{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_62140/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_62140","id":"gutenberg_62140","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62140","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"[Illustration]\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[Illustration: _A. Lalauze. Pinx. et Sc._]\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 IV.\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                     TO WILLIAM H. CHANDLER, ESQ.,\n\n                                             _Pembroke College, Oxford._\n\n\n  MY DEAR MR. CHANDLER,\n\nAs without your friendly and generous aid this volume could never have\nseen the light, I cannot resist the temptation of inscribing it to\nyou\u2014and without permission, for your modesty would have refused any such\nacknowledgment.\n\n                                    I am, ever,\n                                          Yours sincerely,\n                                                      RICHARD F. BURTON.\n\n  TRIESTE,\n      _March 10th, 1888._\n\n\n\n\n                       THE TRANSLATOR\u2019S FOREWORD.\n\n\nAs my first and second volumes (Supplemental) were composed of\ntranslated extracts from the Breslau Edition of The Nights, so this tome\nand its successor (volumes iv. and v.) comprise my version from the\n(Edward) Wortley Montague Codex immured in the old Bodleian Library,\nOxford.\n\nAbsence from England prevents for the present my offering a satisfactory\ndescription of this widely known manuscript; but I may safely promise\nthat the hiatus shall be filled up in vol. v., which is now ready for\nthe press.\n\nThe contents of the Wortley Montague text are not wholly unfamiliar to\nEurope. In 1811 Jonathan Scott, LL.D. Oxon. (for whom see my vols. i.,\nix. and x. 497), printed with Longmans and Co. his \u201cArabian Nights\nEntertainments\u201d in five substantial volumes 8vo, and devoted a sixth and\nlast to excerpts entitled\n\n                                 TALES\n                   SELECTED FROM THE MANUSCRIPT COPY\n                                 OF THE\n                              1001 NIGHTS\n           BROUGHT TO EUROPE BY EDWARD WORTLEY MONTAGUE, ESQ.\n\n                      _Translated from the Arabic_\n                        BY JONATHAN SCOTT, LL.D.\n\nUnfortunately for his readers Scott enrolled himself amongst the\nacolytes of Professor Galland, a great and original genius in the line\n_Raconteur_, and a practical Orientalist whose bright example was\ndestined to produce disastrous consequences. The Frenchman, however\nunscrupulous he might have been about casting down and building up in\norder to humour the dead level of Gallican _bon go\u00fbt_, could, as is\nshown by his \u201cAladdin,\u201d translate literatim and verbatim when the\nstory-stuff is of the right species and acceptable to the average\nEuropean taste. But, as generally happens in such cases, his servile\nsuite went far beyond their master and model. Petis de la Croix\n(\u201cPersian and Turkish Tales\u201d), Chavis and Cazotte (\u201cNew Arabian\nNights\u201d), Dow (\u201cIn\u00e1yatu llah\u201d) and Morell (\u201cTales of the Genii\u201d), with\nothers manifold whose names are now all but forgotten, carried out the\nGallandian liberties to the extreme of licence and succeeded in\nproducing a branchlet of literature, the most vapid, frigid and insipid\nthat can be imagined by man,\u2014a bastard Europeo-Oriental, pseudo-Eastern\nworld of Western marionettes garbed in the gear which Asiatic are (or\nwere) supposed to wear, with sentiments and opinions, manners and morals\nto match; the whole utterly lacking life, local colour, vraisemblance,\nhuman interest. From such abortions, such monstrous births, libera nos,\nDomine!\n\nAnd Scott out-gallanded Galland:\u2014\u2014\n\n               Diruit, \u00e6dificat, mutat quadrata rotundis.\n\nIt is hard to quote a line which he deigned textually to translate. He\nnot only commits felony on the original by abstracting whole sentences\nand pages _ad libitum_, but he also thrusts false goods into his\nauthor\u2019s pocket and patronises the unfortunate Eastern story-teller by\nfoisting upon him whatever he, the \u201ctranslator and traitor,\u201d deems\nneedful. On this point no more need be said: the curious reader has but\nto compare any one of Scott\u2019s \u201ctranslations\u201d with the original or, for\nthat matter, with the present version.\n\nI determined to do that for Scott which Lane had done partly and\nimperfectly, and Payne had successfully and satisfactorily done for\nGalland. But my first difficulty was about the text. It was impossible\nto face without affright the prospect of working for months amid the\ndiscomforts and the sanitary dangers of Oxford\u2019s learned atmosphere and\nin her obsolete edifices the Bodleian and the Radcliffe. Having\nascertained, however, that in the so-called \u201cUniversity\u201d not a scholar\ncould be found to read the text, I was induced to apply for a loan\u2014not\nto myself personally for I should have shunned the responsibility\u2014but in\nthe shape of a temporary transfer of the seven-volumed text, tome by\ntome, to the charge of Dr. Rost, the excellent Librarian of the India\nOffice.\n\nMy hopes, however, were fated to be deferred. Learned bodies, Curators\nand so forth, are ponderous to move and powerless to change, for\n\n              The trail of the slow-worm is over them all.\n\nMy official application was made on September 13th, 1886. The tardiest\nsteps were taken as if unwillingly and, when they could no longer\ndecently be deferred, they resulted in the curtest and most categorical\nbut not most courteous of refusals, under circumstances of peculiar\ndisfavour, on November 1st of the same year. Here I shall say no more:\nthe correspondence has been relegated to Appendix A. My subscribers,\nhowever, will have no reason to complain of these \u201cInepti\u00e6 Bodleian\u00e6.\u201d I\nhad pledged myself in case of a loan \u201cnot to translate Tales that might\nbe deemed offensive to propriety:\u201d the Curators have kindly set me free\nfrom that troublesome condition and I thank them therefor.\n\nMeanwhile I had not been idle. Three visits to Oxford in September and\nOctober had enabled me to reach the DIVth Night. But the laborious days\nand inclement evenings, combined with the unsanitary state of town and\nlibraries\u2014the Bodleian and the Rotunda\u2014brought on a serious attack of\n\u201clithiasis\u201d as it is now called, and prostrated me for two months, until\nit was time to leave England en route for my post.\n\nUnder these circumstances my design threatened to end in failure. As\noften befalls to men out of England, every move ventured by me menaced\nonly check-mate. I began by seeking a copyist at Oxford, one who would\nimitate the text as an ignoramus might transcribe music: an\nundergraduate volunteered for the task and after a few days dropped it\nin dumb disgust. The attempt was presently repeated by a friend with the\nunsatisfactory result that three words out of four were legible. In\nLondon several Easterns were described as able and willing for the work;\nbut they also were found wanting; one could not be trusted with the MS.\nand another was marriage-mad. Photography was lastly proposed, but\nconsiderations of cost seemed to render it unavailable. At last, when\nmatters were at the worst, the proverbial amendment appeared. Mr.\nChandler, whose energetic and conscientious opposition to all \u201cBodleian\nloans,\u201d both of books and of manuscripts, had mainly caused the passing\nof the prohibitory statute, came forward in the most friendly and\ngenerous way: with no small trouble to himself he superintended the\n\u201csun-pictures,\u201d each page of the original being reduced to half-size,\nand he insisted upon the work being done wholly and solely at his own\nexpense. I know not how to express my gratitude.\n\nThe process was undertaken by Mr. Percy Notcutt, of Kingsbury and\nNotcutt, 45, St. George\u2019s Place, Knightsbridge, and the four hundred and\nodd pages were reproduced in most satisfactory style.\n\nBeing relegated to a port-town which never possessed even an Arabic\nlexicon, I have found some difficulty with the Wortley Montague MS. as\nit contains a variety of local words unknown to the common dictionaries.\nBut I have worked my best to surmount the obstacle by consulting many\ncorrespondents, amongst whom may be mentioned the name of my late\nlamented friend, the Reverend George Percy Badger; and, finally, by\nsubmitting my proofs to the corrections and additions of the\nlexicologist Dr. Steingass.\n\nAppendix B will require no apology to the numerous admirers of Mr. E. J.\nW. Gibb\u2019s honest and able work, \u201cThe History of the Forty Vezirs\u201d\n(London, Redway, MDCCCLXXXVI). The writer in a book intended for the\npublic was obliged to leave in their original Turkish, and distinguished\nonly by italics, three \u201cfacetious\u201d tales which, as usual, are some of\nthe best in the book. These have been translated for me and I offer them\nto my readers on account of their curious analogies with many in The\nNights.\n\n                                                      RICHARD F. BURTON.\n\n  TRIESTE,\n      _April 10th, 1888._\n\n\n\n\n                     CONTENTS OF THE FOURTH VOLUME\n\n\n                                                                    PAGE\n\n 1. STORY OF THE SULTAN OF AL YAMAN AND HIS THREE SONS                 1\n\n  (_Scott: Story of the Sultan of Yemen and his Three Sons: Vol. VI. p.\n                                  1._)\n\n 2. STORY OF THE THREE SHARPERS                                       17\n\n      (_Scott: Story of the Three Sharpers and the Sultan. p. 7._)\n\n     _a._ THE SULTAN WHO FARED FORTH IN THE HABIT OF A DARWAYSH       35\n\n        (_Scott: The Adventures of the Abdicated Sultan. p. 18._)\n\n     _b._ HISTORY OF MOHAMMED, SULTAN OF CAIRO                        37\n\n         (_Scott: History of Mahummud, Sultan of Cairo. p. 20._)\n\n     _c._ STORY OF THE FIRST LUNATIC                                  49\n\n              (_Scott: Story of the First Lunatic. p. 31._)\n\n     _d._ STORY OF THE SECOND LUNATIC                                 67\n\n             (_Scott: Story of the Second Lunatic. p. 45._)\n\n     _e._ STORY OF THE SAGE AND THE SCHOLAR                           74\n\n (_Scott: Story of the Retired Sage and his Pupil, related to the Sultan\n                     by the Second Lunatic. p. 52._)\n\n     _f._ THE NIGHT-ADVENTURE OF SULTAN MOHAMMED OF CAIRO WITH THE\n       THREE FOOLISH SCHOOLMASTERS                                    90\n\n            (_Scott: Night-Adventure of the Sultan. p. 68._)\n\n     _g._ STORY OF THE BROKE-BACK SCHOOLMASTER                        95\n\n       (_Scott: Story of the Broken-backed Schoolmaster. p. 72._)\n\n     _h._ STORY OF THE SPLIT-MOUTHED SCHOOLMASTER                     97\n\n        (_Scott: Story of the wry-mouthed Schoolmaster. p. 74._)\n\n     _i._ STORY OF THE LIMPING SCHOOLMASTER                          101\n\n     _j._ STORY OF THE THREE SISTERS AND THEIR MOTHER THE SULTANAH   109\n\n (_Scott: The Sultan\u2019s Second Visit to the Sisters, p. 76; and Story of\n           the Sisters and the Sultana, their Mother. p. 82._)\n\n 3. HISTORY OF THE KAZI WHO BARE A BABE                              167\n\n     (_Scott: Story of the Avaricious Cauzee and his Wife. p. 112._)\n\n 4. TALE OF THE KAZI AND THE BHANG-EATER                             187\n\n       (_Scott: Story of the Bang-Eater and the Cauzee. p. 126._)\n\n     _a._ HISTORY OF THE BHANG-EATER AND HIS WIFE                    202\n\n        (_Scott: Story of the Bang-Eater and his Wife. p. 133._)\n\n     _b._ HOW DRUMMER ABU KASIM BECAME A KAZI                        210\n\n     _c._ STORY OF THE KAZI AND HIS SLIPPER (_including the Tale\n       of the Bhang-Eater who became the Just Wasir and who\n       decided two difficult cases_)                                 212\n\n (_Scott: Continuation of the Fisherman, or Bang-Eater\u2019s Adventures. p.\n                                 138._)\n\n     _d._ TALE OF MAHMUD THE PERSIAN AND THE KURD SHARPER            242\n\n  (_Scott: The Sultan and the Traveller Mhamood al-Hyjemmee. p. 154._)\n\n     _e._ TALE OF THE SULTAN AND THE POOR MAN WHO BROUGHT TO HIM\n       FRUIT                                                         242\n\n               (_Scott: Story of the Husbandman. p. 157._)\n\n     _f._ THE FRUIT-SELLER\u2019S TALE                                    244\n\n     _g._ TALE OF THE SULTAN AND HIS THREE SONS AND THE ENCHANTING\n       BIRD                                                          244\n\n   (_Scott: Story of the Three Princes and Enchanting Bird. p. 160._)\n\n     _h._ ADVENTURE OF THE FRUIT-SELLER AND THE CONCUBINE            256\n\n     _i._ STORY OF THE KING OF AL-YAMAN AND HIS THREE SONS AND THE\n       ENCHANTING BIRD                                               258\n\n    (_Scott: Story of a Sultan of Yemen and his Three Sons. p. 169._)\n\n     _i._ HISTORY OF THE FIRST LARRIKIN                              281\n\n       (_Scott: Story of the First Sharper in the Cave. p. 185._)\n\n     _k._ HISTORY OF THE SECOND LARRIKIN                             290\n\n     _l._ HISTORY OF THE THIRD LARRIKIN                              294\n\n     _m._ STORY OF A SULTAN OF AL-HIND AND HIS SON MOHAMMED (_told\n       by the First Larrikin_)                                       297\n\n            (_Scott: History of the Sultan of Hind. p. 194._)\n\n     _n._ TALE OF THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SON (_told by the Second\n       Larrikin_)                                                    314\n\n            (_Scott: Story of the Fisherman\u2019s Son. p. 210._)\n\n     _o._ TALE OF THE THIRD LARRIKIN CONCERNING HIMSELF              329\n\n HISTORY OF ABU NIYYAH AND ABU NIYYATAYN                             334\n\n         (_Scott: Story of Abou Neeut and Abou Neeuteen; or, the\n            Well-intentioned and the Double-minded. p. 215._)\n\n                                  \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\n\n APPENDIX A.\u2014INEPTI\u00c6 BODLEIAN\u00c6                                       355\n\n APPENDIX B.\u2014THE THREE UNTRANSLATED TALES IN MR. E. J. W. GIBB\u2019S\n   \u201cFORTY VEZIRS\u201d                                                    367\n\n\n\n\n         STORY OF THE SULTAN OF AL-YAMAN AND HIS THREE SONS.[1]\n\n\nThere was erewhile in the land of Al-Yaman a man which was a Sultan and\nunder him were three Kinglets whom he overruled. He had four children;\nto wit, three sons and a daughter: he also owned wealth and treasures\ngreater than reed can pen or page may contain; as well as animals such\nas horses and camels, sheep and black cattle; and he was held in awe by\nall the sovrans. But when his reign had lasted for a length of time,\nAge[2] brought with it ailments and infirmities and he became incapable\nof faring forth his Palace to the Divan, the hall of audience; whereupon\nhe summoned his three sons to the presence and said to them, \u201cAs for me,\n\u2019tis my wish to divide among you all my substance ere I die, that ye may\nbe equal in circumstance and live in accordance with whatso I shall\ncommand.\u201d And they said, \u201cHearkening and obedience.\u201d Then quoth the\nSultan, \u201cLet the eldest of you become sovereign after me: let the cadet\nsucceed to my moneys and treasures[3] and as for the youngest let him\ninherit my animals of every kind. Suffer none to transgress against\nother; but each aid each and assist his co-partner.\u201d He then caused them\nto sign a bond and agreement to abide by his bequeathal; and, after\ndelaying a while, he departed to the mercy of Allah. Thereupon his three\nsons got ready the funeral gear and whatever was suited to his estate\nfor the mortuary obsequies such as cerements and other matters: they\nwashed the corpse and enshrouded it and prayed over it: then, having\ncommitted it to the earth they returned to their palaces where the\nWazirs and the Lords of the Land and the city-folk in their multitudes,\nhigh and low, rich and poor, flocked to condole with them on the loss of\ntheir father. And the news of his decease was soon bruited abroad in all\nthe provinces; and deputations from each and every city came to offer\ncondolence to the King\u2019s sons. These ceremonies duly ended, the eldest\nPrince demanded that he should be seated as Sultan on the stead of his\nsire in accordance with the paternal will and testament; but he could\nnot obtain it from his two brothers as both and each said, \u201cI will\nbecome ruler in room of my father.\u201d So enmity and disputes for the\ngovernment now arose amongst them and it was not to be won by any; but\nat last quoth the eldest Prince, \u201cWend we and submit ourselves to the\narbitration of a Sultan of the tributary sultans; and let him to whom he\nshall adjudge the realm take it and reign over it.\u201d Quoth they \u201c\u2019Tis\nwell!\u201d and thereto agreed, as did also the Wazirs; and the three set out\nwithout suite seeking the capital of one of the subject Sovrans.\u2014\u2014And\nShahr\u00e1z\u00e1d[4] was surprised by the dawn of day[5] and fell silent and\nceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Duny\u00e1z\u00e1d, \u201cHow\nsweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night, an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n                 The Three Hundred and Thirtieth Night,\n\nDuny\u00e1z\u00e1d said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deed fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that the three Princes fared seeking a Sultan of the\nsultans who had been under the hands of their sire, in order that they\nmight take him to arbitrator. And they stinted not faring till the\nmiddle way, when behold, they came upon a mead abounding in herbage and\nin rain-water lying sheeted.[6] So they sat them down to rest and to eat\nof their victual, when one of the brothers, casting his eye upon the\nherbage, cried, \u201cVerily a camel hath lately passed this way laden half\nwith Halw\u00e1-sweetmeats and half with H\u00e1miz-pickles.\u201d[7] \u201cTrue,\u201d cried the\nsecond, \u201cand he was blind of an eye.\u201d Exclaimed the third, \u201c\u2019Tis sooth;\nand indeed he hath lost his tail.\u201d Hardly, however, had they ended their\nwords when lo! the owner of the camel came upon them (for he had\noverheard their speech and had said to himself, \u201cBy Allah, these three\nfellows have driven off my property, inasmuch as they have described the\nburthen and eke the beast as tail-less and one-eyed\u201d), and cried out,\n\u201cYe three have carried away my camel!\u201d[8] \u201cBy Allah we have not seen\nhim,\u201d quoth the Princes, \u201cmuch less have we touched him;\u201d but quoth the\nman, \u201cBy the Almighty, who can have taken him except you? and if you\nwill not deliver him to me, off with us, I and you three, to the\nSultan.\u201d They replied, \u201cBy all manner of means; let us wend to the\nSovran.\u201d So the four hied forth, the three Princes and the Cameleer, and\nceased not faring till they reached the capital of the King. There they\ntook seat without the wall to rest for an hour\u2019s time and presently they\narose and pushed into the city and came to the royal Palace. Then they\ncraved leave of the Chamberlains, and one of the Eunuchs caused them\nenter and signified to the sovereign that the three sons of\nSuch-and-such a Sultan had made act of presence. So he bade them be set\nbefore him and the four went in and saluted him, and prayed for him and\nhe returned their salams. He then asked them, \u201cWhat is it hath brought\nyou hither and what may ye want in the way of enquiry?\u201d Now the first to\nspeak was the Cameleer and he said, \u201cO my lord the Sultan; verily these\nthree men have carried off my camel by proof of their own speech.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Thirty-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Cameleer came forward between the Sultan\u2019s\nhands and said, \u201cO my lord, verily these men have carried away the camel\nwhich belongeth to me,[9] for they have indeed described him and the\nburthen he bore! And I require of our lord the Sultan that he take from\nthese wights and deliver to me the camel which is mine as proved by\ntheir own words.\u201d Presently, asked the Sultan, \u201cWhat say ye to the\nclaims of this man and the camel belonging to him?\u201d Hereto the Princes\nmade answer, \u201cBy Allah, O King of the Age, we have not seen the camel,\nmuch less have we stolen him.\u201d Thereupon the Cameleer exclaimed, \u201cO my\nlord, I heard yonder one say that the beast was blind of an eye; and the\nsecond said that he was tail-less, and the third said that half his load\nwas of sour stuff and the other half was of sweet stuff.\u201d They replied,\n\u201cTrue, we spake these words;\u201d and the Sultan cried to them, \u201cYe have\npurloined the beast by this proof.\u201d They rejoined, \u201cNo, by Allah, O my\nlord. We sat us in such a place for repose and refreshment and we\nremarked that some of the pasture had been grazed down, so we said:\u2014This\nis the grazing of a camel; and he must have been blind of one eye as the\ngrass was eaten only on one side. But as for our saying that he was\ntail-less, we noted the droppings lying heaped[10] upon the ground which\nmade us agree that the tail must have been cut off, it being the custom\nof camels at such times to whisk their tails and scatter the dung\nabroad. So \u2019twas evident to us that the camel had lost his tail. But as\nfor our saying that the load was half Halw\u00e1 and half H\u00e1miz, we saw on\nthe place where the camel had knelt the flies gathering in great numbers\nwhile on the other were none: so the case was clear to us (as flies\nsettle on naught save the sugared) that one of the panniers must have\ncontained sweets and the other sours.\u201d Hearing this the Sultan said to\nthe Cameleer, \u201cO man, fare thee forth and look after thy camel; for\nthese signs and tokens prove not the theft of these men but only the\npower of their intellect and their penetration.\u201d[11] And when the\nCameleer heard this, he went his ways. Presently the Sultan cleared a\nplace in the Palace and allotted to it the Princes for their\nentertainment: he also directed they be supplied with a banquet and the\neunuchs did his bidding. But when it was eventide and supper was served\nup, the trio sat down to it purposing to eat; the eldest, however,\nhaving hent in hand a bannock of bread exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, verily this\ncake was baked by a woman in blood, to wit, one with the menses.\u201d The\ncadet tasting a bit of kid exclaimed, \u201cThis kid was suckled by a bitch;\u201d\nand the youngest exclaimed, \u201cAssuredly this Sultan must be a son of\nshame, a bastard.\u201d All this was said by the youths what while the Sultan\nhad hidden himself in order to hear and to profit by the Princes\u2019 words.\nSo he waxed wroth and entered hastily crying, \u201cWhat be these speeches ye\nhave spoken?\u201d They replied, \u201cConcerning all thou hast heard enquire\nwithin and thou wilt find it wholly true.\u201d The Sultan then entered his\nwomen\u2019s apartments and after inquisition found that the woman who had\nkneaded the bread was sick with her monthly courses. He then went forth\nand summoned the head-shepherd and asked him concerning the kid he had\nbutchered. He replied, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord, the nanny-goat that bare\nthe kid died and we found none other in milk to suckle him; but I had a\nbitch that had just pupped and her have I made nourish him.\u201d The Sultan\nlastly hent his sword in hand and proceeded to the apartments of the\nSult\u00e1nah-mother and cried, \u201cBy Allah, unless thou avert my shame[12] we\nwill cut thee down with this scymitar! Say me whose son am I?\u201d She\nreplied, \u201cBy Allah, O my child, indeed falsehood is an excuse, but fact\nand truth are more saving and superior. Verily thou art the son of a\ncook!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent\nand ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,\n\u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night, an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Thirty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan\u2019s mother said to him, \u201cVerily thou\nart a cook\u2019s son. Thy sire could not beget boy-children and I bare him\nonly a single daughter. But it so fortuned that the kitchener\u2019s wife lay\nin of a boy (to wit, thyself); so we gave my girl-babe to the cook and\ntook thee as the son of the Sultan, dreading for the realm after thy\nsire\u2019s death.\u201d The King went forth from his mother in astonishment at\nthe penetration of the three youths and, when he had taken seat in his\nPalace, he summoned the trio and as soon as they appeared he asked them;\n\u201cWhich of you was it that said:\u2014She who kneaded the bread was in blood?\u201d\nQuoth the eldest, \u201cThat was I;\u201d and quoth the King, \u201cWhat led thee to\nsuspect that she was menstruous?\u201d He replied, \u201cO my lord, when I took\nthe bannock and broke off a bittock, the flour fell out in lumps.[13]\nNow had the kneader been well, her strength of hand would have remained\nand the bread would have been wrought by all the veins; but, when the\nblood came, her powers were minished for women\u2019s force is in her hands;\nand as soon as the monthly period cometh upon them their strength is\nlost. Their bodies contain three hundred and sixty veins all lying hard\nby one another and the blood of the catamenia floweth from them all;\nhence their force becometh feebleness. And this was my proof of the\nwoman which was menstruous.\u201d Quoth the Sultan, \u201c\u2019Tis well. We accept as\ncertain thy saying upon this evidence, for it is agreeable to man\u2019s\nunderstanding nor can any challenge it; this being from the power of\ninsight into the condition of womankind. And we are assured of its\nsoothfastness, for \u2019tis evident to us without concealment. But which is\nhe who said of the kid\u2019s meat that the beast was suckled by a bitch?\nWhat proof had he of this? How did he learn it and whence did his\nintelligence discover it to him?\u201d Now when the deceased Sultan\u2019s second\nson heard these words, he made answer. \u201cI, O King of the Age, am he who\nsaid that say!\u201d The King replied, \u201c\u2019Tis Well;\u201d and the Prince resumed,\n\u201cO my lord, that which showed me the matter of the meat which was to us\nbrought is as follows. I found the fat of the kid all hard by the bone,\nand I knew that the beast had sucked bitch\u2019s milk; for the flesh of dogs\nlieth outside and their fat is on their bones, whereas in sheep and\ngoats the fat lieth upon the meat. Such, then, was my proof wherein\nthere is nor doubt nor hesitation; and when thou shalt have made\nquestion and inquiry thou wilt find this to be fact.\u201d Quoth the Sultan,\n\u201c\u2019Tis well; thou hast spoken truth and whatso thou sayest is soothfast.\nBut which is he who declared that I am a bastard and what was his proof\nand what sign in me exposed it to him?\u201d Quoth the youngest Prince, \u201cI am\nhe who said it;\u201d and the Sultan rejoined, \u201cThere is no help but that\nthou provide me with a proof.\u201d The Prince rejoined. \u201c\u2019Tis well!\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Thirty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding lord\nof the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that the youngest Prince said to the Sultan, \u201cO my lord, I\nhave evidence that thou art the son of a cook and a base-born, in that\nthou didst not sit at meat with us and this was mine all-sufficient\nevidence. Every man hath three properties which he inheriteth at times\nfrom his father, at times from his maternal uncle and at times from his\nmother.[14] From his sire cometh generosity or niggardness; from his\nuncle courage or cowardice; from his mother modesty or immodesty; and\nsuch is the proof of every man.\u201d Then quoth to him the Sultan, \u201cSooth\nthou speakest; but say me, men who like you know all things thoroughly\nby evidence and by your powers of penetration, what cause have they to\ncome seeking arbitration at my hand? Beyond yours there be no increase\nof intelligence. So fare ye forth from me and manage the matter amongst\nyourselves, for \u2019tis made palpable to me by your own words that naught\nremaineth to you save to speak of mysterious subjects;[15] nor have I\nthe capacity to adjudge between you after that which I have heard from\nyou. In fine an ye possess any document drawn up by your sire before his\ndecease, act according to it and contrary it not.\u201d Upon this the Princes\nwent forth from him and made for their own country and city and did as\ntheir father had bidden them do on his death-bed. The eldest enthroned\nhimself as Sultan; the cadet assumed possession and management of the\nmoneys and treasures and the youngest took to himself the camels and the\nhorses and the beeves and the muttons. Then each and every was indeed\nequal with his co-partner in the gathering of good. But when the new\nyear came, there befel a drought among the beasts and all belonging to\nthe youngest brother died nor had he aught of property left: yet his\nspirit brooked not to take anything from his brethren or even to ask of\nthem aught. This then is the Tale of the King of Al-Yaman in its\nentirety; yet is the Story of the Three Sharpers[16] more wondrous and\nmarvellous than that just recounted.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the\ndawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then\nquoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and\nhow enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared\nwith that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the King suffer\nme to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied, \u201cWith love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating;\u201d and she began to recount\n\n\n\n\n                  THE STORY OF THE THREE SHARPERS.[17]\n\n\nSaying, Verily their adventure is wondrous and their actions delightsome\nand marvellous; presently adding\u2014\u2014There were in time of yore three\nSharpers who were wont every day in early morning to prowl forth and to\nprey, rummaging[18] among the mounds which outlay the city. Therein each\nwould find a silver bit of five parahs or its equivalent, after which\nthe trio would forgather and buy whatso sufficed them for supper: they\nwould also expend two Nusfs[19] upon Bast,[20] which is Bhang, and\npurchase a waxen taper with the other silver bit. They had hired a cell\nin the flank of a Wak\u00e1lah, a caravanserai without the walls, where they\ncould sit at ease to solace themselves and eat their Hash\u00edsh after\nlighting the candle and enjoy their intoxication and consequent\nmerriment till the noon o\u2019 night. Then they would sleep, again awaking\nat day-dawn when they would arise and seek for spoil, according to their\ncustom, and ransack the heaps where at times they would hit upon a\nsilverling of five dirhams and at other times a piece of four; and at\neventide they would meet to spend together the dark hours, and they\nwould expend everything they came by every day. For a length of time\nthey pursued this path until, one day of the days, they made for the\nmounds as was their wont and went round searching the heaps from morning\nto evening without finding even a half-parah; wherefore they were\ntroubled and they went away and nighted in their cell without meat or\ndrink. When the next day broke they arose and repaired for booty,\nchanging the places wherein they were wont to forage; but none of them\nfound aught; and their breasts were straitened for lack of a find of\ndirhams wherewith to buy them supper. This lasted for three full-told\nand following days until hunger waxed hard upon them and vexation; so\nthey said one to other, \u201cGo we to the Sultan and let us serve him with a\nsleight, and each of us three shall claim to be a past master of some\ncraft: haply Allah Almighty may incline his heart uswards and he may\nlargesse us with something to expend upon our necessities.\u201d Accordingly\nall three agreed to do on this wise and they sought the Sultan whom they\nfound in the palace-garden. They asked leave to go in to him, but the\nChamberlains refused admission: so they stood afar off unable to\napproach the presence. Then quoth they one to other, \u201c\u2019Twere better we\nfall to and each smite his comrade and cry aloud and make a clamour,[21]\nand as soon as he shall hear us he will send to summon us.\u201d Accordingly\nthey jostled one another and each took to frapping his fellow, making\nthe while loud outcries. The Sultan hearing this turmoil said, \u201cBring me\nyonder wights;\u201d and the Chamberlains and Eunuchs ran out to them and\nseized them and set them between the hands of the Sovran. As soon as\nthey stood in the presence he asked them, \u201cWhat be the cause of your\nwrath one against other?\u201d They answered, \u201cO King of the Age, we are past\nmasters of crafts, each of us weeting an especial art.\u201d Quoth the\nSultan, \u201cWhat be your crafts?\u201d and quoth one of the trio, \u201cO our lord,\nas for my art I am a jeweller by trade.\u201d The King exclaimed, \u201cPassing\nstrange! a sharper and a jeweller:[22] this is a wondrous matter.\u201d And\nhe questioned the second\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night which was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan asked the second Sharper saying,\n\u201cAnd thou, the other, what may be thy craft?\u201d He answered, \u201cI am a\ngenealogist[23] of the horse-kind.\u201d So the King glanced at him in\nsurprise and said to himself, \u201cA sharper yet he claimeth an astounding\nknowledge!\u201d Then he left him and put the same question to the third who\nsaid to him, \u201cO King of the Age, verily my art is more wondrous and\nmarvellous than aught thou hast heard from these twain: their craft is\neasy but mine is such that none save I can discover the right direction\nthereto or know the first of it from the last of it.\u201d The Sultan\nenquired of him, \u201cAnd what be thy craft?\u201d Whereto he replied, \u201cMy craft\nis the genealogy of the sons of Adam.\u201d Hearing these words the Sovran\nwondered with extreme wonderment and said in himself, \u201cVerily He\ninformeth with His secrets the humblest of His creatures! Assuredly\nthese men, an they speak truth in all they say and it prove soothfast,\nare fit for naught except kingship. But I will keep them by me until the\noccurrence of some nice contingency wherein I may test them; then, if\nthey approve themselves good men and trustworthy of word, I will leave\nthem on life; but if their speech be lying I will do them die.\u201d Upon\nthis he set apart for them apartments and rationed them with three cakes\nof bread and a dish of roast meat[24] and set over them his sentinels\ndreading lest they fly. This case continued for a while till behold,\nthere came to the Sultan from the land of \u2019Ajam a present of rarities,\namongst which were two gems whereof one was clear of water and the other\nwas clouded of colour.[25] The Sultan hent them in hand for a time and\nfell to considering them straitly for the space of an hour; after which\nhe called to mind the first of the three Sharpers, the self-styled\njeweller, and cried, \u201cBring me the jeweller-man.\u201d Accordingly they went\nand brought him and set him before the Sovran who asked him, \u201cO man, art\nthou a lapidary?\u201d And when the Sharper answered \u201cYes\u201d he gave him the\nclear-watered stone, saying, \u201cWhat may be the price of this gem?\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to\nsay her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy\nstory, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd\nwhere is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming\nnight, an the Sovran suffer me to survive.\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our later night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It hath\nreached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of\nthe rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that the Sharper took the jewel in hand and turned it\nrightwards and leftwards and considered the outside and pried into the\ninside; after which he said to the Sultan, \u201cO my lord, verily this gem\ncontaineth a worm[26] bred within the heart thereof.\u201d Now when the King\nheard these words he waxed wroth with exceeding wrath and commanded the\nman\u2019s head to be stricken off, saying, \u201cThis jewel is clear of colour\nand free of flaw or other default; yet thou chargest it falsely with\ncontaining a worm!\u201d Then he summoned the Linkman[27] who laid hands on\nthe Sharper and pinioned his elbows and trussed up his legs[28] like a\ncamel\u2019s and was about to smite his neck when behold, the Wazir entered\nthe presence and, seeing the Sovran in high dudgeon and the Sharper\nunder the scymitar, asked what was to do. The Sultan related to him what\nhad happened when he drew near to him and said, \u201cO my lord, act not\nafter this fashion! An thou determine upon the killing of yonder man,\nfirst break the gem and, if thou find therein a worm, thou wilt know the\nwight\u2019s word to have been veridical; but an thou find it sound then\nstrike off his head.\u201d \u201cRight is thy rede,\u201d quoth the King: then he took\nin hand the gem and smote it with his mace[29] and when it brake behold,\nhe found therein the worm amiddlemost thereof. So he marvelled at the\nsight and asked the man, \u201cWhat proved to thee that it harboured a worm?\u201d\n\u201cThe sharpness of my sight,\u201d answered the Sharper. Then the Sultan\npardoned him and, admiring his power of vision, addressed his attendants\nsaying, \u201cBear him back to his comrades and ration him with a dish of\nroast meat and two cakes of bread.\u201d And they did as he bade them. After\nsome time, on a day of the days, there came to the King the tribute of\n\u2019Ajam-land accompanied with presents amongst which was a colt whose robe\nblack as night[30] showed one shade in the sun and another in the\nshadow. When the animal was displayed to the Sultan he fell in love with\nit and set apart for it a stall and solaced himself at all times by\ngazing at it and was wholly occupied with it and sang its praises till\nthey filled the whole country side. Presently he remembered the Sharper\nwho claimed to be a genealogist of the horse-kind and bade him be\nsummoned. So they fared forth and brought him and set him between the\nhands of the Sovran who said to him, \u201cArt thou he who knoweth the breed\nand descent of horses?\u201d \u201cYea verily,\u201d said the man. Then cried the King,\n\u201cBy the truth of Him who set me upon the necks of His servants and who\nsayeth to a thing \u2018Be\u2019 and it becometh, an I find aught of error or\nconfusion in thy words, I will strike off thy head.\u201d \u201cHearkening and\nobedience,\u201d quoth the Sharper. Then they led him to the colt that he\nmight consider its genealogy. He called aloud to the groom[31]\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n              The Three Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sharper called aloud to the stirrup-holder\nand when they brought him he bade the man back the colt for his\ninspection. So he mounted the animal and made it pace to the right and\nto the left causing it now to prance and curvet and then to step\nleisurely, while the connoisseur looked on and after a time quoth he to\nthe groom, \u201c\u2019Tis enough!\u201d Then he went in to the presence and stood\nbetween the hands of the King who enquired, \u201cWhat hast thou seen in the\ncolt, O Kashmar?\u201d[32] Replied the Sharper, \u201cBy Allah, O King of the Age,\nthis colt is of pure and noble blood on the side of the sire: its action\nis excellent and all its qualities are praiseworthy save one; and but\nfor this one it had been perfect in blood and breed nor had there been\non earth\u2019s face its fellow in horseflesh. But its blemish remaineth a\nsecret.\u201d The Sultan asked, \u201cAnd what is the quality which thou blamest?\u201d\nand the Sharper answered, \u201cIts sire was noble, but its dam was of other\nstrain: she it was that brought the blemish and if thou, O my lord,\nallow me I will notify it to thee.\u201d \u201c\u2019Tis well, and needs must thou\ndeclare it,\u201d quoth the Sultan. Then said the Sharper, \u201cIts dam is a\nbuffalo-cow.\u201d[33] When the King heard these words he was wroth with\nwrath exceeding and he bade the Linkman take the Sharper and behead him,\ncrying, \u201cO dog! O accursed! How can a buffalo-cow bear a horse?\u201d The\nSharper replied, \u201cO my lord, the Linkman is in the presence; but send\nand fetch him who brought thee the colt and of him make enquiry. If my\nwords prove true and rightly placed, my skill shall be stablished; but\nan they be lies let my head pay forfeit for my tongue. Here standeth the\nLinkman and I am between thy hands: thou hast but to bid him strike off\nmy head!\u201d Thereupon the King sent for the owner and breeder of the colt\nand they brought him to the presence.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by\nthe dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.\nThen quoth the sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine,\nand how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this\ncompared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the\nSovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan sent for the owner and breeder of\nthe colt and asked him saying, \u201cTell me the truth anent the blood of\nthis colt. Didst thou buy it or breed it so that it was a rearling of\nthy homestead?\u201d Said he, \u201cBy Allah, O King of the Age, I will speak\nnaught which is not sooth, for indeed there hangeth by this colt the\nstrangest story: were it graven with graver-needles upon the eye-corners\nit had been a warning to whoso would be warned. And this it is. I had a\nstallion of purest strain whose sire was of the steeds of the sea;[34]\nand he was stabled in a stall apart for fear of the evil eye, his\nservice being entrusted to trusty servants. But one day in springtide\nthe Syce took the horse into the open and there picquetted him when\nbehold, a buffalo-cow walked into the enclosed pasture where the\nstallion was tethered, and seeing her he brake his heel-ropes and rushed\nat her and covered her. She conceived by him and when her days were\ncompleted and her throwing-time came she suffered sore pains and bare\nyonder colt. And all who have seen it or have heard of it were\nastounded,\u201d said he, presently adding, \u201cby Allah, O King of the Age, had\nits dam been of the mare-kind the colt would have had no equal on\nearth\u2019s surface or aught approaching it.\u201d Hereat the Sultan took thought\nand marvelled; then, summoning the Sharper he said to him when present,\n\u201cO man, thy speech is true and thou art indeed a genealogist in\nhorseflesh and thou wottest it well. But I would know what proved to\nthee that the dam of this colt was a buffalo-cow?\u201d Said he, \u201cO King, my\nproof thereof was palpable nor can it be concealed from any wight of\nright wits and intelligence and special knowledge; for the horse\u2019s hoof\nis round whilst the hooves of buffaloes are elongated and\nduck-shaped,[35] and hereby I kenned that this colt was a jumart, the\nissue of a cow-buffalo.\u201d The Sultan was pleased with his words and said,\n\u201cRation him with a plate of roast meat and two cakes of bread;\u201d and they\ndid as they were bidden. Now for a length of time the third Sharper was\nforgotten till one day the Sultan bethought him of the man who could\nexplain the genealogy of Adam\u2019s sons. So he bade fetch him and when they\nbrought him into the presence he said, \u201cThou art he that knowest the\ncaste and descent of men and women?\u201d and the other said, \u201cYes.\u201d Then he\ncommanded the Eunuchs take him to his wife[36] and place him before her\nand cause him declare her genealogy. So they led him in and set him\nstanding in her presence and the Sharper considered her for a while\nlooking from right to left; then he fared forth to the Sultan who asked\nhim, \u201cWhat hast thou seen in the Queen?\u201d Answered he, \u201cO my lord, I saw\na somewhat adorned with loveliness and beauty and perfect grace, with\nfair stature of symmetrical trace and with modesty and fine manners and\nskilful case; and she is one in whom all good qualities appear on every\nside, nor is aught of accomplishments or knowledge concealed from her\nand haply in her centre all desirable attributes. Natheless, O King of\nthe Age, there is a curious point that dishonoureth her from the which\nwere she free none would outshine her of all the women of her\ngeneration.\u201d Now when the Sultan heard the words of the Sharper, he\nsprang hastily to his feet and clapping hand upon hilt bared his brand\nand fell upon the man purposing to slay him;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O\nsister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is\nthis compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the\nSovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan fell upon the Sharper with his sword\npurposing to slay him; but the Chamberlains and the Eunuchs prevented\nhim saying, \u201cO our lord, kill him not until his falsehood or his fact\nshall have been made manifest to thee.\u201d The Sultan said to him, \u201cWhat\nthen appeared to thee in my Queen?\u201d \u201cHe[37] is ferly fair,\u201d said the\nman, \u201cbut his mother is a dancing-girl, a gypsey.\u201d[38] The fury of the\nKing increased hereat and he sent to summon the inmates of his Harem and\ncried to his father-in-law, \u201cUnless thou speak me sooth concerning thy\ndaughter and her descent and her mother I\u201d\u2014\u2014[39] He replied, \u201cBy Allah,\nO King of the Age, naught saveth a man save soothfastness! Her mother\nindeed was a Gh\u00e1ziyah: in past time a party of the tribe was passing by\nmy abode when a young maid strayed from her fellows and was lost. They\nasked no questions concerning her; so I lodged her and bred her in my\nhomestead till she grew up to be a great girl and the fairest of her\ntime. My heart would not brook her wiving with any other; so I wedded\nher and she bare me this daughter whom thou, O King, hast espoused.\u201d\nWhen the Sultan heard these words the flame in his heart was\nquenched[40] and he wondered at the subtlety of the Sharper man; so he\nsummoned him and asked him saying, \u201cO wily one, tell me what certified\nto thee that my Queen had a dancing girl, a gypsey, to mother?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cO King of the Age, verily the Ghaziyah race hath eye-balls\nintensely black and bushy brows whereas other women than the Ghaziyah\nhave the reverse of this.\u201d On such wise the King was convinced of the\nman\u2019s skill and he cried, \u201cRation him with a dish of roast meat and two\nscones.\u201d They did as he bade and the three Sharpers tarried with the\nSultan a long time till one day when the King said to himself, \u201cVerily\nthese three men have by their skill solved every question of genealogy\nwhich I proposed to them: first the jeweller proved his perfect\nknowledge of gems; secondly the genealogist of the horse-kind showed\nhimself as skilful, and the same was the case with the genealogist of\nmankind, for he discovered the origin of my Queen and the truth of his\nwords appeared from all quarters. Now \u2019tis my desire that he do the same\nwith me that I also may know my provenance.\u201d Accordingly they set the\nman between his hands and he said to him, \u201cO fellow, hast thou the power\nto tell me mine origin?\u201d Said the Sharper, \u201cYes, O my lord, I can trace\nthy descent, but I will so do only upon a condition; to wit, that thou\npromise me safety[41] after what I shall have told thee; for the saw\nsaith, \u2018Whilst Sultan sitteth on throne\u2019 ware his despite, inasmuch as\nnone may be contumacious when he saith \u2018Smite.\u2019\u201d Thereupon the Sultan\ntold him, \u201cthou hast a promise of immunity, a promise which shall never\nbe falsed.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent, and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night, and that was\n\n\n                 The Three Hundred and Fortieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan pledged his word for the safety of\nthe Sharper with the customary kerchief[42] and the man said, \u201cO King of\nthe Age, whenas I acquaint thee with thy root and branch, let it be\nbetween us twain lest these present hear us.\u201d \u201cWherefore O man?\u201d asked\nthe Sultan, and the Sharper answered, \u201cO my lord, Allah of All-might\nhath among His names \u2018The Veiler\u2019\u201d;[43] wherefore the King bade his\nChamberlains and Eunuchs retire so that none remained in the place save\nthose two. Then the Sharper came forward and said, \u201cO my lord, thou art\na son of shame and an issue of adultery.\u201d As soon as the King heard\nthese words his case changed and his colour waxed wan and his limbs fell\nloose:[44] he foamed at the mouth;[45] he lost hearing and sight; he\nbecame as one drunken without wine and he fell fainting to the ground.\nAfter a while he recovered and said to the Sharper, \u201cNow by the truth of\nHim who hath set me upon the necks of His servants, an thy words be\nveridical and I ascertain their sooth by proof positive, I will\nassuredly abdicate my Kingdom and resign my realm to thee, because none\ndeserveth it save thou and it becometh us least of all and every. But an\nI find thy speech lying I will slay thee.\u201d He replied, \u201cHearing and\nobeying;\u201d and the Sovran, rising up without stay or delay, went inside\nto his mother with grip on glaive, and said to her, \u201cBy the truth of Him\nwho uplifted the lift above the earth, an thou answer me not with the\nwhole truth in whatso I ask thee, I will cut thee to little bits with\nthis blade.\u201d She enquired, \u201cWhat dost thou want with me?\u201d and he\nreplied, \u201cWhose son am I, and what may be my descent?\u201d She rejoined,\n\u201cAlthough falsehood be an excuse, fact and truth are superior and more\nsaving. Thou art indeed the very son of a cook. The Sultan that was\nbefore thee took me to wife and I cohabited with him a while of time\nwithout my becoming pregnant by him or having issue; and he would mourn\nand groan from the core of his heart for that he had no seed, nor girl\nnor boy; neither could he enjoy aught of sweet food or sleep. Now we had\nabout the Palace many caged birds; and at last, one day of the days, the\nKing longed to eat somewhat of poultry, so he went into the court and\nsent for the Kitchener to slaughter[46] one of the fowls; and the man\napplied himself to catching it. At that time I had taken my first bath\nafter the monthly ailment and quoth I to myself:\u2014If this case continue\nwith the King he will perish and the Kingdom pass from us. And the\nShaytan tempted me to that which displeased Allah\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Forty-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Queen continued:\u2014\u2014And Satan tempted me and\nmade the sin fair in my sight. So I went up to the Kitchener, attired\nand adorned as I was in my finest apparel and I fell a-jesting with him\nand provoking him and disporting with him till his passions were excited\nby me: so he tumbled me at that very hour, after which he arose and\nslaughtered one of the birds and went his ways. Then I bade the\nhandmaids sprinkle water on the fowl and clean it and cook it; and they\ndid my bidding. After a while symptoms of pregnancy declared themselves\nin me and became evident; and when the King heard that his Queen was\nwith child, he waxed gladsome and joyful and gave alms and scattered\ngifts and bestowed robes upon his Officers of Estate and others till the\nday of my delivery and I bare a babe\u2014which is thyself. Now at that time\nthe Sultan was hunting and birding and enjoying himself about the\ngardens all of his pleasure at the prospect of becoming a father; and\nwhen the bearer of good news went to him and announced the birth of a\nman-child he hurried back to me and forthright bade them decorate the\ncapital and he found the report true; so the city adorned itself for\nforty days in honour of its King. Such is my case and my tale.[47]\nThereupon the King went forth from her to the Sharper and bade him doff\nhis dress and when this had been done he doffed his own raiment and\nhabited the man in royal gear and hooded him with the Taylas\u00e1n[48] and\nasked him saying, \u201cWhat proof hast thou of my being a son of adultery?\u201d\nThe Sharper answered, \u201cO my lord, my proof was thy bidding our being\nrationed, after showing the perfection of our skill, with a dish of\nroast meat and two scones of bread; whereby I knew thee to be of cook\u2019s\nbreed, for the Kings be wont in such case to make presents of money and\nvaluables, not of meat and bread as thou didst, and this evidenced thee\nto be a bastard King.\u201d He replied, \u201cSooth thou sayest,\u201d and then robed\nhim with the rest of his robes including the Kalansuwah or royal\nhead-dress under the hood[49] and seated him upon the throne of his\nestate.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent\nand ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,\n\u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Forty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It hath\nreached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of\nthe rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that the Sultan enthroned the Sharper upon the throne of\nestate and went forth from him after abandoning all his women to him and\nassumed the garb of a Darwaysh who wandereth about the world and\nformally abdicated his dominion to his successor. But when the\nSharper-king saw himself in this condition, he reflected and said to\nhimself, \u201cSummon thy whilome comrades and see whether they recognize\nthee or not.\u201d So he caused them be set before him and conversed with\nthem; then, perceiving that none knew him he gifted them and sent them\nto gang their gait. And he ruled his realm and bade and forbade and gave\nand took away and was gracious and generous to each and every of his\nlieges; so that the people of that region who were his subjects blessed\nhim and prayed for him. Such was the case with the Sharper; but as for\n\n\n      _THE SULTAN WHO FARED FORTH IN THE HABIT OF A DARWAYSH._[50]\n\nHe ceased not wayfaring, as become a wanderer, till he came to Cairo[51]\ncity whose circuit was a march of two and a half days and which then was\nruled by her own King Mohammed hight. He found the folk in safety and\nprosperity and good ordinance; and he solaced himself by strolling about\nthe streets to the right and left and he diverted his mind by\nconsidering the crowds and the world of men contained in the capital,\nuntil he drew near the palace when suddenly he sighted the Sultan\nreturning from the chase and from taking his pleasure. Seeing this the\nDarwaysh retired to the wayside, and the King happening to glance in\nthat direction, saw him standing and discerned in him the signs of\nformer prosperity. So he said to one of his suite, \u201cTake yon man with\nthee and entertain him till I send for him.\u201d His bidding being obeyed he\nentered the Palace and, when he had rested from the fatigues of the way,\nhe summoned the Fak\u00edr to the presence and questioned him of his\ncondition, saying, \u201cThou, from what land art thou?\u201d He responded, \u201cO my\nlord, I am a beggar man;\u201d and the other rejoined, \u201cThere is no help but\nthat thou tell me what brought thee hither.\u201d The Darwaysh retorted, \u201cO\nmy lord, this may not be save in privacy,\u201d and the other exclaimed, \u201cBe\nit so for thee.\u201d The twain then arose and repaired to a retired room in\nthe Palace and the Fakir recounted to the Sultan all that had befallen\nhim since the loss of his kingship and also how he, a Sultan, had given\nup the throne of his realm and had made himself a Darwaysh. The Sovran\nmarvelled at his self-denial in yielding up the royal estate and cried,\n\u201cLaud be to Him who degradeth and upraiseth, who honoureth and humbleth\nby the wise ordinance of His All-might,\u201d presently adding, \u201cO Darwaysh,\nI have passed through an adventure which is marvellous; indeed \u2019tis one\nof the Wonders of the World[52] which I needs must relate to thee nor\nfrom thee withhold aught thereof.\u201d And he fell to telling\u2014\u2014. And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Forty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the King fell to telling the beggar man\n\n\n              _THE HISTORY OF MOHAMMED, SULTAN OF CAIRO._\n\nI began my career in the world as a Darwaysh, an asker, owning naught of\nthe comforts and conveniences of life, till at length, one day of the\ndays, I became possessor of just ten silverlings[53] (and no more) which\nI resolved to expend upon myself. Accordingly I walked into the Bazar\npurposing to purchase somewhat of provaunt. While I was looking around,\nI espied a man passing by and leading in an iron chain a dog-faced\nbaboon and crying \u201cHar\u00e1j![54] this ape is for sale at the price of ten\nfaddahs.\u201d The folk jibed at the man and jeered at his ape; but quoth I\nto myself, \u201cBuy this beast and expend upon it the ten silverlings.\u201d\nAccordingly I drew near the seller and said to him, \u201cTake these ten\nfaddahs;\u201d whereupon he took them and gave me the ape which I led to the\ncell wherein I dwelt. Then I opened the door and went in with my bargain\nbut began debating in my mind what to do and said, \u201cHow shall I manage a\nmeal for the baboon and myself?\u201d While I was considering behold, the\nbeast was suddenly transformed, and became a young man fair of favour\nwho had no equal in loveliness and stature and symmetric grace, perfect\nas the moon at full on the fourteenth night; and he addressed me saying,\n\u201cO Shaykh Mohammed, thou hast bought me with ten faddahs, being all thou\nhadst and art debating how we shall feed, I and thou.\u201d Quoth I, \u201cWhat\nart thou?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cQuery me no questions, concerning whatso thou\nshalt see, for good luck hath come to thee.\u201d Then he gave me an\nAshrafi[55] and said, \u201cTake this piece of gold and fare thee forth to\nthe Bazar and get us somewhat to eat and drink.\u201d I took it from him and\nrepairing to the market purchased whatso food our case required; then\nreturning to the cell set the victual before him and seated myself by\nhis side. So we ate our sufficiency and passed that night, I and he, in\nthe cell, and, when Allah caused the morn to dawn, he said to me, \u201cO\nman, this room is not suitable to us: hie thee and hire a larger\nlodging.\u201d I replied, \u201cTo hear is to obey;\u201d and, rising without stay or\ndelay, went and took a room more roomy in the upper part of the\nWak\u00e1lah.[56] Thither we removed, I and the youth, and presently he gave\nme ten dinars more and said, \u201cGo to the Bazar and buy thee furniture as\nmuch as is wanted.\u201d Accordingly, I went forth and bought what he ordered\nand on my return I found before him a bundle containing a suit of\nclothes suitable for the Kings. These he gave to me desiring that I hie\nme to the Hammam and don them after bathing, so I did his bidding and\nwashed and dressed myself and found in each pocket of the many pockets\nan hundred gold pieces; and presently when I had donned the dress I said\nto myself, \u201cAm I dreaming or wide awake?\u201d[57] Then I returned to the\nyouth in the room and when he saw me he rose to his feet and commended\nmy figure and seated me beside him. Presently he brought up a bigger\nbundle and bade me take it and repair to the Sultan of the City and at\nthe same time ask his daughter in marriage for myself.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nwas surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an\nthe Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and\nthat was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan of Cairo continued:[58]\u2014So I took it\nand repaired with it to the King of that city, and a slave whom the\nyouth had bought bore the bundle. Now when I approached the Palace I\nfound thereabout the Chamberlains and Eunuchs and Lords of the Land: so\nI drew near them and when they saw me in that suit they approved my\nappearance and questioned me saying, \u201cWhat be thy business and what dost\nthou require?\u201d I replied, \u201cMy wish is to have audience of the King,\u201d and\nthey rejoined, \u201cWait a little while till we obtain for thee his\npermission.\u201d Then one of the ushers went in and reported the matter to\nthe Sultan who gave orders to admit me; so the man came out and led me\nwithin and on entering the presence I salamed to the Sovran and wished\nhim welfare and presently set before him the bundle, saying, \u201cO King of\nthe Age, this be in the way of a gift which befitteth my station not\nthine estate.\u201d The Sultan bade the package be spread out, and he looked\ninto it and saw a suit of royal apparel whose like he never had owned.\nSo he was astonished at the sight and said in his mind, \u201cBy Allah, I\npossess naught like this, nor was I ever master of so magnificent a\ngarment;\u201d presently adding, \u201cIt shall be accepted, O Shaykh, but needs\nmust thou have some want or requisition from me.\u201d I replied, \u201cO King of\nthe Age, my wish is to become thy connection through that lady concealed\nand pearl unrevealed, thy daughter.\u201d When the Sultan heard these words,\nhe turned to his Wazir and said, \u201cCounsel me as to what I should do in\nthe matter of this man?\u201d Said he, \u201cO King of the Age, show him thy most\nprecious stone and say him:\u2014An thou have a jewel evening this one it\nshall be my daughter\u2019s marriage-dowry.\u201d The King did as he was advised,\nwhereat I was wild with wonderment and asked him, \u201cAn I bring thee such\na gem wilt thou give me the Princess?\u201d He answered, \u201cYea, verily!\u201d and I\ntook my leave bearing with me the jewel to the young man who was\nawaiting me in the room.[59] He enquired of me, \u201cHast thou proposed for\nthe Princess?\u201d and I replied, \u201cYes: I have spoken with the Sultan\nconcerning her, when he brought out this stone, saying to me:\u2014An thou\nhave a jewel evening this one, it shall be my daughter\u2019s marriage-dowry;\nnor hath the Sultan power to false his word.\u201d The youth rejoined, \u201cThis\nday I can do naught, but to-morrow (Inshallah!) I will bring thee ten\njewels like it and these thou shalt carry and present to the Sovran.\u201d\nAccordingly when the morning dawned he arose and fared forth and after\nan hour or so he returned with ten gems which he gave me. I took them\nand repaired with them to the Sultan and, entering the presence, I\npresented to him all the ten. When he looked upon the precious stones he\nwondered at their brilliant water and turning to the Wazir again asked\nhim how he should act in this matter. Replied the Minister, \u201cO King of\nthe Age, thou requiredst of him but one jewel and he hath brought thee\nten; \u2019tis therefore only right and fair to give him thy daughter.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Minister said to the Monarch, \u201cGive him thy\ndaughter.\u201d Accordingly the Sultan summoned the Kazis and the Efendis[60]\nwho wrote out the marriage-contract between me and the Princess. Then I\nreturned to the youth who had remained in the room and told him all that\nhad occurred when he said, \u201c\u2019Twere best to conclude the wedding-ceremony\nand pay the first visit to thy bride at once; but thou shalt on no wise\nconsummate the nuptials until I bid thee go in unto her, after somewhat\nshall have been done by me.\u201d \u201cHearing and obeying,\u201d replied I; and, when\nthe night of going in[61] came, I visited the Sultan\u2019s daughter but sat\napart from her by the side of the room during the first night and the\nsecond and the third; nor did I approach her although every day her\nmother came and asked her the usual question[62] and she answered, \u201cHe\nhath never approached me.\u201d So she grieved with sore grief for that \u2019tis\nthe wont of womankind, when a maid is married and her groom goeth not in\nunto her, to deem that haply folk will attribute it to some matter which\nis not wholly right. After the third night the mother reported the case\nto her father who cried, \u201cThis night except he abate her pucelage I will\nslay him!\u201d The tidings reached my bride who told all to me, so I\nrepaired to the young man and acquainted him therewith. He cried, \u201cWhen\nthou shalt visit her say:\u2014By Allah, I will not enjoy thee unless thou\ngive me the amulet-bracelet hanging to thy right shoulder.\u201d I replied,\n\u201cTo hear is to obey;\u201d and, when I went in to her at nightfall, I asked\nher, \u201cDost thou really desire me to futter thee?\u201d She answered, \u201cI do\nindeed;\u201d so I rejoined, \u201cThen give me the amulet-bracelet hanging over\nthy right shoulder.\u201d She arose forthright and unbound it and gave it to\nme, whereupon I bled her of the hymeneal blood[63] and going to the\nyoung man gave him the jewel. Then I returned to my bride and slept by\nher side till the morning when I awoke and found myself lying\noutstretched in my own caravanserai-cell. I was wonderstruck and asked\nmyself, \u201cAm I on wake or in a dream?\u201d and I saw my whilome garments, the\npatched gabardine[64] and tattered shirt along with my little drum;[65]\nbut the fine suit given to me by the youth was not on my body nor did I\nespy any sign of it anywhere. So with fire burning in my heart after\nwhat had befallen me, I wandered about crowded sites and lone spots and\nin my distraction I knew not what to do, whither to go or whence to\ncome; when lo and behold! I found sitting in an unfrequented part of the\nstreet a Maghrabi,[66] a Barbary man, who had before him some written\nleaves and was casting omens for sundry bystanders. Seeing this state of\nthings, I came forward and drew near him and made him a salam which he\nreturned; then, after considering my features straitly, he exclaimed, \u201cO\nShaykh, hath that Accursed done it and torn thee from thy bride?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nI replied. Hereupon he said to me, \u201cWait a little while,\u201d and seated me\nbeside him; then, as soon as the crowd dispersed he said, \u201cO Shaykh, the\nbaboon which thou boughtest for ten silver bits and which was presently\ntransformed into a young man of Adam\u2019s sons, is not a human of the sons\nof Adam but a Jinni who is enamoured of the Princess thou didst wed.\u201d\nHowever, he could not approach her by reason of the charmed bracelet\nhanging from her right shoulder, wherefore he served thee this sleight\nand won it and now he still weareth it. But I will soon work his\ndestruction to the end that Jinn-kind and mankind may be at rest from\nhis mischief; for he is one of the rebellious and misbegotten imps who\nbreak the law of our lord Solomon (upon whom be the Peace!). Presently\nthe Maghrabi took a leaf and wrote upon it as it were a book.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to\nsay her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy\nstory, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd\nwhere is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming\nnight, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Maghrabi wrote a writ and signed his name\nwithin and sealed it; after which he handed it to me saying, \u201cO Shaykh,\ntake this missive and hie thee herewith to a certain spot where thou\nmust wait and observe those who pass by. Hearten thy heart and when thou\nshalt see approaching thee a man attended by a numerous train, present\nto him this scroll for \u2019tis he who will win for thee thy wish.\u201d I took\nthe note from the Barbary man and fared forth to the place which he had\ndescribed and ceased not faring till I reached it after travelling all\nthat night and half the next day; then I sat down until darkness set in\nto await whatso might befal me. When a fourth part of the night had\npassed, a dazzling glare of lights suddenly appeared from afar advancing\ntowards me; and as it shone nearer, I made out men bearing flambeaux[67]\nand lanthorns, also a train of attendants befitting the Kings. They\nlooked on and considered me whilst my heart fluttered with fear, and I\nwas in sore affright. But the procession defiled and drew off from\nbefore me, marching two after two, and presently appeared the chief\ncort\u00e8ge wherein was a Sultan[68] of the J\u00e1nn. As he neared me I\nheartened my heart and advanced and presented to him the letter which\nhe, having halted, opened and read aloud; and it was:\u2014\u2014\u201cBe it known to\nthee, O Sultan of the Jann, that the bearer of this our epistle hath a\nneed which thou must grant him by destroying his foe; and if opposition\nbe offered by any we will do the opponent die. An thou fail to relieve\nhim thou wilt know to seek from me relief for thyself.\u201d When the King of\nthe Jann had read the writ and had mastered its meaning and its\nmysteries, he forthwith called out to one of his serjeants[69] who at\nonce came forward and bade him bring into his presence without delay\nsuch-and-such a Jinni who by his spells had wrought round the daughter\nof the Cairene Sultan. The messenger replied, \u201cHearing and obeying,\u201d and\ndeparted from him and disappearing was absent an hour or thereabouts;\nafter which he and others returned with the Jinni and set him standing\nbefore the King who exclaimed, \u201cWherefore, O Accurst, hast thou wrought\nill to this man and done on this wise and on that wise?\u201d He replied, \u201cO\nmy lord, all came of my fondness for the Princess who wore a charm in\nher armlet which hindered my approaching her and therefore I made use of\nthis man to effect my purpose. I became master of the talisman and won\nmy wish but I love the maiden and never will I harm her.\u201d Now when the\nSultan heard these words he said, \u201cThy case can be after one of two\nfashions only. Either return the armlet that the man may be reunited\nwith his wife and she with her husband as whilome they were; or contrary\nme and I will command the headsman strike thy neck.\u201d Now when the Jinni\nheard this speech (and \u2019twas he who had assumed the semblance of a\ndog-faced baboon), he refused and was rebellious to the King and cried,\n\u201cI will not return the armlet nor will I release the damsel, for none\ncan possess her save myself.\u201d And having spoken in this way he attempted\nto flee.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and\nceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow\nsweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the M\u00e1rid would fain have fled from before the\nKing of the Jann, but the Sovran bade other Marids and more forceful\narrest him; so they seized him and pinioned him and bound him in chains\nand collar and dragged him behind the King of the Jann till the latter\nhad reached his place and had summoned him and had taken from him the\narmlet. Then the Sultan gave order for him to be slain and they slew\nhim. When this was done, I prayed for the charm-armlet and I recovered\nit after the Marid\u2019s death; they also restored to me my fine suit. So I\nproceeded to the city which I entered, and as soon as the guards and\ncourtiers saw me, they cried out for joy and said, \u201cThis is the\nson-in-law of the Sultan who was lost! Hereat all the lieges hurried up\nto me and received me with high respect and greeted me. But after\nentering the Palace I proceeded forthright till I reached the apartment\nset apart by them for myself and my spouse whom I found in a deep sleep\nand stupefied, as it were; a condition in which she had lain ever since\nI took from her the talismanic armlet. So I replaced the jewel upon her\nright shoulder and she awoke and arose and ordered herself; whereat her\nfather and family and the Lords of the Land and all the folk joyed with\nexceeding joy. After this we lived together in all happiness till the\ndeath of her sire who, having no son, named me his successor so that I\nbecame what I am.\u201d Now when the Darwaysh-Sultan heard all this he was\nastounded at what happeneth in this world of marvels and miracles; upon\nwhich I said to him, \u201cO my brother, wonder not; for whatso is\npredetermined shall perforce be carried out. But thou needs must become\nmy Wazir; because thou art experienced in rule and governance and, since\nwhat time my sire-in-law the Sultan died, I have been perplexed in my\nplight being unable to find me a Minister who can administer the\nmonarchy. So do thou become my Chief Counsellor in the realm.\u201d Thereupon\nthe Darwaysh replied, \u201cHearkening and obedience.\u201d The Sultan then robed\nhim in a sumptuous robe of honour and committed to him his seal-ring and\nall other matters pertinent to his office, at the same time setting\napart for him a palace, spacious of corners, which he furnished with\nsplendid furniture and wadded carpets and _vaisselle_ and other such\nmatters. So the Wazir took his seat of office and held a Divan or\nCouncil of State forthright and commanded and countermanded, and bade\nand forbade according as he saw just and equitable; and his fame for\nequity and justice was dispread abroad; insomuch that whoever had a\ncause or request or other business he would come to the Wazir for\nordering whatso he deemed advisable. In this condition he continued for\nmany years till, on a day of the days, the Sultan\u2019s mind was depressed.\nUpon this he sent after the Minister who attended at his bidding, when\nhe said, \u201cO Wazir, my heart is heavy!\u201d \u201cEnter then,\u201d replied the\nMinister, \u201cO King, into thy treasury of jewels and rubies and turn them\nover in thy hands and thy breast will be broadened.\u201d The Sultan did\naccordingly but it took no effect upon his ennui; so he said, \u201cO Wazir,\nI cannot win free of this melancholic humour and nothing pleasureth me\nin my palace; so let us fare forth, I and thou, in disguise.\u201d \u201cHearing\nis obeying,\u201d quoth the Minister. The twain then retired into a private\nchamber to shift their garb and habited themselves as Darwayshes, the\nDarwayshes of Ajam-land, and went forth and passed through the city\nright and left till they reached a M\u00e1rist\u00e1n, a hospital for\nlunatics.[70] Here they found two young men, one reading the Koran[71]\nand the other hearkening to him, both being in chains like men Jinn-mad;\nand the Sultan said in his mind, \u201cBy Allah, this is a marvel-case,\u201d and\nbespake the men asking, \u201cAre ye really insane?\u201d They answered saying,\n\u201cNo, by Allah; we are not daft but so admirable are our adventures that\nwere they graven with needle-gravers upon the eye-corners they had been\nwarners to whoso would be warned.\u201d \u201cWhat are they?\u201d quoth the King, and\nquoth they, \u201cEach of us, by Allah, hath his own story;\u201d and presently he\nwho had been reading exclaimed, \u201cO King of the Age, hear my tale.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to\nsay her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy\nstory, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd\nwhere is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming\nnight, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight, and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth began relating to the Sultan\n\n\n                 _THE STORY OF THE FIRST LUNATIC._[72]\n\nI was a merchant and kept a shop wherein were Hindi goods of all kinds\nand colours, highmost priced articles; and I sold and bought with much\nprofit. I continued in this condition a while of time till one day of\nthe days as I, according to my custom, was sitting in my shop an old\nwoman came up and gave me the good morning and greeted me with the\nsalam. I returned her salute when she seated her upon the shopboard and\nasked me saying, \u201cO master, hast thou any pieces of choice Indian\nstuffs?\u201d I replied, \u201cO my mistress, I have with me whatso thou wantest;\u201d\nand she rejoined, \u201cBring me forth one of them.\u201d Accordingly I arose and\nfetched her a Hindi piece of the costliest price and placed it in her\nhands. She took it and examining it was greatly pleased by its beauty\nand presently said to me, \u201cO my lord, for how much is this?\u201d Said I,\n\u201cFive hundred dinars;\u201d whereupon she pulled forth her purse and counted\nout to me the five hundred gold pieces. Then she took the stuff and went\nher ways; and I, O our lord the Sultan, had sold to her for five hundred\nsequins a piece of cloth worth at cost price three hundred and fifty\ngold pieces. She came to me again, O my lord, on the next day and asked\nme for another piece; so I rose up and brought her the bundle and she\npaid me once more five hundred dinars: then she took up her bargain and\nganged her gait. She did the same, O my lord, on the third and the\nfourth day and so on to the fifteenth, taking a piece of stuff from me\nand paying me regularly five hundred golden pieces for each bargain. On\nthe sixteenth behold, she entered my shop as was her wont, but she found\nnot her purse; so she said to me, \u201cO Khw\u00e1jah,[73] I have left my purse\nat home.\u201d Said I, \u201cO my lady, an thou return \u2019tis well and if not thou\nart welcome to it.\u201d She sware she would not take it and I, on the other\nhand, sware her to carry it off as a token of love and friendship.[74]\nThereupon debate fell between us, and I, O our lord the Sultan, had made\nmuchel of money by her and, had she taken two pieces gratis, I would not\nhave asked questions anent them. At last she cried, \u201cO Khwajah, I have\nsworn an oath and thou hast sworn an oath, and we shall never agree\nexcept thou favour me by accompanying me to my house so thou mayest\nreceive the value of the stuff, when neither of us will have been\nforsworn: therefore lock up thy shop lest anything be lost in thine\nabsence.\u201d Accordingly I bolted my door and went with her, O our lord the\nSultan, and we ceased not walking, conversing the while we walked, I and\nshe, until we neared her abode when she pulled out a kerchief from her\ngirdle and said, \u201c\u2019Tis my desire to bind this over thine eyes.\u201d Quoth I,\n\u201cFor what cause?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cFor that on our way be sundry houses\nwhose doors are open and the women are sitting in the vestibules of\ntheir homes, so that haply thy glance may alight upon some one of them,\nmarried or maid, and thy heart become engaged in a love-affair and thou\nabide distraught, because in this quarter of the town be many fair\nfaces, wives and virgins, who would fascinate even a religious, and\ntherefore we are alarmed for thy peace of mind.\u201d Upon this I said in\nmyself, \u201cBy Allah, this old woman is able of advice;\u201d and I consented to\nher requirement, when she bound the kerchief over my eyes and\nblindfolded me. Then we walked on till we came to the house she sought;\nand when she rapped with the door-ring a slave-girl came out and opening\nthe door let us in. The old body then approached me and unbound the\nkerchief from over my eyes; whereupon I looked around me, holding myself\nto be a captive, and I found me in a mansion having sundry separate\napartments in the wings and \u2019twas richly decorated resembling the\npalaces of the Kings.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n[Illustration: _A. Lalauze. Pinx. et Sc._]\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth pursued:\u2014\u2014By Allah, O our lord the\nSultan, of that house I never saw the fellow. She then bade me hide\nwithin a room and I did her bidding in a corner place where beside me I\nbeheld heaped together and cast down in that private site all the pieces\nof stuff which the ancient dame had purchased of me. Seeing this I\nmarvelled in my mind and lo! appeared two damsels as they were moons and\ncame down from an upper story till they stood on the ground-floor; after\nwhich they cut a piece of cloth into twain and each maiden took one and\ntucked up her sleeves. They then sprinkled the court of that palace with\nwater of the rose and of the orange-flower,[75] wiping the surface with\nthe cloth and rubbing it till it became as silver; after which the two\ngirls retired into an inner room and brought out some fifty chairs[76]\nwhich they set down, and placed over each seat a rug[77] with cushions\nof brocade. They then carried in a larger chair of gold and placed upon\nit a carpet with cushions of orfrayed work and after a time they\nwithdrew. Presently, there descended from the staircase, two following\ntwo, a host of maidens in number till they evened the chairs and each\none of them sat down upon her own, and at last suddenly appeared a young\nlady in whose service were ten damsels, and she walked up to and they\nseated her upon the great chair. When I beheld her, O my lord the\nSultan, my right senses left me and my wits fled me and I was astounded\nat her loveliness and her stature and her symmetric grace as she swayed\nto and fro in her pride of beauty and gladsome spirits amongst those\ndamsels and laughed and sported with them. At last she cried aloud, \u201cO\nmother mine!\u201d when the ancient dame answered her call and she asked her,\n\u201cHast thou brought the young man?\u201d The old woman replied, \u201cYes, he is\npresent between thy hands;\u201d and the fair lady said, \u201cBring him hither to\nme!\u201d But when I heard these words I said to myself, \u201cThere is no Majesty\nand there is no Might, save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Doubtless\nwhen this damsel shall have discovered my being in such hiding place she\nwill bid them do me die.\u201d The old woman then came forwards to me and led\nme before the young lady seated on the great chair; and, when I stood in\nher presence, she smiled in my face and saluted me with the salam and\nwelcomed me; after which she signed for a seat to be brought and when\nher bidding was obeyed set it close beside her own. She then commanded\nme to sit and I seated me by her side.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by\nthe dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine,\nand how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this\ncompared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the\nSovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n                 The Three Hundred and Fiftieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth pursued:\u2014\u2014She seated me beside her, O\nour lord the Sultan, and fell to talking and joking with me for an hour\nor so when she said, \u201cO youth, what sayest thou of me and of my beauty\nand my loveliness? Would Heaven that I could occupy thy thought and\nplease thee so that I might become to thee wife and thou be to me man.\u201d\nWhen I heard these her words I replied, \u201cO my lady, how dare I presume\nto attain such honour? Indeed I do not deem myself worthy to become a\nslave between thy hands.\u201d Hereupon said she, \u201cNay, O young man, my words\nhave in them nor evasion nor alteration; so be not disheartened or\nfearful of returning me a reply, for that my heart is fulfilled of thy\nlove.\u201d I now understood, O our lord the Sultan, that the damsel was\ndesirous of marrying me; but I could not conceive what was the cause\nthereof or who could have given her intelligence concerning me. She\ncontinued to enjoy herself in the gladsomest way till at length I was\nemboldened to say to her, \u201cO my lady, an thy words to me be after the\nfashion of thy will, remember the proverb:\u2014When a kindness is to be\ndone, this is its time.\u201d \u201cBy Allah, O youth, there cannot be a more\nfortunate day than this present.\u201d \u201cO my lady, what shall I apportion to\nthee for dowry?\u201d \u201cThe dowry hath been paid to me in the value of the\nstuffs which thou entrustedst to this ancient dame who is my mother!\u201d\n\u201cThat cannot suffice.\u201d \u201cBy Allah, naught shall be added; but, O youth,\n\u2019tis my intention forthright to send after the Kazi and his Assessors\nand I will choose me a trustee[78] that they may tie together us twain\nwithout delay; and thou shalt come in to me this coming evening. But all\nsuch things be upon one condition.\u201d \u201cAnd what may be thy condition?\u201d\n\u201cThis, that thou swear never to address or to draw near any woman save\nmyself.\u201d And I, O our lord the Sultan, being unmarried and eager to\npossess so beautiful a bride, said to her, \u201cThis be thine; and I will\nnever contrary thee by word or by deed.\u201d She then sent to summon the\nKazi and his witnesses and appointed an agent; upon which they knotted\nthe knot. After the marriage ceremony was ended she ordered coffee[79]\nand sherbets and gave somewhat of dirhams to the Kazi and a robe of\nhonour to her trustee; and this done, all went their several ways. I was\nlost in astonishment and said in my mind, \u201cDo I dream or am I on wake?\u201d\nShe then commanded her damsels to clear the Hammam-bath and cleanse it\nand fill it afresh and get ready towels and waist-cloths and silken\nnapkins[80] and scented woods and essences, as virgin ambergris and\nottars and perfumes of vari-coloured hues and kinds. And when they had\nexecuted her orders, she ordered the Eunuchry standing in her service to\ntake me and bear me to the Bath, largessing each one with a sumptuous\ndress. They led me into a Hammam which had been made private and I saw a\nplace tongue is powerless to portray. And as we arrived there they\nspread vari-coloured carpets upon which I sat me down and doffed what\nclothing was upon me: then I entered the hot rooms and smelt delicious\nscents diffused from the sides of the hall, sandal-wood, Comorin\nlign-aloes and other such fragrant substances. Here they came up to me\nand seated me, lathering me with perfumed soaps and shampoo\u2019d me till my\nbody became silver-bright; when they fetched the metal tasses and I\nwashed with water luke-warm after which they brought me cold water\nmingled with rose water and I sprinkled it over me. After this they\nsupplied me with silken napkins and drying-towels of palm-fibre[81]\nwherewith I rubbed me and then repaired to the cool room outside the\ncalidarium[82] where I found a royal dress. The Eunuchry arrayed me\ntherein and after fumigating me with the smoke of lign-aloes served up\nsomewhat of confections[83] and coffee and sherbets of sundry sorts; so\nI drank after eating the Ma\u2019j\u00fan. About eventide I left the Baths with\nall the Eunuchry in attendance on me and we walked till we entered the\nPalace and they led me into a closet spread with kingly carpets and\ncushions. And behold, she came up to me attired in a new habit more\nsumptuous than that I had seen her wearing erewhile.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Fifty-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth continued:\u2014\u2014And I, O our lord the\nSultan, went into the closet and behold, she met me wearing a habit of\nthe most sumptuous: so when I sighted her she seemed to me from the\nrichness of her ornaments like an enchanted hoard wherefrom the talisman\nhad been newly removed. She sat down beside me and bent lovingly over me\nand I rose up for I could no longer contain my passion and wrought that\nwork which was to be worked.[84] Presently she again disappeared but\nsoon returned in vestments even richer than the last and she did with me\nas before and I embraced her once more. In short, O our lord the Sultan,\nwe ceased not dwelling together, I and she, in joyaunce and enjoyment,\nlaughter and disport and delicious converse for a space of twenty days.\nAt the end of this time I called to mind my lady-mother, and said to the\ndame I had espoused, \u201cO my lady, \u2019tis long since I have been absent from\nhome and \u2019tis long since my parent hath seen me or wotteth aught\nconcerning me: needs must she be pining and grieving for my sake. So do\nthou give me leave to visit her and look after my mother and also after\nmy shop.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cNo harm in that: thou mayst visit thy mother daily\nand busy thyself about thy shop-business; but this ancient dame (my\nmother) is she who must lead thee out and bring thee back.\u201d Whereto I\nreplied, \u201c\u2019Tis well.\u201d Upon this the old woman came in and tied a\nkerchief over my eyes according to custom and fared forth with me till\nwe reached the spot where she had been wont to remove the bandage. Here\nshe unbound it saying, \u201cWe will expect thee to-morrow about noontide and\nwhen thou comest to this place, thou shalt see me awaiting thee.\u201d I left\nher and repaired to my mother whom I found grieving and weeping at my\nabsence; and upon seeing me she rose up and threw her arms round my neck\nwith tears of joy. I said, \u201cWeep not, O my mother, for the cause of my\nabsence hath been a certain matter which be thus and thus.\u201d I then\nrelated to her my adventure and she on hearing it was rejoiced thereby\nand exclaimed, \u201cO my son, may Allah give thee gladness; but I pray thee\nsolace me[85] at least every two days with a visit that my longing for\nthee may be satisfied.\u201d I replied, \u201cThis shall be done;\u201d and\nthenceforth, O our lord the Sultan, I went to my shop and busied myself\nas was my wont till noontide, when I returned to the place appointed and\nfound the old woman awaiting me. Nor did I ever fare forth from the\nmansion without her binding my eyes with the kerchief which she loosed\nonly when we reached my own house; and whenever I asked her of this she\nwould answer, \u201cOn our way be sundry houses whose doors are open and the\nwomen sitting in the vestibules of their homes, so that haply thy glance\nmay alight upon some one of them, matron or maid: all sniff up love like\nwater,[86] and we fear for thee lest thy heart be netted in the net of\namours.\u201d For thirty days, a whole month, I continued to go and come\nafter this fashion but, O our lord the Sultan, at all times and tides I\nwas drowned in thought and wondered in my mind, saying, \u201cWhat chance\ncaused me forgather with this damsel? What made me marry her? Whence\nthis wealth which is under her hand? How came I to win union with her?\u201d\nFor I knew not the cause of all this. Now, on a day of the days, I found\nan opportunity of being private with one of her black slave girls[87]\nand questioned her of all these matters that concerned her mistress. She\nreplied, \u201cO my lord, the history of my lady is marvellous; but I dare\nnot relate it to thee in fear lest she hear thereof and do me die.\u201d So I\nsaid to her, \u201cBy Allah, O handmaid of good, an thou wilt say me sooth I\nwill veil it darkly for in the keeping of secrets there is none like\nmyself: nor will I reveal it at any time.\u201d Then I took oath of secrecy\nwhen she said, \u201cO my lord,\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Fifty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth continued:\u2014\u2014Then the handmaiden said\nto me, \u201cO my lord, my lady went forth one day of the days to the Hammam\nwith the object of pleasuring and of diverting herself, for which\npurpose she made goodly preparation including gifts and presents,[88]\nmatters worth a mint of money.[89] After leaving the baths she set out\nupon an excursion to eat the noon-day meal in a flower garden where she\nenjoyed herself with exceeding joy and enjoyment, eating and drinking\ntill the evening; and when she designed to depart she collected the\nfragments of the feast and distributed them amongst the mean and the\nmesquin. On her return she passed through the Bazar-street wherein\nstandeth thy shop, and it was a Friday when thou wast sitting, adorned\nwith thy finest dress, in converse with the nearest neighbour. And\nsuddenly as she fared by, she beheld thee in such state and her heart\nwas stricken with sore stroke of love albeit none of us observed her\ncondition and what affection she had conceived for thee. However, no\nsooner had she reached her palace than her melancholy began to grow upon\nher with groans and her cark and care, and her colour left her: she ate\nand drank little and less and her sleep forsook her and her frame was\nsorely enfeebled till at last she took to her bed. Upon this her mother\nwent to summon a learned man[90] or a mediciner that he might consider\nthe condition of her daughter and what sickness had gotten about her:\nshe was absent for an hour and returned with an ancient dame who took\nseat beside her and putting forth her hand felt the patient\u2019s pulse. But\nshe could perceive in her no bodily ailment or pain, upon which the old\nwoman understood her case, but she durst not bespeak her of it or\nmention to her mother that the girl\u2019s heart was distraught by love. So\nshe said, There is no harm to thee! and (Inshallah!) to-morrow I will\nreturn hither to thee and bring with me a certain medicine. She then\nwent forth from us and leading the mother to a place apart, said to her,\nO my lady, Allah upon thee, pardon me for whatso I shall mention and be\nthou convinced that my words are true and keep them secret nor divulge\nthem to any. The other replied, Say on and fear not for aught which hath\nbecome manifest to thee of my daughter\u2019s unweal: haply Allah will\nvouchsafe welfare. She rejoined, Verily, thy daughter hath no bodily\ndisorder or malady of the disease kind but she is in love and there can\nbe no cure for her save union with her beloved. Quoth the mother, And\nhow about the coming of her sweetheart? This is a matter which may not\nbe managed except thou show us some contrivance whereby to bring this\nyouth hither and marry him to her. But contrivance is with Allah. Then\nthe old lady went her ways forthright and the girl\u2019s mother sought her\ndaughter and said to her after kindly fashion, O my child, as for thee\nthy disorder is a secret and not a bodily disease. Tell me of him thou\nrequirest and fear naught from me; belike Allah will open to us the gate\nof contrivance whereby thou shalt win to thy wish. Now when the maiden\nheard these words she was abashed before her parent and kept silence,\nbeing ashamed to speak; nor would she return any reply for the space of\ntwenty days. But during this term her distraction increased and her\nmother ceased not to repeat the same words, time after time, till it\nbecame manifest to the parent that the daughter was madly in love with a\nyoung man; so at last quoth she, Describe him to me. Quoth the other, O\nmother mine, indeed he is young of years and fair of favour; also he\nwoneth in such a Bazar, methinks on its southern side. Therewith the\ndame arose without stay or delay and fared forth to find the young man\nand \u2019tis thyself, O youth! And when the mother saw thee she took from\nthee a piece of cloth and brought it to her daughter and promised thou\nshouldst visit her. Thenceforwards she ceased not repeating her calls to\nthee for the period thou wottest well until by her cunning she brought\nthee hither; and that happened which happened and thou didst take the\ndaughter to wife. Such is her tale and beware lest thou reveal my\ndisclosure.\u201d \u201cNo, by Allah,\u201d replied I. Then the lunatic resumed\nspeaking to the Sultan:\u2014\u2014O my lord, I continued to cohabit with her for\nthe space of one month, going daily to see my mother and to sell in my\nshop and I returned to my wife every evening blindfolded and guided as\nusual by my mother-in-law. Now one day of the days as I was sitting at\nmy business, a damsel came into the Bazar-street\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Fifty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth continued:\u2014\u2014A damsel came into the\nBazar-street bearing the image of a cock made of precious ore and\ncrusted with pearls and rubies and other gems; and she offered it to the\ngoodmen[91] of the market for sale. So they opened the biddings at five\nhundred dinars and they ceased not contending[92] thereanent till the\nprice went up to nine hundred and fifty gold pieces. All this time and I\nlooked on nor did I interfere by speaking a syllable or by adding to the\nbiddings a single bit of gold. At last, when none would offer aught\nmore, the girl came up to me and said, \u201cO my lord, all the gentlemen\nhave increased their biddings for the cock; but thou hast neither bidden\nnor heartened my heart by one kind word.\u201d Quoth I, \u201cI have no need\nthereof;\u201d and quoth she, \u201cBy Allah, needs must thou bid somewhat more\nthan the others.\u201d I replied, \u201cSince there is no help for it, I will add\nfifty dinars which will fill up the thousand.\u201d She rejoined, \u201cAllah gar\nthee gain?\u201d[93] So I fared into my shop to fetch the money, saying in my\nmind, \u201cI will present this curiosity to my Har\u00edm: haply \u2019twill pleasure\nher.\u201d But when I was about, O my lord the Sultan, to count out the\nthousand ducats, the damsel would not accept aught of me but said, \u201cI\nhave a request to make of thee, O youth! to wit, that I may take one\nkiss from thy cheek.\u201d I asked her, \u201cFor what purpose?\u201d and she answered,\n\u201cI want one kiss of thy cheek which shall be the price of my cock, for I\nneed of thee naught else.\u201d I thought to myself, \u201cBy Allah, a single kiss\nof my cheek for the value of a thousand sequins were an easy price;\u201d and\nI gave my consent thereto, O my lord. Then she came up to me and leaned\nover me and bussed my cheek, but after the kiss she bit me with a bite\nwhich left its mark:[94] then she gave me the cock and went her ways in\nhaste. Now when it was noon I made for my wife\u2019s house and came upon the\nold woman awaiting me at the customed stead and she bound the kerchief\nover my eyes and after blindfolding them fared with me till we reached\nour home when she unbound it. I found my wife sitting in the saloon\ndressed from head to foot in cramoisy[95] and with an ireful face,\nwhereupon I said to myself, \u201cO Saviour,[96] save me!\u201d I then went up to\nher and took out the cock which was covered with pearls and rubies,\nthinking that her evil humour would vanish at the sight of it and said,\n\u201cO my lady, accept this cock for \u2019tis curious and admirable to look\nupon; and I bought it to pleasure thee.\u201d She put forth her hand and\ntaking it from me examined it by turning it rightwards and leftwards;\nthen exclaimed, \u201cDidst thou in very sooth buy this on my account?\u201d\nReplied I, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady, I bought it for thee at a thousand gold\npieces.\u201d Hereupon she shook her head at me, O my lord the Sultan, and\ncried out after a long look at my face, \u201cWhat meaneth that bite on thy\ncheek?\u201d Then with a loud and angry voice she called to her women who\ncame down the stairs forthright bearing the body of a young girl with\nthe head cut off and set upon the middle of the corpse;[97] and I looked\nand behold, it was the head of the damsel who had sold me the cock for a\nkiss and who had bitten my cheek. Now my wife had sent her with the toy\nby way of trick, saying to her, \u201cLet us try this youth whom I have\nwedded and see if he hold himself bound by his plighted word and pact or\nif he be false and foul.\u201d But of all this I knew naught. Then she cried\na second cry and behold, up came three handmaids bearing with them three\ncocks like that which I had brought for her and she said, \u201cThou bringest\nme this one cock when I have these three cocks; but inasmuch as, O\nyouth, thou hast broken the covenant that was between me and thee, I\nwant thee no more: go forth! wend thy ways forthright!\u201d And she raged at\nme and cried to her mother, \u201cTake him away!\u201d[98]\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an\nthe Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and\nthat was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Youth continued to the King:\u2014\u2014Hereupon the\nold woman, O my lord, hent me by the hand and bound the kerchief over my\neyes as was her wont and led me to the customed place when she loosed\nthe bandage saying, \u201cBegone!\u201d and disappeared. But I, O my lord, became\nlike a madman and ran through the streets as one frantic crying, \u201cAh her\nloveliness! Ah her stature! Ah her perfect grace! Ah her ornaments!\u201d\nHereupon the folk seeing me and hearing me say these words shouted out,\n\u201cYonder is a lunatic;\u201d so they seized me perforce and jailed me in the\nmadhouse as thou hast seen me, O our lord the Sultan. They say, \u201cThis\nman is Jinn-mad;\u201d but, by Allah, I am no maniac, O my lord, and such is\nmy tale. Hereat the King marvelled and bowed his brow groundwards for a\nwhile in deep thought over this affair: then he raised his head and\nturning to his Minister said, \u201cO Wazir, by the truth of Him who made me\nruler of this realm, except thou discover the damsel who married this\nyouth, thy head shall pay forfeit.\u201d The Wazir was consterned to hear the\ncase of the young man; but he could not disobey the royal commandment so\nhe said, \u201cAllow me three days of delay, O our lord the Sultan;\u201d and to\nthis much of grace the King consented. Then the Wazir craved dismissal\nand would have taken the Youth with him; when the Sultan cried, \u201cAs soon\nas thou shalt have hit upon the house, the young man will go into it and\ncome forth it like other folk.\u201d He replied, \u201cHearkening and obedience.\u201d\nSo he took the Youth and went out with aching head and giddy as a\ndrunken man, perplexed and unknowing whither he should wend; and he\nthreaded the city streets from right to left and from east to west,\ntarrying at times that he might privily question the folk. But naught\ndiscovered itself to him and he made certain of death. In this condition\nhe continued for two days and the third till noontide, when he devised\nhim a device and said to the Youth, \u201cKnowest thou the spot where the old\nwoman was wont to blindfold thine eyes?\u201d He replied, \u201cYes.\u201d So the\nMinister walked on with him till the young man exclaimed, \u201cHere, \u2019tis\nthis!\u201d[99] The Wazir then said, \u201cO Youth, knowest thou the door-ring\nwherewith she was wont to rap and canst thou distinguish its sound?\u201d He\nsaid \u201cI can.\u201d Accordingly, the Wazir took him and went the round of all\nthe houses in that quarter and rapped with every door-ring asking him,\n\u201cIs\u2019t this?\u201d and he would answer, \u201cNo.\u201d And the twain ceased not to do\nafter such fashion until they came to the door where the appointment had\ntaken place without risk threatened;[100] and the Wazir knocked hard at\nit and the Youth, hearing the knock, exclaimed, \u201cO my lord, verily this\nbe the ring without question or doubt or uncertainty.\u201d So the Minister\nknocked again with the same knocker and the slave-girls threw open the\ndoor and the Wazir, entering with the youth, found that the palace\nbelonged to the daughter of the Sultan who had been succeeded by his\nliege lord.[101] But when the Princess saw the Minister together with\nher spouse, she adorned herself and came down from the Harem and salam\u2019d\nto him. Thereupon he asked her, \u201cWhat hath been thy business with this\nyoung man?\u201d So she told him her tale from first to last and he said, \u201cO\nmy lady, the King commandeth that he enter and quit the premises as\nbefore and that he come hither without his eyes being bandaged with the\nkerchief.\u201d She obeyed and said, \u201cThe commandments of our lord the Sultan\nshall be carried out.\u201d Such was the history of that youth whom the\nSultan heard reading the Koran in the M\u00e1rist\u00e1n, the public madhouse: but\nas regards the second Lunatic who sat listening, the Sultan asked him,\n\u201cAnd thou, the other, what be thy tale?\u201d So he began to relate the\n\n\n                  _STORY OF THE SECOND LUNATIC._[102]\n\n\u201cO my lord,\u201d quoth the young man, \u201cmy case is marvellous, and haply thou\nwilt desire me to relate it in order continuous;\u201d and quoth the Sultan,\n\u201cLet me hear it.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the second youth said:\u2014\u2014O my lord the Sultan, I\nam by calling a merchant man and none of the guild was younger, I having\njust entered my sixteenth year. Like my fellows I sold and bought in the\nBazar every day till, one day of the days, a damsel came up to me and\ndrew near and handed to me a paper which I opened; and behold, it was\nfull of verses and odes in praise of myself, and the end of the letter\ncontained the woman\u2019s name professing to be enamoured of me. When I read\nit I came down from my shopboard, in my folly and ignorance, and putting\nforth my hand seized the girl and beat her till she swooned away.[103]\nAfter this I let her loose and she went her ways and then I fell into a\nbrown study saying to myself, \u201cWould Heaven I wot whether the girl be\nwithout relations or if she have kith and kin to whom she may complain\nand they will come and bastinado me.\u201d And, O our lord the Sultan, I\nrepented of what I had done whenas repentance availed me naught and this\nlasted me for twenty days. At the end of that time as I was sitting in\nmy shop according to my custom, behold, a young lady entered and she was\nsumptuously clad and sweetly scented and she was even as the moon in its\nfullness on the fourteenth night. When I gazed upon her my wits fled and\nmy sane senses and right judgment forsook me and I was incapable of\nattending to aught save herself. She then came up and said, \u201cO youth,\nhast thou by thee a variety of metal ornaments?\u201d and said I, \u201cO my lady,\nof all kinds thou canst possibly require.\u201d Hereupon she wished to see\nsome anklets which I brought out for her, when she put forth her feet to\nme and showing me the calves of her legs said, \u201cO my lord, try them on\nme.\u201d This I did. Then she asked for a necklace[104] and I produced one\nwhen she unveiled her bosom and said, \u201cTake its measure on me:\u201d so I set\nit upon her and she said, \u201cI want a fine pair of bracelets,\u201d and I\nbrought to her a pair when, extending her hands and displaying her\nwrists she said to me, \u201cPut them on me.\u201d I did so and presently she\nasked me, \u201cWhat may be the price of all these?\u201d when I exclaimed, \u201cO my\nlady, accept them from me in free gift;\u201d and this was of the excess of\nmy love to her, O King of the Age, and my being wholly absorbed in her.\nThen quoth I to her, \u201cO my lady, whose daughter art thou?\u201d and quoth\nshe, \u201cI am the daughter of the Shaykh al-Isl\u00e1m.\u201d[105] I replied, \u201cMy\nwish, is to ask thee in marriage of thy father,\u201d and she rejoined, \u201c\u2019Tis\nwell: but, O youth, I would have thee know that when thou askest me from\nmy sire he will say:\u2014\u2014I have but one daughter and she is a cripple and\ndeformed even as Sat\u00edh was.[106] Do thou, however make answer that thou\nart contented to accept her and if he offer any remonstrance cry:\u2014\u2014I\u2019m\ncontent, content!\u201d I then enquired, \u201cWhen shall that be?\u201d and she\nreplied, \u201cTo-morrow about undurn hour[107] come to our house and thou\nwilt find my sire, the Shaykh al-Islam, sitting with his companions and\nintimates. Then ask me to wife.\u201d So we agreed upon this counsel and on\nthe next day, O our lord the Sultan, I went with several of my comrades\nand we repaired, I and they, to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam, whom I\nfound sitting with sundry Grandees about him. We made our salams which\nthey returned and they welcomed us and all entered into friendly and\nfamiliar conversation. When it was time for the noon-meal the\ntable-cloth[108] was spread and they invited us to join them, so we\ndined with them and after dinner drank coffee. I then stood up saying,\n\u201cO my lord, I am come hither to sue and solicit thee for the lady\nconcealed and the pearl unrevealed, thy daughter.\u201d But when the Shaykh\nal-Islam heard from me these words he bowed his head for awhile\ngroundwards\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth resumed:\u2014\u2014Now when the Shaykh\nal-Islam heard from me those words he bowed his brow groundwards for a\nwhile in deep thought concerning the case of his daughter who was a\ncripple and wondrously deformed. For the damsel who had told me of her\nhad played me a trick and served me a sleight, I all the time knowing\nnothing about her guile. Presently he raised his head and said to me,\n\u201cBy Allah, O my son, I have a daughter but she is helpless.\u201d Quoth I, \u201cI\nam content;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cAn thou take her to wife after this\ndescription, \u2019tis on express condition that she be not removed from my\nhouse and thou also shalt pay her the first visit and cohabit with her\nin my home.\u201d I replied, \u201cTo hear is to obey;\u201d being confident, O King of\nthe Age, that she was the damsel who had visited my shop and whom I had\nseen with my own eyes. Thereupon the Shaykh al-Islam married his\ndaughter to me and I said in my mind, \u201cBy Allah, is it possible that I\nam become master of this damsel and shall enjoy to my full her beauty\nand loveliness?\u201d But when night fell they led me in procession to the\nchamber of my bride; and when I beheld her I found her hideous as her\nfather had described her, a deformed cripple. At that moment all manner\nof cares mounted my back and I was full of fury and groaned with grief\nfrom the core of my heart; but I could not say a word, for that I had\naccepted her to wife of my own free will and had declared myself\ncontented in presence of her sire. So I took seat silently in a corner\nof the room and my bride in another, because I could not bring myself to\napproach her, she being unfit for the carnal company of man and my soul\ncould not accept cohabitation with her. And at dawntide, O my lord the\nSultan, I left the house and went to my shop which I opened according to\ncustom and sat down with my head dizzy like one drunken without wine;\nwhen lo! there appeared before me the young lady who had caused happen\nto me that mishap. She came up and salam\u2019d to me but I arose with\nsullenness and abused her and cried, \u201cWherefore, O my lady, hast thou\nput upon me such a piece of work?\u201d She replied, \u201cO miserable,[109]\nrecollect such a day when I brought thee a letter and thou after reading\nit didst come down from thy shop and didst seize me and didst trounce me\nand didst drive me away.\u201d I replied, \u201cO my lady, prithee pardon me for I\nam a true penitent;\u201d and I ceased not to soften her with soothing[110]\nwords and promised her all weal if she would but forgive me. At last she\ndeigned excuse me and said, \u201cThere is no harm for thee; and, as I have\nnetted thee, so will I unmesh thee.\u201d I replied, \u201cAllah! Allah![111] O my\nlady, I am under thy safeguard;\u201d and she rejoined, \u201cHie thee to the Agh\u00e1\nof the Jan\u00e1kilah,[112] the gypsies, give him fifty piastres and say\nhim:\u2014\u2014We desire thee to furnish us with a father and a mother and\ncousins and kith and kin, and do thou charge them to say of me, \u201cThis is\nour cousin and our blood relation.\u201d Then let him send them all to the\nhouse of the Shaykh al-Islam and repair thither himself together with\nhis followers, a party of drummers and a parcel of pipers. When they\nenter his house and the Shaykh shall perceive them and exclaim, What\u2019s\nthis we\u2019ve here? let the Agha reply, O my lord, we be kinsmen with thy\nson-in-law and we are come to gladden his marriage with thy daughter and\nto make merry with him. He will exclaim, Is this thy son a gypsey\nmusician? and do thou explain saying, Aye, verily I am a Jankali; and he\nwill cry out to thee, O dog, thou art a gypsey and yet durst thou marry\nthe daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam? Then do thou make answer:\u2014O my\nlord, \u2019twas my ambition to be ennobled by thine alliance and I have\nespoused thy daughter only that the mean name of Jankali may pass away\nfrom me and that I may be under the skirt of thy protection.\u201d Hereat, O\nmy lord the Sultan, I arose without stay and delay and did as the damsel\nbade me and agreed with the Chiefs of the Gypsies for fifty\npiastres.[113] On the second day about noon lo and behold! all the\nJan\u00e1kilah met before the house of the Shaykh al-Islam and they,\na-tom-toming and a-piping and a-dancing, crowded into the courtyard of\nthe mansion.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent\nand ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,\n\u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth continued:\u2014So the Jan\u00e1kilah entered\nthe house of the Shaykh al-Islam all a-drumming and a-dancing. Presently\nthe family came out and asked, \u201cWhat is to do? And what be this hubbub?\u201d\nThe fellows answered, \u201cWe are gypsey-folk and our son is in your house\nhaving wedded the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam.\u201d Hearing these words\nthe family went up and reported to its head, and he, rising from his\nseat, descended to the courtyard which he found full of Jankalis. He\nenquired of them their need and they told him that the youth, their\nkinsman, having married the daughter of the house, they were come to\nmake merry at the bride-feast. Quoth the Shaykh, \u201cThis indeed be a sore\ncalamity that a gypsey should espouse the daughter of the Shaykh\nal-Islam. By Allah, I will divorce her from him.\u201d So he sent after me, O\nour lord the Sultan, and asked me saying, \u201cWhat is thy breed and what\nwilt thou take to be off with thyself?\u201d Said I, \u201cA Jankali; and I\nmarried thy daughter with one design namely to sink the mean name of a\ngypsey drummer in the honour of connection and relationship with thee.\u201d\nHe replied, \u201c\u2019Tis impossible that my daughter can cohabit with thee: so\nup and divorce her.\u201d I rejoined \u201cNot so: I will never repudiate her.\u201d\nThen we fell to quarrelling but the folk interposed between us and\narranged that I should receive forty purses[114] for putting her away.\nAnd when he paid me the moneys I gave her the divorce and took the coin\nand went to my shop, rejoicing at having escaped by this contrivance. On\nthe next day, behold, came the damsel who had taught me the sleight and\nsaluted me and wished me good morning. I returned her salam and indeed,\nO our lord the Sultan, she was a model of beauty and loveliness, stature\nand symmetrical grace and my heart was enmeshed in her love for the\nexcess of her charms and the limpid flow of her speech and the sweetness\nof her tongue. So I said to her, \u201cAnd when this promise?\u201d and said she,\n\u201cI am the daughter of Such-and-such, a cook in such a quarter; and do\nthou go ask me in marriage of him.\u201d So I rose up with all haste and went\nto her father and prayed that he would give her to me. And presently I\nwedded her and went in unto her and found her as the full moon of the\nfourteenth night and was subjugated by her seemlihead. Such, then, is\nthe adventure which befel me; but, O my lord the Sultan, the Story of\nthe Sage Such-an-one and his Scholar is more wonderful and delectable;\nfor indeed \u2019tis of the marvels of the age and among the miracles which\nhave been seen by man. Thereupon the Sovran bade him speak, and the\nSecond Lunatic proceeded to recount the\n\n\n               _STORY OF THE SAGE AND THE SCHOLAR._[115]\n\nThere was in times of yore and in ages long gone before a learned man\nwho had retired from the world secluding himself in an upper cell of a\nCathedral-mosque, and this place he left not for many days save upon the\nmost pressing needs. At last a beautiful boy whose charms were\nunrivalled in his time went in to him and salam\u2019d to him. The Shaykh\nreturned the salute and welcomed him with the fairest welcome and\ncourteously entreated him seating him beside himself. Then he asked him\nof his case and whence he came and the boy answered, \u201cO my lord,\nquestion me not of aught nor of my worldly matters, for verily I am as\none who hath fallen from the heavens upon the earth[116] and my sole\nobject is the honour of tending thee.\u201d The Sage again welcomed him and\nthe boy served him assiduously for a length of time till he was twelve\nyears old. Now on one day of the days[117] the lad heard certain of his\nfellows saying that the Sultan had a daughter endowed with beauty whose\ncharms were unequalled by all the Princesses of the age. So he fell in\nlove with her by hearsay.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the lad who served the Sage fell in love with\nthe Sultan\u2019s daughter by hearsay. Presently he went in to his master\nand told him thereof adding, \u201cO my lord, verily the King hath a\ndaughter beautiful and lovesome and my soul longeth to look upon her\nan it be only a single look.\u201d The Shaykh asked him saying, \u201cWherefore,\nO my son? What have the like of us to do with the daughters of Sovrans\nor others? We be an order of eremites and self-contained and we fear\nthe Kings for our own safety.\u201d And the Sage continued to warn the lad\nagainst the shifts of Time and to divert him from his intent; but the\nmore words he uttered to warn him and to deter him, the more resolved\nhe became to win his wish, so that he abode continually groaning and\nweeping. Now this was a grievous matter to the good Shaykh who loved\nhim with an exceeding love passing all bounds; and when he saw him in\nthis condition he exclaimed, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no\nMight save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great.\u201d And his heart was\nsoftened and he had ruth upon the case of his scholar and pitied his\ncondition, and at last said to him, \u201cO my son, dost thou truly long to\nlook but a single look at the Sultan\u2019s daughter?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cYes, O my\nlord,\u201d and quoth the other, \u201cCome hither to me.\u201d Accordingly he came\nup to him and the Shaykh produced a Kohl-pot and applied the powder to\none of his scholar\u2019s eyes, who behold, forthright became such that all\nwho saw him cried out, \u201cThis is a half-man.\u201d[118] Then the Sage bade\nhim go about the city and the youth obeyed his commands and fared\nforth; but whenas the folk espied him they cried out, \u201cA miracle! a\nmiracle! this be a half-man!\u201d And the more the youth walked about the\nstreets the more the folk followed him and gazed upon him for\ndiversion and marvelled at the spectacle; and as often as the great\nmen of the city heard of him they sent to summon him and solaced\nthemselves with the sight and said, \u201cLaud to the Lord! Allah createth\nwhatso He wisheth and commandeth whatso He willeth as we see in the\nfashioning of this half-man.\u201d The youth also looked freely upon the\nHar\u00edms of the Grandees, he being fairer than any of them; and this\ncase continued till the report reached the Sultan who bade him be\nbrought into the presence, and on seeing him marvelled at the works of\nthe Almighty. Presently the whole court gathered together to gaze at\nhim in wonderment and the tidings soon reached the Queen who sent an\nEunuch to fetch him and introduce him into the Serraglio. The women\nall admired the prodigy and the Princess looked at him and he looked\nat her; so his fascination increased upon him and he said in his\nsecret soul, \u201cAn I wed her not I will slay myself!\u201d After this the\nyouth was dismissed by the Sultan\u2019s Harim and he, whose heart burned\nwith love for the King\u2019s daughter, returned home. The Shaykh asked\nhim, \u201cHast thou, O my son, seen the Princess?\u201d and he answered, \u201cI\nhave, O my master; but this one look sufficeth me not, nor can I rest\nuntil I sit by her side and fill myself with gazing upon her.\u201d Quoth\nhe, \u201cO my child, we be an ascetic folk that shun the world nor have we\naught to do with enmeshing ourselves in the affairs of the Sultan, and\nwe fear for thee, O my son.\u201d But the youth replied, \u201cO my lord, except\nI sit by her side and stroke her neck and shoulders with these my\nhands, I will slay myself.\u201d Hereupon the Sage said in his mind, \u201cI\nwill do whatso I can for this good youth and perchance Allah may\nenable him to win his wish.\u201d He then arose and brought out the\nKohl-pot and applied the powder to his scholar\u2019s either eye; and, when\nit had settled therein, it made him invisible to the ken of man. Then\nhe said, \u201cGo forth, O my son, and indulge thy desire; but return again\nsoon and be not absent too long.\u201d Accordingly the youth hastened to\nthe Palace and entering it looked right and left, none seeing him the\nwhile, and proceeded to the Harem where he seated himself beside the\ndaughter of the Sultan. Still none perceived him until, after a time,\nhe put forth his hand and softly stroked her neck. But as soon as the\nPrincess felt the youth\u2019s touch, she shrieked a loud shriek heard by\nall ears in the Palace and cried \u201cI seek refuge with Allah from Satan\nthe stoned!\u201d At this proceeding on the girl\u2019s part all asked her\nsaying, \u201cWhat is to do with thee?\u201d Whereto she answered, \u201cVerily some\nSatan hath this instant touched me on the neck.\u201d Upon this her mother\nwas alarmed for her and sent for her nurse[119] and when informed of\nwhat had befallen the girl the old woman said, \u201cIf there be aught of\nSatans here naught is so sovereign a specific to drive them away and\nkeep them off as the smoke of camel\u2019s dung.\u201d[120] Then she arose and\nbrought thereof a quantity which was thrown into the fire and\npresently it scented and pervaded the whole apartment. All this and\nthe Youth still sat there without being seen. But when the dung-smoke\nthickened, his eyes brimmed and he could not but shed tears, and the\nmore smoke there was the more his eyes watered and big drops flowed\ntill at last all the Kohl was washed off and trickled down with the\ntears. So he became visible amiddlemost the royal Harem; and, when the\ndames descried him, all shrieked one shriek, each at other, upon which\nthe Eunuchry rushed in; then, finding the young man still seated\nthere, they laid hands upon him and haled him before the Sultan to\nwhom they reported his crime and how he had been caught lurking in the\nKing\u2019s Serraglio a-sitting beside the Princess. Hearing this, the\nSovran bade summon the Headsman and committed to him the criminal\nbidding him take the youth and robe him in a black habit bepatched\nwith flame-colour;[121] then, to set him upon a camel and, after\nparading him through Cairo city and all the streets, to put him to\ndeath. Accordingly the executioner took the Youth.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Linkman took the youth and fared forth with\nhim from the palace: then he looked at him and found him fair of form\nand favour, a sans peer in loveliness, and he observed that he showed no\nfear nor shrinking from death. So he had pity upon him and his heart\nyearned to him and he said in his mind, \u201cBy Allah, attached to this\nyoung man is a rare history.\u201d Then he brought a leathern gown which he\nput upon him, and the flamey black habit which he passed over his arms:\nand setting him upon a camel as the Sultan had commanded, at last\ncarried him in procession crying out the while, \u201cThis is the award and\nthe least award of him who violateth the Harem of the King;\u201d and he\nthreaded the streets till they came to the square before the great\nMosque wherein was the Shaykh. Now as all the folk were enjoying the\nspectacle, the Sage looked out from the window of his cell and beheld\nthe condition of his scholar. He was moved to ruth and reciting a spell\nhe summoned the J\u00e1nn and bade them snatch the young man off the camel\u2019s\nback with all care and kindness and bring him to his cell; and he also\ncommanded an \u2019Aun of the \u2019Auns[122] to seize some oldster and set him\nupon the beast in lieu of the Youth. They did as he bid them for that he\nhad taken fealty of the J\u00e1nn and because of his profound studies in the\nNotaricon[123] and every branch of the art magical. And when all the\ncrowd saw the youth suddenly transformed into a grey-beard they were\nawe-stricken and cried, \u201cAlhamdolillah\u2014laud to the Lord\u2014the young man\nhath become an old man!\u201d They then looked again and behold, they saw a\nperson well-known amongst the lieges, one who had long been wont to sell\ngreens and colocasia at the hostelry gate near the Cathedral-mosque. Now\nthe headsman noting this case was confounded with sore affright; so he\nreturned to the palace with the oldster seated on the camel and went in\nto the Sultan followed by all the city-folk who were gazing at the\nspectacle. Then he stood before the King and the eunuchry and did homage\nand prayed for the Sovran and said, \u201cO our lord the Sultan, verily the\nYouth hath vanished, and in lieu of him is this Shaykh well known to the\nwhole city.\u201d Hearing these words the King was startled; sore fear\nentered his heart and he said to himself, \u201cWhoso hath been able to do\nthis deed can do e\u2019en more: he can depose me from my kingship or he can\ndevise my death.\u201d So his affright increased and he was at a loss how to\ncontrive for such case. Presently he summoned his Minister and when he\ncame into the presence said to him, \u201cO Wazir, advise me how to act in\nthe affair of this Youth and what measures should be taken.\u201d The\nMinister bowed his brow groundwards in thought for a while, then raising\nit he addressed the Sultan and said, \u201cO King of the Age, this be a thing\nbeyond experience, and the doer must be master of a might we comprehend\nnot and haply he may work thee in the future some injury and we fear\nfrom him for thy daughter. Wherefore the right way is that thou issue a\nroyal autograph and bid the Crier go round about the city and cry\nsaying:\u2014Let him who hath wrought this work appear before the King under\npromise of safety and again safety\u2014safety on the word of a Sultan which\nshall never be falsed. Should the Youth then surrender himself, O King\nof the Age, marry him to thy daughter when perhaps his mind may be\nreconciled to thee by love of her. He hath already cast eyes upon her\nand he hath seen the inmates of thy Harem unrobed, so that naught can\nsave their honour but his being united with the Princess.\u201d Hereupon the\nSultan indited an autographic rescript and placed it in the Crier\u2019s\nhands even as the Wazir had counselled: and the man went about the\nstreets proclaiming, \u201cBy Command of the just King! whoso hath done this\ndeed let him discover himself and come to the Palace under promise of\nsafety and again safety, the safety of sovereigns\u2014safety on the word of\na Sultan which shall never be falsed.\u201d And the Crier ceased not crying\ntill in fine he reached the square fronting the great Mosque. The Youth\nwho was standing there heard the proclamation and returning to his\nShaykh said \u201cO my lord, the Crier hath a rescript from the Sultan and he\ncrieth saying, Whoso hath done this deed let him discover himself and\ncome to the Palace under promise of safety and again safety\u2014safety on\nthe word of a Sultan which shall never be falsed. And, I must go to him\nperforce.\u201d Said the Sage, \u201cO my son, why shouldst thou do on such wise?\nHast thou not already suffered thy sufficiency?\u201d But the young man\nexclaimed, \u201cNothing shall prevent my going;\u201d and at this the Shaykh\nreplied, \u201cGo then, O my son, and be thy safeguarding with the Living,\nthe Eternal.\u201d Accordingly, the Youth repaired to the Hammam and having\nbathed attired himself in the richest attire he owned, after which he\nwent forth and discovered himself to the Crier who led him to the Palace\nand set him before the Sovran. He salamed to the Sultan and did him\nobeisance and prayed for his long life and prosperity in style the most\neloquent, and proffered his petition in verse the most fluent. The\nSultan looked at him (and he habited in his best and with all of beauty\nblest), and the royal mind was pleased and he enquired saying, \u201cWho art\nthou, O Youth?\u201d The other replied, \u201cI am the Half-man whom thou sawest\nand I did the deed whereof thou wottest.\u201d As soon as the King heard this\nspeech he entreated him with respect and bade him sit in the most\nhonourable stead, and when he was seated the twain conversed together.\nThe Sultan was astounded at his speech and they continued their\ndiscourse till they touched upon sundry disputed questions of learning,\nwhen the Youth proved himself as superior to the Sovran as a dinar is to\na dirham: and to whatever niceties of knowledge the monarch asked, the\nyoung man returned an all-sufficient answer, speaking like a book. So\nthe Sultan abode confounded at the eloquence of his tongue and the\npurity of his phrase and the readiness of his replies; and he said in\nhis mind, \u201cThis Youth is as worthy to become my daughter\u2019s mate as she\nis meet to become his helpmate.\u201d Then he addressed him in these words,\n\u201cO Youth, my wish is to unite thee with my daughter and after thou hast\nlooked upon her and her mother none will marry her save thyself.\u201d The\nother replied, \u201cO King of the Age, I am ready to obey thee, but first I\nmust take counsel of my friends.\u201d The King rejoined, \u201cNo harm in that:\nhie thee home and ask their advice.\u201d The Youth then craved leave to\nretire and repairing to his Shaykh,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the\ndawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then\nquoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and\nhow enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared\nwith that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran\nsuffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                 The Three Hundred and Sixtieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Youth then craved leave to retire and,\nrepairing to his Shaykh, informed him of what had passed between himself\nand the Sultan and said to him, \u201c\u2019Tis also my wish, O my lord, to marry\nhis daughter.\u201d The Sage replied, \u201cThere be no fault herein if it be\nlawful wedlock: fare thee forth and ask her in marriage.\u201d Quoth the\nYouth, \u201cBut I, O my lord, desire to invite the King to visit us;\u201d and\nquoth the Sage, \u201cGo invite him, O my son, and hearten thy heart.\u201d The\nYouth replied, \u201cO my lord, since I first came to thee and thou didst\nhonour me by taking me into thy service, I have known none other home\nsave this narrow cell wherein thou sittest, never stirring from it or by\nnight or by day. How can we invite the King hither?\u201d The Sage rejoined,\n\u201cO my son, do thou go invite him relying upon Allah, the Veiler who\nveileth all things, and say to him:\u2014\u2014My Shaykh greeteth thee with the\nsalam and inviteth thee to visit him next Friday.\u201d Accordingly, the\nYouth repaired to the King and saluted him and offered his service and\nblessed him with most eloquent tongue and said, \u201cO King of the Age, my\nShaykh greeteth thee and sayeth to thee:\u2014\u2014Come eat thy pottage[124] with\nus next Friday,\u201d whereto the Sultan replied, \u201cHearing is consenting.\u201d\nThen the Youth returned to the Sage and waited upon him according to\ncustom, longing the while for the coming of Friday. On that day the Sage\nsaid to the Youth, \u201cO my son, arise with me and I will show thee what\nhouse be ours, so thou mayst go fetch the King.\u201d Then he took him and\nthe two walked on till they came upon a ruin in the centre of the city\nand the whole was in heaps, mud, clay, and stones. The Sage looked at it\nand said, \u201cO my son, this is our mansion; do thou hie thee to the King\nand bring him hither.\u201d But the Youth exclaimed, \u201cO my lord, verily this\nbe a ruinous heap! How then can I invite the Sultan and bring him to\nsuch an ill place? This were a shame and a disgrace to us.\u201d Quoth the\nSage, \u201cGo and dread thou naught.\u201d Upon this the Youth departed saying in\nhimself, \u201cBy Allah, my Shaykh must be Jinn-mad and doubtless he\nconfoundeth in his insanity truth and untruth.\u201d But he stinted not\nfaring till he reached the Palace and went in to the Sultan whom he\nfound expecting him; so he delivered the message, \u201cDeign honour us, O my\nlord, with thy presence.\u201d[125] Hereupon the King arose without stay or\ndelay and took horse, and all the lords of the land also mounted,\nfollowing the Youth to the place where he told them his Shaykh abode.\nBut when they drew near it they found a royal mansion and eunuchry\nstanding at the gates in costliest gear as if robed from a talismanic\nhoard. When the young man saw this change of scene, he was awe-struck\nand confounded in such way that hardly could he keep his senses, and he\nsaid to himself, \u201cBut an instant ago I beheld with mine own eyes this\nvery place a ruinous heap: how then hath it suddenly become on this same\nsite a Palace such as belongeth not to our Sultan? But I had better keep\nthe secret to myself.\u201d Presently the King alighted as also did his\nsuite, and entered the mansion, and whenas he inspected it he marvelled\nat the splendour of the first apartment, but the more narrowly he looked\nthe more magnificent he found the place, and the second more sumptuous\nthan the first. So his wits were bewildered thereat till he was ushered\ninto a spacious speak-room where they found the Shaykh sitting on one\nside of the chamber[126] to receive them. The Sultan salam\u2019d to him\nwhereupon the Sage raised his head and returned his greeting but did not\nrise to his feet. The King then sat him down on the opposite side when\nthe Shaykh honoured him by addressing him and was pleased to converse\nwith him on various themes; all this while the royal senses being\nconfounded at the grandeur around him and the rarities in that Palace.\nPresently the Shaykh said to his Scholar, \u201cKnock thou at this door and\nbid our breakfast be brought in.\u201d So the young man arose and rapped and\ncalled out \u201cBring in the breakfast;\u201d when lo! the door was opened and\nthere came out of it an hundred Mamelukes[127] of the Book, each bearing\nupon his head a golden tray, whereon were set dishes of precious metals;\nand these, which were filled with breakfast-meats of all kinds and\ncolours, they ranged in order before the Sultan. He was surprised at the\nsight for that he had naught so splendid in his own possession; but he\ncame forwards and ate, as likewise did the Shaykh and all the courtiers\ntill they were satisfied. And after this they drank coffee and sherbets,\nand the Sultan and the Shaykh fell to conversing on questions of lore:\nthe King was edified by the words of the Sage who on his part sat\nrespectfully between the Sovran\u2019s hands. Now when it was well nigh noon,\nthe Shaykh again said to his Scholar, \u201cKnock thou at that door and bid\nour noon-day meal be brought in.\u201d He arose and rapped and called out,\n\u201cBring in the dinner;\u201d when lo! the door opened of itself and there came\nout of it an hundred white slaves all other than the first train and\neach bearing a tray upon his head. They spread the Sufrah-cloth before\nthe Sultan and ranged the dishes, and he looked at the plates and\nobserved that they were of precious metals and stones; whereat he was\nmore astonished than before and he said to himself, \u201cIn very deed this\nbe a miracle!\u201d So all ate their sufficiency when basins and ewers, some\nof gold and others of various noble ores, were borne round and they\nwashed their hands, after which the Shaykh said, \u201cO King, at how much\nhast thou valued for us the dower of thy daughter?\u201d The Sovran replied,\n\u201cMy daughter\u2019s dower is already in my hands.\u201d This he said of his\ncourtesy and respect, but the Shaykh replied, \u201cMarriage is invalid save\nwith a dower.\u201d He then presented to him a mint of money and the tie of\nwedlock was duly tied; after which he rose and brought for his guest a\npelisse of furs such as the Sultan never had in his treasury and\ninvested him therewith and he gave rich robes to each and every of his\ncourtiers according to their degree. The Sultan then took leave of the\nShaykh and accompanied by the Scholar returned to the Palace.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Sixty-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan took with him the Scholar and they\nfared till they reached the citadel and entered the Palace, during which\ntime the King was pondering the matter and wondering at the affair. And\nwhen night came he bade them get ready his daughter that the first visit\nmight be paid to her by the bridegroom. They did his bidding and carried\nthe Youth in procession to her and he found the apartment bespread with\ncarpets and perfumed with essences; the bride, however was absent. So he\nsaid in his mind, \u201cShe will come presently albeit now she delayeth;\u201d and\nhe ceased not expecting her till near midnight, whilst the father and\nthe mother said, \u201cVerily the young man hath married our daughter and now\nsleepeth with her.\u201d On this wise the Youth kept one reckoning and the\nSultan and his Harem kept another till it was hard upon dawn\u2014\u2014all this\nand the bridegroom watched in expectation of the bride. Now when the day\nbrake, the mother came to visit her child expecting to see her by the\nside of her mate; but she could not find a trace of her, nor could she\ngather any clear tidings of her. Accordingly she asked the Youth, her\nson-in-law, who answered that since entering the apartment he had\nexpected his bride but she came not to him nor had he seen a sign of\nher. Hereupon the Queen shrieked and rose up calling aloud upon her\ndaughter, for she had none other child save that one. The clamour\nalarmed the Sultan who asked what was to do and was informed that the\nPrincess was missing from the Palace and had not been seen after she had\nentered it at eventide. Thereupon he went to the Youth and asked him\nanent her, but he also told him that he had not found her when the\nprocession led him into the bridal chamber. Such was the case with\nthese; but as regards the Princess, when they conducted her to the\nbridal room before the coming of the bridegroom, a Jinni[128] of the\nM\u00e1rids, who often visited the royal Harem, happened to be there on the\nmarriage-night and was so captivated by the charms of the bride that he\ntook seat in a corner, and upon her entering and before she was ware\nsnatched her up and soared with her high in air. And he flew with her\ntill he reached a pleasant place of trees and rills some three months\u2019\njourney from the city, and in that shady place he set her down. But he\nwrought her no bodily damage and every day he would bring her whatso she\nwanted of meat and drink and solaced her by showing her the rills and\ntrees. Now this Jinni had changed his shape to that of a fair youth\nfearing lest his proper semblance affright her, and the girl abode in\nthat place for a space of forty days. But the father, after failing to\nfind his daughter, took the Youth and repaired to the Shaykh in his\ncell, and he was as one driven mad as he entered and complained of the\nloss of his only child. The Shaykh hearing these words dove into the\ndepths of meditation for an hour: then he raised his head and bade them\nbring before him a chafing-dish of lighted charcoal. They fetched all he\nrequired and he cast into the fire some incenses over which he\npronounced formul\u00e6 of incantation, and behold! the world was turned\ntopsy-turvy and the winds shrieked and the earth was canopied by\ndust-clouds whence descended at speed winged troops bearing standards\nand colours.[129] And amiddlemost of them appeared three Sultans of the\nJ\u00e1nn all crying out at once, \u201cLabbayka! Labbayka! Adsumus, hither we\nspeed to undertake thy need.\u201d The Shaykh then addressed them, saying,\n\u201cMy commandment is that forthright ye bring me the Jinni who hath\nsnatched away the bride of my son,\u201d and they said, \u201cTo hear is to obey,\u201d\nand at once commanded fifty of their dependent Jinns to reconduct the\nPrincess to her chamber and to hale the culprit before them. These\norders were obeyed: they disappeared for an hour or so and suddenly\nreturned, bringing the delinquent Jinni in person; but as for the\nSultan\u2019s daughter, ten of them conveyed her to her Palace, she wotting\nnaught of them and not feeling aught of fear. And when they set the\nJinni before the Shaykh, he bade the three Sultans of the Jann burn him\nto death and so they did without stay or delay. All this was done whilst\nthe Sovran sat before the Shaykh, looking on and listening and\nmarvelling at the obedience of that host and its Sultans and their\nsubjection and civil demeanour in presence of the Elder. Now as soon as\nthe business ended after perfectest fashion, the Sage recited over them\na spell and all went their several ways; after which he bade the King\ntake the Youth and conduct him to his daughter. This bidding was obeyed\nand presently the bridegroom abated the maidenhead of the bride, what\nwhile her parents renewed their rejoicings over the recovery of their\nlost child. And the Youth was so enamoured of the Princess that he\nquitted not the Harem for seven consecutive days. On the eighth the\nSultan was minded to make a marriage-banquet and invited all the\ncity-folk to feast for a whole month and he wrote a royal rescript and\nbade proclaim with full publicity that, according to the commands of the\nKing\u2019s majesty, the wedding-feast should continue for a month, and that\nno citizen, be he rich or be he poor, should light fire or trim lamp in\nhis own domicile during the wedding of the Princess; but that all must\neat of the royal entertainment until the expiry of the f\u00eate. So they\nslaughtered beeves and stabbed camels in the throat and the kitcheners\nand carpet-spreaders were commanded to prepare the stables, and the\nofficers of the household were ordered to receive the guests by night\nand by day. Now one night King Mohammed of Cairo said to his Minister,\n\u201cO Wazir, do thou come with me in changed costume and let us thread the\nstreets and inspect and espy the folk: haply some of the citizens have\nneglected to appear at the marriage-feast.\u201d He replied, \u201cTo hear is to\nobey.\u201d So the twain after exchanging habits for the gear of Persian\nDarwayshes went down to the city and there took place\n\n\n        _THE NIGHT-ADVENTURE OF SULTAN MOHAMMED OF CAIRO._[130]\n\nThe Sultan and the Wazir threaded the broadways of the city and they\nnoted the houses and stood for an hour or so in each and every greater\nthoroughfare, till they came to a lane, a cul-de-sac wherethrough none\ncould pass, and behold, they hit upon a house containing a company of\nfolk. Now these were conversing and saying, \u201cBy Allah, our Sultan hath\nnot acted wisely nor hath he any cause to be proud, since he hath made\nhis daughter\u2019s bride-feast a vanity and a vexation and the poor are\nexcluded therefrom. He had done better to distribute somewhat of his\nbounty amongst the paupers and the mesquin, who may not enter his palace\nnor can they obtain aught to eat.\u201d Hearing this the Sultan said to the\nWazir, \u201cBy Allah, needs must we enter this place;\u201d and the Minister\nreplied, \u201cDo whatso thou willest.\u201d Accordingly the King went up to the\ndoor and knocked, when one came out and asked, \u201cWho is at the door?\u201d The\nSultan answered, \u201cGuests;\u201d and the voice rejoined, \u201cWelcome to the\nguests;\u201d and the door was thrown open. Then they went in till they\nreached the sittingroom where they found three men of whom one was lame,\nthe second was broken-backed and the third was split-mouthed.[131] And\nall three were sitting together in that place. So he asked them,\n\u201cWherefore sit ye here, ye three, instead of going to the Palace?\u201d and\nthey answered him, \u201cO Darwaysh, \u2019tis of the weakness of our wits!\u201d The\nKing then turned to his Minister and said, \u201cThere is no help but thou\nmust bring these three men into my presence, as soon as the\nwedding-f\u00eates be finished, that I may enquire into what stablished their\nimbecility.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Sixty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan said to the Wazir, \u201cNeeds must thou\nbring these three men into my presence, as soon as the wedding-f\u00eates be\nfinished, and we will enquire into what proved their imbecility.\u201d Then\nquoth the King to them, \u201cWherefore fare ye not, ye three, and eat of the\nroyal banquet day by day?\u201d and quoth they, \u201cO Darwaysh, we are crippled\nfolk who cannot go and come, for this be grievous to us; but, an the\nSultan would assign to us somewhat of victual, and send it hither, we\nwould willingly eat thereof.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cWhat knoweth the Sultan that\nye sit in this place?\u201d and they retorted, \u201cYe be Darwayshes who enter\neverywhere: so when ye go in to him, tell him our tale; haply shall\nAlmighty Allah incline his heart uswards.\u201d The King asked them, \u201cBe you\nthree ever sitting together in this stead?\u201d and they answered, \u201cYea,\nverily: we never leave one another by night or by day.\u201d Then the King\nand the Minister rose up and having presented them with a few silvers\ntook leave and departed. Now it was midnight when they reached a\ntenement wherein sat three girls with their mother spinning and eating;\nand each one appeared fairer than her fellows, and at times they sang\nand then they laughed and then they talked. The Sultan said to the\nWazir, \u201cThere is no help but we enter to these damsels;\u201d whereto the\nMinister replied \u201cWhat have we to do with going near them? Let them be\nas they are!\u201d The Sultan, however, rejoined, \u201cNeeds must we enter,\u201d and\nthe Wazir retorted, \u201cHearkening and obedience;\u201d and he rapped at the\ndoor when one of the sisterhood cried out, \u201cWho knocketh in this gloom\nof the night?\u201d The Minister answered, \u201cWe are two Darwayshes, guests and\nstrangers;\u201d and the girl rejoined, \u201cWe are maidens with our mother and\nwe have no men in our house who can admit you; so fare ye to the\nmarriage-feast of the Sultan and become ye his guests.\u201d The Minister\ncontinued, \u201cWe are foreigners and we know not the way to the Palace and\nwe dread lest the Chief of Police happen upon us and apprehend us at\nthis time o\u2019 night. We desire that you afford us lodging till daylight\nwhen we will go about our business and you need not expect from us aught\nsave respect and honourable treatment.\u201d Now when the mother heard this,\nshe pitied them and bade one daughter open the door. So the damsel threw\nit open and the Sultan and Wazir entered and salam\u2019d and sat down to\nconverse together; but the King gazed upon the sisters and marvelled at\ntheir beauty and their loveliness, and said in his mind, \u201cHow cometh it\nthat these maidens dwell by themselves unmated and they in such case?\u201d\nSo quoth he to them, \u201cHow is it ye lack husbands, you being so\nbeautiful, and that ye have not a man in the house?\u201d Quoth the youngest,\n\u201cO Darwaysh, hold thy tongue[132] nor ask us of aught, for our story is\nwondrous and our adventures marvellous. But \u2019ware thy words and shorten\nthy speech; verily hadst thou been the Sultan and thy companion the\nWazir an you heard our history haply ye had taken compassion upon our\ncase.\u201d Thereupon the King turned to the Minister and said, \u201cUp with us\nand wend we our ways; but first do thou make sure of the place and affix\nthy mark upon the door.\u201d Then the twain rose up and fared forth but the\nWazir stood awhile and set a sign upon the entrance and there left his\nimprint; after which the twain returned to the Palace. Presently the\nyoungest sister said to her mother, \u201cBy Allah, I fear lest the\nDarwayshes have made their mark upon our door to the end that they may\nrecognise it by day; for haply the twain may be the King and his\nMinister.\u201d \u201cWhat proof hast thou of this?\u201d asked the mother, and the\ndaughter answered, \u201cTheir language and their questioning which were\nnaught save importunity!\u201d And saying this she went to the door where she\nfound the sign and mark. Now besides the two houses to the right and to\nthe left were fifteen doors, so the girl marked them all with the same\nmark set by the Wazir.[133] But when Allah had caused the day to dawn,\nthe King said to the Minister, \u201cGo thou and look at the sign and make\nsure of it.\u201d The Wazir went as he was commanded by the Sultan, but he\nfound all the doors marked in the same way, whereat he marvelled and\nknew not nor could he distinguish the door he sought. Presently he\nreturned and reported the matter of the door-marks to the King who\ncried, \u201cBy Allah, these girls must have a curious history! But when the\nbride-feast is finished we will enquire into the case of the three men\nwho are weakwitlings and then we will consider that of the damsels who\nare not.\u201d As soon as the thirtieth feast-day passed by, he invested with\nrobes of honour all the Lords of his land and the high Officers of his\nestate and matters returned to their customed course. Then he sent to\nsummon the three men who had professed themselves weak of wits and they\nwere brought into the presence, each saying of himself, \u201cWhat can the\nKing require of us?\u201d When they came before him he bade them be seated\nand they sat; then he said to them, \u201cMy requirement is that ye relate to\nme proofs of the weakness of your minds and the reason of your maims.\u201d\nNow the first who was questioned was he of the broken back, and when the\nenquiry was put to him he said, \u201cDeign to favour me with an answer O our\nLord the Sultan, on a matter which passed through my mind.\u201d He replied,\n\u201cSpeak out and fear not!\u201d So the other enquired, \u201cHow didst thou know us\nand who told thee of us and of our weakly wits?\u201d Quoth the King, \u201c\u2019Twas\nthe Darwaysh who went in to you on such a night;\u201d and quoth the\nbroken-backed man, \u201cAllah slay all the Darwayshes who be tattlers and\ntale-carriers!\u201d Thereupon the Sultan turned to the Wazir and laughing\nsaid, \u201cWe will not reproach them for aught: rather let us make fun of\nthem,\u201d adding to the man, \u201cRecite, O Shaykh.\u201d So he fell to telling\n\n\n            _THE STORY OF THE BROKE-BACK SCHOOLMASTER._[134]\n\nI began life, O King of the Age, as a Schoolmaster and my case was\nwondrous.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and\nceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow\nsweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Sixty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleeping, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Shaykh continued.\u2014\u2014I began life, O my lord,\nas a Schoolmaster, and my tale with the boys was wondrous. They numbered\nfrom sixty to seventy, and I taught them to read and I inculcated due\ndiscipline and ready respect esteeming these a part of liberal\neducation; nor did I regard, O King of the Age, the vicissitudes of Time\nand Change; nay, I held them with so tight a rein that whenever the boys\nheard me sneeze[135] they were expected to lay down their\nwriting-tablets and stand up with their arms crossed and exclaim, \u201cAllah\nhave ruth upon thee, O our lord!\u201d whereto I would make reply, \u201cAllah\ndeign pardon us and you!\u201d And if any of the lads failed or delayed to\njoin in this prayer I was wont to bash him with a severe bashing. One\nday of the days they asked leave to visit the outskirts of the town for\nliberty and pleasuring[136] and when I granted it they clubbed their\npittances for a certain sum of money to buy them a noon-day meal. So we\nwent forth to the suburbs and there found verdure and water, and we\nenjoyed ourselves that day with perfect enjoyment until mid-afternoon\nwhen we purposed to return homewards. Accordingly, the boys collected\ntheir belongings and laded them upon an ass and we walked about half-way\nwhen behold, the whole party, big and little, stood still and said to\nme, \u201cO our lord, we are athirst and burning with drowthiness, nor can we\nstir from this spot and if we leave it without drinking we shall all\ndie.\u201d Now there was in that place a draw-well, but it was deep and we\nhad nor pitcher nor bucket nor aught wherein to draw water and the\nscholars still suffered from exceeding thirst. We had with us, however,\ncooking-gear such as chauldrons and platters; so I said to them, \u201cO\nboys, whoso carrieth a cord or hath bound his belongings with one let\nhim bring it hither!\u201d They did my bidding and I tied these articles\ntogether and spliced them as strongly as I could: then said I to the\nlads, \u201cBind me under the armpits.\u201d Accordingly they made me fast by\npassing the rope around me and I took with me a chauldron, whereupon\nthey let me down bucket-wise into the well till I reached the water.\nThen I loosed the bandage from under my armpits and tied it to the\nchauldron which I filled brim-full and shook the rope for a signal to\nthe boys above. They haled at the vessel till they pulled it up and\nbegan drinking and giving drink; and on this wise they drew a first\nchauldron and a second and a third and a fourth till they were satisfied\nand could no more and cried out to me, \u201cWe have had enough, quite\nenough.\u201d Hereupon I bound the bandage under my armpits, as it was when I\nwent down, and I shook it as a signal and they haled me up till I had\nwell-nigh reached the kerbstone of the well when a fit of sneezing\nseized me and I sneezed violently. At this all let go their hold and\ncarrying their arms over their breasts, cried aloud, \u201cAllah have ruth\nupon thee, O our lord!\u201d but I, as soon as they loosed hold, fell into\nthe depths of the well and brake my back. I shrieked for excess of agony\nand all the boys ran on all sides screaming for aid till they were heard\nby some wayfaring folk; and these haled at me and drew me out. They\nplaced me upon the ass and bore me home: then they brought a leach to\nmedicine me and at last I became even as thou seest me, O Sultan of the\nAge. Such, then, is my story showing the weakness of my wits; for had I\nnot enjoined and enforced over-respect the boys would not have let go\ntheir hold when I happened to sneeze nor would my back have been broken.\n\u201cThou speakest sooth, O Shaykh,\u201d said the Sultan, \u201cand indeed thou hast\nmade evident the weakness of thy wit.\u201d Then quoth he to the man who was\ncloven of mouth. \u201cAnd thou, the other, what was it split thy gape?\u201d \u201cThe\nweakness of my wit, O my lord the Sultan,\u201d quoth he, and fell to telling\nthe\n\n\n            _STORY OF THE SPLIT-MOUTHED SCHOOLMASTER._[137]\n\nI also began life, O King of the Age, as a schoolmaster and had under my\ncharge some eighty boys. Now I was strict with such strictness that from\nmorning to evening I sat amongst them and would never dismiss them to\ntheir homes before sundown. But \u2019tis known to thee, O our lord the King,\nthat boys\u2019 wits be short after the measure of their age, and that they\nlove naught save play and forgathering in the streets and quarter.\nWithal, I took no heed of this and ever grew harder upon them till one\nday all met and with the intervention of the eldest Monitor they agreed\nand combined to play me a trick. He arranged with them that next morning\nnone should enter the school until he had taught them, each and every,\nto say as they went in, \u201cThy safety, O our lord, how yellow is thy\nface!\u201d Now the first who showed himself was the Monitor and he spoke as\nhad been agreed; but I was rough with him and sent him away; then a\nsecond came in and repeated what the first had said; then a third and\nthen a fourth, until ten boys had used the same words. So quoth I to\nmyself, \u201cHo, Such-an-one! thou must be unwell without weeting it:\u201d then\nI arose and went into the Harem and lay down therein when the Monitor,\nhaving collected from his school-fellows some hundred-and-eighty\nNusfs,[138] came in to me and cried, \u201cTake this, O our lord, and expend\nthe money upon thy health.\u201d Thereupon I said to myself, \u201cHo,\nSuch-an-one! every Thursday[139] thou dost not collect sixty Faddahs\nfrom the boys,\u201d and I cried to him, \u201cGo, let them forth for a holiday.\u201d\nSo he went and dismissed them from school to the playground. On the next\nday he collected as much as on the first and came in to me and said,\n\u201cExpend these moneys, O our lord, upon thy health.\u201d He did the same on\nthe third day and the fourth, making the boys contribute much coin and\npresenting it to me; and on such wise he continued till the tenth day,\nwhen he brought the money as was his wont. At that time I happened to\nhold in my hand a boiled egg which I purposed eating, but on sighting\nhim I said in myself, \u201cAn he see thee feeding he will cut off the\nsupplies.\u201d So I crammed the egg into my chops\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an\nthe Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and\nthat was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah, upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014With love and good will! It hath\nreached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of\nthe rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that the Schoolmaster said to himself, \u201cIf the Monitor see\nme eating the egg now in thy hand he will cut off the supplies and\nassert thee to be sound.\u201d So (continued he) I crammed the egg into my\nchops and clapped my jaws together. Hereupon the lad turned to me and\ncried, \u201cO my lord, thy cheek is much swollen;\u201d and I, \u201c\u2019Tis only an\nimposthume.\u201d But he drew a whittle[140] forth his sleeve and coming up\nto me seized my cheek and slit it, when the egg fell out and he said, \u201cO\nmy lord, this it was did the harm and now \u2019tis passed away from thee.\u201d\nSuch was the cause of the splitting of my mouth, O our lord the Sultan.\nNow had I cast away greed of gain and eaten the egg in the Monitor\u2019s\npresence, what could have been the ill result? But all this was of the\nweakness of my wit; for also had I dismissed the boys every day about\nmid-afternoon, I should have gained naught nor lost aught thereby.\nHowever the Dealer of Destiny is self-existent, and this is my case.\nThen the Sultan turned to the Wazir and laughed and said, \u201cThe fact is\nthat whoso schooleth boys is weak of wit;\u201d and said the other, \u201cO King\nof the Age, all pedagogues lack perceptives and reflectives; nor can\nthey become legal witnesses before the Kazi because verily they credit\nthe words of little children without evidence of the speech being or\nfactual or false. So their reward in the world to come must be\nabounding!\u201d[141] Then the Sultan asked the limping man, saying, \u201cAnd\nthou, the other, what lamed thee?\u201d So he began to tell\n\n\n             _THE STORY OF THE LIMPING SCHOOLMASTER._[142]\n\nMy tale, O my lord the Sultan, is marvellous and \u2019twas as follows. My\nfather was by profession a schoolmaster and, when he fared to the ruth\nof Almighty Allah, I took his place in the school and taught the boys to\nread after the fashion of my sire. Now over the schoolroom was an upper\nlattice whereto planks had been nailed and I was ever casting looks at\nit till one chance day I said to myself, \u201cBy Allah, this lattice thus\nboarded up needs must contain hoards or moneys or manuscripts which my\nfather stored there before his decease; and on such wise I am deprived\nof them.\u201d So I arose and brought a ladder and lashed it to another till\nthe two together reached the lattice and I clomb them holding a\ncarpenter\u2019s adze[143] wherewith I prized up the planks until all were\nremoved. And behold, I then saw a large fowl, to wit, a kite,[144]\nsetting upon her nestlings. But when she saw me she flew sharply in my\nface and I was frightened by her and thrown back; so I tumbled from the\nladder-top to the ground and brake both knee-caps. Then they bore me\nhome and brought a leach to heal me; but he did me no good and I fell\ninto my present state. Now this, O our lord the Sultan, proveth the\nweakness of my wit and the greatness of my greed; for there is a saw\namongst men that saith \u201cCovetise aye wasteth and never gathereth: so\n\u2019ware thee of covetise.\u201d Such, O lord of the Age and the Time, is my\ntale. Hereupon the King bade gifts and largesse be distributed to the\nthree old schoolmasters, and when his bidding was obeyed they went their\nways. Then the Sultan turned to the Minister and said, \u201cO Wazir, now\nrespecting the matter of the three maidens and their mother, I would\nhave thee make enquiry and find out their home and bring them hither; or\nlet us go to them in disguise and hear their history, for indeed it must\nbe wonderful. Otherwise how could they have understood that we served\nthem that sleight by marking their door and they on their part set marks\nof like kind upon all the doors of the quarter that we might lose the\ntrack and touch of them. By Allah, this be rare intelligence on the part\nof these damsels: but we, O Wazir, will strive to come upon their\ntraces.\u201d Then the Minister fared forth, after changing his dress and\ndemeanour, and walked to the quarter in question, but found all the\ndoors similarly marked. So he was sore perplext concerning his case and\nfell to questioning all the folk wont to pass by these doors but none\ncould give him any information; and he walked about sore distraught\nuntil eventide, when he returned to the Sultan without aught of profit.\nAs he went in to the presence, his liege lord asked him saying, \u201cWhat\nbringest thou of tidings?\u201d and he answered, \u201cO King, I have not found\nthe property,[145] but there passed through my mind a stratagem which,\nan we carry it out, peradventure shall cause us to happen upon the\nmaidens.\u201d Quoth the Sultan, \u201cWhat be that?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cDo thou write\nme an autograph-writ and give it to the Crier that he may cry about the\ncity:\u2014Whoso lighteth wick after supper-tide shall have his head set\nunder his heels.\u201d The Sultan rejoined, \u201cThis thy rede is right.\u201d\nAccordingly, on the next day the King wrote his letter and gave it to\nthe Crier bidding him fare through the city and forbid the lighting of\nlamps after night-prayers; and the man took the royal rescript and set\nit in a green bag. Then he went forth and cried about the street saying,\n\u201cAccording to the commandment of our King, the Lord of prosperity and\nMaster of the necks of God\u2019s servants, if any light wick after\nnight-prayers his head shall be set under his heels, his good shall be\nspoiled and his women shall be cast into jail.\u201d And the Crier stinted\nnot crying through the town during the first day and the second and the\nthird, until he had gone round the whole place; nor was there a citizen\nbut who knew the ordinance. Now the King waited patiently till after the\nproclamation of the third day; but on the fourth night he and his\nMinister went down from the palace in disguise after supper-tide to pry\nabout the wards and espy into the lattices of the several quarters. They\nfound no light till they came to the ward where the three damsels lived,\nand the Sultan, happening to glance in such a direction, saw the gleam\nof a lamp in one of the tenements. So he said to the Wazir, \u201cHo! there\nis a wick alight.\u201d Presently they drew near it and found that it was\nwithin one of the marked houses; wherefore they came to a stand and\nknocked at the door,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that when the Sultan and the Wazir stood over\nagainst the door behind which was the light and knocked at it, the\nyoungest of the sisters cried out, \u201cWho is at the door?\u201d and they\nreplied, \u201cGuests and Darwayshes.\u201d She rejoined, \u201cWhat can you want at\nthis hour and what can have belated you?\u201d And they, \u201cWe be men living in\na Khan; but we have lost our way thither and we fear to happen upon the\nChief of Police. So of your bountiful kindness open ye to us and house\nus for the remnant of the night; and such charity shall gain you reward\nin Heaven.\u201d Hereto the mother added, \u201cGo open to them the door!\u201d and the\nyoungest of the maidens came forward and opened to them and admitted\nthem. Then the parent and her children rose up and welcomed them\nrespectfully and seated them and did them honour and set before them\nsomewhat of food which they ate and were gladdened. Presently the King\nsaid, \u201cO damsels, ye cannot but know that the Sultan proclaimed\nforbiddal of wick-burning; but ye have lighted your lamps and have not\nobeyed him when all the citizens have accepted his commandment.\u201d Upon\nthis the youngest sister accosted him saying, \u201cO Darwaysh, verily the\nSultan\u2019s order should not be obeyed save in commandments which be\nreasonable; but this his proclamation forbidding lights is sinful to\naccept; and indeed the right direction[146] wherein man should walk is\naccording to Holy Law which saith, \u2018No obedience to the creature in a\nmatter of sin against the Creator.\u2019 The Sultan (Allah make him prevail!)\nherein acteth against the Law and imitateth the doings of Satan. For we\nbe three sisters with our mother, making four in the household, and\nevery night we sit together by lamp-light and weave a half-pound weight\nof linen web[147] which our mother taketh in the morning for sale to the\nBazar and buyeth us therewith half a pound of raw flax and with the\nremainder what sufficeth us of victual.\u201d The Sultan now turned to his\nMinister and said, \u201cO Wazir, this damsel astonisheth me by her questions\nand answers. What case of casuistry can we propose to her and what\ndisputation can we set up? Do thou contrive us somewhat shall pose and\nperplex her.\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d replied the Wazir, \u201cwe are here in the guise\nof Darwayshes and are become to these folk as guests: how then can we\ndisturb them with troublesome queries in their own home?\u201d Quoth the\nSultan, \u201cNeeds must thou address them;\u201d so the Wazir said to the girl,\n\u201cO noble one, obedience to the royal orders is incumbent upon you as\nupon all lieges.\u201d Said she, \u201cTrue, he is our Sovran; but how can he know\nwhether we be starving or full-fed?\u201d \u201cLet us see,\u201d rejoined the Wazir,\n\u201cwhen he shall send for you and set you before the presence and question\nyou concerning your disobeying his orders, what thou wilt say?\u201d She\nretorted, \u201cI would say to the Sultan:\u2014\u2014Thou hast contraried Holy Law.\u201d\nAt this the Minister resumed, \u201cAn he ask thee sundry questions wilt thou\nanswer them?\u201d and she replied, \u201cIndeed I will.\u201d Hereat the Minister\nturned to the King and said, \u201cLet us leave off question and answer with\nthis maiden on points of conscience and Holy Law and ask if she\nunderstand the fine arts.\u201d Presently the Sultan put the question when\nshe replied, \u201cHow should I not understand them when I am their father\nand their mother?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my lady, an thou\nwouldst favour us, let us hear one of thine airs and its words.\u201d So she\nrose and retired but presently returning with a lute sat down and set it\nupon her lap and ordered the strings and smote it with a masterly touch:\nthen she fell to singing amongst other verses these ordered couplets:\u2014\n\n \u201cDo thou good to men and so rule their necks: \u273f Long reigns who by\n    benefit rules mankind:\n And lend aid to him who for aidance hopes: \u273f For aye grateful is man\n    with a noble mind\n Who brings money the many to him will incline \u273f And money for tempting\n    of man was designed:\n Who hindereth favour and bounties, ne\u2019er \u273f Or brother or friend in\n    creation shall find:\n With harsh looks frown not in the Sage\u2019s face; \u273f Disgusteth the freeman\n    denial unkind:\n Who frequenteth mankind all of good unknow\u2019th: \u273f Man is lief of\n    rebellion, of largesse loath.\u201d\n\nWhen the Sultan heard these couplets, his mind was distraught and he was\nperplext in thought; then turning to his Wazir, he said, \u201cBy Allah,\nthese lines were surely an examination of and an allusion to our two\nselves; and doubtless she weeteth of us that I am the Sultan and thou\nart the Wazir, for the whole tenor of her talk proveth her knowledge of\nus.\u201d Then he turned to the maiden and said, \u201cRight good are thy verse\nand thy voice, and thy words have delighted us with exceeding delight.\u201d\nUpon this she sang the following two couplets:\u2014\n\n Men seek for them sorrow, and toil \u273f Thro\u2019 long years as they brightly\n    flow;\n But Fate, in the well like the tank[148] \u273f Firm-fixt, ruleth all below.\n\nNow as soon as the Sultan heard these last two couplets he made certain\nthat the damsel was aware of his quality. She did not leave off her\nlute-playing till near daylight, when she rose and retired and presently\nbrought in a breakfast befitting her degree (for indeed she was pleased\nwith them); and when she had served it up they ate a small matter which\nsufficed them. After this she said, \u201cInshallah, you will return to us\nthis night before supper-tide and become our guests;\u201d and the twain went\ntheir ways marvelling at the beauty of the sisters and their loveliness\nand their fearlessness in the matter of the proclamation; and the Sultan\nsaid to the Wazir, \u201cBy Allah, my soul inclineth unto that maiden.\u201d And\nthey stinted not walking until they had entered the palace. But when\nthat day had gone by and evening drew nigh, the Monarch made ready to\ngo, he and the Minister, to the dwelling of the damsels\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nwas surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an\nthe Sovran suffer me to survive.\u201d Now when it was the next night and\nthat was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the King and the Councillor made ready to go to\nthe dwelling of the damsels taking with them somewhat of gold pieces,\nthe time being half an hour after set of sun; and presently they\nrepaired to the house of the sisters whither they had been invited on\nthe past night. So they rapped at the door when the youngest maiden came\nto it and opened and let them in: then she salam\u2019d to them and greeted\nthem and entreated them with increased respect saying, \u201cWelcome to our\nlords the Darwayshes.\u201d But she eyed them with the eye of the\nphysiognomist[149] and said in herself, \u201cVerily these two men are on no\nwise what they seem and, unless my caution and intelligence and power of\nknowledge have passed away from me, this must be the Sultan and that his\nWazir, for grandeur and majesty are evident on them.\u201d Then she seated\nthem and accosted them even more pleasantly and set before them supper,\nand when they had eaten enough, she brought basins and ewers for\nhandwashing and served up coffee causing them to enjoy themselves and to\ngive and take in talk till their pleasure was perfect. At the time of\nnight-orisons they arose and, after performing the Wuz\u00fa-ablution,\nprayed, and when their devotions were ended the Sultan hent in hand his\npurse and gave it to the youngest sister saying, \u201cExpend ye this upon\nyour livelihood.\u201d She took the bag which held two thousand dinars and\nkissed his right hand, feeling yet the more convinced that he must be\nthe Sultan: so she proved her respect by the fewness of her words as she\nstood between his hands to do him service. Also she privily winked at\nher sisters and mother and said to them by signs, \u201cVerily this be the\nMonarch and that his Minister.\u201d The others then arose and followed suit\nas the sister had done, when the Sultan turned to the Wazir and said,\n\u201cThe case is changed: assuredly they have comprehended it and\nascertained it;\u201d presently adding to the girl, \u201cO damsel, we be only\nDarwaysh folk and yet you all stand up in our service as if we were\nsovrans. I beseech you do not on this wise.\u201d But the youngest sister\nagain came forwards and kissed the ground before him and blessed him and\nrecited this couplet:\n\n \u201cFair fate befal thee to thy foe\u2019s despite: \u273f White be thy days and his\n    be black as night.[150]\n\nBy Allah, O King of the Age, thou art the Sultan and that is the\nMinister.\u201d The Sovran asked, \u201cWhat cause hast thou for supposing this?\u201d\nand she answered, \u201cFrom your grand demeanour and your majestic mien; for\nsuch be the qualities of Kings which cannot be concealed.\u201d Quoth the\nMonarch, \u201cThou hast spoken sooth; but, tell me, how happeneth it that\nyou wone here without men protectors?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cO my lord the\nKing, our history is wondrous and were it graven with graver-needles\nupon the eye-corners it were a warning to whoso would be warned.\u201d He\nrejoined, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d and she began the\n\n\n          _STORY OF THE THREE SISTERS AND THEIR MOTHER._[151]\n\nI and my sisters and my mother are not natives of this city but of a\ncapital in the land Al-Ir\u00e1k where my father was Sovran having troops and\nguards, Wazirs and Eunuch-chamberlains; and my mother was the fairest\nwoman of her time insomuch that her beauty was a proverb throughout each\nand every region. Now it chanced that when I and my sisters were but\ninfants, our father would set out to hunt and course and slay beasts of\nraven and take his pleasure in the gardens without the city. So he sent\nfor his Wazir and appointed and constituted him Viceregent in his stead\nwith full authority to command and be gracious to his lieges: then he\ngot him ready and marched forth and the Viceroy entered upon his office.\nBut it happened that it was the hot season and my mother betook herself\nto the terrace-roof of the palace in order to smell the air and sniff up\nthe breeze. At that very hour, by the decree of the Decreer, the Wazir\nwas sitting in the Kiosk or roofed balcony hanging to his upper mansion\nand holding in hand a mirror; and, as he looked therein, he saw the\nreflection of my mother, a glance of eyes which bequeathed him a\nthousand sighs. He was forthright distracted by her beauty and\nloveliness and fell sick and took to his pillow. Presently a\nconfidential nurse came in and feeling his pulse, which showed no\nmalady, said to him, \u201cNo harm for thee! thou shalt soon be well nor ever\nsuffer from aught of sorrow.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cO my nurse, canst thou keep a\nsecret?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cI can.\u201d Then he told her all the love he had\nconceived for my mother and she replied, \u201cThis be a light affair nor\nhath it aught of hindrance: I will manage for thee such matter and I\nwill soon unite thee with her.\u201d Thereupon he packed up for her some of\nthe most sumptuous dresses in his treasury and said, \u201cHie thee to her\nand say:\u2014\u2014The Wazir hath sent these to thee by way of love-token and his\ndesire is either that thou come to him and converse, he and thou, for a\ncouple of hours,[152] or that he be allowed to visit thee.\u201d The nurse\nreplied with \u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d and fared forth and found my\nmother (and we little ones were before her) all unknowing aught of that\nbusiness. So the old woman saluted her and brought forwards the dresses,\nand my mother arose and opening the bundle beheld sumptuous raiment and,\namongst other valuables, a necklace of precious stones. So she said to\nthe nurse, \u201cThis is indeed ornamental gear, especially the collar;\u201d and\nsaid the nurse, \u201cO my lady, these are from thy slave the Wazir by way of\nlove-token, for he doteth on thee with extreme desire and his only wish\nis to forgather with thee and converse, he and thou, for a couple of\nhours, either in his own place or in thine whither he will come.\u201d Now\nwhen my mother heard these words from the nurse she arose and drew a\nscymitar which lay hard by and of her angry hastiness made the old\nwoman\u2019s head fall from her body and bade her slave girls pick up the\npieces and cast them into the common privy of the palace. So they did\nher bidding and wiped away the blood. Now the Wazir abode expecting his\nnurse to return to him but she returned not; so next day he despatched\nanother handmaid who went to my mother and said to her, \u201cO my lady, our\nlord the Wazir sent thee a present of dress by his nurse; but she hath\nnot come back to him.\u201d Hereupon my mother bade her Eunuchs take the\nslave and strangle her, then cast the corpse into the same house of\neasement where they had thrown the nurse. They did her bidding; but she\nsaid in her mind, \u201cHaply the Wazir will return from the road of\nunright:\u201d and she kept his conduct a secret. He however fell every day\nto sending slave-girls with the same message and my mother to slaying\neach and every, nor deigned show him any signs of yielding. But she, O\nour lord the Sultan, still kept her secret and did not acquaint our\nfather therewith, always saying to herself, \u201cHaply the Wazir will return\nto the road of right.\u201d And behold my father presently came back from\nhunting and sporting and pleasuring, when the Lords of the land met him\nand salam\u2019d to him, and amongst them appeared the Minister whose case\nwas changed. Now some years after this, O King of the Age, our sire\nresolved upon a Pilgrimage to the Holy House of Meccah\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable.\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night.\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youngest sister continued to the\nSultan:\u2014\u2014So our sire, O King of the Age, resolved upon a Pilgrimage to\nthe Holy House of Meccah and stablished the same Wazir Viceregent in his\nstead to deal commandment and break off and carry out. So he said in his\nheart, \u201cNow have I won my will of the Sultan\u2019s Harem.\u201d So the King gat\nhim ready and fared forth to Allah\u2019s Holy House after committing us to\nthe charge of his Minister. But when he had been gone ten days, and the\nWazir knew that he must be far from the city where he had left behind\nhim me and my sisters and my mother, behold, an Eunuch of the Minister\u2019s\ncame in to us and kissed ground before the Queen and said to her \u201cAllah\nupon thee, O my lady, pity my lord the Wazir, for his heart is melted by\nthy love and his wits wander and his right mind; and he is now become as\none annihilated. So do thou have ruth upon him and revive his heart and\nrestore his health.\u201d Now when my mother heard these words, she bade her\nEunuchs seize that Castrato and carry him from the room to the middle of\nthe Divan-court and there slay him; but she did so without divulging her\nreasons. They obeyed her bidding; and when the Lords of the land and\nothers saw the body of a man slain by the eunuchry of the palace, they\ninformed the Wazir, saying, \u201cWhat hateful business is this which hath\nbefallen after the Sultan\u2019s departure?\u201d He asked, \u201cWhat is to do?\u201d and\nthey told him that his Castrato had been slain by a party of the palace\neunuchry. Thereupon he said to them, \u201cIn your hand abideth testimony of\nthis whenas the Sultan shall return and ye shall bear witness to it.\u201d\nBut, O King, the Wazir\u2019s passion for our mother waxed cool after the\ndeaths of the nurse and the slave-girls and the eunuch; and she also\nheld her peace and spake not a word there anent. On this wise time\npassed and he sat in the stead of my sire till the Sultan\u2019s return drew\nnear when the Minister dreaded lest our father, learning his ill deeds,\nshould do him die. So he devised a device and wrote a letter to the King\nsaying:\u2014\u2014\u201cAfter salutation be it known to thee that thy Harem hath sent\nto me, not only once but five several times during thine absence,\nsoliciting of me a foul action, to which I refused consent and replied,\nBy Allah, however much she may wish to betray my Sovran, I by the\nAlmighty will not turn traitor; for that I was left by thee guardian of\nthe realm after thy departure.\u201d He added words upon words; then he\nsealed the scroll and gave it to a running courier with orders to hurry\nalong the road. The messenger took it and fared with it to the Sultan\u2019s\ncamp when distant eight days\u2019 journey from the capital; and, finding him\nseated in his pavilion,[153] delivered the writ. He took it and opened\nit and read it and when he understood its secret significance, his face\nchanged, his eyes turned backwards and he bade his tents be struck for\ndeparture. So they fared by forced marches till between him and his\ncapital remained only two stations. He then summoned two Chamberlains\nwith orders to forego him to the city and take my mother and us three\ngirls a day\u2019s distance from it and there put us to death. Accordingly,\nthey led us four to the open country purposing to kill us, and my mother\nknew not what intent was in their minds until they reached the appointed\nspot. Now the Queen had in times past heaped alms-deeds and largesse\nupon the two Chamberlains, so they held the case to be a grievous and\nsaid each to other, \u201cBy Allah we cannot slaughter them; no, never!\u201d Then\nthey told my mother of the letter which the Wazir had written to our\nfather saying such-and-such, upon which she exclaimed, \u201cHe hath lied, by\nAllah, the arch-traitor; and naught happened save so-and-so.\u201d Then she\nrelated to them all she had done with the exactest truth. The men said,\n\u201cSooth thou hast spoken;\u201d then arising without stay or delay they snared\na gazelle and slaughtered it and filled with its blood four flasks;\nafter which they broiled some of the flesh over the embers and gave it\nto my mother that we might satisfy our hunger. Presently they farewelled\nus saying, \u201cWe give you in charge of Him who never disappointed those\ncommitted to His care;\u201d and, lastly, they went their ways leaving us\nalone in the wild and the wold. So we fell to eating the desert-grasses\nand drinking of the remnants of the rain, and we walked awhile and\nrested awhile without finding any city or inhabited region; and we waxed\ntired, O King of the Age, when suddenly we came upon a spot on a\nhill-flank abounding in vari-coloured herbs and fair fountains. Here we\nabode ten days and behold, a caravan drew near us and encamped hard by\nus, but they did not sight us for that we hid ourselves from their view\nuntil night fell. Then I went to them and asked of sundry eunuchs and\nascertained that there was a city at the distance of two days\u2019 march\nfrom us; so I returned and informed my mother who rejoiced at the good\ntidings. As soon as it was morn the caravan marched off, so we four\narose and walked all that day through at a leisurely pace, and a second\nday and so forth; until, on the afternoon of the fifth, a city rose\nbefore our sight fulfilling all our desires[154] and we exclaimed,\n\u201cAlhamdolillah, laud be to the Lord who hath empowered us to reach it.\u201d\nWe ceased not faring till sunset when we entered it and we found it a\npotent capital. Such was our case and that of our mother;[155] but as\nregards our sire the Sultan, as he drew near his home after the\nreturn-journey from the Hajj, the Lords of the land and the Chiefs of\nthe city flocked out to meet him, and the town-folk followed one another\nlike men riding on pillions[156] to salute him, and the poor and the\nmesquin congratulated him on his safety and at last the Wazir made his\nappearance. The Sultan desired to be private with the Minister\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to\nsay her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy\nstory, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd\nwhere is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming\nnight an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the King desired to be private with the\nMinister and when they were left alone he said, \u201cO Wazir, how was it\nbetween thee and that Harim of mine?\u201d Said the other, \u201cO King of the\nAge, she sent to me not only once but five several times and I refrained\nfrom her and whatsoever eunuch she despatched I slew, saying, Haply she\nmay cease so doing and abandon her evil intent. But she did not repent,\nso I feared for thine honour and sent to acquaint thee with the matter.\u201d\nThe Sultan bowed his head groundwards for a while, then raising it he\nbade summon the two Chamberlains whom he had sent to slay his wife and\nthree children. On their appearing he asked them, \u201cWhat have you done in\nfulfilling my commandment?\u201d They answered, \u201cWe did that which thou\nbadest be done,\u201d and showed him the four flasks they had filled with the\nblood and said, \u201cThis be their blood, a flask-full from each.\u201d The\nSultan hent them in hand and mused over what had taken place between him\nand his wife of love and affection and union; so he wept with bitter\nweeping and fell down in a fainting fit. After an hour or so he\nrecovered and turning to the Wazir said, \u201cTell me, hast thou spoken\nsooth?\u201d and the other replied, \u201cYes, I have.\u201d Then the Sultan addressed\nthe two Chamberlains and asked them, \u201cHave ye put to death my daughters\nwith their mother?\u201d But they remained silent nor made aught of answer or\naddress. So he exclaimed, \u201cWhat is on your minds that ye speak not?\u201d\nThey rejoined, \u201cBy Allah, O King of the Age, the honest man cannot tell\nan untruth for that lying and leasing are the characteristics of\nhypocrites and traitors.\u201d When the Wazir heard the Chamberlains\u2019 speech\nhis colour yellowed, his frame was disordered and a trembling seized his\nlimbs, and the King turned to him and noted that these symptoms had been\ncaused by the words of the two officials. So he continued to them, \u201cWhat\nmean ye, O Chamberlains, by your saying that lies and leasing are the\ncharacteristics of hypocrites and traitors? Can it be that ye have not\nput them to death? And as ye claim to be true men either ye have killed\nthem and ye speak thus or you are liars. Now by Him who hath set me upon\nthe necks of His lieges, if ye declare not to me the truth I will do you\nboth die by the foulest of deaths.\u201d They rejoined, \u201cBy Allah, O King of\nthe Age, whenas thou badest us take them and slay them, we obeyed thy\nbidding and they knew not nor could they divine what was to be until we\narrived with them at the middlemost and broadest of the desert; and when\nwe informed them of what had been done by the Wazir, thy Harem\nexclaimed:\u2014\u2014There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great. Verily we are Allah\u2019s and unto Him are we\nreturning. But an ye kill us you will kill us wrongfully and ye wot not\nwherefor. By the Lord, this Wazir hath foully lied and hath accused us\nfalsely before the Almighty. So we said to her, O King of the\nAge:\u2014\u2014Inform us of what really took place; and said the mother of the\nPrincesses:\u2014\u2014Thus and thus it happened. Then she fell to telling us the\nwhole tale from first to last of the nurse who was sent to her and the\nhandmaids and the Eunuch.\u201d[157] Hereupon the Sultan cried, \u201cAnd ye, have\nye slain them or not?\u201d and the Chamberlains replied, \u201cBy Allah, O King\nof the Age, whenas the loyalty of thy Harem was made manifest to us we\nsnared a gazelle and cut its throat and filled these four flasks with\nits blood; after which we broiled some of the flesh upon the embers and\noffered it to thy Harem and her children saying to them:\u2014\u2014We give thee\nin charge to Him who never disappointeth those committed to His care,\nand we added, Your truth shall save you. Lastly we left them in the\nmidmost of the waste and we returned hither.\u201d When the Sultan heard\nthese words he turned to the Wazir and exclaimed, \u201cThou hast estranged\nfrom me my wife and my children;\u201d but the Minister uttered not a word\nnor made any address and trembled in every limb like one afflicted with\nan ague. And when the King saw the truth of the Chamberlains and the\ntreachery of the Minister he bade fuel be collected and set on fire and\nthey did his bidding. Then he commanded them to truss up the Wazir, hand\ntied to foot, and bind him perforce upon a catapult[158] and cast him\ninto the middle of the fiery pyre which made his bones melt before his\nflesh. Lastly he ordered his palace to be pillaged, his good to be\nspoiled and the women of his Harem to be sold for slaves. After this he\nsaid to the Chamberlains, \u201cYou must know the spot wherein you left the\nQueen and Princesses;\u201d and said they, \u201cO King of the Age, we know it\nwell; but when we abandoned them and returned home they were in the\nmidst of the wolds and the wilds nor can we say what befel them or\nwhether they be now alive or dead.\u201d On this wise fared it with them; but\nas regards us three maidens and our mother, when we entered the\ncity\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased\nsaying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable?\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youngest sister continued her tale:\u2014\u2014So\nwhen we three maidens and our mother entered the city about sunset I the\nyoungest said to them, \u201cWe be three Princesses and a Queen-mother: so we\ncannot show ourselves in this our condition and needs must we lodge us\nin a Khan: also \u2019tis my rede that we should do best by donning boys\u2019\ndress. All agreeing hereto we did accordingly and, entering a\nCaravanserai, hired us a retired chamber in one of the wings. Now every\nday we three fared forth to service and at eventide we forgathered and\ntook what sufficed us of sustenance; but our semblance had changed with\nthe travails of travel and all who looked at us would say, These be\nlads. In this plight we passed the space of a year full-told till, one\nday of the days, we three fared forth to our chares, as was our wont,\nand behold, a young man met us upon the way and turning to me asked, \u201cO\nlad, wilt thou serve in my house?\u201d\u201d Quoth I, \u201cO my uncle,[159] I must\nask advice,\u201d and quoth he, \u201cO my lad, crave counsel of thy mother and\ncome and serve in our home.\u201d He then looked at my sisters and enquired,\n\u201cBe these thy comrades, O lad?\u201d and I replied \u201cNo, they are my\nbrothers.\u201d So we three went to our mother in the Khan and said to her,\n\u201cThis young man wisheth to hire the youngest of us for service,\u201d and\nsaid she, \u201cNo harm in that.\u201d Thereupon the youth arose and taking me by\nthe hand guided me to his home and led me in to his mother and his wife,\nand when the ancient dame saw me, her heart was opened to me. Presently\nquoth the young man to his parent, \u201cI have brought the lad to serve in\nour house and he hath two brothers and his mother dwelling with them.\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cMay it be fortunate to thee, O my son.\u201d[160] So I tarried\nthere serving them till sunset and when the evening-meal was eaten, they\ngave me a dish of meat and three large bannocks of clean bread. These I\ntook and carried to my mother whom I found sitting with my sisters and I\nset before them the meat and bread; but when my parent saw this she wept\nwith sore weeping and cried, \u201cTime hath overlooked us; erst we gave food\nto the folk and now the folk send us food.\u201d And cried I, \u201cMarvel not at\nthe works of the Creator; for verily Allah hath ordered for us this and\nfor others that and the world endureth not for any one;\u201d and I ceased\nnot soothing my mother\u2019s heart till it waxed clear of trouble and we ate\nand praised Almighty Allah. Now every day I went forth to serve at the\nyoung man\u2019s house and at eventide bore to my mother and sisters their\nsufficiency of food for supper,[161] breakfast and dinner; and when the\nyouth brought eatables of any kind for me I would distribute it to the\nfamily. And he looked well after our wants and at times he would supply\nclothing for me and for the youths, my sisters, and for my parent; so\nthat all hearts in our lodgings were full of affection for him. At last\nhis mother said, \u201cWhat need is there for the lad to go forth from us\nevery eventide and pass the night with his people? Let him lie in our\nhome and every day about afternoon-time carry the evening meal to his\nmother and brothers and then return to us and keep me company.\u201d I\nreplied, \u201cO my lady, let me consult my mother, to whom I will fare\nforthright and acquaint her herewith.\u201d But my parent objected saying, \u201cO\nmy daughter, we fear lest thou be discovered and they find thee out to\nbe a girl.\u201d I replied, \u201cOur Lord will veil our secret;\u201d and she\nrejoined, \u201cThen do thou obey them.\u201d So I lay with the young man\u2019s mother\nnor did any divine that I was a maid, albeit from the time when I\nentered into that youth\u2019s service my strength and comeliness had\nincreased. At last, one night of the nights, I went after supper to\nsleep at my employer\u2019s and the young man\u2019s mother chanced to glance in\nmy direction when she saw my loosed hair which gleamed and glistened\nmany-coloured as a peacock\u2019s robe. Next morning I arose and gathering up\nmy locks donned the T\u00e1kiyah[162] and proceeded, as usual, to do service\nabout the house never suspecting that the mother had taken notice of my\nhair. Presently she said to her son, \u201c\u2019Tis my wish that thou buy me a\nfew rose-blossoms which be fresh.\u201d He asked, \u201cTo make conserve?\u201d and she\nanswered, \u201cNo.\u201d Then he enquired; \u201cWherefore wantest thou roses?\u201d and\nshe replied, \u201cBy Allah, O my son, I wish therewith to try this our\nservant whom I suspect to be a girl and no boy; and under him in bed I\nwould strew rose-leaves, for an they be found wilted in the morning he\nis a lad, and if they remain as they were he is a lass.\u201d[163] So he\nfared forth and presently returned to his mother with the rose-blossoms;\nand, when the sleeping-hour came, she went and placed them in my bed. I\nslept well and in the morning when I arose she came to me and found that\nthe petals had not changed for the worse; nay, they had gained lustre.\nSo she made sure that I was a girl.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the\ndawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then\nquoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and\nhow enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared\nwith that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer\nme to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Three Hundred and Seventieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the damsel continued:\u2014\u2014So the young man\u2019s\nmother made certain that her servant lad was a virgin lass. But she\nconcealed her secret from her son and was kind to me and showed me\nrespect and, of the goodness of her heart, sent me back early to my\nmother and sisters. Now one day of the days the youth came home about\nnoon as was his wont; and he found me with sleeves tucked up to the\nelbows engaged in washing a bundle of shirts and turbands; and I was\ncareless of myself so he drew near me and noted my cheeks that flushed\nrosy red and eyes which were as those of the thirsty gazelle and my\nscorpion locks hanging adown my side face. This took place in\nsummertide; and when he saw me thus his wits were distraught and his\nsound senses were as naught and his judgment was in default: so he went\nin to his parent and said to her, \u201cO my mother, indeed this servant is\nno boy, but a maiden girl and my wish is that thou discover for me her\ncase and make manifest to me her condition and marry me to her, for that\nmy heart is fulfilled of her love.\u201d Now by the decree of the Decreer I\nwas privily listening to all they said of me; so presently I arose,\nafter washing the clothes and what else they had given me; but my state\nwas changed by their talk and I knew and felt certified that the youth\nand his mother had recognised me for a girl. I continued on this wise\ntill eventide when I took the food and returned to my family and they\nall ate till they had eaten enough, when I told them my adventure and my\nconviction. So my mother said to me, \u201cWhat remaineth for us now to do?\u201d\nand said I, \u201cO my mother, let us arise, we three, before night shall set\nin and go forth ere they lock the Khan upon us;[164] and if the\ndoor-keeper ask us aught let us answer:\u2014We are faring to spend the night\nin the house of the youth where our son is serving.\u201d My mother replied,\n\u201cRight indeed is thy rede.\u201d Accordingly, all four of us went forth at\nthe same time and when the porter asked, \u201cThis is night-tide and whither\nmay ye be wending?\u201d we answered, \u201cWe have been invited by the young man\nwhom our son serveth for he maketh a Septena-festival[165] and a\nbridal-feast: so we purpose to night with him and return a-morn.\u201d Quoth\nhe, \u201cThere is no harm in that. So we issued out and turned aside and\nsought the waste lands, the Veiler veiling us, and we ceased not walking\ntill the day brake and we were sore a-wearied. Then we sat for rest till\nthe rise of sun and when it shone we four sprang up and strave with our\nwayfare throughout the first day and the second and the third until the\nseventh. (Now all this was related to Mohammed the Sultan of Cairo and\nhis Wazir by the youngest Princess and they abode wondering at her\nwords.) On the seventh day we reached this city and here we housed\nourselves; but to this hour we have no news of our sire after the\nMinister was burnt nor do we know an he be whole or dead. Yet we yearn\nfor him: so do thou, of thine abundant favour, O King of the Age, and\nthy perfect beneficence, send a messenger to seek tidings of him and to\nacquaint him with our case, when he will send to fetch us.\u201d Here she\nceased speaking and the Monarch and Minister both wondered at her words\nand exclaimed, \u201cExalted be He who decreeth to His servants severance and\nreunion.\u201d Then the Sultan of Cairo arose without stay or delay and wrote\nletters to the King of Al-Ir\u00e1k, the father of the damsels, telling him\nthat he had taken them under his safeguard, them and their mother, and\ngave the writ to the Shaykh of the Cossids[166] and appointed for it a\nrunning courier and sent him forth with it to the desert. After this the\nKing took the three maidens and their mother and carried them to his\nPalace where he set apart for them an apartment and he appointed for\nthem what sufficed of appointments. Now, as for the Cossid who fared\nforth with the letter, he stinted not spanning the waste for the space\nof two months until he made the city of the bereaved King of Al-Ir\u00e1k,\nand when he asked for the royal whereabouts they pointed out to him a\npleasure-garden. So he repaired thither and went in to him, kissed\nground before him, offered his services, prayed for him and lastly\nhanded to him the letter. The King took it and brake the seal and opened\nthe scroll; but when he read it and comprehended its contents, he rose\nup and shrieked a loud shriek and fell to the floor in a fainting fit.\nSo the high officials flocked around him and raised him from the ground,\nand when he recovered after an hour or so they questioned him concerning\nthe cause of this. He then related to them the adventures of his wife\nand children; how they were still in the bonds of life whole and hearty;\nand forthright he ordered a ship to be got ready for them and stored\ntherein gifts and presents for him who had been the guardian of his\nQueen and her daughters. But he knew not what lurked for them in the\nfuture. So the ship sailed away, all on board seeking the desired city,\nand she reached it without delay, the winds blowing light and fair. Then\nshe fired the cannon of safe arrival[167] and the Sultan sent forth to\nenquire concerning her,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Seventy-first Night,\n\n[Illustration]\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nthis our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It hath\nreached me, O auspicious King, the director the right-guiding, lord of\nthe rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that the Sultan made enquiries concerning that ship, when\nbehold! the Rais[168] came forth her to the land and accosting the King\nhanded to him the letter and acquainted him with the arrival of the\ngifts and presents. Whereupon he bade all on board her come ashore and\nbe received in the guest-house for a space of three days until the\ntraces of travel should disappear from them. After that time the Sultan\ngat ready whatso became his high degree of offerings evening those\ndespatched to him by the father of the damsels and stowed them in the\nvessel, where he also embarked as much of victual and provaunt as might\nsuffice for all the voyagers. On the fourth day after sunset the damsels\nand their mother were borne on board and likewise went the master after\nthey had taken leave of the King and had salam\u2019d to him and prayed for\nhis preservation. Now in early morning the breeze blew free and fair so\nthey loosed sail and made for the back[169] of the sea and voyaged\nsafely for the first day and the second. But on the third about\nmid-afternoon a furious gale came out against them; whereby the sails\nwere torn to tatters and the masts fell overboard: so the crew made\ncertain of death, and the ship ceased not to be tossed upwards and to\nsettle down without mast or sail till midnight, all the folk lamenting\none to other, as did the maidens and their mother, till the wreck was\ndriven upon an island and there went to pieces. Then he whose life-term\nwas short died forthright and he whose life-term was long survived; and\nsome bestrode planks and others butts and others again bulks of timber\nwhereby all were separated each from other. Now the mother and two of\nthe daughters clomb upon planks they chanced find and sought their\nsafety; but the youngest of the maidens who had mounted a keg,[170] and\nwho knew nothing of her mother and sisters, was carried up and cast down\nby the waves for the space of five days till she landed upon an\nextensive seaboard where she found a sufficiency to eat and drink. She\nsat down upon the shore for an hour of time until she had taken rest and\nher heart was calmed and her fear had flown and she had recovered her\nspirits: then she rose and paced the sands, all unknowing whither she\nshould wend, and whenever she came upon aught of herbs she would eat of\nthem. This lasted through the first day and the second till the forenoon\nof the third, when lo and behold! a Knight advanced towards her, falcon\non fist and followed by a greyhound. For three days he had been\nwandering about the waste questing game either of birds or of beasts,\nbut he happened not upon either when he chanced to meet the maiden, and\nseeing her said in his mind, \u201cBy Allah, yon damsel is my quarry this\nvery day.\u201d So he drew near her and salam\u2019d to her and she returned his\nsalute; whereupon he asked her of her condition and she informed him of\nwhat had betided her; and his heart was softened towards her and taking\nher up on his horse\u2019s crupper he turned him homewards. Now of this\nyoungest sister (quoth Shahrazad) there is much to say, and we will say\nit when the tale shall require the telling. But as regards the second\nPrincess, she ceased not floating on the plank for the space of eight\ndays, until she was borne by the set of the sea close under the walls of\na city: but she was like one drunken with wine when she crawled up the\nshore and her raiment was in rags and her colour had wanned for excess\nof affright. However, she walked onwards at a slow pace till she reached\nthe city and came upon a house of low stone walls. So she went in and\nthere finding an ancient dame sitting and spinning yarn, she gave her\ngood evening and the other returned it adding, \u201cWho art thou, O my\ndaughter, and whence comest thou?\u201d She answered, \u201cO my aunt, I\u2019m fallen\nfrom the skies and have been met by the earth: thou needest not question\nme of aught, for my heart is clean molten by the fire of grief. An thou\ntake me in for love and kindness \u2019tis well and if not I will again fare\nforth on my wanderings.\u201d When the old woman heard these words she\ncompassioned the maiden and her heart felt tender towards her, and she\ncried, \u201cWelcome to thee, O my daughter, sit thee down!\u201d Accordingly she\nsat her down beside her hostess and the two fell to spinning yarn\nwhereby to gain their daily bread: and the old dame rejoiced in her and\nsaid, \u201cShe shall take the place of my daughter.\u201d Now of this second\nPrincess (quoth Shahrazad) there is much to say and we will say it when\nthe tale shall require the telling. But as regards the eldest sister,\nshe ceased not clinging to the plank and floating over the sea till the\nsixth day passed, and on the seventh she was cast upon a stead where lay\ngardens distant from the town six miles. So she walked into them and\nseeing fruit close-clustering she took of it and ate and donned the\ncast-off dress of a man she found nearhand. Then she kept on faring till\nshe entered the town and here she fell to wandering about the Bazars\ntill she came to the shop of a Kun\u00e1fah[171]-maker who was cooking his\nvermicelli; and he, seeing a fair youth in man\u2019s habit, said to her, \u201cO\nyounker, wilt thou be my servant?\u201d \u201cO my uncle,\u201d she said, \u201cI will\nwell;\u201d so he settled her wage each day a quarter farthing,[172] not\nincluding her diet. Now in that town were some fifteen shops wherein\nKunafah was made. She abode with the confectioner the first day and the\nsecond and the third to the full number of ten, when the traces of\ntravel left her and fear departed from her heart, and her favour and\ncomplexion were changed for the better and she became even as the moon,\nnor could any guess that the lad was a lass. Now it was the practice of\nthat man to buy every day half a quartern[173] of flour and use it for\nmaking his vermicelli; but when the so-seeming youth came to him he\nwould lay in each morning three quarterns; and the townsfolk heard of\nthis change and fell to saying, \u201cWe will never dine without the Kunafah\nof the confectioner who hath in his house the youth.\u201d This is what befel\nthe eldest Princess of whom (quoth Shahrazad) there is much to say and\nwe will say it when the tale shall require the telling. But as regards\nthe Queen-mother,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n              The Three Hundred and Seventy-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that as regards the mother of the maidens, when the\nship broke up under them and she bestrode the bulk of timber, she came\nupon the Rais in his boat manned by three of the men; so he took her on\nboard and they ceased not paddling for a space of three days when they\nsighted a lofty island which fulfilled their desire, and its summit\ntowered high in air. So they made for it till they drew near it and\nlanded on a low side-shore where they abandoned their boat; and they\nceased not walking through the rest of that day and those that followed\ntill one day of the days behold, a dust-cloud suddenly appeared to them\nspiring up to the skies. They fared for it and after a while it lifted,\nshowing beneath it a host with swords glancing and lanceheads gleams\nlancing and war steeds dancing and prancing, and these were ridden by\nmen like unto eagles and the host was under the hands of a Sultan around\nwhom ensigns and banners were flying. And when this King saw the Rais\nand the sailors and the woman following, he wheeled his charger\nthemwards to learn what tidings they brought and rode up to the\nstrangers and questioned them; and the castaways informed them that\ntheir ship had broken up under them. Now the cause of this host\u2019s taking\nthe field was that the King of Al-Irak, the father of the three maidens,\nafter he appointed the ship and saw her set out, felt uneasy at heart,\npresaging evil, and feared with sore fear the shifts of Time. So he went\nforth, he and his high Officials and his host, and marched adown the\nlongshore till, by decree of the Decreer, he suddenly and all\nunexpectedly came upon his Queen who was under charge of the ship\u2019s\ncaptain. Presently, seeing the cavalcade and its ensigns the Rais went\nforward and recognising the King hastened up to him and kissed his\nstirrup and his feet. The Sultan turned towards him and knew him; so he\nasked him of his state and the Rais answered by relating all that had\nbefallen him. Thereupon the King commanded his power to alight in that\nplace and they did so and set up their tents and pavilions. Then the\nSultan took seat in his Sh\u00e1miy\u00e1nah[174] and bade them bring his Queen\nand they brought her, and when eye met eye the pair greeted each other\nfondly and the father asked concerning her three children. She declared\nthat she had no tidings of them after the shipwreck and she knew not\nwhether they were dead or alive. Hereat the King wept with sore weeping\nand exclaimed, \u201cVerily we are Allah\u2019s and unto Him we are returning!\u201d\nafter which he gave orders to march from that place upon his capital.\nAccordingly they stinted not faring for a space of four days till they\nreached the city and he entered his citadel-palace. But every time and\nevery hour he was engrossed in pondering the affair of the three\nPrincesses and kept saying, \u201cWould heaven I wot are they drowned or did\nthey escape the sea; and, if they were saved, Oh, that I knew whether\nthey were scattered or abode in company one with other and whatever else\nmay have betided them!\u201d And he ceased not brooding over the issue of\nthings and kept addressing himself in speech; and neither meat was\npleasant to him nor drink. Such were his case and adventure; but as\nregards the youngest sister whenas she was met by the Knight and seated\nupon the crupper of his steed, he ceased not riding with her till he\nreached his city and went into his citadel-palace. Now the Knight was\nthe son of a Sultan who had lately deceased, but a usurper had seized\nthe reins of rule in his stead and Time had proved a tyrant to the\nyouth, who had therefore addicted himself to hunting and sporting. Now\nby the decree of the Decreer he had ridden forth to the chase where he\nmet the Princess and took her up behind him, and at the end of the ride,\nwhen he returned to his mother, he was becharmed by her charms; so he\ngave her in charge to his parent and honoured her with the highmost\npossible honour and felt for her a growing fondness even as felt she for\nhim. And when the girl had tarried with them a month full-told she\nincreased in beauty and loveliness and symmetrical stature and perfect\ngrace; then, the heart of the youth was fulfilled with love of her and\non like wise was the soul of the damsel who, in her new affection,\nforgot her mother and her sisters. But from the moment that maiden\nentered his Palace the fortunes of the young Knight amended and the\nworld waxed propitious to him nor less did the hearts of the lieges\nincline to him; so they held a meeting and said, \u201cThere shall be over us\nno Sovran and no Sultan save the son of our late King; and he who at\nthis present ruleth us hath neither great wealth nor just claim to the\nsovereignty.\u201d Now all this benefit which accrued to the young King was\nby the auspicious coming of the Princess. Presently the case was agreed\nupon by all the citizens of the capital that on the morning of the next\nday they would make him ruler and depose the usurper.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n              The Three Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the citizens in early morning held a meeting\nwhereat were present the Lords of the land and the high Officials, and\nthey went in to the usurping Sultan determined to remove and depose him.\nBut he refused and forswore consent, saying, \u201cBy Allah, such thing may\nnot be except after battle and slaughter.\u201d Accordingly they fared forth\nand acquainted the young King who held the matter grievous and was\noverridden by cark and care: however he said to them, \u201cIf there must\nperforce be fighting and killing, I have treasures sufficient to levy a\nhost.\u201d So saying he went away and disappeared; but presently he brought\nthem the moneys which they distributed to the troops. Then they repaired\nto the Mayd\u00e1n, the field of fight outside the city, and on like guise\nthe usurping Sultan rode out with all his power. And when the two\nopposing hosts were ranged in their forces, each right ready for the\nfray, the usurper and his men charged home upon the young King and\neither side engaged in fierce combat and sore slaughter befel. But the\nusurper had the better of the battle and purposed to seize the young\nKing amidst his many when, lo and behold! appeared a Knight backing a\ncoal-black mare; and he was armed cap-\u00e0-pie in a coat of mail, and he\ncarried a spear and a mace. With these he bore down upon the usurper and\nshore off his right forearm so that he fell from his destrier, and the\nKnight seeing this struck him a second stroke with the sword and parted\nhead from body. When his army saw the usurper fall, all sought safety in\nflight and _sauve qui peut_; but the army of the young King came up with\nthem and caused the scymitar to fall upon them so that were saved of\nthem only those to whom length of life was foreordained. Hereupon the\nvictors lost no time in gathering the spoils and the horses together;\nbut the young King stood gazing at the Knight and considering his\nprowess; yet he failed to recognize him and after an hour or so the\nstranger disappeared leaving the conqueror sorely chafed and vexed for\nthat he knew him not and had failed to forgather with him. After this\nthe young King returned from the battle-field with his band playing\nbehind him and he entered the seat of his power, and was raised by the\nlieges to the station of his sire. Those who had escaped the slaughter\ndispersed in all directions and sought safety in flight and the\npartizans who had enthroned the young King thronged around him and gave\nhim joy as also did the general of the city, whose rejoicings were\nincreased thereby. Now the coming of the aforesaid Knight was a wondrous\nmatter. When the rightful King made ready for battle the Princess feared\nfor his life and, being skilled in the practice of every weapon, she\nescaped the notice of the Queen-dowager and after donning her war-garb\nand battle-gear she went forth to the stable and saddled her a mare and\nmounted her and pushed in between the two armies. And as soon as she saw\nthe usurper charge down upon the young King as one determined to shed\nhis life\u2019s blood, she forestalled him and attacked him and tore out the\nlife from between his ribs. Then she returned to her apartment nor did\nany know of the deed she had done. Presently, when it was eventide the\nyoung King entered the Palace after securing his succession to royalty;\nbut he was still chafed and vexed for that he knew not the Knight. His\nmother met him and gave him joy of his safety and his accession to the\nSultanate, whereto he made reply, \u201cAh! O my mother, my length of days\nwas from the hand of a horseman who suddenly appearing joined us in our\nhardest stress and aided me in my straitest need and saved me from\nDeath.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cO my son, hast thou recognised him?\u201d and quoth he,\n\u201c\u2019Twas my best desire to discover him and to stablish him as my Wazir,\nbut this I failed to do.\u201d Now when the Princess heard these words she\nlaughed and rejoiced and still laughing said, \u201cTo whoso will make thee\nacquainted with him what wilt thou give?\u201d and said he, \u201cDost thou know\nhim?\u201d So she replied, \u201cI wot him not,\u201d and he rejoined, \u201cThen what is\nthe meaning of these thy words?\u201d when she answered him in these prosaic\nrhymes:[175]\u2014\n\n \u201cO my lord, may I prove thy sacrifice \u273f Nor exult at thy sorrows thine\n    enemies!\n Could unease and disease by others be borne \u273f The slave should bear load\n    on his lord that lies:\n I\u2019ll carry whatever makes thee complain \u273f And be my body the first that\n    dies.\u201d\n\nWhen he heard these words he again asked, \u201cDost thou know him?\u201d and she\nanswered, \u201cHe? Verily we wot him not;\u201d[176] and repeated the saying to\nhim a second time: withal he by no means understood her. So quoth she,\n\u201cHow canst thou administer the Sultanate and yet fail to comprehend my\nsimple words? For indeed I have made the case clear to thee.\u201d Hereupon\nhe fathomed the secret of the saying and flew to her in his joy and\nclasped her to his bosom and kissed her upon the cheeks. But his mother\nturned to him and said, \u201cO my son, do not on this wise for everything\nhath its time and season;\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n              The Three Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan\u2019s mother said, \u201cO my son, everything\nhath its time and season; and whoso hurrieth a matter before opportunity\nbefit shall be punished with the loss of it.\u201d But he replied, \u201cBy Allah,\nO my mother, thy suspicion be misplaced: I acted thus only on my\ngratitude to her, for assuredly she is the Knight who came to my aidance\nand who saved me from death.\u201d And his mother excused him. They passed\nthat night in converse and next day at noontide the King sought the\nDivan in order to issue his commandments; but when the assembly filled\nthe room and became as a garden of bloom the Lords of the land said to\nhim, \u201cO King of the Age, \u2019twere not suitable that thou become Sultan\nexcept thou take to thee a wife; and Alhamdolillah\u2014laud to the Lord who\nhath set thee on the necks of His servants and who hath restored the\nrealm to thee as successor of thy sire. There is no help but that thou\nmarry.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cTo hear is to consent,\u201d then he arose without stay or\ndelay and went in to his mother and related to her what had happened.\nQuoth she, \u201cO my son, do what becometh thee and Allah prosper thy\naffairs!\u201d He said to her, \u201cO my mother, retire thou with the maiden and\npersuade her to marriage for I want none other and I love not aught save\nherself,\u201d and said she, \u201cWith joy and gladness.\u201d So he went from her and\nshe arose and was private with the damsel when she addressed her, \u201cO my\nlady, the King desireth to wed thee and he wanteth none other and he\nseeketh not aught save thee.\u201d But the Princess hearing this exclaimed,\n\u201cHow shall I marry, I who have lost my kith and kin and my dear ones and\nam driven from my country and my birth-place? This were a proceeding\nopposed to propriety! But if it need must be and I have the fortune to\nforgather with my mother and sisters and father, then and then only it\nshall take place.\u201d The mother replied, \u201cWhy this delay, O my daughter?\nThe Lords of the land have stood up against the King in the matter of\nmarriage, and in the absence of espousals we fear for his deposition.\nNow maidens be many and their relations long to see each damsel wedded\nto my son and become a Queen in virtue of her husband\u2019s degree: but he\nwanteth none other and loveth naught save thyself. Accordingly, an thou\nwouldst take compassion on him and protect him by thy consent from the\ninsistence of the Grandees, deign accept him to mate.\u201d Nor did the\nSultan\u2019s mother cease to speak soothing words to the maiden and to\ngentle her with soft language until her mind was made up and she gave\nconsent.[177] Upon this they began to prepare for the ceremony\nforthright, and summoned the Kazi and witnesses who duly knotted the\nknot of wedlock and by eventide the glad tidings of the espousals were\nbruited abroad. The King bade spread bride-feasts and banqueting tables\nand invited his high Officials and the Grandees of the kingdom and he\nwent in to the maiden that very night and the rejoicings grew in\ngladness and all sorrows ceased to deal sadness. Then he proclaimed\nthrough the capital and all the burghs that the lieges should decorate\nthe streets with rare tapestries and multiform in honour of the\nSultanate. Accordingly, they adorned the thoroughfares in the city and\nits suburbs for forty days and the rejoicings increased when the King\nfed the widows and the Fakirs and the mesquin and scattered gold and\nrobed and gifted and largessed till all the days of decoration were gone\nby. On this wise the sky of his estate grew clear by the loyalty of the\nlieges and he gave orders to deal justice after the fashion of the older\nSultans, to wit, the Chosroes and the C\u00e6sars; and this condition endured\nfor three years, during which Almighty Allah blessed him by the Princess\nwith two men-children as they were moons. Such was the case with the\nyoungest Princess; but as regards the cadette, the second sister,\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that as regards the case of the cadette, the second\ndamsel, when she was adopted to daughter by the ancient dame she fell to\nspinning with her and living by the work of their hands. Now there\nchanced to govern that city a B\u00e1sh\u00e1[178] who had sickened with a sore\nsickness till he was near unto death; and the wise men and leaches had\ncompounded for him of medicines a mighty matter which, however, availed\nhim naught. At last the tidings came to the ears of the Princess who\nlived with the old woman and she said to her, \u201cO my mother, I desire to\nprepare a tasse of broth and do thou bear it to the Basha and let him\ndrink of it; haply will Almighty Allah vouchsafe him a cure whereby we\nshall gain some good.\u201d Said the other, \u201cO my daughter, and how shall I\nobtain admittance and who shall set the broth before him?\u201d The maiden\nreplied, \u201cO my mother, at the Gate of Allah Almighty!\u201d[179] and the dame\nrejoined, \u201cDo thou whatso thou willest.\u201d So the damsel arose and cooked\na tasse of broth and mingled with it sundry hot spices such as\npimento[180] and she had certain leaflets taken from the so-called\nWind-tree,[181] whereof she inserted a small portion deftly mingling the\ningredients. Then the old woman took it and set forth and walked till\nshe reached the Basha\u2019s mansion where the servants and eunuchs met her\nand asked her of what was with her. She answered, \u201cThis is a tasse of\nbroth which I have brought for the Basha that he drink of it as much as\nhe may fancy: haply Almighty Allah shall vouchsafe healing to him.\u201d They\nwent in and reported that to the Basha who exclaimed, \u201cBring her to me\nhither.\u201d Accordingly, they led her within and she offered to him the\ntasse of broth, whereupon he rose and sat upright and removed the cover\nfrom the cup which sent forth a pleasant savour: so he took it and\nsipped of it a spoonful and a second and a third when his heart opened\nto her and he drank of it till he could no more. Now this was in the\nforenoon and after finishing the soup he gave the old woman a somewhat\nof dinars which she took and returned therewith to the damsel rejoicing,\nand handed to her the gold pieces. But the Basha immediately after\ndrinking the broth felt drowsy and he slept a restful sleep till\nmid-afternoon and when he awoke health had returned to his frame\nbeginning from the time he drank. So he asked after the ancient dame and\nsent her word to prepare for him another tasse of broth like the first;\nbut they told him that none knew her dwelling-place. Now when the old\nwoman returned home the maiden asked her whether the broth had pleased\nthe Basha or not; and she said that it was very much to his liking; so\nthe girl got ready a second portion but without all the stronger\ningredients[182] of the first. Then she gave it to the dame who took it\nand went forth with it and whilst the Basha was asking for her behold,\nup she came and the servants took her and led her in to the Governor. On\nseeing her he rose and sat upright and called for other food and when it\nwas brought he ate his sufficiency, albeit for a length of time he could\nneither rise nor walk. But from the hour he drank all the broth he\nsniffed the scent of health and he could move about as he moved when\nhale and hearty. So he asked the old dame saying, \u201cDidst thou cook this\nbroth?\u201d and she answered, \u201cO my lord, my daughter made it and sent me\nwith it to thee.\u201d He exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah this maiden cannot be thy\ndaughter, O old woman; and she can be naught save the daughter of Kings.\nBut bid her every day at morning-tide cook me a tasse of the same\nbroth.\u201d The other replied, \u201cTo hear is to obey,\u201d and returned home with\nthis message to the damsel who did as the Basha bade the first day and\nthe second to the seventh day. And the Basha waxed stronger every day\nand when the week was ended he took horse and rode to his\npleasure-garden. He increased continually in force and vigour till, one\nday of the days, he sent for the dame and questioned her concerning the\ndamsel who lived with her; so she acquainted him with her case and what\nthere was in her of beauty and loveliness and perfect grace. Thereupon\nthe Basha fell in love with the girl by hearsay and without\neye-seeing[183]:\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Basha fell in love with the girl by hearsay\nand without eye-seeing: so he changed his habit and donning a dress of\nDarwaysh-cut left his mansion and threaded the streets passing from\nhouse to house until he reached that of the old woman. He then knocked\nat the entrance and she came behind it and asked \u201cWho\u2019s at the door?\u201d \u201cA\nDarwaysh and a stranger,\u201d answered he, \u201cwho knoweth no man in this town\nand who is sore anhungered.\u201d Now the ancient dame was by nature\nniggardly and she had lief put him off, but the damsel said to her,\n\u201cTurn him not away,\u201d and quoting \u2018Honour to the foreigner is a duty,\u2019\nsaid, \u201cSo do thou let him in.\u201d She admitted him and seated him when the\nmaiden brought him a somewhat of food and stood before him in his\nservice. He ate one time and ten times he gazed at the girl until he had\neaten his sufficiency when he washed his hands and rising left the house\nand went his ways. But his heart flamed with love of the Princess and he\nwas deeply enamoured of her and he ceased not walking until he reached\nhis mansion whence he sent for the old woman. And when they brought her,\nhe produced a mint of money and a sumptuous dress in which he requested\nand prayed her to attire the damsel: then the old woman took it and\nreturned to her proteg\u00e9e, saying to herself, \u201cBy Allah, if the girl\naccept the Basha and marry him she will prove sensible as fortunate; but\nan she be not content so to do I will turn her out of my door.\u201d When she\nwent in she gave her the dress and bade her don it, but the damsel\nrefused till the old woman coaxed her and persuaded her to try it on.\nNow when the dame left the Basha, he privily assumed a woman\u2019s habit and\nfollowed in her footsteps; and at last he entered the house close behind\nher and beheld the Princess in the sumptuous dress. Then the fire of his\ndesire flamed higher in his heart and he lacked patience to part from\nher, so he returned to his mansion with mind preoccupied and vitals\nyearning. Thither he summoned the old woman and asked her to demand the\ngirl in marriage and was instant with her and cried, \u201cNo help but this\nmust be.\u201d Accordingly she returned home and acquainted the girl with\nwhat had taken place adding, \u201cO my daughter, verily the Basha loveth\nthee and his wish is to wed thee: he hath been a benefactor to us, and\nthou wilt never meet his like; for that he is deeply enamoured of thee\nand the byword saith, \u2018Reward of lover is return of love.\u2019\u201d And the\nancient dame ceased not gentling her and plying her with friendly words\ntill she was soothed and gave consent. Then she returned to the Basha\nand informed him of her success, so he joyed with exceeding joy, and\nwithout stay or delay bade slaughter beeves and prepare bridal feasts\nand spread banquets whereto he invited the notables of his government:\nafter which he summoned the Kazi who tied the knot and he went in to her\nthat night. And of the abundance of his love he fared not forth from her\ntill seven days had sped; and he ceased not to cohabit with her for a\nspan of five years during which Allah vouchsafed to him a man-child by\nher and two daughters. Such was the case with the cadette Princess; but\nas regards the eldest sister, when she entered the city in youth\u2019s\nattire she was accosted by the Kun\u00e1fah-baker and was hired for a daily\nwage of a M\u00edd\u00ed of silver besides her meat and drink in his house. Now\n\u2019twas the practice of that man every day to buy half a quartern of flour\nand thereof make his vermicelli; but when the so-seeming youth came to\nhim he would buy and work up three quarterns; and all the folk who\nbought Kunafah of him would flock to his shop with the view of gazing\nupon the beauty and loveliness of the Youth and said, \u201cExalted be He who\ncreated and perfected what He wrought in the creation of this young\nman!\u201d Now by the decree of the Decreer the baker\u2019s shop faced the\nlattice-windows of the Sultan\u2019s Palace and one day of the days the\nKing\u2019s daughter chanced to look out at the window and she saw the Youth\nstanding with sleeves tucked up from arms which shone like ingots[184]\nof silver. Hereat the Princess fell in love with the Youth,\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n              The Three Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of\nthis our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It hath\nreached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of\nthe rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that when the Sultan\u2019s daughter looked out at the window\nshe fell in love with the youth, and she knew not how to act that she\nmight forgather with him: so desire afflicted her and extreme fondness\nand presently she took to her pillow all for her affection to that young\nman. Thereupon her nurse went in to her and found her lying upon her\ncarpet-bed a-moaning and a-groaning \u201cAh!\u201d So she exclaimed, \u201cThy safety\nfrom all whereof thou hast to complain!\u201d Then she took her hand and felt\nher pulse but could find in it no symptoms of sickness bodily, whereupon\nshe said, \u201cO my lady, thou hast no unease save what eyesight hath\nbrought thee.\u201d She replied, \u201cO my mother, do thou keep sacred my secret,\nand if thy hand can reach so far as to bring me my desire, prithee do\nso;\u201d and the nurse rejoined, \u201cO my lady, like me who can keep a secret?\ntherefore confide to me thy longing and Allah vouchsafe thee thy dearest\nhope.\u201d Said the Princess, \u201cO my mother, my heart is lost to the young\nman who worketh in the vermicelli-baker\u2019s shop and if I fail to be\nunited with him I shall die of grief.\u201d The nurse replied, \u201cBy Allah, O\nmy lady, he is the fairest of his age and indeed I lately passed by him\nas his sleeves were tucked up above his forearms and he ravished my\nwits: I longed to accost him but shame overcame me in presence of those\nwho were round him, some buying Kunafah and others gazing on his beauty\nand loveliness, his symmetric stature and his perfect grace. But I, O my\nlady, will do thee a service and cause thee forgather with him ere\nlong.\u201d Herewith the heart of the Princess was solaced and she promised\nthe nurse all good. Then the old woman left her and fell to devising how\nshe should act in order to bring about a meeting between her and the\nyouth or carry him into the Palace. So she went to the baker\u2019s shop and\nbringing out an Ashrafi[185] said to him, \u201cTake, O Master, this gold\npiece and make me a platter[186] of vermicelli meet for the best and\nsend it for me by this Youth who shall bring it to my home that be near\nhand: I cannot carry it myself.\u201d Quoth the baker in his mind, \u201cBy Allah,\ngood pay is this gold piece and a Kunafah is worth ten silverlings; so\nall the rest is pure profit.\u201d And he replied, \u201cOn my head and eyes be\nit, O my lady;\u201d and taking the Ashrafi made her a plate of vermicelli\nand bade his servant bear it to her house. So he took it up and\naccompanied the nurse till she reached the Princess\u2019s palace when she\nwent in and seated the Youth in an out-of-the-way closet. Then she\nrepaired to her nursling and said, \u201cRise up, O my lady, for I have\nbrought thee thy desire.\u201d The Princess sprang to her feet in hurry and\nflurry and fared till she came to the closet; then, going in she found\nthe Youth who had set down the Kunafah and who was standing in\nexpectation of the nurse\u2019s return that he and she might wend homewards.\nAnd suddenly the Sultan\u2019s daughter came in and bade the Youth be seated\nbeside her, and when he took seat she clasped him to her bosom of her\nlonging for him and fell to kissing him on the cheeks and mouth ever\nbelieving him to be a male masculant, till her hot desire for him was\nquenched.[187] Then she gave to him two golden dinars and said to him,\n\u201cO my lord and coolth of my eyes, do thou come hither every day that we\nmay take our pleasure, I and thou.\u201d He said, \u201cTo hear is to obey,\u201d and\nwent forth from her hardly believing in his safety, for he had learnt\nthat she was the Sultan\u2019s daughter, and he walked till he reached the\nshop of his employer to whom he gave the twenty dinars. Now when the\nbaker saw the gold, affright and terror entered his heart and he asked\nhis servant whence the money came; and, when told of the adventure, his\nhorror and dismay increased and he said to himself, \u201cAn this case of\nours continue, either the Sultan will hear that this youth practiseth\nupon his daughter, or she will prove in the family way and \u2019twill end in\nour deaths and the ruin of our country. The lad must quit this evil\npath.\u201d Thereupon quoth he to the Youth, \u201cFrom this time forwards do thou\ncease faring forth thereto,\u201d whereat quoth the other, \u201cI may not prevent\nmyself from going and I dread death an I go not.\u201d So the man cried, \u201cDo\nwhatso may seem good to thee.\u201d Accordingly, the Princess in male attire\nfell to going every morning and meeting the Sultan\u2019s daughter, till one\nday of the days she went in and the twain sat down and laughed and\nenjoyed themselves, when lo and behold! the King entered. And as soon as\nhe espied the youth and saw him seated beside his daughter, he commanded\nhim be arrested and they arrested him;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by\nthe dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine,\nand how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this\ncompared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the\nSovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n              The Three Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that when the Sultan entered and saw the youth\nsitting beside his daughter he commanded him to be arrested and they\narrested him; they also seized the Princess and bound her forearms to\nher sides with straitest bonds. Then the King summoned the Linkman and\nbade him smite off both their heads: so he took them and went down with\nthem to the place of execution. But when the tidings reached the\nKun\u00e1f\u00e1ni he shut up shop without stay and delay and fled. Presently the\nSultan said in his mind, \u201cFain would I question the Youth touching his\nobject in entering hither, and ask him who conducted him to my daughter\nand how he won access to her.\u201d Accordingly he sent to bring back the\ntwain and imprisoned them till nightfall: then he went in to his Harem\nand caused his daughter\u2019s person to be examined, and when they inspected\nher she proved to be a pure maid. This made the King marvel, for he\nsupposed that the Youth must have undone her maidenhead;[188] so he sent\nfor him to the presence, and when he came he considered him and found\nhim fairer even than his daughter; nay, far exceeding her in beauty and\nloveliness. So he cried, \u201cBy Allah this be a wondrous business! Verily\nmy daughter hath excuse for loving this Youth nor to my judgment doth\nshe even him in charms: not the less this affair is a shame to us, and\nthe foulest of stains and needs must the twain be done to death\nto-morrow morning!\u201d Herewith he commanded the jailer to take the Youth\nand to keep him beside him and he shut up the girl with her nurse. The\njailer forthwith led his charge to the jail; but it so happened that its\nportal was low; and, when the Youth was ordered to pass through it, he\nbent his brow downwards for easier entrance, when his turband struck\nagainst the lintel and fell from his head. The jailer turned to look at\nhim, and behold, his hair was braided and the plaits being loosed\ngleamed like an ingot of gold. He felt assured that the youth was a\nmaiden so he returned to the King in all haste and hurry and cried,\n\u201cPardon, O our lord the Sultan!\u201d \u201cAllah pardon us and thee;\u201d replied the\nKing, and the man rejoined, \u201cO King of the Age, yonder Youth is no boy;\nnay, he be a virgin girl.\u201d Quoth the Sultan, \u201cWhat sayest thou?\u201d and\nquoth the other, \u201cBy the truth of Him who made thee ruler of the necks\nof His worshippers, O King of the Age, verily this is a maiden.\u201d So he\nbade the prison-keeper bring her and set her in his presence and he\nreturned with her right soon, but now she paced daintily as the gazelle\nand veiled her face, because she saw that the jailer had discovered her\nsex. The King then commanded them carry her to the Harem whither he\nfollowed her and presently, having summoned his daughter, he questioned\nher concerning the cause of her union with the so-seeming Youth.\nHerewith she related all that had happened with perfect truth: he also\nput questions to the Princess in man\u2019s habit, but she stood abashed\nbefore him and was dumb, unable to utter a single word. As soon as it\nwas morning, the Sultan asked of the place where the Youth had dwelt and\nthey told him that he lodged with a Kun\u00e1fah-baker, and the King bade\nfetch the man, when they reported that he had fled. However, the Sultan\nwas instant in finding him, so they went forth and sought him for two\ndays when they secured him and set him between the royal hands. He\nenquired into the Youth\u2019s case and the other replied, \u201cBy Allah, O King\nof the Age, between me and him were no questionings and I wot not whence\nmay be his origin.\u201d The Monarch rejoined, \u201cO man, thou hast my plighted\nword for safety, so continue thy business as before and now gang thy\ngait.\u201d Then he turned to the maiden and repeated his enquiries, when she\nmade answer saying, \u201cO my lord, my tale is wondrous and my adventures\nmarvellous.\u201d \u201cAnd what may they be?\u201d he asked her.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Princess said to the Sultan, \u201cIn very sooth\nmy tale is passing strange,\u201d and he besought her to recount it. So she\nbegan to disclose the whole of her history and the adventures which had\nbefallen her and her sisters and their mother; especially of the\nshipwreck in middlemost ocean and of her coming to land; after which she\ntold the affair of the Wazir burnt by her sire, that traitor who had\nseparated children from father and, brief, all that had betided them\nfrom first to last. Hearing her soft speech and her strange story the\nSultan marvelled and his heart inclined herwards; then he gave her in\ncharge to the Palace women and conferred upon her favours and benefits.\nBut when he looked upon her beauty and loveliness, her brilliancy and\nperfect grace he fell deeply in love with her, and his daughter hearing\nthe accidents which had happened to the Princess\u2019s father cried, \u201cBy\nAllah, the story of this damsel should be chronicled in a book, that it\nbecome the talk of posterity and be quoted as an instance of the\nomnipotence of Allah Almighty; for He it is who parteth and scattereth\nand re-uniteth.\u201d So saying she took her and carried her to her own\napartment where she entreated her honourably; and the maiden, after she\nhad spent a month in the Palace, showed charms grown two-fold and even\nmore. At last one day of the days, as she sat beside the King\u2019s daughter\nin her chamber about eventide, when the sun was hot after a sultry\nsummer day and her cheeks had flushed rosy red, behold, the Sultan\nentered passing through the room on his way to the Harem and his glance\nundesignedly[189] fell upon the Princess who was in home gear, and he\nlooked a look of eyes that cost him a thousand sighs. So he was\nastounded and stood motionless knowing not whether to go or to come; and\nwhen his daughter sighted him in such plight she went up to him and\nsaid, \u201cWhat hath betided thee and brought thee to this condition?\u201d Quoth\nhe, \u201cBy Allah, this girl hath stolen my senses from my soul: I am fondly\nenamoured of her and if thou aid me not by asking her in marriage and I\nfail to wed her \u2019twill make my wits go clean bewildered.\u201d Thereupon the\nKing\u2019s daughter returned to the damsel and drawing near her said, \u201cO my\nlady and light of my eyes, indeed my father hath seen thee in thy\ndeshabille and he hath hung[190] all his hopes upon thee, so do not thou\ncontrary my words nor the counsel I am about to offer thee.\u201d \u201cAnd what\nmay that be, O my lady?\u201d asked she, and the other answered, \u201cMy wish is\nto marry thee to my sire and thou be to him wife and he be to thee man.\u201d\nBut when the maiden heard these words she wept with bitter weeping till\nshe sobbed aloud and cried, \u201cTime hath mastered us and decreed\nseparation: I know nothing of my mother and sisters and father, an they\nbe dead or on life, and whether they were drowned or came to ground;\nthen how should I enjoy a bridal f\u00eate when they may be in mortal sadness\nand sorrow?\u201d But the other ceased not to soothe her and array fair words\nagainst her and show her fondly friendship till her soul consented to\nwedlock. Presently the other brought out to her what habit befitted the\noccasion still comforting her heart with pleasant converse,[191] after\nwhich she carried the tidings to her sire. So he sent forthright to\nsummon his Lords of the reign and Grandees of the realm and the knot was\ntied between them twain; and, going in unto her that night, he found her\na hoard wherefrom the spell had freshly been dispelled; and of his\nlonging for her and his desire to her he abode with her two se\u2019nnights\nnever going forth from her or by night or by day. Hereat the dignitaries\nof his empire were sore vexed for that their Sultan ceased to appear at\nthe Divan and deal commandment between man and man, and his daughter\nwent in and acquainted him therewith. He asked her how long he had\nabsented himself and she answered saying, \u201cKnowest thou how long thou\nhast tarried in the Palace?\u201d whereto he replied \u201cNay.\u201d \u201cFourteen whole\ndays,\u201d cried she, whereupon he exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, O my daughter, I\nthought to myself that I had spent with her two days and no more.\u201d And\nhis daughter wondered to hear his words. Such was the case of the\ncadette Princess; but as regards the King, the father of the damsel,\nwhen he forgathered with the mother of his three daughters and she told\nhim of the shipwreck and the loss of her children he determined to\ntravel in search of the three damsels, he and the Wazir habited as\nDarwayshes\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                 The Three Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan resolved to travel in search of his\nchildren (the three damsels) he and his Wazir habited as Darwayshes. So\nleaving the government in charge of his wife he went forth and the twain\nin their search first visited the cities on the seaboard beginning with\nthe nearest; but they knew not what was concealed from them in the world\nof the future. They stinted not travelling for the space of a month till\nthey came to a city whose Sultan had a place hight Al-Dijlah[192]\nwhereupon he had built a Palace. The Darwayshes made for it and found\nthe King sitting in his Kiosque[193] accompanied by two little lads, the\nelder eight years old and the second six. They drew near to him and\nsaluting him offered their services and blessed him, wishing him length\nof life as is the fashion when addressing royalties; and he returned\ntheir greetings and made them draw near and showed them kindness; also,\nwhen it was eventide he bade his men serve them with somewhat of food.\nOn the next day the King fared forth to Tigris-bank and sat in his\nKiosque together with the two boys. Now the Darwayshes had hired them a\ncell in the Khan whence it was their daily wont to issue forth and\nwander about the city asking for what they sought; and this day they\nagain came to the place wherein sat the Sultan and they marvelled at the\nfair ordinance of the Palace. They continued to visit it every day till\none day of the days the two went out, according to their custom, and\nwhen entering the Palace one of the King\u2019s children, which was the\nyounger, came up to them and fell to considering them as if he had\nforgotten his own existence. This continued till the Darwayshes retired\nto their cell in the caravanserai whither the boy followed them to carry\nout the Secret Purpose existing in the All-knowledge of Allah. And when\nthe two sat down the Sultan\u2019s son went in to them and fell to gazing\nupon them and solacing himself with the sight, when the elder Darwaysh\nclasped him to his bosom and fell to kissing his cheeks, marvelling at\nhis semblance and at his beauty; and the boy in his turn forgot his\nfather and his mother and took to the old man. Now whenas night fell the\nSultan retired homewards fancying that his boy had foregone him to his\nmother while the Sult\u00e1nah fancied that her child was with his father,\nand this endured till such time as the King had entered the Harem. But\nonly the elder child was found there so the Sultan asked, \u201cWhere is the\nsecond boy?\u201d and the Queen answered, \u201cDay by day thou takest them with\nthee to Tigris-bank and thou bringest them back; but to-day only the\nelder hath returned.\u201d Thereupon they sought him but found him not and\nthe mother buffeted her face in grief for her child and the father lost\nhis right senses. Then the high Officials fared forth to search for\ntheir King\u2019s son and sought him from early night to the dawn of day, but\nnot finding him they deemed that he had been drowned in Tigris-water. So\nthey summoned all the fishermen and divers and caused them to drag the\nriver for a space of four days. All this time and the boy abode with the\nDarwayshes, who kept saying to him, \u201cGo to thy father and thy mother;\u201d\nbut he would not obey them and he would sit with the Fakirs upon whom\nall his thoughts were fixed while theirs were fixed upon him. This\nlasted till the fifth day when the door-keeper unsummoned entered the\ncell and found the Sultan\u2019s son sitting with the old men; so he went out\nhurriedly and repairing to the King cried, \u201cO my Sovran, thy boy is with\nthose Darwayshes who were wont daily to visit thee.\u201d Now when the Sultan\nheard the porter\u2019s words, he called aloud to his Eunuchs and\nChamberlains and gave them his orders; when they ran a race, as it were,\ntill they entered upon the holy men and carried them from their cell\ntogether with the boy and set all four[194] before the Sultan. The King\nexclaimed, \u201cVerily these Darwayshes must be spies and their object was\nto carry off my boy;\u201d so he took up his child and clasped him to his\nbosom and kissed him again and again of his yearning fondness to him,\nand presently he sent him to his mother who was well-nigh frantic. Then\nhe committed the two Fakirs (with commands to decapitate them) to the\nLinkman who took them and bound their hands and bared their heads and\nfell to crying, \u201cThis be his reward and the least of awards who turneth\ntraitor and kidnappeth the sons of the Kings;\u201d and as he cried all the\ncitizens great and small flocked to the spectacle. But when the boy\nheard the proclamation, he went forth in haste till he stood before the\nelder Darwaysh who was still kneeling upon the rug of blood and threw\nhimself upon him at full length till the Grandees of his father forcibly\nremoved him. Then the executioner stepped forward purposing to strike\nthe necks of the two old men and he raised his sword hand till the dark\nhue of his armpit showed[195] and he would have dealt the blow when the\nboy again made for the elder Fakir and threw himself upon him not only\nonce but twice and thrice, preventing the Sworder\u2019s stroke and abode\nclinging to the old man. The Sultan cried, \u201cThis Darwaysh is a\nSorcerer:\u201d but when the tidings reached the Sultanah, the boy\u2019s mother,\nshe exclaimed, \u201cO King, needs must this Darwaysh have a strange tale to\ntell, for the boy is wholly absorbed in him. So it is not possible to\nslay him on this wise till thou summon him to the presence and question\nhim: I also will listen to him behind the curtain and thus none shall\nhear him save our two selves.\u201d The King did her bidding and commanded\nthe old man to be brought: so they took him from under the sword and set\nhim before the King\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Eighty-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that at the King\u2019s bidding they took up the Fakir\nwho was still kneeling under the glaive and set him before the King who\nbade him be seated. And when he sat him down the Sultan commanded all\nwho were in the presence of Eunuchs and Chamberlains to withdraw, and\nthey withdrew leaving the Sovran with the old religious. But the second\nDarwaysh still knelt in his bonds under the sword of the Sworder who,\nstanding over against his head, kept looking for the royal signal to\nstrike. Then cried the King, \u201cO Mendicant, what drove thee to take my\nson, the core of my heart?\u201d He replied, \u201cBy Allah, O King, I took him\nnot for mine own pleasure; but he would not go from me and I threatened\nhim, withal he showed no fear till this destiny descended upon us.\u201d Now\nwhen the Sultan heard these words his heart softened to the old man and\nhe pitied him while the Sultanah who sat behind the curtain fell to\nweeping aloud. Presently the King said, \u201cO Darwaysh, relate to us thy\nhistory, for needs must it be a singular;\u201d but the old man began to shed\ntears and said, \u201cO King of the Age, I have a marvellous adventure which\nwere it graven with needle-gravers upon the eye corners were a warning\nto whoso would be warned.\u201d The Sultan was surprised and replied, \u201cWhat\nthen may be thy history, O Mendicant?\u201d and the other rejoined, \u201cO King\nof the Age, I will recount it to thee.\u201d[196] Accordingly he told him of\nhis kingship and the Wazir tempting his wife and of her slaying the\nnurse, the slave-girls, and the Eunuch; but when he came to this point\nthe Sultanah ran out in haste and hurry from behind the curtain and\nrushing up to the Darwaysh threw herself upon his bosom. The King seeing\nthis marvelled and in a fury of jealousy clapped hand to hilt crying to\nthe Fakir, \u201cThis be most unseemly behaviour!\u201d But the Queen replied,\n\u201cHold thy hand, by Allah, he is my father and I am his loving daughter;\u201d\nand she wept and laughed alternately[197] all of the excess of her joy.\nHereat the King wondered and bade release the second religious and\nexclaimed, \u201cSooth he spake who said:\u2014\n\n Allah joineth the parted when think the twain \u273f With firmest thought\n    ne\u2019er to meet again.\u201d\n\nThen the Sultanah began recounting to him the history of her sire and\nspecially what befel him from his Wazir; and he, when he heard her\nwords, felt assured of their truth. Presently he bade them change the\nhabits of her father and of his Wazir and dress them with the dress of\nKings; and he set apart for them an apartment and allotted to them\nrations of meat and drink; so extolled be He who disuniteth and\nre-uniteth! Now the Sultanah in question was the youngest daughter of\nthe old King who had been met by the Knight when out hunting, the same\nthat owed all his fair fortunes to her auspicious coming. Accordingly\nthe father was assured of having found the lost one and was delighted to\nnote her high degree; but after tarrying with her for a time he asked\npermission of his son-in-law to set out in quest of her two sisters and\nhe supplicated Almighty Allah to reunite him with the other twain as\nwith this first one. Thereupon quoth the Sultan, \u201cIt may not be save\nthat I accompany thee, for otherwise haply some mishap of the world may\nhappen to thee.\u201d Then the three sat down in council debating what they\nshould do and in fine they agreed to travel, taking with them some of\nthe Lords of the land and Chamberlains and Nabobs. They made ready and\nafter three days they marched out of the city\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an\nthe Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and\nthat was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Eighty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the old King marched forth the city accompanied\nby his son-in-law and his Wazir after the Sultan had supplied his own\nplace by a Viceregent who would carry out his commandments. Then they\nturned to travelling in quest of the two lost daughters and stinted not\ntheir wayfare for a space of twenty days, when they drew near a city\nlofty of base, and, finding a spacious camping-plain, thereon pitched\ntheir tents. The time was set of sun, so the cooks applied themselves to\ngetting ready the evening meal and when supper was served up all ate\nwhat sufficed them, and it was but little because of the travails of\ntravel, and they nighted in that site until morn was high. Now the ruler\nof that city was a Sultan mighty of might, potent of power and exceeding\nin energy; and he was surprised to hear a Chamberlain report to him\nsaying, \u201cO King of the Age, after an eventless night early this morning\nwe found outside thy capital tents and pavilions with standards and\nbanners planted overagainst them and all this after the fashion of the\nKings.\u201d The Sovran replied, \u201cThere is no help but that to these\ncreations of Allah some requirement is here: however, we will learn\ntheir tidings.\u201d So he took horse with his Grandees and made for the\nensigns and colours, and drawing near he noted gravity and majesty in\nthe array and eunuchs and followers and serving-men standing ready to do\nduty. Then he dismounted and walked till he approached the bystanders\nwhom he greeted with the salam. They salam\u2019d in return and received him\nwith most honourable reception and highmost respect till they had\nintroduced him into the royal Shahmiy\u00e1nah; when the two Kings rose to\nhim and welcomed him and he wished them long life in such language as is\nspoken by Royalties; and all sat down to converse one with other. Now\nthe Lord of the city had warned his people before he fared forth that\ndinner must be prepared; so when it was mid-forenoon the\nFarr\u00e1sh-folk[198] spread the tables with trays of food and the guests\ncame forward, one and all, and enjoyed their meal and were gladdened.\nThen the dishes were carried away for the servants and talk went round\ntill sunset, at which time the King again ordered food to be brought and\nall supped till they had their sufficiency. But the Sultan kept\nwondering in his mind and saying, \u201cWould Heaven I wot the cause of these\ntwo Kings coming to us!\u201d and when night fell the strangers prayed him to\nreturn home and to revisit them next morning. So he farewelled them and\nfared forth. This lasted three days, during which time he honoured them\nwith all honour, and on the fourth he got ready for them a banquet and\ninvited them to his Palace. They mounted and repaired thither when he\nset before them food; and as soon as they had fed, the trays were\nremoved and coffee and confections and sherbets were served up and they\nsat talking and enjoying themselves till supper-tide when they sought\npermission to hie campwards. But the Sultan of the city sware them to\npass the night with him; so they returned to their session till the\nfather of the damsels said, \u201cLet each of us tell a tale that our waking\nhours may be the more pleasant.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d they replied and all agreed in\nwishing that the Sultan of the city would begin. Now by the decree of\nthe Decreer the lattice-window of the Queen opened upon the place of\nsession and she could see them and hear every word they said. He began,\n\u201cBy Allah I have to relate an adventure which befel me and \u2019tis one of\nthe wonders of our time.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cAnd what may it be?\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased\nsaying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Eighty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan of the city said, \u201cIn such a year I\nhad a malady which none availed to medicine until at last an old woman\ncame to me bearing a tasse of broth which when I drank caused health\nreturn to me. So I bade her bring me a cupful every day and I drank it\ntill, after a time, I chanced to ask her who made that broth and she\nanswered that it was her daughter. And one day I assumed a disguise and\nwent to the ancient dame\u2019s house and there saw the girl who was a model\nof beauty and loveliness, brilliancy, symmetric stature and perfect\ngrace, and seeing her I lost my heart to her, and asked her to wife.\u201d\nShe answered, \u201cHow can I wed; I separated from my sisters and parents\nand all unknowing what hath become of them?\u201d Now when the father of the\ndamsels heard these words, tears rolled down his cheeks in rills and he\nremembered his two lost girls and wept and moaned and complained, the\nSultan looking on in astonishment the while; and when he went to his\nQueen he found her lying in a fainting fit. Hereupon he cried out her\nname and seated her and she on coming to exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, he who\nwept before you is my very father: by Him who created me I have no doubt\nthereof!\u201d So the Sultan went down to his father-in-law and led him up to\nthe Harem, and the daughter rose and met him and they threw their arms\nround each other\u2019s necks, and fondly greeted each other. After this the\nold King passed the night relating to her what had befallen him while\nshe recounted to him whatso hath betided her, from first to last,\nwhereupon their rejoicings increased and the father thanked Almighty\nAllah for having found two of his three children. The old King and his\nsons-in-law and his Wazir ceased not to enjoy themselves in the city,\neating and drinking[199] and making merry for a space of two days when\nthe father asked aidance of his daughters\u2019 husbands to seek his third\nchild that the general joy might be perfected. This request they granted\nand resolved to journey with him; so they made their preparations for\ntravel and issued forth the city together with sundry Lords of the land\nand high Dignitaries, all taking with them what was required of rations.\nThen travelling together in a body they faced the march. This was their\ncase; but as regards the third daughter (she who in man\u2019s attire had\nserved the Kun\u00e1fah-baker), after being married to the Sultan his love\nfor her and desire to her only increased and she cohabited with him for\na length of time. But one day of the days she called to mind her parents\nand her kith and kin and her native country, so she wept with sorest\nweeping till she swooned away and when she recovered she rose without\nstay or delay and taking two suits of Mameluke\u2019s habits patiently\nawaited the fall of night. Presently she donned one of the dresses and\nwent down to the stables where, finding all the grooms asleep, she\nsaddled her a stallion of the noblest strain and clinging to the near\nside mounted him. Then, having supplicated the veiling of the Veiler,\nshe fared undercover of the glooms for her own land, all unweeting the\nway, and when night gave place to day she saw herself amidst mountains\nand sands; nor did she know what she should do. However she found on a\nhill-flank some remnants of the late rain which she drank; then, loosing\nthe girths of her horse she gave him also to drink and she was about to\ntake her rest in that place when, lo and behold! a lion big of bulk and\nmighty of might drew near her and he was lashing his tail[200] and\nroaring thunderously.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day\nand fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that when the lion advanced to spring upon the\nPrincess who was habited as a Mameluke, and rushed to rend her in\npieces, she, seeing her imminent peril, sprang up in haste and bared her\nblade and met him brand in hand saying, \u201cOr he will slay me or I slay\nhim.\u201d But as she was hearty of heart she advanced till the two met and\nfell to fight and struck each at other, but the lion waxed furious and\ngnashed his tusks, now retreating and now circuiting around her and then\nreturning to front his foe purposing to claw her, when she heartened her\nheart and without giving ground she swayed her sabre with all the force\nof her forearm and struck the beast between the eyes and the blade came\nout gleaming between his thighs and he sank on earth life-forlore and\nweltering in his gore. Presently she wiped her scymitar and returned it\nto its sheath; then, drawing a whittle she came up to the carcass\nintending to skin it for her own use, when behold, there towered from\nafar two dust-clouds, one from the right and the other from the left,\nwhereat she withdrew from flaying the lion\u2019s fell and applied herself to\nlooking out. Now by the decree of the Decreer the first dust-cloud\napproaching her was that raised by the host of her father and his\nsons-in-law who, when they drew near all stood to gaze upon her and\nconsider her, saying in wonderment one to other, \u201cHow can this white\nslave (and he a mere lad) have slain this lion single-handed? Wall\u00e1hi,\nhad that beast charged down upon us he had scattered us far and wide,\nand haply he had torn one of us to pieces. By Allah, this matter is\nmarvellous!\u201d But the Mameluke looked mainly at the old King whom he knew\nto be his sire for his heart went forth to him. Meanwhile the second\ndust-cloud approached until those beneath it met the others who had\nforegone them, and behold, under it was the husband of the disguised\nPrincess and his many. Now the cause of this King marching forth and\ncoming thither was this. When he entered the Palace intending for the\nHarem, he found not his Queen, and he fared forth to seek her and\npresently by the decree of the Decreer the two hosts met at the place\nwhere the lion had been killed. The Sultan gazed upon the Mameluke and\nmarvelled at his slaying the monster and said to himself, \u201cNow were this\nwhite slave mine I would share with him my good and stablish him in my\nkingdom.\u201d Herewith the Mameluke came forward and flayed the lion of his\nfell and gutted him; then, lighting a fire he roasted somewhat of his\nflesh until it was sufficiently cooked all gazing upon him the while and\nmarvelling at the heartiness of his heart. And when the meat was ready,\nhe carved it and setting it upon a Sufrah[201] of leather said to all\npresent, \u201cBismillah, eat, in the name of Allah, what Fate hath given to\nyou!\u201d Thereupon all came forward and fell to eating of the lion\u2019s flesh\nexcept the Princess\u2019s husband who was not pleased to join them and said,\n\u201cBy Allah, I will not eat of this food until I learn the case of this\nyouth.\u201d[202] Now the Princess had recognised her spouse from the moment\nof his coming, but she was concealed from him by her Mameluke\u2019s\nclothing; and he disappeared time after time then returned to gaze upon\nthe white slave, eyeing now his eyes now his sides and now the turn of\nhis neck and saying privily in his mind, \u201cLaud to the Lord who created\nand fashioned him! By Allah this Mameluke is the counterpart of my wife\nin eyes and nose, and all his form and features are made likest-like\nunto hers. So extolled be He who hath none similar and no equal!\u201d He was\ndrowned in this thought but all the rest ate till they had eaten enough;\nthen they sat down to pass the rest of their day and their night in that\nstead. When it was dawn each and every craved leave to depart upon his\nown business; but the Princess\u2019s husband asked permission to wander in\nquest of her while the old King, the father of the damsels, determined\nto go forth with his two sons-in-law and find the third and last of his\nlost daughters. Then the Mameluke said to them, \u201cO my lords, sit we\ndown, I and you, for the rest of the day in this place and to-morrow I\nwill travel with you.\u201d Now the Princess for the length of her wanderings\n(which began too when she was a little one) had forgotten the semblance\nof her sire; but when she looked upon the old King her heart yearned\nunto him and she fell to talking with him, while he on his part whenever\nhe gazed at her felt a like longing and sought speech of her. So the\nfirst who consented to the Mameluke\u2019s proposal was the sire whose desire\nwas naught save to sit beside her; then the rest also agreed to pass the\nday reposing in that place, for that it was a pleasant mead and a\nspacious, garnished with green grass and bright with bourgeon and\nblossom. So they took seat there till sundown when each brought out what\nvictual he had and all ate their full and then fell to conversing; and\npresently said the Princess, \u201cO my lords, let each of you tell us a tale\nwhich he deemeth strange.\u201d Her father broke in saying, \u201cVerily this rede\nbe right and the first to recount will be I, for indeed mine is a rare\nadventure.\u201d Then he began his history telling them that he was born a\nKing and that such-and-such things had befallen him and so forth until\nthe end of his tale; and the Princess hearing his words was certified\nthat he was her sire. So presently she said, \u201cAnd I too have a strange\nhistory.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and goodwill! It hath\nreached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of\nthe rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that the Princess in Mameluke\u2019s habit said, \u201cAnd I too have\na strange history.\u201d Then she fell to relating all that had betided her\nfrom the very beginning to that which hath before been described; and\nwhen her father heard it he felt assured that she was his daughter. So\nhe arose and threw himself upon her and embraced her and after he veiled\nher face with a kerchief was with him, and her husband exclaimed, \u201cWould\nto Heaven that I also could forgather with my wife.\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cInshallah, and that soon,\u201d and she inclined to him after kindly fashion\nand said to herself, \u201cIndeed this be my true husband.\u201d Herewith all\nresolved to march from that stead and they departed, the Princess\u2019s\nspouse still unknowing that she was his wife; and they stinted not\nfaring till they entered the Sultan\u2019s city and all made for the Palace.\nThen the Princess slipped privily into the Harem without the knowledge\nof her mate and changed her semblance, when her father said to her\nhusband, \u201cHie thee to the women\u2019s apartment: haply Allah may show to\nthee thy wife.\u201d So he went in and found her sitting in her own apartment\nand he marvelled as he espied her and drew near her and threw his arms\nround her neck of his fond love to her and asked her concerning her\nabsence. Thereupon she told him the truth saying, \u201cI went forth seeking\nmy sire and habited in a Mameluke\u2019s habit and \u2019twas I slew the lion and\nroasted his flesh over the fire, but thou wouldest not eat thereof.\u201d At\nthese words the Sultan rejoiced and his rejoicings increased and all\nwere in the highmost of joy and jolliment; he and her father with the\ntwo other sons-in-law, and this endured for a long while. But at last\nall deemed it suitable to revisit their countries and capitals and each\nfarewelled his friends and the whole party returned safe and sound to\ntheir own homes.[203]\n\n\n\n\n              THE STORY OF THE KAZI WHO BARE A BABE.[204]\n\n\nIt hath been related that in Tar\u00e1bulus-town[205] of Syria was a K\u00e1z\u00ed\nappointed under orders of the Caliph H\u00e1r\u00fan al-Rash\u00edd to adjudge\nlaw-suits and dissolve contracts and cross-examine witnesses; and after\ntaking seat in his Mahkamah[206] his rigour and severity became well\nknown to all men. Now this judge kept a black handmaiden likest unto a\nbuffalo-bull and she cohabited with him for a lengthened while; for his\nnature was ever niggardly nor could anyone wrest from him half a Faddah\nor any alms-gift or aught else; and his diet was of biscuit[207] and\nonions. Moreover, he was ostentatious as he was miserly: he had an\neating-cloth bordered with a fine bell-fringe,[208] and when any person\nentered about dinner-time or supper-tide he would cry out, \u201cO handmaid,\nfetch the fringed table-cloth;\u201d and all who heard his words would say to\nthemselves, \u201cBy Allah, this must needs be a costly thing.\u201d Presently one\nday of the days his assessors and officers said to him, \u201cO our lord the\nKazi, take to thyself a wife, for yon negress becometh not a dignitary\nof thy degree.\u201d Said he, \u201cAn this need be, let any who hath a daughter\ngive her to me in wedlock and I will espouse her.\u201d Herewith quoth one\npresent, \u201cI have a fair daughter and a marriageable,\u201d whereto quoth the\nKazi, \u201cAn thou wouldst do me a favour this is the time.\u201d So the bride\nwas fitted out and the espousals took place forthright and that same\nnight the Kazi\u2019s father-in-law came to him and led him in to his bride\nsaying in his heart, \u201cI am now connected with the Kazi.\u201d And he took\npleasure in the thought for he knew naught of the judge\u2019s stinginess and\nhe could not suppose but that his daughter would be comfortable with her\nmate and well-to-do in the matter of diet and dress and furniture. Such\nwere the fancies which occurred to him; but as for the Kazi, he lay with\nthe maid and abated her maidenhead; and she in the morning awaited\nsomewhat wherewith to break her fast and waited in vain. Presently the\nKazi left her and repaired to his court-house whither the city-folk came\nand gave him joy of his marriage and wished him good morning, saying in\nthemselves, \u201cNeeds must he make a mighty fine bride-feast.\u201d But they sat\nthere to no purpose until past noon when each went his own way privily\ndamning the judge\u2019s penuriousness. As soon as they were gone he returned\nto his Harem and cried out to his black wench, \u201cO handmaiden, fetch the\nfringed table-cloth;\u201d and his bride hearing this rejoiced, saying to\nherself, \u201cBy Allah, his calling for this cloth requireth a banquet which\nbefitteth it, food suitable for the Kings.\u201d The negress arose and faring\nforth for a short time returned with the cloth richly fringed and set\nupon it a Kursi-stool,[209] and a tray of brass whereon were served\nthree biscuits and three onions. When the bride saw this, she prayed in\nher heart saying, \u201cNow may my Lord wreak my revenge upon my father!\u201d but\nher husband cried to her, \u201cCome hither, my girl,\u201d and the three sat down\nto the tray wherefrom each took a biscuit and an onion. The Kazi and the\nnegress ate all their portions, but the bride could not swallow even a\nthird of the hard bread apportioned to her; so she rose up, heartily\ncursing her father\u2019s ambition in her heart. At supper-tide it was the\nsame till the state of things became longsome to her and this endured\ncontinuously for three days, when she was ready to sink with hunger. So\nshe sent for her sire and cried aloud in his face. The Kazi hearing the\noutcries of his bride asked, \u201cWhat is to do?\u201d whereupon they informed\nhim that the young woman was not in love with this style of living.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to\nsay her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy\nstory, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd\nwhere is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming\nnight an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight and that was\n\n\n              The Three Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the bride was not in love with the Kazi\u2019s mode\nof living; so he took her and cut off her nose and divorced her, falsely\ndeclaring that she had behaved frowardly. On the next day he proposed\nfor another wife and married her and entreated her in like fashion as\nthe first; and when she demanded a divorce, he shredded off her nostrils\nand put her away; and whatever woman he espoused he starved by his\nstinginess and tortured with hunger, and when any demanded a divorce he\nwould chop off her nose on false pretences and put her away without\npaying aught either of her marriage settlement or of the contingent\ndowry. At last the report of that Kazi\u2019s avarice came to the ears of a\ndamsel of Mosul-city, a model of beauty and loveliness who had insight\ninto things hidden and just judgment and skilful contrivance. Thereupon,\nresolved to avenge her sex, she left her native place and journeyed till\nshe made Tar\u00e1bulus; and by the decree of the Decreer at that very time\nthe judge, after a day spent in his garden, purposed to return home so\nhe mounted his mule and met her half-way between the pleasance and the\ntown. He chanced to glance at her and saw that she was wondrous\nbeautiful and lovely, symmetrical and graceful and the spittle ran from\nhis mouth wetting his mustachios; and he advanced and accosting her\nsaid, \u201cO thou noble one, whence comest thou hither?\u201d \u201cFrom behind me!\u201d\n\u201c_Connu._ I knew that; but from what city?\u201d \u201cFrom Mosul.\u201d \u201cArt thou\nsingle and secluded or femme couverte with a husband alive.\u201d \u201cSingle I\nam still!\u201d \u201cCan it be that thou wilt take me and thou become to me mate\nand I become to thee man?\u201d \u201cIf such be our fate \u2019twill take place and I\nwill give thee an answer to-morrow;\u201d and so saying the damsel went on to\nTar\u00e1bulus. Now the Kazi after hearing her speech felt his love for her\nincrease; so next morning he sent to ask after her, and when they told\nhim that she had alighted at a Khan, he despatched to her the negress\nhis concubine with a party of friends to ask her in marriage, notifying\nthat he was Kazi of the city. Thereupon she demanded a dower of fifty\ndinars and naming a deputy caused the knot be knotted and she came to\nhim about evening time and he went in to her. But when it was the\nsupperhour he called as was his wont to his black handmaiden saying\n\u201cFetch the fringed table-cloth,\u201d and she fared forth and fetched it\nbringing also three biscuits and three onions, and as soon as the meal\nwas served up all three sat down to it, the Kazi, the slave-girl, and\nthe new bride. Each took a biscuit and an onion and ate them up and the\nbride exclaimed \u201cAllah requite thee with wealth. By Allah, this be a\nwholesome supper.\u201d When the judge heard this he was delighted with her\nand cried out, \u201cExtolled be the Almighty for that at last He hath\nvouchsafed to me a wife who thanketh the Lord for muchel or for little!\u201d\nBut he knew not what the Almighty had decreed to him through the wile\nand guile, the malice and mischief of women. Next morning the Kazi\nrepaired to the Mahkamah and the bride arose and solaced herself with\nlooking at the apartments, of which some lay open whilst others were\nclosed. Presently she came to one which was made fast by a door with a\nwooden bolt and a padlock of iron: she considered it and found it strong\nbut at the threshold was a fissure about the breadth of a finger; so she\npeeped through and espied gold and silver coins heaped up in trays of\nbrass which stood upon Kursi-stools and the nearest about ten cubits\nfrom the door. She then arose and fetched a long wand, the mid-rib of a\ndate-palm,[210] and arming the end with a lump of leaven she pushed it\nthrough the chink under the door and turned it round and round upon the\nmoney-trays as if sewing or writing. At last two dinars stuck to the\ndough and she drew them through the fissure and returned to her own\nchamber; then, calling the negress, she gave her the ducats saying, \u201cGo\nthou to the Bazar and buy us some mutton and rice and clarified butter;\nand do thou also bring us some fresh bread and spices and return with\nthem without delay.\u201d The negress took the gold and went to the market,\nwhere she bought all that her lady bade her buy and speedily came back,\nwhen the Kazi\u2019s wife arose and cooked a notable meal, after which she\nand the black chattel ate whatso they wanted. Presently the slave\nbrought basin and ewer to her lady and washed her hands and then fell to\nkissing her feet, saying, \u201cAllah feed thee, O my lady, even as thou hast\nfed me, for ever since I belonged to this Kazi I have lacked the\nnecessaries of life.\u201d Replied the other, \u201cRejoice, O handmaiden, for\nhenceforth thou shalt have every day naught but the bestest food of\nmanifold kinds;\u201d and the negress prayed Allah to preserve her and\nthanked her. At noon the Kazi entered and cried, \u201cO handmaid fetch the\nfringed cloth,\u201d and when she brought it he sat down and his wife arose\nand served up somewhat of the food she had cooked and he ate and\nrejoiced and was filled and at last he asked, \u201cWhence this provision?\u201d\nShe answered, \u201cI have in this city many kinsfolk who hearing of my\ncoming sent me these meats and quoth I to myself, When my lord the Kazi\nshall return home he shall make his dinner thereof.\u201d On the next day she\ndid as before and drawing out three ducats called the slave-girl and\ngave her two of them bidding her go to the Bazar and buy a lamb ready\nskinned and a quantity of rice and clarified butter and greens and\nspices and whatso was required for dressing the dishes. So the handmaid\nwent forth rejoicing, and bought all her lady had ordered and forthwith\nreturned when her mistress fell to cooking meats of various kinds and\nlastly sent to invite all her neighbours, women and maidens. When they\ncame she had got ready the trays garnished with dainty food[211] and\nserved up to them all that was suitable and they ate and enjoyed\nthemselves and made merry. Now this was about mid-forenoon, but as\nmidday drew near they went home carrying with them dishes full of\ndainties which they cleared and washed and sent back till everything was\nreturned to its place.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the guests of the Kazi\u2019s wife fared from her\nbefore turn of sun; and, when it was noon, behold, the Kazi entered his\nHarem and said, \u201cO handmaiden, fetch the fringed table-cloth,\u201d when the\nwife arose and set before him viands of various sorts. He asked whence\nthey came and she answered saying, \u201cThis is from my maternal aunt who\nsent it as a present to me.\u201d The judge ate and was delighted and abode\nin the Harem till set of sun. But his wife ceased not daily to draw\nmoney from his hoard and to expend it upon entertaining her friends and\ngossips, and this endured for a whole year. Now beside her mansion dwelt\na poor woman in a mean dwelling and every day the wife would feed her\nand her husband and babes; moreover she would give them all that\nsufficed them. The woman was far gone with child and the other charged\nher saying, \u201cAs soon as \u2019tis thy time to be delivered, do thou come to\nme for I have a mind to play a prank upon this Kazi who feareth not\nAllah and who, whenever he taketh to himself a wife, first depriveth her\nof food till she is well nigh famished, then shreddeth off her nose\nunder false pretences and putteth her away taking all her belongings and\ngiving naught of dower either the precedent or the contingent.\u201d And the\npoor woman replied, \u201cTo hear is to obey.\u201d Then the wife persisted in her\nlavish expenditure till her neighbour came to her already overtaken by\nbirth-pains, and these lasted but a little while when she was brought to\nbed of a boy. Hereupon the Kazi\u2019s wife arose and prepared a savoury dish\ncalled a Bays\u00e1rah,[212] the base of which is composed of beans and\ngravied mallows[213] seasoned with onions and garlic. It was noon when\nher husband came in and she served up the dish; and he being anhungered\nate of it and ate greedily and at supper time he did likewise. But he\nwas not accustomed to a Bays\u00e1rah, so as soon as night came on his paunch\nbegan to swell; the wind bellowed in his bowels; his stress was such\nthat he could not be more distressed and he roared out in his agony.\nHerewith his wife ran in and cried to him, \u201cNo harm shall befal thee, O\nmy lord!\u201d and so saying she passed her hand over his stomach and\npresently exclaimed \u201cExtolled be He, O my lord; verily thou art pregnant\nand a babe is in thy belly.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Kazi\u2019s wife came up to him and passing her\npalm over his paunch presently cried, \u201cExtolled be He, O my lord: verily\nthou art pregnant and a babe is in thy belly.\u201d Quoth the Kazi, \u201cHow\nshall a man bear a child?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cAllah createth whatso He\nwilleth.\u201d And as they two sat at talk the flatulence and belly-ache\nincreased and violent colic[214] set in and the torments waxed still\nmore torturing. Then the wife rose up and disappeared but presently she\nreturned with her pauper neighbour\u2019s newly-born babe in her sleeve, its\nmother accompanying it: she also brought a large basin of copper and she\nfound her husband rolling from right to left and crying aloud in his\nagony. At last the qualms[215] in his stomach were ready to burst forth\nand the rich food to issue from his body, and when this delivery was\nnear hand the wife privily set the basin under him like a close stool\nand fell to calling upon the Holy Names and to shampooing and rubbing\ndown his skin while she ejaculated, \u201cThe name of Allah be upon\nthee!\u201d[216] But all this was of her malice. At last the prima via opened\nand the Kazi let fly, whereat his wife came quickly behind and setting\nthe babe upon its back gently pinched it so that it began to wail, and\nsaid, \u201cO man Alhamdolillah,\u2014laud to the Lord, who hath so utterly\nrelieved thee of thy burthen,\u201d and she fell to muttering Names over the\nnew-born. Then quoth he, \u201cHave a care of the little one and keep it from\ncold draughts;\u201d for the trick had taken completely with the Kazi and he\nsaid in his mind, \u201cAllah createth whatso He willeth: even men if so\npredestined can bring forth.\u201d And presently he added, \u201cO woman, look out\nfor a wet nurse to suckle him;\u201d and she replied, \u201cO my lord, the nurse\nis with me in the women\u2019s apartments.\u201d Then having sent away the babe\nand its mother she came up to the Kazi and washed him and removed the\nbasin from under him and made him lie at full length. Presently after\ntaking thought he said, \u201cO woman, be careful to keep this matter private\nfor fear of the folk who otherwise might say:\u2014Our Kazi hath borne a\nbabe.\u201d She replied, \u201cO my lord, as the affair is known to other than our\ntwo selves how can we manage to conceal it?\u201d and after she resumed, \u201cO\nmy husband, this business can on no wise be hidden from the people for\nmore than a week or at most till next month.\u201d Herewith he cried out, \u201cO\nmy calamity; if it reach the ears of folk and they say:\u2014Our Kazi hath\nborne a babe, then what shall we do?\u201d He pondered the matter until\nmorning when he rose before daylight and, taking some provaunt secretly,\nmade ready to depart the city, saying, \u201cO Allah, suffer none to see me!\u201d\nThen, after giving his wife charge of the house and bidding her take\ncare of his effects and farewelling her, he went forth secretly from her\nand journeyed that day and a second and a third until the seventh, when\nhe entered Damascus of Syria where none knew him. But he had no spending\nmoney for he could not persuade himself to take even a single dinar from\nhis hoard and he had provided himself with naught save the meagrest\nprovision. So his condition was straitened and he was compelled to sell\nsomewhat of his clothes and lay out the price upon his urgent needs; and\nwhen the coin was finished he was forced to part with other portions of\nhis dress till little or nothing of it remained to him. Then, in his\nsorest strait, he went to the Shaykh of the Masons and said to him, \u201cO\nmaster, my wish is to serve in this industry;\u201d[217] and said he,\n\u201cWelcome to thee.\u201d So the Kazi worked through every day for a wage of\nfive Faddahs. Such was his case; but as regards his wife,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nwas surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on this\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was the\n\n\n                 The Three Hundred and Ninetieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that when the Kazi went forth from his wife she\nthrew a sherd[218] behind him and muttered \u201cAllah never bring thee back\nfrom thy journey.\u201d Then she arose and threw open the rooms and noted all\nthat was in them of moneys and moveables and _vaiselle_ and rarities,\nand she fell to feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and doling\nalms to Fak\u00edrs saying, \u201cThis be the reward of him who mortifieth the\ndaughters of folk and devoureth their substance and shreddeth off their\nnostrils.\u201d She also sent to the women he had married and divorced, and\ngave them of his good the equivalent of their dowers and a solatium for\nlosing their noses. And every day she assembled the goodwives of the\nquarter and cooked for them manifold kinds of food because her spouse\nthe Kazi was possessed of property approaching two Khaznahs[219] of\nmoney, he being ever loath to expend what his hand could hend and\nunprepared to part with aught on any wise, for the excess of his\nniggardness and his greed of gain. Nor did she cease from so doing for a\nlength of time until suddenly she overheard folk saying, \u201cOur Kazi hath\nborne a babe.\u201d And such bruit spread abroad and was reported in sundry\ncities, nor ceased the rumour ere it reached the ears of the Caliph\nHarun al-Rashid in Baghdad city. Now hearing it he marvelled and cried,\n\u201cExtolled be Allah! this hap, by the Lord, never can have happened save\nat the hand of some woman, a wise and a clever at contrivance; nor would\nshe have wrought after such fashion save to make public somewhat erst\nproceeding from the Kazi, either his covetous intent or his\nhigh-handedness in commandment. But needs must this goodwife be summoned\nbefore me and recount the cunning practice she hath practised;\u2014Allah\ngrant her success in the prank she hath played upon the Judge.\u201d Such was\nher case; but as concerns the Kazi, he abode working at builders\u2019 craft\ntill his bodily force was enfeebled and his frame became frail; so\npresently quoth he to himself, \u201cDo thou return to thy native land, for a\nlong time hath now passed and this affair is clean forgotten.\u201d Thereupon\nhe returned to Tar\u00e1bulus, but as he drew near thereto he was met outside\nthe city by a bevy of small boys who were playing at forfeits, and lo\nand behold! cried one to his comrades, \u201cO lads, do ye remember such and\nsuch a year when our Kazi was brought to bed?\u201d[220] But the Judge\nhearing these words returned forthright to Damascus by the way he came,\nsaying to himself, \u201cHie thee not save to Baghdad city for \u2019tis further\naway than Damascus!\u201d and set out at once for the House of Peace. However\nhe entered it privily, because he was still in the employ of the Prince\nof True Believers, Harun al-Rashid; and, changing semblance and\nsuperficials, he donned the dress of a Persian Darwaysh and fell to\nwalking about the streets of the capital. Here met he sundry men of high\ndegree who showed him favour, but he could not venture himself before\nthe Caliph albe sundry of the subjects said to him, \u201cO Darwaysh, why\ndost thou not appear in the presence of the Commander of the Faithful?\nAssuredly he would bestow upon thee many a boon, for he is a true\nSultan; and, specially, an thou panegyrise him in poetry, he will\nlargely add to his largesse.\u201d Now by the decree of Destiny the\nViceregent of Allah upon His Earth had commanded the Kazi\u2019s wife be\nbrought from Tarabulus: so they led her into the presence and when she\nhad kissed ground before him and salam\u2019d to him and prayed for the\nperpetuity of his glory and his existence, he asked her anent her\nhusband and how he had borne a child and what was the prank she had\nplayed him and in what manner she had gotten the better of him. She hung\nher head groundwards awhile for shame nor could she return aught of\nreply for a time, when the Commander of the Faithful said to her, \u201cThou\nhast my promise of safety and again safety, the safety of one who\nbetrayeth not his word.\u201d So she raised her head and cried, \u201cBy Allah, O\nKing of the Age, the story of this Kazi is a strange\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\u201d Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an\nthe Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and\nthat was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Ninety-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that quoth the Kazi\u2019s wife, \u201cBy Allah, O King of the\nAge, the story of this Kazi is a strange and of the wonders of the world\nand \u2019tis as follows. My spouse is so niggardly of nature and greedy of\ngain that whatso wife he weddeth he starveth her with hunger and, whenas\nshe loseth patience, he shreddeth her nostrils and putteth her away,\ntaking all her good and what not. Now this case continued for a while of\ntime. Also he had a black slave-wench and a fine eating-cloth and when\ndinner-time came he would cry, O handmaid, fetch the fringed\ntable-cloth! whereupon she would bring it and garnish it with three\nbiscuits and three onions, one to each mouth. Presently accounts of this\nconduct came to me at Mosul, whereupon I removed me to Tar\u00e1bulus, and\nthere played him many a prank amongst which was the dish of Bays\u00e1r by me\nseasoned with an over quantity of onions and garlic and such spices as\ngather wind in the maw and distend it like a tom-tom and breed\nborborygms.[221] This I gave him to eat and then befel that which befel.\nSo I said to him, Thou art in the family way and tricked him, privily\nbringing into the house a new-born babe. When his belly began to drain\noff I set under him a large metal basin and after pinching the little\none I placed it in the utensil and recited Names over it. Presently\nquoth he, Guard my little stranger from the draught and bring hither a\nwet-nurse; and I did accordingly. But he waxed ashamed of the birth and\nin the morning he fared forth the city nor knew we what Allah had done\nwith him. But as he went I bespake him with the words which the poet\nsang when the Ass of Umm Amr went off:\u2014\n\n Ass and Umm Amr[222] bewent their way; \u273f Nor Ass nor Umm Amr returned\n    for aye;\n\nand then I cited the saying of another:\u2014\n\n When I forced him to fare I bade him hie, \u273f Where Umm Kash\u2019am[223]\n    caused her selle to fly.\u201d\n\nNow as the Caliph Harun al-Rashid heard these words he laughed so hearty\na laugh that he fell backwards and bade the goodwife repeat her history\ntill he waxed distraught for excess of merriment, when lo and behold! a\nDarwaysh suddenly entered the presence. The wife looked at her husband\nand recognised him; but the Caliph knew not his Kazi, so much had time\nand trouble changed the Judge\u2019s cheer. However, she signalled to the\nCommander of the Faithful that the beggar was her mate and he taking the\nhint cried out, \u201cWelcome to thee, O Darwaysh, and where be the babe thou\nbarest at Tarabulus?\u201d The unfortunate replied, \u201cO King of the Age, do\nmen go with child?\u201d and the Prince of True Believers rejoined, \u201cWe heard\nthat the Kazi bare a babe and thou art that same Kazi now habited in\nFakir\u2019s habit. But who may be this woman thou seest?\u201d He made answer \u201cI\nwot not;\u201d but the dame exclaimed, \u201cWhy this denial, O thou who fearest\nAllah so little? I conjure thee by the life of the King to recount in\nhis presence all that betided thee.\u201d He could deny it no longer so he\ntold his tale before the Caliph, who laughed at him aloud; and at each\nadventure the King cried out, \u201cAllah spare thee and thy child, O Kazi!\u201d\nThereupon the Judge explained saying, \u201cPardon, O King of the Age, I\nmerit even more than what hath betided me.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised\nby the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O\nsister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is\nthis compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the\nSovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Ninety-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that quoth the Kazi to the King, \u201cI deserve even\nmore than what hath betided me for my deeds were unrighteous, O Ruler of\nthe Time. But now the twain of us be present between thy hands; so do\nthou, of thy generous grace and the perfection of thy beneficence, deign\nreconcile me unto my wife and from this moment forwards I repent before\nthe face of Allah nor will I ever return to the condition I was in of\nniggardise and greed of gain. But \u2019tis for her to decide and on whatever\nwise she direct me to act, therein will I not gainsay her; and do thou\nvouchsafe to me the further favour of restoring me to the office I\nwhilome held.\u201d When the Prince of True Believers, Harun al-Rashid, heard\nthe Kazi\u2019s words he turned to the Judge\u2019s wife and said, \u201cThou also hast\nheard what thy mate hath averred: so do thou become to him what thou\nwast before and thou hast command over all which thy husband requireth.\u201d\nShe replied, \u201cO King of the Age, even as thou hast the advantage of\nknowing, verily the Heavens and the son of Adam change not; for that\nman\u2019s nature is never altered except with his existence nor doth it\ndepart from him save when his life departeth. However, an he speak the\ntruth let him bind himself by a deed documented under thy personal\ninspection and thine own seal; so that if he break his covenant the case\nmay be committed to thee.\u201d The Caliph rejoined, \u201cSooth thou sayest that\nthe nature of Adam\u2019s son is allied to his existence;\u201d but the Kazi\nexclaimed, \u201cO our lord the Sultan, bid write for me the writ even as\nthou hast heard from her mouth and do thou deign witness it between us\ntwain.\u201d Thereupon the King reconciled their differences and allotted to\nthem a livelihood which would suffice and sent them both back to\nTarabulus-town. This is all that hath come down to us concerning the\nKazi who bare a babe: yet \u2019tis as naught compared with the tale of the\nBhang-eaters, for their story is wondrous and their adventures\ndelectable and marvellous. \u201cWhat may it be?\u201d asked Shahryar; so\nShahrazad began to recount\n\n\n\n\n             THE TALE OF THE KAZI AND THE BHANG-EATER.[224]\n\n\nThere was a certain eater of Bhang\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the\ndawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then\nquoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and\nhow enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared\nwith that I would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer\nme to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Ninety-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthen sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that there was a certain eater of Bhang whose wont\nit was every day to buy three Faddahs\u2019 worth of hemp and he would eat\none third thereof in the morning and a second at noon and the rest about\nsundown. He was by calling a fisherman; and regularly as dawn appeared\nhe would take hook and line and go down to the river a-fishing; then he\nwould sell of his catch a portion, expending half a Faddah on bread and\neat this with the remaining part of the fish broiled. He would also\nprovide himself day by day with a waxen taper and light it in his cell\nand sit before it, taking his pleasure and talking to himself after his\nlarge dose of Bhang. In such condition he abode a while of time until\none fine spring-night, about the middle of the month when the moon was\nshining sheeniest, he sat down to bespeak himself and said, \u201cHo,\nSuch-an-one! hie thee forth and solace thy soul with looking at the\nworld, for this be a time when none will espy thee and the winds are\nstill.\u201d Herewith he went forth intending for the river; but as soon as\nhe issued from his celldoor and trod upon the square, he beheld the\nmoonbeams bestrown upon the surface and, for the excess of his Bhang,\nhis Fancy said to him, \u201cBy Allah, soothly the stream floweth strong and\ntherein needs must be much store of fish. Return, O Such-an-one, to thy\ncell, bring hook and line and cast them into these waters; haply Allah\nour Lord shall vouchsafe thee somewhat of fish, for men say that by\nnight the fisher-wight on mighty fine work shall alight.\u201d He presently\nbrought out his gear and, having baited the hook, made a cast into the\nmoonlit square, taking station in the shadow of the walls where he\nbelieved the river bank to be. Then he bobbed[225] with his hook and\nline and kept gazing at the waters, when behold! a big dog sniffed the\nbait and coming up to it swallowed the hook till it stuck in his\ngullet.[226] The beast feeling it prick his throttle yelped with pain\nand made more noise every minute, rushing about to the right and the\nleft: so the line was shaken in the man\u2019s hand and he drew it in, but by\nso doing the hook pierced deeper and the brute howled all the louder;\nand it was pull Bhang-eater and pull cur. But the man dared not draw\nnear the moonlight, holding it to be the river, so he tucked up his gown\nto his hip-bones, and as the dog pulled more lustily he said in his\nmind, \u201cBy Allah this must be a mighty big fish and I believe it to be a\nravenous.\u201d[227] Then he gripped the line firmly and haled it in but the\ndog had the better of him and dragged him to the very marge of the\nmoonlight; so the fisherman waxed afraid and began to cry \u201cAlack! Alack!\nAlack![228] To my rescue ye braves![229] Help me for a monster of the\ndeep would drown me! Y\u00e1llah, hurry ye, my fine fellows, hasten to my\naid!\u201d Now at that hour people were enjoying the sweets of sleep and when\nthey heard these unseasonable outcries they flocked about him from every\nside and accosting him asked, \u201cWhat is it? What maketh thee cry aloud at\nsuch an hour? What hath befallen thee?\u201d He answered, \u201cSave me, otherwise\na river-monster will cause me fall into the stream and be drowned.\u201d\nThen, finding him tucked up to the hips, the folk approached him and\nenquired, \u201cWhere is the stream of which thou speakest?\u201d and he replied,\n\u201cYonder\u2019s the river; be ye all blind?\u201d Thereat they understood that he\nspoke of the moonbeams, whose sheen was dispread upon earth, deeming it\na river-surface, and they told him this; but he would not credit them\nand cried, \u201cSo ye also desire to drown me: be off from me! our Lord will\nsend me other than you to lend me good aid at this hour of need.\u201d They\nreplied, \u201cO well-born one, this be moonshine;\u201d but he rejoined, \u201cAway\nfrom me, ye low fellows,[230] ye dogs!\u201d They derided him and the angrier\nhe grew the more they laughed, till at last they said one to other, \u201cLet\nus leave him and wend our ways,\u201d and they quitted him in such\ncondition\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her Sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the folk who flocked to the assistance of the\nBhang-eater left him in such condition, he crying aloud in affright, the\ndog being now before him in a phrenzy of pain for the hook sticking in\nhis gullet and being unable to rid himself of it, while the man dreaded\nto draw near the moonshine, still deeming (albeit he stood upon terra\nfirma) that he was about to step into the stream. So he hugged the wall\nshadow which to him represented the river-bank. In this case he\ncontinued until day brake and light shone and the to-ing and fro-ing of\nthe folk increased; withal he remained as he was, crying out for\naffright lest he be drowned. Suddenly a Kazi rode by him and seeing him\nwith gown kilted up and the hound hanging on to the hook, asked, \u201cWhat\nmay be the matter with thee, O man?\u201d He answered saying, \u201cO my lord, I\ndread lest I be drowned in this stream, whither a monster of the deep is\na-dragging me.\u201d The judge looked at him and knew him for a Bhang-eater,\nso he dismounted from his monture and cried to one of his attendants,\n\u201cCatch hold of yon dog and unhook him!\u201d Now this Kazi was also one who\nwas wont to use Hash\u00edsh; so quoth he to himself, \u201cBy Allah, take this\nfellow with thee and feed him in thy house and make a mocking-stock of\nhim; and, as each night cometh on do thou and he eat together a portion\nof the drug and enjoy each other\u2019s company.\u201d Accordingly he took him and\ncarrying him to his quarters seated him in a private stead until\nnightfall when the twain met and supped together; then they swallowed a\nlarge dose of Bhang and they lit candles and sat in their light to enjoy\nthemselves.[231] Presently from excess of the drug they became as men\nJinn-mad, uttering words which befit not to intend or to indite,[232]\namongst which were a saying of the Bhang-eater to the Kazi, \u201cBy Allah,\nat this season I\u2019m as great as the King;\u201d and the Judge\u2019s reply, \u201cAnd I\nalso at such time am as great as the Basha, the Governor.\u201d Thereupon\nquoth to him the Bhang-eater, \u201cI\u2019m high above thee and if the King would\ncut off the Governor\u2019s head what would happen to hinder him?\u201d And quoth\nthe Kazi, \u201cYea, verily; naught would hinder him; but \u2019tis the custom of\nKings to appoint unto Governors a place wherein they may deal\ncommandment.\u201d Then they fell to debating the affairs of the Government\nand the Sultanate, when by decree of the Decreer the Sultan of the city\nwent forth his palace that very night, accompanied by the Wazir (and the\ntwain in disguise); and they ceased not traversing the town till they\nreached the house wherein sat the Bhang-eater and the Kazi. So they\nstood at the door and heard their talk from first to last when the King\nturned to the Minister and asked, \u201cWhat shall we do with these two\nfellows?\u201d \u201cBe patient, O King of the Age,\u201d answered the Wazir, \u201cuntil\nthey make an end of their talk, after which whatso thou wilt do with\nthem that will they deserve.\u201d \u201cTrue indeed,\u201d[233] quoth the ruler,\n\u201cnevertheless, instead of standing here let us go in to them.\u201d Now that\nnight the boon-companions had left the door open forgetting to padlock\nit; so the visitors entered and salam\u2019d to them and they returned the\ngreeting and rose to them and bade them be seated. Accordingly they sat\ndown and the Sultan said to the Bhang-eater, \u201cO man, fearest thou not\naught from the Sovran, thou and thy friend; and are ye sitting up until\nthis hour?\u201d He replied, \u201cThe Sultan himself often fareth forth at such\nuntimely time, and as he is a King even so am I, and yonder man is my\nBasha: moreover, if the ruler think to make japery of us, we are his\nequals and more.\u201d Thereupon the Sultan turned to his Wazir and said by\nsignals, \u201cI purpose to strike off the heads of these fellows;\u201d and said\nthe Minister in the same way, \u201cO King, needs must they have a story, for\nno man with his wits in his head would have uttered such utterance. But\npatience were our bestest plan.\u201d Then cried the Bhang-eater to the\nSultan, \u201cO man, whenever we say a syllable, thou signallest to thine\nassociate. What is it thou wouldst notify to him and we not\nunderstanding it? By Allah, unless thou sit respectfully in our presence\nwe will bid our Basha strike off thy pate!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised\nby the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine,\nand how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this\ncompared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the\nSovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that when the Sultan heard the Bhang-eater\u2019s words\nhe waxed the more furious and would have arisen and struck off his head;\nbut the Wazir winked at him and whispered, \u201cO King of the Age, I and\nthou are in disguise and these men imagine that we are of the commons:\nso be thou pitiful even as Almighty Allah is pitiful and willeth not the\npunishment of the sinner. Furthermore, I conceive that the twain are\neaters of Hash\u00edsh, which drug when swallowed by man, garreth him prattle\nof whatso he pleaseth and chooseth, making him now a Sultan then a Wazir\nand then a merchant, the while it seemeth to him that the world is in\nthe hollow of his hand.\u201d Quoth the Sultan, \u201cAnd what may be thy\ndescription of Hash\u00edsh?\u201d and quoth the Wazir, \u201c\u2019Tis composed of hemp\nleaflets, whereto they add aromatic roots and somewhat of sugar: then\nthey cook it and prepare a kind of confection which they eat;[234] but\nwhoso eateth it (especially an he eat more than enough), talketh of\nmatters which reason may on no wise represent. If thou wouldst know its\nsecret properties, on the coming night (Inshallah!) we will bring some\nwith us and administer it to these two men; and when they eat it the\ndose will be in addition to their ordinary.\u201d After this the Sultan left\nthem and went forth, when the Bhang-eater said to the Kazi, \u201cBy Allah,\nthis night we have enjoyed ourselves and next night (if Allah please!)\nwe will enjoy ourselves yet more.\u201d The other replied, \u201cYes, but I fear\nfrom the Sultan, lest he learn our practice and cut off our heads.\u201d \u201cWho\nshall bring the Sovran to us?\u201d asked the other: \u201che is in his palace and\nwe are in our own place; and, granting he come, I will divert him by\nrecounting an adventure which befel me.\u201d The Kazi answered, \u201cHave no\ndread of the Sultan; for he may not fare forth a-nights single-handed;\nnay, what while he issueth forth he must be escorted by his high\nofficials.\u201d Now when the next night fell, the Kazi brought the Hashish\nwhich he divided into two halves, eating one himself and giving the\nother to his companion; and both swallowed their portions after supper\nand then lit the waxen tapers and sat down to take their pleasure.[235]\nSuddenly the Sultan and his Wazir came in upon them during the height of\ntheir enjoyment, and the visitors were habited in dress other than\nbefore, and they brought with them a quantity of Bhang-confection and\nalso some conserve of roses: so they handed a portion of the first to\nthe revellers, which these accepted and ate, while they themselves\nswallowed the conserve, the others supposing it to be Hashish like what\nthey had eaten. Now when they had taken an overdose, they got into a\nhurly-burly of words and fell to saying things which can neither be\nintended nor indited, and amongst these they exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, the\nSultan is deposed and we will rule in his stead and deal commandment to\nhis reign.\u201d The other enquired, \u201cAnd if the Sultan summon us what wilt\nthou say to him?\u201d \u201cBy Allah, I will tell him a tale which befel myself\nand crave of him ten Faddahs wherewithal to buy Bhang!\u201d \u201cAnd hast thou\nany skill in tale-telling?\u201d \u201cIn good sooth I have!\u201d \u201cBut how wilt thou\ndepose the Sultan and reign in his stead?\u201d \u201cI will say to him \u2018Be off!\u2019\nand he will go.\u201d \u201cHe will strike thy neck.\u201d \u201cNay, the Sultan is pitiful\nand will not punish me for my words.\u201d So saying the Bhang-eater arose\nand loosed the inkle of his bag-trowsers, then approaching the Sultan he\ndrew forth his prickle and proceeded to bepiss him;[236] but the King\ntook flight as the other faced him, and fled before him, he\npursuing.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Bhang-eater holding up his bag-trowsers ran\nafter the Sultan purposing to bepiss him and caught up the fugitive at\nthe doorway when he fell over the threshold and began a-piddling upon\nhis own clothes. In like manner the Kazi attempted to bepiss the Wazir\nand ran after him to the entrance, where he also fell upon the\nBhang-eater and took to making water over him. So the Bhang-eater and\nthe Kazi lay each bewraying other, and the Sultan and the Wazir stood\nlaughing at them and saying, \u201cBy Allah, too much Hashish injureth man\u2019s\nwits;\u201d and presently they left and went their ways returning to their\npalaces. But the two drunkards ceased not lying in their own water till\nday broke; and when the fumes of the drug had left their brains, they\narose and found themselves dripping and befouled with their own filth.\nThereupon each said to other, \u201cWhat be this cross hath betided us?\u201d\nPresently they arose and washed themselves and their clothes; then\nsitting down together they said, \u201cNone did this deed by us save and\nexcept the two fellows who were with us; and who knoweth what they were,\nor citizens of this city or strangers; for \u2019twas they brought the\nintoxicant which we ate and it bred a madness in our brains. Verily\n\u2019twas they did the mischief; but, an they come to us a third time, needs\nmust we be instant with them and learn from them an they be foreigners\nor folk of this city: we will force them to confess, but if they hide\nthem from us we will turn them out.\u201d On the next night they met again\nand the two sat down and ate a quantity of Hashish after they had\nsupped: and they lit the waxen tapers and each of them drank a cup of\ncoffee.[237] Presently their heads whirled round under the drug and they\nsat down to talk and enjoy themselves when their drunkenness said to\nthem, \u201cUp with you and dance.\u201d Accordingly they arose and danced, when\nbehold, the Sultan and his Wazir suddenly came in upon them and salam\u2019d\nto them: so they returned the salutation but continued the saltation.\nThe new comers considered them in this condition and forthwith the King\nturned to the Minister and said, \u201cWhat shall we do with them?\u201d Said the\nother, \u201cPatience until their case come to end in somewhat whereof we can\nlay hold.\u201d Then they chose seats for themselves and solaced them with\nthe spectacle, and the dancers kept on dancing until they were tired and\nwere compelled to sit down and take their rest. Presently the\nBhang-eater looked at the Sultan and exclaimed, \u201cYou, whence are you?\u201d\nand he replied, \u201cWe be foreigner folk and never visited this city before\nthat night when we met you; and as we heard you making merry we entered\nto partake of your merriment.\u201d On this wise the device recoiled upon the\nBhang-eater and presently the King asked them, saying, \u201cFear ye not lest\nthe Sultan hear of you, and ye in this condition which would cause your\ndisgrace at his hands?\u201d The Bhang-eater answered, \u201cThe Sultan! What\ntidings of us can he have? He is in the royal Palace and we in our place\nof Bhang-eating.\u201d The Sovran rejoined, \u201cWhy not go to him! Belike he\nwill gift you and largesse you;\u201d but the Bhang-eater retorted, \u201cWe fear\nhis people lest they drive us away.\u201d Whereto quoth the King, \u201cThey will\nnot do on such wise and if thou require it we will write thee a note to\nhis address, for we know him of old inasmuch as both of us learned to\nread in the same school.\u201d \u201cWrite thy writ,\u201d quoth the other to the\nSultan who after inditing it and sealing it placed it in their hands and\npresently the two visitors departed. Then the Bhang-eater and the Kazi\nsat together through the night until daylight did appear when the fumes\nof the Hashish had fled their brains and the weather waxed fine and\nclear. So they said, each to other, \u201cLet us go to the Sultan,\u201d and the\ntwain set out together and walked till they reached the square facing\nthe Palace. Here, finding a crowd of folk, they went up to the door and\nthe Bhang-eater drew forth his letter and handed it to one of the\nSultan\u2019s suite, who on reading it fell to the ground and presently\nrising placed it upon his head.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn\nof day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth\nher sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n              The Three Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the officer who took the letter caused the\nBhang-eater and his comrade enter the presence, and the Sultan catching\nsight of them commanded them to be seated in a private stead where none\nother man was. His bidding was obeyed; and at noontide he sent them a\ntray of food for dinner and also coffee; and the same was done at\nsundown. But as soon as supper-tide came the Sultan prayed and recited\nsections of Holy Writ, as was his wont, until two hours had passed when\nhe ordered the twain be summoned; and when they stood in the presence\nand salam\u2019d to him and blessed him the King returned their salute and\ndirected them to be seated. Accordingly they sat down and quoth the\nSultan to the Bhang-eater, \u201cWhere be the man who gave you the writ?\u201d\nQuoth the other, \u201cO King of the Age, there were two men who came to us\nand said:\u2014\u2014Why go ye not to the King? Belike he will gift you and\nlargesse you. Our reply was:\u2014\u2014We know him not and we fear lest his folk\ndrive us away. So one of them said to us, I will write thee a note to\nhis address for we know him of old, inasmuch as both of us learned to\nread in the same school. Accordingly he indited it and sealed it and\ngave it to us; and coming hither we found his words true and now we are\nbetween his hands.\u201d The Sultan enquired, \u201cWas there any lack of civility\nto the strangers on your part?\u201d and they replied, \u201cNone, save our\nquestioning them and saying, Whence come ye? whereto they rejoined, We\nbe strangers. Beyond this there was nothing unpleasant; nothing at all.\u201d\n\u201cWhither went they?\u201d asked the King and the other answered, \u201cI wot not.\u201d\nThe Sultan continued, \u201cNeeds must thou bring them to me for \u2019tis long\nsince I saw them;\u201d and the other remarked, \u201cO King of the Age, if again\nthey come to our place we will seize them and carry them before thee\neven perforce, but in case they come not, we have no means to hand.\u201d\nQuoth the King, \u201cAn thou know them well, when thou catchest sight of\nthem they cannot escape thee,\u201d and quoth the other, \u201cYea, verily.\u201d Then\nthe Sultan pursued, \u201cWhat did ye with the twain who came before them and\nye wanted to bepiss them?\u201d Now when the Bhang-eater heard these words\nhis colour paled and his case changed, his limbs trembled and he\nsuspected that the person which he had insulted was the Sultan;\nwhereupon the King turned towards him and seeing in him signs of\ndiscomfiture asked, \u201cWhat is in thy mind, O Bhang-eater? What hath\nbefallen thee?\u201d The other arose forthright and kissing ground cried,\n\u201cPardon, O King of the Age, before whom I have sinned.\u201d The Sovran\nasked, \u201cHow didst thou know this?\u201d and he answered, \u201cBecause none other\nwas with us and news of us goeth not out of doors; so needs must thou\nhave been one of the twain and he who wrote the writ was thyself; for\nwell we know that the kings read not in schools. Thou and thy friend did\ncome in disguise to make merry at our expense; therefore pardon us, O\nKing of the Age, for mercy is a quality of the noble, and Almighty Allah\nsaid, \u2018Whoso pardoneth and benefitteth his reward is with Allah,\u2019 and\neke He said, \u2018And the stiflers of wrath and the pardoners of mankind and\nAllah loveth the doers of good.\u2019\u201d[238] Herewith the Sultan smiled and\nsaid, \u201cNo harm shall befal thee, O Bhang-eater! Thine excuse is accepted\nand thy default pardoned, but, O thou clever fellow, hast thou no tale\nto tell us?\u201d He replied, \u201cO King of the Age, I have a story touching\nmyself and my wife which, were it graven with needle-gravers upon the\neye-corners were a warning to whoso would be warned. But I strave\nagainst her on my own behalf, withal she overcame me and tyrannised over\nme by her contrivance.\u201d \u201cWhat is it?\u201d asked the King; so the man began\nto relate the\n\n\n               _HISTORY OF THE BHANG-EATER AND HIS WIFE._\n\nIn the beginning of my career I owned only a single bull and poverty\nconfused my wits.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Bhang-eater said to the Sultan:\u2014\u2014I had no\nproperty save a single bull and poverty confused my wits. So I resolved\nto sell Roger[239] and going to the Bazar stood therein expecting\nsomeone to buy it, but none came to me until the last of the day. At\nthat time I drove it forth and dragged it off till we reached half-way\nto my home, where I came upon a tree and sat down to rest in the cool\nshade. Now I had somewhat of Bhang with me, also a trifle of bread which\nI brought out and ate, and after I drank a draught of water from the\nspring. Presently the Bhang began to wobble in my brains and behold a\nbird in the tree-top which men call a Magpie[240] fell a-cawing, so I\nsaid to her, \u201cThou, O Mother of Solomon, hast thou a mind to buy the\nbull?\u201d and she cawed again. I continued, \u201cWhatso price ever thou settest\nupon the bull, at that will I cede it to thee.\u201d Again a croak, and I\n\u201cHaply thou hast brought no money?\u201d Another croak and cried I, \u201cSay the\nword and I will leave the bull with thee till next Friday when thou wilt\ncome and pay me its price.\u201d But she still cawed, and I, whenever she\nopened beak, O King of the Age, fancied that she bespake me and wanted\nthe bull. But all this was of the excess of my Bhang which kept working\nin my brains and I mistook the croaking for her conversing. Accordingly\nI left with her the bull bound to the tree and turned towards my\nvillage; and, when I went in to my wife, she asked me anent the bull and\nI told her of my selling it to the Mother of Solomon. \u201cWho may she be?\u201d\nasked my rib, and I replied, \u201cShe dwelleth in yonder tree;\u201d whereat my\nspouse rejoined, \u201cAllah compensate thee with welfare.\u201d So I awaited\npatiently the appointed term; then, after swallowing somewhat of Bhang,\nI repaired to the tree and sat beneath it when, lo and behold! the pie\ncawed and I cried to her, \u201cHast thou brought the coin?\u201d A second caw!\nThen said I, \u201cCome hither and bring me the money.\u201d A third caw! Hereat I\nwaxed wroth and arose and taking up a bittock of brick I threw it at her\nas she sat perched upon the tree, whereupon she flew off and alit upon\nan \u2018old man\u2019[241] of clay hard by. So it occurred to my mind, \u201cBy Allah,\nthe Mother of Solomon biddeth me follow her and recover the value of the\nbull from yonder \u2018old man.\u2019\u201d Presently I went up to it and digging\ntherein suddenly came upon a crock[242] full of gold wherefrom I took\nten ashrafis, the value of the bull, and returned it to its place,\nsaying, \u201cAllah ensure thy weal, O Mother of Solomon.\u201d Then I walked back\nto my village and went in to my wife and said, \u201cBy Allah, verily the\nMother of Solomon is of the righteous! Lookye, she gave me these ten\ngolden ducats to the price of our Roger.\u201d Said my wife, \u201cAnd who may be\nthe Mother of Solomon?\u201d and I told her all that had befallen me\nespecially in the matter of the crock of gold buried in the \u2018old man.\u2019\nBut after she heard my words she tarried until sundown; then, going to\nthe land-mark she dug into it and carrying off the crock brought it home\nprivily. But I suspected her of so doing and said to her, \u201cO woman, hast\nthou taken the good of the Mother of Solomon (and she of the righteous)\nafter we have received from her the price of our Roger out of her own\nmoneys? And hast thou gone and appropriated her property? By Allah, an\nthou restore it not to its stead even as it was, I will report to the\nW\u00e1l\u00ed that my wife hath happened upon treasure-trove.\u201d And so saying I\nwent forth from her. Then she arose and got ready somewhat of dough for\ncooking with flesh-meat and, sending for a fisherman, bade him bring her\na few fishes fresh-caught and all alive, and taking these inside the\nhouse she drew sweet water and sprinkled them therewith, and lastly she\nplaced the dough and meat outside the house ready for nightfall.\nPresently I returned and we supped, I and she; but \u2019twas my firm resolve\nto report my wife\u2019s find to the Chief of Police. We slept together till\nmidnight when she awoke me saying, \u201cO man, I have dreamed a dream, and\nthis it is, that the sky hath rained down drink and meat and that the\nfishes have entered our house.\u201d I replied to her of my folly and the\novermuch Bhang which disported in my head, \u201cLet us get up and look.\u201d So\nwe searched the inside of the house and we found the fishes, and the\noutside where we came upon the doughboy and flesh-meat; so we fell to\npicking it up, I and she, and broiling it and eating thereof till\nmorning. Then said I, \u201cDo thou go and return the moneys of Solomon\u2019s\nMother to their own place.\u201d But she would not and flatly refused.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to\nsay her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy\nstory, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd\nwhere is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming\nnight an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight and that was\n\n\n               The Three Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Bhang-eater continued:\u2014I said to my wife,\n\u201cDo thou go and return the moneys of Solomon\u2019s Mother to their own\nplace;\u201d but she would not and flatly refused. Then I repeated[243] my\nwords but without avail, so I flew into a fury and leaving her ceased\nnot trudging till I found the Wali and said to him, \u201cO my lord, my wife\nSuch-an-one hath hit upon a hoard and \u2019tis now with her.\u201d[244] The Chief\nof Police asked, \u201cO man, hast thou seen it?\u201d and I answered, \u201cYes.\u201d So\nhe sent a body of his followers to bring her before him and when she\ncame said to her, \u201cO woman, where is the treasure trove?\u201d Said she, \u201cO\nmy lord, this report is a baseless;\u201d whereupon the Chief of Police bade\nher be led to jail. They did his bidding and she abode in the prison a\nwhole day, after which the Wali summoned her and repeated his words to\nher adding, \u201cAn thou bring not the hoard I will slay thee and cast thy\ncorpse into the bogshop[245] of the Hammam.\u201d The woman (my wife)\nrejoined, \u201cO my lord, I never found aught;\u201d and when he persisted\nthreatening her with death she cried, \u201cO my lord, wherefore oppress me\non this wise and charge such load of sin upon thine own neck? I never\ncame upon treasure at all, at all!\u201d The Chief of Police retorted, \u201cMy\nfirst word and my last are these:\u2014\u2014Except thou bring the treasure trove\nI will slay thee and cast thee into the jakes.\u201d Herewith quoth she, \u201cO\nmy lord, ask my husband where it was I hit upon the hoard and at what\ntime, by day or by night,\u201d and the Wali\u2019s men cried, \u201cBy Allah, these\nher words are just and right, nor is therein aught of harm.\u201d So he sent\nto summon me and asked me, \u201cO man, when did thy wife hit upon the\nhoard?\u201d I answered, \u201cO my lord, she found it on the night when the skies\nrained drink and food and fishes.\u201d Now when the Wali heard my words he\nsaid to me, \u201cO man, the skies are not wont to shed aught save\nrain-water; and a man in his right wits speaketh not such speech as\nthis.\u201d Said I, \u201cBy the life of thy head, O my lord, they did rain all\nthree of them;\u201d but the officers cried, \u201cO my lord, verily this man be\nJinn-mad and his wife who telleth plain truth is wronged by him: the\nfellow deserveth confining in the M\u00e1rist\u00e1n.\u201d[246] Accordingly the Chief\nof Police bade the men set the woman free and let her wend her ways and\nseize me and throw me into the madhouse. They did his bidding and I\nremained there the first day and the second till the third when my wife\nsaid to herself, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great! By the Lord, needs must I go and relieve\nmy husband from Bedlam and charge him never again to speak of that\ntreasure trove.\u201d So she came to the Maristan and entering said to me,\n\u201cHo, Such-an-one, if any ask of thee saying:\u2014What do the skies\nrain?[247] do thou make answer, They rain water! Furthermore if they\ninquire of thee, Do they ever rain drink and food and fishes? reply\nthou, This is clean impossible, nor can such thing ever take place! Then\nhaply they will say to thee, How many days are in the week; and do thou\nsay, Seven days and this day be such a day! Lastly have a guard on\nthyself when speaking.\u201d I rejoined, \u201c\u2019Tis well, and now hie thee forth\nand buy me half a faddah\u2019s worth of Bhang, for during these days I have\nnot eaten aught thereof.\u201d So she went and bought me somewhat of food and\nof Hashish:\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                       The Four Hundredth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Bhang-eater\u2019s wife fared forth and brought\nback somewhat of food and of Hashish: then returning to the Maristan (he\ncontinued) she gave both to me and I ate of them, after which I said to\nher, \u201cLet us up and be off!\u201d whereto she, \u201cAnd when we go to the Wali\nwhat wilt thou say?\u201d Then the Bhang wrought in my brains and I cried, \u201cO\nbawd,[248] O my nice young lady, well thou wottest that the skies did\nrain flesh and drink and fishes! Why then didst thou not tell the truth\nbefore the Chief of Police?\u201d Thereupon the Manager of the Madhouse cried\nto me, \u201cO fellow, this is the babble of madmen!\u201d and I, \u201cBy Allah, I ate\nof them boiled; and doubtless the same kind of rain fell in your house.\u201d\nThe other exclaimed, \u201cThere be nor doubt nor hesitation anent the\ninsanity of one who sayeth such say!\u201d Now all this was related by the\nBhang-eater to the Sultan who marvelled and asked him, \u201cWhat could have\nmade thee go to the Manager and recount to him such absurdities?\u201d But\nthe Bhang-eater resumed, saying, \u201cI dwelt in the Maristan twenty days\nuntil at last having no Bhang to eat I came to my senses and confessed\nthat the skies shed only rain-water, that the week containeth seven days\nand that this day be such-and-such; in fact I discoursed like a man in\nhis right mind. So they discharged me and I went my ways.\u201d But when the\nKazi heard this tale he cried out to the Sultan, \u201cO King of the Age, my\nstory is still more wondrous than this, which is only a prank played by\na wife. My name was originally Ab\u00fa K\u00e1sim al-Tamb\u00far\u00ed[249] and I was\nappointed Kazi after a neat thing I did, and if thou, O our lord the\nSultan, desire to be told of the adventures which befel me and of the\nclever trick wherefor they made me a judge, deign give thy commandment\nand I will commence it.\u201d Quoth the Sultan, \u201cRecount to us why and where\nthey entitled thee Kazi,\u201d and the judge began to relate\n\n\n                 _HOW DRUMMER ABU KASIM BECAME A KAZI._\n\nThere was once, O King of the Age, a merchant and a man of Bassorah who\nwent about trading with eunuchs and slave-boys and who bore his goods in\nbales[250] from Bassorah to Ajam-land there to sell them and to buy him\nother merchandise for vending in Syria. On this wise he tarried a long\nwhile until one year of the years he packed up his property, as was his\nwont, and fared forth with it to Persia. But at that time there fortuned\nto be a famine and when he arrived at one of the cities of Ajam-land,\nwhere formerly the traders bought his goods, on this occasion none of\nthem would come near him. In such case he continued a long while till at\nlast a Khw\u00e1jah appeared before him, a man who owned abundant riches in\nPersia, but his home was distant three days from the place. The visitor\nasked saying, \u201cO Bassorite, wilt thou sell me thy stock-in-trade?\u201d\nwhereto the other answered, \u201cAnd how? Of course I\u2019ll sell it!\u201d So the\nbuyer opened the gate of bidding and offered such-and-such; but the\nBassorah man cried, \u201cAllah openeth.\u201d Then the purchaser added somewhat\nand the seller rejoined, \u201cGive me yet more!\u201d At last the buyer\nexclaimed, \u201cI will give nothing more than \u2018Anaught\u2019[251];\u201d and the\nseller accepted the offer saying, \u201cMay Allah grant us gain!\u201d Thereupon\nthe Persian Khwajah took over all the goods from the vendor and next day\nthe twain met to settle money-matters. Now I, O King of the Age,\nhappened to be abiding in that city. The seller received from the buyer\npayment in full nor did anything remain; but after, the Bassorah man\nsaid to his customer, \u201cThou still owest me the \u2018Anaught,\u2019 which thou\nmust hand over to me.\u201d The other replied jeeringly, \u201cAnd the \u2018Anaught\u2019\nis a naught; to wit, no thing;\u201d but the Bassorite rejoined, \u201cHere with\nthat \u2018Anaught\u2019!\u201d Upon this a violent ruffle befel between them, the\ncause was carried before the King and payment was required in the Divan,\nfor the Bassorite still demanded from the purchaser his \u201cAnaught.\u201d The\nSultan asked, \u201cAnd what be this \u2018Anaught\u2019?\u201d and the Bassorah man\nanswered, \u201cI wot not, O King of the Age;\u201d whereat the Sultan\nmarvelled.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and First Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that the Sultan marvelled at the action of this Bassorite\nand his saying, \u201cGive me my \u2018Anaught!\u2019\u201d Presently the tidings of that\ncause reached me, O King; so I went to the Divan which was thronged with\nfolk and all present kept saying, \u201cHow would it be if this \u2018Anaught\u2019\nwere a fraud or a resiliation of the contract?\u201d Thereupon the Sultan\nexclaimed, \u201cWhoso shall settle this case, to him verily will I be\nbountiful.\u201d So I came forward, O King of the Age, thinking of a conceit\nand kissed ground and said to him, \u201cI will conclude this cause,\u201d and he\nrejoined, \u201cAn thou determine it and dispose of it I will give thee\nlargesse; but if not, I will strike off thy head.\u201d I rejoined, \u201cTo hear\nis to obey.\u201d Then I bade them bring a large basin which could hold a\nskinful of water and ordered them fill it; after which I called out to\nthe Bassorite, \u201cDraw near,\u201d and he drew near. All this and the King\nlooked on and kept his eyes fixed upon us. Then I cried to the claimant,\n\u201cClose thy fist!\u201d and he did accordingly, and again I commanded him to\nclose it and to keep it tight closed. He obeyed my bidding and I\ncontinued \u201cDip thy neave into the basin,\u201d and he dipped it. Presently I\nasked, \u201cIs thy hand in the water and thy fist closed?\u201d and he replied,\n\u201cIt is.\u201d Then said I, \u201cWithdraw it,\u201d and he withdrew it, and I cried,\n\u201cOpen thy neave,\u201d and he opened it. Then I asked \u201cWhat thing hast thou\nfound therein?\u201d and he answered, \u201cA naught;\u201d whereupon I cried to him,\n\u201cTake thine \u2018Anaught\u2019 and wend thy ways.\u201d Hereupon the Sultan said to\nthe Bassorite, \u201cHast thou taken thine \u2018Anaught,\u2019 O man?\u201d and said he\n\u201cYes.\u201d Accordingly the King bade him gang his gait. Then the Sultan\ngifted me with costly gifts and named me Kazi; and hence, O King of the\nAge, is the cause of the title in the case of one who erst was Abu Kasim\nthe Drummer. Hereat quoth the Sultan, \u201cRelate to us what rare accident\nbefel thee in thy proper person.\u201d So the judge began to recount\n\n\n                _THE STORY OF THE KAZI AND HIS SLIPPER._\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOnce upon a time, O King of the Age, I had a slipper which hardly\nbelonged to its kind nor ever was there seen a bigger. Now one day of\nthe days I waxed aweary of it and sware to myself that I would never\nwear it any more; so in mine anger I flung it away and it fortuned to\nfall upon the flat roof of a Khw\u00e1jah\u2019s house where the stucco was\nweakest. Thence it dropped through, striking a shelf that held a number\nof phials full of the purest rose-water and the boarding yielded\nbreaking all the bottles and spilling their contents. The house-folk\nheard the breakage ringing and rattling; so they crowded one after other\nto discover what had done the damage and at last they found my papoosh\nsprawling amiddlemost the room. Then they made sure that the shelf had\nnot been broken except by the violence of that slipper, and they\nexamined it when, behold, the house-master cried, saying, \u201cThis be the\npapoosh of Abu Kasim the Drummer.\u201d Hereupon he took it and carried it to\nthe Governor who summoned me and set me before him; then he made me\nresponsible for the phials and whatso was therein and for the repairing\nof the terrace-roof and upraising it again. And lastly he handed to me\nthe slipper which was exceedingly long and broad and heavy and, being\ncruel old it showed upwards of an hundred and thirty patches nor was it\nunknown to any of the villagers. So I took it and fared forth and, being\nangered with the article, I resolved to throw it into some dark hole or\nout-of-the-way place;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day\nand fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and Second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and deeds of fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that Abu Kasim the Drummer continued to the Sultan:\nI resolved to throw it into some dark hole or out-of-the-way-place; and\npresently I came to the watercloset of the Hammam and cast it into the\nconduit saying, \u201cNow shall none ever see it again; nor shall I be\ntroubled with its foul aspect for the rest of my life.\u201d Then I returned\nhome and abode there the first day and the second, but about noon on the\nthird a party of the Governor\u2019s men came and seized me and bore me\nbefore him; and no sooner did he see me than he cried out, \u201cThrow him!\u201d\nAccordingly they laid me out at fullest length and gave me an hundred\ncuts with a scourge[252] which I bore stoutly and presently said, \u201cO my\nSultan,[253] what be the cause of this fustigation and wherefor do they\noppress me?\u201d Said he, \u201cO man, the conduit[254] of the jakes attached to\nthe Mosque was choked by thy slipper and the flow, unable to pass off,\nbrimmed over, whereby sundry houses belonging to the folk were\nwrecked.\u201d[255] I replied, \u201cO my lord, can a slipper estop the flowing of\na water that feedeth a Hammam?\u201d Thereupon the Governor said to me, \u201cTake\nit away and if any find it in his place and again bring me a complaint\nthereanent, I will cut off thy head.\u201d So they haled me away after\ntossing my slipper to me, and I repaired to the Efendi[256] of the town\nand said to him, \u201cO our lord, I have a complaint against this Papoosh\nwhich is not my property nor am I its owner: prithee do thou write me a\ndeed to such purport between me and the Slipper and all who pass down\nthis road.\u201d The Efendi replied, \u201cO man, how shall I write thee a deed\nbetween thee and thy Papoosh, which is a senseless thing? Nay, take it\nthyself and cut it up and cast it into some place avoided of the folk.\u201d\nAccordingly I seized it and hacked it with a hatchet into four pieces\nwhich I threw down in the four corners of the city, saying to myself the\nwhile, \u201cBy Allah, I shall nevermore in my life hear any further of its\nadventures;\u201d and walked away barefoot. But I had thrown one bit under a\nbridge that crossed a certain of the small canals; and the season was\nthe dries, wherefore it collected a heap of sand which rose thereupon,\nand the wind whenever it blew brought somewhat of dust and raised the\npile higher until the archway was blocked up by a mound. Now when the\nN\u00edl[257] flooded and reached that archway the water was dammed up and\nceased running, so the townsfolk said, \u201cWhat may be the matter? The\nNile-inundation hath reached the bridge but cannot pass under it. Come\nlet us inspect the archway.\u201d They did so and presently discovered the\nobstacle; to wit, the mound before the arch which obstructed the\nwaterway; whereupon a party kilted their clothes and waded into the\nchannel that they might clear it. But when they came to the mound-base\nthey found my quarter-slipper, and they exclaimed with one cry, \u201cThis be\nthe Papoosh of Abu Kasim the Drummer!\u201d But as soon as the tidings\nreached me, I fared away, flying from that town, and while so doing was\nmet by my comrade, yonder Bhang-eater; so we agreed that we would travel\ntogether and he companied me till we came to this city, e\u2019en as thou\nseest us, O our lord the Sultan. Thereupon the King said to them, \u201cDo ye\ntwain abide with me amongst my servants; but I have a condition with you\nwhich is that ye be righteous in your service and that ye be ready to\njoin my s\u00e9ance every night after supper-tide.\u201d Then he cautioned them\nagainst disobedience and quoth he, \u201cBe ye not deluded by becoming my\ncompanions nor say to yourselves, We be the assessors of the King; for\nthat the byword declareth:\u2014\u2014Whenas the King sitteth beware of his\nseverity, and be not refractory whenever he shall say to thee \u2018Do.\u2019\u201d\nThey agreed to this condition and each whispered his mate, \u201cDo thou have\na care to act righteously!\u201d Then they left the King nor did they see him\nagain till one day of the days when behold, a Khwajah appeared before\nthe Sultan\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and Third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that one day of the days, behold a Khwajah appeared\nbefore the Sultan and said, \u201c\u2019Tis not lawful in Allah\u2019s sight, O King of\nthe Age, that a Bhang-eater should propose to dishonour me in the person\nof my daughter and load me with infamy amongst His worshippers saying\nthe while:\u2014I am of the King\u2019s suite.\u201d Now the cause of the merchant\u2019s\ncomplaint was as follows. One day of the days the Bhang-eater was\npassing by under the latticed window of the Khwajah\u2019s home when by\ndecree of the Decreer, the daughter of the house was looking out at the\ncasement and was solacing herself by observing all who walked the\nstreet. Perchance the Bhang-eater\u2019s glance fell upon the maiden and that\nsight of eyes entailed a thousand sighs, so he said to himself, \u201cBy\nAllah, if I meet not this maiden, although it be only once, I shall die\nof a broken heart nor shall any one know of my death.\u201d He then took to\npassing under the window every day and to gazing upwards and to tarrying\nthere from morning-tide to set of sun; but the more he looked the less\nhe saw of her because Fortune which was fair to him the first time had\nnow turned foul. So he continued in this condition for a while, coming\nevery day to look at the lattice and seeing naught. Presently his case\nbecame strait and ill health entered his frame for love to the\nmerchant\u2019s daughter; and by reason of its excess he betook himself to\nhis pillow turning and tossing right and left and crying, \u201cO her eyes! O\nher loveliness! O her stature! O her symmetrical grace!\u201d But as he was\nrepeating these words behold, an old woman came in to him and, seeing\nhis concern and chagrin, accosted him and said, \u201cNo harm to thee!\u201d Quoth\nhe, \u201cAh, my reverend mother, unless thou come to my aid I perish,\u201d and\nquoth she, \u201cWhat is upon thy mind?\u201d So he disclosed to her all he felt\nof fondness and affection for the Khwajah\u2019s daughter and she rejoined,\n\u201cThou wilt never win to thy wish in this matter except through me.\u201d Then\nshe left him and repaired to her own place, pondering the wiles of\nwomen, till she entered her house and there she donned a woollen robe\nand hung three rosaries around her neck, after which she hent a\npalm-staff in hand and set out for the merchant\u2019s quarters. She ceased\nnot walking till she reached the place and entered in her garb of a\nreligious mendicant[258] crying out, \u201cAllah, there is no god but the\nGod! extolled be Allah! Allah be with you all!\u201d When the girl, whose\nname was Sitt al-Husn\u2014the Lady of Beauty\u2014heard these words she met her,\nhoping for a blessing, and saying, \u201cO my mother, pray for me!\u201d and the\nold woman responded, \u201cThe name of Allah be upon thee! Allah be thy\nsafeguard!\u201d[259] Then she sat down and the damsel came and took seat\nbeside her; so likewise did the girl\u2019s mother and both sought a blessing\nfrom her and conversed together till about noon when she arose and made\nthe Wuz\u00fa-ablution and span out her prayers, whilst those present\nexclaimed, \u201cBy Allah this be a pious woman!\u201d When her orisons were ended\nthey served up dinner to her; but she said, \u201cI\u2019m fasting;\u201d whereat they\nincreased in love and belief herwards and insisted upon her abiding with\nthem until sunset that she might break her fast within their walls. On\nsuch wise she acted but it was all a fraud. Then they persisted in\nkeeping her for the night; so she nighted with them, and when it was\nmorn she arose and prayed and mumbled words, some intelligible and\nothers not to be understanded of any, while the household gazed upon her\nand, whenever she would move from place to place, supported her with\ntheir hands under her armpits. At last, when it was mid-forenoon she\nfared forth from them albeit their intent was not to let her depart. But\nearly on the next day she came in to them and all met her with greetings\nand friendly reception, kissing her hands and bussing her feet; so she\ndid as she had done on the first day and in like guise on the third\nwhile they showed her increased honour and worship. On the fourth day\nshe came to them, as was her wont, and they prayed her be seated;\nhowever she refused and said, \u201cI have a daughter whom I am about to\nmarry and the bridal festivities will be in my house; but I come to you\nat this hour to let you know my desire that Sitt al-Husn may accompany\nme and be present at my girl\u2019s wedding-feast and thus she will gain a\nblessing.\u201d Her mother replied, \u201cWe dread lest somewhat befal her,\u201d but\nthe ancient woman rejoined, \u201cFear not for her as the Hallows[260] are\nwith her!\u201d Thereupon cried the girl, \u201cThere is no help but that I\naccompany her and be present at her daughter\u2019s wedding ceremony and\nenjoy the spectacle and take my pleasure.\u201d The mother said, \u201c\u2019Tis well;\u201d\nand the old trot added, \u201cI will go and return within this moment.\u201d So\nsaying, she went off as one aweary to the house of the Bhang-eater and\ntold him what she had done; then she returned to the maiden whom she\nfound drest and decorated and looking her best. So she took the girl and\nfared forth with her\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and Fourth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the ancient woman took the girl and fared forth\nwith her and led her to the Bhang-eater\u2019s house and brought her in to\nhim who, seeing her in all her beauty and loveliness, arose forthright\nand his wits fled him and he drew near to her of his excessive love\nherwards. Therewith the \u201cLady of Beauty\u201d understood that the old woman\nwas an accursed procuress who had beguiled her in order to bring her and\nthe man together. So of her cleverness and clear intelligence she said\nto her lover, \u201cO my brave, whoso expecteth a visit of his beloved\ngetteth ready somewhat of meat and somewhat of fruit and somewhat of\nwine, that their pleasure may be perfected; and, if thou purpose\nlove-liesse we will pass the night in this place.\u201d Quoth the\nBhang-eater, \u201cBy Allah, O my lady, thou speakest sooth but what shall we\ndo at such hour as this?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cHie thee to the market-street\nand bring all whereof I spoke.\u201d Said he, \u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d and\nsaid she, \u201cI will sit down, I and this my mother in this place, the\nwhile thou goest and comest.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cA sensible saying!\u201d and\nforthright fared from her intending for the Bazar to bring the\nrequisites; and he was right gladsome nor knew what was prepared for him\nin the hidden future. Now as soon as he went the damsel arose and\nwithout making aught of noise locked the door closely upon herself and\nthe old trot: then she wandered about the rooms and presently came upon\na butcher\u2019s chopper[261] which she seized. Hereupon tucking up her\nsleeves above her elbows, in the firmness of her heart she drew near the\nold crone until she was hard by her right and so clove her skull asunder\nthat she fell weltering in her blood and her ghost fled her flesh. After\nthis the damsel again went about the house and all worth the taking she\ntook, leaving whatso was unworthy, till she had collected a number of\nfine robes which the man had brought together after he had become a\ncup-companion of the Sultan; and, lastly, she packed the whole in a\nsheet[262] and went forth therewith. Now the season was morning but The\nVeiler veiled her and none met her on the way until she reached her home\nand went in to her mother whom she found awaiting her and saying, \u201cBy\nAllah, to day my girl hath tarried long at the bridal festivities of the\nAscetic\u2019s daughter.\u201d And behold Sitt al-Husn came in to her carrying a\nlarge sheet stuffed with raiment, and as her mother saw her agitated and\nin disorder she questioned her of her case and of what was packed in the\nbundle. But the girl, who returned no reply and could not speak one\nsyllable for the emotion caused by the slaughter of the ancient woman,\nfell to the ground in a fit. Her swoon endured from noon until eventide,\nher mother sitting at her head the while and sorrowing for her\ncondition. But about set of sun behold, in came her father who found his\ndaughter aswoon; so he questioned his wife who began by recounting to\nhim what they had noted in the old woman of prayer and display of\ndevotion and how she had told them, \u201cI have a daughter whom I am about\nto marry and the bridal festivities will be in my house.\u201d \u201cAnd,\u201d pursued\nthe mother, \u201cshe invited us to visit her; so at undurn-tide I sent with\nher the girl; who at noontide came back bringing somewhat wrapped up and\nbundled, which be this. But when she entered the house she fell to the\nfloor in a fainting fit and she is even as thou seest; nor do I know\nwhat befel her.\u201d Then the father rose up and besprinkled somewhat of\nwater upon her face which revived her and she said, \u201cWhere am I?\u201d\nwhereto said he, \u201cThou art with us.\u201d And when she had recovered and\nreturned to her senses, and her condition was as before the swoon, she\ntold them of the old woman and her ill designs and of her death and\nlastly how the clothes had been brought by herself from the house of the\nBhang-eater. As soon as her sire had heard her words, he set out from\nhis home and sought the Sultan.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn\nof day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth\nher sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and Fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that whilst the Sultan was sitting behold, the\nKhwajah came in and complained to him of the Bhang-eater, whereupon he\nordered a company to go fetch the accused and they went off and found\nhim not. So they returned and reported accordingly. Such was the cause\nof the Khwajah coming to the King and such was the case with them; but\nas regards the Bhang-eater, when he went off rejoicing to the Bazar in\norder to buy whatso the merchant\u2019s daughter had asked him, he brought\nmany a thing wherewith he returned to his lodging. However as he\nreturned he beheld the old woman slaughtered and weltering in her blood\nand he found nothing at all of the choice articles wherewith his house\nwas fulfilled; so he fell to quoting this couplet:[263]\u2014\n\n \u201c\u2019Twas as a hive of bees that greatly thrived; \u273f But, when the bee-swarm\n    fled, \u2019twas clean unhived.\u201d\n\nAnd when he beheld that condition of things he turned from his home in\nhaste and without stay or delay left it about the hour of mid-afternoon\nand fared forth from the city. There he found a caravan bound to some\nbourne or other, so he proceeded therewith hardly believing in his own\nsafety and he ceased not accompanying the Cafilah[264] for the space of\nfive days till it made the city the travellers sought, albeit he was\nfatigued and footsore from the stress of hardships and weariness he had\nendured. So he entered the place and wandered about until he found a\nKhan wherein he hired him a cell by way of nighting-stead and every day\nhe would go forth to seek service for wages whereby he might make a\nlivelihood. Now one day of the days a woman met him face to face on the\nhighway and said to him, \u201cDost thou do service?\u201d and said he, \u201cIndeed I\ndo, O my lady.\u201d She continued, \u201cThere is a wall about my place which I\ndesire to level and build another in lieu thereof for that \u2019tis old and\nvery old.\u201d He replied to her, \u201c\u2019Tis well,\u201d and she took him and repaired\nwith him to her house and showing him the wall in question handed to him\na pickaxe and said, \u201cBreak it down as much as thou art able be it for\ntwo or three days, and heap up the stones in one place and the dried mud\nin another.\u201d He replied, \u201cHearkening and obedience;\u201d after which she\nbrought to him somewhat of food and of water and he ate and drank and\npraised Almighty Allah. After this he rose and began breaking down the\nwall and he ceased not working and piling up the stones and the dried\nmud until it was sunset time when the woman paid him to his wage ten\nfaddahs and added a something of food which he took and turned towards\nhis own cell. As soon as it was the second day he repaired to the house\nof the woman who again gave him somewhat to break his fast and he fell\nto felling the wall even as he had done on the first day and he worked\ntill noon; but when it was midday and all the household was asleep, lo\nand behold! he found in the middle of the foundation a crock[265] full\nof gold. So he opened it and considered its contents whereat he was\nrejoiced and he went forth without leisure or loss of time seeking his\nown cell and when he reached it he locked himself within for fear lest\nany look upon him. Then he opened the crock and counted therein one\nhundred dinars which he pouched in his purse and stowed away in his\nbreast-pocket. Presently he returned, as he was, to break down the rest\nof the wall and whilst he was trudging along the highway suddenly he\nsighted a box surrounded by a crowd of whom none knew what might be its\ncontents and its owner was crying out, \u201cFor an hundred gold pieces!\u201d\nThereupon the Bhang-eater went forwards saying to himself, \u201cBuy thee\nyonder box for the hundred dinars and thy luck be thy lot, for if there\nbe inside of it aught of wonderful \u2019tis well, and if otherwise thou\nshalt stand by thy bad bargain.\u201d So he drew near the broker[266] and\nsaid to him, \u201cThis box for how much?\u201d[267] and the other answered, \u201cFor\nan hundred gold dinars!\u201d But when he questioned him as to its contents\nthe man replied, \u201cI know not; whoso taketh it his luck be his lot.\u201d\nThereupon he brought out to him the hundred ducats and the broker made\nover to him the box which he charged upon his shoulders and carried off\nto his cell. There arrived he bolted himself in and opened the coffer\nwherein he found a white slave-girl which was a model of beauty and\nloveliness and stature and perfect grace: but she was like one drunken\nwith wine. So he shook her but she was not aroused when he said to\nhimself, \u201cWhat may be the story of this handmaiden?\u201d and he was never\ntired of looking upon her while she was in that condition and he kept\nsaying to himself, \u201cWould Heaven I wot an she be on life or in death;\nwithal I see her breath coming and going.\u201d Now when it was about\nmidnight, the handmaiden revived and looking around and about her,\ncried, \u201cWhere am I?\u201d and said the Bhang-eater, \u201cThou, O my lady, art in\nmy home;\u201d whereby she understood what had befallen her\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nwas surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and Sixth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the handmaiden understood what had befallen her\nat the hands of her enemies. Now the cause thereof was that the Sultan\nof that city had bought him for concubine one K\u00fat al-Kul\u00fab[268], or\nHeart\u2019s-food hight, and she became to him the liefest of all the women\nhe before had, amongst whom his wife, the daughter of his uncle, had\nbeen preferred: but all fell into the rank of the common and from the\ntime he bought the new handmaid he was wholly occupied with her love and\nhe never went near the other inmates of his Harem, not even his cousin.\nSo they were filled with exceeding jealousy against Heart\u2019s-food the new\ncomer. Now one day of the days the Sultan went forth to hunt and bird\nand enjoy the occasion and solace himself in the gardens together with\nthe Lords of his land, and they rode on till they found themselves\namiddlemost of the waste pursuing their quarry. But when two days had\npassed, his wife together with the women which were concubines arose and\ninvited all the neighbourhood whereamong was Kut al-Kulub, and she\nspread for them a sumptuous banquet and lavished upon the new comers all\nmanner of attentions and the wife began to play with her rival and to\ndisport with her until it was thought that she loved none in the\nassembly save Heart\u2019s-food; and on such wise she continued to cheer her\nand solace her and gambol with her and make her laugh until the trays\nwere laid and the meats were dispread and all the guests came forward\nand fell to eating and drinking. Thereupon the King\u2019s cousin-wife\nbrought a plate seasoned with Bhang and set it before the concubine who\nhad no sooner eaten it and it had settled in her stomach than she\ntrembled as with sudden palsy and fell to the ground without power of\nmotion. Then the Queen bade place her in a box and having locked her\ntherein sent for one who was Shaykh of the Brokers and committed to him\nthe coffer saying, \u201cDo thou sell it for an hundred gold pieces whilst it\nis locked and fast locked and suffer not any open it, otherwise we will\nwork for the cutting off of thy hands.\u201d He replied, \u201cTo hear is to\nobey;\u201d and took up the box and went with it to the market-street where\nhe said to the brokers, \u201cCry for sale this coffer at an hundred dinars\nand if any attempt to open it, open it not to any by any manner of\nmeans.\u201d So they took their station and made auction of it for an hundred\ngold pieces, when by the decree of Destiny the Bhang-eater passed down\nthe street exulting in his hundred dinars which he had found in the\ncrock while levelling the wall belonging to the woman. Thereupon he came\nup and having paid the price required carried off his coffer saying in\nhis mind, \u201cMy luck is my livelihood.\u201d After this he went to his own cell\nand opened it and found there the handmaid in condition as though\ndrunken with wine. Such is the history of that concubine Kut al-Kulub\nand she fell not into the hand of the Bhang-eater save by the wile and\nguile of the Sultan\u2019s cousin-wife. But when she recovered from her\nfainting fit and gazed around and understood what had befallen her she\nconcealed her secret and said to the man, \u201cVerily this thy cell becometh\nus not;\u201d and, as she had somewhat of gold pieces with her and a collar\nof jewels around her neck worth a thousand dinars, she brought out for\nhim some money and sent him forth to hire for them a house in the middle\nof the quarter befitting great folk and when this was done she had\nherself transported thither. Then she would give him every day\nspending-money to buy whatso she ever required and she would cook the\ndelicatest dishes fit for the eating of the Kings wherewith she fed\nherself and her owner. This continued for twenty days when suddenly the\nSultan returned from his hunting party and as soon as he entered his\npalace he asked for Kut al-Kulub\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the\ndawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then\nquoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and\nhow enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared\nwith that I should relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran\nsuffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                  The Four Hundred and Seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and goodwill! It hath\nreached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of\nthe rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy\ncelebrating, that as soon as the Sultan returned from the chase he asked\nafter Kut al-Kulub from his exceeding desire to her, and the daughter of\nhis uncle told him the tidings saying, \u201cBy Allah, O King of the Age,\nthree days after the time thou faredst forth there came upon her malaise\nand malady wherein she abode six days and then she deceased to the mercy\nof Almighty Allah.\u201d He exclaimed, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no\nMight save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily we are the\nAlmighty\u2019s and unto Him shall we return.\u201d Then befel him the extreme of\ngrief and straitness of breast and he passed that night in exceeding\ncark and care for Kut al-Kulub. And when it was morning he sent after\nthe Wazir and summoned him between his hands and bade him go forth to\nthe Tigris-bank and there approve some place whereon he might build a\npalace which should command all the roads. The Minister replied,\n\u201cHearkening and obeying;\u201d and hied to do his lord\u2019s bidding taking with\nhim architects[269] and others, and having found a piece of level ground\nhe ordered them to measure an hundred ells of length for the building by\na breadth of seventy cubits. Presently he sent for surveyors and\nmaster-masons whom he commanded to make ready every requisite for the\nwork, of ashlar and lime and lead; also to dig trenches for the base of\nthe walls. Then they fell to laying the foundations, and the builders\nand handicraftsmen began to pile the stones and prepare the loads while\nthe Wazir stood by them bidding and forbidding. Now when it was the\nthird day, the Sultan went forth the Palace to look at the masons and\nartizans who were working at the foundations of his new edifice. And as\nsoon as he had inspected it, it pleased him, so he said to the Wazir,\n\u201cWall\u00e1hi! none would befit this palace save and except Kut al-Kulub,\nwhen \u2019twould have been full of significance;\u201d and so saying he wept with\nsore weeping at the remembrance of her. Quoth the Wazir to him, \u201cO King\nof the Age, have patience when calamity afflicteth thee, even as said\none of them with much meaning, anent long-suffering:\u2014\n\n Be patient under weight of wrath and blow of sore calamities: \u273f The\n    Nights compressed by Time\u2019s embrace _gravid\u00e6 miras gerunt res_.\u201d[270]\n\nThen quoth the Sultan, \u201c\u2019Tis well, O Wazir, I know that patience is\npraiseworthy and fretfulness is blameworthy, for indeed quoth the poet:\u2014\n\n When Time shall turn on thee, have patience for \u2019tis best of plight: \u273f\n    Ease shall pursue unease and naught but suffrance makes it light;\n\nand by Allah, O Wazir, human nature is never free from sad thought and\nremembrance. Verily that damsel pleased me and I delighted in her; nor\ncan I ever think to find one like her in beauty and loveliness.\u201d\nThereupon the Wazir fell to guiding the Sultan with fair words until his\nbreast was broadened and the two began to solace themselves by\ninspecting the masons. After this the Sultan would go forth every\nmorning for solace to Tigris-bank and tidings reached the ears of Kut\nal-Kulub that her lord was engaged on building a riverine palace,\nwhereupon she said to the Bhang-eater, \u201cDay by day we expend money upon\nour condition, and our outgoing is without incoming, so \u2019twere but right\nthat each morning thou fare and work with the workmen who are edifying a\nmansion for the Sultan, inasmuch as the folk declare that he is of\ntemper mild and merciful and haply thou shalt gain from him profit and\nprovision.\u201d \u201cO my lady,\u201d he replied, \u201cby Allah, I have no patience to\npart with thee or to be far from thee;\u201d and he said so because he loved\nher and she loved him, for that since the time he had found her locked\nin the box and had looked upon her he had never required her of her\nperson and this was indeed from his remembrance, for he bore in mind but\ntoo well what had befallen him from the Khwajah\u2019s daughter. And she on\nher side used to say, \u201c\u2019Tis a wondrous thing that yon Bhang-eater never\nasketh me aught nor draweth nigh me seeing that I be a captive of his\nright hand.\u201d So she said to him, \u201cAssuredly thou dost love me?\u201d and said\nhe, \u201cHow can it be otherwise when thou art the blood of my life and the\nlight of mine eyes?\u201d \u201cO light of mine eyes,\u201d she replied, \u201ctake this\nnecklace and set it in thy breast-pocket and go work at the Sultan\u2019s\npalace, and as often as thou shalt think of me, do thou take it out and\nconsider it and smell it and it shall be as if thou wert to see me.\u201d\nHearing this he obeyed her and went forth till he reached the palace\nwhere he found the builders at work and the Sultan and the Wazir sitting\nin a Kiosk hard by overseeing the masons and the workmen;\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad\nwas surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and Eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that when the Bhang-eater joined the masons he saw\nthe Sultan and Wazir overseeing them; and, as soon as the King sighted\nhim, he opened his breast to him and said, \u201cO man, wilt thou also do\nwork?\u201d and said the other, \u201cYes.\u201d So he bade him labour with the\nbuilders and he continued toiling till hard upon noontide, at which time\nhe remembered his slave-girl and forthright he bowed his head upon his\nbosom-pocket and he sniffed thereat. The Wazir saw him so doing and\nasked him, \u201cWhat is the meaning of thy sniffing at what is in thy poke?\u201d\nand he answered him, \u201cNo matter.\u201d However the Minister espied him a\nsecond time occupied in like guise and quoth he to the Sultan, \u201cLook, O\nKing of the Age, at yon labourer who is hiding something in his pocket\nand smelling thereat.\u201d \u201cHaply,\u201d responded the Sovran, \u201cthere is in his\npouch something he would look at.\u201d However when the Sultan\u2019s glance\nhappened to fall that way he beheld the Bhang-eater sniffing and\nsmelling at his poke, so he said to the Wazir, \u201cWall\u00e1hi! Verily this\nworkman\u2019s case is a strange.\u201d Hereupon both fixed their eyes upon him\nand they saw him again hiding somewhat in his pouch and smelling at it.\nThe Wazir cried, \u201cVerily this fellow is a-fizzling and he boweth his\nhead toward his breast in order that he may savour his own farts.\u201d[271]\nThe Sultan laughed and said, \u201cBy Allah, if he do on this wise \u2019tis a\nsomewhat curious matter, or perhaps, O Wazir, he have some cause to\naccount for it; at any rate do thou call out to him and ask him.\u201d So the\nWazir arose and drawing near to him asked him saying, \u201cHo, this\none![272] every time thou fizzlest thou smellest and sniffest at thy\nfizzlings;\u201d whereto answered the workman, \u201cWag not thy tongue with these\nwords seeing thou art in the presence of a King glorious of degree.\u201d\nQuoth the Minister, \u201cWhat is the matter with thee in this case that thou\nart sniffing at thy pocket?\u201d and quoth the labourer, \u201cVerily my beloved\nis in my pouch.\u201d The Wazir wondered hereat and reported the same to the\nSultan who cried, \u201cReturn to him and say:\u2014Is it possible that thou\ndisplay to us thy beloved who is in thy breast-pocket?\u201d So he returned\nto him and said, \u201cShow us what there is in thy pouch.\u201d Now the origin of\nthis necklace was that the King had bought it for Kut al-Kulub at the\nprice of a thousand dinars and the damsel had given it to the\nBhang-eater with the sole object that the Sultan might look upon it and\nthereby be directed unto her and might learn the reason of her\ndisappearance and her severance from him. Hereupon the man brought out\nto them the necklace from his breast-pocket and the Sultan on seeing it\nat once recognized it and wondered how it had fallen into the hands of\nthat workman; accordingly he asked who was its owner and the other\nanswered, \u201cIt belongeth to the handmaid whom I bought with an hundred\ndinars.\u201d Quoth the Sultan to him, \u201cIs it possible[273] thou invite us to\nthy quarters that we may look upon this damsel;\u201d and quoth the other,\n\u201cWould you look upon my slave-girl and not be ashamed of yourselves?\nHowever I will consult her, and if she be satisfied therewith we will\ninvite you.\u201d They said to him, \u201cThis be a rede that is right and an\naffair which no blame can excite.\u201d When the day had reached its term the\nmasons and workmen were dismissed after they had taken their wage; but\nas for the Bhang-eater the Sultan gave him two gold pieces and set him\nfree about sunset tide; so he fared to his handmaid and informed her of\nwhat had befallen him from the King, adding, \u201cHe hath indeed looked upon\nthe necklace and hath asked me to invite him hither as well as the\nWazir.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cNo harm in that; but to-morrow (Inshallah!) do thou\nbring all we require for a state occasion of meats and drinks, and let\nme have them here by noontide, so they may eat the early meal. But when\nhe shall ask to buy me of thee compose thy mind and say thou, No, when\nhe will reply to thee:\u2014Give me this damsel in free gift. Hereat do thou\nsay:\u2014She is a present from me to thee; because indeed I am his slave and\nbought with his money for one thousand and five hundred dinars; and thou\nhadst never become my lord save through my foes who devised a device\nagainst me and who sold me when thou boughtest me. However the hour of\nthy prosperity hath now come.\u201d And when morning morrowed she gave him\nfive gold pieces and said to him, \u201cBring for me things that be such and\nsuch,\u201d and said he, \u201cHearing and obedience.\u201d So he went to the\nmarket-street where he purchased all the supplies wherewith she had\ncharged him and returned to her forthright. Hereupon she arose and\ntucking up her sleeves prepared meats that befitted the King and\nlikewise she got ready comfits and the daintiest of dainties and\nsherbets and she tempered the pastilles and she besprinkled the room\nwith rose-water and looked to the furniture of the place. About midday\nshe sent to the Sultan and the Wazir with notice that she was ready; so\nthe Bhang-eater repaired to the Palace and having gone in to the\npresence said, \u201cHave the kindness!\u201d[274] The twain arose without more\nado and hied with him privily till they reached his house and entered\ntherein.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent\nand ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,\n\u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should\nrelate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and Ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan and the Wazir entered the place\nwherein were the Bhang-eater and the damsel, and took their seats. Now\nthe meats were ready and they served up to them the trays and the\ndishes, when they fell to and were cheered by the sumptuous viands until\nthey had eaten after the measure of their sufficiency. And when their\nhands were washed, the confections and sherbet and coffee were set\nbefore them, so they ate and were satisfied and gladdened and made\nmerry. After this quoth the Sultan to the Bhang-eater, \u201cWhere is the\ndamsel?\u201d and quoth the man, \u201cShe is here,\u201d whereat he was commanded to\nbring her. Accordingly he went off and led her in and as soon as the\nKing sighted her he recognised her and ordered her owner to make her\nover to him and said when he did so, \u201cO man, wilt thou sell to me this\ndamsel?\u201d But the other kissed ground before him and replied, \u201cO King of\nthe age, she is from me a free gift to thee;\u201d and quoth the Sultan, \u201cShe\nis accepted from thee, O Shaykh, and do thou come and bring her thyself\nto the Palace about sundown-time.\u201d He replied, \u201cTo hear is to obey.\u201d And\nat the hour named he took the damsel and ceased not faring with her till\nhe brought her to the Serai,[275] where the Eunuchry met her and took\nher and carried her in to the Sultan. But as soon as she entered she\nnestled in his bosom and he threw his arms round her neck and kissed her\nof his excessive desire to her. Then he asked her saying, \u201cThis man who\npurchased thee, hath he any time approached thee?\u201d whereto she answered,\n\u201cBy Allah, O King, from the time he bought me in the box which he opened\nand found me alive therein until this present never hath he looked upon\nmy face, and as often as I addressed him he would bow his brow\nearthwards.\u201d Quoth the Sultan, \u201cBy Allah, this wight deserveth an\naidance for that he paid down for thee an hundred dinars and he hath\npresented thee in free gift to me.\u201d Now when morrowed the morning the\nKing sent after the Bhang-eater and summoned him between his hands and\nbestowed upon him one thousand five hundred dinars with a suit of royal\nraiment, after which he presented to him, by way of honourable\nrobe,[276] a white slave girl. He also set apart for him an apartment\nand made him one of his boon companions. So look thou, O hearer,[277]\nhow it happened to this Bhang-eater from the Khwajah\u2019s daughter and his\nlove herwards; how he failed to win her and how he gained of blows\nwhatso he gained; and after what prosperity befel him from the part of\nKut Al-Kulub. And ever afterwards when the Sultan would ride out for\ndisport or for the hunt and chase he would take the man with him.\nPresently of the perfection of his prosperity this Bhang-eater fully\nmastered the affairs of the kingdom, both its income and its outgo, and\nhis knowledge embraced all the regions and cities which were under the\nrule of his lord. Furthermore, whenever he would counsel the King, his\nadvice was found to be in place and he was consulted upon all State\naffairs, and whenever he heard of any business he understood its inner\nas well as its outer meaning until the Sultan and the Wazir both sought\nrede of him, and he would point out to them the right and unright, and\nthat which entaileth trouble and no trouble, when they could fend it off\nand overthrow it or by word or by deed of hand. Now one day of the many\ndays the King was in a certain of his gardens a-solacing himself with\nthe sights when his heart and stomach became full of pain and he fell\nill and his illness grew upon him, nor did he last four days ere he\ndeparted to the mercy of Allah Almighty. As he had no issue, either son\nor daughter, the country remained without a King for three days, when\nthe Lords of the land forgathered and agreed upon a decision, all and\nsome, that they would have no King or Sultan save the Wazir and that the\nman the Bhang-eater should be made Chief Councillor. So they agreed upon\nthis matter and their words went forth to the Minister who at once took\noffice. After this he gave general satisfaction and lavished alms on the\nmean and miserable, also on the widows and orphans, when his fame was\nbruited abroad and it dispread far and wide till men entitled him the\n\u201cJust Wazir\u201d and in such case he governed for a while of time.\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying\nher permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n                   The Four Hundred and Tenth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be\nother than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the\nwatching of this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good\nwill! It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the\nright-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds\nfair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Wazir governed for a\nwhile of time with all justice of rule so that the caravans spread\nabroad the name and fame of him throughout every city and all the\ncountries. Presently there befel him an affair between two women\nwhich were sister-wives to one man.[278] Now these had conceived by\nhim in the same month and when the time of their pregnancy had\npassed, the twain were delivered in the same place at the same hour\nand the midwife was one and the same. One brought forth a babe but\nit was a daughter which incontinently died and the other a man-child\nwho lived. The women quarrelled and fought about the boy-babe and\nboth of them said, \u201cThis is my child;\u201d and there befel between them\nexceeding contention and excessive hostility. So they carried their\ncause before the divines and the Olema and the head men of the\nplace, yet did none of them know how to decide between the twain and\nnot a few of the folk said, \u201cLet each woman take the child to her\nfor a month,\u201d whilst others declared that they might keep it between\nthem at all times, whilst of the women one said, \u201c\u2019Tis well: this be\n_my_ boy!\u201d and the other declared \u201c\u2019Tis well, this be _my_ son!\u201d nor\ncould any point out to which of the women the boy belonged. So the\ntown\u2019s people were gathered together and said, \u201cNone can determine\nthis dispute except the Just Wazir;\u201d and they agreed upon this, so\nthat the husband of the two women and sundry of his associates arose\nand took the twain of them and travelled with them to hear the\nMinister\u2019s judgment. Also the Olema and the great men of the place\ndeclared \u201cBy Allah, we also needs must travel with the party and\nproduce the two women and be present at the Just Wazir\u2019s judgment.\u201d\nSo they all assembled and followed after the two adversaries, nor\ndid they cease travelling until they entered the city where the\nMinister abode. There they delayed for rest during one day and on\nthe second they all joined one another and went in to the Wazir and\nrecounted to him the case of the two women. Hearing this he bowed\nhis brow groundwards and presently raising it he cried, \u201cBring me\ntwo eggs and void them of their contents and see that the shells be\nclean empty.\u201d Then he commanded that each of the women drain\nsomewhat of milk from her nipple into the egg-shell till she had\nfilled it. They did accordingly and set before him the egg-shells\nbrimful when he said, \u201cBring me a pair of scales.\u201d[279] After this\nhe placed both eggs in the balance-pan and raising it aloft from its\nrounded stead perceived that one was weighty and the other was\nlight. Quoth he, \u201cThe milk of the woman in this egg is the heavier\nand she is the mother of the boy-babe whereas the other bare the\ngirl-child and we know not an it be alive or dead.\u201d Hereat the true\nmother of the boy held her peace but the other wailed aloud and\nsaid, \u201c\u2019Tis well: still this be _my_ babe!\u201d Thereupon quoth the\nWazir, \u201cI am about to take the boy and hew him in halves whereof I\nwill give one to each of you twain.\u201d But the true mother arose and\ncried out, \u201cNo! O my lord, do not on this wise: I will forfeit my\nclaim for Allah\u2019s sake;\u201d while the other one exclaimed, \u201cAll this is\nright good!\u201d Now all the folk of the city who were then standing by\nheard these words and looked on; but when this order was pronounced\nand the woman was satisfied and declared, \u201cI will take half the\nboy,\u201d the Wazir gave orders forthright that they seize her and hang\nher; so they hanged her and he gave the babe to the right mother.\nThen said they to him, \u201cO our lord, how was it proved to thee that\nthe boy was the child of this one?\u201d and he said, \u201cIt became evident\nto me from two sides; in the first place because her milk was the\nheavier, so that I knew that the boy was her boy, and secondly when\nI commanded:\u2014\u2014Let us cut the boy in half, the real mother consented\nnot to this and the matter was hard upon her because the child was a\nslice of her liver, and she said to herself:\u2014His life is better than\nhis death, even though my sister-wife take him, at any rate I shall\nbe able to look upon him. But the second woman designed only to\ngratify her spite whether the boy died or not and to harm her\nsister-wife; so when I saw that she was contented to have the babe\nkilled, I knew that it was right to do her die.\u201d Then all who were\npresent of the Lords of the land and the Olema and divines and\nnotables wondered at the judgment and exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, well\ndone,[280] O Wazir of the realm.\u201d Now this history of the Minister\u2019s\nperspicacity and penetration was spread abroad and all folk went\nfrom his presence and everyone who had wives that had borne girls\ntook somewhat of milk from the women and went to each and every of\nthose who had borne boys and took from them milk in the same\nquantity as the Wazir had taken, and weighed it in the scales, when\nthey found that the mothers of males produced milk that was not\nequal to, nay it weighed two-fold that of those who bare girls.\nHereupon they said, \u201cIt is not right that we call this Minister only\nthe Just Wazir;\u201d and all were agreed that he should be titled \u201cThe\nWazir-wise-in-Allah-Almighty;\u201d[281] and the reason whereof was the\njudgment which he passed in the cause between the two women. Now\nafter this it befel him to deliver a decision more wondrous than the\nformer.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I\nshould relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to\nsurvive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                  The Four Hundred and Eleventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that to the Wazir-wise-in-Almighty-Allah there befel\nbetween his hands a strange matter which was as follows. As he was\nsitting one day of the days there came in to him unexpectedly two men,\nof whom one led a cow and a little colt whilst the second had with him a\nmare and a little calf. Now the first who came forward was the owner of\nthe mare and quoth he, \u201cO my lord, I have a claim upon this man.\u201d Quoth\nthe Minister, \u201cWhat be thy claim?\u201d And the plaintiff continued, \u201cI was\ngoing a-morn to the meadow for pasture and with me was my mare followed\nby her young one, her little colt, when yonder man met me upon the road\nand the colt began to play and to throw up gravel with its hoofs as is\nthe wont of horseflesh and draw near to the cow. Hereupon this man came\nup and seized it and said, \u201cThis colt is the offspring of my cow,\u201d and\nso saying he took it away and he gave me his calf, crying, \u201cTake this\nwhich be the issue of thy mare.\u201d\u201d So the Wazir turning to the master of\nthe cow asked, \u201cO man, what sayest thou concerning what thy comrade hath\nspoken?\u201d and the other answered, \u201cO my lord, in very deed this colt is\nthe produce of my cow and I brought it up by hand.\u201d Quoth the Wazir, \u201cIs\nit right that black cattle should bring forth horses and that horses\nshould bear cows? indeed the intelligence of an intelligent man may not\ncompass this;\u201d and quoth the other, \u201cO my lord, Allah createth whatso He\nwilleth and maketh kine to produce horses and horses to produce kine.\u201d\nHereupon the Minister said to him, \u201cO Shaykh, when thou seest a thing\nbefore thee and lookest thereon canst thou speak of it in the way of\ntruth?\u201d And the other assented. Then the Wazir continued addressing the\ntwo men, \u201cWend your ways at this time and on the morrow be present here\nat early morn and let it be at a vacant hour.\u201d Accordingly they\nforthright went forth, and the next day early the two men came to the\ndivan of the Wazir who set before them a she-mouse he had provided and\ncalled for a sack which he filled with earth. And as the men stood\nbetween his hands he said, \u201cWait ye patiently without speaking a word;\u201d\nso they held their peace and presently he bade them set the sack and the\nmouse before him and he ordered the men to load the sack upon the mouse.\nBoth cried, \u201cO our lord, \u2019tis impossible that a mouse can carry a sack\nfull of earth,\u201d when he answered, \u201cHow then can a cow bear a colt? and\nwhen a mouse shall be able to bear a sack then shall a cow bear a colt.\u201d\nAll this and the Sultan was looking out at the latticed window listening\nand gazing. Hereupon the Wazir gave an order that the master of the mare\ntake her colt and the master of the cow carry off her calf; after which\nhe bade them go about their business.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by\nthe dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O\nsister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is\nthis compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the\nSovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n                  The Four Hundred and Twelfth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan, whose Minister was the\nWazir-wise-in-Allah-Almighty, on a certain day summoned his Chief\nCouncillor and when he came said to him, \u201cVerily my breast is straitened\nand I am beset by unease, so I desire to hear something which may\nbroaden my bosom;\u201d and said the other, \u201cO King of the age, by Allah, I\nhave a friend who is named Mahm\u00fad the \u2019Ajam\u00ed and that man is a choice\nspirit and he hath all kind of rare tales and strange anecdotes and\nwondrous histories and marvellous adventures.\u201d Said the Sultan, \u201cThere\nis no help but that thou summon him to us hither and let us hear from\nhim somewhat.\u201d So the Wazir sent after the Persian and when the man\nstood in the presence said to him, \u201cVerily the Sultan hath summoned\nthee.\u201d He replied, \u201cHearing and obeying,\u201d when he was taken and set\nbefore the Sovran and as he entered he saluted him with the salams of\nthe Caliphs and blessed him and prayed for him.[282] The King returned\nhis greeting and after seating him said to him, \u201cO Mahmud, at this\nmoment my breast is indeed straitened and I have heard of thee that thou\nhast a store of rare stories which I would that thou cause me hear[283]\nand let it be somewhat sweet of speech which shall banish my cark and my\ncare and the straitness of my breast.\u201d Hereto the other replied,\n\u201cHearing and obeying;\u201d and began to relate the\n\n\n        _TALE OF MAHMUD THE PERSIAN AND THE KURD SHARPER._[284]\n\nThe Sultan was delighted with the \u2019Ajami\u2019s relation and largessed him\ntwo thousand pieces of gold; after which he returned to his palace and\ntook seat upon his Divan when suddenly a poor man appeared before him\ncarrying a load of fruit and greens and greeted him and prayed for him\nand expressed a blessing which the Sultan returned and bade him fair\nwelcome. After which he asked, \u201cWhat hast thou with thee, O Shaykh?\u201d and\nthe other answered, \u201cO King of the Age, I have an offering to thee of\nfresh greens and firstfruits;\u201d and the King rejoined, \u201cIt is accepted.\u201d\nThereupon the man placed them between his royal hands and stood up, and\nthe King having removed the cover[285] found under it a portion of\nordinary cucumbers and sundry curling cucumbers and bundles of\nrose-mallows[286] which had been placed before him. So he took thereof\nsome little matter and ate it and was much pleased and bade the Eunuchry\nbear the rest into the Harem. They carried out his commands and the\nwomen also were delighted and having eaten somewhat they distributed the\nremainder to the slave-girls. Then said they, \u201cBy Allah, this man, the\nfruit-owner, deserveth Bakhsh\u00edsh;\u201d[287] so they sent to him by the\nEunuch one hundred gold pieces whereto the Sultan added twain, so the\nwhole of his gain was three hundred dinars. But the Sultan was much\npleased with the man and a part of the care which he felt was lightened\nto him, whereupon asked he, \u201cO Shaykh, knowest thou aught of\nboon-companionship with the Kings?\u201d to which the other answered, \u201cYes;\u201d\nfor he was trim of tongue and ready of reply and sweet of speech.\nPresently the Sultan continued, \u201cO Shaykh, for this present go back to\nthy village and give to thy wife and family that which Allah hath made\nthy lot.\u201d Accordingly the man went forth and did as the King bade him;\nafter which he returned in a short time and went into the presence about\nset of sun when he found his liege lord at supper. The King bade him sit\nto the trays which he did and he ate after the measure of his\nsufficiency, and again when the Sultan looked upon him he was pleased\nwith him. And when the hour of night-prayers came all prayed\ntogether;[288] then the King invited him to sit down as a cup-companion\nand commanded him to relate one of his tales.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an\nthe Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and\nthat was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Seventeenth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthen sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the man took seat as a boon-companion of the\nKing, and began to relate\n\n\n  _THE TALE OF THE SULTAN AND HIS SONS AND THE ENCHANTING BIRD._[289]\n\nIt is told anent a man, one of the Kings of Orient-land, that he had\nthree sons, of whom the eldest one day of the days heard the folk\nsaying, \u201cIn such a place there is a bird hight the shrilling\nPhilomelet,[290] which transmews everyone who comes to it into a form of\nstone.\u201d Now when the heir apparent heard this report he went to his\nfather and said, \u201c\u2019Tis my desire to fare forth and to get that\nmarvellous bird;\u201d and said the father, \u201cO my son, thou wouldst work only\nto waste thy life-blood and to deprive us of thee; for that same bird\nhath ruined Kings and Sultans, not to speak of Bashas and Sanj\u00e1ks,[291]\nmen in whose claws[292] thou wouldst be as nothing.\u201d But the son\nreplied, \u201cNeeds must I go and if thou forbid my going I will kill\nmyself.\u201d So quoth his father, \u201cThere is no Majesty and no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great;\u201d and saith the son, \u201cAffects are\naffected and steps are sped towards a world that is vile and distributed\ndaily bread.\u201d[293] Then he said to him, \u201cO my child, set out upon thy\njourney and mayest thou win to thy wish.\u201d Hereupon they prepared for him\nsomewhat of victual and he went forth on his wayfare. But before\ndeparting he took off his seal-ring from his finger and gave it to his\nsecond brother saying, \u201cO my brother, an this signet press hard upon thy\nlittle finger do thou know and make certain that mishap hath happened to\nme.\u201d So the second Prince took it and put it upon his minim finger,\nafter which the eldest youth farewelled his father and his mother and\nhis brothers and the Lords of the land and departed seeking the city\nwherein the Bird woned. He ceased not travelling by nights and days, the\nwhole of them, until he reached the place wherein was the bird\nPhilomelet whose habit it was to take station upon his cage between\nmid-afternoon and sunset, when he would enter it to pass the night. And\nif any approached him with intent of capturing him, he would sit afar\nfrom the same and at set of sun he would take station upon the cage and\nwould cry aloud speaking in a plaintive voice, \u201cHo thou who sayest to\nthe mean and mesquin, \u2018Lodge!\u2019[294] Ho thou who sayest to the sad and\nsevered, \u2018Lodge!\u2019 Ho thou who sayest to the woeful and doleful,\n\u2018Lodge!\u2019\u201d Then if these words were grievous to the man standing before\nhim and he make reply \u201cLodge!\u201d ere the words could leave his lips the\nBird would take a pinch of dust from beside the cage and hovering over\nthe wight\u2019s head would scatter it upon him and turn him into stone. At\nlength arrived the youth who had resolved to seize the Bird and sat afar\nfrom him till set of sun: then Philomelet came and stood upon his cage\nand cried, \u201cHo thou who sayest to the mean and mesquin, \u2018Lodge!\u2019 Ho thou\nwho sayest to the sad and severed, \u2018Lodge!\u2019 Ho thou who sayest to the\nwoeful and doleful, \u2018Lodge!\u2019\u201d Now the cry was hard upon the young Prince\nand his heart was softened and he said, \u201cLodge!\u201d This was at the time\nwhen the sun was disappearing, and as soon as he spake the word the Bird\ntook a somewhat of dust and scattered it upon the head of the youth, who\nforthright became a stone. At that time his brother was sitting at home\nin thought concerning the wanderer, when behold, the signet squeezed his\nfinger and he cried, \u201cVerily my brother hath been despoiled of life and\ndone to death!\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                 The Four Hundred and Eighteenth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the second Prince, when the signet squeezed his\nlittle finger, cried out saying, \u201cMy brother, by Allah, is ruined and\nlost; but needs must I also set forth and look for him and find what\nhath befallen him.\u201d Accordingly he said to his sire, \u201cO my father, \u2019tis\nmy desire to seek my brother;\u201d and the old King answered, \u201cWhy, O my\nson, shouldst thou become like thy brother, both bereaving us of your\ncompany?\u201d But the other rejoined, \u201cThere is no help for that nor will I\nsit at rest till I go after my lost one and espy what hath betided him.\u201d\nThereupon his sire gave orders for his journey and got ready what would\nsuffice him of victual, and he departed, but before he went he said to\nhis youngest brother, \u201cTake thou this ring and set it upon thy little\nfinger, and if it press hard thereupon do thou understand and be\ncertified that my life\u2019s blood is shed and that I have perished.\u201d After\nthis he farewelled them and travelled to the place of the Enchanting\nBird, and he ceased not wayfaring for whole days and nights and nights\nand days until he arrived at that stead. Then he found the bird\nPhilomelet and sat afar from him till about sundown when he took station\nupon his cage and began to cry, \u201cHo thou who sayest to the mean and\nmesquin, \u2018Lodge!\u2019 Ho thou who sayest to the sad and severed, \u2018Lodge!\u2019 Ho\nthou who sayest to the woeful and doleful, \u2018Lodge!\u2019\u201d Now this cry of the\nBird was hard upon the young Prince and he had no sooner pronounced the\nword \u201cLodge!\u201d than the Philomelet took up somewhat of dust beside his\ncage and scattered it upon him, when forthright he became a stone lying\nbeside his brother. Now the youngest of the three Princes was sitting at\nmeat with his sire when suddenly the signet shrank till it was like to\ncut off his finger; so he rose forthright to his feet and said, \u201cThere\nis no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the\nGreat.\u201d Quoth his father, \u201cWhat is to do with thee, O my son?\u201d and quoth\nhe, \u201cBy Allah, my brother is ruined and wasted, so needs must I also\nfare forth and look after the twain of them.\u201d Exclaimed his sire, \u201cWhy,\nO my son, should you three be cut off?\u201d but the other answered, \u201cNeeds\nmust I do this, nor can I remain after them without going to see what\nhath betided them, and either we three shall return in safety and\nsecurity or I also shall become one of them.\u201d So the father bade them\nprepare for his journey and after they had got ready for him a\nsufficiency of provision he farewelled him and the youth set out. But\nwhen he departed from his sire the old man and his wife filleted their\nbrows with the fillets of sorrow[295] and they fell to weeping by night\nand by day. Meanwhile the youth left not wayfaring till he reached the\nstead of the Bird and the hour was mid-afternoon, when he found his\nbrothers ensorcelled to stones, and about sunset he sat down at a\ndistance from Philomelet who took station upon his cage and began to\ncry, \u201cHo thou who sayest to the mean and mesquin, \u2018Lodge!\u2019 Ho thou who\nsayest to the sad and severed, \u2018Lodge!\u2019 together with many words and\ninstances of the same kind.\u201d But the Prince hardened his heart nor would\nspeak the word, and albeit the Bird continued his cry none was found to\nanswer him. Now when the sun evanished and he had kept up his appeal in\nvain he went into the cage, whereupon the youngest of the Princes arose\nand running up shut the door upon him. Quoth the Bird, \u201cThou hast done\nthe deed, O son of the Sultan,\u201d and the youth replied, \u201cRelate to me\nwhatso thou hast wrought in magic to these creations of God.\u201d Replied\nPhilomelet, \u201cBeside thee lie two heaps of clay whereof one is white and\nthe other blue: this is used in sorcery and that to loose the\nspells.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent\nand ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,\n\u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should\nrelate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d\nNow when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                 The Four Hundred and Twentieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Bird said to the youngest son of the\nSultan, \u201cBy the side of my cage are two heaps of clay, this blue and\nthat white; and the first is the material for sorcery whilst the second\nlooseth the spell.\u201d Hereupon the youth approached them and finding the\nmounds took somewhat of the white and scattered it upon the stones and\ncried, \u201cBe ye returned unto your older shapes;\u201d and, as he did so, each\nand every of the stones became men as they had been. Now amongst them\nwere sundry sons of the Sultans, also the children of Kings and Wazirs\nand Bashas and Lords of the land, and of the number two were the elder\nbrothers of the young Prince: so they salamed to him and all\ncongratulated one another on their safety. After this one came forward\nto the youth and said to him, \u201cVerily this place is a city, all and some\nof whose folk are ensorcelled.\u201d So he took a somewhat of clay from the\nwhite and entered the streets, where, finding the case as described to\nhim, he fell to sifting the clay upon them and they were transmewed from\nstatues of stone into the shapes of Adam\u2019s sons. Then, at last, the sons\nof that city rose one and all and began offering to the Prince gifts and\nrarities until he had of them a mighty matter. But when his brothers saw\nthat he had become master of the bird Philomelet and his cage, and all\nthese presents and choice treasures, they were filled with envy of\nhim[296] and said each to other, \u201cHow shall our brother win him all this\nand we abide with him in servile condition, especially when we hie us\nhomewards and return to our own land? And will not folk say that the\nsalvation of the two elder brothers was by the hand of the youngest? But\nwe cannot endure such disgrace as this!\u201d So envy entered them and in\ntheir jealousy they planned and plotted the death of their cadet, who\nknew not that was in their minds or whatso was hidden from him in the\nLimbo of Secrets. And when they had wrought their work the youngest\nPrince arose and bade his pages and eunuchs lade the loads upon the\ncamels and mules and, when they had done his bidding, they all set forth\non the homewards march. They travelled for whole days and nights till\nthey drew near their destination and the youngest Prince bade his\nattendants seek an open place wherein they might take repose, and they\nsaid, \u201cHearkening and obedience.\u201d But when they came upon it they found\na well builded of stone, and the brothers said to the cadet, \u201cThis be a\nplace befitting rest by reason of this well being here; for the water\nthereof is sweet and good for our drink and therewith we can supply our\nfolk and our beasts.\u201d Replied the youth, \u201cThis is what we desire.\u201d So\nthey set up their tents hard by that well, and when the camp was pitched\nthey let prepare the evening meal, and as soon as it was sun-set-tide\nthey spread the trays and supped their sufficiency until presently night\ncame down upon them. Now the youngest Prince had a bezel\u2019d signet-ring\nwhich he had taken from the bird Philomelet, and he was so careful\nthereof that he never slept without it. But his brothers awaited until\nhe was drowned in sleep, when coming softly upon him they pinioned him\nand carried him off and cast him into the well without anyone knowing\naught thereof. Then as soon as morning morrowed the two eldest Princes\narose and commanded the attendants to load, but these said to them,\n\u201cWhere be our lord?\u201d and said the others, \u201cHe is sleeping in the\nTakhtraw\u00e1n.\u201d So the camel men arose and loaded the loads and the litter\nand the two Princes sent forwards to the King their sire a messenger of\nglad tidings who when he found him informed him of the fair news.\nAccordingly he and all his Lords took horse and rode forth to meet his\nsons upon the road that he might salam to them and give them joy of\ntheir safe return. Now he chanced in their train to catch sight of the\ncaged bird which is called \u201cthe shrilling Philomelet,\u201d and he rejoiced\nthereat and asked them, \u201cHow did ye become masters of him?\u201d Then he\nenquired anent their brother.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn\nof day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth\nher sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine,\nand enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared\nwith that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer\nme to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Twenty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night.\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Sultan enquired of the two elder sons\nconcerning their younger brother and they said, \u201cWe made ourselves\nmasters of the Bird and we have brought him hither and we know nothing\nabout our cadet.\u201d However, the King who loved his youngest with\nexceeding love put the question, \u201cHave ye not looked after him and have\nye not been in his company?\u201d whereto they answered saying, \u201cA certain\nwayfarer declared to have seen him on some path or other.\u201d When the\nfather heard this from them he cried, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is\nno Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great;\u201d and he fell to\nstriking palm upon palm.[297] On this wise it befel these, but as\nregards the case of their brother, when they cast him into the well he\nawoke from his sleep and he felt himself falling into the depths, so he\ncried, \u201cI take refuge with the All-sufficient Words of Allah[298] from\nthe mischief He hath created.\u201d And by the blessing of these Holy Names\nhe reached the sole of the well without aught of harm or hurt. Here\nfinding himself pinioned, he strained upon his bonds and loosed them;\nbut the well was deep of bottom and he came upon an arched recess, so he\nsat in it and exclaimed, \u201cVerily we are Allah\u2019s and to Him we are\nreturning and I who wrought for them such work[299] am rewarded with the\ncontrary thereof; withal the power is unto Allah.\u201d And suddenly he heard\nthe sound of speaking at some little distance beside him, and the voice\nwas saying, \u201cO Black of Head, who hath come amongst us?\u201d and his comrade\nresponded, \u201cBy Allah, this youth is the son of the Sultan and his best\nbeloved, and the same hath released his brothers from sorcery and was\ncarrying them to their homes when they played him false and cast him\ninto this well. However, he hath a signet-ring with a bezel which if he\nrub \u2019twill bespeak him with whatso he desireth, and will do what he may\nwish.\u201d So the Prince said in his mind, \u201cI bid the Servant of this Ring\nto take me out;\u201d after which he rubbed it and the Jinni appeared and\ncried, \u201cYea verily, O son of the Sultan, what is it thou requirest of\nme?\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and\nceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow\nsweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should relate to you\non the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Twenty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Ringbezel said to him, \u201cWhat dost thou\nrequire of me?\u201d and said the Prince, \u201cI demand that thou hoist me out of\nthe well: and this done that thou summon for me an host with Pages and\nEunuchs and tents and pavilions and ensigns and banners.\u201d Whereto the\nother replied, \u201cPresent!\u201d[300] Then he brought him forth the well and\nthe youth found hard by it all he needed, so he bade them load their\nbelongings upon the beasts and when this was done he set out seeking the\ncity of his sire. And as he drew so near it that it was within shot of\neye, he alighted there upon a broad plain and ordered them to pitch the\ncamp. Accordingly they set up the tents and the sitting pavilions while\nthe Farr\u00e1shes fell to sprinkling water upon the ground afront the abodes\nand to setting up the ensigns and colours whilst the band of kettledrums\nwent dub-a-dub and the trumpets blared tantaras. The cooks also began at\nonce to prepare the evening meal. Now when the city-folk saw this pomp\nand circumstance, they held in their minds that the new comer was some\nSultan approaching to take their town; so they gathered together and\nwent in to their own King and informed him thereof. But he, having heard\ntheir words, felt his heart melt and his vitals throb and a certain joy\npenetrate into his heart, so he said, \u201cPraise to the Lord, there hath\nentered into my heart a certain manner of pleasure, albeit I know not\nwhat may be the case and Allah hath said in his Holy Book, \u201cWe have\nheard good news.\u201d\u201d[301] Hereupon he and the Lords of his land took horse\nand rode till they reached the front of the pavilions where the King\ndismounted from his steed. Now the Prince his younger son was dressed in\na habit that might have belonged to a hidden Hoard, and when he saw his\nfather he recognised him, so he rose and met him and kissed his hands,\nbut his sire knew him not by reason of the case the youth was in, so he\nsupposed him to be a strange Sultan. Presently, the Prince asked him,\n\u201cWhere be thy youngest son?\u201d and the King hearing this fell down\na-fainting, but, soon recovering from his swoon, he said, \u201cVerily my son\nhath wasted the blood of his life and hath become food for wild beasts.\u201d\nHereupon the youth laughed aloud and cried, \u201cBy Allah, thy son hath not\nsuffered aught from the shifts and changes of the World, and he is still\nin the bonds of life, safe and sound; nor hath there befallen him\nanything of harm whatever.\u201d \u201cWhere is he?\u201d quoth the father: \u201cHe\nstandeth between thy hands,\u201d quoth the son. So the Sultan looked at him\nand straightly considering him found that it was his very son who was\nbespeaking him, and of his delight he threw his arms around his neck and\nfell with him aswoon to the ground. This lasted for a full-told hour;\nbut when he recovered from his fainting he asked his son what had\nbetided him, so he told all that had befallen, to wit how he had become\nmaster of the Enchanting Bird Philomelet and also of the magical clay\nwherewith he had besprinkled his brethren and others of the city-folk\nwho had been turned to stone, all and some, and how they had returned to\nthe shapes whilome they wore. Moreover he recounted to him the presents\nand offerings which had been made to him and also how, when they arrived\nat a certain place, his brothers had pinioned him and cast him into the\nwell. And ere he finished speaking, lo and behold! the two other Princes\ncame in and when they looked upon his condition and noted the state of\nprosperity he was in, surrounded as he was by all manner of weal, they\nfelt only increase of envy and malice. But as soon as their sire espied\nthem he cried, \u201cYe have betrayed me in my son and have lied to me and,\nby Allah, there is no retribution for you on my part save death;\u201d and\nhereupon the Sultan bade do them die. Then the youngest Prince made\nintercession for his brethren and said, \u201cO my sire, whoso doeth a deed\nshall meet its deserts,\u201d and thus he obtained their pardon. So they\npassed that night one and all in camp and when morning morrowed they\nloaded and returned to the city and all were in the most pleasureable\ncondition. Now when the King heard this tale from the owner of the fruit\nit pleased him and he rejoiced therein and said, \u201cBy Allah, O Shaykh,\nindeed that hath gone from us which we had of cark and care; and in good\nsooth this history deserveth that it be written with water of gold upon\nthe pages of men\u2019s hearts.\u201d Replied the other, \u201cBy Allah, O King of the\nAge, this adventure is marvellous, but I have another more wondrous and\npleasurable and delectable than any thou hast yet heard.\u201d Quoth the\nSultan, \u201cNeeds must thou repeat it to us,\u201d and quoth the fruit-seller,\n\u201cInshallah\u2014God willing\u2014I will recite it to thee on the coming night.\u201d\nHereupon the Sultan called for a handmaiden who was a model of beauty\nand loveliness and stature and perfect grace and from the time of his\nbuying her he never had connection with her nor had he once slept with\nher, and he gave her in honourable gift to the reciter. Then he set\napart for them both an apartment with its furniture and appurtenances\nand the slave-girl rejoiced greatly thereat. Now when she went in to her\nnew lord she donned her best of dresses so he lay down beside her and\nsought carnal copulation, but his prickle would not stand erect, as was\nits wont, although he knew not the cause thereof.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the\nnext night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the prickle of the Fruiterer would not stand to\nthe handmaid as was the wont thereof, so he cried, \u201cVerily this is a\nwondrous business.\u201d Then the girl fell to rubbing it up and to toying\ntherewith, her object being to stablish an erection. But the article in\nquestion grew not and remained limp, whereupon she said, \u201cO my lord,\nAllah increase the progress of thy pego!\u201d Thereupon she arose and opened\na bag wherefrom she drew out kerchiefs and dried aromatic herbs[302]\nsuch as are scattered upon corpses; and she also brought a gugglet of\nwater. Presently she fell to washing the prickle as it were a dead body,\nand after bathing it she shrouded it with a kerchief: then she cried\nupon her women and they all bewept the untimely fate of his yard which\nwas still clothed in the kerchief.[303] And when morning morrowed the\nSultan sent after the man and summoned him and said to him, \u201cHow passed\nthy night?\u201d So he told him all that had betided him, and concealed from\nhim naught; and when the Sultan heard this account from him he laughed\nat him on such wise that from excess of merriment he well nigh fell upon\nhis back and cried, \u201cBy Allah, if there be such cleverness in that girl,\nshe becometh not any save myself.\u201d Accordingly he sent to fetch her as\nshe stood and left the furniture of the place wholly and entirely to the\nowner of the fruit. And when this was done the Sultan made of him a\nboon-companion for that day from morning to evening and whenever he\nthought of the handmaid\u2019s doings he ordered the man to repeat the tale\nand he laughed at him and admired the action of the slave-girl with the\nLimpo. When darkness came on they prayed the night-prayer and they\nsupped and sat down to converse and to tell anecdotes.[304] Thereupon\nthe King said to the Fruiterer, \u201cRelate us somewhat of that thou hast\nheard anent the Kings of old;\u201d and said the other, \u201cHearing and\nobeying,\u201d and forthwith began the\n\n\n          _STORY OF THE KING OF AL-YAMAN AND HIS THREE SONS._\n\nIt is related that there was a Sultan in the land of Al-Yaman who had\nthree male children, two of them by one mother and a third by another.\nNow that King used to dislike this second wife and her son, so he sent\nher from him and made her, together with her child, consort with the\nhandmaids of the kitchen, never asking after them for a while of time.\nOne day the two brothers-german went in to their sire and said to him,\n\u201c\u2019Tis the desire of us to go forth a-hunting and a-chasing,\u201d whereto\ntheir father replied, \u201cAnd have ye force enough for such sport?\u201d They\nsaid, \u201cYea, verily, we have!\u201d when he gave to each of them a horse with\nits furniture of saddle and bridle, and the twain rode off together. But\nas soon as the third son (who together with his mother had been banished\nto the kitchen) heard that the other two had gone forth to hunt, he went\nto his mother and cried, \u201cI also would fain mount and away to the chase\nlike my brethren.\u201d His mother responded, saying, \u201cO my son, indeed I am\nunable to buy thee a horse or aught of the kind;\u201d so he wept before her\nand she brought him a silvern article, which he took and fared forth\nwith it to the bazar, and there, having sold it for a gold piece, he\nrepaired to a neighbouring mill and bought him a lame garron. After this\nhe took a bittock of bread; and, backing the beast without saddle or\nbridle, he followed upon the footsteps of his brothers through the first\nday and the second, but on the third he took the opposite route.\nPresently he reached a Wady, when behold, he came across a string[305]\nof pearls and emeralds which glittered in the sunlight, so he picked it\nup and set it upon his head and he fared onwards singing for very joy.\nBut when he drew near the town he was met by his two brothers who seized\nhim and beat him and, having taken away his necklace, drove him afar\nfrom them. Now he was much stronger and more beautiful than they were,\nbut as he and his mother had been cast off by the King, he durst not\noffer aught of resistance.[306] Now the two brothers having taken the\nnecklace from him went away joyful, and repairing to their father,\nshowed him the ornament and he rejoiced in them and hending it in his\nhand marvelled thereat. But the youngest son went to his mother with his\nheart well nigh broken. Then the Sultan said to his two sons, \u201cYe have\nshown no cleverness herein until ye bring me the wearer of this\nnecklace.\u201d They answered, \u201cHearkening and obedience, and we will set out\nto find her.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should\nrelate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now\nwhen it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the sons of the Sultan made them ready for the\nmarch whereby they might bring back the bird to whom the necklace\nbelonged. So they took them a sufficiency of provision and, farewelling\ntheir father, set out for the city wherein they judged the bird might\nbe. Such was their case; but as regards their unhappy brother, when he\nheard the news of their going he took with him a bittock of bread and\nhaving bidden adieu to his mother mounted his lame garron and followed\nupon the traces of his brethren for three days. Presently he found\nhimself in the midst of the wild and the wold, and he ceased not faring\ntherethrough till he came to a city whose folk were all weeping and\nwailing and crying and keening. So he accosted an aged man and said to\nhim, \u201cThe Peace be upon thee!\u201d and when the other returned his salam and\nwelcomed him he asked saying, \u201cO my uncle, tell me what causeth these\ngroans and this grief?\u201d The other replied, \u201cO my son, verily our city is\ndomineered over by a monstrous Lion who every year cometh about this\ntime and he hath already done on such wise for forty and three years.\u201d\nNow he expecteth every twelvemonth as he appeareth to be provided with a\ndamsel arrayed and adorned in all her finery, and if he chance to come\nas is his wont and find her not he would assault the city and destroy\nit. So before the season of his visit they cast lots upon the maidens of\nthe place and whomso these befal, her they decorate and lead forth to a\nplace without the walls that the monster may take her. And this year the\nsort hath fallen upon the King\u2019s daughter.[307] When the youth heard\nthese words he held his peace and, having taken seat by the old man for\nan hour or so, he arose and went forth to the place where the Lion was\nwont to appear and he took his station there, when behold, the daughter\nof the King came to him and right heavy was she of heart. But as she\nfound the youth sitting there, she salam\u2019d to him and made friendship\nwith him and asked, \u201cWhat brought thee to this stead?\u201d Answered he,\n\u201cThat which brought _thee_ brought me also.\u201d Whereto quoth she, \u201cVerily\nat this hour the Lion shall come to seize me, but as soon as he shall\nsee me he will devour thee before me, and thus both of us shall lose our\nlives; so rise up and depart and save thyself, otherwise thou wilt\nbecome mere wasted matter in the belly of the beast.\u201d \u201cBy Allah, O my\nlady,\u201d quoth he, \u201cI am thy sacrifice at such a moment as this!\u201d And as\nthey were speaking, suddenly the world was turned topsy-turvy,[308] and\ndust-clouds and sand-devils[309] flew around and whirlwinds began to\nplay about them, and lo and behold! the monster made his appearance; and\nas he approached he was lashing his flanks with his tail like the sound\nof a kettle-drum. Now when the Princess espied him, the tears poured\ndown her cheeks, whereat the youth sprang to his feet in haste, and\nunsheathing his sword, went forth to meet the foe, who at the sight of\nhim gnashed his tusks at him. But the King\u2019s son met him bravely,\nspringing nimbly from right to left, whereat the Lion raged furiously,\nand with the design to tear him limb from limb, made a rush at the\nyouth, who smote him with all the force of his forearm and planted\nbetween his eyes a sway of scymitar so sore that the blade came out\nflashing between his thighs, and he fell to the ground slain and\nbleeding amain. When the Princess saw this derring-do of her defender,\nshe rejoiced greatly and fell to wiping with her kerchief the sweat from\nhis brow; and the youth said to her, \u201cArise and do thou fare to thy\nfamily.\u201d \u201cO my lord, and O light of mine eyes!\u201d said she, \u201cwe twain\ntogether will wend together as though we were one flesh;\u201d but he\nrejoined, \u201cThis is on no wise possible.\u201d Then he arose from beside her\nand ceased not faring until he had entered the city, where he rested\nhimself beside a shop. She also sprang up, and faring homewards, went in\nto her father and mother, showing signs of sore sorrow. When they saw\nher, their hearts fluttered with fear lest the monster should attack the\ntown and destroy it, whereupon she said to them, \u201cBy Allah, the Lion\nhath been slain and lieth there dead.\u201d They asked her saying, \u201cWhat was\nit killed him?\u201d and she answered, \u201cA handsome youth fair of favour,\u201d but\nthey hardly believed her words and both went to visit the place, where\nthey found the monster stonedead. The folk of the city, one and all,\npresently heard this fair news, and their joy grew great, when the\nSultan said to his daughter, \u201cThou! knowest thou the man who slew him?\u201d\nto which she answered, \u201cI know him.\u201d But as all tidings of the youth\nwere cut off, the King let proclaim about the city\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night.\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the King let proclaim through the city how none\nshould oppose him or delay to obey his bidding; nay, that each and\nevery, great and small, should come forth and pass before the windows of\nhis daughter\u2019s palace. Accordingly the Crier went abroad and cried about\nthe city to that purport, bidding all the lieges muster and defile in\nfront of the Princess\u2019s windows; and they continued so doing for three\nfull-told days, while she sat continually expecting to sight the youth\nwho had slain the Lion, but to no purpose. At last never a soul remained\nwho had not passed in the review, so the Sultan asked, \u201cIs there anyone\nwho hath absented himself?\u201d and they answered, \u201cThere is none save a\nstranger youth who dwelleth in such and such a place.\u201d \u201cBring him\nhither!\u201d cried the King, \u201cand command him to pass muster,\u201d when the\nothers hastened to fetch him; and as soon as he drew near to the window,\nbehold, a kerchief was thrown upon him.[310] Then the Sultan summoned\nhim, and he, when standing in the presence, saluted and made obeisance\nand blessed the Sovran with the blessings fit for the Caliphs. The\nSultan was pleased thereat and said, \u201cArt thou he who slew the Lion?\u201d\nand said the other, \u201cI did.\u201d Hereupon quoth the King, \u201cAsk a favour of\nme, that I grant it to thee;\u201d and quoth the Youth, \u201cI pray of Allah and\nthen of our lord the Sultan that he marry me to his daughter.\u201d But the\nKing continued, \u201cAsk of me somewhat of wealth,\u201d and all the Lords of the\nland exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, he deserveth the Princess who saved her from\nthe Lion and slew the beast.\u201d Accordingly the King bade the\nmarriage-knot be tied, and let the bridegroom be led in procession to\nthe bride, who rejoiced in him with extreme joy, and he abated her\nmaidenhead and the two lay that night together. But the Prince arose\nabout the latter hours without awaking his bride, and withdrawing her\nseal-ring from her finger passed his own thereupon and wrote in the palm\nof her hand, \u201cI am \u2019Al\u00e1edd\u00edn,[311] son of King Such-and-such, who ruleth\nin the capital of Al-Hind, and, given thou love me truly, do thou come\nto me, otherwise stay in thy father\u2019s house.\u201d Then he went forth without\nawaking her and fared through wilds and wolds for a term of ten days,\ntravelling by light and by night, till he drew near a certain city which\nwas domineered over by an Elephant. Now this beast would come every year\nand take from the town a damsel; and on this occasion it was the turn of\nthe Princess, daughter to the King who governed that country. But as the\nyouth entered the streets he was met by groans and moans and crying and\nkeening; so he asked thereanent and was answered that the Elephant was\npresently approaching to seize the maiden and devour her.[312] He asked,\n\u201cTo what stead cometh he?\u201d and they pointed out to him a place without\nthe city whereto he repaired and took his seat. Suddenly the Princess\npresented herself before him a-weeping and with tears down her cheeks\na-creeping, when he said to her, \u201cO my lady, there is no harm for thee.\u201d\nSaid she, \u201cO youth, by Allah! thou wastest thy life to no purpose and\nseekest thy death without cause, so rise up and save thyself, for the\nElephant will be here this very hour.\u201d And behold, the beast came up to\nthe heart of the waste and he was raising a dust-cloud and trumpeting\nwith rage[313] and lashing flanks with tail. But when he arrived at the\nwonted place he was confronted by the youth who, with heart stronger\nthan granite, hastened to fall upon him[314] and fatigued him and dealt\nblows without cease; and, when the Elephant charged down upon him, he\nmet the monster with a stroke between the eyes dealt with all the force\nof his forearm, and the blade came flashing out from between the thighs,\nwhen the beast fell to the ground slain and weltering in his blood\namain. Thereupon, in the stress of her joy, the Princess arose hurriedly\nand walked towards the youth\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to\nsurvive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                 The Four Hundred and Thirtieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Princess walked hurriedly towards the youth\nand in the stress of her joy she threw her arms around his neck and\nkissed him between the eyes and cried, \u201cO my lord, may thy hands never\npalsied grow nor exult over thee any foe!\u201d Said he to her, \u201cReturn to\nthy people!\u201d and said she, \u201cThere is no help but that I and thou fare\ntogether.\u201d But he replied, \u201cThis matter is not the right rede,\u201d and he\nwent from her at a double quick pace, saying, \u201cO Allah, may none see\nme!\u201d until he entered the city and presently seating him beside a\ntailor\u2019s shop fell to conversing with its owner. Presently the man said,\n\u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious,\nthe Great: by this time the daughter of the King will have been seized\nby the Elephant and torn to pieces and devoured, and she the mainstay of\nher mother and her father.\u201d And behold loud lullilooing[315] flew about\nthe city and one began exclaiming \u201cVerily the Elephant which is wont to\ncome hither year by year hath been slaughtered by a man quite young in\nyears, and the Sultan hath sent a Crier to cry amongst the crowds, \u2018Let\nthe slayer of the beast come into the presence and crave a boon and\nmarry the maiden.\u2019\u201d So quoth the Youth to the tailor, \u201cWhat is to do?\u201d\nand the other informed him of the truth of the report, whereupon he\nasked, \u201cIf I go to the King will he give her to me?\u201d Answered the\ntailor, \u201cWho art thou that thou shouldst intermarry with the daughter of\nthe King?\u201d and the Prince rejoined, \u201cWe will go and bespeak him and lie\nto him saying, I am he who slew the monster.\u201d But the other retorted, \u201cO\nYouth, thou art willingly and wilfully going to thy death, for an thou\nlie to him he will assuredly cut off thy head.\u201d Presently the Prince,\nwho was listening to the Crier, said to his companion, \u201cUp with thee and\ncome with us that thou mayest look upon my execution;\u201d and cried the\nother, \u201cWhy so, O thou true-born son?\u201d[316] whereto the Youth replied,\n\u201cNeeds must I do this!\u201d Hereupon he and the man arose and went till they\ncame to the palace of the Sultan, where they craved leave to enter, but\nwere forbidden by the Chamberlain, when lo and behold! the Princess\nlooked out from the lattice and saw the Prince together with the tailor.\nSo she threw the kerchief upon his head and cried aloud, \u201cBy Allah, here\nhe be, and \u2019tis none but he who slew the Elephant and who saved me from\nhim.\u201d Hereat the tailor fell to wondering at the youth, but when the\nKing saw that his daughter had thrown the kerchief upon him, he\npresently sent to summon him between his hands and asked him how it\nhappened, and heard from him the truth of the tale. Then said he, \u201cBy\nAllah, verily my daughter was lost, so that this youth well deserveth\nher.\u201d Thereupon he tied the marriage tie between the twain and the youth\nafter wedding her went to her in procession and did away her pucelage,\nand lay the night with her. And presently when day was nigh, the young\nPrince arose and seeing her slumbering wrote in the palm of her hand, \u201cI\nam Such-and-such, the son of such a King in Such-and-such a capital; and\nif thou love me truly, come to find me, or otherwise stay in thy\nfather\u2019s house.\u201d Then without awaking her he fared forth to the city of\nthe Enchanting Bird and ceased not cutting athwart the wilds and the\nwolds throughout the nights and the days till he arrived at the place\nwherein dwelt the Bird Philomelet whereto the necklace belonged. And she\nwas the property of the Princess the daughter to the Sovran whose seat\nwas in that capital, and it was the greatest of cities and its King was\nthe grandest of the Kings. When he entered the highways he leant against\nthe shop of an Oilman to whom he said, \u201cThe Peace be upon you,\u201d and the\nother returned his salutation and seated him beside himself, and the two\nfell to conversing. Presently the Prince asked him, \u201cO my lord, what\ncanst thou tell me concerning a certain Bird and her owner?\u201d and the\nother made answer, \u201cI know nothing but of oil and of honey and of\nclarified butter, whereof whatever thou requirest I will give to thee.\u201d\nQuoth the youth, \u201cThis is no reply to my question,\u201d and quoth the\noilman, \u201cI know not nor regard aught save what is by me in my shop.\u201d So\nthe Prince rising from beside him left him and went forth to continue\nhis search; but whenever he asked concerning the Bird and its owner, the\nfolk changed the subject and returned him no reply save, \u201cWe know not.\u201d\nThis lasted until he accosted a man well stricken in years, whose age\nwas nigh to an hundred; and he was sitting alone at one side of the\ncity; so the Youth walked up to him and salam\u2019d; and, after the other\nreturned his greeting and kindly welcomed him and seated him near him,\nthe two fell a-talking together, and the Prince asked him, \u201cO my uncle,\nwhat canst thou tell me concerning the Bird whose necklet is of precious\nstones, and what concerning the owner thereof?\u201d The aged man held his\npeace for awhile and presently exclaimed, \u201cO my son, why ask me of this?\nO my child,[317] verily the Kings and sons of the Kings have sought her\nin marriage but could not avail; and indeed the lives of folks manifold\nhave been wasted upon her. How, then, canst thou hope to win her?\nNevertheless, O my son, go and buy thee seven lambs and slaughter them\nand skin them, after which do thou roast them and cut them all in\nhalves; for she hath seven doors at each whereof standeth as warder a\nrending Lion; and at the eighth which guardeth the maiden and the Bird\nare posted forty slaves who at all times are there lying. And now I\nleave thee to thy luck, O my son.\u201d But when the Prince heard these words\nhe asked his aidance of the Shaykh and went forth from him\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased\nsaying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you\non the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Thirty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night.\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Prince craved for the prayers of the\nShaykh, who blessed him. Then he went forth from him and bought of the\nlambs what he had been charged to buy, and these he slaughtered and\nskinned and roasted and he cut each and every into two halves. He waited\nuntil night descended with its darkness and ceased the to-ing and\nfro-ing of folk, when he arose and walked to the place pointed out and\nthere he found the Lion whose shape and size equalled the stature of a\nfull-grown bull. He threw to him half a lamb and the beast allowed him\nto pass through that door, and it was the same with the other entrances,\nall seven of them, until he reached the eighth. Here he found the forty\nslaves who were bestrewn on the ground bedrowned in sleep; so he went in\nwith soft tread and presently he came upon the Bird Philomelet in a cage\nencrusted with pearls and precious stones and he saw the Princess who\nowned him lying asleep upon a couch. Hereat he wrote upon the palm of\nher hand, \u201cI am Such-and-such, son to the King Such-and-such, of such a\ncity; and I have come in upon thee and beheld thee bared whilst thou\nwast sleeping, and I have also taken away the Bird. However, an thou\nlove me and long for me, do thou come to me in mine own city.\u201d Then he\nseized the Bird to his prize and fared forth and what he did with the\nLions coming that he did when going out. The Veiler[318] veiled him, and\nhe went forth the city and met not a single soul, and he ceased not\nfaring the live-long night till next morning did appear, when he hid in\na place seeking repose and he ate somewhat of victual. But as soon as\nthe daylight shone bright, he arose and continued his journey, praying\nAllah for protection on his wayfare, till it was mid-afternoon: then he\nfound, like an oasis in the middle of the waste, certain pastures of the\nwild Arabs and as he drew near the owner met him and salam\u2019d to him and\ngreeted him and blessed him. So he lay that night with them till dawn\nwhen the Shaykh of the encampment who had heard of the stranger came to\nhim and welcomed him and found him a youth fair of form and favour and\nsaw by his side the Enchanting Bird in its cage. He recognised it and\nwondered at the young man\u2019s derring-do and cried, \u201cSubhana \u2019llah\u2014praise\nbe to God\u2014who hath committed His secret unto the weakliest of His\ncreation![319] Verily this Bird hath caused on its account to be slain\nmany of the Wazirs and the Kings and the Sultans, yet hath yonder lad\nmastered it and carried it away. This however is by virtue of his good\nfortune.\u201d Then the old man had compassion on him and gave him a horse\nthat he had by him together with somewhat of provaunt. The Prince took\nthem from him and returning to his march traversed the wilds and the\nwolds for days and nights, all of them; and he continued in that case\nwhen he drew near his father\u2019s capital which rose within eye-shot. And\nas he walked on without heed, behold, his brethren met him and\nconfronted him and fell upon him and, having taken away the Enchanting\nBird, reviled him and beat him and shook him off and drove him away.\nThen they entered the city and sought their sire who received them with\nfair reception and greeted them and rejoiced in them; after which they\npresented him with the Bird Philomelet, and said, \u201cHere we bring him to\nthee and there befel us through his account much toil and trouble.\u201d But\ntheir brother who had really won the prize went to his mother in sadness\nof heart\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent\nand ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,\n\u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should\nrelate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now\nwhen it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Thirty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the young Prince who had brought the Bird and\nwhom his brothers had beaten and robbed of his prize, went to his mother\nin sadness of heart and shedding tears. Quoth she, \u201cWhat is thy case and\nwhat hath befallen thee?\u201d So he told her what had betided him and she\nsaid, \u201cSorrow not, O my son; the course of the right shall be made\nmanifest.\u201d Then she quieted him and soothed his heart. This is what\nhappened to these persons; but as regards the Princess, the owner of the\nBird, when she awoke at dawn of day and opened her eyes, she found her\nfavourite gone and as her glance fell upon the things about her,\nsuddenly she saw something written in the palm of her hand. But as soon\nas she had read it and comprehended its purport, she cried aloud with a\nmighty grievous cry which caused the palace-women to flock around,[320]\nand her father to ask what was to do but none could explain it because\nno one knew. So the Sultan arose forthright and, going in to his\ndaughter, found her buffeting her face for the sake of her Bird and\nasked her, \u201cWhat is to do with thee?\u201d So she informed him of what had\nbefallen her, adding, \u201cVerily he who came into my bower and discovered\nme bare and looked upon me and wrote upon the palm of my hand, him I am\ndetermined to have and none other save that one.\u201d Quoth her father, \u201cO\nmy daughter, many sons of the Wazirs and the Kings have sought the Bird\nand have failed; and now do thou suppose that he hath died;\u201d but quoth\nthe Princess, \u201cI desire none save the man who found me in sleep and\nlooked upon me, and he is the son of King So-and-so, reigning in a such\na capital.\u201d Said her father, \u201cThen how standeth the case?\u201d and said she,\n\u201cNeeds must I thank him and seek his city and marry him, for assuredly\namongst the sons of the Kings, all of them, none can be fairer or more\ndelightsome than he who hath craftily devised this entrance to me in so\nguarded a stead as this. How then can anyone be his peer?\u201d[321] Hereupon\nher father bade muster the forces without the city and he brought out\nfor his daughter rarities and presents and mule-litters, and they\npitched the tents and after three days they loaded the loads for travel.\nThen they fared for whole days and nights until they drew near the city\nwherein the youth had slain the Elephant and had saved the daughter of\nthe King. So the Sultan set up his encampment with its tents and\npavilions hard by the walls, to the end that all might take their rest,\nbut when the King of the City saw this he rode forth to visit the\nstranger, and after greeting asked him the cause of his coming with such\na host. The Sultan apprised him of what had happened to his daughter,\nhow she had lost the Enchanting Bird, also how the youth had come into\nher bower and had written a writ upon the palm of her hand. But when the\nKing heard from him this account he knew and was certified that it was\nthe same Prince who had also slain the Elephant and who had on such wise\nsaved his daughter\u2019s life; so he said to the Sultan, \u201cVerily he who took\nthe Bird belonging to thy Princess hath also married my daughter, for he\nhath done such-and-such deeds.\u201d After which he related to him the\nslaughter of the Elephant and all that had happened from beginning to\nend. Now as soon as the Sultan heard these words he cried, \u201cBy Allah my\ndaughter is excusable and she hath shown her insight and her\ncontrivance;\u201d and presently he arose and going in to her related what he\nhad heard from the King of the City, and she wondered at the tale of the\nyouth\u2019s adventures and the killing of the Elephant. They nighted in that\nstead and the tidings soon reached the ears of the youth\u2019s wife, the\nPrincess who had been saved from the Elephant, and she said to her sire,\n\u201cI also needs must go to him and forgather with him.\u201d Hereupon the King\nher father bade muster his troops together with the Lords of the land\nwithout the city beside the host of the chief Sultan, and on the second\nday both Sovrans bade the loads be loaded for the march. When their\nbidding was obeyed the twain set out together and travelled for days and\nnights until they drew near to the capital of the King where the youth\nhad slain the Lion, and they pitched their tents in its neighbourhood.\nPresently the Sovran of that capital came out and greeted them and asked\nthem the cause of their coming; so they informed him of their adventures\nfrom commencement to conclusion; and he, when certified of the truth of\nthis tale, returned to inform his daughter thereof.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the third King informed his daughter of the\ncertainty of the tidings, and she also exclaimed, \u201cNeeds must I as well\nas they set out to seek him and forgather with him.\u201d So her father\nreturned to the Sultan and the King and told them of the adventures of\nthe youth, and how he was the cause of his daughter\u2019s salvation from the\nLion which he had slain; and when the twain heard his words they\nmarvelled and cried, \u201cBy Allah, verily this youth is fortunate in all\nhis doings: would Heaven we knew how be his condition with his father\nand whether he is loved or he is loathed.\u201d Then the three fell to\ntalking of the Prince\u2019s qualities, and presently the third King arose\nand gave orders for gathering together the Lords of his land and his\narmy, and he brought out for his daughter mule-litters, and gat ready\nall she might require of rarities and offerings. Then the three Kings\ngave orders to load the beasts and fared together, taking with them\ntheir three daughters who, whenever they conversed together used to\npraise the high gifts of the Prince, and she who was the mistress of the\nBird would say \u201cYe twain have forgathered with him;\u201d and the others\nwould answer, \u201cWe passed with him no more than a single night;\u201d after\nwhich they would relate to her the slaughter of the Lion and the\nElephant. So she wondered and cried, \u201cBy Allah! verily he is auspicious\nof fortune.\u201d And they ceased not to be in such case for whole days and\nnights, and nights and days, throughout the length of the journey till\nthey drew near the far-famed[322] city which was the bourne of their\nwayfare and the object of their wishes. Now this happened about\nsunset-tide, so the three Kings who had alighted together bade their\ntents and pavilions be set up, and when their behest was obeyed, each\nand every of the three commanded that the firemen and the linkmen light\nup their torches and cressets, and they did so, one and all, until that\nWady was illumined as by the sheen of day. But when the city folk saw\nwhat was done by the three Kings, their hearts quaked and their flesh\nquivered, and they cried, \u201cVerily for the mighty hosts of these Kings\nthere needs must be a cause of coming.\u201d However the strangers nighted in\nsite until morn grew light, when the three Sovrans forgathered, and sent\na messenger with an invite to the Lord of the city, who on receiving\nhim, exclaimed, \u201cHearkening and obedience!\u201d Then mounting without stay\nor delay he rode forth till he reached the strangers\u2019 camp, where he\nalighted and went in and greeted them; and they, on similar guise, arose\nto him and wished him long life, and seated him and fell to conversing\nwith him for a full-told hour. But he was whelmed in the ocean of\nthought, and he kept saying to himself, \u201cWould Heaven I knew what be the\ncause of the Kings coming to this my country.\u201d However, the four Sovrans\ncontinued to converse until the noontide hour, when the trays were\ndispread for them, and the tables were laid with sumptuous meats in\nplatters and chargers of precious metal, the very basins and ewers being\nof virgin gold. But when the King of that city beheld this he marvelled,\nand said in his mind, \u201cBy Allah, there is not with me aught of rarities\nlike these.\u201d As soon as they had ended eating what sufficed them, water\nwas brought to them and they washed their hands, after which they were\nserved with confections and coffee and sherbets. Anon the three Kings\nsaid to their guest, \u201cThou, hast thou any children?\u201d and said he, \u201cYes,\nI have two sons.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cSummon them before us that we may look\nupon them;\u201d so he sent and bade them make act of presence. The Princes\ndonned their finest dresses and perfumed themselves; then they took\nhorse and rode until they had reached their father\u2019s palace. But the\nthree Princesses stood to look at them, and she who was owner of the\nBird Philomelet asked of the two others, saying, \u201cIs he amongst these\ntwain?\u201d and they answered, \u201cNay, he is not.\u201d She exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah,\nboth of them be fine men,\u201d and the others cried, \u201cIndeed, our husband is\nfar fairer and finer than they.\u201d But when the Kings saw the two brothers\nthey said to their sire, \u201cVerily our need is not with them.\u201d\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to\nsay her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad \u201cHow sweet is thy\nstory, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd\nwhere is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming\nnight an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night\nand that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the two Kings said to the lord of the city,\n\u201cVerily our need is not in this pair of youths,\u201d and the third King\nadded, \u201cBy Allah, indeed these two young men be fair of favour,\u201d for\nthat he had not seen the Prince who had taken his daughter\u2019s Bird\nPhilomelet. Presently the two asked the father saying, \u201cThou, is there\nby thee no issue other than these two?\u201d and said he, \u201cYes, I have a son,\nbut I have cast him out and I have placed his mother amongst the\nhandmaids of the kitchen.\u201d \u201cSend to fetch him,\u201d quoth they; so he\ndespatched a messenger to bring him into the presence. And he came,\nwithal he was without any finery of dress; but as soon as the two\ndamsels saw him they communed concerning him and he inclined to them and\nwent into their pavilion, when they rose to him and threw their arms\nround his neck and kissed him between his eyes. Hereupon the mistress of\nthe Bird said to the two others, \u201cBe this he?\u201d and said they, \u201cYes;\u201d so\nshe also arose and kissed his hand. But when he had finished greeting\nthem he at once went forth to the assembled Kings, who stood up in\nhonour to him and welcomed him and greeted him; and when his father saw\nthat case he wondered with great wonderment. Then the youth took seat\nafar from his brothers and addressed them, saying, \u201cWhich of the twain\nwas first to take the necklace?\u201d And they held their peace. He resumed\nspeech and said to them, \u201cWhich of you killed the Lion and which of you\nslew the Elephant and which of you embraved his heart and going into the\nbower of the august damsel, daughter to this Sultan, carried off her\nBird Philomelet?\u201d But they answered him never a syllable and were far\nfrom offering a reply. So he resumed, \u201cWherefore did you fall upon me\nand beat me and take away the Enchanting Bird, when I was able to slay\nyou both? Yet to everything is its own time and this my father had\nbanished me and banished my mother nor did he give her aught of what\nbecame her.\u201d Saying these words the youth fell upon his two brethren\nwith his sword and striking a single stroke he slew the twain, after\nwhich he would have assaulted his sire, and put him to death. However\nthe three Kings forbade him and presently he whose daughter owned the\nBird put an end to this by insisting upon the marriage-tie with him\nbeing tied. So he went in unto her that very night and the three damsels\nbecame his acknowledged spouses. After this his father gave command that\nhis mother be admitted into the Palace and he honoured her and banished\nthe parent of his two elder sons for he was assured that their cadet had\ndone such derring-do by slaying the Lion and the Elephant and by\nbringing into the presence Philomelet the Enchanting Bird and he was\ncertified that the deed had been done by none other. So he set apart a\npalace for the young Prince and his three Princesses and he gave him a\ncommandment and their joys ever increased. And lastly the three Kings\nceased not abiding in that place for forty days after which they devised\ntheir departure.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to\nsurvive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the three Kings desired, one and all of them,\nto depart and return to their countries and their capitals; and their\nson-in-law presented them with gifts and rarities, whereupon they\nblessed him and went their ways. After this the young Prince, who had\nbecome Sovran and Sultan, took seat upon the throne of his realm and by\nthe reign he was obeyed and the servants of Allah for him prayed.\nPresently on a day of the days he inclined to the hunt and the chase, so\nhe went off with his suite till they found themselves in the middle of\nthe wildest of wolds where the ruler came upon an underground cavern. He\nproposed to enter therein, when his followers prevented him and behold,\na man came to him from the desert showing the signs of wayfare and\ncarrying a somewhat of water and victual and his garments were all\nthreadbare. The King enquired of him saying, \u201cWhence hast thou come and\nwhither art thou going?\u201d and the other replied, \u201cWe be three in this\nantre who have fled our country; and whenever we require aught of meat\nand drink, one of us fareth forth to fetch what will suffice us of\nprovision for ten days.\u201d \u201cAnd what is the cause of your flying your\nnative land?\u201d asked the King, and the other answered, \u201cVerily our tale\nis wondrous and our adventures are joyous and marvellous.\u201d Hereupon\nquoth the King, \u201cWall\u00e1hi, we will not quit this spot till such time as\nwe shall have heard your histories; and let each one of you three\nrecount to us what befel him, so that we hear it from his own mouth.\u201d\nHereupon the King commanded sundry of his suite to set forth home and\nthe rest to abide beside him; and he sent a Chamberlain of the\nChamberlains that he might go bring from the city somewhat of victual\nand water and wax candles and all the case required, saying the while to\nhimself, \u201cVerily the hearing of histories is better than hunting and\nbirding, for haply they may solace and gladden the hearts of men.\u201d[323]\nSo the Chamberlain went forth and, after an absence of an hour or so he\nreturned bringing all the King had commanded; upon which he and the\nsuite brought in the Larrikin[324] together with his two companions\nuntil they led them to the presence and seated the three together. All\nthis while none of the vagabonds knew that the personage before them was\nthe King of the city. So they fell to conversing until the next night\ncame on when the Sovran bade them tell their tales of themselves and\nwhat had befallen each and every of them. They replied, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience;\u201d and the foremost of them began to recite the\n\n\n                    _HISTORY OF THE FIRST LARRIKIN._\n\nVerily, O King, my tale is a rare and it is e\u2019en as follows:\u2014I had a\nmother of whose flocks the World had left her but a single kid, and we\nowned ne\u2019er another. Presently we determined to sell it; and, having so\ndone, we bought with its price a young calf, which we brought up for a\nwhole year till it grew fat and full-sized. Then my mother said to me,\n\u201cTake yon calf and go sell it;\u201d so I went forth with it to the Bazar,\nand I saw that not one was like it, when behold, a body of\nvagabonds,[325] who numbered some forty, looked at the beast, and it\npleased them; so they said one to other, \u201cLet us carry this away and cut\nits throat and flay it.\u201d Then one of them, as all were standing afar\noff, came near me and said, \u201cO youth, wilt thou sell this kid?\u201d and\nquoth I, \u201cO my uncle, verily this is a calf and not a kid;\u201d and the\nother rejoined, \u201cArt thou blind? This is a kid.\u201d Cried I, \u201cA calf!\u201d So\nhe asked, \u201cWilt thou take from me a dollar?\u201d[326] and I answered, \u201cNay,\nO my uncle!\u201d Thereupon he went away from me, and another came after him\nand said, \u201cO youth, wilt thou sell this kid?\u201d and said I, \u201cThis is a\ncalf,\u201d and quoth he \u201cThis is a kid,\u201d and reviled me the while I held my\npeace. Again quoth he, \u201cWilt thou take for this a dollar?\u201d but I was not\nsatisfied therewith, and they ceased not to wrangle with me, one after\nother, each coming up and saying, \u201cO youth, wilt thou sell this kid?\u201d At\nlast their Shaykh[327] accosted me and cried, \u201cWilt thou sell it?\u201d and I\nrejoined, \u201cThere is no Majesty save in Allah! I will sell it on one\ncondition, to wit, that I take from thee its tail.\u201d Replied to me[328]\nthe Shaykh of the Vagabonds, \u201cThou shalt take the tail when we have\nslaughtered it;\u201d then, paying me a dollar, he led off the beast, and\nreturned to his own folk. Presently they killed it and flayed it, when I\ntook the tail and hastened back to my mother. She said to me, \u201cHast thou\nsold the calf?\u201d and said I, \u201cYes, I have sold it, and have taken a\ndollar and the calf\u2019s tail.\u201d \u201cAnd what wilt thou do for the tail?\u201d asked\nshe; and I answered, \u201cI will do him brown[329] who took it from me\nsaying, This is a kid, and I will serve him a sleight which shall get\nout of him to its price ten times one hundred.\u201d[330] With these words I\narose and, taking the tail, I flayed it and studded it with nails and\nbits of glass, and I asked of my mother a maiden\u2019s dress, which she\nbrought me; and presently I covered my face with a Burka\u2019-veil,[331] and\nI adorned me and perfumed myself and I girded my loins underneath my\nclothes with the tail of that calf. Then went I forth like a virgin girl\ntill I reached the barrack of those blackguards, when I found that they\nhad cooked the whole calf and naught of it remained undressed, and they\nhad prepared to spread the table and were about sitting down to supper.\nThen I went[332] in to them and said, \u201cThe Peace be upon you,\u201d and they\nrose to me in a body of their joy, and returned my greetings and said,\n\u201cBy Allah, our night is a white one.\u201d So I entered to them and supped\nwith them, and they all inclined to me, and their moustachios wagged in\ntoken that they would disport with me. But when darkness came on they\nsaid, \u201cThis night is for our Shaykh, but after this each one of us shall\ntake her for his own night.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday, and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to\nsurvive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Forty-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the vagabonds said, \u201cEach one of us shall take\nher to him for a night after the Shaykh,\u201d and so saying they left me and\nwent their ways. Then the Chief fell to chatting with me and he was in\nhigh spirits, when suddenly my glance fell upon a rope hanging from the\nceiling of that barrack and I cried, \u201cO Shaykh!\u201d whereto he replied,\n\u201cYes, O my lady and light of mine eyes.\u201d Said I to him, \u201cWhat may be\nthis cord thus suspended?\u201d and said he, \u201cThis is called \u2018hanging-gear\u2019;\nand, when any of ours requireth chastisement from my associates, we\nhoist him up by this rope and we bash him.\u201d Quoth I, \u201cHang me up and let\nme see how \u2019tis done,\u201d but quoth he, \u201cHeaven forfend, O my lady! I will\nhang myself in thy stead and thou shalt look upon me.\u201d Hereat he arose\nand tied himself tight and cried, \u201cHaul up this rope and make it fast in\nsuch a place!\u201d I did his bidding and bound it right firmly and left him\nhanging in the air. Presently he cried \u201cLet go the cord,\u201d and replied I,\n\u201cO Shaykh, first let me enjoy the spectacle.\u201d Then I stripped him of all\nhis clothing and drawing forth the calf\u2019s tail which was studded with\nnails and glass splinters, I said to him, \u201cO Shaykh, is this the tail of\na kid or of a calf?\u201d \u201cWhat woman art thou?\u201d asked he, and I answered, \u201cI\nam the owner of the calf;\u201d and then, tucking up my two sleeves to the\nelbows, I beat him till I stripped him of his skin and he lost his\nsenses and he had no breath wherewith to speak. Thereupon I arose and\nfell to searching the hall, where I found sundry valuables amongst which\nwas a box, so I opened it and came upon three hundred gold pieces and a\nstore of reals[333] and silverlings and jadids.[334] I laid hands on the\nwhole of it and then bore off somewhat of the most sumptuous dresses;\nand, having wrapped them all up in a sheet, I carried them away; and\nabout dawn I went in to my mother and cried, \u201cTake these to the price of\nthe calf, which I have received from the purchaser.\u201d But when the day\nwas high and the sun waxed hot the whole troop of the Shaykh collected\nand said, \u201cVerily our Elder hath slept till the undurn hour;\u201d and one of\nthem declared \u201c\u2019Tis from enjoying so much pleasure and luxury, he and\nthe girl; and doubtless their night hath been a white[335] night.\u201d So\nthey ceased not talking together and each of them had his word until the\nnoon was nigh, when certain of them said, \u201cCome with us and let us rouse\nhim from sleep:\u201d and, saying thus, all went to the door of the hall and\nopened it. Hereupon they found their Shaykh hanging up and his body\nbleeding profusely;[336] so they asked him, \u201cWhat hath befallen thee?\u201d\nand he answered in a weak voice, \u201cVerily that girl is no girl at all,\nbut she is the youth who owned the calf.\u201d They replied, \u201cBy Allah, there\nis no help but that we seize him and slay him;\u201d whereto the Elder said,\n\u201cLoose me and lead me to the Hammam that I may wash clean my skin of all\nthis blood.\u201d Then they let him down and after mounting him upon a donkey\nthey bore him to the baths. Hereat I went to the slaughter-house and\ncovered my body with bullocks\u2019 blood and stuck to it pledgets of cotton\nso that I became like one sorely diseased and I repaired to the same\nHammam propped upon a staff and required admittance. They refused me\nsaying, \u201cThe Shaykh of the Vagabonds is now in the baths nor may anyone\ngo in to him.\u201d Quoth I to them, \u201cI am a man with a malady,\u201d whereto\nquoth one of them, \u201cThis is a poor wight, so let him come within.\u201d\nAccordingly I entered and found the Chief alone, whereupon I drew forth\nthe tail and asked him, \u201cO Shaykh, is this the tail of a calf or a kid?\u201d\n\u201cWho art thou,\u201d said he, and I said, \u201cI am the owner of the calf;\u201d after\nwhich I fell to beating him with the tail until his breath was clean\ngone. Then I left him and went forth from the Hammam by another door so\nas to avoid his followers.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nhow enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared\nwith that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer\nme to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Forty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the youth, the owner of the calf, after beating\nthe Shaykh of the Vagabonds with a sore bashing within the Bath went\nforth by the back door. Whereupon (continued the Larrikin) the followers\nof the Chief went in and they found him at his last breath and moaning\nfrom the excess of blows. Quoth they, \u201cWhat is the matter with thee?\u201d\nand quoth he, \u201cThat man with a malady who came into the Hammam is none\nother but the owner of the calf and he hath killed me.\u201d So they took him\nup and carried him from the place and he said to them, \u201cDo ye bear me\noutside the city and set up for me a tent and lay me therein, after\nwhich do ye gather round about me and never leave me at all.\u201d Hereat\nthey mounted him upon an ass and bore him to the place he described and,\npitching a tent, set him therein and all sat around him. Presently the\ntidings reached me, whereupon I changed my clothes for a disguise and\ndrew near the tent whereabouts I found a Badawi-man feeding his sheep.\nSo I said to him, \u201cO Badawi, take this ducat and draw near yonder tent\nand call aloud, saying:\u2014I am the owner of the calf; after which make off\nwith thy life for an they catch thee they will slay thee.\u201d \u201cBy Allah,\u201d\nquoth the Arab, \u201ceven if they rode their best mares none of them could\ncome up with me!\u201d So I took charge of the sheep while the Badawi\napproaching the tent cried in his loudest voice, \u201cBy Allah, I am the\nowner of the calf.\u201d Hearing this the vagabonds sprang to their feet as\none body and drew their weapons and rushed after the Badawi; but, when\nhe had run some distance from the tent with all the men behind him, I\nwent in and drawing from below my clothes the tail of the calf said, \u201cO\nShayh, is this the tail of a calf or a kid?\u201d The Elder asked, \u201cArt thou\nnot he who cried out, I am the owner of the calf?\u201d and I answered, \u201cNo,\nI am not,\u201d and came down upon him with the tail and beat him until he\ncould no longer breathe. Then I took the properties belonging to his\nparty and wrapping them in a sheet carried them off and quitting the\nplace I went in to my mother and said to her, \u201cTake them to the worth of\nthe calf.\u201d Now those who had run after the Badawi ceased not pursuing\nhim, yet could none of them come up with him and when they were tired\nthey returned from the chase and stinted not walking until they entered\nthe tent. There they found the Shaykh breathless nor could he move save\nto make signs; so they sprinkled a little water upon his face; and the\nlife returned to him and he said to them, \u201cVerily the owner of the calf\ncame to me and beat me till he killed me and the wight who cried, I am\nthe owner of the calf is an accomplice of his.\u201d Thereupon all waxed\nfurious and the Elder said to them, \u201cBear me home and give out that your\nShaykh is deceased; after which do you bathe my body and carry me to the\ncemetery and bury me by night and next morning disinter me so that the\nowner of this calf may hear that I am dead and leave me in peace. Indeed\nas long as I continue in this condition he will devise for me device\nafter device and some day will come into me and kill me downright.\u201d They\ndid what their Shaykh bade them and began crying and keening and saying,\n\u201cVerily our Chief is deceased,\u201d so that the report was bruited abroad\nthat the Shaykh of the Vagabonds had died. But I, the owner of the calf,\nsaid to myself, \u201cBy Allah, an he be dead, they will assuredly make for\nhim some mourning ceremony.\u201d Now when they had washed him and shrouded\nhim and carried him out upon the bier, and were proceeding to the\ngraveyard that they might bury him, and had reached half way to it, lo\nand behold! I joined the funeral train and suddenly walking under the\ncoffin with a sharp packing needle[337] in hand,\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an\nthe King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Forty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that I walked under the bier packing-needle in hand,\nand thrust it into the Shaykh of the Vagabonds, whereat he cried out and\nsprang up and sat upright upon his shell.[338] Now when the King heard\nthis tale he laughed and was cheered and the Larrikin resumed:\u2014By Allah,\nwhen I thrust the needle into him and he sat upright in his coffin all\nthe folk fell to wondering and cried, \u201cVerily the dead hath come to\nlife.\u201d Hereupon, O my lord, my fear waxed great and I said to myself,\n\u201cAll adventures are not like one another: haply the crowd[339] will\nrecognise me and slay me.\u201d So I went forth the city and came hither.\nCried the King, \u201cOf a truth, this tale is marvellous;\u201d when the second\nLarrikin exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord, my tale is rarer and stranger\nthan this, for indeed therein I did deeds worthy of the Jinn-mad and\namongst the many tricks that came from my hand I died and was buried and\nI devised a device whereby they drew me from my tomb.\u201d Quoth the King,\n\u201cWall\u00e1hi, if thy tale be more wondrous than that which forewent it I\nneeds must reward thee with somewhat. But now tell us of what betided\nthee.\u201d So the man began to relate the\n\n\n                   _HISTORY OF THE SECOND LARRIKIN._\n\nI was living, O my lord, under the same roof with my father\u2019s wife and I\nhad with me some bundles of sesame cobs, but no great quantity, which I\nstored in a little basket hanging up in the great ceiling-vault of our\nhouse. Now one day of the days a party of merchants, numbering five or\nso, together with their head man, came to our village and began asking\nfor sesame; and they happened to meet me on the road hard by our place,\nso they put me the same question. I asked them, \u201cDo you want much of\nit?\u201d and they answered, \u201cWe require[340] about an hundred ardabbs.\u201d[341]\nQuoth I, \u201cBy me is a large quantity thereof;\u201d and quoth they, \u201cHave the\nkindness to show us the muster;\u201d[342] whereto I rejoined, \u201cUpon the head\nand the eye!\u201d Hereat I led them into the room wherein the basket was\nsuspended with a few cobs of sesame (there being none other) and I went\nup by an outside staircase to the top of the vault, which I pierced, and\nputting forth my hand, took up a palm-full and therewith returned to\nthem and showed the specimen. They saw that the sesame was clean grain,\nand said one to other, \u201cThis house is naught but full to the vault,[343]\nfor had there been a small quantity there he would have opened the door\nand shown us the heaps.\u201d Hereupon I conversed with them and settled the\nprice and they paid me as earnest money for an hundred ardabbs of sesame\nsix hundred reals. I took the coin and gave it to the wife of my father,\nsaying to her, \u201cCook for us a supper that shall be toothsome.\u201d Then I\nslaughtered for her five chickens and charged her that, after she should\nhave cooked the supper, she must prepare for us a pot of Bays\u00e1rah[344]\nwhich must be slab and thick. She did as I bade her and I returned to\nthe merchants and invited them to sup with us and night in our house.\nNow when sunset time came I brought them in for the evening meal and\nthey supped and were cheered, and as soon as the hour for night-prayer\nhad passed I spread for them sleeping-gear and said to them, \u201cO our\nguests, be careful of yourselves lest the wind come forth from your\nbellies, for with me dwelleth the wife of my father, who disgusteth\nfizzles and who dieth if she hear a fart.\u201d After this they slept soundly\nfrom the stress of their fatigue and were overwhelmed with slumber; but\nwhen it was midnight, I took the pot of Baysarah and approached them as\nthey still slumbered and I besmeared[345] their backsides with the\nBaysarah and returned and slept until dawn of day in my own stead hard\nbeside them. At this time all five were awake, and as each one arose\nbefore his companions he sensed a somewhat soft below him and putting\nforth his hand felt his bum bewrayed[346] with the stuff, and said to\nhis neighbour, \u201cHo, such an one, I have skited!\u201d and the other said, \u201cI\nalso have conskited myself;\u201d and then all said together, \u201cWe have\nskited.\u201d But when I heard this, O my lord, I arose forthwith and cried\nout saying, \u201cHaste ye to my help, O ye folk, for these guests have\nkilled my father\u2019s wife.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and\nhow enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared\nwith that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer\nme to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that quoth the second Larrikin to the King:\u2014O my\nlord, I cried out saying, \u201cThe guests have slain the wife of my father.\u201d\nBut when they heard me the merchants arose and ran away, each following\nother, so I rushed after them, shouting aloud, \u201cYe have killed my\nfather\u2019s wife,\u201d till such time as they had disappeared from sight. Then\nsaid I to myself, \u201cInshallah! they will never more come back.\u201d But after\nthey had disappeared for a whole year they returned and demanded their\ncoin, to wit, six hundred reals; and I, when the tidings reached me,\nfeigned myself dead and ordered my father\u2019s wife to bury me in the\ncemetery and I took to my grave a portion of charcoal and a\nbranding-iron. Now when the five merchants came and asked after me the\nfolk said, \u201cHe hath deceased and they have graved him in his grave;\u201d\nwhereupon the creditors cried, \u201cBy Allah, there is no help but that we\ngo and piss upon his fosse.\u201d Now I had made a crevice in the tomb[347]\nand I had lighted the charcoal and I had placed the branding-iron ready\ntill it became red hot and, when they came to piddle upon my grave, I\ntook the iron and branded their hinder cheeks with sore branding, and\nthis I did to one and all till the five had suffered in the flesh.\nPresently they departed to their own country, when my father\u2019s wife came\nand opened the tomb and drew me forth and we returned together to our\nhome. After a time, however, the news reached these merchants in their\ntowns that I was living and hearty, so they came once more to our\nvillage and demanded of the Governor that I be given up to them. So the\nrulers sent for and summoned me, but when the creditors made a claim\nupon me for six hundred reals, I said to the Governor, \u201cO my lord,\nverily these five fellows were slaves to my sire in bygone-times.\u201d Quoth\nthe ruler, \u201cWere ye then in sooth chattels to his sire?\u201d and said they\nto me, \u201cThou liest!\u201d Upon this I rejoined, \u201cBare their bodies; and, if\nthou find a mark thereupon, they be my father\u2019s serviles, and if thou\nfind no sign then are my words false.\u201d So they examined them and they\nfound upon the rumps of the five, marks of the branding-iron, and the\nGovernor said, \u201cBy Allah, in good sooth he hath told the truth and you\nfive are the chattels of his father.\u201d Hereupon began dispute and debate\nbetween us, nor could they contrive aught to escape from me until they\npaid me three hundred reals in addition to what I had before of them.\nWhen the Sultan heard these words from the Larrikin he fell to wondering\nand laughing at what the wight had done and he said, \u201cBy Allah, verily\nthy deed is the deed of a vagabond who is a past-master in fraud.\u201d Then\nthe third Larrikin spoke and said, \u201cBy Allah, in good sooth my story is\nmore marvellous and wondrous than the tales of this twain, for that none\n(methinketh) save I could have done aught of the kind.\u201d The King asked\nhim \u201cAnd what may be thy story?\u201d so he began to relate\n\n\n                  _THE HISTORY OF THE THIRD LARRIKIN._\n\nO my lord, I was once an owner of herds whereof naught remained to me\nbut a single bull well advanced in years and unhealthy of flesh and of\nhide; and when I sought to sell him to the butchers none was willing to\nbuy him of me, nor even to accept him as a gift. So I was disgusted with\nthe beast and with the idea of eating him; and, as he could not be used\neither to grind[348] or to plough, I led him into a great courtyard,\nwhere I slaughtered him and stripped off his hide. Then I cut the flesh\ninto bittocks\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should\nrelate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now\nwhen it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the whilome owner of the bull said to the King,\n\u201cO my lord, I cut his flesh into bittocks and went forth and cried aloud\nupon the dogs of the quarter, when they all gathered together nor did\none remain behind. Then I caused them to enter the court and having\nbolted the door gave to each dog a bit of the meat weighing half a\npound.\u201d[349] So all ate and were filled, after which I shut them up in\nthe house which was large, for a space of three days when, behold, the\nfolk came seeking their tykes and crying, \u201cWhither can the curs have\ngone?\u201d So I related how I had locked them up within the house and\nhereupon each man who had a hound came and took it away. Then quoth I,\n\u201cThy dog hath eaten a full pound of flesh,\u201d and I took from each owner\nsix faddahs and let him have his beast until I had recovered for the\nmeat of that bull a sum of two thousand faddahs.[350] At last of these\ndogs there remained to me but one unclaimed and he had only a single eye\nand no owner. So I took up a staff and beat him and he ran away and I\nran after him to catch him until he came upon a house with the door open\nand rushed within. Now by the decree of the Decreer it so happened that\nthe mistress of the house had a man living with her who was one-eyed and\nI ran in and said to her, \u201cBring out the one-eyed that is with thee,\u201d\nmeaning the dog. But when the house mistress heard me say, \u201cBring out\nthe one-eyed,\u201d she fancied that I spoke of her mate, so knowing naught\nabout the matter of the tyke she came up to me and cried, \u201cAllah upon\nthee, O my lord, do thou veil what Allah hath veiled and rend not our\nreputation and deal not disgrace to us;\u201d[351] presently adding, \u201cTake\nthis bangle from me and betray us not.\u201d So I took it and left her and\nwent my ways, after which she returned to the house and her heart was\nheaving and she found that her man had been in like case ever since he\nheard me say, \u201cBring out the one-eyed.\u201d So I went away carrying off the\nbracelet and fared homeward. But when she looked about the room, lo and\nbehold! she espied the one-eyed dog lying in a corner and, as soon as\nshe caught sight of him, she was certified that I had alluded to the\nbeast. So she buffeted her face and regretted the loss of her bangle and\nfollowing me she came up and said to me, \u201cO my lord, I have found the\none-eyed dog, so do thou return with me and take him;\u201d whereat I had\npity upon the woman and restored to her the ornament. However, when this\nhad befallen me, fear possessed my heart lest she denounce me, and I\nwent away from my village and came to this place where the three of us\nforgathered and have lived ever since. When the King had given ear to\nthis story he was cheered and said, \u201cBy Allah, verily the adventures of\nyou three are wondrous, but my desire of you is to know if any of you\nhave heard aught of the histories of bygone Sultans; and, if so, let him\nrelate them to me. First, however, I must take you into the city that\nyou may enjoy your rest.\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d quoth they, \u201cwho art thou of the\ncitizens?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cI am the King of this country, and the cause\nof my coming hither was my design to hunt and chase and the finding you\nhere hath diverted me therefrom.\u201d But when they heard his words, they\nforthwith rose to their feet and did him obeisance saying, \u201cHearing and\nobeying,\u201d after which the three repaired with him to the city. Here the\nKing commanded that they set apart for them an apartment and appointed\nto them rations of meat and drink and invested them with robes of\nhonour; and they remained in company one with other till a certain night\nof the nights when the Sultan summoned them and they made act of\npresence between his hands and the season was after the King had prayed\nthe Ish\u00e1[352] prayers. So he said to them, \u201cI require that each and\nevery of you who knoweth an history of the Kings of yore shall relate it\nto me,\u201d whereat said one of the four, \u201cI have by me such a tale.\u201d Quoth\nthe King, \u201cThen tell it to us;\u201d when the first Larrikin began to relate\nthe\n\n\n       _STORY OF A SULTAN OF AL-HIND AND HIS SON MOHAMMED._[353]\n\nThere was in days of yore a King in the land of Al-Hind, who reigned\nover wide dominions (and praise be to Him who ruleth the worlds material\nand spiritual!), but this Sultan had nor daughter nor son. So once upon\na time he took thought and said, \u201cGlory to Thee! no god is there save\nThyself, O Lord; withal Thou hast not vouchsafed to me a child either\nboy or girl.\u201d On the next day he arose a-morn wholly clad in clothes of\ncrimson hue,[354]\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to\nsurvive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the King of Al-Hind arose a-morn wholly clad in\nclothes of crimson hue, and the Wazir, coming into the Divan, found him\nin such case. So he salam\u2019d to him and blessed him with the blessing due\nto Caliphs, and said to him, \u201cO King of the Age, doth aught irk thee\nthat thou art robed in red?\u201d whereto he replied, \u201cO Wazir, I have risen\nwith my heart gript hard.\u201d Said the other, \u201cGo into thy treasury of\nmoneys and jewels and turn over thy precious ores, that thy sorrow be\ndispersed.\u201d But said the Sultan, \u201cO Wazir, verily all this world is a\ntransitory, and naught remaineth to any save to seek the face of Allah\nthe Beneficent: withal the like of me may never more escape from cark\nand care, seeing that I have lived for this length of time and that I\nhave not been blessed with or son or daughter, for verily children are\nthe ornament of the world.\u201d Hereupon a wight dark of hue, which was a\nTakr\u00fari[355] by birth, suddenly appeared before the Sultan and standing\nbetween his hands said to him, \u201cO King of the Age, I have by me certain\nmedicinal roots the bequeathal of my forbears and I have heard that thou\nhast no issue; so an thou eat somewhat thereof haply shall they gladden\nthy heart.\u201d \u201cWhere be these simples?\u201d cried the King, whereat the\nTakruri man drew forth a bag and brought out from it somewhat that\nresembled a confection and gave it to him with due injunctions. So when\nit was nighttime the Sultan ate somewhat of it and then slept with his\nwife who, by the Omnipotence of Allah Almighty, conceived of him that\nvery time. Finding her pregnant the King was rejoiced thereat and fell\nto distributing alms to the Fakirs and the mesquin and the widows and\nthe orphans, and this continued till the days of his Queen\u2019s pregnancy\nwere completed. Then she bare a man-child fair of face and form, which\nevent caused the King perfect joy and complete; and on that day when the\nboy was named Mahommed,[356] Son of the Sultan, he scattered full half\nhis treasury amongst the lieges. Then he bade bring for the babe\nwet-nurses who suckled him until milktime ended, when they weaned him,\nafter which he grew every day in strength and stature till his age\nreached his sixth year. Hereupon his father appointed for him a Divine\nto teach him reading and writing and the Koran and all the sciences,\nwhich he mastered when his years numbered twelve. And after this he took\nto mounting horses and learning to shoot with shafts and to hit the\nmark, up to the time when he became a knight who surpassed all other\nknights. Now one day of the days Prince Mahommed rode off a-hunting, as\nwas his wont, when lo and behold! he beheld a fowl with green plumage\nwheeling around him in circles and rocketing in the air and seeing this\nhe was desirous to bring it down with an arrow. But he found this\nimpossible so he ceased not following the quarry with intent to catch it\nbut again he failed and it flew away from his ken; whereat he was sore\nvexed and he said to himself, \u201cNeeds must I seize this bird,\u201d and he\nkept swerving to the right and the left in order to catch sight of it\nbut he saw it not. This endured until the end of day when he returned to\nthe city and sought his father and his mother, and when they looked upon\nhim they found his case changed and they asked him concerning his\ncondition, so he related to them all about the bird and they said to\nhim, \u201cO our son, O Mahommed, verily the creations of Allah be curious\nand how many fowls are like unto this, nay even more wondrous.\u201d Cried\nhe, \u201cUnless I catch her[357] I will wholly give up eating.\u201d Now when\nmorning dawned he mounted according to his custom and again went forth\nto the chase; and presently he pushed into the middle of the desert when\nsuddenly he saw the bird flying in air and he pushed his horse to speed\nbeneath her and shot at her a shaft with the intent to make her his\nprey, but again was unable to kill the bird. He persisted in the chase\nfrom sunrise until sundown when he was tired and his horse was aweary,\nso he turned him round purposing a return city-wards, when behold, he\nwas met in the middle of the road by an elderly man who said to him, \u201cO\nson of the Sultan, in very sooth thou art fatigued and on like wise is\nthy steed.\u201d The Prince replied, \u201cYes,\u201d and the Elder asked him, \u201cWhat is\nthe cause thereof?\u201d Accordingly he told him all anent the bird and the\nShaykh replied to him, \u201cO my son, an thou absent thyself and ride for a\nwhole year in pursuit of yonder fowl thou wilt never be able to take\nher; and, O my child, where is this bird![358] I will now inform thee\nthat in a City of the Islands hight of Camphor there is a garden wide of\nsides wherein are many of such fowls and far fairer than this, and of\nthem some can sing and others can speak with human speech; but, O my\nson, thou art unable to reach that city. However, if thou leave this\nbird and seek another of the same kind, haply I can show thee one and\nthou wilt not weary thyself any more.\u201d When Mohammed, Son of the Sultan,\nheard these words from the Elder he cried, \u201cBy Allah, \u2019tis not possible\nbut that I travel to that city.\u201d Hereupon he left the Shaykh and\nreturned to his own home, but his heart was engrossed with the Capital\nof the Camphor Islands, and when he went in to his sire, his case was\ntroubled. The father asked him thereof and he related to him what the\noldster had said. \u201cO my son,\u201d quoth the sire, \u201ccast out this accident\nfrom thy heart and weary not thy soul, inasmuch as whoso would seek an\nobject he cannot obtain, shall destroy his own life for the sake thereof\nand furthermore he shall fail of his gain. Better therefore thou set thy\nheart at rest[359] and weary thyself no more.\u201d Quoth the Son, \u201cWall\u00e1hi,\nO my sire, verily my heart is hung to yonder fowl and specially to the\nwords of the Elder; nor is it possible to me to sit at home until I\nshall have reached the city of the Camphor Islands and I shall have\ngazed upon the gardens wherein such fowls do wone.\u201d Quoth his father,\n\u201cBut why, O my child, wouldst thou deprive us of looking upon thee?\u201d And\nquoth the son, \u201cThere is no help but that I travel.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story,\nO sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where\nis this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an\nthe King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Fifty-second Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that Mohammed the Son of the Sultan cried, \u201cNeeds\nmust I travel, otherwise I will slay myself.\u201d \u201cThere is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might,\u201d quoth the father, \u201csave in Allah the Glorious, the\nGreat; and saith the old saw, \u2018The chick is unsatisfied till the crow\nsee it and carry it off.\u2019\u201d[360] Thereupon the King gave orders to get\nready provisions and other matters required for the Prince\u2019s wayfare,\nand he sent with him an escort of friends and servants, after which the\nyouth took leave of his father and mother and he with his many set forth\nseeking the Capital of the Camphor Islands. He ceased not travelling for\nthe space of an entire month till he arrived at a place wherein three\nhighways forked, and he saw at the junction a huge rock whereon were\nwritten three lines. Now the first read, \u201cThis is the road of safe\nchance,\u201d and the second, \u201cThis is the way of repentance,\u201d and the third,\n\u201cThis is the path whereon whoso paceth shall return nevermore.\u201d When the\nPrince perused these inscriptions he said to himself, \u201cI will tread the\npath whereon whoso paceth shall nevermore return.\u201d Then he put his trust\nin Allah, and he travelled over that way for a space of days a score,\nwhen suddenly he came upon a city deserted and desolate, nor was there a\nsingle created thing therein and it was utterly in ruins. So he alighted\nbeside it and, as a flock of sheep accompanied his suite, he bade\nslaughter five lambs and commanded the cooks to prepare of them delicate\ndishes and to roast one of them whole and entire. They did his bidding,\nand when the meats were cooked he ordered the trays be spread in that\nsite and, as soon as all was done to his satisfaction, he purposed\nsitting down to food, he and his host, when suddenly an \u2019Aun[361]\nappeared coming from the ruined city. But when Prince Mohammed beheld\nhim he rose to him in honour saying, \u201cWelcome and fair welcome to him\nwho of \u2019Auns is the head, and to the brethren friend true-bred,[362] and\nthe Haunter of this stead;\u201d and he satisfied him with the eloquence of\nhis tongue and the elegance of his speech. Now this \u2019Aun had hair that\noverhung either eye and fell upon his shoulders, so the Prince brought\nout his scissors[363] and trimmed his locks clearing them away from his\nface, and he pared his nails which were like talons, and finally let\nbathe his body with warm water. Then he served up to him the barbecue of\nlamb which he caused to be roasted whole for the use of the Jinni and\nbade place it upon the tray, so the Haunter ate with the travellers and\nwas cheered by the Prince\u2019s kindness and said to him, \u201cBy Allah, O my\nlord Mohammed, O thou Son of the Sultan, I was predestined to meet thee\nin this place but now let me know what may be thy need.\u201d Accordingly the\nyouth informed him of the city of the Camphor Islands and of the garden\ncontaining the fowls which he fared to seek, and of his design in\nwayfaring thither to bring some of them away with him. But when the \u2019Aun\nheard from him these words, he said to him, \u201cO thou Son of the Sultan,\nthat site is a far cry for thee, nor canst thou ever arrive thereat\nunless assisted, seeing that its distance from this place be a march of\ntwo hundred years for a diligent traveller. How then canst thou reach it\nand return from it? However, the old saw saith, O my son, \u2018Good for good\nand the beginner is worthier, and ill for ill and the beginner is\nunworthier.\u2019[364] Now thou hast done to me a kindly deed and I\n(Inshallah!) will requite thee with its match and will reward thee with\nits mate; but let whatso is with thee of companions and slaves and\nbeasts and provisions abide in this site and we will go together, I and\nthou, and I will win for thee thy wish even as thou hast wrought by me a\nkindly work.\u201d Hereupon the Prince left all that was with him in that\nplace and the \u2019Aun said to him, \u201cO son of the Sultan, come mount upon my\nshoulders.\u201d The youth did accordingly, after he had filled his ears with\ncotton, and the \u2019Aun rose from earth and towered in air and after the\nspace of an hour he descended again and the rider found himself in the\ngrounds about the capital of the Camphor Islands. So he dismounted from\nthe Jinni\u2019s shoulders and looked about that Wady where he espied\npleasant spots and he descried trees and blooms and rills and birds that\ntrilled and shrilled with various notes. Then quoth the \u2019Aun to him, \u201cGo\nforth to yonder garden and thence bring thy need;\u201d so he walked thither\nand, finding the gates wide open, he passed in and fell to solacing\nhimself with looking to the right and the left. Presently he saw\nbird-cages suspended and in them were fowls of every kind, to each two,\nso he walked up to them and whenever he noted a bird that pleased him he\ntook it and caged it till he had there six fowls and of all sorts twain.\nThen he designed to leave the garden when suddenly a keeper met him face\nto face at the door crying aloud, \u201cA thief! a thief!\u201d Hereat all the\nother gardeners rushed up and seized him, together with the cage, and\ncarried him before the King, the owner of that garden and lord of that\ncity. They set him in the presence saying, \u201cVerily we found this young\nman stealing a cage wherein be fowls and in good sooth he must be a\nthief.\u201d Quoth the Sultan, \u201cWho misled thee, O Youth, to enter my grounds\nand trespass thereon and take of my birds?\u201d Whereto the Prince returned\nno reply. So the Sultan resumed, \u201cBy Allah, thou hast wilfully wasted\nthy life, but, O Youngster, an it be thy desire to take my birds and\ncarry them away, do thou go and bring me from the capital of the Isles\nof the S\u00fad\u00e1n[365] bunches of grapes which are clusters of diamonds and\nemeralds, when I will give thee over and above these six fowls six other\nbeside.\u201d So the Prince left him and going to the \u2019Aun informed him of\nwhat had befallen him, and the other cried, \u201c\u2019Tis easy, O Mohammed;\u201d and\nmounting him upon his shoulders flew with him for the space of two hours\nand presently alighted. The youth saw himself in the lands surrounding\nthe capital of the Sudan Islands which he found more beautiful than the\nfair region he had left; and he designed forthright to approach the\ngarden containing great clusters of diamonds and emeralds, when he was\nconfronted by a Lion in the middle way. Now it was the wont of this\nbeast yearly to visit that city and to pounce upon everything he met of\nwomen as well as of men; so seeing the Prince he charged down upon him,\ndesigning to rend him limb from limb.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by\nthe dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O\nsister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is\nthis compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an\nthe King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night, and that\nwas\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Lion charged down upon Mohammed, Son of the\nSultan, designing to rend him in pieces, but he confronted him and\nunsheathing his scymitar made it glitter in the sunshine[366] and\npressed him close and bashed him with brand between his eyes so that the\nblade came forth gleaming from between his thighs. Now by doom of\nDestiny the daughter of the Sultan was sitting at the latticed window of\nher belvedere and was looking at her glass and solacing herself, when\nher glance fell upon the King\u2019s son as he was smiting the Lion. So she\nsaid to herself, \u201cMay thy hand never palsied grow nor exult over thee\nany foe!\u201d But the Prince after slaying the Lion left the body and walked\ninto the garden whose door had been left open and therein he found that\nall the trees were of precious metal bearing clusters like grapes of\ndiamonds and emeralds. So he went forwards and plucked from those trees\nsix bunches which he placed within a cage, when suddenly he was met by\nthe keeper who cried out, \u201cA thief! a thief!\u201d and when joined by the\nother gardeners seized him and bore him before the Sultan saying, \u201cO my\nlord, I have come upon this youth who was red-handed in robbing yonder\nclusters.\u201d The King would have slain him forthright, but suddenly there\ncame to him a gathering of the folk who cried, \u201cO King of the Age, a\ngift of good news!\u201d[367] Quoth he, \u201cWherefore?\u201d and quoth they, \u201cVerily\nthe Lion which was wont hither to come every year and to pounce upon all\nthat met him of men and of women and of maidens and of children, we have\nfound him in such a place clean slain and split into twain.\u201d Now the\nSultan\u2019s daughter was standing by the lattice of the belvedere which was\nhard by the Divan of her sire and was looking at the youth who stood\nbefore the King and was awaiting to see how it would fare with him. But\nwhen the folk came in and reported the death of the Lion, the Sultan\nthrew aside the affair of the youth of his joy and delight and fell to\nasking, \u201cWho was it slew the beast?\u201d and to saying, \u201cWall\u00e1hi! By the\nrights of my forbears in this kingdom,[368] let him who killed the\nmonster come before me and ask of me a boon which it shall be given to\nhim; nay, even if he demand of me a division of all my good he shall\nreceive that same.\u201d But when he had heard of all present that the\ntidings were true then the city-folk followed one another in a line and\nwent in to the Sultan and one of them said, \u201cI have slain the Lion.\u201d\nSaid the King, \u201cAnd how hast thou slain him; and in what manner hast\nthou been able to prevail over and master him?\u201d Then he spake with him\nsoftly[369] and proved him and at last so frightened him that the man\nfell to the ground in his consternation; when they carried him off and\nthe King declared, \u201cThis wight lieth!\u201d All this and Mohammed, the Son of\nthe Sultan, was still standing and looking on and when he heard the\nman\u2019s claim he smiled. Suddenly the King happening to glance at him saw\nthe smile and was astounded and said in his mind, \u201cBy Allah, this Youth\nis a wondrous for he smileth he being in such case as this.\u201d But behold,\nthe King\u2019s daughter sent an eunuch to her father and he delivered the\nmessage, when the King arose and went into his Harem and asked her,\n\u201cWhat is in thy mind and what is it thou seekest?\u201d She answered, \u201cIs it\nthy desire to know who slew the Lion that thou mayest largesse him?\u201d and\nhe rejoined, saying, \u201cBy virtue of Him who created His servants and\ncomputeth their numbers,[370] when I know him and am certified of his\ntruth my first gift to him shall be to wed thee with him and he shall\nbecome to me son-in-law were he in the farthest of lands.\u201d Retorted she,\n\u201cBy Allah, O my father, none slew the Lion save the young man who\nentered the garden and carried off the clusters of gems, the youth whom\nthou art minded to slay.\u201d When he heard these words from his daughter,\nthe King returned to the Divan and bade summon Mohammed the Son of the\nSultan, and when they set him between his hands he said to him, \u201cO\nYouth, thou hast indemnity from me and say me, art thou he who slew the\nLion?\u201d The other answered, \u201cO King, I am indeed young in years; how then\nshall I prevail over a Lion and slaughter him, when, by Allah, in all my\nborn days I have never met even with a hyena much less with a lion?\nHowever, O King of the Age, an thou largesse me with these clusters of\ngems and give them to me in free gift, I will wend my ways, and if not\nmy luck will be with Allah!\u201d Rejoined the King, \u201cO Youth, speak thou\nsooth and fear not!\u201d Here he fell to soothing him with words and\nsolacing him and gentling him, after which he threatened him with his\nhand, but Mohammed the Son of the Sultan raised his neave swiftlier than\nthe lightning and smote the King and caused him swoon. Now there was\nnone present in the Divan save Mohammed and the Monarch, who after an\nhour came to himself and said, \u201cBy Allah, thou art he who slew the\nLion!\u201d Hereupon he robed him with a robe of honour and, summoning the\nKazi, bade tie the marriage-tie with his daughter; but quoth the young\nman, \u201cO King of the Age, I have a counsel to consult, after which I will\nreturn to thee.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cRight rede is this same and a matter\nnot to blame.\u201d Accordingly the Prince repaired to the \u2019Aun in the place\nwhere he had left him and related to him all that had betided himself,\nand of his intended marriage with the King\u2019s daughter, whereupon said\nthe Jinni, \u201cCondition with him that if thou take her to wife thou shalt\ncarry her along with thee to thine own country.\u201d The youth did his\nbidding and returned to the King who said, \u201cThere is no harm in that,\u201d\nand the marriage-knot was duly knotted. Then the bridegroom was led in\nprocession to his bride with whom he remained a full month of thirty\ndays, after which he craved leave to fare for his own motherland,\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to\nsay her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy\nstory, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd\nwhere is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming\nnight an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night\nand that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that Mohammed Son of the Sultan craved leave to\nreturn to his own motherland, when his father-in-law gave him an hundred\nclusters of the diamantine and smaragdine grapes, after which he\nfarewelled the King and taking his bride fared without the city. Here he\nfound expecting him the \u2019Aun, who, after causing them to fill their ears\nwith cotton, shouldered him, together with his wife, and then flew with\nthem through the firmament for two hours or so and alighted with them\nnear the capital of the Camphor Islands. Presently Mohammed the Son of\nthe Sultan took four clusters of the emeralds and diamonds, and going in\nto the King laid them before him and drew him back. The Sultan gazed\nupon them and marvelled and cried, \u201cWall\u00e1hi! doubtless this youth be a\nMagician for that he hath covered a space of three hundred years in\nthree[371] of coming and going, and this is amongst the greatest of\nmarvels.\u201d Presently he resumed, saying, \u201cO Youth, hast thou reached the\ncity of the Sudan?\u201d and the other replied, \u201cI have.\u201d The King continued,\n\u201cWhat is its description and its foundation and how are its gardens and\nits rills?\u201d So he informed him of all things required of him and the\nSultan cried, \u201cBy Allah, O Youth, thou deservest all thou askest of me.\u201d\n\u201cI ask for nothing,\u201d said the Prince, \u201csave the birds,\u201d and the King, \u201cO\nYouth, there is with us in our town a Vulture which cometh every year\nfrom behind Mount K\u00e1f and pounceth upon the sons of this city and\nbeareth them away and eateth them on the heads of the hills. Now an thou\ncanst master this monster-fowl and slay that same I have a daughter whom\nI will marry to thee.\u201d Quoth the Prince, \u201cI have need of taking\ncounsel;\u201d and returned to the \u2019Aun to inform him thereof when behold,\nthe Vulture made its appearance. But as soon as the Jinni espied it, he\nflew and made for it, and caught it up; then, smiting it with a single\nstroke of his hand, he cut it in two and presently he returned and\nsettled down upon the ground. Then, after a while, he went back to\nMohammed, the Son of the Sultan, and said to him, \u201cHie thee to the King\nand report to him the slaughter of the Vulture.\u201d So he went and entering\nthe presence reported what had taken place, whereupon the Sultan with\nhis lords of the land mounted[372] their horses, and, going to the\nplace, found the monster killed, and cut into two halves. Anon the King\nreturned, and leading Prince Mohammed with him bade knit the\nmarriage-knot with his daughter and caused him to pay her the first\nvisit. He tarried beside her for a full-told month after which he asked\nleave to travel and to seek the city of his first spouse, carrying with\nhim the second. Hereupon the King his father-in-law presented to him ten\ncages, each containing four birds of vari-coloured coats and farewelled\nhim. After which he fared forth and left the city, and outside it he\nfound the \u2019Aun awaiting him and the Jinni salam\u2019d to the Prince and\ncongratulated him in what he had won of gifts and prizes. Then he arose\nhigh in air, bearing Mohammed and his two brides and all that was with\nthem, and he winged his way for an hour or so until he alighted once\nmore at the ruined city. Here he found the Prince\u2019s suite of learned\nmen, together with the b\u00e2t-beasts and their loads[373] and everything\nother even as he had left it. So they sat down to take their rest when\nthe \u2019Aun said, \u201cO Mohammed, O Son of the Sultan, I have been predestined\nto thee in this site whither thou wast fated to come; but I have another\nand a further covenant to keep wherewith I would charge thee.\u201d \u201cWhat is\nthat?\u201d quoth he, and quoth the \u2019Aun, \u201cVerily thou shalt not depart this\nplace until thou shalt have laved me and shrouded me and graved[374] me\nin the ground;\u201d and so saying he shrieked a loud shriek and his soul\nfled his flesh. This was grievous to the son of the King and he and his\nmen arose and washed him and shrouded him and having prayed over him\nburied him in the earth. After this the Prince turned him to travel, so\nthey laded the loads and he and his set forth intending for their\nfamilies and native land. They journeyed during the space of thirty days\ntill they reached the fork of the highway whereat stood the great rock,\nand here they found tents and pavilions and a host nor did they know\nwhat this mighty many might mean. Now the father, when his son left him,\nsuffered from straitness of breast and was sore perplexed as to his\naffair and he wot not what to do; so he bade make ready his army and\ncommanded the lords of the land to prepare for the march and all set out\nseeking his son and determined to find tidings of him. Nor did they\ncease faring till they reached the place where the road forked into\nthree and on the first rock they saw written the three lines\u2014\u201cThis is\nthe road of safe chance;\u201d and \u201cThis is the way of repentance;\u201d and \u201cThis\nis the path whereon whoso paceth shall return nevermore.\u201d But when the\nfather read it he was posed and perplext as to the matter and he cried,\n\u201cWould Heaven I knew by which road of these three my son Mohammed may\nhave travelled;\u201d and as he was brooding over this difficulty\u2014\u2014And\nShahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased\nsaying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and\ntasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should relate to you\non the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was\nthe next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that as the Sultan was brooding over this difficulty\nlo and behold! his son Mohammed appeared before him by the path which\nshowed written, \u201cThis is the path whereon whoso passeth shall nevermore\nreturn.\u201d But when the King saw him, and face confronted face, he arose\nand met him and salam\u2019d to him giving him joy of his safety; and the\nPrince told him all that had befallen him from beginning to end\u2014how he\nhad not reached those places save by the All-might of Allah, and how he\nhad succeeded in winning his wish by meeting with the \u2019Aun. So they\nnighted in that site and when it was morning they resumed their march,\nall in gladness and happiness for that the Sultan had recovered his son\nMohammed. They ceased not faring a while until they drew near their\nnative city when the bearers of good tidings ran forward announcing the\narrival of the Sultan and his son, and hereupon the houses were\ndecorated in honour of the Prince\u2019s safe return and crowds came out to\nmeet them till such time as all had entered the city-walls, after which\ntheir joys increased and their annoy fell from them. And this is the\nwhole of the tale told by the first Larrikin. Now when the Sultan heard\nit he marvelled at what had befallen the chief adventurer therein, when\nthe second Larrikin spoke saying \u201cI have by me a tale, a marvel of\nmarvels, and which is a delight to the hearer and a diversion to the\nreader and to the reciter.\u201d Quoth the Sovran, \u201cWhat may that be, O\nShaykh?\u201d and the man fell to relating the\n\n\n                  _TALE OF THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SON._\n\nThey tell that whilome there was a Fisherman, a poor man with a wife and\nfamily, who every day was wont to take his net and go down to the river\na-fishing for his daily bread which is distributed. Then he would sell a\nportion of his catch and buy victual and the rest he would carry to his\nwife and children that they might eat. One day of the many days he said\nto his son who was growing up to a biggish lad, \u201cO my child, come forth\nwith me this morning, haply All-Mighty Allah may send us somewhat of\nlivelihood by thy footsteps;\u201d and the other answered, \u201c\u2019Tis well, O my\nfather.\u201d Hereupon the Fisherman took his son and his net and they twain\nwent off together till they arrived at the river-bank, when quoth the\nfather, \u201cO my boy I will throw the net upon the luck of thee.\u201d Then he\nwent forward to the water and standing thereby took his net and unfolded\nit so that it spread when entering the stream, and after waiting an hour\nor so he drew it in and found it heavy of weight: so he cried, \u201cO my\nson, bear a hand\u201d and the youth came up and lent him aidance in drawing\nit in. And when they had haled it to shore they opened it and found a\nfish of large size and glittering with all manner of colours. Quoth the\nfather, \u201cO my son, by Allah, this fish befitteth not any but the Caliph;\ndo thou therefore abide with it till I go and fetch a charger wherein to\ncarry it as an offering for the Prince of True Believers.\u201d The youth\ntook his seat by the fish and when his father was afar off he went up to\nher and said, \u201cDoubtless thou hast children and the byword saith, Do\ngood and cast it upon the waters.\u201d Then he took up the fish and setting\nher near the river besprinkled[375] her and said, \u201cGo thou to thy\nchildren, this is even better than being eaten by the Caliph.\u201d But\nhaving thrown the fish into the stream, his fear of his father grew\nstrong upon him, so he arose and without stay or delay fled his village;\nand he ceased not flying till he reached the Land of Al-Ir\u00e1k whose\ncapital was under a King wide of dominions (and praise be to the King of\nall kingdoms!) So he entered the streets and presently he met a\nbaker-man who said to him, \u201cO my son, wilt thou serve?\u201d whereto he\nreplied, \u201cI will serve, O uncle.\u201d The man settled with him for a wage of\ntwo silver nusfs a day together with his meat and his drink, and he\nremained working with him for a while of time. Now on one day of the\ndays behold, he saw a lad of the sons of that city carrying about a cock\nwith the intention of vending it, when he was met by a Jew who said to\nhim, \u201cO my child, wilt thou sell this fowl?\u201d and the other said, \u201cI\nwill.\u201d Quoth the Jew, \u201cFor ten faddahs?\u201d and quoth the youth, \u201cAllah\nopeneth!\u201d Said the other, \u201cFor twenty faddahs?\u201d and the lad, \u201cAllah\nveileth!\u201d[376] Then the Jew fell to increasing his offer for the cock\nuntil he reached a full dinar.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn\nof day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth\nher sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to\nsurvive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Sixty-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Jew raised his bid for the cock till he\nreached a gold piece when the lad said \u201cHere with it.\u201d So the man gave\nhim the dinar and took from him the fowl and slaughtered it forthright.\nThen he turned to a boy, one of his servants, and said to him, \u201cTake\nthis cock and carry it home and say to thy mistress:\u2014Pluck it, but open\nit not until such time as I shall return.\u201d And the servant did his\nbidding. But when the Fisherman\u2019s son who was standing hard by heard\nthese words and saw the bargain, he waited for a while and as soon as\nthe servant had carried off the fowl, he arose and buying two cocks at\nfour faddahs he slaughtered them and repaired with them to the house of\nthe Jew. Then he rapped at the door and when the mistress came out to\nhim he bespoke her saying:\u2014\u201cThe house master saith to thee, Take these\ntwo silvers and send me the bird which was brought to thee by the\nservant boy.\u201d[377] Quoth she, \u201c\u2019Tis well,\u201d so he gave her the two fowls\nand took from her the cock which her husband had slaughtered. Then he\nreturned to the bakery, and when he was private he opened the belly of\nthe cock and found therein a signet-ring with a bezel-gem which in the\nsun showed one colour and in the shade another. So he took it up and hid\nit in his bosom, after which he gutted the bird and cooked it in the\nfurnace and ate it. Presently the Jew having finished his business,\nreturned home and said to his wife, \u201cBring me the cock.\u201d She brought him\nthe two fowls and he seeing them asked her, \u201cBut where be the first\ncock?\u201d And she answered him, \u201cThou thyself sentest the boy with these\ntwo birds and then orderedst him to bring thee the first cock.\u201d The Jew\nheld his peace but was sore distressed at heart, so sore indeed that he\ncame nigh to die and said to himself, \u201cIndeed it hath slipped from my\ngrasp!\u201d Now the Fisherman\u2019s son after he had mastered the ring waited\nuntil the evening evened when he said; \u201cBy Allah, needs must this bezel\nhave some mystery;\u201d so he withdrew into the privacy of the furnace and\nbrought it out from his bosom and fell a-rubbing it. Thereupon the Slave\nof the Ring appeared and cried, \u201cHere I stand[378] between thy hands.\u201d\nThen the Fisherman\u2019s son said to himself, \u201cThis indeed is the perfection\nof good fortune.\u201d and returned the gem to his breast-pocket as it was.\nNow when morning morrowed the owner of the bakery came in and the youth\nsaid to him, \u201cO my master, I am longing for my people and my native land\nand \u2019tis my desire to fare and look upon them and presently I will\nreturn to thee.\u201d So the man paid him his wage, after which he left him\nand walked from the bakery till he came to the Palace of the Sultan\nwhere he found near the gate well nigh an hundred heads which had been\ncut off and there suspended; so he leaned for rest against the booth of\na sherbet-seller and asked its owner, \u201cO master, what is the cause of\nall these heads being hung up?\u201d and the other answered, \u201cO my son,\ninquire not, anent what hath been done.\u201d However when he repeated the\nquestion the man replied, \u201cO my son, verily the Sultan hath a daughter,\na model of beauty and loveliness, of symmetric stature and perfect\ngrace, in fact likest a branch of the Rattan-palm;[379] and whoso cometh\never to seek her in marriage her father conditioneth with him a\ncondition.\u201d Cried the Fisherman\u2019s son, \u201cWhat may be that condition?\u201d and\nthe other replied, \u201cThere is a great mound of ashes under the latticed\nwindows of the Sultan\u2019s palace, and whoso wisheth to take his daughter\nto wife he maketh a covenant with him that he shall carry off that heap.\nSo the other accepted the agreement with only the proviso that he should\nhave forty days grace and he consented that, an he fail within that\ntime, his head be cut off.\u201d \u201cAnd the heap is high?\u201d quoth the\nFisherman\u2019s son. \u201cLike a hill,\u201d quoth the other. Now when the youth had\nthoroughly comprehended what the sherbet-seller had told him, he\nfarewelled him and left him; then, going to a Khan, he hired him a cell\nand taking seat therein for a time he pondered how he should proceed,\nfor he was indeed fearful yet was his heart hanging to the love of the\nSultan\u2019s daughter. Presently he brought out his ring, and rubbed it,\nwhen the voice of the Slave cried to him, \u201cHere I stand between thy\nhands and what mayst thou require of me?\u201d Said the other, \u201cI want a suit\nof kingly clothes;\u201d whereat without delay a bundle was set before him\nand when he opened it he found therein princely gear. So he took it and\nrising without loss of time he went into the Hammam and caused himself\nto be soaped and gloved and thoroughly washed, after which he donned the\ndress and his case was changed into other case\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was\nsurprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her\npermitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful\nis thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she,\n\u201cAnd where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the\ncoming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next\nnight and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Sixty-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that when the son of the Fisherman came forth the\nBath-house and donned his fine dress, his was changed into other case\nand he appeared before the folk in semblance of the sons of Kings.\nPresently he went to the Sultan\u2019s palace and entering therein made his\nsalam and, blushing for modesty, did his obeisance and blessed the\nSultan with the blessing due to Caliphs. His greetings were returned and\nthe King welcomed him and after that looked at him, and finding him\nafter princely fashion, asked him, \u201cWhat is thy need, O Youth, and what\nrequirest thou?\u201d Answered the other, \u201cI seek connection with thy house,\nand I come desirous of betrothal with the lady concealed and the pearl\nunrevealed, which is thy daughter.\u201d \u201cArt thou able to perform the\ncondition, O Youth?\u201d asked the King; \u201cFor I want neither means nor\nmoneys nor precious stones nor other possession; brief, none other thing\nsave that thou remove yon mound of ashes from beneath the windows of my\npalace.\u201d Upon this he bade the youth draw near him and when he obeyed\nthrew open the lattice; and, showing him the hillock that stood\nunderneath it, said, \u201cO Youth, I will betroth to thee my daughter an\nthou be pleased to remove this heap; but if thou prove thee unable so to\ndo I will strike off thy head.\u201d Quoth the Fisherman\u2019s son, \u201cI am\nsatisfied therewith,\u201d presently adding, \u201cA delay![380] grant me the term\nof forty days.\u201d \u201cI have allowed thy request to thee,\u201d said the King and\nwrote a document bearing the testimony of those present, when cried the\nyouth, \u201cO King, bid nail up thy windows and let them not be unfastened\nuntil the fortieth day shall have gone by.\u201d \u201cThese words be fair,\u201d quoth\nthe Sultan, and accordingly he gave the order. Hereat the youth went\nforth from him whereupon all present in the palace cried, \u201cO the pity of\nit, that this youngster should be done to die; indeed there were many\nstronger than he, yet none of them availed to remove the heap.\u201d In this\nway each and every said his say, but when the Fisherman\u2019s son returned\nto his cell (and he was thoughtful concerning his life and perplext as\nto his affair) he cried, \u201cWould Heaven I knew whether the Ring hath\npower to carry it off.\u201d Then shutting himself up in his cell he brought\nout the signet from his breast-pocket and rubbed it, and a Voice was\nheard to cry, \u201cHere I stand (and fair befal thy command) between thy\nhands. What requirest thou of me, O my lord?\u201d The other replied, \u201cI want\nthee to remove the ash-heap which standeth under the windows of the\nroyal palace, and I demand that thou lay out in lieu thereof a garden\nwide of sides in whose middlemost must be a mansion tall and\nchoice-builded of base, for the special domicile of the Sultan\u2019s\ndaughter: furthermore, let all this be done within the space of forty\ndays.\u201d \u201cAye ready,\u201d quoth the Jinni, \u201cto do all thou desirest.\u201d Hereupon\nthe youth felt his affright assuaged and his heart rightly directed; and\nafter this he would go every day to inspect the heap and would find one\nquarter of it had disappeared, nor did aught of it remain after the\nfourth morning for that the ring was graved with the cabalistic signs of\nthe Cohens[381] and they had set upon the work an hundred Marids of the\nJann that they might carry out the wishes of any who required aught of\nthem. And when the mound was removed they dispread in its site a garden\nwide of sides in whose midst they edified a palace choice-builded of\nbase, and all this was done within the space of fifteen days, whilst the\nFisherman\u2019s son ever repaired thither and inspected the work. But when\nhe had perfected his intent he entered to the Sultan and kissing ground\nbetween his hands and having prayed for his glory and permanence, said,\n\u201cO King of the Age, deign open the lattices of thy Palace!\u201d So he went\nto them and threw them open when lo and behold, he found in lieu of the\nmound a mighty fine garden wherein were trees and rills and blooms and\nbirds hymning the praises of their Creator; moreover he saw in that\ngarden a palace, an edifice choice-builded of base which is not to be\nfound with any King or Kaysar. Seeing this he wondered at the\ncircumstance and his wits were wildered and he was perplext as to his\naffair; after which he sent for the Minister and summoned him and said,\n\u201cCounsel me, O Wazir, as to what I shall do in the case of this youth\nand in what way shall I fend him from me.\u201d Replied the Councillor, \u201cHow\nshall I advise thee, seeing that thou madest condition with him that\nshould he fail in his undertaking thou wouldst strike off his head? Now\nthere is no contrivance in this matter and there is naught to do save\nmarrying him with the girl.\u201d By these words the King was persuaded and\ncaused the knot to be knotted and bade them lead the bridegroom in\nprocession to the bride, after which the youth set her in the\ngarden-palace and cohabited with her in all joy and enjoyment and\npleasure and disport. On this wise fared it with them; but as regards\nthe case of the Jew, when he lost the cock he went forth in sore\ndisappointment like unto one Jinn-mad; and neither was his sleep sound\nand good nor were meat and drink pleasant food, and he ceased not\nwandering about till the Fates threw him into that garden. Now he had\nnoted in past time that a huge heap of ashes stood under the\npalace-windows and when he looked he cried, \u201cVerily, the youth hath been\nhere and all this work is the work of the signet-ring, for that none\nother than the M\u00e1rids of the J\u00e1nn could remove such a hillock.\u201d So\nsaying, the Jew returned to his place, where he brought out a parcel of\nfine pearls and some few emeralds and specimens of coral and other\nprecious minerals, and set them as for sale in a tray. Then he\napproached the palace which was builded in the garden and cried out\nsaying, \u201cThe pearls! and the emeralds! and the corals! and various kinds\nof fine jewels!\u201d and he kept up this cry.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised\nby the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine,\nand how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this\ncompared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the\nKing suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Jew fell to hawking about his minerals and\ncrying them for sale beside the garden-palace and the Sultan\u2019s daughter\nhearing him exclaimed, \u201cO Handmaid, bring me that which is for sale with\nthis Jew.\u201d So the girl went down and said to the man, \u201cWhat hast thou by\nthee?\u201d and said the other, \u201cPrecious stones.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cWilt thou sell\nthem for gold?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cNo, O my lady, I will sell them for\nnothing save for rings which must be old.\u201d[382] Accordingly she returned\nand herewith acquainted her lady who said, \u201cBy Allah, my Lord hath in\nhis pencase[383] an old worn-out ring, so do thou go and bring it to me\nwhile he sleepeth.\u201d But she knew not what was hidden for her in the\nSecret Purpose, nor that which was fated to be her Fate. So presently\nshe brought out of the pencase the bezel ring afore-mentioned and gave\nit to the handmaid who took it and faring outside the house handed it to\nthe Jew, and he received it with extreme joy and in turn presented to\nher the tray with all thereon. Then he went forth the city and set out\non a voyage to the Seven Islands which are not far from the\nearth-surrounding Ocean;[384] and when he arrived thither he landed upon\na sea-holm and travelled to the middlemost thereof. Anon he took seat,\nand presently brought out the signet-ring and rubbed it, when the slave\nappeared and cried, \u201cHere I stand and between thy hands, what is it thou\nneedest of me?\u201d \u201cI require of thee,\u201d quoth the Jew, \u201cto transport hither\nthe bower of the Sultan\u2019s daughter and to restore the ash-heap to the\nstead it was in whilome under the lattice of the King\u2019s Palace.\u201d Now ere\nnight had passed away both Princess and Palace were transported to the\nmiddlemost of the island; and when the Jew beheld her his heart flamed\nhigh for the excess of her beauty and loveliness. So he entered her\nbower and fell to conversing with her, but she would return to him no\nreply and, when he would have approached her, she started away in\ndisgust. Hereupon, seeing no signs of conquest, the Jew said in his\nmind, \u201cLet her wax accustomed to me and she will be satisfied,\u201d and on\nthis wise he continued to solace her heart. Now as regards the son of\nthe Fisherman his sleep had extended deep into the forenoon and when the\nsun burnt upon his back he arose and found himself lying on the ash-heap\nbelow the Palace, so he said to himself, \u201cUp and away, otherwise the\nSultan will look out of the window and will behold this mound returned\nto its place as it was before, and he will order thy neck to be\nsmitten.\u201d So he hurried him forth hardly believing in his escape, and he\nceased not hastening his pace until he came to a coffee-house, which he\nentered; and there he took him a lodging and used to lie the night, and\nto rise a-morn. Now one day of the days behold, he met a man who was\nleading about a dog and a cat and a mouse[385] and crying them for sale\nat the price of ten faddahs; so the youth said in his mind, \u201cLet me buy\nthese at their cheap price;\u201d and he called aloud to the man and having\ngiven him the ten silverings took away his purchase. After this he would\nfare every day to the slaughter-house and would buy for them a bit of\ntripe or liver and feed them therewith, but ever and anon he would sit\ndown and ponder the loss of the Ring and bespeak himself and say, \u201cWould\nHeaven I wot that which Allah Almighty hath done with my Ring and my\nPalace and my bride the Sultan\u2019s daughter!\u201d Now the dog and the cat and\nthe mouse heard him, and one day of the days as, according to his\ncustom, he took them with him and led them to the slaughter-house and\nbought a meal of entrails and gave somewhat to each that it might eat\nthereof, he sat down in sad thought and groaned aloud and sorrow\nprevailed upon him till he was overcome by sleep. The season was the\nmid-forenoon[386] and the while he slumbered and was drowned in\ndrowsiness, the Dog said to the Cat and the Mouse, \u201cO brethren mine, in\nvery deed this youth, who hath bought us for ten faddahs, leadeth us\nevery day to this stead and giveth us our rations of food. But he hath\nlost his Ring and the Palace wherein was his bride, the daughter of the\nSultan: so let us up and fare forth and seek therefor and do ye twain\nmount upon my back so that we can overwander the seas and the\nisland-skirts.\u201d They did as he bade them and he walked down with them to\nthe waters and swam with them until they found themselves amiddlemost\nthe main; nor did he cease swimming with them for about a day and a\nnight until the morning morrowed and they saw from afar a somewhat that\nglittered. So they made for it till they drew near, when they saw that\nit was the Palace in question, whereat the Dog continued swimming till\nsuch time as he came ashore and dismounted the Cat and the Mouse. Then\nhe said to them, \u201cLet us abide here.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by\nthe dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O\nsister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is\nthis compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an\nthe King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Dog said to the Cat and the Mouse, \u201cI will\nabide and await you here, and do ye twain fare into the Palace, where\nthe Cat shall take her station upon the crenelles over the lattice\nwindow and the Mouse shall enter the mansion and roam about and search\nthrough the rooms until she come upon the Ring required.\u201d So they did\nthe Dog\u2019s bidding and sought the places he had appointed to them and the\nMouse crept about but found naught until she approached the bedstead and\nbeheld the Jew asleep and the Princess lying afar off. He had been\nlongsome in requiring of her her person and had even threatened her with\nslaughter, yet he had no power to approach her nor indeed had he even\nlooked upon the form of her face. Withal the Mouse ceased not faring\nabout until she approached the Jew, whom she discovered sleeping upon\nhis back and drowned in slumber for the excess of his drink that weighed\nhim down. So she drew near and considered him and saw the Ring in his\nmouth below the tongue whereat she was perplext how to recover it; but\npresently she went forth to a vessel of oil and dipping her tail therein\napproached the sleeper and drew it over his nostrils, whereat he sneezed\nwith a sneeze so violent that the Ring sprang from between his jaws and\nfell upon the side of the bedstead. Then she seized it in huge joy and\nreturning to the Cat said to her, \u201cVerily the prosperity of our lord\nhath returned to him.\u201d After this the twain went back to the Dog whom\nthey found expecting them, so they marched down to the sea and mounted\nupon his back and he swam with them both, all three being in the highest\nspirits. But when they reached the middle of the main, quoth the Cat to\nthe Mouse, \u201cPass the Ring to me that I may carry it awhile;\u201d and the\nother did so, when she placed it in her chops for an hour of time. Then\nquoth the Dog to them, \u201cYe twain have taken to yourselves charge of the\nRing, each of you for a little time, and I also would do likewise.\u201d They\nboth said to him, \u201cO our brother, haply \u2019twill fall from thy mouth:\u201d but\nsaid he to them, \u201cBy Allah, an ye give it not to me for a while I will\ndrown you both in this very place.\u201d Accordingly the two did in their\nfear as the Dog desired and when he had set it in his chops it dropped\ntherefrom into the abyss of the ocean; seeing which all repented thereat\nand they said, \u201cWasted is our work we have wrought.\u201d But when they came\nto land they found their lord sleeping from the excess of his cark and\nhis care, and so the trio stood on the shore and were sorrowing with\nsore sorrow, when behold, there appeared to them a Fish strange of\nsemblance who said to them, \u201cTake ye this Signet-ring and commit it to\nyour lord, the son of the Fisherman, and when giving it to him\nsay:\u2014Since thou didst a good deed and threwest the Fish into the sea thy\nkindness shall not be for naught; and, if it fail with the Creature, it\nshall not fail with Allah the Creator. Then do ye inform him that the\nFish which his father the Fisher would have presented to the King and\nwhereupon he had mercy and returned her to the waters, that Fish am I,\nand the old saw saith, This for that, and tit for tat is its reward!\u201d\nHereupon the Dog took the Signet-ring and the other two went up with him\nto their lord and awaking him from sleep returned to him his Ring. But\nwhen he saw it he became like one Jinn-mad from the excess of his joy\nand the three related to him the affair of the Signet; how they had\nbrought it away from the Jew and how it had dropped from the Dog\u2019s mouth\ninto the abyss of the sea and lastly how the Fish who had found it\nbrought it back to them declaring that it was she whom his sire had\nnetted and whom the son had returned to the depths. Cried he,\n\u201cAlhamdolillah\u2014Glory be to the Lord\u2014who caused us work this weal and\nrequited us for our kindness;\u201d after which he took the Signet and waited\nuntil night had nighted. Then he repaired to the mound which was under\nthe Sultan\u2019s Palace and brought out the Ring and rubbed it, when the\nSlave appeared and cried to him, \u201cHere I stand (and fair befal thy\ncommand!) between thy hands: what is it needest thou and requirest thou\nof me?\u201d The other replied, \u201cI demand that thou carry off for me this\nmound.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent\nand ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,\n\u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should\nrelate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now\nwhen it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                The Four Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Son of the Fisherman bade the Slave of the\nRing remove the mound and return the garden as whilome it was and\nrestore the Palace containing the Jew and the Sultan\u2019s daughter. Nor did\nthat hour pass before everything was replaced in its proper stead. Then\nthe Youth went up to the saloon where he found the Jew recovered from\nhis drunkenness and he was threatening the Princess and saying, \u201cThou!\nfor thee there is no escape from me.\u201d But cried she, \u201cO dog, O accurst,\njoy from my lord is well nigh to me.\u201d Hearing these words the Youth fell\nupon the Jew and dragging him along by his neck, went down with him and\nbade them light a furious fire, and so they did till it flamed and\nflared; after which he pinioned his enemy and caused him to be cast\ntherein when his bones were melted upon his flesh. Then returning to the\nPalace he fell to blaming the Sultan\u2019s daughter for the matter of the\nRing, and asking her, \u201cWhy didst thou on this wise?\u201d She answered, \u201cFrom\nFate there is no flight, and Alhamdolillah\u2014praise to the Lord\u2014who after\nall that befel us from the Jew hath brought us together once more.\u201d Now\nall that happened from the Jew and the return of the Sultan\u2019s daughter\nand the restoring of the Palace and the death of his deceiver remained\nunknown to the Sultan, and here is an end to my history. And when the\nsecond Larrikin held his peace quoth the King, \u201cAllah quicken thee for\nthis story; by the Almighty \u2019tis wondrous, and it delighteth the hearer\nand rejoiceth the teller.\u201d Then cried the third Larrikin, \u201cI also have\nby me an history more marvellous than these two; and, were it written in\nwater of gold upon the pages of men\u2019s hearts, it were worthy thereof.\u201d\nQuoth the King, \u201cO Larrikin, if it prove stranger and rarer than these I\nwill surely largesse thee.\u201d Whereupon quoth he, \u201cO King of the Age,\nlisten to what I shall relate,\u201d and he fell to telling the\n\n\n            _TALE OF THE THIRD LARRIKIN CONCERNING HIMSELF._\n\nIn my early years I had a cousin, the daughter of my paternal uncle, who\nloved me and I loved her whilst her father loathed me. So one day she\nsent to me saying, \u201cDo thou fare forth and demand me in marriage from my\nsire;\u201d and, as I was poor and her father was a wealthy merchant, she\nsent me to her dowry fifty gold pieces which I took; and, accompanied by\nfour of my comrades, I went to the house of my father\u2019s brother and\nthere arrived I went within. But when he looked upon me his face showed\nwrath and my friends said to him, \u201cVerily, thy nephew seeketh in\nmarriage the daughter of his uncle;\u201d and as soon as he heard these words\nhe cried aloud at them and reviled me and drave me from his doors. So I\nwent from him well nigh broken-hearted and I wept till I returned to my\nmother who cried, \u201cWhat is to do with thee, O my son!\u201d I related to her\nall that had befallen me from my uncle and she said to me, \u201cO my child,\nto a man who loveth thee not thou goest, forsooth, to ask his daughter\nin marriage!\u201d Whereto I replied, \u201cO mother mine, she sent a message\nbidding me so do and verily she loveth me.\u201d Quoth my mother, \u201cTake\npatience, O my son!\u201d I heartened my heart, and my parent promised me all\nwelfare and favour from my cousin; moreover she was thinking of me at\nall times and presently she again sent to me and promised me that she\nnever would love any other. Then behold, a party of folk repaired to her\nfather and asked her to wife of him and prepared to take her away. But\nwhen the tidings reached her that her parent purposed marrying her to\none of those people, she sent to me saying, \u201cGet thee ready for this\nmidnight and I will come to thee.\u201d When night was at its noon she\nappeared, carrying a pair of saddle bags wherein was a somewhat of money\nand raiment, and she was leading a she-mule belonging to her father\nwhereupon her saddle-bags were packed. \u201cUp with us,\u201d she cried, so I\narose with her in that outer darkness and we went forth the town\nforthright and the Veiler veiled us, nor did we stint faring till\nmorning when we hid ourselves in fear lest we be overtaken. And when the\nnext night fell we made ready and set out again, but we knew not whither\nwe were wending, for the Predestinator existeth and what is decided for\nus is like Destiny. At last we came to a wide and open place where the\nheat smote us, and we sat down under a tree to smell the air. Presently\nsleep came upon me and I was drowned in slumber from the excess of my\ntoil and travail, when suddenly a dog-faced baboon came up to the\ndaughter of my uncle\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to\nsurvive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Seventy-first Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Larrikin continued his tale saying to the\nKing:\u2014And as I was drowned in slumber a dog-faced baboon came up to the\ndaughter of my uncle and assaulted her and knew her carnally; then,\nhaving taken her pucelage he ran away,[387] but I knew nothing thereof\nfrom being fast asleep. Now when I awoke I found my cousin was changed\nof case and her colour had waxed pale and she was in saddest condition;\nso I asked her and she told me all that had betided her and said to me,\n\u201cO son of my uncle, from Fate there is no flight, even as saith one of\nthose who knoweth:\u2014\u2014\n\n And when death shall claw with his firm-fixt nail \u273f I saw that\n    spells[388] were of scant avail.\n\nAnd one of them also said:\u2014\n\n When God would execute His Will in anything On one endowed with sight,\n    hearing and reasoning,\n He stops his ears and blinds his eyes and draws his will From him, as\n    one draws out the hairs to paste that cling;\n Till, His decrees fulfilled, He gives him back his wit, That therewithal\n    he may receive admonishing.\u201d[389]\n\nThen she spake concerning the predestination of the Creator till she\ncould say no more thereof. Presently we departed that stead and we\ntravelled till we came to a town of the towns frequented by merchants,\nwhere we hired us a lodging and furnished it with mats and necessaries.\nHere I asked for a Kazi and they pointed out to me one of them amongst\nthe judges of the place whom I summoned with two of his witnesses; then\nI made one of them deputy[390] for my cousin and was married to her and\nwent in unto her and I said to myself, \u201cAll things depend upon Fate and\nLot.\u201d After that I tarried with her for a full told year in that same\ntown, a disease befel her and she drew nigh unto death. Hereat quoth she\nto me, \u201cAllah upon thee, O son of my uncle, when I shall be dead and\ngone and the Destiny of Allah shall come upon thee and drive thee to\nmarry again, take not to wife any but a virgin-girl or haply do thou wed\none who hath known man but once;[391] for by Allah, O my cousin, I will\nsay thee nothing but sooth when I tell thee that the delight of that\ndog-faced baboon who deflowered me hath remained with me ever\nsince.\u201d[392] So saying she expired[393] and her soul fled forth her\nflesh. I brought to her a woman who washeth the dead and shrouded her\nand buried her; and after her decease I went forth from the town until\nTime bore me along and I became a wanderer and my condition was changed\nand I fell into this case. And no one knew me or aught of my affairs\ntill I came and made friends with yonder two men. Now the King hearing\nthese words marvelled at his adventure and what had betided him from the\nShifts of Time and his heart was softened to him and he largessed him\nand his comrades and sent them about their business. Then quoth one of\nthe bystanders to the King, \u201cO Sultan, I know a tale still rarer than\nthis;\u201d and quoth the King, \u201cOut with it;\u201d whereat the man began to\nrelate\n\n\n\n\n          _THE HISTORY OF ABU NIYYAH AND ABU NIYYATAYN._[394]\n\n\nIt is recounted that in Mosul was a King and he was Lord of moneys and\nmeans and troops and guards. Now in the beginning of his career his\nadventures were strange for that he was not of royal rank or race, nor\nwas he of the sons of Kings but prosperity met him because of the\nhonesty of his manners and morals. His name was Abu Niyyah, the\nsingle-minded\u2014and he was so poor that he had naught of worldly weal, so\nquoth he to himself, \u201cRemove thee from this town and haply Allah will\nwiden thy means of livelihood inasmuch as the byword saith:\u2014Travel, for\nindeed much of the joys of life are in travelling.\u201d So he fixed his mind\nupon removal from the town; and, having very few articles of his own, he\nsold them for a single dinar which he took and fared forth from his\nplace of birth seeking another stead. Now when journeying he sighted\nfollowing him a man who was also on the move and he made acquaintance\nwith him and the two fell to communing together upon the road. Each of\nthe twain wished to know the name of his comrade and Abu Niyyah asked\nhis fellow, saying, \u201cO my brother, what may be thy name?\u201d whereto the\nother answered, \u201cI am called Abu Niyyatayn\u2014the two-minded.\u201d \u201cAnd I am\nAbu Niyyah!\u201d cried the other, and his fellow traveller questioned him\nsaying, \u201cHast thou with thee aught of money?\u201d, Whereto he replied, \u201cI\nhave with me a single Ashrafi and no more.\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cBut I have\nten gold pieces, so do thou have a care of them and the same will be\neleven.\u201d Abu Niyyah accepted the charge and they went upon the road\ntogether and as often as they entered a town they nighted therein for a\nsingle night or two and in the morning they departed therefrom. This\ncontinued for a while of time until they made a city which had two gates\nand Abu Niyyah forewent his fellow through one of the entrances and\nsuddenly heard an asker which was a slave begging and saying, \u201cO ye\nbeneficent, O doers of good deeds, an alms shall bring ten-fold.\u201d And as\nthe chattel drew near[395] and Abu Niyyah noted his words, his heart was\nsoftened and he gave him his single Ashrafi; whereupon his comrade\nlooked upon him and asked \u201cWhat hast thou doled to him?\u201d Answered he,\n\u201cAn Ashrafi;\u201d and quoth the other, \u201cThou hast but a single gold piece\nwhilst I have ten\u201d; so he took the joint stock from him and left him and\nwent his way.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell\nsilent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should\nrelate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now\nwhen it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Seventy-third Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the man Abu Niyyatayn took from Abu Niyyah the\nten Ashrafis[396] and said to him, \u201cThe gold piece belonging to thee\nthou hast given to the asker;\u201d then, carrying away the other ten he left\nhim and went about his business. Now Abu Niyyah had with him not a\nsingle copper neither aught of provaunt so he wandered about the town to\nfind a Cathedral-mosque and seeing one he went into it and made the Wuzu\nablution and prayed that which was incumbent on him of obligatory\nprayers. Then he seated himself to rest until the hour of the sunset\ndevotions and he said to himself \u201cHo, Such-an-one! this be a time when\nno one knoweth thee; so go forth and fare round about the doors and have\na heed, haply Allah Almighty our Lord shall give thee somewhat of daily\nbread thou shalt eat blessing the Creator.\u201d Hereupon he went forth the\nMosque and wandered through the nearest quarter, when behold, he came\nupon a lofty gate and a well adorned; so he stood before it and saw a\nslave lad coming out therefrom and bearing on his head a platter wherein\nwas a pile of broken bread and some bones, and the boy stood there and\nshook the contents of the platter upon the ground. Abu Niyyah seeing\nthis came forward and fell to picking up the orts of bread and ate them\nand gnawed the flesh from sundry of the bones till he was satisfied and\nthe slave diverted himself by looking on. After that he cried,\n\u201cAlhamdolillah\u2014Glory be to God!\u201d[397] and the chattel went upstairs to\nhis master and said, \u201cO my lord, I have seen a marvel!\u201d Quoth the other,\n\u201cAnd what may that be?\u201d and quoth the servile, \u201cI found a man standing\nat our door and he was silent and spoke not a word; but when he saw me\nthrowing away the remnants[398] of our eating-cloth he came up to them\nand fell to devouring bittocks of the bread and to breaking the bones\nand sucking them, after which he cried, \u201cAlhamdolillah.\u201d\u201d Said the\nmaster, \u201cO my good slave, do thou take these ten Ashrafis and give them\nto the man;\u201d so the lad went down the stair and was half-way when he\nfilched one of the gold pieces and then having descended he gave the\nnine. Hereupon Abu Niyyah counted them and finding only nine, said,\n\u201cThere wanteth one Ashrafi, for the asker declared, An almsdeed bringeth\nten-fold, and I gave him a single gold piece.\u201d The house master heard\nhim saying, \u201cThere wanteth an Ashrafi,\u201d and he bade the slave call aloud\nto him and Abu Niyyah went upstairs to the sitting room, where he found\nthe owner, a merchant of repute, and salam\u2019d to him. The other returned\nhis greeting and said, \u201cHo fellow!\u201d and the other said \u201cYes,\u201d when the\nfirst resumed, \u201cThe slave, what did he give thee?\u201d \u201cHe gave me,\u201d said\nAbu Niyyah, \u201cnine Ashrafis;\u201d and the house-master rejoined, \u201cWherefore\ndidst thou declare, There faileth me one gold piece? Hast thou a legal\nclaim of debt upon us for an Ashrafi, O thou scanty of shame?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cNo, by Allah, O my lord; my intent was not that but there\nbefel me with a man which was a beggar such-and-such matter.\u201d Hereupon\nthe merchant understood his meaning and said to him, \u201cDo thou sit thee\ndown here and pass the night with us.\u201d So Abu Niyyah seated himself by\nhis side and nighted with the merchant until the morning. Now this was\nthe season for the payment of the poor-rates,[399] and that merchant was\nwont to take the sum from his property by weight of scales, so he\nsummoned the official weigher who by means of his balance computed the\naccount and took out the poor-rate and gave the whole proceeds to Abu\nNiyyah. Quoth he, \u201cO my lord, what shall I do with all this good,\nespecially as thou hast favoured me with thy regard?\u201d \u201cNo matter for\nthat,\u201d quoth the other; so Abu Niyyah went forth from the presence of\nhis patron and hiring himself a shop fell to buying what suited him of\nall kinds of merchandise such as a portion of coffee-beans and of pepper\nand of tin;[400] and stuffs of Al-Hind, together with other matters,\nsaying to himself, \u201cVerily this shop is the property of thy hand.\u201d So he\nsat there selling and buying and he was in the easiest of life and in\nall comfort rife for a while of time when behold, his quondam companion,\nAbu Niyyatayn was seen passing along the market-street. His eyes were\ndeep[401] sunken and he was propped upon a staff as he begged and cried,\n\u201cO good folk, O ye beneficent, give me an alms for the love of Allah!\u201d\nBut when his sometime associate, Abu Niyyah looked upon him, he knew him\nand said to the slave whom he had bought for his service, \u201cGo thou and\nbring me yonder man.\u201d Hereat the chattel went and brought him and Abu\nNiyyah seated him upon the shopboard and sent his servile to buy\nsomewhat of food and he set it before Abu Niyyatayn who ate till he was\nfilled. After this the wanderer asked leave to depart but the other said\nto him, \u201cSit thou here, O Shaykh; for thou art my guest during the\ncoming night.\u201d Accordingly he seated himself in the shop till the hour\nof sundown, when Abu Niyyah took him and led him to his lodging where\nthe slave served up the supper-tray and they ate till they had eaten\ntheir sufficiency. Then they washed their hands and abode talking\ntogether till at last quoth Abu Niyyah, \u201cO my brother, hast thou not\nrecognised me?\u201d to which the other responded, \u201cNo, by Allah, O my\nbrother.\u201d Hereupon said the house-master, \u201cI am thy whilome comrade Abu\nNiyyah, and we came together, I and thou, from such-and-such a place to\nthis city. But I, O my brother, have never changed mine intent[402] and\nall thou seest with me of good, the half thereof belongeth to thee.\u201d\nWhen it was morning tide he presented him with the moiety of all he\npossessed of money and means and opened for him a shop in the Bazar by\nthe side of his own and Abu Niyyatayn fell to selling and buying, and he\nand his friend Abu Niyyah led the most joyous of lives. This endured for\na while of time until one day of the days when quoth Abu Niyyatayn to\nAbu Niyyah, \u201cO my brother, we have exhausted our sitting in this city,\nso do thou travel with us unto another.\u201d Quoth Abu Niyyah, \u201cWhy, O my\nbrother, should we cease abiding here in comfort when we have gained\nabundance of wealth and moveables and valuables and we seek naught save\na restful life?\u201d However Abu Niyyatayn ceased not to repeat his words to\nhim and persist in his purpose and reiterate his demand, till Abu Niyyah\nwas pleased with the idea of travelling\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by\nthe dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.\nThen quoth her sister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O\nsister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is\nthis compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an\nthe King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that\nwas\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah was pleased with the idea of\ntravelling companied by Abu Niyyatayn: so they got themselves ready and\nloaded a caravan of camels and mules and went off from that city and\ntravelled for a space of twenty days. At last they came to a\ncamping-ground about sunset-hour and they alighted therein seeking rest\nand a nighting stead, and next morning when they arose they sought where\nthey could fodder and water their cattle. Now the only place they found\nwas a well and one said to other, \u201cWho will descend therein and draw for\nus drink?\u201d Cried Abu Niyyah, \u201cI will go down\u201d (but he knew not what was\nfated to him in the Eternal Purpose), and so saying he let himself down\nby the rope into the well and filled for them the water-buckets till the\ncaravan had its sufficiency. Now Abu Niyyatayn for the excess of his\nenvy and hatred was scheming in his heart and his secret soul to slay\nAbu Niyyah, and when all had drunk he cut the cord and loaded his beasts\nand fared away leaving his companion in the well, for the first day and\nthe second until the coming of night. Suddenly two \u2019Ifrits forgathered\nin that well and sat down to converse each with other, when quoth the\nfirst, \u201cWhat is to do with thee and how is thy case and what mayest thou\nbe?\u201d Quoth his fellow, \u201cBy Allah, O my brother, I am satisfied with\nextreme satisfaction and I never leave the Sultan\u2019s daughter at all at\nall.\u201d The second Ifrit asked, \u201cAnd what would forbid thee from her?\u201d and\nhe answered, \u201cI should be driven away by somewhat of wormwood-powder\nscattered beneath the soles of her feet during the congregational\nprayers of Friday.\u201d Then quoth the other, \u201cI also, by Allah, am joyful\nand exulting in the possession of a Hoard of jewels buried without the\ntown near the Azure Column which serveth as bench-mark.\u201d[403] \u201cAnd\nwhat,\u201d asked the other to his friend, \u201cwould expel thee therefrom and\nexpose the jewels to the gaze of man?\u201d whereto he answered, \u201cA white\ncock in his tenth month[404] slaughtered upon the Azure Column would\ndrive me away from the Hoard and would break the Talisman when the gems\nwould be visible to all.\u201d Now as soon as Abu Niyyah had heard the words\nof the two Ifrits, they arose and departed from the well; and it was the\nmorning hour when, behold, a caravan was passing by that place, so the\ntravellers halted seeking a drink of water. Presently they let down a\nbucket which was seized by Abu Niyyah and as he was being drawn up they\ncried out and asked, \u201cWhat art thou, of Jinn-kind or of mankind?\u201d and he\nanswered, \u201cI am of the Sons of Adam.\u201d Hereupon they drew him up from the\npit and questioned him of his case and he said, \u201cI have fallen into it\nand I am sore anhungered.\u201d Accordingly they gave him somewhat to eat and\nhe ate and travelled with them till they entered a certain city and it\nwas on First day.[405] So they passed through the market streets which\nwere crowded and found the people in turmoil and trouble;[406] and as\none enquired the cause thereof he was answered, \u201cVerily the Sultan hath\na beautiful daughter who is possessed and overridden by an \u2019Ifrit, and\nwhoso of the physicians would lay[407] the Spirit and is unable or\nignorant so to do, the King taketh him and cutteth off his head and\nhangeth it up before his palace. Indeed of late days a student came\nhither, a youth who knew nothing of expelling the Evil One, and he\naccepted the task and the Sultan designeth to smite his neck at this\nvery hour; so the people are flocking with design to divert themselves\nat the decapitation.\u201d Now when Abu Niyyah heard these words he rose\nwithout stay or delay and walked in haste till he came into the presence\nof the Sultan whom he found seated upon his throne and the Linkman\nstanding with his scymitar brandished over the head of the young student\nand expecting only the royal order to strike his neck. So Abu Niyyah\nsalam\u2019d to him and said, \u201cO King of the Age, release yonder youth from\nunder the sword and send him to thy prison, for if I avail to laying the\nSpirit and driving him from thy daughter thou shalt have mercy upon\nyonder wight, and if I fail thou wilt shorten by the head me as well as\nhim.\u201d Hereupon the King let unbind the youth and sent him to jail; then\nhe said to Abu Niyyah, \u201cWouldst thou go at once to my daughter and\nunspell her from the Jinni?\u201d But the other replied, \u201cNo, O King, not\nuntil Meeting-day[408] at what time the folk are engaged in\ncongregational prayers.\u201d Now when Abu Niyyah had appointed the Friday,\nthe King set apart for his guest an apartment and rationed him with\nliberal rations.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and\nfell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister\nDunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and\ndelectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I should\nrelate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?\u201d Now\nwhen it was the next night and that was\n\n\n              The Four Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah having appointed the Sultan for\nMeeting-day, when he would unsorcel the Princess, waited till the\nmorning dawned. Then he went forth to the Bazar and brought him a\nsomewhat of wormwood[409] for a silvern Nusf and brought it back, and,\nas soon as the time of congregational prayers came, the Sultan went\nforth to his devotions and gave orders that Abu Niyyah be admitted to\nhis daughter whilst the folk were busy at their devotions. Abu Niyyah\nrepaired to his patient, and scattered the Absinthium beneath the soles\nof her feet when, lo, and behold! she was made whole, and she groaned\nand cried aloud, \u201cWhere am I?\u201d Hereat the mother rejoiced and whoso were\nin the Palace; and, as the Sultan returned from the Mosque, he found his\ndaughter sitting sane and sound, after they had dressed her and perfumed\nher and adorned her, and she met him with glee and gladness. So the two\nembraced and their joy increased, and the father fell to giving alms and\nscattering moneys amongst the Fakirs and the miserable and the widows\nand orphans, in gratitude for his daughter\u2019s recovery. Moreover he also\nreleased the student youth and largessed him, and bade him gang his\ngait. After this the King summoned Abu Niyyah into the presence and said\nto him, \u201cO young man, ask a boon first of Allah and then of me and let\nit be everything thou wishest and wantest.\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cI require\nof thee to wife the damsel from whom I drove away the Spirit,\u201d and the\nKing turning to his Minister said, \u201cCounsel me, O Wazir.\u201d Quoth the\nother, \u201cPut him off until the morrow;\u201d and quoth the Sultan, \u201cO youth,\ncome back to me hither on the morning of the next day.\u201d Hereupon Abu\nNiyyah was dismissed the presence, and betimes on the day appointed he\ncame to the Sultan and found the Wazir beside him hending in hand a gem\nwhose like was not to be found amongst the Kings. Then he set it before\nthe Sultan and said to him, \u201cShow it to the Youth and say him, \u2018The\ndowry of the Princess, my daughter, is a jewel like unto this.\u2019\u201d But\nwhilst Abu Niyyah was standing between his hands the King showed him the\ngem and repeated to him the words of the Wazir, thinking to himself that\nit was a pretext for refusing the youth, and saying in his mind, \u201cHe\nwill never be able to produce aught like that which the Wazir hath\nbrought.\u201d Hereupon Abu Niyyah asked, \u201cAn so be I bring thee ten equal to\nthis, wilt thou give me the damsel?\u201d and the King answered, \u201cI will.\u201d\nThe youth went from him when this was agreed upon and fared to the\nMarket Street, where he bought him a white cock in its tenth month, such\nas had been described by the \u2019Ifrit, whose plume had not a trace of\nblack or red feathers but was of the purest white. Then he fared without\nthe town and in the direction of the setting sun until he came to the\nAzure Column, which he found exactly as he had heard it from the Jinni,\nand going to it, he cut the throat of the cock thereupon, when all of a\nsudden the earth gaped and therein appeared a chamber full of jewels\nsized as ostrich eggs. That being the Hoard, he went forth and brought\nwith him ten camels, each bearing two large sacks, and returning to the\ntreasure-room, he filled all of these bags with gems and loaded them\nupon the beasts. Presently he entered to the Sultan with his string of\nten camels and, causing them kneel in the courtyard of the Divan, cried\nto him, \u201cCome down, O King of the Age, and take the dowry of thy\ndaughter.\u201d So the Sultan turned towards him and, looking at the ten\ncamels, exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, this Youth is Jinn-mad; yet will I go down\nto see him.\u201d Accordingly he descended the staircase to the place where\nthe camels had been made kneel, and when the sacks had been unloaded and\nas the King came amongst them, the bags were opened and were found full\nof jewels greater and more glorious than the one was with him. Hereupon\nthe Sultan was perplext and his wits were bewildered, and he cried to\nthe Wazir, \u201cWall\u00e1hi! I think that all the Kings of the Earth in its\nlength and its breadth have not one single gem the like of these: but\nsay me how shall I act, O Wazir?\u201d The Minister replied, \u201cGive him the\ngirl.\u201d\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent\nand ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,\n\u201cHow sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable\nand delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with that I\nshould relate to you on the coming night, an the King suffer me to\nsurvive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n               The Four Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that the Wazir said to the King, \u201cGive him the\ngirl.\u201d Hereupon the marriage-tie was tied and the bridegroom was led in\nto the bride, and either rejoiced mightily in his mate,[410] and was\nincreased their joy and destroyed was all annoy. Now Abu Niyyah was a\nfavourite of Fortune, so the Sultan appointed to him the government\nduring three days of every week, and he continued ruling after that\nfashion for a while of time. But one day of the days, as he was sitting\nin his plesaunce, suddenly the man Abu Niyyatayn passed before him\nleaning on a palm-stick, and crying, \u201cO ye beneficent, O ye folk of\ngood!\u201d When Abu Niyyah beheld him he said to his Chamberlain, \u201cHither\nwith yonder man;\u201d and as soon as he was brought he bade them lead him to\nthe Hammam and dress him in a new habit. They did his bidding and set\nthe beggar before his whilome comrade who said to him, \u201cDost thou know\nme?\u201d \u201cNo, O my lord,\u201d said the other; and he, \u201cI am thy companion of old\nwhom thou wouldst have left to die in the well; but I, by Allah, never\nchanged my intent, and all that I own in this world I will give unto\nthee half thereof.\u201d And they sat in converse for a while of time, until\nat last quoth the Double-minded one, \u201cWhence camest thou by all this?\u201d\nand quoth he, \u201cFrom the well wherein thou threwest me.\u201d Hereupon from\nthe excess of his envy and malice Abu Niyyatayn said to Abu Niyyah, \u201cI\nalso will go down that well and what to thee was given the same shall be\ngiven to me.\u201d Then he left him and went forth from him, and he ceased\nnot faring until he made the place. Presently he descended, and having\nreached the bottom, there sat until the hour of nightfall, when behold!\nthe two \u2019Ifrits came and, taking seat by the well-mouth, salam\u2019d each to\nother. But they had no force nor contrivance and both were as weaklings;\nso said one of them, \u201cWhat is thy case, O my brother, and how is thy\nhealth?\u201d and said the other, \u201cAh me, O my brother, since the hour that I\nwas with thee in this place on such a night, I have been cast out of the\nSultan\u2019s daughter, and until this tide I have been unable to approach\nher or indeed at any other time.\u201d Said his comrade, \u201cI also am like\nthee, for the Hoard hath gone forth from me, and I have waxed\nfeeble.\u201d[411] Then cried the twain, \u201cBy Allah, the origin of our losses\nis from this well, so let us block it up with stones.\u201d Hereupon the\ntwain arose and brought with them crumbling earth and pebbles,[412] and\nthrew it down the well when it fell upon Abu Niyyatayn, and his bones\nwere crushed upon his flesh.[413] Now his comrade, Abu Niyyah sat\nexpecting him to return, but he came not, so he cried, \u201cWall\u00e1hi! needs\nmust I go and look for him in yonder well and see what he is doing.\u201d So\nhe took horse and fared thither and found the pit filled up; so he knew\nand was certified that his comrade\u2019s intent had been evil, and had cast\nhim into the hands of death.\u2014\u2014And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of\nday and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her\nsister Dunyazad, \u201cHow sweet is thy story O sister mine, and how\nenjoyable and delectable!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAnd where is this compared with\nthat I should relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me\nto survive?\u201d Now when it was the next night and that was\n\n\n                 The Four Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nDunyazad said to her, \u201cAllah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other\nthan sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching\nof this our latter night!\u201d She replied:\u2014\u2014With love and good will! It\nhath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding,\nlord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and\nworthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah knew and was certified of his\ncomrade Abu Niyyatayn being dead, so he cried aloud, \u201cThere is no\nMajesty and there is no Might save in Allah the Glorious, the Great. O\nAllah mine, do thou deliver me from envy, for that it destroyeth the\nenvier and haply jealousy may lead to frowardness against the Lord\n(glorified be His Glory!);\u201d and so saying he returned to the seat of his\nkingdom. Now the Sultan\u2019s daughter his spouse had two sisters, both\nmarried,[414] and she after the delay of a year or so proved with child,\nbut when her tale of days was told and her delivery was nearhand her\nfather fell sick and his malady grew upon him. So he summoned the Lords\nof his court and his kingdom one and all and he said, \u201cIn very deed this\nmy son-in-law shall after my decease become my successor;\u201d and he wrote\na writ to that purport and devised to him the realm and the reign before\nhis demise; nor was there long delay ere the old King departed to the\nruth of Allah and they buried him. Hereupon trouble arose between his\ntwo other sons-in-law who had married the Princesses and said they, \u201cWe\nwere connected with him ere this man was and we are before him in our\nclaim to the kingdom.\u201d Thereupon said the Wazir, \u201cThis rede is other\nthan right, for that the old King before his decease devised his country\nto this one and also wrote it in his will and testament: here therefore\nye are opposing him, and the result will be trouble and repentance.\u201d And\nwhen the Minister spoke on such wise they kept to their houses.\nPresently the wife of Abu Niyyah bare him a babe, her two sisters being\npresent at her accouchement; and they gave to the midwife an hundred\ngold pieces and agreed upon what was to be done. So when the babe was\nborn they put in his place a pup and taking the infant away sent it by a\nslave-girl who exposed it at the gateway of the royal garden. Then they\nsaid and spread abroad, \u201cVerily the Sultan\u2019s wife hath been delivered of\na doglet,\u201d and when the tidings came to Abu Niyyah\u2019s ears he exclaimed,\n\u201cVerily this also is a creation of Allah Almighty\u2019s:\u201d so they clothed\nthe pup and tended it with all care. Anon the wife became pregnant a\nsecond time and when her days were fulfilled she bare a second babe\nwhich was the fairest of its time and the sisters did with it as they\nhad done with the first and taking the infant they exposed him at the\ndoor of the garden. Then they brought to the mother another dog-pup in\nlieu of her babe, saying, \u201cVerily the Queen hath been delivered a second\ntime of a doglet.\u201d Now on this wise it fared with them: but as regards\nthe two infants which were cast away at the garden gate the first was\ntaken up by the Gardener whose wife, by the decree of the Decreer, had\nbecome a mother on that very same night; so the man carried away the\ninfant he found exposed and brought the foundling home and the woman\nfell to suckling it. After the third year the Gardener went forth one\nday of the days and happening upon the second infant in similar case he\nbore it also back to his wife who began to suckle it and wash it and\ntend it and nurse it, till the twain grew up and entered into their\nthird and fourth years. The Sultan had in the meantime been keeping the\ntwo pups which he deemed to have been brought forth by his wife until\nthe Queen became in the family-way for the third time. Hereupon the\nSultan said, \u201cBy Allah, \u2019tis not possible but that I be present at and\nwitness her accouchement;\u201d and the while she was bringing forth he sat\nbeside her. So she was delivered of a girl-child, in whom the father\nrejoiced with great joy and bade bring for her wet-nurses who suckled\nher for two years until the milk time was past.[415] This girl grew up\ntill she reached the age of four years and she could distinguish between\nher mother and her father who, whenever he went to the royal garden\nwould take her with him. But when she beheld the Gardener\u2019s two boys she\nbecame familiar with them and would play with them; and, as each day\nended, her father would carry her away from the children and lead her\nhome, and this parting was grievous to her and she wept right sore.\nHereat the Sultan would take also the boys with her until sleep\nprevailed over her, after which he would send the twain back to their\nsire the Gardener. But Abu Niyyah the Sultan would ever wonder at the\nboys and would exclaim, \u201cPraise be to Allah, how beautiful are these\ndark-skinned children!\u201d This endured until one day of the days when the\nKing entered the garden and there found that the two beautiful[416] boys\nhad taken some clay and were working it into the figures of horses and\nsaddles and weapons of war and were opening the ground and making a\nwater-leat;[417] so the Sultan wondered thereat time after time for that\nhe ever found them in similar case. And he marvelled the more because\nwhenever he looked upon them his heart was opened to both and he yearned\nto the twain and he would give them some gold pieces although he knew\nnot the cause of his affection. Now one day he entered the garden, as\nwas his wont, and he came upon the two boys of whom one was saying, \u201cI\nam the Sultan!\u201d and the other declaring, \u201cI am the Wazir!\u201d He wondered\nat their words and forthwith summoned the Gardener and asked him\nconcerning the lads, and lastly quoth he to him, \u201cSay me sooth and fear\nnaught from me.\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cBy Allah, O King of the Age, albe\nfalsehood be saving, yet is soothfastness more saving and most saving;\nand indeed as regards these children the elder was found by me exposed\nat the gateway of the royal garden on such a night of such a year, and I\ncame upon the second in the very same place; so I carried them to my\nwife who suckled them and tended them and they say to her, \u2018O mother,\u2019\nand they say to me, \u2018O father.\u2019\u201d Hereupon Abu Niyyah the King returned\nhome and summoning the midwife asked her, saying, \u201cBy the virtue of my\npredecessors in this kingdom, do thou tell me the truth concerning my\nspouse, whether or no she was delivered of two dog-pups,\u201d and she\nanswered, \u201cNo, by Allah, O King of the Age, verily the Queen bare thee\ntwo babes like full moons, and the cause of their exposure before the\ngarden gate was thy wife\u2019s two sisters who envied her and did with her\nthese deeds whereof she was not aware.\u201d[418] Hereupon cried Abu Niyyah,\n\u201cAlhamdolillah\u2014Glory be to God who hath brought about this good to me\nand hath united me with my children, and soothfast is the say:\u2014Whoso\ndoeth an action shall be requited of his Lord and the envious wight hath\nno delight and of his envy he shall win naught save despight.\u201d[419] Then\nthe King of Mosul, being, a man of good intent, did not put to death his\nwife\u2019s sisters and their husbands, but banished them his realm, and he\nlived happily with his Queen and children until such time as the\nDestroyer of delights and the Severer of societies came to him and he\ndeceased to the mercy of Almighty Allah.\n\n\n                           END OF VOLUME IV.\n\n\n\n\n                              APPENDICES.\n\n\n\n\n                              Appendix A.\n                           INEPTI\u00c6 BODLEIAN\u00c6.\n\n\nThe reader will not understand this allusion (Foreword, p. ix.) without\nsome _connaissance de cause_. I would apologise for deforming the\nbeautiful serenity and restfulness of The Nights by personal matter of a\ntone so jarring and so discordant a sound, the chatter and squabble of\nEuropean correspondence and contention; but the only course assigned to\nme perforce is that of perfect publicity. The first part of the\nfollowing papers appeared by the editor\u2019s kindness in \u201cThe Academy\u201d of\nNovember 13, 1886. How strange the contrast of \u201cdoings\u201d with \u201csayings,\u201d\nif we compare the speech reported to have been delivered by Mr.\nLibrarian Nicholson at the opening of the Birmingham Free Public Central\nLending and Reference Libraries, on June 1, 1882:\u2014\n\n\u201cAs for the Bodleian, I claim your sympathies, not merely because we are\ntrying to do as much for our readers as you are for yours, but because,\nif the building which you have opened to-day is the newest free public\nlibrary in the world, the building which I left earlier in the morning\nis the oldest free public library in the world. (_No!_) I call it a free\npublic library because any Birmingham artizan who came to us with a\ntrustworthy recommendation might ask to have _the rarest gem_ in our\ncollection placed before him, and need have no fear of asking in vain;\nand because, if a trusty Birmingham worker wanted the _loan of a MS._\nfor three months, it would be lent to the Central Free Library for his\nuse.\u201d See Twentieth and Twenty-first Annual Reports of the Free\nLibraries Committee (Borough of Birmingham), 1883.\n\nAnd now to my story. The play opens with the following letter:\u2014\n\n\n                                 No. I.\n\n                                    23, DORSET STREET, PORTMAN SQUARE,\n                                                _Sept. 13, 1886_.\n\n  \u201cSIR,\n\n  \u201cI have the honour to solicit your assistance in the following\n  matter:\u2014\n\n  \u201cOur friend Dr. Steingass has kindly consented to collaborate with\n  me in retranslating from the Wortley Montague MS. of the Bodleian\n  Library, Oxford, the tales originally translated in vol. vi. of Dr.\n  Jonathan Scott\u2019s \u2018Arabian Nights,\u2019 Dr. Steingass cannot leave town,\n  and I should find it very inconvenient, to live at Oxford during the\n  work, both of us having engagements in London. It would be a boon to\n  us if the Curators of the Bodleian would allow the MS. to be\n  transferred, volume by volume, to the India Office, and remain under\n  the custody of the Chief Librarian\u2014yourself. The whole consists of\n  seven volumes, and we would begin with vols. iii. and iv. I may note\n  that the translated tales (as may be seen by Scott\u2019s version)\n  contain nothing indelicate or immoral; in fact the whole MS. is\n  exceptionally pure. Moreover, the MS., as far as I can learn, is\n  never used at Oxford. I am the more anxious about this matter as the\n  November fogs will presently drive me from England, and I want to\n  end the extracts ere winter sets in, which can be done only by the\n  co-operation of Dr. Steingass.\n\n                       I have the honour to be, sir,\n                                     Yours obediently,\n                               (Signed)            RICHARD F. BURTON.\u201d\n\n          \u201cDr. R. ROST,\n  _Chief Librarian, India Office_.\u201d\n\nAs nearly a month had elapsed without my receiving any reply, I directed\nthe following to the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Rev. Dr.\nBellamy:\u2014\n\n\n                                No. II.\n\n                                             ATHEN\u00c6UM CLUB, PALL MALL,\n                                                   _Oct. 13, 1886_.\n\n  \u201cSIR,\n\n  \u201cI have the honour to submit to you the following details:\u2014\n\n  \u201cOn September 13, 1886, I wrote to Dr. Rost, Chief Librarian, India\n  Office, an official letter requesting him to apply to the Curators\n  of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, for the temporary transfer of an\n  Arabic Manuscript, No. 522 (the Wortley Montague text of the Arabian\n  Nights) to the library of the India Office, there to be kept under\n  special charge of the Chief Librarian. There being seven volumes, I\n  wanted only one or two at a time. I undertook not to keep them long,\n  and, further, I pledged myself not to translate tales that might be\n  deemed offensive to propriety.\n\n  \u201cThus, I did not apply for a personal loan of the MS. which, indeed,\n  I should refuse on account of the responsibility which it would\n  involve. I applied for the safe and temporary transfer of a work,\n  volume by volume, from one public library to another.\n\n  \u201cMy official letter was forwarded at once by Dr. Rost, but this was\n  the only expeditious step. On Saturday, September 25, the Curators\n  could form no quorum; the same thing took place on Saturday, October\n  9; and there is a prospect that the same will take place on\n  Saturday, October 23.\n\n  \u201cI am acquainted with many of the public libraries of Europe, but I\n  know of none that would throw such obstacles in the way of students.\n\n  \u201cThe best authorities inform me that until June, 1886, the\n  signatures of two Curators enabled a student to borrow a book or a\n  manuscript; but that since June a meeting of three Curators has been\n  required; and that a lesser number does not form a quorum.\n\n  \u201cMay I be permitted to suggest that the statute upon the subject of\n  borrowing books and manuscripts urgently calls for revision?\n\n                       \u201cI have the honour to be, sir,\n                                       Yours obediently,\n                               (Signed)            RICHARD F. BURTON.\u201d\n\n  \u201cTHE VICE-CHANCELLOR, OXFORD.\u201d\n\nThe Curators presently met and the following was the highly\nunsatisfactory result which speaks little for \u201cBodleian\u201d kindness or\ncourtesy:\u2014\n\n\n                                No. III.\n\n                                               _Monday, Nov. 1, 1886._\n\n  \u201cDEAR SIR RICHARD BURTON,\n\n  \u201cThe Curators considered your application on Saturday, Oct. 30,\n  afternoon, and the majority of them were unwilling to lend the\n  MS.[420]\n\n                                       Yours very truly,\n                                 (Signed)        EDWARD B. NICHOLSON.\u201d\n\nLearning through a private source that my case had been made an\nunpleasant exception to a long-standing rule of precedent, and\nfurthermore that it had been rendered peculiarly invidious by an act of\nspecial favour,[421] I again addressed the Vice-Chancellor, as follows:\u2014\n\n\n                                No. IV.\n\n                                    23, DORSET STREET, PORTMAN SQUARE,\n                                            _November 3rd, 1886_.\n\n  \u201cSIR,\n\n  \u201cI have the honour to remind you that, on October 13, I communicated\n  with you officially requesting a temporary transfer of the Wortley\n  Montague manuscript (Arabian Nights) from the Bodleian Library to\n  the personal care of the Librarian, India Office.\n\n  \u201cTo this letter I received no reply. But on November 1, I was\n  informed by Mr. Librarian Nicholson that the Curators had considered\n  my application on Saturday, October 30, and that the majority of\n  them were unwilling to lend the manuscript.\n\n  \u201cThe same Curators at the same meeting allowed sundry manuscripts\n  for the use of an Indian subject to be sent to the India Office.\n\n  \u201cI cannot but protest against this invidious proceeding, and I would\n  willingly learn what cause underlies it.\n\n  \u201c1. It cannot be the importance of the manuscript, which is one of\n  the meanest known to me\u2014written in a schoolmaster character, a most\n  erroneous, uncorrected text, and valuable only for a few new tales.\n\n  \u201c2. It cannot be any consideration of public morals, for I undertook\n  (_if the loan were granted_) not to translate tales which might be\n  considered offensive to strict propriety.\n\n  \u201c3. It cannot be its requirement for local use. The manuscript\n  stands on an upper shelf in the manuscript room, _and not one man in\n  the whole so-called \u2018University\u2019 can read it._\n\n                           \u201cI have the honour to be, sir,\n                                           Yours obediently,\n                                                   RICHARD F. BURTON.\u201d\n\n  \u201cTHE VICE-CHANCELLOR, OXFORD.\u201d\n\nIn due time came the reply:\u2014\n\n\n                                 No. V.\n\n                                           ST. JOHN\u2019S COLLEGE, OXFORD,\n                                               _November 6th, 1886_.\n\n  \u201cDEAR SIR,\n\n  \u201cI will remove from your mind the belief that I treated your former\n  letter with discourtesy.\n\n  \u201cI may say, that it did not appear to me to contain any question or\n  request which I could answer. You informed me that you had made\n  formal application in September for a loan of MSS., and your letter\n  was to complain of the delay in considering this request. You told\n  me that you had learned from the Librarian the cause of the delay\n  (the want of a quorum), and that he had intimated that there would\n  probably be no meeting formed before October 30th.\n\n  \u201cYou complained of this, and suggested that the statute regulating\n  the lending of the Bodleian books should be speedily revised.\n\n  \u201cAs I had no power to make a quorum, nor to engage that your\n  suggestion should be adopted; and as your letter made no demand for\n  any further information, I thought it best to reserve it for the\n  meeting of the 30th, when I communicated it to the Curators.\n\n  \u201cI will lay the letter (dated November 3rd), with which you have\n  favoured me, before the next meeting of the Curators.\n\n                              I beg to remain,\n                                        Yours faithfully,\n                                    (Signed)              J. BELLAMY.\u201d\n\n  \u201cSIR R. F. BURTON.\u201d\n\nTo resume this part of the subject.\n\nThe following dates show that I was kept waiting six weeks before being\nfinally favoured with the curtest of refusals:\n\n  Application made on September 13th, and sent on.\n\n  On Saturday, September 25th, Curators could not form quorum, and\n  deferred next meeting till Saturday, October 9th.\n\n  Saturday, October 9th. Again no quorum; and yet it might easily have\n  been formed, as three Curators were on or close to the spot.\n\n  Saturday, October 23rd. Six Curators met and did nothing.\n\n  Saturday, October 30th. Curators met and refused me the loan of MS.\n\nMy letter addressed to the Vice-Chancellor was read, and notice was\ngiven for Saturday (December 3rd, 1886,) of a motion, \u201cThat the MS.\nrequired by Sir R. F. Burton be lent to him\u201d\u2014and I was not to be\ninformed of the matter unless the move were successful. Of course it\nfailed. One of the Curators (who are the delegates and servants of\nConvocation) was mortally offended by my letter to \u201cThe Academy,\u201d and\nshowed the normal smallness of the official mind by opposing me simply\nbecause I told the truth concerning the _l\u00e2ches_ of his \u201clearned body.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile I had addressed the following note to the Most Honourable the\nChancellor of the University.[422]\n\n                                    23, DORSET STREET, PORTMAN SQUARE,\n                                            _November 30th, 1886_.\n\n  \u201cMY LORD,\n\n  \u201cI deeply regret that the peculiar proceedings of the Bodleian\n  Library, Oxford, necessitate a reference to a higher authority with\n  the view of eliciting some explanation.\n\n  \u201cThe correspondence which has passed between the Curators of the\n  Bodleian Library and myself will be found in the accompanying\n  printed paper.\n\n  \u201cHere it may be noticed that the Committee of the Orientalist\n  Congress, Vienna, is preparing to memorialise H.M.\u2019s Secretary of\n  State, praying that Parliament will empower the British Museum to\n  lend out Oriental MSS. under proper guarantees. The same measure had\n  been proposed at the Leyden Congress of 1883; and thus an extension,\n  rather than a contraction of the loan-system has found favour with\n  European savants.[423]\n\n  \u201cI believe, my Lord, that a new statute upon the subject of the\n  Bodleian loans of books and MSS. is confessedly required, and that\n  it awaits only the initiative of the Chancellor of the University,\n  without whose approval it cannot be passed.\n\n                                           I have, &c.,\n                                   (Signed)        RICHARD F. BURTON.\u201d\n\n  \u201cTHE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE CHANCELLOR.\u201d\n\nMy object being only publicity I was not disappointed by the following\nreply:\u2014\n\n                                      HATFIELD HOUSE, HATFIELD, HERTS,\n                                                  _December 1st 1886_.\n\n  \u201cDEAR SIR RICHARD,\n\n  \u201cI beg to acknowledge your letter of the 30th of November, with\n  enclosure.\n\n  \u201cI have, however, no power over the Bodleian Library, and,\n  therefore, I am unable to assist you.\n\n                               Yours, very truly,\n                                               (Signed)    SALISBURY.\u201d\n\n  \u201cSIR RICHARD F. BURTON, K.C.M.G.\u201d\n\nOn January 29, 1887, there was another \u201cBodleian Meeting,\u201d all the\nCurators save one being present and showing evident symptoms of\nbusiness. The last application on the list of loans entered on the\nAgenda paper ran thus:\u2014\n\n  V MS. Bodl. Vols. 550\u2013556 to the British Museum (the 7 vols.\n  successively) for the use of Mr. F. F. Arbuthnot\u2019s Agent.\n\n    [The MS. lately refused to Sir R. Burton. Mr. Arbuthnot wishes\n    to have it copied.]\n\nIt was at once moved by the Regius Professor of Divinity (Dr. Ince) and\ncarried _nem. con._ that, until the whole question of lending Bodleian\nbooks and MSS. then before Council, be definitely settled, no\napplications be entertained; and thus Professor Van Helton, Bernard\nKolbach and Mr. Arbuthnot were doomed, like myself, to be disappointed.\n\nOn January 31, 1887, a hebdomadal Council was called to deliberate about\na new lending statute for submission to Convocation; and an amendment\nwas printed in the \u201cOxford University Gazette.\u201d It proposed that the\nCurators by a vote of two-thirds of their body, and at least six forming\na quorum, might lend books or MSS. to students, whether graduates or\nnot; subject, when the loans were of special value, to the consent of\nConvocation. Presently the matter was discussed in \u201cThe Times\u201d (January\n25th; April 28th; and May 31st), which simply re-echoed the contention\nof Mr. Chandler\u2019s vigorous pamphlets.[424] Despite the letters of its\ncorrespondent \u201cF. M. M.\u201d (May 6th, 1887), a \u201chost in himself,\u201d who ought\nto have added the authority of his name to the sensible measures which\nhe propounded, the leading journal took a sentimental view of \u201cBodley\u2019s\nincomparable library\u201d and strongly advocated its being relegated to\ncomparative inutility.\n\nOn May 31, 1887, an amendment practically forbidding all loans came\nbefore the House. In vain Professor Freeman declared that a book is not\nan idol but a tool which must wear out sooner or later. To no purpose\nBodley\u2019s Librarian proved that of 460,000 printed volumes in the\ncollection only 460 had been lent out, and of these only one had been\nlost. THE AMENDMENT FORBIDDING THE PRACTICE OF LENDING WAS CARRIED BY\n106 VOTES TO 60.\n\nPersonally I am not dissatisfied with this proceeding. It is retrograde\nlegislation befitting the days when books were chained to the desks. It\nsuffers from a fatal symptom\u2014the weakness of extreme measures. And the\ninevitable result in the near future will be a strong reaction:\nConvocation will presently be compelled to adopt some palliation for the\nevil created by its own folly.\n\nThe next move added meanness to inertness. I do not blame Mr. E. B.\nNicholson, Bodley\u2019s Librarian, because he probably had orders to write\nthe following choice specimen:\u2014\n\n                                                            30/3/1887.\n\n  \u201cDEAR SIR RICHARD BURTON,\n\n  \u201cI have received two vols. of four (read _six_) \u2018Supplemental\n  Nights\u2019 with a subscription form. If a Bodleian MS. is to be copied\n  for any volume, I must stipulate that that volume be supplied to us\n  gratis. Either my leave or that of the Curators is required for the\n  purpose of copying for publication, and I have no doubt that they\n  would make the same stipulation. I feel sure you would in any case\n  not propose to charge us for such a volume, but until I hear from\n  you I am in a difficulty as to how to reply to the subscription form\n  I have received.\n\n                                 Yours faithfully,\n                             (Signed)        E. B. NICHOLSON,\n                                                         _Librarian_.\u201d\n\nThe able and energetic papers, two printed and one published by Mr. H.\nW. Chandler, of Pembroke College, Oxford, clearly prove the following\nfacts:\u2014\n\n  1. That on June 20, 1610, a Bodleian Statute peremptorily forbade\n  any books or manuscripts being taken out of the Library.\n\n  2. That, despite the peremptory and categorical forbiddance by\n  Bodley, Selden, and others, of lending Bodleian books and MSS.,\n  loans of both have for upwards of two centuries formed a precedent.\n\n  3. That Bodley\u2019s Statute (June 20th, An. 1610) was formally and\n  officially abrogated by Convocation on May 22nd, 1856; Convocation\n  retaining the right to lend.\n\n  4. That a \u201cprivileged list\u201d of (113) borrowers presently arose and\n  is spoken of as a normal practice:\u2014_sicut mos fuit_, says the\n  Statute (Tit. xx. iii. \u00a7 11) of 1873; and, lastly,\n\n  5. That loans of MSS. and printed books have for years been\n  authorised to approved public libraries.\n\nAfter these premises I proceed to notice other points bearing upon the\nsubject, which, curious to say, are utterly neglected or rather ignored\nby Mr. Chandler and \u201cThe Times.\u201d Sir Thomas Bodley never would have\ncondemned students to study in the Bodleian had he known the _peines\nfortes et dures_ to which in these days they are thereby doomed. \u201cSo\npicturesque and so peculiar is its construction,\u201d says a writer, \u201cthat\nit ensures the maximum of inefficiency and discomfort.\u201d The whole\nbuilding is a model of what a library ought _not_ to be. It is at once\nover solid and ricketty: room for the storage of books is wanted, and\nits wooden staircases, like touchwood or tinder, give one the shudders\nto think of fire. True, matches and naked lights are forbidden in the\nbuilding; but all know how these prohibitions are regarded by the\npublic, and it is dreadful to think of what might result from a lucifer\ndropped at dark upon the time-rotten planks. The reading public in the\nXIXth century must content itself with boxes or stalls, like those of an\nold-fashioned tavern or coffee-house of the humbler sort wherein two\nreaders can hardly find room for sitting back to back. The atmosphere is\nunpleasant and these mean little cribs, often unduly crowded, are so\ndark that after the 1st October the reading-room must be closed at 3\np.m. What a contrast are the treasures in the Bodleian with their mean\nand miserable surroundings and the way in which the public is allowed to\nenjoy them. The whole establishment calls urgently for reform.\nAccommodation for the books is wanted; floor and walls will hardly bear\nthe weight which grows every year at an alarming ratio\u2014witness the\nNovel-room. The model Bodleian would be a building detached and\nisolated, the better to guard its priceless contents, and containing at\nleast double the area of the present old and obsolete Bibliotheca. An\nestablishment of the kind was proposed in 1857; but unfortunately, the\nunited wisdom of the University preferred new \u201cExamination Schools\u201d for\nwhich the old half-ruinous pile would have been sufficiently well\nfitted. The \u201cSchools,\u201d however, were for the benefit of the examiners;\n_erg\u00f2_ the scandalous sum of \u00a3100,000 (some double the amount) was\nwasted upon the well-nigh useless Gothic humbug in High Street, and thus\nno money was left for the prime want of the city. After some experience\nof public libraries and reading-rooms on the Continent of Europe I feel\njustified in asserting that the Bodleian in its present condition is a\ndisgrace to Oxford; indeed a dishonour to letters in England.\n\nThe Bodleian has a _succursale_, the Radcliffe, which represents simply\na step from bad to worse. The building was intended for an especial\npurpose, the storage of books, not for a _salle de lecture_. Hence the\nso-called \u201cCamera\u201d is a most odious institution, a Purgatory to readers.\nIt is damp in the wet season from October to May; stuffy during the\nsummer heats and a cave of Eolus in windy weather: few students except\nthe youngest and strongest, can support its changeable and\nnerve-depressing atmosphere. Consequently the Camera is frequented\nmainly by the townsfolk, a motley crew who there study their novels and\nalmanacs and shamefully misuse the books.[425] In this building lights,\nforbidden by the Bodleian, are allowed; it opens at 10 a.m. and closes\nat 10 p.m., and the sooner it reverts to its original office of a\nbook-dep\u00f4t the better.\n\nBut the Bodleian-Radcliffe concern is typical of the town; and, if that\ncall for reform, so emphatically does\n\n            \u201cOxford, that scarce deserves the name of land.\u201d\n\nFrom my childhood I had heard endless tirades and much of what is now\ncalled \u201cblowing\u201d about this ancient city, and my youth (1840\u201342)\nsuffered not a little disappointment. The old place, still mostly\nresembling an overgrown monastery-village, lies in the valley of the\nUpper Thames, a meadowland drained by two ditches; the bigger or Ise,\nclassically called the Isis, and the lesser the Charwell. This bottom is\nsurrounded by high and healthy uplands, not as the guide-books say \u201clow\nscarce-swelling hills that softly gird the old town;\u201d and these keep off\nthe winds and make the riverine valley, with its swamped meads and\nwater-meadows, more fenny and feverish even than Cambridge. The heights\nand woods bring on a mild deluge between October 1st and May 1st; the\nclimate is rainy as that of Shap in Westmoreland (our old home) and, as\nat Fernando Po and Singapore, the rain it raineth more or less every day\nduring one half of the year. The place was chosen by the ancient Britons\nfor facility of water transport, but men no longer travel by the Thames\nand they have naturally neglected the older road. Throughout England,\nindeed a great national work remains to be done. Not a river, not a\nrivulet, but what requires cleaning out and systematic excavation by\n_\u00e9l\u00e9vateurs_ and other appliances of the Suez Canal. The channels filled\nup by alluvium and choked by the American weed, are now raised so high\nthat the beds can no longer act as drains: at Oxford for instance the\nbeautiful meadows of Christ Church are little better than swamps and\nmarshes, the fittest homes for Tertiana, Quartana and all the fell\nsisterhood: a blue fog broods over the pleasant site almost every\nevening, and a thrust with the umbrella opens up water. This is the more\ninexcusable as the remedy would be easy and by no means costly: the\nriver-mud, if the ignorant peasants only knew the fact, forms the best\nof manures; and this, instead of being deposited in spoil-heaps on the\nbanks for the rain to wash back at the first opportunity, should be\ncarried by tram-rails temporarily laid down and be spread over the\ndistant fields, thus almost paying for the dredge works. Of course\ndifficulties will arise: the management of the Thames is under various\nlocal \u201cBoards,\u201d and each wooden head is able and aye ready to show its\nindependence and ill temper at the sacrifice of public interests to\nprivate fads.\n\nHence the climate of Oxford is detestable. Strong undergraduates cannot\nwithstand its nervous depression and the sleeplessness arising from damp\nair charged with marsh gases and bacteria. All students take time to\nbecome acclimatized here, and some are never acclimatized at all. And no\nwonder, when the place is drained by a fetid sewer of greenish yellow\nhue containing per 10,000, 245 parts of sewage. The only tolerable\nportion of the year is the Long Vacation, when the youths in\nmortar-boards all vanish from the view, while many of the oldsters\ncongregate in the reformed convents called Colleges.\n\nClimate and the resolute neglect of sanitation are probably the chief\ncauses why Oxford never yet produced a world-famous and epoch-making\nman, while Cambridge can boast of Newton and Darwin. The harlequin city\nof domes and spires, cribs and slums shows that curious concurrence of\nopposites so common in England. The boasted High Street is emblematical\nof the place, where moral as well as material extremes meet and are fain\nto dwell side by side. It is a fine thoroughfare branching off into mere\nlanes, neither these nor that apparently ever cleaned. The huge\nbuildings of scaling, mouldering stone are venerable-looking piles which\ncontrast sadly with the gabled cottages of crepi, hurlin, or wattle and\ndab; and the brand-new store with its plate-glass windows hustles the\nold-fashioned lollipop-shop. As regards minor matters there are new\nmarket passages but no Public Baths; and on Sundays, the stands are\ndestitute of cabs, although with that queer concession to democracy\nwhich essentially belongs to the meaner spirited sort of Conservatism,\n\u201c\u2019busses\u201d are allowed to ply after 2 p.m., when the thunder of bells\nsomewhat abates.\n\nOld \u201cAlma Mater,\u201d who to me has ever been a \u201cdurissima noverca,\u201d dubs\nherself \u201cUniversity;\u201d and not a few of her hopefuls _entre faiblesse et\nfolie_, still entitle themselves \u201cUniversity men.\u201d The title once\nbelonged to Oxford but now appertains to it no more. Compare with it the\nmodel universities of Berlin, Paris and Vienna, where the lists of\nlecturers bear the weightiest names in the land. Oxford is but a\ncongeries of twenty-one colleges and five halls or hostels, each\neducating its pupils (more or less) with an especial eye to tutors\u2019 fees\nand other benefices, the vested rights of the \u201cDons.\u201d Thus all do their\nbest to prevent the scholars availing themselves of University, as\nopposed to Collegiate, lectures; and thus they can stultify a list of\nsome sixty-six professors. This boarding-school system is simply a\ndishonest obstacle to students learning anything which may be of use to\nthem in after-life, such as modern and Oriental languages, chemistry,\nanthropology and the other -ologies. Here in fact men rarely progress\nbeyond the Trivium and the Quadrivium of the Dark Ages, and tuition is a\nfine study of the Res scibilis as understood by the Admirable Crichton\nand other worthies, circa A.D. 1500. The students of Queen Elizabeth\u2019s\nday would here\u2014and here only\u2014find themselves in congenial company. Worse\nstill, Oxford is no longer a \u201cSeat of learning\u201d or a \u201cHouse of the\nMuses,\u201d nor can learned men be produced under the present system. The\nplace has become a collection of finishing schools, in fact little\nbetter than a huge board for the examination of big boys and girls.\n\nOxford and her education are thoroughly disappointing; but the sorest\npoint therein is that this sham University satisfies the hapless Public,\nwhich knows nothing about its _fain\u00e9ance_. It is a mere stumbling-block\nin the way of Progress especially barring the road to one of the main\nwants of English Education, a great London University which should not\nbe ashamed to stand by Berlin, Paris and Vienna.\n\nHad the good knight and \u201cPious Founder,\u201d Sir Thomas Bodley, who\nestablished his library upon the ruins of the University Bibliotheca\nwrecked by the \u201cReformation,\u201d been able to foresee the condition of\nOxford and her libraries\u2014Bodleian and Radcliffean\u2014in this latter section\nof the XIXth century, he would hardly, I should hope, have condemned\nEnglish students and Continental scholars to compulsory residence and\nlabour in places so akin to the purgatorial.\n\n\n\n\n                              Appendix B.\n  THE THREE UNTRANSLATED TALES IN MR. E. J. W. GIBB\u2019S \u201cFORTY VEZIRS.\u201d\n\n\n                   _THE THIRTY-EIGHTH VEZIR\u2019S STORY._\n\n                (_Page 353 of Mr. Gibb\u2019s translation._)\n\nThere was in the city of Cairo a merchant, and one day he bought a\nslave-girl, and took her to his house. There was in his house an ape;\nthis the merchant fetched and dragged up to the slave-girl. He said,\n\u201cYield thyself over to this, and I will set thee free.\u201d The slave-girl\ndid so of necessity, and she conceived by him. When her time was come\nshe bare a son all of whose members were shaped like those of a man,\nsave that he had a tail like an ape. The merchant and the slave-girl\noccupied themselves bringing up this son. One day, when the son was five\nor six months old, the merchant filled a large cauldron with milk, and\nlighted a great fire under it. When it was boiling, he seized the son\nand cast him into the cauldron; and the girl began to lament. The\nmerchant said, \u201cBe silent, make no lamentation; go and be free;\u201d and he\ngave her some sequins. Then he turned, and the cauldron had boiled so\nthat not even any bones were left. The merchant took down the cauldron,\nand placed seven strainers, one above the other; and he took the scum\nthat had gathered on the liquid in the cauldron and filtered it through\nthe seven strainers, and he took that which was in the last and put it\ninto a bottle. And the slave-girl bare in her heart bitter hatred\nagainst the merchant, and she said in herself, \u201cEven as thou hast burned\nmy liver will I burn thee;\u201d and she began to watch her opportunity. (One\nday) the merchant said to her, \u201cMake ready some food,\u201d and went out. So\nthe girl cooked the food, and she mixed some of that poison in the dish.\nWhen the merchant returned she brought the tray and laid it down, and\nthen withdrew into a corner. The merchant took a spoonful of that food,\nand as soon as he put it into his mouth, he knew it to be the poison,\nand he cast the spoon that was in his hand at the girl. A piece, of the\nbigness of a pea, of that poisoned food fell from the spoon on the\ngirl\u2019s hand, and it made the place where it fell black. As for the\nmerchant, he turned all black, and swelled till he became like a\nblown-out skin, and he died. But the slave-girl medicined herself and\nbecame well; and she kept what remained of the poison and sold it to\nthose who asked for it.\n\n\n                     _THE FORTIETH VEZIR\u2019S STORY._\n\n                (_Page 366 in Mr. Gibb\u2019s translation._)\n\nThere was of old time a tailor, and he had a fair wife. One day this\nwoman sent her slave-girl to the carder\u2019s to get some cotton teased. The\nslave-girl went to the carder\u2019s shop and gave him cotton for a gown to\nget teased. The carder while teasing the cotton displayed his yard to\nthe slave-girl. She blushed and passed to his other side. As she thus\nturned round the carder displayed his yard on that side also. Thus the\nslave-girl saw it on that side too. And she went and said to her\nmistress, \u201cYon carder, to whom I went has two yards.\u201d The lady said to\nher, \u201cGo and say to yon carder, \u2018My mistress wishes thee; come at\nnight.\u2019\u201d So the slave-girl went and said this to the carder. As soon as\nit was night the carder went to that place and waited. The woman went\nout and met the carder and said, \u201cCome and have to do with me while I am\nlying by my husband.\u201d When it was midnight the carder came and waked the\nwoman. The woman lay conveniently and the carder fell to work. She felt\nthat the yard which entered her was but one, and said, \u201cAh my soul,\ncarder, at it with both of them.\u201d While she was softly speaking her\nhusband awaked and asked, \u201cWhat means thy saying, \u2018At it with both of\nthem?\u2019\u201d He stretched out his hand to his wife\u2019s kaze and the carder\u2019s\nyard came into it. The carder drew himself back and his yard slipped out\nof the fellow\u2019s hand, and he made shift to get away. The fellow said,\n\u201cOut on thee, wife, what meant that saying of thine, \u2018At it with both of\nthem?\u2019\u201d The woman said, \u201cO husband, I saw in my dream that thou wast\nfallen into the sea and wast swimming with one hand and crying out,\n\u2018Help! I am drowning!\u2019 I shouted to thee from the shore, \u2018At it with\nboth of them,\u2019 and thou begannest to swim with both thy hands.\u201d Then the\nhusband said, \u201cWife, I too know that I was in the sea, from this that a\nwet fish came into my hand and then slipped out and escaped; thou\nspeakest truly.\u201d And he loved his wife more than before.\n\n\n                   _THE LADY\u2019S THIRTY-FOURTH STORY._\n\n                     (_From the India Office MS._)\n\n                (_Page 399 in Mr. Gibb\u2019s translation._)\n\nThey tell that there was a Khoja and he had an exceeding fair son, who\nwas so beautiful that he who looked upon him was confounded. This Khoja\nwatched over his son right carefully; he let not him come forth from a\ncertain private chamber, and he left not the ribbon of his trousers\nunsealed. When the call to prayer was chanted from the minaret, the boy\nwould ask his father saying, \u201cWhy do they cry out thus?\u201d and the Khoja\nwould answer, \u201cSomeone has been undone and has died, and they are\ncalling out to bury him.\u201d And the boy believed these words. The beauty\nof this boy was spoken of in Persia; and a Khoja came from Persia to\nBaghdad with his goods and chattels for the love of this boy. And he\nstruck up a friendship with the boy\u2019s father, and ever gave to him his\nmerchandise at an easy price, and he sought to find out where his son\nabode. When the Khoja had discovered that the boy was kept safe in that\nprivate chamber, he one day said to his father, \u201cI am about to go to a\ncertain place; and I have a chest whereinto I have put whatsoever I\npossess of valuables; this I shall send to thee, and do thou take it and\nshut it up in that chamber where thy son is.\u201d And the father answered,\n\u201cRight gladly.\u201d So the Khoja let build a chest so large that he himself\nmight lie in it, and he put therein wine and all things needful for a\ncarouse. Then he said to his servant, \u201cGo, fetch a porter and take this\nchest to the house of Khoja Such-an-one, and say, \u2018My master has sent\nthis to remain in your charge,\u2019 and leave it and come away. And again on\nthe morrow go and fetch it, saying, \u2018My master wishes the chest.\u2019\u201d So\nthe servant went for a porter, and the Khoja hid himself in the chest.\nThen the boy laded the porter with the chest and took it to the other\nKhoja\u2019s house, where he left it and went away. When it was night the\nKhoja came forth from the chest, and he saw a moon-face sleeping in the\nbed-clothes, and a candle was burning in a candlestick at his head; and\nwhen the Khoja beheld this he was confounded and exclaimed, \u201cAnd blessed\nbe God, the fairest of Creators!\u201d[426] Then the Khoja laid out the wine\nand so forth; and he went up softly and waked the boy. And the boy arose\nfrom his place and addressed himself to speak, saying, \u201cWherefore hast\nthou come here?\u201d Straightway the Khoja filled a cup and gave it to him,\nsaying, \u201cDrink this, and then I shall tell thee what manner of man I\nam.\u201d And he besought the boy and spread out sequins before him. So the\nboy took the cup and drank what was in it. When the Khoja had given him\nto drink three or four cups the face of the boy grew tulip-hued, and he\nbecame heated with the wine and began to sport with the Khoja. So all\nthat night till morning did the Khoja make merry with the boy; and\nwhatsoever his desire was, he attained thereto. When it was morning the\nKhoja again went into the chest; and the servant came and laded the\nporter with the same and took it back to his house. And on the morrow,\nwhen the boy and his father were sitting together, the mu\u2019ezzin chanted\nthe call to prayer, whereupon the boy exclaimed, \u201cOut on thee, father;\nand the boy who is undone dies, and so this fellow goes up there and\nbawls out; last night they undid me; how is it that I am not dead?\u201d Then\nthe father smote the boy on the mouth and said, \u201cSpeak not such words;\nthey are a shame.\u201d And then he knew why the chest had come.\n\n\n\n\n                                 INDEX.\n\n\n Ab\u00fa ja\u2019dah = father of curls (= a wolf), 14.\n\n Ab\u00fa K\u00e1sim al-Tamb\u00far\u00ed = Ab\u00fa K\u00e1sim the Drummer, 209.\n\n Abu Niyyah and Abu Niyyatayn, History of various versions of the names,\n    334.\n\n \u2019Adr\u00e1n (_Arab._) tr. \u201cSheeted,\u201d the \u2714 being \u2019Adr = much and heavy rain,\n    7.\n\n Afandiyah, Al- (_Arab._) = Efendis, 41.\n\n \u2019Af\u00e1r, _tr._ \u201csand devils,\u201d a word frequently joined with \u201cGhub\u00e1r\u201d =\n    dust (ST.), 262.\n\n Agh\u00e1 of the Jan\u00e1kilah = the Chief man (Agh\u00e1) of the Gypsies, 72.\n\n Akhaztu dam wajhhi-h\u00e1 (_Arab._) = \u201cI bled her of the hymeneal blood,\u201d\n    42.\n\n \u2019Akl (_Arab._) = comprehension, understanding, 193.\n\n \u201cAkram\u201d = the more generous (ST.), 304.\n\n \u201c\u2019Al\u00e0 b\u00e1bi \u2019ll\u00e1h\u201d (_Arab._) = for the love of the Lord, gratis, etc., a\n    popular phrase (_tr._ \u201cAt the Gate of Allah Almighty\u201d), 138.\n\n \u2019Al\u00e0 hud\u00fad (or Al\u00e0 hadd) al-Shauk (_Arab._) = fulfilling all our\n    desires, 114.\n\n \u2019Alaka = he hung, 149.\n\n Al\u00e0 k\u00e1m (for \u201ckam,\u201d how much?) peasants\u2019 speech, 224.\n\n \u2019Al\u00e1 Yad\u00edn = Al\u00e1edd\u00edn, 265.\n\n \u201cAllah! Allah!\u201d here meaning \u201cHaste! haste!\u201d 71.\n\n \u201cAllah h\u00e1fiz-ik\u201d (_Arab._) = the pop. _Pers._ expression, \u201cKhud\u00e1 H\u00e1fiz\u201d\n    (\u201cAllah be thy safeguard\u201d), 218.\n\n \u201cAllah openeth,\u201d \u201cAllah veileth,\u201d civil forms of refusal, 315.\n\n \u201cAllaz\u00ed \u2019amaltu f\u00ed-him, etc.\u201d = Those to whom I did a good turn,\n    requite me with the contrary thereof (ST.), 253.\n\n \u201cAlhamdolillah = Glory be to God!\u201d = grace after meat, 337.\n\n \u201cAm\u00e1n\u201d (_Arab._) = quarter, mercy (_tr._ \u201csafety\u201d), 30.\n\n Amawi Mosque of Damascus, one of the four Wonders of the Moslem world,\n    36.\n\n \u2019Amil Rasad (_Arab._) = _lit._, acting as an observatory, 341.\n\n Amsik (_Arab._), a \u201cchaff\u201d with the Turks\u2014meaning cunnus-penis, 93.\n\n Amsik lis\u00e1na-k (_Arab._) = \u201chold thy tongue,\u201d 93.\n\n Andromeda and Perseus, Myth of, brought down to St. George and the\n    Dragon, 261.\n\n Animals (lower) breeding with men, 331.\n\n Anjar = a flat platter (_Pers._), 143.\n\n \u201cAnnus Domini\u201d = Age (the worst disease in human life), 3.\n\n Apocrypha, Tobias, etc., 78.\n\n Ardabb (_prop._ \u201cIrdabb\u201d) = five bushels, 290.\n\n \u201cArgh\u00e1\u201d for \u201cArkh\u00e1\u201d = he \u201cbrayed\u201d (like an ostrich) for \u201chis limbs\n    relaxed,\u201d 31.\n\n Armagh\u00e1n\u00e1t (_Arab._) pl. of \u201cArmagh\u00e1n\u201d (_Pers._) a present, 59.\n\n Arm-pit, Hair shaven or plucked from, 153.\n\n \u2019Arsah (_Arab._) akin to Mu\u2019arris = a pimp, a pander, 208.\n\n Ashdak, usually applied to a wide-chapped face, 91.\n\n \u2019Ashrah Miah (Al-) = ten times one hundred, _ib._ \u201cone hundred for the\n    (_i.e._ every) ten\u201d (ST.), 28.\n\n Ashrafi, a gold coin of variable value, 143;\n   the Portuguese Xerafim, 38.\n\n Ash-Shabakah bit\u00e1ht as-Sayd = thy net for fishing, 9.\n\n Atr\u00e1bulus (also Tar\u00e1bulus), Arabisations of Tripolis, 169.\n\n \u2019Aun, a high degree among the Jinns, a tribe of the Jinn, sometimes\n    syn. with M\u00e1rid, 80, 302.\n\n Auzah (_Arab._), a popular word in Egypt and Syria (_Pers._ \u201cOt\u00e1k,\u201d and\n    _Turk._ \u201cOtah\u201d), 40.\n\n A\u2019\u00fazu bi \u2019ll\u00e1hi min al-Sh\u00e1yt\u00e1ni\u2019l-_Raj\u00edmi_ = I take refuge with Allah\n    against Satan the Stoned (ST.), 242.\n\n \u2019Ayn turned into H., _i.e._ Bit\u00e1ht for Bit\u00e1 \u2019at, 9.\n\n \u2019Ayyinah, probably a mis-reading for \u2019Ayniyyah = a sample, pattern\n    (ST.), 290.\n\n Aysh = Ayyu Shayyin, what? 207.\n\n Azbad (_Arab._) from \u2714 Zbd (Zabd) = foaming, frothing, 31.\n\n \u201cAzlam\u201d = the more iniquitous (ST.), 304.\n\n\n Bah\u00e1r (_Arab._) often used for hot spices (_tr._ \u201cpimento\u201d), 138.\n\n Bahr al-Muh\u00edt (_Arab._) = Circumambient Ocean, 323.\n\n Bakhsh\u00edsh (written \u201cBaksh\u00edsh\u201d after Fellah-fashion), 243.\n\n B\u00e1l (_Arab._) sing. B\u00e1lah = a tale, 210.\n\n B\u00e1miyah = Gumbo, etc. of Brit. India (_tr._ \u201crose-mallows\u201d), 243.\n\n Barbarians (Matthew Arnold\u2019s), 280.\n\n Barbasa (with dental sibilant \u201cS\u00edn\u201d) = he sought, looked for (with\n    palatial sibilant \u201cS\u00e1d\u201d), = he watered the ground abundantly (ST.),\n    291.\n\n Barbastu = besmeared, 291.\n\n \u201cBartam\u00e1n\u201d for \u201cMartaban\u201d = a pot, jar, etc. (_tr._ \u201ca crock\u201d),\n    204\u2013223.\n\n B\u00e1sh\u00e1 (_Arab._ form of _Turk._ \u201cPasha\u201d) derivation, 137.\n\n Bash\u00e1rah, Al- (_Arab._) = a gift of good news, 307.\n\n Bast, a preparation of Bhang (_Cannabis sativa_), 19.\n\n B\u00e1t = \u201cthe night has passed\u201d (ST.), 246.\n\n B\u00e1t (for \u201cBit\u201d) = Pass the night here (in Fellah speech), 246.\n\n Batiyah (_Arab._) gen. = a black jack, a leathern flagon (_tr._ \u201cKeg\u201d),\n    125.\n\n Bays\u00e1r or Bays\u00e1rah, a dish peculiar to Egypt = beans seasoned with milk\n    and honey, 176.\n   Also \u201cBays\u00e1r\u201d or \u201cFaysar,\u201d 291.\n\n Bhang-eaters, indecencies of, 196.\n\n B\u00edm\u00e1rist\u00e1n (_Arab._ from _Pers._) = a \u201csick house\u201d, hospital, madhouse,\n    48.\n\n B\u00edsmillah = grace before meat, 337.\n\n Bit\u00e1\u2019i (_Arab._) = my own, 9.\n\n Bridge of Sanjia in Northern Syria is one of the four Wonders of the\n    Moslem world, 36.\n\n Buksumah (_Arab._) = \u201chard bread\u201d (_tr._ \u201cbiscuit\u201d), 169.\n\n Bulaybul (Al-) = the little nightingale, Philomelet, 245.\n\n Bull used in the East to turn the mill and water-wheel, 294.\n\n Burka\u2019 veil or \u201cNose-bag,\u201d 282.\n\n\n Cafilah, _i.e._ caravan, 222.\n\n Camel\u2019s pasture divided into \u201cKhullah\u201d (Sweet food called bread) and\n    \u201cH\u00e1miz\u201d termed fruit, 7.\n\n Change from first person into third, looseness of style in the MS.\n    (ST.), 282.\n\n _Chavis and Cazotte_ quoted, 49, 64, 66.\n\n _Chenery_ quoted, 7.\n\n Child-bed customs amongst Moslems, 177.\n\n Church of Rohah (Edessa), one of the four Wonders of the Moslem world,\n    36.\n\n Census should not be made without direct command of Creator\n    (superstitious idea), 308.\n\n Cob-houses, 214.\n\n _Chronique de Tabari_ quoted, 3\u20135.\n\n Coffee, 198.\n\n Coffee and sherbet, mention of, makes the tale synchronous with that of\n    Ma\u2019ar\u00faf, or the xvii. century, 55.\n\n Confections, or sweetmeats used by way of restoratives in the Bath, 56.\n\n Connexion of Beasts with Humans, and consequences thereof, 331.\n\n Cook and Cooking, Egyptian or Syrian compared with English, 174.\n\n Corpse sprinkled with water, etc., 257.\n\n Cossid (_Arab._ K\u00e1sid), an Anglo-Indian term = a running carrier, 123.\n\n Cramoisy (dressed from head to foot in), a royal sign of wrath denoting\n    torture or death, 63.\n\n Crepitus ventris, 231.\n\n Cynocephalus famed for venery, 333.\n\n\n Dainty food (Egyptian or Syrian Cook compared with English), 174.\n\n Dakhlah, Al- (_Arab._) = the night of going in, 42.\n\n Dall\u00e1l = broker (same as S\u00e1hib = owner), 224.\n\n Darajat\u00e1ni (_Arab._), _lit._ = two astronomical degrees (_tr._ \u201ca\n    couple of hours\u201d), 110.\n\n Darb\u00e1lah (_Arab._), corresponding with _Egypt._ \u201cDar\u00e1bukkah,\u201d a tabor\n    of wood or earthenware (_tr._ \u201clittle drum\u201d), 43.\n   Also part of the regular Darwaysh\u2019s begging gear, 43.\n\n Darb al-Mandal (_Egypt._) = Striking the magic circle in which\n    enchanter sits when he conjures up spirits (a form of second sight),\n    45.\n\n Darwayshah (_Arab._) = a she-Fak\u00edr (_tr._ \u201creligious mendicant\u201d), 217.\n\n Darwayshes suspected of kidnapping, 153.\n\n \u201cDay in the Country,\u201d an old Eastern custom, 96.\n\n Daw\u00ed = an echo, 273.\n\n Defloration, regarded by many ancient peoples as if it were porter\u2019s\n    work, 57.\n\n Dijlah, Al- = The Tigris (Hid-dekel), 151.\n\n Dilk (_Arab._), more commonly \u201cKhirkah\u201d = tattered robe of religious\n    mendicant (_tr._ \u201cgabardine\u201d), 43.\n\n D\u00edn\u00e1rz\u00e1deh (W.M. MS.) = \u201cDucat-born\u201d (for D\u00edn\u00e1rz\u00e1d), 6.\n\n Dish-cover used for cleanliness, and to prevent Evil-Eye falling upon\n    food, 243.\n\n Dodges, Eastern, to detect physiological differences between man and\n    maid, etc., 121.\n\n Drinking in a bright light, loved by Easterns, 193.\n\n Drying towels of palm fibre, 55.\n\n D\u00fana-k (_Arab._) = \u201cWell done,\u201d 239.\n\n\n Ear conceiving love before the eye, 139.\n\n \u201cEat thy pottage,\u201d a formula like our \u201cCut your mutton,\u201d 84.\n\n Eating and drinking, 160.\n\n Efendi (here meaning the under-governor or head clerk), 214.\n\n Elephants usually are vegetarians, 265.\n\n \u201cEnallage of persons\u201d is Koranic and therefore classical, 39.\n\n Everything returns to or resembles its origin, 13.\n\n Evil Eye, 60, 257.\n\n\n Fa\u2019\u00e1lah (_Arab._) = the building craft (_tr._ \u201cindustry\u201d), 179.\n\n Faddah (_Arab._), _lit._ = silver; the smallest Egyptian coin, 37;\n   Faddahs, 2,000 = about 1s. 2d., 295.\n\n Fakakat = _lit._ \u201cshe flowed over like a brimful vessel.\u201d (ST.) _tr._\n    here \u201cshe expired,\u201d 333.\n\n \u201cFair fate befal thee, etc.,\u201d an address only suited to a king or\n    ruler, 109.\n\n Fan\u00e1r\u00e1t (_Arab. pl. of the Pers._ Fan\u00e1r = a light house) here equiv. to\n    mod. _Gr._ \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03ac\u03c1 a lantern (_Egypt._ F\u00e1n\u00fas) _tr._ \u201cflambeaux,\u201d 44.\n\n F\u00e1r (_Arab._) _pl._ \u201cF\u00edr\u00e1n\u201d = mouse rather than rat, 324.\n\n Far\u00e1f\u00edsh (_Arab._) a word not found in dictionary\u2014_tr._ \u201clumps,\u201d 12;\n   nearest approach to, would be Far\u00e1f\u00edk (_pl. of_ Furf\u00e1k) = fine, thin\n      or soft bread, 12.\n\n Farr\u00e1sh = tent pitcher, body servant, 157.\n\n Farts, savour his own (curious phenomenon), 231.\n\n Faswah (_Arab._) = \u201ca silent break wind,\u201d as opposed to \u201cZirt,\u201d a loud\n    fart, 231.\n\n Fays\u00e1r, a dish peculiar to Egypt (see Bays\u00e1r), 176.\n\n Fellah women stain their veils, etc. with indigo (for sorrow), 248.\n\n Feminine venereal paroxysm, 144.\n\n Fid\u00e1\u2019i (_Pers._) = a robber, a murderer, 281.\n\n Fidawiyah (_Arab._) _sing._ \u201cFid\u00e1wi\u201d = _lit._ one who gives his life to\n    a noble cause, 281.\n\n F\u00ed J\u00edf\u00e1n ka\u2019l-Jaw\u00e1b\u00ed! (_Arab._) meaning small things (or men) and great\n    (_tr._ \u201cIn the well like the tank\u201d), 106.\n\n Finj\u00e1l (_vulg._ for \u201cFinj\u00e1n\u201d) = coffee, 198.\n\n Fir\u00e1sah (_Arab._) = penetration, 10.\n\n Forwardness on the part of women held to be insulting by modest Moslem,\n    68.\n\n Fowl (domestic) unknown to Europe till about the time of Pericles\n    (_ob._ B.C. 429), 32.\n\n Freemasonry, 288.\n\n\n \u201cGasha\u201d = he produced a sound, 20.\n\n _Galland_ quoted, 41, 244, 348.\n\n _Gauttier_ quoted, 3, 19, 49, 74, 90, 95, 97, 176, 189, 228, 244, 254,\n    334.\n\n \u201cGhabasah\u201d (_Arab._) from Ghabas = obscure, dust-colored (_tr._\n    \u201cclouded of color\u201d), 22.\n\n Ghaush = a tree of hard wood whereof musical instruments are made, 20.\n\n Ghaushah = tumult, quarrel, 20;\n   (_tr._ \u201cclamour\u201d) a Persianism for which \u201cGhaugh\u00e1\u201d is a more common\n      form, 20.\n\n Ghawwasha = he produced a sound, 20.\n\n Ghayr W\u00e1\u2019d or \u201cMin ghayr Wa\u2019d\u201d = _lit._ without previous agreement\n    (_tr._ \u201cundesignedly\u201d), 149.\n\n Gh\u00e1ziyah (_Arab._) = a gypsy (_pl._ Ghaw\u00e1zi), 29.\n\n Ghiovend\u00e9 (_Turk._), a race of singers and dancers, professional\n    Nautch-girls, 72.\n\n Ghub\u00e1r = dust (joined to \u2019Af\u00e1r = \u201csand-devils\u201d), 262.\n\n\n H\u00e1lik (_Arab._) = intensely black, 24.\n\n Half-man, an old Plinian fable (_Pers._ N\u00edm-Chihreh, and _Arab._\n    Shikk), 76.\n\n Halkah = throat, throttle, 190.\n\n \u201cHalw\u00e1\u201d = sweetmeat, 7.\n\n H\u00e1miz = pop. term for pickles (_i.e._ \u201cSour meat\u201d as opposed to\n    \u201csweetmeats\u201d), 7.\n\n Hamlat al-jamal = according to Scott, a \u201cCamel\u2019s load of Treasure,\u201d 59.\n\n Han\u00fat (_Arab._) = aromatic herbs, 257.\n\n Har\u00e1j (in _Egypt._ \u201cHar\u00e1g\u201d) = the cry with which the Dall\u00e1l (broker)\n    announces each sum bidden at an auction, 37.\n\n Harj, gen. joined with Marj (Harj wa Marj) = utter confusion, chaos\n    (ST.), 342.\n\n Harj wa Laght (_Arab._) = turmoil and trouble (ST.), 342.\n\n Hash\u00edsh = Bhang in general, 19;\n   confection of, 195.\n\n H\u00e1yishah from \u2714 \u201cHaysh\u201d = spoiling, 190.\n\n Haysumah (_Arab._) = smooth stones (_tr._ \u201cpebbles\u201d), 347.\n\n H\u00e1zir (_Arab._) corresponds with English \u201cYes sir!\u201d (_tr._ \u201cPresent\u201d),\n    254.\n\n Head cut off and set upon the middle of the corpse (in case of a Jew),\n    or under the armpit (in case of a Moslem), 64.\n\n He for she, 29.\n\n \u201cHe found the beasts and their loads and the learned men,\u201d etc., a new\n    form of \u201cbos atque sacerdos,\u201d 311.\n\n Hemp, Indian, 195.\n\n Her desire was quenched, 144.\n\n Hidyah (_Arab._) in Egypt = a falcon (_tr._ \u201ca Kite\u201d), 101.\n\n Hik\u00e1yah (= literal production of a discourse, etc.), 39.\n\n Hilm (vision), \u201cau \u2019Ilm\u201d (knowledge) _Arab._ (_tr._ dreaming or awake)\n    a phrase peculiar to this MS., 39.\n\n \u201cHis bones were crushed upon his flesh\u201d for \u201cHis flesh ... bones,\u201d 347.\n\n House masters (also Kings) in the East are the last to be told a truth\n    familiar to all but themselves and their wives, 351.\n\n Houses made of cob or unbaked brick, which readily melts in rain, 214.\n\n Housewife, Egyptian or Syrian, will make twenty dishes out of roast\n    lamb, 174.\n\n Hubban li-raasi-k (_Arab._) _lit._ = out of love for thy head, _i.e._\n    from affection for thee, 50.\n\n Hummus (or Himmis) = vetches, 7.\n\n H\u00far\u00ed (_Arab._) for H\u00far = pool, marsh or quagmire (vulg. \u201cbogshop\u201d),\n    206.\n\n \u201cHuwa inn\u00e1 lam na\u2019rifu-h\u201d (_Arab._) _lit._ = He, verily we wot him not\n    (suggesting \u201cI am he\u201d), 133.\n\n\n \u201cI am as one who hath fallen from the heavens to the earth,\u201d _i.e._ an\n    orphan and had seen better days, 75.\n\n \u201cI change the pasture\u201d = I pass from grave to gay, etc., 7.\n\n \u2019Ilm al-Hur\u00faf (_Arab._) _tr._ \u201cNotaricon,\u201d 80.\n\n \u201cIkhb\u00e1r\u201d (= mere account of the discourse, _oratio indirecta_, etc.),\n    39.\n\n Impotence, Causes and cure of, 257.\n\n Indecencies of Bhang-eaters, 196.\n\n Indian hemp, 195.\n\n \u201cIn lam tazidd Kayn\u00ed\u201d = _lit._ unless thou oppose my forming or\n    composing (_tr._ \u201cunless thou avert my shame\u201d), 11.\n\n \u201cIsh\u00e1\u201d prayer, 296.\n\n Ish\u00e1ri, a word which may have many meanings (_tr._ \u201ca white cock in his\n    tenth month\u201d), 341.\n\n Istil\u00e1h (_Arab._) = Specific dialect, idiom (_tr._ \u201cright direction\u201d),\n    104.\n\n Istinsh\u00e1k (_Arab._) one of the items of the Wuz\u00fa or lesser ablution\n    (_tr._ \u201cwater\u201d), 58.\n\n Iy\u00e1lah = government-general.\n\n Iy\u00e1s al-Muzani, al Kazi (of Bassorah) the Model Physiognomist, 107.\n\n \u201cIz lam naakhaz, wa-ill\u00e1,\u201d etc., a fair specimen of Arab. Ellipsis,\n    300.\n\n\n Ja\u2019ad = a curl, a liberal man, 14.\n\n Ja\u2019ad al-yad = miserly, 14.\n\n Ja\u2019\u00eddiyah (_Arab._) a favorite word in this MS. = \u201cSharpers,\u201d 14, 280.\n\n J\u00e1m\u00fasah (_Arab._) = buffalo-cow, 26.\n\n Jan\u00e1kilah = gypsies, 72.\n\n Jan\u00e1zah, bier with a corpse thereon, 289.\n\n J\u00e1nn, Al- (MS. preserves rare form of, for the singular), 88.\n\n Jar\u00edd, used as a javelin, 173.\n\n Jar\u00eddah (_Arab._), = a palm-frond stripped of its leaves, 173.\n\n Jauhar-ji (_Arab._) a Turkish form for Jauhari, 21.\n\n J\u00e1w\u00fash (_Arab._) for Ch\u00e1wush (_Turk._) = an army sergeant, etc., 45.\n\n Jazd\u00e1n = a pencase (_Pers._), more prop. called Kalamd\u00e1n = a reed box,\n    322.\n\n Jeweller, held to be one of the dishonest classes, 21.\n\n Jink of Egypt (called by Turkish soldiers Ghiovend\u00e9), 72.\n\n Jumlatun min al-m\u00e1l = Worth a mint of money, 59.\n\n\n K\u00e1d\u00fam for \u201cKud\u00fam\u201d (Syrian form) to \u201cadze,\u201d 101.\n\n K\u00e1fir (_i.e._ a non-Moslem). Everything fair in dealing with, 316.\n\n K\u00e1hin, usual plurals of are Kahanah and Kuhh\u00e1n (ST.), 320.\n\n K\u00e1hirah = City of Mars, Cairo, 35.\n\n Kahram\u00e1n, (_alias_ Samarb\u00e1n) (W. M. MS.), 6.\n\n Kahram\u00e1nah (_Arab._) = a nurse, a duenna, an Amazon guarding the Harem,\n    78.\n\n Kalak (_Arab._), _lit._ = agitation, disquietude (used as syn. with\n    K\u00falanj = a true colic), 177.\n\n Kalamd\u00e1n = reed box, 322.\n\n Kalam\u00e1tu \u2019llah = the Koran, 252.\n\n \u201cKalansuwah\u201d-cap\u2014a distinguishing mark of the Coptic regular clergy,\n    34.\n\n Kalb (for \u201cKulbat\u201d) = a cave, a cavern (_tr._ \u201cconduit,\u201d) 214.\n\n Kan\u00e1t (_Arab._) _tr._ water-leat, 350.\n\n Karb, one of whose meanings is \u201cto inflate the stomach,\u201d 182.\n\n Kar\u00edt (\u2714 Kart) = complete, speaking of a year, etc. (ST.), 337.\n\n Karkabah (_Arab._), clerical error for Karkarah = driving; rumbling of\n    wind in bowels, 182.\n\n Kart = complement, or here, \u201cremainder,\u201d (ST.), 337.\n\n Kash\u2019am, a term having various sigs., 183.\n\n Kasht = skinning (a camel) \u2714 of Mikshat (_Arab._), 100.\n\n \u201cKashmar,\u201d a word not to be found in dictionary, 25.\n\n Katt\u00e1n = linen, flax (_tr._ \u201clinen web\u201d), 104.\n\n Kauk (K\u00e1ka, yak\u00faku) to chuck, 203.\n\n Kauk = an aquatic bird with a long neck, 203.\n\n Kaw\u00edk (_Arab._) = magpie, 203.\n\n Kaww\u00e1rah, _tr._ \u201cSherd\u201d (not found in dictionary), 179.\n\n Kayf, a tranquil enjoyment, 196.\n\n Kayl\u00falah = Siesta, 324.\n\n Kaz\u00e1zah = vulg. a (flask of) glass, 179.\n\n Kazd\u00edr, may here allude to the canisters used by small shopkeepers\n    (_tr._ \u201ctin\u201d), 338.\n\n Kerchief, throwing the, 264.\n\n Khal\u00edy\u00e1h = bee-hive and empty, 222.\n\n Khauf (Al-) Maks\u00fam = cowardice is equally divided, 245.\n\n Khaznah = the Treasury = 1,000 kis or purses, each 500 piastres,\n    \u00a35,000, 74, 180.\n\n Khil\u2019ah = robe of honour, consists of many articles, such as a horse,\n    sword, etc., 235.\n\n Khw\u00e1jah (spelt elsewhere \u201cKhw\u00e1j\u00e1\u201d), 50;\n   corresponds with our \u201cgood man,\u201d 62.\n\n Kidnapping (by Dervishes), 153.\n\n Kiosque, traced through the _Turk._ K\u00fashk (_pron._ Ky\u00fashk) to the\n    _Pers._ \u201cKushk\u201d = an upper chamber, 151.\n\n Kirsh (_pron._ \u201cGirsh\u201d) the Egyptian piastre = one-fifth of a shilling,\n    72, 281.\n\n Kirsh (_Arab._), _pop._ \u201cGirsh\u201d = a dollar, 281.\n\n Kis = purse = 500 piastres = \u00a35, 74.\n\n _Koran_ quoted, 201, 242, 252, 254.\n\n Kubbah = vault, cupola, 290.\n\n Kuhn\u00e1, Syriac singular, according to dictionaries (ST.), 320.\n\n Kuhn\u00e1, Al- (_Arab._), _pl._ of K\u00e1hin\u2019t = diviner, priest (_tr._\n    \u201cCohens\u201d), 320.\n\n K\u00falanj (_Arab._) = a true colic, 177.\n\n Kunaf\u00e1n\u00ed = a baker of kun\u00e1fah = a vermicelli cake often eaten at\n    breakfast, 127.\n\n Kurb\u00e1j (_Arab._) = Cravache (\u201cScourge\u201d), 214.\n\n Kursi (_Arab._), here = a square wooden seat without back, used for\n    sitting cross-legged (_tr._ \u201cchair\u201d), 52.\n\n Kursi-stool = the stool upon which the S\u00edn\u00edyah or tray of tinned\n    copper, is placed, 170.\n\n Kur\u00fash (_Arab._), _pl._ of Kirsh, the Egyptian piastre = one-fifth of a\n    shilling, 72.\n\n K\u00fat al-Kul\u00fab, 225.\n\n K\u00fat = food not to be confounded with \u201cKuwwat\u201d = force, 225.\n\n Kuw\u00e1rah = that which is cut off from the side of a thing, 179.\n\n Kuwayyis (dim. of Kaus), much used in Egypt as an adj. = \u201cpretty,\u201d\n    etc., 350.\n\n\n Labbah (_Arab._), usually part of the throat where ornaments are hung\n    or camels stabbed (_tr._ \u201cnecklace\u201d), 68.\n\n Labbayka = here am I (_tr._ \u201cHere I stand\u201d), 317.\n\n Laght (also _pron._ Laghat), a synonym of \u201cJalabah\u201d = clamour, tumult.\n    (ST.), 342.\n\n _Lane_ quoted, 19, 29, 34, 43, 45, 55, 56, _ib._, 122, 209, 243, 257,\n    293, 296.\n\n L\u00e1 tafzah-n\u00ed = Do not rend _my_ reputation. (ST.), 295.\n\n \u201cLaw\u00e1\u2019a-hu,\u201d a clerical error for \u201cl\u00e1wa\u2019a-hu.\u201d (ST.), 306.\n\n Lawwaha (_Arab._) = _lit._ pointing out, making clear (_tr._ \u201cbobbed\u201d),\n    190.\n\n \u201cLawwaha-hu,\u201d a conjectured reading for \u201claw\u00e1\u2019a-hu.\u201d (ST.), 306.\n\n Learned men exorcising some possible \u201cEvil Spirit\u201d or \u201cthe Eye,\u201d a\n    superstition begun with the ancient Egyptians, 60.\n\n Lion lashing flank with tail, 160.\n\n L\u00edw\u00e1n al-barr\u00e1n\u00ed (_Arab._) _lit._ = the outer bench in the \u201cMaslakh\u201d or\n    apodyterium (_tr._ \u201coutside the calidarium\u201d), 56.\n\n \u201cLuh\u201d = to him for \u201cL\u00ed\u201d = to me, 282.\n\n\n Ma\u2019\u00e1din (_Arab._) = Minerals (_tr._ \u201cingredients\u201d), 139.\n\n Mad\u00e1fi al-Sal\u00e1mah (_Arab._) = the cannon of safe arrival, 124.\n\n Mafyaat, Al- (_Arab._) = _lit._ \u201ca shady place\u201d (_tr. here_ \u201cmysterious\n    subjects\u201d), 14.\n\n Maghrabi (vulg. Maghribi), 43.\n\n Mahazzin (for Mah\u00e1zim) al Zerdukkant (for al-Zardakh\u00e1n) according to\n    Scott \u201cSaffron\u2014yoke of eggs,\u201d etc.; according to Lane \u201capron napkins\n    of thick silk\u201d (_tr. here_ \u201csilken napkins\u201d), 55\u201356.\n\n Mahkamah, _i.e._ the Kazi\u2019s Court-house, 169.\n\n \u201cMahmud the Persian and the Kurd Sharper,\u201d a poor version of \u201cAli the\n    Persian and the Kurd Sharper,\u201d 242.\n\n Ma\u2019h\u00fad min ghayr Wa\u2019d, Al- (_Arab._) = \u201cthe door where the appointment\n    had taken place without risk threatened,\u201d 66.\n\n Maidenhead, taking it held to be porter\u2019s work, 57.\n   Decency compels maidens to show unwillingness in parting with, 135.\n\n Ma\u2019j\u00fan (_Arab._) pop. applied to an electuary of Bhang (_Cannabis\n    sativa_) (_tr._ \u201cconfections\u201d), 56.\n\n M\u00e1l = flocks and herbs (in Badawi parlance), 3.\n\n Ma\u2019l\u00famah (_Arab._) = far famed (may also mean \u201cmade known\u201d or\n    \u201cafore-mentioned\u201d), 276.\n\n M\u00e1l wa Ghaw\u00e1l (_Arab._) = moneys and treasures, 3.\n\n \u201cM\u00e1l wa Naw\u00e1l,\u201d 3.\n\n \u201cMand\u00edl\u201d (kerchief) of mercy, 31.\n\n Manjanik (_Arab._) from the Greek \u039c\u03ac\u03b3\u03b3\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd or \u039c\u03b7\u03c7\u03b1\u03bd\u1f74 = a catapult, 117.\n\n M\u00e1rist\u00e1n = The Bedlam, 207.\n\n Martab\u00e1n, 204.\n   See Bartam\u00e1n, 204.\n\n Mash\u00e1\u2019\u00edli (_Arab._) the cresset-bearer who acted hangman (_tr._\n    \u201cLinkman\u201d), 23.\n\n Mash\u00e1li = three parallel gashes drawn down cheek of child (to prevent\n    kidnapping), 153.\n\n Mashr\u00fat Shadak (_Arab._) = split-mouthed, 91.\n\n Massage (Greek synonym \u03bc\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9 and Latin \u201cMassare\u201d), 177.\n\n Massage, needlessly derived from _Arab._ \u201cMas\u2019h\u201d = rubbing, kneading,\n    177.\n\n Maugraby used as an approbrious term (Fr. _Maugrebleu_), 43.\n\n \u201cMay it be fortunate to thee,\u201d a little precatory formula to keep off\n    the Evil Eye, 119.\n\n Mazar\u00e1t (_Arab._) from \u2714 \u201cMazr\u201d = (an egg) being addled (_tr._ qualms),\n    177.\n\n Miat Maml\u00fak Kit\u00e1b\u00ed (_Arab._) latter word meaning \u201cone of the Book, a\n    Jew\u201d or Christian, 85.\n\n M\u00edd\u00ed, clerical error for \u201cMayyid\u00ed,\u201d an abbreviation of Muayyad\u00ed =\n    quarter farthing, 127.\n\n Mikshat (_Arab._) whose \u2714 would be \u201cKasht\u201d = skinning a camel (_tr._\n    \u201cWhittle,\u201d) 100.\n\n Mil\u00e1jah = a sheet of cotton used as apparel, 220.\n\n Milk, specific gravity of, 238.\n\n Milk time (father has no connection with the mother during), 350.\n\n Milk time was passed (two years) usual time amongst savages and\n    barbarians, 350.\n\n Min al-Mal\u00e1bis (_Arab._) pl. of \u201cMalbas\u201d = anything pleasant or\n    enjoyable, 149.\n\n Min al-Mal\u00e1bis (_Arab._) pl. of \u201cMilbas\u201d = dress, garment, 149.\n\n Mirwad = iron axle of pulley, etc.\u2014hence a bar of metal (_tr._\n    \u201cingot\u201d), 142.\n\n Misallah (pl. \u201cMis\u00e1ll\u201d) = a large needle for sewing canvas, 288.\n\n Moslem school described, 98.\n\n Mourning-dress, 248.\n\n Muaddib al-Atf\u00e1l (_Arab._,) = one who teacheth children, 95.\n\n Mu\u2019ammarjiyah (master masons) vulg. _Egypt._ for \u201cMu\u2019ammar\u00edn\u201d (_tr._\n    \u201carchitects\u201d), 228.\n\n Mu\u2019awizzat\u00e1ni (Al-) \u201cTwo Refuge-takings,\u201d 252.\n\n Mubattat (_Arab._) from batt = a duck (_tr._ \u201cduck-shaped\u201d), 27.\n\n Mubarbasah (_Arab._) in the fem. because referring to noun T\u00edz = anus\n    (ST.), 291.\n\n Muhandiz\u00edn = geometricians, architects, for \u201cMuhandis\u00edn,\u201d 228.\n\n Mukabbab (_Arab._) = vaulted, arched, &c. (_tr. here_ \u201cheaped\u201d), 9.\n\n Mul\u00fakh\u00edy\u00e1 (_der._ from Gr. \u03bc\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03c7\u03b7 from \u03bc\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9 = to soften) a favorite\n    vegetable, 176.\n\n Mul\u00fakh\u00edyah n\u00e1shiyah (_Arab._) _lit._ = flowing (_tr._ \u201cgravied\n    mallows\u201d), 176.\n\n Munnaskif (for man\u00e1shif) al fillfillee; according to Scott \u201ccompound of\n    peppers red, white and black;\u201d according to Lane and _tr._ here\n    drying towels of L\u00edf or palm-fibre, 56.\n\n Murafraf (passive) from Rafraf = anything overhanging something else\n    (ST.), 338.\n\n Musajja\u2019 (_Arab._) = rhymed prose or Saj\u2019a, 133.\n\n\n Na\u2019ash = a box like our coffin, but open at the top, 289.\n\n Nabk = lote tree or _Zizyphus lotus_, for sprinkling corpses, 257.\n\n Nakk\u00e1l, or coffee-house tale-teller, 235.\n\n Nakl (_Arab._) = copying, describing, transcribing, 193.\n\n Name, not appearing in unedited tales, till much after the proper time\n    for specifying it, 299.\n\n \u201cNa\u2019mil ma\u2019allaz\u00ed, &c., mak\u00eddah,\u201d idiom \u201cI will do him brown,\u201d 282.\n\n Na\u2019t\u00e1zu (_Arab._) viii. form of \u2019\u00e1za = it escaped, lacked, &c.; hence\n    this form \u201cwe need\u201d _tr._ \u201cwe require,\u201d (ST.), 290.\n\n N\u00e1t\u00far (_Arab._) prop. a watchman (_tr._ \u201cold man\u201d), 204.\n\n \u201cNew lamps for old\u201d as in \u201cAlaeddin,\u201d 322.\n\n N\u00edl (= the high Nile), 215.\n\n N\u00edm-chihreh (_Pers._) = Half-man (_Arab._ \u201cShikk\u201d), 76.\n\n Niyyah (_Arab._) = intent (normal pun upon the name), 339.\n\n \u201cNo thing poketh and stroketh more strenuously than the Gird,\u201d or\n    hideous Abyssinian Cynocephalus,\u2014popular Eastern belief, 333.\n\n Nusf = half a dirham, drachma or franc, 19\u201337.\n\n Nusfs (180 in these days = about 10d.), 98.\n\n\n O my son! O my Child! (repetition a sign of kindness and friendliness),\n    269.\n\n O my uncle! (to elder man): O my cousin! (to youth), 119.\n\n \u201cOne day of the days,\u201d a phrase emphasising the assertion that it was a\n    chance day, 75.\n\n \u201cOut of the mouth of babes and sucklings,\u201d &c., an idea not less Moslem\n    than Christian, 271.\n\n\n Pagg\u00ed = Tracker, 8.\n\n Pay-day for boys in Egypt (Thursday), 98.\n\n _Payne_ quoted, 332.\n\n Pharos of Alexandria, one of the four Wonders of the Moslem world, 36.\n\n Philomelet, The shrilling, 245.\n\n Physiognomist, a favorite character in Arabic folk-lore, 107.\n\n \u201cPhysiognomy (\u201dFir\u00e1sah\u201d) unless there be the science of, other science\n    availeth not,\u201d 10.\n\n Piastre (Egyptian) = one-fifth of a shilling, 72.\n\n _Pilgrimage_ quoted, 35, 38, 153, 196, 208, 343.\n\n Professional dancer, _i.e._, a public prostitute, 29.\n\n Prothesis without apodosis, figure, 29.\n\n Purse = Kis = 500 piastres = \u00a35, 74.\n\n Purses, one thousand compose the Treasury (\u201cKhaznah\u201d) = \u00a35,000, 74.\n\n\n \u201cR\u00e1\u2019ih fayn\u201d = wending (art thou) whither? 207.\n\n Rais = master, captain, skipper (not owner), 125.\n\n Rajul Ja\u2019\u00edd\u00ed = Larrikin, 280.\n\n Ratl (_tr._ \u201ca pound\u201d), 295.\n\n Reading of \u201cmeat and drink\u201d enjoyed by Arabs as much as by Englishmen,\n    160.\n\n Red robes a sign of displeasure, 297.\n\n Rik\u00e1b (_Arab._) = Stirrup + \u201cd\u00e1r\u201d (_Pers._) = holder (_tr._ \u201cgroom\u201d),\n    24.\n\n R\u00edsah (copyist\u2019s error for \u201cRishah\u201d) = a thread, feather, line, 259.\n\n R\u00edshah = feather, plume (usual meaning) Dr. Steingass explains, 259.\n\n Riy\u00e1l (from the _Span._ \u201cReal\u201d) = royal coin _tr._ \u201creal\u201d, 284.\n\n \u201cRizk\u201d equiv. for \u201cAl-Rizku \u2019l-hasanu\u201d = any good thing obtained\n    without exertion (ST.), 245.\n\n Rizk maks\u00fam (Al-), an old and sage byword pregnant with significance,\n    245.\n\n Roger, old name of the parish bull in rural England, 203.\n\n \u201cRub\u2019a\u201d (_Arab._) _pl._ Arb\u00e1 = the fourth of a \u201cWaybah\u201d (_tr._ \u201chalf a\n    quartern\u201d), 128.\n\n\n S\u00e1hib = owner (same as \u201cDall\u00e1l\u201d = broker), 224.\n\n S\u00e1hibi-h = mate (masculine), 346.\n\n Sal\u00e1s\u00edn = thirty (a clerical error for \u201cthree\u201d), 310.\n\n \u201cS\u00e1lih\u00edn\u201d (_Arab._) = the Saints, the Holy ones (_tr._ \u201cthe Hallows\u201d),\n    218.\n\n Sanj\u00e1k-d\u00e1r = the banner-bearer, ensign, 245.\n\n Sanj\u00e1k (_Turk._) = flag, banner, 245.\n\n Sanj\u00e1k (in modern parlance) = minor province, 245.\n\n S\u00e1ra\u2019a hu wa l\u00e1wa\u2019a-hu = he rushed upon him and worried him (ST.), 266.\n\n Sar\u00e1y not to be confounded with Serraglio = Harem, 234.\n\n Sar\u00e1y (_Pers._) official head-quarters of the Wal\u00ed, 234.\n\n Sar\u00edr = a bier without the corpse, 289.\n\n \u201cSarkhah adwat la-h\u00e1 al-Sar\u00e1yah\u201d = a cry to which the Palace women\n    raised an echo (ST.), 272.\n\n Sat\u00edhah (_Arab._) = a She-Sat\u00edh, 69.\n\n Satt\u00e1r (_Arab._) = \u201cThe Veiler,\u201d 31\n   (corresponding with \u201cJupiter Servator\u201d), 270.\n\n Sayab\u00e1n (_Pers._) = canopy, 129.\n\n Sayy\u00e1h (Al-) = the Shrieker, 245.\n\n \u201cS\u00e1za, Yas\u00edzu\u201d (_Arab._) _tr._ \u201cgenealogist,\u201d not a dictionary\n    word\u2014perhaps a clerical error for \u201cSasa\u201d = he groomed or broke in a\n    horse, 21.\n\n \u201cSciences are of three kinds, etc.\u201d 10.\n\n _Scott_ quoted, 3, 7, 14, 19, 27, 35, 43, 45, 55, 56, 59, 67, 74, 80,\n    90, 95, 97, 109, 127, 169, 176, 189, 244, 297, 303, 307, 334, 351.\n\n Second-sight (_Egypt._ \u201cDarb al-Mandal\u201d), 45.\n\n \u201cShurbah\u201d (_Pers._ Shorbah) = mess of pottage (_tr._ \u201cdish of roast\n    meat\u201d), 22.\n\n Shikk (_Arab._) = Half-man, 69, 76.\n\n Shayh = Artemisia, 343.\n\n Sherbet and coffee, mention of, makes the tale synchronous with that of\n    Ma\u2019aruf or the xvii. century, 55.\n\n Sher\u00edf\u00ed _pl._ of Sher\u00edf\u00edyah (Egyptian form); here \u201cAshrafis,\u201d 336.\n\n Shahrb\u00e1z (W. M. MS.) = City-player or city-falcon, 6.\n\n Shahrz\u00e1dah (W. M. MS.) = \u201cCity born,\u201d (for Shahr\u00e1z\u00e1d), 6.\n\n Shajarat R\u00edh = Wind-tree (?), 138.\n\n \u201cSh\u00e1m ba\u2019d az nisf-i-shab\u201d = dinner after midnight = supper, (ST.) 244.\n\n Sh\u00e1miy\u00e1nah = a royal pavilion (_cor._ of _Pers._ \u201cSayab\u00e1n\u201d = canopy),\n    129.\n\n Sh\u00e1miy\u00e1t bi al-N\u00e1r, an Inquisitorial costume (_tr._ \u201ca black habit\n    bepatched with flame colour\u201d), 79.\n\n Sharkh (_Arab._) = in dicts. the unpolished blade of hiltless sword\n    (_tr._ here \u201ca butcher\u2019s chopper\u201d), 220.\n\n Shaykh al-Isl\u00e1m, the Chief of the Moslem Church, 69.\n\n Shaykh, for humility, sits at the side of room, not at the top\n    (\u201cSadr\u201d), 84.\n\n Shaykh or head of the Guild for thieves, 282.\n\n Sifah (_Arab._) lit. = a quality (_tr._ \u201cproperty\u201d), 102.\n\n Silken napkins, 55.\n\n _Sind Revisited_ quoted, 8.\n\n S\u00edn\u00edyah = tray of tinned copper, 170.\n\n Sirh\u00e1n = wolf, 19.\n\n Siw\u00e1n (_Arab._) pl. Siw\u00e1w\u00edn = pavilion, 113.\n\n Sleep at mid-forenoon considered unwholesome by Easterns, 324.\n\n \u201cSmoke of camel\u2019s dung\u201d to drive off Evil Spirits, 78.\n\n Sneezes (ceremony when a Moslem), 95.\n\n Solomon\u2019s Judgment, Moslem version of, 236.\n\n Soudans, Two, 305.\n\n Standards and colours, an unfailing accompaniment of the Jinn army, 89.\n\n _Steingass_ quoted, 12, 15, 20, 50, 142, 152, 183, 206, 228, 242, 244,\n    245, 246, 253, 259, 260, 262, 265, 266, 267, 282, 289, 290, 291,\n    295, 301, 302, 304, 306, 307, 319, 320, 337, 338, 342.\n\n Story of the First Lunatic (variants), 49.\n\n \u201cStriking palm upon palm,\u201d _i.e._ in sign of despair, 252.\n\n Sub\u00fa (_Arab._) for Yaum al-Sub\u00fa = Septena-festival on the seventh day\n    after a birth, marriage, or return from pilgrimage, 122.\n\n Sufrah = the cloth (_tr._ \u201ctable-cloth\u201d), 69.\n\n Sufrah of leather = circular leather which acts as provision bag and\n    table-cloth, 162.\n\n Sufrah umm jal\u00e1jil (_Arab._) _lit._ = an eating cloth with little\n    bells, 169.\n\n Sujj\u00e1dah = _lit._ a praying carpet (_tr._ \u201crug\u201d), 52.\n\n \u201cSultan and his Sons, etc.,\u201d same as Scott\u2019s \u201cStory of the Three\n    Princes, etc.\u201d, 244.\n\n Sultan of Al-Yaman and his three Sons (_ver._ taken from Zotenberg\u2019s\n    \u201cChronique de Tabari\u201d), 3.\n\n Sultan of the J\u00e1nn preceded by sweepers; always appears in the form of\n    second sight called by Egyptians \u201cDarb al-Mandal,\u201d 45.\n\n Supper comes first because the day begins at sundown, 120.\n\n Supper (\u201cdinner after midnight\u201d). See Shah\u2019s diary (ST.), 244.\n\n S\u00fasah (_Arab._) = weevil, moth, worm, 23.\n\n \u201cSuw\u00e1n\u201d (_Arab._) _lit._ = rock syenite, hard stone flint (_tr._\n    \u201cmace\u201d), 24.\n\n Symmetromania, Arab., 67.\n\n\n Tafazzal (_Arab._), a useful word employed in invitations equiv. to\n    \u201cHave the kindness,\u201d 84;\n   Tafazzal\u00fa, 233.\n\n Tail, lashing his (lion\u2019s), symptoms of rage distinguishing felines\n    from canines, 161.\n\n Ta\u2019k\u00edl (_Arab._) tying up a camel\u2019s foreleg above the knee, 23.\n\n T\u00e1kiyah = Calotte or skull-cap, 120.\n\n Takr\u00edt, a town in Mesopotamia celebrated for its velvets, etc. (ST.),\n    337.\n\n Takruri = a Moslem negroid from Central and Western North Africa, 298.\n\n Tamb\u00far der. from \u201cTabl\u201d = a drum (hence modern \u201cTambour\u201d), 209.\n\n Tamtar Aysh? (_Arab._) _i.e._ Ayyu Shayyin, \u201cWhat do the skies rain!\u201d\n    207.\n\n Tam\u00edm (_Arab._) pl. of Tam\u00edmat = spells, charms, amulets, \u201cThummim\u201d,\n    332.\n\n Tar\u00e1bulus-town (also Atr\u00e1bulus), arabisations of Tripolis, 169.\n\n Tarajjama, frequently used in this MS. (ST.), 242.\n\n Taramm\u00e1 al-Mahramah (throwing the handkerchief) used in the old forms\n    of choosing a mate, 31.\n\n Tari (_Arab._) _lit._ = wet (_tr._ \u201csoothing\u201d), 71.\n\n Taylas\u00e1n-hood, 34.\n\n Thayyib (_Arab._) = a woman who has known man but once, 333.\n\n \u201cThe chick is unsatisfied till etc.\u201d a translation which pre-supposes\n    the reading \u201cFarkhah l\u00e1 atammat\u201d and would require \u201chatt\u00e0\u201d or \u201cil\u00e0\u201d\n    to express \u201ctill\u201d (ST.), 302.\n\n \u201cThe Hoard hath gone from me, and I have waxed feeble,\u201d _i.e._ his\n    strength was in the gold, 347.\n\n \u201cThe world was turned topsy-turvey,\u201d _i.e._ there was a great movement\n    and confusion, 262.\n\n Three Sisters and their Mother, Defects in the Story of, 165.\n\n Throwing the kerchief (taramm\u00e1 al Mahramah) used in the old form of\n    choosing a mate, 31.\n   See 264.\n\n \u201cThummim\u201d _der. from_ \u201cT\u00f4m\u201d = completeness, 332.\n\n Thursday = pay day for the boys in Egypt, 98.\n\n Tigris, The (Hid-dekel), 151.\n\n Toilette, carrying a portable, 303.\n\n Tomb of the Moslem, 293.\n\n Turayyih (_mod. form for_ \u201cturawwih\u201d) (ST.), 301.\n\n Turkish Tales by Petis de la Croix, 13.\n\n\n \u2019\u00dad Khayraz\u00e1n = wood of the rattan, 317.\n\n Umm\u00e1l\u00ed (_Arab._); _gen._ Umm\u00e1l, an affirmation (_tr._ \u201cTrue indeed\u201d),\n    193.\n\n Umm Kash\u2019an, a slang name for Death, 183.\n\n Ummu \u2019Amrin = mother of \u2019Amru (slang term for \u201chy\u00e6na\u201d), 183.\n\n Ur\u00edm (lights) and Thummim (amulets), 332.\n\n\n Vellication (in cases of axilla-pile), 153.\n\n Viaticum = provision, provaunt for the way, 304.\n\n Virginity (how proved), 121.\n\n\n Wa adraka Shahr\u00e1z\u00e1da\u2019l-Sab\u00e1h = And Shahrazad _perceived_ the dawn of\n    day (also \u201cwas surprised by the dawn\u201d), 6.\n\n Wa dazz-h\u00e1 (corruption in MS.) should read \u201cwa wazzar-h\u00e1\u201d = \u201cand he\n    left her\u201d (ST.), 314.\n\n \u201cWa Hakki man aul\u00e0n\u00ed h\u00e1z\u00e1 \u2019l-Mulk\u201d = \u201cand by the right of (my duty\n    towards) Him who made me ruler over this Kingdom\u201d (ST.), 307.\n\n Wa jasad-hu yuhazdimu = his body was emitting blood freely (ST.), 285.\n\n Wak\u00e1lah = a khan or caravanserai, 38.\n\n Wak\u00edl (_Arab._) = deputy\u2014in marriage, 333, _lit._ = agent (_tr._\n    \u201ctrustee\u201d) here corresponding with man who gives away the bride, 54.\n\n Wakt al-Zuh\u00e0 (_Arab._) = the division of time between sunrise and\n    midday (_tr._ \u201cundurn hour\u201d), 69.\n\n \u201cWa l\u00e1kin h\u00fa ajmalu etc.\u201d = \u201cand yet he was more beautiful than they\n    etc.\u201d (ST.), 260.\n\n Wal\u00e1sh (_Arab._), _i.e._, \u201cWas l\u00e1 shayya\u201d = and nihil (_tr._\n    \u201cAnaught\u201d), 210.\n\n \u201cWa\u2019l-Sult\u00e1nu karaa etc.\u201d = \u201cand the Sovran recited his appointed\n    portion of the Koran, and then sat down to convivial converse\u201d\n    (ST.), 244.\n\n Waraytan\u00ed il\u00e0 l-tur\u00e1b = thou hast given me over to the ground for\n    concealment (ST.), 312.\n\n Watukarribu \u2019l-\u2019Abda ilayya (referring the verb to \u201cAl-Sadakah\u201d = the\n    alms) = \u201cand it bringeth the servant near to me\u201d (ST.), 335.\n\n Waybah = the sixth of an Ardabb (Irdabb) = 5 bushels, 128.\n\n \u201cWa zarr-h\u00e1\u201d for \u201cWa dazz-h\u00e1\u201d = besprinkled her (ST.), 314.\n\n Waz\u00edru \u2019l-\u2019Arif bi-ll\u00e1hi Ta\u2019\u00e1l\u00e0, Al- = The\n    Wazir-wise-in-Allah-Almighty, 239.\n\n Wedding night, mothers tell their daughters what to expect, 42.\n\n Wept and laughed alternately (nearest approach in East. tales to West.\n    hysterics), 155.\n\n \u201cWhere is the bird?\u201d = \u201cHow far is the fowl from thee?\u201d, 300.\n\n \u201cWhite\u201d night, _i.e._ \u201cpleasant,\u201d \u201cenjoyable,\u201d 285.\n\n \u201cWife\u201d used for \u201cHar\u00edm,\u201d 28.\n\n Wonders of the (Moslem) World\u2014four in number, 36.\n\n Wormwood, a regular Badawi remedy, 343.\n\n _Wortley Montague MS._ quoted, 3, 6, 19, 35, 49, 74, 90, 95, 97, 101,\n    109.\n\n\n Xerafim, _Port._ for Ashrafi, 38.\n\n\n \u201cY\u00e1 \u2019Arz\u00e1d\u201d prob. cler. slip for \u201c\u2019Urz\u00e1t\u201d (_pl. of_ \u2019Urzah) = a\n    companion, a (low) fellow, 191.\n\n Y\u00e1 H\u00e1z\u00e1 (_Arab._) = \u201cHo, this one,\u201d 231.\n\n Yahjubu (_Arab._) aor. of \u201chajaba\u201d = he veiled, put out of sight (ST.),\n    342.\n\n \u201cY\u00e1 Jad\u2019\u00e1n\u201d (more gen. \u201cY\u00e1 Jad\u2019a\u201d) = mon brave, 191.\n\n \u201cYakhburu ma\u2019ahu f\u00ed \u2019l-Kal\u00e1m\u201d _lit._ = he experimented with him, _i.e._\n    he put him to the test (_tr._ \u201che spake with him softly\u201d) (ST.),\n    307.\n\n Yaklishu (from \u2714 Kulsh) = \u201ckicking\u201d (their heels), 19.\n\n Yanjaaru (_Arab._) vii. form of \u201cjaara,\u201d in which the idea of \u201craising\u201d\n    seems to prevail, _tr._ \u201cmounted,\u201d 311.\n\n \u201cY\u00e1 Sall\u00e1m\u201d (_Arab._) \u201cO Saviour\u201d addressed to Allah, 63.\n\n Yasrah\u00fa = roaming (_tr._ \u201crummaging\u201d), 19.\n\n \u201cY\u00e1 Sult\u00e1n-am\u201d _Pers._ or _Turk._ form for Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Sult\u00e1n-i\u201d (\u201cO my\n    Sultan\u201d), 214.\n\n Yataz\u00e1wad\u00fa (_Arab._) = increasing (_tr._ \u201ccontending\u201d), 62.\n\n Ya Tinj\u00edr (_Arab._) _lit._ = O Kettle (_tr._ \u201cO Miserable\u201d), 71.\n\n Yauh! (_Arab._) = \u201cAlack!\u201d, 191.\n\n Yaum al-Ahad = First day (which begins the Moslem week), 341.\n\n Yaum al-Jum\u2019ah (_Arab._) = Assembly-day, Friday, 342.\n\n Yaum al-Sub\u00fa = 7th day, 122.\n\n Y\u00e1 walad al-Hal\u00e1l = O thou true born son (or \u201cO! Son of lawful\n    wedlock,\u201d) (ST.), 267.\n\n Young, a man is, in Arab speech, till forty or fifty, 119.\n\n Yufaghghiru = he opened his mouth wide (ST.), 265.\n\n Yughaffiru (probably for yu\u2019aff\u00edru) = raising a dust cloud (ST.), 265.\n\n Yughaffiru wa yuzaghdimu = raising a dust cloud and trumpeting with\n    rage, 265.\n\n \u201cYum\u00e1zasa-hu f\u00ed \u2019l-Kal\u00e1m,\u201d evidently a clerical error for\n    \u201cYum\u00e1rasa-hu,\u201d = he tested or tried him in speech (ST.), 307.\n\n Yumkinshayy = \u201cIs it possible,\u201d 232.\n\n Yuzaghdimu, a quadriliteral formed by blending two tri-literals in one\n    verb, to intensify the idea (ST.), 265.\n\n\n Zabh (Zbh) (_Arab._ \u2714) = the ceremonial killing of animals for food,\n    32.\n\n Zadig (Tale of) 7.\n\n Zagh\u00e1rit (_pl._ of Zaghr\u00fatah) = loud lullilooing, 267.\n\n Zahr (_Arab._) lit. and generically a blossom (_tr._ \u201corange flower\u201d),\n    52.\n\n Zahr al-Bahr = the surface which affords a passage to man, 125.\n\n Zak\u00e1t = legal alms (_tr._ \u201cpoor-rates\u201d), 338.\n\n Zam\u00e1n, Al- (_tr._ \u201cA delay\u201d) prob. an error for \u201cY\u00e1 al-Malik al-Zam\u00e1n\u201d\n    = \u201cO King of the Age,\u201d (ST.), 319.\n\n Zardak\u00e1t (for \u201cZardakh\u00e1n\u201d) = silken napkins, 55.\n\n Zard-i-Kh\u00e1yah (_Pers._) = yoke of egg, 56.\n\n Zifr = nail, claw, talon, 245.\n\n Zill (_Arab._) _lit._ = \u201cShadow me\u201d (_tr._ \u201csolace me\u201d), 58.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n  From the Wortley Montague MS. vol. iii. pp. 80\u201396. J. Scott: vol. vi.\n  pp. 1\u20137. _Histoire du Sulthan d\u2019 Yemen et de ses trois fils_; Gauttier\n  vol. vi. pp. 158\u2013165.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n  The worst disease in human life, now recognised as \u201cAnnus Domini.\u201d\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n  Arab. \u201cM\u00e1l wa Ghaw\u00e1l\u201d: in Badawi parlance \u201cM\u00e1l\u201d would = flocks and\n  herds (pecunia, pecus); and amongst the burghers = ready money, coin.\n  Another favourite jingle of similar import is \u201cM\u00e1l wa Naw\u00e1l.\u201d\n\n  This is an older form of the Sultan of Al-Yaman and his three sons,\n  taken from M. Zotenberg\u2019s \u201cChronique de Tabari,\u201d vol. ii. pp. 357\u201361.\n\n  Apr\u00e8s la mort de Niz\u00e1r, ses fils, en prenant possession des objets que\n  leur p\u00e8re avait donn\u00e9s \u00e0 chacun, eurent des contestations relativement\n  aux autres biens. Alors ils mont\u00e8rent sur des chameaux pour se rendre\n  \u00e0 Nadjr\u00e2n aupr\u00e8s du devin, voulant soumettre \u00e0 son jugement le\n  partage. Sur la route, ils rencontr\u00e8rent un terrain couvert d\u2019herbe,\n  dont une partie \u00e9tait brout\u00e9e, et une partie intacte. Modhar dit: Le\n  chameau qui a brout\u00e9 cette herbe est borgne de l\u2019\u0153il droit. Rabi\u2019a\n  dit: Il est boiteux du pied droit. Iy\u00e2d dit: Il a la queue coup\u00e9e.\n  Anm\u00e2r dit: Il s\u2019est \u00e9chapp\u00e9 des mains de son ma\u00eetre, parce qu\u2019il est\n  farouche. Un peu plus loin, ils rencontr\u00e8rent un homme mont\u00e9 sur un\n  chameau; ils lui demand\u00e8rent qui il \u00e9tait. Il r\u00e9pondit qu\u2019il \u00e9tait de\n  telle tribu, et qu\u2019il \u00e9tait \u00e0 la recherche d\u2019un chameau qui s\u2019\u00e9tait\n  \u00e9chapp\u00e9. Modhar lui dit: Ce chameau n\u2019est-il pas borgne de l\u2019\u0153il\n  droit?\u2014\u2014Oui, r\u00e9pondit l\u2019homme. Ne penche-t-il pas du c\u00f4t\u00e9 droit?\n  demanda Rab\u00ee\u2019a.\u2014\u2014Oui.\u2014\u2014Il n\u2019a pas de queue, dit Iy\u00e2d.\u2014\u2014C\u2019est vrai,\n  r\u00e9pondit l\u2019homme.\u2014\u2014Anm\u00e2r ajouta: Il est farouche.\u2014\u2014Oui, dit l\u2019homme;\n  o\u00f9 est-il, ce chameau?\u2014\u2014Nous ne l\u2019avons pas vu, dirent les fr\u00e8res.\u2014\u2014Si\n  vous ne l\u2019avez pas vu, r\u00e9plique l\u2019homme, comment savez-vous toutes ces\n  particularit\u00e9s? Il insista et dit: C\u2019est certainement vous qui l\u2019avez;\n  rendez-le moi.\u2014\u2014Nous ne l\u2019avons pas. Il leur demanda o\u00f9 ils allaient.\n  Les fr\u00e8res lui dirent qu\u2019ils se rendaient \u00e0 Nadjr\u00e2n, aupr\u00e8s d\u2019Af\u2019a, le\n  devin, pour soumettre \u00e0 son jugement un diff\u00e9rend qui s\u2019\u00e9tait \u00e9lev\u00e9\n  entre eux. Cet homme, qui \u00e9tait seul, s\u2019attacha \u00e0 leurs pas, et suivit\n  les quatre fr\u00e8res jusqu\u2019\u00e0 Nadjr\u00e2n.\n\n  Af\u2019a ne les connaissait pas, mais il les re\u00e7ut gracieusement et leur\n  demanda le but de leur voyage. Ils lui dirent: Notre p\u00e8re est mort, et\n  nous ne pouvons pas nous accorder sur la partage de ses biens; nous\n  sommes venus afin que tu prononces entre nous quatre; nous sommes\n  tomb\u00e9s d\u2019accord de nous soumettre \u00e0 ton jugement. Alors le\n  propri\u00e9taire du chameau dit: Arrange d\u2019abord l\u2019affaire de mon chameau\n  entre eux et moi; j\u2019ai perdu un chameau, ce sont eux qui le tiennent.\n  Af\u2019a lui dit: Comment sais-tu qu\u2019ils l\u2019ont? L\u2019homme r\u00e9pondit: Parce\n  qu\u2019ils m\u2019ont donn\u00e9 son signalement: s\u2019ils ne l\u2019avaient pas vu, comment\n  le sauraient-ils? Modhar dit: J\u2019ai reconnu que ce chameau \u00e9tait borgne\n  de l\u2019\u0153il droit, parce qu\u2019il avait brout\u00e9 l\u2019herbe d\u2019un c\u00f4t\u00e9 seulement,\n  et qu\u2019il ne l\u2019avait pas touch\u00e9 du c\u00f4t\u00e9 o\u00f9 elle \u00e9tait meilleure. Rab\u00ee\u2019a\n  dit: J\u2019ai remarqu\u00e9 que son pied droit avait imprim\u00e9 sur le sol des\n  traces bien marqu\u00e9es et je n\u2019ai pas vu celles de l\u2019autre pied; de l\u00e0\n  j\u2019ai su qu\u2019il penchait du c\u00f4t\u00e9 droit. Iy\u00e2d dit: J\u2019ai vu que ses\n  crottins \u00e9taient r\u00e9unis en tas, comme ceux du b\u0153uf, et non comme sont\n  ordinairement ceux du chameau, qui les \u00e9crase (\u00e9parpille?) avec sa\n  queue; j\u2019ai reconnu par l\u00e0 qu\u2019il n\u2019avait pas de queue. Anm\u00e2r dit: J\u2019ai\n  remarqu\u00e9 que l\u2019herbe n\u2019\u00e9tait pas brout\u00e9e \u00e0 un seul et m\u00eame endroit,\n  mais qu\u2019il avait pris partout une bouch\u00e9e: j\u2019ai su que le chameau\n  \u00e9tait d\u2019un caract\u00e9re farouche et inquiet. Le devin admirait le savoir\n  et l\u2019intelligence des quatre fr\u00e8res. Cette mani\u00e8re de juger fait\n  partie de l\u2019art de la divination, et on l\u2019appelle _b\u00e2b al-tazk\u00een_;\n  c\u2019est une des branches de la science. Ensuite le devin dit au\n  propri\u00e9taire de chameau: Ces gens-l\u00e0 n\u2019ont pas ton chameau; va-t\u2019en.\n  Ayant demand\u00e9 aux quatre fr\u00e8res qui ils \u00e9taient, et ceux-ci lui ayant\n  d\u00e9clar\u00e9 qu\u2019ils \u00e9taient les fils de Niz\u00e2r, fils de Ma\u2019add, fils\n  d\u2019Adn\u00e2n, le devin dit: Excusez-moi de ne vous avoir pas reconnus; j\u2019ai\n  \u00e9t\u00e9 li\u00e9 d\u2019amiti\u00e9 avec votre p\u00e8re: soyez mes h\u00f4tes ce jour et cette\n  nuit, demain j\u2019arrangerai votre affaire. Ils consentirent. Le p\u00e8re et\n  les anc\u00eatres de ce devin avaient \u00e9t\u00e9 chefs de Nadjr\u00e2n.\n\n  Le devin leur fit pr\u00e9parer un repas. On leur servit un agneau r\u00f4ti et\n  une cruche de vin, et ils mang\u00e8rent. Lorsque le vin leur monta \u00e0 la\n  t\u00eate, Modhar dit: Je n\u2019ai jamais bu un vin plus doux que celui-ci;\n  mais il vient d\u2019une vigne plant\u00e9e sur un tombeau. Rab\u00ee\u2019a dit: Je n\u2019ai\n  jamais mang\u00e9 de la viande d\u2019agneau plus succulente que celle-ci; mais\n  cet agneau a \u00e9t\u00e9 nourri du lait d\u2019une chienne. Anm\u00e2r dit: Ce bl\u00e9 qui a\n  servi \u00e0 faire le pain que nous venons de manger a \u00e9t\u00e9 sem\u00e9 dans un\n  cimeti\u00e8re. Iy\u00e2d dit: Notre h\u00f4te est un excellent homme; mais il n\u2019est\n  pas un fils l\u00e9gitime; ce n\u2019est pas son p\u00e8re (l\u00e9gal) qui l\u2019a engendr\u00e9,\n  mais un autre homme; sa m\u00e8re l\u2019a con\u00e7u dans l\u2019adult\u00e8re. Le devin\n  recueillit leurs paroles, mais il ne leur en dit rien. Quand la nuit\n  fut venue et qu\u2019ils furent endormis, il appela son intendant et lui\n  demanda de quelle vigne provenait le vin (que l\u2019on avait servi aux\n  h\u00f4tes). L\u2019intendant dit: Une vigne a pouss\u00e9 sur le tombeau de ton p\u00e8re\n  et elle est devenue grande; j\u2019en ai recueilli le raisin, et ce vin en\n  provient. Ensuite le devin fit venir le berger, et le questionna\n  relativement \u00e0 l\u2019agneau. Le berger dit: Quand cet agneau vint au\n  monde, il \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s-joli; mais se m\u00e8re mourut, et il n\u2019y avait pas\n  alors de brebis qui e\u00fbt mis bas. Une chienne avait eu des petits; je\n  mis cet agneau avec la chienne jusqu\u2019\u00e0 ce qu\u2019il f\u00fbt grand. Je n\u2019en ai\n  pas trouv\u00e9 de meilleur pour te l\u2019apporter, lorsque tu m\u2019as fait\n  demander un agneau. Enfin le devin appela le m\u00e9tayer, et l\u2019interrogea\n  sur le bl\u00e9. Le m\u00e9tayer lui dit: Il y a d\u2019un c\u00f4t\u00e9 de notre champ un\n  cimeti\u00e8re. Cette ann\u00e9e-ci j\u2019ai ensemenc\u00e9 une partie du cimeti\u00e8re, et\n  c\u2019est de l\u00e0 que provient le bl\u00e9 que je t\u2019ai apport\u00e9. Le devin, fort\n  \u00e9tonn\u00e9 de ces explications, dit: Maintenant c\u2019est le tour de ma m\u00e8re.\n  Il alla trouver sa m\u00e8re et lui dit: Si tu ne m\u2019avoues pas la v\u00e9rit\u00e9 en\n  ce qui me concerne, je te fais mourir. Sa m\u00e8re parla ainsi: Ton p\u00e8re\n  \u00e9tait le chef de ce peuple et poss\u00e9dait de grandes richesses. Comme je\n  n\u2019avais pas d\u2019enfant de lui, je craignis qu\u2019\u00e0 sa mort ses biens ne\n  tombassent entre des mains \u00e9trang\u00e8res et qu\u2019un autre ne pr\u00eet le\n  pouvoir. Un Arabe, homme de belle figure, fut un jour l\u2019h\u00f4te de ton\n  p\u00e8re; je m\u2019abandonnai \u00e0 lui, la nuit; je devins enceinte, et c\u2019est \u00e0\n  lui que tu dois ta naissance. J\u2019ai dit \u00e0 ton p\u00e8re que tu avais \u00e9t\u00e9\n  engendr\u00e9 par lui.\n\n  Le lendemain, le devin interrogea les quatre fr\u00e8res sur leurs paroles,\n  en disant: Je veux que vous me fassiez conna\u00eetre comment vous avez su\n  les choses que vous avez dites. Modhar, le premier, lui dit: J\u2019ai su\n  que la vigne \u00e9tait plant\u00e9e sur un tombeau, parce que, quand nous\n  avions bu le vin, nous devenions tristes et nous avions la figure\n  alt\u00e9r\u00e9e; ce qui n\u2019est pas l\u2019effet ordinaire du vin. Le deuxi\u00e8me, dit:\n  J\u2019ai reconnu ce qui concernait l\u2019agneau, parce que nous n\u2019avions\n  jamais mang\u00e9 de viande plus douce que celle-l\u00e0, et qu\u2019il n\u2019y a, dans\n  le monde, rien de plus doux que le lait de la chienne. Le troisi\u00e8me\n  dit: Les Arabes honorent beaucoup leurs h\u00f4tes; lorsqu\u2019ils traitent des\n  h\u00f4tes, ils restent avec eux et partagent leur repas; mais toi tu nous\n  as fait servir le repas, tu nous as quitt\u00e9s et tu t\u2019es mis \u00e0 \u00e9pier nos\n  paroles. J\u2019ai reconnu par l\u00e0 ta condition; j\u2019ai remarqu\u00e9 que tu\n  n\u2019avais pas la gravit\u00e9 des Arabes, et j\u2019ai pens\u00e9 qu\u2019il y avait quelque\n  ill\u00e9galit\u00e9 dans ton origine. Le quatri\u00e8me dit: J\u2019ai reconnu la qualit\u00e9\n  du bl\u00e9, parce que le bl\u00e9 sem\u00e9 dans un cimeti\u00e8re donne au pain un go\u00fbt\n  de terre; et j\u2019ai trouv\u00e9 ce go\u00fbt dans ce pain. Le devin leur dit: Vous\n  \u00eates plus savants que moi; vous n\u2019avez pas besoin de mon jugement. Ils\n  r\u00e9pliqu\u00e8rent: Quand deux personnes ont un diff\u00e9rend, il faut un tiers\n  pour juger, qu\u2019il soit savant ou non. Ce sont les derni\u00e8res volont\u00e9s\n  de notre p\u00e8re, qui nous a dit de nous en rapporter \u00e0 ton jugement, si\n  nous n\u2019\u00e9tions pas d\u2019accord sur l\u2019h\u00e9ritage. Le devin dit: Indiquez-moi\n  exactement ce que votre p\u00e8re a donn\u00e9 \u00e0 chacun de vous et ce qu\u2019il a\n  laiss\u00e9. Notre p\u00e8re, dirent-ils, a laiss\u00e9 de l\u2019or, de l\u2019argent, des\n  chevaux, des moutons, des tapis et des vases de toute esp\u00e8ce et en\n  grand nombre. Ils racont\u00e8rent ensuite ce que leur p\u00e8re avait donn\u00e9 \u00e0\n  chacun d\u2019eux. Le devin dit: Laissez \u00e0 Modhar tout ce que votre p\u00e8re\n  avait en fait d\u2019or et de chameaux; car ces objets sont rouges. Donnez\n  les chevaux, les esclaves et les v\u00eatements noirs \u00e0 Rab\u00ee\u2019a; les\n  esclaves blancs, l\u2019argent et les v\u00eatements blancs \u00e0 Iy\u00e2d, et les tapis\n  et les moutons \u00e0 Anm\u00e2r. Les quatre fr\u00e8res accept\u00e8rent cette sentence,\n  et s\u2019en retourn\u00e8rent.\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n  In the W. M. MS. the sisters are called \u201cShahrz\u00e1deh\u201d (= City-born) and\n  \u201cDin\u00e1rz\u00e1deh\u201d (= ducat-born) and the royal brothers Shahrb\u00e1z (=\n  City-player or City-falcon) and Kahram\u00e1n (vol. i. p. 1) alias Samarb\u00e1n\n  (_ibid._) I shall retain the old spelling.\n\nFootnote 5:\n\n  I have hitherto translated \u201cwa adraka (masc.) Shahr\u00e1z\u00e1da al-Sab\u00e1h,\u201d as\n  = And Shahrazad _perceived_ the dawn of day; but it is more correct as\n  well as more picturesque to render the phrase \u201cwas surprised (or\n  overtaken) by the dawn.\u201d\n\nFootnote 6:\n\n  Arab. \u201c\u2019Adr\u00e1n,\u201d the \u2714 being \u2019Adr = much and heavy rain.\n\nFootnote 7:\n\n  For \u201cHalw\u00e1\u201d see vol. ii. pp. 47 & 212. Scott (vol. vi. 413) explains\n  \u201cH\u00e1miz\u201d as \u201ca species of small grain,\u201d probably confounding it with\n  Hummus (or Himmis) = vetches. It is the pop. term for pickles, \u201csour\n  meat\u201d as opposed to \u201csweetmeats.\u201d The Arabs divide the camel\u2019s pasture\n  into \u201cKhullah\u201d which means sweet food called bread and into \u201cH\u00e1miz\u201d\n  termed fruit: the latter is composed mainly of salsolace\u00e6, and as\n  camels feed upon it during the hot season it makes them drink. Hence\n  in Al-Hariri (Preface) \u201cI change the pasture,\u201d _i.e._, I pass from\n  grave to gay, from light to dignified style. (Chenery, p. 274).\n\nFootnote 8:\n\n  This is the modern version of the tale which the author of \u201cZadig\u201d has\n  made familiar to Europe. The hero is brought before the King and Queen\n  of Babylon for stealing a horse and a dog; and, when held by the chief\n  \u201cDestour\u201d (priest) to be a thief, justifies himself. I have given in\n  full the older history from Tabari, the historian (vixit A.D.\n  839\u2013923). For the tracker (\u201cPagg\u00ed\u201d) and the art of tracking see Sind\n  Revisited, i. 180\u2013183. I must again express my wonder that the rural\n  police of Europe still disdain the services of trained dogs when these\n  are about to be introduced into the army.\n\nFootnote 9:\n\n  Arab. \u201cBit\u00e1\u2019\u00ed\u201d = my own. I have already noticed that this is the Egypt\n  form and the Nilotes often turn the \u2019Ayn into an H, _e.g._ Bit\u00e1ht for\n  Bit\u00e1\u2019at, _e.g._ Ash-Shabakah bit\u00e1ht as-Sayd, thy net for fishing.\n  (Spitta Bey, Contes Arabes Modernes, p. 43.)\n\nFootnote 10:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMukabbab;\u201d prop. vaulted, arched, domed in Kubbah (or\n  cupola)-shape.\n\nFootnote 11:\n\n  Arab. \u201cFir\u00e1sah.\u201d \u201cSciences are of three kinds: one the science of\n  Faith, another the science of Physiognomy (Fir\u00e1sah), and another the\n  science of the Body; but unless there be the science of Physiognomy,\n  other science availeth not.\u201d So says \u201cThe Forty Vizirs:\u201d Lady\u2019s vith\n  story and Vizir\u2019s xxxist story. For a note on \u201cFir\u00e1sah\u201d see vol. viii.\n  326.\n\nFootnote 12:\n\n  Arab. \u201cIn lam tazidd (\u200f\u062a\u0636\u062f\u200e) Kayn\u00ed\u201d = _lit._ unless thou oppose my\n  forming or composition.\n\nFootnote 13:\n\n  Arab. \u201cFar\u00e1f\u00edsh,\u201d a word which I cannot find in the dictionary, and so\n  translate according to the context. Dr. Steingass remarks that the\n  nearest approach to it would be \u201cFar\u00e1f\u00edk\u201d (plur. of Furf\u00e1k) = fine,\n  thin or soft bread.\n\nFootnote 14:\n\n  See, in the \u201cTurkish Tales\u201d by Petis de la Croix (Weber, Tales of the\n  East, vol. iii. 196), the History of the Sophi of Baghdad, where\n  everything returns to (or resembles) its origin. Thus the Wazir who\n  proposed to cut up a criminal and hang him in the shambles was the\n  self-convicted son of a butcher; he who advised boiling him down and\n  giving his flesh to the dogs was the issue of a cook, and the third\n  who proposed to pardon him was nobly born. See Night cccxli.\n\nFootnote 15:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAl-Mafyaat,\u201d lit. = a shady place; a locality whereupon the sun\n  does not rise.\n\nFootnote 16:\n\n  Arab. \u201cJa\u2019\u00eddiyah,\u201d a favourite word in this MS. \u201cJa\u2019ad\u201d = a curl, a\n  liberal man: Ja\u2019ad al-yad = miserly, and Ab\u00fa ja\u2019dah = father of curls,\n  = a wolf. Scott (_passim_) translates the word \u201cSharper;\u201d Gore Ouseley\n  \u201cLabourer;\u201d and De Sacy (Chrestomathie ii. 369, who derives it from\n  Ju\u2019d = _avoir les cheveux cr\u00e9pus_): in Egypt, _homme de la populace,\n  canaille_. He finds it in the Fabrica Lingu\u00e6 Arab. of Germanus of\n  Silesia (p. 786) = ignavis, hebes, stupidus, esp. a coward. Ibrahim\n  Salamah of Alexandria makes the term signify in Syria, impudent,\n  thieving, wicked. Spitta Bey translates this word _musicien ambulant_\n  in his Gloss. to Contes Arabes, p. 171. According to Dr. Steingass,\n  who, with the _Muh\u00edt al-Muh\u00edt_, reads \u201cJu\u2019ayd\u00edyah,\u201d Ju\u2019ayd is said to\n  be the P. N. of an Egyptian clown, who, with bell-hung cap and\n  tambourine in hand, wandered about the streets singing laudatory\n  doggrel and pestering the folk for money. Many vagabonds who adopted\n  this calling were named after him and the word was generalised in that\n  sense.\n\nFootnote 17:\n\n  MS. vol. iii. pp. 96\u2013121. Scott, \u201cStory of the Three Sharpers and the\n  Sultan,\u201d pp. 7\u201317; Gauttier, _Histoire des trois filous et d\u2019un\n  Sulthan_, vi. 165\u2013176.\n\nFootnote 18:\n\n  Arab. Yasrah\u00fa = roaming, especially at early dawn; hence the wolf is\n  called \u201cSirh\u00e1n,\u201d and Yaklishu (if I read it aright) is from \u2714 Kulsh,\n  and equivalent to \u201ckicking\u201d (their heels).\n\nFootnote 19:\n\n  Nusf = half a dirham, drachma or franc, see ii. 37; vi. 214, etc.\n\nFootnote 20:\n\n  Bast, a preparation of Bhang (_Cannabis sativa_), known in Egypt but\n  not elsewhere: see Lane M. E., chapt. xv. Here it is made synonymous\n  with \u201cHash\u00edsh\u201d = Bhang in general.\n\nFootnote 21:\n\n  Ghaushah, a Persianism for which \u201cGhaugh\u00e1\u201d is a more common form.\n  \u201cGhaush\u201d is a tree of hard wood whereof musical instruments were made:\n  hence the mod. words \u201cGh\u00e1sha\u201d and \u201cGhawwasha\u201d = he produced a sound,\n  and \u201cGhaushah\u201d = tumult, quarrel. According to Dr. Steingass, the\n  synon. in the native dicts. are \u201cKhis\u00e1m,\u201d \u201cLaghat,\u201d \u201cJalabah,\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 22:\n\n  Said _ironic\u00e8_, the jeweller being held to be one of the dishonest\n  classes, like the washerman, the water-carrier, the gardener, etc. In\n  England we may find his representative in the \u201csilversmith,\u201d who will\n  ask a pound sterling for a bit of metal which cost him perhaps five\n  shillings or even less, and who hates to be bought by weight. The\n  Arab. has \u201cJauhar-ji,\u201d a Turkish form for Jauhari; and here \u201cjauhar\u201d\n  apparently means a pearl, the stone once peculiar to royalty in\n  Persia, but the kind of gem is left undetermined.\n\nFootnote 23:\n\n  Arab. \u201cS\u00e1za, yas\u00edzu,\u201d not a dictionary word. Perhaps it is a clerical\n  error for \u201cS\u00e4sa,\u201d he groomed or broke in a horse, hence understood all\n  about horses.\n\nFootnote 24:\n\n  In the orig. \u201cShorbah,\u201d Pers. = a mess of pottage: I have altered it\n  for reasons which will presently appear.\n\nFootnote 25:\n\n  Arab. \u201cGhabasah,\u201d from Ghabas = obscure, dust-coloured.\n\nFootnote 26:\n\n  Arab. \u201cS\u00fasah\u201d = a weevil, a moth, a worm. It does not mean simply a\n  flaw, but a live animal (like our toads in the rock); and in the\n  popular version of the tale the lapidary discovers its presence by the\n  stone warming in his hand.\n\nFootnote 27:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMash\u00e1\u2019\u00edli\u201d the cresset-bearer who acted hangman: see vol. i.\n  259, etc.\n\nFootnote 28:\n\n  Arab. \u201cTa\u2019k\u00edl,\u201d tying up a camel\u2019s foreleg above the knee; the primary\n  meaning of \u2019Akl, which has so many secondary significations.\n\nFootnote 29:\n\n  Arab. \u201cSuw\u00e1n,\u201d lit. = rock, syenite, hard stone, flint; here a\n  _marteau de guerre_.\n\nFootnote 30:\n\n  Arab. \u201cH\u00e1lik\u201d = intensely black, so as to look blue under a certain\n  angle of light.\n\nFootnote 31:\n\n  Arab. \u201cRik\u00e1b\u201d (= stirrup) + \u201cd\u00e1r\u201d Pers. (= holder).\n\nFootnote 32:\n\n  I have ransacked dictionaries and vocabularies but the word is a mere\n  blank.\n\nFootnote 33:\n\n  Arab. \u201cJ\u00e1m\u00fasah.\u201d These mules are believed in by the Arabs. Shaw and\n  other travellers mention the Mauritanian \u201cJumart,\u201d the breed between a\n  bull and a mare (or jenny-ass) or an ass and a cow. Buffon disbelieved\n  in the mongrel, holding it to be a mere _bardeau_, got by a stallion\n  horse out of an ass. Voltaire writes \u201cJumarre\u201d after German fashion,\n  and Littr\u00e9 derives it from jument + art (finale p\u00e9jorative), or the\n  Languedoc \u201cGimere\u201d which according to Diez suggests \u201cChim\u00e6ra.\u201d Even in\n  London not many years ago a mule was exhibited as the issue of a horse\n  and a stag. No Indian ever allows his colt to drink buffalo\u2019s milk,\n  the idea being that a horse so fed will lie down instead of fording or\n  swimming a stream.\n\nFootnote 34:\n\n  See Sindbad the Seaman, vol. vi. 9.\n\nFootnote 35:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMubattat\u201d from batt = a duck: in Persia the Batt-i-May is a\n  wine glass shaped like the duck. Scott (vi. 12) translates \u201cthick and\n  longish.\u201d\n\nFootnote 36:\n\n  Arab. \u201chis Har\u00edm\u201d; see vol. i. 165; iv. 126.\n\nFootnote 37:\n\n  Again \u201che\u201d for she. See vol. ii. 179.\n\nFootnote 38:\n\n  Arab. \u201cGh\u00e1ziyah\u201d: for the plur. \u201cGhaw\u00e1zi\u201d see vol. i. 214; also Lane\n  (M.E.) index under \u201cGhazeeyehs.\u201d\n\nFootnote 39:\n\n  The figure prothesis without apodosis. Understand \u201cwill slay thee\u201d:\n  see vol. vi. 203.\n\nFootnote 40:\n\n  Because the girl had not been a professional dancer, _i.e._ a public\n  prostitute.\n\nFootnote 41:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAm\u00e1n\u201d = quarter, mercy: see vol. i. 342.\n\nFootnote 42:\n\n  For the \u201cMand\u00edl\u201d of mercy see vol. i. 343; for that of dismissal x. 47\n  and Ibn Khall. iv. 211. In Spitta Bey\u2019s \u201cContes Arabes\u201d (p. 223), I\n  find throwing the kerchief (taramm\u00e1 al mahramah) used in the old form\n  of choosing a mate. In the Tale of the Sultan of Al-Yaman and his\n  three Sons (Supplem. Nights, vol. iv.) the Princesses drop their\n  kerchiefs upon the head of the Prince who had saved them, by way of\n  pointing him out.\n\nFootnote 43:\n\n  Arab. \u201cSatt\u00e1r:\u201d see vols. i. 258 and iii. 41.\n\nFootnote 44:\n\n  In the text \u201cArgh\u00e1\u201d for \u201cArkh\u00e1\u201d = he \u201cbrayed\u201d (like an ostrich, etc.)\n  for \u201chis limbs relaxed.\u201d It reminds one of the German missionary\u2019s\n  fond address to his flock \u201cMy prethren, let us bray!\u201d\n\nFootnote 45:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAzbad,\u201d from \u2714 Zbd (Zabd) = foaming, frothing, etc., whence\n  \u201cZubaydah\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 46:\n\n  Arab. \u2714 \u201cZabh\u201d (Zbh) = the ceremonial killing of animals for food: see\n  vols. v. 391; viii. 44. I may note, as a proof of how modern is the\n  civilisation of Europe that the domestic fowl was unknown to Europe\n  till about the time of Pericles (ob. B.C. 429).\n\nFootnote 47:\n\n  See in \u201cThe Forty Vizirs\u201d (Lady\u2019s ivth Tale) how Khizr tells the King\n  the origin of his Ministers from the several punishmentsose for the\n  poor man. I have noticed this before in Night cccxxxiii. Boethius,\n  translated by Chaucer, explains the underlying idea, \u201cAll thynges\n  seken ayen to hir propre course and all thynges rejoysen in hir\n  returninge agayne to hir nature.\u201d\n\nFootnote 48:\n\n  For the Taylas\u00e1n-hood see vol. iv. 286.\n\nFootnote 49:\n\n  The \u201cKalansuwah\u201d-cap is noted by Lane (A. N. chapt. iii. 22) as\n  \u201cKalensuweh.\u201d In M. E. (Supplement i. \u201cThe Copts\u201d) he alters the word\n  to Kal\u00e1s\u2019weh and describes it as a strip of woollen stuff, of a deep\n  blue or black colour, about four inches wide, attached beneath the\n  turban and hanging down the back to the length of about a foot. It is\n  the distinguishing mark of the Coptic regular clergy.\n\nFootnote 50:\n\n  W. M. MS. vol. iii. pp. 121\u2013141. Scott, \u201cThe Adventures of the\n  abdicated Sultan,\u201d pp. 18\u201319; including the \u201cHistory of Mahummud,\n  Sultan of Cairo,\u201d pp. 20\u201330.\n\nFootnote 51:\n\n  \u201cK\u00e1hirah.\u201d I repeat my belief (Pilgrimage i. 171) that \u201cK\u00e1hirah,\u201d\n  whence our \u201cCairo\u201d through the Italian corruption, means not _la\n  victorieuse_ (Mediant al-K\u00e1hirah) as D\u2019Herbelot has it; but City of\n  K\u00e1hir or Mars the planet. It was so called because as Richardson\n  informed the world (_sub voce_) it was founded in A.H. 358 (= A.D.\n  968) when the warlike planet was in the ascendant by the famous\n  General Jauhar, a Dalmatian renegade (not a \u201cGreek slave\u201d), for the\n  first of the Fatimite dynasty Al-Mu\u2019izz li \u2019l-d\u00edni \u2019ll\u00e1h.\n\nFootnote 52:\n\n  According to Caussin de Perceval (p\u00e8re) in his translation of the\n  \u201cContes Arabes,\u201d there are four wonders in the Moslem world: (1) the\n  Pharos of Alexandria; (2) the Bridge of Sanjia in Northern Syria; (3)\n  The Church of Rohah (Edessa); and (4) the Amawi Mosque of Damascus.\n\nFootnote 53:\n\n  Arab. \u201cFaddah,\u201d _lit._ = silver, because made of copper alloyed with\n  nobler metal; the smallest Egyptian coin = Nuss (_i.e._ Nusf, or half\n  a dirham) and the Turk. par\u00e1h. It is the fortieth of the piastre and\n  may be assumed at the value of a quarter-farthing.\n\nFootnote 54:\n\n  This word, in Egypt. \u201cHar\u00e1g,\u201d is the cry with which the Dall\u00e1l\n  (broker) announces each sum bidden at an auction.\n\nFootnote 55:\n\n  The Portuguese Xerafim: Supplemental Nights, vol. iii. 294.\n\nFootnote 56:\n\n  A Khan or caravanserai: see vol. i. 266 and Pilgrimage i. 60.\n\nFootnote 57:\n\n  Arab. \u201cHilm\u201d (vision) \u201cau \u2019Ilm\u201d (knowledge) a phrase peculiar to this\n  MS.\n\nFootnote 58:\n\n  The careless scribe forgets that the Sultan is speaking and here drops\n  into the third person. This \u201cEnallage of persons\u201d is, however, Koranic\n  and therefore classical: Arab critics aver that in such cases the\n  \u201cHik\u00e1yah\u201d (= literal reproduction of a discourse etc.) passes into an\n  \u201cIkhb\u00e1r\u201d (= mere account of the same discourse). See Al-Mas\u2019\u00fad\u00ed iii.\n  216. I dare not reproduce this figure in English.\n\nFootnote 59:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAuzah,\u201d the Pers. Ot\u00e1k and the Turk. Otah (vulg. \u201cOda\u201d whence\n  \u201cOdalisque\u201d), a popular word in Egypt and Syria.\n\nFootnote 60:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAl-Afandiyah\u201d showing the late date or reduction of the tale.\n  The Turkish word derives from the Romaic Afentis (\u1f00\u03c6\u03ad\u03bd\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2) the\n  corrupted O.G. \u03b1\u1f50\u03b8\u03ad\u03bd\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2 = an absolute commander, an \u201cauthentie.\u201d The\n  word should not be written as usual \u201cEffendi,\u201d but \u201cEfendi,\u201d as Prof.\n  Galland has been careful to do.\n\nFootnote 61:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAl-dakhlah\u201d; repeatedly referred to in The Nights. The\n  adventure is a replica of that in \u201cAbu Mohammed hight Lazybones,\u201d vol.\n  iv., pp. 171\u2013174.\n\nFootnote 62:\n\n  Usual in the East, not in England, where some mothers are idiots\n  enough not to tell their daughters what to expect on the wedding\n  night. Hence too often unpleasant surprises, disgust and dislike. The\n  most modern form is that of the chloroform\u2019d bride upon whose pillow\n  the bridegroom found a paper pinned and containing the words, \u201cMamma\n  says you\u2019re to do what you like.\u201d\n\nFootnote 63:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAkhaztu dam wajhhi-h\u00e1.\u201d\n\nFootnote 64:\n\n  Arab. \u201cDilk\u201d more commonly \u201cKhirkah,\u201d the tattered and pieced robe of\n  a religious mendicant.\n\nFootnote 65:\n\n  Arab. \u201cDarb\u00e1lah.\u201d Scott (p. 24) must have read \u201cGharb\u00e1lah\u201d when he\n  translated \u201cA turban full of holes as a sieve.\u201d In classical Arabic\n  the word is written \u201cDarbalah,\u201d and seems to correspond with the\n  Egyptian \u201cDar\u00e1bukkah,\u201d a tabor of wood or earthenware figured by Lane\n  (M.E. chapt. xviii.). It is, like the bowl, part of the regular\n  Darwaysh\u2019s begging gear.\n\nFootnote 66:\n\n  Vulg. Maghribi. For this word see the story of Alaeddin, Supplem.,\n  vol. iii. 51. According to Heron, \u201cHistory of Maugraby,\u201d the people of\n  Provence, Languedoc and Gascony use _Maugraby_ as a term of cursing:\n  _Maugrebleu_ being used in other parts of France.\n\nFootnote 67:\n\n  In text \u201cFan\u00e1r\u00e1t\u201d; the Arab. plur. of the Pers. \u201cFan\u00e1r\u201d = a\n  light-house, and here equiv. to the Mod. Gr. \u03c6\u03b1\u03bd\u03ac\u03c1 a lantern, the\n  Egypt. \u201cF\u00e1n\u00fas.\u201d\n\nFootnote 68:\n\n  This Sultan of the Jann preceded by sweepers, flag-bearers and\n  tent-pitchers always appears in the form of second-sight called by\n  Egyptians \u201cDarb al-Mandal\u201d = striking the magic circle in which the\n  enchanter sits when he conjures up spirits. Lane (M.E. chapt. xii.)\n  first made the \u201cCairo Magician\u201d famous in Europe, but Herklots and\n  others had described a cognate practice in India many years before\n  him.\n\nFootnote 69:\n\n  Arab. \u201cJ\u00e1w\u00fash\u201d for Ch\u00e1wush (vulg. Chiaush) Turk. = an army-serjeant, a\n  herald or serjeant-at-arms; an apparitor or officer of the Court of\n  Chancery (not a \u201cMacebearer or Messenger,\u201d Scott). See vol. vii. 327.\n\nFootnote 70:\n\n  Arab. from Persian \u201cB\u00edm\u00e1rist\u00e1n,\u201d a \u201csick-house,\u201d hospital, a madhouse:\n  see vol. i. 288.\n\nFootnote 71:\n\n  The text says only that \u201che was reading:\u201d sub. the Holy Volume.\n\nFootnote 72:\n\n  MS. vol. iii., pp. 142\u2013168. Scott, \u201cStory of the First Lunatic,\u201d pp.\n  31\u201344. Gauttier, _Histoire du Premier Fou_, vol. vi. 187. It is\n  identical with No. ii. of Chavis and Cazotte, translated by C. de\n  Perceval, _Le Bimaristan_ (_i.e._ the Hospital), _ou Histoire du jeune\n  Marchand de Bagdad et de la Dame inconnue_ (vol. viii. pp. 179\u2013180).\n  Heron terms it the \u201cStory of Halechalbe (Ali Chelebi?) and the Unknown\n  Lady,\u201d and the narrative is provided with a host of insipid and\n  incorrect details, such as \u201cA gentleman enjoying his pipe.\u201d The\n  _motif_ of this tale is common in Arab folk-lore, and it first appears\n  in the \u201cTale of Az\u00edz and Az\u00edzah,\u201d ii 328. A third variant will occur\n  further on.\n\nFootnote 73:\n\n  Spelt in vol. iii. 143 and elsewhere, \u201cKhw\u00e1j\u00e1\u201d for \u201cKhw\u00e1jah.\u201d\n\nFootnote 74:\n\n  Arab. \u201cHubban li-raasik,\u201d _lit._ = out of love for thy head, _i.e._\n  from affection for thee. Dr. Steingass finds it analogous with the\n  Koranic \u201cHubban li \u2019llahi\u201d (ii. 160), where it is joined with\n  \u201cAshaddu\u201d = stronger, as regards love to or for Allah, more\n  Allah-loving. But it can stand adverbially by itself = out of love for\n  Allah, for Allah\u2019s sake.\n\nFootnote 75:\n\n  Arab. \u201cZahr,\u201d lit. and generically a blossom; but often used in a\n  specific sense throughout The Nights.\n\nFootnote 76:\n\n  Arab. \u201cKursi\u201d here = a square wooden seat without back and used for\n  sitting cross=legged. See Suppl. vol. i. 10.\n\nFootnote 77:\n\n  Arab. \u201cSujj\u00e1dah\u201d = lit. a praying carpet, which Lane calls \u201cSegg\u00e1deh.\u201d\n\nFootnote 78:\n\n  Arab. \u201cWak\u00edl,\u201d lit. = agent: here the woman\u2019s representative,\n  corresponding roughly with the man who gives away the bride amongst\n  ourselves.\n\nFootnote 79:\n\n  The mention of coffee and sherbet, here and in the next page, makes\n  the tale synchronous with that of Ma\u2019ar\u00faf of the xvii. century.\n\nFootnote 80:\n\n  The MS. writes \u201cZardak\u00e1t\u201d for \u201cZardakh\u00e1n\u201d: see below.\n\nFootnote 81:\n\n  Scott (p. 36) has \u201cmahazzim (for mah\u00e1zim), al Zerdukkaut (for\n  al-Zardakh\u00e1n)\u201d and \u201cmunnaskif (for man\u00e1shif) al fillfillee.\u201d Of the\n  former he notes (p. 414) \u201cWhat this composition is I cannot define: it\n  may be translated compound of saffron, yoke of egg or of yellowish\n  drugs.\u201d He evidently confounds it with the Pers. Zard-i-Kh\u00e1yah = yoke\n  of egg. Of the second he says \u201ccompound of peppers, red, white and\n  black.\u201d Lane (The Nights, vol. i. p. 8) is somewhat scandalised at\n  such misrepresentation; translating the first \u201capron-napkins of thick\n  silk,\u201d and the second \u201cdrying towels of L\u00edf or palm-fibre,\u201d further\n  suggesting that the text may have dropped a conjunction = drying\n  towels _and_ fibre.\n\nFootnote 82:\n\n  Arab. \u201cL\u00edw\u00e1n al-barr\u00e1n\u00ed,\u201d lit. = the outer bench in the \u201cMaslakh\u201d or\n  apodyterium.\n\nFootnote 83:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMa\u2019j\u00fan,\u201d pop. applied to an electuary of Bhang (_Cannabis\n  sativa_): it is the \u201cMaagoon\u201d sold by the \u201cMaagungee\u201d of Lane (M.E.\n  chap. xv). Here, however, the term may be used in the sense of\n  \u201cconfections\u201d generally, the sweetmeats eaten by way of restoratives\n  in the Bath.\n\nFootnote 84:\n\n  He speaks of taking her maidenhead as if it were porter\u2019s work and so\n  defloration was regarded by many ancient peoples. The old Nilotes\n  incised the hymen before congress; the Ph\u0153nicians, according to Saint\n  Athanasius, made a slave of the husband\u2019s abate it. The American\n  Chibchas and Caribs looked upon virginity as a reproach, proving that\n  the maiden had never inspired love. For these and other examples see\n  p. 72, chap. iii. \u201cL\u2019Amour dans l\u2019Humanit\u00e9,\u201d by P. Mantegazza, a\n  civilised and unprejudiced traveller.\n\nFootnote 85:\n\n  Arab. \u201cZill,\u201d lit. \u201cshadow me.\u201d\n\nFootnote 86:\n\n  Arab. \u201cIstinsh\u00e1k,\u201d one of the items of the \u201cWuz\u00fa\u201d or lesser ablution:\n  see vol. v. 198.\n\nFootnote 87:\n\n  In Chavis her name is \u201cZaliza\u201d and she had \u201cconceived an unhappy\n  passion\u201d for her master, to whom she \u201cdeclared her sentiments without\n  reserve.\u201d\n\nFootnote 88:\n\n  Arab. \u201cArmagh\u00e1n\u00e1t,\u201d the Arab. plur. of \u201cArmagh\u00e1n,\u201d Pers. = a present.\n\nFootnote 89:\n\n  In the text, \u201cjumlatun min al-m\u00e1l,\u201d which Scott apparently reads\n  \u201cHamlat al-jamal\u201d and translates (p. 38) \u201ca camel\u2019s load of treasure.\u201d\n\nFootnote 90:\n\n  The learned man was to exorcise some possible \u201cevil spirit\u201d or \u201cthe\n  eye,\u201d a superstition which seems to have begun, like all others, with\n  the ancient Egyptians.\n\nFootnote 91:\n\n  The MS., I have said, always writes \u201cKhw\u00e1j\u00e1\u201d instead of \u201cKhw\u00e1jah\u201d\n  (plur. \u201cKhw\u00e1j\u00e1t\u201d): for this word, the modern Egyptian \u201cHow\u00e1jah,\u201d see\n  vol. vi. 46. Here it corresponds with our \u201cgoodman.\u201d\n\nFootnote 92:\n\n  Arab. \u201cYataz\u00e1wad\u00fa\u201d = increasing.\n\nFootnote 93:\n\n  By which she accepted the offer.\n\nFootnote 94:\n\n  This incident has already occurred in the tale of the Portress (Second\n  Lady of Baghdad, vol. i. 179), but here the consequences are not so\n  tragical. In Chavis the vulgar cock becomes \u201ca golden Censer\n  ornamented with diamonds, to be sold for two thousand sequins\u201d (each =\n  9 shill.).\n\nFootnote 95:\n\n  A royal sign of wrath generally denoting torture and death. See vols.\n  iv. 72; vi. 250.\n\nFootnote 96:\n\n  Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Sall\u00e1m,\u201d addressed to Allah.\n\nFootnote 97:\n\n  Here more is meant than meets the eye. When a Moslem\u2019s head was struck\n  off, in the days of the Caliphate, it was placed under his armpit,\n  whereas that of a Jew or a Christian was set between his legs, close\n  to the seat of dishonour.\n\nFootnote 98:\n\n  In Chavis and Cazotte the lady calls to \u201cMorigen, her first eunuch and\n  says, Cut off his head!\u201d Then she takes a theorbo and \u201ccomposed the\n  following couplets\u201d\u2014of which the first may suffice:\u2014\n\n                  Since my swain unfaithful proves,\n                  Let him go to her he loves, etc., etc.\n\nFootnote 99:\n\n  The device has already occurred in \u201cAli Baba.\u201d\n\nFootnote 100:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAl-ma\u2019h\u00fad min ghayr wa\u2019d.\u201d\n\nFootnote 101:\n\n  In Chavis and Cazotte the king is Harun al-Rashid and the masterful\n  young person proves to be Zeraida, the favourite daughter of Ja\u2019afar\n  Bermaki; whilst the go-between is not the young lady\u2019s mother but\n  Nemana, an old governess. The over-jealous husband in the Second Lady\n  of Baghdad (vol. i. 179) is Al-Am\u00edn, son and heir of the Caliph Harun\n  al-Rashid.\n\nFootnote 102:\n\n  Vol. iii. pp. 168\u2013179: and Scott\u2019s \u201cStory of the Second Lunatic,\u201d pp.\n  45\u201351. The name is absurdly given as the youth was anything but a\n  lunatic; but this is Arab symmetromania. The tale is virtually the\n  same as \u201cWomen\u2019s Wiles,\u201d in Supplemental Nights, vol. ii. 137\u2013151.\n\nFootnote 103:\n\n  This forward movement on the part of the fair one is held to be very\n  insulting by the modest Moslem. This incident is wanting in \u201cWomen\u2019s\n  Wiles.\u201d\n\nFootnote 104:\n\n  Arab. \u201cLabbah,\u201d usually the part of the throat where ornaments are\n  hung or camels are stabbed.\n\nFootnote 105:\n\n  The Chief of the Moslem Church. For the origin of the office and its\n  date (A.D. 1453) see vols. ix. 289, and x. 85.\n\nFootnote 106:\n\n  Arab. \u201cSat\u00edhah\u201d = a she-Sat\u00edh: this seer was a headless and neckless\n  body, with face in breast, lacking members and lying prostrate on the\n  ground. His fellow, \u201cShikk,\u201d was a half-man, and both foretold the\n  divine mission of Mohammed. (Ibn Khall. i. 487.)\n\nFootnote 107:\n\n  Arab. \u201cWakt al-Zuh\u00e0;\u201d the division of time between sunrise and midday.\n\nFootnote 108:\n\n  In the text \u201cSufrah\u201d = the cloth: see vol. i. 178, etc.\n\nFootnote 109:\n\n  Arab. \u201cYa Tinj\u00edr,\u201d lit. = O Kettle.\n\nFootnote 110:\n\n  Arab. \u201cTari,\u201d lit. = wet, with its concomitant suggestion, soft and\n  pleasant like desert-rain.\n\nFootnote 111:\n\n  Here meaning \u201cHaste, haste!\u201d See vol. i. 46.\n\nFootnote 112:\n\n  The chief man (Agh\u00e1) of the Gypsies, the Jink of Egypt whom Turkish\n  soldiers call Ghiovend\u00e9, a race of singers and dancers; in fact\n  professional Nautch-girls. See p. 222, \u201cAccount of the Gypsies of\n  India,\u201d by David MacRitchie (London, K. Paul, 1886), a most useful\n  manual.\n\nFootnote 113:\n\n  Arab. \u201cKur\u00fash,\u201d plur. of \u201cKirsh\u201d (pron. \u201cGirsh\u201d), the Egyptian piastre\n  = one-fifth of a shilling. The word may derive from a \u2714 Karsh =\n  collecting money; but it is more probably a corruption of Groschen,\n  primarily a great or thick piece of money and secondarily a small\n  silver coin = 3 kreuzers = 1 penny.\n\nFootnote 114:\n\n  The purse (\u201cK\u00eds\u201d) is = 500 piastres (kur\u00fash) = \u00a35; and a thousand\n  purses compose the Treasury (\u201cKhaznah\u201d) = \u00a35,000.\n\nFootnote 115:\n\n  MS. vol. iii. pp. 179\u2013303. It is Scott\u2019s \u201cStory of the Retired Sage\n  and his Pupil, related to the Sultan by the Second Lunatic,\u201d vi. pp.\n  52\u201367; and Gauttier\u2019s _Histoire du Sage_, vi. 199\u2013214. The scene is\n  laid in Cairo.\n\nFootnote 116:\n\n  Meaning that he was an orphan and had, like the well-known widow,\n  \u201cseen better days.\u201d\n\nFootnote 117:\n\n  The phrase, I have noted, is not merely pleonastic: it emphasises the\n  assertion that it was a chance day.\n\nFootnote 118:\n\n  An old Plinian fable long current throughout the East. It is the Pers.\n  N\u00edm-chihreh, and the Arab Shikk and possibly Nasn\u00e1s = nisf al-N\u00e1s (?)\n  See vol. v. 333. Shikk had received from Allah only half the form of a\n  man, and his rival diviner Sat\u00edh was a shapeless man of flesh without\n  limbs. They lived in the days of a woman named Tar\u00edfah, daughter of\n  Al-Khayr al-Himyar\u00ed and wife of Amr\u00fa bin \u2019\u00c1mir who was famous for\n  having intercourse with the Jann. When about to die she sent for the\n  two, on account of their deformity and the influence exercised upon\n  them by the demons; and, having spat into their mouths, bequeathed to\n  them her Jinni, after which she departed life and was buried at\n  Al-Johfah. Presently they became noted soothsayers; Shikk had issue\n  but Satih none; they lived 300 (some say 600) years, and both died\n  shortly before the birth of the Prophet concerning whom they\n  prophesied. When the Tobba of Al-Yaman dreamed that a dove flew from a\n  holy place and settled in the Tih\u00e1mah (lowland-seaboard) of Meccah,\n  Satih interpreted it to signify that a Prophet would arise to destroy\n  idols and to teach the best of faiths. The two also predicted\n  (according to Tabari) to Al-Rab\u00ed\u2019ah, son of Nasr, a Jewish king of\n  Al-Yaman, that the Habash (Abyssinians) should conquer the country,\n  govern it, and be expelled, and after this a Prophet should arise\n  amongst the Arabs and bring a new religion which all should embrace\n  and which should endure until Doomsday. Compare this with the divining\n  damsel in Acts xvi. 16\u201318.\n\nFootnote 119:\n\n  Arab. \u201cKahram\u00e1nah;\u201d the word has before been explained as a nurse, a\n  duenna, an Amazon guarding the Harem. According to C. de Perceval\n  (p\u00e8re) it was also the title given by the Abbasides to the Governess\n  of the Serraglio.\n\nFootnote 120:\n\n  So in the Apocrypha (\u201cTobias\u201d vi. 8). Tobit is taught by the Archangel\n  Raphael to drive away evil spirits (or devils) by the smoke of a bit\n  of fish\u2019s heart. The practice may date from the earliest days when\n  \u201cEvil Spirits\u201d were created by man. In India, when Europeans deride\n  the existence of Jinns and Rakshasas, and declare that they never saw\n  one, the people receive this information with a smile which means\n  only, \u201cI should think not! you and yours are worse than any of our\n  devils.\u201d\n\nFootnote 121:\n\n  An Inquisitorial costume called in the text \u201cSh\u00e1miy\u00e1t bi al-N\u00e1r.\u201d\n\nFootnote 122:\n\n  A tribe of the Jinn sometimes made synonymous with \u201cM\u00e1rid\u201d and at\n  other times contrasted with these rebels, as in the Story of Ma\u2019aruf\n  and J. Scott\u2019s \u201cHistory of the Sultan of Hind\u201d (vol. vi. 195). For\n  another note see The Nights, iv. 88.\n\nFootnote 123:\n\n  Arab. \u201c\u2019Ilm al-Hur\u00faf,\u201d not to be confounded with \u201cthe \u2019Ilm al-Jumal,\u201d\n  or \u201cHis\u00e1b Al-Jumal,\u201d a notation by numerical values of the alphabet.\n  See Lumsden\u2019s Grammar of the Persian Language, i. 37.\n\nFootnote 124:\n\n  Like our \u201cCut your mutton,\u201d or _manger la soupe_ or _die Suppe\n  einzunehmen_. For this formula meaning like the Brazilian \u201ccup of\n  water,\u201d a grand feast, see vol. vii. 168.\n\nFootnote 125:\n\n  Arab. \u201cTafazzal,\u201d a most useful word employed upon almost all\n  occasions of invitation and mostly equivalent to \u201cHave the kindness,\u201d\n  etc. See vol. ii. 103.\n\nFootnote 126:\n\n  The Shaykh for humility sits at the side, not at the \u201cSadr,\u201d or top of\n  the room; but he does not rise before the temporal power. The Sultan\n  is equally courteous and the Shaykh honours him by not keeping\n  silence.\n\nFootnote 127:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMiat Maml\u00fak kit\u00e1b\u00ed,\u201d the latter word meaning \u201cone of the Book,\n  a Jew\u201d (especially), or a Christian.\n\nFootnote 128:\n\n  This MS. prefers the rare form \u201cAl-J\u00e1nn\u201d for the singular.\n\nFootnote 129:\n\n  These flags, I have noticed, are an unfailing accompaniment of a Jinn\n  army.\n\nFootnote 130:\n\n  MS. vol. iii. pp. 203\u2013210; Scott, \u201cNight Adventure of the Sultan,\u201d pp.\n  68\u201371. Gauttier, _Aventure nocturne du Sulthan_, vi. 214.\n\nFootnote 131:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMashr\u00fat shadak.\u201d Ashdak is usually applied to a wide-chapped\n  face, like that of Margaret Maultasch or Mickle-mouthed Meg. Here,\n  however, it alludes to an accidental deformity which will presently be\n  described.\n\nFootnote 132:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAmsik lis\u00e1na-k\u201d: the former word is a standing \u201cchaff\u201d with the\n  Turks, as in their tongue it means cunnus-penis and nothing else. I\n  ever found it advisable when speaking Arabic before Osmanlis, to use\n  some such equivalent as Khuz = take thou.\n\nFootnote 133:\n\n  This is the familiar incident in \u201cAli Baba\u201d: Supplem. vol. iii. 384,\n  etc.\n\nFootnote 134:\n\n  MS. iii. 210\u2013214. Scott\u2019s \u201cStory of the broken-backed Schoolmaster,\u201d\n  vi. pp. 72\u201375, and Gauttier, \u201c_Histoire du Maitre d\u2019\u00e9cole \u00e9reint\u00e9_,\u201d\n  vi. 217. The Arabic is \u201cMuaddib al-Atf\u00e1l\u201d = one who teacheth children.\n  I have before noted that amongst Moslems the Schoolmaster is always a\n  fool. So in Europe of the 16th century probably no less than one-third\n  of the current jests turned upon the Romish clergy and its phenomenal\n  ignorance compared with that of the pagan augur. The Story of the\n  First Schoolmaster is one of the most humorous in this MS.\n\nFootnote 135:\n\n  For the usual ceremony when a Moslem sneezes, see vol. ix. 220.\n\nFootnote 136:\n\n  The \u201cday in the country,\u201d lately become such a favourite with English\n  schools, is an old Eastern custom.\n\nFootnote 137:\n\n  MS. iii. 214\u2013219. Scott\u2019s \u201cStory of the wry-mouthed Schoolmaster,\u201d vi.\n  pp. 74\u201375: Gauttier\u2019s _Histoire du Second Estropi\u00e9_, vi. p. 220.\n\nFootnote 138:\n\n  In these days the whole would be about 10d.\n\nFootnote 139:\n\n  Pay-day for the boys in Egypt. The Moslem school has often been\n  described but it always attracts the curiosity of strangers. The\n  Moorish or Maroccan variety is a simple affair; \u201cno forms, no desks,\n  few books. A number of boards about the size of foolscap, whitewashed\n  on either side, whereon the lessons\u2014from the alphabet to sentences of\n  the Koran\u2014are plainly written in large black letters; a pen and ink, a\n  book and a switch or two, complete the paraphernalia. The dominie,\n  squatting on the ground, tailor-fashion, like his pupils, who may\n  number from ten to thirty, repeats the lesson in a sonorous sing-song\n  voice, and is imitated by the urchins, who accompany their voices by a\n  rocking to and fro which sometimes enables them to keep time. A sharp\n  application of the cane is wonderfully effectual in recalling\n  wandering attention; and lazy boys are speedily expelled. On the\n  admission of a pupil, the parents pay some small sum, varying\n  according to their means, and every Wednesday, which is a\n  half-holiday, a payment is made from \u00bcd. to 2d. New moons and feasts\n  are made occasions for larger payments, and are also holidays, which\n  last ten days during the two greater festivals. Thursdays are whole\n  holidays, and no work is done on Friday mornings, that day being the\n  Mohammedan \u2018Sabbath,\u2019 or at least \u2018meeting day,\u2019 as it is called. When\n  the pupils have mastered the first short chapter of the Koran, it is\n  customary for them to be paraded round the town on horseback, with\n  ear-splitting music, and sometimes charitably disposed persons make\n  small presents to the youngster by way of encouragement. After the\n  first, the last is learned, then the last but one, and so on,\n  backwards, as, with the exception of the first, the longest chapters\n  are at the beginning. Though reading and a little writing are taught\n  at the same time, all the scholars do not arrive at the pitch of\n  perfection necessary to indite a polite letter, so that consequently\n  there is plenty of employment for the numerous scribes or _T\u00e1libs_ who\n  make a profession of writing. These may frequently be seen in small\n  rooms opening on to the street, usually very respectably dressed in a\n  white flowing haik and large turban, and in most cases of venerable\n  appearance, their noses being adorned with huge goggles. Before them\n  are their appliances,\u2014pens made of reeds, ink, paper, and sand in lieu\n  of blotting paper. They usually possess also a knife and scissors,\n  with a case to hold them all. In writing, they place the paper on the\n  knee, or upon a pad of paper in the left hand.\u201d The main merit of the\n  village school in Eastern lands is its noises which teaches the boy to\n  concentrate his attention. As Dr. Wilson of Bombay said, the young\n  idea is taught to shout as well as to shoot and this viv\u00e2 voce process\n  is a far better mnemonic than silent reading. Moreover it is fine\n  practice in the art of concentrating attention.\n\nFootnote 140:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMikshat,\u201d whose \u2714 would be \u201cKasht\u201d = skinning (a camel).\n\nFootnote 141:\n\n  Evidently said ironic\u00e8 as of innocents. In \u201cThe Forty Vezirs\u201d we read,\n  \u201cAt length they perceived that all this tumult arose from their\n  trusting on this wise the words of children.\u201d (Lady\u2019s XXth Tale).\n\nFootnote 142:\n\n  MS. iii. 219\u2013220. For some unaccountable reason it is omitted by Scott\n  (vi. 76), who has written English words in the margin of the W. M.\n  Codex.\n\nFootnote 143:\n\n  In text \u201cK\u00e1d\u00fam\u201d for \u201cKud\u00fam,\u201d a Syrian form.\n\nFootnote 144:\n\n  Arab. \u201cHidyah,\u201d which in Egypt means a falcon; see vol. iii. 138.\n\nFootnote 145:\n\n  Arab. \u201cSifah,\u201d = lit. a quality.\n\nFootnote 146:\n\n  Arab. \u201cIstil\u00e1h\u201d = specific dialect, idiom. See De Sacy, Chrestomathie,\n  i. 443, where the learned Frenchman shows abundant learning, but does\n  very little for the learner.\n\nFootnote 147:\n\n  In the text \u201cKatt\u00e1n\u201d = linen, flax.\n\nFootnote 148:\n\n  Arab. \u201cF\u00ed J\u00edf\u00e1n ka\u2019l-Jaw\u00e1b\u00ed!\u201d which, I suppose, means small things (or\n  men) and great.\n\nFootnote 149:\n\n  This form of cleverness is a favourite topic in Arabian folk-lore. The\n  model man was Iy\u00e1s al-Muzani, al-Kazi (of Bassorah), in the 2nd\n  century A.H., mentioned by Al-Har\u00edr\u00ed in his 7th Ass. and noted in\n  Arab. Prov. (i. 593) as \u201cmore intelligent than Iy\u00e1s.\u201d Ibn Khallikan\n  (i. 233) tells sundry curious tales of him. Hearing a Jew ridicule the\n  Moslem Paradise where the blessed ate and drank ad libitum but passed\n  nothing away, he asked if all his food were voided: the Jew replied\n  that God converted a part of it into nourishment and he rejoined,\n  \u201cThen why not the whole?\u201d Being once in a courtyard he said that there\n  was an animal under the bricks and a serpent was found: he had noted\n  that only two of the tiles showed signs of dampness and this proved\n  that there was something underneath that breathed. Al-Mayd\u00e1ni relates\n  of him that hearing a dog bark, he declared that the beast was tied to\n  the brink of a well; and he judged so because the bark was followed by\n  an echo. Two men came before him, the complainant claimed money\n  received by the defendant who denied the debt. Iy\u00e1s asked the\n  plaintiff where he had given it, and was answered, \u201cUnder a certain\n  tree.\u201d The judge told him to go there by way of refreshing his memory\n  and in his absence asked the defendant if his adversary could have\n  reached it. \u201cNot yet,\u201d said the rogue, forgetting himself; \u201c\u2019tis a\n  long way off\u201d\u2014which answer convicted him. Seeing three women act upon\n  a sudden alarm, he said, \u201cOne of them is pregnant, another is nursing,\n  and the third is a virgin.\u201d He explained his diagnosis as follows. \u201cIn\n  time of danger persons lay their hands on what they most prize. Now I\n  saw the pregnant woman in her flight place her hand on her belly,\n  which showed that she was with child; the nurse placed her hand on her\n  bosom, whereby I knew that she was suckling, and the third covered her\n  parts with her hand proving to me that she was a maid.\u201d (Chenery\u2019s\n  Al-Hariri, p. 334).\n\nFootnote 150:\n\n  Such an address would be suited only to a King or a ruler.\n\nFootnote 151:\n\n  MS. iii. 231\u2013240; Scott\u2019s \u201cStory of the Sisters and the Sultana their\n  mother,\u201d vi. 82; Gauttier\u2019s _Histoire de la Sulthane et de ses trois\n  Filles_, vi. 228.\n\nFootnote 152:\n\n  Arab. \u201cDarajat\u00e1ni\u201d = lit. two astronomical degrees: the word is often\n  used in this MS.\n\nFootnote 153:\n\n  Arab. \u201cS\u00edw\u00e1n;\u201d plur. \u201cS\u00edw\u00e1w\u00edn.\u201d\n\nFootnote 154:\n\n  Arab. \u201c\u2019Al\u00e0 hud\u00fad (or Al\u00e0 hadd) al-Shauk,\u201d repeated in MS. iii. 239.\n\nFootnote 155:\n\n  Here the writer, forgetting that the youngest sister is speaking,\n  breaks out into the third person\u2014\u201ctheir case\u201d\u2014\u201ctheir mother,\u201d etc.\n\nFootnote 156:\n\n  The idea is that of the French anonyma\u2019s \u201cMais, Monsieur, vous me\n  suivez comme un lavement.\u201d\n\nFootnote 157:\n\n  The text (p. 243) speaks of two eunuchs, but only one has been\n  noticed.\n\nFootnote 158:\n\n  Arab. \u201cManjan\u00edk;\u201d there are two forms of this word from the Gr.\n  \u039c\u03ac\u03b3\u03b3\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd, or \u039c\u03b7\u03c7\u03b1\u03bd\u1f74 and it survives in our mangonel, a battering\n  engine. The idea in the text is borrowed from the life of Abraham whom\n  Nimrod cast by means of a catapult (which is a bow worked by\n  machinery) into a fire too hot for man to approach.\n\nFootnote 159:\n\n  Showing that he was older; otherwise she would have addressed him, \u201cO\n  my cousin.\u201d A man is \u201cyoung,\u201d in Arab speech, till forty and some say\n  fifty.\n\nFootnote 160:\n\n  The little precatory formula would keep off the Evil Eye.\n\nFootnote 161:\n\n  Supper comes first because the day begins at sundown.\n\nFootnote 162:\n\n  Calotte or skull-cap; vol. i. 224; viii. 120.\n\nFootnote 163:\n\n  This is a new \u201cfact\u201d in physics and certainly to be counted amongst\n  \u201cthings not generally known.\u201d But Easterns have a host of \u201cdodges\u201d to\n  detect physiological differences such as between man and maid, virgin\n  and matron, imperfect castratos and perfect eunuchs and so forth. Very\n  Eastern, _mutatis mutandis_, is the tale of the thief-catcher, who\n  discovered a fellow in feminine attire by throwing an object for him\n  to catch in his lap and by his closing his legs instead of opening\n  them wide as the petticoated ones would do.\n\nFootnote 164:\n\n  She did not wish to part with her maidenhead at so cheap a price.\n\nFootnote 165:\n\n  Arab. \u201cSub\u00fa\u2019\u201d (for \u201cYaum al-Sub\u00fa\u2019\u201d) a festival prepared on the seventh\n  day after a birth or a marriage or return from pilgrimage. See Lane\n  (M. E. passim) under \u201cSubooa.\u201d\n\nFootnote 166:\n\n  For this Anglo-Indian term, = a running courier, see vol. vii. 340. It\n  is the gist of the venerable Joe Miller in which the father asks a\n  friend to name his seventh-months child. \u201cCall him \u2018Cossid,\u2019 for\n  verily he hath accomplished a march of nine months in seven months.\u201d\n\nFootnote 167:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMad\u00e1fi al-Sal\u00e1mah,\u201d a custom showing the date of the tale to be\n  more modern than any in the ten vols. of The Nights proper.\n\nFootnote 168:\n\n  Master, captain, skipper (not owner): see vols. i. 127; vi. 112.\n\nFootnote 169:\n\n  Zahr al-Bahr = the surface which affords a passage to man.\n\nFootnote 170:\n\n  Arab. \u201cBatiyah,\u201d gen. = a black jack, a leathern flagon.\n\nFootnote 171:\n\n  \u201cKun\u00e1fah\u201d = a vermicelli cake often eaten at breakfast: see vol. x. 1:\n  \u201cKunaf\u00e1n\u00ed\u201d is the baker or confectioner. Scott (p. 101) converts the\n  latter into a \u201cmaker of cotton wallets for travelling.\u201d\n\nFootnote 172:\n\n  In the text (iii. 260) \u201cM\u00edd\u00ed,\u201d a clerical error for \u201cMayyid\u00ed,\u201d an\n  abbreviation of \u201cMuayyad\u00ed,\u201d the Faddah, Nuss or half-dirham coined\n  under Sultan al-Muayyad, A.H. ixth cent. = A.D. xvth.\n\nFootnote 173:\n\n  Arab. \u201cRub\u2019\u201d (plur. \u201cArb\u00e1\u2019\u201d) = the fourth of a \u201cWaybah,\u201d the latter\n  being the sixth of an Ardabb (Irdabb) = 5 bushels. See vol. i. 263.\n\nFootnote 174:\n\n  A royal pavilion; according to Shakespear (Hind. Dict. _sub voce_) it\n  is a corruption of the Pers. \u201cSayab\u00e1n;\u201d = canopy.\n\nFootnote 175:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMusajja\u2019\u201d = rhymed prose: for the Saj\u2019a, see vol. i. 116, and\n  Terminal Essay, vol. x. p. 255. So Chaucer:\u2014\n\n                      In rhyme or ell\u00e8s in cadence.\n\nFootnote 176:\n\n  Arab. \u201cHuwa inn\u00e1 lam na\u2019rifu-h\u201d lit. = He, verily we wot him not: the\n  juxtaposition of the two first pronouns is intended to suggest \u201cI am\n  he.\u201d\n\nFootnote 177:\n\n  In Moslem tales decency compels the maiden, however much she may be in\n  love, to show extreme unwillingness in parting with her maidenhead\n  especially by marriage; and this farce is enacted in real life (see\n  vol. viii. 40). The French tell the indecent truth,\n\n                  D\u00e9sir de fille est un feu qui d\u00e9vore:\n                  D\u00e9sir de femme est plus fort encore.\n\nFootnote 178:\n\n  The Arab. form (our old \u201cbashaw\u201d) of the Turk. \u201cPasha,\u201d which the\n  French and many English write Pacha, thus confusing the vulgar who\n  called Ibrahim Pacha \u201cAbraham Parker.\u201d The origin of the word is much\n  debated and the most fanciful derivations have been proposed. Some\n  have taken it from the Sansk. \u201cPaksha\u201d = a wing: Fuerst from Pers.\n  P\u00e1igah = rank, dignity; Von Hammer (History) from P\u00e1i-Sh\u00e1h = foot of\n  the king; many from \u201cP\u00e1dish\u00e1h\u201d = the Sovran, and Mr. E. T. W. Gibb\n  suspects a connection with the Turk. \u201cB\u00e1sh\u201d = a head. He writes to me\n  that the oldest forms are \u201cBashah\u201d and \u201cB\u00e1shah\u201d; and takes the\n  following quotation from Colonel Jev\u00e1d Bey, author of an excellent\n  work on the Janissaries published a few years ago. \u201cAs it was the\n  custom of the (ancient) Turks to call the eldest son \u2018P\u00e1sh\u00e1,\u2019 the same\n  style was given to his son Al\u00e0 al-D\u00edn (Aladdin) by Osm\u00e1n Gh\u00e1z\u00ed, the\n  founder of the Empire; and he kept this heir at home and beside him,\n  whilst he employed the cadet Orkhan Bey as his commander-in-chief.\n  When Orkh\u00e1n Gh\u00e1z\u00ed ascended the throne he conferred the title of P\u00e1sh\u00e1\n  upon his son Sulayman. Presently reigned Mur\u00e1d (Amurath), who spying\n  signs of disaffection in his first-born S\u00e1w\u00faj\u00ed Bey about the middle of\n  his reign created K\u00e1r\u00e1 Khal\u00edl (his K\u00e1z\u00ed-Askar or High Chancellor)\n  Wazir with the title Kazyr al-D\u00edn Pasha; thus making him, as it were,\n  an adopted son. After this the word passed into the category of\n  official titles and came to be conferred upon those who received high\n  office.\u201d Colonel Jev\u00e1d Bey then quotes in support of his opinion the\n  \u201cHistory of Munajjim Pasha\u201d and the \u201cFat\u00e1yah al-Wuk\u00fa\u2019at\u201d = Victories\n  of Events. I may note that the old title has been sadly prostituted in\n  Egypt as well as in Turkey: in 1851 P\u00e1sh\u00e1s could be numbered on a\n  man\u2019s fingers; now they are innumerable and of no account.\n\nFootnote 179:\n\n  Arab. \u201c\u2019Al\u00e0 b\u00e1bi \u2019ll\u00e1h\u201d = for love of the Lord, gratis, etc., a most\n  popular phrase.\n\nFootnote 180:\n\n  Arab. \u201cBah\u00e1r,\u201d often used for hot spices generally.\n\nFootnote 181:\n\n  In the text Shajarat R\u00edh.\n\nFootnote 182:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMa\u2019\u00e1din\u201d = minerals, here mentioned for the first time.\n\nFootnote 183:\n\n  For the ear conceiving love before the eye (the basis of half these\n  love-stories), see vol. iii. 9.\n\nFootnote 184:\n\n  According to Dr. Steingass \u201cMirwad\u201d = the iron axle of a pulley or a\n  wheel for drawing water or lifting loads, hence possibly a bar of\n  metal, an ingot. But he is more inclined to take it in its usual sense\n  of \u201cKohl-pencil.\u201d Here \u201cMirw\u00e1d\u201d is the broader form like \u201cMift\u00e1h\u201d for\n  \u201cMiftah,\u201d much used in Syria.\n\nFootnote 185:\n\n  For the Ashrafi, a gold coin of variable value, see vol. iii. 294. It\n  is still coined; the Calcutta Ashrafi worth \u00a31 11s. 8d. is 1/16th\n  (about 5s. to the oz.) better than the English standard, and the\n  Regulations of May, 1793, made it weigh 190\u00b7894 grs. Troy.\n\nFootnote 186:\n\n  In text \u201cAnjar\u201d = a flat platter; Pers.\n\nFootnote 187:\n\n  By what physical process the author modestly leaves to the reader\u2019s\n  imagination. Easterns do not often notice this feminine venereal\n  paroxysm which takes the place of seminal emission in the male. I have\n  seen it happen to a girl when hanging by the arms a trifle too long\n  from a gymnastic cross-bar; and I need hardly say that at such moments\n  (if men only knew them) every woman, even the most modest, is an easy\n  conquest. She will repent it when too late, but the flesh has been too\n  strong for her.\n\nFootnote 188:\n\n  A neat and suggestive touch of Eastern manners and morals.\n\nFootnote 189:\n\n  In text \u201cGhayr Wa\u2019d,\u201d or \u201cMin ghayr Wa\u2019d.\u201d Lit. without previous\n  agreement: much used in this text for suddenly, unexpectedly, without\n  design.\n\nFootnote 190:\n\n  The reader will have remarked the use of the Arabic \u201c\u2019Alaka\u201d = he\n  hung, which with its branches greatly resembles the Lat. _pendere_.\n\nFootnote 191:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMin al-Mal\u00e1bis\u201d, plur. of \u201cMalbas\u201d = anything pleasant or\n  enjoyable; as the plural of \u201cMilbas\u201d = dress, garment, it cannot here\n  apply.\n\nFootnote 192:\n\n  _i.e._ \u201cThe Tigris\u201d (Hid-dekel), with which the Egyptian writer seems\n  to be imperfectly acquainted. See vols. i. 180; viii. 150.\n\nFootnote 193:\n\n  The word, as usual misapplied in the West, is to be traced through the\n  Turk. K\u00fashk (pron. Ky\u00fashk) to the Pers. \u201cKushk\u201d = an upper chamber.\n\nFootnote 194:\n\n  Four including the door-keeper. The Darwayshes were suspected of\n  kidnapping, a practice common in the East, especially with holy men. I\n  have noticed in my Pilgrimage (vols. ii. 273; iii. 327), that both at\n  Meccah and at Al-Medinah the cheeks of babes are decorated with the\n  locally called \u201cMash\u00e1li\u201d = three parallel gashes drawn by the barber\n  with the razor down the fleshy portion of each cheek, from the\n  exterior angles of the eyes almost to the corners of the mouth.\n  According to the citizens, this \u201cTashr\u00edt\u201d is a modern practice\n  distinctly opposed to the doctrine of Al-Islam; but, like the\n  tattooing of girls, it is intended to save the children from being\n  carried off, for good luck, by kidnapping pilgrims, especially\n  Persians.\n\nFootnote 195:\n\n  The hair being shaven or plucked and showing the darker skin. In the\n  case of the axilla-pile, vellication is the popular process: see vol.\n  ix. 139. Europeans who do not adopt this essential part of cleanliness\n  in hot countries are looked upon as impure by Moslems.\n\nFootnote 196:\n\n  Here a little abbreviation has been found necessary: \u201cof no avail is a\n  twice-told tale.\u201d\n\nFootnote 197:\n\n  The nearest approach in Eastern tales to Western hysterics.\n\nFootnote 198:\n\n  A tent-pitcher, body servant, etc. See vol. vii. 4. The word is still\n  popular in Persia.\n\nFootnote 199:\n\n  The amount of eating and drinking in this tale is phenomenal; but, I\n  repeat, Arabs enjoy reading of \u201cmeat and drink\u201d almost as much as\n  Englishmen.\n\nFootnote 200:\n\n  Arab writers always insist upon the symptom of rage which\n  distinguishes the felines from the canines; but they do not believe\n  that the end of the tail has a sting.\n\nFootnote 201:\n\n  The circular leather which acts alternately provision bag and\n  table-cloth. See vols. i. 178; v. 8; viii. 269; and ix. 141.\n\nFootnote 202:\n\n  He refused because he suspected some trick and would not be on terms\n  of bread and salt with the stranger.\n\nFootnote 203:\n\n  The story contains excellent material, but the writer or the copier\n  has \u201cscamped\u201d it in two crucial points, the meeting of the bereaved\n  Sultan and his wife (Night ccclxxvii) and the finale where we miss the\n  pathetic conclusions of the Mac. and Bresl. Edits. Also a comparison\n  of this hurried d\u00e9nouement with the artistic tableau of \u201cKing Omar bin\n  al-Nu\u2019uman,\u201d where all the actors are mustered upon the stage before\n  the curtain falls, measures the difference between this MS. and the\n  printed texts, showing the superior polish and finish of the latter.\n\nFootnote 204:\n\n  Vol. iii. pp. 386\u201397, where it follows immediately the last story.\n  Scott (Story of the Avaricious Cauzee and his Wife, vi. 112) has\n  translated it after his own fashion, excising half and supplying it\n  out of his own invention; and Gauttier has followed suit in the\n  _Histoire du Cadi avare et de sa Femme_, vi. 254.\n\nFootnote 205:\n\n  Tar\u00e1bulus and Atr\u00e1bulus are Arabisations of Tripolis (hod. Tripoli)\n  the well-known port-town north of Bayr\u00fat; founded by the Ph\u0153nicians,\n  rose to fame under the Seleucid\u00e6, and was made splendid by the Romans.\n  See Socin\u2019s \u201cB\u00e6deker,\u201d p. 509.\n\nFootnote 206:\n\n  _i.e._ the Kazi\u2019s court-house.\n\nFootnote 207:\n\n  Arab. \u201cBuksumah\u201d = \u201chard bread\u201d (Americanic\u00e8).\n\nFootnote 208:\n\n  Arab. \u201cSufrah umm jal\u00e1jil.\u201d Lit. an eating-cloth with little bells,\n  like those hung to a camel, or metal plates as on the rim of a\n  tambourine.\n\nFootnote 209:\n\n  The Kursi here = the stool upon which the \u201cS\u00edn\u00edyah\u201d or tray of tinned\n  copper is placed, the former serving as a table. These stools, some 15\n  inches high and of wood inlaid with bone, tortoise-shell or\n  mother-of-pearl, are now common in England, where one often sees\n  children using them as seats. The two (Kursi and S\u00edn\u00edyah) compose the\n  Sufrah, when the word is used in the sense of our \u201cdinner-table.\u201d Lane\n  (M.E. chapt. v.) gives an illustration of both articles.\n\nFootnote 210:\n\n  Arab. \u201cJar\u00eddah,\u201d a palm-frond stripped of its leaves (Supplemental,\n  vol. i. 264); hence the \u201cJar\u00edd\u201d used as a javelin; see vol. vi. 263.\n\nFootnote 211:\n\n  An Egyptian or a Syrian housewife will make twenty dishes out of roast\n  lamb, wholly unlike the \u201cgood plain cook\u201d of Great or Greater Britain,\n  who leaves the stomach to do all the work of digestion in which she\n  ought to but does not assist.\n\nFootnote 212:\n\n  A plate of \u201cBays\u00e1r\u201d or \u201cFays\u00e1r,\u201d a dish peculiar to Egypt; beans\n  seasoned with milk and honey and generally eaten with meat. See Mr.\n  Guy Lestrange\u2019s \u201cAl-Mukaddasi,\u201d Description of Syria, p. 80; an author\n  who wrote cir. A.H. 986. Scott (vi. 119) has \u201cA savoury dish called\n  byssarut, which is composed of parched beans and pounded salt meat,\n  mixed up with various seeds, onions and garlic.\u201d Gauttier (vi. 261)\n  carefully avoids giving the Arabic name, which occurs in a subsequent\n  tale (Nights cdxliv.) when a laxative is required.\n\nFootnote 213:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMul\u00fakh\u00edyah n\u00e1shiyah,\u201d lit. = flowing; _i.e._ soft like\n  _\u00e9pinards au jus_. Mul\u00fakh\u00edy\u00e1 that favourite vegetable, the _malva\n  esculenta_ is derived from the Gr. \u03bc\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03c7\u03b7 (also written \u03bc\u03bf\u03bb\u03cd\u03c7\u03b7) from\n  \u03bc\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9 = to soften, because somewhat relaxing. In ancient Athens it\n  was the food of the poorer classes and in Egypt it is eaten by all,\n  taking the place of our spinach and sorrel.\n\nFootnote 214:\n\n  Arab. \u201cKalak\u201d = lit. \u201cagitation,\u201d \u201cdisquietude\u201d and here used as syn.\n  with \u201cK\u00falanj,\u201d a true colic.\n\nFootnote 215:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMazar\u00e1t,\u201d from the \u2714 \u201cMazr,\u201d = being addled (an egg).\n\nFootnote 216:\n\n  Here is an allusion to the \u201cMassage,\u201d which in these days has assumed\n  throughout Europe all the pretensions of scientific medical treatment.\n  The word has been needlessly derived from the Arab. \u201cMas\u2019h\u201d = rubbing,\n  kneading; but we have the Gr. synonym \u03bc\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9 and the Lat. Massare. The\n  text describes child-bed customs amongst Moslem women; and the\n  delivery of the Kazi has all the realism of M. Zola\u2019s accouchement in\n  _La Joie de Vivre_.\n\nFootnote 217:\n\n  Arab. \u201cFa\u2019\u00e1lah\u201d = the building craft, builder\u2019s trade.\n\nFootnote 218:\n\n  In text \u201cKaww\u00e1rah,\u201d which is not found in the dictionaries. \u201cKuw\u00e1rah\u201d\n  = that which is cut off from the side of a thing, etc. My translation\n  is wholly tentative: perhaps Kaww\u00e1ra may be a copyist\u2019s error for\n  \u201cKaz\u00e1zah\u201d = vulg. a (flask of) glass.\n\nFootnote 219:\n\n  The \u201cKhaznah,\u201d = treasury, is a thousand \u201cK\u00eds\u201d = 500 piastres, or \u00a35\n  at par; and thus represents \u00a35,000, a large sum for Tripoli in those\n  days.\n\nFootnote 220:\n\n  The same incident occurs in that pathetic tale with an ill name\u2014\u201cHow\n  Abu al-Hasan brake Wind,\u201d vol. v. 135.\n\nFootnote 221:\n\n  Arab. \u201cKarkabah,\u201d clerical error (?) for \u201cKarkarah\u201d = driving (as wind\n  the clouds); rumbling of wind in bowels. Dr. Steingass holds that it\n  is formed by addition of a second \u201ck,\u201d from the \u2714 \u201cKarb,\u201d one of whose\n  meanings is: \u201cto inflate the stomach.\u201d\n\nFootnote 222:\n\n  For Ummu \u2019Amrin = mother of \u2019Amru, so written and pronounced \u201c\u2019Amr,\u201d a\n  fancy name, see vol. v. 118, for the Tale of the Schoolmaster, a\n  well-known \u201cJoe Miller.\u201d [Ummu \u2019Amrin, like Ummu \u2019\u00c1mirin, is a slang\n  term for \u201chyena.\u201d Hence, if Ass and Umm Amr went off together, it is\n  more than likely that neither came back. St.]\n\nFootnote 223:\n\n  A slang name for Death. \u201cKash\u2019am\u201d has various sigs. esp. the lion,\n  hence Rab\u00ed\u2019at al-Faras (of the horses), one of the four sons of Niz\u00e1r\n  was surnamed Al-Kash\u2019am from his c\u0153ur de lion (Al-Mas\u2019\u00fadi iii. 238).\n  Another pleasant term for departing life is Abu Y\u00e1hy\u00e1 = Father of\n  _John_, which also means \u201cThe Living\u201d from Hayy\u2014Death being the lord\n  of all: hence \u201cYam\u00fat\u201d lit. = he dies, is an ill-omened name amongst\n  Arabs. Kash\u2019am is also a hyena, and Umm Kash\u2019am is syn. with Umm \u2019\u00c1mir\n  (vol. I. 43). It was considered a point of good breeding to use these\n  \u201cKunyah\u201d for the purpose of varying speech (see Al-Hariri Ass. xix).\n  The phrase in the text = meaning went to hell, as a proverb was first\n  used by Zuhayr, one of the \u201cSuspended Poets.\u201d Umm Kash\u2019am was the P.N.\n  of a runaway camel which, passing by a large fire, shied and flung its\n  riding saddle into the flames. So in Al-Siy\u00fati\u2019s \u201cHistory of the\n  Caliphs\u201d (p. 447), the text has \u201cAnd Malak Shah went to where her\n  saddle was thrown by Umm Kash\u2019am,\u201d which Major Jarrett renders\n  \u201cdeparted to hell-fire.\u201d\n\nFootnote 224:\n\n  Scott\u2019s \u201cStory of the Bhang-eater and Cauzee,\u201d vi. 126; Gauttier,\n  _Histoire du Preneur d\u2019Opium et du Cadi_, vi. 268.\n\nFootnote 225:\n\n  Arab. \u201cLawwaha\u201d = lit. pointing out, making clear.\n\nFootnote 226:\n\n  Text \u201cin his belly,\u201d but afterwards in his \u201cHalkah\u201d = throat,\n  throttle, which gives better sense.\n\nFootnote 227:\n\n  In text \u201cH\u00e1yishah\u201d from \u2714 \u201cHaysh\u201d = spoiling, etc.\n\nFootnote 228:\n\n  Arab. \u201cYauh!\u201d See vols. ii. 321; vi. 235.\n\nFootnote 229:\n\n  Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 Jad\u2019\u00e1n\u201d (pron. \u201cG\u00e1d\u2019\u00e1n\u201d) more gen. \u201cY\u00e1 Jad\u2019a\u201d = mon brave!\n\nFootnote 230:\n\n  In text \u201cY\u00e1 \u2019Arz\u00e1d\u201d: prob. a clerical slip for \u201c\u2019Urz\u00e1t,\u201d plur. of\n  \u201c\u2019Urzah\u201d = a companion, a (low) fellow, a man evil spoken of.\n\nFootnote 231:\n\n  Easterns love drinking in a bright light: see vol. ii. 59.\n\nFootnote 232:\n\n  Arab. \u201c\u2019Akl\u201d (= comprehension, understanding) and \u201cNakl\u201d (= copying,\n  describing, transcribing), a favourite phrase in this MS.\n\nFootnote 233:\n\n  Arab. \u201cUmm\u00e1l\u00ed\u201d; gen. Umm\u00e1l, an affirmation; Certes, I believe you!\n\nFootnote 234:\n\n  For the many preparations of this drug, see Herklots, Appendix, pp.\n  lxviii.-ciii. It is impossible to say how \u201cIndian hemp,\u201d like opium,\n  datura, ether and chloroform, will affect the nervous system of an\n  untried man. I have read a dozen descriptions of the results, from the\n  highly imaginative Monte Christo to the prose of prosaic travellers;\n  and do not recognise that they are speaking of the same thing.\n\nFootnote 235:\n\n  This tranquil enjoyment is popularly called \u201cKayf.\u201d See my Pilgrimage\n  i. 13. In a coarser sense it is applied to all manners of\n  intoxication; and the French traveller Sonnini says, \u201cThe Arabs (by\n  which he means the Egyptians) give the name of Kayf to the voluptuous\n  relaxation, the delicious stupor, produced by the smoking of hemp.\u201d I\n  have smoked it and eaten it for months without other effect than a\n  greatly increased appetite and a little drowsiness.\n\nFootnote 236:\n\n  These childish indecencies are often attributed to Bhang-eaters. See\n  \u201cB\u00e1k\u00fan\u2019s Tale of the Hash\u00edsh-eater,\u201d vol. ii. 91. Modest Scott (vi.\n  129) turns the joke into \u201ctweaking the nose.\u201d Respectable Moslems\n  dislike the subject, but the vulgar relish it as much as the sober\n  Italian enjoys the description of a drinking bout\u2014in novels.\n\nFootnote 237:\n\n  In the text \u201cFinj\u00e1l,\u201d a vulgarism for \u201cFinj\u00e1n\u201d: so the converse\n  \u201cIsma\u2019\u00edn\u201d for \u201cIsm\u2019afl\u201d = Ishmael. Mr. J. W. Redhouse (The Academy No.\n  764) proposes a new date for coffee in Al-Yaman. Colonel Playfair\n  (History of Yemen, Bombay 1859) had carelessly noted that its \u201cfirst\n  use at Aden was by a judge of the place who had seen it drunk at\n  Zayla\u2019, on the African coast opposite Aden,\u201d and he made the judge die\n  in A.H. 875 = A.D. 1470. This is about the date of the Shaykh\n  al-Sh\u00e1zal\u00ed\u2019s tomb at Mocha, and he was the first who brought the plant\n  from about African Harar to the Arabian seaboard. But Mr. Redhouse\n  finds in a Turkish work written only two centuries ago, and printed at\n  Constantinople, in A.D. 1732, that the \u201cripe fruit was discovered\n  growing wild in the mountains of Yemen (?) by a company of dervishes\n  banished thither.\u201d Finding the berry relieve their hunger and support\n  their vigils the prior, \u201cShaykh \u2019Umar advised their stewing it (?) and\n  the use became established. They dried a store of the fruit; and its\n  use spread to other dervish communities, who perhaps (!) sowed the\n  seed wherever it would thrive throughout Africa (N.B. where it is\n  indigenous) and India (N.B. where both use and growth are quite\n  modern). From Africa, two centuries later, its use was reimported to\n  Arabia at Aden (?) by the judge above mentioned, who in a season of\n  scarcity of the dried fruit (?) tried the seed\u201d (N.B. which is the\n  fruit). This is passing strange and utterly unknown to the learned De\n  Sacy (Chrest. Arab. i. 412\u2013481).\n\nFootnote 238:\n\n  Koran iii. 128. D\u2019Herbelot and Sale (Koran, chap. iii. note) relate on\n  this text a noble story of Hasan Ali-son and his erring slave which\n  The Forty Vezirs (Lady\u2019s eighth story, p. 113) ignorantly attributes\n  to Harun al-Rashid:\u2014Forthwith the Caliph rose in wrath and was about\n  to hew the girl in pieces, when she said, \u201cO Caliph, Almighty Allah\n  saith in His glorious Word (the Koran), \u2018And the stiflers of Wrath\u201d\n  (iii. 128). Straightway the Caliph\u2019s wrath was calmed. Again said the\n  girl, \u201cAnd the pardoners of men.\u201d (_ibid._) Quoth the Caliph, \u2018I have\n  forgiven the crimes of all the criminals who may be in prison.\u2019 Again\n  said the slave-girl, \u2018And Allah loveth the beneficent\u2019 (_ibid._) Quoth\n  the Caliph, \u2018God be witness that I have with my own wealth freed thee\n  and as many male and female slaves as I have, and that this day I have\n  for the love of Allah given the half of all my good in alms to the\n  poor.\u2019 This is no improvement upon the simple and unexaggerated story\n  in Sale. \u201cIt is related of Hasan, the son of Ali, that a slave having\n  once thrown a dish on him boiling hot, as he sat at table, and fearing\n  his master\u2019s resentment, fell on his knees and repeated these words,\n  Paradise is for those who bridle their anger. Hasan answered, I am not\n  angry. The slave proceeded, And for those who forgive men. I forgive\n  you, said Hasan. The slave, however, finished the verse, For Allah\n  loveth the beneficent. Since it is so, replied Hasan, I give you your\n  liberty and four hundred pieces of silver.\u201d\n\nFootnote 239:\n\n  The old name of the parish bull in rural England.\n\nFootnote 240:\n\n  Arab. \u201cKaw\u00edk:\u201d see The Nights, vol. vi. 182, where the bird is called\n  \u201cAk\u2019ak.\u201d Our dicts. do not give the word, but there is a \u2714 \u201cKauk\u201d\n  (K\u00e1ka, yak\u00faku) to cluck, and \u201cKauk\u201d = an aquatic bird with a long\n  neck. I assume \u201cKaw\u00edk\u201d to be an intensive form of the same root. The\n  \u201cMother of Solomon\u201d is a fanciful \u201cKunyah,\u201d or bye name given to the\n  bird by the Bhang-eater, suggesting his high opinion of her wisdom.\n\nFootnote 241:\n\n  Arab. \u201cN\u00e1t\u00far,\u201d prop. a watchman: also a land-mark, a bench-mark of\n  tamped clay.\n\nFootnote 242:\n\n  In text \u201cBartam\u00e1n\u201d for \u201cMartaban\u201d = a pot, jar, or barrel-shaped\n  vessel: others apply the term to fine porcelain which poison cannot\n  affect. See Col. Yule\u2019s _Glossary_, s. v. Martab\u00e1n, where the\n  quotation from Ibn Batutah shows that the term was current in the\n  xivth century. Linschoten (i. 101) writes, \u201cIn this town (Martaban of\n  Pegu) many of the great earthen pots are made, which in India are\n  called _Martananas_, and many of them are carried throughout all India\n  of all sorts both small and great: and some are so great that they\n  will fill two pipes of water.\u201d Pyrard (i. 259) applies the name to\n  \u201ccertain handsome jars, of finer shape and larger than I have seen\n  elsewhere\u201d (Transl. by Albert Gray for the Hakluyt Soc. 1887). Mr.\n  Hill adds that at M\u00e1l\u00e9 the larger barrel-shaped jars of earthenware\n  are still called \u201cM\u00e1tab\u00e1n,\u201d and Mr. P. Brown (Zillah Dictionary, 1852)\n  finds the word preserved upon the Madras coast = a black jar in which\n  rice is imported from Pegu.\n\nFootnote 243:\n\n  The Arabic here changes person, \u201che repeated\u201d after Eastern fashion,\n  and confuses the tale to European readers.\n\nFootnote 244:\n\n  Such treasure trove belonging to the State, _i.e._ the King.\n\nFootnote 245:\n\n  Arab. \u201cH\u00far\u00ed\u201d for \u201cH\u00far\u201d = a pool, marsh, or quagmire, in fact\n  corresponding with our vulgar \u201cbogshop.\u201d Dr. Steingass would read\n  \u201cHaur\u00ed,\u201d a \u201cmans\u00fab\u201d of \u201cHaur\u201d = pond, quagmire, which, in connection\n  with a Hammam, may = sink, sewer, etc.\n\nFootnote 246:\n\n  The Bedlam: see vol. i. 288.\n\nFootnote 247:\n\n  Arab. \u201cTamtar aysh?\u201d (_i.e._ Ayyu shayyin, see vol. i. 79). I may note\n  that the vulgar abbreviation is of ancient date. Also the Egyptian\n  dialect has borrowed, from its ancestor the Coptic, the practice of\n  putting the interrogatory pronoun or adverb after (not before) the\n  verb, _e.g._ \u201cR\u00e1\u2019ih fayn?\u201d = Wending (art thou) whither? It is\n  regretable that Egyptian scholars do not see the absolute necessity of\n  studying Coptic, and this default is the sole imperfection of the late\n  Dr. Spitta Bey\u2019s admirable Grammar of Egyptian.\n\nFootnote 248:\n\n  Arab. \u201c\u2019Arsah,\u201d akin to \u201cMu\u2019arris\u201d (masc.) = a pimp, a pander. See\n  vol. i. 338; and Supp. vol. i. 206; and for its use Pilgrimage, i.\n  276.\n\nFootnote 249:\n\n  _i.e._ Ab\u00fa K\u00e1sim the Drummer. The word \u201cTamb\u00far\u201d is probably derived\n  from \u201cTabl\u201d = a drum, which became by the common change of liquids\n  \u201cTabur\u201d in O. French and \u201cTabour\u201d in English. Hence the mod. form\n  \u201cTambour,\u201d which has been adopted by Turkey, _e.g._ Tamb\u00farji = a\n  drummer. In Egypt, however, \u201cTamb\u00far\u201d is applied to a manner of\n  mandoline or guitar, mostly used by Greeks and other foreigners. See\n  Lane, M.E. chap. xviii.\n\nFootnote 250:\n\n  Arab. \u201cB\u00e1l\u201d (sing. B\u00e1lah) = a bale, from the Span. Bala and Italian\n  Balla, a small parcel made up in the shape of a bale, Lat. Palla.\n\nFootnote 251:\n\n  Arab. \u201cWal\u00e1sh,\u201d _i.e._ \u201cWas l\u00e1 shayya\u201d = \u201cAnd nihil\u201d (nil, non ens,\n  naught).\n\nFootnote 252:\n\n  Arab. \u201cKurb\u00e1j\u201d = cravache: vol. viii. 17. The best are made of\n  hippopotamus-hide (imported from East Africa), boiled and hammered\n  into a round form and tapering to the point. Plied by a strong arm\n  they cut like a knout.\n\nFootnote 253:\n\n  The text \u201cY\u00e1 Sult\u00e1n-am,\u201d a Persian or Turkish form for the Arab. \u201cY\u00e1\n  Sult\u00e1n-i.\u201d\n\nFootnote 254:\n\n  In text \u201cKalb\u201d for \u201cKulbat\u201d = a cave, a cavern.\n\nFootnote 255:\n\n  The houses were of unbaked brick or cob, which readily melts away in\n  rain and requires annual repairing at the base of the walls where\n  affected by rain and dew. In Sind the damp of the earth with its\n  nitrous humour eats away the foundations and soon crumbles them to\n  dust.\n\nFootnote 256:\n\n  Here meaning the under-Governor or head Clerk.\n\nFootnote 257:\n\n  \u201cN\u00edl\u201d (= the Nile), in vulgar Egyptian parlance the word is = \u201chigh\n  Nile,\u201d or the Nile in flood.\n\nFootnote 258:\n\n  Arab. \u201cDarwayshah\u201d = a she-Fak\u00edr, which in Europe would be represented\n  by that prime pest a begging nun.\n\nFootnote 259:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAllah h\u00e1fiz-ik\u201d = the popular Persian expression, \u201cKhud\u00e1\n  H\u00e1fiz!\u201d\n\nFootnote 260:\n\n  Arab. \u201cS\u00e1lih\u00edn\u201d = the Saints, the Holy Ones.\n\nFootnote 261:\n\n  Arab. \u201cSharkh\u201d = in dicts. the unpolished blade of a hiltless sword.\n\nFootnote 262:\n\n  In the text \u201cMil\u00e1yah,\u201d a cotton stuff some 6 feet long, woven in small\n  chequers of white and indigo-blue with an ending of red at either\n  extremity. Men wrap it round the body or throw it over the shoulder\n  like our plaid, whose colours I believe are a survival of the old\n  body-paintings, Pictish and others. The woman\u2019s \u201cMil\u00e1yah\u201d worn only\n  out of doors may be of silk or cotton: it is made of two pieces which\n  are sewed together lengthwise and these cover head and body like a\n  hooded cloak. Lane figures it in M.E. chapt. i. When a woman is too\n  poor to own a \u201cMil\u00e1yah\u201d or a \u201cHabarah\u201d (a similar article) she will\n  use a bed-sheet for out-of-doors work.\n\nFootnote 263:\n\n  The pun here is \u201cKhal\u00edy\u00e1t\u201d = bee-hive and empty: See vols. vi., 246;\n  ix. 291. It will occur again in Supplementary vol. v. Night DCXLVI.\n\nFootnote 264:\n\n  _i.e._ Caravan, the common Eastern term. In India it was used for a\n  fleet of merchantmen under convoy: see Col. Yule, _Glossary_, s. v.\n\nFootnote 265:\n\n  Again \u201cBartam\u00e1n\u201d for \u201cMartab\u00e1n.\u201d\n\nFootnote 266:\n\n  The \u201cS\u00e1hib\u201d = owner, and the \u201cDall\u00e1l\u201d = broker, are evidently the same\n  person.\n\nFootnote 267:\n\n  \u201cAl\u00e0 k\u00e1m\u201d for \u201ckam\u201d (how much?)\u2014peasants\u2019 speech.\n\nFootnote 268:\n\n  She has appeared already twice in The Nights, esp. in The Tale of\n  Gh\u00e1nim bin \u2019Ayy\u00fab (vol. ii. 45) and in Khal\u00edfah the Fisherman of\n  Baghdad (vol. viii. 145). I must again warn my readers not to confound\n  \u201cK\u00fat\u201d = food with \u201cKuwwat\u201d = force, as in Scott\u2019s \u201cKoout al Koolloob\u201d\n  (vi. 146). See Terminal Essay p. 110.\n\nFootnote 269:\n\n  In text \u201cMu\u2019ammarjiyah\u201d (master-masons), a vulgar Egyptianism for\n  \u201cMu\u2019ammarin.\u201d See \u201cJ\u00e1washiyah,\u201d vols. ii. 49; viii. 330. In the third\n  line below we find \u201cMuhandiz\u00edn\u201d = geometricians, architects, for\n  \u201cMuhandis\u00edn.\u201d [Perhaps a reminiscence of the Persian origin of the\n  word \u201cHandasah\u201d = geometry, which is derived from \u201cAnd\u00e1zah\u201d =\n  measurement, etc.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 270:\n\n  The text ends this line in Arabic.\n\nFootnote 271:\n\n  Alluding to the curious phenomenon pithily expressed in the Latin\n  proverb, \u201cSuus cuique crepitus ben\u00e8 olet,\u201d I know of no exception to\n  the rule, except amongst travellers in Tibet, where the wild onion,\n  the only procurable green-stuff, produces an odour so rank and fetid\n  that men run away from their own crepitations. The subject is not\n  savoury, yet it has been copiously illustrated: I once dined at a\n  London house whose nameless owner, a noted bibliophile, especially of\n  \u201cfaceti\u00e6,\u201d had placed upon the drawing-room table a dozen books\n  treating of the \u201cCrepitus ventris.\u201d When the guests came up and drew\n  near the table, and opened the volumes, their faces were a study. For\n  the Arab. \u201cFaswah\u201d = a silent break wind, see vol. ix. 11 and 291. It\n  is opposed to \u201cZirt\u201d = a loud fart and the vulgar term, see vol. ii.\n  88.\n\nFootnote 272:\n\n  Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 H\u00e1z\u00e1,\u201d see vol. i. 290.\n\nFootnote 273:\n\n  In text \u201cYumkinshayy,\u201d written in a single word, a favourite\n  expression, Fellah-like withal, throughout this MS.\n\nFootnote 274:\n\n  In text \u201cTafazzal\u00fa\u201d; see vol. ii. 103.\n\nFootnote 275:\n\n  The word (Sar\u00e1y) is Pers. but naturalised throughout Egypt and Syria;\n  in places like Damascus where there is no King it is applied to the\n  official head-quarters of the Wal\u00ed (provincial governor), and contains\n  the prison like the Maroccan \u201cKasbah.\u201d It must not be confounded with\n  \u201cSerraglio\u201d = the Harem, Gynecium or women\u2019s rooms, which appears to\n  be a bastard neo-Latin word \u201cSerrare,\u201d through the French _Serrer_. I\n  therefore always write it with the double \u201ccanine letter.\u201d\n\nFootnote 276:\n\n  I have noted (vol. i. 95) that the \u201cKhil\u2019ah\u201d = robe of honour,\n  consists of many articles, such as a horse, a gold-hilted sword, a\n  fine turban, etc., etc.\n\nFootnote 277:\n\n  This again shows the \u201cNakk\u00e1l\u201d or coffee-house tale-teller. See vol. x.\n  163.\n\nFootnote 278:\n\n  This is the Moslem version of \u201cSolomon\u2019s Judgment\u201d (1 Kings iii.\n  16\u201320). The Hebrew legend is more detailed but I prefer its rival for\n  sundry reasons. Here the women are not \u201charlots\u201d but the co-wives of\n  one man and therefore hostile; moreover poetical justice is done to\n  the constructive murderess.\n\nFootnote 279:\n\n  I am not aware that the specific gravity of the milks has ever been\n  determined by modern science; and perhaps the experiment is worthy a\n  trial.\n\nFootnote 280:\n\n  Arab. \u201cD\u00fana-k.\u201d See vol. iv. p. 20.\n\nFootnote 281:\n\n  \u201cAl-Waz\u00edru\u2019l-\u2019Arif bi-ll\u00e1hi Ta\u2019\u00e1l\u00e0,\u201d a title intended to mimic those\n  of the Abbaside Caliphs; such as \u201cMu\u2019tasim bi\u2019llah\u201d (servant of\n  Allah), the first of the long line whose names begin with an epithet\n  (the Truster, the Implorer, etc.), and end with \u201cbi\u2019llah.\u201d\n\nFootnote 282:\n\n  [Tarajjama, which is too frequently used in this MS. to be merely\n  considered as a clerical error, I suppose to mean: he pronounced for\n  him the formula: \u201cA\u2019uzzu bi ll\u00e1hi mina \u2019l-Shayt\u00e1ni \u2019l-_Raj\u00edmi_\u201d = I\n  take refuge with Allah against Satan the Stoned. See Koran xvi. 100.\n  It would be thus equivalent with the usual ta\u2019awwaza.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 283:\n\n  The MS. here ends Night cdxii. and begins the next. Up to this point I\n  have followed the numeration but from this forwards as the Nights\n  become unconscionably short compared with the intervening dialogues, I\n  have thrown two and sometimes three into one. The Arabic numbers are,\n  however, preserved for easier reference.\n\nFootnote 284:\n\n  This is a poor and scamped version of \u201cAli the Persian and the Kurd\n  Sharper,\u201d in vol. iv. 149. It is therefore omitted.\n\nFootnote 285:\n\n  The dish-cover, usually made of neatly plaited straw variously\n  coloured, is always used, not only for cleanliness but to prevent the\n  Evil Eye falling upon and infecting the food.\n\nFootnote 286:\n\n  The \u201cB\u00e1miyah,\u201d which = the Gumbo, Occra (Okr\u00e1) or Bhendi of Brit.\n  India which names the celebrated bazar of Bombay, is the esculent\n  hibiscus, the polygonal pod (some three inches long and thick as a\n  man\u2019s finger) full of seeds and mucilage making it an excellent\n  material for soups and stews. It is a favourite dish in Egypt and\n  usually eaten with a squeeze of lime-juice. See Lane, Mod. Egypt.\n  chapt. v., and Herklots (App. p. xlii.) who notices the curry of\n  \u201cBandak\u00ed\u201d or _Hibiscus esculentus_.\n\nFootnote 287:\n\n  Written \u201cBaksh\u00edsh\u201d for \u201cBakhsh\u00edsh,\u201d after Fellah-fashion.\n\nFootnote 288:\n\n  [In the MS.: Wa\u2019l-Sult\u00e1nu karaa Wirduh (Wirda-hu) wa jalasa li\n  \u2019l-Mun\u00e1damah = And the Sovran recited his appointed portion of the\n  Koran, and then sat down to convivial converse. This reminds of the\n  various passages of the present Shah of Persia\u2019s Diary, in which he\n  mentions the performance of his evening devotions, before setting out\n  for some social gathering, say a supper in the Guildhall, which he\n  neatly explains as a dinner after midnight (Sh\u00e1m ba\u2019d az\n  nisf-i-shab).\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 289:\n\n  This is Scott\u2019s \u201cStory of the Three Princes and Enchanting Bird,\u201d vol.\n  vi. 160. On the margin of the W. M. MS. he has written \u201cStory of the\n  King and his Three Sons and the Enchanting Bird\u201d (vol. i., Night\n  cdxvii). Gauttier, vi. 292, names it _Histoire des Trois Princes et de\n  l\u2019Oiseau Magicien_. Galland may have used parts of it in the \u201cTwo\n  Sisters who envied their Cadette\u201d: see Supp. vol. iii. pp. 492\u2013549.\n\nFootnote 290:\n\n  In text \u201cAl-Bulaybul\u201d (the little Nightingale, Philomelet), \u201cAl\n  Sayy\u00e1h\u201d (the Shrieker). The latter epithet suggests to me the German\n  novel which begins, \u201cWe are in Italy where roses bestink the day and\n  Nightingales howl through the live-long night,\u201d &c.\n\nFootnote 291:\n\n  \u201cSanj\u00e1k,\u201d Turk. = flag, banner, and here used (as in vulg. Arab.) for\n  Sanj\u00e1k-d\u00e1r, the banner-bearer, ensign. In mod. parlance, Sanj\u00e1k =\n  minor province, of which sundry are included in an \u201cIy\u00e1lah\u201d =\n  government-general, under the rule of a W\u00e1l\u00ed (Wil\u00e1yah).\n\nFootnote 292:\n\n  In the MS. \u201cZifr\u201d = nail, claw, talon.\n\nFootnote 293:\n\n  \u201cAl-Rizk maks\u00fam,\u201d an old and sage byword pregnant with significance:\n  compare \u201cAl-Khauf (fear) maks\u00fam\u201d = cowardice is equally divided. Vol.\n  iii. 173. [I read: \u201cYas\u2019\u00e0 \u2019l-Kadamu li-\u2019Umrin dan\u00e0 au li-Rizkin\n  qusima,\u201d taking \u201cRizk\u201d as an equivalent for \u201cal-Rizku \u2019l-hasanu\u201d = any\n  good thing which a man obtains without exerting himself in seeking for\n  it, and the passive \u201cqusima\u201d in the sense of Kismah, vulgo \u201cKismet.\u201d\n  Hence I would translate: The foot speeds to a life that is mean, or to\n  a boon that is pre-ordained.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 294:\n\n  In the text \u201cB\u00e1t\u201d (for Bit), in Fellah-speech \u201cPass the night here!\u201d\n  The Bird thus makes appeal to the honour and hospitality of his\n  would-be captor, and punishes him if he consent. I have translated\n  after Scott (v. 161). [I cannot persuade myself to take \u201cb\u00e1t\u201d for an\n  imperative, which would rather be \u201cb\u00edt\u201d for \u201cbit,\u201d as we shall find\n  \u201ck\u00fam\u201d for \u201ckum,\u201d \u201cr\u00fah\u201d for \u201cruh.\u201d It seems to me that the preterite\n  \u201cb\u00e1t\u201d means here \u201cthe night has passed,\u201d and rendering \u201cman\u201d by the\n  interrogative, I would translate: \u201cO! who will say to the sad, the\n  separated, night is over?\u201d Complaints of the length of night are\n  frequent with the parted in Arab poetry. This accords also better with\n  the following \u2019At\u00fas al-Shams, the sneezing of the sun, which to my\n  knowledge, applies only to daybreak, as in Hariri\u2019s 15th Assembly\n  (al-Farz\u00edyah), where \u201cthe nose of the morning\u201d sneezes.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 295:\n\n  _i.e._ they bound kerchiefs stained blue or almost black round their\n  brows. In modern days Fellah women stain their veils (face and head),\n  kerchiefs and shirts with indigo; and some colour their forearms to\n  the elbow.\n\nFootnote 296:\n\n  Here again and in the following adventure we have \u201cKhudadad and his\n  Brothers.\u201d Suppl. vol. iii. 209\u2013304.\n\nFootnote 297:\n\n  In sign of despair. See vol. i. 298.\n\nFootnote 298:\n\n  In text \u201cKalam\u00e1tu \u2019llah\u201d = the Koran: and the quotation is from chapt.\n  cxiii. 5. For the \u201cTwo Refuge-takings\u201d (Al-Mu\u2019awizzat\u00e1ni), see vol.\n  iii. 222.\n\nFootnote 299:\n\n  _i.e._, caused his brothers to recover life.\n\n  [I read: Allaz\u00ed \u2019amaltu f\u00ed-him nat\u00edjah yuj\u00e1z\u00fan\u00ed bi-Ziddi-h\u00e1 = Those to\n  whom I did a good turn, requite me with the contrary thereof. Allaz\u00ed,\n  originally the masc. sing. is in this MS. vulgarly, like its still\n  more vulgar later contraction, \u201cill\u00ed,\u201d used for both genders and the\n  three numbers.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 300:\n\n  Arab. \u201cH\u00e1zir!\u201d I have noted that this word, in Egypt and Syria,\n  corresponds with the English waiter\u2019s \u201cYes sir!\u201d\n\nFootnote 301:\n\n  Koran, Chapter of Joseph, xii. 19.\n\nFootnote 302:\n\n  Arab. \u201cHan\u00fat:\u201d this custom has become almost obsolete: the corpse is\n  now sprinkled with a mixture of water, camphor diluted and the dried\n  and pounded leaves of various trees, especially the \u201cNabk\u201d (lote-tree\n  or _Zizyphus lotus_).\u2014Lane M. E. chapt. xxviii.\n\nFootnote 303:\n\n  These comical measures were taken by \u201cMiss Lucy\u201d in order to charm\n  away the Evil Eye which had fascinated the article in question. Such\n  temporary impotence in a vigorous man, which results from an\n  exceptional action of the brain and the nervous system, was called in\n  old French _Nouement des aiguilettes_ (_i.e._ point-tying, the points\n  which fastened the _haut-de-chausses_ or hose to the jerkin, and its\n  modern equivalent would be to \u201cbutton up the flap\u201d). For its cure, the\n  \u201c_D\u00e9liement des aiguilettes_\u201d see Davenport \u201cAphrodisiacs\u201d p. 36, and\n  the French translation of the Shaykh al-Nafz\u00e1wi (Jardin Parfum\u00e9,\n  chapt. xvii. pp. 251\u201353.) The Moslem heal such impotence by the usual\n  simples, but the girl in the text adopts a moral course of treatment\n  which buries the dead parts in order to resurrect them. A friend of\n  mine, a young and vigorous officer, was healed by a similar process.\n  He had carried off a sergeant\u2019s wife, and the husband lurked about the\n  bungalow to shoot him, a copper cap being found under the window,\n  hence a state of nervousness which induced perfect impotence. He\n  applied to the regimental surgeon, happily a practised hand, and was\n  gravely supplied with pills and a draught; his diet was carefully\n  regulated and he was ordered to sleep by the woman but by no means to\n  touch her for ten days. On the fifth he came to his adviser with a\n  sheepish face and told him that he had not wholly followed the course\n  prescribed, as last night he had suddenly\u2014by the blessing of the\n  draught and the pills\u2014recovered and had given palpable evidence of his\n  pristine vigour. The surgeon deprecated such proceeding until the\n  patient should have had full benefit of his drugs\u2014bread pills and\n  cinnamon-water.\n\nFootnote 304:\n\n  Here ends vol. iii. of the W. M. MS. and begins Night cdxxvi.\n\nFootnote 305:\n\n  In the text \u201cR\u00edsah,\u201d copyist\u2019s error for \u201cR\u00edshah\u201d = a thread, a line:\n  it afterwards proves to be an ornament for a falcon\u2019s neck. [I cannot\n  bring myself to adopt here the explanation of \u201cR\u00edshah\u201d as a string\n  instead of its usual meaning of \u201cfeather,\u201d \u201cplume.\u201d My reasons are the\n  following: 1. The youth sets it upon his head; that is, I suppose, his\n  cap, or whatever his head-gear may be, which seems a more appropriate\n  place for a feather than for a necklace. 2. Further on, Night cdxxx.,\n  it is said that the Prince left the residence of his second spouse _in\n  search_ (t\u00e1lib) of the city of the bird. If the word \u201cR\u00edshah,\u201d which,\n  in the signification of thread, is Persian, had been sufficiently\n  familiar to an Arab to suggest, as a matter of course, a bird\u2019s\n  necklace, and hence the bird itself, we would probably find a trace of\n  this particular meaning, if not in other Arabic books, at least in\n  Persian writers or dictionaries; but here the word \u201cR\u00edshah,\u201d by some\n  pronounced \u201cReshah\u201d with the Y\u00e1 majh\u00fal, never occurs in connection\n  with jewels; it means fringe, filament, fibre. On the other hand, the\n  suggestion of the bird presents itself quite naturally at the sight of\n  the feather. 3. Ib. p. 269 the youth requests the old man to tell him\n  concerning the \u201cTayrah allaz\u00ed R\u00edsh-h\u00e1 (not Rishat-h\u00e1) min Ma\u2019\u00e1din,\u201d\n  which, I believe, can only be rendered by: the bird whose plumage is\n  of precious stones. The \u201cR\u00edshah\u201d itself was said to be \u201c_min_ Zumurrud\n  wa L\u00fal\u00fa,\u201d of emeralds and pearls; and the cage will be \u201cmin Ma\u2019\u00e1din wa\n  L\u00fal\u00fa,\u201d of precious stones and pearls, in all which cases the use of\n  the preposition \u201cmin\u201d points more particularly to the material of\n  which the objects are wrought than the mere Iz\u00e1fah. The wonderfulness\n  of the bird seems therefore rather to consist in his jewelled plumage\n  than the gift of speech or other enchanting qualities, and I would\n  take it for one of those costly toys, in imitation of trees and\n  animals, in which Eastern princes rejoice, and of which we read so\n  many descriptions, not only in books of fiction, but even in\n  historical works. If it were a live-bird of the other kind, he would\n  probably have put in his word to expose the false brothers of the\n  Prince.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 306:\n\n  This is conjectural: the text has a correction which is hardly\n  legible. [I read: \u201cWa l\u00e1kin h\u00fa ajmalu min-hum bi-jam\u00e1lin mufritin,\n  lakinnahu matr\u00fadun h\u00fa wa ummu-hu\u201d = \u201cand yet he was more beautiful\n  than they with surpassing beauty, but he was an outcast, he and his\n  mother,\u201d as an explanation, by way of parenthesis, for their daring to\n  treat him so shamefully.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 307:\n\n  The venerable myth of Andromeda and Perseus (who is Horus in disguise)\n  brought down to Saint George (his latest descendant), the Dragon\n  (Typhon) and the fair Saba in the \u201cSeven Champions of Christendom.\u201d\n  See my friend M. Clermont Ganneau\u2019s _Horus et Saint-Georges_; Mr. J.\n  R. Anderson\u2019s \u201cSaint Mark\u2019s Rest; the Place of Dragons;\u201d and my \u201cBook\n  of the Sword,\u201d chapt. ix.\n\nFootnote 308:\n\n  _i.e._ there was a great movement and confusion.\n\nFootnote 309:\n\n  [In the text \u2019Af\u00e1r, a word frequently joined with \u201cGhub\u00e1r,\u201d dust, for\n  the sake of emphasis; hence we will find in Night ccccxxix. the verb\n  \u201cyu\u2019affiru,\u201d he was raising a dust-cloud.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 310:\n\n  Upon the subject of \u201cthrowing the kerchief\u201d see vol. vi. 285. Here it\n  is done simply as a previously concerted signal of recognition.\n\nFootnote 311:\n\n  In text \u201c\u2019Al\u00e1 Yad\u00edn;\u201d for which vulgarism see vol. iii. 51.\n\nFootnote 312:\n\n  Elephants are usually, as Cuvier said of the (Christian) \u201cDevil\u201d after\n  a look at his horns and hoofs, vegetarians.\n\nFootnote 313:\n\n  [The MS. has \u201cyughaffiru wa yuzaghdimu.\u201d The former stands probably\n  for \u201cyu\u2019aff\u00edru,\u201d for which see supra p. 262, note 2. The writing is,\n  however, so indistinct that possibly \u201cyufaghghiru\u201d is intended, which\n  means he opened his mouth wide. \u201cYuzaghdimu\u201d is one of those\n  quadriliterals which are formed by blending two tri-literals in one\n  verb, in order to intensify the idea. \u201cZaghada\u201d and \u201cZaghama\u201d mean\n  both \u201che roared,\u201d more especially applied to a camel, and by joining\n  the \u201cd\u201d of the one with the \u201cm\u201d of the other, we obtain \u201cZaghdama,\u201d he\n  roared fiercely.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 314:\n\n  [S\u00e1ra\u2019a-hu wa l\u00e1wa\u2019a-hu = he rushed upon him and worried him. The root\n  law\u2019 means to enfeeble, render sick, especially applied to\n  love-sickness (Lau\u2019ah). The present 3rd form is rarely used, but here\n  and in a later passage, Night cdxlv., the context bears out the sense\n  of harassing.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 315:\n\n  In text \u201cZagh\u00e1rit\u201d plur. of Zaghr\u00fatah: see vol. ii. p. 80.\n\nFootnote 316:\n\n  [Y\u00e1 walad al-Hal\u00e1l. I would translate: \u201cO! son of a lawful wedlock,\u201d\n  simply meaning that he takes him to be a decent fellow, not a scamp or\n  Walad al-Har\u00e1m.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 317:\n\n  The repetition is a sign of kindness and friendliness; see vol. vi.\n  370.\n\nFootnote 318:\n\n  This Arabian \u201cSatt\u00e1r\u201d corresponds passing well with \u201cJupiter\n  Servator.\u201d\n\nFootnote 319:\n\n  \u201cOut of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.\u201d\n  Matt. xxi. 16. The idea is not less Moslem than Christian.\n\nFootnote 320:\n\n  [I read \u201cSarkhah adwat la-h\u00e1 al-Sar\u00e1yah\u201d = a cry to which the\n  palace-women raised an echo, a cry re-echoed by the palace-women.\n  \u201cAdw\u00e0\u201d is the fourth form of \u201cDawiya,\u201d to hum or buzz, to produce an\n  indistinct noise, and it is vulgarly used in the above sense, like the\n  substantive \u201cDawi,\u201d an echo. Al-Sar\u00e1yah is perhaps only an Arabized\n  form of the Persian Sar\u00e1y, and the sentence might be, to which the\n  palace resounded.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 321:\n\n  The Princess is not logical: on the other hand she may plead that she\n  is right.\n\nFootnote 322:\n\n  Arab. \u201cMa\u2019l\u00famah,\u201d which may also mean the \u201cmade known,\u201d or\n  \u201cafore-mentioned.\u201d\n\nFootnote 323:\n\n  A sensible remark which shows that the King did not belong to the\n  order called by Mr. Matthew Arnold \u201cBarbarians.\u201d\n\nFootnote 324:\n\n  In text: \u201cRajul Ja\u2019\u00edd\u00ed,\u201d for which see p. 14.\n\nFootnote 325:\n\n  Arab. \u201cFidawiyah,\u201d sing. \u201cFid\u00e1wi\u201d = lit. one who gives his life to a\n  noble cause, a forlorn hope, esp. applied to the Ismai\u2019liyah race,\n  disciples of the \u201cAssassin\u201d Hasan-i-Sab\u00e1h. See De Sacy, \u201cM\u00e9moire sur\n  les Assassins M\u00e9m. de l\u2019Instit,\u201d etc. iv. 7 et seqq. Hence perhaps a\n  castaway, a \u201cperdido,\u201d one careless of his life. I suspect, however,\n  that it is an Egyptianised form of the Pers. \u201cFid\u00e1\u2019i\u201d = a robber, a\n  murderer. The Lat. catalogue prefers \u201cSicarius,\u201d which here cannot be\n  the meaning.\n\nFootnote 326:\n\n  Arab \u201cKirsh,\u201d pop. \u201cGirsh.\u201d\n\nFootnote 327:\n\n  I have noticed that there is a Shaykh or head of the Guild, even for\n  thieves, in most Moslem capitals. See vol. vi. 204.\n\nFootnote 328:\n\n  Here is the normal enallage of persons, \u201cluh\u201d = to him for \u201cl\u00ed\u201d = to\n  me.\n\nFootnote 329:\n\n  In text \u201cNa\u2019mil ma\u2019allaz\u00ed, etc. ... mak\u00eddah.\u201d I have attempted to\n  preserve the idiom.\n\nFootnote 330:\n\n  [In the MS. \u201cal-\u2019Ashrah Miah,\u201d which, I think, can scarcely be\n  translated by \u201cten times one hundred.\u201d If Miah were dependent on\n  al-\u2019Ashrah, the latter could not have the article. I propose therefore\n  to render \u201cone hundred for the (_i.e._ every) ten\u201d = ten-fold.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 331:\n\n  For this \u201cnosebag,\u201d see vols. ii. 52, and vi. 151, 192.\n\nFootnote 332:\n\n  [Until here the change from the first person into the third, as\n  pointed out in note 2, has been kept up in the MS.\u2014\u201cHe reached the\n  barracks,\u201d \u201che found,\u201d etc. Now suddenly the gender changes as well,\n  and the tale continues: \u201cAnd lo, the girl went to them and said,\u201d etc.\n  etc. This looseness of style may, in the mouth of an Eastern R\u00e1w\u00ed,\n  have an additional dramatic charm for his more eager than critical\n  audience; but it would be intolerable to European readers. Sir Richard\n  has, therefore, very properly substituted the first person all\n  through.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 333:\n\n  \u201cRiy\u00e1l\u201d is from the Span. \u201cReal\u201d = royal (coin): in Egypt it was so\n  named by order of Ali Bey, the Mameluke, in A.H. 1185 (A.D. 1771\u201372)\n  and it was worth ninety Faddahs = 5\u2156d. The word, however, is still\n  applied to the dollar proper (Maria Theresa), to the Riy\u00e1l Frans\u00e1 or\n  five-franc piece and to the Span. pillar dollar: the latter is also\n  nicknamed \u201cAbu Madfa\u2019\u201d Father of a Cannon (the columns being mistaken\n  for cannons); also the Ab\u00fa T\u00e1kah (Father of a Window), whence we\n  obtain the Europeanised \u201cPatacco\u201d (see Lane, Appendix ii.) and\n  \u201cPataca,\u201d which Littr\u00e9 confounds with the \u201cPatard\u201d and of which he\n  ignores the origin.\n\nFootnote 334:\n\n  See The Nights, vol. x. 12.\n\nFootnote 335:\n\n  _i.e._ \u201cpleasant,\u201d \u201cenjoyable\u201d; see \u201cWhite as milk\u201d opposed to \u201cblack\n  as mud,\u201d etc., vol. iv. 140. Here it is after a fashion synonymous\n  with the French _nuit blanche_.\n\nFootnote 336:\n\n  [The MS. seems here to read \u201cwa jasad-hu yuhazdimu,\u201d (thus at least\n  the word, would have to be vocalized if it were a quadriliteral verbal\n  form), and of this I cannot make out any sense. I suspect the final\n  syllable is meant for \u201cDam,\u201d blood, of which a few lines lower down\n  the plural \u201cDim\u00e1\u201d occurs. Remains to account for the characters\n  immediately preceding it. I think that either the upper dot of the\n  Arabic belongs to the first radical instead of the second, reading\n  \u201cyukhirru,\u201d as the fourth or causative form of \u201ckharra yakhurru,\u201d to\n  flow, to ripple, to purl; or that the two dots beneath are to be\n  divided between the first two characters, reading \u201cbajaza.\u201d The\n  latter, it is true, is no dictionary word, but we have found supra p.\n  228 \u201cmuhandiz\u201d for \u201cmuhandis,\u201d so here \u201cbajaza\u201d may stand for \u201cbajasa\u201d\n  = gushed forth, used intransitively and transitively. In either case\n  the translation would be \u201chis body was emitting blood freely.\u201d\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 337:\n\n  The MS. here is hardly intelligible but the sense shows the word to be\n  \u201cMisallah\u201d (plur. \u201cMis\u00e1ll\u201d) = a large needle for sewing canvas, &c. In\n  Egypt the usual pronunciation is \u201cMusallah,\u201d hence the vulgar name of\n  Cleopatra\u2019s needle \u201cMusallat Far\u2019aun\u201d (of Pharaoh) the two terms\n  contending for which shall be the more absurd. I may note that\n  Commander Gorridge, the distinguished officer of the U.S. Navy who\n  safely and easily carried the \u201cNeedle\u201d to New York after the English\n  had made a prodigious mess with their obelisk, showed me upon the\n  freshly uncovered base of the pillar the most distinct intaglio\n  representations of masonic implements, the plumb-line, the square, the\n  compass, and so forth. These, however, I attributed to masonry as the\n  craft, to the guild; he to Freemasonry, which in my belief was unknown\n  to the Greeks and Romans, and is never mentioned in history before the\n  eight Crusades (A.D. 1096\u20131270). The practices and procedure were\n  evidently borrowed from the various Vehms and secret societies which\n  then influenced the Moslem world, and our modern lodges have strictly\n  preserved in the \u201cArchitect of the Universe,\u201d Arian and Moslem\n  Unitarianism as opposed to Athanasian and Christian Tritheism; they\n  admit the Jew and the Mussulman as apprentices, but they refuse the\n  Hind\u00fa and the Pagan. It seems now the fashion to run down the mystic\n  craft, to describe it as a \u201cgoose-club\u201d and no more; it is, however,\n  sleeping, not dead; the charities of the brethren are still active,\n  and the society still takes an active part in politics throughout the\n  East. As the late Pope Pius IX. (fitly nicknamed \u201cPio no-no\u201d), a free\n  mason himself, forbade Freemasonry to his church because a secret\n  society is incompatible with oral confession (and priestcraft\n  tolerates only its own mysteries), and made excommunication the\n  penalty, the French lodges have dwindled away and the English have\n  thriven upon their decay, thus enlisting a host of neophytes who, when\n  the struggle shall come on, may lend excellent aid.\n\nFootnote 338:\n\n  The \u201cJan\u00e1zah,\u201d or bier, is often made of planks loosely nailed or\n  pegged together into a stretcher or platform, and it would be easy to\n  thrust a skewer between the joints. I may remind the reader that\n  \u201cJan\u00e1zah\u201d = a bier with a corpse thereon (vol. ii. 46), whereas the\n  \u201cSar\u00edr\u201d is the same when unburdened, and the \u201cNa\u2019ash\u201d is a box like\n  our coffin, but open at the tip.\n\nFootnote 339:\n\n  [In the Arab. text \u201cthey will recognise me,\u201d which I would rather\n  refer to the Vagabonds than to the crowd, as the latter merely cries\n  wonder at the resuscitation, without apparently troubling much about\n  the wonder-worker.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 340:\n\n  [Ar. \u201cna\u2019t\u00e1zu,\u201d viii. form of \u2019\u00e1za = it escaped, was missing, lacked,\n  hence the meaning of this form, \u201cwe are in want of,\u201d \u201cwe need.\u201d\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 341:\n\n  For the \u201cArdabb\u201d (prop. \u201cIrdabb\u201d) = five bushels: see vol. i. 263.\n\nFootnote 342:\n\n  [In the MS. \u201c\u2019Ayyinah,\u201d probably a mis-reading for \u201c\u2019Ayniyyah\u201d = a\n  sample, pattern.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 343:\n\n  In text \u201cKubbah\u201d = vault, cupola, the dome of unbaked brick upon\n  peasants\u2019 houses in parts of Egypt and Syria, where wood for the\n  \u201cSat\u2019h\u201d or flat roof is scarce. The household granary is in the\n  garret, from which the base of the dome springs, and the\n  \u201cexpense-magazines\u201d consist of huge standing coffers of wattle and dab\n  propped against the outside walls of the house.\n\nFootnote 344:\n\n  Gen. \u201cBays\u00e1r\u201d or \u201cFays\u00e1r,\u201d = beans cooked in honey and milk. See\n  retro, Night ccclxxxviii. for its laxative properties.\n\nFootnote 345:\n\n  [In the MS. \u201cbarbastu,\u201d with the dental instead of the palatal\n  sibilant (S\u00edn instead of S\u00e1d). Spelled in the former way the verb\n  \u201cbarbasa\u201d means, he sought, looked for, and is therefore out of place\n  here. Spelled in the second manner, it signifies literally, he watered\n  the ground abundantly. Presently we shall find the passive participle\n  \u201cmubarbasah\u201d in the feminine, because referring to the noun \u201cT\u00edz\u201d =\n  anus, which, like its synonym \u201cIst,\u201d professes the female gender.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 346:\n\n  [In Ar. \u201cMubarbasah,\u201d for which see the preceding note.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 347:\n\n  The Moslem\u2019s tomb is an arched vault of plastered brick, large enough\n  for a man to sit up at ease and answer the Questioning Angels; and the\n  earth must not touch the corpse as it is supposed to cause torture. In\n  the graves of the poorer classes a niche (_lahad_) offsets from the\n  fosse and is rudely roofed with palm-fronds and thatch. The trick\n  played in the text is therefore easy; see Lane\u2019s illustration M.E.\n  chapt. xviii. The reader will not forget that all Moslems make water\n  squatting upon their hunkers in a position hardly possible to an\n  untrained European: see vol. i. 259.\n\nFootnote 348:\n\n  The bull being used in the East to turn the mill and the water-wheel;\n  vol. i. 16.\n\nFootnote 349:\n\n  In text \u201cRatl.\u201d See vol. iv. 124.\n\nFootnote 350:\n\n  About 1s. 2d.\n\nFootnote 351:\n\n  The man was therefore in hiding for some crime. [The MS. has \u201cl\u00e1\n  tafzah-n\u00ed\u201d = Do not rend _my_ reputation, etc. I would, therefore,\n  translate \u201cS\u00e1hib-h\u00e1\u201d by \u201cher lover,\u201d and suggest that the crime in\n  question is simply what the French call \u201cconversation\n  criminelle.\u201d\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 352:\n\n  The \u201c\u2019Ish\u00e1\u201d-prayer (called in Egypt \u201c\u2019Esh\u00e8\u201d) consists of ten \u201cRuka\u2019\u00e1t\u201d\n  = bows or inclinations of the body (not \u201cof the head\u201d as Lane has it,\n  M. E. chapt. iii.): of these four are \u201cSunnah\u201d = traditional or\n  customary (of the Prophet), four are Farz (divinely appointed _i.e._\n  by the Koran) and two again Sunnah. The hour is nightfall when the\n  evening has closed in with some minor distinctions, _e.g._ the Hanaf\u00ed\n  waits till the whiteness and the red gleam in the west (\u201cAl-Shafak\n  al-ahmar\u201d) have wholly disappeared, and the other three orthodox only\n  till the ruddy light has waned. The object of avoiding sundowntide\n  (and sunrise equally) was to distinguish these hours of orisons from\n  those of the Guebres and other faiths which venerate, or are supposed\n  to venerate, the sun.\n\nFootnote 353:\n\n  Scott. \u201cHistory of the Sultan of Hind,\u201d vol. vi. 194\u2013209.\n\nFootnote 354:\n\n  Red robes being a sign of displeasure: see vol. iv. 72; Scott (p. 294)\n  wrongly makes them \u201crobes of mourning.\u201d\n\nFootnote 355:\n\n  A Moslem negroid from Central and Western North Africa. See vol. ii.\n  15. They share in popular opinion the reputation of the Maghrabi or\n  Maroccan for magical powers.\n\nFootnote 356:\n\n  This is introduced by the translator; as usual with such unedited\n  tales, the name does not occur till much after the proper place for\n  specifying it.\n\nFootnote 357:\n\n  In text \u201cIz lam naakhaz-h\u00e1, wa-ill\u00e1,\u201d &c. A fair specimen of Arab.\n  ellipsis.\u2014\u2014If I catch her not (\u2019twill go hard hard with me), and\n  unless (I catch her) I will, &c.\n\nFootnote 358:\n\n  _i.e._ \u201cHow far is the fowl from thee!\u201d\n\nFootnote 359:\n\n  [In the MS. \u201cturayyih,\u201d a modern form for \u201cturawwih.\u201d\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 360:\n\n  [The above translation pre-supposes the reading \u201cFarkhah l\u00e1 atammat,\u201d\n  and would require, I believe, the conjunction \u201chatt\u00e0\u201d or \u201cil\u00e0 an\u201d to\n  express \u201ctill.\u201d I read with the MS. \u201cl\u00e1 tammat,\u201d and would translate:\n  \u201ca chick not yet full grown, when the crow seized it and flew away\n  with it,\u201d as a complaint of the father for the anticipated untimely\n  end of his son.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 361:\n\n  For \u201c\u2019Aun,\u201d a high degree amongst the \u201cGenies,\u201d see vol. iv. p. 83.\n  Readers will be pleased with this description of a Jinni; and not a\n  few will regret that they have not one at command. Yet the history of\n  man\u2019s locomotion compels us to believe that we are progressing towards\n  the time when humanity will become volatile. Pre-historic Adam was\n  condemned to \u201cShanks his mare,\u201d or to \u201cgo on foot-back,\u201d as the Boers\n  have it, and his earliest step was the chariot; for, curious to say,\n  driving amongst most peoples preceded riding, as the row-boat forewent\n  the sailer. But as men increased and the world became smaller and time\n  shorter the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, after many\n  abortive attempts, converted the chariot into a railway-car and the\n  sailer into a steamer. Aerostatics are still in their infancy and will\n  grow but little until human society shall find some form of flying an\n  absolute necessity when, as is the history of all inventions, the\n  winged woman (and her man) of Peter Wilkins will pass from fiction\n  into fact. But long generations must come and go before \u201chomo sapiens\u201d\n  can expect to perfect a practice which in the present state of mundane\n  society would be fatal to all welfare.\n\nFootnote 362:\n\n  Scott (p. 200) \u201cWelcome to the sovereign of the Aoon, friendly to his\n  brethren,\u201d (sidd\u00edk al Akhw\u00e1n) etc. Elsewhere he speaks of \u201cthe Oone.\u201d\n\nFootnote 363:\n\n  So he carried a portable \u201ctoilette,\u201d like a certain Crown Prince and\n  Prince Bahman in Suppl. vol. iii. 510.\n\nFootnote 364:\n\n  There is another form of the saw in verse:\u2014\n\n  Good is good and he\u2019s best whoso worketh it first; \u273f And ill is for me\n     of provisions the worst.\n\n  The provision is = viaticum, provaunt for the way.\n\n  [The MS. has \u201cakram\u201d and \u201cazlam\u201d = \u201cthe more generous,\u201d \u201cthe more\n  iniquitous,\u201d meaning that while good should be requited by good, and\n  evil provokes further evil in retaliation, the beginner in either case\n  deserves the greater praise or blame.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 365:\n\n  I have noted (vols. iii. 75, and viii. 266) that there are two\n  \u201cSoudans\u201d as we write the word, one Eastern upon the Upper Nile Valley\n  and the other Western and drained by the Niger water-shed. The former\n  is here meant. It is or should be a word of shame to English ears\n  after the ungodly murder and massacre of the gallant \u201cSoudanese\u201d\n  negroids who had ever been most friendly to us and whom with scant\n  reason to boast we attacked and destroyed because they aspired to\n  become free from Turkish task-masters and Egyptian tax-gatherers. That\n  such horrors were perpetrated by order of one of the most humane\n  amongst our statesmen proves and decidedly proves one thing, an\n  intense ignorance of geography and ethnology.\n\nFootnote 366:\n\n  [In the MS. \u201claw\u00e1 \u2019a-hu\u201d for which Sir Richard conjectures the reading\n  \u201clawwaha-hu\u201d taking the pronoun to refer to the sword. I believe,\n  however, the word to be a clerical error for our old acquaintance\n  \u201cl\u00e1wa\u2019a-hu\u201d (see supra p. 266) and, referring the pronoun in the three\n  verbs to the Lion, would translate: \u201cand he worried him,\u201d etc.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 367:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAl-bash\u00e1rah,\u201d see vol. i. 30: Scott has (vi. 204) \u201cGood tidings\n  to our sovereign.\u201d\n\nFootnote 368:\n\n  [The MS. is here rather indistinct; still, as far as I can make out,\n  it runs: \u201cwa Hakki man aul\u00e0n\u00ed h\u00e1z\u00e1 \u2019l-Mulk\u201d = and by the right of\n  (_i.e._ my duty towards) Him who made me ruler over this kingdom.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 369:\n\n  [The word in the MS. is difficult to decipher. In a later passage we\n  find corresponding with it the expression \u201cyum\u00e1zasa-hu f\u00ed \u2019l-Kal\u00e1m,\u201d\n  which is evidently a clerical error for \u201cyum\u00e1rasa-hu\u201d = he tested or\n  tried him in his speech. Accordingly I would read here: \u201cyakhburu\n  ma\u2019ahu f\u00ed \u2019l-Kal\u00e1m,\u201d lit. = he experimented with him, _i.e._ put him\n  to his test. The idea seems to be, that he first cross-examined him\n  and then tried to intimidate him. With this explanation \u201cyus\u00e1h\u00ed-hu\u201d\n  and later on \u201cyulh\u00ed-hu\u201d would tally, which both have about the same\n  meaning: to divert the attention, to make forget one thing over\n  another, hence to confuse and lead one to contradict himself.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 370:\n\n  Here we find the old superstitious idea that no census or \u201cnumbering\n  of the people\u201d should take place save by direct command of the\n  Creator. Compare the pestilence which arose in the latter days of\n  David when Joab by command of the King undertook the work (2 Sam.\n  xxiv. 1\u20139, etc.)\n\nFootnote 371:\n\n  The text has \u201cSal\u00e1s\u00edn\u201d = thirty, evidently a clerical error.\n\nFootnote 372:\n\n  [In Ar. \u201cyanjaaru,\u201d vii. form of \u201cjaara\u201d (med. Hamzah), in which the\n  idea of \u201craising,\u201d \u201clifting up,\u201d seems to prevail, for it is used for\n  raising the voice in prayer to God, and for the growing high of\n  plants.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 373:\n\n  The text, which is wholly unedited, reads \u201cHe found the beasts and\n  their loads (? the camels) and the learned men,\u201d &c. A new form of\n  \u201cbos atque sacerdos\u201d and of _place pour les \u00e2nes et les savans_, as\n  the French soldiers cried in Egypt when the scientists were admitted\n  into the squares of infantry formed against the doughty Mameluke\n  Cavalry.\n\nFootnote 374:\n\n  [In the MS. \u201cw\u00e1raytan\u00ed il\u00e0 l-tur\u00e1b\u201d = thou hast given me over to the\n  ground for concealment, iii. form of \u201cwar\u00e0,\u201d which takes the meaning\n  of \u201chiding,\u201d \u201ckeeping secret.\u201d\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 375:\n\n  [The MS. has \u201cwa dazz-h\u00e1,\u201d which is an evident corruption. The\n  translator, placing the diacritical point over the first radical\n  instead of the second, reads \u201cwa zarr-h\u00e1,\u201d and renders accordingly.\n  But if in the MS. the dot is misplaced, the Tashd\u00edd over it would\n  probably also belong to the D\u00e1l, resp. Zal, and as it is very feasible\n  that a careless writer should have dropped one W\u00e1w before another, I\n  am inclined to read \u201cwa wazzar-h\u00e1\u201d = \u201cand he left her,\u201d \u201clet her go,\u201d\n  \u201cset her free.\u201d In classical Arabic only the imperative \u201cZar,\u201d and the\n  aorist \u201cyazaru\u201d of the verb \u201cwazara\u201d occur in this sense, while the\n  preterite is replaced by \u201ctaraka,\u201d or some other synonym. But the\n  language of the common people would not hesitate to use a form scorned\n  by the grammarians, and even to improve upon it by deriving from it\n  one of their favourite intensives.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 376:\n\n  Both are civil forms of refusal: for the first see vols. i. 32; vi.\n  216; and for the second ix. 309.\n\nFootnote 377:\n\n  Everything being fair in love and war and dealing with a \u201cK\u00e1fir,\u201d\n  _i.e._ a non-Moslem.\n\nFootnote 378:\n\n  In text \u201cLabbayka\u201d = here am I: see vol. i. 226.\n\nFootnote 379:\n\n  In text \u201c\u2019\u00dad Khayzar\u00e1n\u201d = wood of the rattan, which is orig. \u201cRota,\u201d\n  from the Malay \u201cRotan.\u201d Vol. ii. 66, &c.\n\nFootnote 380:\n\n  [In the MS. \u201cal-Zam\u00e1n.\u201d The translation here adopted is plausible\n  enough. Still I think it probable that the careless scribe has omitted\n  the words \u201cy\u00e1 al-Malik\u201d before it, and meant to write \u201cO king of the\n  age!\u201d as in so many preceding places.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 381:\n\n  Arab. \u201cAl-Kuhn\u00e1,\u201d plur. of \u201cK\u00e1hin\u2019t\u201d = diviner, priest\n  (non-Levitical): see \u201cCohen,\u201d ii. 221. [The form is rather curious.\n  The Dictionaries quote \u201cKuhn\u00e1\u201d as a Syriac singular, but here it seems\n  to be taken as a plural of the measure \u201cfu\u2019al\u00e1\u201d (Kuhan\u00e1), like Umar\u00e1\n  of Am\u00edr or Shu\u2019ar\u00e1 of Sh\u00e1\u2019ir. The usual plurals of K\u00e1hin are Kahanah\n  and Kuhh\u00e1n.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 382:\n\n  This is the celebrated incident in \u201cAlaeddin,\u201d \u201cNew lamps for old:\u201d\n  See Suppl., vol. iii. 160.\n\nFootnote 383:\n\n  In text \u201cJazd\u00e1n\u201d = a pencase (Pers.) more pop. called \u201cKalamd\u00e1n\u201d =\n  reed-box vol. iv. 167: Scott (p. 212) has a \u201cwriting-stand.\u201d It\n  appears a queer place wherein to keep a ring, but Easterns often store\n  in these highly ornamented boxes signets and other small matters.\n\nFootnote 384:\n\n  Arab. \u201cBahr al-Muh\u00edt\u201d = Circumambient Ocean; see vol. i. 133.\n\nFootnote 385:\n\n  Arab. \u201cF\u00e1r\u201d (plur. \u201cF\u00edr\u00e1n\u201d) = mouse rather than rat.\n\nFootnote 386:\n\n  Sleep at this time is considered very unwholesome by Easterns. See\n  under \u201cKayl\u00falah\u201d = siesta, vols. i. 51, ii. 178, and viii. 191.\n\nFootnote 387:\n\n  Modern science which, out of the depths of its self-consciousness, has\n  settled so many disputed questions, speaking by the organs of\n  Messieurs Woodman and Tidy (\u201cMedical Jurisprudence\u201d) has decided that\n  none of the lower animals can bear issue to man. But the voice of the\n  world is against them and as Voltaire says one cannot be cleverer than\n  everybody. To begin with there is the will: the she-quadruman shows a\n  distinct lust for man by fondling him and displaying her parts as if\n  to entice him. That carnal connexion has actually taken place cannot\n  be doubted: my late friend Mirza Ali Akbar, of Bombay, the famous\n  Munshi to Sir Charles Napier during the conquest of Sind, a man\n  perfectly veracious and trustworthy, assured me that in the Gujar\u00e1t\n  province he had witnessed a case with his own eyes. He had gone out\n  \u201cto the jungle,\u201d as the phrase is, with another Moslem who, after\n  keeping him waiting for an unconscionable time, was found carnally\n  united to a she-monkey. My friend, indignant as a good Moslem should\n  be, reproved him for his bestiality and then asked him how it had come\n  to pass: the man answered that the she-monkey came regularly to look\n  at him on certain occasions, that he was in the habit of throwing her\n  something to eat and that her gratitude displayed such sexuality that\n  he was tempted and \u201cfell.\u201d That the male monkey shows an equal desire\n  for the woman is known to every frequenter of the \u201cZoo.\u201d I once led a\n  party of English girls to see a collection of mandrils and other\n  anthropoid apes in the M\u00e9nagerie of a well-known Russian millionnaire\n  near Florence, when the Priapism displayed, was such that the girls\n  turned back and fled in fright. In the motherlands of these\n  anthropoids (the Gaboon, Malacca, etc.,) the belief is universal and\n  women have the liveliest fear of them. In 1853 when the Crimean war\n  was brewing a dog-faced baboon in Cairo broke away from his\n  \u201cKuraydati\u201d (ape-leader), threw a girl in the street and was about to\n  ravish her when a sentinel drew his bayonet and killed the beast. The\n  event was looked upon as an evil omen by the older men, who shook\n  their heads and declared that these were bad times when apes attempted\n  to ravish the daughters of Moslems. But some will say that the grand\n  test, the existence of the mule between man and monkey, though\n  generally believed in, is characteristically absent, absent as the\n  \u201cmissing link\u201d which goes so far as to invalidate Darwinism in one and\n  perhaps the most important part of its contention. Of course the\n  offspring of such union would be destroyed, yet the fact of our never\n  having found a trace of it except in legend and idle story seems to\n  militate against its existence. When, however, man shall become \u201cHomo\n  Sapiens\u201d he will cast off the prejudices of the cradle and the nursery\n  and will ascertain by actual experiment if human being and monkey can\n  breed together. The lowest order of bimana, and the highest order of\n  quadrumana may, under most favourable circumstances, bear issue and\n  the \u201cMule,\u201d who would own half a soul, might prove most serviceable as\n  a hewer of wood and a drawer of water, in fact as an agricultural\n  labourer. All we can say is that such \u201cmiscegenation\u201d stands in the\n  category of things not proven and we must object to science declaring\n  them non-existing. A correspondent favours me with the following note\n  upon the subject:\u2014Castanheda (Annals of Portugal), relates that a\n  woman was transported to an island inhabited by monkeys and took up\n  her abode in a cavern where she was visited by a huge baboon. He\n  brought her apples and fruit and at last had connection with her, the\n  result being two children in two to three years; but when she was\n  being carried off by a ship the parent monkey kissed his progeny. The\n  woman was taken to Lisbon and imprisoned for life by the King.\n  Langius, Virgilius Polydorus and others quote many instances of\n  monstruous births in Rome resulting from the connection of women with\n  dogs and bears, and cows with horses, &c. The following relative\n  conditions are deduced on the authority of MM. Jean Polfya and\n  Mauriceau:\u20141. If the sexual organism of man or woman be more powerful\n  than that of the monkey, dog, etc., the result will be a monster in\n  the semblance of man. 2. If _vice-vers\u00e2_ the appearance will be that\n  of a beast. 3. If both are equal the result will be a distinct\n  sub-species as of the horse with the ass.\n\nFootnote 388:\n\n  Arab. \u201cTam\u00edm\u201d (plur. of Tam\u00edmat) = spells, charms, amulets, as those\n  hung to a horse\u2019s neck, the African Greegree and the Heb. Thummim. As\n  was the case with most of these earliest superstitions, the Serpent,\n  the Ark, the Cherubim, the Golden Calf (Apis) and the Levitical\n  Institution, the Children of Israel derived the now mysterious term\n  \u201cUr\u00edm\u201d (lights) and \u201cThummim\u201d (amulets) from Egypt and the Semitic\n  word (Tam\u00edmah) still remains to explain the Hebrew. \u201cThummim,\u201d I may\n  add, is by \u201cgeneral consensus\u201d derived from \u201cT\u00f4m\u201d = completeness and\n  is englished \u201cPerfection,\u201d but we can find a better origin near at\n  hand in spoken Arabic.\n\nFootnote 389:\n\n  These verses have already occurred, see my vol. i. p. 275. I have\n  therefore quoted Payne, i. p. 246.\n\nFootnote 390:\n\n  Arab. \u201cWak\u00edl\u201d who, in the case of a grown-up girl, declares her\n  consent to the marriage in the presence of two witnesses and after\n  part payment of the dowry.\n\nFootnote 391:\n\n  Such is the meaning of the Arab. \u201cThayyib.\u201d\n\nFootnote 392:\n\n  This appears to be the popular belief in Egypt. See vol. iv. 297,\n  which assures us that \u201cno thing poketh and stroketh more strenuously\n  than the Gird\u201d (or hideous Abyssinian cynocephalus.) But it must be\n  based upon popular ignorance: the private parts of the monkey although\n  they erect stiffly, like the priapus of Osiris when swearing upon his\n  Phallus, are not of the girth sufficient to produce that friction\n  which is essential to a woman\u2019s pleasure. I may here allude to the\n  general disappointment in England and America caused by the exhibition\n  of my friend Paul de Chaillu\u2019s Gorillas: he had modestly removed penis\n  and testicles, the latter being somewhat like a bull\u2019s, and his\n  squeamishness caused not a little grumbling and sense of\n  grievance\u2014especially amongst the curious sex.\n\nFootnote 393:\n\n  [In the MS. \u201cfahakat,\u201d _lit._ she flowed over like a brimful\n  vessel.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 394:\n\n  In 1821, Scott (p. 214) following Gilchrist\u2019s method of\n  transliterating eastern tongues wrote \u201cAbou Neeut\u201d and \u201cNeeuteen\u201d (the\n  latter a bad blunder making a masc. plural of a fem. dual). In 1822\n  Edouard Gauttier (vi. 320) gallicised the names to \u201cAbou-Nyout\u201d and\n  \u201cAbou-Nyoutyn\u201d with the same mistake and one superadded; there is no\n  such Arabic word as \u201cNiy\u00fat.\u201d Mr. Kirby in 1822, \u201cThe New Arabian\n  Nights\u201d (p. 366) reduced the words to \u201cAbu Neut\u201d and \u201cAbu Neuteen,\u201d\n  which is still less intelligible than Scott\u2019s; and, lastly, the\n  well-known Turkish scholar Dr. Redhouse converted the tortured names\n  to \u201cAb\u00fa Niyyet\u201d and \u201cAb\u00fa Niyyeteyn,\u201d thus rightly giving a \u201ctashd\u00edd\u201d\n  (reduplication sign) to the Y\u00e1 (see Appendix p. 646 to Suppl. v. No.\n  iii and Turk. Dict. sub voce \u201cNiyyat\u201d). The Arab. is \u201cNiyyah\u201d = will,\n  purpose, intent; \u201cAb\u00fa Niyyah\u201d (Grammat. \u201cAb\u00fa Niyyatin\u201d) Father of one\n  Intent = single-minded and \u201cAb\u00fa Niyyatayn\u201d = Father of two Intents or\n  double-minded; and Richardson is deficient when he writes only \u201cNiyat\u201d\n  for \u201cNiyyat.\u201d I had some hesitation about translating this tale which\n  begins with the \u201cEnvier and the Envied\u201d (vol. i. 123) and ends with\n  the \u201cSisters who envied their Cadette\u201d (Suppl. vol. iii. 492). But the\n  extant versions of it are so imperfect in English and French that I\n  made up my mind to include it in this collection.\u2014[Richardson\u2019s\n  \u201cNiyat\u201d is rather another, although rarer form of the same word.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 395:\n\n  [I read: \u201cwa tukarribu \u2019l-\u2019abda ilayya,\u201d referring the verb to\n  \u201cal-Sadakah\u201d (the alms) and translating: \u201cand it bringeth the servant\n  near to me,\u201d the speaker, in Coranic fashion supposed to be\n  Allah.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 396:\n\n  The text prefers the Egyptian form \u201cSher\u00edf\u00ed\u201d pl. \u201cSher\u00edf\u00edyah,\u201d which\n  was adopted by the Portuguese.\n\nFootnote 397:\n\n  The grace after meat, \u201cBismillah\u201d being that which precedes it. Abu\n  Niyyah was more grateful than a youth of my acquaintance who\n  absolutely declined asking the Lord to \u201cmake him truly thankful\u201d after\n  a dinner of cold mutton.\n\nFootnote 398:\n\n  [The root \u201cKart\u201d is given in the dictionaries merely to introduce the\n  word \u201ckar\u00edt\u201d = complete, speaking of a year, &c., and \u201cTakr\u00edt,\u201d the\n  name of a town in Mesopotamia, celebrated for its velvets and as the\n  birth-place of Saladin. According to the first mentioned word I would\n  take the signification of \u201cKart\u201d to be \u201ccomplement\u201d which here may\n  fitly be rendered by \u201cremainder,\u201d for that which with regard to the\n  full contents of the dinner tray is their complement would of course\n  be their remainder with regard to the viands that have been\n  eaten.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 399:\n\n  For the \u201cZak\u00e1t\u201d = legal alms, which must not be less than\n  two-and-a-half per cent., see vol. i. 339.\n\nFootnote 400:\n\n  In text \u201cKazd\u00edr,\u201d for which see vols. iv. 274 and vi. 39. Here it may\n  allude to the canisters which make great show in the general store of\n  a petty shopkeeper.\n\nFootnote 401:\n\n  [The MS. reads \u201cmurafraf\u201d (passive), from \u201cRafraf\u201d = a shelf, arch,\n  anything overhanging something else, therefore here applying either to\n  the eye-brows as overhanging the eyes, or to the sockets, as forming a\n  vault or cave for them. Perhaps it should be \u201cmurafrif\u201d (active part),\n  used of a bird, who spreads his wings and circles round his prey,\n  ready to pounce upon it; hence with prying, hungry, greedy eyes.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 402:\n\n  Arab. \u201cNiyyah\u201d with the normal pun upon the name.\n\nFootnote 403:\n\n  Arab. \u201c\u2019\u00c1mil Rasad,\u201d lit. acting as an observatory: but the style is\n  broken as usual, and to judge from the third line below the sentence\n  may signify \u201cAnd I am acting as Talisman (to the Hoard).\u201d\n\nFootnote 404:\n\n  In the text \u201cIsh\u00e1ri,\u201d which may have many meanings: I take \u201ca shot\u201d at\n  the most likely. In \u201cThe Tale of the Envier and the Envied\u201d the\n  counter-spell in a fumigation by means of some white hair plucked from\n  a white spot, the size of a dirham, at the tail-end of a black tom-cat\n  (vol. i. 124). According to the Welsh legend, \u201cthe Devil hates\n  cocks\u201d\u2014I suppose since that fowl warned Peter of his fall.\n\nFootnote 405:\n\n  In text \u201cYaum al-Ahad,\u201d which begins the Moslem week: see vols. iii.\n  249 and vi. 190.\n\nFootnote 406:\n\n  [In Ar. \u201cHarj wa Laght.\u201d The former is generally joined with \u201cMarj\u201d\n  (Harj wa Marj) to express utter confusion, chaos, anarchy. \u201cLaght\u201d\n  (also pronounced Laghat and written with the palatal \u201ct\u201d) has been\n  mentioned supra p. 20 as a synonym of \u201cJalabah\u201d = clamour, tumult,\n  etc.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 407:\n\n  [In Ar. \u201cyahjubu,\u201d aor. of \u201chajaba\u201d = he veiled, put out of sight,\n  excluded, warded off. Amongst other significations the word is\n  technically used of a nearer degree of relationship excluding entirely\n  or partially a more distant one from inheritance.\u2014ST.]\n\nFootnote 408:\n\n  Arab. \u201cYaum al-Jum\u2019ah\u201d = Assembly-day, Friday: see vol. vi. 120.\n\nFootnote 409:\n\n  A regular Badawi remedy. This Artemisia (Arab. Shayh), which the\n  Dicts. translate \u201cwormwood of Pontus,\u201d is the sweetest herb of the\n  Desert, and much relished by the wild men: see my \u201cPilgrimage,\u201d vol.\n  i. 228. The Finnish Arabist Wallin, who died Professor of Arabic at\n  Helsingfors, speaks of a \u201cFar\u00e1shat al-Shayh\u201d = a carpet of wormwood.\n\nFootnote 410:\n\n  \u201cS\u00e1hibi-h,\u201d the masculine; because, as the old grammar tells us, that\n  gender is more worthy than the feminine.\n\nFootnote 411:\n\n  _i.e._ his strength was in the gold: see vol. i. 340.\n\nFootnote 412:\n\n  Arab. \u201cHaysumah\u201d = smooth stones (water-rounded?).\n\nFootnote 413:\n\n  For \u201chis flesh was crushed upon his bones,\u201d a fair specimen of Arab.\n  metonomy-cum-hyperbole. In the days when Mr. John Bull boasted of his\n  realism _versus_ Gallic idealism, he \u201cgot wet to the skin\u201d when M.\n  Jean Crapaud was _mouill\u00e9 jusqu\u2019aux os_.\n\n  For the Angels supposed to haunt a pure and holy well, and the trick\n  played by Ibn T\u00famart, see Ibn Khaldun\u2019s Hist. of the Berbers, vol. ii.\n  575.\n\nFootnote 414:\n\n  Here begins the second tale which is a weak replica of Galland\u2019s \u201cTwo\n  Sisters,\u201d &c.\n\nFootnote 415:\n\n  This is the usual term amongst savages and barbarians, and during that\n  period the father has no connection with the mother. Civilisation has\n  abolished this natural practice which is observed by all the lower\n  animals and has not improved human matters. For an excellent\n  dissertation on the subject see the letter on Polygamy by Mrs. Belinda\n  M. Pratt, in \u201cThe City of the Saints,\u201d p. 525.\n\nFootnote 416:\n\n  In text \u201cKuwayyis,\u201d dim. of \u201cKayyis,\u201d and much used in Egypt as an\n  adj. = \u201cpretty,\u201d \u201cnice\u201d and an adv. \u201cwell,\u201d \u201cnicely.\u201d See s. v. Spitta\n  Bey\u2019s Glossary to _Contes Arabes Modernes_. The word is familiar to\n  the travellers in the Nile-valley.\n\nFootnote 417:\n\n  In Arab. a \u201cKan\u00e1t;\u201d see vol. iii. 141. The first occupation came from\n  nature; the second from seeing the work of the adopted father.\n\nFootnote 418:\n\n  Abu Niyyah, like most house masters in the East, not to speak of\n  Kings, was the last to be told a truth familiar to everyone but\n  himself and his wife.\n\nFootnote 419:\n\n  The MS. breaks off abruptly at this sentence and evidently lacks\n  finish. Scott (vi. 228) adds, \u201cThe young princes were acknowledged and\n  the good Abou Neeut had the satisfaction of seeing them grow up to\n  follow his example.\u201d\n\n  In the MS. this tale is followed by a \u201cStory of his own Adventures\n  related by a connection to an Emir of Egypt.\u201d I have omitted it\n  because it is a somewhat fade replica of \u201cThe Lovers of the Ban\u00fa\n  Ozrah\u201d (vol. vii. 117; Lane iii. 247).\n\nFootnote 420:\n\n  Mr. Chandler remarks, (p. 25, \u201cOn Lending Bodleian Books, &c.\u201d):\u2014\u201cIt\n  is said that the Curators can refuse any application if they choose;\n  of course they can, but as a matter of fact no application has ever\n  been refused, and every name added will make it more and more\n  difficult, more and more invidious to refuse anyone.\u201d I have,\n  therefore, the singular honour of being the first chosen for\n  rejection.\n\nFootnote 421:\n\n  Mr. Chandler\u2019s motion (see p. 28, \u201cBook-lending, &c.\u201d) was defeated by\n  an amendment prepared by Professor Jowett and the former fought, with\n  mixed success, the report of the Committee of Loans; the document\n  being so hacked as to become useless, and, in this mangled condition,\n  it was referred back to the Committee with a recommendation to\n  consider the best way of carrying out the present statute. The manly\n  and straightforward course of at once proposing a new statute was not\n  adopted, nor was it even formally proposed. Lastly, the applications\n  for loans, which numbered sixteen, were submitted to the magnates and\n  were all refused! whilst the application of an Indian subject that\n  MSS. be sent to the India Office for his private use was at once\n  granted. In my case Professors B. Price and Max M\u00fcller, who had often\n  voted for loans, and were willing enough to lend anything to anybody,\n  declined to vote.\n\nFootnote 422:\n\n  According to the statutes, \u201cThe Chancellor must be acquainted with the\n  Business (of altering laws concerning the Library), and he must\n  approve, and refer it to the Head of Houses, else no Dispensation can\n  be proposed.\u201d\n\nFootnote 423:\n\n  The following telegram from the Vienna correspondent of \u201cThe Times\u201d\n  (November 16, 1886), is worth quotation:\u2014\n\n  \u201cThe Committee of the Vienna Congress (of Orientalists) is now\n  preparing a memorial, which will be signed by Archduke Renier, and\n  will be forwarded in a few days to the trustees of the British Museum\n  and to the Secretary of State, praying that a Bill may be introduced\n  into Parliament empowering the British Museum to lend out its Oriental\n  MSS. to foreign savants under proper guarantees. A resolution pledging\n  the members of the Oriental Congress to this course was passed at the\n  Congress of Leyden, in 1883, on the motion of Professor D. H. M\u00fcller,\n  of Vienna; but it has not yet been acted upon so thoroughly as will be\n  the case now.\n\n  \u201cThe British Museum is the only great library in Europe which does not\n  lend out its MSS. to foreigners. The university and court libraries of\n  Vienna, the royal and state libraries of Berlin and Munich, those of\n  Copenhagen and Leyden, and Biblioth\u00e8que Nationale in Paris all are\n  very liberal in their loans to well-recommended foreigners. In Paris a\n  diplomatic introduction is required. In Munich the library does not\n  lend directly to the foreign borrower; but sends to the library of the\n  capital whence the borrower may have made his application, and leaves\n  all responsibility to that library. In the other libraries the\n  discretion is left to the librarian, who generally lends without any\n  formalities beyond ascertaining the _bona fides_ and trustworthiness\n  of the applicant. In Vienna, however, there has occasionally been some\n  little excess of formality, so a petition is about to be presented to\n  the Emperor by the University professors, begging that the privilege\n  of borrowing may be considered as general, and not as depending on the\n  favour of an official.\n\n  \u201cAs regards Oriental MSS., it is remarked that the guarantees need not\n  be so minute as in the case of old European MSS., which are often\n  unique copies. According to the learned Professor of Sanskrit in this\n  city, Herr George B\u00fchler, there are very few unique Oriental MSS. in\n  existence of Sanskrit\u2014perhaps not a dozen.\u201d\n\nFootnote 424:\n\n  (1) \u201cOn Lending Bodleian Books and Manuscripts\u201d (not published). June\n  10, 1866; (2) Appendix. Barlow\u2019s Argument. June, 1866; (3) On\n  Book-lending as practised at the Bodleian Library. July 27, 1886:\n  Baxter, Printer, Oxford. The three papers abound in earnestness and\n  energy; but they have the \u201cdefects of their qualities,\u201d as the phrase\n  is; and the subject often runs away with the writer. A single instance\n  will suffice. No. i. p. 23 says, \u201cIn a library like the Bodleian,\n  where the practice of lending prevails as it now does, a man may put\n  himself to great inconvenience in order to visit it; he may even\n  travel from Berlin, and when he arrives he may find that all his\n  trouble has been in vain, the very book he wants is out.\u201d This must\n  have been written during the infancy of Sir Rowland Hill, and when\n  telegrams were unknown to mankind; all that the Herr has to do in our\n  times is to ask per wire if the volume be at home or not.\n\nFootnote 425:\n\n  Chandler, \u201cOn Lending Bodleian Books,\u201d etc., p. 18.\n\nFootnote 426:\n\n  Koran, xxiii. 14.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                          TRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES\n\n\n 1. P. 307, changed \u201chast thou him\u201d to \u201chast thou slain him\u201d.\n 2. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.\n 3. Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed.\n 4. Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers and collected together\n      at the end of the last chapter.\n 5. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.\n 6. Enclosed bold font in =equals=.","title":"Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights \u2014 Volume 4 (of 6)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":146047}