{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_59156/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_59156","id":"gutenberg_59156","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59156","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales -- Arab countries","Folklore -- Arab countries"],"text":"[Illustration]\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n[Illustration: \u200f\u200f\u0644\u0627 \u0644\u0627\u0628\u0631\u0627\u0631 \u0643\u0644\u0651 \u0634\u064a \u062a\u0628\u0631\u200e\u200e]\n\n \u201cTO THE PURE ALL THINGS ARE PURE.\u201d\n (Puris omnia pura)\n\n \u2014_Arab Proverb._\n\n \u201cNiuna corrotta mente intese mai sanamente parole.\u201d\n\n \u2014\u201c_Decameron_\u201d\u2014_conclusion_.\n\n \u201cErubuit, posuitque meum Lucretia librum\n Sed coram Bruto. Brute! recede, leget.\u201d\n\n \u2014_Martial._\n\n \u201cMieulx est de ris que de larmes escripre,\n Pour ce que rire est le propre des hommes.\u201d\n\n \u2014RABELAIS.\n\n\u201cThe pleasure we derive from perusing the Thousand-and-One Stories makes\nus regret that we possess only a comparatively small part of these truly\nenchanting fictions.\u201d\n\n \u2014CRICHTON\u2019S \u201c_History of Arabia_.\u201d\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n[Illustration]\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n Supplemental\n Nights\n _TO THE BOOK OF THE_\n Thousand Nights and a Night\n _WITH NOTES ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND EXPLANATORY_\n VOLUME I.\n\n\n BY\n\n RICHARD F. BURTON\n\n[Illustration]\n\n PRINTED BY THE BURTON CLUB FOR PRIVATE SUBSCRIBERS ONLY\n\n\n\n\n Shammar Edition\n\nLimited to one thousand numbered sets, of which this is\n\n Number____\n\n\n PRINTED IN U. S. A.\n\n\n\n\n GENERAL STUDHOLME J. HODGSON.\n\n MY DEAR GENERAL,\n\nTo whom with more pleasure or propriety can I inscribe this volume than\nto my preceptor of past times; my dear old friend, whose deep study and\nvast experience of such light literature as The Nights made me so often\nresort to him for good counsel and right direction? Accept this little\ntoken of gratitude, and believe me, with the best of wishes and the\nkindest of memories,\n\n Ever your sincere and attached\n\n RICHARD F. BURTON.\n\n LONDON, _July 15, 1886_.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n THE TRANSLATOR\u2019S FOREWORD.\n\n\nAfter offering my cordial thanks to friends and subscribers who have\nhonoured \u201cTHE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT\u201d (Kama Shastra Society) with\ntheir patronage and approbation, I would inform them that my\n\u201cAnthropological Notes\u201d are by no means exhausted, and that I can\nproduce a complete work only by means of a somewhat extensive\nSupplement. I therefore propose to print (not publish), for private\ncirculation only, five volumes, bearing title\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 Payne\u2019s\nTales from the Arabic; his three tomes, being included in my two. The\nstories are taken from the Breslau Edition where they are distributed\namong the volumes between Nos. iv. and xii., and from the Calcutta\nfragment of 1814. I can say little for the style of the story-stuff\ncontained in this Breslau text, which has been edited with phenomenal\nincuriousness. Many parts are hopelessly corrupted, whilst at present we\nhave no means of amending the commissions and of supplying the omissions\nby comparison with other manuscripts. The Arabic is not only faulty, but\ndry and jejune, comparing badly with that of the \u201cThousand Nights and a\nNight,\u201d as it appears in the Macnaghten and the abridged Bulak Texts.\nSundry of the tales are futile; the majority has little to recommend it,\nand not a few require a diviner rather than a translator. Yet they are\nvaluable to students as showing the different sources and the\nheterogeneous materials from and of which the great Saga-book has been\ncompounded. Some are, moreover, striking and novel, especially parts of\nthe series entitled King Shah Bakht and his Wazir Al-Rahwan (pp.\n191\u2013355). Interesting also is the Tale of the \u201cTen Wazirs\u201d (pp. 55\u2013155),\nmarking the transition of the Persian Bakhtiy\u00e1r-N\u00e1meh into Arabic. In\nthis text also and in this only is found Galland\u2019s popular tale\n\u201cAbou-Hassan; or, the Sleeper Awakened,\u201d which I have entitled \u201cThe\nSleeper and the Waker.\u201d\n\nIn the ten volumes of \u201cThe Nights\u201d proper, I mostly avoided parallels of\nfolk-lore and fabliaux which, however interesting and valuable to\nscholars, would have over-swollen the bulk of a work especially devoted\nto Anthropology. In the \u201cSupplementals,\u201d however it is otherwise; and,\nas Mr. W. A. Clouston, the \u201cStoriologist,\u201d has obligingly agreed to\ncollaborate with me, I shall pay marked attention to this subject, which\nwill thus form another _raison d\u2019\u00eatre_ for the additional volumes.\n\n RICHARD F. BURTON.\n\n JUNIOR TRAVELLERS\u2019 CLUB,\n _December 1, 1886_.\n\n\n\n\n CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.\n\n\n =Breslau Tert.=\n\n PAGE\n 1. THE SLEEPER AND THE WAKER 1\n\n (_Lane_, ii. pp. 352\u201379, _The Story of Abu-l-Hasan the Wag, or the\n Sleeper Awakened_).\n\n _a._ STORY OF THE LARRIKIN AND THE COOK 4\n\n 2. THE CALIPH OMAR BIN ABD AL-AZIZ AND THE POETS 39\n\n 3. AL-HAJJAJ AND THE THREE YOUNG MEN 47\n\n 4. HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE WOMAN OF THE BARMECIDES 51\n\n 5. THE TEN WAZIRS; OR THE HISTORY OF KING AZADBAKHT AND HIS SON 55\n\n _a._ OF THE USELESSNESS OF ENDEAVOUR AGAINST THE PERSISTENT\n ILL FORTUNE 63\n\n _aa._ STORY OF THE MERCHANT WHO LOST HIS LUCK 65\n\n _b._ OF LOOKING TO THE ENDS OF AFFAIRS 73\n\n _bb._ TALE OF THE MERCHANT AND HIS SONS _ib._\n\n _c._ OF THE ADVANTAGES OF PATIENCE 81\n\n _cc._ STORY OF ABU SABIR _ib._\n\n _d._ OF THE ILL EFFECTS OF IMPATIENCE 89\n\n _dd._ STORY OF PRINCE BIHZAD _ib._\n\n _e._ OF THE ISSUES OF GOOD AND EVIL ACTIONS 93\n\n _ee._ STORY OF KING DADBIN AND HIS WAZIRS 94\n\n _f._ OF TRUST IN ALLAH 102\n\n _ff._ STORY OF KING BAKHTZAMAN _ib._\n\n _g._ OF CLEMENCY 107\n\n _gg._ STORY OF KING BIHKARD _ib._\n\n _h._ OF ENVY AND MALICE 111\n\n _hh._ STORY OF AYLAN SHAH AND ABU TAMMAM 112\n\n _i._ OF DESTINY OR THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN ON THE FOREHEAD 120\n\n _ii._ STORY OF KING IBRAHIM AND HIS SON 121\n\n _j._ OF THE APPOINTED TERM, WHICH, IF IT BE ADVANCED, MAY NOT\n BE DEFERRED, AND IF IT BE DEFERRED, MAY NOT BE ADVANCED 129\n\n _jj._ STORY OF KING SULAYMAN SHAH AND HIS NIECE 131\n\n _k._ OF THE SPEEDY RELIEF OF ALLAH 151\n\n _kk._ STORY OF THE PRISONER AND HOW ALLAH GAVE HIM RELIEF _ib._\n\n 6. JA\u2019AFAR BIN YAHYA AND ABD AL-MALIK BIN SALIH THE ABBASIDE 159\n\n 7. AL-RASHID AND THE BARMECIDES 165\n\n 8. IBN AL-SAMMAK AND AL-RASHID 171\n\n 9. AL-MAAMUN AND ZUBAYDAH 175\n\n 10. AL-NU\u2019UMAN AND THE ARAB OF THE BANU TAY 179\n\n 11. FIRUZ AND HIS WIFE 185\n\n 12. KING SHAH BAKHT AND HIS WAZIR AL-RAHWAN 191\n\n _a._ TALE OF THE MAN OF KHORASAN, HIS SON AND HIS TUTOR 194\n\n _b._ TALE OF THE SINGER AND THE DRUGGIST 203\n\n _c._ TALE OF THE KING WHO KENNED THE QUINTESSENCE OF THINGS 212\n\n _d._ TALE OF THE RICHARD WHO MARRIED HIS BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER\n TO THE POOR OLD MAN 218\n\n _e._ TALE OF THE SAGE AND HIS THREE SONS 222\n\n _f._ TALE OF THE PRINCE WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH THE PICTURE 226\n\n _g._ TALE OF THE FULLER AND HIS WIFE AND THE TROOPER 231\n\n _h._ TALE OF THE MERCHANT, THE CRONE, AND THE KING 235\n\n _i._ TALE OF THE SIMPLETON HUSBAND 239\n\n _j._ TALE OF THE UNJUST KING AND THE TITHER 242\n\n _jj._ STORY OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 244\n\n _k._ TALE OF THE ROBBER AND THE WOMAN 246\n\n _l._ TALE OF THE THREE MEN AND OUR LORD ISA 250\n\n _ll._ THE DISCIPLE\u2019S STORY 251\n\n _m._ TALE OF THE DETHRONED RULER WHOSE REIGN AND WEALTH WERE\n RESTORED TO HIM 253\n\n _n._ TALE OF THE MAN WHOSE CAUTION SLEW HIM 258\n\n _o._ TALE OF THE MAN WHO WAS LAVISH OF HIS HOUSE AND HIS\n PROVISION TO ONE WHOM HE KNEW NOT 259\n\n _p._ TALE OF THE MELANCHOLIST AND THE SHARPER 264\n\n _q._ TALE OF KHALBAS AND HIS WIFE AND THE LEARNED MAN 267\n\n _r._ TALE OF THE DEVOTEE ACCUSED OF LEWDNESS 270\n\n _s._ TALE OF THE HIRELING AND THE GIRL 279\n\n _t._ TALE OF THE WEAVER WHO BECAME A LEACH BY ORDER OF HIS\n WIFE 282\n\n _u._ TALE OF THE TWO SHARPERS WHO EACH COZENED HIS COMPEER 288\n\n _v._ TALE OF THE SHARPERS WITH THE SHROFF AND THE ASS 298\n\n _w._ TALE OF THE CHEAT AND THE MERCHANTS 302\n\n _wa._ STORY OF THE FALCON AND THE LOCUST 305\n\n _x._ TALE OF THE KING AND HIS CHAMBERLAIN\u2019S WIFE 308\n\n _xa._ STORY OF THE CRONE AND THE DRAPER\u2019S WIFE 309\n\n _y._ TALE OF THE UGLY MAN AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE 315\n\n _z._ TALE OF THE KING WHO LOST KINGDOM AND WIFE AND WEALTH\n AND ALLAH RESTORED THEM TO HIM 319\n\n _aa._ TALE OF SALIM THE YOUTH OF KHORASAN AND SALMA, HIS\n SISTER 332\n\n _bb._ TALE OF THE KING OF HIND AND HIS WAZIR 352\n\n 13. SHAHRAZAD AND SHAHRYAR 359\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 THE SLEEPER AND THE WAKER.[1]\n\n\nIt hath reached me, O auspicious King, that there was once at Baghdad,\nin the Caliphate of Harun al-Rashid, a man and a merchant, who had a son\nAb\u00fa al-Hasan-al-Khal\u00ed\u2019a by name.[2] The merchant died leaving great\nstore of wealth to his heir who divided it into two equal parts, whereof\nhe laid up one and spent of the other half; and he fell to companying\nwith Persians[3] and with the sons of the merchants and he gave himself\nup to good drinking and good eating, till all the wealth[4] he had with\nhim was wasted and wantoned; whereupon he betook himself to his friends\nand comrades and cup-companions and expounded to them his case,\ndiscovering to them the failure of that which was in his hand of wealth.\nBut not one of them took heed of him or even deigned answer him. So he\nreturned to his mother (and indeed his spirit was broken) and related to\nher that which had happened to him and what had befallen him from his\nfriends, how they had neither shared with him nor requited him with\nspeech. Quoth she, \u201cO Abu al-Hasan, on this wise are the sons[5] of this\ntime: an thou have aught, they draw thee near to them,[6] and if thou\nhave naught, they put thee away from them.\u201d And she went on to condole\nwith him, what while he bewailed himself and his tears flowed and he\nrepeated these lines:\u2014\n\n An wane my wealth, no man will succour me, \u273f When my wealth waxeth all\n men friendly show:\n How many a friend, for wealth showed friendliness \u273f Who, when my wealth\n departed, turned to foe!\n\nThen he sprang up and going to the place wherein was the other half of\nhis good, took it and lived with it well; and he sware that he would\nnever again consort with a single one of those he had known, but would\ncompany only with the stranger nor entertain even him but one night and\nthat, when it morrowed, he would never know him more. Accordingly he\nfell to sitting every eventide on the bridge over Tigris and looking at\neach one who passed by him; and if he saw him to be a stranger, he made\nfriends with him and carried him to his house, where he conversed and\ncaroused with him all night till morning. Then he dismissed him and\nwould never more salute him with the Salam nor ever more drew near unto\nhim neither invited him again. Thus he continued to do for the space of\na full year, till, one day, while he sat on the bridge, as was his wont,\nexpecting who should come to him so he might take him and pass the night\nwith him, behold, up came the Caliph and Masrur, the Sworder of his\nvengeance[7] disguised in merchants\u2019 dress, according to their custom.\nSo Abu al-Hasan looked at them and rising, because he knew them not,\nasked them, \u201cWhat say ye? Will ye go with me to my dwelling-place, so ye\nmay eat what is ready and drink what is at hand, to wit,\nplatter-bread[8] and meat cooked and wine strained?\u201d The Caliph refused\nthis, but he conjured him and said to him, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my lord,\ngo with me, for thou art my guest this night, and baulk not my hopes of\nthee!\u201d And he ceased not to press him till he consented; whereat Abu\nal-Hasan rejoiced and walking on before him, gave not over talking with\nhim till they came to his house and he carried the Caliph into the\nsaloon. Al-Rashid entered a hall such as an thou sawest it and gazedst\nupon its walls, thou hadst beheld marvels; and hadst thou looked\nnarrowly at its water-conduits thou wouldst have seen a fountain cased\nwith gold. The Caliph made his man abide at the door; and, as soon as he\nwas seated, the host brought him somewhat to eat; so he ate, and Abu\nal-Hasan ate with him that eating might be grateful to him. Then he\nremoved the tray and they washed their hands and the Commander of the\nFaithful sat down again; whereupon Abu al-Hasan set on the drinking\nvessels and seating himself by his side, fell to filling and giving him\nto drink[9] and entertaining him with discourse. And when they had drunk\ntheir sufficiency 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, \u273f Whileas thy form is far from sight,\n Thou art my sprite by me unseen, \u273f Yet nearest near art thou, my sprite.\n\nHis hospitality pleased the Caliph and the goodliness of his manners,\nand he said to him, \u201cO youth, who art thou? Make me acquainted with\nthyself, so I may requite thee thy kindness.\u201d But Abu al-Hasan smiled\nand said, \u201cO my lord, far be it, alas! that what is past should again\ncome to pass and that I company with thee at other time than this time!\u201d\nThe Prince of True Believers asked, \u201cWhy so? and why wilt thou not\nacquaint me with thy case?\u201d and Abu al-Hasan answered, \u201cKnow, O my lord,\nthat my story is strange and that there is a cause for this affair.\u201d\nQuoth Al-Rashid, \u201cAnd what is the cause?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cThe cause hath\na tail.\u201d The Caliph[10] laughed at his words and Abu al-Hasan said, \u201cI\nwill explain to thee this saying by the tale of the Larrikin and the\nCook. So hear thou, O my lord, the\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n _STORY OF THE LARRIKIN[11] AND THE COOK_.\u201d\n\nOne of the ne\u2019er-do-wells found himself one fine morning without aught\nand the world was straitened upon him and patience failed him; so he lay\ndown to sleep and ceased not slumbering till the sun stang him and the\nfoam came out upon his mouth, whereupon he arose, and he was penniless\nand had not even so much as a single dirham. Presently he arrived at the\nshop of a Cook, who had set his pots and pans over the fire and washed\nhis saucers and wiped his scales and swept his shop and sprinkled it;\nand indeed his fats and oils were clear and clarified and his spices\nfragrant and he himself stood behind his cooking-pots ready to serve\ncustomers. So the Larrikin, whose wits had been sharpened by hunger,\nwent in to him and saluting him, said to him, \u201cWeigh me half a dirham\u2019s\nworth of meat and a quarter of a dirham\u2019s worth of boiled grain[12] and\nthe like of bread.\u201d So the Kitchener weighed it out to him and the\ngood-for-naught entered the shop, whereupon the man set the food before\nhim and he ate till he had gobbled up the whole and licked the saucers\nand sat perplexed, knowing not how he should do with the Cook concerning\nthe price of that he had eaten, and turning his eyes about upon\neverything in 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 the\nground and found under it a horse\u2019s tail, freshly cut off and the blood\noozing from it; whereby he knew that the Cook adulterated his meat with\nhorseflesh. When he discovered this default, he rejoiced therein and\nwashing his hands, bowed his head and went out; and when the Kitchener\nsaw that he went and gave him naught, he cried out, saying, \u201cStay, O\npest, O burglar!\u201d So the Larrikin stopped and said to him, \u201cDost thou\ncry out upon me and call to me with these words, O cornute?\u201d Whereat the\nCook was angry and coming down from the shop, cried, \u201cWhat meanest thou\nby thy speech, O low fellow, thou that devourest meat and millet and\nbread and kitchen and goest forth with \u2018the Peace[13] be on thee!\u2019 as it\nwere the thing had not been, and payest down naught for it?\u201d Quoth the\nLackpenny, \u201cThou liest, O accursed son of a cuckold!\u201d Whereupon the Cook\ncried out and laying hold of his debtor\u2019s collar, said, \u201cO Moslems, this\nfellow is my first customer[14] this day and he hath eaten my food and\ngiven me naught.\u201d So the folk gathered about them and blamed the\nNe\u2019er-do-well and said to him, \u201cGive him the price of that which thou\nhast eaten.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI gave him a dirham before I entered the shop;\u201d\nand quoth the Cook, \u201cBe everything I sell this day forbidden to me, if\nhe gave me so much as the name of a coin! By Allah, he gave me naught,\nbut ate my food and went out and would have made off, without aught\nsaid.\u201d Answered the Larrikin, \u201cI gave thee a dirham,\u201d and he reviled the\nKitchener, who returned his abuse; whereupon he dealt him a buffet and\nthey gripped and grappled and throttled each other. When the folk saw\nthem fighting, they came up to them and asked them, \u201cWhat is this strife\nbetween you, and no cause for it?\u201d and the Lackpenny answered, \u201cAy, by\nAllah, but there is a cause for it, and the cause hath a tail!\u201d\nWhereupon, cried the Cook, \u201cYea, by Allah, now thou mindest me of\nthyself and thy dirham! Yes, he gave me a dirham and but a quarter of\nthe coin is spent. Come back and take the rest of the price of thy\ndirham.\u201d For he understood what was to do, at the mention of the tail;\n\u201cand I, O my brother\u201d (added Abu al-Hasan), \u201cmy story hath a cause,\nwhich I will tell thee.\u201d The Caliph laughed at his speech and said, \u201cBy\nAllah, this is none other than a pleasant tale! Tell me thy story and\nthe cause.\u201d Replied the host, \u201cWith love and goodly gree! Know, O my\nlord, that my name is Abu al-Hasan al-Khal\u00ed\u2019a and that my father died\nand left me abundant wealth, of which I made two parts. One I laid up\nand with the other I betook myself to enjoying the pleasures of\nfriendship and conviviality and consorting with intimates and\nboon-companions and with the sons of the merchants, nor did I leave one\nbut I caroused with him and he with me, and I lavished all my money on\ncomrades and good cheer, till there remained with me naught;[15]\nwhereupon I betook myself to the friends and fellow-topers upon whom I\nhad wasted 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 vantage\nin one of them, nor would any so much as break a bittock of bread in my\nface. So I wept for myself and repairing to my mother, complained to her\nof my case. Quoth she:\u2014Such are friends; an thou have aught, they\nfrequent thee and devour thee, but, an thou have naught, they cast thee\noff and chase thee away. Then I brought out the other half of my money\nand bound myself by an oath that I would never more entertain any save\none single night, after which I would never again salute him nor notice\nhim; hence my saying to thee:\u2014Far be it, alas! that what is past should\nagain come to pass, for I will never again company with thee after this\nnight.\u201d When the Commander of the Faithful heard this, he laughed a loud\nlaugh and said, \u201cBy Allah, O my brother, thou art indeed excused in this\nmatter, now that I know the cause and that the cause hath a tail.\nNevertheless, Inshallah, I will not sever myself from thee.\u201d Replied Abu\nal-Hasan, \u201cO my guest, did I not say to thee, Far be it, alas! that what\nis past should again come to pass? For indeed I will never again\nforegather with any!\u201d Then the Caliph rose and the host set before him a\ndish of roast goose and a bannock of first-bread[16] and sitting down,\nfell to cutting off morsels and morselling the Caliph therewith. They\ngave not over eating till they were filled, when Abu al-Hasan brought\nbasin and ewer and potash[17] and they washed their hands. Then he\nlighted three wax-candles and three lamps, and spreading the\ndrinking-cloth, brought strained wine, clear, old and fragrant, whose\nscent was as that of virgin musk. He filled the first cup and saying, \u201cO\nmy boon-companion, be ceremony laid aside between us by thy leave! Thy\nslave is by thee; may I not be afflicted with thy loss!\u201d drank it off\nand filled a second cup, which he handed to the Caliph with due\nreverence. His fashion pleased the Commander of the Faithful, and the\ngoodliness of his speech and he said to himself, \u201cBy Allah, I will\nassuredly requite him for this!\u201d Then Abu al-Hasan filled the cup again\nand handed it to the Caliph, reciting these two couplets:[18]\u2014\n\n Had we thy coming known, we would for sacrifice \u273f Have poured thee out\n heart\u2019s blood or blackness of the eyes;\n Ay, and we would have spread our bosoms in thy way, \u273f That so thy feet\n might fare on eyelids, carpet-wise.\n\nWhen the Caliph heard his verses, he took the cup from his hand and\nkissed it and drank it off and returned it to Abu al-Hasan, who make him\nan obeisance and filled and drank. Then he filled again and kissing the\ncup thrice, recited these lines:\u2014\n\n Your presence honoureth the base, \u273f And we confess the deed of grace;\n An you absent yourself from us, \u273f No freke we find to fill your place.\n\nThen he gave the cup to the Caliph, saying, \u201cDrink it in health and\nsoundness! It doeth away malady and bringeth remedy and setteth the\nrunnels of health to flow free.\u201d So they ceased not carousing and\nconversing till middle-night, when the Caliph said to his host, \u201cO my\nbrother, hast thou in thy heart a concupiscence thou wouldst have\naccomplished or a contingency thou wouldst avert?\u201d Said he, \u201cBy Allah,\nthere is no regret in my heart save that I am not empowered with bidding\nand forbidding, so I might manage what is in my mind!\u201d Quoth the\nCommander of the Faithful, \u201cBy Allah, and again by Allah,[19] O my\nbrother, tell me what is in thy mind!\u201d And quoth Abu al-Hasan, \u201cWould\nHeaven I might be Caliph for one day and avenge myself on my neighbours,\nfor that in my vicinity is a mosque and therein four shaykhs, who hold\nit a grievance when there cometh a guest to me, and they trouble me with\ntalk and worry me in words and menace me that they will complain of me\nto the Prince of True Believers, and indeed they oppress me exceedingly,\nand I crave of Allah the Most High power for one day, that I may beat\neach and every 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 bid cry\nbefore them:\u2014This is the reward and the least of the reward of whoso\nexceedeth in talk and vexeth the folk and turneth their joy to annoy.\nThis is what I wish, and no more.\u201d Said the Caliph, \u201cAllah grant thee\nthat thou seekest! Let us crack one last cup and rise ere the dawn draw\nnear, and to-morrow night I will be with thee again.\u201d Said Abu al-Hasan,\n\u201cFar be it!\u201d Then the Caliph crowned a cup, and putting therein a piece\nof Cretan Bhang,[20] gave it to his host and said to him, \u201cMy life on\nthee, O my brother, drink this cup from my hand!\u201d and Abu al-Hasan\nanswered, \u201cAy, by thy life, I will drink it from thy hand.\u201d So he took\nit and drank it off; but hardly had it settled in his stomach, when his\nhead forewent his heels and he fell to the ground like one slain;\nwhereupon the Caliph went out and said to his slave Masrur, \u201cGo in to\nyonder young man, the house master, and take him up and bring him to me\nat the palace; and when thou goest out, shut the door.\u201d So saying, he\nwent away, whilst Masrur entered, and taking up Abu al-Hasan, shut the\ndoor behind him, 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,[21] and set him down before the Commander of the Faithful, who\nlaughed at him.[22] Then he sent for Ja\u2019afar the Barmecide and when he\ncame before him, said to him, \u201cNote thou yonder young man\u201d (pointing to\nAbu al-Hasan), \u201cand when thou shalt see him to-morrow seated in my place\nof estate and on the throne[23] of my Caliphate and clad in my royal\nclothing, stand thou in attendance upon him and enjoin the Emirs and\nGrandees and the folk of my household and the officers of my realm to be\nupon their feet, as in his service and obey him in whatso he shall bid\nthem do; and thou, if he speak to thee of aught, do it and hearken unto\nhis say and gainsay him not in anything during this coming day.\u201d Ja\u2019afar\nacknowledged the order with \u201cHearkening and obedience\u201d and withdrew,\nwhilst the Prince of True Believers went in to the palace women, who\ncame up to him, and he said to them, \u201cWhen this sleeper shall awake\nto-morrow, kiss ye the ground between his hands, and do ye wait upon him\nand gather round about him and clothe him in the royal clothing and\nserve him with the service of the Caliphate and deny not aught of his\nestate, but say to him, Thou art the Caliph.\u201d Then he taught them what\nthey should say to him and how they should do with him and withdrawing\nto a retired room,[24] let down a curtain before himself and slept. Thus\nfared it with the Caliph; but as regards Abu al-Hasan, he gave not over\nsnoring in his 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 him, \u201cO\nour lord, the morning prayer!\u201d Hearing these words he laughed and\nopening his eyes, turned them about the palace and found himself in an\napartment whose walls were painted with gold and lapis lazuli and its\nceiling dotted and starred with red gold. Around it were sleeping\nchambers, with curtains of gold-embroidered silk let down over their\ndoors, and all about vessels of gold and porcelain and crystal and\nfurniture and carpets dispread and lamps burning before the niche\nwherein men prayed, and slave-girls and eunuchs and Mamelukes and black\nslaves and boys and pages and attendants. When he saw this he was\nbewildered in his wit and said, \u201cBy Allah, either I am dreaming a dream,\nor this is Paradise and the Abode of Peace!\u201d[25] And he shut his eyes\nand would have slept again. Quoth one of the eunuchs, \u201cO my lord, this\nis not of thy wont, O Commander of the Faithful!\u201d Then the rest of the\nhandmaids of the palace came up to him and lifted him into a sitting\nposture, when he found himself upon a mattrass, raised a cubit\u2019s height\nfrom the ground and all stuffed with floss silk. So they seated him upon\nit and propped his elbow with a pillow, and he looked at the apartment\nand its vastness and saw those eunuchs and slave-girls in attendance\nupon him and standing about his head, whereupon he laughed at himself\nand said, \u201cBy Allah, \u2019tis not as I were on wake, yet I am not asleep!\u201d\nAnd in his perplexity he bowed his chin upon his bosom and then opened\nhis eyes, little by little, smiling and saying, \u201cWhat is this state\nwherein I find myself?\u201d Then he arose and sat up, whilst the damsels\nlaughed at him privily; and he was bewildered in his wit, and bit his\nfinger; and as the bite pained him, he cried \u201cOh!\u201d and was vexed; and\nthe Caliph watched him, whence he saw him not, and laughed. Presently\nAbu al-Hasan turned to a damsel and called to her; whereupon she\nanswered, \u201cAt thy service, O Prince of True Believers!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cwhat\nis thy name?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cShajarat al-Durr.\u201d[26] Then he said to\nher, \u201cBy the protection of Allah, O damsel, am I Commander of the\nFaithful?\u201d She replied, \u201cYes, indeed, by the protection of Allah thou in\nthis time art Commander of the Faithful.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cBy Allah, thou\nliest, O thousandfold whore!\u201d[27] Then he glanced at the Chief Eunuch\nand called to him, whereupon he came to him and kissing the ground\nbefore him, said, \u201cYes, O Commander of the Faithful.\u201d Asked Abu\nal-Hasan, \u201cWho is Commander of the Faithful?\u201d and the Eunuch answered\n\u201cThou.\u201d And Abu al-Hasan said, \u201cThou liest, thousandfold he-whore that\nthou art!\u201d Then he turned to another eunuch and said to him, \u201cO my\nchief,[28] by the protection of Allah, am I Prince of the True\nBelievers?\u201d Said he, \u201cAy, by Allah, O my lord, thou art in this time\nCommander of the Faithful and Viceregent of the Lord of the three\nWorlds.\u201d Abu al-Hasan laughed at himself and doubted of his reason and\nwas bewildered at what he beheld, and said, \u201cIn one night do I become\nCaliph? Yesterday I was Abu al-Hasan the Wag, and to-day I am Commander\nof the Faithful.\u201d Then the Chief Eunuch came up to him and said, \u201cO\nPrince of True Believers (the name of Allah encompass thee!) thou art\nindeed Commander of the Faithful and Viceregent of the Lord of the three\nWorlds!\u201d And the slave-girls and eunuchs flocked round about him, till\nhe arose and abode wondering at his case. Hereupon the Eunuch brought\nhim a pair of sandals wrought with raw silk and green silk and purfled\nwith red gold, and he took them and after examining them set them in his\nsleeve; whereat the Castrato cried out and said, \u201cAllah! Allah! O my\nlord, these are sandals for the treading of thy feet, so thou mayst wend\nto the wardrobe.\u201d Abu al-Hasan was confounded, and shaking the sandals\nfrom his sleeve, put them on his feet, whilst the Caliph died[29] of\nlaughter at him. The slave forewent him to the chapel of ease, where he\nentered and doing his job,[30] came out into the chamber, whereupon the\nslave-girls brought him a basin of gold and an ewer of silver and poured\nwater on his hands[31] and he made the Wuz\u00fa-ablution. Then they spread\nhim a prayer-carpet and he prayed. Now he knew not how to pray[32] and\ngave not over bowing and prostrating for twenty inclinations,[33]\npondering in himself the while and saying, \u201cBy Allah, I am none other\nthan the Commander of the Faithful in very truth! This is assuredly no\ndream, for all these things happen not in a dream.\u201d And he was convinced\nand determined in himself that he was Prince of True Believers; so he\npronounced the Sal\u00e1m[34] and finished his prayers; whereupon the\nMamelukes and slave-girls came round about him with bundled suits of\nsilken and linen stuffs and clad him in the costume of the Caliphate and\ngave the royal dagger in his hand. Then the Chief Eunuch came in and\nsaid, \u201cO Prince of True Believers, the Chamberlain is at the door\ncraving permission to enter.\u201d Said he, \u201cLet him enter!\u201d whereupon he\ncame in and after kissing ground offered the salutation, \u201cPeace be upon\nthee, O Commander of the Faithful!\u201d At this Abu al-Hasan rose and\ndescended from the couch to the floor; whereupon the official exclaimed\n\u201cAllah! Allah! O Prince of True Believers, wottest thou not that all men\nare thy lieges and under thy rule and that it is not meet for the Caliph\nto rise to any man?\u201d Presently the Eunuch went out before him and the\nlittle white slaves behind him, and they ceased not going till they\nraised the curtain and brought him into the hall of judgment and the\nthrone-room of the Caliphate. There he saw the curtains and the forty\ndoors and Al-\u2019Ijl\u00ed and Al-Rak\u00e1sh\u00ed the poet, and \u2019Ibd\u00e1n and Jad\u00edm and Abu\nIsh\u00e1k[35] the cup-companion and beheld swords drawn and the lions[36]\ncompassing the throne as the white of the eye encircleth the black, and\ngilded glaives and death-dealing bows and Ajams and Arabs and Turks and\nDaylamites and folk and peoples and Emirs and Wazirs and Captains and\nGrandees and Lords of the land and men of war in band, and in very sooth\nthere appeared the might of the house of Abbas[37] and the majesty of\nthe Prophet\u2019s family. So he sat down upon the throne of the Caliphate\nand set the dagger[38] on his lap, whereupon all present came up to kiss\nground between his hands and called down on him length of life and\ncontinuance of weal. Then came forward Ja\u2019afar the Barmecide and kissing\nthe ground, said, \u201cBe the wide world of Allah the treading of thy feet\nand may Paradise be thy dwelling-place and the Fire the home of thy\nfoes! Never may neighbour defy thee nor the lights of fire die out for\nthee,[39] O Caliph of all cities and ruler of all countries!\u201d\nTherewithal Abu al-Hasan cried out at him and said, \u201cO dog of the sons\nof Barmak, go down forthright, thou and the chief of the city police, to\nsuch a place in such a street and deliver an hundred dinars of gold to\nthe mother of Abu al-Hasan the Wag and bear her my salutation. Then, go\nto such a mosque and take the four Shaykhs and the Im\u00e1m and scourge each\nof them with a thousand[40] lashes and mount them on beasts, face to\ntail, and parade them round about all the city and banish them to a\nplace other than this city; and bid the crier make cry before them,\nsaying:\u2014This is the reward and the least of the reward of whoso\nmultiplieth words and molesteth his neighbours and damageth their\ndelights and stinteth their eating and drinking!\u201d Ja\u2019afar received the\ncommand and answered \u201cWith obedience\u201d; after which he went down from\nbefore Abu al-Hasan to the city and did all he had ordered him to do.\nMeanwhile, Abu al-Hasan abode in the Caliphate, taking and giving,\nbidding and forbidding and carrying out his command till the end of the\nday, when he gave leave and permission to withdraw, and the Emirs and\nOfficers of state departed to their several occupations and he looked\ntowards the Chamberlain and the rest of the attendants and said,\n\u201cBegone!\u201d Then the Eunuchs came to him and calling down on him length of\nlife and continuance of weal, walked in attendance upon him and raised\nthe curtain, and he entered the pavilion of the Harem, where he found\ncandles lighted and lamps burning and singing-women smiting on\ninstruments, and ten slave-girls, high-bosomed maids. When he saw this,\nhe was confounded in his wit and said to himself, \u201cBy Allah, I am in\ntruth Commander of the Faithful!\u201d presently adding, \u201cor haply these are\nof the J\u00e1nn and he who was my guest yesternight was one of their kings\nwho saw no way to requite my favours save by commanding his Ifrits to\naddress me as Prince of True Believers. But an these be of the Jann may\nAllah deliver me in safety from their mischief!\u201d As soon as he appeared,\nthe slave-girls rose to him and carrying him up on to the da\u00efs,[41]\nbrought him a great tray, bespread with the richest viands. So he ate\nthereof with all his might and main, till he had gotten his fill, when\nhe called one of the handmaids and said to her, \u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d\nReplied she, \u201cMy name is Miskah,\u201d[42] and he said to another, \u201cWhat is\nthy name?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cMy name is Tarkah.\u201d[43] Then he asked a third,\n\u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d who answered, \u201cMy name is Tohfah;\u201d[44] and he went\non to question the damsels of their names, one after other, till he had\nlearned the ten, when he rose from that place and removed to the\nwine-chamber. He found it every way complete and saw therein ten great\ntrays, covered with all fruits and cates and every sort of sweetmeats.\nSo he sat down and ate thereof after the measure of his competency, and\nfinding there three troops of singing-girls, was amazed and made the\ngirls eat. Then he sat and the singers also seated themselves, whilst\nthe black slaves and the white slaves and the eunuchs and pages and boys\nstood, and of the slave-girls some sat and others stood. The damsels\nsang and warbled all varieties of melodies and the place rang with the\nsweetness of the songs, whilst the pipes cried out and the lutes with\nthem wailed, till it seemed to Abu al-Hasan that he was in Paradise and\nhis heart was heartened and his breast broadened. So he sported and\njoyance grew on him and he bestowed robes of honour on the damsels and\ngave and bestowed, challenging this girl and kissing that and toying\nwith a third, plying one with wine and morselling another with meat,\ntill nightfall. All this while the Commander of the Faithful was\ndiverting himself with watching him and laughing, and when night fell he\nbade one of the slave-girls drop a piece of Bhang in the cup and give it\nto Abu al-Hasan to drink. So she did his bidding and gave him the cup,\nwhich no sooner had he drunk than his head forewent his feet.[45]\nTherewith the Caliph came forth from behind the curtain, laughing, and\ncalling to the attendant who had brought Abu al-Hasan to the palace,\nsaid to him, \u201cCarry[46] this man to his own place.\u201d So Masrur took him\nup, and carrying him to his own house, set him down in the saloon. Then\nhe went forth from him, and shutting the saloon-door upon him, returned\nto the Caliph, who slept till the morrow. As for Abu al-Hasan, he gave\nnot over slumbering till Almighty Allah brought on the morning, when he\nrecovered from the drug and awoke, crying out and saying, \u201cHo, Tuff\u00e1hah!\nHo, R\u00e1hat al-Kul\u00fab! Ho, Miskah! Ho, Tohfah!\u201d[47] And he ceased not\ncalling upon the palace hand-maids till his mother heard him summoning\nstrange damsels, and rising, came to him and said, \u201cAllah\u2019s name\nencompass thee! Up with thee, O my son, O Abu al-Hasan! Thou dreamest.\u201d\nSo he opened his eyes, and finding an old woman at his head, raised his\neyes and said to her, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cI am thy mother;\u201d and\nquoth he, \u201cThou liest! I am the Commander of the Faithful, the\nViceregent of Allah.\u201d Whereupon his mother shrieked aloud and said to\nhim, \u201cHeaven preserve thy reason! Be silent, O my son, and cause not the\nloss of our lives and the wasting of thy wealth, which will assuredly\nbefal us if any hear this talk and carry it to the Caliph.\u201d So he rose\nfrom his sleep, and finding himself in his own saloon and his mother by\nhim, had doubts of his wit, and said to her, \u201cBy Allah, O my mother, I\nsaw myself in a dream in a palace, with slave-girls and Mamelukes about\nme and in attendance upon me, and I sat upon the throne of the Caliphate\nand ruled. By Allah, O my mother, this is what I saw, and in very sooth\nit was no dream!\u201d Then he bethought himself awhile and said,\n\u201cAssuredly,[48] I am Abu al-Hasan al-Khali\u2019a, and this that I saw was\nonly a dream when I was made Caliph and bade and forbade.\u201d Then he\nbethought himself again and said, \u201cNay, but \u2019twas not a dream, and I am\nnone other than the Caliph, and indeed I gave gifts and bestowed\nhonour-robes.\u201d Quoth his mother to him, \u201cO my son, thou sportest with\nthy reason: thou wilt go to the mad-house[49] and become a gazing-stock.\nIndeed, that which thou hast seen is only from the foul Fiend, and it\nwas an imbroglio of dreams, for at times Satan sporteth with men\u2019s wits\nin all manner of ways.\u201d[50] Then said she to him, \u201cO my son, was there\nany one with thee yesternight?\u201d And he reflected and said, \u201cYes; one lay\nthe night with me and I acquainted him with my case and told him my\ntale. Doubtless, he was of the Devils, and I, O my mother, even as thou\nsayst truly, am Abu al-Hasan al-Khali\u2019a.\u201d She rejoined, \u201cO my son,\nrejoice in tidings of all good, for yesterday\u2019s record is that there\ncame the Wazir Ja\u2019afar the Barmecide and his many, and beat the Shaykhs\nof the mosque and the Imam, each a thousand lashes; after which they\nparaded them round about the city, making proclamation before them and\nsaying:\u2014This is the reward and the least of the reward of whoso faileth\nin goodwill to his neighbours and troubleth on them their lives! And he\nbanished them from Baghdad. Moreover, the Caliph sent me an hundred\ndinars and sent to salute me.\u201d Whereupon Abu al-Hasan cried out and said\nto her, \u201cO ill-omened crone, wilt thou contradict me and tell me that I\nam not the Prince of True Believers? \u2019Twas I who commanded Ja\u2019afar the\nBarmecide to beat the Shaykhs and parade them about the city and make\nproclamation before them and \u2019twas I, very I, who sent thee the hundred\ndinars and sent to salute thee, and I, O beldam of ill-luck, am in very\ndeed the Commander of the Faithful, and thou art a liar, who would make\nme out an idiot.\u201d So saying, he rose up and fell upon her and beat her\nwith a staff of almond-wood, till she cried out, \u201cHelp, O Moslems!\u201d and\nhe increased the beating upon her, till the folk heard her cries and\ncoming to her, found Abu al-Hasan bashing his mother and saying to her,\n\u201cO old woman of ill-omen, am I not the Commander of the Faithful? Thou\nhast ensorcelled me!\u201d When the folk heard his words, they said, \u201cThis\nman raveth,\u201d and doubted not of his madness. So they came in upon him,\nand seizing him, pinioned his elbows, and bore him to the Bedlam. Quoth\nthe Superintendant, \u201cWhat aileth this youth?\u201d and quoth they, \u201cThis is a\nmadman, afflicted of the Jinn.\u201d \u201cBy Allah,\u201d cried Abu al-Hasan, \u201cthey\nlie against me! I am no madman, but the Commander of the Faithful.\u201d And\nthe Superintendant answered him, saying, \u201cNone lieth but thou, O foulest\nof the Jinn-maddened!\u201d Then he stripped him of his clothes, and clapping\non his neck a heavy chain,[51] bound him to a high lattice and fell to\nbeating him two bouts a day and two anights; and he ceased not abiding\non this wise the space of ten days. Then his mother came to him and\nsaid, \u201cO my son, O Abu al-Hasan, return to thy right reason, for this is\nthe Devil\u2019s doing.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThou sayst sooth, O my mother, and bear\nthou witness of me that I repent me of that talk and turn me from my\nmadness. So do thou deliver me, for I am nigh upon death.\u201d Accordingly\nhis mother went out to the Superintendant[52] and procured his release\nand he returned to his own house. Now this was at the beginning of the\nmonth, and when it ended, Abu al-Hasan longed to drink liquor and,\nreturning to his former habit, furnished his saloon and made ready food\nand bade bring wine; then, going forth to the bridge, he sat there,\nexpecting one whom he should converse and carouse with, according to his\ncustom. As he sat thus, behold, up came the Caliph and Masrur to him;\nbut Abu al-Hasan saluted them not and said to Al-Rashid, \u201cNo friendly\nwelcome to thee, O King of the J\u00e1nn!\u201d Quoth Al-Rashid, \u201cWhat have I done\nto thee?\u201d and quoth Abu al-Hasan, \u201cWhat more couldst thou do than what\nthou hast done to me, O foulest of the J\u00e1nn? I have been beaten and\nthrown into Bedlam, where all said I was Jinn-mad and this was caused by\nnone save thyself. 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 aroynt\nthee and wend thy ways!\u201d The Caliph smiled and, seating himself by his\nside said to him, \u201cO my brother, did I not tell thee that I would return\nto thee?\u201d Quoth Abu al-Hasan, \u201cI have no need of thee; and as the byword\nsayeth in verse:\u2014\n\n Fro\u2019 my friend, \u2019twere meeter and wiser to part, \u273f For what eye sees not\n born shall ne\u2019er sorrow heart.\n\nAnd indeed, O my brother, the night thou camest to me and we conversed\nand caroused together, I and thou, \u2019twas as if the Devil came to me and\ntroubled me that night.\u201d Asked the Caliph, \u201cAnd who is he, the Devil?\u201d\nand answered Abu al-Hasan, \u201cHe is none other than thou;\u201d whereat the\nCaliph laughed and coaxed him and spake him fair, saying, \u201cO my brother,\nwhen I went out from thee, I forgot the door and left it open and\nperhaps Satan came in to thee.\u201d[53] Quoth Abu al-Hasan, \u201cAsk me not of\nthat which hath betided me. What possessed thee to leave the door open,\nso that the Devil came in to me and there befel me with him this and\nthat?\u201d And he related to him all that had betided him, first and last\n(and in repetition is no fruition); what while the Caliph laughed and\nhid his laughter. Then said he to Abu al-Hasan, \u201cPraised be Allah who\nhath done away from thee whatso irked thee and that I see thee once more\nin weal!\u201d And Abu al-Hasan said, \u201cNever again will I take thee to\ncup-companion or sitting-comrade; for the proverb saith:\u2014Whoso stumbleth\non a stone and thereto returneth, upon him be blame and reproach. And\nthou, O my brother, nevermore will I entertain thee nor company with\nthee, for that I have not found thy heel propitious to me.\u201d[54] But the\nCaliph coaxed him and said, \u201cI have been the means of thy winning to thy\nwish anent the Imam and the Shaykhs.\u201d Abu al-Hasan replied, \u201cThou hast;\u201d\nand Al-Rashid continued, \u201cAnd haply somewhat may betide which shall\ngladden thy heart yet more.\u201d Abu al-Hasan asked, \u201cWhat dost thou require\nof me?\u201d and the Commander of the Faithful answered, \u201cVerily, I am thy\nguest; reject not the guest.\u201d Quoth Abu al-Hasan, \u201cOn condition that\nthou swear to me by the characts on the seal of Solomon David\u2019s son (on\nthe twain be the Peace!) that thou wilt not suffer thine Ifrits to make\nfun of me.\u201d He replied, \u201cTo hear is to obey!\u201d Whereupon the Wag took him\nand brought him into the saloon and set food before him and entreated\nhim with friendly speech. Then he told him all that had befallen him,\nwhilst the Caliph was like to die of stifled laughter; after which Abu\nal-Hasan removed the tray of food and bringing the wine-service, filled\na cup and cracked it three times, then gave it to the Caliph, saying, \u201cO\nboon-companion mine, I am thy slave and let not that which I am about to\nsay offend thee, and be thou not vexed, neither do thou vex me.\u201d And he\nrecited these verses:\u2014\n\n Hear one that wills thee well! Lips none shall bless \u273f Save those who\n drink for drunk and all transgress.\n Ne\u2019er will I cease to swill while night falls dark \u273f Till lout my\n forehead low upon my tasse:\n In wine like liquid sun is my delight \u273f 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 cup,\ndrank it off, and the twain ceased not to converse and carouse till the\nwine rose to their heads. Then quoth Abu al-Hasan to the Caliph, \u201cO\nboon-companion mine, of a truth I am perplexed concerning my affair, for\nmeseemed I was Commander of the Faithful and ruled and gave gifts and\nlargesse, and in very deed, O my brother, it was not a dream.\u201d Quoth the\nCaliph, \u201cThese were the imbroglios of sleep,\u201d and crumbling a bit of\nBhang into the cup, said to him, \u201cBy my life, do thou drink this cup;\u201d\nand said Abu al-Hasan, \u201cSurely I will drink it from thy hand.\u201d Then he\ntook the cup and drank it off, and no sooner had it settled in his\nstomach than his head fell to the ground before his feet. Now his\nmanners and fashions pleased the Caliph and the excellence of his\ncomposition and his frankness, and he said in himself, \u201cI will assuredly\nmake him my cup-companion and sitting-comrade.\u201d So he rose forthright\nand saying to Masrur, \u201cTake him up,\u201d returned to the palace.\nAccordingly, the Eunuch took up Abu al-Hasan and carrying him to the\npalace of the Caliphate, set him down before Al-Rashid, who bade the\nslaves and slave-girls compass him about, whilst he himself hid in a\nplace where Abu al-Hasan could not see him. Then he commanded one of the\nhand-maidens to take the lute and strike it over the Wag\u2019s head, whilst\nthe rest smote upon their instruments. So they played and sang, till Abu\nal-Hasan awoke at the last of the night and heard the symphony of lutes\nand tambourines and the sound of the flutes and the singing of the\nslave-girls, whereupon he opened his eyes and finding himself in the\npalace, with the hand-maids and eunuchs about him, exclaimed, \u201cThere is\nno Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\nCome to 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 me\nagain, as before. O Allah, my Lord, put thou Satan to shame!\u201d Then he\nshut his eyes and laid his head in his sleeve, and fell to laughing\nsoftly and raising his head bytimes, but still found the apartment\nlighted and the girls singing. Presently, one of the eunuchs sat down at\nhis head and said to him, \u201cSit up, O Prince of True Believers, and look\non thy palace and thy slave-girls.\u201d Said Abu al-Hasan, \u201cUnder the veil\nof Allah, am I in truth Commander of the Faithful, and dost thou not\nlie? Yesterday I rode not forth neither ruled, but drank and slept, and\nthis eunuch cometh to make me rise.\u201d Then he sat up and recalled to\nthought that which had betided him with his mother and how he had beaten\nher and entered the Bedlam, and he saw the marks of the beating,\nwherewith the Superintendant had beaten him, and was perplexed\nconcerning his affair and pondered in himself, saying, \u201cBy Allah, I know\nnot how my case is nor what is this that betideth me!\u201d Then, gazing at\nthe scene around him, he said privily, \u201cAll these are of the Jann in\nhuman shape, and I commit my case to Allah.\u201d Presently he turned to one\nof the damsels and said to her, \u201cWho am I?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cThou art the\nCommander of the Faithful;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cThou liest, O calamity![55]\nIf I be indeed the Commander of the Faithful, bite my finger.\u201d So she\ncame to him and bit it with all her might, and he said to her, \u201cIt doth\nsuffice.\u201d Then he asked the Chief Eunuch, \u201cWho am I?\u201d and he answered,\n\u201cThou art the Commander of the Faithful.\u201d So he left him and returned to\nhis wonderment: then, turning to a little white slave, said to him,\n\u201cBite my ear;\u201d and he bent his head low down to him and put his ear to\nhis mouth. Now the Mameluke was young and lacked sense; so he closed his\nteeth upon Abu al-Hasan\u2019s ear with all his might, till he came near to\nsever it; and he knew not Arabic, so, as often as the Wag said to him,\n\u201cIt doth suffice,\u201d he concluded that he said, \u201cBite like a vice,\u201d and\nredoubled his bite and made his teeth meet in the ear, whilst the\ndamsels were diverted from him with hearkening to the singing-girls, and\nAbu al-Hasan cried out for succour from the boy and the Caliph lost his\nsenses for laughter. Then he dealt the boy a cuff, and he let go his\near, whereupon all present fell down with laughter and said to the\nlittle Mameluke, \u201cArt mad that thou bitest the Caliph\u2019s ear on this\nwise?\u201d And Abu al-Hasan cried to them, \u201cSufficeth ye not, O ye wretched\nJinns, that which hath befallen me? But the fault is not yours: the\nfault is of your Chief who transmewed you from Jinn shape to mortal\nshape. I seek refuge against you this night by the Throne-verse and the\nChapter of Sincerity[56] and the Two Preventives!\u201d[57] So saying the Wag\nput off his clothes till he was naked, with prickle and breech exposed,\nand danced among the slave-girls. They bound his hands and he wantoned\namong them, while they died of laughing at him and the Caliph swooned\naway for excess of laughter. Then he came to himself and going forth the\ncurtain to Abu al-Hasan, said to him, \u201cOut on thee, O Abu al-Hasan! Thou\nslayest me with laughter.\u201d So he turned to him and knowing him, said to\nhim, \u201cBy Allah, \u2019tis thou slayest me and slayest my mother and slewest\nthe Shaykhs and the Imam of the Mosque!\u201d After which he kissed ground\nbefore him and prayed for the permanence of his prosperity and the\nendurance of 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 especial\nfavour and married him and bestowed largesse on him and lodged him with\nhimself in the palace and made him of the chief of his cup-companions,\nand indeed he was preferred with him above them and the Caliph advanced\nhim over them all. Now they were ten in number, to wit, Al-\u2019Ijl\u00ed and\nAl-Rak\u00e1shi and \u2019Ibd\u00e1n and Hasan al-Farazdak and Al-Lauz and Al-Sakar and\nOmar al-Tart\u00eds and Abu Nowas and Abu Ishak al-Nad\u00edm and Abu al-Hasan\nal-Khali\u2019a, and by each of them hangeth a story which is told in other\nthan this book.[58] And indeed Abu al-Hasan became high in honour with\nthe Caliph and favoured above all, so that he sat with him and the Lady\nZubaydah bint al-Kasim, whose treasuress Nuzhat al-Fu\u00e1d[59] hight, was\ngiven to him in marriage. After this Abu al-Hasan the Wag abode with his\nwife in eating and drinking and all delight of life, till whatso was\nwith them went the way of money, when he said to her, \u201cHarkye, O Nuzhat\nal-Fuad!\u201d Said she, \u201cAt thy service;\u201d and he continued, \u201cI have it in\nmind to play a trick on the Caliph[60] and thou shalt do the like with\nthe Lady Zubaydah, and we will take of them at once, to begin with, two\nhundred dinars and two pieces of silk.\u201d She rejoined, \u201cAs thou willest,\nbut what thinkest thou to do?\u201d And he said, \u201cWe will feign ourselves\ndead and this is the trick. I will die before thee and lay myself out,\nand do thou spread over me a silken napkin and loose my turban over me\nand tie my toes and lay on my stomach a knife and a little salt.[61]\nThen let down thy hair and betake thyself to thy mistress Zubaydah,\ntearing thy dress and slapping thy face and crying out. She will ask\nthee, What aileth thee? and do thou answer her, May thy head outlive Abu\nal-Hasan the Wag; for he is dead. She will mourn for me and weep and bid\nher new treasuress give thee an hundred dinars and a piece of silk[62]\nand will say to thee:\u2014Go, lay him out and carry him forth. So do thou\ntake of her the hundred dinars and the piece of silk and come back, and\nwhen thou returnest to me, I will rise up and thou shalt lie down in my\nplace, and I will go to the Caliph and say to him, May thy head outlive\nNuzhat al-Fuad, and rend my raiment and pluck out my beard. He will\nmourn for 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 her out and\ncarry her forth; and I will come back to thee.\u201d Therewith Nuzhat al-Fuad\nrejoiced and said, \u201cIndeed, this is an excellent device.\u201d Then Abu\nal-Hasan stretched himself out forthright and she shut his eyes and tied\nhis feet and covered him with the napkin and did whatso her lord had\nbidden her; after which she tare her gear and bared her head and letting\ndown her hair, went in to the Lady Zubaydah, crying out and weeping.\nWhen the Princess saw her in this state, she cried, \u201cWhat plight is\nthis? What is thy story and what maketh thee weep?\u201d And Nuzhat al-Fuad\nanswered, weeping and loud-wailing the while, \u201cO my lady, may thy head\nlive and mayst thou survive Abu al-Hasan al Khali\u2019a; for he is dead!\u201d\nThe Lady Zubaydah mourned for him and said, \u201cAlas, poor Abu al-Hasan the\nWag!\u201d and she shed tears for him awhile. Then she bade her treasuress\ngive Nuzhat al-Fuad an hundred dinars and a piece of silk and said to\nher, \u201cO Nuzhat al-Fuad, go, lay him out and carry him forth.\u201d So she\ntook the hundred dinars and the piece of silk and returned to her\ndwelling, rejoicing, and went in to her spouse and acquainted him what\nhad befallen, whereupon he arose and rejoiced and girdled his middle and\ndanced and took the hundred dinars and the piece of silk and laid them\nup. Then he laid out Nuzhat al-Fuad and did with her as she had done\nwith him; after which he rent his raiment and plucked out his beard and\ndisordered his turban and ran out nor ceased running till he came in to\nthe Caliph, who was sitting in the judgment-hall, and he in this plight,\nbeating his breast. The Caliph asked him, \u201cWhat aileth thee, O Abu\nal-Hasan?\u201d and he wept and answered, \u201cWould heaven thy cup companion had\nnever been and would his hour had never come!\u201d[63] Quoth the Caliph,\n\u201cTell me thy case:\u201d and quoth Abu al-Hasan, \u201cO my lord, may thy head\noutlive Nuzhat al-Fu\u00e1d!\u201d The Caliph exclaimed, \u201cThere is no god but\nGod;\u201d and smote hand upon hand. Then he comforted Abu al-Hasan and said\nto him, \u201cGrieve not, for we will bestow upon thee a bed-fellow other\nthan she.\u201d And he ordered the treasurer to give him an hundred dinars\nand a piece of silk. Accordingly the treasurer did what the Caliph bade\nhim, and Al-Rashid said to him, \u201cGo, lay her out and carry her forth and\nmake her a handsome funeral.\u201d So Abu al-Hasan took that which he had\ngiven him and returning to his house, rejoicing, went in to Nuzhat\nal-Fuad and said to her, \u201cArise, for our wish is won.\u201d Hereat she arose\nand he laid before her the hundred ducats and the piece of silk, whereat\nshe rejoiced, and they added the gold to the gold and the silk to the\nsilk and sat talking and laughing each to other. Meanwhile, when Abu\nal-Hasan fared forth the presence of the Caliph and went to lay out\nNuzhat al-Fuad, the Commander of the Faithful mourned for her and\ndismissing the divan, arose and betook himself, leaning upon Masrur, the\nSworder of his vengeance, to the Lady Zubaydah, that he might condole\nwith her for her hand-maid. He found her sitting weeping and awaiting\nhis coming, so she might condole with him for his boon-companion Abu\nal-Hasan the Wag. So he said to her, \u201cMay thy head outlive thy\nslave-girl Nuzhat al-Fuad!\u201d and said she, \u201cO my lord, Allah preserve my\nslave-girl! Mayst thou live and long survive thy boon-companion Abu\nal-Hasan al-Khali\u2019a; for he is dead.\u201d The Caliph smiled and said, to his\neunuch, \u201cO Masrur, verily women are little of wit. Allah upon thee, say,\nwas not Abu al-Hasan with me but now?\u201d[64] Quoth the Lady Zubaydah,\nlaughing from a heart full of wrath, \u201cWilt thou not leave thy jesting?\nSufficeth thee not that Abu al-Hasan is dead, but thou must put to death\nmy slave-girl also and bereave us of the twain, and style me little of\nwit?\u201d The Caliph answered, \u201cIndeed, \u2019tis Nuzhat al-Fuad who is dead.\u201d\nAnd the Lady Zubaydah said, \u201cIndeed he hath not been with thee, nor hast\nthou seen him, and none was with me but now save Nuzhat al-Fuad, and she\nsorrowful, weeping, with her clothes torn to tatters. I exhorted her to\npatience and gave her an hundred dinars and a piece of silk; and indeed\nI was awaiting thy coming, so I might console thee for thy cup-companion\nAbu al-Hasan al-Khali\u2019a, and was about to send for thee.\u201d[65] The Caliph\nlaughed and said, \u201cNone is dead save Nuzhat al-Fuad;\u201d and she, \u201cNo, no,\ngood my lord; none is dead but Abu al-Hasan the Wag.\u201d With this the\nCaliph waxed wroth, and the H\u00e1shim\u00ed vein[66] started out from between\nhis eyes and throbbed: and he cried out to Masrur and said to him, \u201cFare\nthee forth to the house of Abu al-Hasan the Wag, and see which of them\nis dead.\u201d So Masrur went out, running, and the Caliph said to the Lady\nZubaydah, \u201cWilt thou lay me a wager?\u201d And said she, \u201cYes, I will wager,\nand I say that Abu al-Hasan is dead.\u201d Rejoined the Caliph, \u201cAnd I wager\nand say that none is dead save Nuzhat al-Fuad; and the stake between me\nand thee shall be the Garden of Pleasance[67] against thy palace and the\nPavilion of Pictures.\u201d[68] So they agreed upon this and sat awaiting\nMasrur\u2019s return with the news. As for the Eunuch, he ceased not running\ntill he came to the by-street, wherein was the stead of Abu al-Hasan\nal-Khali\u2019a. Now the Wag was comfortably seated and leaning back against\nthe lattice,[69] and chancing to look round, saw Masrur running along\nthe street and said to Nuzhat al-Fuad, \u201cMeseemeth the Caliph, when I\nwent forth from him dismissed the Divan and went in to the Lady\nZubaydah, to condole with her; whereupon she arose and condoled with\nhim, saying, Allah increase thy recompense for the loss of Abu al-Hasan\nal-Khali\u2019a! And he said to her, None is dead save Nuzhat al-Fuad, may\nthy head outlive her! Quoth she, \u2019Tis not she who is dead, but Abu\nal-Hasan al-Khali\u2019a, thy boon companion. And quoth he, None is dead save\nNuzhat al-Fuad. And they waxed so obstinate that the Caliph became wroth\nand they laid a wager, and he hath sent Masrur the Sworder to see who is\ndead. Now, therefore, \u2019twere best that thou lie down, so he may sight\nthee and go and acquaint the Caliph and confirm my saying.\u201d[70] So\nNuzhat al-Fuad stretched herself out and Abu al-Hasan covered her with\nher mantilla and sat weeping at her head. Presently, Masrur the eunuch\nsuddenly came in to him and saluted him, and seeing Nuzhat al-Fuad\nstretched out, uncovered her face and said, \u201cThere is no god but God!\nOur sister Nuzhat al-Fuad is dead indeed. How sudden was the stroke of\nDestiny! Allah have ruth on thee and acquit thee of all charge!\u201d Then he\nreturned and related what had passed before the Caliph and the Lady\nZubaydah, and he laughing as he spoke. \u201cO accursed one,\u201d cried the\nCaliph, \u201cthis is no time for laughter! Tell us which is dead of them.\u201d\nMasrur replied, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord, Abu al-Hasan is well, and none is\ndead but Nuzhat al-Fuad.\u201d Quoth the Caliph to Zubaydah, \u201cThou hast lost\nthy pavilion in thy play,\u201d and he jeered at her and said, \u201cO Masrur,\ntell her what thou sawest.\u201d Quoth the Eunuch, \u201cVerily, O my lady, I ran\nwithout ceasing till I came in to Abu al-Hasan in his house and found\nNuzhat al-Fuad lying dead and Abu al-Hasan sitting tearful at her head.\nI saluted him and condoled with him and sat down by his side and\nuncovered the face of Nuzhat al-Fuad and saw her dead and her face\nswollen.[71] So I said to him:\u2014Carry her out forthwith, so we may pray\nover her. He replied:\u2014\u2019Tis well; and I left him to lay her out and came\nhither, that I might tell you the news.\u201d The Prince of True Believers\nlaughed and said, \u201cTell it again and again to thy lady Little-wits.\u201d\nWhen the Lady Zubaydah heard Masrur\u2019s words and those of the Caliph she\nwas wroth and said, \u201cNone is little of wit save he who believeth a black\nslave.\u201d And she abused Masrur, whilst the Commander of the Faithful\nlaughed: and the Eunuch, vexed at this, said to the Caliph, \u201cHe spake\nsooth who said:\u2014Women are little of wits and lack religion.\u201d[72] Then\nsaid the Lady Zubaydah to the Caliph, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, thou\nsportest and jestest with me, and this slave hoodwinketh me, the better\nto please thee; but I will send and see which of them be dead.\u201d And he\nanswered, saying, \u201cSend one who shall see which of them is dead.\u201d So the\nLady Zubaydah cried out to an old duenna, and said to her, \u201cHie thee to\nthe house of Nuzhat al-Fuad in haste and see who is dead and loiter\nnot.\u201d And she used hard words to her.[73] So the old woman went out\nrunning, whilst the Prince of True Believers and Masrur laughed, and she\nceased not running till she came into the street. Abu al-Hasan saw her,\nand knowing her, said to his wife, \u201cO Nuzhat al-Fuad, meseemeth the Lady\nZubaydah hath sent to us to see who is dead and hath not given credit to\nMasrur\u2019s report of thy death: accordingly, she hath despatched the old\ncrone, her duenna, to discover the truth. So it behoveth me to be dead\nin my turn for the sake of thy credit with the Lady Zubaydah.\u201d Hereat he\nlay down and stretched himself out, and she covered him and bound his\neyes and feet and sat in tears at his head. Presently the old woman came\nin to her and saw her sitting at Abu al-Hasan\u2019s head, weeping and\nrecounting his fine qualities; and when she saw the old trot, she cried\nout and said to her, \u201cSee what hath befallen me! Indeed Abu al-Hasan is\ndead and hath left me lone and lorn!\u201d Then she shrieked out and rent her\nraiment and said to the crone, \u201cO my mother, how very good he was to\nme!\u201d[74] Quoth the other, \u201cIndeed thou art excused, for thou wast used\nto him and he to thee.\u201d Then she considered what Masrur had reported to\nthe Caliph and the Lady Zubaydah and said to her, \u201cIndeed, Masrur goeth\nabout to cast discord between the Caliph and the Lady Zubaydah.\u201d Asked\nNuzhat al-Fuad, \u201cAnd what is the cause of discord, O my mother?\u201d and the\nother replied, \u201cO my daughter, Masrur came to the Caliph and the Lady\nZubaydah and gave them news of thee that thou wast dead and that Abu\nal-Hasan was well.\u201d Nuzhat al-Fuad said to her, \u201cO naunty mine,[75] I\nwas with my lady just now and she gave me an hundred dinars and a piece\nof silk; and now see my case and that which hath befallen me! Indeed, I\nam bewildered, and how shall I do, and I lone, and lorn? Would heaven I\nhad died and he had lived!\u201d Then she wept and with her wept the old\nwoman, who, going up to Abu al-Hasan and uncovering his face, saw his\neyes bound and swollen for the swathing. So she covered him again and\nsaid, \u201cIndeed, O Nuzhat al-Fuad, thou art afflicted in Abu al-Hasan!\u201d\nThen she condoled with her and going out from her, ran along the street\ntill she came into the Lady Zubaydah and related to her the story; and\nthe Princess said to her, laughing, \u201cTell it over again to the Caliph,\nwho maketh me out little of wit, and lacking of religion, and who made\nthis ill-omened liar of a slave presume to contradict me.\u201d Quoth Masrur,\n\u201cThis old woman lieth; for I saw Abu al-Hasan well and Nuzhat al-Fuad it\nwas who lay dead.\u201d Quoth the duenna \u201c\u2019Tis thou that liest, and wouldst\nfain cast discord between the Caliph and the Lady Zubaydah.\u201d And Masrur\ncried, \u201cNone lieth but thou, O old woman of ill-omen and thy lady\nbelieveth thee and she must be in her dotage.\u201d Whereupon the Lady\nZubaydah cried out at him, and in very sooth she was enraged with him\nand with his speech and shed tears. Then said the Caliph to her, \u201cI lie\nand my eunuch lieth, and thou liest and thy waiting-woman lieth; so \u2019tis\nmy rede we go, all four of us together, that we may see which of us\ntelleth the truth.\u201d Masrur said, \u201cCome, let us go, that I may do to this\nill-omened old woman evil deeds[76] and deal her a sound drubbing for\nher lying.\u201d And the duenna answered him, \u201cO dotard, is thy wit like unto\nmy wit? Indeed, thy wit is as the hen\u2019s wit.\u201d Masrur was incensed at her\nwords and would have laid violent hands on her, but the Lady Zubaydah\npushed him away from her and said to him, \u201cHer truth-speaking will\npresently be distinguished from thy truth-speaking and her leasing from\nthy leasing.\u201d Then they all four arose, laying wagers one with other,\nand went forth afoot from the palace-gate and hied on till they came in\nat the gate of the street where Abu al-Hasan al-Khali\u2019a dwelt. He saw\nthem and said to his wife Nuzhat al-Fuad, \u201cVerily, all that is sticky is\nnot a pancake[77] they cook nor every time shall the crock escape the\nshock. It seemeth the old woman hath gone and told her lady and\nacquainted her with our case and she hath disputed with Masrur the\nEunuch and they have laid wagers each with other about our death and are\ncome to us, all four, the Caliph and the Eunuch and the Lady Zubaydah\nand the old trot.\u201d When Nuzhat al-Fuad heard this, she started up from\nher outstretched posture and asked, \u201cHow shall we do?\u201d whereto he\nanswered, \u201cWe will both feign ourselves dead together and stretch\nourselves out and hold our breath.\u201d So she hearkened unto him and they\nboth lay down on the place where they usually slept the siesta[78] and\nbound their feet and shut their eyes and covered themselves with the\nveil and held their breath. Presently, up came the Caliph, Zubaydah,\nMasrur and the old woman and entering, found Abu al-Hasan the Wag and\nwife both stretched out as dead; which when the Lady saw, she wept and\nsaid, \u201cThey ceased not to bring ill-news of my slave-girl till she\ndied,[79] methinketh Abu al-Hasan\u2019s death was grievous to her and that\nshe died after him.\u201d[80] Quoth the Caliph, \u201cThou shalt not prevent me\nwith thy prattle and prate. She certainly died before Abu al-Hasan, for\nhe came to me with his raiment rent and his beard plucked out, beating\nhis breast with two bits of sunbaked brick,[81] and I gave him an\nhundred dinars and a piece of silk and said to him, Go, bear her forth\nand I will give thee a bed-fellow other than she and handsomer, and she\nshall be in stead of her. But it would appear that her death was no\nlight matter to him and he died after her;[82] so it is I who have\nbeaten thee and gotten thy stake.\u201d The Lady Zubaydah answered him in\nwords galore and the dispute between them waxed sore. At last the Caliph\nsat down at the heads of the pair and said, \u201cBy the tomb of the Apostle\nof Allah (whom may He save and assain!) and the sepulchres of my fathers\nand forefathers, whoso will tell me which of them died before the other,\nI will willingly give him a thousand dinars!\u201d When Abual-Hasan heard the\nCaliph\u2019s words, he sprang up in haste and said, \u201cI died first, O\nCommander of the Faithful! Here with the thousand dinars and acquit thee\nof thine oath and the swear thou sworest.\u201d Nuzhat al-Fuad rose also and\nstood up before the Caliph and the Lady Zubaydah, who both rejoiced in\nthis and in their safety, and the Princess chid her slave-girl. Then the\nCaliph and Zubaydah gave them joy of their well-being and knew that this\ndeath was a trick to get the gold; and the Lady said to Nuzhat al-Fuad,\n\u201cThou shouldst have sought of me that which thou neededst, without this\nfashion, and not have burned[83] my heart for thee.\u201d And she, \u201cVerily, I\nwas ashamed, O my lady.\u201d As for the Caliph, he swooned away for laughing\nand said, \u201cO Abu al-Hasan, thou wilt never cease to be a wag and do\nperegrine things and prodigious!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cO Commander of the\nFaithful, this trick I played off for that the money which thou gavest\nme was exhausted, and I was ashamed to ask of thee again. When I was\nsingle, I could never keep money in hand; but since thou marriedst me to\nthis damsel, if I possessed even thy wealth, I should lay it waste.\nWherefore when all that was in my hand was spent, I wrought this\nsleight, so I might get of thee the hundred dinars and the piece of\nsilk; and all this is an alms from our lord. But now make haste to give\nme the thousand dinars and acquit thee of thine oath.\u201d The Caliph and\nthe Lady Zubaydah laughed and returned to the palace; and he gave Abu\nal-Hasan the thousand dinars saying, \u201cTake them as a _douceur_[84] for\nthy preservation from death,\u201d whilst her mistress did the like with\nNuzhat al-Fuad, honouring her with the same words. Moreover, the Caliph\nincreased the Wag in his solde and supplies, and he and his wife ceased\nnot to live in joy and contentment, till there came to them the\nDestroyer of delights and Severer of societies, the Plunderer of\npalaces, and the Garnerer of graves.\n\n\n\n\n THE CALIPH OMAR BIN ABD AL-AZIZ AND THE POETS.[85]\n\n\nIt is said that, when the Caliphate devolved on Omar bin Abd al-Aziz[86]\n(of whom Allah accept), the poets resorted to him, as they had been used\nto resort to the Caliphs before him, and abode at his door days and\ndays, but he suffered them not to enter, till there came to him \u2019Ad\u00ed bin\nArtah,[87] who stood high in esteem with him. Jar\u00edr[88] accosted him and\nbegged him to crave admission for them to the presence; so Adi answered,\n\u201c\u2019Tis well;\u201d and, going in to Omar, said to him, \u201cThe poets are at thy\ndoor and have been there days and days; yet hast thou not given them\nleave to enter, albeit their sayings abide[89] and their arrows from\nmark never fly wide.\u201d Quoth Omar, \u201cWhat have I to do with the poets?\u201d\nand quoth Adi, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful, the Prophet (Abhak!)[90]\nwas praised by a poet[91] and gave him largesse, and in him[92] is an\nexemplar to every Moslem.\u201d Quoth Omar, \u201cAnd who praised him?\u201d and quoth\nAdi, \u201c\u2019Abb\u00e1s bin Mird\u00e1s[93] praised him, and he clad him with a suit and\nsaid, O Generosity,[94] cut off from me his tongue!\u201d Asked the Caliph,\n\u201cDost thou remember what he said?\u201d and Adi answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Rejoined\nOmar, \u201cThen repeat it;\u201d so Adi repeated:\u2014[95]\n\n I saw thee, O thou best of human race, \u273f Bring out a Book which brought\n to graceless Grace.\n Thou showedst righteous road to men astray \u273f From Right, when darkest\n Wrong had ta\u2019en its place;\u2014\n Thou with Isl\u00e1m didst light the gloomiest way, \u273f Quenching with proof\n live coals of frowardness;\n I own for Prophet mine Mohammed\u2019s self; \u273f And man\u2019s award upon his word\n we base;\n Thou madest straight the path that crooked ran, \u273f Where in old days foul\n growth o\u2019ergrew its face.\n Exalt be thou in Joy\u2019s empyrean \u273f And Allah\u2019s glory ever grow apace.\n\n\u201cAnd indeed (continued Adi), this Elegy on the Prophet (Abhak!) is well\nknown and to comment it would be tedious.\u201d Quoth Omar, \u201cWho is at the\ndoor?\u201d and quoth Adi, \u201cAmong them is Omar ibn Abi Rab\u00ed\u2019ah, the\nKorash\u00ed\u201d[96]; whereupon the Caliph cried, \u201cMay Allah show him no favour\nneither quicken him! Was it not he who said these verses:\u2014\n\n Would Heaven what day Death shall visit me \u273f I smell as thy droppings\n and drippings[97] smell!\n Could I in my clay-bed on Salm\u00e1 lie \u273f There to me were better than\n Heaven or Hell!\n\nHad he not been (continued the Caliph) the enemy of Allah, he had wished\nfor her in this world, so he might after repent and return to righteous\ndealing. By Allah, he shall not come in to me! Who is at the door other\nthan he?\u201d Quoth Adi, \u201cJam\u00edl bin Ma\u2019mar al-Uzri[98] is at the door;\u201d and\nquoth Omar, \u201c\u2019Tis he who saith in one of his elegies:\u2014\n\n Would Heaven conjoint we lived, and if I die \u273f Death only grant me a\n grave within her grave:\n For I\u2019d no longer deign to live my life \u273f If told upon her head is laid\n the pave.[99]\n\nQuoth Omar, \u201cAway with him from me! Who is at the door?\u201d and quoth Adi,\n\u201cKuthayyir \u2019Azzah\u201d[100]; whereupon Omar cried, \u201c\u2019Tis he who saith in one\nof his odes:\u2014\n\n Some talk of faith and creed and nothing else \u273f And wait for pains of\n Hell in prayer-seat;[101]\n But did they hear what I from Azzah heard, \u273f They\u2019d make prostration,\n fearfull, at her feet.\n\n\u201cLeave the mention of him. Who is at the door?\u201d Quoth Adi, \u201cAl-Ahwas\nal-\u2019Ans\u00e1r\u00ed.\u201d[102] Cried Omar, \u201cAllah Almighty put him away and estrange\nhim from His mercy! Is it not he who said, berhyming on a Medinite\u2019s\nslave-girl, so she might outlive her lord:\u2014\n\n Allah be judge betwixt me and her lord! \u273f Who ever flies with her and I\n pursue.\n\n\u201cHe shall not come in to me. Who is at the door, other than he?\u201d Adi\nreplied, \u201cHamm\u00e1m bin Gh\u00e1lib al-Farazdak;\u201d[103] and Omar said, \u201c\u2019Tis he\nwho saith, glorying in whoring:\u2014\n\n Two girls let me down eighty fathoms deep, \u273f As low sweeps a falcon wi\u2019\n pinions spread;\n And cried, as my toes touched the ground, \u201cDost live \u273f To return, or the\n fall hath it done thee dead?\u201d\n\n\u201cHe shall not come in to me. Who is at the door, other than he?\u201d Adi\nreplied, \u201cAl-Akhtal al-Taghlib\u00ed\u201d[104] and Omar said, \u201cHe is the\nMiscreant who saith in his singing:\u2014\n\n Ramazan I ne\u2019er fasted in life-time; nay \u273f I ate flesh in public at\n undurn day[105];\n Nor chide I the fair, save in way of love, \u273f Nor seek Meccah\u2019s\n plain[106] in salvation-way:\n Nor stand I praying like rest who cry \u273f \u201cHie salvationwards\u201d[107] at the\n dawn\u2019s first ray.\n But I drink her cooled[108] by fresh Northern breeze \u273f And my head at\n dawn to her prone I lay.[109]\n\n\u201cBy Allah, he treadeth no carpet of mine! Who is at the door, other than\nhe?\u201d Said Adi, \u201cJar\u00edr ibn al-Khatafah\u201d; and Omar cried, \u201c\u2019Tis he who\nsaith:\u2014\n\n But for ill-spying glances had our eyes espied \u273f Eyne of the antelope\n and ringlets of the Reems.[110]\n A Huntress of the eyes[111] by night-tide came and I \u273f Cried, \u201cTurn in\n peace, no time for visit this, meseems!\u201d\n\n\u201cAn it must be and no help, admit Jarir.\u201d So Adi went forth and admitted\nJarir, who entered, saying:\u2014\n\n Yea, he who sent Mohammed unto man, \u273f A just successor for Im\u00e1m[112]\n assigned.\n His ruth and justice all mankind embrace, \u273f To daunt the bad and\n stablish well-designed.\n Verily now I look to present good, \u273f For man hath ever-transient weal in\n mind.\n\nQuoth Omar, \u201cO Jarir, keep the fear of Allah before thine eyes and say\nnaught save the sooth.\u201d And Jarir recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n How many widows loose the hair in far Yam\u00e1mah-land[113] \u273f How many an\n orphan there abides feeble of voice and eye,\n Since faredst thou who wast to them instead of father lost \u273f When they\n like nested fledglings were sans power to creep or fly!\n And now we hope, since brake the clouds their word and troth with us, \u273f\n Hope from the Caliph\u2019s grace to gain a rain[114] that ne\u2019er shall\n dry.\n\nWhen the Caliph heard this, he said \u201cBy Allah, O Jarir, Omar possesseth\nbut an hundred dirhams.[115] Ho, boy! do thou give them to him.\u201d\nMoreover, he gifted him with the ornaments of his sword; and Jarir went\nforth to the other poets, who asked him, \u201cWhat is behind thee?\u201d[116] and\nhe answered, \u201cA man who giveth to the poor and denieth the poets, and\nwith him I am well-pleased.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n AL-HAJJAJ AND THE THREE YOUNG MEN.[117]\n\n\nThey tell that Al-Hajj\u00e1j[118] once bade the Chief of Police go his\nrounds about Bassorah city by night, and whomsoever he found abroad\nafter supper-tide that he should smite his neck. So he went round one\nnight of the nights and came upon three youths swaying and staggering\nfrom side to side, and on them signs of wine-bibbing. So the watch laid\nhold of them and the captain said to them, \u201cWho be you that ye durst\ntransgress the commandment of the Commander of the Faithful[119] and\ncome abroad at this hour?\u201d Quoth one of the youths, \u201cI am the son of him\nto whom all necks[120] abase themselves, alike the nose-pierced of them\nand the breaker; they come to him in their own despite, abject and\nsubmissive, and he taketh of their wealth and of their blood.\u201d The\nMaster of Police held his hand from him, saying, \u201cBelike he is of the\nkinsmen of the Prince of True Believers,\u201d and said to the second, \u201cWho\nart thou?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI am the son of him whose rank[121] Time abaseth\nnot, and if it be lowered one day, \u2019twill assuredly return to its former\nheight; thou seest the folk crowd in troops to the light of his fire,\nsome standing around it and some sitting.\u201d So the Chief of Police\nrefrained from slaying him and asked the third, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cI am the son of him who plungeth through the ranks[122] with\nhis might and levelleth them with the sword, so that they stand\nstraight: his feet are not loosed from the stirrup, whenas the horsemen\non the day of the battle are a-weary.\u201d So the Master of Police held his\nhand from him also, saying, \u201cBelike, he is the son of a Brave of the\nArabs.\u201d Then he kept them under guard, and when the morning morrowed, he\nreferred their case to Al-Hajjaj, who caused bring them before him and\nenquiring into their affair, when behold, the first was the son of a\nbarber-surgeon, the second of a bean-seller and the third of a weaver.\nSo he marvelled at their eloquent readiness of speech and said to the\nmen of his assembly, \u201cTeach your sons the rhetorical use of Arabic:[123]\nfor, by Allah, but for their ready wit, I had smitten off their heads!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE WOMAN OF THE BARMECIDES.[124]\n\n\nThey tell[125] that Harun Al-Rashid was sitting one day to abate\ngrievances, when there came up to him a woman and said, \u201cO Commander of\nthe Faithful, may Allah perfect thy purpose and gladden thee in whatso\nHe hath given thee and increase thee in elevation! Indeed, thou hast\ndone justice and wrought equitably.\u201d[126] Quoth the Caliph to those who\nwere present with him, \u201cKnow ye what this one meaneth by her saying?\u201d\nand quoth they, \u201cOf a surety, she meaneth not otherwise than well, O\nPrince of True Believers.\u201d Al-Rashid rejoined; \u201cNay, in this she\npurposeth only to curse me. As for her saying, \u2018Allah perfect thy\npurpose,\u2019 she hath taken it from the saying of the poet:\u2014\n\n When thy purpose is effected beginneth its decay; \u273f when they say \u2018Thy\n wish is won\u2019 feel thou sure \u2019twill pass away.\n\nAs for her saying \u2018Allah gladden thee in whatso He hath given thee,\u2019 she\ntook it from the saying of Almighty Allah,[127] \u2019Till, whenas they were\ngladdened in that which they were given, We suddenly laid hold of them\nand lo, they were in despair!\u2019 As for her saying, \u2018Allah increase thee\nin elevation!\u2019 she took it from the saying of the poet:\u2014\n\n \u2018No flier flieth however tall \u273f but as he flieth shall come to fall.\u2019\n\nAnd as for her saying, \u2018Indeed, thou hast done justice and wrought\nequitably,\u2019 \u2019tis from the saying of the Almighty, \u2018If ye swerve[128] or\nlag behind or turn aside, verily, Allah of that which ye do is well\naware;\u2019 and \u2018As for the swervers[129] they are fuel for Hell.\u2019\u201d Then he\nturned to the woman and asked her, \u201cIs it not thus?\u201d Answered she; \u201cYes,\nO Commander of the Faithful,\u201d and quoth he, \u201cWhat prompted thee to\nthis?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cThou slewest my parents and my kinsfolk and\ndespoiledst their good.\u201d Enquired the Caliph, \u201cWhom meanest thou?\u201d and\nshe replied, \u201cI am of the house of Barmak.\u201d Then said he to her, \u201cAs for\nthe dead, they are of those who are past away, and it booteth not to\nspeak of them; but, as for that which I took of wealth, it shall\nforthright be restored to thee, yea, and more than it.\u201d And he was\nbountiful to her to the uttermost of his bounties.\n\n\n\n\n THE TEN WAZIRS; OR THE HISTORY OF KING AZADBAKHT AND HIS SON.[130]\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[131] and his kingdom\nextended to the confines of S\u00edst\u00e1n[132] and from the confines of\nHindostan to the Indian Ocean. He had ten Wazirs, who ordered his\nkingship and his dominion, and he was possessed of judgment and\nexceeding wisdom. One day he went forth with certain of his guards to\nthe chase and fell in with an Eunuch riding a mare and hending in hand\nthe halter of a she-mule, which he led along. On the mule\u2019s back was a\ndomed litter of brocade purfled with gold and girded with an embroidered\nband set with pearls and gems, and about it was a company of Knights.\nWhen King Azadbakht saw this, he separated himself from his suite and,\nmaking for the horsemen and that mule, questioned them, saying, \u201cTo whom\nbelongeth this litter and what is therein?\u201d The Eunuch answered, (for he\nknew not that the speaker was King Azadbakht,) saying, \u201cThis litter\nbelongeth to Isfahand, Wazir to King Azadbakht, and therein is his\ndaughter, whom he is minded to marry to the King hight Z\u00e1d Sh\u00e1h.\u201d\n\nAs the Eunuch was speaking with the king, behold, the maiden raised a\ncorner of the curtain that shut in the litter, so she might look upon\nthe speaker, and saw the king. When Azadbakht beheld her and noted her\nfashion and her loveliness, (and indeed never did seer[133] espy her\nlike,) his soul inclined to her and she took hold upon his heart and he\nwas ravished by her sight. So he said to the Eunuch, \u201cTurn the mule\u2019s\nhead and return, 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 accept\nof this affair and it will not be hard to him.\u201d Answered the Eunuch, \u201cO\nking, Allah prolong thy continuance, have patience till I acquaint my\nlord her parent, and thou shalt wed her in the way of consent, for it\nbesitteth thee not, neither is it seemly for thee, to seize her on this\nwise, seeing that it will be an affront to her father an if thou take\nher without his knowledge.\u201d Quoth Azadbakht, \u201cI have not patience to\nwait till thou repair to her sire and return, and no shame will betide\nhim, if I marry her.\u201d And quoth the eunuch, \u201cO my lord, naught that in\nhaste is done long endureth nor doth the heart rejoice therein; and\nindeed it behoveth thee not to take her on this unseemly wise.\nWhatsoever betideth thee, destroy not thyself with haste, for I know\nthat her sire\u2019s breast will be straitened by this affair and this that\nthou dost will not win thy wish.\u201d But the king said, \u201cVerily, Isfahand\nis my Mameluke and a slave of my slaves, and I reck not of her father,\nan he be fain or unfain.\u201d So saying, he drew the reins of the mule and\ncarrying the damsel, whose name was Bahrjaur,[134] to his house married\nher. Meanwhile, the Eunuch betook himself, he and the knights to her\nsire and said to him, \u201cO my lord, thou hast served the king a many\nyears\u2019 service and thou hast not failed him a single day; and now he\nhath taken thy daughter without thy consent and permission.\u201d And he\nrelated to him what had passed and how the king had seized her by force.\nWhen Isfahand heard the eunuch\u2019s words, he was wroth with exceeding\nwrath and assembling many troops, said to them, \u201cWhenas the king was\noccupied with his women[135] we took no reck of him; but now he putteth\nout his hand to our Harim; wherefore \u2019tis my rede that we look us out a\nplace wherein we may have sanctuary.\u201d Then he wrote a letter to King\nAzadbakht, saying to him, \u201cI am a Mameluke of thy Mamelukes and a slave\nof thy slaves and my daughter at thy service is a hand-maid, and\nAlmighty Allah prolong thy days and appoint thy times to be in joy and\ngladness! Indeed, I went ever waist-girded in thy service and in caring\nto conserve thy dominion and warding off from thee all thy foes; but now\nI abound yet more than erewhile in zeal and watchfulness, because I have\ntaken this charge upon myself, since my daughter is become thy wife.\u201d\nAnd he despatched a courier to the king with the letter and a present.\nWhen the messenger came to King Azadbakht and he read the letter and the\npresent was laid before him, he rejoiced with joy exceeding and occupied\nhimself with eating and drinking, hour after hour. But the chief Wazir\nof his Wazirs came to him and said, \u201cO king, know that Isfahand the\nWazir is thine enemy, for that his soul liketh not that which thou hast\ndone with him, and this message he hath sent thee is a trick; so rejoice\nthou not therein, neither be thou misled by the sweets of his say and\nthe softness of his speech.\u201d The king hearkened to his Wazir\u2019s speech,\nbut presently made light of the matter and busied himself with that\nwhich he was about of eating and drinking, pleasuring and merrymaking.\nMeanwhile, Isfahand the Wazir wrote a letter and sent it to all the\nEmirs, acquainting them with that which had betided him from King\nAzadbakht and how he had forced his daughter, adding, \u201cAnd indeed he\nwill do with you more than he hath done with me.\u201d When the letter\nreached the chiefs,[136] they all assembled together to Isfahand and\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat was his affair?\u201d[137] Accordingly he discovered to\nthem the matter of his daughter and they all agreed, of one accord, to\nstrive for the slaughter of the king; and, taking horse with their\ntroops, they set out to seek him. Azadbakht knew naught till the noise\nof the revolt beset his capital city, when he said to his wife Bahrjaur,\n\u201cHow shall we do?\u201d She answered, \u201cThou knowest best and I am at thy\ncommandment;\u201d so he bade fetch two swift horses and bestrode one\nhimself, whilst his wife mounted the other. Then they took what they\ncould of gold and went forth, flying through the night to the desert of\nKarm\u00e1n;[138] while Isfahand entered the city and made himself king. Now\nKing Azadbakht\u2019s wife was big with child and the labour pains took her\nin the mountain; so they alighted at the foot, by a spring of water, and\nshe bare a boy as he were the moon. Bahrjaur his mother pulled off a\ncoat of gold-woven brocade and wrapped the child therein, and they\npassed the night in that place, she giving him the breast till morning.\nThen said the king to her, \u201cWe are hampered by this child and cannot\nabide here nor can we carry him with us; so methinks we had better leave\nhim in this stead and wend our ways, for Allah is able to send him one\nwho shall take him and rear him.\u201d So they wept over him with exceeding\nsore weeping and left him beside the fountain, wrapped in that coat of\nbrocade: then they laid at his head a thousand gold pieces in a bag and\nmounting their horses, fared forth and fled. Now, by the ordinance of\nthe Most High Lord, a company of highway robbers fell upon a caravan\nhard by that mountain and despoiled them of what was with them of\nmerchandise. Then they betook themselves to the highlands, so they might\nshare their loot, and looking at the foot thereof, espied the coat of\nbrocade: so they descended to see what it was, and behold, it was a boy\nwrapped therein and the gold laid at his head. They marvelled and said,\n\u201cPraised be Allah! By what misdeed cometh this child here?\u201d Thereupon\nthey divided the money between them and the captain[139] of the\nhighwaymen took the boy and made him his son and fed him with sweet milk\nand dates,[140] till he came to his house, when he appointed a nurse for\nrearing him. Meanwhile, King Azadbakht and his wife stayed not in their\nflight till they came to the court of the King of Fars, whose name was\nKisra[141]. When they presented themselves to him, he honoured them with\nall honour and entertained them with handsomest entertainment, and\nAzadbakht told him his tale from incept to conclusion. So he gave him a\nmighty power and wealth galore and he abode with him some days till he\nwas rested, when he made ready with his host and setting out for his own\ndominions, waged war with Isfahand and falling in upon the capital,\ndefeated the whilome Minister and slew him. Then he entered the city and\nsat down on the throne of his kingship; and whenas he was rested and his\nkingdom waxed peaceful for him, he despatched messengers to the mountain\naforesaid in search of the child; but they returned and informed the\nking that they had not found him. As time ran on, the boy, the son of\nthe king, grew up and fell to cutting the way[142] with the highwaymen,\nand they used to carry him with them, whenever they went banditing. They\nsallied forth one day upon a caravan in the land of Sistan, and there\nwere in that caravan strong men and valiant, and with them a mighty\nstore of merchandise. Now they had heard that in that land banditti\nabounded: so they gathered themselves together and gat ready their\nweapons and sent out spies, who returned and gave them news of the\nplunderers. Accordingly, they prepared for battle, and when the robbers\ndrew near the caravan, they fell upon them and the twain fought a sore\nfight. At last the caravan-folk overmastered the highwaymen by dint of\nnumbers, and slew some of them, whilst the others fled. They also took\nthe boy, the son of King Azadbakht, and seeing him as he were the moon,\na model of beauty and loveliness, bright of face and engraced with\ngrace, asked him, \u201cWho is thy father, and how camest thou with these\nbanditti?\u201d And he answered, saying, \u201cI am the son of the Captain of the\nhighwaymen.\u201d So they seized him and carried him to the capital of his\nsire, King Azadbakht. When they reached the city, the king heard of\ntheir coming and commanded that they should attend him with what\nbefitted of their goods. Accordingly they presented themselves before\nhim, and the boy with them, whom when the king saw, he asked them, \u201cTo\nwhom belongeth this boy?\u201d and they answered, \u201cO King, we were going on\nsuch a road, when there came out upon us a sort of robbers; so we fought\nthem and beat them off and took this boy prisoner. Then we questioned\nhim, saying, Who is thy sire? and he replied, I am the son of the\nrobber-captain.\u201d Quoth the king, \u201cI would fain have this boy;\u201d and quoth\nthe captain of the caravan, \u201cAllah maketh thee gift of him, O king of\nthe age, and we all are thy slaves.\u201d Then the king (who was not aware\nthat the boy was his son) dismissed the caravan and bade carry the lad\ninto his palace and he became as one of the pages, while his sire the\nking still knew not that he was his child. As the days rolled on, the\nking observed in him good breeding and understanding and handiness\ngalore and he pleased him; so he committed his treasuries to his charge\nand shortened the Wazirs\u2019 hand therefrom, commanding that naught should\nbe taken forth save by leave of the youth. On this wise he abode a\nnumber of years and the king saw in him only good conduct and the habit\nof righteousness. Now the treasuries had been aforetime in the hands of\nthe Wazirs to do with them whatso they would, and when they came under\nthe youth\u2019s hand, that of the Ministers was shortened from them, and he\nbecame dearer than a son to the king who could not support being\nseparated from him. When the Wazirs saw this, they were jealous of him\nand envied him and sought a device against him whereby they might oust\nhim from the King\u2019s eye,[143] but found no means. At last, when Fate\ndescended,[144] it chanced that the youth one day of the days drank wine\nand became drunken and wandered from his right wits; so he fell to going\nround about within the king\u2019s palace and Destiny led him to the lodging\nof the women, in which there was a little sleeping chamber, where the\nking lay with his wife. Thither came the youth and entering the\ndormitory, found there a spread couch, to wit, a sleeping place: so he\ncast himself on the bed, marvelling at the paintings that were in the\nchamber, which was lighted by one waxen taper. Presently he fell asleep\nand slumbered heavily till eventide, when there came a hand-maid,\nbringing with her as of wont all the dessert, eatables and drinkables,\nusually made ready for the king and his wife, and seeing the youth lying\non his back, (and none knowing of his case and he in his drunkenness\nunknowing where he was), thought that he was the king asleep on his\ncouch; so she set the censing-vessel and laid the perfumes by the\nbedding, then shut the door and went her ways. Soon after this, the king\narose from the wine-chamber and taking his wife by the hand, repaired\nwith her 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, \u201cWhat doth this youth\nhere? This fellow cometh not hither save on thine account.\u201d Said she, \u201cI\nhave no knowledge of him.\u201d Hereupon the youth awoke and seeing the king,\nsprang up and prostrated himself before him, and Azadbakht said to him,\n\u201cO vile of birth,[145] O traitor of unworth, what hath driven thee to my\ndwelling?\u201d And he bade imprison him in one place and the Queen in\nanother.\n\n\n The First Day.\n\n\n OF THE USELESSNESS OF ENDEAVOUR AGAINST PERSISTENT ILL FORTUNE.\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 Ministers,\nand said to him, \u201cHow seest thou the deed this robber-youth hath\ndone?[146] He hath entered my Harim and lain down on my couch and I fear\nlest there be an object between him and the woman. What deemest thou of\nthe affair?\u201d Said the Wazir, \u201cAllah prolong the king\u2019s continuance! What\nsawest thou in this youth?[147] Is he not ignoble of birth, the son of\nthieves? Needs must a thief revert to his vile origin, and whoso reareth\nthe serpent\u2019s brood shall get of them naught but biting. As for the\nwoman, she is not at fault; since from time ago until now, nothing\nappeared from her except good breeding and modest bearing; and at this\npresent, an the king give me leave, I will go to her and question her,\nso I may discover to thee the affair.\u201d The king gave him leave for this\nand the Wazir went to the Queen and said to her, \u201cI am come to thee, on\naccount of a grave shame, and I would fain have thee soothfast with me\nin speech and tell me how came the youth into the sleeping-chamber.\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cI have no knowledge whatsoever of it, no, none at all,\u201d and\nsware to him a binding oath to that intent, whereby he knew that the\nwoman had no inkling of the affair, nor was in fault and said to her, \u201cI\nwill show thee a sleight, wherewith thou mayst acquit thyself and thy\nface be whitened before the king.\u201d Asked she, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d and he\nanswered, \u201cWhen the king calleth for thee and questioneth thee of this,\nsay thou to him:\u2014Yonder youth saw me in the boudoir-chamber and sent me\na message, saying:\u2014I will give thee an hundred grains of gem for whose\nprice money may not suffice, so thou wilt suffer me to enjoy thee. I\nlaughed at him who bespake me with such proposal and rebuffed him; but\nhe sent again to me, saying:\u2014An thou consent not thereto, I will come\none of the nights, drunken, and enter and lie down in the\nsleeping-chamber, and the king will see me and slay me; so wilt thou be\nput to shame and thy face shall be blackened with him and thine honour\ndishonoured. Be this thy saying to the king, and I will fare to him\nforthright and repeat this to him.\u201d Quoth the Queen, \u201cAnd I also will\nsay thus.\u201d Accordingly, the Minister returned to the king and said to\nhim, \u201cVerily, this youth hath merited grievous pains and penalties after\nthe abundance of thy bounty, and no kernel which is bitter can ever wax\nsweet;[148] but, as for the woman, I am certified that there is no\ndefault in her.\u201d Thereupon he repeated to the king the story which he\nhad taught the Queen, which when Azadbakht heard, he rent his raiment\nand bade the youth be brought. So they fetched him and set him before\nthe king, who bade summon the Sworder, and the folk all fixed their eyes\nupon the youth, to the end that they might see what the sovran should do\nwith him. Then said Azadbakht to him (and his words were words of anger\nand the speech of the youth was reverent and well-bred), \u201cI bought thee\nwith my money and looked for fidelity from thee, wherefore I chose thee\nover all my Grandees and Pages and made thee Keeper of my treasuries.\nWhy, then, hast thou outraged mine honour and entered my house and\nplayed traitor with me and tookest thou no thought of all I have done\nthee of benefits?\u201d Replied the youth, \u201cO king, I did this not of my\nchoice and freewill and I had no business in being there; but, of the\nlack of my luck, I was driven thither, for that Fate was contrary and\nfair Fortune failed me. Indeed, I had endeavoured with all endeavour\nthat naught of foulness should come forth me and I kept watch and ward\nover myself, lest default foreshow in me; and none may withstand an ill\nchance, nor doth striving profit against adverse Destiny, as appeareth\nby the example of the merchant who was stricken with ill luck and his\nendeavour availed him naught and he fell by the badness of his fortune.\u201d\nThe king asked, \u201cWhat is the story of the merchant and how was his luck\nchanged upon him by the sorriness of his doom?\u201d Answered the youth, \u201cMay\nAllah prolong the king\u2019s continuance!\u201d and began\n\n\n _THE STORY OF THE MERCHANT WHO LOST HIS LUCK._[149]\n\nThere was once a merchant man, who prospered in trade, and at one time\nhis every dirham won him fifty. Presently, his luck turned against him\nand he knew it not; so he said to himself, \u201cI have wealth galore, yet do\nI toil and travel from country to country; so better had I abide in my\nown land and rest myself in my own house from this travail and trouble\nand sell and buy at home.\u201d Then he made two parts of his money, and with\none bought wheat in summer, saying \u201cWhenas winter cometh, I shall sell\nit at a great profit.\u201d But, when the cold set in wheat fell to half the\nprice for which he had purchased it, whereat he was concerned with sore\nchagrin and left it till the next year. However, the price then fell yet\nlower and one of his intimates said to him, \u201cThou hast no luck in this\nwheat; so do thou sell it at whatsoever price.\u201d Said the merchant, \u201cAh,\nlong have I profited! so \u2019tis allowable that I lose this time. Allah is\nall-knowing! An it abide with me ten full years, I will not sell it save\nfor a gaining bargain.\u201d[150] Then he walled up in his anger the\ngranary-door with clay, and by the ordinance of Allah Almighty, there\ncame a great rain and descended from the terrace-roofs of the house\nwherein was the wheat so that the grain rotted; and the merchant had to\npay the porters from his purse five hundred dirhams for them to carry it\nforth and cast it without the city, the smell of it having become\nfulsome. So his friend said to him, \u201cHow often did I tell thee thou\nhadst no luck in wheat? But thou wouldst not give ear to my speech, and\nnow it behoveth thee to go to the astrologer[151] and question him of\nthine ascendant.\u201d Accordingly the trader betook himself to the\nastrologer and questioned him of his star, and astrophil said to him,\n\u201cThine ascendant is adverse. Put not forth thy hand to any business, for\nthou wilt not prosper thereby.\u201d However, he paid no heed to the\nastrologer\u2019s words and said in himself, \u201cIf I do my business, I am not\nafraid of aught.\u201d Then he took the other half of his money, after he had\nspent the first in three years, and builded him a ship, which he loaded\nwith a cargaison of whatso seemed good to him and all that was with him\nand embarked on the sea, so he might voyage questing gain. The ship\nremained in port some days, till he should be certified whither he would\nwend, and he said, \u201cI will ask the traders what this merchandise\nprofiteth and in what land \u2019tis wanted and how much can it gain.\u201d They\ndirected him to a far country, where his dirham should produce an\nhundredfold. So he set sail and made for the land in question; but, as\nhe went, there blew on him a furious gale, and the ship foundered. The\nmerchant saved himself on a plank and the wind cast him up, naked as he\nwas, on the sea-shore, where stood a town hard by. He praised Allah and\ngave Him thanks for his preservation; then, seeing a great village nigh\nhand, he betook himself thither and saw, seated therein, a very old man,\nwhom he acquainted with his case and that which had betided him. The\nShaykh grieved for him with sore grieving, when he heard his tale and\nset food before him. He ate of it and the old man said to him, \u201cTarry\nhere with me, so I may make thee my overseer[152] and factor over a farm\nI have here, and thou shalt have of me five dirhams a day.\u201d Answered the\nmerchant, \u201cAllah make fair thy reward, and requite thee with His boons\nand bounties.\u201d So he abode in this employ, till he had sowed and reaped\nand threshed and winnowed, and all was clean in his hand and the Shaykh\nappointed neither agent nor inspector, but relied utterly upon him. Then\nthe merchant bethought himself and said, \u201cI doubt me the owner of this\ngrain will never give me my due; so the better rede were to take of it\nafter the measure of my wage; and if he give me my right, I will return\nto him that I have taken.\u201d So he laid hands upon the grain, after the\nmeasure of that which fell to him, and hid it in a hiding place. Then he\ncarried the rest and meted it out to the old man, who said to him \u201cCome,\ntake thy wage, for which I conditioned with thee, and sell the grain and\nbuy with the price clothes and what not else; and though thou abide with\nme ten years, yet shalt thou still have this hire and I will acquit it\nto thee on this wise.\u201d Quoth the merchant in himself, \u201cIndeed, I have\ndone a foul deed by taking it without his permission.\u201d Then he went to\nfetch that which he had hidden of the grain, but found it not and\nreturned, perplexed, sorrowful, to the Shaykh, who asked him, \u201cWhat\naileth thee to be mournful?\u201d and he answered, \u201cMethought thou wouldst\nnot pay me my due; so I took of the grain, after the measure of my hire;\nand now thou hast paid me all my right and I went to bring back to thee\nthat which I had hidden from thee, but found it gone, for those who had\ncome upon it have stolen it.\u201d The Shaykh was wroth, when he heard these\nwords, and said to the merchant, \u201cThere is no device against ill luck! I\nhad given thee this but, of the sorriness of thy doom and thy fortune,\nthou hast done this deed, O oppressor of thine own self! Thou deemedst I\nwould not fulfil to thee thy wage; but, by Allah, nevermore will I give\nthee aught.\u201d Then he drove him away from him. So the merchant went\nforth, woeful, grieving, weeping-eyed, and wandered along the sea-shore,\ntill he came to a sort of duckers[153] diving in the sea for pearls.\nThey saw him weeping and wailing and said to him, \u201cWhat is thy case and\nwhat garreth thee shed tears?\u201d So he acquainted them with his history,\nfrom incept to conclusion, whereby the duckers knew him and asked him\n\u201cArt thou Such-an-one, son of Such-an-one?\u201d He answered \u201cYes;\u201d whereupon\nthey condoled with him and wept sore for him and said to him, \u201cAbide\nhere till we dive upon thy luck this next time and whatso betideth us\nshall be between us and thee.\u201d[154] Accordingly, they ducked and brought\nup ten oyster-shells, in each two great unions: whereat they marvelled\nand said to him, \u201cby Allah, thy luck hath re-appeared and thy good star\nis in the ascendant!\u201d Then the pearl-fishers gave him the ten pearls and\nsaid to him, \u201cSell two of them and make them thy stock-in-trade: and\nhide the rest against the time of thy straitness.\u201d So he took them,\njoyful and contented, and applied himself to sewing eight of them in his\ngown, keeping the two others in his mouth; but a thief saw him and went\nand advertised his fellows of him; whereupon they gathered together upon\nhim, and took his gown and departed from him. When they were gone away,\nhe arose, saying, \u201cThe two unions I have will suffice me,\u201d and made for\nthe nearest city, where he brought out the pearls for sale. Now as\nDestiny would have it, a certain jeweller of the town had been robbed of\nten unions, like those which were with the merchant; so, when he saw the\ntwo pearls in the broker\u2019s hand, he asked him, \u201cTo whom do these\nbelong?\u201d and the broker answered, \u201cTo yonder man.\u201d The jeweller, seeing\nthe merchant in pauper case and clad in tattered clothes, suspected him\nand said to him, \u201cWhere be the other eight pearls?\u201d The merchant thought\nhe asked him of those which were in the gown, whenas the man had\npurposed only to surprise him into confession, and replied, \u201cThe thieves\nstole them from me.\u201d When the jeweller heard his reply, he was certified\nthat it was the wight who had taken his good; so he laid hold of him and\nhaling him before the Chief of Police, said to him, \u201cThis is the man who\nstole my unions: I have found two of them upon him and he confesseth to\nthe other eight.\u201d Now the Wali knew of the theft of the pearls; so he\nbade throw the merchant into jail. Accordingly they imprisoned him and\nwhipped him, and he lay in trunk a whole year, till, by the ordinance of\nAllah Almighty, the Chief of Police arrested one of the divers\naforesaid, and imprisoned him in the prison where the merchant was\njailed. The ducker saw him and knowing him, questioned him of his case;\nwhereupon he told them his tale, and that which had befallen him; and\nthe diver marvelled at the lack of his luck. So, when he came forth of\nthe prison, he acquainted the Sultan with the merchant\u2019s case and told\nhim that it was he who had given him the pearls. The Sultan bade bring\nhim forth of the jail, and asked him of his story, whereupon he told him\nall that had befallen him, and the Sovran pitied him and assigned him a\nlodging in his own palace, together with pay and allowances for his\nsupport. Now the lodging in question adjoined the king\u2019s house, and\nwhilst the merchant was rejoicing in this and saying, \u201cVerily, my luck\nhath returned, and I shall live in the shadow of this king the rest of\nmy life,\u201d he espied an opening walled up with clay and stones. So he\ncleared the opening the better to see what was behind it, and behold, it\nwas a window giving upon the lodging of the king\u2019s women. When he saw\nthis, he was startled and affrighted and rising in haste, fetched clay\nand stopped it up again. But one of the eunuchs[155] saw him, and\nsuspecting him, repaired to the Sultan, and told him of this. So he came\nand seeing the stones pulled out, was wroth with the merchant and said\nto him, \u201cBe this my reward from thee, that thou seekest to unveil my\nHarim?\u201d Thereupon he bade pluck out his eyes; and they did as he\ncommanded. The merchant took his eyes in his hand and said, \u201cHow long, O\nstar of ill-omen, wilt thou afflict me? First my wealth and now my\nlife!\u201d And he bewailed himself, saying, \u201cStriving profiteth me naught\nagainst evil fortune. The Compassionate aided me not, and effort was\nworse than useless.\u201d[156] \u201cOn like wise, O king,\u201d continued the youth,\n\u201cwhilst fortune was favourable to me, all that I did came to good; but\nnow that it hath turned against me, everything turneth to mine ill.\u201d\nWhen the youth had made an end of his tale, the king\u2019s anger subsided a\nlittle, and he said, \u201cReturn him to the prison, for the day draweth to\nan end, and to-morrow we will look into his affair, and punish him for\nhis ill-deeds.\u201d\n\n\n The Second Day.\n\n\n OF LOOKING TO THE ENDS OF AFFAIRS.\n\nWhen it was the next day, the second of the king\u2019s Wazirs, whose name\nwas Bahar\u00fan, came in to him and said, \u201cAllah advance the king! This deed\nwhich yonder youth hath done is a grave matter, and a foul misdeed and a\nheinous against the household of the king.\u201d So Azadbakht bade fetch the\nyouth, because of the Minister\u2019s speech; and when he came into the\npresence, said to him, \u201cWoe to thee, O youth! There is no help but that\nI do thee die by the dreadest of deaths, for indeed thou hast committed\na grave crime, and I will make thee a warning to the folk.\u201d The youth\nreplied, \u201cO king, hasten not, for the looking to the ends of affairs is\na column of the kingdom, and a cause of continuance and assurance for\nthe kingship. Whoso looketh not to the issues of actions, there\nbefalleth him that which befel the merchant, and whoso looketh to the\nconsequences of actions, there betideth him of joyance that which\nbetideth the merchant\u2019s son.\u201d The king asked, \u201cAnd what is the story of\nthe merchant and his sons?\u201d and the youth answered, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE MERCHANT AND HIS SONS_.\u201d[157]\n\nThere was once a merchant, who had abundant wealth, and a wife to boot.\nHe set out one day on a business journey, leaving his wife big with\nchild, and said to her, \u201cAlbeit, I now leave thee, yet I will return\nbefore the birth of the babe, Inshallah!\u201d Then he farewelled her and\nsetting out, ceased not faring from country to country till he came to\nthe court of one of the kings and foregathered with him. Now this king\nneeded one who should order his affairs and those of his kingdom and\nseeing the merchant well-bred and intelligent, he required him to abide\nat court and entreated him honourably. After some years, he sought his\nSovran\u2019s leave to go to his own house, but the king would not consent to\nthis; whereupon he said to him, \u201cO king, suffer me go and see my\nchildren and come again.\u201d So he granted him permission for this and,\ntaking surety of him for his return, gave him a purse, wherein were a\nthousand gold dinars. Accordingly, the merchant embarked in a ship and\nset sail, intending for his mother-land. On such wise fared it with the\ntrader; but as regards his wife, news had reached her that her husband\nhad accepted service with King Such-an-one; so she arose and taking her\ntwo sons, (for she had borne twins in his absence,) set out seeking\nthose parts. As Fate would have it, they happened upon an island and her\nhusband came thither that very night in the ship. So the woman said to\nher children, \u201cThe ship cometh from the country where your father is:\nhie ye to the sea-shore, that ye may enquire of him.\u201d Accordingly, they\nrepaired to the sea-shore and going up into the ship, fell to playing\nabout it and busied themselves with their play till evening evened. Now\nthe merchant their sire lay asleep in the ship, and the noisy disport of\nthe boys troubled him; whereupon he rose to call out to them \u201cSilence\u201d\nand let the purse with the thousand dinars fall among the bales of\nmerchandise. He sought for it and finding it not, buffeted his head and\nseized upon the boys, saying, \u201cNone took the purse but you: ye were\nplaying all about the bales, so ye might steal somewhat, and there was\nnone here but you twain.\u201d Then he took his staff, and laying hold of the\nchildren, fell to beating them and flogging them, whilst they wept, and\nthe crew came round about them saying, \u201cThe boys of this island are all\nrogues and robbers.\u201d Then, of the greatness of the merchant\u2019s anger, he\nswore an oath that, except they brought out the purse, he would drown\nthem in the sea; so when by reason of their denial his oath demanded the\ndeed, he took the two boys and binding them each to a bundle of reeds,\ncast them into the water. Presently, finding that they tarried from her,\nthe mother of the two boys went searching for them, till she came to the\nship and fell to saying, \u201cWho hath seen two boys of mine? Their fashion\nis so and so and their age thus and thus.\u201d When the crew heard her\nwords, they said, \u201cThis is the description of the two boys who were\ndrowned in the sea but now.\u201d Their mother hearing this began calling on\nthem and crying, \u201cAlas, my anguish for your loss, O my sons! Where was\nthe eye of your father this day, that it might have seen you?\u201d Then one\nof the sailors asked her, \u201cWhose wife art thou?\u201d and she answered, \u201cI am\nthe wife of Such-an-one the trader. I was on my way to him, and there\nhath befallen me this calamity.\u201d When the merchant heard her words, he\nknew her and rising to his feet, rent his raiment and beat his head and\nsaid to his wife, \u201cBy Allah, I have destroyed my children with mine own\nhand! This is the end of whoso looketh not to the endings of affairs.\nThis is his reward who taketh not time to reflect.\u201d Then he took to\nwailing and weeping over them, he and his wife, and he said to his\nshipmates, \u201cBy Allah, I shall never enjoy my life, till I light upon\nnews of them!\u201d And he began to go round about the sea, in quest of his\nsons, but found them not. Meanwhile, the wind carried the two children\nfrom the ship towards the land, and cast them up on the sea-shore. As\nfor one of them, a company of the guards of the king of those parts\nfound him and carried him to their lord, who marvelled at him with\nexceeding marvel and adopted him, giving out to the folk that he was his\nown son, whom he had hidden,[158] of his love for him. So the folk\nrejoiced in him with joy exceeding, for their lord\u2019s sake, and the king\nappointed him his heir-apparent and the inheritor of his kingdom. On\nthis wise a number of years passed, till the king died and they\nenthroned the youth sovran in his stead, when he sat down on the seat of\nhis kingship and his estate flourished and his affairs prospered with\nall regularity. Meanwhile, his father and mother had gone round about,\nin quest of him and his brother, all the islands of the sea, hoping that\nthe tide might have cast them up, but found no trace of them; so they\ndespaired of them and took up their abode in a certain of the islands.\nOne day, the merchant, being in the market, saw a broker, and in his\nhand a boy he was crying for sale, and said in himself, \u201cI will buy\nyonder boy, so I may solace myself with him for my sons.\u201d[159] So he\nbought him and bore him to his house; and, when his wife saw him, she\ncried out and said, \u201cBy Allah, this is my son!\u201d Accordingly his father\nand mother rejoiced in him with exceeding joy and asked him of his\nbrother; but he answered, \u201cThe waves parted us and I knew not how it\nwent with him.\u201d Therewith his father and mother consoled themselves with\nhim and on this wise a number of years passed by. Now the merchant and\nhis wife had homed them in a city of the land where their other son was\nking, and when the boy they had recovered grew up, his father assigned\nunto him merchandise, to the end that he might travel therewith. Upon\nthis he fared forth and entered the city wherein his brother ruled and\nanon news reached the king that a merchant had come thither with\nmerchandise befitting royalties; so he sent for him and the young trader\nobeyed the summons and going in to him, sat down before him. Neither of\nthem knew the other; but blood moved between them[160] and the king said\nto the merchant youth, \u201cI desire of thee that thou tarry with me and I\nwill exalt thy station and give thee all that thou requirest and\ncravest.\u201d Accordingly, he abode with him awhile, never quitting him; and\nwhen he saw that he would not suffer him to depart from him, he sent to\nhis father and mother and bade them remove thither to him. Hereat they\nresolved upon moving to that island, and their son still increased in\nhonour with the king, albeit he knew not that he was his brother. Now it\nchanced one night that the king sallied forth without the city and drank\nand the wine got the mastery of him and he became drunken. So, of the\nyouth\u2019s fear for his safety, he said, \u201cI will keep watch myself over the\nking this night, seeing that he deserveth this from me, for that which\nhe hath done with me of kindly deeds;\u201d and he arose forthright and\nbaring his brand, stationed himself at the door of the king\u2019s pavilion.\nBut one of the royal pages saw him standing there, with the drawn sword\nin his hand, and he was of those who envied him his favour with the\nking; therefore, he said to him, \u201cWhy dost thou on this wise at this\ntime and in the like of this place?\u201d Said the youth, \u201cI am keeping watch\nand ward over the king myself, in requital of his bounties to me.\u201d The\npage said no more to him; however, when it was morning, he acquainted a\nnumber of the king\u2019s servants with the matter, and they said, \u201cThis is\nan opportunity for us. Come, let us assemble together and acquaint the\nking therewith, so the young merchant may lose regard with him[161] and\nhe rid us of him and we be at rest from him.\u201d So they assembled together\nand going in to the king, said to him, \u201cWe have a warning wherewith we\nwould warn thee.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cAnd what is your warning?\u201d and quoth they,\n\u201cThis youth, the trader, whom thou hast taken into favour and whose rank\nthou hast exalted above the chiefest of thy lords, we saw yesterday bare\nhis brand and design to fall upon thee, to the end that he might slay\nthee.\u201d Now when the king heard this, his colour changed and he said to\nthem, \u201cHave ye proof of this?\u201d They rejoined, \u201cWhat proof wouldst thou\nhave? An thou desirest this, feign thyself drunken again this night and\nlie down as if asleep, and privily watch him and thou wilt see with\nthine eyes all that we have mentioned to thee.\u201d Then they went to the\nyouth and said to him, \u201cKnow that the king thanketh thee for thy dealing\nyesternight and exceedeth in commendation of thy good deed;\u201d and they\nprompted him again to do the like. Accordingly, when the next night\ncame, the king abode on wake, watching the youth; and as for the latter,\nhe went to the door of the pavilion and unsheathing his scymitar, stood\nin the doorway. When the king saw him do thus, he was sore disquieted\nand bade seize him and said to him, \u201cIs this my reward from thee? I\nshowed thee favour more than any else and thou wouldst do with me this\nabominable deed.\u201d Then arose two of the king\u2019s pages and said to him, \u201cO\nour lord, an thou order it, we will smite his neck.\u201d But the king said,\n\u201cHaste in killing is a vile thing, for \u2019tis[162] a grave matter; the\nquick we can kill, but the killed we cannot quicken, and needs must we\nlook to the end of affairs. The slaying of this youth will not escape\nus.\u201d[163] Therewith he bade imprison him, whilst he himself went back to\nthe city and, his duties done, fared forth to the chase. Then he\nreturned to town and forgot the youth; so the pages went in to him and\nsaid to him, \u201cO king, an thou keep silence concerning yonder youth, who\ndesigned to slaughter thee, all thy servants will presume upon the\nking\u2019s majesty, and indeed the folk talk of this matter.\u201d Hereat the\nking waxed wroth and cried, \u201cFetch him hither;\u201d and bade the headsman\nstrike off his head. So they brought the youth and bound his eyes; and\nthe sworder stood at his head and said to the king, \u201cBy thy leave, O my\nlord, I will smite his neck.\u201d But the king cried, \u201cStay, till I look\ninto his affair. Needs must I put him to death and the dispatching of\nhim will not escape me.\u201d Then he restored him to the prison and there he\nabode till it should be the king\u2019s will to do him die. Presently, his\nparents heard of the matter; whereupon his father arose and going up to\nthe palace, wrote a letter and presented it to the king, who read it,\nand behold, therein was written, saying, \u201cHave ruth on me, so may Allah\nhave ruth on thee, and hasten not in the slaughter of my son; for indeed\nI acted hastily in a certain affair and drowned his brother in the sea,\nand to this day I bemourn him. An thou must needs kill him, kill me in\nhis stead.\u201d Therewith the old merchant, weeping bitterly, prostrated\nhimself before that king, who said to him, \u201cTell me thy tale.\u201d Said the\nmerchant, \u201cO my lord, this youth had a brother and I in my haste cast\nthe twain into the sea.\u201d And he related to him his story, first and\nlast, whereupon the king cried with a mighty loud cry and casting\nhimself down from the throne, embraced his father and brother and said\nto the merchant. \u201cBy Allah, thou art my very father and this is my\nbrother and thy wife is our mother.\u201d And they abode weeping, all three\nof them. Then the king acquainted his people with the matter and said to\nthem, \u201cO folk, how deem ye of my looking to the consequences of\naction?;\u201d and they all marvelled at his wisdom and foresight. Then he\nturned to his sire and said to him, \u201cHadst thou looked to the issue of\nthine affair and made due delay in whatso thou didst, there had not\nbetided thee this repentance and chagrin all this time.\u201d Thereupon he\nsent for his mother and they rejoiced one in other and lived all their\ndays in joy and gladness. \u201cWhat then\u201d (continued the young treasurer),\n\u201cis more grievous than the lack of looking to the ends of things?\nWherefore hasten thou not in the slaying of me, lest penitence betide\nthee and sore chagrin.\u201d When the king heard this, he said, \u201cReturn him\nto the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his affair; for that\ndeliberation in such is advisable and the slaughter of this youth shall\nnot escape us.\u201d\n\n\n The Third Day.\n\n\n OF THE ADVANTAGES OF PATIENCE.[164]\n\nWhen it was the third day, the third Wazir came in to the king and said\nto him, \u201cO king, delay not the matter of this youth, because his deed\nhath caused us fall into the mouths of folk, and it behoveth that thou\nslay him forthright, that the talk may be cut from us and it be not\nsaid:\u2014The king saw on his bed a man with his wife and spared him.\u201d The\nking was chagrined by these words and bade bring the youth. Accordingly,\nthey fetched him in fetters, and indeed the king\u2019s anger was upstirred\nagainst him by the Minister\u2019s speech and he was troubled; so he said to\nhim, \u201cO base of birth, thou hast dishonoured us and marred our mention,\nand needs must I do away thy life from the world.\u201d Quoth the youth, \u201cO\nking, make use of patience in all thine affairs, so wilt thou win to thy\nwish, for that Allah Almighty hath appointed the issue of long-suffering\nto be in abounding good, and indeed by patience Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir ascended from\nthe pit and sat down upon the throne.\u201d Asked the king, \u201cWho was Abu\nS\u00e1bir, and what is his tale?\u201d and the youth answered, saying, \u201cHear\nthou, O king,\n\n\n _THE STORY OF ABU SABIR_.\u201d\n\nThere was once a man, a village headman,[165] Abu Sabir hight, and he\nhad much black cattle and a buxom wife, who had borne him two sons. They\nabode in a certain hamlet and there used to come thither a lion and rend\nand devour Abu Sabir\u2019s herd, so that the most part thereof was wasted\nand his wife said to him one day, \u201cThis lion hath wasted the greater\npart of our property. Arise, mount thy horse and take thy host and do\nthy best to kill him, so we may be at rest from him.\u201d But Abu Sabir\nsaid, \u201cHave patience, O woman, for the issue of patience is praised.\nThis lion it is which transgresseth against us, and the transgressor,\nperforce must Almighty Allah destroy him. Indeed, \u2019tis our\nlong-suffering that shall slay him,[166] and he that doth evil needs\nmust it recoil upon him.\u201d A few days after, the king went forth one\nmorning to hunt and falling in with the lion, he and his host, gave\nchase to him and ceased not pursuit till they slew him. This news\nreached Abu S\u00e1bir who improved the occasion to his wife, \u201cSaid I not to\nthee, O woman, that whoso doth evil, it shall recoil upon him? Haply an\nI sought to slay the lion myself, I had not prevailed against him, and\nthis is the issue of patience.\u201d It befel, after this, that a man was\nslain in Abu Sabir\u2019s village; wherefore the Sultan bade plunder the\nvillage, and they spoiled the patient one\u2019s goods with the rest.\nThereupon his wife said to him, \u201cAll the king\u2019s officers know thee; so\ndo thou prefer thy plaint to the sovran, that he may bid thy beasts to\nbe restored to thee.\u201d But he said to her, \u201cO woman, said I not to thee\nthat he who worketh wrong shall be wronged? Indeed, the king hath done\nevil, and right soon he shall suffer the issues of his deed, for whoso\ntaketh the goods of the folk, needs must his goods be taken.\u201d A man of\nhis neighbours heard his speech, and he was an envier of his; so he went\nto the Sultan and acquainted him therewith, whereupon the king sent and\nplundered all the rest of his goods and drave him forth from the\nvillage, and his wife and family with him. They went wandering in the\nwaste grounds about the hamlet and his wife said to him, \u201cAll that hath\nbefallen us cometh of thy slowness in affairs and thy helplessness.\u201d But\nhe said to her, \u201cHave patience, for the issue of patience is good.\u201d Then\nthey walked on a little way, and thieves met them and despoiling them of\nwhatso remained with them, stripped them of their raiment and took from\nthem the two children; whereupon the woman wept and said to her husband,\n\u201cHearkye, my good man, put away from thee this folly and up with us to\nfollow the thieves, so, peradventure they may have compassion on us and\nrestore the children to us.\u201d He replied, \u201cO woman, have patience, for he\nwho doth evil shall be requited with evil and his frowardness shall\nrevert upon him. Were I to follow them, belike one of them would take\nhis sword and smite my neck and slay me; but have patience, for the\nissue of patience is praised.\u201d Then they fared on till they made a\nvillage[167] in the land of Kirman, and by it a river of water; so the\nman said to his wife, \u201cTarry thou here, whilst I enter the village and\nlook us out a place wherein we may home ourselves.\u201d And he left her by\nthe water and entered the village. Presently, up came a horseman in\nquest of water, wherewith to water his horse: he saw the woman and she\nwas pleasing in his eyes; so quoth he to her, \u201cArise, mount with me and\nI will take thee to wife and entreat thee kindly.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cSpare me,\nso may Allah spare thee! Indeed I have a husband.\u201d But he drew his\ndudgeon and said to her, \u201cAn thou obey me not, I will smite thee and\nslay thee.\u201d When she saw his frowardness, she wrote on the ground in the\nsand with her finger, saying, \u201cO Abu Sabir, thou hast not ceased to be\npatient, till thy good is gone from thee and thy children and now thy\nwife, who was more precious in thy sight than everything and than all\nthy monies, and indeed thou abidest in thy sorrow the whole of thy life\nlong, so thou mayest see what thy patience will profit thee.\u201d Then the\nhorseman took her, and setting her behind him, went his way. As for Abu\nSabir, when he returned, he saw not his wife but he read what was writ\nupon the ground, wherefore he wept and sat awhile sorrowing. Then said\nhe to himself, \u201cO Abu Sabir, it behoveth thee to be patient, for haply\nthere shall betide thee an affair yet sorer than this and more\ngrievous;\u201d and he went forth a-following his face,[168] like to one\nlove-distraught and passion-madded, till he came to a gang of labourers\nworking upon the palace of the king, by way of forced labour.[169] When\nthe overseers saw him, they laid hold of him and said to him, \u201cWork thou\nwith these folk at the palace of the king; else we will imprison thee\nfor life.\u201d So he fell to working with them as a labourer and every day\nthey gave him a bannock of bread. He wrought with them a month\u2019s space,\ntill it chanced that one of the labourers mounted a ladder and falling,\nbrake his leg; whereupon he cried out and shed tears. Quoth Abu Sabir to\nhim, \u201cHave patience and weep not; for in thine endurance thou shalt find\nease.\u201d But the man said to him, \u201cHow long shall I have patience?\u201d And he\nanswered, saying, \u201cLong-suffering bringeth a man forth of the bottom of\nthe pit and seateth him on the throne of the kingdom.\u201d It so fortuned\nthat the king was seated at the lattice, hearkening to their talk, and\nAbu Sabir\u2019s words angered him for the moment; wherefore he bade bring\nhim before him and they brought him forthright. Now there was in the\nking\u2019s palace an underground dungeon and therein a vast silo[170] and a\ndeep, into which the king caused cast Abu Sabir, saying to him, \u201cO\nlittle of wit, soon shall we see how thou wilt come forth of the pit to\nthe throne of the kingdom.\u201d Then he used continuously to come and stand\nat the mouth of the pit and say, \u201cO little of wit, O Abu Sabir,[171] I\nsee thee not come forth of the pit and sit down on the king\u2019s throne!\u201d\nAnd he assigned him each day two bannocks of bread, whilst Abu Sabir\nkept silence and spake not, but patiently bore whatso betided him. Now\nthe king had a brother, whom he had imprisoned in that pit of old time,\nand he had 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 talk\nof this and of the tyranny of their liege Lord, and the bruit spread\nabroad that the sovran was a tyrant, so they fell upon him one day and\nslew him. Then they sought the silo and brought out therefrom Abu Sabir,\ndeeming him the king\u2019s brother, for that he was the nearest of folk to\nhim in favour and the likest, and he had been long in the pit. So they\ndoubted not but that he was the Prince and said to him, \u201cReign thou in\nthy brother\u2019s room, for we have slain him and thou art sovran in his\nstead.\u201d But Abu Sabir was silent and spoke not a word;[172] and he knew\nthat this was the result of his patience. Then he arose and sitting down\non the king\u2019s throne, donned the royal dress and dispensed justice and\nequity, and affairs prospered; wherefore the lieges obeyed him and the\nsubjects inclined to him and many were his soldiers. Now the king, who\nerst had plundered Abu Sabir\u2019s goods and driven him forth of his\nvillage, had an enemy; and the foe mounted horse against him and\novercame him and captured his capital; wherefore he betook him to flight\nand came to Abu Sabir\u2019s 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 and made\ncomplaint to him; but Abu Sabir knew him and said to him, \u201cThis is\nsomewhat of the issue of patience. Allah the Most High hath given me\npower over thee.\u201d Then he commanded his guards to plunder the unjust\nking and his suite; so they spoiled them and stripping them of their\nclothes, put them forth of his country. When Abu Sabir\u2019s troops saw\nthis, they marvelled and said, \u201cWhat be this deed the king doth? There\ncometh a king to him, craving protection, and he spoileth him! This is\nnot the fashion of kings.\u201d But they dared not speak of this. Presently,\nnews came to the king of highwaymen in his land; so he set out in quest\nof them and ceased not to follow after them, till he seized on them all,\nand behold, they were the very thieves who had plundered him and his\nwife by the way and had carried off his children. Accordingly he bade\nbring them before him, and when they came into his presence, he\nquestioned them, saying, \u201cWhere are the two boys ye took on such a day?\u201d\nSaid they, \u201cThey are with us and we will present them to our lord the\nking for Mamelukes to serve him and give him wealth galore that we have\ngotten together and doff all we own and repent from lawlessness and\nfight in thy service.\u201d Abu Sabir, however, paid no heed to their words,\nand seized all their good and bade put them all to death. Furthermore,\nhe took his two boys and rejoiced in them with exceeding joy, whereat\nthe troops murmured among themselves, saying, \u201cVerily, this is a greater\ntyrant than his brother! There cometh to him a gang of thieves, and they\nseek to repent and proffer two boys by way of peace-offering, and he\ntaketh the two lads and all their good and slayeth them! Indeed this be\nviolent oppression.\u201d After this came the horseman, who had seized Abu\nSabir\u2019s wife, and complained of her to the king that she would not give\nhim possession of her person, and solemnly declared that she was his\nwife. The king bade bring her before him, that he might hear her plea\nand pronounce judgment upon her. So the horseman came with her before\nhim, and when the king saw her, he knew her and taking her from her\nravisher, bade put him to death. Then he became aware of the troops,\nthat they murmured against him and spake of him as a tyrant; so he\nturned to his courtiers and ministers and said to them, \u201cAs for me, by\nAllah of All-might,[173] I am not the king\u2019s brother! Nay, I am but one\nwhom the king imprisoned upon a word he heard from me and he used every\nday to come and taunt me therewith. Ye deem me the king\u2019s brother; but I\nam Abu Sabir and the Lord hath given me the kingship in virtue of my\npatience. As for the king who sought protection of me and I plundered\nhim, \u2019twas he who first wronged me, for that he plundered me aforetime\nand drave me forth of my native land and banished me, without due cause;\nwherefore I requited him with that which he had done to me, in the way\nof lawful retribution. As for the highwaymen who proffered repentance,\nthere was no repentance for them with me, because they began upon me\nwith foul dealing and waylaid me by the road and despoiled me and seized\nmy good and my sons, the two boys that I took of them, and those ye\ndeemed Mamelukes are my very sons; so I avenged myself on the thieves of\nthat which they did with me whilome and requited them with strict\njustice. As for the horseman whom I slew, this woman I took from him was\nmy wife and he seized her by force, but Allah the Most High hath\nrestored her to me; so this was my right, and my deed that I have done\nwas righteous, albeit ye, judging by the externals of the matter, deemed\nthat I had done this by way of tyranny.\u201d When the folk heard these\nwords, they marvelled and fell prostrate before him; and they redoubled\nin esteem for him and exceeding affection and sued pardon of him,\nadmiring that which Allah had done with him and how He had given him the\nkingship by reason of his longsuffering and his patience and how he had\nraised himself by his endurance from the bottom of the pit to the throne\nof the kingdom, what while Allah cast down the late king from the throne\ninto the pit.[174] Then Abu Sabir foregathered with his wife and said to\nher, \u201cHow deemest thou of the fruit of patience and its sweetness and\nthe fruit of haste and its bitterness? Verily, all that a man doth of\ngood and evil, he shall assuredly encounter the same.\u201d \u201cOn like wise, O\nking\u201d (continued the young treasurer), \u201cit besitteth thee to practise\npatience, whenever it is possible to thee, for that longsuffering is the\nwont of the noble, and it is the chiefest of their reliance, especially\nfor kings.\u201d When the king heard this from the youth, his wrath subsided;\nso he bade return him to the prison, and the folk dispersed that day.\n\n\n The Fourth Day.\n\n\n OF THE ILL EFFECTS OF IMPATIENCE.\n\nWhen it was the fourth day, the fourth Wazir, whose name was\nZ\u00fash\u00e1d,[175] made his appearance and prostrating himself to his liege\nlord, said to him, \u201cO king, let not the talk of yonder youth delude\nthee, for that he is not a truth-teller. As long as he shall remain\nalive, the folk will not leave talking nor will thy heart cease to be\noccupied with him.\u201d Cried the king, \u201cBy Allah, thou sayst sooth and I\nwill cause fetch him this day and slay him between my hands.\u201d Then bade\nhe bring the youth; so they fetched him in fetters and he said to him,\n\u201cWoe to thee! Thinkest thou to appease my heart with thy prate, whereby\nthe days are spent in talk? I mean to do thee die this day and be quit\nof thee.\u201d Said the youth, \u201cO king, \u2019tis in thy power to put me out of\nthe world whenso thou wilt, but haste is the wont of the ignoble and\npatience the sign of the noble. An thou do me to death, thou wilt\nrepent, and when thou desire to bring me back to life, thou wilt not be\nable. Indeed, whoso acteth hastily in an affair, there befalleth him\nwhat befel Bihz\u00e1d, son of the king.\u201d Quoth the king, \u201cAnd what is his\ntale?\u201d Replied the treasurer, \u201cO king, hear\n\n\n _THE STORY OF PRINCE BIHZAD_.\u201d[176]\n\nThere was once, of olden time, a king and he had a son Bihzad hight,\nthere was not in his tide a fairer than he and he loved to fellow with\nthe folk and to mix with the merchants and sit and talk with them. One\nday, as he was seated in an assembly, amongst a number of people, he\nheard them talking of his own beauty and loveliness, and saying, \u201cThere\nbe not in his time a fairer than he.\u201d But one of the company said,\n\u201cIndeed, the daughter of King Such-an-one is seemlier than he.\u201d When\nBihzad heard this saying, his reason fled and his heart fluttered and he\ncalled the last speaker and said to him, \u201cRepeat to me that which thou\nsaidst and tell me the truth concerning her whom thou avouchest to be\ngoodlier than I and whose daughter she is.\u201d Quoth the man, \u201cShe is the\ndaughter of King Such-an-one;\u201d whereupon Bihzad\u2019s heart clave to her and\nhis colour changed. Presently the news reached his sire, who said to\nhim, \u201cO my son, this maiden to whom thy heart cleaveth is at thy command\nand we have power over her; so wait till I demand her in wedlock for\nthee.\u201d But the Prince said, \u201cI will not wait.\u201d So the king hastened in\nthe matter and sent to demand her of her sire, who required of him an\nhundred thousand dinars paid down to his daughter\u2019s dowry. Quoth\nBihzad\u2019s father, \u201cSo be it,\u201d and weighed out what was in his treasuries,\nand there remained to his charge but a little of the dower.[177] So he\nsaid, \u201cHave patience, O my son, till we gather together the rest of the\nmoney and send to fetch her for thee, since now she is become thine.\u201d\nTherewith the Prince waxed wroth with exceeding wrath and cried, \u201cI will\nnot have patience;\u201d so he took his sword and his lance[178] and mounting\nhis horse, went forth and fell to cutting the way[179]. It chanced one\nday that he fell upon a company of folk who overcame him by dint of\nnumbers and taking him prisoner, pinioned him and carried him to the\nlord of that land wherein he was a-highwaying. This king saw his\nsemblance and loveliness and misdoubting of him, said, \u201cThis be no\nrobber\u2019s favour. Tell me truly, O youth, who thou art.\u201d Bihzad was\nashamed to acquaint him with his condition and preferred death for\nhimself; so he answered, \u201cI am naught but a thief and a bandit.\u201d Quoth\nthe king, \u201cIt behoveth us not to act hastily in the matter of this\nyouth, but that we look into his affair, for that impatience gendereth\npenitence.\u201d So he imprisoned him in his palace and assigned him one to\nserve him. Meanwhile the news spread abroad that Bihzad, son of the\nsovran, was lost, whereupon his father sent letters in quest of him to\nall the kings including 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\u2019s affair and bidding them bring him before\nhimself, said to him, \u201cArt thou minded to destroy thy life?\u201d Quoth\nBihzad, \u201cI did this for fear of shame;\u201d and the king said, \u201cAn thou fear\nshame, thou shouldst not practise haste in thy doings; knowest thou not\nthat the fruit of impatience is repentance? Had we hasted, we also, like\nthee, had repented.\u201d Then he conferred on him a robe of honour and\nengaged to him for the completion of the dowry and sent to his father,\ngiving him the glad tidings and comforting his heart with news of his\nson\u2019s safety; after which he said to Bihzad, \u201cArise, O my son, and go to\nthy sire.\u201d Rejoined the Prince, \u201cO king, complete thy kindness to me by\nhastening my going-in to my wife; for, an I go back to my sire, the time\nwill be long till he send a messenger and he return, promising me\ndispatch.\u201d The king laughed and marvelled at him and said to him, \u201cI\nfear for thee from this precipitancy, lest thou come to shame and win\nnot thy wish.\u201d Then he gave him muchel of wealth and wrote him letters,\ncommending him to the father of the Princess, and despatched him to\nthem. When he drew near their country, the king came forth to meet him\nwith the people of his realm and assigned him a fine lodging and bade\nhasten the going-in of his daughter to him, in compliance with the other\nking\u2019s letter. He also advised the Prince\u2019s father of his son\u2019s coming\nand they busied themselves with the affair of the young lady. When it\nwas the day of the bride\u2019s going-in[180] Bihzad, of his impetuosity and\nlack of patience, betook himself to the wall, which was between himself\nand her lodging and wherein was a hole pierced, and of his haste looked\nthrough it, so he might see his bride. But her mother espied him[181]\nand this was grievous to her; so she took from one of the pages two\nred-hot iron spits and thrust them into the hole through which the\nPrince was looking. The spits ran into his eyes and put them out and he\nfell down fainting and the wedding-festival was changed to mourning and\nsore concern. \u201cSee, then, O king\u201d (continued the youth), \u201cthe issue of\nthe Prince\u2019s haste and lack of deliberation, for indeed his impatience\nbequeathed him long penitence and his joy turned to annoy; and on like\nwise was it with the woman who hastened to put out his eyes and delayed\nnot to deliberate. All this was the doing of haste; wherefore it\nbehoveth the king not to be hasty in putting me to death, for that I am\nunder the hold of his hand, and whatso time thou desirest my slaughter,\nit shall not escape thee.\u201d When the king heard this his anger subsided\nand he said, \u201cReturn him back to the prison till to-morrow, so we may\nlook into his case.\u201d\n\n\n The Fifth Day.\n\n\n OF THE ISSUES OF GOOD AND EVIL ACTIONS.\n\nWhen it was the fifth day, the fifth Wazir, whose name was\nJahrbaur,[182] came in to the king and prostrating himself before him,\nsaid, \u201cO king, it behoveth thee, an thou see or hear one look on thy\nhouse,[183] that thou pluck out his eyes. How then should it be with him\nwhom thou sawest a middlemost thy palace and on thy royal bed, and he\nsuspected with thy Harim, and not of thy lineage or of thy kindred? So\ndo thou away this shame by putting him to death. Indeed, we urge thee\nnot to this, except for the assurance of thine empire and of our zeal\nfor thy loyal counselling and of our affection to thee. How can it be\nlawful that this youth should live for a single hour?\u201d Therewith the\nking was filled with fury and cried, \u201cBring him forthright.\u201d So they\nfetched the youth whom they set before him in fetters, and the king said\nto him, \u201cWoe to thee! Thou hast sinned a great sin and the time of thy\nsurvival hath been long;[184] but needs must we put thee to death,\nbecause there is no ease for us in thy life till we take it.\u201d Quoth the\nyouth, \u201cKnow O king, that I, by Allah, am guiltless, and by reason of\nthis I hope for life, for that he who is innocent of all offence goeth\nnot in fear of pains and penalties, neither greateneth his mourning and\nhis concern; but whoso hath sinned, needs must his sin be expiated upon\nhim, though his life be prolonged, and it shall overtake him, even as it\novertook D\u00e1db\u00edn the king and his Wazir.\u201d Asked Azadbakht, \u201cHow was\nthat?\u201d and the youth said, \u201cHear, O King (whose days may Allah\nincrease!),\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n _THE STORY OF KING DADBIN AND HIS WAZIRS_.\u201d[185]\n\nThere was once a king in the land of Tabaristan,[186] by name D\u00e1db\u00edn,\nand he had two Wazirs, one called Zorkhan and the other K\u00e1rd\u00e1n.[187] The\nMinister Zorkhan had a daughter, there was not in her day a fairer than\nshe nor yet a chaster or a more pious, for she was a faster, a prayer\nand an adorer of Allah the Almighty, and her name was Arw\u00e0.[188] Now\nDadbin, the king, heard tell of her praises; so his heart clave to her\nand he called the Wazir her sire and said to him, \u201cI desire of thee that\nthou marry me to thy daughter.\u201d Quoth Zorkhan, \u201cO my liegest lord,\nsuffer me to consult her, and if she consent, I will marry thee with\nher.\u201d And the king said, \u201cHaste thee with this.\u201d So the Minister went in\nto his daughter and said to her, \u201cO my daughter, the king seeketh thee\nof me and desireth to marry thee.\u201d She said, \u201cO my father, I desire not\na husband, and if thou wilt marry me, marry me not but with a mate who\nshall be mine inferior in rank and I nobler than he, so he may not turn\nto other than myself nor lift his eyes upon me,[189] and marry me not to\none who is nobler than I, lest I be with him as a slave-girl and a\nserving-woman.\u201d 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 sire, \u201cAn\nthou marry me not to her of good grace, I will take her in thy despite\nand by force.\u201d The Minister again betook himself to his daughter and\nrepeated to her the king\u2019s words, but she replied, \u201cI want no husband.\u201d\nSo he returned to the king and told him what she said, and he was wroth\nand threatened him, whereupon the father took his daughter and fled with\nher. When this came to the king\u2019s knowledge, he despatched troops in\npursuit of Zorkhan, to stop the road upon him, whilst he himself went\nout and overtaking the Wazir, smote him on the head with his mace[190]\nand slew him. Then he took his daughter by force and returning to his\ndwelling place, went in to her and married her. Arwa resigned herself\nwith patience to that which betided her and committed her case to Allah\nAlmighty; and indeed she was used to serve Him night and day with a\ngoodly service in the house of King Dadbin her husband. It befel one day\nthat the king had occasion to make a journey; so he called his second\nWazir Kardan and said to him, \u201cI have a charge to commit to thy care,\nand it is yonder lady, my wife, the daughter of the Wazir Zorkhan, and I\ndesire that thou keep her and guard her thy very self, because I have\nnot in the world aught dearer than she.\u201d Quoth Kardan in his mind, \u201cOf a\ntruth, the king honoureth me with an exceeding honour in entrusting me\nwith this lady.\u201d And he answered, \u201cWith love and all gladness.\u201d When the\nking had departed on his journey, Kardan said in himself, \u201cNeeds must I\nlook upon this lady whom the king loveth with all this love.\u201d So he hid\nhimself in a place, that he might espy her, and saw her surpassing\ndescription; wherefor he was confounded at her and his wit was wildered\nand love gat the lordship of him, so that he sent to her, saying, \u201cHave\npity on me, for indeed I perish for the love of thee.\u201d She sent back to\nhim and replied, \u201cO Wazir, thou art in the place of faith and\nconfidence, so do not thou betray thy trust, but make thine inward life\nlike unto thine outward[191] and occupy thyself with thy wife and that\nwhich is lawful to thee. As for this, \u2019tis mere lust and women are all\nof one and the same taste.[192] And if thou wilt not be forbidden from\nthis talk, I will make thee a byword and a reproach among folk.\u201d When\nthe Minister heard her answer, he knew that she was chaste of soul and\nbody; wherefore he repented with the utmost of repentance and feared for\nhimself from the king and said, \u201cNeeds must I devise a device whereby I\nmay destroy her; else shall I be disgraced with the king.\u201d Now when the\nking returned from his journey, he questioned Kardan of the affairs of\nhis kingdom, and the Wazir answered, \u201cAll is right well, O king, save a\nvile matter, which I have espied here and with which I am ashamed to\nconfront the sovran; but, if I hold my peace thereof, I fear lest other\nthan I discover it and I shall have played traitor to the king in the\nmatter of my warning and my trust.\u201d Quoth Dadbin, \u201cSpeak, for to me thou\nart none other than a truth-teller, a trustworthy and a loyal counsellor\nin whatso thou sayest, undistrusted in aught.\u201d And the Minister said, \u201cO\nking, this woman to whose love thy heart cleaveth and of whose piety\nthou talkest and her fasting and her praying, I will plainly prove to\nthee that this is craft and guile.\u201d Hereat the king was troubled and\nsaid, \u201cWhat may be the matter?\u201d and the Wazir replied, \u201cI would have\nthee wot that some days after thy departure, one came to me and said to\nme, Come, O Wazir, and look. So I went to the door of the queen\u2019s\nsleeping-chamber and behold, she was sitting with Abu al-Khayr, her\nfather\u2019s page, whom she favoureth, and she did with him what she did,\nand such is the manner of that which I saw and heard.\u201d When Dadbin heard\nthis, he burnt with rage and said to one of his eunuchs,[193] \u201cGo and\nslay her in her chamber.\u201d But the eunuch said to him, \u201cO king, Allah\nprolong thy life! Indeed, the killing of her may not be in this way\nneither at this time; but do thou bid one of thine Castratos take her up\non a camel and carry her to one of the trackless wolds and cast her down\nthere; so, if she be guilty, Allah shall cause her to perish, and if she\nbe innocent, He will deliver her, and the king shall be free from\ndefault against her; for that this lady is dear to thee and thou slewest\nher father by reason of thy love for her.\u201d Quoth the king, \u201cBy Allah,\nthou sayst sooth!\u201d Then he bade one of his eunuchs carry her on a camel\nto one of the far-off wilds and cut-off wolds and there leave her and\nwend his ways, and he forbad her torment to be prolonged. So he took her\nup and betaking himself with her to the desert, left her there without\nprovaunt or water and returned, whereupon she made for one of the hills,\nand ranging stones before her in form of prayer-niche, stood praying.\nNow it chanced that a camel-driver, belonging to Kisr\u00e0[194] the king,\nlost certain camels, and his lord threatened him, if he found them not,\nthat he would slay him. Accordingly he set out and plunged into the\nwastes till he came to the place where the lady was, and seeing her\nstanding at prayer utterly alone, waited till she had made an end of her\norisons, when he went up to her and saluted her with the salam, saying,\n\u201cWho art thou?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cI am a hand-maid of the Almighty.\u201d He asked,\n\u201cWhat doest thou in this desolate place?\u201d and she answered, \u201cI serve\nAllah the Most High.\u201d When he saw her beauty and loveliness, he fell in\nlove with her, and said to her, \u201cHarkye! Do thou take me to mate and I\nwill be tender to thee and use thee with exceeding ruth, and I will\nfurther thee in obedience to Allah Almighty.\u201d But she answered, saying,\n\u201cI have no 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 further me in\nthe obedience of Allah the Most High, carry me to a place where there is\nwater and thou wilt have done me a kindness.\u201d Thereupon he took her to a\nplace wherein was running water and setting her down on the ground, left\nher and went his ways, marvelling at her. After he left her, he found\nhis camels, by her blessing, and when he returned, King Kisra asked him,\n\u201cHast thou found the camels?\u201d He answered \u201cYes,\u201d and acquainted him with\nthe affair of the damsel, and detailed to him her beauty and loveliness:\nwhereupon the king\u2019s heart clave to her and he mounted with a few men\nand betook himself to that place, where he found the lady and was amazed\nat her, because he saw her surpassing the description wherewith the\ncamel-driver had described her to him. So he accosted her and said to\nher, \u201cI am King Kisra, greatest of the kings. Wilt thou not have me to\nhusband?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWhat wilt thou do with me, O king, and I a woman\nabandoned in the waste?\u201d And quoth he, \u201cNeeds must this be, and if thou\nwilt not consent to me, I will take up my abode here and devote myself\nto Allah\u2019s service and thy service, and with thee worship the Almighty.\u201d\nThen he bade set up for her a tent and another for himself, facing hers,\nso he might adore Allah with her, and fell to sending her food; and she\nsaid in herself, \u201cThis is a king, and \u2019tis not lawful for me that I\nsuffer him for my sake to forsake his lieges and his land.\u201d Presently\nshe said to the serving-woman, who used to bring her the food, \u201cSpeak\nthe king that he return to his women, for he hath no need of me, and I\ndesire to abide in this place, so I may worship therein Allah the Most\nHigh.\u201d The slave-girl returned to the king and told him this, whereupon\nhe sent back to her, saying, \u201cI have no need of the kingship and I also\ndesire to tarry here and worship Allah with thee in this waste.\u201d When\nshe found this earnestness in him, she fell in with his wishes, and\nsaid, \u201cO king, I will consent to that which thou desirest and will be to\nthee a wife, but on condition that thou bring me Dadbin the king and his\nWazir Kardan and his Chamberlain the chief Eunuch, and that they be\npresent in thine assembly, so I may speak a word with them in thy\npresence, to the intent that thou mayst redouble in affection for me.\u201d\nQuoth Kisra, \u201cAnd what is thy want unto this?\u201d So she related to him her\nstory from first to last, how she was the wife of Dadbin the king and\nhow the Wazir Kardan had misspoken of her honour. When King Kisra heard\nthis, he redoubled in love-longing for her and affection and said to\nher, \u201cDo whatso thou willest:\u201d then he let bring a litter[195] and\ncarrying her therein to his dwelling-place, entreated her with the\nutmost honour and espoused her. Presently he sent a great army to King\nDadbin and fetching him and his Wazir Kardan and the Eunuch-chamberlain,\ncaused bring them before him, they unknowing the while what he might\npurpose to do with them. Moreover, he caused set up for Arwa a\npavilion[196] in the courtyard of his palace, and she entered it and let\ndown the curtain before herself. When the servants had set their seats\nand they had seated themselves, Arwa raised a corner of the curtain and\nsaid, \u201cO Kardan, rise to thy feet, for it besitteth not that thou sit in\nthe like of this assembly, before this mighty King Kisra.\u201d When the\nWazir heard these words, his heart fluttered and his joints were\nloosened and he rose to his feet of his fear. Then said she to him, \u201cBy\nthe virtue of Him who hath made thee stand up to judgment in this\nstanding-stead, and thou abject and humiliated, I conjure thee speak the\ntruth and 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 against\na man and a Moslem so as to slay him.[197] This is no place wherein\nlying availeth nor may artifice be herein.\u201d When the Wazir was \u2019ware\nthat she was Arwa and heard her speech, he knew that it behoved him not\nto lie and that naught would avail him save truth; so he bowed his head\ngroundwards and wept and said, \u201cWhoso doth evil, needs must he incur it,\nalbe his day be prolonged. By Allah, I am he who hath sinned and\ntransgressed, and naught prompted me unto this but fear and\novermastering desire and the misery writ upon my brow.[198] And indeed\nthis woman is pure and chaste and free from all fault.\u201d When King Dadbin\nheard this, he beat his face and said to Kardan, his Wazir, \u201cAllah slay\nthee![199] \u2019Tis thou that hast parted me and my wife and wronged me!\u201d\nBut Kisra the king said to him, \u201cAllah shall assuredly slay thee,\nbecause thou hastenedst and lookedst not into thine affair, and knewest\nnot the guilty from the guiltless. Hadst thou wrought deliberately, the\nunright had been made manifest to thee from the right; so when this\nvillain Wazir purposed thy ruin, where was thy judgment and whither went\nthy sight?\u201d Then he asked Arwa, \u201cWhat wilt thou that I do with them?\u201d\nand she answered, \u201cAccomplish on them the ordinance of Almighty\nAllah:[200] let the slayer be slain and the transgressor transgressed\nagainst, even as he transgressed against us; yea, and to the well-doer\nweal shall be done even as he did unto us.\u201d So she gave her officers\norder concerning Dadbin and they smote him on the head with a mace and\nslew him, and she said, \u201cThis is for the slaughter of my sire.\u201d Then she\nbade set the 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 water;\nand she said to him, \u201cAn thou be guilty, thou shalt suffer the\npunishment of thy guilt and die in the desert of hunger and thirst; but\nan there be no guilt in thee, thou shalt be delivered, even as I was\ndelivered.\u201d As for the Eunuch-chamberlain, who had counselled King\nDadbin not to slay her, but to cause carry her to the desert, she\nbestowed on him a costly robe of honour and said to him, \u201cThe like of\nthee it befitteth kings to hold in favour and promote to high place, for\nthat thou spakest loyally and well, and a man is requited according to\nhis deed.\u201d And Kisra the King made him Wali in a certain province of his\nempire. \u201cKnow, therefore, O king\u201d (continued the youth), \u201cthat whoso\ndoeth good is requited with good, and he who is guiltless of sin and\noffence feareth not the issue of his affair. And I, O my liege lord, am\nfree from guilt, wherefore I hope in Allah that He will show forth the\ntruth to mine auspicious king, and vouchsafe me the victory over enemies\nand enviers.\u201d When the king heard this, his wrath subsided and he said,\n\u201cReturn him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his\ncase.\u201d\n\n\n The Sixth Day.\n\n\n OF TRUST IN ALLAH.\n\nWhen it was the sixth day, the wrath of the Wazirs redoubled, because\nthey had not won their will of the youth and they feared for their lives\nfrom the liege lord; so three of them went in to him and prostrating\nthemselves between his hands, said to him, \u201cO king, indeed we are loyal\ncounsellors to thy dignity and fondly solicitous for thy weal. Verily,\nthou persistest long in leaving this youth alive and we know not what is\nthine advantage therein. Every day findeth him yet on life and the talk\nof folk redoubleth suspicion on thee; so do thou do him dead, that the\ntalk may be made an end of.\u201d When the king heard this speech, he said,\n\u201cBy Allah, verily ye say sooth and speak rightly!\u201d Then he bade them\nbring the young treasurer and when he came into the presence said to\nhim, \u201cHow long shall I look into thy case, and find no helper for thee\nand see them athirst for thy blood?\u201d The youth answered, \u201cO king, I hope\nfor succour only from Allah, not from created beings: an He aid me, none\nshall have power to harm me, and if He be with me and on my side,\nbecause of the truth, from whom shall I fear, because of untruth?\nIndeed, I have made my intent with Allah a pure intent and a sincere,\nand I have severed my expectation from the help of the creature; and\nwhoso seeketh aid of Allah findeth of his desire that which Bakhtzam\u00e1n\nfound.\u201d Quoth the king, \u201cWho was Bakhtzaman and what is his story?\u201d and\nquoth the youth, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE STORY OF KING BAKHTZAMAN_.\u201d[201]\n\nThere was once a king of the kings, whose name was Bakhtzaman, and he\nwas a great eater and drinker and carouser. Now enemies of his made\ntheir appearance in certain parts of his realm, which they coveted; and\none of his friends said to him, \u201cO king, the foe intendeth for thee: be\non thy guard against him.\u201d Quoth Bakhtzaman, \u201cI reck not of him, for\nthat I have weapons and wealth and warmen and am not afraid of aught.\u201d\nThen said his friends to him, \u201cAsk aid of Allah, O king, for He will\nhelp thee more than thy wealth and thy weapons and thy warriors.\u201d But he\nturned a deaf ear to the speech of his loyal counsellors, and presently\nthe enemy came upon him and waged war upon him and got the victory over\nhim and profited him naught his trust in other than Allah the Most High.\nSo he fled from him and seeking one of the sovrans, said to him, \u201cI come\nto thee and lay hold upon thy skirts and take refuge with thee, so thou\nmayst help me against my foe.\u201d The king gave him money and men and a\nmighty many and Bakhtzaman said in himself, \u201cNow am I fortified with\nthis force and needs must I conquer my foe with such combatants and\novercome him;\u201d but he said not, \u201cWith the aid of Allah Almighty.\u201d So his\nenemy met him and overcame him again and he was defeated and put to the\nrout and fled at random: his troops were dispersed from him and his\nmoney lost and the enemy pursued him. Thereupon he sought the sea and\npassing over to the other side, saw a great city and therein a mighty\ncitadel. He asked its name and that of its owner, and they said to him,\n\u201cIt belongeth to Khad\u00edd\u00e1n[202] the king.\u201d So he fared on till he came to\nthe royal palace and concealing his condition, passed himself off for a\nhorseman[203] and sought service with King Khadidan, who attached him to\nhis attendance and entreated him with honour; but his heart still clung\nto his mother-land and his home. Presently, it chanced that an enemy\ncame out against King Khadidan; so he sent his troops to meet him and\nmade Bakhtzaman head of the host. Then they went forth to the field and\nKhadidan also came forth and ranged his troops and levelled lance and\nsallied out in person and fought a sore fight and overcame his foe, who\nwith his troops ignominiously fled. When the king and his army returned\nin triumph, Bakhtzaman said to him, \u201cHarkye, O king! This be a strange\nthing I see in thee that thou art compassed about with this mighty great\narmy, yet dost thou apply thyself in person to battle and adventurest\nthy life.\u201d Quoth the king, \u201cDost thou call thyself a knight and a\nlearned wight and deemest that victory is in the many of men?\u201d Quoth\nBakhtzaman, \u201cSuch is indeed my belief.\u201d And Khadidan the king cried, \u201cBy\nAllah, then, thou errest in this thy belief!\u201d presently adding, \u201cWoe and\nagain woe to him whose trust is in other than Allah! Indeed, this army\nis appointed only for phantasy and majesty, and victory is from Allah\nalone. I too, O Bakhtzaman, whilome believed that victory was in the\nnumber of men,[204] and an enemy came out against me with eight hundred\nhead, whilst I had eight hundred thousand. I trusted in the tale of my\ntroops, whilst my foe trusted in Allah, so he defeated me and routed me\nand I was put to a shameful flight and hid myself in one of the\nmountains, where I met with a Religious who had withdrawn himself from\nthe world. So I joined myself to him and complained to him of my case\nand acquainted him with all that had befallen me. Quoth the Recluse,\nWottest thou why this befel thee and thou wast defeated? Quoth I, I know\nnot; and he said, Because thou didst put thy trust in the multitude of\nthy warmen and reliedst not upon Allah the Most High. Hadst thou put thy\ntrust in the Almighty and believed of Him that it is He alone who\nadvantageth and endamageth thee, never had thy foe availed to cope with\nthee. Return unto Allah. So I returned to my right senses, and repented\nat the hands of that Religious, who said to me:\u2014Turn back with what\nremaineth to thee of troops and confront thy foes, for, if their intents\nbe changed and turned away from Allah, thou wilt overcome them, e\u2019en\nwert thou alone. When I heard the Solitary\u2019s words, I put my trust in\nAllah of All-Might; and, gathering together those who remained with me,\nfell upon mine enemies at unawares in the night. They deemed us many and\nfled with the shamefullest flight, whereupon I entered my city and\nrepossessed myself of my place by the might of Almighty Allah, and now I\nfight not but trusting in His aid.\u201d When Bakhtzaman heard these words he\nawoke from his heedlessness and cried, \u201cExtolled be the perfection of\nGod the Great! O king, this is my case and my story, nothing added and\nnaught subtracted, for I am King Bakhtzaman and all this happened to me:\nwherefore I will seek the gate of Allah\u2019s mercy and repent unto Him.\u201d So\nhe went forth to one of the mountains and worshipped Allah there awhile,\ntill one night, as he slept, a personage appeared to him in a dream and\nsaid to him, \u201cO Bakhtzaman, Allah accepteth thy repentance and openeth\non thee the door of succour and will aid thee against thy foe.\u201d When he\nwas assured of this in the dream, he arose and turned back, intending\nfor his own city; and when he drew near thereunto, he saw a company of\nthe king\u2019s retainers, who said to him, \u201cWhence art thou? We see that\nthou art a foreigner and fear for thee from this king, for that every\nstranger who entereth this city, he destroyeth him, of his dread of King\nBakhtzaman.\u201d Said Bakhtzaman, \u201cNone shall prejudice him nor profit him\nsave Allah the Most High.\u201d And they replied, \u201cIndeed, he hath a vast\narmy and his heart is fortified in the multitude of his many.\u201d When King\nBakhtzaman heard this, his mind was comforted and he said to himself, \u201cI\nplace my trust in Allah. An He will, I shall overcome mine enemy by the\nmight of the Lord of Omnipotence.\u201d So he said to the folk, \u201cWot ye not\nwho I am?\u201d and they said, \u201cNo, by Allah.\u201d Cried he, \u201cI am King\nBakhtzaman.\u201d When they heard this and knew that it was indeed he, they\ndismounted from their horses and kissed his stirrup, to do him honour,\nand said to him, \u201cO king, why thus risk thy life?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cIndeed, my\nlife is a light matter to me and I set my trust in Almighty Allah,\nlooking to Him for protection.\u201d And quoth they, \u201cMay that suffice thee!\u201d\npresently adding, \u201cWe will do with thee that which is in our power and\nwhereof thou art worthy: hearten thy heart, for we will succour thee\nwith our substance and our existence, and we are his chief officers and\nthe most in favour with him of all folk. So we will take thee with us\nand cause the lieges follow after thee, because the inclination of the\npeople, all of them, is thee-wards.\u201d Said he, \u201cDo whatso Allah Almighty\nenableth you to do.\u201d So they carried him into the city and hid him with\nthem. Then they agreed with a company of the king\u2019s chief officers, who\nhad aforetime been those of Bakhtzaman, and acquainted them with this;\nwhereat they rejoiced with joy exceeding. Then they assembled together\nto Bakhtzaman, and made a covenant and handfast of fealty with him and\nfell upon the foe and slew him and seated King Bakhtzaman again on the\nthrone of his kingship. And his affairs prospered and Allah amended his\nestate and restored to him His bounty, and he ruled his subjects justly\nand abode in the obedience of the Almighty. \u201cOn this wise, O king,\u201d\n(continued the young treasurer), \u201che with whom Allah is and whose intent\nis pure, meeteth naught save good. As for me, I have no helper other\nthan the Almighty, and I am content to submit myself to His ordinance,\nfor that He knoweth the purity of my intent.\u201d With this the king\u2019s wrath\nsubsided and he said, \u201cReturn him to the prison till the morrow, so we\nmay look into his case.\u201d\n\n\n The Seventh Day.\n\n\n OF CLEMENCY.\n\nWhen it was the seventh day, the seventh Wazir, whose name was\nBihkam\u00e1l,[205] came in to the king and prostrating himself to him, said,\n\u201cO king, what doth thy long-suffering with this youth profit thee?\nIndeed the folk talk of thee and of him. Why, then, dost thou postpone\nthe putting him to death?\u201d The Minister\u2019s words aroused the anger of the\nking, and he bade bring the youth. So they fetched him before, him in\nfetters, and Azadbakht said to him, \u201cHo, woe to thee! By Allah, after\nthis day there abideth no deliverance for thee from my hand, by reason\nthat thou hast outraged mine honour, and there can be no forgiveness for\nthee.\u201d The youth replied, \u201cO king, there is no great forgiveness save in\ncase of a great default, for according as the offence is great in so\nmuch magnified is mercy; and it is no grace to the like of thee if he\nspare the like of me. Verily, Allah knoweth that there is no crime in\nme, and indeed He commandeth to clemency, and no clemency is greater\nthan that which spareth from slaughter, for that thy pardon of him whom\nthou purposest to put to death is as the quickening of a dead man; and\nwhoso doth evil shall find it before him, even as it was with King\nBihkard.\u201d Asked the king, \u201cAnd what is the story of King Bihkard?\u201d And\nthe youth answered, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE STORY OF KING BIHKARD_.\u201d[206]\n\nThere was once a king named Bihkard and he had mickle of wealth and many\ntroops; but his deeds were evil and he would punish for a slight\noffence, and he never forgave any offender. He went forth one day to\nhunt and a certain of his pages shot a shaft, which lit on the king\u2019s\near and cut it off. Bihkard cried, \u201cWho shot that arrow?\u201d So the guards\nbrought him in haste the misdemeanant, whose name was Yatr\u00fa,[207] and he\nof his fear fell down on the ground in a fainting fit. Then quoth the\nking, \u201cSlay him;\u201d but Yatru said, \u201cO king, this which hath befallen was\nnot of my choice nor of my knowledge; so do thou pardon me, in the hour\nof thy power over me, for that mercy is of the goodliest of deeds and\nbelike it shall be in this world a provision and a good work for which\nthou shalt be repaid one of these days, and a treasure laid up to thine\naccount with Allah in the world to come. Pardon me, therefore, and fend\noff evil from me, so shall Allah fend off from thee the like evil.\u201d When\nthe king heard this, it pleased him and he pardoned the page, albeit he\nhad never 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 committed:\nthen he went and took service with Bihkard the king, and there happened\nto him what happened. After a while, it chanced that a man recognized\nhim and went and told his father, who sent him a letter, comforting his\nheart and mind and calling upon him to return to him. Accordingly he\nreturned to his father, who came forth to meet him and rejoiced in him,\nand the Prince\u2019s affairs were set right with his sire. Now it befel, one\nday of the 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 sank. The\nking made the land upon a plank, unknown of any, and came forth,\nmother-naked, on one of the coasts; and it chanced that he landed in the\ncountry whereof the father of the page aforesaid was king. So he came in\nthe night to the gate of the sovran\u2019s capital, and finding it shut,\nlodged him in a burying-place there. When the morning morrowed and the\nfolk came forth of the city, behold, they found a man lately murthered\nand cast down in a corner of the burial ground, and seeing Bihkard\nthere, doubted not but it was he who had slain him during the night; so\nthey laid hands on him and carried him up to the king and said to him,\n\u201cThis fellow hath slain a man.\u201d The king bade imprison him; whereupon\nthey threw him in jail, and he fell to-saying in himself, what while he\nwas in the prison, \u201cAll that hath befallen me is of the abundance of my\nsins and my tyranny, for, indeed, I have slain much people unrighteously\nand this is the requital of my deeds and that which I have wrought\nwhilome of oppression.\u201d As he was thus pondering in himself, there came\na bird and lighted down on the pinnacle of the prison, whereupon, of his\npassing eagerness in the chase, he took a stone and threw it at the\nbird. Now the king\u2019s son was playing in the exercise-ground with the\nball and the bat,[208] and the stone lit on his ear and cut it off,\nwhereupon the Prince fell down in a fit. So they enquired who had thrown\nthe stone and finding that it was Bihkard, took him and carried him\nbefore the king\u2019s son, who bade do him die. Accordingly, they cast the\nturband from his head and were about to fillet his eyes, when the Prince\nlooked at him and seeing him cropped of an ear, said to him, \u201cBut for\nthy villainies thine ear had not been cut off.\u201d Said Bihkard, \u201cNot so,\nby Allah! Nay, but the story of the loss of my car is so and so, and I\npardoned him who smote me with an arrow and cut off my ear.\u201d When the\nprince heard this, he looked in his face and knowing him, cried out and\nsaid, \u201cArt thou not Bihkard the king?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d replied he, and the Prince\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat ill chance threw thee here?\u201d Thereupon he told him\nall that had betided him and the folk wondered and extolled the\nperfection of the Almighty, crying \u201cSubh\u00e1na \u2019llah!\u2014laud to the Lord!\u201d\nThen the Prince rose to him and embraced him and kissed him and,\nentreating him with respect, seated him in a chair and bestowed on him a\nrobe of honour; and he turned to his sire and said to him, \u201cThis be the\nking who pardoned me and this be his ear which I cut off with a shaft;\nand indeed he deserveth my pardon by having pardoned me.\u201d Then said he\nto Bihkard, \u201cVerily, the issue of mercy hath been a provision for thee\nin such hour as this.\u201d And they entreated him with the utmost kindness\nand sent him back to his own country in all honour. \u201cKnow, then, O king\u201d\n(continued the youth), \u201cthat there is no goodlier quality than mercy and\nthat all thou dost of clemency, thou shalt find before thee a treasure\nfor thee treasured up.\u201d When the king heard this, his wrath subsided and\nhe said, \u201cReturn him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into\nhis case.\u201d\n\n\n The Eighth Day.\n\n\n OF ENVY AND MALICE.\n\nWhen it was the eighth day, the Wazirs all assembled and had speech\ntogether and said, \u201cHow shall we do with this youth, who overcometh us\nwith his much talk? Indeed, we fear lest he be saved and we fall into\ndestruction. So, let us all go in to the king and unite our efforts to\ngain our cause, ere he appear without guilt and come forth and get the\nbetter of us.\u201d Accordingly they all went in to the king and prostrating\nthemselves before him, said to him, \u201cO king, beware lest this youth\nensorcell thee with his sorcery and beguile thee with his wiles. An thou\nheardest what we hear, thou wouldst not suffer him live; no, not a\nsingle day. Wherefore heed not his speech, for we are thy Ministers, who\nendeavour for thy permanence, and if thou hearken not to our word, to\nwhose word wilt thou hearken? See, we are ten Wazirs who testify against\nthis youth that he is guilty and entered not the king\u2019s sleeping chamber\nsave with ill intent, so he might put the king to shame and outrage his\nhonour; and if the king slay him not, let him banish him his realm, that\nthe tongue of the folk may desist from him.\u201d When the king heard his\nMinisters\u2019 words, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and bade bring the\nyouth, and when he came in to the king, the Wazirs all cried out with\none voice, saying, \u201cO Lack-wits, thinkest thou to save thyself from\nslaughter by guile and sleight, that thou wilest the king with thy talk\nand hopest pardon for the like of this mighty great crime thou hast\ncommitted?\u201d Then the king bade fetch the sworder, so he might smite his\nneck; whereupon each of the Wazirs fell to saying, \u201cI will slay him;\u201d\nand they sprang upon him. Quoth the youth, \u201cO king, consider and ponder\nthe eagerness of these thy Ministers. Is this of envy or is it not? They\nwould fain make severance between me and thee, so there may fall to them\nwhat they shall plunder, as aforetime.\u201d And the king said to him,\n\u201cConsider their witness against thee.\u201d The young man said, \u201cO king, how\nshall they testify of that which they saw not?[209] This is but envy and\ndespight; and thou, an thou slay me, wilt indeed regret me, and I fear\nlest there betide thee of repentance that which betided Ayl\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h, by\nreason of the malice of his Wazirs.\u201d Asked Azadbakht, \u201cAnd what is his\nstory?\u201d and the youth answered, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE STORY OF AYLAN SHAH AND ABU TAMMAM_.\u201d[210]\n\nWhilome there was a merchant named Abu Tamm\u00e1m, and he was a clever man\nand a well-bred, quick-witted and truthful in all his affairs, and he\nwas monied to boot. Now there was in his land a king as unjust as he was\njealous, and Abu Tammam feared for his wealth from this king and said,\n\u201cI will remove hence to another place where I shall not be in dread.\u201d So\nhe made for the city of Ayl\u00e1n Sh\u00e1h and built himself a palace therein\nand transporting his wealth thither, took up his abode there. Presently,\nthe news of him reached King Aylan Shah; so he sent to invite him to his\npresence and said to him, \u201cWe 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 welcome!\nThe land is thy land and at thy command, and whatsoever need thou\nneedest of us, \u2019tis already accomplished to thee; and it behoveth that\nthou be near our person and of our assembly.\u201d Abu Tammam prostrated\nhimself before the king, and said to him, \u201cO king, I will serve thee\nwith my monies and with my life, but do thou excuse me from nearness to\nthee, for that an I took office about thee, I should not be safe from\nenemies and enviers.\u201d 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 he\ncommitted to him the ordinance of his affairs and the power to bind and\nto loose was in his hand. Now Aylan Shah had three Wazirs, in whose\nhands public affairs were wont to be and they had been accustomed not to\nquit the king night or day; but they became shut out from him by reason\nof Abu Tammam and the king was occupied with him to their exclusion.\nHerewith the Ministers took counsel together upon the matter and said,\n\u201cWhat is your rede we should do, seeing that the king is occupied from\nus with yonder man, and indeed he honoureth him with more honour than\nus? But now come, let us devise some device whereby we may alienate him\nfrom the king.\u201d So each of them spoke forth that which was in his mind,\nand one of them said, \u201cThe king of the Turks hath a daughter, whose like\nthere is not in the world, and whatso messenger goeth to demand her in\nmarriage, him her father slaughtereth. Now our king hath no knowledge of\nthis; so, come, let us foregather with him and bring up the mention of\nher: when his heart is taken with her, we will advise him to dispatch\nAbu Tammam to seek her hand in marriage; whereupon her father will slay\nhim and we shall be quit of him and settle his affair once for all.\u201d\nAccordingly, they went in to the king one day (Abu Tammam being present\namong them,) and mentioned the affair of the damsel, the daughter of the\nTurks\u2019 king, and enlarged upon her charms, till the king\u2019s heart was\ntaken with her and he said to them, \u201cWe will send one to demand her to\nwife for us; but who shall be our messenger?\u201d Quoth the Wazirs, \u201cThere\nis none fit for this business but Abu Tammam, by reason of his wit and\ngood breeding;\u201d and the king said, \u201cIndeed, even as ye say, none is\nfitting for this affair save he.\u201d Then he turned to Abu Tammam and said\nto him, \u201cWilt thou not go with my message and seek me in marriage the\ndaughter of the Turks\u2019 king?\u201d and he answered, \u201cTo hear is to obey, O my\nSovran!\u201d So they made ready his affair and the king conferred on him a\nrobe of honour, and he took with him a present and a letter under the\nking\u2019s hand and setting out, fared on till he came to the capital city\nof Turkistan. When the king of the Turks knew of his coming, he\ndespatched his officers to receive him and entreated him with honour and\nlodged him as befitted his rank. Then he guested him three days, after\nwhich time he summoned him to his presence and Abu Tammam went in to\nhim; and, prostrating himself as beseemeth before kings, laid that\npresent before him and gave him the letter. The king read the writ and\nsaid to Abu Tammam, \u201cWe will do what behoveth in the matter; but, O Abu\nTammam, needs must thou view my daughter and she view thee, and needs\nmust thou hear her speech and she hear thine.\u201d So saying, he sent him to\nthe lodging of the Princess, who had had notice of this; so that they\nhad adorned her sitting-room with the costliest that might be of vessels\nof gold and silver and the like, and she seated herself on a chair of\ngold, clad in the richest of royal robes and ornaments. When Abu Tammam\nentered, he took thought and said, \u201cThe wise declare that whoso\ngoverneth his sight shall suffer naught unright and he who guardeth his\ntongue shall hear naught of foul taunt, and he who keepeth watch over\nhis hand, it shall be lengthened and not shortened.\u201d[211] So he entered\nand seating himself on the floor, cast down his eyes and covered his\nhands and feet with his dress.[212] Quoth the king\u2019s daughter to him,\n\u201cRaise thy head, O Abu Tammam, and look on me and speak with me.\u201d But he\nspake not neither raised his head, and she continued, \u201cThey sent thee\nonly to view me and talk with me, and yet behold thou sayest not a\nword;\u201d presently adding, \u201cTake of these union-pearls that be round thee\nand of these jewels and gold and silver.\u201d But he put not forth his hand\nto aught, and when she saw that he paid no heed to anything, she was\nangry and cried, \u201cThey have messaged me with a messenger, blind, dumb,\ndeaf.\u201d Then she sent to acquaint her father with this; whereupon the\nking called Abu Tammam to him and said to him, \u201cThou camest not save to\nview my daughter: why, then, hast thou not looked upon her?\u201d Quoth Abu\nTammam, \u201cI saw everything;\u201d and quoth the king, \u201cWhy didst thou not take\nsomewhat of that which thou sawest of jewels and the like? Indeed they\nwere set out for thee.\u201d But he answered, \u201cIt behoveth me not to put out\nmy hand to aught that is not mine.\u201d When the king heard his speech, he\ngave him a sumptuous robe of honour and loved him muchly[213] and said\nto him, \u201cCome, look at this well.\u201d So Abu Tammam went up to the\npit-mouth and looked, and behold, it was full of heads of the sons of\nAdam, and the king said to him, \u201cThese are the heads of envoys whom I\nslew, because I saw them without loyalty to their lords, and I was used,\nwhenas I beheld an envoy without good manners, to say, He who sent him\nis worse-mannered than he, because the messenger is the tongue of him\nwho sendeth him and his breeding is of his master\u2019s breeding; and whoso\nis after this fashion, it befitteth not that he be akin to me.[214] For\nthis reason I used to put the envoys to death; but, as for thee, thou\nhast overcome us and won my daughter, of the excellence of thy manners;\nso hearten thy heart, for she is thy lord\u2019s.\u201d Then he sent him back to\nKing Aylan Shah with presents and rarities and a letter, saying, \u201cThis\nthat I have done is in honour of thee and of thine envoy.\u201d When Abu\nTammam returned after accomplishing his mission and brought the presents\nand the letter, King Aylan Shah rejoiced in this and redoubled all his\nfavours and showed him honour the highest. Some days after, the King of\nTurkistan sent his daughter and she went in to King Aylan Shah, who\nrejoiced in her with exceeding joy and Abu Tammam\u2019s worth was exalted in\nthe royal sight. When the Wazirs saw this, they redoubled in envy and\ndespite and said, \u201cAn we contrive us not a contrivance to rid us of this\nman, we shall die of rage.\u201d So they bethought them and agreed upon a\ndevice they should practise. Then they betook themselves to two boys,\npages affected to the service of the king, who slept not but on their\nknee,[215] and they lay at his head, for that they were his bedchamber\npages. So the Ministers gave them each a thousand dinars of gold,\nsaying, \u201cWe desire of you that ye do somewhat we require and take this\ngold as a provision against your time of need.\u201d Quoth the lads, \u201cWhat is\nit ye would have us do?\u201d and quoth the Wazirs, \u201cThis Abu Tammam hath\nmarred matters for us, and if his case abide in this way, he will remove\nus all from the king\u2019s favour; and what we want of you twain is that,\nwhen ye are alone with the king and he leaneth back, as he were asleep,\none of you say to his fellow:\u2014Verily, the king hath taken Abu Tammam\ninto high favour and hath advanced him to exalted rank, yet he is a\ntransgressor against the king\u2019s honour and an accursed wight. Then let\nthe other of you ask:\u2014And what is his transgression? and let the first\nanswer:\u2014He outrageth the king\u2019s honour and saith, the King of Turkistan\nwas used, when a messenger went to him to seek his daughter in marriage,\nto slay him; 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 the other\nsay, Knowest thou this for truth? and let the first reply:\u2014By Allah,\nthis is familiar to all the folk, but, of their fear of the king, they\ndare not divulge it to him; and as often as the king is absent a-hunting\nor a-wayfaring, Abu Tammam cometh to her and is private with her.\u201d\nWhereupon the boys answered, \u201cWe will say this.\u201d Accordingly, one night,\nwhen they were alone with the king and he leant back, as he were asleep,\nthey said these words and the king heard all and was like to die of fury\nand despite and said to himself, \u201cThese are young boys, not come to\nyears of discretion, and have no business with any; and unless they had\nheard these words from some one, they had not spoken thereof each with\nother.\u201d When it was morning wrath overmastered him, so that he stayed\nnot neither deliberated, but summoned Abu Tammam and taking him apart,\nsaid to him, \u201cWhoso guardeth not the honour of his liege lord[216], what\ndeserveth he?\u201d Said Abu Tammam, \u201cHe deserveth that his lord guard not\n_his_ honour.\u201d Aylan Shah continued, \u201cAnd whoso entereth the king\u2019s\nhouse and playeth traitor with him, what behoveth unto him?\u201d and Abu\nTammam replied, \u201cHe shall not be left alive.\u201d Whereupon the king spat in\nhis face and said to him, \u201cBoth these deeds hast _thou_ done.\u201d Then he\ndrew his poinard on him in haste and smiting him in the belly, slit it\nand Abu Tammam died forthright; whereupon the king dragged him along and\ncast him into a well that was in his palace. After he had slain him, he\nfell into repentance and mourning increased and chagrin waxed sore upon\nhim, and he would acquaint none who questioned him with the cause, nor,\nof his love for his wife, did he tell her of this, and whenever she\nasked him wherefore he grieved, he answered her not. When the Wazirs\nknew of Abu Tammam\u2019s death, they rejoiced with exceeding joy and knew\nthat the king\u2019s sorrow arose from regret for him. As for Aylan Shah,\nafter this he used to betake himself by night to the sleeping-chamber of\nthe two boys and spy upon them, that he might hear what they said\nconcerning his wife. As he stood one night privily at the door of their\nchamber, he saw them spread out the gold between their hands and play\nwith it and heard one of them say, \u201cWoe to us! What doth this gold\nprofit us? Indeed we cannot buy therewith any thing nor spend it upon\nourselves. Nay, but we have sinned against Abu Tammam and done him dead\nunjustly.\u201d And said the other, \u201cHad we known that the king would slay\nhim on the spot, we had not done what we did.\u201d When the king heard that,\nhe could not contain himself, but rushed in upon them and said to them,\n\u201cWoe to you! What did ye? Tell me.\u201d And they cried, \u201cAm\u00e1n[217], O king!\u201d\nHe cried, \u201cAn ye would have pardon from Allah and me, you are bound to\ntell me the truth, for nothing shall save you from me but\nsoothfastness.\u201d Hereat they prostrated themselves before him and said,\n\u201cBy Allah, O king, the Wazirs gave us this gold and taught us to lie\nagainst Abu Tammam, so thou mightest kill him, and what we said was\ntheir speech.\u201d When the king heard this, he plucked at his beard, till\nhe was like to tear it up by the roots and bit upon his fingers, till he\nwell nigh 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 them, \u201cO\nvillainous Wazirs, ye deemed that Allah was heedless of your deed, but\nright soon shall your wickedness revert upon you. Know ye not that Whoso\ndiggeth for his brother a pit shall himself fall into it?[218] Take from\nme the punishment of this world and to-morrow ye shall receive the\npunishment of the next world and requital from Allah.\u201d Then he bade put\nthem to death; so the headsman smote off their heads before the king,\nand he went in to his wife and acquainted her with whatso he had misdone\nto Abu Tammam; whereupon she grieved for him with mighty great grief and\nthe king and his household ceased not weeping and repenting all their\nlives. Moreover, they brought Abu Tammam forth of the well and the king\nbuilt him a dome[219] in his palace and buried him therein. \u201cSee, then,\nO auspicious king\u201d (continued the youth), \u201cwhat jealousy doth and\ninjustice and how Allah caused the Wazirs\u2019 malice to revert upon their\nown necks; and I trust in the Almighty that He will empower me over all\nwho envy me my favour with the king and show forth the truth unto him.\nIndeed, I dread naught for my life from death; only I fear lest the king\nrepent of my slaughter, for that I am guiltless of offence, and if I\nknew that I were guilty on any wise, my tongue would be dumb-struck.\u201d\nWhen the king heard this, he bowed his head groundwards in perplexity\nand confusion and said, \u201cRestore him to the prison till the morrow, so\nwe may look into his case.\u201d\n\n\n The Ninth Day.\n\n\n OF DESTINY OR THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN ON THE FOREHEAD.\n\nNow when it was the ninth day, the Wazirs met and said one to other,\n\u201cVerily, this youth baffleth us, for as often as the king is minded to\nkill him, he beguileth him and bewitcheth him with a story; so what be\nyour rede we should do, that we may slay him and be at rest from him?\u201d\nThen they advised together and agreed that they should go to the king\u2019s\nwife.[220] So they betook themselves to her and said to her, \u201cThou art\ncareless of this affair wherein thou art and this uncare shall not\nprofit thee; whilst the king, occupied with eating and drinking and\ndiversion, forgetteth that the folk beat upon tambourines and sing of\nthee and say, The wife of king loveth the youth; and as long as he\nabideth alive the talk will increase and not diminish.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cBy\nAllah, \u2019twas ye egged me on against him, and what shall I do now?\u201d and\nquoth they, \u201cGo thou in to the king and weep and say to him,\u2014Verily, the\nwomen come to me and inform me that I am dishonoured throughout the\ncity, and what is thine advantage in the sparing of this youth? An thou\nwilt not slay him, slay me to the end that this talk may be cut off from\nus.\u201d So the woman arose and rending her raiment, went in to the king, in\nthe presence of the Wazirs, and cast herself upon him, saying, \u201cO king,\nis my shame not upon thee or fearest thou not shame? Indeed, this is not\nof the fashion of kings that their jealousy over their women should be\nsuch as this.[221] Thou art heedless and all the folk of the realm prate\nof thee, men and women. Either slay him, that the talk may be cut off,\nor slay me, if thy soul will not consent to his slaughter.\u201d Thereupon\nthe king\u2019s wrath waxed hot and he said to her, \u201cI have no pleasure in\nhis continuance and needs must I slay him this very day. So return to\nthy palace and solace thy heart.\u201d Then he bade fetch the youth;\nwhereupon they brought him before him and the Wazirs said, \u201cO base of\nbase, fie upon thee! Thy life-term is at hand and earth hungereth for\nthy flesh, so it may make a meal of it.\u201d But he said to them, \u201cDeath is\nnot in your word or in your envy; nay, it is a destiny written upon the\nforehead: wherefore, if aught be writ upon my front, there is no help\nbut it come to pass, and neither striving nor thought-taking nor\nprecaution-seeking shall deliver me therefrom; even as happened to King\nIbrahim and his son.\u201d Quoth the king, \u201cWho was King Ibrahim and who was\nhis son?\u201d and quoth the youth \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE STORY OF KING IBRAHIM AND HIS SON_.\u201d[222]\n\nThere was once a king of the kings, Sultan Ibrahim hight, to whom the\nsovrans abased themselves and did obedience; but he had no son and was\nstraitened of breast because of that, fearing lest the kingship go forth\nof his hand. He ceased not to long for a son and to buy slave-girls and\nlie with them, till one of them conceived, whereat he rejoiced with\npassing joy and gave great gifts and the largest largesse. When the\ngirl\u2019s months were complete and the time of her lying-in drew near, the\nking summoned the astrologers and they watched for the hour of\nchild-bearing and raised their astrolabes and carefully noted the time.\nThe hand-maid gave birth to a man-child, whereat the king rejoiced\nexceedingly, and the people congratulated one another with this glad\nnews. Then the astrophils made their calculations and looked into his\nnativity and his ascendant, whereupon their colour changed and they were\nconfounded. Quoth the king to them, \u201cAcquaint me with his horoscope and\nye shall have assurance of pardon and have naught to fear.\u201d[223] They\nreplied, \u201cO king, this princely child\u2019s nativity denoteth that, in the\nseventh year of his age, there is fearful danger for him from a lion,\nwhich shall attempt to rend him: and if he be saved from the lion, there\nwill betide a matter yet sorer and more grievous even than that.\u201d Asked\nthe king, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d and they answered, \u201cWe will not speak, except\nthe king command us and give us assurance from fear.\u201d Quoth the king,\n\u201cAllah assure you!\u201d and quoth they, \u201cAn he be saved from the lion, the\nking\u2019s destruction shall be at his hand.\u201d When the king heard this, his\ncomplexion changed and his breast was straitened; but he said to\nhimself, \u201cI will be watchful and do my endeavour and suffer not the lion\nto eat him. It cannot be that he will kill me, and indeed \u2018The\nastrologers lied.\u2019\u201d[224] Then he caused rear him among the wet-nurses\nand the noble matrons;[225] but withal he ceased not to ponder the\nprediction of the astrophils and verily his life was troubled. So he\nbetook himself to the top of a high mountain and hollowed there a deep\nexcavation[226] and made in it many dwelling-places and rooms and filled\nit with all that was needful of rations and raiment and what not else\nand laid in it pipe-conduits of water from the mountain and lodged the\nboy therein, with a nurse who should rear him. Moreover, at the first of\neach month he used to go to the mountain and stand at the mouth of the\nhollow and let down a rope he had with him and draw up the boy to him\nand strain him to his bosom and kiss him and play with him awhile, after\nwhich he would let him down again to his place and return; and he was\nwont to count the days till the seven years should pass by. Now when\narrived the time of the Fate foreordered and the Fortune graven on the\nforehead and there remained for the boy but ten days till the seven\nyears should be complete, there came to that mountain hunters chasing\nwild beasts and, seeing a lion, they attacked him. He fled from them and\nseeking refuge in the mountain, fell into the hollow in its midst. The\nnurse saw him forthwith and escaped from him into one of the chambers;\nupon which the lion made for the lad and seizing upon him, tare his\nshoulder, after which he sought the room wherein was the nurse and\nfalling upon her, devoured her, whilst the boy lay in a swoon.\nMeanwhile, when the huntsmen saw that the lion had fallen into the pit,\nthey came to the mouth and heard the shrieking of the boy and the woman;\nand after awhile the cries died away, whereby they knew that the lion\nhad slain them. Presently, as they stood by the mouth of the excavation\nbehold, the lion came scrambling up the sides and would have issued\nforth: but, as often as he showed his head, they pelted him with stones,\ntill they beat him down and he fell; whereupon one of the hunters\ndescended into the pit and despatched him and saw the boy wounded; after\nwhich he went to the chamber, where he found the woman dead, and indeed\nthe lion had eaten his fill of her. Then he noted that which was therein\nof clothes and what not else, and notifying his mates, fell to passing\nthe stuff up to them: lastly, he took up the boy and bringing him forth\nof the pit, carried him to their dwelling-place, where they dressed his\nwounds. He grew up with them, but acquainted them not with his affair;\nand indeed, when they questioned him, he knew not what he should say,\nbecause they let him down into the pit when he was a little one. The\nhunters marvelled at his speech and loved him with exceeding love and\none of them took him to son and abode rearing him by his side and\ntraining him in hunting and horse-riding, till he reached the age of\ntwelve and became a brave, going forth with the folk to the chase and to\nthe cutting of the way. Now it chanced one day that they sallied forth\nto stop the road and fell in with a caravan during the night: but its\nstout fellows were on their guard; so they joined battle with the\nrobbers and overcame them and slew them and the boy fell wounded and\ntarried cast down in that place till the morrow, when he opened his eyes\nand finding his comrades slain, lifted himself up and arose to walk the\nroad. Presently, there met him a man, a treasure-seeker, and asked him,\n\u201cWhither away, O lad?\u201d So he told him what had betided him and the other\nsaid, \u201cBe of good heart, for that the tide of thy good fortune is come\nand Allah bringeth thee joy and gladness. I am one who am in quest of a\nhidden treasure, wherein is a mighty mickle of wealth. So come with me\nthat thou mayst help me, and I will give thee monies with which thou\nshalt provide thyself all thy life long.\u201d Then he carried the youth to\nhis dwelling and dressed his wounds, and he tarried with him some days\ntill he was rested; when the treasure-seeker took him and two beasts and\nall that he needed, and they fared on till they came to a towering\nhighland. Here the man brought out a book and reading therein, dug in\nthe crest of the mountain five cubits deep, whereupon there appeared to\nhim a stone. He pulled it up and behold it was a trap-door covering the\nmouth of a pit. So he waited till the foul air[227] was come forth from\nthe midst of the pit, when he bound a rope about the lad\u2019s middle and\nlet him down bucket-wise to the bottom, and with him a lighted waxen\ntaper. The boy looked and beheld, at the upper end of the pit, wealth\nabundant; so the treasure-seeker let down a rope and a basket and the\nboy fell to filling and the man to drawing up, till the fellow had got\nhis sufficiency, when he loaded his beasts and ceased working, whilst\nthe boy looked for him to let down the rope and draw him up; but he\nrolled a great stone to the mouth of the pit and went his ways. When the\nboy saw what the treasure-seeker had done with him, he relied upon Allah\n(extolled and exalted be He!) and abode perplexed concerning his case\nand said, \u201cHow bitter be this death?\u201d for indeed the world was darkened\non him and the pit was blinded to him. So he fell a-weeping and saying,\n\u201cI escaped the lion and the robbers and now is my death to be in this\npit, where I shall die by slow degrees.\u201d And he abode perplexed and\nlooked for nothing but death. But as he stood pondering, behold, he\nheard a sound of water rushing with a thunderous noise; so he arose and\nwalked in the pit, following the sound, till he came to a corner and\nheard the mighty coursing of water. Then he laid his ear to the sound of\nthe current and hearing it rushing in great strength, said to himself,\n\u201cThis is the flowing of a mighty watercourse and needs must I depart\nlife in this place, be it to-day or to-morrow; so I will throw myself\ninto the stream and not die a slow death in this pit.\u201d Thereupon he\ncalled up his courage and gathering up his skirts, cast himself into the\nwater, and it bore him along with force exceeding and carrying him under\nthe earth, stayed not till it brought him out into a deep Wady, adown\nwhich ran a great river, that welled up from under the ground. When he\nfound himself on the face of earth, he abode dazed and aswoon all that\nday; after which he came to himself and rising, fared on along that\nvalley; and he ceased not his wayfare, praising Almighty Allah the\nwhile, till he came to an inhabited land and a great village in the\nreign of the king his sire. So he entered and foregathered with the\nvillagers, who questioned him of his case; whereupon he told them his\ntale, and they admired how Allah had delivered him from all those\ndangers. Then he took up his abode with them and they loved him much. On\nthis wise happened it to him; but as regards the king, his father, when\nhe went to the pit, as was his wont, and called the nurse, she returned\nhim no answer, whereat his breast was straitened and he let down a man\nwho found the woman dead and the boy gone and acquainted therewith the\nking, who when he heard this, buffeted his head and wept with sore\nweeping and descended into the midst of the pit that he might see how\nthe case stood. There he espied the nurse slain and the lion dead, but\nbeheld not the boy; so he returned and acquainted the astrologers with\nthe soothfastness of their saying, and they replied, \u201cO King, the lion\nhath eaten him; destiny hath been wroughten upon him and thou art\ndelivered from his hand; for, had he been saved from the lion, we\nindeed, by Allah, had feared for thee from him, because the king\u2019s\ndestruction would have been at his hand.\u201d So the king ceased to sorrow\nfor this and the days passed by and the affair was forgotten. Meanwhile\nthe boy grew up and abode with the people of the village, and when Allah\nwilled the accomplishing of His commandment, which no endeavour availeth\nto avert, he went forth with a party of the villagers to cut the way.\nThe folk complained to King Ibrahim his father, who sallied out with a\ncompany of his men and surrounded the highwaymen. Now that boy was with\nthem, and 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 to his\npalace, after they had laid hands upon the youth and his comrades and\nbrought them before the sovran, saying, \u201cWhat biddest us to do with\nthem?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI am presently in trouble for myself, so bring me the\nastrologers.\u201d Accordingly, they brought them before him and he said to\nthem, \u201cYe said to me Thy death shall be by slaying at the hand of thy\nson: how, then, befalleth it that I have got my death-hurt by yonder\nthieves?\u201d The astrologers marvelled and said to him. \u201cO king, \u2019tis not\nbeyond the lore of the stars, together with the doom of Allah, that he\nwho hath smitten thee should be thy son.\u201d When King Ibrahim heard this,\nhe bade fetch the thieves and said to them, \u201cTell me truly, which of you\nshot the shaft that wounded me.\u201d Said they, \u201c\u2019Twas this youth that is\nwith us.\u201d Whereupon the king fell to considering him and said, \u201cO youth,\nacquaint me with thy case and tell me who was thy father and thou shalt\nhave assurance of safety from Allah.\u201d The youth replied, \u201cO my lord, I\nknow no father; 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 rent her\nin pieces; and Allah vouchsafed me one who brought me forth the pit.\u201d\nThen he related to him all that had befallen him, first and last; which\nwhen King Ibrahim heard, he cried out and said, \u201cBy Allah, this is my\nson!\u201d presently adding, \u201cBare thy shoulder.\u201d So he uncovered it, and\nbehold, it was scarred. Then the king assembled his lords and lieges and\nthe astrologers and said to them, \u201cKnow that what Allah hath writ upon\nthe forehead, be it fair fortune or misfortune, none may efface, and all\nthat is decreed to a man must perforce befal him. Indeed, this my\ncare-taking and my endeavour profited me naught, for what weird Allah\ndecreed for my son, he hath dreed and whatso He decreed to me I have\nendured. Nevertheless, I praise Allah and thank Him because this was at\nmy son\u2019s hand, and not at the hand of another, and Alhamdolillah\u2014laud to\nthe Lord\u2014for that the kingship is come to my son!\u201d And he strained the\nyouth to his bosom and embraced him and kissed him, saying \u201cO my son,\nthis matter was after such fashion, and of my watchfulness over thee\nfrom Fate, I lodged thee in that pit; but care-taking availed not.\u201d Then\nhe took the crown of the kingship and set it on his son\u2019s head and\ncaused the lieges and the people do homage to him and commended the\nsubjects to his care and enjoined to him justice and equity. And he\nfarewelled him that night and died and his son reigned in his\nstead.[228] \u201cOn like wise, O king\u201d (continued the young treasurer),\n\u201c\u2019tis with thee. If Allah have written aught on my forehead, needs must\nit befal me and my speech to the king shall not avail me; no, nor my\nillustrating it to him with instances, against the doom of Allah. And so\nit is with these Wazirs, for all their eagerness and endeavour for my\ndestruction, this shall not profit them; because, if Allah determine to\nsave me, He will give me the victory over them.\u201d When the king heard\nthese words he became perplexed and said, \u201cReturn him to the prison till\nthe morrow, so we may look into his affair, for the day draweth to an\nend and I mean to do him dead in foulest sort, and to-morrow we will\nvisit him with that which he meriteth.\u201d\n\n\n The Tenth Day.\n\n\n OF THE APPOINTED TERM,[229] WHICH, IF IT BE ADVANCED, MAY NOT BE\n DEFERRED, AND IF IT BE DEFERRED, MAY NOT BE ADVANCED.\n\nWhen it was the tenth day (now this day was called Al-Mihrj\u00e1n[230] and\nit was the day of the coming in of the folk, gentle and simple, to the\nking, so they might give him joy and salute him and go forth), the\ncouncil of the Wazirs agreed that they should speak with a company of\nthe city notables. So they said to them, \u201cWhen ye go in to-day to the\nking and salute him, do ye say to him:\u2014O king, (to the Lord be the\nlaud!) thou art praiseworthy of policy and procedure and just to all thy\nsubjects; but respecting this youth whom thou hast favoured and who\nnevertheless hath reverted to his base origin and done this foul deed,\nwhat is thy purpose in his continuance? Indeed, thou hast prisoned him\nin thy palace, and every day thou hearest his palaver and thou knowest\nnot what the folk say.\u201d And they answered, \u201cHearing is obeying.\u201d\nAccordingly, when they entered with the folk and had prostrated\nthemselves before the king and congratulated his majesty, he raised\ntheir several degrees. Now it was the custom of the folk to salute and\ngo forth; but they took seat, and the king knew that they had a word\nthey would fain address to him: so he turned to them (the Wazirs being\nalso present) and said, \u201cAsk your need.\u201d Therefore they repeated to him\nall that the Ministers had taught them and the Wazirs also spoke with\nthem; and Azadbakht said to them, \u201cO folk, I would have it known to you\nthat there is no doubt with me concerning this your speech proceeding\nfrom love and loyal counsel to me, and ye ken that, were I inclined to\nkill half these folk, I could do them die and this would not be hard to\nme; so how shall I not slay this youth and he in my power and in the\nhending of my hand? Indeed, his crime is manifest and he hath incurred\ndeath penalty; and I have deferred it only by reason of the greatness of\nthe offence; 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; and if\nI slay him not to-day, his slaying shall not escape me to-morrow.\u201d Then\nhe bade fetch the youth who, when present between his hands, prostrated\nto him and blessed him; whereupon quoth the king, \u201cWoe to thee! How long\nshall the folk upbraid me on thine account and blame me for delaying thy\ndeath? Even the people of my city reproach me because of thee, so that I\nam grown a 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 this?\nVerily, this very day I mean to shed thy blood and rid the folk of thy\nprattling.\u201d The youth replied, \u201cO king, an there have betided thee talk\nbecause of me, by Allah, and again by Allah the Great, those who have\nbrought on thee this talk from the folk are none but these wicked\nWazirs, who chatter with the crowd and tell them foul tales and ill\nthings of the king\u2019s house, but I hope in the Most High that He will\ncause their malice to recoil upon their own heads. As for the king\u2019s\nmenace of slaying me, I am in the grip of his hand; so let not the king\noccupy his mind with my slaughter, because I am like the sparrow in the\ngrasp of the fowler; if he will, he cutteth his throat, and if he will,\nhe letteth him go. As for the delaying of my death, \u2019tis not from the\nking, but from Him in whose hand is my life; for, by Allah, O king, an\nthe Almighty willed my slaughter, thou couldst not postpone it; no, not\nfor a single hour. And, indeed, man availeth not to fend off evil from\nhimself, even as it was with the son of King Sulayman Shah, whose\nanxiety and carefulness for the winning of his wish in the matter of the\nnew-born child availed him naught, for his last hour was deferred how\nmany a time! and Allah saved him until he had accomplished his period\nand had fulfilled his life-term.\u201d Cried the king, \u201cFie upon thee, how\ngreat is thy craft and thy talk! Tell me, what was their tale.\u201d And the\nyouth said, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE STORY OF KING SULAYMAN SHAH AND HIS NIECE_.[231]\u201d\n\nThere was once a king named Sulayman Sh\u00e1h, who was goodly of policy\nand rede, and he had a brother who died and left a daughter; so\nSulayman Shah reared her with the best of rearing and the girl\nbecame a model of reason and perfection, nor was there in her time a\nmore beautiful than she. Now the king had two sons, one of whom he\nhad appointed in his mind to wed her, while the other purposed to\ntake her. The elder son\u2019s name was Bahluw\u00e1n[232] and that of the\nyounger Malik Sh\u00e1h,[233] and the girl was called Sh\u00e1h Kh\u00e1t\u00fan. Now\none day, King Sulayman Shah went in to his brother\u2019s daughter and\nkissing her head, said to her, \u201cThou art my daughter and dearer to\nme than a child, for the love of thy late father who hath found\nmercy; wherefore I purpose espousing thee to one of my sons and\nappointing him my heir apparent, so he may be king after me. Look,\nthen, which thou wilt have of my sons,[234] for that thou hast been\nreared with them and knowest them.\u201d The maiden arose and kissing his\nhand, said to him, \u201cO my lord, I am thine hand-maid and thou art the\nruler over me; so whatever liketh thee do that same, inasmuch as thy\nwish is higher and honourabler and holier than mine and if thou\nwouldst have me serve thee as a hand-maid for the rest of my life,\n\u2019twere fairer to me than any mate.\u201d The king commended her speech\nand conferred on her a robe of honour and gave her magnificent\ngifts; after which, his choice having fallen upon his younger son,\nMalik Shah, he wedded her with him and made him his heir apparent\nand bade the folk swear fealty to him. When this reached his brother\nBahluwan and he was ware that his younger brother had by favour been\npreferred over him, his breast was straitened and the affair was\nsore to him and envy entered into him and hate; but he hid this in\nhis heart, whilst fire raged therein because of the damsel and the\ndominion. Meanwhile Shah Khatun went in bridal splendour to the\nking\u2019s son and conceived by him and bare a son, as he were the\nilluming moon. When Bahluwan saw this betide his brother, envy and\njealousy overcame him; so he went in one night to his father\u2019s\npalace and coming to his brother\u2019s chamber, saw the nurse sleeping\nat the door, with the cradle before her and therein his brother\u2019s\nchild asleep. Bahluwan stood by him and fell to looking upon his\nface, whose radiance was as that of the moon, and Satan insinuated\nhimself into his heart, so that he bethought himself and said, \u201cWhy\nbe not this babe mine? Verily, I am worthier of him than my brother;\nyea, and of the damsel and the dominion.\u201d Then the idea got the\nmastery of him and anger drave him, so that he took out a knife and\nsetting it to the child\u2019s gullet, cut his throat and would have\nsevered his windpipe. So he left him for dead and entering his\nbrother\u2019s chamber, saw him asleep, with the Princess by his side,\nand thought to slay her, but said to himself, \u201cI will leave the\ngirl-wife for myself.\u201d Then he went up to his brother and cutting\nhis throat, parted head from body, after which he left him and went\naway. But now the world was straitened upon him and his life was a\nlight matter to him and he sought the lodging of his sire Sulayman\nShah, that he might slay him also, but could not get admission to\nhim. So he went forth from the palace and hid himself in the city\ntill the morrow, when he repaired to one of his father\u2019s fortalices\nand therein fortified himself. On this wise it was with him; but as\nregards the nurse, she presently awoke that she might give the child\nsuck, and seeing the cradle running with blood, cried out; whereupon\nthe sleepers started up and the king was aroused and making for the\nplace, found the child with his throat cut and the bed running over\nwith blood and his father dead with a slit weasand in his sleeping\nchamber. They examined the child and found life in him and his\nwindpipe whole and they sewed up the place of the wound: then the\nking sought his son Bahluwan, but found him not and saw that he had\nfled; so he 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 lady\nShah Khatun. Thereupon the king laid out his son Malik Shah and\nburied him and made him a mighty funeral and they mourned with\npassing sore mourning; after which he applied himself to rearing the\ninfant. As for Bahluwan, when he fled and fortified himself, his\npower waxed amain and there remained for him but to make war upon\nhis father, who had cast his fondness upon the child and used to\nrear him on his knees and supplicate Almighty Allah that he might\nlive, so he might commit the command to him. When he came to five\nyears of age, the king mounted him on horseback and the people of\nthe city rejoiced in him and prayed for him length of life, that he\nmight take vengeance for his father[235] and heal his grandsire\u2019s\nheart. Meanwhile, Bahluwan the rebel[236] addressed himself to pay\ncourt to C\u00e6sar, king of the Roum[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, \u201cO glorious king of might illustrious, succour not an evil\ndoer. This is my son and he hath done so and so and cut his\nbrother\u2019s throat and that of his brother\u2019s son in the cradle.\u201d But\nhe told not the king of the Roum that the child had recovered and\nwas alive. When C\u00e6sar heard the truth of the matter, it was grievous\nto him as grievous could be, and he sent back to Sulayman Shah,\nsaying, \u201cAn it be thy wish, O king, I will cut off his head and send\nit to thee.\u201d But he made answer, saying, \u201cI care naught for him:\nsoon and surely the reward of his deed and his crimes shall overtake\nhim, if not to-day, then to-morrow.\u201d And from that date he continued\nto exchange letters and presents with C\u00e6sar. Now the king of the\nRoum heard tell of the widowed Princess[238] and of the beauty and\nloveliness wherewith she was endowed, wherefore his heart clave to\nher and he sent to seek her in wedlock of Sulayman Shah, who could\nnot refuse him. So he arose and going in to Shah Khatun, said to\nher, \u201cO my daughter, the king of the Roum hath sent to me to seek\nthee in marriage. What sayst thou?\u201d She wept and replied, \u201cO king,\nhow canst thou find it in thy heart to address me thus? As for me,\nabideth there husband for me, after the son of my uncle?\u201d Rejoined\nthe king, \u201cO my daughter, \u2019tis indeed as thou sayest; but here let\nus look to the issues of affairs. I must now take compt of death,\nfor that I am a man shot in years and fear not save for thee and for\nthy little son; and indeed I have written to the king of the Roum\nand others of the kings and said, His uncle slew him, and said not\nthat he hath recovered and is living, but concealed his affair. Now\nthe king of the Roum hath sent to demand thee in marriage, and this\nis no thing to be refused and fain would we have our back\nstrengthened with him.\u201d[239] And she was silent and spake not. So\nKing Sulayman Shah made answer to C\u00e6sar with \u201cHearing and obeying.\u201d\nThen he arose and despatched her to him, and C\u00e6sar went in to her\nand found her passing the description wherewith they had described\nher; wherefore he loved her every day more and more and preferred\nher over all his women and his affection for Sulayman Shah was\nincreased; but Shah Khatun\u2019s heart still clave to her child and she\ncould say naught. As for Sulayman Shah\u2019s son, the rebel Bahluwan,\nwhen he saw that Shah Khatun had married the king of the Roum, this\nwas grievous to him and he despaired of her. Meanwhile, his father\nSulayman Shah watched over the child and cherished him and named him\nMalik Shah, after the name of his sire. When he reached the age of\nten, he made the folk do homage to him and appointed him his heir\napparent, and after some days, the old king\u2019s time for paying the\ndebt of nature drew near and he died. Now a party of the troops had\nbanded themselves together for Bahluwan; so they sent to him, and\nbringing him privily, went in to the little Malik Shah and seized\nhim and seated his uncle Bahluwan on the throne of kingship. Then\nthey proclaimed him king and did homage to him all, saying, \u201cVerily,\nwe desire thee and deliver to thee the throne of kingship; but we\nwish of thee that thou slay not thy brother\u2019s son, because we are\nstill bounden by the oaths we sware to his sire and his grandsire\nand the covenants we made with them.\u201d So Bahluwan granted this to\nthem and imprisoned the boy in an underground dungeon and straitened\nhim. Presently, the grievous news reached his mother and this was to\nher a fresh grief; but she could not speak and committed her affair\nto Allah Almighty, for that she durst not name this to King C\u00e6sar\nher spouse, lest she should make her uncle King Sulayman Shah a\nliar. But as regards Bahluwan the Rebel, he abode king in his\nfather\u2019s place and his affairs prospered, while young Malik Shah lay\nin the souterrain four full-told years, till his favour faded and\nhis charms changed. When He (extolled and exalted be He!) willed to\nrelieve him and to bring him forth of the prison, Bahluwan sat one\nday with his chief Officers and the Lords of his land and discoursed\nwith them of the story of his sire, King Sulayman Shah and what was\nin his heart. Now there were present certain Wazirs, men of worth,\nand they said to him, \u201cO king, verily Allah hath been bountiful to\nthee and hath brought thee to thy wish, so that thou art become king\nin thy father\u2019s place and hast won whatso thou wishedst. But, as for\nthis youth, there is no guilt in him, because he, from the day of\nhis coming into the world, hath seen neither ease nor pleasure, and\nindeed his favour is faded and his charms changed. What is his crime\nthat he should merit such pains and penalties? Indeed, others than\nhe were to blame, and hereto Allah hath given thee the victory over\nthem, and there is no fault in this poor lad.\u201d Quoth Bahluwan,\n\u201cVerily, \u2019tis as ye say; but I fear his machinations and am not safe\nfrom his mischief; haply the most part of the folk will incline unto\nhim.\u201d They replied, \u201cO king, what is this boy and what power hath\nhe? An thou fear him, send him to one of the frontiers.\u201d And\nBahluwan said, \u201cYe speak sooth; so we will send him as captain of\nwar to reduce one of the outlying stations.\u201d Now over against the\nplace in question was a host of enemies, hard of heart, and in this\nhe designed the slaughter of the youth: so he bade bring him forth\nof the underground dungeon and caused him draw near to him and saw\nhis case. Then he robed him, whereat the folk rejoiced, and bound\nfor him the banners[240] and, giving him a mighty many, despatched\nhim to the quarter aforesaid, whither all who went or were slain or\nwere taken. Accordingly Malik Shah fared thither with his force and\nwhen it was one of the days, behold, the enemy attacked them in the\nnight; whereupon some of his men fled and the rest the enemy\ncaptured; and they seized Malik Shah also and cast him into a pit\nwith a company of his men. His fellows mourned over his beauty and\nloveliness and there he abode a whole twelvemonth in evillest\nplight. Now at the beginning of every year it was the enemy\u2019s wont\nto bring forth their prisoners and cast them down from the top of\nthe citadel to the bottom; so at the customed time they brought them\nforth and cast them down, and Malik Shah with them. However, he fell\nupon the other men and the ground touched him not, for his term was\nGod-guarded. But those who were cast down there were slain upon the\nspot and their bodies ceased not to lie there till the wild beasts\nate them and the winds scattered their bones. Malik Shah abode\nstrown in his place and aswoon, all that day and that night, and\nwhen he revived and found himself safe and sound, he thanked Allah\nthe Most High for his safety and rising, left the place. He gave not\nover walking, unknowing whither he went and dieting upon the leaves\nof the trees; and by day he hid himself where he might and fared on\nat hazard 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 been\nprisoned in the fortress and that they had thrown him down, but\nAlmighty Allah had saved him and brought him off alive. The people\nhad ruth on him and gave him to eat and drink and he abode with them\nseveral days; then he questioned them of the way that led to the\nkingdom of his uncle Bahluwan, but told them not that he was his\nfather\u2019s brother. So they showed him the road and he ceased not to\ngo barefoot, till he drew near his uncle\u2019s capital, naked,\nanhungered, and indeed his limbs were lean and his colour changed.\nHe sat down at the city gate, when behold, up came a company of King\nBahluwan\u2019s chief officers, who were out a-hunting and wished to\nwater their horses. They lighted down to rest and the youth accosted\nthem, saying, \u201cI would ask you of somewhat that ye may acquaint me\ntherewith.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cAsk what thou wilt;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cIs King\nBahluwan well?\u201d They derided him and replied, \u201cWhat a fool art thou,\nO youth! Thou art a stranger and a beggar, and whence art thou that\nthou should\u2019st question concerning the king?\u201d[241] Cried he, \u201cIn\nvery sooth, he is my uncle;\u201d whereat they marvelled and said, \u201c\u2019Twas\none catch-question[242] and now \u2019tis become two.\u201d Then said they to\nhim, \u201cO youth, it is as if thou wert Jinn-mad. Whence comest thou to\nclaim kinship with the king? Indeed, we know not that he hath any\nkith and kin save a nephew, a brother\u2019s son, who was prisoned with\nhim, and he despatched him to wage war upon the infidels, so that\nthey slew him.\u201d Said Malik Shah, \u201cI am he and they slew me not, but\nthere befel me this and that.\u201d They knew him forthwith and rising to\nhim, kissed his hands and rejoiced in him and said to him, \u201cO our\nlord, thou art indeed a king and the son of a king, and we desire\nthee naught but good and we pray for thy continuance. Look how Allah\nhath rescued thee from this wicked uncle, who sent thee to a place\nwhence none ever came off safe and sound, purposing not in this but\nthy destruction; and indeed thou fellest upon death from which Allah\ndelivered thee. How, then, wilt thou return and cast thyself again\ninto thine foeman\u2019s hand? By Allah, save thyself and return not to\nhim this second time. Haply thou shalt abide upon the face of the\nearth till it please Almighty Allah to receive thee; but, an thou\nfall again into his hand, he will not suffer thee to live a single\nhour.\u201d The Prince thanked them and said to them, \u201cAllah reward you\nwith all weal, for indeed ye give me loyal counsel; but whither\nwould ye have me wend?\u201d Quoth they, \u201cTo the land of the Roum, the\nabiding-place of thy mother.\u201d \u201cBut,\u201d quoth he, \u201cMy grandfather\nSulayman Shah, when the king of the Roum wrote to him demanding my\nmother in marriage, hid my affair and secreted my secret; and she\nhath done the same, and I cannot make her a liar.\u201d Rejoined they,\n\u201cThou sayst sooth, but we desire thine advantage, and even wert thou\nto take service with the folk, \u2019twere a means of thy continuance.\u201d\nThen each and every of them brought out to him money and gave him a\nmodicum and clad him and fed him and fared on with him the length of\na parasang, till they brought him far from the city, and letting him\nknow that he was safe, departed from him, whilst he journeyed till\nhe came forth of his uncle\u2019s reign and entered the dominion of the\nRoum. Then he made a village and taking up his abode therein,\napplied himself to serving one there in caring and seeding and the\nlike. As 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 from\nher, so her life was troubled and she foresware sleep and could not\nmake mention of him before King C\u00e6sar her spouse. Now she had a\nCastrato who had come with her from the court of her uncle King\nSulayman Shah, and he was intelligent, quick-witted, right-reded. So\nshe took him apart one day and said to him, shedding tears the\nwhile, \u201cThou hast been my Eunuch from my childhood to this day;\ncanst thou not therefore get me tidings of my son, seeing that I\ncannot speak of his matter?\u201d He replied, \u201cO my lady, this is an\naffair which thou hast concealed from the commencement, and were thy\nson here, \u2019twould not be possible for thee to entertain him,\nlest[243] thine honour be smirched with the king; for they would\nnever credit thee, since the news hath been bruited abroad that thy\nson was slain by his uncle.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cThe case is even as thou\nsayst and thou speakest sooth; but, provided I know that my son is\nalive, let him be in these parts pasturing sheep and let me not\nsight him nor he sight me.\u201d He asked, \u201cHow shall we manage in this\nmatter?\u201d and she answered, \u201cHere be my treasures and my wealth: take\nall thou wilt and bring me my son or else tidings of him.\u201d Then they\ndevised a device between them, which was that they should feign some\nbusiness in their own country, to wit that she had wealth there\nburied from the time of her husband, Malik Shah, and that none knew\nof it but this Eunuch who was with her, so it behoved him to go\nfetch it. Accordingly she acquainted the king her husband with that\nand sought 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\u2019s habit and repairing to Bahluwan\u2019s city, began\nto make espial concerning the youth\u2019s case; whereupon they told him\nthat he had been prisoned in a souterrain and that his uncle had\nreleased him and despatched him to such a place, where they had\nslain him. When the Eunuch heard this, the mishap was grievous to\nhim and his breast was straitened and he knew not what to do. It\nchanced one day of the days that a certain of the horsemen, who had\nfallen in with the young Malik Shah by the water and clad him and\ngiven him spending-money, saw the Eunuch in the city, habited as a\nmerchant, and recognising him, questioned him of his case and of the\ncause of his coming. Quoth he, \u201cI came to sell merchandise;\u201d and\nquoth the horseman, \u201cI will tell thee somewhat, an thou canst keep\nit secret.\u201d Answered the Neutral, \u201cThat I can! What is it?\u201d and the\nother said, \u201cWe met the king\u2019s son Malik Shah, I and sundry of the\nArabs who were with me, and saw him by such a water and gave him\nspending-money and sent him towards the land of the Roum, near his\nmother, for that we feared for him lest his uncle Bahluwan slay\nhim.\u201d Then he told him all that had passed between them, whereat the\nEunuch\u2019s countenance changed and he said to the cavalier \u201cThou art\nsafe!\u201d The knight replied, \u201cThou also art safe though thou come in\nquest of him.\u201d And the Eunuch rejoined, saying, \u201cTruly, that is my\nerrand: there is no rest for his mother, lying down or rising up,\nand she hath sent me to seek news of him.\u201d Quoth the cavalier, \u201cGo\nin safety, for he is in a quarter of the land of the Roum, even as I\nsaid to thee.\u201d The Castrato thanked him and blessed him and\nmounting, returned upon his road, following the trail, whilst the\nknight rode with him to a certain highway, when he said to him,\n\u201cThis is where we left him.\u201d Then he took leave of him and returned\nto his own city, whilst the Eunuch fared on along the road,\nenquiring in every village he entered of the youth, by the\ndescription which the rider had given him, and he ceased not thus to\ndo till he came to the village wherein was young Malik Shah. So he\nentered, and dismounting, made enquiry after the Prince, but none\ngave him news of him; whereat he abode perplexed concerning his\naffair and made ready to depart. Accordingly he mounted his horse;\nbut, as he passed through the village, he saw a cow bound with a\nrope and a youth asleep by her side, hending the halter in hand; so\nhe looked at him and passed on and heeded him not in his heart; but\npresently he halted and said to himself, \u201cAn the youth whom I am\nquesting have become the like of this sleeping youth whom I passed\nbut now, how shall I know him? Alas, the length of my travail and\ntravel! How shall I go about in search of a somebody I know not, one\nwhom, if I saw him face to face I should not know?\u201d So saying he\nturned back, musing anent that sleeping youth, and coming to him, he\nstill sleeping, dismounted from his mare and sat down by his side.\nHe fixed his eyes upon his face and considered him awhile and said\nin himself, \u201cFor aught I wot, this youth may be Malik Shah;\u201d then he\nbegan hemming and saying, \u201cHarkye, O youth!\u201d Whereupon the sleeper\nawoke and sat up; and the Eunuch asked him, \u201cWho be thy father in\nthis village and where be thy dwelling?\u201d The youth sighed and\nreplied, \u201cI am a stranger;\u201d and quoth the Castrato, \u201cFrom what land\nart thou and who is thy sire?\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cI am from such a\nland,\u201d and the Eunuch ceased not to question him and he to answer\nhis queries, 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 told\nhim that he was wandering about in search of him and informed him\nthat he was come privily from the king, his mother\u2019s husband, and\nthat his mother would be satisfied to weet that he was alive and\nwell, though she saw him not. Then he re-entered the village and\nbuying the Prince a horse, mounted him and they ceased not going\ntill they came to the frontier of their own country, where there\nfell robbers upon them by the way and took all that was with them\nand pinioned them; after which they threw them into a pit hard by\nthe road and went their ways and left them to die there; and indeed\nthey had cast many folk into that pit and they had perished. The\nEunuch fell a weeping in the pit and the youth said to him, \u201cWhat is\nthis weeping and what shall it profit here?\u201d Quoth the Castrato, \u201cI\nweep not for fear of death, but of ruth for thee and the cursedness\nof thy case and because of thy mother\u2019s heart and for that which\nthou hast suffered of horrors and that thy death should be this\nignoble death, after the endurance of all manner dire distresses.\u201d\nBut the youth said, \u201cThat which hath betided me was writ to me and\nthat which is written none hath power to efface; and if my life-term\nbe advanced, none may defer it.\u201d[244] Then the twain passed that\nnight and the following day and the next night and the next day in\nthe hollow, till they were weak with hunger and came nigh upon death\nand could but groan feebly. Now it fortuned by the decree of\nAlmighty Allah and His destiny, that C\u00e6sar, king of the Greeks, the\nspouse of Malik Shah\u2019s mother Shah Khatun, went forth a-hunting that\nmorning. He flushed a head of game, he and his company, and chased\nit, till they came up with it by that pit, whereupon one of them\nlighted down from his horse, to slaughter it, hard by the mouth of\nthe hollow. He heard a sound of low moaning from the sole of the\npit; whereat he arose and mounting his horse, waited till the troops\nwere assembled. Then he acquainted the king with this and he bade\none of his servants descend into the hollow: so the man climbed down\nand brought out the youth and the Eunuch in fainting condition. They\ncut their pinion-bonds and poured wine down their throats, till they\ncame to themselves, when the king looked at the Eunuch and\nrecognizing him, said, \u201cHarkye, Such-an-one!\u201d The Castrato replied,\n\u201cYes, O my lord the king,\u201d and prostrated himself to him; whereat\nthe king wondered with exceeding wonder and asked him, \u201cHow camest\nthou to this place and what hath befallen thee?\u201d The Eunuch\nanswered, \u201cI went and took out the treasure and brought it thus far;\nbut the evil eye was behind me and I unknowing. So the thieves took\nus alone 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.\u201d The king\nmarvelled, he and his, and praised the Lord for that he had come\nthither; after which he turned to the Castrato and said to him,\n\u201cWhat is this youth thou hast with thee?\u201d He replied, \u201cO king, this\nis the son of a nurse who belonged to us and we left him when he was\na little one. I saw him to-day and his mother said to me, \u2018Take him\nwith thee:\u2019 so this morning I brought him that he might be a servant\nto the king, for that he is an adroit youth and a clever.\u201d Then the\nking fared on, he and his company, and with them the Eunuch and the\nyouth, who questioned his companion of Bahluwan and his dealing with\nhis subjects, and he replied, saying, \u201cAs thy head liveth, O my lord\nthe king, the folk are in sore annoy with him and not one of them\nwisheth a sight of him, be they high or low.\u201d When the king returned\nto his palace, he went in to his wife Shah Khatun and said to her,\n\u201cI give thee the glad tidings of thine Eunuch\u2019s return;\u201d and he told\nher what had betided and of the youth whom he had brought with him.\nWhen she heard this, her wits fled and she would have screamed, but\nher reason restrained her, and the king said to her, \u201cWhat is this?\nArt thou overcome with grief for the loss of the monies or for that\nwhich hath befallen the Eunuch?\u201d Said she, \u201cNay, as thy head liveth,\nO king! but women are weaklings.\u201d Then came the Castrato and going\nin to her, told her all that had happened to him and also acquainted\nher with her son\u2019s case and with that which he had suffered of\ndistresses and how his uncle had exposed him to slaughter, and he\nhad been taken prisoner and they had cast him into the pit and\nhurled him from the highmost of the citadel and how Allah had\ndelivered him from these perils, all of them; and whilst he\nrecounted to her all this, she wept. Then she asked him, \u201cWhen the\nking saw him and questioned thee of him, what was it thou saidst\nhim?\u201d and he answered, \u201cI said to him:\u2014This is the son of a nurse\nwho belonged to us. We left him a little one and he grew up; so I\nbrought him, that he might be servant to the king.\u201d Cried she, \u201cThou\ndidst well;\u201d and she charged him to serve the Prince with faithful\nservice. As for the king, he redoubled in kindness to the Castrato\nand appointed the youth a liberal allowance and he abode going in to\nand coming out of the king\u2019s house and standing in his service, and\nevery day he waxed better with him. As for Shah Khatun, she used to\nstation herself at watch for him at the windows and in the balconies\nand gaze 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 him\nto her bosom, bussed him on the breast and kissed him on either\ncheek. At this moment, behold, out came the major-domo of the king\u2019s\nhousehold and seeing her embracing the youth, started in amazement.\nThen he asked to whom that chamber belonged and was answered, \u201cTo\nShah Khatun, wife of the king,\u201d whereupon he turned back, quaking as\none smitten by a leven-bolt. The king saw him in a tremor and said\nto him, \u201cOut on thee! what is the matter?\u201d Said he, \u201cO King, what\nmatter can be more grievous than that which I see?\u201d Asked the king,\n\u201cWhat seest thou?\u201d and the officer answered, \u201cI see that the youth,\nwho came with the Eunuch, was not brought with him save on account\nof Shah Khatun; for I passed but now by her chamber door, and she\nwas standing, watching; and when the youth came up, she rose to him\nand clipped him and kissed him on his cheek.\u201d When the king heard\nthis, he bowed his head amazed, perplexed, and sinking into a seat,\nclutched at his beard and shook it till he came nigh upon plucking\nit out. Then he arose forthright and laid hands on the youth and\nclapped him in jail he also took the Eunuch and cast them both into\na souterrain under his palace. After this he went in to Shah Khatun\nand said to her, \u201cBrava, by Allah, O daughter of nobles. O thou whom\nkings sought to wed, for the purity of thy repute and the fairness\nof the fame of thee! How seemly is thy semblance! Now may Allah\ncurse her whose inward contrarieth her outward, after the likeness\nof thy base favour, whose exterior is handsome and its interior\nfulsome, face fair and deeds foul! Verily, I mean to make of thee\nand of yonder ne\u2019er-do-well an example among the lieges, for that\nthou sentest not thine Eunuch but of intent on his account, so that\nhe took him and brought him into my palace and thou hast\ntrampled[245] my head with him; and this is none other than\nexceeding boldness; but thou shalt see what I will do with you all.\u201d\nSo saying, he spat in her face and went out from her; whilst Shah\nKhatun said nothing, well knowing that, an she spoke at that time,\nhe would not credit her speech: Then she humbled herself in\nsupplication to Allah Almighty and said, \u201cO God the Great, Thou\nknowest the things by secrecy ensealed and their outwards revealed\nand their inwards concealed! If an advanced life-term be appointed\nto me, let it not be deferred, and if a deferred one, let it not be\nadvanced!\u201d On this wise she passed some days, whilst the king fell\ninto bewilderment and forsware meat and drink and sleep, and abode,\nknowing not what he should do and saying to himself, \u201cAn I slay the\nEunuch and the youth, my soul will not be solaced, for they are not\nto blame, seeing that she sent to fetch him, and my heart careth not\nto kill them all three. But I will not be hasty in doing them die,\nfor that I fear repentance.\u201d Then he left them, so he might look\ninto the affair. Now he had a nurse, a foster-mother, on whose knees\nhe had been reared, and she was a woman of understanding and\nsuspected him, yet dared not question him. So she went in to Shah\nKhatun and finding her in yet sadder plight than he, asked her what\nwas to do; but she refused to answer. However, the nurse gave not\nover coaxing and questioning her, till she swore her to concealment.\nAccordingly, the old woman made oath that she would keep secret all\nthat she should say to her, whereupon the Queen to her related her\nhistory, first and last, and told her that the youth was her son.\nWith this the old woman prostrated herself before her and said to\nher, \u201cThis is a right easy matter.\u201d But the Queen replied, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my mother, I prefer my destruction and that of my son to\ndefending myself by a plea which they will not believe; for they\nwill say:\u2014She pleadeth this only that she may fend off shame from\nherself. And naught will profit me save long-suffering.\u201d The old\nwoman was moved by her speech and her wisdom and said to her,\n\u201cIndeed, O my daughter, \u2019tis as thou sayest, and I hope in Allah\nthat He will show forth the truth. Have patience and I will\npresently go in to the king and hear his words and machinate\nsomewhat in this matter, Inshallah!\u201d Thereupon the ancient dame\narose and going into the king, found him with his head between his\nknees in sore pain of sorrow. She sat down by him awhile and bespake\nhim with soft words and said to him,[246] \u201cIndeed, O my son, thou\nconsumest my vitals, for that these many days thou hast not mounted\nhorse, and thou grievest and I know not what aileth thee.\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cO my mother, all is due to yonder accursed, of whom I\ndeemed so well and who hath done this and that.\u201d Then he related to\nher the whole story from beginning to end, and she cried to him,\n\u201cThis thy chagrin is on account of a no-better-than-she-should-be!\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cI was but considering by what death I should slay them,\nso the folk may take warning and repent.\u201d And quoth she, \u201cO my son,\n\u2019ware precipitance, for it gendereth repentance and the slaying of\nthem shall not escape thee. When thou art assured of this affair, do\nwhatso thou willest.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cO my mother, there needeth no\nassurance anent him for whom she despatched her Eunuch and he\nfetched him.\u201d But she retorted, \u201cThere is a thing wherewith we will\nmake her confess,[247] and all that is in her heart shall be\ndiscovered to thee.\u201d Asked the king, \u201cWhat is that?\u201d and she\nanswered, \u201cI will bring thee the heart of a hoopoe,[248] which, when\nshe sleepeth, do thou lay upon her bosom and question her of\neverything thou wouldest know, and she will discover the same unto\nthee and show forth the truth to thee.\u201d The king rejoiced in this\nand said to his nurse, \u201cHasten thou and let none know of thee.\u201d So\nshe arose and going in to the Queen, said to her, \u201cI have done thy\nbusiness and \u2019tis as follows. This night the king will come in to\nthee and do thou seem asleep; and if he ask thee of aught, do thou\nanswer him, as if in thy sleep.\u201d The Queen thanked her and the old\ndame went away and fetching the bird\u2019s heart, gave it to the king.\nHardly was the night come, when he went in to his wife and found her\nlying back, a-slumbering; so he sat down by her side and laying the\nhoopoe\u2019s heart on her breast, waited awhile, so he might be assured\nthat she slept. Then said he to her, \u201cShah Khatun,[249] Shah Khatun,\nis this my reward from thee?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWhat offence have I\ncommitted?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cWhat offence can be greater than this?\nThou sentest after yonder youth and broughtest him hither, on\naccount of the lust of thy heart, so thou mightest do with him that\nfor which thou lustedst.\u201d Said she, \u201cI know not carnal desire.\nVerily, among thy pages are those who are comelier and seemlier than\nhe; yet have I never desired one of them.\u201d He asked \u201cWhy, then,\ndidst thou lay hold of him and kiss him?\u201d And she answered, \u201cThis\nyouth is my son and a piece of my liver; and of my longing and\naffection for him, I could not contain myself, but sprang upon him\nand kissed him.\u201d When the king heard this, he was dazed and amazed\nand said to her, \u201cHast thou a proof that this youth is thy son?\nIndeed, I have a letter from thine uncle King Sulayman Shah,\ninforming me that his uncle Bahluwan cut his throat.\u201d Said she \u201cYes,\nhe did indeed cut his throat, but severed not the windpipe; so my\nuncle sewed up the wound and reared him, for that his life-term was\nnot come.\u201d When the king heard this, he said, \u201cThis proof sufficeth\nme,\u201d and rising forthright in the night, bade bring the youth and\nthe Eunuch. Then he examined his stepson\u2019s throat with a candle and\nsaw the scar where it had been cut from ear to ear, and indeed the\nplace had healed up and it was like a thread stretched out.\nThereupon the king fell down prostrate before Allah, who had\ndelivered the Prince from all these perils and from the distresses\nhe had suffered, and rejoiced with joy exceeding because he had\ndelayed and had not made haste to slay him, in which case mighty\nsore repentance had betided him.[250] \u201cAs for the youth\u201d continued\nthe young treasurer, \u201che was not saved but because his life-term was\ndeferred, and in like manner, O king, \u2019tis with me: I too have a\ndeferred term, which I shall attain, and a period which I shall\naccomplish, and I trust in Almighty Allah that He will give me the\nvictory over these villain Wazirs.\u201d When the youth had made an end\nof his speech, the king said, \u201cRestore him to the prison;\u201d and when\nthey had done this, he turned to the Ministers and said to them,\n\u201cYonder youth lengtheneth his tongue upon you, but I know your\ntenderness for the weal of mine empire and your loyal counsel to me;\nso be of good heart, for all that ye advise me I will do.\u201d They\nrejoiced when they heard these words, and each of them said his say.\nThen quoth the king, \u201cI have not deferred his slaughter but to the\nintent that the talk might be prolonged and that words might abound,\nyet shall he now be slain without let or stay, and I desire that\nforthright ye set up for him a gibbet without the town and that the\ncrier cry among the folk bidding them assemble and take him and\ncarry him in procession to the gibbet, with the crier crying before\nhim and saying:\u2014This is the reward of him whom the king delighted to\nfavour and who hath betrayed him!\u201d The Wazirs rejoiced when they\nheard this, and for their joy slept not that night; and they made\nproclamation in the city and set up the gallows.\n\n\n The Eleventh Day.\n\n\n OF THE SPEEDY RELIEF OF ALLAH.\n\nWhen it was the eleventh day, the Wazirs repaired in early morning to\nthe king\u2019s gate and said to him, \u201cO king, the folk are assembled from\nthe portals of the palace to the gibbet, to the end they may see the\nking\u2019s order carried out on the youth.\u201d So Azadbakht bade fetch the\nprisoner and they brought him; whereupon the Ministers turned to him and\nsaid to him, \u201cO vile of birth, can any lust for life remain with thee\nand canst thou hope for deliverance after this day?\u201d Said he, \u201cO wicked\nWazirs, shall a man of understanding renounce all esperance in Almighty\nAllah? Howsoever a man be oppressed, there cometh to him deliverance\nfrom the midst of distress and life from the midst of death, as in the\ncase of the prisoner and how Allah delivered him.\u201d Asked the king, \u201cWhat\nis his story?\u201d and the youth answered, saying, \u201cO king, they tell\n\n\n _THE STORY OF THE PRISONER AND HOW ALLAH GAVE HIM RELIEF_.\u201d[251]\n\nThere was once a king of the kings, who had a high palace, overlooking\nhis prison, and he used to hear in the night one saying, \u201cO Ever-present\nDeliverer, O Thou whose deliverance is aye present, relieve Thou me!\u201d\nOne day the king waxed wroth and said, \u201cYonder fool looketh for relief\nfrom the pains and penalties of his crime.\u201d Then said he to his\nofficers, \u201cWho is in yonder jail?\u201d and said they, \u201cFolk upon whom blood\nhath been found.\u201d[252] Hearing this the king bade bring that man before\nhim and said to him, \u201cO fool, O little of wit, how shalt thou be\ndelivered from this prison, seeing that thy crime is mortal?\u201d Then he\ncommitted him to a company of his guards and said to them, \u201cTake this\nwight and crucify him within sight of the city.\u201d Now it was the night\nseason. So the soldiers carried him without the city, thinking to\ncrucify him, when behold, there came out upon them robbers and fell upon\nthem with swords and other weapons. Thereat the guards left him whom\nthey purposed to slay and fled whilst the man who was going to slaughter\nalso took to flight and plunging deep into the desert, knew not whither\nhe went before he found himself in a copse and there came out upon him a\nlion of terrible aspect, who snatched him up and cast him under him.\nThen he went up to a tree and uprooting it, covered the man therewithal\nand made off into the thicket, in quest of the lioness.[253] As for the\nman, he committed his affair to Allah the Most High, relying upon Him\nfor deliverance, and said to himself, \u201cWhat is this affair?\u201d Then he\nremoved the leaves from himself and rising, saw great plenty of men\u2019s\nbones there, of those whom the lion had devoured. He looked again and\nbehold, he saw a heap of gold lying alongside a purse-belt;[254] whereat\nhe marvelled and gathering up the gold in the breast of his gaberdine,\nwent forth of the copse and fled at hap-hazard, turning neither to the\nright nor to the left, in his fear of the lion; nor did he cease flying\ntill he came to a village and cast himself down, as he were dead. He lay\nthere till the day appeared and he was rested from his travail, when he\narose and burying the gold, entered the village. Thus Allah gave him\nrelief and he got the gold. Then said the king, \u201cHow long wilt thou\nbeguile us, O youth, with thy prate? But now the hour of thy slaughter\nis come.\u201d So he bade crucify him upon the gibbet. But as they were about\nto hoist him up, lo and behold! the Captain of the thieves, who had\nfound him and reared him, came up at that moment and asked, \u201cWhat be\nthis assembly and the cause of the crowds here gathered together?\u201d They\ninformed him that a page of the king had committed a mighty great crime\nand that he was about to do him die; so the Captain of the thieves\npressed forward and looking upon the prisoner, knew him, whereupon he\nwent up to him and strained him to his bosom and threw his arms round\nhis neck, and fell to kissing him upon his mouth.[255] Then said he,\n\u201cThis is 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. One\nday, we set upon a caravan, but they put us to flight and wounded some\nof us and took the lad and ganged their gait. From that day to this I\nhave gone round about the lands seeking him, but have not found news of\nhim till now; and this is he.\u201d When the king heard this, he was assured\nthat the youth was his very son; so he cried out at the top of his voice\nand casting himself upon him, embraced him and kissed him and shedding\ntears, said, \u201cHad I put thee to death, as was mine intent, I should have\ndied of regret for thee.\u201d Then he cut his pinion-bonds and taking his\ncrown from his head, set it on the head of his son, whereupon the people\nraised cries of joy, whilst the trumpets blared and the kettle-drums\nbeat and there befel a mighty great rejoicing. They decorated the city\nand it was a glorious day; even the birds stayed their flight in the\nwelkin, for the greatness of the greeting and the clamour of the crying.\nThe army and the folk carried the prince to the palace in splendid\nprocession, and the news came to his mother Bahrjaur, who fared forth\nand threw herself upon him. Moreover, the king bade open the prison and\nbring forth all who were therein, and they held high festival seven days\nand seven nights and rejoiced with a mighty rejoicing. Thus it betided\nthe youth; but as regards the Ministers, terror and silence, shame and\naffright fell upon them and they gave themselves up for lost. After this\nthe king sat, with his son by his side and the Wazirs on their knees\nbefore him, and summoned his chief officers and the subjects of the\ncity. Then the prince turned to the Ministers and said to them, \u201cSee, O\nvillain Wazirs, the work of Allah and his speedy relief.\u201d But they\nanswered ne\u2019er a syllable and the king said, \u201cIt sufficeth me that there\nis nothing alive but rejoiceth with me this day, even to the birds in\nthe sky, but ye, your breasts are straitened. Indeed, this is the\ngreatest of hostility in you me-wards, and had I hearkened to you, my\nregret had been prolonged and I had died miserably of sorrow.\u201d Quoth the\nprince, \u201cO my father, but for the fairness of thy thought and thy\nperspicacity and thy longanimity and deliberation in affairs, there had\nnot betided thee this great joy. Hadst thou slain me in haste,\nrepentance would have been sore on thee and longsome annoy, and on this\nwise whoso preferreth haste shall rue.\u201d 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 and\ncast them upon him.[256] So there fell robes of honour on him, till he\nwas a-wearied with their weight, and Azadbakht invested him with the\nmastership of the police of his city. Then he bade set up other nine\ngibbets by the side of the first and said to his son, \u201cThou art\ninnocent, and yet these villain Wazirs strave for thy slaughter.\u201d\nReplied the prince, \u201cO my sire, I had no fault in their eyes but that I\nwas a loyal counsellor to thee and still kept watch over thy wealth and\nwithdrew their hands from thy hoards and treasuries; wherefore they were\njealous and envied me and plotted against me and planned to slay me.\u201d\nQuoth the king, \u201cThe 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 with\nthee? And indeed they have striven for thy slaughter and exposed thee to\ndisgrace and smirched mine honour among the kings.\u201d Then he turned to\nthe Wazirs and said to them, \u201cWoe to you! What liars ye are! And is\naught of excuse left to you?\u201d Said they, \u201cO king, there remaineth no\nexcuse for us and we are houghed[257] by the deed we would have done to\nhim. Indeed we planned evil to this youth and it hath reverted upon us,\nand we plotted mischief against him and it hath overtaken us; yea, we\ndigged for him a pit and we ourselves have fallen into it.\u201d So the king\nbade hoist up the Wazirs upon the gibbets and crucify them there,\nbecause Allah is just and decreeth that which is due. Then Azadbakht and\nhis wife and son abode in joyance and gladness, till there came to them\nthe Destroyer of delights and they died all; and extolled be the Living\nOne, who dieth not, to whom be glory and whose mercy be upon us for ever\nand ever! Amen.\n\n\n\n\n JA\u2019AFAR BIN YAHYA AND ABD AL-MALIK BIN SALIH THE ABBASIDE.[258]\n\n\nIt is told of Ja\u2019afar bin Yahy\u00e0 the Barmecide that he sat down one day\nto wine and, being minded to be private, sent for his boon-companions,\nwith whom he was most familiar, and charged the chamberlain that he\nsuffer none of the creatures of Almighty Allah to enter, save a man of\nhis cup-mates, by name Abd al-Malik bin S\u00e1lih, who was behindhand with\nthem. Then they donned brightly-dyed dresses,[259] for it was their\nwont, as often as they sat in the wine-s\u00e9ance, to endue raiment of red\nand yellow and green silk, and they sat down to drink, and the cups went\nround and the lutes thrilled and shrilled. Now there was a man of the\nkinsfolk of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, by name Abd al-Malik bin\nSalih[260] bin Ali bin Abdallah bin al-Abbas[261], who was great of\ngravity and sedateness, piety and propriety, and Al-Rashid used\ninstantly to require that he should company him in converse and carouse\nand drink with him and had offered him to such end abounding wealth, but\nhe never would. It fortuned that this Abd al-Malik bin Salih came to the\ndoor of Ja\u2019afar bin Yahya, so he might bespeak him of certain\nrequisitions of his, and the chamberlain, doubting not but he was the\nAbd al-Malik bin Salih aforesaid (whom Ja\u2019afar had permitted him admit\nand that he should suffer none but him to enter), allowed him to go in\nto his master. Accordingly Abd al-Malik went in, garbed in black, with\nhis Rus\u00e1fiyah[262] on his head. When Ja\u2019afar saw him, his reason was\nlike to depart for shame and he understood the case, to wit, that the\nchamberlain had been deceived by the likeness of the name; and Abd\nal-Malik also perceived how the matter stood and perplexity was manifest\nto him in Ja\u2019afar\u2019s face. So he put on a cheery countenance and said,\n\u201cNo harm be upon you![263] Bring us of these dyed clothes.\u201d Thereupon\nthey brought him a dyed robe[264] and he donned it and sat discoursing\ngaily with Ja\u2019afar and jesting with him. Then said he, \u201cAllow us to be a\npartaker in your pleasures, and give us to drink of your Nab\u00edz.[265]\u201d So\nthey brought him a silken robe and poured him out a pint, when he said,\n\u201cWe crave your indulgence, for we have no wont of this.\u201d Accordingly\nJa\u2019afar ordered a flagon of Nab\u00edz be set before him, that he might drink\nwhatso he pleased. Then, having anointed himself with perfumes, he\nchatted and jested with them till Ja\u2019afar\u2019s bosom broadened and his\nconstraint ceased from him and his shame, and he rejoiced in this with\njoy exceeding and asked Abd al-Malik, \u201cWhat is thine errand? Inform me\nthereof, for I cannot sufficiently acknowledge thy courtesy.\u201d Answered\nthe other, \u201cI come (amend thee Allah!) on three requirements, of which I\nwould have thee bespeak the Caliph; to wit, firstly, I have on me a debt\nto the amount of a thousand thousand dirhams,[266] which I would have\npaid: secondly, I desire for my son the office of Wali or governor of a\nprovince,[267] whereby his rank may be raised: and thirdly, I would fain\nhave thee marry him to Al-\u2019\u00c1liyah, the daughter of the Commander of the\nFaithful, for that she is his cousin and he is a match for her.\u201d Ja\u2019afar\nsaid, \u201cAllah accomplisheth unto thee these three occasions. As for the\nmoney, it shall be carried to thy house this very hour: as for the\ngovernment, I make thy son Viceroy of Egypt; and as for the marriage, I\ngive him to mate Such-an-one, the daughter of our lord the Prince of\nTrue Believers, at a dowry of such and such a sum. So depart in the\nassurance of Allah Almighty.\u201d Accordingly Abd al-Malik went away much\nastonished at Ja\u2019afar\u2019s boldness in undertaking such engagements. He\nfared straight for his house, whither he found that the money had\npreceded him, and on the morrow Ja\u2019afar presented himself before\nAl-Rashid and acquainted him with what had passed, and that he had\nappointed Abd al-Malik\u2019s son Wali of Egypt[268] and had promised him his\ndaughter, Al-\u2019\u00c1liyah to wife. The Caliph was pleased to approve of this\nand he confirmed the appointment and the marriage. Then he sent for the\nyoung man and he went not forth of the palace of the Caliphate till\nAl-Rashid wrote him the patent of investiture with the government of\nEgypt; and he let bring the Kazis and the witnesses and drew up the\ncontract of marriage.\n\n\n\n\n AL-RASHID AND THE BARMECIDES.[269]\n\n\nIt is said that the most wondrous of matters which happened to Al-Rashid\nwas this. His brother Al-H\u00e1d\u00ed,[270] when he succeeded to the Caliphate,\nenquired of a seal-ring of great price, which had belonged to his father\nAl-Mahdi,[271] and it reached him that Al-Rashid had taken it. So he\nrequired it of him, but he refused to give it up, and Al-Hadi insisted\nupon him, yet he still denied the seal-ring of the Caliphate. Now this\nwas on Tigris-bridge, and he threw the ring into the river.[272] When\nAl-Hadi died and Al-Rashid succeeded to the Caliphate, he went in person\nto that very place with a seal-ring of lead, which he cast into the\nstream at the same stead, and bade the divers seek it. So the duckers\ndid his bidding and brought up the first ring, and this was counted an\nomen of Al-Rashid\u2019s good fortune and of the continuance of his\nreign.[273] When Al-Rashid came to the throne, he invested Ja\u2019afar bin\nYahy\u00e0 bin Kh\u00e1lid al-Barmaki[274] with the Wazirate. Now Ja\u2019afar was\neminently noted for generosity and munificence, and the histories of him\nto this purport are renowned and have been documented. None of the\nWazirs rose to the rank and favour whereto he attained with Al-Rashid,\nwho was wont to call him brother[275] and used to carry him with him\ninto his house. The period of his Wazirate was nineteen[276] years, and\nYahya one day said to his son Ja\u2019afar, \u201cO my son, as long as thy reed\ntrembleth,[277] water it with kindness.\u201d Men differ concerning the\nreason of Ja\u2019afar\u2019s slaughter, but the better opinion is as follows.\nAl-Rashid could not bear to be parted from Ja\u2019afar nor from his own\nsister \u2019Abb\u00e1sah, daughter of Al-Mahdi, a single hour, and she was the\nloveliest woman of her day; so he said to Ja\u2019afar, \u201cI will marry thee to\nher, that it may be lawful to thee to look upon her, but thou shalt not\ntouch her.\u201d After this time the twain used to be present in Al-Rashid\u2019s\nsitting chamber. Now the Caliph would get up bytimes and leave the\nchamber, and they being filled with wine as well as being young, Ja\u2019afar\nwould rise to her and know her carnally.[278] She conceived by him and\nbare a handsome boy; and, fearing Al-Rashid, she dispatched the new-born\nchild by one of her confidants to Meccah the Magnified (May Allah\nAlmighty greaten it in honour and increase it in venerance and nobility\nand magnification!). 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 pilgrimaged,\nhe sent one who brought him the boy and found the matter true, wherefore\nhe caused befal the Barmecides whatso befel.[279]\n\n\n\n\n IBN AL-SAMMAK AND AL-RASHID.[280]\n\n\nIt is related that Ibn al-Samm\u00e1k[281] went in one day to Al-Rashid, and\nthe Caliph, being athirst, called for drink. So his cup was brought him,\nand when he took it, Ibn al-Sammak said to him, \u201cSoftly, O Prince of\nTrue Believers! An thou wert denied this draught, with how much wouldst\nthou buy it?\u201d He replied, \u201cWith the half of my reign;\u201d and Ibn al-Sammak\nsaid, \u201cDrink and Allah make it grateful to thee!\u201d Then, when he had\ndrunken; he asked him, \u201cAn thou wert denied the issuing forth of the\ndraught from thy body, with what wouldst thou buy its issue?\u201d Answered\nAl-Rashid, \u201cWith the whole of my reign;\u201d and Ibn al-Sammak said, \u201cO\nCommander of the Faithful, verily, a realm that weigheth not in the\nbalance against a draught of water or a voiding of urine is not worth\nthe striving for.\u201d And Harun wept.\n\n\n\n\n AL-MAAMUN AND ZUBAYDAH.[282]\n\n\nIt is said that Al-Maam\u00fan[283] came one day upon Zubaydah, mother of\nAl-Am\u00edn,[284] and saw her moving her lips and muttering somewhat he\nunderstood not; so he said to her, \u201cO mother mine, art thou cursing me\nbecause I slew thy son and spoiled him of his realm?\u201d Said she, \u201cNot so,\nby Allah, O Commander of the Faithful!\u201d and quoth he, \u201cWhat then was it\nthou saidst?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cLet the Prince of True Believers excuse me.\u201d\nBut he was urgent with her, saying, \u201cThere is no help but that thou tell\nit.\u201d And she replied, \u201cI said, Allah confound importunity!\u201d He asked,\n\u201cHow so?\u201d and she answered, \u201cI played one day at chess with the\nCommander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, and he imposed on me the\ncondition of forfeits.[285] He won and made me doff my dress and walk\nround about the palace, stark naked; so I did this, and I felt incensed\nagainst him. Then we fell again to playing and I won; whereat I made him\ngo to the kitchen and lie with the foulest and fulsomest wench of the\nwenches thereof; but I found not a slave-girl fouler and filthier than\nthy mother;[286] so I bade him tumble her. He did my bidding and she\nconceived by him of thee, and thus was I the cause of the slaying of my\nson and the spoiling him of his realm.\u201d When Al-Maam\u00fan heard this, he\nturned away, saying, \u201cAllah curse the importunate!\u201d that is, himself,\nwho had importuned her till she acquainted him with that affair.\n\n\n\n\n AL-NU\u2019UMAN AND THE ARAB OF THE BANU TAY.[287]\n\n\nIt is said that Al-Nu\u2019um\u00e1n[288] had two boon-companions, one of whom was\nhight Ibn Sa\u2019ad and the other Amr\u00fa bin al-Malik, and he became one night\ndrunken and bade bury them alive; so they buried them. When he arose on\nthe morrow, he asked for them and was acquainted with their affair,\nwhereupon he built over them a building and appointed to himself a day\nof ill-luck and a day of good fortune. If any met him on his unlucky\nday, he slew him and with his blood he washed that monument, which is a\nplace well known in Kufah; and if any met him on his day of good fortune\nhe enriched him. Now there accosted him once, on his day of ill-omen, an\nArab of the Ban\u00fa Tay,[289] and Al-Nu\u2019uman would have done him dead; but\nthe Arab said, \u201cAllah quicken the king! I have two little girls and have\nmade none guardian over them; wherefore, an the king see fit to grant me\nleave to go to them, I will give him the covenant of Allah[290] that I\nwill return to him, as soon as I shall have appointed unto them a\nguardian.\u201d Al-Nu\u2019uman had ruth on him and said to him, \u201cAn a man will be\nsurety for thee of those who are with us, I will let thee go, and if\nthou return not I will slay him.\u201d Now there was with Al-Nu\u2019uman his\nWazir Shar\u00edk bin Amru: so the T\u00e1\u00ed[291] looked at him and said:\u2014\n\n Ho thou, Shar\u00edk, O Amru-son is there fro\u2019 Death repair? \u273f O brother to\n men brotherless, brother of all in care!\n O brother of Al-Nu\u2019um\u00e1n an old man this day spare, \u273f An old man slain\n and Allah deign fair meed for thee prepare!\n\nQuoth Sharik, \u201cOn me be his warranty, Allah assain the king!\u201d So the T\u00e1\u00ed\ndeparted, after a term had been assigned him for his returning. Now when\nthe appointed day arrived, Al-Nu\u2019uman sent for Sharik and said to him,\n\u201cVerily the high noon of this day is past;\u201d and Sharik answered, \u201cThe\nking hath no procedure against me till it be eventide.\u201d Whenas evened\nthe evening, there appeared one afar off and Al-Nu\u2019uman fell to looking\nupon him and on Sharik who said to him, \u201cThou hast no right over me till\nyonder person come, for haply he is my man.\u201d As he spake, up came the\nT\u00e1\u00ed in haste and Al-Nu\u2019uman said, \u201cBy Allah, never saw I any more\ngenerous than you two! I know not which of you be the nobler, whether\nthis one who became warrant for thee in death-risk or thou who returnest\nto thy slaughter.\u201d Then quoth he to Sharik, \u201cWhat drave thee to become\nwarrant for him, knowing the while that it was death?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cI\ndid this lest it be said, Generosity hath departed from Wazirs.\u201d Then\nAl-Nu\u2019uman asked the T\u00e1\u00ed, \u201cAnd thou, what prompted thee to return,\nknowing that therein was death and thine own destruction?\u201d and the Arab\nanswered, \u201cI did this lest it be said, Fidelity hath departed from the\nfolk; for such thing would be a shame to mine issue and to my tribe.\u201d\nAnd Al-Nu\u2019uman cried, \u201cBy Allah, I will be the third of you, lest it be\nsaid, Mercy hath departed from the kings.\u201d So he pardoned him and bade\nabolish the day of ill-luck; whereupon the Arab began to say:\u2014\n\n A many urged me that I false my faith, \u273f But I refused whatso the wights\n could plead;\n For I\u2019m a man in whom Faith dwells for aye, \u273f And every true man\u2019s word\n is pledge of deed.\n\nQuoth Al-Nu\u2019uman, \u201cWhat prompted thee to keep faith, the case being as\nthou sayest?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cO king, it was my religion.\u201d Al-Nu\u2019uman asked,\n\u201cWhat is thy religion?\u201d and he answered, \u201cThe Nazarene!\u201d The king said,\n\u201cExpound it to me.\u201d So the T\u00e1\u00ed expounded it to him and Al-Nu\u2019uman became\na Christian.[292]\n\n\n\n\n FIRUZ AND HIS WIFE.[293]\n\n\nThey relate that a certain king sat one day on the terrace-roof of his\npalace, solacing himself with the view, and presently, his wandering\nglances espied, on a house-top over against his palace, a woman seer\nnever saw her like. So he turned to those present and asked them, \u201cTo\nwhom belongeth yonder house?\u201d when they answered, \u201cTo thy servant F\u00edr\u00faz,\nand that is his spouse.\u201d So he went down (and indeed passion had made\nhim drunken as with wine, and he was deeply in love of her), and calling\nFiruz, said to him, \u201cTake this letter and go with it to such a city and\nbring me the reply.\u201d Firuz took the letter and going to his house, laid\nit under his head and passed that night; and when the morning morrowed,\nhe farewelled his wife and fared for that city, unknowing what his\nsovran purposed against him. As for the king, he arose in haste after\nthe husband had set out and repairing to the house of Firuz in disguise,\nknocked at the entrance. Quoth Firuz\u2019s wife, \u201cWho\u2019s at the door?\u201d and\nquoth he, saying, \u201cI am the king, thy husband\u2019s master.\u201d So she opened\nand he entered and sat down, saying, \u201cWe are come to visit thee.\u201d She\ncried, \u201cI seek refuge[294] from this visitation, for indeed I deem not\nwell of it;\u201d but the king said, \u201cO desire of hearts, I am thy husband\u2019s\nmaster and methinks thou knowest me not.\u201d She replied, \u201cNay, I know\nthee, O my lord and master, and I wot thy purpose and whatso thou\nwantest and that thou art my husband\u2019s lord. I understand what thou\nwishest, and indeed the poet hath forestalled thee in his saying of the\nverses referring to thy case:\u2014\n\n Now will I leave your water-way untrod; \u273f For many treading that same\n way I see:\n When fall the clustering flies upon the food, \u273f I raise my hand whate\u2019er\n my hunger be:\n And lions eke avoid the water-way \u273f When dogs to lap at fountain-side\n are free.\n\nThen said she, \u201cO king, comest thou to a watering-place whereat thy dog\nhath drunk and wilt thou drink thereof?\u201d The king was abashed at her and\nat her words and fared forth from her but forgot his sandal in the\nhouse. Such was his case; but as regards Firuz, when he went forth from\nhis house, he sought the letter, but found it not in pouch; so he\nreturned home. Now his return fell in with the king\u2019s going forth and he\ncame upon the sandal in his house, whereat his wit was wildered and he\nknew that the king had not sent him away save for a device of his own.\nHowever, he kept silence and spake not a word, but, taking the letter,\nwent on his mission and accomplished it and returned to the king, who\ngave him an hundred dinars. So Firuz betook himself to the bazar and\nbought what beseemeth women of goodly gifts and returning to his wife,\nsaluted her and gave her all he had purchased, and said to her, \u201cArise\nand hie thee to thy father\u2019s home.\u201d Asked she, \u201cWherefore?\u201d and he\nanswered, \u201cVerily, the king hath been bountiful to me and I would have\nthee make this public, so thy father may joy in that which he seeth upon\nthee.\u201d She rejoined \u201cWith love and gladness,\u201d and arising forthwith,\nbetook herself 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 month\u2019s\nspace, and her husband made no mention of her. Then came her brother to\nhim and said, \u201cO Firuz, an thou wilt not acquaint me with the reason of\nthine anger against thy wife, come and plead with us before the king.\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cIf ye will have me plead with you, I will e\u2019en plead.\u201d So\nthey went to the king and found the Kazi sitting with him; whereupon the\ndamsel\u2019s brother began, \u201cAllah assist our lord the Kazi! I let this man\non hire a flower-garden, high-walled, with a well well-conditioned and\ntrees fruit-laden; but he beat down its walls and ruined its well and\nate its fruits, and now he desireth to return it to me.\u201d The Kazi turned\nto Firuz and asked him, \u201cWhat sayest thou, O youth?\u201d when he answered,\n\u201cIndeed, I delivered him the garden in better case than it was before.\u201d\nSo the Kazi said to the brother, \u201cHath he delivered to thee the garden,\nas he avoucheth?\u201d And the pleader replied, \u201cNo; but I desire to question\nhim of the reason of his returning it.\u201d Quoth the Kazi, \u201cWhat sayest\nthou, O youth?\u201d And quoth Firuz, \u201cI returned it willy nilly, because I\nentered it one day and saw the trail of the lion; so I feared lest an I\nentered it again, the lion should devour me. Wherefore that which I did,\nI did of reverence to him and for fear of him.\u201d Now the king was leaning\nback upon the cushion, and when he heard the young man\u2019s words, he\ncomprehended the purport thereof; so he sat up and said, \u201cReturn to thy\nflower-garden in all ease of heart; for, by Allah, never saw I the like\nof thy garth nor stronger of guard than its walls over its trees!\u201d So\nFiruz returned 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 king\nand the husband and the wife\u2019s brother.\n\n\n\n\n KING SHAH BAKHT AND HIS WAZIR AL-RAHWAN.[295]\n\n\nThey relate that there was once, in days of yore and in bygone ages and\ntimes long gone before, a king of the kings of the time, Shah Bakht\nhight, who had troops and servants and guards in hosts and a Wazir\ncalled Al-Rahw\u00e1n, who was learned, understanding, a loyal counsellor and\na cheerful acceptor of the commandments of Almighty Allah, to whom\nbelong Honour and Glory. The king committed to this Minister the affairs\nof his kingdom and his lieges and spake according to his word, and in\nthis way he abode a long space of time. Now this Wazir had many foes,\nwho envied his position and sought to do him harm, but thereunto found\nno way and the Lord, in His immemorial foreknowledge and His\nfore-ordinance decreed that the king dreamt that the Minister Al-Rahwan\ngave him a fruit from off a tree and he ate it and died. So he awoke,\nstartled and troubled, and when the Wazir had presented himself before\nhim and had retired and the king was alone with those in whom he\ntrusted, he related to them his vision and they advised him to send for\nthe astrologers and interpreters and commended to him a Sage, whose\nskill and wisdom they attested. Accordingly the king bade him be brought\nand entreated him with honour and made him draw near to himself. Now\nthere had been in private intercourse with that Sage a company of the\nWazir\u2019s enemies, who besought him to slander the Minister to the king\nand counsel him to do him dead, in view of what they promised him of\nmuch wealth; and he made agreement with them on this and acquainted the\nking that the Minister would slay him within the coming month and bade\nhim hasten to put him to death, else would he surely be killed.\nPresently, the Wazir entered and the king signed to him to clear the\nplace. So he signed to those who were present to withdraw, and they\nwithdrew; whereupon quoth the king to him, \u201cHow deemest thou, O Minister\nof loyal counsel in all manner of contrivance, concerning a vision I\nhave seen in my sleep?\u201d \u201cWhat is it, O king?\u201d asked the Wazir, and Shah\nBakht related to him his dream, adding, \u201cAnd indeed the Sage interpreted\nit to me and said to me:\u2014An thou do not the Wazir dead within a month,\nassuredly he will slay thee. Now to put the like of thee to death, I am\nloath exceedingly, yet to leave thee on life do I sorely fear. How then\ndost thou advise me act in this affair?\u201d The Wazir bowed his head\nearthwards awhile, then raised it and said, \u201cAllah prosper the king!\nVerily, it availeth not to continue him on life of whom the king is\nafraid, and my counsel is that thou hasten to put me out of the world.\u201d\nWhen the king heard his speech and dove into the depths of his meaning,\nhe turned to him and said, \u201c\u2019Tis grievous to me, O Wazir of good rede;\u201d\nand he told him that the other sages had attested the wit and wisdom of\nthe astrophil. Now hearing these words Al-Rahwan sighed and knew that\nthe king went in fear of him; but he showed him fortitude and said to\nhim, \u201cAllah assain the sovran! My rede is that the king carry out his\ncommandment and his decree be dight, for that needs must death be and\n\u2019tis fainer to me that I die oppressed, than that I die an oppressor.\nBut, an the king judge proper to postpone the putting of me to death\ntill the morrow and will pass this night with me and farewell me whenas\nthe morning cometh, the king shall do whatso he willeth.\u201d Then he wept\ntill he wetted his gray hairs and the king was moved to ruth for him and\ngranted him that which he craved and vouchsafed him a respite for that\nnight.[296]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n The First Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was eventide, the king caused clear his sitting chamber and\nsummoned the Wazir, who presented himself and making his obeisance to\nthe king, kissed ground before him and related to him\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE MAN OF KHORASAN, HIS SON AND HIS TUTOR_.\n\nThere was once a man of Khorasan and he had a son, whose moral weal he\nardently wished; but the young man sought to be alone and far from the\neye of his father, so he might give himself up to pleasuring and\npleasance. Accordingly he sought of his sire leave to make the\npilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah and to visit the tomb of the\nProphet (whom Allah save and assain!). Now between them and Meccah was a\njourney of five hundred parasangs; but his father could not contrary\nhim, for that the Holy Law had made pilgrimage[297] incumbent on him and\nbecause of that which he hoped for him of improvement. So he joined unto\nhim a tutor, in whom he trusted, and gave him much money and took leave\nof him. The son set out with his governor on the holy pilgrimage,[298]\nand abode on the like wise, spending freely and using not thrift. Also\nthere was in his neighbourhood a poor man, who had a slave-girl of\npassing beauty and grace, and the youth conceived a desire for her and\nsuffered sore cark and care for the love of her and her loveliness, so\nthat he was like to perish for passion; and she also loved him with a\nlove yet greater than his love for her. Accordingly, the damsel summoned\nan old woman who used to visit her and acquainted her with her case,\nsaying, \u201cAn I foregather not with him, I shall die.\u201d The crone promised\nher that she would do her best to bring her to her desire; so she veiled\nherself and repairing to the young man, saluted him with the salam and\nacquainted him with the girl\u2019s case, saying, \u201cHer master is a greedy\nwight; so do thou invite him and lure him with lucre, and he will sell\nthee the handmaiden.\u201d Accordingly, he made a banquet, and standing in\nthe man\u2019s way, invited him[299] and brought him to his house, where they\nsat down and ate and drank and abode in talk. Presently, the young man\nsaid to the other, \u201cI hear thou hast with thee a slave-girl, whom thou\ndesirest to sell;\u201d but he said, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord, I have no mind to\nsell her!\u201d Quoth the youth, \u201cI have heard that she cost thee a thousand\ndinars, and I will give thee six hundred over and above that sum;\u201d and\nquoth the other, \u201cI sell her to thee at that price.\u201d So they fetched\nnotaries who wrote out the contract of sale, and the young man weighed\nto the girl\u2019s master half the purchase money, saying, \u201cLet her be with\nthee till I complete to thee the rest of the price and take my\nhand-maid.\u201d The owner consented to this and took of him a written bond\nfor the rest of the money, and the girl abode with her master, on\ndeposit.[300] As for the youth, he gave his governor a thousand dirhams\nand sent him to his sire, to fetch money from him, so he might pay the\nrest of the hand-maid\u2019s price, saying to him, \u201cBe not long away.\u201d But\nthe tutor said in his mind, \u201cHow shall I fare to his father and say to\nhim, Thy son hath wasted thy money and made love with it?[301] With what\neye shall I look on him and, indeed, I am he in whom he confided and to\nwhom he hath entrusted his son? Verily, this were ill rede. Nay, I will\nfare on with this pilgrimage-caravan[302] in despite of my fool of a\nyouth; and when he is weary of waiting, he will demand back his money\nand return to his father, and I shall be quit of travail and trouble.\u201d\nSo he went on with the pilgrimage-caravan[303] and took up his abode\nthere.[304] Meanwhile, the youth tarried expecting his tutor\u2019s return,\nbut he returned not; wherefore concern and chagrin grew upon him because\nof his mistress, and his yearning for her redoubled and he was like to\nkill himself. She became aware of this and sent him a messenger, bidding\nhim visit her. Accordingly he went to her, and she questioned him of the\ncase; when he told her what was to do of the matter of his tutor, and\nshe said to him, \u201cWith me is longing the like of that which is with\nthee, and I doubt me thy messenger hath perished or thy father hath\nslain him; but I will give thee all my jewellery and my dresses, and do\nthou sell them and weigh out the rest of my price, and we will go, I and\nthou, to thy sire.\u201d So she handed to him all she had and he sold it and\npaid the rest of her price; after which there remained to him for\nspending-money an hundred dirhams. These he spent and lay that night\nwith the damsel in all delight of life, and his sprite was like to fly\nfor joy: but when he arose in the morning, he sat weeping and the damsel\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat causeth thee to weep?\u201d Said he, \u201cI know not an my\nfather be dead, and he hath none other heir save myself; but how shall I\nget to him, seeing I own not a dirham?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cI have a bangle;\nsell it and buy seed-pearls with the price: then round them and fashion\nthem into great unions[305] and thereby thou shalt gain much money, with\nthe which we may find our way to thy country.\u201d So he took the bangle and\nrepairing to a goldsmith, said to him, \u201cBreak up this bracelet and sell\nit;\u201d but he said, \u201cThe king seeketh a perfect bracelet: I will go to him\nand bring thee its price.\u201d Presently he bore the bangle to the Sultan\nand it pleased him greatly by reason of its goodly workmanship. Then he\ncalled an old woman, who was in his palace, and said to her, \u201cNeeds must\nI have the mistress of this bracelet though but for a single night, or I\nshall die;\u201d and the old woman replied, \u201cI will bring her to thee.\u201d\nThereupon she donned a devotee\u2019s dress and betaking herself to the\ngoldsmith, said to him, \u201cTo whom belongeth the bangle which is now with\nthe king?\u201d and said he, \u201cIt belongeth to a stranger, who hath bought him\na slave-girl from this city and lodgeth with her in such a place.\u201d Upon\nthis the old woman repaired to the young man\u2019s house and knocked at the\ndoor. The damsel opened to her and seeing her clad in devotee\u2019s\ngarb,[306] saluted her with the salam and asked her saying, \u201cHaply thou\nhast some need of us?\u201d Answered the old woman, \u201cYes, I desire a private\nplace, where I can perform the Wuzu-ablution;\u201d and quoth the girl,\n\u201cEnter.\u201d So she entered and did her requirement and made the ablution\nand prayed:[307] then she brought out a rosary and began to tell her\nbeads thereon, and the damsel said to her, \u201cWhence comest thou, O\npilgrimess?\u201d[308] Said she, \u201cFrom visiting the Idol of the Absent in\nsuch a church.[309] There standeth up no woman before him[310], who hath\na distant friend and discloseth to him her desire, but he acquainteth\nher with her case and giveth her news of her absent one.\u201d Said the\ndamsel \u201cO pilgrimess, we have an absent one, and my lord\u2019s heart\ncleaveth to him and I desire to go question the Idol of him.\u201d Quoth the\ncrone, \u201cDo thou wait till to-morrow and ask leave of thy spouse, and I\nwill come to thee and fare with thee in weal and welfare.\u201d Then she went\naway, and when the girl\u2019s master came, she sought his permission to go\nwith the old trot, and he gave her leave. So the beldame came and took\nher and carried her to the king\u2019s door, she, unknowing whither she went.\nThe damsel entered with her and beheld a goodly house and decorated\napartments which were no idol\u2019s chamber. Then came the king and seeing\nher beauty and loveliness, went up to her to buss her; whereupon she\nfell down in a fainting fit and struck out with her hands and feet.[311]\nWhen he saw this, he held aloof from her in ruth and left her; but the\nmatter was grievous to her and she refused meat and drink, and as often\nas the king drew near to her, she fled from him in fear, so he swore by\nAllah that he would not approach her save with her consent and fell to\npresenting her with ornaments and raiment; but her aversion to him only\nincreased. Meanwhile, the youth her master abode expecting her; but she\nreturned not and his heart already tasted the bitter draught of\nseparation; so he went forth at hap-hazard, distracted and knowing not\nwhat he should do, and began strewing dust upon his head and crying out,\n\u201cThe old woman hath taken her and gone away!\u201d The little boys followed\nhim with stones and pelted him, crying, \u201cA madman! A madman!\u201d Presently,\nthe king\u2019s Chamberlain, who was a personage of years and worth, met him,\nand when he saw this youth, he forbade the boys and drave them away from\nhim, after which he accosted him and asked him of his affair. So he told\nhim his tale and the Chamberlain said to him, \u201cFear not! I will deliver\nthy slave-girl for thee; so calm thy concern.\u201d And he went on to speak\nhim fair and comfort him, till he had firm reliance on his word. Then he\ncarried him to his home and stripping him of his clothes, clad him in\nrags; after which he called an old woman, who was his housekeeper,[312]\nand said to her, \u201cTake this youth and bind on his neck yon iron chain\nand go round about with him in all the great thoroughfares of the city,\nand when thou hast done this, go up with him to the palace of the king.\u201d\nAnd he said to the youth, \u201cIn whatsoever stead thou seest the damsel,\nspeak not a syllable, but acquaint me with her place and thou shalt owe\nher deliverance to none save to me.\u201d The youth thanked him and went with\nthe old woman in such fashion as the Chamberlain bade him. She fared on\nwith him till they entered the city, and walked all about it; after\nwhich she went up to the palace of the king and fell to saying, \u201cO\nfortune\u2019s favourites, look on a youth whom the devils take twice in the\nday and pray to be preserved from such affliction!\u201d And she ceased not\nto go round with him till she came to the eastern wing[313] of the\npalace, whereupon the slave-girls hurried out to look upon him and when\nthey saw him they were amazed at his beauty and loveliness and wept for\nhim. Then they informed the damsel, who came forth and considered him\nand knew him not; but he knew her; so he drooped his head and shed\ntears. She was moved to pity for him and gave him somewhat and went back\nto her place, whilst the youth returned with the housekeeper to the\nChamberlain and told him that she was in the king\u2019s mansion, whereat he\nwas chagrined and said, \u201cBy Allah, I will assuredly devise a device for\nher and deliver her!\u201d Whereupon the youth kissed his hands and feet.\nThen he turned to the old woman and bade her change her habit and her\nsemblance. Now this ancient dame was sweet of speech and winsome of wit;\nso he gave her costly and delicious ottars and said to her, \u201cGet thee to\nthe king\u2019s slave-girls and sell them these essences and win thy way to\nthe damsel and ask her if she desire her master or not.\u201d So the old\nwoman went out and making her way to the palace, went in to the\nhand-maid and drew near her and recited these couplets:\u2014\n\n Allah preserve our Union-days and their delights. \u273f Ah me! How sweet was\n life! how joys were ever new!\n May he not be who cursed us twain with parting day; \u273f How many a bone he\n brake, how many a life he slew!\n He shed my faultless tear-floods and my sinless blood; \u273f And beggaring\n me of love himself no richer grew.\n\nWhen the damsel heard the old woman\u2019s verses, she wept till her clothes\nwere drenched and drew near the speaker, who asked her, \u201cKnowest thou\nsuch-an-one?\u201d And she wept and answered, \u201cHe is my lord. Whence knowest\nthou him?\u201d Rejoined the old woman, \u201cO my lady, sawest thou not the\nmadman who came hither yesterday with the old woman? He was thy lord,\u201d\npresently adding, \u201cBut this is no time for talk. When \u2019tis night, get\nthee to the top of the palace and wait on the terrace till thy lord come\nto thee and compass thy deliverance.\u201d Then she gave her what she would\nof perfumes and returning to the Chamberlain, acquainted him with whatso\nhad passed, and he told the youth. Now as soon as it was evening, the\nChamberlain bade bring two hackneys and great store of water and\nprovaunt and a riding-camel and a fellow to show them the way. These he\nambushed without the town whilst he and the young man, taking with them\na long rope, made fast to a staple, went and stood below the palace.\nWhenas they came thither, they looked and behold, the damsel was\nstanding on the terrace-roof, so they threw her the rope and the staple,\nwhich she made fast, and tucking up her sleeves above her wrists, slid\ndown and landed with them. They carried her without the town, where they\nmounted, she and her lord, and fared on, with the guide in front,[314]\ndirecting them on the way, and they ceased not faring night and day till\nthey entered his father\u2019s house. The young man greeted his sire, who was\ngladdened in him, and to whom he related all that had befallen him,\nwhereupon he rejoiced in his safety. As for the tutor, he wasted whatso\nwas with him and returned to the city, where he saw the youth and\nexcused himself. Then he questioned him of what had betided him and he\ntold him, whereat he admired and returned to companionship with him; but\nthe youth ceased to have regard for him and gave him nor solde nor\nration as was his wont, neither discovered to him aught of his secrets.\nWhen the tutor saw that there was no profit from him he returned to the\nking, the ravisher of the slave-girl, and recounted to him what the\nChamberlain had done and counselled him to slay that official and egged\nhim on to recover the damsel, promising to give his friend a\npoison-draught and return. Accordingly the king sent for the Chamberlain\nand chid him for the deed he had done; whereat the king\u2019s servants\nincontinently fell upon the Chamberlain and put him to death. Meanwhile\nthe tutor returned to the youth, who asked him of his absence, and he\ntold him that he had been in the city of the king who had taken the\nslave-girl. When the youth heard this, he misdoubted of his governor and\nnever again trusted him in anything but was always on his guard against\nhim. Then the tutor without stay or delay caused prepare great store of\nsweetmeats and put in them deadly poison and presented them to the\nyouth, who, when he saw those sweetmeats, said to himself, \u201cThis is an\nextraordinary thing of the tutor! Needs must there be in this sweetmeat\nsome mischief, and I will make proof of his confectionery upon himself.\u201d\nAccordingly he got ready food and set amongst it a portion of the\nsweetmeat, and inviting the governor to his house placed the provaunt\nbefore him. He ate, and amongst the rest which they brought him, the\npoisoned sweetmeat; so while in the act of eating he died; whereby the\nyouth knew that this was a plot against himself and said, \u201cWhoso seeketh\nhis fortune by his own force[315] attaineth a failure.\u201d \u201cNor,\u201d continued\nthe Wazir, \u201cis this, O king of the age, stranger than the story of the\nDruggist and his Wife and the Singer.\u201d When King Shah Bakht heard the\ntale of Al-Rahwan he gave him leave to withdraw to his own house and he\ntarried there the rest of the night and the next day till eventide\nevened.\n\n\n The Second Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the king sat private in his sitting-chamber and\nhis mind was occupied with the story of the Singer and the Druggist. So\nhe called the Wazir and bade him tell the tale. Answered he, \u201cI will\nwell. They recount, O my lord, the following\n\n\n _TALE OF THE SINGER AND THE DRUGGIST_.\u201d\n\nThere was once in the city of Hamad\u00e1n[316] a young man of seemly\nsemblance and skilled in singing to the lute; wherefore he was well seen\nof the citizens. He went forth one day of his home with intent to\ntravel, and gave not over journeying till his travel brought him to a\ntown and a goodly. Now he had with him a lute and its appurtenance,[317]\nso he entered and went round about the streets till he happened upon a\ndruggist who, when he espied him, called to him. So he went up to him\nand he bade him sit down; accordingly, the youth sat down by his side,\nand the druggist questioned him of his case. The singer told him what\nwas in his mind, and the pharmacist took him up into his shop and bought\nhim food and fed him. Then said he to him, \u201cRise and take up thy lute\nand beg about the streets, and whenas thou smellest the reek of wine,\nbreak in upon the drinkers and say to them, I am a singer. They will\nlaugh and cry, Come in to us. And when thou singest, the folk will know\nthee and speak one to other of thee; so shalt thou become known about\ntown, and thou shalt better thy business.\u201d He went round about, as the\ndruggist bade him, till the sun waxed hot, but found none drinking. Then\nhe entered a lane, that he might take rest, and seeing there a handsome\nhouse and a lofty, stood in its shade and fell to observing the\nexcellence of its edification. Now while he was thus engaged, behold, a\ncasement opened and there appeared thereat a face, as it were the moon.\nQuoth the owner of the face, \u201cWhat aileth thee to stand there? Dost thou\nwant aught?\u201d And quoth he, \u201cI am a stranger,\u201d and acquainted her with\nhis adventure; whereupon asked she, \u201cWhat sayst thou to meat and drink\nand the enjoyment of a fair face and getting thee spending-money?\u201d And\nhe answered, \u201cO mistress mine, this is my desire whereof I am going\nabout in quest!\u201d So she opened the door to him and brought him in: then\nshe seated him at the upper end of the room and served him with food. He\nate and drank and lay with her and futtered her. This ended, she sat\ndown in his lap and they toyed and laughed and exchanged kisses till the\nday was half done, when her husband came home and she had no recourse\nbut to hide the singer in a mat[318], in which she rolled him up. The\nhusband entered and seeing the battle-place[319] disordered and smelling\nthe reek of liquor questioned her of this. Quoth she, \u201cI had with me a\nbosom friend of mine and I conjured her to crack a cup with me; and so\nwe drank a jar full, I and she, and but now, before thy coming in, she\nfared forth.\u201d Her husband deemed her words true and went away to his\nshop, he being none other than the singer\u2019s friend the druggist, who had\ninvited him and fed him; whereupon the lover came forth and he and the\nlady returned to their pleasant pastime and abode on this wise till\nevening, when she gave him money and said to him, \u201cTo-morrow in the\nforenoon come hither to me.\u201d He replied, \u201cYes,\u201d and departed; and at\nnightfall he went to the Hammam-bath. On the morrow, he betook himself\nto the shop of his friend the druggist, who welcomed him as soon as he\nsaw him, and questioned him of his case and how he had fared that day.\nQuoth the singer, \u201cAllah requite thee with welfare, O my brother, for\nindeed thou hast directed me to a restful life!\u201d Then he acquainted him\nwith his adventure and told him the tale of the woman, till he came to\nthe mention of her husband, when he said, \u201cAnd at midday came the horned\ncuckold,[320] her husband, and knocked at the door. So she wrapped me in\nthe mat, and when he had wended his ways I came forth and we returned to\nour pleasant play.\u201d This was grievous to the druggist, and he repented\nof having taught him how he should do and suspected his wife.\nAccordingly he asked the singer, \u201cAnd what said she to thee at thy going\naway?\u201d and the other answered, \u201cShe said, Come back to me on the morrow.\nSo, behold, I am off to her and I came not hither but that I might\nacquaint thee with this, lest thy thoughts be pre-occupied with me.\u201d\nThen he farewelled him, and walked out. As soon as the druggist was\nassured that he had reached the house, he cast the net[321] over his\nshop and made for his home, in some suspicion of his wife, and knocked\nat the door. Now the singer had entered and the druggist\u2019s wife said to\nhim, \u201cUp with thee and enter this chest.\u201d Accordingly he entered it and\nshe shut it down on him and opened to her husband, who came in all\ndistraught, and searched the house but found none and overlooked the\nchest. Hereat he said in his mind \u201cThe house[322] is one which favoureth\nmy house and the woman is one who favoureth my wife,\u201d and returned to\nhis shop; whereupon the singer came forth of the chest and falling upon\nthe druggist\u2019s wife, had his wicked will of her and spent upon her what\nwas her due, and weighed down the scale for her with full measure. Then\nthey ate and drank and kissed and clipped necks, and in this way they\nabode till the evening, when she gave him money, because she found his\nweaving nice and good,[323] and made him promise to come to her on the\nmorrow. So he left her and slept his night and on the morrow he returned\nto the shop of his friend the druggist and saluted him. The other\nwelcomed him and questioned him of his case; whereat he told his tale\ntill he ended with the mention of the woman\u2019s husband, when he said,\n\u201cThen came the horned cuckold, her mate and she stowed me away in the\nchest and shut down the lid upon me, whilst her addlepated pander[324]\nof a husband went about the house, top and bottom; and when he had gone\nhis way, we returned to our pleasant pastime.\u201d With this, the druggist\nwas assured that the house was his house and the wife his wife, and\nquoth he, \u201cNow what wilt thou do to-day?\u201d Quoth the singer, \u201cI shall\nreturn to her and weave for her and full her yarn[325], and I came\nnot[326] save to thank thee for thy dealing with me.\u201d Then he went away,\nwhilst the fire was loosed in the heart of the druggist and he shut his\nshop and returning to his house, rapped at the door. Said the singer,\n\u201cLet me jump into the chest, for he saw me not yesterday;\u201d but said she,\n\u201cNo! wrap thyself up in the mat.\u201d So he wrapped himself up and stood in\na corner of the room, whilst the druggist entered and went no whither\nelse save to the chest, but found naught inside. Then he walked round\nabout the house and searched it, top and bottom, but came upon nothing\nand no one and abode between belief and disbelief, and said to himself,\n\u201cHaply, I suspect my wife of what is not in her.\u201d So he was certified of\nher innocence and going forth content, returned to his shop, whereupon\nout came the singer and they resumed their former little game, as was\ntheir wont, till eventide when she gave him one of her husband\u2019s shirts\nand he took it and going away, nighted in his own lodging. Next morning\nhe repaired to the druggist, who saluted him with the salam and came to\nmeet him and rejoiced in him and smiled in his face, deeming his wife\ninnocent. Then he questioned him of his case on yesterday and he told\nhim how he had fared, saying, \u201cO my brother, when the cornute knocked at\nthe door, I would have jumped into the chest; but his wife forbade me\nand rolled me up in the mat. The man entered and thought of nothing save\nthe chest; so he brake it open and woned like one jinn-mad, going up and\ncoming down. Then he went about his business and I came out and we abode\non our accustomed case till eventide, when she gave me this shirt of her\nhusband\u2019s; and behold, I am now off to her.\u201d When the druggist heard the\nsinger\u2019s words, he was assured of the adventure and knew that the\ncalamity, all of it, was in his own house and that the wife was his\nwife; and he considered the shirt, whereupon he redoubled in assuredness\nand said to the singer, \u201cArt thou now going to her?\u201d Said he, \u201cYes, O my\nbrother,\u201d and taking leave of him, went away; whereupon the druggist\nstarted up, as he were stark mad, and dismantled his shop.[327] Whilst\nhe was thus doing, the singer won to the house, and presently up came\nthe druggist and knocked at the door. The lover would have wrapped\nhimself up in the mat, but she forbade him and said, \u201cGet thee down to\nthe ground floor of the house and enter the oven-jar[328] and close the\ncover upon thyself.\u201d So he did her bidding and she went down to her\nhusband and opened the door to him, whereupon he came in and went round\nthe house, but found no one and overlooked the oven-jar. Then he stood\nmusing and sware that he would not again go forth of the house till the\nmorrow. As for the singer, when his stay in the oven-jar grew longsome\nupon him, he came forth therefrom, thinking that her husband had gone\naway; and he went up to the terrace-roof and looking down, beheld his\nfriend the druggist: whereat he was sore concerned and said in himself,\n\u201cAlas, the disgrace, ah! This is my friend the druggist, who of me was\nfain and dealt me fair and I have paid him with foul.\u201d He feared to\nreturn to the druggist; so he stepped down and opened the first door and\nwould have gone out at a venture, unseen of the husband; but, when he\ncame to the outer door, he found it locked and saw not the key. Hereat\nhe returned to the terrace and began dropping from roof to roof till the\npeople of the house heard him and hastened to fall upon him, deeming him\na thief. Now that house belonged to a Persian man; so they laid hands on\nhim and the house-master fell to beating him, saying to him, \u201cThou art a\nthief.\u201d He replied, \u201cNo I am not a thief, but a singing-man, a stranger\nwho, hearing your voices, came to sing to you.\u201d When the folk heard his\nwords, they talked of letting him go; but the Persian said, \u201cO folk, let\nnot his speech cozen you. This one is none other than a thief who\nknoweth how to sing, and when he cometh upon the like of us, he is a\nsinger.\u201d Said they, \u201cO our lord, this man is a stranger, and needs we\nmust release him.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cBy Allah, my heart heaveth at this fellow!\nLet me kill him with beating;\u201d but quoth they, \u201cThou mayst no ways do\nthat.\u201d So they delivered the singer from the Persian, the master of the\nhouse, and seated him amongst them, whereupon he began singing to them\nand they rejoiced in him. Now the Persian had a Mameluke,[329] as he\nwere the full moon, and he arose and went out, and the singer followed\nhim and wept before him, professing lustful love to him and kissing his\nhands and feet. The Mameluke took compassion on him and said to him,\n\u201cWhen the night cometh and my master entereth the Harim and the folk\nfare away, I will grant thee thy desire; and I sleep in such a place.\u201d\nThen the singer returned and sat with the cup-companions, and the\nPersian rose and went out with the Mameluke by his side. Now[330] the\nsinger knew the place which the Mameluke occupied at the first of the\nnight; but it chanced that the youth rose from his stead and the waxen\ntaper went out. The Persian, who was drunk, fell over on his face, and\nthe singer supposing him to be the Mameluke, said, \u201cBy Allah, \u2019tis\ngood!\u201d and threw himself upon him and began to work at his bag-trousers\ntill the string was loosed; then he brought out[331] his prickle upon\nwhich he spat and slipped it into him. Thereupon the Persian started up,\ncrying out and, laying hands on the singer, pinioned him and beat him a\ngrievous beating, after which he bound him to a tree that stood in the\nhouse-court. Now there was in the house a beautiful singing-girl and\nwhen she saw the singer tight pinioned and tied to the tree, she waited\ntill the Persian lay down on his couch, when she arose and going up to\nthe singer, fell to condoling with him over what had betided him and\nmaking eyes at him and handling his yard and rubbing it, till it rose\nupright. Then said she to him, \u201cDo with me the deed of kind and I will\nloose thy pinion-bonds, lest he return and beat thee again; for he\npurposeth thee an ill purpose.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cLoose me and I will do it;\u201d\nbut quoth she, \u201cI fear that, an I loose thee, thou wilt not do it. But I\nwill do it and thou have me standing; and when I have done, I will loose\nthee.\u201d So saying, she opened her clothes and introducing the singer\u2019s\nprickle, fell to toing and froing.[332] Now there was in the house a\nfighting-ram, which the Persian had trained to butting,[333] and when he\nsaw what the woman was doing, he thought she wished to do battle with\nhim; so he broke his halter and running at her, butted her and split her\nskull. She fell on her back and shrieked; whereupon the Persian started\nup hastily from sleep and seeing the singing-girl on her back and the\nsinger with yard on end, cried to him, \u201cO accursed, doth not what thou\nhast erewhile done suffice thee?\u201d Then he beat him a shrewd beating and\nopening the door, thrust him out in the middle of the night. He lay the\nrest of the dark hours in one of the ruins, and when he arose in the\nmorning, he said, \u201cNone is in fault! I, for one, sought my own good, and\nhe is no fool who seeketh good for himself; and the druggist\u2019s wife also\nsought good for herself; but Predestination overcometh Precaution and\nfor me there remaineth no tarrying in this town.\u201d So he went forth from\nthe place. \u201cNor\u201d (continued the Wazir), \u201cis this story, strange though\nit be, stranger than that of the King and his Son and that which betided\nthem of wonders and rare marvels.\u201d When the king heard this story, he\ndeemed it pretty and pleasant and said, \u201cThis tale is near unto that\nwhich I know and \u2019tis my rede I should do well to have patience and\nhasten not to slay my Minister, so I may get of him the profitable story\nof the King and his Son.\u201d Then he gave the Wazir leave to go away to his\nown house; so he thanked him and tarried in his home all that day.\n\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; and\nthe Minister said, \u201cThey tell, O king,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE KING WHO KENNED THE QUINTESSENCE[334] OF THINGS_.\u201d\n\nThere came to a king of the kings, in his old age, a son, who grew up\ncomely, quick-witted, clever: and, when he reached years of discretion\nand became a young man, his father said to him, \u201cTake this realm and\nrule it in lieu of me, for I desire to flee from the sin of\nsovranty[335] to Allah the Most High and don the woollen dress and\ndevote all my time to devotion.\u201d Quoth the Prince, \u201cAnd I am another who\ndesireth to take refuge with the Almighty.\u201d So the king said, \u201cArise,\nlet us flee forth and make for the mountains and there worship in shame\nbefore God the Most Great.\u201d Accordingly, the twain gat them gear of wool\nand clothing themselves therewith, fared forth and wandered in the wolds\nand wastes; but, when some days had passed over them, both became weak\nfor hunger and repented them of that they had done whenas penitence\nprofited them not, and the Prince complained to his father of weariness\nand hunger. Cried the king, \u201cDear my son, I did with thee that which\nbehoved me,[336] but thou wouldst not hearken to me, and now there is no\nmeans of returning to thy former estate, for that another hath taken the\nkingdom and defendeth it from all foes: but indeed I will counsel thee\nof somewhat, wherein do thou pleasure me by compliance.\u201d The Prince\nasked, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d and his father answered, \u201cTake me and go with me to\nthe market-street and sell me and receive my price and do with it whatso\nthou willest, and I shall become the property of one who shall provide\nfor my wants.\u201d The Prince enquired, \u201cWho will buy thee of me, seeing\nthou art a very old man? Nay, do thou rather sell me, inasmuch as the\ndemand for me will be more.\u201d But the king replied, \u201cAn thou wert king,\nthou wouldest require service of me.\u201d Accordingly the youth obeyed his\nfather\u2019s bidding and taking him, carried him to the slave-dealer and\nsaid, \u201cSell me this old man.\u201d Said the dealer, \u201cWho will buy this wight,\nand he a son of eighty years?\u201d[337] Then quoth he to the king, \u201cIn what\ncrafts art thou cunning?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cI ken the quintessence of\njewels and I ken the quintessence of horses and I ken the quintessence\nof men; brief, I ken the quintessence of all things.\u201d So the\nslave-dealer took him and went about, offering him for sale to the folk;\nbut none would buy. Presently, up came the Chef of the Sultan\u2019s kitchen\nand asked, \u201cWhat is this man?\u201d and the dealer answered, \u201cThis be a\nMameluke for sale.\u201d The kitchener marvelled at this and bought the king,\nafter questioning him of what he could do, for ten thousand dirhams.\nThen he weighed out the money and carried him to his house, but dared\nnot employ him in aught of service; so he appointed him an allowance, a\nmodicum sufficient for his maintenance, and repented him of having\nbought him, saying, \u201cWhat shall I do with the like of this wight?\u201d\nPresently, the king of the city was minded to go forth to his\ngarden,[338] a-pleasuring, and bade the cook precede him and appoint in\nhis stead one who should dress the royal meat, so that, when he\nreturned, he might find the meal ready. The Chef fell to thinking of\nwhom he should appoint and was perplexed concerning his affair. As he\nwas thus, the Shaykh came to him, and seeing him distraught as to how he\nshould do, said to him, \u201cTell me what is in thy mind; haply I may bring\nthee relief.\u201d So he acquainted him with the king\u2019s wishes and he said,\n\u201cHave no care for this, but leave me one of the serving-men and do thou\ngo companying thy lord in peace and surety, for I will suffice thee of\nthis.\u201d Hereat the cook departed with the king, after he had brought the\nold man what he needed and left him a man of the guards; and when he was\ngone, the Shaykh bade the trooper wash the kitchen-battery and made\nready food exceedingly fine. When the king returned he set the meat\nbefore him, and he tasted dishes whose like he had never savoured;\nwhereat he was startled and asked who had dressed it. Accordingly they\nacquainted him with the Shaykh\u2019s case and he summoned him to his\npresence and asking him anent the mystery, increased his allowance of\nrations;[339] moreover, he bade that they should cook together, he and\nthe kitchener, and the old man obeyed his bidding. Some time after this,\nthere came two merchants to the king with two pearls of price and each\nof them declared that his pearl was worth a thousand dinars, but the\nfolk was incompetent to value them. Then said the cook, \u201cAllah prosper\nthe king! Verily, the Shaykh whom I bought affirmed that he knew the\nquintessence of jewels and that he was skilled in cookery. We have tried\nhim in his cuisine, and have found him the most knowing of men; and now,\nif we send after him and prove him on jewels, his second claim will be\nmade manifest to us, whether true or false.\u201d So the king bade fetch the\nShaykh and he came and stood before the Sultan, who showed him the two\npearls. Quoth he, \u201cNow for this one, \u2019tis worth a thousand dinars;\u201d and\nquoth the king, \u201cSo saith its owner.\u201d \u201cBut for this other,\u201d continued\nthe old man, \u201c\u2019tis worth only five hundred.\u201d The people laughed and\nadmired his saying, and the merchant who owned the second pearl asked\nhim, \u201cHow can this, which is bigger of bulk and worthier for water and\nrighter of rondure, be less of value than that?\u201d and the old man\nanswered, \u201cI have said what is with me.\u201d[340] Then quoth the king to\nhim, \u201cIndeed, the outer semblance thereof is like that of the other\npearl; why then is it worth but the half of its price?\u201d and quoth the\nold man, \u201cYes, but its inward is corrupt.\u201d Asked the merchant, \u201cHath a\npearl then an inward and an outward?\u201d and the Shaykh answered, \u201cYea! In\nits interior is a teredo, a boring worm; but the other pearl is sound\nand secure against breakage.\u201d The merchant continued, \u201cGive us approof\nof this thy knowledge and confirm to us the truth of thy saying;\u201d and\nthe old man rejoined, \u201cWe will break it: an I prove a liar, here is my\nhead, and if I speak sooth, thou wilt have lost thy pearl;\u201d and the\nmerchant said, \u201cI agree to that.\u201d So they brake the pearl and it was\neven as the old man had declared, to wit, in the heart of it was a\nboring worm. The king marvelled at what he saw and questioned him of how\nhe came by the knowledge of this. The Shaykh replied, \u201cO king, this kind\nof jewel is engendered in the belly of a creature called the oyster[341]\nand its origin is a drop of rain and it resisteth the touch and groweth\nnot warm whilst hent in hand:[342] so, when its outer coat became tepid\nto my touch, I knew that it harboured some living thing, for that things\nof life thrive not save in heat.\u201d Therefore the king said to the cook,\n\u201cIncrease his allowance;\u201d and the Chef appointed to him fresh rations.\nNow some time after this, two merchants presented themselves to the king\nwith two horses, and one said, \u201cI ask a thousand ducats for my horse,\u201d\nand the other, \u201cI seek five thousand ducats for mine.\u201d Quoth the cook,\n\u201cWe are now familiar with the old man\u2019s just judgment; what deemeth the\nking of fetching him?\u201d So the king bade fetch him, and when he saw the\ntwo horses,[343] he said, \u201cThis is worth a thousand and that two\nthousand ducats.\u201d Quoth the folk, \u201cThis horse thou misjudgest is\nevidently a thoroughbred and he is younger and faster and compacter of\nlimb and finer of head and clearer of colour and skin than the other;\u201d\npresently adding, \u201cWhat assurance hast thou of the sooth of thy saying?\u201d\nAnd the old man said, \u201cThis ye state is true, all true; but his sire is\nold and this other is the son of a young horse. Now, when the son of an\nold horse standeth still a-breathing, his breath returneth not to him\nand his rider falleth into the hand of him who followeth after him; but\nthe son of 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 robustness,\nuntired.\u201d Quoth the merchant, \u201c\u2019Tis even as the Shaykh avoucheth and he\nis an excellent judge.\u201d And the king said, \u201cIncrease his allowance.\u201d But\nthe Shaykh stood still and did not go away; so the king asked him, \u201cWhy\ndost thou not go about thy business?\u201d and he answered, \u201cMy business is\nwith the king.\u201d Said the king, \u201cName what thou wouldest have,\u201d and the\nother replied, \u201cI would have thee question me of the quintessence of\nmen, even as thou hast questioned me of the quintessence of horses.\u201d\nQuoth the king, \u201cWe have no occasion to question thee thereof;\u201d but\nquoth the old man, \u201cI have occasion to acquaint thee.\u201d \u201cSay what thou\nwilt,\u201d rejoined the king, and the Shaykh said, \u201cVerily, the king is the\nson of a baker.\u201d Cried the king, \u201cHow and whereby kennest thou that?\u201d\nand the Shaykh replied, \u201cKnow, O king, that I have examined into degrees\nand dignities[344] and have learned this.\u201d Thereupon the king went in to\nhis mother and asked her anent his sire, and she told him that the king\nher husband was impotent;[345] \u201cSo,\u201d quoth she, \u201cI feared for the\nkingdom, lest it pass away, after his death; wherefore I yielded my\nperson to a young man, a baker, and conceived by him and bare a\nman-child;[346] and the kingship came into the hand of my son, that is,\nthyself.\u201d So the king returned to the Shaykh and said to him, \u201cI am\nindeed the son of a baker; so do thou expound to me the means whereby\nthou knewest me for this.\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cI knew that, hadst thou\nbeen the son of a king, thou wouldst have gifted me with things of\nprice, such as rubies and the like; and wert thou the son of a Kazi,\nthou hadst given largesse of a dirham or two dirhams, and wert thou the\nson of any of the merchants, thou hadst given me muchel of money. But I\nsaw that thou bestowedst upon me naught save two bannocks of bread and\nother rations, wherefore I knew thee to be the son of a baker;\u201d and\nquoth the king, \u201cThou hast hit the mark.\u201d Then he gave him wealth galore\nand advanced him to high estate. The tale aforesaid pleased King Shah\nBakht and he marvelled thereat; but the Wazir said to him, \u201cThis story\nis not stranger than that of the Richard who married his beautiful\ndaughter to the poor Shaykh.\u201d The king\u2019s mind was occupied with the\npromised tale and he bade the Wazir withdraw to his lodging; so he went\nand abode there the rest of the night and the whole of the following\nday.\n\n\n The Fourth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the king sat private in his sitting-chamber and\nbade fetch the Wazir. When he presented himself before him, he said to\nhim, \u201cTell me the tale of the Richard.\u201d The Minister replied, \u201cI will.\nHear, O puissant king,\n\n\n_THE TALE OF THE RICHARD WHO MARRIED HIS BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER TO THE POOR\n OLD MAN_.\u201d\n\nA certain rich merchant had a beautiful daughter, who was as the full\nmoon, and when she attained the age of fifteen, her father betook\nhimself to an old man and spreading him a carpet in his sitting-chamber,\ngave him to eat and conversed and caroused with him. Then said he to\nhim, \u201cI desire to marry thee to my daughter.\u201d The other drew back,\nbecause of his poverty, and said to him, \u201cI am no husband for her nor am\nI a match for thee.\u201d The merchant was urgent with him, but he repeated\nhis answer to him, saying, \u201cI will not consent to this till thou\nacquaint me with the cause of thy desire for me. An I find it\nreasonable, I will fall in with thy wish; and if not, I will not do this\never.\u201d Quoth the merchant, \u201cThou 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 made no\naccount of womankind, one and all, but followed after youths[347], and\none night I saw, in a dream, as it were a balance set up, and hard by it\na voice said, \u2018This is the portion of Such-an-one.\u2019 I listened and\npresently I heard my own name; so I looked and behold, there stood a\nwoman loathly to the uttermost; whereupon I awoke in fear and cried, \u2018I\nwill never marry, lest haply this fulsome female fall to my lot.\u2019 Then I\nset out for this city with merchandise and the journey was pleasant to\nme and the sojourn here, so that I took up my abode in the place for a\nlength of time and gat me friends and factors. At last I sold all my\nstock-in-trade and collected its price and there was left me nothing to\noccupy me till the folk[348] should depart and I depart with them. One\nday, I changed my clothes and putting gold into my sleeve, sallied forth\nto inspect the holes and corners of this city, and as I was wandering\nabout, I saw a handsome house: its seemliness pleased me; so I stood\nlooking on it and beheld a lovely woman at the window. When she saw me,\nshe made haste and descended, whilst I abode confounded. Then I betook\nmyself to a tailor there and questioned him of the house and anent whose\nit was.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cIt belongeth to Such-an-one the Notary,[349] God\ndamn him!\u201d I asked, \u201cIs he her sire?\u201d and he answered, \u201cYes.\u201d So I\nrepaired in great hurry to a man, with whom I had been wont to deposit\nmy goods for sale, and told him I desired to gain access to Such-an-one\nthe Notary. Accordingly he assembled his friends and we betook ourselves\nto the Notary\u2019s house. When we came in to him, we saluted him and sat\nwith him, and I said to him, \u201cI come to thee as a suitor, desiring in\nmarriage the hand of thy daughter.\u201d He replied, \u201cI have no daughter\nbefitting this man;\u201d and I rejoined, \u201cAllah aid thee! My desire is for\nthee and not for her.\u201d[350] But he still refused and his friends said to\nhim, \u201cThis is an honourable match and a man thine equal, nor is it\nlawful to thee that thou hinder the young lady of her good luck.\u201d Quoth\nhe to them, \u201cShe will not suit him!\u201d nevertheless they were instant with\nhim till at last he said, \u201cVerily, my daughter whom ye seek is passing\nill-favoured and in her are all blamed qualities of person.\u201d And I said,\n\u201cI accept her, though she be as thou sayest.\u201d Then said the folk,\n\u201cExtolled be Allah! Cease we to talk of a thing settled; so say the\nword, how much wilt thou have to her marriage-settlement?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI\nmust have four thousand sequins;\u201d and I said, \u201cTo hear is to obey!\u201d\nAccordingly the affair was concluded and we drew up the contract of\nmarriage and I made the bride-feast; but on the wedding-night I beheld a\nthing[351] than which never made Allah Almighty aught more fulsome.\nMethought her folk had devised this freak byway of fun; so I laughed and\nlooked for my mistress, whom I had seen at the window, to make her\nappearance; but saw her not. When the affair was prolonged and I found\nnone but her, I was like to lose my wits for vexation and fell to\nbeseeching my Lord and humbling myself in supplication before Him that\nHe would deliver me from her. When I arose in the morning, there came\nthe chamberwoman and said to me, \u201cHast thou need of the bath[352]?\u201d I\nreplied, \u201cNo\u201d; and she asked, \u201cArt thou for breakfast?\u201d But I still\nanswered \u201cNo;\u201d and on this wise I abode three days, tasting neither meat\nnor drink. When the young woman my wife saw me in this plight, she said\nto me, \u201cO man, tell me thy tale, for, by Allah, if I may effect thy\ndeliverance, I will assuredly further thee thereto.\u201d I gave ear to her\nspeech and put faith in her sooth and acquainted her with the adventure\nof the damsel whom I had seen at the window and how I had fallen in love\nwith her; whereupon quoth she, \u201cAn that girl belong to me, whatso I\npossess is thine, and if she belong to my sire, I will demand her of him\nand detain her from him and deliver her to thee.\u201d Then she fell to\nsummoning hand-maid after hand-maid and showing them to me, till I saw\nthe damsel whom I loved and said, \u201cThis is she.\u201d Quoth my wife, \u201cLet not\nthy heart be troubled, for this is my slave-girl. My father gave her to\nme and I give her to thee:[353] so comfort thyself and be of good cheer\nand of eyes cool and clear.\u201d Then, when it was night, she brought the\ngirl to me, after she had adorned her and perfumed her, and said to her,\n\u201cCross not this thy lord in aught and every that he shall seek of thee.\u201d\nWhen she came to bed with me, I said in myself, \u201cVerily, this my spouse\nis more generous than I!\u201d Then I sent away the slave-girl and drew not\nnear her, but arose forthwith and betaking myself to my wife, lay with\nher and abated her maidenhead. She conceived by me at the first bout;\nand, accomplishing 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\u2019s sound sense and the\ncomeliness of her sire. Indeed, many of the notables of the people have\nsought her of me in wedlock, but I would not wed her to any, because I\nsaw in a dream, one night, that same balance set up and men and women\nbeing therein weighed, one against other, and meseemed I saw thee and\nher and the voice said to me, \u2018This is such a man, the portion of such a\nwoman.\u2019[354] Wherefore I knew that Almighty Allah had allotted unto her\nnone other than thyself, and I choose rather to marry thee to her in my\nlifetime than that thou shouldst marry her after my death.\u201d When the\npoor man heard the merchant\u2019s story, he became desirous of wedding his\ndaughter: so he took her to wife and was blessed of her with exceeding\nlove. \u201cNor\u201d (continued the Wazir), \u201cis this story on any wise stranger\nor this tale rarer than that of the Sage and his three Sons.\u201d When the\nking heard his Minister\u2019s story, he was assured that he would not slay\nhim and said, \u201cI will have patience with him, so I may get of him the\nstory of the Sage and his three Sons.\u201d And he bade him depart to his own\nhouse.\n\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 Al-Rahwan\nsaid, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE SAGE AND HIS THREE SONS_.\u201d[355]\n\nThere was once a Sage of the sages, who had three sons and sons\u2019 sons,\nand when they waxed many and their seed multiplied, there befel\ndissension between them. So he assembled them and said to them, \u201cBe ye\nsingle-handed against all others and despise not one another lest the\nfolk despise you, and know that your case is the case of the man and the\nrope which he cut easily, when it was single; then he doubled it and\ncould not cut it: on this wise is division and union.[356] And beware\nlest ye seek help of others against your own selves or ye will fall into\nperdition, for by what means soever ye win your wish at his hand, his\nword will 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.\u201d Then they left him and dispersed and one\nof the sons fell to spying upon his sire, so that he saw him hide the\nhoard outside the city. When he had made an end of burying it, the Sage\nreturned to his house; and as soon as the morning morrowed, his son\nrepaired to the place where he had seen his father bury the treasure and\ndug and took all the wealth he found and fared forth. When the old man\nfelt that his death[357] drew nigh, he called his sons to him and\nacquainted them with the place where he had hidden his hoard. As soon as\nhe was dead, they went and dug up the treasure and came upon much\nwealth, for that the money, which the first son had taken singly and by\nstealth, was on the surface and he knew not that under it were other\nmonies. So they carried it off and divided it and the first son claimed\nhis share with the rest and added it to that which he had before taken,\nbehind the backs of his father and his brethren. Then he married his\ncousin, the daughter of his father\u2019s brother and was blessed through her\nwith a male-child, who was the goodliest of the folk of his time. When\nthe boy grew up, his father feared for him poverty and decline of case,\nso he said to him, \u201cDear my son, know that during my green days I\nwronged my brothers in the matter of our father\u2019s good, and I see thee\nin weal; but, an thou come to want, ask not one of them nor any other\nthan they, for I have laid up for thee in yonder chamber a treasure; but\ndo not thou open it until thou come to lack thy daily bread.\u201d Then the\nman died, and his money, which was a great matter, fell to his son. The\nyoung man had not patience to wait till he had made an end of that which\nwas with him, but rose and opened the chamber, and behold, it was empty\nand its walls were whitened, and in its midst was a rope hanging down as\nfor a bucket and ten bricks, one upon other, and a scroll, wherein was\nwritten, \u201cThere is no help against death; so hang thyself and beg not of\nany, but kick away the bricks with thy toes, that there may be no escape\nfor thy life, and thou shalt be at rest from the exultation of enemies\nand enviers and the bitterness of beggary.\u201d Now when the youth saw this,\nhe marvelled at that which his father had done and said, \u201cThis is an ill\ntreasure.\u201d Then he went forth and fell to eating and drinking with the\nfolk, till naught was left him and he passed two days without tasting\nfood, at the end of which time he took a handkerchief and selling it for\ntwo dirhams, bought bread and milk with the price and left it on the\nshelf and went out. Whilst he was gone, a dog came and seized the bread\nand polluted the milk, and when the young man returned and saw this, he\nbeat his face, and fared forth distraught. Presently, he met a friend,\nto whom he discovered his case, and the other said to him, \u201cArt thou not\nashamed to talk thus? How hast thou wasted all this wealth and now\ncomest telling lies and saying, The dog hath mounted on the shelf, and\ntalking such nonsense?\u201d And he reviled him. So the youth returned to his\nhouse, and verily the world had waxed black in his eyes and he cried,\n\u201cMy sire said sooth.\u201d Then he opened the chamber door and piling up the\nbricks under his feet, put the rope about his neck and kicked away the\nbricks and swung himself off; whereupon the rope gave way with him and\nhe fell to the ground and the ceiling clave asunder and there poured\ndown on him a world of wealth. So he knew that his sire meant to chasten\nhim by means of this and he invoked Allah\u2019s mercy on him. Then he got\nhim again that which he had sold of lands and houses and what not else\nand became once more in good case; his friends also returned to him and\nhe entertained them for some time. Then said he to them one day, \u201cThere\nwas with us bread and the locusts ate it; so we set in its place a\nstone, one cubit long and the like broad, and the locusts came and\nnibbled away the stone, because of the smell of the bread.\u201d Quoth one of\nhis friends (and it was he who had given him the lie concerning the dog\nand the bread and milk), \u201cMarvel not at this, for rats and mice do more\nthan that.\u201d Thereupon he said, \u201cGet ye home! In the days of my poverty I\nwas a liar when I told you of the dogs jumping upon the shelf and eating\nthe bread and defiling the milk; and to-day, because I am rich again, I\nsay sooth when I tell you that locusts devoured a stone one cubit long\nand one cubit broad.\u201d They were abashed by his speech and departed from\nhim; and the youth\u2019s good prospered and his case was amended. \u201cNor\u201d\n(continued the Wazir), \u201cis this stranger or more seld-seen than the\nstory of the Prince who fell in love with the Picture.\u201d Quoth the king,\nShah Bakht, \u201cHaply, an I hear this story, I shall gain wisdom from it:\nso I will not hasten in the slaying of this Minister, nor will I do him\ndie before the thirty days have expired.\u201d Then he gave him leave to\nwithdraw, and he hied away to his own house.\n\n\n The Sixth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the day absconded and the evening arrived, the king sat private in\nhis chamber and, summoning the Wazir, who presented himself to him,\nquestioned him of the story. So the Minister said, \u201cHear, O auspicious\nking,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE PRINCE WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH THE PICTURE_.\u201d\n\nThere was once, in a province of Persia, a king of the kings, who was\ngreat of degree, a magnifico, endowed with majesty and girt by soldiery;\nbut he was childless. Towards the end of his life, his Lord vouchsafed\nhim a male-child, and that boy grew up and was comely and learned all\nmanner of lere. He made him a private place, which was a towering\npalace, edified with coloured marbles and jewels and paintings. When the\nPrince entered the palace, he saw in its ceiling the picture of a\nmaiden, than whom he had never beheld a fairer of aspect, and she was\nsurrounded by slave-girls; whereupon he fell down in a fainting fit and\nbecame distracted 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 and\nchanged of complexion (which was by reason of his continual looking on\nthat picture), imagined that he was ill and summoned the sages and the\nleaches, that they might medicine him. He also said to one of his\ncup-companions, \u201cAn thou canst learn what aileth my son, thou shalt have\nof me the white hand.\u201d[358] Thereupon he went in to him and spake him\nfair and cajoled him, till he confessed to him that his malady was\ncaused by the picture. Then the courtier returned to the king and told\nhim what ailed his son, whereupon he transported the Prince to another\npalace and made his former lodging the guest-house; and whoso of the\nArabs was entertained therein, him he questioned of the picture, but\nnone could give him tidings thereof, till one day, when there came a\nwayfarer who seeing the picture, cried, \u201cThere is no god but _the_ God!\nMy brother painted this portrait.\u201d So the king sent for him and\nquestioned him of the affair of the picture and where was he who had\npainted it. He replied, \u201cO my lord, we are two brothers and one of us\nwent to the land of Hind and fell in love with the Indian king\u2019s\ndaughter, and \u2019tis she who is the original of the portrait. He is wont\nin every city he entereth to limn her likeness, and I follow him, and\nlongsome is my way.\u201d When the king\u2019s son heard this, he said, \u201cNeeds\nmust I travel to this damsel.\u201d So he took all manner rare store and\nriches galore and journeyed days and nights till he entered the land of\nHind, nor 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 palace. When\nthe Prince came before him, he sought of him his daughter in marriage,\nand the king said, \u201cIndeed, thou art her match, but there is one\nobjection, to wit, none dare name a male before her because of her hate\nfor men.\u201d So he pitched his tents under her palace windows, till one day\nof the days he gat hold of a girl, one of her favourite slave-girls, and\ngave her a mint of money. Quoth she to him, \u201cHast thou a need?\u201d and\nquoth he, \u201cYes,\u201d and presently acquainted her with his case; when she\nsaid, \u201cIn very sooth, thou puttest thyself in peril.\u201d Then he tarried,\nflattering himself with false hopes, till all that he had with him was\ngone and the servants fled from him; whereupon he said to one in whom he\ntrusted, \u201cI am minded to repair to my country and fetch what may suffice\nme and return hither.\u201d The other answered, \u201c\u2019Tis for thee to judge.\u201d So\nthey set out to return, but the way was long to them and all that the\nPrince had with him was spent and his company died and there abode but\none with him whom he loaded with the little that remained of the victual\nand they left the rest and fared on. Then there came out a lion and\ndevoured the servant, and the king\u2019s son found himself alone. He went\non, till his hackney stood still, whereupon he left it and walked till\nhis feet swelled. Presently he came to the land of the Turks,[359] and\nhe naked, hungry, nor having with him aught but somewhat of jewels,\nbound about his fore-arm.[360] So he went to the bazar of the goldsmiths\nand calling one of the brokers gave him the gems. The broker looked and\nseeing two great rubies, said to him, \u201cFollow me.\u201d Accordingly, he\nfollowed him, till he brought him to a goldsmith, to whom he gave the\njewels, saying, \u201cBuy these.\u201d He asked, \u201cWhence hadst thou these?\u201d and\nthe broker answered, \u201cThis youth is the owner of them.\u201d Then said the\ngoldsmith to the Prince, \u201cWhence hadst thou these rubies?\u201d and he told\nhim all that had befallen him and that he was a king\u2019s son. The\ngoldsmith sat astounded at his adventures and bought of him the rubies\nfor a thousand gold pieces. Then said the Prince to him, \u201cEquip thyself\nto go with me to my country.\u201d So he made ready and went with him till\nthe king\u2019s son drew near the frontiers of his sire\u2019s kingdom, where the\npeople received him with most honourable reception and sent to acquaint\nhis father with his son\u2019s arrival. The king came out to meet him and\nthey entreated the goldsmith with respect and regard. The Prince abode\nawhile with his sire, then set out, he and the goldsmith, to return to\nthe country of the fair one, the daughter of the king of Hind; but there\nmet him highwaymen by the way and he fought the sorest of fights and was\nslain. The goldsmith buried him and set a mark[361] on his grave and\nreturned to his own country sorrowing and distraught, without telling\nany of the Prince\u2019s violent death. Such was the case of the king\u2019s son\nand the goldsmith; but as regards the Indian king\u2019s daughter of whom the\nPrince went in quest and on whose account he was slain, she had been\nwont to look out from the topmost terrace of her palace and to gaze on\nthe youth and on his beauty and loveliness; so she said to her\nslave-girl one day, \u201cOut on thee! What is become of the troops which\nwere camped beside my palace?\u201d The maid replied, \u201cThey were the troops\nof the youth, son to the Persian king, who came to demand thee in\nwedlock, and wearied himself on thine account, but thou hadst no ruth on\nhim.\u201d Cried the Princess, \u201cWoe to thee! Why didst thou not tell me?\u201d and\nthe damsel replied, \u201cI feared thy fury.\u201d Then she sought an audience of\nthe king her sire and said to him, \u201cBy Allah, I will go in quest of him,\neven as he came in quest of me; else should I not do him justice as\ndue.\u201d So she equipped herself and setting out, traversed the wastes and\nspent treasures till she came to Sistan, where she called a goldsmith to\nmake her somewhat of ornaments. Now as soon as the goldsmith saw her, he\nknew her (for that the Prince had talked with him of her and had\ndepictured her to him), so he questioned her of her case, and she\nacquainted him with her errand, whereupon he buffeted his face and rent\nhis raiment and hove dust on his head and fell a-weeping. Quoth she,\n\u201cWhy dost thou all this?\u201d And he acquainted her with the Prince\u2019s case\nand how he was his comrade and told her that he was dead; whereat she\ngrieved for him and faring on to his father and mother, acquainted them\nwith the case. Thereupon the Prince\u2019s father and his uncle and his\nmother and the lords of the land repaired to his grave and the Princess\nmade mourning over him, crying aloud. She abode by the tomb a whole\nmonth; then she caused fetch painters and bade them limn her likeness\nand the portraiture of the king\u2019s son. She also set down in writing\ntheir story and that which had befallen them of perils and afflictions\nand placed it, together with the pictures, at the head of the grave; and\nafter a little, they departed from the spot. \u201cNor\u201d (continued the\nWazir), \u201cis this stranger, O king of the age, than the story of the\nFuller and his Wife and the Trooper and what passed between them.\u201d With\nthis the king bade the Minister hie away to his lodging, and when he\narose in the morning, he abode his day in his house.\n\n\n The Seventh Night of the Month.\n\nAt eventide the king sat in his wonted seat and sending for the Wazir,\nsaid to him, \u201cTell me the story of the Fuller and his Wife.\u201d The\nMinister replied, \u201cWith joy and goodly gree!\u201d So he came forward and\nsaid, \u201cHear, O king of the age,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE FULLER AND HIS WIFE AND THE TROOPER_.\u201d[362]\n\nThere was once in a city of the cities a woman fair of favour, who took\nto lover a trooper wight. Her husband was a fuller, and when he went out\nto his work, the trooper used to come to her and tarry with her till the\ntime of the fuller\u2019s return, when he would go away. After this fashion\nthey abode awhile, till one day the trooper said to his mistress, \u201cI\nmean to take me a tenement close to thine and dig a Sard\u00e1b-souterrain\nfrom my house to thy house, and do thou say to thy spouse:\u2014My sister\nhath been absent with her husband and now they have returned from their\ntravels; and 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 mate the\ntrooper and offer him thy wares for sale, and thou wilt see my sister\nwith him and wilt see that she is I and I am she, without a doubt. Now,\nAllah, Allah,[363] go to my sister\u2019s husband and give ear to that which\nhe shall say to thee.\u201d So the trooper bought him a house near hand and\nmade therein a tunnel abutting upon his mistress\u2019s house. When he had\naccomplished his affair, the wife bespoke her husband as her lover had\nlessoned her and he went out to go to the trooper\u2019s house, but turned\nback by the way, whereupon said she to him, \u201cBy Allah, go at once, for\nmy sister asketh of thee.\u201d The fool of a fuller went out and made for\nthe trooper\u2019s house, whilst his wife forewent him thither by the\nunderground passage, and going up, sat down beside the soldier her\nleman. Presently, the fuller entered and saluted the trooper and salamed\nto his own wife and was confounded at the coincidence of the case.[364]\nThen, doubt befalling him, he returned in haste to his dwelling; but she\npreceded him by the Sardab to her chamber and donning her wonted\nclothes, sat awaiting him and said to him, \u201cDid I not bid thee go to my\nsister and greet her husband and make friends with them?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI\ndid this, but I misdoubted of my affair, when I saw his wife;\u201d and quoth\nshe, \u201cDid I not tell thee that she favoureth me and I her, and there is\nnaught to distinguish between us but our clothes? Go back to her and\nmake sure.\u201d Accordingly, of the heaviness of his wit, he believed her,\nand returning on his way, went in to the trooper; but she had foregone\nhim, and when he saw her by the side of her lover, he began looking on\nher and pondering. Then he saluted her and she returned him the salam;\nand when she spoke he was clean bewildered. So the trooper asked him,\n\u201cWhat aileth thee to be thus?\u201d and he answered, \u201cThis woman is my wife,\nand the speech is her speech.\u201d Then he rose in haste and, returning to\nhis own house, saw his wife, who had preceded him by the secret passage.\nSo he went back to the trooper\u2019s house and found her sitting as before;\nwhereupon he was abashed in her presence and seating himself in the\ntrooper\u2019s sitting-chamber, ate and drank with him and became drunken and\nabode senseless all that day till nightfall, when the trooper arose and,\nthe fuller\u2019s hair being long and flowing, he shaved off a portion of it\nafter the fashion of the Turks,[365] clipped the rest short and clapped\na Tarb\u00fash on his head. Then he thrust his feet into walking-boots and\ngirt him with a sword and a girdle and bound about his middle a quiver\nand a bow and arrows. He also put some silvers in his poke and thrust\ninto his sleeve letters-patent addressed to the governor of Ispahan,\nbidding him assign to Rustam Kham\u00e1rtakani a monthly allowance of an\nhundred dirhams and ten pounds of bread and five pounds of meat and\nenrol him among the Turks under his commandment. After which he took him\nup and carrying him forth, left him in one of the mosques. The fuller\nceased not sleeping till sunrise, when he awoke and finding himself in\nthis plight, misdoubted of his affair and fancied that he was a Turk and\nfell a-putting one foot forward and drawing the other back. Then said he\nin himself, \u201cI will go to my dwelling, and if my wife know me, then am I\nAhmad the fuller; but an she know me not, I am a Turk.\u201d So he betook\nhimself to his house; but when his wife, the cunning witch, saw him, she\ncried out in his face, saying, \u201cWhither now, O trooper? Wilt thou break\ninto the house 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 depart\nnot, I will acquaint my husband and he will requite thee thy deed.\u201d When\nhe heard her words, the dregs of his drink wobbled in his brain and he\nfancied that he was indeed a Turk. So he went out from her and putting\nhis hand to his sleeve, found therein a writ and gave it to one who read\nit to him. When he heard that which was in the scroll, his mind was\nconfirmed in his phantasy; but he said to himself, \u201cMy wife may be\nseeking to put a cheat on me; so I will go to my fellows the fullers;\nand if they recognise me not, then am I for sure Khamartakani the Turk.\u201d\nSo he betook himself to the fullers and when they espied him afar off,\nthey thought that he was really Khamartakani or one of the Turks, who\nused to send their washing to them without payment and give them never a\nstiver. Now they had complained of them aforetime to the Sultan, and he\nsaid, \u201cIf any one of the Turks come to you, pelt him with stones.\u201d\nAccordingly, when they saw the fuller, they fell upon him with sticks\nand stones and pelted him; whereupon quoth he, \u201cVerily, I am a Turk and\nknew it not.\u201d Then he took of the dirhams in his pouch and bought him\nvictual for the way and hired a hackney and set out for Ispahan, leaving\nhis wife to the trooper. \u201cNor,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cis this stranger\nthan the story of the Merchant and the Crone and the King.\u201d The\nMinister\u2019s tale pleased King Shah Bakht and his heart clave to the story\nof the merchant and the old woman; so he bade Al-Rahwan withdraw to his\nlodging, and he went away to his house and abode there the next day till\nhe should be summoned to the presence.\n\n\n The Eighth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the king sat private in his chamber and bade\nfetch the Wazir, who presented himself before him, and the king required\nof him the story. So the Wazir answered \u201cWith love and gladness. Hear, O\nking,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE MERCHANT, THE CRONE, AND THE KING_.\u201d\n\nThere was once a family of affluence and distinction, in a city of\nKhorasan, and the townsfolk used to envy them for that which Allah had\nvouchsafed them. As time went on, their fortune ceased from them and\nthey passed away, till there remained of them but one old woman. When\nshe grew feeble and decrepit, the townsfolk succoured her not with\naught, but thrust her forth of the city, saying, \u201cThis old woman shall\nnot neighbour with us, for that we do good to her and she requiteth us\nwith evil.\u201d[366] So she took shelter in a ruined place and strangers\nused to bestow alms upon her, and in this way she tarried a length of\ntime. Now the king of that city had aforetime contended for the kingship\nwith his uncle\u2019s son, and the people disliked the king; but Allah\nAlmighty decreed that he should overcome his cousin. However, jealousy\nof him abode in his heart and he acquainted the Wazir, who hid it not\nand sent him money. Furthermore, he fell to summoning all strangers who\ncame to the town, man after man, and questioning them of their creed and\ntheir goods, and whoso answered him not satisfactory, he took his\nwealth.[367] Now a certain wealthy man of the Moslems was wayfaring,\nwithout knowing 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 said to\nher, \u201cNo harm upon thee.\u201d Whereupon she lifted up her voice and blessed\nhim: so he set down his merchandise by her and abode with her the rest\nof the night and the next day. Now highwaymen had followed him that they\nmight rob him of his monies, but succeeded not in aught: wherefore he\nwent up to the old woman and kissed her head and exceeded in bounty to\nher. Then she warned him of that which awaited strangers entering the\ntown and said to him, \u201cI like not this for thee and I fear mischief for\nthee from these questions that the Wazir hath appointed for addressing\nthe ignorant.\u201d And she expounded to him the case according to its\nconditions: then said she to him, \u201cBut have thou no concern: only carry\nme with thee to thy lodging, and if he question thee of aught\nenigmatical, whilst I am with thee, I will expound the answers to thee.\u201d\nSo he carried the crone with him to the city and lodged her in his\nlodging and entreated her honourably. Presently, the Wazir heard of the\nmerchant\u2019s coming; so he sent to him and bade bring him to his house and\ntalked with him awhile of his travels and of whatso had befallen him\ntherein, and the merchant answered his queries. Then said the Minister,\n\u201cI will put certain critical questions to thee, which an thou answer me,\n\u2019twill be well for thee,\u201d and the merchant rose and made him no answer.\nQuoth the Wazir, \u201cWhat is the weight of the elephant?\u201d The merchant was\nperplexed and returned him no reply, giving himself up for lost;\nhowever, at last he said, \u201cGrant me three days of delay.\u201d The minister\ngranted him the time he sought and he returned to his lodging and\nrelated what had passed to the old woman, who said, \u201cWhen the morrow\ncometh, go to the Wazir and say to him, Make a ship and launch it on the\nsea and put in it an elephant, and when it sinketh in the water, mark\nthe place whereunto the water riseth. Then take out the elephant and\ncast in stones in its place, till the ship sink to that same mark;\nwhereupon do thou take out the stones and weigh them and thou wilt\npresently know the weight of the elephant.\u201d[368] Accordingly, when he\narose in the morning, he went to the Wazir and repeated to him that\nwhich the old woman had taught him; whereat the Minister marvelled and\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat sayest thou of a man, who seeth in his house four\nholes, and in each hole a viper offering to sally out upon him and slay\nhim, and in his house are four sticks and each hole may not be stopped\nbut with the ends of two sticks? How, then, shall he stop all the holes\nand deliver himself from the vipers?\u201d When the merchant heard this,\nthere befel him such concern that it garred him forget the first and he\nsaid to the Wazir, \u201cGrant me delay, so I may reflect on the reply\u201d; and\nthe Minister cried, \u201cGo out, and bring me the answer, or I will seize\nthy monies.\u201d The merchant fared forth and returned to the old woman who,\nseeing him changed of complexion, said to him, \u201cWhat did his hoariness\nask thee?\u201d So he acquainted her with the case and she cried, \u201cFear not;\nI will bring thee forth of this strait.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cAllah requite thee\nwith weal!\u201d Then quoth she, \u201cTo-morrow go to him with a stout heart and\nsay:\u2014The answer to that whereof thou asketh me is this. Put the heads of\ntwo sticks into one of the holes; then take the other two sticks and lay\nthem across the middle of the first two and stop with their two heads\nthe second hole and with their ferrules the fourth hole. Then take the\nferrules of the first two sticks and stop with them the third\nhole.\u201d[369] So he repaired to the Wazir and repeated to him the answer;\nand he marvelled at its justness and said to him, \u201cGo; by Allah; I will\nask thee no more questions, for thou with thy skill marrest my\nfoundation.\u201d[370] Then he treated him as a friend and the merchant\nacquainted him with the affair of the old woman; whereupon quoth the\nWazir, \u201cNeeds must the intelligent company with the intelligent.\u201d Thus\ndid this weak woman restore to that man his life and his monies on the\neasiest wise; \u201cNor,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cis this stranger than the\nstory of the Simpleton Husband.\u201d When the king heard this, he said, \u201cHow\nlike it must be to this our own case!\u201d Then he bade the Minister retire\nto his lodging; so he withdrew and on the morrow he abode at home till\nthe king should summon him to his presence.\n\n\n The Ninth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the night came, the king sat private in his chamber and sending\nafter the Wazir, sought of him the story; and he said, \u201cHear, O august\nking,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE SIMPLETON HUSBAND_.\u201d[371]\n\nThere was once in olden time a foolish man and an ignorant, who had\nabounding wealth, and his wife was a beautiful woman, who loved a\nhandsome youth. The Cicisbeo used to watch for her husband\u2019s absence and\ncome to her, and on this wise he abode a long while. One day of the\ndays, as the woman was closeted with her lover, he said to her, \u201cO my\nlady and my beloved, an thou desire me and love me, give me possession\nof thy person and satisfy my need in the presence of thy husband;\notherwise I will never again come to thee nor draw near thee while I\nlive my life.\u201d Now she loved him with exceeding love and could not\nsuffer his separation an hour nor could endure to anger him; so, when\nshe heard his words, she said to him, \u201cBismillah, so be it, in Allah\u2019s\nname, O my darling and coolth of mine eyes: may he not live who would\nvex thee!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cTo-day?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cYes, by thy life,\u201d and\nmade an appointment with him for this. When her husband came home, she\nsaid to him, \u201cI want to go a-pleasuring,\u201d and he said, \u201cWith all my\nheart.\u201d So he went, till he came to a goodly place, abounding in vines\nand water, whither he carried her and pitched her a tent by the side of\na tall tree; and she betook herself to a place alongside the tent and\nmade her there a Sard\u00e1b, in which she hid her lover. Then said she to\nher husband, \u201cI want to climb this tree[372]\u201d; and he said, \u201cDo so.\u201d So\nshe clomb it and when she came to the tree-top, she cried out and\nslapped her face, saying, \u201cO thou lecher, are these thy lewd ways? Thou\nswarest faith to me, and thou liedest.\u201d And she repeated her speech\ntwice and thrice. Then she came down from the tree and rent her raiment\nand said, \u201cO lecher, an these be thy dealings with me before my eyes,\nhow dost thou when thou art absent from me?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhat aileth\nthee?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cI saw thee futter the woman before my very eyes.\u201d\nCried he, \u201cNot so, by Allah! But hold thy peace till I go up and see.\u201d\nSo he clomb 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, fell\nto shagging her. When the husband came to the top of the tree, he looked\nand beheld a man futtering his wife; so he called out, \u201cO whore, what\ndoings are these?\u201d and he made haste to come down from the tree to the\nground. But meanwhile the lover had returned to his hiding-place and his\nwife asked him, \u201cWhat sawest thou?\u201d and he answered, \u201cI saw a man shag\nthee;\u201d but she said, \u201cThou liest; thou sawest naught and sayst this only\nby way of phantasy.\u201d The same they did three several times, and every\ntime he clomb the tree the lover came up out of the underground place\nand mounted her, whilst her husband looked on and she still said, \u201cSeest\nthou aught, O liar?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d would he answer, and came down in haste, but\nsaw no one and she said to him, \u201cBy my life, look and speak naught but\nsooth!\u201d Then he cried to her, \u201cArise, let us depart this place, for \u2019tis\nfull of Jinn and Marids.\u201d[373] Accordingly, they returned to their house\nand nighted there, and the man arose in the morning, assured that this\nwas all but phantasy and fascination. And so the lover won his wicked\nwill. \u201cNor, O king of the age,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cis this stranger\nthan the story of the King and the Tither.\u201d When the king heard this\nfrom the Minister, he bade him go away, and he went.\n\n\n The Tenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was eventide, the king summoned the Wazir and sought of him the\nstory of the King and the Tither, and he said, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE UNJUST KING AND THE TITHER_.\u201d\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 and\nentreated them foully, so that he ruined the city; and he was named\nnaught else but tyrant and oppressor. Now he was wont, wheneas he heard\nof a violent man in another land, to send after him and lure him with\nlucre to take service with him; and there was a certain Tither, who\nexceeded all other Tithers in oppression of the people and foul dealing.\nSo the king sent after him and when he stood before him, he found him a\nman of mighty fine presence and said to him, \u201cThou hast been described\nto me, but I see thou surpassest the description. Set out to me some of\nthy doings and sayings, so I may be dispensed therewith from enquiring\ninto the whole of thy case.\u201d Answered the other, \u201cWith all my heart!\nKnow, O King, that I oppress the folk and people the land, whilst other\nthan I ruineth it and peopleth it not.\u201d Now the king was leaning back:\nbut presently he sat upright and said, \u201cTell me of this.\u201d The Tither\nreplied, \u201c\u2019Tis well: I go to the man whom I purpose to tithe and cozen\nhim and feign to be busied with certain business, so that I seclude\nmyself therewith from the people; and meanwhile the man is squeezed with\nthe foulest of extortion, till naught of money is left him. Then I\nappear and they come in to me and questions arise concerning him and I\nsay:\u2014Indeed, I was ordered worse than this, for some one (may Allah\ncurse him!) hath slandered him to the king. Presently I take half of his\ngood and return him the rest publicly before the folk and dismiss him to\nhis house, in all honour and worship, and he garreth the money returned\nbe carried before him, whilst he blesseth me and all who are with him\nalso bless me. So is it bruited abroad in the city that I have restored\nto him his monies and he himself notifieth the like, to the intent that\nhe may have a claim on me for the favour due to those who praise me. On\nthis wise I keep half his property. Then I seem to forget him till the\nyear[374] hath passed over him, when I send for him and recall to him\nsomewhat of that which hath befallen aforetime and require of him\nsomewhat of money in secret; accordingly he doth this and hasteneth to\nhis house and forwardeth whatso I bid him, with a contented heart. Then\nI send to another man, between whom and the first is enmity, and lay\nhands upon him and feign to the other man that it is he who hath\nslandered him to the king and hath taken the half of his good; and the\npeople praise me.\u201d[375] The King wondered at this and at his wily\ndealing and clever contrivance and made him controller of all his\naffairs and of his kingdom and the land was placed under his governance,\nand he said to him, \u201cTake and people.\u201d[376] One day, the Tither went out\nand saw an old man, a woodcutter, and with him wood; so he said to him,\n\u201cPay a dirham tithe for thy load.\u201d Quoth the Shaykh, \u201cBehold, thou\nkillest me and killest my family;\u201d and quoth the Tither, \u201cWhat? Who\nkilleth the folk?\u201d And the oldster answered, \u201cAn thou let me enter the\ncity, I shall there sell the load for three dirhams, whereof I will give\nthee one and buy with the other two silvers what will support my family;\nbut, an thou press me for the tithe outside the city, the load will sell\nbut for one dirham and thou wilt take it and I shall abide without food,\nI and my family. Indeed, thou and I in this circumstance are like unto\nDavid and Solomon (on the twain be the Peace!\u201d) \u201cHow so?\u201d asked the\nTither, and the woodcutter answered, \u201cDo thou hear\n\n\n _THE STORY OF DAVID AND SOLOMON_.\u201d\n\nCertain husbandmen once made complaint to David (on whom be the Peace!)\nagainst some sheep-owners, whose flocks had come down upon their crops\nby night and had devoured them, and he bade value the crops and that the\nshepherds should make good the damage. But Solomon (on whom be the\nPeace!) rose and said, \u201cNay, but let the sheep be delivered to the\nhusbandmen, so they may take their milk and wool, till they have\nrecouped the value of their crops; then let the sheep return to their\nowners.\u201d Accordingly David reversed his own decision and caused execute\nthat of Solomon; yet was David no oppressor; but Solomon\u2019s judgment was\nthe juster and he showed himself therein better versed in jurisprudence\nand Holy Law.[377] When the Tither heard the old man\u2019s speech, he felt\nruthful and said to him, \u201cO Shaykh, I make thee a gift of that which is\ndue from thee, and do thou cleave to me and leave me not, so haply I may\nget of thee gain which shall do away from me my wrongousness and guide\nme on the path of righteousness.\u201d So the old man followed him, and there\nmet him another with a load of wood. Quoth the Tither to him, \u201cPay me\nthat which thou owest me;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cHave patience with me till\nto-morrow, for I owe the hire of a house, and I will sell another load\nof fuel and pay thee two days\u2019 tithe.\u201d But he refused him this and the\nShaykh said to him, \u201cAn thou constrain him unto this, thou wilt compel\nhim quit thy country, because he is a stranger here and hath no\ndomicile; and if he remove on account of one dirham, thou wilt forfeit\nof him three hundred and sixty dirhams a year.[378] Thus wilt thou lose\nthe mickle in keeping the little.\u201d Quoth the Tither, \u201cVerily[379] will I\ngive him a dirham every month to the rent of his lodging.\u201d Then he went\non and presently there met him a third woodcutter and he said to him,\n\u201cPay thy due;\u201d but he said, \u201cI will pay thee a dirham, when I enter the\ncity; or take of me four d\u00e1niks[380] now.\u201d Quoth the Tither, \u201cI will not\ndo it,\u201d but the Shaykh said to him, \u201cTake of him the four daniks\npresently, for \u2019tis easy to take and hard to give back.\u201d Exclaimed the\nTither, \u201cBy Allah \u2019tis good!\u201d and he arose and hied on, crying out at\nthe top of his voice and saying, \u201cI have no power this day to do\nevil.\u201d[381] Then he doffed his dress and went forth wandering at a\nventure, repenting unto his Lord. \u201cNor\u201d (continued the Wazir), \u201cis this\nstory stranger than that of the Robber who believed the Woman and sought\nrefuge with Allah against falling in with her like, by reason of her\ncunning contrivance for herself.\u201d When the king heard this, he said to\nhimself, \u201cSince the Tither repented, in consequence of the woodcutter\u2019s\nwarnings, it behoveth I leave this Wazir on life so I may hear the story\nof the Robber and the Woman.\u201d And he bade Al-Rahwan return to his\nlodging.\n\n\n The Eleventh Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening came and the king had taken his seat, he summoned the\nWazir and required of him the story of the Robber and the Woman. Quoth\nthe Minister, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE ROBBER AND THE WOMAN_.\u201d\n\nA certain Robber was a cunning workman and used not to steal aught, till\nhe had wasted all that was with him; moreover, he stole not from his\nneighbours, neither companied with any of the thieves, for fear lest\nsome one should betray him, and his case become public. After this\nfashion he abode a great while, in flourishing condition, and his secret\nwas concealed, till Almighty Allah decreed that he broke in upon a\nbeggar, a poor man whom he deemed rich. When he gained access to the\nhouse, he found naught, whereat he was wroth, and necessity prompted him\nto wake that man, who lay asleep alongside of his wife. So he aroused\nhim and said to him, \u201cShow me thy treasure.\u201d Now he had no treasure to\nshow; but the Robber believed him not and was instant upon him with\nthreats and blows. When he saw that he got no profit of him, he said to\nhim, \u201cSwear by the oath of divorce[382] from thy wife that thou hast\nnothing.\u201d So he sware and his wife said to him, \u201cFie on thee! Wilt thou\ndivorce me? Is not the hoard buried in yonder chamber?\u201d Then she turned\nto the Robber and conjured him to be weightier of blows upon her\nhusband, till he should deliver to him the treasure, anent which he had\nforsworn himself. So he drubbed him with a grievous drubbing, till he\ncarried him to a certain chamber, wherein she signed to him that the\nhoard was 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 on them\nthe door, which was a stout and strong, and said to the Robber, \u201cWoe to\nthee, O fool! Thou hast fallen into the trap and now I have but to cry\nout and the officers of police will come and take thee and thou wilt\nlose thy life, O Satan!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cLet me go forth;\u201d and quoth she,\n\u201cThou art a man and I am a woman; and in thy hand is a knife, and I am\nafraid of thee.\u201d He cried, \u201cTake the knife from me.\u201d So she took it and\nsaid to her husband, \u201cArt thou a woman and he a man? Pain his neck-nape\nwith tunding, 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 take\nhim and hew him in two.\u201d So the husband said to him, \u201cO\nthousand-horned,[383] O dog, O dodger, I owe thee a deposit[384]\nwherefor thou hast dunned me.\u201d And he fell to bashing him grievously\nwith a stick of holm-oak,[385] whilst he called out to the woman for\nhelp and prayed her to deliver him: but she said, \u201cKeep thy place till\nthe morning, and thou shalt see queer things.\u201d And her husband beat him\nwithin the chamber, till he killed[386] him and he swooned away. Then he\nleft beating him and when the Robber came to himself, the woman said to\nher husband, \u201cO man, this house is on hire and we owe its owners much\nmoney, and we have naught; so how wilt thou do?\u201d And she went on to\nbespeak him thus. The Robber asked \u201cAnd what is the amount of the rent?\u201d\nThe husband answered, \u201c\u2019Twill be eighty dirhams;\u201d and the thief said, \u201cI\nwill pay this for thee and do thou let me go my way.\u201d Then the wife\nenquired, \u201cO man, how much do we owe the baker and the greengrocer?\u201d\nQuoth the Robber, \u201cWhat is the sum of this?\u201d And the husband said,\n\u201cSixty dirhams.\u201d Rejoined the other, \u201cThat makes two hundred dirhams;\nlet me go my way and I will pay them.\u201d But the wife said, \u201cO my dear,\nand the girl groweth up and needs must we marry her and equip her and do\nwhat else is needful.\u201d So the Robber said to the husband, \u201cHow much dost\nthou want?\u201d and he rejoined, \u201cAn hundred dirhams in a modest way.\u201d[387]\nQuoth the Robber, \u201cThat maketh three hundred dirhams.\u201d Then the woman\nsaid, \u201cO my dear, when the girl is married, thou wilt need money for\nwinter expenses, charcoal and firewood and other necessaries.\u201d The\nRobber asked, \u201cWhat wouldst thou have?\u201d And she answered, \u201cAn hundred\ndirhams.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cBe it four hundred dirhams.\u201d And she continued,\n\u201cO my dear and O coolth of mine eyes, needs must my husband have capital\nin hand,[388] wherewith he may buy goods and open him a shop.\u201d Said he,\n\u201cHow much will that be?\u201d And she, \u201cAn hundred dirhams.\u201d Quoth the\nRobber, \u201cThat maketh five hundred dirhams; I will pay it; but may I be\ntriply divorced from my wife if all my possessions amount to more than\nthis, and they be the savings of twenty years! Let me go my way, so I\nmay deliver them to thee.\u201d Cried she, \u201cO fool, how shall I let thee go\nthy way? Utterly impossible! Be pleased to give me a right token.\u201d[389]\nSo he gave her a token for his wife and she cried out to her young\ndaughter and said to her, \u201cKeep this door.\u201d Then she charged her husband\nto watch over the Robber, till she should return, and repairing to his\nwife, acquainted her with his case and told her that her husband the\nthief had been taken and had compounded for his release, at the price of\nseven hundred dirhams, and named to her the token. Accordingly, she gave\nher the money and she took it and returned to her house. By this time,\nthe dawn had dawned; so she let the thief go his way, and when he went\nout, she said to him, \u201cO my dear, when shall I see thee come and take\nthe treasure?\u201d And he, \u201cO indebted one,[390] when thou needest other\nseven hundred dirhams, wherewith to amend thy case and that of thy\nchildren and to pay thy debts.\u201d And he went out, hardly believing in his\ndeliverance from her. \u201cNor,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cis this stranger than\nthe story of the Three Men and our Lord \u00cds\u00e0.\u201d So the king bade him hie\nto his own home.\n\n\n The Twelfth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was eventide, the king summoned the Minister and bade him tell\nthe promised tale. He replied, \u201cHearing and obeying. Give ear, O\nglorious king, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE THREE MEN AND OUR LORD ISA_.\u201d\n\nThree men once went out questing treasure and came upon a nugget of\ngold, weighing fifty maunds.[391] When they saw it, they took it up on\ntheir shoulders and carried it till they drew near a certain city, when\none of them said, \u201cLet us sit in the cathedral-mosque,[392] whilst one\nof us shall go and buy us what we may eat.\u201d So they sat down in the\nmosque and one of them arose and entered the city. When he came therein,\nhis soul prompted him to false his two fellows and get the gold to\nhimself alone. Accordingly, he bought food and poisoned it: but, when he\nreturned to his comrades, they sprang upon him and slew him, in order\nthat they might enjoy the gold without him. Then they ate of the\npoisoned food and died, and the gold lay cast down over against them.\nPresently, \u00cds\u00e0 bin Maryam (on whom be the Peace!) passed by and seeing\nthis, besought Allah Almighty for tidings of their case; so He told him\nwhat had betided them, whereat great was his surprise and he related to\nhis disciples[393] what he had seen. Quoth one of them, \u201cO Spirit of\nAllah,[394] naught resembleth this but my own adventure.\u201d Quoth Isa,\n\u201cHow so?\u201d and the other began to tell\n\n\n _THE DISCIPLE\u2019S STORY_.\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, bound it\nabout my waist. Then I set out to return and when I came to the\nSahar\u00e1[395]-waste, the carrying of the money was heavy upon me.\nPresently, I espied a horseman pushing on after me; so I waited till he\ncame up and said to him, \u201cO rider, carry this money for me and earn\nreward and recompense in Heaven.\u201d Said he, \u201cNo, I will not do it, for I\nshould tire myself and tire out my horse.\u201d Then he went on but, before\nhe had gone far, he said in his mind, \u201cAn I take up the money and put my\nsteed to speed and devance him, how shall he overtake me?\u201d And I also\nsaid in my mind, \u201cVerily, I erred; for, had he taken the money and made\noff, what could I have done?\u201d Then he turned back to me and cried to me,\n\u201cHand over the money, that I may carry it for thee.\u201d But I replied to\nhim, \u201cThat which hath occurred to thy mind hath occurred to mine also;\nso go thou and go safe.\u201d Quoth Isa (on whom be the Peace!), \u201cHad these\ndone prudently, they had taken thought for themselves; but they unheeded\nthe issues of events; for that whoso acteth cautiously is safe and\nwinneth his wish, and whoso neglecteth precaution is lost and\nrepenteth.\u201d[396] \u201cNor,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cis this stranger or rarer\nthan the story of the King, whose kingdom was restored to him and his\nwealth, after he had become poor, possessing not a single dirham.\u201d When\nthe king heard this, he said in himself, \u201cHow like is this to my own\nstory in the matter of the Minister and his slaughter! Had I not used\ndeliberation, I had done him dead.\u201d And he bade Al-Rahwan hie to his own\nhome.\n\n\n The Thirteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the king sent for the Wazir to his sitting\nchamber and bade him tell the promised tale. So he said, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience. They relate, O king,\n\n\n_THE TALE OF THE DETHRONED RULER WHOSE REIGN AND WEALTH WERE RESTORED TO\n HIM_.\u201d\n\nThere was once, in a city of the cities of Al-Hind, a just king and a\nbeneficent, and he had a Wazir, a man of understanding, upright in his\nrede, and praiseworthy in his policy, a Minister in whose hand was the\nhandling of all the affairs of the realm; for he was firmly based on the\nSultan\u2019s favour and high in esteem with the folk of his time, and the\nking set great store by him and entrusted himself to him in all his\ntransactions, by reason of his excellent management of the lieges, and\nhe had guards[397] who were content with him and grateful to him. Now\nthat king had a brother, who envied him and would lief have taken his\nplace; and when he was a-weary of looking for his death and the term of\nhis life seemed distant, he took counsel with certain of his partisans\nand they said, \u201cThe Minister is the monarch\u2019s counsellor and but for\nthis Wazir the king were kingdomless.\u201d So the pretender cast about for\nthe ruin of the defender, but could find no means of furthering his\ndesign; and when the affair grew longsome upon him, he said to his wife,\n\u201cWhat deemest thou will gar us gain herein?\u201d \u201cWhat is it?\u201d \u201cI mean in\nthe matter of yonder Minister, who inciteth my brother to worship with\nall his might and biddeth him unto devoutness, and indeed the king\ndoteth upon his counsel and stablisheth him governor of all monies and\nmatters.\u201d \u201cTrue; but how shall we devise with him?\u201d \u201cI have a device, so\nthou wilt help me in that which I shall say to thee.\u201d \u201cThou shalt have\nmy help in whatsoever thou desirest.\u201d \u201cI mean to dig him a pit in the\nvestibule and conceal it artfully.\u201d Accordingly, he did this, and when\nit was night, he covered the pit with a light covering, so that, when\nthe Wazir trod upon it, it would give way under his tread. Then he sent\nto him and summoned him to the Court in the king\u2019s name, and the\nmessenger bade 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 with him\nand he fell to the bottom; whereupon the king\u2019s brother fell to pelting\nhim with stones. When the Minister beheld what had betided him he gave\nhimself up for lost; so he stirred not for a while and lay still. The\nPrince, seeing him make no sign deemed him dead; so he took him forth\nand wrapping him up in his robes, cast him into the surges of the sea in\nthe middle night. When the Wazir felt the water, he awoke from the swoon\nand swam for 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 the\nking learning this, was perplexed concerning his affair and abode\nunknowing whatso he should do. Then he sought for a Minister to stand in\nhis stead, and the king\u2019s brother said, \u201cI have for Wazir an efficient\nman.\u201d Said the king, \u201cBring him to me.\u201d So he brought him a man, whom he\nset at the head of affairs; but he seized upon the kingdom and threw the\nking in fetters and made his brother king in lieu of him. The new ruler\ngave himself up to all manner of frowardness, whereat the folk murmured\nand his Minister said to him, \u201cI fear lest the Hindians take the old\nking and restore him to the kingship and we both come to ruin: so, if we\nseize him and cast him into the sea, we shall be at rest from him; and\nwe will publish among the folk that he is dead.\u201d And they, agreeing upon\nthis, took him up and carrying him out to sea, cast him in. When he felt\nthe water, he struck out, and ceased not swimming till he landed upon an\nisland, where he tarried five days finding nothing which he might eat or\ndrink; but, 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 and\ntook him up and fared on with him to an inhabited country, where they\nset him ashore, mother-naked as he was. There, seeing a man seeding, he\nsought guidance of him and the husbandman asked, \u201cArt thou a foreigner?\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered the king and sat with him and they talked. The peasant\nfound him clever and quick-witted and said to him, \u201cAn thou beheld a\ncomrade of mine, thou wouldst see him the like of what I see thee, for\nhis case is even as thy case, and he is at this present my friend.\u201d\nQuoth the king, \u201cVerily, thou makest me long to look at him. Canst thou\nnot bring us together, me and him?\u201d Quoth the husbandman, \u201cWith joy and\ngoodly gree;\u201d and the king sat with him till he had made an end of his\nseeding, when he carried him to his homestead and brought him in company\nwith the other stranger, and behold it was his Wazir. When each saw\nother, the twain wept and embraced, and the sower wept for their\nweeping; but the king hid their affair and said to him, \u201cThis man is\nfrom my mother-land and he is as my brother.\u201d So they homed with the\nhusbandman and helped him for a hire, wherewith they supported\nthemselves a long spell. Meanwhile, they sought news of their patrial\nstead and learned that which its people suffered of straitness and\nseverity. One day there came a ship and in it a merchant from their own\ncountry, who knew them and rejoiced in them with joy exceeding and clad\nthem in goodly clothing. He also acquainted them with the manner of the\ntreachery that had been practised upon them, and counselled them to\nreturn to their own land, they and he with whom they had made\nfriends,[398] assuring them that Almighty Allah would restore them to\ntheir former rank. So the king returned and the folk joined themselves\nto him and he fell upon his brother and his Wazir and took them and\nthrew them into jail. Then he sat down again upon the throne of his\nkingship, whilst the Minister stood between his hands and they returned\nto their former estate, but they had naught of worldly wealth. Presently\nthe king said to his Wazir, \u201cHow shall we continue tarrying in this\ncity, and we thus poorly conditioned?\u201d and he answered, \u201cBe at thine\nease and have no concern.\u201d Then he singled out one of the soldiers[399]\nand said to him, \u201cSend us thy service[400] for the year.\u201d Now there were\nin the city fifty thousand subjects[401] and in the hamlets and\nvillages[402] a like number; and the Minister sent to each of these,\nsaying, \u201cLet each and every of you get an egg and set it under a hen.\u201d\nThey did this and it was neither burden nor grievance to them; and when\ntwenty days had passed by, each egg was hatched, and the Wazir bade them\npair the chickens, male with female, and rear them well. They did\naccordingly and it was found a charge unto no one. Then they waited for\nthem awhile and after this the Minister asked of the chickens and was\nanswered that they were become fowls. Furthermore, they brought him all\ntheir eggs and he bade set them; and after twenty days there were\nhatched from each pair of them thirty or five-and-twenty or fifteen\nchickens at the least. The Wazir bade note against each man the number\nof chickens which pertained to him, and after two months, he took the\nold partlets and the cockerels, and there came to him from each man some\nhalf a score, and he left the young partlets with them. Even so he sent\nto the country folk and let the cocks remain with them. Thus he got him\nwhole broods of young poultry and appropriated to himself the sale of\nthe fowls, and on this wise he gained for him, in the course of a year,\nthat which the kingly estate required of the King, and his affairs were\nset right 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 and\nprosperous life. Thus right counsel and prudence are better than wealth,\nfor that understanding profiteth at all times and seasons. \u201cNor,\u201d\ncontinued the Wazir, \u201cis this stranger than the story of the Man whose\ncaution slew him.\u201d When the king heard the Words of his Wazir, he\nwondered with the uttermost wonder and bade him retire to his lodging.\n\n\n The Fourteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the Minister returned to the presence, the King sought of him the\nstory of the Man whose caution slew him and he said, \u201cHear, O auspicious\nKing,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE MAN WHOSE CAUTION SLEW HIM_.\u201d\n\nThere was once a man who was cautious exceedingly concerning himself,\nand he set out one day on a journey to a land abounding in wild beasts.\nThe caravan wherewith he fared came by night to the gate of a city; but\nthe warders would not open to them, for there were lions there; so they\nnighted without the walls. Now that man, of the excess of his caution,\ncould not determine a place wherein he should pass the night, for fear\nof the wild beasts and reptiles; so he went about seeking an empty stead\nwherein he might lie. At last, as there was a ruined building hard by,\nhe climbed up on to a high wall and ceased not clambering hither and\nthither, of the excess of his carefulness, till his feet betrayed him\nand he slipped and fell to the bottom and died, whilst his companions\narose in the morning safe and sound. Now, had he overmastered his\nwrongous rede and had he submitted himself to Fate and Fortune, it had\nbeen safer and better for him; but he made light of the folk and\nbelittled their wit and was not content to take example by them; for his\nsoul whispered him that he was a man of wits and he fancied that, an he\nabode with them, he would perish; so his folly cast him into perdition.\n\u201cNor,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cis this stranger than the story of the Man\nwho was lavish of his house and his provision to one he knew not.\u201d When\nthe King heard this, he said, \u201cI will not separate myself from the folk\nand slay my Minister.\u201d And he bade him hie to his own house.\n\n\n The Fifteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King bade fetch the Wazir and required of\nhim the story. So he said, \u201cHear, O King,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE MAN WHO WAS LAVISH OF HIS HOUSE AND HIS PROVISION TO\n ONE WHOM HE KNEW NOT_.\u201d\n\nThere was once an Arab of high rank and noble presence, a model of\nmagnanimity and exalted generosity, and he had brethren, with whom he\nconsorted and caroused, and they were wont to assemble by rotation at\none another\u2019s homes. When it came to his turn, he gat ready in his house\nall manner goodly meats and pleasant and dainty drinks and the fairest\nflowers and the finest fruits, and he provided all kinds of instruments\nof music and store of wondrous dictes and marvellous stories and\npleasant instances and histories and witty anecdotes and verses and what\nnot else, for there was none among those with whom he was wont to\ncompany but enjoyed this in every goodly fashion, and the entertainment\nhe had provided contained all whereof each had need. Then he sallied\nforth in quest of his friends, and went round about the city, so he\nmight assemble them; but found none of them at home. Now in that town\nwas a man of pleasant conversation and large generosity, a merchant of\ncondition, young of years and bright of blee, who had come to that place\nfrom his own country with merchandise in great store and wealth galore.\nHe took up his abode therein and the town was pleasant to him and he was\nlarge in lavishing, so that he came to the end of all his wealth and\nthere remained in his hand naught save what was upon him of\nraiment.[403] So he left the lodging which had homed him in the days of\nhis prosperity; after he had wasted that which was therein of furniture,\nand fell to finding refuge in the houses of the townsfolk from night to\nnight. One day, as he went wandering about the streets, he beheld a\nwoman of the uttermost beauty and loveliness, and what he saw of her\ncharms amazed him and there happened to him what made him forget his\nsorry plight. She accosted him and jested with him and he besought her\nof union and intimacy; so she consented to this and said to him, \u201cLet us\ngo to thy lodging.\u201d Herewith he repented and was perplexed concerning\nhis procedure and grieved for that which must escape him of her company\nby reason of the straitness of his hand, for that he had not a whit of\nspending-money. But he was ashamed to say \u201cNo,\u201d after he had sued and\nwooed her; wherefore he went on before her, bethinking him how he should\nrid himself of her and seeking some excuse which he might put off on\nher, and gave not over going from street to street, till he entered one\nthat had no issue and saw, at the farther end, a door, whereon was a\npadlock. Then said he to her, \u201cDo thou excuse me, for my lad hath locked\nthe door and how shall we open it?\u201d Said she, \u201cO my lord, the padlock is\nworth only some ten dirhams;\u201d and presently she tucked up her sleeves\nfrom forearms as they were crystal and taking a stone, smote the padlock\nand broke it; and, opening the door, said to him, \u201cEnter, O my lord.\u201d\nAccordingly he went in, committing his affair to Allah (to whom belong\nHonour and Glory), and she entered after him and locked the door from\nwithin. They found themselves in a pleasant house, collecting all good\nand gladness; 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.[404] He seated himself and leant\nupon a cushion, whilst she put out her hand to her veil and doffed it.\nThen she threw off her heavy outer clothes till she was clad in the\nthinnest which showed her charms, whereupon the young man embraced her\nand kissed her and enjoyed her; after which they washed with the\nGhusl-ablution and returned to their place and he said to her, \u201cKnow\nthat I have little knowledge of what goeth on in my own house, for that\nI trust to my servant: so arise thou and see what the lad hath made\nready in the kitchen.\u201d Accordingly, she arose and going down into the\nkitchen, saw cooking pots over the fire, wherein were all manner of\ndainty viands, and firsts-bread[405] and fresh almond cakes.[406] So she\nset bread on a dish and ladled out what she would from the pots and\nbrought it to him. They ate and drank and played and made merry a while\nof the day; and as they were thus engaged, suddenly up came the master\nof the house, with his friends, whom he had brought with him, that they\nmight converse together, as of wont. He saw the door opened and knocked\na light knock, saying to his company, \u201cHave patience with me, for some\nof my family are come to visit me: wherefore excuse belongeth first to\nAllah Almighty, and then to you.\u201d[407] So they farewelled him and fared\ntheir ways, whilst he rapped another light rap at the door. When the\nyoung man heard this, he changed colour and the woman said to him,\n\u201cMethinks thy lad hath returned.\u201d He answered, \u201cYes;\u201d and she arose and\nopening the door to the master of the house, said to him, \u201cWhere hast\nthou been? Indeed, thy master is angry with thee?\u201d and he said, \u201cO my\nlady, I have not been save about his business.\u201d Then he girt his waist\nwith a kerchief and entering, saluted the young merchant, who said to\nhim, \u201cWhere hast thou been?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI have done thine errands;\u201d and\nquoth the youth, \u201cGo and eat and come hither and drink.\u201d So he went\naway, as he bade him, and ate; then he washed hands and returning to the\nsitting-room, sat down on the carpet and fell to talking with them;\nwhereupon the young merchant\u2019s heart was heartened and his breast\nbroadened and he applied himself to pleasure. They were in all joyance\nof life and the most abounding pleasance till a third part of the night\nwas past, when the house-master arose, and spreading them a bed, invited\nthem to take their rest. So they lay down and the youth wide awake,\npondering their affair till daybreak, when the woman roused herself from\nsleep and said to her companion, \u201cI wish to go.\u201d He farewelled her and\nshe departed; whereupon the master of the house followed her with a\npurse of silver and gave it to her, saying, \u201cBlame not my lord,\u201d and\nmade his excuse to her for his master. Then he returned to the youth and\nsaid to him, \u201cArise and come to the Hammam;\u201d[408] and he fell to\nshampooing his hands and feet, whilst the youth called down blessings on\nhim and said \u201cO my lord, who art thou? Methinks there is not in the\nworld the like of thee; no, nor a pleasanter in thy disposition.\u201d Then\neach of the twain acquainted the other with his case and condition and\nthey went to the bath; after which the master of the house conjured the\nyoung merchant to return with him and summoned his friends. So they ate\nand drank and he told them the tale, wherefore they thanked the\nhouse-master and praised him; and their friendship was complete while\nthe young merchant abode in the town, till Allah made easy to him a\nmeans of travel, whereupon they farewelled him and he departed; and this\nis the end of his tale. \u201cNor,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cO king of the age,\nis this stranger than the story of the Richard who lost his wealth and\nhis wit.\u201d When the king heard the Minister\u2019s story, it pleased him and\nhe bade him hie to his home.\n\n\n The Sixteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King sat in his sitting-chamber and sending\nfor his Wazir, bade him relate the story of the Wealthy Man who lost his\nwealth and his wit. So he said, \u201cHear, O King,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE MELANCHOLIST AND THE SHARPER_.\u201d[409]\n\nThere was once a Richard hight \u2019Ajl\u00e1n, the Hasty, who wasted his wealth,\nand concern and chagrin gat the mastery of him, so that he became a\nMelancholist[410] and lost his wit. There remained with him of his\nmonies about twenty dinars and he used to beg alms of the folk, and\nwhatso they gave him in charity he would gather together and add to the\ngold pieces that were left him. Now there was in that town a Sharper,\nwho made his living by roguery, and he knew that the Melancholist had\nsomewhat of money; so he fell to spying upon him and ceased not watching\nhim till he saw him put into an earthen pot that which he had with him\nof silvers and enter a deserted ruin, where he sat down, as if to make\nwater, and dug a hole, wherein he laid the pot and covering it up,\nsmoothed the ground as it had been. Then he went away and the Sharper\ncame and taking what was in the pot, restored it to its former place.\nPresently \u2019Ajlan returned, with somewhat to add to his hoard, but found\nit not; so he bethought him of who had followed him and remembered that\nhe had found that Sharper assiduous in sitting with him and questioning\nhim. So he went in search of him, assured that he had taken the pot, and\ngave not over looking for him till he saw him sitting; whereupon he ran\nto him and the Sharper saw him. Then the Melancholist stood within\nearshot and muttered[411] to himself and said, \u201cIn the pot are sixty\nducats and I have with me other twenty in such a place and to-day I will\nunite the whole in the pot.\u201d When the Sharper heard him say this to\nhimself, muttering and mumbling, repeating and blundering in his speech,\nhe repented him of having taken the sequins and said, \u201cHe will presently\nreturn to the pot[412] and find it empty; wherefore that for which I am\non the look-out will escape me; and meseemeth \u2019twere best I replace the\ndinars, so he may see them and leave all which is with him in the pot,\nand I can take the whole.\u201d Now he feared to return to the pot at once,\nlest the Melancholist should follow him to the place and find nothing\nand on this wise his arrangements be marred; so he said to him, \u201cO\n\u2019Ajlan,[413] I would have thee come to my lodging and eat bread with\nme.\u201d Thereupon the Melancholist went with him to his quarters and he\nseated him there and going to the market, sold somewhat of his clothes\nand pawned somewhat from his house and bought the best of food. Then he\nbetook himself to the ruin and replacing the money in the pot, buried it\nagain; after which he returned to his lodging and gave the Melancholist\nto eat and drink, and they went out together. The Sharper walked away\nand hid himself, lest his guest should see him, whilst \u2019Ajlan repaired\nto his hiding-place and took the pot. Presently, the Sharper returned to\nthe ruin, rejoicing in that which he deemed he should get, and dug in\nthe place, but found naught and knew that the Melancholist had outwitted\nhim. So he began buffetting his face for regret, and fell to following\nthe other whitherso he went, to the intent that he might win what was\nwith him, but he failed in this, because the Melancholist knew what was\nin his mind and was assured that he spied upon him; so he kept watch\nover himself. Now, had the Sharper considered the consequences of haste\nand that which is begotten of loss therefrom, he had not done on such\nwise. \u201cNor,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cis this tale, O king of the age,\nrarer or stranger or daintier than the story of Khalbas[414] and his\nWife and the learned man and that which befel between the three.\u201d When\nthe king heard this story, he left his purpose of putting the Minister\nto death and his soul bade him to continue him on life. So he ordered\nhim off to his house.\n\n\n The Seventeenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned the Minister, and as soon as\nhe presented himself, he required of him the story. So he said,\n\u201cHearkening and obedience. Hear, O august King,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF KHALBAS AND HIS WIFE AND THE LEARNED MAN_.\u201d\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, renowned\nfor beauty and loveliness. A man of his townsfolk fell in love with her\nand she also loved him. Now Khalbas was a wily wight and full of guile,\nand there was in his neighbourhood a learned man, to whom the folk used\nto resort every day and he told them histories and admonished them with\nmoral instances; and Khalbas was wont to be present in his assembly, for\nthe sake of making a show before the folk. This learned man also had a\nwife famed for comeliness and seemlihead and quickness of wit and\nunderstanding and the lover sought some device whereby he might manage\nto meet Khalbas\u2019s wife; so he came to him and told him as a secret what\nhe had seen of the learned man\u2019s wife and confided to him that he was in\nlove with her and besought his assistance in this. Khalbas told him that\nshe was known as a model of chastity and continence and that she exposed\nherself not to ill doubts; but the other said, \u201cI cannot renounce her,\nin the first place because the woman inclineth to me and coveteth my\nwealth, and secondly, because of the greatness of my fondness for her;\nand naught is wanting but thy help.\u201d Quoth Khalbas, \u201cI will do thy\nwill;\u201d and quoth the other, \u201cThou shalt have of me every day two silvern\ndirhams, on condition that thou sit with the learned man and that, when\nhe riseth from the assembly, thou speak a word which shall notify to me\nthe breaking up of the meeting.\u201d So they agreed upon that and Khalbas\nentered and sat in the session, whilst the lover was assured in his\nheart that the secret was safe and secure with him, wherefore he\nrejoiced and was content to pay the two dirhams. Then Khalbas used to\nattend the learned man\u2019s assembly, whilst the other would go into his\nwife and be very much with her, on such wise as he thought good, till\nthe learned man arose from his meeting; and when Khalbas saw that he\nproposed rising, he would speak a word for the lover to hear, whereupon\nhe went forth from the wife of Khalbas who knew not that doom was in his\nown home. But when the learned man saw Khalbas do the same thing every\nday, he began to suspect him, especially on account of that which he\nknew of his bad name, and suspicion grew upon him; so, one day, he\nresolved to advance the time of his rising ere the wonted hour and\nhastening up to Khalbas, seized him and said to him, \u201cBy Allah, an thou\nsay a single syllable, I will do thee a damage!\u201d Then he went in to his\nwife, with Khalbas in his grip, and behold, she was sitting, as of her\nwont, nor was there about her aught of suspicious or unseemly. The\nlearned man bethought him awhile of this, then made for Khalbas\u2019s house,\nwhich adjoined his own, still holding his man; and when they entered,\nthey found the young lover lying on the bed with Khalbas\u2019s wife;\nwhereupon quoth the learned man to him, \u201cO accursed, the doom is with\nthee and in thine own home!\u201d So Khalbas divorced his wife and went\nforth, fleeing, and returned not to his own land. \u201cThis, then\u201d\n(continued the Wazir), \u201cis the consequence of lewdness, for whoso\npurposeth in himself wile and perfidious guile, they get possession of\nhim, and had Khalbas conceived of himself that dishonour and calamity\nwhich he conceived of the folk, there had betided him nothing of this.\nNor is this tale, rare and curious though it be, stranger or rarer than\nthe story of the Devotee whose husband\u2019s brother accused her of\nlewdness.\u201d When the king heard this, wonderment gat hold of him and his\nadmiration for the Wazir redoubled; so he bade him hie to his home and\nreturn to him on the morrow, according to his custom. So the Minister\nwithdrew to his lodging, where he passed the night and the ensuing day.\n\n\n The Eighteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned the Wazir and required of him\nthe story; so he said, \u201c\u2019Tis well. Hear O King,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE DEVOTEE ACCUSED OF LEWDNESS_.\u201d[415]\n\nThere was once a man of N\u00edsh\u00e1b\u00far[416] who, having a wife of the\nuttermost beauty and piety, yet was minded to set out on the pilgrimage.\nSo before leaving home he commended her to the care of his brother and\nbesought him to aid her in her affairs and further her wishes till he\nshould return, for the brothers were on the most intimate terms.[417]\nThen he took ship and departed and his absence was prolonged. Meanwhile,\nthe brother went to visit his brother\u2019s wife, at all times and seasons,\nand questioned her of her circumstances and went about her wants; and\nwhen his calls were prolonged and he heard her speech and saw her face,\nthe love of her gat hold upon his heart and he became passionately fond\nof her and his soul prompted him to evil. So he besought her to lie with\nhim, but she refused and showed him how foul was his deed, and he found\nhim no way to win what he wished;[418] wherefore he wooed her with soft\nspeech and gentle ways. Now she was righteous in all her doings and\nnever swerved from one saying;[419] so, when he saw that she consented\nnot to him, he had no doubts but that she would tell his brother, when\nhe returned from his journey, and quoth he to her, \u201cAn thou consent not\nto whatso I require of thee, I will cause a scandal to befal thee and\nthou wilt perish.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAllah (extolled and exalted be He!) judge\nbetwixt me and thee, and know that, shouldst thou hew me limb from limb,\nI would not consent to that thou biddest me to do.\u201d His ignorance[420]\nof womankind persuaded him that she would tell her spouse; so he betook\nhimself of his exceeding despite, to a company of people in the mosque\nand informed them that he had witnessed a man commit adultery with his\nbrother\u2019s wife. They believed his word and documented his charge and\nassembled to stone her.[421] Then they dug her a pit outside the city\nand seating her therein, stoned her, till they deemed her dead, when\nthey left her. Presently a Shaykh of a village passed by the pit and\nfinding her alive, carried her to his house and cured her of her wounds.\nNow he 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 him,\nwhereupon he redoubled in love and longing and his case prompted him to\nsuborn a youth of the people of his village and agree with him that he\nshould come by night and take somewhat from his father\u2019s house and that,\nwhen he was seized and discovered, he should say that she was his\naccomplice in this and avouch that she was his mistress and had been\nstoned on his account in the city. Accordingly he did this, and, coming\nby night to the villager\u2019s house, stole therefrom goods and clothes;\nwhereupon the owner awoke and seizing the thief, pinioned him straitly\nand beat him to make him confess; and he confessed against the woman\nthat she was a partner in the crime and that he was her lover from the\ncity. The news was bruited abroad and the citizens assembled to put her\nto death; but the Shaykh with whom she was forbade them and said, \u201cI\nbrought this woman hither, coveting the recompense of Allah, and I know\nnot the truth of that which is said of her and will not empower any to\nhurt or harm her.\u201d Then he gave her a thousand dirhams, by way of alms,\nand thrust her forth of the village. As for the thief, he was imprisoned\nfor some days; after which the folk interceded for him with the old man,\nsaying, \u201cThis is a youth and indeed he erred;\u201d and he released him from\nhis bonds. Meanwhile the woman went out at hap-hazard and donning a\ndevotee\u2019s dress, fared on without ceasing, till she came to a city and\nfound the king\u2019s deputies dunning the townsfolk for the tribute, out of\nseason. Presently, she saw a man, whom they were pressing for the\ntribute; so she asked of his case and being acquainted with it, paid\ndown the thousand dirhams for him and delivered him from the bastinado;\nwhereupon he thanked her and those who were present. When he was set\nfree, he walked with her and besought her to go with him to his\ndwelling: accordingly, she accompanied him thither and supped with him\nand passed the night. When the dark hours gloomed on him, his soul\nprompted him to evil, for that which he saw of her beauty and\nloveliness, and he lusted after her, and required her of her person; but\nshe rejected him and threatened him with Allah the Most High and\nreminded him of that which she had done with him of kindness and how she\nhad delivered him from the stick and its disgrace. However, he would not\nbe denied, and when he saw her persistent refusal of herself to him, he\nfeared lest she should tell the folk of him. So, when he arose in the\nmorning, he wrote on a paper what he would of forgery and falsehood and\ngoing up to the Sultan\u2019s palace, said, \u201cI have an advisement for the\nKing.\u201d So he bade admit him and he delivered him the writ he had forged,\nsaying, \u201cI found this letter with the woman, the devotee, the ascetic,\nand indeed she is a spy, a secret informer against the sovran to his\nfoe; and I deem the King\u2019s due more incumbent on me than any other claim\nand warning him to be the first duty, for that he uniteth in himself all\nthe subjects, and but for the King\u2019s existence, the lieges would perish;\nwherefore I have brought thee good counsel.\u201d The King gave credit to his\nwords and sent with him those who should lay hands upon the Devotee and\ndo her to death; but they found her not. As for the woman, when the man\nwent out from her, she resolved to depart; so she fared forth, saying to\nherself, \u201cThere is no wayfaring for me in woman\u2019s habit.\u201d Then she\ndonned men\u2019s dress, such as is worn of the pious, and set out and\nwandered over the earth; nor did she cease wandering till she entered a\ncertain city. Now the king of that city had an only daughter, in whom he\ngloried and whom he loved, and she saw the Devotee and deeming her a\npilgrim youth, said to her father, \u201cI would fain have this youth take up\nhis lodging with me, so I may learn of him lere and piety and religion.\u201d\nHer father rejoiced in this and commanded the pilgrim to take up his\nabode with his daughter in his palace. So they were in one place and the\nPrincess was strenuous to the uttermost in continence and chastity and\nnobility of mind and magnanimity and devotion; but the ignorant tattled\nanent her, and the folk of the realm said, \u201cThe king\u2019s daughter loveth\nthe pilgrim youth and he loveth her.\u201d Now the king was a very old man\nand destiny decreed the ending of his life-term; so he died and when he\nwas buried, the lieges assembled and many were the sayings of the people\nand of the king\u2019s kinsfolk and officers, and they counselled together to\nslay the Princess and the young pilgrim, saying, \u201cThis fellow\ndishonoureth us with yonder whore and none accepteth shame save the\nbase.\u201d So they fell upon them and slew the king\u2019s daughter in her\nmosque, without asking her of aught; whereupon the pious woman (whom\nthey deemed a youth) said to them, \u201cWoe to you, O miscreants Ye have\nslain the pious lady.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cO thou fulsome fellow, dost thou\nbespeak us thus? Thou lovedst her and she loved thee, and we will\nassuredly slay thee.\u201d And quoth she, \u201cAllah forfend. Indeed, the affair\nis the clear reverse of this.\u201d They asked, \u201cWhat proof hast thou of\nthat?\u201d and she answered, \u201cBring me women.\u201d They did so, and when the\nmatrons looked on her, they found her a woman. As soon as the townsfolk\nsaw this, they repented of that they had done and the affair was\ngrievous to them; so they sought pardon of Allah and said to her, \u201cBy\nthe virtue of Him whom thou servest, do thou crave pardon for us.\u201d Said\nshe, \u201cAs for me, I may no longer tarry with you and I am about to depart\nfrom you.\u201d Then they humbled themselves before her and shed tears and\nsaid to her, \u201cWe conjure thee, by the might of Allah the Most High, that\nthou take upon thyself the rule of the realm and of the lieges.\u201d But she\nrefused and 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 Princess\nand build over her a dome and she abode in that palace, worshipping the\nAlmighty and dealing judgment between the people with justice, and Allah\n(extolled and exalted be He!) vouchsafed her, for the excellence of her\npiety and her patience and renunciation, the acceptance of her prayers,\nso that she sought not aught of Him (to whom belong Might and Majesty),\nbut He granted her petition; and her fame was bruited abroad in all\nlands. Accordingly, the folk resorted to her from all parts and she used\nto pray Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty) for the oppressed and\nthe Lord granted him relief, and against his oppressor, and He brake him\nasunder; and she prayed for the sick and they were made sound; and in\nthis goodly way she tarried a great space of time. So fared it with the\nwife; but as for her husband, when he returned from the pilgrimage, his\nbrother and the neighbours acquainted him with the affair of his spouse,\nwhereat he was sore concerned and suspected their story, for that which\nhe knew of her chastity and prayerfulness; and he shed tears for the\nloss of her. Meanwhile, she prayed to Almighty Allah that He would\nstablish her innocence in the eyes of her spouse and the folk, and He\nsent down upon her husband\u2019s brother a sickness so sore that none knew a\ncure for him. Wherefore he said to his brother, \u201cIn such a city is a\nDevotee, a worshipful woman and a recluse whose prayers are accepted; so\ndo thou carry me to her, that she may pray for my healing and Allah (to\nwhom belong Might and Majesty) may give me ease of this disease.\u201d\nAccordingly, he took him up and journeyed with him, till they came to\nthe village where dwelt the Shaykh, the grey beard who had rescued the\ndevout woman from the pit and carried her to his dwelling and healed her\nin his home. Here they halted and lodged with the old man, who\nquestioned the husband of his case and that of his brother and the cause\nof their journey, and he said, \u201cI purpose to go with my brother, this\nsick wight, to the holy woman, her whose petitions are answered, so she\nmay pray for him, and Allah may heal him by the blessing of her\norisons.\u201d Quoth the villager, \u201cBy Allah, my son is in parlous plight for\nsickness and we have heard that this Devotee prayeth for the sick and\nthey are made sound. Indeed, the folk counsel me to carry him to her,\nand behold,[422] I will go in company with you.\u201d And they said, \u201c\u2019Tis\nwell.\u201d So they all nighted in that intent and on the morrow they set out\nfor the dwelling of the Devotee, this one carrying his son and that one\nbearing his brother. Now the man who had stolen the clothes and had\nforged against the pious woman a lie, to wit, that he was her lover,\nsickened of a sore sickness, and his people took him up and set out with\nhim to visit the Devotee and crave her prayers, and Destiny brought them\naltogether by the way. So they fared forward in a body till they came to\nthe city wherein the man dwelt for whom she had paid the thousand\ndirhams to deliver him from torture, and found him about to travel to\nher by reason of a malady which had betided him. Accordingly, they all\njourneyed on together, unknowing that the holy woman was she whom they\nhad so foully wronged, and ceased not going till they came to her city\nand foregathered at the gates of her palace, that wherein was the tomb\nof the Princess. Now the folk used to go into her and salute her with\nthe salam, and crave her orisons; and it was her custom to pray for none\ntill he had confessed to her his sins, when she would ask pardon for him\nand pray for him that he might be healed, and he was straightway made\nwhole of sickness, by permission of Almighty Allah. When the four sick\nmen were brought in to her, she knew them forthright, though they knew\nher not, and said to them \u201cLet each of you confess and specify his sins,\nso I may sue pardon for him and pray for him.\u201d And the brother said, \u201cAs\nfor me, I required my brother\u2019s wife of her person and she refused;\nwhereupon despite and ignorance prompted me and I lied against her and\naccused her to the townsfolk of adultery; so they stoned her and slew\nher wrongously and unrighteously; and this my complaint is the issue of\nunright and falsehood and of the slaying of the innocent soul, whose\nslaughter Allah hath made unlawful to man.\u201d Then said the youth, the old\nvillager\u2019s son, \u201cAnd I, O holy woman, my father brought to us a woman\nwho had been stoned, and my people nursed her till she recovered. Now\nshe was rare of beauty and loveliness; so I required her of her person;\nbut she refused and clave in chastity to Allah (to whom belong Might and\nMajesty), wherefore ignorance prompted me, so that I agreed with one of\nthe youths that he should steal clothes and coin from my father\u2019s house.\nThen I laid hands on him and carried him to my sire and made him\nconfess. He declared that the woman was his mistress from the city and\nhad been 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 her,\nfor that she had not yielded to me in that which I sought of her. So\nthere befel me what ye see of requital.\u201d And the young man, the thief,\nsaid, \u201cI am he with whom thou agreedst concerning the theft, and to whom\nthou openedst the door, and I am he who accused her falsely and\ncalumniously and Allah (extolled be He!) well knoweth that I never did\nevil with her; no, nor knew her in any way before that time.\u201d Then said\nhe whom she had delivered from torture by paying down a thousand dirhams\nand who had required her of her person in his house, for that her beauty\npleased him, and when she refused had forged a letter against her and\ntreacherously denounced her to the Sultan and requited her graciousness\nwith ingratitude, \u201cI am he who wronged her and lied against her, and\nthis is the issue of the oppressor\u2019s affair.\u201d When she heard their\nwords, in the presence of the folk, she cried \u201cAlhamdolillah, praise be\nto Allah, the King who over all things is omnipotent, and blessing upon\nHis prophets and apostles!\u201d Then quoth she to the assembly, \u201cBear\ntestimony, O ye here present, to these men\u2019s speech, and know ye I am\nthat woman whom they confess to having wronged.\u201d And she turned to her\nhusband\u2019s brother and said to him, \u201cI am thy brother\u2019s wife and Allah\n(extolled and exalted be He!) delivered me from that whereinto thou\ncastedst me of calumny and suspicion, and from the folly and frowardness\nwhereof thou hast spoken, and now hath He shown forth my innocence, of\nHis bounty and generosity. Go, for thou art quit of the wrong thou didst\nme.\u201d Then she prayed for him and he was made sound of his sickness.\nThereupon she said to the son of the village Shaykh, \u201cKnow that I am the\nwoman whom thy father delivered from strain and stress and whom there\nbetided from thee of calumny and ignorance that which thou hast named.\u201d\nAnd she sued pardon for him and he was made sound of his sickness. Then\nsaid she to the thief, \u201cI am the woman against whom thou liedst,\navouching that I was thy leman who had been stoned on thine account, and\nthat I was thine accomplice in robbing the house of the village Shaykh\nand had opened the doors to thee.\u201d And she prayed for him and he was\nmade whole of his malady.[423] Then said she to the townsman, him of the\ntribute, \u201cI am the woman who gave thee the thousand dirhams and thou\ndidst with me what thou didst.\u201d And she asked pardon for him and prayed\nfor him and he was made whole; whereupon the folk marvelled at her\nenemies who had all been afflicted alike, so Allah (extolled and exalted\nbe He!) might show forth her innocence upon the heads of witnesses.[424]\nThen she turned to the old man who had delivered her from the pit and\nprayed for him and gave him presents manifold and among them a myriad, a\nBadrah;[425] and the sick made whole departed from her. When she was\nalone with her husband, she made him draw near unto her and rejoiced in\nhis arrival, and gave him the choice of abiding with her. Presently, she\nassembled the citizens and notified to them his virtue and worth and\ncounselled them to invest him with management of their rule and besought\nthem to make him king over them. They consented to her on this and he\nbecame king and made his home amongst them, whilst she gave herself up\nto her orisons and cohabited with her husband as she was with him\naforetime. \u201cNor,\u201d continued the Wazir, \u201cis this tale, O king of the\ntime, stranger or pleasanter than that of the Hireling and the Girl\nwhose maw he slit and fled.\u201d When King Shah Bakht heard this, he said,\n\u201cMost like all they say of the Minister is leasing, and his innocence\nwill be made manifest even as that of the Devotee was manifested.\u201d Then\nhe comforted the Wazir\u2019s heart and bade him hie to his house.\n\n\n The Nineteenth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King bade fetch the Wazir and sought of him\nthe story of the Hireling and the Girl. So he said, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience. Give ear, O auspicious King, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE HIRELING AND THE GIRL_.\u201d\n\nThere was once, of old time, in one of the tribes of the Arabs, a woman\npregnant by her husband, and they had a hired servant, a man of insight\nand understanding. When the woman came to her delivery-time, she gave\nbirth to a girl-child in the night and they sought fire of the\nneighbours.[426] So the Hireling went in quest of fire. Now there was in\nthe camp a Divineress,[427] and she questioned him of the new-born\nchild, an it was male or female. Quoth he, \u201c\u2019Tis a girl;\u201d and quoth she,\n\u201cThat girl will whore with an hundred men and a hireling shall wed her\nand a spider shall slay her.\u201d When the hired man heard this, he returned\nupon his steps and going in to the woman, took the child from her by\nwily management and slit its maw: then he fled forth into the wold at\nhap-hazard and abode in strangerhood while Allah so willed.[428] He\ngained much money; and, returning to his own land, after twenty years\u2019\nabsence, alighted in the neighbourhood of an old woman, whom he wheedled\nand treated with liberality, requiring of her a young person whom he\nmight enjoy without marriage. Said she, \u201cI know none but a certain fair\nwoman, who is renowned for this industry.\u201d Then she described her charms\nto him and made him lust after her, and he said, \u201cHasten to her this\nminute and lavish upon her whatso she asketh.\u201d So the crone betook\nherself to the girl and discovered his wishes to her and invited her to\nhim; but she answered, \u201c\u2019Tis true that I was in habit of whoredom, but\nnow I have repented to Almighty Allah and have no more longing to this:\nnay, I desire lawful wedlock; so, if he be content with that which is\nlegal, I am between his hands.\u201d[429] The old woman returned to the man\nand told him what the damsel said; and he lusted after her, because of\nher beauty and her penitence; so he took her to wife, and when he went\nin to her, he loved her and after like fashion she loved him. Thus they\nabode a great while, till one day he questioned her of the cause of a\nscar[430] he espied on her body, and she said, \u201cI wot naught thereof\nsave that my mother told me a marvellous thing concerning it.\u201d Asked he,\n\u201cWhat was that?\u201d and she answered, \u201cMy mother declared that she gave\nbirth to me one night of the wintry nights and despatched a hired man,\nwho was with 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 my\nmother saw this, chagrin seized her and compassion possessed her; so she\nsewed up my stomach and nursed me till the wound healed by the ordinance\nof Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty).\u201d When her husband heard\nthis, he said to her, \u201cWhat is thy name and what may be the name of thy\nmother and who may be thy father?\u201d She told him their names and her own,\nwhereby he knew that it was she whose maw he had slit and said to her,\n\u201cAnd where are thy mother and father?\u201d \u201cThey are both dead.\u201d \u201cI am that\nHireling who slit thy stomach.\u201d \u201cWhy didst thou that?\u201d \u201cBecause of a\nsaying I heard from the wise woman.\u201d \u201cWhat was it?\u201d \u201cShe declared thou\nwouldst play the whore with an hundred men and that I after that should\nwed thee.\u201d \u201cAy, I have whored with an hundred men, no more and no less,\nand behold, thou hast married me.\u201d \u201cThe Divineress also foresaid, that\nthou shouldst die, at the last of thy life, of the bite of a spider.\nIndeed, her saying hath been verified of the fornication and the\nmarriage, and I fear lest her word come true no less in the death.\u201d Then\nthey betook themselves to a place without the city, where he builded him\na mansion of solid stone and white stucco and stopped its inner walls\nand plastered them; leaving not therein or cranny or crevice, and he set\nin it two slave-girls whose services were sweeping and wiping, for fear\nof spiders. Here he abode with his wife a great while, till one day the\nman espied a spider on the ceiling and beat it down. When his wife saw\nit, she said, \u201cThis is that which the wise woman foresaid would slay me;\nso, by thy life, suffer me to kill it with mine own hand.\u201d Her husband\nforbade her from this, but she conjured him to let her destroy the\nspider; then, of her fearfulness and her eagerness, she took a piece of\nwood and smote it. The wood brake of the force of the blow, and a\nsplinter from it entered her hand and wrought upon it, so that it\nswelled. Then her fore-arm also swelled and the swelling spread to her\nside and thence grew till it reached her heart and she died. \u201cNor,\u201d\n(continued the Wazir), \u201cis this stranger or more wondrous than the story\nof the Weaver who became a Leach by commandment of his wife.\u201d When the\nKing heard this, his admiration redoubled and he said, \u201cIn very truth,\nDestiny is written to all creatures, and I will not accept aught that is\nsaid against my Minister the loyal counsellor.\u201d And he bade him hie to\nhis home.\n\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 hearing\nof the story. So the Wazir said, \u201cHearkening and obedience. Give ear, O\nKing, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE WEAVER WHO BECAME A LEACH BY ORDER OF HIS WIFE_.\u201d\n\nThere was once, in the land of Fars,[431] a man who wedded a woman\nhigher than himself in rank and nobler of lineage, but she had no\nguardian to preserve her from want. She loathed to marry one who was\nbeneath her; yet she wived with him because of need, and took of him a\nbond in writing to the effect that he would ever be under her order to\nbid and forbid and would never thwart her in word or in deed. Now the\nman was a Weaver and he bound himself in writing to pay his wife ten\nthousand dirhams in case of default. After such fashion they abode a\nlong while till one day the wife went out to fetch water, of which she\nhad need, and saw a leach who had spread a carpet hard by the road,\nwhereon he had set out great store of simples[432] and implements of\nmedicine and he was speaking and muttering charms, whilst the folk\nflocked to him from all quarters and girt him about on every side. The\nWeaver\u2019s wife marvelled at the largeness of the physician\u2019s fortune[433]\nand said in herself, \u201cWere my husband thus, he would lead an easy life\nand that wherein we are of straitness and poverty would be widened to\nhim.\u201d Then she returned home, cark-full and care-full, and when her\nhusband saw her in this condition, he questioned her of her case and she\nsaid to him, \u201cVerily, my breast is narrowed by reason of thee and of the\nvery goodness of thine intent,\u201d presently adding, \u201cNarrow means suit me\nnot and thou in thy present craft gainest naught; so either do thou seek\nout a business other than this or pay me my rightful due[434] and let me\nwend my ways.\u201d Her husband chid her for this and advised her to take\npatience; but she would not be turned from her design and said to him,\n\u201cGo forth and watch yonder physician how he doth and learn from him what\nhe saith.\u201d Said he, \u201cLet not thy heart be troubled,\u201d and added, \u201cI will\ngo every day to the session of the leach.\u201d So he began resorting daily\nto the physician and committing to memory his answers and that which he\nspoke of jargon,[435] till he had gotten a great matter by rote, and all\nthis he learned and thoroughly digested it. Then he returned to his wife\nand said to her, \u201cI have stored up the physician\u2019s sayings in memory and\nhave mastered his manner of muttering and diagnoses and prescribing\nremedies and I wot by heart the names of the medicines[436] and of all\nthe diseases, and there abideth of thy bidding naught undone: so what\ndost thou command me now to do?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cLeave the loom and open\nthyself a leach\u2019s shop;\u201d but quoth he, \u201cMy fellow-townsmen know me and\nthis affair will not profit me, save in a land of strangerhood; so come,\nlet us go out from this city and get us to a foreign land and there\nlive.\u201d And she said, \u201cDo whatso thou willest.\u201d Accordingly, he arose and\ntaking his weaving gear, sold it and bought with the price drugs and\nsimples and wrought himself a carpet, with which they set out and\njourneyed to a certain village, where they took up their abode. Then the\nman fell to going round about the hamlets and villages and outskirts of\ntowns, after donning leach\u2019s dress; and he began to earn his livelihood\nand make much gain. Their affairs prospered and their circumstances were\nbettered; wherefore they praised Allah for their present ease and the\nvillage became to them a home. In this way he lived for a long time, but\nat length he wandered anew,[437] and the days and the nights ceased not\nto transport him from country to country, till he came to the land of\nthe Roum and lighted down in a city of the cities thereof, wherein was\nJ\u00e1l\u00edn\u00fas[438] the Sage; but the Weaver knew him not, nor was aware who he\nwas. So he fared forth, as was his wont, in quest of a place where the\nfolk might be gathered together, and hired the courtyard[439] of\nJalinus. There he spread his carpet and setting out on it his simples\nand instruments of medicine, praised himself and his skill and claimed a\ncleverness such as none but he might claim.[440] Jalinus heard that\nwhich he affirmed of his understanding and it was certified unto him and\nestablished in his mind that the man was a skilled leach of the leaches\nof the Persians and he said in himself, \u201cUnless he had confidence in his\nknowledge and were minded to confront me and contend with me, he had not\nsought the door of my house neither had he spoken that which he hath\nspoken.\u201d And care and doubt gat hold upon Jalinus: so he drew near the\nWeaver and addressed himself to see how his doings should end, whilst\nthe folk began to flock to him and describe to him their ailments,[441]\nand he would answer them thereof, hitting the mark one while and missing\nit another while, so that naught appeared to Jalinus of his fashion\nwhereby his mind might be assured that he had justly estimated his\nskill. Presently, up came a woman with a urinal,[442] and when the\nWeaver saw the phial afar off, he said to her, \u201cThis is the water of a\nman, a stranger.\u201d Said she, \u201cYes;\u201d and he continued, \u201cIs he not a Jew\nand is not his ailment flatulence?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d replied the woman, and the\nfolk marvelled at this; wherefore the man was magnified in the eyes of\nJalinus, for that he heard speech such as was not of the usage of\ndoctors, seeing that they know not urine but by shaking it and looking\nstraitly thereon, neither wot they a man\u2019s water from a woman\u2019s water,\nnor a stranger\u2019s from a countryman\u2019s, nor a Jew\u2019s from a Sharif\u2019s.[443]\nThen the woman asked, \u201cWhat is the remedy?\u201d and the Weaver answered,\n\u201cBring the honorarium.\u201d[444] So she paid him a dirham and he gave her\nmedicines contrary to that ailment and such as would only aggravate the\ncomplaint. When Jalinus saw what appeared to him of the man\u2019s\nincapacity, he turned to his disciples and pupils and bade them fetch\nthe mock doctor, with all his gear and drugs. Accordingly they brought\nhim into his presence without stay or delay, and when Jalinus saw him\nbefore him, he asked him, \u201cKnowest thou me?\u201d and the other answered,\n\u201cNo, nor did I ever set eyes on thee before this day.\u201d Quoth the Sage,\n\u201cDost thou know Jalinus?\u201d and quoth the Weaver, \u201cNo.\u201d Then said Jalinus,\n\u201cWhat drave thee to do that which thou dost?\u201d So he acquainted him with\nhis adventure, especially with the dowry and the obligation by which he\nwas bound with regard to his wife whereat the Sage marvelled and\ncertified himself anent the matter of the marriage-settlement. Then he\nbade lodge him near himself and entreated him with kindness and took him\napart and said to him, \u201cExpound to me the story of the urine-phial and\nwhence thou knewest that the water therein was that of a man, and he a\nstranger and a Jew, and that his ailment was flatulence?\u201d The Weaver\nreplied, \u201c\u2019Tis well. Thou must know that we people of Persia are skilled\nin physiognomy,[445] and I saw the woman to be rosy-cheeked, blue-eyed\nand tall-statured. Now these qualities belong to women who are enamoured\nof a man and are distracted for love of him;[446] moreover, I saw her\nburning with anxiety; so I knew that the patient was her husband.[447]\nAs for his strangerhood, I noted that the dress of the woman differed\nfrom that of the townsfolk, wherefore I knew that she was a foreigner;\nand in the mouth of the phial I saw a yellow rag,[448] which garred me\nwot that the sick man was a Jew and she a Jewess. Moreover, she came to\nme on first day;[449] and \u2019tis the Jews\u2019 custom to take\nmeat-puddings[450] and food that hath passed the night[451] and eat them\non the Saturday their Sabbath, hot and cold, and they exceed in eating;\nwherefore flatulence and indigestion betide them. Thus I was directed\nand guessed that which thou hast heard.\u201d Now when Jalinus heard this, he\nordered the Weaver the amount of his wife\u2019s dowry and bade him pay it to\nher and said to him, \u201cDivorce her.\u201d Furthermore, he forbade him from\nreturning to the practice of physic and warned him never again to take\nto wife a woman of rank higher than his own; and he gave him his\nspending-money and charged him return to his proper craft. \u201cNor\u201d\n(continued the Wazir), \u201cis this tale stranger or rarer than the story of\nthe Two Sharpers who each cozened his Compeer.\u201d When King Shah Bakht\nheard this, he said to himself, \u201cHow like is this story to my present\ncase with this Minister, who hath not his like!\u201d Then he bade him hie to\nhis own house and come again at eventide.\n\n\n The Twenty-first Night of the Month.\n\nWhenas nighted the night, the Wazir presented himself before the King,\nwho bade him relate the promised story. So he said, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience. Give ear, O King, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE TWO SHARPERS WHO EACH COZENED HIS COMPEER_.\u201d\n\nThere was once, in the city of Baghdad, a man hight Al-Marwaz\u00ed,[452] who\nwas a sharper and ruined the folk with his rogueries and he was renowned\nin all quarters for knavery. He went out one day, carrying a load of\nsheep\u2019s droppings, and sware to himself that he would not return to his\nlodging till he had sold it at the price of raisins. Now there was in\nanother city a second sharper, hight Al-R\u00e1z\u00ed,[453] one of its worst, who\nwent out the same day, bearing a load of goat\u2019s droppings,[454] anent\nwhich he had sworn to himself that he would not sell it but at the price\nof sun-dried figs. So the twain fared on with that which was by them and\nceased not going till they met in one of the khans[455] and one\ncomplained to other of what he had suffered on travel in quest of gain\nand of the little demand for his wares. Now each of them had it in mind\nto cheat his fellow; so the man of Marw said to the man of Rayy, \u201cWilt\nthou sell me that?\u201d He said, \u201cYes,\u201d and the other continued, \u201cAnd wilt\nthou buy that which is with me?\u201d The man of Rayy consented; so they\nagreed upon this and each of them sold to his mate that which was with\nhim in exchange for the other\u2019s; after which they bade farewell and both\nfared forth. As soon as the twain were out of sight, they examined their\nloads, to see what was therein, and one of them found that he had a load\nof sheep\u2019s droppings and the other that he had a load of goat\u2019s\ndroppings; whereupon each of them turned back in quest of his fellow.\nThey met again in the khan and laughing at each other cancelled their\nbargain; then they agreed to enter into partnership and that all they\nhad of money and other good should be in common, share and share alike.\nThen quoth Al-Razi to Al-Marwazi, \u201cCome with me to my city, for that\n\u2019tis nearer than thine.\u201d So he went with him, and when he arrived at his\nquarters, he said to his wife and household and neighbours, \u201cThis is my\nbrother, who hath been absent in the land of Khorasan and is come back.\u201d\nAnd he abode with him in all honour for a space of three days. On the\nfourth day, Al-Razi said to him, \u201cKnow, O my brother, that I purpose to\ndo something.\u201d The other asked, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d and the first answered, \u201cI\nmean to feign 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 markets\nwith my body and collect alms on my account.[456]\u201d Accordingly the Marw\nman repaired to the market and, fetching that which he sought, returned\nto the Rayy man\u2019s house, where he found his fellow cast down in the\nentrance-passage, with his beard tied and his eyes shut, and his\ncomplexion was paled and his belly was blown and his limbs were loose.\nSo he deemed him really dead and shook him but he spoke not; then he\ntook a knife and pricked his feet, but he budged not. Presently said\nAl-Razi, \u201cWhat is this, O fool?\u201d and said Al-Marwazi, \u201cI deemed thou\nwast dead in very deed.\u201d Al-Razi cried, \u201cGet thee to business, and leave\nfunning.\u201d So he took him up and went with him to the market and\ncollected alms for him that day till eventide, when he bore him back to\nhis abode and waited till the morrow. Next morning, he again took up the\nbier and walked round with it as before, in quest of charity. Presently,\nthe Chief of Police, who was of those who had given him alms on the\nprevious day, met him; so he was angered and fell on the porters and\nbeat them and took the dead body, saying, \u201cI will bury him and win\nreward in Heaven.\u201d[457] So his followers took him up and carrying him to\nthe Police-officer, fetched grave-diggers, who dug him a grave. Then\nthey brought him a shroud and perfumes[458] and fetched an old man of\nthe quarter, to wash him: so the Shaykh recited over him the appointed\nprayers[459] and laying him on the bench, washed him and shrouded him.\nAfter he had been shrouded he skited;[460] so the grey beard renewed the\nwashing and went away to make the Wuzu-ablution, whilst all the folk\ndeparted to do likewise, before the orisons of the funeral. When the\ndead man found himself alone, he sprang up, as he were a Satan; and,\ndonning the corpse-washer\u2019s dress,[461] took the cups and water-can[462]\nand wrapped them up in the napkins; then he clapped his shroud under his\narmpit and went out. The doorkeepers thought that he was the washer and\nasked him, \u201cHast thou made an end of the washing, so we may acquaint the\nEmir?\u201d The sharper answered \u201cYes,\u201d and made off to his abode, where he\nfound the Marw man a-wooing his wife and saying to her, \u201cBy thy life,\nthou wilt 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 toil\nand trouble, and if he speak, they will do him to death.\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd what wouldst thou have of me?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cSatisfy my desire and\nheal my disorder, for I am better than thy husband.\u201d And he began toying\nwith her as a prelude to possession. Now when the Rayy man heard this,\nhe said, \u201cYonder wittol-pimp lusteth after my wife; but I will at once\ndo him a damage.\u201d Then he rushed in upon them, and when Al-Marwazi saw\nhim, he wondered at him and said to him, \u201cHow didst thou make thine\nescape?\u201d Accordingly he told him the trick he had played and they abode\ntalking of that which they had collected from the folk, and indeed they\nhad gotten great store of money. Then said the man of Marw, \u201cIn very\nsooth, mine absence hath been prolonged and lief would I return to my\nown land.\u201d Al-Razi said, \u201cAs thou willest;\u201d and the other rejoined, \u201cLet\nus divide the monies we have made and do thou go with me to my home, so\nI may show thee my tricks and my works.\u201d Replied the man of Rayy, \u201cCome\nto-morrow, and we will divide the coin.\u201d So the Marw man went away and\nthe other turned to his wife and said to her, \u201cWe have collected us\ngreat plenty of money, and the dog would fain take the half of it; but\nsuch thing shall never be, for my mind hath been changed against him,\nsince I heard him making love to thee; now, therefore, I propose to play\nhim a trick and enjoy all the money; and do thou not oppose me.\u201d She\nreplied, \u201c\u2019Tis well;\u201d and he said to her, \u201cTo-morrow, at peep o\u2019 day I\nwill feign myself dead, and do thou cry aloud and tear thy hair,\nwhereupon the folk will flock to me. Then lay me out and bury me; and,\nwhen the folk are gone away from the grave, dig down to me and take me;\nand fear not for me, as I can abide without harm two days in the\ntomb-niche.\u201d[463] Whereto she made answer, \u201cDo e\u2019en whatso thou wilt.\u201d\nAccordingly, when it was the dawn-hour, she bound his beard and\nspreading a veil over him, shrieked aloud, whereupon the people of the\nquarter flocked to her, men and women. Presently, up came Al-Marwazi,\nfor the division of the money, and hearing the keening asked, \u201cWhat may\nbe the news?\u201d Quoth they, \u201cThy brother is dead;\u201d and quoth he in\nhimself, \u201cThe accursed fellow cozeneth me, so he may get all the coin\nfor himself, but I will presently do with him what shall soon re-quicken\nhim.\u201d Then he tare the bosom of his robe and bared his head, weeping and\nsaying, \u201cAlas, my brother, ah! Alas, my chief, ah! Alas, my lord, ah!\u201d\nAnd he went in to the men, who rose and condoled with him. Then he\naccosted the Rayy man\u2019s wife and said to her, \u201cHow came his death to\noccur?\u201d Said she, \u201cI know nothing except that, when I arose in the\nmorning, I found him dead.\u201d Moreover, he questioned her of the money\nwhich was with her, but she cried, \u201cI have no knowledge of this and no\ntidings.\u201d So he sat down at his fellow-sharper\u2019s head, and said to him,\n\u201cKnow, O Razi, that I will not leave thee till after ten days with their\nnights, wherein I will wake and sleep by thy grave. So rise and don\u2019t be\na fool.\u201d But he answered him not, and the man of Marw drew his knife and\nfell to sticking it into the other\u2019s hands and feet, purposing to make\nhim move; but he stirred not and he presently grew weary of this and\ndetermined that the sharper was really dead. However, he still had his\nsuspicions and said to himself, \u201cThis fellow is falsing me, so he may\nenjoy all the money.\u201d Therewith he began to prepare the body for burial\nand bought for it perfumes and whatso was needed. Then they brought him\nto the washing-place and Al-Marwazi came to him; and, heating water till\nit boiled and bubbled and a third of it was evaporated, fell to pouring\nit on his skin, so that it turned bright red and lively blue and was\nblistered; but he abode still on one case.[464] Presently they wrapped\nhim in the shroud and set him on the bier, which they took up and\nbearing him to the burial-place, placed him in the grave-niche and\nfilled in the earth; after which the folk dispersed. But the Marw man\nand the widow abode by the tomb, weeping, and ceased not sitting till\nsundown, when the woman said to him, \u201cCome, let us hie us home, for this\nweeping will not profit us, nor will it restore the dead.\u201d He replied to\nher, \u201cBy Allah, I will not budge hence till I have slept and waked by\nthis tomb ten days with their nights!\u201d When she heard this his speech,\nshe feared lest he should keep his word and his oath, and so her husband\nperish; but she said in her mind, \u201cThis one dis-sembleth: an I leave him\nand return to my house, he will tarry by him a little while and go\naway.\u201d And Al-Marwazi said to her, \u201cArise, thou, and hie thee home.\u201d So\nshe arose and repaired to her house, whilst the man of Marw abode in his\nplace till the night was half spent, when he said to himself, \u201cHow long?\nYet how can I let this knavish dog die and lose the money? Better I open\nthe tomb on him and bring him forth and take my due of him by dint of\ngrievous beating and torment.\u201d Accordingly, he dug him up and pulled him\nforth of the grave; after which he betook himself to a garden hard by\nthe burial-ground and cut thence staves and palm-fronds.[465] Then he\ntied the dead man\u2019s legs and laid on to him with the staff and beat him\na grievous beating; but the body never budged. When the time grew\nlongsome on him, his shoulders became a-weary and he feared lest some\none of the watch passing on his round should surprise and seize him. So\nhe took up Al-Razi and carrying him forth of the cemetery, stayed not\ntill he came to the Magians\u2019 mortuary-place and casting him down in a\nTower of Silence,[466] rained heavy blows upon him till his shoulders\nfailed him, but the other stirred not. Then he seated him by his side\nand rested; after which he rose and renewed the beating upon him; and\nthus he did till the end of the night, but without making him move. Now,\nas Destiny decreed, a band of robbers whose wont it was, when they had\nstolen anything, to resort to that place and there divide their loot,\ncame thither in early-dawn, according to their custom; they numbered ten\nand they had with them much wealth which they were carrying. When they\napproached the Tower of Silence, they heard a noise of blows within it\nand their captain cried, \u201cThis is a Magian whom the Angels[467] are\ntormenting.\u201d So they entered the cemetery and as soon as they arrived\nover against him, the man of Marw feared lest they should be the\nwatchmen come upon him, therefore he fled and stood among the\ntombs.[468] The robbers advanced to the place and finding the man of\nRayy bound by the feet and by him some seventy sticks, wondered at this\nwith exceeding wonder and said, \u201cAllah confound thee! This was a\nmiscreant, a man of many crimes; for earth hath rejected him from her\nwomb, and by my life, he is yet fresh! This is his first night in the\ntomb and the Angels were tormenting him but now; so whoso of you hath a\nsin upon his soul, let him beat him, by way of offering to Almighty\nAllah.\u201d The robbers said, \u201cWe be sinners one and all;\u201d so each of them\nwent up to the corpse and dealt it about an hundred blows, one saying\nthe while, \u201cThis is for my father!\u201d[469] and another laid on to him\ncrying, \u201cThis is for my grandfather!\u201d whilst a third muttered, \u201cThis is\nfor my brother!\u201d and a fourth exclaimed, \u201cThis is for my mother!\u201d And\nthey gave not taking turns at him and beating him till they were weary,\nwhilst Al-Marwazi stood laughing and saying in himself, \u201c\u2019Tis not I\nalone who have entered into default against him. There is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d[470] Then the\nrobbers applied themselves to sharing their loot wherein was a sword\nwhich caused them to fall out anent the man who should take it. Quoth\nthe Captain, \u201c\u2019Tis my rede that we make proof of it; so, an it be a fine\nblade, we shall know its worth, and if it be worthless we shall know\nthat;\u201d whereto they said, \u201cTry it on this corpse, for it is fresh.\u201d So\nthe Captain took the sword and drawing it, brandished and made a false\ncut with it; but, when the man of Rayy saw this, he felt sure of death\nand said in his mind, \u201cI have borne the washing-slab and the boiling\nwater and the pricking with the knife-point and the grave-niche and its\nstraitness and all this, trusting in Allah that I might be delivered\nfrom death, and indeed I have been delivered; but the sword I may not\nsuffer seeing that one stroke of it will make me a dead man.\u201d So saying,\nhe sprang to his feet and seizing a thigh-bone of one departed, shouted\nat the top of his voice, \u201cO ye dead ones, take them to yourselves!\u201d And\nhe smote one of them, whilst his mate of Marw smote another and they\ncried out at them and buffeted them on their neck-napes: whereupon the\nrobbers left that which was with them of loot and ran away; and indeed\ntheir wits took flight for terror and they ceased not running till they\ncame forth of the Magians mortuary-ground and left it a parasang\u2019s\nlength behind them, when they halted, trembling and affrighted for the\nmuchness of that which had befallen them of fear and awe of the\ndead.[471] As for Al-Razi and Al-Marwazi, they made peace each with\nother and sat down to share the spoil. Quoth the man of Marw, \u201cI will\nnot give thee a dirham of this money, till thou pay me my due of the\nmonies that be in thy house.\u201d And quoth the man of Rayy, \u201cI will do\nnaught of the kind,[472] nor will I withdraw this from aught of my due.\u201d\nSo they fell out thereupon and disputed each with other and either of\nthe twain went saying to his fellow, \u201cI will not give thee a dirham!\u201d\nWherefore words ran high between them and the brawl was prolonged.\nMeanwhile, when the robbers halted, one of them said to the others, \u201cLet\nus go back and see;\u201d and the Captain said, \u201cThis thing is impossible of\nthe dead: never heard we that they came to life in such way. Return we\nand take our monies, for that the dead have no need of money.\u201d And they\nwere divided in opinion as to returning: but presently one said,\n\u201cIndeed, our weapons are gone and we may not prevail against them and\nwill not draw near the place: only let one of us go look at it, and if\nhe hear no sound of them, let him suggest to us what we shall do.\u201d At\nthis they agreed that they should send a man of them and assigned him\nfor such mission two parts of the plunder. Accordingly he returned to\nthe burial-ground and gave not over going till he stood at the door of\nthe Tower of Silence, when he heard the words of Al-Marwazi to his\nfellow, \u201cI will not give thee a single dirham of the money!\u201d The other\nsaid the same and they were occupied with brawling and abuse and talk.\nSo the robber returned in haste to his mates, who said, \u201cWhat is behind\nthee?\u201d[473] Quoth he, \u201cGet you gone and run for your lives, O fools, and\nsave yourselves: much people of the dead are come to life and between\nthem are words and brawls.\u201d Hereat the robbers fled, whilst the two\nsharpers returned to the man of Rayy\u2019s house and made peace and added\nthe robbers\u2019 spoil to the monies they had gained and lived a length of\ntime. \u201cNor, O king of the age\u201d (continued the Wazir), \u201cis this stranger\nor rarer than the story of the Four Sharpers with the Shroff and the\nAss.\u201d When the king heard this story, he smiled and it pleased him and\nhe bade the Minister to his own house.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n The Twenty-Second Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, King Shah Bakht summoned the Wazir and required\nof him the hearing of the story. So Al-Rahwan said, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience. Give ear, O King, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE SHARPERS WITH THE SHROFF[474] AND THE ASS_.\u201d\n\nFour sharpers once plotted against a Shroff, a man of much wealth, and\nagreed upon a sleight for securing some of his coins. So one of them\ntook an ass and laying on it a bag, wherein were dirhams, lighted down\nat the shop of the Shroff and sought of him small change. The man of\nmonies brought out to him the silver bits and bartered them with him,\nwhilst the sharper was easy with him in the matter of the exchange, so\nhe might gar him long for more gain. As they were thus, up came the\nother three sharpers and surrounded the donkey; and one of them said,\n\u201c\u2019Tis he,\u201d and another said, \u201cWait till I look at him.\u201d Then he took to\nconsidering the ass and stroking him from crest[475] to tail; whilst the\nthird went up to him and handled him and felt him from head to rump,\nsaying, \u201cYes, \u2019tis in him.\u201d Said another, \u201cNo, \u2019tis not in him;\u201d and\nthey left not doing the like of this for some time. Then they accosted\nthe donkey\u2019s owner and chaffered with him and he said, \u201cI will not sell\nhim but for ten thousand dirhams.\u201d They offered him a thousand dirhams;\nbut he refused and swore that he would not vend the ass but for that\nwhich he had said. They ceased not adding to their offer till the price\nreached five thousand dirhams, whilst their mate still said, \u201cI\u2019ll not\nvend him save for ten thousand silver pieces.\u201d The Shroff advised him to\nsell, but he would not do this and said to him, \u201cHo, Shaykh! Thou\nwottest not the case of this donkey. Stick to silver and gold and what\npertaineth thereto of exchange and small change; because indeed the\nvirtue of this ass is a mystery to thee. For every craft its crafty men\nand for every means of livelihood its peculiar people.\u201d When the affair\nwas prolonged upon the three sharpers, they went away and sat down\naside; then they came up privily to the money-changer and said to him,\n\u201cAn thou can buy him for us, do so, and we will give thee twenty\ndirhams.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cGo away and sit down at a distance from him.\u201d So\nthey did as he bade and the Shroff went up to the owner of the ass and\nceased not luring him with lucre and saying, \u201cLeave these wights and\nsell me the donkey, and I will reckon him a present from thee,\u201d till he\nsold him the animal for five thousand and five hundred dirhams.\nAccordingly the money-changer weighed out to him that sum of his own\nmonies, and the owner of the ass took the price and delivered the beast\nto him, saying, \u201cWhatso shall betide, though he abide a deposit upon thy\nneck,[476] sell him not to yonder cheats for less than ten thousand\ndirhams, for that they would fain buy him because of a hidden hoard they\nknow, whereto naught can guide them save this donkey. So close thy hand\non him and cross me not, or thou shalt repent.\u201d With these words he left\nhim and went away, whereupon up came the three other sharpers, the\ncomrades of him of the ass, and said to the Shroff, \u201cGod requite thee\nfor us with good, in that thou hast bought him! How can we reward thee?\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cI will not sell him but for ten thousand dirhams.\u201d When they\nheard that they returned to the ass and fell again to examining him like\nbuyers and handling him. Then said they to the money-changer, \u201cIndeed we\nwere deceived in him. This is not the ass we sought and he is not worth\nto us more than ten nusfs.\u201d[477] Then they left him and offered to go\naway, whereat the Shroff was sore chagrined and cried out at their\nspeech, saying, \u201cO folk, ye asked me to buy him for you and now I have\nbought him, ye say, we were deceived in him, and he is not worth to us\nmore than ten nusfs.\u201d They replied, \u201cWe thought that in him was whatso\nwe wanted; but, behold, in him is the contrary of that which we wish;\nand indeed he hath a blemish, for that he is short of back.\u201d Then they\nmade long noses[478] at him and went away from him and dispersed. The\nmoney-changer deemed they did but play him off, that they might get the\ndonkey at their own price; but, when they walked away from him and he\nhad long awaited their return, he cried out, saying, \u201cWell-away!\u201d and\n\u201cRuin!\u201d and \u201cSorry case I am in!\u201d and shrieked aloud and rent his\nraiment. So the market-people assembled to him and questioned him of his\ncase; whereupon he acquainted them with his condition and told them what\nthe knaves had said and how they had cozened him and how they had\ncajoled him into buying an ass worth fifty dirhams[479] for five\nthousand and five hundred.[480] His friends blamed him and a gathering\nof the folk laughed at him and admired his folly and over-faith in\nbelieving the talk of the sharpers without suspicion, and meddling with\nthat which he understood not and thrusting himself into that whereof he\nhad no sure knowledge. \u201cOn this wise, O King Shah Bakht\u201d (continued the\nWazir), \u201cis the issue of greed for the goods of the world and indeed\ncoveting that which our knowledge containeth not shall lead to ruin and\nrepentance. Nor, O King of the age (added he), is this story stranger\nthan that of the Cheat and the Merchants.\u201d When the King heard these\nwords, he said in himself, \u201cIndeed, had I given ear to the sayings of my\ncourtiers and inclined to their idle prate in the matter of my Minister,\nI had repented to the utterest of penitence, but Alhamdolillah\u2014laud be\nto the Lord\u2014who hath disposed me to endurance and long-suffering and\nhath vouchsafed to me patience!\u201d Then he turned to the Wazir and\ndismissed him to his dwelling and gave cong\u00e9 those who were present,\naccording to his custom.\n\n\n The Twenty-Third Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned the Minister and when he\npresented himself before him, he required of him the hearing of the\nstory. So he said, \u201cHearing and obeying. Give ear, O illustrious lord,\nto\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE CHEAT AND THE MERCHANTS_.\u201d\n\nThere was once in olden time a certain Cheat, who could turn the ear\ninside out by his talk, and he was a model of cleverness and quick wit\nand skill and mischief. It was his wont to enter a town and make a show\nof being a trader and engage in intimacy with people of worth and sit in\nsession with the merchants, for his name was noted as a man of virtue\nand piety. Then he would put a sleight on them and take of them what he\nmight spend and fare forth to another stead; and he ceased not to do\nthus for a while of time. It chanced one day that he entered a certain\ncity and sold 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 assembly,\nwhilst they also invited him to their houses. He abode after such\nfashion a long time until he was minded to quit the city; and this was\nbruited among his intimates, who grieved for parting from him. Then he\nbetook himself to one of them who was the richest in substance and the\nmost conspicuous for generosity, and sat with him and borrowed his\ngoods; and when rising to depart, he bade him return the deposit that he\nhad left with him. Quoth the merchant, \u201cAnd what is the deposit?\u201d and\nquoth the Cheat, \u201c\u2019Tis such a purse, with the thousand dinars therein.\u201d\nThe merchant asked, \u201cAnd when didst thou give me that same?\u201d and the\nCheat answered, \u201cExtolled be Allah of All Might! Was it not on such a\nday, by such a token which is thus and thus?\u201d The man rejoined, \u201cI know\nnaught of this,\u201d and words were bandied about between them, whilst the\nfolk who heard them disputed together concerning their sayings and\ndoings, till their voices rose high and the neighbours had knowledge of\nthat which passed between them.[481] Then said the Cheat, \u201cO people,\nthis is my friend and I deposited with him a deposit which he denieth\nhaving received: so in whom shall men put trust after this?\u201d And they\nsaid, \u201cThis person is a man of worth and we have known in him naught but\ntrustiness and good faith and the best of breeding, and he is endowed\nwith sense and manliness.[482] Indeed, he affirmeth no false claim, for\nthat we have consorted and associated with him and he with us and we\nknow the sincerity of his religion.\u201d Then quoth one of them to the\nmerchant, \u201cHo, Such-an-one! Bethink thee of the past and refresh thy\nmemory. It cannot be that thou hast forgotten.\u201d But quoth he, \u201cO people,\nI wot nothing of what he saith, for indeed he deposited naught with me:\u201d\nand the matter was prolonged between them. Then said the Cheat to the\nmerchant, \u201cI am about to travel and I have, praised be Allah Almighty,\nmuch wealth, and this money shall not escape me; but do thou make oath\nto me.\u201d And the folk said, \u201cIndeed, this man doth justice upon\nhimself.\u201d[483] Whereupon the merchant fell into that which he\ndisliked[484] and came nigh upon loss and ill fame. Now he had a friend,\nwho pretended to sharpness and intelligence; so he came up to him\nsecretly and said to him, \u201cLet me do so I may cheat this Cheat, for I\nknow him to be a liar and thou art near upon having to weigh out the\ngold; but I will parry off suspicion from thee and say to him, The\ndeposit is with me and thou erredst in suspecting that it was with other\nthan myself; and so I will divert him from thee.\u201d The other replied, \u201cDo\nso, and rid the people of such pretended debts.\u201d Accordingly the friend\nturned to the Cheat and said to him, \u201cO my lord, I am Such-an-one, and\nthou goest under a delusion. The purse is with me, for it was with me\nthat thou depositedst it, and this Shaykh is innocent of it.\u201d But the\nCheat answered him with impatience and impetuosity, saying, \u201cExtolled be\nAllah! As for the purse that is with thee, O noble and faithful man, I\nknow \u2019tis under Allah\u2019s charge and my heart is easy anent it, because\n\u2019tis with thee as it were with me; but I began by demanding the purse\nwhich I deposited with this man, of my knowledge that he coveteth the\ngoods of folk.\u201d At this the friend was confounded and put to silence and\nreturned not a reply; and the only result of his meddling was that each\nof them\u2014merchant and friend\u2014had to pay a thousand gold pieces. So the\nCheat took the two thousand dinars and made off; and when he was gone,\nthe merchant said to his friend, the man of pretended sharpness and\nintelligence, \u201cHo, Such-an-one! Thou and I are like the Falcon and the\nLocust.\u201d The friend asked, \u201cWhat was their case?\u201d and the merchant\nanswered with\n\n\n _THE STORY OF THE FALCON AND THE LOCUST_.[485]\n\nThere was once, of old time, a Falcon who made himself a nest hard by\nthe home of a Locust, and his neighbour gloried in such neighbourhood\nand betaking herself to him, saluted him with the salam and said, \u201cO my\nlord and lord of all the birds, indeed the nearness to thee delighteth\nme and thou honourest me with thy vicinity and my soul is fortified with\nthee.\u201d The Falcon thanked her for this and friendship between them\nfollowed. One day, the Locust said to the bird, \u201cO prince of the flying\nrace, how is it that I see thee alone, solitary, having with thee no\nfriend of thy kind, the volatiles, on whom thou mayst repose in time of\ngladness and of whom thou mayst seek aid in tide of sadness? Indeed,\n\u2019tis said:\u2014Man goeth about seeking ease of body and ward of strength,\nand there is naught in this more necessary to him than a true friend who\nshall be the crown of his comfort and the column of his career and on\nwhom shall be his dependence in his distress and in his delight. Now I,\nalthough ardently desiring thy weal in that which befitteth thy rank and\ndegree, yet am weak in that which the soul craveth; but, an thou deign\ngive me leave, I will seek out for thee one of the birds who shall\nfellow thee in body and strength.\u201d And the Falcon said, \u201cI commit this\nto thee and rely upon thee herein.\u201d Thereupon, O my brother (quoth the\nmerchant), the Locust began going round the company of the birds, but\nsaw naught resembling the Falcon in bulk and body save the Kite and\nthought well of her. So she brought the twain together and counselled\nthe Falcon to foregather with the Kite. Presently it fortuned that the\nFalcon fell sick and the Kite tarried with and tended him a long while\ntill he recovered and became sound and strong, wherefore he thanked her\nand she fared from him. But after some days the Falcon\u2019s sickness\nreturned to him and he needed succour of the Kite, so the Locust went\nout from him and was absent from him a day; after which she returned to\nhim with another locust,[486] saying, \u201cI have brought thee this one.\u201d\nWhen the Falcon saw her, he said, \u201cGod requite thee with good! Indeed,\nthou hast done well in the quest and thou hast shown subtlety and\ndiscrimination in the choice.\u201d All this, O my brother (continued the\nmerchant) befel because the Locust had no knowledge of the essence which\nlurketh in the outer semblance of bodies. As for thee, O my brother,\n(Allah requite thee with weal!) thou wast subtle in device and usedst\nprecaution, but forethought availeth not against Fate, and Fortune\nforeordained baffleth force of fence. How excellent is the saying of the\npoet when he spake these couplets:\u2014[487]\n\n It chances whiles that the blind man escapes a pit, \u273f Whilst he who is\n clear of sight falls into it.\n The ignorant man may speak with impunity \u273f A word that is death to the\n wise and the ripe of wit.\n The true believer is pinched for his daily bread, \u273f Whilst infidel\n rogues enjoy all benefit.\n Where is a man\u2019s resource and what can he do? \u273f It is the Almighty\u2019s\n will; we must submit.\n\n\u201cNor\u201d (continued the Wazir) \u201cis this, O king of the age, rarer or\nstranger than the story of the King and his Chamberlain\u2019s wife; nay,\nthis is more wondrous than that and more delectable.\u201d When the king\nheard this story, he was strengthened in his resolve to spare the\nMinister and to eschew haste in an affair whereof he was not certified;\nso he comforted him and bade him hie to his home.\n\n\n The Twenty-fourth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen it was night, the King summoned the Wazir and sought of him the\nhearing of the story. Al-Rahwan replied, \u201cHearkening and obedience!\nListen, O august sovran, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE KING AND HIS CHAMBERLAIN\u2019S WIFE_.\u201d[488]\n\nThere was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before,\na King of the kings of the Persians, who was much addicted to the love\nof fair women. His courtiers spoke him of the wife of a certain of his\nChamberlains, a model of beauty and loveliness and perfect grace, and\nthis egged him on to go in to her. When she saw him, she knew him and\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat urgeth the King to this that he doeth?\u201d and he\nreplied, saying, \u201cVerily, I long for thee with excess of longing and\nthere is no help but that I enjoy thy favours.\u201d And he gave her of\nwealth that after whose like women lust; but she said, \u201cI cannot do the\ndeed whereof the king speaketh, for fear of my husband;\u201d[489] and she\nrefused herself to him with the most rigorous of refusals and would not\nsuffer him to win his wish. So the king went out in wrath, and forgot\nhis girdle in the place. Now it chanced that her husband entered\nimmediately after his lord had departed, and saw the girdle and knew it.\nHe was aware of the king\u2019s love for women; so quoth he to his wife,\n\u201cWhat be this I see with thee?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cI\u2019ll tell thee the truth,\u201d\nand recounted to him the occurrence; but he believed her not and\nsuspicion entered his heart. As for the King, he passed that night in\ncare and concern, and when the morning morrowed, he summoned that\nChamberlain and made him governor of one of his provinces; then he bade\nhim betake himself thither, purposing, after he should have departed and\nfared afar, to foregather with his wife. The Chamberlain perceived his\nproject and kenned his intent; so he answered, saying, \u201cTo hear is to\nobey!\u201d presently adding, \u201cI will go and order my affairs and give such\ninjunctions as may be needed for the well-doing of my affairs; then will\nI go about the sovran\u2019s commission.\u201d And the King said, \u201cDo this and\nmake haste.\u201d So the Chamberlain went about that which he needed and\nassembling his wife\u2019s kinsfolk, said to them, \u201cI am determined to\ndismiss my wife.\u201d They took this ill of him and complained of him and\nsummoning him before the sovereign, sat prosecuting him. Now the King\nhad no knowledge of that which had passed; so he said to the\nChamberlain, \u201cWhy wilt thou put her away and how can thy soul consent to\nthis and why takest thou unto thyself a fine and fertile piece of land\nand presently forsakest it?\u201d Answered the husband, \u201cAllah amend the\nking! By the Almighty, O my King, I saw therein the trail of the lion\nand fear to enter that land, lest the lion devour me, and the like of my\naffair with her is that which befel between the Crone and the Draper\u2019s\nWife.\u201d The king asked, \u201cWhat is their adventure?\u201d and the chamberlain\nanswered, \u201cHear, O king,\n\n\n _THE STORY OF THE CRONE AND THE DRAPER\u2019S WIFE_.\u201d[490]\n\nThere was once a man of the Drapers, who had a beautiful wife, and she\nwas curtained[491] and chaste. A certain young man saw her coming forth\nof the Hammam and loved her and his heart was engrossed with her. So he\ndevised for access to her all manner of devices, but availed not to\nforegather with her; and when he was a-weary and his patience failed for\ntravail and trouble and his fortitude betrayed and forsook him and he\nwas at an end of his resources against her, he complained of this to an\nill-omened crone,[492] who promised him to bring about union between him\nand his beloved. He thanked her for this and promised her all manner of\n_douceurs_; and she said to him, \u201cHie thee to her husband and buy of him\na turband-cloth of fine linen, and let it be of the very best of stuff.\u201d\nSo he repaired to the Draper and buying of him a turband-cloth of lawn,\nreturned and gave it to the old woman, who took it and burned it in two\nplaces. Then she donned the dress of a devotee and taking the\nturband-cloth with her, went to the Draper\u2019s house and knocked at the\ndoor. When the Draper\u2019s wife saw her thus habited as a holy woman, she\nopened to her and admitted her with kindly reception, and made much of\nher and welcomed her: so the crone went in to her and conversed with her\nawhile. Then said she to her, \u201cI want to make the Wuzu-ablution\npreparatory to prayer.\u201d[493] At these words the wife brought the water\nand she made the ablution and standing up to pray, prayed and satisfied\nherself; and when she had ended her orisons, she left the turband-cloth\nin the place of prayer and fared forth. Presently, in came the Draper,\nat the hour of night-devotions, and sitting down in the prayer-place\nwhere the old woman had prayed, looked about him and espied the turband.\nHe knew it and suspected foul play; so wrath showed in his face and he\nwas furious with his wife and reviled her and abode his day and his\nnight without speaking to her, during all which while she knew not the\ncause of his rage. Then she looked and seeing the turband-cloth before\nhim and noting the traces of burning thereon, understood that his anger\nwas on account of this and concluded that he was in ill-temper because\nit was burnt. When the morning morrowed, the Draper went out, still\nwroth with his wife, and the crone returned to her and found her changed\nof colour, pale of complexion, dejected and heart-broken. So she\nquestioned her of the cause, and the wife told her how her husband was\nangered against her on account of the burns in the turband-cloth.[494]\nRejoined the old woman, \u201cO my daughter, be not chagrined; for I have a\nson, a fine-drawer, and he, by thy life, shall fine-draw the holes and\nrestore the turband-cloth as it was.\u201d The wife rejoiced in her saying\nand asked her, \u201cAnd when shall this be?\u201d The crone answered, \u201cTo-morrow,\nInshallah\u2014an it please Allah the Most High\u2014I will bring him to thee, at\nthe time of thy husband\u2019s going forth from thee, and he shall fine-draw\nit and depart forthwith.\u201d Then she comforted her heart and going away\nfrom her, returned to the young man and acquainted him with what had\npassed. Now when the Draper saw the turband-cloth, he determined to\ndivorce his wife and waited only till he could collect that which was\nobligatory on him of the contingent dowry and what not else,[495] for\nfear of her people. When the crone arose in the morning, she took the\nyoung man and carried him into the Draper\u2019s house. The wife opened the\ndoor to her and the ill-omened old woman entered with him and said to\nthe lady, \u201cGo, fetch that which thou wouldest have fine-drawn and give\nit to my son.\u201d So saying, she bolted the door on her, whereupon the\nyoung man raped[496] her against her will and did his want of her and\nwent forth. Then cried the crone, \u201cKnow that this is my son and that he\nloved thee with exceeding love and was like to lose his life for longing\nafter thee; so I devised for thee with this device and came to thee with\nthis turband-cloth, which is not thy husband\u2019s, but my son\u2019s. Now have I\nwon to my wish; so do thou trust in me and I will put a sleight on thy\nhusband for setting thee right with him, and thou wilt be subject to me\nand to him and to my son.\u201d[497] And the wife replied, \u201c\u2019Tis well. Do\nso.\u201d Presently the old woman returned to the lover and said, \u201cKnow thou\nthat I have engineered the affair for thee with her; and now we must\nmend that we have marred. Hie thee and sit with the Draper and mention\nto him the turband-cloth, saying, The turband I bought of thee I chanced\nto burn in two places; so I gave it to a certain old woman, to have\nfine-drawn, and she took it and went away, and I know not her\ndwelling-place.[498] When thou seest me pass by, rise and lay hold of\nme, and demand of me the cloth, to the intent that I may arrange her\naffair with her spouse and that matters go right with thee in her\nregard.\u201d Accordingly he repaired to the Draper\u2019s shop and sat down by\nhim and asked him, \u201cThou knowest the turband-cloth I bought of thee?\u201d\n\u201cYes.\u201d \u201cKnowest thou what is come of it?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cAfter I bought it of\nthee, I fumigated myself[499] and it fortuned that the turband-cloth was\nburnt in two places; so I gave it to a woman, whose son, they said, was\na fine-drawer, and she took it and fared forth with it; and I know not\nher home.\u201d When the Draper heard this, he was startled by the thought\nthat he had suspected his wife wrongfully, and marvelled at the story of\nthe turband-cloth, and his mind was made easy anent her. After a short\nwhile, up came the old woman, whereupon the young man sprang to his feet\nand seizing her, demanded of her the turband-cloth. Said she, \u201cKnow that\nI entered one of the houses and wuzu\u2019d and prayed in the\nprayer-place;[500] and I forgot the turband-cloth there and went out.\nNow I weet not the house in which I prayed, nor have I been divinely\ndirected[501] thereto, and I go round about every day till the night, so\nhaply I may light on the dwelling, for I know not its owner.\u201d When the\nDraper heard these words, he said to the old woman, \u201cVerily, Allah\nrestoreth to thee what thing thou hast lost. Be gladdened by good news,\nfor the turband-cloth is with me and in my house.\u201d[502] And he arose\nforthright and handed to her the turband-cloth, as it was, and she\nhanded it to the young man. Then the Draper made peace with his wife and\ngave her raiment and jewellery, till she was content and her heart was\nappeased. When the king heard his Chamberlain\u2019s story, he was dazed and\namazed and said to him, \u201cAbide on thy service and ear thy field for that\nthe lion entered it, but marred it not, and he will never more return\nthither.\u201d[503] Then he bestowed on him an honourable robe and made him a\ncostly present; and the man returned to his wife and people, rejoicing,\nhis heart having been set at rest concerning his wife. \u201cNor\u201d (continued\nthe Wazir), \u201cO King of the age, is this rarer or stranger than the story\nof the beautiful wife, a woman gifted of amorous grace, with the ugly\nMan, her husband.\u201d When king Shah Bakht heard the Minister\u2019s speech, he\ndeemed it delectable and it pleased him; so he bade him hie to his\nhouse, and there he tarried his day long.\n\n\n The Twenty-fifth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned his Wazir and bade him tell\nthe tale. So he said, \u201c\u2019Tis well. Hear, O King,\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE UGLY MAN AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE_.\u201d\n\nThere was once a man of the Arabs who had a number of children, and\namongst them a boy, never was seen a fairer than he of favour nor a more\ncomplete in comeliness; no, nor a more perfect of prudence. When he came\nto man\u2019s estate, his father married him to his first cousin, the\ndaughter of one of his paternal uncles, and she excelled not in beauty,\nneither was she laudable for qualities; wherefore she pleased not the\nyouth, but he bore with her for the sake of kinship. One day, he fared\nforth in quest of certain camels[504] of his which had strayed and hied\nhim on all 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 of the\ntribesmen and there came forth to him a man short of stature and foul of\nfavour, who saluted him with the salam; and, lodging him in a corner of\nthe tent, sat entertaining him with chat, the cheeriest that might be.\nWhen his food was dressed, the Arab\u2019s wife brought it to the guest, and\nhe looked at the mistress of the tent and saw a semblance than which no\nseemlier might be. Indeed, her beauty and loveliness, her symmetry and\nperfect grace amazed him and he was struck with astonishment, gazing now\nat her and then at her mate. When his looking grew long, the man said to\nhim, \u201cHo, thou son of the worthy! Busy thyself with thine own business,\nfor by me and this woman hangeth a wondrous tale, which is even better\nthan that thou seest of her beauty; and I will tell it to thee when we\nhave made a finish of our food.\u201d So, when they had ended eating and\ndrinking, the young man asked his host for the story, and he said:\u2014Know\nthat in my youth I was the same as thou seest me in the matter of\nloathliness and foul favour; and I had brethren of the fairest of the\nfolk; wherefore my father preferred them over me and used to show them\nkindness, to my exclusion, and made me serve in their stead, like as a\nmaster employeth slaves. One day, a dromedary of his strayed from the\nherd of camels, and he said to me, \u201cGo thou forth in quest of her and\nreturn not but with her.\u201d I replied, \u201cSend other than I of thy sons.\u201d\nBut he would not consent to this and scolded me and insisted upon me,\ntill the matter came to such a pass with him that he took a thong-whip\nand fell to beating me. So I arose and saddling a riding-camel, mounted\nher and sallied forth at random, purposing to go out into the wolds and\nthe wilds and return to him never more. I fared on all my night and the\nnext day and coming at eventide[505] to the encampment of this my wife\u2019s\npeople, alighted down with and became the guest of her father, who was a\nShaykh well stricken in years. Now when it was the noon of night, I\narose and went forth the tent at a call of nature, and none knew of my\ncase save this woman. The dogs followed me as a suspected stranger and\nceased not worrying me[506] till I fell on my back into a pit, wherein\nwas water, a deep hollow and a steep; and a dog of those dogs fell in\nwith me. 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 whereinto\nI was fallen, and coming to me with a rope, said to me, \u201cCatch hold of\nthe rope.\u201d So I hent it and clung to it and she haled me up; but, when I\nwas half-way up, I pulled her down and she fell with me into the pit;\nand there we abode three days, she and I and the hound. When her people\narose in the morning and did not see her, they sought her in the camp,\nbut, finding her not and missing me also, never doubted but she had fled\nwith me.[507] Now she had four brothers, as they were Saker-hawks, and\nthey took horse and dispersed in search of us. When the day yellowed on\nthe fourth dawn, the dog began to bark and the other hounds answered him\nand coming to the mouth of the pit, stood howling to him. The Shaykh, my\nwife\u2019s father, hearing the howling of the hounds, came up and standing\nat the brink of the hollow, looked in and beheld a marvel. Now he was a\nbrave man and a sensible, an elder experienced in affairs, so he fetched\na cord and 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 acquainted them\nwith the whole case and said to them, \u201cO my sons, know that your sister\nintended not aught but good, and if ye kill this man, ye will earn\nabiding shame and ye will wrong him, and wrong your own souls and eke\nyour sister: for indeed there appeareth no cause such as calleth for\nkilling, and it may not be denied that this accident is a thing whose\nlike may well occur and that he may easily have been the victim of\nsuchlike chance.\u201d Then he addressed me and questioned me of my lineage;\nso I set forth to him my genealogy and he, exclaiming, \u201cA man of her\nmatch, honourable, understanding, offered me his daughter in wedlock. I\nconsented to this and marrying her, took up my abode with him and Allah\nhath opened on me the gates of weal and wealth, so that I am become the\nrichest in monies of the tribesmen; and the Almighty hath stablished me\nin that which He hath given me of His bounties.\u201d The young man marvelled\nat his tale and lay the night with him; and when he arose in the\nmorning, he found his estrays. So he took them and returning to his\nfolk, acquainted them with what he had seen and all that had befallen\nhim. \u201cNor\u201d (continued the Wazir) \u201cis this stranger or rarer than the\nstory of the King who lost kingdom and wealth and wife and children and\nAllah restored them to him and requited him with a realm more\nmagnificent than that which he had forfeited and better and finer and\ngreater of wealth and degree.\u201d The Minister\u2019s story pleased the King and\nhe bade him depart to his abode.\n\n\n The Twenty-sixth Night of the Month.\n\nWhen came the night, the king summoned his Wazir and bade him tell the\nstory of the King who lost kingdom and wife and wealth. He replied,\n\u201cHearing and obeying! Give ear, O sovran, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE KING WHO LOST KINGDOM AND WIFE AND WEALTH AND ALLAH\n RESTORED THEM TO HIM_.\u201d[508]\n\nThere was once a king of the kings of Hind, who was a model of morals,\npraiseworthy in policy, lief of justice to his lieges, lavish to men of\nlearning and piety and abstinence and devoutness and worship and\nshunning mischief-makers and froward folk, fools and traitors. After\nsuch goodly fashion he abode in his kingship what Allah the Most High\nwilled of watches and days and twelvemonths,[509] and he married the\ndaughter of his father\u2019s brother, a beautiful woman and a winsome,\nendowed with brightness and perfection, who had been reared in the\nking\u2019s house in delicacy and delight. She bare him two sons, the most\nbeauteous that might be of boys, when came Destiny from whose decree is\nno deliverance and Allah the Most High raised up against the King\nanother king, who came forth upon his realm, and was joined by all the\nfolk of the city that had a mind to lewdness and frowardness. So he\nstrengthened himself by means of them against the King and compassed his\nkingdom, routing his troops and killing his guards. The King took his\nwife, the mother of his sons, and what he might of monies and saved his\nlife and fled in the darkness of the night, unknowing whither he should\nwend. Whenas wayfare grew sore upon them, there met them highwaymen on\nthe way, who took all that was with them, so that naught remained to\neach of them save a shirt and trousers; the robbers left them without\neven provaunt or camels or other riding-cattle, and they ceased not to\nfare on afoot, till they came to a copse, which was an orchard of trees\non the ocean shore.[510] Now the road which they would have followed was\ncrossed by a sea-arm, but it was shallow and scant of water; wherefore,\nwhen they reached that place, the king took up one of his children and\nfording the water with him, set him down on the further bank and\nreturned for his other son, whom also he seated by his brother. Lastly,\nreturning for their mother, he took her up and passing the water with\nher, came 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 old man\nand an old woman, engaged in making themselves a reed-hut: so he set\ndown his wife over against them and started off in quest of his\nchildren, but none gave him news of them and he went round about right\nand left, yet found not the whereabouts they were. On this wise fared it\nwith him; but as to the children, they had entered the copse to make\nwater, and they found there a forest of trees, wherein, if a sturdy\nhorseman[511] strayed, he might wander by the week, and never know its\nfirst from its last. So the boys pushed into it and wotted not how they\nshould return and went astray in that wood, for a purpose willed of\nAllah Almighty, whilst their father sought them, but found them not. So\nhe returned to their mother and they abode weeping for their children;\nas for whom, when they entered the forest, it swallowed them up and they\nfared at hap-hazard, wandering in it many days, knowing not whence they\ncame or whither they went, till they issued forth, at another side, upon\nthe open country. Meanwhile, their parents, the king and queen, tarried\nin the island, over against the old man and his old woman, and ate of\nthe fruits and drank of the rills that were in it till, one day of the\ndays, as they sat, behold, up came a ship and made fast to the\nisland-side, for provisioning with water, whereupon they[512] looked one\nat other and spoke. The master of the craft was a Magian man and all\nthat was therein, both crew and goods, belonged to him, for he was a\ntrader and went round about the world. Now greed of gain deluded the old\nman, the owner of the island, and he fared to the ship and gave the\nGuebre news of the King\u2019s wife, setting out to him her charms, till he\nmade him long for her and his soul moved[513] him to practise treachery\nand cozenage upon her and take her from her husband. Accordingly, he\nsent to her, saying, \u201cAboard with us is a woman with child, and we dread\nlest she be delivered this night: hast thou aught of skill in\nmidwifery?\u201d She replied, \u201cYes.\u201d Now it was the last of the day; so he\nsent to her to 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 ease for\nherself, and transported her gear to the ship; but no sooner had she\ncome thither than the sails were hoisted and the canvas was loosed[514]\nand the ship set sail. When the King saw this, he cried out and his wife\nwept in the ship and would have cast herself into the waves; but the\nMagian bade his men lay hands on her. So they seized her and it was but\na little while ere the night darkened and the ship vanished from the\nKing\u2019s eyes; whereupon he fainted away for excess of weeping and\nlamentation and passed his night bewailing his wife and his children.\nAnd when the morning morrowed he began improvising these couplets:\u2014[515]\n\n O World, how long, this spite, this enmity?\n Say me, dost ever spare what spared can be?\n And look! my friends have far\u00e8d fain and free!\n They went and went wi\u2019 them my dear delight\n E\u2019en from the day when friends to part were dight\n And turbid made their lost life\u2019s clarity.\n By Allah, ne\u2019er I wist their worth aright\n Nor ever wot I worth of friends unite\n Till fared they, leaving flame in heart of me!\n\n I\u2019ll ne\u2019er forget them since what day each wight\n Hied and withdrew fro\u2019 me his well-loved sight\n And 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 \u201cThe far is near, right soon their sight shalt see!\u201d\n Upon their site my cheeks I\u2019ll place, to sprite\n I\u2019ll say, \u201cRejoice, thy friends return to thee!\u201d\n Nor blame my heart when friends were lief to flee:\n I rent my heart ere rent my raimentry.\n\nHe sat weeping for the severance of his wife and children till the\nmorning, when he went forth wandering at a venture, unweeting what he\nshould do, and ceased not walking along the sea-shore days and nights,\nunknowing whither he went and taking no food save the herbs of the earth\nand seeing neither man nor wildling nor other living thing, till his\nwayfare brought him to a mountain-top. He sojourned in the highland and\nabode awhile, there alone, eating of its fruits and drinking of its\nfounts; then he came down thence and trudged along the high road three\ndays, when he hit upon tilled fields and villages and gave not over\ngoing till he made a great city on the shore of the salt sea and came to\nits gate at the last of the day. The gatekeepers allowed him no\nadmission; so he spent his night anhungered, and when he arose in the\nmorning, he sat down hard by the portal. Now the king of the city was\ndead and had left no son, and the citizens fell out anent who should be\nruler over them: and their words and redes differed, so that civil war\nwas like to befal them thereupon. But it came to pass that, after long\njangle, they agreed to leave the choice to the late king\u2019s elephant and\nthat he unto whom he consented should be king and that they would not\ncontest with him the sway. So to this they sware and on the morrow, they\nbrought out 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. Then\nthey adorned the elephant and raising the throne on his back, gave him\nthe crown in his trunk; and he went round about examining the\ncountenances of the folk, but stopped not over against any of them till\nhe came at last to the forlorn King, the exile who had lost his children\nand his wife, when the beast prostrated himself to him and placing the\ncrown on his head, took him up and set him upon his back. Thereupon the\npeople all prostrated themselves and gave mutual joy of this and the\ndrums[516] of good tidings beat before him, and he entered the city and\nwent on till he reached the House of Justice and the Audience-hall of\nthe Palace and sat down upon the throne of the kingdom, crown on head;\nwhereat the lieges entered to congratulate him and to bless him. Then he\naddressed himself, as was his wont in the kingship, to forwarding the\naffairs of the folk and ranging the troops according to their ranks and\nlooking into their affairs and those of all the Ryots. He also released\nthose who were in the dungeons and abolished the custom-dues and gave\nhonourable robes and lavished great gifts and bestowed largesse and\nconferred favours on the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the realm, and\nthe Chamberlains[517] and Nabobs presented themselves before him and did\nhim homage. So the city people rejoiced in him and said, \u201cIndeed, this\nbe none other than a King of the greatest of the kings.\u201d And presently\nhe assembled the sages and the theologians and the sons of the Sovrans\nand conversed with them and asked them subtile questions and casuistical\nproblems and talked over with them things manifold of all fashions that\nmight direct him to rectitude in the kingship; and he questioned them\nalso of mysteries and religious obligations and of the laws of the land\nand the regulations of rule and of that which it beseemeth the liege\nlord to do of looking into the affairs of the lieges and repelling the\nfoe and fending off his malice with force and fight; so the subjects\u2019\ncontentment redoubled and their exultation in that which Allah Almighty\nhad vouchsafed them of his kingship over them. On such wise he upheld\nthe ordinance of the realm, and the affairs abode stablished upon the\naccepted custom and local usage. Now the late king had left a wife and\ntwo daughters, and the people would fain have married the Princess royal\nto the new king that the rule might not pass clean away from the old\nrulers. Accordingly, they proposed to him that he should wed her or the\nother of the deceased king\u2019s daughters, and he promised them this, but\nput them off from him, of his respect for the covenant he had made with\nhis former wife, his cousin, that he would marry none other than\nherself. Then he betook himself to fasting by day and praying through\nthe night, multiplying his almsdeeds and beseeching Allah (extolled and\nexalted be He!) to reunite him with his children and his wife, the\ndaughter of his father\u2019s brother. When a year had elapsed, there came to\nthe city a ship, wherein were many merchants and much merchandise. Now\nit was their 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 took\nagency of the goods, to the end that they might be first shown to the\nSovran, who bought as much of them as befitted him and gave the\nmerchants leave to sell whatso he wanted not. So he commissioned,\naccording to his custom, a man who should fare to the ship and seal up\nthe bales and set over them one who could watch and ward them. Meanwhile\nthe Queen his wife, when the Magian fled with her and proffered himself\nto her and lavished upon her abounding wealth, rejected him and was like\nto kill herself[518] for chagrin at that which had befallen and for\nconcern anent her separation from her husband. She also refused meat and\ndrink and resolved to cast herself into the sea; but the Magian chained\nher and straitened her and clothed her in a coat of wool and said to\nher, \u201cI will continue thee in wretchedness and humiliation till thou\nobey me and accept me.\u201d So she took patience and looked for the Almighty\nto deliver her from the hand of that accursed; and she ceased not\ntravelling with him from country to country till he came with her in\nfine to the city wherein her husband was king and his goods were put\nunder seal. Now the woman was in a chest and two youths of the late\nking\u2019s pages, who were now in the new King\u2019s service, were those who had\nbeen charged with the watch and ward of the craft and her cargaison.\nWhen the evening evened on them, the twain began talking and recounted\nthat which had befallen them in their days of childhood and the manner\nof the faring forth of their father and mother from their country and\nkingdom when the wicked overcame their realm, and how they had gone\nastray in the forest and how Fate had severed them from their parents;\nfor short, they told their tale from first to last. When the woman heard\ntheir talk, she knew that they were her sons and cried out to them from\nthe chest, \u201cI am your mother, Such-an-one, and the token between you\ntwain and me is thus and thus.\u201d The young men knew the token and falling\nupon the chest, brake the lock and brought out their mother, who seeing\nthem, strained them to her bosom, and they fell upon her and fainted\naway, all three. When they came to themselves, they wept awhile and the\npeople assembled about them, marvelling at that they saw, and questioned\nthem of their case. So the young Princes vied each with other who should\nbe the first to discover the story to the folk; and when the Magian saw\nthis, he came up, crying out, \u201cAlack!\u201d and \u201cRuin!\u201d and said to them,\n\u201cWhy and wherefore have ye broken open my chest? Verily, I had in it\njewels and ye have stolen them, and this damsel is my slave-girl and she\nhath agreed with you both upon a device to take my wealth.\u201d Then he rent\nhis raiment and cried for aid, saying, \u201cI appeal to Allah and to the\njust King, so he may quit me of these wrongous youths!\u201d They both\nreplied, \u201cThis is our mother and thou stolest her:\u201d whereupon words\nwaxed manifold between them and the folk plunged into talk with many a\n\u201che said\u201d and \u201c\u2019twas said\u201d concerning their affair and that of the\npretended slave-girl, and the strife increased between them, so that at\nlast they carried them all four to the King\u2019s court. When the two young\nmen presented themselves between his hands and stated their case to him\nand to the folk and the sovran heard their speech, he knew them and his\nheart was like to fly for joy: the tears poured from his eyes at their\nsight and the sight of his wife, and he thanked Allah Almighty and\npraised Him for that He had deigned reunite them. Then he bade the folk\nwho were present about him be dismissed and commanded the Magian and the\nwoman and the two youths be to morrow committed to his armoury[519] for\nthe night, ordering that they should keep guard over them all until the\nLord should make the morning to morrow, so he might assemble the Kazis\nand the Justiciaries and Assessors and determine between them, according\nto Holy Law, in the presence of the four judges. So they did this and\nthe King passed the night praying and praising Allah of All-might for\nthat which he had vouchsafed him of kingship and power and victory over\nthe wight who had wronged him and thanking Him who had reunited him with\nhis own. When the morning morrowed, he assembled the Kazis and Deputies\nand Assessors[520] and summoning the Magian and the two youths and their\nmother, questioned them of their case; whereupon the two young men began\nand said, \u201cWe are the sons of King Such-an-one and foemen and lewd\nfellows gat the mastery of our realm; so our sire fled forth with us and\nwandered at hap-hazard, for fear of the foe.\u201d And they recounted to him\nall that had betided them, from beginning to end.[521] Quoth he, \u201cYe\ntell a marvel-tale; but what hath Fate done with your father?\u201d Quoth\nthey, \u201cWe know not how Fortune dealt with him after our loss.\u201d And he\nwas silent. Then he bespake the woman, \u201cAnd thou, what sayst thou?\u201d So\nshe set forth to him her case and all that had betided her and her\nhusband, from the beginning of their hardships to the end, and recounted\nto him their adventures up to the time when they took up their abode\nwith the old man and woman who dwelt on the sea-shore. Then she reported\nthat which the Magian had practised on her of fraud and how he had\ncarried her off in the craft and everything that had betided her of\nhumiliation and torment; all this while the Kazis and Judges and\nDeputies hearkening to her speech as they had lent ear to the others\u2019\nadventures. When the King heard the last of his wife\u2019s tale, he said,\n\u201cVerily, there hath betided thee a mighty grievous matter; but hast thou\nknowledge of what thy husband did and what came of his affair?\u201d She\nreplied, \u201cNay, by Allah; I have no knowledge of him, save that I leave\nhim no hour unremembered in righteous prayer, and never, whilst I live,\nwill he cease to be to me the father of my children and my cousin and my\nflesh and my blood.\u201d Then she wept and the King bowed his head, whilst\nhis eyes welled tears at her tale. Presently he raised his head to the\nMagian and cried to him, \u201cSay thy say, thou also.\u201d So the Magian\nreplied, \u201cThis is my slave-girl, whom I bought with my money from such a\nland and for so many dinars, and I made her my betrothed[522] and loved\nher exceedingly and gave my monies into her charge; but she falsed me in\nmy substance and plotted with one of my lads to slay me, tempting him by\na promise that she would kill me and become his wife. When I knew this\nof her and was assured that she purposed treason against me, I awoke\nfrom my dream of happiness and did with her that which I did, fearing\nfor my life from her craft and perfidy; for indeed she is a trickstress\nwith her tongue and she hath taught these two youths this pretence, by\nway of sleight and of her guile and her malice: so be you not deluded by\nher and by her talk.\u201d \u201cThou liest, O accursed,\u201d cried the King and bade\nlay hands on him and iron him. Then he turned to the two youths, his\nsons, and strained them to his breast, weeping sore and saying, \u201cO all\nye people who are present of Kazis and Assessors and Lords of the land,\nknow that these twain are my sons and that this is my wife and the\ndaughter of my father\u2019s brother; for that whilome I was king in such a\nrealm.\u201d And he recounted to them his history from commencement to\nconclusion, nor is there aught of fruition in repetition; whereupon the\nfolk cried out with weeping and wailing for the stress of what they\nheard of marvellous chances and that wondrous story. As for the king\u2019s\nwife, he bade carry her into his palace and lavished upon her and upon\nher sons all that befitted and beseemed them of bounties, whilst the\nlieges flocked to offer up prayers for him and give him joy of his\nreunion with his wife and children. When they had made an end of\nblessings and congratulations, they besought the king to hasten the\npunishment of the Magian and heal their hearts with tormenting and\nabasing him. So he appointed them for a day on which they should\nassemble to witness his requitement and that which should betide him of\ntorment, and shut himself up with his wife and two sons and abode thus\nprivate with them three days, during which they were veiled from the\nfolk. On the fourth day the King entered the Hammam, and faring forth,\nsat down on the throne of his kingship, crown on head, whereupon the\nfolk came in to him, according to their custom and after the measure of\ntheir several dignities and degrees, and the Emirs and Wazirs entered,\nand eke the Chamberlains and Nabobs and Captains of war and the\nFalconers and Armbearers and Commanders of the body-guard. Then he\nseated his two sons, one on his right and the other on his left hand,\nwhilst the subjects all stood before him and lifted up their voices in\nthanksgiving to Allah the Most High and glorification of Him and were\ninstant in orisons for the king and in setting forth his virtues and\nexcellent qualities. He answered them with the most gracious of answers\nand bade carry the Magian outside the city and set him on a high\nscaffold which had been builded for him there; and he said to the folk,\n\u201cBehold, I will torture him with torments of all kinds and fashions.\u201d\nThen he began telling them that which he had wrought of villainy with\nhis cousin-wife and what he had caused her of severance between her and\nher husband and how he had required her of her person, but she had\nsought refuge for her chastity against him with Allah (to whom belong\nhonour and glory) and chose abasement rather than obedience to him,\ndespite stress of torture: neither recked she aught of that which he\nlavished to her of monies and raiment, jewels and ornaments. When the\nKing had made an end of his story, he bade the bystanders spit in the\nMagian\u2019s face and curse him; and they did this. Then he bade cut out his\ntongue and on the next day he bade lop off his ears and nose and pluck\nout both his eyes. On the third day he bade hew off his hands and on the\nfourth his feet; and they ceased not to dismember him, limb after limb,\nand each member they cast into the fire, after its amputation, before\nhis face, till his soul departed, after he had endured torments of all\nkinds and fashions. Then the King bade crucify his trunk on the city\nwall for three days; after which he gave orders to burn it and reduce\nits ashes to powder and scatter them abroad in air. And when this was\ndone, the King summoned the Kazi and the Witnesses and commanded them\nmarry the old king\u2019s daughter and her sister to his own sons; so the\nyouths wedded them, after the King had made a bride-feast three days and\ndisplayed their brides to them from nightfall to day-dawn. Then the two\nPrinces went in unto their brides and abated their maidenheads and loved\nthem and were vouchsafed issue by them. As for the King their sire, he\nabode with his cousin-wife, their mother, what while Allah (to whom be\nhonour and glory) willed, and they rejoiced in reunion each with other.\nThe kingship endured unto them and high degree and victory, and the\nsovran continued to rule with justice and equity, so that the lieges\nloved him and prayed for him and for his sons length of life and durance\nof days; and they lived the most delightsome of existences till there\ncame to them the Destroyer of delights and Severer of societies, the\nDepopulator of palaces and Garnerer of graves; and this is all that hath\ncome down to us of the story of the King and his Wife and Sons. \u201cNor,\u201d\ncontinued the Wazir, \u201cif this story be a solace and a diversion, is it\npleasanter or more diverting than the tale of the Youth of Khorasan and\nhis mother and sister.\u201d When King Shah Bakht heard this story, it\npleased him and he bade the Minister hie away to his own house.\n\n\n The Twenty-Seventh Night of the Month.\n\nWhen evening came, the king Shah Bakht bade fetch the Wazir; so he\npresented himself before him and the King ordered him to tell the tale.\nSo he said, \u201cHearkening and obedience. Give ear, O sovran, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF SALIM, THE YOUTH OF KHORASAN AND SALMA, HIS SISTER_.\u201d\n\nKnow, O king (but Allah alone knoweth His secret purpose and is versed\nin the past and the foredone among folk bygone) that there was once, in\nthe parts of Khorasan, a man of its affluent, who was a merchant of the\nchiefest of the merchants[523] and was blessed with two children, a son\nand a daughter.[524] He was diligent exceedingly in rearing them and\nthey were educated with the fairest of education; for he used to teach\nthe boy, who taught his sister all that he learnt, so that, by means of\nher brother, the damsel became perfect in the knowledge of the\nTraditions of the Prophet and in polite letters. Now the boy\u2019s name was\nSal\u00edm and that of the girl Salm\u00e1. When they grew up and were fully\ngrown, their father built them a mansion beside his own and lodged them\napart therein and appointed them slave-girls and servants to tend them\nand assigned to each of them pay and allowances and all that they needed\nof high and low; meat and bread; wine, dresses, and vessels and what not\nelse. So Salim and Salma abode in that palace, as they were one soul in\ntwo bodies, and they used to sleep on one couch and rise amorn with\nsingle purpose, while firmly fixed in each one\u2019s heart were fond\naffection and familiar friendship for the other. One night, when the\nhalf was spent, as Salim and Salma sat recounting and conversing, they\nheard a noise on the ground floor; so they looked out from a latticed\ncasement which gave upon the gate of their father\u2019s mansion and saw a\nman of fine presence, whose clothes were hidden under a wide cloak. He\ncame straight up to the gate and laying hold of the door-ring, rapped a\nlight rap; whereupon the door opened and behold, out came their sister,\nwith a lighted taper, and after her their mother, who saluted the\nstranger and embraced him, saying, \u201cO dearling of my heart and light of\nmine eyes and fruit of my vitals, enter.\u201d So he went in and shut the\ndoor, whilst Salim and Salma abode amazed. The youth turned to the girl\nand said to her, \u201cO sister mine, how deemest thou of this trouble and\nwhat advice hast thou to offer?\u201d She replied, \u201cO my brother, indeed I\nknow not what I shall say anent the like of this; but he is not\ndisappointed who divine direction seeketh, nor doth he repent who\ncounsel taketh. One getteth not the better of the traces of burning by\nhaste, and know that this is an affliction that hath descended[525] on\nus and a calamity foreordained to us; so we have need of wise rede to do\nit away and contrivance which shall wash our shame from our faces.\u201d And\nthey ceased not watching the gate till daybreak, when the young man\nopened the door and their mother farewelled him; after which he went his\nway and she entered, she and her hand-maid. Hereat said Salim to his\nsister, \u201cKnow thou I am resolved to slay this man, an he return the next\nnight, and I will say to the folk, He was a robber, and none shall weet\nthat which hath befallen. Then I will address myself to the slaughter of\nwhosoever knoweth what is between the fellow and my mother.\u201d But Salma\nsaid, \u201cI fear lest an thou slay him in our dwelling-place and he be not\nconvicted of robber-hood, suspicion and ill-fame will revert upon\nourselves, and we cannot be assured that he belongeth not to a tribe\nwhose mischief is to be feared and whose enmity is to be dreaded, and\nthus wilt thou have fled from hidden shame to open shame and to disgrace\npublic and abiding.\u201d Asked Salim: \u201cWhat then is it thy rede to do?\u201d And\nshe answered, \u201cIs there no help but thou kill him? Let us not hasten\nunto slaughter, for that the slaughter of a soul without just cause is a\nmighty grave matter.\u201d When Shahb\u00e1n[526] heard this, he said within\nhimself, \u201cBy Allah, I have indeed been hasty and reckless in the slaying\nof women and girls, and Alhamdolillah\u2014lauded be the Lord\u2014who hath\noccupied me with this damsel from the slaughter of souls, for that the\nslaughter of souls is a grave matter and a grievous! By the Almighty if\nShah Bakht spare the Wazir, I will assuredly spare Sh\u00e1hr\u00e1z\u00e1d!\u201d[527] Then\nhe gave ear to the story and heard her say to her sister:\u2014Quoth Salma to\nSalim, \u201cHasten not to slay him, but overthink the matter and consider\nthe issue whereto it may tend; for whoso considereth not of actions the\nend hath not Fortune to friend.\u201d Then they arose on the morrow and\nbusied themselves with contriving how they should turn away their parent\nfrom that man, and the mother forefelt mischief from them, for what she\nsaw in their eyes of change, she being wily and keen of wit. So she took\nprecaution for herself against her children and Salma said to Salim,\n\u201cThou seest what we have fallen upon through this woman, and very sooth\nshe hath sensed our purpose and wotteth that we have discovered her\nsecret. So, doubtless, she will plot against us the like of that which\nwe plot for her; for indeed up to now she had concealed her affair, and\nfrom this time forth she will become harsh to us; wherefore, methinks,\nthere is a thing forewritten to us, whereof Allah (extolled and exalted\nbe He!) knew in His foreknowledge and wherein He carrieth out His\ncommandments.\u201d He asked, \u201cWhat is that?\u201d and she answered, \u201cIt is that\nwe arise, I and thou, and go forth this night from this land and seek us\na town wherein we may wone and witness naught of the doings of yonder\ntraitress; for whoso is absent from the eye is absent from the heart,\nand quoth one of the poets in the following couplet:[528]\u2014\n\n \u2019Tis happiest, best for thee, the place to leave, \u273f For then no eye can\n see, nor heart can grieve.\u201d\n\nQuoth Salim to her,[529] \u201cTis for thee to decide and right is thy rede;\nso let us do this, in the name of Allah the Almighty, trusting in Him\nfor guiding and grace.\u201d Accordingly they arose and took the richest of\ntheir raiment and the lightest of that which was in their treasuries of\ngems and things of price and gathered together much matter. Then they\nequipped them ten mules and hired them servants of other than the people\nof the country; and Salim bade his sister Salma don man\u2019s dress. Now she\nwas the likest of all creatures to him, so that, when she was clad in\nman\u2019s clothing, the folk knew no difference between them:\u2014extolled be\nthe perfection of Him who hath no like, there is no god but He! Then he\ntold her to mount a mare, whilst he himself took another, and they set\nout under cover of the night; nor did any of their family or household\nknow of them. So they fared on into Allah\u2019s wide world and gave not over\ngoing night and day for a space of two months, at the end of which they\ncame to a city on the sea-shore of the land of Makran,[530] by name\nAl-Sharr, and it is the first city in Sind.[531] They lighted down\nwithin sight of the place and when they arose in the morning, they saw a\npopulous city and a goodly, seemly of semblance and great, abounding in\ntrees and rills and fruits and wide of suburbs which stretched to the\nneighbouring villages. So the young man said to his sister Salma, \u201cTarry\nthou here in thy place, till I enter the city and make proof of it and\nits people and 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 will\nwe take counsel of departing elsewhere.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cDo this, trusting\nin the bounty of Allah (to whom belong honour and glory) and in His\nblessing.\u201d Accordingly he took a belt, wherein were a thousand gold\npieces, and girding it about his waist, entered the city and ceased not\ngoing round about its streets and bazars and gazing upon its houses and\nsitting with those of its citizens whose aspect showed signs of worth\nand wealth, till the day was half spent, when he resolved to return to\nhis sister and said to himself, \u201cNeeds must I buy what we may eat of\nready-cooked food; I and my sister.\u201d Hereupon he addressed a man who\nsold roast meat and who was clean of person, albe foul in his way of\ngetting a living, and said to him, \u201cTake the price of this dishful and\nadd thereto of fowls and chickens and what not else is in your market of\nmeats and sweetmeats and bread and arrange it in the plates.\u201d So the\nKitchener took the money and set apart for him what he desired, then\ncalling a porter, he laid it in the man\u2019s crate, and Salim, after paying\nthe price of provisions and porterage in fullest fashion, was about to\ngo away, when the Cook said to him, \u201cO youth, doubtless thou art a\nstranger?\u201d He replied, \u201cYes;\u201d and the other rejoined, \u201c\u2019Tis reported in\none of the Traditions that the Apostle said, Loyal admonition is a part\nof religion; and the wise and ware have declared counsel is of the\ncharacteristics of True Believers. And verily that which I have seen of\nthy ways pleaseth me and I would fain give thee a warning.\u201d Rejoined\nSalim, \u201cSpeak out thy warning, and may Allah strengthen thy purpose!\u201d\nThen said the Cook, \u201cKnow, O my son, that in this our city, when a\nstranger entereth and eateth of flesh-meat and drinketh not old wine\nupon it, \u2019tis harmful to him and disturbeth his body with disorders\nwhich be dangerous. Wherefore, an thou have provided thee somewhat of\nwine it is well, but, if not, haste to procure it, ere thou take the\nmeat and carry it away.\u201d Quoth Salim, \u201cAllah requite thee with\nweal\u2014Canst thou shew me where liquor is sold?\u201d and quoth the Cook, \u201cWith\nme is all thou seekest.\u201d The youth asked, \u201cIs there a way for me to see\nit?\u201d and the Cook sprang up and answered, \u201cPass on.\u201d So he entered and\nthe man showed him somewhat of wine; but he said, \u201cI desire better than\nthis;\u201d whereupon he opened a door and entering, said to Salim, \u201cCome in,\nand follow me.\u201d Accordingly Salim followed him till he brought him to an\nunderground chamber and showed him somewhat of wine that suited him. So\nhe occupied him with looking at it and taking him unawares, sprang upon\nhim from 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 betided\nSalim that wherewith Allah made him forget all that He had decreed to\nhim,[532] and he cried to the Cook, \u201cWhy dost thou this thing, O good\nfellow? Be mindful of the Almighty and fear Him. Seest thou not I am a\nstranger man? And knowest thou not I have behind me a forlorn\ndefenceless[533] woman. Wherefore wilt thou kill me?\u201d Quoth the\nKitchener, \u201cNeeds must I kill thee, so I may take thy money;\u201d and quoth\nSalim, \u201cTake my money, but kill me not, neither enter into sin against\nme; and do with me kindness, for indeed the taking of my coin is more\nvenial than the taking of my life.\u201d The Cook replied, \u201cThis is nonsense.\nThou canst not deliver thyself herewith, O youth, because in thy\ndeliverance is my destruction.\u201d Cried Salim, \u201cI swear to thee and give\nthee the bond of Allah (to whom belong honour and glory) and His\ncovenant, which He took of His prophets that I will not discover thy\nsecret; no, never.\u201d But the Kitchener replied, \u201cAway! Away! Alas! Alas!\nTo this there is no path.\u201d However, Salim ceased not to conjure him and\nhumble himself to him and weep, while the Cook persisted in his intent\nto cut his throat: then he shed tears and recited these couplets[534]:\u2014\n\n Haste not to that thou dost desire, for haste is still unblest; Be\n merciful to men, as thou on mercy reckonest:\n For no hand is there but the hand of God is over it And no oppressor but\n shall be with worse than he opprest.\n\nQuoth the Kitchener, \u201cThere is no help save that I slay thee, O fellow;\nfor an I spare thee, I shall myself be slain.\u201d But Salim said, \u201cO my\nbrother, I will advise thee somewhat[535] other than this.\u201d Asked the\nCook, \u201cWhat is it? Say and be brief, ere I cut thy throat;\u201d and Salim\nanswered, \u201cSuffer me to live and keep me as thy Mameluke, thy white\nslave, and I will work at a craft of the skilled workmen, wherefrom\nthere shall result to thee every day two dinars.\u201d Quoth the Kitchener,\n\u201cWhat is the craft?\u201d and quoth Salim, \u201cThe cutting of gems and jewels.\u201d\nWhen the man heard this, he said to himself, \u201c\u2019Twill do me no hurt if I\nimprison him and fetter him and bring him that whereat he may work. An\nhe tell truth, I will let him live, and if he prove a liar, I will kill\nhim.\u201d So he took a pair of stout shackles and fitting them on Salim\u2019s\nlegs, jailed him within his house and charged a man to guard him. Then\nhe asked him what tools he needed for work; and Salim described to him\nwhatso he required, and the Cook went out from him awhile and brought\nhim all he wanted. Then Salim sat and wrought at his craft; and he used\nevery day to earn two dinars; and this was his wont and custom with the\nKitchener, who fed him not but half his fill. Thus befel it with Salim;\nbut returning to his sister Salma, she awaited him till the last of the\nday, yet he appeared not; and she expected him a second day and a third\nand a fourth, yet there came no news of him. So she wept and beat hand\non breast and bethought her of her affair and her strangerhood and the\ndisappearance of her brother; and she improvised these couplets:\u2014\n\n Salam t\u2019you! Would I could see you again, \u273f To the joy of my heart and\n the coolth of my eyes:\n You are naught but my hope and the whole of my hope \u273f And under my\n ribs[536] love for you buried lies.\n\nShe tarried on this wise awaiting him till the end of the month, but no\ntidings of him came nor happened she upon aught of his trace; wherefore\nshe was troubled with exceeding trouble and sending her servants hither\nand thither in search of him, abode in the sorest that might be of\nchagrin and concern. When it was the beginning of the new month, she\narose in the morning and bidding one of her men cry her brother\nthroughout the city, sat to receive visits of condolence, nor was there\nany in town but made act of presence to condole with her; and they were\nall sorry for her, doubting not her being a man. When three nights had\npassed over her with their days of the second month, she despaired of\nhim and her tears never dried: then she resolved to take up her abode in\nthat city and making choice of a dwelling, removed thither. The folk\nresorted to her from all parts, to sit with her and hear her speech and\nwitness her fine breeding; nor was it but a little while ere the king\ndied and the folk differed anent whom they should invest with the\nkingship after him, so that civil war was like to befal them. However,\nthe men of judgment and the folk of understanding and the people of\nexperience directed them to crown the youth who had lost his brother,\nfor that they still held Salma to be a man. They consented to this one\nand all; and, betaking themselves to her, offered the kingship.[537] She\nrefused, but they were urgent with her, till she consented, saying\nwithin herself, \u201cMy sole desire in the kingship is to find my brother.\u201d\nThen they seated her upon the throne of the realm and set the crown upon\nher head, after which she undertook the business of governance and\nordinance of affairs; and they rejoiced in her with the utmost joy. On\nsuch wise fared it with her; but as for Salim he abode with the Cook a\nwhole year\u2019s space, bringing him two dinars a day; and when his affair\nwaxed longsome, the man felt for him and pitied him. Presently he\npromised him release on condition that, if he let him go, he should not\ndiscover his ill-deeds to the Sultan; for that it was his wont now and\nthen to entrap a man and carry him to his house and slay him and take\nhis money and cook his flesh and give it to the folk to eat.[538] So he\nasked him, \u201cO youth, wilt thou that I release thee from this thy misery,\non condition that thou be reasonable and never discover aught of thine\naffair?\u201d Salim answered, \u201cI will swear to thee by whatsoever oath thou\nwilt administer that I will keep thy secret and will not speak one\nsyllable anent thee, what while I am in the land of the living.\u201d Quoth\nthe Kitchener, \u201cI purpose to send thee forth with my brother and cause\nthee voyage with him over the sea, on condition that thou be to him a\nMameluke, a boughten slave; and when he cometh to the land of Hind, he\nshall sell thee and thus wilt thou be delivered from prison and\nslaughter.\u201d And quoth Salim, \u201c\u2019Tis well: be it as thou sayst, may Allah\nthe Most High requite thee with weal!\u201d 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 the\nship. The Lord decreed them safety, so that they arrived at the first\ncity of Hind, which is known as Al-Mans\u00farah,[539] and cast anchor there.\nNow the king of that city had died, leaving a daughter and a widow who,\nbeing the quickest-witted of women and cleverest of the folk of her day,\ngave out that the girl was a boy, so that the kingship might be\nestablished unto them. The troops and the Emirs gave credit that the\ncase was as she avouched and that the Princess was a Prince; wherefore\nthey obeyed her bidding and the Queen-mother took order for the matter\nand used to dress the girl in man\u2019s habit and seat her on the throne of\nthe kingship, so that the Lords of the land and the chief officers of\nthe realm used to go in to her and salute her and do her service and\ndepart, nothing doubting but she was a boy. After this fashion they\nfared for months and years and the Queen-mother ceased not to do thus\ntill the Cook\u2019s brother came to the town in his ship, and with him\nSalim. He landed with the youth and displayed him for sale to the Queen\nwho, when she saw him, prognosticated well of him; presently she bought\nhim and was kind to him and entreated him with honour. Then began she to\nprove him in his moral parts and make assay of him in his affairs, and\nshe found in him all that is in kings\u2019 sons of understanding and fine\nbreeding and good manners and qualities. Thereupon she sent for him in\nprivate and said to him, \u201cI am minded to do thee a service, so thou\ncanst keep a secret.\u201d[540] He promised her all that she desired and she\ndiscovered to him her mystery in the matter of her daughter, saying, \u201cI\nwill marry thee to her and commit to thee the governance and constitute\nthee king and ruler over this city.\u201d He thanked her and promised to\ncarry out all she should order him, and she said to him, \u201cGo forth to\nsuch-an-one of the neighbouring provinces privily.\u201d So he went forth and\non the morrow she made ready loads and gear and gifts and bestowed on\nhim abundant substance, all of which they loaded on the backs of\nbaggage-camels. Then she gave out among the folk that the nephew of the\nking, the son of his brother, was come and bade the Grandees and troops\ngo forth to meet him in a body: she also decorated the city in his\nhonour and the kettle-drums of good tidings beat for him whilst all the\nking\u2019s household went out and dismounting before him, escorted him into,\nand lodged him with the queen-mother in the palace. Then she bade the\nHeadmen of the state attend his assembly; so they obeyed and witnessed\nof his breeding and good parts that which amazed them and made them\nforget the breeding of the kings who had preceded him. When they were\ngrown to like him, the Queen-mother began sending privily for the Emirs\nand Councillors, one by one, and swearing them to conceal her project;\nand when she was assured of their discretion, she discovered to them\nthat the king had left naught save a daughter and that she had done this\nonly that she might continue the kingship in his family and that the\nrule should not go forth from them; after which she informed them that\nshe was minded to marry her daughter with her nephew, the new-comer; and\nthat he should be the holder of the kingship. They approved her proposal\nand when she had discovered the secret to the last of them and assured\nherself of their aid, she published the news abroad and threw off all\nconcealment. Then she sent for the Kazis and Assessors, who drew up the\ncontract of marriage between Salim and the Princess, and they lavished\ngifts upon the soldiery and overwhelmed them with largesse. The bride\nwas incontinently carried in procession to the young man and the\nkingship was established to him. They tarried after this fashion a whole\nyear when Salim said to the Queen-mother, \u201cKnow that my life is not\npleasing to me nor can I abide with you in content till I get me tidings\nof my sister and learn how her affair hath ended and how she hath fared\nafter me. So I will go forth and be absent from you a year\u2019s space; then\nwill I return to you, Inshallah\u2014an it please God the Most High\u2014and I win\nof this that which I hope.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cI will not trust to thy word,\nbut will go with thee and help thee to whatso thou wishest and further\nthee myself therein.\u201d 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 conduct\nand contrivance, to rule the realm, saying to him, \u201cAbide in governance\na full year and ordain all thou needest.\u201d Presently the Queen-mother and\nher daughter and son-in-law Salim went down to the ship and sailed on\ntill they made the land of Makran. Their arrival there befel at the last\nof the day; so they nighted in their ship, and when the morn was near to\ndawn, the young king landed, that he might go to the Hammam, and walked\nmarket-wards. As he drew near the bath, the Cook met him on the way and\nknew him; so he seized him and pinioning him straightly, carried him to\nhis house, where he clapped the old fetters on his feet and cast him\nback into his former place of durance vile.[541] Salim, finding himself\nin that sorry condition and considering that wherewith he was afflicted\nof tribulation and the reverses of his fair fortune, in that he had been\na king and was now returned to fetters and prison and hunger, wept and\ngroaned and lamented and improvised these couplets:\u2014\n\n My God, no patience now can aid afford; \u273f Strait is my breast, O Thou of\n Lords the Lord:\n My God, who in resource like thine hath force? \u273f And Thou, the Subtle,\n 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 not to\nher with break of dawn, she forbode all manner of calamity and,\nstraightway arising, she despatched her servants and all who were with\nher in quest of her spouse; but they happened not on any trace of him\nnor could they hear aught of his news. So she bethought herself\nconcerning the case and plained and wept and groaned and sighed and\nblamed Fortune the fickle, bewailing the changes of Time and reciting\nthese couplets[542]:\u2014\n\n God keep the days of love-delight! How passing sweet they were! How\n joyous and how solaceful was life in them whilere!\n Would he were not, who sundered us upon the parting-day! How many a body\n hath he slain, how many a bone laid bare!\n Sans fault of mine, my blood and tears he shed and beggared me Of him I\n love yet for himself gained nought thereby whate\u2019er.\n\nWhen she had made an end of her verses, she considered her affair and\nsaid within herself, \u201cBy Allah, all these things have betided by the\npredestination of Almighty Allah and His decree and this upon the\nforehead was written in lines.\u201d Then she landed and walked on till she\ncame to a spacious place, and an open, where she asked of the folk and\nhired a house. Thither she transported forthright all that was in the\nship of goods and sending after brokers, sold all that was with her.\nPresently she took part of the price and began enquiring of the folk, so\nhaply she might scent out tidings of the lost one; and she addressed\nherself to lavishing alms and preparing medicines for the sick, clothing\nthe naked and watering the dry ground[543] of the forlorn. She ceased\nnot so doing a whole year, and little by little she sold off her goods\nand gave charitable gifts to the sick and sorry; whereby her report was\nbruited abroad in the city and the folk abounded in her praise. All this\nwhile Salim lay in fetters and strait prison, and melancholy gat hold of\nhim by reason of that whereinto he had fallen of this affliction. At\nlast, when care waxed on him and calamity grew longsome, he fell sick of\na sore sickness. Then the Kitchener, seeing his plight (and verily he\nwas like to sink for much suffering), loosed him from the fetters and\nbringing him forth of the prison, committed him to an old woman, who had\na nose the bigness of a gugglet,[544] and bade her nurse him and\nmedicine him and serve him and entreat him kindly, so haply he might be\nmade whole of that his sickness. Accordingly the old woman took him and\ncarrying him to her lodging, began nursing him and giving him to eat and\ndrink; and when he was delivered of that torment, he recovered from the\nmalady which had afflicted him. Now the old woman had heard from the\nfolk of the lady who gave alms to the sick, and indeed the news of her\nbounties reached both poor and rich; so she arose and bringing out Salim\nto the door of her house, laid him upon a mat and wrapped him in an\nAb\u00e1-gown and sat over against him. Presently, it befel that the lady\npassed by them, and the old woman seeing her rose to her and blessed\nher, saying, \u201cO my daughter, O thou to whom belong goodness and\nbeneficence and charity and almsdoing,[545] know that this young man is\na foreigner, and indeed lack and lice and hunger and nakedness and cold\nslay him.\u201d When the lady heard this, she gave her alms and presented her\nwith a part of that which was with her; and indeed her charitable heart\ninclined to Salim, but she knew him not for her spouse. The old woman\nreceived the alms from her and carrying it to Salim, took part for\nherself and with the rest bought him an old shirt,[546] in which she\nclad him, after she had stripped him of that he had on. Then she threw\naway the frock she had taken from off him and arising forthwith, washed\nhis body of that which was thereon of grime and scented him with\nsomewhat of scent. She also bought him chickens and made him broth; so\nhe ate and his life returned to him and he abode with her in all comfort\nof condition till the morrow. Next morning the old woman said to Salim,\n\u201cWhen the lady cometh to thee, arise and buss her hand and say to her:\u2014I\nam a homeless man and indeed cold and hunger kill me; so haply she may\ngive thee somewhat that thou mayest expend upon thy case.\u201d And he\nanswered, \u201cTo hear is to obey.\u201d Then she took him by the hand and\ncarrying him without her house, seated him at the door; and as he sat,\nbehold, the lady came up to him, whereupon the old woman rose to her and\nSalim kissed her hand and, looking at her the while, blessed her. But\nwhen he saw her, he knew her for his wife; so he shrieked and shed tears\nand groaned and plained, at which she came up to him and threw herself\nupon him; for indeed she knew him with all knowledge, even as he knew\nher. So she hung to him and embraced him and called to her serving men\nand attendants and those who were about her; and they took him up and\ncarried him forth of that stead. When the old woman saw this, she cried\nout to the Cook within the house, and he said to her, \u201cFare thou before\nme.\u201d So she forewent him and he ran after her and ceased not running\ntill he overtook the party and seizing Salim, exclaimed, \u201cWhat aileth\nyou to take my slave-lad?\u201d Whereupon the Queen cried out at him, saying,\n\u201cKnow that this is my husband, whom I had lost;\u201d and Salim also cried\nout, saying, \u201cMercy! Mercy! I appeal to Allah and to the Sultan against\nthis Satan!\u201d Therewith a world of folk straightway gathered together and\nloud rose the cries and the clamours between them; but the most part of\nthem said, \u201cCarry their case up to the Sultan.\u201d So they referred the\nmatter to the king, who was none other than Salim\u2019s sister Salma. Then\nthey repaired to the palace and the dragoman went in to Salma and said\nto her, \u201cO king of the age, here is a Hindi woman, who cometh from the\nland of 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 years,\nand she journeyed not hither save for his sake, and in very sooth these\nmany days she hath done almsdeeds in thy city. And here is a fellow, a\nKitchener, who declareth that the young man is his slave.\u201d[547] When the\nQueen heard these words, her vitals quivered and she groaned from a\ngrieving heart and called to mind her brother and that which had betided\nhim. Then she bade those around her bring them between her hands, and\nwhen she saw them, she knew her brother and was about to cry aloud; but\nher reason restrained her; yet could she not prevent herself rising up\nand sitting down.[548] At last, however, she enforced her soul to\npatience and said to them, \u201cLet each and every of you acquaint me with\nhis case.\u201d So Salim came forward and kissing ground before the king,\nlauded him and related to him his story from first to last, until the\ntime of their coming to that city, he and his sister, telling him how he\nhad entered the place and had fallen into the hands of the Cook and that\nwhich had betided him and whatso he had suffered from him of beating and\ncollars, of fetters and pinioning, till the man had made him his\nbrother\u2019s Mameluke, a boughten slave, and how the brother had sold him\nin Hind and he had become king by marrying the Princess: and how life\nwas not lovesome to him till he should foregather with his sister and\nnow the same Cook had fallen in with him a second time and had pinioned\nand fettered him. Brief, he acquainted her with that which had betided\nhim of sickness and sorrow for the space of a whole year. When he had\nmade an end of his speech, his wife straightways came forward and told\nher story, from incept to termination, how her mother bought him[549]\nfrom the Cook\u2019s partner and the people of the kingdom came under his\nrule; nor did she cease telling till she came, in her history, to that\ncity and acquainted the king with the manner of her meeting her husband.\nWhen she had made an end of her adventure, the Kitchener exclaimed,\n\u201cAlack, what befals us from lying rascals. By Allah, O king, this woman\nlieth against me, for this youth is my rearling[550] and he was born of\none of my slave-girls. He fled from me and I found him again.\u201d When the\nQueen heard the last of the talk, she said to the Cook, \u201cThe decree\nbetween you shall not be save in accordance with justice.\u201d Then she\ndismissed all those who were present and turning to her brother, said to\nhim, \u201cIndeed thy truth is stablished with me and the sooth of thy\nspeech, and praised be Allah who hath brought about reunion between thee\nand thy wife! So now begone with her to thy country and cease to seek\nthy sister Salma and depart in peace.\u201d But, hearing this, Salim replied,\n\u201cBy Allah, by the might of the All-knowing King, I will not turn back\nfrom seeking my sister till I die or I find her, Inshallah!\u201d Then he\ncalled his sister to mind and improvised from a heart disappointed,\ntroubled, afflicted, these couplets:\u2014\n\n O thou who blam\u2019st me for my heart, in anger twitting me, \u273f Hadst tasted\n what my heart did taste, thou wouldst be pitying me!\n By Allah, O my chider for my sister leave, ah! leave \u273f My heart to moan\n its grief and feel the woes befitting me.\n Indeed I grew to hold her dear privily, publicly; \u273f And in my bosom\n bides a pang at no time quitting me;\n And in my vitals burns a flame that ne\u2019er was equalled by \u273f The fire of\n 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 him her\ncase. When he knew her, he threw himself upon her swooning awhile; after\nwhich he came to himself and cried, \u201cLauded be the Lord, the Bountiful,\nthe Beneficent!\u201d Then they plained each to other of that they had\nsuffered from the pangs of parting, whilst Salim\u2019s wife wondered at this\nand Salma\u2019s patience and endurance pleased her. So she saluted her with\nthe Salam, and thanked her for her fair boons, saying, \u201cBy Allah, O my\nlady, all that we are in of gladness never befel us save by thy\nblessing; so praised be Allah who deigned vouchsafe us thy sight!\u201d Then\nthey tarried all three, Salma, Salim and his wife, in joy and happiness\nand delight three days, veiled from the folk; and it was bruited abroad\nin the city that the king had found his brother, who was lost for many a\nyear, and had saved him from the Cook\u2019s house. On the fourth day, all\nthe troops and the lieges assembled together to see the King and\nstanding at his gate, craved leave to enter. Salma bade admit them; so\nthey entered and paid her royal suit and service and gave her joy of her\nbrother\u2019s safe return. She bade them do homage to Salim, and they\nconsented and sware fealty to him; after which they kept silence awhile,\nso they might hear what the king should command. Then quoth Salma, \u201cHo,\nye gathering of soldiers and subjects, ye wot that ye forced me\nwilly-nilly to accept the kingship and besought me thereof and I\nconsented to your desires anent my being raised to rule over you; and I\ndid this against my will; for I would have you know that I am a woman\nand that I disguised myself and donned man\u2019s dress, so peradventure my\ncase might be concealed when I lost my brother. But now Allah hath\ndeigned reunite me with my brother, and it is no longer lawful to me\nthat I be king and Sultan over the people, and I a woman; because there\nis no Sultanate for women, whenas men are present.[551] For this reason,\nan it suit you, set my brother on the throne of the kingdom, for this is\nhe; and I will busy myself with the worship of Allah the Most High and\nthanksgiving to Him for my reunion with my brother. Or, an ye prefer it,\ntake your kingship and make whom ye will ruler and liege lord thereof.\u201d\nUpon this the folk all cried out, saying, \u201cWe accept him to king over\nus;\u201d and they did him suit and service and gave him joy of the kingship.\nSo the preachers preached the sermon[552] in his name and the\ncourt-poets praised him; and he lavished largesse upon the soldiery and\nthe suite and overwhelmed them with favours and bounties and was\nprodigal to the Ryots of justice and equity, with goodly policy and\npolity. When he had effected this much of his affect, he caused bring\nforth the Cook and his household to the divan, but spared the old woman\nwho had nursed him, because she had been the cause of his deliverance.\nThen all assembled without the town and he tormented the Cook and those\nwho were with him with all manner torments, after which he did him to\ndie by the foulest of deaths[553] and burning him with fire, scattered\nhis ashes far and wide in the air. After this Salim abode in the\ngovernance, invested with the Sultanate, and ruled the people a whole\nyear, when he returned to Al-Mans\u00farah and sojourned there another year.\nAnd he and his wife ceased not to go from city to city and tarry in this\na year and that a year, till he was vouchsafed children and they grew\nup, whereupon he appointed him of his sons, who was found fitting, to be\nhis deputy in one kingdom and he ruled in the other; and he lived, he\nand his wife and children, what while Almighty Allah willed.[554] \u201cNor\u201d\n(continued the Wazir), \u201cO King of the age, is this story rarer or\nstranger than the King of Hind and his wronged and envied Minister.\u201d\nWhen the King heard this, his mind was occupied,[555] and he bade the\nWazir hie to his own house.\n\n\n The Twenty-Eighth and Last Night of the Month.\n\nWhen the evening evened, the King summoned the Minister and bade him\ntell the story of the King of Hind and his Wazir. So he said,\n\u201cHearkening and obedience. Give ear, O auspicious King, to\n\n\n _THE TALE OF THE KING OF HIND AND HIS WAZIR_.\u201d\n\nThere was once in the Hind-land a king illustrious of worth, endowed\nwith understanding and policy, and his name was Shah Bakht. He had a\nMinister, a godly man and a sagacious, right prudent in rede,\nconformable to him in governance and just in judgment; for which cause\nhis enviers were many and many were the hypocrites who sought faults in\nhim and set snares for him, so that they insinuated into King Shah\nBakht\u2019s eyes hatred against him and sowed in his heart despite towards\nhim; and plot followed plot, and their rancour waxed until the king was\nbrought to arrest him and lay him in jail and to confiscate his wealth\nand degrade him from his degree. When they knew that there was left him\nno possession for which the king might lust, they feared lest the sovran\nrelease him, by the influence of the Wazir\u2019s good counsel upon the\nking\u2019s heart, and he return to his former case, so should their\nmachinations be marred and their degrees degraded, for that they knew\nthat the king would need whatso he had known from that man nor would\nforget aught wherewith he was familiar in him. Now it came to pass that\na certain person of perverted belief[556] found a way to the adorning of\nfalsehood with a semblance of fair-seeming and there proceeded from him\nthat whereby the hearts of the folk were occupied, and their minds were\ncorrupted by his lying tales; for that he made use of Indian\nquiddities[557] and forged them into proof for the denial of the Maker,\nthe Creator, extolled be His might and exalted be He and glorified and\nmagnified above the speech of the deniers. He avouched that it is the\nplanets which order all worldly affairs and he set down twelve\nmansions[558] to twelve Zodiacal signs and made each sign thirty\ndegrees,[559] after the number of the days of the month, so that in\ntwelve mansions there are three hundred and sixty, after the number of\nthe days of 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 laid hold\nof the king\u2019s heart and the enviers and haters aided him against the\nMinister and won the royal favour and corrupted his intent against the\nWazir, so that he got of him that which he got and at last his lord\nbanished him and thrust him away. By such means the wicked man obtained\nthat which he sought of the Minister and the case was prolonged till the\naffairs of the kingdom became disordered, by dint of ill government, and\nthe most part of the king\u2019s reign fell off from him and he came nigh\nunto ruin. On this wise he was assured of the loyalty of his whilome\nsagacious Wazir and the excellence of his ordinance and the rectitude of\nhis rede. So he sent after him and brought him and the wicked man before\nhim and summoning to his presence the Lords of his land and the Chiefs\nof his chieftainship, gave them leave to talk and dispute and forbade\nthe wicked man from his perverted belief.[560] Then arose that wise\nMinister and skilful and praised Allah Almighty and lauded Him and\nglorified Him and hallowed Him and attested His unity and disputed with\nthe miscreant and overcame him and silenced him; nor did he cease from\nhim till he compelled him to make confession of repentance from that\nwhich he had misbelieved. Therewith King Shah Bakht rejoiced with\nexceeding great joy and cried, \u201cPraise be to the Lord who hath saved me\nfrom this man and hath preserved me from the loss of my kingship and my\nprosperity!\u201d So the affair of the Wazir returned to order and\nstablishment and the king restored him to his place and raised him to\nhigher rank. Lastly, he assembled the folk who had striven against him\nand destroyed them all, to the last man. \u201cAnd how like\u201d (continued the\nWazir), \u201cis this story to that of myself and King Shah Bakht, with\nregard to that which befel me of the changing of the King and his\ncrediting others against me; but now is the fairness of my fashion\nfulfilled in thine eyes, for that Allah Almighty hath inspired thee with\nwisdom and endowed thee with longanimity and patience to hear from me\nwhatso He allotted to those who forewent us, till He hath shown forth my\ninnocence and made manifest unto thee the truth. For lo and behold! the\ndays are now past, wherein it was declared to the king that I should\nlabour for the loss of my soul,[561] that is within the month; and\nlookye, the probation-time is gone by, and past is the season of evil\nand it hath ceased by the protection of the King and his good fortune.\u201d\nThen he bowed his head and was silent. When King Shah Bakht heard his\nWazir\u2019s speech, he was abashed before him and confounded, and he\nmarvelled at the gravity of his intellect and his long-suffering. So he\nsprang up to him and embraced him and the Minister kissed his feet. Then\nthe King called for a costly robe of honour and cast it over Al-Rahwan\nand honoured him with the highmost honour and showed him especial favour\nand restored him to his degree and Wazirate. Furthermore he imprisoned\nthose who had devised his destruction with lies and leasing and gave him\nfull leave and license to pass judgment upon the Interpreter who had\nexpounded to him the dream. So the Wazir abode in the ordering of the\nrealm until Death came to them; \u201cAnd this\u201d (added Shahrazad) \u201cis all, O\nking of the age, that hath come down to us of King Shah Bakht and his\nWazir.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n SHAHRAZAD AND SHAHRYAR.\n\n\nAs for King Shahryar, he wondered at Shahrazad with the utmost wonder\nand drew her near to his heart of his abounding affection for her; and\nshe was magnified in his eyes and he said within himself, \u201cBy Allah, the\nlike of this is not deserving of slaughter, for indeed the time\nfavoureth us not with her equal. By the Almighty, I have been reckless\nof mine affair, and had not the Lord overcome me with His ruth and put\nthis one at my service so she might recount to me instances manifest and\ncases truthful and admonitions goodly and traits edifying, such as\nshould restore 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 my end\nwith her like that of the Wazir and Shah Bakht.\u201d Then sleep overcame the\nking and glory be unto Him who sleepeth not![562] When it was the Nine\nhundred and thirtieth Night, Shahrazad said, \u201cO king, there is present\nin my thought a tale which treateth of women\u2019s trickery and wherein is a\nwarning to whoso will be warned and an admonishment to whoso will be\nadmonished and whoso hath sight and insight; but I fear lest the hearing\nof this belittle me with the liege-lord and lower my degree in his\nesteem; yet I hope that this will not be, because \u2019tis a rare tale.\nWomen are indeed mischief-makers; their craft and their cunning may not\nbe told nor may their wiles be known; while men enjoy their company and\nare not instant to uphold them in the right way, neither are they\nvigilant over them with all vigilance, but relish their society and take\nwhatso is winsome and regard not that which is other than this. Indeed,\nthey are like unto the crooked rib, which an thou go about to\nstraighten, thou distortest it, and which an thou persist in\nstraightening, thou breakest it;[563] so it behoveth the wise man to be\nsilent concerning them.\u201d Thereupon quoth Dinarzad, \u201cO sister mine, bring\nforth that which is with thee and that which is present to thy mind of\nthe story concerning the guile of women and their wiles, and have no\nfear lest this lessen thee with the king; for that women are, like\njewels, of all kinds and colours. When a gem falleth into the hand of an\nexpert, he keepeth it for himself and leaveth all beside it. Eke he\npreferreth some of them over others, and in this he is like the\npotter,[564] who filleth his kiln with all the vessels he hath moulded\nand under them 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 he\nmust break some of them, whilst others are what the folk need and\nwhereof they make use, while yet others there are which return to be as\nthey were. So fear thou not nor deem it a grave matter to adduce that\nwhich thou knowest of the craft of women, for that in this is profit for\nall folk.\u201d Then said Shahrazad, \u201cThey relate, O king (but Allah alone\nknoweth the secret things) the Tale of\u2014\n\n\n END OF VOLUME I.\n\n\n\n\n INDEX.\n\n\n Aladid (like Khad\u00edd\u00e1n) non-significant, 103.\n\n \u2019Abbas bin Mird\u00e1s (Chief of the Banu Sulaym), 40.\n\n Abbasides traced their descent from Al-Abbas, 14.\n\n Abd al-Malik bin S\u00e1lih, 159.\n\n Abhak (composite word), 40.\n\n Ab\u00fa al-Hasan (cleverness of), 30.\n\n Ab\u00fa al-Hasan-al-Khal\u00ed\u2019a, _i.e._, The Wag (old version \u201cdebauchee\u201d), 1.\n\n Abu Ish\u00e1k, _i.e._, Ibrahim of Mosul the musician, 14.\n\n Ab\u00fa S\u00e1bir = Father of the Patient (one), 81.\n\n \u201cAdab\u201d _translated_ \u201cArabic,\u201d 48.\n\n \u2019Adl (Al-) = the Notary, 219.\n\n Adoption of slave lads and lasses common among Moslems, 76.\n\n \u2019Ad\u00fal = Assessors, 327.\n\n Afkah, a better Fakih or theologian, 244.\n\n Ahwas al-\u2019Ans\u00e1r\u00ed (Al-) (Al-Akhwass _Breslau Ed._), 42.\n\n Ajal = the appointed day of death (_tr._ \u201cappointed term\u201d), 129.\n\n \u2019Ajlan = a hasty man, 265.\n\n Ajr (Al-) = Heaven, 290.\n\n \u2019Aj\u00faz nahs = a foul crone, 310.\n\n \u2019Ak\u00e1k\u00edr (pl. of \u2019Akk\u00e1r) = aromatic roots (_tr._ \u201csimples\u201d), 282.\n\n Akhmitu Ghazla-h\u00e1 _lit._ = thicken her yarn or thread, 206.\n\n \u201cAkkada lahu r\u00e1y,\u201d plur. of \u201cr\u00e1yat\u201d = a banner, 137.\n\n Al\u00e0 al-Kaylah = \u201cthe place where they usually slept the siesta,\u201d 34.\n\n \u201cAl\u00e0 Tar\u00edk al-Satr wa al-Sal\u00e1mah,\u201d meaning that each other\u2019s wives did\n not veil before their brothers-in-law, 270.\n\n \u2019Alam = a pile of stones (_tr._ a \u201cmark\u201d), 229.\n\n Allah (in peace of), 6.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (and again by Allah), 9.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (the peace of, be upon you and the ruth of Allah), 14.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (is threatening unbelievers), 51.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (name of, taken in vain), 87.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (accomplish on them the ordinance of Almighty), 100.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (I will give him the covenant of), 179.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (I seek refuge with) = God forfend, 185.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (Allah, Allah! sign of impatience) = Look sharp! 231.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (O spirit of), 251.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (calls upon to witness a lie), 261.\n\n \u2014\u2014 (while Almighty Allah willed) = a long time, 351.\n\n Am\u00e1n = Pardon (_lit._ \u201csecurity\u201d), 118.\n\n Am\u00edn = Overseer, 67.\n\n Am\u00edn (Al-) Sixth Abbaside (A.D. 809\u201313), 175.\n\n \u2019Ammir = cause to flourish (_tr._ \u201cTake and people\u201d), 243.\n\n Amourist justified in obtaining his object by fair means or foul, 313.\n\n Amsaytu = I came at evening, 316.\n\n \u2019An Ab\u00ed = (a propitiatory offering) for my father, 265.\n\n Arafshah = superintendent, 20.\n\n \u00c1r\u00e1m (pl. of Irm), a beautiful girl, a white deer (_tr._ \u201cReems\u201d) 43.\n\n Arw\u00e0 written with a terminal y\u00e1 is a woman\u2019s P.N. in Arabic, 94.\n\n As\u00e1r, clerical error for S\u00e1r = Vendetta, blood revenge, 134.\n\n \u2019Ashsh\u00e1r or Tither, 243.\n\n \u00c1s\u00ed (Al-) = rebel, syn. with Pers. \u201cY\u00e1gh\u00ed,\u201d 134.\n\n Asm\u00e1 al-Adw\u00edyah = names of the medicines, 283.\n\n Athr = sign, mark, trail (_tr._ \u201cScar\u201d), 280.\n\n Atr\u00e1f (pl. of \u201cTarf\u201d) = great and liberal lords (_tr._ \u201cchiefs\u201d), 58.\n\n Aul\u00e1d-i = sons (vulg. plural for dual) 132.\n\n \u2019Aw\u00e1n _lit._ = aids, helpers (_tr._ \u201cguards\u201d), 253.\n\n \u00c1ward o burd (Pers.) = brought and bore away, 210.\n\n\n Badawi dogs dangerous, 316.\n\n Badrah _lit._ a myriad, ten thousand dirhams, 278.\n\n Bahluw\u00e1n (Arab. for Pers. Pahluw\u00e1n) = a brave, a warrior, 131.\n\n Bahrjaur (in Pers. Bahr-i-Jaur = luck of Jaur-city), 57.\n\n Bakht (i) Zam\u00e1n (Persian) = Luck of the Time, 102.\n\n B\u00e1kiyah = may also mean Eternal, as opposed to F\u00e1niyah = temporal\n (_tr._ \u201cabide\u201d), 39.\n\n B\u00e1k\u00falat = pot-herbs (_tr._ \u201calmond cakes\u201d), probably clerical error for\n \u201cBakl\u00e1w\u00e1t,\u201d 261.\n\n Bandukah = a little bunduk, nut, bullet, etc. (_tr._ \u201cdegrees\u201d), 353.\n\n Banj akr\u00edtash\u00ed = Cretan Bhang, 9.\n\n Ban\u00fa Tay, the tribe of the chieftain and poet H\u00e1tim T\u00e1\u00ed, 179.\n\n Barniyah = Pot (in which manna was collected), 265.\n\n Bash\u00e1rah, can hardly be applied to ill news (faulty text), 34.\n\n Bastinado used to extort confession, 148.\n\n Bath\u00e1 = lowlands and plains outside Meccan Valley, 42.\n\n Bathah = inner court, 284.\n\n Bayn farsi-k wa \u2019l-dam\u00ed = _lit._ between f\u00e6ces and menses (_tr._ \u201cthy\n droppings and drippings\u201d), 41.\n\n Bazaka = brought out, 209.\n\n Beating the bosom with a sunbaked brick, 34.\n\n Bi al-Sal\u00e1m = in the Peace (of Allah), 6.\n\n Bihkam\u00e1l (Pers. and Arab.) = \u201cGood Perfection,\u201d 107.\n\n Bihkard = \u201cWell he did,\u201d 107.\n\n Bihzad (Persian) = Bih (well, good) Z\u00e1d (born), 89.\n\n Bilal = moisture, beneficence, etc., 40.\n\n Bir al-Kh\u00e1tim = Well of the signet, 165.\n\n Blood moved between them (a \u201cpathetic fallacy\u201d), 77.\n\n Blowing a man up with bellows, 351.\n\n Book of Bakhtyar (Persian Bakhty\u00e1r N\u00e1meh) \u201cThe ten Wazirs, etc.,\u201d 55.\n\n Bost\u00e1n al-Nuzhah = the Garden of Pleasance, 29.\n\n Breslau Edition quoted, 1, 4, 15, 25, 39, 42, 47, 51, 55, 58, 60, 121,\n 131, 134, 159, 165, 171, 175, 179, 185, 191, 266, 334, 359.\n\n Bun\u00fad (pl. of Pers. \u201cband\u201d) = hypocrisy, deceit (_tr._ \u201cquiddities\u201d),\n 353.\n\n Bur\u00faj (pl. of Burj) = _lit._ towers (_tr._ \u201cmansions\u201d), 353.\n\n Bystanders excited about some matter in no way concerning them, 303.\n\n\n Caliph can do no wrong, 167.\n\n Caliph Omar bin Abd al-Aziz (The Good Caliph), 39.\n\n Chaug\u00e1n (Persian) = the crooked bat used in polo, 109.\n\n Chavis and Cazotte quoted, 55, 60, 65, 73, 81, 89, 94, 95, 97, 102,\n 103, 107, 112, 121, 131, 147. 151.\n\n Circumstantial evidence not lawful amongst Moslems, 112.\n\n Cloud of Locusts believed by Arabs to be led by a King locust (the\n Sultan Jar\u00e1d), 305.\n\n Cock-speak = a natural clock called by West Africans Cokkerapeek, 10.\n\n Condition of forfeits (_lit._ order and acceptance), 175.\n\n Cuckold, origin of, 205.\n\n \u201cCut the way\u201d = became a highwayman, 90.\n\n Cutting the way (_i.e._, waylaying travellers), 60.\n\n\n Dabb\u00fas = a mace, 95.\n\n D\u00e1d-b\u00edn (Persian) = one who looks to justice, 94.\n\n Da\u00efs (place of honour), 16.\n\n D\u00e1nik (Pers. \u201cD\u00e1ng\u201d) = one-sixth of a dirham, _i.e._, about a penny\n halfpenny, 245.\n\n Dar al-Salam = Abode of Peace, 11.\n\n Dast\u00ed = thou trampledst, 146.\n\n Dates and cream (\u201cProud rider on the desired steed\u201d), 59.\n\n Dawn prayer, 13.\n\n Days in Moslem year 354 (= 6 months of 29 days and the rest of 30),\n 245.\n\n Descended = Come down from Heaven, 333.\n\n Devil may not open a door shut in Allah\u2019s name, 21.\n\n Diamond does not grow warm whilst held in the hand, 215.\n\n Dirhams\u2014\n\n 50 = about 40 shillings, 300.\n 5,500 = about \u00a3220, shillings, 300.\n 1,000,000 = about \u00a325,000, shillings, 161.\n\n Died of laughter (now become familiar to English speech), 13.\n\n Dihk\u00e1n, in Persian = a villager (_tr._ \u201cvillage headman\u201d), 81.\n\n Dismantled his shop (removing goods from the \u201cbut\u201d to the \u201cben\u201d), 207.\n\n Doghr\u00ed = assuredly, 18.\n\n (They) Draw thee near to them = they make much of thee, 2.\n\n Dress (a Moslem should dress for public occasions), 159.\n\n Dyed robe (Abbasides, _black_; Ommiades, _white_; Fatimites, _green_),\n 160.\n\n\n Elopements of frequent occurrence, 317.\n\n Eunuchs, 70.\n\n Eyes swollen by swathes, 30.\n\n\n F\u00e1khir (Al-) = the potter, 360.\n\n Faras = a mare (_tr._ \u201chorses\u201d), 216.\n\n F\u00e1ris = a Rider (_tr._ \u201chorseman\u201d), 103.\n\n Fars = Persia, 282.\n\n F\u00e1rs (Al-) = Persians (a people famed for cleverness and debauchery),\n 2.\n\n Fazl (Caliph\u2019s foster-brother), 166.\n\n \u201cFeet towards Mecca,\u201d 34.\n\n Fighting rams, 210.\n\n F\u00ed-hi = \u201cIn him\u201d (_i.e._, either Mahommed) or \u201cin it\u201d (his action), 40.\n\n Fir\u00e1sah _lit._ = judging the points of a mare (_tr._ \u201cphysiognomy\u201d),\n 286.\n\n Fire lighted to defend mother and babe from bad spirits, 279.\n\n First day = our Sunday, 286.\n\n F\u00edr\u00faz (Pers. \u201cP\u00edroz\u201d) = Victorious, triumphant, 185.\n\n Forehead (compared with a page of paper upon which Destiny writes her\n decrees), 100.\n\n Fut\u00fah (Al-) _lit._ = the victories (_tr._ \u201cthe honorarium\u201d), 285.\n\n\n Ghazb\u00e1n = an angry man, 265.\n\n Ghaww\u00e1s\u00fan = divers (_tr._ \u201cduckers\u201d), 68.\n\n Ghusl or complete ablution after car. cop., 220.\n\n Goat\u2019s droppings (used as fuel, also for practical jokes), 288.\n\n Guide going in front, 201.\n\n\n Hadas = moved (\u201cevent,\u201d a word not easy to translate), 321.\n\n H\u00e1d\u00ed (Al-) Fourth Abbaside (A.D. 785\u2013786), 165.\n\n H\u00e1jib = Chamberlain, 324.\n\n \u201cHajj\u201d never applied to the Visitation (Ziy\u00e1rah) at Al-Medinah, 196.\n\n Hajj (Al-) = the company of pilgrims (_tr._ \u201cpilgrimage caravan\u201d), 196.\n\n Hajj al-Sh\u00e1rif = Holy pilgrimage, 194.\n\n Hajj\u00e1j (Al-), 47.\n\n Hajjat al-Islam, the Pilgrimage commanded to all Moslems, 194.\n\n Hal\u00e1wat = _lit._ a sweetmeat, a gratuity, a thank-offering (_tr._ \u201ca\n douceur\u201d), 35.\n\n Half of marriage settlement due to wife on divorcement, 311.\n\n Hamad\u00e1n, a well-known city of Ir\u00e1k \u2019Ajam\u00ed, 203.\n\n Hamhama = muttered, 265.\n\n Hamm\u00e1m _i.e._ the private bagnio, 262.\n\n Hamm\u00e1m bin Gh\u00e1lib al-Farazdak, a famous Christian Poet, 42.\n\n Han\u00fat = perfumes (leaves of the lotus tree), 290.\n\n Har\u00e1is (pl. of Har\u00edsah) = meat puddings, 287.\n\n Har\u00e1m = \u201cforbidden,\u201d sinful (_tr._ \u201cuseless\u201d), 72.\n\n Harem, supposed to be in Eastern Wing of Palace, 199.\n\n Harf\u00fash = Larrikin, popularly a \u201cblackguard,\u201d 4.\n\n Harun al-Rashid (house still standing), 15.\n\n H\u00e1shim = breaker, 47.\n\n Hashimites (and Abbasides) fine specimens of the Moslem Pharisee, 159.\n\n Has\u00edr = mat (used for sleeping on during the hot season), 204.\n\n \u201cHaukalah\u201d and \u201cHaulakah,\u201d 265.\n\n H\u00e1z\u00far (Al-) = loquacity, frivolous garrulity (_tr._ \u201cjargon\u201d), 283.\n\n \u201cHe Pilgrimaged: quoth one, Yes, and for his villainy lives (yuj\u00e1wir)\n at Meccah.\u201d\u2014_Egyptian Proverb_, 196.\n\n \u201cHe who keeps his hands crossed upon his breast, shall not see them cut\n off.\u201d 114.\n\n Hibernic\u00e8, \u201ckilt\u201d for beaten, 247.\n\n Hidden, (for fear of the \u201cEye\u201d), 75.\n\n \u201cHie Salvationwards\u201d (the Words of Az\u00e1n), 42.\n\n Himy\u00e1n (or Hamy\u00e1n) = a girdle (_tr._ \u201cpurse belt\u201d), 152.\n\n His head forewent his feet = He fell down senseless, 17.\n\n Ho, Tuff\u00e1hah! Ho, R\u00e1hat al-Kul\u00fab = O Apple, O Repose o\u2019 Hearts, &c.,\n 17.\n\n Hour (would his hour had never come), 27.\n\n \u201cHow very good he was to me,\u201d 32.\n\n Hudhud (_tr._ \u201choopoe\u201d) called from its cry \u201cHood! Hood!\u201d, 148.\n\n Hundred dirhams = \u00a34 (about), 43.\n\n Hysterics, common amongst the races of the East, 198.\n\n\n I am between his hands = at his service, 280.\n\n I have not found thy heel propitious to me, 21.\n\n Ibl, specific name for camels (_tr._ \u201ccertain camels\u201d), 315.\n\n Ibn al-Samm\u00e1k = Son of the fisherman or fishmonger, 171.\n\n Ihtid\u00e1 = divine direction, 313.\n\n Ihtir\u00e1k = burning (used in the metaphorical sense of consuming,\n torturing), 35.\n\n Im\u00e1m (the spiritual title of the Caliph), 43.\n\n In a modest way (_lit._ In the way of moderation), 248.\n\n \u2019Irk al-H\u00e1shim\u00ed = the H\u00e1shim\u00ed vein, 29.\n\n\n Jabr (Al-) = the tyranny (equiv. of \u201cCivil law\u201d), 212.\n\n Jahl = ignorance (also wickedness), 271.\n\n Jahrbaur (a fancy name intended to be Persian), 93.\n\n J\u00e1l\u00edn\u00fas = \u201cGalen\u201d (considered by Moslems a pre-Islamitic saint), 284.\n\n Jama\u2019a atr\u00e1fah, _lit._ = he drew in his extremities (_tr._ \u201ccovered his\n hands and feet with his dress\u201d), 114.\n\n J\u00e1mi\u2019 = cathedral mosque, 250.\n\n Jam\u00edl bin Ma\u2019mar al-Uzri. (\u201cJam\u00edl the Poet,\u201d and lover of Buthaynah),\n 41.\n\n Janz\u00edr (vulgarism for \u201cZanj\u00edr\u201d) = a chain, 20.\n\n Jar\u00eddah = Palm-frond stripped of its leaves, 264.\n\n Jar\u00edr al-Khatafah, 39.\n\n J\u00e1riyah = damsel, slave-girl, used instead of \u201cSabiyah\u201d = young lady,\n 134.\n\n Jauhar = the jewel, the essential nature of a substance (_tr._\n \u201cquintessence\u201d), 212.\n\n J\u00e1war = he became a muj\u00e1wir (one who lives near a collegiate mosque),\n 196.\n\n Jewel inserted in the shoulder, 228.\n\n Jiddan (Egypto-Syrian) = muchly, 115.\n\n Joanna Papissa (Pope John VIII. called \u201cPope Joan\u201d), 340.\n\n\n Ka\u2019b = heel, glory, prosperity, 21.\n\n Kad = verily (affirmative particle preceding a verb gives it a present\n and at times a future signification), 245.\n\n K\u00e1dr = rank, 48.\n\n Kahbah = whore, 12.\n\n K\u00e1hinah = Divineress (fem. of K\u00e1hin), 279.\n\n Kahram\u00e1nah = housekeeper (also nurse, duenna, &c. &c.), 199.\n\n Ka\u2019id; _lit._ = one who sits with a colleague (_tr._ \u201cCaptain\u201d), 59.\n\n K\u00e1la al-R\u00e1w\u00ed, etc., parenthetical formula = \u201cThe Story Teller sayeth,\n etc.\u201d, 347.\n\n Kalb = stomach (sometimes \u201cheart,\u201d) 26.\n\n Kal\u00ed = potash (our \u201calcali\u201d), 8.\n\n Kam\u00eds (\u03c7\u03b9\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd, chemise, etc.) = shirt, 346.\n\n Kan\u00edsah = a Pagan temple, a Jewish synagogue, a Christian church, 198.\n\n Kariyah = a village (derivation), 83.\n\n K\u00e1rd\u00e1n (Persian) = Business-knower, 94.\n\n Karm\u00e1n = Karmania, vulg. and fancifully derived from Kirm\u00e1n. Pers. =\n worms, 59.\n\n Kasf = houghed, 155.\n\n K\u00e1situna (Al-) = The Swervers, 52.\n\n Kasr = abbreviation, 295.\n\n Kayf, favourite word in Egypt and Syria, 58.\n\n Khalbas (suggests Khalb\u00fas = a buffoon), 266.\n\n Khal\u00edfah (Caliph) = a deputy, a successor (derivation), 4.\n\n Khan\u00e1dik = ditches or trenches (for Fan\u00e1dik, \u201ckhans\u201d), 288.\n\n Khaw\u00e1t\u00edn (pl. of Kh\u00e1t\u00fan) = a matron, a lady, 122.\n\n Khayr al-Nass\u00e1j (the Weaver), 344.\n\n Khayy\u00e1l = sturdy horseman, 320.\n\n \u201cKhayy\u00e1l kabrhu maft\u00fah\u201d (proverb), 320.\n\n Khubz Mutabbak = platter-bread, 3.\n\n Khubz Sam\u00edz = firsts bread, 261.\n\n Khulbah = sermon, 350.\n\n Khw\u00e1jah and Khaw\u00e1j\u00e1t (Pers.) = merchants (Arab.), 332.\n\n Kidr = a cooking pot, 48.\n\n King\u2019s Eye = Royal favour, 61.\n\n Kisra = Kutr\u00fa (Bresl.) Kassera (Chavis and Cazotte), 60.\n\n Kisr\u00e0 = Chosro\u00ebs, 97.\n\n \u201cKissing him upon the mouth,\u201d 153.\n\n Knife and salt placed on the stomach (_Ar._ Kalb) to repel evil\n spirits, 26.\n\n Koran quoted\u2014\n (cxii.) 25.\n vi. 44, 51.\n iv. 134, 52.\n lxxii. 15, _ib._\n ii. 173, 100.\n xxx. 1, 134.\n xxvii., 148.\n lxxxv.; xv. 26; xxv. 62, 353.\n\n Kubbah = a dome-shaped tent (_tr._ \u201cPavilion\u201d), 99.\n\n Kubbah (square building with cupola), 119.\n\n Kub\u00far = tombs, 295.\n\n Kum\u00e1jah = First-bread (_i.e._, Bread unleavened and baked in ashes), 8.\n\n Kunaym Mad\u00fad = Kingdom of Dineroux, 55.\n\n Kursi = Throne, 10.\n\n Kuthayyir \u2019Azzah (contemporary of Jamil), 41.\n\n Kuthayyir = \u201cthe dwarf,\u201d 41.\n\n\n L\u00e1 af\u2019al (\u201cI will do naught of the kind\u201d) more commonly M\u00e1 af\u2019al, 296.\n\n L\u00e1 baas = \u201cNo matter\u201d or \u201cAll right,\u201d (_tr._ \u201cNo harm be upon you\u201d),\n 160.\n\n Lahd, Luhd = tomb-niche, 292.\n\n Lane, quoted, 3, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 21, 29, 31, 34, 146, 290.\n\n Lex talionis (the essence of Moslem and all criminal jurisprudence),\n 100.\n\n Liall\u00e1 (_i.e._, li, an, l\u00e1) = lest, 140.\n\n Libwah = lioness, 152.\n\n L\u00edy\u00fath (pl. of Layth) = Lions (used for \u201cwarriors\u201d), 14.\n\n Long hand, or arm, means power (Arab. idiom), 114.\n\n Long lock left on shaven poll, 233.\n\n\n Maam\u00fan (Al-) Seventh Abbaside (A.H. 198\u2013227), 175.\n\n Mahdi (Al-) Third Abbaside (A.D. 775\u2013785), 165.\n\n Mahr = marriage settlement, 283.\n\n Mak\u00e1n mahj\u00fab = a retired room, 11.\n\n Makhz\u00fam = nose pierced, 47.\n\n Makr\u00e1n, the well-known Baloch province West of Sind, 335.\n\n M\u00e1l = wealth, 47.\n\n Malik Sh\u00e1h = King (Arab.) King (Persian), 131.\n\n Mans\u00farah (Al-) = opinions differ as to the site of, 341.\n\n Ma\u2019rafah (Al-) = the place where the mane grows (_tr._ \u201ccrest\u201d), 298.\n\n M\u00e1rist\u00e1n = Mad house, 18.\n\n \u201cMarrying below one,\u201d 94.\n\n Marwazi = Marw (derived from Sansk. Maru or Marw), 288.\n\n Marzb\u00e1n = guardian of the Marshes, 234.\n\n Masalah = a question (_tr._ \u201ccatch-question\u201d), 138.\n\n Masarat f\u00ed-h\u00e1 = and she used hard words to her, 31.\n\n Mast\u00farah = veiled (_tr._ \u201ccurtained\u201d), 309.\n\n Matm\u00farah = a silo, matamor, or \u201cunderground cell,\u201d 84.\n\n Maunds (fifty) = about 100 lbs., 250.\n\n Miat wa arba\u2019at ashar S\u00farat = the 114 chapters of the Alcoran, 147.\n\n Mihrj\u00e1n (Al-) = the Autumnal Equinox, 129.\n\n Milk and dates, a favourite food, 59.\n\n Miskah = Bit o\u2019 Musk, 16.\n\n Moslems all know how to pray, 13.\n\n Moslems bound to see True Believers buried, 289.\n\n Moslems shun a formal oath, 304.\n\n Mu\u2019arris = pander, 206.\n\n Munajjim = Astrologer (authority in Egyptian townlets), 66.\n\n Munkati\u2019ah = _lit._ \u201ccut off\u201d (from the weal of the world) _tr._\n \u201cdefenceless,\u201d 337.\n\n Munkar and Nak\u00edr, the Interrogating Angels, 294.\n\n Muruwwah _lit._ = manliness, 303.\n\n Musall\u00e0 = Prayer-place, 313.\n\n Musician, also a pederast, 209.\n\n Mutabattil (Al-) usually = one who forsakes the world (_tr._ \u201coyster\u201d),\n 215.\n\n Muwaswas (Al-) = Melancholist, 264.\n\n\n Nab\u00edz = date-wine (or grape-wine), 160.\n\n Nafas _lit._ = breath (_tr._ \u201cair\u201d), 124.\n\n N\u00e1im (Al-) wa al-Yakz\u00e1n = The Sleeper and the Waker, 1.\n\n N\u00e1kah = She-dromedary, 315.\n\n N\u00e1w\u00fas = Tower of Silence, 264.\n\n \u201cNecks\u201d per synecdochen for heads, 47.\n\n Negative emphatic in Arabic, 206.\n\n Never may neighbour defy thee, etc. (May thy dwelling-place never fall\n into ruin), 15.\n\n N\u00edm = Persian Lilac (Melia Azadirachta) used as preventive to poison,\n 64.\n\n N\u00edmshah = half sword or dagger, 14.\n\n N\u00edsh\u00e1b\u00far (Arab. form of Naysh\u00e1p\u00far = reeds of (King) Sh\u00e1pur), 270.\n\n Nose (large in a woman indicating a masculine nature), 345.\n\n Nukl-i-Pishkil = goat-dung bonbons, 288.\n\n Nusfs = Halves (_i.e._, of dirhams), 300.\n\n Nu\u2019um\u00e1n (Al-), King of the Arab kingdom of Hirah, 179.\n\n Nuwab, (broken plur. of \u201cNaubah,\u201d) the Anglo-Indian Nowbut (_tr._\n \u201cDrums\u201d), 324.\n\n Nuzhat al-Fu\u00e1d = \u201cDelight of the Vitals\u201d (or heart), 25.\n\n\n O thousand-horned (thousandfold cuckold), 247.\n\n O vile of birth (origin (Asl) of a man held to influence his conduct\n throughout life), 62.\n\n Oath of triple divorce irrevocable, 246.\n\n Ober-Ammergau \u201cMiracle play,\u201d 250.\n\n Omar \u2019Adi bin Artah, 39.\n\n Omar bin Abd al-Aziz = the good Caliph, 39.\n\n Omar ibn Abi Rab\u00ed\u2019ah, the Korash\u00ed (_i.e._ of the Koraysh tribe), 41.\n\n\n Parks on the Coasts of Tropical Seas, 320.\n\n Payne quoted, 1, 8, 11, 34, 56, 134, 165, 209, 222, 238, 278, 286, 288,\n 289, 306, 311, 312, 322, 327, 338, 344.\n\n Pilgrimage quoted\u2014\n i. 18, 285.\n i. 22, 337.\n i. 38, 228.\n i. 99, 207.\n i. 100, 205.\n i. 110, 42.\n ii. 219, 165.\n iii. 12, 194.\n\n Pit = grave, 88.\n\n Prayers at burial, beginning with four \u201cTakb\u00edrs,\u201d 290.\n\n Prayers, whilst at, the Moslem cannot be spoken to, 197.\n\n\n R\u00e1hilah = a riding camel, 315.\n\n Rahw\u00e1n (cor. of Rahb\u00e1n) = one who keeps the (right) way, 191.\n\n Rain and bounty are synonymous, 43.\n\n Rape, 311.\n\n Ras\u00e1t\u00edk (pl. of Rust\u00e1k) = villages, 256.\n\n Rasm\u00e1l (vulg. Syrian and Egyptian form of Raas al-m\u00e1l = stock in trade)\n = capital in hand, 248.\n\n R\u00e1wi = a professional tale-teller (_tr._ \u201cSeer\u201d), 56.\n\n R\u00e1z\u00ed (Al-) = a native of Rayy City, 288.\n\n Ring given as token to show fair play, 248.\n\n Rising up and sitting down, usual sign of emotion, 348.\n\n Roum = Greeks, 134.\n\n Ruh Allah _lit._ = breath of Allah (_tr._ \u201cSpirit of Allah\u201d), 251.\n\n Rumh = lance, 90.\n\n Rus\u00e1fiyah = a cap, 160.\n\n Rutab wa man\u00e1zil = degrees and dignities, 217.\n\n\n Saf\u00edh = slab over the grave (_tr._ \u201cpave\u201d), 41.\n\n Saf\u00fal (Al-) = ranks of fighting men, or rows of threads on a loom, 48.\n\n S\u00e1hah = Courtyard (as opposed to \u201cBathah\u201d = Inner Court), 284.\n\n Sahar\u00e1 _pron._ Sahr\u00e1, 251.\n\n Sails hoisted and canvas loosed (anchors weighed and canvas spread),\n 321.\n\n Sakhrah = labour, 84.\n\n Sal\u00e1m pronounced after prayers, 14.\n\n Satl = water-can (Lat. and Etruscan Situla and Situlus, a water-pot),\n 291.\n\n Secret, difficult for an Eastern to keep, 342.\n\n Seed pearls made into great pearls (also rubies and branch-coral), 197.\n\n Service (yearly value of his fief), 256.\n\n Shabakah = net (hung over shop during absence of shopkeeper), 205.\n\n Shah Bakht = King Luck, 191.\n\n Shahb\u00e1n, Bresl. Edit. form of Shahry\u00e1r = City Keeper, for City-friend,\n 334.\n\n Sh\u00e1hraz\u00e1d (in Mac. Edit. Shahr\u00e1z\u00e1d), 334.\n\n Shajarat al-Durr = Branch of Pearl, 12.\n\n Shakhs mafs\u00fad = man of perverted belief (_i.e._ an infidel), 352.\n\n Shampooing (practice of), 116.\n\n Sham\u00fal (fem.) = liquor hung in the wind to cool, 42.\n\n Sharif (a descendant from Mohammed), 285.\n\n Sharr (Al-) (\u201cthe wickedness\u201d) last city in Makran before entering\n Sind, 336.\n\n Shaykh becomes ceremonially impure by handling a corpse, 290.\n\n Shroff (Arab Sayrafi), 298.\n\n Shubb\u00e1k = lattice (also \u201cMashrabiyah\u201d = latticed balcony,) 29.\n\n Si\u2019at rizki-h = the ease with which he earned his livelihood (_tr._\n \u201cfortune\u201d), 282.\n\n Silk, Moslems may be shrouded in it, 26.\n\n Sindiyan (from the Persian) = holm-oak, 247.\n\n S\u00edst\u00e1n (Persian) Arab. Sijist\u00e1n, 56.\n\n Slave become a King (no shame to Moslems), 348.\n\n Soldiers serving on feudal tenure, 256.\n\n \u201cSome one to back us,\u201d 135.\n\n Sons = Men, a characteristic Arab. idiom, 2.\n\n Stranger invites a guest during pilgrimage-time, 195.\n\n Subjects (men who pay taxes), 256.\n\n Suicide rare in Moslem lands, 325.\n\n Sultanate for Women. Custom of Al-Islam, a strong precedent against\n queenly rule, 350.\n\n\n Ta\u2019\u00e1m = Millet seed (_tr._ \u201cgrain\u201d), 5.\n\n Taannaf\u00fa = long noses, 300.\n\n Tabaristan (adj. Tabari, whereas Tabar\u00e1ni = native of Tiberias), 94.\n\n Ta\u2019dil\u00fa = Swerve (also \u201cYe do injustice\u201d), 52.\n\n Tafr\u00edk wa\u2019l-jam\u2019a = division and union, 222.\n\n T\u00e1\u00ed = The man of the tribe of Tay, 180.\n\n T\u00e1kiyah = litter, 99.\n\n Tal\u00e1mizah = disciples (sing. Talm\u00edz), 251.\n\n Tale of the Simpleton Husband (History), 239.\n\n Tales were told before the peep of day, 359.\n\n Tam\u00e1sil = (the Pavilion of) Pictures (generally carved images), 29.\n\n Tann\u00far = large earthen jar (_tr._ \u201coven-jar\u201d), 208.\n\n Tann\u00far = oven (misprint for \u201cKub\u00far\u201d = Tombs), 265.\n\n Tarb\u00edyat\u00ed = rearling, 348.\n\n Tarkah = \u201cA gin,\u201d a snare, 16.\n\n Tasill sallata\u2019l-Munkat\u00ed\u2019\u00edn = _lit._ \u201craining on the drouth-hardened\n earth of the cut-off\u201d (_tr._ \u201cWatering the dry ground\u201d), 345.\n\n \u201cThat a standard be borne over his head,\u201d 161.\n\n \u201cThe Astrologers lied,\u201d 122.\n\n The babe to the blanket, and the adultress to the stone, 271.\n\n The sumptuary laws compelling Jews to wear yellow turbans, 286.\n\n \u201cThou hast done justice\u201d (\u2019adalta), also means \u201cThou hast swerved from\n right.\u201d \u201cThou hast wrought equitably\u201d also = \u201cThou hast\n transgressed,\u201d 51.\n\n Tither, unable to do evil, 245.\n\n Tob\u00e1ni = unbaked brick, 34.\n\n Tohfah = A gift, 16.\n\n Torture endured through Eastern obstinacy, 293.\n\n Twelvemonths, _i.e._ a long time, 319.\n\n\n Under my ribs = In my heart\u2019s core, 339.\n\n Urinal (old French name for phial in which the patient\u2019s water is\n sent), 285.\n\n\n Vocative particles (five in Arabic), 85.\n\n\n \u201cWa Kuntu r\u00e1ihah ursil war\u00e1k\u201d (the regular Fellah language), 29.\n\n Wadd\u00ed = Carry, 17.\n\n Wad\u00ed\u2019ah = deposit (here sig. blows), 247.\n\n Waf\u00e1t = death (decease, departure, as opposed to Maut = death), 223.\n\n \u201cWa h\u00e1,\u201d etc. (Arab.) corresponding with Syriac \u201cho\u201d = behold! 275.\n\n Water-closet, Eastern goes to, first thing in the morning, 13.\n\n \u201cWe are broken to bits (Kisf.) by our own sin,\u201d 155.\n\n \u201cWhat hast thou left behind thee, O, As\u00e1m\u201d? _i.e._ What didst thou see?\n 297.\n\n What is behind thee? = What is thy news? 44.\n\n What was his affair? = _lit._ \u201cHow was,\u201d etc., 58.\n\n When Fate descended (_i.e._ When the fated hour came down from Heaven),\n 62.\n\n White hand, _i.e._ gifts and presents, 226.\n\n \u201cWhoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein,\u201d 119.\n\n Witch, 235.\n\n Women (all of one and the same taste), 96.\n\n \u201cWomen are of little wits and lack religion,\u201d 31.\n\n\n Y\u00e1 omitted (in poetical fashion) to show speaker\u2019s emotion, 149.\n\n Y\u00e1 Ab\u00e1 S\u00e1bir = O Abu Sabir, 85.\n\n Y\u00e1 Bil\u00e1l = O generosity, 40.\n\n Y\u00e1 H\u00e1jjah (_pron._ H\u00e1ggeh) = O Pilgrimess, 198.\n\n Y\u00e1 Kab\u00edr\u00ed = mon brave, my good man (_tr._ \u201cmy chief\u201d), 12.\n\n Y\u00e1 Kh\u00e1lati = O my mother\u2019s sister (_tr._ \u201cO naunty mine\u201d), 32.\n\n Y\u00e1 Mady\u00fabah = O indebted one, 249.\n\n Y\u00e1 Nakbah = O calamity, 24.\n\n Y\u00e1 \u2019llah j\u00e1ri, y\u00e1 walad = \u201cBe off at once, boy,\u201d 9.\n\n Y\u00e1 \u2019llah, y\u00e1 \u2019ll\u00e1h = Allah and again by Allah (vulg. used for \u201cLook\n sharp!\u201d), 9.\n\n Y\u00e1hy\u00e0, father of Ja\u2019afar, made Wazir by Al-Rashid, 166.\n\n Yam\u00e1mah-land, 43.\n\n Yar\u2019ad = trembleth (also thundereth), 166.\n\n \u201cYaskut min \u2019Aynayh\u201d _lit._ = fall from his two eyes, lose favour\n (_tr._ \u201close regard with him\u201d), 77.\n\n\n Za\u2019\u00edf = impotent, 217.\n\n Zak\u00e1t wa Sadak\u00e1t = _lit._ paying of poor rate and purifying thy\n property by alms deeds (_tr._ \u201cgoodness and beneficence and charity\n and almsdoing,\u201d) 346.\n\n Za\u2019m\u00fa = they tell, 51.\n\n Zal\u00e1biyah = a pancake, 33.\n\n Zird-Kh\u00e1nah = armoury, 327.\n\n Zor-Kh\u00e1n = Lord Violence, 94.\n\n Zubaydah\u2019s tomb, 15.\n\n Z\u00fash\u00e1d (a fancy name) \u201cZawash\u201d in Persian = \u0396\u03b5\u1f7a\u03c2, 89.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-N\u00e1im wa al-Yakz\u00e1n.\u201d This excellent story is not in the Mac.\n or Bresl. Edits.; but is given in the Breslau Text, iv. 134\u2013189\n (Nights cclxxii.-ccxci). It is familiar to readers of the old \u201cArabian\n Nights Entertainments\u201d as \u201cAbou-Hassan or the Sleeper Awakened;\u201d and\n as yet it is the only one of the eleven added by Galland whose\n original has been discovered in Arabic: the learned Frenchman,\n however, supplied it with embellishments _more suo_, and seems to have\n taken it from an original fuller than our text as is shown by sundry\n poetical and other passages which he apparently did not invent. Lane\n (vol. ii. chap. 12.), noting that its chief and best portion is an\n historical anecdote related as a fact, is inclined to think that it is\n not a genuine tale of The Nights. He finds it in Al-Ish\u00e1k\u00ed who\n finished his history about the close of Sultan Mustaf\u00e1 the Osmanli\u2019s\n reign, circa A.H. 1032 (= 1623) and he avails himself of this version\n as it is \u201cnarrated in a simple and agreeable manner.\u201d Mr. Payne\n remarks, \u201cThe above title (Asleep and Awake) is of course intended to\n mark the contrast between the everyday (or waking) hours of Aboulhusn\n and his fantastic life in the Khalif\u2019s palace, supposed by him to have\n passed in a dream;\u201d I may add that amongst frolicsome Eastern despots\n the adventure might often have happened and that it might have given a\n hint to Cervantes.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n _i.e._ The Wag. See vol. i. 311: the old version calls him \u201cthe\n Debauchee.\u201d\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-F\u00e1rs\u201d; a people famed for cleverness and debauchery. I\n cannot see why Lane omitted the Persians, unless he had Persian\n friends at Cairo.\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n _i.e._ the half he intended for spending-money.\n\nFootnote 5:\n\n _i.e._ \u201cmen,\u201d a characteristic Arab idiom: here it applies to the sons\n of all time.\n\nFootnote 6:\n\n _i.e._ make much of thee.\n\nFootnote 7:\n\n In Lane the Caliph is accompanied by \u201ccertain of his domestics.\u201d\n\nFootnote 8:\n\n Arab. \u201cKhubz Mutabbak,\u201d = bread baked in a platter, instead of in an\n oven, an earthen jar previously heated, to the sides of which the\n scones or bannocks of dough are applied: \u201cit is lighter than\n oven-bread, especially if it be made thin and leavened.\u201d See\n Al-Shak\u00far\u00ed, a medical writer quoted by Dozy.\n\nFootnote 9:\n\n In other parts of The Nights Harun al-Rashid declines wine-drinking.\n\nFootnote 10:\n\n The \u2019All\u00e1mah (doctissimus) Sayce (p. 212, Comparative Philology,\n London, Tr\u00fcbner, 1885) goes far back for Khalifah = a deputy, a\n successor. He begins with the Semitic (Hebrew ?) root \u201cKhaliph\u201d = to\n change, exchange: hence \u201cKhaleph\u201d = agio. From this the Greeks got\n their \u03ba\u03cc\u03bb\u03bb\u03c5\u03b2\u03bf\u03c2 and Cicero his \u201cCollybus,\u201d a money-lender.\n\nFootnote 11:\n\n Arab. \u201cHarf\u00fash,\u201d (in Bresl. Edit. iv. 138, \u201cKharf\u00fash\u201d), in popular\n parlance a \u201cblackguard.\u201d I have to thank Mr. Alexander J. Cotheal, of\n New York, for sending me a MS. copy of this tale.\n\nFootnote 12:\n\n Arab. \u201cTa\u2019\u00e1m,\u201d in Egypt and Somaliland = millet seed (_Holcus\n Sorghum_) cooked in various ways. In Barbary it is applied to the\n local staff of life, Kuskus\u00fa, wheaten or other flour damped and\n granulated by hand to the size of peppercorns, and lastly steamed (as\n we steam potatoes), the cullender-pot being placed over a long-necked\n jar full of boiling water. It is served with clarified butter,\n shredded onions and meat; and it represents the Risotto of Northern\n Italy. Europeans generally find it too greasy for digestion. This\n Barbary staff of life is of old date and is thus mentioned by Leo\n Africanus in early sixth century. \u201cIt is made of a lump of Dow, first\n set upon the fire, in a vessel full of holes and afterwards tempered\n with Butter and Pottage.\u201d So says good Master John Pory, \u201cA\n Geographical Historie of Africa, by John Leo, a Moor,\u201d London, 1600,\n impensis George Bishop.\n\nFootnote 13:\n\n Arab. \u201cBi al-Sal\u00e1m\u201d (pron. \u201cBissal\u00e1m\u201d) = in the Peace (of Allah).\n\nFootnote 14:\n\n And would bring him bad luck if allowed to go without paying.\n\nFootnote 15:\n\n _i.e._ of the first half, as has been shown.\n\nFootnote 16:\n\n Arab. \u201cKum\u00e1jah\u201d from the Persian Kum\u00e1sh = bread unleavened and baked\n in ashes. Egyptians use the word for bannocks of fine flour.\n\nFootnote 17:\n\n Arab. \u201cKal\u00ed,\u201d our \u201calcali\u201d: for this and other abstergents see vol. i.\n 279.\n\nFootnote 18:\n\n These lines have occurred twice in vol. i. 117 (Night xii.); I quote\n Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 19:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 \u2019llah, y\u00e1 \u2019ll\u00e1h;\u201d vulg. used for \u201cLook sharp!\u201d _e.g._ \u201cY\u00e1\n \u2019llah j\u00e1r\u00ed, y\u00e1 walad\u201d = \u201cBe off at once, boy.\u201d\n\nFootnote 20:\n\n Arab. \u201cBanj akr\u00edtash\u00ed,\u201d a term which has occurred before.\n\nFootnote 21:\n\n A natural clock, called by West Africans Cokkerapeek = Cock-speak. All\n the world over it is the subject of superstition: see Giles\u2019s \u201cStrange\n Stories from a Chinese Studio\u201d (i. 177), where Miss Li, who is a\n devil, hears the cock crow and vanishes.\n\nFootnote 22:\n\n In Lane Al-Rashid \u201cfound at the door his young men waiting for him and\n ordered them to convey Abu-l-Hasan upon a mule and returned to the\n palace; Abu-l-Hasan being intoxicated and insensible. And when the\n Khaleefeh had rested himself in the palace, he called for,\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 23:\n\n Arab. \u201cKursi,\u201d Assyrian \u201cKuss\u00fa\u201d = throne; and \u201cKors\u00e1\u00ed\u201d in Aramaic (or\n Nabathean as Al-Mas\u2019udi calls it), the second growth-period of the\n \u201cSemitic\u201d family, which supplanted Assyrian and Babylonian, and\n became, as Arabic now is, the common speech of the \u201cSemitic\u201d world.\n\nFootnote 24:\n\n Arab. \u201cMak\u00e1n mahj\u00fab,\u201d which Lane renders by \u201ca private closet,\u201d and\n Payne by a \u201cprivy place,\u201d suggesting that the Caliph slept in a num\u00e9ro\n cent. So, when starting for the \u201cTrakki Campaign,\u201d Sir Charles Napier\n (of Sind), in his zeal for lightening officers\u2019 baggage, inadvertently\n chose a water-closet tent for his head-quarters\u2014magno cum risu not of\n the staff, who had a strange fear of him, but of the multitude who had\n not.\n\nFootnote 25:\n\n Arab. \u201cDar al-Salam,\u201d one of the seven \u201cGardens\u201d into which the\n Mohammedan Paradise is divided. Man\u2019s fabled happiness began in a\n Garden (Eden) and the suggestion came naturally that it would continue\n there. For the seven Heavens, see vol. viii., 111.\n\nFootnote 26:\n\n Branch of Pearl, see vol. ii. 57.\n\nFootnote 27:\n\n Arab. \u201cKahbah,\u201d the lowest word (vol. i. 70), effectively used in\n contrast with the speaker\u2019s surroundings.\n\nFootnote 28:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 kab\u00edr\u00ed,\u201d = mon brave, my good man.\n\nFootnote 29:\n\n This exaggeration has now become familiar to English speech.\n\nFootnote 30:\n\n Like an Eastern he goes to the water-closet the first thing in the\n morning, or rather dawn, and then washes ceremonially before saying\n the first prayer. In Europe he would probably wait till after\n breakfast. See vol. iii. 242.\n\nFootnote 31:\n\n I have explained why an Eastern does not wash in the basin as\n Europeans do in vol. i. p. 241.\n\nFootnote 32:\n\n _i.e._ He was so confused that he forgot. All Moslems know how to\n pray, whether they pray or not.\n\nFootnote 33:\n\n The dawn-prayer consists of only four inclinations (_raka\u2019\u00e1t_); two\n \u201cFarz\u201d (divinely appointed), and two Sunnah (the custom of the\n Apostle). For the Raka\u2019\u00e1h see Lane, M.E. chapt. iii.; it cannot be\n explained without illustrations.\n\nFootnote 34:\n\n After both sets of prayers, Farz and Sunnah, the Moslem looks over his\n right shoulder and says \u201cThe Peace (of Allah) be upon you and the ruth\n of Allah,\u201d and repeats the words over the left shoulder. The\n salutation is addressed to the Guardian Angels or to the bystanders\n (Moslems) who, however, do not return it.\n\nFootnote 35:\n\n _i.e._ Ibrahim of Mosul the musician. See vol. iv. 108.\n\nFootnote 36:\n\n Arab. \u201cL\u00edy\u00fath\u201d plur. of \u201cLayth,\u201d a lion: here warriors are meant.\n\nFootnote 37:\n\n The Abbasides traced their descent from Al-Abbas, Mohammed\u2019s uncle,\n and justly held themselves as belonging to the family of the Prophet.\n See vol. ii. 61.\n\nFootnote 38:\n\n Arab. \u201cN\u00edmshah\u201d = \u201chalf-sword.\u201d See vol. ii. p. 193.\n\nFootnote 39:\n\n _i.e._ May thy dwelling-place never fall into ruin. The prayer has,\n strange to say, been granted. \u201cThe present city on the Eastern bank of\n the Tigris was built by Haroun al-Rashid, and his house still stands\n there and is an object of reverent curiosity.\u201d So says my friend Mr.\n Grattan Geary (vol. i. p. 212, \u201cThrough Asiatic Turkey\u201d, London: Low,\n 1878). He also gives a sketch of Zubaydah\u2019s tomb on the western bank\n of the Tigris near the suburb which represents old Baghdad: it is a\n pineapple dome springing from an octagon, both of brick once revetted\n with white stucco.\n\nFootnote 40:\n\n In the Bresl. Edit. four hundred. I prefer the exaggerated total.\n\nFootnote 41:\n\n _i.e._ the raised recess at the upper end of an Oriental saloon, and\n the place of honour, which Lane calls by its Egyptian name \u201cL\u00edw\u00e1n.\u201d\n See his vol. i. 312 and his M.E. chapt. i: also my vol. iv. p. 71.\n\nFootnote 42:\n\n \u201cBit o\u2019Musk.\u201d\n\nFootnote 43:\n\n \u201cA gin,\u201d a snare.\n\nFootnote 44:\n\n \u201cA gift,\u201d a present. It is instructive to compare Abu al-Hasan with\n Sancho Panza, sprightly Arab wit with grave Spanish humour.\n\nFootnote 45:\n\n _i.e._ he fell down senseless. The old version has \u201chis head knocked\n against his knees.\u201d\n\nFootnote 46:\n\n Arab. \u201cWadd\u00ed\u201d vulg. Egyptian and Syrian for the classical \u201cAdd\u00ed\u201d (ii.\n of Ad\u00fa = preparing to do). No wonder that Lane complains (iii. 376) of\n the \u201cvulgar style, abounding in errors.\u201d\n\nFootnote 47:\n\n O Apple, O Repose o\u2019 Hearts, O Musk, O Choice Gift.\n\nFootnote 48:\n\n Arab. \u201cDoghr\u00ed,\u201d a pure Turkish word, in Egypt meaning \u201ctruly, with\n truth,\u201d straightforwardly; in Syria = straight (going), directly.\n\nFootnote 49:\n\n Arab. \u201cM\u00e1rist\u00e1n,\u201d see vol. i. 288.\n\nFootnote 50:\n\n The scene is a rechauff\u00e9 of Badr al-Din Hasan and his wife, i. 247.\n\nFootnote 51:\n\n Arab. \u201cJanz\u00edr,\u201d another atrocious vulgarism for \u201cZanj\u00edr,\u201d which,\n however, has occurred before.\n\nFootnote 52:\n\n Arab. \u201cArafshah.\u201d\n\nFootnote 53:\n\n In the \u201cMishk\u00e1t al-Mas\u00e1bih\u201d (ii. 341), quoted by Lane, occurs the\n Hadis, \u201cShut your doors anights and when so doing repeat the Basmalah;\n for the Devil may not open a door shut in Allah\u2019s name.\u201d A pious\n Moslem in Egypt always ejaculates, \u201cIn the name of Allah, the\n Compassionating,\u201d etc., when he locks a door, covers up bread, doffs\n his clothes, etc., to keep off devils and d\u00e6mons.\n\nFootnote 54:\n\n An Arab idiom meaning, \u201cI have not found thy good fortune (Ka\u2019b =\n heel, glory, prosperity) do me any good.\u201d\n\nFootnote 55:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Nakbah\u201d = a calamity to those who have to do with thee!\n\nFootnote 56:\n\n Koran cxii., the \u201cChapter of Unity.\u201d See vol. iii. 307.\n\nFootnote 57:\n\n See vol. iii. 222.\n\nFootnote 58:\n\n Here the author indubitably speaks for himself, forgetting that he\n ended Night cclxxxi. (Bresl. iv. 168), and began that following with\n Shahrazad\u2019s usual formula.\n\nFootnote 59:\n\n _i.e._ \u201cDelight of the vitals\u201d (or heart).\n\nFootnote 60:\n\n The trick is a rechauff\u00e9 of the trick played on Al-Rashid and\n Zubaydah.\n\nFootnote 61:\n\n \u201cKalb\u201d here is not heart, but stomach. The big toes of the Moslem\n corpse are still tied in most countries, and in some a sword is placed\n upon the body; but I am not aware that a knife and salt (both believed\n to repel evil spirits) are so used in Cairo.\n\nFootnote 62:\n\n The Moslem, who may not wear unmixed silk during his lifetime, may be\n shrouded in it. I have noted that the \u201cShukkah,\u201d or piece, averages\n six feet in length.\n\nFootnote 63:\n\n A vulgar ejaculation; the \u201chour\u201d referring either to birth or to his\n being made one of the Caliph\u2019s equerries.\n\nFootnote 64:\n\n Here the story-teller omits to say that Masr\u00far bore witness to the\n Caliph\u2019s statement.\n\nFootnote 65:\n\n Arab. \u201cWa kuntu r\u00e1ihah ursil war\u00e1k,\u201d the regular Fellah language.\n\nFootnote 66:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Irk al-H\u00e1shim\u00ed.\u201d See vol. ii. 19. Lane remarks, \u201cWhether it\n was so in Hashim himself (or only in his descendants), I do not find;\n but it is mentioned amongst the characteristics of his great-grandson,\n the Prophet.\u201d\n\nFootnote 67:\n\n Arab. \u201cBost\u00e1n al-Nuzhah,\u201d whose name made the stake appropriate. See\n vol. ii. 81.\n\nFootnote 68:\n\n Arab. \u201cTam\u00e1sil\u201d = generally carved images, which, amongst Moslems,\n always suggest idols and idolatry.\n\nFootnote 69:\n\n The \u201cShubb\u00e1k\u201d here would be the \u201cMashrabiyah,\u201d or latticed balcony,\n projecting from the saloon-wall, and containing room for three or more\n sitters. It is Lane\u2019s \u201cMeshrebeeyeh,\u201d sketched in M.E. (Introduction)\n and now has become familiar to Englishmen.\n\nFootnote 70:\n\n This is to show the cleverness of Abu al-Hasan, who had calculated\n upon the difference between Al-Rashid and Zubaydah. Such marvels of\n perspicacity are frequent enough in the folk-lore of the Arabs.\n\nFootnote 71:\n\n An artful touch, showing how a tale grows by repetition. In Abu\n al-Hasan\u2019s case (_infra_) the eyes are swollen by the swathes.\n\nFootnote 72:\n\n A Hadis attributed to the Prophet, and very useful to Moslem husbands\n when wives differ overmuch with them in opinion.\n\nFootnote 73:\n\n Arab. \u201cMasarat f\u00ed-h\u00e1,\u201d which Lane renders, \u201cAnd she threw money to\n her.\u201d\n\nFootnote 74:\n\n A saying common throughout the world, especially when the afflicted\n widow intends to marry again at the first opportunity.\n\nFootnote 75:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Kh\u00e1lati\u201d = O my mother\u2019s sister; addressed by a woman to an\n elderly dame.\n\nFootnote 76:\n\n _i.e._ That I may put her to shame.\n\nFootnote 77:\n\n Arab. \u201cZal\u00e1biyah.\u201d\n\nFootnote 78:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Al\u00e0 al-Kaylah,\u201d which Mr. Payne renders by \u201cSiesta-carpet.\u201d\n Lane reads \u201cKiblah\u201d (\u201cin the direction of the Kiblah\u201d) and notes that\n some Moslems turn the corpse\u2019s head towards Meccah and others the\n right side, including the face. So the old version reads \u201cfeet towards\n Mecca.\u201d But the preposition \u201cAl\u00e0\u201d requires the former sig.\n\nFootnote 79:\n\n Many places in this text are so faulty that translation is mere\n guess-work; _e.g._ \u201cBash\u00e1rah\u201d can hardly be applied to ill-news.\n\nFootnote 80:\n\n _i.e._ of grief for his loss.\n\nFootnote 81:\n\n Arab. \u201cTob\u00e1ni\u201d which Lane renders \u201ctwo clods.\u201d I have noted that the\n Tob (Span. Adobe = At\u00b7 Tob) is a sunbaked brick. Beating the bosom\n with such material is still common amongst Moslem mourners of the\n lower class and the hardness of the blow gives the measure of the\n grief.\n\nFootnote 82:\n\n _i.e._ of grief for her loss.\n\nFootnote 83:\n\n Arab. \u201cIhtir\u00e1k\u201d often used in the metaphorical sense of consuming;\n torturing.\n\nFootnote 84:\n\n Arab. \u201cHal\u00e1wat,\u201d lit. = a sweetmeat, a gratuity, a thank-offering.\n\nFootnote 85:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. vi. pp. 182\u2013188, Nights ccccxxxii-ccccxxxiv.\n\nFootnote 86:\n\n \u201cThe good Caliph\u201d and the fifth of the Orthodox, the other four being\n Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman and Ali; and omitting the eight intervening,\n Hasan the grandson of the Prophet included. He was the 13th Caliph and\n 8th Ommiade A.H. 99\u2013101 (= 717\u2013720) and after a reign of three years\n he was poisoned by his kinsmen of the Banu Umayyah who hated him for\n his piety, asceticism, and severity in making them disgorge their\n ill-gotten gains. Moslem historians are unanimous in his praise.\n Europeans find him an _anachor\u00e8te couronn\u00e9, \u00e0 froide et respectable\n figure_, who lacked the diplomacy of Mu\u2019awiyah and the energy of\n Al-Hajj\u00e1j. His principal imitator was Al-Muhtadi bi\u2019ll\u00e1h, who longed\n for a return to the rare old days of Al-Islam.\n\nFootnote 87:\n\n Omar \u2019Adi bin Artah; governor of Kufah and Basrah under \u201cthe good\n Caliph.\u201d\n\nFootnote 88:\n\n Jar\u00edr al-Khatafah, one of the most famous of the \u201cIsl\u00e1m\u00ed\u201d poets,\n _i.e._, those who wrote in the first century (A.H.) before the\n corruption of language began. (See Terminal Essay, p. 267.) Ibn\n Khallikan notices him at full length i. 294.\n\nFootnote 89:\n\n Arab. \u201cB\u00e1kiyah,\u201d which may also mean eternal as opposed to \u201cF\u00e1niyah\u201d =\n temporal. Omar\u2019s answer shows all the narrow-minded fanaticism which\n distinguished the early Moslems: they were puritanical as any\n Praise-God-Barebones, and they hated \u201cboetry and bainting\u201d as hotly as\n any Hanoverian.\n\nFootnote 90:\n\n The Saturday Review (Jan. 2, \u201986), which has honoured me by the normal\n reviling in the shape of a critique upon my two first vols., complains\n of the \u201cCurious word Abhak\u201d as \u201ca perfectly arbitrary and unusual\n group of Latin letters.\u201d May I ask Aristarchus how he would render\n \u201cSal\u2019am,\u201d (vol. ii. 24), which apparently he would confine to \u201cArabic\n MSS.\u201d (!). Or would he prefer to A(llah) b(less) h(im) a(nd) k(eep)\n \u201cW. G. B.\u201d (whom God bless) as proposed by the editor of Ockley? But\n where would be the poor old \u201cSaturnine\u201d if obliged to do better than\n the authors it abuses?\n\nFootnote 91:\n\n He might have said \u201cby more than one, including the great Lab\u00edd.\u201d\n\nFootnote 92:\n\n F\u00ed-hi either \u201cin him\u201d (Mohammed) or \u201cin it\u201d (his action).\n\nFootnote 93:\n\n Chief of the Banu Sulaym. According to Tabari, Abbas bin Mirdas (a\n well-known poet), being dissatisfied with the booty allotted to him by\n the Prophet, refused it and lampooned Mohammed, who said to Ali, \u201cCut\n off this tongue which attacketh me,\u201d _i.e._ \u201cSilence him by giving\n what will satisfy him.\u201d Thereupon Ali doubled the Satirist\u2019s share.\n\nFootnote 94:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Bil\u00e1l\u201d: Bilal ibn Rabah was the Prophet\u2019s freedman and\n crier: see vol. iii. 106. But _bilal_ also signifies \u201cmoisture\u201d or\n \u201cbeneficence,\u201d \u201cbenefits\u201d: it may be intended for a double entendre\n but I prefer the metonymy.\n\nFootnote 95:\n\n The verses of this Kasidah are too full of meaning to be easily\n translated: it is fine old poetry.\n\nFootnote 96:\n\n _i.e._ of the Koraysh tribe. For his disorderly life see Ibn Khallikan\n ii. 372: he died however, a holy death, battling against the Infidels\n in A.H. 93 (= 711\u201312), some five years before Omar\u2019s reign.\n\nFootnote 97:\n\n Arab. \u201cBayn farsi-k wa \u2019l-dam\u00ed\u201d = lit. between f\u00e6ces and menses,\n _i.e._ the foulest part of his mistress\u2019s person. It is not often that\n The Nights are \u201cnasty\u201d; but here is a case. See vol. v. 162.\n\nFootnote 98:\n\n \u201cJam\u00edl the Poet,\u201d and lover of Buthaynah: see vol. ii. 102, Ibn\n Khallikan (i. 331), and Al-Mas\u2019udi vi. 381, who quotes him copiously.\n He died A.H. 82 (= 701), or sixteen years before Omar\u2019s reign.\n\nFootnote 99:\n\n Arab. \u201cSaf\u00edh\u201d = the slab over the grave.\n\nFootnote 100:\n\n A contemporary and friend of Jam\u00edl and the famous lover of Azzah: See\n vol. ii. 102, and Al-Mas\u2019udi, vi. 426. The word \u201cKuthayyir\u201d means \u201cthe\n dwarf.\u201d Term. Essay, 268.\n\nFootnote 101:\n\n _i.e._ in the attitude of prayer.\n\nFootnote 102:\n\n In Bresl. Edit. \u201cAl-Akhwass,\u201d clerical error noticed in Ibn Khallikan\n i. 526. His satires banished him to Dahlak Island in the Red Sea, and\n he died A.H. 179 (= 795\u20136).\n\nFootnote 103:\n\n Another famous poet Ab\u00fa Fir\u00e1s Hamm\u00e1m or Humaym (dimin. form), as\n debauched as Jarir, who died forty days before him in A.H. 110 (=\n 728\u201329), at Basrah. Cf. Term. Essay, 269.\n\nFootnote 104:\n\n A famous Christian poet. See C. de Perceval, Journ. Asiat. April,\n 1834, Ibn Khallikan iii. 136, and Term. Essay, 269.\n\nFootnote 105:\n\n The poet means that unlike other fasters he eats meat openly. See\n Pilgrimage (i. 110), for the popular hypocrisy.\n\nFootnote 106:\n\n Arab. \u201cBath\u00e1\u201d the lowlands and plains outside the Meccan Valley: See\n Al-Mas\u2019udi, vi. 157. Mr. (now Sir) W. Muir in his Life of Mahomet,\n vol. i., p. ccv., remarks upon my Pilgrimage (iii. 252) that in\n placing Arafat 12 miles from Meccah, I had given 3 miles to Muna, + 3\n to Muzdalifah + 3 to Arafat = 9. But the total does not include the\n suburbs of Meccah and the breadth of the Arafat-Valley.\n\nFootnote 107:\n\n The words of the Az\u00e1n, vol. i. 306.\n\nFootnote 108:\n\n Wine in Arabic is feminine, \u201cSham\u00fal\u201d = liquor hung in the wind to\n cool, a favourite Arab practice often noticed by the poets.\n\nFootnote 109:\n\n _i.e._ I will fall down dead drunk.\n\nFootnote 110:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u00c1r\u00e1m,\u201d plur. of Irm, a beautiful girl, a white deer. The word\n is connected with the Heb. Reem (Deut. xxxiii. 17), which has been\n explained unicorn, rhinoceros, and aurochs. It is the Ass. Rimu, the\n wild bull of the mountains, provided with a human face, and placed at\n the palace-entrance to frighten away foes, demon or human.\n\nFootnote 111:\n\n _i.e._ she who ensnares [all] eyes.\n\nFootnote 112:\n\n _Imam_, the spiritual title of the Caliph, as head of the Faith and\n leader (lit. \u201cforeman,\u201d Antistes) of the people at prayer. See vol.\n iv. 111.\n\nFootnote 113:\n\n For Yam\u00e1mah see vol. ii. 104. Omar bin Abd al-Aziz was governor of the\n province before he came to the Caliphate. To the note on Zark\u00e1, the\n blue-eyed Yamamite, I may add that Marwan was called Ibn Zark\u00e1, son of\n \u201cla femme au drapeau bleu,\u201d such being the sign of a public\n prostitute. Al-Mas\u2019udi, v. 509.\n\nFootnote 114:\n\n Rain and bounty, I have said, are synonymous.\n\nFootnote 115:\n\n About \u00a32 10s.\n\nFootnote 116:\n\n _i.e._ what is thy news.\n\nFootnote 117:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. vi. pp. 188\u20139, Night ccccxxxiv.\n\nFootnote 118:\n\n Of this masterful personage and his _\u00e9nergie indomptable_ I have\n spoken in vol. iv. 3, and other places. I may add that he built W\u00e1sit\n city A.H. 83 and rendered eminent services to literature and\n civilization amongst the Arabs. When the Ommiade Caliph Abd al-Malik\n was dying he said to his son Walid, \u201cLook to Al-Hajjaj and honour him\n for, verily, he it is who hath covered for you the pulpits; and he is\n thy sword and thy right hand against all opponents; thou needest him\n more than he needeth thee and when I die summon the folk to the\n covenant of allegiance; and he who saith with his head\u2014thus, say thou\n with thy sword\u2014thus\u201d (Al-Siyuti, p. 225) yet the historian simply\n observes, \u201cthe Lord curse him.\u201d\n\nFootnote 119:\n\n _i.e._ given through his lieutenant.\n\nFootnote 120:\n\n \u201cNecks\u201d per synecdochen for heads. The passage is a description of a\n barber-surgeon in a series of double-entendres; the \u201cnose-pierced\u201d\n (Makhz\u00fam) is the subject who is led by the nose like a camel with\n halter and ring and the \u201cbreaker\u201d (h\u00e1shim) may be a breaker of bread\n as the word originally meant, or breaker of bones. Lastly the \u201cwealth\u201d\n (m\u00e1l) is a recondite allusion to the hair.\n\nFootnote 121:\n\n Arab. \u201cKadr\u201d which a change of vowel makes \u201cKidr\u201d = a cooking-pot. The\n description is that of an itinerant seller of boiled beans (F\u00fal\n mudammas) still common in Cairo. The \u201clight of his fire\u201d suggests \u00e0\n double-entendre some powerful Chief like masterful King Kulayb. See\n vol. ii. 77.\n\nFootnote 122:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Suf\u00faf,\u201d either ranks of fighting-men or the rows of threads\n on a loom. Here the allusion is to a weaver who levels and corrects\n his threads with the wooden spathe and shuttle governing warp and weft\n and who makes them stand straight (behave aright). The \u201cstirrup\u201d\n (rik\u00e1b) is the loop of cord in which the weaver\u2019s foot rests.\n\nFootnote 123:\n\n \u201cAdab.\u201d See vols. i. 132, and ix. 41.\n\nFootnote 124:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. vi. pp. 189\u2013191, Night ccccxxxiv.\n\nFootnote 125:\n\n Arab. \u201cZa\u2019m\u00fa,\u201d a word little used in the Cal., Mac. or Bul. Edit.; or\n in the Wortley Montague MS.; but very common in the Bresl. text.\n\nFootnote 126:\n\n More double-entendres. \u201cThou hast done justice\u201d (\u2019adalta) also means\n \u201cThou hast swerved from right;\u201d and \u201cThou hast wrought equitably\u201d\n (Akasta iv. of Kast) = \u201cThou hast transgressed.\u201d\n\nFootnote 127:\n\n Koran vi. 44. Allah is threatening unbelievers, \u201cAnd when they had\n forgotten their warnings We set open to them the gates of all things,\n until, when they were gladdened,\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 128:\n\n Arab. \u201cTa\u2019dil\u00fa\u201d also meaning, \u201cYe do injustice\u201d: quoted from Koran iv.\n 134.\n\nFootnote 129:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-K\u00e1sit\u00fana\u201d before explained. Koran lxxii. 15.\n\nFootnote 130:\n\n Bresl. Edit. vol. vi. pp. 191\u2013343, Nights ccccxxxv-cccclxxxvii. This\n is the old Persian Bakhty\u00e1r N\u00e1meh, _i.e._ the Book of Bakhtyar, so\n called from the prince and hero \u201cFortune\u2019s Friend.\u201d In the tale of\n Jili\u2019ad and Shimas the number of Wazirs is seven, as usual in the\n Sindibad cycle. Here we have the full tale as advised by the Im\u00e1m\n al-Jara\u2019\u00ed: \u201cit is meet for a man before entering upon important\n undertakings to consult ten intelligent friends; if he have only five\n to apply twice to each; if only one, ten times at different visits,\n and if none, let him repair to his wife and consult her; and whatever\n she advises him to do let him do the clear contrary,\u201d (quoting Omar)\n or as says Tommy Moore,\n\n Whene\u2019er you\u2019re in doubt, said a sage I once knew,\n \u2019Twixt two lines of conduct which course to pursue,\n Ask a woman\u2019s advice, and whate\u2019er she advise\n Do the very reverse, and you\u2019re sure to be wise.\n\n The Romance of the Ten Wazirs occurs in dislocated shape in the\n \u201cNouveaux Contes Arabes, ou Suppl\u00e9ment aux Mille et une Nuits, etc.,\n par M. l\u2019Abb\u00e9 * * * Paris, 1788.\u201d It is the \u201cStory of Bohetzad\n (Bakht-z\u00e1d = Luck-born, v.p.), and his Ten Viziers,\u201d in vol. iii., pp.\n 2\u201330 of the \u201cArabian Tales,\u201d etc., published by Dom Chavis and M.\n Cazotte, in 1785; a copy of the English translation by Robert Heron,\n Edinburgh, 1792, I owe to the kindness of Mr. Leonard Smithers of\n Sheffield. It appears also in vol. viii. of M. C. de Perceval\u2019s\n Edition of The Nights; in Gauttier\u2019s Edition (vol. vi.), and as the\n \u201cHistoria Decem Vizirorum et filii Regis Azad-bacht,\u201d text and\n translation by Gustav Kn\u00f6s, of Goettingen (1807). For the Turkish,\n Malay and other versions see (p. xxxviii. etc.) \u201cThe Bakhtiy\u0101r N\u0101ma,\u201d\n etc. Edited (from the Sir William Ouseley\u2019s version of 1801) by Mr. W.\n A. Clouston and privately printed, London, 1883. The notes are\n valuable but their worth is sadly injured by the want of an index. I\n am pleased to see that Mr. E. J. W. Gibb is publishing the \u201cHistory of\n the Forty Vezirs; or, the Story of the Forty Morns and Eves,\u201d written\n in Turkish by \u201cSheykh-Zadah,\u201d evidently a nom de plume (for Ahmad\n al-Misri?), and translated from an Arabic MS. which probably dated\n about the xvth century.\n\nFootnote 131:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte, the \u201ckingdom of Dineroux (comprehending all\n Syria and the isles of the Indian Ocean) whose capital was Issessara.\u201d\n An article in the Edinburgh Review (July, 1886), calls the\n \u201cSupplement\u201d a \u201cbare-faced forgery;\u201d but evidently the writer should\n have \u201cread up\u201d his subject before writing.\n\nFootnote 132:\n\n The Persian form; in Arab. Sijist\u00e1n, the classical Drangiana or\n province East of Fars = Persia proper. It is famed in legend as the\n feof of hero Rustam.\n\nFootnote 133:\n\n Arab. _R\u00e1wi_ = a professional tale-teller, which Mr. Payne justly\n holds to be a clerical error for \u201c_R\u00e1\u00ed_, a beholder, one who seeth.\u201d\n\nFootnote 134:\n\n In Persian the name would be Bahr-i-Jaur = \u201cluck\u201d (or fortune, \u201cbahr\u201d)\n of Jaur-(or J\u00far-) city.\n\nFootnote 135:\n\n Supply \u201cand cared naught for his kingdom.\u201d\n\nFootnote 136:\n\n Arab. \u201cAtr\u00e1f,\u201d plur. of \u201cTarf,\u201d a great and liberal lord.\n\nFootnote 137:\n\n Lit. \u201cHow was,\u201d etc. Kayf is a favourite word not only in the Bresl.\n Edit., but throughout Egypt and Syria. Classically we should write\n \u201cM\u00e1;\u201d vulgarly \u201cAysh.\u201d\n\nFootnote 138:\n\n Karmania vulg. and fancifully derived from Kirm\u00e1n Pers. = worms\n because the silkworm is supposed to have been bred there; but the name\n is of far older date as we find the Asiatic \u00c6thiopians of Herodotus\n (iii. 93) lying between the Germanii (Karman) and the Indus. Also\n Karman\u00eda appears in Strabo and Sinus Carmanicus in other classics.\n\nFootnote 139:\n\n Arab. \u201cKa\u2019\u00edd\u201d lit. = one who sits with, a colleague, hence the Span.\n Alcayde; in Marocco it is = colonel, and is prefixed _e.g._ Ka\u2019\u00edd\n Maclean.\n\nFootnote 140:\n\n A favourite food; Al-Hariri calls the dates and cream, which were sold\n together in bazars, the \u201cProud Rider on the desired Steed.\u201d\n\nFootnote 141:\n\n In Bresl. Edit. vi. 198 by misprint \u201cKutr\u00fa:\u201d Chavis and Cazotte have\n \u201cKassera.\u201d In the story of Bihkard we find a P.N. \u201cYatr\u00fa.\u201d\n\nFootnote 142:\n\n _i.e._ waylaying travellers, a term which has often occurred.\n\nFootnote 143:\n\n _i.e._ the royal favour.\n\nFootnote 144:\n\n _i.e._ When the fated hour came down (from Heaven).\n\nFootnote 145:\n\n As the Nights have proved in many places, the Asl (origin) of a man is\n popularly held to influence his conduct throughout life. So the\n Jeweller\u2019s wife (vol. ix.) was of servile birth, which accounted for\n her vile conduct; and reference is hardly necessary to a host of other\n instances. We can trace the same idea in the sayings and folk-lore of\n the West, _e.g._ Bon sang ne peut mentir, etc., etc.\n\nFootnote 146:\n\n _i.e._ \u201cWhat deemest thou he hath done?\u201d\n\nFootnote 147:\n\n The apodosis wanting \u201cto make thee trust in him?\u201d\n\nFootnote 148:\n\n In the Braj B\u00e1kh\u00e1 dialect of Hindi, we find quoted in the\n Akhl\u00e1k-i-Hindi, \u201cTale of the old Tiger and the Traveller\u201d:\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\u2019er shall his nature fail a man whate\u2019er that nature be,\n The N\u00edm-tree bitter shall remain though drenched with Gur and Gh\u00ed.\n\n The N\u00edm (Melia Azadirachta) is the \u201cPersian lilac,\u201d whose leaves,\n intensely bitter, are used as a preventive to poison: Gur is the\n Anglo-Indian Jaggeri = raw sugar and Ghi = clarified butter. Roebuck\n gives the same proverb in Hindostani.\n\nFootnote 149:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte \u201cStory of Kaskas; or the Obstinate Man.\u201d For\n ill-luck, see Miss Frere\u2019s \u201cOld Deccan Days\u201d (p. 171), and Giles\u2019s\n \u201cStrange Stories,\u201d &c. (p. 430), where the young lady says to Ma, \u201cYou\n often asked me for money; but on account of your weak luck I hitherto\n refrained from giving it.\u201d\n\nFootnote 150:\n\n True to life in the present day, as many a standing hay-rick has\n shown.\n\nFootnote 151:\n\n The \u201cMunajjim\u201d is a recognised authority in Egyptian townlets, and in\n the village-republics of Southern India the \u201cJyoshi\u201d is one of the\n paid officials.\n\nFootnote 152:\n\n Arab. \u201cAm\u00edn\u201d sub. and adj. In India it means a Government employ\u00e9 who\n collects revenue; in Marocco a commissioner sent by His Sharifian\n Majesty.\n\nFootnote 153:\n\n Our older word for divers = Arab. \u201cGhaww\u00e1s\u00fan\u201d: a single pearl (in the\n text Jauhar = the Port. Aljofar) is called \u201chabbah\u201d = grain or seed.\n\nFootnote 154:\n\n The kindly and generous deed of one Moslem to another, and by no means\n rare in real life.\n\nFootnote 155:\n\n \u201cEunuch,\u201d etymologically meaning chamberlain (\u03b5\u1f50\u03bd\u1f74 + \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd), a\n bed-chamberservant or slave, was presently confined to castrated men\n found useful for special purposes, like gelded horses, hounds, and\n cockerels turned to capons. Some writers hold that the creation of the\n semivir or apocopus began as a punishment in Egypt and elsewhere; and\n so under the Romans amputation of the \u201cpeccant part\u201d was frequent:\n others trace the Greek \u201cinvalid,\u201d _i.e._, impotent man, to marital\n jealousy, and not a few to the wife who wished to use the sexless for\n hard work in the house without danger to the slave-girls. The origin\n of the mutilation is referred by Ammianus Marcellinus (lib. iv., chap.\n 17), and the Classics generally, to Semiramis, an \u201cancient queen\u201d of\n decidedly doubtful epoch, who thus prevented the propagation of\n weaklings. But in Genesis (xxxvii. 36; xxxix. 1, margin) we find\n Potiphar termed a \u201cSar\u00edm\u201d (castrato), an \u201cattenuating circumstance\u201d\n for Mrs. P. Herodotus (iii. chap. 48) tells us that Periander, tyrant\n of Corinth, sent three hundred Corcyrean boys to Alyattes for\n castration \u1f10\u03c0\u1f76 \u1fc7\u03c4 \u1f10\u03ba\u03c4\u03bf\u03bc\u1fc7, and that Panionios of Chios sold caponised\n lads for high prices, (viii. 105): he notices (viii. 104 and other\n places) that eunuchs \u201cof the Sun, of Heaven, of the hand of God,\u201d were\n looked upon as honourable men amongst the Persians whom Stephanus and\n Brissonius charge with having invented the name (Dabistan i. 171).\n Ctesias also declares that the Persian kings were under the influence\n of eunuchs. In the debauched ages of Rome the women found a new use\n for these effeminates, who had lost only the testes or testiculi = the\n witnesses (of generative force): it is noticed by Juvenal (i. 22; ii.\n 365\u2013379; vi. 366.)\n\n \u2014sunt quos imbelles et mollia semper\n Oscula delectant.\n\n So Martial,\n\n \u2014vult futui Gallia, non parere,\n\n And Mirabeau knew (see Kad\u00edsah) \u201cqu\u2019ils mordent les femmes et les\n liment avec une pr\u00e9cieuse continuit\u00e9.\u201d (Compare my vol. ii. 90; v.\n 46). The men also used them as catamites (Horace i. Od. xxxvii.)\n\n \u201cContaminato cum grege turpium\n Morbo virorum.\u201d\n\n In religion the intestabilis or intestatus was held ill-omened, and\n not permitted to become a priest (Seneca Controv. ii. 4), a practice\n perpetuated in the various Christian churches. The manufacture was\n forbidden, to the satisfaction of Martial, by Domitian, whose edict\n Nero confirmed; and was restored by the Byzantine empire, which\n advanced eunuchs, like Eutropius and Narses, to the highest dignities\n of the realm. The cruel custom to the eternal disgrace of medi\u00e6val\n Christianity was revived in Rome for providing the choirs in the\n Sistine Chapel and elsewhere with boys\u2019 voices. Isaiah mentions the\n custom (lvi. 3\u20136,). Mohammed, who notices in the Koran (xxiv. 31),\n \u201csuch men as attend women and have no need of women\u201d _i.e._ \u201chave no\n natural force,\u201d expressly forbade (iv. 118), \u201cchanging Allah\u2019s\n creatures,\u201d referring, say the commentators, to superstitious\n ear-cropping of cattle, tattooing, teeth-sharpening, sodomy,\n tribadism, and slave-gelding. See also the \u201cHid\u00e1yah,\u201d vol. iv. 121;\n and the famous divine Al-Siy\u00fati, the last of his school, wrote a\n tractate Fi \u2019l-Tahr\u00edmi Khidmati \u2019l-Khisy\u00e1n = on the illegality of\n using eunuchs. Yet the Harem perpetuated the practice throughout\n Al-Islam and African jealousy made a gross abuse of it. To quote no\n other instance, the Sultan of D\u00e1r-For had a thousand eunuchs under a\n Malik or king, and all the chief offices of the empire, such as Ab\n (father) and B\u00e1b (door), were monopolised by these neutrals. The\n centre of supply was the Upper Nile, where the operation was found\n dangerous after the age of fifteen, and when badly performed only one\n in four survived. For this reason, during the last century the Coptic\n monks of Girgah and Zawy al-Dayr, near Assiout, engaged in this\n scandalous traffic, and declared that it was philanthropic to operate\n scientifically (Prof. Panuri and many others). Eunuchs are now made in\n the Sud\u00e1n, Nubia, Abyssinia, Kordof\u00e1n, and D\u00e1r-For, especially the\n Messalmiyah district: one of those towns was called \u201cTaw\u00e1shah\u201d\n (eunuchry) from the traffic there conducted by Fukah\u00e1 or religious\n teachers. Many are supplied by the district between Majarah\n (Majarash?) and the port Masawwah; there are also dep\u00f4ts at Mbadr,\n near Tajurrah-harbour, where Yusuf Bey, Governor in 1880, caponised\n some forty boys, including the brother of a hostile African chief:\n here also the well-known Abu Bakr was scandalously active. It is\n calculated that not less than eight thousand of these unfortunates are\n annually exported to Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey. Article IV. of the\n Anglo-Egyptian Convention punishes the offence with death, and no one\n would object to hanging the murderer under whose mutilating razor a\n boy dies. Yet this, like most of our modern \u201cimprovements\u201d in Egypt,\n is a mere _brutum fulmen_. The crime is committed under our very eyes,\n but we will not see it.\n\n The Romans numbered three kinds of eunuchs:\u20141. Castrati, clean-shaved,\n from Gr. \u03ba\u03ad\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03bf\u03c2. 2. Spadones, from \u03c3\u03c0\u03ac\u03c9 when the testicles are torn\n out, not from \u201cSpada,\u201d a town of Persia; and, 3. Thlibii, from \u03b8\u03bb\u03af\u03b2\u03c9,\n to press, squeeze, when the testicles are bruised, &c. In the East\n also, as I have stated (v. 46), eunuchs are of three kinds:\u2014I.\n Sandali, or the clean-shaved, the classical apocopus. The parts are\n swept off by a single cut of a razor, a tube (tin or wooden) is set in\n the urethra, the wound is cauterised with boiling oil, and the patient\n is planted in a fresh dunghill. His diet is milk; and and if under\n puberty, he often survives. This is the eunuque aqueduc, who must pass\n his water through a tube. 2. The eunuch whose penis is removed: he\n retains all the power of copulation and procreation without the\n wherewithal; and this, since the discovery of caoutchouc, has often\n been supplied. 3. The eunuch, or classical Thlibias and Semivir, who\n has been rendered sexless by removing the testicles (as the priests of\n Cybele were castrated with a stone knife), or by bruising (the Greek\n Thl\u00e1sias), twisting, searing, or bandaging them. A more humane process\n has lately been introduced: a horsehair is tied round the neck of the\n scrotum and tightened by slow degrees till the circulation of the part\n stops and the bag drops off without pain. This has been adopted in\n sundry Indian regiments of Irregular Cavalry, and it succeeded\n admirably: the animals rarely required a day\u2019s rest. The practice was\n known to the ancients. See notes on Kad\u00edsah in Mirabeau. The\n _Eunuchata virgo_ was invented by the Lydians, according to their\n historian Xanthus. Zachias (Qu\u00e6st. medico-legal.) declares that the\n process was one of infibulation or simple sewing up the vulva; but\n modern experience has suggested an operation like the \u201cspaying\u201d of\n bitches, or mutilation of the womb, in modern euphuism \u201cbaby-house.\u201d\n Dr. Robert (\u201cJourney from Delhi to Bombay, M\u00fcller\u2019s Archiv. 1843\u201d)\n speaks of a eunuch\u2019d woman who after ovariotomy had no breasts, no\n pubes, no rotundities, and no desires. The Australians practise\n exsection of the ovaries systematically to make women barren. Miklucho\n Maclay learned from the traveller Retsch that about Lake Parapitshurie\n men\u2019s urethras were split, and the girls were spayed: the latter\n showing two scars in the groin. They have flat bosoms, but feminine\n forms, and are slightly bearded; they mix with the men, whom they\n satisfy mechanically, but without enjoyment (?). MacGillivray, of the\n \u201cRattlesnake,\u201d saw near Cape York a woman with these scars: she was a\n surdo-mute, and had probably been spayed to prevent increase. The old\n Scandinavians, from Norway to Iceland, systematically gelded \u201csturdy\n vagrants,\u201d in order that they might not beget bastards. The Hottentots\n before marriage used to cut off the left testicle, meaning by such\n semi-castration to prevent the begetting of twins. This curious\n custom, mentioned by the Jesuit Tochard, Boeving, and Kolbe, is now\n apparently obsolete\u2014at least, the traveller Fritsch did not find it.\n\nFootnote 156:\n\n Arab. \u201cHar\u00e1m\u201d = \u201cforbidden,\u201d sinful.\n\nFootnote 157:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte, who out-galland\u2019d Galland in transmogrifying\n the Arabic, this is the \u201cStory of Illage (Al-H\u00e1jj) Mahomet and his\n sons; or, the Imprudent Man.\u201d The tale occurs in many forms and with\n great modifications: See, for instance, the Gesta Romanorum \u201cOf the\n miraculous recall of sinners and of the consolation which piety offers\n to the distressed,\u201d the adventures of the knight Placidus, vol. ii.\n 99. Charles Swan, London. Rivington, 1824.\n\nFootnote 158:\n\n _i.e._ For fear of the \u201ceye\u201d: see vol. i. 123 and passim. In these\n days the practice is rare; but, whenever you see at Cairo an Egyptian\n dame daintily dressed and leading by the hand a grimy little boy whose\n eyes are black with flies and whose dress is worn and unclean, you see\n what has taken its place. And if you would praise the brat you must\n not say \u201cOh, what a pretty boy!\u201d but \u201cInshallah!\u201d\u2014the Lord doth as he\n pleaseth.\n\nFootnote 159:\n\n The adoption of slave lads and lasses was and is still common among\n Moslems.\n\nFootnote 160:\n\n I have elsewhere noted this \u201cpathetic fallacy\u201d which is a _lieu\n commun_ of Eastern folk-lore and not less frequently used in the\n medi\u00e6val literature of Europe before statistics were invented.\n\nFootnote 161:\n\n Arab. \u201cYaskut min \u2019Aynayh,\u201d lit. = fall from his two eyes, lose\n favour.\n\nFootnote 162:\n\n _i.e._ killing a man.\n\nFootnote 163:\n\n _i.e._ we can slay him whenever we will.\n\nFootnote 164:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte \u201cStory of Abosaber the Patient.\u201d \u201cAb\u00fa S\u00e1bir\u201d\n would mean \u201cFather of the Patient (one).\u201d\n\nFootnote 165:\n\n Arab. \u201cDihk\u00e1n,\u201d in Persian a villager; but here something more, a\n village-elder or chief. Al-Mas\u2019udi (chap. xxiv.), and other historians\n apply the term to a class of noble Persians descended from the ten\n sons of Wahkert, the first \u201cDihk\u00e1n,\u201d the fourth generation from King\n Kayomars.\n\nFootnote 166:\n\n Reminding one not a little of certain anecdotes anent Quakers, current\n in England and English-speaking lands.\n\nFootnote 167:\n\n Arab. \u201cKaryah,\u201d a word with a long history. The root seems to be\n Karaha, he met; in Chald. Karih and K\u00e1ria (emphatic K\u00e1rita) = a town\n or city; and in Heb. Kirjath, Kiry\u00e1thayim, etc. We find it in Carthage\n = Kart\u00e1 h\u00e1disah, or New Town as opposed to Utica (At\u00edkah) = Old Town;\n in Carchemish and in a host of similar compounds. In Syria and Egypt\n Kariyah, like Kafr, now means a hamlet, a village.\n\nFootnote 168:\n\n _i.e._ wandering at a venture.\n\nFootnote 169:\n\n Arab. \u201cSakhrah,\u201d the old French Corv\u00e9e, and the \u201cBeg\u00e1r\u201d of India.\n\nFootnote 170:\n\n Arab. \u201cMatm\u00farah:\u201d see vol. ii. 39, where it is used as an \u201cunderground\n cell.\u201d The word is extensively used in the Maghrib or Western Africa.\n\nFootnote 171:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Ab\u00e1 S\u00e1bir.\u201d There are five vocative particles in Arabic;\n \u201cY\u00e1,\u201d common to the near and far; \u201cAy\u00e1\u201d (ho!) and \u201cHay\u00e1\u201d (holla!)\n addressed to the far, and \u201cAy\u201d and \u201cA\u201d (A-\u2019Abda-ll\u00e1hi, O Abdullah), to\n those near. All govern the accusative of a noun in construction in the\n literary language only; and the vulgar use none but the first named.\n The English-speaking races neglect the vocative particle, and I never\n heard it except in the Southern States of the Anglo-American Union =\n Oh, Mr. Smith.\n\nFootnote 172:\n\n He was not honest enough to undeceive them; a neat Quaker-like touch.\n\nFootnote 173:\n\n Here the oath is justified; but the reader will have remarked that the\n name of Allah is often taken in vain. Moslems, however, so far from\n holding this a profanation deem it an acknowledgment of the\n Omnipotence and Omnipresence. The Jews from whom the Christians have\n borrowed had an interest in concealing the name of their tribal\n divinity; and therefore made it ineffable.\n\nFootnote 174:\n\n _i.e._ the grave, the fosse commune of slain men.\n\nFootnote 175:\n\n A fancy name; \u201cZawash\u201d in Pers. is = \u0396\u03b5\u1f7a\u03c2, the planet Jupiter, either\n borrowed from Greece, or both descended from some long forgotten\n ancestor.\n\nFootnote 176:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte \u201cStory of Bhazad (!) the Impatient.\u201d The name is\n Persian, Bih (well, good) Z\u00e1d (born). In the adj. bih we recognise a\n positive lost in English and German which retain the comparative\n (bih-tar = better) and superlative (bih-tarin = best).\n\nFootnote 177:\n\n _i.e._ the moiety kept by the bridegroom, a contingent settlement paid\n at divorce or on the death of the husband.\n\nFootnote 178:\n\n Arab. \u201cRumh\u201d = the horseman\u2019s lance not the footman\u2019s spear.\n\nFootnote 179:\n\n _i.e._ became a highwayman (a time-honoured and honourable career) in\n order to collect money for completing the dowry.\n\nFootnote 180:\n\n _i.e._ to the bride, the wedding-day; not to be confounded with \u201cgoing\n in unto\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 181:\n\n Probably meaning that she saw the eyes espying through the crevice\n without knowing whose they were.\n\nFootnote 182:\n\n A fancy name intended to be Persian.\n\nFootnote 183:\n\n _i.e._ thy Harem, thy women.\n\nFootnote 184:\n\n _i.e._ thy life hath been unduly prolonged.\n\nFootnote 185:\n\n See Chavis and Cazotte, \u201cStory of Ravia (Arw\u00e0!) the Resigned.\u201d D\u00e1d-b\u00edn\n (Persian) = one who looks to justice, a name hardly deserved in this\n case.\n\nFootnote 186:\n\n For this important province and city of Persia, see Al-Mas\u2019\u00fad\u00ed, ii. 2;\n iv. 86, etc. It gave one of many names to the Caspian Sea. The\n adjective is Tabari, whereas Tabar\u00e1ni = native of Tiberias\n (Tabariyah).\n\nFootnote 187:\n\n Zor-kh\u00e1n = Lord Violence, and K\u00e1rd\u00e1n = Business-knower; both Persian.\n\nFootnote 188:\n\n \u201cArw\u00e0\u201d written with a terminal of y\u00e1 is a woman\u2019s P.N. in Arabic.\n\nFootnote 189:\n\n _i.e._ Not look down upon me with eyes of contempt. This \u201cmarrying\n below one\u201d is still an Eastern idea, very little known to women in the\n West.\n\nFootnote 190:\n\n Chavis and Cazotte call the Dabb\u00fas a \u201cdabour\u201d and explain it as a\n \u201csort of scepter used by Eastern Princes, which serves also as a\n weapon.\u201d For the Dabb\u00fas, or mace, see vol. vi. 249.\n\nFootnote 191:\n\n _i.e._ Let thy purposes be righteous as thine outward profession.\n\nFootnote 192:\n\n See vol. vi. 130. This is another _lieu commun_ amongst Moslems; and\n its unfact requires only statement.\n\nFootnote 193:\n\n Afterwards called his \u201cchamberlain,\u201d _i.e._ guardian of the\n Harem-door.\n\nFootnote 194:\n\n _i.e._ Chosro\u00ebs, whom Chavis and Cazotte make \u201cCyrus.\u201d\n\nFootnote 195:\n\n Arab. \u201cT\u00e1kiyah,\u201d used for the Persian Takhtraw\u00e1n, common in The\n Nights.\n\nFootnote 196:\n\n Arab. \u201cKubbah,\u201d a dome-shaped tent, as elsewhere.\n\nFootnote 197:\n\n This can refer only to Abu al-Khayr\u2019s having been put to death on\n Kardan\u2019s charge, although the tale-teller, with characteristic\n inconsequence, neglected to mention the event.\n\nFootnote 198:\n\n Not referring to skull sutures, but to the forehead, which is\n poetically compared with a page of paper upon which Destiny writes her\n irrevocable decrees.\n\nFootnote 199:\n\n Said in the grimmest earnest, not jestingly, as in vol. iv. 264.\n\nFootnote 200:\n\n _i.e._ the _lex talionis_, which is the essence of Moslem, and indeed,\n of all criminal jurisprudence. We cannot wonder at the judgment of\n Queen Arwa: even Confucius, the mildest and most humane of lawgivers,\n would not pardon the man who allowed his father\u2019s murderer to live.\n The Moslem lex talionis (Koran ii. 173) is identical with that of the\n Jews (Exod. xxi. 24), and the latter probably derives from immemorial\n usage. But many modern Rabbins explain away the Mosaical command as\n rather a demand for a pecuniary mulct than literal retaliation. The\n well-known Isaac Aburbanel cites many arguments in proof of this\n position: he asks, for instance, supposing the accused have but one\n eye, should he lose it for having struck out one of another man\u2019s two?\n Moreover, he dwells upon the impossibility of inflicting a punishment\n the exact equivalent of the injury; like Shylock\u2019s pound of flesh\n without drawing blood. Moslems, however, know nothing of these\n frivolities, and if retaliation be demanded the judge must grant it.\n There is a legend in Marocco of an English merchant who was compelled\n to forfeit tooth for tooth at the instance of an old woman, but a\n profitable concession gilded the pill.\n\nFootnote 201:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte \u201cStory of Bhazmant (!); or the Confident Man.\u201d\n \u201cBakht (-i-) Zam\u00e1n\u201d in Pers. would = Luck of the Time.\n\nFootnote 202:\n\n Chavis and Cazotte change the name to \u201cAbadid,\u201d which, like\n \u201cKhad\u00edd\u00e1n,\u201d is non-significant.\n\nFootnote 203:\n\n Arab. \u201cF\u00e1ris,\u201d here a Reiter, or Dugald Dolgetti, as mostly were the\n hordes led by the medi\u00e6val Italian Condotti\u00e9ri.\n\nFootnote 204:\n\n So Napoleon the Great also believed that Providence is mostly\n favourable to \u201cgros bataillons.\u201d\n\nFootnote 205:\n\n Pers. and Arab. = \u201cGood perfection.\u201d\n\nFootnote 206:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte \u201cStory of Baharkan.\u201d Bihkard (in Shiraz\n pronounced \u201cKyard\u201d) = \u201cWell he did.\u201d\n\nFootnote 207:\n\n See \u201cKatr\u00fa\u201d in the Introduction to the Bakhtiy\u00e1r-n\u00e1mah.\n\nFootnote 208:\n\n The text has \u201cJaukal\u00e1n\u201d for Saulaj\u00e1n, the Persian \u201cChaug\u00e1n\u201d = the\n crooked bat used in Polo. Sec vol. 1. 46.\n\nFootnote 209:\n\n Amongst Moslems, I have noted, circumstantial evidence is not lawful:\n the witness must swear to what he has seen. A curious consideration,\n how many innocent men have been hanged by \u201ccircumstantial evidence.\u201d\n See vol. v. 97.\n\nFootnote 210:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte \u201cStory of Abattamant (!), or the Prudent Man;\u201d\n also Ayl\u00e1n Shah becomes Olensa after Italian fashion.\n\nFootnote 211:\n\n In Arab. idiom a long hand or arm means power, a phrase not wholly\n unused in European languages. Chavis and Cazotte paraphrase \u201cHe who\n keeps his hands crossed upon his breast, shall not see them cut off.\u201d\n\nFootnote 212:\n\n Arab. \u201cJama\u2019a atr\u00e1fah,\u201d lit. = he drew in his extremities, it being\n contrary to \u201cetiquette\u201d in the presence of a superior not to cover\n hands and feet. In the wild Argentine Republic the savage Gaucho\n removes his gigantic spurs when coming into the presence of his\n master.\n\nFootnote 213:\n\n About the equivalent to the Arab. or rather Egypto-Syrian form\n \u201cJiddan,\u201d used in the modern slang sense.\n\nFootnote 214:\n\n _i.e._ that he become my son-in-law.\n\nFootnote 215:\n\n For the practice of shampooing often alluded to in The Nights, see\n vol. iii. 17. The king \u201csleeping on the boys\u2019 knees\u201d means that he\n dropped off whilst his feet were on the laps of the lads.\n\nFootnote 216:\n\n Meaning the honour of his Harem.\n\nFootnote 217:\n\n Pardon, lit. = security: the cry for quarter already introduced into\n English\n\n \u201cOr raise the craven cry Aman.\u201d\n\n It was Mohammed\u2019s express command that this prayer for mercy should be\n respected even in the fury of fight. See vol. i. 342.\n\nFootnote 218:\n\n A saying found in every Eastern language beginning with Hebrew;\n Proverbs xxvi. 27, \u201cWhoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein.\u201d\n\nFootnote 219:\n\n _i.e._ a domed tomb where prayers and prelections of the Koran could\n be made. \u201cKubbah\u201d in Marocco is still the term for a small square\n building with a low media-naranja cupola under which a Santon lies\n interred. It is the \u201clittle Waly\u201d of our \u201cblind travellers\u201d in the\n unholy \u201cHoly Land.\u201d\n\nFootnote 220:\n\n _i.e._ to secure her assistance in arousing the king\u2019s wrath.\n\nFootnote 221:\n\n _i.e._ so slow to avenge itself.\n\nFootnote 222:\n\n \u201cStory of Sultan Hebriam (!), and his Son\u201d (Chavis and Cazotte).\n Unless they greatly enlarged upon the text, they had a much fuller\n copy than that found in the Bresl. Edit.\n\nFootnote 223:\n\n A right kingly king, in the Eastern sense of the word, would strike\n off their heads for daring to see omens threatening his son and heir:\n this would be constructive treason of the highest because it might be\n expected to cause its own fulfilment.\n\nFootnote 224:\n\n Mahommed\u2019s Had\u00eds \u201cKazzib\u00fa \u2019l-Munajjim\u00fana bi Rabbi \u2019l-Ka\u2019abah\u201d = the\n Astrologers lied, by the Ka\u2019abah\u2019s Lord!\n\nFootnote 225:\n\n Arab. \u201cKhaw\u00e1t\u00edn,\u201d plur. of Kh\u00e1t\u00fan, a matron, a lady, vol. iv. 66.\n\nFootnote 226:\n\n See Al-Mas\u2019udi, chapt. xvii. (Fr. Transl. ii. 48\u201349) of the circular\n cavity two miles deep and sixty in circuit inhabited by men and\n animals on the Caucasus near Derbend.\n\nFootnote 227:\n\n Arab. \u201cNafas\u201d lit. = breath. Arabs living in a land of caverns know by\n experience the danger of asphyxiation in such places.\n\nFootnote 228:\n\n This simple tale is told with much pathos not of words but of sense.\n\nFootnote 229:\n\n Arab. \u201cAjal\u201d = the appointed day of death; also used for sudden death.\n See vol. i. 74.\n\nFootnote 230:\n\n _i.e._ the Autumnal Equinox, one of the two great festival days (the\n other being the New Year) of the Persians, and surviving in our\n Michaelmas. According to Al-Mas\u2019ud\u00ed (chap. xxi.), it was established\n to commemorate the capture of Zahh\u00e1k (Azhi-Dah\u00e1ka), the biting snake\n (the Hindu Ahi) of night and darkness, the Greek Astyages, by Furaydun\n or Feridun. Prof. Sayce (Principles of Comparative Philology, p. 11)\n connects the latter with the Vedic deity Trita, who harnessed the\n Sun-horse (Rig. v. i. 163, 2, 3), the \u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u03c4\u03bf\u03b3\u03ad\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1 of Homer, a title of\n Athene, the Dawn-goddess, and Burnouf proved the same Trita to be\n Thra\u00e9taona, son of Athwya, of the Avesta, who finally became Furayd\u00fan,\n the Greek Kyrus. See vol. v. 1.\n\nFootnote 231:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte, \u201cStory of Selimansha and his Family.\u201d\n\nFootnote 232:\n\n Arab. for Pers. Pahluw\u00e1n (from Pahlau) a brave, a warrior, an athlete,\n applied in India to a champion in any gymnastic exercise, especially\n in wrestling. The Frenchman calls him \u201cBalavan\u201d; and the Bresl. text\n in more than one place (p. 312) calls him \u201cBahw\u00e1n.\u201d\n\nFootnote 233:\n\n _i.e._ King (Arab.) King (Persian): we find also Sultan Malik Shah =\n King King King.\n\nFootnote 234:\n\n Arab. \u201cAul\u00e1d-\u00ed,\u201d a vulgarism, plural for dual.\n\nFootnote 235:\n\n Mr. Payne translates, \u201cso he might take his father\u2019s leavings\u201d _i.e._\n heritage, reading \u201c\u00c1s\u00e1r\u201d which I hold to be a clerical error for S\u00e1r =\n Vendetta, blood revenge (Bresl. Edit. vi. 310).\n\nFootnote 236:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-\u2019\u00c1s\u00ed\u201d the pop. term for one who refuses to obey a\n constituted authority and syn. with Pers. \u201cY\u00e1gh\u00ed.\u201d \u201cAnt \u2019\u00c1s\u00ed?\u201d Wilt\n thou not yield thyself? says a policeman to a refractory Fellah.\n\nFootnote 237:\n\n _i.e._ of the Greeks: so in Kor. xxx. 1. \u201cAlif Lam Mim, the Greeks\n (Al-Roum) have been defeated.\u201d Mr. Rodwell curiously remarks that \u201cthe\n vowel-points for \u2019defeated\u2019 not being originally written, would make\n the prophecy true in either event, according as the verb received an\n active or passive sense in pronunciation.\u201d But in discovering this\n mare\u2019s nest, a rank piece of humbug like Aio te Aeacida etc., he\n forgets that all the Prophet\u2019s \u201cCompanions,\u201d numbering some 5,000,\n would pronounce it only in one way and that no man could mistake\n \u201cghalabat\u201d (active) for \u201cghulibat\u201d (passive).\n\nFootnote 238:\n\n The text persistently uses \u201cJ\u00e1riyah\u201d = damsel, slave-girl, for the\n politer \u201cSabiyah\u201d = young lady, being written in a rude and uncourtly\n style.\n\nFootnote 239:\n\n So our familiar phrase \u201cSome one to back us.\u201d\n\nFootnote 240:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Akkada lahu r\u00e1y,\u201d plur. of r\u00e1yat, a banner. See vol. iii. 307.\n\nFootnote 241:\n\n _i.e._ \u201cWhat concern hast thou with the king\u2019s health?\u201d The question\n is offensively put.\n\nFootnote 242:\n\n Arab. \u201cMasalah,\u201d a question; here an enigma.\n\nFootnote 243:\n\n Arab. \u201cLiall\u00e1\u201d (_i.e._ li, an, l\u00e1) lest; but printed here and\n elsewhere with the y\u00e1 as if it were \u201claylan,\u201d = for a single night.\n\nFootnote 244:\n\n _i.e._ if my death be fated to befal to-day, none may postpone it to a\n later date.\n\nFootnote 245:\n\n Arab. \u201cDust\u00ed\u201d: so the ceremony vulgarly called \u201cDoseh\u201d and by the\n Italo-Egyptians \u201cDosso,\u201d the riding over disciples\u2019 backs by the\n Shaykh of the Sa\u2019diyah Darwayshes (Lane M.E. chapt. xxv.) which took\n place for the last time at Cairo in 1881.\n\nFootnote 246:\n\n In Chavis and Cazotte she conjures him \u201cby the great Maichonarblatha\n Sarsourat\u201d (Miat wa arba\u2019at ashar S\u00farat) = the 114 chapters of the\n Alcoran.\n\nFootnote 247:\n\n I have noted that Moslem law is not fully satisfied without such\n confession which, however, may be obtained by the bastinado. It is\n curious to compare English procedure with what Moslem would be in such\n a case as that of the famous Tichborne Claimant. What we did need\n hardly be noticed. An Arab judge would in a case so suspicious at once\n have applied the stick and in a quarter of an hour would have settled\n the whole business; but then what about the \u201cDevil\u2019s own,\u201d the lawyers\n and lawyers\u2019 fees? And he would have remarked that the truth is not\n less true because obtained by such compulsory means.\n\nFootnote 248:\n\n The Hudhud, so called from its cry \u201cHood! Hood!\u201d It is the Lat. upupa,\n Gr. \u1f14\u03c0\u03bf\u03c8 from its supposed note epip or upup; the old Egyptian Kukufa;\n Heb. Dukiphath and Syriac Kikuph\u00e1 (Bochart Hierozoicon, part ii. 347).\n The Spaniards call it Gallo de Marzo (March-Cock) from its returning\n in that month, and our old writers \u201clapwing\u201d (Deut. xiv. 18). This\n foul-feeding bird derives her honours from chapt. xxvii. of the Koran\n (_q.v._), the Hudhud was sharp-sighted and sagacious enough to\n discover water underground which the devils used to draw after she had\n marked the place by her bill.\n\nFootnote 249:\n\n Here the vocative Y\u00e1 is designedly omitted in poetical fashion\n (_e.g._, Khaliliyya\u2014my friend!) to show the speaker\u2019s emotion. See p.\n 113 of Captain A. Lockett\u2019s learned and curious work the \u201cMiet Amil\u201d\n (= Hundred Regimens), Calcutta, 1814.\n\nFootnote 250:\n\n The story-teller introduces this last instance with considerable art\n as a preface to the d\u00e9no\u00fbement.\n\nFootnote 251:\n\n See Chavis and Cazotte \u201cStory of the King of Haram and the slave.\u201d\n\nFootnote 252:\n\n _i.e._ men caught red-handed.\n\nFootnote 253:\n\n Arab. \u201cLibwah,\u201d one of the multitudinous names for the king of beasts,\n still used in Syria where the animal has been killed out, soon to be\n followed by the bear (_U. Syriacus_). The author knows that lions are\n most often found in couples.\n\nFootnote 254:\n\n Arab. \u201cHimy\u00e1n or Hamy\u00e1n,\u201d = a girdle.\n\nFootnote 255:\n\n As he would kiss a son. I have never yet seen an Englishman endure\n these masculine kisses, formerly so common in France and Italy,\n without showing clearest signs of his disgust.\n\nFootnote 256:\n\n A cheap way of rewarding merit, not confined to Eastern monarchs, but\n practised by all contemporary Europe.\n\nFootnote 257:\n\n Arab. \u201cKasf,\u201d = houghing a camel so as to render it helpless. The\n passage may read, \u201cwe are broken to bits (Kis\u00ed) by our own sin.\u201d\n\nFootnote 258:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 251\u20134, Night dlxv.\n\nFootnote 259:\n\n See vol. vi. 175. A Moslem should dress for public occasions, like the\n medi\u00e6val student, _in vestibus_ (quasi) _nigris aut subfuscis_; though\n not, except amongst the Abbasides, absolutely black, as sable would\n denote Jewry.\n\nFootnote 260:\n\n A well-known soldier and statesman, noted for piety and austerity. A\n somewhat fuller version of this story, from which I have borrowed\n certain details, is given in the Biographical Dictionary of Ibn\n Khallik\u00e1n (i. 303\u20134). The latter, however, calls the first Abd\n al-Malik \u201cIbn Bahr\u00e1n\u201d (in the index Ibn Bahr\u00e1m), which somewhat spoils\n the story. \u201cIbn Khallikan,\u201d by-the-by, is derived popularly from\n \u201cKhalli\u201d (let go), and \u201cK\u00e1na\u201d (it was, enough), a favourite expression\n of the author, which at last superseded his real name, Abu al-Abb\u00e1s\n Ahmad. He is better off than the companion nicknamed by Mohammed Ab\u00fa\n Horayrah = Father of the She-kitten (not the cat), and who in\n consequence has lost his true name and pedigree.\n\nFootnote 261:\n\n In Ibn Khallik\u00e1n (i. 303) he is called the \u201cHashimite,\u201d from his\n ancestor, Hashim ibn Abd Man\u00e1f. The Hashimites and Abbasides were fine\n specimens of the Moslem \u201cPharisee,\u201d as he is known to Christians, not\n the noble Purushi of authentic history.\n\nFootnote 262:\n\n Meaning a cap, but of what shape we ignore. Ibn Khallikan afterwards\n calls it a \u201cKalans\u00faa,\u201d a word still applied to a mitre worn by\n Christian priests.\n\nFootnote 263:\n\n Arab. \u201cL\u00e1 baas,\u201d equivalent in conversation to our \u201cNo matter,\u201d and\n \u201cAll right.\u201d\n\nFootnote 264:\n\n As a member of the reigning family, he wore black clothes, that being\n the especial colour of the Abbasides, adopted by them in opposition to\n the rival dynasty of the Ommiades, whose family colour was white, that\n of the Fatimites being green. The Moslems borrowed their sacred green,\n \u201cthe hue of the Pure,\u201d from the old Nabatheans and the other primitive\n colours from the tents of the captains who were thus distinguished.\n Hence also amongst the Turks and Tartars, the White Horde and the\n Black Horde.\n\nFootnote 265:\n\n The word has often occurred, meaning date-wine or grape-wine. Ibn\n Khald\u00fan contends that in Ibn Khallikan it here means the former.\n\nFootnote 266:\n\n = \u00a325,000. Ibn Khallikan (i. 304) makes the debt four millions of\n dirhams or \u00a390,000\u2013\u00a3100,000.\n\nFootnote 267:\n\n In the Biographer occurs the equivalent phrase, \u201cThat a standard be\n borne over his head.\u201d\n\nFootnote 268:\n\n Here again we have a suggestion that Ja\u2019afar presumed upon his favour\n with the Caliph; such presumption would soon be reported (perhaps by\n the _aust\u00e8re intrigant_ himself) to the royal ears, and lay the\n foundation of ill-will likely to end in utter destruction.\n\nFootnote 269:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 258\u201360, Night dlxvii.\n\nFootnote 270:\n\n Fourth Abbaside, A.D. 785\u2013786, vol. v. 93. He was a fantastic tyrant\n who was bent upon promoting to the Caliphate his own son, Ja\u2019afar; he\n cast Harun into prison and would probably have slain him but for the\n intervention of the mother of the two brothers, Khayzar\u00e1n widow of\n Al-Mahdi, and Yahya the Barmecide.\n\nFootnote 271:\n\n Third Abbaside, A.D. 775\u2013785, vol. vii. 136; ix. 334.\n\nFootnote 272:\n\n This reminds us of the Bir Al-Kh\u00e1tim (Well of the Signet) at\n Al-Medinah; in which Caliph Osman during his sixth year dropped from\n his finger the silver ring belonging to the founder of Al-Islam,\n engraved in three lines with \u201cMohammed | Apostle (of) | Allah |.\u201d It\n had served to sign the letters sent to neighbouring kings and had\n descended to the first three successors (Pilgrimage ii. 219). Mohammed\n owned three seal-rings, the golden one he destroyed himself; and the\n third, which was of carnelian, was buried with other objects by his\n heirs. The late Subhi Pasha used to declare that the latter had been\n brought to him with early Moslem coins by an Arab, and when he died he\n left it to the Sultan.\n\nFootnote 273:\n\n Mr. Payne quotes Al-Tabari\u2019s version of this anecdote. \u201cEl-Mehdi had\n presented his son Haroun with a ruby ring, worth a hundred thousand\n dinars, and the latter being one day with his brother [the then\n reigning Khalif], El Hadi saw the ring on his finger and desired it.\n So, when Haroun went out from him, he sent after him, to seek the ring\n of him. The Khalif\u2019s messenger overtook Er Reshid on the bridge over\n the Tigris and acquainted him with his errand; whereupon the prince,\n enraged at the demand, pulled off the ring and threw it into the\n river. When El Hadi died and Er Reshid succeeded to the throne, he\n went with his suite to the bridge in question and bade his Vizier\n Yehya ben Khalid send for divers and cause them make search for the\n ring. It had then been five months in the water and no one believed it\n would be found. However, the divers plunged into the river and found\n the ring in the very place where he had thrown it in, whereat Haroun\n rejoiced with an exceeding joy, regarding it as a presage of fair\n fortune.\u201d\n\nFootnote 274:\n\n Not historically correct. Al-Rashid made Y\u00e1hy\u00e0, father of Ja\u2019afar, his\n Wazir; and the minister\u2019s two sons, Fazl and Ja\u2019afar, acted as his\n lieutenants for seventeen years from A.D. 786 till the destruction of\n the Barmecides in A.D. 803. The tale-teller quotes Ja\u2019afar because he\n was the most famous of the house.\n\nFootnote 275:\n\n Perhaps after marrying Ja\u2019afar to his sister. But the endearing name\n was usually addressed to Ja\u2019afar\u2019s elder brother Fazl, who was the\n Caliph\u2019s foster-brother.\n\nFootnote 276:\n\n Read seventeen: all these minor inaccuracies tend to invalidate the\n main statement.\n\nFootnote 277:\n\n Arab. \u201cYar\u2019ad\u201d which may also mean \u201cthundereth.\u201d The dark saying\n apparently means, Do good whilst thou art in power and thereby\n strengthen thyself.\n\nFootnote 278:\n\n The lady seems to have made the first advances and Bin Ab\u00fa H\u00e1jilah\n quotes a sixaine in which she amorously addresses her spouse. See\n D\u2019Herbelot, _s.v._ Abbassa.\n\nFootnote 279:\n\n The tale-teller passes with a very light hand over the horrors of a\n massacre which terrified and scandalised the then civilised world, and\n which still haunt Moslem history. The Caliph, like the king, can do no\n wrong; and, as Viceregent of Allah upon Earth, what would be deadly\n crime and mortal sin in others becomes in his case an ordinance from\n above. These actions are superhuman events and fatal which man must\n not judge nor feel any sentiment concerning them save one of\n mysterious respect. For the slaughter of the Barmecides, see my\n Terminal Essay, vol. x.\n\nFootnote 280:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 260\u20131, Night dlxviii.\n\nFootnote 281:\n\n Ibn al-Samm\u00e1k (Son of the fisherman or fishmonger), whose name was Ab\u00fa\n al-Abb\u00e1s Mohammed bin Sab\u00edh, surnamed Al-Mazk\u00far (Ibn al-Athir says\n Al-Muzakkar), was a native of Kufah (where he died in A.H. 183 =\n 799\u201380), a preacher and professional tale-teller famed as a stylist\n and a man of piety. Al-Siyuti (p. 292) relates of him that when\n honoured by the Caliph with courteous reception he said to him, \u201cThy\n humility in thy greatness is nobler than thy greatness.\u201d He is known\n to have been the only theologician who, _ex cathedr\u00e2_, promised\n Al-Rashid a place in Paradise.\n\nFootnote 282:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 261\u20132, Night dlxviii.\n\nFootnote 283:\n\n Seventh Abbaside, A.H. 198\u2013227 = 813\u2013842. See vol. iv. 109. He was a\n favourite with his father, who personally taught him tradition; but he\n offended the Faithful by asserting the creation of the Koran, by his\n leaning to Shi\u2019ah doctrine, and by changing the black garments of the\n Banu Abbas into green. He died of a chill at Budand\u00fan, a day\u2019s march\n from Tarsus, where he was buried: for this Podendon = \u03c0\u03cc\u03b4\u03b1 \u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd =\n stretch out thy feet, see Al-Siyuti, pp. 326\u201327.\n\nFootnote 284:\n\n Sixth Abbaside, A.D. 809\u201313. See vol. v. 93: 152. He was of pure\n Abbaside blood on the father\u2019s side and his mother Zubaydah\u2019s. But he\n was unhappy in his Wazir Al-Fazl bin Rab\u00ed\u2019, the intriguer against the\n Barmecides, who estranged him from his brothers Al-K\u00e1sim and\n Al-Maam\u00fan. At last he was slain by a party of Persians, \u201cwho struck\n him with their swords, and cut him through the nape of his neck and\n went with his head to Tahir bin al-Husayn, general to Al-Maam\u00fan, who\n set it upon a garden-wall and made proclamation, This is the head of\n the deposed Mohammed (Al-Am\u00edn).\u201d Al-Siyuti, pp. 306\u2013311. It was\n remarked by Moslem annalists that every sixth Abbaside met with a\n violent death: the first was this Mohammed al-Amin surnamed Al-Makhl\u00fa\u2019\n = The Deposed; the second sixth was Al-Musta\u2019\u00edn; and the last was\n Al-Muktad\u00ed bi \u2019ll\u00e1h.\n\nFootnote 285:\n\n Lit. \u201cOrder and acceptance.\u201d See the Tale of the Sandal-wood Merchant\n and the Sharpers: vol. vi. 202.\n\nFootnote 286:\n\n This is not noticed by Al-Siyuti (p. 318) who says that his mother was\n a slave-concubine named Mar\u00e1jil who died in giving him birth. The tale\n in the text appears to be a bit of Court scandal, probably suggested\n by the darkness of the Caliph\u2019s complexion.\n\nFootnote 287:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. viii. pp. 226\u20139, Nights dclx-i.\n\nFootnote 288:\n\n King of the Arab kingdom of Hirah, for whom see vol. v. 74. This\n ancient villain rarely appears in such favourable form when tales are\n told of him.\n\nFootnote 289:\n\n The tribe of the chieftain and poet, H\u00e1tim T\u00e1\u00ed, for whom see vol. iv.\n 94.\n\nFootnote 290:\n\n _i.e._ I will make a covenant with him before the Lord. Here the word\n \u201cAllah\u201d is introduced among the Arabs of The Ignorance.\n\nFootnote 291:\n\n _i.e._ The man of the tribe of Tay.\n\nFootnote 292:\n\n A similar story of generous dealing is told of the Caliph Omar in The\n Nights. See vol. v. 99 _et sqq._\n\nFootnote 293:\n\n Bres. Edit., vol. viii. pp. 273\u20138, Nights dclxxv-vi. In Syria and\n Egypt F\u00edr\u00faz (the Persian \u201cP\u00edroz\u201d) = victorious, triumphant, is usually\n pronounced Fayr\u00faz. The tale is a rechauff\u00e9 of the King and the Wazir\u2019s\n Wife in The Nights. See vol. vi. 129.\n\nFootnote 294:\n\n _i.e._ I seek refuge with Allah = God forfend.\n\nFootnote 295:\n\n Bresl. Edit., vol. xi. pp. 84\u2013318, Nights dccclxxv-dccccxxx. Here\n again the names are Persian, showing the provenance of the tale; Shah\n Bakht is = King Luck and Rahw\u00e1n is a corruption of Rahb\u00e1n = one who\n keeps the (right) way; or it may be Ruhb\u00e1n = the Pious. Mr. W. A.\n Clouston draws my attention to the fact that this tale is of the\n Sindibad (Seven Wise Masters) cycle and that he finds remotely allied\n to it a Siamese collection, entitled Nonthuk Pakaranam in which\n Princess Kankras, to save the life of her father, relates eighty or\n ninety tales to the king of Pataliput (Palibothra.) He purposes to\n discuss this and similar subjects in extenso in his coming volumes,\n \u201cPopular Tales and Fictions: their Migrations and Transformations,\u201d to\n which I look forward with pleasant anticipations.\n\nFootnote 296:\n\n So far this work resembles the Bakhtiy\u00e1r-n\u00e1meh, in which the ten\n Wazirs are eager for the death of the hero who relates tales and\n instances to the king, warning him against the evils of precipitation.\n\nFootnote 297:\n\n One pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Islam) is commanded to all Moslems. For its\n conditions see The Nights, vol. v. 202, _et sqq._\n\nFootnote 298:\n\n Arab. \u201cHajj al-Sh\u00e1rif.\u201d For the expenses of the process see my\n Pilgrimage iii. 12. As in all \u201cHoly Places,\u201d from Rome to Benares, the\n sinner in search of Salvation is hopelessly taken in and fleeced by\n the \u201csons of the sacred cities.\u201d\n\nFootnote 299:\n\n Here a stranger invites a guest who at once accepts the invitation;\n such is the freedom between Moslems at Meccah and Al-Medinah,\n especially during pilgrimage-time.\n\nFootnote 300:\n\n _i.e._ the master could no longer use her carnally.\n\nFootnote 301:\n\n _i.e._ wantoned it away.\n\nFootnote 302:\n\n Here \u201cAl-Hajj\u201d = the company of pilgrims, a common use of the term.\n\nFootnote 303:\n\n The text says, \u201cHe went on with the caravan to the Pilgrimage,\u201d\n probably a clerical error. \u201cHajj\u201d is never applied to the Visitation\n (Ziy\u00e1rah) at Al-Medinah.\n\nFootnote 304:\n\n Arab. \u201cJ\u00e1war,\u201d that is, he became a muj\u00e1wir, one who lives in or near\n a collegiate mosque. The Egyptian proverb says, \u201cHe pilgrimaged: quoth\n one, Yes, and for his villainy lives (yujawir) at Meccah,\u201d meaning\n that he found no other place bad enough for him.\n\nFootnote 305:\n\n I have often heard of this mysterious art in the East, also of\n similarly making rubies and branch-coral of the largest size; but,\n despite all my endeavours, I never was allowed to witness the\n operation. It was the same with alchemy, which, however, I found very\n useful to the \u201csmasher.\u201d See my History of Sindh, chapt. vii.\n\nFootnote 306:\n\n Elsewhere in The Nights specified as white woollen robes.\n\nFootnote 307:\n\n Whilst she was praying the girl could not address her; but the use of\n the rosary is a kind of \u201cparergon.\u201d\n\nFootnote 308:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 H\u00e1jjah\u201d (in Egypt pronounced \u201cH\u00e1ggeh\u201d), a polite address to\n an elderly woman, who is thus supposed to have \u201cfinished her faith.\u201d\n\nFootnote 309:\n\n Arab. \u201cKan\u00edsah\u201d (from Kans = sweeping) a pagan temple, a Jewish\n synagogue, and especially a Christian church.\n\nFootnote 310:\n\n _i.e._ standeth in prayer or supplication.\n\nFootnote 311:\n\n _i.e._ fell into hysterics, a very common complaint amongst the highly\n nervous and excitable races of the East.\n\nFootnote 312:\n\n Arab. \u201cKahram\u00e1nah,\u201d a word which has often occurred in divers senses,\n nurse, duenna, chamberwoman, stewardess, armed woman defending the\n Harem, etc.\n\nFootnote 313:\n\n Which is supposed to contain the Harem.\n\nFootnote 314:\n\n Especially mentioned because the guide very often follows his charges,\n especially when he intends to play them an ugly trick. I had an\n unpleasant adventure of the kind in Somaliland; but having the fear of\n the \u201cAborigines Protection Society\u201d before my eyes, refrained from\n doing more than hinting at it.\n\nFootnote 315:\n\n _i.e._ otherwise than according to ordinance of Allah.\n\nFootnote 316:\n\n A well-known city of Ir\u00e1k \u2019Ajam\u00ed (or Persian).\n\nFootnote 317:\n\n _i.e._ spare pegs and strings, plectra, thumb-guards, etc.\n\nFootnote 318:\n\n Arab. \u201cHas\u00edr,\u201d the fine matting used for sleeping on during the hot\n season in Egypt and Syria.\n\nFootnote 319:\n\n _i.e._ The bed where the \u201crough and tumble\u201d had taken place.\n\nFootnote 320:\n\n This word, which undoubtedly derives from cuculus, cogul, cocu, a\n cuckoo, has taken a queer twist, nor can I explain how its present\n meaning arose from a she-bird which lays her egg in a strange nest.\n Wittol, on the other hand, from Witan to know, is rightly applied to\n one whom La Fontaine calls \u201ccocu et content,\u201d the Arab. Dayy\u00fas.\n\nFootnote 321:\n\n Arab. \u201cShabakah,\u201d here a net like a fisherman\u2019s, which is hung over\n the hole in the wall called a shop, during the temporary absence of\n the shopkeeper. See my Pilgrimage, i. 100.\n\nFootnote 322:\n\n _i.e._ of which the singer speaks.\n\nFootnote 323:\n\n _i.e._, she found him good at the to-and-fro movement; our\n corresponding phrase is \u201cbasket-making.\u201d\n\nFootnote 324:\n\n Arab. \u201cMu\u2019arris\u201d: in vol. i. 338, I derived the word from \u2019Ars\n marriage, like the Germ. Kupplerin. This was a mere mistake; the root\n is \u2019Ars (with a S\u00e1d not a S\u00edn) and means a pimp who shows off or\n displays his wares.\n\nFootnote 325:\n\n Arab. \u201cAkhmitu Ghazla-h\u00e1\u201d lit. = thicken her yarn or thread.\n\nFootnote 326:\n\n I must again warn the reader that the negative, which to us appears\n unnecessary, is emphatic in Arabic.\n\nFootnote 327:\n\n _i.e._ By removing the goods from the \u201cbut\u201d to the \u201cben.\u201d Pilgrimage\n i. 99.\n\nFootnote 328:\n\n Arab. \u201cTann\u00far,\u201d here the large earthern jar with a cover of the same\n material, round which the fire is built.\n\nFootnote 329:\n\n Being a musician the hero of the tale was also a pederast.\n\nFootnote 330:\n\n Here Mr. Payne supplies \u201cThen they returned and sat down (apparently\n changing places).\u201d He is quite correct in characterising the Bresl.\n Edit. as corrupt and \u201cfearfully incoherent.\u201d All we can make certain\n of in this passage is that the singer mistook the Persian for his\n white slave (Mameluke).\n\nFootnote 331:\n\n Arab. \u201cBazaka,\u201d normally used in the sense of spitting: here the\n saliva might be applied for facilitating insertion.\n\nFootnote 332:\n\n In Persian \u201c\u00c1ward o burd,\u201d = brought and bore away, gen. applied to\n 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\nFootnote 333:\n\n Alluding to the fighting rams which are described by every\n Anglo-Indian traveller. They strike with great force, amply sufficient\n to crush the clumsy hand which happens to be caught between the two\n foreheads. The animals are sometimes used for F\u00e1l or consulting\n futurity: the name of a friend is given to one and that of a foe to\n the other; and the result of the fight suggests victory or defeat for\n the men.\n\nFootnote 334:\n\n Arab. \u201cJauhar\u201d = the jewel, the essential nature of a substance.\n Compare M. Alcofribas\u2019 \u201cAbstraction of the Quintessence.\u201d\n\nFootnote 335:\n\n In parts of the Moslem world Al-Jabr = the tyranny, is the equivalent\n of what we call \u201ccivil law,\u201d as opposed to Al-Shar\u00ed\u2019ah, or Holy Law,\n the religious code; Diwan Al-Jabr (Civil Court) being the contrary of\n the Mahkamah or Kazi\u2019s tribunal. See \u201cFirst Footsteps in East Africa,\u201d\n p. 126.\n\nFootnote 336:\n\n _i.e._ in offering thee the kingship.\n\nFootnote 337:\n\n _i.e._ \u201ca man of fourscore.\u201d\n\nFootnote 338:\n\n _i.e._ outside the city.\n\nFootnote 339:\n\n See the conclusion of the story.\n\nFootnote 340:\n\n _i.e._ I have said my say.\n\nFootnote 341:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Mutabattil,\u201d usually = one who forsakes the world. The\n Katar\u00e1t al-Nays\u00e1n or rain-drops in the month Nays\u00e1n (April) produce\n pearls when falling into the oyster-shells and poison in the serpent\u2019s\n mouth. The allusions to them are innumerable in Persian poetry, and\n the idea gives rise to a host of moralities more or less insipid.\n\nFootnote 342:\n\n This is the general idea concerning the diamond in all countries where\n the gem is dug, but I never heard it of the pearl.\n\nFootnote 343:\n\n Arab. \u201cFaras,\u201d properly a mare; but the writer begins by using the\n feminine, and then employs the masculine. It is an abominable text.\n\nFootnote 344:\n\n Arab. \u201cRutab wa man\u00e1zil,\u201d may also mean \u201cstations and mansions (of the\n moon and planets).\u201d The double entendre was probably intended.\n\nFootnote 345:\n\n Arab. \u201cZa\u2019\u00edf,\u201d still a popular word, meaning feeble, sick, ailing, but\n especially, weak in venery.\n\nFootnote 346:\n\n See the original of this tale in King Al-Af\u2019\u00e1: Al-Mas\u2019udi, chap. xlvi.\n\nFootnote 347:\n\n He says this without any sense of shame, coolly as Horace or Catullus\n wrote.\n\nFootnote 348:\n\n _i.e._ of the caravan with which he came.\n\nFootnote 349:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-\u2019Adl.\u201d In the form of Z\u00fa \u2019adl it = a legal witness, a man of\n good repute; in Marocco and other parts of the Moslem world \u2019Adul\n (plur. \u2019Ud\u00fal) signifies an assessor of the Kazi, a notary. Padre\n Lerchundy (loc. cit. p. 345) renders it _notario_.\n\nFootnote 350:\n\n _i.e._ I would marry thy daughter, not only for her own sake, but for\n alliance with thy family.\n\nFootnote 351:\n\n _i.e._ the bride\u2019s face.\n\nFootnote 352:\n\n The Ghusl or complete ablution after car. cop.\n\nFootnote 353:\n\n Thus the girl was made lawful to him as a concubine by the \u201cloathly\n ladye,\u201d whose good heart redeemed her ill-looks.\n\nFootnote 354:\n\n Meaning the poor man and his own daughter.\n\nFootnote 355:\n\n Mr. Payne changes the Arab title to the far more appropriate heading,\n \u201cStory of the Rich man and his Wasteful Son.\u201d The tale begins with\n \u00c6sop\u2019s fable of the faggot; and concludes with the \u201cHeir of Linne,\u201d in\n the famous Scotch ballad. Mr. Clouston refers also to the Persian Tale\n of Murchlis (The Sorrowful Wazir); to the Forty Vezirs (23rd Story) to\n Cinthio and to sundry old English chap-books.\n\nFootnote 356:\n\n Arab. \u201cTafr\u00edk wa\u2019l-jam\u2019a.\u201d\n\nFootnote 357:\n\n Arab. \u201cWaf\u00e1t\u201d pop. used as death, decease, departure; but containing\n the idea of departing to the mercy of Allah and \u201cpaying the debt of\n nature.\u201d It is not so ill-omened a word as Maut = death.\n\nFootnote 358:\n\n _i.e._ gifts and presents. See vol. iv. 185.\n\nFootnote 359:\n\n _i.e._ Turcomans; presently called S\u00edst\u00e1n, for which see vol. ii. 218.\n\nFootnote 360:\n\n In my Pilgrimage (i. 38), I took from Mr. Galton\u2019s Art of Travel, the\n idea of opening with a lancet the shoulder or other fleshy part of the\n body and inserting into it a precious stone. This was immensely\n derided by not a few including one who, then a young man from the\n country, presently became a Cabinet Minister. Despite their\n omniscience, however, the \u201cdodge\u201d is frequently practised. See how\n this device was practised by Jeshua Na\u017carenus, vol. v. 238.\n\nFootnote 361:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Alam,\u201d a pile of stones, a flag or some such landmark. The\n reader will find them described in \u201cThe Sword of Midian,\u201d i. 98, and\n passim.\n\nFootnote 362:\n\n Mr. Clouston refers to the \u201cMiles Gloriosus\u201d (Plautus); to \u201cOrlando\n Innamorato\u201d of Berni (the Daughter of the King of the Distant Isles);\n to the \u201cSeven Wise Masters\u201d (\u201cThe Two Dreams,\u201d or \u201cThe Crafty Knight\n of Hungary\u201d); to his Book of Sindibad, p. 343 ff.; to Miss Busk\u2019s\n Folk-Lore of Rome, p. 399 (\u201cThe Grace of the Hunchback\u201d); to Prof.\n Crane\u2019s \u201cItalian Popular Tales,\u201d p. 167, and \u201cThe Elopement,\u201d from\n Pitr\u00e8\u2019s Sicilian collection.\n\nFootnote 363:\n\n In sign of impatience; \u201cLook sharp!\u201d\n\nFootnote 364:\n\n _i.e._ the resemblance of the supposed sister to his wife. This is a\n rechauff\u00e9 of Kamar al-Zam\u00e1n iid.\n\nFootnote 365:\n\n This leaving a long lock upon the shaven poll is a very ancient\n practice: we find it amongst the old Egyptians. For the Sh\u00fashah or\n topknot of hair, see vol. i. 308. It is differently worn in the\n several regions of the Moslem world: the Maroccans of the R\u00edf country\n grow it not on the pole but on one side of the head. As a rule,\n however, it is confined to boys, and is shaved off at puberty.\n\nFootnote 366:\n\n Suspecting her to be a witch because she was old and poor. The same\n was the case in Europe when these unfortunates were burned during the\n early part of the last century and even now the country-folk are often\n ready to beat or drown them. The abominable witchcraft acts, which\n arose from bibliolatry and belief in obsolete superstitions, can claim\n as many victims in \u201cProtestant\u201d countries, England and the\n Anglo-American States as the Jesuitical Inquisition.\n\nFootnote 367:\n\n It is not easy to make sense of this passage especially when the Wazir\n is spoken of.\n\nFootnote 368:\n\n This is a rechauff\u00e9 of the Sandal-Wood Merchant and the Sharpers. Vol.\n vi. 202.\n\nFootnote 369:\n\n I have followed Mr. Payne\u2019s adaptation of the text as he makes sense,\n whilst the Arabic does not. I suppose that the holes are disposed\n crosswise.\n\nFootnote 370:\n\n _i.e._ Thy skill is so great that thou wilt undermine my authority\n with the king.\n\nFootnote 371:\n\n This famous tale is first found in a small collection of Latin fables\n (Adolphi Fabul\u00e6 apud Leyser Hist. Poet. Medii \u00c6vi, p. 200\u20138),\n beginning\n\n C\u00e6cus erat quidam, cui pulcra virago, etc.\n\n The date is 1315, and Caxton printed it in English in 1483; hence it\n was adopted by Boccaccio, Day vii., Novella 9; whence Chaucer\u2019s\n \u201cMarchaundes Tale\u201d: this, by-the-by, was translated by Pope in his\n sixteenth or seventeenth year, and christened \u201cJanuary and May.\u201d The\n same story is inserted in La Fontaine (Contes, lib. ii., No. 8), \u201c_La\n Gageure des trois Comm\u00e8res_,\u201d with the normal poirier; and lastly it\n appears in Wieland\u2019s \u201cOberon,\u201d canto vi.; where the Fairy King\n restores the old husband\u2019s sight, and Titania makes the lover on the\n pear-tree invisible. Mr. Clouston refers me also to the\n Bah\u00e1r-i-D\u00e1nish, or Prime of Knowledge (Scott\u2019s translation, vol. ii.,\n pp. 64\u201368); \u201cHow the Brahman learned the Tirrea Bede\u201d; to the Turkish\n \u201cKirk Wazir\u201d (Forty Wazirs) of Shaykh-Zadeh (xxivth Wazir\u2019s story); to\n the \u201cCom\u0153dia Lydi\u00e6,\u201d and to Barbazan\u2019s \u201cFabliaux et Contes\u201d t. iii.,\n p. 451, \u201cLa Saineresse,\u201d the cupping-woman.\n\nFootnote 372:\n\n In the European versions it is always a pear-tree.\n\nFootnote 373:\n\n This supernatural agency, ever at hand and ever credible to Easterns,\n makes this the most satisfactory version of the world-wide tale.\n\nFootnote 374:\n\n _i.e._ till next harvest time.\n\nFootnote 375:\n\n The \u201c\u2019Ashsh\u00e1r,\u201d or Tither, is most unpopular in the Nile-valley as in\n Wales; and he generally merits his ill-repute. Tales concerning the\n villainy of these extortioners abound in Egypt and Syria. The first\n step in improvement will be so to regulate the tithes that the\n peasants may not be at the mercy of these \u201cpublicans and sinners\u201d who,\n however, can plead that they have paid highly for appointment to\n office and must recoup themselves.\n\nFootnote 376:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Ammir\u201d = cause to flourish.\n\nFootnote 377:\n\n Arab. \u201cAfkah,\u201d a better Fak\u00edh or theologian; all Moslem law being\n based upon the Koran, the Sayings (Had\u00eds) and Doings (Sunnat) of the\n Prophet; and, lastly, the Rasm or immemorial custom of the country\n provided that it be not opposed to the other three.\n\nFootnote 378:\n\n If the number represent the days in the Moslem year it should be 354\n (= 6 months of 29 days and the rest of 30).\n\nFootnote 379:\n\n The affirmative particle \u201ckad\u201d preceding a verb in the past gives it a\n present and at times a future signification.\n\nFootnote 380:\n\n A danik, the Persian \u201cD\u00e1ng,\u201d is one-sixth of a dirham, _i.e._ about\n one penny. See vol. ii. 204.\n\nFootnote 381:\n\n It would mightily tickle an Eastern audience to hear of a Tither being\n unable to do any possible amount of villainy.\n\nFootnote 382:\n\n _i.e._ The oath of triple divorce which is, I have said irrevocable,\n and the divorc\u00e9e may not be taken again by her husband till her\n marriage with another man (the Mustahill of The Nights) has been\n consummated. See vol. iv., 48.\n\nFootnote 383:\n\n _i.e._ thousandfold cuckold.\n\nFootnote 384:\n\n Arab. \u201cWad\u00ed\u2019ah\u201d = the blows which the Robber had given him.\n\nFootnote 385:\n\n Arab. \u201cSindiy\u00e1n\u201d (from the Persian) gen. used for the holm-oak, the\n _Quercus pseudo-coccifera_, vulgarly termed ilex, or native oak, and\n forming an extensive scrub in Syria. For this and other varieties of\n _Quercus_, as the Mall\u00fal and the Ball\u00fat, see Unexplored Syria, i. 68.\n\nFootnote 386:\n\n Hibernic\u00e8.\n\nFootnote 387:\n\n Lit. \u201cIn the way of moderation\u201d = at least, at the most moderate\n reckoning.\n\nFootnote 388:\n\n Arab. \u201cRasm\u00e1l,\u201d the vulg. Syrian and Egyptian form of Raas al-m\u00e1l =\n stock-in-trade.\n\nFootnote 389:\n\n Usually a ring or something from his person to show that all was fair\n play; here however, it was a watchword.\n\nFootnote 390:\n\n Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Mady\u00fabah,\u201d prob. a clerical error for \u201cMady\u00fanah,\u201d alluding\n to her many debts which he had paid. Here, however, I suspect the\n truly Egyptian term \u201cY\u00e1 Many\u00fakah!\u201d = O thou berogered; a delicate term\n of depreciation which may be heard a dozen times a day in the streets\n of Cairo. It has also a masculine form, \u201cY\u00e1 Many\u00fak!\u201d\n\nFootnote 391:\n\n About = 100 lb. Mr. Sayce (Comparative Philol. p. 210) owns that Mn is\n old Egyptian but makes it a loan from the \u201cSemites,\u201d like S\u00fas (horse),\n Sar (prince), Sepet (lip) and Murcabutha (chariot), and goes to its\n origin in the Acratan column, because \u201cit is not found before the\n times when the Egyptians borrowed freely from Palestine.\u201d But surely\n it is premature to draw such conclusion when we have so much still to\n learn concerning the dates of words in Egyptian.\n\nFootnote 392:\n\n Arab. J\u00e1mi\u2019. This anachronism, like many of the same kind, is only\n apparent. The faith preached by Sayyidn\u00e1 Is\u00e0 was the Islam of his day\n and dispensation, and it abrogated all other faiths till itself\n abrogated by the mission of Mahommed. It is therefore logical to apply\n to it terms which we should hold to be purely Moslem. On the other\n hand it is not logical to paint the drop-curtain of the Ober-Ammergau\n \u201cMiracle-play\u201d with the Mosque of Omar and the minarets of Al-Islam. I\n humbly represented this fact to the mechanicals of the village whose\n performance brings them in so large a sum every decade; but Snug,\n Snout and Bottom turned up the nose of contempt and looked upon me as\n a mere \u201cshallow sceptic.\u201d\n\nFootnote 393:\n\n Arab. \u201cTal\u00e1mizah,\u201d plur. of Tilm\u00edz, a disciple, a young attendant. The\n word is Syriac [Illustration] and there is a Heb. root \u200f\u05dc\u05de\u05d3\u200e but no\n Arabic. In the Durrat al-Ghaww\u00e1s, however, Tilm\u00edz, Bilk\u00eds, and similar\n words are Arabic in the form of Fa\u2019l\u00edl and Fi\u2019l\u00edl.\n\nFootnote 394:\n\n R\u00fah Allah, lit. = breath of Allah, attending to the miraculous\n conception according to the Moslems. See vol. v. 238.\n\nFootnote 395:\n\n Readers will kindly pronounce this word \u201cSahr\u00e1,\u201d not Sah\u00e1r\u00e1.\n\nFootnote 396:\n\n Mr. Clouston refers for analogies to this tale to his \u201cOriental\n Sources of some of Chaucer\u2019s Tales\u201d (Notes and Queries, 1885-86), and\n he finds the original of The Pardoner\u2019s Tale in one of the J\u00e1takas or\n Bhuddist Birth-stories entitled Vedabbha Jataka. The story is spread\n over all Europe; in the Cento Novelle Antiche; Morlini; Hans Sachs,\n etc. And there are many Eastern versions, _e.g._ a Persian by Far\u00edd\n al-D\u00edn \u201c\u2019Attar\u201d who died at a great age in A.D. 1278; an Arabic\n version in The Orientalist (Kandy, 1884); a Tibetan in Rollston\u2019s\n Tibetan Tales; a Cashmirian in Knowles\u2019 Dict. of Kashm\u00edr\u00ed Proverbs,\n etc., etc., etc.\n\nFootnote 397:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Aw\u00e1n\u201d lit. = aids, helpers; the \u201cAun of the Jinn\u201d has often\n occurred.\n\nFootnote 398:\n\n _i.e._ the peasant.\n\nFootnote 399:\n\n _i.e._ those serving on the usual feudal tenure; and bound to suit and\n service for their fiefs.\n\nFootnote 400:\n\n _i.e._ the yearly value of his fief.\n\nFootnote 401:\n\n _i.e._ men who paid taxes.\n\nFootnote 402:\n\n Arab. \u201cRas\u00e1t\u00edk\u201d plur. of Rust\u00e1k. See vol. vi. 289.\n\nFootnote 403:\n\n This adventure is a rechauff\u00e9 of Amjad\u2019s adventure (vol. iii. 333)\n without, however, its tragic catastrophe.\n\nFootnote 404:\n\n The text is so concise as to be enigmatical. The house was finely\n furnished for a feast, as it belonged to the Man who was lavish, etc.\n\nFootnote 405:\n\n Arab. \u201cKhubz Sam\u00edz;\u201d the latter is the Arabisation of the Pers. Sam\u00edd,\n fine white bread, simnel, Germ. semmel.\n\nFootnote 406:\n\n The text has \u201cBak\u00fal\u00e1t\u201d = pot-herbs; but it is probably a clerical\n error for \u201cBakl\u00e1w\u00e1t.\u201d See vol. ii. 311.\n\nFootnote 407:\n\n Egyptian-like he at once calls upon Allah to witness a lie and his\n excuse would be that the lie was well-intentioned.\n\nFootnote 408:\n\n _i.e._ The private bagnio which in old days every grand house\n possessed.\n\nFootnote 409:\n\n This is a fancy title, but it suits the tale better than that in the\n text (xi. 183) \u201cThe Richard who lost his wealth and his wits.\u201d Mr.\n Clouston refers to similar stories in Sacchetti and other early\n Italian novelists.\n\nFootnote 410:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Muwaswis\u201d: for \u201cWisw\u00e1s\u201d see vol. i. 106. This class of men\n in stories takes the place of our \u201ccunning idiot,\u201d and is often\n confounded with the Saud\u00e1wi, the melancholist proper.\n\nFootnote 411:\n\n Arab. \u201cHamhama,\u201d an onomap\u0153ic, like our hum, hem, and haw.\n\nFootnote 412:\n\n Arab. \u201cBarniyah,\u201d a vessel either of glass or pottery like that in\n which the manna was collected (Exod. xvi. 33).\n\nFootnote 413:\n\n = A hasty man, as Ghazb\u00e1n = an angry man.\n\nFootnote 414:\n\n The Bresl. Edit, misprint. \u201cKhablas\u201d in more places than one, now with\n a S\u00edn, then with a S\u00e1d. Khalbas suggests \u201cKhalb\u00fas,\u201d a buffoon, for\n which see vol. ii. 143. In Egypt, however, the latter generally ends\n in a Sad (see Lane\u2019s \u201cKhalboos\u201d M. E. chap. xxvii).\n\nFootnote 415:\n\n This story is a rechauffe of the Jewish Kazi and his pious wife; see\n vol. v. 256.\n\nFootnote 416:\n\n The Arab. form of \u201cNaysh\u00e1p\u00far\u201d = reeds of (King) Shap\u00far: see vol. ix.\n 230.\n\nFootnote 417:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl\u00e0 Tar\u00edk al-Satr wa al-Sal\u00e1mah,\u201d meaning that each other\u2019s\n wives did not veil before their brothers-in-law as is usually done. It\n may also mean that they were under Allah\u2019s protection and in best of\n condition.\n\nFootnote 418:\n\n _i.e._ he dared not rape her.\n\nFootnote 419:\n\n _i.e._ her \u201cyes\u201d meant \u201cyes\u201d and her \u201cno\u201d meant \u201cno.\u201d\n\nFootnote 420:\n\n \u201cIgnorance\u201d (Jahl) may, here and elsewhere mean wickedness,\n frowardness, folly, vicious folly or uncalled-for wrath. Here Arabic\n teaches a good lesson for ignorance, intemperance and egoism are, I\n repeat, the roots of all evil.\n\nFootnote 421:\n\n So Mohammed said of a child born in adultery \u201cThe babe to the blanket\n (_i.e._ let it be nursed and reared) and the adultress to the stone.\u201d\n\nFootnote 422:\n\n Arab. \u201cWa h\u00e1\u201d etc., an interjection corresponding with the Syriac \u201cho\u201d\n lo! (_i.e._, look) behold! etc.\n\nFootnote 423:\n\n This paragraph is supplied by Mr. Payne: something of the kind has\n evidently fallen out of the Arab. text.\n\nFootnote 424:\n\n _i.e._ in the presence of witnesses, legally.\n\nFootnote 425:\n\n Lit. a myriad, ten thousand dirhams. See vol. iv. 281.\n\nFootnote 426:\n\n The fire was intended to defend the mother and babe from Jinns, bad\n spirits, the evil eye, etc. Romans lit candles in the room of the\n puerpara; hence the goddess Candelifera, and the term Candelaria\n applied to the B.V. In Brand\u2019s Popular Antiquities (ii. 144) we find,\n \u201cGregory mentions an ordinary superstition of the old wives who dare\n not trust a child in a cradle by itself alone without a candle;\u201d this\n was for fear of the \u201cnight-hag\u201d (Milton, P. L., ii. 662). The same\n idea prevailed in Scotland and in Germany: see the learned Liebrecht\n (who translated the Pentamerone) \u201cZur Folkskunde,\u201d p. 31. In Sweden if\n the candle go out, the child may be carried off by the Trolls\n (Weckenstedt, Wendische Sagen, p. 446). The custom has been traced to\n the Malay peninsula, whither it was probably imported by the Hindus or\n the Moslems, and amongst the Tajiks in Bokhara. For the Hindu\n practice, see Katha S. S. 305, and Prof. Tawney\u2019s learned note\n analysed above.\n\nFootnote 427:\n\n Arab. \u201cK\u00e1hinah,\u201d fem. of K\u00e1hin (Cohen): see Kah\u00e1nah, vol. i. 28.\n\nFootnote 428:\n\n _i.e._ for a long time, as has been before explained.\n\nFootnote 429:\n\n _i.e._ at his service. Arabia was well provided with Hetair\u00e6 and\n public women long before the days of Al-Islam.\n\nFootnote 430:\n\n Arab. \u201cAthar\u201d = sign, mark, trail.\n\nFootnote 431:\n\n _i.e._ Persia. See vol. v. 26.\n\nFootnote 432:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Ak\u00e1k\u00edr\u201d plur. of \u2019Akk\u00e1r prop. = aromatic roots; but applied to\n vulgar drugs or simples, as in the Tale of the Sage Duban, i. 46.\n\nFootnote 433:\n\n Arab. \u201cSi\u2019at rizki-h\u201d _i.e._ the ease with which he earned his copious\n livelihood.\n\nFootnote 434:\n\n _i.e._ the ten thousand dirhams of the bond, beside the unpaid and\n contingent portion of her \u201cMahr\u201d or marriage-settlement.\n\nFootnote 435:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-H\u00e1z\u00far\u201d from Hazr = loquacity, frivolous garrulity. Every\n craft in the East has a jargon of its own and the goldsmith (Zargar)\n is famed for speaking a language made unintelligible by the constant\n insertion of a letter or letters not belonging to the word. It is as\n if we rapidly pronounced How d\u2019ye do = Howth doth yeth doth?\n\nFootnote 436:\n\n Arab. \u201cAsm\u00e1 al-Adwiyah,\u201d such as are contained in volumes like the\n \u201cAlf\u00e1z al-Adwiyah\u201d (Nomenclature of Drugs).\n\nFootnote 437:\n\n I am compelled to insert a line in order to make sense.\n\nFootnote 438:\n\n \u201cGalen,\u201d who is considered by Moslems as a kind of pre-Islamitic\n Saint; and whom Rabelais (iii. c. 7) calls Le gentil Falot Galen, is\n explained by Eustathius as the Serene \u0393\u03b1\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd\u1f78\u03c2 from \u03b3\u03b5\u03bb\u03ac\u03c9 = rideo.\n\nFootnote 439:\n\n Arab. \u201cS\u00e1hah\u201d the clear space before the house as opposed to the\n \u201cBathah\u201d (Span. _Patio_) the inner court.\n\nFootnote 440:\n\n A na\u00efve description of the na\u00efve style of _r\u00e9clame_ adopted by the\n Eastern Bob Sawyer.\n\nFootnote 441:\n\n Which they habitually do, by the by, with an immense amount of\n unpleasant detail. See Pilgrimage i. 18.\n\nFootnote 442:\n\n The old French name for the phial or bottle in which the patient\u2019s\n water is sent.\n\nFootnote 443:\n\n A descendant from Mohammed, strictly through his grandson Husayn. See\n vol. iv. 170.\n\nFootnote 444:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Fut\u00fah\u201d lit. the victories; a euphemistic term for what is\n submitted to the \u201cmusculus guineaorum.\u201d\n\nFootnote 445:\n\n Arab. \u201cFir\u00e1sah\u201d lit. judging the points of a mare (_faras_). Of\n physiognomy, or rather judging by externals, curious tales are told by\n the Arabs. In Al-Mas\u2019udi\u2019s (chapt. lvi.) is the original of the camel\n blind of one eye, etc., which the genius of Voltaire has made famous\n throughout Europe.\n\nFootnote 446:\n\n I here quote Mr. Payne\u2019s note. \u201cSic in the text; but the passage is\n apparently corrupt. It is not plain why a rosy complexion, blue eyes\n and tallness should be peculiar to women in love. Arab women being\n commonly short, swarthy and black-eyed, the attributes mentioned\n appear rather to denote the foreign origin of the woman; and it is\n probable, therefore, that this passage has by a copyist\u2019s error, been\n mixed up with that which relates to the signs by which the mock\n physician recognized her strangerhood, the clause specifying the\n symptoms of her love-lorn condition having been crowded out in the\n process, an accident of no infrequent occurrence in the transcription\n of Oriental works.\u201d\n\nFootnote 447:\n\n Most men would have suspected that it was her lover.\n\nFootnote 448:\n\n The sumptuary laws, compelling for instance the Jews to wear yellow\n turbans, and the Christians to carry girdles date from the Capture of\n Jerusalem in A.D. 636 by Caliph Omar. See vol. i. 77; and Terminal\n Essay \u00a7 1.\n\nFootnote 449:\n\n _i.e._ Our Sunday: the Jewish week ending with the Sabbath (Saturday).\n I have already noted this term for Saturn\u2019s day, established as a\n God\u2019s rest by Commandment No. iv. How it lost its honours amongst\n Christians none can say: the text in Col. ii. 16, 17, is insufficient\n to abolish an order given with such pomp and circumstance to, and\n obeyed, so strictly and universally by, the Hebrews, including the\n Founder of Christianity. The general idea is that the Jewish Sabbath\n was done away with by the Christian dispensation (although Jesus kept\n it with the usual scrupulous care), and that sundry of the Councils at\n Coloss\u00e6 and Laodicea anathematised those who observed the Saturday\n after Israelitish fashion. With the day its object changed; instead of\n \u201ckeeping it holy,\u201d as all pious Jews still do, the early Fathers\n converted it into the \u201cFeast of the Resurrection,\u201d which could not be\n kept too joyously. The \u201cSabbatismus\u201d of the Sabbatarian Protestant who\n keeps holy the wrong day is a marvellous perversion and the Sunday\n feast of France, Italy, and Catholic countries generally is far more\n logical than the mortification day of England and the so-called\n Reformed countries.\n\nFootnote 450:\n\n Har\u00e1is plur. of Har\u00edsah: see vol. i. 131.\n\nFootnote 451:\n\n It would have been cooked on our Thursday night, or the Jewish Friday\n night and would be stale and indigestible on the next day.\n\nFootnote 452:\n\n Marw (Margiana), which the Turkomans pronounce \u201cMawr,\u201d is derived by\n Bournouf from the Sansk. Maru or Marw; and by Sir H. Rawlinson from\n Marz or Marj, the Lat. Margo; Germ. Mark; English March; Old French\n Marche and Neo-Lat. Marca. So Marzb\u00e1n, a Warden of the Marches; vol.\n iii. 256. The adj. is not Mar\u00e1z\u00ed, as stated in vol. iii. 222; but\n Marwazi, for which see Ibn Khallikan, vol. i. p. 7, etc.: yet there\n are good writers who use \u201cMar\u00e1z\u00ed\u201d as R\u00e1z\u00ed for a native of Rayy.\n\nFootnote 453:\n\n _i.e._ native of Rayy city. See vol. iv. 104.\n\nFootnote 454:\n\n Normally used for fuel and at times by funny men to be put into\n sweetmeats by way of practical joke: these are called \u201cNukl-i-Pishkil\u201d\n = goat-dung bonbons. The tale will remind old Anglo-Indians of the two\n Bengal officers who were great at such \u201csells\u201d and who \u201cswopped\u201d a\n spavined horse for a broken-down \u201cbuggy.\u201d\n\nFootnote 455:\n\n In the text \u201ckhan\u00e1dik,\u201d ditches, trenches; probably (as Mr. Payne\n suggests) a clerical or typographical error for \u201cFan\u00e1dik,\u201d inns or\n caravanserais; the plural of \u201cFunduk\u201d (Span. Fonda), for which see\n vol. viii. 184.\n\nFootnote 456:\n\n This sentence is supplied by Mr. Payne to remedy the incoherence of\n the text. Moslems are bound to see True Believers decently buried and\n the poor often beg alms for the funeral. Here the tale resembles the\n opening of Hajji Baba by Mr. Morier, that admirable picture of Persian\n manners and morals.\n\nFootnote 457:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-ajr\u201d which has often occurred.\n\nFootnote 458:\n\n Arab. \u201cHan\u00fat,\u201d _i.e._ leaves of the lotus-tree to be infused as a wash\n for the corpse; camphor used with cotton to close the mouth and other\n orifices; and, in the case of a wealthy man, rose-water, musk,\n ambergris, sandal-wood, and lign-aloes for fumigation.\n\nFootnote 459:\n\n Which always begin with four \u201cTakb\u00edrs\u201d and differ in many points from\n the usual orisons. See Lane (M. E. chapt. xxviii.) who is, however,\n very superficial upon an intricate and interesting subject. He even\n neglects to mention the number of Ruk\u2019\u00e1t (bows) usual at Cairo and the\n absence of prostration (suj\u00fad) for which see vol. ii. 10.\n\nFootnote 460:\n\n Thus requiring all the ablutional offices to be repeated. The Shaykh,\n by handling the corpse, became ceremonially impure and required \u201cWuzu\u201d\n before he could pray either at home or in the Mosque.\n\nFootnote 461:\n\n The Shaykh had left it when he went out to perform Wuzu.\n\nFootnote 462:\n\n Arab. \u201cSatl\u201d = the Lat. and Etruscan \u201cSitula\u201d and \u201cSitulus,\u201d a\n water-pot.\n\nFootnote 463:\n\n Arab. \u201cLahd, Luhd,\u201d the niche or cell hollowed out in the side of the\n oblong trench: here the corpse is deposited and covered with\n palm-fronds etc. to prevent the earth touching it. See my Pilgrimage\n ii. 304.\n\nFootnote 464:\n\n For the incredible amount of torture which Eastern obstinacy will\n sometimes endure, see Al-Mas\u2019udi\u2019s tale of the miserable little old\n man who stole the ten purses, vol. viii. 153 _et seq._\n\nFootnote 465:\n\n Arab. \u201cJar\u00eddah\u201d (whence the Jar\u00edd-game) a palm-frond stripped of its\n leaves and used for a host of purposes besides flogging, chairs,\n sofas, bedsteads, cages etc. etc. Tales of heroism in \u201ceating stick\u201d\n are always highly relished by the lower orders of Egyptians who pride\n themselves upon preferring the severest bastinado to paying the\n smallest amount of \u201crint.\u201d\n\nFootnote 466:\n\n Arab. \u201cN\u00e1w\u00fas,\u201d the hollow tower of masonry with a grating over the\n central well upon which the Magian corpse is placed to be torn by\n birds of prey: it is kept up by the Parsi population of Bombay and is\n known to Europeans as the \u201cTower of Silence.\u201d N\u00e1\u00eds and N\u00e1w\u00fas also mean\n a Pyrethrum, a fire-temple and have a whimsical resemblance to the\n Greek \u039d\u03b1\u03cc\u03c2.\n\nFootnote 467:\n\n For Munkar and Nakir, the Interrogating Angels, see vol. v. 111.\n According to Al-Mas\u2019udi (chapt. xxxi.) these names were given by the\n Egyptians to the thirteenth and fourteenth cubits marked on the\n Nilometer which, in his day, was expected to shew seventeen.\n\nFootnote 468:\n\n The text (xi. 227) has \u201cTann\u00far\u201d = an oven, evidently a misprint for\n \u201cKub\u00far\u201d = tombs.\n\nFootnote 469:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019An Ab\u00ed\u201d = (a propitiatory offering) for my father. So in\n Marocco the \u201cPowder-players\u201d dedicate a shot to a special purpose or\n person, crying, \u201cTo my sweetheart!\u201d \u201cTo my dead!\u201d \u201cTo my horse!\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 470:\n\n For this formula see vol. i. 65. It is technically called \u201cHaukalah\u201d\n and \u201cHaulakah\u201d words in the third conjugation of increased\n triliterals, corresponding with the quadriliteral radicals and\n possessing the peculiar power of Kasr = abbreviation. Of this same\n class is Basmalah (vol. v. 206; ix. 1).\n\nFootnote 471:\n\n This scene with the watch would be relished in the coffee-house, where\n the tricks of robbers, like a gird at the police, are always\n acceptable.\n\nFootnote 472:\n\n Arab. \u201cL\u00e1 af\u2019al\u201d; more commonly M\u00e1 af\u2019al. M\u00e1 and L\u00e1 are synonymous\n negative particles, differing, however, in application. M\u00e1 (Gr. \u03bc\u1f74)\n precedes definites, or indefinites: L\u00e1 and Lam (Gr. \u03bf\u1f50) only\n indefinites as \u201cL\u00e1 il\u00e1ha\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 473:\n\n Alluding to the proverb, \u201cWhat hast thou left behind thee, O As\u00e1m?\u201d\n _i.e._, what didst thou see?\n\nFootnote 474:\n\n Arab. \u201cSayrafi,\u201d s.s. as \u201cSarr\u00e1f\u201d: see vol. i. 210.\n\nFootnote 475:\n\n Arab. \u201cAl-Ma\u2019rafah\u201d = the place where the mane grows.\n\nFootnote 476:\n\n _i.e._ though the ass remain on thy hands.\n\nFootnote 477:\n\n \u201cHalves,\u201d _i.e._ of dirhams: see vol. ii. 37.\n\nFootnote 478:\n\n Arab. \u201cTaannaf\u00fa,\u201d = the Germ. lange Nase.\n\nFootnote 479:\n\n About forty shillings.\n\nFootnote 480:\n\n About \u00a3220.\n\nFootnote 481:\n\n Characteristically Eastern and Moslem is this action of the neighbours\n and bystanders. A walk through any Oriental city will show a crowd of\n people screaming and gesticulating, with thundering yells and\n lightning glances, as if about to close in mortal fight, concerning\n some matter which in no way concerns them. Our European cockneys and\n _badauds_ mostly content themselves with staring and mobbing.\n\nFootnote 482:\n\n Arab. \u201cMuruwwah,\u201d lit. manliness, especially in the sense of\n generosity. So the saying touching the \u201cMiy\u00e1n,\u201d or Moslem of India:\u2014\n\n F\u00ed \u2019l-ruz kuwwah:\n F\u00ed \u2019l Hind\u00ed muruwwah.\n\n When rice have strength, you\u2019ll haply find,\n In Hindi man, a manly mind.\n\nFootnote 483:\n\n _i.e._ His claim is just and reasonable.\n\nFootnote 484:\n\n I have noted (vol. i. 17) that good Moslems shun a formal oath,\n although \u201cby Allah!\u201d is ever on their tongues. This they seem to have\n borrowed from Christianity, which expressly forbade it, whilst\n Christians cannot insist upon it too much. The scandalous scenes\n lately enacted in a certain legislative assembly because an M.P. did\n not believe in a practice denounced by his creed, will be the wonder\n and ridicule of our descendants.\n\nFootnote 485:\n\n Most Arabs believe that the black cloud which sometimes produces,\n besides famine, contagious fevers and pestilence, like that which in\n 1799 depopulated the cities and country of Barbary, is led by a king\n locust, the Sultan Jar\u00e1d.\n\nFootnote 486:\n\n The text is hopelessly corrupt, and we have no other with which to\n collate. Apparently a portion of the tale has fallen out, making a\n _non-sens_ of its ending, which suggests that the kite gobbled up the\n two locusts at her ease, and left the falcon to himself.\n\nFootnote 487:\n\n The lines have occurred in vol. i. 265. I quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 488:\n\n The fabliau is a favourite in the East; this is the third time it has\n occurred with minor modifications. Of course the original was founded\n on fact, and the fact was and is by no means uncommon.\n\nFootnote 489:\n\n This would hardly be our Western way of treating a proposal of the\n kind; nor would the European novelist neglect so grand an opportunity\n for tall-talk.\n\nFootnote 490:\n\n This is a rechauff\u00e9 of \u201cThe House with the Belvedere;\u201d see vol. vi.\n 188.\n\nFootnote 491:\n\n Arab. \u201cMast\u00farah,\u201d = veiled, well-guarded, confined in the Harem.\n\nFootnote 492:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Aj\u00faz nahs\u201d = an old woman so crafty that she was a calamity to\n friends and foes.\n\nFootnote 493:\n\n Here, as in many places the text is painfully concise: the crone says\n only, \u201cThe Wuzu for the prayer!\u201d\n\nFootnote 494:\n\n I have followed Mr. Payne who supplies this sentence to make the Tale\n run smoothly.\n\nFootnote 495:\n\n _i.e._ the half of the marriage-settlement due to the wife on\n divorcement and whatever monies he may have borrowed of her.\n\nFootnote 496:\n\n Here we find the vulgar idea of a rape, which is that a man can, by\n mere force, possess a woman against her will. I contend that this is\n impossible unless he use drugs like chloroform or violence, so as to\n make the patient faint or she be exceptionally weak. \u201cGood Queen Bess\u201d\n hit the heart of the question when she bade Lord High Chancellor\n Burleigh sheath his sword, she holding the scabbard-mouth before him\n and keeping it in constant motion. But it often happens that the\n woman, unless she have a loathing for her violator, becomes infected\n with the amorous storge, relaxes her defence, feels pleasure in the\n outer contact of the parts and almost insensibly allows penetration\n and emission. Even conception is possible in such cases as is proved\n in that curious work, \u201cThe Curiosities of Medical Experience.\u201d\n\nFootnote 497:\n\n _i.e._ thou wilt have satisfied us all three.\n\nFootnote 498:\n\n Here I follow Mr. Payne who has skilfully fine-drawn the holes in the\n original text.\n\nFootnote 499:\n\n See vol. vii. 363; ix. 238.\n\nFootnote 500:\n\n Arab. \u201cMusall\u00e0,\u201d which may be either a praying carpet, a pure place in\n a house, or a small chapel like that near Shiraz which Hafiz\n immortalised,\n\n \u201cBring, boy, the sup that\u2019s in the cup; in highest Heaven man ne\u2019er\n shall find\n Such watery marge as Rukn\u00e1b\u00e1d, Musall\u00e0\u2019s mazes rose entwined.\u201d\n\nFootnote 501:\n\n Arab. \u201cIhtid\u00e1,\u201d = divine direction to Hud\u00e0 or salvation. The old bawd\n was still dressed as a devotee, and keeps up the cant of her caste. No\n sensible man in the East ever allows a religious old woman to pass his\n threshold.\n\nFootnote 502:\n\n In this tale \u201cpoetical justice\u201d is neglected, but the teller skilfully\n caused the wife to be ravished and not to be a particeps criminis. The\n lover escapes scot-free because Moslems, as well as Hindus, hold that\n the amourist under certain conditions is justified in obtaining his\n object by fair means or foul. See p. 147 of \u201cEarly Ideas, a Group of\n Hindoo Stories,\u201d collected and collated by Anaryan; London, Allens,\n 1881.\n\nFootnote 503:\n\n This is supplied from the \u201cTale of the King and his Wazir\u2019s Wife,\u201d\n vol. vi. 129.\n\nFootnote 504:\n\n Arab. \u201cIbl,\u201d a specific name: it is presently opposed to \u201cN\u00e1kah,\u201d a\n she-dromedary, and \u201cR\u00e1hilah,\u201d a riding-camel.\n\nFootnote 505:\n\n Here \u201cAmsaytu\u201d is used in its literal sense \u201cI evened\u201d (came at\n evening), and this is the case with seven such verbs, Asbaha, Ams\u00e1,\n Azh\u00e1, Azhara, A\u2019tama, Zalla, and B\u00e1ta, which either conjoin the sense\n of the sentence with their respective times, morning, evening,\n forenoon, noon and the first sundown watch, all day and all night or\n are used \u201celegantly,\u201d as grammarians say, for the simple \u201cbecoming\u201d or\n \u201cbeing.\u201d\n\nFootnote 506:\n\n The Badawi dogs are as dangerous as those of Montenegro but not so\n treacherous: the latter will sneak up to the stranger and suddenly\n bite him most viciously. I once had a narrow escape from an ignoble\n death near the slaughter-house of Alexandria-Ramlah, where the beasts\n were unusually ferocious. A pack assailed me at early dawn and but for\n an iron slick and a convenient wall I should have been torn to pieces.\n\nFootnote 507:\n\n These elopements are of most frequent occurrence: see Pilgrimage iii.\n 52.\n\nFootnote 508:\n\n The principal incidents, the loss and recovery of wife and children,\n occur in the Story of the Knight Placidus (Gesta Romanorum, cx.). But\n the ecclesiastical tale-teller does not do poetical justice upon any\n offenders, and he vilely slanders the great C\u00e6sar, Trajan.\n\nFootnote 509:\n\n _i.e._ a long time: the idiom has already been noticed. In the\n original we have \u201cof days and years and twelvemonths\u201d in order that\n \u201cA\u2019w\u00e1m\u201d (years) may jingle with \u201cAyy\u00e1m\u201d (days).\n\nFootnote 510:\n\n Nothing can be more beautiful than the natural parks which travellers\n describe on the coasts of tropical seas.\n\nFootnote 511:\n\n Arab. \u201cKhayy\u00e1l,\u201d not only a rider but a good and a hard rider. Hence\n the proverb \u201cAl-Khayy\u00e1l kabr maft\u00fah\u201d = uomo a cavallo sepoltura\n aperta.\n\nFootnote 512:\n\n _i.e._ the crew and the islanders.\n\nFootnote 513:\n\n Arab. \u201cHadas,\u201d a word not easy to render. In grammar Lumsden renders\n it by \u201cevent\u201d and the learned Captain Lockett (Miut Amil) in an awful\n long note (pp. 195 to 224) by \u201cmode,\u201d grammatical or logical. The\n value of his disquisition is its proving that, as the Arabs borrowed\n their romance from the Persians, so they took their physics and\n metaphysics of grammar and syntax; logic and science in general, from\n the Greeks.\n\nFootnote 514:\n\n We should say the anchors were weighed and the canvas spread.\n\nFootnote 515:\n\n The rhymes are disposed in the quaintest way, showing extensive\n corruption. Mr. Payne has ordered them into couplets with a \u201cbob\u201d or\n refrain: I have followed suit, preserving the original vagaries of\n rhymes.\n\nFootnote 516:\n\n Arab. \u201cNuwab,\u201d broken plur. (that is, noun of multitude) of Naubah,\n the Anglo-Indian Nowbut. This is applied to the band playing at\n certain intervals before the gate of a Rajah or high official.\n\nFootnote 517:\n\n Arab. \u201cH\u00e1jib\u201d: Captain Trotter (\u201cOur Mission to the Court of Morocco\n in 1880\u201d: Edinburgh, Douglas, 1881) speaks, passim, of the \u201ccheery\n little H\u00e1jeb or \u2019Eyebrow.\u2019\u201d Really this is too bad: why cannot\n travellers consult an Orientalist when treating of Oriental subjects?\n\nFootnote 518:\n\n Suicide is rare in Moslem lands, compared with India, China, and\n similar \u201cpagan\u201d countries; for the Mussulman has the same objection as\n the Christian \u201cto rush into the presence of his Creator\u201d, as if he\n could so do without the Creator\u2019s permission. The Hindu also has some\n curious prejudices on the subject: he will hang himself, but not by\n the neck, for fear lest his soul be defiled by exiting through an\n impure channel. In England hanging is the commonest form for men; then\n follow in due order drowning, cutting or stabbing, poison, and\n gun-shot: women prefer drowning (except in the cold months) and\n poison. India has not yet found a Dr. Ogle to tabulate suicide; but\n the cases most familiar to old Anglo-Indians are leaping down cliffs\n (as at Giruar), drowning, and starving to death. And so little is life\n valued that a mother will make a vow obliging her son to suicide\n himself at a certain age.\n\nFootnote 519:\n\n Arab. \u201cZarad-Kh\u00e1nah,\u201d before noticed: vol. vii. 363. Here it would\n mean a temporary prison for criminals of high degree. De Sacy,\n Chrestom, ii. 179.\n\nFootnote 520:\n\n Arab. \u201c\u2019Ad\u00fal,\u201d I have said, means in Marocco, that land of lies and\n subterfuges, a public notary.\n\nFootnote 521:\n\n This sentence is inserted by Mr. Payne to complete the sense.\n\nFootnote 522:\n\n _i.e._ He intended to marry her when time served.\n\nFootnote 523:\n\n Arab. from Pers. Khw\u00e1jah and Khaw\u00e1j\u00e1t: see vol. vi. 46.\n\nFootnote 524:\n\n Probably meaning by one mother whom he loved best of all his wives: in\n the next page we read of their sister.\n\nFootnote 525:\n\n Come down, _i.e._ from heaven.\n\nFootnote 526:\n\n This is the Bresl. Edit\u2019s. form of Shahry\u00e1r = city-keeper (like\n Marzb\u00e1n, guardian of the Marches), for city-friend. The learned Weil\n has perferred it to Shahry\u00e1r.\n\nFootnote 527:\n\n Sic: in the Mac. Edit. \u201cShahr\u00e1z\u00e1d\u201d and here making nonsense of the\n word. It is regretable that the king\u2019s reflections do not run at times\n as in this text: his compunctions lead well up to the d\u00e9no\u00fbement.\n\nFootnote 528:\n\n The careless text says \u201ccouplets.\u201d It has occurred in vol. i. 149: so\n I quote Torrens (p. 149.)\n\nFootnote 529:\n\n In the text Salma is made to speak, utterly confusing the dialogue.\n\nFootnote 530:\n\n The well-known Baloch province beginning west of Sind; the term is\n supposed to be a corruption of M\u00e1h\u00ed-Khor\u00e1n = Ichthyophagi. The reader\n who wishes to know more about it will do well to consult \u201cUnexplored\n Baluchistan,\u201d etc. (Griffith and Farran, 1882), the excellent work of\n my friend Mr. Ernest A. Floyer, long Chief of the Telegraphic\n Department, Cairo.\n\nFootnote 531:\n\n Meaning the last city in Makran before entering Sind. Al-Sharr would\n be a fancy name, \u201cThe Wickedness.\u201d\n\nFootnote 532:\n\n _i.e._ think of nothing but his present peril.\n\nFootnote 533:\n\n Arab. \u201cMunkati\u2019ah\u201d = lit. \u201ccut off\u201d (from the weal of the world). See\n Pilgrimage i. 22.\n\nFootnote 534:\n\n The lines are in vol. i. 207 and iv. 189. I here quote Mr. Payne.\n\nFootnote 535:\n\n _i.e._ I have another proposal to make.\n\nFootnote 536:\n\n _i.e._ In my heart\u2019s core: the figure has often occurred.\n\nFootnote 537:\n\n These sudden elevations, so common in the East and not unknown to the\n West in the Napoleonic days, explain how the legend of \u201cJoanna\n Papissa\u201d (Pope John XIII.), who succeeded Leo IV. in A.D. 855 and was\n succeeded by Benedict III., found ready belief amongst the enemies of\n papacy. She was an English woman born in Germany who came to Rome and\n professed theology with \u00e9clat, wherefore the people enthroned her.\n \u201cPope Joan\u201d governed with exemplary wisdom, but during a procession on\n Rogation Sunday she was delivered of a fine boy in the street: some\n make her die on the spot; others declare that she perished in prison.\n\nFootnote 538:\n\n That such things should happen in times of famine is only natural; but\n not at other seasons. This abomination on the part of the butcher is,\n however, more than once alluded to in The Nights: see vol. i. 332.\n\nFootnote 539:\n\n Opinions differ as to the site of this city, so celebrated in the\n medi\u00e6val history of Al-Islam: most probably it stood where Hyderabad\n of Sind now is. The question has been ably treated by Sir Henry M.\n Elliot in his \u201cHistory of India,\u201d edited from his posthumous papers by\n Professor Dowson.\n\nFootnote 540:\n\n Which, by-the-by, the average Eastern does with even more difficulty\n than the average European. For the most part the charge to secrecy\n fixes the matter in his mind even when he has forgotten that it is to\n be kept secret. Hence the most unpleasant results.\n\nFootnote 541:\n\n Such an act appears impossible, and yet history tells us of a\n celebrated Sufi, Khayr al-Nass\u00e1j (the Weaver), who being of dark\n complexion was stopped on return from his pilgrimage at Kufah by a\n stranger that said, \u201cThou art my negro slave and thy name is Khayr.\u201d\n He was kept at the loom for years, till at last the man set him free,\n and simply said, \u201cThou wast not my slave\u201d (Ibn Khall. i. 513).\n\nFootnote 542:\n\n These lines have occurred before. I quote Mr. Payne for variety.\n\nFootnote 543:\n\n Arab. \u201cTasill sallata\u2019l-Munkati\u2019\u00edn\u201d = lit. \u201craining on the\n drouth-hardened earth of the cut-off.\u201d The metaphor is admissible in\n the eyes of an Arab who holds water to be the chiefest of blessings,\n and makes it synonymous with bounty and beneficence.\n\nFootnote 544:\n\n Possibly this is said in mere fun; but, as Easterns are practical\n physiognomists, it may hint the fact that a large nose in womankind is\n the sign of a masculine nature.\n\nFootnote 545:\n\n Arab. \u201cZak\u00e1t wa Sadakat,\u201d = lit. paying of poor rate and purifying thy\n property by almsdeeds. See vol. i. 339.\n\nFootnote 546:\n\n I have noted (i. 293) that Kam\u00eds (\u03c7\u03b9\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd, Chemise, Cameslia, Camisa) is\n used in the Hindostani and Bengali dialects. Lake its synonyms\n pr\u00e6texta and shift, it has an equivocal meaning and here probably\n signifies the dress peculiar to Arab devotees and devout beggars.\n\nFootnote 547:\n\n I omit here and elsewhere the parenthetical formula \u201cK\u00e1la al-R\u00e1wi,\u201d\n etc. = The Story-teller sayeth, reminding the reader of its\n significance in a work collected from the mouths of professional\n Tale-tellers and intended mainly for their use.\n\nFootnote 548:\n\n The usual sign of emotion, already often mentioned.\n\nFootnote 549:\n\n It being no shame to Moslems if a slave become King.\n\nFootnote 550:\n\n Arab. \u201cTarbiyat\u00ed,\u201d _i.e._ he was brought up in my house.\n\nFootnote 551:\n\n There is no Salic law amongst Moslems; but the Rasm or custom of\n Al-Islam, established by the succession of the four first Caliphs, to\n the prejudice of Ayishah and other masterful women would be a strong\n precedent against queenly rule. It is the reverse with the Hindus who\n accept a Rani as willingly as a Rajah and who believe with Europeans\n that when kings reign women rule, and _vice versa_. To the vulgar\n Moslem feminine government appears impossible, and I was once asked by\n an Afghan, \u201cWhat would happen if the queen were in childbed?\u201d\n\nFootnote 552:\n\n Arab. \u201cKhutbah,\u201d the sermon preached from the pulpit (Mimbar) after\n the congregational prayers on Friday noon. It is of two kinds, for\n which see Lane, M.E., chap. iii. This public mention of his name and\n inscribing it upon the newly-minted money are the special prerogatives\n of the Moslem king: hence it often happens that usurpers cause a\n confusion of Khutbah and coinage.\n\nFootnote 553:\n\n For a specimen of which, blowing a man up with bellows, see\n Al-Mas\u2019udi, chap. cxxiii.\n\nFootnote 554:\n\n _i.e._ A long time: the idiom has been noted before more than once.\n\nFootnote 555:\n\n _i.e._ With what he had heard and what he was promised.\n\nFootnote 556:\n\n Arab. \u201cShakhs mafs\u00fad,\u201d _i.e._ an infidel.\n\nFootnote 557:\n\n Arab. \u201cBun\u00fad,\u201d plur. of Persian \u201cband\u201d = hypocrisy, deceit.\n\nFootnote 558:\n\n Arab. \u201cBur\u00faj\u201d pl. of Burj. lit. = towers, an astrological term\n equivalent to our \u201chouses\u201d or constellations which form the Zodiacal\n signs surrounding the heavens as towers gird a city; and applied also\n to the 28 lunar Mansions. So in Al-Hariri (Ass. of Damascus) \u201cI swear\n by the sky with its towers,\u201d the incept of Koran chapt. lxxxv.; see\n also chapts. xv. 26 and xxv. 62. \u201cBurj\u201d is a word with a long history:\n \u03c0\u03cd\u03c1\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2, burg, burgh, etc.\n\nFootnote 559:\n\n Arab. \u201cBundukah\u201d = a little bunduk, nut, filbert, pellet, rule, musket\n bullet.\n\nFootnote 560:\n\n See John Raister\u2019s \u201cBooke of the Seven Planets; or, Seven Wandering\n Motives,\u201d London, 1598.\n\nFootnote 561:\n\n _i.e._ for the king whom I love as my own soul.\n\nFootnote 562:\n\n The Bresl. Edit. (xi. 318-21) seems to assume that the tales were told\n in the early night before the royal pair slept. This is no\n improvement; we prefer to think that the time was before peep of day\n when Easterns usually awake and have nothing to do till the\n dawn-prayer.\n\nFootnote 563:\n\n See vol. ii. 161.\n\nFootnote 564:\n\n Arab. Al-F\u00e1khir. No wonder that the First Hand who moulded the Man-mud\n is a _lieu commun_ in Eastern thought. The Pot and the Potter began\n with the old Egyptians. \u201cSitting as a potter at the wheel, god Cneph\n (in Phil\u00e6) moulds clay, and gives the spirit of life (the Genesitic\n \u2018breath\u2019) to the nostrils of Osiris.\u201d Then we meet him in the Vedas,\n the Being \u201cby whom the fictile vase is formed; the clay out of which\n it is fabricated.\u201d We find him next in Jeremiah (xviii. 2), \u201cArise and\n go down unto the Potter\u2019s house,\u201d etc., and in Romans (ix. 20), \u201cHath\n not the Potter power over the clay?\u201d He appears in full force in\n Omar-i-Khayy\u00e1m (No. xxxvii.):\u2014\n\n For I remember stopping by the way\n To watch a Potter thumping his wet Clay:\n And with its all obliterated Tongue\n It murmur\u2019d\u2014\u201cGently, Brother, gently, pray!\u201d\n\n Lastly the Potter shows in the Kasidah of Haj\u00ed Abd\u00fa al-Yezdi (p. 4):\u2014\n\n \u201cThe first of pots the Potter made by Chrysorrhoas\u2019 blue-green wave;\n Methinks I see him smile to see what guerdon to the world he gave.\u201d\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n TRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES\n\n\n 1. Added \u201c13. SHAHRAZAD AND SHAHRYAR 359\u201d to the Contents on p. xi.\n 2. Added missing footnote anchors on p. 94, 151, 260, and 313.\n 3. Changed \u201cpromted\u201d to \u201cprompted\u201d on p. 250\n 4. Changed \u201c\u200f\u05d3\u05db\u05dc\u200e\u201d to \u201c\u200f\u05dc\u05de\u05d3\u200e\u201d on p. 251.\n 5. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical\n errors.\n 6. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.\n 7. Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers and collected together\n at the end of the last chapter.\n 8. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.\n 9. Enclosed bold font in =equals=.","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":123900}