu al-Hasan smiled and said, \"O my lord, far be it, alas!\nthat what is past should again come to pass and that I company\nwith thee at other time than this time!\"  The Prince of True\nBelievers asked, \"Why so? and why wilt thou not acquaint me with\nthy case?\" and Abu al-Hasan answered, \"Know, O my lord, that my\nstory is strange and that there is a cause for this affair.\"\nQuoth Al-Rashid, \"And what is the cause?\" and quoth he, \"The\ncause hath a tail.\"  The Caliph[FN#10] laughed at his words and\nAbu al-Hasan said, \"I will explain to thee this saying by the\ntale of the Larrikin and the Cook.  So hear thou, O my lord, the\n\n\nStory of the Larrikin[FN#11] and the Cook\n\nOne of the ne'er-do-wells found himself one fine morning without\naught and the world was straightened upon him and patience failed\nhim; so he lay down to sleep and ceased not slumbering till the\nsun stang him and the foam came out upon his mouth, whereupon he\narose, and he was penniless and had not even so much as a single\ndirham.  Presently he arrived at the shop of a Cook, who had set\nhis pots and pans over the fire and washed his saucers and wiped\nhis scales and swept his shop and sprinkled it; and indeed his\nfats and oils were clear and clarified and his spices fragrant\nand he himself stood behind his cooking-pots ready to serve\ncustomers.  So the Larrikin, whose wits had been sharpened by\nhunger, went in to him and saluting him, said to him, \"Weigh me\nhalf a dirham's worth of meat and a quarter of a dirham's worth\nof boiled grain[FN#12] and the like of bread.\"  So the Kitchener\nweighed it out to him and the good-for-naught entered the shop,\nwhereupon the man set the food before him and he ate till he had\ngobbled up the whole and licked the saucers and sat perplexed,\nknowing not how he should do with the Cook concerning the price\nof that he had eaten, and turning his eyes about upon everything\nin the shop; and as he looked, behold, he caught sight of an\nearthen pan lying arsy-versy upon its mouth; so he raised it from\nthe ground and found under it a horse's tail, freshly cut off and\nthe blood oozing from it; whereby he knew that the Cook\nadulterated his meat with horseflesh.  When he discovered this\ndefault, he rejoiced therein and washing his hands, bowed his\nhead and went out; and when the Kitchener saw that he went and\ngave him naught, he cried out, saying, \"Stay, O pest, O burglar!\"\nSo the Larrikin stopped and said to him, \"Dost thou cry out upon\nme and call to me with these words, O cornute?\"  Whereat the Cook\nwas angry and coming down from the shop, cried, \"What meanest\nthou by thy speech, O low fellow, thou that devourest meat and\nmillet and bread and kitchen and goest forth with 'the\nPeace[FN#13] be on thee!' as it were the thing had not been, and\npayest down naught for it?\"  Quoth the Lackpenny, \"Thou liest, O\naccursed son of a cuckold!\"  Whereupon the Cook cried out and\nlaying hold of his debtor's collar, said, \"O Moslems, this fellow\nis my first customer[FN#14] this day and he hath eaten my food\nand given me naught.\"  So the folk gathered about them and blamed\nthe Ne'er-do-well and said to him, \"Give him the price of that\nwhich thou hast eaten.\"  Quoth he, \"I gave him a dirham before I\nentered the shop;\" and quoth the Cook, \"Be everything I sell this\nday forbidden to me, if he gave me so much as the name of a coin!\nBy Allah, he gave me naught but ate my food and went out and\nwould have made off, without aught said.\"  Answered the Larrikin,\n\"I gave thee a dirham,\" and he reviled the Kitchener, who\nreturned his abuse; whereupon he dealt him a buffet and they\ngripped and grappled and throttled each other.  When the folk saw\nthem fighting, they came up to them and asked them, \"What is this\nstrife between you and no cause for it?\" and the Lackpenny\nanswered, \"Ay, by Allah, but there is a cause for  it, and the\ncause hath a tail!\"  Whereupon, cried the Cook, \"Yea, by Allah,\nnow thou mindest me of thyself and thy dirham!  Yes, he gave me a\ndirham and but a quarter of the coin is spent.  Come back and\ntake the rest of the price of thy dirham.\"  For he understood\nwhat was to do, at the mention of the tail; \"and I, O my brother\"\n(added Abu al-Hasan), \"my story hath a cause, which I will tell\nthee.\"  The Caliph laughed at his speech and said, \"By Allah,\nthis is none other than a pleasant tale!  Tell me thy story and\nthe cause.\"  Replied the host, \"With love and goodly gree!  Know,\nO my lord, that my name is Abu al-Hasan al-Khali'a and that my\nfather died and left me abundant wealth, of which I made two\nparts.  One I laid up and with the other I betook myself to\nenjoying the pleasures of friendship and conviviality and\nconsorting with intimates and boon-companions and with the sons\nof the merchants, nor did I leave one but I caroused with him and\nhe with me, and I lavished all my money on comrades and good\ncheer, till there remained with me naught;[FN#15] whereupon I\nbetook myself to the friends and fellow-topers upon whom I had\nwasted my wealth, so perhaps they might provide for my case; but,\nwhen I visited them and went round about to them all, I found no\nvantage in one of them, nor would any so much as break a bittock\nof bread in my face.  So I wept for myself and repairing to my\nmother, complained to her of my case.  Quoth she:\u2014'Such are\nfriends; an thou have aught, they frequent thee and devour thee,\nbut, an thou have naught, they cast thee off and chase thee\naway.'  Then I brought out the other half of my money and bound\nmyself to an oath that I would never entertain any save one\nsingle night, after which I would never again salute him nor\nnotice him; hence my saying to thee:\u2014'Far be it, alas! that what\nis past should again come to pass, for I will never again company\nwith thee after this night.'\"  When the Commander of the Faithful\nheard this, he laughed a loud laugh and said, \"By Allah, O my\nbrother, thou art indeed excused in this matter, now that I know\nthe cause and that the cause hath a tail.  Nevertheless,\nInshallah, I will not sever myself from thee.\"  Replied Abu al-\nHasan, \"O my guest, did I not say to thee, 'Far be it, alas! that\nwhat is past should again come to pass?  For indeed I will never\nagain foregather with any!'\"  Then the Caliph rose and the host\nset before him a dish of roast goose and a bannock of first-\nbread[FN#16] and sitting down, fell to cutting off morsels and\nmorselling the Caliph therewith.  They gave not over eating till\nthey were filled, when Abu al-Hasan brought basin and ewer and\npotash[FN#17] and they washed their hands.  Then he lighted three\nwax-candles and three lamps, and spreading the drinking-cloth,\nbrought strained wine, clear, old and fragrant, whose scent was\nas that of virgin musk.  He filled the first cup and saying, \"O\nmy boon-companion, be ceremony laid aside between us by thy\nleave!  Thy slave is by thee; may I not be afflicted with thy\nloss!\" drank it off and filled a second cup, which he handed to\nthe Caliph with due reverence.  His fashion pleased the Commander\nof the Faithful, and the goodliness of his speech and he said to\nhimself, \"By Allah, I will assuredly requite him for this!\"  Then\nAbu al-Hasan filled the cup again and handed it to the Caliph,\nreciting these two couplets:[FN#18]\u2014\n\n\"Had we thy coming known, we would for sacrifice * Have poured\n     thee out heart's blood or blackness of the eyes;\nAy, and we would have spread our bosoms in thy way, * That so thy\n     feet might fare on eyelids, carpet-wise.\"\n\nWhen the Caliph heard his verses, he took the cup from his hand\nand kissed it and drank it off and returned it to Abu al-Hasan,\nwho make him an obeisance and filled it and drank.  Then he\nfilled again and kissing the cup thrice, recited these lines:\u2014\n\n\"Your presence honoureth the base, * And we confess the deed of\n     grace;\nAn you absent yourself from us, * No freke we find to fill your\n     place.\"\n\nThen he gave the cup to the Caliph, saying, \"Drink it in health\nand soundness!  It doeth away malady and bringeth remedy and\nsetteth the runnels of health to flow free.\"  So they ceased not\ncarousing and conversing till middle-night, when the Caliph said\nto his host, \"O my brother, hast thou in they heart a\nconcupiscence thou wouldst have accomplished or a contingency\nthou wouldst avert?\"  Said he, \"By Allah, there is no regret in\nmy heart save that I am not empowered with bidding and\nforbidding, so I might manage what is in my mind!\"  Quoth the\nCommander of the Faithful, \"By Allah, and again by Allah,[FN#19]\nO my brother, tell me what is in thy mind!\"  And quoth Abu al-\nHasan, \"Would Heaven I might be Caliph for one day and avenge\nmyself on my neighbors, for that in my vicinity is a mosque and\ntherein four shaykhs, who hold it a grievance when there cometh a\nguest to my, and they trouble me with talk and worry me in words\nand menace me that they will complain of me to the Prince of True\nBelievers, and indeed they oppress me exceedingly, and I crave of\nAllah the Most High power for one day, that I may beat each and\nevery of them with four hundred lashes, as well as the Im\u00e1m of\nthe mosque, and parade them round about the city of Baghdad and\nbid cry before them: 'This is the reward and the least of the\nreward of whoso exceedeth in talk and vexeth the folk and\nturneth their joy to annoy.'  This is what I wish, and no more.\"\nSaid the Caliph, \"Allah grant thee that thou seekest!  Let us\ncrack one last cup and rise ere the dawn draw near, and to-morrow\nnight I will be with thee again.\"  Said Abu al-Hasan, \"Far be\nit!\"  Then the Caliph crowned a cup, and putting therein a piece\nof Cretan Bhang,[FN#20] gave it to his host and said to him, \"My\nlife on thee, O my brother, drink this cup from my hand!\" and Abu\nal-Hasan answered, \"Ay, by thy life, I will drink it from thy\nhand.\"  So he took it and drank it off; but hardly had it settled\nin his stomach, when his head forewent his heels and he fell to\nthe ground like one slain; whereupon the Caliph went out and said\nto his slave Masrur, \"Go in to yonder young man, the house\nmaster, and take him up and bring him to me at the palace; and\nwhen thou goest, shut the door.\"  So saying, he went away, whilst\nMasrur entered, and taking up Abu al-Hasan, shut the door behind\nhim, and made after his master, till he reached with him the\npalace what while the night drew to an end and the cocks began\ncrowing,[FN#21] and set him down before the Commander of the\nFaithful, who laughed at him.[FN#22]  Then he sent for Ja'afar\nthe Barmecide and when he came before him, said to him, \"Note\nthou yonder young man\" (pointing to Abu al-Hasan), \"and when thou\nshalt see him to-morrow seated in my place of estate and on the\nthrone[FN#23] of my Caliphate and clad in my royal clothing,\nstand thou in attendance upon him and enjoin the Emirs and\nGrandees and the folk of my household and the officers of my\nrealm to be upon their feet, as in his service and obey him in\nwhatso he shall bid them do; and thou, if he speak to thee of\naught, do it and hearken unto his say and gainsay him not in\nanything during this coming day.\"  Ja'afar acknowledged the order\nwith \"Hearkening and obedience\" and withdrew, whilst the Prince\nof True Believers went in to the palace women, who came up to\nhim, and he said to them, \"When this sleeper shall awake to-\nmorrow, kiss ye the ground between his hands, and do ye wait upon\nhim and gather round about him and clothe him in the royal\nclothing and serve him with the service of the Caliphate and deny\nnot aught of his estate, but say to him, 'Thou art the Caliph.'\"\nThen he taught them what they should say to him and how they\nshould do with him and withdrawing to a retired room,[FN#24] let\ndown a curtain before himself and slept.  Thus fared it with the\nCaliph; but as regards Abu al-Hasan, he gave not over snoring in\nhis sleep till the day brake clear, and the rising of the sun\ndrew near, when a woman in waiting came up to him and said to\nhim, \"O our lord, the morning prayer!\"  Hearing these words he\nlaughed and opening his eyes, turned them about the palace and\nfound himself in an apartment whose walls were painted with gold\nand lapis lazuli and its ceiling dotted and starred with red\ngold.  Around it were sleeping chambers, with curtains of gold-\nembroidered silk let down over their doors, and all about vessels\nof gold and porcelain and crystal and furniture and carpets\ndispread and lamps burning before the niche wherein men prayed,\nand slave-girls and eunuchs and Mamelukes and black slaves and\nboys and pages and attendants.  When he saw this he was\nbewildered in his wit and said, \"By Allah, either I am dreaming a\ndream, or this is Paradise and the Abode of Peace!\"[FN#25]  And\nhe shut his eyes and would have slept again.  Quoth one of the\neunuchs, \"O my lord, this is not of thy wont, O Commander of the\nFaithful!\"  Then the rest of the handmaids of the palace came up\nto him and lifted him into a sitting posture, when he found\nhimself upon a mattrass raised a cubit's height from the ground\nand all stuffed with floss silk.  So they seated him upon it and\npropped his elbow with a pillow, and he looked at the apartment\nand its vastness and saw those eunuchs and slave-girls in\nattendance upon him and standing about his head, whereupon he\nlaughed at himself and said, \"By Allah, 'tis not as I were on\nwake, yet I am not asleep!  And in his perplexity he bowed his\nchin upon his bosom and then opened his eyes, little by little,\nsmiling and saying, \"What is this state wherein I find myself?\"\nThen he arose and sat up, whilst the damsels laughed at him\nprivily; and he was bewildered in his wit, and bit his finger;\nand as the bite pained him, he cried, \"Oh!\" and was vexed; and\nthe Caliph watched him, whence he saw him not, and laughed.\nPresently Abu al-Hasan turned to a damsel and called to her;\nwhereupon she answered, \"At thy service, O Prince of True\nBelievers!\"  Quoth he, \"what is thy name?\" and quoth she,\n\"Shajarat al-Durr.\"[FN#26]  Then he said to her, \"By the\nprotection of Allah, O damsel, am I Commander of the Faithful?\"\nShe replied, \"Yes, indeed, by the protection of Allah thou in\nthis time art Commander of the Faithful.\"  Quoth he, \"By Allah,\nthou liest, O thousandfold whore!\"[FN#27]  Then he glanced at the\nChief Eunuch and called to him, whereupon he came to him and\nkissing the ground before him, said, \"Yes, O Commander of the\nFaithful.\"  Asked Abu al-Hasan, \"Who is Commander of the\nFaithful?\" and the Eunuch answered \"Thou.\"  And Abu al-Hasan\nsaid, \"Thou liest, thousandfold he-whore that thou art!\"  Then he\nturned to another eunuch and said to him, \"O my chief,[FN#28] by\nthe protection of Allah, am I Prince of the True Believers?\"\nSaid he, \"Ay, by Allah, O my lord, thou art in this time\nCommander of the Faithful and Viceregent of the Lord of the three\nWorlds.\"  Abu al-Hasan laughed at himself and doubted of his\nreason and was bewildered at what he beheld, and said, \"In one\nnight do I become Caliph?  Yesterday I was Abu al-Hasan the Wag,\nand to-day I am Commander of the Faithful.\"  Then the Chief\nEunuch came up to him and said, \"O Prince of True Believers (the\nname of Allah encompass thee!) thou art indeed Commander of the\nFaithful and Viceregent of the Lord of the three Worlds!\"  And\nthe slave-girls and eunuchs flocked round about him, till he\narose and abode wondering at his case.  Hereupon the Eunuch\nbrought him a pair of sandals wrought with raw silk and green\nsilk and purfled with red gold, and he took them and after\nexamining them set them in his sleeve; whereat the Castrato cried\nout and said, \"Allah! Allah! O my lord, these are sandals for the\ntreading of thy feet, so thou mayst wend to the wardrobe.\"  Abu\nal-Hasan was confounded, and shaking the sandals from his sleeve,\nput them on his feet, whilst the Caliph died[FN#29] of laughter\nat him.  The slave forewent him to the chapel of ease, where he\nentered and doing his job,[FN#30] came out into the chamber,\nwhereupon the slave-girls brought him a basin of gold and an ewer\nof silver and poured water on his hands[FN#31] and he made the\nWuz\u00fa-ablution.  Then they spread him a prayer-carpet and he\nprayed.  Now he knew not how to pray[FN#32] and gave not over\nbowing and prostrating for twenty inclinations,[FN#33] pondering\nin himself the while and saying, \"By Allah, I am none other than\nthe Commander of the Faithful in very truth!  This is assuredly\nno dream, for all these things happen not in a dream.\"  And he\nwas convinced and determined in himself that he was Prince of\nTrue Believers, so he pronounced the Sal\u00e1m[FN#34] and finished\nhis prayers; whereupon the Mamelukes and slave-girls came round\nabout him with bundled suits of silken and linen stuffs and clad\nhim in the costume of the Caliphate and gave the royal dagger in\nhis hand.  Then the Chief Eunuch came in and said, \"O Prince of\nTrue Believers, the Chamberlain is at the door craving permission\nto enter.\"  Said he, \"Let him enter!\" whereupon he came in and\nafter kissing ground offered the salutation, \"Peace be upon thee,\nO Commander of the Faithful!\"  At this Abu al-Hasan rose and\ndescended from the couch to the floor; whereupon the official\nexclaimed, \"Allah! Allah! O Prince of True Believers, wottest\nthou not that all men are thy lieges and under thy rule and that\nit is not meet for the Caliph to rise to any man?\"  Presently the\nEunuch went out before him and the little white slaves behind\nhim, and they ceased not going till they raised the curtain and\nbrought him into the hall of judgment and the throne-room of the\nCaliphate.  There he saw the curtains and the forty doors and Al-\n'Ijl\u00ed and  Al-Rak\u00e1sh\u00ed the poet, and 'Ibd\u00e1n and Jad\u00edm and Abu\nIsh\u00e1k[FN#35] the cup-companion and beheld swords drawn and the\nlions[FN#36] compassing the throne as the white of the eye\nencircleth the black, and gilded glaives and death-dealing bows\nand Ajams and Arabs and Turks and Daylamites and folk and peoples\nand Emirs and Wazirs and Captains and Grandees and Lords of the\nland and men of war in band, and in very sooth there appeared the\nmight of the house of Abbas[FN#37] and the majesty of the\nProphet's family.  So he sat down upon the throne of the\nCaliphate and set the dagger[FN#38] on his lap, whereupon all\npresent came up to kiss ground between his hands and called down\non him length of life and continuance of weal.  Then came forward\nJa'afar the Barmecide and kissing the ground, said, \"Be the wide\nworld of Allah the treading of thy feet and may Paradise be thy\ndwelling-place and the Fire the home of thy foes!  Never may\nneighbor defy thee nor the lights of fire die out for\nthee,[FN#39] O Caliph of all cities and ruler of all countries!\"\nTherewithal Abu al-Hasan cried out at him and said, \"O dog of the\nsons of Barmak, go down forthright, thou and the chief of the\ncity police, to such a place in such a street and deliver an\nhundred dinars of gold to the mother of Abu al-Hasan the Wag and\nbear her my salutation.  Then, go to such a mosque and take the\nfour Shaykhs and the Im\u00e1m and scourge each of them with a\nthousand[FN#40] lashes and mount them on beasts, face to tail,\nand parade them round about all the city and banish them to a place\nother than this city; and bid the crier make cry before them,\nsaying:  'This is the reward and the least of the reward of whoso\nmultiplieth words and molesteth his neighbors and damageth their\ndelights and stinteth their eating and drinking!'\"  Ja'afar\nreceived the command and answered, \"With obedience\"; after which\nhe went down from before Abu al-Hasan to the city and did all he\nhad ordered him to do.  Meanwhile, Abu al-Hasan abode in the\nCaliphate, taking and giving, bidding and forbidding, and\ncarrying out  his command till the end of the day, when he gave\nleave and permission to withdraw, and the Emirs and Officers of\nstate departed to their several occupations and he looked towards\nthe Chamberlain and the rest of the attendants and said,\n\"Begone!\"  Then the Eunuchs came to him and calling down on him\nlength of life and continuance of weal, walked in attendance upon\nhim and raised the curtain, and he entered the pavilion of the\nHarem, where he found candles lighted and lamps burning and\nsinging-women smiting on instruments, and ten slave-girls, high-\nbosomed maids.  When he saw this, he was confounded in his wit\nand said to himself, \"By Allah, I am in truth Commander of the\nFaithful!\" presently adding, \"or haply these are of the J\u00e1nn and\nhe who was my guest yesternight was one of their kings who saw no\nway to requite my favours save by commanding his Ifrits to\naddress me as Prince of True Believers.  But an these be of the\nJann may Allah deliver me in safety from their mischief!\"  As\nsoon as he appeared, the slave-girls rose to him and carrying him\nup on to the da\u00efs,[FN#41] brought him a great tray, bespread with\nthe richest viands.  So he ate thereof with all his might and\nmain, till he had gotten his fill, when he called one of the\nhandmaids and said to her, \"What is thy name?\"  Replied she, \"My\nname is Miskah,\"[FN#42] and he said to another, \"What is thy\nname?\"  Quoth she, \"My name is Tarkah.\"[FN#43]  Then he asked a\nthird, \"What is thy name?\" who answered, \"My name is\nTohfah;\"[FN#44] and he went on to question the damsels of their\nnames, one after other, till he had learned the ten, when he rose\nfrom that place and removed to the wine-chamber.  He found it\nevery way complete and saw therein ten great trays, covered with\nall fruits and cakes and every sort of sweetmeats.  So he sat\ndown and ate thereof after the measure of his competency, and\nfinding there three troops of singing-girls, was amazed and made\nthe girls eat.  Then he sat and the singers also seated\nthemselves, whilst the black slaves and the white slaves and the\neunuchs and pages and boys stood, and of the slave-girls some sat\nand some stood.  The damsels sang and warbled all varieties of\nmelodies and the place rang with the sweetness of the songs,\nwhilst the pipes cried out and the lutes with them wailed, till\nit seemed to Abu al-Hasan that he was in Paradise and his heart\nwas heartened and his breast broadened.  So he sported and\njoyance grew on him and he bestowed robes of honour on the\ndamsels and gave and bestowed, challenging this girl and kissing\nthat and toying with a third, plying one with wine and morselling\nanother with meat, till nightfall.  All this while the Commander\nof the Faithful was diverting himself with watching him and\nlaughing, and when night fell he bade one of the slave-girls drop\na piece of Bhang in the cup and give it to Abu al-Hasan to drink.\nSo she did his bidding and gave him the cup, which no sooner had\nhe drunk than his head forewent his feet.[FN#45]   Therewith the\nCaliph came forth from behind the curtain, laughing, and calling\nto the attendant who had brought Abu al-Hasan to the palace, said\nto him, \"Carry[FN#46] this man to his own place.\"  So Masrur took\nhim up and carrying him to his own house, set him down in the\nsaloon.  Then he went forth from him, and shutting the saloon-\ndoor upon him, returned to the Caliph, who slept till the morrow.\nAs for Abu al-Hasan, he gave not over slumbering till Almighty\nAllah brought on the morning, when he recovered from the drug and\nawoke, crying out and saying, \"Ho, Tuff\u00e1hah! Ho, R\u00e1hat al-Kul\u00fab!\nHo, Miskah! Ho, Tohfah!\"[FN#47]  and he ceased not calling upon\nthe palace handmaids till his mother heard him summoning strange\ndamsels, and rising, came to him and said, \"Allah's name\nencompass thee!  Up with thee, O my son, O Abu al-Hasan!  Thou\ndreamest.\"  So he opened his eyes and finding an old woman at his\nhead, raised his eyes and said to her, \"Who art thou?\"  Quoth\nshe, \"I am thy mother;\" and quoth he, \"Thou liest!  I am the\nCommander of the Faithful, the Viceregent of Allah.\"  Whereupon\nhis mother shrieked aloud and said to him, \"Heaven preserve thy\nreason!  Be silent, O my son, and cause not the loss of our lives\nand the wasting of thy wealth, which will assuredly befal us if\nany hear this talk and carry it to the Caliph.\"  So he rose from\nhis sleep, and finding himself in his own saloon and his mother\nby him, had doubts of his wit, and said to her, \"By Allah, O my\nmother, I saw myself in a dream in a palace, with slave-girls and\nMamelukes about me and in attendance upon me, and I sat upon the\nthrone of the Caliphate and ruled.  By Allah, O my mother, this\nis what I saw, and in very sooth it was no dream!\" then he\nbethought himself awhile and said, \"Assuredly,[FN#48] I am Abu\nal-Hasan al-Khali'a, and this that I saw was only a dream when I\nwas made Caliph and bade and forbade.\"  Then he bethought himself\nagain and said, \"Nay, but 'twas not a dream, and I am none other\nthan the Caliph, and indeed I gave gifts and bestowed honour-\nrobes.\"  Quoth his mother to him, \"O my son, thou sportest with\nthy reason: thou wilt go to the mad-house[FN#49]  and become a\ngazing-stock.  Indeed, that which thou hast seen is only from the\nfoul Fiend, and it was an imbroglio of dreams, for at times Satan\nsporteth with men's wits in all manner of ways.\"[FN#50]  Then\nsaid she to him, \"O my son, was there any one with thee\nyesternight?\"  And he reflected and said, \"Yes; one lay the night\nwith me and I acquainted him with my case and told him my tale.\nDoubtless, he was of the Devils and I, O my mother, even as thou\nsayst truly, am Abu al-Hasan al-Khali'a.\"  She rejoined, \"O my\nson, rejoice in tidings of all good, for yesterday's record is\nthat there came the Wazir Ja'afar the Barmecide and his many, and\nbeat the Shaykhs of the mosque and the Imam, each a thousand\nlashes; after which they paraded them round about the city,\nmaking proclamation before them and saying: 'This is the reward\nand the least of the reward of whoso faileth in goodwill to his\nneighbours and troubleth on them their lives!'  And he banished\nthem from Baghdad.  Moreover, the Caliph sent me an hundred\ndinars and sent to salute me.\"  Whereupon Abu al-Hasan cried out\nand said to her, \"O ill-omened crone, wilt thou contradict me and\ntell me that I am not the Prince of True Believers?  'Twas I who\ncommanded Ja'afar the Barmecide to beat the Shaykhs and parade\nthem about the city and make proclamations before them, and 'twas\nI, very I, who sent thee the hundred dinars and sent to salute\nthee, and I, O beldam of ill-luck, am in very deed the Commander\nof the Faithful, and thou art a liar, who would make me out an\nidiot.\"  So saying, he rose up and fell upon her, and beat her\nwith a staff of almond-wood, till she cried out, \"Help, O\nMoslems!\" and he increased the beating upon her, till the folk\nheard her cries and coming to her, found Abu al-Hasan bashing his\nmother and saying to her, \"O old woman of ill-omen, am I not the\nCommander of the Faithful?  Thou hast ensorcelled me!\"  When the\nfolk heard his words, they said, \"This man raveth,\" and doubted\nnot of his madness.  So they came in upon him, and seizing him,\npinioned his elbows, and bore him to the Bedlam.  Quoth the\nSuperintendent, \"What aileth this youth?\" and quoth they, \"This\nis a madman, afflicted of the Jinn.\"  \"By Allah, cried Abu al-\nHasan, \"they lie against me!  I am no madman, but the Commander\nof the Faithful.\"  And the Superintendent answered him, saying,\n\"None lieth but thou, O foulest of the Jinn-maddened!\"  Then he\nstripped him of his clothes, and clapping on his neck a heavy\nchain,[FN#51] bound him to a high lattice and fell to beating him\ntwo bouts a day and two anights; and he ceased not abiding on\nthis wise the space of ten days.  Then his mother came to him and\nsaid, \"O my son, O Abu al-Hasan, return to thy right reason, for\nthis is the Devil's doing.\"  Quoth he, \"Thou sayst sooth, O my\nmother, and bear thou witness of me that I repent me of that talk and\nturn me from my madness.  So do thou deliver me, for I am nigh\nupon death.\"  Accordingly his mother went out to the\nSuperintendent[FN#52] and procured his release and he returned to\nhis own house.  Now this was at the beginning of the month, and\nwhen it ended, Abu al-Hasan longed to drink liquor and, returning\nto his former habit, furnished his saloon and made ready food and\nbade bring wine; then, going forth to the bridge, he sat there,\nexpecting one whom he should converse and carouse with, according\nto his custom.  As he sat thus, behold, up came the Caliph and\nMasrur to him; but Abu al-Hasan saluted them not and said to Al-\nRashid, \"No friendly welcome to thee, O King of the J\u00e1nn!\"  Quoth\nAl-Rashid, \"What have I done to thee?\" and quoth Abu al-Hasan,\n\"What more couldst thou do than what thou hast done to me, O\nfoulest of the Jann?  I have been beaten and thrown into Bedlam,\nwhere all said I was Jinn-mad and this was caused by none save\nthyself.  I brought thee to my house and fed thee with my best;\nafter which thou didst empower thy Satans and Marids to disport\nthemselves with my wits from morning to evening.  So avaunt and\naroynt thee and wend thy ways!\"  The Caliph smiled and, seating\nhimself by his side said to him, \"O my brother, did I not tell\nthee that I would return to thee?\"  Quoth Abu al-Hasan, \"I have\nno need of thee; and as the byword sayeth in verse:\u2014\n\n'Fro' my friend, 'twere meeter and wiser to part, * For what eye\n     sees not born shall ne'er sorrow heart.'\n\nAnd indeed, O my brother, the night thou camest to me and we\nconversed and caroused together, I and thou, 'twas as if the\nDevil came to me and troubled me that night.\"  Asked the Caliph,\n\"And who is he, the Devil?\" and answered Abu al-Hasan, \"He is\nnone other than thou;\" whereat the Caliph laughed and coaxed him\nand spake him fair, saying, \"O my brother, when I went out from\nthee, I forgot the door and left it open and perhaps Satan came\nin to thee.\"[FN#53]  Quoth Abu al-Hasan, \"Ask me not of that\nwhich hath betided me.  What possessed thee to leave the door\nopen, so that the Devil came in to me and there befel me with him\nthis and that?\"  And he related to him all that had betided him,\nfirst and last (and in repetition is no fruition); what while\nthe Caliph laughed and hid his laughter.  Then said he to Abu al-\nHasan, \"Praised be Allah who hath done away from thee whatso\nirked thee and that I see thee once more in weal!\"  And Abu al-\nHasan said, \"Never again will I take thee to cup-companion or\nsitting-comrade; for the proverb saith, 'Whoso stumbleth on a\nstone and thereto returneth, upon him be blame and reproach.' And\nthou, O my brother, nevermore will I entertain thee nor company\nwith thee, for that I have not found thy heel propitious to\nme.\"[FN#54]  But the Caliph coaxed him and said, \"I have been the\nmeans of thy winning to thy wish anent the Imam and the Shaykhs.\"\nAbu al-Hasan replied, \"Thou hast;\" and Al-Rashid continued, \"And\nhaply somewhat may betide thee which shall gladden thy heart yet\nmore.\"  Abu al-Hasan asked, \"What dost thou require of me?\" and\nthe Commander of the Faithful answered, \"Verily, I am thy guest;\nreject not the guest.\"  Quoth Abu al-Hasan, \"On condition that\nthou swear to me by the characts on the seal of Solomon David's\nson (on the twain be the Peace!), that thou wilt not suffer thine\nIfrits to make fun of me.\"  He replied, \"To hear is to obey!\"\nWhereupon the Wag took him and brought him into the saloon and\nset food before him and entreated him with friendly speech.  Then\nhe told him all that had befallen him, whilst the Caliph was like\nto die of stifled laughter; after which Abu al-Hasan removed the\ntray of food and bringing the wine-service, filled a cup and\ncracked it three times, then gave it to the Caliph, saying, \"O\nboon-companion mine, I am thy slave and let not that which I am\nabout to say offend thee, and be thou not vexed, neither do thou\nvex me.\"  And he recited these verses:\u2014\n\n\"Hear one that wills thee well!  Lips none shall bless * Save\n     those who drink for drunk and all transgress.\nNe'er will I cease to swill while night falls dark * Till lout my\n     forehead low upon my tasse:\nIn wine like liquid sun is my delight * Which clears all care and\n     gladdens allegresse.\"\n\nWhen the Caliph heard these his verses and saw how apt he was at\ncouplets, he was delighted with exceeding delight and taking the\ncup, drank it off, and the twain ceased not to converse and\ncarouse till the wine rose to their heads.  Then quoth Abu al-\nHasan to the Caliph, \"O boon-companion mine, of a truth I am\nperplexed concerning my affair, for meseemed I was Commander of\nthe Faithful and ruled and gave gifts and largesse, and in very\ndeed, O my brother, it was not a dream.\"  Quoth the Caliph,\n\"These were the imbroglios of sleep,\" and crumbling a bit of\nBhang into the cup, said to him, \"By my life, do thou drink this\ncup;\" and said Abu al-Hasan, \"Surely I will drink it from thy\nhand.\"  Then he took the cup and drank it off, and no sooner had\nit settled in his stomach than his head fell to the ground before\nhis feet.  Now his manners and fashions pleased the Caliph and\nthe excellence of his composition and his frankness, and he said\nin himself, \"I will assuredly make him my cup-companion and\nsitting-comrade.\"  So he rose forthright and saying to Masrur,\n\"Take him up,\" returned to the palace.  Accordingly, the Eunuch\ntook up Abu al-Hasan and carrying him to the palace of the\nCaliphate, set him down before Al-Rashid, who bade the slaves and\nslave-girls compass him about, whilst he himself hid in a place\nwhere Abu al-Hasan could not see him.  Then he commanded one of\nthe hand-maidens to take the lute and strike it over the Wag's\nhead, whilst the rest smote upon their instruments.  So they\nplayed and sang, till Abu al-Hasan awoke at the last of the night\nand heard the symphony of lutes and tambourines and the sound of\nthe flutes and the singing of the slave-girls, whereupon he\nopened his eyes and finding himself in the palace, with the hand-\nmaids and eunuchs about him, exclaimed, \"There is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!  Come\nto my help this night which meseems more unlucky than the former!\nVerily, I am fearful of the Madhouse and of that which I suffered\ntherein the first time, and I doubt not but the Devil is come to\nme again, as before.  O Allah, my Lord, put thou Satan to shame!\"\nThen he shut his eyes and laid his head in his sleeve, and fell\nto laughing softly and raising his head bytimes, but still found\nthe apartment lighted and the girls singing.  Presently, one of\nthe eunuchs sat down at his head and said to him, \"Sit up, O\nPrince of True Believers, and look on thy palace and thy slave-\ngirls.\"  Said Abu al-Hasan, \"Under the veil of Allah, am I in\ntruth Commander of the Faithful, and dost thou not lie?\nYesterday I rode not forth neither ruled, but drank and slept,\nand this eunuch cometh to make me rise.\"  Then he sat up and\nrecalled to thought that which had betided him with his mother\nand how he had beaten her and entered the Bedlam, and he saw the\nmarks of the beating, wherewith the Superintendant had beaten\nhim, and was perplexed concerning his affair and pondered in\nhimself, saying, \"By Allah, I know not how my case is nor what is\nthis that betideth me!\"  Then, gazing at the scene around him, he\nsaid privily, \"All these are of the Jann in human shape, and I\ncommit my case to Allah.\"  Presently he turned to one of the\ndamsels and said to her, \"Who am I?\"  Quoth she, \"Thou art the\nCommander of the Faithful;\" and quoth he, \"Thou liest, O\ncalamity![FN#55]  If I be indeed the Commander of the Faithful,\nbite my finger.\"  So she came to him and bit it with all her\nmight, and he said to her, \"It doth suffice.\"  Then he asked the\nChief Eunuch, \"Who am I?\" and he answered, \"Thou art the\nCommander of the Faithful.\"  So he left him and returned to his\nwonderment: then, turning to a little white slave, said to him,\n\"Bite my ear;\" and he bent his head low down to him and put his\near to his mouth.  Now the Mameluke was young and lacked sense;\nso he closed his teeth upon Abu al-Hasan's ear with all his\nmight, till he came near to sever it; and he knew not Arabic, so,\nas often as the Wag said to him, \"It doth suffice,\" he concluded\nthat he said, \"Bite like a vice,\" and redoubled his bite and made\nhis teeth meet in the ear, whilst the damsels were diverted from\nhim with hearkening to the singing-girls, and Abu al-Hasan cried\nout for succour from the boy and the Caliph lost his sense for\nlaughter.  Then he dealt the boy a cuff, and he let go his ear,\nwhereupon all present fell down with laughter and said to the\nlittle Mameluke, \"Art mad that thou bitest the Caliph's ear on\nthis wise?\"  And Abu al-Hasan cried to them, \"Sufficeth ye not, O\nye wretched Jinns, that which hath befallen me?  But the fault is\nnot yours: the fault is of your Chief who transmewed you from\nJinn shape to mortal shape.  I seek refuge against you this night\nby the Throne-verse and the Chapter of Sincerity[FN#56] and the\nTwo Preventives!\"[FN#57]  So saying the Wag put off his\nclothes till he was naked, with prickle and breech exposed, and\ndanced among the slave-girls.  They bound his hands and he\nwantoned among them, while they died of laughing at him and the\nCaliph swooned away for excess of laughter.  Then he came to\nhimself and going forth the curtain to Abu al-Hasan, said to him,\n\"Out on thee, O Abu al-Hasan!  Thou slayest me with laughter.\"\nSo he turned to him and knowing him, said to him, \"By Allah, 'tis\nthou slayest me and slayest my mother and slewest the Shaykhs and\nthe Imam of the Mosque!\"  After which he kissed ground before him\nand prayed for the permanence of his prosperity and the endurance\nof his days.  The Caliph at once robed him in a rich robe and\ngave him a thousand dinars; and presently he took the Wag into\nespecial favour and married him and bestowed largesse on him and\nlodged him with himself in the palace and made him of the chief\nof his cup-companions, and indeed he was preferred with him above\nthem and the Caliph advanced him over them all.  Now they were\nten in number, to wit, Al-'Ijl\u00ed and Al-Rak\u00e1shi and 'Ibd\u00e1n and\nHasan al-Farazdak and Al-Lauz and Al-Sakar and Omar al-Tart\u00eds and\nAbu Nowas and Abu Ishak al-Nad\u00edm and Abu al-Hasan al-Khali'a, and\nby each of them hangeth a story which is told in other than this\nbook.[FN#58]  And indeed Abu al-Hasan became high in honour with\nthe Caliph and favoured above all, so that he sat with him and\nthe Lady Zubaydah bint al-Kasim, whose treasuress Nuzhat al-\nFu\u00e1d[FN#59] hight, was given to him in marriage.  After this Abu\nal-Hasan the Wag abode with his wife in eating and drinking and\nall delight of life, till whatso was with them went the way of\nmoney, when he said to her, \"Harkye, O Nuzhat al-Fuad!\"  Said\nshe, \"At they service;\" and he continued, \"I have it in mind to\nplay a trick on the Caliph[FN#60] and thou shalt do the same with\nthe Lady Zubaydah, and we will take of them at once, to begin\nwith, two hundred dinars and two pieces of silk.  She rejoined,\n\"As thou willest, but what thinkest thou to do?\"  And he said,\n\"We will feign ourselves dead and this is the trick.  I will die\nbefore thee and lay myself out, and do thou spread over me a\nsilken napkin and loose my turban over me and tie my toes and lay\non my stomach a knife and a little salt.[FN#61]  Then let down\nthy hair and betake thyself to thy mistress Zubaydah, tearing thy\ndress and slapping thy face and crying out.  She will ask thee,\n'What aileth thee?' and do thou answer her, 'May thy head outlive\nAbu al-Hasan the Wag; for he is dead.'  She will mourn for me and\nweep and bid her new treasuress give thee an hundred dinars and a\npiece of silk[FN#62] and will say to thee, 'Go, lay him out and\ncarry him forth.'  So do thou take of her the hundred dinars and\nthe piece of silk and come back, and when thou returnest to me, I\nwill rise up and thou shalt lie down in my place, and I will go\nto the Caliph and say to him, 'May thy head outlive Nuzhat al\nFuad,' and rend my raiment and pluck out my beard.  He will mourn\nfor thee and say to his treasurer, 'Give Abu al-Hasan an hundred\ndinars and a piece of silk.'  Then he will say to me, 'Go; lay\nher out and carry her forth;' and I will come back to thee.\"\nTherewith Nuzhat al-Fuad rejoiced and said, \"Indeed, this is an\nexcellent device.\"  Then Abu al-Hasan stretched himself out\nforthright and she shut his eyes and tied his feet and covered him\nwith the napkin and did whatso her lord had bidden her; after\nwhich she tare her gear and bared her head and letting down her\nhair, went in to the Lady Zubaydah, crying out and weeping.  When\nthe Princess saw her in this state, she cried, \"What plight is\nthis? What is thy story and what maketh thee weep?\"  And Nuzhat\nal-Fuad answered, weeping and loud-wailing the while, \"O my lady,\nmay thy head live and mayst thou survive Abu al-Hasan al-Khali'a;\nfor he is dead!\"  The Lady Zubaydah mourned for him and said,\n\"Alas, poor Abu al-Hasan the Wag!\" and she shed tears for him\nawhile.  Then she bade her treasuress give Nuzhat al-Fuad an\nhundred dinars and a piece of silk and said to her, \"O Nuzhat al-\nFuad, go, lay him out and carry him forth.\"  So she took the\nhundred dinars and the piece of silk and returned to her\ndwelling, rejoicing, and went in to her spouse and acquainted him\nwhat had befallen, whereupon he arose and rejoiced and girdled\nhis middle and danced and took the hundred dinars and the piece\nof silk and laid them up.  Then he laid out Nuzhat al-Fuad and\ndid with her as she had done with him; after which he rent his\nraiment and plucked out his beard and disordered his turban and\nran out nor ceased running till he came in to the Caliph, who was\nsitting in the judgment-hall, and he in this plight, beating his\nbreast.  The Caliph asked him, \"What aileth thee, O Abu al-\nHasan?\" and he wept and answered, \"Would heaven thy cup-companion\nhad never been and would his hour had never come!\"[FN#63]  Quoth\nthe Caliph, \"Tell me thy case:\" and quoth Abu al-Hasan, \"O my\nlord, may thy head outlive Nuzhat al-Fuad!\"  The Caliph\nexclaimed, \"There is no god but God;\" and smote hand upon hand.\nThen he comforted Abu al-Hasan and said to him, \"Grieve not, for\nwe will bestow upon thee a bed-fellow other than she.\"   And he\nordered the treasurer to give him an hundred dinars and a piece\nof silk.  Accordingly the treasurer did what the Caliph bade him,\nand Al-Rashid said to him, \"Go, lay her out and carry her forth\nand make her a handsome funeral.\"  So Abu al-Hasan took that\nwhich he had given him and returning to his house, rejoicing,\nwent in to Nuzhat al-Fuad and said to her, \"Arise, for our wish\nis won.\"  Hereat she arose and he laid before her the hundred\nducats and the piece of silk, whereat she rejoiced, and they\nadded the gold to the gold and the silk to the silk and sat\ntalking and laughing each to other.  Meanwhile, when Abu al-Hasan\nfared forth the presence of the Caliph and went to lay out Nuzhat\nal-Fuad, the Commander of the Faithful mourned for her and\ndismissing the divan, arose and betook himself, leaning upon\nMasrur, the Sworder of his vengeance, to the Lady Zubaydah, that\nhe might condole with her for her hand-maid.  He found her\nsitting weeping and awaiting his coming, so she might condole\nwith him for his boon-companion Abu al-Hasan the Wag.  So he said\nto her, \"May thy head outlive thy slave-girl Nuzhat al-Fuad!\" and\nsaid she, \"O my lord, Allah preserve my slave-girl!  Mayst thou\nlive and long survive thy boon-companion Abu al-Hasan al-Khali'a;\nfor he is dead.\"  The Caliph smiled and said to his eunuch, \"O\nMasrur, verily women are little of wit.  Allah upon thee, say,\nwas not Abu al-Hasan with me but now?\"[FN#64]  Quoth the Lady\nZubaydah, laughing from a heart full of wrath, \"Wilt thou not\nleave thy jesting?  Sufficeth thee not that Abu al-Hasan is dead,\nbut thou must put to death my slave-girl also and bereave us of\nthe twain, and style me little of wit?\"  The Caliph answered,\n\"Indeed, 'tis Nuzhat al-Fuad who is dead.\"  And the Lady Zubaydah\nsaid, \"Indeed he hath not been with thee, nor hast thou seen him,\nand none was with me but now save Nuzhat al-Fuad, and she\nsorrowful, weeping, with her clothes torn to tatters.  I exhorted\nher to patience and gave her an hundred dinars and a piece of\nsilk; and indeed I was awaiting thy coming, so I might console\nthee for thy cup-companion Abu al-Hasan al-Khali'a, and was about\nto send for thee.\"[FN#65]  The Caliph laughed and said, \"None is\ndead save Nuzhat al-Fuad;\" and she, \"No, no, good my lord; none\nis dead but Abu al-Hasan the Wag.\"  With this the Caliph waxed\nwroth, the H\u00e1shim\u00ed vein[FN#66] started out from between his eyes\nand throbbed: and he cried out to Masrur and said to him, \"Fare\nthee forth to the house of Abu al-Hasan the Wag and see which of\nthem is dead.\"  So Masrur went out, running, and the Caliph said\nto the Lady Zubaydah, \"Wilt thou lay me a wager?\"  And said she,\n\"Yes, I will wager, and I say that Abu al-Hasan is dead.\"\nRejoined the Caliph, \"And I wager and say that none is dead save\nNuzhat al-Fuad; and the stake between me and thee shall be the\nGarden of Pleasance[FN#67] against thy palace and the Pavilion of\nPictures.\"[FN#68]  So they agreed upon this and sat awaiting\nMasrur's return with the news.  As for the Eunuch, he ceased not\nrunning till he came to the by-street, wherein was the stead of\nAbu al-Hasan al-Khali'a.  Now the Wag was comfortably seated and\nleaning back against the lattice,[FN#69] and chancing to look\nround, saw Masrur running along the street and said to Nuzhat al-\nFuad, \"Meseemeth the Caliph, when I went forth from him dismissed\nthe Divan and went in to the Lady Zubaydah, to condole with her;\nwhereupon she arose and condoled with him, saying, 'Allah\nincrease thy recompense for the loss of Abu al-Hasan al-Khali'a!'\nAnd he said to her, 'None is dead save Nuzhat al-Fuad, may thy\nhead outlive her!'  Quoth she, ''Tis not she who is dead, but Abu\nal-Hasan al-Khali'a, thy boon-companion.'  And quoth he, 'None is\ndead save Nuzhat al-Fuad.'  And they waxed so obstinate that the\nCaliph became wroth and they laid a wager, and he hath sent\nMasrur the Sworder to see who is dead.  Now, therefore, 'twere\nbest that thou lie down, so he may sight thee and go and acquaint\nthe Caliph and confirm my saying.\"[FN#70]  So Nuzhat al-Fuad\nstretched herself out and Abu al-Hasan covered her with her\nmantilla and sat weeping at her head.  Presently, Masrur the\neunuch suddenly came in to him and saluted him, and seeing Nuzhat\nal-Fuad stretched out, uncovered her face and said, \"There is no\ngod but God!  Our sister Nuzhat al-Fuad is dead indeed.  How\nsudden was the stroke of Destiny!  Allah have ruth on thee and\nacquit thee of all charge!\"  Then he returned and related what\nhad passed before the Caliph and the Lady Zubaydah, and he\nlaughing as he spoke.  \"O accursed one,\" cried the Caliph, \"this\nis no time for laughter!  Tell us which is dead of them.\"  Masrur\nreplied, \"By Allah, O my lord, Abu al-Hasan is well, and none is\ndead but Nuzhat al-Fuad.\"  Quoth the Caliph to Zubaydah, \"Thou\nhast lost thy pavilion in thy play,\" and he jeered at her and\nsaid, \"O Masrur, tell her what thou sawest.\"  Quoth the Eunuch,\n\"Verily, O my lady, I ran without ceasing till I came in to Abu\nal-Hasan in his house and found Nuzhat al-Fuad lying dead and Abu\nal-Hasan sitting tearful at her head.  I saluted him and condoled\nwith him and sat down by his side and uncovered the face of\nNuzhat al-Fuad and saw her dead and her face swollen.[FN#71]  So\nI said to him, 'Carry her out forthwith, so we may pray over\nher.'  He replied, ''Tis well'; and I left him to lay her out and\ncame hither, that I might tell you the news.\"  The Prince of True\nBelievers laughed and said, \"Tell it again and again to thy lady\nLittle-wits.\"  When the Lady Zubaydah heard Masrur's words and\nthose of the Caliph she was wroth and said, \"None is little of\nwit save he who believeth a black slave.\"  And she abused Masrur,\nwhilst the Commander of the Faithful laughed: and the Eunuch,\nvexed at this, said to the Caliph, \"He spake sooth who said,\n\"Women are little of wits and lack religion.\"[FN#72] Then said\nthe Lady Zubaydah to the Caliph, \"O Commander of the Faithful,\nthou sportest and jestest with me, and this slave hoodwinketh me,\nthe better to please thee; but I will send and see which of them\nbe dead.\"  And he answered, saying, \"Send one who shall see which\nof them is dead.\"  So the Lady Zubaydah cried out to an old\nduenna, and said to her, \"Hie thee to the house of Nuzhat al-Fuad\nin haste and see who is dead and loiter not.\"  And she used hard\nwords to her.[FN#73]  So the old woman went out running, whilst\nthe Prince of True Believers and Masrur laughed, and she ceased\nnot running till she came into the street.  Abu al-Hasan saw her,\nand knowing her, said to his wife, \"O Nuzhat al-Fuad, meseemeth\nthe Lady Zubaydah hath sent to us to see who is dead and hath not\ngiven credit to Masrur's report of thy death: accordingly, she\nhath despatched the old crone, her duenna, to discover the truth.\nSo it behoveth me to be dead in my turn for the sake of thy\ncredit with the Lady Zubaydah.\"  Hereat he lay down and stretched\nhimself out, and she covered him and bound his eyes and feet and\nsat in tears at his head.  Presently the old woman came in to her\nand saw her sitting at Abu al-Hasan's head, weeping and\nrecounting his fine qualities; and when she saw the old trot, she\ncried out and said to her, \"See what hath befallen me!  Indeed\nAbu al-Hasan is dead and hath left me lone and lorn!\"  Then she\nshrieked out and rent her raiment and said to the crone, \"O my\nmother, how very good he was to me!\"[FN#74]  Quoth the other,\n\"Indeed thou art excused, for thou wast used to him and he to\nthee.\"  Then she considered what Masrur had reported to the\nCaliph and the Lady Zubaydah and said to her, \"Indeed, Masrur\ngoeth about to cast discord between the Caliph and the Lady\nZubaydah.\"  Asked Nuzhat al-Fuad, \"And what is the cause of\ndiscord, O my mother?\" and the other replied, \"O my daughter,\nMasrur came to the Caliph and the Lady Zubaydah and gave them\nnews of thee that thou wast dead and that Abu al-Hasan was well.\"\nNuzhat al-Fuad said to her, \"O naunty mine,[FN#75] I was with my\nlady just now and she gave me an hundred dinars and a piece of\nsilk; and now see my case and that which hath befallen me!\nIndeed, I am bewildered, and how shall I do, and I lone, and\nlorn?  Would heaven I had died and he had lived!\"  Then she wept\nand with her wept the old woman, who, going up to Abu al-Hasan\nand uncovering his face, saw his eyes bound and swollen for the\nswathing.  So she covered him up again and said, \"Indeed, O\nNuzhat al-Fuad, thou art afflicted in Abu al-Hasan!\"  Then she\ncondoled with her and going out from her, ran along the street\nuntil she came in to the Lady Zubaydah and related to her the\nstory; and the Princess said to her, laughing, \"Tell it over\nagain to the Caliph, who maketh me out little of wit, and lacking\nof religion, and who made this ill-omened liar of a slave presume\nto contradict me.\"  Quoth Masrur, \"This old woman lieth; for I\nsaw Abu al-Hasan well and Nuzhat al-Fuad it was who lay dead.\"\nQuoth the duenna, \"'Tis thou that liest, and wouldst fain cast\ndiscord between the Caliph and the Lady Zubaydah.\"  And Masrur\ncried, \"None lieth but thou, O old woman of ill-omen and thy\nlady believeth thee and she must be in her dotage.\"  Whereupon\nLady Zubaydah cried out at him and in very sooth she was enraged\nwith him and with his speech and shed tears.  Then said the\nCaliph to her, \"I lie and my eunuch lieth, and thou liest and thy\nwaiting-woman lieth; so 'tis my rede we go, all four of us\ntogether, that we may see which of us telleth the truth.\"  Masrur\nsaid, \"Come, let us go, that I may do to this ill-omened old\nwoman evil deeds[FN#76] and deal her a sound drubbing for her\nlying.\"  And the duenna answered him, \"O dotard, is thy wit like\nunto my wit?  Indeed, thy wit is as the hen's wit.\"  Masrur was\nincensed at her words and would have laid violent hands on her,\nbut the Lady Zubaydah pushed him away from her and said to him,\n\"Her truth-speaking will presently be distinguished from thy\ntruth-speaking and her leasing from thy leasing.\"  Then they all\nfour arose, laying wagers one with other, and went forth a-foot\nfrom the palace-gate and hied on till they came in at the gate of\nthe street where Abu al-Hasan al-Khali'a dwelt.  He saw them and\nsaid to his wife Nuzhat al-Fuad, \"Verily, all that is sticky is\nnot a pancake[FN#77] they cook nor every time shall the crock\nescape the shock.  It seemeth the old woman hath gone and told\nher lady and acquainted her with our case and she has disputed\nwith Masrur the Eunuch and they have laid wagers each with other\nabout our death and are come to us, all four, the Caliph and the\nEunuch and the Lady Zubaydah and the old trot.\"  When Nuzhat al-\nFuad heard this, she started up from her outstretched posture\nand asked, \"How shall we do?\" whereto he answered, \"We will both\nfeign ourselves dead together and stretch ourselves out and hold\nour breath.\"  So she hearkened unto him and they both lay down on\nthe place where they usually slept the siesta[FN#78] and bound\ntheir feet and shut their eyes and covered themselves with the\nveil and held their breath.  Presently, up came the Caliph,\nZubaydah, Masrur and the old woman and entering, found Abu al-\nHasan the Wag and wife both stretched out as dead; which when the\nLady saw, she wept and said, \"They ceased not to bring ill-news\nof my slave-girl till she died,[FN#79] methinketh Abu al-Hasan's\ndeath was grievous to her and that she died after him.\"[FN#80]\nQuoth the Caliph, \"Thou shalt not prevent me with thy prattle and\nprate.  She certainly died before Abu al-Hasan, for he came to me\nwith his raiment rent and his beard plucked out, beating his\nbreast with two bits of unbaked brick,[FN#81] and I gave him an\nhundred dinars and a piece of silk and said to him, \"Go, bear her\nforth and I will give thee a bed-fellow other than she and\nhandsomer, and she shall be in stead of her.  But it would appear\nthat her death was no light matter to him and he died after\nher;[FN#82] so it is who have beaten thee and gotten thy stake.\"\nThe Lady Zubaydah answered him in words galore and the dispute\nbetween them waxed sore.  At last the Caliph sat down at the head\nof the pair and said, \"By the tomb of the Apostle of Allah (whom\nmay He save and assain!) and the sepulchres of my fathers and\nforefathers, whoso will tell me which of them died before the\nother, I will willingly give him a thousand dinars!\"  when Abu\nal-Hasan heard the Calipih's words, he sprang up in haste and\nsaid, \"I died first, O Commander of the Faithful!  Here with the\nthousand dinars and acquit thee of thine oath and the swear thou\nsworest.\"  Nuzhat al-Fuad rose also and stood up before the\nCaliph and the Lady Zubaydah, who both rejoiced in this and in\ntheir safety, and the Pricess chid her slave-girl.  Then the\nCaliph and Zubaydah gave them joy of their well-being and knew\nthat this death was a trick to get the gold; and the Lady said to\nNuzhat al-Fuad, \"Thou shouldst have sought of me that which thou\nneedest, without this fashion, and not have burned[FN#83] my\nheart for thee.\"  And she, \"Verily, I was ashamed, O my lady.\"\nAs for the Caliph, he swooned away for laughing and said, \"O Abu\nal-Hasan, thou wilt never cease to be a wag and do peregrine\nthings and prodigious!\"  Quoth he, \"O Commander of the Faithful,\nthis trick I played off for that money which thou gavest me was\nexhausted, and I was ashamed to ask of thee again.  When I was\nsingle, I could never keep money in hand; but since thou\nmarriedst me to this damsel, if I possessed even thy wealth, I\nshould lay it waste.  Wherefore when all that was in my hand was\nspent, I wrought this sleight, so I might get of thee the hundred\ndinars and the piece of silk; and all this is an alms from our\nlord.  But now make haste to give me the thousand dinars and\nacquit thee of thine oath.\"  The Caliph and the Lady Zubaydah\nlaughed and returned to the palace; and he gave Abu al-Hasan the\nthousand dinars saying, \"Take them as a douceur[FN#84] for thy\npreservation from death,\" whilst her mistress did the like with\nNuzhat al-Fuad, honouring her with the same words.  Moreover, the\nCaliph increased the Wag in his solde and supplies, and he and\nhis wife ceased not to live in joy and contentment, till there\ncame to them the Destroyer of delights and Severer of societies,\nthe Plunderer of palaces, and the Garnerer of Graves.\n\n\n\n\n            THE CALIPH OMAR BIN ABD AL-AZIZ AND THE\n                          POETS[FN#85]\n\n\n\nIt is said that, when the Caliphate devolved on Omar bin Abd al-\nAziz[FN#86] (of whom Allah accept), the poets resorted to him, as\nthey had been used to resort to the Caliphs before him, and abode\nat his door days and days, but he suffered them not to enter, till\nthere came to him 'Ad\u00ed bin Artah,[FN#87] who stood high in esteem\nwith him.  Jar\u00edr[FN#88] accosted him and begged him to crave\nadmission for them to the presence; so Adi answered, \"'Tis well;\"\nand, going in to Omar, said to him, \"The poets are at thy door\nand have been there days and days; yet hast thou not given them\nleave to enter, albeit their sayings abide[FN#89] and their\narrows from mark never fly wide.\"  Quoth Omar, \"What have I to do\nwith the poets?\" and quoth Adi, \"O Commander of the Faithful, the\nProphet (Abhak!)[FN#90] was praised by a poet[FN#91] and gave him\nlargesse, and in him[FN#92] is an exemplar to every Moslem.\"\nQuoth Omar, \"And who praised him?\" and quoth Adi, \"'Abb\u00e1s bin\nMird\u00e1s[FN#93] praised him, and he clad him with a suit and said,\nO Generosity,[FN#94] cut off from me his tongue!\"  Asked the\nCaliph, \"Dost thou remember what he said?\" and Adi answered,\n\"Yes.\"  Rejoined Omar, \"Then repeat it;\" so Adi repeated,[FN#95]\n\n\"I saw thee, O thou best of human race, * Bring out a Book which\n     brought to graceless Grace.\nThou showedst righteous road to men astray * From Right, when\n     darkest Wrong had ta'en its place;\u2014\nThou with Isl\u00e1m didst light the gloomiest way, *Quenching with\n     proof live coals of frowardness;\nI own for Prophet mine Mohammed's self; * And man's award upon his\n     word we base;\nThou madest straight the path that crooked ran, * Where in old\n     days foul growth o'ergrew its face.\nExalt be thou in Joy's empyrean * And Allah's glory ever grow\n     apace.\n\n\"And indeed\" (continued Adi), \"this Elegy on the Prophet (Abhak!)\nis well known and to comment it would be tedious.\"  Quoth Omar\n\"Who is at the door?\" and quoth Adi, \"Among them is Omar ibn Abi\nRab\u00ed'ah, the Korash\u00ed;[FN#96] whereupon the Caliph cried, \"May\nAllah show him no favour neither quicken him!  Was it not he who\nsaid these verses,\n\n'Would Heaven what day Death shall visit me * I smell as thy\n     droppings and drippings[FN#97] smell!\nCould I in my clay-bed on Salm\u00e1 lie * There to me were better\n     than Heaven or Hell!'\n\n\"Had he not been\" (continued the Caliph) \"the enemy of Allah, he\nhad wished for her in this world, so he might after repent and\nreturn to righteous dealing.  By Allah, he shall not come in to\nme!  Who is at the door other than he?\" Quoth Adi, \"Jam\u00edl bin\nMa'mar al-Uzri[FN#98] is at the door;\" and quoth Omar, \"'Tis he\nwho saith in one of his elegies,\n\n'Would Heaven conjoint we lived, and if I die * Death only grant\n     me a grave within her grave:\nFor I'd no longer deign to live my life * If told upon her head\n     is laid the pave.'\"[FN#99]\n\nQuoth Omar, \"Away with him from me!  Who is at the door?\" and\nquoth Adi, \"Kuthayyir 'Azzah\"[FN#100]; whereupon Omar cried,\n\"'Tis he who saith in one of his odes,\n\n'Some talk of faith and creed and nothing else * And wait for\n     pains of Hell in prayer-seat;[FN#101]\nBut did they hear what I from Azzah heard, * They'd make\n     prostration, fearfull at her feet.'\n\n\"Leave the mention of him.  Who is at the door?\" Quoth Adi, \"Al-\nAhwas al-'Ans\u00e1r\u00ed.\"[FN#102]  Cried Omar, \"Allah Almighty put him\naway and estrange him from His mercy!  Is it not he who said,\nberhyming on a Medinite's slave-girl, so she might outlive her\nlord,\n\n'Allah be judge betwixt me and her lord! * Who ever flies with\n     her and I pursue.'\n\n\"He shall not come in to me.  who is at the door, other than he?\"\nAdi replied, \"Hamm\u00e1m bin Gh\u00e1lib al-Farazdak;\"[FN#103] and Omar\nsaid, \"'Tis he who saith, glorying in whoring,\n\n'Two girls let me down eighty fathoms deep, * As low sweeps a\n     falcon wi' pinions spread;\nAnd cried; as my toes touched the ground, 'Dost live * To return,\n     or the fall hath it done thee dead?\n\n\"He shall not come in to me.  who is at the door, other than he?\"\nAdi replied, \"Al-Akhtal al-Taghlib\u00ed\"[FN#104] and Omar said, \"He\nis the Miscreant who saith in his singing,\n\n'Ramazan I ne'er fasted in life-time; nay * I ate flesh in public\n     at undurn day;[FN#105]\nNor chide I the fair, save in way of love, * Nor seek Meccah's\n     plain[FN#106] in salvation-way:\nNor stand I praying like rest who cry *  'Hie\n     salvationwards'[FN#107] at the dawn's first ray.\nBut I drink her cooled[FN#108] by fresh Northern breeze * And my\n     head at dawn to her prone I lay.'[FN#109]\n\n\"By Allah, he treadeth no carpet of mine!  who is at the door,\nother than he?\"  Said Adi, \"Jar\u00edr ibn al-Khatafah\"; and Omar\ncried, \"'Tis he who saith,\n\n'But for ill-spying glances had our eyes espied * Eyne of the\n     antelope and ringlets of the Reems.[FN#110]\nA huntress of the eyes[FN#111] by night-tide came and I * Cried,\n     'Turn in peace, no time for visit this, meseems!'\n\n\"An it must be and no help, admit Jarir.\"  So Adi went forth and\nadmitted Jarir, who entered, saying.\n\n\"Yea, he who sent Mohammed unto man, * A just successor for\n     Im\u00e1m[FN#112] assigned.\nHis ruth and justice all mankind embrace, * To daunt the bad and\n     stablish well-designed.\nVerily now I look to present good, * For man hath ever-transient\n     weal in mind.\"\n\nQuoth Omar, \"O Jarir, keep the fear of Allah before thine eyes\nand say naught save the sooth.\"  And Jarir recited these\ncouplets,\n\n\"How many widows loose the hair in far Yam\u00e1mah-land[FN#113] * How\n     many an orphan there abides feeble of voice and eye,\nSince faredst thou who wast to them instead of father lost * When\n     they like nested fledglings were sans power to creep or fly!\nAnd now we hope, since brake the clouds their word and troth with\n     us, * Hope from the Caliph's grace to gain a rain[FN#114]\n     that ne'er shall dry.\"\n\nWhen the Caliph heard this, he said, \"By Allah, O Jarir, Omar\npossesseth but an hundred dirhams.[FN#115]  Ho, boy! do thou give\nthem to him.\"  Moreover he gifted him with the ornaments of his\nsword; and Jarir went forth to the other poets, who asked him,\n\"What is behind thee?\"[FN#116] and he answered, \"A man who giveth\nto the poor and denieth the poets, and with him I am well-\npleased.\"\n\n\n\n\n           AL-HAJJAJ AND THE THREE YOUNG MEN[FN#117]\n\n\n\nThey tell that Al-Hajj\u00e1j[FN#118] once bade the Chief of Police go\nhis rounds about Bassorah city by night, and whomsoever he found\nabroad after supper-tide that he should smite his neck.  So he\nwent round one night of the nights and came upon three youths\nswaying and staggering from side to side, and on them signs of\nwine-bibbing.  So the watch laid hold of them and the captain\nsaid to them, \"Who be you that ye durst transgress the\ncommandment of the Commander of the Faithful[FN#119] and come\nabroad at this hour?\"  quoth one of the youths, \"I am the son of\nhim to whom all necks[FN#120] abase themselves, alike the nose-\npierced of them and the breaker; they come to him in their own\ndespite, abject and submissive, and he taketh of their wealth and\nof their blood.\"  The Master of Police held his hand from him,,\nsaying, \"Belike he is of the kinsman of the Prince of True\nBelievers,\" and said to the second, \"Who art thou?\"  Quoth he, \"I\nam the son of him whose rank[FN#121] Time abaseth not, and if it\nbe lowered one day, 'twill assuredly return to its former height;\nthou seest the folk crowd in troops to the light of his fire,\nsome standing around it and some sitting.\"  So the Chief of\nPolice refrained from slaying him and asked the third, \"Who art\nthou?\"  He answered, \"I am the son of him who plungeth through the\nranks[FN#122] with his might and levelleth them with the sword,\nso that they stand straight: his feet are not loosed from the\nstirrup, whenas the horsemen on the day of the battle are a-\nweary.\"  So the Master of the Police held his hand from him also,\nsaying, \"Belike, he is the son of a Brave of the Arabs.\"  Then he\nkept them under guard, and when the morning morrowed, he referred\ntheir case to Al-Hajjaj, who caused bring them before him and\nenquiring into their affair, when behold, the first was the son\nof a barber-surgeon, the second of a bean-seller, and the third\nof a weaver.  So he marvelled at their eloquent readiness of\nspeech and said to the men of his assembly, \"Teach your sons the\nrhetorical use of Arabic:[FN#123] for, by Allah, but for their\nready wit, I had smitten off their heads!\"\n\n\n\n\n              HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE WOMAN OF THE\n                       BARMECIDES[FN#124]\n\n\n\nThey tell[FN#125] that Harun Al-Rashid was sitting one day to\nabate grievances, when there came up to him a woman and said, \"O\nCommander of the Faithful, may Allah perfect thy purpose and\ngladden thee in whatso He hath given thee and increase thee in\nelevation!  Indeed, thou hast done justice and wrought\nequitably.\" [FN#126]  Quoth the Caliph to those who were present\nwith him, \"Know ye what this one means by her saying?\" and quoth\nthey, \"Of a surety, she meaneth not otherwise than well, O Prince\nof True Believers.\"  Al-Rashid rejoined: \"Nay, in this she\npurposeth only to curse me.  As for her saying, 'Allah perfect\nthy purpose,' she hath taken it from the saying of the poet,\n\n'When thy purpose is effected beginneth its decay; * when they\n     say 'Thy wish is won' feel thou sure 'twill pass away.'\n\nAs for her saying 'Allah gladden thee in whatso He hath given\nthee,' she took it from the saying of Almighty Allah,[FN#127]\n'Till, whenas they were gladdened in that they were given, We\nsuddenly laid hold of them and lo, they were in despair!'  As for\nher saying, 'Allah increase thee in elevation!' she took it from\nthe saying of the poet:\u2014\n\n'No flier flieth however tall * but as he flieth shall come to\n     fall.'\n\nAnd as for her saying, 'Indeed, thou hast done justice and\nwrought equitably, 'tis from the saying of the Almighty, 'If ye\nswerve[FN#128] or lag behind or turn aside, verily, Allah of that\nwhich ye do is well aware;' and 'As for the swervers[FN#129] they\nare fuel for Hell.'\"  Then he turned to the woman and asked her,\n\"Is it not thus?\" answered she, \"Yes, O Commander of the\nFaithful,\" and quoth he, \"What prompted thee to this?\"  Quoth\nshe, \"Thou slewest my parents and my kinsfolk and despoiledst\ntheir good.\"  Enquired the Caliph, \"Whom meanest thou?\" and she\nreplied, \"I am of the House of Barmak.\"  Then said he to her, \"As\nfor the dead, they are of those who are past away, and it booteth\nnot to speak of them; but, as for that which I took of wealth, it\nshall forthright be restored to thee, yea, and more than it.\"\nAnd he was bountiful to her to the uttermost of his bounties.\n\n\n\n\n             THE TEN WAZIRS: OR THE HISTORY OF KING\n                 AZADBAKHT AND HIS SON.[FN#130]\n\n\n\nThere was once, of old days, a king of the kings, whose name was\nAz\u00e1dbakht; his capital was hight Kunaym Mad\u00fad[FN#131] and his\nkingdom extended to the confines of S\u00edst\u00e1n[FN#132] and from the\nconfines of Hindostan to the Indian Ocean. He had ten Wazirs, who\nordered his kingship and his dominion, and he was possessed of\njudgment and exceeding wisdom. One day he went forth with certain\nof his guards to the chase and fell in with an Eunuch riding a\nmare and hending in hand the halter of a she-mule, which he led\nalong. On the mule's back was a domed litter of brocade purfled\nwith gold and girded with an embroidered band set with pearls and\ngems, and about it was a company of Knights. When King Azadbakht\nsaw this, he separated himself from his suite and, making for the\nhorsemen and that mule, questioned them, saying, \"To whom\nbelongeth this litter and what is therein?\" The Eunuch answered\n(for he knew not that the speaker was King Azadbakht), saying,\n\"This litter belongeth to Isfahand, Wazir to King Azadbakht, and\ntherein is his daughter, whom he is minded to marry to the King\nhight Z\u00e1d Sh\u00e1h.\"\n\nAs the Eunuch was speaking with the king, behold, the maiden\nraised a corner of the curtain that shut in the litter, so she\nmight look upon the speaker, and saw the king. When Azadbakht\nbeheld her and noted her fashion and her loveliness (and indeed\nnever did seer[FN#133] espy her like), his soul inclined to her\nand she took hold upon his heart and he was ravished by her\nsight. So he said to the Eunuch, \"Turn the mule's head and\nreturn, for I am King Azadbakht and in very sooth I will marry\nher myself, inasmuch as Isfahand her sire is my Wazir and he will\naccept of this affair and it will not be hard to him.\" Answered\nthe Eunuch, \"O king, Allah prolong thy continuance, have patience\ntill I acquaint my lord her parent, and thou shalt wed her in the\nway of consent, for it besitteth thee not, neither is it seemly\nfor thee, to seize her on this wise, seeing that it will be an\naffront to her father an if thou take her without his knowledge.\"\nQuoth Azadbakht, 'I have not patience to wait till thou repair to\nher sire and return, and no shame will betide him, if I marry\nher.\" And quoth the eunuch, \"O my lord, naught that in haste is\ndone long endureth nor doth the heart rejoice therein; and indeed\nit behoveth thee not to take her on this unseemly wise.\nWhatsoever betideth thee, destroy not thyself with haste, for I\nknow that her sire's breast will be straitened by this affair and\nthis that thou dost will not win thy wish.\" But the king said,\n\"Verily, Isfahand is my Mameluke and a slave of my slaves, and I\nreck not of her father, an he be fain or unfain.\" So saying, he\ndrew the reins of the mule and carrying the damsel, whose name\nwas Bahrjaur,[FN#134] to his house married her. Meanwhile, the\nEunuch betook himself, he and the knights, to her sire and said\nto him, \"O my lord, thou hast served the king a many years'\nservice and thou hast not failed him a single day; and now he\nhath taken thy daughter without thy consent and permission.\" And\nhe related to him what had passed and how the king had seized her\nby force. When Isfahand heard the eunuch's words, he was wroth\nwith exceeding wrath and assembling many troops, said to them,\n\"Whenas the king was occupied with his women[FN#135] we took no\nreck of him; but now he putteth out his hand to our Harim;\nwherefore 'tis my rede that we look us out a place wherein we may\nhave sanctuary.\" Then he wrote a letter to King Azadbakht, saying\nto him, \"I am a Mameluke of thy Mamelukes and a slave of thy\nslaves and my daughter at thy service is a hand-maid, and\nAlmighty Allah prolong thy days and appoint thy times to be in\njoy and gladness! Indeed, I went ever waist-girded in thy service\nand in caring to conserve thy dominion and warding off from thee\nall thy foes; but now I abound yet more than erewhile in zeal and\nwatchfulness, because I have taken this charge upon myself, since\nmy daughter is become thy wife.\" And he despatched a courier to\nthe king with the letter and a present. When the messenger came\nto King Azadbakht and he read the letter and the present was laid\nbefore him, he rejoiced with joy exceeding and occupied himself\nwith eating and drinking, hour after hour. But the chief Wazir of\nhis Wazirs came to him and said, \"O king, know that Isfahand the\nWazir is thine enemy, for that his soul liketh not that which\nthou hast done with him, and this message he hath sent thee is a\ntrick; so rejoice thou not therein, neither be thou misled by the\nsweets of his say and the softness of his speech.\" The king\nhearkened to his Wazir's speech, but presently made light of the\nmatter and busied himself with that which he was about of eating\nand drinking, pleasuring and merrymaking. Meanwhile, lsfahand the\nWazir wrote a letter and sent it to all the Emirs, acquainting\nthem with that which had betided him from King Azadbakht and how\nhe had forced his daughter, adding, \"And indeed he will do with\nyou more than he hath done with me.\" When the letter reached the\nchiefs,[FN#136] they all assembled together to Isfahand and said\nto him, \"What was his affair?\"[FN#137] Accordingly he discovered\nto them the matter of his daughter and they all agreed, of one\naccord, to strive for the slaughter of the king; and, taking\nhorse with their troops, they set out to seek him. Azadbakht knew\nnaught till the noise of the revolt beset his capital city, when\nhe said to his wife Bahrjaur, \"How shall we do?\" She answered,\n\"Thou knowest best and I am at thy commandment;\" so he bade fetch\ntwo swift horses and bestrode one himself, whilst his wife\nmounted the other. Then they took what they could of gold and\nwent forth, flying through the night to the desert of\nKarm\u00e1n;[FN#138] while Isfahand entered the city and made himself\nking. Now King Azadbakht's wife was big with child and the labour\npains took her in the mountain; so they alighted at the foot, by\na spring of water, and she bare a boy as he were the moon.\nBahrjaur his mother pulled off a coat of gold-woven brocade and\nwrapped the child therein, and they passed the night in that\nplace, she giving him the breast till morning. Then said the king\nto her, \"We are hampered by this child and cannot abide here nor\ncan we carry him with us; so methinks we had better leave him in\nthis stead and wend our ways, for Allah is able to send him one\nwho shall take him and rear him.\" So they wept over him with\nexceeding sore weeping and left him beside the fountain, wrapped\nin that coat of brocade: then they laid at his head a thousand\ngold pieces in a bag and mounting their horses, fared forth and\nfled. Now, by the ordinance of the Most High Lord, a company of\nhighway robbers fell upon a caravan hard by that mountain and\ndespoiled them of what was with them of merchandise. Then they\nbetook themselves to the highlands, so they might share their\nloot, and looking at the foot thereof, espied the coat of\nbrocade: so they descended to see what it was, and behold, it was\na boy wrapped therein and the gold laid at his head. They\nmarvelled and said, \"Praised be Allah! By what misdeed cometh\nthis child here?\" Thereupon they divided the money between them\nand the captain[FN#139] of the highwaymen took the boy and made\nhim his son and fed him with sweet milk and dates,[FN#140] till\nhe came to his house, when he appointed a nurse for rearing him.\nMeanwhile, King Azadbakht and his wife stayed not in their flight\ntill they came to the court of the King of Fars, whose name was\nKisra[FN#141]. When they presented themselves to him, he honoured\nthem with all honour and entertained them with handsomest\nentertainment, and Azadbakht told him his tale from incept to\nconclusion. So he gave him a mighty power and wealth galore and\nhe abode with him some days till he was rested, when he made\nready with his host and setting out for his own dominions, waged\nwar with Isfahand and falling in upon the capital, defeated the\nwhilome Minister and slew him. Then he entered the city and sat\ndown on the throne of his kingship; and whenas he was rested and\nhis kingdom waxed peaceful for him, he despatched messengers to\nthe mountain aforesaid in search of the child; but they returned\nand informed the king that they had not found him. As time ran\non, the boy, the son of the king, grew up and fell to cutting the\nway[FN#142] with the highwaymen, and they used to carry him with\nthem, whenever they went banditing. They sallied forth one day\nupon a caravan in the land of Sistan, and there were in that\ncaravan strong men and valiant, and with them a mighty store of\nmerchandise. Now they had heard that in that land banditti\nabounded: so they gathered themselves together and gat ready\ntheir weapons and sent out spies, who returned and gave them news\nof the plunderers. Accordingly, they prepared for battle, and\nwhen the robbers drew near the caravan, they fell upon them and\nthe twain fought a sore fight. At last the caravan-folk\novermastered the highwaymen by dint of numbers, and slew some of\nthem, whilst the others fled. They also took the boy, the son of\nKing Azadbakht, and seeing him as he were the moon, a model of\nbeauty and loveliness, bright of face and engraced with grace,\nasked him, \"Who is thy father, and how camest thou with these\nbanditti?\" And he answered, saying, \"I am the son of the Captain\nof the highwaymen.\" So they seized him and carried him to the\ncapital of his sire, King Azadbakht. When they reached the city,\nthe king heard of their coming and commanded that they should\nattend him with what befitted of their goods. Accordingly they\npresented themselves before him, and the boy with them, whom when\nthe king saw, he asked them, \"To whom belongeth this boy?\" and\nthey answered, \"O King, we were going on such a road, when there\ncame out upon us a sort of robbers; so we fought them and beat\nthem off and took this boy prisoner. Then we questioned him,\nsaying, Who is thy sire? and he replied, I am the son of the\nrobber-captain.\" Quoth the king, \"I would fain have this boy;\"\nand quoth the captain of the caravan, \"Allah maketh thee gift of\nhim, O king of the age, and we all are thy slaves.\" Then the king\n(who was not aware that the boy was his son) dismissed the\ncaravan and bade carry the lad into his palace, and he became as\none of the pages, while his sire the king still knew not that he\nwas his child. As the days rolled on, the king observed in him\ngood breeding and understanding and handiness galore and he\npleased him; so he committed his treasuries to his charge and\nshortened the Wazir's hand therefrom, commanding that naught\nshould be taken forth save by leave of the youth. On this wise he\nabode a number of years and the king saw in him only good conduct\nand the habit of righteousness. Now the treasuries had been\naforetime in the hands of the Wazirs to do with them whatso they\nwould, and when they came under the youth's hand, that of the\nMinisters was shortened from them, and he became dearer than a\nson to the king, who could not support being separated from him.\nWhen the Wazirs saw this, they were jealous of him and envied him\nand sought a device against him whereby they might oust him from\nthe King's eye,[FN#143] but found no means. At last, when Fate\ndescended,[FN#144] it chanced that the youth one day of the days\ndrank wine and became drunken and wandered from his right wits;\nso he fell to going round about within the king's palace and\nDestiny led him to the lodging of the women, in which there was a\nlittle sleeping chamber, where the king lay with his wife.\nThither came the youth and entering the dormitory, found there a\nspread couch, to wit, a sleeping place: so he cast himself on the\nbed, marvelling at the paintings that were in the chamber, which\nwas lighted by one waxen taper. Presently he fell asleep and\nslumbered heavily till eventide, when there came a hand-maid,\nbringing with her as of wont all the dessert, eatables and\ndrinkables, usually made ready for the king and his wife, and\nseeing the youth lying on his back (and none knowing of his case\nand he in his drunkenness unknowing where he was), thought that\nhe was the king asleep on his couch; so she set the\ncensing-vessel and laid the perfumes by the bedding, then shut\nthe door and went her ways. Soon after this, the king arose from\nthe wine-chamber and taking his wife by the hand, repaired with\nher to the chamber in which he slept. He opened the door and\nentered when, lo and behold! he saw the youth lying on the bed,\nwhereupon he turned to his wife and said to her, \"What doth this\nyouth here? This fellow cometh not hither save on thine account.\"\nSaid she. \"I have no knowledge of him.\" Hereupon the youth awoke\nand seeing the king, sprang up and prostrated himself before him,\nand Azadbakht said to him, \"O vile of birth,[FN#145] O traitor of\nunworth, what hath driven thee to my dwelling?\" And he bade\nimprison him in one place and the Queen in another.\n\n\n\n\n                         The First Day\n\n\n\nOf the Uselessness of Endeavour Against Persistent Ill\nFortune.\n\n\n\nWhen the morning morrowed and the king sat on the throne of his\nkingship, he summoned his Grand Wazir, the Premier of all his\nMinisters, and said to him, \"How seest thou the deed this\nrobber-youth hath done?[FN#146] He hath entered my Harim and lain\ndown on my couch and I fear lest there be an object between him\nand the woman. What deemest thou of the affair?\" Said the Wazir,\n\"Allah prolong the king's continuance! What sawest thou in this\nyouth?[FN#147] Is he not ignoble of birth, the son of thieves?\nNeeds must a thief revert to his vile origin, and whoso reareth\nthe serpent's brood shall get of them naught but biting. As for\nthe woman, she is not at fault; since from time ago until now,\nnothing appeared from her except good breeding and modest\nbearing; and at this present, an the king give me leave, I will\ngo to her and question her, so I may discover to thee the\naffair.\" The king gave him leave for this and the Wazir went to\nthe Queen and said to her, \"I am come to thee, on account of a\ngrave shame, and I would fain have thee soothfast with me in\nspeech and tell me how came the youth into the sleeping-chamber.\"\nQuoth she, \"I have no knowledge whatsoever of it, no, none at\nall,\" and sware to him a binding oath to that intent, whereby he\nknew that the woman had no inkling of the affair, nor was in\nfault and said to her, \"I will show thee a sleight, wherewith\nthou mayst acquit thyself and thy face be whitened before the\nking.\" Asked she, \"What is it?\" and he answered, \"When the king\ncalleth for thee and questioneth thee of this, say thou to him,\n'Yonder youth saw me in the boudoir-chamber and sent me a\nmessage, saying, 'I will give thee an hundred grains of gem for\nwhose price money may not suffice, so thou wilt suffer me to\nenjoy thee.' I laughed at him who bespake me with such proposal\nand rebuffed him; but he sent again to me, saying, 'An thou\nconsent not thereto, I will come one of the nights, drunken, and\nenter and lie down in the sleeping-chamber, and the king will see\nme and slay me; so wilt thou be put to shame and thy face shall\nbe blackened with him and thine honour dishonoured.' Be this thy\nsaying to the king, and I will fare to him forthright and repeat\nthis to him.\" Quoth the Queen, \"And I also will say thus.\"\nAccordingly, the Minister returned to the king and said to him,\n\"Verily, this youth hath merited grievous pains and penalties\nafter the abundance of thy bounty, and no kernel which is bitter\ncan ever wax sweet;[FN#148] but, as for the woman, I am certified\nthat there is no default in her.\" Thereupon he repeated to the\nking the story which he had taught the Queen, which when\nAzadbakht heard, he rent his raiment and bade the youth be\nbrought. So they fetched him and set him before the king, who\nbade summon the Sworder, and the folk all fixed their eyes upon\nthe youth, to the end that they might see what the Sovran should\ndo with him. Then said Azadbakht to him (and his words were words\nof anger and the speech of the youth was reverent and well-bred),\n\"I bought thee with my money and looked for fidelity from thee,\nwherefore I chose thee over all my Grandees and Pages and made\nthee Keeper of my treasuries. Why, then, hast thou outraged mine\nhonour and entered my house and played traitor with me and\ntookest thou no thought of all I have done thee of benefits?\"\nReplied the youth, \"O king, I did this not of my choice and\nfreewill and I had no business in being there; but, of the lack\nof my luck, I was driven thither, for that Fate was contrary and\nfair Fortune failed me. Indeed, I had endeavoured with all\nendeavour that naught of foulness should come forth me and I kept\nwatch and ward over myself, lest default foreshow in me; and none\nmay withstand an ill chance, nor doth striving profit against\nadverse Destiny, as appeareth by the example of the merchant who\nwas stricken with ill luck and his endeavour availed him naught\nand he fell by the badness of his fortune.\" The king asked, \"What\nis the story of the merchant and how was his luck changed upon\nhim by the sorriness of his doom?\" Answered the youth, \"May Allah\nprolong the king's continuance!\" and began\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Merchant Who Lost his Luck.[FN#149]\n\n\n\nThere was once a merchant man, who prospered in trade, and at one\ntime his every dirham won him fifty. Presently, his luck turned\nagainst him and he knew it not; so he said to himself, \"I have\nwealth galore, yet do I toil and travel from country to country;\nso better had I abide in my own land and rest myself in my own\nhouse from this travail and trouble and sell and buy at home.\"\nThen he made two parts of his money, and with one bought wheat in\nsummer, saying, \"Whenas winter cometh, I shall sell it at a great\nprofit.\" But, when the cold set in wheat fell to half the price\nfor which he had purchased it, whereat he was concerned with sore\nchagrin and left it till the next year. However, the price then\nfell yet lower and one of his intimates said to him, \"Thou hast\nno luck in this wheat; so do thou sell it at whatsoever price.\"\nSaid the merchant, \"Ah, long have I profited! so 'tis allowable\nthat I lose this time. Allah is all-knowing! An it abide with me\nten full years, I will not sell it save for a gaining\nbargain.\"[FN#150] Then he walled up in his anger the granary-door\nwith clay, and by the ordinance of Allah Almighty, there came a\ngreat rain and descended from the terrace-roofs of the house\nwherein was the wheat so that the grain rotted; and the merchant\nhad to pay the porters from his purse five hundred dirhams for\nthem to carry it forth and cast it without the city, the smell of\nit having become fulsome. So his friend said to him, \"How often\ndid I tell thee thou hadst no luck in wheat? But thou wouldst not\ngive ear to my speech, and now it behoveth thee to go to the\nastrologer[FN#151] and question him of thine ascendant.\"\nAccordingly the trader betook himself to the astrologer and\nquestioned him of his star, and astrophil said to him, \"Thine\nascendant is adverse. Put not forth thy hand to any business, for\nthou wilt not prosper thereby.\" However, he paid no heed to the\nastrologer's words and said in himself, \"If I do my business, I\nam not afraid of aught.\" Then he took the other half of his\nmoney, after he had spent the first in three years, and builded\nhim a ship, which he loaded with a cargaison of whatso seemed\ngood to him and all that was with him and embarked on the sea, so\nhe might voyage questing gain. The ship remained in port some\ndays, till he should be certified whither he would wend, and he\nsaid, \"I will ask the traders what this merchandise profiteth and\nin what land 'tis wanted and how much can it gain.\" They directed\nhim to a far country, where his dirham should produce an\nhundredfold. So he set sail and made for the land in question;\nbut, as he went, there blew on him a furious gale, and the ship\nfoundered. The merchant saved himself on a plank and the wind\ncast him up, naked as he was, on the sea-shore, where stood a\ntown hard by. He praised Allah and gave Him thanks for his\npreservation; then, seeing a great village nigh hand, he betook\nhimself thither and saw, seated therein, a very old man, whom he\nacquainted with his case and that which had betided him. The\nShaykh grieved for him with sore grieving, when he heard his tale\nand set food before him. He ate of it and the old man said to\nhim, \"Tarry here with me, so I may make thee my overseer[FN#152]\nand factor over a farm I have here, and thou shalt have of me\nfive dirhams a day.\" Answered the merchant, \"Allah make fair thy\nreward, and requite thee with His boons and bounties.\" So he\nabode in this employ, till he had sowed and reaped and threshed\nand winnowed, and all was clean in his hand and the Shaykh\nappointed neither agent nor inspector, but relied utterly upon\nhim. Then the merchant bethought himself and said, \"I doubt me\nthe owner of this grain will never give me my due; so the better\nrede were to take of it after the measure of my wage; and if he\ngive me my right, I will return to him that I have taken.\" So he\nlaid hands upon the grain, after the measure of that which fell\nto him, and hid it in a hiding place. Then he carried the rest\nand meted it out to the old man, who said to him \"Come, take thy\nwage, for which I conditioned with thee, and sell the grain and\nbuy with the price clothes and what not else; and though thou\nabide with me ten years, yet shalt thou still have this hire and\nI will acquit it to thee on this wise.\" Quoth the merchant in\nhimself, \"Indeed, I have done a foul deed by taking it without\nhis permission.\" Then he went to fetch that which he had hidden\nof the grain, but found it not and returned, perplexed,\nsorrowful, to the Shaykh, who asked him, \"What aileth thee to be\nmournful?\" and he answered, \"Methought thou wouldst not pay me my\ndue; so I took of the grain, after the measure of my hire; and\nnow thou hast paid me all my right and I went to bring back to\nthee that which I had hidden from thee, but found it gone, for\nthose who had come upon it have stolen it.\" The Shaykh was wroth,\nwhen he heard these words, and said to the merchant, \"There is no\ndevice against ill luck! I had given thee this but, of the\nsorriness of thy doom and thy fortune, thou hast done this deed,\nO oppressor of thine own self! Thou deemedst I would not fulfil\nto thee thy wage; but, by Allah, nevermore will I give thee\naught.\" Then he drove him away from him. So the merchant went\nforth, woeful, grieving, weeping-eyed, and wandered along the\nsea-shore, till he came to a sort of duckers[FN#153] diving in\nthe sea for pearls. They saw him weeping and wailing and said to\nhim, \"What is thy case and what garreth thee shed tears?\" So he\nacquainted them with his history, from incept to conclusion,\nwhereby the duckers knew him and asked him \"Art thou Such-an-one,\nson of Such-an-one?\" He answered \"Yes;\" whereupon they condoled\nwith him and wept sore for him and said to him, \"Abide here till\nwe dive upon thy luck this next time and whatso betideth us shall\nbe between us and thee.\"[FN#154] Accordingly, they ducked and\nbrought up ten oyster-shells, in each two great unions: whereat\nthey marvelled and said to him,\"By Allah, thy luck hath\nre-appeared and thy good star is in the ascendant!\" Then the\npearl-fishers gave him the ten pearls and said to him, \"Sell two\nof them and make them thy stock-in-trade: and hide the rest\nagainst the time of thy straitness.\" So he took them, joyful and\ncontented, and applied himself to sewing eight of them in his\ngown, keeping the two others in his mouth; but a thief saw him\nand went and advertised his fellows of him; whereupon they\ngathered together upon him, and took his gown and departed from\nhim. When they were gone away, he arose, saying, \"The two unions\nI have will suffice me,\" and made for the nearest city, where he\nbrought out the pearls for sale. Now as Destiny would have it, a\ncertain jeweller of the town had been robbed of ten unions, like\nthose which were with the merchant; so, when he saw the two\npearls in the broker's hand, he asked him, \"To whom do these\nbelong?\" and the broker answered, \"To yonder man.\" The jeweller,\nseeing the merchant in pauper case and clad in tattered clothes,\nsuspected him and said to him, \"Where be the other eight pearls?\"\nThe merchant thought he asked him of those which were in the\ngown, whenas the man had purposed only to surprise him into\nconfession, and replied, \"The thieves stole them from me.\" When\nthe jeweller heard his reply, he was certified that it was the\nwight who had taken his good; so he laid hold of him and haling\nhim before the Chief of Police, said to him, \"This is the man who\nstole my unions: I have found two of them upon him and he\nconfesseth to the other eight.\" Now the Wali knew of the theft of\nthe pearls; so he bade throw the merchant into jail. Accordingly\nthey imprisoned him and whipped him, and he lay in trunk a whole\nyear, till, by the ordinance of Allah Almighty, the Chief of\nPolice arrested one of the divers aforesaid, and imprisoned him\nin the prison where the merchant was jailed. The ducker saw him\nand knowing him, questioned him of his case; whereupon he told\nthem his tale, and that which had befallen him; and the diver\nmarvelled at the lack of his luck. So, when he came forth of the\nprison, he acquainted the Sultan with the merchant's case and\ntold him that it was he who had given him the pearls. The Sultan\nbade bring him forth of the jail, and asked him of his story,\nwhereupon he told him all that had befallen him, and the Sovran\npitied him and assigned him a lodging in his own palace, together\nwith pay and allowances for his support. Now the lodging in\nquestion adjoined the king's house, and whilst the merchant was\nrejoicing in this and saying, \"Verily, my luck hath returned, and\nI shall live in the shadow of this king the rest of my life,\" he\nespied an opening walled up with clay and stones. So he cleared\nthe opening the better to see what was behind it, and behold, it\nwas a window giving upon the lodging of the king's women. When he\nsaw this, he was startled and affrighted and rising in haste,\nfetched clay and stopped it up again. But one of the\neunuchs[FN#155] saw him, and suspecting him, repaired to the\nSultan, and told him of this. So he came and seeing the stones\npulled out, was wroth with the merchant and said to him, \"Be this\nmy reward from thee, that thou seekest to unveil my Harim?\"\nThereupon he bade pluck out his eyes; and they did as he\ncommanded. The merchant took his eyes in his hand and said, \"How\nlong, O star of ill-omen, wilt thou afflict me? First my wealth\nand now my life!\" And he bewailed himself, saying, \"Striving\nprofiteth me naught against evil fortune. The Compassionate aided\nme not, and effort was worse than useless.\"[FN#156] \"On like\nwise, O king,\" continued the youth, \"whilst fortune was\nfavourable to me, all that I did came to good; but now that it\nhath turned against me, everything turneth to mine ill.\" When the\nyouth had made an end of his tale, the king's anger subsided a\nlittle, and he said, \"Return him to the prison, for the day\ndraweth to an end, and to-morrow we will look into his affair,\nand punish him for his ill-deeds.\"\n\n\n\n\n                        The Second Day.\n\n\n\nOf Looking to the Ends of Affairs.\n\n\n\nWhenit was the next day, the second of the king's Wazirs, whose\nname was Bahar\u00fan, came in to him and said, \"Allah advance the\nking! This deed which yonder youth hath done is a grave matter,\nand a foul misdeed and a heinous against the household of the\nking.\" So Azadbakht bade fetch the youth, because of the\nMinister's speech; and when he came into the presence, said to\nhim, \"Woe to thee, O youth! There is no help but that I do thee\ndie by the dreadest of deaths, for indeed thou hast committed a\ngrave crime, and I will make thee a warning to the folk.\" The\nyouth replied, \"O king, hasten not, for the looking to the ends\nof affairs is a column of the kingdom, and a cause of continuance\nand assurance for the kingship. Whoso looketh not to the issues\nof actions, there befalleth him that which befel the merchant,\nand whoso looketh to the consequences of actions, there betideth\nhim of joyance that which betideth the merchant's son.\" The king\nasked, \"And what is the story of the merchant and his sons?\" and\nthe youth answered, \"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Merchant and his Sons.[FN#157]\n\n\n\nThere was once a merchant, who had abundant wealth, and a wife to\nboot. He set out one day on a business journey, leaving his wife\nbig with child, and said to her, \"Albeit, I now leave thee, yet I\nwill return before the birth of the babe, Inshallah!\" Then he\nfarewelled her and setting out, ceased not faring from country to\ncountry till he came to the court of one of the kings and\nforegathered with him. Now this king needed one who should order\nhis affairs and those of his kingdom and seeing the merchant\nwellbred and intelligent, he required him to abide at court and\nentreated him honourably. After some years, he sought his\nSovran's leave to go to his own house, but the king would not\nconsent to this; whereupon he said to him, \"O king, suffer me go\nand see my children and come again.\" So he granted him permission\nfor this and, taking surety of him for his return, gave him a\npurse, wherein were a thousand gold dinars. Accordingly, the\nmerchant embarked in a ship and set sail, intending for his\nmother-land. On such wise fared it with the trader; but as\nregards his wife, news had reached her that her husband had\naccepted service with King Such-an-one; so she arose and taking\nher two sons (for she had borne twins in his absence), set out\nseeking those parts. As Fate would have it, they happened upon an\nisland, and her husband came thither that very night in the ship.\nSo the woman said to her children, \"The ship cometh from the\ncountry where your father is: hie ye to the sea-shore, that ye\nmay enquire of him.\" Accordingly, they repaired to the sea-shore\nand going up into the ship, fell to playing about it and busied\nthemselves with their play till evening evened. Now the merchant\ntheir sire lay asleep in the ship, and the noisy disport of the\nboys troubled him; whereupon he rose to call out to them\n\"Silence\" and let the purse with the thousand dinars fall among\nthe bales of merchandise. He sought for it and finding it not,\nbuffeted his head and seized upon the boys, saying, \"None took\nthe purse but you: ye were playing all about the bales, so ye\nmight steal somewhat, and there was none here but you twain.\"\nThen he took his staff, and laying hold of the children, fell to\nbeating them and flogging them, whilst they wept, and the crew\ncame round about them saying, \"The boys of this island are all\nrogues and robbers.\" Then, of the greatness of the merchant's\nanger, he swore an oath that, except they brought out the purse,\nhe would drown them in the sea; so when by reason of their denial\nhis oath demanded the deed, he took the two boys and binding them\neach to a bundle of reeds, cast them into the water. Presently,\nfinding that they tarried from her, the mother of the two boys\nwent searching for them, till she came to the ship and fell to\nsaying,\"Who hath seen two boys of mine? Their fashion is so and\nso and their age thus and thus.\" When the crew heard her words,\nthey said, \"This is the description of the two boys who were\ndrowned in the sea but now.\" Their mother hearing this began\ncalling on them and crying, \"Alas, my anguish for your loss, O my\nsons! Where was the eye of your father this day, that it might\nhave seen you?\" Then one of the sailors asked her, \"Whose wife\nart thou?\" and she answered, \"I am the wife of Such-an-one the\ntrader. I was on my way to him, and there hath befallen me this\ncalamity.\" When the merchant heard her words, he knew her and\nrising to his feet, rent his raiment and beat his head and said\nto his wife, \"By Allah, I have destroyed my children with mine\nown hand! This is the end of whoso looketh not to the endings of\naffairs. This is his reward who taketh not time to reflect.\" Then\nhe took to wailing and weeping over them, he and his wife, and he\nsaid to his shipmates, \"By Allah, I shall never enjoy my life,\ntill I light upon news of them!\" And he began to go round about\nthe sea, in quest of his sons, but found them not. Meanwhile, the\nwind carried the two children from the ship towards the land, and\ncast them up on the sea-shore. As for one of them, a company of\nthe guards of the king of those parts found him and carried him\nto their lord, who marvelled at him with exceeding marvel and\nadopted him, giving out to the folk that he was his own son, whom\nhe had hidden,[FN#158] of his love for him. So the folk rejoiced\nin him with joy exceeding, for their lord's sake, and the king\nappointed him his heir-apparent and the inheritor of his kingdom.\nOn this wise a number of years passed, till the king died and\nthey enthroned the youth sovran in his stead, when he sat down on\nthe seat of his kingship and his estate flourished and his\naffairs prospered with all regularity. Meanwhile, his father and\nmother had gone round about, in quest of him and his brother, all\nthe islands of the sea, hoping that the tide might have cast them\nup, but found no trace of them; so they despaired of them and\ntook up their abode in a certain of the islands. One day, the\nmerchant, being in the market, saw a broker, and in his hand a\nboy he was crying for sale, and said in himself, \"I will buy\nyonder boy, so I may solace myself with him for my sons.\"[FN#159]\nSo he bought him and bore him to his house; and, when his wife\nsaw him, she cried out and said, \"By Allah, this is my son!\"\nAccordingly his father and mother rejoiced in him with exceeding\njoy and asked him of his brother; but he answered, \"The waves\nparted us and I knew not how it went with him.\" Therewith his\nfather and mother consoled themselves with him and on this wise a\nnumber of years passed by. Now the merchant and his wife had\nhomed them in a city of the land where their other son was king,\nand when the boy they had recovered grew up, his father assigned\nunto him merchandise, to the end that he might travel therewith.\nUpon this he fared forth and entered the city wherein his brother\nruled and anon news reached the king that a merchant had come\nthither with merchandise befitting royalties; so he sent for him\nand the young trader obeyed the summons and going in to him, sat\ndown before him. Neither of them knew the other; but blood moved\nbetween them[FN#160] and the king said to the merchant youth, \"I\ndesire of thee that thou tarry with me and I will exalt thy\nstation and give thee all that thou requirest and cravest.\"\nAccordingly, he abode with him awhile, never quitting him; and\nwhen he saw that he would not suffer him to depart from him, he\nsent to his father and mother and bade them remove thither to\nhim. Hereat they resolved upon moving to that island, and their\nson still increased in honour with the king, albeit he knew not\nthat he was his brother. Now it chanced one night that the king\nsallied forth without the city and drank and the wine got the\nmastery of him and he became drunken. So, of the youth's fear for\nhis safety, he said, \"I will keep watch myself over the king this\nnight, seeing that he deserveth this from me, for that which he\nhath done with me of kindly deeds;\" and he arose forthright and\nbaring his brand, stationed himself at the door of the king's\npavilion. But one of the royal pages saw him standing there, with\nthe drawn sword in his hand, and he was of those who envied him\nhis favour with the king; therefore, he said to him. \"Why dost\nthou on this wise at this time and in the like of this place?\"\nSaid the youth, \"I am keeping watch and ward over the king\nmyself, in requital of his bounties to me.\" The page said no more\nto him; however, when it was morning, he acquainted a number of\nthe king's servants with the matter, and they said, \"This is an\nopportunity for us. Come, let us assemble together and acquaint\nthe king therewith, so the young merchant may lose regard with\nhim[FN#161] and he rid us of him and we be at rest from him.\" So\nthey assembled together and going in to the king, said to him,\n\"We have a warning wherewith we would warn thee.\" Quoth he, \"And\nwhat is your warning?\" and quoth they, \"This youth, the trader,\nwhom thou hast taken into favour and whose rank thou hast exalted\nabove the chiefest of thy lords, we saw yesterday bare his brand\nand design to fall upon thee, to the end that he might slay\nthee.\" Now when the king heard this, his colour changed and he\nsaid to them, \"Have ye proof of this?\" They rejoined, \"What proof\nwouldst thou have? An thou desirest this, feign thyself drunken\nagain this night and lie down as if asleep, and privily watch him\nand thou wilt see with thine eyes all that we have mentioned to\nthee.\" Then they went to the youth and said to him, \"Know that\nthe king thanketh thee for thy dealing yesternight and exceedeth\nin commendation of thy good deed;\" and they prompted him again to\ndo the like. Accordingly, when the next night came, the king\nabode on wake, watching the youth; and as for the latter, he went\nto the door of the pavilion and unsheathing his scymitar, stood\nin the doorway. When the king saw him do thus, he was sore\ndisquieted and bade seize him and said to him, \"Is this my reward\nfrom thee? I showed thee favour more than any else and thou\nwouldst do with me this abominable deed.\" Then arose two of the\nking's pages and said to him, \"O our lord, an thou order it, we\nwill smite his neck.\" But the king said, \"Haste in killing is a\nvile thing, for 'tis a grave[FN#162] matter; the quick we can\nkill, but the killed we cannot quicken, and needs must we look to\nthe end of affairs. The slaying of this youth will not escape\nus.\"[FN#163] Therewith he bade imprison him, whilst he himself\nwent back to the city and, his duties done, fared forth to the\nchase. Then he returned to town and forgot the youth; so the\npages went in to him and said to him, \"O king, an thou keep\nsilence concerning yonder youth, who designed to slaughter thee,\nall thy servants will presume upon the king's majesty, and indeed\nthe folk talk of this matter.\" Hereat the king waxed wroth and\ncried, \"Fetch him hither;\" and bade the headsman strike off his\nhead. So they brought the youth and bound his eyes; and the\nsworder stood at his head and said to the king, \"By thy leave, O\nmy lord, I will smite his neck.\" But the king cried, \"Stay, till\nI look into his affair. Needs must I put him to death and the\ndispatching of him will not escape me.\" Then he restored him to\nthe prison and there he abode till it should be the king's will\nto do him die. Presently, his parents heard of the matter;\nwhereupon his father arose and going up to the palace, wrote a\nletter and presented it to the king, who read it, and behold,\ntherein was written, saying, \"Have ruth on me, so may Allah have\nruth on thee, and hasten not in the slaughter of my son; for\nindeed I acted hastily in a certain affair and drowned his\nbrother in the sea, and to this day I bemourn him. An thou must\nneeds kill him, kill me in his stead.\" Therewith the old\nmerchant, weeping bitterly, prostrated himself before the king,\nwho said to him, \"Tell me thy tale.\" Said the merchant, \"O my\nlord, this youth had a brother and I in my haste cast the twain\ninto the sea.\" And he related to him his story, first and last,\nwhereupon the king cried with a mighty loud cry and casting\nhimself down from the throne, embraced his father and brother and\nsaid to the merchant, \"By Allah, thou art my very father and this\nis my brother and thy wife is our mother.\" And they abode\nweeping, all three of them. Then the king acquainted his people\nwith the matter and said to them, \"O folk, how deem ye of my\nlooking to the consequences of action?\" and they all marvelled at\nhis wisdom and foresight. Then he turned to his sire and said to\nhim, \"Hadst thou looked to the issue of thine affair and made due\ndelay in whatso thou didst, there had not betided thee this\nrepentance and chagrin all this time.\" Thereupon he sent for his\nmother and they rejoiced one in other and lived all their days in\njoy and gladness. \"What then\" (continued the young treasurer),\n\"is more grievous than the lack of looking to the ends of things?\nWherefore hasten thou not in the slaying of me, lest penitence\nbetide thee and sore chagrin.\" When the king heard this, he said,\n\"Return him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into\nhis affair; for that deliberation in such is advisable and the\nslaughter of this youth shall not escape us.\"\n\n\n\n\n                         The Third Day.\n\n\n\nOf the Advantages of Patience.[FN#164]\n\n\n\nWhen it was the third day, the third Wazir came in to the king\nand said to him, \"O king, delay not the matter of this youth,\nbecause his deed hath caused us fall into the mouths of folk, and\nit behoveth that thou slay him forthright, that the talk may be\ncut from us and it be not said, 'The king saw on his bed a man\nwith his wife and spared him.'\" The king was chagrined by these\nwords and bade bring the youth. Accordingly, they fetched him in\nfetters, and indeed the king's anger was upstirred against him by\nthe Minister's speech and he was troubled; so he said to him, \"O\nbase of birth, thou hast dishonoured us and marred our mention,\nand needs must I do away thy life from the world.\" Quoth the\nyouth, \"O king, make use of patience in all thine affairs, so\nwilt thou win to thy wish, for that Allah Almighty hath appointed\nthe issue of long-suffering to be in abounding good, and indeed\nby patience Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir ascended from the pit and sat down upon the\nthrone.\" Asked the king, \"Who was Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir, and what is his\ntale?\" and the youth answered, saying, \"Hear thou, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of Abu Sabir.\n\n\n\nThere was once a man, a village headman,[FN#165] Ab\u00fa Sab\u00edr hight,\nand he had much black cattle and a buxom wife, who had borne him\ntwo sons. They abode in a certain hamlet and there used to come\nthither a lion and rend and devour Abu Sabir's herd, so that the\nmost part thereof was wasted and his wife said to him one day,\n\"This lion hath wasted the greater part of our property. Arise,\nmount thy horse and take thy host and do thy best to kill him, so\nwe may be at rest from him.\" But Abu Sabir said, \"Have patience,\nO woman, for the issue of patience is praised. This lion it is\nwhich transgresseth against us, and the transgressor, perforce\nmust Almighty Allah destroy him. Indeed, 'tis our long-suffering\nthat shall slay him,[FN#166] and he that doth evil needs must it\nrecoil upon him.\" A few days after, the king went forth one\nmorning to hunt and falling in with the lion, he and his host,\ngave chase to him and ceased not pursuit till they slew him. This\nnews reached Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir who improved the occasion to his wife,\n\"Said I not to thee, O woman, that whoso doth evil, it shall\nrecoil upon him? Haply an I sought to slay the lion myself, I had\nnot prevailed against him, and this is the issue of patience.\" It\nbefel, after this, that a man was slain in Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir's village;\nwherefore the Sultan bade plunder the village, and they spoiled\nthe patient one's goods with the rest. Thereupon his wife said to\nhim, \"All the king's officers know thee; so do thou prefer thy\nplaint to the sovran, that he may bid thy beasts to be restored\nto thee.\" But he said to her, \"O woman, said I not to thee that\nhe who worketh wrong shall be wronged? Indeed, the king hath done\nevil, and right soon he shall suffer the issues of his deed, for\nwhoso taketh the goods of the folk, needs must his goods be\ntaken.\" A man of his neighbours heard his speech, and he was an\nenvier of his; so he went to the Sultan and acquainted him\ntherewith, whereupon the king sent and plundered all the rest of\nhis goods and drave him forth from the village, and his wife and\nfamily with him. They went wandering in the waste grounds about\nthe hamlet and his wife said to him, \"All that hath befallen us\ncometh of thy slowness in affairs and thy helplessness.\" But he\nsaid to her, \"Have patience, for the issue of patience is good.\"\nThen they walked on a little way, and thieves met them and\ndespoiling them of whatso remained with them, stripped them of\ntheir raiment and took from them the two children; whereupon the\nwoman wept and said to her husband, \"Hearkye, my good man, put\naway from thee this folly and up with us to follow the thieves,\nso, peradventure they may have compassion on us and restore the\nchildren to us.\" He replied, \"O woman, have patience, for he who\ndoth evil shall be requited with evil and his frowardness shall\nrevert upon him. Were I to follow them, belike one of them would\ntake his sword and smite my neck and slay me; but have patience,\nfor the issue of patience is praised.\" Then they fared on till\nthey made a village[FN#167] in the land of Kirman, and by it a\nriver of water; so the man said to his wife, \"Tarry thou here,\nwhilst I enter the village and look us out a place wherein we may\nhome ourselves.\" And he left her by the water and entered the\nvillage. Presently, up came a horseman in quest of water,\nwherewith to water his horse: he saw the woman and she was\npleasing in his eyes; so quoth he to her, \"Arise, mount with me\nand I will take thee to wife and entreat thee kindly.\" Quoth she,\n\"Spare me, so may Allah spare thee! Indeed I have a husband.\" But\nhe drew his dudgeon and said to her, \"An thou obey me not, I will\nsmite thee and slay thee.\" When she saw his frowardness, she\nwrote on the ground in the sand with her finger, saying, \"O Ab\u00fa\nS\u00e1bir, thou hast not ceased to be patient, till thy good is gone\nfrom thee and thy children and now thy wife, who was more\nprecious in thy sight than everything and than all thy monies,\nand indeed thou abidest in thy sorrow the whole of thy life long,\nso thou mayest see what thy patience will profit thee.\" Then the\nhorseman took her, and setting her behind him, went his way. As\nfor Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir, when he returned, he saw not his wife but he read\nwhat was writ upon the ground, wherefore he wept and sat awhile\nsorrowing. Then said he to himself, \"O Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir, it behoveth\nthee to be patient, for haply there shall betide thee an affair\nyet sorer than this and more grievous;\" and he went forth\na-following his face,[FN#168] like to one love-distraught and\npassion-madded, till he came to a gang of labourers working upon\nthe palace of the king, by way of forced labour.[FN#169] When the\noverseers saw him, they laid hold of him and said to him, \"Work\nthou with these folk at the palace of the king; else we will\nimprison thee for life.\" So he fell to working with them as a\nlabourer and every day they gave him a bannock of bread. He\nwrought with them a month's space, till it chanced that one of\nthe labourers mounted a ladder and falling, brake his leg;\nwhereupon he cried out and shed tears. Quoth Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir to him,\n\"Have patience and weep not; for in thine endurance thou shalt\nfind ease.\" But the man said to him, \"How long shall I have\npatience?\" And he answered, saying, \"Long-suffering bringeth a\nman forth of the bottom of the pit and seateth him on the throne\nof the kingdom.\" It so fortuned that the king was seated at the\nlattice, hearkening to their talk, and Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir's words angered\nhim for the moment; wherefore he bade bring him before him and\nthey brought him forthright. Now there was in the king's palace\nan underground dungeon and therein a vast silo[FN#170] and a\ndeep, into which the king caused cast Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir, saying to him,\n\"O little of wit, soon shall we see how thou wilt come forth of\nthe pit to the throne of the kingdom.\" Then he used continuously\nto come and stand at the mouth of the pit and say, \"O little of\nwit, O Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir,[FN#171] I see thee not come forth of the pit\nand sit down on the king's throne!\" And he assigned him each day\ntwo bannocks of bread, whilst Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir kept silence and spake\nnot, but patiently bore whatso betided him. Now the king had a\nbrother, whom he had imprisoned in that pit of old time, and he\nhad died there; but the folk of the realm deemed him still alive,\nand when his durance grew long, the courtiers of the king used to\ntalk of this and of the tyranny of their liege Lord, and the\nbruit spread abroad that the sovran was a tyrant, so they fell\nupon him one day and slew him. Then they sought the silo and\nbrought out therefrom Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir, deeming him the king's brother,\nfor that he was the nearest of folk to him in favour and the\nlikest, and he had been long in the pit. So they doubted not but\nthat he was the Prince and said to him, \"Reign thou in thy\nbrother's room, for we have slain him and thou art sovran in his\nstead.\" But Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir was silent and spoke not a word;[FN#172]\nand he knew that this was the result of his patience. Then he\narose and sitting down on the king's throne, donned the royal\ndress and dispensed justice and equity, and affairs prospered;\nwherefore the lieges obeyed him and the subjects inclined to him\nand many were his soldiers. Now the king, who erst had plundered\nAb\u00fa S\u00e1bir's goods and driven him forth of his village, had an\nenemy; and the foe mounted horse against him and overcame him and\ncaptured his capital; wherefore he betook him to flight and came\nto Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir's city, craving support of him and seeking that he\nshould succour him. He knew not that the king of the city was the\nheadman whom he had spoiled; so he presented himself before him\nand made complaint to him; but Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir knew him and said to\nhim, \"This is somewhat of the issue of patience. Allah the Most\nHigh hath given me power over thee.\" Then he commanded his guards\nto plunder the unjust king and his suite; so they spoiled them\nand stripping them of their clothes, put them forth of his\ncountry. When Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir's troops saw this, they marvelled and\nsaid, \"What be this deed the king doth? There cometh a king to\nhim, craving protection, and he spoileth him! This is not the\nfashion of kings.\" But they dared not speak of this. Presently,\nnews came to the king of highwaymen in his land; so he set out in\nquest of them and ceased not to follow after them, till he seized on them all. and behold, they were the very thieves who\nhad plundered him and his wife by the way and had carried off his\nchildren. Accordingly he bade bring them before him, and when\nthey came into his presence, he questioned them, saying, \"Where\nare the two boys ye took on such a day?\" Said they, \"They are\nwith us and we will present them to our lord the king for\nMamelukes to serve him and give him wealth galore that we have\ngotten together and doff all we own and repent from lawlessness\nand fight in thy service.\" Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir, however, paid no heed to\ntheir words, and seized all their good and bade put them all to\ndeath. Furthermore. he took his two boys and rejoiced in them\nwith exceeding joy, whereat the troops murmured among themselves,\nsaying, \"Verily, this is a greater tyrant than his brother! There\ncometh to him a gang of thieves, and they seek to repent and\nproffer two boys by way of peace-offering, and he taketh the two\nlads and all their good and slayeth them! Indeed this be violent\noppression.\" After this came the horseman, who had seized Ab\u00fa\nS\u00e1bir's wife, and complained of her to the king that she would\nnot give him possession of her person, and solemnly declared that\nshe was his wife. The king bade bring her before him, that he\nmight hear her plea and pronounce judgment upon her. So the\nhorseman came with her before him, and when the king saw her, he\nknew her and taking her from her ravisher, bade put him to death.\nThen he became aware of the troops, that they murmured against\nhim and spake of him as a tyrant; so he turned to his courtiers\nand ministers and said to them, \"As for me, by Allah of\nAll-might,[FN#173] I am not the king's brother! Nay, I am but one\nwhom the king imprisoned upon a word he heard from me and he used\nevery day to come and taunt me therewith. Ye deem me the king's\nbrother; but I am Ab\u00fa Sabir and the Lord hath given me the\nkingship in virtue of my patience. As for the king who sought\nprotection of me and I plundered him, 'twas he who first wronged\nme, for that he plundered me aforetime and drave me forth of my\nnative land and banished me, without due cause; wherefore I\nrequited him with that which he had done to me, in the way of\nlawful retribution. As for the highwaymen who proffered\nrepentance, there was no repentance for them with me, because\nthey began upon me with foul dealing and waylaid me by the road\nand despoiled me and seized my good and my sons, the two boys\nthat I took of them, and those ye deemed Mamelukes are my very\nsons; so I avenged myself on the thieves of that which they did\nwith me whilome and requited them with strict justice. As for the\nhorseman whom I slew, this woman I took from him was my wife and\nhe seized her by force, but Allah the Most High hath restored her\nto me; so this was my right, and my deed that I have done was\nrighteous, albeit ye, judging by the externals of the matter,\ndeemed that I had done this by way of tyranny.\" When the folk\nheard these words, they marvelled and fell prostrate before him;\nand they redoubled in esteem for him and exceeding affection and\nsued pardon of him, admiring that which Allah had done with him\nand how He had given him the kingship by reason of his\nlongsuffering and his patience and how he had raised himself by\nhis endurance from the bottom of the pit to the throne of the\nkingdom, what while Allah cast down the late king from the throne\ninto the pit.[FN#174] Then Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir foregathered with his wife\nand said to her, \"How deemest thou of the fruit of patience and\nits sweetness and the fruit of haste and its bitterness? Verily,\nall that a man doth of good and evil, he shall assuredly\nencounter the same.\" \"On like wise, O king\" (continued the young\ntreasurer), \"it besitteth thee to practice patience, whenever it\nis possible to thee, for that longsuffering is the wont of the\nnoble, and it is the chiefest of their reliance, especially for\nkings.\" When the king heard this from the youth, his wrath\nsubsided; so he bade return him to the prison, and the folk\ndispersed that day.\n\n\n\n\n\n                        The Fourth Day.\n\n\n\nOf the Ill Effects of Impatience.\n\n\n\nWhen it was the fourth day, the fourth Wazir, whose name was\nZ\u00fash\u00e1d,[FN#175] made his appearance, and prostrating himself to\nhis liege lord, said to him, \"O king, let not the talk of yonder\nyouth delude thee, for that he is not a truth-teller. As long as\nhe shall remain alive, the folk will not leave talking nor will\nthy heart cease to be occupied with him.\" Cried the king, \"By\nAllah, thou sayst sooth and I will cause fetch him this day and\nslay him between my hands.\" Then bade he bring the youth; so they\nfetched him in fetters and he said to him, \"Woe to thee! Thinkest\nthou to appease my heart with thy prate, whereby the days are\nspent in talk? I mean to do thee die this day and be quit of\nthee.\" Said the youth, \"O king, 'tis in thy power to put me out\nof the world whenso thou wilt, but haste is the wont of the\nignoble and patience the sign of the noble. An thou do me to\ndeath, thou wilt repent, and when thou desire to bring me back to\nlife, thou wilt not be able. Indeed, whoso acteth hastily in an\naffair, there befalleth him what befel Bihz\u00e1d, son of the king.\"\nQuoth the king, \"And what is his tale?\" Replied the treasurer, \"O\nking, hear\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of Prince Bihzad.[FN#176]\n\n\n\nThere was once, of olden time, a king and he had a son Bihzad\nhight, there was not in his tide a fairer than he and he loved to\nfellow with the folk and to mix with the merchants and sit and\ntalk with them. One day, as he was seated in an assembly, amongst\na number of people, he heard them talking of his own beauty and\nloveliness, and saying, \"There be not in his time a fairer than\nhe.\" But one of the company said, \"Indeed, the daughter of King\nSuch-an-one is seemlier than he.\" When Bihzad heard this saying,\nhis reason fled and his heart fluttered and he called the last\nspeaker and said to him, \"Repeat to me that which thou saidst and\ntell me the truth concerning her whom thou avouchest to be\ngoodlier than I and whose daughter she is.\" Quoth the man, \"She\nis the daughter of King Such-an-one;\" whereupon Bihzad's heart\nclave to her and his colour changed. Presently the news reached\nhis sire, who said to him, \"O my son, this maiden to whom thy\nheart cleaveth is at thy command and we have power over her; so\nwait till I demand her in wedlock for thee.\" But the Prince said,\n\"I will not wait.\" So the king hastened in the matter and sent to\ndemand her of her sire, who required of him an hundred thousand\ndinars paid down to his daughter's dowry. Quoth Bihzad's father,\n\"So be it,\" and weighed out what was in his treasuries, and there\nremained to his charge but a little of the dower.[FN#177] So he\nsaid, \"Have patience, O my son, till we gather together the rest\nof the money and send to fetch her for thee, since now she is\nbecome thine.\" Therewith the Prince waxed wroth with exceeding\nwrath and cried, \"I will not have patience;\" so he took his sword\nand his lance[FN#178] and mounting his horse, went forth and fell\nto cutting the way.[FN#179] It chanced one day that he fell upon\na company of folk who overcame him by dint of numbers and taking\nhim prisoner, pinioned him and carried him to the lord of that\nland wherein he was a-highwaying. This king saw his semblance and\nloveliness and misdoubting of him, said, \"This be no robber's\nfavour. Tell me truly, O youth, who thou art.\" Bihzad was ashamed\nto acquaint him with his condition and preferred death for\nhimself; so he answered, \"I am naught but a thief and a bandit.\"\nQuoth the king, \"It behoveth us not to act hastily in the matter\nof this youth, but that we look into his affair, for that\nimpatience gendereth penitence.\" So he imprisoned him in his\npalace and assigned him one to serve him. Meanwhile the news\nspread abroad that Bihzad, son of the sovran, was lost, whereupon\nhis father sent letters in quest of him to all the kings\nincluding him with whom he was imprisoned. When the letter\nreached the latter, he praised Almighty Allah for that he had not\nanyways hastened in Bihzad's affair and bidding them bring him\nbefore himself, said to him, \"Art thou minded to destroy thy\nlife?\" Quoth Bihzad, \"I did this for fear of shame;\" and the king\nsaid, \"An thou fear shame, thou shouldst not practise haste in\nthy doings; knowest thou not that the fruit of impatience is\nrepentance? Had we hasted, we also, like thee, had repented.\"\nThen he conferred on him a robe of honour and engaged to him for\nthe completion of the dowry and sent to his father, giving him\nthe glad tidings and comforting his heart with news of his son's\nsafety; after which he said to Bihzad, \"Arise, O my son, and go\nto thy sire.\" Rejoined the Prince, \"O king, complete thy kindness\nto me by hastening my going-in to my wife; for, an I go back to\nmy sire, the time will be long till he send a messenger and he\nreturn, promising me dispatch.\" The king laughed and marvelled at\nhim and said to him, \"I fear for thee from this precipitancy,\nlest thou come to shame and win not thy wish.\" Then he gave him\nmuchel of wealth and wrote him letters, commending him to the\nfather of the Princess, and despatched him to them. When he drew\nnear their country, the king came forth to meet him with the\npeople of his realm and assigned him a fine lodging and bade\nhasten the going-in of his daughter to him, in compliance with\nthe other king's letter. He also advised the Prince's father of\nhis son's coming and they busied themselves with the affair of\nthe young lady. When it was the day of the bride's\ngoing-in[FN#180] Bihzad, of his impetuosity and lack of patience,\nbetook himself to the wall, which was between himself and her\nlodging and wherein was a hole pierced, and of his haste looked\nthrough it, so he might see his bride. But her mother espied\nhim[FN#181] and this was grievous to her; so she took from one of\nthe pages two red-hot iron spits and thrust them into the hole\nthrough which the Prince was looking. The spits ran into his eyes\nand put them out and he fell down fainting and the\nwedding-festival was changed to mourning and sore concern. \"See,\nthen, O king\" (continued the youth), \"the issue of the Prince's\nhaste and lack of deliberation, for indeed his impatience\nbequeathed him long penitence and his joy turned to annoy; and on\nlike wise was it with the woman who hastened to put out his eyes\nand delayed not to deliberate. All this was the doing of haste;\nwherefore it behoveth the king not to be hasty in putting me to\ndeath, for that I am under the hold of his hand, and whatso time\nthou desirest my slaughter, it shall not escape thee.\" When the\nking heard this his anger subsided and he said, \"Return him back\nto the prison till to-morrow, so we may look into his case.\"\n\n\n\n\n                         The Fifth Day.\n\n\n\nOf the Issues of Good and Evil Actions.\n\n\n\nWhen it was the fifth day, the fifth Wazir, whose name was\nJahrbaur,[FN#182] came in to the king and prostrating himself\nbefore him. said, \"O king, it behoveth thee, an thou see or hear\none look on thy house,[FN#183] that thou pluck out his eyes. How\nthen should it be with him whom thou sawest a-middlemost thy\npalace and on thy royal bed, and he suspected with thy Harim, and\nnot of thy lineage or of thy kindred? So do thou away this shame\nby putting him to death. Indeed, we urge thee not to this, except\nfor the assurance of thine empire and of our zeal for thy loyal\ncounselling and of our affection to thee. How can it be lawful\nthat this youth should live for a single hour?\" Therewith the\nking was filled with fury and cried, \"Bring him forthright.\" So\nthey fetched the youth whom they set before him in fetters, and\nthe king said to him, \"Woe to thee! Thou hast sinned a great sin\nand the time of thy survival hath been long;[FN#184] but needs\nmust we put thee to death, because there is no ease for us in thy\nlife till we take it.\" Quoth the youth, \"Know O king, that I, by\nAllah, am guiltless, and by reason of this I hope for life, for\nthat he who is innocent of all offence goeth not in fear of pains\nand penalties, neither greateneth his mourning and his concern;\nbut whoso hath sinned, needs must his sin be expiated upon him,\nthough his life be prolonged, and it shall overtake him, even as\nit overtook D\u00e1db\u00edn the king and his Wazir.\" Asked Azadbakht, \"How\nwas that?\" and the youth said, \"Hear, O king (whose days may Allah\nincrease!),\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of King Dadbin[FN#185] and his Wazirs.\n\n\n\nThere was once a king in the land of Tabaristan,[FN#186] by name\nD\u00e1db\u00edn, and he had two Wazirs, one called Zorkhan and the other\nK\u00e1rd\u00e1n.[FN#187] The Minister Zorkhan had a daughter, there was\nnot in her day a fairer than she nor yet a chaster or a more\npious, for she was a faster, a prayer and an adorer of Allah the\nAlmighty, and her name was Arw\u00e0.[FN#188] Now Dadbin, the king,\nheard tell of her praises; so his heart clave to her and he\ncalled the Wazir her sire and said to him, \"I desire of thee that\nthou marry me to thy daughter.\" Quoth Zorkhan, \"O my liegest\nlord, suffer me to consult her, and if she consent, I will marry\nthee with her.\" And the king, said, \"Haste thee with this.\" So\nthe Minister went in to his daughter and said to her, \"O my\ndaughter, the king seeketh thee of me and desireth to marry\nthee.\" She said. \"O my father, I desire not a husband, and if\nthou wilt marry me, marry me not but with a mate who shall be mine inferior\nin rank and I nobler than he, so he may not turn to other than\nmyself nor lift his eyes upon me,[FN#189] and marry me not to one\nwho is nobler than I, lest I be with him as a slave-girl and a\nserving-woman.\" Accordingly the Wazir returned to the king and\nacquainted him with that which his daughter had said, whenas he\nredoubled in desire and love-longing for her, and said to her\nsire, \"An thou marry me not to her of good grace, I will take her\nin thy despite and by force.\" The Minister again betook himself\nto his daughter and repeated to her the king's words, but she\nreplied, \"I want no husband.\" So he returned to the king and told\nhim what she said, and he was wroth and threatened him, whereupon\nthe father took his daughter and fled with her. When this came to\nthe king's knowledge, he despatched troops in pursuit of Zorkhan,\nto stop the road upon him, whilst he himself went out and\novertaking the Wazir, smote him on the head with his mace[FN#190]\nand slew him. Then he took his daughter by force and returning to\nhis dwelling-place, went in to her and married her. Arwa resigned\nherself with patience to that which betided her and committed her\ncase to Allah Almighty; and indeed she was used to serve Him\nnight and day with a goodly service in the house of King Dadbin\nher husband. It befel one day that the king had occasion to make\na journey; so he called his second Wazir Kardan and said to him,\n\"I have a charge to commit to thy care, and it is yonder lady, my\nwife, the daughter of the Wazir Zorkhan, and I desire that thou\nkeep her and guard her thy very self, because I have not in the\nworld aught dearer than she.\" Quoth Kardan in his mind, \"Of a\ntruth, the king honoureth me with an exceeding honour in\nentrusting me with this lady.\" And he answered, \"With love and\nall gladness.\" When the king had departed on his journey, Kardan\nsaid in himself, \"Needs must I look upon this lady whom the king\nloveth with all this love.\" So he hid himself in a place, that he\nmight espy her, and saw her surpassing description; wherefor he\nwas confounded at her and his wit was wildered and love gat the\nlordship of him, so that he sent to her, saying, \"Have pity on\nme, for indeed I perish for the love of thee.\" She sent back to\nhim and replied, \"O Wazir, thou art in the place of faith and\nconfidence, so do not thou betray thy trust, but make thine\ninward life like unto thine outward[FN#191] and occupy thyself\nwith thy wife and that which is lawful to thee. As for this, 'tis\nmere lust and women are all of one and the same taste.[FN#192]\nAnd if thou wilt not be forbidden from this talk, I will make\nthee a byword and a reproach among folk.\" When the Minister heard\nher answer, he knew that she was chaste of soul and body;\nwherefore he repented with the utmost of repentance and feared\nfor himself from the king and said, \"Needs must I devise a device\nwhereby I may destroy her; else shall I be disgraced with the\nking.\" Now when the king returned from his journey, he questioned\nKardan of the affairs of his kingdom, and the Wazir answered,\n\"All is right well, O king, save a vile matter, which I have\nespied here and with which I am ashamed to confront the sovran;\nbut, if I hold my peace thereof, I fear lest other than I\ndiscover it and I shall have played traitor to the king in the\nmatter of my warning and my trust.\" Quoth Dadbin, \"Speak, for to\nme thou art none other than a truth-teller, a trustworthy and a\nloyal counsellor in whatso thou sayest, undistrusted in aught.\"\nAnd the Minister said, \"O king, this woman to whose love thy\nheart cleaveth and of whose piety thou talkest and her fasting\nand her praying, I will plainly prove to thee that this is craft\nand guile.\" Hereat the king was troubled and said, \"What may be\nthe matter?\" and the Wazir replied, \"I would have thee wot that\nsome days after thy departure, one came to me and said to me,\nCome, O Wazir, and look. So I went to the door of the queen's\nsleeping-chamber and behold, she was sitting with Abu al-Khayr,\nher father's page, whom she favoureth, and she did with him what\nshe did, and such is the manner of that which I saw and heard.\"\nWhen Dadbin heard this, he burnt with rage and said to one of his\neunuchs,[FN#193] \"Go and slay her in her chamber.\" But the eunuch\nsaid to him, \"O king, Allah prolong thy life! Indeed, the killing\nof her may not be in this way neither at this time; but do thou\nbid one of thine Castratos take her up on a camel and carry her\nto one of the trackless wolds and cast her down there; so, if she\nbe guilty, Allah shall cause her to perish, and if she be\ninnocent, He will deliver her, and the king shall be free from\ndefault against her; for that this lady is dear to thee and thou\nslewest her father by reason of thy love for her.\" Quoth the\nking, \"By Allah, thou sayst sooth!\" Then he bade one of his\neunuchs carry her on a camel to one of the far-off wilds and\ncut-off wolds and there leave her and wend his ways, and he\nforbad her torment to be prolonged. So he took her up and\nbetaking himself with her to the desert, left her there without\nprovaunt or water and returned, whereupon she made for one of the\nhills, and ranging stones before her in form of prayer-niche,\nstood praying. Now it chanced that a camel-driver, belonging to\nKisr\u00e0[FN#194] the king, lost certain camels, and his lord\nthreatened him, if he found them not, that he would slay him.\nAccordingly he set out and plunged into the wastes till he came\nto the place where the lady was, and seeing her standing at\nprayer utterly alone, waited till she had made an end of her\norisons, when he went up to her and saluted her with the salam,\nsaying, \"Who art thou?\" Quoth she, \"I am a hand-maid of the\nAlmighty.\" He asked, \"What doest thou in this desolate place?\"\nand she answered, \"I serve Allah the Most High.\" When he saw her\nbeauty and loveliness, he fell in love with her, and said to her,\n\"Harkye! Do thou take me to mate and I will be tender to thee and\nuse thee with exceeding ruth, and I will further thee in\nobedience to Allah Almighty.\" But she answered, saying, \"I have\nno need of wedlock and I desire to abide here alone with my Lord\nand His worship; but an thou wouldst have ruth upon me and\nfurther me in the obedience of Allah the Most High, carry me to a\nplace where there is water and thou wilt have done me a\nkindness.\" Thereupon he took her to a place wherein was running\nwater and setting her down on the ground, left her and went his\nways, marvelling at her. After he left her, he found his camels,\nby her blessing, and when he returned, King Kisra asked him,\n\"Hast thou found the camels?\" He answered \"Yes,\" and acquainted\nhim with the affair of the damsel, and detailed to him her beauty\nand loveliness: whereupon the king's heart clave to her and he\nmounted with a few men and betook himself to that place, where he\nfound the lady and was amazed at her, because he saw her\nsurpassing the description wherewith the camel-driver had\ndescribed her to him. So he accosted her and said to her, \"I am\nKing Kisra, greatest of the kings. Wilt thou not have me to\nhusband?\" Quoth she, \"What wilt thou do with me, O king, and I a\nwoman abandoned in the waste?\" And quoth he, \"Needs must this be,\nand if thou wilt not consent to me, I will take up my abode here\nand devote myself to Allah's service and thy service, and with\nthee worship the Almighty.\" Then he bade set up for her a tent\nand another for himself, facing hers, so he might adore Allah\nwith her, and fell to sending her food; and she said in herself,\n\"This is a king, and 'tis not lawful for me that I suffer him for\nmy sake to forsake his lieges and his land.\" Presently she said\nto the servingwoman, who used to bring her the food, \"Speak the\nking that he return to his women, for he hath no need of me, and\nI desire to abide in this place, so I may worship therein Allah\nthe Most High.\" The slave-girl returned to the king and told him\nthis, whereupon he sent back to her, saying, \"I have no need of\nthe kingship and I also desire to tarry here and worship Allah\nwith thee in this waste.\" When she found this earnestness in him,\nshe fell in with his wishes, and said, \"O king, I will consent to\nthat which thou desirest and will be to thee a wife, but on\ncondition that thou bring me Dadbin the king and his Wazir Kardan\nand his Chamberlain the chief Eunuch, and that they be present in\nthine assembly, so I may speak a word with them in thy presence,\nto the intent that thou mayst redouble in affection for me.\"\nQuoth Kisra, \"And what is thy want unto this?\" So she related to\nhim her story from first to last, how she was the wife of Dadbin\nthe king and how the Wazir Kardan had misspoken of her honour.\nWhen King Kisra heard this, he redoubled in love-longing for her\nand affection and said to her, \"Do whatso thou willest:\" then he\nlet bring a litter[FN#195] and carrying her therein to his\ndwelling-place, entreated her with the utmost honour and espoused\nher. Presently he sent a great army to King Dadbin and fetching\nhim and his Wazir Kardan and the Eunuch-chamberlain, caused bring\nthem before him, they unknowing the while what he might purpose\nto do with them. Moreover, he caused set up for Arwa a\npavilion[FN#196] in the courtyard of his palace, and she entered\nit and let down the curtain before herself. When the servants had\nset their seats and they had seated themselves, Arwa raised a\ncorner of the curtain and said, \"O Kardan, rise to thy feet, for\nit besitteth not that thou sit in the like of this assembly,\nbefore this mighty King Kisra.\" When the Wazir heard these words,\nhis heart fluttered and his joints were loosened and he rose to\nhis feet of his fear. Then said she to him, \"By the virtue of Him\nwho hath made thee stand up to judgment in this standing-stead,\nand thou abject and humiliated, I conjure thee speak the truth\nand say what egged thee on to lie against me and drive me from my\nhome and from the land of my husband and made thee practise thus\nagainst a man and a Moslem so as to slay him.[FN#197] This is no\nplace wherein lying availeth nor may artifice be herein.\" When\nthe Wazir was 'ware that she was Arwa and heard her speech, he\nknew that it behoved him not to lie and that naught would avail\nhim save truth; so he bowed his head groundwards and wept and\nsaid, \"Whoso doth evil, needs must he incur it, albe his day be\nprolonged. By Allah, I am he who hath sinned and transgressed,\nand naught prompted me unto this but fear and overmastering\ndesire and the misery writ upon my brow.[FN#198] And indeed this\nwoman is pure and chaste and free from all fault.\" When King\nDadbin heard this, he beat his face and said to Kardan, his\nWazir, \"Allah slay thee![FN#199] 'Tis thou that hast parted me\nand my wife and wronged me!\" But Kisra the king said to him,\n\"Allah shall assuredly slay thee, because thou hastenedst and\nlookedst not into thine affair, and knewest not the guilty from\nthe guiltless. Hadst thou wrought deliberately, the unright had\nbeen made manifest to thee from the right; so when this villain\nWazir purposed thy ruin, where was thy judgment and whither went\nthy sight?\" Then he asked Arwa, \"What wilt thou that I do with\nthem?\" and she answered, \"Accomplish on them the ordinance of\nAlmighty Allah:[FN#200] let the slayer be slain and the\ntransgressor transgressed against, even as he transgressed\nagainst us; yea, and to the well-doer weal shall be done even as\nhe did unto us.\" So she gave her officers order concerning Dadbin\nand they smote him on the head with a mace and slew him, and she\nsaid, \"This is for the slaughter of my sire.\" Then she bade set\nthe Wazir on a beast and bear him to the desert whither he had\ncaused her to be borne, and leave him there without provaunt or\nwater; and she said to him, \"An thou be guilty, thou shalt suffer\nthe punishment of thy guilt and die in the desert of hunger and\nthirst; but an there be no guilt in thee, thou shalt be\ndelivered, even as I was delivered.\" As for the\nEunuch-chamberlain, who had counselled King Dadbin not to slay\nher, but to cause carry her to the desert, she bestowed on him a\ncostly robe of honour and said to him, \"The like of thee it\nbefitteth kings to hold in favour and promote to high place, for\nthat thou spakest loyally and well, and a man is requited\naccording to his deed.\" And Kisra the King made him Wali in a\ncertain province of his empire. \"Know, therefore, O king\"\n(continued the youth), \"that whoso doeth good is requited with\ngood, and he who is guiltless of sin and offence feareth not the\nissue of his affair. And I, O my liege lord, am free from guilt,\nwherefore I hope in Allah that He will show forth the truth to\nmine auspicious king, and vouchsafe me the victory over enemies\nand enviers.\" When the king heard this, his wrath subsided and he\nsaid, \"Return him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look\ninto his case.\"\n\n\n\n\n                         The Sixth Day.\n\n\n\nOf Trust in Allah.\n\n\n\nWhen it was the sixth day, the wrath of the Wazirs redoubled,\nbecause they had not won their will of the youth and they feared\nfor their lives from the liege lord; so three of them went in to\nhim and prostrating themselves between his hands, said to him, \"O\nking, indeed we are loyal counsellors to thy dignity and fondly\nsolicitous for thy weal. Verily, thou persistest long in leaving\nthis youth alive and we know not what is thine advantage therein.\nEvery day findeth him yet on life and the talk of folk redoubleth\nsuspicion on thee; so do thou do him dead, that the talk may be\nmade an end of.\" When the king heard this speech, he said, \"By\nAllah, verily ye say sooth and speak rightly!\" Then he bade them\nbring the young treasurer and when he came into the presence said\nto him, \"How Iong shall I look into thy case, and find no helper\nfor thee and see them athirst for thy blood?\" The youth answered,\n\"O king, I hope for succour only from Allah, not from created\nbeings: an He aid me, none shall have power to harm me, and if He\nbe with me and on my side, because of the truth, from whom shall\nI fear, because of untruth? Indeed, I have made my intent with\nAllah a pure intent and a sincere, and I have severed my\nexpectation from the help of the creature; and whoso seeketh aid\nof Allah findeth of his desire that which Bakhtzam\u00e1n found.\"\nQuoth the king, \"Who was Bakhtzaman and what is his story?\" and\nquoth the youth, \"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of King Bakhtzaman.[FN#201]\n\n\n\nThere was once a king of the kings, whose name was Bakhtzaman, and\nhe was a great eater and drinker and carouser. Now enemies of his\nmade their appearance in certain parts of his realm, which they\ncoveted; and one of his friends said to him, \"O king, the foe\nintendeth for thee: be on thy guard against him.\" Quoth\nBakhtzaman, \"I reck not of him, for that I have weapons and wealth\nand warmen and am not afraid of aught.\" Then said his friends to\nhim, \"Ask aid of Allah, O king, for He will help thee more than\nthy wealth and thy weapons and thy warriors.\" But he turned a\ndeaf ear to the speech of his loyal counsellors, and presently\nthe enemy came upon him and waged war upon him and got the\nvictory over him and profited him naught his trust in other than\nAllah the Most High. So he fled from him and seeking one of the\nsovrans, said to him, \"I come to thee and lay hold upon thy\nskirts and take refuge with thee, so thou mayst help me against\nmy foe.\" The king gave him money and men and a mighty many and\nBakhtzaman said in himself, \"Now am I fortified with this force\nand needs must I conquer my foe with such combatants and overcome\nhim;\" but he said not, \"With the aid of Allah Almighty.\" So his\nenemy met him and overcame him again and he was defeated and put\nto the rout and fled at random: his troops were dispersed from\nhim and his money lost and the enemy pursued him. Thereupon he\nsought the sea and passing over to the other side, saw a great\ncity and therein a mighty citadel. He asked its name and that of\nits owner, and they said to him, \"It belongeth to\nKhad\u00edd\u00e1n[FN#202] the king.\" So he fared on till he came to the\nroyal palace and concealing his condition, passed himself off for\na horseman[FN#203] and sought service with King Khadidan, who\nattached him to his attendance and entreated him with honour; but\nhis heart still clung to his mother-land and his home. Presently,\nit chanced that an enemy came out against King Khadidan; so he\nsent his troops to meet him and made Bakhtzaman head of the host.\nThen they went forth to the field and Khadidan also came forth\nand ranged his troops and levelled lance and sallied out in\nperson and fought a sore fight and overcame his foe, who with his\ntroops ignominiously fled. When the king and his army returned in\ntriumph, Bakhtzaman said to him, \"Harkye, O king! This be a\nstrange thing I see in thee that thou art compassed about with\nthis mighty great army, yet dost thou apply thyself in person to\nbattle and adventurest thy life.\" Quoth the king, \"Dost thou call\nthyself a knight and a learned wight and deemest that victory is\nin the many of men?\" Quoth Bakhtzaman, \"Such is indeed my\nbelief.\" And Khadidan the king cried, \"By Allah, then, thou\nerrest in this thy belief!\" presently adding, \"woe and again woe\nto him whose trust is in other than Allah! Indeed, this army is\nappointed only for phantasy and majesty, and victory is from\nAllah alone. I too, O Bakhtzaman, whilome believed that victory\nwas in the number of men,[FN#204] and an enemy came out against\nme with eight hundred head, whilst I had eight hundred thousand.\nI trusted in the tale of my troops, whilst my foe trusted in\nAllah, so he defeated me and routed me and I was put to a\nshameful flight and hid myself in one of the mountains, where I\nmet with a Religious who had withdrawn himself from the world. So\nI joined myself to him and complained to him of my case and\nacquainted him with all that had befallen me. Quoth the Recluse,\n'Wottest thou why this befel thee and thou wast defeated?' Quoth\nI, 'I know not;' and he said, 'Because thou didst put thy trust\nin the multitude of thy warmen and reliedst not upon Allah the\nMost High. Hadst thou put thy trust in the Almighty and believed\nof Him that it is He alone who advantageth and endamageth thee,\nnever had thy foe availed to cope with thee. Return unto Allah.'\nSo I returned to my right senses, and repented at the hands of\nthat Religious, who said to me, 'Turn back with what remaineth to\nthee of troops and confront thy foes, for, if their intents be\nchanged and turned away from Allah, thou wilt overcome them, e'en\nwert thou alone.' When I heard the Solitary's words, I put my\ntrust in Allah of All-Might; and, gathering together those who\nremained with me, fell upon mine enemies at unawares in the\nnight. They deemed us many and fled with the shamefullest flight,\nwhereupon I entered my city and repossessed myself of my place by\nthe might of Almighty Allah, and now I fight not but trusting in\nHis aid.\" When Bakhtzaman heard these words he awoke from his\nheedlessness and cried, \"Extolled be the perfection of God the\nGreat! O king, this is my case and my story, nothing added and\nnaught subtracted, for I am King Bakhtzaman and all this happened\nto me: wherefore I will seek the gate of Allah's mercy and repent\nunto Him.\" So he went forth to one of the mountains and\nworshipped Allah there awhile, till one night, as he slept, a\npersonage appeared to him in a dream and said to him, \"O\nBakhtzaman, Allah accepteth thy repentance and openeth on thee\nthe door of succour and will aid thee against thy foe.\" When he\nwas assured of this in the dream, he arose and turned back,\nintending for his own city; and when he drew near thereunto, he\nsaw a company of the king's retainers, who said to him, \"Whence\nart thou? We see that thou art a foreigner and fear for thee from\nthis king, for that every stranger who entereth this city, he\ndestroyeth him, of his dread of King Bakhtzaman.\" Said\nBakhtzaman, \"None shall prejudice him nor profit him save Allah\nthe Most High.\" And they replied. \"Indeed, he hath a vast army\nand his heart is fortified in the multitude of his many.\" When\nKing Bakhtzaman heard this, his mind was comforted and he said to\nhimself, \"I place my trust in Allah. An He will, I shall overcome\nmine enemy by the might of the Lord of Omnipotence.\" So he said\nto the folk, \"Wot ye not who I am?\" and they said, \"No, by\nAllah.\" Cried he, \"I am King Bakhtzaman.\" When they heard this\nand knew that it was indeed he, they dismounted from their horses\nand kissed his stirrup, to do him honour, and said to him, \"O\nking, why thus risk thy life?\" Quoth he, \"Indeed, my life is a\nlight matter to me and I set my trust in Almighty Allah, looking\nto Him for protection.\" And quoth they, \"May that suffice thee!\"\npresently adding, \"We will do with thee that which is in our\npower and whereof thou art worthy: hearten thy heart, for we will\nsuccour thee with our substance and our existence, and we are his\nchief officers and the most in favour with him of all folk. So we\nwill take thee with us and cause the lieges follow after thee,\nbecause the inclination of the people, all of them, is\ntheewards.\" Said he, \"Do whatso Allah Almighty enableth you to\ndo.\" So they carried him into the city and hid him with them.\nThen they agreed with a company of the king's chief officers, who\nhad aforetime been those of Bakhtzaman, and acquainted them with\nthis; whereat they rejoiced with joy exceeding. Then they\nassembled together to Bakhtzaman, and made a covenant and\nhandfast of fealty with him and fell upon the foe and slew him\nand seated King Bakhtzaman again on the throne of his kingship.\nAnd his affairs prospered and Allah amended his estate and\nrestored to him His bounty, and he ruled his subjects justly and\nabode in the obedience of the Almighty. \"On this wise, O king\"\n(continued the young treasurer), \"he with whom Allah is and whose\nintent is pure, meeteth naught save good. As for me, I have no\nhelper other than the Almighty, and I am content to submit myself\nto His ordinance, for that He knoweth the purity of my intent.\"\nWith this the king's wrath subsided and he said, \"Return him to\nthe prison till the morrow, so we may look into his case.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n                        The Seventh Day.\n\n\n\nOf Clemency.\n\n\n\nWhen it was the seventh day, the seventh Wazir, whose name was\nBihkam\u00e1l,[FN#205] came in to the king and prostrating himself to\nhim, said, \"O king, what doth thy long-suffering with this youth\nprofit thee? Indeed the folk talk of thee and of him. Why, then,\ndost thou postpone the putting him to death?\" The Minister's\nwords aroused the anger of the king, and he bade bring the youth.\nSo they fetched him before him in fetters and Azadbakht said to\nhim, \"Ho, woe to thee! By Allah, after this day there abideth no\ndeliverance for thee from my hand, by reason that thou hast\noutraged mine honour, and there can be no forgiveness for thee.\"\nThe youth replied, \"O king, there is no great forgiveness save in\ncase of a great default, for according as the offence is great in\nso much magnified is mercy; and it is no grace to the like of\nthee if he spare the like of me. Verily, Allah knoweth that there\nis no crime in me, and indeed He commandeth to clemency, and no\nclemency is greater than that which spareth from slaughter, for\nthat thy pardon of him whom thou purposest to put to death is as\nthe quickening of a dead man; and whoso doth evil shall find it\nbefore him, even as it was with King Bihkard.\" Asked the king,\n\"And what is the story of King Bihkard?\" And the youth answered,\n\"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of King Bihkard.[FN#206]\n\n\n\nThere was once a king named Bihkard, and he had mickle of wealth\nand many troops; but his deeds were evil and he would punish for\na slight offence, and he never forgave any offender. He went\nforth one day to hunt and a certain of his pages shot a shaft,\nwhich lit on the king's ear and cut it off. Bihkard cried, \"Who\nshot that arrow?\" So the guards brought him in haste the\nmisdemeanant, whose name was Yatr\u00fa,[FN#207] and he of his fear\nfell down on the ground in a fainting fit. Then quoth the king,\n\"Slay him;\" but Yatru said, \"O king, this which hath befallen was\nnot of my choice nor of my knowledge; so do thou pardon me, in\nthe hour of thy power over me, for that mercy is of the goodliest\nof deeds and belike it shall be in this world a provision and a\ngood work for which thou shalt be repaid one of these days, and a\ntreasure laid up to thine account with Allah in the world to\ncome. Pardon me, therefore, and fend off evil from me, so shall\nAllah fend off from thee the like evil.\" When the king beard\nthis, it pleased him and he pardoned the page, albeit he had\nnever before pardoned any. Now this page was of the sons of the\nkings and had fled from his sire on account of a sin he had\ncommitted: then he went and took service with Bihkard the king,\nand there happened to him what happened. After a while, it\nchanced that a man recognised him and went and told his father,\nwho sent him a letter, comforting his heart and mind and calling\nupon him to return to him. Accordingly he returned to his father,\nwho came forth to meet him and rejoiced in him, and the Prince's\naffairs were set right with his sire. Now it befel, one day of\nthe days, that king Bihkard shipped him in a ship and put out to\nsea, so he might fish: but the wind blew on them and the craft\nsank. The king made the land upon a plank, unknown of any, and\ncame forth, mother-naked, on one of the coasts; and it chanced\nthat he landed in the country whereof the father of the page\naforesaid was king. So he came in the night to the gate of the\nsovran's capital, and finding it shut, lodged him in a\nburying-place there. When the morning morrowed and the folk came\nforth of the city, behold, they found a man lately murthered and\ncast down in a corner of the burial ground, and seeing Bihkard\nthere, doubted not but it was he who had slain him during the\nnight; so they laid hands on him and carried him up to the king\nand said to him, \"This fellow hath slain a man.\" The king bade\nimprison him; whereupon they threw him in jail, and he fell to\nsaying in himself, what while he was in the prison, \"All that\nhath befallen me is of the abundance of my sins and my tyranny,\nfor, indeed, I have slain much people unrighteously and this is\nthe requital of my deeds and that which I have wrought whilome of\noppression.\" As he was thus pondering in himself, there came a\nbird and lighted down on the pinnacle of the prison, whereupon,\nof his passing eagerness in the chase, he took a stone and threw\nit at the bird. Now the king's son was playing in the\nexercise-ground with the ball and the bat,[FN#208] and the stone\nlit on his ear and cut it off, whereupon the Prince fell down in\na fit. So they enquired who had thrown the stone and finding that\nit was Bihkard, took him and carried him before the king's son,\nwho bade do him die. Accordingly, they cast the turband from his\nhead and were about to fillet his eyes, when the Prince looked at\nhim and seeing him cropped of an ear, said to him, \"But for thy\nvillainies thine ear had not been cut off.\" Said Bihkard, \"Not\nso, by Allah! Nay, but the story of the loss of my ear is so and\nso, and I pardoned him who smote me with an arrow and cut off my\near.\" When the prince heard this, he looked in his face and\nknowing him, cried out and said, \"Art thou not Bihkard the king?\"\n\"Yes,\" replied he, and the Prince said to him, \"What ill chance\nthrew thee here?\" Thereupon he told him all that had betided him\nand the folk wondered and extolled the perfection of the\nAlmighty, crying \"Subh\u00e1na 'llah!\u2014laud to the Lord!\" Then the\nPrince rose to him and embraced him and kissed him and,\nentreating him with respect, seated him in a chair and bestowed\non him a robe of honour; and he turned to his sire and said to\nhim, \"This be the king who pardoned me and this be his ear which\nI cut off with a shaft; and indeed he deserveth my pardon by\nhaving pardoned me.\" Then said he to Bihkard, \"Verily, the issue\nof mercy hath been a provision for thee in such hour as this.\"\nAnd they entreated him with the utmost kindness and sent him back\nto his own country in all honour. \"Know, then, O king\" (continued\nthe youth), \"that there is no goodlier quality than mercy and\nthat all thou dost of clemency, thou shalt find before thee a\ntreasure for thee treasured up.\" When the king heard this, his\nwrath subsided and he said, \"Return him to the prison till the\nmorrow, so we may look into his case.\n\n\n\n\n                        The Eighth Day.\n\n\n\nOf Envy and Malice.\n\n\n\nWhen it was the eighth day, the Wazirs all assembled and had\nspeech together and said, \"How shall we do with this youth, who\novercometh us with his much talk? Indeed, we fear lest he be\nsaved and we fall into destruction. So, let us all go in to the\nking and unite our efforts to gain our cause, ere he appear\nwithout guilt and come forth and get the better of us.\"\nAccordingly they all went in to the king and prostrating\nthemselves before him, said to him, \"O king, beware lest this\nyouth ensorcell thee with his sorcery and beguile thee with his\nwiles. An thou heardest what we hear, thou wouldst not suffer him\nlive; no, not a single day. Wherefore heed not his speech, for we\nare thy Ministers, who endeavour for thy permanence, and if thou\nhearken not to our word, to whose word wilt thou hearken? See, we\nare ten Wazirs who testify against this youth that he is guilty\nand entered not the king's sleeping chamber save with ill intent,\nso he might put the king to shame and outrage his honour; and if\nthe king slay him not, let him banish him his realm, that the\ntongue of the folk may desist from him.\" When the king heard his\nMinisters' words, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and bade\nbring the youth, and when he came in to the king, the Wazirs all\ncried out with one voice, saying, \"O Lack-wits, thinkest thou to\nsave thyself from slaughter by guile and sleight, that thou\nwilest the king with thy talk and hopest pardon for the like of\nthis mighty great crime thou hast committed?\" Then the king bade\nfetch the sworder, so he might smite his neck; whereupon each of\nthe Wazirs fell to saying, \"I will slay him;\" and they sprang\nupon him. Quoth the youth, \"O king, consider and ponder the\neagerness of these thy Ministers. Is this of envy or is it not?\nThey would fain make severance between me and thee, so there may\nfall to them what they shall plunder, as aforetime.\" And the king\nsaid to him, \"Consider their witness against thee.\" The young man\nsaid, \"O king, how shall they testify of that which they saw\nnot?[FN#209] This is but envy and despight; and thou, an thou\nslay me, wilt indeed regret me, and I fear lest there betide thee\nof repentance that which betided Ayl\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, by reason of the\nmalice of his Wazirs.\" Asked Azadbakht, \"And what is his story?\"\nand the youth answered, \"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of Aylan Shah and Abu Tammam.[FN#210]\n\n\n\nWhilome there was a merchant named Abu Tamm\u00e1m, and he was a\nclever man and a well-bred, quick-witted and truthful in all his\naffairs, and he was monied to boot. Now there was in his land a\nking as unjust as he was jealous, and Abu Tammam feared for his\nwealth from this king and said, \"I will remove hence to another\nplace where I shall not be in dread.\" So he made for the city of\nAyl\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h and built himself a palace therein and transporting\nhis wealth thither, took up his abode there. Presently, the news\nof him reached King Aylan Shah; so he sent to invite him to his\npresence and said to him, \"We know of thy coming to us and thine\nentering under our allegiance, and indeed we have heard of thine\nexcellence and wit and generosity; so welcome to thee and fair\nwelcome! The land is thy land and at thy command, and whatsoever\nneed thou needest of us, 'tis already accomplished to thee; and\nit behoveth that thou be near our person and of our assembly.\"\nAbu Tammam prostrated himself before the king, and said to him,\n\"O king, I will serve thee with my monies and with my life, but\ndo thou excuse me from nearness to thee, for that an I took\noffice about thee, I should not be safe from enemies and\nenviers.\" Then he applied himself to the royal service with\npresents and largesses, and the king saw him to be intelligent,\nwell-bred and of good counsel; so his heart inclined to him and\nhe committed to him the ordinance of his affairs and the power to\nbind and to loose was in his hand. Now Aylan Shah had three\nWazirs, in whose hands public affairs were wont to be and they\nhad been accustomed not to quit the king night or day; but they\nbecame shut out from him by reason of Abu Tammam and the king was\noccupied with him to their exclusion. Herewith the Ministers took\ncounsel together upon the matter and said, \"What is your rede we\nshould do, seeing that the king is occupied from us with yonder\nman, and indeed he honoureth him with more honour than us? But\nnow come, let us devise some device whereby we may alienate him\nfrom the king.\" So each of them spoke forth that which was in his\nmind, and one of them said, \"The king of the Turks hath a\ndaughter, whose like there is not in the world, and whatso\nmessenger goeth to demand her in marriage, him her father\nslaughtereth. Now our king hath no knowledge of this; so, come,\nlet us foregather with him and bring up the mention of her: when\nhis heart is taken with her, we will advise him to dispatch Abu\nTammam to seek her hand in marriage; whereupon her father will\nslay him and we shall be quit of him and settle his affair once\nfor all.\" Accordingly, they went in to the king one day (Abu\nTammam being present among them), and mentioned the affair of the\ndamsel, the daughter of the Turks' king, and enlarged upon her\ncharms, till the king's heart was taken with her and he said to\nthem, \"We will send one to demand her to wife for us; but who\nshall be our messenger?\" Quoth the Wazirs, \"There is none fit for\nthis business but Abu Tammam, by reason of his wit and good\nbreeding;\" and the king said, \"Indeed, even as ye say, none is\nfitting for this affair save he.\" Then he turned to Abu Tammam\nand said to him, \"Wilt thou not go with my message and seek me in\nmarriage the daughter of the Turks' king?\" and he answered, \"To\nhear is to obey, O my Sovran!\" So they made ready his affair and\nthe king conferred on him a robe of honour, and he took with him\na present and a letter under the king's hand and setting out,\nfared on till he came to the capital city of Turkistan. When the\nking of the Turks knew of his coming, he despatched his officers\nto receive him and entreated him with honour and lodged him as\nbefitted his rank. Then he guested him three days, after which\ntime he summoned him to his presence and Abu Tammam went in to\nhim; and, prostrating himself as beseemeth before kings, laid\nthat present before him and gave him the letter. The king read\nthe writ and said to Abu Tammam, \"We will do what behoveth in the\nmatter; but, O Abu Tammam, needs must thou view my daughter and\nshe view thee, and needs must thou hear her speech and she hear\nthine.\" So saying, he sent him to the lodging of the Princess,\nwho had had notice of this; so that they had adorned her\nsitting-room with the costliest that might be of vessels of gold\nand silver and the like, and she seated herself on a chair of\ngold, clad in the richest of royal robes and ornaments. When Abu\nTammam entered, he took thought and said, \"The wise declare that\nwhoso governeth his sight shall suffer naught unright and he who\nguardeth his tongue shall hear naught of foul taunt, and he who\nkeepeth watch over his hand, it shall be lengthened and not\nshortened.\"[FN#211] So he entered and seating himself on the\nfloor, cast down his eyes and covered his hands and feet with his\ndress.[FN#212] Quoth the king's daughter to him, \"Raise thy head,\nO Abu Tammam, and look on me and speak with me.\" But he spake not\nneither raised his head, and she continued, \"They sent thee only\nto view me and talk with me, and yet behold thou sayest not a\nword;\" presently adding, \"Take of these union-pearls that be\nround thee and of these jewels and gold and silver.\" But he put\nnot forth his hand to aught, and when she saw that he paid no\nheed to anything, she was angry and cried, \"They have messaged me\nwith a messenger, blind, dumb, deaf.\" Then she sent to acquaint\nher father with this; whereupon the king called Abu Tammam to him\nand said to him, \"Thou camest not save to view my daughter: why,\nthen, hast thou not looked upon her?\" Quoth Abu Tammam, \"I saw\neverything;\" and quoth the king, \"Why didst thou not take\nsomewhat of that which thou sawest of jewels and the like? Indeed\nthey were set out for thee.\" But he answered, \"It behoveth me not\nto put out my hand to aught that is not mine.\" When the king\nheard his speech, he gave him a sumptuous robe of honour and\nloved him muchly[FN#213] and said to him, \"Come, look at this\nwell.\" So Abu Tammam went up to the pit-mouth and looked, and\nbehold, it was full of heads of the sons of Adam, and the king\nsaid to him, \"These are the heads of envoys whom I slew, because\nI saw them without loyalty to their lords, and I was used, whenas\nI beheld an envoy without good manners, to say, 'He who sent him\nis worsemannered than he, because the messenger is the tongue of\nhim who sendeth him and his breeding is of his master's breeding;\nand whoso is after this fashion, it befitteth not that he be akin\nto me.'[FN#214] For this reason I used to put the envoys to\ndeath; but, as for thee, thou hast overcome us and won my\ndaughter, of the excellence of thy manners; so hearten thy heart,\nfor she is thy lord's.\" Then he sent him back to King Aylan Shah\nwith presents and rarities and a letter, saying, \"This that I\nhave done is in honour of thee and of thine envoy.\" When Abu\nTammam returned after accomplishing his mission and brought the\npresents and the letter, King Aylan Shah rejoiced in this and\nredoubled all his favours and showed him honour the highest. Some\ndays after, the King of Turkistan sent his daughter and she went\nin to King Aylan Shah, who rejoiced in her with exceeding joy and\nAbu Tammam's worth was exalted in the royal sight. When the\nWazirs saw this, they redoubled in envy and despite and said,\n\"'An we contrive us not a contrivance to rid us of this man, we\nshall die of rage.\" So they bethought them and agreed upon a\ndevice they should practise. Then they betook themselves to two\nboys, pages affected to the service of the king, who slept not\nbut on their knee,[FN#215] and they lay at his head, for that\nthey were his bed-chamber pages. So the Ministers gave them each\na thousand dinars of gold, saying, \"We desire of you that ye do\nsomewhat we require and take this gold as a provision against\nyour time of need.\" Quoth the lads, \"What is it ye would have us\ndo?\" and quoth the Wazirs, \"This Abu Tammam hath marred matters\nfor us, and if his case abide in this way, he will remove us all\nfrom the king's favour; and what we want of you twain is that,\nwhen ye are alone with the king and he leaneth back, as he were\nasleep, one of you say to his fellow, 'Verily, the king hath\ntaken Abu Tammam into high favour and hath advanced him to\nexalted rank, yet he is a transgressor against the king's honour\nand an accursed wight.' Then let the other of you ask, 'And what\nis his transgression?' and let the first answer, 'He outrageth\nthe king's honour and saith, the King of Turkistan was used, when\na messenger went to him to seek his daughter in marriage, to slay\nhim; but me he spared, because she liked me, and by reason of\nthis her sire sent her hither, for that she loved me.' Then let\nthe other say, 'Knowest thou this for truth?' and let the first\nreply, 'By Allah, this is familiar to all the folk, but, of their\nfear of the king, they dare not divulge it to him; and as often\nas the king is absent a-hunting or a-wayfaring, Abu Tammam cometh\nto her and is private with her.'\" Whereupon the boys answered,\n\"We will say this.\" Accordingly, one night, when they were alone\nwith the king and he leant back, as he were asleep, they said\nthese words and the king heard all and was like to die of fury\nand despite and said to himself, \"These are young boys, not come\nto years of discretion, and have no business with any; and unless\nthey had heard these words from some one, they had not spoken\nthereof each with other.\" When it was morning wrath overmastered\nhim, so that he stayed not neither deliberated, but summoned Abu\nTammam and taking him apart, said to him, \"Whoso guardeth not the\nhonour of his liege lord,[FN#216] what deserveth he?\" Said Abu\nTammam, \"He deserveth that his lord guard not his honour.\" Aylan\nShah continued, \"And whoso entereth the king's house and playeth\ntraitor with him, what behoveth unto him?\" and Abu Tammam\nreplied, \"He shall not be left alive.\" Whereupon the king spat in\nhis face and said to him, \"Both these deeds hast thou done.\" Then\nhe drew his poinard on him in haste and smiting him in the belly,\nslit it and Abu Tammam died forthright; whereupon the king\ndragged him along and cast him into a well that was in his\npalace. After he had slain him, he fell into repentance and\nmourning increased and chagrin waxed sore upon him, and he would\nacquaint none who questioned him with the cause, nor, of his love\nfor his wife, did he tell her of this, and whenever she asked him\nwherefore he grieved, he answered her not. When the Wazirs knew\nof Abu Tammam's death, they rejoiced with exceeding joy and knew\nthat the king's sorrow arose from regret for him. As for Aylan\nShah, after this he used to betake himself by night to the\nsleeping-chamber of the two boys and spy upon them, that he might\nhear what they said concerning his wife. As he stood one night\nprivily at the door of their chamber, he saw them spread out the\ngold between their hands and play with it and heard one of them\nsay, \"Woe to us! What doth this gold profit us? Indeed we cannot\nbuy therewith any thing nor spend it upon ourselves. Nay, but we\nhave sinned against Abu Tammam and done him dead unjustly.\" And\nsaid the other, \"Had we known that the king would slay him on the\nspot, we had not done what we did.\" When the king heard that, he\ncould not contain himself, but rushed in upon them and said to\nthem, \"Woe to you! What did ye? Tell me.\" And they cried,\n\"Am\u00e1n,[FN#217] O king!\" He cried, \"An ye would have pardon from\nAllah and me, you are bound to tell me the truth, for nothing\nshall save you from me but soothfastness.\" Hereat they prostrated\nthemselves before him and said, \"By Allah, O king, the Wazirs\ngave us this gold and taught us to lie against Abu Tammam, so\nthou mightest kill him, and what we said was their speech.\" When\nthe king heard this, he plucked at his beard, till he was like to\ntear it up by the roots and bit upon his fingers, till he well\nnigh cut them in twain, for repentance and sorrow that he had\nwrought hastily and had not delayed with Abu Tammam, so he might\nconsider his case. Then he sent for the Ministers and said to\nthem, \"O villainous Wazirs, ye deemed that Allah was heedless of\nyour deed, but right soon shall your wickedness revert upon you.\nKnow ye not that whoso diggeth for his brother a pit shall\nhimself fall into it?[FN#218] Take from me the punishment of this\nworld and to-morrow ye shall receive the punishment of the next\nworld and requital from Allah.\" Then he bade put them to death;\nso the headsman smote off their heads before the king, and he\nwent in to his wife and acquainted her with whatso he had misdone\nto Abu Tammam; whereupon she grieved for him with mighty great\ngrief and the king and his household ceased not weeping and\nrepenting all their lives. Moreover, they brought Abu Tammam\nforth of the well and the king built him a dome[FN#219] in his\npalace and buried him therein. \"See, then, O auspicious king\"\n(continued the youth), \"what jealousy doth and injustice and how\nAllah caused the Wazirs' malice to revert upon their own necks;\nand I trust in the Almighty that He will empower me over all who\nenvy me my favour with the king and show forth the truth unto\nhim. Indeed, I dread naught for my life from death; only I fear\nlest the king repent of my slaughter, for that I am guiltless of\noffence, and if I knew that I were guilty on any wise, my tongue\nwould be dumb-struck.\" When the king heard this, he bowed his\nhead groundwards in perplexity and confusion and said, \"Restore\nhim to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his case.\"\n\n\n\n\n                         The Ninth Day.\n\n\n\nOf Destiny or That Which is Written on the Forehead.\n\n\n\nNow when it was the ninth day, the Wazirs met and said one to\nother, \"Verily, this youth baffleth us, for as often as the king\nis minded to kill him, he beguileth him and bewitcheth him with a\nstory; so what be your rede we should do, that we may slay him\nand be at rest from him?\" Then they advised together and agreed\nthat they should go to the king's wife.[FN#220] So they betook\nthemselves to her and said to her, \"Thou art careless of this\naffair wherein thou art and this uncare shall not profit thee;\nwhilst the king, occupied with eating and drinking and diversion,\nforgetteth that the folk beat upon tambourines and sing of thee\nand say, The wife of the king loveth the youth; and as long as he\nabideth alive the talk will increase and not diminish.\" Quoth\nshe, \"By Allah, 'twas ye egged me on against him, and what shall\nI do now?\" and quoth they, \"Go thou in to the king and weep and\nsay to him, 'Verily, the women come to me and inform me that I am\ndishonoured throughout the city, and what is thine advantage in\nthe sparing of this youth? An thou wilt not slay him, slay me to\nthe end that this talk may be cut off from us.'\" So the woman\narose and rending her raiment, went in to the king, in the\npresence of the Wazirs, and cast herself upon him, saying, \"O\nking, is my shame not upon thee or fearest thou not shame?\nIndeed, this is not the fashion of kings that their jealousy over\ntheir women should be such as this.[FN#221] Thou art heedless and\nall the folk of the realm prate of thee, men and women. Either\nslay him, that the talk may be cut off, or slay me, if thy soul\nwill not consent to his slaughter.\" Thereupon the king's wrath\nwaxed hot and he said to her, \"I have no pleasure in his\ncontinuance and needs must I slay him this very day. So return to\nthy palace and solace thy heart.\" Then he bade fetch the youth;\nwhereupon they brought him before him and the Wazirs said, \"O base\nof base, fie upon thee! Thy life-term is at hand and earth\nhungereth for thy flesh, so it may make a meal of it.\" But he\nsaid to them, \"Death is not in your word or in your envy; nay, it\nis a destiny written upon the forehead: wherefore, if aught be\nwrit upon my front, there is no help but it come to pass, and\nneither striving nor thought-taking nor precaution-seeking shall\ndeliver me therefrom; even as happened to King Ibrahim and his\nson.\" Quoth the king, \"Who was King Ibrahim and who was his son?\"\nand quoth the youth \"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of King Ibrahim and his Son.[FN#222]\n\n\n\nThere was once a king of the kings, Sultan Ibrahim hight, to whom\nthe sovrans abased themselves and did obedience; but he had no\nson and was straitened of breast because of that, fearing lest\nthe kingship go forth of his hand. He ceased not to long for a\nson and to buy slave-girls and lie with them, till one of them\nconceived, whereat he rejoiced with passing joy and gave great\ngifts and the largest largesse. When the girl's months were\ncomplete and the time of her lying-in drew near, the king\nsummoned the astrologers and they watched for the hour of\nchild-bearing and raised their astrolabes and carefully noted the\ntime. The hand-maid gave birth to a man-child, whereat the king\nrejoiced exceedingly, and the people congratulated one another\nwith this glad news. Then the astrophils made their calculations\nand looked into his nativity and his ascendant, whereupon their\ncolour changed and they were confounded. Quoth the king to them,\n\"Acquaint me with his horoscope and ye shall have assurance of\npardon and have naught to fear.\"[FN#223] They replied, \"O king,\nthis princely child's nativity denoteth that, in the seventh year\nof his age, there is fearful danger for him from a lion, which\nshall attempt to rend him: and if he be saved from the lion,\nthere will betide a matter yet sorer and more grievous even than\nthat.\" Asked the king, \"What is it?\" and they answered, \"We will\nnot speak, except the king command us and give us assurance from\nfear.\" Quoth the king, \"Allah assure you!\" and quoth they, \"An he\nbe saved from the lion, the king's destruction shall be at his\nhand.\" When the king heard this, his complexion changed and his\nbreast was straitened; but he said to himself, \"I will be\nwatchful and do my endeavour and suffer not the lion to eat him.\nIt cannot be that he will kill me, and indeed 'The astrologers\nlied.'\"[FN#224] Then he caused rear him among the wet-nurses and\nthe noble matrons;[FN#225] but withal he ceased not to ponder the\nprediction of the astrophils and verily his life was troubled. So\nhe betook himself to the top of a high mountain and hollowed\nthere a deep excavation[FN#226] and made in it many\ndwelling-places and rooms and filled it with all that was needful\nof rations and raiment and what not else and laid in it\npipe-conduits of water from the mountain and lodged the boy\ntherein, with a nurse who should rear him. Moreover, at the first\nof each month he used to go to the mountain and stand at the\nmouth of the hollow and let down a rope he had with him and draw\nup the boy to him and strain him to his bosom and kiss him and\nplay with him awhile, after which he would let him down again to\nhis place and return; and he was wont to count the days till the\nseven years should pass by. Now when arrived the time of the Fate\nforeordered and the Fortune graven on the forehead and there\nremained for the boy but ten days till the seven years should be\ncomplete, there came to that mountain hunters chasing wild beasts\nand, seeing a lion, they attacked him. He fled from them and\nseeking refuge in the mountain, fell into the hollow in its\nmidst. The nurse saw him forthwith and escaped from him into one\nof the chambers; upon which the lion made for the lad and seizing\nupon him, tare his shoulder, after which he sought the room\nwherein was the nurse and falling upon her, devoured her, whilst\nthe boy lay in a swoon. Meanwhile, when the huntsmen saw that the\nlion had fallen into the pit, they came to the mouth and heard\nthe shrieking of the boy and the woman; and after awhile the\ncries died away, whereby they knew that the lion had slain them.\nPresently, as they stood by the mouth of the excavation behold,\nthe lion came scrambling up the sides and would have issued\nforth: but, as often as he showed his head, they pelted him with\nstones, till they beat him down and he fell; whereupon one of the\nhunters descended into the pit and despatched him and saw the boy\nwounded; after which he went to the chamber, where he found the\nwoman dead, and indeed the lion had eaten his fill of her. Then\nhe noted that which was therein of clothes and what not else, and\nnotifying his mates, fell to passing the stuff up to them:\nlastly, he took up the boy and bringing him forth of the pit,\ncarried him to their dwelling-place where they dressed his\nwounds. He grew up with them, but acquainted them not with his\naffair; and indeed, when they questioned him, he knew not what he\nshould say, because they let him down into the pit when he was a\nlittle one. The hunters marvelled at his speech and loved him\nwith exceeding love and one of them took him to son and abode\nrearing him by his side and training him in hunting and\nhorse-riding, till he reached the age of twelve and became a\nbrave, going forth with the folk to the chase and to the cutting\nof the way. Now it chanced one day that they sallied forth to\nstop the road and fell in with a caravan during the night: but\nits stout fellows were on their guard; so they joined battle with\nthe robbers and overcame them and slew them and the boy fell\nwounded and tarried cast down in that place till the morrow, when\nhe opened his eyes and finding his comrades slain, lifted himself\nup and arose to walk the road. Presently, there met him a man, a\ntreasure-seeker, and asked him, \"Whither away, O lad?\" So he told\nhim what had betided him and the other said, \"Be of good heart,\nfor that the tide of thy good fortune is come and Allah bringeth\nthee joy and gladness. I am one who am in quest of a hidden\ntreasure, wherein is a mighty mickle of wealth. So come with me\nthat thou mayst help me, and I will give thee monies with which\nthou shalt provide thyself all thy life long.\" Then he carried\nthe youth to his dwelling and dressed his wounds, and he tarried\nwith him some days till he was rested; when the treasure-seeker\ntook him and two beasts and all that he needed, and they fared on\ntill they came to a towering highland. Here the man brought out a\nbook and reading therein, dug in the crest of the mountain five\ncubits deep, whereupon there appeared to him a stone. He pulled\nit up and behold it was a trap-door covering the mouth of a pit.\nSo he waited till the foul air[FN#227] was come forth from the\nmidst of the pit, when he bound a rope about the lad's middle and\nlet him down bucket-wise to the bottom, and with him a lighted\nwaxen taper. The boy looked and beheld, at the upper end of the\npit, wealth abundant; so the treasure-seeker let down a rope and\na basket and the boy fell to filling and the man to drawing up,\ntill the fellow had got his sufficiency, when he loaded his\nbeasts and ceased working, whilst the boy looked for him to let\ndown the rope and draw him up; but he rolled a great stone to the\nmouth of the pit and went his ways. When the boy saw what the\ntreasure-seeker had done with him, he relied upon Allah (extolled\nand exalted be He!) and abode perplexed concerning his case and\nsaid, \"How bitter be this death!\" for indeed the world was\ndarkened on him and the pit was blinded to him. So he fell\na-weeping and saying, \"I escaped the lion and the robbers and now\nis my death to be in this pit, where I shall die by slow\ndegrees.\" And he abode perplexed and looked for nothing but\ndeath. But as he stood pondering, behold, he heard a sound of\nwater rushing with a thunderous noise; so he arose and walked in\nthe pit, following the sound, till he came to a corner and heard\nthe mighty coursing of water. Then he laid his ear to the sound\nof the current and hearing it rushing in great strength, said to\nhimself, \"This is the flowing of a mighty watercourse and needs\nmust I depart life in this place, be it to-day or to-morrow; so I\nwill throw myself into the stream and not die a slow death in\nthis pit.\" Thereupon he called up his courage and gathering up\nhis skirts, cast himself into the water, and it bore him along\nwith force exceeding and carrying him under the earth, stayed not\ntill it brought him out into a deep Wady, adown which ran a great\nriver, that welled up from under the ground. When he found\nhimself on the face of earth, he abode dazed and a-swoon all that\nday; after which he came to himself and rising, fared on along\nthat valley; and he ceased not his wayfare, praising Almighty\nAllah the while, till he came to an inhabited land and a great\nvillage in the reign of the king his sire. So he entered and\nforegathered with the villagers, who questioned him of his case;\nwhereupon he told them his tale, and they admired how Allah had\ndelivered him from all those dangers. Then he took up his abode\nwith them and they loved him much. On this wise happened it to\nhim; but as regards the king, his father, when he went to the\npit, as was his wont, and called the nurse, she returned him no\nanswer, whereat his breast was straitened and he let down a man\nwho found the woman dead and the boy gone and acquainted\ntherewith the king, who when he heard this, buffeted his head and\nwept with sore weeping and descended into the midst of the pit\nthat he might see how the case stood. There he espied the nurse\nslain and the lion dead, but beheld not the boy; so he returned\nand acquainted the astrologers with the soothfastness of their\nsaying, and they replied, \"O king, the lion hath eaten him;\ndestiny hath been wroughten upon him and thou art delivered from\nhis hand; for, had he been saved from the lion, we indeed, by\nAllah, had feared for thee from him, because the king's\ndestruction would have been at his hand.\" So the king ceased to\nsorrow for this and the days passed by and the affair was\nforgotten. Meanwhile the boy grew up and abode with the people of\nthe village, and when Allah willed the accomplishing of His\ncommandment, which no endeavour availeth to avert, he went forth\nwith a party of the villagers to cut the way. The folk complained\nto King Ibrahim his father, who sallied out with a company of his\nmen and surrounded the highwaymen. Now that boy was with them,\nand he drew forth an arrow and launched it at them, and it smote\nthe king and wounded him in a mortal place. So they carried him\nto his palace, after they had laid hands upon the youth and his\ncomrades and brought them before the sovran, saying, \"What\nbiddest us to do with them?\" Quoth he, \"I am presently in trouble\nfor myself, so bring me the astrologers.\" Accordingly, they\nbrought them before him and he said to them, \"Ye said to me Thy\ndeath shall be by slaying at the hand of thy son: how, then,\nbefalleth it that I have got my death-hurt by yonder thieves?\"\nThe astrologers marvelled and said to him, \"O king, 'tis not\nbeyond the lore of the stars, together with the doom of Allah,\nthat he who hath smitten thee should be thy son.\" When King\nIbrahim heard this, he bade fetch the thieves and said to them,\n\"Tell me truly, which of you shot the shaft that wounded me.\"\nSaid they, \"'Twas this youth that is with us.\" Whereupon the king\nfell to considering him and said, \"O youth, acquaint me with thy\ncase and tell me who was thy father and thou shalt have assurance\nof safety from Allah.\" The youth replied, \"O my lord, I know no\nfather; as for me, my father lodged me in a pit, with a nurse to\nrear me, and one day, there fell in upon us a lion, which tare my\nshoulder, then left me and occupied himself with the nurse and\nrent her in pieces; and Allah vouchsafed me one who brought me\nforth the pit.\" Then he related to him all that had befallen him,\nfirst and last; which when King Ibrahim heard, he cried out and\nsaid, \"By Allah, this is my son!\" presently adding, \"Bare thy\nshoulder.\" So he uncovered it, and behold, it was scarred. Then\nthe king assembled his lords and lieges and the astrologers and\nsaid to them, \"Know that what Allah hath writ upon the forehead,\nbe it fair fortune or misfortune, none may efface, and all that\nis decreed to a man must perforce befal him. Indeed, this my\ncare-taking and my endeavour profited me naught, for what weird\nAllah decreed for my son, he hath dreed and whatso He decreed to\nme I have endured. Nevertheless, I praise Allah and thank Him\nbecause this was at my son's hand, and not at the hand of\nanother, and Alhamdolillah\u2014laud to the Lord\u2014for that the\nkingship is come to my son!\" And he strained the youth to his\nbosom and embraced him and kissed him, saying \"O my son, this\nmatter was after such fashion, and of my watchfulness over thee\nfrom Fate, I lodged thee in that pit; but caretaking availed\nnot.\" Then he took the crown of the kingship and set it on his\nson's head and caused the lieges and the people do homage to him\nand commended the subjects to his care and enjoined to him\njustice and equity. And he farewelled him that night and died and\nhis son reigned in his stead.[FN#228] \"On like wise, O king\"\n(continued the young treasurer), \"'tis with thee. If Allah have\nwritten aught on my forehead, needs must it befal me and my\nspeech to the king shall not avail me; no, nor my illustrating it\nto him with instances, against the doom of Allah. And so it is\nwith these Wazirs, for all their eagerness and endeavour for my\ndestruction, this shall not profit them; because, if Allah\ndetermine to save me, He will give me the victory over them.\"\nWhen the king heard these words he became perplexed and said,\n\"Return him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into\nhis affair, for the day draweth to an end and I mean to do him\ndead in foulest sort, and to-morrow we will visit him with that\nwhich he meriteth.\"\n\n\n\n\n                         The Tenth Day.\n\n\n\nOf the Appointed Term,[FN#229] Which, if it be Advanced, may\nnot be Deferred, and if it be Deferred, may not be Advanced.\n\n\n\nWhen it was the tenth day (now this day was called\nAl-Mihrj\u00e1n[FN#230] and it was the day of the coming in of the\nfolk, gentle and simple, to the king, so they might give him joy\nand salute him and go forth), the council of the Wazirs agreed\nthat they should speak with a company of the city notables. So\nthey said to them, \"When ye go in today to the king and salute\nhim, do ye say to him, 'O king, (to the Lord be the laud!) thou\nart praiseworthy of policy and procedure and just to all thy\nsubjects; but respecting this youth whom thou hast favoured and\nwho nevertheless hath reverted to his base origin and done this\nfoul deed, what is thy purpose in his continuance? Indeed, thou\nhast prisoned him in thy palace, and every day thou hearest his\npalaver and thou knowest not what the folk say.'\" And they\nanswered, \"Hearing is obeying.\" Accordingly, when they entered\nwith the folk and had prostrated themselves before the king and\ncongratulated his majesty, he raised their several degrees. Now\nit was the custom of the folk to salute and go forth; but they\ntook seat, and the king knew that they had a word they would fain\naddress to him: so he turned to them (the Wazirs being also\npresent) and said, \"Ask your need.\" Therefore they repeated to\nhim all that the Ministers had taught them and the Wazirs also\nspoke with them; and Azadbakht said to them, \"O folk, I would\nhave it known to you that there is no doubt with me concerning\nthis your speech proceeding from love and loyal counsel to me,\nand ye ken that, were I inclined to kill half these folk, I could\ndo them die and this would not be hard to me; so how shall I not\nslay this youth and he in my power and in the hending of my hand?\nIndeed, his crime is manifest and he hath incurred death penalty;\nand I have deferred it only by reason of the greatness of the\noffence; for, an I do this with him and my proof against him be\nstrengthened, my heart is healed and the heart of my whole folk;\nand if I slay him not to-day, his slaying shall not escape me\nto-morrow.\" Then he bade fetch the youth who, when present\nbetween his hands, prostrated to him and blessed him; whereupon\nquoth the king, \"Woe to thee! How long shall the folk upbraid me\non thine account and blame me for delaying thy death? Even the\npeople of my city reproach me because of thee, so that I am grown\na prating-stock amongst them, and indeed they come in to me and\nreproach me for not putting thee to death. How long shall I delay\nthis? Verily, this very day I mean to shed thy blood and rid the\nfolk of thy prattling.\" The youth replied, \"O king, an there have\nbetided thee talk because of me, by Allah, and again by Allah the\nGreat, those who have brought on thee this talk from the folk are\nnone but these wicked Wazirs, who chatter with the crowd and tell\nthem foul tales and ill things in the king's house, but I hope in\nthe Most High that He will cause their malice to recoil upon\ntheir own heads. As for the king's menace of slaying me, I am in\nthe grip of his hand; so let not the king occupy his mind with my\nslaughter, because I am like the sparrow in the grasp of the\nfowler; if he will, he cutteth his throat, and if he will, he\nletteth him go. As for the delaying of my death, 'tis not from\nthe king, but from Him in whose hand is my life; for, by Allah, O\nking, an the Almighty willed my slaughter, thou couldst not\npostpone it; no, not for a single hour. And, indeed, man availeth\nnot to fend off evil from himself, even as it was with the son of\nKing Sulayman Shah, whose anxiety and carefulness for the winning\nof his wish in the matter of the new-born child availed him\nnaught, for his last hour was deferred how many a time! and Allah\nsaved him until he had accomplished his period and had fulfilled\nhis life-term.\" Cried the king, \"Fie upon thee, how great is thy\ncraft and thy talk! Tell me, what was their tale.\" And the youth\nsaid, \"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of King Sulayman Shah and his Niece.[FN#231]\n\n\n\nThere was once a king named Sulayman Sh\u00e1h, who was goodly of\npolicy and rede, and he had a brother who died and left a\ndaughter; so Sulayman Shah reared her with the best of rearing\nand the girl became a model of reason and perfection, nor was\nthere in her time a more beautiful than she. Now the king had two\nsons, one of whom he had appointed in his mind to wed her, while\nthe other purposed to take her. The elder son's name was\nBahluw\u00e1n[FN#232] and that of the younger Malik Sh\u00e1h[FN#233], and\nthe girl was called Sh\u00e1h Kh\u00e1t\u00fan. Now one day, King Sulayman Shah\nwent in to his brother's daughter and kissing her head, said to\nher, \"Thou art my daughter and dearer to me than a child, for the\nlove of thy late father who hath found mercy; wherefore I purpose\nespousing thee to one of my sons and appointing him my heir\napparent, so he may be king after me. Look, then, which thou wilt\nhave of my sons,[FN#234] for that thou hast been reared with them\nand knowest them.\" The maiden arose and kissing his hand, said to\nhim, \"O my lord, I am thine hand-maid and thou art the ruler over\nme; so whatever liketh thee do that same, inasmuch as thy wish is\nhigher and honourabler and holier than mine and if thou wouldst\nhave me serve thee as a hand-maid for the rest of my life, 'twere\nfairer to me than any mate.\" The king commended her speech and\nconferred on her a robe of honour and gave her magnificent gifts;\nafter which, his choice having fallen upon his younger son, Malik\nShah, he wedded her with him and made him his heir apparent and\nbade the folk swear fealty to him. When this reached his brother\nBahluwan and he was ware that his younger brother had by favour\nbeen preferred over him, his breast was straitened and the affair\nwas sore to him and envy entered into him and hate; but he hid\nthis in his heart, whilst fire raged therein because of the\ndamsel and the dominion. Meanwhile Shah Khatun went in bridal\nsplendour to the king's son and conceived by him and bare a son,\nas he were the illuming moon. When Bahluwan saw this betide his\nbrother, envy and jealousy overcame him; so he went in one night\nto his father's palace and coming to his brother's chamber, saw\nthe nurse sleeping at the door, with the cradle before her and\ntherein his brother's child asleep. Bahluwan stood by him and\nfell to looking upon his face, whose radiance was as that of the\nmoon, and Satan insinuated himself into his heart, so that he\nbethought himself and said, \"Why be not this babe mine? Verily, I\nam worthier of him than my brother; yea, and of the damsel and\nthe dominion.\" Then the idea got the mastery of him and anger\ndrave him, so that he took out a knife, and setting it to the\nchild's gullet, cut his throat and would have severed his\nwindpipe. So he left him for dead and entering his brother's\nchamber, saw him asleep, with the Princess by his side, and\nthought to slay her, but said to himself, \"I will leave the\ngirl-wife for myself.\" Then he went up to his brother and cutting\nhis throat, parted head from body, after which he left him and\nwent away. But now the world was straitened upon him and his life\nwas a light matter to him and he sought the lodging of his sire\nSulayman Shah, that he might slay him also, but could not get\nadmission to him. So he went forth from the palace and hid\nhimself in the city till the morrow, when he repaired to one of\nhis father's fortalices and therein fortified himself. On this\nwise it was with him; but as regards the nurse, she presently\nawoke that she might give the child suck, and seeing the cradle\nrunning with blood, cried out; whereupon the sleepers started up\nand the king was aroused and making for the place, found the\nchild with his throat cut and the bed running over with blood and\nhis father dead with a slit weasand in his sleeping chamber. They\nexamined the child and found life in him and his windpipe whole\nand they sewed up the place of the wound: then the king sought\nhis son Bahluwan, but found him not and saw that he had fled; so\nhe knew that it was he who had done this deed, and this was\ngrievous to the king and to the people of his realm and to the\nlady Shah Khatun. Thereupon the king laid out his son Malik Shah\nand buried him and made him a mighty funeral and they mourned\nwith passing sore mourning; after which he applied himself to\nrearing the infant. As for Bahluwan, when he fled and fortified\nhimself, his power waxed amain and there remained for him but to\nmake war upon his father, who had cast his fondness upon the\nchild and used to rear him on his knees and supplicate Almighty\nAllah that he might live, so he might commit the command to him.\nWhen he came to five years of age, the king mounted him on\nhorseback and the people of the city rejoiced in him and prayed\nfor him length of life, that he might take vengeance for his\nfather[FN#235] and heal his grandsire's heart. Meanwhile,\nBahluwan the rebel[FN#236] addressed himself to pay court to\nC\u00e6sar, king of the Roum[FN#237] and crave aid of him in\ndebelling his father, and he inclined unto him and gave him a\nnumerous army. His sire the king hearing of this sent to C\u00e6sar,\nsaying, \"O glorious king of might illustrious, succour not an\nevil doer. This is my son and he hath done so and so and cut his\nbrother's throat and that of his brother's son in the cradle.\"\nBut he told not the king of the Roum that the child had recovered\nand was alive. When C\u00e6sar heard the truth of the matter, it was\ngrievous to him as grievous could be, and he sent back to\nSulayman Shah, saying, \"An it be thy wish, O king, I will cut off\nhis head and send it to thee.\" But he made answer, saying, \"I\ncare naught for him: soon and surely the reward of his deed and\nhis crimes shall overtake him, if not to-day, then tomorrow.\" And\nfrom that date he continued to exchange letters and presents with\nC\u00e6sar. Now the king of the Roum heard tell of the widowed\nPrincess[FN#238] and of the beauty and loveliness wherewith she\nwas endowed, wherefore his heart clave to her and he sent to seek\nher in wedlock of Sulayman Shah, who could not refuse him. So he\narose and going in to Shah Khatun, said to her, \"O my daughter,\nthe king of the Roum hath sent to me to seek thee in marriage.\nWhat sayst thou?\" She wept and replied, \"O king, how canst thou\nfind it in thy heart to address me thus? As for me, abideth there\nhusband for me, after the son of my uncle?\" Rejoined the king, \"O\nmy daughter, 'tis indeed as thou sayest; but here let us look to\nthe issues of affairs. I must now take compt of death, for that I\nam a man shot in years and fear not save for thee and for thy\nlittle son; and indeed I have written to the king of the Roum and\nothers of the kings and said, His uncle slew him, and said not\nthat he had recovered and is living, but concealed his affair.\nNow the king of the Roum hath sent to demand thee in marriage,\nand this is no thing to be refused and fain would we have our\nback strengthened with him.\"[FN#239] And she was silent and spake\nnot. So King Sulayman Shah made answer to C\u00e6sar with \"Hearing\nand obeying.\" Then he arose and despatched her to him, and C\u00e6sar\nwent in to her and found her passing the description wherewith\nthey had described her; wherefore he loved her every day more and\nmore and preferred her over all his women and his affection for\nSulayman Shah was increased; but Shah Khatun's heart still clave\nto her child and she could say naught. As for Sulayman Shah's\nson, the rebel Bahluwan, when he saw that Shah Khatun had married\nthe king of the Roum, this was grievous to him and he despaired\nof her. Meanwhile, his father Sulayman Shah watched over the\nchild and cherished him and named him Malik Shah, after the name\nof his sire. When he reached the age of ten, he made the folk do\nhomage to him and appointed him his heir apparent, and after some\ndays, the old king's time for paying the debt of nature drew near\nand he died. Now a party of the troops had banded themselves\ntogether for Bahluwan; so they sent to him, and bringing him\nprivily, went in to the little Malik Shah and seized him and\nseated his uncle Bahluwan on the throne of kingship. Then they\nproclaimed him king and did homage to him all, saying, \"Verily,\nwe desire thee and deliver to thee the throne of kingship; but we\nwish of thee that thou slay not thy brother's son, because we are\nstill bounden by the oaths we sware to his sire and his grandsire\nand the covenants we made with them.\" So Bahluwan granted this to\nthem and imprisoned the boy in an underground dungeon and\nstraitened him. Presently, the grievous news reached his mother\nand this was to her a fresh grief; but she could not speak and\ncommitted her affair to Allah Almighty, for that she durst not\nname this to King C\u00e6sar her spouse, lest she should make her\nuncle King Sulayman Shah a liar. But as regards Bahluwan the\nRebel, he abode king in his father's place and his affairs\nprospered, while young Malik Shah lay in the souterrain four\nfull-told years, till his favour faded and his charms changed.\nWhen He (extolled and exalted be He!) willed to relieve him and\nto bring him forth of the prison, Bahluwan sat one day with his\nchief Officers and the Lords of his land and discoursed with them\nof the story of his sire, King Sulayman Shah and what was in his\nheart. Now there were present certain Wazirs, men of worth, and\nthey said to him, \"O king, verily Allah hath been bountiful to\nthee and hath brought thee to thy wish, so that thou art become\nking in thy father's place and hast won whatso thou wishedst.\nBut, as for this youth, there is no guilt in him, because he,\nfrom the day of his coming into the world, hath seen neither ease\nnor pleasure, and indeed his favour is faded and his charms\nchanged. What is his crime that he should merit such pains and\npenalties? Indeed, others than he were to blame, and hereto Allah\nhath given thee the victory over them, and there is no fault in\nthis poor lad.\" Quoth Bahluwan, \"Verily, 'tis as ye say; but I\nfear his machinations and am not safe from his mischief; haply\nthe most part of the folk will incline unto him.\" They replied,\n\"O king, what is this boy and what power hath he? An thou fear\nhim, send him to one of the frontiers.\" And Bahluwan said, \"Ye\nspeak sooth; so we will send him as captain of war to reduce one\nof the outlying stations.\" Now over against the place in question\nwas a host of enemies, hard of heart, and in this he designed the\nslaughter of the youth; so he bade bring him forth of the\nunderground dungeon and caused him draw near to him and saw his\ncase. Then he robed him, whereat the folk rejoiced, and bound for\nhim the banners[FN#240] and, giving him a mighty many, despatched\nhim to the quarter aforesaid, whither all who went or were slain\nor were taken. Accordingly Malik Shah fared thither with his\nforce and when it was one of the days, behold, the enemy attacked\nthem in the night; whereupon some of his men fled and the rest\nthe enemy captured; and they seized Malik Shah also and cast him\ninto a pit with a company of his men. His fellows mourned over\nhis beauty and loveliness and there he abode a whole twelvemonth\nin evillest plight. Now at the beginning of every year it was the\nenemy's wont to bring forth their prisoners and cast them down\nfrom the top of the citadel to the bottom; so at the customed\ntime they brought them forth and cast them down, and Malik Shah\nwith them. However, he fell upon the other men and the ground\ntouched him not, for his term was God-guarded. But those who were\ncast down there were slain upon the spot and their bodies ceased\nnot to lie there till the wild beasts ate them and the winds\nscattered their bones. Malik Shah abode strown in his place and\naswoon, all that day and that night, and when he revived and\nfound himself safe and sound, he thanked Allah the Most High for\nhis safety and rising, left the place. He gave not over walking,\nunknowing whither he went and dieting upon the leaves of the\ntrees; and by day he hid himself where he might and fared on at\nhazard all his night; and thus he did for some days, till he came\nto a populous part and seeing folk there, accosted them. He\nacquainted them with his case, giving them to know that he had\nbeen prisoned in the fortress and that they had thrown him down,\nbut Almighty Allah had saved him and brought him off alive. The\npeople had ruth on him and gave him to eat and drink and he abode\nwith them several days; then he questioned them of the way that\nled to the kingdom of his uncle Bahluwan, but told them not that\nhe was his father's brother. So they showed him the road and he\nceased not to go barefoot, till he drew near his uncle's capital,\nnaked, anhungered, and indeed his limbs were lean and his colour\nchanged. He sat down at the city gate, when behold, up came a\ncompany of King Bahluwan's chief officers, who were out a-hunting\nand wished to water their horses. They lighted down to rest and\nthe youth accosted them, saying, \"I would ask you of somewhat\nthat ye may acquaint me therewith.\" Quoth they, \"Ask what thou\nwilt;\" and quoth he, \"Is King Bahluwan well?\" They derided him\nand replied, \"What a fool art thou, O youth! Thou art a stranger\nand a beggar, and whence art thou that thou should'st question\nconcerning the king?\"[FN#241] Cried he, \"In very sooth, he is my\nuncle;\" whereat they marvelled and said, \"'Twas one\ncatch-question[FN#242] and now 'tis become two.\" Then said they\nto him, \"O youth, it is as if thou wert Jinn-mad. Whence comest\nthou to claim kinship with the king? Indeed, we know not that he\nhath any kith and kin save a nephew, a brother's son, who was\nprisoned with him, and he despatched him to wage war upon the\ninfidels, so that they slew him.\" Said Malik Shah, \"I am he and\nthey slew me not, but there befel me this and that.\" They knew\nhim forthwith and rising to him, kissed his hands and rejoiced in\nhim and said to him, \"O our lord, thou art indeed a king and the\nson of a king, and we desire thee naught but good and we pray for\nthy continuance. Look how Allah hath rescued thee from this\nwicked uncle, who sent thee to a place whence none ever came off\nsafe and sound, purposing not in this but thy destruction; and\nindeed thou fellest upon death from which Allah delivered thee.\nHow, then, wilt thou return and cast thyself again into thine\nfoeman's hand? By Allah, save thyself and return not to him this\nsecond time. Haply thou shalt abide upon the face of the earth\ntill it please Almighty Allah to receive thee; but, an thou fall\nagain into his hand, he will not suffer thee to live a single\nhour.\" The Prince thanked them and said to them, \"Allah reward\nyou with all weal, for indeed ye give me loyal counsel; but\nwhither would ye have me wend?\" Quoth they, \"To the land of the\nRoum, the abiding place of thy mother.\" \"But,\" quoth he, \"My\ngrandfather Sulayman Shah, when the king of the Roum wrote to him\ndemanding my mother in marriage, hid my affair and secreted my\nsecret; and she hath done the same, and I cannot make her a\nliar.\" Rejoined they, \"Thou sayst sooth, but we desire thine\nadvantage, and even wert thou to take service with the folk,\n'twere a means of thy continuance.\" Then each and every of them\nbrought out to him money and gave him a modicum and clad him and\nfed him and fared on with him the length of a parasang, till they\nbrought him far from the city, and letting him know that he was\nsafe, departed from him, whilst he journeyed till he came forth\nof his uncle's reign and entered the dominion of the Roum. Then\nhe made a village and taking up his abode therein, applied\nhimself to serving one there in earing and seeding and the like.\nAs for his mother, Shah Khatun, great was her longing for her\nchild and she thought of him ever and news of him was cut off\nfrom her, so her life was troubled and she foresware sleep and\ncould not make mention of him before King C\u00e6sar her spouse. Now\nshe had a Castrato who had come with her from the court of her\nuncle King Sulayman Shah, and he was intelligent, quick-witted,\nright-reded. So she took him apart one day and said to him,\nshedding tears the while, \"Thou hast been my Eunuch from my\nchildhood to this day; canst thou not therefore get me tidings of\nmy son, seeing that I cannot speak of his matter?\" He replied, \"O\nmy lady, this is an affair which thou hast concealed from the\ncommencement, and were thy son here, 'twould not be possible for\nthee to entertain him, lest[FN#243] thine honour be smirched with\nthe king; for they would never credit thee, since the news hath\nbeen bruited abroad that thy son was slain by his uncle.\" Quoth\nshe, \"The case is even as thou sayst and thou speaketh sooth;\nbut, provided I know that my son is alive, let him be in these\nparts pasturing sheep and let me not sight him nor he sight me.\"\nHe asked, \"How shall we manage in this matter?\" and she answered,\n\"Here be my treasures and my wealth: take all thou wilt and bring\nme my son or else tidings of him.\" Then they devised a device\nbetween them, which was that they should feign some business in\ntheir own country, to wit that she had wealth there buried from\nthe time of her husband, Malik Shah, and that none knew of it but\nthis Eunuch who was with her, so it behoved him to go fetch it.\nAccordingly she acquainted the king her husband with that and\nsought his permit for the Eunuch to fare: and the king granted\nhim leave of absence for the journey and charged him devise a\ndevice, lest he come to grief. The Castrato, therefore, disguised\nhimself in merchant's habit and repairing to Bahluwan's city,\nbegan to make espial concerning the youth's case; whereupon they\ntold him that he had been prisoned in a souterrain and that his\nuncle had released him and despatched him to such a place, where\nthey had slain him. When the Eunuch heard this, the mishap was\ngrievous to him and his breast was straitened and he knew not\nwhat to do. It chanced one day of the days that a certain of the\nhorsemen, who had fallen in with the young Malik Shah by the\nwater and clad him and given him spending-money, saw the Eunuch in\nthe city, habited as a merchant, and recognising him, questioned\nhim of his case and of the cause of his coming. Quoth he, \"I came\nto sell merchandise;\" and quoth the horseman, \"I will tell thee\nsomewhat, an thou canst keep it secret.\" Answered the Neutral,\n\"That I can! What is it?\" and the other said, \"We met the king's\nson Malik Shah, I and sundry of the Arabs who were with me, and\nsaw him by such a water and gave him spending-money and sent him\ntowards the land of the Roum, near his mother, for that we feared\nfor him lest his uncle Bahluwan slay him.\" Then he told him all\nthat had passed between them, whereat the Eunuch's countenance\nchanged and he said to the cavalier \"Thou art safe!\" The knight\nreplied, \"Thou also art safe though thou come in quest of him.\"\nAnd the Eunuch rejoined, saying, \"Truly, that is my errand: there\nis no rest for his mother, lying down or rising up, and she hath\nsent me to seek news of him.\" Quoth the cavalier, \"Go in safety,\nfor he is in a quarter of the land of the Roum, even as I said to\nthee.\" The Castrato thanked him and blessed him and mounting,\nreturned upon his road, following the trail, whilst the knight\nrode with him to a certain highway, when he said to him, \"This is\nwhere we left him.\" Then he took leave of him and returned to his\nown city, whilst the Eunuch fared on along the road, enquiring in\nevery village he entered of the youth, by the description which\nthe rider had given him, and he ceased not thus to do till he\ncame to the village wherein was young Malik Shah. So he entered,\nand dismounting, made enquiry after the Prince, but none gave him\nnews of him; whereat he abode perplexed concerning his affair and\nmade ready to depart. Accordingly he mounted his horse; but, as\nhe passed through the village, he saw a cow bound with a rope and\na youth asleep by her side, hending the halter in hand; so he\nlooked at him and passed on and heeded him not in his heart; but\npresently he halted and said to himself, \"An the youth whom I am\nquesting have become the like of this sleeping youth whom I\npassed but now, how shall I know him? Alas, the length of my\ntravail and travel! How shall I go about in search of a somebody\nI know not, one whom, if I saw him face to face I should not\nknow?\" So saying he turned back, musing anent that sleeping\nyouth, and coming to him, he still sleeping, dismounted from his\nmare and sat down by his side. He fixed his eyes upon his face\nand considered him awhile and said in himself, \"For aught I wot,\nthis youth may be Malik Shah;\" then he began hemming and saying,\n\"Harkye, O youth!\" Whereupon the sleeper awoke and sat up; and\nthe Eunuch asked him, \"Who be thy father in this village and\nwhere be thy dwelling?\" The youth sighed and replied, \"I am a\nstranger;\" and quoth the Castrato, \"From what land art thou and\nwho is thy sire?\" Quoth the other, \"I am from such a land,\" and\nthe Eunuch ceased not to question him and he to answer his\nqueries, till he was certified of him and knew him. So he rose\nand embraced him and kissed him and wept over his case: he also\ntold him that he was wandering about in search of him and\ninformed him that he was come privily from the king, his mother's\nhusband, and that his mother would be satisfied to weet that he\nwas alive and well, though she saw him not. Then he re-entered\nthe village and buying the Prince a horse, mounted him and they\nceased not going till they came to the frontier of their own\ncountry, where there fell robbers upon them by the way and took\nall that was with them and pinioned them; after which they threw\nthem in a pit hard by the road and went their ways and left them\nto die there; and indeed they had cast many folk into that pit\nand they had perished. The Eunuch fell a-weeping in the pit and\nthe youth said to him, \"What is this weeping and what shall it\nprofit here?\" Quoth the Castrato, \"I weep not for fear of death,\nbut of ruth for thee and the cursedness of thy case and because\nof thy mother's heart and for that which thou hast suffered of\nhorrors and that thy death should be this ignoble death, after\nthe endurance of all manner dire distresses.\" But the youth said,\n\"That which hath betided me was writ to me and that which is\nwritten none hath power to efface; and if my life-term be\nadvanced, none may defer it.\"[FN#244] Then the twain passed that\nnight and the following day and the next night and the next day\nin the hollow, till they were weak with hunger and came nigh upon\ndeath and could but groan feebly. Now it fortuned by the decree\nof Almighty Allah and His destiny, that C\u00e6sar, king of the\nGreeks, the spouse of Malik Shah's mother Shah Khatun, went forth\na-hunting that morning. He flushed a head of game, he and his\ncompany, and chased it, till they came up with it by that pit,\nwhereupon one of them lighted down from his horse, to slaughter\nit, hard by the mouth of the hollow. He heard a sound of low\nmoaning from the sole of the pit; whereat he arose and mounting\nhis horse, waited till the troops were assembled. Then he\nacquainted the king with this and he bade one of his servants\ndescend into the hollow: so the man climbed down and brought out\nthe youth and the Eunuch in fainting condition. They cut their\npinion-bonds and poured wine down their throats, till they came\nto themselves, when the king looked at the Eunuch and recognising\nhim, said, \"Harkye, Suchan-one!\" The Castrato replied, \"Yes, O my\nlord the king,\" and prostrated himself to him; whereat the king\nwondered with exceeding wonder and asked him, \"How camest thou to\nthis place and what hath befallen thee?\" The Eunuch answered, \"I\nwent and took out the treasure and brought it thus far; but the\nevil eye was behind me and I unknowing. So the thieves took us\nalone here and seized the money and cast us into this pit that we\nmight die the slow death of hunger, even as they had done with\nothers; but Allah the Most High sent thee, in pity to us.\" The\nking marvelled, he and his, and praised the Lord for that he had\ncome thither; after which he turned to the Castrato and said to\nhim, \"What is this youth thou hast with thee?\" He replied, \"O\nking, this is the son of a nurse who belonged to us and we left\nhim when he was a little one. I saw him to-day and his mother\nsaid to me, 'Take him with thee;' so this morning I brought him\nthat he might be a servant to the king, for that he is an adroit\nyouth and a clever.\" Then the king fared on, he and his company,\nand with them the Eunuch and the youth, who questioned his\ncompanion of Bahluwan and his dealing with his subjects, and he\nreplied, saying, \"As thy head liveth, O my lord the king, the\nfolk are in sore annoy with him and not one of them wisheth a\nsight of him, be they high or low.\" When the king returned to his\npalace, he went in to his wife Shah Khatun and said to her, \"I\ngive thee the glad tidings of thine Eunuch's return;\" and he told\nher what had betided and of the youth whom he had brought with\nhim. When she heard this, her wits fled and she would have\nscreamed, but her reason restrained her, and the king said to\nher, \"What is this? Art thou overcome with grief for the loss of\nthe monies or for that which hath befallen the Eunuch?\" Said she,\n\"Nay, as thy head liveth, O king, but women are weaklings.\" Then\ncame the Castrato and going in to her, told her all that had\nhappened to him and also acquainted her with her son's case and\nwith that which he had suffered of distresses and how his uncle\nhad exposed him to slaughter, and he had been taken prisoner and\nthey had cast him into the pit and hurled him from the highmost\nof the citadel and how Allah had delivered him from these perils,\nall of them; and whilst he recounted to her all this, she wept.\nThen she asked him, \"When the king saw him and questioned thee of\nhim, what was it thou saidst him?\" and he answered, \"I said to\nhim, 'This is the son of a nurse who belonged to us. We left him\na little one and he grew up; so I brought him, that he might be\nservant to the king.'\" Cried she, \"Thou didst well;\" and she\ncharged him to serve the Prince with faithful service. As for the\nking, he redoubled in kindness to the Castrato and appointed the\nyouth a liberal allowance and he abode going in to and coming out\nof the king's house and standing in his service, and every day he\nwaxed better with him. As for Shah Khatun, she used to station\nherself at watch for him at the windows and in the balconies and\ngaze upon him, and she frying on coals of fire on his account;\nyet could she not speak. In such condition she abode a long while\nand indeed yearning for him was killing her; so she stood and\nwatched for him one day at the door of her chamber and straining\nhim to her bosom, bussed him on the breast and kissed him on\neither cheek. At this moment, behold, out came the major-domo of\nthe king's household and seeing her embracing the youth, started\nin amazement. Then he asked to whom that chamber belonged and was\nanswered, \"To Shah Khatun, wife of the king,\" whereupon he turned\nback, quaking as one smitten by a leven-bolt. The king saw him in\na tremor and said to him, \"Out on thee! what is the matter?\" Said\nhe, \"O king, what matter can be more grievous than that which I\nsee?\" Asked the king, \"What seest thou?\" and the officer\nanswered, \"I see that the youth, who came with the Eunuch, was\nnot brought with him save on account of Shah Khatun; for I passed\nbut now by her chamber door, and she was standing, watching; and\nwhen the youth came up, she rose to him and clipped him and\nkissed him on his cheek.\" When the king heard this, he bowed his\nhead amazed, perplexed, and sinking into a seat, clutched at his\nbeard and shook it until he came nigh upon plucking it out. Then\nhe arose forthright and laid hands on the youth and clapped him\nin jail. He also took the Eunuch and cast them both into a\nsouterrain under his palace. After this he went in to Shah Khatun\nand said to her, \"Brava, by Allah, O daughter of nobles. O thou\nwhom kings sought to wed, for the purity of thy repute and the\nfairness of the fame of thee! How seemly is thy semblance! Now\nmay Allah curse her whose inward contrarieth her outward, after\nthe likeness of thy base favour, whose exterior is handsome and\nits interior fulsome, face fair and deeds foul! Verily, I mean to\nmake of thee and of yonder ne'er-do-well an example among the\nlieges, for that thou sentest not thine Eunuch but of intent on\nhis account, so that he took him and brought him into my palace\nand thou hast trampled[FN#245] my head with him; and this is none\nother than exceeding boldness; but thou shalt see what I will do\nwith you all.\" So saying, he spat in her face and went out from\nher; whilst Shah Khatun said nothing, well knowing that, an she\nspoke at that time, he would not credit her speech. Then she\nhumbled herself in supplication to Allah Almighty and said, \"O\nGod the Great, Thou knowest the things by secrecy ensealed and\ntheir outwards revealed and their inwards concealed! If an\nadvanced life-term be appointed to me, let it not be deferred,\nand if a deferred one, let it not be advanced!\" On this wise she\npassed some days, whilst the king fell into bewilderment and\nforsware meat and drink and sleep, and abode knowing not what he\nshould do and saying to himself, \"An I slay the Eunuch and the\nyouth, my soul will not be solaced, for they are not to blame,\nseeing that she sent to fetch him, and my heart careth not to\nkill them all three. But I will not be hasty in doing them die,\nfor that I fear repentance.\" Then he left them, so he might look\ninto the affair. Now he had a nurse, a foster-mother, on whose\nknees he had been reared, and she was a woman of understanding\nand suspected him, yet dared not question him. So she went in to\nShah Khatun and finding her in yet sadder plight than he, asked\nher what was to do; but she refused to answer. However, the nurse\ngave not over coaxing and questioning her, till she swore her to\nconcealment. Accordingly, the old woman made oath that she would\nkeep secret all that she should say to her, whereupon the Queen\nto her related her history, first and last, and told her that the\nyouth was her son. With this the old woman prostrated herself\nbefore her and said to her, \"This is a right easy matter.\" But\nthe Queen replied, \"By Allah, O my mother, I prefer my\ndestruction and that of my son to defending myself by a plea\nwhich they will not believe; for they will say, 'She pleadeth\nthis only that she may fend off shame from herself.' And naught\nwill profit me save long-suffering.\" The old woman was moved by\nher speech and her wisdom and said to her, \"Indeed, O my\ndaughter, 'tis as thou sayest, and I hope in Allah that He will\nshow forth the truth. Have patience and I will presently go in to\nthe king and hear his words and machinate somewhat in this\nmatter, Inshallah!\" Thereupon the ancient dame arose and going into the king, found him with his head between his knees in sore\npain of sorrow. She sat down by him awhile and bespake him with\nsoft words and said to him,[FN#246] \"Indeed, O my son, thou\nconsumest my vitals, for that these many days thou hast not\nmounted horse, and thou grievest and I know not what aileth\nthee.\" He replied, \"O my mother, all is due to yonder accursed,\nof whom I deemed so well and who hath done this and that.\" Then\nhe related to her the whole story from beginning to end, and she\ncried to him, \"This thy chagrin is on account of a\nno-better-than-she-should-be!\" Quoth he, \"I was but considering\nby what death I should slay them, so the folk may take warning\nand repent.\" And quoth she, \"O my son, 'ware precipitance, for it\ngendereth repentance and the slaying of them shall not escape\nthee. When thou art assured of this affair, do whatso thou\nwillest.\" He rejoined, \"O my mother, there needeth no assurance\nanent him for whom she despatched her Eunuch and he fetched him.\"\nBut she retorted, \"There is a thing wherewith we will make her\nconfess,[FN#247] and all that is in her heart shall be discovered\nto thee.\" Asked the king, \"What is that?\" and she answered, \"I\nwill bring thee the heart of a hoopoe,[FN#248] which, when she\nsleepeth, do thou lay upon her bosom and question her of\neverything thou wouldst know, and she will discover the same unto\nthee and show forth the truth to thee.\" The king rejoiced in this\nand said to his nurse, \"Hasten thou and let none know of thee.\"\nSo she arose and going in to the Queen, said to her, \"I have done\nthy business and 'tis as follows. This night the king will come\nin to thee and do thou seem asleep; and if he ask thee of aught,\ndo thou answer him, as if in thy sleep.\" The Queen thanked her\nand the old dame went away and fetching the bird's heart, gave it\nto the king. Hardly was the night come, when he went in to his\nwife and found her lying back, a-slumbering; so he sat down by\nher side and laying the hoopoe's heart on her breast, waited\nawhile, so he might be assured that she slept. Then said he to\nher, \"Shah Khatun,[FN#249] Shah Khatun, is this my reward from\nthee?\" Quoth she, \"What offence have I committed?\" and quoth he,\n\"What offence can be greater than this? Thou sentest after yonder\nyouth and broughtest him hither, on account of the lust of thy\nheart, so thou mightest do with him that for which thou\nlustedst.\" Said she, \"I know not carnal desire. Verily, among thy\npages are those who are comelier and seemlier than he; yet have I\nnever desired one of them.\" He asked \"Why, then, didst thou lay\nhold of him and kiss him?\" And she answered, \"This youth is my\nson and a piece of my liver; and of my longing and affection for\nhim, I could not contain myself, but sprang upon him and kissed\nhim.\" When the king heard this, he was dazed and amazed and said\nto her, \"Hast thou a proof that this youth is thy son? Indeed, I\nhave a letter from thine uncle King Sulayman Shah, informing me\nthat his uncle Bahluwan cut his throat.\" Said she \"Yes, he did\nindeed cut his throat, but severed not the wind-pipe; so my uncle\nsewed up the wound and reared him, for that his life-term was not\ncome.\" When the king heard this, he said, \"This proof sufficeth\nme,\" and rising forthright in the night, bade bring the youth and\nthe Eunuch. Then he examined his stepson's throat with a candle\nand saw the scar where it had been cut from ear to ear, and\nindeed the place had healed up and it was like a thread stretched\nout. Thereupon the king fell down prostrate before Allah, who had\ndelivered the Prince from all these perils and from the\ndistresses he had suffered, and rejoiced with joy exceeding\nbecause he had delayed and had not made haste to slay him, in\nwhich case mighty sore repentance had betided him.[FN#250] \"As\nfor the youth,\" continued the young treasurer, \"he was not saved\nbut because his life-term was deferred, and in like manner, O\nking, 'tis with me: I too have a deferred term, which I shall\nattain, and a period which I shall accomplish, and I trust in\nAlmighty Allah that He will give me the victory over these\nvillain Wazirs.\" When the youth had made an end of his speech,\nthe king said, \"Restore him to the prison;\" and when they had\ndone this, he turned to the Ministers and said to them, \"Yonder\nyouth lengtheneth his tongue upon you, but I know your tenderness\nfor the weal of mine empire and your loyal counsel to me; so be\nof good heart, for all that ye advise me I will do.\" They\nrejoiced when they heard these words, and each of them said his\nsay. Then quoth the king, \"I have not deferred his slaughter but\nto the intent that the talk might be prolonged and that words\nmight abound, yet shall he now be slain without let or stay, and\nI desire that forthright ye set up for him a gibbet without the\ntown and that the crier cry among the folk bidding them assemble\nand take him and carry him in procession to the gibbet, with the\ncrier crying before him and saying, 'This is the reward of him\nwhom the king delighted to favour and who hath betrayed him!'\"\nThe Wazirs rejoiced when they heard this, and for their joy slept\nnot that night; and they made proclamation in the city and set up\nthe gallows.\n\n\n\n\n                       The Eleventh Day.\n\n\n\nOf the Speedy Relief of Allah.\n\n\n\nWhen it was the eleventh day, the Wazirs repaired in early\nmorning to the king's gate and said to him, \"O king, the folk are\nassembled from the portals of the palace to the gibbet, to the\nend they may see the king's order carried out on the youth.\" So\nAzadbakht bade fetch the prisoner and they brought him; whereupon\nthe Ministers turned to him and said to him, \"O vile of birth,\ncan any lust for life remain with thee and canst thou hope for\ndeliverance after this day?\" Said he, \"O wicked Wazirs, shall a\nman of understanding renounce all esperance in Almighty Allah?\nHowsoever a man be oppressed, there cometh to him deliverance\nfrom the midst of distress and life from the midst of death, as\nin the case of the prisoner and how Allah delivered him.\" Asked\nthe king, \"What is his story?\" and the youth answered, saying, \"O\nking, they tell\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Prisoner and How Allah Gave Him Relief.[FN#251]\n\n\n\nThere was once a king of the kings, who had a high palace,\noverlooking his prison, and he used to hear in the night one\nsaying, \"O Ever-present Deliverer, O Thou whose deliverance is\naye present, relieve Thou me!\" One day the king waxed wroth and\nsaid, \"Yonder fool looketh for relief from the pains and\npenalties of his crime.\" Then said he to his officers, \"Who is in\nyonder jail?\" and said they, \"Folk upon whom blood hath been\nfound.\"[FN#252] Hearing this the king bade bring that man before\nhim and said to him, \"O fool, O little of wit, how shalt thou be\ndelivered from this prison, seeing that thy crime is mortal?\"\nThen he committed him to a company of his guards and said to\nthem, \"Take this wight and crucify him within sight of the city.\"\nNow it was the night season. So the soldiers carried him without\nthe city, thinking to crucify him, when behold, there came out\nupon them robbers and fell upon them with swords and other\nweapons. Thereat the guards left him whom they purposed to slay\nand fled whilst the man who was going to slaughter also took to\nflight and plunging deep into the desert, knew not whither he\nwent before he found himself in a copse and there came out upon\nhim a lion of terrible aspect, who snatched him up and cast him\nunder him. Then he went up to a tree and uprooting it, covered\nthe man therewithal and made off into the thicket, in quest of\nthe lioness.[FN#253] As for the man, he committed his affair to\nAllah the Most High, relying upon Him for deliverance, and said\nto himself, \"What is this affair?\" Then he removed the leaves\nfrom himself and rising, saw great plenty of men's bones there,\nof those whom the lion had devoured. He looked again and behold,\nhe saw a heap of gold lying alongside a purse-belt;[FN#254]\nwhereat he marvelled and gathering up the gold in the breast of\nhis gaberdine, went forth of the copse and fled at hap-hazard,\nturning neither to the right nor to the left, in his fear of the\nlion; nor did he cease flying till he came to a village and cast\nhimself down, as he were dead. He lay there till the day appeared\nand he was rested from his travail, when he arose and burying the\ngold, entered the village. Thus Allah gave him relief and he got\nthe gold. Then said the king, \"How long wilt thou beguile us, O\nyouth, with thy prate? But now the hour of thy slaughter is\ncome.\" So he bade crucify him upon the gibbet. But as they were\nabout to hoist him up, lo and behold! the Captain of the thieves,\nwho had found him and reared him, came up at that moment and\nasked, \"What be this assembly and the cause of the crowds here\ngathered together?\" They informed him that a page of the king had\ncommitted a mighty great crime and that he was about to do him\ndie; so the Captain of the thieves pressed forward and looking\nupon the prisoner, knew him, whereupon he went up to him and\nstrained him to his bosom and threw his arms round his neck, and\nfell to kissing him upon his mouth.[FN#255] Then said he, \"This\nis a boy I found under such a mountain, wrapped in a gown of\nbrocade, and I reared him and he fell to cutting the way with us.\nOne day, we set upon a caravan, but they put us to flight and\nwounded some of us and took the lad and ganged their gait. From\nthat day to this I have gone round about the lands seeking him,\nbut have not found news of him till now; and this is he.\" When\nthe king heard this, he was assured that the youth was his very\nson; so he cried out at the top of his voice and casting himself\nupon him, embraced him and kissed him and shedding tears, said,\n\"Had I put thee to death, as was mine intent, I should have died\nof regret for thee.\" Then he cut his pinion-bonds and taking his\ncrown from his head, set it on the head of his son, whereupon the\npeople raised cries of joy, whilst the trumpets blared and the\nkettledrums beat and there befel a mighty great rejoicing. They\ndecorated the city and it was a glorious day; even the birds\nstayed their flight in the welkin, for the greatness of the\ngreeting and the clamour of the crying. The army and the folk\ncarried the prince to the palace in splendid procession, and the\nnews came to his mother Bahrjaur, who fared forth and threw\nherself upon him. Moreover, the king bade open the prison and\nbring forth all who were therein, and they held high festival\nseven days and seven nights and rejoiced with a mighty rejoicing.\nThus it betided the youth; but as regards the Ministers, terror\nand silence, shame and affright fell upon them and they gave\nthemselves up for lost. After this the king sat, with his son by\nhis side and the Wazirs on their knees before him, and summoned\nhis chief officers and the subjects of the city. Then the prince\nturned to the Ministers and said to them, \"See, O villain Wazirs,\nthe work of Allah and his speedy relief.\" But they answered ne'er\na syllable and the king said, \"It sufficeth me that there is\nnothing alive but rejoiceth with me this day, even to the birds\nin the sky, but ye, your breasts are straitened. Indeed, this is\nthe greatest of hostility in you me-wards, and had I hearkened to\nyou, my regret had been prolonged and I had died miserably of\nsorrow.\" Quoth the prince, \"O my father, but for the fairness of\nthy thought and thy perspicacity and thy longanimity and\ndeliberation in affairs, there had not betided thee this great\njoy. Hadst thou slain me in haste, repentance would have been\nsore on thee and longsome annoy, and on this wise whoso\npreferreth haste shall rue.\" Presently the king sent for the\nCaptain of the robbers and bade indue him with a robe of honour,\ncommanding that all who loved the king should doff their dresses\nand cast them upon him.[FN#256] So there fell robes of honour on\nhim, till he was a-wearied with their weight, and Azadbakht\ninvested him with the mastership of the police of his city. Then\nhe bade set up other nine gibbets by the side of the first and\nsaid to his son, \"Thou art innocent, and yet these villain Wazirs\nstrave for thy slaughter.\" Replied the prince, \"O my sire, I had\nno fault in their eyes but that I was a loyal counsellor to thee\nand still kept watch over thy wealth and withdrew their hands\nfrom thy hoards and treasuries; wherefore they were jealous and\nenvied me and plotted against me and planned to slay me.\" Quoth\nthe king, \"The time of retribution is at hand, O my son; but what\nbe thy rede we should do with them in requital of that they did\nwith thee? And indeed they have striven for thy slaughter and\nexposed thee to disgrace and smirched mine honour among the\nkings.\" Then he turned to the Wazirs and said to them, \"Woe to\nyou! What liars ye are! And is aught of excuse left to you?\" Said\nthey, \"O king, there remaineth no excuse for us and we are\nhoughed[FN#257] by the deed we would have done to him. Indeed we\nplanned evil to this youth and it hath reverted upon us, and we\nplotted mischief against him and it hath overtaken us; yea, we\ndigged for him a pit and we ourselves have fallen into it.\" So\nthe king bade hoist up the Wazirs upon the gibbets and crucify\nthem there, because Allah is just and decreeth that which is due.\nThen Azadbakht and his wife and son abode in joyance and\ngladness, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and\nthey died all; and extolled be the Living One, who dieth not, to\nwhom be glory and whose mercy be upon us for ever and ever! Amen.\n\n\n\n\n             JA'AFAR BIN YAHYA AND ABD AL-MALIK BIN\n                  SALITH THE ABBASIDE[FN#258]\n\n\n\nIt is told of Ja'afar bin Yahy\u00e0 the Barmecide that he sat down\none day to wine and, being minded to be private, sent for his\nboon-companions, with whom he was most familiar, and charged the\nchamberlain that he suffer none of the creatures of Almighty\nAllah to enter, save a man of his cup-mates, by name Abd al-Malik\nbin S\u00e1lih, who was behindhand with them.  Then they donned\nbrightly-dyed dresses.[FN#259] for it was their wont, as often as\nthey sat in the wine-s\u00e9ance, to endue raiment of red and yellow\nand green silk, and they sat down to drink, and the cups went\nround the lutes thrilled and shrilled.  Now there was a man of\nthe kinsfolk of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, by name Abd al-Malik\nbin Salih[FN#260] bin Ali bin Abdallah bin al-Abbas,[FN#261] who\nwas great of gravity and sedateness, piety and propriety, and Al-\nRashid used instantly to require that he should company him in\nconverse and carouse and drink with him and had offered him to\nsuch end abounding wealth, but he never would.  It fortuned that\nthis Abd al-Malik bin Salih came to the door of Ja'afar bin\nYahya, so he might bespeak him of certain requisitions of his,\nand the chamberlain, doubting not but he was the Abd al-Malik bin\nSalih aforesaid (whom Ja'afar had permitted him admit and that he\nshould suffer none but him to enter), allowed him to go in to his\nmaster.  Accordingly Abd al-Malik went in, garbed in black, with\nhis Rus\u00e1fiyah[FN#262] on his head.  When Ja'afar saw him, his\nreason was like to depart for shame and he understood the case,\nto wit, that the chamberlain had been deceived by the likeness of\nthe name; and Abd al-Malik also perceived how the matter stood\nand perplexity was manifest to him in Ja'afar's face.  So he put\non a cheery countenance and said, \"No harm be upon you![FN#263]\nBring us of these dyed clothes.\"  Thereupon they brought him a\ndyed robe[FN#264] and he donned it and sat discoursing gaily with\nJa'afar and jesting with him.  Then said he, \"Allow us to be a\npartaker in your pleasures, and give us to drink of your\nNab\u00edz.\"[FN#265]  So they brought him a silken robe and poured him\nout a pint, when he said, \"We crave your indulgence, for we have\nno wont of this.\"  Accordingly Ja'afar ordered a flagon of Nab\u00edz\nbe set before him, that he might drink whatso he pleased. Then,\nhaving anointed himself with perfumes, he chatted and jested with\nthem till Ja'afar's bosom broadened and his constraint ceased\nfrom him and his shame, and he rejoiced in this with joy\nexceeding and asked Abd al-Malik, \"What is thine errand?  Inform\nme thereof, for I cannot sufficiently acknowledge thy courtesy.\"\nAnswered the other, \"I come (amend thee Allah!) on three\nrequirements, of which I would have thee bespeak the Caliph; to\nwit, firstly, I have on me a debt to the amount of a thousand\nthousand dirhams,[FN#266] which I would have paid: secondly, I\ndesire for my son the office of Wali or governor of a\nprovince,[FN#267] whereby his rank may be raised: and thirdly, I\nwould fain have thee marry him to Al-'\u00c1liyah, the daughter of the\nCommander of the Faithful, for that she is his cousin and he is a\nmatch for her.\"  Ja'afar said, \"Allah accomplisheth unto thee\nthese three occasions.  As for the money, it shall be carried to\nthy house this very hour: as for the government, I make thy son\nViceroy of Egypt; and as for the marriage, I give him to mate\nSuch-an-one, the daughter of our lord the Prince of True\nBelievers, at a dowry of such and such a sum.   So depart in the\nassurance of Allah Almighty.\"  Accordingly Abd al-Malik went away\nmuch astonished at Ja'afar's boldness in undertaking such\nengagements.  He fared straight for his house, whither he found\nthat the money had preceded him, and in the morrow Ja'afar\npresented himself before Al-Rashid and acquainted him with what\nhad passed, and that he had appointed Abd al-Malik's son Wali of\nEgypt[FN#268] and had promised him his daughter, Al-'Aliyah to\nwife.  The Caliph was pleased to approve of this and he confirmed\nthe appointment and the marriage.  Then he sent for the young man\nand he went not forth of the palace of the Caliphate till Al-\nRashid wrote him the patent of investiture with the government of\nEgypt; and he let bring the Kazis and the witnesses and drew up\nthe contract of marriage.\n\n\n\n\n              AL-RASHID AND THE BARMECIDES[FN#269]\n\n\n\nIt is said that the most wondrous of matters which happened to\nAl-Rashid was this.  His brother Al-H\u00e1d\u00ed,[FN#270] when he\nsucceeded to the Caliphate, enquired of a seal-ring of great\nprice, which had belonged to his father Al-Mahdi,[FN#271] and it\nreached him that Al-Rashid had taken it.  So he required it of\nhim, but he refused to give it up, and Al-Hadi insisted upon him,\nyet he still denied the seal-ring of the Caliphate.  Now this was\non Tigris-bridge, and he threw the ring into the river.[FN#272]\nWhen Al-Hadi died and Al-Rashid succeeded to the Caliphate, he\nwent in person to that very place with a seal-ring of lead, which\nhe cast into the stream at the same stead, and bade the divers\nseek it.  So the duckers did his bidding and brought up the first\nring, and this was counted an omen of Al-Rashid's good fortune\nand of the continuance of his reign.[FN#273]  When Al-Rashid came\nto the throne, he invested Ja'afar bin Yahy\u00e0 bin Kh\u00e1lid al-\nBarmaki[FN#274] with the Wazirate.  Now Ja'afar was eminently\nnoted for generosity and munificence, and the histories of him to\nthis purport are renowned and have been documented.  None of the\nWazirs rose to the rank and favour whereto he attained with Al-\nRashid, who was wont to call him brother[FN#275] and used to\ncarry him with him into his house.  The period of his Wazirate\nwas nineteen[FN#276] years, and Yahya one day said to his son\nJa'afar, \"O my son, as long as thy reed trembleth,[FN#277] water\nit with kindness.\"  Men differ concerning the reason of Ja'afar's\nslaughter, but the better opinion of it is follows.  Al-Rashid\ncould not bear to be parted from Ja'afar nor from his own sister\n'Abb\u00e1sah, daughter of Al-Mahdi, a single hour, and she was the\nloveliest woman of her day; so he said to Ja'afar, \"I will marry\nthee to her, that it may be lawful to thee to look upon her, but\nthou shalt not touch her.\"  After this time the twain used to be\npresent in Al-Rashid's sitting chamber.  Now the Caliph would get\nup bytimes and leave the chamber, and they being filled with wine\nas well as being young, Ja'afar would rise to her and know her\ncarnally.[FN#278]  She conceived by him and bare a handsome boy;\nand, fearing Al-Rashid, she dispatched the new-born child by one\nof her confidants to Meccah the Magnified (May Allah Almighty\ngreaten it in honor and increase it in venerance and nobility and\nmagnification!).  The affair abode concealed till there befel a\nbrabble between Abbasah and one of her hand-maidens whereupon the\nslave-girl discovered the affair of the child to Al-Rashid and\nacquainted him with its abiding-place.  So, when the Caliph\npilgrimaged, he sent one who brought him the boy and found the\nmatter true, where he caused befal the Barmecides whatso\nbefel.[FN#279]\n\n\n\n\n              IBN AL-SAMMAK AND AL-RASHID[FN#280]\n\n\n\nIt is related that Ibn al-Samm\u00e1k[FN#281] went in one day to Al-\nRashid, and the Caliph, being athirst, called for drink.  So his\ncup was brought him, and when he took it, Ibn al-Sammak said to\nhim, \"Softly, O Prince of True Believers!  An thou wert denied\nthis draught, with how much wouldst thou buy it?\"  He replied,\n\"With the half of my reign;\" and Ibn al-Sammak said, \"Drink and\nAllah make it grateful to thee!\"  Then, when he had drunken; he\nasked him, \"An thou wert denied the issuing forth of the draught\nfrom thy body, with what wouldst thou buy its issue?\"  Answered\nAl-Rashid, \"With the whole of my reign;\" and Ibn al-Sammak said,\n\"O Commander of the Faithful, verily, a realm that weigheth not\nin the balance against a draught of water or a voiding of urine\nis not worth the striving for.\"  And Harun wept.\n\n\n\n\n                 AL-MAAMUN AND ZUBAYDAH[FN#282]\n\n\n\nIt is said that Al-Maam\u00fan[FN#283] came one day upon Zubaydah,\nmother of Al-Am\u00edn,[FN#284] and saw her moving her lips and\nmuttering somewhat he understood not; so he said to her, \"O\nmother mine, art thou cursing me because I slew thy son and\nspoiled him of his realm?\"  Said she, \"Not so, by Allah, O\nCommander of the Faithful!\" and quoth he, \"What then was it thou\nsaidest?\"  Quoth she, \"Let the Prince of True Believers excuse\nme.\"  But he was urgent with her, saying, \"There is no help but\nthat thou tell it.\"  And she replied, \"I said, Allah confound\nimportunity!\"  He asked, \"How so?\" and she answered, \"I played\none day at chess with the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-\nRashid, and he imposed on me the condition of forfeits.[FN#285]\nHe won and made me doff my dress and walk round about the palace,\nstark naked; so I did this, and I felt incensed against him.\nThen we fell again to playing and I won; whereat I made him go to the\nkitchen and lie with the foulest and fulsomest wench of the\nwenches thereof; but I found not a slave-girl fouler and filthier\nthan thy mother;[FN#286] so I so bade him tumble her.  He did my\nbidding and she conceived by him of thee, and thus was I the\ncause of the slaying of my son and the spoiling of him of his\nrealm.\"  When Al-Maam\u00fan heard this, he turned away, saying,\n\"Allah curse the importunate!\" that is, himself, who had\nimportuned her till she acquainted him with that affair.\n\n\n\n\n              AL-NU'UMAN AND THE ARAB OF THE BANU\n                          TAY[FN#287]\n\n\n\nIt is said that Al-Nu'um\u00e1n[FN#288] had two boon-companions, one\nof whom was hight Ibn Sa'ad and the other Amr\u00fa bin al-Malik, and\nhe became one night drunken and bade bury them alive; so they\nburied him.  When he arose on the morrow, he asked for them and\nwas acquainted with their affair, whereupon he built over them a\nbuilding and appointed to himself a day of ill-luck and a day of\ngood fortune.  If any met him on his unlucky day, he slew him and\nwith his blood he washed that monument, which is a place well\nknown in Kufah; and if any met him on his day of good fortune he\nenriched him.  Now there accosted him once, on his day of ill-\nomen, an Arab of the Ban\u00fa Tay[FN#289] and Al-Nu'uman would have\ndone him dead; but the Arab said, \"Allah quicken the king! I have\ntwo little girls and have made none guardian over them;\nwherefore, and the king see fit to grant me leave to go to them,\nI will give him the covenant of Allah[FN#290] that I will return\nto him, as soon as I shall have appointed unto them a guardian.\"\nAl-Nu'uman had ruth on him and said to him, \"An a man will be\nsurety for thee of those who are with us, I will let thee go, and\nif thou return not I will slay him.\"  Now there was with Al-\nNu'uman his Wazir Sharik bin Amru: so the T\u00e1\u00ed[FN#291] looked at\nhim and said,\n\n\"Ho thou, Sharik, O Amru-son is there fro' Death repair? * O\n     brother to men brotherless, brother of all in care!\nO brother of Al-Nu'uman an old man this day spare, * An old man\n     slain and Allah deign fair meed for thee prepare!\"\n\nQuoth Sharik, \"On me be his warranty, Allah assain the king!\"  So\nthe T\u00e1\u00ed departed, after a term had been assigned him for his\nreturning.  Now when the appointed day arrived, Al-Nu'uman sent\nfor Sharik and said to him, \"Verily the high noon of this day is\npast;\" and Sharik answered, \"the king hath no procedure against\nme till it be eventide.\" Whenas evened the evening there appeared\none afar off and Al-Nu'uman fell to looking upon him and on\nSharik who said to him, \"Thou hast no right over me till yonder\nperson come, for haply he is my man.\"  As he spake, up came the\nT\u00e1\u00ed in haste and Al-Nu'uman said, \"By Allah, never saw I any more\ngenerous than you two!  I know not which of you be the nobler,\nwhether this one who became warrant for thee in death-risk or\nthou who returnest to thy slaughter.\"  Then quoth he to Sharik,\n\"What drave thee to become warrant for him, knowing the while it\nwas death?\" and quoth he, \"I did this lest it be said, Generosity\nhath departed from Wazirs.\"  Then Al-Nu'uman asked the T\u00e1\u00ed, \"And\nthou, what prompted thee to return, knowing that therein was\ndeath and thine one destruction?\" and the Arab answered, \"I did\nthis lest it be said, Fidelity hath departed from the folk; for\nsuch thing would be a shame to mine issue and to my tribe.\"  And\nAl-Nu'uman cried, \"By Allah, I will be the third of you, lest it\nbe said, Mercy hath departed from the kings.\"  So he pardoned him\nand bade abolish the day of ill-luck; whereupon the Arab began to\nsay,\n\n\"A many urged me that I false my faith, * But I refused whatso\n     the wights could plead;\nFor I'm a man in whom Faith dwells for aye, * And every true\n     man's word is pledge of deed.\"\n\nQuoth Al-Nu'uman, \"What prompted thee to keep faith, the case\nbeing as thou sayest?\"  Quoth he, \"O king, it was my religion.\"\nAl-Nu'uman asked, \"What is thy religion?\" and he answered \"The\nNazarene!\"  The king said, \"Expound it to me.\"  So the T\u00e1\u00ed\nexpounded it to him and Al-Nu'uman became a Christian.[FN#292]\n\n\n\n\n                   FIRUZ AND HIS WIFE[FN#293]\n\n\n\nThey relate that a certain king sat one day on the terrace-roof\nof his palace, solacing himself with the view, and presently, his\nwandering glances espied, on a house-top over against his palace,\na woman seer never saw her like. So he turned to those present\nand asked them, \"To whom belongeth yonder house?\" when they\nanswered, \"To thy servant F\u00edr\u00faz, and that is his spouse.\" So he\nwent down (and indeed passion had made him drunken as with wine,\nand he was deeply in love of her), and calling Firuz, said to\nhim, \"Take this letter and go with it to such a city and bring me\nthe reply.\" Firuz took the letter and going to his house, laid it\nunder his head and passed that night; and when the morning\nmorrowed, he farewelled his wife and fared for that city,\nunknowing what his sovran purposed against him. As for the king,\nhe arose in haste after the husband had set out and repairing to\nthe house of Firuz in disguise, knocked at the entrance. Quoth\nFiruz's wife, \"Who's at the door?\" and quoth he, saying, \"I am\nthe king, thy husband's master.\" So she opened and he entered and\nsat down, saying, \"We are come to visit thee.\" She cried, \"I seek\nrefuge[FN#294] from this visitation, for indeed I deem not well\nof it;\" but the king said, \"O desire of hearts, I am thy\nhusband's master and methinks thou knowest me not.\" She replied,\n\"Nay, I know thee, O my lord and master, and I wot thy purpose\nand whatso thou wantest and that thou art my husband's lord. I\nunderstand what thou wishest, and indeed the poet hath\nforestalled thee in his saying of the verses referring to thy\ncase,\n\n'Now will I leave your water-way untrod; * For many treading that\n     same way I see:\nWhen fall the clustering flies upon the food, * I raise my hand\n     whate'er my hunger be:\nAnd lions eke avoid the water-way * When dogs to lap at fountain-\n     side are free.' \"\n\nThen said she, \"O king, comest thou to a watering-place whereat\nthy dog hath drunk and wilt thou drink thereof?\" The king was\nabashed at her and at her words and fared forth from her but\nforgot his sandal in the house. Such was his case; but as regards\nFiruz, when he went forth from his house, he sought the letter,\nbut found it not in pouch; so he returned home. Now his return\nfell in with the king's going forth and he came upon the sandal\nin his house, whereat his wit was wildered and he knew that the\nking had not sent him away save for a device of his own. However,\nhe kept silence and spake not a word, but, taking the letter,\nwent on his mission and accomplished it and returned to the king,\nwho gave him an hundred dinars. So Firuz betook himself to the\nbazar and bought what beseemeth women of goodly gifts and\nreturning to his wife, saluted her and gave her all he had\npurchased, and said to her, \"Arise and hie thee to thy father's\nhome.\" Asked she, \"Wherefore?\" and he answered, \"Verily, the king\nhath been bountiful to me and I would have thee make this public,\nso thy father may joy in that which he seeth upon thee.\" She\nrejoined \"With love and gladness,\" and arising forthwith, betook\nherself to the house of her father, who rejoiced in her coming\nand in that which he saw upon her; and she abode with him a\nmonth's space, and her husband made no mention of her. Then came\nher brother to him and said, \"O Firuz, an thou wilt not acquaint\nme with the reason of thine anger against thy wife, come and\nplead with us before the king.\" Quoth he, \"If ye will have me\nplead with you, I will e'en plead.\" So they went to the king and\nfound the Kazi sitting with him; whereupon the damsel's brother\nbegan, \"Allah assist our lord the Kazi! I let this man on hire a\nflower-garden, high-walled, with a well well-conditioned and\ntrees fruit-laden; but he beat down its walls and ruined its well\nand ate its fruits, and now he desireth to return it to me.\" The\nKazi turned to Firuz and asked him, \"What sayest thou, O youth?\"\nwhen he answered, \"Indeed, I delivered him the garden in better\ncase than it was before.\" So the Kazi said to the brother, \"Hath\nhe delivered to thee the garden, as he avoucheth?\" And the\npleader replied, \"No; but I desire to question him of the reason\nof his returning it.\" Quoth the Kazi, \"What sayest thou, O\nyouth?\" And quoth Firuz, \"I returned it willy nilly, because I\nentered it one day and saw the trail of the lion; so I feared\nlest an I entered it again, the lion should devour me. Wherefore\nthat which I did, I did of reverence to him and for fear of him.\"\nNow the king was leaning back upon the cushion, and when he heard\nthe young man's words, he comprehended the purport thereof; so he\nsat up and said, \"Return to thy flower-garden in all ease of\nheart; for, by Allah, never saw I the like of thy garth nor\nstronger of guard than its walls over its trees!\" So Firuz\nreturned to his wife, and the Kazi knew not the truth of the\naffair, no, nor any of those who were in that assembly, save the\nking and the husband and the wife's brother.\n\n\n\n\n                 KING SHAH BAKHT AND HIS WAZIR\n                       AL-RAHWAN.[FN#295]\n\n\n\nThey relate that there was once, in days of yore and in bygone\nages and times long gone before, a king of the kings of the time,\nShah Bakht hight, who had troops and servants and guards in hosts\nand a Wazir called Al-Rahw\u00e1n, who was learned, understanding, a\nloyal counsellor and a cheerful acceptor of the commandments of\nAlmighty Allah, to whom belong Honour and Glory. The king\ncommitted to this Minister the affairs of his kingdom and his\nlieges and spake according to his word, and in this way he abode\na long space of time. Now this Wazir had many foes, who envied\nhis position and sought to do him harm, but thereunto found no\nway and the Lord, in His immemorial fore-knowledge and His\nfore-ordinance decreed that the king dreamt that the Minister\nAl-Rahwan gave him a fruit from off a tree and he ate it and\ndied. So he awoke, startled and troubled, and when the Wazir had\npresented himself before him and had retired and the king was\nalone with those in whom he trusted, he related to them his\nvision and they advised him to send for the astrologers and\ninterpreters and commended to him a Sage, whose skill and wisdom\nthey attested. Accordingly the king bade him be brought and\nentreated him with honour and made him draw near to himself. Now\nthere had been in private intercourse with that Sage a company of\nthe Wazir's enemies, who besought him to slander the Minister to\nthe king and counsel him to do him dead, in view of what they\npromised him of much wealth; and he made agreement with them on\nthis and acquainted the king that the Minister would slay him\nwithin the coming month and bade him hasten to put him to death,\nelse would he surely be killed. Presently, the Wazir entered and\nthe king signed to him to clear the place. So he signed to those\nwho were present to withdraw, and they withdrew; whereupon quoth\nthe king to him, \"How deemest thou, O Minister of loyal counsel\nin all manner of contrivance, concerning a vision I have seen in\nmy sleep?\" \"What is it, O king?\" asked the Wazir, and Shah Bakht\nrelated to him his dream, adding, \"And indeed the Sage\ninterpreted it to me and said to me, 'An thou do not the Wazir\ndead within a month, assuredly he will slay thee.' Now to put the\nlike of thee to death, I am loath exceedingly, yet to leave thee\non life do I sorely fear. How then dost thou advise me act in\nthis affair?\" The Wazir bowed his head earthwards awhile, then\nraised it and said, \"Allah prosper the king! Verily, it availeth\nnot to continue him on life of whom the king is afraid, and my\ncounsel is that thou hasten to put me out of the world.\" When the\nking heard his speech and dove into the depths of his meaning, he\nturned to him and said, \"'Tis grievous to me, O Wazir of good\nrede;\" and he told him that the other sages had attested the wit\nand wisdom of the astrophil. Now hearing these words Al-Rahwan\nsighed and knew that the king went in fear of him; but he showed\nhim fortitude and said to him, \"Allah assain the sovran! My rede\nis that the king carry out his commandment and his decree be\ndight, for that needs must death be and 'tis fainer to me that I\ndie oppressed, than that I die an oppressor. But, an the king\njudge proper to postpone the putting of me to death till the\nmorrow and will pass this night with me and farewell me whenas\nthe morning cometh, the king shall do whatso he willeth.\" Then he\nwept tell he wetted his gray hairs and the king was moved to ruth\nfor him and granted him that which he craved and vouchsafed him a\nrespite for that night.[FN#296]\n\n\n                 The First Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was eventide, the king caused clear his sitting chamber\nand summoned the Wazir, who presented himself and making his\nobeisance to the king, kissed ground before him and related to\nhim\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Man of Khorasan, his Son and his Tutor.\n\n\n\nThere was once a man of Khorasan and he had a son, whose moral\nweal he ardently wished; but the young man sought to be alone and\nfar from the eye of his father, so he might give himself up to\npleasuring and pleasance. Accordingly he sought of his sire leave\nto make the pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah and to visit\nthe tomb of the Prophet (whom Allah save and assain!). Now\nbetween them and Meccah was a journey of five hundred parasangs;\nbut his father could not contrary him, for that the Holy Law had\nmade pilgrimage[FN#297] incumbent on him and because of that\nwhich he hoped for him of improvement. So he joined unto him a\ntutor, in whom he trusted, and gave him much money and took leave\nof him. The son set out with his governor on the holy\npilgrimage,[FN#298] and abode on the like wise, spending freely\nand using not thrift. Also there was in his neighbourhood a poor\nman, who had a slave-girl of passing beauty and grace, and the\nyouth conceived a desire for her and suffered sore cark and care\nfor the love of her and her loveliness, so that he was like to\nperish for passion; and she also loved him with a love yet\ngreater than his love for her. Accordingly, the damsel summoned\nan old woman who used to visit her and acquainted her with her\ncase, saying, \"An I foregather not with him, I shall die.\" The\ncrone promised her that she would do her best to bring her to her\ndesire; so she veiled herself and repairing to the young man,\nsaluted him with the salam and acquainted him with the girl's\ncase, saying, \"Her master is a greedy wight; so do thou invite\nhim and lure him with lucre, and he will sell thee the\nhand-maiden.\" Accordingly, he made a banquet, and standing in the\nman's way, invited him[FN#299] and brought him to his house,\nwhere they sat down and ate and drank and abode in talk.\nPresently, the young man said to the other, \"I hear thou hast\nwith thee a slave-girl, whom thou desirest to sell;\" but he said,\n\"By Allah, O my lord, I have no mind to sell her!\" Quoth the\nyouth, \"I have heard that she cost thee a thousand dinars, and I\nwill give thee six hundred over and above that sum;\" and quoth\nthe other, \"I sell her to thee at that price.\" So they fetched\nnotaries who wrote out the contract of sale, and the young man\nweighed to the girl's master half the purchase money, saying,\n\"Let her be with thee till I complete to thee the rest of the\nprice and take my hand-maid.\" The owner consented to this and\ntook of him a written bond for the rest of the money, and the\ngirl abode with her master, on deposit.[FN#300] As for the youth,\nhe gave his governor a thousand dirhams and sent him to his sire,\nto fetch money from him, so he might pay the rest of the\nhand-maid's price, saying to him, \"Be not long away.\" But the\ntutor said in his mind, \"How shall I fare to his father and say\nto him, 'Thy son hath wasted thy money and made love with\nit?'[FN#301] With what eye shall I look on him and, indeed, I am\nhe in whom he confided and to whom he hath entrusted his son?\nVerily, this were ill rede. Nay, I will fare on with this\npilgrimage-caravan[FN#302] in despite of my fool of a youth; and\nwhen he is weary of waiting, he will demand back his money and\nreturn to his father, and I shall be quit of travail and\ntrouble.\" So he went on with the pilgrimage caravan[FN#303] and\ntook up his abode there.[FN#304] Meanwhile, the youth tarried\nexpecting his tutor's return, but he returned not; wherefore\nconcern and chagrin grew upon him because of his mistress, and\nhis yearning for her redoubled and he was like to kill himself.\nShe became aware of this and sent him a messenger, bidding him\nvisit her. Accordingly he went to her, and she questioned him of\nthe case; when he told her what was to do of the matter of his\ntutor, and she said to him, \"With me is longing the like of that\nwhich is with thee, and I doubt me thy messenger hath perished or\nthy father hath slain him; but I will give thee all my jewellery\nand my dresses, and do thou sell them and weigh out the rest of\nmy price, and we will go, I and thou, to thy sire.\" So she handed\nto him all she had and he sold it and paid the rest of her price;\nafter which there remained to him for spending-money an hundred\ndirhams. These he spent and lay that night with the damsel in all\ndelight of life, and his sprite was like to fly for joy: but when\nhe arose in the morning, he sat weeping and the damsel said to\nhim, \"What causeth thee to weep?\" Said he, \"I know not an my\nfather be dead, and he hath none other heir save myself; but how\nshall I get to him, seeing I own not a dirham?\" Quoth she, \"I\nhave a bangle; sell it and buy seed-pearls with the price: then\nround them and fashion them into great unions[FN#305] and thereby\nthou shalt gain much money, with the which we may find our way to\nthy country.\" So he took the bangle and repairing to a goldsmith,\nsaid to him, \"Break up this bracelet and sell it;\" but he said,\n\"The king seeketh a perfect bracelet: I will go to him and bring\nthee its price.\" Presently he bore the bangle to the Sultan and\nit pleased him greatly by reason of its goodly workmanship. Then\nhe called an old woman, who was in his palace, and said to her,\n\"Needs must I have the mistress of this bracelet though but for a\nsingle night, or I shall die;\" and the old woman replied, \"I will\nbring her to thee.\" Thereupon she donned a devotee's dress and\nbetaking herself to the goldsmith, said to him, \"To whom\nbelongeth the bangle which is now with the king?\" and said he,\n\"It belongeth to a stranger, who hath bought him a slave-girl\nfrom this city and lodgeth with her in such a place.\" Upon this\nthe old woman repaired to the young man's house and knocked at\nthe door. The damsel opened to her and seeing her clad in\ndevotee's garb,[FN#306] saluted her with the salam and asked her\nsaying, \"Haply thou hast some need of us?\" Answered the old\nwoman, \"Yes, I desire a private place, where I can perform the\nWuzu-ablution;\" and quoth the girl, \"Enter.\" So she entered and\ndid her requirement and made the ablution and prayed:[FN#307]\nthen she brought out a rosary and began to tell her beads\nthereon, and the damsel said to her, \"Whence comest thou, O\npilgrimess?\"[FN#308] Said she, \"From visiting the Idol of the\nAbsent in such a church.[FN#309] There standeth up no woman\nbefore him,[FN#310] who hath a distant friend and discloseth to\nhim her desire, but he acquainteth her with her case and giveth\nher news of her absent one.\" Said the damsel, \"O pilgrimess, we\nhave an absent one, and my lord's heart cleaveth to him and I\ndesire to go question the Idol of him.\" Quoth the crone, \"Do thou\nwait till to-morrow and ask leave of thy spouse, and I will come\nto thee and fare with thee in weal and welfare.\" Then she went\naway, and when the girl's master came, she sought his permission\nto go with the old trot, and he gave her leave. So the beldame\ncame and took her and carried her to the king's door, she,\nunknowing whither she went. The damsel entered with her and\nbeheld a goodly house and decorated apartments which were no\nidol's chamber. Then came the king and seeing her beauty and\nloveliness, went up to her to buss her; whereupon she fell down\nin a fainting fit and struck out with her hands and feet.[FN#311]\nWhen he saw this, he held aloof from her in ruth and left her;\nbut the matter was grievous to her and she refused meat and\ndrink, and as often as the king drew near to her, she fled from\nhim in fear, so he swore by Allah that he would not approach her\nsave with her consent and fell to presenting her with ornaments\nand raiment; but her aversion to him only increased. Meanwhile,\nthe youth her master abode expecting her; but she returned not\nand his heart already tasted the bitter draught of separation; so\nhe went forth at hap-hazard, distracted and knowing not what he\nshould do, and began strewing dust upon his head and crying out,\n\"The old woman hath taken her and gone away!\" The little boys\nfollowed him with stones and pelted him, crying, \"A madman! A\nmadman!\" Presently, the king's Chamberlain, who was a personage\nof years and worth, met him, and when he saw this youth, he\nforbade the boys and drave them away from him, after which he\naccosted him and asked him of his affair. So he told him his tale\nand the Chamberlain said to him, \"Fear not! I will deliver thy\nslavegirl for thee; so calm thy concern.\" And he went on to speak\nhim fair and comfort him, till he had firm reliance on his word.\nThen he carried him to his home and stripping him of his clothes,\nclad him in rags; after which he called an old woman, who was his\nhousekeeper,[FN#312] and said to her, \"Take this youth and bind\non his neck yon iron chain and go round about with him in all the\ngreat thoroughfares of the city, and when thou hast done this, go\nup with him to the palace of the king.\" And he said to the youth,\n\"In whatsoever stead thou seest the damsel, speak not a syllable,\nbut acquaint me with her place and thou shalt owe her deliverance\nto none save to me.\" The youth thanked him and went with the old\nwoman in such fashion as the Chamberlain bade him. She fared on\nwith him till they entered the city, and walked all about it;\nafter which she went up to the palace of the king and fell to\nsaying, \"O fortune's favourites, look on a youth whom the devils\ntake twice in the day and pray to be preserved from such\naffliction!\" And she ceased not to go round with him till she\ncame to the eastern wing[FN#313] of the palace, whereupon the\nslave-girls hurried out to look upon him and when they saw him\nthey were amazed at his beauty and loveliness and wept for him.\nThen they informed the damsel, who came forth and considered him\nand knew him not; but he knew her; so he drooped his head and\nshed tears. She was moved to pity for him and gave him somewhat\nand went back to her place, whilst the youth returned with the\nhousekeeper to the Chamberlain and told him that she was in the\nking's mansion, whereat he was chagrined and said, \"By Allah, I\nwill assuredly devise a device for her and deliver her!\"\nWhereupon the youth kissed his hands and feet. Then he turned to\nthe old woman and bade her change her habit and her semblance.\nNow this ancient dame was sweet of speech and winsome of wit; so\nhe gave her costly and delicious ottars and said to her, \"Get\nthee to the king's slave-girls and sell them these essences and\nwin thy way to the damsel and ask her if she desire her master or\nnot.\" So the old woman went out and making her way to the palace,\nwent in to the hand-maid and drew near her and recited these\ncouplets,\n\n\"Allah preserve our Union-days and their delights. * Ah me! How\n     sweet was life! how joys were ever new!\nMay he not be who cursed us twain with parting day; * How many a\n     bone he brake, how many a life he slew!\nHe shed my faultless tear-floods and my sinless blood; * And\n     beggaring me of love himself no richer grew.\"\n\nWhen the damsel heard the old woman's verses, she wept till her\nclothes were drenched and drew near the speaker, who asked her,\n\"Knowest thou such-an-one?\" And she wept and answered, \"He is my\nlord. Whence knowest thou him?\" Rejoined the old woman, \"O my\nlady, sawest thou not the madman who came hither yesterday with\nthe old woman? He was thy lord,\" presently adding, \"But this is\nno time for talk. When 'tis night, get thee to the top of the\npalace and wait on the terrace till thy lord come to thee and\ncompass thy deliverance.\" Then she gave her what she would of\nperfumes and returning to the Chamberlain, acquainted him with\nwhatso had passed, and he told the youth. Now as soon as it was\nevening, the Chamberlain bade bring two hackneys and great store\nof water and provaunt and a riding-camel and a fellow to show\nthem the way. These he ambushed without the town whilst he and\nthe young man, taking with them a long rope, made fast to a\nstaple, went and stood below the palace. Whenas they came\nthither, they looked and behold, the damsel was standing on the\nterrace-roof, so they threw her the rope and the staple, which\nshe made fast, and tucking up her sleeves above her wrists, slid\ndown and landed with them. They carried her without the town,\nwhere they mounted, she and her lord, and fared on, with the\nguide in front,[FN#314] directing them on the way, and they\nceased not faring night and day till they entered his father's\nhouse. The young man greeted his sire, who was gladdened in him,\nand to whom he related all that had befallen him, whereupon he\nrejoiced in his safety. As for the tutor, he wasted whatso was\nwith him and returned to the city, where he saw the youth and\nexcused himself. Then he questioned him of what had betided him\nand he told him, whereat he admired and returned to companionship\nwith him; but the youth ceased to have regard for him and gave\nhim nor solde nor ration as was his wont, neither discovered to\nhim aught of his secrets. When the tutor saw that there was no\nprofit from him he returned to the king, the ravisher of the\nslave-girl, and recounted to him what the Chamberlain had done\nand counselled him to slay that official and egged him on to\nrecover the damsel, promising to give his friend a poison-draught\nand return. Accordingly the king sent for the Chamberlain and\nchid him for the deed he had done; whereat the king's servants\nincontinently fell upon the Chamberlain and put him to death.\nMeanwhile the tutor returned to the youth, who asked him of his\nabsence, and he told him that he had been in the city of the king\nwho had taken the slave-girl. When the youth heard this, he\nmisdoubted of his governor and never again trusted him in\nanything but was always on his guard against him. Then the tutor\nwithout stay or delay caused prepare great store of sweetmeats\nand put in them deadly poison and presented them to the youth,\nwho, when he saw those sweetmeats, said to himself, \"This is an\nextraordinary thing of the tutor! Needs must there be in this\nsweetmeat some mischief, and I will make proof of his\nconfectionery upon himself.\" Accordingly he got ready food and\nset amongst it a portion of the sweetmeat, and inviting the\ngovernor to his house placed the provaunt before him. He ate, and\namongst the rest which they brought him, the poisoned sweetmeat;\nso while in the act of eating he died; whereby the youth knew\nthat this was a plot against himself and said, Whoso seeketh his\nfortune by his own force[FN#315] attaineth a failure.\" \"Nor,\"\ncontinued the Wazir, \"is this, O king of the age, stranger than\nthe story of the Druggist and his Wife and the Singer.\" When King\nShah Bakht heard the tale of Al-Rahwan he gave him leave to\nwithdraw to his own house and he tarried there the rest of the\nnight and the next day till eventide evened.\n\n                 The Second Night of the Mouth.\n\nWhen the even evened, the king sat private in his sitting-chamber\nand his mind was occupied with the story of the Singer and the\nDruggist. So he called the Wazir and bade him tell the tale.\nAnswered he, \"I will well. They recount, O my lord, the following\n\n\n\n\nTale of the Singer and the Druggist.\n\n\n\nThere was once in the city of Hamad\u00e1n[FN#316] a young man of\nseemly semblance and skilled in singing to the lute; wherefore he\nwas well seen of the citizens. He went forth one day of his home\nwith intent to travel, and gave not over journeying till his\ntravel brought him to a town and a goodly. Now he had with him a\nlute and its appurtenance,[FN#317] so he entered and went round\nabout the streets till he happened upon a druggist who, when he\nespied him, called to him. So he went up to him and bade him sit\ndown; accordingly, the youth sat down by his side, and the\ndruggist questioned him of his case. The singer told him what was\nin his mind, and the pharmacist took him up into his shop and\nbought him food and fed him. Then said he to him, \"Rise and take\nup thy lute and beg about the streets, and whenas thou smellest\nthe reek of wine, break in upon the drinkers and say to them, I\nam a singer. They will laugh and cry, Come in to us. And when\nthou singest, the folk will know thee and speak one to other of\nthee; so shalt thou become known about town, and thou shalt\nbetter thy business.\" He went round about, as the druggist bade\nhim, till the sun waxed hot, but found none drinking. Then he\nentered a lane, that he might take rest, and seeing there a\nhandsome house and a lofty, stood in its shade and fell to\nobserving the excellence of its edification. Now while he was\nthus engaged, behold, a casement opened and there appeared\nthereat a face, as it were the moon. Quoth the owner of the face,\n\"What aileth thee to stand there? Dost thou want aught?\" And\nquoth he, \"I am a stranger,\" and acquainted her with his\nadventure; whereupon asked she, \"What sayst thou to meat and\ndrink and the enjoyment of a fair face and getting thee\nspending-money?\" And he answered, \"O mistress mine, this is my\ndesire whereof I am going about in quest!\" So she opened the door\nto him and brought him in: then she seated him at the upper end\nof the room and served him with food. He ate and drank and lay\nwith her and futtered her. This ended, she sat down in his lap\nand they toyed and laughed and exchanged kisses till the day was\nhalf done, when her husband came home and she had no recourse but\nto hide the singer in a mat,[FN#318] in which she rolled him up.\nThe husband entered and seeing the battle-place[FN#319]\ndisordered and smelling the reek of liquor questioned her of\nthis. Quoth she, \"I had with me a bosom friend of mine and I\nconjured her to crack a cup with me; and so we drank a jar full,\nI and she, and but now, before thy coming in, she fared forth.\"\nHer husband deemed her words true and went away to his shop, he\nbeing none other than the singer's friend the druggist, who had\ninvited him and fed him; whereupon the lover came forth and he\nand the lady returned to their pleasant pastime and abode on this\nwise till evening, when she gave him money and said to him,\n\"To-morrow in the forenoon come hither to me.\" He replied, \"Yes,\"\nand departed; and at nightfall he went to the Hammam-bath. On the\nmorrow, he betook himself to the shop of his friend the druggist,\nwho welcomed him as soon as he saw him, and questioned him of his\ncase and how he had fared that day. Quoth the singer, \"Allah\nrequite thee with welfare, O my brother, for indeed thou hast\ndirected me to a restful life!\" Then he acquainted him with his\nadventure and told him the tale of the woman, till he came to the\nmention of her husband, when he said, \"And at midday came the\nhorned cuckold,[FN#320] her husband, and knocked at the door. So\nshe wrapped me in the mat, and when he had wended his ways I came\nforth and we returned to our pleasant play.\" This was grievous to\nthe druggist, and he repented of having taught him how he should\ndo and suspected his wife. Accordingly he asked the singer, \"And\nwhat said she to thee at thy going away?\" and the other answered,\n\"She said, Come back to me on the morrow. So, behold, I am off to\nher and I came not hither but that I might acquaint thee with\nthis, lest thy thoughts be pre-occupied with me.\" Then he\nfarewelled him, and walked out. As soon as the druggist was\nassured that he had reached the house, he cast the net[FN#321]\nover his shop and made for his home, in some suspicion of his\nwife, and knocked at the door. Now the singer had entered and the\ndruggist's wife said to him, \"Up with thee and enter this chest.\"\nAccordingly he entered it and she shut it down on him and opened\nto her husband, who came in all distraught, and searched the\nhouse but found none and overlooked the chest. Hereat he said in\nhis mind \"The house[FN#322] is one which favoureth my house and\nthe woman is one who favoureth my wife,\" and returned to his\nshop; whereupon the singer came forth of the chest and falling\nupon the druggist's wife, had his wicked will of her and spent\nupon her what was her due, and weighed down the scale for her\nwith full measure. Then they ate and drank and kissed and clipped\nnecks, and in this way they abode till the evening, when she gave\nhim money, because she found his weaving nice and good,[FN#323]\nand made him promise to come to her on the morrow. So he left her\nand slept his night and on the morrow he returned to the shop of\nhis friend the druggist and saluted him. The other welcomed him\nand questioned him of his case; whereat he told his tale till he\nended with the mention of the woman's husband, when he said,\n\"Then came the horned cuckold, her mate and she stowed me away in\nthe chest and shut down the lid upon me, whilst her addlepated\npander[FN#324] of a husband went about the house, top and bottom;\nand when he had gone his way, we returned to our pleasant\npastime.\" With this, the druggist was assured that the house was\nhis house and the wife his wife, and quoth he, \"Now what wilt\nthou do to-day?\" Quoth the singer, \"I shall return to her and\nweave for her and full her yarn[FN#325], and I came not[FN#326]\nsave to thank thee for thy dealing with me.\" Then he went away,\nwhilst the fire was loosed in the heart of the druggist and he\nshut his shop and returning to his house, rapped at the door.\nSaid the singer, \"Let me jump into the chest, for he saw me not\nyesterday;\" but said she, \"No! wrap thyself up in the mat.\" So he\nwrapped himself up and stood in a corner of the room, whilst the\ndruggist entered and went no whither else save to the chest, but\nfound naught inside. Then he walked round about the house and\nsearched it, top and bottom, but came upon nothing and no one and\nabode between belief and disbelief, and said to himself, \"Haply,\nI suspect my wife of what is not in her.\" So he was certified of\nher innocence and going forth content, returned to his shop,\nwhereupon out came the singer and they resumed their former\nlittle game, as was their wont, till eventide when she gave him\none of her husband's shirts and he took it and going away,\nnighted in his own lodging. Next morning he repaired to the\ndruggist, who saluted him with the salam and came to meet him and\nrejoiced in him and smiled in his face, deeming his wife\ninnocent. Then he questioned him of his case on yesterday and he\ntold him how he had fared, saying, \"O my brother, when the\ncornute knocked at the door, I would have jumped into the chest;\nbut his wife forbade me and rolled me up in the mat. The man\nentered and thought of nothing save the chest; so he brake it\nopen and woned like one jinn-mad, going up and coming down. Then\nhe went about his business and I came out and we abode on our\naccustomed case till eventide, when she gave me this shirt of her\nhusband's; and behold, I am now off to her.\" When the druggist\nheard the singer's words, he was assured of the adventure and\nknew that the calamity, all of it, was in his own house and that\nthe wife was his wife; and he considered the shirt, whereupon he\nredoubled in assuredness and said to the singer, \"Art thou now\ngoing to her?\" Said he, \"Yes, O my brother,\" and taking leave of\nhim, went away; whereupon the druggist started up, as he were\nstark mad, and dismantled his shop.[FN#327] Whilst he was thus\ndoing, the singer won to the house, and presently up came the\ndruggist and knocked at the door. The lover would have wrapped\nhimself up in the mat, but she forbade him and said, \"Get thee\ndown to the ground floor of the house and enter the\noven-jar[FN#328] and close the cover upon thyself.\" So he did her\nbidding and she went down to her husband and opened the door to\nhim, whereupon he came in and went round the house, but found no\none and overlooked the oven-jar. Then he stood musing and sware\nthat he would not again go forth of the house till the morrow. As\nfor the singer, when his stay in the oven-jar grew longsome upon\nhim, he came forth therefrom, thinking that her husband had gone\naway; and he went up to the terrace-roof and looking down, beheld\nhis friend the druggist: whereat he was sore concerned and said\nin himself, \"Alas, the disgrace, ah! This is my friend the\ndruggist, who of me was fain and dealt me fair and I have paid\nhim with foul.\" He feared to return to the druggist; so he\nstepped down and opened the first door and would have gone out at\na venture, unseen of the husband; but, when he came to the outer\ndoor, he found it locked and saw not the key. Hereat he returned\nto the terrace and began dropping from roof to roof till the\npeople of the house heard him and hastened to fall upon him,\ndeeming him a thief. Now that house belonged to a Persian man; so\nthey laid hands on him and the house-master fell to beating him,\nsaying to him, \"Thou art a thief.\" He replied, \"No I am not a\nthief, but a singing-man, a stranger who, hearing your voices,\ncame to sing to you.\" When the folk heard his words, they talked\nof letting him go; but the Persian said, \"O folk, let not his\nspeech cozen you. This one is none other than a thief who knoweth\nhow to sing, and when he cometh upon the like of us, he is a\nsinger.\" Said they, \"O our lord, this man is a stranger, and\nneeds we must release him.\" Quoth he, \"By Allah, my heart heaveth\nat this fellow! Let me kill him with beating;\" but quoth they,\n\"Thou mayst no ways do that.\" So they delivered the singer from\nthe Persian, the master of the house, and seated him amongst\nthem, whereupon he began singing to them and they rejoiced in\nhim. Now the Persian had a Mameluke,[FN#329] as he were the full\nmoon, and he arose and went out, and the singer followed him and\nwept before him, professing lustful love to him and kissing his\nhands and feet. The Mameluke took compassion on him and said to\nhim, \"When the night cometh and my master entereth the Harim and\nthe folk fare away, I will grant thee thy desire; and I sleep in\nsuch a place.\" Then the singer returned and sat with the\ncup-companions, and the Persian rose and went out with the\nMameluke by his side. Now[FN#330] the singer knew the place which\nthe Mameluke occupied at the first of the night; but it chanced\nthat the youth rose from his stead and the waxen taper went out.\nThe Persian, who was drunk, fell over on his face, and the singer\nsupposing him to be the Mameluke, said, \"By Allah, 'tis good!\"\nand threw himself upon him and began to work at his bag-trousers\ntill the string was loosed; then he brought out[FN#331] his\nprickle upon which he spat and slipped it into him. Thereupon the\nPersian started up, crying out and, laying hands on the singer,\npinioned him and beat him a grievous beating, after which he\nbound him to a tree that stood in the house-court. Now there was\nin the house a beautiful singing-girl and when she saw the singer\ntight pinioned and tied to the tree, she waited till the Persian\nlay down on his couch, when she arose and going up to the singer,\nfell to condoling with him over what had betided him and making\neyes at him and handling his yard and rubbing it, till it rose\nupright. Then said she to him, \"Do with me the deed of kind and I\nwill loose thy pinion-bonds, lest he return and beat thee again;\nfor he purposeth thee an ill purpose.\" Quoth he, \"Loose me and I\nwill do it;\" but quoth she, \"I fear that, an I loose thee, thou\nwilt not do it. But I will do it and thou have me standing; and\nwhen I have done, I will loose thee.\" So saying, she opened her\nclothes and introducing the singer's prickle, fell to toing and\nfroing.[FN#332] Now there was in the house a fighting-ram, which\nthe Persian had trained to butting,[FN#333] and when he saw what\nthe woman was doing, he thought she wished to do battle with him;\nso he broke his halter and running at her, butted her and split\nher skull. She fell on her back and shrieked; whereupon the\nPersian started up hastily from sleep and seeing the singing-girl\non her back and the singer with yard on end, cried to him, \"O\naccursed, doth not what thou hast erewhile done suffice thee?\"\nThen he beat him a shrewd beating and opening the door, thrust\nhim out in the middle of the night. He lay the rest of the dark\nhours in one of the ruins, and when he arose in the morning, he\nsaid, \"None is in fault! I, for one, sought my own good, and he\nis no fool who seeketh good for himself; and the druggist's wife\nalso sought good for herself; but Predestination overcometh\nPrecaution and for me there remaineth no tarrying in this town.\"\nSo he went forth from the place. \"Nor\" (continued the Wazir), \"is\nthis story, strange though it be, stranger than that of the King\nand his Son and that which betided them of wonders and rare\nmarvels.\" When the king heard this story, he deemed it pretty and\npleasant and said, \"This tale is near unto that which I know and\n'tis my rede I should do well to have patience and hasten not to\nslay my Minister, so I may get of him the profitable story of the\nKing and his Son.\" Then he gave the Wazir leave to go away to his\nown house; so he thanked him and tarried in his home all that\nday.\n\n                 The Third Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was supper-time the king sought the sitting-chamber; and,\nsummoning the Wazir, sought of him the story he had promised him;\nand the Minister said, \"They tell, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the King who Kenned the Quintessence[FN#334] of\nThings.\n\n\n\nThere came to a king of the kings, in his old age, a son, who\ngrew up comely, quickwitted, clever: and, when he reached years\nof discretion and became a young man, his father said to him,\n\"Take this realm and rule it in lieu of me, for I desire to flee\nfrom the sin of sovranty[FN#335] to Allah the Most High and don\nthe woollen dress and devote all my time to devotion.\" Quoth the\nPrince, \"And I am another who desireth to take refuge with the\nAlmighty.\" So the king said, \"Arise, let us flee forth and make\nfor the mountains and there worship in shame before God the Most\nGreat.\" Accordingly, the twain gat them gear of wool and clothing\nthemselves therewith, fared forth and wandered in the wolds and\nwastes; but, when some days had passed over them, both became\nweak for hunger and repented them of that they had done whenas\npenitence profited them not, and the Prince complained to his\nfather of weariness and hunger. Cried the king, \"Dear my son, I\ndid with thee that which behoved me,[FN#336] but thou wouldst not\nhearken to me, and now there is no means of returning to thy\nformer estate, for that another hath taken the kingdom and\ndefendeth it from all foes: but indeed I will counsel thee of\nsomewhat, wherein do thou pleasure me by compliance.\" The Prince\nasked, \"What is it?\" and his father answered, \"Take me and go\nwith me to the market-street and sell me and receive my price and\ndo with it whatso thou willest, and I shall become the property\nof one who shall provide for my wants.\" The Prince enquired, \"Who\nwill buy thee of me, seeing thou art a very old man? Nay, do thou\nrather sell me, inasmuch as the demand for me will be more.\" But\nthe king replied, \"An thou wert king, thou wouldest require\nservice of me.\" Accordingly the youth obeyed his father's bidding\nand taking him, carried him to the slave-dealer and said, \"Sell\nme this old man.\" Said the dealer, \"Who will buy this wight, and\nhe a son of eighty years?\"[FN#337] Then quoth he to the king, \"In\nwhat crafts art thou cunning?\" and quoth he, \"I ken the\nquintessence of jewels and I ken the quintessence of horses and I\nken the quintessence of men; brief, I ken the quintessence of all\nthings.\" So the slave-dealer took him and went about, offering\nhim for sale to the folk; but none would buy. Presently, up came\nthe Chef of the Sultan's kitchen and asked, \"What is this man?\"\nand the dealer answered, \"This be a Mameluke for sale.\" The\nkitchener marvelled at this and bought the king, after\nquestioning him of what he could do, for ten thousand dirhams.\nThen he weighed out the money and carried him to his house, but\ndared not employ him in aught of service; so he appointed him an\nallowance, a modicum sufficient for his maintenance, and repented\nhim of having bought him, saying, \"What shall I do with the like\nof this wight?\" Presently, the king of the city was minded to go\nforth to his garden,[FN#338] a-pleasuring, and bade the cook\nprecede him and appoint in his stead one who should dress the\nroyal meat, so that, when he returned, he might find the meal\nready. The Chef fell to thinking of whom he should appoint and\nwas perplexed concerning his affair. As he was thus, the Shaykh\ncame to him, and seeing him distraught as to how he should do,\nsaid to him, \"Tell me what is in thy mind; haply I may bring thee\nrelief.\" So he acquainted him with the king's wishes and he said,\n\"Have no care for this, but leave me one of the serving-men and\ndo thou go companying thy lord in peace and surety, for I will\nsuffice thee of this.\" Hereat the cook departed with the king,\nafter he had brought the old man what he needed and left him a\nman of the guards; and when he was gone, the Shaykh bade the\ntrooper wash the kitchen-battery and made ready food exceedingly\nfine. When the king returned he set the meat before him, and he\ntasted dishes whose like he had never savoured; whereat he was\nstartled and asked who had dressed it. Accordingly they\nacquainted him with the Shaykh's case and he summoned him to his\npresence and asking him anent the mystery, increased his\nallowance of rations;[FN#339] moreover, he bade that they should\ncook together, he and the kitchener, and the old man obeyed his\nbidding. Some time after this, there came two merchants to the\nking with two pearls of price and each of them declared that his\npearl was worth a thousand dinars, but the folk was incompetent\nto value them. Then said the cook, \"Allah prosper the king!\nVerily, the Shaykh whom I bought affirmed that he knew the\nquintessence of jewels and that he was skilled in cookery. We\nhave tried him in his cuisine, and have found him the most\nknowing of men; and now, if we send after him and prove him on\njewels, his second claim will be made manifest to us, whether\ntrue or false.\" So the king bade fetch the Shaykh and he came and\nstood before the Sultan, who showed him the two pearls. Quoth he,\n\"Now for this one, 'tis worth a thousand dinars;\" and quoth the\nking, \"So saith its owner.\" \"But for this other,\" continued the\nold man, \"'tis worth only five hundred.\" The people laughed and\nadmired his saying, and the merchant who owned the second pearl\nasked him, \"How can this, which is bigger of bulk and worthier\nfor water and righter of rondure, be less of value than that?\"\nand the old man answered, \"I have said what is with me.\"[FN#340]\nThen quoth the king to him, \"Indeed, the outer semblance thereof\nis like that of the other pearl; why then is it worth but the\nhalf of its price?\" and quoth the old man, \"Yes, but its inward\nis corrupt.\" Asked the merchant, \"Hath a pearl then an inward and\nan outward?\" and the Shaykh answered, \"Yea! In its interior is a\nteredo, a boring worm; but the other pearl is sound and secure\nagainst breakage.\" The merchant continued, \"Give us approof of\nthis thy knowledge and confirm to us the truth of thy saying;\"\nand the old man rejoined, \"We will break it: an I prove a liar,\nhere is my head, and if I speak sooth, thou wilt have lost thy\npearl;\" and the merchant said, \"I agree to that.\" So they brake\nthe pearl and it was even as the old man had declared, to wit, in\nthe heart of it was a boring worm. The king marvelled at what he\nsaw and questioned him of how he came by the knowledge of this.\nThe Shaykh replied, \"O king, this kind of jewel is engendered in\nthe belly of a creature called the oyster[FN#341] and its origin\nis a drop of rain and it resisteth the touch and groweth not warm\nwhilst hent in hand:[FN#342] so, when its outer coat became tepid\nto my touch, I knew that it harboured some living thing, for that\nthings of life thrive not save in heat.\" Therefore the king said\nto the cook, \"Increase his allowance;\" and the Chef appointed to\nhim fresh rations. Now some time after this, two merchants\npresented themselves to the king with two horses, and one said,\n\"I ask a thousand ducats for my horse,\" and the other, \"I seek\nfive thousand ducats for mine.\" Quoth the cook, \"We are now\nfamiliar with the old man's just judgment; what deemeth the king\nof fetching him?\" So the king bade fetch him, and when he saw the\ntwo horses[FN#343] he said, \"This is worth a thousand and that\ntwo thousand ducats.\" Quoth the folk, \"This horse thou misjudgest\nis evidently a thoroughbred and he is younger and faster and\ncompacter of limb and finer of head and clearer of colour and\nskin than the other;\" presently adding, \"What assurance hast thou\nof the sooth of thy saying?\" And the old man said, \"This ye state\nis true, all true; but his sire is old and this other is the son\nof a young horse. Now, when the son of an old horse standeth\nstill a-breathing, his breath returneth not to him and his rider\nfalleth into the hand of him who followeth after him; but the son\nof a young horse, an thou put him to speed and after making him\nrun, alight from him, thou wilt find him, by reason of his\nrobustness, untired.\" Quoth the merchant, \"'Tis even as the\nShaykh avoucheth and he is an excellent judge.\" And the king\nsaid, \"Increase his allowance.\" But the Shaykh stood still and\ndid not go away; so the king asked him, \"Why dost thou not go\nabout thy business?\" and he answered, \"My business is with the\nking.\" Said the king, \"Name what thou wouldest have,\" and the\nother replied, \"I would have thee question me of the quintessence\nof men, even as thou hast questioned me of the quintessence of\nhorses.\" Quoth the king, \"We have no occasion to question thee\nthereof;\" but quoth the old man, \"I have occasion to acquaint\nthee.\" \"Say what thou wilt,\" rejoined the king, and the Shaykh\nsaid, \"Verily, the king is the son of a baker.\" Cried the king,\n\"How and whereby kennest thou that?\" and the Shaykh replied,\n\"Know, O king, that I have examined into degrees and\ndignities[FN#344] and have learned this.\" Thereupon the king went\nin to his mother and asked her anent his sire, and she told him\nthat the king her husband was impotent;[FN#345] \"So,\" quoth she,\n\"I feared for the kingdom, lest it pass away, after his death;\nwherefore I yielded my person to a young man, a baker, and\nconceived by him and bare a man-child;[FN#346] and the kingship\ncame into the hand of my son, that is, thyself.\" So the king\nreturned to the Shaykh and said to him, \"I am indeed the son of a\nbaker; so do thou expound to me the means whereby thou knewest me\nfor this.\" Quoth the other, \"I knew that, hadst thou been the son\nof a king, thou wouldst have gifted me with things of price, such\nas rubies and the like; and wert thou the son of a Kazi, thou\nhadst given largesse of a dirham or two dirhams, and wert thou\nthe son of any of the merchants, thou hadst given me muchel of\nmoney. But I saw that thou bestowedst upon me naught save two\nbannocks of bread and other rations, wherefore I knew thee to be\nthe son of a baker;\" and quoth the king, \"Thou hast hit the\nmark.\" Then he gave him wealth galore and advanced him to high\nestate. The tale aforesaid pleased King Shah Bakht and he\nmarvelled thereat; but the Wazir said to him, \"This story is not\nstranger than that of the Richard who married his beautiful\ndaughter to the poor Shaykh.\" The king's mind was occupied with\nthe promised tale and he bade the Wazir withdraw to his lodging;\nso he went and abode there the rest of the night and the whole of\nthe following day.\n\n                 The Fourth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the king sat private in his\nsitting-chamber and bade fetch the Wazir. When he presented\nhimself before him, he said to him, \"Tell me the tale of the\nRichard.\" The Minister replied, \"I will. Hear, O puissant king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Richard who Married his Beautiful Daughter\nto the Poor Old Man.\n\n\n\nA certain rich merchant had a beautiful daughter, who was as the\nfull moon, and when she attained the age of fifteen, her father\nbetook himself to an old man and spreading him a carpet in his\nsitting-chamber, gave him to eat and conversed and caroused with\nhim. Then said he to him, \"I desire to marry thee to my\ndaughter.\" The other drew back, because of his poverty, and said\nto him, \"I am no husband for her nor am I a match for thee.\" The\nmerchant was urgent with him, but he repeated his answer to him,\nsaying, \"I will not consent to this till thou acquaint me with\nthe cause of thy desire for me. An I find it reasonable, I will\nfall in with thy wish; and if not, I will not do this ever.\"\nQuoth the merchant, \"Thou must know that I am a man from the land\nof China and was in my youth well-favoured and well-to-do. Now I\nmade no account of womankind, one and all, but followed after\nyouths,[FN#347] and one night I saw, in a dream, as it were a\nbalance set up, and hard by it a voice said, 'This is the portion\nof Such-an-one.' I listened and presently I heard my own name; so\nI looked and behold, there stood a woman loathly to the\nuttermost; whereupon I awoke in fear and cried, 'I will never\nmarry, lest haply this fulsome female fall to my lot.' Then I set\nout for this city with merchandise and the journey was pleasant\nto me and the sojourn here, so that I took up my abode in the\nplace for a length of time and gat me friends and factors. At\nlast I sold all my stock-in-trade and collected its price and\nthere was left me nothing to occupy me till the folk[FN#348]\nshould depart and I depart with them. One day, I changed my\nclothes and putting gold into my sleeve, sallied forth to inspect\nthe holes and corners of this city, and as I was wandering about,\nI saw a handsome house: its seemliness pleased me; so I stood\nlooking on it and beheld a lovely woman at the window. When she\nsaw me, she made haste and descended, whilst I abode confounded.\nThen I betook myself to a tailor there and questioned him of the\nhouse and anent whose it was. Quoth he, 'It belongeth to\nSuch-an-one the Notary,[FN#349] God damn him!' I asked, 'Is he\nher sire?' and he answered, 'Yes.' So I repaired in great hurry\nto a man, with whom I had been wont to deposit my goods for sale,\nand told him I desired to gain access to Such-an-one the Notary.\nAccordingly he assembled his friends and we betook ourselves to\nthe Notary's house. When we came in to him, we saluted him and\nsat with him, and I said to him, 'I come to thee as a suitor,\ndesiring in marriage the hand of thy daughter.' He replied, 'I\nhave no daughter befitting this man;' and I rejoined, 'Allah aid\nthee! My desire is for thee and not for her.'[FN#350] But he\nstill refused and his friends said to him, 'This is an honourable\nmatch and a man thine equal, nor is it lawful to thee that thou\nhinder the young lady of her good luck.' Quoth he to them, 'She\nwill not suit him!' nevertheless they were instant with him till\nat last he said, 'Verily, my daughter whom ye seek is passing\nill-favoured and in her are all blamed qualities of person.' And I\nsaid, 'I accept her, though she be as thou sayest.' Then said the\nfolk, 'Extolled be Allah! Cease we to talk of a thing settled; so\nsay the word, how much wilt thou have to her marriagesettlement?'\nQuoth he, 'I must have four thousand sequins;' and I said, 'To\nhear is to obey!' Accordingly the affair was concluded and we\ndrew up the contract of marriage and I made the bride-feast; but\non the wedding-night I beheld a thing[FN#351] than which never\nmade Allah Almighty aught more fulsome. Methought her folk had\ndevised this freak by way of fun; so I laughed and looked for my\nmistress, whom I had seen at the window, to make her appearance;\nbut saw her not. When the affair was prolonged and I found none\nbut her, I was like to lose my wits for vexation and fell to\nbeseeching my Lord and humbling myself in supplication before Him\nthat He would deliver me from her. When I arose in the morning,\nthere came the chamberwoman and said to me, 'Hast thou need of\nthe bath?'[FN#352] I replied, 'No;' and she asked, 'Art thou for\nbreakfast?' But I still answered 'No;' and on this wise I abode\nthree days, tasting neither meat nor drink. When the young woman\nmy wife saw me in this plight, she said to me, 'O man, tell me\nthy tale, for, by Allah, if I may effect thy deliverance, I will\nassuredly further thee thereto.' I gave ear to her speech and put\nfaith in her sooth and acquainted her with the adventure of the\ndamsel whom I had seen at the window and how 1 had fallen in love\nwith her; whereupon quoth she, 'An that girl belong to me, whatso\nI possess is thine, and if she belong to my sire, I will demand\nher of him and detain her from him and deliver her to thee.' Then\nshe fell to summoning hand-maid after hand-maid and showing them\nto me, till I saw the damsel whom I loved and said, 'This is\nshe.' Quoth my wife, 'Let not thy heart be troubled, for this is\nmy slave-girl. My father gave her to me and I give her to\nthee:[FN#353] so comfort thyself and be of good cheer and of eyes\ncool and clear.' Then, when it was night, she brought the girl to\nme, after she had adorned her and perfumed her, and said to her,\n'Cross not this thy lord in aught and every that he shall seek of\nthee.' When she came to bed with me, I said in myself, 'Verily,\nthis my spouse is more generous than I!' Then I sent away the\nslave-girl and drew not near her, but arose forthwith and\nbetaking myself to my wife, lay with her and abated her\nmaidenhead. She conceived by me at the first bout; and,\naccomplishing the time of her pregnancy, gave birth to this dear\nlittle daughter; in whom I rejoiced, for that she was beautiful\nexceedingly, and she hath inherited her mother's sound sense and\nthe comeliness of her sire. Indeed, many of the notables of the\npeople have sought her of me in wedlock, but I would not wed her\nto any, because I saw in a dream, one night, that same balance\nset up and men and women being therein weighed, one against\nother, and meseemed I saw thee and her and the voice said to me,\n'This is such a man, the portion of such a woman.'[FN#354]\nWherefore I knew that Almighty Allah had allotted her unto none\nother than thyself, and I choose rather to marry thee to her in\nmy lifetime than that thou shouldst marry her after my death.\"\nWhen the poor man heard the merchant's story, he became desirous\nof wedding his daughter: so he took her to wife and was blessed\nof her with exceeding love. \"Nor\" (continued the Wazir), \"is this\nstory on any wise stranger or this tale rarer than that of the\nSage and his three Sons.\" When the king heard his Minister's\nstory, he was assured that he would not slay him and said, \"I\nwill have patience with him, so I may get of him the story of the\nSage and his three Sons.\" And he bade him depart to his own\nhouse.\n\n                 The Fifth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the king sat private in his chamber and\nsummoning the Wazir, required of him the promised story. So\nAl-Rahwan said, \"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Sage and his Three Sons.[FN#355]\n\n\n\nThere was once a Sage of the sages, who had three sons and sons'\nsons, and when they waxed many and their, seed multiplied, there\nbefel dissension between them. So he assembled them and said to\nthem, \"Be ye single-handed against all others and despise not one\nanother lest the folk despise you, and know that your case is the\ncase of the man and the rope which he cut easily, when it was\nsingle; then he doubled it and could not cut it: on this wise is\ndivision and union.[FN#356] And beware lest ye seek help of\nothers against your own selves or ye will fall into perdition,\nfor by what means soever ye win your wish at his hand, his word\nwill rank higher than your word. Now I have money which I will\npresently bury in a certain place, that it may be a store for you\nagainst the time of your need.\" Then they left him and dispersed\nand one of the sons fell to spying upon his sire, so that he saw\nhim hide the hoard outside the city. When he had made an end of\nburying it, the Sage returned to his house; and as soon as the\nmorning morrowed, his son repaired to the place where he had seen\nhis father bury the treasure and dug and took all the wealth he\nfound and fared forth. When the old man felt that his\ndeath[FN#357] drew nigh, he called his sons to him and acquainted\nthem with the place where he had hidden his hoard. As soon as he\nwas dead, they went and dug up the treasure and came upon much\nwealth, for that the money, which the first son had taken singly\nand by stealth, was on the surface and he knew not that under it\nwere other monies. So they carried it off and divided it and the\nfirst son claimed his share with the rest and added it to that\nwhich he had before taken, behind the backs of his father and his\nbrethren. Then he married his cousin, the daughter of his\nfather's brother, and was blessed through her with a male-child,\nwho was the goodliest of the folk of his time. When the boy grew\nup, his father feared for him poverty and decline of case, so he\nsaid to him, \"Dear my son, know that during my green days I\nwronged my brothers in the matter of our father's good, and I see\nthee in weal; but, an thou come to want, ask not one of them nor\nany other than they, for I have laid up for thee in yonder\nchamber a treasure; but do not thou open it until thou come to\nlack thy daily bread.\" Then the man died, and his money, which\nwas a great matter, fell to his son. The young man had not\npatience to wait till he had made an end of that which was with\nhim, but rose and opened the chamber, and behold, it was empty\nand its walls were whitened, and in its midst was a rope hanging\ndown as for a bucket and ten bricks, one upon other, and a\nscroll, wherein was written, \"There is no help against death; so\nhang thyself and beg not of any, but kick away the bricks with\nthy toes, that there may be no escape for thy life, and thou\nshalt be at rest from the exultation of enemies and enviers and\nthe bitterness of beggary.\" Now when the youth saw this, he\nmarvelled at that which his father had done and said, \"This is an\nill treasure.\" Then he went forth and fell to eating and drinking\nwith the folk, till naught was left him and he passed two days\nwithout tasting food, at the end of which time he took a\nhandkerchief and selling it for two dirhams, bought bread and\nmilk with the price and left it on the shelf and went out. Whilst\nhe was gone, a dog came and seized the bread and polluted the\nmilk, and when the young man returned and saw this, he beat his\nface, and fared forth distraught. Presently, he met a friend, to\nwhom he discovered his case, and the other said to him, \"Art thou\nnot ashamed to talk thus? How hast thou wasted all this wealth\nand now comest telling lies and saying, The dog hath mounted on\nthe shelf, and talking such nonsense?\" And he reviled him. So the\nyouth returned to his house, and verily the world had waxed black\nin his eyes and he cried, \"My sire said sooth.\" Then he opened\nthe chamber door and piling up the bricks under his feet, put the\nrope about his neck and kicked away the bricks and swung himself\noff; whereupon the rope gave way with him and he fell to the\nground and the ceiling clave asunder and there poured down on him\na world of wealth. So he knew that his sire meant to chasten him\nby means of this and he invoked Allah's mercy on him. Then he got\nhim again that which he had sold of lands and houses and what not\nelse and became once more in good case; his friends also returned\nto him and he entertained them for some time. Then said he to\nthem one day \"There was with us bread and the locusts ate it; so\nwe set in its place a stone, one cubit long and the like broad,\nand the locusts came and nibbled away the stone, because of the\nsmell of the bread.\" Quoth one of his friends (and it was he who\nhad given him the lie concerning the dog and the bread and milk),\n\"Marvel not at this, for rats and mice do more than that.\"\nThereupon he said, \"Get ye home! In the days of my poverty I was\na liar when I told you of the dogs jumping upon the shelf and\neating the bread and defiling the milk; and to-day, because I am\nrich again, I say sooth when I tell you that locusts devoured a\nstone one cubit long and one cubit broad.\" They were abashed by\nhis speech and departed from him; and the youth's good prospered\nand his case was amended. \"Nor\" (continued the Wazir), \"is this\nstranger or more seld-seen than the story of the Prince who fell\nin love with the picture.\" Quoth the king, Shah Bakht, \"Haply, an\nI hear this story, I shall gain wisdom from it: so I will not\nhasten in the slaying of this Minister, nor will I do him die\nbefore the thirty days have expired.\" Then he gave him leave to\nwithdraw, and he hied away to his own house.\n\n                 The Sixth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the day absconded and the evening arrived, the king sat\nprivate in his chamber and, summoning the Wazir, who presented\nhimself to him, questioned him of the story. So the Minister\nsaid, \"Hear, O auspicious king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Prince who Fell in Love with the Picture.\n\n\n\nThere was once, in a province of Persia, a king of the kings, who\nwas great of degree, a magnifico, endowed with majesty and girt\nby soldiery; but he was childless. Towards the end of his life,\nhis Lord vouchsafed him a male-child, and that boy grew up and\nwas comely and learned all manner of lere. He made him a private\nplace, which was a towering palace, edified with coloured marbles\nand jewels and paintings. When the Prince entered the palace, he\nsaw in its ceiling the picture of a maiden, than whom he had\nnever beheld a fairer of aspect, and she was surrounded by\nslave-girls; whereupon he fell down in a fainting fit and became\ndistracted for love of her. Then he sat under the picture till\nhis father came in to him one day, and finding him lean of limb\nand changed of complexion (which was by reason of his continual\nlooking on that picture), imagined that he was ill and summoned\nthe sages and the leaches, that they might medicine him. He also\nsaid to one of his cup-companions, \"An thou canst learn what\naileth my son, thou shalt have of me the white hand.\"[FN#358]\nThereupon he went in to him and spake him fair and cajoled him,\ntill he confessed to him that his malady was caused by the\npicture. Then the courtier returned to the king and told him what\nailed his son, whereupon he transported the Prince to another\npalace and made his former lodging the guest-house; and whoso of\nthe Arabs was entertained therein, him he questioned of the\npicture, but none could give him tidings thereof, till one day,\nwhen there came a wayfarer who seeing the picture, cried, \"There\nis no god but the God! My brother painted this portrait.\" So the\nking sent for him and questioned him of the affair of the picture\nand where was he who had painted it. He replied, \"O my lord, we\nare two brothers and one of us went to the land of Hind and fell\nin love with the Indian king's daughter, and 'tis she who is the\noriginal of the portrait. He is wont in every city he entereth to\nlimn her likeness, and I follow him, and longsome is my way.\"\nWhen the king's son heard this, he said, \"Needs must I travel to\nthis damsel.\" So he took all manner rare store and riches galore\nand journeyed days and nights till he entered the land of Hind,\nnor did he reach it save after sore travail. Then he asked of the\nKing of Hind who also heard of him, and invited him to the\npalace. When the Prince came before him, he sought of him his\ndaughter in marriage, and the king said, \"Indeed, thou art her\nmatch, but there is one objection, to wit, none dare name a male\nbefore her because of her hate for men.\" So he pitched his tents\nunder her palace windows, till one day of the days he gat hold of\na girl, one of her favourite slave-girls, and gave her a mint of\nmoney. Quoth she to him, \"Hast thou a need?\" and quoth he, \"Yes,\"\nand presently acquainted her with his case; when she said, \"In\nvery sooth, thou puttest thyself in peril.\" Then he tarried,\nflattering himself with false hopes, till all that he had with\nhim was gone and the servants fled from him; whereupon he said to\none in whom he trusted, \"I am minded to repair to my country and\nfetch what may suffice me and return hither.\" The other answered,\n\"'Tis for thee to judge.\" So they set out to return, but the way\nwas long to them and all that the Prince had with him was spent\nand his company died and there abode but one with him whom he\nloaded with the little that remained of the victual and they left\nthe rest and fared on. Then there came out a lion and devoured\nthe servant, and the king's son found himself alone. He went on,\ntill his hackney stood still, whereupon he left it and walked\ntill his feet swelled. Presently he came to the land of the\nTurks,[FN#359] and he naked, hungry, nor having with him aught\nbut somewhat of jewels, bound about his fore-arm.[FN#360] So he\nwent to the bazar of the goldsmiths and calling one of the\nbrokers gave him the gems. The broker looked and seeing two great\nrubies, said to him, \"Follow me.\" Accordingly, he followed him,\ntill he brought him to a goldsmith, to whom he gave the jewels,\nsaying, \"Buy these.\" He asked, \"Whence hadst thou these?\" and the\nbroker answered, \"This youth is the owner of them.\" Then said the\ngoldsmith to the Prince, \"Whence hadst thou these rubies?\" and he\ntold him all that had befallen him and that he was a king's son.\nThe goldsmith sat astounded at his adventures and bought of him\nthe rubies for a thousand gold pieces. Then said the Prince to\nhim, \"Equip thyself to go with me to my country.\" So he made\nready and went with him till the king's son drew near the\nfrontiers of his sire's kingdom, where the people received him\nwith most honourable reception and sent to acquaint his father\nwith his son's arrival. The king came out to meet him and they\nentreated the goldsmith with respect and regard. The Prince abode\na while with his sire, then set out, he and the goldsmith, to\nreturn to the country of the fair one, the daughter of the king\nof Hind; but there met him highwaymen by the way and he fought\nthe sorest of fights and was slain. The goldsmith buried him and\nset a mark[FN#361] on his grave and returned to his own country\nsorrowing and distraught, without telling any of the Prince's\nviolent death. Such was the case of the king's son and the\ngoldsmith; but as regards the Indian king's daughter of whom the\nPrince went in quest and on whose account he was slain, she had\nbeen wont to look out from the topmost terrace of her palace and\nto gaze on the youth and on his beauty and loveliness; so she\nsaid to her slave-girl one day, \"Out on thee! What is become of\nthe troops which were camped beside my palace?\" The maid replied,\n\"They were the troops of the youth, son to the Persian king, who\ncame to demand thee in wedlock, and wearied himself on thine\naccount, but thou hadst no ruth on him.\" Cried the Princess, \"Woe\nto thee! Why didst thou not tell me?\" and the damsel replied, \"I\nfeared thy fury.\" Then she sought an audience of the king her\nsire and said to him, \"By Allah, I will go in quest of him, even\nas he came in quest of me; else should I not do him justice as\ndue.\" So she equipped herself and setting out, traversed the\nwastes and spent treasures till she came to Sistan, where she\ncalled a goldsmith to make her somewhat of ornaments. Now as soon\nas the goldsmith saw her, he knew her (for that the Prince had\ntalked with him of her and had depictured her to him), so he\nquestioned her of her case, and she acquainted him with her\nerrand, whereupon he buffeted his face and rent his raiment and\nhove dust on his head and fell a-weeping. Quoth she, \"Why dost\nthou all this?\" And he acquainted her with the Prince's case and\nhow he was his comrade and told her that he was dead; whereat she\ngrieved for him and faring on to his father and mother,\nacquainted them with the case. Thereupon the Prince's father and\nhis uncle and his mother and the lords of the land repaired to\nhis grave and the Princess made mourning over him, crying aloud.\nShe abode by the tomb a whole month; then she caused fetch\npainters and bade them limn her likeness and the portraiture of\nthe king's son. She also set down in writing their story and that\nwhich had befallen them of perils and afflictions and placed it,\ntogether with the pictures, at the head of the grave; and after a\nlittle, they departed from the spot. \"Nor\" (continued the Wazir),\n\"is this stranger, O king of the age, than the story of the\nFuller and his Wife and the Trooper and what passed between\nthem.\" With this the king bade the Minister hie away to his\nlodging, and when he arose in the morning, he abode his day in\nhis house.\n\n                The Seventh Night of the Month.\n\nAt eventide the king sat in his wonted seat and sending for the\nWazir, said to him, \"Tell me the story of the Fuller and his\nWife.\" The Minister replied, \"With joy and goodly gree!\" So he\ncame forward and said, \"Hear, O king of the age,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Fuller and his Wife and the Trooper.[FN#362]\n\n\n\nThere was once in a city of the cities a woman fair of favour,\nwho took to lover a trooper wight. Her husband was a fuller, and\nwhen he went out to his work, the trooper used to come to her and\ntarry with her till the time of the fuller's return, when he\nwould go away. After this fashion they abode awhile, till one day\nthe trooper said to his mistress, \"I mean to take me a tenement\nclose to thine and dig a Sard\u00e1bsouterrain from my house to thy\nhouse, and do thou say to thy spouse, 'My sister hath been absent\nwith her husband and now they have returned from their travels;\nand I have made her home herself in my neighbourhood, in order\nthat I may foregather with her at all times. So go thou to her\nmate the trooper and offer him thy wares for sale, and thou wilt\nsee my sister with him and wilt see that she is I and I am she,\nwithout a doubt. Now, Allah, Allah,[FN#363] go to my sister's\nhusband and give ear to that which he shall say to thee.'\" So the\ntrooper bought him a house near hand and made therein a tunnel\nabutting upon his mistress's house. When he had accomplished his\naffair, the wife bespoke her husband as her lover had lessoned\nher and he went out to go to the trooper's house, but turned back\nby the way, whereupon said she to him, \"By Allah, go at once, for\nmy sister asketh of thee.\" The fool of a fuller went out and made\nfor the trooper's house, whilst his wife forewent him thither by\nthe underground passage, and going up, sat down beside the\nsoldier her leman. Presently, the fuller entered and saluted the\ntrooper and salamed to his own wife and was confounded at the\ncoincidence of the case.[FN#364] Then, doubt befalling him, he\nreturned in haste to his dwelling; but she preceded him by the\nSardab to her chamber and donning her wonted clothes, sat\nawaiting him and said to him, \"Did I not bid thee go to my sister\nand greet her husband and make friends with them?\" Quoth he, \"I\ndid this, but I misdoubted of my affair, when I saw his wife;\"\nand quoth she, \"Did I not tell thee that she favoureth me and I\nher, and there is naught to distinguish between us but our\nclothes? Go back to her and make sure.\" Accordingly, of the\nheaviness of his wit, he believed her, and returning on his way,\nwent in to the trooper; but she had foregone him, and when he saw\nher by the side of her lover, he began looking on her and\npondering. Then he saluted her and she returned him the salam;\nand when she spoke he was clean bewildered. So the trooper asked\nhim, \"What aileth thee to be thus?\" and he answered, \"This woman\nis my wife, and the speech is her speech.\" Then he rose in haste\nand, returning to his own house, saw his wife, who had preceded\nhim by the secret passage. So he went back to the trooper's house\nand found her sitting as before; whereupon he was abashed in her\npresence and seating himself in the trooper's sitting-chamber,\nate and drank with him and became drunken and abode senseless all\nthat day till nightfall, when the trooper arose and, the fuller's\nhair being long and flowing, he shaved off a portion of it after\nthe fashion of the Turks,[FN#365] clipped the rest short and\nclapped a Tarb\u00fash on his head. Then he thrust his feet into\nwalking-boots and girt him with a sword and a girdle and bound\nabout his middle a quiver and a bow and arrows. He also put some\nsilvers in his poke and thrust into his sleeve letters-patent\naddressed to the governor of Ispahan, bidding him assign to\nRustam Kham\u00e1rtakani a monthly allowance of an hundred dirhams and\nten pounds of bread and five pounds of meat and enrol him among\nthe Turks under his commandment. After which he took him up and\ncarrying him forth, left him in one of the mosques. The fuller\nceased not sleeping till sunrise, when he awoke and finding\nhimself in this plight, misdoubted of his affair and fancied that\nhe was a Turk and fell a-putting one foot forward and drawing the\nother back. Then said he in himself, \"I will go to my dwelling,\nand if my wife know me, then am I Ahmad the fuller; but an she\nknow me not, I am a Turk.\" So he betook himself to his house; but\nwhen his wife, the cunning witch, saw him, she cried out in his\nface, saying, \"Whither now, O trooper? Wilt thou break into the\nhouse of Ahmad the fuller, and he a man of repute, having a\nbrother-in-law a Turk, a man of rank with the Sultan? An thou\ndepart not, I will acquaint my husband and he will requite thee\nthy deed.\" When he heard her words, the dregs of his drink\nwobbled in his brain and he fancied that he was indeed a Turk. So\nhe went out from her and putting his hand to his sleeve, found\ntherein a writ and gave it to one who read it to him. When he\nheard that which was in the scroll, his mind was confirmed in his\nphantasy; but he said to himself, \"My wife may be seeking to put\na cheat on me; so I will go to my fellows the fullers; and if\nthey recognise me not, then am I for sure Khamartakani the Turk.\"\nSo he betook himself to the fullers and when they espied him afar\noff, they thought that he was really Khamartakani or one of the\nTurks, who used to send their washing to them without payment and\ngive them never a stiver. Now they had complained of them\naforetime to the Sultan, and he said, \"If any one of the Turks\ncome to you, pelt him with stones.\" Accordingly, when they saw\nthe fuller, they fell upon him with sticks and stones and pelted\nhim; whereupon quoth he, \"Verily, I am a Turk and knew it not.\"\nThen he took of the dirhams in his pouch and bought him victual\nfor the way and hired a hackney and set out for Ispahan, leaving\nhis wife to the trooper. \"Nor,\" continued the Wazir, \"is this\nstranger than the story of the Merchant and the Crone and the\nKing.\" The Minister's tale pleased King Shah Bakht and his heart\nclave to the story of the merchant and the old woman; so he bade\nAl-Rahwan withdraw to his lodging, and he went away to his house\nand abode there the next day till he should be summoned to the\npresence.\n\n                 The Eighth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the king sat private in his chamber and\nbade fetch the Wazir, who presented himself before him, and the\nking required of him the story. So the Wazir answered \"With love\nand gladness. Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Merchant, the Crone and the King.\n\n\n\nThere was once a family of affluence and distinction, in a city\nof Khorasan, and the townsfolk used to envy them for that which\nAllah had vouchsafed them. As time went on, their fortune ceased\nfrom them and they passed away, till there remained of them but\none old woman. When she grew feeble and decrepit, the townsfolk\nsuccoured her not with aught, but thrust her forth of the city,\nsaying, \"This old woman shall not neighbour with us, for that we\ndo good to her and she requiteth us with evil.\"[FN#366] So she\ntook shelter in a ruined place and strangers used to bestow alms\nupon her, and in this way she tarried a length of time. Now the\nking of that city had aforetime contended for the kingship with\nhis uncle's son, and the people disliked the king; but Allah\nAlmighty decreed that he should overcome his cousin. However,\njealousy of him abode in his heart and he acquainted the Wazir,\nwho hid it not and sent him money. Furthermore, he fell to\nsummoning all strangers who came to the town, man after man, and\nquestioning them of their creed and their goods, and whoso\nanswered him not satisfactory, he took his wealth.[FN#367] Now a\ncertain wealthy man of the Moslems was way-faring, without\nknowing aught of this, and it befel that he arrived at that city\nby night, and coming to the ruin, gave the old woman money and\nsaid to her, \"No harm upon thee.\" Whereupon she lifted up her\nvoice and blessed him: so he set down his merchandise by her and\nabode with her the rest of the night and the next day. Now\nhighwaymen had followed him that they might rob him of his\nmonies, but succeeded not in aught: wherefore he went up to the\nold woman and kissed her head and exceeded in bounty to her. Then\nshe warned him of that which awaited strangers entering the town\nand said to him, \"I like not this for thee and I fear mischief\nfor thee from these questions that the Wazir hath appointed for\naddressing the ignorant.\" And she expounded to him the case\naccording to its conditions: then said she to him, \"But have thou\nno concern: only carry me with thee to thy lodging, and if he\nquestion thee of aught enigmatical, whilst I am with thee, I will\nexpound the answers to thee.\" So he carried the crone with him to\nthe city and lodged her in his lodging and entreated her\nhonourably. Presently, the Wazir heard of the merchant's coming;\nso he sent to him and bade bring him to his house and talked with\nhim awhile of his travels and of whatso had befallen him therein,\nand the merchant answered his queries. Then said the Minister, \"I\nwill put certain critical questions to thee, which an thou answer\nme, 'twill be well for thee,\" and the merchant rose and made him\nno answer. Quoth the Wazir, \"What is the weight of the elephant?\"\nThe merchant was perplexed and returned him no reply, giving\nhimself up for lost; however, at last he said, \"Grant me three\ndays of delay.\" The minister granted him the time he sought and\nhe returned to his lodging and related what had passed to the old\nwoman, who said, \"When the morrow cometh, go to the Wazir and say\nto him, 'Make a ship and launch it on the sea and put in it an\nelephant, and when it sinketh in the water, mark the place\nwhereunto the water riseth. Then take out the elephant and cast\nin stones in its place, till the ship sink to that same mark;\nwhereupon do thou take out the stones and weigh them and thou\nwilt presently know the weight of the elephant.'\"[FN#368]\nAccordingly, when he arose in the morning, he went to the Wazir\nand repeated to him that which the old woman had taught him;\nwhereat the Minister marvelled and said to him, \"What sayest thou\nof a man, who seeth in his house four holes, and in each hole a\nviper offering to sally out upon him and slay him, and in his\nhouse are four sticks and each hole may not be stopped but with\nthe ends of two sticks? How, then, shall he stop all the holes\nand deliver himself from the vipers?\" When the merchant heard\nthis, there befel him such concern that it garred him forget the\nfirst and he said to the Wazir, \"Grant me delay, so I may reflect\non the reply\"; and the Minister cried, \"Go out, and bring me the\nanswer, or I will seize thy monies.\" The merchant fared forth and\nreturned to the old woman who, seeing him changed of complexion,\nsaid to him, \"What did his hoariness ask thee?\" So he acquainted\nher with the case and she cried, \"Fear not; I will bring thee\nforth of this strait.\" Quoth he, \"Allah requite thee with weal!\"\nThen quoth she, \"To-morrow go to him with a stout heart and say,\n'The answer to that whereof thou asketh me is this. Put the heads\nof two sticks into one of the holes; then take the other two\nsticks and lay them across the middle of the first two and stop\nwith their two heads the second hole and with their ferrules the\nfourth hole. Then take the ferrules of the first two sticks and\nstop with them the third hole.'\"[FN#369] So he repaired to the\nWazir and repeated to him the answer; and he marvelled at its\njustness and said to him, \"Go; by Allah; I will ask thee no more\nquestions, for thou with thy skill marrest my\nfoundation.\"[FN#370] Then he treated him as a friend and the\nmerchant acquainted him with the affair of the old woman;\nwhereupon quoth the Wazir, \"Needs must the intelligent company\nwith the intelligent.\" Thus did this weak woman restore to that\nman his life and his monies on the easiest wise; \"Nor,\" continued\nthe Wazir, \"is this stranger than the story of the Simpleton\nHusband.\" When the king heard this, he said, \"How like it must be\nto this our own case!\" Then he bade the Minister retire to his\nlodging; so he withdrew and on the morrow he abode at home till\nthe king should summon him to his presence.\n\n                 The Ninth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the night came, the king sat private in his chamber and\nsending after the Wazir, sought of him the story; and he said\n\"Hear, O august king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Simpleton Husband.[FN#371]\n\n\n\nThere was once in olden time a foolish man and an ignorant, who\nhad abounding wealth, and his wife was a beautiful woman, who\nloved a handsome youth. The Cicisbeo used to watch for her\nhusband's absence and come to her, and on this wise he abode a\nlong while. One day of the days, as the woman was closeted with\nher lover, he said to her, \"O my lady and my beloved, an thou\ndesire me and love me, give me possession of thy person and,\nsatisfy my need in the presence of thy husband; otherwise I will\nnever again come to thee nor draw near thee while I live my\nlife.\" Now she loved him with exceeding love and could not suffer\nhis separation an hour nor could endure to anger him; so, when\nshe heard his words, she said to him, \"Bismillah, so be it, in\nAllah's name, O my darling and coolth of mine eyes: may he not\nlive who would vex thee!\" Quoth he, \"To-day?\" and quoth she,\n\"Yes, by thy life,\" and made an appointment with him for this.\nWhen her husband came home, she said to him, \"I want to go\na-pleasuring,\" and he said, \"With all my heart.\" So he went, till\nhe came to a goodly place, abounding in vines and water, whither\nhe carried her and pitched her a tent by the side of a tall tree;\nand she betook herself to a place alongside the tent and made her\nthere a Sard\u00e1b, in which she hid her lover. Then said she to her\nhusband, \"I want to climb this tree;\"[FN#372] and he said, \"Do\nso.\" So she clomb it and when she came to the tree-top, she cried\nout and slapped her face, saying, \"O thou lecher, are these thy\nlewd ways? Thou swarest faith to me, and thou liedest.\" And she\nrepeated her speech twice and thrice. Then she came down from the\ntree and rent her raiment and said, \"O lecher, an these be thy\ndealings with me before my eyes, how dost thou when thou art\nabsent from me?\" Quoth he, \"What aileth thee?\" and quoth she, \"I\nsaw thee futter the woman before my very eyes.\" Cried he, \"Not\nso, by Allah! But hold thy peace till I go up and see.\" So he\nclomb the tree and no sooner did he begin to do so than out came\nthe lover from his hiding-place and taking the woman by the legs,\nfell to shagging her. When the husband came to the top of the\ntree, he looked and beheld a man futtering his wife; so he called\nout, \"O whore, what doings are these?\" and he made haste to come\ndown from the tree to the ground. But meanwhile the lover had\nreturned to his hiding-place and his wife asked him, \"What sawest\nthou?\" and he answered, \"I saw a man shag thee;\" but she said,\n\"Thou liest; thou sawest naught and sayst this only by way of\nphantasy.\" The same they did three several times, and every time\nhe clomb the tree the lover came up out of the underground place\nand mounted her, whilst her husband looked on and she still said,\n\"Seest thou aught, O liar?\" \"Yes,\" would he answer, and came down\nin haste, but saw no one and she said to him, \"By my life, look\nand speak naught but sooth!\" Then he cried to her, \"Arise, let us\ndepart this place, for 'tis full of Jinn and Marids.\"[FN#373]\nAccordingly, they returned to their house and nighted there, and\nthe man arose in the morning, assured that this was all but\nphantasy and fascination. And so the lover won his wicked will.\n\"Nor, O king of the age,\" continued the Wazir, \"is this stranger\nthan the story of the King and the Tither.\" When the king heard\nthis from the Minister, he bade him go away, and he went.\n\n                 The Tenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was eventide, the king summoned the Wazir and sought of\nhim the story of the King and the Tither, and he said, \"Hear, O\nking,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Unjust King and the Tither.\n\n\n\nThere was once a king of the kings of the earth, who dwelt in a\nflourishing city, abounding in good; but he wronged its people\nand entreated them foully, so that he ruined the city; and he was\nnamed naught else but tyrant and oppressor. Now he was wont,\nwhenas he heard of a violent man in another land, to send after\nhim and lure him with lucre to take service with him; and there\nwas a certain Tither, who exceeded all other Tithers in\noppression of the people and foul dealing. So the king sent after\nhim and when he stood before him, he found him a man of mighty\nfine presence and said to him, \"Thou hast been described to me,\nbut I see thou surpassest the description. Set out to me some of\nthy doings and sayings, so I may be dispensed therewith from\nenquiring into the whole of thy case.\" Answered the other, \"With\nall my heart! Know, O King, that I oppress the folk and people\nthe land, whilst other than I ruineth it and peopleth it not.\"\nNow the king was leaning back: but presently he sat upright and\nsaid, \"Tell me of this.\" The Tither replied, \"'Tis well: I go to\nthe man whom I purpose to tithe and cozen him and feign to be\nbusied with certain business, so that I seclude myself therewith\nfrom the people; and meanwhile the man is squeezed with the\nfoulest of extortion, till naught of money is left him. Then I\nappear and they come in to me and questions arise concerning him\nand I say, 'Indeed, I was ordered worse than this, for some one\n(may Allah curse him!) hath slandered him to the king.' Presently\nI take half of his good and return him the rest publicly before\nthe folk and dismiss him to his house, in all honour and worship,\nand he garreth the money returned be carried before him, whilst\nhe blesseth me and all who are with him also bless me. So is it\nbruited abroad in the city that I have restored to him his monies\nand he himself notifieth the like, to the intent that he may have\na claim on me for the favour due to those who praise me. On this\nwise I keep half his property. Then I seem to forget him till the\nyear[FN#374] hath passed over him, when I send for him and recall\nto him somewhat of that which hath befallen aforetime and require\nof him somewhat of money in secret; accordingly he doth this and\nhasteneth to his house and forwardeth whatso I bid him, with a\ncontented heart. Then I send to another man, between whom and the\nfirst is enmity, and lay hands upon him and feign to the other\nman that it is he who hath slandered him to the king and hath\ntaken the half of his good; and the people praise me.\"[FN#375]\nThe King wondered at this and at his wily dealing and clever\ncontrivance and made him controller of all his affairs and of his\nkingdom and the land was placed under his governance, and he said\nto him, \"Take and people.\" [FN#376] One day, the Tither went out\nand saw an old man, a woodcutter, and with him wood; so he said\nto him, \"Pay a dirham tithe for thy load.\" Quoth the Shaykh,\n\"Behold, thou killest me and killest my family;\" and quoth the\nTither, \"What? Who killeth the folk?\" And the oldster answered,\n\"An thou let me enter the city, I shall there sell the load for\nthree dirhams, whereof I will give thee one and buy with the\nother two silvers what will support my family; but, an thou press\nme for the tithe outside the city, the load will sell but for one\ndirham and thou wilt take it and I shall abide without food, I\nand my family. Indeed, thou and I in this circumstance are like\nunto David and Solomon (on the twain be the Peace!)\" \"How so?\"\nasked the Tither, and the woodcutter answered, \"Do thou hear\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of David and Solomon.\n\n\n\nCertain husbandmen once made complaint to David (on whom be the\nPeace!) against some sheep-owners, whose flocks had come down\nupon their crops by night and had devoured them, and he bade\nvalue the crops and that the shepherds should make good the\ndamage. But Solomon (on whom be the Peace!) rose and said, \"Nay,\nbut let the sheep be delivered to the husbandmen, so they may\ntake their milk and wool, till they have recouped the value of\ntheir crops; then let the sheep return to their owners.\"\nAccordingly David reversed his own decision and caused execute\nthat of Solomon; yet was David no oppressor; but Solomon's\njudgment was the juster and he showed himself therein better\nversed in jurisprudence and Holy Law.[FN#377] When the Tither\nheard the old man's speech, he felt ruthful and said to him, \"O\nShaykh, I make thee a gift of that which is due from thee, and do\nthou cleave to me and leave me not, so haply I may get of thee\ngain which shall do away from me my wrongousness and guide me on\nthe path of righteousness.\" So the old man followed him, and\nthere met him another with a load of wood. Quoth the Tither to\nhim, \"Pay me that which thou owest me;\" and quoth he, \"Have\npatience with me till to-morrow, for I owe the hire of a house,\nand I will sell another load of fuel and pay thee two days'\ntithe.\" But he refused him this and the Shaykh said to him, \"An\nthou constrain him unto this, thou wilt compel him quit thy\ncountry, because he is a stranger here and hath no domicile; and\nif he remove on account of one dirham, thou wilt forfeit of him\nthree hundred and sixty dirhams a year.[FN#378] Thus wilt thou\nlose the mickle in keeping the little.\" Quoth the Tither,\n\"Verily[FN#379] will I give him a dirham every month to the rent\nof his lodging.\" Then he went on and presently there met him a\nthird woodcutter and he said to him, \"Pay thy due;\" but he said,\n\"I will pay thee a dirham, when I enter the city; or take of me\nfour d\u00e1niks[FN#380] now.\" Quoth the Tither, \"I will not do it,\"\nbut the Shaykh said to him, \"Take of him the four daniks\npresently, for 'tis easy to take and hard to give back.\"\nExclaimed the Tither, \"By Allah 'tis good!\" and he arose and hied\non, crying out at the top of his voice and saying, \"I have no\npower this day to do evil.\"[FN#381] Then he doffed his dress and\nwent forth wandering at a venture, repenting unto his Lord. \"Nor\"\n(continued the Wazir), \"is this story stranger than that of the\nRobber who believed the Woman and sought refuge with Allah\nagainst falling in with her like, by reason of her cunning\ncontrivance for herself.\" When the king heard this, he said to\nhimself, \"Since the Tither repented, in consequence of the\nwoodcutter's warnings, it behoveth I leave this Wazir on life so\nI may hear the story of the Robber and the Woman.\" And he bade\nAl-Rahwan return to his lodging.\n\n                The Eleventh Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening came and the king had taken his seat, he\nsummoned the Wazir and required of him the story of the Robber\nand the Woman. Quoth the Minister, \"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Robber and the Woman.\n\n\n\nA certain Robber was a cunning workman and used not to steal\naught, till he had wasted all that was with him; moreover, he\nstole not from his neighbours, neither companied with any of the\nthieves, for fear lest some one should betray him, and his case\nbecome public. After this fashion he abode a great while, in\nflourishing condition, and his secret was concealed, till\nAlmighty Allah decreed that he broke in upon a beggar, a poor man\nwhom he deemed rich. When he gained access to the house, he found\nnaught, whereat he was wroth, and necessity prompted him to wake\nthat man, who lay asleep alongside of his wife. So he aroused him\nand said to him, \"Show me thy treasure.\" Now he had no treasure\nto show; but the Robber believed him not and was instant upon him\nwith threats and blows. When he saw that he got no profit of him,\nhe said to him, \"Swear by the oath of divorce[FN#382] from thy\nwife that thou hast nothing.\" So he sware and his wife said to\nhim, \"Fie on thee! Wilt thou divorce me? Is not the hoard buried\nin yonder chamber?\" Then she turned to the Robber and conjured\nhim to be weightier of blows upon her husband, till he should\ndeliver to him the treasure, anent which he had forsworn himself.\nSo he drubbed him with a grievous drubbing, till he carried him\nto a certain chamber, wherein she signed to him that the hoard\nwas and that he should take it up. So the Robber entered, he and\nthe husband; and when they were both in the chamber, she locked\non them the door, which was a stout and strong, and said to the\nRobber, \"Woe to thee, O fool! Thou hast fallen into the trap and\nnow I have but to cry out and the officers of police will come\nand take thee and thou wilt lose thy life, O Satan!\" Quoth he,\n\"Let me go forth;\" and quoth she, \"Thou art a man and I am a\nwoman; and in thy hand is a knife, and I am afraid of thee.\" He\ncried, \"Take the knife from me.\" So she took it and said to her\nhusband, \"Art thou a woman and he a man? Pain his neck-nape with\ntunding, even as he tunded thee; and if he put out his hand to\nthee, I will cry out a single cry and the policemen will come and\ntake him and hew him in two.\" So the husband said to him, \"O\nthousand-horned,[FN#383] O dog, O dodger, I owe thee a\ndeposit[FN#384] wherefor thou hast dunned me.\" And he fell to\nbashing him grievously with a stick of holm-oak,[FN#385] whilst\nhe called out to the woman for help and prayed her to deliver\nhim: but she said, \"Keep thy place till the morning, and thou\nshalt see queer things.\" And her husband beat him within the\nchamber, till he killed[FN#386] him and he swooned away. Then he\nleft beating him and when the Robber came to himself, the woman\nsaid to her husband, \"O man, this house is on hire and we owe its\nowners much money, and we have naught; so how wilt thou do?\" And\nshe went on to bespeak him thus. The Robber asked \"And what is\nthe amount of the rent?\" 'The husband answered, \"'Twill be eighty\ndirhams;\" and the thief said, \"I will pay this for thee and do\nthou let me go my way.\" Then the wife enquired, \"O man, how much\ndo we owe the baker and the greengrocer?\" Quoth the Robber, \"What\nis the sum of this?\" And the husband said, \"Sixty dirhams.\"\nRejoined the other, \"That makes two hundred dirhams; let me go my\nway and I will pay them.\" But the wife said, O my dear, and the\ngirl groweth up and needs must we marry her and equip her and do\nwhat else is needful.\" So the Robber said to the husband, \"How\nmuch dost thou want?\" and he rejoined, \"An hundred dirhams in a\nmodest way.\"[FN#387] Quoth the Robber, \"That maketh three hundred\ndirhams.\" Then the woman said, \"O my dear, when the girl is\nmarried, thou wilt need money for winter expenses, charcoal and\nfirewood and other necessaries.\" The Robber asked \"What wouldst\nthou have?\" And she answered, \"An hundred dirhams.\" He rejoined,\n\"Be it four hundred dirhams.\" And she continued, \"O my dear and O\ncoolth of mine eyes, needs must my husband have capital in\nhand,[FN#388] wherewith he may buy goods and open him a shop.\"\nSaid he, \"How much will that be?\" And she, \"An hundred dirhams.\"\nQuoth the Robber, \"That maketh five hundred dirhams; I will pay\nit; but may I be triply divorced from my wife if all my\npossessions amount to more than this, and they be the savings of\ntwenty years! Let me go my way, so I may deliver them to thee.\"\nCried she, \"O fool, how shall I let thee go thy way? Utterly\nimpossible! Be pleased to give me a right token.\"[FN#389] So he\ngave her a token for his wife and she cried out to her young\ndaughter and said to her, \"Keep this door.\" Then she charge her\nhusband to watch over the Robber, till she should return, and\nrepairing to his wife, acquainted her with his case and told her\nthat her husband the thief had been taken and had compounded for\nhis release, at the price of seven hundred dirhams, and named to\nher the token. Accordingly, she gave her the money and she took\nit and returned to her house. By this time, the dawn had dawned;\nso she let the thief go his way, and when he went out, she said\nto him, \"O my dear, when shall I see thee come and take the\ntreasure?\" And he, \"O indebted one,[FN#390] when thou needest\nother seven hundred dirhams, wherewith to amend thy case and that\nof thy children and to pay thy debts.\" And he went out, hardly\nbelieving in his deliverance from her. \"Nor,\" continued the\nWazir, \"is this stranger than the story of the Three Men and our\nLord \u00cds\u00e0.\" So the king bade him hie to his own home.\n\n                The Twelfth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was eventide, the king summoned the Minister and bade him\ntell the promised tale. He replied, \"Hearing and obeying. Give\near, O glorious king, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Three Men and our Lord Isa.\n\n\n\nThree men once went out questing treasure and came upon a nugget\nof gold, weighing fifty maunds.[FN#391] When they saw it, they\ntook it up on their shoulders and carried it till they drew near\na certain city, when one of them said, \"Let us sit in the\ncathedral-mosque,[FN#392] whilst one of us shall go and buy us\nwhat we may eat.\" So they sat down in the mosque and one of them\narose and entered the city. When he came therein, his soul\nprompted him to false his two fellows and get the gold to himself\nalone. Accordingly, he bought food and poisoned it: but, when he\nreturned to his comrades, they sprang upon him and slew him, in\norder that they might enjoy the gold without him. Then they ate\nof the poisoned food and died, and the gold lay cast down over\nagainst them. Presently, \u00cds\u00e0 bin Maryam (on whom be the Peace!)\npassed by and seeing this, besought Allah Almighty for tidings of\ntheir case; so He told him what had betided them, whereat great\nwas his surprise and he related to his disciples[FN#393] what he\nhad seen. Quoth one of them, \"O Spirit of Allah,[FN#394] naught\nresembleth this but my own adventure.\" Quoth Isa, \"How so?\" and\nthe other began to tell\n\n\n\n\nThe Disciple's Story.\n\n\n\nOnce I was in such a city, where I hid a thousand dirhams in a\nmonastery. After a while, I went thither and taking the money,\nbound it about my waist. Then I set out to return and when I came\nto the Sahar\u00e1[FN#395]-waste, the carrying of the money was heavy\nupon me. Presently, I espied a horseman pushing on after me; so I\nwaited till he came up and said to him, \"O rider, carry this\nmoney for me and earn reward and recompense in Heaven.\" Said he,\n\"No, I will not do it, for I should tire myself and tire out my\nhorse.\" Then he went on but, before he had gone far, he said in\nhis mind, \"An I take up the money and put my steed to speed and\ndevance him, how shall he overtake me?\" And I also said in my\nmind, \"Verily, I erred; for, had he taken the money and made off,\nwhat could I have done?\" Then he turned back to me and cried to\nme, \"Hand over the money, that I may carry it for thee.\" But I\nreplied to him, \"That which hath occurred to thy mind hath\noccurred to mine also; so go thou and go safe.\" Quoth Isa (on\nwhom be the Peace!), \"Had these done prudently, they had taken\nthought for themselves; but they unheeded the issues of events;\nfor that whoso acteth cautiously is safe and winneth his wish,\nand whoso neglecteth precaution is lost and repenteth.\"[FN#396]\n\"Nor,\" continued the Wazir, \"is this stranger or rarer than the\nstory of the King, whose kingdom was restored to him and his\nwealth, after he had become poor, possessing not a single\ndirham.\" When the king heard this, he said in himself, \"How like\nis this to my own story in the matter of the Minister and his\nslaughter! Had I not used deliberation, I had done him dead.\" And\nhe bade AlRahwan hie to his own home.\n\n               The Thirteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the even evened, the king sent for the Wazir to his\nsitting-chamber and bade him tell the promised tale. So he said,\n\"Hearkening and obedience. They relate, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Dethroned Ruler Whose Reign and Wealth\nWere Restored to Him.\n\n\n\nThere was once, in a city of the cities of Al-Hind, a just king\nand a beneficent, and he had a Wazir, a man of understanding,\nupright in his rede, and praiseworthy in his policy, a Minister\nin whose hand was the handling of all the affairs of the realm;\nfor he was firmly based on the Sultan's favour and high in esteem\nwith the folk of his time, and the king set great store by him\nand entrusted himself to him in all his transactions, by reason\nof his excellent management of the lieges, and he had\nguards[FN#397] who were content with him and grateful to him. Now\nthat king had a brother, who envied him and would lief have taken\nhis place; and when he was a-weary of looking for his death and\nthe term of his life seemed distant, he took counsel with certain\nof his partisans and they said, \"The Minister is the monarch's\ncounsellor and but for this Wazir the king were kingdomless.\" So\nthe pretender cast about for the ruin of the defender, but could\nfind no means of furthering his design; and when the affair grew\nlongsome upon him, he said to his wife, \"What deemest thou will\ngar us gain herein?\" \"What is it?\" \"I mean in the matter of\nyonder Minister, who inciteth my brother to worship with all his\nmight and biddeth him unto devoutness, and indeed the king doteth\nupon his counsel and stablisheth him governor of all monies and\nmatters.\" \"True; but how shall we devise with him?\" \"I have a\ndevice, so thou wilt help me in that which I shall say to thee.\"\n\"Thou shalt have my help in whatsoever thou desirest.\" \"I mean to\ndig him a pit in the vestibule and conceal it artfully.\"\nAccordingly, he did this, and when it was night, he covered the\npit with a light covering, so that, when the Wazir trod upon it,\nit would give way under his tread. Then he sent to him and\nsummoned him to the Court in the king's name, and the messenger\nbade him enter by the private wicket-way. So he came in alone,\nand when he stepped upon the covering of the pit, it caved in\nwith him and he fell to the bottom; whereupon the king's brother\nfell to pelting him with stones. When the Minister beheld what\nhad betided him he gave himself up for lost; so he stirred not\nfor a while and lay still. The Prince, seeing him make no sign,\ndeemed him dead; so he took him forth and wrapping him up in his\nrobes, cast him into the surges of the sea in the middle night.\nWhen the Wazir felt the water, he awoke from the swoon and swam\nfor an hour or so, till a ship passed by him, whereupon he\nshouted to the sailors and they took him up. Now when the morning\nmorrowed, the people went seeking for him, but found him not; and\nthe king learning this, was perplexed concerning his affair and\nabode unknowing whatso he should do. Then he sought for a\nMinister to stand in his stead, and the king's brother said, \"I\nhave for Wazir an efficient man.\" Said the king, \"Bring him to\nme.\" So he brought him a man, whom he set at the head of affairs;\nbut he seized upon the kingdom and threw the king in fetters and\nmade his brother king in lieu of him. The new ruler gave himself\nup to all manner of frowardness, whereat the folk murmured and\nhis Minister said to him, \"I fear lest the Hindians take the old\nking and restore him to the kingship and we both come to ruin:\nso, if we seize him and cast him into the sea, we shall be at\nrest from him; and we will publish among the folk that he is\ndead.\" And they, agreeing upon this, took him up and carrying him\nout to sea, cast him in. When he felt the water, he struck out,\nand ceased not swimming till he landed upon an island, where he\ntarried five days finding nothing which he might eat or drink;\nbut, on the sixth day, when he despaired of his life, behold,\nthere passed a ship; so he made signals to the crew and they came\nand took him up and fared on with him to an inhabited country,\nwhere they set him ashore, mother-naked as he was. There, seeing\na man seeding, he sought guidance of him and the husbandman\nasked, \"Art thou a foreigner?\" \"Yes,\" answered the king and sat\nwith him and they talked. The peasant found him clever and\nquick-witted and said to him, \"An thou beheld a comrade of mine,\nthou wouldst see him the like of what I see thee, for his case is\neven as thy case, and he is at this present my friend.\" Quoth the\nking, \"Verily, thou makest me long to look at him. Canst thou not\nbring us together, me and him?\" Quoth the husbandman, \"With joy\nand goodly gree;\" and the king sat with him till he had made an\nend of his seeding, when he carried him to his homestead and\nbrought him in company with the other stranger, and behold it was\nhis Wazir. When each saw other, the twain wept and embraced, and\nthe sower wept for their weeping; but the king hid their affair\nand said to him, \"This man is from my mother-land and he is as my\nbrother.\" So they homed with the husbandman and helped him for a\nhire, wherewith they supported themselves a long spell.\nMeanwhile, they sought news of their patrial stead and learned\nthat which its people suffered of straitness and severity. One\nday there came a ship and in it a merchant from their own\ncountry, who knew them and rejoiced in them with joy exceeding\nand clad them in goodly clothing. He also acquainted them with\nthe manner of the treachery that had been practised upon them,\nand counselled them to return to their own land, they and he with\nwhom they had made friends,[FN#398] assuring them that Almighty\nAllah would restore them to their former rank. So the king\nreturned and the folk joined themselves to him and he fell upon\nhis brother and his Wazir and took them and threw them into jail.\nThen he sat down again upon the throne of his kingship, whilst\nthe Minister stood between his hands and they returned to their\nformer estate, but they had naught of worldly wealth. Presently\nthe king said to his Wazir, \"How shall we continue tarrying in\nthis city, and we thus poorly conditioned?\" and he answered, \"Be\nat thine ease and have no concern.\" Then he singled out one of\nthe soldiers[FN#399] and said to him, \"Send us thy\nservice[FN#400] for the year.\" Now there were in the city fifty\nthousand subjects[FN#401] and in the hamlets and villages[FN#402]\na like number; and the Minister sent to each of these, saying,\n\"Let each and every of you get an egg and set it under a hen.\"\nThey did this and it was neither burden nor grievance to them;\nand when twenty days had passed by, each egg was hatched, and the\nWazir bade them pair the chickens, male with female, and rear\nthem well. They did accordingly and it was found a charge unto no\none. Then they waited for them awhile and after this the Minister\nasked of the chickens and was answered that they were become\nfowls. Furthermore, they brought him all their eggs and he bade\nset them; and after twenty days there were hatched from each pair\nof them thirty or five-and-twenty or fifteen chickens at the\nleast. The Wazir bade note against each man the number of\nchickens which pertained to him, and after two months, he took\nthe old partlets and the cockerels, and there came to him from\neach man some half a score, and he left the young partlets with\nthem. Even so he sent to the country folk and let the cocks\nremain with them. Thus he got him whole broods of young poultry\nand appropriated to himself the sale of the fowls, and on this\nwise he gained for him, in the course of a year, that which the\nkingly estate required of the King, and his affairs were set\nright for him by the cunning contrivance of the Minister. And he\ncaused the country to thrive and dealt justly by his subjects and\nreturned to them all that he took from them and lived a grateful\nand prosperous life. Thus right counsel and prudence are better\nthan wealth, for that understanding profiteth at all times and\nseasons. \"Nor,\" continued the Wazir, \"is this stranger than the\nstory of the Man whose caution slew him.\" When the king heard the\nwords of his Wazir, he wondered with the uttermost wonder and\nbade him retire to his lodging.\n\n               The Fourteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the Minister returned to the presence, the King sought of him\nthe story of the Man whose caution slew him and he said, \"Hear, O\nauspicious King,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Man whose Caution Slew Him.\n\n\n\nThere was once a man who was cautious exceedingly concerning\nhimself, and he set out one day on a journey to a land abounding\nin wild beasts. The caravan wherewith he fared came by night to\nthe gate of a city; but the warders would not open to them, for\nthere were lions there; so they nighted without the walls. Now\nthat man, of the excess of his caution, could not determine a\nplace wherein he should pass the night, for fear of the wild\nbeasts and reptiles; so he went about seeking an empty stead\nwherein he might lie. At last, as there was a ruined building\nhard by, he climbed up on to a high wall and ceased not\nclambering hither and thither, of the excess of his carefulness,\ntill his feet betrayed him and he slipped and fell to the bottom\nand died, whilst his companions arose in the morning safe and\nsound. Now, had he overmastered his wrongous rede and had he\nsubmitted himself to Fate and Fortune, it had been safer and\nbetter for him; but he made light of the folk and belittled their\nwit and was not content to take example by them; for his soul\nwhispered him that he was a man of wits and he fancied that, an\nhe abode with them, he would perish; so his folly cast him into\nperdition. \"Nor,\" continued the Wazir, \"is this stranger than the\nstory of the Man who was lavish of his house and his provision to\none he knew not.\" When the King heard this, he said, \"I will not\nseparate myself from the folk and slay my Minister.\" And he bade\nhim hie to his own house.\n\n               The Fifteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King bade fetch the Wazir and\nrequired of him the story. So he said, \"Hear, O King,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Man who was Lavish of his House and his\nProvision to One Whom He Knew Not.\n\n\n\nThere was once an Arab of high rank and noble presence, a model\nof magnanimity and exalted generosity, and he had brethren, with\nwhom he consorted and caroused, and they were wont to assemble by\nrotation at one another's homes. When it came to his turn, he gat\nready in his house all manner goodly meats and pleasant and\ndainty drinks and the fairest flowers and the finest fruits, and\nhe provided all kinds of instruments of music and store of\nwondrous dictes and marvellous stories and pleasant instances and\nhistories and witty anecdotes and verses and what not else, for\nthere was none among those with whom he was wont to company but\nenjoyed this in every goodly fashion, and the entertainment he\nhad provided contained all whereof each had need. Then he sallied\nforth in quest of his friends, and went round about the city, so\nhe might assemble them; but found none of them at home. Now in\nthat town was a man of pleasant conversation and large\ngenerosity, a merchant of condition, young of years and bright of\nblee, who had come to that place from his own country with\nmerchandise in great store and wealth galore. He took up his\nabode therein and the town was pleasant to him and he was large\nin lavishing, so that he came to the end of all this wealth and\nthere remained in his hand naught save what was upon him of\nraiment. So he left the lodging which had homed him in the days\nof his prosperity; after he had wasted that which was therein of\nfurniture, and fell to finding refuge in the houses of the\ntownsfolk from night to night. One day, as he went wandering\nabout the streets, he beheld a woman of the uttermost beauty and\nloveliness, and what he saw of her charms amazed him and there\nhappened to him what made him forget his sorry plight. She\naccosted him and jested with him and he besought her of union and\nintimacy; so she consented to this and said to him, \"Let us go to\nthy lodging.\" Herewith he repented and was perplexed concerning\nhis procedure and grieved for that which must escape him of her\ncompany by reason of the straitness of his hand, for that he had\nnot a whit of spending-money. But he was ashamed to say \"No,\"\nafter he had sued and wooed her; wherefore he went on before her,\nbethinking him how he should rid himself of her and seeking some\nexcuse which he might put off on her, and gave not over going\nfrom street to street, till he entered one that had no issue and\nsaw, at the farther end, a door, whereon was a padlock.[FN#403]\nThen said he to her, \"Do thou excuse me, for my lad hath locked\nthe door and how shall we open it?\" Said she, \"O my lord, the\npadlock is worth only some ten dirhams;\" and presently she tucked\nup her sleeves from forearms as they were crystal and taking a\nstone, smote the padlock and broke it; and, opening the door,\nsaid to him, \"Enter, O my lord.\" Accordingly he went in,\ncommitting his affair to Allah (to whom belong Honour and Glory),\nand she entered after him and locked the door from within. They\nfound themselves in a pleasant house, collecting all good and\ngladness; and the young man fared forwards, till he came to the\nsitting-chamber, and, behold, it was furnished with the finest of\nfurniture as hath before been set out.[FN#404] He seated himself\nand leant upon a cushion, whilst she put out her hand to her veil\nand doffed it. Then she threw off her heavy outer clothes till\nshe was clad in the thinnest which showed her charms, whereupon\nthe young man embraced her and kissed her and enjoyed her; after\nwhich they washed with the Ghusl-ablution and returned to their\nplace and he said to her, \"Know that I have little knowledge of\nwhat goeth on in my own house, for that I trust to my servant: so\narise thou and see what the lad hath made ready in the kitchen.\"\nAccordingly, she arose and going down into the kitchen, saw\ncooking pots over the fire, wherein were all manner of dainty\nviands, and firstsbread[FN#405] and fresh almond cakes.[FN#406]\nSo she set bread on a dish and ladled out what she would from the\npots and brought it to him. They ate and drank and played and\nmade merry a while of the day; and as they were thus engaged,\nsuddenly up came the master of the house, with his friends, whom\nhe had brought with him, that they might converse together, as of\nwont. He saw the door opened and knocked a light knock, saying to\nhis company, \"Have patience with me, for some of my family are\ncome to visit me: wherefore excuse belongeth first to Allah\nAlmighty, and then to you.\"[FN#407] So they farewelled him and\nfared their ways, whilst he rapped another light rap at the door.\nWhen the young man heard this, he changed colour and the woman\nsaid to him, \"Methinks thy lad hath returned.\" He answered,\n\"Yes;\" and she arose and opening the door to the master of the\nhouse, said to him, \"Where hast thou been? Indeed, thy master is\nangry with thee!\" and he said, \"O my lady, I have not been save\nabout his business.\" Then he girt his waist with a kerchief and\nentering, saluted the young merchant, who said to him, \"Where\nhast thou been?\" Quoth he, \"I have done thine errands;\" and quoth\nthe youth, \"Go and eat and come hither and drink.\" So he went\naway, as he bade him, and ate; then he washed hands and returning\nto the sitting-room, sat down on the carpet and fell to talking\nwith them; whereupon the young merchant's heart was heartened and\nhis breast broadened and he applied himself to pleasure. They\nwere in all joyance of life and the most abounding pleasance till\na third part of the night was past, when the house-master arose,\nand spreading them a bed, invited them to take their rest. So\nthey lay down and the youth wide awake, pondering their affair\ntill daybreak, when the woman roused herself from sleep and said\nto her companion, \"I wish to go.\" He farewelled her and she\ndeparted; whereupon the master of the house followed her with a\npurse of silver and gave it to her, saying, \"Blame not my lord,\"\nand made his excuse to her for his master. Then he returned to\nthe youth and said to him, \"Arise and come to the\nHammam;\"[FN#408] and he fell to shampooing his hands and feet,\nwhilst the youth called down blessings on him and said \"O my\nlord, who art thou? Methinks there is not in the world the like\nof thee; no, nor a pleasanter in thy disposition.\" Then each of\nthe twain acquainted the other with his case and condition and\nthey went to the bath; after which the master of the house\nconjured the young merchant to return with him and summoned his\nfriends. So they ate and drank and he told them the tale,\nwherefore they thanked the house-master and praised him; and\ntheir friendship was complete while the young merchant abode in\nthe town, till Allah made easy to him a means of travel,\nwhereupon they farewelled him and he departed; and this is the\nend of his tale. \"Nor,\" continued the Wazir, \"O king of the age,\nis this stranger than the story of the Richard who lost his\nwealth and his wit.\" When the king heard the Minister's story, it\npleased him and he bade him hie to his home.\n\n               The Sixteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King sat in his sitting-chamber and\nsending for his Wazir, bade him relate the story of the Wealthy\nMan who lost his wealth and his wit. So he said, \"Hear, O King,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Melancholist and the Sharper.[FN#409]\n\n\n\nThere was once a Richard hight 'Ajl\u00e1n, the Hasty, who wasted his\nwealth, and concern and chagrin gat the mastery of him, so that\nhe became a Melancholist[FN#410] and lost his wit. There remained\nwith him of his monies about twenty dinars and he used to beg\nalms of the folk, and whatso they gave him in charity he would\ngather together and add to the gold pieces that were left him.\nNow there was in that town a Sharper, who made his living by\nroguery, and he knew that the Melancholist had somewhat of money;\nso he fell to spying upon him and ceased not watching him till he\nsaw him put into an earthen pot that which he had with him of\nsilvers and enter a deserted ruin, where he sat down, as if to\nmake water, and dug a hole, wherein he laid the pot and covering\nit up, smoothed the ground as it had been. Then he went away and\nthe Sharper came and taking what was in the pot, restored it to\nits former place. Presently 'Ajlan returned, with somewhat to add\nto his hoard, but found it not; so he bethought him of who had\nfollowed him and remembered that he had found that Sharper\nassiduous in sitting with him and questioning him. So he went in\nsearch of him, assured that he had taken the pot, and gave not\nover looking for him till he saw him sitting; whereupon he ran to\nhim and the Sharper saw him. Then the Melancholist stood within\nearshot and muttered[FN#411] to himself and said, \"In the pot are\nsixty ducats and I have with me other twenty in such a place and\nto-day I will unite the whole in the pot.\" When the Sharper heard\nhim say this to himself, muttering and mumbling, repeating and\nblundering in his speech, he repented him of having taken the\nsequins and said, \"He will presently return to the pot[FN#412]\nand find it empty; wherefore that for which I am on the look-out\nwill escape me; and meseemeth 'twere best I replace the dinars,\nso he may see them and leave all which is with him in the pot,\nand I can take the whole.\" Now he feared to return to the pot at\nonce, lest the Melancholist should follow him to the place and\nfind nothing and on this wise his arrangements be marred; so he\nsaid to him, \"O 'Ajlan,[FN#413] I would have thee come to my\nlodging and eat bread with me.\" Thereupon the Melancholist went\nwith him to his quarters and he seated him there and going to the\nmarket, sold somewhat of his clothes and pawned somewhat from his\nhouse and bought the best of food. Then he betook himself to the\nruin and replacing the money in the pot, buried it again; after\nwhich he returned to his lodging and gave the Melancholist to eat\nand drink, and they went out together. The Sharper walked away\nand hid himself, lest his guest should see him, whilst 'Ajlan\nrepaired to his hiding-place and took the pot. Presently, the\nSharper returned to the ruin, rejoicing in that which he deemed\nhe should get, and dug in the place, but found naught and knew\nthat the Melancholist had outwitted him. So he began buffetting\nhis face for regret, and fell to following the other whitherso he\nwent, to the intent that he might win what was with him, but he\nfailed in this, because the Melancholist knew what was in his\nmind and was assured that he spied upon him; so he kept watch\nover himself. Now, had the Sharper considered the consequences of\nhaste and that which is begotten of loss therefrom, he had not\ndone on such wise. \"Nor,\" continued the Wazir, \"is this tale, O\nking of the age, rarer or stranger or daintier than the story of\nKhalbas[FN#414] and his Wife and the learned man and that which\nbefel between the three.\" When the king heard this story, he left\nhis purpose of putting the Minister to death and his soul bade\nhim to continue him on life. So he ordered him off to his house.\n\n              The Seventeenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned the Minister, and as\nsoon as he presented himself, he required of him the story. So he\nsaid, \"Hearkening and obedience. Hear, O august King,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of Khalbas and his Wife and the Learned Man.\n\n\n\nThere was once a man called Khalbas, who was a fulsome fellow, a\ncalamity, notorious for this note, and he had a charming wife,\nrenowned for beauty and loveliness. A man of his townsfolk fell\nin love with her and she also loved him. Now Khalbas was a wily\nwight and full of guile, and there was in his neighbourhood a\nlearned man, to whom the folk used to resort every day and he\ntold them histories and admonished them with moral instances; and\nKhalbas was wont to be present in his assembly, for the sake of\nmaking a show before the folk. This learned man also had a wife\nfamed for comeliness and seemlihead and quickness of wit and\nunderstanding and the lover sought some device whereby he might\nmanage to meet Khalbas's wife; so he came to him and told him as\na secret what he had seen of the learned man's wife and confided\nto him that he was in love with her and besought his assistance\nin this. Khalbas told him that she was known as a model of\nchastity and continence and that she exposed herself not to ill\ndoubts; but the other said, \"I cannot renounce her, in the first\nplace because the woman inclineth to me and coveteth my wealth,\nand secondly, because of the greatness of my fondness for her;\nand naught is wanting but thy help.\" Quoth Khalbas, \"I will do\nthy will;\" and quoth the other, \"Thou shalt have of me every day\ntwo silvern dirhams, on condition that thou sit with the learned\nman and that, when he riseth from the assembly, thou speak a word\nwhich shall notify to me the breaking up of the meeting.\" So they\nagreed upon that and Khalbas entered and sat in the session,\nwhilst the lover was assured in his heart that the secret was\nsafe and secure with him, wherefore he rejoiced and was content\nto pay the two dirhams. Then Khalbas used to attend the learned\nman's assembly, whilst the other would go in to his wife and be\nvery much with her, on such wise as he thought good, till the\nlearned man arose from his meeting; and when Khalbas saw that he\nproposed rising, he would speak a word for the lover to hear,\nwhereupon he went forth from the wife of Khalbas who knew not\nthat doom was in his own home. But when the learned man saw\nKhalbas do the same thing every day, he began to suspect him,\nespecially on account of that which he knew of his bad name, and\nsuspicion grew upon him; so, one day, he resolved to advance the\ntime of his rising ere the wonted hour and hastening up to\nKhalbas, seized him and said to him, \"By Allah, an thou say a\nsingle syllable, I will do thee a damage!\" Then he went in to his\nwife, with Khalbas in his grip, and behold, she was sitting, as\nof her wont, nor was there about her aught of suspicious or\nunseemly. The learned man bethought him awhile of this, then made\nfor Khalbas's house, which adjoined his own, still holding his\nman; and when they entered, they found the young lover lying on\nthe bed with Khalbas's wife; whereupon quoth the learned man to\nhim, \"O accursed, the doom is with thee and in thine own home!\"\nSo Khalbas divorced his wife and went forth, fleeing, and\nreturned not to his own land. \"This, then\" (continued the Wazir),\n\"is the consequence of lewdness, for whoso purposeth in himself\nwile and perfidious guile, they get possession of him, and had\nKhalbas conceived of himself that dishonour and calamity which he\nconceived of the folk, there had betided him nothing of this. Nor\nis this tale, rare and curious though it be, stranger or rarer\nthan the story of the Devotee whose husband's brother accused her\nof lewdness.\" When the king heard this, wonderment gat hold of\nhim and his admiration for the Wazir redoubled; so he bade him\nhie to his home and return to him on the morrow, according to his\ncustom. So the Minister withdrew to his lodging, where he passed\nthe night and the ensuing day.\n\n               The Eighteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned the Wazir and required\nof him the story; so he said, \"'Tis well. Hear O King,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Devotee Accused of Lewdness.[FN#415]\n\n\n\nThere was once a man of N\u00edsh\u00e1b\u00far[FN#416] who, having a wife of\nthe uttermost beauty and piety, yet was minded to set out on the\npilgrimage. So before leaving home he commended her to the care\nof his brother and besought him to aid her in her affairs and\nfurther her wishes till he should return, for the brothers were\non the most intimate terms.[FN#417] Then he took ship and\ndeparted and his absence was prolonged. Meanwhile, the brother\nwent to visit his brother's wife, at all times and seasons, and\nquestioned her of her circumstances and went about her wants; and\nwhen his calls were prolonged and he heard her speech and saw her\nface, the love of her gat hold upon his heart and he became\npassionately fond of her and his soul prompted him to evil. So he\nbesought her to lie with him, but she refused and showed him how\nfoul was his deed, and he found him no way to win what he\nwished;[FN#418] wherefore he wooed her with soft speech and\ngentle ways. Now she was righteous in all her doings and never\nswerved from one saying;[FN#419] so, when he saw that she\nconsented not to him, he had no doubts but that she would tell\nhis brother, when he returned from his journey, and quoth he to\nher, \"An thou consent not to whatso I require of thee, I will\ncause a scandal to befal thee and thou wilt perish.\" Quoth she,\n\"Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) judge betwixt me and thee,\nand know that, shouldst thou hew me limb from limb, I would not\nconsent to that thou biddest me to do.\" His ignorance[FN#420] of\nwomankind persuaded him that she would tell her spouse; so he\nbetook himself of his exceeding despite, to a company of people\nin the mosque and informed them that he had witnessed a man\ncommit adultery with his brother's wife. They believed his word\nand documented his charge and assembled to stone her.[FN#421]\nThen they dug her a pit outside the city and seating her therein,\nstoned her, till they deemed her dead, when they left her.\nPresently a Shaykh of a village passed by the pit and finding her\nalive, carried her to his house and cured her of her wounds. Now\nhe had a youthful son, who, as soon as he saw her, loved her and\nbesought her of her person; but she refused and consented not to\nhim, whereupon he redoubled in love and longing and his case\nprompted him to suborn a youth of the people of his village and\nagree with him that he should come by night and take somewhat\nfrom his father's house and that, when he was seized and\ndiscovered, he should say that she was his accomplice in this and\navouch that she was his mistress and had been stoned on his\naccount in the city. Accordingly he did this, and, coming by\nnight to the villager's house, stole therefrom goods and clothes;\nwhereupon the owner awoke and seizing the thief, pinioned him\nstraitly and beat him to make him confess; and he confessed\nagainst the woman that she was a partner in the crime and that he\nwas her lover from the city. The news was bruited abroad and the\ncitizens assembled to put her to death; but the Shaykh with whom\nshe was forbade them and said, \"I brought this woman hither,\ncoveting the recompense of Allah, and I know not the truth of\nthat which is said of her and will not empower any to hurt or\nharm her.\" Then he gave her a thousand dirhams, by way of alms,\nand thrust her forth of the village. As for the thief, he was\nimprisoned for some days; after which the folk interceded for him\nwith the old man, saying, \"This is a youth and indeed he erred;\"\nand he released him from his bonds. Meanwhile the woman went out\nat hap-hazard and donning a devotee's dress, fared on without\nceasing, till she came to a city and found the king's deputies\ndunning the townsfolk for the tribute, out of season. Presently,\nshe saw a man, whom they were pressing for the tribute; so she\nasked of his case and being acquainted with it, paid down the\nthousand dirhams for him and delivered him from the bastinado;\nwhereupon he thanked her and those who were present. When he was\nset free, he walked with her and besought her to go with him to\nhis dwelling: accordingly, she accompanied him thither and supped\nwith him and passed the night. When the dark hours gloomed on\nhim, his soul prompted him to evil, for that which he saw of her\nbeauty and loveliness, and he lusted after her, and required her\nof her person; but she rejected him and threatened him with Allah\nthe Most High and reminded him of that which she had done with\nhim of kindness and how she had delivered him from the stick and\nits disgrace. However, he would not be denied, and when he saw\nher persistent refusal of herself to him, he feared lest she\nshould tell the folk of him. So, when he arose in the morning, he\nwrote on a paper what he would of forgery and falsehood and going\nup to the Sultan's palace, said, \"I have an advisement for the\nKing.\" So he bade admit him and he delivered him the writ he had\nforged, saying, \"I found this letter with the woman, the devotee,\nthe ascetic, and indeed she is a spy, a secret informer against\nthe sovran to his foe; and I deem the King's due more incumbent\non me than any other claim and warning him to be the first duty,\nfor that he uniteth in himself all the subjects, and but for the\nKing's existence, the lieges would perish; wherefore I have\nbrought thee good counsel.\" The King gave credit to his words and\nsent with him those who should lay hands upon the Devotee and do\nher to death; but they found her not. As for the woman, when the\nman went out from her, she resolved to depart; so she fared\nforth, saying to herself, \"There is no wayfaring for me in\nwoman's habit.\" Then she donned men's dress, such as is worn of\nthe pious, and set out and wandered over the earth; nor did she\ncease wandering till she entered a certain city. Now the king of\nthat city had an only daughter, in whom he gloried and whom he\nloved, and she saw the Devotee and deeming her a pilgrim youth,\nsaid to her father, \"I would fain have this youth take up his\nlodging with me, so I may learn of him lere and piety and\nreligion.\" Her father rejoiced in this and commanded the pilgrim\nto take up his abode with his daughter in his palace. So they\nwere in one place and the Princess was strenuous to the uttermost\nin continence and chastity and nobility of mind and magnanimity\nand devotion; but the ignorant tattled anent her and the folk of\nthe realm said, \"The king's daughter loveth the pilgrim youth and\nhe loveth her.\" Now the king was a very old man and destiny\ndecreed the ending of his life-term; so he died and when he was\nburied, the lieges assembled and many were the sayings of the\npeople and of the king's kinsfolk and officers, and they\ncounselled together to slay the Princess and the young pilgrim,\nsaying, \"This fellow dishonoureth us with yonder whore and none\naccepteth shame save the base.\" So they fell upon them and slew\nthe king's daughter in her mosque, without asking her of aught;\nwhereupon the pious woman (whom they deemed a youth) said to\nthem, \"Woe to you, O miscreants! Ye have slain the pious lady.\"\nQuoth they, \"O thou fulsome fellow, dost thou bespeak us thus?\nThou lovedst her and she loved thee, and we will assuredly slay\nthee.\" And quoth she, \"Allah forfend. Indeed, the affair is the\nclear reverse of this.\" They asked, \"What proof hast thou of\nthat?\" and she answered, \"Bring me women.\" They did so, and when\nthe matrons looked on her, they found her a woman. As soon as the\ntownsfolk saw this, they repented of that they had done and the\naffair was grievous to them; so they sought pardon of Allah and\nsaid to her, \"By the virtue of Him whom thou servest, do thou\ncrave pardon for us.\" Said she, \"As for me, I may no longer tarry\nwith you and I am about to depart from you.\" Then they humbled\nthemselves before her and shed tears and said to her, \"We conjure\nthee, by the might of Allah the Most High, that thou take upon\nthyself the rule of the realm and of the lieges.\" But she refused\nand drew her back; whereupon they came up to her and wept and\nceased not supplicating her, till she consented and undertook the\nkingship. Her first commandment to them was that they bury the\nPrincess and build over her a dome and she abode in that palace,\nworshipping the Almighty and dealing judgment between the people\nwith justice, and Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) vouchsafed\nher, for the excellence of her piety and her patience and\nrenunciation, the acceptance of her prayers, so that she sought\nnot aught of Him (to whom belong Might and Majesty), but He\ngranted her petition; and her fame was bruited abroad in all\nlands. Accordingly, the folk resorted to her from all parts and\nshe used to pray Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty) for the\noppressed and the Lord granted him relief, and against his\noppressor, and He brake him asunder; and she prayed for the sick\nand they were made sound; and in this goodly way she tarried a\ngreat space of time. So fared it with the wife; but as for her\nhusband, when he returned from the pilgrimage, his brother and\nthe neighbours acquainted him with the affair of his spouse,\nwhereat he was sore concerned and suspected their story, for that\nwhich he knew of her chastity and prayerfulness; and he shed\ntears for the loss of her. Meanwhile, she prayed to Almighty\nAllah that He would stablish her innocence in the eyes of her\nspouse and the folk, and He sent down upon her husband's brother\na sickness so sore that none knew a cure for him. Wherefore he\nsaid to his brother, \"In such a city is a Devotee, a worshipful\nwoman and a recluse whose prayers are accepted; so do thou carry\nme to her, that she may pray for my healing and Allah (to whom\nbelong Might and Majesty) may give me ease of this disease.\"\nAccordingly, he took him up and journeyed with him, till they\ncame to the village where dwelt the Shaykh, the grey-beard who\nhad rescued the devout woman from the pit and carried her to his\ndwelling and healed her in his home. Here they halted and lodged\nwith the old man, who questioned the husband of his case and that\nof his brother and the cause of their journey, and he said, \"I\npurpose to go with my brother, this sick wight, to the holy\nwoman, her whose petitions are answered, so she may pray for him,\nand Allah may heal him by the blessing of her orisons.\" Quoth the\nvillager, \"By Allah, my son is in parlous plight for sickness and\nwe have heard that this Devotee prayeth for the sick and they are\nmade sound. Indeed, the folk counsel me to carry him to her, and\nbehold,[FN#422] I will go in company with you.\" And they said,\n\"'Tis well.\" So they all nighted in that intent and on the morrow\nthey set out for the dwelling of the Devotee, this one carrying\nhis son and that one bearing his brother. Now the man who had\nstolen the clothes and had forged against the pious woman a lie,\nto wit, that he was her lover, sickened of a sore sickness, and\nhis people took him up and set out with him to visit the Devotee\nand crave her prayers, and Destiny brought them altogether by the\nway. So they fared forward in a body till they came to the city\nwherein the man dwelt for whom she had paid the thousand dirhams\nto deliver him from torture, and found him about to travel to her\nby reason of a malady which had betided him. Accordingly, they\nall journeyed on together, unknowing that the holy woman was she\nwhom they had so foully wronged, and ceased not going till they\ncame to her city and foregathered at the gates of her palace,\nthat wherein was the tomb of the Princess. Now the folk used to\ngo in to her and salute her with the salam, and crave her\norisons; and it was her custom to pray for none till he had\nconfessed to her his sins, when she would ask pardon for him and\npray for him that he might be healed, and he was straightway made\nwhole of sickness, by permission of Almighty Allah. When the four\nsick men were brought in to her, she knew them forthright, though\nthey knew her not, and said to them \"Let each of you confess and\nspecify his sins, so I may sue pardon for him and pray for him.\"\nAnd the brother said, \"As for me, I required my brother's wife of\nher person and she refused; whereupon despite and ignorance\nprompted me and I lied against her and accused her to the\ntownsfolk of adultery; so they stoned her and slew her wrongously\nand unrighteously; and this my complaint is the issue of unright\nand falsehood and of the slaying of the innocent soul, whose\nslaughter Allah hath made unlawful to man.\" Then said the youth,\nthe old villager's son, \"And I, O holy woman, my father brought\nto us a woman who had been stoned, and my people nursed her till\nshe recovered. Now she was rare of beauty and loveliness; so I\nrequired of her her person; but she refused and clave in chastity\nto Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty), wherefore ignorance\nprompted me, so that I agreed with one of the youths that he\nshould steal clothes and coin from my father's house. Then I laid\nhands on him and carried him to my sire and made him confess. He\ndeclared that the woman was his mistress from the city and had\nbeen stoned on his account and that she was his accomplice in the\ntheft and had opened the doors to him; but this was a lie against\nher, for that she had not yielded to me in that which I sought of\nher. So there befel me what ye see of requital.\" And the young\nman, the thief, said, \"I am he with whom thou agreedst concerning\nthe theft, and to whom thou openedst the door, and I am he who\naccused her falsely and calumniously and Allah (extolled be He!)\nwell knoweth that I never did evil with her; no, nor knew her in\nany way before that time.\" Then said he whom she had delivered\nfrom torture by paying down a thousand dirhams and who had\nrequired of her her person in his house, for that her beauty\npleased him, and when she refused had forged a letter against her\nand treacherously denounced her to the Sultan and requited her\ngraciousness with ingratitude, \"I am he who wronged her and lied\nagainst her, and this is the issue of the oppressor's affair.\"\nWhen she heard their words, in the presence of the folk, she\ncried, \"Alhamdolillah, praise be to Allah, the King who over all\nthings is omnipotent, and blessing upon His prophets and\napostles!\" Then quoth she to the assembly, \"Bear testimony, O ye\nhere present, to these men's speech, and know ye I am that woman\nwhom they confess to having wronged.\" And she turned to her\nhusband's brother and said to him, \"I am thy brother's wife and\nAllah (extolled and exalted be He!) delivered me from that\nwhereinto thou castedst me of calumny and suspicion, and from the\nfolly and frowardness whereof thou hast spoken, and now hath He\nshown forth my innocence, of His bounty and generosity. Go, for\nthou art quit of the wrong thou didst me.\" Then she prayed for\nhim and he was made sound of his sickness. Thereupon she said to\nthe son of the village Shaykh, \"Know that I am the woman whom thy\nfather delivered from strain and stress and whom there betided\nfrom thee of calumny and ignorance that which thou hast named.\"\nAnd she sued pardon for him and he was made sound of his\nsickness. Then said she to the thief, \"I am the woman against\nwhom thou liedst, avouching that I was thy leman who had been\nstoned on thine account, and that I was thine accomplice in\nrobbing the house of the village Shaykh and had opened the doors\nto thee.\" And she prayed for him and he was made whole of his\nmalady.[FN#423] Then said she to the townsman, him of the\ntribute, \"I am the woman who gave thee the thousand dirhams and\nthou didst with me what thou didst.\" And she asked pardon for him\nand prayed for him and he was made whole; whereupon the folk\nmarvelled at her enemies who had all been afflicted alike, so\nAllah (extolled and exalted be He!) might show forth her\ninnocence upon the heads of witnesses.[FN#424] Then she turned to\nthe old man who had delivered her from the pit and prayed for him\nand gave him presents manifold and among them a myriad, a\nBadrah;[FN#425] and the sick made whole departed from her. When\nshe was alone with her husband, she made him draw near unto her\nand rejoiced in his arrival, and gave him the choice of abiding\nwith her. Presently, she assembled the citizens and notified to\nthem his virtue and worth and counselled them to invest him with\nmanagement of their rule and besought them to make him king over\nthem. They consented to her on this and he became king and made\nhis home amongst them, whilst she gave herself up to her orisons\nand cohabited with her husband as she was with him aforetime.\n\"Nor,\" continued the Wazir, \"is this tale, O king of the time,\nstranger or pleasanter than that of the Hireling and the Girl\nwhose maw he slit and fled.\" When King Shah Bakht heard this, he\nsaid, \"Most like all they say of the Minister is leasing, and his\ninnocence will be made manifest even as that of the Devotee was\nmanifested.\" Then he comforted the Wazir's heart and bade him hie\nto his house.\n\n               The Nineteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King bade fetch the Wazir and sought\nof him the story of the Hireling and the Girl. So he said,\n\"Hearkening and obedience. Give ear, O auspicious King, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Hireling and the Girl.\n\n\n\nThere was once, of old time, in one of the tribes of the Arabs, a\nwoman pregnant by her husband, and they had a hired servant, a\nman of insight and understanding. When the woman came to her\ndelivery-time, she gave birth to a girl-child in the night and\nthey sought fire of the neighbours.[FN#426] So the Hireling went\nin quest of fire. Now there was in the camp a Divineress,[FN#427]\nand she questioned him of the new-born child, an it was male or\nfemale. Quoth he, \"'Tis a girl;\" and quoth she, \"That girl will\nwhore with an hundred men and a hireling shall wed her and a\nspider shall slay her.\" When the hired man heard this, he\nreturned upon his steps and going in to the woman, took the child\nfrom her by wily management and slit its maw: then he fled forth\ninto the wold at hap-hazard and abode in strangerhood while Allah\nso willed.[FN#428] He gained much money; and, returning to his\nown land, after twenty years' absence, alighted in the\nneighbourhood of an old woman, whom he wheedled and treated with\nliberality, requiring of her a young person whom he might enjoy\nwithout marriage. Said she, \"I know none but a certain fair\nwoman, who is renowned for this industry.\" Then she described her\ncharms to him and made him lust after her, and he said, \"Hasten\nto her this minute and lavish upon her whatso she asketh.\" So the\ncrone betook herself to the girl and discovered his wishes to her\nand invited her to him; but she answered, \"'Tis true that I was\nin the habit of whoredom, but now I have repented to Almighty\nAllah and have no more longing to this: nay, I desire lawful\nwedlock; so, if he be content with that which is legal, I am\nbetween his hands.\"[FN#429] The old woman returned to the man and\ntold him what the damsel said; and he lusted after her, because\nof her beauty and her penitence; so he took her to wife, and when\nhe went in to her, he loved her and after like fashion she loved\nhim. Thus they abode a great while, till one day he questioned\nher of the cause of a scar[FN#430] he espied on her body, and she\nsaid, \"I wot naught thereof save that my mother told me a\nmarvellous thing concerning it.\" Asked he, \"What was that?\" and\nshe answered, \"My mother declared that she gave birth to me one\nnight of the wintry nights and despatched a hired man, who was\nwith us, in quest of fire for her. He was absent a little while\nand presently returning, took me and slit my maw and fled. When\nmy mother saw this, chagrin seized her and compassion possessed\nher; so she sewed up my stomach and nursed me till the wound\nhealed by the ordinance of Allah (to whom belong Might and\nMajesty).\" When her husband heard this, he said to her, \"What is\nthy name and what may be the name of thy mother and who may be\nthy father?\" She told him their names and her own, whereby he\nknew that it was she whose maw he had slit and said to her, \"And\nwhere are thy father and mother?\" \"They are both dead.\" \"I am\nthat Hireling who slit thy stomach.\" \"Why didst thou that?\"\n\"Because of a saying I heard from the wise woman.\" \"What was it?\"\n\"She declared thou wouldst play the whore with an hundred men and\nthat I after that should wed thee.\" \"Ay, I have whored with an\nhundred men, no more and no less, and behold, thou hast married\nme.\" \"The Divineress also foresaid that thou shouldst die, at the\nlast of thy life, of the bite of a spider. Indeed, her saying\nhath been verified of the fornication and the marriage, and I\nfear lest her word come true no less in the death.\" Then they\nbetook themselves to a place without the city, where he builded\nhim a mansion of solid stone and white stucco and stopped its\ninner walls and plastered them; leaving not therein or cranny or\ncrevice, and he set in it two slavegirls whose services were\nsweeping and wiping, for fear of spiders. Here he abode with his\nwife a great while, till one day the man espied a spider on the\nceiling and beat it down. When his wife saw it, she said, \"This\nis that which the wise woman foresaid would slay me; so, by thy\nlife, suffer me to kill it with mine own hand.\" Her husband\nforbade her from this, but she conjured him to let her destroy\nthe spider; then, of her fearfulness and her eagerness, she took\na piece of wood and smote it. The wood brake of the force of the\nblow, and a splinter from it entered her hand and wrought upon\nit, so that it swelled. Then her fore-arm also swelled and the\nswelling spread to her side and thence grew till it reached her\nheart and she died. \"Nor\" (continued the Wazir), \"is this\nstranger or more wondrous than the story of the Weaver who became\na Leach by commandment of his wife.\" When the King heard this,\nhis admiration redoubled and he said, \"In very truth, Destiny is\nwritten to all creatures, and I will not accept aught that is\nsaid against my Minister the loyal counsellor.\" And he bade him\nhie to his home.\n\n               The Twentieth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King bade summon his Minister and he\npresented himself before him, whereupon he required of him the\nhearing of the story. So the Wazir said, \"Hearkening and\nobedience. Give ear, O King, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Weaver who Became a Leach by Order of his\nWife.\n\n\n\nThere was once, in the land of Fars,[FN#431] a man who wedded a\nwoman higher than himself in rank and nobler of lineage, but she\nhad no guardian to preserve her from want. She loathed to marry\none who was beneath her; yet she wived with him because of need,\nand took of him a bond in writing to the effect that he would\never be under her order to bid and forbid and would never thwart\nher in word or in deed. Now the man was a Weaver and he bound\nhimself in writing to pay his wife ten thousand dirhams in case\nof default. Atfer such fashion they abode a long while till one\nday the wife went out to fetch water, of which she had need, and\nsaw a leach who had spread a carpet hard by the road, whereon he\nhad set out great store of simples[FN#432] and implements of\nmedicine and he was speaking and muttering charms, whilst the\nfolk flocked to him from all quarters and girt him about on every\nside. The Weaver's wife marvelled at the largeness of the\nphysician's fortune[FN#433] and said in herself, \"Were my husband\nthus, he would lead an easy life and that wherein we are of\nstraitness and poverty would be widened to him.\" Then she\nreturned home, cark-full and care-full, and when her husband saw\nher in this condition, he questioned her of her case and she said\nto him, \"Verily, my breast is harrowed by reason of thee and of\nthe very goodness of thine intent,\" presently adding, \"Narrow\nmeans suit me not and thou in thy present craft gainest naught;\nso either do thou seek out a business other than this or pay me\nmy rightful due[FN#434] and let me wend my ways.\" Her husband\nchid her for this and advised her to take patience; but she would\nnot be turned from her design and said to him, \"Go forth and\nwatch yonder physician how he doth and learn from him what he\nsaith.\" Said he, \"Let not thy heart be troubled,\" and added, \"I\nwill go every day to the session of the leach.\" So he began\nresorting daily to the physician and committing to memory his\nanswers and that which he spoke of jargon,[FN#435] till he had\ngotten a great matter by rote, and all this he learned and\nthoroughly digested it. Then he returned to his wife and said to\nher, \"I have stored up the physician's sayings in memory and have\nmastered his manner of muttering and diagnoses and prescribing\nremedies and I wot by heart the names of the medicines[FN#436]\nand of all the diseases, and there abideth of thy bidding naught\nundone: so what dost thou command me now to do?\" Quoth she,\n\"Leave the loom and open thyself a leach's shop;\" but quoth he,\n\"My fellow-townsmen know me and this affair will not profit me,\nsave in a land of strangerhood; so come, let us go out from this\ncity and get us to a foreign land and there live.\" And she said,\n\"Do whatso thou willest.\" Accordingly, he arose and taking his\nweaving gear, sold it and bought with the price drugs and simples\nand wrought himself a carpet, with which they set out and\njourneyed to a certain village, where they took up their abode.\nThen the man fell to going round about the hamlets and villages\nand outskirts of towns, after donning leach's dress; and he began\nto earn his livelihood and make much gain. Their affairs\nprospered and their circumstances were bettered; wherefore they\npraised Allah for their present ease and the village became to\nthem a home. In this way he lived for a long time, but at length\nhe wandered anew,[FN#437] and the days and the nights ceased not\nto transport him from country to country, till he came to the\nland of the Roum and lighted down in a city of the cities\nthereof, wherein was J\u00e1lin\u00fas[FN#438] the Sage; but the Weaver\nknew him not, nor was aware who he was. So he fared forth, as was\nhis wont, in quest of a place where the folk might be gathered\ntogether, and hired the courtyard[FN#439] of Jalinus. There he\nspread his carpet and setting out on it his simples and\ninstruments of medicine, praised himself and his skill and\nclaimed a cleverness such as none but he might claim.[FN#440]\nJalinus heard that which he affirmed of his understanding and it\nwas certified unto him and established in his mind that the man\nwas a skilled leach of the leaches of the Persians and he said in\nhimself, \"Unless he had confidence in his knowledge and were\nminded to confront me and contend with me, he had not sought the\ndoor of my house neither had he spoken that which he hath\nspoken.\" And care and doubt gat hold upon Jalinus: so he drew\nnear the Weaver and addressed himself to see how his doings\nshould end, whilst the folk began to flock to him and describe to\nhim their ailments,[FN#441] and he would answer them thereof,\nhitting the mark one while and missing it another while, so that\nnaught appeared to Jalinus of his fashion whereby his mind might\nbe assured that he had justly estimated his skill. Presently, up\ncame a woman with a urinal,[FN#442] and when the Weaver saw the\nphial afar off, he said to her, \"This is the water of a man, a\nstranger.\" Said she, \"Yes;\" and he continued, \"Is he not a Jew\nand is not his ailment flatulence?\" \"Yes,\" replied the woman, and\nthe folk marvelled at this; wherefore the man was magnified in\nthe eyes of Jalinus, for that he heard speech such as was not of\nthe usage of doctors, seeing that they know not urine but by\nshaking it and looking straitly thereon, neither wot they a man's\nwater from a woman's water, nor a stranger's from a countryman's,\nnor a Jew's from a Sharif's.[FN#443] Then the woman asked, \"What\nis the remedy?\" and the Weaver answered, \"Bring the\nhonorarium.\"[FN#444] So she paid him a dirham and he gave her\nmedicines contrary to that ailment and such as would only\naggravate the complaint. When Jalinus saw what appeared to him of\nthe man's incapacity, he turned to his disciples and pupils and\nbade them fetch the mock doctor, with all his gear and drugs.\nAccordingly they brought him into his presence without stay or\ndelay, and when Jalinus saw him before him, he asked him,\n\"Knowest thou me?\" and the other answered, \"No, nor did I ever\nset eyes on thee before this day.\" Quoth the Sage, \"Dost thou\nknow Jalinus?\" and quoth the Weaver, \"No.\" Then said Jalinus,\n\"What drave thee to do that which thou dost?\" So he acquainted\nhim with his adventure, especially with the dowry and the\nobligation by which he was bound with regard to his wife whereat\nthe Sage marvelled and certified himself anent the matter of the\nmarriage-settlement. Then he bade lodge him near himself and\nentreated him with kindness and took him apart and said to him,\n\"Expound to me the story of the urine-phial and whence thou\nknewest that the water therein was that of a man, and he a\nstranger and a Jew, and that his ailment was flatulence?\" The\nWeaver replied, \"'Tis well. Thou must know that we people of\nPersia are skilled in physiognomy,[FN#445] and I saw the woman to\nbe rosy-cheeked, blue-eyed and tall-statured. Now these qualities\nbelong to women who are enamoured of a man and are distracted for\nlove of him;[FN#446] moreover, I saw her burning with anxiety; so\nI knew that the patient was her husband.[FN#447] As for his\nstrangerhood, I noted that the dress of the woman differed from\nthat of the townsfolk, wherefore I knew that she was a foreigner;\nand in the mouth of the phial I saw a yellow rag,[FN#448] which\ngarred me wot that the sick man was a Jew and she a Jewess.\nMoreover, she came to me on first day;[FN#449] and 'tis the Jews'\ncustom to take meat puddings[FN#450] and food that hath passed\nthe night[FN#451] and eat them on the Saturday their Sabbath, hot\nand cold, and they exceed in eating; wherefore flatulence and\nindigestion betide them. Thus I was directed and guessed that\nwhich thou hast heard.\" Now when Jalinus heard this, he ordered\nthe Weaver the amount of his wife's dowry and bade him pay it to\nher and said to him, \"Divorce her.\" Furthermore, he forbade him\nfrom returning to the practice of physic and warned him never\nagain to take to wife a woman of rank higher than his own; and he\ngave him his spending money and charged him return to his proper\ncraft. \"Nor\" (continued the Wazir), \"is this tale stranger or\nrarer than the story of the Two Sharpers who each cozened his\nCompeer.\" When King Shah Bakht heard this, he said to himself,\n\"How like is this story to my present case with this Minister,\nwho hath not his like!\" Then he bade him hie to his own house and\ncome again at eventide.\n\n              The Twenty-first Night of the Month.\n\nWhenas nighted the night, the Wazir presented himself before the\nKing, who bade him relate the promised story. So he said,\n\"Hearkening and obedience. Give ear, O king, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Two Sharpers who each Cozened his\nCompeer.\n\n\n\nThere was once, in the city of Baghdad, a man hight\nAl-Marwaz\u00ed,[FN#452] who was a sharper and ruined the folk with\nhis rogueries and he was renowned in all quarters for knavery. He\nwent out one day, carrying a load of sheep's droppings, and sware\nto himself that he would not return to his lodging till he had\nsold it at the price of raisins. Now there was in another city a\nsecond sharper, hight Al-R\u00e1z\u00ed,[FN#453] one of its worst, who went\nout the same day, bearing a load of goat's droppings,[FN#454]\nanent which he had sworn to himself that he would not sell it but\nat the price of sundried figs. So the twain fared on with that\nwhich was by them and ceased not going till they met in one of\nthe khans[FN#455] and one complained to other of what he had\nsuffered on travel in quest of gain and of the little demand for\nhis wares. Now each of them had it in mind to cheat his fellow;\nso the man of Marw said to the man of Rayy, \"Wilt thou sell me\nthat?\" He said, \"Yes,\" and the other continued, \"And wilt thou\nbuy that which is with me?\" The man of Rayy consented; so they\nagreed upon this and each of them sold to his mate that which was\nwith him in exchange for the other's; after which they bade\nfarewell and both fared forth. As soon as the twain were out of\nsight, they examined their loads, to see what was therein, and\none of them found that he had a load of sheep's droppings and the\nother that he had a load of goat's droppings; whereupon each of\nthem turned back in quest of his fellow. They met again in the\nkhan and laughing at each other cancelled their bargain; then\nthey agreed to enter into partnership and that all they had of\nmoney and other good should be in common, share and share alike.\nThen quoth Al-Razi to Al-Marwazi, \"Come with me to my city, for\nthat 'tis nearer than thine.\" So he went with him, and when he\narrived at his quarters, he said to his wife and household and\nneighbours, \"This is my brother, who hath been absent in the land\nof Khorasan and is come back.\" And he abode with him in all\nhonour for a space of three days. On the fourth day, Al-Razi said\nto him, \"Know, O my brother, that I purpose to do something.\" The\nother asked, \"What is it?\" and the first answered, \"I mean to\nfeign myself dead and do thou go to the bazar and hire two\nporters and a bier. Then take me up and go about the streets and\nmarkets with my body and collect alms on my account.\"[FN#456]\nAccordingly the Marw man repaired to the market and, fetching\nthat which he sought, returned to the Rayy man's house, where he\nfound his fellow cast down in the entrance-passage, with his beard\ntied and his eyes shut, and his complexion was paled and his\nbelly was blown and his limbs were loose. So he deemed him really\ndead and shook him but he spoke not; then he took a knife and\npricked his feet, but he budged not. Presently said Al-Razi,\n\"What is this, O fool?\" and said Al-Marwazi, \"I deemed thou wast\ndead in very deed.\" Al-Razi cried, \"Get thee to business, and\nleave funning.\" So he took him up and went with him to the market\nand collected alms for him that day till eventide, when he bore\nhim back to his abode and waited till the morrow. Next morning,\nhe again took up the bier and walked round with it as before, in\nquest of charity. Presently, the Chief of Police, who was of\nthose who had given him alms on the previous day, met him; so he\nwas angered and fell on the porters and beat them and took the\ndead body, saying, \"I will bury him and win reward in\nHeaven.\"[FN#457] So his followers took him up and carrying him to\nthe Police-officer, fetched grave-diggers, who dug him a grave.\nThen they brought him a shroud and perfumes[FN#458] and fetched\nan old man of the quarter, to wash him: so the Shaykh recited\nover him the appointed prayers[FN#459] and laying him on the\nbench, washed him and shrouded him. After he had been shrouded he\nskited;[FN#460] so the grey-beard renewed the washing and went\naway to make the Wuzu-ablution, whilst all the folk departed to\ndo likewise, before the orisons of the funeral. When the dead man\nfound himself alone, he sprang up, as he were a Satan; and,\ndonning the corpse-washer's dress,[FN#461] took the cups and\nwater-can[FN#462] and wrapped them up in the napkins; then he\nclapped his shroud under his armpit and went out. The doorkeepers\nthought that he was the washer and asked him, \"Hast thou made an\nend of the washing, so we may acquaint the Emir?\" The sharper\nanswered \"Yes,\" and made off to his abode, where he found the\nMarw man a-wooing his wife and saying to her, \"By thy life, thou\nwilt never again look upon his face for the best reason that by\nthis time he is buried: I myself escaped not from them but after\ntoil and trouble, and if he speak, they will do him to death.\"\nQuoth she, \"And what wouldst thou have of me?\" and quoth he,\n\"Satisfy my desire and heal my disorder, for I am better than thy\nhusband.\" And he began toying with her as a prelude to\npossession. Now when the Rayy man heard this, he said, \"Yonder\nwittol-pimp lusteth after my wife; but I will at once do him a\ndamage.\" Then he rushed in upon them, and when Al-Marwazi saw\nhim, he wondered at him and said to him, \"How didst thou make\nthine escape?\" Accordingly he told him the trick he had played\nand they abode talking of that which they had collected from the\nfolk, and indeed they had gotten great store of money. Then said\nthe man of Marw, \"In very sooth, mine absence hath been prolonged\nand lief would I return to my own land.\" Al-Razi said, \"As thou\nwillest;\" and the other rejoined, \"Let us divide the monies we\nhave made and do thou go with me to my home, so I may show thee\nmy tricks and my works.\" Replied the man of Rayy, \"Come\nto-morrow, and we will divide the coin.\" So the Marw man went\naway and the other turned to his wife and said to her, \"We have\ncollected us great plenty of money, and the dog would fain take\nthe half of it; but such thing shall never be, for my mind hath\nbeen changed against him, since I heard him making love to thee;\nnow, therefore, I propose to play him a trick and enjoy all the\nmoney; and do thou not oppose me.\" She replied, \"'Tis well;\" and\nhe said to her, \"To-morrow, at peep o' day I will feign myself\ndead, and do thou cry aloud and tear thy hair, whereupon the folk\nwill flock to me. Then lay me out and bury me; and, when the folk\nare gone away from the grave, dig down to me and take me; and\nfear not for me, as I can abide without harm two days in the\ntomb-niche.\"[FN#463] Whereto she made answer, \"Do e'en whatso\nthou wilt.\" Accordingly, when it was the dawn-hour, she bound his\nbeard and spreading a veil over him, shrieked aloud, whereupon\nthe people of the quarter flocked to her, men and women.\nPresently, up came Al-Marwazi, for the division of the money, and\nhearing the keening asked, \"What may be the news?\" Quoth they,\n\"Thy brother is dead;\" and quoth he in himself, \"The accursed\nfellow cozeneth me, so he may get all the coin for himself, but I\nwill presently do with him what shall soon re-quicken him.\" Then\nhe tare the bosom of his robe and bared his head, weeping and\nsaying, \"Alas, my brother, ah! Alas, my chief, ah! Alas, my lord,\nah!\" Then he went in to the men, who rose and condoled with him.\nThen he accosted the Rayy man's wife and said to her, \"How came\nhis death to occur?\" Said she, \"I know nothing except that, when\nI arose in the morning, I found him dead.\" Moreover, he\nquestioned her of the money which was with her, but she cried, \"I\nhave no knowledge of this and no tidings.\" So he sat down at his\nfellow-sharper's head, and said to him, \"Know, O Razi, that I\nwill not leave thee till after ten days with their nights,\nwherein I will wake and sleep by thy grave. So rise and don't be\na fool.\" But he answered him not, and the man of Marw drew his\nknife and fell to sticking it into the other's hands and feet,\npurposing to make him move; but he stirred not and he presently\ngrew weary of this and determined that the sharper was really\ndead. However, he still had his suspicions and said to himself,\n\"This fellow is falsing me, so he may enjoy all the money.\"\nTherewith he began to prepare the body for burial and bought for\nit perfumes and whatso was needed. Then they brought him to the\nwashing-place and Al-Marwazi came to him; and, heating water till\nit boiled and bubbled and a third of it was evaporated, fell to\npouring it on his skin, so that it turned bright red and lively\nblue and was blistered; but he abode still on one case.[FN#464]\nPresently they wrapped him in the shroud and set him on the bier,\nwhich they took up and bearing him to the burial-place, placed\nhim in the grave-niche and filled in the earth; after which the\nfolk dispersed. But the Marw man and the widow abode by the tomb,\nweeping, and ceased not sitting till sundown, when the woman said\nto him, \"Come, let us hie us home, for this weeping will not\nprofit us, nor will it restore the dead.\" He replied to her, \"By\nAllah, I will not budge hence till I have slept and waked by this\ntomb ten days with their nights!\" When she heard this his speech,\nshe feared lest he should keep his word and his oath, and so her\nhusband perish; but she said in her mind, \"This one dissembleth:\nan I leave him and return to my house, he will tarry by him a\nlittle while and go away.\" And Al-Marwazi said to her, \"Arise,\nthou, and hie thee home.\" So she arose and repaired to her house,\nwhilst the man of Marw abode in his place till the night was half\nspent, when he said to himself, \"How long? Yet how can I let this\nknavish dog die and lose the money? Better I open the tomb on him\nand bring him forth and take my due of him by dint of grievous\nbeating and torment.\" Accordingly, he dug him up and pulled him\nforth of the grave; after which he betook himself to a garden\nhard by the burial-ground and cut thence staves and\npalmfronds.[FN#465] Then he tied the dead man's legs and laid on\nto him with the staff and beat him a grievous beating; but the\nbody never budged. When the time grew longsome on him, his\nshoulders became a-weary and he feared lest some one of the watch\npassing on his round should surprise and seize him. So he took up\nAl-Razi and carrying him forth of the cemetery, stayed not till\nhe came to the Magians' mortuary-place and casting him down in a\nTower of Silence,[FN#466] rained heavy blows upon him till his\nshoulders failed him, but the other stirred not. Then he seated\nhim by his side and rested; after which he rose and renewed the\nbeating upon him; and thus he did till the end of the night, but\nwithout making him move. Now, as Destiny decreed, a band of\nrobbers whose wont it was, when they had stolen anything, to\nresort to that place and there divide their loot, came thither in\nearly-dawn, according to their custom; they numbered ten and they\nhad with them much wealth which they were carrying. When they\napproached the Tower of Silence, they heard a noise of blows\nwithin it and their captain cried, \"This is a Magian whom the\nAngels[FN#467] are tormenting.\" So they entered the cemetery and\nas soon as they arrived over against him, the man of Marw feared\nlest they should be the watchmen come upon him, therefore he fled\nand stood among the tombs.[FN#468] The robbers advanced to the\nplace and finding a man of Rayy bound by the feet and by him some\nseventy sticks, wondered at this with exceeding wonder and said,\n\"Allah confound thee! This was a miscreant, a man of many crimes;\nfor earth hath rejected him from her womb, and by my life, he is\nyet fresh! This is his first night in the tomb and the Angels\nwere tormenting him but now; so whoso of you hath a sin upon his\nsoul, let him beat him, by way of offering to Almighty Allah.\"\nThe robbers said, \"We be sinners one and all;\" so each of them\nwent up to the corpse and dealt it about an hundred blows, one\nsaying the while, \"This is for my father!\"[FN#469] and another\nlaid on to him crying, \"This is for my grandfather!\" whilst a\nthird muttered, \"This is for my brother!\" and a fourth exclaimed,\n\"This is for my mother!\" And they gave not over taking turns at\nhim and beating him till they were weary, whilst Al-Marwazi stood\nlaughing and saying in self, \"'Tis not I alone who have entered\ninto default against him. There is no Majesty and there is no\nMight save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\"[FN#470] Then the\nrobbers applied themselves to sharing their loot wherein was a\nsword which caused them to fall out anent the man who should take\nit. Quoth the Captain, \"'Tis my rede that we make proof of it;\nso, an it be a fine blade, we shall know its worth, and if it be\nworthless we shall know that;\" whereto they said, \"Try it on this\ncorpse, for it is fresh.\" So the Captain took the sword, and\ndrawing it, brandished and made a false cut with it; but, when\nthe man of Rayy saw this, he felt sure of death and said in his\nmind, \"I have borne the washing-slab and the boiling water and\nthe pricking with the knife-point and the grave-niche and its\nstraitness and all this, trusting in Allah that I might be\ndelivered from death, and indeed I have been delivered; but the\nsword I may not suffer seeing that one stroke of it will make me\na dead man.\" So saying, he sprang to his feet and seizing a\nthigh-bone of one departed, shouted at the top of his voice, \"O\nye dead ones, take them to yourselves!\" And he smote one of them,\nwhilst his mate of Marw smote another and they cried out at them\nand buffeted them on their neck-napes: whereupon the robbers left\nthat which was with them of loot and ran away; and indeed their\nwits took flight for terror and they ceased not running till they\ncame forth of the Magians' mortuary-ground and left it a\nparasang's length behind them, when they halted, trembling and\naffrighted for the muchness of that which had befallen them of\nfear and awe of the dead.[FN#471] As for Al-Razi and Al-Marwazi,\nthey made peace each with other and sat down to share the spoil.\nQuoth the man of Marw, \"I will not give thee a dirham of this\nmoney, till thou pay me my due of the monies that be in thy\nhouse.\" And quoth the man of Rayy, \"I will do naught of the\nkind,[FN#472] nor will I withdraw this from aught of my due.\" So\nthey fell out thereupon and disputed each with other and either\nof the twain went saying to his fellow, \"I will not give thee a\ndirham!\" Wherefore words ran high between them and the brawl was\nprolonged. Meanwhile, when the robbers halted, one of them said\nto the others, \"Let us go back and see;\" and the Captain said,\n\"This thing is impossible of the dead: never heard we that they\ncame to life in such way. Return we and take our monies, for that\nthe dead have no need of money.\" And they were divided in opinion\nas to returning: but presently one said, \"Indeed, our weapons are\ngone and we may not prevail against them and will not draw near\nthe place: only let one of us go look at it, and if he hear no\nsound of them, let him suggest to us what we shall do.\" At this\nthey agreed that they should send a man of them and assigned him\nfor such mission two parts of the plunder. Accordingly he\nreturned to the burial-ground and gave not over going till he\nstood at the door of the Tower of Silence, when he heard the\nwords of Al-Marwazi to his fellow, \"I will not give thee a single\ndirham of the money!\" The other said the same and they were\noccupied with brawling and abuse and talk. So the robber returned\nin haste to his mates, who said, \"What is behind thee?\"[FN#473]\nQuoth he, \"Get you gone and run for your lives, O fools, and save\nyourselves: much people of the dead are come to life and between\nthem are words and brawls.\" Hereat the robbers fled, whilst the\ntwo sharpers returned to the man of Rayy's house and made peace\nand added the robbers' spoil to the monies they had gained and\nlived a length of time. \"Nor, O king of the age\" (continued the\nWazir), \"is this stranger or rarer than the story of the Four\nSharpers with the Shroff and the Ass.\" When the king heard this\nstory, he smiled and it pleased him and he bade the Minister to\nhis own house.\n\n             The Twenty-second Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, King Shah Bakht summoned the Wazir and\nrequired of him the hearing of the story. So Al-Rahwan said,\n\"Hearkening and obedience. Give ear, O King, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Sharpers with the Shroff[FN#474] and the Ass.\n\n\n\nFour sharpers once plotted against a Shroff, a man of much\nwealth, and agreed upon a sleight for securing some of his coins.\nSo one of them took an ass and laying on it a bag, wherein were\ndirhams, lighted down at the shop of the Shroff and sought of him\nsmall change. The man of monies brought out to him the silver\nbits and bartered them with him, whilst the sharper was easy with\nhim in the matter of exchange, so he might gar him long for more\ngain. As they were thus, up came the other three sharpers and\nsurrounded the donkey; and one of them said, \"'Tis he,\" and\nanother said, \"Wait till I look at him.\" Then he took to\nconsidering the ass and stroking him from crest[FN#475] to tail;\nwhilst the third went up to him and handled him and felt him from\nhead to rump, saying, \"Yes, 'tis in him.\" Said another, \"No, 'tis\nnot in him;\" and they left not doing the like of this for some\ntime. Then they accosted the donkey's owner and chaffered with\nhim and he said, \"I will not sell him but for ten thousand\ndirhams.\" They offered him a thousand dirhams; but he refused and\nswore that he would not vend the ass but for that which he had\nsaid. They ceased not adding to their offer till the price\nreached five thousand dirhams, whilst their mate still said,\n\"I'll not vend him save for ten thousand silver pieces.\" The\nShroff advised him to sell, but he would not do this and said to\nhim, \"Ho, shaykh! Thou wottest not the case of this donkey. Stick\nto silver and gold and what pertaineth thereto of exchange and\nsmall change; because indeed the virtue of this ass is a mystery\nto thee. For every craft its crafty men and for every means of\nlivelihood its peculiar people.\" When the affair was prolonged\nupon the three sharpers, they went away and sat down aside; then\nthey came up privily to the money-changer and said to him, \"An\nthou can buy him for us, do so, and we will give thee twenty\ndirhams.\" Quoth he, \"Go away and sit down at a distance from\nhim.\" So they did as he bade and the Shroff went up to the owner\nof the ass and ceased not luring him with lucre and saying,\n\"Leave these wights and sell me the donkey, and I will reckon him\na present from thee,\" till he sold him the animal for five\nthousand and five hundred dirhams. Accordingly the ,money-changer\nweighed out to him that sum of his own monies, and the owner of\nthe ass took the price and delivered the beast to him, saying,\n\"Whatso shall betide, though he abide a deposit upon thy\nneck,[FN#476] sell him not to yonder cheats for less than ten\nthousand dirhams, for that they would fain buy him because of a\nhidden hoard they know, whereto naught can guide them save this\ndonkey. So close thy hand on him and cross me not, or thou shalt\nrepent.\" With these words he left him and went away, whereupon up\ncame the three other sharpers, the comrades of him of the ass,\nand said to the Shroff, \"God requite thee for us with good, in\nthat thou hast bought him! How can we reward thee?\" Quoth he, \"I\nwill not sell him but for ten thousand dirhams.\" When they heard\nthat they returned to the ass and fell again to examining him\nlike buyers and handling him. Then said they to the\nmoney-changer, \"Indeed we were deceived in him. This is not the\nass we sought and he is not worth to us more than ten\nnusfs.\"[FN#477] Then they left him and offered to go away,\nwhereat the Shroff was sore chagrined and cried out at their\nspeech, saying, \"O folk, ye asked me to buy him for you and now I\nhave bought him, ye say, we were deceived in him, and he is not\nworth to us more than ten nusfs.\" They replied, \"We thought that\nin him was whatso we wanted; but, behold, in him is the contrary\nof that which we wish; and indeed he hath a blemish, for that he\nis short of back.\" Then they made long noses[FN#478] at him and\nwent away from him and dispersed. The money-changer deemed they\ndid but play him off, that they might get the donkey at their own\nprice; but, when they walked away from him and he had long\nawaited their return, he cried out saying, \"Well-away!\" and\n\"Ruin!\" and \"Sorry case I am in!\" and shrieked aloud and rent his\nraiment. So the market-people assembled to him and questioned him\nof his case; whereupon he acquainted them with his condition and\ntold them what the knaves had said and how they had cozened him\nand how they had cajoled him into buying an ass worth fifty\ndirhams[FN#479] for five thousand and five hundred.[FN#480] His\nfriends blamed him and a gathering of the folk laughed at him and\nadmired his folly and over-faith in believing the talk of the\nsharpers without suspicion, and meddling with that which he\nunderstood not and thrusting himself into that whereof he had no\nsure knowledge. \"On this wise, O King Shah Bakht\" (continued the\nWazir), \"is the issue of greed for the goods of the world and\nindeed coveting that which our knowledge containeth not shall\nlead to ruin and repentance. Nor, O King of the age\" (added he),\n\"is this story stranger than that of the Cheat and the\nMerchants.\" When the King heard these words, he said in himself,\n\"Indeed, had I given ear to the sayings of my courtiers and\ninclined to their idle prate in the matter of my Minister, I had\nrepented to the utterest of penitence, but Alhamdolillah\u2014laud be\nto the Lord\u2014who hath disposed me to endurance and long-suffering\nand hath vouchsafed to me patience!\" Then he turned to the Wazir\nand dismissed him to his dwelling and gave cong\u00e9 to those who\nwere present, according to his custom.\n\n              The Twenty-third Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned the Minister and when\nhe presented himself before him, he required of him the hearing\nof the story. So he said, \"Hearing and obeying. Give ear, O\nillustrious lord, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Cheat and the Merchants.\n\n\n\nThere was once in olden time a certain Cheat, who could turn the\near inside out by his talk, and he was a model of cleverness and\nquick wit and skill and mischief. It was his wont to enter a town\nand make a show of being a trader and engage in intimacy with\npeople of worth and sit in session with the merchants, for his\nname was noted as a man of virtue and piety. Then he would put a\nsleight on them and take of them what he might spend and fare\nforth to another stead; and he ceased not to do thus for a while\nof time. It chanced one day that he entered a certain city and\nsold somewhat that was with him of merchandise and made friends\nof the merchants of the place and took to sitting with them and\nentertaining them and inviting them to his quarters and his\nassembly, whilst they also invited him to their houses. He abode\nafter such fashion a long time until he was minded to quit the\ncity; and this was bruited among his intimates, who grieved for\nparting from him. Then he betook himself to one of them who was\nthe richest in substance and the most conspicuous for generosity,\nand sat with him and borrowed his goods; and when rising to\ndepart, he bade him return the deposit that he had left with him.\nQuoth the merchant, \"And what is the deposit?\" and quoth the\nCheat, \"'Tis such a purse, with the thousand dinars therein.\" The\nmerchant asked, \"And when didst thou give me that same?\" and the\nCheat answered, \"Extolled be Allah of All Might! Was it not on\nsuch a day, by such a token which is thus and thus?\" The man\nrejoined, \"I know naught of this,\" and words were bandied about\nbetween them, whilst the folk who heard them disputed together\nconcerning their sayings and doings, till their voices rose high\nand the neighbours had knowledge of that which passed between\nthem.[FN#481] Then said the Cheat, \"O people, this is my friend\nand I deposited with him a deposit which he denieth having\nreceived: so in whom shall men put trust after this?\" And they\nsaid, \"This person is a man of worth and we have known in him\nnaught but trustiness and good faith and the best of breeding,\nand he is endowed with sense and manliness.[FN#482] Indeed, he\naffirmeth no false claim, for that we have consorted and\nassociated with him and he with us and we know the sincerity of\nhis religion.\" Then quoth one of them to the merchant, \"Ho,\nSuch-an-one! Bethink thee of the past and refresh thy memory. It\ncannot be that thou hast forgotten.\" But quoth he, \"O people, I\nwot nothing of what he saith, for indeed he deposited naught with\nme:\" and the matter was prolonged between them. Then said the\nCheat to the merchant, \"I am about to travel and I have, praised\nbe Allah Almighty, much wealth, and this money shall not escape\nme; but do thou make oath to me.\" And the folk said, \"Indeed,\nthis man doth justice upon himself.\"[FN#483] Whereupon the\nmerchant fell into that which he disliked[FN#484] and came nigh\nupon loss and ill fame. Now he had a friend, who pretended to\nsharpness and intelligence; so he came up to him secretly and\nsaid to him, \"Let me do so I may cheat this Cheat, for I know him\nto be a liar and thou art near upon having to weigh out the gold;\nbut I will parry off suspicion from thee and say to him, The\ndeposit is with me and thou erredst in suspecting that it was\nwith other than myself; and so I will divert him from thee.\" The\nother replied, \"Do so, and rid the people of such pretended\ndebts.\" Accordingly the friend turned to the Cheat and said to\nhim, \"O my lord, I am Such-an-one, and thou goest under a\ndelusion. The purse is with me, for it was with me that thou\ndepositedst it, and this Shaykh is innocent of it.\" But the Cheat\nanswered him with impatience and impetuosity, saying, \"Extolled\nbe Allah! As for the purse that is with thee, O noble and\nfaithful man, I know 'tis under Allah's charge and my heart is\neasy anent it, because 'tis with thee as it were with me; but I\nbegan by demanding the purse which I deposited with this man, of\nmy knowledge that he coveteth the goods of folk.\" At this the\nfriend was confounded and put to silence and returned not a\nreply; and the only result of his meddling was that each of them-\n-merchant and friend\u2014had to pay a thousand gold pieces. So the\nCheat took the two thousand dinars and made off; and when he was\ngone, the merchant said to his friend, the man of pretended\nsharpness and intelligence, \"Ho, Such-an-one! Thou and I are like\nthe Falcon and the Locust.\" The friend asked, \"What was their\ncase?\" and the merchant answered with\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Falcon and the Locust.[FN#485]\n\n\n\nThere was once, of old time, a Falcon who made himself a nest\nhard by the home of a Locust, and his neighbour gloried in such\nneighbourhood and betaking herself to him, saluted him with the\nsalam and said, \"O my lord and lord of all the birds, indeed the\nnearness to thee delighteth me and thou honourest me with thy\nvicinity and my soul is fortified with thee.\" The Falcon thanked\nher for this and friendship between them followed. One day, the\nLocust said to the bird, \"O prince of the flying race, how is it\nthat I see thee alone, solitary, having with thee no friend of\nthy kind, the volatiles, on whom thou mayst repose in time of\ngladness and of whom thou mayst seek aid in tide of sadness?\nIndeed, 'tis said, 'Man goeth about seeking ease of body and ward\nof strength,' and there is naught in this more necessary to him\nthan a true friend who shall be the crown of his comfort and the\ncolumn of his career and on whom shall be his dependence in his\ndistress and in his delight. Now I, although ardently desiring\nthy weal in that which befitteth thy rank and degree, yet am weak\nin that which the soul craveth; but, an thou deign give me leave,\nI will seek out for thee one of the birds who shall fellow thee\nin body and strength.\" And the Falcon said, \"I commit this to\nthee and rely upon thee herein.\" Thereupon, O my brother (quoth the merchant), the Locust began\ngoing round the company of the birds, but saw naught resembling\nthe Falcon in bulk and body save the Kite and thought well of\nher. So she brought the twain together and counselled the Falcon\nto foregather with the Kite. Presently it fortuned that the\nFalcon fell sick and the Kite tarried with and tended him a long\nwhile till he recovered and became sound and strong, wherefore he\nthanked her and she fared from him. But after some days the\nFalcon's sickness returned to him and he needed succour of the\nKite; so the Locust went out from him and was absent from him a\nday; after which she returned to him with another locust,[FN#486]\nsaying, \"I have brought thee this one.\" When the Falcon saw her,\nhe said, \"God requite thee with good! Indeed, thou hast done well\nin the quest and thou hast shown subtlety and discrimination in\nthe choice.\" All this befel because the Locust had no knowledge\nof the essence which lurketh in the outer semblance of bodies.\n\"As for thee, O my brother (Allah requite thee with weal!), thou\nwast subtle in device and usedst precaution; but forethought\navaileth not against Fate, and Fortune foreordained baffleth\nforce of fence. How excellent is the saying of the poet when he\nspake these couplets:\u2014[FN#487]\n\n'It chances whiles that the blind man escapes a pit, * Whilst he\n     who is clear of sight falls into it.\nThe ignorant man may speak with impunity * A word that is death\n     to the wise and the ripe of wit.\nThe true believer is pinched for his daily bread, * Whilst\n     infidel rogues enjoy all benefit.\nWhere is a man's resource and what can he do? * It is the\n     Almighty's will: we must submit.'\"\n\n\"Nor\" (continued the Wazir) \"is this, O king of the age, rarer or\nstranger than the story of the King and his Chamberlain's wife;\nnay, this is more wondrous than that and more delectable.\" When\nthe king heard this story, he was strengthened in his resolve to\nspare the Minister and to eschew haste in an affair whereof he\nwas not certified; so he comforted him and bade him hie to his\nhome.\n\n             The Twenty-fourth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was night, the King summoned the Wazir and sought of him\nthe hearing of the story. Al-Rahwan replied, \"Hearkening and\nobedience! Listen, O august sovran, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the King and his Chamberlain's Wife.[FN#488]\n\n\n\nThere was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone\nbefore, a King of the kings of the Persians, who was much\naddicted to the love of fair women. His courtiers spoke him of\nthe wife of a certain of his Chamberlains, a model of beauty and\nloveliness and perfect grace, and this egged him on to go in to\nher. When she saw him, she knew him and said to him, \"What urgeth\nthe King to this that he doeth?\" and he replied, saying, \"Verily,\nI long for thee with excess of longing and there is no help but\nthat I enjoy thy favours.\" And he gave her of wealth that after\nwhose like women lust; but she said, \"I cannot do the deed\nwhereof the king speaketh, for fear of my husband; \"[FN#489] and\nshe refused herself to him with the most rigorous of refusals and\nwould not suffer him to win his wish. So the king went out in\nwrath, and forgot his girdle in the place. Now it chanced that\nher husband entered immediately after his lord had departed, and\nsaw the girdle and knew it. He was aware of the king's love for\nwomen; so quoth he to his wife, \"What be this I see with thee?\"\nQuoth she, \"I'll tell thee the truth,\" and recounted to him the\noccurrence; but he believed her not and suspicion entered his\nheart. As for the King, he passed that night in care and concern,\nand when the morning morrowed, he summoned that Chamberlain and\nmade him governor of one of his provinces; then he bade him\nbetake himself thither, purposing, after he should have departed\nand fared afar, to foregather with his wife. The Chamberlain\nperceived his project and kenned his intent; so he answered,\nsaying, \"To hear is to obey!\" presently adding, \"I will go and\norder my affairs and give such injunctions as may be needed for\nthe well-doing of my affairs; then will I go about the sovran's\ncommission.\" And the King said, \"Do this and make haste.\" So the\nChamberlain went about that which he needed and assembling his\nwife's kinsfolk, said to them, \"I am determined to dismiss my\nwife.\" They took this ill of him and complained of him and\nsummoning him before the sovereign, sat prosecuting him. Now the\nKing had no knowledge of that which had passed; so he said to the\nChamberlain, \"Why wilt thou put her away and how can thy soul\nconsent to this and why takest thou unto thyself a fine and\nfertile piece of land and presently forsakest it?\" Answered the\nhusband, \"Allah amend the king! By the Almighty, O my King, I saw\ntherein the trail of the lion and fear to enter that land, lest\nthe lion devour me; and the like of my affair with her is that\nwhich befel between the Crone and the Draper's Wife. The king\nasked, \"What is their adventure?\" and the Chamberlain answered,\n\"Hear, O king,\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Crone and the Draper's Wife.[FN#490]\n\n\n\nThere was once a man of the Drapers, who had a beautiful wife,\nand she was curtained[FN#491] and chaste. A certain young man saw\nher coming forth of the Hammam and loved her and his heart was\nengrossed with her. So he devised for access to her all manner of\ndevices, but availed not to foregather with her; and when he was\na-weary and his patience failed for travail and trouble and his\nfortitude betrayed and forsook him and he was at an end of his\nresources against her, he complained of this to an ill-omened\ncrone,[FN#492] who promised him to bring about union between him\nand his beloved. He thanked her for this and promised her all\nmanner of douceurs; and she said to him, \"Hie thee to her husband\nand buy of him a turband-cloth of fine linen, and let it be of\nthe very best of stuff.\" So he repaired to the Draper and buying\nof him a turband-cloth of lawn, returned and gave it to the old\nwoman, who took it and burned it in two places. Then she donned\nthe dress of a devotee and taking the turband-cloth with her,\nwent to the Draper's house and knocked at the door. When the\nDraper's wife saw her thus habited as a holy woman, she opened to\nher and admitted her with kindly reception, and made much of her\nand welcomed her: so the crone went in to her and conversed with\nher awhile. Then said she to her, \"I want to make the\nWuzu-ablution preparatory to prayer.\"[FN#493] At these words the\nwife brought the water and she made the ablution and standing up\nto pray, prayed and satisfied herself; and when she had ended her\norisons, she left the turband-cloth in the place of prayer and\nfared forth. Presently, in came the Draper, at the hour of\nnight-devotions, and sitting down in the prayer-place where the\nold woman had prayed, looked about him and espied the turband. He\nknew it and suspected foul play; so wrath showed in his face and\nhe was furious with his wife and reviled her and abode his day\nand his night without speaking to her, during all which while she\nknew not the cause of his rage. Then she looked and seeing the\nturband-cloth before him and noting the traces of burning\nthereon, understood that his anger was on account of this and\nconcluded that he was in ill-temper because it was burnt. When\nthe morning morrowed, the Draper went out, still wroth with his\nwife, and the crone returned to her and found her changed of\ncolour, pale of complexion, dejected and heart-broken. So she\nquestioned her of the cause, and the wife told her how her\nhusband was angered against her on account of the burns in the\nturband-cloth.[FN#494] Rejoined the old woman, \"O my daughter, be\nnot chagrined; for I have a son, a fine-drawer, and he, by thy\nlife, shall fine-draw the holes and restore the turband-cloth as\nit was.\" The wife rejoiced in her saying and asked her, \"And when\nshall this be?\" The crone answered, \"To-morrow, Inshallah\u2014an it\nplease Allah the Most High\u2014I will bring him to thee, at the time\nof thy husband's going forth from thee, and he shall fine-draw it\nand depart forthwith.\" Then she comforted her heart and going\naway from her, returned to the young man and acquainted him with\nwhat had passed. Now when the Draper saw the turband-cloth, he\ndetermined to divorce his wife and waited only till he could\ncollect that which was obligatory on him of the contingent dowry\nand what not else,[FN#495] for fear of her people. When the crone\narose in the morning, she took the young man and carried him into\nthe Draper's house. The wife opened the door to her and the\nill-omened old woman entered with him and said to the lady, \"Go,\nfetch that which thou wouldest have fine-drawn and give it to my\nson.\" So saying, she bolted the door on her, whereupon the young\nman raped[FN#496] her against her will and did his want of her\nand went forth. Then cried the crone, \"Know that this is my son\nand that he loved thee with exceeding love and was like to lose\nhis life for longing after thee; so I devised for thee with this\ndevice and came to thee with this turband-cloth, which is not thy\nhusband's, but my son's. Now have I won to my wish; so do thou\ntrust in me and I will put a sleight on thy husband for setting\nthee right with him, and thou wilt be subject to me and to him\nand to my son.\"[FN#497] And the wife replied, \"'Tis well. Do so.\"\nPresently the old woman returned to the lover and said, \"Know\nthou that I have engineered the affair for thee with her; and now\nwe must mend that we have marred. Hie thee and sit with the\nDraper and mention to him the turband-cloth, saying, 'The turband\nI bought of thee I chanced to burn in two places; so I gave it to\na certain old woman, to have fine-drawn, and she took it and went\naway, and I know not her dwelling-place.'[FN#498] When thou seest\nme pass by, rise and lay hold of me, and demand of me the cloth,\nto the intent that I may arrange her affair with her spouse and\nthat matters go right with thee in her regard.\" Accordingly he\nrepaired to the Draper's shop and sat down by him and asked him,\n\"Thou knowest the turband-cloth I bought of thee?\" \"Yes.\"\n\"Knowest thou what is come of it?\" \"No.\" \"After I bought it of\nthee, I fumigated myself[FN#499] and it fortuned that the\nturband-cloth was burnt in two places; so I gave it to a woman,\nwhose son, they said, was a fine-drawer, and she took it and\nfared forth with it; and I know not her home.\" When the Draper\nheard this, he was startled by the thought that he had suspected\nhis wife wrongfully, and marvelled at the story of the\nturband-cloth, and his mind was made easy anent her. After a\nshort while up came the old woman, whereupon the young man sprang\nto his feet and seizing her, demanded of her the turband-cloth.\nSaid she, \"Know that I entered one of the houses and wuzu'd and\nprayed in the prayer-place;[FN#500] and I forgot the turband-cloth\nthere and went out. Now I weet not the house in which I prayed,\nnor have I been divinely directed[FN#501] thereto, and I go round\nabout every day till the night, so haply I may light on the\ndwelling, for I know not its owner.\" When the Draper heard these\nwords, he said to the old woman, \"Verily, Allah restoreth to thee\nwhat thing thou hast lost. Be gladdened by good news, for the\nturband-cloth is with me and in my house.\" And he arose\nforthright and handed to her the turband-cloth, as it was, and\nshe handed it to the young man. Then the Draper made peace with\nhis wife and gave her raiment and jewellery, till she was content\nand her heart was appeased.[FN#502] When the king heard his\nChamberlain's story, he was dazed and amazed and said to him,\n\"Abide on thy service and ear thy field for that the lion entered\nit, but marred it not, and he will never more return thither.\"\n[FN#503] Then he bestowed on him an honourable robe and made him\na costly present; and the man returned to his wife and people,\nrejoicing, his heart having been set at rest concerning his wife.\n\"Nor\" (continued the Wazir), \"O King of the age, is this rarer or\nstranger than the story of the beautiful wife, a woman gifted of\namorous grace, with the ugly Man, her husband.\" When King Shah\nBakht heard the Minister's speech, he deemed it delectable and it\npleased him; so he bade him hie to his house, and there he\ntarried his day long.\n\n              The Twenty-fifth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned his Wazir and bade him\ntell the tale. So he said, \"'Tis well. Hear, O King,\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the Ugly Man and his Beautiful Wife.\n\n\n\n\nThere was once a man of the Arabs who had a number of children,\nand amongst them a boy, never was seen a fairer than he of favour\nnor a more complete in comeliness; no, nor a more perfect of\nprudence. When he came to man's estate, his father married him to\nhis first cousin, the daughter of one of his paternal uncles, and\nshe excelled not in beauty, neither was she laudable for\nqualities; wherefore she pleased not the youth, but he bore with\nher for the sake of kinship. One day, he fared forth in quest of\ncertain camels[FN#504] of his which had strayed and hied him on\nall his day and night till eventide, when he was fain to seek\nhospitality in an Arab camp. So he alighted at one of the tents\nof the tribesmen and there came forth to him a man short of\nstature and foul of favour, who saluted him with the salam; and,\nlodging him in a corner of the tent, sat entertaining him with\nchat, the cheeriest that might be. When his food was dressed, the\nArab's wife brought it to the guest, and he looked at the\nmistress of the tent and saw a semblance than which no seemlier\nmight be. Indeed, her beauty and loveliness, her symmetry and\nperfect grace amazed him and he was struck with astonishment,\ngazing now at her and then at her mate. When his looking grew\nlong, the man said to him, \"Ho, thou son of the worthy! Busy\nthyself with thine own business, for by me and this woman hangeth\na wondrous tale, which is even better than that thou seest of her\nbeauty; and I will tell it to thee when we have made a finish of\nour food.\" So, when they had ended eating and drinking, the young\nman asked his host for the story, and he said, \"Know that in my\nyouth I was the same as thou seest me in the matter of\nloathliness and foul favour; and I had brethren of the fairest of\nthe folk; wherefore my father preferred them over me and used to\nshow them kindness, to my exclusion, and made me serve in their\nstead, like as a master employeth slaves. One day, a dromedary of\nhis strayed from the herd of camels, and he said to me, 'Go thou\nforth in quest of her and return not but with her.' I replied,\n'Send other than I of thy sons.' But he would not consent to this\nand scolded me and insisted upon me, till the matter came to such\na pass with him that he took a thong-whip and fell to beating me.\nSo I arose and saddling a riding-camel, mounted her and sallied\nforth at random, purposing to go out into the wolds and the wilds\nand return to him never more. I fared on all my night and the\nnext day and coming at eventide[FN#505] to the encampment of this\nmy wife's people, alighted down with and became the guest of her\nfather, who was a Shaykh well stricken in years. Now when it was\nthe noon of night, I arose and went forth the tent at a call of\nnature, and none knew of my case save this woman. The dogs\nfollowed me as a suspected stranger and ceased not worrying\nme[FN#506] till I fell on my back into a pit, wherein was water,\na deep hollow and a steep; and a dog of those dogs fell in with\nme. The woman, who was then a girl in the bloom of youth, full of\nstrength and spirit, was moved to ruth on me, for the calamity\nwhereinto I was fallen, and coming to me with a rope, said to me,\n'Catch hold of the rope,' So I hent it and clung to it and she\nhaled me up; but, when I was half-way up, I pulled her down and\nshe fell with me into the pit; and there we abode three days, she\nand I and the hound. When her people arose in the morning and did\nnot see her, they sought her in the camp, but, finding her not\nand missing me also, never doubted but she had fled with\nme.[FN#507] Now she had four brothers, as they were Saker-hawks,\nand they took horse and dispersed in search of us. When the day\nyellowed on the fourth dawn, the dog began to bark and the other\nhounds answered him and coming to the mouth of the pit, stood\nhowling to him. The Shaykh, my wife's father, hearing the howling\nof the hounds, came up and standing at the brink of the hollow,\nlooked in and beheld a marvel. Now he was a brave man and a\nsensible, an elder experienced in affairs, so he fetched a cord\nand bringing forth the three, questioned us twain of our case. I\ntold him all that had betided and he fell a-pondering the affair.\nPresently, her brothers returned, whereupon the old man\nacquainted them with the whole case and said to them, 'O my sons,\nknow that your sister intended not aught but good, and if ye kill\nthis man, ye will earn abiding shame and ye will wrong him, and\nwrong your own souls and eke your sister: for indeed there\nappeareth no cause such as calleth for killing, and it may not be\ndenied that this accident is a thing whose like may well occur\nand that he may easily have been the victim of suchlike chance.'\nThen he addressed me and questioned me of my lineage; so I set\nforth to him my genealogy and he, exclaiming, 'A man of her\nmatch, honourable, understanding,' offered me his daughter in\nwedlock. I consented to this and marrying her, took up my abode\nwith him and Allah hath opened on me the gates of weal and\nwealth, so that I am become the richest in monies of the\ntribesmen; and the Almighty hath stablished me in that which He\nhath given me of His bounties.\" The young man marvelled at his\ntale and lay the night with him; and when he arose in the\nmorning, he found his estrays. So he took them and returning to\nhis folk, acquainted them with what he had seen and all that had\nbefallen him. \"Nor\" (continued the Wazir) \"is this stranger or\nrarer than the story of the King who lost kingdom and wealth and\nwife and children and Allah restored them to him and requited him\nwith a realm more magnificent than that which he had forfeited\nand better and finer and greater of wealth and degree.\" The\nMinister's story pleased the King and he bade him depart to his\nabode.\n\n              The Twenty-sixth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen came the night, the king summoned his Wazir and bade him\ntell the story of the King who lost kingdom and wife and wealth.\nHe replied, \"Hearing and obeying! Give ear, O sovran, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the King who lost Kingdom and Wife and Wealth\nand Allah restored them to Him.[FN#508]\n\n\n\nThere was once a king of the kings of Hind, who was a model of\nmorals, praiseworthy in policy, lief of justice to his lieges,\nlavish to men of learning and piety and abstinence and devoutness\nand worship and shunning mischief-makers and froward folk, fools\nand traitors. After such goodly fashion he abode in his kingship\nwhat Allah the Most High willed of watches and days and\ntwelvemonths,[FN#509] and he married the daughter of his father's\nbrother, a beautiful woman and a winsome, endowed with brightness\nand perfection, who had been reared in the king's house in\ndelicacy and delight. She bare him two sons, the most beauteous\nthat might be of boys, when came Destiny from whose decree is no\ndeliverance and Allah the Most High raised up against the King\nanother king, who came forth upon his realm, and was joined by\nall the folk of the city that had a mind to lewdness and\nfrowardness. So he strengthened himself by means of them against\nthe King and compassed his kingdom, routing his troops and\nkilling his guards. The King took his wife, the mother of his\nsons, and what he might of monies and saved his life and fled in\nthe darkness of the night, unknowing whither he should wend.\nWhenas wayfare grew sore upon them, there met them highwaymen on\nthe way, who took all that was with them, so that naught remained\nto each of them save a shirt and trousers; the robbers left them\nwithout even provaunt or camels or other riding-cattle, and they\nceased not to fare on afoot, till they came to a copse, which was\nan orchard of trees on the ocean shore.[FN#510] Now the road\nwhich they would have followed was crossed by a sea-arm, but it\nwas shallow and scant of water; wherefore, when they reached that\nplace, the king took up one of his children and fording the water\nwith him, set him down on the further bank and returned for his\nother son, whom also he seated by his brother. Lastly, returning\nfor their mother, he took her up and passing the water with her,\ncame to the place where he had left his children, but found them\nnot. Thereupon he looked at the midst of the island and saw an\nold man and an old woman, engaged in making themselves a\nreed-hut: so he set down his wife over against them and started\noff in quest of his children, but none gave him news of them and\nhe went round about right and left, yet found not the whereabouts\nthey were. On this wise fared it with him; but as to the\nchildren, they had entered the copse to make water, and they\nfound there a forest of trees, wherein, if a sturdy\nhorseman[FN#511] strayed, he might wander by the week, and never\nknow its first from its last. So the boys pushed into it and\nwotted not how they should return and went astray in that wood,\nfor a purpose willed of Allah Almighty, whilst their father\nsought them, but found them not. So he returned to their mother\nand they abode weeping for their children; as for whom, when they\nentered the forest, it swallowed them up and they fared at\nhap-hazard, wandering in it many days, knowing not whence they\ncame or whither they went, till they issued forth, at another\nside, upon the open country. Meanwhile, their parents, the king\nand queen, tarried in the island, over against the old man and\nhis old woman, and ate of the fruits and drank of the rills that\nwere in it till, one day of the days, as they sat, behold, up\ncame a ship and made fast to the island-side, for provisioning\nwith water, whereupon they[FN#512] looked one at other and spoke.\nThe master of the craft was a Magian man and all that was\ntherein, both crew and goods, belonged to him, for he was a\ntrader and went round about the world. Now greed of gain deluded\nthe old man, the owner of the island, and he fared to the ship\nand gave the Guebre news of the King's wife, setting out to him\nher charms, till he made him long for her and his soul\nmoved[FN#513] him to practise treachery and cozenage upon her and\ntake her from her husband. Accordingly, he sent to her, saying,\n\"Aboard with us is a woman with child, and we dread lest she be\ndelivered this night: hast thou aught of skill in midwifery?\" She\nreplied, \"Yes.\" Now it was the last of the day; so he sent to her\nto come up into the ship and deliver the woman, for that the\nlabour-pangs were come upon her; and he promised her clothes and\nspending-money. Hereat, she embarked confidently, with heart at\nease for herself, and transported her gear to the ship; but no\nsooner had she come thither than the sails were hoisted and the\ncanvas was loosed[FN#514] and the ship set sail. When the King\nsaw this, he cried out and his wife wept in the ship and would\nhave cast herself into the waves; but the Magian bade his men lay\nhands on her. So they seized her and it was but a little while\nere the night darkened and the ship vanished from the King's\neyes; whereupon he fainted away for excess of weeping and\nlamentation and passed his night bewailing his wife and his\nchildren. And when the morning morrowed he began improvising\nthese couplets:\u2014[FN#515]\n\n     \"O World, how long, this spite, this enmity?\n     Say me, dost ever spare what spared can be?\nAnd look! my friends have far\u00e8d fain and free!\n     They went and went wi' them my dear delight\n     E'en from the day when friends to part were dight\nAnd turbid made their lost life's clarity.\n     By Allah, ne'er I wist their worth aright\n     Nor ever wot I worth of friends unite\nTill fared they, leaving flame in heart of me!\n\n     I'll ne'er forget them since what day each wight\n     Hied and withdrew fro' me his well-loved sight\nAnd yet I weep this parting-blow to dree.\n     I vow an Heaven deign my friends return\n     And cry the crier in mine ears that yearn\n\"The far is near, right soon their sight shalt see!\"\n     Upon their site my cheeks I'll place, to sprite\n     I'll say, \"Rejoice, thy friends return to thee!\"\n     Nor blame my heart when friends were lief to flee:\nI rent my heart ere rent my raimentry.\"\n\nHe sat weeping for the severance of his wife and children till\nthe morning, when he went forth wandering at a venture, unweeting\nwhat he should do, and ceased not walking along the sea-shore\ndays and nights, unknowing whither he went and taking no food\nsave the herbs of the earth and seeing neither man nor wildling\nnor other living thing, till his wayfare brought him to a\nmountain-top. He sojourned in the highland and abode awhile there\nalone, eating of its fruits and drinking of its founts; then he\ncame down thence and trudged along the high road three days, when\nhe hit upon tilled fields and villages and gave not over going\ntill he made a great city on the shore of the salt sea and came\nto its gate at the last of the day. The gatekeepers allowed him\nno admission; so he spent his night anhungered, and when he arose\nin the morning, he sat down hard by the portal. Now the king of\nthe city was dead and had left no son, and the citizens fell out\nanent who should be ruler over them: and their words and redes\ndiffered, so that civil war was like to befal them thereupon. But\nit came to pass that, after long jangle, they agreed to leave the\nchoice to the late king's elephant and that he unto whom he\nconsented should be king and that they would not contest with him\nthe sway. So to this they sware and on the morrow, they brought\nout their elephant and fared forth to a site within sight of the\ncity; nor was there man or woman but was present at that moment.\nThen they adorned the elephant and raising the throne on his\nback, gave him the crown in his trunk; and he went round about\nexamining the countenances of the folk, but stopped not over\nagainst any of them till he came at last to the forlorn King, the\nexile who had lost his children and his wife, when the beast\nprostrated himself to him and placing the crown on his head, took\nhim up and set him upon his back. Thereupon the people all\nprostrated themselves and gave mutual joy of this and the\ndrums[FN#516] of good tidings beat before him, and he entered the\ncity and went on till he reached the House of Justice and the\nAudience-hall of the Palace and sat down upon the throne of the\nkingdom, crown on head; whereat the lieges entered to\ncongratulate him and to bless him. Then he addressed himself, as\nwas his wont in the kingship, to forwarding the affairs of the\nfolk and ranging the troops according to their ranks and looking\ninto their affairs and those of all the Ryots. He also released\nthose who were in the dungeons and abolished the custom-dues and\ngave honourable robes and lavished great gifts and bestowed\nlargesse and conferred favours on the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords\nof the realm, and the Chamberlains'[FN#517] and Nabobs presented\nthemselves before him and did him homage. So the city people\nrejoiced in him and said, \"Indeed, this be none other than a King\nof the greatest of the kings.\" And presently he assembled the\nsages and the theologians and the sons of the Sovrans and\nconversed with them and asked them subtile questions and\ncasuistical problems and talked over with them things manifold of\nall fashions that might direct him to rectitude in the kingship;\nand he questioned them also of mysteries and religious\nobligations and of the laws of the land and the regulations of\nrule and of that which it beseemeth the liege lord to do of\nlooking into the affairs of the lieges and repelling the foe and\nfending off his malice with force and fight; so the subjects'\ncontentment redoubled and their exultation in that which Allah\nAlmighty had vouchsafed them of his kingship over them. On such\nwise he upheld the ordinance of the realm, and the affairs abode\nstablished upon the accepted custom and local usage. Now the late\nking had left a wife and two daughters, and the people would fain\nhave married the Princess royal to the new king that the rule\nmight not pass clean away from the old rulers. Accordingly, they\nproposed to him that he should wed her or the other of the\ndeceased king's daughters, and he promised them this, but he put\nthem off from him, of his respect for the covenant he had made\nwith his former wife, his cousin, that he would marry none other\nthan herself. Then he betook himself to fasting by day and\npraying through the night, multiplying his alms-deeds and\nbeseeching Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) to reunite him\nwith his children and his wife, the daughter of his father's\nbrother. When a year had elapsed, there came to the city a ship,\nwherein were many merchants and much merchandise. Now it was\ntheir custom from time immemorial that the king, whenever a ship\nmade the port, sent to it such of his pages as he trusted in, who\ntook agency of the goods, to the end that they might be first\nshown to the Sovran, who bought as much of them as befitted him\nand gave the merchants leave to sell whatso he wanted not. So he\ncommissioned, according to his custom, a man who should fare to\nthe ship and seal up the bales and set over them one who could\nwatch and ward them. Meanwhile the Queen his wife, when the\nMagian fled with her and proffered himself to her and lavished\nupon her abounding wealth, rejected him and was like to kill\nherself[FN#518] for chagrin at that which had befallen and for\nconcern anent her separation from her husband. She also refused\nmeat and drink and resolved to cast herself into the sea; but the\nMagian chained her and straitened her and clothed her in a coat\nof wool and said to her, \"I will continue thee in wretchedness\nand humiliation till thou obey me and accept me.\" So she took\npatience and looked for the Almighty to deliver her from the hand\nof that accursed; and she ceased not travelling with him from\ncountry to country till he came with her in fine to the city\nwherein her husband was king and his goods were put under seal.\nNow the woman was in a chest and two youths of the late king's\npages, who were now in the new King's service, were those who had\nbeen charged with the watch and ward of the craft and her\ncargaison. When the evening evened on them, the twain began\ntalking and recounted that which had befallen them in their days\nof childhood and the manner of the faring forth of their father\nand mother from their country and kingdom when the wicked\novercame their realm, and how they had gone astray in the forest\nand how Fate had severed them from their parents; for short, they\ntold their tale from first to last. When the woman heard their\ntalk, she knew that they were her sons and cried out to them from\nthe chest, \"I am your mother, Such-an-one, and the token between\nyou twain and me is thus and thus.\" The young men knew the token\nand falling upon the chest, brake the lock and brought out their\nmother, who seeing them, strained them to her bosom, and they\nfell upon her and fainted away, all three. When they came to\nthemselves, they wept awhile and the people assembled about them,\nmarvelling at that they saw, and questioned them of their case.\nSo the young Princes vied each with other who should be the first\nto discover the story to the folk; and when the Magian saw this,\nhe came up, crying out, \"Alack!\" and \"Ruin!\" and said to them,\n\"Why and wherefore have ye broken open my chest? Verily, I had in\nit jewels and ye have stolen them, and this damsel is my\nslave-girl and she hath agreed with you both upon a device to\ntake my wealth.\" Then he rent his raiment and cried for aid,\nsaying, \"I appeal to Allah and to the just King, so he may quit\nme of these wrongous youths!\" They both replied, \"This is our\nmother and thou stolest her:\" whereupon words waxed manifold\nbetween them and the folk plunged into talk with many a \"he said\"\nand \"'twas said\" concerning their affair and that of the\npretended slave-girl, and the strife increased between them, so\nthat at last they carried them all four to the King's court. When\nthe two young men presented themselves between his hands and\nstated their case to him and to the folk and the sovran heard\ntheir speech, he knew them and his heart was like to fly for joy:\nthe tears poured from his eyes at their sight and the sight of\nhis wife, and he thanked Allah Almighty and praised Him for that\nHe had deigned reunite them. Then he bade the folk who were\npresent about him be dismissed and commanded the Magian and the\nwoman and the two youths be to morrow committed to his\narmoury[FN#519] for the night, ordering that they should keep\nguard over them all until the Lord should make the morning to\nmorrow, so he might assemble the Kazis and the Justiciaries and\nAssessors and determine between them, according to Holy Law, in\nthe presence of the four judges. So they did this and the King\npassed the night praying and praising Allah of All-might for that\nwhich he had vouchsafed him of kingship and power and victory\nover the wight who had wronged him and thanking Him who had\nreunited him with his own. When the morning morrowed, he\nassembled the Kazis and Deputies and Assessors[FN#520] and\nsummoning the Magian and the two youths and their mother,\nquestioned them of their case; whereupon the two young men began\nand said, \"We are the sons of King Such-an-one and foemen and\nlewd fellows gat the mastery of our realm; so our sire fled forth\nwith us and wandered at haphazard, for fear of the foe.\" And they\nrecounted to him all that had betided them, from beginning to\nend.[FN#521] Quoth he, \"Ye tell a marvel-tale; but what hath Fate\ndone with your father?\" Quoth they, \"We know not how Fortune\ndealt with him after our loss.\" And he was silent. Then he\nbespake the woman, \"And thou, what sayst thou?\" So she set forth\nto him her case and all that had betided her and her husband,\nfrom the beginning of their hardships to the end, and recounted\nto him their adventures up to the time when they took up their\nabode with the old man and woman who dwelt on the sea-shore. Then\nshe reported that which the Magian had practised on her of fraud\nand how he had carried her off in the craft and everything that\nhad betided her of humiliation and torment; all this while the\nKazis and judges and Deputies hearkening to her speech as they\nhad lent ear to the others' adventures. When the King heard the\nlast of his wife's tale, he said, \"Verily, there hath betided\nthee a mighty grievous matter; but hast thou knowledge of what\nthy husband did and what came of his affair?\" She replied, \"Nay,\nby Allah; I have no knowledge of him, save that I leave him no\nhour unremembered in righteous prayer, and never, whilst I live,\nwill he cease to be to me the father of my children and my cousin\nand my flesh and my blood.\" Then she wept and the King bowed his\nhead, whilst his eyes welled tears at her tale. Presently he\nraised his head to the Magian and cried to him, \"Say thy say,\nthou also.\" So the Magian replied, \"This is my slave-girl, whom I\nbought with my money from such a land and for so many dinars, and\nI made her my betrothed[FN#522] and loved her exceedingly and\ngave my monies into her charge; but she falsed me in my substance\nand plotted with one of my lads to slay me, tempting him by a\npromise that she would kill me and become his wife. When I knew\nthis of her and was assured that she purposed treason against me,\nI awoke from my dream of happiness and did with her that which I\ndid, fearing for my life from her craft and perfidy; for indeed\nshe is a trickstress with her tongue and she hath taught these\ntwo youths this pretence, by way of sleight and of her guile and\nher malice: so be you not deluded by her and by her talk.\" \"Thou\nliest, O accursed,\" cried the King and bade lay hands on him and\niron him. Then he turned to the two youths, his sons, and\nstrained them to his breast, weeping sore and saying, \"O all ye\npeople who are present of Kazis and Assessors and Lords of the\nland, know that these twain are my sons and that this is my wife\nand the daughter of my father's brother; for that whilome I was\nking in such a realm.\" And he recounted to them his history from\ncommencement to conclusion, nor is there aught of fruition in\nrepetition; whereupon the folk cried out with weeping and wailing\nfor the stress of what they heard of marvellous chances and that\nwondrous story. As for the king's wife, he bade carry her into\nhis palace and lavished upon her and upon her sons all that\nbefitted and beseemed them of bounties, whilst the lieges flocked\nto offer up prayers for him and give him joy of his reunion with\nhis wife and children. When they had made an end of blessings and\ncongratulations, they besought the king to hasten the punishment\nof the Magian and heal their hearts with tormenting and abasing\nhim. So he appointed them for a day on which they should assemble\nto witness his requitement and that which should betide him of\ntorment, and shut himself up with his wife and two sons and abode\nthus private with them three days, during which they were veiled\nfrom the folk. On the fourth day the King entered the Hammam, and\nfaring forth, sat down on the throne of his kingship, crown on\nhead, whereupon the folk came in to him, according to their\ncustom and after the measure of their several dignities and\ndegrees, and the Emirs and Wazirs entered, and eke the\nChamberlains and Nabobs and Captains of war and the Falconers and\nArmbearers and Commanders of the body-guard. Then he seated his\ntwo sons, one on his right and the other on his left hand, whilst\nthe subjects all stood before him and lifted up their voices in\nthanksgiving to Allah the Most High and glorification of Him and\nwere instant in orisons for the king and in setting forth his\nvirtues and excellent qualities. He answered them with the most\ngracious of answers and bade carry the Magian outside the city\nand set him on a high scaffold which had been builded for him\nthere; and he said to the folk, \"Behold, I will torture him with\ntorments of all kinds and fashions.\" Then he began telling them\nthat which he had wrought of villainy with his cousin-wife and\nwhat he had caused her of severance between her and her husband\nand how he had required her person of her, but she had sought\nrefuge for her chastity against him with Allah (to whom belong\nhonour and glory) and chose abasement rather than obedience to\nhim, despite stress of torture: neither recked she aught of that\nwhich he lavished to her of monies and raiment, jewels and\nornaments. When the King had made an end of his story, he bade\nthe bystanders spit in the Magian's face and curse him; and they\ndid this. Then he bade cut out his tongue and on the next day he\nbade lop off his ears and nose and pluck out both his eyes. On\nthe third day he bade hew off his hands and on the fourth his\nfeet; and they ceased not to dismember him, limb after limb, and\neach member they cast into the fire, after its amputation, before\nhis face, till his soul departed, after he had endured torments\nof all kinds and fashions. Then the King bade crucify his trunk\non the city wall for three days; after which he gave orders to\nburn it and reduce its ashes to powder and scatter them abroad in\nair. And when this was done, the King summoned the Kazi and the\nWitnesses and commanded them marry the old king's daughter and\nher sister to his own sons; so the youths wedded them, after the\nKing had made a bride-feast three days and displayed their brides\nto them from nightfall to day-dawn. Then the two Princes went in\nunto their brides and abated their maidenheads and loved them and\nwere vouchsafed issue by them. As for the King their sire, he\nabode with his cousin-wife, their mother, what while Allah (to\nwhom be honour and glory) willed, and they rejoiced in reunion\neach with other. The kingship endured unto them and high degree\nand victory, and the sovran continued to rule with justice and\nequity, so that the lieges loved him and prayed for him and for\nhis sons length of life and durance of days; and they lived the\nmost delightsome of existences till there came to them the\nDestroyer of delights and Severer of societies, the Depopulator\nof palaces and Garnerer of graves; and this is all that hath come\ndown to us of the story of the King and his Wife and Sons. \"Nor,\"\ncontinued the Wazir, \"if this story be a solace and a diversion,\nis it pleasanter or more diverting than the tale of the Youth of\nKhorasan and his mother and sister.\" When King Shah Bakht heard\nthis story, it pleased him and he bade the Minister hie away to\nhis own house.\n\n             The Twenty-seventh Night of the Month.\n\nWhen evening came, the king Shah Bakht bade fetch the Wazir; so\nhe presented himself before him and the King ordered him to tell\nthe tale. So he said, \"Hearkening and obedience. Give ear, O\nsovran, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of Salim, the Youth of Khorasan, and Salma, his\nSister.\n\n\n\nKnow, O king (but Allah alone knoweth His secret purpose and is\nversed in the past and the foredone among folk bygone) that there\nwas once, in the parts of Khorasan, a man of its affluent, who\nwas a merchant of the chiefest of the merchants[FN#523] and was\nblessed with two children, a son and a daughter.[FN#524] He was\ndiligent exceedingly in rearing them and they were educated with\nthe fairest of education; for he used to teach the boy, who\ntaught his sister all that he learnt, so that, by means of her\nbrother, the damsel became perfect in the knowledge of the\nTraditions of the Prophet and in polite letters. Now the boy's\nname was Sal\u00edm and that of the girl Salm\u00e1. When they grew up and\nwere fully grown, their father built them a mansion beside his\nown and lodged them apart therein and appointed them slave-girls\nand servants to tend them and assigned to each of them pay and\nallowances and all that they needed of high and low; meat and\nbread; wine, dresses, and vessels and what not else. So Salim and\nSalma abode in that palace, as they were one soul in two bodies,\nand they used to sleep on one couch and rise amorn with single\npurpose, while firmly fixed in each one's heart were fond\naffection and familiar friendship for the other. One night, when\nthe half was spent, as Salim and Salma sat recounting and\nconversing, they heard a noise on the ground floor; so they\nlooked out from a latticed casement which gave upon the gate of\ntheir father's mansion and saw a man of fine presence, whose\nclothes were hidden under a wide cloak. He came straight up to\nthe gate and laying hold of the door-ring, rapped a light rap;\nwhereupon the door opened and behold, out came their sister, with\na lighted taper, and after her their mother, who saluted the\nstranger and embraced him, saying, \"O dearling of my heart and\nlight of mine eyes and fruit of my vitals, enter.\" So he went in\nand shut the door, whilst Salim and Salma abode amazed. The youth\nturned to the girl and said to her, \"O sister mine, how deemest\nthou of this trouble and what advice hast thou to offer?\" She\nreplied, \"O my brother, indeed I know not what I shall say anent\nthe like of this; but he is not disappointed who divine direction\nseeketh, nor doth he repent who counsel taketh. One getteth not\nthe better of the traces of burning by haste, and know that this\nis an affliction that hath descended[FN#525] on us and a calamity\nforeordained to us; so we have need of wise rede to do it away\nand contrivance which shall wash our shame from our faces.\" And\nthey ceased not watching the gate till daybreak, when the young\nman opened the door and their mother farewelled him; after which\nhe went his way and she entered, she and her handmaid. Hereat\nsaid Salim to his sister, \"Know thou I am resolved to slay this\nman, an he return the next night, and I will say to the folk, He\nwas a robber, and none shall weet that which hath befallen. Then\nI will address myself to the slaughter of whosoever knoweth what\nis between the fellow and my mother.\" But Salma said, \"I fear\nlest an thou slay him in our dwelling-place and he be not\nconvicted of robberhood, suspicion and ill-fame will revert upon\nourselves, and we cannot be assured that he belongeth not to a\ntribe whose mischief is to be feared and whose enmity is to be\ndreaded, and thus wilt thou have fled from hidden shame to open\nshame and to disgrace public and abiding.\" Asked Salim: \"What\nthen is it thy rede to do?\" And she answered, \"Is there no help\nbut thou kill him? Let us not hasten unto slaughter, for that the\nslaughter of a soul without just cause is a mighty grave matter.\"\nWhen Shahb\u00e1n[FN#526] heard this, he said within himself, \"By\nAllah, I have indeed been hasty and reckless in the slaying of\nwomen and girls, and Alhamdolillah\u2014lauded be the Lord\u2014who hath\noccupied me with this damsel from the slaughter of souls, for\nthat the slaughter of souls is a grave matter and a grievous! By\nthe Almighty if Shah Bakht spare the Wazir, I will assuredly\nspare Sh\u00e1hr\u00e1z\u00e1d!\"[FN#527] Then he gave ear to the story and heard\nher say to her sister:\u2014Quoth Salma to Salim, \"Hasten not to slay\nhim, but overthink the matter and consider the issue whereto it\nmay tend; for whoso considereth not of actions the end hath not\nFortune to friend.\" Then they arose on the morrow and busied\nthemselves with contriving how they should turn away their parent\nfrom that man, and the mother forefelt mischief from them, for\nwhat she saw in their eyes of change, she being wily and keen of\nwit. So she took precaution for herself against her children and\nSalma said to Salim, \"Thou seest what we have fallen upon through\nthis woman, and very sooth she hath sensed our purpose and\nwotteth that we have discovered her secret. So, doubtless, she\nwill plot against us the like of that which we plot for her; for\nindeed up to now she had concealed her affair, and from this time\nforth she will become harsh to us; wherefore, methinks, there is\na thing forewritten to us, whereof Allah (extolled and exalted be\nHe!) knew in His foreknowledge and wherein He carrieth out His\ncommandments.\" He asked, \"What is that?\" and she answered, \"It is\nthat we arise, I and thou, and go forth this night from this land\nand seek us a town wherein we may wone and witness naught of the\ndoings of yonder traitress; for whoso is absent from the eye is\nabsent from the heart, and quoth one of the poets in the\nfollowing couplet:[FN#528]\u2014\n\n'Tis happiest, best for thee, the place to leave, * For then no\n     eye can see, nor heart can grieve.\"\n\nQuoth Salim to her,[FN#529] \"'Tis for thee to decide and right is\nthy rede; so let us do this, in the name of Allah the Almighty,\ntrusting in Him for guiding and grace.\" Accordingly they arose\nand took the richest of their raiment and the lightest of that\nwhich was in their treasuries of gems and things of price and\ngathered together much matter. Then they equipped them ten mules\nand hired them servants of other than the people of the country;\nand Salim bade his sister Salma don man's dress. Now she was the\nlikest of all creatures to him, so that, when she was clad in\nman's clothing, the folk knew no difference between them:\u2014\nextolled be the perfection of Him who hath no like, there is no\ngod but He! Then he told her to mount a mare, whilst he himself\ntook another, and they set out under cover of the night; nor did\nany of their family or household know of them. So they fared on\ninto Allah's wide world and gave not over going night and day for\na space of two months, at the end of which they came to a city on\nthe sea-shore of the land of Makran,[FN#530] by name Al-Sharr,\nand it is the first city in Sind.[FN#531] They lighted down\nwithin sight of the place and when they arose in the morning,\nthey saw a populous city and a goodly, seemly of semblance and\ngreat, abounding in trees and rills and fruits and wide of\nsuburbs which stretched to the neighbouring villages. So the\nyoung man said to his sister Salma, \"Tarry thou here in thy\nplace, till I enter the city and make proof of it and its people\nand seek us out a stead which we may buy and whereto we may\nremove. An it befit us, we will make us a home therein, otherwise\nwill we take counsel of departing elsewhere.\" Quoth she, \"Do\nthis, trusting in the bounty of Allah (to whom belong honour and\nglory) and in His blessing.\" Accordingly he took a belt, wherein\nwere a thousand gold pieces, and girding it about his waist,\nentered the city and ceased not going round about its streets and\nbazars and gazing upon its houses and sitting with those of its\ncitizens whose aspect showed signs of worth and wealth, till the\nday was half spent, when he resolved to return to his sister and\nsaid to himself, \"Needs must I buy what we may eat of\nready-cooked food; I and my sister.\" Hereupon he addressed a man\nwho sold roast meat and who was clean of person, albe foul in his\nway of getting a living, and said to him, \"Take the price of this\ndishful and add thereto of fowls and chickens and what not else\nis in your market of meats and sweetmeats and bread and arrange\nit in the plates.\" So the Kitchener took the money and set apart\nfor him what he desired, then calling a porter, he laid it in the\nman's crate, and Salim, after paying the price of provisions and\nporterage in fullest fashion, was about to go away, when the Cook\nsaid to him, \"O youth, doubtless thou art a stranger?\" He\nreplied, \"Yes;\" and the other rejoined, \"'Tis reported in one of\nthe Traditions that the Apostle said, Loyal admonition is a part\nof religion; and the wise and ware have declared counsel is of\nthe characteristics of True Believers. And verily that which I\nhave seen of thy ways pleaseth me and I would fain give thee a\nwarning.\" Rejoined Salim, \"Speak out thy warning, and may Allah\nstrengthen thy purpose!\" Then said the Cook, \"Know, O my son,\nthat in this our city, when a stranger entereth and eateth of\nflesh-meat and drinketh not old wine upon it, 'tis harmful to him\nand disturbeth his body with disorders which be dangerous.\nWherefore, an thou have provided thee somewhat of wine it is\nwell, but, if not, haste to procure it, ere thou take the meat\nand carry it away.\" Quoth Salim, \"Allah requite thee with weal\u2014\nCanst thou shew me where liquor is sold?\" and quoth the Cook,\n\"With me is all thou seekest. The youth asked, \"Is there a way\nfor me to see it?\" and the Cook sprang up and answered, \"Pass\non.\" So he entered and the man showed him somewhat of wine; but\nhe said, \"I desire better than this;\" whereupon he opened a door\nand entering, said to Salim, \"Come in, and follow me.\" Accordingly\nSalim followed him till he brought him to an underground chamber\nand showed him somewhat of wine that suited him. So he occupied\nhim with looking at it and taking him unawares, sprang upon him\nfrom behind and threw him to the ground and sat upon his breast.\nThen he drew a knife and set it to his jugular; whereupon there\nbetided Salim that wherewith Allah made him forget all that He\nhad decreed to him,[FN#532] and he cried to the Cook, \"Why dost\nthou this thing, O good fellow? Be mindful of the Almighty and\nfear Him. Seest thou not I am a stranger man? And knowest thou\nnot I have behind me a forlorn defenceless[FN#533] woman?\nWherefore wilt thou kill me?\" Quoth the Kitchener, \"Needs must I\nkill thee, so I may take thy money;\" and quoth Salim, \"Take my\nmoney, but kill me not, neither enter into sin against me; and do\nwith me kindness, for indeed the taking of my coin is more venial\nthan the taking of my life.\" The Cook replied, \"This is nonsense.\nThou canst not deliver thyself herewith, O youth, because in thy\ndeliverance is my destruction.\" Cried Salim, \"I swear to thee and\ngive thee the bond of Allah (to whom belong honour and glory) and\nHis covenant, which He took of His prophets that I will not\ndiscover thy secret; no, never.\" But the Kitchener replied,\n\"Away! Away! Alas! Alas! To this there is no path.\" However,\nSalim ceased not to conjure him and humble himself to him and\nweep, while the Cook persisted in his intent to cut his throat:\nthen he shed tears and recited these couplets;[FN#534]\n\n\"Haste not to that thou dost desire, for haste is still unblest;\n     * Be merciful to men, as thou on mercy reckonest:\nFor no hand is there but the hand of God is over it * And no\n     oppressor but shall be with worse than he opprest.\"\n\nQuoth the Kitchener, \"There is no help save that I slay thee, O\nfellow; for an I spare thee, I shall myself be slain.\" But Salim\nsaid, \"O my brother, I will advise thee somewhat[FN#535] other\nthan this.\" Asked the Cook, \"What is it? Say and be brief, ere I\ncut thy throat;\" and Salim answered, \"Suffer me to live and keep\nme as thy Mameluke, thy white slave, and I will work at a craft\nof the skilled workmen, wherefrom there shall result to thee\nevery day two dinars.\" Quoth the Kitchener, \"What is the craft?\"\nand quoth Salim, \"The cutting of gems and jewels.\" When the man\nheard this, he said to himself, \"'Twill do me no hurt if I\nimprison him and fetter him and bring him that whereat he may\nwork. An he tell truth, I will let him live, and if he prove a\nliar, I will kill him.\" So he took a pair of stout shackles and\nfitting them on Salim's legs, jailed him within his house and\ncharged a man to guard him. Then he asked him what tools he\nneeded for work; and Salim described to him whatso he required,\nand the Cook went out from him awhile and brought him all he\nwanted. Then Salim sat and wrought at his craft; and he used\nevery day to earn two dinars; and this was his wont and custom\nwith the Kitchener, who fed him not but half his fill. Thus befel\nit with Salim; but returning to his sister Salma, she awaited him\ntill the last of the day, yet he appeared not; and she expected\nhim a second day and a third and a fourth, yet there came no news\nof him. So she wept and beat hand on breast and bethought her of\nher affair and her strangerhood and the disappearance of her\nbrother; and she improvised these couplets,\u2014\n\n\"Salam t'you! Would I could see you again, * To the joy of my\n     heart and the coolth of my eyes:\nYou are naught but my hope and the whole of my hope * And under\n     my ribs[FN#536] love for you buried lies.\"\n\nShe tarried on this wise awaiting him till the end of the month,\nbut no tidings of him came nor happened she upon aught of his\ntrace; wherefore she was troubled with exceeding trouble and\nsending her servants hither and thither in search of him, abode\nin the sorest that might be of chagrin and concern. When it was\nthe beginning of the new month, she arose in the morning and\nbidding one of her men cry her brother throughout the city, sat\nto receive visits of condolence, nor was there any in town but\nmade act of presence to condole with her; and they were all sorry\nfor her, doubting not her being a man. When three nights had\npassed over her with their days of the second month, she\ndespaired of him and her tears never dried: then she resolved to\ntake up her abode in that city, and making choice of a dwelling,\nremoved thither. The folk resorted to her from all parts, to sit\nwith her and hear her speech and witness her fine breeding; nor\nwas it but a little while ere the king died and the folk differed\nanent whom they should invest with the kingship after him, so\nthat civil war was like to befal them. However, the men of\njudgment and the folk of understanding and the people of\nexperience directed them to crown the youth who had lost his\nbrother, for that they still held Salma to be a man. They\nconsented to this one and all; and, betaking themselves to her,\noffered the kingship.[FN#537] She refused, but they were urgent\nwith her, till she consented, saying within herself, \"My sole\ndesire in the kingship is to find my brother.\" Then they seated\nher upon the throne of the realm and set the crown upon her head,\nafter which she undertook the business of governance and\nordinance of affairs; and they rejoiced in her with the utmost\njoy. On such wise fared it with her; but as for Salim he abode\nwith the Cook a whole year's space, bringing him two dinars a\nday; and when his affair waxed longsome, the man felt for him and\npitied him. Presently he promised him release on condition that,\nif he let him go, he should not discover his ill-deeds to the\nSultan; for that it was his wont now and then to entrap a man and\ncarry him to his house and slay him and take his money and cook\nhis flesh and give it to the folk to eat.[FN#538] So he asked\nhim, \"O youth, wilt thou that I release thee from this thy\nmisery, on condition that thou be reasonable and never discover\naught of thine affair?\" Salim answered, \"I will swear to thee by\nwhatsoever oath thou wilt administer that I will keep thy secret\nand will not speak one syllable anent thee, what while l am in\nthe land of the living.\" Quoth the Kitchener, \"I purpose to send\nthee forth with my brother and cause thee voyage with him over\nthe sea, on condition that thou be to him a Mameluke, a boughten\nslave; and when he cometh to the land of Hind, he shall sell thee\nand thus wilt thou be delivered from prison and slaughter.\" And\nquoth Salim, \"'Tis well: be it as thou sayst, may Allah the Most\nHigh requite thee with weal!\" Accordingly the Cook equipped his\nbrother and freighting him a craft, stowed therein a cargaison of\nmerchandise. Then he committed Salim to him and they set out with\nthe ship. The Lord decreed them safety, so that they arrived at\nthe first city of Hind, which is known as Al-Mans\u00farah,[FN#539] and\ncast anchor there. Now the king of that city had died, leaving a\ndaughter and a widow who, being the quickest-witted of women and\ncleverest of the folk of her day, gave out that the girl was a\nboy, so that the kingship might be established unto them. The\ntroops and the Emirs gave credit that the case was as she\navouched and that the Princess was a Prince; wherefore they\nobeyed her bidding and the Queen-mother took order for the matter\nand used to dress the girl in man's habit and seat her on the\nthrone of the kingship, so that the Lords of the land and the\nchief officers of the realm used to go in to her and salute her\nand do her service and depart, nothing doubting but she was a\nboy. After this fashion they fared for months and years and the\nQueen-mother ceased not to do thus till the Cook's brother came\nto the town in his ship, and with him Salim. He landed with the\nyouth and displayed him for sale to the Queen who, when she saw\nhim, prognosticated well of him; presently she bought him and was\nkind to him and entreated him with honour. Then began she to\nprove him in his moral parts and make assay of him in his\naffairs, and she found in him all that is in kings' sons of\nunderstanding and fine breeding and good manners and qualities.\nThereupon she sent for him in private and said to him, \"I am\nminded to do thee a service, so thou canst keep a\nsecret.\"[FN#540] He promised her all that she desired and she\ndiscovered to him her mystery in the matter of her daughter,\nsaying, \"I will marry thee to her and commit to thee the\ngovernance and constitute thee king and ruler over this city.\" He\nthanked her and promised to carry out all she should order him,\nand she said to him, \"Go forth to such-an-one of the neighbouring\nprovinces privily.\" So he went forth and on the morrow she made\nready loads and gear and gifts and bestowed on him abundant\nsubstance, all of which they loaded on the backs of\nbaggage-camels. Then she gave out among the folk that the nephew\nof the king, the son of his brother, was come and bade the\nGrandees and troops go forth to meet him in a body: she also\ndecorated the city in his honour and the kettle-drums of good\ntidings beat for him whilst all the king's household went out and\ndismounting before him, escorted him into, and lodged him with\nthe Queen-mother in the palace. Then she bade the Headmen of the\nstate attend his assembly; so they obeyed and witnessed of his\nbreeding and good parts that which amazed them and made them\nforget the breeding of the kings who had preceded him. When they\nwere grown to like him, the Queenmother began sending privily for\nthe Emirs and Councillors, one by one, and swearing them to\nconceal her project; and when she was assured of their\ndiscretion, she discovered to them that the king had left naught\nsave a daughter and that she had done this only that she might\ncontinue the kingship in his family and that the rule should not\ngo forth from them; after which she informed them that she was\nminded to marry her daughter with her nephew, the new-comer; and\nthat he should be the holder of the kingship. They approved her\nproposal and when she had discovered the secret to the last of\nthem and assured herself of their aid, she published the news\nabroad and threw off all concealment. Then she sent for the Kazis\nand Assessors, who drew up the contract of marriage between Salim\nand the Princess, and they lavished gifts upon the soldiery and\noverwhelmed them with largesse. The bride was incontinently\ncarried in procession to the young man and the kingship was\nestablished to him. They tarried after this fashion a whole year\nwhen Salim said to the Queen-mother, \"Know that my life is not\npleasing to me nor can I abide with you in content till I get me\ntidings of my sister and learn how her affair hath ended and how\nshe hath fared after me. So I will go forth and be absent from\nyou a year's space; then will I return to you, Inshallah\u2014an it\nplease God the Most High\u2014and I win of this that which I hope.\"\nQuoth she, \"I will not trust to thy word, but will go with thee\nand help thee to whatso thou wishest and further thee myself\ntherein.\" Then she took a ship and loaded it with all manner\nthings of price, goods and monies and the like. Furthermore, she\nappointed one of the Wazirs, a man in whom she trusted for his\nconduct and contrivance, to rule the realm, saying to him, \"Abide\nin governance a full year and ordain all thou needest.\" Presently\nthe Queenmother and her daughter and son-in-law Salim went down\nto the ship and sailed on till they made the land of Makran.\nTheir arrival there befel at the last of the day; so they nighted\nin their ship, and when the morn was near to dawn, the young king\nlanded, that he might go to the Hammam, and walked marketwards.\nAs he drew near the bath, the Cook met him on the way and knew\nhim; so he seized him and pinioning him straitly, carried him to\nhis house, where he clapped the old fetters on his feet and cast\nhim back into his former place of durance vile.[FN#541] Salim,\nfinding himself in that sorry condition and considering that\nwherewith he was afflicted of tribulation and the reverses of his\nfair fortune, in that he had been a king and was now returned to\nfetters and prison and hunger, wept and groaned and lamented and\nimprovised these couplets,\n\n\"My God, no patience now can aid afford; * Strait is my breast, O\n     Thou of Lords the Lord:\nMy God, who in resource like thine hath force? * And Thou, the\n     Subtle, dost my case record.\"\n\nOn this wise fared it with Salim; but as regards his wife and her\nmother, when she awoke in the morning and her husband returned\nnot to her with break of dawn, she forebode all manner of\ncalamity and, straightway arising, she despatched her servants\nand all who were with her in quest of her spouse; but they\nhappened not on any trace of him nor could they hear aught of his\nnews. So she bethought herself concerning the case and plained\nand wept and groaned and sighed and blamed Fortune the fickle,\nbewailing the changes of Time and reciting these\ncouplets,[FN#542]\n\n\"God keep the days of love-delight! How passing sweet they were!\n     * How joyous and how solaceful was life in them whilere!\nWould he were not, who sundered us upon the parting-day! * How\n     many a body hath he slain, how many a bone laid bare!\nSans fault of mine, my blood and tears he shed and beggared me *\n     Of him I love yet for himself gained nought thereby\n     whate'er.\"\n\nWhen she had made an end of her verses, she considered her affair\nand said within herself, \"By Allah, all these things have betided\nby the predestination of Almighty Allah and His decree and this\nupon the forehead was written in lines.\" Then she landed and\nwalked on till she came to a spacious place, and an open, where\nshe asked of the folk and hired a house. Thither she transported\nforthright all that was in the ship of goods and sending after\nbrokers, sold all that was with her. Presently she took part of\nthe price and began enquiring of the folk, so haply she might\nscent out tidings of the lost one; and she addressed herself to\nlavishing alms and preparing medicines for the sick, clothing the\nnaked and watering the dry ground[FN#543] of the forlorn. She\nceased not so doing a whole year, and little by little she sold\noff her goods and gave charitable gifts to the sick and sorry;\nwhereby her report was bruited abroad in the city and the folk\nabounded in her praise. All this while Salim lay in fetters and\nstrait prison, and melancholy gat hold of him by reason of that\nwhereinto he had fallen of this affliction. At last, when care\nwaxed on him and calamity grew longsome, he fell sick of a sore\nsickness. Then the Kitchener, seeing his plight (and verily he\nwas like to sink for much suffering), loosed him from the fetters\nand bringing him forth of the prison, committed him to an old\nwoman, who had a nose the bigness of a gugglet,[FN#544] and bade\nher nurse him and medicine him and serve him and entreat him\nkindly, so haply he might be made whole of that his sickness.\nAccordingly the old woman took him and carrying him to her\nlodging, began nursing him and giving him to eat and drink; and\nwhen he was delivered of that torment, he recovered from the\nmalady which had afflicted him. Now the old woman had heard from\nthe folk of the lady who gave alms to the sick, and indeed the\nnews of her bounties reached both poor and rich; so she arose and\nbringing out Salim to the door of her house, laid him upon a mat\nand wrapped him in an Ab\u00e1-gown and sat over against him.\nPresently, it befel that the lady passed by them, and the old\nwoman seeing her rose to her and blessed her, saying, \"O my\ndaughter, O thou to whom belong goodness and beneficence and\ncharity and almsdoing,[FN#545] know that this young man is a\nforeigner, and indeed lack and lice and hunger and nakedness and\ncold slay him.\" When the lady heard this, she gave her alms and\npresented her with a part of that which was with her; and indeed\nher charitable heart inclined to Salim, but she knew him not for\nher spouse. The old woman received the alms from her and carrying\nit to Salim, took part for herself and with the rest bought him\nan old shirt,[FN#546] in which she clad him, after she had\nstripped him of that he had on. Then she threw away the frock she\nhad taken from off him and arising forthwith, washed his body of\nthat which was thereon of grime and scented him with somewhat of\nscent. She also bought chickens and made him broth; so he ate and\nhis life returned to him and he abode with her in all comfort of\ncondition till the morrow. Next morning the old woman said to\nSalim, \"When the lady cometh to thee, arise and buss her hand and\nsay to her, 'I am a homeless man and indeed cold and hunger kill\nme;' so haply she may give thee somewhat that thou mayest expend\nupon thy case.\" And he answered, \"To hear is to obey.\" Then she\ntook him by the hand and carrying him without her house, seated\nhim at the door; and as he sat, behold, the lady came up to him,\nwhereupon the old woman rose to her and Salim kissed her hand\nand, looking at her the while, blessed her. But when he saw her,\nhe knew her for his wife; so he shrieked and shed tears and\ngroaned and plained, at which she came up to him and threw\nherself upon him; for indeed she knew him with all knowledge,\neven as he knew her. So she hung to him and embraced him and\ncalled to her serving-men and attendants and those who were about\nher; and they took him up and carried him forth of that stead.\nWhen the old woman saw this, she cried out to the Cook within the\nhouse, and he said to her, \"Fare thou before me.\" So she forewent\nhim and he ran after her and ceased not running till he overtook\nthe party and seizing Salim, exclaimed \"What aileth you to take\nmy slave-lad?\" Whereupon the Queen cried out at him, saying,\n\"Know that this is my husband, whom I had lost;\" and Salim also\ncried out, saying, \"Mercy! Mercy! I appeal to Allah and to the\nSultan against this Satan!\" Therewith a world of folk straightway\ngathered together and loud rose the cries and the clamours\nbetween them; but the most part of them said, \"Carry their case\nup to the Sultan.\" So they referred the matter to the king, who\nwas none other than Salim's sister Salma. Then they repaired to\nthe palace and the dragoman went in to Salma and said to her, \"O\nking of the age, here is a Hindi woman, who cometh from the land\nof Hind, and she hath laid hands on a servant, a young man,\nclaiming him as her husband, who hath been lost to her these two\nyears, and she journeyed not hither save for his sake, and in\nvery sooth these many days she hath done almsdeeds in thy city.\nAnd here is a fellow, a Kitchener, who declareth that the young\nman is his slave.\"[FN#547] When the Queen heard these words, her\nvitals quivered and she groaned from a grieving heart and called\nto mind her brother and that which had betided him. Then she bade\nthose around her bring them between her hands, and when she saw\nthem, she knew her brother and was about to cry aloud; but her\nreason restrained her; yet she could not prevent herself rising\nup and sitting down.[FN#548] At last, however, she enforced her\nsoul to patience and said to them, \"Let each and every of you\nacquaint me with his case.\" So Salim came forward and kissing\nground before the king, lauded him and related to him his story\nfrom first to last, until the time of their coming to that city,\nhe and his sister, telling him how he had entered the place and\nhad fallen into the hands of the Cook and that which had betided\nhim and whatso he had suffered from him of beating and collars,\nof fetters and pinioning, till the man had made him his brother's\nMameluke, a boughten slave, and how the brother had sold him in\nHind and he had become king by marrying the Princess: and how\nlife was not lovesome to him till he should foregather with his\nsister and now the same Cook had fallen in with him a second time\nand had pinioned and fettered him. Brief, he acquainted her with\nthat which had betided him of sickness and sorrow for the space\nof a whole year. When he had made an end of his speech, his wife\nstraightways came forward and told her story, from incept to\ntermination, how her mother bought him[FN#549] from the Cook's\npartner and the people of the kingdom came under his rule; nor\ndid she cease telling till she came, in her history, to that city\nand acquainted the king with the manner of her meeting her\nhusband. When she had made an end of her adventure, the Kitchener\nexclaimed, \"Alack, what befals us from lying rascals. By Allah, O\nking, this woman lieth against me, for this youth is my\nrearling[FN#550] and he was born of one of my slave-girls. He\nfled from me and I found him again.\" When the Queen heard the\nlast of the talk, she said to the Cook, \"The decree between you\nshall not be save in accordance with justice.\" Then she dismissed\nall those who were present and turning to her brother, said to\nhim, \"Indeed thy truth is stablished with me and the sooth of thy\nspeech, and praised be Allah who hath brought about reunion\nbetween thee and thy wife! So now begone with her to thy country\nand cease to seek thy sister Salma and depart in peace.\" But,\nhearing this, Salim replied, \"By Allah, by the might of the\nAll-knowing King, I will not turn back from seeking my sister\ntill I die or I find her, Inshallah!\" Then he called his sister\nto mind and improvised from a heart disappointed, troubled,\nafflicted these couplets,\n\n\"O thou who blam'st me for my heart, in anger twitting me, *\n     Hadst tasted what my heart did taste, thou wouldst be\n     pitying me!\nBy Allah, O my chider for my sister leave, ah! leave * My heart\n     to moan its grief and feel the woes befitting me.\nIndeed I grew to hold her dear privily, publicly; * And in my\n     bosom bides a pang at no time quitting me;\nAnd in my vitals burns a flame that ne'er was equalled by * The\n     fire of hell and blazeth high to Death committing me.\"\n\nNow when his sister Salma heard what he said, she could no longer\nrestrain her soul, but threw herself upon him and discovered to\nhim her case. When he knew her, he threw himself upon her\nswooning awhile; after which he came to himself and cried,\n\"Lauded be the Lord, the Bountiful, the Beneficent!\" Then they\nplained each to other of that they had suffered from the pangs of\nparting, whilst Salim's wife wondered at this and Salma's\npatience and endurance pleased her. So she saluted her with the\nSalam, and thanked her for her fair boons, saying, \"By Allah, O\nmy lady, all that we are in of gladness never befel us save by\nthy blessing; so praised be Allah who deigned vouchsafe us thy\nsight!\" Then they tarried all three, Salma, Salim and his wife,\nin joy and happiness and delight three days, veiled from the\nfolk; and it was bruited abroad in the city that the king had\nfound his brother, who was lost for many a year, and had saved\nhim from the Cook's house. On the fourth day, all the troops and\nthe lieges assembled together to see the King and standing at his\ngate, craved leave to enter. Salma bade admit them; so they\nentered and paid her royal suit and service and gave her joy of\nher brother's safe return. She bade them do homage to Salim, and\nthey consented and sware fealty to him; after which they kept\nsilence awhile, so they might hear what the king should command.\nThen quoth Salma, \"Ho, ye gathering of soldiers and subjects, ye\nwot that ye forced me willy-nilly to accept the kingship and\nbesought me thereof and I consented to your desires anent my\nbeing raised to rule over you; and I did this against my will;\nfor I would have you know that I am a woman and that I disguised\nmyself and donned man's dress, so peradventure my case might be\nconcealed when I lost my brother. But now Allah hath deigned\nreunite me with my brother, and it is no longer lawful to me that\nI be king and Sultan over the people, and I a woman; because\nthere is no Sultanate for women, whenas men are present.[FN#551]\nFor this reason, an it suit you, set my brother on the throne of\nthe kingdom, for this is he; and I will busy myself with the\nworship of Allah the Most High and thanksgiving to Him for my\nreunion with my brother. Or, an ye prefer it, take your kingship\nand make whom ye will ruler and liege lord thereof.\" Upon this\nthe folk all cried out, saying, \"We accept him to king over us;\"\nand they did him suit and service and gave him joy of the\nkingship. So the preachers preached the sermon[FN#552] in his\nname and the court-poets praised him; and he lavished largesse\nupon the soldiery and the suite and overwhelmed them with favours\nand bounties and was prodigal to the Ryots of justice and equity,\nwith goodly policy and polity. When he had effected this much of\nhis affect, he caused bring forth the Cook and his household to\nthe divan, but spared the old woman who had nursed him, because\nshe had been the cause of his deliverance. Then all assembled\nwithout the town and he tormented the Cook and those who were\nwith him with all manner torments, after which he did him to die\nby the foulest of deaths[FN#553] and burning him with fire,\nscattered his ashes far and wide in the air. After this Salim\nabode in the governance, invested with the Sultanate, and ruled\nthe people a whole year, when he returned to Al-Mans\u00farah and\nsojourned there another year. And he and his wife ceased not to\ngo from city to city and tarry in this a year and that a year,\ntill he was vouchsafed children and they grew up, whereupon he\nappointed him of his sons, who was found fitting, to be his\ndeputy in one kingdom and he ruled in the other; and he lived, he\nand his wife and children, what while Almighty Allah\nwilled.[FN#554] \"Nor\" (continued the Wazir), \"O King of the age,\nis this story rarer or stranger than the King of Hind and his\nwronged and envied Minister.\" When the King heard this, his mind\nwas occupied,[FN#555] and he bade the Wazir hie to his own house.\n\n         The Twenty-eighth and Last Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned the Minister and bade\nhim tell the story of the King of Hind and his Wazir. So he said,\n\"Hearkening and obedience. Give ear, O auspicious King, to\n\n\n\n\nThe Tale of the King of Hind and his Wazir.\n\n\n\nThere was once in the Hind-land a king illustrious of worth,\nendowed with understanding and policy, and his name was Shah\nBakht. He had a Minister, a godly man and a sagacious, right\nprudent in rede, conformable to him in governance and just in\njudgment; for which cause his enviers were many and many were the\nhypocrites who sought faults in him and set snares for him, so\nthat they insinuated into King Shah Bakht's eyes hatred against\nhim and sowed in his heart despite towards him; and plot followed\nplot, and their rancour waxed until the king was brought to\narrest him and lay him in jail and to confiscate his wealth and\ndegrade him from his degree. When they knew that there was left\nhim no possession for which the king might lust, they feared lest\nthe sovran release him, by the influence of the Wazir's good\ncounsel upon the king's heart, and he return to his former case,\nso should their machinations be marred and their degrees\ndegraded, for that they knew that the king would need whatso he\nhad known from that man nor would forget aught wherewith he was\nfamiliar in him. Now it came to pass that a certain person of\nperverted belief[FN#556] found a way to the adorning of falsehood\nwith a semblance of fair-seeming and there proceeded from him\nthat whereby the hearts of the folk were occupied, and their\nminds were corrupted by his lying tales; for that he made use of\nIndian quiddities[FN#557] and forged them into proof for the\ndenial of the Maker, the Creator, extolled be His might and\nexalted be He and glorified and magnified above the speech of the\ndeniers. He avouched that it is the planets which order all\nworldly affairs and he set down twelve mansions[FN#558] to twelve\nZodiacal signs and made each sign thirty degrees,[FN#559] after\nthe number of the days of the month, so that in twelve mansions\nthere are three hundred and sixty, after the number of the days\nof the year; and he wrought a work, wherein he lied and was an\ninfidel and denied the Deity, be He for ever blessed! Then he\nlaid hold of the king's heart and the enviers and haters aided\nhim against the Minister and won the royal favour and corrupted\nhis intent against the Wazir, so that he got of him that which he\ngot and at last his lord banished him and thrust him away. By\nsuch means the wicked man obtained that which he sought of the\nMinister and the case was prolonged till the affairs of the\nkingdom became disordered, by dint of ill government, and the\nmost part of the king's reign fell off from him and he came nigh\nunto ruin. On this wise he was assured of the loyalty of his\nwhilome sagacious Wazir and the excellence of his ordinance and\nthe rectitude of his rede. So he sent after him and brought him\nand the wicked man before him and summoning to his presence the\nLords of his land and the Chiefs of his chieftainship, gave them\nleave to talk and dispute and forbade the wicked man from his\nperverted belief. [FN#560] Then arose that wise Minister and\nskilful and praised Allah Almighty and lauded Him and glorified\nHim and hallowed Him and attested His unity and disputed with the\nmiscreant and overcame him and silenced him; nor did he cease\nfrom him till he compelled him to make confession of repentance\nfrom that which he had misbelieved. Therewith King Shah Bakht\nrejoiced with exceeding great joy and cried, \"Praise be to the\nLord who hath saved me from this man and hath preserved me from\nthe loss of my kingship and my prosperity!\" So the affair of the\nWazir returned to order and stablishment and the king restored\nhim to his place and raised him to higher rank. Lastly, he\nassembled the folk who had striven against him and destroyed them\nall, to the last man. \"And how like\" (continued the Wazir), \"is\nthis story to that of myself and King Shah Bakht, with regard to\nthat which befel me of the changing of the King and his crediting\nothers against me; but now is the fairness of my fashion\nfulfilled in thine eyes, for that Allah Almighty hath inspired\nthee with wisdom and endowed thee with longanimity and patience\nto hear from me whatso He allotted to those who forewent us, till\nHe hath shown forth my innocence and made manifest unto thee the\ntruth. For lo and behold! the days are now past, wherein it was\ndeclared to the king that I should labour for the loss of my\nsoul,[FN#561] that is within the month; and lookye, the\nprobation-time is gone by, and past is the season of evil and it\nhath ceased by the protection of the King and his good fortune.\"\nThen he bowed his head and was silent. When King Shah Bakht heard\nhis Wazir's speech, he was abashed before him and confounded, and\nhe marvelled at the gravity of his intellect and his\nlong-suffering. So he sprang up to him and embraced him and the\nMinister kissed his feet. Then the King called for a costly robe\nof honour and cast it over Al-Rahwan and honoured him with the\nhighmost honour and showed him especial favour and restored him\nto his degree and Wazirate. Furthermore he imprisoned those who\nhad devised his destruction with lies and leasing and gave him\nfull leave and license to pass judgment upon the Interpreter who\nhad expounded to him the dream. So the Wazir abode in the\nordering of the realm until Death came to them; \"And this\" (added\nShahrazad) \"is all, O king of the age, that hath come down to us\nof King Shah Bakht and his Wazir.\"\n\n\n\n\n                    SHAHRAZAD AND SHAHRYAR.\n\n\n\nAs for King Shahryar, he wondered at Shahrazad with the utmost\nwonder and drew her near to his heart of his abounding affection\nfor her; and she was magnified in his eyes and he said within\nhimself, \"By Allah, the like of this is not deserving of\nslaughter, for indeed the time favoureth us not with her equal.\nBy the Almighty, I have been reckless of mine affair, and had not\nthe Lord overcome me with His ruth and put this one at my service\nso she might recount to me instances manifest and cases truthful\nand admonitions goodly and traits edifying, such as should\nrestore me to the right road, I had come to ruin!  Wherefore to\nAllah be the praise herefor and I beseech the Most High to make\nmy end with her like that of the Wazir and Shah Bakht.\"  Then\nsleep overcame the king and glory be unto Him who sleepeth\nnot![FN#562]  When it was the Nine hundred and thirtieth Night,\nShahrazad said, \"O king, there is present in my thought a tale\nwhich treateth of women's trickery and wherein is a warning to\nwhoso will be warned and an admonishment to whoso will be\nadmonished and whoso hath sight and insight; but I fear lest the\nhearing of this belittle me with the liege-lord and lower my\ndegree in his esteem; yet I hope that this will not be, because\n'tis a rare tale.  Women are indeed mischief-makers; their craft\nand their cunning may not be told nor may their wiles be known;\nwhile men enjoy their company and are not instant to uphold them\nin the right way, neither are they vigilant over them with all\nvigilance, but relish their society and take whatso is winsome\nand regard not that which is other than this.  Indeed, they are\nlike unto the crooked rib, which an thou go about to straighten,\nthou distortest it, and which an thou persist in straightening,\nthou breakest it,[FN#563] so it behoveth the wise man to be\nsilent concerning them.\"  Thereupon quoth Dinarzad, \"O sister\nmine, bring forth that which is with thee and that which is\npresent to thy mind of the story concerning the guile of women\nand their wiles, and have no fear lest this lessen thee with the\nking; for that women are, like jewels, of all kinds and colours.\nWhen a gem falleth into the hand of an expert, he keepeth it for\nhimself and leaveth all beside it.  Eke he preferreth some of\nthem over others, and in this he is like the potter,[FN#564] who\nfilleth his kiln with all the vessels he hath moulded and under\nthem kindleth his fire.  When the baking is done and he taketh\nout that which is in the kiln, he findeth no help for it but that\nhe must break some of them, whilst others are what the folk need\nand whereof they make use, while yet others there are which\nreturn to be as they were.  So fear thou not nor deem it a grave\nmatter to adduce that which thou knowest of the craft of women,\nfor that in this is profit for all folk.\"  Then said Shahrazad,\n\"Then relate, O king (but Allah alone knoweth the secret things)\nthe Tale of\u2014\n\n\n\n\n\nEnd of Volume 11\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                   Arabian Nights, Volume 11\n                           Footnotes\n\n\n\n[FN#1]  Arab.  \"Al-N\u00e1im wa al-Yakz\u00e1n.\"  This excellent story is not\nin the Mac. or Bresl. Edits.; but is given in the Breslau Text,\niv. 134-189 (Nights cclxxii.-ccxci.).  It is familiar to readers\nof the old \"Arabian Nights Entertainments\" as \"Abou-Hassan or the\nSleeper Awakened;\" and as yet it is the only one of the eleven\nadded by Galland whose original has been discovered in Arabic:\nthe learned Frenchman, however, supplied it with embellishments\nmore suo, and seems to have taken it from an original fuller than\nour text as is shown by sundry poetical and other passages which\nhe apparently did not invent.  Lane (vol. ii. chap. 12), noting\nthat its chief and best portion is an historical anecdote related\nas a fact, is inclined to think that it is not a genuine tale of\nThe Nights.  He finds it in Al-Ish\u00e1k\u00ed who finished his history\nabout the close of Sultan Mustaf\u00e1 the Osmanli's reign, circa A.H.\n1032 (= 1623), and he avails himself of this version as it is\n\"narrated in a simple and agreeable manner.\"  Mr. Payne remarks,\n\"The above title (Asleep and Awake) is of course intended to mark\nthe contrast between the everyday (or waking) hours of Aboulhusn\nand his fantastic life in the Khalif's palace, supposed by him to\nhave passed in a dream;\" I may add that amongst frolicsome\nEastern despots the adventure might often have happened and that\nit might have given a hint to Cervantes.\n\n[FN#2]  i.e., The Wag.  See vol. i. 311: the old version calls\nhim \"the Debauchee.\"\n\n[FN#3]  Arab. \"Al-F\u00e1rs\"; a people famed for cleverness and\ndebauchery.  I cannot see why Lane omitted the Persian, unless he\nhad Persian friends at Cairo.\n\n[FN#4]  i.e., the half he intended for spending-money.\n\n[FN#5]  i.e., \"men,\" a characteristic Arab idiom: here it applies\nto the sons of all time.\n\n[FN#6]  i.e., make much of thee.\n\n[FN#7]  In Lane the Caliph is accompanied by \"certain of his\ndomestics.\"\n\n[FN#8]  Arab.  \"Khubz Mutabbak,\" = bread baked in a platter,\ninstead of an oven, an earthen jar previously heated, to the\nsides of which the scones or bannocks of dough are applied: \"it\nis lighter than oven-bread, especially if it be made thin and\nleavened.\"  See Al-Shak\u00far\u00ed, a medical writer quoted by Dozy.\n\n[FN#9]  In other parts of The Nights Harun al-Rashid declines\nwine-drinking.\n\n[FN#10]  The 'All\u00e1mah (doctissimus) Sayce (p. 212, Comparative\nPhilology, London, Tr\u00fcbner, 1885) goes far back for Khal\u00edfah = a\ndeputy, a successor.  He begins with the Semitic (Hebrew?) root\n\"Khaliph\" = to change, exchange: hence \"Khaleph\" = agio.  From\nthis the Greeks got their {k\u00f3llybos} and Cicero his \"Collybus,\" a\nmoney-lender.\n\n[FN#11]  Arab.  \"Harf\u00fash\" (in Bresl. Edit. iv. 138, \"Kharf\u00fash\"),\nin popular parlance a \"blackguard.\"  I have to thank Mr.\nAlexander J. Cotheal, of New York, for sending me a MS. Copy of\nthis tale.\n\n[FN#12]  Arab.  \"Ta'\u00e1m,\" in Egypt and Somaliland = millet seed\n(Holcus Sorghum) cooked in various ways.  In Barbary it is\napplied to the local staff of life, Kuskus\u00fa, wheaten or other\nflour damped and granulated by hand to the size of peppercorns,\nand lastly steamed (as we steam potatoes), the cullender-pot\nbeing placed over a long-necked jar full of boiling water.  It is\nserved with clarified butter, shredded onions and meat; and it\nrepresents the Risotto of Northern Italy.  Europeans generally\nfind it too greasy for digestion.  This Barbary staff of life is\nof old date and is thus mentioned by Leo Africanus in early sixth\ncentury.  \"It is made of a lump of Dow, first set upon the fire,\nin a vessel full of holes and afterwards tempered with Butter and\nPottage.\"  So says good Master John Pory, \"A Geographical\nHistorie of Africa, by John Leo, a Moor,\" London, 1600, impensis\nGeorge Bishop.\n\n[FN#13]  Arab.  \"Bi al-Sal\u00e1m\" (pron. \"Bissal\u00e1m\") = in the Peace\n(of Allah).\n\n[FN#14]  And would bring him bad luck if allowed to go without\npaying.\n\n[FN#15]  i.e., of the first half, as has been shown.\n\n[FN#16]  Arab.  \"Kum\u00e1jah\" from the Persian Kum\u00e1sh = bread\nunleavened and baked in ashes.  Egyptians use the word for\nbannocks of fine flour.\n\n[FN#17]  Arab.  \"Kal\u00ed,\" our \"alcali\" ; for this and other\nabstergents see vol. i. 279.\n\n[FN#18]  These lines have occurred twice in vol. i. 117 (Night\nxii.); I quote Mr. Payne.\n\n[FN#19]  Arab.  \"Y\u00e1 'llah, y\u00e1 'll\u00e1h;\" vulg. used for \"Look\nsharp!\" e.g., \"Y\u00e1 'llah j\u00e1ri, y\u00e1 walad\" = Be off at once, boy.\"\n\n[FN#20]  Arab.  \"Banj akr\u00edtash\u00ed,\" a term which has occurred\nbefore.\n\n[FN#21]  A natural clock, called by West Africans Cokkerapeek =\nCock-speak.  All the world over it is the subject of\nsuperstition: see Giles's \"Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio\"\n(i. 177), where Miss Li, who is a devil, hears the cock crow and\nvanishes.\n\n[FN#22]  In Lane Al-Rashid \"found at the door his young men\nwaiting for him and ordered them to convey Abu-l-Hasan upon a\nmule and returned to the palace; Abu-l-Hasan being intoxicated\nand insensible.  And when the Khaleefah had rested himself in the\npalace, he called for,\" etc.\n\n[FN#23]  Arab.  \"Kursi,\" Assyrian \"Kuss\u00fa\" = throne; and \"Kors\u00e1i\"\nin Aramaic (or Nabathean as Al-Mas'udi calls it), the second\ngrowth-period of the \"Semitic\" family, which supplanted Assyrian\nand Babylonian, and became, as Arabic now is, the common speech\nof the \"Semitic\" world.\n\n[FN#24]  Arab.  \"Mak\u00e1n mahj\u00fab,\" which Lane renders by \"a private\ncloset,\" and Payne by a \"privy place,\" suggesting that the Caliph\nslept in a num\u00e9ro cent.  So, when starting for the \"Trakki\nCampaign,\" Sir Charles Napier (of Sind), in his zeal for\nlightening officers' baggage, inadvertently chose a water-closet\ntent for his head-quarters\u2014magno cum risu not of the staff, who\nhad a strange fear of him, but of the multitude who had not.\n\n[FN#25]  Arab.  \"Dar al-Salam,\" one of the seven \"Gardens\" into\nwhich the Mohammedan Paradise is divided.  Man's fabled happiness\nbegan in a Garden (Eden) and the suggestion came naturally that\nit would continue there.  For the seven Heavens, see vol. viii.,\n111.\n\n[FN#26]  Branch of Pearl, see vol. ii. 57.\n\n[FN#27]  Arab.  \"Kahbah,\" the lowest word (vol. i. 70),\neffectively used in contrast with the speaker's surroundings.\n\n[FN#28]  Arab.  \"Y\u00e1 kab\u00edr\u00ed,\" =  mon brave, my good man.\n\n[FN#29]  This exaggeration has now become familiar to English\npoets.\n\n[FN#30]  Like an Eastern he goes to the water-closet the first\nthing in the morning, or rather dawn, and then washes\nceremonially before saying the first prayer.  In Europe he would\nprobably wait until after breakfast.  See vol. iii. 242.\n\n[FN#31]  I have explained why an Eastern does not wash in the\nbasin as Europeans do in vol. i. p. 241.\n\n[FN#32]  i.e., He was confused that he forgot.  All Moslems know\nhow to pray, whether they pray or not.\n\n[FN#33]  The dawn-prayer consists of only four inclinations\n(raka'at); two \"Farz\" (divinely appointed), and two Sunnah (the\ncustom of the Apostle).  For the Raka'\u00e1h see Lane, M.E. chapt.\niii.; it cannot be explained without illustrations.\n\n[FN#34]  After both sets of prayers, Farz and Sunnah, the Moslem\nlooks over his right shoulder and says, \"The Peace (of Allah) be\nupon you and the ruth of Allah,\" and repeats the words over the\nleft shoulder. The salutation is addressed to the Guardian Angels\nor to the bystanders (Moslems), who, however, do not return it.\n\n[FN#35]  i.e., Ibrahim of Mosul the musician.  See vol. iv. 108.\n\n[FN#36]  Arab.  \"L\u00edy\u00fath\" plur. of \"layth,\" a lion: here warriors\nare meant.\n\n[FN#37]  The Abbasides traced their descent from Al-Abbas,\nMohammed's uncle, and justly held themselves as belonging to the\nfamily of the Prophet.  See vol. ii. 61.\n\n[FN#38]  Arab. \"N\u00edmshah\" = \"half-sword.\"  See vol. ii. p. 193.\n\n[FN#39]  i.e., May thy dwelling-place never fall into ruin.  The\nprayer has, strange to say, been granted. \"The present city on\nthe eastern bank of the Tigris was built by Haroun al-Rashid, and\nhis house still stands there and is an object of reverent\ncuriosity.\"  So says my friend Mr. Grattan Geary (vol. i. p. 212,\n\"Through Asiatic Turkey,\" London: Low, 1878).  He also gives a\nsketch of Zubaydah's tomb on the western bank of the Tigris near\nthe suburb which represents old Baghdad; it is a pineapple dome\nspringing from an octagon, both of brick once revetted with white\nstucco.\n\n[FN#40]  In the Bresl. Edit. four hundred.  I prefer the\nexaggerated total.\n\n[FN#41]  i.e., the raised recess at the upper end of an Oriental\nsaloon, and the place of honour, which Lane calls by its Egyptian\nname \"L\u00edw\u00e1n.\"  See his vol. i. 312 and his M.E. chapt. i.: also\nmy vol. iv. p. 71.\n\n[FN#42]  \"Bit o'Musk.\"\n\n[FN#43]  \"A gin,\" a snare.\n\n[FN#44]  \"A gift,\" a present.  It is instructive to compare Abu\nal-Hasan with Sancho Panza, sprightly Arab wit with grave Spanish\nhumour.\n\n[FN#45]  i.e., he fell down senseless.  The old version has \"his\nhead knocked against his knees.\"\n\n[FN#46]  Arab.  \"Waddi\" vulg. Egyptian and Syrian for the\nclassical \"Add\u00ed\" (ii. of Ad\u00fa = preparing to do).  No wonder that\nLane complains (iii. 376) of the vulgar style, abounding in\nerrors.\"\n\n[FN#47]  O Apple, O Repose o' Hearts, O Musk, O Choice Gift.\n\n[FN#48]  Arab.  \"Doghr\u00ed,\" a pure Turkish word, in Egypt meaning\n\"truly, with truth,\" straightforwardly; in Syria = straight\n(going), directly.\n\n[FN#49]  Arab.  \"M\u00e1rist\u00e1n,\" see vol. i. 288.\n\n[FN#50]  The scene is a rechauff\u00e9 of Badr al-Din Hasan and his\nwife, i. 247.\n\n[FN#51]  Arab.  \"Janz\u00edr,\" another atrocious vulgarism for\n\"Zanj\u00edr,\" which however, has occurred before.\n\n[FN#52]  Arab.  \"Arafshah.\"\n\n[FN#53]  In the \"Mishk\u00e1t al-Mas\u00e1bih\" (ii. 341), quoted by Lane,\noccurs the Hadis, \"Shut your doors anights and when so doing\nrepeat the Basmalah; for the Devil may not open a door shut in\nAllah's name.\"  A pious Moslem in Egypt always ejaculates, \"In\nthe name of Allah, the Compassionating,\" etc., when he locks a\ndoor, covers up bread, doffs his clothes, etc., to keep off\ndevils and d\u00e6mons.\n\n[FN#54]  An Arab idiom meaning, \"I have not found thy good\nfortune (Ka'b = heel, glory, prosperity) do me any good.\"\n\n[FN#55]  Arab.  \"Y\u00e1 Nakbah\" = a calamity to those who have to do\nwith thee!\n\n[FN#56]  Koran cxii., the \"Chapter of Unity.\"  See vol. iii. 307\n\n[FN#57]  See vol. iii. 222.\n\n[FN#58]  Here the author indubitably speaks for himself,\nforgetting that he ended Night cclxxxi. (Bresl. iv. 168), and\nbegan that following with Shahrazad's usual formula.\n\n[FN#59]  i.e., \"Delight of the vitals\" (or heart).\n\n[FN#60]  The trick is a rechauff\u00e9 of the trick played on Al-\nRashid and Zubaydah.\n\n[FN#61]  \"Kalb\" here is not heart, but stomach.  The big toes of\nthe Moslem corpse are still tied in most countries, and in some a\nsword is placed upon the body; but I am not aware that a knife\nand salt (both believed to repel evil spirits) are so used in\nCairo.\n\n[FN#62]  The Moslem, who may not wear unmixed silk during his\nlifetime, may be shrouded in it.  I have noted that the\n\"Shukkah,\" or piece, averages six feet in length.\n\n[FN#63]  A vulgar ejaculation; the \"hour\" referring either to\nbirth or to his being made one of the Caliph's equerries.\n\n[FN#64]  Here the story-teller omits to say that Masr\u00far bore\nwitness to the Caliph's statement.\n\n[FN#65]  Arab.  \"Wa kuntu r\u00e1ihah ursil war\u00e1k,\" the regular Fellah\nlanguage.\n\n[FN#66]  Arab.  \"'Irk al-H\u00e1shim\u00ed.\"  See vol. ii. 19.  Lane\nremarks, \"Whether it was so in Hashim himself (or only in his\ndescendants), I do not find; but it is mentioned amongst the\ncharacteristics of his great-grandson, the Prophet.\"\n\n[FN#67]  Arab.  \"Bost\u00e1n al-Nuzhah,\" whose name made the stake\nappropriate.  See vol. ii. 81.\n\n[FN#68]  Arab.  \"Tam\u00e1s\u00edl\" = generally carved images, which,\namongst Moslem, always suggest idols and idolatry.\n\n[FN#69]  The \"Shubb\u00e1k\" here would be the \"Mashrabiyah,\" or\nlatticed balcony, projecting from the saloon-wall, and containing\nroom for three or more sitters.  It is Lane's \"Meshrebeeyeh,\"\nsketched in M.E. (Introduction) and now has become familiar to\nEnglishmen.\n\n[FN#70]  This is to show the cleverness of Abu al-Hasan, who had\ncalculated upon the difference between Al-Rashid and Zubaydah.\nSuch marvels of perspicacity are frequent enough in the folk-lore\nof the Arabs.\n\n[FN#71]  An artful touch, showing how a tale grows by repetition.\nIn Abu al-Hasan's case (infra) the eyes are swollen by the\nswathes.\n\n[FN#72]  A Hadis attributed to the Prophet, and very useful to\nMoslem husbands when wives differ overmuch with them in opinion.\n\n[FN#73]  Arab. \"Masarat f\u00ed-h\u00e1,\" which Lane renders, \"And she\nthrew money to her.\"\n\n[FN#74]  A saying common throughout the world, especially when\nthe afflicted widow intends to marry again at the first\nopportunity.\n\n[FN#75]  Arab. \"Y\u00e1 Kh\u00e1lati\" = O my mother's sister; addressed by\na woman to an elderly dame.\n\n[FN#76]  i.e., That I may put her to shame.\n\n[FN#77]  Arab.  \"Zal\u00e1biyah.\"\n\n[FN#78]  Arab.  \"'Al\u00e1 al-Kaylah,\" which Mr. Payne renders by\n\"Siesta-carpet.\"  Land reads \"Kiblah\" (\"in the direction of the\nKiblah\") and notes that some Moslems turn the corpse's head\ntowards Meccah and others the right side, including the face.  So\nthe old version reads \"feet towards Mecca.\"  But the preposition\n\"Al\u00e1\" requires the former sig.\n\n[FN#79]  Many places in this text are so faulty that translation\nis mere guess-work; e.g. \"Bash\u00e1rah\" can hardly be applied to ill-\nnews.\n\n[FN#80]  i.e. of grief for his loss.\n\n[FN#81]  Arab.  \"Tob\u00e1ni\" which Lane renders \"two clods.\"  I have\nnoted that the Tob (Span. Adobe = Al-Tob) is a sunbaked brick.\nBeating the bosom with such material is still common amongst\nMoslem mourners of the lower class, and the hardness of the blow\ngives the measure of the grief.\n\n[FN#82]  i.e. of grief for her loss.\n\n[FN#83]  Arab.  \"Ihtir\u00e1k\" often used in the metaphorical sense of\nconsuming, torturing.\n\n[FN#84]  Arab.  \"Hal\u00e1wat,\" lit.=a sweetmeat, a gratuity, a thank-\noffering.\n\n[FN#85]  Bresl. Edit., vol. vi. pp. 182-188, Nights ccccxxxii.-\nccccxxxiv.\n\n[FN#86]  \"The good Caliph\" and the fifth of the Orthodox, the\nother four being Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman and Ali; and omitting the\neight intervening, Hasan the grandson of the Prophet included.\nHe was the 13th Caliph and 8th Ommiade A.H. 99-101 (=717-720) and\nafter a reign of three years he was poisoned by his kinsmen of\nthe Banu Umayyah who hated him for his piety, asceticism, and\nseverity in making them disgorge their ill-gotten gains.  Moslem\nhistorians are unanimous in his praise.  Europeans find him an\nanachor\u00e8te couronn\u00e9, \u00e0 froide et respectable figure, who lacked\nthe diplomacy of Mu'awiyah and the energy of Al-Hajj\u00e1j.  His\nprincipal imitator was Al-Muhtadi bi'll\u00e1h, who longed for a\nreturn to the rare old days of Al-Islam.\n\n[FN#87]  Omar 'Adi bin Artah; governor of Kufah and Basrah under\n\"the good Caliph.\"\n\n[FN#88]  Jar\u00edr al-Khatafah, one of the most famous of the\n\"Isl\u00e1m\u00ed\" poets, i.e. those who wrote in the first century (A.H.)\nbefore the corruption of language began.  (See Terminal Essay, p.\n230).  Ibn Khallikan notices him at full length i. 294.\n\n[FN#89]  Arab. \"B\u00e1kiyah,\" which may also mean eternal as opposed\nto \"F\u00e1niyah\" = temporal.  Omar's answer shows all the narrow-\nminded fanaticism which distinguished the early Moslems: they\nwere puritanical as any Praise-God-Barebones, and they hated\n\"boetry and bainting\" as hotly as any Hanoverian.\n\n[FN#90]  The Saturday Review (Jan. 2, '86), which has honoured me\nby the normal reviling in the shape of a critique upon my two\nfirst vols., complains of the \"Curious word Abhak\" as \"a\nperfectly arbitrary and unusual group of Latin letters.\"  May I\nask Aristarchus how he would render \"Sal'am\" (vol ii. 24), which\napparently he would confine to \"Arabic MSS.\"(!).  Or would he\nprefer A(llah) b(less) h(im) a(nd) k(eep) \"W.G.B.\" (whom God\nbless) as proposed by the editor of Ockley?  But where would be\nthe poor old \"Saturnine\" if obliged to do better than the authors\nit abuses?\n\n[FN#91]  He might have said \"by more than one, including the\ngreat Lab\u00edd.\"\n\n[FN#92]  F\u00ed-hi either \"in him\" (Mohammed) or \"in it\" (his\naction).\n\n[FN#93]  Chief of the Banu Sulaym.  According to Tabari, Abbas\nbin Mirdas (a well-known poet), being dissatisfied with the booty\nallotted to him by the Prophet, refused it and lampooned\nMohammed, who said to Ali, \"Cut off this tongue which attacketh\nme,\" i.e. \"Silence him by giving what will satisfy him.\"\nThereupon Ali doubled the Satirist's share.\n\n[FN#94]  Arab.  \"Y\u00e1 Bil\u00e1l\": Bilal ibn Rabah was the Prophet's\nfreedman and crier: see vol. iii. 106.  But bilal also signifies\n\"moisture\" or \"beneficence,\" \"benefits\": it may be intended for a\ndouble entendre but I prefer the metonymy.\n\n[FN#95]  The verses of this Kasidah are too full of meaning to be\neasily translated: it is fine old poetry.\n\n[FN#96]  i.e. of the Koraysh tribe.  For his disorderly life see\nIbn Khallikan ii. 372: he died, however, a holy death, battling\nagainst the Infidels in A.H. 93 (= 711-12), some five years\nbefore Omar's reign.\n\n[FN#97]  Arab.  \"Bayn farsi-k wa 'l-dam\u00ed\" = lit. between f\u00e6ces\nand menses, i.e., the foulest part of his mistress's person.  It\nis not often that The Nights are \"nasty\"; but here is a case.\nSee vol. v. 162.\n\n[FN#98]  \"Jamil the Poet,\" and lover of Buthaynah: see vol. ii.\n102, Ibn Khallikan (i.331), and Al-Mas'udi vi. 381, who quotes\nhim copiously.  He died A.H. 82 (= 701), or sixteen years before\nOmar's reign.\n\n[FN#99]  Arab.  \"Saf\u00edh\" = the slab over the grave.\n\n[FN#100]  A contemporary and friend of Jam\u00edl and the famous lover\nof Azzah.  See vol. ii. 102, and Al-Mas'udi, vi. 426.  The word\n\"Kuthayyir\" means \"the dwarf.\"  Term. Essay, 231.\n\n[FN#101]  i.e. in the attitude of prayer.\n\n[FN#102]  In Bresl. Edit.  \"Al-Akhwass,\" clerical error, noticed\nin Ibn Khallikan i. 526.  His satires banished him to Dahlak\nIsland in the Red Sea, and he died A.H. 179 (= 795-96).\n\n[FN#103]  Another famous poet Ab\u00fa Fir\u00e1s Hamm\u00e1m or Humaym (dimin.\nform), as debauched as Jarir, who died forty days before him in\nA.H. 110 (= 728-29), as Basrah.  Cf. Term. Essay, 269.\n\n[FN#104]  A famous Christian poet.  See C. de Perceval, Journ.\nAsiat. April, 1834, Ibn Khallikan iii. 136, and Term. Essay, 231.\n\n[FN#105]  The poet means that unlike other fasters he eats meat\nopenly.  See Pilgrimage (i. 110), for the popular hypocrisy.\n\n[FN#106]  Arab.  \"Bath\u00e1\" the lowlands and plains outside the\nMeccan Valley.  See al-Mas'udi, vi. 157.  Mr. (now Sir) W. Muir\nin his Life of Mahomet, vol. i., p. ccv., remarks upon my\nPilgrimage (iii.252) that in placing Arafat 12 miles from Meccah,\nI had given 3 miles to Muna, + 3 to Muzdalifah + 3 to Arafat = 9.\nBut the total does not include the suburbs of Meccah and the\nbreadth of the Arafat-Valley.\n\n[FN#107]  The words of the Az\u00e1n, vol. i. 306.\n\n[FN#108]  Wine in Arabic is feminine, \"Sham\u00fal\" = liquor hung in\nthe wind to cool, a favourite Arab practice often noticed by the\npoets.\n\n[FN#109]  i.e. I will fall down dead drunk.\n\n[FN#110]  Arab.  \"\u00c1r\u00e1m,\" plur. of Irm, a beautiful girl, a white\ndeer.  The word is connected with the Heb. Reem (Deut. xxxiii.\n17), which has been explained unicorn, rhinoceros, and aurochs.\nIt is the Ass. Rimu, the wild bull of the mountains, provided\nwith a human face, and placed at the palace-entrance to frighten\naway foes, demon or human.\n\n[FN#111]  i.e. she who ensnares [all]  eyes.\n\n[FN#112]  Imam, the spiritual title of the Caliph, as head of the\nFaith and leader (lit. \"foreman,\" Antistes) of the people at\nprayer.  See vol. iv. 111.\n\n[FN#113]  For Yam\u00e1mah see vol. ii. 104.  Omar bin Abd-al-Aziz was\ngovernor of the province before he came to the Caliphate.  To the\nnote on Zark\u00e1, the blue-eyed Yamamite, I may add that Marwan was\ncalled Ibn Zark\u00e1, son of \"la femme au drapeau bleu,\" such being\nthe sign of a public prostitute.  Al-Mas'udi, v. 509.\n\n[FN#114]  Rain and bounty, I have said, are synonymous.\n\n[FN#115]  About \u00a32 10s.\n\n[FN#116]  i.e. what is thy news.\n\n[FN#117]  Bresl. Edit., vol. vi. pp. 188-9, Night ccccxxxiv.\n\n[FN#118]  Of this masterful personage and his \u00e9nergie indomptable\nI have spoken in vol. iv. 3, and other places.  I may add that he\nbuilt W\u00e1sit city A.H. 83 and rendered eminent services to\nliterature and civilization amongst the Arabs.  When the Ommiade\nCaliph Abd al-Malik was dying he said to his son Walid, \"Look to\nAl-Hajjaj and honour him for, verily, he it is who hath covered\nfor you the pulpits; and he is thy sword and thy right hand\nagainst all opponents; thou needest him more than he needeth\nthee, and when I die summon the folk to the covenant of\nallegiance; and he who saith with his head\u2014thus, say thou with\nthy sword\u2014thus\" (Al-Siyuti, p 225) yet the historian simply\nobserves, \"the Lord curse him.\"\n\n[FN#119]  i.e. given through his lieutenant.\n\n[FN#120]  \"Necks\" per synecdochen for heads.  The passage is a\ndescription of a barber-surgeon in a series of double-entendres\nthe \"nose-pierced\" (Makhz\u00fam) is the subject who is led by the\nnose like a camel with halter and ring and the \"breaker\" (h\u00e1shim)\nmay be a breaker of bread as the word originally meant, or\nbreaker of bones.  Lastly the \"wealth\" (m\u00e1l) is a recondite\nallusion to the hair.\n\n[FN#121]  Arab.  \"Kadr\" which a change of vowel makes \"Kidr\" = a\ncooking-pot.  The description is that of an itinerant seller of\nboiled beans (F\u00fal mudammas) still common in Cairo.  The \"light of\nhis fire\" suggests \u00e0 double-entendre some powerful Chief like\nmasterful King Kulayb.  See vol. ii. 77.\n\n[FN#122]  Arab.  \"Al-Suf\u00faf,\" either ranks of fighting-men or the\nrows of thread on a loom.  Here the allusion is to a weaver who\nlevels and corrects his threads with the wooden spate and shuttle\ngoverning warp and weft and who makes them stand straight (behave\naright).  The \"stirrup\" (rik\u00e1b) is the loop of cord in which the\nweaver's foot rests.\n\n[FN#123]  \"Adab.\"  See vols. i. 132, and ix. 41.\n\n[FN#124]  Bresl. Edit., vol. vi. pp. 189-191, Night ccccxxxiv.\n\n[FN#125]  Arab.  \"Za'm\u00fa,\" a word little used in the Cal., Mac. or\nBul. Edit.; or in the Wortley Montague MS.; but very common in\nthe Bresl. text.\n\n[FN#126]  More double-entendres.  \"Thou hast done justice\"\n('adalta) also means \"Thou hast swerved from right;\" and \"Thou\nhast wrought equitably\" (Akasta iv. of Kast) = \"Thou hast\ntransgressed.\"\n\n[FN#127]  Koran vi. 44.  Allah is threatening unbelievers, \"And\nwhen they had forgotten their warnings We set open to them the\ngates of all things, until, when they were gladdened,\" etc.\n\n[FN#128]  Arab.  \"Ta'dil\u00fa,\" also meaning, \"Ye do injustice\":\nquoted from Koran iv. 134.\n\n[FN#129]  Arab.  \"Al-K\u00e1sit\u00fana,\" before explained.  Koran lxxii.\n15.\n\n[FN#130]  Bresl. Edit. vol. vi. pp. 191-343, Nights ccccxxxv-\ncccclxxxvii. This is the old Persian Bakhty\u00e1r N\u00e1meh, i.e., the\nBook of Bakhtyar, so called from the prince and hero \"Fortune's\nFriend.\" In the tale of Jili'ad and Shimas the number of Wazirs\nis seven, as usual in the Sindibad cycle. Here we have the full\ntale as advised by the Im\u00e1m al-Jara'\u00ed: \"it is meet for a man\nbefore entering upon important undertakings to consult ten\nintelligent friends; if he have only five to apply twice to each;\nif only one, ten times at different visits, and if none, let him\nrepair to his wife and consult her; and whatever she advises him\nto do let him do the clear contrary\" (quoting Omar), or as says\nTommy Moore,\n\n          Whene'er you're in doubt, said a sage I once knew,\n          'Twixt two lines of conduct which course to pursue,\n          Ask a woman's advice, and whate'er she advise\n          Do the very reverse, and you're sure to be wise.\n\nThe Romance of the Ten Wazirs occurs in dislocated shape in the\n\"Nouveaux Contes Arabes, ou Suppl\u00e9ment aux Mille et une Nuits,\"\netc., par M. l'Abb\u00e9 * * * Paris, 1788. It is the \"Story of\nBohetzad (Bakht-z\u00e1d=Luck-born, v.p.), and his Ten Viziers,\" in\nvol. iii., pp. 2-30 of the \"Arabian Tales,\" etc., published by\nDom Chavis and M. Cazotte, in 1785; a copy of the English\ntranslation by Robert Heron, Edinburgh, 1792, I owe to the\nkindness of Mr. Leonard Smithers of Sheffield. It appears also in\nvol. viii. of M. C. de Perceval's Edition of The Nights; in\nGauttier's Edition (vol. vi.), and as the \"Historia Decem\nVizirorum et filii Regis Azad-bacht,\" text and translation by\nGustav Kn\u00f6s, of Goettingen (1807). For the Turkish, Malay and\nother versions see (p. xxxviii. etc.) \"The Bakhtiy?r N?ma,\" etc.\nEdited (from the Sir William. Ouseley version of 1801) by Mr. W.\nA. Clouston and privately printed, London, 1883. The notes are\nvaluable but their worth is sadly injured by the want of an\nindex. I am pleased to see that Mr. E. J. W. Gibb is publishing\nthe \"History of the Forty Vezirs; or, the Story of the Forty\nMorns and Eves,\" written in Turkish by \"Sheykh-Zadah,\" evidently\na nom de plume (for Ahmad al-Misri?), and translated from an\nArabic MS. which probably dated about the xvth century.\n\n[FN#131]  In Chavis and Cazotte, the \"kingdom of Dineroux\n(comprehending all Syria and the isles of the Indian Ocean) whose\ncapital was Issessara.\" An article in the Edinburgh Review (July,\n1886), calls the \"Supplement\" a \"bare-faced forgery\"; but\nevidently the writer should have \"read up\" his subject before\nwriting.\n\n[FN#132]  The Persian form; in Arab. Sijist\u00e1n, the classical\nDrangiana or province East of Fars=Persia proper. It is famed in\nlegend as the feof of hero Rustam.\n\n[FN#133]  Arab. R\u00e1wi=a professional tale-teller, which Mr. Payne\njustly holds to be a clerical error for \"R\u00e1i, a beholder, one who\nseeth.\"\n\n[FN#134]  In Persian the name would be Bahr-i-Jaur=\"luck\" (or\nfortune, \"bahr\") of Jaur- (or J\u00far-) city.\n\n[FN#135]  Supply \"and cared naught for his kingdom.\"\n\n[FN#136]  Arab. \"Atr\u00e1f,\" plur. of \"Tarf,\" a great and liberal\nlord.\n\n[FN#137]  Lit. \"How was,\" etc. Kayf is a favourite word not only\nin the Bresl. Edit., but throughout Egypt and Syria. Classically\nwe should write \"M\u00e1;\" vulgarly \"Aysh.\"\n\n[FN#138]  Karmania vulg. and fancifully derived from Kirm\u00e1n\nPers.=worms because the silkworm is supposed to have been bred\nthere; but the name is of far older date as we find the Asiatic\nAethiopians of Herodotus (iii. 93) lying between the Germanii\n(Karman) and the Indus. Also Karman\u00eda appears in Strabo and Sinus\nCarmanicus in other classics.\n\n[FN#139]  Arab. \"Ka'\u00edd\"; lit.=one who sits with, a colleague,\nhence the Span. Alcayde; in Marocco it is=colonel, and is\nprefixed e.g. Ka'\u00edd Maclean.\n\n[FN#140]  A favourite food; Al-Hariri calls the dates and cream,\nwhich were sold together in bazars, the \"Proud Rider on the\ndesired Steed.\"\n\n[FN#141]  In Bresl. Edit. vi. 198 by misprint \"Kutr\u00fa\": Chavis and\nCazotte have \"Kassera.\" In the story of Bihkard we find a P.N.\n\"Yatr\u00fa.\"\n\n[FN#142]  i.e. waylaying travellers, a term which has often\noccurred.\n\n[FN#143]  i.e. the royal favour.\n\n[FN#144]  i.e. When the fated hour came down (from Heaven).\n\n[FN#145]  As the Nights have proved in many places, the Asl\n(origin) of a man is popularly held to influence his conduct\nthroughout life. So the Jeweller's wife (vol. ix.) was of servile\nbirth, which accounted for her vile conduct; and reference is\nhardly necessary to a host of other instances. We can trace the\nsame idea in the sayings and folk-lore of the West, e.g. Bon sang\nne peut mentir, etc., etc.\n\n[FN#146]  i.e. \"What deemest thou he hath done?\"\n\n[FN#147]  The apodosis wanting \"to make thee trust in him?\"\n\n[FN#148]  In the Braj B\u00e1kh\u00e1 dialect of Hindi, we find quoted in\nthe Akhl\u00e1k-i-Hindi, \"Tale of the old Tiger and the Traveller\":\u2014\n\n     Jo j\u00e1ko paryo subh\u00e1o j\u00e1e n\u00e1 j\u00edo-sun;\n     N\u00edm na mitho hoe sichh gur ghio sun.\n\n     Ne'er shall his nature fail a man whate'er that nature be,\n     The N\u00edm-tree bitter shall remain though drenched with Gur\n               and Gh\u00ed.\n\nThe N\u00edm (Melia Azadirachta) is the \"Persian lilac,\" whose leaves,\nintensely bitter, are used as a preventive to poison: Gur is the\nAnglo-Indian Jaggeri = raw sugar and Ghi = clarified butter. Roebuck\ngives the same proverb in Hindostani.\n\n[FN#149]  In Chavis and Cazotte \"Story of Kaskas; or the\nObstinate Man.\" For ill-luck, see Miss Frere's \"Old Deccan Days\"\n(p. 171), and Giles's \"Strange Stories,\" &c. (p. 430), where the\nyoung lady says to Ma, \"You often asked me for money; but on\naccount of your weak luck I hitherto refrained from giving it.\"\n\n[FN#150]  True to life in the present day, as many a standing\nhay-rick has shown.\n\n[FN#151]  The \"Munajjim\" is a recognised authority in Egyptian\ntownlets, and in the village-republics of Southern India the\n\"Jyoshi\" is one of the paid officials.\n\n[FN#152]  Arab. \"Am\u00edn\" sub. and adj. In India it means a\nGovernment employ\u00e9 who collects revenue; in Marocco a\ncommissioner sent by His Sharifian Majesty.\n\n[FN#153]  Our older word for divers=Arab \"Ghaww\u00e1s\u00fan\": a single\npearl (in the text Jauhar=the Port. AIjofar) is called\n\"habbah\"=grain or seed.\n\n[FN#154]  The kindly and generous deed of one Moslem to another,\nand by no means rare in real life.\n\n[FN#155]  \"Eunuch,\" etymologically meaning chamberlain ({eyn\u00e8     +\n\u00e9chein}), a bed-chamber-servant or slave, was presently confined to\ncastrated men found useful for special purposes, like gelded\nhorses, hounds, and cockerels turned to capons. Some writers hold\nthat the creation of the semivir or apocopus began as a\npunishment in Egypt and elsewhere; and so under the Romans\namputation of the \"peccant part\" was frequent: others trace the\nGreek \"invalid,\" i.e., impotent man, to marital jealousy, and not\na few to the wife who wished to use the sexless for hard work in\nthe house without danger to the slave-girls.  The origin of the\nmutilation is referred by Ammianus Marcellinus (lib. iv. chap.\n17), and the Classics generally, to Semiramis, an \"ancient queen\"\nof decidedly doubtful epoch, who thus prevented the propagation\nof weaklings. But in Genesis (xxxvii. 36; xxxix. 1, margin) we\nfind Potiphar termed a \"Sar\u00edm\" (castrato), an \"attenuating\ncircumstance\" for Mrs. P. Herodotus (iii. chap. 48) tells us that\nPeriander, tyrant of Corinth, sent three hundred Corcyrean boys\nto Alyattes for castration {ep\u00ec \u00eat ektom\u00ea}, and that Panionios of\nChios sold caponised lads for high prices (viii. 105): he notices\n(viii. 104 and other places) that eunuchs \"of the Sun, of Heaven,\nof the hand of God,\" were looked upon as honourable men amongst\nthe Persians whom Stephanus and Brissonius charge with having\ninvented the name (Dabistan i. 171). Ctesias also declares that\nthe Persian kings were under the influence of eunuchs. In the\ndebauched ages of Rome the women found a new use for these\neffeminates, who had lost only the testes or testiculi=the\nwitnesses (of generative force): it is noticed by Juvenal (i. 22;\nii. 365-379; vi. 366)\n\n        \u2014sunt quos imbelles et mollia semper\nOscula delectant.\n\nSo Martial,\n\n          \u2014vult futui Gallia, non parere,\n\nAnd Mirabeau knew (see Kad\u00edsah) \"qu'ils mordent les femmes et les\nliment avec une pr\u00e9cieuse continuit\u00e9.\" (Compare my vol. ii. 90;\nv. 46.) The men also used them as catamites (Horace i. Od.\nxxxvii.).\n\n          \"Contaminato cum grege turpium,\n            Morbo virorum.\"\n\nIn religion the intestabilis or intestatus was held ill-omened,\nand not permitted to become a priest (Seneca Controv. ii. 4), a\npractice perpetuated in the various Christian churches. The\nmanufacture was forbidden, to the satisfaction of Martial, by\nDomitian, whose edict Nero confirmed; and was restored by the\nByzantine empire, which advanced eunuchs, like Eutropius and\nNarses, to the highest dignities of the realm. The cruel custom\nto the eternal disgrace of medi\u00e6val Christianity was revived in\nRome for providing the choirs in the Sistine Chapel and elsewhere\nwith boys' voices. Isaiah mentions the custom (lvi. 3-6).\nMohammed, who notices in the Koran (xxiv. 31), \"such men as\nattend women and have no need of women,\" i.e. \"have no natural\nforce,\" expressly forbade (iv. 118), \"changing Allah's\ncreatures,\" referring, say the commentators, to superstitious\near-cropping of cattle, tattooing, teeth-sharpening, sodomy,\ntribadism, and slave-gelding. See also the \"Hid\u00e1yah,\" vol. iv.\n121; and the famous divine Al-Siy\u00fati, the last of his school,\nwrote a tractate Fi 'l-Tahr\u00edmi Khidmati 'l-Khisy\u00e1n=on the\nillegality of using eunuchs. Yet the Harem perpetuated the\npractice throughout AI-Islam and African jealousy made a gross\nabuse of it. To quote no other instance, the Sultan of D\u00e1r-For\nhad a thousand eunuchs under a Malik or king, and all the chief\noffices of the empire, such as Ab (father) and B\u00e1b (door), were\nmonopolised by these neutrals. The centre of supply was the Upper\nNile, where the operation was found dangerous after the age of\nfifteen, and when badly performed only one in four survived. For\nthis reason, during the last century the Coptic monks of Girgah\nand Zawy al-Dayr, near Assiout, engaged in this scandalous\ntraffic, and declared that it was philanthropic to operate\nscientifically (Prof. Panuri and many others). Eunuchs are now\nmade in the Sud\u00e1n, Nubia, Abyssinia, Kordof\u00e1n, and D\u00e1r-For,\nespecially the Messalmiyah district: one of those towns was\ncalled \"Taw\u00e1shah\" (eunuchry) from the traffic there conducted by\nFukah\u00e1 or religious teachers. Many are supplied by the district\nbetween Majarah (Majarash?) and the port Masawwah; there are also\ndep\u00f4ts at Mbadr, near Tajurrah-harbour, where Yusuf Bey, Governor\nin 1880, caponised some forty boys, including the brother of a\nhostile African chief: here also the well-known Abu Bakr was\nscandalously active. It is calculated that not less than eight\nthousand of these unfortunates are annually exported to Arabia,\nEgypt, and Turkey. Article IV. of the AngIo-Egyptian Convention\npunishes the offense with death, and no one would object to\nhanging the murderer under whose mutilating razor a boy dies. Yet\nthis, like most of our modern \"improvements\" in Egypt, is a mere\nbrutum fulmen. The crime is committed under our very eyes, but we\nwill not see it.\n\nThe Romans numbered three kinds of eunuchs:\u20141. Castrati,\nclean-shaved, from Gr. {k\u00e9stros}; 2. Spadones, from {sp\u00e1oo}, when the\ntesticles are torn out, not from \"Spada,\" town of Persia; and, 3.\nThlibii, from {thliboo}, to press, squeeze, when the testicles are\nbruised, &c. In the East also, as I have stated (v. 46), eunuchs\nare of three kinds:\u20141. Sandali, or the clean-shaved, the\nclassical apocopus. The parts are swept off by a single cut of a\nrazor, a tube (tin or wooden) is set in the urethra, the wound is\ncauterised with boiling oil, and the patient is planted in a\nfresh dunghill. His diet is milk; and if under puberty, he often\nsurvives. This is the eunuque aqueduc, who must pass his water\nthrough a tube. 2. The eunuch whose penis is removed: he retains\nall the power of copulation and procreation without the\nwherewithal; and this, since the discovery of caoutchouc, has\noften been supplied. 3. The eunuch, or classical Thlibias and\nSemivir, who has been rendered sexless by removing the testicles\n(as the priests of Cybele were castrated with a stone knife), or\nby bruising (the Greek Thl\u00e1sias), twisting, searing, or bandaging\nthem. A more humane process has lately been introduced: a\nhorsehair is tied round the neck of the scrotum and tightened by\nslow degrees till the circulation of the part stops and the bag\ndrops off without pain. This has been adopted in sundry Indian\nregiments of Irregular Cavalry, and it succeeded admirably: the\nanimals rarely required a day's rest. The practice was known to\nthe ancients. See notes on Kad\u00edsah in Mirabeau. The Eunuchata\nvirgo was invented by the Lydians, according to their historian\nXanthus. Zachias (Quaest. medico-legal.) declares that the\nprocess was one of infibulation or simple sewing up the vulva;\nbut modern experience has suggested an operation like the\n\"spaying\" of bitches, or mutilation of the womb, in modern\neuphuism \"baby-house.\" Dr. Robert (\"Journey from Delhi to Bombay,\nM\u00fcller's Archiv. 1843\") speaks of a eunuch'd woman who after\novariotomy had no breasts, no pubes, no rotundities, and no\ndesires. The Australians practice exsection of the ovaries\nsystematically to make women barren. Miklucho Maclay learned from\nthe traveller Retsch that about Lake Parapitshurie men's urethras\nwere split, and the girls were spayed: the latter showing two\nscars in the groin. They have flat bosoms, but feminine forms,\nand are slightly bearded; they mix with the men, whom they\nsatisfy mechanically, but without enjoyment (?). MacGillivray, of\nthe \"Rattlesnake,\" saw near Cape York a woman with these scars:\nshe was a surdo-mute, and had probably been spayed to prevent\nincrease. The old Scandinavians, from Norway to Iceland,\nsystematically gelded \"sturdy vagrants\" in order that they might\nnot beget bastards. The Hottentots before marriage used to cut\noff the left testicle, meaning by such semi-castration to prevent\nthe begetting of twins. This curious custom, mentioned by the\nJesuit Tochard, Boeving, and Kolbe, is now apparently obsolete\u2014\nat least, the traveller Fritsch did not find it.\n\n[FN#156]  Arab. \"Har\u00e1m\"=\"forbidden,\" sinful.\n\n[FN#157]  In Chavis and Cazotte, who out-galland'd Galland in\ntransmogrifying the Arabic, this is the \"Story of Illage\n(AI-H\u00e1jj) Mahomet and his sons; or, the Imprudent Man.\" The tale\noccurs in many forms and with great modifications. See, for\ninstance, the Gesta Romanorum \"Of the miraculous recall of\nsinners and of the consolation which piety offers to the\ndistressed,\" the adventures of the knight Placidus, vol. ii. 99.\nCharles Swan, London. Rivington, 1824.\n\n[FN#158]  i.e. For fear of the \"eye\"; see vol. i. 123 and passim.\nIn these days the practice is rare; but, whenever you see at\nCairo an Egyptian dame daintily dressed and leading by the hand a\ngrimy little boy whose eyes are black with flies and whose dress\nis torn and unclean, you see what has taken its place. And if you\nwould praise the brat you must not say \"Oh, what a pretty boy!\"\nbut \"Inshallah!\"\u2014the Lord doth as he pleaseth.\n\n[FN#159]  The adoption of slave lads and lasses was and is still\ncommon among Moslems.\n\n[FN#160]  I have elsewhere noted this \"pathetic fallacy\" which is\na lieu commun of Eastern folk-lore and not less frequently used\nin the medi\u00e6val literature of Europe before statistics were\ninvented.\n\n[FN#161]  Arab. \"Yaskut min 'Aynayh,\" lit.=fall from his two\neyes, lose favour.\n\n[FN#162]  i.e. killing a man.\n\n[FN#163]  i.e. we can slay him whenever we will.\n\n[FN#164]  In Chavis and Cazotte \"Story of Abosaber the Patient.\"\n\"Ab\u00fa-S\u00e1bir\" would mean \"Father of the Patient (one).\"\n\n[FN#165]  Arab. \"Dihk\u00e1n,\" in Persian a villager; but here\nsomething more, a village-elder or chief. Al-Mas'udi (chap.\nxxiv.), and other historians apply the term to a class of noble\nPersians descended from the ten sons of Wahkert, the\nfirst \"Dihk\u00e1n,\" the fourth generation from King Kayomars.\n\n[FN#166]  Reminding one not a little of certain anecdotes anent\nQuakers, current in England and English-speaking lands.\n\n[FN#167]  Arab. \"Karyah,\" a word with a long history. The root\nseems to be Karaha, he met; in Chald. Karih and K\u00e1ria (emphatic\nK\u00e1rita)=a town or city; and in Heb. Kirjath, Kiry\u00e1thayim, etc. We\nfind it in Carthage= Kart\u00e1 h\u00e1disah, or New Town as opposed to\nUtica (At\u00edkah)=Old Town; in Carchemish and in a host of similar\ncompounds. In Syria and Egypt Kariyah, like Kafr, now means a\nhamlet, a village.\n\n[FN#168]  i.e. wandering at a venture.\n\n[FN#169]  Arab. \"Sakhrah,\" the old French Corv\u00e9e, and the \"Beg\u00e1r\"\nof India.\n\n[FN#170]  Arab. \"Matm\u00farah:\" see vol. ii. 39, where it was used as\nan \"underground cell.\" The word is extensively used in the\nMaghrib or Western Africa.\n\n[FN#171]  Arab. \"Y\u00e1 Ab\u00e1 S\u00e1bir.\" There are five vocative particles\nin Arabic; \"Y\u00e1,\" common to the near and far; \"Ay\u00e1\" (ho!) and\n\"Hay\u00e1\" (holla!) addressed to the far, and \"Ay\" and \"A\"\n(A-'Abda-ll\u00e1hi, O Abdullah), to those near. All govern the\naccusative of a noun in construction in the literary language\nonly; and the vulgar use none but the first named. The\nEnglish-speaking races neglect the vocative particle, and I never\nheard it except in the Southern States of the AngloAmerican\nUnion=Oh, Mr. Smith.\n\n[FN#172]  He was not honest enough to undeceive them; a neat\nQuaker-like touch.\n\n[FN#173]  Here the oath is justified; but the reader will have\nremarked that the name of Allah is often taken in vain. Moslems,\nhowever, so far from holding this a profanation deem it an\nacknowledgment of the Omnipotence and Omnipresence. The Jews from\nwhom the Christians have borrowed had an interest in concealing\nthe name of their tribal divinity; and therefore made it\nineffable.\n\n[FN#174]  i.e. the grave, the fosse commune of slain men.\n\n[FN#175]  A fancy name; \"Zawash\" in Pers. is =      the planet\nJupiter, either borrowed from Greece, or both descended from some\nlong forgotten ancestor.\n\n[FN#176]  In Chavis and Cazotte \"Story of Bhazad (!) the\nImpatient.\" The name is Persian, Bih (well, good) Z\u00e1d (born). In\nthe adj. bih we recognize a positive lost in English and German\nwhich retain the comparative (bih-tar = better) and superlative\n(bih-tarin=best).\n\n[FN#177]  i.e. the moiety kept by the bridegroom, a contingent\nsettlement paid at divorce or on the death of the husband.\n\n[FN#178]  Arab. \"Rumh\"=the horseman's lance not the footman's\nspear.\n\n[FN#179]  i.e. became a highwayman (a time-honoured and\nhonourable career) in order to collect money for completing the\ndowry.\n\n[FN#180]  i.e. to the bride, the wedding-day; not to be\nconfounded with \"going in unto\" etc.\n\n[FN#181]  Probably meaning that she saw the eyes espying through\nthe crevice without knowing whose they were.\n\n[FN#182]  A fancy name intended to be Persian\n\n[FN#183]  i.e. thy Harem, thy women.\n\n[FN#184]  i.e. thy life hath been unduly prolonged.\n\n[FN#185]  See Chavis and Cazotte, \"Story of Ravia (Arw\u00e0!) the\nResigned.\" D\u00e1db\u00edn (Persian) = one who looks to justice, a name\nhardly deserved in this case.\n\n[FN#186]  For this important province and city of Persia, see\nAl-Mas'\u00fadi, ii. 2; iv. 86, etc. It gave one of many names to\nthe Caspian Sea. The adjective is Tabari, whereas Tabar\u00e1ni = native\nof Tiberias (Tabariyah).\n\n[FN#187]  Zor-kh\u00e1n = Lord Violence, and K\u00e1r-d\u00e1n = Business-knower;\nboth Persian.\n\n[FN#188]  \"Arw\u00e0\" written with a terminal of y\u00e1 is a woman's P.N.\nin Arabic.\n\n[FN#189]  i.e. Not look down upon me with eyes of contempt. This\n\"marrying below one\" is still an Eastern idea, very little known\nto women in the West.\n\n[FN#190]  Chavis and Cazotte call the Dabb\u00fas a \"dabour\" and\nexplain it as a \"sort of scepter used by Eastern Princes, which\nserves also as a weapon.\" For the Dabb\u00fas, or mace, see vol. vi.\n249.\n\n[FN#191]  i.e. Let thy purposes be righteous as thine outward\nprofession.\n\n[FN#192]  See vol. vi. 130. This is another lieu commun amongst\nMoslems; and its unfact requires only statement.\n\n[FN#193]  Afterwards called his \"chamberlain,\" i.e. guardian of\nthe Harem-door.\n\n[FN#194]  i.e. Chosro\u00ebs, whom Chavis and Cazotte make \"Cyrus.\"\n\n[FN#195]  Arab. \"T\u00e1kiyah,\" used for the Persian Takhtraw\u00e1n,\ncommon in The Nights.\n\n[FN#196]  Arab. \"Kubbah,\" a dome-shaped tent, as elsewhere.\n\n[FN#197]  This can refer only to Abu al-Khayr's having been put\nto death on Kardan's charge, although the tale-teller, with\ncharacteristic inconsequence, neglected to mention the event.\n\n[FN#198]  Not referring to skull sutures, but to the forehead,\nwhich is poetically compared with a page of paper upon which\nDestiny writes her irrevocable decrees.\n\n[FN#199]  Said in the grimmest earnest, not jestingly, as in vol.\niv. 264.\n\n[FN#200]  i.e. the lex talionis, which is the essence of Moslem,\nand indeed, of all criminal jurisprudence. We cannot wonder at\nthe judgment of Queen Arwa: even Confucius, the mildest and most\nhumane of lawgivers, would not pardon the man who allowed his\nfather's murderer to live. The Moslem lex talionis (Koran ii.\n173) is identical with that of the Jews (Exod. xxi. 24), and the\nlatter probably derives from immemorial usage. But many modern\nRabbins explain away the Mosaical command as rather a demand for\na pecuniary mulct than literal retaliation. The well-known Isaac\nAburbanel cites many arguments in proof of this position: he\nasks, for instance, supposing the accused have but one eye,\nshould he lose it for having struck out one of another man's two?\nMoreover, he dwells upon the impossibility of inflicting a\npunishment the exact equivalent of the injury; like Shylock's\npound of flesh without drawing blood. Moslems, however, know\nnothing of these frivolities, and if retaliation be demanded the\njudge must grant it. There is a legend in Marocco of an English\nmerchant who was compelled to forfeit tooth for tooth at the\ninstance of an old woman, but a profitable concession gilded the\npill.\n\n[FN#201]  In Chavis and Cazotte \"Story of Bhazmant (!); or the\nConfident Man.\" \"Bakht (-i-) Zam\u00e1n\" in Pers. would=Luck of the\nTime.\n\n[FN#202]  Chavis and Cazotte change the name to \"Abadid,\" which,\nlike \"Khad\u00edd\u00e1n,\" is nonsignificant.\n\n[FN#203]  Arab. \"F\u00e1ris,\" here a Reiter, or Dugald Dolgetti, as\nmostly were the hordes led by the medi\u00e6val Italian Condottieri.\n\n[FN#204]  So Napoleon the Great also believed that Providence is\nmostly favorable to \"gros bataillons.\"\n\n[FN#205]  Pers. and Arab.=\"Good perfection.\"\n\n[FN#206]  In Chavis and Cazotte \"Story of Baharkan.\" Bihkard (in\nShiraz pronounced \"Kyard\")=\"Well he did.\"\n\n[FN#207]  See \"Katr\u00fa\" in the Introduction to the Bakhtiy\u00e1r-n\u00e1mah.\n\n[FN#208]  The text has \"Jaukal\u00e1n\" for Saulaj\u00e1n, the Persian\n\"Chaug\u00e1n\"=the crooked bat used in Polo. See vol. 1. 46.\n\n[FN#209]  Amongst Moslems, I have noted, circumstantial evidence\nis not lawful: the witness must swear to what he has seen. A\ncurious consideration, how many innocent men have been hanged by\n\"circumstantial evidence.\" See vol. v. 97.\n\n[FN#210]  In Chavis and Cazotte \"Story of Abattamant (!), or the\nPrudent Man;\" also Ayl\u00e1n Shah becomes Olensa after Italian\nfashion.\n\n[FN#211]  In Arab. idiom a long hand or arm means power, a phrase\nnot wholly unused in European languages. Chavis and Cazotte\nparaphrase \"He who keeps his hands crossed upon his breast, shall\nnot see them cut off.\"\n\n[FN#212]  Arab. \"Jama'a atr\u00e1fah,\" lit.=he drew in his\nextremities, it being contrary to \"etiquette\" in the presence of\na superior not to cover hands and feet. In the wild Argentine\nRepublic the savage Gaucho removes his gigantic spurs when coming\ninto the presence of his master.\n\n[FN#213]  About the equivalent to the Arab. or rather Egypto-\nSyrian form \"Jiddan,\" used in the modern slang sense.\n\n[FN#214]  i.e. that he become my son-in-law.\n\n[FN#215]  For the practice of shampooing often alluded to in The\nNights, see vol. iii. 17. The king \"sleeping on the boys' knees\"\nmeans that he dropped off whilst his feet were on the laps of the\nlads.\n\n[FN#216]  Meaning the honour of his Harem.\n\n[FN#217]  Pardon, lit.=security; the cry for quarter already\nintroduced into English\n\n          \"Or raise the craven cry Aman.\"\n\nIt was Mohammed's express command that this prayer for mercy\nshould be respected even in the fury of fight. See vol. i. 342.\n\n[FN#218]  A saying found in every Eastern language beginning with\nHebrew; Proverbs xxvi. 27, \"Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall\ntherein.\"\n\n[FN#219]  i.e. a domed tomb where prayers and perlections of the\nKoran could be made. \"Kubbah\" in Marocco is still the term for a\nsmall square building with a low medianaranja cupola under which\na Santon lies interred. It is the \"little Waly\" of our \"blind\ntravellers\" in the unholy \"Holy Land.\"\n\n[FN#220]  i.e. to secure her assistance in arousing the king's\nwrath.\n\n[FN#221]  i.e. so slow to avenge itself.\n\n[FN#222]  Story of Sultan Hebriam (!), and his Son\" (Chavis and\nCazotte). Unless they greatly enlarged upon the text, they had a\nmuch fuller copy than that found in the Bresl. Edit.\n\n[FN#223]  A right kingly king, in the Eastern sense of the word,\nwould strike off their heads for daring to see omens threatening\nhis son and heir: this would be constructive treason of the\nhighest because it might be expected to cause its own fulfilment.\n\n[FN#224]  Mohammed's Had\u00eds \"Kazzib\u00fa 'l-Munajjim\u00fana bi Rabbi\n'I-Ka'abah\"=the Astrologers lied, by the Ka'abah's Lord!\n\n[FN#225]  Arab. \"Khaw\u00e1t\u00edn,\" plur. of Kh\u00e1t\u00fan, a matron, a lady,\nvol. iv. 66.\n\n[FN#226]  See Al-Mas'udi, chapt. xvii. (Fr. Transl. ii. 48-49) of\nthe circular cavity two miles deep and sixty in circuit inhabited\nby men and animals on the Caucasus near Derbend.\n\n[FN#227]  Arab. \"Nafas\" lit.=breath. Arabs living in a land of\ncaverns know by experience the danger of asphyxiation in such\nplaces.\n\n[FN#228]  This simple tale is told with much pathos not of words\nbut of sense.\n\n[FN#229]  Arab. \"Ajal\" = the appointed day of death; also used for\nsudden death. See vol. i. 74.\n\n[FN#230]  i.e. the Autumnal Equinox, one of the two great\nfestival days (the other being the New Year) of the Persians, and\nsurviving in our Michaelmas. According to Al-Mas'ud\u00ed (chap.\nxxi.), it was established to commemorate the capture of Zahh\u00e1k\n(Azhi-Dah\u00e1ka), the biting snake (the Hindu Ahi) of night and\ndarkness, the Greek Astyages, by Furaydun or Feridun. Prof. Sayce\n(Principles of Comparative Philology, p. 11) connects the latter\nwith the Vedic deity Trita, who harnessed the Sun-horse (Rig. v.\ni. 163, 2, 3), the {tritog\u00e9neia} of Homer, a title of Athene, the\nDawn-goddess, and Burnouf proved the same Trita to be Thra\u00e9taona,\nson of Athwya, of the Avesta, who finally became Furayd\u00fan, the\nGreek Kyrus. See vol. v. 1.\n\n[FN#231]  In Chavis and Cazotte, \"Story of Selimansha and his\nFamily.\"\n\n[FN#232]  Arab. for Pers. Pahluw\u00e1n (from Pahlau) a brave, a\nwarrior, an athlete, applied in India to a champion in any\ngymnastic exercise, especially in wrestling. The Frenchman calls\nhim \"Balavan\"; and the Bresl. text in more than one place (p.\n312) calls him \"Bahw\u00e1n.\"\n\n[FN#233]  i.e. King (Arab.) King (Persian): we find also Sultan\nMalik Shah=King King King.\n\n[FN#234]  Arab. \"Aul\u00e1d-\u00ed,\" a vulgarism, plural for dual.\n\n[FN#235]  Mr. Payne translates, \"so he might take his father's\nleavings\" i.e. heritage, reading \"\u00c1s\u00e1r\" which I hold to be a\nclerical error for S\u00e1r=Vendetta, blood revenge (Bresl. Edit. vi.\n310).\n\n[FN#236]  Arab. \"Al-'\u00c1s\u00ed\" the pop. term for one who refuses to\nobey a constituted authority and syn. with Pers. \"Y\u00e1gh\u00ed.\" \"Ant\n'\u00c1s\u00ed?\" Wilt thou not yield thyself? says a policeman to a\nrefractory Fellah.\n\n[FN#237]  i.e. of the Greeks: so in Kor. xxx. 1. \"Alif Lam Mim,\nthe Greeks (Al-Roum) have been defeated.\" Mr. Rodwell curiously\nremarks that \"the vowel-points for 'defeated' not being\noriginally written, would make the prophecy true in either event,\naccording as the verb received an active or passive sense in\npronunciation.\" But in discovering this mare's nest, a rank piece\nof humbug like Aio te Aeacida, etc., he forgets that all the\nProphet's \"Companions,\" numbering some 5000, would pronounce it\nonly in one way and that no man could mistake \"ghalabat\" (active)\nfor \"ghulibat\" (passive).\n\n[FN#238]  The text persistently uses \"J\u00e1riyah\"=damsel,\nslave-girl, for the politer \"Sabiyah\"=young lady, being written\nin a rude and uncourtly style.\n\n[FN#239]  So our familiar phrase \"Some one to back us.\"\n\n[FN#240]  Arab. \"'Akkada lahu r\u00e1y,\" plur. of r\u00e1yat, a banner. See\nvol. iii. 307.\n\n[FN#241]  i.e. \"What concern hast thou with the king's health?\"\nThe question is offensively put.\n\n[FN#242]  Arab. \"Masalah,\" a question; here an enigma.\n\n[FN#243]  Arab. \"Liall\u00e1\" (i.e. li, an, l\u00e1) lest; but printed here\nand elsewhere with the y\u00e1 as if it were \"laylan,\"=for a single\nnight.\n\n[FN#244]  i.e. if my death be fated to befal to-day, none may\npostpone it to a later date.\n\n[FN#245]  Arab. \"Dust\u00ed\": so the ceremony vulgarly called \"Doseh\"\nand by the ItaloEgyptians \"Dosso,\" the riding over disciples'\nbacks by the Shaykh of the Sa'diyah Darwayshes (Lane M.E. chapt.\nxxv.) which took place for the last time at Cairo in 1881.\n\n[FN#246]  In Chavis and Cazotte she conjures him \"by the great\nMaichonarblatha Sarsourat\" (M\u00edat wa arba'at ashar S\u00farat)=the 114\nchapters of the Alcoran.\n\n[FN#247]  I have noted that Moslem law is not fully satisfied\nwithout such confession which, however, may be obtained by the\nbastinado. It is curious to compare English procedure with what\nMoslem would be in such a case as that of the famous Tichborne\nClaimant. What we did need hardly be noticed. An Arab judge would\nin a case so suspicious at once have applied the stick and in a\nquarter of an hour would have settled the whole business; but\nthen what about the \"Devil's own,\" the lawyers and lawyers' fees?\nAnd he would have remarked that the truth is not less true\nbecause obtained by such compulsory means.\n\n[FN#248]  The Hudhud, so called from its cry \"Hood! Hood!\" It is\nthe Lat. upupa, Gr. {\u00e9pops} from its supposed note epip or upup; the\nold Egyptian Kukufa; Heb. Dukiphath and Syriac Kikuph\u00e1 (Bochart\nHierozoicon, part ii. 347). The Spaniards call it Gallo de Marzo\n(March-Cock) from its returning in that month, and our old\nwriters \"lapwing\" (Deut. xiv. 18). This foul-feeding bird derives\nher honours from chapt. xxvii. of the Koran (q.v.), the Hudhud\nwas sharp-sighted and sagacious enough to discover water\nunderground which the devils used to draw after she had marked\nthe place by her bill.\n\n[FN#249]  Here the vocative Y\u00e1 is designedly omitted in poetical\nfashion (e.g., Khal\u00edliyya\u2014my friend!) to show the speaker's\nemotion. See p. 113 of Captain A. Lockett's learned and curious\nwork the \"Miet Amil\" (=Hundred Regimens), Calcutta, 1814.\n\n[FN#250]  The story-teller introduces this last instance with\nconsiderable art as a preface to the d\u00e9nouement.\n\n[FN#251]  See Chavis and Cazotte \"Story of the King of Haram and\nthe slave.\"\n\n[FN#252]  i.e. men caught red-handed.\n\n[FN#253]  Arab. \"Libwah,\" one of the multitudinous names for the\nking of beasts, still used in Syria where the animal has been\nkilled out, soon to be followed by the bear (U. Syriacus). The\nauthor knows that lions are most often found in couples.\n\n[FN#254]  Arab. \"Himy\u00e1n or Hamy\u00e1n,\" = a girdle.\n\n[FN#255]  As he would kiss a son. I have never yet seen an\nEnglishman endure these masculine kisses, formerly so common in\nFrance and Italy, without showing clearest signs of his disgust.\n\n[FN#256]  A cheap way of rewarding merit, not confined to Eastern\nmonarchs, but practised by all contemporary Europe.\n\n[FN#257]  Arab. \"Kasf,\" = houghing a camel so as to render it\nhelpless. The passage may read, \"we are broken to bits (Kis\u00ed) by\nour own sin.\"\n\n[FN#258]  Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 251-4, Night dlxv.\n\n[FN#259]  See vol. vi. 175. A Moslem should dress for public\noccasions, like the medi\u00e6val student, in vestibus (quasi) nigris\naut subfuscis; though not, except amongst the Abbasides,\nabsolutely black, as sable would denote Jewry.\n\n[FN#260]  A well-known soldier and statesman, noted for piety and\nausterity. A somewhat fuller version of this story, from which I\nhave borrowed certain details, is given in the Biographical\nDictionary of Ibn Khallik\u00e1n (i. 303-4). The latter, however,\ncalls the first Abd al-Malik \"Ibn Bahr\u00e1n\" (in the index Ibn\nBahr\u00e1m), which somewhat spoils the story. \"Ibn Khallikan,\"\nby-the-by, is derived popularly from \"Khalli\" (let go), and\n\"K\u00e1na\" (it was, enough), a favourite expression of the author,\nwhich at last superseded his real name, Abu al-Abb\u00e1s Ahmad. He is\nbetter off than the companion nicknamed by Mohammed Ab\u00fa\nHorayrah = Father of the She-kitten (not the cat), and who in\nconsequence has lost his true name and pedigree.\n\n[FN#261]  In Ibn Khallik\u00e1n (i. 303) he is called the \"Hashimite,\"\nfrom his ancestor, Hashim ibn Abd Man\u00e1f. The Hashimites and\nAbbasides were fine specimens of the Moslem \"Pharisee,\" as he is\nknown to Christians, not the noble Purushi of authentic history.\n\n[FN#262]  Meaning a cap, but of what shape we ignore. Ibn\nKhallikan afterwards calls it a \"Kalans\u00faa,\" a word still applied\nto a mitre worn by Christian priests.\n\n[FN#263]  Arab. \"L\u00e1 baas,\" equivalent in conversation to our \"No\nmatter,\" and \"All right.\"\n\n[FN#264]  As a member of the reigning family, he wore black\nclothes, that being the especial colour of the Abbasides, adopted\nby them in opposition to the rival dynasty of the Ommiades, whose\nfamily colour was white, that of the Fatimites being green.  The\nMoslems borrowed their sacred green, \"the hue of the Pure,\" from\nthe old Nabatheans and the other primitive colours from the tents\nof the captains who were thus distinguished.  Hence also amongst\nthe Turks and Tartars, the White Horde and the Black Horde.\n\n[FN#265]  The word has often occurred, meaning date-wine or\ngrape-wine.  Ibn Khald\u00fan contends that in Ibn Khallikan it here\nmeans the former.\n\n[FN#266]  \u00c2\u00a325,000.  Ibn Khallikan (i. 304) makes the debt four\nmillions of dirhams or \u00c2\u00a390,000-\u00c2\u00a3100,000.\n\n[FN#267]  In the Biographer occurs the equivalent phrase, \"That a\nstandard be borne over his head.\"\n\n[FN#268]  Here again we have a suggestion that Ja'afar presumed\nupon his favour with the Caliph; such presumption would soon be\nreported (perhaps by the aust\u00e8re intrigant himself) to the royal\nears, and lay the foundation of ill-will likely to end in utter\ndestruction.\n\n[FN#269]  Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 258-60, Night dlxvii.\n\n[FN#270]  Fourth Abbaside, A.D. 785-786, vol. v. 93.  He was a\nfantastic tyrant who was bent upon promoting to the Caliphate his\nown son, Ja'afar; he cast Harun into prison and would probably\nhave slain him but for the intervention of the mother of\nthe two brothers, Khayzar\u00e1n widow of Al-Mahdi, and Yahya the\nBarmecide.\n\n[FN#271]  Third Abbaside, A.D. 775-785, vol. vii. 136; ix. 334.\n\n[FN#272]  This reminds us of the Bir Al-Kh\u00e1tim (Well of the\nSignet) at Al-Medinah; in which Caliph Osman during his sixth\nyear dropped from his finger the silver ring belonging to the\nfounder of Al-Islam, engraved in three lines with \"Mohammed /\nApostle (of) / Allah /.\"  It had served to sign the letters sent\nto neighboring kings and had descended to the first three\nsuccessors (Pilgrimage ii. 219).  Mohammed owned three seal-\nrings, the golden one he destroyed himself; and the third, which\nwas of carnelian, was buried with other objects by his heirs.\nThe late Subhi Pasha used to declare that the latter had been\nbrought to him with early Moslem coins by an Arab, and when he\ndied he left it to the Sultan.\n\n[FN#273]  Mr. Payne quotes Al-Tabari's version of this anecdote.\n\"El-Mehdi had presented his son Haroun with a ruby ring, worth a\nhundred thousand dinars, and the latter being one day with his\nbrother (the then reigning Khalif), El Hadi saw the ring on his\nfinger and desired it.  So, when Haroun went out from him, he\nsent after him, to seek the ring of him.  The Khalif's messenger\novertook Er Reshid on the bridge over the Tigris and acquainted\nhim with his errand; whereupon the prince, enraged at the demand,\npulled off the ring and threw it into the river.  When El Hadi\ndied and Er Rashid succeeded to the throne, he went with his\nsuite to the bridge in question and bade his Vizier Yehya ben\nKhalid send for divers and cause them make search for the\nring.  It had then been five months in the water and no one\nbelieved it would be found.  However, the divers plunged into the\nriver and found the ring in the very place where he had thrown it\nin, whereat Haroun rejoiced with an exceeding joy, regarding it\nas a presage of fair fortune.\"\n\n[FN#274]  Not historically correct.  Al-Rashid made Y\u00e1hy\u00e0, father\nof Ja'afar, his Wazir; and the minister's two sons, Fazl and\nJa'afar, acted as his lieutenants for seventeen years from A.D.\n786 till the destruction of the Barmecides in A.D. 803.  The\ntale-teller quotes Ja'afar because he was the most famous of the\nhouse.\n\n[FN#275]  Perhaps after marrying Ja'afar to his sister.  But the\nendearing name was usually addressed to Ja'afar's elder brother\nFazl, who was the Caliph's foster-brother.\n\n[FN#276]  Read seventeen:  all these minor inaccuracies tend to\ninvalidate the main statement.\n\n[FN#277]  Arab.  \"Yar'ad\" which may mean \"thundereth.\"  The dark\nsaying apparently means, Do good whilst thou art in power and\nthereby strengthen thyself.\n\n[FN#278]  The lady seems to have made the first advances and Bin\nAb\u00fa H\u00e1jilah quotes a sixaine in which she amorously addresses her\nspouse.  See D'Herbelot, s.v. Abbassa.\n\n[FN#279]  The tale-teller passes with a very light hand over the\nhorrors of a massacre which terrified and scandalised the then\ncivilised world, and which still haunt Moslem history.  The\nCaliph, like the eking, can do no wrong; and, as Viceregent of\nAllah upon Earth, what would be deadly crime and mortal sin in\nothers becomes in his case an ordinance from above.  These\nactions are superhuman events and fatal which man must not judge\nnor feel any sentiment concerning them save one of mysterious\nrespect.  For the slaughter of the Barmecides, see my Terminal\nEssay, vol. x.\n\n[FN#280]  Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 260-1, Night dlxviii.\n\n[FN#281]  Ibn al-Samm\u00e1k (Son of the fisherman or fishmonger),\nwhose name was Ab\u00fa al-Abb\u00e1s Mohammed bin Sab\u00edh, surnamed Al-\nMazk\u00far (Ibn al-Athir says Al-Muzakkar), was a native of Kufah\n(where he died in A.H. 183 = 799-80), a preacher and professional\ntale-teller famed as a stylist and a man of piety.  Al-Siyuti (p.\n292) relates of him that when honoured by the Caliph with\ncourteous reception he said to him, \"Thy humility in thy\ngreatness is nobler than thy greatness.\"  He is known to have\nbeen the only theologician who, ex cathedr\u00c3\u00a2, promised Al-Rashid a\nplace in Paradise.\n\n[FN#282]  Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 261-2, Night dlxviii.\n\n[FN#283]  Seventh Abbaside, A.H. 198-227 = 813-842.  See vol. iv.\n109.  He was a favourite with his father, who personally taught\nhim tradition; but he offended the Faithful by asserting the\ncreation of the Koran, by his leaning to Shi'ah doctrine, and by\nchanging the black garments of the Banu Abbas into green.  He\ndied of a chill at Budandun, a day's march from Tarsus, where he\nwas buried: for this Podendon =             = stretch out thy\nfeet, see Al-Siyuti, pp. 326-27.\n\n[FN#284]  Sixth Abbaside, A.D. 809-13.  See vol. v. 93: 152.  He\nwas of pure Abbaside blood on the father's side and his mother\nZubaydah's.  But he was unhappy in his Wazir Al-Fazl bin Rab\u00ed,\nthe intriguer against the Barmecides, who estranged him from his\nbrothers Al-K\u00e1sim and Al-Maam\u00fan.  At last he was slain by a party\nof Persians, \"who struck him with their swords and cut him\nthrough the nape of his neck and went with his head to Tahir bin\nal-Husayn, general to Al-Maam\u00fan, who set it upon a garden-wall\nand made proclamation, This is the head of the deposed Mohammed\n(Al-Am\u00edn).\"  Al-Siyuti, pp. 306-311.  It was remarked by Moslem\nannalists that every sixth Abbaside met with a violent death: the\nfirst was this Mohammed al-Amin surnamed Al-Makhl\u00fa' = The\nDeposed; the second sixth was Al-Musta'\u00edn; and the last was Al-\nMuktad\u00ed bi'll\u00e1h.\n\n[FN#285]  Lit.  \"Order and acceptance.\"  See the Tale of the\nSandal-wood Merchant and the Sharpers: vol. vi. 202.\n\n[FN#286]  This is not noticed by Al-Siyuti (p. 318) who says that\nhis mother was a slave-concubine named Mar\u00e1jil who died in giving\nhim birth.  The tale in the text appears to be a bit of Court\nscandal, probably suggested by the darkness of the Caliph's\ncomplexion.\n\n[FN#287]  Bresl. Edit., vol. viii. pp. 226-9, Nights dclx-i.\n\n[FN#288]  King of the Arab kingdom of Hirah, for whom see vol. v.\n74.  This ancient villain rarely appears in such favourable form\nwhen tales are told of him.\n\n[FN#289]  The tribe of the chieftain and poet, H\u00e1tim T\u00e1\u00ed, for\nwhom see vol. iv. 94.\n\n[FN#290]  i.e. I will make a covenant with him before the Lord.\nHere the word \"Allah\" is introduced among the Arabs of The\nIgnorance.\n\n[FN#291]  i.e. the man of the Tribe of Tay.\n\n[FN#292]  A similar story of generous dealing is told of the\nCaliph Omar in The Nights.  See vol. v. 99 et seq.\n\n[FN#293]  Bresl. Edit., vol. viii. pp. 273-8, Nights dclxxv-vi.\nIn Syria and Egypt Fir\u00faz (the Persian \"P\u00edroz\") = victorious,\ntriumphant, is usually pronounced Fayr\u00faz. The tale is a rechauff\u00e9\nof the King and the Wazir's Wife in The Nights. See vol. vi. 129.\n\n[FN#294]  i.e. I seek refuge with Allah = God forfend.\n\n[FN#295]  Bresl. Edit., vol. xi. pp. 84\u2014318, Nights\ndccclxxv\u2014dccccxxx. Here again the names are Persian, showing the\nprovenance of the tale; Shah Bakht is=King Luck and Rahw\u00e1n is a\ncorruption of Rahb\u00e1n=one who keeps the (right) way; or it may be\nRuhb\u00e1n=the Pious. Mr. W. A. Clouston draws my attention to the\nfact that this tale is of the Sindibad (Seven Wise Masters) cycle\nand that he finds remotely allied to it a Siamese collection,\nentitled Nonthuk Pakaranam in which Princess Kankras, to save the\nlife of her father, relates eighty or ninety tales to the king of\nPataliput (Palibothra). He purposes to discuss this and similar\nsubjects in extenso in his coming volumes, \"Popular Tales and\nFictions: their Migrations and Transformations,\" to which I look\nforward with pleasant anticipations.\n\n[FN#296]  So far this work resembles the Bakhtiy\u00e1r-n\u00e1meh, in\nwhich the ten Wazirs are eager for the death of the hero who\nrelates tales and instances to the king, warning him against the\nevils of precipitation.\n\n[FN#297]  One pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Islam) is commanded to all\nMoslems. For its conditions see The Nights, vol. v. 202, et seq.\n\n[FN#298]  Arab. \"Hajj al-Sh\u00e1rif.\" For the expenses of the process\nsee my Pilgrimage iii. 12. As in all \"Holy Places,\" from Rome to\nBenares, the sinner in search of salvation is hopelessly taken in\nand fleeced by the \"sons of the sacred cities.\"\n\n[FN#299]  Here a stranger invites a guest who at once accepts the\ninvitation; such is the freedom between Moslems at Meccah and\nAl-Medinah, especially during pilgrimagetime.\n\n[FN#300]  i.e. the master could no longer use her carnally.\n\n[FN#301]  i.e. wantoned it away.\n\n[FN#302]  Here \"Al-Hajj\"=the company of pilgrims, a common use of\nthe term.\n\n[FN#303]  The text says, \"He went on with the caravan to the\nPilgrimage,\" probably a clerical error. \"Hajj\" is never applied\nto the Visitation (Ziy\u00e1rah) at Al-Medinah.\n\n[FN#304]  Arab. \"J\u00e1war,\" that is, he became a muj\u00e1wir, one who\nlives in or near a collegiate mosque. The Egyptian proverb says,\n\"He pilgrimaged: quoth one, Yes, and for his villainy lives\n(yujawir) at Meccah,\" meaning that he found no other place bad\nenough for him.\n\n[FN#305]  I have often heard of this mysterious art in the East,\nalso of similarly making rubies and branch-coral of the largest\nsize; but, despite all my endeavours, I never was allowed to\nwitness the operation. It was the same with alchemy, which,\nhowever, I found very useful to the \"smasher.\" See my History of\nSindh, chapt. vii.\n\n[FN#306]  Elsewhere in The Nights specified as white woollen\nrobes.\n\n[FN#307]  Whilst she was praying the girl could not address her;\nbut the use of the rosary is a kind of \"parergon.\"\n\n[FN#308]  Arab. \"Y\u00e1 H\u00e1jjah\" (in Egypt pronounced \"H\u00e1ggeh\"), a\npolite address to an elderly woman, who is thus supposed to have\n\"finished her faith.\"\n\n[FN#309]  Arab. \"Kan\u00edsah\" (from Kans=sweeping) a pagan temple, a\nJewish synagogue, and especially a Christian church.\n\n[FN#310]  i.e. standeth in prayer or supplication.\n\n[FN#311]  i.e. fell into hysterics, a very common complaint\namongst the highly nervous and excitable races of the East.\n\n[FN#312]  Arab. \"Kahram\u00e1nah,\" a word which has often occurred in\ndivers senses, nurse, duenna, chamberwoman, stewardess, armed\nwoman defending the Harem, etc.\n\n[FN#313]  Which is supposed to contain the Harem.\n\n[FN#314]  Especially mentioned because the guide very often\nfollows his charges, especially when he intends to play them an\nugly trick. I had an unpleasant adventure of the kind in\nSomaliland; but having the fear of the \"Aborigines Protection\nSociety\" before my eyes, refrained from doing more than hinting\nat it.\n\n[FN#315]  i.e. otherwise than according to ordinance of Allah.\n\n[FN#316]  A well-known city of lr\u00e1k 'Ajam\u00ed (or Persian).\n\n[FN#317]  i.e. spare pegs and strings, plectra, thumb-guards,\netc.\n\n[FN#318]  Arab. \"Has\u00edr,\" the fine matting used for sleeping on\nduring the hot season in Egypt and Syria.\n\n[FN#319]  i.e. The bed where the \"rough and tumble\" had taken\nplace.\n\n[FN#320]  This word, which undoubtedly derives from cuculus,\ncogul, cocu, a cuckoo, has taken a queer twist, nor can I explain\nhow its present meaning arose from a shebird which lays her egg\nin a strange nest. Wittol, on the other hand, from Witan, to\nknow, is rightly applied to one whom La Fontaine calls \"cocu et\ncontent,\" the Arab Dayy\u00fas.\n\n[FN#321]  Arab. \"Shabakah,\" here a net like a fisherman's, which\nis hung over the hole in the wall called a shop, during the\ntemporary absence of the shopkeeper. See my Pilgrimage, i. 100.\n\n[FN#322]  i.e. of which the singer speaks.\n\n[FN#323]  i.e., she found him good at the to-and-fro movement;\nour corresponding phrase is \"basket-making.\"\n\n[FN#324]  Arab. \"Mu'arris\": in vol. i. 338, I derived the word\nfrom 'Ars marriage, like the Germ. Kupplerin. This was a mere\nmistake; the root is 'Ars (with a S\u00e1d not a S\u00edn) and means a pimp\nwho shows off or displays his wares.\n\n[FN#325]  Arab. \"Akhmitu Ghazla-h\u00e1\" lit.=thicken her yarn or\nthread.\n\n[FN#326]  I must again warn the reader that the negative, which\nto us appears unnecessary, is emphatic in Arabic.\n\n[FN#327]  i.e. By removing the goods from the \"but\" to the \"ben.\"\nPilgrimage i. 99.\n\n[FN#328]  Arab. \"Tann\u00far,\" here the large earthern jar with a\ncover of the same material, round which the fire is built.\n\n[FN#329]  Being a musician the hero of the tale was also a\npederast.\n\n[FN#330]  Here Mr. Payne supplies \"Then they returned and sat\ndown\" (apparently changing places). He is quite correct in\ncharacterising the Bresl. Edit. as corrupt and \"fearfully\nincoherent.\" All we can make certain of in this passage is that\nthe singer mistook the Persian for his white slave (Mameluke).\n\n[FN#331]  Arab. \"Bazaka,\" normally used in the sense of spitting;\nhere the saliva might be applied for facilitating insertion.\n\n[FN#332]  In Persian \"\u00c1ward o burd,\"=brought and bore away, gen.\napplied to the movement of the man as in the couplet,\n\n     Chen\u00edn burd o \u00e1ward o \u00e1ward o burd,\n     Kih d\u00e1yeh pas-i-pardeh zi ghussah murd.\n\n     He so came and went, went and came again,\n     That Nurse who lay curtained to faint was fain.\n\n[FN#333]  Alluding to the fighting rams which are described by\nevery Anglo-Indian traveller. They strike with great force, amply\nsufficient to crush the clumsy hand which happens to be caught\nbetween the two foreheads. The animals are sometimes used for F\u00e1l\nor consulting futurity: the name of a friend is given to one and\nthat of a foe to the other; and the result of the fight suggests\nvictory or defeat for the men.\n\n[FN#334]  Arab. \"Jauhar\"=the jewel, the essential nature of a\nsubstance. Compare M. Alcofribas' \"Abstraction of the\nQuintessence.\"\n\n[FN#335]  In parts of the Moslem world Al-Jabr=the tyranny, is\nthe equivalent of what we call \"civil law,\" as opposed to\nAl-Shar\u00ed'ah, or Holy Law, the religious code; Diwan al-Jabr\n(Civil Court) being the contrary of the Mahkamah or Kazi's\ntribunal. See \"First Footsteps in East Africa,\" p. 126.\n\n[FN#336]  i.e. in offering thee the kingship.\n\n[FN#337]  i.e. \"a man of fourscore.\"\n\n[FN#338]  i.e. outside the city.\n\n[FN#339]  See the conclusion of the story.\n\n[FN#340]  i.e. I have said my say.\n\n[FN#341]  Arab. \"Al-Mutabattil,\" usually=one who forsakes the\nworld. The Katar\u00e1t alNays\u00e1n or rain-drops in the month Nays\u00e1n\n(April) produce pearls when falling into the oyster-shells and\npoison in the serpent's mouth. The allusions to them are\ninnumerable in Persian poetry, and the idea gives rise to a host\nof moralities more or less insipid.\n\n[FN#342]  This is the general idea concerning the diamond in all\ncountries where the gem is dug, but I never heard it of the\npearl.\n\n[FN#343]  Arab. \"Faras,\" properly a mare; but the writer begins\nby using the feminine, and then employs the masculine. It is an\nabominable text.\n\n[FN#344]  Arab. \"Rutab wa man\u00e1zil,\" may also mean \"stations and\nmansions (of the moon and planets).\" The double entendre was\nprobably intended.\n\n[FN#345]  Arab. \"Za'\u00edf,\" still a popular word, meaning feeble,\nsick, ailing, but especially, weak in venery.\n\n[FN#346]  See the original of this tale in King Al-Af'\u00e1:\nAl-Mas'udi, chap. xlvi.\n\n[FN#347]  He says this without any sense of shame, coolly as\nHorace or Catullus wrote.\n\n[FN#348]  i.e. of the caravan with which he came.\n\n[FN#349]  Arab. \"Al-'Adl.\" In the form of Z\u00fa 'adl it = a legal\nwitness, a man of good repute; in Marocco and other parts of the\nMoslem world 'Adul (plur. 'Ud\u00fal) signifies an assessor of the\nKazi, a notary. Padre Lerchundy (loc. cit. p. 345) renders it\nnotario.\n\n[FN#350]  i.e. I would marry thy daughter, not only for her own\nsake, but for alliance with thy family.\n\n[FN#351]  i.e. the bride's face.\n\n[FN#352]  The Ghusl or complete ablution after car. cop.\n\n[FN#353]  Thus the girl was made lawful to him as a concubine by\nthe \"loathly ladye,\" whose good heart redeemed her ill-looks.\n\n[FN#354]  Meaning the poor man and his own daughter.\n\n[FN#355]  Mr. Payne changes the Arab title to the far more\nappropriate heading, \"Story of the Rich Man and his Wasteful\nSon.\" The tale begins with \u00c6sop's fable of the faggot; and\nconcludes with the \"Heir of Linne,\" in the famous Scotch ballad.\nMr. Clouston refers also to the Persian Tale of Murchlis (The\nSorrowful Wazir); to the Forty Vezirs (23rd Story) to Cinthio and\nto sundry old English chap-books.\n\n[FN#356]  Arab. \"Tafr\u00edk wa'l-jam'a.\"\n\n[FN#357]  Arab. \"Waf\u00e1t\" pop. used as death, decease, departure;\nbut containing the idea of departing to the mercy of Allah and\n\"paying the debt of nature.\" It is not so ill-omened a word as\nMaut = death.\n\n[FN#358]  i.e. gifts and presents. See vol. iv. 185.\n\n[FN#359]  i.e. Turcomans; presently called S\u00edst\u00e1n, for which see\nvol. ii. 218.\n\n[FN#360]  In my Pilgrimage (i. 38), I took from Mr. Galton's Art\nof Travel, the idea of opening with a lancet the shoulder or\nother fleshy part of the body and inserting into it a precious\nstone. This was immensely derided by not a few including one who,\nthen a young man from the country, presently became a Cabinet\nMinister. Despite their omniscience, however, the \"dodge\" is\nfrequently practised. See how this device was practised by Jeshua\nNazarenus, vol. v. 238.\n\n[FN#361]  Arab. \"'Alam,\" a pile of stones, a flag or some such\nlandmark. The reader will find them described in \"The Sword of\nMidian,\" i. 98, and passim.\n\n[FN#362]  Mr. Clouston refers to the \"Miles Gloriosus\" (Plautus);\nto \"Orlando Innamorato\" of Berni (the Daughter of the King of the\nDistant Isles); to the \"Seven Wise Masters\" (\"The Two Dreams,\" or\n\"The Crafty Knight of Hungary\"); to his Book of Sindibad, p. 343\nff.; to Miss Busk's Folk-Lore of Rome, p. 399 (\"The Grace of the\nHunchback\"); to Prof. Crane's \"Italian Popular Tales,\" p. 167,\nand \"The Elopement,\" from Pitr\u00e8's Sicilian collection.\n\n[FN#363]  In sign of impatience; \"Look sharp!\"\n\n[FN#364]  i.e. the resemblance of the supposed sister to his\nwife. This is a rechauff\u00e9 of Kamar al-Zam\u00e1n iid.\n\n[FN#365]  This leaving a long lock upon the shaven poll is a very\nancient practice: we find it amongst the old Egyptians. For the\nSh\u00fashah or top-knot of hair, see vol. i. 308. It is differently\nworn in the several regions of the Moslem world: the Maroccans of\nthe R\u00edf country grow it not on the poll but on one side of the\nhead. As a rule, however, it is confined to boys, and is shaved\noff at puberty.\n\n[FN#366]  Suspecting her to be a witch because she was old and\npoor. The same was the case in Europe when these unfortunates\nwere burned during the early part of the last century and even\nnow the country-folk are often ready to beat or drown them. The\nabominable witchcraft acts, which arose from bibliolatry and\nbelief in obsolete superstitions, can claim as many victims in\n\"Protestant\" countries, England and the Anglo-American States as\nthe Jesuitical Inquisition.\n\n[FN#367]  It is not easy to make sense of this passage especially\nwhen the Wazir is spoken of.\n\n[FN#368]  This is a rechauff\u00e9 of the Sandal-Wood Merchant and the\nSharpers. Vol. vi. 202.\n\n[FN#369]  I have followed Mr. Payne's adaptation of the text as\nhe makes sense, whilst the Arabic does not. I suppose that the\nholes are disposed crosswise.\n\n[FN#370]  i.e. Thy skill is so great that thou wilt undermine my\nauthority with the king.\n\n[FN#371]  This famous tale is first found in a small collection\nof Latin fables (Adolphi Fabul\u00e6 apud Leyser Hist. Poet. Medii\n\u00c6vi, p. 200\u20148), beginning\n\n     C\u00e6cus erat quidam, cui pulcra virago, etc.\n\nThe date is 1315, and Caxton printed it in English in 1483; hence\nit was adopted by Boccaccio, Day vii., Novella 9; whence\nChaucer's \"Marchaundes Tale\": this, by-the-by, was translated by\nPope in his sixteenth or seventeenth year, and christened\n\"January and May.\" The same story is inserted in La Fontaine\n(Contes, lib. ii., No. 8), \"La Gageure des trois Comm\u00e8res,\" with\nthe normal poirier; and lastly it appears in Wieland's \"Oberon,\"\ncanto vi.; where the Fairy King restores the old husband's sight,\nand Titania makes the lover on the pear-tree invisible. Mr.\nClouston refers me also to the Bah\u00e1r-i-D\u00e1nish, or Prime of\nKnowledge (Scott's translation, vol. ii., pp. 64\u201468); \"How the\nBrahman learned the Tirrea Bede\"; to the Turkish \"Kirk Wazir\"\n(Forty Wazirs) of the Shaykh-Zadeh (xxivth Wazir's story); to the\n\"Com\u0153dia Lydi\u00e6,\" and to Barbazan's \"Fabliaux et Contes\" t. iii.\np. 451, \"La Saineresse,\" the cupping-woman.\n\n[FN#372]  In the European versions it is always a pear-tree.\n\n[FN#373]  This supernatural agency, ever at hand and ever\ncredible to Easterns, makes this the most satisfactory version of\nthe world-wide tale.\n\n[FN#374]  i.e. till next harvest time.\n\n[FN#375]  The \"'Ashsh\u00e1r,\" or Tither, is most unpopular in the\nNile-valley as in Wales; and he generally merits his ill-repute.\nTales concerning the villainy of these extortioners abound in\nEgypt and Syria. The first step in improvement will be so to\nregulate the tithes that the peasants may not be at the mercy of\nthese \"publicans and sinners\" who, however, can plead that they\nhave paid highly for appointment to office and must recoup\nthemselves.\n\n[FN#376]  Arab. \"'Ammir\"=cause to flourish.\n\n[FN#377]  Arab. \"Afkah,\" a better Fak\u00edh or theologian; all Moslem\nlaw being based upon the Koran, the Sayings (Hadis) and Doings\n(Sunnat) of the Prophet; and, lastly, the Rasm or immemorial\ncustom of the country provided that it be not opposed to the\nother three.\n\n[FN#378]  If the number represent the days in the Moslem year it\nshould be 354=6 months of 29 days and the rest of 30).\n\n[FN#379]  The affirmative particle \"kad\" preceding a verb in the\npast gives it a present and at times a future signification.\n\n[FN#380]  A danik, the Persian \"D\u00e1ng,\" is one-sixth of a dirham,\ni.e. about one penny. See vol. ii. 204.\n\n[FN#381]  It would mightily tickle an Eastern audience to hear of\na Tither being unable to do any possible amount of villainy.\n\n[FN#382]  i.e. The oath of triple divorce which is, I have said,\nirrevocable, and the divorc\u00e9e may not be taken again by her\nhusband till her marriage with another man (the Mustahill of The\nNights) has been consummated. See vol. iv., 48.\n\n[FN#383]  i.e. thousandfold cuckold.\n\n[FN#384]  Arab. \"Wad\u00ed'ah\" = the blows which the Robber had given\nhim.\n\n[FN#385]  Arab. \"Sindiy\u00e1n\" (from the Persian) gen. used for the\nholm-oak, the Quercus pseudococcifera, vulgarly termed ilex, or\nnative oak, and forming an extensive scrub in Syria. For this and\nother varieties of Quercus, as the Mall\u00fal and the Ball\u00fat, see\nUnexplored Syria, i. 68.\n\n[FN#386]  Hibernic\u00e8.\n\n[FN#387]  Lit. \"In the way of moderation\" = at least, at the most\nmoderate reckoning.\n\n[FN#388]  Arab. \"Rasm\u00e1l,\" the vulg. Syrian and Egyptian form of\nRaas al-m\u00e1l = stock-in-trade.\n\n[FN#389]  Usually a ring or something from his person to show\nthat all was fair play; here however, it was a watchword.\n\n[FN#390]  Arab. \"Ya Mady\u00fabah,\" prob. a clerical error for\n\"Mady\u00fanah,\" alluding to her many debts which he had paid. Here,\nhowever, I suspect the truly Egyptian term \"Y\u00e1 Many\u00fakah!\"=O thou\nberogered; a delicate term of depreciation which may be heard a\ndozen times a day in the streets of Cairo. It has also a\nmasculine form, \"Y\u00e1 Many\u00fak!\"\n\n[FN#391]  About=100 lb. Mr. Sayce (Comparative Philol. p. 210)\nowns that Mn is old Egyptian but makes it a loan from the\n\"Semites,\" like S\u00fas (horse), Sar (prince), Sepet (lip) and\nMurcabutha (chariot), and goes to its origin in the Acratan\ncolumn, because \"it is not found before the times when the\nEgyptians borrowed freely from Palestine.\" But surely it is\npremature to draw such conclusion when we have so much still to\nlearn concerning the dates of words in Egyptian.\n\n[FN#392]  Arab. J\u00e1mi'. This anachronism, like many of the same\nkind, is only apparent. The faith preached by Sayyidn\u00e1 Is\u00e0 was\nthe Islam of his day and dispensation, and it abrogated all other\nfaiths till itself abrogated by the mission of Mahommed. It is\ntherefore logical to apply to it terms which we should hold to be\npurely Moslem. On the other hand it is not logical to paint the\ndrop-curtain of the Ober-Ammergau \"Miracle-play\" with the Mosque\nof Omar and the minarets of Al-Islam. I humbly represented this\nfact to the mechanicals of the village whose performance brings\nthem in so large a sum every decade; but Snug, Snout and Bottom\nturned up the nose of contempt and looked upon me as a mere\n\"shallow sceptic.\"\n\n[FN#393]  Arab. \"Tal\u00e1mizah,\" plur. of Tilm\u00edz, a disciple, a young\nattendant. The word is Syriac <Arabic letters> and there is a\nHeb. root <Hebrew letters> but no Arabic. In the Durrat\nal-Ghaww\u00e1s, however, Tilm\u00edz, Bilk\u00eds, and similar words are Arabic\nin the form of Fa'l\u00edl and Fi'l\u00edl\n\n[FN#394]  R\u00fah Allah, lit.=breath of Allah, attending to the\nmiraculous conception according to the Moslems. See vol. v. 238.\n\n[FN#395]  Readers will kindly pronounce this word \"Sahr\u00e1\" not\nSah\u00e1r\u00e1.\n\n[FN#396]  Mr. Clouston refers for analogies to this tale to his\n\"Oriental Sources of some of Chaucer's Tales\" (Notes and Queries,\n1885\u201486), and he finds the original of The Pardoner's Tale in one\nof the J\u00e1takas or Buddhist Birth-stories entitled Vedabbha\nJataka. The story is spread over all Europe; in the Cento Novelle\nAntiche; Morlini; Hans Sachs, etc. And there are many Eastern\nversions, e.g. a Persian by Far\u00edd al-D\u00edn \"'Attar\" who died at a\ngreat age in A.D. 1278; an Arabic version in The Orientalist\n(Kandy, 1884); a Tibetan in Rollston's Tibetan Tales; a\nCashmirian in Knowles' Dict. of Kashm\u00edr\u00ed Proverbs, etc., etc.,\netc.\n\n[FN#397]  Arab. \"'Aw\u00e1n\" lit.=aids, helpers; the \"Aun of the Jinn\"\nhas often occurred.\n\n[FN#398]  i.e. the peasant.\n\n[FN#399]  i.e. those serving on the usual feudal tenure; and\nbound to suit and service for their fiefs.\n\n[FN#400]  i.e. the yearly value of his fief.\n\n[FN#401]  i.e. men who paid taxes.\n\n[FN#402]  Arab. \"Ras\u00e1t\u00edk\" plur. of Rust\u00e1k. See vol. vi. 289.\n\n[FN#403]  This adventure is a rechauff\u00e9 of Amjad's adventure\n(vol. iii. 333) without, however, its tragic catastrophe.\n\n[FN#404]  The text is so concise as to be enigmatical. The house\nwas finely furnished for a feast, as it belonged to the Man who\nwas lavish, etc.\n\n[FN#405]  Arab. \"Khubz Sam\u00edz;\" the latter is the Arabisation of\nthe Pers. Sam\u00edd, fine white bread, simnel, Germ. semmel.\n\n[FN#406]  The text has \"Bak\u00fal\u00e1t\"=pot-herbs; but it is probably a\nclerical error for \"Bakl\u00e1w\u00e1t.\" See vol. ii. 311.\n\n[FN#407]  Egyptian-like he at once calls upon Allah to witness a\nlie and his excuse would be that the lie was well-intentioned.\n\n[FN#408]  i.e. The private bagnio which in old days every grand\nhouse possessed.\n\n[FN#409]  This is a fancy title, but it suits the tale better\nthan that in the text (xi. 183) \"The Richard who lost his wealth\nand his wits.\" Mr. Clouston refers to similar stories in\nSacchetti and other early Italian novelists.\n\n[FN#410]  Arab. \"Al-Muwaswis\": for \"Wisw\u00e1s\" see vol. i. 106. This\nclass of men in stories takes the place of our \"cunning idiot,\"\nand is often confounded with the Saud\u00e1wi, the melancholist\nproper.\n\n[FN#411]  Arab. \"Hamhama,\" an onomap\u0153ic, like our hum, hem, and\nhaw.\n\n[FN#412]  Arab. \"Barniyah,\" a vessel either of glass or pottery\nlike that in which the manna was collected (Exod. xvi. 33).\n\n[FN#413]  A hasty man, as Ghazb\u00e1n=an angry man.\n\n[FN#414]  The Bresl. Edit. misprint. \"Khablas\" in more places\nthan one, now with a S\u00edn, then with a S\u00e1d. Khalbas suggests\n\"Khalb\u00fas,\" a buffoon, for which see vol. ii. 143. In Egypt,\nhowever, the latter generally ends in a Sad (see Lane's\n\"Khalboos,\" M. E. chap. xxvii).\n\n[FN#415]  This story is a rechauff\u00e9 of the Jewish Kazi and his\npious wife; see vol. v. 256.\n\n[FN#416]  The Arab form of \"Naysh\u00e1p\u00far\"=reeds of (King) Shap\u00far:\nsee vol. ix. 230.\n\n[FN#417]  Arab. \"Al\u00e0 Tar\u00edk al-Satr wa al-Sal\u00e1mah,\" meaning that\neach other's wives did not veil before their brothers-in-law as\nis usually done. It may also mean that they were under Allah's\nprotection and in best of condition.\n\n[FN#418]  i.e. he dared not rape her.\n\n[FN#419]  i.e. her \"yes\" meant \"yes\" and her \"no\" meant \"no.\"\n\n[FN#420]  \"Ignorance\" (Jahl) may, here and elsewhere, mean\nwickedness, forwardness, folly, vicious folly or uncalled-for\nwrath. Here Arabic teaches a good lesson, for ignorance,\nintemperance and egoism are, I repeat, the roots of all evil.\n\n[FN#421]  So Mohammed said of a child born in adultery \"The babe\nto the blanket (i.e. let it be nursed and reared) and the\nadultress to the stone.\"\n\n[FN#422]  Arab. \"Wa h\u00e1,\" etc., an interjection corresponding with\nthe Syriac \"ho\" lo! (i.e., look) behold! etc.\n\n[FN#423]  This paragraph is supplied by Mr. Payne: something of\nthe kind has evidently fallen out of the Arab text.\n\n[FN#424]  i.e. in the presence of witnesses, legally.\n\n[FN#425]  Lit. a myriad, ten thousand dirhams. See vol. iv. 281.\n\n[FN#426]  The fire was intended to defend the mother and babe\nfrom Jinns, bad spirits, the evil eye, etc. Romans lit candles in\nthe room of the puerpara; hence the goddess Candelifera, and the\nterm Candelaria applied to the B.V. In Brand's Popular\nAntiquities (ii. 144) we find, \"Gregory mentions an ordinary\nsuperstition of the old wives who dare not trust a child in a\ncradle by itself alone without a candle;\" this was for fear of\nthe \"night-hag\" (Milton, P. L., ii. 662). The same idea prevailed\nin Scotland and in Germany: see the learned Liebrecht (who\ntranslated the Pentamerone) \"Zur Volkskunde,\" p. 31. In Sweden if\nthe candle go out, the child may be carried off by the Trolls\n(Weckenstedt, Wendische Sagen, p. 446). The custom has been\ntraced to the Malay peninsula, whither it was probably imported\nby the Hindus or the Moslems, and amongst the Tajiks in Bokhara.\nFor the Hindu practice, see Katha S. S. 305, and Prof. Tawney's\nlearned note analysed above.\n\n[FN#427]  Arab. \"K\u00e1hinah,\" fem. of K\u00e1hin (Cohen): see Kah\u00e1nah,\nvol. i. 28.\n\n[FN#428]  i.e. for a long time, as has been before explained.\n\n[FN#429]  i.e. at his service. Arabia was well provided with\nHetair\u00e6 and public women long before the days of Al-Islam.\n\n[FN#430]  Arab. \"Athar\"=sign, mark, trail.\n\n[FN#431]  i.e. Persia. See vol. v. 26.\n\n[FN#432]  Arab. \"'Ak\u00e1k\u00edr\" plur. of 'Akk\u00e1r prop.=aromatic roots;\nbut applied to vulgar drugs or simples, as in the Tale of the\nSage Duban, i. 46.\n\n[FN#433]  Arab. \"Si'at rizki-h\" i.e., the ease with which he\nearned his copious livelihood.\n\n[FN#434]  i.e. the ten thousand dirhams of the bond, beside the\nunpaid and contingent portion of her \"Mahr\" or\nmarriage-settlement.\n\n[FN#435]  Arab. \"Al-H\u00e1z\u00far\" from Hazr=loquacity, frivolous\ngarrulity. Every craft in the East has a jargon of its own and\nthe goldsmith (Zargar) is famed for speaking a language made\nunintelligible by the constant insertion of a letter or letters\nnot belonging to the word. It is as if we rapidly pronounced How\nd'ye do=Howth doth yeth doth?\n\n[FN#436]  Arab. \"Asm\u00e1 al-Adwiyah,\" such as are contained in\nvolumes like the \"Alf\u00e1z al-Adwi-yah\" (Nomenclature of Drugs).\n\n[FN#437]  I am compelled to insert a line in order to make sense.\n\n[FN#438]  \"Galen,\" who is considered by Moslems as a kind of\npre-Islamitic Saint; and whom Rabelais (iii. c. 7) calls Le\ngentil Falot Galen, is explained by Eustathius as the Serene\n{Galen\u00f2s} from {gel\u00e1oo}=rideo.\n\n[FN#439]  Arab. \"S\u00e1hah\" the clear space before the house as\nopposed to the \"Bathah\" (Span. Patio) the inner court.\n\n[FN#440]  A na\u00efve description of the na\u00efve style of r\u00e9clame\nadopted by the Eastern Bob Sawyer.\n\n[FN#441]  Which they habitually do, by the by, with an immense\namount of unpleasant detail. See Pilgrimage i. 18.\n\n[FN#442]  The old French name for the phial or bottle in which\nthe patient's water is sent.\n\n[FN#443]  A descendant from Mohammed, strictly through his\ngrandson Husayn. See vol. iv. 170.\n\n[FN#444]  Arab. \"Al-Fut\u00fah\" lit. the victories; a euphemistic term\nfor what is submitted to the \"musculus guineaorum.\"\n\n[FN#445]  Arab. \"Fir\u00e1sah\" lit. judging the points of a mare\n(faras). Of physiognomy, or rather judging by externals, curious\ntales are told by the Arabs. In Al-Mas'udi's (chapt. lvi.) is the\noriginal of the camel blind of one eye, etc., which the genius of\nVoltaire has made famous throughout Europe.\n\n[FN#446]  I here quote Mr. Payne's note. \"Sic in the text; but\nthe passage is apparently corrupt. It is not plain why a rosy\ncomplexion, blue eyes and tallness should be peculiar to women in\nlove. Arab women being commonly short, swarthy and blackeyed, the\nattributes mentioned appear rather to denote the foreign origin\nof the woman; and it is probable, therefore, that this passage\nhas by a copyist's error, been mixed up with that which relates\nto the signs by which the mock physician recognised her\nstrangerhood, the clause specifying the symptoms of her love-lorn\ncondition having been crowded out in the process, an accident of\nno infrequent occurrence in the transcription of Oriental works.\"\n\n[FN#447]  Most men would have suspected that it was her lover.\n\n[FN#448]  The sumptuary laws, compelling for instance the Jews to\nwear yellow turbans, and the Christians to carry girdles date\nfrom the Capture of Jerusalem in A.D. 636 by Caliph Omar. See\nvol. i. 77; and Terminal Essay \u00c2\u00a7 11.\n\n[FN#449]  i.e. Our Sunday: the Jewish week ending with the\nSabbath (Saturday). I have already noted this term for Saturn's\nday, established as a God's rest by Commandment No. iv. How it\nlost its honours amongst Christians none can say: the text in\nCol. ii. 16, 17, is insufficient to abolish an order given with\nsuch pomp and circumstance to, and obeyed, so strictly and\nuniversally by, the Hebrews, including the Founder of\nChristianity. The general idea is that the Jewish Sabbath was\ndone away with by the Christian dispensation (although Jesus kept\nit with the usual scrupulous care), and that sundry of the\nCouncils at Coloss\u00e6 and Laodicea anathematised those who observed\nthe Saturday after Israelitish fashion. With the day its object\nchanged; instead of \"keeping it holy,\" as all pious Jews still\ndo, the early Fathers converted it into the \"Feast of the\nResurrection,\" which could not be kept too joyously. The\n\"Sabbatismus\" of the Sabbatarian Protestant who keeps holy the\nwrong day is a marvellous perversion and the Sunday feast of\nFrance, Italy, and Catholic countries generally is far more\nlogical than the mortification day of England and the so-called\nReformed countries.\n\n[FN#450]  Har\u00e1is, plur. of Har\u00edsah: see vol. i. 131.\n\n[FN#451]  It would have been cooked on our Thursday night, or the\nJewish Friday night and would be stale and indigestible on the\nnext day.\n\n[FN#452]  Marw (Margiana), which the Turkomans pronounce \"Mawr,\"\nis derived by Bournouf from the Sansk. Maru or Marw; and by Sir\nH. Rawlinson from Marz or Marj, the Lat. Margo; Germ. Mark;\nEnglish March; Old French Marche and Neo-Lat. Marca. So Marzb\u00e1n,\na Warden of the Marches: vol. iii. 256. The adj. is not Mar\u00e1z\u00ed,\nas stated in vol. iii. 222; but Marwazi, for which see Ibn\nKhallikan, vol. i. p. 7, etc.: yet there are good writers who use\n\"Mar\u00e1z\u00ed\" as R\u00e1z\u00ed for a native of Rayy.\n\n[FN#453]  i.e. native of Rayy city. See vol. iv. 104.\n\n[FN#454]  Normally used for fuel and at times by funny men to be\nput into sweetmeats by way of practical joke: these are called\n\"Nukl-i-Pishkil\"=goat-dung bonbons. The tale will remind old\nAnglo-Indians of the two Bengal officers who were great at such\n\"sells\" and who \"swopped\" a spavined horse for a broken-down\n\"buggy.\"\n\n[FN#455]  In the text \"khan\u00e1dik,\" ditches, trenches; probably (as\nMr. Payne suggests) a clerical or typographical error for\n\"Fan\u00e1dik,\" inns or caravanserais; the plural of \"Funduk\" (Span.\nFonda), for which see vol. viii. 184.\n\n[FN#456]  This sentence is supplied by Mr. Payne to remedy the\nincoherence of the text. Moslems are bound to see True Believers\ndecently buried and the poor often beg alms for the funeral. Here\nthe tale resembles the opening of Hajji Baba by Mr. Morier, that\nadmirable picture of Persian manners and morals.\n\n[FN#457]  Arab. \"Al-ajr\" which has often occurred.\n\n[FN#458]  Arab. \"Han\u00fat,\" i.e., leaves of the lotus-tree to be\ninfused as a wash for the corpse; camphor used with cotton to\nclose the mouth and other orifices; and, in the case of a wealthy\nman, rose-water, musk, ambergris, sandal-wood, and lign-aloes for\nfumigation.\n\n[FN#459]  Which always begin with four \"Takb\u00edrs\" and differ in\nmany points from the usual orisons. See Lane (M. E. chapt.\nxxviii.) who is, however, very superficial upon an intricate and\ninteresting subject. He even neglects to mention the number of\nRuk'\u00e1t (bows) usual at Cairo and the absence of prostration\n(suj\u00fad) for which see vol. ii. 10.\n\n[FN#460]  Thus requiring all the ablutional offices to be\nrepeated. The Shaykh, by handling the corpse, became ceremonially\nimpure and required \"Wuzu\" before he could pray either at home or\nin the Mosque.\n\n[FN#461]  The Shaykh had left it when he went out to perform\nWuzu.\n\n[FN#462]  Arab. \"Satl\"=the Lat. and Etruscan \"Situla\" and\n\"Situlus,\" a water-pot.\n\n[FN#463]  Arab. \"Lahd, Luhd,\" the niche or cell hollowed out in\nthe side of the oblong trench: here the corpse is deposited and\ncovered with palm-fronds etc. to prevent the earth touching it.\nSee my Pilgrimage ii. 304.\n\n[FN#464]  For the incredible amount of torture which Eastern\nobstinacy will sometimes endure, see Al-Mas'udi's tale of the\nmiserable little old man who stole the ten purses, vol. viii. 153\net seq.\n\n[FN#465]  Arab. \"Jar\u00eddah\" (whence the Jar\u00edd-game) a palm-frond\nstripped of its leaves and used for a host of purposes besides\nflogging, chairs, sofas, bedsteads, cages, etc. etc. Tales of\nheroism in \"eating stick\" are always highly relished by the lower\norders of Egyptians who pride themselves upon preferring the\nseverest bastinado to paying the smallest amount of \"rint.\"\n\n[FN#466]  Arab. \"N\u00e1w\u00fas,\" the hollow tower of masonry with a\ngrating over the central well upon which the Magian corpse is\nplaced to be torn by birds of prey: it is kept up by the Parsi\npopulation of Bombay and is known to Europeans as the \"Tower of\nSilence.\" N\u00e1\u00eds and N\u00e1w\u00fas also mean a Pyrethrum, a fire-temple and\nhave a whimsical resemblance to the Greek     .\n\n[FN#467]  For Munkar and Nakir, the Interrogating Angels, see\nvol. v. 111. According to Al-Mas'udi (chapt. xxxi.) these names\nwere given by the Egyptians to the thirteenth and fourteenth\ncubits marked on the Nilometer which, in his day, was expected to\nshow seventeen.\n\n[FN#468]  The text (xi. 227) has \"Tann\u00far\"=an oven, evidently a\nmisprint for \"Kub\u00far\"=tombs.\n\n[FN#469]  Arab. \"'An Ab\u00ed\"=(a propitiatory offering) for my\nfather. So in Marocco the \"Powder-players\" dedicate a shot to a\nspecial purpose or person, crying \"To my sweetheart!\" \"To my\ndead!\" \"To my horse!\" etc.\n\n[FN#470]  For this formula see vol. i. 65. It is technically\ncalled \"Haukalah\" and \"Haulakah,\" words in the third conjugation\nof increased triliterals, corresponding with the quadriliteral\nradicals and possessing the peculiar power of Kasr=abbreviation.\nOf this same class is Basmalah (vol. v. 206; ix. 1).\n\n[FN#471]  This scene with the watch would be relished in the\ncoffee-house, where the tricks of robbers, like a gird at the\npolice, are always acceptable.\n\n[FN#472]  Arab. \"L\u00e1 af'al\"; more commonly M\u00e1 af'al. M\u00e1 and L\u00e1 are\nsynonymous negative particles, differing, however, in\napplication. M\u00e1 (Gr. {m\u00e8}) precedes definites, or indefinites: L\u00e1\nand Lam (Gr. {oy}) only indefinites as \"L\u00e1 il\u00e1ha\" etc.\n\n[FN#473]  Alluding to the proverb, \"What hast thou left behind\nthee, O As\u00e1m?\" i.e., what didst thou see?\n\n[FN#474]  Arab. \"Sayrafi,\" s.s. as \"Sarr\u00e1f': see vol. i. 210.\n\n[FN#475]  Arab. \"Al-Ma'rafah\"=the place where the mane grows.\n\n[FN#476]  i.e. though the ass remain on thy hands.\n\n[FN#477]  \"Halves,\" i.e. of dirhams: see vol. ii. 37.\n\n[FN#478]  Arab. \"Taannaf\u00fa,\"=the Germ. lange Nase.\n\n[FN#479]  About forty shillings.\n\n[FN#480]  About \u00a3220.\n\n[FN#481]  Characteristically Eastern and Moslem is this action of\nthe neighbours and bystanders. A walk through any Oriental city\nwill show a crowd of people screaming and gesticulating, with\nthundering yells and lightning glances, as if about to close in\nmortal fight, concerning some matter which in no way concerns\nthem. Our European cockneys and badauds mostly content themselves\nwith staring and mobbing.\n\n[FN#482]  Arab. \"Muruwwah,\" lit. manliness, especially in the\nsense of generosity. So the saying touching the \"Miy\u00e1n,\" or\nMoslem of India:\u2014\n\n     F\u00ed 'l-ruz Kuwwah:\n     F\u00ed 'l Hind\u00ed muruwwah.\n\n     When rice have strength, you'll haply find,\n     In Hindi man, a manly mind.\n\n[FN#483]  i.e. His claim is just and reasonable.\n\n[FN#484]  I have noted (vol. i. 17) that good Moslems shun a\nformal oath, although \"by Allah!\" is ever on their tongues. This\nthey seem to have borrowed from Christianity, which expressly\nforbade it, whilst Christians cannot insist upon it too much. The\nscandalous scenes lately enacted in a certain legislative\nassembly because an M.P. did not believe in a practice denounced\nby his creed, will be the wonder and ridicule of our descendants.\n\n[FN#485]  Most Arabs believe that the black cloud which sometimes\nproduces, besides famine, contagious fevers and pestilence, like\nthat which in 1799 depopulated the cities and country of Barbary,\nis led by a king locust, the Sultan Jar\u00e1d.\n\n[FN#486]  The text is hopelessly corrupt, and we have no other\nwith which to collate. Apparently a portion of the tale has\nfallen out, making a non-sens of its ending, which suggests that\nthe kite gobbled up the two locusts at her ease, and left the\nfalcon to himself.\n\n[FN#487]  The lines have occurred in vol. i. 265. I quote Mr.\nPayne.\n\n[FN#488]  The fabliau is a favourite in the East; this is the\nthird time it has occurred with minor modifications. Of course\nthe original was founded on fact, and the fact was and is by no\nmeans uncommon.\n\n[FN#489]  This would hardly be our Western way of treating a\nproposal of the kind; nor would the European novelist neglect so\ngrand an opportunity for tall-talk.\n\n[FN#490]  This is a rechauff\u00e9 of \"The House with the Belvedere;\"\nsee vol. vi. 188.\n\n[FN#491]  Arab. \"Mast\u00farah,\"=veiled, well-guarded, confined in the\nHarem.\n\n[FN#492]  Arab. \"'Aj\u00faz nahs\"=an old woman so crafty that she was\na calamity to friends and foes.\n\n[FN#493]  Here, as in many places the text is painfully concise:\nthe crone says only, \"The Wuzu for the prayer!\"\n\n[FN#494]  I have followed Mr. Payne who supplies this sentence to\nmake the Tale run smoothly.\n\n[FN#495]  i.e. the half of the marriage-settlement due to the\nwife on divorcement and whatever monies he may have borrowed of\nher.\n\n[FN#496]  Here we find the vulgar idea of a rape, which is that a\nman can, by mere force, possess a woman against her will. I\ncontend that this is impossible unless he use drugs like\nchloroform or violence, so as to make the patient faint or she be\nexceptionally weak. \"Good Queen Bess\" hit the heart of the\nquestion when she bade Lord High Chancellor sheath his sword, she\nholding the scabbard-mouth before him and keeping it in constant\nmotion. But it often happens that the woman, unless she have a\nloathing for her violator, becomes infected with the amorous\nstorge, relaxes her defense, feels pleasure in the outer contact\nof the parts and almost insensibly allows penetration and\nemission. Even conception is possible in such cases as is proved\nin that curious work, \"The Curiosities of Medical Experience.\"\n\n[FN#497]  i.e. thou wilt have satisfied us all three.\n\n[FN#498]  Here I follow Mr. Payne who has skilfully fine-drawn\nthe holes in the original text.\n\n[FN#499]  See vol. vii. 363; ix. 238.\n\n[FN#500]  Arab. \"Musall\u00e0,\" which may be either a praying carpet,\na pure place in a house, or a small chapel like that near Shiraz\nwhich Hafiz immortalised,\n\n\"Bring, boy, the sup that's in the cup; in highest Heaven man\nne'er shall find\nSuch watery marge as Rukn\u00e1b\u00e1d, MusalI\u00e0's mazes rose entwined.\"\n\n[FN#501]  Arab. \"Ihtid\u00e1,\"=divine direction to Hud\u00e0 or salvation.\nThe old bawd was still dressed as a devotee, and keeps up the\ncant of her caste. No sensible man in the East ever allows a\nreligious old woman to pass his threshold.\n\n[FN#502]  In this tale \"poetical justice\" is neglected, but the\nteller skilfully caused the wife to be ravished and not to be a\nparticeps criminis. The lover escapes scot-free because Moslems,\nas well as Hindus, hold that the amourist under certain\nconditions is justified in obtaining his object by fair means or\nfoul. See p. 147 of \"Early Ideas, a Group of Hindoo Stories,\"\ncollected and collated by Anaryan: London, Allens, 1881.\n\n[FN#503]  This is supplied from the \"Tale of the King and his\nWazir's Wife,\" vol. vi. 129.\n\n[FN#504]  Arab. \"Ibl,\" a specific name: it is presently opposed\nto \"N\u00e1kah,\" a she-dromedary, and \"R\u00e1hilah,\" a riding-camel.\n\n[FN#505]  Here \"Amsaytu\" is used in its literal sense \"I evened\"\n(came at evening), and this is the case with seven such verbs,\nAsbaha, Ams\u00e1, Azh\u00e1, Azhara, A'tama, Zalla, and B\u00e1ta, which either\nconjoin the sense of the sentence with their respective times,\nmorning, evening, forenoon, noon and the first sundown watch, all\nday and all night or are used \"elegantly,\" as grammarians say,\nfor the simple \"becoming\" or \"being.\"\n\n[FN#506]  The Badawi dogs are as dangerous as those of Montenegro\nbut not so treacherous: the latter will sneak up to the stranger\nand suddenly bite him most viciously. I once had a narrow escape\nfrom an ignoble death near the slaughter-house of\nAlexandria-Ramlah, where the beasts were unusually ferocious. A\npack assailed me at early dawn and but for an iron stick and a\nconvenient wall I should have been torn to pieces.\n\n[FN#507]  These elopements are of most frequent occurrence: see\nPilgrimage iii. 52.\n\n[FN#508]  The principal incidents, the loss and recovery of wife\nand children, occur in the Story of the Knight Placidus (Gesta\nRomanorum, cx.). But the ecclesiastical tale-teller does not do\npoetical justice upon any offenders, and he vilely slanders the\ngreat C\u00e6sar, Trajan.\n\n[FN#509]  i.e. a long time: the idiom has already been noticed.\nIn the original we have \"of days and years and twelvemonths\" in\norder that \"A'w\u00e1m\" (years) may jingle with \"Ayy\u00e1m\" (days).\n\n[FN#510]  Nothing can be more beautiful than the natural parks\nwhich travellers describe on the coasts of tropical seas.\n\n[FN#511]  Arab. \"Khayy\u00e1l\" not only a rider but a good and a hard\nrider. Hence the proverb \"Al-Khayy\u00e1l\" kabr maft\u00fah=uomo a cavallo\nsepoltura aperta.\n\n[FN#512]  i.e. the crew and the islanders.\n\n[FN#513]  Arab. \"Hadas,\" a word not easy to render. In grammar\nLumsden renders it by \"event\" and the learned Captain Lockett\n(Miut Amil) in an awful long note (pp. 195 to 224) by \"mode,\"\ngrammatical or logical. The value of his disquisition is its\nproving that, as the Arabs borrowed their romance from the\nPersians, so they took their physics and metaphysics of grammar\nand syntax; logic and science in general, from the Greeks.\n\n[FN#514]  We should say the anchors were weighed and the canvas\nspread.\n\n[FN#515]  The rhymes are disposed in the quaintest way, showing\nextensive corruption. Mr. Payne has ordered them into couplets\nwith a \"bob\" or refrain. I have followed suit, preserving the\noriginal vagaries of rhymes.\n\n[FN#516]  Arab. \"Nuwab,\" broken plur. (that is, noun of\nmultitude) of Naubah, the Anglo-Indian Nowbut. This is applied to\nthe band playing at certain intervals before the gate of a Rajah\nor high official.\n\n[FN#517]  Arab. \"H\u00e1jib\"; Captain Trotter (\"Our Mission to the\nCourt of Morocco in 1880\": Edinburgh, Douglas, 1881) speaks,\npassim, of the \"cheery little H\u00e1jeb or Eyebrow.\" Really this is\ntoo bad: why cannot travellers consult an Orientalist when\ntreating of Oriental subjects?\n\n[FN#518]  Suicide is rare in Moslem lands, compared with India,\nChina, and similar \"pagan\" countries; for the Mussulman has the\nsame objection as the Christian \"to rush into the presence of his\nCreator,\" as if he could do so without the Creator's permission.\nThe Hindu also has some curious prejudices on the subject; he\nwill hang himself, but not by the neck, for fear lest his soul be\ndefiled by exiting through an impure channel. In England hanging\nis the commonest form for men; then follow in due order drowning,\ncutting or stabbing, poison, and gun-shot: women prefer drowning\n(except in the cold months) and poison. India has not yet found a\nDr. Ogle to tabulate suicide; but the cases most familiar to old\nAnglo-Indians are leaping down cliffs (as at Giruar), drowning,\nand starving to death. And so little is life valued that a mother\nwill make a vow obliging her son to suicide himself at a certain\nage.\n\n[FN#519]  Arab. \"Zarad-Kh\u00e1nah,\" before noticed: vol. vii. 363.\nHere it would mean a temporary prison for criminals of high\ndegree. De Sacy, Chrestom, ii. 179.\n\n[FN#520]  Arab. \"'Ad\u00fal,\" I have said, means in Marocco, that land\nof lies and subterfuges, a public notary.\n\n[FN#521]  This sentence is inserted by Mr. Payne to complete the\nsense.\n\n[FN#522]  i.e. he intended to marry her when time served.\n\n[FN#523]  Arab. from Pers. Khw\u00e1jah and Khaw\u00e1j\u00e1t: see vol. vi. 46.\n\n[FN#524]  Probably meaning by one mother whom he loved best of\nall his wives: in the next page we read of their sister.\n\n[FN#525]  Come down, i.e. from heaven.\n\n[FN#526]  This is the Bresl. Edit.'s form of Shahry\u00e1r=city-keeper\n(like Marzb\u00e1n, guardian of the Marches), for city-friend. The\nlearned Weil has preferred it to Shahry\u00e1r.\n\n[FN#527]  Sic: in the Mac. Edit. \"Shahr\u00e1z\u00e1d\" and here making\nnonsense of the word. It is regretable that the king's\nreflections do not run at times as in this text: his compunctions\nlead well up to the d\u00e9nouement.\n\n[FN#528]  The careless text says \"couplets.\" It has occurred in\nvol. i. 149: so I quote Torrens (p. 149).\n\n[FN#529]  In the text Salma is made to speak, utterly confusing\nthe dialogue.\n\n[FN#530]  The well-known Baloch province beginning west of Sind:\nthe term is supposed to be a corruption of\nM\u00e1h\u00ed-Khor\u00e1n=Ichthyophagi. The reader who wishes to know more\nabout it will do well to consult \"Unexplored Baluchistan,\" etc.\n(Griffith and Farran, 1882), the excellent work of my friend Mr.\nErnest A. Floyer, long Chief of the Telegraphic Department,\nCairo.\n\n[FN#531]  Meaning the last city in Makran before entering Sind.\nAl-Sharr would be a fancy name, \"The Wickedness.\"\n\n[FN#532]  i.e. think of nothing but his present peril.\n\n[FN#533]  Arab. \"Munkati'ah\"=lit. \"cut off\" (from the weal of the\nworld). See Pilgrimage i. 22.\n\n[FN#534]  The lines are in vol. i. 207 and iv. 189. 1 here quote\nMr. Payne.\n\n[FN#535] i.e. I have another proposal to make.\n\n[FN#536]  i.e. In my heart's core: the figure has often occurred.\n\n[FN#537]  These sudden elevations, so common in the East and not\nunknown to the West in the Napoleonic days, explain how the\nlegend of \"Joanna Papissa\" (Pope John XIII), who succeeded Leo\nIV. in A.D. 855 and was succeeded by Benedict III., found ready\nbelief amongst the enemies of papacy. She was an English woman\nborn in Germany who came to Rome and professed theology with\n\u00e9clat, wherefore the people enthroned her. \"Pope Joan\" governed\nwith exemplary wisdom, but during a procession on Rogation Sunday\nshe was delivered of a fine boy in the street: some make her die\non the spot; others declare that she perished in prison.\n\n[FN#538]  That such things should happen in times of famine is\nonly natural; but not at other seasons. This abomination on the\npart of the butcher is, however, more than once alluded toin The\nNights: see vol. i. 332.\n\n[FN#539]  Opinions differ as to the site of this city, so\ncelebrated in the medi\u00e6val history of Al-Islam: most probably it\nstood where Hyderabad of Sind now is. The question has been ably\ntreated by Sir Henry M. Elliot in his \"History of India,\" edited\nfrom his posthumous papers by Professor Dowson.\n\n[FN#540]  Which, by-the-by, the average Eastern does with even\nmore difficulty than the average European. For the most part the\ncharge to secrecy fixes the matter in his mind even when he has\nforgotten that it is to be kept secret. Hence the most unpleasant\nresults.\n\n[FN#541]  Such an act appears impossible, and yet history tells\nus of a celebrated Sufi, Khayr al-Nass\u00e1j (the Weaver), who being\nof dark complexion was stopped on return from his pilgrimage at\nKufah by a stranger that said, \"Thou art my negro slave and thy\nname is Khayr.\" He was kept at the loom for years, till at last\nthe man set him free, and simply said, \"Thou wast not my slave\"\n(Ibn Khall. i. 513).\n\n[FN#542]  These lines have occurred before. I quote Mr. Payne for\nvariety.\n\n[FN#543]  Arab. \"Tasill sallata 'l-Munkati'\u00edn\" = lit. \"raining on\nthe drouth-hardened earth of the cut-off.\" The metaphor is\nadmissible in the eyes of an Arab who holds water to be the\nchiefest of blessings, and makes it synonymous with bounty and\nbeneficence.\n\n[FN#544]  Possibly this is said in mere fun; but, as Easterns are\npractical physiognomists, it may hint the fact that a large nose\nin womankind is the sign of a masculine nature.\n\n[FN#545]  Arab. \"Zak\u00e1t wa Sadakat,\" = lit. paying of poor rate and\npurifying thy property by almsdeeds. See vol. i. 339.\n\n[FN#546]  I have noted (i. 293) that Kam\u00eds ({chit\u00f3on}, Chemise,\nCameslia, Camisa) is used in the Hindostani and Bengali dialects.\nLike its synonyms pr\u00e6texta and shift, it has an equivocal meaning\nand here probably signifies the dress peculiar to Arab devotees\nand devout beggars.\n\n[FN#547]  I omit here and elsewhere the parenthetical formula\n\"K\u00e1la al-R\u00e1wi,\" etc. = The Story-teller sayeth, reminding the\nreader of its significance in a work collected from the mouths of\nprofessional Tale-tellers and intended mainly for their use.\n\n[FN#548]  The usual sign of emotion, already often mentioned.\n\n[FN#549]  It being no shame to Moslems if a slave become King.\n\n[FN#550]  Arab. \"Tarbiyat\u00ed,\" i.e., he was brought up in my house.\n\n[FN#551]  There is no Salic law amongst Moslems; but the Rasm or\ncustom of AlIslam, established by the succession of the four\nfirst Caliphs, to the prejudice of Ayishah and other masterful\nwomen would be a strong precedent against queenly rule. It is the\nreverse with the Hindus who accept a Rani as willingly as a Rajah\nand who believe with Europeans that when kings reign women rule,\nand vice versa. To the vulgar Moslem feminine government appears\nimpossible, and I was once asked by an Afghan, \"What would happen\nif the queen were in childbed?\"\n\n[FN#552]  Arab. \"Khutbah,\" the sermon preached from the pulpit\n(Mimbar) after the congregational prayers on Friday noon. It is\nof two kinds, for which see Lane, M.E., chap. iii. This public\nmention of his name and inscribing it upon the newly-minted money\nare the special prerogatives of the Moslem king: hence it often\nhappens that usurpers cause a confusion of Khutbah and coinage.\n\n[FN#553]  For a specimen of which, blowing a man up with bellows,\nsee Al-Mas'udi, chap. cxxiii.\n\n[FN#554]  i.e. a long time: the idiom has been noted before more\nthan once.\n\n[FN#555]  i.e. with what he had heard and what he was promised.\n\n[FN#556]  Arab. \"Shakhs mafs\u00fad,\" i.e. an infidel.\n\n[FN#557]  Arab. \"Bun\u00fad,\" plur. of Persian \"band\" = hypocrisy,\ndeceit.\n\n[FN#558]  Arab. \"Bur\u00faj\" pl. of Burj. lit. = towers, an astrological\nterm equivalent to our \"houses\" or constellations which form the\nZodiacal signs surrounding the heavens as towers gird a city; and\napplied also to the 28 lunar Mansions. So in Al-Hariri (Ass. of\nDamascus) \"I swear by the sky with its towers,\" the incept of\nKoran chapt. lxxxv.; see also chapts. xv. 26 and xxv. 62. \"Burj\"\nis a word with a long history: {p\u00fdrgos} burg, burgh, etc.\n\n[FN#559]  Arab. \"Bundukah\"=a little bunduk, nut, filbert, pellet,\nrule, musket bullet.\n\n[FN#560]  See John Raister's \"Booke of the Seven Planets; or,\nSeven Wandering Motives,\" London, 1598.\n\n[FN#561]  i.e. for the king whom I love as my own soul.\n\n[FN#562]  The Bresl. Edit. (xi. 318-21) seems to assume that the\ntales were told in the early night before the royal pair slept.\nThis is no improvement; we prefer to think that the time was\nbefore peep of day when Easterns usally awake and have nothing to\ndo till the dawn-prayer.\n\n[FN#563]  See vol. ii. 161.\n\n[FN#564]  Arab. Al-F\u00e1khir.  No wonder that the First Hand who\nmoulded the Man-mud is a lieu commun in Eastern thought.  The Pot\nand the Potter began with the old Egyptians.  \"Sitting as a\npotter at the wheel, god Cneph (in Phil\u00e6) moulds clay, and gives\nthe spirit of life (the Genesitic \"breath\") to the nostrils of\nOsiris.\"  Then we meet him in the Vedas, the Being, \"by whom the\nfictile vase is formed; the clay out of which it is fabricated.\"\nWe find him next in Jeremiah (xviii. 2) \"Arise and go down unto\nthe Potter's house,\" etc., and in Romans (ix. 20), \"Hath not the\nPotter power over the clay?\"  He appears in full force in Omar-i-\nKhayy\u00e1m (No. xxxvii.):\u2014\n\n     For I remember stopping by the way\n     To watch a Potter thumping his wet Clay:\n          An with its all obliterated Tongue\n     It murmur'd\u2014\"Gently, Brother, gently, pray!\"\n\nLastly the Potter shows in the Kasidah of Haj\u00ed Abd\u00fa al-Yezid\n(p.4):\u2014\n\n     \"The first of pots the Potter made by Chrysorrhoas' blue-\ngreen wave;\n     Methinks I see him smile to see what guerdon to the world he\ngave.","title":"Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights \u2014 Volume 1 (of 6)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":119273}